2  Character Creation
=====================

This chapter contains all the information you'll need to create human
characters, including character traits and trait levels, and two
different systems of how to allocate them.

For non-human characters - or characters with supernormal abilities
(magic, psionics, super powers, etc.) - you will also need to read
Chapter 3, Supernormal Powers, before your characters will be
complete.

2.1  Character Creation Terms
-----------------------------

Trait: anything that describes a character.  A trait can be an
     attribute, skill, inherited gift, fault, supernormal power, or
     any other feature that might describe a character.  The GM is the
     ultimate authority on what is an attribute and what is a skill,
     gift, etc.

Level: most traits are described by one of seven adjectives.  These
     seven descriptive words represent *levels* a trait may be at.  In
     addition, the Objective Character Creation method grants the
     player free levels, and demands he keep track of them.  In this
     case, one level is required to raise a trait to the next better
     adjective.

Attribute: any trait that *everyone* has, in some degree or other.
     See Section 2.31, Attributes, for a sample list of attributes.
     On a scale of Terrible...Fair...Superb, the average human will
     have an attribute at Fair.

Skill: any trait that isn't an attribute, but can be improved through
     practice.  The default for an unlisted skill is usually Poor,
     though that can vary up or down a little depending on the skill.

Gift: any trait that isn't an attribute or skill, but is something
     positive for the character.  Some GMs will define a certain trait
     as a gift, while others will define the same trait as an
     attribute.  In general, if the trait doesn't easily fit the
     Terrible...Fair...Superb scale, it's probably a gift.

Fault: any trait that limits a character's actions, or earns him a bad
     reaction from other people.

Supernormal Power: although technically gifts, supernormal powers are
     treated separately in Chapter 3.

2.2  FUDGE Trait Levels
-----------------------

FUDGE uses ordinary words to describe various traits of a character.
The following terms of a seven-level sequence are suggested (from best
to worst):
    
    Superb
    Great
    Good
    Fair
    Mediocre
    Poor
    Terrible

These levels should be written on each character sheet for easy
reference.

A GM may alter this list in any way she desires, including expanding
or shrinking it.  For example, if Superb doesn't sound right to you,
use Awesome - or even Way Cool.  If the words Mediocre and Fair don't
make sense to you, change them!  These seven terms will be used in the
rules, however, for clarity.

The best way to remember the order is to compare adjacent words.  If,
as a beginner, your eventual goal is to become an excellent game
player, for example, ask yourself if you'd rather be called a Fair
game player or a Mediocre game player?

There is an additional level that can be used in FUDGE, but is not
listed above: Legendary, which is beyond Superb.  Those with Legendary
Strength, for example, are in the 99.9th percentile, and their names
can be found in any book of world records.

IMPORTANT NOTE: not every GM will allow PCs to become Legendary!  Even
in games that *do* include the Legendary level, it is not recommended
that any character be allowed to *start* the game as Legendary.
Superb represents the 98th to 99.9th percentile of any given trait,
which should be enough for any beginning PC!  Of course, if a player
character gets a bit overconfident, meeting an *NPC* Legendary
swordswoman can be a grounding experience. . .

If someone really *has* to begin play as a Legendary swordsman, strong
man, etc., doing the GM's laundry for half a year or so (in advance)
should be sufficient bribe to be allowed to start at that level.  Of
course, working towards Legendary makes a great campaign goal, and so
PCs may rise to that height, given enough playing time and a generous
GM.

2.3  Character Traits
---------------------

Traits are divided into Attributes, Skills, Gifts, Faults and
Supernormal Powers.  Not every GM will have all five types of traits
in her game.  These traits are defined in Section 2.1, Character
Creation Terms.

2.31  Attributes
----------------

Gamers often disagree on how many attributes a game should have.  Some
prefer few attributes, others many.  Even those that agree on the
number of attributes may disagree on the selection.  While FUDGE
discusses some attributes (Strength, Fatigue, Constitution, etc.) in
later sections, none of these are mandatory.  The only attribute the
basic FUDGE rules assume is Damage Capacity, and even that is needed
only if you use the Objective Damage system (Section 4.72).

Damage Capacity may be called Hit Points, if desired.  It may be tied
to a character trait such as Constitution (or Hardiness, Fitness,
Health, Body, etc.), or it may be a separate trait - see Section 6.3,
Character Examples.  In FUDGE, Damage Capacity determines how wounds
affect a character, and is an attribute on the Terrible ... Fair ...
Superb scale.  See Section 4.72, Objective Damage System, for details.

Here is a partial list of attributes in use by other games; select to
your taste, or skip these altogether:

Body: Agility, Aim, Appearance, Balance, Brawn, Build, Constitution,
Coordination, Deftness, Dexterity, Endurance, Fatigue, Fitness,
Health, Hit Points, Manual Dexterity, Muscle, Nimbleness, Quickness,
Physical, Reflexes, Size, Smell, Speed, Stamina, Strength, Wound
Resistance, Zip, and so on.

Mind: Cunning, Education, Intelligence, Knowledge, Learning,
Mechanical, Memory, Mental, Mental Strength, Perception, Reasoning,
Smarts, Technical, Wit, and so on.

Soul: Channeling, Charisma, Charm, Chutzpah, Common Sense, Coolness,
Disposition, Drive, Ego, Empathy, Fate, Honor, Intuition, Luck, Magic
Resistance, Magic Potential, Magical Ability, Power, Presence, Psyche,
Sanity, Self Discipline, Social, Spiritual, Style, Will, Wisdom, and
so on, and so on!

Other: Rank, Status, Wealth.

Note that most games combine many of these attributes, while others
treat some of them as gifts or even skills.  In FUDGE, if you wish,
you can even split these attributes into smaller ones: Lifting
Strength, Carrying Strength, Damage-dealing Strength, etc.

At this point, the GM might decide how many attributes she deems
necessary - or she might leave it up to each player.  (Commercial
games range from one or two to over 20.)  See Section 6.3, Character
Examples, for some possibilities.

2.32  Skills
------------

Skills are not related to attributes or their levels in FUDGE.
Players are encouraged to design their characters logically - a
character with a lot of Good physical skills should probably have
better than average physical attributes, for example.  On the other
hand, FUDGE allows a player to create someone like Groo the Wanderer
(TM), who is very clumsy yet extremely skilled with his swords.

The GM should then decide what level of skill depth she wants.  Are
skills broad categories such as "Social skills," or moderately broad
abilities, such as "Inspire People, Parley, and Market Savvy," or are
they very specific abilities such as "Barter, Seduce, Repartee,
Persuade, Fast-Talk, Bully, Grovel, Carouse, Flatter, Bribe," etc.?

Note that an attribute is, in some ways, a *very* broad skill group,
and skills may be ignored altogether if desired.

Combat skills require special consideration.  The broadest possible
category is simply that: Combat Skills.  A very broad range might
break that down to Melee Weapons, Unarmed Combat, and Missile Weapons.
A somewhat narrower approach would break down Melee Weapons into Close
Combat Melee Weapons (knives, blackjacks, etc.), One-handed Melee
Weapons (one-handed swords, axes, maces, etc.) and Two-handed Melee
Weapons (polearms, spears, battle-axes, two-handed swords, etc.).  Or,
for a very precise list of skills, each group in parentheses could be
listed as a separate skill; a character skilled at using a broadsword
might know nothing about using a saber, for example.

Each choice has its merits.  Broad skill groups that include many sub-
skills make for an easy character sheet and fairly competent
characters, while specific skills allow fine-tuning a character to a
precise degree.

See Section 6.3, Character Examples, for an idea of how broadly or
finely skills can be defined in a game.

The following brief list of skill examples is not in any way intended
to be comprehensive or official.  It is merely to help those not used
to skill-based systems think of some skills for their characters.  By
all means, change the names, create new ones, compress or expand those
listed, disallow some, etc.  It is useful to print a sample skill list
on a separate sheet for each player during character creation.

Animal Skills: Animal Care, Animal Lore, Animal Training, Bee-keeping,
  Herding, Riding, Teamster, Veterinarian, etc.
Artistic skills: Aesthetics, Cosmetology, Culinary Arts, Literary
  Arts, Performing Arts (music, theater, storytelling, jester, dance,
  etc., and such skills as Choreography, Composition, Costuming,
  etc.), Visual Arts (painting, drawing, sculpting, etc.), and so on
Athletic skills: Acrobatics, Aerial Acrobatics, Balance Skills,
  Boating, Climbing, Jumping, Pole-vaulting, Running, Swimming,
  Throwing, Various Sports, Zero-G Maneuvering, etc.
Combat skills: Ambush, Demolitions, Dodge, Punmanship, Quick-Draw,
  Shield, Tactics, Throwing, numerous Weapon and Unarmed Combat skills
Covert skills: Acting, Breaking & Entering, Detect Traps, Deactivate
  Traps, Disguise, Forgery, Infiltrate, Intrigue, Lockpicking,
  Pickpocketing, Poisoning, Shadowing, Shady Contacts, Sleight of
  Hand, Stealth, etc.
Craft skills: Armory, Basket Making, Bowyer/Fletcher, Carpenter,
  Cooking, Knots, Leatherworking, Masonry, Pottery, Smith, Tailor,
  Weaving - many others
Dungeon-delving skills: Avoid Traps, Fight, Find Secret Passages, Pick
  Locks, Move Quietly, Run, Tell Believable Whoppers
Knowledge skills (a skill can represent knowledge of a subject as
  broad or narrow as the GM will allow): Alchemy, Alien Customs,
  Arcane Lore, Criminology, Cultures, Detective Fiction, Folklore,
  Geography, History, Literature, Occultism, Political Situations,
  Psychology, TV SitCom Episodes, Sciences (lots of these), etc.
Language skills: Each individual language, Pantomime, Pick Up
  Languages, etc.
Manipulative skills: Bamboozle, Bluff, Boot-licking, Bribery, Con,
  Exhort, Fast-talk, Flattery, Interrogate, Intimidate, Lying,
  Oratory, Persuade, Seduction, Street Gossip, etc.
Medical skills: Anatomy, Antidotes, Diagnosis, Doctoring, First Aid,
  Herb Preparation, Medicine, Nursing, Surgery, etc.
Merchant skills: Bargain, Barter, Business Sense, Evaluate Goods,
  Haggle, Innkeeping, Marketing, Salesmanship, Shopkeeping, etc.
Outdoor skills: Camouflage, Camping, Fishing, Forage, Herb Lore, Hide
  Traces, Hunting, Mimic Animal Noises, Nature Lore, Navigation,
  Survival, Tracking, Wildcraft, Woodcraft, etc.
Professional skills: Accounting, Begging, Bureaucracy, Farming,
  Gambling, Law, Photography, Seamanship - many others
Social skills (Fellowship): Bar Etiquette, Camaraderie, Carouse,
  Choosing just the right gift, Control Libido, Flirting, Game
  Playing, Hold your liquor, Make Amusing Faces or Noises, Matrix
  Etiquette, Tall Tales, Uplift Spirits, Witty Insults, etc.
Social skills (Formal): Courtly Ways, Detect Lies, Diplomacy,
  Etiquette, Interviewing, Parley, Repartee, Rituals, Savoir-Faire,
  Servant, etc.
Spiritual skills: Communing with nature, Fasting, Giving comfort,
  Listening deeply, Meditation, Patience, Theology, etc.
Supernormal Power skills: Fortune Telling, Levitate, Spell Casting,
  Use Mind Control, Use Superpower, Use Telekinesis, etc.
Technical skills: Computer Build/Repair, Computer Programming,
  Computer Use, Driving, Electronics, Engineer, Mechanic, Piloting,
  Repair Scoutship Systems, Research, Shiphandling, etc.
Urban skills: Barroom Savvy, Street Etiquette, Streetwise, Urban
  Survival, etc.

2.33  Gifts
-----------

A gift is a positive trait that doesn't seem to fit the Terrible...
Fair... Superb scale that attributes and skills fall into.  However,
this will vary from GM to GM: a photographic memory might be a gift to
one GM, while it will be a Superb Memory attribute to another.  Some
GMs will define Charisma as an attribute, while others might define it
as a gift.  To one Game Master, a character either has Night Vision or
he doesn't; another will allow characters to take different levels of
it.  A Game Master may not even have gifts in her game at all.

Alternatively, gifts might come in levels, but the levels don't
necessarily coincide with the levels used by other traits.  For
example, Status might be three- or four-tiered, or even nine-tiered
instead of fitting into the seven levels of attributes and skills.
Wealth might come only in five different levels - whatever each GM
desires.

One final way to look at a gift is as the positive aspect of a trait,
and a fault (Section 2.34) as the negative aspect.  For example, a GM
might describe a character's monetary status as a gift of Superb
Wealth or a fault of Terrible Wealth.  Using this approach, normal
people would have Fair Night Vision (not listed on the character
sheet), while Superb Night Vision would be a gift, and Terrible Night
Vision (Night Blindness) a fault.

Supernormal powers, such as the ability to cast magic spells, fly,
read minds, etc., are technically very powerful gifts, but are handled
separately in Chapter 3.  Likewise, traits above the human norm, such
as a very strong fantasy or alien race, are treated by definition as
supernormal powers.

In general, if a gift isn't written on the character sheet, the
character doesn't have it.

See Section 6.3, Character Examples, for examples of different gifts.
Many others are possible.

2.34  Faults
------------

Faults are anything that makes life more difficult for a character.
The primary faults are those that restrict a character's actions or
earn him a bad reaction from chance-met NPCs.  Various attitudes,
neuroses and phobias are faults; so are physical disabilities and
social stigmas.  There are heroic faults, too: a code of honor and
inability to tell a lie restrict your actions significantly, but are
not signs of flawed personality - see the next section.

Some faults are superfaults: the converse of supernormal powers, such
as a trait far below the human norm (e.g., a pixie's Strength).  These
are discussed in Section 3.1, Supernormal Power Terms.

See Section 6.3, Character Examples, for examples of different faults.
Many others are possible.

2.35  Personality
-----------------

A character's personality may be represented by one or more traits, or
it might simply be written out as character background or description.

As an example of the first case, courage might be an attribute, a gift
or even a fault.  As attributes, Superb Courage and Terrible Courage
have obvious meanings.  As a gift, obvious bravery might give the
character a positive reaction from people he meets (assuming they see
him being courageous, or have heard of his deeds, of course).

However, both Very Courageous and Very Cowardly can be faults because
they might limit a character's actions.  A very courageous character
might not run away from a fight even if it were in his best interest,
while a cowardly one would have a hard time staying in a fight even if
he stood to gain by staying.

Or a character's level of courage might not be a quantified trait at
all, but something the player simply decides.  "Moose is very brave,"
a player might jot down, and that is that.  It doesn't have to count
as a high attribute, gift or fault.

A player should ask the GM how she wants to handle specific
personality traits.  An excellent way to handle this is for the player
simply to describe his character in detail, and let the GM decide
which personality traits should be handled as attributes, gifts, or
faults.  However they are handled, most characters benefit by having
their personalities fleshed out.

2.36  Fudge Points
------------------

Fudge Points are meta-game gifts that may be used to buy "luck" during
a game - they let the *players* fudge a game result.  These are "meta-
game" gifts because they operate at the player-GM level, not
character-character level.  Not every GM will allow Fudge Points -
those who prefer very realistic games should probably not use them.

The GM sets the starting number of Fudge Points.  The recommended
range is from one to five, but very cinematic campaigns may allow
more.  Unused Fudge Points are saved up for the next gaming session.
Each player may get an additional number each gaming session.  (This
is also set by the GM, and may or may not equal the starting level.)
Alternately, the GM may simply allow Experience Points to be traded
for Fudge Points at a rate appropriate for the campaign: 3 EP = 1
Fudge Point, down to 1 EP = Fudge Point.

Example: in a game of Space Opera derring-do, a GM decides that each
character can start with three Fudge Points.  In addition, each
session they will receive an additional two Fudge Points.  If a
character doesn't use any during the first session, he will have five
Fudge Points available to use during the second session.

Fudge Points can be used in many ways, depending on what level on the
realistic-legendary scale the game is played at.  Here are some
suggested ways to use them, ranging (in order) from a realistic game
to an intensely legendary game - the GM can create her own uses, of
course.  A GM may allow as few or many of these options as she wishes
- the players should ask her before assuming they can do something
with Fudge Points.

A) A player may spend one Fudge Point to accomplish an Unopposed
action with a Good (or lesser) Difficulty Level automatically and with
panache - good for impressing members of the appropriate sex, and
possibly avoiding injury in the case of climbing or acrobatic actions.
Two Fudge Points allow the same thing for a Great Difficulty Level,
and three Fudge Points for a Superb Difficulty Level.  This option
cannot be used for any Opposed actions, such as combat.

B) A player may spend one Fudge Point to alter a die roll one level,
up or down as desired.  The die roll can be either one the player
makes, or one the GM makes that directly concerns the player's
character.  In a fairly realistic game, this must be announced
*before* the die roll; otherwise it can be decided afterwards.  A
maximum of one Fudge Point may be spent per die roll in a realistic
game.  In a legendary game, the GM may allow multiple points to be
spent on a single die roll.

C) A player may spend one Fudge Point to declare that wounds aren't as
bad as they first looked: Hurt become Scratched, Very Hurt become
Hurt, Incapacitated become Very Hurt, Near Death become Incapacitated.
(Dead is dead, however.)  This should only be done outside of combat
time.

D) A player may spend three Fudge Points to declare that all wounds
are really just Scratches that knocked the wind out of him, or stunned
him temporarily: all wounds become Scratches, except Dead, which
remains dead.  Again, this should not be allowed during combat time.

E) A player may spend three Fudge Points to get an automatic +3
result, without having to roll the dice.

F) For appropriately legendary games, a GM-set number of Fudge Points
can be spent to ensure a fortuitous coincidence.  (This is always
subject to GM veto, of course.)  For example, if the PCs are in a
maximum security prison, perhaps one of the guards turns out to be the
cousin of one of the PCs - and lets them escape!  Or the piece of
paper blowing down the street happens to be a page from the villain's
notebook, with an interesting tidbit of a clue on it . . .  Or the
captain of the fishing boat rescuing the PCs turns out to be someone
who owes a favor to one of them, and is willing to take them out of
his way to help them out . . .  You get the idea.  This option should
probably be very expensive in terms of Fudge Points, except in certain
genres where bizarre coincidences are the norm!

2.4  Allocating Traits
----------------------

Character creation in FUDGE assumes the players will *design* their
characters, rather than leaving attributes and other traits to chance.
The GM may allow randomly determined traits if she desires - a
suggested method is given in Section 2.8, Random Character Creation.

There are no mandatory traits in FUDGE.  The GM should inform the
players which traits she expects to be most important, and the players
may suggest others to the GM for her approval.  The GM may even make a
template, if desired - a collection of traits she deems important
(with room for customization) - and let the players define the level
of each trait.

When a character is created, the player should define as many
character traits as he finds necessary - which may or may not coincide
with a GM-determined list.  If a player adds an attribute the GM deems
unnecessary, the GM may treat that attribute as simply a *description*
of the character.  She may require a roll against a different
attribute than the player has in mind, and the player must abide by
her decision.

As an example, a certain GM decides she wants physical attributes to
be Strength, Dexterity and Constitution.  A player takes Good
Dexterity for his PC, but wants to show that the character is better
at whole body dexterity than at manual dexterity.  So he breaks
Dexterity down into: Great Agility and Fair Manual Dexterity (which
average Good).  However, the GM can ignore these distinctions, and
simply require a Dexterity roll, since that is the trait she has
chosen.  Of course, she can also accept the player's choices and allow
him to roll on the attributes he has created.

FUDGE offers two methods of creating characters: a subjective method
(in which each player simply rates his character's traits according to
his conception of the character's abilities); and an objective method
(in which the GM grants players a certain number of free trait levels
which the players may allocate as they see fit).

In FUDGE, a character with a trait at Fair will succeed at ordinary
tasks 61% of the time - there is usually no need to create a
superstar.  In fact, Great is really just that: great!  Superb should
be reserved for the occasional trait in which your character is the
best he's ever met.

Any traits that are not defined at character creation will be at one
of three default levels:

For attributes: Fair.

For most skills: Poor (easier skills might be Mediocre, while harder
ones are at Terrible).  Note that a skill default basically means
untrained, or very close to it.  However, it is possible to take a
skill at Terrible, which is below the default level for most skills.
Taking a skill at Terrible implies an actual ineptitude - the
character is worse at this particular skill than most people who
haven't even tried it.

For most gifts, supernormal powers and certain GM-defined skills: Non-
Existent.  (That is, the *default* is non-existent.  The trait itself
exists in *some* character, somewhere!)

Each player should expect the GM to modify his character after
creation - it's the nature of the game.  The GM should expect to
review each character before play.  It would, in fact, be best if the
characters were made in the presence of the GM so she can answer
questions during the process.

2.5  Subjective Character Creation
----------------------------------

A very easy way to create a character in FUDGE is for the player
simply to write down everything about the character that he feels is
important.  Any attribute or skill should be rated using one of the
levels Terrible through Superb (see Section 2.2, FUDGE Trait Levels).

It may be easiest, though, if the GM supplies a template of attributes
she'll be using.  See Section 6.3, Character Examples, for template
ideas.

The GM may also tell the player in advance that his character can be
Superb in a certain number of attributes, Great in so many others, and
Good in yet another group.  For example, in an epic-style game with
eight attributes, the GM might allow one Superb attribute, two Greats,
and three Goods.  In a more realistic game, this might be one Superb,
one Great, and two Goods.

This can apply to skills, too: one Superb skill, two Great skills, and
six Good skills is a respectable number for a realistic campaign,
while two Superbs, three Greats, and ten Goods is quite generous, even
in a highly cinematic game.

The GM may also simply limit the number of skills a character can take
at character creation: 10, 15, or 20 are possible choices.

Gifts and faults can be defined this way, also.  For example, a GM
might say that a character may have two gifts, and must take at least
three faults.  Taking another fault will allow another gift, or
perhaps another skill at Great, and so on.

These limitations help the player define the focus of the character a
bit better: what is his best trait (what can he do best)?

If the player has a Jack-of-all-Trades in mind, most of his
character's traits should be rated Mediocre to Good.  In this case, a
very simple "two lower for one higher" trait-conversion mechanic can
be used.  If the GM allows one Superb attribute, for example, the
player may forego that and take two attributes at Great, instead.
Likewise, one Great skill could be "traded" for two Good skills, and
so on.  As an extreme example, consider a game with limits of one
Superb skill, two Great skills and six Good skills.  A player decides
he wants his character to be Good at a lot of things.  So he trades
the one Superb skill limit for two Great skills, which means he could
now take four skills at Great.  However, he trades all four Great
skills in order to have eight more Good skills.  His character can now
have 14 skills at Good!

In the Subjective Character Creation system, it is very easy to use
both broad and narrow skill groups, as appropriate for the character.
In these cases, a broad skill group is assumed to contain the phrase,
"except as listed otherwise."  For example, a player wishes to play
the science officer of a starship.  He decides this character has
spent so much time studying the sciences, that he's weak in most
physical skills.  So on his character sheet he could simply write:
     
     Physical Skills: Poor

He also decides that his character's profession would take him out of
the ship in vacuum quite a bit, to examine things.  So he'd have to be
somewhat skilled at zero-G maneuvering.  So he then adds:
     
     Zero-G Maneuvering: Good

Even though this is a physical skill, it is not at Poor because he
specifically listed it as an exception to the broad category.  As
another example, a barbarian character might have "Terrible Social
Skills," and "Great Carousing Skill."  Even though Carousing is a
social skill, there is no conflict, since "Terrible Social Skills"
actually means "Terrible Social Skills except as listed otherwise."

The player and GM then meet and discuss the character.  If the GM
feels the character is too potent for the campaign she has in mind,
she'll ask the player either to limit the character's power, or take
some faults that will balance him.  See also Section 2.9, Minimizing
Abuse.

The GM may then need to suggest areas that she sees as being too weak
- perhaps she has a game situation in mind that will test a trait the
player didn't think of.  Gentle hints, such as "Does he have any
social skills?" can help the player through the weak spots.  Of
course, if there are multiple players, other PCs can compensate for an
individual PC's weaknesses.  In this case, the question to the whole
group might then be, "Does *anyone* have any social skills?"

Instead of the player writing up the character in terms of traits and
levels, he can simply write out a prose description of his character.
This requires the GM to translate everything into traits and
appropriate levels, but that's not hard to do if the description is
well written.  This method actually produces some of the best
characters.  ("Let's start by defining Captain Wallop's best skill -
what is he absolutely best at.  I see you rate his blaster skill
highly, and also his piloting and gunnery, but I'm only allowing one
Superb skill - which is it?  Blaster?  Okay, Superb Blaster.  Now you
say he's known throughout the Imperium for his piloting and gunnery
skills.  That would then be Great Piloting and Great Gunnery, all
right?  That leaves you with two more skills to be at Great, since I
allow four to start out.  Let's see, I notice he successfully
penetrated the main Khothi hive and rescued the kidnapped ambassador -
that sounds like a Great Ability to Move Quietly to me - is that
accurate, or would you describe it as some other ability?"  And so
on.)

2.6  Objective Character Creation
---------------------------------

For those who don't mind counting numbers a bit, the following method
creates interesting and well-balanced characters.  In this system, all
traits start at default level.  The GM then allows a number of free
levels the players may use to raise selected traits to higher levels.
Players may then lower certain traits in order to raise others even
further.  Finally, a player may opt to trade some levels of one trait
type (such as attributes) for another (skills, for example).  The
whole process insures that no character will dominate every aspect of
play, and forces the player to focus his character much more than the
Subjective Character Creation system.

2.61  Attributes
----------------

A GM using the Objective Character Creation system should decide how
many attributes she deems necessary in the campaign.  She can choose
to leave it up to each player, if she wishes.  Players then have a
number of free attribute levels equal to half the number of attributes
(round up for more cinematic games, down for more realistic games).
For example, if she selects four attributes, each player starts with
two free levels he can use to raise his character's attributes.

NOTE: for a more high-powered game, the GM may allow a number of free
levels *equal to* the number of attributes chosen.

All attributes are considered to be Fair until the player raises or
lowers them.  The cost of raising or lowering an attribute is
    
    +3  Superb
    +2  Great
    +1  Good
     0  Fair
    -1  Mediocre
    -2  Poor
    -3  Terrible

Thus, a player may raise his Strength attribute (which is Fair by
default) to Good by spending one free attribute level.  He could then
spend another free level to raise Strength again to Great.  This would
exhaust his free levels if there were only four attributes - but he
would have one more if there were six attributes, and eight more free
levels if there were 20 attributes.

When the free attribute levels have been exhausted, an attribute can
be raised further only by lowering another attribute an equal amount.
(See also Section 2.64, Trading Traits.)  From the previous example,
Strength can be raised one more level (to Superb) if the player lowers
the character's Charm to Mediocre to compensate for the increase in
Strength.

If the GM allows the players to choose their own attributes, she may
simply tell them to take half as many free levels as attributes they
choose.  If a player chooses an attribute and leaves it at Fair, that
attribute does *not* count towards the total of attributes which
determines the amount of free levels.  That is, a player cannot simply
add 12 attributes, all at Fair, in order to get 6 more free levels to
raise the others with!  GM-mandated attributes left at Fair *do* count
toward the total of free levels, though.

2.62  Skills
------------

In the Objective Character Creation system, each player has a number
of free skill levels with which to raise his skills.  Suggested limits
are:

For Very Broad Skill Groups: 15 levels.
For Moderately Broad Skill Groups: 30 levels.
For Very Specific Skills: 40 to 60 levels.

Ask the GM for the allotted amount, which will give you a clue as to
how precisely to define your skills.  Of course, the GM may choose any
number that suits her, such as 23, 42, or 74 . . .  See Section 6.3,
Character Examples.  Game Masters may devise their own skill lists to
choose from - some possibilities are included in Section 2.32, Skills.

Most skills have a default value of Poor unless the player raises or
lowers them.  (The GM may make exceptions: very easy skills might be
rated Mediocre unless altered, and very hard ones Terrible.  She'll
tell you when she reviews your character sheet, or she may have a list
of hard and easy skills already made up - ask her.)

Certain skills have a default of non-existent.  These would include
Languages, Karate, Nuclear Physics, or Knowledge of Aztec Rituals,
which must be studied to be known at all.  When a character studies
such a skill (puts a level into it at character creation, or
experience points later in the game), the level he gets it at depends
on how hard it is to learn.  Putting one level into learning the
Spanish language, for example, would get it at Mediocre, since it's of
average difficulty to learn.  Nuclear Physics, on the other hand,
might only be Poor or even Terrible with only one level put into it.
It would take 4 levels just to get such a skill at Fair, for example.

For ease in character creation, use the following table:
     
     Cost of Skills in Objective Character Creation:
     ----------------------------------------------
                  | Easy | Most | Hard | VH
     Terrible ..  |  -2  |  -1  |   0  |  1
     Poor ......  |  -1  |   0  |   1  |  2
     Mediocre ..  |   0  |   1  |   2  |  3
     Fair ......  |   1  |   2  |   3  |  4
     Good ......  |   2  |   3  |   4  |  5
     Great .....  |   3  |   4  |   5  |  6
     Superb ....  |   4  |   5  |   6  |  7
     
     Easy = Cost of GM-Determined Easy Skills
     Most = Cost of Average Skill
     Hard = Cost of GM-Determined Hard Skills
     VH = Cost of GM-Determined Very Hard Skills (usually related to
          Supernormal Powers)

As in the Subjective Character Creation system, the GM may limit the
number of Superb and Great skills each character may have *at
character creation*.  For a highly cinematic or super-powered game, no
limit is necessary.  For a more realistic game, the GM might set a
limit of one Superb skill, three or four Great skills, and eight or so
Good skills, for example - see Section 6.3, Character Examples.  These
limits can be exceeded through character development, of course.

Once the free levels are used up, a skill must be dropped one level
(from the default Poor to Terrible) to raise another skill one level.
(See also Section 2.64, Trading Traits.)  All choices are subject to
GM veto, of course.

It is possible to mix different breadths of skill groupings.  A GM who
has little interest in combat can simply choose Unarmed Combat, Melee
Weapons and Ranged Weapons as the only three combat skills.  But this
does not stop her from using all the individual Social skills (and
many more) listed as examples in Section 2.32, Skills.  If this option
is chosen, the broad groups should cost double the levels of the
narrower groups.

Mixing skill group sizes within the same areas is awkward in the
Objective Character Creation system.  While this technique works well
in the Subjective Character Creation system, it is not recommended
here.  For example, it is difficult to have a generic Thief Skills
group that can be raised one level at a time, and also have individual
skills of lockpicking, pick-pocketing, palming, security-device
dismantling, etc.  If she *does* wish to do this, then the broad skill
group *in this case* has a maximum limit of Good, and *triple* cost to
raise - or more, if the GM so mandates.

If the GM is using very broad groups, a player may raise a very
specific skill (such as Poker, for example, instead of general
Gambling skill).  The only reason to take a specific skill when the GM
is using broad-based skill groups is to fit a character concept - do
not expect the character to be equally adept with the other skills in
the group.  This would be true for Groo the Wanderer (TM), for
instance, who would simply raise Sword skill, even if the GM is using
the broad term Melee Weapons as a skill group.  Groo would have, in
fact, a Poor rating with all other Melee weapons, and this would
accurately reflect the character.

2.63  Gifts & Faults
--------------------

If the GM has gifts in her game, she may allow player characters to
start with free gifts.  (We recommend two free gifts for realistic
games, more for epic campaigns.)  Any further gifts taken must be
balanced by taking on a fault, or by trading traits.

2.64  Trading Traits
--------------------

During character creation, free levels may be traded (in either
direction) at the following rate:

1 attribute level = 3 skill levels.
1 gift = 6 skill levels.
1 gift = 2 attribute levels.

Fudge Points cannot be traded without GM permission.  (If tradable,
each Fudge Point should be equal to one or two gifts.)

So a player with three free attribute levels and 30 free skill levels
may trade 3 of his skill levels to get another free attribute level,
or 6 skill levels to get another free gift.

A player may also take extra GM-approved faults at the following rate:

1 fault = 1 gift.
1 fault = 2 attribute levels.
1 fault = 6 skill levels.

However, the GM may rule that a particular fault is not serious enough
to be worth 2 attribute levels, but may be worth 1 attribute level or
3 skill levels.  On the other hand, severe faults may be worth more
attribute levels.

2.7  Uncommitted Traits
-----------------------

Whether the character is created subjectively or objectively, each
character has three free uncommitted traits (or more, if the GM is so
inclined).  This means that at some point in the game, the player will
realize that he forgot something about the character that should have
been mentioned.  He may request to stop the action, and define a
previously undefined trait, subject to the GM's approval.  Only a very
lenient GM will allow this to happen during combat time.

Also note that GM-set skill limits (such as 1 Superb, 3 Greats) are
still in effect: if the character already has the maximum number of
Superb skills allowed, he can't make an uncommitted trait a Superb
skill.

2.8  Random Character Creation
------------------------------

Some players like to roll their attributes randomly.  Here is one
possible method to use in such cases.  Alternate techniques can be
easily designed.

Have the player roll 2d6 for each *attribute*.  Use the following
table to find the attribute level:

2 = Terrible
4 = Poor
3,5 = Mediocre
6-8 = Fair
9,11 = Good
10 = Great
12 = Superb

The GM needs to decide if the player still gets the standard number of
free levels or not.  She may also restrict trading levels.

For *skills*, the results are read as:

2-5,12 = Terrible
6-8 = Poor
9-10 = Mediocre
11 = Fair

The player still gets the standard number of free *skill* levels, or
the GM may allow only half the normal levels.

The GM can let the players choose their gifts and faults, or she may
wish to make up separate tables of gifts and faults, and have the
players roll once or twice on each.  (Conflicting traits should be
rerolled.)  For example:

Roll      Gift                     Fault
----      ----                     -----
 2        Nice Appearance          Poor Appearance
 3        Tough Hide               Bruises Easily
 4        Charismatic              Aura of Untrustworthiness
 5        Keen Hearing             Hard of Hearing
 6        Detects Lies Easily      Gullible
 7        Melodious Voice          Stammers
 8        . . .                    . . .

And so on.  The GM should customize and complete to her taste.  Of
course, she could set up 3d6 table instead of a 2d6 table, or even use
a 1d6 table listing general gift or fault areas (Social, Physical,
Emotional, Mental, Wealth/Status, etc.) and then roll again on an
appropriate second table.

2.9  Minimizing Abuse
---------------------

Obviously, character creation in FUDGE can be abused.  There are many
ways to avoid this:

A) The GM can require that the character take another fault or two to
   balance the power.  ("Okay I'll allow you to have all that . . .
   but you need a challenge.  Take on another weakness: maybe some
   vice, perhaps a secret one, or be unable to tell a believable lie,
   or anything that fits the character concept that I can use to test
   you now and then.")

B) She can simply veto any trait (or raised/lowered combination) she
   feels is abusive.  ("I see you raised Battle-Axe in exchange for
   lowering Needlepoint.  Hmmm.")  This allows the GM to customize the
   power level of a game.  For high-powered games, allow most
   anything; for less cinematic campaigns, make them trade equally
   useful trait for trait.

C) She can simply note the character weaknesses and introduce a
   situation into every adventure where at least one of them is
   significant to the mission.  ("You'll be sent as an emissary to the
   Wanduzi tribe - they value fine Needlepoint work above all other
   skills, by the way . . .")

D) She can use the "disturbance in the force" technique of making sure
   that more powerful characters attract more serious problems.  ("The
   bruiser enters the bar with a maniacal look in his eye.  He scans
   the room for a few seconds, then begins to stare intently at you.")
