Introducing the Bruiser, Carver, and Crasher classes
I've been working on the Employee Handbooks for MADCorp: the game of corporate dungeoncrawling horror. These are pamphlets handed out to the players that explain the powers and special rules pertaining to their character's class. They're kinda fun, so I'd like to share the first batch, the Bruiser, Carver, and Crasher. All three of these are specialized towards direct physical conflict, but in different ways.
I want to invite discussion, comments, feedback, and questions! Even questions about what some of the system talk means. I'm not secretive about my design, and, in fact, the core rules would already be available if I had them all together in a readable form.
BRUISER
This is one mother that you do not want to go toe-to-toe with. He would be bouncing at the roughest, toughest bars, if not for the fact that he scared off all the customers. Yeah, even the rough, tough ones. We’re talking made of steak here. Dude’s got muscles on his muscles. Dude’s got muscles on his eyelids. He doesn’t know much about handling weapons, but, man, when you’ve got a handspan like a skillet and knuckles like granite, who the hell needs weapons?
Physique
Bruisers are either massive or beefy. It’s a 50-50 shot, so roll even/odd to determine which.
Skills
Take on a crowd.
You can attack multiple opponents in one turn - partially by being a really good brawler, and partially by slamming them into each other. Name all your targets, and make a HIT check for each one (with all normal modifiers). If all are successful, they all take damage as normal. If even one of these rolls busts, though, no damage is dealt.
Break it up!
From breaking up fights in bars, you’ve learned to grapple two people at once, one in each hand. You can even attempt to grab both in one turn, by making a MOVE check for each one.
Meat shield.
This skill lets you make an active defense roll using an ENDURE check. You may use this check to defend against multiple attacks: divide the points of your margin between the targeted attacks however you see fit.
Crippler.
First, grapple somebody with a MOVE check. Once you’ve got a hold of him, make a HIT check to Cripple one of his limbs.
Sleeper hold.
Or choke-out, whatever. First, grapple somebody with a MOVE check. Once you’ve got a hold of him, announce that you are applying the sleeper hold he has to ENDURE each turn or else pass out. This ENDURE roll of his is an instant action: he still gets to try to struggle out of the grapple.
Break off a weapon.
Sometimes your bare hands can’t make it past someone’s armor, so you need a weapon. Make a THINK check to find and break off a nearby table leg, or rip a nearby pipe or board loose. Any weapons gained this way do damage on the Improvised Weapon chart.
Intimidating muscle pose.
When you use this skill, all opponents who can see you get Spooked. You can’t use it more than once on the same person.
Ignore cuts and bruises.
Make an ENDURE check to ignore the -1 penalty from having 3 minor wounds for a whole action sequence.
Proficiencies
Weapons: Knives, bats, cudgels, blackjacks, improvised weapons.
Armor: Street armor (light or heavy).
Holsters: 1
Traits
Shrug it off: +1 when checking to see if you flinch, go down, or go critical from damage.
Let’s dance: +1 to defend when outnumbered in combat. You use different moves when fighting large groups, and those are the moves you’re best at.
Human wall: MOVE +1 when blocking someone’s path.*
Heavy hitter: DAMAGE +1 when fighting unarmed or with a big weapon.*
Street fightin’ man: HIT +1 when fighting unarmed.
*Cumulative with the traits afforded by a massive physique - if you are massive, you are a Double human wall and a Double heavy hitter.
When You Crack
When a Bruiser cracks it, something deep inside him snaps, and all his strength goes with it. He’s left a whimpering wreck, and he probably curls up in the fetal position. If he ever manages to make back to a sanitarium, he’ll still be scared of his shadow for the rest of his life.
Starting Gear
* Sharp, rugged, hip, badass, or casual clothes
* Sunglasses (flash-1)
* brass knuckles (brawl+1 shortest worn pocket) or steel-toe boots (brawl+1 shortest worn) or a blackjack (blunt shortest pocket) or a baseball bat (blunt medium) or a switchblade (edged shortest pocket).
Buddy Score Mods
+1 with other Bruisers. +1 with people wearing the same style clothes as you. +1 with whoever you think is toughest (aside from yourself).
CARVER
This dude and blades, man, they’ve got something special going on. They’re a real cute couple, y’know? And also a very scary couple. Anything that’s got an edge, whether we’re talking about a sword or an axe or even a frickin’ shard of glass, this dude can kill you with it. And he won’t hesitate to, either.
Physique
All Carvers are wiry.
Skills
Blade dance.
You must have an edged weapon in each hand to use this skill. Announce this skill in combat, then name a target. Make a HIT check to attack with all normal modifiers. If successful, he’ll take damage as normal, and you get to name another target (or repeat the first one), and make another HIT check. Keep going until you bust a roll; if you’re lucky, you can slice up everyone. Next turn, though, you’re so unbalanced that you can’t do anything, not even defense, and all rolls against you are +1.
Quick draw.
With a successful MOVE check, you can draw your weapon and make an attack before the first round of an action sequence. If you bust, you still get to act this round. If someone else successfully quick draws, precedence is established between you based on your quick draw MOVE rolls, not your attack rolls.
Also, you can swap weapons instantly, before or after any action, even if you are defending or attacking.
Disarm.
Make a MOVE check to disarm one opponent. If he’s holding two weapons, you can disarm both if you succeed with 11 or better.
Find the weak point.
Make a SEE check to find a weak point in someone’s armor. If successful, their armor is one point less effective against you.
Skilful feint.
Make a THINK check to execute a skilful feint. If successful, your target falls for it, canceling his move this turn, and allowing you to attack immediately (this turn) with a standard attack.
Deflect.
Make a HIT check for blocking against projectiles, by swatting them out of the air using any blade with medium or long reach. You can even do it against guns, with a -2 modifier. This skill doesn’t get the active defense bonus, but it is an instant action.
Mastery of sharp objects.
When you use improvised weapons with edges, such as shards of glass or sharpened bits of metal, they count as edged weapons for all intents and purposes, including armor effectiveness and damage tables.
Moving target.
When you make MOVE checks to change position on the battlefield, that roll also stands as blocking against all missile attacks against you.
Maintain blades.
You can spend an extended time to take care of edged weapons and remove all Wear from them. This uses 1 material from your maintenance kit per Wear box cleared.
Appraise blades.
You can appraise the worth (in cash) of edged weapons. If it’s oldTech, you get -2. If you succeed on a 1-4, the Ref skews the real value by up to 10 cash. If you succeed on a 5-10, the Ref skews the real value by up to 5 cash. If you succeed on an 11 or higher, the Ref tells you the exact value of the item.
This normally takes a moderate time, but you can do it carefully (in extended time) at +1.
Proficiencies
Weapons: Edged weapons. (Chainsaws don’t count.)
Armor: Light street, light clink.
Holsters: 3
Traits
Double slick moves: +2 to change ranges, slip past someone, or escape from a grapple.
Slice ‘n dice: +1 to attack with edged weapons.
Bleeding edge: DAMAGE +1 when using edged weapons.
Chop-o-matic: +1 to attack when wielding two edged weapons.
When You Crack
When a Carver cracks it, he turns his blades on himself, cutting open every vein he can find. If you try to stop him, he’ll cut you up first.
Starting Gear
* Rugged, hip, sharp, badass, or weird clothes
* Light street or clink armor
* Two of the following:
o machete, longsword, saber, scimitar, wood ax, katana (edged medium)
o hatchet, bowie knife, stiletto (edged short)
o switchblade, pocket knife, straight razor, scalpel (edged shortest pocket)
o meat cleaver (edged short nasty)
* Blade maintenance kit (materials:10 refill:1cash)
Buddy Score Mods
+1 with people wearing the same style clothes as you. +1 to your score with whoever you think has the coolest weaponry. -1 with anyone wearing heavy armor (heavy armor is for pansies).
CRASHER
It’s a toss-up whether this guy is brave, stupid, or he’s got a deathwish. Or maybe it’s all three. Whatever it is, he’s got a thing for putting his neck on the line with all sorts of crazy stunts. He’s into le parkeur, and also living on the edge and taking things to the extreme, whatever that means. Who would be crazy enough to bring rollerblades or a skateboard into a dungeon? Only this guy. And it’s just crazy enough to work. Oh, and did I mention he’s got a thing for explosives?
Physique
All Crashers are wiry.
Skills
Deathwish attack.
You need rollerblades or a skateboard, or explosives, or something to dive off of, in order to use this skill. Make a normal HIT check to attack a target with some crazy, risky maneuver involving rollerblades, a skateboard, explosives, diving off of something, or a combination thereof. Based on how cool it is, the GM now awards bonus damage between +1 and +3.
On a bust, you suffer +0 damage on the Accidental Injury or Explosives table, whichever is appropriate. You may also choose to take +0 damage on the Accidental Injury or Explosives table (as appropriate) to give this attack highest precedence (except against quick draws).
Inadvisable stunt.
With this skill, you use your crazy stunt abilities to do a MOVE +1 check for either active defense, blocking movement, running away, changing ranges, or surmounting an obstacle. On a bust, you suffer +0 damage on the Accidental Injury table.
Extreme rage.
You must be suffering from at least one Grievous or Severe wound to use this skill. Launch an attack against one target with an ENDURE check. You ignore all wounds taken this round (no ENDURE checks), and for each Grievous and Severe box currently checked, you get DAMAGE +1, to a maximum of +3. You receive one Grievous wound in the process, though, for exacerbating your wounds.
Psych yourself up.
Make an ENDURE check to psych yourself up. While psyched up, you ignore all but deadly damage: no coping checks for flinching or going down. This automatically lasts for this turn and the next; after that, you must make ENDURE checks each round (as instant actions) or else it wears off. When it wears off, you must make the coping check for the worst wound you received in the interim.
Walk on a broken leg.
Make an ENDURE check ignore Crippling damage for one turn. This is an instant action.
Ignore cuts and bruises.
Make an ENDURE check to ignore the -1 penalty from having 3 minor wounds for a whole action sequence.
Do something you saw on TV once.
Once per job, attempt any skill except appraisals or magic from any other Employee Handbook, with a -1 modifier tacked on.
Improvise explosives.
With something flammable and other appropriate materials, you can improvise an explosive with a THINK check. If successful, the explosive’s RELIABILITY is equal to your margin.
This normally takes an extended time, but you may do it hastily (in moderate time) at -1, or double hastily (in quick time) at -2.
Drug tolerance.
You can self-administer one dose of hard drugs without overdosing. However, if you have more than one active dose at a time without successful supervision or instruction from a Croaker, you overdose.
Connection for hero.
You have a connection to score drugs from on your own time. Your supply of 10 hits of hero replenishes at the start of every job. They don’t carry over between jobs, however, because you used them all to get high in the downtime.
Proficiencies
Weapons: Thrown weapons, explosives, knives, improvised weapons, handguns (not SMGs or machine pistols).
Armor: Light street armor.
Holsters: 1
Traits
Shrug it off: +1 when checking to see if you flinch, go down, or go critical from damage.
Roller 4 life: +1 when using a skateboard or rollerblades for positioning, defense, or attack.
Adrenaline junky: -1 when there’s no danger or nothing has blown up recently. You gotta get that adrenaline pumping before you’re any good,
When You Crack
When a Crasher cracks it, the deathwish takes over. He’ll try some really stupid dangerous stunt, with explosives if possible, and it’ll kill him. He’ll try to take as many spectators with him as he can.
Starting Gear
* Hip clothes
* Light street armor
* switchblade (edged shortest pocket) or brass knuckles (brawl+1 shortest worn pocket)
* 5 throwing knives or 5 shuriken (edged thrown) or a snapgun (gun-1 shortest ammo:3) & extra clip
* a frag grenade (explosive medium), or 2 molotov cocktails (fire short), or 3 flashbangs (flash)
* rollerblades (worn) or a skateboard
* hero, 10 doses (drug:ENDURE+1)
Buddy Score Mods
+1 with other Crashers. +1 with anyone who has drugs (including Crashers). +1 with others in hip clothes. +1 with whoever you think is the most extreme.