announcing the Hustler, Stringman, and Arko
Here's the latest three classes from MADCorp: the Hustler, Stringman, and Arko.
Don't mind the formatting quirks; I blame LiveJournal.
HUSTLER
This guy is equal parts con man, bullshit artist, and cunning businessman. He probably grew up in a bad neighborhood and learned to survive by his wits, ‘cause he sure as hell couldn’t survive by any other means. He can sell you just about any bullshit, up to and probably including an actual bull’s shit.
Physique
Hustlers are either wiry, scrawny, or fat. Roll a d10 to determine which: 1-3 wiry, 4-7 scrawny, 8-10 fat.
Skills
Appraise stuff.
With a THINK check, you can appraise the worth (in cash) of anything saleable on the streets or in retail. If it’s oldTech, you get -1. If you succeed on a 1-4, the Ref skews the real value by up to 100%. If you succeed on a 5-10, the Ref skews the real value by up to 50%. 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.
Just hear me out.
When you give a spiel, people will stop and listen to you until you finish. You’re just so damn charismatic that they can’t help themselves. This is great for creating a diversion. Now, if they have a reason to suspect that you’re up to something (for instance, if they just noticed that one of your partners has a gun and has moved to an advantageous shooting position), they get to make a THINK check to break free of your hold. Otherwise, they’re yours until you stop talking, or until some violence or danger starts happening.
If you intend to deceive or manipulate someone through this, both of you must make a THINK check. Your mark's check counts as blocking. If you still succeed, he falls for it. If you use this skill more than once against the same person, he gets a bonus to his THINK rolls for each repeat attempt.
Taunt.
Growing up in a bad neighborhood also means that you’re an adept player of the Dozens. You know lots of good insults, as well as plenty of lousy ones that, for some reason, really get people’s balls in a twist. When you taunt someone, they must make a THINK check or else they come after you (with intent to do you violence) to the point of ignoring everything else. As long as they’re under the influence of your taunt, they get to keep making THINK checks each turn to break free of it.
Haggling.
When selling loot after a job, you can jack up the selling prices of some of it. Make a THINK check; if you succeed on a 1-4, pick one item; on a 5-10, three items; on an 11 or better, five items. The items that you picked sell for 150% of their actual worth.
Blame shift.
When you piss of management and are about to get written up, you can shift the blame onto one of your partners with a THINK check.
Concealed weapons.
You have the ability to conceal pocket-sized weapons about your person such that people don’t know you’re packed. When you produce a concealed weapon, it’s very surprising: the person you use it on must THINK or else hesitate.
Proficiencies
Weapons:
* Knives
* Blackjacks
* Handguns
Armor: Light street.
Holsters: 1.
Traits
Hustlin’: +1 to deceive management
Resourceful: +1 when looking for a hiding place or finding something to use as a weapon
When You Crack
Starting Gear
* Casual, sharp, or hip clothes
* One of the following:
o a switchblade (edged shortest pocket)
o a blackjack (blunt shortest pocket)
o a derringer (gun-1 shortest pocket ammo:1) & a handful of shells (reload x3)
o brass knuckles (brawl+1 shortest pocket worn)
Buddy Score Mods
+2 with everybody, except Yeggs, Hardcases, and other Hustlers: they’re wise to you.
STRINGMAN
A quirk in this guy’s hearing gives him a unique experience of sound. So, naturally, he took up music. His wild improvisations exist in the spaces between notes, through convoluted microtonal passages that unlock mystic secrets. That’s right, he does magic by making a racket. They call him a Stringman because his preference runs to stringed instruments - it’s easy to tune them in strange ways, and microtones are easily achievable through bends and slides, or “incorrect” fingerings on fretless instruments.
Physique
Stringmen are either beefy, wiry, scrawny, or fat. Roll a d10 to determine which: 1 beefy, 2-4 wiry, 5-8 scrawny, 9-10 fat.
Skills
Sideways hearing.
You have a special way of experiencing sound, which enables you to hear the strange interactions of sounds that allow you to use your Stringman powers. There’s a few side effects, however. One is that it’s difficult for you to tell what direction noises are coming from - you have to make a SEE check to properly identify the source of sound. Another is that loud, sudden noises Spook you. Finally, you are incapable of filtering out noises, making it very difficult for you to understand speech when things are noisy - you have to make a THINK check to reconstruct what was said from context and the snatches you did understand. That last one has a bright side, however, in that you hear noises that other people would ignore. Sometimes they’re just noises that people ignore for a reason (like the barely audible buzzing sound of operating electronics), but sometimes it pays off (like when it’s the barely audible buzzing sound of an operating gadget weapon about to be used on you from the shadows).
Wall of sound.
Make an ENDURE check to create a wall of sound across or around any point. You can span the whole room with it. It’s literally like a solid wall; nothing can pass through it. It can, however, be broken; if an attack for +2 damage or better hits it, you must ENDURE or else the wall falls immediately afterward. Damage over +2 gives you a penalty on this (so, if it’s damage +3, you’d be rolling ENDURE -1). Otherwise, the wall lasts until you stop playing it.
Red note.
Make a HIT check to play a short passage culminating in a sharp or piercing dissonant note at a single target. It’s literally sharp or piercing, doing +0 damage on the Edged or Piercing table, your choice. Alternatively, you can start playing early to charge it up; each round you spend charging up for the red note increases its damage by +1.
Haunting melody.
Use this skill to play a creepy, haunting melody. It’s so creepy that it will Spook your enemies. If they can’t tell where it’s coming from, it Harrows them. You can’t use it against the same people more than once in the same action sequence.
Soothing melody.
Make a THINK check to play a melody that, while it doesn’t sound soothing, has a physically soothing effect on the target. This enables the target to ignore any pain penalties they are currently suffering from. This effect lasts as long as you continue playing the melody.
Lullaby.
Make a THINK check to play a lullaby against a target. If successful, he falls sound asleep. And I mean sound asleep - no noise will wake him up. Being hurt will, though. If you stop playing the lullaby, the victim can make ENDURE checks each turn to wake up.
Adagio.
Make a THINK check to play an adagio against a group of enemies. Any enemy in the room who can hear you is affected. The adagio slows them down, causing them to lose precedence against all of your allies. The only exceptions are people who had higher precedence than you did; they keep their precedence this round, but they lose it next round if you keep playing. This slowing effect lasts as long as you continue to play the adagio.
Bending.
When you bend notes, you can bend matter. You can make an object move or distort its shape by making a MOVE check. If it’s heavy, you get -1. If it’s double-heavy, you get -2. You can’t damage your target object in this way. The effect is very brief, lasting only a quick time.
Maintain instruments.
By taking an extended time and spending materials from your maintenance kit, you can remove all Wear from your instruments. This takes 1 point of materials per Wear box cleared.
Appraise instruments.
With a THINK check, you can appraise the worth (in cash) of musical instruments. If you succeed on a 1-4, the Ref skews the real value by up to 100%. If you succeed on a 5-10, the Ref skews the real value by up to 50%. 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: none.
Armor: none.
Holsters: 2.
Traits
When You Crack
When a Stringman cracks it, his hearing quirk gets even worse. Noises may randomly send him into a fit of rage or a nervous breakdown. While he’s not freaking out from noises, he’s freaking out on his instrument, playing notes that Man Was Not Meant to Play. The result is anyone else who hears them being hit for -1 damage on the Weird Magic table.
Starting Gear
* Casual, hip, weird, or spooky clothes
* One of the following:
o an acoustic stringed instrument
o an electric stringed instrument with a battery-powered amplifier on a belt clip for +1 effect (loud battery:10)
* a maintenance kit for your instrument (materials:20 refill:5cash)
Buddy Score Mods
+1 with other Stringmen. +1 with Trippers, ‘cause they really groove out on your tunes.
ARKO
“Arko” is dungeoneer slang for “archaeologist,” because most dungeoneers can’t spell “archaeologist.” Although some mean-spirited types call them antiquers. Basically, an Arko is up on the old shit. Hell, he’s obsessed with it. He probably doesn’t even have a degree, but that’s okay, ‘cause he really does know his old shit.
Physique
Arkos are either wiry, scrawny, or fat. Roll a d10 to determine which: 1-3 wiry, 4-7 scrawny, 8-10 fat.
Skills
Identify oldTech.
With a THINK check, you can identify the functions of oldTech machines and gadgets, allowing you to operate them and instruct others in their operation.
This normally takes an extended time, but you can do it carefully (in double-extended time) at +1.
Operate oldTech.
You can operate any oldTech that you know the functions of. If it’s something really complex, the Ref may call for a THINK check to see if you operate it properly.
Instruct others in the use of oldTech.
To instruct a partner in the use of a piece of oldTech that you know how to operate, you must make a THINK check. If successful, that partner can now attempt to use it, although, for complicated stuff, the Ref may require the partner to make a THINK check when using it.
This normally takes a moderate time, but you can do it hastily (in quick time) at -1, or carefully (in extended time) at +1.
Appraise old shit.
With a THINK check, you can appraise the worth (in cash) of oldTech and other artifacts. If you succeed on a 1-4, the Ref skews the real value by up to 100%. If you succeed on a 5-10, the Ref skews the real value by up to 50%. 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.
Cartography.
Taking an extended time, you can double-check maps of indoor locations. Make a THINK check; if successful, you can ask the Ref if any particular thing on your map is accurate and receive a true answer. If you succeeded on a 1-4, you can ask one question, two questions on a 5-10, and three questions on an 11 or better.
Knowledge of old architecture.
You've studied enough blueprints and floorplans of old buildings that you've got a sense for how they work. Once per job, on a successful THINK check, you can peek at the Ref’s map for a number of seconds equal to the margin of your THINK roll.
Maintain oldTech.
You can spend an extended time to take care of oldTech items and remove all Wear from them. This uses 1 material from your maintenance kit per Wear box unchecked.
Proficiencies
Weapons: any oldTech weapons.
Armor: none.
Holsters: 1.
Traits
Dungeon expert: +1 when examining structural features of dungeons for irregularities, damage, or other special features.
Resourceful: +1 when looking for a hiding place or finding something to use as a weapon
When You Crack
When an Arko cracks it, he finally gets to go where he’s always wanted to: the past. Except, he doesn’t, of course. He only thinks he does. Everything around him will appear the way it did years ago, complete with people, and he’ll act accordingly. Of course, in the past, there weren’t rival dungeoneers or, y’know, monsters, so he won’t see those.
Starting Gear
* Casual or rugged clothes
* An oldTech version of any weapon available to other classes
* A maintenance kit for old shit (materials:20 refill:20cash)
Buddy Score Mods
+1 with other Arkos. -3 with Crashers, Junk Knights, and Helter-Skelters (the morons are too destructive).
I need help with the Hustler! What happens when he cracks? With all of the "When You Crack" things, I'm trying to come up with stuff that's laden with irony and/or danger for your partners. I can't think of anything for the Hustler.