Call of Cthulhu Character Generation

Steps:

1. Choose pulp archetype.
2. Generate characteristics.
3. Determine pulp talents.
4. Determine Occupation.
5. Decide skills and allocate skill points.
6. Create backstory.
7. Round out the hero.

1. Choose Pulp Archetype

There is a list of archetypes on page 16, and all of the archetypes are on pages 15 to 22.

1. Choose the your archetype, see handout.
2. Choose core characteristic from the choices in the archetype.
3. Roll core characteristic, (1d6 + 13) x 5, re-roll ones.
4. Allocate bonus skill points.
5. Optional note suggested occupations.
6. Optional note suggested background information.

2. Generate Characteristics

1. Roll and record 3d6x5, re-rolling 1s, 5 times, recording each outcome.

   • Strength(STR)
   • Constitution(CON)
   • Size(SIZ)
   • Dexterity(DEX)
   • Appearance(APP)
   • Intelligence(INT)
   • Power(POW)
   • Education(EDU)
   • Luck
2. Roll and record (2d6 + 6)x5, re-rolling 1s, 2 times and record each outcome.
3. Divide the scores amongst the characteristics.
4. Determine half rating by dividing by 2 and record for each characteristic, round up.
5. Determine fifth rating by dividing by 5 and record for each characteristic, round up.

6. Determine attributes

   • Age
   • Sanity
   • Hit Points
   • Magic Points
   • Damage Bonus
   • Build
   • Movement

Characteristics

• Strength(STR)
• Constitution(CON)
• Size(SIZ)
• Dexterity(DEX)
• Appearance(APP)
• Intelligence(INT)
• Power(POW)
• Education(EDU)
• Luck

Attributes

• Age

  • Choose any age between 20 and 95 years.
  • Age modifiers and experience bonuses aren't used in Pulp Cthulhu.

• Sanity Points(SAN)

  • Equal to Power rating.

• Hit Points(HP)

  • Add together Constitution and Size then divide by 5, maybe 3 or 2 depending on how the first combat goes. Round up.

• Magic Points(MP)

  • Equal to 1/5th of Power.

• Damage Bonus(DB) and Build

  • Add together Strength and Size, then consult table 1 on page 23.

• Movement Rate(MOV)

  • Compare Dexterity, Strength, and Size with Table 2 on page 23.

Damage Bonus and Build

STR + SIZ	Damage Bonus	Build
2 - 64	-2	-2
65 - 84	-2	-1
85 - 124	None	-
125 - 164	+1d4	+1
165 - 204	+1d6	+2
205 - 284	+2d6	+3
285 - 364	+3d6	+4
365 - 444	+4d6	+5
445 - 524*	+5d6	+6*

*Add an additional 1d6 to Damage Bonus and +1 to Build for each additional 80 points or fraction thereof.

Movement Characteristic

STR + SIZ	MOV Rate
If both DEX and STR are each less than SIZ	MOV 7
If either STR or DEX is equal to or greater than SIZ, or if all three are equal.	MOV 8
If both STR and DEX are each greater than SIZ	MOV 9

Steps

Step 3: Determine Pulp Talents

Choose two talents on pages 24 to 26.

If you'd like to choose the talents randomly roll 1d4:

1. Physical
2. Mental
3. Combat
4. Misc.

Roll 1d10 on them tables themselves if you want to go random.

Physical Talents

Roll	Talent	Effect
1	Keen Vision	Gain a bonus die to Spot Hidden rolls.
2	Quick Healer	Natural healing is increased to +3 hit points per day.
3	Night Vision	In darkness, reduce the difficulty level of Spot Hidden rolls and ignore penalty die for shooting in the dark.
4	Endurance	Gain a bonus due when making CON rolls (include to determine MOV rate for chases).
5	Power Lifter	Gain a bonus due when making STR rolls to life objects or people.
6	Iron Liver	May spend 5 Luck to avoid the effects of drinking excessive amounts of alcohol (negative penalty applied to skill rolls).
7	Stout Constitution	May spend 5 Luck to reduce poison or disease damage and effects by half.
8	Tough Guy	Soaks up damage, may spend 10 Luck points to shrug off up to 5 hit points worth of damage taken in one combat round.
9	Keen Hearing	Gains a bonus die to Listen rolls.
10	Smooth Talker	Gains a bonus die to Charm rolls.

Metal Talents

Roll	Talent	Effect
1	Hardened	Ignores Sanity point loss from attacking other humans, viewing horrific injuries, or the deceased.
2	Resilient	May spend Luck points to shrug-off points of Sanity loss, on a one-for-one basis.
3	Strong Willed	Gains a bonus due when making POW rolls.
4	Quick Study	Halve the time required for Initial and Full Reading of Mythos tomes, as well as other bools.
5	Linguist	Able to determine what language is being spoken (or what is written); gains a bonus die to Language rolls.
6	Arcane Insight	Halve the time required to learn spells and gains bonus due to spell casting rolls.
7	Photographic Memory	Can remember many details; gains a bonus due when making Know rolls.
8	Lore	Has knowledge of a lore specialization skill (e.g. Dream Lore, Vampire Lore, Werewolf Lore, etc.). Note that occupational and or personal interest skills points should be invested in this skill.
9	Psychic Power	May choose one psychic power (Clairvoyance, Divination, Medium, Psychometry, or Telekinesis). Note that occupation and/or personal interest skill points should be invested in this skill.
10	Sharp Witted	Able to collate facts quickly; gain a bonus die when making Intelligence (bot not Idea) rolls.

Combat Talents

Roll	Talent	Effect
1	Alert	Never surprised in combat.
2	Heavy Hitter	May spend 10 Luck points to add an additional damage die when dealing out melee combat (die type depends on the weapon being used, e.g. 1d3 for unarmed combat, 1d6 for sword, etc.)
3	Fast Load	Choose a firearm skill; ignore penalty die for loading and firing in the same round.
4	Nimble	Does not lose next action when "diving for cover" versus firearms.
5	Beady Eye	Does not suffer penalty die when "aiming" at small targets (Build -2), and may also fire into melee without a penalty die.
6	Outmaneuver	Character is considered to have one point higher Build when initiating a combat maneuver (e.g. Build 1 becomes Build 2 when comparing their hero to the target in a maneuver, reducing the likelihood of suffering a penalty on their Fighting roll.)
7	Rapid Attack	May spend 10 Luck points to gain one further melee attack in a single combat round.
8	Fleet Footed	May spend 10 Luck to avoid being "outnumbered" in melee combat for one combat encounter.
9	Quick	Roll 2d8 for Initiative instead of 1d10.
10	Rapid Fire	Ignore penalty die for multiple handgun shots.

Miscellaneous Talents

Roll	Talent	Effect
1	Scary	Reduces difficulty by one level or gains bonus die to Intimidate roll.
2	Gadget	Start the game with one weird science gadget.
3	Lucky	Regains an additional 1d10 Luck points when Luck Recovery rolls are made.
4	Mythos Knowledge	Begins the game with a Mythos Skill of 10 points.
5	Weird Science	May build and repair weird science devices.
6	Shadow	Reduces difficulty by one level or gains bonus due to Stealth rolls and if currently unseen is able to make two surprise attacks before their location is discovered.
7	Handy	Reduces difficulty by one level or gains bonus die when making Repair rolls.
8	Animal Companion	Starts with a faithful animal companion and gain a bonus die to Animal Handling Rolls.
9	Master of Disguise	May spend 10 Luck points to gain a bonus die to Disguise or Art/Craft (Acting) rolls; includes ventriloquism (able to throw voice over long distances so it appears that the sound is emanating from somewhere other than the hero). Note that if someone is trying to detect the disguise their Spot Hidden or Psychology roll's difficulty is raised to Hard.
10	Resourceful	Always seems to have what they need on hand; may spend 10 Luck points (rather than make Luck roll) to find a certain useful piece of equipment in their current location.

Step 4: Determine Occupation

Choose one occupation to make note of the skills, and the credit rating. The credit rating range as it will provide the minimum starting level and ceiling that you can reach. For example an occupation with a credit rating range of 5 - 30 must start play with at least 5 points spent on the hero's credit rating, unless approved by the Keeper.

Step 5: Decide Skills and Allocate Skill Points

You may allocate skills to be above 100%.

It is a good idea to have 3 skills in the 40 - 80% range than 3 or 4 skills in the 90 - 100% range.

Occupation Skill Points

Allocate all of the skills points from the occupation. Occupational skill points cannot be spent on skills other than those listed as part of the occupation.

Credit Rating

An investigator's credit rating starts at 0 and must be at least at the lowest level that the occupation provides. For example an occupation of crafts person has a credit rating range of 10 - 40. You must spend at least 10 points on your hero's credit rating during the occupational skill phase.

Personal interest skill points may be spent on the hero's credit rating as well, and used to bring the hero's credit rating above the occupation's credit rating range.

Personal Interest Skills

Multiply your hero's INT by 2 and allocate the result as point to any skill, including occupational or archetype skills. Note that you cannot allocate personal interest skill points to Cthulhu Mythos unless the Keeper agrees.

Step 6: Create Backstory

A hero's backstory is not only helpful to know, but also important to the sanity mechanic. For example, spending time at a meaningful location, or with a loved on will give the hero the opportunity to restore lost sanity points. There are 10 types of backstory details, if possible fill in detail for at least the first six. For your convenience a variety have tables have been provided below that you can roll on to determine a part of your hero's backstory. Using these tables is completely optional.

1. Personal Description
2. Ideology/Beliefs
3. Significant People
4. Meaningful Locations
5. Treasured Possessions
6. Traits
7. Injuries & Scars
8. Phobias & Manias
9. Arcane Tomes, Spells, and Artifacts
10. Encounters with Strange Entities

Key Connection

Key connections are especially helpful at aiding hero's in regaining sanity. Choose one key connection out of your backstory, more can be created throughout game play. Make sure to make the key connection on your character sheet.

Personal Description

Roll	Male	Female	Unisex
1	Rugged	Alluring	Elegant
2	Virile	Tom-boy	Youthful
3	Handsome	Mousy	Tattooed
4	Baby-Faced	Graceful	Bookish
5	Strapping	Shapely	Slim
6	Hardy	Exquisite	Plump
7	Robust	Pretty	Dull
8	Wolfish	Homely	Awkward
9	Winsome	Ravishing	Frail
10	Large	Vivacious	Ugly
11	Flashy	Dainty	Odious
12	Stout	Sultry	Skinny
13	Slothful	Vixen	Slovenly
14	Dashing	Waspish	Muscular
15	Bald	Beautiful	Neat
16	Hairy	Elfin	Nimble
17	Scruffy	Sassy	Sullen
18	Well-built	Serene	Sneering
19	Flabby	Curvy	Chubby
20	Stocky	Slender	Decent

Ideology and Beliefs

Roll	Ideology/Beliefs
1	Everyone let me down, so I take care of myself.
2	I'm special.
3	Everyone wants a place, and I'm out for all I can get.
4	I don't trust anyone.
5	Have faith.
6	Work hard.
7	There is nothing greater than truth.
8	A healthy community.
9	One's destiny is already written.
10	We are nothing without our family and friends.

Significant people

Who Are they

Roll	Who Are They?
1	Parent
2	Grandparent
3	Sibling
4	Child
5	Partner
6	Whomever taught you your highest occupational skill.
7	A friend.
8	Someone famous, you don't need to know them.
9	A fellow hero.
10	An enemy.

Why Are they Significant

Roll	Why Are they Significant
1	You are indebted to them. How did they help you? (e.g. financially, they protected you through hard times, got you your first job).
2	They taught you something. What? (e.g. a skill, to love, to be a man).
3	They give your life meaning. How? (e.g. you aspire to be like them, you seek to be with them, you seek to make them happy).
4	You wronged them and seek reconciliation. What did you do? (e.g. stole money from them, informed the police about them, refused to help when they were desperate).
5	Shared experience. What? (e.g. you lived through hard times together, you grew up together, you served in the war together).
6	You seek to prove yourself to them. How? (e.g. by getting a good job, by finding a good spouse, by getting an education).
7	You idolize them (e.g. for their fame, their beauty, their work).
8	A feeling of regret (e.g. you should have died in their place, you fell out over something you said, you didn’t step up and help them when you had the chance).
9	The place you were happiest (e.g. the park bench where you first kissed, your university, your grandmother’s home).
10	Your workplace (e.g. the office, library, bar).

Treasured Possessions

Roll	Treasured Possessions
1	Something connected to what you are best at.
2	Tools of your trade.
3	Something from childhood.
4	A memento of a departed person.
5	Something given to you by a significant person.
6	A collection of yours like baseball cards, or stamps.
7	An object you found that you don't know what it is.
8	An item from a sport.
9	A weapon.
10	A pet.

Traits

Roll	Traits
1	Generous Dreamer Loyal
2	Fearless Aggressive Impulsive
3	Trusting Honorable Pious
4	Greedy Unreliable Cautious
5	Idealistic Truthful Vicious
6	Materialistic Skeptical Affable
7	Cheerful Jolly Polite
8	Honest Dishonest Cowardly
9	Extrovert Stubborn Emotional
10	Hedonist Risk-Talker Ambitious

Step 7: Round out Hero

Record the following:

• Name
• Birthplace
• Gender
• Picture (optional)

• Cash and Assets

  • Determine your cash and assets based on the time period of the campaign and the tables provided below.

• Equipment

  • Record important pieces of equipment and assets such as a car, residence, weapons and so on. These assets should make sense for the hero's credit rating.

1920s & 1930s Cash and Assets

Credit Rating	Cash	Assets	Spending Level
Penniless (CR 0 or less)	$0.50	None	$0.50
Poor (CR 1-9)	CR x 1	CR x 10	$2
Average (CR 10-49)	CR x 2	CR x 50	$10
Wealthy (CR 50-89)	CR x 5	CR x 500	$50
Rich (CR 90-98)	CR x 20	CR x 2000	$250
Super Rich (CR 99)	$50,000	$5M+	$5,000

Modern Day Cash and Assets

Credit Rating	Cash	Assets	Spending Level
Penniless (CR 0 or less)	$10	None	$10
Poor (CR 1-9)	CR x 20	CR x 200	$40
Average (CR 10-49)	CR x 40	CR x 1000	$200
Wealthy (CR 50-89)	CR x 100	CR x 10000	$1,000
Rich (CR 90-98)	CR x 400	CR x 40000	$5,000
Super Rich (CR 99)	$1M	$100M+	$100,000

Done

If you haven't take the opportunity to fill out a copy of the Pulp Cthulhu character sheet.