Is anyone using the default special stats from the video games then rolling the skill die to come up with stats. Kinda like old school D&D? Or are you just using The Lone Wander and Nora cards if you are playing solo?
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We just used the default archtypes included in the rulebook, but itād be great to get fuller character creation rules that allow you to allocate stats (and what abilities they are used for) manually.
It shouldnāt be too hard to reverse engineer, assuming that the starting archtypes in the book are reasonably balanced stat-wise.
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Ok, you got me curious, so Iāve plugged the Archetypes from the book into a spreadsheet, done some jiggery-pokery, and managed to come up with a system that basically balances them all roughly around a 100 point buy method (actually turns out to be 104-105 points for all but the Hunter at 106 points).
The jiggery-pokery involved playing with some costs, and also adding Expertise skills and Specialities here or there to some Archetypes which seemed weak and with no other obvious way to balance them using simple mostly linear points values - see below.
The numbers match well with my empirical experience (admittedly from only two sessions), about which Archetypes seemed weaker or stronger and skill gaps some Archetypes seemed to have. Arguably the Heavy and Mr Handy probably donāt need a buff (you could always say that their subtype benefits make up for it, though then the Hunter starts looking relatively strongā¦), though I do think the added skills and Specialities suit them well.
Based on the spreadsheet, here are my recommended changes to the Archetypes (all bonus Expertise skills or Specialities to keep things simple):
Bandit: add Deception skill
Chem Maker: add Resilience skill
Defender: add Behavior: sense hostile intent Speciality
Forager: add Notice skill
Heavy: add Resilience skill; add one Intimidate Speciality
Infantry: add Medical or Pilot skill
Mr. Handy: add one Knowhow Speciality
Pilot: add one Pilot Speciality
Researcher: add one Knowhow skill and one Repair & Craft skill; add one Knowhow Speciality
Scout: add one Notice or Behaviour Speciality
Technician: add one Repair & Craft skill
After these changes, the following system can re-create any of the Archetypes for a cost of 104-106 points - 104-105 for all but the Hunter):
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S.P.E.C.I.A.L values are bought according to the following slightly non-linear table (a maximum of 35 points can be spent - the highest total is 34 for the Chem Maker, but I rounded up - and no individual value can be higher than 7):
Value = Cost
1ā¦5 = 1 per point
6 = 7 points
7 = 11 points -
Your Move range starts at Yellow and your Charge range starts at Red. Either or both can be upgraded one size (to Red/Green respectively) for a cost of 3 points each.
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Your Armor values start at 1 (physical) / 1 (energy) / 0 (radiation). Any value can be increased at a cost of 1 point per value. You cannot raise a single value above 3, and you cannot spend more than 3 points total on increasing Armor. E.g. to get Armor values of 3/1/1 would cost 3 points. This seems perhaps too cheap, but I found this value hard to balanceā¦ I may tweak the values after a bit more playing around with the numbers. Then again, it is largely irrelevant once you have access to armor items, so maybe the low cost is ok? Radiation immunity (Super Mutants and Robots only - and mandatory for those types) costs 5 points.
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Your Awareness range starts at Green. It can be increased at a cost of 2 points per size.
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Each Skill, either Icon-based or Expertise, costs 4 points. Battlecry counts as a separate skill from Intimidate. If you want to use an attribute for an Icon-based skill other than the default (S for Melee and Heavy Weapons, P for Search, Pistols and Rifles, C for Intimidate and Presence, I for Computers and Lockpick, A for Thrown), then it costs an additional 2 points (for a total of 6). You may also add a Speciality for a cost of 2 points (the examples only have one, but I donāt see a good reason why you couldnāt add multiple). Certain skills have built in ranges - Battlecry (Orange), Presence (Yellow) and Thrown (Red). These can be increased at a cost of 1 point per size each.
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Each Action Point Icon costs 5 points.
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Finally, you have other special abilities printed on some cards. Ultimately I think these probably need a variable value, but for now Iāve simply priced them at 3 points each. You can have a maximum of two special abilities.
And thatās basically the system. Itās likely completely different from the actual system the devs used; it needs a bit more time to play with some of the values Iām not happy with (primarily special abilities and Armor); and it hasnāt been playtested at all. But it should give you something to start with at leastā¦ 
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Wow, this is super helpful; thanks for putting in the effort. I was thinking about doing this myself for my group before we started a campaign(after everyone is comfortable with the combat rules) and this will save me a lot of time. Iām thinking of applying a ārace templateā to characters after they pick stats. If I want to play as a Super Mutant I get certain abilities automatically, such as Rad immunity, but would have less points to spend on skills as opposed to a normal Human.
Armor does seem a little weird/tricky but if I generate so valuable feedback and data I shall pass it on.
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Excellent work! Glad you posted this.
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Absolutely fantastic!
Though Iām disappointed that the system didnāt come as advertised āComplete character creationā. Perhaps theyāll add an addendum soon.
I am wondering if there is any talk about a RPG campaign or setting book? I like the one shot that came with the RPG expansion but I want something more involve to run with my group. Iām a lazy Overseer.
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Also worth noting that Weapon Skills (Melee, Grenades, Pistol, Rifle, Heavy) are not acquirable for character while there are perks that give a limited version of Hacking , Searching and Lock Picking for those who do not have them already
Youāve also missed Presence Range and Grenade throwing Range
(And some of the special abilities some characters have mimic perks so why not cost them the same)
So I finally got around to making a narrative RPG hybrid and I used thsis system to make a custom character. Overall, I think the numbers seem pretty good. The SPECIAL stats did seem a little high initially but I havenāt felt āsuper-poweredā so for now I think its fine. Iāve been playing my character with a caps cost of 55 for scenario building but Iām not an expert in that regard.
Now I have to figure out how leveling up will increase my cap cost.
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I did a D&D like character creation if anyone is interested, feel free to give comment
Custom Archetype Public 2.pdf (2.9 MB)
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I have been going thru the RPG book for a couple weeks and looking at throwing my first session tomorrow. I think in reference to this I will say if you buy a perk 2 xp for the skill use the unskilled chart on page 85 to determine what SPECIAL to assign it to, and give them 1 black die in expertise.
Did right any rules for how you do this? Could you share them?