The first thing most characters will want to buy
with their Option Points are Skills. Skills are things the character
knows or can do; they represent his or her level of knowledge and
accomplishment. Skills are normally rated from one to ten, and are
used in game play by adding the level of the Skill to the level of
the most applicable Characteristic the skill is related to. Each
Player is allotted a base of 40 Option
Points with which to buy skills. For every 2
years over the age of 16 the character adds 3 Option points to
his total to a maximum stating value of 55 at age 26.
The good news is, every character gets a free starting group of
skills to begin with, so that he won't be totally helpless in his
new environment: Everyman Skills.
EVERYMAN SKILLS
Everyman skills are things
generally known by everyone in all specific cultures or time
periods: Perception, Concentration, Education, Persuasion,
Athletics, Teacher, Local Expert (Knowledge of your area),
Hand-to-Hand, and Hand-to-Hand Evade. These are given free to all
characters by the GM, and have an automatic starting level of 2;
about what the average person would know about his world. Each can
be improved by adding Skill levels on an individual basis. An
individual GM may wish to add or remove skills from the Everyman
category to suit his particular game; in a far future setting, for
example, everyone may use computers, but only special people may
have any athletic skills. The Everyman skill category gives you the
flexibility to tailor the level of your culture as
desired.
GENERAL SKILLS
Unlike Everyman Skills,
General Skills are purchased at the cost of one Option Point for
every level of skill; for example, to have 4 levels in Firearms
would cost 4 OP.
Buying a skill generally gets you the ability
to do pretty much everything described by that skill. However, some
campaign settings may require that you specify how a skill will be
used (for example, picking what kind of Scientist (Physicist,
Chemist, etc.) you intend to be. In these cases, you may need to
take additional "specializations" of that skill to be able to use it
in other ways (for example, Scientist [Physicist] and Scientist
[Chemist].
The list of possible skills one could encounter in a
Fuzion game is as wide as the possible campaign settings.
What's
compiled on the next page are typical skills applicable to many
superheroic settings or modern action genres. Feel free to use these
as a guideline for your adventures as each Fuzion campaign will
usually have its own list.
| GENERAL SKILLS EXPLANATION | |
|
ACROBATICS The ability to perform flips, jumps, and rolls like a circus acrobat. You can also jump and flip over an obstacle, landing on your feet, ready to fight. (DEX) ACTING The ability to act; to assume a role or character. Someone who is skilled in this can fake moods or emotions, or hide his true identity. (PRE) ANIMAL HANDLER The skills of animal handling, training, and care as applicable. (INT) ATHLETICS Basic Athletics skills; dodging, escaping, throwing, swimming. (DEX) AUTOFIRE WEAPONS Use of machine-guns. full-autofire weapons and attacks, etc. (REF) BRIBERY A character with this skill knows when to bribe someone, how to approach him, and how much to offer. (PRE) BUGGING The ability to properly implant and operate listening, visual, or other sensing devices ("bugs.") (TECH) BUREAUCRATICS You know how to deal with bureaucrats, cut out red tape, who to talk to, how to reach them, and how to extract information from bureaucracies. (PRE) BUSINESS Knowledge of basic business practices, laws of supply and demand, employee management, accounting, procurement, sales, marketing. (INT) CLIMBING Ability to climb unusually difficult walls, trees, and buildings, as long as there are handholds. The basic climbing speed is 2 m/y per phase. (STR) COMPUTER PROGRAMMING The ability to program and operate computers. (TECH) CONCEALMENT You can hide things and find things that other people have hidden - like important papers, weapons, jewels, artifacts, drugs, and so forth. (INT) CONCENTRATION The abilities of focus and mental control. This would encompass feats of memory, recall, physiological control, and Mental Powers. (WILL) CONTORTIONIST The ability to manipulate your body to get out of ropes and similar bonds. You may also contort your body to fit into generally inaccessible places or spaces. (DEX) CONVERSATION This ability allows you to extract information from people with careful conversation. The use of this skill takes time, and if the roll is missed, the subject realizes he is being pumped for information. (PRE) CRIMINOLOGY You know how to look for clues, dust for fingerprints, examine evidence, do ballistic tests, examine records, search through files, and so on. (TECH) CRYPTOGRAPHY The ability to solve simple ciphers and encrypt or decode messages. (INT) DEDUCTION This is the art of taking several facts and leaping to an inobvious conclusion. This skill should be used sparingly. (INT) DEMOLITIONS The ability to properly use, handle, set, and defuse explosives (TECH) DISGUISE The ability to change a character's appearance through makeup, costumes, body language, and facial expression. (TECH) DRIVING Driving cars, motorcycles, jeeps, trucks, tanks, hovercraft, and other ground vehicles. Generally, this skill must be purchased for one class of vehicles. (REF) EDUCATION General knowledge, such as math, history, science, trivia, or current events. (INT) ELECTRONICS The ability to identify, understand, repair, and rewire electronic devices. (TECH) EXPERT Any one field of knowledge: stamps, gardening, Bay City Police Department, paranormal law, and so forth. This can be a hobby, or an in-depth knowledge of a specific field or area. (INT) FIREARMS Firing semi-automatic pistols, revolvers, rifles, shotguns, and crossbows. (REF) FORENSIC MEDICINE This skill lets the character make inferences from a corpse about the cause of death, how long the corpse has been dead, and so forth. (TECH) FORGERY The ability to create false documents, identification, currency, and so forth. (TECH) GAMBLING The ability to win gambling games that require some skill, such as blackjack, poker, and more exotic games. A character may also use this skill to cheat. (TECH) GUNNERY Firing vehicle-mounted weapons, mecha weapons, ship-mounted weapons and artillery. (REF) HACKING Skills of electronic intrusion into computer systems, including illegal entry and virus code writing. (TECH) HAND TO HAND Basic skill at fighting with your hands. Adding Martial Arts (page 133) allows the character to use Martial Arts maneuvers and actions. (REF) HEAVY WEAPONS Use of military weapons such as RPGs, mortars, rockets, hand-held missiles, etc. (REF) HIGH SOCIETY The knowledge of upper-class culture: what clothes to wear, what are considered sophisticated drinks, and how to mingle with royalty and other VIPs. (PRE) INTERROGATION The ability to forcibly extract information from people. The character knows how to avoid leaving marks, can judge how close a victim is to death or breaking, and is an expert at manipulating subjects into revealing desired information. (PRE) INVENTOR This skill enables the character to design and construct new devices. To use Inventor, the character needs the complementary science skills in the field he is working in. (TECH) |
LANGUAGES Must specify one particular language group (or dialect, computer code, type of sign language or hand signals). Must specify primary language (see chart) in the family; all others in that group are at 1/2 of primary. (INT)
LIP READING This skill enables the character to read someone's lips in order to tell what he is saying. The character must be able to see his target's mouth clearly. (INT) LOCAL EXPERT Knowledge of an area; who's who, where things are, general customs, schedules, and peculiarities of the environment. (INT) LOCKPICKING This skill allows the character to open key, combination, electronic, and magnetic locks. (TECH) MECHANICS Skill with mechanical devices and the knowledge of how to repair, replace, and build them. (TECH) MECHA PILOTING Skill in piloting of the Humaniod or Animorphic vehicals. (MR) MELEE WEAPONS Using all different types of melee weapons, such as knives, clubs, axes, swords, spears, etc. (REF) MIMICRY The ability to perfectly imitate someone else's voice. (PRE) NAVIGATION Knowing how to take sightings, use maps and charts, plot courses, work from wind, weather, and other guides. (INT) ORATORY The ability to speak to an audience and to deliver a convincing presentation. (PRE) PARAMEDIC This skill enables the character to stop bleeding, repair damage, and generally keep someone alive. (TECH) PERCEPTION The skill of observation, perception and spotting hidden things (like clues), detecting lies and emotions. PERSUASION The ability to convince, persuade, or influence individuals. (PRE) PILOT Flying prop aircraft, civilian jets, military jets, helicopters, etc. A specific class of vehicle must be chosen for this skill. (MR) PROFESSIONAL The ability to perform a certain profession (such as artist, actor, doctor, hockey player, mason, secretary, taxi driving, etc.) Obviously, certain other skills will greatly enhance the character's ability to practice his profession. (INT) RESEARCH Skills in using libraries, databases, records, as well as uncovering information from obscure or uncommon sources. (INT) RIDING This skill enables a character to ride a living creature under difficult circumstances. The type of animal (usually horse) must be specified when this skill is purchased. (DEX) SCIENCE Knowledge of lab techniques, how to design experiments, how to write scientific papers, test hypotheses, etc. for your appropriate field of science. Must specify your area of study when this skill is purchased. (INT) SECURITY SYSTEMS The ability to recognize and evade various types of alarms and traps. The character also knows how to set up alarms and traps, given the proper time and equipment. (TECH) SEDUCTION The ability to gain others' trust by offering companionship or favors. (PRE) SHADOWING The ability to subtly follow someone. Also the ability to spot and lose a tail. (INT) SLEIGHT OF HAND The ability to palm items, fool the eye, perform magic tricks, etc. (REF) STEALTH The ability to hide in shadows, move silently or avoid detection in combat situations. (DEX) STREETWISE This skill gives the character knowledge of the seamy side of civilization: he knows how to find the black market, talk to thugs, gain information, and so on. (PRE) SURVIVAL This skill enables the character to live off the land, find food and water, identify dangerous plants and animals, and so on. (INT) SURVEILLANCE The ability to set up a static surveillance of a subject without having it detected. (INT) SYSTEMS OPERATIONS This skill allows the character to operate sensing and communications devices. The character should choose what type of system he knows how to operate (such as Radar, microwave transmitters, LANs, etc.) (MA) TACTICS The ability to fight effectively and efficiently. A character with this skill is an expert at combat, and usually knows what must be done to win a battle. (INT) TEACHING The ability to impart information or skills to other. (PRE) TRACKING The ability to follow a trail by observing tracks, marks, broken twigs, and so forth. (INT) TRADING The ability to strike a good bargain with a merchant or customer. (PRE) VENTRILOQUIST The character can make his voice sound as if it's coming from somewhere other than himself. (PRE) WARDROBE AND STYLE A grasp of fashion, wardrobe, and personal grooming. A character with this skill knows how to show off clothes and look his best. (PRE) WEAPONSMITH The character knows how to
build, maintain and repair weapons of various types. The class
of weapon |
Talents are an innate ability, (but not necessarily superhuman) that cannot normally be learned or taught, such as a bump of direction or the ability to see in the dark. The list of Talents below is a general one; which ones are available depends on each GM's decisions about the campaign setting. Each one of these Talents costs 3 points each. If levels (indicated by a *) can be taken in the Talent, each additional level will cost another 3OP:
| Talent Name | Description |
| Acute Senses*: | One of your five senses (sight, sound, smell, touch, taste) is extremely acute. If the sense is touch, you can read print with your fingertips, feel tumblers moving in a lock, and determine subtle differences in materials by feel. If the sense is smell, you can instantly detect people or substances by scent alone and can track them like a bloodhound. If the sense is sight, you automatically gain a +1 bonus in all sight related Perception checks, and treat all ranged attack modifiers as being 2 points less than normal. If the sense is taste, you can perceive subtle additions to food and detect harmful substances with the barest taste. |
| Ambidexterity: | You can use tools and weapons with either hand at no penalty (normally -3 for using off-hand). |
| Animal Empathy: | Animals like you; they will never harm or attack you unless severely provoked. You always seem to attract whatever animals are common to the area, and they will immediately gravitate to your side, although they may not necessarily do what you ask them to. |
| Beautiful/ Handsome*: | You are extremely good looking; people will automatically stop and stare at you when you pass, and you are generally surrounded by admirers. In addition, you automatically have a +1 bonus to your Persuasion, Performance, and Ward-robe/Style skills for each level taken. |
| Blind Reaction: | You can counterattack (in hand to hand only) with no negative modifiers for darkness or being obscured (-4), even if you can't see or hear your opponent. |
| Combat Sense*: | Your reflexes are keyed for danger; you automatically react faster to danger than anyone else; for every level taken (up to 5) you may add +1 to your Initiative rolls (in combat only). |
| Common Sense: | You always look before you leap; the GM must give you warning whenever you're about to do something particularly foolish, even if there are no perceptible clues present. He doesn't have to specify the danger, just that "this might not be a smart idea..." |
| Direction Sense: | You are never lost; always know where North is and can orient yourself easily without any external cues. |
| Double Jointed: | You can bend your limbs and joints in impossible ways. You can fit into any space equal to half your height and width and it is impossible to tie you up or entangle you with a single rope; you can only be restrained using restraints like cuffs, shackles, or nets. |
| Eidetic Memory: | You never forget anything you have read, seen, heard, smelled, or touched. |
| High Pain Threshold: | You are especially resistant to pain and shock. When wounded, you will reduce the amount of SDC taken by 2 points each time and the effects of Impairing wounds (when used) by -2. Minimum SDC damages is always 1 point. |
| Immunity: | You are immune to the effects of one specific poison or disease group (must specify). |
| Intuition: | You have an uncanny feel for hunches; the GM will give you a chance to make a Perception roll whenever he thinks you might get a hunch, even if there are no perceptible clues present. |
| Lightning Calculator: | You can automatically do complex mathematical operations in your head without using any aids. |
| Light Sleeper: | You wake instantly from even the lightest touch or smallest sound (no Perception check required). |
| Longevity: | You are extremely long lived, but do not show any appreciable signs of aging. No matter how old you are, you always look and feel as a person half your age. |
| Night Vision: | You can see in all but absolute darkness. |
| Perfect Pitch: | You always know if something's in tune, and automatically gain at +3 bonus in any musically related task (singing, playing instruments, etc). |
| Rapid Healing: | You heal extremely fast, recovering an extra 1 HDC per time unit in addition to your normal healing rate. |
| Schtick: | A schtick is a special habit or personal affectation that has little or no actual effect on skills or combat abilities. Examples might be: always having a wind wafting your hair or cape dramatically, always having dramatic lighting striking your face, being able to toss your hat on a hook when you walk in; always having a cigar hidden somewhere on your person, etc. Schticks must be okayed by the GM and should never have an important combat or skill application-always shooting the gun out of the bad guy's hand would be a very dangerous schtick to allow. |
| Simulate Death: | You can lower your heart rate and breathing to such a low level that it is a Legendary Difficulty to tell whether you are dead or not. |
| Speed Reader: | You can read one page of any normal text that you are familiar with in three seconds (you can read a 200 page book in 10 minutes). |
| Time Sense: | You always know what time it is, always know how much time has elapsed between the present and the last time you checked. |
Perks are useful privileges, or contacts a character
has access to in a campaign. Perks can be friends, favors or
fringe benefits accruing from a profession. They are purchased with
Option Points just like any Skill, and function as a value gauge of
how powerful the Perk is (1 being lowest, 10 being best-the GM is the final
arbiter of a Perk's worth on the 1~10 scale); level 8 or 9
should really mean something!
| Perk Name | Cost per Level | Description |
| Contact | 1 per level | You know someone who can (and generally will) help you through money, power or sheer skill, and this help is usually "off the record." A mercenary who'll occasionally back you up in a fight costs 3, a local Yakuza Boss costs 6, the head of the FBI costs 9. Remember that the level of the contact is based on several factors: a student's not much, but a student who's willing to die for you |
| Favor | 0.5 per level | A one shot Contact; you can make use of this contact only once, but they MUST do what you ask (as long as its appropriate). Note: that it's often useful to have favors from a lot of people in different areas rather than one contact who does everything. |
| Renown | 2 per level | Your reputation, usually in a favorable light. People go out of their way to curry favor with you, or to at least avoid getting on your bad side. At 3, most local people know you; at 6 you're nationally known; at 9 you're an international figure. |
| Wealth | 2 per level | Characters are assumed to be lower middle class, but wealth boosts your lifestyle. Spending 1 OP places you comfortably in the middle class, capable of buying common things and living in a decent place. Level 2 is upper middle class; you can buy most everyday things and live in a very nice place. At levels 3~4, you are well to do and have more than enough money to support yourself; you need work only occasionally, can afford costly hobbies, and have an expensive home. At 6 you're rich; you don't have to work at all, can afford large purchases like cars or vacations, and live in a very expensive home. At 9, you're a millionaire, can live anywhere and buy almost anything you want. The GM might let you exceed Wealth 10, making you a billionaire! |
Of course the rules above help you to quickly build a human character. How does one go about making a Zentradi, you might ask. As with all anime alien races, the Zentradi have certain advantages and disadvantages when compared to normal humans. The advantages can be described with bonus Stats and abilities while the disadvantages can be described as Complications. Thus the Racial Package. This is a standardized group of bonuses and complication that each member of an alien race must take. In some cases the advantages may outbalance the Complications, or vice versa. In those cases there will be an OP cost associated with the Package. the OP cost might be negative, meaning you actually get "free" points for taking the package. (Not really free points, your character has a Complication built in.)
For the time being, this section will only cover the 3 types of Zentradi (the author doesn't have enough data on the protodevilin or Zolans to even begin), more Macross races will be added as information becomes available. Those interested in playing other races will either be given a racial package by your GM or have to create one yourself.
| Race | Abilities | Complications | Cost |
| Zentran | +1 STR, +1 CON (you cannot exceed 8), High Pain Threshold | Distinctive Features* (10), Oppressed(5), Stubborn(5) or Bad Tempered(5)[choose one] | 1OP |
| Zentran Female | +1 REF, +1 CON (you cannot exceed 8), High Pain Threshold | Distinctive Features* (10), Oppressed(5), Stubborn(5) or Bad Tempered(5)[choose one] | 1OP |
| Zentran Commander | +2 STR +1 CON (both can exceed 8), High Pain Threshold, Vacuum survival (up to CON in turns) | Distinctive Features* (10), Oppressed(5), Stubborn(5) or Bad Tempered(5)[choose one] | 1OP |
*Distinctive Features: all Zentradi have something about them that makes them stand out from normal humans. For the The Zentran and Female Zentran (Meltrandi) these feature are generally easy to conceal (odd colored Hair, or other explainable abberation). Despite the fact that the Complication might be as difficult to conceal as gray skin, this is only worth 2 total points to these 2 packages. Commander Type Zentran are Universally Taller (around 8 foot 8 inches, Micloned) stronger and just plain Zentran than normal humans and thus get the full value of the Distinctive Features
Money in Fuzion
Generally, players with wealthy characters are discouraged from keeping track of their money directly-it's a lot of tedious bookkeeping. However, there may be times when you'll absolutely need to know if you can buy that Caribbean island. In this case, you might use the following rule: At Wealth 1, the player has a disposable income of $1,000 per week; this value doubles for each additional level of Wealth-this means at Wealth 10, you could spend over 26 million dollars a year! Referees should be really careful letting this rules cat out of the bag!
GEAR & EQUIPMENT
Gear is just one more
thing your character will need to adventure. The list below is a
sample of types of personal hardware used in the Champions setting;
it is by no means exhaustive. Note: The values given here are in Option Points; to
derive money costs, multiply the OP cost by 100 monetary units. Also
note some costs are in 10th points.
| HIGH TECH OP | SUPERTECH OP |
|
Binoculars 1 "Bug" 6 Bug Detector 9 Camera 1 Camouflage Coverall 2 Camp stove 1 Canteen 0.1 CD player 1 Cell Phone 3 Diving Gear 5 Dried Food (week) 1 Electrician's Tool Kit .05 First Aid (Modern)
0.1 Flashlight 0.1 Geiger Counter 9 IR Goggles 5 Jammer 6 Lantern 5 Lighter 0.1 Mechanic's Tool Kit 1 Wrenches, pliers, screwdrivers, etc. Required for Mechanical tasks. Movie Camera 1 Nylon Rope 1 Personal Computer 10 Radio 1 Skates 1 Skis 2 Snowshoes 1 Tape Recorder 1 Tent (nylon) 1 Toolknife 05 Utility Belt .02 Video Camera 3 Wristwatch 0.5 |
First Aid Kit (Future) 05 Food Packs (week) 1 Gill Mask 5 Holochips (10) 1 Holorecorder 2 Inertial Compass 3 Medical Scanner 3 Music Synthesizer 2 Power Cells (6) 1 Respirator 1 Sneaksuit 3 Survival Dome 3 Technical Scanner 5 |
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