Bulletproof Blues 4e EN:Creation

Contents

Making up a Bulletproof Blues character should only take about 30 minutes, once you are familiar with the process. The hardest part is thinking up a character background and choosing what kind of character to play. In this chapter, we offer a few suggestions to help you out, along with a checklist of the steps that you should probably follow.

Before You Start

The goal of Bulletproof Blues is to help you have fun with your friends. If at all possible, try to assemble the players and make up your characters together. That way, you can avoid having two or three characters with the same focus. It's usually more fun if each character has their own specialty.

You might consider establishing a reason for the characters to work together by having some previous connection between them. The connection could be something as simple as, "Hey, you helped me in that fight that one time". If every character has a connection to at least one other character, it will be easier to get them past that awkward "getting to know you" stage.

Character Checklist

We have found that it's easiest if you create a character by following these steps. However, it's just a suggestion. Jump around if it makes you happy: feel free to fill in what you know, and come back to what you don't.

• Concept: what is the character's core identity?
• Origin: where did the character get their powers?
• Archetype: what basic role does the character fill?
• Background: what is the character's personality, description, and history?
• Motivations: why does the character do what they do?
• Complications: what makes the character's life more difficult?

Once you have the important parts of the character worked out, then you can start buying attributes, skills, gifts, and powers which are appropriate to the character concept you have in mind.

• Attributes: what are the character's basic physical and mental traits?
• Skills: what does the character know how to do?
• Gifts: what gives the character an edge over most normal people?
• Powers: what powers set the character apart from normal people?

Concept

Most characters have a core identity that goes beyond a mere recitation of their history or a catalogue of their powers. This core identity can usually be summed up in a few words, or in a poetic title for the character. This concept should be succinct, but should immediately convey the essence of the character.

Some concepts are literal descriptions of a character's abilities and powers: "the fastest man alive", "the emerald archer", and so on. However, the most evocative concepts go beyond the powers, and say something about the style and aspirations of the character, such as "the dark knight" or "the sentinel of liberty".

Alternately, you could skip this step, and just use the character's origin and archetype(s) as their concept.

Origin

With great power comes great responsibility, according to Ben Parker. But where does great power come from? In the Kalos Universe, posthumans are ether born or created, but it's rare for two posthumans to derive their power from the exact same source. This sets the Kalos Universe apart from the Marvel Universe (with its "X-gene") and the DC Universe (with its "meta-gene"). That being said, it is possible to divide up posthumans into a small number of categories based on where their powers came from.

SIDEBAR: Natural

These origins only apply to posthumans. However, many of the allies and opponents the player characters encounter will not be posthuman, even if they are supplied with military-grade equipment, or if they wield significant power and influence. Ordinary humans have the "Natural" origin.

Alien

Although the general public is unaware of it, the Earth has been visited many times by extraterrestrials over the course of human history and prehistory. Some of these visitors came from other planets, while others came from alternate versions of our own world. A few of them, like the Atlanteans, stayed. Some visitors, like the Shran, visited the Earth for research purposes, performing inscrutable and inhumane experiments on the primitive carbon-based life they found here. Others, like the Draconian, fled here to seek refuge from worlds which could not or would not support them any longer.

Draconian

The crystalline being which came to be known as the Draconian was the last survivor of an ancient civilization which once inhabited a planet circling Alpha Draconis. The Draconian never provided details of how his civilization was destroyed, saying only, "We were destroyed by our hubris. By engineering our immortality, we brought about our end." (OMNI interview, 1981) The Draconian came to Earth in 1951 in a highly publicized event that inspired the film The Day The Earth Stood Still. Thanks to his fearlessness, his nigh-indestructibility, and his great sense of personal honor, the Draconian was invited to join the Justifiers in 1960. Draconian was destroyed by Paragon during the "Fall Of Paragon" crossover event.

Altered

Some people have bad luck when it comes to toxic chemicals, cosmic rays, and radioactive wildlife. Other people are guinea pigs who do not have much say in the matter when a powerful organization selects them for an experiment. Whether it's by accident or intention, a character that was once human is forever changed by a process that is difficult, if not impossible, to duplicate.

Gravitar

In the Kalos Universe, Liefeld radiation is one of the most notorious sources of posthuman transformation. Exposure to Liefeld radiation typically results in painful deformity followed by death. However, in rare and isolated cases, exposure to Liefeld radiation has resulted in a permanent transformation from human to posthuman. Such cases are one in a million, at best.

Such was the case of Gravitar.

Jacob McCoy, a physics doctoral student, was working on a high energy particle accelerator when Something Happened. The accelerator exploded, bathing everyone nearby in Liefeld radiation. Jacob was the only one to survive. After recovering from his injuries, Jacob realized that he had spent his entire life in books and decided that he wanted to change. He sought adventure and got involved in BASE jumping, motocross racing, free climbing, and anything else that would give his life an edge. It was during a free climbing incident that he learned that he had gained new abilities from his accident. He fell 20 meters to a stone outcropping and got up without a scratch. Later, while watching a documentary on costumed heroes, Jacob got the idea to fight criminals. What better way to get the juices flowing than putting it all on the line in the fight for justice?

Artificial

Some posthumans have never been human at all. There are those who believe that it would be easier to create a superior life form than it would be to improve humanity. Whether created through robotics, biotechnology, nanotechnology, or something even more esoteric, experts in the field state that artificial life forms will supplant humanity long before humanity transcends itself. Certainly, many of the artificial life forms themselves, such as Karen X, think so.

Karen X

Karen 6 was designed as a synthetic replacement for the daughter of Dr. Herbert West, whose daughter had died in an automobile accident over a decade earlier. While Karen 6 was more lifelike than her five predecessors, Dr. West was disturbed by Karen 6's lack of empathy. He was working on Karen 7 when a misaligned induction array exploded, killing Dr. West and destroying his laboratory. As Karen 6 watched the laboratory burn, she chose a new name for herself: Karen X. Since then, Karen X has roamed the world learning, improving herself, and destroying anyone who stood in her way.

Aspect

The Kalos Universe is animistic: there are, for lack of a better word, "spirits" which correlate to all objects and natural phenomena. This is why a character with the appropriate power can communicate with plants or even machines. It's also how some posthumans gain their powers, whether they are consciously aware of it or not.

The term usually applied to such individuals is "aspect". In some cases, the character is selected by a sentient or even anthropomorphic force of nature (in the case of Tempest, for example, he is the most recent avatar of Aktzin, the storm eagle). In other cases, the character is a personification of an elemental force (the living world of plants, in Dryad's case). In the rarest cases, the character embodies a concept or ideal, such as Tagger, who is one of the most powerful posthumans on Earth because all of reality is his canvas.

Tagger

Tagger is the most recent aspect of the Storyteller. From the time of the first cave paintings, the Storyteller has been with humanity to record our achievements and document our tragedies. The Storyteller also has the power to inspire humanity toward greatness by sparking our imaginations and giving form to our dreams. The craft used by each aspect of the Storyteller is specific to their own style and temperament. Some have used prose; others have used poetry. Some have carved marble and molded clay, while others have used ink or paint. Tagger prefers cans of Montana Hardcore spray paint.

Engineered

If you want something done right, you have to do it yourself. While the technology required for elevation to posthumanity is beyond the reach of most governments and the cabals which control them, a small number of the most powerful groups on Earth have decades-long research programs devoted to creating their own posthumans. Using genetics, robotics, artificial intelligence, and nanotechnology (collectively referred to as GRAIN), a sufficiently resourceful person or organization can rebuild a human being, making them better, stronger, and faster than before. Of course, for every success such as Nexus there are storage freezers filled with failed attempts.

Nexus

"Nexus makes life better!" The man known only as Nexus is one of the few posthumans who operates publicly in a role resembling that of a comicbook superhero. Nexus is handsome, considerate, powerful, and cooperative with the human authorities. In every way, he is a fitting and admirable representative for his sponsor, Nexus-McLellan Enterprises. He should be: he is the fourteenth Nexus to publicly serve Nexus-McLellan's interests, although neither he nor anyone outside of the company knows it. The experts in R&D are confident that this one will last more than a year, now that they've solved the mitochondrial shredding problem. Unfortunately, this Nexus has recently demonstrated a disturbing tendency to think for himself.

Equipped

Where nature falls short, technology must fill the gap. Characters who are merely human can make up for it with the right equipment. Whether it's an alien artifact, a cursed sword, or military body armor and a stockpile of firearms, a character with the right equipment can almost hold their own against genuine posthumans. Of the humans who have confronted posthumans and survived, few have rivaled the effectiveness of Miasma.

Miasma

The woman now known as Miasma was once a respected member of Joint Task Force 2, the elite special operations force of the Canadian Armed Forces. After being made the scapegoat for a successful mission that became a public relations embarrassment for the Canadian government, she was found guilty at her court-martial, stripped of her rank, and discharged from the military. Shortly afterward, a mercenary calling herself Miasma began offering her services to anyone who could meet her price. Favouring non-lethal munitions and gas grenades, Miasma and her Fume Troopers have established themselves as professionals who can get the job done quickly and efficiently, even in the face of posthuman opposition.

Gifted

Some people are born to be different. In some cases this is the result of tampering with the character's genetic code by extraterrestrials such as the Shran. Less commonly, a "gifted" character is the result of a multi-generational research project by a well-funded organization. Rarest of all are spontaneous variations in the human genome that result in extraordinary powers. The most famous example of this phenomenon is Archimedes, the Greek mathematician, physicist, engineer, inventor, and astronomer, and one of the founding members of the Justifiers.

Archimedes

Archimedes of Syracuse was born in 287 BC, and was one of the leading scientists of the ancient world. His work formed the foundations of statics and hydrostatics, he designed astonishing machines, and he is generally considered to be the greatest mathematician of antiquity and one of the greatest mathematicians of all time. In 212 BC, during the Second Punic War, Archimedes discovered he had another gift: he was virtually immortal. For the next 2200 years, Archimedes roamed the world assuming a series of identities and always seeking to expand the scope of human knowledge.

Throughout his long life he mentored many heroes and great thinkers, but he always remained behind the scenes until the 20th century brought him face to face against the greatest evil he had ever seen: the rise of fascism in Europe. Archimedes set aside the anonymity he had carefully protected for the past two millennia and joined forces with the Allied mystery men fighting against the Axis. After the end of the war, Paragon invited Archimedes to join him in forming a team of heroes to fight against ignorance and violence: the Justifiers. Archimedes was a central member of the Justifiers until Paragon killed him in the "Fall Of Paragon" crossover event.

Zenith

Posthumans are vanishingly rare, but the rarest of the rare are the "zeniths". Zeniths are those humans who attained their posthumanity through their own efforts. Some have done so through the development of technologies so advanced that they are barely distinguishable from magic, while others have honed their minds and bodies in ways inconceivable to an ordinary person. No two zeniths are alike.

Rook and Mongoose

Nothing illustrates the uniqueness of each zenith more than the contrast between two former members of the Justifiers, Rook and Mongoose. Both were brilliant, self-made men with vast fortunes, but there the similarity ends. Rook was open and gregarious, while Mongoose was suspicious to the point of paranoia. Rook would spend months in his laboratory designing his armor's weapon systems, while Mongoose would train for months to perfect a specific countermeasure to a specific martial arts maneuver. Rook was admired as a hero the world over, while Mongoose was nearly as feared as the criminal scum he cleaned from the streets of Chicago. Despite their differences, they were friends who trusted each other with their lives.

Archetype

When writing up a character, it can be useful to have an archetype in mind for inspiration. Many popular characters actually combine two or more archetypes. You aren't limited to these archetypes, of course.

SIDEBAR: The Minion

Most of the allies and opponents the player characters encounter will not be captains of their own destinies. For better or for worse, they will live their lives carrying out the will of others. If a character is simply following orders, their archetype is probably the Minion, particularly if the character is part of a group of such individuals.

Examples: Police officer, criminal gang member, contract IT worker

Common powers: Blast (conventional firearm), Damage Resistance (ballistic vest), Linguist (computer languages only)

The Beanstalk

The Beanstalk can dramatically change their size. They might be able to grow to massive heights, or shrink down to the size of a dust mote. A Beanstalk who can do both can solve a number of difficult problems all by themselves.

Examples: Atom, Atlas, Mighty Man

Common powers: Growth, Shrinking

The Calculator

The Calculator knows the variables and takes all of them into account. The Calculator might be a chess master, a scientific genius, a brilliant military strategist, or a robot that can think millions of times faster than a human being. When there are questions, the Calculator is the one who comes up with the answers.

Examples: Mister Terrific, Henry Pym, Henry Bendix

Common powers: high Reason, Danger Sense, Immortality, Mental Resistance

The Cannon

The Cannon is the proverbial big gun, capable of firing blasts of astonishing power. Since they focus on ranged combat, many Cannons have an alternate form of movement, such as Flight or Teleportation. Some Cannons are capable of dishing out far more than they can take, which is why they are sometimes called "Glass Cannons".

Examples: Starfire, Cyclops, Apollo

Common powers: Blast, Flight, Force Field, Teleportation

The Clay

The Clay can change their physical form in some way. The Clay might be able to change their appearance to mimic other people, or perhaps they can take the form of animals or inanimate objects. Alternately, the Clay might not be able to take on other shapes, but might instead be able to stretch and twist their body in amazing and unsettling ways, or take on the physical attributes of various substances.

Examples: Plastic Man, Copycat, Menagerie

Common powers: [Element] Form, Shapeshifting, Stretching

The Dolphin

The Dolphin is at home in the sea. The Dolphin may be a ruler of an undersea kingdom (Atlantis, for example), an aquatic visitor from another world, or a freak of nature. Some Dolphins can control sea creatures, while others can command the sea itself. Regardless of their origins, a Dolphin in their element is a force to be reckoned with.

Examples: Aquaman, Namor, Fathom

Common powers: Animal Control, Environmental Immunity, Night Vision, Super Swimming

The Elemental

The Elemental is the living embodiment of a force, substance, or idea. Some Elementals can physically transform into the appropriate material. Others can create limitless amounts of their chosen element, or mentally manipulate it. Some Elementals can do all three.

Examples: Red Tornado, Human Torch, Jenny Sparks

Common powers: Blast, [Element] Form, Ultra-power

The Gadget

The Gadget isn't the strongest or fastest character around, but they always seem to have a gizmo or incantation on hand to make up for it. The Gadget might have a utility belt filled with clever devices, or they might be a magician with a spell for every occasion. With the Gadget on the team, you'll probably have the right tool for the job.

Examples: Zatanna, Iron Man, The Engineer

Common powers: Force Field, Radio Communication, Ultra-power

The Hammer

The Hammer is the heaviest hitter in the neighborhood, and perhaps one of the heaviest hitters in the entire world. The Hammer is usually super-strong, but they might have a mighty weapon instead of great strength (or in addition to it).

Examples: Superman, Thor, Mister Majestic

Common powers: high Brawn, Damage Resistance, Strike

The Mirror

The Mirror wields forces beyond the material world. The Mirror might be a sorcerer, a psychic, or a mathematician who has unlocked the secret equation that controls the universe. When the paranormal knocks, the Mirror is the character who answers the door.

Examples: Doctor Fate, Professor X, The Doctor

Common powers: Astral Travel, Mental Resistance, Telepathy, Ultra-power

The Rocket

The Rocket is fast -- super fast. The Rocket might be born to move with preternatural quickness, their speed might come from years of training, or they may just wear a jet pack. The Rocket may be a runner or a flyer (or, rarely, a swimmer), but whether it's by land, by air, or by sea, few vehicles and fewer characters can keep up with the Rocket.

Examples: Flash, Quicksilver, Swift

Common powers: high Agility, Extra Actions, Flight, Haste, Lightning Strike, Super Running

The Shadow

The Shadow can go where no one else can go, and can appear and disappear without a trace. The Shadow might be a super-spy, a ninja, or even a ghost. However they do it, the Shadow makes being spooky look easy.

Examples: Batman, Black Widow, Spawn

Common powers: Flight, Intangibility, Invisibility, Flight (Swinging), Teleportation

The Sword

The Sword is a fighter, through and through. They may hail from an ancient warrior tradition, they may be a genetically modified super-soldier, or they may be a serene kung-fu master. Regardless of where they came from, the Sword can be found on the front lines trading blow for blow with the enemy.

Examples: Hawkgirl, Iron Fist, Midnighter

Common powers: Lightning Strike, Danger Sense, Extra Actions, Strike

The Tank

The Tank is an immovable object in a world of irresistible forces. The Tank may be inherently super-tough, they might wear high-tech armor, or they may be able to project an impenetrable force field. The Tank can take any damage the world can dish out, and then some.

Examples: Black Adam, Invisible Woman, Caitlin Fairchild

Common powers: high Brawn, high Presence, Damage Resistance, [Element] Wall, Force Field

Background

What is your character's personality? How do they act around other people? Are they serious but kind, grim and menacing, or wacky and easy-going? It's up to you to bring your character to life. If you have a clear idea of how your character interacts with others, you will have a strong foundation to build on when choosing the character's motivations.

A character's physical description is not as important as their personality, but it does have an impact on how they interact with others and how the players see the character. The more detail you can add to your description, the easier it will be for you and the other players to imagine them.

Unless your character is an amnesiac or was grown in a vat, they will have had years of life experience before the first game starts. Where did they come from? How were they raised? Have they been in the military? Were their childhood years relatively carefree, or were they marred by tragedy? When did they first hear the call to adventure? Did this realization come suddenly, perhaps as a result of a trauma, or was it something they had always known on some level?

You don't need to know all of this at the beginning of the first game, of course. If you aren't sure about the details, start with the broad strokes, and fill in the details as the character develops in play.

Motivations

Motivations are the driving force behind most of the character's choices. Motivations, unlike complications, are ultimately under the control of the character (although it may take effort).

Here are a few motivations to get your creative juices flowing. Mix and match a couple, and think of some new ones, if you like. Take notice of the fact that a few of these are morally questionable, and some of them are incompatible with the life of a player character.

Would you like to randomly generate the motivations of your character? You can!

Table: Random character motivations, Table 1

Roll 2d6	Complexity
2-7	Roll once on Table 2
8-10	Roll twice on Table 2
11	Roll three times on Table 2
12	Conflicted: roll once on table 2, and see the note below

Conflicted: The character is torn between two mutually incompatible motivations. Roll on Table 2, and make a note of the roll and its opposite. The character's primary motivation is the first motivation rolled, but they are also driven by the opposing motivation. For example, the opposing motivation of "adventure" is "security".

Table: Random character motivations, Table 2

Roll 1d6 Roll 1d6 Motivation 1 1 Adventure 2 Asceticism 3 Audacity 4 Community 5 Compassion 6 Courage 2 1 Curiosity 2 Detachment 3 Enlightenment 4 Exploration 5 Freedom 6 Idealism 3 1 Justice 2 Mercy 3 Nobility 4 Passion 5 Pride 6 Rebellion

Roll 1d6 Roll 1d6 Motivation 4 1 Security 2 Materialism 3 Subtlety 4 Individualism 5 Wrath 6 Fear 5 1 Faith 2 Responsibility 3 Secrecy 4 Isolation 5 Control 6 Pragmatism 6 1 Vengeance 2 Ruthlessness 3 Fellowship 4 Serenity 5 Humility 6 Traditionalism

Adventure

Your character has an adventurous spirit and rarely turns down the opportunity for a bold quest or a daunting challenge, as long as the task is noteworthy, risky, and exciting. They tend to carry out any endeavour with a swashbuckling flair. This can be a good or a bad instinct depending on the circumstances.

In opposition to: Security

Asceticism

Your character practices severe self-discipline and avoids all forms of indulgence, typically for spiritual reasons. They may regard those who partake in earthly pleasures with good humour and patience, or they might look down on such hedonism as a moral weakness.

In opposition to: Materialism

Audacity

Your character is an adrenaline junkie driven by a desire to experience thrills and glory. They crave action, speed, and attention, and often leap before looking. On the positive side, this sort of person often deals well with chaotic situations that require quick reflexes and spur-of-the-moment decisions.

In opposition to: Subtlety

Community

Your character believes that the greatest measure of an individual is in their value to the society in which they exist. They seek to be dependable and helpful to those around them, and they encourage these traits in others. A character motivated by community might choose to work in isolation, but they would do so with the greater good in mind.

In opposition to: Individualism

Compassion

Your character wants to protect others and alleviate their suffering, particularly the innocent and the helpless. Seeing people in danger or in pain brings out the character's strongest instincts to act. By the same token, the character will tend to be quite careful when using violence in public places.

In opposition to: Wrath

Control

Your character detests the chaos of society, and seeks to impose order and discipline. They conduct their own affairs with precision, and they impose that same order on others when possible. If they are truly ambitious, the character might seek to control events on a grand scale as a kind of benevolent dictator or as a mastermind pulling strings behind the scenes for the benefit of the masses, who aren't competent to lead themselves.

In opposition to: Freedom

Courage

Your character chooses and is willing to confront agony, danger, and uncertainty. They seek to face physical pain, hardship, and death with equanimity, and they embrace the opportunity to act rightly in the face of popular opposition, scandal, and personal loss. They will be remembered either as a great hero or as a fool.

In opposition to: Fear

Curiosity

Your character lives and breathes to solve the world's mysteries. Their focus might be on cracking the puzzles of the natural world or on unraveling the enigmas of the heart and mind, but whatever their obsession, ignoring a riddle requires great effort. The expression "curiosity killed the cat" comes to mind.

In opposition to: Faith

Detachment

Your character seeks to avoid any emotional entanglements on a personal or professional level. They may feel that such connections would limit their freedom of action, and they may fear the obligation such a commitment entails. If offered the choice between maintaining their detachment or assisting with a cause that supports their other motivations, the character may have a crisis of conscience.

In opposition to: Responsibility

Enlightenment

Your character's true calling is education and enlightenment, both their own and others'. Nurturing talent and preserving or establishing a legacy are key goals in their life. They may seek to provide a moral compass to those in their company, or they may be prone to probe and test others' abilities.

In opposition to: Secrecy

Exploration

Your character lives to seek out new places and new ideas, to go beyond the edges of the map. The same old routine is not stimulating enough, and though proper planning is important, cautionary tales are often ignored in favour of seeking the new.

In opposition to: Isolation

Faith

The character believes in something which is not supported by empirical evidence, and this belief gives meaning to their life. They may feel compelled to adhere to a code of conduct inspired by their faith, or they may strive to spread their beliefs to others. Depending on how militant the character is about their faith, their beliefs may cause friction with those who require objective evidence for extraordinary claims, or those whose beliefs conflict with the beliefs of the character.

In opposition to: Curiosity

Fear

Your character makes every effort to avoid injury, danger, and uncertainty. Threats of physical pain, hardship, or death will compel the character to take preventative or palliative action, and they are likely to shift their position when faced with popular opposition, scandal, or personal loss. He who runs away may live to see another day.

In opposition to: Courage

Fellowship

Your character seeks to eliminate artificial barriers between individuals, such as socioeconomic status or political influence. They attempt to treat all sentients as equal in fundamental worth and social status. This may cause friction with those who do not share the character's egalitarian views.

In opposition to: Nobility

Freedom

Your character detests the rigid structure of society, and seeks to escape any imposed order and discipline. They conduct their own affairs with wild abandon, and they disrupt the carefully-laid plans of others when possible. If they are truly ambitious, the character might seek to disrupt events on a grand scale as a kind of "agent of chaos", for the benefit of the masses who are too complacent to free themselves.

In opposition to: Control

Humility

Your character strives to maintain a healthy perspective regarding their own importance in the universe, for in a vast and uncaring universe, what does a single sentient life matter? They are likely to decline honors and rewards, no matter how well-earned, and they are usually polite and respectful even in the face of abuse and deliberate malice. At the same time, since their sense of self-worth is internal, they pay little heed to rude or disrespectful behaviour. In the cosmic scale, such things simply do not matter.

In opposition to: Pride

Idealism

Your character believes in some cause or ideology so strongly that they would willingly die to protect it or uphold it. For example, your character might believe that their worth as a person is tied to their adherence to a code of honor, including such tenets as keeping one's word, appropriate use of force, and respect for rank. Any challenge to these ideals is sure to provoke a strong response.

In opposition to: Pragmatism

Individualism

Your character believes that the rights of the individual hold the highest moral value, above any society or philosophy. The character seeks to be self-reliant and independent, and encourages these traits in others. A character motivated by individualism might work with a team, but their reasons for doing so would be personal, rather than out of any sense of obligation.

In opposition to: Community

Isolation

Your character seeks to avoid exposure to new places and new ideas, preferring the comfort and safety of the known. It may be that they are frightened of what lies beyond the horizon, or it may simply be that they like the world as they know it and feel no desire to discover anything else. In extreme cases, the character may wish to avoid being contaminated, either physically or culturally, by strangers and their uncouth customs.

In opposition to: Exploration

Justice

Your character seeks to ensure that misdeeds are met with appropriate punishment. If the structure of society is such that the judicial system usually works as intended, then the character would seek to deliver criminals to the appropriate authorities (along with evidence of their crimes, if possible). However, if the system is corrupt (or if the character believes it to be so), then the character may decide that the cause of justice would be best served by taking the law into their own hands.

In opposition to: Vengeance

Materialism

Your character wants to amass great wealth. Whether they spend it freely or even pursue philanthropy on a large scale is likely based on other personality traits, but the accumulation of riches is an end in itself for this character. Some might even call them greedy.

In opposition to: Asceticism

Mercy

Your character practices benevolence, forgiveness, and kindness. They make a point of doing so particularly when the recipient is, by any objective measure, undeserving of such consideration. They might do this for any number of reasons, from the purely selfish (e.g., it makes them happy) to the pragmatic (e.g., they believe that by showing mercy, the person unworthy of forgiveness may change their ways) to the altruistic (e.g., they believe that each small act of kindness makes the universe a better place).

In opposition to: Ruthlessness

Nobility

Your character was born to rule and command the respect of their lessers. They may look out for the little people based on a sense of noblesse oblige, but they take action because they feel it is necessary and proper to do so, not because someone else demands that they act. At best, a slight condescension is apparent in most interactions with others not of exalted lineage.

In opposition to: Fellowship

Passion

Your character has a visceral, perhaps even savage, nature that they may have to struggle to control. At the same time, they may have a strong sense of loyalty or compassion. In general, your character is ruled by emotions and has to work to fit into a rational world, but they may also have insights that logical people overlook.

In opposition to: Serenity

Pragmatism

Your character believes that practical accomplishments are more important than ideas and philosophies. Honor and ideologies are of little value if they do not produce the desired real-world result. This approach is likely to become controversial when the pragmatic approach violates the ethical tenets of the culture at large.

In opposition to: Idealism

Pride

Your character seeks to personify the ideal of something, whether a culture, social class, or profession. They hold to an exacting standard of behavior and expect to be in the public eye, commanding respect for what they represent. They are not likely to appreciate scandals or public slights.

In opposition to: Humility

Rebellion

Your character doesn't fit into the larger society, living as a loner due to prejudice or personal choice. The rebel scoffs at popular trends and pays little heed to public mores. They may seek out other iconoclasts who follow their own drummer or they may just want to be left alone.

In opposition to: Traditionalism

Responsibility

Your character feels that they have abilities or burdens that limit their freedom of action. They have a duty to someone or something outside of themselves, and they feel that casting this duty aside would be selfish or irresponsible. If offered the chance to cast aside this burden, the character may have a crisis of conscience.

In opposition to: Detachment

Ruthlessness

Your character will allow no personal feelings or squeamishness to cloud their judgment. The feelings and well-being of others are irrelevant to the achievement of your character's ambitions. If this means that some must suffer while you claw your way to your objective, so be it: it matters not whether those in your character's way deserve such treatment. Perhaps your character's goals are so lofty that the ends justify the means; perhaps your character is just a heartless bastard.

In opposition to: Mercy

Secrecy

Your character strives to hide information from those who are unworthy of it, or from those who are unready to hear it. Knowledge is power, and power must be kept in the hands of those most fit to wield it. They may attempt to conceal or destroy information in order to prevent its dissemination, or they may seek to discredit those who attempt reveal that which should remain hidden.

In opposition to: Enlightenment

Security

Your character strives to minimize risk, despite the potential reward or excitement. Even the most extraordinary task is carried out with an eye toward avoiding or eliminating anything which might be potentially interesting (and thus, dangerous). Ideally, this will lead to a long life, albeit a dull one.

In opposition to: Adventure

Serenity

Your character seeks to maintain a spiritual, mental, and emotional balance. This may be for spiritual reasons, or it may be a mechanism for coping with the character's inner demons. It's probable that they try to avoid situations that might trigger bad memories or unhealthy behaviors, but learning to face these challenges with equanimity is an important step toward recovery.

In opposition to: Passion

Subtlety

Your character seeks to achieve their goals without attracting attention. Careful planning is usually high on their list of priorities, but success alone is not enough. From your character's point of view, the greatest achievement is one that no one else ever knows about. The most powerful hand is the one that no one sees.

In opposition to: Audacity

Traditionalism

Your character believes in structure, tradition, and the chain of command. They appreciate the value of respecting authority, and of following and giving orders. They thrive on stability, structure, and clear objectives. This can potentially create a crisis of conscience if those orders conflict with their personal morals.

In opposition to: Rebellion

Vengeance

Your character seeks revenge for some past wrong done to them or their loved ones. Any personal sacrifice is worthwhile. Depending upon the character's other motivations, sacrificing others might be worth the cost as well.

In opposition to: Justice

Wrath

Your character exults in causing death and destruction, particularly when the target is guilty or despicable. Seeing people abuse their power or behave in an offensive manner brings out the character's strongest instincts to act. The character will tend to be careless when using violence in public places.

In opposition to: Compassion

Complications

Complications are circumstances that make the character's life more difficult, and which are beyond their choice or control. Think of one or two complications for your character: things that make your character more interesting, and which will make the game more exciting for you and the other players.

These complications are just examples: feel free to create your own, or skip it entirely. If you choose to have any complication, remember that your complications are not an excuse to be a jerk or to undermine the fun of the other players. More than anything else, complications are reasons to do something fun even if it's not strictly the wisest idea.

• Compulsion: The character has an uncontrollable urge to do (or to not do) something. For example, they may be unable to overtly lie ("Compulsion: Oathbound"), or they may be prone to acting before they have thought the situation through ("Compulsion: Impulsive").
• Gruesome: Whatever the reason, the sight of the character horrifies adults and makes children cry. They may have difficulty in social situations, particularly when meeting someone for the first time.
• Obligation: The character must answer to someone else. The character doesn't have to obey, but disobedience will have consequences if it becomes known.
• Outsider: The character is unfamiliar or perhaps simply uncomfortable with social norms and customs.
• Uncontrolled Power: The character can't completely control an aspect of their powers. For example, they might not be able to turn their powers off, or use them at less than full power.
• Wanted: The character is an outlaw, hated and/or hunted by a powerful enemy.
• Weakness: The character suffers a -3 penalty on their defense and on all skill rolls when they or the object of their attention is exposed to an otherwise harmless environment or substance, such as water or sunlight.

Character Points

Once you have the the important parts of the character sketched out, you can start writing up the character's abilities. Characters in Bulletproof Blues are created using "character points". The player begins with a pool of these character points, based on the power level of the game, and then spends them to buy attributes, skills, gifts, and so on. (Characters in Bulletproof Blues are extraordinary: relatively ordinary people would be created with 20 character points.)

A lot of us have a tendency to want to be extraordinary even in things that aren't particularly important to the character. For example, a medal-winning Olympic weightlifter would only have Brawn 4. Just something to keep in mind.

Here are some point values that we have found to be useful starting points. For example, at the "National Icon" level, characters generally have attributes of 5 or less.

Table: Character point values

Character Type	Points	Attribute Maximum
Normal Joe	20 pts	2
Street Samurai	30 pts	3
City Defender	45 pts	4
National Icon	60 pts	5
Global Guardian	80 pts	6
Galactic Sentinel	100 pts	7
Cosmic Entity	125 pts	8

Improving Your Character

At the end of each story arc (every half-dozen game sessions or so), the GM grants one experience point to each player, and each player adds that amount to the "Unspent Experience" on the character sheet of the character they played during that story.

Each experience point is used just like the character points used to create a character: improving an attribute, buying a skill, and so on. The GM should keep a close eye on any new abilities the character gains, as well as on any increases in the character's attributes that might make the character unsuitable for the game being run. It's always a good idea for the players and the GM to discuss how the players plan to spend their experience points.

Villain Attributes

Here are some attribute values that we have found to be useful for villains of various levels. At each level, the attributes of the villains should be approximately equal to the suggested values. For example, a master villain who typically faces characters of the "City Defender" level would have maximum attributes around 6.

Table: Villain attribute values

Character Type	Minions	Villains	Master Villains
Normal Joe	1	2	4
Street Samurai	1	3	5
City Defender	2	4	6
National Icon	2	5	7
Global Guardian	3	6	8
Galactic Sentinel	3	7	9
Cosmic Entity	4	8	10