Alrighty.
Now that we're all together on this, here's the rules:
The Storyteller Engine from White Wolf. In all cases where nothing is mentioned
as having been changed, I'll be using the rules from the Vampire: The Masquerade
3rd edition rulebook, available at your friendly neighborhood game shop.
Use the standard system for attributes:
7 primary, 5 secondary, 3 tertiary
These may be modified by your choice of template.
Attributes cost 5 freebie points per dot.
Use the standard for abilities:
13 primary, 9 secondary, 5 tertiary
These may be modified by your choice of template.
Abilities cost 1 freebie point per dot.
Begin with 3 Willpower, 3 Source, and 0 Karma. Any backgrounds, powers, merits, or flaws will be determined by your choice of template.
Willpower and Source are 2 freebie points per dot and go as high as 10.
Karma costs 1 point per dot and goes as high as 20.
You may begin with 1,000 worth of equipment and cash. The Resources background will increase your starting wealth by 10,000 per dot. Do not be abusive with this , or your character will be punished.
An extra 1,000 bucks of equipment can be purchased for 1 freebie point
Your character's choice of template will determine the number and type of powers he begins play with, as well as his starting background points, merits and flaws. Templates may also increase or decrease your abilities and attributes.
Karma will affect your character...
Good deeds, compassion, honesty, and loyalty will increase your character's karma, while callousness, dishonesty, betrayal, or wanton violence will decrease it.
Karma can be used to deepen a powered character's connection to the Source, thus temporarily increasing the strength of his powers. Spending a Karma point can also make minor changes to the scene, such as adding a flagpole to the side of a building you've fallen off of...
Karma can be used by all characters in the same manner as willpower points, and by non-powered characters as experience points on a 3 to 1 basis.
Karma cannot be increased by the expenditure of experience points.
Whether or not your character knows or believes it, all metahuman abilites find the origin of their power in the extradimensional energy reservoir that the New Gods call The Source.
Both the New Gods of New Genesis and Darkseid, master of Apokolips draw on the Source for their powers.
What strange circumstance has led the Source to become connected to humanity is unknown, and it is not common knowledge that it has. Rather, it is something that the players know, and if they wish their characters to know as well, so be it.
Source points are a measure of the character's connection to this energy reservoir, and are used in the manner of blood or rage points to activate and maintain metahuman powers.
Why use Storyteller?
A number of reasons. Foremost is the system's sheer popularity. It is a commonly known system, so the fundamentals are already understood by all the players. Secondly, while many super-hero systems (DC, Marvel, Champions) are very well balanced and/or allow for great freedom in character creation, these advantages are countered by their extreme clunkiness obscurity, or math-intensive nature. Third, storyteller excels as a system that allows a GM to maintain a mood without worrying about the game system getting in the way. Finally, the GM is very comfortable with the system, and is intrigued by the challenge of using it in a new way.
The Heroes of 1938 are only Human. Some are super-powered, some are not, but only one tries to be More Than Human.
The nations of the World are poised on the verge of the most violent conflict ever to shake the earth. Are they ready?
In a world where malevolence need not hide its face, it is the Heroes who are forced to wear Masks.
Evil is not a force of Nature. It is born in the facile mind and festers wherever injustice reigns.
Gotham. City of sky-scraping towers and blood-curdling screams. She is the dark jewel in America's crown.
Without Law, Evil runs Amok like the fell... ah screw it, this is where the Rules are.
