Adapting Characters to Bash: Summary Version
Posted: Sun Apr 09, 2017 2:38 pm
This is an alternate, shorter version of my method for converting characters to BASH. Note that the full trait lists are not included here- for those, see the main Adaptation thread.
This time, we’ll fill the Character Sheet “slots” in order:
Identity: all characters are assumed to have a secret identity by default. If not, they must take the Public Identity Disadvantage. If their identity is known only to themselves, that is the Secret Disadvantage.
Status: Either Hero, Villain, or Anti-Hero (each is covered by different rules.) Everybody else is considered a Minion.
Hits: 100, except for Minions. For those, see below:
-Powerful Minion: 50
-Dangerous Minion: 40
-Tough Guy: 30
-Grunt: 20
-Normal Person: 10
Old characters have the Age Disadvantage and only 80 Hits. Characters with the Frail Disadvantage (ADEL File, pg. 5) have 20 Hits less.
Brawn: 1, unless the character is weaker than average, then it is 0. If its strength is above average, then give it a 2. Maximum normal human strength requires Brawn 2 and the Heightened (Brawn) Power. For superhuman strength, see the table on UE page 4.
Agility: 1, unless the character is less agile than average, then it is 0. If above average, then give it a 2. Maximum normal human agility requires Agility 2 and the Heightened (Agility) Power. For superhuman Agility, see the table on UE page 4.
Mind: 1, unless the character is dumber than average, then its 0. If highly intelligent, then give it a 2. Maximum normal intelligence requires Mind 2 and the Heightened (Mind) Power. For superhuman intelligence, see the table on UE page 4.
Powers: Make a list of the character’s powers. Make sure to only list those powers the character uses consistently, since otherwise they might be Power Stunts or Power Tricks in BASH terms. Similarly, some “powers” are actually Advantages or Special Equipment.
Once you have determined the Powers, describe them using BASH Powers, and if necessary, Enhancements, Limitations and/or Alterations as well.
* Don't forget to buy Range or Area for those Powers that need them. Similarly, some Powers have the Limitations Concentration or Tiring built-in by default; you can correct that with the Second Nature Enhancement.
Power Level: Some Powers can only be bought at specific levels; other have benchmarks that help decide which level to buy (ex. Shrinking). But for most Powers, it can be anything from levels 1 to 5 and often the original sources do not provide enough detail to tell which to buy. I'd go with Level 3 since this the average. You can always adjust it later.
*For levels higher than 5, see Cosmic Powers, p. 97
*You can buy the Powers Special Attack and Push, at Level 0. This allows the character to add range or area to its base Stats, but you must pay points for the enhancements.
Weaknesses: This section is for vulnerabilities to damage types or things that cause power loss. Other types of problems could be covered by Disadvantages such as Susceptibility, or even some Limitations.
Advantages and Disadvantages: Most of these are obvious. Remember you must take one Disadvantage for every Advantage. However, note than when converting characters there is no guarantee the numbers will match. For this reason I recommend that the “Buying Advantages” optional rule (UE, pg. 126) be used.
Mental Malfunction: The character’s motivation can be gleaned from its background. Advantages and Disadvantages can help too. Finally, the list of Villain Motivations (UE, pg. 68) can be useful too, even for Heroes!
Skills:
Combat skills (both unarmed or with weapons) are considered Powers in BASH. Find the appropriate Powers under the Intense Training Category and list them in the Power section. For other skills, see below.
All characters have a number of Physical Skill Slots equal to their Agility score by default. Similarly, they have Mental Skill Slots equal to their Mind.
Their skills should be based on the description of the character’s education and experiences in its Background. Each Skill must have an Specialty.
The number, type, and/or Skill Multipliers required might not jibe with the Character’s Agility and/or Mind. You can fix this in various ways:
-By adjusting the base Stat accordingly (but this might affect other traits.)
-By using the Skillful Power to gain more Slots (2 per level).
-Reducing the number of Skills by one if the character has the Age (Young) Disadvantage.
-The Unskilled Disadvantage reduces the number of slots by half, but also makes skill defaulting more difficult and the character cannot take the Skillful Power or the Jack of All Trades Advantage.
-Use extra slots to buy more Specialties or to raising the Skill Multiplier.
-In a campaign using the optional Experience Point rules, you can buy slots for 3 XP each.
-An optional rule of my own is to simply reserve any unused slots for later.
Equipment: Assume equipment is Standard (unless it is powerful, such as say, explosives) or if it obviously has unusual capacities; then it is Special Equipment (and points must be paid for it). Remember legally Restricted Equipment requires Advantages such as Resources for the character to own them. Similarly some Special Equipment might require Advantages such as Gadgeteer to start with them.
Some Equipment are actually Powers with the Gadget Limitation; these are usually the more powerful ones. A device with multiple Powers can be designed as a Gadget Bundle (see Awesome Powers #6 p. 33) For truly unique, mighty items, see the Relic Advantage (ADEL File, pg. 4)
Finally, a character whose powers come entirely from his costume has the Normal Disadvantage.
Character Point Value: To calculate this, add together the point cost of its Stats, Powers and Special Equipment (and Advantages if applicable) and subtract the value of his Weaknesses and Disadvantages (if applicable.)
“This isn't quite what I expected”
This is a criticism I have heard regarding my conversions. And its a fair one.
But there are two main reasons for this. The first is that some people have trouble telling the facts from the hype. No, Batman cannot beat everybody “with enough preparation”. Why would he need help from other heroes at all then? Also, some stories are just plain not canon- I’m looking at you, Squirrel Girl! So no, not everyone is as tough as they might look.
The other reason is that the BASH system already takes into account factors such as luck or just ‘being the protagonist’ -let’s face it, without those, how long would the likes of Indiana Jones have survived?- by using things such as the Heroes vs Minions rules, Hero Points, exploding dice etc. Even a lowly 20-point character can wade into a mob of minions and kick their collective asses!
So don’t worry too much about the final result of the conversion. Just make one that fits your vision. The system balances itself (via Hero Points or Setbacks) anyway!
This time, we’ll fill the Character Sheet “slots” in order:
Identity: all characters are assumed to have a secret identity by default. If not, they must take the Public Identity Disadvantage. If their identity is known only to themselves, that is the Secret Disadvantage.
Status: Either Hero, Villain, or Anti-Hero (each is covered by different rules.) Everybody else is considered a Minion.
Hits: 100, except for Minions. For those, see below:
-Powerful Minion: 50
-Dangerous Minion: 40
-Tough Guy: 30
-Grunt: 20
-Normal Person: 10
Old characters have the Age Disadvantage and only 80 Hits. Characters with the Frail Disadvantage (ADEL File, pg. 5) have 20 Hits less.
Brawn: 1, unless the character is weaker than average, then it is 0. If its strength is above average, then give it a 2. Maximum normal human strength requires Brawn 2 and the Heightened (Brawn) Power. For superhuman strength, see the table on UE page 4.
Agility: 1, unless the character is less agile than average, then it is 0. If above average, then give it a 2. Maximum normal human agility requires Agility 2 and the Heightened (Agility) Power. For superhuman Agility, see the table on UE page 4.
Mind: 1, unless the character is dumber than average, then its 0. If highly intelligent, then give it a 2. Maximum normal intelligence requires Mind 2 and the Heightened (Mind) Power. For superhuman intelligence, see the table on UE page 4.
Powers: Make a list of the character’s powers. Make sure to only list those powers the character uses consistently, since otherwise they might be Power Stunts or Power Tricks in BASH terms. Similarly, some “powers” are actually Advantages or Special Equipment.
Once you have determined the Powers, describe them using BASH Powers, and if necessary, Enhancements, Limitations and/or Alterations as well.
* Don't forget to buy Range or Area for those Powers that need them. Similarly, some Powers have the Limitations Concentration or Tiring built-in by default; you can correct that with the Second Nature Enhancement.
Power Level: Some Powers can only be bought at specific levels; other have benchmarks that help decide which level to buy (ex. Shrinking). But for most Powers, it can be anything from levels 1 to 5 and often the original sources do not provide enough detail to tell which to buy. I'd go with Level 3 since this the average. You can always adjust it later.
*For levels higher than 5, see Cosmic Powers, p. 97
*You can buy the Powers Special Attack and Push, at Level 0. This allows the character to add range or area to its base Stats, but you must pay points for the enhancements.
Weaknesses: This section is for vulnerabilities to damage types or things that cause power loss. Other types of problems could be covered by Disadvantages such as Susceptibility, or even some Limitations.
Advantages and Disadvantages: Most of these are obvious. Remember you must take one Disadvantage for every Advantage. However, note than when converting characters there is no guarantee the numbers will match. For this reason I recommend that the “Buying Advantages” optional rule (UE, pg. 126) be used.
Mental Malfunction: The character’s motivation can be gleaned from its background. Advantages and Disadvantages can help too. Finally, the list of Villain Motivations (UE, pg. 68) can be useful too, even for Heroes!
Skills:
Combat skills (both unarmed or with weapons) are considered Powers in BASH. Find the appropriate Powers under the Intense Training Category and list them in the Power section. For other skills, see below.
All characters have a number of Physical Skill Slots equal to their Agility score by default. Similarly, they have Mental Skill Slots equal to their Mind.
Their skills should be based on the description of the character’s education and experiences in its Background. Each Skill must have an Specialty.
The number, type, and/or Skill Multipliers required might not jibe with the Character’s Agility and/or Mind. You can fix this in various ways:
-By adjusting the base Stat accordingly (but this might affect other traits.)
-By using the Skillful Power to gain more Slots (2 per level).
-Reducing the number of Skills by one if the character has the Age (Young) Disadvantage.
-The Unskilled Disadvantage reduces the number of slots by half, but also makes skill defaulting more difficult and the character cannot take the Skillful Power or the Jack of All Trades Advantage.
-Use extra slots to buy more Specialties or to raising the Skill Multiplier.
-In a campaign using the optional Experience Point rules, you can buy slots for 3 XP each.
-An optional rule of my own is to simply reserve any unused slots for later.
Equipment: Assume equipment is Standard (unless it is powerful, such as say, explosives) or if it obviously has unusual capacities; then it is Special Equipment (and points must be paid for it). Remember legally Restricted Equipment requires Advantages such as Resources for the character to own them. Similarly some Special Equipment might require Advantages such as Gadgeteer to start with them.
Some Equipment are actually Powers with the Gadget Limitation; these are usually the more powerful ones. A device with multiple Powers can be designed as a Gadget Bundle (see Awesome Powers #6 p. 33) For truly unique, mighty items, see the Relic Advantage (ADEL File, pg. 4)
Finally, a character whose powers come entirely from his costume has the Normal Disadvantage.
Character Point Value: To calculate this, add together the point cost of its Stats, Powers and Special Equipment (and Advantages if applicable) and subtract the value of his Weaknesses and Disadvantages (if applicable.)
“This isn't quite what I expected”
This is a criticism I have heard regarding my conversions. And its a fair one.
But there are two main reasons for this. The first is that some people have trouble telling the facts from the hype. No, Batman cannot beat everybody “with enough preparation”. Why would he need help from other heroes at all then? Also, some stories are just plain not canon- I’m looking at you, Squirrel Girl! So no, not everyone is as tough as they might look.
The other reason is that the BASH system already takes into account factors such as luck or just ‘being the protagonist’ -let’s face it, without those, how long would the likes of Indiana Jones have survived?- by using things such as the Heroes vs Minions rules, Hero Points, exploding dice etc. Even a lowly 20-point character can wade into a mob of minions and kick their collective asses!
So don’t worry too much about the final result of the conversion. Just make one that fits your vision. The system balances itself (via Hero Points or Setbacks) anyway!
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