Adapting characters to BASH (updated)

[Sijo]

3- Mental Malfunction: this is the Hero's (or Villain's) main motivation. Here are a few suggestions (taken from Ultimate Edition pg 68). While these are meant for Villains, they can be reinterpreted for Heroes too- a Greedy hero for example, would not steal but might exploit his fame for money. Or you could invert them, and make a hero be motivated by Kindness, for example.

Order
Chaos
Theme
Hatred
Greed
Power
Thrills

[Sijo]

4-Skills

Intense Training Powers - In BASH, combat skills are treated as Powers, except they can be learned by Normals.

5 pts
Fast Learner AP #8 p 22 (1-5) pts
Martial Arts Mastery- UE p51, 1-3 pts, Personal (upgraded in AP #8 pg 20, 1-5 pts)
Skillful- UE p52, 1-5 pts, Personal
3 pts
Ready Strike AP #8 Pg 20 3 pts
2 pts
Attack Weak Point- UE p51, 2 pts (updated in AP vol. 6, p9/AP vol. 8 p15)
Brilliant Commander AP #8 pg 21 2 pts
Disarm Expert- UE p51, 2 pts (1 pt if you have Living Weapon, Sword Surgeon, or Gun Fu)
Gun Fu AP #8 pg 16 2 pts
Living Weapon AP #8 p16 2 pts
Offhand Shooting- UE p52, 2 pts
Paired Weapons- UE p52, 2 pts
Swift Strike- UE p52, 2 pts
Sword Surgeon AP #8 pg 17 2 pts
Tenacity AP #8 pg 21 2 pts
Valiant Defender AP #8 pg 21 2 Pts
Weapon Technique- UE p52, 1-2 pts, Personal (upgraded in AP # 8 pg 18, 1-2 pts)
1 pt
Double Taps- UE p51, 1 pt
Expert Marksman AP #8 p16 1 pt
Fleet of Foot- UE p51, 1 pt, Personal (upgraded in AP #8, pg 21)
Heightened- UE p51, 1 pt Personal
Rapid Reload AP #8 pg 17 1 pt
Specialist AP #8 pg 25 1 pt
Weapon Bind AP #8 pg 21, 1 pt

[Solarblast]

3- Mental Malfunction: this is the Hero's (or Villain's) main motivation. Here are a few suggestions (taken from Ultimate Edition pg 68). While these are meant for Villains, they can be reinterpreted for Heroes too- a Greedy hero for example, would not steal but might exploit his fame for money. Or you could invert them, and make a hero be motivated by Kindness, for example.

Order
Chaos
Theme
Hatred
Greed
Power
Thrills

Plastic Man has that problem sometimes. He will have to resist the temptation my a fast back. This could work for a corporate super who does what the does for money and glory.

[Sijo]

Skills- In BASH, any character can attempt to use any skill (as long as the Narrator approves- see Defaulting, UE pg 7.) This can make it tricky to define which skills the character actually has- a few uses are not enough proof. I recommend that you only buy skills indicated by any training mentioned in its history.

Since you must pick at least one Specialty for every skill I listed them first followed by the main skill after the slash. Don't forget to write them in the correct order in the Character Sheet.

All Skills are covered in UE pages 7-9 unless otherwise noted.

Note: the Perform skill uses special rules. See page 9.

Physical Skills
Acceleration/Drive
Acrobatics/Athletics
Acting/Perform
Aerobatics/Athletics – AP # 8 pg 9
Carpentry/Craftsmanship
Climbing/Athletics
Construction/Craftsmanship
Contortion/Escapology
Control/Drive
Control/Pilot
Control/Ride
Dance/Perform
Evading Security Cameras and Alarms/Stealth
Evasion/Pilot
Galloping/Ride
Hiding/Stealth
Improvising/Escapology
Juggling/Perform
Jump/Ride
Knots/Escapology
Leatherwork/Craftsmanship
Loosen Binds/Escapology
Metalwork/Craftsmanship
Palming & Planting items/Stealth
Play Instrument/Perform
Prowling/Stealth
Pursuit/Pilot
Running/Athletics
Shadowing/Stealth
Singing/Perform
Steering/Drive
Stonework/Craftsmanship
Swimming/Athletics
Throwing/Athletics
Tricks/Drive
Tricks/Pilot
Tricks/Ride
Weaponry/Craftsmanship

Mental
Accounting/Commerce
Alchemy/Occultism
Analysis/Investigation
Appraisal/Commerce
Archeology/Social Science
Art/Humanities
Artifacts/Occultism
Astrology/Occultism
Bargaining/Commerce
Biology/Science
Building/Computers
Bureaucracy/Commerce
Channeling/Occultism – AP # 8 pg 9
Chemistry/Science
Cleaning/Domestic
Command/Military
Command/Sailing
Cooking/Domestic
Cracking Safes/Security
Crime/Streetwise
Demolitions/Military – AP # 8 pg 9
Detect Deception/Deception
Diagnosis/Medicine
Direction Sense/Outdoor
Disabling Security Alarms and Cameras/Security
Disguise/Deception
Encrypting/Computers
Finance/Commerce
Finding Clues/Investigation
First Aid/Medicine
Flora & Fauna/Outdoor
Foreign Cultures/Humanities
Gambling/Streetwise
Gardening/Domestic
Gather Information/Streetwise
Genetics/Medicine
Geography/Social Science
Gunner/Military
Gunner/Sailing
Gut/Investigation
Gut/Streetwise
Hacking/Computers
History/Social Science
Invent/Technology
Jargon/Deception
Jury-Rig/Technology
Legend/Occultism
Lying/Deception
Manage/Domestic
Manipulation/Deception
Mathematics/Science
Modify/Technology
Monsters/Occultism
Navigation/Sailing
Paramedic/Medicine
Philosophy/Humanities
Physics/Science
Picking Locks/Security
Piloting/Sailing
Programming/Computers
Questioning/Investigation
Religion/Humanities
Repair/Technology
Repairing/Computers
Research/Medicine
Rituals/Occultism
Sabotage/Technology
Sewing/Domestic
Shortcuts/Streetwise
Strategy/Military
Surgery/Medicine
Surveillance/Security
Survival/Outdoor
Tacking/Sailing
Tactics/Military
Toxicology/Medicine
Tracking/Outdoor

Skill Slots: In BASH, characters have 1 slot per level of Agility (for Physical Skills) and 1 per level of Mind (for Mental Skills.) These can be used to buy Skills or Specialties, or to raise their Skill Multipliers. How many slots the character should invest on a Skill depends use its mastery of the skill:

Skill Level - Slots used
well-trained - 1
expert - 2
veteran - 3
master - 4
grand master - 5

Note: the number of slots provided by the Stats might not always square with the number of skills you have settled on. There are several options here:
-If you need more slots, the Intense Training Power Skillful provides 2 per level.
-If you need less, the Youth Disadvantage leaves the character with one less slot of either type.
-The Unskilled Disadvantage reduces the number in half (round down) but also increases the penalty for defaulting to -2 and prevents the character from having the Skillful Power or the Jack of All Trades Advantage.
-You can modify the skill scheme: drop some skills or specialties, or add more.
-Similarly, unused slots can be used to increase the Skill Modifiers of your skills.
-Or you could leave it as is, at least for the time being. This is NOT an official rule and must be approved by the Narrator.

[Sijo]

5- Stats- despite being very basic to the character, I left this section until now because its hard to tell from most sources how strong, agile or smart a character is unless someone or something states it. Things like Advantages, Disadvantages or Skills can help clue in how high or low the stats are. In case of doubt, assign a 1.

High Stats: A character with these is *way* above the average, without being superhuman.
Brawn 2 (4 pts)
Agility 2 (4 pts)
Mind 2 (4 pts)

Average Stats: It is totally OK to give these to Heroes; what really makes them stand out are story/game related factors (see Part III.)
Brawn 1 (2 pts)
Agility 1 (2 pts)
Mind 1 (2 pts)

Low Stats: Stats of 0 do not necessarily imply that the character lacks the Stat, only that it is weaker than a healthy human adult's.
Brawn 0 (0 pts)
Agility 0 (0 pts)
Mind 0 (0 pts)

Any of these can be improved with the Intense Training Power Heightened. The modified Stat should be marked with a + .

[Sijo]

6- Standard Equipment- This is available to any Hero or Villain if they want it, unless they have the Destitute Disadvantage. It costs no character points, but some equipment is Restricted; the character must have an Advantage such as Resources or Security Clearance to own it. Restricted equipment is marked with a (*).

Weapons with (WT) can be used in special ways by a user who has the appropriate Weapons Technique Power (see description).

Most items listed here are from Awesome Powers vol. 6; a few are from BASH Ultimate Edition (UE).

Hand to Hand Weapons (pgs 14-15)
Axe (WT)
Axe, Great (WT)
Ball Bearings/Oil Slick
Baseball Bat (WT)
Bayonet
Boomerang (WT)
Brass Knuckles (WT)
Caltrops
Chain (WT)
Club/Escrima Stick (WT)
Fire Poker (UE, pg 25)
Halberd/Pole-Arm (WT)
Hand Claws (WT)
Knife (WT)
Knife, Throwing (WT)
Lead Pipe (UE, pg 25)
Mace/Hammer (WT)
Mallet/Maul (WT)
Monkey Wrench (UE, pg 25)
Net (WT)
Nunchaku (WT)
Shuriken (WT)
Spear (WT)
Staff (WT)
Sword (WT)
Sword, Great (WT)
Sword, Katana (WT)
Sword, Rapier (WT)
Tonfa/Nightstick (WT)
Whip (WT)

Ranged Weapons (pgs 13-14)
Aerosol Mace
Bolas
Bow
Bow, Compound
Carbine
Crossbow
Crossbow, Hand
Paintball Gun
Pistol
Pistol, Cheap
Pistol, Flintlock
Pistol, Heavy
Pistol, Machine *
Pistol, Pocket
Pistol, Revolver
Rifle, Assault
Rifle, Hunting
Rifle, Repeating
Rifle, Sniper *
Riot Gun
Scope
Shotgun
Shotgun, Double Barreled
Shotgun, Sawed-Off
Shotgun, Semi-Auto
SMG *

Utility Equipment (pg 16-17)
Acid Vial
Aerosol Mist
Antivenom
Binoculars
Cable, Steel
Camera, Body
Camera, Hidden
Chain
Communicator Earbud
Compass
Coolant Spray
Crowbar
Disguise Kit
Duct Tape
Earplugs
Fire Extinguisher
Fire Extinguisher, Mini
Flashlight
Glass Cutter
Goggles
Grappling Hook
Hacking Drive
Handcuffs
Lock Pick Gun
Lock Picks
Magnifying Glass
Multi-Tool
Parachute
Rope
Shark Repellant
Smartphone
Voice Scrambler
Whistle
Zip-Ties

[Sijo]

Pat III: Game Data
This section covers BASH's game mechanics.

Hits
All Heroes and Villains start with 100 Hits (although this can be modified by some Disadvantages.) However just having powers doesn't mean the character is either- it could be a Minion (which doesn't just mean someone who works for a villain either.) Minions have less Hits and use special combat rules- see UE pg. 70. See the table below to find out how many Hits the character has:

Hero/Villain: Hits 100
Powerful Minion: Hits 50
Dangerous Minion: Hits 40
Tough Guy: Hits 30
Grunt: Hits 20
Normal Person: Hits 10

Point Breakdown: Finally, calculating how many points points the character is "worth" is important to determine what Campaign Scale it is best suited for, as well as how many Hit Points or Setbacks it has.

Simply add together the point cost for the character's Stats, Powers, and Special Equipment (and Advantages, if that rule is being used) and subtract the points from Weaknesses (and Disadvantages, again if that rule is used). This is the character's Point Value.

If the Value is lower than the Campaign Scale, it gains Hero Points equal to the difference. If it is higher, it gains Setbacks equal to the difference.

Online BASH Character Creator
Although already mentioned elsewhere in these Forums, I decided to link it in here as well for ease of reference. Made by Forum Member Devastating Weakness, this Generator calculates factors such as Defense for you and allows the addition of images and even to save your character sheet! So after you're done using this Guide to design the character, give it a try! (Note: the Creator does not yet cover all the traits listed here, but they can be added using the Custom options.) http://bashcreator.net/

[Sijo]

OK, now that the guide is complete, let's put it to the test by adapting an existing character! I have chosen Marvel's heroine Spectrum for the test.

Research: I went to both Wikipedia and the Marvel Database for the data I will be using here. To summarize, Spectrum is Monica Rambeau, a lieutenant in the New Orleans Harbor Patrol who gained electromagnetic energy powers from exposure to a criminal scientist's device. She took on the name of the deceased hero Captain Marvel, but later allowed his son to take it. She joined the Avengers and is still active today. NOTE: I’m not counting her time as a member of the Nextwave team as it has apparently been retconned as false memories implanted by the Beyond Corporation (read: the whole thing was a joke that many people didn’t get.)

Let’s begin with her superhuman traits.

Powers: She has two main Powers: The ability to become any form of electromagnetic energy, or to project it. These are obviously Ghost Form and Special Attack in BASH. While she has used other powers (such as Invisibility or Absorption) those sound more like Power Stunts of the previous Powers to me. The only exceptions are: Flight (which she uses all the time) and Omniscience (which activates on its own.)

Power Level: Ghost Form needs to be level 3 to provide the full intangibility required. Special Attack is trickier; the only thing we know about it is that it is equal to "300 tons of TNT." That sounds just short of Cosmic Level to me, so lets give it a 5. Flight goes up to the speed of light; that's equal to Flight 3 (with the Space Enhancement.) Omniscience is a Cosmic Power, and those are only allowed in regular Hero campaigns if limited to 5 levels, but that's enough.

Modifiers: I'm giving Ghost Form the variable Enhancement (1 point) to allow it to change the type of energy it is composed of. Same for Special Attack (additionally she can use it to add Area and/or Range by lowering its level.) Flight needs the Limitation: Only While in Ghost Form. Omniscience needs Diminished X (Only for cosmic awareness).

Weakness: Vulnerability (to water, only in electric form.) -2 pts.

OK, now for the Normal Traits:

Advantages
Membership (in The Avengers)
Photographic Memory
Police Powers

Disadvantages
Arch-Enemy (Moonstone)
In a Relationship (with Brother Voodoo)

Mental Malfunction: Order- She upholds the Law, but in spirit more than in letter (despite being a cop, she sided with Captain America during the first hero Civil War.)

Intense Training Powers: She was a cop- according to UE pg 72, those get Weapon Technique: +1 hit [Enhancement: All Weapons]

Skills
As a Harbor Police Lieutenant, Fishing Boat Captain, and Leader of the Avengers, she gets:

Physical Skills:
Athletics/Swimming

Mental Skills:
Military/Tactics
Sailing/Command

Since we have no evidence of her mastery of these, she only gets 1 slot in each.

Stats:
Since she has 1 Physical Skill and 2 Mental Ones, she needs three slots. That indicates an Agility of 1 and a Mind of 2. Since we have no clue about her Brawn, we assign a 1 in default.

Equipment: none.

Now for the final calculations:

As a full Hero, she gets 100 Hits.

Point Breakdown:
Ghost Form 3 pts +1 from Variable = 4
Special Attack 5 +1 from Variable = 6
Flight 3 + 1 from Space, -1 from Only in Ghost Form = 3
Omniscience 5 – 1 from Diminished X = 4
Vulnerability = -2
Weapon Technique: +1 hit [Enhancement: All Weapons] = 3 pts
Stats: Brawn 1 (2 pts) + Agility 1 (2 pts) + Mind 2 (4 pts) = 8 pts

Total: 26 pts

Placed in the correct order, her Traits would look like this:

Spectrum (Monica Rambeau)
Hero- Hits 100
Brawn 1 (2 pts)
Agility 1 (2 pts)
Mind 2 (4 pts)
Powers
Ghost Form 3 [Variable, +1 pt] 4 pts
Special Attack 5 (+5 to DM) [Variable, +1 pt] 6 pts
Flight 3 [Space, +1 pt] /Only in Ghost Form, -1 pt\ 3 pts
Omniscience 5 /Diminished X (only for cosmic awareness, -1 pt\ 4 pts
Weapon Technique [+ 1 to hit with all weapons, 2 pts] 3 pts
Weakness
Vulnerability (to water, while in electric form) -2 pts
Advantages
Membership (in The Avengers)
Photographic Memory
Police Powers
Disadvantages
Arch-Enemy (Moonstone)
In a Relationship (with Brother Voodoo)
Skills
Athletics/Swimming
Military/Tactics
Sailing/Command
Breakdown: 8 Stats, 20 Powers, -2 Weakness = 26 points
Setbacks: +1 (from Advantages- note I used one of the optional rules here.)

[Sijo]

And here is what Spectrum looks like in the BASH Character Creator! (Note: use the Character Sheet button for a tidier look.) http://bashcreator.net/#/load/1lpgb

[Sijo]

Character Building Tips:

Here are a few more tips; these are just suggestions, you don't need them to use the guide.

Power Stunts: Since you can use any Power to imitate any other as a Stunt (as long as the Narrator agrees, of course) you might ask: why buy more than one Power? Well, in addition to the fact that you're going to run out of Hero Dice eventually, all mimicked Powers last only for one Scene. So if you want some that you can use outside of battle, make sure you buy them separately. Most Personal or Sustained Powers are good for this, while Maintained or Concentration ones are not.

-Power Level: While not specifically stated in the rules, presumably the maximum level of a Power imitated as a Stunt is equal to that of the Power being used. I base this on the fact that this is the case with Power Tricks performed with the X Mastery Power.


Multi-Powers: These are good to buy many Powers for only 1 or 2 points each. The catch is that you can only use them one at a time. So which Powers should you place in one? Try these:

Attacks- since your Panel ends the moment you attack, you cannot use more than one attack Power. So if you buy more than one Offensive Power you might as well do so this way, and switch them from Panel to Panel depending on the situation. Conversely, Defensive Powers should not be included unless you want the character to drop its defenses while attacking (or vice versa).

Movement: Most Movement Powers make each other redundant (though there are some useful combos- Flight is better than Gliding, but if you're hurt while flying you won't fall if you also have Gliding) so you might as well switch around.

Bio-Manipulation: While many of these Powers make for great combos, others just don't work together- Growing and Shrinking, for instance.

Concentration: Finally, since you cannot use other Powers while concentrating, put these in a Multipower.

Remember that a MultiPower gains special bonuses as part of a Power Suite.

Note: Cosmic Powers cannot be placed in a Multi-Power by default.

[BASHMAN]

Nice Spectrum Build!

[Sijo]

Thanks!

[MrJupiter]

Sijo, this thread is a fantastic resource for new and old BASH:UE gamers. It's a great resource to find inspiration, or to check up on rule mechanics for character creation.

[Sijo]

Exactly! I just felt my earlier Adaptation guide needed expansion, and that all the trait lists I made before should be in one place for easy access. I hope others find it useful!

[Sijo]

Updated BASH Character Sheet

Name (identity)
Hero/Villain/Minion (Hits )
Brawn ( pts)
Agility ( pts)
Mind ( pts)
Powers
Power Suite (if any)
Multi-Power (if any)
Gadget Bundle (if any)
Power [Enhancements, + pts] /Limitations, -1 pt for first, +1 Hero Point for more\ (Alterations, +0) ( pts)
-typical Power Stunts
-typical Power Tricks (if usable)
-Special effects (if any)
Weaknesses (-2 to -4 points each)
-
-
Mental Malfunction-
Advantages- Superhuman, physical, mental, social, equipment-related, karmic
-in alphabetical order
Disadvantages- Superhuman, physical, mental, social, karmic
-in alphabetical order
Skills
Physical
-Skill/Specialties- Skill Multiplier
Mental
-Skill/Specialties- Skill Multiplier
Equipment
Special Equipment- Weapons, Big Hardware & Explosives, Defensive, High-Tech Weapons, High Tech Utility (Equipment Enhancements, + _ pts)
Standard Equipment- Hand to Hand Weapons, Ranged Weapons, Utility
Breakdown: Stats, Powers, Weaknesses, Advantages (if they cost points), Disadvantages (if worth points), Super-Equipment = Character Point Value
Hero Points/Setbacks- Campaign Scale – Character point Value

Power Stunt, Trick, and Special Effect lists are optional but helpful.