Mongoose Character Generation for Dummies

[Theoselk]

Lance Riley
Term 2
Career: Navy - Flight
Term Skills and Training roll: Rolled 3 on Flight table for +1 Gunner (Turrets)
Survival: 6 +1(Dex DM) = 7; Succeed (whew close one)
Event: 12! Heroism in battle, automatic commission
Rank Increase Skill: Melee (blade) 1
Advancement:8 +0(Edu DM) = 8; Succeed
Rank Increase Skill: Leadership 1
Advancement Skill: Rolled 5 on Flight table for +1 Astrogation
Career Status: Staying in career

Q:I'm unsure whether I get 2 advancements, or whether the event automaticly succeeds my advancement/commission roll

Lance certainly didn't know what he was getting into this time around, because the navy decided that instead of escorting ambassador yachts, Lance would be escorting patroling capital ships near neutral zones. Several months of combat drone practice later, Lance got a chance to put all of his training to use; An enemy fleet had jumped into attack range and caught everyone off guard. Heavily outgunned, Lance's survival looked bleak. However, rather than surrendering or attempting to flee, Lance's squad made bombing run after bombing run on the enemy fleet, specificly targeting their weapon systems. Through combined skill (and alot of luck), Lance's team was successful in driving off the attackers. As a reward, the entire squad was made officers, each pilot as a shining example of the core values of the Navy.

 

[CosmicGamer]

Theoselk
Q:I'm unsure whether I get 2 advancements, or whether the event automaticly succeeds my advancement/commission roll
A: The event makes the attempt for advancement or commission automatic. It would not allow both. I dropped the second advancement and skill. Here is the adjusted term for Lance.

Lance Riley
Term 2
Career: Navy - Flight
Term Skills and Training roll: Rolled 3 on Flight table for +1 Gunner (Turrets)
Survival: 6 +1(Dex DM) = 7; Succeed (whew close one)
Event: 12! Heroism in battle, automatic commission
Advancement: automatic commission. O1-Ensign automatic skill Melee (blade) 1
Commission Skill: Leadership 1
Career Status: Staying in career

Steps 5-11 - Term 3 - Use the book and go back to previous posts if necessary.

Kalani Keanu
Term 3
Career: Scholar - Physician
Term Skills and Training roll: Medic +1
Survival: 7 +1(Edu DM) = 8; Succeed
Event: 6; Education roll = 9 chose Engineer(Life Support) 1
Advancement: 11 +1(Edu DM) = 12; Succeed
Advancement Skill: Science (biology) +1
Career Status: Leaving career
Muster roll calculation: 3 terms(3 rolls) + Rank 2(1 roll) = 4 rolls; gets a +1 DM to one benefit roll due to first term event.
Muster results: (5) Scientific Equipment, (4) +1 Soc, (4) +1 Soc, (6+1DM=7) 100,000cr.

Kalani excelled in medical schooling and has even learned about maintaining life support systems. No longer an intern, Kalani is now a certified Doctor at the local hospital and is well respected in the community; it also pays pretty good. Dr. Kalani Keanu would like to get off Yori and travel so he has decided to try and find a Merchant ship in need of a doctor.

Summary:
- Choose a specialization
- Choose a skill table and roll. Obtain one additional level in a skill or if your roll resulted in a characteristic, add one to that characteristic.
- Roll for survival
- If you fail: Roll for a Mishap, describe what happened, Roll Benefits
- If you succeed: roll an event, follow the instructions, report your rolls and any details such as skills gained
- Roll for advancement or commission
- If successful: gain any skills associated with your rank and roll for one additional skill
- Add 4 years to your characters age
- If you are leaving your career, roll for benefits and list them
- State if you are stopping now, changing careers, or continuing on with your career
- Describe what has happened to your character during this term

 

[Theoselk]

Lance Riley
Term 3
Career: Navy - Flight
Term Skills and Training roll: Rolled 6 on Flight table for +1 Zero-G
Survival: 7 +1(Dex DM) = 8; Succeed
Event: 5; Edu 8+ for advanced training in a specialist field (Roll 5+0; fail)
Advancement: 6 +0(Edu DM) = 6; Succeed
Rank Bonus: None (Already have Leadership 1)
Advancement Skill: Rolled 4 on Flight table for +1 Pilot(Small Craft)
Career Status: Staying in career

As a commissioned officer, the navy wanted Lance to develop his leadership skills, and took him out of the front lines to see if they could hammer centuries of historic engagements, management lessons, and tactics into his head. But Lance's mind was always behind the cockpit of a light fighter, and try as the navy could, they couldn't tear him away from from his passion. Instead, they assigned him as squadron leader of the 339th interceptors, in hopes that he would learn leadership by fire. (no pun intended)

 

[Ommadawn]

Matson Voldor
Career: Scout - Courier
Term 3
Term Skills and Training Roll: Rolled 3 on Courier career table for +1 Pilot (Spacecraft)
Survival: Rolled 6, passed
Event: Rolled 9, first on scene at a disaster. Rolled Medic skill check for 2, failed and gained an enemy
Advancement: Rolled 6 (+1 for EDU DM) = 7, failed
Career Status: Staying in the Scouts, but changing branch to Exploration

The years passed and Matson was happy shuttling from world to world. That is, until he was involved in The Incident, as he would call it later. He had just jumped into the Reth/Lanth system and picked up a distress call from a merchant with catastrophic jump drive failure. He closed and boarded the damaged vessel to find the daughter of a wealthy passenger was critically injured. The crew medic was also too hurt to treat anyone so he used his feeble medical skills to try and save the girl. It was too late and she died quickly, but the distraught father blamed Matson for her death. The next year was a living hell for him as the man took every step he could and used all his influence to make him suffer.

Finally, he caved in and requested a transfer to the Exploration branch of the service, hoping to move far away and never see the man again. Whether he would succeed, he didn't know.


Posting in this thread is for meant for CosmicGamer, Theoselk, and Ommadawn. All others please use http://www.mongoosepublishing.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=36345 to make comments. Thank you

 

[CosmicGamer]

My sample character, Kalani Keanu, decided to change careers and will be doing Steps 3 and 4. Although it is similar to when we first did it, there are some differences. I'll note them below.

Step 3
When rolling to qualify for a new career, you suffer a -1 DM penelty for each previous career.

Step 4
After your first career, you choose just one basic training level 0 skill from the Service Skills table when Qualifying for a new career.

Steps 5-11 - Term 4 - Use the book and go back to previous posts if necessary.

9. AGING
Our characters may start aging at the end of this term.

Use the Aging Table on page 36. Roll 2d6 and use the characters total number of terms as a negative DM (-4 this term).

If the result is 0 or lower your character has started to feel the effects of aging and will have to reduce one or more physical characteristics. Physical characteristics are Strength, Dexterity, and Endurance.

This may also reduce the dice modifier for the characteristic(s) that were reduced.

Note your aging results.

Kalani Keanu
First Term in new career
Qualify: 8+1(Int DM) = 9; Succeed
Career: Merchant - Free Trader
Basic Training: Vacc Suit 0
Term Skills and Training roll: Astrogation +1
Survival: 8; Succeed
Event: 3 smuggle, roll 7 so no extra benefit
Advancement: 6 +1(Int DM) = 7; Succeed
Rank bonus Skill: Rank 1 = Persuade 1
Advancement Skill: Computers +1
Aging: 11-4 = 7; no effects
Career Status: Finishing Character Generation
Muster roll calculation: 1 term(1 roll) + 1 rank(1 roll) =2 rolls
Muster results Free Trader, 1,000cr

Accidents happen, so the first day in space Kalani was taught emergency procedures and how to put on a Vacc Suit. Luckily there were no accidents and the doctor had plenty of spare time to learn a few things from his crewmates, like how to use the computer to calculate a jump.

Kalani left the ship he had been on hoping that he might be able to use his resources toward becoming a partner and joint owner of a ship.

Summary:
- Choose a specialization
- Choose a skill table and roll. Obtain one additional level in a skill or if your roll resulted in a characteristic, add one to that characteristic.
- Roll for survival
- If you fail: Roll for a Mishap, describe what happened, Roll Benefits
- If you succeed: roll an event, follow the instructions, report your rolls and any details such as skills gained
- Roll for advancement or commission
- If successful: gain any skills associated with your rank and roll for one additional skill
- Add 4 years to your characters age and roll for aging - note results
- If you are leaving your career, roll for benefits and list them
- State if you are stopping now, changing careers, or continuing on with your career
- Describe what has happened to your character during this term

 

[Theoselk]

Lance Riley
Term 4
Career: Navy - Flight
Term Skills and Training roll: Rolled 4 on Flight +1 Pilot(Small Craft)
Survival: 6 +1(Dex DM) = 7; Succeed [Another Close Call]
Event: 6; Notable military engagement, Gain Sensors 1
Advancement: 11 +0(Edu DM) = 11; Succeed
Advancement Skill: Rolled 1 on Flight table for +1 Pilot(Any) [Might at well put it into Small Craft]
Aging: 6-4 = 2; no effects
Career Status: Finishing Character Generation
Muster roll calculation: 4 terms(4 rolls) + 4 Combined Ranks(2 rolls) = 6 rolls; +1 DM to one benefit roll due to first term event.
Muster Results: (4) Weapon, (6) Ship's Boat, (5) TAS Membership, (2) +1 INT, (1) Air/Raft, (5+1DM=6) 50,000cr.

Q: Are you allowed to add options to the mustered weapon, and if not, can they be retrofitted with personal cash later?

Lance's 4th term highlight was the Black Sun Conflict, a brutal space battle of epic size. Kill or be killed, and learn to watch those sensors for incoming fire and fighters. With heavy allied losses and after having his fair share of narrow dodges, Lance decided that he'd like to take a step back from the constant gunfire, and do some sightseeing of something other than enemy forces.

Lance had come a long way from being an 18 year old boy who wanted to become a space pirate; he was now a grown man, and a respected Lieutenant in the navy. He served in several combat missions, and saved the lives of hundreds. Best of all, his life was only beginning...

 

[Ommadawn]

Matson Voldor
Career: Scout - Exploration
Term 4
Term Skills and Training Roll: Rolled 2 on Exploration career table for +1 Pilot (Spacecraft)
Survival: Rolled 11, passed
Event: Rolled 5, gaining +1 DM on a benefit roll for exemplary service
Advancement: Rolled 6 (+1 for EDU DM) = 7, pass (barely!)
Advancement Skill: Rolled 6 on Advanced Education table, +1 JoT
Career Status: Staying in the Scouts
Aging rolls for turning 34: Rolled 7-4 (# terms) = 3, passed

Matson's move to the exploration branch was a breath of fresh air and gave him a renewed enthusiasm for the job he loved, so much so he received formal recognition of his improvement. His skill as a pilot continued to improve and there was little he couldn't fly (or at least that was his boast to his scout buddies).

 

[CosmicGamer]

Theoselk Q: Are you allowed to add options to the mustered weapon, and if not, can they be retrofitted with personal cash later?
A: I don't believe the book specifically states if equipment received as a mustering out benefit can include options so this would be up to the referee.

See the discussion thread for details.

Options can also be added later.

Ommadawn: Term 5+ -
Use the book and go back to previous posts if necessary to continue your character generation. Go ahead and roll more terms in the scouts or change careers - as many terms as you would like, and the rolls allow.

Post the results of each term.

 

[Ommadawn]

Matson Voldor
Career: Scout - Exploration
Term 5
Term Skills and Training Roll: Rolled 5 on Exploration career table for +1 Stealth
Survival: Rolled 9, passed (and higher than number of turns)
Event: Rolled 2, Mishap! Rolled 4 on mishap table and gained a rival and Diplomat - 1
Advancement: Rolled 10 (+1 for EDU DM) = 11, pass
Advancement Skill: Rolled 4 on Advanced Education table, +1 Life Sciences (Biology)
Career Status: Mustering out by choice
Aging rolls for turning 38: Rolled 6-5 (# terms) = 1, passed


Life became interesting for Matson. He was given the assignment to infiltrate and observe a balkanised world across the border. The planet was in a cold war state and open nuclear conflict in the near future looked likely. The IISS wanted to assess the state of affairs and try to defuse the situation if at all possible. The job was highly dangerous and required intensive training but he accepted it with no hesitation.

Unfortunately, after several months of careful, secret diplomacy and his cover was blown with accordingly disastrous diplomatic consequences.

While the official inquiry into the incident found him free of any blame for what happened (he even received a promotion in recognition of the risk he had taken), he ran afoul of the lead senior scout in charge of the mission. He blamed Matson directly for the foul up and for the next two years did everything in his power to have him dismissed from the service.

In the end, Matson made the decision to leave his beloved Scout service himself, bitter and never forgetting or forgiving his rival.

 

[CosmicGamer]

Ommadawn
It is time to roll for benefits.

10. BENEFITS
There is information about Mustering Out and Benefits on page 9 and on page 34-35.
- You get one benefit roll for each full term you served in this career. You usually do not get a benefit roll when you have a mishap but in your case it was initiated by an event and did not force you to end your term early.
- You also get additional benefits based on your rank. See the Benefits of Rank table on page 34.
- Take a look at your events. You may have gained a DM to a benefit roll or an extra benefit roll.
Add up all your benefits and start rolling. Ask me if you have any questions.

I believe your Muster roll calculation is 5 terms(5 rolls) + Rank 3(2 rolls) = 7 rolls; +1 DM to one benefit roll due to term 4 event.

 

[Ommadawn]

Okay, 5 rolls total: 3 rolls on the cash table, 2 on other benefits (the last roll will take the +1 DM)

Roll 1: 1       20000 Cr
Roll 2: 5       50000 Cr
Roll 3: 2       20000 Cr
Roll 4: 2       +1 Int
Roll 5: 6+1     Scout ship

 

[CosmicGamer]

Ommadawn

Okay, 5 rolls total: 3 rolls on the cash table, 2 on other benefits (the last roll will take the +1 DM)

Roll 1: 1       20000 Cr
Roll 2: 5       50000 Cr
Roll 3: 2       20000 Cr
Roll 4: 2       +1 Int
Roll 5: 6+1     Scout ship

I believe your Muster roll calculation is 5 terms(5 rolls) + Rank 3(2 rolls) = 7 rolls; +1 DM to one benefit roll due to term 4 event.

- Take another 2 benefit rolls.
======

Connections
Take a look at the Connection Rule in the gray box on page 8. Look at the events for the other character and think about how your characters may have interacted. Go back to the career for that character and look up the details for each event. This is optional - you do not have to make a connection. This could help give your characters a reason for adventuring together.

Matson Voldor Term 5; Scout event 2; Mishap 4
Lance Riley Term 4; Navy event 6

Matson Voldor Term 4; Scout event 5
Lance Riley Term 3; Navy event 5

Matson Voldor Term 3; Scout event 9
Lance Riley Term 2; Navy event 12

Matson Voldor Term 2; Scout event 6
Lance Riley Term 1; Navy event 4

Matson Voldor Term 1; Scout event 7; Life 7
This would have happened before Lances career started

- (optional) give a description of how your character may have made a connection with the other character

 

[Ommadawn]

Oops!

Okay, for the final two benefit rolls, I rolled:

3 +1 Edu
4 Weapon (Matson chooses the standard scout issue autopistol)


I'll take a look at the events and connections shortly.