Alpha State
This game system, and the setting in which it takes place, are both in active development. Everything on this site is subject to change. Please hard refresh pages when you visit to ensure you're viewing the latest versions.2.3 - Supporting Characters
Most of this game is about the main characters—each being played by one player—but their stories wouldn't be much without other characters. All played by the Narrator, other characters run the gamut, from supporting characters, to antagonists, to random folks on the street you'll never actually talk to. Every shop clerk, cab driver, and random person you pass on the street is their own character, in their own story.
Types of Supporting Characters
Very generally speaking, other characters break down into five categories: minor, common, average, significant, and important. These categories, in very broad terms, define the impact that a specific character is intended to have on the story.
Minor Characters will likely have almost no impact on a story, and if they do it will be very brief. Pets, shop clerks, cabbies, anyone with whom the main characters might interact once or twice, or whose interactions aren't intended to shape the story in any significant way.
Common Characters are a lot like minor characters, but they generally show up a lot more frequently. Regulars at a bar the main characters frequent, the doorman in their building, a favorite shop clerk who knows a main character by name, that sort of thing.
Average Characters should have some impact on the story, but only as part of its natural progression. They're the goons that main characters will deal with, or even friends who'll join main characters in a fight. Their presence in the story is basically pre-written, they're gonna have an impact on the story that the Narrator has planned and accounted for. Characters of this category will show up quite often in any story, even if the specific individuals who comprise it are only ever seen once.
Significant Characters matter to the main characters, in one way or another, and have the potential to shape the story in unexpected ways. Romantic interests, an enemy's right-hand agent, that sort of thing. They'll show up in a story fairly often, and through their interactions with the main characters they might have unexpected impact on the story.
Important Characters are critically important to the main characters' stories. They're primary antagonists, business partners, romantic partners, and the like. Without them the story almost wouldn't be a story, because it's their presence in the main characters' lives that gives energy and momentum. They change the story by their presence, shape it by their actions; they're just as integral as the main characters themselves.
Most other characters won't need a set of stats. You don't need a stat block for the people in the club or on the street, nor for a main character's neighbor, nor shop clerks or cabbies, or any of the other random people in the world. For important characters however—ones with whom the main characters will have to lie to, fight, seduce, or otherwise have critical interactions—you need to know how good they are at certain things.
Do You Need Stats?
If you're thinking of generating stats for a character, first decide whether or not you need them. If the players are likely to need to make dice rolls related to the other character, then go for it. If not, building stats for them is generally not worth your time. Unless it would help your process to understand them better, in which case go for it.
Defining Other Character Stats
Since they're not main characters, other characters don't need a full range of stats. They don't even roll dice, the players do, so all they really need is a collection of Difficulty Numbers. For this purpose, we assign them DNs in the ten Training groups available to main characters. No need to bother with Style or Knowledge. As long as you have DNs for each of the ten Training groups, you're good.
Assigning Stat Values
Assigning stat values for other characters has four steps: (1) determine what they're best at and worst at; (2) decide what type of character they are and boost their stats accordingly; (3) decide whether they have any particular strengths and boost those; (4) decide if they need equipment, and assign it accordingly.
1. Pick Their Strengths
Picking a character's starting stats is a series of choices; what are they best at, what are they worst at. Go from there.
- Choose one Training the character is best at; set that at DN 6.
- Choose two that are their second-best Training groups; set those at DN 5.
- Choose one as the character's worst Training group; set it at DN 2.
- Choose two for the character's second'worst Training groups; set those at DN 3.
- All other Training groups for the character are DN 4.
2. Decide Their Character Type
Most often you'll already know what kind of impact the character will have on the story, and you can assign accordingly. If you're not sure, think about how often they'll interact with the main characters, and how likely it is they'll impact the story, then assign appropriately.
- Increase all ten of a minor character's Training group DNs by 2.
- Increase all ten of a common character's Training group DNs by 3.
- Increase all ten of a average character's Training group DNs by 4.
- Increase all ten of a significant character's Training group DNs by 5.
- Increase all ten of a important character's Training group DNs by 6.
3. Pick Their Specialties
Every character has things they're especially good at, or at least a little better at. Based on the character's type, increase a number of their Training group DNs by particular amounts. Each type of character gets an array of numbers; assign that array to the character's Training groups as you see fit. Each number in an array can only be applied once, and you can only assign one number per Training group.
- Increase one of a minor character's Training group DNs by 3.
- Increase two of a common character's Training group DNs by 4, 3.
- Increase three of a average character's Training group DNs by 5, 4, 3.
- Increase four of a significant character's Training group DNs by 6, 5, 4, 3.
- Increase five of a important character's Training group DNs by 7, 6, 5, 4, 3.
4. Give Them Equipment
Most other characters likely won't need equipment; you certainly don't need to determine what's in all their pockets, or their glove compartment. NeoNeuro isn't a game about looting dead bodies. Rather, think about whether a particular piece of gear would be important for the role your character is going to play in the story, and give them that. You don't need to write out full stats for the gear, just what's most important for them.
Assign ten Training values:
6, 5, 5, 4, 4, 4, 4, 3, 3, 2
Minor: Add 2 to all (Plus 3)
Common: Add 3 to all (Plus 4, 3)
Average: Add 4 to all (Plus 5, 4, 3)
Significant: Add 5 to all (Plus 6, 5, 4, 3)
Important: Add 6 to all (Plus 7, 6, 5, 4, 3)
| Random Person |
| Common citizen |
Awareness 12
Combat 7
Education 5
Fitness 6
Hardware 7
|
Medicine 7
Social 9
Software 8
Subtlety 10
Vehicles 6
|
| Gear None |
| Gang Heavy |
| Average gang soldier & enforcer |
Awareness 8
Combat 15
Education 7
Fitness 12
Hardware 8
|
Medicine 7
Social 8
Software 8
Subtlety 6
Vehicles 13
|
| Gear Pistol (DN 19, Range 2) |
| Gang Boss |
| Important gang leader |
Awareness 15
Combat 15
Education 10
Fitness 8
Hardware 10
|
Medicine 9
Social 19
Software 13
Subtlety 17
Vehicles 9
|
| Gear Pistol (DN 19, Range 2) |