Character Creation: Unmasked

Well, I ran a superhero game last night, may as well continue the trend.

The Game: Unmasked
The Publisher: Monte Cook Games 
Degree of Familiarity: None with this game in particular, but I know all of the constituent part (supers, horror, Cypher System) pretty well
Books Required: Unmasked and the Cypher System Core

Unmasked is a superhero setting with a touch of horror, set in 1986. It reminds me a little of Better Angels, in that it's got the whole supers/horror thing going, but it succeeds where Better Angels kinda didn't because the setting is explained and detailed (also the system is intuitive). Characters in this game are teens who feel driven to collect mementos (cyphers) and put them together into a mask, which then physically transforms them into a superpowered form when worn.

And the physical transformation is a pretty important part of the game - these teens change into someone totally different, so no recognizing your best friend's voice when he's in costume. The powers and this form are in some ways a reflection of how the teen sees themself.

Anywhichway, we start off by making the teen and then adding the mask-form. Specifically, I get 6 points in each of my stats (Might, Speed, Intellect, the standard Cypher dealie) and then 2 more points to add in wherever. Actually I should do my descriptor first. My teen character only has a descriptor, not a type or a focus (those come later).

I kind of want to play a teen who's pretty clueless. Not, like, dumb, just not real sure of himself and prone to missing stuff. There are a couple of descriptors that work. I could be Clumsy, or Foolish, or Tongue-Tied. I think that one that captures the teenage experience I'm thinking of is probably Clumsy (Tongue-Tied is cool, but it gives me a bunch of physical bonuses that I don't necessarily want).

OK, sounds good. I'll put one of my two extra Stat points into Might and one into Intellect (maybe he's smarter than he thinks). From my descriptor, I lose two from Speed (butterfingers!) and gain two to Might. I'm also trained in any social interaction where I can come off as pleasantly self-deprecating.

So far, so good. I roll a d100 to give myself a background connection, and I get...oof. Close family member died last year and our family is struggling with the grief. Let's say it was my older sister. She went into the military after high school and was killed in an accident during training, but the military won't tell us much more than that (and mom and dad have stopped asking).

Now the mask-form! I need a new descriptor. I'll pick Swift, because I figure this guy would want to be more graceful and decisive. My type is the sort of super I am; smasher, thinker, mover, or changer. I'm considering thinker, but let me see. No, actually, based on the description I'm going with mover. It plays into the "changes into someone who's brave and quick and says exactly what he means" kind of thing. My Might starts at 8, Speed 12, Intellect 8, and I get 4 more Speed from my descriptor (good gravy). Also trained in initiative, but my inability in balance remains, damn it all.

Right, as a mover, I get the Explorer stuff from Cypher. That means my Might Edge is 1 and my other two are 0, but lo! I get four special abilities, and one is Extra Edge. Um, yes plz. I'll also take Trained Without Armor, Block, and No Need for Weapons.

So this is starting to take shape a little. My character's name, in teen form, is Terry Tennant (supers have alliterative names). Terry is big for his age, and that's because last summer he just bulked right up, but he trips over his own feet, he bumps into doorways, and he whangs his head a lot. For all that, Terry is a super nice guy, but he's got no game and no confidence. He tends to get laughed at in gym because he falls down and misses, but if you try to block him you're in for a shock - he's pretty solid.

When he puts on the mask, though, Terry becomes perfectly proportioned. His skin is milky white and perfectly smooth, and his eyes are a beautiful ocean-blue. His outfit is a dark blue jumpsuit with dope-looking boots. He's exactly six feet tall and built like a swimmer, and he can run like the wind. He's an expert martial artist, able to stop an incoming punch or strike every time, or get out of the way if need be.

OK, cool, let's do focus! There are a few in the Unmasked book, but by and large I'm not a fan, so let's go back to the Cypher book...or, actually, no, I like Lives on the Dark Side. The first-tier ability lets me block projectile weapons by raising my hands, so it dovetails nicely with my type.

Now, power shifts. Power shifts permanently lower the difficulty of certain very broad tasks, so it's possible for characters to do really impressive feats. I'll put one each into Speed Freak, Reaction Speed, and...I kinda want one going toward how instinctively this character moves, maybe call it From the Hip? Power shift when he doesn't stop to think or plan? Sounds good.

And that's everything except a super-name. I think he calls himself "Alabaster," and that's totally a name he came up with as Terry, because he knew it was white and kind of translucent-looking. Does it really fit? Who knows.

Sounds good!