Character Creation: Armageddon (outta here)

Here we are in the aftermath of another successful "scare the crap out of the dogs" day (Terri, in particular, was very disturbed by all the loud noises and curled up on our laps, trying to make herself as tiny as possible, which is getting to be no mean trick). Since the world is apparently coming to an end (just ask Terri!), it's a good time to make a character for a game about the end of the world.

The Game: Armageddon
The Publisher: Eden Studios
Degree of Familiarity: None with this particular game, though I'm pretty conversant in the Unisystem
Books Required: Just the one

Armageddon, in addition to being a movie starring Bruce Willis and Ben Affleck, is a game about the end of the world. It hooks into the Biblical perception of said End Times, but also Norse Mythology and probably a bunch of other shit, too (I haven't read the book carefully). It's meant as a possible successor to Witchcraft (which I don't own, strangely), or as a standalone game. I think I got the PDF in a bundle at some point, because if I'd bought it directly I almost certainly would have bought a hard copy.

Anywho, the basic setup here is that war has come to the world, flights of angels poured out of the sky and got turned back by the armies of the Acolyte (a kind of Antichrist-ish figure), Odin popped up and defended his homeland, and shit has got well and truly fucky. However, the book does point out that depending on where you are, things might feel more or less normal. Life is going on as it has in parts of the world that aren't directly affected by the war.

I feel like going overtly supernatural today, so I want to make an angel. I don't necessarily want to make a big ol' archy kind of angel, though, so I'll stay at the Heroic type of character. As far as concept goes, I like this:

I think the notion of an angel that can burn away the sins and crimes of humanity is kind of cool. The thinking here might be that he's able to provide some redemption for the followers of the Acolyte (or maybe he was demoted and cast down to Earth for suggesting such; I'll see where the day takes me). His name is Kerubiel, though he lets human acquaintances call him Kirby.

OK, that's a decent skeletal concept. For Association, that's easy, Heavenly Host. As an angel, I need Honorable as a 2- or 3-point Drawback; I'll take it at 3. I'm actually going to skip ahead to Qualities since I'm pretty sure I'll need to take one to make me an angel, and there might be other requirements that will change some decisions about Attributes or Skills.

Yeah, glad I checked. So, I can be an actual Seraph, which gives me a suit of dope powers, including flight and Celestial Fire and so forth, or I can be an Exile, an angel who stayed on Earth too long and lost access to the higher realms. Exiles are tough and nigh-immortal, but they don't have any of the more obvious powers.

Y'know, I think I'll say Kirby's an Exile. He wasn't exactly acting against orders by trying to redeem followers of Leviathan, but he kind of avoided his superiors' notice until he went native, and now they can't find him. He isn't sure they'd let him back into the Host if he asked, and frankly, he's learned that redeeming sin isn't as easy as burning it away.

OK, so I have to take Exile as a Quality. I'll go for the 30-point version, which means I'm an Exiled Common Seraph. That eats all 15 of my Quality points, my 3 points I got for Honorable, and puts me 12 in the hole (oh, wait, but I get 25 for Metaphysics, which I bet I can use - yep, so actually I've got 0 Metaphysics left, and I'm down to 13 Quality points).

Back to Attributes! As a Seraph, I get a buttload of bonuses - +3 to physical Attributes and +2 to Mental. They're one-for-one up to level 5, and 3-for-1 after that.

Well, 5s all around would cost all 15 of my points, but going to six in a physical Attribute would cost 5 points, and in a mental would cost 6. Hrm. I don't really see the need to go superhuman. It'd be cool to do, but I don't have a strong sense that one Attribute would be higher than another. So, sure, 5s all around.

Qualities and Drawbacks are next. I can take up to 7 more points in Drawbacks and 13 points in Qualities (I'm out of Metaphysics points, but there's not all that much I'd be allowed to take anyway).

I'll dump 6 points into Acute Senses for sight, hearing, and smell. Feels like an angelic thing to be hyper-aware. Four points in Attractiveness, 3 points into Charisma, and that's 13 points, but I want Fast Reaction Time, too, so that puts me 2 in the hole. I'll take the Showoff and Obsession Drawbacks (the Obsession is with Redemption, and it's less an obsession proper and more that Kirby can't take violent action as a first course; he needs to give everyone a chance to walk away and understand the stakes). That puts me two up, and I want Situational Awareness, which puts me even. I'd take more Drawbacks, but nothing really fits to me, so I'll move along to Skills.

Well, I want Kirby to be an effortless badass in a fight, so I'll dump 5 points into Brawling. Dodge is its own Skill, which is dumb, but I want to be good at it, so 4 points. 3 points in First Aid (Kirby used to be able to heal magically, but he can't as an Exile). I'll put 5 into Humanities (Kirby can debate history, philosophy, and so on with the best of 'em). I have to 4 points into English (ugh, stupid language systems) because my "native" is Prime. Let's see, that's...26. Balls, I'm one point over already. Anything else I simply must have? I feel like he should have some Notice.

OK, let's do this. I'll take a 3-point Adversary as a Drawback, and then take Notice 2. His Adversary is a Greater Seraph who Fell, and while Kirby doesn't know it, it's indirectly because of him. Kirby's focus on cleansing sin caught this Seraph's attention, and he tried to apply it to angels. Trouble is, the Seraph's idea of this whole process was "burn off the sin with pain and fire," and Kirby is more about "take away the infection and let your soul heal." The Seraph found the only source of fire that could burn an angel - and was subsumed by it. Kirby is aware it happened, but not why or how, and he's probably going to be very put out when he finds out.

Derived traits! 150 Life Points, 105 Endurance, Speed is 20mph (damn), and I have 90 Essence, not that it matters because I can't channel it.

Kirby has bright blue eyes, light brown hair, and he's slim and athletic, but not notably muscular (which is why it tends to surprise people when he does shit like outrun cars and restrain much bigger people). Kirby is first and last a social creature, and while he's more familiar with humanity than some angels, he's not human and he falls into the uncanny valley sometimes. He likes to put proud people in their place (which plays into his Showoff), but he'd never kill someone who has a chance of redemption. He absolutely refuses to pick up a gun or a bow, and only grudgingly handles knives (and only for utility purposes).

And that'll do it!