Character Creation: Black Seven

Annoyed at myself that I took this long to read this game.

The Game: Black Seven
The Publisher: Zero Point Information
Degree of Familiarity: None
Books Required: Just the one

Black Seven is an RPG that takes inspiration from the stealth-action genre of video games, which includes Hitman, Dishonored, and some of my other favorites. Definitely going on my "run me" list. But let's make an agent!

The idea here is that members of Black Seven are freelance intelligence/wetwork/ agents. You show up, do the job, hopefully succeed, and lead a life of luxury in the meanwhile. The game reminds me a little of Blades in the Dark inasmuch as there's a lot of moment-to-moment narrative description going on, but it involves a great deal more planning on the GM's part (that is to say: any amount). 

So my first step in making an agent is to pick a codename. One's codename can be really anything; reference to a skill set, an incident or just whatever sounds cool. My agent's codename is "Sundew" - I want to specialize in traps and suchlike, and "Flytrap" just doesn't have the right ring to it.

Next, history. This is just a brief phrase touching on who Sundew was prior to being recruited by Black Seven. As tempting as it is to have him be a Jigsaw-like serial killer (no, not really), I think instead we'll say "mechanical engineer pushed too far."

Rate your traits! These are skills, broken out into three categories and linked to four attributes, so f'rex, "Trap" is a Mind/Mob trait. I pick one category to be primary, one secondary, one tertiary. Primary start at 5, secondary 4, tertiary 3. Makes sense. 

Well, Mob is gonna be Primary, which gives me 5s in Ambush, Snipe, Trap, and Scare. I'll make Force (Fight, Shoot, Throw, Shout) tertiary, and Infiltrate (Sneak, Crack, Retrieve, Manipulate) secondary. 

Rate your attributes! I WILL. Body, Mind, Speed, Communication. One gets to be exceptional, which adds one to all the linked traits, and one gets to be meh, which subtracts one. 

Well, I think Body can be meh. I think Sundew is very much the type of agent that can set traps and take precise shots, but fighting is not really his bag. That does reduce my Sneak some, but I'll live with that. that means I have Sneak 3, Fight 2, Ambush 4. For my exceptional, I think I'll go all-in on Trap which means putting the bump in Mind, giving me Retrieve 5, Throw 4, and Trap 6. 

Equipment! I start out with an armo(u)red camouflage suit, a secure communicator, and whatever I need for my traits. In Sundew's case, I'm figuring lockpicks, a palmtop computer, and lots of pockets and pouches where he stores adhesives, small explosives, flechettes, caltrops, and other trap accoutrements. 

Options is for stuff like cybernetics and psionics, so those don't apply. 

Concept is just further detail or history. I think that Sundew got radicalized by the US healthcare (and legal, and economic...actually just the whole thing) system and dropped off the grid. He started setting traps for politicians - nothing lethal (making martyrs doesn't change anything), but just to scare or humiliate them. He was about four seconds from getting picked up by the FBI when Black Seven scooped him up, and here we are.