Sample Hooks

This section provides some sample character hooks that are common enough in genre fiction that you can plug them into just about any game. However, you don't have to; if different details make more sense for the game you're running, change them to fit that game. Also remember that where and when you need specific mechanics is very much a matter of group preference. If your group is comfortable making it up as you go along, don't worry about spelling out the details. Hooks may include one or more of the following:

• Restrictions: Any requirements that the character must meet to take the hook.
• Perks: Bonuses and other beneficial special effects that come standard with the hook.
• Drawbacks: Penalties, vulnerabilities, and other unwanted side-effects or consequences that the character gets whether they want them or not.
• Options: Additional perks that the character can access by spending character points or taking some trade-off (such as an additional drawback). CP discounts to specific Tropes and Trademarks are also included in this section.
• Moves: This is something that the character can do during an adventure in order to gain some benefit (bonuses, equipment, information, etc).

Sample Role: Cop On The Edge

You play by your own rules.
Restrictions: The character must meet the qualifications for joining the police force, which usually means not having a 0 rating in any Trope or a serious criminal record.
Perks: Grudging Respect -- While other cops may not approve of your methods, they can't argue with your results. This gives you an edge when interacting with or requesting favors from your fellow officers. When making resource or social rolls involving other cops, add a die equal to your Savoir-Faire die to the pool.
Drawbacks: Crossing the Line: At the beginning of each game, the GM starts a "Crossing the Line" tracker with a number of boxes equal to your Hero Factor. Each time you break the rules in a way your commanding officer will likely find out about, check off a box. When the tracker is full, you're called into your superior's office so they can yell at you and threaten to make you turn in your gun and badge. The tracker then restarts with a number of boxes equal to half your Hero Factor (round down). If it fills up again, the sergeant makes good on their threat.
Moves: When the sergeant threatens to take your gun and badge, you can respond by Quitting The Force. If you take this option, you lose access to department resource, but gain 2dLuck Luck points. If you wait until the second tracker fills up, you only get dLuck Luck points.

Sample Class: Tank

A tank is a warrior who wades into battle with the express purpose of drawing attacks from the biggest and meanest bad guys, confident that their hard outer shell will protect them from most of the damage.
Restrictions: A character must have a Combat of d6 or higher to take the Tank role.
Perks:

• You get an upgrade or discount on your armor at the beginning of the game. The specific details depend on how the game handles starting equipment.
• When you have to add your Armor Rating to the CD of a roll because heavy armor makes the action more difficult, treat your AR as 1 die lower than it really is (2d6 becomes 1d6, for example).

Options: Tanks can buy extra Hit Points for half the normal cost (0.1 CP instead of 0.2) at character creation.
Moves: If you attempt to Take The Hit for an ally, add an extra die to your Armor Rating for purposes of the roll.

Sample Species: Frog Person

Frog People are intelligent amphibious humanoids who live in underwater cities throughout the world, including off the coast of the U.S. state of Georgia. They look like large, bipedal frogs.
Perks:

• Frog People are amphibious, able to operate equally well on land or under water.
• Frog People also have long frog-like tongues that can be used to grab small items that are beyond the Frog Person's reach and to manipulate objects in simple ways.
• Frog People may use the Law of Infinite Fives for rolls that involve jumping or swimming.

Drawbacks:

• If a Frog Person spends a whole day without immersing themself in water (or at least giving themself a sponge bath), the must make a 1 Challenge Die Health Check. If the roll fails, the character loses 1 Health Level. An additional Health Check is required 12 hours later, and another 6 hours after that. After 43 hours without wetting their skin, the Frog Person must make a Health check every hour. After the first failed Health Check, the character loses 1 level of Nerve in addition to 1 level of Health for each failed roll. For each hour spent submerged in water, the Frog Person regains 1 level of either Nerve or Health.
• Frog People are used to living in the murky depths of the ocean and suffer +1CD to most rolls when exposed to very bright light (direct sunlight, floodlights, etc.)
• A Frog Person's webbed fingers can make some actions that require precise finger movements (playing a guitar for example) difficult, resulting in +1CD to rolls.

Sample Faction: Loyal Order of Water Buffaloes

The Loyal Order of Water Buffaloes is a very exclusive secret fraternity that provides members a place to enjoy camaraderie and entertainment. They also occasionally engage in charity work and other community activities.
Perks:Water Buffaloes in good standing can call upon the network of brotherhood members to help them obtain equipment, information, and other valuable resources. This translates to the ability to invoke the Law of Infinite Fives on any roll that can benefit from Order assistance. When the character uses this ability, start a debt tracker with a number of boxes equal to the character's Hero Factor and fill in one box each time the ability is used. When the tracker fills up, the members who assisted the character begin to call in favors. An indebted player may remove one filled-in box from the tracker per week by spending 1 point of downtime (or performing a favor for another Buffalo as part of an adventure) and cannot call in favors until the tracker returns to zero.
Drawbacks: In addition to downtime costs for paying off favor debt, Buffaloes are expected to remain in good standing by attending meetings, assisting with charitable work, and engaging in other group activities. A character who fails to spend at least 1 point of Downtime per month loses their good standing and receives the "Lapsed Water Bufffalo" condition at -1. This increases by -1 for each additional month that the character fails to participate in accordance with Loyal Order bylaws. The character may increase the condition rating by up to +2 per month by spending Downtime and returns to good standing when it reaches 0.

Sample Background: Recovering Feral

You were raised in the wilderness by animals, but some well-meaning white people found you, hauled you back to civilization, and forced you to put on some pants.
Requirements: To be a Recovering Feral, you must have at least a d6 in Combat and Heroics. Your Savoir-Faire cannot be higher than d6.
Perks:

• Choose the type of animal that raised you.
You are capable of surprisingly advanced communication with this species and they are instinctively friendly towards you.
• You can use the Law of Infinite Fives for any roll that involves wilderness survival, nature lore, hunting, tracking, or other outdoor skills that you would have learned during your feral days.

Drawbacks

• You must add 3 extra Challenge Dice to any roll that involves modern technology, formal education, societal norms, or other concepts associated with civilization. This penalty drops by 1 CD each time your Hero Factor increases until it reaches zero.
• You must pay double (2 CP/die size) to increase your Savoir-Faire Trope.

Options: It only costs 0.75 CP to increase your Heroics Trope by 1 die size. This discount does not retroactively apply to points spent to meet the d6 requirement for the hook.
Moves: Once per adventure you can call upon the species that raised you for assistance--if they can be found in the area where the adventure takes place. When you choose the species during character creation, the GM will determine how many creatures (usually a die range) answer the call. The bigger and more dangerous/useful the animal, the fewer will respond. For especially large or dangerous creatures like elephants, bears, or gorillas, only a single creature can be summoned.

Sample Rank/Status Hook: Grand Poohbah

You're the leader of your local Water Buffalo chapter.
Perks: You can invoke the Law of Fives to get assistance from fellow Buffaloes without having to worry about the debt tracker.
Drawbacks: You must spend 2 points of Downtime per month in order to maintain your position. If you fail to dedicate sufficient time to the organization, start a Failure of Leadership tracker with a number of boxes equal to your Hero Factor and fill in one box for each point of required Downtime you fail to put into your Grand Poohbah duties. You can remove the mark from a box by spending 2 extra points of Downtime within the same month. If the tracker fills up, the chapter casts a vote of "no confidence" against you and moves to elect a new Grand Poohbah.

Sample Resource Hook: Hero Car

You have a cool vehicle that probably has a distinctive paint job.
Perks: When you take the hook, choose one of the following special abilities for your ride:

• Greased Lightning: Reduce the Challenge Dice for any roll involving speed by 1.
• Turn on a Dime: Reduce the Challenge Dice by 1 for any roll that involves control or handlinng
• Off-Road: Half all penalties for terrain or ground conditions.
• Armor Plating: Increase the vehicles' Armor Dice by 1 die.
• Big Gun: There's a heavy weapon (machine gun, rocket launcher, etc.) mounted on the vehicle.
• Cargo Space: When making a resource roll for supplies that could be stored in the vehicle, reduce the CD by 1.
• On-Board Computer: Your car has a computer. The capabilities depend on the game.

Options: You can purchase additional special abilities at the cost of 0.5 CP per ability. The GM may also allow you to buy some abilities multiple times.
Moves: If you use the car to do an insane stunt that will save the day but destroy the car, you get a number of extra successes on the roll equal to the CP value of the car. In addition, you automatically survive the crash/explosion/whatever that takes out the vehicle with just a few scratches.

Sample Gimmick: Mighty Thews

You possess amazing physical strength.
Options: You can purchase a Damage Bonus that applies to melee attacks. The cost is 0.25 CP per +1 DB. The maximum Damage Bonus you can buy is equal to the number of dice in your Hero Pool.

Sample Story Hook: Enemy

You have an enemy who wants you to suffer. When you make your Luck roll at the beginning of an adventure, the GM should make a secret roll using the same die type. If the rolls match, your enemy will appear at some point during the adventure.

Sample Characterization Hook: Drug Addiction

You're a drug addict. If you spend at least 1 Downtime per week between adventures, you can indulge your habit and build up a stash that will allow you to function normally for the first week of the next adventure. If you fail to spend Downtime or run out of drugs, you must make a Health Check each day. The check starts at 0 CD and increases by 1 CD per day. The first time you fail a roll, you lose 1 level of Nerve. The second failed roll costs you 1 level of Health, and the losses continue to alternate with each additional failed roll. When you get "back on your meds," you can make a 0 CD Health Check each day to regain 1 level of Health or Nerve (the type of health regained alternates, starting with Health).