Call of Cthulhu Rules
You do not need a rule book of any kind. I have everything. If you have a question just ask.
CHARACTER CREATION - Peoria 1987 Chronicle
Stats are all directly assigned. For balance and realism based on the characters age.
1 x 8
2 x 9's
2 x 12's
1 x 14
1 x 16
Edu is Age (1986) -5.
Tom (Example - age 17)
Characteristics & Rolls
STR 08 DEX 12 INT 14 Idea 70%
CON 12 APP 09 POW 16 Luck 80%
SIZ 09 SAN 99 EDU 12 Know 60%
Rerolls: 0 @ 0 posts.
Skill Bonus (based on stats)
Agility / Parry (+2)
Communication (+7)
Knowledge (+4)
Manipulation / Attack (+5)
Perception (+8)
HP - 11
TYPICAL CHARACTER CREATION
Use the dice roller to roll all Stats in order. You may reroll any one stat and it must improve. So keep rolling until it improves.
3d6 Strength
3d6 Constitution
2d6+6 Size
3d6 Dexterity (determines Initiative order)
3d6 Appearance
2d6+6 Intelligence (determines skill points for personal interests)
3d6 Power (determines starting Sanity)
3d6+3 Education (determine skill points for your career skills)
Con+Siz/2 (round up) = HP (the higher the better)
Pow = mental fortitude and personal magnetism (the higher the better)
Str + Siz (determines hand to hand damage bonus, the higher the better)
Characters may increase their Edu by 1 if they can make a Int x5 roll.
Age starts at Edu +5. Each added 10 years of age adds 1 Edu.
Careers
Career and Skill Points
Careers who would have some background in the occult or investigations into the unknown. Prefer no military but former military from previous wartime service is allowed.
Characters get 20 x Edu for skill points to be assigned into Career related skills. They also get 10 x Int for personal interest skill points to assign to any skill approved by the Keeper.
Skill Bases
Agility Skills
[ ] Climb (40%)
[ ] Dodge (DEX*2)
[ ] Hide (10%)
[ ] Jump (25%)
[ ] Martial Arts (00%)
[ ] Opr. Hvy. Mch.(00%)
[ ] Ride (05%)
[ ] Sneak (10%)
[ ] Swim (25%)
[ ] Throw (25%)
Communication Skills
[ ] Bargain (05%)
[ ] Credit Rating (15%)
[ ] Fast Talk (05%)
[ ] Other Language (Other) (0%)
[ ] Own Language (Native) (EDUx5%)
[ ] Persuade (15%)
[ ] Psychology (05%)
Knowledge Skills
[ ] Accounting (10%)
[ ] Anthropology (00%)
[ ] Archaeology (00%)
[ ] Art: _________ (05%)
[ ] Astronomy (00%)
[ ] Biology (00%)
[ ] Chemistry (00%)
[ ] Geology (00%)
[ ] History (20%)
[ ] Law (05%)
[ ] Library Use (25%)
[ ] Medicine (05%)
[ ] Natural History (10%)
[ ] Navigate (10%)
[ ] Occult (05%)
[ ] Pharmacy (00%)
[ ] Physics (00%)
[ ] Psychoanalysis (00%)
Manipulation Skills
[ ] Conceal (15%)
[ ] Craft: _________ (05%)
[ ] Disguise (10%)
[ ] Drive Auto (20%)
[ ] Electr. Repair (10%)
[ ] First Aid (30%)
[ ] Locksmith (00%)
[ ] Mech. Repair (20%)
[ ] Operate Hy Machinery (00%)
[ ] Photography (10%)
[ ] Pilot ___________ (00%)
Perception Skills
[ ] Listen (25%)
[ ] Spot Hidden (25%)
[ ] Track (10%)
Combat Skills
Unarmed
[ ] Fist (50%)
[ ] Grapple (25%)
[ ] Head Butt (10%)
[ ] Kick (25%)
Firearms
[ ] Pistol (20%)
[ ] Rifle (25%)
[ ] Shotgun (30%)
[ ] Thompson SMG (15%)
Melee
[ ] Sword (15-20%)
[ ] Wood Axe (20%)
[ ] Knife (25%)
[ ] Club (25%)
Veterans of the Great War
Veterans get an additional Int x10 points in skills but they can only be spent in the following skills:
Dodge
Throw
First Aid
Mechanical Repair
Shot Hidden
Bayonette/Spear
Rifle
Machine Gun
Knife
There are also consequences for having participated in the Great War. Sanity is badly effected as a result of witnessing the horrors of war.
Skill Category Modifiers
Skills are broken down into categories. Each of these categories has a base skill modifier derived the characters attributes. A Primary Attribute offers a +1% for each point over 10 and a -1% for each attribute point under 10. A Secondary Attribute offers a +1% for every 2 points the attribute is over 10 and a -1% for every two attribute points under 10. A Negative Attribute subtracts 1% for every attribute point over 10 and a +1% for every attribute under 10.
Agility / Parry (Dex - Primary, Str - Secondary, Siz - Negative)
Communication (Int - Primary, Pow and App - Secondary)
Knowledge (Int - Primary)
Manipulation / Attack (Int and Dex - Primary, Str - Secondary)
Perception (Int - Primary, Pow and Con - Secondary)
In-Character Posting Incentive/Reward
For every 20 posts or fraction there-of made by a player their character will get one free reroll to be used at any time. These rerolls will be kept track of on the character sheets and be awarded on the 1st of each month. Rerolls can be used at any time and on any roll except Sanity rolls.
Additionally, for every 180 in-character posts the character will gain a +1 to any Statistic excepting Education.
Keeper Revelation and Roleplay Awards
The Keeper will determine in advance appropriate San awards when a player/character makes a revelation which is critical to the characters understanding of the story. The player will only be told that they received the award not how much sanity they may have gained.
GENERAL RULES
Skill Rolls
This is a percentile based system so all skill tests are rolled using d100.
Critical/Special/Fumble/Malfunctions
Standard Success - under the skill percentage.
Critical Success (Impale) - 5% of Skill.
Special Success - 20% of Skill.
Fumble - any roll of 96-100% on any skill.
Malfunction - firearms have individual Malfunction number.
Resistance Table
Hidden Skill Rolls
Certain skill rolls for the PCs are made by the Keeper. Skills such as Conceal, Disguise, Hide, Listen, Persuade, Psychology, Sneak, and Spot Hidden are rolled in secret without the player knowing if they made it or not. The intent is to keep the player from knowing if their character is actually concealed, hidden or disguised as well as keep the players from knowing when they missed seeing or hearing something in the game.
If you want to use any of these skills just say so in-character or in a Private Line within a in-character post and I will roll in secret and narrate a result for you. Often times we will roll and not even tell you there was a roll just give you the information (Spot Hidden, Listen etc). This helps us keep the players from knowing if they missed something.
Persuade (Persuade vs Power)
Persuade is a resisted test. Persuade is rolled and opposed by Power x5. Each point of success in the roll to Persuade serves as a negative penalty for the character trying to resist the Persuade test. If a PC makes a Persuade roll by 40% then the character you are trying to persuade rolls against their Power x5 -40. This cannot be used by player characters against other player characters.
Credit Rating (see below) modifies a character's Persuade roll by adding the successes generated in the Credit Rating roll to the Persuade test. If a character rolls Credit Rating and rolls under their score by 10 points and also under their Persuade by 10 points the target of a Persuade test suffers a -20 to their Power x5.
Telling Lies (Persuade vs Psychology)
Telling lies is a Persuade roll. Telling if someone else is lying is a Psychology roll. If you lie in-character the NPCs will be making Psychology rolls to detect them. All these rolls are made in secret. The results of these tests will be narrated.
The margin of success (points rolled under the Persuade skill) serves as a negative modifier against the Psychology roll. So if you lie making your Persuade roll by 20, its a -20 against the observers Psychology roll.
Credit Rating
If you have Credit Rating skill you must provide one or two sentences regarding what your Credit Rating is derived from. Examples are - "wealth and reputation of family", "academia", a specific field of research or study "anthropologist, Egyptologist, accountant". Also include the local of the Credit Rating - US, England, etc.
How I intend to use this skill is sort of like a "Super Persuade". People will help you if they recognize you or your name. But Credit Rating is not at full strength unless the other person has some knowledge of your field. So if you are a known anthropologist and dealing with an NPC who has Anthropology it will be full strength. If out of country it is 1/2. Out of country and out of field it is 1/4.
In short - Credit Rating
Full % - in field (in country or out of country)
Half % - in related field
Quarter % - out of country and in related field
No roll % - out of country and out of related field
Draw Backs
Draw backs of Credit Rating. The higher the Credit Rating the easier it is for others to find out about you and your families. Basically, if you have an 80 Credit Rating. Then 80% of your life can be found out by people in your field and in your country.
SANITY and INSANITY
Your Sanity starts off based on your Power (Pow) x5. But with each frightful or terrifying or unexplainable thing that happens Sanity slowly over time slips away. The Keeper will call for a Sanity roll whenever your character sees such things and if you fail, the rolls for how much you lose will be made in secret. Your running sanity will never be known to you. You will never know exactly how much you have. Just like now, in real life, you don’t know how much Sanity you have. If you are getting low, less than half Pow x5, we will tell you. Usually after an investigation we will tell you where your Sanity is at in relation to where it started.
Temporary Insanity
If your character looses 5 Sanity or more in a single instance he can go Temporarily Insane. Temporary Insanity can last for days, hours, or minutes. If you ever lose 5 of more in a single hit the keeper will also call for an Idea roll (Int x5). If you make this roll (rolling under your Idea) than you realize what it is you are seeing. That isnt good. Its better not to understand.
Your character starts to gain understanding of forces in the world that they were previously unaware of. This will be explained to you if it happens to your character. With each instance of Temporary Insanity you gain more and more insight into this world. You really dont want this insight because as it builds you can never regain what you have lost. Your Sanity.
Becoming a Believer
The first time you suffer from Temporary Insanity you become a "believer". Believers are never the same after they start to see what is going on around them. They can never go back to unbelieving, they can deny but that will not save them. Non-believers will never accept what you believe. They have to see it for themselves. Essentially, trying to explain what you believe could get you committed.
Indefinite Insanity
If you lose 20% of your total insanity in an hour of time (one hour in the characters time) then you go Indefinitely Insane. This means that you need help to recover. Your Insanity will remain until you get help. Seeing a Psychiatric Doctor or committing yourself to the asylum can help you recover. Committing each other also works.
Total insanity is when your character reaches 0 sanity Points. There is no coming back.
The Basics of Sanity and Insanity
Temporary Insanity - Lose 5 points in a single hit. Become a Believer with SUCCESSFUL Idea roll.
Indefinite Insanity - Lose 20% in an hour. Get help.
Total Insanity - Lose all Sanity. Roll up a new character.
Regaining Sanity
You can see a doctor - This is a very slow process. It takes weeks. But this is a game where there is down time so weeks are not unusual.
Journals - Journals help a person deal with their issues without having to see anyone. Each journal entry will result in a Sanity Increase. The increase will not be based on the quality of the writing. It will be based on the characters understanding of the events facing them. These are also great ways for the players to keep their characters notes together.
Overcoming Evil - When you overcome a great evil you are also rewarded Sanity Points. This is the principle method of regaining Sanity or at least stemming the tide.
Death of Innocents
Once a character is a "Believer"...If a character knowingly involves an NPC in anything that results in the NPCs death or permanent insanity the person(s) responsible must roll San or suffer an immediate d10 San loss.
If a character unknowingly involves an NPC in anything that results in the NPCs permanent insanity or death the person(s) responsible must roll San or suffer an immediate d5 San loss. These rolls will be made by the player.
If the NPC has immediate family the San loss is doubled. If the NPC is the characters own innocent immediate family or friends the San loss is tripled. If NPCs die as a direct result of a characters actions those responsible roll San or suffer an immediate d10 San loss. Doubled if the NPCs have immediate family.
Before a character is a "believer"...San losses are halved.
The idea here is to keep the players from relying on NPCs. There is a cost associated with causing innocent people death or insanity. If an NPC is informed of the dangers there is no San loss if the NPC then dies. This rule only applies to NPCs who are not informed of the danger or were not protected by those who did know the danger.
You are on your own. My guess is that most of the players like it this way but a ruling always helps to lend weight to the dangers associated.
Dark Knowledge
Books take a specified amount of time to read. 1 week, 2 weeks, 1 year etc. This is based on the type of book etc. Books require thought and sometimes translation or sometimes they can be written so poorly it is a struggle to understand what the writer is trying to say.
Therefore how quickly your character reads a book will be determined by the following...
If you make your roll it will take the full amount of time. (Full %)
If you make your roll by half it will take half the time. (Half %)
If you make the roll by a quarter it will take a quarter of the specified time. (Quarter %)
Only one person can read a book at a time. Translating a book into another language takes twice as long as reading the book and the book must have been read before the translation can be begun.
Income and Property
Starting Income
Incomes - Pauper d10x$50, Lower Class to Upper Lower Class d10x$100, Lower Middle Class to Upper Middle Class d10x$1000, Upper Class to Wealthy 3d10x$1000
Clothing
You don’t have to buy individual clothing. I use what I call wardrobes
- luxury $2000
- high $1000
- middle $250
- working $100
- low class wardrobes $50.
You usually will not have multiple wardrobes unless you have an occupation which would require it.
Cash on Hand
Characters are given an amount of income based on their profession. 10% of your yearly income is multiplied by your characters Intelligence. This is your starting property and cash. 80% is considered hard property and 20% is cash in the bank.
Gear and General Equipment
As long as it is available, and the character has the cash for it, most equipment can be purchased and have it at hand with proper preparation. But if it isn’t on your character sheet you don’t have it.
This message was last edited by the GM at 15:31, Sun 14 May 2023.