Legendary Characters

Legendary Characters are characters who have taken at least one Legendary Advance. A Legendary Advance is an advance which is outside than any advance offered in the character's current career. For example, no career offers a +50 WS advance. Such an advance is a Legendary Advance.

A Legendary Advance costs 1000XP. It also requires an investment of time of 2D6 months and an investment of money worth 1000GC (for special training, special drugs, temple offerings, special enchantments, et al). If the Legendary Advance would take the attribute over 100% (or 10), the advance costs 2000XP and 2000GC (it still only takes 2D6 months). Yes, therefore, you can have a Legendary WS over 100. See Legendary Secret Advances and Legendary Abilities below.

So, How Do I Get One?

A character cannot just say "I want a Legendary Advance", pay the EXP, twiddle his thumbs for 2D6 months, and get the advance in the mail. Obtaining a Legendary Advance is hard. The character must undergo unusual, difficult training, or embark on a regimen of magical drugs, or perform a geas for a temple. That sort of thing. The GM should feel free to impose whatever barriers and goals he things appropriate.

The GM may allow the character to take a Legendary Advance even though the character could conceivably gain the advance by following a career (in other words, the GM is allowing the character to take an "out of career" advance). These rules were not originally designed with that in mind, but they could certainly be used in this manner. "Out of career" advances are in all respects, however, legendary.

Failure Rolls

Even if the character's attribute is over 100%, rolls of 99-00 are always failures.

Special Cases: Movement (M) and Wounds (W)

Legendary Movement (M) Advances are especially hard to come by. They always cost 2000XP/2000GC (as if they were over 10). Also, the character gains a Secret Disadvantage when he has doubled his original starting M score. The disadvantage is gained the first time the character purchases a Legendary M Advance.

Some characters may already have more than 10W when they start taking Legendary Wounds (W) Advances. The first Legendary W Advance will cost 2000XP/2000GC and gain the character a Secret Disadvantage.

Legendary Secret Disadvantages

The GM should make up and assign a Secret Disadvantage for each Legendary Advance over 100/10 (though only one such disadvantage per attribute) the PC gains (see Special Case for M, also). This should not be something crippling or spiteful, but a logical extension of how, when, and where the PC gained the Legendary Advance. For example, if the character used special drugs to enchance the attribute, he might become dependent on these same drugs to function or even survive. If the character gained the Legendary Attribute through a temple, he might be miraculously branded with the symbol of the god across the forehead. Be creative here, but never overtly or callously cruel. You gave the player the XP, after all; he earned it. Becoming a Legend is a fantastic reward. You are simply trying to demonstrate to the player the "downside of fame," as it were.

Legendary Abilities

When the PC gains a Legendary Attribute over 100/10 (or Mx2, see Special Cases above), he also gains a Legendary Ability associated with that attribute.

Movement (M)

The character is known for his speed and athleticism. He can probably run as fast as a horse and jump yawning chasms with ease.

Weapon Artistry (WS)

The character is known as one of the top weaponmasters in the world. People will come from all over the world to learn at his feet. The character may halve his WS and roll 2D6 instead of 1D6 on damage rolls on a successful hit (precision strike).

He can turn anything he can swing into an effective, deadly weapon. By halving his WS, he may ignore improvised and weaponless penalties. For example, he could use a knitting needle to deadly effect.

Missile Artistry (BS)

The character is known as one of the top weaponmasters in the world. People will come from all over the world to learn at his feet. The character may halve his BS and roll 2D6 instead of 1D6 on damage rolls on a successful hit (precision strike). He must declare at the beginning of the round that he is attempting a Precision Strike.

Alternatively, he may halve his BS and double the ranges of any missile weapon he is using.

Finally, he may turn anything he can throw into a improvised missile weapon (use Throwing Knife as the template for range and damage). For example, he could throw a playing card with deadly accuracy.

Strength (S)

The character is one of the strongest men or women in the world. He can perform feats of strength beyond mortal kin. He can break things that mortals cannot. If he halves his S before making a S test (ie, S/2x10), he can attempt to crush rocks, snap iron bars, or destroy similarly strong items of non-magical structure with his bare hands. If he divides his S/10 before making a S test, he has a chance of breaking magically strengthened items or fusing metal or rocks togther with his bare hands.

Toughness (T)

The character is reknowned for his Skin of Iron. He can endure hardships and deprivations that would kill mortal men. He has, in effect, gained the closest thing to natural immortality that a mortal can achieve. The character will easily live beyond the normal lifespan of his kind. The GM should secretly roll 1D3 to determine how many "extra lifetimes" the character can expect to live naturally.

Wounds (W)

The character can take blows that would squash a lesser man. He also gains a +5 bonus per legendary W to rolls to resist the effects of pain, disease, aging, drugs, and alcohol.

Initiative (I)

The character doesn't have Lightning Reflexes, he has Lightspeed Reflexes. Almost nothing escapes his attention. He may halve his I score during combat (for all purposes) round and gain A/2 (min. 1) attacks for that round only (a whirling dance of death). He must declare the Whirling Dance of Death at the beginning of the round.

Attacks (A)

This guy can beat you up. Period.

Dexterity (Dex)

The character moves with the grace and balance reserved for the gods. He may halve his Dex and perform twice as many Dex-based tests in the same amount of time or halve the time it takes to complete a single Dex test (blindingly dextrous). For example, a character with Dex 110 could halve his Dex to 55 for a Construct test. The Construction would take 1/2 the normal time.

Leadership (Ld)

The character is a leader without peer among men. He Inspires Fanaticism in his followers. When he accepts or recruits a follower, he may make a Ld/2 test. If the test is successful, the follower becomes Subject to Frenzy as long as the follower remains in the character's presence. If the follower leaves (or is left behind), the effect fades after 1D6 days. The Leader may inspire Ld/4 such fanatics if the GM feels the ability is being abused. The Legendary Leader also Causes Fear in creatures if he makes a Ld/4 test against them (the target also gets a Cl test).

Intelligence (Int)

The character is a genius without peer. He can solve puzzles no other person can solve, deduce the meanings of ancient manuscripts in languages he does not know, and calculate astronomical sums in his head. The character can Baffle Opponents with his Intelligence, making them Subject to Stupidity, if he succeeds in an Int/2 test. He does not necessarily need to speak to do this (he could, for example, Baffle an opponent during a game of chess by making an outlandish move). Note, the target still has to fail an Int test.

Cool (Cl)

Nothing phases this character. He never seems to show emotion of any kind. His grace under fire is so intense, he can unnerve other creatures through Silent Intimidation. The character may Cause Fear in an opponent simply by silently staring the opponent down for 1 round. The legendary character must make a Cl/2 test to cause the fear. The opponent must fail a Cl test actually become afraid.

Will Power (WP)

The character is reknowned for his magical acumen, and probably hated for it as well. His body parts could very well fuel several spells quiet efficiently. The character increases his Power Level by (WP-100)%. Thus, a character with WP 125 would increase his Power Level by 25%. Unfortunately, the character automatically Causes Fear in any creature with a Int of 9 or less.

Fellowship (Fel)

Friend to everyone, enemy of no one, this character could sell his grandmother into slavery and no one, including his grandmother, would think ill of him. The character may tell Completely Convincing Lies. If the character Bluffs another opponent by rolling his Fel/2 (he must halve his Fel before the test roll), the opponent will be completely and permanently convinced of the truth of the lie the Legendary Bluffer told him. No amount of convincing will shake the opponents belief, save perhaps another Legendary Bluff. If the bluffed opponent encounters a fact that completely contradicts the Lie, he will attempt to rationalize the discrepancy as best he can and gain 1D6 Insanity points doing so. Finally, anytime the character tells a Legendary Bluff and succeeds, the GM should roll a D10 secretly. This D10 counts as a hundred spot on a D1000. The player's roll make up the tens and ones spot. If the D1000 roll is less than the PC's unadjusted Fel score, the Gods are convinced of the Lie as well and it does, in fact, become reality. If and when the Legedary Character learns of this, he gains 1D6 Insanity points. There is another downside, if the Complete Convincing Lie fails against an opponent, the liar is exposed for the cad he truly is. If the failed roll was a double (00, 99, 88, 77, etc), the opponent becomes immune to the character's lies.

Fel Example

Ernst's Legendary Fel is 125. He decides to Bluff the King of Wigwam, telling him that the Mud of Apaloosa Lake is the most valuable substance in the world. He wants the King to believe this lie incontravertably, so states he is telling a Completely Convincing Lie and makes a Fel/2, or 62%, test. Ernst succeeds with a roll of 20 and the King of Wigwam, to the dismay of his advisors, orders his treasury filled with the icky, vile muck. Meanwhile, the GM rolls a D10 secretly and rolls a 1. He constructs a D1000 roll by prepending his 1 to Ernst's 20 for a total of 120. 120 is less than Ernst's unadjusted Fel score of 125, so the Gods have heard and believed the Lie as well. Soon, prospectors and enemy kings are descending on Poor King Wigwam and trying to steal his priceless Apaloosa Mud. When Ernst realizes that everyone in hoarding Apaloosa Mud, he gains 1D6 Insanity Points.

Like all Legendary Abilities, the character must state he is attempting to tell a Completely Convincing Lie (and, thus, halve his Fel) before he makes the roll.