Character Creation Challenge 13: Call Of Cthulhu

31 Day Character Creation Challenge

13: Call Of Cthulhu 7th Edition

(website, quickstart)

It kind of had to be a horror game for Day 13, and I’ve already done Vampire: The Masquerade and Dread (and Buffy) so going back to the founding horror RPG Call Of Cthulhu.

While I own various books for it I haven’t had a chance to play 7th edition, so I’m curious to see how much has changed.

The quickstart still contains The Haunting as its introductory adventure, which has been in print for decades, so some things remain familiar, if not comfortingly so...

Recycling a name from The Cthulhu Hack game in the autumn:

Jerome Talbot

Professor of History

Characteristics are still based on 3D6 (or in some cases 2D6+6) but now you multiply them by 5, as with derived statistics like Sanity. Otherwise most of this is familiar. (Less random and point-based options are also included.)

Characteristics

Strength 60

Constitution 55

Size 70

Dexterity 55

Appearance 45

Intelligence 70

Power 60

Education 73

Luck 65

Age: 20 to 39 for simplicity’s sake. Improvement check for EDU. Pass, add 1D10 = 3.

Damage Bonus and Build +1D4, 1

Hit Points 12

Movement Rate 7

Sanity 60

Magic Points 12

Occupation

Professor

Library Use, Other Language, Own Language, Psychology, any four other skills as academic or personal specialties (Anthropology, Archaeology, History, Occult)

Credit Rating: 20–70

Occupation Skill Points: EDU × 4 (292)

Personal Interest: INT x 2 (140)

Skills

Accounting 20

Anthropology 45

Archaeology 30

Credit Rating 40

Dodge 27

Fighting (Brawl) 25

Firearms (Pistol) 20

Firearms (Rifle/Shotgun) 25

First Aid 50

History 75

Language (Other) Latin 55

Language (Own) 73

Library Use 70

Listen 40

Natural World 10

Occult 50

Persuade 30

Psychology 35

Spot Hidden 45

Background

Description: Smart, Tall

Ideology/Beliefs: Politics, reformist

Significant Person: Teacher, shared experience

Meaningful Location: The grave of a significant person

Treasured Possession: related to highest skill

Trait: Good with animals

Mark one as key, most important. Go with Ideology.

Dr. Talbot is an expert on history, particularly the mistakes people fail to learn from it. He is also curious about the occult, but from a disbelieving perspective. He teaches at a desegregated New England university.