[HOE] Mundane Background

[Theo McGuckin <tsm@jlab.org>]

A while back PEG had a Deadlands edge, it was called something like forte,
or concentration or something, that basically let someone have a +2 to one
skill (they were a natural at it). I never told my posse about it (in
Deadlands) because I didn't gunfighters with 5d12+2 shootin' starting out,
or preachers with 5d12+2 faith. But with the raised power of Arcane
Backgrounds in HoE maybe the that edge could be revisited:

Mundane Background - The Natural (3pts.): In a world where purple robed
pyschopaths can hurl nuclear bombs from their fists, bald-headed freaks
can control or detonate your mind, white-robed zealots can kill you or
cure with equal skill and frizzy-haired weirdos can build robots to fight
for them the waster is best off staying home, clutching his gun and hoping
the neighbors don't come a callin'. Indeed it takes a trully exceptional
person to go out and actively hunt out the monsters of the wastes with
nothing but a gun, a few bullets and their own skill. This person
invariably has some knack, some edge, some forte, something that they are
a NATURAL at to help them.
Mundane Backgrounds are only available to char. that have Arcane
Backgrounds. Not even greenies or acolytes or squires or whatever can take
it. This edge lets player choose one skill at creation that the character
has a +2 to all rolls for. This bonus only applies to that skill and if
the skill has concentrations then the player must choose one (you're a
natural at shootin:pistols, not shootin).

What do you think? This would even the odds a little, encourage people to
play non-ABs from time to time and not majorly change the rules or
anything.

What about other Mundane Backgrounds? The survivor (has some type of
bonus or extra effect relating to wounds)? The buddy (knows some one
everywhere he goes, even if it's just a friend of a friend).

At a basic level you could do something simple like offer an edge that's
normally bought in levels (sand, friend in high places) and let them get 5
levels for the price of 3...

Theo McGuckin - SysAdmin, JLab


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