In the shadows of the great pyramids of Giza in 1928 Professor Paul Langford unearthed a strange artifact buried under a set of cover stones with unusual symbols. The circular device was unlike anything ever discovered; its composition defied explanation…while it contained Egyptian markings, it certainly was not ancient Egyptian in origin. Professor Langford took the artifact to the prestigious Egyptian Museum in Berlin for further study. In 1933 Adolf Hitler was elected Chancellor of Germany and shortly thereafter he became intrigued with the occult applications of the device; Professor Langford and his daughter, Catherine, fled Germany for the United States, leaving the artifact behind in Nazi hands.

Flash forward…1945, the closing days of World War II in the European theater; the Allied forces are sweeping Germany and ridding it of its last Nazi strongholds. A commando unit under the direction of the Office of Strategic Services (OSS) discovers Nazi laboratories in a bunker complex in Berlin. Within the bunker they find the artifact hooked up to a power supply and other strange devices. The discovery is classified Top Secret by the OSS and whisked away to the United States where a program is initiated to study the artifact.

Flash forward…1950, you stand in a briefing room in the Pentagon. You have no clue why you have been summoned here…the eclectic mix around has no idea either. The lights dim and a projector flashes an image on a wall, a circular device with unusual symbols fills the wall. The door to the room opens and a man enters, you can make out his silhouette against the hallway light behind him. "Gentleman," he says, "what you are about to hear is classified as Top Secret…welcome to the Majestic Program…Project Stargate."

—–

Byrd sat across the table from the large Keltic man, he had been enjoying a few tankards of ale with the man, but time was running short. He needed the information and he needed it now, but the Kelt was forthcoming. Time to set aside the pleasantries and get down to business…let the verbal sparring begin.

Normally a trait test consists of a single roll in order to determine success or failure. A Test of Traits is a series of rolls required in order to succeed at a complex or time consuming task. A Test of Traits has two separate components, the Test Difficulty and Traits and Targets.

Test Difficulty

In order to complete the task at hand, those involved must successfully use an attribute or skill a number of times before failing a set number of times. The following table shows the number of successes or failures based upon the desired difficulty.

If the number of successes is reached prior to rolling the listed number of failures, the task is completed.

Traits and Targets

Each task at hand will have certain attributes and skills that are appropriate for the task at hand. These, as well as the difficulty of the Target Number must be determined when designing a Test of Traits.

Dynamic Target Numbers

Savage Worlds uses a stagnant Target Number of 4 to resolve all trait tests and applies modifiers depending upon difficulty. The modifiers to this roll range from +2 to something trivial to –2 or –4, for particularly difficult tasks. It is often useful to think of a task at hand as being “easy”, “difficult”, or “impossible” instead of trying to apply a numerical modifier. This does not affect the rules in any way, just the thought process over assigning modifiers for tasks.

Instead of modifiers, the following chart is used to assign target numbers based upon the difficulty of a task; one category, “trivial”, not shown here consists of tasks that are so simple that they don’t require a trait test. These tasks are typically just worked into a scene’s narrative or hand-waved by the game master.

Example

In the opening narrative a character (Byrd) is trying to pry some information out of a non-player character. He is trying to use his wit, charm and knowledge to loosen his tongue. At some point the player will be informed that he must complete a Test of Traits.

The player should not be told what Attributes are applicable; he should determine what to do on his own. In addition, the rolls should be made during the course of roleplaying the encounter, bonuses (or penalties) to the trait rolls should be awarded as warranted.

Test of Traits

Difficult Test – 5 successes required before 3 failures; the following Attributes are in play.

Intimidation (TN = 10)

The Keltic adversary is not very susceptible to be pushed around, the target number required to intimidate the man into talking is a formidable task.

Knowledge (TN = 6)

Byrd can attempt to use his own knowledge of the situation to get his adversary talking, this is a difficult task.

Persuasion (TN = 4)

The easiest course of action in this instance is to simply try to talk the information out of the Kelt with wit and charisma, this is a normal task.

 Mr. Silent patrols the streets of Indianapolis. Unlike his hero Bruce Wayne, Mr. Silent’s alter ego isn’t a billionaire. He has a full-time job to tend to, so he only makes it out about once per week, cruising the alleys of Downtown after dark, looking to help where needed. "I roam the streets of the city looking for those in distress or danger and I do my best to help them. If those in need of help are being mugged or hurt in anyway, then you can be assured that I will do something about it. One may ask, how I can call myself a superhero when I can’t fly or run at mach 3. The answer is simple. I am idealistically super. I see what, in my opinion, needs changed in society and I work towards that goal," said Silent.

Mr. Silent*

Attributes: Agility d8, Smarts d6, Spirit d8, Strength d8, Vigor d8
Skills: Driving d6, Fighting d10, Guts d8, Intimidation d10, Notice d6, Persuasion d6, Stealth d6, Streetwise d8
Pace: 6; Parry: 7 (8 w/Block); Toughness: 6; Charisma: 0
Hindrances: Heroic
Edges: Block, First Strike, Level Headed Luck, Trademark Weapon (silver-tipped cane)
Equipment: Silver-Tipped Cane (Str+d6)

Remember…it’s all for fun.

When a supernatural killer stalks the townspeople of Boston, renowned silversmith and monster hunter Paul Revere is called in to fight the evil. While tracking down clues to the killer’s identity, the first shots of the Revolution are fired, and Revere finds himself battling a war on two fronts in a struggle to save his family.

Revere battles a marauding band of outlaw Redcoats led by a bloodthirsty general, rescues a damsel in distress, and saves a lost soul from demons of the past. All of this sets the stage for a climactic battle at the Old North Church, where enemies become allies in an effort to save the land from this unspeakable terror. And in the end, Revere finds the fate of his beloved wife lies in the hands of the only werewolf he couldn’t bring himself to kill…

Revere: Revolution in Silver

The Black Coat*

Attributes: Agility d8, Smarts d8, Spirit d10, Strength d6, Vigor d8
Skills:  Fighting d8, Guts d10+2, Healing d6, Intimidation d8, Knowledge (occult) d10, Knowledge (supernatural) d10, Notice d8+2, Repair d8, Riding d6, Shooting d10, Stealth d6, Streetwise d6, Survival d6, Tracking d10
Pace: 6; Parry: 6; Toughness: 6 (7 with leather longcoat); Charisma: 0
Hindrances: Code of Honor
Edges: Alertness, Combat Reflexes, Connections (Sons of Liberty), First Strike, Fleche+, Iron Will+, Nerves of Steel
Equipment: Compass, Leather Longcoat, Long Sword (d6+d6), Manacles, Pistol Shot (regular and silver), Wheellock Pistol+ (5/10/20; 2d6+1; AP1; 2 actions to reload)

+from The Savage World of Solomon Kane

Instead of modifiers, the following chart is used to assign target numbers based upon the difficulty of a task; one category, “trivial”, not shown here consists of tasks that are so simple that they don’t require a trait test. These tasks are typically just worked into a scene’s narrative or hand-waved by the game master.

And you thought superheroes existed only in fiction? Inspired by fiction superheroes such as Batman and Superman, these people wear masks and capes in order to fight real crime on the strets. Here’s a list with 10 of the most famous real-life superheroes.

As whim strikes me, I’ll be statting up these superheroes starting with Citizen Prime, a hero I’ve read about previously.

Citizen Prime, a 40-year-old married man whose first name is Jim, has been protecting the streets of Phoenix for a year. He became a superhero to spread the message that people don’t have to be fearful of crime. "Are you going to sit inside scared that a terrorist might attack your city, or are you going to go out and live your life?" he asked. But Prime, who patrols once or twice a week in a black, blue and yellow costume, found one chink in his armor. He couldn’t find any crime. "The only crime I’ve ever stopped is when I was actually walking out of a sporting goods store with my wife," he said. "A shoplifter came running past me, and I managed to throw him to the ground."

Citizen Prime*

Attributes: Agility d6, Smarts d8, Spirit d10, Strength d8, Vigor d8
Skills: Driving d8, Fighting d10, Guts d10, Intimidation d8, Knowledge (law) d6, Knowledge (Phoenix) d10, Notice d8+2, Shooting d8, Streetwise d10, Throwing d6
Pace: 6 (5 in armor); Parry: 7 (8 w/Block); Toughness: 6 (8 in armor); Charisma: 2
Hindrances: Heroic, Vow (protect and help those in need)
Edges: Alertness, Block, Charismatic, Level Headed
Equipment: GM’s discretion, Citizen Prime keeps his arsenal a secret!