Coyotes Character Creation Guidelines
From Tucson RPG Guild
These are the guidelines we used to create characters for the Tucson by Night game Coyotes....we made starting nWoD characters with the regular amount of attribute and skill points, and merits, and so on.
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Character Creation Guidelines
The player characters are, if not completely in charge of the organization, high-ranking players in the group.
- You must choose if your character is an American citizen, here with legal documentation, or here with forged documentation. (As a coyote, being deported is not necessarily a major setback, so citizenship is not worth any points.)
- You must choose if your character has a criminal record or if they are clean. (There are advantages to having a record, i.e. criminals will trust you more, knowing you are less likely to go to the cops, but there are obvious drawbacks involving fingerprints and police scrutiny so either choice is not worth any points.)
- You must choose if you are a member of the Gomez family, extended family, or are not related. (There is no impact to this as the family recognized several years ago that outside assistance was necessary to recover from the war.)
You may choose to voluntarily lower your Morality at the beginning of the game. If you choose to do so, you must take one Derangement. You need not take more no matter how low you want your Morality to be. This option is more suited for those that were around in the "bad old days" when the Gomez ring was actively involved in the drug trade. Real monsters are cut from the organization, often violently, but at the same time, the group is a gang of conspirators who are willing to use deadly force and corruption to promote their criminal enterprise.
Merits
- All characters must possess the Language merit at least at level 1, speaking fluent Spanish.
There can only be one character with Resources 5 and one character with Resources 4 - there just aren't that many "management" positions in the gang. Those with low Resources will still be given the equipment and support (safe houses, vehicles, etc.) they need to operate in general, but won't be able to muster them for any personal reason or side projects. Think of it like going to work - you don't have to have Resources 2 to have a computer at work, but you're only supposed to use it for work stuff.
Potentially interesting Merits for Gomez ring criminals that might not be ones that World of Darkness characters normally have: Direction Sense, Strong Back, Toxin Resistance (there's rattlers out there, after all), Barfly.
Supernatural Merits
I want to keep the number of player characters with direct supernatural abilities minimal: 2 at most.
These are the merits that are permissible for those characters. This is a semi-comprehensive list, i.e. if you want something not on the list, please knock my socks the hell off.
These merits reflect traditional Mexican "folk magic", the bizarre amalgam of "old ways" of the animistic and spirit-oriented with the saints and ghosts of old-school Catholicism.
A character can only have one supernatural merit. Some are innate and inborn, others are passed down in whispered oral traditions and midnight demonstrations on stormy nights. None are written down anywhere, perhaps anywhere on Earth and if done so will never work again.
Most of these are in the Second Sight book, which I have a copy of. Many of these have been altered for this game, but the effects are generally described in that book.
Animal Empathy (1) or (3) - Wits + Animal Ken to communicate empathically with (1) one specific kind of animal, or (3) any kind of animals. You may not control them except through normal means, though communication can provide bonus dice on Animal Ken rolls to persuade them to do certain things. If you need to communicate swiftly, or with a hostile animal, you must spend a Willpower point.
Dowsing (1) - To locate a substance, person or thing, make a Wits + Occult roll and spend 1 Willpower point to get a "tug" in the right direction and some general information about the distance and "intensity" of the target. You must use a dowsing stick from deep in the desert.
Automatic Writing (2) - You must enter a trance state to use Automatic Writing. It is a Composure + Craft roll with 1 Willpower per question.
Countermagic (2) - By warding yourself and offering respect to certain saints, you can detect and delay any magic being used against you for one scene, sensing who is performing the ritual, the general nature of the ritual, and where they are. A Resolve + Occult roll. Each attempt takes one minute.
Clarivoyance (3) - Must enter a trance state and use a crystal, crystal ball, or mirror. It's a Composure + Wits check with 1 Willpower per target observed.
Divination (3) - Must have a ouija board, tarot deck, a bird or flock of birds to observe and interact with, maize or red beans. (You pick your focus when you take the Merit.) Target a person, place or thing, and obtain vague or cryptic information about them that later permits easier action taken with respect to them. You can't use divination on yourself. It's an Intelligence + Occult check that takes 10 minutes.
Warding (3) - Block a spirit or ghost from affecting a location through the slightly heretical practice of lay exorcism, physical wards, and prayer to saints and the Virgin Mother. Takes 10 minutes and a Resolve + Occult roll.
Trance states (for any of the above) are entered with a Composure + Wits + equipment check. (Equipment can include a rosary, a crystal, a roadside shrine, and so on. Penalties can include distractions, noise, etc.) While in a trance, perception checks for any activity other than the focus of the trance is drastically reduced.
Character Ideas and Stat Suggestions
Here are some "templates" for different characters that might be part of the Gomez gang. I haven't chosen Virtues or Vices for anyone, or done any kind of background work, so these can be generic and applied to whatever you like. You don't have to pick a character from the list, you can make one up on your own. We will use the standard rules from the World of Darkness corebook.
THE BRAINS
The days of getting from point A to point B with pickup trucks and flashlights are over. Technical support for operations, including communications, spotters, equipment, computers, and more are key to the Gomez ring's continued success. Whether self-educated or formally trained, they need someone who can keep things working under harsh conditions. That's you.
Science: 2+
Survival: 2+
Larceny: 1+
Potentially interesting concepts for the "brains" character: the college kid who fell in with the wrong crowd - the ex-con who learned a trade in prison - the wily tow truck driver with a Santa Claus beard - the "good" child who was never intended to be part of the business - the creative tinkerer in the local garage - the anti-establishment saboteur
THE DRIVER
So the Border Patrol looks for SUVs? You can drive a panel truck. They look for panel trucks, you can drive a semi. They search for semis, you cross on all-terrain vehicles. They look for all-terrain vehicles and you come up with a U-Haul. It's not driving fast that will save you from La Migra, in fact, that's the worst thing you can do, because they love to watch you and your passengers careen off the road and onto the Daily Star's front page. The key is driving anything you can put your hands on, and knowing the terrain and the roads. That's you.
Drive 3+
Survival 3+
Larceny 1+
Potentially interesting hooks for a "driver" character: the kindly old person who's a shrewd manipulator - the attractive female who can charm her way out of any ticket - the ATV enthusiast who saw too much and wanted to join up - the street racer with a roll of cash - the rancher and accomplished horseback rider
THE FIXER
Someone makes the arrangements for all of this, carefully and via cautious channels. Communicating the deal to prospective border crossers in Mexico, fixing it with locals, keeping the peace with the area gangs and making sure the corrupt stay corrupt and the honest stay ignorant, that's you.
Streetwise 3+
Contacts 3+ (total, can be among law enforcement, criminals, border communities, etc.)
Socialize 1+
Potentially interesting concepts for fixers: the ex-cop corrupting his former pals - the former drug dealer who left the game behind - the alpha junkie that the other dope fiends look up to - the squeaky clean community leader with a dark side - the glad-handing landlord who keeps people off the books in exchange for cash
THE SCOUT
Intelligence is the only weapon against a superior military force like La Migra, and you are the front lines in that battle. You have to be able to scale high mountains on foot or using vehicles, you have to be highly perceptive and you have to be very nervy, because while the cargo is riding in their pickup trucks, if the Border Patrol spots you, you have an interrogation in front of you. Fortunately you are all these things - self-sufficient, experienced in the wilderness, and cool under pressure.
Athletics 2+
Alertness 3+
Stealth 2+
Potentially interesting concepts for scouts: the eco-guerilla with a possessive attitude towards "their" desert - the migrant farm worker who's travelled far and wide - the lifelong hunter
THE LAWYER
Not the kind that sits behind a desk and makes phone calls - money can buy one of those - but a lawyer intimately connected with every aspect of the operation, responding to detentions and impoundments, threatening agents, getting badge numbers, and of course, massaging the system to provide new identities for border crossers. With your savvy you can direct field operations as well as anyone, and through your manipulations, the shell companies and cash transfers can never be traced back to anyone. A law school degree is a license to print money in your hands.
Academics 2+
Politics 2+
Persuasion 2+
Concepts for lawyers: Jailhouse lawyer who learned his trade behind bars - ambitious young lawyer dissatisfied with the slow pace of advancement - family leader who needed help getting other family members into the country
THE MUSCLE
It's all very well and nice to say that the Gomez ring performs a "service", but the fact of it is, you're sitting on a pile of money in a world where the only thing keeping people from taking giant piles of money are people with guns, knives and fists. The deserts are dangerous and even if you aren't supposed to shoot it out with the police, they're not the only ones wanting to stop you and yours from getting what you deserve.
A combat skill (Firearms, Weaponry, Brawl) at 3+
Intimidation 2+
Concepts for muscle: former drug gang soldier - barroom brawler - amateur boxer
