Sunday, August 20, 2017

Quick-and-dirty Champions conversions to ICONS

SYSTEM: ICONS, Champions

As should be evident from other posts I have made, I'm running the old Champions adventure from Adventurers Club 2, "What Rough Beast," but I'm converting it for ICONS. I'm converting it, of course. My first cut at conversion guidelines is below, and might be useful to anyone converting old Hero Games material. These values will probably change—they're my first attempt, and I'll be testing them with a couple of solo encounters to make sure the numbers have the effect I want.

ChampionsICONS
Perception checkAwareness test, base difficulty 3
INT checkIntellect test, base difficulty 3
Presence attackWillpower test, base difficulty the other character's Willpower
Computer ProgrammingIntellect test, aided by Technology specialty, represented in my notes as Tech (Computers) in case there's ambiguity about what the Technology specialty does for that character. Because the test is about a particular kind of tech, the base difficulty is 4, not 3.
Security SystemsIntellect test, represented in my notes as Tech (Security System) in case there's ambiguity about what the Technology specialty does for that character. Because the test is about a particular kind of tech, the base difficulty is 4, not 3.
Modifications to a check, such as -1, -2, -4Half the modification, round down, and subtract from base difficulty (usually 3)
-1Conversion: -1/2; rounds to 0; 3-0 = Difficulty 3
-2 or -3Conversion: -2/2 or -3/2, rounds to -1; 3-(-1) = Difficulty 4
-4 or -5Conversion: -4/2 or -5/2; rounds to -2; 3-(-2) = Difficulty 5
QuestioniteUnobtainium, Material 10 (though I do miss the Jonny Quest reference)
Plas-SteelFaraday Aerolithium, Material 7 (yes, equally made up)
Hard wood doors, etc.Wood, Material 4
Standard interior constructionDrywall and stick construction, Material 2
The adventure is essentially a dungeon crawl, exploring an abandoned Genocide base because something has killed everyone there and then the good guy agents who were sent in to investigate. Though I could use UNTIL, Viper, Genocide, and so forth (it's for personal use; I don't think the legal entities involved have a leg to stand on if they sue me, and it's not like they can get anything from me but debt even if they won), I choose not to, because they have baggage associated with them. So I'll be changing the names of the organizations as well.

ChampionsStrange City/ICONS
UNTILAPRIL (yes, this continues my ongoing streak of terrible names that everyone in-universe acknowledges as a terrible name)
GenocidePURITY88 (referencing the claim I just made up that there are 88 gene sites that distinguish humans from mutants; in reality, because 88 has an association with white supremacy and I don't mind making my metaphors extra obvious)
MINUTEMAN robotsUndecided; I want some kind of enforcement mechanism, but I don't think I want a big-ass robot. This and the source material play off the sentry or vigilance wordplay, so whatever the device is, it will be called VIGILANT Mark I, II, III, and so on.
PRIMUS & SATPICA (and I'll just use an intra-agency rivalry, if I need to)
VIPERUndefined at this point. I'll have something that is the Evil Organization with Costumed Cannon Fodder, but I haven't decided exactly what it is, yet. It's probably a franchise.

I'll post the revised conversion notes on Thursday.

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