{"id":1606,"date":"2013-05-09T10:30:43","date_gmt":"2013-05-09T17:30:43","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/arcdream.com\/home\/?p=1606"},"modified":"2013-06-03T14:11:20","modified_gmt":"2013-06-03T21:11:20","slug":"better-angels-character-creation","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/arcdream.com\/home\/2013\/05\/better-angels-character-creation\/","title":{"rendered":"‘Better Angels’ Character Creation"},"content":{"rendered":"

Better Angels<\/em><\/a> is about supervillains attempting ludicrously villainous plots — and demons whispering in their ears, urging them to greater and greater evil. Players take both roles. As a player your primary character is your supervillain, but at times you also take the role of the demon for the player sitting to your right.<\/p>\n

That partnership begins in character creation. Here’s how it works. Download a character sheet<\/a> and follow along.<\/p>\n

The following text is excerpted from Better Angels<\/em> and is by Greg Stolze, \u00a9 2013. Illustrations are by Brett Barkley, \u00a9 2013.<\/p>\n

The Basics<\/h1>\n

The story in Better Angels<\/em> is the struggle between a good human and a demon trying to degrade, bully and control him. Because this is a game and not Paradise Lost,<\/em> the score is kept mathematically, with a system of carefully measured sins and virtues, instead of agonized poetic couplets. (Though, no mistake, Paradise Lost<\/em> is worth a read.)<\/p>\n

\u201cHellbound\u201d<\/h2>\n

Here\u2019s a key piece of terminology for the game, even though it\u2019s not related to the mechanics like \u201cStrategy\u201d or \u201cNurture.\u201d When you combine one human with one demon you get one of the Hellbound. (Also, on occasion, \u201cHellbinder.\u201d)<\/p>\n

This is an important term because it\u2019s not synonymous with \u201cPlayer Character\u201d or \u201cPC.\u201d That\u2019s one player, controlling the human, and trying to beat his diabolical tormentor two falls out of three. The Hellbound is played in tandem, mostly governed by one player, but with another playing the demon and sticking his oar in whenever it seems useful or hilarious.<\/p>\n

If a PC breaks his bondage to his devil, he\u2019s still a PC, but he\u2019s no longer Hellbound. Whether you keep playing as an ordinary human or start a new Hellbound character is up to you.<\/p>\n

\"better-angels-characters-and-demons\"<\/a>
Illustrations by Brett Barkley, \u00a9 2013<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Strategies and Tactics<\/h2>\n

Every Hellbound character is a composite of demon and person, and when their drives are aligned they can accomplish incredible (and, usually, incredibly eeeevil)<\/em> things. When their drives conflict (which is far more common), the haggling starts.<\/p>\n

Strategies (always in bold<\/strong>) and Tactics (always in italics)<\/em> are characteristics that determine success and failure at challenging tasks. In the Hellbound, they determine who\u2019s in charge and how intense the conflict is. They form an economy of power where Faustian bargains can be struck.<\/p>\n

Sinister Tactics<\/h3>\n

There are six rough categories of malfeasance, each with broad practical applications for all humankind. The more wicked you are, the stronger they become. These Tactics act, as you might expect, as a volatile combination of catnip and gasoline for demonic power.<\/p>\n