Players and Guides both need Characters, and here is where your journey begins. The Character is your alter ego during a game, akin to how an actor embodies an improv role. You have the freedom to base them on yourself, favorite fictional figures, or entirely original ideas. METTLE Core defaults to a roughly modern setting and this influences the options found below. Character sheets are available online or at the end of this book.

Table of Contents

Step 1: Name

This can be a tough choice unless you have a Dickensian knack for clever names. A solid idea is to go with something audacious and easy to pronounce. This also helps others at your table remember it. If you get stuck, come back to it later. There is space at the end for pronouns to reflect sex and/or gender.

Examples: Sathington Willoughby, Kreeton, Jeremiah Harper Esquire, Dr. Asphodel (she/her), Puddin’ Tame, etc.

Step 2: Appearance

What others see when they meet the character. These are Adventurers so make them stand out! Look to this section later when you need to introduce them to others in-game. Appearances are freeform but try to include their apparent age, gender, and an unusual trait to help them stand out. When playing someone with different features than yourself, do so with care and respect.

Examples: a clean-cut androgynous youth with a long red nose; a filthy man in a trench coat with a shuffling gait; a woman of a certain age showing only a crooked smile under the outsized brim of a floral hat.

APPEARANCE SEEDS

Invent, choose, or roll on the table below to snap you out of any pesky creative paralysis. These distinctive features give you just enough to work with. Be creative and make them sing on your character sheet! To use a d66 table, roll one six-sided die and then another. For example, if you roll a 6 and a 2, go to the distinctive feature in the row for “6, 2.”

d66 Distinctive Feature
1,1 Bestial (leonine, mousy, bird-like…)
1,2 Birthmark (animal-shaped, patchy…)
1,3 Cheeks (sunken, ruddy, puffed…)
1,4 Chin (cleft, pointy, broad…)
1,5 Complexion (freckles, acne, smooth, ruddy …)
1,6 Ears (pointed, cauliflower, huge…)
2,1 Eye color (vivid blue, dichromatic, tiger…)
2,2 Eye shape (close-set, piercing, wide…)
2,3 Eyebrows (patchy, fierce, bushy, none…)
2,4 Face (wide, narrow, oval, heart-shaped…)
2,5 Facial hair (mustache, goatee, lip fuzz…)
2,6 Filthy (bad breath, unwashed, greasy…)
3,1 Forehead (sweaty, broad, furrowed…)
3,2 Gaudy (polka dots, pastels, paisley….)
3,3 Growth (horn, hump, tumor…)
3,4 Habit (superstition, nervous tic…)
3,5 Hair color (blue, white, red…)
3,6 Hair style (pompadour, bald, frizzy…)
4,1 Hands (extra finger, webbed, huge…)
4,2 Laugh (snorts, honks, comforting…)
4,3 Makeup (luxurious, clownish, fierce…)
4,4 Mole (beauty mark, distracting…)
4,5 Motto (exclamation, meme, curse…)
4,6 Mouth (wide, full, luscious, pursed…)
5,1 Neck (long, crooked, stubby…)
5,2 Noise (creaky, silent, belching…)
5,3 Nose (aquiline, flat, long, red…)
5,4 Odor (floral, body, ozone, garbage…)
5,5 Piercing (eyebrow, nose, tongue…)
5,6 Scar (facial burns, old wounds…)
6,1 Style (Sporty, punk, business, Boho…)
6,2 Tattoo (artistic, tribal, prison…)
6,3 Teeth (missing, gap, filed to a point…)
6,4 Trinket (lucky hat, jewelry, stuffed animal…)
6,5 Unkempt (poorly fit clothes, messy hair…)
6,6 Voice (gruff, flat, high-pitched…)

Step 3: Attributes

These are your character’s CALLING, CULTURE, FRAME, MOTIVE, NATURE, and POISE pools.  Attributes lend a character substance within the rules of the game. The more dice there are in an Attribute Pool, the better they are at things related to it. Attributes range from 1 to 6 for starting characters, with a 3 being average. Experienced adventurers may exceed those bounds at the Guide’s discretion.

Each Attribute may also bear a Descriptor; a word or phrase fleshing out what the Attribute covers. This defined scope is vital for the CALLING Attribute and useful for the others. Having the right Descriptor for a task may even let you just assume success. Players may leave Descriptors blank at creation and discover them as they play.

Starting characters are well above average with plenty of room to grow. Put a [6] into CALLING. Put 17 points into the rest of the Attributes, with a minimum of 1 and a maximum of 5. For example, putting 3 in CULTURE, 2 in FRAME, 5 in MOTIVE, 4 in NATURE, and 3 in POISE, for a total of 17.

Attribute pools can improve later with experience points. Gain these by recounting memorable events from the last adventure.

Circumstances or equipment may change an Attribute pool. In this case, put the adjusted pool in parentheses to the right. For example, “POISE 4(5)”. Unlike Roll or Check bonuses, Attribute adjustments are cumulative or “stack.”

Unusual settings may introduce entirely new Attributes to account for things like cybernetics, magic, superpowers, and martial arts.

CALLING

This is the Adventurer’s lot in life, and the size of their dice pool tells you how good they are at it. CALLING is special because it can replace other Attributes if better suited for the task. For example, a Royal Fencing Instructor could use their CALLING instead of NATURE when wielding a fencing blade. This is only for the active side of a Check; CALLING cannot swap in for other Attributes used as a passive Difficulty/defense.

Guides often grant free information or automatic success with the right CALLING Descriptor. For example, a Professor of Ancient History or Greek Citizen would know plenty about the Parthenon without their player so much as touching the dice, while those with less relevant Descriptors may be stuck making Checks.

Example Descriptors: cat burglar, astromech pilot, village blacksmith, unemployed librarian, time-traveling lunatic, courtier, etc.

CALLING Descriptor Seeds
d66 Calling What they are good at:
1,1 Acrobat Incredible physical feats of agility
1,2 Artist Creating expressive works of art
1,3 Assassin Murder by stealth or trickery
1,4 Athlete Competing in a physical sport
1,5 Boxer Fighting an opponent with their fists
1,6 Burglar Breaking, entering, and sneaking
2,1 Butler Managing a household and its staff
2,2 Celebrity Staying famous and managing attention
2,3 Clown Wit and physical comedy
2,4 Cowboy Riding a horse and herding cattle
2,5 Inventor Thinking up wild new inventions
2,6 Detective Solving crimes by diligent investigation
3,1 Dilettante Dabbling in many arts and sciences
3,2 Doctor Diagnosis and treatment of medical conditions
3,3 Drifter Moving from one place to another
3,4 Driver Expert working of a car or land vehicle
3,5 Engineer Designing or building machines or structures
3,6 Explorer Traveling to discover unknown places
4,1 Fencer Dueling with swords
4,2 Gambler Betting money on games of chance
4,3 Hacker Illicit manipulation of computers
4,4 Laborer Physical work, the sweat of their brow
4,5 Martial artist Practicing a specific fighting skill
4,6 Mercenary Fighting as a private warrior for pay
5,1 Occultist A student of the mystical arts
5,2 Pilot Expert working of a plane or air vehicle
5,3 Royalty Wielding the power of a hereditary title
5,4 Sailor Expert working of a ship or water vehicle
5,5 Scholar Studies and researches a specific topic
5,6 Scientist Conduct experiments to gain knowledge
6,1 Socialite Uses their standing in fashionable society
6,2 Soldier Fighting as a warrior in a national force
6,3 Spy Secretly gathering intelligence on targets
6,4 Student Studying and learning a field or discipline
6,5 Priest Studying and preaching a recognized religion
6,6 Vigilante Enforceing justice outside the law

CULTURE

The mind is honed by its environment, like a butterfly struggling out of its cocoon. The Pool is used for general knowledge, sharpness of wit, and handling ranged weapons. The Descriptor is the place the adventurer grew up in and sets their native language.

Example Descriptors: Kansas Farm Boy, Somalian Immigrant, Chicago Street Urchin, Brigadoon Villager, etc.

CULTURE Descriptor Seeds
1d6 Culture Descriptor Seeds
1 Roaming native of the country game is set in
2 Rural native of country game is set in
3 Suburban native of country game is set in
4 Urban native of country game is set in
5 Immigrant from another country
6 Visitor from another country

For ease of play, assume characters from other countries speak both languages unless the player decides otherwise.

FRAME

Adventurers come in all shapes and sizes. The Pool reflects their physical might for taking damage, dishing it out, and carrying heavy loads. The Descriptor is their body type or build.

Example Descriptors: Built like a scarecrow, Broad as a barn door, charmingly asymmetric, mighty thews and gristle, serpentine, etc.

FRAME Descriptor Seeds
D66 1 2 3 4 5 6
1 Apple Athletic Burly Burly Chunky Curvy
2 Gaunt Giant Husky Imposing Lanky Leggy
3 Medium Pear Petite Plump Portly Robust
4 Rugged Shapely Short Slender Slight Squat
5 Stocky Stout Stubby Stunted Svelte Tall
6 Thick Thin Trim Waifish Wide Wiry

MOTIVE

An overarching goal that keeps them going even when things seem hopeless. The Pool is part of the Mettle score and helps resist being manipulated by others. The Descriptor is that goal, and an adventurer who fulfills it may retire or take on a new mission in life.

Example Descriptors: Avenge my master, bring justice to the oppressed, consume great quantities, escape from the oubliette, kill vampires, etc.

MOTIVE Descriptor Seeds
D66 1 2 3 4 5 6
1 Achieve Afflict Atone Avenge Conceal Conquer
2 Control Create Desire Destroy Devote Endure
3 Enforce Enjoy Enrich Escape Explore Honor
4 Imitate Impress Learn Obtain Outwit Praise
5 Promise Protect Pursue Recruit Redeem Rescue
6 Reveal Revive Serve Steal Survive Uplift

NATURE

Force of personality and discerning the hearts of others. The Pool is used for social persuasion and melee combat, both expressions of the fire burning within. The Descriptor should describe how they interact with the world.

Example Descriptors: Icy smile, a raincloud with legs, still water deep currents, friendly and gregarious, grossly incandescent, etc.

NATURE Descriptor Seeds
D66 1 2 3 4 5 6
1 Aloof Blunt Cheerful Cryptic Curious Daring
2 Eager Elegant Erratic Fearful Friendly Gloomy
3 Intense Kindly Loyal Mellow Mirthful Perky
4 Polite Proud Quaint Quiet Reckless Saucy
5 Serious Shifty Shy Sincere Sinister Stoic
6 Stubborn Suave Uncouth Uplifting Weird Zealous

POISE

An adventurer’s bearing is often the first thing to catch the eye. For an enemy, it may be the last! The Pool is used for coordinated feats like dancing, dodging, climbing, swimming, and sneaking. The Descriptor is how they strut upon the world’s stage.

Example Descriptors: Smooth & graceful, lightning reflexes, clumsy, walks with a limp, stiff-legged gait, fast-paced, takes it slow.

POISE Descriptor Seeds
D66 1 2 3 4 5 6
1 Brutish Casual Creaky Drowsy Feral Fidgety
2 Formal Frantic Gentle Graceful Hasty Jerky
3 Jittery Leaning Lively Looming Loose Perky
4 Quivers Regal Relaxed Shaky Shifting Shuffling
5 Slinky Slouching Sluggish Smooth Steady Stiff
6 Stilted Swagger Tense Tranquil Waddling Wiggly

Step 4: Resources

Outfitting your character is a terrific way to get to know them. What an adventurer has at hand impacts how they deal with the crazy situations they get into. Even intangibles like debts, favors, oaths, promises, burdens of guilt, memberships, rank, etc. belong here.

You need only specify important gear on the character sheet. When a character would reasonably have something else, be reasonable and assume they do. Even if they did not write it down, a scientist knows people at their lab, someone with a car has a spare tire, etc.

A list of armor, weapons, and basic gear is available in the larger Resources chapter later in this book. Until then, select items knowing that their cost is similar to their real-world equivalents.

Credit

Money, funding, access, or abstract “pull.” The Guide assigns Credit based on the setting and circumstances. This is usually a 2 or 3 for most games. Credit can change during play as the wheel of fortune turns.

CREDIT
Credit Afford Ranking
1 $9 Needy
2 $99 Struggling
3 $999 Comfortable
4 $9,999 Prosperous
5 $99,999 Affluent
6 $999,999 Rich

A character can afford items with up to as many digits in their price as their Credit. For example, with Credit of 3, one can gear up with items worth up to $999 (1-2 digits) each. If they want to buy something one Credit digit higher, they lose a digit of Credit temporarily. Lost Credit recovers between campaigns.

List discrete windfalls, suitcases full of cash, stolen piggybanks, or other treasures as separate items. This preserves the appeal of special loot.

Encumbrance

Most of the time, Players should be able to avoid tracking how heavy their gear is just by not going overboard with it. On the other hand, one can only carry so much, especially when lugging loads of lovely loot from a lucrative locale.

How much weight they can handle depends on their FRAME. Exceeding this threshold raises the Difficulty of POISE-related actions and lowers the Speed (p.69) of vehicles or unusually fast creatures.

  • Encumbered: +1 Difficulty for POISE-related tasks, -1 Speed (min 1)
  • Overloaded: +2 Difficulty for POISE-related tasks, -2 Speed (min 1)
  • Incapacitated: no movement or other actions, POISE 0

The table below gives the Load step and Shift (max lifted, dragged or pulled) for most FRAMEs. Load steps are given in kilograms (kg), due to the international nature of pulp adventure.

ENCUMBRANCE
Frame Enc/Ov/Imm (lbs) Shift
1 9/18/27 66
2 14/28/42 104
3 18/36/54 136
4 25/50/75 191
5 34/68/102 261
6 45/90/135 358
7 64/128/192 492
8 86/172/258 680
9 118/236/354 937
10 163/326/489 1290

For example, an average guy with a FRAME of 3 is encumbered at 18 kg, so hauling a 20kg mini fridge out of an abandoned department store suffers +1 Difficulty. Their athletic buddy with a FRAME of 4 is encumbered at 25 and can shoulder it with less trouble.

Do not bother counting most items less than a kilogram or so.

Overloaded characters may drop bulky gear such as backpacks to avoid encumbrance or distract pursuers. These can be dropped freely but picking them back up costs an Action.

Step 5: Mettle

A mixture of luck, stamina and willpower, but best thought of as morale or fighting spirit. Mettle is equal to the CALLING + MOTIVE of the character. This works to withstand damage and fuel desperate actions. Only dropping to zero or lower results in lasting injury.

  • Mettle = CALLING + MOTIVE

Taking Damage

Characters suffer Damage from hazards or attacks they face. Fortunately, they can Soak to reduce incoming damage by an amount equal to their FRAME plus Armor. Any damage left after Soak lowers current Mettle. For example, a character with 3 FRAME Soak and 10 Mettle takes 7 points of damage. Soaking 3 means only 4 get through, dropping Mettle from 10 to 6. Still in the fight!

Upon falling to zero or below, the character is Staggered or Fallen:

  • Staggered: characters suffer real trauma when Mettle drops to zero down to their MOTIVE in the negatives. They also take a die penalty to Checks equal to any negative Mettle and can no longer Rally or Surge (below).

  • Fallen: past negative MOTIVE, a wounded character falls unconscious. They lose their Action and drop to zero POISE.

  • Damage exceeding Soak reduces Mettle temporarily.
  • Staggered: zero to negative MOTIVE. No Rally or Surge, negative Mettle is penalty.
  • Fallen: past negative MOTIVE, lose Action and POISE is zero

Both Staggered and Fallen characters are in mortal danger, risking death if they fail a Heal Check next Scene.

Damage is not the only thing that affects Mettle. Mettle refills upon starting a new scene unless the character is Staggered or Fallen. Beyond that, Rallies can restore it, and Surges exhaust it:

Rallies

Combatants can push themselves beyond their limits, but this takes its toll. This costs an Action but doubles current Mettle – up to the maximum of course. A Rallying character must have at least 1 Mettle. More info on Rallies is in the Actions section.

Surges

PCombatants can push themselves beyond their limits, at the cost of strain and vulnerability. Halve current Mettle, rounding up, to regain their spent Action. This makes them eligible for Initiative again that round. A Surging character must have at least 2 Mettle.

Experience

Characters in METTLE Core set out as highly competent adventurers but there is always room for improvement. This takes the form of earning Experience points (XP) to raise their Attributes. To earn XP, players recount the boldest and bravest events of the last session.

Getting XP

Hand out XP at the beginning of each game session after the first. Think of this as the “On the last episode of…” recap at the start of a TV show. First, the Guide chooses a player and asks something like:

“Tell us one of your favorite moments from the last game.”

Each player then gets a turn to talk about this highlight from the last game, netting them an XP. This can be something they did individually, as a group, or just a wild occurrence. Even failures or bad ideas count if they are significant. If a player mentions something another player did, the other player can still use it for their turn. Others at the table can help – if a player asks for it.

Give them two rounds of this for a medium-length game session, and three for a long one. This means typical XP awards are from one to three XP, depending on the length of the last session.

Examples: came up with a clever plan or idea, thought up a good Twist, solved a mystery or puzzle, defeated a dangerous foe, good sport about a drastic failure, “went along” with a social Check, fulfilled their MOTIVE, etc.

Players who miss a session can still get XP from the last one they attended, and a bonus XP for describing how they rejoined the party.

Spending XP

To raise CALLING by one, spend twice its current level in XP. To raise any other Attribute by one, spend XP equal to CALLING. For example, if their Calling is 6 it costs 12 XP to raise it to 7, but only 6 XP to raise any other Attribute.

Calling must always be the highest Attribute. If raising another Attribute would make it equal to Calling, raise Calling first.

You may spend XP during the actual game, especially during a tense conflict! This represents learning an opponent’s moves, growing from a rivalry, or lengthy training finally coming to fruition.

  • Raise CALLING: XP cost = CALLING x 2
  • Raise other: XP cost = CALLING

Example Character

Dana is making a new character for an upcoming game. Her Guide set it in an alternate Baltimore circa 1904, centering on mysteries with subtle plot-related supernatural elements – sort of a cross between Gangs of New York, Bloodborne, and True Detective.

Step 1 – Name: Viktor seems like a catchy name and a good play on words for a character meant to be a good fighter. He needs a last name too, but she decides to skip it for now.

Step 2 – Appearance Dana thinks it would be fun to play a sardonic H.R. Mencken type with a sword cane. She decides on a thin, well-dressed mature gentleman. Maybe suffering from an old leg injury? She writes “A crisply attired gentleman in a burgundy suit, with a telling limp in his right leg.”

Step 3 – Attributes: Dana rolls “Gambler” as his CALLING, spices it up as “Itinerant Gambler,” and gives it the mandatory 6 levels. That’s what he does now that he can’t fence competitively. Now she spends the 17 free points. She rolls “Immigrant from another country” as his Culture, so she decides he comes from a family of Russian Immigrants and puts 3 points in it. She sees him as difficult to deal with, so she chooses “Competition” as his MOTIVE at 4D, and “Curmudgeon” as his NATURE at 5D, reflecting his sharp tongue and fencer’s bravado. The low 2D goes in POISE to reflect his “old fencing injury” to the leg – he is not as agile as he was. The other 3D goes in FRAME as he is “svelte but wiry.”

Step 4 – Resources: Dana’s Guide assigns 2 (Struggling) for Credit based on Viktor’s situation. He wears a finely Tailored Burgundy Suit but that goes into appearance. He carries an elegant sword cane, which is probably only 1 kg at the most, and no armor. For carried items, he has a pocketknife, a pocket watch & fob, and a deck of cards.

Step 5 – Mettle: is 10 because his CALLING is 6 and Motive is 4.

She pauses for a second; Viktor honestly seems like a bit of a jerk, but a lot of fun to play.

EXAMPLE CHARACTER