by Dystoir

Fate Core Pregens: The Justice League

 

With the core Avengers team written up for Fate Core and Fate Accelerated, I think the next logical step is to write stat blocks for the:

JLofA_logo

And where else to begin but with…

3047915-2646141-2408867-superman-wallpaper[1]

Superman
Aspects
High Concept: The Last Kryptonian
Trouble: Overly Protective of Earth
Mild-Mannered Journalist
Raised by Humans
Beacon of Hope

Skills
Great (+4) Physique
Good (+3) Athletics, Will
Fair (+2) Empathy, Fight, Notice, Shoot
Average (+1) Crafts, Investigate, Lore, Rapport

Stunts
Faster Than a Speeding Bullet. Gain a +2 to Athletics rolls when overcoming situation aspects restricting movement.
Man of Steel. You have Armor: 2 against physical attacks.
More Powerful Than a Locomotive. Gain a +2 bonus when using Physique for feats of strength.

Fate Accelerated Edition
Replace skills and stunts with:

Approaches
Good (+3) Forceful
Fair (+2) Flashy, Quick
Average (+1) Careful, Clever
Mediocre (+0) Sneaky

Stunts
“Because I am the Man of Steel, I get +2 to Forcefully Overcome when I use my super strength.”

Batman-Arkham-Origins-111

Batman
Aspects
High Concept: Caped Crusader
Trouble: Secret Identity: Bruce Wayne
World’s Greatest Detective
Those Wonderful Toys
Bat-Family Support

Skills
Great (+4) Investigate
Good (+3) Fight, Stealth
Fair (+2) Athletics, Provoke, Shoot
Average (+1) Contacts, Deceive, Resources, Will

Stunts
Do I Look Like A Cop? Gain a +2 bonus on Provoke rolls made during an interrogation.
Yeah…He Does That. Gain a +2 bonus to create a Vanished-type of situation aspect.

Utility Belt. You don’t ever have to spend a fate point to declare that you have the proper tools for a particular job using Crafts, even in extreme situations. This source of opposition is just off the table.

Fate Accelerated Edition
Replace skills and stunts with:

Approaches
Good (+3) Sneaky
Fair (+2) Clever, Forceful
Average (+1) Careful, Quick
Mediocre (+0) Flashy

Stunts
“Because I have Those Wonderful Toys, once per game session I can have the right tool for any job.”

2713231-ww01

Wonder Woman
Aspects
High Concept: Amazonian Warrior Princess
Trouble: Stranger to Man’s World
Blessed Equipment
Ambassador of Peace
Beauty and Wisdom

Skills
Great (+4) Fight
Good (+3) Athletics, Physique
Fair (+2) Empathy, Rapport, Shoot
Average (+1) Lore, Provoke, Resources, Will

Stunts
Bracelets. Gain a +2 bonus to Athletics rolls when defending against ranged attacks.
Lasso of Truth. Get a +2 on Rapport rolls to convince men to tell you the truth when they are touching the lasso.
Never Surrender. Once per session, you can erase a minor consequence or reduce the severity of a moderate consequence to a mild consequence (if your mild consequence is free).

Fate Accelerated Edition
Replace skills and stunts with:

Approaches
Good (+3) Forceful
Fair (+2) Flashy, Quick
Average (+1) Clever, Sneaky
Mediocre (+0) Careful

Stunts
“Because I’m the Amazonian Warrior Princess, I get +2 when I Forcefully Attack when I use a weapon in close combat.”

2922530-theflash

The Flash
Aspects
High Concept: Fastest Man Alive
Trouble: Touching The Speed Force
Heroic Legacy
Easy Going
Witty Banter

Skills
Great (+4) Athletics
Good (+3) Rapport, Stealth
Fair (+2) Fight, Investigate, Shoot, Will
Average (+1) Contacts, Empathy, Lore, Notice

Stunts
Just a Blur. Opponent’s attempts to create Aim-type advantages on you are at +2 difficulty.
Off The Line. You can use Athletics instead of Notice to determine turn order in any physical conflict where you have room to move.
Super Speed. You move two zones for free in a conflict without rolling, instead of one, provided there are no situation aspects restricting movement.

Fate Accelerated Edition
Replace skills and stunts with:

Approaches
Good (+3) Quick
Fair (+2) Clever, Sneaky
Average (+1) Flashy, Forceful
Mediocre (+0) Careful

Stunts
“Because I’m The Fastest Man Alive, once per game session I can show up anywhere I want to, provided I could run there, no matter how far it is.”

55_JohnStewart

Green Lantern
Aspects
High Concept: Green Lantern of Sector 2814
Trouble: Guilt-Ridden
“In Brightest Day, In Blackest Night…”
Master Builder
Former Marine

Skills
Great (+4) Crafts
Good (+3) Shoot, Will
Fair (+2) Athletics, Fight, Physique
Average (+1) Investigate, Lore, Notice, Provoke

Stunts
Force Constructs. You can create advantages and make overcome rolls using Crafts without time constraints, and your power ring is the only tool you need to do so.
Force Fields. You can use Crafts to defend against physical attacks while wearing your power ring.
Willpower. You can use Crafts instead of Physique to perform feats of strength.

Fate Accelerated Edition
Replace skills and stunts with:

Approaches
Good (+3) Forceful
Fair (+2) Careful, Clever
Average (+1) Flashy, Quick
Mediocre (+0) Sneaky

Stunts
“Because I am a Green Lantern of Sector 2814, I get +2 whenever I Forcefully Defend when I use a created advantage from my power ring as justification for the action.”

26 Comments

  1. interesting write-up

    the High Concepts and troubles are on the mark but most of the Skills are WAY off if you are going to compare them to the comics ….

    for example: (and I can go on)

    Superman’s Physique would be Legendary at a minimum (as would Wonder Woman’s)

    This is a classic problem when adapting existing Properties to a (generally) down to earth system like FATE.

    You really have to build a system around such character as the JLA not shoehorn them into something leaving them shadows of their Iconic portrayals

    if you want to tackle superheros with FATE you are better off going after the Hellboy or Xmen levels not the god levels of the JLA and Avengers

    Like

    Reply

    1. You’re right, to a point. Games like Fate are relative. Superman’s Physique doesn’t dictate how much he can lift, it just means he has a better chance of succeeding at rolls. Fate is a fiction simulator, so Superman merely being Kryptonian means that he can lift things Batman couldn’t even consider trying and not have to roll at all. He just does it because that’s justified by the fiction of his aspects.

      Like

      Reply

    2. The problem isn’t that FATE is down to Earth. The problem is, IMO, giving them starting character skill levels. I’d give them some extra, or raise their base-line (perhaps using some form of Scale), to reflect that these are iconic characters with years of active experience.

      Though, with 1 stunt (his +2 to physique) and 1 invoke (his high concept), Superman effectively DOES have a Legendary Strength (Great (4) + 2 stunt + 2 for invoke = 8 = Legendary). So, when Superman decides to fully push his abilities, he’s at the top of the trait ladder when performing acts of strength.

      Like

      Reply

      1. I’ve gotten that reaction a lot on social media sites. These were meant to show how to build supers with the core rules as starting characters. I’m running a game on Sundays doing just that and they feel every bit as iconic as the JLA.

        These weren’t meant to be official stat blocks, but more an exercise in how to do it. If I were doing this for a game to represent these players in their god-like states, I’d change the rules a bit. But this shows that you can, with the core rules, emulate the characters effectively with the starting rules.

        Like

      2. I borrowed from Kerberos Club with some modifications to make my Superman. The mod is that the power tiers are Ordinary, Extraordinary (-1 refresh), Low Superhuman (-2 refresh, High Superhuman (-3 refresh) and Godlike (-4 refresh). Starting refresh is 10. With that, here’s my Superman:

        Superman
        High Concept: Last Son of Krypton
        Trouble: Overly-protective of Earth
        Raised by Humans
        Mild-Mannered Reporter
        Beacon of Hope

        Skills:
        Great (+4): Physique (G)
        Good (+3): Athletics(H), Will
        Fair (+2): Empathy, Fight, Notice, Shoot (L)
        Average (+1): Technology, Investigate, Knowledge, Rapport

        Major Weakness: Kryptonite (+2 Refresh)
        Major Weakness: Magic (+2 Refresh)

        Starting Refresh
        Tier upgrades: -10 refresh
        Tier Effects:
        Weapon 4 [physical] – super-strength
        Move 3 zones as a Free action

        Stunts:
        Flight: add Fly to Athletics
        Heat Vision: can Shoot without a weapon
        X-Ray Vision: can see through walls (not thru lead)
        Man of Steel: Use Physique to defend against physical Attacks
        More Powerful Than A Locomotive: +2 Physique when for feats of strength

        Final Refresh: 4

        Like

  2. I think I would have put the ring powers, for Green Lantern, onto his Will instead of his Crafts. Though, with John Stewart, Crafts might make some sense (since he’s an engineer). But, with Hal Jordan, I definitely would have put them onto Will.

    Like

    Reply

    1. The problem with Will is that it is already too broad a skill. It already handles both mental defense and resistance as well as mental overcome actions and create advantages related to concentration, which is like blending Athletics and Physique into one skill. Add to that the recommendation that you add psychic blasts (via stunt) as an attack when appropriate and you have one skill that does everything you need in a mental conflict.

      Now, allowing GL to have all that utility PLUS affect all of the physical realm with the same skill is going too far. Crafts handles building things, and that’s what the power ring does. Beyond pure willpower, it demands some degree of skill to use it properly.

      I do agree with your assessment that John Stewart is an all Crafts man. However, for Hal Jordan and the rest I would keep it the same but for a single stunt. Force Fields would use Will instead of Crafts (but Force Constructs and Willpower would still be crafts, though I’d probably change the name of Willpower for them).

      All that said, in all the settings I’m currently writing, I separate Will into two skills, just as I limit the usefulness of Athletics. Those skills, according to Core, are impossible to go without and remain viable in a myriad of settings. Leaving things like what you would probably make as your core abilities (Burglary, Crafts, etc.) relegated to a tertiary role, at best.

      So I get your point about the skills, but I also disagree with the existence of those skills in the first place, so it’s a moot argument from my point of view. In a purely fantasy sense (which Core is built on, to be fair) it makes a modicum of sense, but for a supers setting more balance is needed.

      Like

      Reply

      2. Here’s the current build in the upcoming Jadepunk game myself and Jacob Poss are writing:

        Reasoning – Overcome confusion, problems, etc. Create Advantages related to planning ahead. Defend against mental and social attacks.

        It’s Will, but the new descriptor (name) gives it new meaning. No trait adds to stress or consequences in this game (you can only increase them via stunts), so the resistance is not an issue.

        Like

      4. It’s an asian steampunk setting we’re going to put out through Kickstarter later this summer. We haven’t officially announced it, yet, but it’s coming.

        Like

    1. Hi, Liam, and welcome to the world of role-playing. 🙂

      The concept you noted is related to when a gamemaster would try and say something like, “Batman, it’s unlikely that you would have [item] in your utility belt. Spend a fate point to declare it as a detail.” That’s a fairly common thing that anyone can do, but Batman’s utility belt makes that kind of opposition to him having such an item totally off the table. The GM can’t even try it as long as Bats has his utility belt on.

      Here’s a version of Batman written by Doyce Testerman. He keyed off of my write-ups, but had the foresight to wait until the Fate System Toolkit was released to backers of the Kickstarter. As a result, it’s a much better Batman. 🙂 http://random-average.com/index.php/2013/06/fate-the-goddamn-batman/

      Like

      Reply

      1. Thanks 😀 That makes more sense.
        Let’s see if I’ve understood properly, I haven’t even played yet (hard to find people with time and interest in this part of Mexico apparently)

        So normally the scene might be.

        GM: Batman, you have found yourself tied up and hung upside down in the joker’s lair. There’s no one around at the moment.

        BM: I cut myself down.

        GM: With what, they took your stuff.

        BM: I use notice to see if my stuff is nearby.
        + + + – (+2) notice is great (+4) so that’s +6 against passive opposition of 5 because it’s really dark and he’s upside down.

        GM: You see it’s nearby.

        (Or batman could use a fate point to declare it was nearby)

        However, with the stunt Batman just says.
        BM: I use my utility belt and let myself down.

        Is that more or less right?

        Like

      2. More or less. Yep!

        It’s also useful for situations as when Batman comes up against a steel door with the keyhole welded over so it can’t be picked. It would require a blowtorch to cut through it, which isn’t something Batman uses all that often and would have to spend a fate point to declare that he does have it. But that ability gives him the ability to say that it’s not standard, but he does have one on his belt.

        Like

      3. That follows. Thanks so much for your help.

        I actually stumbled across the blog just searching for “source of opposition…” but now I reading more of your updates! I’m finding this clear and easy to get to grips with; a great resource. (e.g. You mention dividing will above) That hadn’t occurred to me but it makes a lot of sense.

        Keep it up.

        Like

    1. You could, but the way Fate Core treats Extras, mechanically, is no different than if the character had the stunt. All you have to do is add the word “Extra:” to the beginning of the stunt package that houses it and it’s done.

      I didn’t do it for two reasons: FAE doesn’t make use of extras; Fate Core doesn’t need extras. FC treats them as flavor, which is fine. But if you can have an important item listed as a character aspect, you can use one of your stunts to flesh it out.

      I’m not against Extras, and totally support their use. They just feel very tacked on to the system, to me. Not refined enough, which is a common complaint from people in my circles: Fate not handling weapons or similar “extras” very well.

      Like

      Reply

      1. I agree that Extras seem “tacked on”, but may that not have been intentional? Bolt them on as a game/group sees fit? Especially if I want to give an item its own stress track(s). With the Power Ring, from the fiction we know that the Lanterns need to periodically recharge their rings from a battery, which would make a “charge” track make sense.

        I don’t have a terrible amount of experience with Core, my only real Fate experiences comes from having played SotC a few years ago and the occasional Bulldogs! one-shot, so I really am coming at the system from a noob perspective. Not trying to be difficult, just talking stuff through just to wrap my head around it.

        It looks like there’s some stuff in the Toolkit that might help towards that end as well.

        Like

Leave a comment