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Chapter 2:
MAKING YOUR TOONPUNK 2020� CHARACTER
Making a TOONPUNK or SHADOWTOON character is very
similar to making a normal TOON character, except for
Character Types, a few new rules and shticks, and the nifty,
ultra-cool Strife Paths!
CHARACTER TYPES
Although you can be any species you want, TOONPUNK 2020�
has certain types of characters that are most appropriate for
the game. Of course, you can play any type of character you
want, even if it's inappropriate to TOONPUNK, but ask the
Animator first, ok?
Most characters are Toonpunks, but you can play a member
of the Serious Police or a Corptoon if you want. See the
descriptions of Commander Glumm (p.00) and Yugota
Scratchanichi (p.00).
Any character can have built-in bionic gadgets. Some
are very useful. Some are silly. The Animator should let
players suggest other gadgets -- especially silly ones.
Everyone gets 1d x $1,000 in starting money. After
that, they'll have to earn money somehow. That shouldn't be
too difficult. In Blight City, employment opportunities are
everywhere. Some of them are even honest!
One thing to remember about this world is that looking
cool is more important than anything else! If you don't look
cool, you won't even be noticed (see LOOKING COOL, pg.00).
TOONPUNKS
A cartoon character with bionic gadgets and a bad
attitude -- that is, a sense of humor. Some Toonpunks have
specialties, described below. Others just get crazy. Knock-
knock joke graffiti, seltzer ambushes, ruthless drive-by
Boggling -- it's all in a day's play for a Toonpunk.
NETROAMERS
These are the 21st-century's version of today's computer
hackers. The big difference is that Netroamers actually send
their minds into Cyberspace. They use cyberdecks (see p.00)
to adventure in the net. Netroamers can enter any system and
even access other programs and files, unless they get caught
by a Trapgram or other protective program. Anybody can get
into the Net (see p.00), but the Netroamers are the best.
For more information on the Net, see chapter 3: NETROAMING.
MUSCLEBOYS
These Toonpunks like fighting and combat as much as they
do jokes and laughing. Their idea of funny is to drop an
anvil on someone's head -- four or five times. Muscleboys
like to wear body armor, unless most of their skin has
already been replaced by armor. Then they just wear a pair
of gym shorts (or a bikini, if they're female). All
Muscleboys have at least four cyberware implants and most
have lots more than that.
Muscleboys think Netroamers are nerds and Cops are
trouble. Other types of characters don't much matter to
them, except Technogeeks.
TECHNOGEEKS
If you need it built, fixed, programmed, modified, or
invented, a Technogeek can do it. Technogeeks are
programmers and engineers who have decided to work for
themselves instead of a Corp. Most Technogeeks are very
popular guys on the Street. Technogeeks tend to wear tie-
dyed labcoats over multi-colorful shirts and jeans.
Technogeeks prefer to spread the Message of Humor by
inventing new weapons and gadgets for other Toonpunks to use.
Occasionally, they manage to boobytrap the machines at a Corp
factory. For that reason, most Technogeeks are wanted by the
Serious Police.
COPS
No matter if they are city police, private eyes or
bounty hunters, they're all Cops to the Toonpunks. Most Cops
are honest, but not all of them. City police and bounty
hunters only handle crime on the Street, but private eyes
often go into the Corpdomes.
Not all Cops dislike Toonpunks. In fact, since they
don't handle crimes against the Megacorps, the city police
only chase Toonpunks who commit Streetcrimes. The Serious
Police don't like this, but the Cops don't care. A few Cops
are actually Toonpunk spies!
Some Cops specialize in handling Netcrime, and are
Netroamers themselves.
Cops can have just about any weapon or vehicle they
want. City police don't have to pay for these things, but
private eyes and bounty hunters do. Many Cops and almost all
private eyes and bounty hunters have some cyberware implants.
STRIFE PATHS
To see what type of interesting, dramatic, stupid
personal problems your character has, start by rolling a die.
Go to the starting point with the same number. From there,
you just keep rolling the die until you get to an END. You
can go through the Strife Paths as many times as you want.
1: You have an enemy! Go to The Enemy Section.
2: You are involved in a love affair! Go to The Romance
Section.
3: You have a family problem! Go to The Family Section.
4: You have a mental problem! Go to The Mental Section.
5: You have a really weird problem! Go to The Weird Section.
6: Roll twice. Ignore further results of 6.
The Enemy Section
Your enemy is...
1: A Corptoon.
2: A former friend.
3: A relative (Animator's choice)
4: A Netroamer.
5: A Cop (Animator's choice as to what kind).
6: A former lover.
Now go to The Motive Section.
The Romance Section
The other person is...
1: A fellow Toonpunk.
2: A friend.
3: A Corptoon.
4: A criminal (horrors!)
5: A former enemy.
6: A relative or lover of a friend or Toonpunk
(Animator's choice).
Now go to The Complications Section.
The Family Section
The family member is...
1: Your brother.
2: Your father.
3: Your sister.
4: Your mother.
5: Your cousin.
6: An in-law.
Now go to The Family Trouble Section.
The Mental Section
Sometimes, you...
1: Think everyone is out to get you.
2: Suddenly change personalities.
3: Go completely loony.
4: Develop a phobia.
5: Become obsessed with something.
6: Suffer a change in emotions.
Now go to The When Section.
The Weird Section
Something strange is going on...
1: You are under a curse (Animator's choice).
2: You have been contacted by beings from another
dimension similar to our own.
3: You lose and gain new Shticks at random.
4: Whenever you Fall Down, something weird happens to
everyone around you.
5: Nonliving objects, including implants, can talk to
you.
6: Being Boggled causes you to change in some way (your
choice).
END (the weird stuff is enough of a problem).
The Motive Section
Your enemy hates you because...
1: You defeated him in combat and disgraced him.
2: You did four Maximum Boggles in a row to a relative
of his.
3: You stole his or her lover.
4: You sent him to jail.
5: You foiled his evil plan.
6: You are a nicer person than he is.
END.
The Complications Section
Your love affair is complicated by the fact that...
1: He/she doesn't know you exist.
2: His/her family hates you.
3: You're completely mismatched.
4: Your family hates him/her.
5: One of you is funnier than the other.
6: You don't know he/she loves you.
END.
The Family Trouble Section
The family member...
1: Is in trouble with the law.
2: Is working for a Corp or the Cops (Animator's choice)
3: Is in financial trouble.
4: Has gone crazy.
5: Has disappeared.
6: Has been Zeroed Out.
END.
The When Section
Your mental problem occurs...
1: When you enter the Net.
2: When you get into combat.
3: When you hear music.
4: When you Loon Out.
5: When you see a certain thing (Animator's choice).
6: When you get Boggled.
END.
NEW RULES
NEW SHTICKS
All the old shticks from TOON could be used in TOONPUNK,
either as is or disguised as an implant. Also, any shticks
from TOONIVERSAL TOUR GUIDE can be used with the Animator's
permission. Here are a few of the most helpful ones:
* CATFALL (4 POINTS)
Catfall allows you to fall from a GREAT height
and land on your feet, unscathed. This is, of course, if you
make your Shtick roll. Otherwise, you take damage as normal
from the fall.
* KNOW OBSCURE FACTS (3 POINTS)
You know all sorts of useless facts, making you great at
game shows! When you make your Shtick roll, the Animator
will let you know one relevant fact, usually little known and
probably helpful. However, if you fail, he will tell you
something either not imporant or dangerously _wrong_. But
you won't know that, because the Animator makes the roll.
* MAXIMUM BOGGLE (5 POINTS)
A Maximum Boggle is just like a regular Boggle, but if
you manage to Maximum Boggle someone, he is Boggled for 3
turns instead of 1! Furthermore, he has to roll three times
on the Boggle table. If you Maximum Boggle another player,
you get double points!
* SENSE OF DIRECTION (2 POINTS)
With this Shtick, you can always find out what direction
anything is from where you are standing. Characters using
this Shtick will stretch out one arm, point with their index
finger and spin around like crazy for one turn. When they
stop, they'll be pointing in the direction of whatever they
wanted to locate, if they make their Shtick roll. If they
fail, they'll be going in either a random direction or the
opposite direction (but they won't know it -- the Animator
makes the roll).
Sense of Direction works in cyberspace.
* WEIRD SCIENCE (5 POINTS)
With this Shtick, you can invent strange new weapons and
machines using whatever you find lying around, or make new
programs from scratch. That doesn't mean they'll work the
way you expect. The Animator determines that. Animators
have all the fun, don't they?
SKILL POINTS
TOONPUNK characters get 40 Skill Points to make their
characters with, instead of the standard 30.
MAPS AND RANGES
This is a new rule. While it's not necessary, Animators
might want to use it to add a visual elememt to the game.
You'll need something to represent each character,
vehicle, building, etc. Metal or cardboard miniatures will
do fine for characters. You can just draw buildings or other
big stuff. If you don't have miniatures, use toy figures,
blocks, dice, coins, or anything else that's handy.
A plastic Battlemat (available at most game stores) or a
large sheet of paper marked with small squares will make
judging movement and distance much easier. Use one square
(one inch, or whatever) to represent 10 feet. If you don't
have a map sheet, you can use a ruler or just guess. After
all, this is still TOON.
Certain things, like weapons and spells, have Ranges.
This is the farthest distance at which they will have an
effect.
SPEED
This is the other half of the Range rule. Everything
that moves has a Speed rating. This tells how many squares
on the map it can move each turn. All characters and other
living things have a Speed equal to their Zip plus 1.
Therefore, a character with a Zip of 6 will have a Speed of 7
and can move 70 feet a turn -- or 7 squares on the map.
Vehicles have Speeds, too.
Falling objects always fall at 50 feet per turn, unless
something special affects them (like the Animator's whim).
Characters may or may not be able to step out of the way to
avoid getting konked.
You may be able to find Stuff that can increase or
decrease your Speed. The Animator may also come up with
Speed-changing deviices or situations, because Animators like
to mess around with things like Speed.
STUFF
In this book, Stuff means possessions. A character can
still specify up to eight items in his Back Pockets, and can
pick up more (any number of items!) along the way. Remember
that four items must be normal, but then again, what is
normal in TOONPUNK may not be normal for TOON. Ask that wise
being, the Animator, for advice.
NEW SKILL - LOOK COOL (CHUTZPAH)
In Blight City, nothing is more important than looking
cool. If you look cool, you are cool. If you look cool
enough, even the cops will leave you alone. Other Toonpunks
will want to be your pal, help you do things and will think
that you are the coolest person since Elvis. Of course, if
someone with a higher Look Cool score than you comes along,
you'll just be another schmo.
Whenever a fight is about to happen, either side can
call for a Cool Off instead. The enemies (or leaders of each
side) look each other over and make cool remarks. The
players should act out the poses and attitudes that their
characters are striking during the contest.
Then each player makes a Look Cool roll. Whoever made
it by most, wins. (The Animator can give one side a bonus
for really cool roleplaying.)
After you know who's coolest, you can still fight if you
want to. But if one side Cooled Out the other by three or
more points, the loser is Boggled and there's no fight.
Punks who are cool enough can Boggle the cops and walk away.
(Of course, cops who are cool enough can Boggle the punks
into surrendering.)
IMPLANTS
Cyberware implants are pretty expensive, and the cost
varies based on the quality. A licensed cybersurgeon in a
sterile operating room costs much more than a Toonpunk
cyberdoc in a fairly clean apartment. So does cyberware made
in a factory instead of someone's basement or garage. All
cyberware has a chance of failing or malfunctioning.
Animators should keep this die roll secret and if a
malfunction occurs, roll on the Technogeek Mistake Table (see
p. 00).
Implants are basically cybernetic shticks that cost no
character points. However, they can never be improved, and
the Shtick roll (if there is one) will always be a 5.
The _Net Profits Catalog_ offers many implants, some
with free installation and a one-year warranty (see p. 00).
