It’s Ed here. Let’s switch back to the Adventure Generator for ETU.  I’ve already discussed the Party generator. Today’s remarks cover the Research generator. As we have mentioned before, ETU includes a new attribute called Study. This is a cumulative bonus or penalty for the semester exams (finals). If you don’t pass your finals, you cannot graduate to the next rank, such as from Freshman to Sophomore. This means you cannot take Sophomore edges until you have passed the prerequisite tests, regardless of your experience points.

Now before you get upset and wonder how we are forcing you to spend your 15 skill points at character creation, I want ya’ll to know that we are giving you a free d4 in your major as a Freshman.  You can increase this normally during level ups, and it increases automatically as you advance in ranks (Freshman to Senior).

Student activities during the semester modifies the Studying roll, as do certain Midnight Tales.  Each Research adventure increases the Studying modifier by one, so it’s important for Freshmen and Sophomore students (Remember, no wild die, and target number to pass test is 4).  While Research adventures don’t actually give time to study, it is meant to represent the student’s devotion to study during the semester.  Think of it as study time that is …interrupted.

Research adventures can take place anywhere, such as the library, a lab, a dorm room, or (if a Joker is pulled) lead to a special adventure seed. It may take place from the morning to the early morning hours, or even a super long cram session in which every hero begins Fatigued -1.

Next the GM generates a problem and a target. The suit of the cards reveals more about each. For instance you could generate that the team should investigate a prophet and the spades suit means it is a dangerous, angry, or cruel adventure. The difficulty generated states it involves a crime and the bad guy is an Arcanist. So as the GM I think about this and decide that a true prophet was murdered (crime) and his heart taken (cruel) by an evil Arcanist who wants to take the prophet’s powers for his own. A possible hook? The team receives a letter in the mail from the prophet mailed just before his murder. He describes the man who is going to kill him and requests that the team stop him before he kills again (he is collecting the hearts of anyone with any sort of supernatural, or paranormal abilities). This could be a tough one.

Of course there are also 20 Special adventure seeds the GM could generate as well. For instance, one is Jackpot! A hero finds a book on paranormal creatures and ghosts that is very detailed. He/she gains a +2 to any Investigation or Common Knowledge checks regarding such creatures and spirits as long as he/she has access to this book.

Next time I’ll preview the Day Tripping generator.