Custom Investigators and Investigator Cards

Note: character sheets reflect updates from the discussion below

I have created several custom investigators, and I have been tweaking them for several weeks. They don't have Lovecraft themes, but I do try to explain somewhat why they might appear in Arkham. Any comments are appreciated.

The first one is based on myself. To preserve anonymity, I used Amanda as a cover.

The power is not very original. It's simply a combination of existing ones. The first comes from the librarian, and the second is suggested by Strange Eons. Originally I intended my second ability to be able to re-read a book. That is, I can read a book twice before it has to be discarded. After considerations, this essentially is a super version of the drifter's ability and can break the game easily.

The other two are based on characters from the anime Naruto. The images can be found in many fansites and wiki, so I left out the proper attribution.

Itachi's abilities are weaker versions of the abilities of the researcher and the librarian. The hand-free spell is indicative of his proficiency with "eye magic" (and hence no need for hand seals). For his first ability, I want a scenario where other investigators benefit at the cost of Itachi's health. The re-roll ability is strictly weaker than the existing one; the entire check is re-rolled as opposed to re-rolling only the failures. Furthermore the re-roll does not apply to Itachi himself. However, with the damage to Itachi, I did not place a limit on the number of times per turn this ability can be activated.

Alternatively I have considered "lose 1 sanity, 1 stamina, to add 2 rolls (number of focus) to any skill check by another investigator." I am not sure which version is more powerful.

My third one:

With expansions, the second ability is really for thematic flavor. The first one is like the "dual" of the martial artist.

Hope some of you find them interesting.

Uchiha is badly overpowered. Investigators shouldn't start with anything as powerful as a Sword of Glory, Mandy's ability is overpowered to the point that even a drawback still makes it absurdly overpowered, and he has no need at all for a second ability given how powerful the first is.

I'd ditch the Sword of Glory, replace it with a random unique, put the difference in value into cash, make Protective Brother work only once per turn, and remove Hand-Free Spell- that'll make it at least close to balanced.

Uzumaki is also a bit overpowered- his first ability should apply to only fight or will, not both. Having 2 uniques and an ally to start is a bit much. Lose one of the uniques or the ally, and replace with random commons and cash value.

Your version of Amanda Sharpe's second ability is VERY good- too good to have as a secondary ability. Remove one of those.

Thanks for your comments. It's always good to get an external evaluation.

re Uzumaki: I like your suggestions here. I already made the changes; I limited his first ability to Fight and dropped one unique and replaced it by a random common. So thanks.

re student: I just want a nice supporting character here, not super powerful. Maybe reducing the sanity loss from reading by one (instead of no loss) will do the trick.

re Uchiha: My intention here is a character who is on the same level with Mandy, Joe, and Daisy. He should be as powerful as these three but not any more so.

Isn't the Sword equivalent to the gangster's Tommy Gun or Daisy's tome (that gets any spell she wants)? I would think it is more advantageous to start with an one-handed sword.

The re-roll and hand-free combo is likely too strong as you mentioned. However, hand-free is dominated by Daisy's ability, so I think a supporting ability is needed. Thematically I want a character who will take damage to himself to benefit others. Perhaps the damage ought to be quite prohibitive so that this ability rarely gets invoked.

So what about this: "Protective Brother- once per turn, lose x stamina & y sanity to reduce either sanity/stamina loss of another investigator by one."

The Big Brother skill is okay I think. No comment otherwise. Don't want to meet up with the ministry of love.

kingtweety wrote:
re student: I just want a nice supporting character here, not super powerful. Maybe reducing the sanity loss from reading by one (instead of no loss) will do the trick.

Wouldn't be much difference- there aren't many tomes with a sanity loss more than 1.

The first power isn't the issue- it's the second one that turns her into a freakin' clue token machine. It's easily good enough to be a stand-alone power (remember- the official investigator who creates clue tokens has a drawback in the form of "family curse" that your student doesn't have. His ability is a bit better, but it should be a guide that yours doesn't need a second ability).

re Uchiha: My intention here is a character who is on the same level with Mandy, Joe, and Daisy. He should be as powerful as these three but not any more so.

Eh, then there's not much I can really say. Getting dealt one of these usually means "win the game" unless you get really screwed over in the mythos. Personally, I would advise against making characters that powerful, but hey, it's your choice.

Isn't the Sword equivalent to the gangster's Tommy Gun or Daisy's tome (that gets any spell she wants)? I would think it is more advantageous to start with an one-handed sword.

1. Michael can start with the Tommy Gun because he's not that great of a character.
2. The Sword of Glory is actually better than the Tommy Gun because it's magical weapon, and there are fewer creatures with magical resistance/immunity.
3. Just because something can be more advantageous (i.e. Golden Sword or Gladius of Carcosa) doesn't mean that Sword of Glory as a starting item isn't insane.

This is the first character I made (remade in SE2). I'd welcome any comments.

Cheers,

Matt

Lets try this again, with a little editing done on my part and a more finished product hopefully it will garner some responses this time.

Heya all, this is my first time trying to make an investigator for Arkham. A good friend of mine has his birthday coming up and we are all playing Arkham on that date.

He is a big Fan of Arkham and Doctor Who, so I thought I would try my hand at making the Doctor as an Investigator to let him play as him for his Birthday. So this is what I have came up with so far, I want your opinions on how playable this is, if there are any balance issues that I might not have seen, etc.

Any input would be most welcome...

Thanks for your time,
Trevorfrost

Thematically, I'd say exhaust the Sonic Screwdriver rather than discard it.

Although we know that he will voluntarily give it up at some point, and although he has lost it briefly in the past, he's never discarded it or 'used it up'.

I hope one of your other investigators is going to be a pretty girl. Wouldn't be Dr Who without a pretty girl on the team!

I know he's technically never used it up, just I was worried that the ability was a bit powerful and I wasn't sure how to balance it out without discarding it... Also trying to keep the Screwdriver in his hand so it doesn't go bouncing around Arkham..

How about a luck(+0) check after each use to keep it?

If he's got any plans to close any gates, he's going to be going with Lore in most cases beacuse of his low Fight. And with a Focus of 1, to make the Luck check worthwhile, he's going to be making quite a sacrifice, either Lore or Clues.

That might work, or maybe something like exhaust, then during upkeep make a luck(+0) check if you fail the sonic screwdriver stays exhausted? Discard or Exhaust, I am really going to have to see it in play to make a real check lol..

What about the rest, is it too powerful?

There's always the "spend your focus to replenish" mechanic.

For the regeneration, I'd rather have you make (how many are we up to?) all nine or ten doctors. When you're devoured, just draw a new doctor. Each has a unique ability. Where'd the allies go?

Where's the TARDIS? Oh, sure, it's unreliable (skill check?) but that's what Clue tokens are for!

And, yes, you should make monsters of all types (daleks, cybermen, etc), new boards, and casebooks. The Doctor has plenty of his own foes...!

EDIT: Each Other World would be a world of one of his foes. Duh!

aka. Washu! ^O^

Well yeah I can certainly create an entire set of Doctor Who stuff certainly enough to cover an entire expansion if I would like. And maybe I will later on..

The goal however here was to create a Doctor investigator card that could be inserted into the game, without too much fuss or balance issues,

and still had enough flavor that its clearly the Doctor and not just his picture tacked onto a random set of investigator powers.

A new investigator card for each regeneration would be neat but would also i think be cumbersome, and far less streamlined.

His starting space represents the TARDIS, allowing him to jump to where he wants on the first turn..

And I thought about it over and over again when I created this sheet, should I give him 1 random ally or a set one to represent his companions?

First I thought about a set one, then I could create an Ally out of one of his Companions, and then I really started asking myself which Companion, and dear god was that a kettle of fish. Most people would expect me to go with Rose as I am using a picture of the Tenth Doctor and she seems to be the most popular. But I hate Rose.. Then if I picked Martha or Donna I would have to defend why I made the choice of one of them. And that got me to thinking about all the other awesome Companions and really it made it way to hard to choose.

So then why not just let him have a random ally? But then I looked at what he already has, very neat ablilites and a pretty neat item, having an ally as well would be too much to begin with.

I guess I could have given up the sonic screwdriver in exchange for an ally but honestly its a 50/50 either way i'd feel i was giving something up.. The Doctor can always gain an ally like everybody else, but the Sonic Screwdriver is something I would have to make to bring into the game.. shrugs..

Thus far its been a real balancing act to decide how to make him viable and still be true to the Doctor and to Arkham itself...

--Trevorfrost

The first power isn't the issue- it's the second one that turns her into a freakin' clue token machine. It's easily good enough to be a stand-alone power (remember- the official investigator who creates clue tokens has a drawback in the form of "family curse" that your student doesn't have. His ability is a bit better, but it should be a guide that yours doesn't need a second ability).

I see your point now. I have simulated a few games with these characters, and the student does get an alarmingly large quantity of clues. I underestimated the number of tomes in the decks.

However, the second ability is exactly Reginald's (from Strange Eons), so either I just use Reginald or go back to the drawing board on this one.

Isn't the Sword equivalent to the gangster's Tommy Gun or Daisy's tome (that gets any spell she wants)? I would think it is more advantageous to start with an one-handed sword.
1. Michael can start with the Tommy Gun because he's not that great of a character.
2. The Sword of Glory is actually better than the Tommy Gun because it's magical weapon, and there are fewer creatures with magical resistance/immunity.
3. Just because something can be more advantageous (i.e. Golden Sword or Gladius of Carcosa) doesn't mean that Sword of Glory as a starting item isn't insane.

How about starting with this custom sword instead of the Sword of Glory?

This ought to be a decent downgrade. It's a little better than shrivelling since it works without casting, and the cost is paid after use as opposed to before.

re Trevor the Tourist: I like fear frenzy, but what is the toughness of the monster trophy? I assume it's 1 based on the value of your items, right?

I would go back to the drawing board with the student. It's a personal preference, but I don't like copying abilities, anyways- it makes characters play too similar to something that already exists, and what's the fun in that?

Also, I wouldn't necessarily pay too much attention to the Strange Eons default investigators as far as balance goes. Hazel is insane if CotDP is the only expansion, and useless otherwise; Reginald is useless thanks to 3 speed but would be insane if his speed was playable, (really, he does NOT need two abilities given how good his second is).

Make the sword +5 and it might be OK. I really don't think that giving an investigator a starting item that's strictly better than Shriveling is a good idea. I still am not certain about giving him a magic weapon in general, though. Usually, it's bad to give an investigator everything they need to be effective in their starting possessions- Mandy gets NO fixed possessions, Joey only starts with 1 weak physical weapon when is primary role is usually fighting, and Daisy should have never happened (seriously, FFG should know better by now than to print someone like her. Then again, they've done quite a bit of stuff with Kingsport that seriously makes me wonder...).

You think the .45 Automatics are weak? I think they are one of the best physical weapons out there, with +4 to combat for only one hand. Two Automatics are about the best combat bonus you can get with weapons alone and even combined with a revolver it is still +7 which rivals the Flamethrower (which is once per turn). Add to that that you can combine it with a one-handed magical weapon as well, the .45 is very versatile.

But on topic: any strong magical weapon is probably too much as starting equipment. I wouldn't give out anything more powerful than the Enchanted Knife or the Enchanted Cane and definitely not a Sword of Glory.

kingtweety wrote:

re Trevor the Tourist: I like fear frenzy, but what is the toughness of the monster trophy? I assume it's 1 based on the value of your items, right?

You're right, I had intended it to be a random draw, but based on the stats, and a $1 per Toughness point rate, I guess I should assign a $2 value to it (taking a guess that the average toughness of the base set monsters without masks is about 2).

*I'll get it updated* I have updated it.

Cheers.

Cynical wrote:
Also, I wouldn't necessarily pay too much attention to the Strange Eons default investigators as far as balance goes. Hazel is insane if CotDP is the only expansion, and useless otherwise; Reginald is useless thanks to 3 speed but would be insane if his speed was playable,

Thanks. This made my day.

Cheers,
Chris

Cynical wrote:I would go back to the drawing board with the student. It's a personal preference, but I don't like copying abilities, anyways- it makes characters play too similar to something that already exists, and what's the fun in that?

Also, I wouldn't necessarily pay too much attention to the Strange Eons default investigators as far as balance goes. Hazel is insane if CotDP is the only expansion, and useless otherwise; Reginald is useless thanks to 3 speed but would be insane if his speed was playable, (really, he does NOT need two abilities given how good his second is).

Make the sword +5 and it might be OK. I really don't think that giving an investigator a starting item that's strictly better than Shriveling is a good idea. I still am not certain about giving him a magic weapon in general, though. Usually, it's bad to give an investigator everything they need to be effective in their starting possessions- Mandy gets NO fixed possessions, Joey only starts with 1 weak physical weapon when is primary role is usually fighting, and Daisy should have never happened (seriously, FFG should know better by now than to print someone like her. Then again, they've done quite a bit of stuff with Kingsport that seriously makes me wonder...).

Thanks for all these suggestions. I have updated both the student and Itachi now. My previous post reflects many changes you and others suggest.

The student's second ability is now Self-learning, which I don't think is very powerful. Realistically this allows the student to buy a skill for about $5. There's also an inherent dilemma here; she wants to read the tomes to reap benefits because she doesn't suffer sanity damage, but keeping the books helps her learn skills quicker.

I also modified Protective Brother - now it's lose 1 stamina to add only one die roll to someone else's skill check. I think it's a fair gamble. I have toyed with lifting the once per turn restriction but will leave it for now.

So I have a brawler (Naruto), a magic user (Itachi), a bookish supporting character (student). And now a shopper (a celebrity singer) to complete my custom design. I think Celebrity Status is just Credit Rating in Kingsport (I don't own this expansion but read about some of the cards). Well, so this completes my custom set. Let me know if there are other thoughts, and I will be adding them soon to my box.

Hello folks,

I just downloaded "Strange Aeons" and have been having fun playing around with it. I thought I'd post some custom investigators that I made. Apologies if the files/images don't come out right.

I'd be grateful for any feedback. The backstories are not yet fully developed.

Investigator #1 Buggles Johnson, the Escaped Convict:
http://s339.photobucket.com/albums/n475/cw67q/?action=view¤t=Buggles-Johnson-Front-Side.png

http://s339.photobucket.com/albums/n475/cw67q/?action=view¤t=Buggles-Johnson-Back-Side.png

http://s339.photobucket.com/albums/n475/cw67q/?action=view¤t=Buggles-Johnson-Character-Marker.png

Hope this comes out ok.
cheers - chris

EDIT Hmmm, I followed advice found in another thread, but I obviously misunderstood as the images didn't come out as images. I'll tray again below.

repost of Buggles the Escaped con:

Hope that works better - Chris

Hooray, images up. I liked the idea of a random satble location as Buggles' first safe house (home), but went with the Train Station. - Chris

BTW the Unbalanced is because I gave an extra focus point to make up for the "Notorious" negative ability.

Investigator #2 (another criminal) Alex "the Cat" Stephens, a burglar:

- chris

Investigator #3 Bertram the Ambulance Chaser

I toyed with having Bertie as 7SAN 3 STA

- Chris

Investigator #4 Natasha the Aristoctratic (?) White Russian Exile:

That's me for now. I'd appreciate any feedback. Thanks - Chris

Introduction: I mostly play with the more conservative strategic boardgamers, rather than adventuresome roleplayers, and, often, a decision in Arkham Horror will be between a known cost, rather than taking a risk (eg. using a special ability of a location, rather than drawing an encounter card). And, of course, Blessings are *much* preferred to other ways of spending five toughness of monsters for a benefit. So here's an investigator for those wannabee-risk-taking-but-too-conservative types, especially the ones "stuck" in a more strategic group who would otherwise make them play more conservatively.

Feel free to make comments, especially for stats and equipment. I also wasn't sure if I should have added the Devil's Hopyard and Darke's Carnival as other special abilities for her to use.