Character Test
by Tony Delgado, Mike Selinker, and Greg Lohman
Answer: NECESSARY EVIL
Each character sheet features a unique skill or attribute from a different RPG, and aspects of each of those RPGs are woven together in some order to form the same character's background. In addition, each character has a "Solostat" which must be determined by the solver. Because the Solostat is used for all rolls, it works as both the index into each attribute on the sheet and as the ordering mechanism for the final message. The sheets thus spell SAVAGE WORLDS SUPER VILLAIN SETTING GUIDE BOOK, and the supervillain setting guide for the RPG Savage Worlds is NECESSARY EVIL.
Zoe Zyzzldust (SoloStat 1)
- Zoe Zyzzldust once worked for a paranormal investigations franchise [Ghostbusters], using her nova superpowers [Aberrant] to stamp out the secretive cabals of sexy (yet angsty) undead [Vampire: The Masquerade]. But when the Apocalypse happened (in some vague manner that the GM has not yet explained, but has nevertheless made hardscrabble survival a prime concern) [Aftermath!], she turned her attentions to the Horrors that periodically intrude from another dimension [Earthdawn]. She is currently the bassist for the band Groovetron Love System, which must tour constantly, lest The Man keep them down [Starchildren: Velvet Generation].
| Stat | Game | Letter |
| Sparkle | Starchildren: Velvet Generation | S |
| Phases Consumed in Action | Aftermath! | A |
| Obfuscation | Vampire: The Masquerade | V |
| Quantum Pool | Aberrant | A |
| Brownie Points | Ghostbusters | G |
| Depatterning | Earthdawn | E |
The Great Haroldo (SoloStat 2)
- Billed as "Haroldo the Most Magnificent, Mysterious, Master Mesmerist [Adventure!]," The Great Haroldo began his life as a Tarot card reader [Swansong] in the Middle Kingdoms [Artesia]. But his peaceful world was shattered when the High Lords invaded and warped the reality of his planet [Torg] to match their mutually compatible science-fictiony backgrounds [Alternity]. Haroldo is now trapped in feudal Japan, where he is surrounded by ninjas and samurai of all animal species, including a very serious-looking rabbit [Usagi Yojimbo].
| Stat | Game | Letter |
| Grievances | Swansong | W |
| Axiom Level | Torg | O |
| Riven Tower Points | Artesia | R |
| Cykosis Max | Alternity | L |
| Menagerie | Adventure! | D |
| Komuso (Flautist Monk) | Usagi Yojimbo | S |
Leah-San (SoloStat 3)
- As part of a covert espionage mission [Top Secret], Leah-San and her
fivefourthreetwo clones [Paranoia] are currently enrolled in West Tokyo Hills High School, where their near-human appearance barely disguises their extraterrestrial origins [Teenagers from Outer Space]. Their favorite subject is Medieval European mythology (which they believe is fact) [Ars Magica], and when they think no one is listening they can be heard singing the blood opera of their people [Houses of the Blooded].
| Stat | Game | Letter |
| Decrepitude | Ars Magica | S |
| Solace Aspect | Houses of the Blooded | U |
| Used/Unused Experience | Top Secret | P |
| Relationship with Parents | Teenagers from Outer Space | E |
| Spurious Logic | Paranoia | R |
Ralph of Berry Hollow (SoloStat 4)
- Ralph of Berry Hollow, an anthropomorphic otter [World Tree], gained his skills by moving up through the military without dying [Traveller]. Living in the hellish Wasteland [Obsidian: The Age of Judgment] has left him with severe psychological problems. He believes that the rules of reality are constantly being modified by those around him [Dominion], that his life is nothing but a movie [It Came from the Late, Late, Late Show], and that he is regularly hit on the head with anvils without experiencing any lasting physical effects [Toon]. He does not know whether these experiences are caused by, or are the cause of, his spiral into insanity (or, perhaps, are both) [Call of Cthulhu].
| Stat | Game | Letter |
| Home Planet UPP | Traveller | V |
| Virus Rating | Obsidian: The Age of Judgement | I |
| Cley | World Tree | L |
| Mythos Knowledge | Call of Cthulhu | L |
| Stunt Double Survival Points | It Came from the Late, Late, Late Show | A |
| Work Miracle | Dominion | I |
| Pass/Detect Shoddy Goods | Toon | N |
Ernie Elventoes (SoloStat 5)
- Ernie was born in Anhelm, a series of islands floating in the sky [Eldritch Ass Kicking] A shard of power was embedded in his soul at his birth [Exalted], but this powerful gift lay dormant until the Chrysalis Ernie experienced at age 10 [Changeling: The Dreaming]. After the unification of Avalon, Ernie became a subject of Queen Elaine [7th Sea], when he joined the ranks of the recently dead and began haunting the living [Wraith: The Oblivion]. Ernie currently serves on Her Majesty's Secret Service [James Bond 007] on missions into the pit of the collective unconscious of mankind [Lacuna Part 1. The Creation of the Mystery and the Girl from Blue City (second attempt)].
| Stat | Game | Letter |
| Hand-to-Hand Combat Class | James Bond 007 | S |
| Panache | 7th Sea | E |
| Fetters | Wraith: The Oblivion | T |
| Virtue Flaw | Exalted | T |
| Wallpaper Pattern | Eldritch Ass Kicking | I |
| Target Heart Rate | Lacuna Part 1. The Creation of the Mystery and the Girl from Blue City (second attempt) | N |
| Banality | Changeling: The Dreaming | G |
Li'l Scotchy (SoloStat 6)
- There was a time when, despite being a small doglike creature only barely passing for humanoid [Kobolds Ate My Baby], Li’l Scotchy dreamed of becoming a superhero [Champions]. But those dreams were crushed when he was labeled a heretic by the Universal Church [Fading Suns] because his abilities were derived from murdering beloved pets [kill puppies for satan]. As a result, he’s on the run from dogs and farmers, just like the other rabbits that can’t count past four [Bunnies & Burrows].
| Stat | Game | Letter |
| Speak Urthish | Fading Suns | G |
| fucked-up | kill puppies for satan | U |
| People Who Know Your SID | Champions | I |
| Tastes Like Baby | Kobolds Ate My Baby | D |
| Herbs Available | Bunnies & Burrows | E |
Alger of Non (SoloStat 7)
- When not jumping through the Void near the center of the spiral galaxy [Star Frontiers], Alger of Non encodes grimoires across the Winternet with his fellow Glyphpunks [Warlock: Black Spiral]. Alger knows no more than eighteen words [Land of Og], but his power level is over nine thousand [Dragonball Z]!
| Stat | Game | Letter |
| Super Saiyan State | Dragonball Z | B |
| Save Your Ass% | Land of Og | O |
| Language—Pan-galactic | Star Frontiers | O |
| Cyclic Magick | Warlock: Black Spiral | K |