Coyote & Crow envisions a world where, due to a global catastrophe occurring around the year 1400 of the Christian calendar, the Western Hemisphere is not colonized by European or any other powers, and the indigenous societies of those continents develop unhindered by conquest from beyond the seas (although profoundly shaped by the catastrophic event itself). The game picks up some seven centuries later in a world that has adapted and even thrived, and is beginning to see the earth recover from the long darkness. Advanced technologies share the stage with a mysterious phenomenon known as the Gift - a purple mark, believed to have come in the wake of the catastrophe, which appears on certain plants and animals and which can awaken extaordinary abilities in humans.
Coyote & Crow is explicitly written for Native American audiences, and the designers provide suggestions and guardrails for non-Native players to enjoy the game without disrespect for Native cultures. As a non-Native, I'll try to stay well within those guardrails, where there's plenty of room for fun without having to push anybody's cultural boundaries.
The designers recommend creating characters as a group, part of a process that includes determining the game's boundaries (especially on sensitive subjects) and what sort of stories the player characters want to be part of. In addition to ensuring that all the players will feel welcome and comfortable at the table, this process also nudges players to create character who make sense as a group. I'm going to posit that as beginners our group wants to try playing a Kolisoo, a team of roving marshals known individually as Suyata. (This, by the way, is the designers' recommendation.) That will set our games mostly in the well-described, cosmopolitan city-state of Cahokia, making things easier for the Story Guide, and also means that a lot of our adventures will be police-procedural type stories, which will also probably be easier for the Story Guide.
In Coyote and Crow, character creation begins with Motivation. What do you want your character to be driven by? The rulebook provides several examples, but leaves an opening for players to go off-list. As a (good, I'd like to think) cop I could easily be motivated by Idealism, Order, or Justice. Hopefully some of my fellow players will opt for those, because they'll create interesting interactions with Curiosity, which I think will be fun for a character who's going to see a lot of mysteries.
Next, I should figure out my Archetype. These are kind of like character classes, but I don't want to get hung up on that correspondence, because they're also kind of not. There are six Archetypes: the Warrior, the Scout, the Tinkerer, the Seeker, the Healer, and the Whisperer. Your Archetype suggests certain preferred roles in a group or approaches to problem-solving; Warriors tend towards direct physical action, for instance, whereas Tinkerers usually prefer logic and analysis, and Whisperers like to rely on social skills. I like the Seeker for this character; Seekers are about uncovering hidden things and connecting fine details to big questions. As a Seeker I'll get a bonus to my Perception score and a free rank in Investigation or Tracking.
After that, I decide what my other Identifiers are: things like gender, age, personal affiliations and so forth. All my characters for this project so far have been male; this one will be a cisgender woman, say thirty years old. We've already established that she's a Suyata, and I don't know that I need to plug her into a lot of other structures yet, though I may think of something else as I get to know this character better. (The designers request that non-Native players not give their characters affiliations with existing or historic tribes, so that's one possibility I don't need to consider.)
The next step is to determine my character's Path. This is the result of her receipt of the Gift (Adanadi in Chahi, the common language of the setting). Receiving the Adanadi (via an injection of tissue from a marked animal) marks the transition from adolescence to adulthood, and it links a character to the type of animal from which the infused tissue came. There are fifteen Paths, each of which grants a bonus to two ability scores (Stats in this game's terms) as well as a bond to the animal in question. If I want to double down on Perception, I can choose from the Beaver (Perception and Endurance), the Spider (Perception and Strength), or the Falcon (Perception and Spirit). I must admit none of those are grabbing me; I was hoping to pick up an Intelligence or Charisma boost. The Path of the Raccoon offers both Intelligence and Charisma, however, and seems like a good fit for the wisecracking detective I seem to be reaching toward. Raccoon it is, then.
The next step is to purchase Gifts and Burdens. These are advantages and disadvantages that help round out your character. Ideally, a player will work these out with their Story Guide, but I'll just make a point of selecting elements that work well with the general vibe we established above. Categories provided in the book (which might generate either Gifts or Burdens) include Family, Allies/Opponents, Finance, Spirit World Connections, Animal Connections, Secrets, Quirks, Curses and Blessings, Addictions, Notoriety, and Companions.
I start with five points worth of Gifts, and I can gain additional points by taking on Burdens. (If I have any points left over, I can carry them over to purchasing Stats afterward.) I like the idea of having a superior who doesn't like my attitude or methods, or a colleague who sees me as unwelcome competition. Let's go with the former, and call this hostile supervisor a level-one Opponent who frequently places petty hindrances in my way. That's one point of Burden, so now I have six points to spend on Gifts. I'll take Animal Connection as a one-point Gift, because it's fun to get along with animals. On the same note, I'll take a one-point Companion in the form of a pet. Would a raccoon be too obvious? I hope not, because raccoons are cute (though more so in fiction than in real-life encounters, i'll admit) and clever and can help me find clues. A Family relationship can easily cut both ways, and I like the idea of a somewhat disreputable cousin who can hook me up with information or non-standard items but who also frequently needs to be bailed out of comic-relief level trouble, we'll call that one level each of Gift and Burden. An Ally or two will come in handy--how about an elder of some sort, perhaps a judge who likes my results even though my methods are unorthodox? Also some sort of regular informant apart from my cousin. How about a dance-club manager? Both at level 1.
That comes out to five levels of Gift and two of Burden. Not a lot of each, but I hope it's enough to get the idea of how this part of the game works. Also, it leaves me two points to carry over to Stat purchase.
Then we move on to Stats. There are nine Stats divided into three categories of Physical, Mental, and Spiritual. The Physical Stats are Strength, Agility and Endurance; the Mental ones are Intelligence, Perception and Wisdom; and the Spiritual ones are Spirit, Charisma, and Will. We generate Stat values via point-buy, with a base level of 1 (minimal human competence) in each and higher values costing extra: a 2 costs three points, a 3 six points, and a 4 ten points. You can go as high as 5, but it will cost you fifteen points, and you only get 42 plus your leftover Gift/Burden points to spend, which if spread evenly would buy you a mix of 2s and 3s. Stat bonuses from Archetype and Path are added after the point-buy step.
I have 44 points to spend. I want to be pretty well-rounded, but not ridiculously so. Raising every Stat to 2 would cost 27 points, which is not a bad start. 17 points will let me bring five Stats up to 3 before any bonuses kick in, and my two Gift points remain unspent. I'll bump Agility, Intelligence, Charisma, Perception, and Wisdom up to 3 and let the bonuses do the rest of the work. Adding one each to Perception, Intelligence, and Charisma, that puts me at the following Stat values:
Strength 2, Agility 3, Endurance 2, Intelligence 4, Perception 4, Wisdom 3, Spirit 2, Charisma 4, Will 2. Our hero is highly charming, perceptive, and analytical; she's also well-coordinated and good at organizing and prioritizing information, but average in other respects.
After Stats come Skills. Again I have 42 points to spend, and since I didn't use the two left over from Gifts and Burdens I can apply them here. The costs of Skill ranks go up in a progression similar to Stats. There are 28 General Skills, most of which feature specializations that a character can further invest in. Most of these can be attempted at without training at rank 0, but some require a minimum investment of one rank to be usable at all.
As a Suyata my character will need a combination of investigative, physical and combat skills to do her job well. I'll be part of a team, so I don't necessarily have to cover all the bases myself, but I should at least be able to contribute something in each of the three basic cop categories of investigating, action-movie noncombat stuff, and fighting.
So let's start with Investigation. Investigation is linked to Perception and Wisdom, and if I have any ranks in it I'll be able to use the higher Stat when making checks (at 0 ranks you have to use the lower Stat). One rank costs 1 point, two will cost 3, and three will cost 6. I think I can manage with two, but may want to revisit that. There are no Investigation specialities, so we'll move on. Also I can take a free rank in it.
Charm hits two strong points - Perception and Charisma - and I don't know whether I need a deep investment in it yet. 1 Rank for now. The available specializations are Seduction, First Impressions, and Audiences; I can see where the second one is going to come in handy, and it will cost me a point to get to Rank 2 for that particular subset of Charm situations. Five points spent so far.
Skullduggery runs on Perception and Charisma as well, and is the very epitome of Unorthodox Methods. One rank to start with, plus Specializations in Lockpicking (rank 2) and Picking Pockets (also rank 2) Three more points spent brings us to 8.
Am I a driver or a parkourer? My Strength and Endurance levels suggest I might want to stay behind the wheel, and since they're the same value I don't have to worry about the no-rank penalty. So 1 Rank of Piloting, with a point reserved for specialization in whatever kind of vehicle we're most likely to be using in chase scenes (we'll say land vehicles). 10 points committed.
But I think I want at least a Rank of Stealth as well, which brings us to 11.
Now we're looking at combat skills. Suyata are expected to handle trouble without killing people, so a rank of Unarmed Combat seems appropriate. Fortunately the key Stats include Intelligence as well as Strength so I can be good at this. I'll take a specialization rank in Wrestling, which is good for restraining uncooperative suspects. That's two more, so 13 points spent.
I should also put a rank each into Ranged Weapons and Melee Weapons, but I'm not sure I want to specialize in either. Two more points, 15 spent total.
Now it's time to get some hobbies before I plow more points into professional skills. A rank of Husbandry will get me more skill working with animals. Specializations involve choosing particular species; I don't think I want to go that far. The tally is at 16.
What else? I've got a contact who runs a dance club, that seems like a good skill to develop. One rank in Performance with a specialized rank in Dancing costs two, and brings us to 18 points.
She also seems like the sort of person who'd enjoy messing around with gats (the 3D printers of the Coyote & Crow setting) but hasn't focused her attention on any particular type of craft. 1 rank in Crafting seems worthwhile. 19 points spent.
Computers is both a hobby skill and a professional one. I have no doubt our PC could have been a hacker before she was recruited to be a Suyata. 1 rank in general computing with two more in Hacking will cost 5 points. 24 spent, 20 left to play with.
Wait, I should probably take a rank in Knowledge, and maybe consider specializing in a particular subject as well.
Now to go back over our professional skills and see what we want to boost or add. I think we're going to want Deception, so put a rank in that, with 2-rank specialties in Disguise and Impromptu Lying. 3 more points spent, 16 to go. Let's boost Investigation again, at a cost of 3 more points. 13 left. Let's take a rank in Tracking with a speciality in Urban Tracking as well. (2 points, 11 left).
Boosting rank-2 specializations to 3s will cost 2 points each, and taking a 3 to 4 will cost 3 points. so I can boost three rank-2 specializations for 6, buy a Knowledge specialization for 1, take a rank in Medicine so I'm not hopeless at first aid, and then boost a 3 to 4. So Lockpicking, First Impressions, and Impromptu Lying all get the boost from 2 to 3. I want to have an above-average grasp of Cahokia city geography, so I'll take a rank in that Knowledge speciality. That final boost feels significant - whatever I choose is basically going to become my signature skill (well, alongside Investigation, anyhow). I'm going to go with First Impressions; she's very good at getting that foot in the door.
Having finally spent all of our Skill points, we can move on to Abilities. These are the extraordinary powers received through the Adanadi. Only 15-20% of the adult population has Abilities, but as usual player characters are kind of special. (Also, you have to have an Ability to become a Suyata.) I can choose one, and it must be linked to either of the Stats enhanced by my Path (Charisma and Intelligence, you may recall). The best Intelligence choice for me seems to be Eagle's Insight, which will allow me to substitute my Intelligence rating for other abilities when making skill or stat checks. (The other two involve mental attacks and I don't know if I want to go in that direction.) Under Charisma, I skip past Mountain's Inspiration (which lets you give super-effective group pep talks) and Coyote's Gaze (which is way too close to a mind-control effect for my tastes) to consider Deer's Smile, which allows me to project a calming influence over a group that makes it more difficult for them to initiate violence. (Yeah, I realize that sounds kind of mind-controlly too; trust me, Coyote's Gaze is even more so.) And although talking down an angry crowd certainly sounds like something that might be in this character's sphere of competence, I think I prefer Eagle's Insight.
Starting Equipment appears to be next. As a Suyata I have access to a couple of standard items: a concealable suit of personal armor (+1 physical defense) and a travel/survival kit. For other gear I am encouraged to work with my Story Guide to develop a list that makes sense for the character. Instead of keeping track of money, each character has a Wealth Rank, and purchasable items have Cost Ranks that abstract how expensive they are. With a Wealth Rank of 4, I generally have to make a check to buy anything with a Cost Rank of 4; less expensive items can be handwaved, whereas more expensive ones might require a higher-difficulty check (and debt), or I might have to declare them as a Goal and work up to acquiring them. So for starting equipment, apart from my city-issued Suyata gear I'll assume I can have as many Cost 3 items as I want and a limited number of Cost 4 ones, and write off anything bigger as temporarily out of reach.
A Niisi, the setting equivalent of a smartphone, seems like a must. That's a 4, though, and I shouldn't take more than a few of those. I'll hold off on a home computer for the moment, and at CV 5 a hacking rig is going to be beyond my means (despite my l33t sk1llz) until I can gather up the resources for it. But a concealable communicator (CV 3) should come in handy as a backup to the niisi. A first aid kit and a basic tool kit are each CV 3 and worth having. A knife is always useful to have and only CV 2. We don't seem to get department-issue weapons, so I might have to either get a basic recurve bow or invest in a CV 4 option such as a magnetic sling or a superior bow. Vehicles are kinda pricey; I think I'll rely on whatever the Council might assign us for our missions.
Now I've been through the list and have only picked one CV 4 item; it seems to me that two more won't break anything. I'll get a light mag-sling for ranged combat and that home computer I was eyeing earlier.
Now that I have my starting gear, I move on to Derived Stats. As the name suggests, these are based on primary Stats. The first is Initiative, which will help determine when I act in an encounter. It's the sum of Agility, Perception, and Charisma, which bodes well for me. That's a total of 11. Next come Defense Values, and there is one each for physical, mental, and spiritual capacities. Physical Defense is the sum of Agility and Endurance: 5. Mental Defense adds Perception and Wisdom: 7. Mystical Defense adds Charisma and Will: 6.
The last Derived Stats are basically endurance batteries for physical, mental, and spiritual energy. Each starts as the sum of the three Stats in each sphere. I'll start with 7 Body points, 11 Mind points, and 8 Soul points.
Now it's time to fill out my Background. I see this character as a mischievous city kid who was kept off a bad path by an authority figure who nudged her in the right direction. (That would be the judge who's her level 1 Ally.) A Cahokian from birth and insatiably curious since childhood, she spent a lot of her youth roaming the city unsupervised and making adults tear their hair out. Thanks to the judge's influence, she was recruited into the Suyata, but her Minatin (commander) is a straight-laced type who finds both her attitude and her penchant for shady tactics appalling (that's our level 1 Opponent), and they consistently cramp her style.
Next, I can move on to Goals. Coyote & Crow gives player characters both short-term and long-term goals. Short-term goals involve a) improving or gaining Skills, or b) obtaining Gear without having to make a Wealth check, and a character is usually pursuing two short-term goals at any given time. Clearly I should shoot for that hacking rig I want, and I'll also work towards a Skill specialization: Urban Stealth. Since the rig's CV is 5, that'll take five sessions of play to achieve; the Skill specialization will come much more quickly, and I'll get to rank 2 after one session (at which point I can continue to work on it, or select a different goal to pursue).
Long-term goals include developing a new Ability, boosting a Stat, gaining or improving a Gift, and lowering or removing a Burden. They're supposed to be major arcs in a character's life, and the rules stress the importance of working with your Story Guide to develop them and integrate their pursuit into gameplay. Since I'm flying solo here, I'll keep it simple; she thinks she gives up on goals and tasks too easily, and is working to improve her Will stat.
I haven't given this character a name yet, but the publisher has a random generator that creates names in Chahi: coyoteandcrow.net/chahi-name/ Spinning the wheel a few times to find something I like, I come up with Taga. Now, let's put Taga's information together in a stat block:
Taga, 31-year-old Cahokian cisfemale Suyata
Archetype: Seeker Path: Raccoon Motivation: Curiosity
Background: Mischievous city kid recruited into the Suyata by a perceptive and kindly Judge.
Gifts & Burdens: Ally G1 (Judge), Ally G1 (dance club manager), Animal Connection G1, Companion G1 (pet raccoon), Family G1/B1 (disreputable cousin), Opponent B1 (commander)
Short-Term Goals: Learn speciality Urban Stealth, obtain Hacker Rig
Long-Term Goal: Improve Will
Stats (Physical): Strength 2, Agility 3, Endurance 2; PD 5 (6 with skinsuit), Body 7
Stats (Mental): Intelligence 4, Perception 4, Wisdom 3; MD 7, Mind 11
Stats (Spiritual): Spirit 2, Charisma 4, Will 2; SD 6, Soul 8
Wealth Rank: 4
Ability: Eagle's Insight
Skill Scores and Specializations: Charm 5 (First Impressions 8), Computers 5 (Hacking 7), Crafting 5, Deception 5 (Disguise 6, Impromptu Lying 7), Husbandry 5, Investigation 8, Knowledge 5 (Cahokian Geography 6), Medicine 5, Melee Weapons 3, Performance 5 (Dancing 6), Piloting 5 (Land Vehicles 6), Ranged Weapons 5, Skullduggery 5 (Lockpicking 7, Picking Pockets 6), Stealth 4, Tracking 5 (Urban Tracking 6), Unarmed Combat 5 (Wrestling 6)
Belongings: Suyata skinsuit, Suyata kit, niisi, knife, mag-sling, home computer, basic took kit, first aid kit
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