Upgrading Your Character

[Hook]

[This will be mirrored on the Wiki. Or, rather, enshrined in permanent form on the Wiki.]

So your character has been in the game-world for some time now, and he's changed as a result of being with all of these other weirdoes. A lot of those changes are mental and should be roleplayed out¹, however it's plausible and possible that he's been physically modified.

Upgrades can be used to modify a character's stats, physical weaknesses, special abilities, weapons, or armor. If you can think of anything else you would like to upgrade that doesn't fall under those categories, you can go ahead and submit an application for that too. (Skills work slightly differently, and will be covered in the next reply on this thread.)

An application has to be filled out for each upgrade. In this application you must have:

- What you want to upgrade
- in-character justification for the upgrade, both why your character wants this and how you plan to get it for them
- out-of-character justification for the upgrade. What does this upgrade add to the character and to the game?

All upgrade applications should be sent to [e-mail] with the subject 'Upgrade - Character - Faction'.

The admin will judge your application and either approve it or deny it. If it is denied, it's denied. You may discuss the issue with the admin and perhaps try to work out a compromise, but the admin have absolutely final say on the matter.

If it is approved, you will need to roleplay out the upgrade process, then have the admin look at your scene(s). If they approve of that, the upgrade will be added to your Wiki entry, and you will have an upgrade.

A few notes:
- The more interesting the 'plot' to get the upgrade, the more likely it is to be approved. Therefore, if you have something specific and cool in mind, include this in your application. Don't generalize about how you want to do something if you can possibly avoid it.

And even if the basic process is Hook installing a part in someone, well, how are you going to get that part?

- The more powerful a character is, the less likely we are to grant an upgrade.

- 'Buying off' physical weaknesses is possible. But it must be an extraordinary application, and even then we might say no.

You may only apply for an upgrade to a character every nine months real time.

All upgrade applications should be sent to the same address that you sent your character applications to.
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1. An exception is skills. Skills are... interesting.

[Hook]

Skills upgrades, as noted above, work slightly differently. You still have to fill out the same upgrade application as for a physical upgrade, of course.

Skills can be upgraded every nine months, same as physical upgrades. They are not, however, on the same 'timer', so you can get both a skill upgrade and a physical upgrade near each other or six months apart if you feel like it.

You can either add new skills at the Amateur level or increase your skill ranks in a skill you already have. You are expected to demonstrate the learning process for gaining new ranks in this skill as part of the upgrade RP.

You cannot 'jump' skill ranks. You can go from Average to Good with one upgrade, not from Average to Excellent.

The higher the skill rank you want to upgrade to, the less likely you are to be approved. Similarly, the more skills you have, the less likely you will be approved for a new one.

Your character will probably acquire a lot of new skills in the Deadzone just as a part of life. Not all of them should be applied for. Some are 'learn once and it's automatic' skills - for instance, your character does not have a Walk skill, does he? Others are skills where you've not even learned enough to really be considered an amateur at it - Hook can confirm commands on Gillanan III computers, but that doesn't exactly mean he has a skill with either the language or the local software. Others are fluff skills - while we're sure Dead End can teach people a thing or two about giving a good polish, that's not even something he has as a ranked skill.

Another type of skill that should not be applied for is a skill your character conceivably already have based on his history and personality. Those, as covered by our rules, are ones that you can ask the admin about and get either a yea or nay on directly.

[Hook]

Throughout the game, some technology upgrades will be offered as 'freebie' upgrades. You will still have to apply for them, but they will not count against your nine month time limit.

Available Free Upgrades:
- robot-mode flight (Decepticons)
- dampeners to protect against Counterpunch's blasts (Autobots)