In the beginning, there were three heroes of legend. Speed, the Quick. Power, the Strong. Fly, the Mobile. They coexisted in harmony, complementing each other in a very idiosyncratic, if arbitrary, manner. Sonic Team approved it, and it was good.
This is the primary lens that the franchise has used to classify characters in the intervening decades, and in the case of Sonic TTH, it does a good job of modeling the general archetypes that superheroic Player Characters typically fall into. However, there is a subset of players that may not necessarily want to be the next Sonic or Knuckles. While other player characters duke it out in the center of the battlefield, some players would prefer to sit and help out on the sidelines and focus on strategizing or simply helping out their fellow players where the need arises. Perhaps they are more interested in playing a character that doesn't necessarily have amazing abilities but relies primarily on their wits and strength of character to win the day. Enter the Technique Type.
What Sort of Characters are Technique Types?
Sally Acorn. Chris Thorndyke. Whisper the Wolf. Tom "Donut Lord" Wachowski. What do all of these characters have in common? In addition to being beloved (or infamous) supporting cast members of various Sonic spin-off media, they all share a similar role. They are "mere mortals" who fight alongside supernaturally gifted characters. They can't break the sound barrier with their running speed or deadlift a car, but they can inspire those around them, provide genius insight and technical support, or they can provide more general support with specialized training, unique gadgets, and sheer grit. Notably, these characters aren't all Mobian-type anthros, humans fit the bill here as well!
Up until now, this system has catered to standard Mobian-type characters and similarly abled androids. This is because humans do not possess the same innate potential for exceptional abilities that the main Sonic cast does. But Technique Types depict the everyman who doesn't have these abilities either, so humans are fair game as well as run-of-the-mill Mobians.
Technique Types present a way for Players Characters to emulate the storytelling beats of supporting cast members from across Sonic media, as well as more individualistic "outsider" characters that don't fit as neatly into conventional Sonic character tropes.
Getting Technical
So what exactly does a Technique Type character do? A laconic answer might be "It's the support class," but that's an oversimplified way of looking at them. Really, they serve as a compliment to the existing Types and provide players with enhanced options to engage with the mechanics of the system that the combat-focused classic trio of Types typically dip into as secondary or tertiary focuses. They also serve as a catch-all for character concepts that might not fit as neatly into the established Type system. As a result, Technique Types are more varied than the defined roles that Speed, Power, and Fly cater to. The attributes that all Technique Types adhere to are as follows:
Hero Attributes (Speed, Power, Dexterity) are capped at a maximum of 3 at character creation.
Mental Attributes (Intellect, Charisma) may be raised up to 5 at character creation and are not limited to parity with a character's highest Hero Attribute
Tag-Team Attacks are unique abilities that augment the other three Types and are tied to Mental Attribute derived skills rather than attack rolls
Each Technique Type has a Special move that they may use once per session, rather than a Team Blast that must be performed in tandem with other teammates using Trick Points
Being more of an umbrella than a defined role, Technique Types have a variety of sub-types that give them mechanically distinct roles:
The Genius
The Genius focuses on Intellect. The most common archetypes for this in the Sonic universe are typically very gifted with gadgets or research into the ancient world, though extensive knowledge on a variety of subjects with practical applications to adventuring can also be applied here. Or they may not have a particular field of study, just a keen eye and a willingness to learn.
The Special move The Genius uses is Inventive Solution, a move that allows the character to cobble together or locate a device that will aid the character for the duration of that encounter. This could include weapons, vehicles, or other special gear that could prove invaluable to their team.
The Figurehead
The Figurehead focuses on Charisma. The most common archetypes for this in the Sonic universe are typically royalty, squad leaders, or even grifters with hearts of gold. They excel at persuading people to help their cause while also being very strong-willed and self-assured.
The Special move The Figurehead uses is Rally Support, a move that allows the character to pull in friendly characters from the environment to assist with a single encounter. This includes pulling in friendly animals, so this ability is useful even in a wilderness environment.
The Generalist
The Generalist has no definite focus, that's the point. Their attribute ratings are mostly 3s, giving them the benefit of being able to help out their team with consistent competency in a wide variety of scenarios. The most common archetypes for these types of characters in the Sonic universe are typically specialists with paramilitary backgrounds, civilians with skills and connections that lend themselves to adventuring, or untrained rookies who have yet to find a calling and prefer to assist from the sidelines. Their success typically doesn't come down to any one skill or ability they possess, but their persistence and work ethic that drive them to overcome overwhelming odds.
The Special move The Generalist uses is Indomitable Will, an ability that allows them to reroll any one skill check they make once per session and take the better result. While not as flashy as the other abilities, it's a versatile ability that gives them a peerless opportunity to turn even the worst situations around.
Year Two: Electric Boogaloo
As with everything in this fan game, there's no set release date on when this change will be rolled out, and with an overhaul this big there are a lot of parts to this I'll be working on in my spare time in the upcoming months to accommodate it, including new character sheets, new pre-gen characters, and even a new logo! But hopefully, the Technique Type will be a part of the published ruleset by the end of 2024. Thanks to the community for their continued enthusiasm and support on this project! Keep on Rollin'
-McShmoodle
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