Big Wet Five: Past Lives, Stats Arrive

This is about the Big Wet, my postdiluvian Mothership hack setting thing.

WET STATS

Mothership has four stats: Speed, Strength, Intellect, and Combat. It also four saves—Body, Fear, Sanity, and Armor.

I'm cutting saves, I think. I'll figure something else out for armor, but the Big Wet is fundamentally less of a horror setting than Mothership, and I prefer to just make stats and saves the same thing anyway. Stress is probably getting slashed, too.

The current stats I'm think about for the Big Wet are:

• Brain: your intellect, processing power, knowledge. Left and right brain both, really.
• Nerves: your reaction speed, ranged combat abilities, fine motor control. Anything connected to your senses or nervous system.
• Heart: your emotional sway, willpower, tenacity. More metaphorical than physical.
• Lungs: your athletic talents, endurance, melee combat abilities. Anywhere oxygen flows.

I like these because A) they're good fleshy nouns with some zest, and B) they're a little more flexible and metaphorical and thought-provoking than just basic terms. 

They follow the same procedure as Mothership for determining them: roll 6d10 for each stat, down the line. Roll under that stat to succeed on a check. 

Wet, of course, is the fifth stat: it comprises your literal wetness, but also fatigue, weariness, exhaustion, and lack of will. 

(Eyes, Ears, Hands, Fingers, Bones, Face, Tongue, Liver, and Meat were all reject stats. They might get added in later. We'll see.) 

DRY TIMES

Mothership has classes, which give you your starting saves, a couple of skills, and one or two random abilities. I'm not super into them, to be honest, so instead the Big Wet's going to have a giant d100 list of "who you were when it was dry," which gives you some starting skills. Roll one of these at chargen.

Not all of these are equal. The basic weighting is that stats > free skills > selected skills, and a given background should have the equivalent of ~4 free skills, but the balancing is pretty loose. Embrace the inequality, to some degree.

Here's the list:

1. Accountant
   +10 Brain, Mathematics, 2 skills
2. Activist
   +5 Heart, Politics, Tactics, 2 skills
   
3. Actor
   +20 Heart, Art, 2 skills
   
4. Airline Pilot
   Driving, Piloting, Vehicle Specialization, 2 skills
5. Architect
   +5 Brain, 3 skills
   
6. Arms Dealer
   +5 Nerves, Bartering, Economics, Post-Collapse Markets, Fighting, Firearms, Ammunition Recycling
7. Assassin
   +5 Lungs, +5 Nerves, Fighting, Firearms, Close-Quarters Combat, Weapon Specialization
8. Astronaut
   +5 Brain, +5 Lungs, Mathematics, Physics, Diving
9. Author
   Art, 3 skills
10. Banker
    -10 Heart, Mathematics, Economics, 2 skills
    
11. Barista
    +5 Nerves, +5 Lungs, 3 skills
12. Bartender
    +5 Nerves, +5 Face, Coastwise, 2 skills
13. Bodyguard
    +10 Lungs, Fighting, 2 skills
14. Boxer
    +20 Lungs, Athletics, Fighting, Close-Quarter Combat
15. Bus Driver
    Driving, Coastwise, 3 skills
16. Caregiver
    +10 Heart, +10 Brain, 2 skills
17. Carpenter
    +10 Nerves, +5 Lungs, Mechanical Repair, 1 skill
18. Cashier
    +5 Lungs, +5 Heart, 3 skills
19. Celebrity
    +10 Heart, +10 Lungs, 2 skills
20. Chef
    +10 Nerves, +5 Brain, Agriculture, 1 skill
21. Chemist
    +10 Brain, Chemistry, Explosives, 1 skill 
22. Civil Servant
    +5 Brain, Politics, Administration, Governance, 1 skill
23. Dancer
    +10 Lungs, Athletics, 2 skills
24. Dentist
    +10 Brain, Biology, Medicine, Surgery
25. Dietician
    +5 Brain, +5 Lungs, Agriculture, Biology, 1 skill
26. Drug Dealer
    +5 Lungs, +5 Nerves, Bartering, Economics, Post-Collapse Markets
27. Ecologist
    +10 Brain, Hydrology, Biology, Botany, Meteorology, Climatology, Neo-Ecology
28. Economist
    +5 Brain, Bartering, Mathematics, Economics, 1 skill
29. Editor
    +5 Brain, -5 Heart, Art, 3 skills
30. Electrician
    +5 Brain, Mechanical Repair, Scavenging, 2 skills
31. Engineer
    +5 Brain, Mathematics, Physics, Engineering, 1 skills
32. Farmer
    +10 Brain, Agriculture, Meteorology, Botany, Hunting
33. Fast Food Worker
    +5 Lungs, +5 Heart, 3 skills
34. Film Producer
    -5 Brain, Bartering, Politics, 3 skills
35. Fisher
    +5 Lungs, +5 Nerves, +5 Brain, Biology, Hydrology, 1 skill
36. Flight Attendant
    +5 Heart, +5 Nerves, 3 skills
37. Forester
    +5 Lungs, +5 Brain, Biology, Botany, 2 skills
38. Game Designer
    -5 Brain, -5 Heart, -5 Lungs, -5 Nerves
39. Garbage Worker
    +5 Heart, +5 Lungs, Scavenging, 2 skills
40. Geographer
    +10 Brain, History, Art, Hydrology, 1 skill
41. Hairdresser
    +5 Heart, +5 Nerves, Art, 2 skills
42. Historian
    +5 Brain, History, 2 skills
43. Hunter
    +5 Lungs, +5 Nerves, Hunting, Firearms, 1 skill
44. Illustrator
    +10 Nerves, +5 Heart, Art, 1 skills
45. Influencer
    +10 Heart, +5 Lungs, Athletics, 1 skill
46. Insurance Agent
    Bartering, 3 skills
47. IT Tech
    +5 Brain, Mechanical Repair, Computers, 1 skill
48. Jeweler
    +10 Nerves, Art, History, Bartering
49. Journalist
    +5 Brain, +5 Heart, Coastwise, Art, 1 skill
50. Lawyer
    +10 Brain, -5 Heart, History, Tactics, Philosophy, Ethics
51. Librarian
    +20 Brain, History, Politics, Administration, Governance
52. Linguist
    +10 Brain, 3 skills
53. Locksmith
    +10 Nerves, +5 Brain, Breaking & Entering, Safecracking, 1 skill
54. Magician
    +10 Nerves, 3 skills
55. Marine
    +10 Lungs, +5 Nerves, Fighting, Firearms, Close-Quarters Combat, Amphibious Warfare
56. Marine Biologist
    +10 Brain, Diving, Biology, Hydrology, Scuba, 1 skill
57. Martial Artist
    +10 Lungs, Athletics, Fighting, Spirituality, Close-Quarters Combat, 1 skill
58. Mason
    +5 Lungs, +5 Brain, Scavenging, 2 skills
59. Mathematician
    +10 Brain, Mathematics, 2 skills
60. Mechanic
    +5 Brain, +5 Nerves, Mechanical Repair, Driving, Jury Rigging
61. Miner
    +10 Lungs, Scavenging, Urbex, 1 skill
62. Musician
    +10 Heart, +5 Nerves, Art, 2 skills
63. New-Age Guru
    +10 Heart, Spirituality, Theology, Apocalyptic Mysticism, 1 skill
64. Nurse
    +5 Brain, +5 Heart, +Nerves, First Aid, Medicine
65. Organized Criminal
    +5 Lungs, Breaking & Entering, Coastwise, Politics, 1 skill
66. Painter
    +5 Nerves, Art, 3 skills
67. Pharmacist
    +5 Brain, Chemistry, Biology, Medicine, Pharmacology, 1 skill
68. Police Officer
    -20 Heart, +5 Lungs, +5 Nerves, Fighting, Firearms, 2 skills
69. Politician
    +5 Heart, +5 Brain, Politics, Tactics, 2 skills
70. Priest
    +5 Heart, +5 Brain, Spirituality, Theology, 2 skills
71. Private Eye
    +5 Nerves, +5 Brain, Fighting, Firearms, Scavenging, Hunting
72. Psychologist
    +5 Brain, +5 Heart, Biology, Psychiatry, 2 skills
73. Public Health Worker
    +5 Brain, +5 Heart, Biology, Agriculture, Hydrology, Politics, Administration
74. QA Specialist
    +5 Brain, Mechanical Repair, Scavenging, 2 skills
75. Rancher
    +5 Lungs, Hunting, Agriculture, 2 skills
76. Realtor
    +5 Heart, Bartering, Breaking & Entering, 2 skills
77. Receptionist
    +5 Heart, 3 skills
78. Roustabout
    +5 Lungs, Scavenging, Urbex, 2 skills
79. Sailor
    +5 Lungs, Hydrology, Athletics, Diving, 1 skill
80. Salesperson
    +10 Heart, Bartering, 2 skills
    
81. Sanitation Specialist
    +10 Brain, Biology, Medicine, Sanitation, 1 skill
82. Schoolchild
    Scavenging, Fighting, Coastwise, Diving, 2 skills
83. Sculptor
    +5 Nerves, +5 Lungs, Art, 2 skills
84. Secretary
    +5 Brain, +5 Heart, Politics, Administration, 1 skill
85. Singer
    +5 Lungs, +5 Heart, Art, 2 skills
86. Social Media Manager
    +10 Heart, +5 Brain, Politics, Administration, 1 skill
87. Spy
    +5 Nerves, +5 Heart, +5 Brain, Athletics, Fighting, Coastwise, Politics, Breaking & Entering
88. Stripper
    +10 Lungs, +5 Heart, Art, Athletics, 1 skill
89. Student
    4 skills
90. Surgeon
    +5 Brain, +10 Nerves, First Aid, Medicine, Surgery
91. Tailor
    +5 Nerves, Art, Scavenging, 2 skills
92. Teacher
    +10 Heart, +5 Brain, +5 Lungs, Coastwise, Tactics, Command
93. Thief
    +10 Nerves, Breaking & Entering, 2 skills
94. Trucker
    +5 Lungs, +5 Nerves, Driving, Coastwise, 2 skills
95. Trust Fund Kid
    -5 Heart, +5 Lungs, 2 skills
96. Undertaker
    +5 Lungs, +5 Brain, Biology, First Aid, Scavenging, 1 skill
97. Veterinarian
    +5 Heart, +5 Brain, +5 Nerves, Biology, First Aid, Medicine
98. Weather Person
    +5 Brain, Hydrology, Meteorology, 2 skills
99. Yoga Instructor
    +5 Lungs, +5 Nerves, Spirituality, Athletics, 1 skill
100. Zoologist
     +5 Brain, +5 Lungs, Biology, Hunting, 1 skill

I'm sure there's a few more in here somewhere that I'm missing. Feel free to make your own, too. 

BIG WET FUTURE V

My semester is starting back up, so my time is reduced, but next on the docket are things like:

• Dry Wonders, all of the artifacts and strange devices that you, as scavengers, are hunting for
• Wet Vehicles, for land and sea (and both), and all of their stats and stuff
• Flooded Wastes, and how you might run the over-land/sea procedures of the game
• Wet Gear revised, since the last listing were slightly suspect

But yeah. Keep an eye out.