Solo Supers Sneak Peak Character 2: Cori the Corrosive Woman

As I write this, I'm typing up the next solo session that I completed over Thursday and Friday. Sadly, a long work week in the kitchen has left me fairly beat, so it'll take some time to get that write up out. In the meantime, here's another little sneak peek at a character coming up for my solo supers session.

Cori Jeong

Origin: Transformed

Attributes

Prowess: 5

Awareness: 8

Coordination: 5

Strength: 4

Intelligence: 5

Will: 6

DP: 5

Stamina: 10 

Powers

Corrosion: Limit (Non Organic targets only); 5

Specialties

Pilot: +1

Medicine: +1
Weapons: +1

Qualities

Keeps People at Arms Length
Unsure About Powers and Usage

Cori Jeong doesn't have much to say about her past before the incident. According to her, Cori is an only child that comes from two Korean parents in Los Angeles and that they disowned her for joining the Air Force. An accident happened at her base in the R&D department, setting the whole place ablaze. Cori ran back in to save a scientist trapped in the burning building, only to get some strange goo exploded onto her. It turns out that they were experimenting with a bacteria that could break down plastics, metals, and other materials. When it got on her, Cori's body changed. She found she could control the bacteria through her hands as a bluish silver goo to eat away at non-organic material. Once her time in the Air Force was up, Cori left to try and enroll into a supers academy to better control her powers, but was only able to get into HSC. She's here to get knowledge and confidence to use her corrosive powers.

Cori is 24 and a 5'11 thin Korean woman, with hair down to her shoulders. She has a light tan complexion and glasses. Cori is fairly friendly and fun loving, but gets straight to the point in a conversation. She is prone to getting lost in thought and always dodges questions about her family and childhood.

Sneak Peek Character: Obi the Gravity Man

I've already done my second session of the solo game, finishing it yesterday. Sadly, Saturdays are my long shifts in the restaurant, so I don't have a lot of time for writing it out. Instead, here is a character sheet for one of the new cast members, Obert Martin.

Obert 'Obi' Martin

Origin: Birthright

Attributes

Prowess: 3

Awareness: 7

Coordination: 6

Strength: 4

Intelligence: 4

Will: 4

DP: 3

Stamina: 8 

Powers

Gravity Control:Extra (Telekinesis); 6

Specialties

Leadership: +1

Drive: +1

Qualities

Devout Worshiper
Shoulder Bearing Burdens

Obert, or Obi Wan as most of his friend call him, is a Haitian man born to impoverished family in Little Haiti, Miami. He was raised as a devout Christian and this is still important to his life, though there is always a sort of battle within him between the spiritual and the secular. When he was only 11, Obi was struck by lightning and barely survived. With it, however, he was gifted with the powers to control gravity. Seeing this as a gift from God, Obi's parents have since been pushing him to become a superhero to not only save others, but also pull them out of poverty. But deep down, Obi isn't sure if the superhero life is really for him. He failed the exam to get into the larger academies, but his parents instantly enrolled him into HSC. Obi doesn't want to let his family down, but he also doesn't really want to be a superhero.

Obi is 18 years old and has dark charcoal skin, a shaved head and a thin mustache. He's very respectful, growing up in a strict household. Generally polite and in a good mood, but most of the time seems deep in thought.

Some Character Write Ups from the Solo ICONS Session

Here are some character sheets for some of the NPCs I had in my solo session, which can be found here and here. Mostly just for the students. I'll have to write up the teachers at some point.

Alexander Lowery

Origin: Birthright

Attributes

Prowess: 4

Awareness: 4

Coordination: 5

Strength: 3

Intelligence: 6

Will: 5

DP: 2

Stamina: 8 

Powers

Cold Control: Extra (Ice Constructs, Ice Shield); 4+1

Blast (Ice Blast): 5

Specialties

Performance: +1

Power (Cold Control): +1

Qualities

Cocky as They Come
Flaky like Snow

Craig "C.J." Jacobs

Origin: Unearthly

Attributes

Prowess: 6

Awareness: 4

Coordination: 3

Strength: 7

Intelligence: 2

Will: 6

DP: 4

Stamina: 13 

Powers

Altered Form (Metal Body); Extra (Instant); 3

Specialties

Athletics: +1

Sleight of Hand: +1

Qualities

Listen to Me, I'm Bigger and Stronger!
Picking on Weaker Folks is Fun

Jordan Lowery

Origin: Birthright

Attributes

Prowess: 4

Awareness: 4

Coordination: 5

Strength: 3

Intelligence: 5

Will: 6

DP: 2

Stamina: 9 

Powers

Fire Control; Extra (Absorbtion Fire, Aura Fire); 4
Blast (Firebolt): 7

Specialties

Business: +1

Leadership: +1

Qualities

Loud and Proud
Unsure and Fear of Own Powers

Melvin Hornick

Origin: Transformed

Attributes

Prowess: 3

Awareness: 5

Coordination: 8

Strength: 3

Intelligence: 4

Will: 4

DP: 2

Stamina: 7 

Powers

Leaping: 6
Wall Crawling: 5
Stunning vs Will (Bug Bite!): Limit (Close Range); 7

Specialties

Drive: +1

Stealth: +1

Qualities

Loud and Proud
Unsure and Fear of Own Powers

Solo Supers Sandbox Character: Raul Montanez

For my solo game, I have decided to go with ICONS for now. Guardians actually looked really interesting and I may give that a run for a different game. But for now, I'll stick with what's somewhat familiar to me, even if it is FATE based.

Anyways, the elevator pitch of the solo game setting:

"It is 2017 and the world has had superheroes for over a century. Great people with incredible powers that perform mighty feats of heroism patrol the cities of Earth, protecting up from those that would do harm. But all superheroes, especially new ones, have to learn and train from somewhere. There are many great academies to train young adults in the career of superhero.  

This is not one of those academies.

For those that didn't make the grades, have the money, or pass the entrance test, but still want to try to help, there are several community colleges that can pick you up. And that's where our story begins, with a young Miami native named Raul Montanez. He enrolls into Hero Southern Community in Miami, looking to get into the world of superheroes, no matter what it takes."

Here is the character sheet:

Raul Montanez

Origin: Birthright

Attributes

Prowess: 5

Awareness:2

Coordination: 4

Strength: 6

Intelligence: 7

Will: 6

DP: 3

Stamina: 12

Powers

Elemental Control (Weather): Limit (Concentration; +1 DP); 6

Flight (Windrunning): 5

Blast (Hailstorm Blast): 5+1

Reflection (Wind Shear Shield): Limit (Kinetic Only; +2 Power Level); 6

Specialties

Mental Resist: +1

Power (Blast): +1

Qualities

Force of Nature

When it Rains... it Pours!

Raul is a third generation Cuban-American born and raised in Hialeah. He's the first person in his family to manifest a super power, with the ability to control the weather. Raul tried for the Standardized Hero Assessment Exam to get into the big schools, but a lack of control in his power and inability to pay for school meant that he had to go to community college to make his dream come true.

He's 18 and somewhat chunky with a tan complexion and short, curly black hair. A bit on the shorter side.

That's all I have time for today. Long shift at the restaurant, so not much time otherwise. ICONS should be an interesting fit to play. I'll also explain later why I went with college student as opposed to teenage academy like Teen Titans or X-Men.

Solo Gaming Using Mythras Part 2: The Character and the Oracle

Yesterday was all about the setting and system. Today, you'll get to see the character and the oracle, as well as get some good background on some of the cultures in Anacaona.

Mucario, the Young Fisherman

Mucario is the character I'm running in my solo Mythras game. He fifteen years old and is a short, lithe young man at 5'4" and 103 pounds. His skin and eyes are a dark brown and his wind beaten hair is wavy and wild, covering his ears but not quite to his shoulders. Personality-wise, he was born under the Bat star sign with an ascendant Carrack sign, so Mucario is clever and wary, but has the demeanor of a driven and reckless youth. The personality chart I use is one I've made, linking the world's zodiac to different personalities. You roll twice, once for the main personality traits (the sign you were born under) and once for their demeanor (the ascendant sign on the east horizon), the mask they put on for the outside world. I'll have to post these one day.

One thing veterans of Mythras will notice is that despite Mucario being a sorcerer, he doesn't have the Shaping skill. I decided that since he is still a teenager, he hasn't quite mastered all of the ins and outs of sorcery. So while he learned two spells, he has no idea how to master them and change them. One of the rewards I plan for him is to find a tutor to teach him more about shaping. Maybe even join the ranks of the legendary mages in the Bulgaoya, an ancient college of sorcerers in the floating capital of Locanigua, Uraya.

Here is his bio:

"Mucario is a young Sulano native from the shattered island chain of Locanigua. Like his forefathers, he is a nomadic fisherman that travels between the small islands, trawling for sea creatures aboard small canoes and living in semi-permanent shelters on the islands during the hurricane season. Mucario is an only child, living with a single father named Guabano, but a huge extended family of aunts, uncles, and cousins. His mother was killed by the Blood Phage at the end of the war 6 years ago, so he has been raised by his father and his mother's eldest brother, Suyono. While Guabano has shown Mucario the family trade of fishing, Suyono has taught the lad about fighting with a fishing spear and shield to defend against pirates and slavers, an all too common hazard in Anacaona. 

When Mucario was 11, he fished up a set of protected scrolls. Instead of discarding them, curiosity took over and the young fisherman opened them. He revealed them to be a series of sorcery scrolls that showed how to cast two spells in the Spirit of the Ocean School of Magic. It took months of learning, but Mucario learned to cast Might of Waves and Call Lak-Lak, a friendly water elemental that can heal and entertain the lonely trawler. Despite knowing basic magic, Mucario never learned how to shape and enhance his cantrips and hopes to find a tutor that can show him how. 

Mucario enters his fifteenth year and passed through his rites into manhood. Tired of life as a fisherman and consumed with a desire to both fight barbary and learn more magic, Mucario took his canoe, some of his uncle's old armor, and left to make a name for himself as an adventurer. Patient and thoughtful, but naive and innocent, Mucario sailed to the harbor city of Puerto Oro and took a job as a bodyguard to a Captain Abraham Spalding of the carrrack Fortune. The pay seems good and a merchant like Spalding should have some good connections to the arcane tutors of the islands."

And his stats

Mucario

Nomadic Free Fisherman

                                                                                      AP/HP
STR: 12       Action Points: 3                 1–3 Right Leg 0/4
CON: 10      Damage Modifier: +0        4–6 Left Leg 0/4
SIZ: 10        Magic Points: 13                7–9 Abdomen 0/5
DEX: 13      Movement: 6 metres         10–12 Chest 3/6
INT: 13        Initiative: +13                   13–15 Right Arm 0/3
POW: 13      Armour: Linen Armor      16–18 Left Arm 0/3
CHA: 9                                                  19–20 Head 3/4

Skills:
Standard: 

Athletics 45%, Boating 42%, Brawn 32%, Conceal 26%, Customs 26%, Dance 22%, Deceit 22%, Drive 26%, Endurance 50%, Evade 36%, First Aid 31%, Influence 18%, Insight 26%, Locale 31%, Perception 56%, Ride 26%, Sing 22%, Stealth 41%, Swim 32%, Unarmed 25%, Willpower 36%

Professional:
Lore (Trawling) 41%, Musician (Wind) 27%, Navigation 61%, Seamanship 33%, Survival 43%

Magic:
Sorcery: Invocation 36%; Spells (Enhance Strength, Summon Water Elemental)

Combat Style: Locinaguan Sea Reaver 45% (Spear/Harpoon, Shield, Dagger, Bow; Excellent Footwork)

Passions:
Hates Injustice 56%, Desires Arcane Knowledge 56%

Weapons:
Spear
Knife
Buckler Shield

Armor:
Linen breastplate and brass helmet

The Oracle

The Oracle I am using is a modified version of the one found at Tiny Solitary Solider's website. I roll 2d6 and 1d3, all different colors. The first d6 is simply Yes and No. Generally it's 50/50, but I change the odds depending on whether I have a good or bad chance of the answer. So sometimes, I'll have a 2/3 chance of a yes or a 1/6 chance of a no. The d3 is And, But, and Neutral. That one stays simple. The last is a twist die, where if I roll a 6, a twist in the scene happens. I either roll for it on his table, or use a tarot card or Tangent Zero's image dice for the twist. Every time I don't roll a 6 on this, I add a cumulative plus 1 to the Twist die until I eventually roll a 6 or higher.

Beyond that, since I'm running a canned adventure, I probably won't edit it too much with twists from tarot cards and Tangent Zero's story cubes. I am looking forward to sharing the adventure later this week.

Ability Score Generation: Part 2 in a Series About Dominoes

Using dominoes for ability score generation works a lot like the previous rules. For this, since you are emulating 3d6, you can either use two sets of double 9s or just one set. If you use one set of double 9s, a friendly warning. It does have a different probability spread than classic 3d6. The probability percentages are below, using the value of 55 dominoes for a set of double 9s.

Value	Probability Fraction	Prob. %
0	1/55	1.8%
1	1/55	1.8%
2	2/55	3.6%
3	2/55	3.6%
4	3/55	5.4%
5	3/55	5.4%
6	4/55	7.2%
7	4/55	7.2%
8	5/55	9.0%
9	5/55	9.0%
10	5/55	9.0%
11	4/55	7.2%
12	4/55	7.2%
13	3/55	5.4%
14	3/55	5.4%
15	2/55	3.6%
16	2/55	3.6%
17	1/55	1.8%
18	1/55	1.8%

As you see, the average runs to about 8-10, or 9. This could mean that values will end up a bit lower than what you would find on simply rolling 3d6. With this method, the bell curve is shallower. So while the average stat dropped will be 1.5 lower than on 3d6, you have nearly 4x the chance of rolling an 18 (and conversely, a 1) than you do rolling 3d6. So keep this in mind. This method will produce average scores with a higher deviation to the extremes when using a single set of double 9s. Now remember that we'll have to remove the 0, 1, and 2 values to make the values right, so many of these percentages will increase. That means that in reality, we will be drawing from a boneyard of 51 dominoes. So drawing a 3 will actually be a 5.8% chance, compared to .46% on 3d6. That's a bit rough. So how do we balance out these probability issues?

Usage #2: Generating Ability Scores With 1 Set of Double 9s

For this method, put your double 9 set into a bag, removing the 0, 1, and 2 values. Mix everything up, then draw seven bones. Add the two numbers on each bone to reveal your stat. Write them down. 

Now, try and match up dominoes with like numbers. So if you draw a 4-3 and a 3-9, you can connect then via the 3. A bone can only connect to two other tiles (one for each number), unless it's a spinner, in which it can connect to four. Count how many tiles are connected. This is the value you can add to any of your stats. You can even split them between stats. If you can connect two groups of dominoes, then total the tiles and add them. Once you assign your number to your stats, drop the lowest and assign them how you desire.

Example: Mariah is making a Psychic for her Stars Without Number game. She draws seven bones, getting [4-3, 3-6, 5-7, 8-3, 4-2, 7-1, & 4-0], for values of [7, 9, 12, 11, 6, 8, 4]. Some rough scores. Mariah begins connecting the dominoes, able to connect the 2-4, 4-3, and 3-8 together as well as the 5-7 and 7-1 in a separate group. This gives a total of 5 tiles that are connected. Now she can split the 5 to any of her stats, or simply add it all to one. Mariah decides to add 4 to the 12 and 1 to the 11, then drops the 4. Her new stats are 7, 9, 16, 12, 6, and 8. A little better.

At the GM's option, a player can trade out a stat and draw a new one from the boneyard. Play can choose whichever one they want. This can help alleviate the more wonkiness of the stat distribution of double 9s.

So that's ability score generation for dominoes. While it's a bit more complicated than just rolling 3d6, there is a sort of fun moving around the dominoes and connecting them together. If you find fun in tactile stuff, this is definitely great. I find it takes the same amount of time as rolling 3d6. And, you can simply lay out all the values and write them down in one go, rather than rolling 3d6 six times and writing the values after each roll. Let me know what you think below. 

Tension, Stress, Fear, And Fatigue

I've been wanting to do a mechanic for stress and tension in the game to add a bit more atmosphere to my games while having mechanical bonuses/penalties for such things. In making this, I'm looking at something that is easy to run and adjudicate and adds a bit of difficulty and nuance to adventuring. An extra complication to consider before setting off into the great wilds. Much of this is inspired by Darkest Dungeon, a really great game where stress and fear play a big part of adventuring. Some of the rules part and rules decision is inspired by Goblin Punch's sanity rules here as well as the rules in Torchbearer. A lot of this is also inspired by reading my brother's journals about fatigue and mental stress and how the two combine. Here we go!

Fatigue

Fatigue is when your character pushes themselves too hard mentally and physically and their body suffers from it. Forced marches, constant adventuring, dungeon delving, starving themselves, staying up for 24+ hours... these are all physically and mentally taxing on a person. Whenever someone overdoes it and fails their Constitution save, they become Fatigued. Fatigued means you gain a -2 to all d20 rolls made.

A character can still continue to go even when fatigued. Caffeine, adrenaline, and stim packs could be very useful for keeping you up. Every hour you spend doing something while Fatigued, make a Constitution check (DC 10 + 1 for every additional hour active). Failure means you are Exhausted. You take -4 to all d20 rolls and can only move up to half your speed. You also lose your Dexterity to your AC.

If the character still keeps going while Exhausted, then they make the same Constitution checks as before (DC 10 + 1 for every additional hour active). Failure means you are Disabled. You take a -6 to all d20 rolls. You can't make any physical action without making a Constitution check. People that attack you automatically hit. If your GM does coup de grace, then that can happen to you. You're just a human lump at this point, and every hour spent awake or active forces a Constitution check like normal. Failure means you die of exhaustion.

Getting rid of Fatigue generally requires a couple hours of rest. Getting rid of Exhaustion is a whole day affair of rest and relaxation. Getting rid of Disabled is a week minimum of bed rest and some medical attention. 

Tension

Adventuring is a dangerous and stressful career that can be cut short if you don't keep a level head. Any time you encounter something that can make you uneasy, cause some stress, or surprised/shock ed, you gain a point of Tension. This is like a tally mark. Things like seeing a dead body, or the lights going out on you, or hearing the sounds of a crazed monster in the woods at night can all add Tension. Then, the players that gained the Tension Point roll 1d20 + Wis, against a Target Number of 10 + the amount of Tension points. If you meet or beat the TN, your character is fine. If you roll below it. then you get Stressed. Most scenarios should really only give 1 or 2 Tension Points to each player, but some truly gruesome and horrific stuff could give 3 or more.

Stressed

When your character gets Stressed, they have a sort of minor breakdown. They might panic a bit, need to sit down, or vomit. That's up to the character. A Stressed character becomes Fatigued. Being Stressed doesn't go away until you take a couple hours to chill out and relax, generally away from the thing causing stress. Every time your character fails a Tension Roll, they get more Stressed. This becomes Exhaustion, then Disabled, then Death. Eliminating these stress levels can take much longer.

Being Stressed can also be a form of fear, depending on the situation. This works out like normal Stressed, only with some different reactions. Generally, reactions to being stressed out go under the four F's: Fight, Flight, Freeze, or Fawn.

• Fight: You engage the source of fear in combat, with disregard for the situation.
• Flight: You panic and flee away as fast as humanly possible, leaving behind anyone
• Freeze: You are paralyzed with fear and cannot move, hoping that the thing doesn't notice you
• Fawn: You beg, flatter, or try and reason with the source of fear, praying it will spare you.

A player can choose which action their character takes, or you can roll randomly. I prefer the former, but they have to commit. Sometimes one of the F's works out. Other times it lands you into trouble.

A GM can give a madness to players. This is optional and there are plenty of sites and books with examples, from manias to phobias. I'd suggest picking one that fits the situation, instead of rolling.

Reducing Tension

It's hard to reduce Tension while you are in the scenario causing it, but it is possible. If out adventuring in a dungeon or wilderness, taking a break to shoot the shit with your fellow PCs and NPCs can help drop it by 1 or 2. Finding a safe spot to rest also helps. In a more urban, social adventure, maybe taking an hour or two in the castle courtyard can help you find your center before tackling the corrupted vizier, dropping your Tension down 1 or 2 points. These also make great points for roleplaying with your compatriots, or other friendly NPCs that you know. Leaving the scenario that is causing Tension lets you reduce it all to 0.

Adrenaline Rush

Tension isn't all bad. When the chips are down and you need a boost, you can activate your Tension and get an Adrenaline Rush. For a number of rounds equal to half of your Tension Points (round up, minimum 1 round), you gain advantage on all attack rolls and ability checks. In addition, you ignore all Fatigue effects for these rounds. At the end of your rush, however, you are immediately Stressed out and gain a level of Fatigue. If you were Disabled and did an adrenaline rush, then you die. You pushed your body too far.

Jaded

Adventurers that survive have seen it all and don't get as easily spooked as veterans as they did when they were novices. When players survive a tense scenario or adventure, they can become jaded. That same scenario won't give them any Tension Points. So a player that keeps a level head while getting attacked by zombies won't get Tension Points when encountering future zombies. The only way to affect a jaded individual is escalating the scenario. So a jaded character won't get tense when being attacked by zombies, but maybe seeing them slaughter an entire village trapped in a church might. Fighting ghouls may be fine, but seeing a ghoul drag off your good friend while he's screaming and begging for help will make you Tense. It's all about context, and I encourage GMs not to overly abuse it.

Design Notes

One thing people might notice is that I've created the Fatigue, Exhausted, and Disabled conditions and tied them to stress and fear. Why is that? Well, my brother was once a Marine and I remember reading and hearing him talk about the humps and the fear and tension of being out in Afghanistan. And one thing that stuck from him and other soldiers is how the fear and fatigue really go hand in hand out there. So that's why I united the Fear/Stress mechanic with Fatigue. It simplifies the mechanics and I can use the Fatigue model for other things, like a project I'm working on for clerics.

In addition, I was looking for something a bit less drastic and more down-to-earth with these mechanics. I didn't want random madness tables or sanity scores. Just something a bit more low key.

These rules have been used in one game and were okay, but not enough to test them out. I think they work fine, but I can't wait to put them through their paces more. Tell me what you think about them, and any changes to the ruleset.

Different Take on Alignment

Truth be told, alignment has never been something I liked. People arguing over what is good and what is evil, wars between law and chaos, detect spells, always evil races. Nothing about alignment really appeals to me. I don't think that people are wrong for liking alignment. It's just not my jam. I feel the alignment axis constricts stories a bit too much. I like the idea of clerics of a good god doing evil in their name, but you can't really do that with alignment the way it is. Not to mention the philosophical questions. If evil is a palpable thing, then is killing evil creature wrong? Should a paladin fall from killing a drow that has done nothing because they are always evil? It's kind of a headache. Also I really just can't get into Law vs Chaos. It doesn't really inspire me like it does others. And let's not get started on chaotic stupid evil PCs.

In addition, I like the idea of the darker, evil gods being facets of everyday life. It's something you saw with polytheistic religions. People prayed to dark gods to spare them, or perhaps the evil god had dominion over something that we use every day. Tezcatlipoca is a great example of this. He was a destroyer and a fairly evil god, but people still built temples to honor (or fear him). Tezca also had dominion over magic and was the patron deity of nobility. So instead of having clerics of Quetzalcoatl routing out cults of Tezcatlipoca, you'd instead have luxurious grand temples dedicated to the Smoking Mirror. I really like that idea of an 'evil' god (certainly not a nice god) having a large sway over civilization without damning worshipers to Hell.

Also can't say I'm a fan of Always Evil races. I feel it restricts your options when encountering monsters, since most players see Always Evil and keep their options to kill and loot. And you can't really blame them. In D&D, evil and chaos are palpable things. If something is always evil and known to be always evil (like drow, orcs, etc), then there is probably the best thing you can do. Sure you kill a bunch of orcs and goblins, but think of the potential human lives you save by doing it. I like the idea of players deciding to negotiate with orcs, parleying with dragons, and redeeming demons. Keeping that option open is pretty nice and can be refreshing when players make new, monstrous allies.

Still, there is value to having tags that describe your character. Ones that can help as a sort of rubric to see what your character's personality and reactions to situations would be like. But flexible enough where you aren't beholden to them and can simply change them as your character grows. So I've through out classic alignment and I use Motives, Nature, and Methods, or MNM. It's good if you just want some quick and sweet descriptor about your character and don't have the time or inclination to make a backstory.

Sorry, wrong one

Motives are tied to who benefits from your actions. Natures are you natural tendencies. Methods are how you carry out your desires and achieve your goals. You come up with your character's personality, and then pick which three tags from each category best fit them. The seven tags are listed below:

• Altruistic (Motive): Altruistic people tend to think about other people, doing things to help them out regardless of the outcome for themselves. Some are self sacrificing, while others on the more extreme end believe the good of the many outweigh the good of the few.
• Conforming (Nature): Those that conform tend to go with the flow, rarely deviating from the norm. They are more comfortable with sticking to the status quo, since to them, that's what has worked.
• Mercenary (Motive): Mercenary people think about themselves, perhaps extending that to a small group of people. Many may just want to live a good life, avoiding other people's conflicts, while the more extreme may only care about others that have some value to them.
• Pragmatic (Motive, Nature, & Method): Pragmatism is based on logic and efficiency. Morals may or may not weigh in on how to achieve a goal. Pragmatists are comfortable using most means necessary to achieve their goals without getting into extremes.
• Principled (Method): The principled are bound to a code, personal or not. Bound by honor or ego, the principled tend to stick to this code when achieving their goals. It's a big deal if a principled character breaks their code.
• Ruthless (Method): Those that are ruthless have no qualms with overkill, and will do whatever it takes to survive and win. Lie, cheat, steal, kill... few things are taboo to them.
• Unorthodox (Nature): Unorthodox people tend to go against the grain. Tradition can be stifling and only through innovation can they accomplish their goals.

So I can make a character that is Altruistic, Conforming, and Principled. Or Mercenary, Pragmatic, and Ruthless. Or any crazy combination of these. Altruistic, Unorthodox, Ruthless sounds pretty fun.

Note that good and evil are purposefully unattached to these tags. That is because people of any moral compass can actually have similar motives, natures, and methods. A good person can be Ruthless and Mercenary, and evil acts can be done by an Altruistic and Principled person. It's up to the player to fill in the specifics. Like alignment, this is meant to be a spectrum. Unlike alignment, there are absolutely no mechanics that are tied to your motives and methods. There is no detect altruism or protection from ruthlessness. You won't fall because you decided to become mercenary or pragmatic. There is detect fiend and summon celestial, so those spells that do those things are still very useful without giving away a bad guy NPC.

As for divine casters, I have faith play the most important part in casting. The cleric must have absolute faith in their god and the tenants of their deity. Note deity instead of church. I like the idea of heresies of the same religion fighting each other. Schisms are great adventure fodder. Now with faith, I do intend to have a Stress/Fear style of rolls for situations. And if a cleric fails their fear roll, then their faith wavers and bad things happen. More on that another time.

These tags can change, especially when the chips are down. In film and literature, there are plenty of examples of characters who, when the going got tough, they defied their normal motives and methods. Han Solo, normally mercenary, comes in to save Luke during the Death Star trench run. Whereas Frodo, normally altruistic, dons the ring at the very end. Remember that you dictate your motives, natures, and methods, not the other way around. 

I've used this for a couple of games in the last year and a half and it really works well. It's helped to have players shape how their characters work in the game world without having to worry about falling or such. I definitely want to expand on this more at some point, but I think right now, it's fine the way it is.

I had also considered a Passion axis with Zealous, Moderate, and Apathetic, but I think that is unnecessarily complicated. Plus, MNM has a better ring to it.