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Before you create a wrestler, you should take a look at how BODYSLAM! defines wrestlers. Wrestlers in BODYSLAM! are described in the following ways:
The first, and simplest, definition of a wrestler is his height and weight. These are important considerations, because wrestlers use their bodies as weapons in the arena, and a wrestler's size will greatly affect his wrestling style. Bigger and heavier wrestlers will tend to possess less raw talent than smaller, lighter wrestlers -- but will also need it less.
Attributes are numbered measurements of a wrestler's ability in a certain field. There are 7 Attributes used in BODYSLAM!; each attribute is assigned a value between 30 and 80 (all attribute values are divisible by 5). In general, these values can be considered to represent the following levels:
This attribute measures the wrestler's brute force, lifting ability, and muscle power. STR determines the Power Bonus (PB) Trait.
# | Description | Example |
---|---|---|
30 | Your basic scrawny wimp | Jim Cornette |
40 | Not weak, but not really strong | Mikey Whipwreck |
50 | Basic muscle development | 2 Cold Scorpio |
60 | Very defined muscles | Chris Benoit |
70 | An established power wrestler | PitBull #2 |
80 | Extraordinary muscle definition | Ahmed Johnson |
This Attribute is a measure of the wrestler's skill at 'classic' wrestling techniques -- holds, locks, takedowns, and pins. It also represents the wrestler's skill at escaping holds and pinfalls.
# | Description | Example |
---|---|---|
30 | Only uses tech moves by accident | The Giant |
40 | Rarely moves beyond the basic arsenal | Hulk Hogan |
50 | Fair knowledge of classic wrestling | Lex Luger |
60 | Talented technician; scholastic champ | Owen Hart |
70 | Ring tactics depend on technical moves | Bret Hart |
80 | Awesome technician, feared in close | Dean Malenko |
This Attribute rates the wrestler's skill at performing acrobatics and aerial maneuvers, those involving flips, jumps, or leaps from the turnbuckle. It is also a measure of the wrestler's speed and manueverability in the ring, and determines the wrestler's Movement(MOV) trait.
# | Description | Example |
---|---|---|
30 | Slow, clumsy, utterly groundbound | Yokozuna |
40 | Average, unimpaired movement | Henry Godwinn |
50 | Somewhat agile; infrequent flyer | Sandman |
60 | Fairly quick, at home up top | Owen Hart |
70 | Very quick, with acrobatic skill | Eddy Guerrero |
80 | Astounding aerial/acrobatic ability | Rey Misterio, Jr. |
This Attribute represents the wrestler's talent for punching, kicking, and similiar roughhousing. Brawling also includes techniques using vicious maneuvers like hair-pulling, choking, and eye-gouging, as well as more refined manuevers like the martial arts.
# | Description | Example |
---|---|---|
30 | Will only brawl if forced, & badly | Ms. Elizabeth |
40 | Rudimentary punch/kick training | Bob Backlund |
50 | Can hold his own in a slugfest | Hunter Hearst Helmsley |
60 | Not afraid to START a brawl | Kevin Nash |
70 | Dirty fighting the key to tactics | Tommy Dreamer |
80 | At their best down & dirty | Sandman |
This attribute measures the character's damage taking capacity, and how much hurting he can take before falling into unconsciousness. Toughness measures the wrestler's starting Stun Points.
# | Description | Example |
---|---|---|
30 | A good strong wind will knock him out | Jimmy Cornette |
40 | Can take a few hits before going out | Barry Horowitz |
50 | Takes quite a licking | Shawn Michaels |
60 | Well known for taking a beating | Bret Hart |
70 | Can seemingly take inhuman punishment | Sting |
80 | Can this guy die? Is he immortal? | Undertaker |
This Attribute rates the wrestler's resistance to pain and fatigue; STA determines how quickly the wrestler will lose Stun Levels, as well as determining the wrestler's Recovery Trait.
# | Description | Example |
---|---|---|
30 | Gets tired during jobber matches | Yokozuna |
40 | Can withstand a typical name/name bout | Jim Duggan |
50 | Can take significan punishment | Scott Hall |
60 | So-called "Iron Men" | Bret Hart |
70 | Comes back over & over despite pain | Sting |
80 | Seemingly limitless energy reserves | Shawn Michaels |
This Attribute is a measure of the wrestler's cleverness, perception, business sense, and wits. Wrestlers with lots of Savvy tend to know more moves, plan better tactically, and are less likely to be taken off guard by novel actions.
# | Description | Example |
---|---|---|
30 | Dumb as a bag of rocks | Dave Sullivan |
40 | Naive, thoughtless, or apathetic | Brian Knobbs |
50 | Sharp, attentive, or dedicated | Jeff Jarrett |
60 | A wary opponent, quick-witted | Sunny |
70 | Clever, sneaky, and experienced | Jake Roberts |
80 | A genius tactician or trickster | Jim Cornette |
In BODYSLAM!, as a wrestler takes damage, his Attributes degenerate to represent the effects of fatigue and pain. Each attribute has 4 Stun Levels:
I II III IV STR 60 54 48 42
Traits also rate a wrestler's talent in certain areas, but differ from Attributes in the following ways:
PB is the amount of extra damage done by most maneuvers due to the wrestler's Strength. This is equal to 1 point at 50 STR, and increases by one point for each 5 points of STR past 50. PB drops by 1 point per wear-down level. PB is never lower than 0.
MOV is the wrestler's general speed. The MOV score for each wear-down Level is equal to the first digit of the wrestler's DEX for that Level.
REC represents the wrestler's ability to shake off a daze. Similar to MOV, the REC score for each Level is the first digit of the wrestler's STA for that Level.
This is perhaps the most significant statistic in the game, because it is Stun that determines which Level the wrestler is currently at. Damage taken by a wrestler during a match is subtracted from his Stun; when his Stun reaches the number indicated under the next Level, all of his other attributes are reduced to that Level as well. Stun is determined by a wrestler's TOU and STA.
Lift represents the effects a wrestler's weight has on those attempting to pick him up or knock him down. It is used as a penalty to anyone attempting such a maneuver on the wrestler. Lift decreases by 10% per wear-down Level, just like normal attributes. Note that lighter wrestlers have negative Lift, which works as a bonus to lift them or knock them down.
Some maneuvers gain extra damage when performed by taller wrestlers; the HDB indicates the number of extra dice these maneuvers use. HDB doesn't decrease by Level.
Some maneuvers gain extra damage dice when performed by heavier wrestlers; the Weight Damage Bonus is added directly to the rolled damage for these maneuvers. Note that this can work for the character (such as when he is splashing an opponent) or against him (when he is bodyslammed). WDB does not change due to wear-down Level.
Merits are special bonuses a wrestler can have apart from his attributes, maneuvers, and build. Examples of Merits include Hakushi's martial arts training, or the Undertaker's near-invulnerability.
Flaws are the opposite of Merits: special weaknesses or defects a wrestler possesses that make his career more challenging. Examples include Bret Hart's hotemperedness, Shawn Michaels' cockiness, and Yokozuna's foreign background.
Flaws serve two useful purposes in BODYSLAM!. First, they add character, color, and interest to a wrestler, giving him something dramatic to overcome in his quest for fame, wealth, titles, or whatever. Secondly, they balance out the wrestler's abilities; wrestlers with lots of high Attributes and/or many Merits will be required to accept a similiarly great many Flaws as well.
Fan Support (FS) refers to a wrestler's popularity with the people who plunk their dollars down for tickets or PPVs. Fan Support is rated by a number between 0 and 100,000 (or more!), and can be either positive (face) or negative (heel). References to Fan Support and changes to it can be described as 'positive', 'negative', or 'absolute' (ie, relative to 0).
All wrestlers are assumed to begin with +/-5,000 FS -- this is enough to make their images, gimmicks, and names known to all the fans of the league, at least by hearsay, but is not going to get them much else. Wrestlers can engage in FS-raising (or lowering, for heels) activities before their first match (teaser flashes, mystery-man run-ins, etc.).
Actions that earn Fan Support include:
There are 9 "ranks" for Fan Support, dependent on your exact current FS level; these ranks determine how many Cheap Shots, Comebacks, and/or Power-Ups a wrestler recieves, as well as how many multiple attacks he can make without penalty.
Combat in BODYSLAM! takes place through the exchange of Maneuvers, from a simple Punch to a devastating Piledriver, to the intricate Figure-Four Leglock. While any wrestler can attempt any maneuver, most wrestlers rely on a relatively small group of well-practiced moves -- their Arsenals.
Every wrestler recieves four Arsenals corresponding to the Attributes STR, TEC, AGI, and BRA. Each of these Arsenals can be filled with maneuvers appropriate to that attribute (i.e., STR slots are filled with STR maneuvers, etc.). You get a number of manuevers per Arsenal equal to 1/10 of the Arsenal's rating (i.e. a STR of 60 nets you 6 STR moves).
Wrestlers also recieve a SAV arsenal; however, SAV slots have three different uses:
To see which Maneuvers fall under which Attributes, check Appendix A -- BODYSLAM! Maneuver Chart.
Contents & Credits | Character Generation |
Combat | Money & Managers |
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