I’ve spent a sizeable chunk of my time during the last couple of years re-engaging with a much-loved hobby from my younger years, roleplaying games. I’m currently obsessed with Call of Cthulhu, especially Pulp Cthulhu which gives my players the character survivability they enjoy in campaign play.
I particularly love the Pulp Talent system, but I noticed a gap in the talents with social skills. Whereas Charm and Intimidate are covered with the Smooth Talker and Scary talents (p.24 & 26 Pulp Cthulhu rulebook), Fast Talk and Persuade are not.
This got me thinking about adding a couple of house rule talents, which then became ten. And I’m working on another set of ten at the moment to appear in a later post. Bonus points if you spot the various references! Scroll down for a PDF copy of this talent table to print out.
PULP TALENTS (CHOOSE OR ROLL 1D10)
| Roll | Talent |
|---|---|
| 1 | Gift of the Gab: gain a bonus die to Fast Talk rolls. |
| 2 | Orator: gain a bonus die to Persuade rolls. Also known as: “I Have a Dream!”, “Freedom or Death!”, “My Fellow Americans!”, “We Shall Fight Them on the Beeches!” and many other names, depending on background, gender, political affiliation, etc. |
| 3 | Technomancer: gain a bonus die to Computer Use rolls and any Charm, Fast Talk, Intimidate or Persuade rolls when dealing with an AI. |
| 4 | Igraine Effect: gain a bonus die when making APP rolls. A Fumble on any such roll will cause the opposite party to fall in love, or become otherwise obsessed, with the bearer of this talent (treat as a mania). |
| 5 | Brain Strain: may sacrifice 1D6 Hit Points to restore an equal number of Magic Points or for a bonus die on any POW or spell casting roll. Use of this talent will typically cause a nose bleed, bruising across the face or bleeding from the eyes. Or death, depending on how many hit points you have left. |
| 6 | Easy Street: gain a bonus die to Credit Rating rolls. Furthermore, the bearer of this talent may roll for a Credit Rating experience check (possible 1D10 improvement) instead of any Luck Recovery roll after the conclusion of a scenario (p.62 Pulp Cthulhu rulebook). |
| 7 | Trust in Me: gain a bonus die to Hypnosis rolls. Eyes are of an opposite color and whirl when this talent is used. |
| 8 | Savant: gain a bonus die to any Science or Art/Craft rolls. Apply a penalty die to any Charm, Fast Talk, Intimidate or Persuade rolls. |
| 9 | Gunslinger: may spend 10 Luck Points to add an additional damage die when firing a ranged weapon (die type depends on the weapon being used, e.g. 1D8 for a .32 revolver, 1D10 for a .45 automatic, etc.) Also known as “Do You Feel Lucky, Punk?” |
| 10 | MacGyver Effect: bonus die on any Weird Science rolls such as Mechanical Repair, Electrical Repair or Computer Use. This talent works well alongside the Resourceful talent (p.26 Pulp Cthulhu rulebook). |
Craig Pay 