Optimizing Character Generation in Delta Green

	What follows are a bunch of cheeky ways to game the character generation system for Delta Green the Role Playing Game.

	If you have Accounting over base, try to make it equal to or greater than your INTx5. This is because of the acquisition rules that let you use the higher of INTx5 or Accounting. The skill is better because it has better improvement options than the stat, increasing by 5.5 percentage points on average and increasing by 1% at the end of the mission when you fail.
	This isn’t a hard and fast rule, but you don’t want to use a bonus skill to give yourself 30% in Accounting when you have 12 INT or something.

	Try not to put your STR and CON at the same number. There are several reasons for this. For one, you round up when you take the average of STR and CON when you determine HP. Leaving one of them one point lower gives you a free stat point to put elsewhere!
	Ideally, STR should be lower, if only because CON tests tend to come up more often. The exception to this is if putting the STR one point lower would drop you down a melee damage rank. These scores are 4, 8, 12, and 16, though 4 and 8 matter more, because those make you worse than the average NPC.
	Thus, the best combinations are STR 13 with CON 14 and STR 17 with CON 18. Putting STR scores below 9, you just have to decide how much you value the melee damage.

	Try to set your CHA to at least 10. The reason for this is because creating Bonds won’t cost you net Bond points. You have a chance equal to CHAx5 in 100 to create a new bond at half CHA, but then you lose 1D4 (average 2.5) points from another Bond. At 10 CHA, you have a net zero because you have a 50% chance of creating a 5 point Bond (net +2.5 Bond points) and then you lose 2.5 points from elsewhere. Any lower and creating new Bonds becomes inefficient.

	Try to make your CHA to at least 10. This is to allow you access to the strategy of creating new Bonds to project on rather than repair existing ones which is typically harder. SAN is always dropping, but CHA typically stays the same. At CHA 10, because there’s an average 2.5 loss in Bond points, and an average gain of 2.5 Bonds.
	In addition, try to make your CHA score an odd number. This is because of creating new Bonds, again. This is because new Bonds are equal to half CHA rounding up. Odd numbers give you the new Bond scores of CHA one point higher but you can distribute that extra point elsewhere.

	Alertness, Athletics, Firearms, and Unarmed Combat are all must haves. Put bonus skills into these if they’re at base. Dodge and Melee Weapons are also handy, but less required. Dodge is pretty much only used when you can’t avoid damage by Fighting Back, being shot at range or attacked by a horrific monster from beyond space and time.

	Specialization is the doom of any Agent. If you have professional skills at good ratings, try to put your bonus skills elsewhere. Don’t stack them. However, if another skill is at base and you want it to be good, stack away. Use your bonus skills to make your Agent stand out from the crowd when compared to the average member of their profession.

	And now for some controversial opinions. Some professions are “better” than others. An anthropologist basically requires you to use all your bonus skills ensuring they won’t die by their third opera or earlier. If you’re okay with this or your Handler is awesome and makes sure to tailor scenarios to the players’ skills, forget about that. However, if you really care, go with the special operator, criminal, or federal agent profession. They all give you really solid foundations to build an interesting and competent character on top of.