[IW] Fanatical Cop and PC Nemesis (Bonaparte-2)

[Michele]

NO FIRST NAME JAVERT
Fanatical Cop and PC Nemesis (Bonaparte-2)

(c) copyright 2010 Michele Armellini

Base Setting: GURPS Infinite Worlds

Total Points: 130

Age: 40 Height: 5'10" Weight: 135 lbs. Description: A slim man with chalky skin, longish, lank black hair, and a dour expression
ST 11 [10] HP 11 [0]
DX 11 [20] Will 14 [10]
IQ 12 [40] Per 12 [0]
HT 10 [0] FP 10 [0]

Basic Speed: 5.25 Move: 5
Basic Damage: Thrust 1d-1, Swing 1d+1
Basic Lift: 24
[Total Attributes: 80]

DR: 0 Dodge: 8 Parry: 8 (Shortsword) 8 (DX) Block: 0

Reaction Modifiers: Honesty (+1/+3), Status (+1), Talent (Natural Copper) (+1), Callous (-1), Intolerance (Varies), Reputation (-3).
Fright Check: 14

ADVANTAGES AND PERKS: Contact (Informant) (Effective Skill 15; on 9 or less; Somewhat Reliable) [2]; Legal Enforcement Powers 2 [10]; Less Sleep 1 [2]; Patron (Higher Police Authorities) (6 or less) [8]; Police Rank 4 [20]; Single-Minded [5]; Status 1* [0]; Talent (Natural Copper) 1 [10].
Good with Criminals; Patience of Job [2].
* Includes +1 from Police Rank.
[Total Advantages and Perks: 59]

DISADVANTAGES AND QUIRKS: Callous [-5]; Duty (to the Police) (on 15 or less) [-15]; Fanaticism (the Law) [-15]; Honesty [-10]; Intolerance (Criminals) [0*]; Obsession (Capturing a PC) (12 or less) [-5]; Reputation (Fearsome Cop) (on 10 or less; Criminals) [-2].
Ashamed of His Birthplace and Family; Incompetence (Savoir-Faire); seemingly Unable to Enjoy Life; Uncongenial [-4].
* Subsumed in his Fanaticism, but yields the usual reaction penalties.
[Total Disadvantages and Quirks: -56]

SKILLS AND TECHNIQUES: Administration-11 [1]; Area Knowledge (France)-12 [1]; Body Language-12* [1]; Brawling-12 [2]; Criminology/TL5-14* [4]; Detect Lies-13* [4]; Guns/TL5 (Pistol)-12 [2]; Interrogation-15* [8]; Intimidation-13 [1]; Law (Criminal)-12 [4]; Observation-13* [2]; Research/TL5-11 [1]; Riding (Equines)-10 [1]; Search-13* [2]; Shadowing-14* [4]; Shortsword-11 [2]; Stealth-11 [2]; Streetwise-13* [2]; Urban Survival-11 [1].
Kicking-11 [2].
* Includes +1 from Natural Copper 1.
[Total Skills and Techniques: 47]

TL: 5 Cultural Familiarities: Western [0].
LANGUAGES: French (native) [0].
[Total Cultural Familiarities and Languages: 0]

EQUIPMENT: Javert owns nothing really worth of note. He carries a police-issue one-shot pistol because that's in the regulations, but he deems that his real weapon is his notebook (and since he has a pencil for that, he has a small penknife, too). Uncommonly for an officer of his Rank, he also carries manacles.
Save in the most stifling summer days, he wears a heavy black greatcoat, giving him DR 1*.

BIOGRAPHY: Javert was born in a prison by a fortune-teller; his father was a convict too. He grew up despising his parents and that background, yet he felt he was not much better than them. He decided that the only way not to become a criminal himself was to be a policeman, unyielding in his dedication to the enforcement of the one thing that could save him and society at large: the law.
Thanks to his absolute commitment, he turned out a good cop, and his career was quite successful. He really came to the attention of his superiors when he finally captured, after a hunt that lasted years, one remarkable escaped convict named Valjean. Javert was promoted. He contributed to the ruthless suppression of dangerous rioting in the capital, thus earning another promotion. He's now an important senior officer in the French police.
His relations with other human beings are summed up by one telling fact: nobody knows his first name. He's called "Inspector Javert".

[Michele]

MODUS OPERANDI: Javert actually isn't very good in the administrative duties his post would entail, and he's terrible at backroom deals and political reasoning. His superiors don't like him. However, they are well aware he's a bulldog, and unbribable; indeed, when the circumstances require a police officer with these features, Javert may well be assigned a field task force to solve the problem.
He has a tendency to focus on specific targets. While he deems all criminals are the same and no extenuating circumstances should ever be considered, he often singles out one wrongdoer as deserving all of the time he can spare. He then carries out a personal crusade against that man, and he never, ever gives up. Or rests. Or forgives.
Javert is no fighter, even though he remembers something since the times when he was a prison guard and a patrol cop. His ideal operations culminate with arrests in which the full force of the police bears down onto the hapless outlaws; he relies on his men to actually come to blows, if need be.
Before that final arrest, of course, Javert uses all the resources of the French police on Bonaparte-2, such as networks of informants, the new filing and identification systems, and advanced technology such as the telegraph. He is personally quite good at interrogating suspects, and indeed his preferred way to strike at a criminal conspiracy is using the confessions of individual criminals (be they members, sympathizers, competitors) as stepping stones towards his quarry.

ENCOUNTERED: Javert spends most of his time in Paris. He stays as little as possible in the Préfecture police headquarters in the Ile de la Cité. He prefers roaming the seediest neighborhoods, often alone, sometimes with a couple of trusted men, and carrying out sudden arrests or just gathering information.
Because of the special position of Javert, described above, his field trips may very well bring him away from Paris, and throughout all of the French Empire; which on Bonaparte-2 means in a lot of places.

CANONICALITY: The Intolerance towards criminals has been assessed as being worth no additional points because it overlaps with Javert's Fanaticism for the law. It has the usual effects: he reacts badly to criminals, and they don't like him back, either.

ADVENTURE SEEDS: -

RECRUITMENT BY OUTTIMERS: Javert has one use for operators coming from other worlds: as a bloodhound. However, given his mind frame, the only way to recruit him is under a false flag. He must be completely convinced that the fugitive he's sent to hunt is running away from French law. Ideally, he should receive the task from some actual senior French police officer.
Outtime agents usually demand some flexibility when dealing with the law, and Javert is not one to accept this, so the conclusion of the hunt may be problematic. But Javert may at least serve to flush the quarry out so that the actual capture can be carried out by the agents; or to inconvenience and harass the opposition.

- written by Michele Armellini (miarmel@tin.it)

[Michele]

This is of course based on the fictional character of Inspector Javert in Les Misérables.
I have not tried to be literally faithful to the original, but rather to adapt him for use as a recurring and very determined enemy of a playing character in the Infinite Worlds setting. Bonaparte-2's local time is 1863, so Hugo's Javert would be some 80 years old, but it's the best fit I think we can find.
Comments welcome!

[fredtheobviouspseudonym]

It's been some time since I've read Les Miserables, but I'd also give Javert either Overconfidence or Fearlessness.

He walks unarmed into a nest of armed and violent criminals and basically bullies them into flight or surrender.

[Michele]

Originally Posted by fredtheobviouspseudonym

It's been some time since I've read Les Miserables, but I'd also give Javert either Overconfidence or Fearlessness.

He walks unarmed into a nest of armed and violent criminals and basically bullies them into flight or surrender.

Good point, I did consider Fearlessness, but I decided against it because I had given him high Will.