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Old 08-09-2018, 08:10 AM   #1
Bluegreen
 
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Default Freedom figher chactacter

I want to create a freedom fighters character (some people may call this a terrorist character) in modern setting with in a supernatural campaign in 4th edition rules. What may this character have in terms of attributes, advantages, disadvantages etc.?
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Old 08-09-2018, 08:38 AM   #2
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Default Re: Freedom figher chactacter

Some fighting skills, obviously. At level 14 or better. 12 or better is usually considered as the professional level, but for the dangerous skills (fighting, climbing, and so on) professionals have 14 or better.

A quite high Dexterity and Intelligence.

A Secret disadvantage. I suppose that he lives in a very oppressive country and that he risks death if he is caught by authorities.

Some thief/spy skills like Observation, Stealth, Lockpicking, Computer Hacking, Holdout, Shadowing ...

And, of course, Explosives.

Fanaticism also sounds to be a mandatory: nobody ever fight to death for something in which he doesn't believe more than firmly.

Last edited by Gollum; 08-09-2018 at 08:43 AM.
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Old 08-09-2018, 09:43 AM   #3
Sam Baughn
 
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Default Re: Freedom figher chactacter

It really depends a lot on how competent you want him to be at the role. The only real universals are Secret (or Enemy if he is known to the authorities) and some kind of motivation (Code of Honor, Duty, Fanaticism, Higher Purpose, Intolerance, Obsession, Sense of Duty) which compels him to fight. Allies, Contacts and Contact Groups are probably the next most common traits, although some work alone.

The World War II book for 3rd edition has a resistance fighter template and Covert Ops (also 3rd edition) has absolutely loads of stuff about terrorism.

A lot of terrorist and paramilitary groups have significant crossover with criminal gangs, so any underworld skills could be appropriate. At a minimum, most effective terrorists have Streetwise. Camouflage, Forced Entry, Holdout, Intimidation, Smuggling and Stealth are also suitable for competent ones.

Since they are often highly motivated by ideology, expect a certain level of skills such as Current Affairs (Politics), Philosophy, Sociology or Theology.

What the freedom fighter actually does for the cause determines some other skills. Many of them will mostly raise funds, often through criminal skills (Intimidation is probably the most common). Bomb makers will have skills like Chemistry, Electrical Engineering, Explosives (Demolition), Machinist and Scrounging. Bombers will have Holdout, Smuggling and Traps. Armourers have Armoury, Merchant and probably some weapon skills. Assassins have Holdout, Shadowing and combat skills (usually Guns (Rifle) in the modern day). Administrators have Accounting, Administration, Propaganda and Strategy.
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Old 08-09-2018, 10:58 AM   #4
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Default Re: Freedom figher chactacter

Yeah, worth knowing what freedoms he is fighting for against what with what tools.
In a supernatural campaign, the answers to those questions may become ... interesting. For example a magus fighting for citizenship for ghouls is likely to be a very different character to a nationalist bomb-maker who is not, initially at least, connected to the wild side of things.
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Old 08-09-2018, 07:42 PM   #5
jason taylor
 
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Default Re: Freedom figher chactacter

Quote:
Originally Posted by Bluegreen View Post
I want to create a freedom fighters character (some people may call this a terrorist character) in modern setting with in a supernatural campaign in 4th edition rules. What may this character have in terms of attributes, advantages, disadvantages etc.?
That is a vague term. Spruance was a "freedom fighter" as he was "fighting" for "freedom" but that is obviously not what you mean.

What you really mean is "guerilla and possibly terrorist but certainly underground." Possible synonyms are partisan, insurgent, etc.

He does not have to be a terrorist. A terrorist is a guerilla that uses atrocity to well, terrorize people (when a state does this it is committing a war crime). It is theoretically possible to have a guerilla that more or less obeys the rules of war except for not answering to a sovereign state. And sometimes not even with that exception (the Polish Home Army would have been fighting for a recognized state that just happened to have it's patrimony under occupation). A rough example of how one can attempt to be a guerilla without being a terrorist is when the Irgun phoned ahead before blowing up the King David Hotel. Note: this is not saying that Irgunists were not in general terrorists. It means that this is an example of how to go about it. Another example is the Viet-cong who divided tasks so that some were terrorists by any standard (and did things like offing anyone who disagreed with them to strongly) and others were essentially soldiers fighting other soldiers.

Moral and legal considerations aside, what you seem to be after is basically a covert warrior. In which case just look in Espionage and Special Forces. The main difference is that he is likely to be more ideologized and have less of a "just business" attitude. Unless he doesn't: underground groups need a supply tail like anyone else which means a whole army of clerks and money launderers many of whom Aren't In It For Your Revolution. But basically you want a covert warrior that does not yet have a state or whose state has for some reason lost it's cohesion (by being under occupation for instance).
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Old 08-09-2018, 07:54 PM   #6
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Default Re: Freedom figher chactacter

It would be very useful to know who to trust. So I would put Empathy and Intuition on the short list. As well as any human perception skills that might come in handy.
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Old 08-09-2018, 09:14 PM   #7
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Default Re: Freedom figher chactacter

A lot of it depends on points available and how exactly the character is supposed to fight for freedom.

Attributes: Already mentioned but DX & IQ are both likely to be useful

Advantages: Danger Sense, Empathy or Intuition could all help spot trouble coming. Combat Reflexes is also good.

Skills: Some Guns and hand to hand type skills. Acting and/or Fast Talk to blend in and not look suspicious. Body Language and/or Psychology to tell if someone is trouble. Detect Lie might could also help. Streetwise and Survival(Urban) would be handy if you have to go underground. Shadowing to fade into a crowd and spot tails. If the campaign has it, Professional Skill (Law Enforcement) would help keep ahead of the police. Beyond that it depends on your focus. Hacker? Wizard? Commando? Thief? Spy? Each has their own skill set.
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Old 08-09-2018, 10:46 PM   #8
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Default Re: Freedom figher chactacter

The problem is that most freedom fighters are fairly average people (around 50 points to 100 points), so they are not going to have 'heroic' attributes. They are just normal folk who have been infected with a meme that motivates them to engage in destructive behavior. A lot of them end up dying at the hands of authoritarian governments or from suicide attacks.

Now, a resistance fighter possesses a more heroic nature, and should be made with 150 to 250 points. A 250 points resistance fighter with IQ 14, Danger Sense, Empathy, Intuition, and Luck would be a very effective character, though a group only needs one such character (the face or the leader would be a natural role for such a character). A group of five such PCs would be equivalent to the best resistance fighters in Nazi occupied territories in World War Two, the type that are responsible for destroying factories and sabotaging warships.
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Old 08-09-2018, 11:44 PM   #9
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Default Re: Freedom figher chactacter

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Originally Posted by AlexanderHowl View Post
The problem is that most freedom fighters are fairly average people (around 50 points to 100 points), so they are not going to have 'heroic' attributes. They are just normal folk who have been infected with a meme that motivates them to engage in destructive behavior. A lot of them end up dying at the hands of authoritarian governments or from suicide attacks.

Now, a resistance fighter possesses a more heroic nature, and should be made with 150 to 250 points. A 250 points resistance fighter with IQ 14, Danger Sense, Empathy, Intuition, and Luck would be a very effective character, though a group only needs one such character (the face or the leader would be a natural role for such a character). A group of five such PCs would be equivalent to the best resistance fighters in Nazi occupied territories in World War Two, the type that are responsible for destroying factories and sabotaging warships.
I'd say that is a distinction without a difference. Most resistance people would have been doing little more then writting naughty graffitti or discovering their patriotism just in time to remember how much fun it is to beat up a girl that happened to fall in love with a German soldier. The kind you are talking about were as rare then as now.
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Old 08-09-2018, 11:47 PM   #10
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Default Re: Freedom figher chactacter

In addition to some of the ideas expressed above, I'd go with good Will and Per scores, Acting, Disguise, Cultural Awareness (in order to fit into subcultures and/or ethnic minority enclaves), Intelligence Analysis (for planning an attack, assassination attempt etc). Forgery, or a contact that can provide forged documents, ID etc. Holdout, for incriminating stuff on their person, and Camouflage, and possibly a skill like Carpentry for a hidden stash in a building, vehicle, etc.
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