Stating Jack Parsons

[The Colonel]

Would a form of involuntary duty fit? I would suspect that most of the people in the strategic rocket programme couldn't exactly walk away if they chose to do so ... although he's likely not as stuck with the job as anyone who got Paperclipped...

[johndallman]

Originally Posted by Astromancer

Is "Rocket Man" a talent for working on Rockets? If it is it needs to be defined. I see it used in the Skills section, but it needs to be stated.

Coming shortly in a revised version.

Also, Jack Parsons was wanted by the scientific community in spite of his wildness for a long time. I think they liked his brainpower. To impress the scientific community of the day, I think Parsons needs a little more Brainpower. An IQ of 14 or 15 seems right.

I am not convinced. He seems to me like a classic case of being quite bright, plus a talent, but not a legendary intellectual all-rounder.

Originally Posted by whswhs

Parsons seems to have grown up privileged, and ought to have positive Status; it clearly insulated him from police attention despite some notable eccentricities. And at least for part of his life he seems to have had the wealth to support that Status.

Added in the new version.

An incestuous relationship was probably worth more than -5 points as a Secret. A -10 seems likely; a -20 isn't impossible, though he might have been able to avoid that if it only happened when he was under age.

Added.

Shouldn't there be some form of Explosives skill on that character sheet?

Yes, thanks for pointing it out.

Originally Posted by The Colonel

Would a form of involuntary duty fit? I would suspect that most of the people in the strategic rocket programme couldn't exactly walk away if they chose to do so ... although he's likely not as stuck with the job as anyone who got Paperclipped...

As of the date of this write-up, January 1945, there isn't a strategic rocket programme. In early 1945 he gets forced out of Aerojet, which he co-founded, and almost of out the rocket business.

[johndallman]

Name: John Whiteside "Jack" Parsons, 1st Jan 1945

Attributes [60]
ST 10
DX 10
IQ 13 [60]
HT 12 [20]

HP 10
Will 11 [-10]
Per 11 [-10]
FP 12

Basic Lift 20
Damage 1d-2/1d

Basic Speed 5.5
Basic Move 5

Ground Move 5
Water Move 1

Social Background
TL: 6 [0]
Cultural Familiarities: Western (Native) [0].
Languages: English (Native) [0].

Advantages [53]
Appearance (Attractive) [4]
Charisma (1) [5]
Contact (Aleister Crowley) (Fast-Talk, Effective Skill 18) (6 or less; Unreliable) [1]
Contact (Theodore von Kármán) (Physics/TL6 (Aerodynamics), Effective Skill 15) (9 or less; Usually Reliable) [4]
Contact (Wernher von Braun) (Engineer/TL6 (Rockets), Effective Skill 15) (6 or less; Somewhat Reliable) [1]
Reputation (Gifted rocket inventor) (2) (All the time; Small class) [3]
Rocket Man (3) [15]
Single-Minded [5]
Status (+1) [5]
Wealth (Comfortable) [10]

Disadvantages [-44]
Compulsive Carousing (9 or less) [-7]
Gullibility (15 or less) [-5]
Lecherousness (12 or less) [-15]
Reputation (Black magician and dissolute) (-3) (All the time; Large class) [-7]
Secret (Incestuous relationship) (Utter Rejection) [-10]

Quirks [-5]
Congenial [-1]
Likes to freak mundanes [-1]
Religious (Thelema) [-1]
Shocking Affectation (free love) [-1]
Somewhat maniac-depressive [-1]

Skills [48]
Administration IQ/A - IQ-1 12 [1]
Biology/TL6 (Earthlike) IQ/VH - IQ-3 10 [1]
Bow Sport DX/A - DX-1 9 [1]
Chemistry/TL6 IQ/H - IQ+3 16 [4]
includes: +3 from 'Rocket Man'
Diplomacy IQ/H - IQ-1 12 [2]
Engineer/TL6 (Rockets) IQ/H - IQ+2 15 [2]
includes: +3 from 'Rocket Man'
Explosives/TL6 (Fireworks) IQ/A - IQ+2 15 [1]
includes: +3 from 'Rocket Man'
Guns/TL6 (Pistol) DX/E - DX+0 10 [1]
Guns/TL6 (Rifle) DX/E - DX+1 11 [2]
Hazardous Materials/TL6 (Chemical) IQ/A - IQ+2 15 [1]
includes: +3 from 'Rocket Man'
Housekeeping IQ/E - IQ+0 13 [1]
Literature (Mythology and science fiction) IQ/A - IQ-1 12 [1]
Mathematics/TL6 (Applied) IQ/H - IQ+1 14 [1]
includes: +3 from 'Rocket Man'
Mechanic/TL6 (Rockets) IQ/A - IQ+2 15 [1]
includes: +3 from 'Rocket Man'
Occultism IQ/A - IQ+1 14 [4]
Philosophy (Libertarianism) IQ/H - IQ-1 12 [2]
Physics/TL6 (Classical mechanics) IQ/H - IQ-1 12 [2]
Poetry IQ/A - IQ-1 12 [1]
Public Speaking IQ/A - IQ+1 14 [2]
includes: +1 from 'Charisma'
Research/TL6 IQ/A - IQ-1 12 [1]
Ritual Magic (Thelema) IQ/VH - IQ-1 12 [4]
Sex Appeal (Human) HT/A - HT+2 14 [4]
includes: +1 from 'Appearance'
Smallsword Sport DX/A - DX-1 9 [1]
Teaching IQ/A - IQ-1 12 [1]
Theology (Thelema) IQ/H - IQ+0 13 [4]
Writing IQ/A - IQ+0 13 [2]

Stats [60] Ads [53] Disads [-44] Quirks [-5] Skills [48] = Total [112]

Rocket Man

5 points/level

Chemistry/TL, Engineer/TL (Rockets), Explosives/TL (Fireworks), Hazardous Materials/TL (Chemical), Mechanic/TL (Rockets), Mathematics/TL (Applied).
Reaction Bonus: People who work with rockets, or are fans of them.
Alternative Benefit: +1/level to notice safety problems with rockets or related devices.

[Astromancer]

Originally Posted by johndallman

Rocket Man

5 points/level

Chemistry/TL, Engineer/TL (Rockets), Explosives/TL (Fireworks), Hazardous Materials/TL (Chemical), Mechanic/TL (Rockets), Mathematics/TL (Applied).
Reaction Bonus: People who work with rockets, or are fans of them.
Alternative Benefit: +1/level to notice safety problems with rockets or related devices.

I like this talent. I could see it being in many games based on "Golden Age" SciFi or Pulp SciFi. Heck, there are plenty of Steampunk settings were this talent would be useful and fun.

[Astromancer]

Johndallman said, "I am not convinced. He seems to me like a classic case of being quite bright, plus a talent, but not a legendary intellectual all-rounder."

He seems to me like a widely gifted guy who had interests (Rockets, Occultism, Libertarian Thought and Politics) and ignored other things. IQ 14 doesn't really seem like that much of a stretch. He impressed people in fields as diverse as Rocketry and Ritual Magic. These people were often the leaders in the fields and not given to being impressed easily. And bright with talent they'd know. They reacted to Parsons in a different way.

[TGLS]

[Puts on stat normie hat]
IQ 14 seems pretty high. It gives him a skill level comparable to what the average man on the street has in a hard skill, by default. In any skill he puts a point into, he matches a professional. With the same level of talent, he ends up being the greatest of a generation with two points.
[Takes off stat normie hat]

OK for an NPC who's meant to be a renaissance man, provided he doesn't sharply overshadow/outclass the PCs.

[lugaid]

I would suggest that many occultists at the time, or even today, would have some level of Fortune Telling—for a number of them, to gain information helpful in their seductions—and perhaps even Dreaming. Parsons doesn't seem to have had any Hypnotism, though that is another skill that isn't uncommon among that crowd. Psychology would seem useful as well.

[johndallman]

Originally Posted by Astromancer

He impressed people in fields as diverse as Rocketry and Ritual Magic. These people were often the leaders in the fields and not given to being impressed easily.

You asked for a real world version, so the Ritual Magic doesn't mean much.

I wrote Crowley as a very useless contact: he supplies Fast-Talk-18, which he uses to convince the questioner that he's answered the question. He's also likely to tell people about the question, since he's unreliable.

[whswhs]

Originally Posted by johndallman

I wrote Crowley as a very useless contact: he supplies Fast-Talk-18, which he uses to convince the questioner that he's answered the question. He's also likely to tell people about the question, since he's unreliable.

I believe that also gives him Fortune-Telling at 15. . . .

[Astromancer]

Originally Posted by whswhs

I believe that also gives him Fortune-Telling at 15. . . .

Fortune-Telling needs to be split. The skill of being a Carnival Fortune Teller, which is a mix of Fast-Talk, Bard, and Psychology, has little to do with the various means of using objects to gain omens. Treat the various "mancies" as you will. They do have their own complex rules and procedures. They have no relationship to Fast-Talk.

I could see both realistic and magical campaigns were both skills might be used by one Character.