Stating Jessica Fletcher

[Astromancer]

What it says on the tin.

Jessica is a healthy woman in her sixties. She's a famous novelist and a highly competent amateur detective.

I'm fairly certain she has the Sensitive advantage as well as some kind of memory advantage. Jessica has some level of appearance advantage, Fashion Sense after the first season, and levels of Charisma.

As to her Skills, Jessica is a non-combatant. Jessica has a wide variety of skills (writers are readers, so I assume Jessica picks up tons of data).
Jessica has shown high Connoisseurship in many areas. Jessica has very high social skills. I assume she has Smooth Operator at some level.

What stats do you think Jessica Fletcher has?

[Fred Brackin]

Originally Posted by Astromancer

What it says on the tin.


What stats do you think Jessica Fletcher has?

IQ is of course the ciritcal one and the rule of thumb for it it that the more IQ-based Skills a character has the higher the stat is likely to be.

If it was only "Professional" level (12) for Average Skills much could be done with a 13. Connoiseur is Average but a "high" Level sounds like at least a 14 and just multiple Specializatios of that skill could drive an IQ of 15.

Also it would be a rare TV Detective who did not have multiple levels of Serendipity. That's what you would use to "find" the critcal clue you needed just before the 45 minutes after the hour commercial break. :)

[pawsplay]

Her general is such that I have trouble seeing her as having less than IQ 12, maybe 13. Sensitive fits, as does the lower level of Eidetic Memory. She exists in a genre where Social Regard (amateur detective) is a thing; people just generally let her go places and do things they oughtn't. I would give her Intuition (Aspected, mysteries -20%). Like all good TV sleuths, she probably has the Perk Efficient (Search). It's usually facile to assume a TV character has Attractive but the characters seem to react to her in that fashion, so in this case, I'd include it.

I think she might have a level in Sleuth, a custom talent that adds to Body Language, Criminology, Detect Lies, Observation, Research, Search, and maybe a couple of other skills.

She's a very successful writer, so she probably has at least Writing-14. I think that ability is too narrow to build a Talent around, so her "talent" in that regard is probably just her skill level. This comes with a Reputation as well.

I'd say she has the Dabbler perk with the usual parlour detective skills: Connoisseur, Forensics, Psychology... I haven't watched enough episodes to state a complete list.

She also has Rapier Wit... this is normally employed to stun bad guys when she explains how they did it, but she can also use it to befuddle people trying to kidnap her and so forth.

Unless someone can provide counter-examples, I assume Honesty and Pacifism (Self-Defense Only).

[Fred Brackin]

Originally Posted by pawsplay

Unless someone can provide counter-examples, I assume Honesty and Pacifism (Self-Defense Only).

Honesty is almost never the right Disad. A person with Honesty would never go into a crime scene or anther person's dwellign and snoop around for clues because there were laws against doing that.

Honesty has virtually zero to do with never telling lies. Actually, there are many situations where a person with Honesty could tell total lies because there's no law against doing that. Some lawyers might have Honesty because they know what the local law actually requires and are very careful to never cross its technical lines. They still won't have a Reputation for being "Honest".

Normal humans allmost neve rhave Honesty. "Very cautious about breaking laws." might not even be a valid Quirk. Gurps full blown Honesty means the bearer of it must be _compulsive_ about obeying all laws, even bad ones.

[pawsplay]

Originally Posted by Fred Brackin

Honesty is almost never the right Disad. A person with Honesty would never go into a crime scene or anther person's dwellign and snoop around for clues because there were laws against doing that.

I think you're confusing Honesty with being a vampire.

Honesty says you can steal, if there's great need; I think you can, at times, do things that might verge on trespassing, if you squint, if there's great need.

Originally Posted by fwcain

Sorry, but in almost every case, the real killer admits their guilt in the episode's final moments, when confronted by Jessica and her reasoning.

Because of her devious blackmailing.

I actually wrote up a super-villain like this once. I named her Miriam Archer, the Mystery Killer.

EDIT: I checked, and a negative Destiny requires you to suffer some kind of failure now and then, so I think she has Quirk: Very minor Destiny (busman's holiday).

[Fred Brackin]

Originally Posted by pawsplay

I think you're confusing Honesty with being a vampire.
y).

Nope.The first sentences in the rules text for Honesty says "You _must_ obey the law,".

The roll to break the law is for "great need" not "possible benefit".. It's an utterly compulsive Disadvantage and not the sort of thing you can rules lawyer your war around if you make your roll.

Does this mean that the Honesty Disad is something virtually no PC should ever take? Yes, and it ahs been for 38 years. Honesty is for the sort of "Paladin" who gets characerized as "Lawful Stupid". I actualy told my players last time I ran a Gurps one-shot "The roll attachhed to some Disads is a Saving throw for when acting according to your Disad would be obviously stupid.". Tryign to get around your disad because it's inconvenient is bad roleplaying.

[Donny Brook]

I think I'd create a custom talent for her.

Mystery Writer:

Compact [5] version:
Writing, Literature, Research, Detect Lies, Observation, Criminology.

Elaborate [10] version add:
Body Language, Savoir Faire, Current Affairs, Expert Skill (Investigation), Psychology, Sociology.


Amateur TV sleuths like Jessica, Castle, Matlock etc. are good candidates for customized Dabbler selections. I don't remember all the Murder She Wrote series well enough to confidently to say what she should have, but generically for the amateur sleuth class, I'd look at Forensics, Diagnosis, Physician, Poisons, Pharmacy, Physics, Biology, Geography, Chemistry, Armory (Firearms), and Professional Skill (Police).

[fwcain]

Independent Income, to reflect a combination of her (and her husband's) retirement income, plus her earnings and royalties from her writing.

Originally Posted by Fred Brackin

Also it would be a rare TV Detective who did not have multiple levels of Serendipity. That's what you would use to "find" the critcal clue you needed just before the 45 minutes after the hour commercial break. :)

Not to mention just being in the general vicinity of a murder every week or so!

Or would that instead be an argument in favor of Weirdness Magnet?

Franklin

[pawsplay]

Originally Posted by fwcain

Not to mention just being in the general vicinity of a murder every week or so!

Or would that instead be an argument in favor of Weirdness Magnet?

Franklin

Deadness Magnet.

Or Secret (devious serial-killer).

[fwcain]

Originally Posted by pawsplay

Or Secret (devious serial-killer).

Sorry, but in almost every case, the real killer admits their guilt in the episode's final moments, when confronted by Jessica and her reasoning.