Ordinary People: Characters [0] to [-50]

[tanniynim]

Originally Posted by Gold & Appel Inc

John Walker, Shoe Heckler [-40 Points]:

Great character. This makes me want to develop a whole group of negative point total homeless characters. Hell, you could run a whole game with homeless PC's.

I've got one I'm working on right now, and another one in my head based upon a local homeless celebrity, Leslie Cochran (although he may end up having a positive point total...he even has a wiki page dedicated to him...)

[tanniynim]

Certainly not as good as John Walker, but here's my first homeless negative point character:

Phillip "Landphil" Jones [-23]

Phillip "Landphil" Jones moved into the East Side of town a year ago after hitchhiking north from Ventsburg. Although he protects the homeless from criminals, street thugs, and minor gangs who live around him, some argue that it isn't anything but a protection racket. They generally site the fact that he demands tribute from those he protects, and usually refuses to panhandle himself, but Landphil claims that this keeps him rested up enough to fight off any trespassers.

Those who spread such rumors, injure those in his favor or otherwise cross him usually come back bloodied and broken from his custom steel "brass" knuckles that he lovingly calls "The Twins"- if they come back at all. When new people move into his neighborhood, Landphil enjoys showing his collection of teeth from some of his victories to let them know who's boss.

Amazingly enough, Landphil seems to have the ability to deal easily with the local police much better than most of the other local transients and is able to keep them out of the condemned restaurant where many of them sleep through the nights and the hottest summer days.

Unfortunately for those who live near him, Landphil is also a raging drunk, and can occasionally lash out against those who live near him whether they have crossed him or not. Fortunately, there are generally enough legitimate targets that most of those who are paid up on their tribute can go unharmed.

Attributes [-10]:
ST 11 [10], DX 10 [0], IQ 10 [0], HT 10 [0]
HP 9 [11], Will 11 [5], Per 9 [-5], FP 10 [0]
Speed 5 [0], Move 5 [0]

Languages [-1]:
English (American) Native/Accented [-1]

Advantages [22]:
Reputation (Protects the Homeless) +2: Local Homeless, Recognized all the time [5]
Fit [5]
Fearlessness 3 [6]
Independent Income (Welfare 4 , Tribute from other local homeless 1) 5 [5]
Signature Gear ("The Twins") [1]

Disadvantages [-75]:
Reputation (A Mean SOB) -3: Local Homeless who have crossed Landphil, Recognized all the time [-4]
Appearance (Unattractive) [-4]
Bad Smell [-10]
Status -2 (Homeless) [-10]
Wealth (Poor) [-15]
Alcoholism [-15]
Sadism (CR 15) [-7]
Bully (CR 12) [-10]

Quirks [-3]:
Calls his brass knuckles "The Twins" [-1]
Occasionally collects teeth of defeated opponents and tells stories about them [-1]
Sense of Duty (Local Homeless who are in "good standing" with him) [-1]

Skills [24]:
Area Knowledge (East Side) 11 [2]
Brawling 12 [4]
Technique (Brawling; Punch/Vitals) 11 [2] <-----Check this for me, I don't own MA
Uppercut (Brawling) 12 [1]
Fast Talk 10 [2]
Intimidation 12 [4]
Leadership 10 [2]
Panhandling 10 [1]
Savoir-Faire (Police) 10 [1] (Any alternatives to this? Maybe a reputation?)
Scrounging 9 [1]
Streetwise 11 [4]

[tanniynim]

It's been a while, so I thought I would add a new character that was inspired by those Mega-Churches you hear about and see on occasion and some other things that are going on here locally.

He could use a little tweaking, depending on what you wanted to use him for, but I think he's good to go.

Dale Miller, Mega-Church Pastor [-6]

Dale Miller is the pastor of the local Mega-Church. You may have seen him on television, charismatically preaching God's grace and salvation through Jesus, gripping the air tightly and closing his eyes behind his glasses during particularly passionate portions of his sermon. He appears to be in good shape, mostly due to the frequent biking he takes part in in his spare time.

His motivational speaking ability is well known even outside the church, and his grasp of church politics, Christian theology, Christian literature, and his decent writing ability have skyrocketed him to success as a congregation leader.

He is charitable and law-abiding, and the church elders will usually respond quickly if he or his family are in need of any help. His fear of dogs is fairly well known, probably due to the constant reminders a recent dog attack left on his leg and arm. What isn't well known is the long-term homosexual affair that Pastor Miller takes part in late some evenings with one of his biking buddies. News of this would cause him to lose his job (and by effect, his house and car which are owned by the church) and he would be embarrassed throughout the church community.

Attributes [-10]:
ST 9 [-10], DX 10 [0], IQ 10 [0], HT 10 [0]
HP 9 [0], Will 10 [0], Per 10 [0], FP 10 [0]
Speed 5 [0], Move 5 [0]

Languages [1]:
English (American) Native/Native [0]
Koine Greek None/Broken [1]

Advantages [61]:
Fit [5]
Wealth: Comfortable [10]
Charisma 2 [10]
Ally (6-10, 12 or less, 50%; Church Elders) [36]

Disadvantages [-74]:
Bad Sight: Far-sighted (Mitigator: Glasses) [-10]
Cynophobia (Dogs, 15 or less) [-2]
Pacifism (Self Defense Only) [-15]
Sense of Duty (Congregation) [-10]
Charitable (9 or less) [-22]
Honesty (15 or less) [-5]
Secret (Utter Rejection; Homosexual Affair) [-10]

Quirks [-3]:
Shakes his two fists & closes his eyes, when making a point in a sermon he feels strongly about [-1]
Has large scars on his left leg and arm from a dog attack. [-1]
Proud [-1]

Skills [19]:
Area Knowledge (City) 10 [1]
Bicycling 11 [2]
Diplomacy 9 [2]
Literature (Christian) 10 [2]
Politics (Church) 11 [2]
Public Speaking 13 [4]
Theology (Modern Christian) 10 [4]
Writing 10 [2]

[Twyll]

Originally Posted by Sense of Duty (Kittens)

Toby Gelman
Age 32 App Ugly (-8)
Height 5' 8" Weight 160

Int 14 (80)

Do you know the sterotypical geek whom no one wants to interact with? That's Toby. That doesn't faze him though. He'd rather debate the finer points of the Trigun saga on an obscure alcove of Cyberspace anyway.

Okay. I see you renamed IQ for Intelligence (fear, Mr. 4e hates it), this is very amusing. Should we really consider Toby as a "near-genius" (as his Int suggests), I mean with an average default of 9 in all Social Skills, for example. Or should we consider him more like "disharmonic genius" (Int 10 and a Talent) ? Or maybe a "genuis idiot" (Int 9, Geek Talent and 80 points in computer skills) ? I think you should reconsider your interpretation of the IQ stat.

[Gold & Appel Inc]

The Dancing Robot Mime [-25 Points]:

Image: A man with average height and build, dressed from head to toe in a shiny silver DIY robot costume that includes a sparkly glitter-covered top hat, a sequined vest, a lot of duct tape, and an expressionless, slightly creepy mask. If it's raining or snowing he also has a silver-painted umbrella. He dances and bows jerkily to the 80s pop blasting from his weathered boom box whenever anybody is watching.

Culture: TL 8 [0]; Familiarity: Western [0]; Languages: English (Native / Accented) [-1];

Attributes: ST 10 [0]; DX 10 [0]; IQ 9 [-20]; HT 11 [10];

Secondary: Speed: 5.25 [0]; Move: 5 [0]; HP: 10 [0]; FP: 12 [3]; Perception: 9 [0]; Willpower: 9 [0];

Advantages: Fit [5]; Independent Income X5 [5];

Perks: Influence Schtick: The Compelling Gimmie Hand (For Silent Panhandling) [1]; One-Trick Wonder (Makeup, for Robot Costumes Only) [1];

Disadvantages: Alcoholic [-15]; OPH (Indifferent Hygiene) [-5]; Pacifism (Reluctant Killer) [-5]; Status -2 [-10]; Wealth (Poor) [-15];

Quirks: Attention-Seeker [-1]; Imaginative [-1]; Mildly Honest [-1]; Mildly Lazy [-1]; Mildly Lecherous [-1];

Skills: Area Knowledge (E) (Downtown Neighborhood) IQ+2 [4]-11; Carousing (E) HT+1 [2]-12; Connoisseur (A) (80s Pop) IQ-1 [1]-8; Dancing (Op Spec: The Robot) (E) DX [1]-10; Panhandling (A) IQ+3 [12]-12; Performance (Op Spec: Mimery) (E) IQ+2 [4]-11; Scrounging (E) Per [1]-9; Sex Appeal (A) HT-1 [1]-10;

Notes: Part of our continuing series: "Wacky People From the Streets of RL Denver," suitable for a recurring Contact or Enemy for a character with Weirdness Magnet in a realistic or Modern Horror setting IMHO.

Background: By day, he is a normal man with a normal name. He sleeps in a small apartment in the projects, and drinks beer and tries to flirt with pretty girls at the Paramount Cafe. By night, he is the singular performance artist known as the Dancing Robot Mime, shaking his groove thing in faintly eerie silence on 15th and Larimer or somewhere along the 16th Street Mall. He keeps it up for hours without resting, staying out well after last call if it's a busy night. Sometimes he'll tune his radio to the Top 40 station to pander to the college kids, but he is especially fond of Michael Jackson's Thriller. He is quite sane despite appearances, without any delusions or obsessions relating to how he occupies himself, just unwilling to work at a regular job and kind of unusual in his tastes.

Sample Dialogue: "MONEY PHOTOS VIDEO MAKE ME MOVE" - The Dancing Robot Mime's Sign.

[tanniynim]

I see your Dancing Robot Mime and raise you, "Franklin, the life-sized toy soldier." I actually had him in the works already. This just inspired me to finish him up. :) This ones from the streets of London.

Franklin, The Life-Sized Toy Soldier [-10]

Franklin has a small, but elaborate stage that he sets up on Main Street on weekends and any other days he's expecting a significant crowd. He rises early and leaves late, bringing his small, colorful castle-themed stage and bright toy soldier uniform with him each time.

A large, gold-painted key painted with the phrase "Turn Me" rests in the side of the stage, waiting to be turned by young passersby. When the key is turned, the marching music begins and Franklin's face lights up and he performs by marching and performing some military drills with his prop toy rifle. Otherwise, he stands perfectly still, like a British Palace Guard.

Franklin is a fat, retired army officer in his mid to late 50's and uses this act to supplement his retirement and to pay tribute to the army that employed him most of his life. While most of his previous skills have gotten rusty and are out of date, he has maintained his ability to perform military drills.

As he aged, he began to have difficulty hearing but he has since purchased a hearing aid so he can know when the marching music begins. He smokes a pipe and has some recurring Nightmares (CR 15 or less) from his war days and values Truthfulness in himself and others. He would rather not speak than tell a lie, so sitting silently in character is no difficulty. Often, Franklin will perform and refuse payment, especially for children (modeled as Compulsive Generosity), covering the bright change box with his gloved hand.

Attributes [-10]:
ST 9 [-10], DX 10 [0], IQ 10 [0], HT 10 [0]
HP 10 [0], Will 10 [0], Per 10 [0], FP 10 [0]
Speed 5 [0], Move 5 [0]

Languages [0]:
English (American) Native/Native [0]

Advantages [10]:
Charisma 1 [5]
Independent Income 5 [5]

Disadvantages [-21]:
Fat [-3]
Hard of Hearing (Mitigator: Hearing Aid -60%) [-4]
Compulsive Generosity (CR 12 or less) [-5]
Nightmares [-2]
Truthfulness (CR 9 or less) [-7]

Quirks [-4]:
Enemy: Rival (Dancing Robot Clown) [-1]
Minor Addiction (Tobacco Pipe) [-1]
Minor Workaholic [-1]
Code of Honor (Always Be Polite to Women and Children) [-1]

Skills [16]:
Area Knowledge (City Main Street) 10 [1]
Brawling 10 [1]
Detect Lies 8 [1]
Diplomacy 8 [1]
Guns/TL 7 (Rifle) [1]
Intimidation 9 [1]
Leadership 10 [1]
Observation 9 [1]
Panhandling 11 [1]
Performance (Military Drills) 12 [4]
Soldier/TL 7 9 [1]
Strategy (Land) 9 [2]

[Gold & Appel Inc]

The Lodo Faux Eskimo [-50 Points]:

Image: A plump, broad-shouldered black man in his 30s, wearing a huge, filthy brown parka with the hood up even when it's 100 degrees out. He's usually either slowly pushing a shopping cart that is absurdly overloaded with various junk, or rifling through the trash no more than five feet away from it.

Culture: TL 8 [0]; Familiarity: Western [0]; Languages: English (Native / Broken) [-2];

Attributes: ST 11 [10]; DX 10 [0]; IQ 9 [-20]; HT 10 [0];

Secondary: Speed: 5.0 [0]; Move: 4 [-5]; HP: 12 [2]; FP: 10 [0]; Perception: 11 [10]; Willpower: 9 [0];

Advantages: Independent Income X5 [5]; Night Vision X2 [2]; Temperature Tolerance X1 [1];

Disadvantages: Compulsion: Pack Rat (9-) [-7]; Delusion: "I am cold" [-5]; Fat [-3]; Light Sleeper [-5]; OPH (Powerful BO) [-10]; Pacifism (Reluctant Killer) [-5]; Status -2 [-10]; Unfit [-5]; Wealth (Poor) [-15];

Quirks: Mildly Honest [-1]; Mildly Paranoid [-1]; Nosy [-1]; Uncongenial [-1];

Skills: Area Knowledge (E) (Downtown Neighborhood) IQ+2 [4]-11; Camouflage (E) IQ+1 [2]-10; Hiking (A) HT-1 [1]-9; Scrounging (E) Per+2 [4]-13; Stealth (A) DX-1 [1]-9; Survival (A) (Urban) Per+1 [4]-12;

Notes: Part of our continuing series: "Wacky People From the Streets of Real Life Denver," suitable for a recurring Contact or bizarre recurring encounter for a character with Weirdness Magnet and/or in a realistic or Modern Horror setting. With +75 points to buy off Unfit and increase ST, HT, and Perception he could be a well-rounded MVP PC, a big, sharp-eyed guy who finds stuff really well, in a 25-point "regular folks who survived the apocalypse" campaign.

Background: There are a lot of homeless people who scavenge the trash in the Lodo neighborhood at night, but none stand out quite as much as this guy. He's always bundled up like he's in Antarctica, despite the fact that Denver is quite warm for much of the year. He's also quite unwilling to part with any of his collection of stuff, beyond any concept of practicality, and spends a significant portion of his day transporting it away from the vicinity of the shelter and building a little hidden fort to sleep in so nobody steals any of it.

Sample Dialogue: "Hey! That's my stuff!"

[tanniynim]

Originally Posted by Gold & Appel Inc

The Lodo Faux Eskimo [-50 Points]:
Background: There are a lot of homeless people who scavenge the trash in the Lodo neighborhood at night, but none stand out quite as much as this guy. He's always bundled up like he's in Antarctica, despite the fact that Denver is quite warm for much of the year. He's also quite unwilling to part with any of his collection of stuff, beyond any concept of practicality, and spends a significant portion of his day transporting it away from the vicinity of the shelter and building a little hidden fort to sleep in so nobody steals any of it.

I'm thinking we need to give this guy Gizmos with "takes extra time".

[Gold & Appel Inc]

Originally Posted by tanniynim

I'm thinking we need to give this guy Gizmos with "takes extra time".

As I pointed out in the notes, these are based on real people. Gizmos would certainly be appropriate for a version that lives in a more cinematic setting.

[tanniynim]

Originally Posted by Gold & Appel Inc

As I pointed out in the notes, these are based on real people. Gizmos would certainly be appropriate for a version that lives in a more cinematic setting.

I don't always view Gizmos as a cinematic trait. It really depends on how it's played. If it's based on "he's got so much crap, it has to be in here somewhere", it isn't quite so cinematic.