[OCC] Strange Neighbors

[Dorin Thorha]

Ok, good to know. The Duty and the Rank I had pretty much cancel each other out anyway, so the fact that they don't count for points won't really change anything. I think I actually come out a bit ahead.

My characters are just about finished. They will both be from the US. The captain is a veteran officer who distinguished himself in the earlier part of the war when the IAH was struggling to make headway. He's a national hero in America, but he's recognized everywhere as a superb officer and he is an attractive choice due to his lack of political connections or partisanship. Skillwise he has a very broad assortment of soldierly skills which are actually rather lower than his reputation makes it, but he is undeniably a tactical genius and a master at leading people.

The other, his sister, is a rising star in the field of xenology. She has an incredible gift for communication, and talked her way into this expedition because she is determined to find and make contact with alien life forms. In the meantime, she will apply her talents to ensuring that the ship's passengers and crew remain sane and content.

Mechanically, both are very focused characters, designed to excel in a single role, although they both have a respectable assortment of low-level background skills.

Oh, that reminds me: are the average officers in this setting more likely to carry beam weapons or conventional sidearms?

[ericthered]

Depends on the militarily force. I'd say that the IAH and the larger but poorer earth nations prefer propelled weapons, while the US, European and most Space nations (they're forced to be nations to join the IAH) prefer lasers, the US and Europe because its high tech, the space nations because for them energy is cheaper than metal.

oh, and as a thought, who's older and by how much? do we have a captain who's overprotective of his little sister, a fierce rivalry between the two, or a scientist who tells stories about the captains youthful misdemeanors? or something else. you might want to make note of other siblings (or lack thereof) and parents as well, as it might come up between the two.

[samd6]

Okay, hashing the finer details out with ericbsmith, but my other character is going to be one of the scout pilots. He's something of a general pilot, but is best suited for scouting.

[Poonbahbah]

PCs

The Mechanic

Spoiler:  

Name: Dewey C. Howe Player:Poonbahbah Point total 150 Unspent 0 Stats 80, Advantages/Perks 47, Disadvantages/Quirks 35, Skills 58 = 150
Ht. 6'2" Wt. 250 SM 0 Age 37 TL 9/10
Appearance Tall, dark skinned, verging on over-weight, has a beer gut, Pink hair in a well groomed 3" Afro.

Move Dodge
80 BL/None 20 5.5 8
ST 10 HP 11 Light 40 4.4 7
Dx 12 Will 12 M 60 3.3 6
IQ 12 Per 12 H 120 2.2 5
HT 10 FP 10 X-H 200 1.1 4
Damage Th d-2 Sw d Basic Speed 5.75

4
Language(s) Spoken Written pts.
English Native Native 0
Mandarin AccentedAccented4

1
Cultures
Western
Asian 1

42+5
Advantage/Perks
Efficent 1 Mechanic Specialty reduce haste penalties by up to -2
Efficent 1 Electrician as above
G Experiance 10 (All)
Immune to Space Sickness 5
Improved G Tolerance 10 Penalties accrue in increments of .5gG instead of .2G
Rank (0) Ship Rank 4?
Single Minded 5
Secruity Clearence (0) FTL Stuff
Talent 10 Artificer 1 lvl; +1 to Armoury, Carpentry, Electritain, Electronics Repair, Engineer,
Maschinest, Masonry, Mechanic, and Smith. +1 reaction for anyone I do work for.

-35
Disadvages/Quirks
Congenial -1
Distinctive Feature -1 Pink Hair, Don't ask.
Duty (0) Ship, Crew, IAH
Expression -1 That'll do
Honesty -10
Horrible Hangovers -1 Last three hours longer
Responsive -1
Sense of Duty (Work Crew) -5
Pacifism (Relunctant Killer) -5
Post Combat Shakes -5
Truthfulness -5

58
Skills D S P N

Leadership 4

Administration ia 12 2
Leadership ia 12 2

Mechanic/Engineer 43

Armoury ia
Battlesuits 12 1 TL 9 +1 Artificer
Small Arms 12 1 TL 9 +1 Artificer
Heavy Weapons 12 1 TL 9 +1 Artificer
Computer Op ie 13 2 TL 9
Crewmen ie
Spacer 14 4 TL 9
Electrician ia 14 4 TL 9 +1 Artificer
Engineer ih
Starships 13 4 TL 9/10 +1 Artificer, (FTL)
Starships 11 0 TL 9/10 +1 Artificer, (STL) default -2
Free Fall da 14 8
Freight Handling ia 13 2 TL 9
Machinist ia 13 2 TL 9 +1 Artificer
Mechanic ia
HP Spacecrft 14 4 TL 9/10 +1 Artificer, (FTL)
HP Spacecrft 12 0 TL 9/10 +1 Artificer, (STL) default -2
Scrounging pe 13 2
Vacc Suit da 14 8 TL 9

Combat 3

Brawling de 11 2
First Aid ie 12 1 TL 9

Other 8

Carousing he 12 2
Gambling ia 13 4
Piolt da
HP Spacecrft 12 2


Melee Weapons Damage Reach Parry Weight St Notes
Fist d-3 cr c 8 - - -3 to parry vs weapons iirc
Kick w. boots d-1 c,1 no - - if miss roll vs dx or fall down

Ranged Weapons
None

Armor location DR weight notes
Vacc Suit full suit 6* 25 3, 4, 10
And Vacc Helmet head 6 5 3, 11
Or if possible when required
Space Armor full suit 50/30 45 3, 4, 6, 10
and Helmet head 40/30 7 3, 6, 7, 11

Gear $Shouldn't matter much
Shouldn't matter much.

Background
Technicly a Martian he'd rather be called a Deimon because he was born
on Deimos, the smaller of mars' two moons. Deimos is largely mined out now but
it makes for a good tourist attraction and a pit stop for certain kinds of
vehicles. His parents lived and worked on Deimos, first as miners then as tour
guides.
Once he was of age he jumped Rock and learened his trade. The
maintenance and, to a lesser degree, design of spaceships. He did a lot of
work in dry docks fixing and overhauling ships. And when he wasn't doing that
he was out on a ship doing it's rounds as either it's engineer or an assistant
engineer. He may not be able to invent a new engine but he can refine whats
there already and make it easyier to repair and last longer.
Over the roughly two decades he's learned, seen and experianced a lot.
In large part thanks to his skill as a mechanic and the contacts he's made
from his jobs he's been able to get a slot on THOTE.[/code]

The Marine

Spoiler:  

Name: Gwen(dolyn) McKay Player:Poonbahbah Point total 200 Unspent X Stats 140, Advantages/Perks 30, Disadvantages/Quirks -35, Skills 65 = 200
Ht. 5'5" Wt. 140 x SM 0 Age 25 TL 9
Appearance: Out of armor she's on the short said with short black hair, pale complexion, and green eyes. Well toned moves with grace.
In her armor of choice she's closer to 6'5" with a very Imposing Gun in hand, a smaller one on her right shoulder and some sort of sensor on her left.

Move Dodge
140 BL/None 24 6.25 10
ST 11 HP 11 Light 48 5 9
Dx 14 Will 12 M 96 3.75 8
IQ 12 Per 12 H 192 2.5 7
HT 11 FP 11 X-H 240 1.25 6
Damage Th d- Sw d+1 Basic Speed 6.25


Language(s) Spoken Written pts.
English Native Native 0

Cultures
Western

30
Advantage/Perks
Military Rank 0 Military rank (3 low level officer)
Combat Refelxes 15
Fit 5
Immunity to Space Sickness 5
Talent 5 Born War-Leader 1 lvl; +1 to Intel Analysis, Strategy, and Tactics.
+1 reaction bonus from military officers, tribal war-cheifs, and veteran soldiers.

-35
Disadvages/Quirks
Careful -1
Code of Honor -10 (Soldiers)
Dislikes Vegatables -1
Duty 0 on a 15 or less Extremely Hazardous
Honesty -10
Likes Comics -1
Minor addiction Gum -1
OPH -5 Smelly -1 reaction
Sense of Duty -5 (Comrades)
Staid -1
Unattractive -4 -1 reaction

65
Skills Dif Skill Points Notes

Leader 14

Administration ia 12 2
Leadership ia 13 2 +1 Born War-Leader
Navigation ia
Land 12 1 TL 9
Observation pa 13 2
Savoir Faire ie
Military 14 2 +1 Born War-Leader
Strategy ih 11 1 +1 Born War-Leader
Tactics ih 13+2 4 +1 Born War-Leader +2 only applies if everyone is equipped with TacNet software

Stealth/Combat 45

Acrobatics dh 14 4
Beam Weapon de
Rifle 15 2 TL 9
Camouflage ie 12 1
Electronics Op ia
Sensors 12 2 TL 9
Enviromental Suit da
Battlesuit 16 8 TL 9
Vacc Suit 15 0 Default from battlesuit -2, TL 9
Explosives ia
Demolitions 11 1 TL 9
Fast Draw de
Ammo 15 1 +1 combat Refelxes
Pistol 15 1 +1 combat Refelxes
Long Arm 15 1 +1 combat Refelxes
First Aid ie 12 1 TL 9
Forward Observ ia 11 1 TL 9
Free Fall da 16 8
Gesture ie 12 1
Gunner de
Beams 15 2 TL 9
Machine Gun 16 4 TL 9
Guns de
SMG 16 4 TL 9
Knife de 15 2
Soldier ia 13 2 TL 9
Stealth da 14 2
Throwing da 14 1

Other 6

Computer Op ie 12 1 TL 9
Crewmen ie
Spacer 12 1 TL 9
Driving da
Automobile 13 1 TL 9
Mechanic ia
Battlesuit 12 2 TL 9
Scrounging pe 12 1


Melee Weapons Damage Reach Parry Weight St Notes
Superfine Large Knife Sw(2) cut c, 1 -1(10) 1 6 Superfine blade (UT pg 163) +2 damage AD (2)
Or Thr+2(2) Imp c -1(10) 6 Can be Thrown

Ranged Weapons Damage Acc Range Weight RoF Shots ST Bulk Rcl Notes
Personal Defense Weapon 4d pi- 4 350/3000 4.5/1 10 100+1(5) 9† -3 -2 Standard ammo Carries 3 Clips 100/100
or APDS 3 Clips100/100 4d+4(2) pi- 4 525/4500 4.5/1 10 100+1(5) 9† -3 -2 pi- does 1/5 damage vs unliving and 1/10 vs homogenous
Heavy Chain Gun 15d+15 pi- 6 3000/13500 75/12 12 50(5) 20M -8 -2 APDS 3 Clips
Other notes Have multi spectral laser sights, when on +1 to hit(within 1/2D range,) if they see dot they get +1 to dodge
HUD-Link +1 Acc within 300 Yards(doesn't stack with other targeting systems, Shows number of shots remaining, and range to target.
Enhanced targeting scope, Can see around corners, +3Acc (doesn't stack with HUD,) adjusts for wind, tempature and gravity.
PDW Shoulder Servomounts, Right Shoulder, without HUD -2 to shot and can't aim, Makes them hands free weapons, 13.5 lbs
Tactical Programs
Silhouette, Obtical Recognition program specializing in identifying targets of military interest and background or technical data.
Quanity and accuracy depends on database
TacNet, Software tool useful for combat troops, helps a leader by tracking and displaying their positions, fireing arcs, blind spots,
command relationships and more, +2 to tactics if all parties are in communication
Sensor
Med.Terahertz Radar 10 lbs with (left) Shoulder mount 30 lbs, 600 yard range, penetrates clothing, brush, thin walls (a few inches,)
eliminates Penalties to spot objects behind light cover, +4 to locate concealed weapons, +4 on Ele. Op. Sen. to Distinguish fine relief
Can track up to 100 targets, +3 to hit with an aim.
Effictive skill with...
Chain gun, 16-1suit+1lasersight 16, With aim add +6 acc, +3ETS, and +3 Tactical Radar for 28 skill -range/sm/misc.
PDW, 16-1suit+1lasersight 16, With aim add +4 acc, +3ETS, and +3 Tactical Radar for 26 skill -range/sm/misc.
Also Note, Holy crap UT can add a lot to your to hit with an aim.

Combat Load
Knife 1, PDW 4.5+6ammo+13.5Mount, Chaingun 75+36ammo+75Mount, Sensor 10+30mount 1+24+186+40=261 Light encumbrance Move 5 Dodge 9

Armor Location DR Weight Notes
Full Hardened 1 Full 50/16 150?/neg 3, 4, 6, 12 Plus -1Dx St 30 Basic Lift 180
Pluss Helmet head 50/16 15?/neg 3, 6, 7, 11

Gear $Shouldn't matter
To be updated

Background
She grew up down on Earth in New Zealand. Her rather large family is composed
mostly of farmers. She wanted more then that, and nothing to do with all the
vegetables.
When she was of age she joined the IAH. Not that she got see much in the way
of war because the war was wrapping up as she joined. However that didn't keep
her from becoming an infantry(wo)men. She showed exceptional skill and was
able to apply for, get, and attend officer training school. She did quite well.
From there she's seen some action but nothing particularly glorious and feels
lucky to have gotten assigned to THOTE which a chance to see more then most
could of ever imiagned. Travel the Galaxy! Meet fascinating life-forms...
and kill them!
[/code]

[Lamech]

Does the ship have spin gravity?

[ericthered]

[QUOTE=Poonbahbah;1395639]Man portable or ship portable only? If man portable, via St 30 or less, how effective is it at stopping bullets which in my mind are just very small shells. Maybe we should all pack some beam weapons just in case.[QUOTE]

current bullets are intentionally made to avoid the problem. Yes, Its man portable, and you have access to it. Against shells its drops the rate of fire by 80%. vs. metal(not lead) bullets it gives a -1 to hit to the attacker. If you use heat-armored bullets (which are standard at the moment) you can ignore the effects.

Is there going to be gravity manipulation in game, or accelerating for some semblance of it, or mostly free-fall, or the ship or parts of it thereof rotating, or something else I've not thought of? At least at game start.

gravity manipulation is superscience, so unless its the one surprise out there, you won't get it. The ships are rotating for gravity. This means that Space combat is in null G, and you won't stick to the side of a ship, so if you intend to go outside, be sure to get free fall.

What year is it exactly? I know it was 2098 When Wood got his drive and there's a mention of enemy being driven back to areas unobservable a hundred years ago so 2198? The answer to this question will likely affect my charecters' backgrounds.

The wood period lasted about 45 years, and the war ended 5 years after that. That was 8 years ago, so the year is 2156.

The Engineer

Mostly good, but some of the skills need to be more specific. Are you a warp drive engineer, a high energy engineer (covers drives, nuclear reactors), or a space construction engineer (The physical construction). You don't need to note cutting edge tech, its normal for the setting.

are you sure weird science is what you want? in this setting it doesn't have much to do with reality. You might want to convert that into warp physics or something like that.

The Marine

good except for perhaps for weirdness magnet. Its kind of made for a campaign where every one isn't on the same ship. If I let you keep it it will come out looking a little more like unlucky: a military wierdness magnet will attract the weapons and tactics that haven't been seen before.

you're also spending a lot of points on skills: you might want to put some of those into talents or attributes, which will have the same effect for a better price.

[Dorin Thorha]

Originally Posted by ericthered

Depends on the militarily force. I'd say that the IAH and the larger but poorer earth nations prefer propelled weapons, while the US, European and most Space nations (they're forced to be nations to join the IAH) prefer lasers, the US and Europe because its high tech, the space nations because for them energy is cheaper than metal.

oh, and as a thought, who's older and by how much? do we have a captain who's overprotective of his little sister, a fierce rivalry between the two, or a scientist who tells stories about the captains youthful misdemeanors? or something else. you might want to make note of other siblings (or lack thereof) and parents as well, as it might come up between the two.

Combination of overprotective older brother and rivalry. He's already made his name, while she has yet to have her big break. They probably haven't had much contact with each other in recent years, since he's been out masterminding skirmishes and she's been feverishly working on plans for First Contact.

[Poonbahbah]

Originally Posted by ericthered

Mostly good, but some of the skills need to be more specific. Are you a warp drive engineer, a high energy engineer (covers drives, nuclear reactors), or a space construction engineer (The physical construction).

Engineer (Vehicle Type) is a valid specialization covering the design of a single broad class of vehicles such as automobiles, ships, and starships. Paraphrased from Basic Set pg 191 top left column. Unless you want to disallow it?
And Mechanic (High Performance Spacecraft,) since it's definitely not contragravity, covers; controls, hull, motive system, power plant, transmission, and even the paint job. para from B pg 207 I'll put some more points into other tech skill though not that I've got some more freed up.

Originally Posted by ericthered

good except for perhaps for weirdness magnet. Its kind of made for a campaign where every one isn't on the same ship. If I let you keep it it will come out looking a little more like unlucky: a military wierdness magnet will attract the weapons and tactics that haven't been seen before.

you're also spending a lot of points on skills: you might want to put some of those into talents or attributes, which will have the same effect for a better price.

Okay, and good suggestion

Thanks for the feed back. I'll edit them soonish.

[ericthered]

Ahhh.... There is a huge FTL/STL gap in design. They are separate skills, but I'll let them default at -2 instead of the normal -4. You can specialize in Mechanic or engineer for either version, which will include the structural parts for both of them. The main ship is FTL, with many STL craft.

Ships in this setting rely on a "carrier" model. you have the main ship, with lots of other ships to perform individual tasks. So you have fighters for both FTL and STL, as well as small freighters and landers for STL. Also keep in mind that the ship is quite large.

sorry to anyone who hasn't realized the FTL/STL paradigm yet: A ship that is half decent at one isn't good at the other, unless doing both is the only thing the ship does well. Common ships include Massive FTL carriers, Small fighters of both kinds, Mid sized STL freighters, planetary landers, and scout ships (which do both FTL and STL). If you're thinking isn't FTL new? yes, it is, but the technique is over sixty years old.

[Dorin Thorha]

Would anyone who is familiar with the weapon options care to help me design a really tricked-out laser pistol to be my character's sidearm? In the past I've always played melee fighters or non-combat characters so I'm a little lost. Money is no object within any reasonable limits, as I have points available for Sig Gear if needed.