Now that Pulp HERO is on the horizon I thought it might be fun to create and post some characters that could be used in a Pulp HERO campaign.
So how about it Heroes, are you up for the challenge?
Who knows, if he likes them Steve might use some in the Pulp Hero book.
I'll start with one of mine...
JAKE CALLAHAN, LIEUT. USN RET.
Val Char Cost Roll Notes
15 STR 5 12- Lift 200.0kg; 3d6; [1]
17 DEX 21 12- OCV 6 DCV 6
15 CON 10 12-
11 BODY 2 11-
13 INT 3 12- PER Roll 12-/14-
13 EGO 6 12- ECV: 4
15 PRE 5 12- PRE Attack: 3d6
14 COM 2 12-
7 PD 4 Total: 7 PD (0 rPD)
3 ED 0 Total: 3 ED (0 rED)
3 SPD 3 Phases: 4, 8, 12
6 REC 0
30 END 0
27 STUN 0 Total Characteristic Cost: 63
Movement: Running: 7" / 14"
Swimming: 2" / 4"
Leaping: 3" / 6"
Cost Powers END
Martial Arts:
Maneuver OCV DCV Notes
4 Fast Strike - Mean Right Cross +2 +0 5d6 Strike
3 Life Support (Immunity: Alcohol)
2 Sharp Eyes: +2 PER with Normal Sight
Perks
1 Fringe Benefit - Commercial Pilot's License: License to practice a profession
1 Reputation - Great War Flying Ace (A small to medium sized group) 8-, +1/+1d6
Skills
1 Bureaucratics 8-
11 Combat Piloting 16-
3 KS: Aircraft Identification 12-
2 KS: Aviation 11-
2 KS: Aviators 11-
3 Mechanics 12-
4 Navigation (Air, Land, Marine) 12-
4 PS: Cargo Pilot 13-
3 Stealth 12-
3 Systems Operation 12-
3 Tactics - Air 12-
3 Trading 12-
4 TF: Combat Aircraft, Large Military Ships, Large Planes, Small Motorized Ground Vehicles, Small Planes
3 Traveler
1 1) AK: Carribean (2 Active Points) 11-
2 2) AK: East Coast (3 Active Points) 12-
1 3) AK: Europe (2 Active Points) 11-
1 4) AK: North America (2 Active Points) 11-
1 5) AK: South America (2 Active Points) 11-
1 6) AK: South Pacific (2 Active Points) 11-
1 7) AK: West Coast (2 Active Points) 11-
3 +1 with S&W M27, Winchester 94 and Trench Knife
4 WF: Small Arms, Aircraft Weapons, Blades
2 Weaponsmith (Firearms) 12-
Total Powers & Skill Cost: 77
Total Cost: 140
75+ Disadvantages
10 Distinctive Features: pre-maturely white hair Concealable, Noticed and Recognizable, Detectable By Commonly-Used Senses
20 Psychological Limitation: Believes in fighting fair Very Common, Strong
15 Psychological Limitation: Incurable Romantic (Common, Strong)
15 Psychological Limitation: Loyal to Comrades (Common, Strong)
5 Rivalry: with all other pilots over who's the best Professional (; Rival is As Powerful; Seek to Outdo, Embarrass, or Humiliate Rival; Rival Aware of Rivalry)
0 Experience Points
Total Disadvantage Points: 140
Background/History: Name's Callahan, Jake Callahan. I'm the world's greatest pilot. Oh I know some of you out there are snickering "World's greatest pilot, huh. A legend in his own mind!" Well don't take my word for it, check it out. Ask anybody. Ask Jim Dolittle or Charlie Lindbergh, Billy Bishop or Eddie Ricken-backer. Go ahead, I'll wait for ya … Satisfied? Okay let's get to it. You guys want the straight dope so here it comes. And boys, sharpen your pencils, this one's a real world-beater.
I was born in New York City - 1899, didn't stay there long though. By the time I was four the old man moved us outta' the city and upstate. That's where I first heard about it. 17 December 1903 at Kitty Hawk, North Carolina. Wright Flyer # 1, the first powered flight, all of 12 seconds long. Didn't make much of an impression on me at the time, too remote I guess. But it wasn't remote six years later. July 1909, I was outta' school for the summer and swimmin' in the creek that run behind our house when I saw it. It was Glenn Curtiss' Golden Flyer on the flight that won it the Scientific American Prize, 25 miles nonstop. More important Glenn Curtiss was setting up shop right there in my own home town. But thing's didn't stop there, not by a long shot. Curtiss needed mechanics and the best in 20 miles was my old man. Curtiss offered him twice the money he was makin' at the time; I think he thought it over for all of 15 seconds.
From that moment on all most alla’ my free time was spent at the airfield. I swept floors, sorted parts, greased axles, helped the old man, and talked to the pilots. In May of 1910 Gene Ely took me up for the first time in the Albany Flyer. I was there cheering him on six months later at Hampton Roads when he took off from the deck of the U.S.S. Birmingham. I first soloed on 28 July 1914 in an old model D-IV. From that moment on I was one of Glenn Curtiss' test pilots. I worked on Saturdays during the school year and all week long during the summers. I even helped Curtiss design the JN-1 Jenny trainer in the spring of "16".
I graduated from high school in June of 1917 and immediately enlisted in the service, as most of our contracts had been with them I joined the Navy. Within three months I was commissioned an Ensign and posted as a seaplane test pilot at Pensacola. I got to fly a lotta new planes, but that wasn't really what I wanted. After all there was a War on, and I wanted to be in on it. I had made a few connections when I worked for Curtiss and was able to wrangle a slot on detached service with the Royal Flying Corps in France. The Brits put me in an SE 5a assigned to Mannock's Squadron. In 14 weeks I racked up 17 kills, then the Navy yanked me back and put me in a big RS-3 flying boat hunting U-boats in the Irish Sea. Now those goddamned gooney birds have all the speed and handling of a pregnant elephant. Their one saving grace is their strength and I was determined to make the most of that. I had a big 1 pounder Hotchkiss Revolving Cannon mounted in the nose, 4 Vickers Mk I .303 caliber machine guns mounted on the wings, and a pair of Lewis guns in a flex-mount in the rear cockpit. This was in addition to the two 230 pound bombs the plane carried. By the time the war ended in November 1918 we had sunk 4 U-boats, 7 light gunboats, and shot down 5 more aircraft, 3 of them Zepps.
With the war over I was back at Pensacola as a test pilot. I flew the Nieuport 27s that the government bought from the Frogs in 1919, and helped organized the navy's first fighter squadrons. I commanded VF-3 at San Diego from 1920 to 21; my departure from the navy was precipitated by a little difference of opinion with a pompous asshole of a battleship captain. I was sayin to a buddy of mine at one of the base commander's receptions, that within ten years, twenty at the most, aircraft would be able to take on and sink battleships. This little twerp of a four-striper sez to me that my statements just go to prove that aviators are all lunatics but if I give up all this flying nonsense I might be saved from the bughouse. Well that displeased me some, and I expressed my displeasure by dumping a bowl of punch on the dickless little faggot's head. There was some talk of having me court-martialed for assaulting a superior and conduct unbecoming. But I was a war hero, 22 air victories had made me the number two U.S. ace behind Rickenbacker. So they just let me quietly retire from active duty, although I stayed on the reserve list until 1927.
I went back to work for Curtiss as head of their stunt team, competing in air shows, races, and trophy competitions all over the country. In 1923 I won the Pulitzer Trophy flying an R2C-1, I flew an R3C-2 into first place in the Schneider Trophy competition at Hampton Roads on 13 Nov. 1926. I won the 1927 National Air Race in a Hawk XP-6A at an average speed of 204 mph. Flying Glenn Curtiss' hot stuff was fun but I was workin' for somebody else, and after the fiasco in San Diego the only person that I really wanted to work for was me. So in "29" I bought an old Curtiss Navy NC-4 reconnaissance plane, gave Curtiss my notice, and set up shop on my own. From "29" to "32" I flew into and out of some of the worst hellholes man has ever created. Some of my cargoes were ... how should I put it ... cloaked in secrecy. Was it smuggling? Yes. Was it dangerous? Again yes. In the summer of "32" four Chilean Spad 13s jumped me while I was flyin' this Frog archeologist named Belloq. I took out two of them but the NC-4 was riddled with bullet holes and one of my engines was shot to hell and gone. I survived the crash, the NC-4 didn't. I never did find out what the Spics were so pissed at.
So there I was in 1932, a pilot without a plane and no real hope of gettin' my hands on one, so I did the only thing I could ... I signed on with Imperial Airways as a passenger pilot. I flew the San Francisco to Hong Kong route as captain of a Consolidated Commodore flying boat. Not the most exciting job in the world, but I made contacts, and started scraping together enough money to put a down payment on a new plane. A pal of mine at the Postal Air Service managed to hold onto an air mail route along the west coast for me, now all I needed was a plane. Then it happened. Douglas Aircraft introduced the DC-3. Practically overnight all other airliners were obsolete. With that, the air mail route, and my down payment I was able to get my hands on a brand new Boeing 247D. I ordered her in bright silver with her name printed in red along both sides ... the Argent Eagle. For any of you slobs who happen to be illiterate argent means silver. I flew the mail route until 1938 when I lucked onto a big wad of cash. I was on a special job for a buddy of mine when I came into possession of a German Dornier Do 26A seaplane. I sold the Kraut and used the money to pay off my loan, and refurbish the Eagle with a pair of brand new Pratt & Whitney Twin Wasp 14 cylinder radials, 830 horsepower each.
Since then I've done pretty much what I want. I buy, I sell, but mostly I fly. I fly where I want to and when I want to. And I don't take shit from any pimple-assed jerkweed with a big title and no brain.
One more thing before you boys go. I respect the hell out of Charlie Lindbergh's ability as a pilot, but the man is a political idiot, and so are you if you buy all that shit he's been spouting. Knocking the friggin' Nazis on their collective asses is an absolute necessity if this country wants to still be here in 30 years. They can't be bargained with, or talked reasonably to, and they sure as hell can't be trusted. That poor sap Chamberlain found that out. Now there's a second world war going on, and this country can fight it now with allies or later all by it's lonesome. 'Cuz you better believe it, if the Brits fall those little Hun bastards will be all over us like ticks on a dog. And if you think they won't then ask yourself this little question: What's to stop them?
Personality/Motivation: Jake is confident in the extreme in the air or among aviators. Jake’s been flying the not-so-friendly skies for 27 years in every kind of plane and all kinds of conditions. If it has wings he's flown it and better than anyone before or since. He's owned his 247D the Argent Eagle since 1935 and he and it have been to hell and back together more than once. At his age Jake should be slowing down, but if he is no one can see any sign of it.
Around women Jake changes almost completely, becoming almost humble. His confidence, although still there, is toned down greatly and nowhere near as “in your face” as it is among men. He tends to be over-protective of any women in an adventuring party and will politely advice them to not to take any chances. This comes from his association with Amelia Earhart whom he tried to dissuade from her around the world flight. He still blames himself for her death.
Quote: “Of course I can fly it.”
Powers/Tactics: Jake firmly believes in putting bureaucrats in their places, which to him is somewhere beneath sheep dung. On the few occasions when words fail to get the point across, a solid right usually does. If things escalate Jake will remark that the conversation was going downhill anyway and match the violence with fists, his trench knife’s knuckle-duster, the blade or his S&W. He won’t resort to lethal force unless threatened with it but he has no problem using it when he feels it’s needed.
Others have a tendency to underestimate him because of the quantity of booze he consumes not realizing that it has no effect on him. Jake often takes advantage of this to appear drunk before nailing his opponents with his trademark right cross. It also tends to keep the police off his neck as his opponents are too embarrassed to admit that a white-haired old drunk beat them in a fair fight.
Although quite illegal in the US, the Argent Eagle mounts a single Vickers Mk I .303 caliber machinegun in the nose.
Campaign Use: Not only will Jake take the fool adventurers where they want to go but he’ll go with them when they get there to keep them out of trouble. Of course sometimes he winds up getting them in trouble instead but it’s usually nothing he can’t handle.
Appearance: Jake is a ruggedly handsome man in his early 40s with startlingly blue eyes. He is clean-shaven, stands 6’ 1” and weighs about 180 pounds. His hair is completely white and has been for nearly twenty years. He usually dresses in light gray slacks with matching shirt and brown boots. A brown leather aviator’s jacket, his old naval officer’s cap and a pair of those new-fangled dark aviator’s glasses complete his ensemble.
Reply With Quote
Re: Pulp Heroes
Originally Posted by st barbara
Re: Pulp Heroes
Re: Pulp Heroes
Bookmarks