Characters: Professor George Edward Challenger and companions

[AlHazred]

Aside from the better-known Sherlock Holmes, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle also wrote a short series of stories that dealt with Professor George Edward Challenger, gadfly of the Victorian scientific establishment and diehard iconoclast. With the Challenger stories, Doyle attempted to do for the young men's adventure story market what Holmes had done for the mystery genre. In that he was fairly successful - while Challenger never enjoyed Holmes' popularity, the first Challenger story, The Lost World, had a hand in kick-starting the moribund "lost land" adventure story. The theme, of humans visiting a remote and isolated area to discover dinosaurs alive in our time, was to be revisited by dozens of other authors over the years since it was published.

In all, five Challenger stories were published, but only four are canonical (The Lost World, The Poison Belt, The Disintegration Machine, and When The World Screamed). The fifth story, The Land Of Mists, treated the other stories as if they were fictional, introduced a new main character who never appeared in any other stories, and was a thinly-veiled advertisement for the new Spiritualist movement, which Doyle had converted to after the death of his son in World War I. As such, these writeups only consider information from the four canonical stories, although I may later post a write-up for the new main character from The Land Of Mists - she is very appropriate for certain types of campaigns.

[AlHazred]

Professor George Edward Challenger


Val..Char...Cost
20...STR....10
14...DEX....12
13...CON....6
15...BODY...10
18...INT....8
18...EGO....16
20...PRE....10
10...COM....0

5....PD.....1
4....ED.....1
3....SPD....6
7....REC....0
26...END....0
32...STUN...0

6"..RUN....0
2"..SWIM...0
4"..LEAP...0

Characteristics Cost: 80




Cost Skill
0 Acting 8-
2 KS: Amazon 11-
2 AK: England 11-
5 Climbing 13-
0 Concealment 8-
0 Conversation 8-
3 Deduction 13-
3 Inventor 13-
0 Language: English (idiomatic; literate)
1 Navigation (Land) 8-
3 Oratory 13-
3 Paramedics (Healer) 13-
0 Persuasion 8-
5 PS: Scientist 14-
0 Shadowing 8-
0 Stealth 8-
1 TF: Equines, Small Rowed Boats
3 Scientist
2 1) SS: Anthropology 13-
2 2) SS: Botany 13-
2 3) SS: Entomology 13-
2 4) SS: Geology 13-
2 5) SS: Mathematics 13-
2 6) SS: Paleontology 13-
2 7) SS: Physics 13-
2 8) SS: Zoology 13-
Skills Cost: 47

Cost Perk
9 Reputation: brilliant scientist (A large group) 14-, +3/+3d6
5 Follower: Austin, the chauffeur
1 Fringe Benefit: License to practice medicine
4 Fringe Benefit: Membership: various scientific associations
4 Money: Well Off
Perks Cost: 23



Val Disadvantages
5 Distinctive Features: Short, Powerfully-Built Man With Assyrian Beard (Easily Concealed; Noticed and Recognizable; Detectable By Commonly-Used Senses)
25 Enraged: when mocked or if his ideas are doubted (Common), go 14-, recover 11-
0 Normal Characteristic Maxima
10 Psychological Limitation: Loves The Lime-light (Uncommon, Strong)
15 Psychological Limitation: Reckless Scientific Curiosity (Common, Strong)
15 Reputation: "He Beats The World For Offensiveness", 14-
5 Rivalry: Professional (other scientists; Rival is As Powerful; Seek to Outdo, Embarrass, or Humiliate Rival; Rival Aware of Rivalry)
Disadvantage Points: 75

Base Points: 75
Experience Required: 0
Total Experience Available: 0
Experience Unspent: 0
Total Character Cost: 150

Height:1.66 m
Hair:Black
Weight:127.00 kg
Eyes:Blue-Gray
Appearance:Professor Challenger is a short, barrel-chested individual with broad shoulders and massive hands. Many who meet him for the first time are deceived by his presence into thinking him a much larger man. But his lack of stature does not prevent him from oozing aggression when he is affronted (as he regularly is). His head is large in proportion to his body. His coarse and plentiful hair is black. His eyes blue?gray under his large bushy eyebrows; they betray a sharp, clinical intelligence. His deep voice is usually raised in a bellowing roar like a subway train.
Personality:Professor Challenger is a man of enormous intellect, and a correspondingly enormous ego. His self-assurance shines from him, forming a presence that is difficult to ignore. But his great ego also has cost him much in his professional life. His unwillingness to hide his opinions (of which he has many) makes him many enemies, despite his genuine ability to address crowds and develop new ideas. (McArdle, Malone's editor throughout the Challenger stories, says at one point that he would "have made a great minister.")
Quote:"I have never yet encountered any problem [which] my inventive brain was unable to solve."
Background:Born in the village of Largs in 1863, George Challenger quickly excelled in academic pursuits. He attended Largs Academy and Edinburgh University. When he turned 29, he began work as an Assistant at the British Museum, then became Assistant?Keeper of the Comparative Anthropology Department a year later. His opinionated tendencies had already begun to form, since that same year he resigned after a particularly acrid exchange of letters with rival scientists. He has won Crayston Medal for Zoological Research, is a member of most scientific societies (such as the Societe Belge, American Academy of Sciences, La Plata, and the British Association for the Advancement of Science), and (as of 1912) is a former President of the Palaeontological Society. His published works include "Some Observations Upon a Series of Kalmuck Skulls," "Outlines of Vertebrate Evolution," and numerous papers. At the beginning of The Lost World, he resides in Enmore Park, Kensington, but in later works is shown to also have a fine mansion in the Briars, in Rotherfield. He is married to a small woman of strong will named Jessica.
Powers/Tactics:Professor Challenger is a normal human being, albeit one with prodigious mental acuity. He is usually able to devise a means to overcome whatever problem lies before him.
Campaign Use:Professor Challenger is both the enabler and foil of the adventures Doyle writes about him. He is the mental giant who dictates the experiment, and the ego that drives it to its conclusion. He always comes up with unusual theories regarding the nature of the universe, but they almost always pan out, at least in the important aspects. He has practically proven the existence of an etheric medium throughout the universe, and has plumbed the depths of the earth and the far reaches of the globe. As such, he makes an excellent patron for any group of PC heroes, so long as they have ability and the strength of character to withstand his insulting and sarcastic personality - Challenger suffers no fools.

George Edward Challenger.hdc

[AlHazred]

Edward Dunn Malone


Val..Char...Cost
13...STR....3
14...DEX....12
13...CON....6
11...BODY...2
13...INT....3
13...EGO....6
10...PRE....0
12...COM....1

3....PD.....0
3....ED.....0
3....SPD....6
6....REC....0
26...END....0
25...STUN...0

8"..RUN....0
2"..SWIM...0
2 1/2"..LEAP...0

Characteristics Cost: 39


Cost PowerEND
10 Luck Of Fools: Luck 2d6 \n0
4 Rugby Training: Running +2" (8" total) \n1
Powers Cost: 14


Cost Skill
0 Acting 8-
2 AK: England 11-
3 Climbing 12-
0 Concealment 8-
0 Conversation 8-
0 Deduction 8-
0 Language: English (idiomatic; literate)
0 Paramedics (Healer) 8-
0 Persuasion 8-
3 PS: Journalist 12-
4 PS: Rugby Player 13-
0 Shadowing 8-
3 Stealth 12-
1 TF: Equines, Small Rowed Boats
1 WF: Rifles
Skills Cost: 17

Cost Perk
1 Fringe Benefit: Press Pass
3 Well-Connected
1 1) Contact: Peerless Jones, Artesian engineer 8-
5 2) Contact: R. McArdle, newspaper editor (Contact has useful Skills or resources, Good relationship with Contact) 13-
1 3) Contact: Roy Perkins, war correspondent for The Adviser (Contact has useful Skills or resources) 8-
2 4) Contact: Tarp Henry, microbiologist on the staff of Nature (Contact has useful Skills or resources) 11-
Perks Cost: 13

Cost Talent
17 Danger Sense (self only, out of combat, Function as a Sense, Intuitional) 12-
Talents Cost: 17


Val Disadvantages
0 Normal Characteristic Maxima
20 Psychological Limitation: "An Overpowering Fear Of Seeming Afraid" (Common, Total)
5 Social Limitation: Subject To Orders (from R. MacArdle) (Occasionally, Minor)
Disadvantage Points: 25

Base Points: 50
Experience Required: 25
Total Experience Available: 25
Experience Unspent: 0
Total Character Cost: 100

Height:1.85 m
Hair:Black
Weight:95.00 kg
Eyes:Grey
Appearance:Malone is never fully described, but from scattered references it can be inferred that he is of a decent height, athletic build, with full-blooded Irish features.
Personality:Malone is an easy-going youth. His infectious charm has led him to make a large group of good friends. While occasionally devious or sneaky, Malone is ultimately afraid to appear less than the Victorian ideal of a gentleman, and this fear leads him to make reckless and foolish decisions. Fortunately, he is frequently lucky enough to avoid the worst results of his decisions.
Quote:"Talking won't make it any better. Come on."
Background:Ed Malone is a journalist for the London Daily Gazette, as well as a rugby player of some repute. His desire for adventure in the first Challenger story led him to become a close friend and confidante to Professor Challenger - a unique position for someone in the Press, as the Professor has a known distaste for reporters. For his part, Malone is happy to be a chronicler of Professor Challenger's exploits, a position which is guaranteed to land his name on a front page byline with fair frequency.
Powers/Tactics:Malone is a normal human being in relatively good physical shape.
Campaign Use:Malone is Challenger's chronicler and confidante, reporting three of the four Challenger stories. In a Pulp campaign, he can be used as PC contact who is able to get them an audience with Challenger himself.

Edward Dunn Malone.hdc

[AlHazred]

Mr. Summerlee


Val..Char...Cost
10...STR....0
10...DEX....0
13...CON....12
10...BODY...0
15...INT....5
14...EGO....8
10...PRE....0
10...COM....0

2....PD.....0
3....ED.....0
2....SPD....0
5....REC....0
26...END....0
22...STUN...0

6"..RUN....0
2"..SWIM...0
2"..LEAP...0

Characteristics Cost: 25




Cost Skill
0 Acting 8-
0 AK: England 8-
5 Climbing 12-
0 Concealment 8-
0 Conversation 8-
0 Deduction 8-
0 Language: English (idiomatic; literate)
3 Paramedics (Healer) 12-
0 Persuasion 8-
0 PS: Scientist 8-
0 Shadowing 8-
0 Stealth 8-
0 TF: Equines
1 WF: Rifles
3 Scientist
1 1) SS: Anthropology 11-
4 2) SS: Botany 14-
1 3) SS: Entomology 11-
1 4) SS: Paleontology 11-
1 5) SS: Zoology 11-
Skills Cost: 20

Cost Perk
3 Money: Well Off
2 Fringe Benefit: Membership:Professor of Comparative Anatomy at the London Zoological Institute
Perks Cost: 5



Val Disadvantages
10 Age: 60+
0 Normal Characteristic Maxima
15 Psychological Limitation: "In Temper He Is Naturally Acid And Sceptical" (Common, Strong)
Disadvantage Points: 25

Base Points: 25
Experience Required: 0
Total Experience Available: 0
Experience Unspent: 0
Total Character Cost: 50

Height:2.00 m
Hair:Gray
Weight:100.00 kg
Eyes:Brown
Appearance:Summerlee is "a tall, thin, bitter man, with the withered aspect of a theologian." As he is in his sixties, he has gray hair and is fairly lithe. However, for his age he is in good health. He typically dresses in casual attire, and has a "thin, goat-like beard." He can usually be seen smoking a short briar pipe, especially when he is lost in thought.
Personality:Summerlee is possessed of an acid and cantankerous temperament. A born sceptic, he constantly questions wild theories and unproven assertions, a personality trait that frequently earns him Challenger's ire. Nevertheless, as a sceptical observer trained in the scientific method, Summerlee possesses a great deal of wisdom and common sense.
Quote:"It is our task to put on record what we have seen, and to leave the further exploration to others."
Background:Born in 1846, Mr. Summerlee is the distinguished Professor of Comparative Anatomy at the London Zoological Institute. As is typical of scientists of the time, he spent much time in the field in his youth (traveling to Papua, New Guinea with Robertson), and is familiar with the process of mounting an expedition into the wilderness. At the time of the Challenger stories, his passion is the cataloguing of chalk fossils.
Powers/Tactics:Mr. Summerlee is a normal human scientist, and as such is not blessed with any particular talents beyond a vast scientific knowledge -- in his day, scientists were not so specialized as they are now. Mr. Summerlee is also a skilled mountain climber and has learned how to shoot a rifle.
Campaign Use:Mr. Summerlee is the dogmatic scientific foil to Professor Challenger's iconoclasty. Where Challenger constantly questions the conclusions and beliefs of mainstream science, Summerlee is its proponent. As a constant irritation to Challenger, he causes him to explain himself clearly for the benefit of the reader. As such, he can play a similar role in any campaign where Challenger makes an appearance.

Mr. Summerlee.hdc

[AlHazred]

Lord John Roxton


Val..Char...Cost
13...STR....3
14...DEX....12
13...CON....6
12...BODY...4
13...INT....3
10...EGO....0
15...PRE....5
16...COM....3

4....PD.....1
4....ED.....1
3....SPD....6
6....REC....0
26...END....0
26...STUN...0

6"..RUN....0
2"..SWIM...0
2 1/2"..LEAP...0

Characteristics Cost: 44




Cost Skill
16 +2 with All Combat
8 Penalty Skill Levels: +4 vs. Range Modifier with Small Arms

0 Acting 8-
3 Animal Handler (Canines, Equines) 12-
7 Climbing 14-
3 Combat Piloting 12-
3 Concealment 12-
0 Conversation 8-
0 Deduction 8-
0 Language: English (idiomatic; literate)
3 Language: Lingoa Geral (common in Brazil) (completely fluent)
3 Navigation (Air, Land) 12-
0 Paramedics (Healer) 8-
0 Persuasion 8-
5 PS: Sportsman 14-
3 Riding 12-
0 Shadowing 8-
3 Stealth 12-
8 Survival (Temperate/Subtropical, Tropical, Desert, Mountain) 12-
3 Tactics 12-
3 Tracking 12-
2 TF: Small Motorized Ground Vehicles, Small Rowed Boats
2 WF: Small Arms
3 Traveler
2 1) AK: Africa 12-
1 2) AK: Asia 11-
1 3) AK: England 11-
1 4) AK: Europe 11-
1 5) AK: Polynesia 11-
4 6) AK: South America 14-
Skills Cost: 88

Cost Perk
2 Fringe Benefit: Member of the Lower Nobility
6 Money: Wealthy
6 Reputation: world-famous sportsman and traveler (the civilized world) 14-, +2/+2d6
4 Reputation: the "Red Chief", hero of the aborigines (South American natives) 14-, +4/+4d6
Perks Cost: 18



Val Disadvantages
5 Distinctive Features: "Queer Little Tricks Of Speech" (Easily Concealed; Noticed and Recognizable; Detectable By Commonly-Used Senses)
10 Hunted: South American slavers 14- (Less Pow, Limited Geographical Area, Harshly Punish)
0 Normal Characteristic Maxima
15 Psychological Limitation: Gentleman's Code Of Honor (Common, Strong)
20 Psychological Limitation: "Give Me The Great Waste Lands And The Wide Spaces, With A Gun In My Fist And Somethin' To Look For That's Worth Findin'." (Very Common, Strong)
15 Psychological Limitation: "South Americomaniac" (Uncommon, Total)
10 Reputation: Indian-sympathizing troublemaker, 14- (Known Only By Colonial Exploiters)
Disadvantage Points: 75

Base Points: 75
Experience Required: 0
Total Experience Available: 0
Experience Unspent: 0
Total Character Cost: 150

Height:1.85 m
Hair:Auburn
Weight:81.00 kg
Eyes:Blue
Appearance:A "tall, thin man, with dark gingery hair," Lord Roxton is the image of an urbane British gentleman. With icy blue eyes, a strongly-curved nose, a waxed mustache and small tuft of beard on his strong chin, he has wholesome good looks which probably have helped him to become world-famous in his field. His is tall and spare, with skin tanned a deep ruddy bronze from years of outdoor living. His shoulders are peculiarly rounded, which makes him appear shorter than he really is. He has a quaint manner of speech.
Personality:Lord John is the consummate sportsman. He sees ever threat or obstacle in life as a "form of sport, a fierce game betwixt you and Fate, with Death as a forfeit." His love for adventure and the wild places in the world make him unlikely to be found often at home. On the other hand, his outdoorsy skill and familiarity with the unknown corners of the globe make him a great asset to any expedition.
Quote:"There are times, young fellah, when every one of us must make a stand for human right and justice, or you never feel clean again."
Background:Born sometime in the 1860s, Lord John has spent his life as an avid gentleman sportsman and explorer. He attended Oxford University and excelled at boating there and at the Leander Club (the world's oldest and most renowned boating club). He also mastered fencing and boxing while at college. He has traveled the globe extensively, been to every continent known to man, and has practiced an enormous variety of gentlemanly pursuits. He has been a hunter and athlete, pilot and boater.
Lord John has visited South America with great frequency, and bears an enormous love for that country. When he visited in 1910, he found the living conditions of the native South Americans to be incredibly poor - local exploiters were using them almost as slave labor, enforcing their will with gangs of thugs. Lord John asked the ringleader of the exploiters to cease his reign of terror. When he refused, Lord John gathered a number of disaffected Indians, taught them arms, and waged a personal war against the exploiters, finally ending the feud when he personally shot the ringleader. Because of his heroism in their defense, the local Indians look upon Lord John as their saviour.
Powers/Tactics:Lord John Roxton is an ordinary human being, albeit one with heroic characteristics. He usually tries to devise a strategy which neutralizes his enemy's advantages while maximizing his own. A gentleman to the end, Lord John never tries truly underhanded tactics against civilized foes.
Campaign Use:Lord John makes an interesting PC contact, the sort of man who is competent and resourceful on his own, possibly the equal of the PCs. One way to use him would be to make him a rival of the PCs. His code of honor would cause him to never deal with them in an underhanded or violent fashion; instead, he'd treat them as sporting opponents, no matter what the stakes of the scenario.

Lord John Roxton.hdc

[Super Squirrel]

Challanger is in other books!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Rep for you!

[AlHazred]

True. However, I've only ever seen him as a main character in the stories I referenced above. Most of the later stories in which he appears are fanfics - it seems the popular thing to do is have Challenger and Holmes team up. I've heard he makes an appearance in The Maracot Deep, but I was unable to locate either a hard copy at a reasonable price, or a free eBook version.

[st barbara]

Good write up ! I might think of adding a few more psych lims (intolerence of women, reporters and probably a few other things) but otherwise great ! Did you put "Overconfident" or "Always convinced that he is right" in there ? Interesting to note than in "The Poison Belt" his calculation of the effect of the Comet (I think) is not totally correct !

[AlHazred]

He's already maxed out for Disadvantages anyway, but a few psych lims wouldn't hurt. I don't think he's really Overconfident - when they encountered dinosaurs, he didn't ignore danger because he had an inflated sense of his own abilities, he ignored danger because his scientific curiosity was overpowering. Malone calls this the "highest kind of bravery" or some such. Intolerance for reporters would be appropriate; he doesn't really seem intolerant of women, and gets along with his wife splendidly.

There was no comet in "The Poison Belt". However, he is often not completely correct in the particulars, just in the general picture of things. For instance, he correctly deciphered the clues to indicate there were dinosaurs on the plateau in "The Lost World," but he didn't figure on the Ape-Men or the natives.

[Southern Cross]

That's certainly true.Challenger's theories may be basically correct,but he always misses something important.

[yamamura]

But where is the jungle girl or the conniving and greedy British Lady? Great job AlHazred.

[AlHazred]

But where is the jungle girl or the conniving and greedy British Lady? Great job AlHazred.

Oddly, neither of those appears in the source material. Almost as if the creators of the show, I don't know, made them up out of whole cloth! I'm shocked, shocked do you hear?!?



Personally, I've seen only one episode of the "Lost World" show, and I wasn't impressed.

[yamamura]

Oddly, neither of those appears in the source material. Almost as if the creators of the show, I don't know, made them up out of whole cloth! I'm shocked, shocked do you hear?!?



Personally, I've seen only one episode of the "Lost World" show, and I wasn't impressed.

LOL. About the only thing I could say about the show was that the Jungle girl was cute. But then again I didn't think that the A&E production was that good, it felt like a bunch of 21st century people doing the exploration as opposed to people of the time period with their biases and beliefs.

[Southern Cross]

If I remember The Lost World correctly,the young reporter was convinced to go to Maple White Land by his girlfriend,who eventually married some other poor fool.

[AlHazred]

If I remember The Lost World correctly,the young reporter was convinced to go to Maple White Land by his girlfriend,who eventually married some other poor fool.

Yep. After which, he renames the central lake of the lost plateau so that it no longer bears her name. Bitter, much?