Doc Savage Write-up?

[starblaze]

Well I have been checking out some write-ups of both the Shadow and The Spider as well as some of their allies and villians. But I haven't been able to find anything on Doctor Clark Savage. I realize it may be difficult since he is mister can do everything but cook, but I cannot imagine that the possessors of such mighty Hero-Fu could come up with something by now.

So any takers? Do you have the moxie?

[AlHazred]

I think I started a Doc Savage writeup at one point, when I realized my local library had a complete run of the reprints. Unfortunately, I've moved since then. As I recall, it started to get a little hairy after 1000 points - most of it stuff. If I had to do it again, I'd definitely give him a hefty Equipment allowance, as per Dark Champions. It's appropriate, really - he uses a lot of stuff once and then never again.

[keithcurtis]

Darren Watts did a write-up for his Pulp All-Stars con game two years ago. IIRC, it came to just under 900 points.

Keith "Man of Bronze" Curtis

[McCoy]

Darren Watts did a write-up for his Pulp All-Stars con game two years ago. IIRC, it came to just under 900 points.

Keith "Man of Bronze" Curtis

Under 900? I'm impressed!

I would have thought followers, bases, and vehicles alone would have topped a thousand.

25 in all primary stats, every Talent in the book, and don't get me started on that gadget pool!

[Fazhoul]

I've done a couple of different write-ups of Doc in the past. On at least one of them I used some house rules that Albert Deschene had posted on his website. In addition to Universal Translator his group had Universal Scientist, Universal Scholar, etc. For 20 pts. the universal skills would give the character an 11- roll in any science skill, knowledge skill, etc. A +1 to the roll could be purchased for an extra 5 pts. I just bought Doc every "universal" skill and saved myself some time and trouble.

I'll see if I have any of the write-ups and try to post the best one.

[Hawksmoor]

I've done a couple of different write-ups of Doc in the past. On at least one of them I used some house rules that Albert Deschene had posted on his website. In addition to Universal Translator his group had Universal Scientist, Universal Scholar, etc. For 20 pts. the universal skills would give the character an 11- roll in any science skill, knowledge skill, etc. A +1 to the roll could be purchased for an extra 5 pts. I just bought Doc every "universal" skill and saved myself some time and trouble.

I'll see if I have any of the write-ups and try to post the best one.

The GGU uses Universals to. One thing to be aware though, you lose the complementary skill bonus. I'd give Doc lots of skills in the broad sense (Physics Chemistry Ancient World, Current Events) and let the Universal XXXXX take over the complementary roll or the obscure (I'll only need this skill 1-2 in the whole campaign.

Hawksmoor

[Mentor]

So, are we talking about Lester Dent's Doc Savage or Phil Farmer's Doc Savage?

Our campaign is shamelessly drawing from PJF.

[starblaze]

So, are we talking about Lester Dent's Doc Savage or Phil Farmer's Doc Savage?

Our campaign is shamelessly drawing from PJF.

Probably Kenneth Robeson's version (that was Lester Dent's penname btw). I am not really familiar with Farmer's version. But I am cool with anyone's preference.

[OddHat]

So, are we talking about Lester Dent's Doc Savage or Phil Farmer's Doc Savage?

Our campaign is shamelessly drawing from PJF.

Are you doing the whole Wold-Newton thing, or just the Doc Savage books?

PJF's Doc Caliban, the Jungle Lord, and the Nine stories figure into most of my campaigns.

[starblaze]

Are you doing the whole Wold-Newton thing, or just the Doc Savage books?

PJF's Doc Caliban, the Jungle Lord, and the Nine stories figure into most of my campaigns.

The only Doc Savage I know is from the novels.

[OddHat]

The only Doc Savage I know is from the novels.

Lester Dent's novels are classics.

I'm also a fan of Philip Jose Farmer's Doc Savage novels, and his Doc Savage tribute characters, Doc Caliban and Greatheart Silver.

The Wold-Newton universe idea ran through much of Farmer's work, placing heroes from Sherlock Holmes all the way up to the 1940s Batman in the same world, and tying in much else as well. It's a great story setting, an extension of a similar conceit that ran through some Victorian Fantastique and Pulp novels.

You can find multiple Wold-Newton web sites with a quick google. One good place to start (if you're interested):
http://www.pjfarmer.com/woldnewton/Pulp.htm

[Mentor]

Are you doing the whole Wold-Newton thing, or just the Doc Savage books?

PJF's Doc Caliban, the Jungle Lord, and the Nine stories figure into most of my campaigns.

Our campaign is set in 1905 and thus chocked full the PJF characters.
We seem to be heading for adoption of the whole "family" as real. I had forgotten that Harry Flashman, for example, was one of the relatives of Tarzan, Doc Savage, Fu Manchu, etc. With multiple GMs, this particular site is becoming a primary resource.

http://www.pjfarmer.com/woldnewton/Pulp2.htm


Edit: Duh, scooped by Oddhat.(Good job, that.) Read the whole thread first, Mentor.

[Wilfred_Death]

Our campaign is set in 1905 and thus chocked full the PJF characters......

Erm, I hope you don't have your PCs adopt the culinary peculiarities of Doc Caliban and Lord Grandrith, or for that matter some of their more obscure methods for killing flies.
ROFL

[Lord Liaden]

If anyone hasn't seen it yet, take a look at the last of the "Similar Threads" at the bottom of this page. Some very good suggestions and discussion there.

(For once the board software actually came up with a Similar Thread that's similar.)

[OddHat]

Erm, I hope you don't have your PCs adopt the culinary peculiarities of Doc Caliban and Lord Grandrith, or for that matter some of their more obscure methods for killing flies.
ROFL

A ramble:

Caliban and Grandith are the most fan-wanked (*ahem*) characters in the Wold-Newton chronologies. In the three books where he used them (or five if you count each novella as a separate book), Farmer intended them as the "real" people on whom the fictional characters of Doc Savage and Tarzan were based. Good stories all, and they introduced us to The Nine, one of the best bits in the Wold-Newton mythos.

Then, in some of his Tarzan novels, Farmer used the Nine again.

If the Nine were the same in both series, fans had to explain how Savage, Tarzan, Caliban, and Grandith had all co-existed in the same places and times without being aware of one-another. The answer they came up with involved, well, lots of brainwashing. It emasculated all four characters. Er...so to speak.

Myself, I just say that Granith and Caliban were always the "real" characters in my take on the Wold-Newtonverse and leave it at that. If Farmer can ignore his own continuity for the sake of a story, so can I.