Doc Savage Write-up?

[OddHat]

Re: Doc Savage Write-up?

 

On a related note, any write-ups on his men?

 

I'll be playing in a one shot and a few of us thought since there are 5 of us it was a natural.

 

if there aren't any, how about some suggestions on languages known and obscure skills and disads. It's been a while since I've read any Doc.

 

The basic pattern is easy, but specific and accurate write ups would require you to do some research.

 

The best Doc Savage Sites are here and here.

 

Doc's five companions are each allowed to be just slightly better than Doc in one specific area. Doc is almost as good as each of them in their specialized areas, and has skills in areas they don't.

 

Renny was a giant, not stronger than Doc but a more dangerous boxer, with huge fists that could smash doors and walls. Doc could out-wrestle him. Renny was also a master engineer.

 

Johnny was tall and slim. He was possibly the world's leading geologist and archaeologist, and much tougher than he looked.

 

Long Tom was useless in a fist fight, a good shot, and the gadgeteer of the group after doc. He was a "wizard with electricity", the best electrical engineer of his time.

 

Ham was "the best lawyer Harvard ever turned out", slim and a deadly swordsman.

 

Monk was short, very heavy, and had freakishly long arms. He was stronger than any members of the group save possibly Doc or Renny, and the best wrestler in the crowd (Doc could out-box him). He was also the world's greatest chemist.

 

All of them are easy enough to do on 150 points, though 250 would be closer to the ful over the top cinematic versions of the characters. Doc is at least a 500 point character, and 800 would not be out of line. However, you can do a good Doc tribute for a little as 350 if you're willing to chop away at his Talents and Perks list with an axe.

[AlHazred]

Re: Doc Savage Write-up?

 

Doc's five companions are each allowed to be just slightly better than Doc in one specific area. Doc is almost as good as each of them in their specialized areas' date=' and has skills in areas they don't.[/quote']That's not completely true, IIRC. Doc is just slightly better than each of them in their special areas of expertise, and has areas of knowledge that they lack.

[OddHat]

Re: Doc Savage Write-up?

 

That's not completely true' date=' IIRC. Doc is just slightly [i']better [/i]than each of them in their special areas of expertise, and has areas of knowledge that they lack.

 

I always thought it was a case of almost as good plus areas the others lacked, but then I may be over-influenced by the Philip Jose Farmer and Will Murray revivals. Haven't read more than 4-5 of the originals.

[Lamrok]

Re: Doc Savage Write-up?

 

Writing up "Doc Savage". Hmm no problem if you aren't concerned with point costs. Just put ALL characteristics at human maximum' date=' give him every skill in the book, throw in scads of wealth, the most useful bunch of followers imagineable and all the contacts that you can dream up ! Simple really.[/quote']

 

The Fab Five were actually the most useless bunch of followers anyone ever had. The only one of them who could do anything remotely useful to Doc was Ham, the lawyer. The expertise of the rest of them was less useful to him than my four year old's grasp of computer technology is to me. For all intents and purposes, with the sole exception of the Ham, they were incompetent DNPCs, constantly getting captured, and constantly needing Doc to bail them out of whatever mess they had managed to muddle into. Part of the reason he was so competent was that he had all those extra points from DNPCs.

 

I find the whole PJF take on Doc Savage to be extremely icky. Doc Savage and the Fab Five always struck me as projections of what eight year olds think they will be when they grow up - overgrown kids. Ascribing sexual behavior to them feels vaguely pedophilic to me.

[Lamrok]

Re: Doc Savage Write-up?

 

That's not completely true' date=' IIRC. Doc is just slightly [i']better [/i]than each of them in their special areas of expertise, and has areas of knowledge that they lack.

 

Dent would say that when introducing them, but the stories, as far as I can remember, never bore that out. When push came to shove they were never close in ability to Doc.

[OddHat]

Re: Doc Savage Write-up?

 

 

I find the whole PJF take on Doc Savage to be extremely icky. Doc Savage and the Fab Five always struck me as projections of what eight year olds think they will be when they grow up - overgrown kids. Ascribing sexual behavior to them feels vaguely pedophilic to me.

 

PJF only went over the top in his Caliban/Grandith stories imo. The actual Doc Savage stories (Doc Savage: His Apocalyptic Life and Escape from Loki) featured a Doc Savage that had a sex life, but it wasn't on screen.

[Lamrok]

Re: Doc Savage Write-up?

 

PJF only went over the top in his Caliban/Grandith stories imo. The actual Doc Savage stories (Doc Savage: His Apocalyptic Life and Escape from Loki) featured a Doc Savage that had a sex life' date=' but it wasn't on screen.[/quote']

 

Thanks for clearing that up. I was going by stories I'd heard, rather than personal experience, always a dangerous basis for an opinion.

[OddHat]

Re: Doc Savage Write-up?

 

Thanks for clearing that up. I was going by stories I'd heard' date=' rather than personal experience, always a dangerous basis for an opinion.[/quote']

 

No worries.

 

The first Doc Caliban story (A Feast Unknown) was as much a parody as an adventure story. Sex was used for shock value, and as a criticism of pre-sexual revolution mores. I wish there had been much less of it, because there is a good Tarzan/Doc Savage adventure story in there. The Mad Goblin and Lord of the Trees also use Caliban / Grandith, but they're much more traditional Doc Savage and Tarzan stories.

 

Farmer's actual Doc Savage books ("Escape from Loki" and "Doc Savage:HAL") were written later. Escape from Loki in particular is interesting, telling the story of Doc's first meeting with his assistants. There's no on-screen ex in either book, but there is mention of Doc having had at least one relationship.