Pizza Man Posted August 28, 2011 Report Share Posted August 28, 2011 I read about a similar character in a short story long ago...always wanted to flesh him out. Jason Mercer (Tarras Gamma) Characteristics: 10 STR 14 DEX 15 CON 13 INT 10 EGO 13 PRE 7 OCV 5 DCV 3 OMCV 3 DMCV 3 SPD 5 PD 5 ED 10 REC 30 END 10 BODY 30 STUN Total Cost: 78 Powers: 23 Teleportation (31 miles) 5M, No Relative Velocity, Mega scale (1m=10 km; +1 ¼), 34 active points. Requires a skill roll (-1/2). 3 END 18 Clairsentience (31 miles) Sight and Hearing groups, Mobile perception Point (move up to 12 m per Phase), Reduced Endurance (½ END; +1/4), Megascale (1m = 1 km; +1) 79 active points 3 END OAF Mirror (-1) Extra time (1 turn, post segment 12, only to activate -3/4), Requires a Skill Roll (-1/2), Concentration (0 DCV -1/2), Blackout (-1/2) ***** actually the total is 34 miles, but I’m lessening that to match his Teleport. This way, he can jump/port to anyplace he can see. Total Cost: 41 Skills, Perks n’ Stuff: 2 Deep Cover: Jason Mercer 6 Combat Luck 3 PD/ED 2 Lightning Reflexes (16 Dex) 11 Power Skill: Psionics 16- 2 Science Skill Geology 11- 2 Navigation Space 12- 3 Systems Operations: Planetary Sensors, FTL sensors, Radar, Commications, 12- 1 Bureaucratics 8- 3 Fast Draw 12- 3 Streetwise 11- 3 Stealth 12- 6 WF: Beam Weapons, Energy Weapons, Small Arms 9 +3 CSL with side arms Total Cost: 56 Total character cost: 175 Complications 50: 15 Secret ID. Maintains alternate identity as 20 Hunted: Alphadyne Mercantile Combine. Infrequently, Mo Pow, NCI, Capture or Kill. 5 Distinctive features: Easily concealed, noticed, detectable by common senses. Alphadyne logo on back of left hand. To those who know, it IDs as company property, not a free agent. 10 Thrillseeker EQUIPMENT: Hand computer (page 194), Nightsight Goggles, polished steel signal mirror (worn on chain around neck), spare mirror in sleeve and pant pockets. Personal Scanning Unit: Geology option (equipment guide). Type 1, force field belt (6PD/6ED) with 1 continuing fuel charge for one hour. Mark II Laser Pistol OVC +1, Range Mod+1, 2D6, 32 shots Background/History Tarras Gamma grew up in what he thought was an orphanage. His friends all had last names like Delta, Beta and Alpha. They had to perform in all sorts of hard tests, they had to make things move by looking at them, or talk without saying anything. Tarras could see things far away, and the teachers were very happy. None of the other children could pass any of the tests, and one by one they were adopted and moved away. Soon little Tarras was all alone. His teachers would play games with him, but it was really just training. He thought his farsight went pretty far, but his teachers always seemed disappointed. Tarras was 13 when he could hear things with his farsight, and his instructors were ecstatic. They wouldn’t have to terminate the program. Tarras didn’t like the sound of that, but kept his opinions to himself. He began to keep a number of things to himself. Like how he could see really far and there was a whole city out there with schools and people who were free to do whatever they wanted. Other children weren’t locked in their rooms at night. At 16, Tarras met a new teacher, Miss Ivanov. She didn’t say anything, but just looked at him. He didn’t feel right, his vision blurred, he felt feathers inside his head. Then she looked angry and his head exploded in pain. Tarras woke up in a cold room. He was laying on a metal floor. People in masks looked at him. They were all really mad! “Why did you hide from us that you were a teleport?” “Where did you go in the city? We forbade you to go there!” “Who did you talk too? Why did you tell them about the orphanage?” “Why are the police asking for you in the lobby?” All the while he felt the feathery tickles in his mind. The interrogation stopped. The mikes were left on and Terras could hear them discussing his fate. “The program washed out years ago. Total failure. The boy is uncontrolled. The new program is much more promising. Cut our losses. Terminate the program now.” Vents opened up. Colorless gas hissed. The people crowded the windows. Tarras knew he was going to die. It wasn’t going to end. Not like this! He closed his eyes and concentrated. He…jumped. The collective gasp brought Miss Ivanov to the window. This was messy. She didn’t like cleaning up messy. Alphadyne was able to demonstrate that the breeding/cloning program was just a result of a single out of control division. A vice president and a number of mid level managers went to jail…where they died. Miss Ivanov was never implicated. Alphadyne lost contracts, and ended up closing their business divisions in that system. It was a loss far greater than was expected. The boy was not found in the city. Miss Ivanov's hired mercenaries searched the world. She didn’t stumble on his trail until a year later. The boy had not ported into the city, but onboard a ship in orbit! It was a tramp freighter, and they took him along, making him work for passage. He learned to navigate rather well for a kid. He worked this way, moving from ship to ship. Using his powers for various captains, listening in on rivals, learning secrets, porting and accessing computers, making small but secret deliveries from orbit with no record of a landing. The boy adopted several identities, but Miss Ivanov was able to track him by how he hid the mark on his left hand. Spacers who never took off a glove, had an odd bandage, or even wearing a fake cast. Tarras seemed to be working his way towards the frontier. And then Tarras made the biggest mistake of his life. He spoke to a reporter. He told her everything. Alphadyne lost a fortune as investigations revealed yet a genetic slave program. It’s one thing to put people in jail, it’s another thing to cost the mercantile giant money. The orders were changed from capture to kill. Miss Ivanov was reassigned. Alphadyne security took over. BUZZ! “What is it Lanny?” “Captain, there’s a spacer at the door, looking for a job. Says he can navigate and operate ships systems.” “Lanny, the sign say’s we’re not hiring until tomorrow.” “Captain, he says to tell you that you’re drinking coffee out of a ‘World’s Greatest Dad’ cup, eating a donut with pink frosting and sprinkles, and that you’re wearing a blue bathrobe and no pants.” (puts down donut) “Ask him what color are my shorts?” “He says grey, Captain.” “Take down the sign, Lanny. Tell him he’s hired.” Personality/Motivation The first 14 years of his life have been in a sterile, controlled environment. Now that he is free, Tarras wants to live life to its fullest. He’s not a hedonist; he just wants to experience the things other people are free to do. Ultimately, he wants to settle down on a terraformed colony world and get married, but until he can shake his hunted off, that’s not going to happen anytime soon. Tarras is 21 now. He’s more mature than other people his age. Being a spacer means he never really quite fits in with the local scene. He’s fine with that. Tarras is a nice guy, but he has no patience for bounty hunters, Alphadyne agents, or truly evil people. His abilities allow him to flee, but if forced to fight, he tries to finish things as quick and lethal as possible. After all, there will always be another ship in orbit. Quote “I’m accessing it now. I can see a shower room. YEAH! It’s a girl’s shower room! And I see…Miss Ivanov? (ZOT! He falls over…)” Powers/Tactics Tarras is a man who can teleport from a moving ship in orbit to a planet’s surface. He can port from one moving ship to another, relative velocities do not matter. Further he can use clairsentience with both hearing and sight. He’s pretty good with a gun too. If he is on his own he will flee. If he has team mates in trouble he will do whatever he can to end the fight quickly. Campaign/Use As an NPC, he can serve a lot of uses. As a villain, he would make for a nasty bounty hunter/assassin. Appearance Tarras is a Caucasian male. 5’9” tall. Light brown hair. Green eyes. His style of clothing may alter dramatically if he has recently met a bounty hunter. Typically, he will wear a spacer’s jumpsuit with a serape. He tries to cover the tattoo on the back of his left hand in a variety of ways: A simple glove or wrapped bandage is typical. Lately he has metal plate temporarily glued to his hand-it has a few blinking led lights and is made to look cybernetic. Tarras would like a form fitting glove made of metal and chrome for a complete cyber look. But he hasn’t the cash to commission one yet. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lucius Posted August 28, 2011 Report Share Posted August 28, 2011 Re: Psionic for a Space Opera Campaign Why has it not been possible to remove the logo surgically? Yes, I'm picking nits. It's a great character! Lucius Alexander The palindromedary can think of only two possible reasons, but one's pretty weak Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brother Jim Posted August 28, 2011 Report Share Posted August 28, 2011 Re: Psionic for a Space Opera Campaign Perhaps it's hard coded into his DNA and will come back after it's removed. Like the bar code on the back of an X-5's neck. It can be removed like any tattoo, but it "heals" back. Borrowed from Dark Angel. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pizza Man Posted August 28, 2011 Author Report Share Posted August 28, 2011 Re: Psionic for a Space Opera Campaign Perhaps it's hard coded into his DNA and will come back after it's removed. Like the bar code on the back of an X-5's neck. It can be removed like any tattoo, but it "heals" back. Borrowed from Dark Angel. I should have been more specific, but yeah its like that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Christopher Posted September 2, 2011 Report Share Posted September 2, 2011 Re: Psionic for a Space Opera Campaign Perhaps it's hard coded into his DNA and will come back after it's removed. Like the bar code on the back of an X-5's neck. It can be removed like any tattoo, but it "heals" back. Borrowed from Dark Angel. Then replace the fless with something artificial. Nothing to grow back Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pizza Man Posted September 3, 2011 Author Report Share Posted September 3, 2011 Re: Psionic for a Space Opera Campaign Then replace the fless with something artificial. Nothing to grow back Thats rather drastic. He's rather attached to his flesh. So far Tarras is convinced his cheap solutions have been working. Besides is a full 5 point Complication. The Player (me) is way to cheap to buy off a comp. Experience points mean more powers, skills, stats! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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