Character: Colonel Steve Austin

[Susano]

"... a man barely alive. Gentlemen, we can rebuild him."

 

COLONEL STEVE AUSTIN

Val	CHA	Cost	Roll	Notes
15	STR	5	12-	Lift: 200 kg; 3d6 HTH Damage
18	DEX	24	13-	OCV: 6 / DCV: 6
23	CON	26	14-
15	BODY	10	12-
15	INT	5	12-	PER Roll 12-
20	EGO	20	13-	ECV: 7
15	PRE	5	12-	PRE Attack: 3d6
18	COM	4	13-
9	PD	6		Total: 9 PD
7	ED	2		Total: 7 ED
4	SPD	12		Phases: 3, 6, 9, 12
8	REC	0
50	END	2
35	STUN	0
Total Characteristics Cost: 121

Movement:	Running: 9" / 18"
Swimming: 6" / 12"

Cost	Powers & Skills
13	Bionic Arm: +18 STR, Reduced Endurance (0 END; +1/2), No Figured 
Characteristics (-1/2), STR Only Affects Use With Left Arm (-1/2)
13	Bionic Legs: +18 STR, Reduced Endurance (0 END; +1/2), No Figured 
Characteristics (-1/2), STR Only Affects Use With Legs (-1/2)
15	Steel-Laced Fist: HKA 1d6 (2d6 With STR), Reduced Endurance (0 END; +1/2), Left 
Hand Only (-1/2)
122	Dart Gun: RKA 1/2d6, 12 Shots (-1/4), Limited Range (2"; -1/4), Restrainable (-1/2) 
plus Drain CON 4d6, Delayed Return Rate (points return at the rate of 5 points per 
Hour; +1), NND (defense is appropriate LS [immunity]; +1), Ranged (+1/2); 
12 Charges (-1/4), Dart Must Do BODY (-1/2), Gradual Effect (4 Segments; 1d6/1 
Segment -1/4), Linked (to RKA; -1/2), Restrainable (-1/2) plus RKA 4d6, NND (defense 
is appropriate LS [immunity]; +1), Does BODY (+1); 12 Charges (-1/4), Dart Must Do 
BODY (-1/2), Gradual Effect (4 Segments; 1d6/1 Segment -1/4), Restrainable (-1/2)
27	Bionic Limbs: Physical Damage Reduction, Resistant, 3/4; Only Affects Locations 6-8 
[Left Arm] & 14-18 (-3/4), Stun Only (-1/2)
7	Internal Air Supply: Life Support (Self-Contained Breathing); 1 Charge Of 30 
Minutes (-1/2)
24	Bionic Legs: Running: +3" (9" Total), Reduced Endurance (0 END; +1/2), 
Persistant (+1/2) [On the full 9"]
7	Swim Fins: Swimming +4" (6" Total), Reduced Endurance (0 END; +1/2)
3	Eye Camera: Eidetic Memory, 20 Charges (+1/4), Visual Only (-1)
12	Internal Radio: High Range Radio Perception

Martial Arts: Aikido, Boxing, Judo, Wrestling
Maneuver	OCV	DCV	Damage
4	Block	+2	+2	Block, Abort
4	Cross	+0	+2	STR + 2d6 Strike
4	Disarm	-1	+1	Disarm, +10 STR to roll
4	Dodge	+0	+5	Dodge vs All, Abort
4	Escape	+0	+0	+15 STR vs Grabs
3	Hold/Joint Lock	-1	-1	Grab Two Limbs; +10 STR to Hold
3	Jab	+2	+1	STR Strike
3	Legsweep	+2	-1	STR +1d6 Strike; Target Falls
5	Redirect	+1	+3	Block, Abort
3	Takedown	+1	+1	STR Strike; Target Falls
3	Sacrifice Throw	+2	+1	STR Strike; You/Target Falls
3	Slam/Throw	+0	+1	STR + v/5; Target Falls

Perks: 
2	Contact: Oscar Goldman/OSO 11-
3	Fringe Benefit: Military Rank [Colonel]

Skills: 
10	Combat Skill Levels: +2 with HTH
3	Acrobatics 13-
3	Breakfall 13-
5	Combat Pilot 14-
2	KS: Aikido & Judo 11-
5	KS: History 14-
5	KS: Military Aircraft 14-
3	KS: Zero-G Operations 13-
0	Language: English (native)
4	Language: Russian (Idomatic)
3	Language: Spanish (Completely Fluent)
3	Mechanics 11-
5	Navigation (Air, Orienteering) 13-
3	PS: Assorted Sports 13-
2	PS: Air Force Officer/Test Pilot 11-
2	PS: Astronaut 11-
5	SS: Aerodynamics 14-
5	SS: Astronautical Engineering 14-
5	SS: Mechanical Engineering 14-
2	Survival (Temperate/Subtropical) 12-
3	Systems Operation 12-
6	TF: Combat Aircraft, Helicopters, SCUBA, Small Planes, Early Space Craft
5	WF:  Small Arms, Combat Helicopter Weapons, Epee, Knife,
392	Total Powers & Skills Cost
513	Total Character Cost

200+	Disadvantages
10	Distinctive Features: Cyborg (EC, M)
15	Hunted: US Government/OSO (MopOw, NCI, Watching) 11-
10	Physical Limitation: One Eye (I, G)
15	Psychological Limitation: Driven To Prove Himself (C, S)
10	Psychological Limitation: Fears He's No Longer Human (C, M)
15	Social Limitation: Secret ID (Operative for OSO)
20	Social Limitation: Subject To Orders (VF, M)
218	6 Million Dollar Man Bonus
513	Total Disadvantage Points

Background/History:

Most people recognize the name 'Steve Austin' from the TV show "The Six Million Dollar Man" (which starred Lee Majors in the title role). In fact, the character was created for Martin Caidin's novel "Cyborg" which first came out in 1972.

 

Caidin's Austin is pretty much the same character as the one in the TV show. He is an astronaut, the youngest man to walk on the moon, and a test pilot. While test flying the M3F5 lifting body, Austin looses control of the vehicle while attempting to land and the plane cartwheels across the desert floor, destroying itself and Austin at the same time. In the process, Austin's legs are ruined, his left arm is severed, a fragment blinds his left eye and... well, you get the idea. Interestingly enough, the footage used in the TV show is of an actual crash of a NASA experimental lifting body (the M2F3 I think), which also smeared itself all over the desert during an attempted landing. The major difference was that in this crash, the pilot was able to walk away with minor injuries (the crash also led to a redesign of the control surfaces, namely the vertical stabilizers).

 

Due to the extent of his injuries and Austin's rather unique status (single, little family, very health and physically fit), Austin was brought to a highly secret bionics/cybernetics research facility in order to undergo an experimental procedure to replace his missing limbs with cybernetic implants. In effect, Austin was to become the first fictional cyborg (that I know of) as well as the first 'street samurai'.

 

Following a period of readjustment and training with his new limbs, Austin was made a part of the Office of Special Operations (ie OSO) under the direction of Oscar Goldman. OSO then made Austin into a special operative, outfitting him with specialized equipment and cybernetics in order for him to complete his current mission. Two such missions are described in the book. One is to gain photographic evidence of a secret Russian sub pen in South America, the other is to fly a MiG-27 out of Egypt and into Israel.

 

Personality/Motivation:

Austin spends a lot of time wondering if he is still a human. He won't go near women (for example) and at times is afraid to touch people for fear of breaking them. On the other hand, he is also driven to prove himself and feels he can overcome his body's problems to once again be able to act as a 'normal' human. Interesting enough, the character comes across as very strong willed, with few debilitating psychological quirks.

 

Powers/Tactics:

Steve Austin is, simply put, a wunderkind. Even before the accident and his reconstruction, he was a remarkable athlete, with black belts in akido and judo. He wrestled, fenced, boxed, participated in various sports and practiced acrobatics. He flew combat choppers for the Army in Vietnam, and joined the Air Force in order to get into the space program. He has five degrees, including a masters in aerodynamics, astronautical engineering and history. He also speaks (at least) Spanish and Russian.

 

Austin's bionics are very much the work of science fiction. They are very strong, run of tiny nuclear batteries, durable and capable of allowing Austin to greatly exceed the human normal. His left arm has 10 times the gripping and crushing strength of his original limb. His legs can propel him at a steady 5.3 mph *forever,* and once put in motion can (and do) keep moving regardless of his mental state. At one point, he walks out of a desert, literally unconscious on his feet. Although he can feel pain in his limbs, it is greatly reduced. A small dart gun is built into the middle finger of his left hand. It fires tiny darts that dissolve on impact with the skin and will take effect in 6 seconds (and will kill *very* quickly). Although the dart gun is not a 'no range' weapon, it certainly doesn't have the full range that you would normally get from a 4d6 RKA. I'd guess a maximum range of about 15' with the dart gun. Austin's left hand is also laced with steel strips, allowing him to punch through a wooden door or thin sheet metal with ease. Naturally, he can also kill someone with a single well directed blow to the head or neck. His left eye is now a miniature camera, with 20 exposures. In his right thigh is an air tank that will last for 30 minutes. Pop-out swim fins are built into his feet and last (but not least) a radio has been built into his body.

 

Due to his smaller body size, Austin's heart is now much more efficient. It has less blood to oxygenate, meaning that it it tiakes less time for the blood to get distributed through what is left of the body. Thus, Austin can maintain a higher level of exertion for longer, and bounces back from exhaustion quicker. He rebuilt body has also been reinforced with various metals in his ribs and skull, making his body physically tougher as well.

 

Appearance:

A good description of Steve Austin is as follows: "... the youngest of the astronauts ... who stood six feet, one inch tall, with eyes deep blue; a lean, muscled frame, almost rangy; a laugh filled with warmth; and an animal attraction about him." Interestingly enough, Lee Majors does fit the description pretty well.

 

Designer's Notes:

Austin's cybernetics are concealed under a layer of artificial skin and are not readily apparent. However, they could be detected in a number of ways: by feel, x-ray scan, weight, density and so on. Unlike the TV Steve Austin, Caidin's character has only one eye, meaning his depth perception suffers quite a bit. He is also blind to his left side.

 

(Colonel Steve Austin created by Martin Caidin, character sheet created by Michael Surbrook, with help from Nestor Rodriguez.)

[JmOz]

Personal thing, I would combine the bionic legs with the Bionic arm as one power, with a -1/4 lim for these body parts, and -1/2 for no figured

[Chuk]

Another nit pick -- shouldn't the LS have a fuel charge or something rather than one continuing charge? Can you turn a continuing charge on and off?

 

Excellent writeup -- I really liked that novel.

[Susano]

Originally posted by Chuk

Another nit pick -- shouldn't the LS have a fuel charge or something rather than one continuing charge? Can you turn a continuing charge on and off?

 

Dang... forgot about Fuel Charges...

[Vanguard]

Where'd he get the dart gun? I thought I saw just about all the Bionic Man episodes and don't remember a dart gun.

 

Secondly, I think his fist should be an HA (although with that kind of STR behind it I can understand why you made it an HKA).

 

Other then that . . Spiffy.

[AnotherSkip]

the dart gun is from the book, not the Tv Show.

 

Note there are several differences between the two.

[Crimson Arrow]

All-in-all, pretty good.

 

I agree absolutely with JmOz about rolling the two bionic limbs powers into one and reducing the limitation down to -1/4.

 

I'd also make the fist an HA as Vanguard suggested. A 3d6 HA backed up by 33 STR does 9 1/2 d6 damage (using superheroic rules for adding damage to HAs). Against an ordinary or lightly armoured person, that's going to leave a mark.

 

I think Steve Austin could run a lot faster than that, but I can't find a speed conversion table, so I might be underestimating how fast he actually is. My recollection (and this is going back a long way, so it could easily be defective), is he could run at 60MPH. I suppose you could handle this with NCM, but with that dart gun, expense might not be relevant!

 

Didn't his eye have Telescopic Vision? Maybe also a few PER levels with sight. I don't think there would be any Limitation for it only affecting one eye. It's not likely to come up often enough, but maybe I am wrong.

 

The Skills look fine to me.

 

Sorry, that little list looks like I don't think much of the sheet, but I do!

[Susano]

Originally posted by Crimson Arrow

I think Steve Austin could run a lot faster than that, but I can't find a speed conversion table, so I might be underestimating how fast he actually is. My recollection (and this is going back a long way, so it could easily be defective), is he could run at 60MPH. I suppose you could handle this with NCM, but with that dart gun, expense might not be relevant!

 

Didn't his eye have Telescopic Vision? Maybe also a few PER levels with sight. I don't think there would be any Limitation for it only affecting one eye. It's not likely to come up often enough, but maybe I am wrong.

 

These powers would be used by the TV version of the character, not the book.