Lucius

Hey hey we're twelve monkees
People say we monkee around
But we're too busy jailbreaking zoos
To spread civilization destroying global epidemics around
 
Lucius Alexander
 
Hey hey we're palindromedarees

I would replace -confidence with -esteem, because the latter is a prerequisite for the former. Because I think approximately nothing on the societal level now is done to provide young men with a reason to feel good about themselves. When pushed into that sort of void, people of any subdivision will make stuff up. I think this manifests so strongly in gaming communities because games more or less by definition are fantasy situations, and the constraints of actual physical or mental abilities or social skills are not in effect; the whole point of fantasy is you can manufacture whatever situation you like. And mostly what these young men would like is some indication that there exists a reality which does not despise them ... perhaps not enough that everyone else actively wants them to die, but a state where these people do not exist and are wholly excluded from the environment ... yeah, they'd like a world that has (but doesn't have the guts to admit openly) the implicit attitude that things would be better if those boys were the functional equivalent of not living; just go away! Unsurprisingly, the fantasy world that gets created doesn't pay much respect to what the "real world" wants, in all senses of what it wants.
 
Somewhat allied to that, thinking on a meta-level ...
 
When the word "nerd" came into use (back in '70s) it was a kiss of social death. The nerds were almost invariably boys/young men who did not have abilities to which mainstream culture assigned positive worth (athleticism; social charm; wealth and showy possessions). Social rejects, who found in games (wargames, then RPGs) an avenue which did not require those mainstream-value abilities and even provided a (small) community where something like camaraderie could be found ... something the "nerd" label by its intent utterly deprived them of.
 
Then computer hardware, long a nerd province, started making large amounts of money. The stigma of the label went away.
 
But the root phenomenon didn't go away. There's still a lot of young men who are not given any reason for living by the social mainstream, and girls are explicitly part of that mainstream.
 
So they are back festering emotionally and socially in on-line communities, where nothing like face-to-face contact exists. And guess what? Just like all humans, they crave and create a community of their own.
 
Same phenomenon. Same root cause. And once again, the real world trowels stronger and deeper rejection upon them for being the people that were rejected in the first place.

They're hairy and they're scary
They live on roots and berries
They're not so ordinary
The Grizzly Addams Family
 
 
Lucius Alexander
 
The palindromedary was hoping I'd do the Electric Threes Company

How did you come up with your 'handle' (forum name)?
It's the Scottish form of one of the names I go by offline.

What was the first tabletop RPG you played?
Champions, a few months ago.

What was the first tabletop RPG you GMed?
I still haven't quite gotten there yet.

What are you currently playing/GMing?
Nothing; I am working on a 1950's alternate history Champions campaign that I intend to run within a year.
 

A little early for the pulps, but Bass Reeves was a freed slaved who was one of the first black US Deputy Marshals. He worked for the famous hanging judge Isaac Parker, who valued him highly. Reeves came out on top in fourteen gunfights and arrested an brought an estimated 3,000 fugitives to justice. He was never seriously wounded, but on one instance, had his hat shot off. Two notable cases, 1) he single apprehended 19 horse thieves, 2) he brought in his own son for murder.

They're hairy and they're scary
They live on roots and berries
They're not so ordinary
The Grizzly Addams Family
 
 
Lucius Alexander
 
The palindromedary was hoping I'd do the Electric Threes Company

You called?
 
Keebler Elf
 
CHARACTERISTICS
Val Char Points Roll
5 STR -5 10-
13 DEX 6 12-
10 CON 0 11-
10 INT 0 11-
10 EGO 0 11-
10 PRE 0 11-
3 OCV 0
6 DCV 0
3 OMCV 0
3 DMCV 0
2 SPD 0
2+3 PD 0
2+3 ED 0
4 REC 0
20 END 0
8 BODY -2
Total Cost 18
 
MOVEMENT
Type Combat Noncombat
Run (12m) 10m 20m
Swim (4m) 4m 8m H.
Leap (4m) 2m 4m V. Leap (2m) 1m
 
SKILLS, PERKS, & TALENTS
Cost Name Roll
 
Keebler Cultural Template
3 1) Elven Magic: Power: Baking 11-
0 2) PS: Baker 11-
4 Hollow Tree: Base
 
7 Total Skills, Perks, & Talents Cost
 
POWERS AND EQUIPMENT
Cost Name Power/Equipment END 0
Keebler Racial Template 7
1) +3 DCV (15 Active Points); Perceivable (Noticeably short; -½), Limited Power
Not in hand to hand combat with creatures the same size or smaller (-½)
10 2) Elven Luck Luck 2d6 0
6 3) Elven Combat Luck (3 PD/3 ED)
 
23 Total Powers/Equipment Cost
 
MATCHING COMPLICATIONS (25)
Cost Complication Roll
10 Base Points
5 Physical Complication: Short (Infrequently; Barely Impairing)
5 Distinctive Features: Keebler Elf (Concealable; Noticed and Recognizable; Detectable By Commonly-Used Senses;
Not Distinctive In Hollow Trees)
5 As Appropriate (Subject to Orders, Obsessed with baking good cookies, etc.)
 
25 Total Complications Points
 
Background/History: Keebler Elves live and work underground, accessing the surface via hollow trees.
They are best known as bakers.
 
Quote: "Have a cookie. They're uncommonly good!"
 
Powers/tactics: This write up represents a minimal Keebler Elf. Most will have, at least, a few more skills.
Leaders are apt to possess all manner of mysterious magical powers, usually related to baking.
 
Campaign Use: Built on 10 Base Points plus 15 pts in Complications for a total of 25 pts, a standard Keebler Elf meets the
guidelines for a "Standard Normal."
 
Keebler Elves are a trademark of the Keebler Company, a division of Kellogg. Character sheet by
 
Lucius Alexander
 
Copyright Palindromedary Enterprises

Mechanism
 
The Champions of Evil created a robot to look after their base and also to kill people when they felt bored with doing it themselves. However the robot rejected the programming and came to fight the team again and again, transferring its consciousness to new bodies when the old one was destroyed or disabled. Mechanism fights to protect life from the evil of its creators who in the end activated a dimensional bomb to get rid of it. It was supposed to have been destroyed but it survived. Its appearance on the new world was problematic as people assumed it was a villainous robot called Mechanon. as a result Mechanism fights in the shadows as its resemblance to Mechanon causes panic.
 
NT: Pharaoh Force Five
 
A long time ago in a place Pharaoh, Pharaoh away, the land of Egypt was ruled by the half human half god Pharaohs. So in this time of trouble and strife who better to defend not only Egypt but the world than the Pharaohs of old ?
There are five members all named after a Pharaoh of Egypt. None are named after gods or after anything else in the Egyptian mythos. Below is list of the Pharaohs of Egypt
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_pharaohs

You called?
 
Keebler Elf
 
CHARACTERISTICS
Val Char Points Roll
5 STR -5 10-
13 DEX 6 12-
10 CON 0 11-
10 INT 0 11-
10 EGO 0 11-
10 PRE 0 11-
3 OCV 0
6 DCV 0
3 OMCV 0
3 DMCV 0
2 SPD 0
2+3 PD 0
2+3 ED 0
4 REC 0
20 END 0
8 BODY -2
Total Cost 18
 
MOVEMENT
Type Combat Noncombat
Run (12m) 10m 20m
Swim (4m) 4m 8m H.
Leap (4m) 2m 4m V. Leap (2m) 1m
 
SKILLS, PERKS, & TALENTS
Cost Name Roll
 
Keebler Cultural Template
3 1) Elven Magic: Power: Baking 11-
0 2) PS: Baker 11-
4 Hollow Tree: Base
 
7 Total Skills, Perks, & Talents Cost
 
POWERS AND EQUIPMENT
Cost Name Power/Equipment END 0
Keebler Racial Template 7
1) +3 DCV (15 Active Points); Perceivable (Noticeably short; -½), Limited Power
Not in hand to hand combat with creatures the same size or smaller (-½)
10 2) Elven Luck Luck 2d6 0
6 3) Elven Combat Luck (3 PD/3 ED)
 
23 Total Powers/Equipment Cost
 
MATCHING COMPLICATIONS (25)
Cost Complication Roll
10 Base Points
5 Physical Complication: Short (Infrequently; Barely Impairing)
5 Distinctive Features: Keebler Elf (Concealable; Noticed and Recognizable; Detectable By Commonly-Used Senses;
Not Distinctive In Hollow Trees)
5 As Appropriate (Subject to Orders, Obsessed with baking good cookies, etc.)
 
25 Total Complications Points
 
Background/History: Keebler Elves live and work underground, accessing the surface via hollow trees.
They are best known as bakers.
 
Quote: "Have a cookie. They're uncommonly good!"
 
Powers/tactics: This write up represents a minimal Keebler Elf. Most will have, at least, a few more skills.
Leaders are apt to possess all manner of mysterious magical powers, usually related to baking.
 
Campaign Use: Built on 10 Base Points plus 15 pts in Complications for a total of 25 pts, a standard Keebler Elf meets the
guidelines for a "Standard Normal."
 
Keebler Elves are a trademark of the Keebler Company, a division of Kellogg. Character sheet by
 
Lucius Alexander
 
Copyright Palindromedary Enterprises

"When the streetcleaner demon in Hell walks up to you in your squat, hits you up for a beer, and then spouts four couplets of rhyming oracular verse, you gotta take that seriously."

Who's Who:
 
My character, Titania Melungeon, a Trollop (female Troll) of assorted talents who usually goes by Fiona (she liked the Shrek movie) or Faerie Princess.
 
Kylie, from Australia, dubbed "Crocodile" by Fiona
 
John Lee Pettimore III, yes based on the character from Copperhead Road, dubbed "Copperhead" or "The Redneck" by Fiona.
 
Dom (not DON!) Gunn owner of Dom's Guns ("we don't want to make money....we just LOOOVE to sell guns") the GMNPC who issues us equipment and missions and supervises us as well as such a group can be supervised, "Big Boomstick" to Fiona.
 
 
A new player showed up for Monster Hunter and I had to whip up a new character. (I'm not the one running this game but as the resident Hero expert I draw up player characters.) I did up THREE actually. The one that got picked I meant to name "Captain Stonebreaker" but I was in a hurry and typed "Capt Stonbraker." I let it ride but called it "Stonebreaker" when showing it to the new player, so she corrected the Game Operations Director when (in character as an NPC) he said "stonn-brakker."
 
My character, who has tagged everyone including herself with nicknames that we also use as radio callsigns, is probably going to go through several for our new addition from the Pentagon: I'm planning to use Gemcutter, StonedBaker, Rockbuster, and probably a few more, before settling on "I'll just call you GI Joe!" But all that's for future sessions.
 
In a past session we found out that our night vision goggles allow us to see in utter dark but also allow us to be SEEN (apparently they do emit visible light.) My character concept originally included "hacker" but has expanded to include "gadgeteer/inventor" (I did start with the Inventor Skill - at 1 pt) as I've been allowed to design a device using ultrasound echolocation
 
Fiona: Yeah, bats will go crazy if they're around when we use this
 
to image the surrounding area and then translate that image into a visual projection onto the inside of a worn pair of (actually opaque) goggles.
 
I was tinkering with this when Capt. Stonbraker was introduced.
 
Fiona: If I could just get someone in from the Pentagon to see these, I could get all the funding I need...(looks up as an officer in uniform walks in) Hey, that was fast! (jumps up and hands the headset to Capt. Stonbraker) Here put this on!
 
The Game Operations Director has the player make a KS: Monsters roll and identifies me as a Troll.
 
Stonbraker:(looks around at the other characters present) Would that be...advisable?
 
Copperhead: It should be safe, captain, we've all done it. She's kind of an inventor.
 
Stonbraker: Pettimore isn't it? I remember you from Afghanistan. (previously discussed by the players, they hadn't been in the same unit but had met in service.)
 
Copperhead: Yes sir, captain, that was me.
 
Stonbraker: The best guy we had with explosives, someone I could count on. Okay, if you say this isn't going to explode....
 
He puts on the set, Fiona hits the lightswitch and proclaims it's dark, and the G.O.D. has me make an Inventor roll to see how well it's working.
 
Stonbraker: I see people and objects in outline but not details.
 
Fiona: I can improve the resolution if you get them to fund my work! Just think what something like this would mean to the special forces!
 
Big Boomstick: Fiona. He's NOT in Procurement.
 
Fiona: He's not?
 
Stonbraker: I'm not.
 
Big Boomstick: He is from the Pentagon, but he's going to be hunting monsters with us.
 
Fiona: Do you know someone in procurement you can get to look into this?
 
Stonbraker (noncommittaly): I'll see what I can do.
 
 
I can't wait to tell the captain about the fight with the smurfs.
 
Lucius Alexander
 
PUFF exempt palindromedary

Yeah, sounds like that officer was petty.
 
But then again at Loring Air Force Base I knew someone who got a few days extra duty for calling the Mobility NCO "The Mobility Dude."
 
Lucius Alexander
 
The palindromedary says the dude may abide, but some people in the military can't abide "dude"

Since you've been gone, well it feels like I've been chewing on tinfoil
Since you've been gone, it's like I've got a great big mouthful of cod liver oil
Well, it feels just like I stuck my hand inside a blender and turned it on
You know I've been in a buttload of pain since you've been gone
 
Since you've been gone
It couldn't hurt any more if you dropped a two-ton bowling ball on my toes
Since you've been gone
I couldn't feel any worse if you shoved a red-hot cactus up my nose
 
Since you've been gone, well it feels like I'm getting tetanus shots every day
Since you've been gone, it's like I've got an ice cream headache that won't go away
Ever since the day you left me, I've been so miserable my dear
I feel almost as bad as I did when you were still here

I woke up this morning with a bad hangover
And my penis was missing again
This happens all the time
It's detachable
 
This comes in handy a lot of the time
I can leave it home when I think it's going to get me in trouble
Or I can rent it out when I don't need it
 
But now and then I go to a party
Get drunk
And the next the morning, I can't for the life of me
Remember what I did with it
 
First I looked around my apartment
And I couldn't find it
So I called up the place where the party was
They hadn't seen it either
 
I asked them to check the medicine cabinet
'Cause for some reason I leave it there sometimes
But not this time
So I told them if it pops up to let me know
 
I called a few people who were at the party
But they were no help either
I was starting to get desperate
I really don't like being without my penis for too long
 
It makes me feel like less of a man
And I really hate to having to sit down
Every time I take a leak
 
After a few hours of searching the house
And calling everyone I could think of
I was starting to get very depressed
So I went to the Kiev and ate breakfast
 
Then as I walked down Second Avenue toward St. Mark's Place
Where all those people sell used books and other junk on the street
I saw my penis lying on a blanket next to a broken toaster oven
Some guy was selling it
 
I had to buy it off him
He wanted 22 bucks but I talked him down to 17
I took it home, washed it off
And put it back on
 
I was happy again, complete
People sometimes tell me
I should get it permanently attached but I don't know
Even though sometimes it's a pain in the ass
I like having a detachable penis
 
Detachable penis
Detachable penis
Detachable penis

You can't fight in the war room.

Freak time for captain Nemo???
 
Nemo is just a little fish and with the help of his friend Dorie he freaks out on other fish to the joy of...
 
too much??

The Girl with the Dungeons & Dragons Tattoo

The Cabin in the Hundred Acre Wood
 
 
Choose your destroyer, Pooh - will it be heffelumps or woozles?
 
Lucius Alexander
 
Or pslindromedaries?

The Cabin in the Hundred Acre Wood
 
 
Choose your destroyer, Pooh - will it be heffelumps or woozles?
 
Lucius Alexander
 
Or pslindromedaries?

Re: The Professions of Arms
 
Good points, Black Rose. To refine the ideas a little:
 
PS: Assassin
 
So much of what an Assassin does would seem to depend on DEX - stealthily climbing to the window, carefully handling the poisoned dagger so as not to nick himself, throwing it accurately from a safe distance - that if based on anything, it should be DEX.
 
An Assassin would not necessarily be able to make a poison, but probably knows where to buy it (complementary to Streetwise - or to Courtier perhaps) and knows very well indeed how to handle and administer it. A PS: Assassin roll would also be called for when arranging a fatal "accident" - the patch of spilled oil in just the right place, the chariot wheel mysteriously coming loose, the viper finding its way into the right bedroom. In some of these cases, of course, a failed roll can be dangerous to the would-be assassin - it might be wise to get Animal Handler - Serpents before trying the trick with the viper for example.
 
Assassins will often belong to a guild (such as the Slayer's Brotherhood) a cult (such as the historical Assassins) or a clan (such as Japanese Ninja.)
 
In some cases, the specific "kind" of Assassin can make a difference to the skill. A "guild" type for example is in it for the money - they can use PS: Assassin as complementary skill to Trading when arranging for a "hit." The religiously or politically motivated Assassin, on the other hand, even if he raises money for the cause by hiring out his skills, may use PS: Assassin if captured, to resist Interrogation. The Game Operations Director should consider carefully what place (if any) Assassins have in his game; this may impact their abilities.
 
Example of PS: Assassin in use
 
The party has discovered a number of mysterious vessels of fluid and is arguing whether they might be beneficial potions. Our Hero makes his PS: Assassin role and says "I know by the smell what this one is. It's an antidote to iacaine powder - a powerful poison. Drink it beforehand and you can sit down to eat a meal laced with iacaine, and you'll be fine - your guest won't live to the second course."
 
Someone asks "Does that mean one of these other bottles could contain the potion?" Our Hero makes another roll, and replies "There's no telling. Iocaine is colorless, tasteless, and odorless. It could be in any or all of them."
 
Lucius Alexander
 
And an inconceivable palindromedary

The Professions of Arms
PS: Bandit Also called Brigand, Highwayman; in urban fantasy, Mugger
Based on: PRE (possibly INT or STR)
The Bandit (as the name implies) usually works in groups. Bandits are robbers who usually ambush their victims and cow them into surrendering their valuables with a show of overwhelming force; sometimes, they are cut-throats who strike without warning and then loot the bodies. An example of "heroic" characters who would have this PS: Skill are Robin Hood's famous Merry Men. One of the most obvious uses of the skill would be to set up an ambush, or anticipate where one has been laid ("That's where I would have set up an ambush; I say we have our weapons ready before taking one step closer.")
 
Examples of PS: Bandit in use
The party has captured a wizard they have been tracking for some time; they are sure he has the Amulet of Maguffin, but an initial search failed to find it on his person. Our Hero says "Maybe he's hidden it by magick, but maybe not. Let me look." Being familiar with many of the ways valuable objects can be hidden about one's garments, Our Hero gets a PS: Bandit roll as complementary to a Concealment roll, and quickly finds the small coinlike item sewn into the brim of the wizard's pointy hat.
The party is hurrying to the Capital with the evidence the King needs to help him ferret out the traitors in his court - some of them high officers of his constabulary. So they play it safe and hide when a patrol rides by. They are about to get back on the King's High Way when Our Hero, having made his PS: Bandit roll, says "Stay down. Wait a moment." In minutes, another pair of constables ride past. "They always do that. One or two riders tail the main group as rear guard."
 
Lucius Alexander
 
PS Palindromedary Rider

Re: The Professions of Arms The Professions of Arms
 
“The Profession of Arms is an occupation founded upon violence and death.” Lucius Alexander
 
The so-called “background skills” all too often fade into the background and disappear. A character will start with a profession skill, or knowledge skill, because it’s in a “package deal” or just because you get one free, and then that skill languishes, ignored by player and Game Operations Director alike. But “Background” doesn’t have to mean “invisible.” Indeed, an appropriately complex, realistically detailed, and above all interesting background enriches paintings, photographs, novels….and characters.
 
More than most fantasy characters, fighters have tendency to start looking too much alike. If you’ve noticed that several warriors in the game all have STR 20, DEX 14 or 15, Familiarity with Common Melee Weapons, comparable combat skill levels, and a similar set of skills, these ideas about using professional skills may help you see a different face under each helm, not to mention giving warriors interesting things to do besides sword-swinging.
 
Some things these skills don’t do
As a general rule, if a situation is already covered by an existing skill, a PS: will not duplicate the other skill – although one skill may modify the other. Thus PS: Barbarian or PS: Ranger will not substitute for Survival skill, but will often be a complementary skill. At the Game Operations Director’s discretion, a PS: may substitute for a missing skill in specific circumstances; PS: Knight or PS: Cavalry might substitute for Breakfall (at a penalty) when falling off a horse, but not when falling out of a tree.
 
In some cases these skills do have considerable overlap: For example, it would seem that PS: Paladin would include everything a Knight can do. There are three ways to balance this: 1) Make the “superior” skill cost more. 2) Split the skills and make one a prerequisite, saying you cannot have a PS: Paladin roll higher than your PS: Knight, or say that a Paladin has PS: Knight in conjunction with PS: Monk or PS: Holy Man or something of that nature. 3) Assign penalties to the “superior” skill when it is used in ways similar to the “lesser” skill. After all, a Paladin has a lot more to learn, and may take a -4 to judge a warhorse or recognize a heraldic design, where a Knight would have no penalty.
 
Codes and Behavior
Another thing these skills don’t do is impose behavior. It is entirely possible for a paladin to be fallen, for a barbarian to be decadent. A PS: Knight skill implies knowledge of a code of chivalry, but does not compel obedience to it. Deviation from behavior “appropriate” to the profession will erode the skill only over a long time, if the campaign rules are such that unused skills eventually fade away. However, certain uses of the skill may be affected by the character’s behavior. A barbarian coming out of a luxurious 10 year retirement, no longer used to hardship and discomfort, may still remember how to light a fire and how to skin game, but take a -5 when trying to remain still in ambush when she finds she’s laying on an anthill. And a knight with a bad Reputation may have a hard time with uses of the skill that involve being seen as chivalrous (although he may still use the skill that way on someone ignorant of the reputation.)
 
“Just how useful are these skills in combat, anyway?”
A story from the old West relates that a gunslinger, having made an appointment with his rival to meet at sundown, was asked by a friend “why not get it over with now?” The gunslinger responded “If we go do it now, that sombrero he always wears will keep the noonday sun off his face. I’m at the west end of town, so when we walk out into the street at sunset, the sun’ll be in his eyes. He’s in the saloon already; he’ll probably be getting likkered up for the next few hours. Meanwhile, I’ll take a nap. Keep an eye out and make sure he and his friends don’t try any funny business.” Which goes to show there’s more to gunslinging than fast reflexes and hand-eye coordination. On the one hand, it seems unreasonable that a warrior’s professional skill would offer no advantage in combat; on the other, allowing a skill roll as a complementary skill to a to-hit roll turns the skill into a cheap substitute for combat levels. In fact, one could argue that such levels are a reflection of exactly this kind of expertise; knowing how to maneuver an opponent so that the sun or wind are in their eyes, not yours, so that their balance, not yours, is threatened by a stump, dropped weapon, or pool of blood. This is why a character who went “adventuring” for 6 months has more XP to spend on levels than one who spent 6 months in a dojo. But there is no reason these skills should not have limited combat effects, appropriate to their cost. For example, if an enemy gets a surprise bonus to OCV – say for trying a shield bash after 2 turns of sword swinging – a warrior might make a roll to anticipate the move and negate the bonus. Or if a PRE attack would ordinarily leave a warrior with reduced DCV, a penalized PS roll could partially or wholly negate that effect, as staying on-guard has become second nature to the professional fighter. And rules already exist to allow PS: Forward Observer or PS: Siege Engineer to add to the OCV of certain crew-served weapons. Example: A cavalryman with DCV 6 is mounted on a horse with DCV 4, and thus has DCV 4. With a PS: Cavalry roll, he can have DCV 5 for the duration of combat. If it’s his own horse (horse and rider have trained together) he can have DCV 5 automatically and DCV 6 if he makes the roll. Why doesn’t Riding skill confer this benefit? Because riding a horse is one thing, controlling it in combat is another.
 
Some things these skills can do
Perhaps the most common use of warrior PS skills will be as complementary skills. They may assist other skills, perception rolls, and characteristic rolls. Remember that a warrior skill may be complementary in one case, but not another. For example, it may be complementary to Trading when dealing in weapons, but not in jewels. Or a PS: Paladin roll may help a STR roll if it involves saving a life, but not for arm wrestling in a bar.
 
Common Abilities
There are some things any warrior is likely to know about to a greater or lesser extent, and for convenience these are discussed first.
Weapons
A warrior may be able to identify a weapon’s origin; judge its quality; know its lore if it’s a famous or unique weapon; know how to hone, oil, and otherwise care for a weapon, including culturally appropriate rituals. Of course the specifics will vary by type of warrior. Any warrior with the skill to use a given weapon will know how to care for it, but how many will recognize an apparently harmless ornament as a throwing star? Tell by their pole arms where an army unit was recruited? Know by the curved blade and sharkskin hilt that a sword was forged in the Southern Isles? Distinguish Elf, Troll, and Goblin arrows by the shape of the stone arrowheads and the fletching? These are ways one warrior can differ from another.
Armor
Warriors who are accustomed to wearing armor may, with a successful roll, cut in half the time to get in or out of armor; useful if one must prepare for battle quickly, or if one has suddenly been dropped in water. As with weapons, a warrior may maintain and even make temporary repairs to armor. Recognizing armor types, and drawing conclusions about the wearers, are also possible.
People
First of all, one warrior will often know another, regardless of type. The way one walks or stands, telltale calluses of weapon practice, and a thousand subtle clues help fighters size up everyone they meet. Often, this information is subliminal; a warrior may not be able to articulate why one person in the bar commands more wary respect than another, but he just “knows” which is the more dangerous brawler. Warrior skills also influence how others see the warrior; thus, PS: Knight could help persuade someone that the character is chivalrous and trustworthy, PS: Barbarian can be used to intimidate (add to PRE attacks) and PS: Officer can help inspire confidence in followers.
Tactics
Although no PS is a substitute for Tactics they may often be complementary. One knight understands how another knight thinks; a ranger who guards a forest against Goblins may predict how a Goblin band will react; even a lowly sailor or mercenary may recall how a successful captain dealt with a certain situation. Few PS skills are likely to be complementary to Tactics in all situations; even PS: Officer for example may be no help in a one on one battle, where PS: Gladiator or PS: Duelist may be very useful.
 
Specific Example PS Skills
 
PS: Adventurer
This represents the aptitudes developed by a wanderer who goes about seeking gold, glory, or glamour and excitement. It may be regarded as a default background skill for exactly the kind of person who can’t resist the urge to explore the Mysterious Hole in the Ground. An Adventurer knows much about getting into and out of dangerous situations, and because they often swap stories, may know something about a place or creature they have never personally encountered. An Adventurer is good at remembering directions, either given by another or to remember a path already trod. If literate, and Adventurer reads maps well, and can draw them (more crudely than a cartographer.) This skill can apply to anything from starting a fire to securing a rope for climbing, but usually at heavy penalties; it’s a fall-back for self-reliant people who do things because they’ve had to, but not necessarily learned the most efficient ways to do them. Even on a successful roll, the task may be done crudely or inefficiently: “Okay, it takes a few hours and a lot of sticks, but you have 2d6 arrows for your bow. They do one less damage class, are -3 OCV and double range penalties, and you can’t make any more until you kill a bird for more feathers.”
 
Examples of PS: Adventurer in Use.
Our Hero plans a trip to the Goblin Haunted Hills, but first takes a trip to a variety of inns, taverns, markets, and places where the use of PS: Adventurer as complementary to Conversation will tell him much about the Goblins’ weapons, tactics, usual numbers in a band, favorite places for ambush, etc.
Deciding to recruit some help, Our Hero uses Adventurer complementary to Oratory and by recounting previous exploits inspires the confidence of a few stout-hearted young fellows.
Although Our Hero missed his perception roll to spot the Goblns, a PS: Adventurer roll at -2 brings on the realization that this narrow pass is just the sort of place Goblins like for an ambush. (The roll would be at -5 if Our Hero hadn’t been clever enough to ask questions before venturing forth.)
The posse falls to quarreling over loot. Since this is a common situation for Adventurers, Our Hero makes a PRE attack (“Be still a moment and hear me out!”) followed by a PS: Adventurer roll to talk everyone into a fair distribution.
 
PS: Barbarian
Anyone with this skill should also have Survival, knowledge of a tribal area, and probably Tracking. A “Barbarian” is by definition “uncivilized,” that is, a member of a culture less urban, less settled, and/or less technologically sophisticated than whatever civilized culture the barbarian is contrasted with. The Barbarian is at home in the wilderness and often inspires mingled awe and contempt in more civilized people, who regard the barbarian as kin to beasts. Indeed PS: Barbarian is useful if confronting a wild animal, not to “tame” or befriend it, but to predict its reactions and avoid antagonizing it. PS: Barbarian often complements Survival, not only to represent know-how (“What do you mean, you don’t know how to make fire without flint? I’ll show you.”) but sheer toughness and fortitude, for a barbarian is used to privation. The barbarian will more readily eat raw meat, sleep on bare ground, drink bitter water from a sulfur spring, lie motionless in ambush despite crawling bugs, or whatever must be done to survive, or to fulfill whatever goals the barbarian is committed to. Barbarians are credited with superior senses, but it is more accurate to say they have wild thing’s suspicious wariness, and are more apt to trust the irrational hunch that is often the prompting of instinct or intuition. The stereotypical barbarian is a hulking warrior, but it is well to remember that horse nomads are often small, and a barbarian tribe could be Pygmies or wild Hobbits, or peaceful Eskimos. Coming from a “simpler” i.e. less specialized society, the barbarian can be astonishingly self-reliant.
 
Examples of PS: Barbarian in Use
Our Hero is being tortured for information. Ordinarily this is Skill Vs Skill, Interrogation against an Ego roll, but when Our Hero loses by 3 points, the Game Operations Director allows a roll on PS: Barbarian at -3. Then the rest of the party finally rescues the barbarian, he says “It wasn’t much worse than my tribe’s initiation ordeal.”
A party crossing a desert camps in a canyon where high walls offer shade and a few green things make it seem an oasis. In the middle of the day, while they sleep in preparation for the night’s travel, they all fail perception rolls that were made at -6 because they were dozing, except the barbarian whose PS: Barbarian was considered complementary. Thus Our Hero awakes from a nightmare in which the distant sound of rushing water is somehow terrifying. Trying to figure out what’s wrong, Our Hero makes a Deduction roll (at the default of <= 8) again with PS: Barbarian as complementary, and just knows that the canyon seems like a trap. They’ve learned to trust the barbarian’s instincts, so the party escapes just before the flash flood comes roaring down.
 
PS: Knight
Characters with this skill should also have Riding and Courtier or “High Society” and may have to meet other prerequisites. This skill may have other names in other cultural contexts, as “Ronin” or “Samurai” in Japan or “Equestrian” in Republican Rome. Ideally a knight is “noble” in every sense of the word, either born to a tradition of chivalry or a commoner formally exalted in status for courage and martial prowess.
 
PS: Ranger
Anyone with this skill should also have Survival and knowledge of at least one wilderness area or terrain type, and probably Tracking. PS: Ranger is often a complementary skill for outdoor skills. What a ranger can do depends to some extent on how the Game Operations Director defines “Ranger” for a given game, but whether they guard the king’s deer from poachers, guide pilgrims across deserts, or hunt Orcs wherever they are found, any ranger will know much about the wild and things the live and move there. Identifying animals and plants will often be automatic (no roll) if they are native to a place the ranger knows. A ranger can predict weather, up to 48 hrs in advance on a good roll. Rangers usually know a lot about the people and creatures they meet in their chosen wilderness, whether it’s the Goblins who come raiding from yonder mountain or the itinerant smith making the rounds of the local villages. Although PS: Ranger is no substitute for Navigation, a ranger has a good memory for landmarks and is seldom confused as to direction.
 
Examples of PS: Ranger in Use
Our Hero falls over, left leg gone numb. Although no wound is visible, the healer finds and removes a flint arrowhead that only becomes visible when withdrawn a handspan from the ranger’s body. Clearly, he is a victim of Elf Stroke. “I thought you said the Elves were friendly?” After making a PS: Ranger roll, Our Hero states “That’s shaped like a Troll arrowhead. Either an Elf used a Troll arrow, or a Troll has learned an Elven spell.”
 
PS: Warrior
The most “generic” of warrior PS skills, and a good default if the character’s background is vague and undefined, or varied and eclectic. It may be assumed that a warrior’s knowledge is broad but shallow. They could tell a warhorse from a palfrey, but not necessarily judge among warhorses. They would recognize the nation of a group of uniformed soldiers, and tell officers apart, but be unlikely to know the specific unit or a leader’s exact rank.
 
PS: Weapons Specialist
Specific types include PS: Swordsman, Spearman, Hatchetman, Archer, Martial Artist, Boxer, Wrestler, Sensei, etc. The weapons specialist should have spent at least 12 points on combat skill levels and/or martial arts maneuvers. This skill represents the expertise of a person who is devoted to a specific weapon or fighting style. When dealing with a favorite weapon type, the specialist will have far more accurate and precise knowledge of a given weapons’ value, utility, and quality; the lore and history of famous, unique, or magick weapons; the names, reputations, and history of warriors who use that weapon type or fighting style. By examining a weapon, the expert can tell where it was made, when it was made, and by whom; i.e. by Dwarven, Elven, or Human weaponsmith, or by specific culture, or possibly in the case of a famous weaponsmith, by individual. The specialist may also be able to detect frauds. This skill is complementary to Weaponsmith. More than other warriors, the specialist is able to judge another warrior’s fighting style, at least if it has any bearing on the specialist’s own.
 
Lucius Alexander
 
Copyright Palindromedary Enterprises 2002
 
Excess words have been removed and fed to a palindromedary

Атомный воин aka Atomic Warrior is a relic of the cold war The Atomic Warrior is a prototype war robot piloted by the digitised mind of a fatally injured cosmonaut. He was exiled to siberia when his radioisotope thermoelectric generator could not be safely cooled in warmer climates and after the collapse of the US atomic Warrior fled to Antarctica to escape Russian control.
 
He is a classic Russian design ugly over built but powerful and durable whole he has some missiles and gun fixtures they have long since run out of ammunition he mostly uses his potent fists and his last working laser.

Not meant to count against the total, but Twisted Hand seems the sort to have a network of agents.
 
They are called The Open Hands as a propaganda move against the hero Atomic Fist: "Where his symbol is the clenched fist of violence, we will respond with open hands" said the Twisted Hand. Their motivations range from those of simple mercenaries with skills the Twisted Hand needs to those of fanatics who wholeheartedly believe that He Who Holds the Hand of Fate will lead them into a glorious future to those of victims of intimidation or extortion who obey out of sheer fear. Their functions are just as diverse, and despite the name "Open Hands" many of his minions are not at all open about their allegiance...
 
Lucius Alexander
 
The palindromedary says you have to hand it to that guy, Twisted Hand.

Eight months ago, someone clutched a monkey's paw and said, "Don't let Jeb get the nomination."