[Other] Savage Worlds - Deadlands: Hell on Earth (Post Apocalypse) - The Siege of Crooked Cre

[Effete]

The pistol table is a bit wonky. It's missing the "cost" column and the stats for the Ruger are shifted over.

[Effete]

Originally Posted by taleteller50

Effete: You can edit previous posts. You don't have to create a brand new post if you want to change up your application, just edit the existing one. I'm not trying to get on your case or anything; instead just help a new member of the site to understand some of the options available to you.

Thank you.
I'm aware I can edit posts. I left up the old one for posterity in case you wanted to review the changes to the build. I also "struck-through" the old bio to avoid confusion.

[taleteller50]

Originally Posted by Effete

Thank you.
I'm aware I can edit posts. I left up the old one for posterity in case you wanted to review the changes to the build. I also "struck-through" the old bio to avoid confusion.

Fair enough. Also thanks for pointing out the Pistol Table issues. That'll be another 10 xp for the help

[Cap Ut]

Is Minimum Strength still in place for armors? (it seems to be absent in the list provided)

Also: a device for the spell Healing would use the Weird Science skill?

[taleteller50]

I overlooked that initially but it will be corrected and implemented. Another 5 xp for you

And yes, Weird Science would be the skill used with a Junker Healing Device.

[Cap Ut]

As I'm flashing out the background, I'd like a clarification on the timeline:

Originally Posted by taleteller50

It was pretty much the same story 200 years later. The Maze was still boomin’ in 2080, and everybody still wanted the ghost rock for themselves. I ain’t figured out exactly how it got started, but in 2081, the US and a whole passel o’ countries from around the world formed the “Northern Alliance” and claimed the Maze, which had been split between the US and the Rebs. Fights broke out, and the Rebs did the best they could, but it was just too much too soon. They formed the Southern Alliance, and soon half the countries on Earth were fightin’ in what was left o’ California.

The war spread all over the world and went on for the better part of three years. I doubt me an’ you can imagine the kind of carnage it caused. Flyin’ machines, tanks, artillery that could fire across oceans, and Harrowed soldiers sewed full o’ contraptions like automatons. At the last, one o’ the armies musta thought they was losin’. New York City vanished under the skull-shaped cloud of a ghost-rock bomb in 2081. No one knows who dropped that first one, but within hours, thousands more fell on every city or fort in the world.

Maybe I missed something, but from what I understand the factions fighting the war form in the 2081, the same year the bombs fall, so how can the conflict drag for three years?

Also, regarding the equipment, what does a "normal set of clothes" entail exactly? I'm mostly thinking about the degree of environmental protection. And how much would a quiver cost? The bow seems a nice cheap alternative to a gun for the beginning.

[Silk]

I was hesitant when Taleteller first PMed me about remaking Atta. She was a character from CatCanCooks Pathfinder 1e game, Crawl Out Through The Fallout that ended a while back. It was my first real introduction to Pathfinder 1e and I was hooked So I do have fond memories of her and Tale's character Patchit whacking things side by side. But as I mentioned before I was hesitant and for the past week or so I've been hemming and hawing, asking Tale some questions, bought the pdfs for the Savage World, and well, as you can see I've decided to go for it. So here is Atta in all her sledgehammer wielding glory Glow-ry

Oh! And since all military's love acronyms, I say we dub the Ghost Rock Bombs as GRuB's

Also, if I get the time and/or feel like it, I might remake another character of mine from an old tabletop d20 Modern Apocalypse game. A female scavenger that lost an arm but is great at cobbling things together and shooting things with her silenced pistol. A real sneak-thief scavenger type. Might go with the Veteran o' the Wasted West edge if I do remake her. <shrug> but that's for later, on to Atta!

Oh, and this is my first time playing Savage Worlds so if anyone has any suggestions, that would be great!

Character Application #1: The GLOW encompasses all! Name: Atta Age (gender): she was 8 years old when the GRBs(Ghost Rock Bombs) fell20 (female) Role: Face Basher touched by 'The Glow' (Melee DPS w/Glow magic) Faction: Purple-robed Skill: Faith(spirit), Power: 10, Starting Powers (Environmental Protection, Healing, & Armor)Doomsayer Advancement: Novice Stats: Agility: d4, Smarts: d4, Spirit: 2 points usedd8, Strength: 2 points usedd8, Vigor: 1 point usedd6. Skills(*free d4): *Athletics(Str): 1 Skill Pointd6, *Common Knowledge(Sma): d4, Faith(Spi): 3 Skill Pointsd8, Fighting(Agi): 1 Skill Point used to get to d4 & 4 Skill Points used to increase to d8d8, Intimidation(Spi): 3 Skill Pointsd8, *Notice(Sma): d4, *Persuasion(Spi): d4, & *Stealth(Agi): d4. Apperience: (Clueless (Major) & Mutant (Major)Hindrances): Dependent upon her mutation Personality (Arcane Background (Doomsayers)[Human], Queen of Hearts mutation (Combat Reflexes)[Doomsayer], 7 of Hearts (Delusional[Minor]: 'Radiation is the most tasty of all spices!' enough rads to need a low Vigor Test)[Major Mutation], Brute[Hindrance], & Rad Resistant[Hindrance]Edges): Atta is not the brightest bulb in the world. In fact, before the ghost rock bombs fell, Atta would have been classified as retarded, or at the very least, slow. Thanks to her being raised and homeschooled by a religious fanatic(her mother), Atta is clueless about the real world and tends to do what she is told without complaint, thanks to being raised to do whatever her mother says. Though, in combat, Atta does run ahead to attack a threat without waiting to be told to; she likes whacking things with her sledgehammer. While Atta's intelligence might be lacking, there is no questioning her focus or spirit. Atta actually enjoys helping people and being told what to do. Still, she can be a bit forceful when helping out. It's best to keep to simple tasks when giving Atta a job. Atta and her trusty sludgehammer Background: Growing up, Atta was homeschooled by her religious Angie Tilmanmother, who felt it better for her daughter to learn about God than the world outside. Atta was effectively a shut-in and rarely left the house though she looked out the window a lot, especially when there was some noise. When the Ghost Rock bombs fell, Atta felt the explosion before she heard it and had run to the window in time to see the mushroom cloud forming before the shockwave knocked Atta on her butt. The glass shards in her skin hurt, but her mother's screams had Atta running upstairs. While Atta was partly protected from the blast downstairs, the roof was blown off on the second floor where her mother had been, and Angie was exposed to more of the effects of the destructive blast, including radiation. Living outside of Fresno, California, was all that saved the two from instant death. Atta didn't know about radiation or its effects. Atta and her mother became very sick in the coming days, but Atta recovered quickly. Both of them were...changed is all Atta could think to call it, or blessed was another. While Atta got away with the Combat Reflexesunsightly bulging of muscles and tendons as if they were straining to get out of her skin, her mother Angie did not fare so well. Atta called her mutations blessings from God, Angie thought of her new monstrous form a curse. While Angie could no longer talk, she could still write in the sand with her tentacles. After most of the survivors fled the area for a time, Atta and Angie survived by savaging the surrounding ruins. Anyone who saw her mother would attack them on-site, and her mother would have to kill them to defend Atta. Though she was now cursed to be a demon, Angie still believed in God, and she vowed not to let Atta stray. She may be damned, but her daughter Atta did not seem to be. For the timing might not be right but just say Atta has a poor sense of time too several years they survived in their ruined home, and though Angie tried to convey the inner meaning of God to Atta, talking about the inner meaning of theology by writing in the dirt when the reader was a bit slow in the head only caused to confuse Atta. When the Cult of Doom came through the area, Angie thought of them as devil spawn and told Atta to avoid them. But being in her terrible teens, Atta rebelled and snuck up close enough to hear what these Cult of Doom people were talking about. Between her slow intellect, Angie's bible-thumping, and slow communication via writing in the dirt, Atta jumped to the conclusion that these people were blessed like they were; so she was going to follow them. Besides, Atta always loved the color green and had even learned to Major Mutation: Delusional (Minor)spice up her food with a bit of radioactive goop laying around. There was little Angie could write in time to convince her daughter not to go. And though she wished too, Angie would not follow in her daughters' footsteps. With her penchant to just follow orders, Atta might have become the monster her mother thought the Cult of Doom was if not for being recruited by one of days before Joan and her followers escapedJoan's followers. Being branded a heretic by association, Atta just shrugged her shoulders and followed Joan instead. After all, while she loved the color green, Atta's new purple robes were just as nice. Never having traveled far, it was no wonder Atta failed in her first mission. She and one other were to travel to a village and help them while spreading the word that all the humans would die out in the end, but until that happened, she would aid them any way she could. Atta didn't know the term goodwill mission or what being a spy meant. All Atta knew was that she would help people, which she enjoyed doing anyway. Atta was supposed to watch out for the Cult of Doom and bash them on the head with her sledgehammer when she spotted any of them. Even for Atta, that was a simple enough task, except the guy she was traveling with died from intestinal pain after a family of mutant badgers ate out his stomach while sleeping. Atta could not read maps worth a damn, so she followed what she thought was the right road and continued on her mission. Four months later, Atta encountered a bunch of mutated wolves harassing a group of people. Without a second thought, Atta charged in and helped them kill or chase off the wolves. Finding out that the group was from a small secluded settlement called Crooked Creek, Atta racked her brain for the name of the town she was supposed to go to but couldn't remember. Though Atta was sure that the name started with a 'K', so Crooked Creek was obviously the town she was looking for. With a grin, Atta said, "Great! I was sent to help you all live to die of natural causes until everyone's a mutant." Atta had no idea what 'natural causes' was, but she would help them die that way if she could. While an unwanted squatter at first, and after Joshua Rodie took and ate her lunch and got radiation sickness, a menace to the town, it looked like Atta might be forced to leave the area at gunpoint. The only thing that stopped Matthew Rodie from getting his way and having Atta driven off was that she readily did everything people asked of her, except leave. Even then, Atta had to put up with a lot of abuse verbal and physical. Atta wasn't accepted into the community of Crooked Creek until she witnessed a kid get kicked by a horse and start coughing up blood. Atta quickly kneeled down and placed a glowing green hand where the boy was kicked. A good portion of Crooked Creek saw the green glow and might have reacted poorly if the kid she was healing stopped coughing up blood and said, "Thanks, lady. It don't hurt no more." From then on, Atta still was mostly accepted by the community of Crooked Creek though she was given the occasional glance when she said or did something odd. Only the Rodie's and their farmhands gave her any real trouble; Joshua Rodie especially. Joshua will not forgive Atta for the radiation poisoning he received when he stole her lunch. Gear: Sledge Hammer - Damage: Str+1d10; Wgt: 15; Cost:$100; Parry -1, 2 Handed.

Or

Character Application #2: a little cautious spilunking Name: Amy Wong Age (gender): 26 (female) Role: Scavenger/shooter Settlement Role: Works with Duncan Hamil in The Garage when she's not out scavenging. Faction: None Veteran of the Wasted West edge: 4 Advances [Edge[McGyver](1 adv.), +1 Agility(1 adv.), increase die in Repair, Shooting, Stealth & Survival(2 adv.)] Advancement: Seasoned Stats: Agility: 1 point used +1 advance from VotWWd8, Smarts: 2 points usedd8, Spirit: 1 point usedd6, Strength: 1 point usedd6, Vigor: +1 from a Hinderanced6. Skills(*free d4): *Athletics(Agi): 1 Skill Pointd6, *Common Knowledge(Sma): d4, *Notice(Sma): 2 Skill Pointsd8, Occult(Spi): 2 Skill Pointsd6,*Persuasion(Spi): d4, Repair(Sma): 2 Skill Points +1/2 advance from VotWWd8, Shooting(Agi): 2 Skill Points +1/2 advance from VotWWd8, *Stealth(Agi): 1 Skill Point +1/2 advance from VotWWd8, & Survival(Sma): 2 Skill Points +1/2 advance from VotWWd8. Apperience: (Can't Swim (minor), Mild Mannered (minor) & One Arm (Major)Hindrances): The first thing you notice about Amy is missing her left arm four inches from her shoulder. And the second thing you notice is that Amy just does not look that threatening. The first time most people hear one of her stories or when Amy mentions that she started the apocalypse from New York and arrived in Crooked Creek ten years later, they think she's pulling their leg. Between Amy's short stature, cute looks even with several scars, and the Hinderencemild mannered attitude find her stories hard to believe. That is until she calmly faces a horror of the wastes and helps bring the threat down, and then gets back to doing whatever she was doing before the threat appeared as if nothing significant happened. Amy's clothes are made of rugged hide or leather with straps to help the one-armed woman keep tools/items on hand as needed. It has been twelve years since Amy lost the arm, and she has become quite apt with the remaining one in that time. Personality (Scrounger[Human], +1 Vigor[Hindrance], Veteran of the Wasted West[Hindrance], & McGyver[Advance from VotWW]Edges): Before the apocalypse, Amy was slightly quiet but still had several good friends. In the two years since Amy settled down in Crooked Creek, she has made no friends and rarely initiates a conversation that doesn't involve work. In fact, Amy is often quiet and withdrawn, and people find it hard to get her to open up enough to even be friendly. Though it is possible that Duncan Hamil might be a friend, but with his gruff nature, it's hard to tell. 'The quiet', as Amy calls it, is a habit that she formed while traveling alone in the wastes is a hard habit to break after using for so long to survive. And while some people have attributed her quietness to being meek, Amy is far from that, and those who assumed that of her regretted doing so, much to their detriment. When Amy is not out scavaging with a group from Crooked Creek or alone, and when she's not sleeping or working in Ducan's garage, Amy can be seen people-watching the regulars that visit The Lodge while sipping the local brew. Occasionally, Amy will be seen looking off in the distance, lost in thought of the past, and is sometimes heard asking after Grigori Kragoff, wondering where he got off to. When asked about him, Amy will clam up and change the subject. If she knew what happened, Amy might be more forthcoming, but when you Veteran of the Wasted West: Amy came across one Grigori Kragoff in her travels, a man who helped Amy and a few others to escape the East as it quickly fell to the undead and the Horsemen. Initially, he brought Amy and the others across the Mississippi, but that's where things get fuzzy. Amy doesn't remember what exactly happened next, but she woke up in a hospital bed with a bandaged head wound in some kind of makeshift safe house. All of her stuff was there, at least as far as she could remember, but there was no sign of Grigori or the others he had helped cross west. Stranger still, Amy was at least 2 years older(no more red-dyed hair), and there were things in the safehouse she never remembered picking up but would likely help her trip West. The safehouse was outside Ottawa, Kansas, and there was no sign of anyone having brought her there or having bandaged her up. Even the bandage covered a scar which had already been mostly healed, having been stitched together by a masterful hand. Eventually, Amy would leave the safehouse and continue West, never truly discovering what happened to her during those missing years.lose two years of memory, it's hard to connect the dots. her teenage years in the waists with scavenged red hair dye Background: Everyone has a story about when the bombs fell, how they survived the horrors of war that are tinted to put them in a better light than reality would otherwise show. And they all had a reason why they turned out to be the way they are. This is Amy Wong's story, and though it might be tinted in places, there is no getting around the fact that she should have died the day the bombs fell, and yet, Amy did not. Amy has her secrets, but the day her world was forever changed by the screaming souls released by the detonation of hundreds of Ghost Rock Bombs is not one of them. Amy remembers there was always worry about the war before the bombs fell. Still, at the time she and everyone else in her 9th-grade class were more concerned about their own issues. If they had played the latest Final Fantasy game. Who was the most recent boy Betty Harrowisk had kissed? When would the plane land in New York for the regional academic championship they would compete in? Or Amy's pride in being allowed to go on this trip by herself while her parents took a second honeymoon in Hawaii. Just common everyday discussions that ended never to be spoken of again after Amy spotted the first mushroom clouds forming outside the plane's window. When the screams started, the questions of what to do following, all the way through the aircraft losing power because a nuke knocked out the electronics, all Amy could do was look out that window in awe. Once the plane fell into the cloud cover, Amy focused on the chaos around her. The pilot's voice telling everyone over the PA to brace for a crash landing, people crying and screaming, a stewardess snapping her seatbelt tight with fear etching the woman's features in stark contrast. They broke through the clouds at a steep angle, and Amy no longer wished to look out the window closing her eyes tightly. The crash landing was a death sentence for many on the plain, including all of her friends. In the crash, Amy herself lost her left arm and soon developed an infection. In the wilderness with no supplies, no idea where they were except somewhere close to New York as the plane flies, Amy heard people saying she was going to die. Before she grew too delirious, Amy saw a fight break out, the strongest taking from those they could before leaving and the rest licking their wounds and wondering what to do. It's hard to say what happened after that as Amy was delirious for some time. But once her fever broke and Amy became aware of her surroundings, there was no helping it; Amy was alone. Being left for dead is one of those experiences you never forget. The terror, the fear...it's all-encompassing. Even though her body fought off the infection, Amy's chances to survive alone with one arm were slim at best. The only thing that saved Amy was that she was smart. Not at Einstein's level, but more intelligent than your average 14-year-old. Having watched a few episodes of McGyver when she was bored last week didn't hurt either. Amy spent a couple of weeks near the plane, surviving off what she could scavenge, but she couldn't stay there. Little did Amy know then that she would be starting on a ten-year trek westward to find her parents. There were many hardships that Amy had endured on her long rambling trip through the wasted lands, none harder to overcome than her lost arm. Even though she had four inches of the missing appendage left, Amy soon found she could not simply wear a backpack and expect it to stay in place. Leaning too far one way, stumbling or slipping, even merely stepping over a log would cause that strap to slip painfully. While Amy has since learned to use slipknots and straps to keep her pack steady, those first months were hard. There was a value in salvage and reusable scrap even in the early days of the apocalypse. If she still had both arms, Amy could have made a killing on the contents of an AutoZone delivery truck she had found half-buried in mud. Even so, Amy made enough by selling its location to a small nearby settlement and outfitted herself well. She could have stayed there afterward, but Amy was on a mission west, so she went west. Even though she had a goal in mind and 'west' was not that hard of a direction to find even if Amy didn't know how to make a makeshift campus, it took her ten years to reach the I think this is where Crooked Creek is located mid-west. In that time, Amy has visited many people and places that would accept her as one of their own, some good, most bad, a few really bad. But each time, Amy moved on. Only a few times did she stop for long, and those times dealt with her healing up a gunshot wound or being sliced up badly. While of all the wounds she endured, Amy found being shot in her only good arm to be the most annoying. Her leg being sliced to the bone fell just below that, and getting a kidney shot out fell below that, but only because she was bedridden for so long. The Wasted West was one dangerous place to travel alone. Though Amy did travel by caravan when she could, doing so was sometimes more expensive than the salvage it cost. And Amy has learned to be wary of letting her safety be up to anyone other than herself. But two years ago, when Amy stumbled upon Crooked Creek and decided to enter the settlement to trade some salvage, she saw something in the place. Amy saw a community that managed to survive the apocalypse and was beginning to thrive in this wasteland. There was hope here, a beginning, and Amy realized something about herself that day. She was tired of walking, tired of traveling, ...tired of being alone. So just maybe, Crooked Creek would be the perfect place for Amy to rest up for a time. As told by Amy Wong to Alexander Humphry and others that were present in The Lodge that night, one year past.

[taleteller50]

Cap Ut: I think this was a mistake of the original book. September 23, 2081 was the official date of Judgement Day when bombs began to fall across the world. That would mean the Northern Alliance was first formed around 2078. Looking at the original Game's Companion book, which had a more extensive Lore write up, we have the following dates.

2044 - Portal to Faraway System/ Banshee opened
2074 - War begins on Faraway
February 22, 2078 - LatAm attacks the Confederates, starting what would become the next World War.
September 23, 2081 - Judgement Day

A 'Normal set of Clothing' would be a Hand Made Shirt, one set of Hand Made Pants or Shorts, and one pai of Shoes. A Quiver would be about $15. A Bow is a good, cheap starting weapon but does have a higher Minimum Strength and heavier ammo so there is a balance.

Silk: Look around Silk. You might be able find Patchit somewhere out there in the wastes.

There is however a discrepancy with your Edges. One Edge costs either 1 Major Flaw or 2 Minor Flaws. To be Specific:
Minor = 1 Hinderance Point; Major = 2 Hinderance Points
• For 2 Hindrance points you can raise an attribute one die type, or choose an Edge.
• For 1 Hindrance point you can gain another skill point, or gain additional starting funds

Looking at you character you have Agility Increased, Brute, Fleet-Footed, & Rad-Resistance. Each of these cost 2 points for a total of 8. You only have 2 Minor Hinderances (2 points) and 1 Major (2 Points) giving you only 4 Hinderance Points which is the Maximum.

You could also go Clueless rather then All Thumbs if you really wanted to play up the dim bulb idea but that's only a suggestion.

Only other suggestion I have so far is a Sledge if you would like to take this weapon.

Sledge Hammer - Damage: Str+1d10; Wgt: 15; Cost:$100; Parry -1, 2 Handed.

[Silk]

Ahh, my bad. I'll drop the +1 Agility and Fleet-footed edge then.

That's what I get for going off of memory instead of going back and reading exactly what was written

[Effete]

Originally Posted by Silk

Oh, and this is my first time playing Savage Worlds so if anyone has any suggestions, that would be great!

Welcome to the Savage side!

I've been playing Savage Worlds off-and-on since 2012, so there's few things I can say:
1) Adventure Edition is the best version of the rules to date, so you couldn't have picked a better time to learn, and
2) There's no real "dump stat" in the game. Min/maxing is kinda a thing, but even the hardest brute can be put down with clever tactics. The "toughest gal in the wastes" can be shook into inaction by a Smarts Test. Which leads me to my next bit of advice: everyone can be helpful. A character with low Strength and a crap Fighting skill can still be very useful in combat by making the aforementioned Test (it might target Smarts or Agility or Spirit... whatever the threat is weakest against), or by making a Support roll to aid a teammate. Both Support and Tests are largely narrative driven, so as long as you make it sound feasible (and the GM agrees), you can roll your highest skill and make a difference.

Example: Bookwerm is a brainy little squirt who can't fight worth a damn. He's tagging along with a group of wastelanders on his search to find and preserve pre-War literature, when suddenly the posse is attacked by a rattler (one of the nastiest buggers you'd meet in the setting). Everyone else has guns, bows, machetes, and sledgehammers... but Bookwerm has his brain. Instead of trying to fight directly, he uses his Academics skill of d10 to Support an ally by pointing out the rattler's weak spots; he says he read about it in a book, and the GM says that's fair game. Bookwerm rolls his dice and... Hot Damn!, he scores a raise (that's kinda like a Critical Success). The ally that received the Support gets to add +2 to their next attack roll.

Just in case you're wondering, because of the tighter threshold on success in Savage Worlds, a +2 is a fairly big bonus.

Another thing to point out is that SW uses infinitely exploding dice rolls, including on damage! This means if a creature hits you, there's a chance (however small) that you might get one-shot'd. "If it can hit you, it can kill you." It's always a good idea to hold onto a Benny to either Soak the damage, or reroll Vigor to prevent Bleeding Out if the wounds are just too great.

And lastly, some advice on character creation:
Always take your full allotment (4 points) of Hindrances. Despite the name, Hindrances are actually a net positive in the game (at least during CharGen). For each point of Hindrance, you get to select a equal value of a positive ability, meaning Hindrances are zero-sum options. Furthermore, the positives you select can compliment or synergize with abilities you already have, while picking Hindrances that don't directly affect your character strengths (call that "min/maxing" if you'd like ). During play, Hindrances serve as narrative crutches that a character can willingly evoke in exchange for receiving a Benny. For instance, if the posse needs to get info out of some settlers, a Mean character might threaten them to get them to talk. Communicate to the GM that you are evoking the Hindrance, and hope that the GM thinks it's worth the reward.

Note, however, that some Hindrances include some type of mechanical drawback. A waster with One Eye is always taking a penalty on Shooting rolls. They shouldn't get a Benny everytime they make a successful shot. However, if the character finds themself in a tight situation where they can't use their rifle normally, the player might ask, "am I able to shoot southpaw?" If yes, the GM might add an additiomal -1 to the roll, but award a Benny if it hits.

Anyway, hope you found this helpful!

[Cap Ut]

Application Name: Samuel Wells Gender: Male Age: 19 Concept: Young junker with a little sister to look after Appearance: Samuel is a tall young caucasian man. His soft features are framed by brown hair and his peculiar case of heterochromia, inherited from Morgan, is definitely his most distinctive trait: while the left eye has a uniform amber coloration, the right one also exhibits shades of blue and green; Jack jokingly dubbed it the Eye of the Sorcerer (after the magical amulet of the superhero Doctor Weird), without even suspecting how close he was to the truth. There's hardly any resemblance between Samuel and his red-haired dark-eyed sister; when someone points that out, the usual response is simply that she was adopted. Personality: Not particularly outgoing, Samuel is more of an oddball of few words than a brooding loner type of introvert, and definitely not asocial; his past has taught him to count on himself, but also that cooperation goes a long way, so, while he isn't quick to forge new friendships, he has no problem working with others. A few clashes in response to the occasional tinkering with ghost rocks has somewhat reinforced his reserve around folks he doesn't know well. On the other hand, people he warms up to get to experience the jovial side he inherited from his father, and he can give proof of unshakable loyalty to those close to him; this is especially true in the case of Nimue, the only family he has left. Despite his gentle face and quirkiness tend to give off an impression of innocuity, this has no bearing on his actual disposition and doesn't make it any better to be on his bad side. He has a special fondness for comic books: they are forever tied to Jack's fatherly love, and the thrill of replicating superpowers and scifi tech from his favourite pages further stimulates his innate ingenuity. Sometimes he gets a little irresponsible or over enthusiastic over his passion, though. Background: Morgan Wells was a driven and gifted woman who managed to land a prominent research position at Genetech only in her mid-twenties. But she wasn't just a brilliant scientist, in fact she had inherited from her lineage way more esoteric abilities: she was a witch, like her mother, grandmother and so on, and the research group she was part of was essentially her coven. Confident and independent, she had never felt the need of a companion and only married for convenience: Jack Bonelli, scion of an investment company, would have meant healthy funds for a project that couldn't fully count on Genetech's resources for the sake of its secrecy. By contrast, Jack was deeply in love with her and had always been supportive of her decisions, like the prioritization of her job, the discretion about it or the proposal that their children would take her surename. Samuel, their only son, came into the picture in the 2074. Morgan was admittedly a little dissapointed when she learned he was a male, not the she hated men like certain extremists, she simply believed a daughter would have been destined for higher things; those feelings however dissipated completely the moment she took him in her arms, and nothing was left if not the fondness of a mother for his child. Nonetheless, her job was still the priority, it had to be, for the greater good: she and her "sisters" believed witchcraft was ultimately meant to be a benign force to help a world whose state was worsening by the minute, but Sybil Devlin intended to keep pursuing the old ways even after her death through the adult clones she was setting up all over the country; the solution envisioned was a genetically improved clone to be raised outside of her malignant influence and to oppose it for the times to come, a secret project obviously hidden to Pentacorp's higher ups. When the Last War broke out, minds were already made up: Morgan stayed with her coven in the secured basement of their facility in Idaho to monitor Nimue (that was the name given to the clone), whom they decided to keep in suspended animation as a baby at least until the end of the conflict, while Samuel and Jack took shelter in his family's bunker in Illinois. Samuel was only four years old and had a hard time understanding why his mother couldn't be with them; luckily, they were still able to keep in contact remotely, but it wasn't really enough: even though she had never been particularly present, he began soon missing her and the feel of her touch. Jack did his best in the next three years to educate Samuel and help him overcome the drama of war and the sense of isolation, and his comics collection was the perfect diversion: who would fear bombs and shells with the indestructible Iron-Lady and the formidable Doctor Weird around saving the day? And let's not forget about Rex Resolver, the valiant ranger always there for the people in need. Later on, also the more mature and introspective Phalanx and Clayman were fair game. Then one day communication went off. For Jack that was the breaking point: he had always trusted Morgan's judgment and hadn't fought back when she refused to take refuge with them, but now he couldn't even make sure she was safe. Despite his parents' protests, he decided to leave the shelter to go find his wife by himself, but apparently the sense of initiative runned in the family, as a seven-year-old Samuel managed to sneak into the car right before departure. When Jack noticed the intruder it was too late to go back: the war was reaching its final stage, chaos was rampaging and soon enough ghost rock bombs would sweep the world. In the end it was that love-induced recklessness that spared the two the hopeless fate of what once lied east of the Mississippi River. Not that life had been easy for them after the Judgement Day, in fact an accident irrimediably ended Jack's plans to reunite with Morgan (along with his ability to move unaided) and forced father and son to settle in a small community of survivors in Missouri. If only it was a little furhter north, they would have likely shared a happy ending with a woman desperate to find her family: indeed, Morgan made the same choice as Jack once contact was lost and promptly left her station, but when she reached the Mississippi, all she could do was grieve at the Land of the Dead gates for her beloved son and a loyal husband she grew fond of, before returning defeated to her coven. At the facility things continued to run smoothly for a few years and Nimue was still kept in suspended animation, as the popular opinion was that the in its current state the world was hardly a place for a child. Things were bound to change when the old matriarch passed away: Dr. Eric Faust, her grandson, began soon to act as it was his right to lead the group, but the other members clearly favoured the capable Morgan; tired of being looked down upon by the women and of their inherent advantage in witchcraft, the warlock devised a ritual to increase his power via the sacrifice of Nimue. When his nefarious plan was discovered and averted, Eric fled the base, but not before compromising the supplies and the clone's chamber. After awakening her and resurfacing, the coven settled near Georgetown. Life in the new world was harsh and Jack couldn't make it in the end. The loss hit Samuel hard: his father had been a constant and loving presence for him and now he was gone. All that was left to the teenager was the hope that his mother was still alive, so he resumed the journey started long before. He had already picked a few useful skills and was quite a shot, but his travels taught him even more, most peculiarly, he independently learned the ways of the junkers by intuition alone: connecting with tech spirits soon became second nature to him and he didn't need a deep scientific understanding to make his contraptions work, they just "felt right" and their effect was an "obvious outcome". All of that was however meaningless in comparison to the greatest reward that awaited him in Georgetown, where his quest finally came to an end and a mother could hug her son once again. At first Samuel didn't know how to feel about Nimue: she was like a daugther to Morgan, but he could sense the secrecy around her true identity (the coven decided it was for the best to hide from her that she was a clone, especially of whom). He didn't concern himself too much with it though, and the two quickly bonded like brother and sister during his time with the witches. Those relatively peaceful years would however come to an end with the return of Faust: during his exile he joined forces with Dr. Grigori Kragoff, ambitious mad scientist and former employee of Hellstromme Industries, and together they founded an organization with the aim of controlling and exploiting the supernatural. Now Eric was back for the clone and he wasn't alone, but unfortunately for him Morgan foresaw the threat and preemptively sent Samuel and Nimue away with an innocuous excuse and a letter waiting for her son, a farewell letter in which she explained everything and more, how she wished she had been a better mother, how proud she was of her boy and how she couldn't have found a better person in the world to look after his sister. When the fight began, a dismayed Samuel had to resort to all of his restraint not to rush in the conven's aid, to take the kid and run in the opposite direction. In the end Eric won, but at a high cost and without the prize. Once safe, Samuel used some of the valuables left in the letter's envelope by Morgan to buy a passage from a wandering merchant, Kyle Maldin, who took him and Nimue to Crooked Creek. Since last winter, brother and sister are stable residents of the settlement, enjoying the much needed sense of security the community provides. Samuel has been doing his part alternating between assisting Duncan and going hunting or scavenging, while Nimue, not surprisingly, has been getting acquainted with Shakufa, who has recognized a young witch in the making. Samuel hasn't shared their story with anyone other than the herbalist and has been careful to keep his junker skills hidden, knowing how the weird inventors are often frowned upon. Enemy: Doc & Doc Enterprise engages officially in scientific consultation and evaluation of the occult, slightly less officially in weapon development and mercenary activity, and secretly in the accrual and control of supernatural and technological resources for power and influence. The organization is leaded by the two founders, the warlock and geneticist Eric Faust and the mad scientist and junker Grigori Kragoff, and can count on a personnel of the most varied backgrounds, from technicians to combatants, from mutants to cyborgs. Although they have a base in Montpelier, the shadiest activities and those associates who are particularly indiscreet are allocated away from prying eyes. The special nature of Nimue Wells makes her a prized target for the doctors, who won't stop at anything to accomplish their goals. Build:   Attributes: Agility d8, Smarts d8, Spirit d6, Strength d6, Vigor d6 Skills: Athletics d4, Common Knowledge d4, Fighting d6, Notice d8, Persuasion d4, Repair d4, Shooting d8, Stealth d4, Survival d4, Weird Science d8 Edges: Arcane Background (Junker) (Powers: Bolt) Hindrances: Enemy (Doc & Doc Enterprise, Minor), Loyal (Minor), Mild Mannered (Minor), Quirk (Comics Fan, Minor) Gear: [26 lb + 2? lb = ~28 lb] Handmade Shirt Handmade Pants Shoes Long-johns ($10) Baseball Hat ($10) Improvised Armor (Torso) ($50) [5 lb] Tool Belt ($5) Utility Pouch ($5) Holster ($30) [1 lb] Backpack ($30) [3 lb] Canteen ($10) [5 lb, Full] Jerky x2 ($2) Pen Light + Micro Battery ($30) Toolkit ($150) [5 lb] Survival Knife ($100) [2 lb] Colt Peacemaker ($50) [2 lb] .45 x18 ($18) [2 lb] When activated, this hand-held cylinder releases a fleeting beam that disrupts matter and energy by locally enhancing quantum effects.Q-Lance (Bolt) [1 lb]

[Cap Ut]

A question about the timeline: around which period of the year does the adventure begin? By background my character arrives with Kyle, and given he returns to Crooked Creek in winter, I'm trying to determine for how long the PC has been sticking around.

[taleteller50]

Originally Posted by Cap Ut

A question about the timeline: around which period of the year does the adventure begin? By background my character arrives with Kyle, and given he returns to Crooked Creek in winter, I'm trying to determine for how long the PC has been sticking around.

As mentioned in the original Game Application you will all be starting 12 years after the bombs fell. As for the season at game start it's around the middle of June; just starting the summer months.

If justification is needed for staying past winter the previous winter had been a pretty tough one and the planting season hasn't fared much better with a drought. It's not so bad that the settlement can't handle it but extra help is very appreciated.

[Cap Ut]

From the Gadgeteer Edge in Deluxe (the one referred by the Junker):

It has half the inventor’s Power Points, and once these are used up, the gadget burns out and does not recharge.

Am I reading it right? Does the gadget recharge as long as there is at least a Power Point?

Also a discrepancy I found regarding gear: in your list the Survival Knife gives +2 to Survival rolls, but in the Adventure handbook it gives only +1.

[taleteller50]

The Survival bonus for the Survival knife should only be +1.

As for Junker Devices it basically works this way. Any 'Power' you have is a device that recharges itself; 1 Power Point per hour. They don't fall apart from use but can be damaged from Malfunctions which require Components to repair.

Other Devices, those built with Gadgeteer, don't recharge automatically. They have a finite amount of uses before they break down; PP equal to the amount of Components used during their initial construction (Up to half the Junker's normal Power Point Pool and Half the cost in components if they get a raise on their Weird Science Roll to construct them).

So, for example, you are a Junker with a Bolt Power but you suddenly need a Jetpack (Fly Power). You are Seasoned and normally have 15 Power Points due to increasing your pool with the edge 'Power Points'. You want the temporary Jetpack to work as long as possible and have 15 Components to build the device. You're Weird Science roll is at a -2 due to Fly being a Veteran Power (1 level higher then your own) but you make it with a raise despite this.

It cost you 8 Components to build your Jetpack due to the raise but it still has the 15 PP it was designed to hold. The Fly power costs 3 PP to activate and normally last for 5 rounds of use but this can be extended an additional 5 rounds for every 1 PP used. So if you were looking for an extended flight you could run the jetpack for 65 rounds (5 for 3 PP and then 1PP for every 5 rounds there after). After the last PP is used the jetpack would fall apart and no longer be used.

IF you were able to land after 60 rounds you would still have 1 PP left in the Jetpack but it wouldn't be enough to start the device again. Normally that would mean the device is useless now but I will allow the 'Recharging' of devices with a new use of Gadgeteer and expenditure of Components. In this example that would mean 14 new components; 7 with a raise.

In other words, Gadgeteer devices DO NOT recharge automatically like powers. You need to recharge them by re-tinkering with the device and replacing used parts/fuel/etc.