Probably never ever in stock again. |
Stats
This is mostly an exercise in mechanics, so, as much as I would generally advise against it in other situations, I've skimped on backstory and motivation and all that, but I still hope to tell a bit of a story. First off, 50 points are spent on the mandatory minimum package I detailed before. That leaves us with 75/-50 to play with.
Attributes
I get a level of IQ and HT. IQ because doctors use it a lot; HT because playing with The Last Gasp and doing wilderness survival makes it h-cking valuable. The tight point budget makes me want to stop here.
Advantages
To augment the healing ability, I give the character 3 levels of Healer Talent. Because of the expensive gear a doctor needs to be effective, I give the character Wealthy to afford it all. This comes with a free level of Status, but for now, that's neither here nor there. Finally, end with Quick Gadgeteer (Specialized, Pharmacy, -50%) to give this character the ability to make medicines more easily in the field.
Disadvantages
To give a tiny boost, and characterize the character a bit, I gave them:
- Cowardice - They are a doctor, not a hardened fighter
- Debt 10 - Medical School
- Compulsive Spending - They likes flashing cash.
Besides that, I sell back an FP and 0.25 Basic speed from the level of HT. I also notice that it might be a small waste of a point to require them to take first aid since they will likely have the physician skill. So I decide that selling any of the "mandatory" skills back counts against the disadvantage limit as well. So -34 points in disadvantages, well within the -50 limit, and kinda tells the story of someone who works hard so they can play hard, and doesn't really like fighting. Why is this person working in a dangerous frontier town then? Maybe it was the easiest way to get a lot of money really fast, and the benefits outweigh the risks?
Skills
Now, besides the mandatory skills, Broadsword for a melee weapon, Guns (Rifle) for a ranged weapon, Teamster (Magnigatus) (a made up species similar to the real Toxodon), and Housekeeping, unsurprisingly, the rest of the character's skills are medical.
- Diagnosis
- Pharmacy
- Physician
- Surgery
This takes advantage of the Healer talent, and lets the character be useful for making and applying curatives.
Equipment
The doctor carries their stuff in a small backpack. This includes an alchemy lab for potions, a doctor's bag, a surgical kit, their sword, and a rifle. The rifle's stats are based on the Hall M1819, .54 Flintlock, a TL5 gun, but in this custom TL3+2 setting, guns have a lower malf. rate, as if the gun is based on TL3 principles the diverged slightly. So we have a weapon with a Malf. of 14, and the primary method of combat for a coward. Due to being wealthy, the character has a lot of leftover cash for other things I couldn't think of, and probably a decently furnished home in the colony owing to his status and the 20/80 rule.
Thoughts
The characters good skills are just barely scratching at what would be considered professional level. They are not a one-man army or fantastically powerful, but I think they might be able to do the job passably. I think the Quick Gadgeteer advantage might not be necessary, and that would free up quite a few points for some more IQ or healer talent. Perhaps more Survival or veterinary skills would help too if it becomes required that a doctor would need to look over steeds and beasts of burden. A full version of the character sheet can be found here. One thing I've accomplished, definitely, is that the character is definitely not overpowered.
Why is a character with cowardice carrying fire-arms? That's the job for gun-ho warrior or western-style rifleman. Pacifism (10 point ver.) might be more appropriate, really, and does allow for defensive [not offensive] situations.
ReplyDeleteGood thoughts. I might look at it a bit closer in the future. I am mostly afraid that it could come across as a point crock to give someone a form of pacifism in a setting where humans, if ever, would make for a smallish piece of the combat situation pie. Not that it will never happen; but that for the immediate future I'm making society an abstract piece that exists as a place to do long work semi-safely. In fact, when I do revisit and incorporate, I might bump the point total to 150/-50 as well to give some wiggle room for social aspects.
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