This article originally appeared in Pyramid #14
by Brandon Cope
Mariel O'Malley, psionic doctor
5'3", 105 lbs.; long and straight blonde hair, brown eyes, pale skin, 29 years old. ST: 9 [-10] DX: 11 [10] Speed: 6.25 IQ: 13 [30] HT: 14 [45] Move: 6 Damage: Thrust 1d-2; Swing 1d-1 Dodge: 6 Block: n/a Parry: 5 (Knife) No armor; no encumbrance
Point Total: 140
Advantages
Attractive [5]
High Pain Threshold [10]
Psychic Healing (Power 3) [9]
Status +1 [5]Disadvantages
Pacifism (Self-Defense Only) [-15]
Reputation -2 (among doctors) [-3]
Minor Vow (repay debt to school) [-5]Quirks
Dislikes pets [-1]
Uncomfortable around children [-1]
Blames herself for her mother's death [-1]Skills
Astronomy-13 [4]; Diagnosis-12 [2]; Electronics Ops (Computers)-15 [6]; Electronics Ops (Sensors)-13 [2]; Engineer (Hovercraft)-14 [6]; First Aid-15 [4]; Free Fall-13 [8]; Knife-12 [2]; Mechanic (Hovercraft)-14 [4]; Physician-14 [6]; Savoir-Faire-15 [4]; Surgery-13 [8]; Swimming-13 [4]Psionic Skills
Healing-12 [2]Weapons
NoneConversions
Fantasy: Drop Electronics Ops, Engineer, Free Fall and Mechanic skills and exchange Astrology for Astronomy and Literacy for G-Experience.
Contemporary: Drop the Free Fall skill and add the disadvantage Secret (will cause Utter Rejection). Mariel will keep her psionic ability a secret, using it only in emergency situations, in order to avoid ruining her credibility as a professional (and her license being revoked).
Near Future: As contemporary.Mariel O'Malley had always longed to be a doctor, but did not want to disappoint her mother, who was a vehicle designer. So while she learned how to design and repair hovercraft, she served as an auxiliary paramedic to satisfy her desire to practice medicine. During her training in a technical college, her mother learned she was dying from a rare disease. Mariel was sure that it was her fault that her mother died; had she trained in medicine rather than engineering she could have saved her mother (or so she has convinced herself).
Shortly after her mother's death, Mariel entered medical school. After several years, she graduated and began working for a small frontier hospital (as repayment of her education loan). After only a few weeks, she began noticing that her patients healed more rapidly than those of other doctors. At first her peers dismissed it as luck, but they gradually began to grow more concerned.
Eventually the hospital administrator called in the authorities, fearing that she was using unapproved experimental procedures. During this inquiry her psionic abilities were discovered. It was determined that they were manifesting themselves without conscious effort, but that she would be capable of learning to control her abilities.
While there is nothing illegal about her abilities or her use of them, she was promptly fired from the hospital and her local medical license suspended. The root of these actions is the administrator, who, unknown to others, has a pathological hatred of psis. Mariel is now stuck on the planet with no money to leave, unable to (legally) practice medicine and with a huge debt to the medical school. She is currently working as a mechanic in a small hovercraft rental company.
Quotes
"If only the human body was as simple as a Pulsar VI sports-hover."
"If only the Pulsar VI sports-hover was as simple as the human body."Adventure Seeds
- Fortunately for Mariel, her Alliance license is still valid — the catch, though, is that she has to be part of a starship crew. If the PCs have a ship, she may try to get hired on as a medic. Unfortunately, the administrator will try to block her from leaving the planet, even going as far as telling the PCs that she conducted experiments on unwilling patients, many of whom later died.
- For whatever reason, the party needs to rent a hovercraft for a trip to lands just outside the main colony. In accordance with company policy, a mechanic must be sent along — in this case, Mariel. Of course, most expeditions have medical and mechanical emergencies, which could lead to Mariel displaying her useful and unusual assortment of skills. This, in turn, could lead to the adventure seed above — assuming the PCs make it back to civilization . . .
Bishop Morg, bodyguard
6'8" tall, 225 lbs, dark brown fur, light grey eyes, 37 years old. ST: 14 [45] DX: 12 [20] Speed: 6.5 IQ: 10 [0] HT: 14 [45] Move: 6 Damage: Thrust 1d; Swing 2d Dodge: 6 Block: n/a Parry: 6 (Axe) No armor; no encumbrance
Point Total: 140
Advantages
Attractive [5]
G-Experience [10]
Toughness (DR 1) [10]Disadvantages
Code of Honor (Mercenary) [-5]
Bad Temper [-10]
Bully [-10]
Greed [-15]
Overconfidence [-10]
Paranoia [-10]
Racial Reputation -1 [-5]
Minor Vow [-5]Quirks
Doesn't like heights [-1]
Treasures family axe [-1]
Likes to learn non-combat skills [-1]
Avid chess player [-1]Skills
Axe/Mace-12 [2]; Beam Weapons (Lasers)-16 [16]; Brawling-14 [4]; Diplomacy-10 [4]; Electronics Ops (Computers)-12 [6]; Electronics Ops (Security Systems)-12 [6]; Fast Draw (Power Holster)-13 [2]; Fishing-11 [2]; Games (Chess)-15 [10]; History-11 [6]; Karate-12 [4]; Leadership-11 [4]; Politics-10 [2]; Savoir-Faire-12 [4]; Tactics-10 [4]; Xenobiology (Terrestrial)-10 [2]Languages
Gormelite-10 [0]; Terranglo-10 [1]Weapons
Vibro axe (fine quality, engraved handle), 3d+2 (5) cutting.
Heavy laser pistol (with power holster and variable-beam option), 2d impaling.Conversions
Fantasy: Morg works very well in a fantasy setting with few changes. The GM will have to decide whether or not to change his race or introduce the Gormelites into a fantasy campaign. Drop G-Experience, Beam Weapons, Electronics Ops and Xenobiology regardless. Change Karate to Sword-14. Add Naturalist-10, Bow-12 and Riding-11. Add Illiteracy.
Contemporary: Morg will be human. Drop G-Experience, Paranoia, Racial Reputation, Beam Weapons and Xenobiology. Add Guns (Pistol)-16 and Astronomy-10.
Near Future: As contemporary, though if space travel is common enough, he may have G-Experience.Bishop Morg is a very unusual member of his race. He takes part of his name from a playing piece in his favorite non-combat activity, chess. Unlike many bodyguards (and most Gormelites), Morg has made sure he learned some skill from each patron he has served for any length of time. Since he has worked frequently with diplomats and scientists, Morg has acquired many skills unusual to his race and profession.
Even with his good range of non-combat skills, Morg is still a competent warrior. Like most Gormelites, he prefers to use an axe; in Morg's case, his favored weapon is a vibro axe that has been in his family for several generations (as typical of Gormelites, it was received as a prize in ritual combat rather than simply being handed down). Aware of its limitations, however, Morg carries a laser pistol for added security.
Morg is very comfortable around alien races and has no reservations about what race or gender he will work for. He does, though, prefer to work for a patron who he can learn some new skill from, especially spacecraft-related ones. Fortunately for Morg, he isn't as ugly as most Gormelites, which helps in dealings with other races.
A final peculiarity is a strange vow Morg took shortly after he left the Gormelite's homeworld several years ago — never to kill another Gormelite, regardless of the situation. No other Gormelite has been known to take such a vow and Morg refuses to discuss the matter further.
Quotes
"I challenge you . . . to a game of chess."
"The Farayans may have had reasonable objections to the exploration of the ruins on their world, but my axe doesn't recognize religious arguments."Adventure Seeds
- One of the PCs is in need of a bodyguard or security help; Bishop Morg is available, but will be picky about who he works for. Of course, Morg is perfectly suited for use as a player character.
- During an adventure (Morg can be working for the PCs, or the PCs and Morg can be serving a common Patron) Morg is confronted by a small group of Gormelites who challenge Morg to a fight over the honor of someone named Klar. Assuming the PCs help Morg, the challengers should be defeated, and they will retreat. Morg will try to evade giving the reason for the challenge, but if pressed will admit that several years ago, in a ritual combat, he was forced to kill his youngest brother, Klar. The brother of Klar's wife swore to get revenge, and Morg left his homeworld, vowing never to kill another Gormelite.
Article publication date: August 1, 1995
Copyright © 1995 by Steve Jackson Games. All rights reserved. Pyramid subscribers are permitted to read this article online, or download it and print out a single hardcopy for personal use. Copying this text to any other online system or BBS, or making more than one hardcopy, is strictly prohibited. So please don't. And if you encounter copies of this article elsewhere on the web, please report it to webmaster@sjgames.com.
