This article originally appeared in Pyramid #18
Marcel de Lauret,
Time-Traveler and Rogueby Brandon Cope
Age 33, 5'11", 175 lbs.; black hair, brown eyes, white skin, thin beard
ST: 11 [10] IQ: 14 [45] Speed: 5.75 DX: 12 [20] HT: 11 [10] Move: 5 Damage: Swing: 1d+1, Thrust: 1d-1 Dodge: 5 Block: n/a Parry: 8 (fencing) light kevlar vest (PD 2, DR 4); no encumbrance Advantages: Attractive [5], Charisma +2 [10], Wealth (Wealthy) [20]
Disadvantages: Code of Honor [-5], Greedy [-15], Severe Phobia (Oceans) [-20], Reputation -3 (with time-travelers as a greedy and dangerous rogue, 7-) [-1]
Quirks: Superstitious, Contemptuous of Scientists and Time-Travelers, Optimist
Skills: Administration-15 [4], Black Powder Weapons-14 [1], Computer Ops-14 [1], Diplomacy-15 [6], Disguise-14 [2], Economics-15 [6], Electronics Ops (Temporal Devices)-16 [6], Fast-Talk-15 [4], Fencing-14 [8], Guns (Pistol)-14 [1], History (Roman Empire)-21 [8], History (Other)-15 [0], Literature-13 [2], Merchant-16 [6], Occultism-13 [1], Savoir-Faire (Roman Empire)-15 (Roman) [2], Savoir-Faire (late 1600s France)-14 [1], Shortsword-13 [4]
Languages: English-15 [1], French-15 [4], Latin-15 [6]
Point Cost: 150
Weapons: varies by time period, but always carries a hidden Glock-17; the period weapon will usually be a high-quality modern replica.
Conversions
Fantasy: De Lauret may be a merchant that stole a magical amulet that allows time travel. Drop the Guns, Black Powder Weapons, Fencing and Electronic Ops skills and replace with Broadsword-12 and Bow-10. The History specialization and languages should be changed to fit the campaign.
Modern: No changes, though the time machine will probably not be as reliable or portable.
Space: De Lauret could travel back in time on alien worlds as well as Earth, and the temporal device may allow space travel.
Description
Marcel de Lauret is thoroughly hated by fellow time travelers for the completely mercenary way he disregards the consequences of his actions. His use of time travel for personal gain has nearly created several time disasters.
He has little knowledge of the physics of time travel and doesn't care to learn them. Originally a graduate student of economics, de Lauret stumbled onto a temporal research project being done at his university. He immediately saw the practical benefits of time travel and stole the temporal device, a bulky backpack-sized unit. Fortunately for him, it proved simple to operate, and he has tricked several time travelers (and paid a few more) to repair it when necessary.
De Lauret operates in three main settings: the early Roman Empire, Depression-era America and Swashbuckling France. He normally operates by arriving prior to some noteworthy event (excluding wars, which he avoids) and begins to buy or sell the appropriate commodities or place wagers (he is particularly proud of placing winning bets on the 1934 World Series six times). While he rarely threatens the time flow, on one occasion he almost prevented (quite unintentionally) the 1929 Stock Market Crash, creating an unusual moral dilemma for a temporal watchdog group that had to fix the problem.
Despite his shortcomings, de Lauret is actually a pleasant man to deal with. Although his greed usually gets the better of him, he tries not to create too much of a change in history; not only would it make it easier for others to find him, but he might create an alternate timeline where his knowledge would be useless. Despite his dislike for time travelers, he will never strand them in the past unless he has to, and even then he'll try to anonymously get word to his associates where the marooned traveler may be found.
Quotes
"If scientists are not prepared for the practical realities of time travel, perhaps they should go back to their beakers and slide rules."
"You might say that I am the ultimate inside trader — and I have centuries of prior knowledge at my disposal."
Adventure Seeds
- Embarrassed by the theft of their device, the research scientists from de Lauret's university have built a second time travel machine and hired the PCs to track him down. Fortunately, de Lauret's machine has a homing device built in (intended as a safety feature in case of mechanical failure) that will allow the party to arrive within 1,000 yards (and a few minutes) of the machine. Unfortunately, the adventurers will have no idea when they're headed . . .
- If the PCs are time travelers themselves, they may run into de Lauret during one of his operations. Assuming they don't know who he is, it will gradually become apparent that he doesn't quite seem to fit in with the locals; some of his mannerisms and expressions are a little too modern. This seed works best if the party has some other problem to deal with, which de Lauret is secretly the cause of.
Article publication date: March 1, 1996
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