Arron MacDermot, Student Turned Agent [Archive] - Wizards Community

Arron MacDermot, Student Turned Agent [Archive] - Wizards Community

Post/Author/DateTime Post
Master_Vega
06-11-07, 01:05 AM To begin with, this character's for D20Modern. I hope that doesn't deter anyone from replying.

I've decided for the first time to play a skill-focused character for an upcoming online campaign, and made him a genius two-year college graduate. Here are his background (http://docs.google.com/Doc?id=dhbmkdc3_32dqdqbt) and stats.

With that out of the way, I have a few questions:
1. Does this background do justice in determining his character?

2. Is there a better story to tell his family than "He's going to an overseas school and won't be able to talk much" or "he's dead, I'm sorry Mr. and Mrs. MacDermot"?

3. He believes that man needs some amount of law to function, but believes that his home country, the U.S., has too many laws and should shy away from making more ("Illegalizing trans-fat? What's next, a forced ration of soy products?"). How should he react to a situation in which his goal forces him to break more fundamental laws? I don't want him to be a total anarchist, so how many laws should he feel comfortable breaking?

4. One of my first write-ups for his character had him autistic. I thought it would be fun to take the Techie Advanced class in Modern (allowing him to mastercraft and modify items) and tinker with the party's equipment while no one was looking. He wouldn't do something so drastic as switch a friend's pistol from semi-auto to full-auto, or render a piece of equipment useless for it's original purpose, but his friends would notice for some reason that their equipment worked better than before. The character wouldn't admit to tinkering with the weapons, not out of fear of the others getting angry with him, but because it wouldn't click in his mind to tell them.
Now I decided not to go with the autistic character, as you can tell by his higher charisma score, but I would like to know if there's a way to implement a fun quirk like the above. Any ideas?

5. This kid has only been in a few fights in his lifetime. He knows how to shoot; he's gone hunting with his father and friends... but how does he react the first time he or someone else has to shoot a human being, and that person dies?

My apologies for the lengthy questions. I hope they all make sense. >_>
warwinner
06-11-07, 02:23 AM Maybe this will inspire you
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Agent_Cody_Banks
Dead_Weasel
06-11-07, 04:19 AM I think so.
"Gee mom and dad, I wish I could come to <older brother>'s birthday party, but I'm just so busy right now... I know, I know, but they gave me a full scholarship, and I really feel like I'm learning things that will help me later on down the road..."
Obviously he will defend any laws that protect people's freedoms, but if he encounters laws that are being used against people in some way, he will not feel too bad about breaking them. He might not even hesitate, if the law is frivolous or obviously corrupt.
"Oh, your flashlight? I just wanted to see how well it was made. Besides, batteries are for chumps, and it probably won't melt down on you any time this century. It's a lot brighter, too. Just don't point it at anyone's eyes. Actually, don't point it at anyone at all, ever."
It seems to me that he would do his best to negotiate with, foil and disarm another person, in that order, before resorting to violence, let alone lethal force. Even after trying every other option, he would still experience doubt as to whether or not the action of pulling the trigger was really the right thing to do. Depending on the direction you decide to take, that doubt could become an inspiration for him to start building nonlethal weapons, or a confirmation of the need to destroy evil.
You might recognize that I have taken your fifth question in a Wesley (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wesley_Wyndam-Pryce)-like direction, specifically once he starts having to make hard choices (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wesley_Wyndam-Pryce#Darker_character_development); I provide links for inspiration, but obviously you should choose your own direction.
Master_Vega
06-11-07, 10:53 AM warwinner: My siblings watched that movie awhile back. Interesting idea, but the campaign is going to be fairly serious. I'm also going for more of a thinker/gadget guy than the front-liner of the party (kind of like Luther Stickell from Mission Impossible). Thanks, though.

Dead_Weasel: Thanks much, sir! I really like the flashlight thing... that could be a lot of fun. :P As for his reactions, I think I'll mix things up a bit.
Non-lethal damage really sucks in Modern, as it just isn't tracked. You must exceed the target's constitution score (their MAS in Modern), and then they need to fail a fortitude save (DC15).
He still might make non-lethal attachments to lethal weapons, perhaps inventing an underslung net gun, but I think he'll see the horror of a life destroyed as a reason to fight evil more directly. His reasoning will be that, if he lost sleep over the death of some criminal he didn't know, what does the little kid who sees his father/mother/sibling die in a gang shoot-out or any other crime feel?
Also, I never watched Buffy/Angel, but the links cleared things up a bit.

Thanks for the advice! Anyone have any other opinions/suggestions?
Dead_Weasel
06-12-07, 04:34 AM Honestly, I never watched Buffy, but watched a few episodes of Angel with a friend and discovered that I really enjoyed it. I pointed out Wesley because he did what he thought was right, only to end up cut off from his friends and uncertain of himself. He ends up back with the good guys, but he is always harder and darker afterwards, and you can always feel the tension between him and the characters who feel like he betrayed them. Good show. Anyway, back on track.

It has been a while since I played d20 Modern, so I did not remember that nonlethal damage was a no-go. Maybe you could instead focus on producing adhesives that block light but not air (for use as blindfolds/gags/restraints) or really shiny tasers/stunguns. Rubber bullets? Tear gas? I cannot think of anything else, if lethal damage is a particularly bad option.

If you are really going for Luther from Mission Impossible, you will definitely want to be hacking everything you can - lock enemies in elevators and behind doors, set off fire alarms, alter police records if you have time; the sky is the limit, and the more time you have to run interference, the more backdoors you can add to the security system while you delete everyone else's passcodes. Between mechanical engineering and chemistry you should be improvising traps, gadgets and gimmicks at every opportunity - they might not know what you splashed on them, and they definitely will not be pleased by how well it burns, but you know that stuff is not going to go out for a couple hours no matter how many extinguishers they use. It will probably only burn their clothes, but the fire alarm has already locked down the elevators, except for the one you shut down for "servicing" that morning and are presently descending in. Hopefully they take their jackets off before they remember to stop, drop and roll. Oops.
Master_Vega
06-12-07, 12:59 PM I'll check with the GM and see if he can use the D&D non-lethal damage system instead of the D20 Modern one. I like the adhesive idea, and I think my character will be mixing a lot of tranquilizers for dart guns (it'll do a little lethal damage, but nothing that's going to kill whoever it's used on... as long as they aren't shot too many times.)

This character is going to take a LOT of thinking to carry out correctly, especially with your tips about playing a Luther-like character. I think I'll have a lot of fun with this one. Thanks for the help!
Dead_Weasel
06-13-07, 12:21 AM Glad to be of service. Sorry it turned into stream-of-consciousness at the end; hopefully it was not too confusing.
Master_Vega
06-13-07, 12:03 PM Nah, I understood it. :P

Campaign should be starting soon and I believe I have a much better idea of who my character is now. Thanks!

Post/Author/DateTime	Post
Master_Vega 06-11-07, 01:05 AM	To begin with, this character's for D20Modern. I hope that doesn't deter anyone from replying. I've decided for the first time to play a skill-focused character for an upcoming online campaign, and made him a genius two-year college graduate. Here are his background (http://docs.google.com/Doc?id=dhbmkdc3_32dqdqbt) and stats. With that out of the way, I have a few questions: 1. Does this background do justice in determining his character? 2. Is there a better story to tell his family than "He's going to an overseas school and won't be able to talk much" or "he's dead, I'm sorry Mr. and Mrs. MacDermot"? 3. He believes that man needs some amount of law to function, but believes that his home country, the U.S., has too many laws and should shy away from making more ("Illegalizing trans-fat? What's next, a forced ration of soy products?"). How should he react to a situation in which his goal forces him to break more fundamental laws? I don't want him to be a total anarchist, so how many laws should he feel comfortable breaking? 4. One of my first write-ups for his character had him autistic. I thought it would be fun to take the Techie Advanced class in Modern (allowing him to mastercraft and modify items) and tinker with the party's equipment while no one was looking. He wouldn't do something so drastic as switch a friend's pistol from semi-auto to full-auto, or render a piece of equipment useless for it's original purpose, but his friends would notice for some reason that their equipment worked better than before. The character wouldn't admit to tinkering with the weapons, not out of fear of the others getting angry with him, but because it wouldn't click in his mind to tell them. Now I decided not to go with the autistic character, as you can tell by his higher charisma score, but I would like to know if there's a way to implement a fun quirk like the above. Any ideas? 5. This kid has only been in a few fights in his lifetime. He knows how to shoot; he's gone hunting with his father and friends... but how does he react the first time he or someone else has to shoot a human being, and that person dies? My apologies for the lengthy questions. I hope they all make sense. >_>
warwinner 06-11-07, 02:23 AM	Maybe this will inspire you http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Agent_Cody_Banks
Dead_Weasel 06-11-07, 04:19 AM	I think so. "Gee mom and dad, I wish I could come to <older brother>'s birthday party, but I'm just so busy right now... I know, I know, but they gave me a full scholarship, and I really feel like I'm learning things that will help me later on down the road..." Obviously he will defend any laws that protect people's freedoms, but if he encounters laws that are being used against people in some way, he will not feel too bad about breaking them. He might not even hesitate, if the law is frivolous or obviously corrupt. "Oh, your flashlight? I just wanted to see how well it was made. Besides, batteries are for chumps, and it probably won't melt down on you any time this century. It's a lot brighter, too. Just don't point it at anyone's eyes. Actually, don't point it at anyone at all, ever." It seems to me that he would do his best to negotiate with, foil and disarm another person, in that order, before resorting to violence, let alone lethal force. Even after trying every other option, he would still experience doubt as to whether or not the action of pulling the trigger was really the right thing to do. Depending on the direction you decide to take, that doubt could become an inspiration for him to start building nonlethal weapons, or a confirmation of the need to destroy evil. You might recognize that I have taken your fifth question in a Wesley (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wesley_Wyndam-Pryce)-like direction, specifically once he starts having to make hard choices (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wesley_Wyndam-Pryce#Darker_character_development); I provide links for inspiration, but obviously you should choose your own direction.
Master_Vega 06-11-07, 10:53 AM	warwinner: My siblings watched that movie awhile back. Interesting idea, but the campaign is going to be fairly serious. I'm also going for more of a thinker/gadget guy than the front-liner of the party (kind of like Luther Stickell from Mission Impossible). Thanks, though. Dead_Weasel: Thanks much, sir! I really like the flashlight thing... that could be a lot of fun. :P As for his reactions, I think I'll mix things up a bit. Non-lethal damage really sucks in Modern, as it just isn't tracked. You must exceed the target's constitution score (their MAS in Modern), and then they need to fail a fortitude save (DC15). He still might make non-lethal attachments to lethal weapons, perhaps inventing an underslung net gun, but I think he'll see the horror of a life destroyed as a reason to fight evil more directly. His reasoning will be that, if he lost sleep over the death of some criminal he didn't know, what does the little kid who sees his father/mother/sibling die in a gang shoot-out or any other crime feel? Also, I never watched Buffy/Angel, but the links cleared things up a bit. Thanks for the advice! Anyone have any other opinions/suggestions?
Dead_Weasel 06-12-07, 04:34 AM	Honestly, I never watched Buffy, but watched a few episodes of Angel with a friend and discovered that I really enjoyed it. I pointed out Wesley because he did what he thought was right, only to end up cut off from his friends and uncertain of himself. He ends up back with the good guys, but he is always harder and darker afterwards, and you can always feel the tension between him and the characters who feel like he betrayed them. Good show. Anyway, back on track. It has been a while since I played d20 Modern, so I did not remember that nonlethal damage was a no-go. Maybe you could instead focus on producing adhesives that block light but not air (for use as blindfolds/gags/restraints) or really shiny tasers/stunguns. Rubber bullets? Tear gas? I cannot think of anything else, if lethal damage is a particularly bad option. If you are really going for Luther from Mission Impossible, you will definitely want to be hacking everything you can - lock enemies in elevators and behind doors, set off fire alarms, alter police records if you have time; the sky is the limit, and the more time you have to run interference, the more backdoors you can add to the security system while you delete everyone else's passcodes. Between mechanical engineering and chemistry you should be improvising traps, gadgets and gimmicks at every opportunity - they might not know what you splashed on them, and they definitely will not be pleased by how well it burns, but you know that stuff is not going to go out for a couple hours no matter how many extinguishers they use. It will probably only burn their clothes, but the fire alarm has already locked down the elevators, except for the one you shut down for "servicing" that morning and are presently descending in. Hopefully they take their jackets off before they remember to stop, drop and roll. Oops.
Master_Vega 06-12-07, 12:59 PM	I'll check with the GM and see if he can use the D&D non-lethal damage system instead of the D20 Modern one. I like the adhesive idea, and I think my character will be mixing a lot of tranquilizers for dart guns (it'll do a little lethal damage, but nothing that's going to kill whoever it's used on... as long as they aren't shot too many times.) This character is going to take a LOT of thinking to carry out correctly, especially with your tips about playing a Luther-like character. I think I'll have a lot of fun with this one. Thanks for the help!
Dead_Weasel 06-13-07, 12:21 AM	Glad to be of service. Sorry it turned into stream-of-consciousness at the end; hopefully it was not too confusing.
Master_Vega 06-13-07, 12:03 PM	Nah, I understood it. :P Campaign should be starting soon and I believe I have a much better idea of who my character is now. Thanks!