This topic is designed for posters to express their creativity and make a sort of list for players to look at and get inspiration from. Try to keep it serious and engaging, if you can.
We'll go down the feats in alphabetical order, listing at least 2-3 sources for each. If you hit a feat that is broad (Aircraft Operation, Weapon Focus), you too can be broad in your definitions, or narrow it down (Helicopters, Knives , etc)
The final result is that a player can, if short on time, splice together experiences to get the basis of their character story going.
I'll start us off ->
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Acrobatic
*You were a shoe-in for the Olympics until discovering your path in life took you elsewhere.
*A life of crime has honed your skills at moving around rooftops.
*You were formerly a Hollywood stunt man.
*You hail from a line of traveling circus performers.
- As a medical student, you know where a human is most vulnerable, and you have been able to use that knowledge in practical situations.
- Your long study of martial arts paid off, as you mastered your attack moves.
- Being forced into regular streetfights, you've learned how to win fights quick and nasty.
- While in the army, you served as a Machinegunner (works best for the military occupation)
- As a street thug/gang member you value automatic firepower, it simply beats those lousy autoloaders.
- As a weapon designer/engineer/weapon technician, you've learnt the theory behind controlled automatic fire.
Advanced Two-Weapon Fighting
- Since you are ambidextrous, continuing along this path seemed obvious.
- You've never really liked them big guns, and you thought the smaller ones to simply have to little punch. So why not pack two sidearms?
- You've been playing too much Max Payne.
Agile Riposte
- You've watched a lot of Kung-Fu movies lately.
- You have actually trained as a martial artist, and this is one of your special techniques.
- You've simply figured out that the enemy is most vulnerable when he's striking.
Aircraft Operation
- (Heavy Aircraft) You've been a pilot, shipping goods or troops or whatever around the world in your big ass plane.
- (Helicopter) You've been a news helicopter pilot, wanting to see action.
- (Jet fighter) You've been a fighter pilot in the army, or perhaps a air show stuntman.
- (Spacecraft) You're a god damn astronaut!
Besides which, once we're done, we can always start over again, or add on to the existing list.
And try to produce more creative ones than just "You're a god damn astronaut!" as that's pretty bland/vague or "you've played too many games!", as you can't get combat experience from a video game.
- You were diagnosed with OCD as a child and have 'gotten over' the more overt complications.
- Ever since SWAT busted down your condo door finding you hacking into the Bank of America; your just a little bit paranoid about a repeat.
- Tedious military training has allowed you to pick out little details; wires, cameras, disguised bombs and the like.
*Your life as a farmhand has gifted you with insight on how to befriend animals.
*As a human born and raised in the wilderness, you have a more intimate connection with the natural world.
*Since birth you've found solace in the company of your four legged companions (a fact commented upon many times by friends and family) and have an innate ability to coax them to do complex tricks.
*Years of rearing and riding many breeds of horse has enabled you to more easily guide them.
- You were raised by tribal people in (insert nation here)
- You got in a terrible airplane crash and landed all alone on a island. You had to learn how to make weaponry, for fists stand nothing to a jaguar's claws
- You were once a fencer
- You did an intensive two-year stint in the Paris Police Deparment engaged in Riot Control in the banlieu's during the '07 riots. You not only know how to wear heavy riot gear, but you also know what it feels like to have cars explode around you while having bricks and beer bottles chucked at you.
- You've trained for Special Operations on foreign soil as part of a unit called "Deathproof" that is intended to survive heavy live fire. Perhaps your operations took you deep into enemy territory, or perhaps you chickened out at the last moment, which might explain why you're the only one left of your unit...
- The Egyptian Sun God Ra made you one of his personal Guard on the alien world of Abbados. Amongst his elite army you learned to wield the deadly Jaffa Staff Weapon and wear the Heavy "Horus" Armour typical of Ra's warriors. (Okay... I've been watching some Stargate.)
*Years of undercover stings has taught you to treat your vest as a second skin.
*Your (insert military) group preferred to conduct guerilla tactics, which forced you to rely on more flexible protection.
*Having been the bodyguard of (name) means any armor you chose had to be discreet.
- You're a complete daredevil, always looking for a new rush. As such, you're pretty much without fear.
- You never back down in an argument, arguing your point to the last and refuse to be intimidated by anyone, especially those bigger than you.
*Well, that issue of Soldier of Fortune magazine wasn't going to re-enact itself, now was it?
*While Plate armor takes the limelight at the Renaissance Fair, chain mail is just as important at the show, and you get to wear it.
*You're serious about your paranoia, "they" really are trying to kill you, and nothing but nothing is as good as an undercover vest.
- You are a professional free climber from the Italian Dolomites. You feel more at home at high altitudes than you do closer to the water level.
- You are a diving instructor who specializes in deep sea recovery. You are an expert swimmer and must keep your body in tip-top shape to conserve your air.
- You were raised on the horrifying world of Dalyth-Lynn, a rocky planetoid located in Elysium's Oort Cloud. Here the Demon Sultan Errtu made you his personal gladiator, and only by maintaining peak physical condition could you hope to stay alive. Eventually your incredible athleticism allowed you to climb out of his dark labyrinthine world to freedom!
*Life as a beat cop has exposed you to all sorts of lies: and how to detect them as well.
*Crime scenes are a familiar setting to you, so much so that even minute pieces of evidence are easily identifiable.
*From childhood, your inquisitive nature lead you to question many things and develop the skills to glean the truth from both people and objects alike.
*As a doctor in a neighborhood of drug addicts, it's also important to realize when someone was on their way to an overdose.
*Years of working the night shift has left you pretty good nightvision. Nothing supernatural, but better than anyone who'd try to jump you on the walk home.
*You've done well, young grasshopper. Your martial arts training has enabled you to fight on intuition rather than watching your opponent.
*You're actually blind, at least legally. Not that you're any less dangerous without glasses.
*Many encounters with bullies has taught you how to fight back.
*The career of a boxer was looking good before needing to apply your talents to a non-athletic pursuit.
*Having been descended from a line of bar-room brawlers, you are naturally better than most at knocking others out.
- You watched Mr. Wizard a lot growing up, always finding the right materials (or just about) to mimic the experiments you saw on TV.
- You have the kind of McGuyver complex that makes Richard Dean Anderson worry at night.
- In grade eight you put together your school's new media center.
- You once built a computer or other electronic or mechanical device from scratch... finding all the neccessary parts from when you took the device apart in the first place.
~Rain~
*Clearing rooms full of hostiles has ingrained in you the control to focus on one target at a time.
*During your career as a heavy machinegunner, you learned a thing or two about directing bursts of fire towards vehicles.
*Your weapon of choice is a machine pistol, and you have learned how to use all modes of fire efficiently in combat.
- You used to be a burglar, andx when it cametime to disable a device, you did not want the alarms to go off
- You learned from your one-armed cousin to focus when dealing with explosives.
- you used to work as a demolition man, and you needed to both take care of weakening the structures support system and then take care of putting in the explosives
- You were a terrorist! you would disable the locks to places, sneak into the place, plant demolitions in the area, sneak out, and run. You always did love the monday reports talking about the "unknown" bomber in the area...
- Your strength is unsurpassed, as you can cleave through one body, straight into the next one.
- You learned how to use position as a tactical advantage, killing two opponents with only one movement of your weapon.
- You're so well-trained in weapon combat, that you deflect your weapon from one victim to anyone else standing around you.
*As a Marine martial arts instructor, you know the benefit of being on the defensive, waiting for your opponent to expose themselves.
*The necessity of having to take down enemies in a non-lethal fashion has taught you how to avoid their blows until they've tired themselves out.
*In order to begin learning the more advanced forms of melee combat, you trained repeatedly the last month during downtime to master the basics. It's paid off, and you have a keener ability to analyze attack patterns.
The typical: You are a police officer/soldier/private security person who has been trained in unarmed combat, and have been subduing armed opponents no matter what the situation.
The self-taught: You learned how to fight on the streets, in a gang, in a bar. But unlike your bretheren who focused on hitting harder, you focused on technique; you may not hit as hard as them, but you can hit them twice for every time they hit you (ie, attacks of opportunity).
The Ordinary Guy: You've been attending self-defence classes ever since you got mugged on the subway. By now, you know how to defend yourself from a knife-wielding crackhead even if caught unawares.
The Stupid: "Dude, I have seen all of Bruce Lee's movies. I know what to do."
- As a child you mastered the "shark in the water" game. If you were the shark and other kids had to run from one side of the playground to the other without touching you they were in trouble. Nothing gets past you that doesn't get smacked.
- At University you started taking Kendo as a way of staying healthy. The regular sparring great increased your reflexes. Any time an opponent slipped up or let his guard down you were there to take advantage of it.
- (Post-Apocalypse only) After the cataclysmic event that brought all civilization to a halt many survivors found themselves weaponless against a hostile environment. This led to the resurgence in popularity of the trusty spear. You are a member of a tribe that specializes in spear combat techniques. With its extended reach, it is the ideal weapon for tagging multiple charging foes. Thus your kinsmen and you have highly developed combat reflexes.
*Being a practicioner of Jeet Kune Do has afforded you a greater understanding of using an opponent's strength against himself.
*As an inner city youth, you often scuffled with some mean hombres and as a result learned how to get more leverage out of your body in a fight.
*College wrestling was your pursuit, and in your time at the university you picked up on the techniques of sambo
*You are a complete poker nut. You watch the Texas Hold'em tourneys on TV, you play the videogames and have a regular poker night twice a week.
*You bought a gun just so you can stand in front of a mirror at home and practice pointing it saying, "Are you talking to me? Are you talking to me?"
*Same as above but with the phrase, "Go ahead, make my day."
*You were constantly beaten up as a young child until you stood up for yourself. It worked and you have been using your words to do your fighting for you. Now you can usually talk a good game and unnerve people before it comes to blows.
- You've been going around to every pub and every live stage, playing your guitar. With every performance you've gotten better at your musical skills.
- Your sketchbook is full with sketches and paintings, and with every succeeded and every failed attempt, you improved.
- You joined a live TV-show for new musical talent, and hanging around with other popstar wannabe's and getting both criticism and compliments from the judges increased your potential.
- You excelled in Sniper Training with the US Rangers, and were able to build on those skills further as a gun for hire operating out of West Africa.
- You'd be surprised how many people try to break out of maximum security prisons. When you're on a high lookout post carrying a rifle with rubber bullets you really need to make sure you hit your target on the first shot before they run out of sight.
- As Leon teaches in The Professional when you are a hitman, the first weapon you master is the rifle. Then only when you have mastered perfect aim, can you permit yourself to get closer to the client.
*You were formerly part of a struggling theater troupe out of Astoria, and as such had to adapt to a variety of roles - both male and female.
*Having scammed others many times in the past, you've learned how to hold a straight face when taking their money.
*Other spies prefer to infiltrate various government organizations through being unseen, but to acheive access to more sensitive areas, you prefer to be seen.
- Your older brother insisted the world was a dangerous place for a young woman, and without some kind of self-defense course you might end up a victim to sexual predators.
- The long climb to the lost in Sung temple in Tibet was well worth it, because the monks of the mountain teach an ancient martial art form that excels in its defensive qualities.
- Your deep cover work with MI6 means that you often put yourself in life-threatening situations without the benefit of a firearm. British Intelligence Training is nothing if not thorough. Even unarmed you are safe from harm.
*In prison, you were subjected to many shiv-fights, but had an uncanny ability to avoid the attacks of the person you focused on.
*You have learned to reflexively move out of the way of a specific opponent's attacks, further mastering the aspect of Taihenjutsu (works nicely with Defensive Martial Arts)
*During school, you were renowned in P.E. at being particularily adept at dodgeball, a trait which has protected you against bullets and fists alike.
*Being the winner of many gun duels has instilled in you a sort of twitchy reaction that saved and continues to save you from an early grave.
- You've been trained in use of the Mozambique Drill; a technique to hurt your opinion with a mininum waste of bullets, by shooting double-tap on the opponent's body, and followed by a well-aimed shot to the head.
- As a survivor in post-apocalyptic earth, you have to conserve your bullets, since you don't know when you might find new ones. Two quick shots can be more efficient than using the autofire option.
- Running into and from the many gun fights, you have many self-taught skills, using your guns to kill the opponent as fast as possible. You found that ocassionally it's useful to sacrifice accuracy for damage, such as double-tapping the trigger rapidly, to fire two bullets at your target.
- As a young man/woman you were a member of a criminal gang, and street-violence was daily life. Driving by your enemies while popping them became routine.
- Being trained by special forces operatives, you know how reducing your vehicle's speed can be fatal. On the other hand, you also learned that not shooting at your enemies can be fatal. Finally, you learned that driving your vehicle (or sitting inside it) while firing your weapon was the best option.
- When you were in the army, you were assigned to a mechanized infantry scouting regiment, and your were a Humvee machinegunner.
- You were always a bit of a bookworm, and you are an extremely quick study. Most of the information you read tends to stick with you. Your breadth of knowledge is profound, from the sciences to history to current events.
- You are an archaeologist by profession, and you know very well that archeology is all about study and focus and not about cracking whips Indiana Jones style.
- Though the other vampire hunters on your team are little more than muscle-bound goons, you know that the true fight must be won in the battlefield of the mind. You study every details about the occult, the arcane, and the history of the dark wars because you know that knowledge is power, and power will tilt the tide of the war.
*The job of a mercenary in Iraq has exposed you to a variety of battlefields - long distance and close range alike. You have learned to contort and change your stance in melee engagements to avoid a hidden sniper's bullet.
*Experience in (law enforcement field of choice) taught you to keep a minimal profile when wrestling with a gang member in order to prevent his buddies from firing at you.
*As a terrorist leader, you've had to take hostages on a few occasions and know just how to tilt your head or angle your limbs to make attempts at killing you behind a human shield riskier than usual.
*Situations arose where your mastery of judo applied out of the dojo and into the urban jungle.
*You were formerly part of the Navy SEALs, constantly pushing yourself to the limit - diving underwater, covering stretches of beach, prone in freezing temperatures and even taking naps in your combat vest.
*The rigors of being a marathon runner has toughened your body up, allowing you to ignore that burning sensation for just a little longer.
*Hailing from the deserts of North Africa, you've learned to resist the heat and do without food or water for greater periods of time than most.
*Mountain life in Tibet is rough, and living at higher altitudes instilled in you the discipline to make do with the thinner atmosphere.
- As part of a Humvee squad, you were positioned and trained as gunner; Your task would be hanging out of the top of the Humvee, aiming at any danger to the squad and firing them full of holes with your M60.
- When a war started in Somalia, you joined the rebels and was quickly taught in a multitude of weapons. When soldiers would be coming in jeeps, action was fast required and anyone was expected to handle an RPG in defense of the camp.
- Being a sucker for explosions, you can't help but enjoy tossing grenades around. Because of that, your favorite weapon is the M79, grenade launcher, and you've enjoyed many days hanging around the junkyard, shooting grenades into carwrecks.
- You were raised in a tribe/society/dojo where the exotic weapon has long been a signature of your brethren. Its mastery signifies the greatest commitment to your training.
- You are a bit of an elitist, and clearly this exotic weapon is the only one for you. Its superiority over other arms makes it an obvious choice for a warrior of your impeccable skill.
- The exotic weapon is connected significantly to your past (a similar one was used by a family member, used to kill a family member, etc.) Your choice of this weapon is a way to further explore its mysteries, and to discover your own past.
*Living in the Appalachian wilderness, all you had to rely on was a Remington 700 and boxful of ammunition. Knowing that bullets were a rare commodity, you learned to get the most out of each shot - eliminating inefficent angles, reading the wind and compensating for the eventual arc caused by gravity.
*Though not favoring the solitary role that being a sniper entails, as a Marine designated marksman you were keenly aware of the benefit at keeping the enemy away from your squad, and became versed in squeezing out more range from any firearm you handled.
*As a negotiator that often dealt with hostage-takers in wide open spaces, all you had to rely on before S.W.A.T moved in was your Beretta 92 Compact, and thus trained yourself to shoot farther with a variety of concealable pistols.
*Growing up, you had an affinity for long distance projectile competition, be it archery, darts, discus throwing, shot put or otherwise.
- Your background in gymnastics has greatly benefited your sense of balance. You are able to control your body's movement and equilibrium with excellent precision.
- Having spent time in the armed forces, you have learned to concentrate and overcome distractions to complete a task. The cacophony of war no longer affects you like when you were just a recruit.
- Dorm life at the mages' academy was not as tranquil as one might expect. Just like any other school, there were parties, music, fights, not to mention spells being performed at late hours. Your focus on your studies has improved your ability to perform magic in less than ideal settings.
*As a bounty hunter operating around Naples, you often had to chase fleeing suspects down busy streets, and learned a trick to coax their vehicle into a wall.
*After many street races, you've picked up enough techniques to make any car practically an extension of your body - and put it to good use against rivals that like to play dirty.
*(Apocalypse) Life in the wasteland of Texas has often pitted you against enemy road warriors. Having been in a variety of confrontations, you realize that the fastest way to end an encounter is sending them out of control. To this end, you know how to catch the other driver before they can evade being sideswiped.
*Driving is more natural to you than walking, and your team has appreciated the times your many talents came into play.
- Over time, using extensive computer databases for research, you've come to find quick methods of paring down what you're looking for. You can now find information just that much quicker through your self taught discipline.
- While in auto shop class, you paid a little more attention than most kids, and picked up more than just how things go together, but how they really work. You're a sharper mind when it comes to fixing things.
- You work as a mechanic when you're not out getting into trouble with your crew. Computers are a much quicker technical reference manual than books for repairing vehicles. Thus, you have learned to be quick and skilled in the use of both.
- (Apocalypse) You've had enough time spent fixing the latest damage to your vehicle from the seriously trashed roadways, you can do it much much faster. Patching bulletholes is not a problem anymore, nor is fixing damaged brake lines and the like.
- (Future) You near live in the computer. People often jokingly refer to you as a hermit. What they don't know is you're also programming repair drones to help you. You have a dream, and it's some thirty feet tall, wrapped in armor, and right now, you're working on the control software.
Frightful Presence
*Though not one of the more sophisticated detectives, you have an eerie stare that seems to work it's way into the psyche of the suspect, causing them to break down seconds after being in your sight.
*(With Renown feat) You are the despot of a foreign nation: widely known for your acts in office, both true and false, and as such have a tangible presence that causes fear in those that disobey.
*As a crime leader roving around the streets of Manchester looking to hire new muscle, many situations came in which you put your considerable "charm" to work - scaring away the small time thugs and earning the respect of tougher men.
*While you have a way with words to convince the stubborn, you know there are times where not speaking can be far more effective to persuade others.
This was a tough feat to keep 'real world'. Hope you enjoy them.
- [Straight Modern]Yakuza master Miromisho taught you that it was not enough to just kill one foe at a time, but to be able to slay many with a single swipe of your Katana. He taught you how to steady your hand so that a single attack from your katana would cut right through one foe and into the next.
- [Urban Arcana]You may have lost most of your memories since the cloud of Shadow brought you into this strange new world, but none of your skills. The Dwarves of the Karaz Mountain were excellent warriors with the Greataxe and you still have the skills of killing many foes simultaneously buried in your subconscious.
- [d20 Future]You are a seven-foot android and your weapon of choice is a war-scythe built into your forearm. Your core programming provides you with numerous subroutines that allow you to dance about your foes decapitating many targets in a single strike.
*You were just a toddler when the Chernobyl disaster happened, and managed to be among the few that survived the following occurence of mutations. Years later, you're known for being particularily hardy - you rarely get sick around winter time, ill when eating undercooked food, and recover easily from an assassin's poison.
*Trekking across the continents of Africa and Asia has toughened your body up to nature's weapons, from the spider's venom, to the river water, the West Nile virus and beyond.
*Growing up in the suburbs of Detroit, there were periods when you had to make do without the doctor's medicine. Many times you came down with the flu, strep throat and even pneumonia: but you persevered and survived. In time, you built up a tolerance that most people don't have, even enjoying a brief period in track at your high school.
*(With Endurance) Extremely hardy, you have endured the scorching heat of the Sahara, the humidity of the Amazon and the bone chilling cold of the Antarctic - there is rarely an environment you aren't comfortable in.
- After being cut off from rescue in (insert wartorn third-world armpit here), you were left wandering the desert/jungle/steppes for nine weeks before stumbling across a friendly army base. After your canteen ran dry, you had to learn how to live off your wits.
- Your Ranger training equipped you with the skills necessary to survive for extended periods behind enemy lines. Having to blend in with the populace, you couldn't even carry food or maps. You'll never be lost and hungry again.
- (works best coupled with combat feats) A gun nut loner, you're one of those paranoid nuts just itching to survive an apocalypse. You've trained yourself to get along in the wild on your own.
- You have seen every episode of Survivorman.
*There is a long history of firefighters in your family history, each one was noted for their sense of duty and devotion to a higher purpose. Whether or not you pursued the path of a fireman, you inherited that extra measure of resolve - able to perform beyond the norm when needed.
*Adventuring across the expanse of the Mojave Desert has shown you the benefits of conserving your energy, and keeping alert, but relatively relaxed. Consequently, you can muster a burst of energy when it would otherwise be impossible.
*You were born with a greater ability to produce adrenaline than others: more able to call upon your internal reserves in dire situations.
*(With Extreme Effort) Being the party's muscle means keeping ready for any obstacle in your path, and as a result, you have a special ability to push your way past whatever blocks your progress.
- You're a veteran of the Ultimate Fighting Championship. Your particular style is bar-room brawling, trained from many years of actually brawling in bars, but unlike others who did similarly your skills have progressed to the point brawling has become an art form.
- - As a trained operative of the CTU you've learned from the best of the best that the only way to stay alive sometimes is to fight hard, and to fight dirty. Jack Bauer would be proud of you.
- - [d20 Future] You grew up on the planet Angelis, or at least so it was once called. Many moons ago a spacehulk crash landed with the planet, and the denizen of this crashed hulk (green-skinned orks) renamed it Gorkamorka. These orks rule the deserts of your homeworld with an iron fist, and you and your fellow humans resorted to living on the edge of the desert and eke out a living by trading pieces of old human tech you find buried under the desert with the greenskins. Because trade agreements with Ork kind often boil down to fist fights, it has become necessary that you be able to hold your own against a physically superior species. Naturally your close combat skills reflect these experiences.
*Seeking to emulate the way of sumo, you have put your considerable strength towards learning how to push your enemy without allowing them time to react.
*Your adventures take you towards the taller buildings of the world. Conflict often arises, and you realized early on that simply pushing bad guys off the edge was more effective than drawn out combat. To this end, you know how to catch your enemy off guard with the proper application of leverage.
*(with Athlete occupation) Being a former football player has it's advantages, especially when you need to shove resilient enemies back a few feet.
- Trained as a martial artist you learned to hit fast and hard, improving your chance to bring maximum damage to your opponent in the shortest time.
- Your medical study has taught you all there is to know about the sensitivity of the human anatomy, and you use that to full extent when you are trapped in a corner.
- Through experience you discovered the usefulness of focusing your punches and kicks on the fatal areas of the body, and trained yourself to target those as priority.
*You spent a year in an Afghani prison. In that time, you were the target of a variety of ex-military traitors during their weekly "fight to the death". Already fairly competent in defending yourself from others in melee, you picked up on a technique to attack your opponent's center of gravity after they miss - making them much easier to trip in the process.
*You are a self taught martial-artist, unable to stick to any once place for long. One of the many moves you learned was from the Brazilian art of capoeira on an adventure in South America. While dancing around the enemy's area of reach, you know how to capitalize on their vulnerability when striking, using your own legs to tangle their own, sending them to the ground.
* (with Fighting Defensively / Combat Expertise) Unlike other heroes, you learned a great variety of your combat moves in college wrestling. Most preferred a headlong rush into action, but you knew the wisdom of biding your time and waiting for your opponent to mess up.
- Your experience in the UFC and other combat sports has given you a higher-than-average tolerance for getting pounded. You bounce back from physical punishment better than most other people.
- You got into rugby as a youngster, and the collisions you've been involved in on the field have toughened your body to the point that you can shrug off blows that send others to the bench. You wish they'd quit crying over the bleeding bin and get back in the game.
- Some may call you a deviant, there's no greater pleasure for you than being the submissive partner to your beloved dominatrix. The whippings and paddlings from your lover on the weekend not being enough, you've even started a career as a professional Sub, leading your Dom clients through their own desires. To you, every sting and slap just wells up an urge for more.
- Contemporary self defense courses teach how to disarm an assailant. An assailant with a knife becomes considerably less threatening without one. You've always been careful to look out for yourself.
- As a black-ops agent you don't have the resources to smuggle weapons into a country where you'll be operating, so instead you've learned to rely on your targets weapon to make the kill. You can "disarm, collect and use" quickly and effectively.
- The monks of the Wong-Shu Valley believe in never harming others, but only a fool lets his enemy wave a dangerous weapon at him. As a monk trained in the most secret monastery you know to disarm, dodge and evade - but never to strike.
*The streets of Miami taught you well. You had to lie to get by the enforcers, and you put that convincing demeanor to work in knife fights. Normally agile thugs often found their reflexes didn't serve them well - you simply fought in too unpredictable a pattern.
*Some fight hard, but you fight smart. The boxing coach saw within you an above-average intellect. As such, he taught you how to mask your body movement up until the moment you strike.
*(with Quick Draw and/or Improved Initiative)You were a negotiator, but fate took a turn and forced you to enter an occupation that makes being able to defend yourself up close a necessity. Already adept at deceiving others, you had little trouble learning how to swiftly attack before the opponent can dodge.
- As the disgruntled pilot of a smuggling ship you know well that the best way to deal with nasty types is to shoot them before they shoot you. In fact you've gotten so good at it that whenever a fight breaks out you're the first to be shootin'.
- You are a professional sprinter and when the gun goes off those precious few milliseconds as your body springs into action can make all the difference.
- [d20 Past] As a rebel musketeer you know that anyone you meet might in fact be allied with the notorious Cardinal Richelieu. You have to be pretty quick with your rapier to stay alive.
*Most fighters shun your use of aikido as a hobby, claiming it has little actual combat application. You, however, have honed a variety of joint grabs and locks in your lifetime, making it easier to follow up on an attack after twisting your opponent to the floor.
*(with non-lethal damage) Your line of work involves infiltration of places where killing is not always preferred. To this end, you know how to trip up sentries, sending them to unconsciousness with a single blow.
*Villian bodyguards always seem to be well armored, making direct assaults a process that is far longer than necessary. Their legs, however, are rarely as protected. Using a motion to sweep their footing out from under them, you complete it with a blow to damage them.
-As a karate expert (I know this is getting tired) you have mastered the use of traditional Martial arts weapons, such as the Bo staff, dual Sai, and dual Tonfa
-You do fencing in your spare time, and you have all but mastered Flourintine Style.
-As a gang member, the only weapon that is readily available to you are lengths of chain, but you have taken that fact and ran with it, making the chain a deadly double weapon.
-You have seen Ultraviolet and Equilibrium Too many times, and you are obsessed with developing the Gun Kata.
*As part of your military training, you became a graduate of SERE, and are more resistant than others to interrogation methods that attempt to erode the mind.
*For better or worse, you were the stubborn one in the family. There are few people gifted enough to coerce you to do something you don't want to do. This bit of willpower has served you well, from the imposing stare of a gangster to manipulative psychic attacks.
*Most fighting disciplines are centered around improving one's physical prowess and ignoring the pains that come with intense training. There are, however, aspects of your method which stress a stronger soul. To this end, you have learned a variety of mental excercises which have fortified you against a variety of taunts and goading techniques.
As a Boxer, you have learned to hit hard and anyone without boxing training is likely to fall to your first punch.
After fighting in several bar-room brawls, you have figured out that the best way to end a fight with drunks is to take them down with one blow.
After watching Austin Powers too many times, you have finally mastered the ancient art of the Judo Chop.
Lightning Reflexes
Your time as a professional stuntman, you rely on your quick reflexes and hair trigger to not only keep you alive, but to keep the crowd pleased.
You are just a normal, average, suit working 9 to 5, but on the weekends you go out paintballing and have managed to evade those paintball tripwires on occasion.
Your time on the show Mythbusters has taught you to always be prepared to jump out of the way of one of Adam's explosions.
*Your work as a spy depends on the ability to remain anonymous. To this end, you know how to stick to the least commonly traveled routes, sit in the corner of the coffee shop and dress, as well as posture yourself to appear rather unremarkable to those you meet.
*From adolesence, there's always been something rather...bland about you. No matter what accomplishments you've acheived, your reputation doesn't precede you. While most would see this as a curse, you've turned it into a blessing on these many adventures.
*Most actors depend on the limelight for their success, but you much prefer to do your work, go home and relax. So, while you're still popular, there are far less paparazzi waiting to ambush you at the gates.
Your work as a third world doctor has taught you the best tricks and tips for applying stitches, and you've been forced to make your own medicine from time to time when supplies are low.
As a member of Emergency Search and Rescue, you have learned how to splint a leg and treat other maladies fairly easily, as well as learning how to use various naturally-occurring plants for medicinal properties.
You are addicted to Medical Dramas such as E.R., House M.D. and Grey's Anatomy.
(see page 1)
Watch it Degausser, no TV/Video Game explanation! :D
(see page 1)
Way I see it, I was throwing out two real possibilities, and one obviously funny one (in the same line as Guide: You've watched every episode of Survivorman) If you want I'll post THREE real ones and an obviously funny one.
I was just doing them as jokes.
*Part of your espionage lifestyle involves attaining the correct I.D. to enter facilities. Your preferred method is to swipe an employee's badge, study it, copy it, then return it.. To expedite matters, you've learned additional calligraphic techniques and image duplication methods. In short, you can make accurate copies in less time.
*Being a bodyguard means you have to be ever vigilant of danger to both your employer and yourself. While most threats come in the form of an assassin's bullet or blade, there are other more...subtle concerns. This extra degree of caution involves a more thorough sweep of whatever hotel suite you stay in -> be it bugs, wiretaps, cameras, or even explosives.
*(With Disguise and Bluff) Sometimes, the best way to steal is in a direct fashion. Combining your abilities to conjure up identification papers and make a thorough examination of a room's contents, you excel at gaining access to restricted areas and lifting valuable baubles.
- Combat Martial Arts: Your style of martial art has as much focus on defense as offense, if not more so. Be it Baguazhang, Drunken Boxing, or anything else, your training in unusual or unpredictable footwork makes it hard to hit you when you're moving.
- Athletic: All those games of basketball gave you more than just good cardio. Your opponents had a were good at taking the ball if they got half the chance; it didn't take long for you to develop ways to get by someone before they could react.
- Noncombative: Those who fight and run away, and so on. You were never in the mood for prolonged fights, or any fights at all to be frank. You'd much rather to get a hit or two in and then run like a rabbit. Luckily, you've learned how to do this without getting kicked in the back on your exit.
*You've been tied up far too many times to count. Fortunately though, you have bones that easily dislocate out of place, making few restraints secure enough to hold you for long. Therefore, you've also escaped far too many times to count.
*Being a street magician, you depended on reflexes and agility to amaze your audiences. Hours of practice have honed your nerves to react on your command, making it easier to swipe a coin while their eyes are focused elsewhere. These same tricks later helped your career as a pickpocket...
*(with Adventurer) Before becoming involved with Department-7, you were a cave spelunker. Part of your skillset required you to navigate the tighter and trickier ledges of subterranean habitats. To summarize, you can easily squeeze through spaces where no one else could.
-You like Ridin' yer dirt bike, fishin', and most of all, huntin'! Your years of killing defenseless rabbits has honed your marksmanship with almost every 'standard' firearm.
-As a criminal on the run, having a gun and learning how to use it are essential. You may not want to use it, but some of your 'colleagues' in the underground sure have an itchy trigger finger, and you just might need to keep up.
-Learning Firearms was part of your standard training at the police academy, and you have had to use it since then. In fact, there was this one time when a huge dude with a hockey mask was going crazy! It was just you and your police-issue Beretta until some dudes called 'department 7' showed up. . .
- You are a member of a high-speed US Coast Guard assault team. Your experiences in the tight confines of coke-smuggling vessels has taught you to keep your weapon held tightly, and to be prepared for the very next thing around the corner.
- Assassination is a complicated business, and you prefer to remove as many variables as possible. Rather than involve the complicated processes in sniping from a distance, you rely on an up-close positive visual ID, and neutralize the target with a double tap from your S4M.
- The rush from a gunfight is exciting in its own right, but nothing is more satisfying than the look of fright in your prey. You love to see the results of the carnage up close so much that a close-up kill is worth the risk. Just so long as the blood doesn't splatter on your shoes...
*Most of your enemies are larger than you, so instead of making accurate blows, you put as much of an effort behind your swings as possible to end the fight quickly.
*(with Combat Expertise) Your preferred tactic in melee is to fight on the defensive, hitting as hard as possible, and although you miss often, when you do hit, others feel it.
*As a practicioner of eskrima, you've learned how to maximize the damage of alternating blows to keep other combatants off-balance.
Precise shot:
Life as a big game hunter is tough, and sometimes you have to shoot a beast who is attacking your friend. Luckily for your friend, this isn't a problem for your marked skill.
(With Law Enforcement background) As a professionally trained SWAT member, you have been taught many things, including taking down a perp whose got a hostage.
(With Far Shot) You are a professional assassin, and you have had many jobs involving shooting a specific target in a crowd. You have learned not to let the crowd effect your shot.
There is nothing special about you. You are just an average Joe who likes to go down to the rifle range every now and again. You constantly amaze people by hitting one moving target while leaving the other two unscathed. They must be crazy, because it's not all that hard for you.
- You were a lawman in Deadwood and there ain't no other meaner sunuvagun that can outdraw ya within a thousand miles.
- There was nothing glamorous about the life you led as a gangster in the streets of Minsk. At least it made you fast. Your switchblade was out of your pocket, blade out, and dug into a man's ribcage before he could even see your hand move though...
- The last ten years you spent learning ninjitsu from a retired member of the Tokyo Yakuza in order to avenge the death of your family has made you an unparalleled warrior. You can put ninja stars through a person's chest before they even have a chance to unholster their gun.
-As a secret agent, your weapon of choice is a Walther PPK, very easy to conceal on yourself, but it's small magazine necessitates frequent reloading, thus you have honed your skill.
-(With Military background) you are the heavy weapons expert, carrying around the MINIMI LMG for your squad. Because you don't have Belt-fed ammunition wherever you go, you have gotten used to quickly reloading the magazine portion, as the thing munches through ammo like there's no tommaro.
-(With Rural Background) You've lived out in the back woods most of your life. Your most prized possessions are your beaten-up pickup truck, your dog, and your rifle. You've learned all too often that five shots from a Remington 700 don't always hit, and that you should always be quick to reload if a bear (or trespasser) comes to bother you.
- You got into the TV-show 'American Idols' and made it into the semi-finals, earning you some fame with teenagers.
- As a lawyer, you defended a top-criminal in court, with all the media attention that comes with high-end lawsuits.
- In your job as a firefighter, you saved children in a elementary school when it caught on fire. The mayor gave you a medal and your name and fame spread throughout the community.
- You are a non-descript white collar Joe, but the guys in your office know that every year when the Governor holds the Marathon upstate, you're the first in line. You wouldn't know it by looking at you but you are a natural sprinter.
- You grew up in a community of guerilla freedom fighters in the jungles of an oppressed Central American republic. Your training has taught you that when the army hits with force, you need to run - and run fast.
- You were an olympic sprinter, getting the silver in the 100m dash. Though that was some time ago, at a pinch you can still call up on your speed and training.
- [PAST] You are a message courier for the Spartan army. Though often you use a horse, some locations are so remote that only a courier on foot can deliver the message. You are the best of the best and can carry the message faster than anyone.
(With Military Occupation): As an Army Ranger your job hinges on the ability to run and shoot at the same time. You have mastered this ability, allowing yourself to shoot while running for the nearest cover.
You are a kid on the streets, and the three things you need to do to keep alive are to Know when to pack a piece, know when to shoot a piece, and know when to run. You have combined these into one, and you are the only kid who can shoot accurately enough to hit something while getting your kiester out of the fire.
(With Athalete Occupation) It's a simple sport, ski to a target, shoot target with rifle, ski to next target, etc. The key is to not loose much time while firing off the gun. You don't loose any time, because you don't stop.
- Crime has been on the rise in the city, and the neighborhood around your office has been seeing an increase in homeless people and young thugs looking to make a name for themselves. You haven't had to use it yet, but the stun gun in your purse just makes you feel a little safer walking across the lot to your car at night.
- You've gotten more accustomed to surviving in the wild with your years in the Scouts. You never go out camping without your trusty knife; it's proven its worth many times while tracking and killing your dinner.
- You prefer to keep your martial arts style simple and elegant; moving away from core concepts adds complication, and more for an opponent to exploit. The quarterstaff is the perfect weapon when necessary: light and quick, with a good reach, and more than enough force to subdue an attacker.
- [APOCALYPSE] You spent most of your youth in a cave settlement. After the war, much of the surface has been inhabitable due to radiation. The common game amongst all the children in the settlement was Hide and Seek. Since all the tunnels have so many possibilities for hiding from the shadows and such, you became exceptionally well at finding the perfect hiding spot.
- Living in the inner city as a squatter is a hard life. Especially when your main occupation is a pickpocket. You methods have been simple and successful. Grab a person, take a wallet, and then run into a dark alley. You have never been caught.
- [Teamed with a military occupation] When you were in the Air Force, you were a pilot on a C-130. During a clandestine mission, you were shot down over Venezuela. You were the only survivor of the crew. Immediately after hitting the crown from ejecting, you skills that you were trained kicked in. Prior to being in the operational Air Force, you had to go through a course called Survival, Evasion, Resistance and Escape (SERE). Besides the main part of the course, Survival, you learned how to evade. Since the area was filled with Guerrillas and the Venezuelan military, you knew they were looking for you. You spent 18 days in the terrain of the country trying to make your way to the coast. You had many close encounters, but you evaded.
- Your elite training as a Royal Marines Commando in Her Majesty's Armed Forces have given you the necessary skills to apply automatic weapons fire in the way most appropriate to take down your foes.
- You're a drug dealer and occasional pimp in a rundown part of Sin City. You regularly participate in drive-by shootings and you have found that the best way to mow down a bunch of mooks lined in a row is to strafe 'em.
- [FUTURE] The Baklori Empire is known for both its cruelty and thriftiness. When public executions are held the Baklori Executioners are trained to shoot not one, but four convicts, who are lined against a wall. (This is because its cheaper to execute prisoners 4 at a time, its also less paper work.) This special approach is called the Strafe and is only the specific mastery of the professionally trained Baklori Executioner.
(I might have been scraping the barrel with that last one. Hopefully it is comical enough to make up for it.)
-As a practitioner of Krav Maga you know the cheapest, dirtiest tricks to take an opponent down in less than 6 seconds. It isn't pretty, but it is efficient.
-(With weapon focus: Knife) Those idiots don't know what their talking about, A knife wins every time. Fast, deadly, and when you know all the tricks, it can sever an artery just as cleanly as any sword, and it's faster and lighter to boot!
-(Obligatory) You are a poor youth of (insert big city here) and life isn't all glamor and fame. There are people who DON'T live in (City's rich district) and you are one of them. Life is tough, and you need to fight dirty to survive.
Ancient Weapons Proficiency: you spent one too many summers at Renassiance Fairs talking with a fake Shakespeare accent while eating lambshanks with your bare hands.:D
Next up: Studious.
You comprehend the most inane tech jargon as if it were basic english allowing you to easily program a device!
After looking a broken device over for a few minutes you grasp the problem and fix it easily with what has been aptly dubbed as MacGuyver-ism.
*You've found that the quickest way to eliminate threats is not to disarm them, but to break their weapons, ensuring they have little else to fall back on.
*(Urban Arcana) Most enemies you face tend to wear considerable amounts of armor. Fortunately, you put your warhammer to good use: systematically weakening an opponent's defenses
*(d20 Past) Experience fighting spellcasters has forced you to learn how to strike at spell components efficiently and with greater force.
- You went to boating camp as a kid and remembered your lessons well.
- When you were a construction worker you drove the big trucks.
- Who knew being a former tank driver would come in handy?
- Your parents had a yacht and you learned how to drive that before you learned how to drive a car.
Surface Vehicle Operation
- You went to boating camp as a kid and remembered your lessons well.
- When you were a construction worker you drove the big trucks.
- Who knew being a former tank driver would come in handy?
- Your parents had a yacht and you learned how to drive that before you learned how to drive a car.
#3 Especially when everything has gone to hell with zombies in the city and the national guard guys dead but the APC/Striker you found will help in transporting your supplies and scavenger runs!
*(Level 1) You were formerly a student of New England's finest medical universities, and are legally capable of performing a wide variety of life saving surgical procedures.
*(Urban Arcana) As an acolyte of St. Cuthbert, you are often called to heal the wounds of champions. Fortunately, you have picked up on a few conventional, as well as divine, methods to restore good health.
*(d20 Past) A true pioneer in the field of medicine - you complete and invent the first proper surgery.
- Nothing is better for the body than a proper diet. Good food constructs the temple of the body. After choosing a new diet focused on whole, organic foods, you've noticed a significant increase in your energy and health.
- Your experience as a rock climber has toned your physique over the years. The prolonged strain on your muscles and joints have increased your tolerance for pain and your ability to heal.
- [especially when feat is taken multiple times]: Well, you are a big, healthy boy, aren't you? You have always been bigger and sturdier than the other kids, and winning the state wrestling championships was a cinch. If you keep training, you could go to the Olympics. Go ahead and help yourself to some more chicken and mashed potatoes, Junior.
- As a child you had a whole sash full of merit badges.
- You're the outdoors type. You can find anything you need in the wild.
- Being a bounty hunter means you have to know where to look. Footprints are always a good start.
Trustworthy
- You have a million dollar smile that'd charm the devil himself.
- Usually the first impression you make is one of kindness and truth.
- You live by a strong ethical compass and others can tell by talking to you for only a couple of seconds.
Two Weapon Fighting
- You watched a few too many John Woo action movies as a kid.
- Ambidexterity is a skill you learned in circus school for juggling.
- Boxing lessons taught you how to fight properly with both your fists.
Next up is Trustworthy.
- As your paper's investigative reporter, your job depends on your ability to gather information. You've spent a lot of time and effort in gaining your sources' trust, and you'd never betray them.
- As the US Secretary of State, you were chosen to serve the President because of your innate ability to find the common ground that people share. Your skills in diplomacy come from the trust that you have fostered between nations, even ones with a painful history between them.
- Relations between this world and those who have crossed over from the world of Shadow have created new social challenges for everyone involved. Many people on both sides are scared, even hostile towards each other. After you were helped by someone who was not of your world, you see that even people from different universes can trust each other and live in peace. You have the open mind necessary to bridge the gap between these widely disparate cultures. Your strong sense of justice and desire for rights for all compel you to seek out those who would exploit the fear between realities for their own gain.
*(Urban Arcana or d20 Past)You are a well-trained duelist, wielding a rapier in the main hand, dagger in the other to take advantage of an enemy's mistakes.
*As a low-key mercenary, there are few firearms that interest you. The pistol, however, is one of them. Honing your inherent ambidexterity further, you have learned to more effectively handle two pistols at the same time. So, what you lack in punch, you more than make up with a hail of fire.
*After seeing other warriors rely on one arm alone to fight with, you decided to train with the masters in order to still be useful with both limbs should the right one be somehow disabled.
*Your opponents are stronger, but you know their combat prowess is rarely augmented by any actual training. As such, you're able to anticipate their momentum and negate it when dodging their attacks.
*(Urban Arcana) As a Gnome, you've earned the enmity of the larger bully races. While you aren't too capable a melee combatant, you still know a thing or two about avoiding their fists when need be. To this end, you take their greatest asset and make it absolutely worthless.
*Being a practitioner of a martial arts style that values agility over endurance, you've come to enjoy the benefit of being very hard to hit. In order to take on street roughs, you actually get in closer. No worries though: when the enemy's telegraphing their moves with little but brute strength, it's easy to see coming.
-You are a motocross legend, and have learned how to get out of the way of even the most unscrupulous of riders who try to sideswipe you.
-As a Navy pilot of an F-18, you are trained to get the job done, while NOT being shot up in the military's multi-million dollar plane.
-(With Criminal Background)You are a getaway driver for the mafia. You have had more than one shootout with the cops, with other mob families, even with the freakin' local street gangs. The only thing that has saved your keister is your ability to dodge fire in your car.
*(d20 Apocalypse) As the designated group mechanic, you've also learned how to handle a variety of land and air based craft. Thanks to your focus, you haven't lost or out-ran an adversary yet.
*Before becoming professionally involved, you raced many kinds of muscle cars in the old neighborhood. Enough of it stuck to be useful on your many missions to this day.
*You are or were a hotshot Navy pilot who's skills at controlling aircraft carried over to your motorcycle of choice.
*Raise Thread*
what are the last few feats? I have no idea what was missed or any of that, but would be glad to help out!
what are the last few feats? I have no idea what was missed or any of that, but would be glad to help out!
Check the link in the initial post, and while you're there, scroll down to see how far we've gotten.
Weapon Finesse:
-Having practiced fencing throughout your life, you have an expertise not commonly seen by others before you.
-As an anatomy student, you learned that brute strength is not always the best way to inflict damage... not that you want to harm people or anything...
-You've nicked yourself a few too many times shaving and a few times have been close to arteries. Don't do that again.
*shakes head* Come on malbur, as noted earlier in thread it's still one per customer (until another/others have contributed) and try to be a little more creative (Windfall in particular repeated itself).
bugger, sorry i didn't see that! Anyways, i deleted the last 3 that I had... my bad!
No worries. I'll see if I can, uh, work on the next one 
.