need help with character ideas

[Tellerve]

Ok, so I dunno how well this will work but I wanted to go ahead and ask for some help with a character idea for a modern d20 Dark Matter game I'll be playing in sometime soon.

Obviously characters are a bit personal and all, but the problem I'm currently having is that since this is my first modern d20 and I've been wanting to play for awhile, I've just got all sorts of ideas and trying to put them into one character just turns out a bit icky.

We are going to be starting out at 3rd level and we've had some "thing" or whatever that has happened to us, we saw, that has brought us up on the radar for the Hoffman institute. And apparently we'll be moving right into that organization quickly.

My initial character idea, one that just zapped into my brain with an image/scene of him (typical for how I create characters) was an EMT/Paramedic driving an ambulance to the hospital in NYC. While my partner is back tending to the wounded person, who dies on the way there. But, manages to rise again, this time going after my partner. Yes, I had recently seen Dawn of the Dead. I look back see this there is some scuffling and due to that I crash the ambulance into some cars and flip it or whatever. I'm not sure if the partner will be alive and just banged up like me, but we both are freaked out obviously. During the crash, the zombie got thrown into the wall and luckily cracked his skull and died...again.

So that's my first...and really he doesn't have any "combat" experience to him. A variant on him would be that he served in the army/marines as a coreman before coming back to work as an EMT. That gives him knowledge of firearms and everything gunbunny.

Another character idea is a kung fu teachter/student guy who fills my urge to play with the unarmed system in modern. I could throw some feats into the EMT but as I said, I start to lump things together and it doesn't look so good.

Finally, the idea of some sorta private investigator intrigues me as well. So, I'm flirting with that idea as well.

Out of these three, what I'd really like to do is be able to settle on one but also to get a picture perhaps from a movie to be them. This was done to pretty good success in the Medallions story hour.

Hmm, I've sorta ranted here a bit, but what I'm looking for are some ideas on interesting characters people have thought about and also, good movies where they had characters that were EMTs, pi's, that had a good look/feel to them. The martial artist image in my head would probably be a brandon lee, so don't worry about that one.

Thanks in advance,

Tellerve

 

[ph34r]

If you play the PI you soooo have to look like Tom Selleck!

 

[Tellerve]

lol, that's certainly a good archtype, even has the military background to rock house. I'd need to change some things as we'll be based in NYC and the clothes he wears wouldn't work to well here, at least not in the summer.

Tellerve

 

[Stormborn]

As a fellow player in a d20 CoC game is learning, the Heal skill isn't that great. What about a forensics person? With police/FBI training they could have the medical knowhow and some of the combat/investigative skills in some of your other options.

 

[Tellerve]

Really, you don't think the treat injury is good? I mean, it certainly isn't a Heal spell, but considering all the alternatives I think it is pretty good. Even beyond that there are some things you can do with it that I think are pretty neat, ie stopping stunning, dazed, unconsious states. The surgery and gaining back a good amount of hps etc.

I wish they would allow you to do surgery to yourself though. I just keep seeing that scene in Ronin when robert de nero pulls the bullet from his abdomen with the help of two others for the mirror and light. But still, neat imagery that I could imagine in a modern d20 setting.

I may go with the federal agent route, certainly would allow for the investigator/pi focus. Interestingly one of my best friends who I asked for suggestions mentioned Magnum PI. I was amused

Tellerve

 

[takyris]

Treat Injury is much better than Heal, at least D&D Heal.

As far as a medical guy, I had fun with a dude I described as an armed forces EMT -- basically, at third level, he'd look like:

Dedicated1/Strong2

Str 14
Dex 13
Con 10
Int 12
Wis 15
Cha 8

Occupation: Adventurer (Personal Firearms and Treat Injury as a Permaskill)

Dedicated1: Skill Emphasis:Treat Injury
Strong1: Melee Smash-a-palooza
Strong2: Combat Martial Arts
1: Medical Expert
1: Surgery
3: Defensive Martial Arts

With maxing your ranks, you get 6 ranks +2 Wis +1 occupation +2 feat +3 Skill emphasis, for a +14 -- enough to stabilize a dying person even on a natural 1 (which isn't an auto-fail with skill checks). You can also shoot decently, although you don't have any great special coolness, and you can hold your own in a fight (although the low Con will hurt you in a toe-to-toe encounter).

If you wanted to be more specialized, you could ditch Defensive Martial Arts and take Point Blank Shot, putting you fast on the way to the wonderful world of Double Tap. You could end up with some mix of Strong/Dedicated/Soldier, possibly even with Field Medic in there.

For appearances, I'd imagine a burly guy, square jawed, good arms, like a firefighter. A medic who isn't afraid to put somebody down if they mess with his friends, so more of a combat doc than a normal doctor -- like a younger Tommy Lee Jones, or Ving Rhaimes, somebody who can patch you up but ain't got squat for bedside manner, somebody who you could see whacking you if you give 'em lip.

I dunno. In the right neighborhood?

 

[Pielorinho]

Hey, David! Sounds like a fun character.

For a weird and dark twist on the ambulance driver, you could do worse than checking out Scorcese's Bringing Out the Dead, with its drug-addled driver who hates his job and is shellshocked by the constant death.

What if in the war he saw something supernaturally horrifying and he's been steadfastly denying it since then? This charming little zombie episode is suddenly bringing out all kinds of unpleasant memories for him. In this case, the game could begin with his just having emerged from a detox clinic, cleaned up by the Hoffman institute and still a little shaky and freaked out, maybe with a few low-level underworld ties.

I dunno. In any case, Bringing Out the Dead is a must-see for playing an ambulance driver: even if you don't become Nick Cage, it's full of great detail.

Daniel

 

[Moe Ronalds]

I would go with the medic, as it seems you already have a kick-hiney mental image for him.

Since you're driving the ambulence, it wouldn't be completely inconceivable for you to serve as a dual medic/driver.

Feat wise, I would suggest Skill Emphasis Treat Injury and Surgery if you can take it (don't have my book with me) or some sort of driving related feat otherwise (assuming you plan to go the driving route).

Statwise, Wisdom and Intelligence should be your primary attributes. If you plan to go the "driver" route, I would suggest dexterity as your third highest, followed by constitution (you're an expert on health, after all. You should be healthy).

 

[C. Baize]

Hey, David! Sounds like a fun character.

For a weird and dark twist on the ambulance driver, you could do worse than checking out Scorcese's Bringing Out the Dead, with its drug-addled driver who hates his job and is shellshocked by the constant death.

What if in the war he saw something supernaturally horrifying and he's been steadfastly denying it since then? This charming little zombie episode is suddenly bringing out all kinds of unpleasant memories for him. In this case, the game could begin with his just having emerged from a detox clinic, cleaned up by the Hoffman institute and still a little shaky and freaked out, maybe with a few low-level underworld ties.

I dunno. In any case, Bringing Out the Dead is a must-see for playing an ambulance driver: even if you don't become Nick Cage, it's full of great detail.

Daniel

I will wholeheartedly second seeing Bringing out the Dead for an ambulance driver... Holy smokes! (There, granny.... you happy, you old bag?) It's a great movie, ANYway, and then add in the possibility of playing that sort of character? Nudge Nudge.

 

[Tellerve]

Thanks everyone for your suggestions and writeups (takyris )

Daniel- Yes, I had also thought about that route, ahh that saying about minds rings in my ear. Anyways, yeah, I was envisioning good starting images of him in the bottle, dealing with the possibility that during the crash he put his partner in a coma, but killed the creature etc. I also was researching the air force pararescue for the twist of him being from the military. They are badass special forces emt people essentially that are dropped in if planes go down and treat the wounded and eventually extricate them. Obviously this is done when the area is too rough terrain to land normally or the area is still too violent or far behind enemy lines. But having seen something during said job and then seeing it again would certainly get him in an interesting state of mind for role-playing.

I'll also certainly check out that movie. I remember it but for some reason haven't seen it, which is kinda odd as I do see lots of flicks. Anyways, again thanks for that suggestion.

Tellerve

edit: Oh, and Takyris, that's a pretty good write up but I'd probably be a bit more average, and not take the charisma penalty. I was thinking a more attractive medic guy. Sorta like the hispanic guy from Third Watch, except I don't think he is supposed to be very intelligent, and I've never seen him really doing well with the ladies. As I have said, trying to mesh too many archtypes is killin' me