26 Feb 2013

Fun with Traveller - The Imperial Lawyer


Sometime back, I posted the character sheet and interpretation of Hfyustiykoarl, the Aslan mercenary who is best treated as dumb rocket.  Dumbass seemed to generate interest, so I'm continuing this intermittant series.  This time, I head to the other side of the IQ bell curve.

The original concept I had for this character was that she was not quite a noble, or, if she was, she wasn't as high up in the social strata as her peers at school.  To help with the idea, she couldn't come from a frontier sector like the Spinward Marches.  Instead, I made Sylea - the Imperial capital, home of the Emperor - her homeworld.  In rolling her stats, I managed to get a 10, perfect for her Social Status.  (To be a titled noble, a PC needs at least an 11 in Social Status.)
Name: Philomena Ashazu Gikdirkishkiga
Age: 34
Species: Human
Homeworld: Capital/Core (0508 A86A98A-F Hi Ht Wa)
Rank: Supervisor (2)
Characteristics
  Str 7/+0
  Dex 8/+0
  End 6/+0
  Int 8/+0
  Edu 9/+1
  Soc A/+1
Her base stats, after character generation.  Her full name reflects a mix of Solomani (what we Terrans call ourselves in 3600 years) and Vilani (a variant human species, originally from Vland).  Sylea, aka Capital, is a High Tech, High Population, Water World.  Other than her Social Status, physically, Philomena is average, but a little smarter than the norm with a good educational background.

A quick explanation of the world code: Capital is an Earth-sized world, with a standard oxygen/nitrogen atmosphere covered completely in water.  Capital has a population equivalent to modern Earth's, is ruled by a civil service bureaucracy, and has very restrictive laws.  Technologically, Capital has the very best of the Imperium.

Now that Philomena is ready to go off into the galaxy, she realizes that she's not going to be able to shine compared to the noble offspring around.  Philomena heads over to the Imperial Naval Recruiting Office and enlists.
Career - Navy-Line/Crew
Term 1: Mishap: during battle, achieved victory at the guns; honourably discharged
Philomena's naval career ends abruptly with a mishap.  In a turn of good luck, she's not drummed out.  Instead, she proves her worth in a battle, manning a laser turret.  She probably should have received a medal; that'll be up to me to discuss with the GM if I play her.  This result also allows her to keep her benefit roll from this term.

Happy to have survived, Philomena still needs a job.  Realizing now that the Navy is a dangerous place to be in, especially for a young Spacehand fresh out of basic training, Philomena heads into the safety of world administration.  Being so highly placed, she automatically enters the Noble career, and becomes an administrator.  At this point, I should just choose a world, but I want to work with the GM on that.  Ideally, Philomena is now in the Spinward Marches or whichever sector the campaign is happening in, so she can meet the other PCs.
Career - Noble-Administrator
Term 2: Time as ruler gives me wide range of experience; promoted
Hey, not bad.  Much safer, both feet on the ground.  A chance to shine.  Even got a promotion, something she never received in the Navy.  (To be fair, she received an honourable discharge before she could come up for promotion.)  Philomena breathes a happy sigh of contentment as she lives the life of an advisor to a minor noble.
Term 3: Reign acclaimed by all as fair and wise except for one unhappy person
This is going to take some explaining.  As mentioned for the second term, I see Philomena as an advisor, not a ruler, especially given her Social Status.  So, here, I have to somehow explain how an advisor gets the hate from one person.  My take: Philomena took a look at a development and realized that the area to be redeveloped included a park much beloved by the people of the world.  She advised the noble to reconsider and he or she did.  That decision, though, got her on the wrong side of a developer.
Term 4: Mishap: Political maneuverings usurps my position
Obviously, the maneuverings were orchestrated by the unhappy person in the last term.  Philomena leaves her second career, and decides that a new world or even working on a starship might grant her a new view on her life.
Cr 50 000
Medical Expenses:
Ship Shares: 4 or: 2 plus Ship's Boat
Contacts:
Allies:
Enemies: Unhappy subject
Rivals: Political
TAS Membership
Foil
This is the result of mustering out of both the Navy and her noble service.  The one roll she got from being honourably discharged got her the choice of four ship shares or two shares and a ship's boat (small craft, usually carried by starships as both a lifeboat and as a shuttle from orbit to surface).  If something happens to my PC in the game I'm currently in, I'll opt for the ship's boat, to donate it to an in-game fledgeling casino partially owned by the PCs.  Otherwise, it'd depend on what the PCs as a group need; including using the ship's boat to reduce the cost of a starship.

The unhappy subject is, of course, the developer whose plans Philomena thwarted.  The political rivals are in his pocket, doing his bidding, naturally.  But, thanks to her selfless work as an advisors, the noble she worked for enrolled Philomena into the Travellers' Aid Society, an organization who provides various benefits for those who travel throughout the Imperium, including travel fare and lodgings.  This is a huge boon for Philomena; normally, membership costs one million credits.  (See how much Philomena has?  That's a little on the low side for a PC but close to average for a new character.)  The foil is the weapon; Philomena keeps in shape by fencing.  (I didn't know she did until she got the foil.)
Skills
 Advocate 2
 Admin 1
 Art 0
  Writing 1
 Carouse 1
 Computers 0
 Diplomat 1
 Gun Combat 0
 Gunner 0
 Mechanic 0
 Melee 0
  Blade 1
 Persuade 1
 Pilot 0
 Seafarer 0
 Streetwise 0
 Vacc Suit 0
 Zero-G 0
Philomena's skill list.  If you take a look at Dumbass, he had skills reaching level 3 with several at level 2.  Philomena, though, has her best skill, Advocate, at level 2.  Part of this comes from the change in careers.  Philomena's careers have different focuses.  The other part is the lack of promotions.  Dumbass received four promotions, thus four extra skill rolls.  As a result, he doesn't have many at the minimum level.  Philomena, though, has a wide spread of skills, but mostly at the just-trained level.  That said, she should have an easier time getting a position on a vessel, even if it's just back-up gunner.  She knows how to get around a ship, thanks to her naval training.  So, why did I call her a lawyer in this entry's title?  Advocate 2, Writing 1, Persuade 1.  She knows the law, can write depositions, and can be persuasive in a court of law.  Add in Diplomat, and she's most likely a civil lawyer, able to get favourable settlements without having to enter a courtroom at all.

Unlike Hfyustiykoarl, Philomena isn't hired muscle.  She has seen combat, but her forte is the social scene.  Her role in a party is to make sure that the group gets a fair shake, and she can back up the combat types when needed.

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