Character Templates: UNIT soldier

Judging from the number of hits, my ongoing series discussing various Doctor Who monsters in RPG terms is not one of the most popular things I've done. Which is fair enough. The original plan was to do the Tennant era next (Weeping Angels and all), but I'll likely give it a rest once I reach the end of the Fourth Doctor's run. While I will be back in a couple of weeks with the next monster in that series, I have some other ideas for what I might do further ahead. In the meantime, there is also this.

When I run DWAITAS games at conventions, I present the players with a batch of ten possible pre-generated PCs. With typically five players per session, that should give everyone a reasonable chance to play something that they like, without locking anyone in to "the one nobody else wanted". Each is a fairly generic character type suitable for the genre, although some are more explicitly tied into the setting than others. These are, after all, convention games, not an ongoing campaign where such things as inter-game consistency, character growth, and continuing investment in "your character" are an issue.

So I figured that I could present the characters here. Even if somebody reading this blog is going to play in one of my convention games (or I can find enough people willing to commit to doing so on, say, Roll20) character archetypes aren't going to give away any plot details. I'm going to start with one that is often the first to get snapped up: a UNIT soldier.

Which, in terms of a character archetype, isn't really any different from "modern(ish) soldier", making it one of the more straightforward options both in terms of design and figuring out how to play them in game. I'll begin with the generic blurb, provide the game stats (for 2nd edition) then conclude, in the style of the "monster" posts with a look at how the same character type might work in other systems. Which, in this case is, as I say, basically a template for a regular soldier.

Background

You were working for the British branch of UNIT when you were assigned to a team sent to investigate an apparent time anomaly at a hotel in Kent. While doing so, you stumbled into a rift and suddenly found yourself transported over 40 years into the future. You teamed up with other people who had travelled through the anomaly to close it and defeat an invasion plan by the Gelth, but that left you trapped in the year 2022! Using a TARDIS also drawn to the hotel, you and the others are now travelling through time and space (note: how effectively depends on whether one of the other players is playing a Time Lord…) either to get back home, or simply to explore.

DWAITAS stats

Concept: 1970s UNIT soldier

Awareness  4	Coordination  4	Ingenuity  2
Presence  2	Resolve  3	Strength  3

Skills: Athletics-2, Conflict-4, Convince-1, Intuition-1, Medicine-2, Subterfuge-1, Survival-3, Technology-2, Transport-3

Focus: Protect            Story Points: 12

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D&D 5E has the problem that it's a fantasy system. While it works well for describing science fiction monsters - since monsters are, after all, a large part of what it's designed for - it doesn't work for the great majority of SF player characters. Even describing a modern soldier as if they were a fantasy "fighter" is a bit of a stretch. So, instead, I'll be taking the obvious step of using Doctor & Daleks. In order to use archetype/subclasses, I'll be assuming a character level of 3.

For Savage Worlds, there are relatively few changes to be made. Although the systems are very different game mechanically, and present statistics in a different way, the design process isn't all that different. All we really need is an appropriate amount of Hindrances and Edges, since DWAITAS 2nd. edition doesn't have such concepts. And these aren't terribly difficult to come up with.

For BRP, the SRD version that I've been using for monsters is less comprehensive when it comes to the design of individual characters. Because the official generic BRP rules have been published since I started the monsters, I'll be using that for these ones (rather than, say, Call of Cthulhu). Even then, there are decisions to be made about which, if any, of the optional rules from that set to include. I'll be using EDU and Fatigue, since they can easily be ignored by anyone not using them. I'll also be using CHA rather than APP, because that's the default, and arguably more relevant to the genre. I'll also throw in Base SR, because I did that for the monsters and it, too, is easy to ignore.

BRP does, however, also have a wider selection of skills than DWAITAS has, and they're often slightly narrower. So sometimes a decision has to be made as to which aspects of the broader DWAITAS skills to retain. In the case of the soldier, for example, it would be expensive to give him the full range of weapon skills he's likely to have, so I'll just include the one that's most likely to be relevant in-game. Yes, logically, a UNIT soldier is going to be good with a rifle, but it's not the sort of thing he's likely to carry around in the TARDIS, so we'll ignore that skill. We would, of course, have to do that differently in a UNIT-based game, where it would be the handgun that would be easier to ignore.

GURPS has a different design philosophy than the other systems, allowing for a more comprehensive description of the character. Using a standard 150-point PC template it's still the case that skills are relatively cheap so that, in this case, it's reasonable to allow a wider range of firearm skills since this doesn't force significant cutbacks elsewhere. Tech level is a bit tricky in a time travel campaign, but, on the assumption that most PCs will be "companions", I'll assign a campaign TL of 7.

Like 5E, 2d20 also lacks a single generic version and while the Star Trek version is acceptable for monsters and mooks it obviously doesn't work for generating PCs outside of the basic assumptions and conventions of its setting - most notably the importance of Star Fleet departments for character creation. So, for the time being, at least, this one will not be included.

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5E - UNIT Soldier

3rd level Protector

STR 15 (+3)	DEX 15 (+3)	CON 15 (+3)
INT 8 (-1)	WIS 12 (+1)	CHA 10 (+0)

Saving Throws: Str +5, Con +4

Armour Class: 15         Plot Points: 30

Speed: 30 ft.         Tech Level: 4

Quip Bonus: +5 Motivation: Guardian

Skills: Athletics +5, Intimidation +1, Perception +3, Survival +3

Tools: Navigator’s Tools, Vehicles (surface)

Features: In Your Face, Second Wind, Unarmoured Defence, Action Surge, Percussive Maintenance, Shield, Order, Tactician

Savage Worlds - UNIT Soldier

Agility: d8	Smarts: d4	Spirit: d6
Strength: d6	Vigour: d6

Skills: Athletics d8, Common Knowledge (1970s Earth) d4, Driving d6, Fighting d6, Healing d4, Notice d4, Persuasion d4, Shooting d8, Stealth d4, Survival d6

Hindrances: Code of Honour, Driven (minor, protect others), Loyal

Edges: Command, Soldier

Gear: 9mm pistol, backpack

Pace: 6                  Parry: 5                 Toughness: 5

BRP - UNIT Soldier

STR 12	CON 13	SIZ 13
INT 12	POW 10	EDU 12
DEX 14	CHA 8
Hit Points: 13	Move: 10	Fatigue: 25
Base SR: 4	Damage Bonus: +1D4

Skills: Brawl 75%, Climb 70%, Command 25%, Demolition 31%, Dodge 56%, Drive 50%, Firearm (pistol) 75%, First Aid 40%, Grapple 70%, Hide 20%, Insight 25%, Jump 45%, Listen 45%, Repair (mechanical) 45%, Navigate 45%, Spot 45%, Stealth 50%, Swim 45%, Throw 75%

GURPS - UNIT Soldier

ST 12	DX 14	IQ 10	HT 12
Speed: 6.5	Move: 6	Thrust: 1d-1	Swing: 1d+2

Advantages: Fit, Military Rank 1 (corporal)

Disadvantages: Code of Honour (soldier’s)

Skills: Brawling-15, Camouflage-10, Driving (car)/TL7-14, Driving (heavy wheeled vehicle)/TL7-13,  Electronics Operations (communications)/TL7-10, Explosives (Demolition)/TL7-10, First Aid/TL7-10, Guns (pistol)/TL7-16, Guns (rifle)/TL7-15, Leadership-9, Soldier/TL7-10, Stealth-13, Survival (woodlands)-13