Character Templates: Adventurous Space Pilot

The other new character I've come up with to replace the unpopular nurse and barbarian is another futuristic one. While the TV show, at least in the modern era, has tended to focus on companions from the present day, there is an appeal in games to playing someone that at least has a science fiction theme. Yes, the detective and the soldier are two of the three most popular of the templates in my (admittedly somewhat limited) sample of convention games but at least some players would rather go for the exotic.

In this case, I've picked a space pilot, something that's a common enough idea in more typical SF games. On the other hand, Doctor Who has less need for a pilot than would something based on say, Firefly, so we need to have a bit more scope than that - something aided by the broad skills of DWAITAS. Rather than a hot shot Top Gun sort of pilot, I've gone for one that's more of a space trucker, making her physically tough and with the maintenance skills to not only fix a spacecraft, but most other things as well.

Background

Although you like to pretend to be something more dashing, you are actually a transport pilot shuttling goods from across the solar system to the Earth colonies around other stars. After carousing at a bar on Ceres and crashing out in a cheap hotel, you woke up to discover that you had become trapped in a temporal anomaly and flung back two centuries into the past to a (rather better) hotel on Earth. You teamed up with other victims of the rift to close it and defeat an invasion by the aliens who had been exploiting it. Unfortunately, that still left you trapped in 2022! Using a TARDIS drawn to the same location, you and the others are now travelling together 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: Adventurous Space Pilot

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

Skills: Athletics-3, Conflict-2, Convince-2, Craft-1, Knowledge-1, Survival-1, Technology-2, Transport-4

Focus: Adventure            Story Points: 12

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While, as a pilot, DEX is going to be an important stat in 5E, the character doesn't fit the Trickster concept, which leaves us with Charmer and Stalwart; we'll pick the latter, and tweak some of the other attributes from the DWAITAS concept to fit the class. This allows us to take Explorer as a subclass, which allows her to be effective in defence, even if not all of her skills are fully optimised because some attribute has to be weak.

In Savage Worlds, Driving and Piloting are separate skills and you don't automatically get both by being a pilot. We'll keep both good, but focus on Piloting and add an Arrogant hindrance that applies to her vehicular skills as well as picking the most obvious Edge. Some skills with electronics and brawling round her out in a way that fits with the original DWAITAS concept. We'll bolster the hindrances with an inability to swim... it's not a skill that's likely to have cropped up much if she's spent her life travelling between airless way stations in outer space.

In BRP, we have to specify the type of spaceship she's trained in. Since she's essentially a space trucker, her default would be a one-man spaceship rather than a giant cruiser or space fighter and for simplicity we'll assume that it doesn't matter whether it has FTL drive or not. For her other skills, we'll boost technical abilities and apply a decent Persuade skill and high CHA. We'll throw in skills related to navigation (which we can assume here includes both on a planetary surface where stars are visible, and in deep space) and some knowledge of astronomy and the 'geography' of the solar system in the 23rd century.

Similar considerations apply to the driving and piloting skills in GURPS, and we'll pick the equivalents of the same vehicles. This does, however, leave us some points left over to emphasise features from the rough-and-ready spacer's life, as well as those relating to spacecraft operations and maintenance. A few points have to be sunk into the high tech level, so we'll offset those by applying a disadvantage similar to one of the hindrances in Savage Worlds. 

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5E - Adventurous Space Pilot

3rd level Explorer

STR 12 (+1)	DEX 16 (+3)	CON 15 (+2)
INT 10 (+0)	WIS 8 (-1)	CHA 14 (+2)

Saving Throws: Con +4, Cha +4

Armour Class: 15         Plot Points: 31

Speed: 30 ft.         Tech Level: 6

Quip Bonus: +4 Motivation: Tourist

Skills: Athletics +3, Engineering +2, Perception +1, Persuasion +4, Survival +1

Tools: Computers, Games, Vehicles (Aerospace), Vehicles (Surface)

Features: Relentless Endurance, Encourage/Discourage, Helping Hand, Wavelength Wizard, Embolden, Reassuring Presence, Unarmoured Defence

Quips: Emotional Argument, Logical Argument, Parley, Stalwart Statement

Savage Worlds - Adventurous Space Pilot

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

Skills: Athletics d6, Common Knowledge (23rd century human space) d4, Driving d6, Electronics d6, Fighting d6, Notice d4, Persuasion d6, Piloting d8, Stealth d4, Taunt d4

Hindrances: Arrogant, Can't Swim, Doubting Thomas

Edges: Ace, Charismatic

Pace: 6                  Parry: 5                Toughness: 6

BRP - Adventurous Space Pilot

STR 8	CON 13	SIZ 12
INT 11	POW 11	EDU 12
DEX 14	CHA 13
Hit Points: 13	Move: 10	Fatigue: 21
Base SR: 4	Damage Bonus: 0

Skills: Appraise 35%, Brawl 65%, Climb 50%, Computer Use 21%, Disguise 21%, Dodge 46%, Drive (Rover) 60%, Fine Manipulation 25%, First Aid 50%, Heavy Machine 31%, Listen 45%, Knowledge (Solar System) 25%, Navigate 60%, Persuade 55%, Pilot (small spaceship) 75%, Repair (electronics) 45%, Science (astronomy) 21%, Sleight of Hand 25%, Spot 55%, Stealth 30%

GURPS - Adventurous Space Pilot

ST 10	DX 12	IQ 11	HT 12
Speed: 6	Move: 6	Thrust: 1d-2	Swing: 1d

Advantages: Alcohol Tolerance, Charisma-1, High Tech Level (10)

Disadvantages: Impulsiveness

Skills: Carousing-12, Driving/TL10 (heavy wheeled)-12, Electronic Operations/TL10 (communications)-12, Electronic Operations/TL10 (sensors)-12, Fast Talk-11, Freight Handling/TL10-10, Geography/TL10 (rock worlds)-11, Holdout-11, Judo-13, Mechanic/TL10 (spaceship)-13, Navigation/TL10 (space)-12, Piloting/TL10 (low performance spacecraft)-14, Running-11, Scrounging-12, Streetwise-12, Vacc Suit/TL10-13