BRP and/or Swords of Cydoria character conepts help

[technoshaman]

Hello I am in need of some help with some character concepts for a Swords of Cydoria game I might join, One of the concept I have in is a Smeuggler type that owns an Aero-ship will help either side for the right price. The I am need help is which profession would go weel with a Smuggler type or How would one build a Smuggler Profession for the setting? Also which non-human species would be good as well cause I do not play human characters in settings/genres like this?

Thanks for any suggestions.

[seneschal]

If you've got the Big Gold Book, start out with Profession: Criminal, then add Pilot: Aero-ship and possibly Repair (to keep it going). Your Smuggler would want Bargain, Appraise, and Insight to be able to make good deals for himself. You might want to add some combat skills, too, since his clients aren't probably the most trustworthy folks.

For a non-human, start with the human dice rolls as a baseline. Then think of an animal your mutant might have gotten some of his genes from. Then boost STR or DEX appropriately. Monkey? Increase his Climb, Dodge, and Jump skills. Dog or cat? Enhanced sense (smell, sight, or hearing) might be appropriate. Bull or boar? He's real strong and maybe has a Natural Weapon like horns or tusks.

[Evilschemer]

Any pilot can be a smuggler. The best smugglers are pilots with high Fsat Talk skill and some good forged customs inspections, commissions, etc.

Generally, the Vrildarian Empire will allow only humans to obtain licenses as captains or pilots and will allow only humans to own titles to aero-ships.

Now of course, in reality, any barbarian, orix, jinx, daka, deru, or capridian can kill the crew of an aero-ship that has landed in the middle of nowhere Markania, manage to get the aero-ship started, and figure out how to fly it (unless the captain boobytrapped the controls). As long as the pirate never intends to dock at a Vrildarian city, they can fly all over western Markania, stopping only at hidden pirate strongholds or joining the Dazumi Pirate brotherhood.

If they ever want to put in to a law-abiding city or outpost, they can alway purchase forged one or more forged titles for the aero-ship, hire a human to serve as a "proxy" and get him forged licenses and authorization, then just tell customs inspectors that the captain is mute from an injury and that the captain has authorized the PC to speak on his behalf, perhaps even providing a signed authorization to that effect.

In the above scenario, then a Jinx would make the best smuggler.

Another alternative is that a human is the pilot and captain and the PC is a member of the crew. Anyone on the crew can be a smuggler. Just hide a box of illegal cargo under your bed and lie about it if your are caught.

[technoshaman]

Cool thanks for the reply Christian and Sensechal, this will give a lot to think about. For your suggestions what are the different combat styles of the different cultures/races they use? Like fencing, martial arts, boxing, ect.

[Evilschemer]

Cool thanks for the reply Christian and Sensechal, this will give a lot to think about. For your suggestions what are the different combat styles of the different cultures/races they use? Like fencing, martial arts, boxing, ect.

I hadn’t put a lot of thought into combat styles, so I welcome ideas and suggestions.

Off hand,

• Brux try to stay out of combat. An injured brux tends to go berserk and smash things, attacking anything nearby at random.

• Capridians are kickers, utilizing their long strong legs, sweeps, etc. Their long reach would make them good pugilists.

• Cyberdroids are analytical and precise. A Ohnan martial art would consist of deadly accurate strikes to vital areas and nerve clusters.

• Daka use their claws and teeth, raking and biting. The Raganan martial art is known as Yssik (see Ssaka’s write-up on page 180). It favors the scimitar as a weapon, slashing, whirling, spinning like a dervish.

• Deru are close-in fighters, wrestlers, grabbers. They’re used to tight confined spaces and lunging, piercing weapons. They do not use slashes or axes or swinging weapons.

• Jinx prefer to avoid fighting. They are negotiators and con-men. If pressed into a fight with their back against the wall, they fight dirty. Poison, dirt in the eye, playing dead, kick to the crotch, etc.

• Orix are brutal and efficient fighters. They prefer axes and big swords, lots of swing and slash.

Of the human groups,

• Civilized Cydorians are traditional Eurasian-style sword-fighters.

• Awans are expert archers who fight from gelk-back.

• Bansyans use axes, Viking-style.

• Fornaxians like big fat broad-bladed swords.

• Gatan fight from the back of anator or razorfants using lances.

• Guernans are the group most likely to know a jiu-jitsu style martial art involving falls, grabs, and locks.

• Ossians fight like bears, wrestling and punching and rolling around in the dirt.

• Samirians use big double-bladed axes.

• Varzans are archers and hunters.

• Zinjani are like Jinx, using whatever dirty trick is needed to survive. They just don’t avoid combat as much as a Jinx.

• Phanosians on Uruta are likely to be special forces types, spies, etc. They know sophisticated unarmed martial arts but don’t have a big tradition in hand-to-hand weapons fighting.

I can go into the NPC species/cultures later.

[technoshaman]

Well for my character I went Pilot profession with the skills: Drive, Heavy Machine, Listen, Navigate, Pilot (any), Spot, plus any four of the following skills: Bargain, Climb, Knowledge (Region), Science (Astronomy).

For my personal skills are Appraise, Dodge, Fast Talk, Fine Manipulation, Forgery, Grapple (monkey Tail) Hide, Insight, Jump, Hide, Language (Other), Knowledge (Business), Knowledge (Law), Perform: String Instruments, Persuade, Melee: Daggers; Missile Energy Weapon, Repair (Mechanical), Research, Science (Physics), Sense, Sleight of Hand, Status, Stealth,

My question is would my personal skills fit well with a smuggler concept? I am starting think I may a bit to much which i usually do with systems like this.

[seneschal]

For my personal skills are Appraise, Dodge, Fast Talk, Fine Manipulation, Forgery, Grapple (monkey Tail) Hide, Insight, Jump, Hide, Language (Other), Knowledge (Business), Knowledge (Law), Perform: String Instruments, Persuade, Melee: Daggers; Missile Energy Weapon, Repair (Mechanical), Research, Science (Physics), Sense, Sleight of Hand, Status, Stealth,

My question is would my personal skills fit well with a smuggler concept? I am starting think I may a bit to much which i usually do with systems like this.

They make sense to me. Your smuggler has a way of smoozing people and business acumen. Since his deals tend to be on the shady side, he's got some practical physical abilities and knows how to handle a weapon or two. His repair skills will enable him to maintain his ship. Additional languages and being handy with a musical instrument are always useful. Overall, he's got a broad range of skills that reflect his breadth of experience in the world. He's a well-traveled guy.