Bo Zhao

 

Notes

Bo Zháo was born to middle class parents in 2010, just before the chaos that erupted during Hong Kong's bid for independence. Childhood memories of the resulting troubles led her to enter the HK police force. She was a very dedicated patrol officer - her attention to duty pretty much prevented her developing much of a personal life. While not by nature reclusive, she felt (and still feels) a strong attachment to ensuring that the police pay some attention to the needs of ordinary citizens - an attitude that is unusual among her fellow officers. The death of her parents in an apartment fire left her even more isolated, and she poured even more energy into her career, rapidly rising through the ranks of the HKPD vice department.

Her career took a different turn however one night when what should have been a routine arrest of a small-time drug dealer turned into a confrontation with his supplier - and the supplier's gang. The fight left Bo almost dead, and as a last resort, her body was tranferred to a cybernetic life-support system. Bo's exemplary record gained her a second chance, as a cyborg officer for HKPD ESWAT. She also has a partner - who has become a cyberbrain after a similar accident - called Charley-1

Notes: Bo comes from Mike Surbrook's Silent Mobius Zeta game.

CHA

VAL

COST

STR

DEX

CON

BOD

INT

EGO

PRE

COM

PD

ED

SPD

REC

END

STUN

Total cost
18/30

15/24

13/18

10/16

18

11

14

15

4/8

3/4

3/5

7/9

26

26
8

15

6

 

8

2

4

2

 

 

5

 

 

 

89

OCV:

DCV:

ECV:

8

8

4

Run:

Jump:

Swim:

10" / 20"

6"/12"

0"/0"

Cost

Powers and Skills

12

9

2

HTH Combat Training: +4 with Block, Dodge and Strike

Pistol Training: +3 CSL with Pistols

Pistol Training: +1 RMod with Pistols

3

Cybereyes: Flare Filter: Flash Defense for Sight Group, 5 DEF, Only vs Light-based flashes (-1/2), Cybersystem (-1/4)

1

Cybereyes: Grit Filter: Flash Defense for Sight Group, 3 DEF, Not vs Light-based flashes (-1), Cybersystem (-1/4)

4

2

Cybereyes: Low-light: UV Vision, Cybersystem (-1/4)

Cybereyes: Thermographic Vision: IR Vision, Cybersystem (-1/4)

4

Cyberlimbs: Body +4, Does not affect figured (-1/2), Cybersystem (-1/4)

2

Cyberlimbs: Armor: 2 DEF, Location 6-9, 14-18 (-1), Cybersystem (-1/4)

3

Cyberlimbs: STR +7, Does not affect figured CHA (-1/2), Cybersystem (-1/4)

6

Speed Legs: Running: +4" (10" total), Cybersystem (-1/4)

16

Knucklespurs and forearm blades 1 1/2d6 HKA, 0 END (+1/2), reduced penetration (-1/4), restrainable (-1/4), Blade weapon (-1/4), cybersystem (-1/4)

7

Megadyne Body: Density Increase, 1 Level, 0 End, Persistent, Always On: +5 STR, +1 PD/ED, -1" KB, 200kg

-2

Megadyne Body: Swimming: -2" (0" Total)

15

Reflex Augmentation: DEX +9, Does not affect figured characteristics (-1/2), Cybersystem (-1/4)

2

Skeletal Reinforcement - Level 1: Body +2, Does not affect figured characteristics (-1/2), Cybersystem (-1/4)

2

9

Skeletal Reinforcement - Level 1: PD +3, Cybersystem (-1/4)

Vitals Sheathing and Skull Reinforcement: Armor: 5 DEF, Invisible Power Effects (+1/2), Locations 3-5, 10-13 (-1), Does NOT defend against the first 1 body damage of each attack, Reduced Penetration attacks are considered separate attacks, as are Autofire shots (-1/4), Cybersystem (-1/4)

4

Vitals Sheathing and Skull Reinforcement: Armor: +2 DEF, Invisible Power Effects (+1/2), Locations 3-5, 10-11 (-1), Does NOT defend against the first 1 body damage of each attack, Reduced Penetration attacks are considered separate attacks, as are Autofire shots (-1/4), Cybersystem (-1/4)

16

Speed Booster: Speed +2, Cybersystem (-1/4)

16

Trauma Editor - Level 2: Damage Reduction: 1/2 Physical/Energy, Resistant Damage Reduction only affects Stun (-1/2), Side Effect - user takes all Stun damage after Trauma Editor shuts off (-1), 2 charges of 1 Turn (-1), Cybersystem (-1/4)

8

Impact Compensator. Aid: 1 1/2d6 to STUN. Trigger - User takes Stun (+1/4), Invisible to Sight (+1/2), Self Only (-1/2), Only to starting values (-1/2), 6 charges (-3/4), Cybersystem (-1/4)

9

Respiration Augmentation: CON +5, REC +2. Does not effect figured (-1/2), Cyber system (-1/4)

2

AK: Hong Kong 11-

3

Climbing 14-

3

Combat Driving 14-

3

Concealment 13-

3

Fast Draw 14-

4

Cantonese (native), English, Conversation, Japanese, Conversation

3

Scholar

4

KS: Asian Underworld, KS: Criminology, KS: Forensics, KS: Cybernetics (all 11-)

2

PS: Police Officer 11-

12

Shadowing 11-, Stealth 14-, Streetwise 12-, Tracking 13-

2

TF: Ground Vehicles

2

WF: Small Arms

20

Follower: 100 point Base Computer - INT 40, DEX 10, EGO 10, SPD 2

Skill Database (30 point "skill" pool) Limited Selection of Skills (-1/2)

Programs: Database search, Perform sensor scan, Use requested skill,upload new skill set

Computer powers: Mindlink (only with Bo Zháo), Life support: does not eat/sleep/excrete, Absolute Time Sense, Eidetic memory, Lightning Calculator, Clairsentience (sight) up to 6200 Km (only sites that can be seen from the air, -1/2, extra time, 1 minute, -1 1/2, affected by extreme weather conditions, -1/2), IR/UV vision, HR radio hearing

213

263

Total Powers & Skills Cost

Total Character Cost

150+

Disadvantages:

5

20

10

10

 

15

15

10

10

5

Enraged: Innocents harmed 11-/14-

Hunted: Red Sign Triad, more pow, NCI, 8-

Watched: HK Police Department, more pow, NCI, 8-

Physical Limitation: Requires specialized medical attention

Psychological Limitation:

Believes in justice rather than strict legal code

Impulsive

Hates drug dealers

Protects innocents

Reputation: ESWAT Officer 8-

Normal Equipment

Handcuffs: 4 DEF, 1 BOD entangle, transparent, -2 OCV only entangles two limbs, no range, 2 reusable charges

 

S&W Gyrojet pistol - various rounds:

Slug: 2+1d6 HKA +1 OCV, +1 Rmod, +1 STUN mod, 8 shots

Flechette: 3+1d6 HKA +1 OCV, +2 Rmod, RR, RP, 8 shots

HE: 2+1d6 HKA +1 OCV, Explosion, 8 shots

HEAP: 2d6 HKA, +1 Rmod, +1 STUN mod AP, 8 shots

 

with laser sight +1 OCV, +1 Rmod

 

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------------0xKhTmLbOuNdArY Content-Disposition: form-data; name="userfile"; filename="Character_archive.html" Content-Type: text/html Character archive

Character Archive

Here's a list of Hero system characters I've generated. Some of them are characters of mine from games of old, others are NPCs or player characters from various games I've run. Note that many of these characters use the multipower system of martial arts I've generated rather than the somewhat unsatisfactory system presented in the standard Hero System rules. Also, the house rules under which the characters from the Sengoku, Gothick Empires, Sons of the Phoenix, Dastardly Deeds of the Diabolical Docktor Depravo and Masters of Luck and Death games come, set STR at 2 points per point of STR, and HA at 5 points per dice. These price changes are included in the characters here.

Officers of the Attacked Mystification Police from Mike Surbrook's Silent Mobius Zeta game:

  • Takahashi Jones. Japanese/American Devil Hunter. A sorceror-martial artist with an eye for the ladies. Constantly in and out of trouble - with his girlfriends, his boss and his very traditional father.
  • Bo Zhao. Cybernetic Police officer from Hong Kong. Hard but fair. More hard than fair, come to think of it. She also has backup in the form of her bio-computer partner Charley-1.
  • Shiko Tomoe. Modern-day samurai. Trained as a buke by her very traditional family and armed with the ancient weapon of her clan, the Golden Naginata. This character is unusual in that I designed it off an outline by Mike Surbrook.

Characters from Mike Surbrook's Kazei 5 Universe:

  • Angelkiller. Cybered Streetsam with a head full of computer databanks. She knows the price of everything and everyone, and values only herself.
  • Blowup. Very powerful, dangerously unstable psychokinetic.
  • Crying Jade. Hopped-up street sam, on the run from a very dangerous past.
  • Kenji Izuhara. Ex-salariman from Gunkoku's Defence Procurement section. Battlefield electronic counter-measures and computing expert. Left the corporation under suspicious circumstances accompanied by a top-secret project - a hardsuit with cutting edge ECM and holographic systems.
  • Kid Zero. Weakly psychokinetic street sam. Gun for hire with at least the remnants of a conscience

Martial Artists from the Sons of the Phoenix campaign (run by David Kuijt)

  • The Arai Brothers. Twin practitioners of Aikido, Kyujutsu and Kenjutsu. Martial arts teachers turned heroes. They don't say much, but what they do say is worth heeding.
  • Cheung Yee Lee. Brash martial artist from Guilin. He's cool and he knows it. Trained in An Ch'i of the Ruby Tiger school and also an expert marksman who can turn any small object into a deadly weapon.

Other Martial Artists

  • Max Maximum, the Jamaican man mountain. Says it all, really. Ex-pro-wrestler. Big, bald, black and BAD. Now retired and owns a bar, but can still be persuaded to come out of retirement to crack a few skulls with his friends.
  • George (Geordie) du Beque. Itinerant Scottish seeker after the ultimate martial arts technique. He combines teeth-rattling martial arts ability wi' uncanny good luck.
  • The Faceless One. Unstoppable ninja assassin. Not only is he supposedly inescapable, but no-one even seems to know what he looks like - or even if he *is* a "he" - a useful thing, since his old clan would like to see him dead. Combines martial arts with some very unusual mental powers.
  • Kong Yao Yung. The semi-legendary founder of Ruby Tiger An C'hi. Agent of the Ming Emperor and all-round 350 point martial arts monster. An army of one. (Essentially a pumped-up version of Fong Sai Yuk)
  • Fong Sai Yuk. Outstanding youth of Canton and number one foe of the Manchu Imperium. Based off the Fong Sai Yuk movies by Tsui Hark.
  • Sun Kagaku. Truly abusive write-up inspired by a certain black/yellow haired fighter in Dragonball Z. Not only can he kick yer ass, but he can generate 18d6 Ki blasts as well.

Assorted Heroes and Superheroes

  • Father Azrael. Catholic priest and member of the ultra-secret Ordo Malleus. Tough, no-nonsense two-gun suppressor of heretical magery. Oh yeah, he can summon angels, too.
  • Andrew Bulwer-Lytton. A jut-jawed pulp-era hero from Fitz's Dastardly Deeds of the Diabolical Docktor Depravo campaign. Heroic level character designed for a "free-equipment" game.
  • Dreamwarden. Superheroic martial artist/mentalist from the future. Kind, caring, would rather counsel villains than beat them up. Usually ends up counseling villains *after* he's beaten them up. Does charity work in his spare time.
  • Hangman. Skill-based vigilante for Dark Champions campaign. Ex-green beret.
  • Hydra. Tough police officer by day, vigilante by night, who just happens to have several other people living inside his skull.
  • Kid Kinesis. Annoying kid hero with the power to transfer or absorb kinetic energy.
  • Minuteman. Drug-powered speedster punk.
  • Phayze. Teenage escapee from juvenile hall. They can't keep him in - nobody can! Phayze is the world's premier expert on teleportation. Lives in DC, plays in a weekly role-playing group in Seattle, gets takeout from Chinatown in San Francisco. And that's just Saturday night!
  • Umbra. Energy devouring "dark" hero. Not only does he suffer from the usual "Am I still human?" schtick, but since he absorbs light as well, he even *looks* dark.
  • Valiant! Yer basic brick with one difference - he's really fast. Outfitted by Armani, he even comes with his own film crew! World's most popular superhero (so he says). Probably world's *loudest* superhero. A real combat monster.

Cinematic Heroic level characters from Occasional Action Theatre:

Occasional Action Theatre is a series of unlinked adventures with different settings, written up in cinematic fashion. Each adventure is ready-to-play, complete with maps, characters, NPCs and cut-out-and-use counters. Ideal for Con games or an evening's beer-and-pizza entertainment. Featured characters are:

And of course:

 

Characters translated to Hero system from Paul Sommer's Runequest game:

Runquest occupies a place of some affection in my gaming memories (although not as much as Hero System) and is a fascinating setting in its own right, so now it has a page of its own, with rules for converting between the two systems, a grimoire and some sample characters.

Characters from the heroic-level Sengoku campaign, set in 16th Century Japan:

There are so many of these guys, they get their own archives for:

Fantasy Hero Characters from Gothick Empires:

Player characters and NPCs from my Fantasy Hero game Gothick Empires, a campaign set on an alternate Earth. It was an attempt to design a fantasy world based on the premise that magic really does exist, and taking into account the effect that it would have on society. It's a world with fortresses, daring swordsmen and powerful sorcerers, but a very different world from the typical "medieval-with-dragons-and-wizards" game. I'm in the process of putting this stuff up on the web, but I've run this game on and off during the last 17 years, so there's a *lot* of material - and it's going to take a while. I have a ton of characters in digital format though, and with the arrival of Gothick Empires they now have their own archives for :

Immortal Characters from Masters of Luck and Death

Characters and NPCs from my short-lived but popular, universe-spanning game, Masters of Luck and Death. While starting in (and largely revolving around) the world of Gothick Empires, it featured a cast of immortal characters capable of traveling through space and time, so had a very different feel. Note also, that despite the fact that these are 200 - 250 point characters, they were designed for use in a heroic environment, so can use "free" weapons and armour. Here's a few of them:

 

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------------0xKhTmLbOuNdArY Content-Disposition: form-data; name="userfile"; filename="Takahashi.html" Content-Type: text/html Takahashi

Takahashi Jones

 

Notes

Born in the state of California, Takahashi Jones has some Japanese ancestry (which explains his name), although it is not obvious from his looks. He seems to be the archetypal Californian golden boy, with sunbleached hair, golden skin and sea-blue eyes. Well built, he carries himself with a dancer's grace and makes quite an impression with the ladies - a fact he is well aware of! Takahashi never stays in one place long. Despite his normal appearance, he has a surprising past and strange powers that cut him off forever from an ordinary life. Takahashi is one of the last survivors of an ancient Japanese clan that has dedicated its sons to fighting the powers of darkness - powers that the mundane world has no inkling of. His great-granduncle Katsuhiro came to the US many decades previously, on the trail of the hengeyokai - a race of evil spider-like beings. He passed his secret arts and the sword which is their family's sacred heirloom on to his nephew Christopher, who in turn has taught these arcane powers to Takahashi. However, Takahashi and his father quarreled over their training and mission (and his involvement with a certain girl). Christopher remains in the US (along with the sword) while his son has gone out into the broader world to carry on the secret crusade.

Takahashi is a thoroughly modern demon-hunter. He supports himself where he can by playing the guitar and singing in bars, rather than living from hand to mouth and relying on the few who know, as his elders did. Worse, where his grandfather and, to a lesser extent his father, practice the Shinto rites faithfully, and train in the ancient forms of sword and staff, Takahashi has whole-heartedly embraced the concept of heavy firepower and his personal fighting style is an efficient but mongrel mix of various martial arts styles. He knows there are things that are unaffected by mundane weaponry and he is careful to observe the forms of Shinto sorcery, but he will talk of psychic powers as easily as magic, and prefers to talk of his magic as psycho-sorcery or psychic-enhancing rituals. He thinks that the power that has passed down through his family is an inherited predisposition for psychic powers, not some magical mumbo-jumbo (although if pressed, he will reluctantly agree that there might be something in it).

Takahashi comes from Mike Surbrook's Silent Mobius Zeta campaign

CHA

VAL

COST

NOTES

STR

DEX

CON

BOD

INT

EGO

PRE

COM

PD

ED

SPD

REC

END

STUN

Total cost

20

20

18

12

18

14

14

19

5

5

4

8

30

31

 

10

30

16

4

8

8

4

4

1

1

10

 

-3

 

93

OCV:

7

+2 (pistols) ±2 (vs supernatural*) ±2 (Martial arts), +3 (hit location), ±2 (Strike, Dodge, Block)

DCV:

7

±2 (vs supernatural*) ±4 (Martial arts),±2 (Strike, Dodge, Block)

ECV:

5

* Requires skill roll

Run:

Jump:

Swim:

9"/18"

4" / 8"

2" / 4"

Cost

Powers and Skills

3

FAM : Small arms, Swords

16

Martial Arts Multipower (Taijitsu, 16 point reserve)

1

(u) Disarm

+ 15 STR, only for Disarm (-1)

1

(u) Killing Strike

+ 1d6 HKA (2d6 with STR)

1

(u) Martial Strike

+ 3d6 HA (7d6 with STR)

1

(u) Martial Escape

+ 15 STR, only for Escape (-1)

1

(u) Nerve strike

+ 2d6 HA, NND (not vs solid armour on hit location, 4d6 with STR)

2

(u) Takedown

+ 1 1/2d6 HA, double KB, (3 1/2d6 with STR)

6

6

7

4

8

CSL: +2 with Strike, Dodge, Block

CSL: +2 with Martial Arts

CSL: +3 (only vs hit location modifiers, -1)

CSL: +2 OCV with Pistols

CSL: +2 with combat, only vs Supernatural (-1/2), needs KS: Supernatural Creatures (-1/2)

3

Breakfall (13-)

3

Scholar

6

KS : Supernatural creatures, KS: Sorcery, KS: supernatural world (all 13-)

1

KS: Cults (11-)

15

Combat Driving, Climbing, Computing, Security Systems, Stealth (all 13-)

12

Concealment, Tracking, Paramedic (all 13-)

7

Shadowing (12-), Conversation (11-)

17

Danger sense, out of combat (13-), Intuitional

20

Shinto magic powers (60 point reserve) all powers take : Obvious Accessible foci (Ofuda, -1), Variable Limit (-1)

2

(u) 4d6 RKA, only vs supernatural targets (-1/2), 1 recoverable charge (-1), Gestures (throw Ofuda) (-1/4) and incantations (-1/4)

2

(u) 2 1/2d6 HKA, plus 3" stretching only for combat (-1), reduced to 0 END, only vs supernatural targets (-1/2)

2

(u) 6d6 Entangle, only vs supernatural targets (-1/2), 1 recoverable charge (-1), Gestures (unfurl Ofuda) (-1/4) and incantations (-1/4)

2

(u) Force wall 10PD/10ED, only vs supernatural attacks (-1/2), 1 recoverablecharge lasting 1 minute (-1/2), Gestures (unfurl Ofuda) (-1/4) and incantations (-1/4), unranged ( 1/2)

2

(u) Force field 20PD/20ED, Invisible to sight (+1/2), only vs supernatural attacks (-1/2), 1 recoverable charge lasting 5 minutes (-1/4), Gestures (unfurl Ofuda, -1/4) and incantations (-1/4), Concentrate (1/2 DCV) to turn on (-1/4), Extra time: Full Phase (-1/2)

2

(u) 15d6 Dispel, vs any magical effect (+1/4), 1 recoverable charge (-1), Gestures (unfurl Ofuda) (-1/4) and incantations (-1/4)

1

(u) Detect supernatural beings, 360°, Ranged, +4 PER, Tracking, 1 recoverable charge ( 1), Gestures (unfurl Ofuda) (-1/4) and incantations (-1/4)

2

Shinto healing 1d6 Healing, requires gestures and incantations throughout (-1), concentration (0 DCV throughout, -1) Extra time, 5 min (-2) requires herbs and rare ingredients (OAF, -1), Requires KS: Sorcery roll (-1/2), 2x END (-1/2)

3

2

3

6

Lang: Japanese (fluent, accent), English (native)

FAM : Ground Vehicles

PS: Guitarist/singer (12-)

+3" running (9" total)

170

263

Total Powers & Skills Cost:

Total Character Cost:

+150

DISADVANTAGES

15

Psychological limit. Hunting Bakemono (Common, strong)

10

Psychological limit. Protects the innocent (Uncommon, strong)

10

Psychological limit. Womaniser (Common, moderate)

5

Psychological limit. Rebel, reacts badly to authority (Uncommon, moderate)

20

Normal Characteristic Maxima

5

DF: AMP uniform

5

Reputation: AMP officer

10

Watched by the AMP (8-, more powerful, extensive NCI)

15

Hunted by Lucifer Folk. (8-, more powerful)

3

AMP package Bonus

14

Experience

14

Spent

 

 

 

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