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Curio; transhuman androgyne art critic and underworld
telepath
(c) copyright 2000 andi jones
Total Points: 15 Points
Age about 25; 5'9"; 140 pounds; an androgynous man with
exotic, surgically-enhanced features, wearing the latest in
avant-garde fashion and with the most thorough skintint
money can buy - covering skin, lips, tongue and gums,
presently in shades of green.
ST 9 [-10] - thrust 1d-2, swing 1d
DX 10 [-] - basic speed 4.5, move 4,
dodge 4
IQ 14 [45]
HT 9 [-10]
WL 11 [-24]
ADVANTAGES: Appearance (Attractive) [5]; Charisma +1
[5]; Sex Appeal +3* [3]; Telepathy (Power 2)
[10].
*from Extreme Sexual Dimorphism, p.BIO62
DISADVANTAGES: Duty (Unwilling, to local Triad, 9-)
[-10]; Migraine (6-) [-5]; Secret (Triad
mindwiper) [-20]; Unnatural Feature (Exaggerated
Sexual Features*) [-5]; Vow (expose the Triad)
[-5].
*from Extreme Sexual Dimorphism, p.BIO62
QUIRKS: Currently favours the colour green; Feels guilty for
aiding the Triad; Highly critical of the new 'Oddities
Movement' in phototecture; Adores transparent clothing.
[-4]
SKILLS: Area Knowledge (South Manhattan)-13 [.5];
Appreciate Beauty-13 [4]; Carousing-10 [4];
Computer Operation/TL8-13 [.5]; Dancing-10
[2]; Fast-Talk-14 [2]; Make-Up/TL8-13
[.5]; Panhandling-12* [0]; Savoir-Faire-13
[.5]; Sex Appeal-13**# [4]; Streetwise-14
[2]; Writing-15 [4].
*default from Fast-Talk
**includes +3 from Extreme Sexual Dimorphism
#skill is +1/+2 (same/opposite sex) used as a
reaction roll
LANGUAGES: English (native)-14 [0].
PSI SKILLS: Mindshield-12 [1]; Mindwipe-14
[4]; Telereceive-13 [2]; Telescan-12
[1]; Telesend-16 [8].
EQUIPMENT
Curio doesn't have much in the way of equipment. He owns a
portable computer, on which he dictates his columns. Aside
from that, he's only likely to carry various mundane items,
like keys, a wallet, a cell-phone, etc..
BIOGRAPHY
The "media darling" who calls himself Curio has a sad and
humble origin on the streets of South Manhattan. Homeless
and without any regular parental influences, Curio and his
older brother got by mostly through begging and petty theft,
until the day in his twelfth year when he learned he could
force information from other people's minds. The boys -
hungry, and none too wise - marketed themselves to one of
Chinatown's tongs, thinking it would be an easy source of
cash.
They were wrong; the tong sank its hooks deep into Curio,
and has kept him in its service for thirteen years. He
doesn't work for them full time, but periodically - and more
frequently than he'd like - they call on him to apply his
telepathic skills to a disagreeable citizen, an
incorruptible cop or a troublesome vigilante... Curio hates
the work, but is too afraid to leave the Triad, so he puts
up with it.
The rest of the time, Curio is an especially vibrant and
exotic member of New York's fine-arts scene, a scene known
for being eccentric, cutting edge and populated by truly
talented and revolutionary thinkers. Curio is a critic, and
reports on the scene for a number of print and online
journals; and while not top in his field, he is
knowledgeable and respected, and has a genuine interest in
the subject. And aside for his periodic work with the Triad,
this is the world Curio inhabits.
Curio knows that lending his telepathic talent to the
Chinese is wrong, and he fantasises about exposing them
somehow. He feels guilty for what he's been made to do, but
doesn't know how to change things. He's vowed to one day
stop them, but presently has no idea how to accomplish that.
ENCOUNTERED
In his element - a gallery, museum party, or avant-garde
nightclub - Curio is a social dynamo, always talking, and
always outgoing, friendly, and flirtatious. To those outside
the scene, his modified features and brightly tinted skin
may be somewhat shocking, but he is completely at home among
the trend-setting artists and counter-culture types. When
working with the Triad, however, Curio is quiet and
reserved, there to do his odious business with as little
fanfare as possible.
CANONICALITY
Curio is designed to adhere to the standard GURPS rules.
WHAT IF?
Curio is intended as a low-powered NPC in a cyberpunk
campaign that features psionic abilities. Curio's psionics
are not especially powerful, making him useful without being
too important. If psionics are relatively weak and subdued
setting-wide, his can be further watered down by adding
limitations such as "takes extra time" or "temporary
disadvantage" to his telepathy.
There are a limited number of other settings into which
Curio could be placed without needing a major overhaul; he
is best-suited for cyberpunk variants.
ADVENTURE SEEDS
Exposé: Curio's journalism has not made him rich or
famous - nor anything close to a house-hold name - but he is
distinctive enough to be remembered... The PCs are on the
trail of the tong, trying to curb their criminals
enterprises, when they become aware of the outlandish
telepath working with the Chinese. Might one of the PCs
recognise Curio from the net? Or from a party at a local
night-club a few weeks earlier? If so, will they assume he
is a willing accomplice, or will they learn the truth? How
might Curio help the PCs put the Triad out of business?
- written and formatted by andi jones
(andi@angelwerks.com)
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