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More by coincidence than design, both characters in this
week's COTW are doctors (one a physician, the other a
historian). The first is another designed for use in the
days of the Roman Empire, but suitable for any setting with
creepy doctors.
Kleombrotos the Antiochene; skilled but uncaring
physician
(c) copyright 2000 Volker Bach
Total Points: 82 Points
Age 59; 5'7"; 132 pounds; a small elderly man with white
hair and beard, clear grey eyes and a hooked nose.
ST 9 [-10] - thrust 1d-2, swing 1d-1
DX 10 [-] - basic speed 5.25, move 5,
dodge 5
IQ 13 [30]
HT 11 [10]
WL 13 [-]
ADVANTAGES: Disease-Resistant [5]; High Pain
Threshold [10]; Literacy [5]; Wealth
(Wealthy) [30].
DISADVANTAGES: Callous [-6]; Curious [-5];
Greed [-15]; Social Stigma (foreigner associated
with gladiators) [-10].
QUIRKS: Has no sympathy for the sick or injured in his care;
Blunt-spoken; Obsessive about cleanliness; Hates confusion
and noise; Uncomfortable on social occasions.
[-5]
SKILLS: Area Knowledge (Rome)-13 [1]; Astrology-11
[1]; Cooking-14 [2]; Cyphering-13
[1]; Diagnosis/TL2-15* [4]; Gardening-14
[2]; Literature-12 [1]; Merchant-14**
[2]; Naturalist-12 [2]; Philosophy
(Aristotelian)-13 [2]; Physician/TL2-17
[12]; Physiology/TL2-12* [0]; Poisons-14*
[0]; Research-13 [2]; Savoir-Faire-11***
[1]; Surgery/TL2-14* [8]; Veterinary/TL2-12*
[0]; Writing-12 [1].
*from Physician default
**includes -2 from Callous when negotiating
***includes -2 from Callous
LANGUAGES: Greek (native)-13 [0]; Latin-12
[1].
EQUIPMENT
When going out, Kleombrotos wears a Greek tunic and sandals,
a cloak pinned over the right shoulder and a felt sun-hat.
He always carries money and a notebook of wax tablets, and
when out on duty will also carry his most prized possession:
a fine set of surgical instruments. He travels light most of
the time, but will not leave home for longer than a few days
without his edition of the works of Aristotle and his store
of prepared medicines.
BIOGRAPHY
Born as the fourth son of a town physician of Antioch,
Kleombrotos grew up to the medical profession. He was
trained by his father from an early age and allowed to study
under the finest teachers of his age at the Asklepeion at
Kos. It became clear quickly, however, that in spite of his
quick intelligence and skill, he would never make a good
doctor because he did not feel for his patients - considered
an unforgivable deficit by Greek tradition. Disappointed,
young Kleombrotos first resolved to throw himself at
theoretical study but, finding that medical philosophy was
not something that an enterprising young man could make a
living at, soon sought another field of employment. He found
it in caring for gladiators.
Being nearly impervious to pain, and never having been ill a
day in his life and generally enjoying health like a horse,
Kleombrotos simply could not relate to the suffering of his
patients. The chance to earn good money by caring for slave
gladiators - strong, healthy men who prided themselves on
their ability to take punishment and endure pain - therefore
came as a heaven-sent opportunity to him.
For the last decades, Kleombrotos has worked hard at
perfecting his skills on his defenseless and generally
forgiving subjects. He has used the opportunity to dissect
bodies - not as unusual as it is sometimes made out to be -
and try out new surgical techniques and medical compounds,
driven by insatiable curiosity and his limitless appetite
for money. He has become a very good physician and surgeon
in the process, but it has done little for his bedside
manner. Alongside his regular job of treating the
gladiators' injuries, supervising their training and diet
and curing the odd cold or social disease he has built up a
small but lucrative business providing poisons,
abortifacients and doping drugs, and treating suspicious
injuries no questions asked...
ENCOUNTERED
Kleombrotos is not a congenial or even polite person. He has
an abrupt manner, little patience with things that are of no
interest to him, and not even the semblance of sympathy for
his fellow humans. His social graces are few even if he
makes the effort to show them, which is rarely. He is,
however, businesslike, approachable and quite capable in a
rough-and-ready manner, and when talking of medical matters
he can be an arresting conversationalist.
PCs are most likely to meet Kleombrotos as customers -
probably in his sideline business. He is happy to oblige,
but basically expects both clients and patients to pay up
and shut up. He has no interest in their social lives,
personal histories, or the uses they plan to put his
medicines to, and he absolutely abhors the nudge-wink
camaraderie of amateur criminals. Prying into his private
affairs is a good way of making him very angry, and with a
man who knows as much about what kills people that is not a
good idea.
CANONICALITY
Kleombrotos conforms to standard GURPS rules.
WHAT IF?
The physician who never becomes sick is a nightmare common
to all periods. Thus, Kleombrotos can be fit into almost any
setting with a little adjustment among his skills.
Fantasy/Antiquity: At any time prior to TL5, he could work
as written, though after 1650 neither Astrology nor
Naturalist, Gardening, Cooking or Aristotelian philosophy
were considered indispensable for a physician.
Pre-Modern: A TL5 version would need a few more languages -
at least one native one - and could replace the questionable
Skills with Chemistry, Pharmacy and History (Medical).
Teamster or Riding are more likely additions after TL2. At
any time after 1800 a physician in most of the civilised
world requires some kind of academic credentials, best
modelled as Academic Status 1.
Modern/Near-Future: A modern version could hardly avoid
Driving (Automobile) and Computer Operation, and would
replace the Astrology, Naturalist and Philosophy skills with
Biochemistry, Pharmacy and Electronics Operation (Medical).
He might be involved in anything from drugs to illegal human
experiments to dodgy plastic surgery. His Social Stigma
could be changed to being a surgeon to the mob, instead of
to gladiators. After TL7, Kleombrotos will probably have
Electronics (Cyberware) since there is much money to be made
on the cutting edge of black-market augmentations.
ADVENTURE SEEDS
Kleombrotos is mostly a device to torment PCs who get into
too many fights. While he is competent (indeed, few
physicians anywhere know as much about combat wounds as
Kleombrotos) and happy not to ask inconvenient questions,
being treated by him is not a nice experience and GMs should
play this to the hilt. Not only does he not really care -
beyond his professional pride - whether his charges recover,
but he is perfectly capable of killing them instead (for the
right price). Not that he is likely to do so, but he has no
ethical reservations at all and the players should be made
to feel that. Of course, if the PCs are equally carefree
about laws and morals they should get along just fine -
Kleombrotos is a good source for exotic chemicals and advice
on their use. An anachronistic investigator could even find
him willing to act the part of the forensic pathologist.
Such work is highly questionable, challenges his skill, and
should pay well, so it is right up his alley.
Last Rites: Kleombrotos is in the habit of dissecting
interesting bodies as they come through his surgery. Since
this involves slave gladiators for whose mortal remains
nobody has any further use anyway nobody much minds, though
most people do find the practise offensive. Today, however,
a senator's personal secretary has called at the arena to
claim the body of Celer, a gladiator killed in yesterday's
games who turned out to have been said senator's estranged
and impoverished nephew. The problem is that Kleombrotos has
had a rather extensive look at the body and several obvious
pieces are missing. Dealing with an unhappy and very
influential family may be more than he can cope with...
- written by Volker Bach
(volker_bach@public.uni-hamburg.de)
- editted and formatted by andi jones
(andi@angelwerks.com)
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