Apologies for the lateness of this post, I am fast approaching the end of my pregnancy and also experiencing a lot of familial stress in the meantime. Due to the impending birth of our second child (which may indeed have already occured by the time this is posted), I will also be taking an indeterminate break from regular posts as we adjust to life as parents of a teenager, a toddler, AND a newborn. Hopefully we can instill a love of dice and gaming in this little one just like we have in the older two.
Now, the gorilla species of Ape Boys aren’t considered to be as intelligent as a chimpanzee type, and as such couldn’t become a techy O.C.C. normally. But I am also offered a bit of creative discretion and experimentation (which makes this character playable only with DM approval) with the following text on page 94 of Lone Star;
“The fact that mutant animals escape from the Lone Star Genetics Complex is neither carelessness or sloth on the part of the soldiers assigned to that post. Less than two percent truly escape of their own volition. The vast majority are secretly released (often the product of secret experiments to begin with) or allowed to escape. Administrator Desmond Bradford, or one of his cronies are usually behind these “escapes.” Bradford and the scientists who regularly engage in unauthorized (even treasonous) genetic experiments, engineer the escapes so that they can monitor the success or drawbacks of their creations “in the field.” Many are lost through such field tests, because conventional identification tagging and scientific monitoring cannot be done without drawing attention to their illegal handiwork. Remember, many of these creations and experiments are not sanctioned by the CS and are conducted in secret. However, approximately 10-15% can be successfully monitored in secret, and an additional 20-25% resurface at a later date as a captured test subject, aberration or D-bee slain or captured in the wild. Dead or alive, the scientists get the chance to study the body and glean information from it. Of course, a living subject can reveal infinitely more, but even a corpse of, or a Reconnaissance or Intelligence report about, the creature provides valuable information.”
This excerpt also presents a fun plot hook that could tie into the character; they “escaped” Lone Star and the genetic scientists years ago, only to have been under covert surveillance the whole time, their very lives and actions being subtly influenced or recorded by the same forces they’d thought to have eluded. That’s up to your DM, though!
As such, I’ve also leveled this character up a bit (level 6) to give credence to the amount of time since their “escape” and their life/backstory since then. Their own business, the “Monkey Wrench” (an auto/repair shop) was the true focal point of this character’s creation anyway, and as such I may be designing a town or short encounter around it in the future. Oh, he’s also allergic to bananas. That tidbit is just for fun and completely optional (though it gave me the chance to type up an allergy template)! I feel like I may have missed something during character creation, but after editing I just can’t find it. If anyone notices a mistake or what may be missing, let me know so I can (hopefully) fix it; darn pregnancy brain has been messing with me something fierce now that we’re in the home stretch!
Game: Palladium Books’ Rifts RPG
Books Needed: Rifts Ultimate Edition, Rifts World Book 13: Lone Star.
Recommended Setting: PCs who are not CS agents must either be “feral” renegades or the offspring of runaway mutants; both are considered to be dangerous or corrupt and will be destroyed if encountered by the CS. As such, this character maintains a lie that they are a gorilla type D-Bee, not a feral mutant, and tends to avoid towns without a high D-Bee population. Not recommended for pro-CS campaigns or with pro-CS party members. Well suited to a mid level campaign or a low level M.D.C. campaign. The character is designed as a skill character who happens to be physically powerful, but was also written to be a bit of a pacifist with little actual fighting ability. Keep that in mind when playing this gentle giant genius.
'Yeah, 'pay me in bananas', never heard that one before. Hilarious.' - Bram
General Information
Nickname: Bram (also known locally by the surname DePalo)
Exp. Level: 6
Experience Table: Monkey Boy Tech/Simvan Monster Rider (equivalent)
R.C.C.: Monkey Boy Tech (Experimental “Ape Boy Tech”, Gorilla)
O.C.C.: Not applicable.
Alignment: Scrupulous
Invoke Trust/Intimidate: 70%
Charm/Impress: Not applicable.
Health Points: 40 (+2D6/lvl)
S.D.C.: 290
M.D.C.: Not applicable.
P.P.E.: 26 (permanent)
I.S.P.: Not applicable.
Chi: Not applicable.
Horror/Awe Factor: Not applicable.
Armour Rating (On Applicable Worlds): 9
Stats
IQ: 25 (+11% one time bonus to all starting/newly aquired skills.)
ME: 20
MA: 22
PS: 31 (Supernatural, Lift/Carry: 3,100/1,550 lbs.)
PP: 17
PE: 20 (Supernatural)
PB: 7 (See Vulnerabilities for penalties.)
SPD: 12 (Run: 8 mph.)
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