Corporal Joe Jones [GURPS 4e].

Corporal Joe Jones – Google Docs

Corporal Joe Jones [250 pt]

Race: Human

Attributes [65]: ST 11 [10], DX 12 [40], IQ 10, HT 11 [10], HP 11, Will 10, Per 14 (Perception includes +4 from ‘Extra Perception’), FP 11, Basic Speed 6 [5]

Advantages [195]: Charisma (1) [5], Danger Sense [15], Destiny (Great) [15], Extra Perception (4) (Affects Per) [20], Luck (Ridiculous) [60], Military Rank (2) [10], Reputation (Lucky) (4) (All the time; Large class [the military]) [10], Serendipity (4) [60]

Tech Level: 9

Perks [1]: Honest Face [1]

Disadvantages [-50]: Duty (Military) (15 or less (almost always)) [-15], Easy to Read [-10], Honesty (12 or less) [-10], Sense of Duty (Military) (Large Group) [-10], Truthfulness (12 or less) [-5]

Quirks [-5]: Alcohol Intolerance [-1], Congenial [-1], Horrible Hangovers [-1], Humble [-1], Nosy [-1]

Packages [0]: Soldier (Space) [0], Soldier – Infantry (Space) [0]

Skills [44]: Beam Weapons/TL9 (Rifle) DX/E – DX+2 14 [4], Brawling DX/E – DX+0 12 [1], Camouflage IQ/E – IQ+3 13 [4], Computer Operation/TL9 IQ/E – IQ+0 10 [1], Driving/TL9 (Heavy Wheeled) DX/A – DX+0 12 [2], Electronics Operation/TL9 (Medical) IQ/A – IQ+0 10 [2], Explosives/TL9 (Demolition) IQ/A – IQ+0 10 [2], First Aid/TL9 (Human) IQ/E – IQ+0 10 [1], Forward Observer/TL9 IQ/A – IQ+0 10 [2], Gunner/TL9 (Beams) DX/E – DX+2 14 [4], Hiking HT/A – HT+1 12 [4], Navigation/TL9 (Land) IQ/A – IQ+0 10 [2], Scrounging Per/E – Per+0 14 [1], Sex Appeal (Human) HT/A – HT+1 12 [4], Soldier/TL9 IQ/A – IQ+2 12 [8], Survival (Jungle) Per/A – Per+0 14 [2]

It’s not that Corporal Joe Jones is a bad soldier.  He’s just a mundanely aggressively mediocre one.  He’s not stronger or faster or fit than the rest of his squad, and he’s certainly no smarter (although Joe could be a master of perception, if only he’d bother to develop his powers of observation).  Joe doesn’t drink, because he’s very bad at it; and he doesn’t get in trouble much for a soldier, because nobody in his right mind would involve Corporal Jones in a scam or scheme. The man can’t lie, hates the idea of lying to his superiors or anybody else, and when he’s forced to lie it’s just downright embarrassing to watch.  He’d be probably shunned in his squad, except for two mitigating factors. The first is that Joe is generally likeable.

The second is that Joe is the luckiest son-of-a-gun that most of his squad has ever met.

And it’s not just little things, like rolling craps (mind you, Joe doesn’t gamble at all).  Joe Jones always makes the shot when really he needs to, and he can run across a courtyard while under fire and never get hit, and he always picks the one path through the jungle that hasn’t been trapped, and by now his squad has noticed.  So have his superiors. It’s not quite superpower-levels of good fortune, but it’s as close as this particular universe can get to it.

It’s also fairly certain that the universe has plans for Corporal Joe Jones.  He’s being saved for something bigger than his current surroundings; and whatever that something is, it’s going to be fairly epic.  This would faintly alarm Joe, if he was aware of the fact that he has a rather impressive destiny to fulfill.  After all, the bigger the destiny, the harder it is on everybody else — and if there’s one thing that makes Joe different from other heroes-in-gestation, it’s that he is remarkably free of annoyingly smug self-regard.  Which is a nice character trait to have in person; whether it’s an equally nice professional trait for a Child of Destiny is another question.

Customization notes: At 300 points, add another level of Charisma [5], Combat Reflexes [15], Intuition [15], and Common Sense [10].  Past that point, the character conception begins to break down; there are only so many points that you can dump into a mundanely aggressively mediocre character before he stops being mediocre.  One option is to add the Space Marine [+20], Elite Trooper [+60], or Officer [+55] templates from page 234 of GURPS Space.  After all, ‘mundanely aggressively mediocre’ is a phrase that is heavily dependent on context.

The material presented here is my original creation, intended for use with the GURPS system from Steve Jackson Games. This material is not official and is not endorsed by Steve Jackson Games.

GURPS is a registered trademarks of Steve Jackson Games, and the art here is copyrighted by Steve Jackson Games. All rights are reserved by SJ Games. This material is used here in accordance with the SJ Games online policy.