This is a long-term project: I need to not forget how to write gaming material on the regular.
The First
(This writeup is meant for use with the TimeWatch RPG.)
Bright eyes in a dirty, heavy-browed face. A constant poking of things with sticks. The smell of flowers from a sun-baked meadow.
Defense: Hit Threshold 4, Armor 3 (paradox), Health 20
Offense: Scuffling 4, Shooting 4, Damage Modifier (Club +2, Rock 0,)
Abilities: Reality Anchor 8, Tempus 30
Special Abilities: Blink (cost 2), Clock Out (cost 2), Psychic (Telepathy) (cost 2), Regeneration (cost 0 – between scenes)
Misc: Alertness Modifier +2, Stealth Modifier +2
Description: 5’6”, 140lb, stocky build. She wears her brown hair tied back with sinew, and wears a woven grass skirt and primitive bra. The First invariably has the biggest, sturdiest stick she can find; she also carries a series of heavy-duty canvas or plastic handled bags, which she uses to carry whatever interesting and portable items strike her fancy.
‘The First’ is what Timewatch calls her (her name for herself is ‘this one’). She is most likely from the species Homo heidelbergensis as it began to evolve into Homo neanderthalensis. In fact, some researchers suspect that The First is the mythical ‘missing link’ between the two species, because she has an unique mutation: she is the first human with the innate ability to travel through time (she also has the ability to read and project thoughts, but it’s limited by her own intelligence, which is not… profound). She is also extremely curious about the future, indifferent to personal or societal boundaries, and prone to hit things with sticks.
The problem for Timewatch is that The First is also the direct ancestor of every human with innate time travel abilities. At some point she will tire of her chronal wanderings, return back to her own time period, and pass along those genes. Until then, the timestream itself protects her. Shots go wild, or hit her enemies instead; when she does get injured, there always seems to be a natural source of healing nearby for her to tap into.
Communicating with The First is possible, thanks to her telepathy, but she’s honestly not that smart. She’s extremely curious, and likes looking and poking at things; but she simply can’t do math, and has a vocabulary of about four hundred words. She thinks the future is weird, and barely understands that it has rules. She certainly doesn’t follow those rules unless she feels like it.
Fortunately, she’s not so much dangerous to Timewatch as she is exceptionally annoying. The First isn’t personally malicious or violent, as long as you don’t attack her. But she will get in the aircar with you, then push all the buttons, just to see what happens. Or shove a stick into a set of complex gears, if they’re being too loud. Or take a closer look at a hippopotamus, which again usually involves shoving a stick… well. You get the point.
By now the official Timewatch policy is to ‘grin and bear it.’ Surreptitious attempts to make The First genetically redundant always seemed to start well, but ended up collapsing under the weight of too much Paradox. It’s best to just let her wander around, try to fix whatever she’s meddling with, and wait for her to go away. That can sometimes take a few days, so mind your temper.
On the bright side, though: if you’ve been friendly to her, and you get attacked by enemies, she’ll probably help you out. She’s pretty good at suddenly appearing and hitting people from behind with a stick. It’s even hilarious to see, when it’s not happening to you.