Characters

The world as Man knew it was leveled thirty years ago in a nuclear war and all of civilization has been cast into ruin. Technology has turned against its creators while mechanization has gone mad. The surface of the Earth is shrouded in the thick, gray veil of ruin. Once great cities have been laid to waste and rubble, becoming vast impromptu tombs and graveyards to the millions who died on Judgment Day all those long years ago, the Machines rule the surface of the planet, while the humans who have survived now hide in underground shelters, venturing forth to scavenge and do battle when they are able. And always, the Machines are waiting… Skynet rules the air completely and has a strangle hold on the ground which is closing ever tighter. Killing machines are everywhere, complex designs and hardware born of an intelligence driven mad by its desire to live, each model, each individual unit driven by a simple code; exterminate all humans. Man, woman, child, wherever, whenever and however.

Only a handful of heroic people stand between the Machines and certain racial extinction. This band of stalwart human soldiers, led by the legendary Colonel John Connor, calls itself “The Resistance.” Starting out slowly, using guerilla tactics and hit and run raids to keep them supplied with the necessary materials to conduct military operations against the Machines, the Resistance has managed to slowly blunt the edge of Skynet’s campaign. After nearly a decade Connor has managed to unite what were once isolated pockets of resistance and guerilla cells into a cohesive fighting force operating under a highly organized chain of command. Connor also trained his people well, and those he trained went out to train others. The chain of knowledge spread, and Humanity began to fight back, first in small instances, then in pockets, then in sectors, then in entire regions.

They all live now in a world ravaged by famine, starvation, disease, ignorance, superstition, and the threat of horrible death. Sometimes, there are things living in the ruins colder and more merciless than even the Machines. The Machines are not the only threat to the Resistance, for human greed has long been its own self-serving tool and the future is a ripe time for such greed to blossom. Sad as it may seem, there are still those members of the human race, individuals and isolated pockets, gangs and bands, who do not believe in the Resistance and its goals of liberating the human race. Rather, they believe only in themselves and their continued survival.

Much of the human race lives a hand to mouth existence. Medicine and even basic hygiene are in short supply, especially among the refugees. The soldiers of Connor’s fare better, but they fight for what they have. Most raids are not only for supplies for the military operations, but also to provide basic supplies and foodstuffs to the refugees the Resistance shelters and protects.

Survival on a day-to-day basis is anything but simple; people come out only at night with anything less than a full moon with overcast and cloudy as the best conditions. They move all the time; staying low, using every bit of rubble and debris to put something thick and solid between them and any Machine which might be lurking to kill them. They grab what you can, maybe hide what they can’t carry, and they run. They don’t stop until they are back underground. If they do, they’re dead.

What follows is a list of the possible roles today’s human beings can have, what purposes they can carry and what parts they play against the grand struggle of life or death in a future gone mad.

Refugee

These poor dregs of humanity are what Connor pulls his recruits from. They are largely ignorant, superstitious, wary, untrained, and inexperienced with military procedures.

Rogue

Stronger versions of refugees, these people constitute the thugs, punks, gangs, and even cannibals that roam the wasteland that was once civilization. They live by their wits, taking what they need from people and land without any regard to human decency.

Tech-Com Medic

Compared to the nigh-indestructible Terminators, humans are fragile as glass. Tech- Com medics patch them together as best they can, but it is a losing battle. Medics are drawn to their profession out of a need to help their fellow humans in the most direct fashion possible, but many quit as the corpses pile up.

Tech-Com Scientist

Tech-Com scientists specialize in assimilating and understanding Skynet's technology. They are scavengers by nature, learning from the machine which seeks to destroy them. The best scientists can reprogram terminators to defend rather than attack humans.

Tech-Com Scout

Sometimes, Tech-Com needs more than just firepower and brains. When a Skynet base needs to be taken by stealth, the scouts answer the call. Scouts combine the rare talents of quick-wits and incredible reflexes, making them highly desired and coveted by Tech-Com generals.

Tech-Com Soldier

Tech-Com soldiers are the toughest breed of Tech-Com humans alive. They face extinction at every term, battling Terminators and grim odds. Tech-Com soldiers tend to be nihilistic about their survival chances; one out of three dies each day.

Tech Com Ranks

Private

Private 2

Private First Class

Specialist

Corporal

Sergeant

Staff Sergeant

Sergeant First Class

Master Sergeant

First Sergeant

Sergeant Major

Command Sergeant Major

Sergeant Major Of Tech Com

Warrant Officer One

Chief Warrant Officer Two

Chief Warrant Officer Three

Chief Warrant Officer Four

Master Warrant Officer Five

Second Lieutenant

First Lieutenant

Captain

Major

Lieutenant Colonel

Colonel

Brigadier General

Major General

Lieutenant General

General

Tech Com Hierarchy

John and Kate Connor

Covet Ops

Eagle Watch

Recon/ Security

Sci/ Tech

Iron Guard

Canine Support

Delta Company

Black Shield

Covert Ops

Just as the Terminators have turned to wearing flesh to penetrate Tech-Com defenses, Covert Ops Agents remind Skynet at every turn that humans invented deception first. They are expert hackers, capable of breaking through the most secure defense systems. Tech-Com has taken over several factories thanks to the Covert Ops efforts. And yet, Covert Opts agents are particularly secretive bordering on the paranoid, using code-names and chess-like tactics. They get the best technology and die the most horrible deaths when captured. As John likes to say, “No sane man chooses to become a Covert Ops Agent, we choose him for it.”

Eagle Watch

The members of the 132nd Eagle Watch are the best of the best. There aren't many of them, and for good reason. They are the tactical experts, both valuable and autonomous. Each Eagle Watch member carries entire plans in his head. Nothing can be written down, nothing handed off, nothing the machines might analyze. The Eagle Watch is an oral tradition of the best military tactics, from Sun Tzu to Napoleon. It is they who order men to their deaths with the knowledge that their sacrifices will not be in vain.

Recon/ Security

The Tech-Com members of Recon/Security are a very special force. Their job is to preserve important personnel, eradicate hidden threats, and keep the brain trust that is humanity alive. They are usually dedicated to protecting Sci/ Techs, but with the advent of the Infiltrator series of Terminators, Recon/Security members must face potential threats from within. John Connor heads this force – he is realistic enough to realize that Sci/ Tech is the brains of the operation. Without Sci/ Tech, Tech-Com doesn't have a chance.

Sci/ Tech

Sci/ Techs are the one way humanity keeps up with Skynet's technology. Much of humankind has already fallen behind in the way of the hard sciences, but through Sci/ Tech engineers, humans assimilate the technology they can salvage and use it for their own ends. Thanks to the Sci/ Techs, Tech-Com has learned to use pulse weapons, force fields, even time travel technology.

Iron Guard

The Iron Guard is the elite soldiers of Mother Russia. They are inured to the horrors Mir (Russia's equivalent of Skynet) has brought down upon them. To many Russians, Mir is merely another mad tyrant continuing a longstanding tradition of oppression and violence. Their fatalistic attitude serves them well in the face of a tireless enemy. The Iron Guard knows no fear, no hunger, no sleep. The Iron Guard is bred for war. They are experts at trench warfare and have successfully defended outposts from Terminators that no Tech-Com force could hold.

Canine Support

While Skynet puts together complex algorithms to try to map the human thought process and outwit its enemies, Tech-Com has found a much simpler solution to the infiltrator series of Terminators: dogs. The best Terminators have yet to fool the sensitive nose of a canine. The Canine Support Trainers live and die together, relying on an almost pack-level existence to root out Infiltrators. They are the first and last early warning defense system against the new tactics of Skynet.

Delta Company

It's not easy, blowing stuff up. Delta Company does just that. There's so much to blow up too – some Hunter-Killers are practically indestructible without the help of an explosive or three. Delta company soldiers are fearless bordering on reckless. They charge into the heart of the enemy, bypassing a multitude of electronic sensors and defenses to plant their explosives. If the Black Shields are the sword that strikes with precision, Delta Company is the hammer that indiscriminately batters aside all that stands in its path.

Black Shield

Masters of the way of the gun, these snipers and scouts are the experts in their craft. They always travel in pairs, dodging from wreckage to wreckage. Their precision nearly matches the cold efficiency of the machines. One Black Shield can take out even the most dangerous Hunter-Killers with a well-aimed shot. Their deadly skills also make them envied and feared, even by the other regiments of Tech-Com.

Character Creation

Attributes

Remember even a score of 11 or 12 will set a character apart from his immediate peers, a 13 or 14 will make him stand out in his society at large, and an attribute of 15+ is world-class. Avoid going overboard with high attributes by keeping three factors in mind: Context. At a critical moment, a strategically positioned, slightly above-average man may be remembered as something of a wonder compared to his merely average peers. Both sycophantic contemporaries and admiring historians occasionally make outrageous claims like, "He was the strongest and wisest man of his time." The person being described in such situations was most likely exceptional, but this doesn’t make him the strongest, wisest, etc., man in the world nor does it entitle him to an extreme attribute score of 18, 20 or more. Most of these "wonders" were likely 12s, 13s and 14s among the 9s, 10s and 11s.

Aptitudes

If the character's defining trait is prodigious inborn talent in a narrow area controlled by one of GURPS' broad attributes, use an appropriate "aptitude" advantage rather than a high attribute score to reflect this. Alertness and Strong Will, Charisma (for leaders), Language Talent (for men of letters), Mathematical Ability (for scientists), Musical Ability (for musicians), Single-Minded (for the dedicated) and Versatile (for the multi-talented) can replace high IQ; Manual Dexterity (for artists and craftsmen) can stand in for high DX, and Fit/Very Fit (for athletes) and Hard to Kill (for survivors of assassination attempts) can be used instead of high HT.

Skills

If the character's defining trait is amazing skill in a specific field of endeavor, give him high skill levels in that field, not an excessive score in the controlling attribute. Artistic skills can be viewed as "inborn talents", and many skills replace or enhance attribute scores for the purpose of one specific task (e.g., Jumping skill).

ST and HT

A case can be made the average ST and HT should vary by time and place due to differences in diet, physical activity, hygiene and so on, but for the purpose of GURPS character design, please rate them in relative terms. This means an average character from any time or place on Earth will have ST 10, HT 10, and exceptional scores will always be measured from that baseline. A similar remark applies to Appearance.

IQ

This includes education, and one could argue that average IQ should vary from place to place and time to time.  Once more, we are setting the average at 10 in all historical settings, and request that this be used as the baseline in all cases.

Advantages

All characters, regardless of it they are pod born or normally born, have basic advantages. Everyone is exceptional at something.

Disadvantages

All characters, regardless of it they are pod born or normally born, have basic Disadvantages. Almost everyone has a flaw of some kind.

Quirks

These are the things a person’s personality traits. They are not Advantages, nor are they Disadvantages. They are simply something unique about the character.

Skills

Most "masters" will have skill level 16-20 in their area of expertise; skill levels over 25 aren't realistic.  Keep in mind the knowledge of a real-life expert is usually better characterized by its astounding breadth rather than by its excessive depth.