MechWarrior First Edition - Archetypes
Major NPC's
Martin's Flying Circus
The Flying Circus is the primary air defense of planet Kittery (of the Federated Suns, on the Davion/Laio border): an aerospace regiment that operates independently, but in concert with, the mech garrisons on the planet. The regiment contains 16 fighters, split up into two battalions. Light Commodore Anjan Martin is the CO of the air regiment, with Majors Hester Shou and Gilbert Hinshaw each commanding a battalion.
The typical mechjock or scout won't run into most of the Flying Circus grunt pilots unless they mean to do so; the pilots pretty much stick to themselves. A typical pilot has Gunnery/Aerospace: 2 (6+), Piloting/Aerospace: 3 (5+), Pistol: 2 (6+), and some hobby skill at level 1 (7+).
On the other hand, the commanding officers can easily appear in a campaign- they must make sure that their activities are coordinated with that of the ground forces, so they will show up from time to time so as to get a feel for the capabilities of the various mech and support units. One of them could also be assigned as a liason or aerospace representative for a special forces unit. Finally, some of the NPCs have their own reasons for milling about with the great unwashed, as noted in the NPC notes below.
The air regiment can be dropped, so to speak, into any planet based campaign- just change the names of the relevent planets. References to the Kittery Tong can be changed to that of whatever insurgents are running around on your planet.
Light Commodore | Anjan Martin | ||
| BODY: 4(10+) | Skill Base: 10+ | Age: 46 | |
| DEX: 8(6+) | Skill Base: 8+ | Rank: REG | |
| LRN: 10(4+) | Skill Base: 7+ | Affiliation: Davion | |
| CHA: 8(6+) | Skill Base: 8+ | Home Planet: Cartago | |
| PIB: +5 | Profession: Aerospace Pilot | ||
| HTK: 40 | Pilots: Stuka | ||
| Special: Nat. Apt.: Leadership | |||
| Skill: | Level: | Roll: | |
| Piloting/Aerospace | 5 | 2+ | |
| Gunnery/Aerospace | 4 | 3+ | |
| Pistol | 3 | 5+ | |
| Engineering | 2 | 5+ | |
| Tactics | 2(3) | 4+ | |
| Leadership | 5 | 3+ | |
| Diplomacy | 2 | 6+ | |
| Bow/Blade | 0 | 8+ | |
| Inventory: | Contacts: | ||
| Pulse Laser Pistol | Colonel Katherine Gral: Head of Planetary Operations | ||
| 1 20-shot reload | Colonel Vivian Dulers: Commands 1st Kittery Borderers Regiment | ||
| Ancestral Broad Sword | Marshal Tamara Hasek: Commands 5th Syrtis Fusiliers (Kittery Regiment) | ||
| Electronic Memopad | |||
| 10-channel CommLink | |||
| 1 Tin, grease for hair |
NPC Notes: Lt. Commodore Martin is in command of the Kittery Borderer Independent Air Regiment, the sole air support for the planet. He reports directly to the Garrison Commander. Martin has lived most of his life in space, controlling the fighter defense for space stations and orbitals, hence his low BODY score. He fancies himself something of an aristocrat, and is always looking his best. For ceremonies, he carries his family's ancestral sword. He claims that the sword was given to his family by the then-nascant House of Davion in the 2200's. No one knows if this is true, but then no one has looked into it. In any case, he'll stand up for anyone under his command, and never acts in haste. He has made a few enemies in the mech regiments for his reluctance to send fighters into certain death situations. Martin projects an aura of effeciency and competence, but he doesn't have much of a sense of humor. He won't appear to get angry, but he has a long memory and a lot of political pull. People who make him mad may find themselves garrisoning a moon colony (which has happened a few times).
Appearance: Lt. Comm. Martin is short and very slim, with an Indian countenance. He has a high forehead, with slicked-back black hair. He sports a thin mustache kept very trim. Martin usually wears a field officer's uniform, with a minimum of decoration (he finds medals and combat ribbons to be very gaudy).
Major | Hester Shou | ||
| BODY: 4(10+) | Skill Base: 10+ | Age: 28 | |
| DEX: 8(6+) | Skill Base: 8+ | Rank: REG | |
| LRN: 10(4+) | Skill Base: 7+ | Affiliation: Davion | |
| CHA: 8(4+) | Skill Base: 8+ | Home Planet: Galax | |
| PIB: +4 | Profession: Aerospace Pilot | ||
| HTK: 40 | Pilots: Lightning | ||
| Special: Cyberware | |||
| Skill: | Level: | Roll: | |
| Piloting/Aerospace | 4 | 3+ | |
| Gunnery/Aerospace | 4 | 3+ | |
| Pistol | 3 | 5+ | |
| Brawling (spur) | 4 | 6+ | |
| Engineering | 2 | 5+ | |
| Tactics | 2 | 5+ | |
| Leadership | 3 | 5+ | |
| Rogue | 2 | - | |
| -Hide | 1 | 6+ | |
| -Listen | 1 | 7+ | |
| -Stealth | 2 | 7+ | |
| -Forgery | 0 | 8+ | |
| -Security Sys. | 1 | 8+ | |
| -Bribery | 1 | 6+ | |
| -Disguise | 2 | 7+ | |
| Inventory: | Contacts: | ||
| Laser Pistol (1 reload) | Cybernetic Eyes | Federated-Boeing: Hester has many relatives high up in the F-B hierarchy | |
| Retractible Left Arm Spur | -Lowlight Capability | ||
| -see house rules | -Magnification *3 | ||
| Cybernetic Left Ear | -(equivalent of sniper scope) | ||
| -Soundfilter | |||
| -can hear a whisper from 3 meters away | |||
| -can't be deafened |
NPC Notes: An NAIS graduate, Major Hester Shou is a product of one of the most advanced planets in the Inner Sphere, Galax of the Federated Suns. She grew up knowing a standard of living very close to that of the Star League. It didn't hurt that her family has several executive officers in Federated-Boeing. What did hurt was having her fighter explode while she was waiting to take off- the work of Kittery Tong anti-Davion terrorists. She had lost her sight and hearing, and was badly burned. Her family pulled many strings, and brought in several F-B expert technicians to construct her cybernetic eyes and left ear. Shou doesn't fit the cold cybernetic archetype- she is fairly pleasant, with a razor sharp wit that's only employed when she thinks someone is B.S.ing her. She does want to exact revenge on the Kittery Tong very badly, however. She persuaded her family to call the cyber-experts back in to give her an arm spur, with the plans of kicking some Tong ass. At this point, the hatred is becoming an obsession. She's volunteered to do some scouting work, and is being trained by some of the regiment's scouts in the ways of spying.
A downside of cyberware: a sizeable number of the support staff for the Air Regiment avoid Shou, either out of religious beliefs (there are many Protestant and Muslim off-shoots that are anti-cyber) or from plain squeamishness. Three members of the tactical staff are members of a fundamentalist Christian sect who believe anyone who receives cyberware (including myomer replacements) has effectively died and is now a soulless shell. They help Shou as little as possible, and consequently, she must do much of her own paperwork. Combining this with her scout-training, Shou usually must keep a 20-hour day, and always seems a little tired. Shou gets along well with Lt. Comm. Martin, and Martin respects her work ethic. Because the two battalions are usually busy on different parts of the globe, Shou doesn't run into Major Gilbert Hinshaw much. He strikes her as a little too loud, but competent.
Appearence: Major Shou is a slim woman of medium height, and of mixed Chinese/Caucasian descent. She has jet black hair that is kept short, and green eyes that occasionally flash red in the pupils (from the cyberneitcs adjusting to light levels). She usually wears a standard issue dark-green jumpsuit, with name, rank, and unit patches. The spur-port in the left arm is not noticable- it is sealed with memory plastic that reseals itself when the spur is retracted. Thanks to much plastic surgery, she doesn't have any scars from the bomb explosion, but as a morbid joke, she sometimes wears a small metal pendant made from some of the wreckage.
Major | Gilbert Hinshaw | ||
| BODY: 8(6+) | Skill Base: 8+ | Age: 32 | |
| DEX: 7(7+) | Skill Base: 8+ | Rank: REG | |
| LRN: 8(6+) | Skill Base: 8+ | Affiliation: Davion | |
| CHA: 7(7+) | Skill Base: 8+ | Home Planet: Belladonna | |
| PIB: +2 | Profession: Aerospace Pilot | ||
| HTK: 80 | Pilots: Stuka | ||
| Skill: | Level: | Roll: | |
| Piloting/Aerospace | 4 | 4+ | |
| Gunnery/Aerospace | 4 | 4+ | |
| Rifle | 3 | 5+ | |
| Pistol | 2 | 6+ | |
| Brawling | 3 | 5+ | |
| Tactics | 2 | 6+ | |
| Streetwise | 3 | 5+ | |
| Computer | 1 | 7+ | |
| Inventory: | Contacts: | ||
| Double-barreled Pump Shotgun | Hetta Schlesinger: Aerospace Pilot Instructor at the Stimmie Aviator Institute on Belladonna | ||
| 3 6-shot reloads | Major Walt Kormecker: officer in charge of shipping requests and logistical transfers for the Air Regiment | ||
| .45 Revolver, 12 bullets | Rose Daltry: owner of the Steepwood Tavern, a seedy dive on the outskirts of Kittery's capital, Can-Fu City | ||
| Pouch of Belladonnan Tobacco | |||
| Titanium-frame Aviator Sunglasses |
NPC Notes: Hinshaw is a large man who keeps a hand-rolled cigar sticking out of his mouth or held between his fingers (sometimes both). He tends to talk at a very loud level, almost shouting at times. He doesn't inspire confidence in his men so much as seem "one of the guys". Generally, they won't do something until he goes first; fortunately, Hinshaw never shies away from a challenge, and so his battalion as a reputation as being daredevils. Hinshaw proves quite a handful to Lt. Comm. Martin, and the two men sometimes get on each others' nerves. Usually, though, they respect each other's territory. Hinshaw doesn't see Major Hester Shou much, and doesn't know much about her. He won't admit it, but her cyberware really creeps him out, and he unconciously tries to avoid her.
Appearence: Tall, somewhat heavyset, with thinning light brown hair and slightly tanned skin. He smokes whenever he can, and the potent Belladonna tobacco he gets imported monthly has caused his face to age prematurely; in the right light, he looks about 50. He's lived a rough life, and it shows: he has many scars from knifes, bullets, and laser burns. His men joke that if Hinshaw didn't love to fly so much, he'd be an infantry grunt. Hinshaw usually wears combat fatigues, a Stimmie Air Academy T-Shirt, and aviator sunglasses.
Captain | Opal Giangelo | ||
| BODY: 7(7+) | Skill Base: 8+ | Age: 30 | |
| DEX: 8(6+) | Skill Base: 8+ | Rank: REG | |
| LRN: 10(4+) | Skill Base: 7+ | Affiliation: Davion | |
| CHA: 10(4+) | Skill Base: 7+ | Home Planet: Merope | |
| PIB: +2 | Profession: Military Intelligence | ||
| HTK: 70 | - Federated Suns' MI-5 | ||
| Special: Nat.Apt.:Interrogation | |||
| Skill: | Level: | Roll: | |
| Interrogation | 6 | 1+ | |
| Military Law | 4 | 3+ | |
| Perception | 4 | 3+ | |
| Disguise | 2 | 5+ | |
| Pistol | 4 | 4+(2+) | |
| Disguise | 3 | 4+ | |
| Bribery | 2 | 5+ | |
| Streetwise | 2 | 5+ | |
| Electric Guitar | 3 | 5+ | |
| Inventory: | Contacts: | ||
| Pistol: | Disguise Kit | MI-5 | |
| -"Nova Cityhunter" | Microcommunicator | Vargus the Knife: merchant, black market dabbler | |
| - -2 bonus to hit | Portable white-noise generator | Lt. Kresko Papatheodoro: partner | |
| - 3D6 damage per shot | - scrambles electronic bugs | ||
| - fires two shots per round | |||
| - 18 rounds |
Special Notes: Captain Giangelo has security clearance equal
to that of a Colonel or Planetary Governor if she requires the
information for a case. She also does not exist in any public-access
Federated Suns records. Of course, the Federated Suns Military
Intelligence, along with Draconis and Cappellan Intelligence,
have records of her.
NPC Notes: Captain Opal Giangelo works for MI-5, the Federated Suns' Counter-Insurgency division. Her assignments for the last few years have involved breaking military black-market rings in the Alcyone PDZ. She has broken rings on Weekapaug (involving some Davion soldiers stealing from their unit), Mentasta (involving Liao insurgents), Beid (involving Hasek insurgents), and the Weatogue-Ikast chain (involving Liao agents). As one might expect, she made many enemies, not all of whom are imprisoned, and not all of whom are civilian bootleggers. There are a handful of unit patches that are red flags for her.
She is currently assigned to Kittery to investigate thefts from several units' supply stores. She's still not sure if its Davion soldiers trying to make a buck, or Liao Tong members, or both.
Captain Giangelo is loyal to MI-5 and the Federated Suns; she enjoys her work, and she has little patience for soldiers trying to make a fast buck by giving milspec arms to potentially violent insurgents. When she can, she tries to take in whatever theater or performing arts are offered on whatever planet she's on. That way, she gets a better feel for the mood of the people, especially their attitude towards the local garrison (and she enjoys theater). Giangelo hates gun battles with a passion; a loud firefight is the last thing a scout wants be stuck in, not to mention the difficulty of interrogating dead subjects. She managed to get a hold of an antique Nova City Hunter, and she relies on its accuracy and firepower to keep any potential gun battle as short as possible. On her off-time, she goes home to Alcyone and plays guitar in an electroclassical orchestra.
For the past two years, Giangelo has worked with Lieutenant Kresko Papatheodoro, a technician and gadget-freak. They always maintain an open line on a microcommunicator.
Appearance:Captain Giangelo is an athletic woman of slightly taller than average height. She has dark blonde hair worn at shoulder length, and brown eyes. When not on assignment, she typically wears khaki pants and jersey, and an "Alcyone Two Three" holo-image T-shirt. She sometimes smirks without being aware of it, especially when talking with mechwarrior officers. This is most likely due to being fed so much B.S. during her unit investigations.
Lieutenant | Kresko Papatheodoro | ||
| BODY: 5(9+) | Skill Base: 9+ | Age: 26 | |
| DEX: 7(7+) | Skill Base: 8+ | Rank: REG | |
| LRN:11(3+) | Skill Base: 7+ | Affiliation: Davion | |
| CHA: 6(8+) | Skill Base: 9+ | Home Planet: Narellan | |
| PIB: +2 | Profession: Military Intelligence | ||
| HTK: 50 | - Federated Suns, MI-3 | ||
| Skill: | Level: | Roll: | |
| Surveillance | 6 | 1+ | |
| Computer | 3 | 4+ | |
| Engineering | 3 | 4+ | |
| Cryptography | 3 | 4+ | |
| Pistol | 2 | 6+ | |
| History/Architecture | 3 | 4+ | |
| Holo-sculpture | 1 | 6+ | |
| Inventory: | Contacts: | ||
| Mydron Auto-Pistol | Travel book | MI-3 | |
| - 1 reload | - for planet Kittery | Cpt. Opal Giangelo: partner | |
| 4 electronic bugs | Holosculpt pad | ||
| 2 receiver earplugs | - 12cm in diameter | ||
| 10 meters of conductive wire | - poor resolution | ||
| Holosculpt wand |
Special Notes: Lt. Papatheodoro works for the Federated Suns' MI-3,
Electronic Information Gathering. He has done surveillance on Spica,
where he uncovered two Capellan spies. For the past two years, MI-3
has "floated" Papatheodoro to MI-5, where he has assisted
Captain Giangelo in her black-market investigations. He assisted in
the Metetsa investigation.
NPC Notes: Lt. Papatheodoro is a Hasek loyalist with a strong interest in electronics. If he encounters an electrical system that he doesn't understand (like battlemech equipment), he will have the strong urge to disassemble the equipment to see how it works. He is not so good at putting things back together. Papatheodoro is fascinated by baroque architecture, especially that of the Star League and earlier eras. His job has given him the perfect opportunity to visit the few remaining ancient buildings left standing. He's also a novice holosculptor, having gotten into the hobby during a stay on the planet Galax, where holosculpting is the current craze. Papatheodoro has a highly distinctive Russian accent, indicative of his home planet, Narellan. He prefers to stay behind the scenes and observe, and he says very little when meeting people, in order to let them "give themselves away."
Appearance: Lt. Papatheodoro is man of average height, with dusty complexion. He keeps his dark brown hair at almost shoulder length, and usually wears a large black beret. He has very deep-set features, and his brown eyes are almost completely hidden in shadow. Papatheodoro usually wears civilian clothing. If he needs to, he pins a badge or holo-ID to his shirt for proof of his rank and office.
Lady | Nodja Aboughazi | ||
| BODY: 6(8+) | Skill Base: 9+ | Age: 35 | |
| DEX: 8(6+) | Skill Base: 8+ | Rank: VET | |
| LRN: 11(3+) | Skill Base: 7+ | Affiliation: Davion | |
| CHA: 12(2+) | Skill Base: 6+ | Home Planet: Cumberland | |
| PIB: +5 | Title: Baroness of Kaffkill, planet Cumberland | ||
| HTK: 60 | - Minister of Interstellar Expeditions | ||
| - Commander of FS Expeditionary Force | |||
| Skill: | Level: | Roll: | |
| Administration | 7 | 0+ | |
| Bureaucracy | 5 | 2+ | |
| Leadership | 4 | 2+ | |
| Diplomacy | 8 | (-2)+ | |
| Tactics | 2 | 5+ | |
| Pilot/Aerospace | 3 | 4+ | |
| Jumpship Navigation | 2 | 5+ | |
| Zero-G Operations | 4 | 4+ | |
| Cosmology | 2 | 5+ | |
| Bow/Blade | 4 | 4+ | |
| Pistol | 4 | 4+ | |
| Riding | 3 | 5+ | |
| Microgravity Sculpting | 2 | 6+ | |
| Poetry | 6 | 1+ | |
| Inventory: | Contacts: | ||
| Ancestral Long Sword | Special; see NPC notes | ||
| - bejeweled | |||
| - 1400 years old | |||
| Sunbeam Laser Pistol | |||
| - bejeweled | |||
| - Star League Era | |||
| Access to any standard equipment |
NPC Notes: Lady Aboughazi is currently the Minister of Interstellar Expeditions, a largely defunct branch of the Federated Suns government. A non-militaristic expedition into the Periphery hasn't occured since 2942 (at that time, there rumours of a Star League cache beyond Taurian space). Aboughazi maneuvered to obtain the Ministry when Hanse Davion became the ruler of the Federated Suns, in the hopes that his forward-thinking policies would make the Expeditionary Ministry a powerful office. Unfortunately, at the same time, her brother Reven made a power-play on Michael Hasek-Davion. Reven lost badly, and now the entire Aboughazi family is out of favor. Lady Aboughazi still holds on to the Ministry, but it is completely unfunded.
Lady Aboughazi realized that the only way back to the top of the pecking order is if she makes an amazing discovery, via the Expeditionary office. She has gone through the entire Expeditionary library, going through hand-scrawled treasure maps, tattered Star League star charts, and voice tapes of grizzled explorers. She has accumulated a number of possible leads on Star League depots, and has reopened all the unfinished cases. Now she just needs an expeditionary force. Currently, she is using her connections in the FS armed forces to look for possible candidates; people with a maverick streak, and the willingness to take big risks. She can't give out much equipment- basically, what the soldiers take with them is what they'll have. The reward? A share in the profits of whatever they find, and knighthood or baronet titles granted to them when they return.
On Contacts: "Contacts" is a tricky term for nobility. Just about everyone is plotting against everyone else. Relying on another noble is a dangerous thing. Nevertheless, as a Minister and a Baroness, Lady Aboughazi does have considerable pull, as well as a number of casual friends in high places (AFFS Generals, Corporate CEOs, and so on). She can have a military jumpship crew reassigned so that her men can restaff it, and then have it "mis-jump" out into the Periphery, for example.
Appearance: Lady Aboughazi is short, slightly stocky woman, of African and Hispanic descent. She has long black hair and amber eyes. Her presence is magnetic, and her stare almost hypnotic. When she enter a room, there's a sense that something is going to happen, and that she'll be in full control of it.
She typically wears a fur-lined heavy jacket over casual clothing, and sometimes even over her ministral robes, in order to combat the continual cold of New Syrtis (the location of her Minister's mansion and offices). After her brother's failed power-play, and eventual assassination, Lady Aboughazi keeps her stylized Sunbeam Laser Pistol on her at all times, although it is usually concealed in a quick-release pocket in her jacket.
Vargus the Knife | a.k.a. Mr. India a.k.a. Li Ping | ||
| BODY: 8(6+) | Skill Base: 8+ | Age: 23 | |
| DEX: 7(7+) | Skill Base: 8+ | Rank: VET | |
| LRN: 8(6+) | Skill Base: 8+ | Affiliation: None | |
| CHA: 9(5+) | Skill Base: 8+ | Home Planet: Saint Ives | |
| PIB: +1 | Profession: Merchant, Bootlegger | ||
| HTK: 80 | |||
| Skill: | Level: | Roll: | |
| Appraisal | 6 | 2+ | |
| Bribery | 6 | 2+ | |
| Forgery | 6 | 2+ | |
| Streetwise | 8 | 0+ | |
| Bow/Blade | 4 | 4+ | |
| Pistol | 1 | 7+ | |
| Rifle | 4 | 4+ | |
| Administration | 3 | 5+ | |
| Driver | 1 | 7+ | |
| Mechanical | 3 | 5+ | |
| Scrounge Parts | 4 | 4+ | |
| Inventory: | Contacts: | ||
| SMG, 2 reloads | Necklace, lots of charms | See NPC Notes | |
| Shotgun, 5 reloads | Forged Documents | ||
| Big Bowie Knife | - merchant permits for FS, CC, FWL | ||
| - permit to sell weapons in FS |
NPC Notes: Vargus has contacts with several freelance jumpship crews in Alcyone and neighboring PDZ's. Same with dropship crews. Vargus himself usually doesn't carry any stock; he functions as a middleman, procuring cargo transport for others. He seldom cares about the legality of the cargo itself. Vargus also has contacts with black marketeers across the Davion/Liao border, including some servicemen. Finally, he occasionally cooperates with Captain Giangelo, which has given him partial immunity to Davion Intelligence activities. So far, he has been subtle enough so that none in the underworld fully realize that he is a snitch.
In person, Vargus is very brusque and to-the-point. He wants to make any meeting as short as possible, and he never takes responsibility for any misundertandings. He keeps a very cool head in crisis situations, and is able to fast talk inspectors as he sits on a crate of, say, illegally obtained SRM ammo.
Appearance: Vargus the Knife is a pale man of average height and stocky build. He is covered with blue, green, and red tattoos, mostly just decorative lines. He has a rust red goatee and top knot, and pale blue eyes. He usually wears several cord necklaces, each with some obscure good luck charm hanging off of it. Vargus usually wears an oil-stained T-shirt and grey/black camoflauge pants. His left eyetooth and bicuspid are gold, which signals to other Alcyone underworlders that he is a bootlegger.