Dmitri Lebedev, ex-KGB

[passengerpigeon]

Concept: ex-KGB agent turned security guard

Character Name: Dmitri Petrovich Lebedev
Oilco Security Guard, Vladivostok Branch (Special Assignments)

Many people live in Vladivostok only because they cannot afford to leave. Dmitri's father and mother were two of these, and if he hadn't gotten a scholarship to take him to Moscow, Dmitri would've been as well. His solid, though unexceptional, academic career led him directly to the doors of the KGB, where he presided as a field agent over the declining years of the Soviet Union, and was locked in a closet for 72 hours during an internal power struggle at the Russian embassy in North Korea. As the service slowly disintegrated along with the rest of the USSR, Dmitri left quietly and headed home to take the best job he could get -- security guard for a newly arrived multinational oil company, which quickly became enamored of his professionalism, dedication and accuracy and began tapping him for whatever "special assignments" came up in a city as bizarre as Vladivostok.

Lifepaths: City Born -> Student -> Secret Police (like Freebooter, but with an extra trait) -> Security Guard (City Guard)

Age: 27

Stats: Pe: B5 Wi: B3 Ag: B5 Sp: B5 Po: B3 Fo: B3

Attributes: Ci: B1 Ste: B7 He: B3 MW: B9 Hesitation: 7 Resources: B1

PTGS: Su: B2 Li: B4 Mi: B6 Se: B7 Tr: B8 Mo: B9

Skills: Literacy B2, Intimidation B3, Rifle B5, Law B2, Korean B2, English B2, Extortionwise B2, Pistol B3, Inconspicuous B2, Citywise B3, Streetwise B3, Anatomy B3, Haggling B3, Driving B2, Brawling B3

Gear: Clothes and shoes, company-owned apartment, Kalashnikov, sidearm, broke-down car

Association: Oilco security guard, 1D

Relationships: His invalid mother, Katrina Alexandrovna; his estranged KGB-hating cousin, Victor Ivanovich; Cho Dae-Min, a girl he became entangled with while in North Korea, who has come to Vladivostok unexpectedly this year as part of a diplomatic outreach program


Traits: Cold-Blooded, Eye of the Hunter, Claustrophobic

Beliefs:
- I serve Russia first, then Vladivostok, then Oilco.
- We must work within the system if we truly wish to expunge Russia of its corruption.
- I have to help and protect those who depend on me.

Instincts:
- Always have my pistol on me/under my pillow.
- Always check for surveillance.
- Always be prepared for bad weather.

(thanks to http://vn.vladnews.ru/ for background and Under a Serpent Sun for gun stats and modern skills)

--p

[luke]

Um.


Cool!
:shock:

[Fourth Horseman]

A couple of questions and observations. Are you going for a commando type or a spy type?

I'd pick one direction and go with it--if you're looking for a traditional spy type, and that's what it looks like from the backstory, I'd tone down the combat skills and throw in some more wises and social skills. Why anatomy? Why not falsehood, persuasion, soothing platitudes? Your wises are repetitive, why not lose one for a foreign service wise?

Now, if your going for a legbreaker--why not alter the backstory a little and pick up some military lifepaths? Pump up those pistol and brawling skills and pad him out with all the extras like a martial art, throwing, stealth, and sniping.

[stormsweeper]

Did you spend skill points on those languages? I'd say those fall under "appropriate starting langauges" as detailed on p.38 of the CB. They'd still be B2, but you would have 2 more points to spend elsewhere.

Why B5 Per and B3 Wil? Why not B4 in both?

[passengerpigeon]

A couple of questions and observations. Are you going for a commando type or a spy type?

The problem is, he isn't really either. If the Soviet Union hadn't collapsed when it did, he would probably have developed into a decent spy (although he just isn't very social), but as it is, all he has is the remnants of police training from an organization more devoted to exploitation and terror than actual peacekeeping. His Secret Police lifepath represents both his time working for the KGB before his foreign assignment and his brief tenure in Korea.

Part of the reason I posted him was to show off what the system is capable of without really tweaking anything (well, I got one tweaked lead, but the extra trait point is really just because I miscounted and the GM said whatever). Just look at the LPs, say "what looks most like the KGB to me?" and burn it. It helps to take LPs with Appropriate Weapons, of course. I agree that I'd rather have a few other wises, but I only took the ones that appeared on the Freebooter LP.

Also, on a mechanical note, from my playtime with this character I've formed the opinion that in the modern era, decent Reflexes and a good Rifle skill are all you really need to deal with combat, except if you get surprised (then you're screwed just like always) or someone gets inside you. The AK-47 is the new spear.

stormsweeper: p. 38 CB says "Appropriate starting languages are free: take the character's native tongue(s) equal to his Perception exponent." I didn't feel comfortable claiming English and Korean as native tongues.

Statistically, I took B5 Per to get B5 Reflexes. Character-wise, he's just not very social, and has spent his whole life following orders from people he doesn't much want to listen to, and on the other hand he was smart enough to get into college, and sharp enough to be a police officer/spy.

--p

[stormsweeper]

stormsweeper: p. 38 CB says "Appropriate starting languages are free: take the character's native tongue(s) equal to his Perception exponent." I didn't feel comfortable claiming English and Korean as native tongues.

The next sentence: "Take any secondary tongues at half Perception." :D

[passengerpigeon]

The next sentence: "Take any secondary tongues at half Perception." :D

I'm stupid.

--p