Nico Orr, human Smuggler (rogue)

Nico Orr

Human (core) pirate, assassin and smuggler of the Black Sun Cartel

Rogue 3
Faction: Black Sun Cartel
Prof: +2

Attributes:
Str: 10
Dex: 18
Con: 10
Int: 15
Wis: 14
Cha: 16

Saving Throws:
Dex +6
Int +4

Skills: +2 proficiency bonus
Athletics (pirate)
Perception (pirate)
*Stealth (faction)
*Deception (faction)
Acrobatics
Insight
Investigation
Persuasion

*Expertise = double bonus

Tools:
Thieves tools
Poisoner kit
Disguise kit
Mechanic kit
Vehicles (ground)
Vehicles (space)

Ba d R e p u t a t io n
If your character has a sailor background, you may select this
background feature instead of Ship’s Passage.
No matter where you go, people are afraid of you due to
your reputation. When you are in a civilized settlement, you
can get away with minor criminal offenses, such as refusing
to pay for food at a tavern or breaking down doors at a local
shop, since most people will not report your activity to the
authorities.

A s s a s s in a t e
Starting at 3rd level, you are at your deadliest when you
get the drop on your enemies. You have advantage on
attack rolls against any creature that hasn’t taken a turn
in the combat yet. In addition, any hit you score against
a creature that is surprised is a critical hit.

Weapons:
pistol +6 2d6+4  range 4\120 (50 shots)
Vibro Blade +6 1d4+4
Rapier +6 1d6+4

AC:  17
Undercover Vest +3, DR\2 ballistic

Feat:


P r o f i c ie n c ie s
Armor: Light armor
Weapons: Simple weapons, pistols (hand crossbows),
longswords, rapiers, shortswords




E q u i p m e n t
Magnetic boots - spider climb
Undercover Vest
Pistol
concealed carry holster
4 extra clips (15)
2  daggers
Rapier
Thieves tool
Mechanical tools
Forgery kit
Disguise kit
Poisoner kit
Urban overcoat
datapad
4 chem light sticks
150' polyfiber rope
Night Vision Goggles
caltrops



E x p e r t i s e
At 1st level, choose two o f your skill proficiencies, or
one o f your skill proficiencies and your proficiency with
thieves’ tools. Your proficiency bonus is doubled for any
ability check you make that uses either o f the chosen
proficiencies.
At 6th level, you can choose two more o f your
proficiencies (in skills or with thieves’ tools) to gain
this benefit.
S n e a k A t t a c k
Beginning at 1st level, you know how to strike subtly
and exploit a foe’s distraction. Once per turn, you can
deal an extra 1d6 damage to one creature you hit with
an attack if you have advantage on the attack roll. The
attack must use a finesse or a ranged w eapon.
You don’t need advantage on the attack roll if another
enemy o f the target is within 5 feet o f it, that enemy
isn’t incapacitated, and you don’t have disadvantage on
the attack roll.
The amount o f the extra damage increases as you
gain levels in this class, as shown in the Sneak Attack
column o f the Rogue table.
T h i e v e s ’ C a n t
During your rogue training you learned thieves’ cant, a
secret mix o f dialect, jargon, and code that allows you to
hide messages in seemingly normal conversation. Only
another creature that knows thieves’ cant understands
such messages. It takes four times longer to convey such
a message than it does to speak the same idea plainly.
In addition, you understand a set o f secret signs and
symbols used to convey short, simple messages, such
as whether an area is dangerous or the territory o f a
thieves’ guild, whether loot is nearby, or whether thepeople in an area are easy marks or w ill provide a safe
house for thieves on the run.

C u n n i n g A c t i o n
Starting at 2nd level, your quick thinking and agility
allow you to move and act quickly. You can take a
bonus action on each o f your turns in combat. This
action can b e used only to take the Dash, Disengage,
or Hide action.

ok, I will try to roll for it too, I haven't done that in years, lol

Result of the throw of dice "1d6" :

5

Result of the throw of dice "1d6" :

2

Result of the throw of dice "3d6" :

2 + 1 + 6 = 9

Result of the throw of dice "3d6" :

6 + 5 + 4 = 15

Result of the throw of dice "3d6" :

5 + 3 + 1 = 9

Result of the throw of dice "3d6" :

6 + 2 + 5 = 13

so that's a 17, 14, 9, 15, 9, 13 before modifiers

Nico was born is the old French quarter of Neuvo Orleans.  He grew up on the streets, speaking a mish-mash of Spanish, Chinese, English, tech-slang, what-have-you.  Life was hard and the easiest way to some good chum or a quick Yen was to take it from a Jiāngshī.  Jiāngshī were always wired and barely in the real world.  They never noticed if you lifted a few credsticks and definitely wanted no part of hijačka.

Nico wasn't much of a brawler, but he was quick of mind and slick of tongue.  And he had a mean streak for those that caused him shang.  They were always so surprised to find a pugnale in their back.  Nico's reputation on the streets earned him a place in the Black Sun Cartel.

In the BSC Nico found a way out of the grottos of NO.  Nico bounced from sprawl to city and has even found his way offworld a few times.  Nico has been looking for an opportunity to get his own starship.  The work might remain the same - smuggling, killing, stealing - but he would have a mobile place to call home.

Nico has a trusted contact within the BSC named Emmanuel de Roushard.  Manny is another street kid from the NO sprawl.  He was a bit older and probably wiser than Nico.  Manny has his own ship, which is where Nico got the idea.  Nico has served on Manny's ship in the past.  Manny is a good source for moving goods and for news from offworld.  Nico helps Manny unload his goods locally, deal with local trouble and provides good for export.

Black Sun Cartel is primarily an offworld smuggling ring.  They have safe-houses on most settlements\planets (not sure how you are doing offworld).  They don't have 1 physical base of operations, but they keep their assets mobile.  They are more like a cartel of pirates and smugglers, not a corporate or political presence.

Okay, it's a good start. I'm puzzled by how you gained proficiency in so many tools?

You picked Sailor background, right? Refluffed as a pirate, that's cool.

No one begins with Futuristic Items. Modern Items are fine, but have a listed cost and should be switched out for something of similar value or comparable. Futuristic items are available within the setting, but limited to military use or possibly corporate black ops. You character may find a blaster eventually, but he doesn't start with one.

Also, where did you get stats on a vibroknife? In D20 Future? Try sticking to the PHB, at least at first, then we can DM-player barter other items on a case-by-case basis.

One easy example: your guy could use a shortsword or dagger and call it a vibroknife, sonic sword, or whatever. Or, if you were playing a Warlock, you could refluff your at-will eldritch blast as a cybernetic blaster. Just some ideas...

But yeah, I would prefer you guys used equipment listed in the PHB first, and then we can dialog about additional items. Your background and class grants you starting equipment, or you can forgo those options and just use (max) starting wealth. Starting wealth is listed in the beginning of the equipment chapter.


*Also, please describe one trusted contact that Nico has inside his faction. The Black Sun Cartel sounds fine. Where is it's base of operations? It's an off-world smuggling ring, correct?

ok, sorry, I didn't understand how you were seeing the equipment.  I will swap out for regular guns and knives.  I just figured that in the future, futuristic equipment would be modern for that time period.  

Let me double check his tools, but off the top of my head

rogue = thieves tools
faction = mechanical
sailor = vehicles + vehicles (subbed out navigation)
assassin = disguise + poisonner

forgery.... hmmm.... I know I got that somewhere too, maybe from Charltan and I forgot to erase it when I changed to Sailor\pirate??

I added Nico's contact to his bio and info about BSC

Great crunch on the skills! Expertise is nice too.

Vehicle proficiencies we are using: sea, ground, air (hover), and space. I think beasts would be covered under animal handle.

*There's vehicles in etherscope too, but they function similarly to regular vehicles, only adapted to the ether's low gravity and deadly conditions.


Does Nico still have an apartment, or at least a safehouse, in the French Quarter?

There was a major shake-up in the Cartel last year and Nico was assigned new duties. He was effectively grounded on Earth. Don Mufasa is his current boss, the head of the Cartel's interest in Neuvo Orleans. The space port in NO is an important hub in the Cartel's network.

This morning, Nico received a hologram message. While interplanetary messages can be digitally encoded, they are transmitted as analog signals across radio waves. It can take days to weeks to chat across planets, depending on distance and interference.

"Good morning Nico," blinked the hologram of Manny. "How's it been going since last you messaged? Business on my end continues to expand. We could certainly use more skilled hands on board. The Pluto terraforming project and mining operations has business booming for us.  I expect to be back on Earth in one Solar Week. If you still want to come back into space, I'll talk to Don Mufasa for you. Let me know your decision."


Don Mufasa is not known to easily give up on his most effective assassins.

Sure, if Nico has been grounded to NO, then he would have as nice a place as he can afford.  Nice neighborhoods drawn less heat from the Lonestars.  

Nico goes for a walk under the Spanish Moss of Parque de la Ciudad to contemplate Manny's message.  




Manny knows I want to get offworld......  But he also knows Mufasa won't just let me walk away.... what's his game here?  Nico is still sour about getting grounded after the Nèizhàn Guerra (turf war).  I was just doing what my captain commanded.... that is the way it always was - be loyal to your compagni.  A captain was a free man.  Now.... this!  This territorial nonsense.

Nico pauses to enjoy the thick air.  It smells of the mare here.  Pungent fish is better than rotting filth.

Nico closes his eyes and tries to remember what it feels like to be weightless.  For a moment he could almost feel his stomach lift.... but then the humidity reminded him of where he stood.  Nico opens his eyes with a renewed determination.  I will captain my own starship.

Nico returns to his flat and replies to Manny, I am feeling the heat here, Pluto sounds nice this time of year.  Manny will understand.

The rest of the day goes by uneventfully.

The next morning, Nico receives a text with Don Musafa's sigil. He is wanted at the Don's office, for a meeting at noon.

I've got a bad feeling about this....

Nico will head to the Don's office with plenty of time to spare, don't keep the Don waiting.  The Don only calls for business.  Nico will pack all his tools and be ready for work

Nico hails a hover taxi and heads over to Don Mufasa's stronghold in the city center.

" />

When he arrives, Nico is ushered in by soldiers dressed in classic Hollywood 1930's mafia garb. "The Don is expecting you," says the receptionist. She gestures for him to sit and wait.

At 12:00 sharp, the doors to the don's office open up and she gestures for Nico to enter. Once inside, Nico finds the don seated and looking somber.

" />

"Welcome Nico. Have a seat. I trust you have been enjoying your tenure in my employ?"  Not waiting for a response, he continues, "You have served me admirably and have been adequately compensated for your efforts. But it is no secret that you'd rather be working for the Spacers. I don't understand your interest about those dirty folk, but it's your deal. I have more jobs for you. Continue to serve me well, and we can discuss your reassignment."

He pushes some buttons on his remote and a hologram appears in front of his desk. It's the figure of a woman.

" />

"Her name is Catwalk. She has accessed some data that we don't want getting out. She's a VR junkie, so your best bet is to track her on Etherscope: Delta 5. She's a regular at the Temple of Zuul. As an avatar, she can be tricky to get at. Use this." He gestures and a beautiful woman, one of his personal assistants (and probably an android), steps out of the shadow. She hands Nico a data card, then retreats back into the shadows.

"It's a virus program and functions like poison inside the Matrix. Administered orally, so put it in her drink, or something. I trust you know the deal. Finish this job, and we can discuss your future."

Pompous windbag....  This is exactly what's frakked with the Cartel right now.  Bunch of Corpers!  We should be a cartel of privateers, not fat cats with robo-babes    

Nico palms the data chip which disappears quickly into a hidden sleeve pocket.  "I am your hand, Don Mufasa."  


Too bad.... this Catwalk looks like my kind of scum - independent, fearless and inventive.  Drek it, if killing her gets me offworld and away from this Bancho, then she must die

Nico will bow and wait to be dismissed

"I want this buttoned up quickly. No mess," says Don Musafa. He dismisses Nico with a glance to the doors that open suddenly.


Now it's up to you how and when you wish to complete the assignment.

VR Junkies.... digital assassinations.... deth and drek!  This is why I want to get offworld.  Too many wireheads on Earth.  Chummers have forgotten the real world.  Frak Mufasa, he knows I hate this kind of work....

Nico grumbles to himself as he makes his way to the old French Quarter



Nico heads to his favorite underground cybercafe, the kind of dive where perverts go for VR prostitution.  The kind of dive that knows enough to route its servers through 4-5 foreign countries and ensure their patrons a clean connection.

Nico jacks in.... I hate this part



OK, GM - I am still not sure how you are doing skills, but I am going to give it a shot!

Nico wants to mask his avatar and leave a false trail

Deception + Forgery, +3 CHA, +2 Forgery Kit +2 prof in Deception x2 for expertise = +8

Roll(1d20)+8:
8,+8
Total:16

Nico will appear as a fan-boy of hackers and the VR culture



Nico will run a basic search (like google today) for Catwalk - searching for any news articles, pictures (that match the holo he saw in Mufasa's office), images of her Avatar(s) and any real world information (name, address, etc).

Investigation +2 INT +2 prof = +4

Roll(1d20)+4:
17,+4
Total:21

Nico's avatar flips through web articles, paparazzi photos, hacker blogs, VR forums, Temple of Zuul.......

Tools Proficiencies don't stack with Skills. Tools can be used with a few different ability scores, but Skills are always tied to one particular ability. In this case, a Deception check works for "covering your trail." It is a cool idea to implement the Forgery Kit in this situation though.


*I was thinking that in the case of Avatars, people who "jack in" choose to look like whatever they want, but stay the same basic size. Everyone who is "jacked in" has code (like in the Matrix). Some people just choose to look like themselves in the real world, but if they want to keep a certain facade going, especially in the face of scrutiny, it takes a Disguise Kit check.

People in Etherscope can read each other's code, just like in the movie The Matrix. So if you want to read someone's code, you can do so with an Insight Check. A Disguise kit in the VR world is like programming yourself to make the code more difficult to read.

So Nico can look like a Fanboy if he wants too!

Investigation check yields a series of surveilance videos from inside the Matrix. Thanks to facial recognition software, they feature Catwalk going through the streets at various times. She is seen to often be looking around as if she thinks she's being watched or followed.

The most recent video is from one hour ago. It shows her talking to the bouncers at the back door of the Temple of Zuul. Then she enters.

Ok, that makes sense for Tools vs Skills.

I understand your idea of using Disguise now in the Matrix (ugh, needed to know that sooner, lol).

I was thinking of using Forgery to create an actual new (temporary) 'code' for Nico, not just masking his real code. It would be a disposable code, like a 1 time use kind of thing. Since the humans in the Matrix were permanently 'jacked in' (in the beginning) I could see that a Forgery would be impossible, since they were part of the Matrix. But we are really more like the characters after they take the pill, we are free from the Matrix, but can jack in.

It would sort of be like using someone else's urine for a piss test. When Nico jacks in, his code might show up as an 83 year old woman (who can use any avatar she wants). Think of it as something that goes in between the headjack and the datacord, like an extra device (tool) that transmits the Forged code, in place of the datacord reading Nico's real code from his headjack.

It is kind of like using a 'burner' cell phone\text msg account today. It doesn't actually go back to any real source, just some random company in Canada, like Textnow.com, that sells email\phone\text #s for 30 days. All you need is a name (it doesn't have to be your real name) and a credit card (use a walmart prepaid card, so no name) and you can set up a temporary email\phone\text account, registered to (any) name.

Okay, I can see Forgery kit (program) used in this manner. It's kind of like drafting fake ID papers. Let's say it raises the DC of someone else's Insight check, depending on how well your roll your Forgery check.

Give me a check: Forgery + Int

ok, Nico Prime is ready to roll out



Result of the throw of dice "1d20 +4" :

6 + 4 = 10

(lol)

Nico Prime will head to the Temple of Zuul and the backdoor he saw on the vidcap

In Tweek's special reserve private back room of the cybercafe, Nico jacks in. He gets a high quality connection to the Matrix. The assassin arrives in a phone booth on sector Delta 5, the VR version of New York City of the future.


Let's continue these events in the 1: A Tangled Web thread...

Chris, just a reminder; Nico's story moved to a new thread at 1.2: The West Door.