Val CHA Cost Roll Notes 10 STR 0 11- Lift 100 kg; 2d6 HTH Damage [2] 12 DEX 6 11- OCV: 4/DCV: 4 13 CON 6 12- 10 BODY 0 11- 15 INT 5 12- PER Roll 12- 12 EGO 4 11- ECV: 4 13 PRE 3 12- PRE Attack: 2 1/2d6 10 COM 0 11- 3 PD 1 Total: 3 PD (0 rPD) 3 ED 0 Total: 3 ED (0 rED) 3 SPD 8 Phases: 4, 8, 12 5 REC 0 26 END 0 22 STUN 0 Total Characteristics Cost: 33 Movement: Running: 6"/12" Leaping: 2"/4" Swimming: 2"/4" Cost Powers & Skills Perks 1 Fringe Benefit: License to practice Medicine Skills 3 Climbing 11- 3 KS: England 12- 2 KS: English History 11- 3 KS: Medicine 12- 2 KS: Philosophy 11- 2 Navigation (Marine) 12- 3 Paramedics 12- 3 TF: Large Wind-Powered Boats, Small Rowed Boats, Small Wind-Powered Boats 4 WF: Early Firearms, Blades, Polearms and Spears (Pike) 3 Jack of All Trades 1 1) PS: Play the Spinet 11- 1 2) PS: Rope-Making 11- 1 3) PS: Sailing 11- 1 4) PS: Ship's Captain 11- 1 5) PS: Shipwright 11- 2 6) PS: Surgeon 12- 3 Linguist 2 1) Language: Balnibarbi (completely fluent) 3 2) Language: Brobdingnag (completely fluent; literate) 3 3) Language: Dutch, High (completely fluent; literate) 3 4) Language: Dutch, Low (completely fluent; literate) 0 5) Language: English (idiomatic; literate) 3 6) Language: French (completely fluent; literate) 1 7) Language: Greek (Koine) (basic conversation) 2 8) Language: Houyhnhnm (completely fluent) 3 9) Language: Italian (completely fluent; literate) 3 10) Language: Laputian (completely fluent; literate) 3 11) Language: Latin (completely fluent; literate) 3 12) Language: Lilliputian (completely fluent; literate) 2 13) Language: Lingua Franca (completely fluent) 2 14) Language: Portuguese (completely fluent) 2 15) Language: Spanish (completely fluent) 3 Traveler 1 1) AK: Country of the Houyhnhnms 11- 1 2) AK: East Indies 11- 1 3) AK: Laputa And Surrounding Territories (Balnibarbi, Glubbdubdrib, Luggnagg) 11- 1 4) AK: Lilliput and Blefuscu 11- 1 5) AK: The Levant 11- 1 6) AK: West Indies 11- 1 7) CK: London 11- 1 8) CuK: Brobdingnagian 11- 1 9) CuK: Houyhnhnm 11- 1 10) CuK: Laputa And Surrounding Territories (Balnibarbi, Glubbdubdrib, Luggnagg) 11- 1 11) CuK: Lilliputian 11- Total Powers & Skill Cost: 88 Total Cost: 121 75+ Disadvantages 15 DNPC: Wife and Children 8- (Normal; Group DNPC: x2 DNPCs) 0 Normal Characteristic Maxima 15 Psychological Limitation: Love Of Country (Common, Strong) Notes: After returning from the country of the Houyhnhnms, this becomes "Despises All Humanity As Yahoos," and is elevated to Very Common, Strong. 15 Psychological Limitation: Strong Desire To See The World (Common, Strong) Notes: After returning from the country of the Houyhnhnms, this is removed and replaced with Distinctive Features: Acts Like A Houyhnhnm (in speech and mannerisms) and Reputation: misanthrope. 5 Unluck: 1d6 Total Disadvantage Points: 121
Background/History: Lemuel Gulliver was born in Nottinghamshire in approximately 1664, the third of five sons. He attended Emanuel College in Cambridge at the age of 14, and spent three years there before being apprenticed to James Bates, a London surgeon. After staying with Mr. Bates for four years, he went to Leyden, and “studied physic two years and seven months.”
Returning from Leyden, Gulliver became the surgeon for the Swallow, and remained with her for three and a half years, before finally settling down in London to set up his own practice. There he married Mary Burton and for a few years all went well. However, with the death of Mr. Bates, Gulliver’s fortunes waned, and he eventually went to sea, as ship’s surgeon on travels to the East and West Indies.
After six years of voyages, Gulliver returned home, moving to Wapping in an effort to gain the business of sailors. After three fruitless years, he then accepted an offer to be ship’s surgeon on the Antelope, setting sail May 4, 1699 at the age of 37.
This voyage is what kicks off Gulliver’s travels (from the novel of the same name). The Antelope is driven onto rocks and Gulliver is washed ashore on the land of Lilliput, where he is initially taken prisoner by the diminutive Lilliputians (who only stand 6” tall). He remains there for three years, becomes a favorite of the court, and even helps Lilliput in its war with the county of Blefuscu. However, he refuses to destroy the land of Blefuscu, which results in his being branded a traitor. Learning he is to be blinded for his actions, Gulliver escapes, eventually finding an abandoned rowboat, which enables him to leave Blefuscu and be picked up by a passing ship and returned him.
Soon after his return of Lilliput, Gulliver, who has a love of travel, goes to sea again, on the ship Adventure. The ship is forced off course and into the north Pacific, where the crew stop at an unknown island for fresh water. While there, Gulliver takes a walk along the beach, and is left behind when the rest of the crew flee to avoid a 60’ giant. Gulliver himself is captured by one of the Brobdingnagians, and is shown as a curiosity by a farmer. Later, he is brought to the court, and becomes a favorite of the Queen. He remains in Brobdingnag for three years, fights off an attack of giant (to him) wasps, is nearly drowned by a frog, and captured by a monkey. He even debates matter of the state with the King, who is less than impressed with how affairs are handled in Europe. He is only able to leave Brobdingnag when an eagle makes off with his “traveling box” (used to transport him about the county) and drops him into the ocean, where he’s found by a passing ship.
After scarcely two months at home, Gulliver takes ship on the Hopewell. Off the coast of India, his ship is taken by pirates, and he is marooned. Soon after he’s rescued by the flying island-city of Laputa. There he finds a society devoted to astronomy, mathematics, music, and new forms of technology, but apparently unable to make practical use of their knowledge. He then visits the surface, spending time in the lands of Balnibarbi, Glubbdubdrib, and Luggnagg. He witnesses first hand the results of blind scientific experimentation, discusses history and philosophy with the ghosts of ancient rules, meets the struldburgs, immortal beings who age as normal people, but never die. Eventually, he takes ship to Japan, and from there returns home on a Dutch trader. Having been gone for nearly four years, Gulliver swears off travel.
Now aged 47, Gulliver spends a mere five months in England before taking to sea again, this time as the captain of the Adventure (apparently a different ship then the one who took him to Brobdingnag). This voyage, like the three preceding it, ends in disaster when the crew mutinies, imprisons him in his cabin, then abandons him on a large island somewhere in the Indian ocean. Gulliver soon discovers a loathsome human-like creature known as a Yahoo, and is later captured by the Houyhnhnms, a race of intelligent, tool-using horses. He spends nearly five years in the land of the Houyhnhnms, which he discovers to be peaceful, orderly, and virtually perfect in its use of reason in solving problems. However, his own resemblance to a Yahoo is too much for the Houyhnhnms, and they eventually vote to exile him from their land. Distraught, he repairs the boat he was abandoned with and sails away, where he’s picked up by a Portuguese sea captain. When he returns home, Gulliver finds he’s repulsed by the sight, sound, and smell of his fellow men, finding them to be no better than the Yahoos. Eventually, he tolerates his wife enough to allow her to speak with him, but prefers to spend most of his time in the stables, speaking to the horses and the stable boy.
Personality/Motivation: For the most part, Gulliver has a strong desire to travel, coupled with a great love of country. He discusses the history and government of England and Europe with several people during his travels, and until he encounters the Houyhnhnms tend to feel his country is the superior one (although his time among the Brobdingnagians throws some doubts on that). After leaving the land of the Houyhnhnms, Gulliver has become a total misanthrope, having found the bulk of humanity to be loud, smelly, irrational, petty, and utterly vile creatures with none of the noble qualities of the horse. It’s also possible he’s utterly insane by this point.
Quote: “Yahoo as I am, it is well known through all of Houyhnhnmland, that, by the instructions and example of my illustrious master, I was able in the compass of two years (although I confess with the utmost difficulty) to remove that infernal habit of lying, shuffling, deceiving, and equivocating, so deeply rooted in the very souls of all my species; especially the Europeans.”
Powers/Tactics: Gulliver seems to be a fairly normal individual, notable mainly for his memory and skill with languages. He’s also a trained doctor, experienced seaman, and knowledgeable in the use of the sword, pike, and firearms. Although capable of defending himself with blade or pistol, Gulliver prefers to talk, almost never instigating violence.
Appearance: Gulliver never describes himself in the course of his Travels, although one presumes he’s a fairly fit and healthy individual over average height for his time. He wears dress typical of an early 18th Century Englishman, consisting of breeches, shirt, vest (waistcoat), and frock coat. If possible, he’ll arm himself with a flintlock pistol and sword.
Designer's Notes: Gulliver’s Travel is a satire of England and the rest of the Europe. The foreign lands he travels to represent different aspects of England (mostly), and serve to allow Jonathan Swift to comment on the current state of society. It also allows Swift to present certain themes common to his works, such as the differences between ancient and modern thinking, the purity of language and thought, the nature of man, and so on. Gulliver himself goes from a happy optimist to a self-loathing misanthrope in the course of the story.
(Lemuel Gulliver created by Jonathan Swift, character sheet created by Michael Surbrook)
Lemuel Gulliver's Hero Designer File
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