MOVIE-DERIVED CHARACTER ADAPTATIONS
BUCKAROO BANZAI
Val CHA Cost Roll Notes 15 STR 5 12- Lift 200 kg; 3d6 HTH Damage [3] 18 DEX 24 13- OCV: 6/DCV: 6 15 CON 10 12- 11 BODY 2 11- 30 INT 30 15- PER Roll 15- 21 EGO 24 13- ECV: 7 25 PRE 20 14- PRE Attack: 5d6 16 COM 3 12- 6 PD 3 Total: 6 PD (0 rPD) 5 ED 2 Total: 5 ED (0 rED) 4 SPD 12 Phases: 3, 6, 9, 12 6 REC 0 30 END 0 30 STUN 3 Total Characteristics Cost: 138 Movement: Running: 6"/12" Leaping: 3"/6" Swimming: 2"/4" Cost Powers & Skills Martial Art: Kenjutsu Maneuver OCV DCV Damage 4 Bind +1 +0 Bind, 25 STR 4 Block +2 +2 Block, Abort Notes: Also, Karate Block 4 Evade -- +5 Dodge, Affects All Attacks, Abort Notes: Also, Karate Dodge 4 Lightning Stroke +2 +0 Weapon +2 DC Strike 5 Running Stroke +1 +0 Weapon +v/5; FMove 5 Slashing Stroke -2 +1 Weapon +4 DC Strike Notes: Also, Karate Side/Spin Kick 0 Weapon Element: Blades Martial Art: Karate Maneuver OCV DCV Damage 4 Disarm -1 +1 Disarm; 25 STR to Disarm 3 Legsweep +2 -1 4d6 Strike, Target Falls 4 Punch/Snap Kick +0 +2 5d6 Strike 15 The Luck Of Heroes: Luck 3d6 Perks 11 Contact: President of the United States (Contact has access to major institutions, Contact has extremely useful Skills or resources, Contact has significant Contacts of his own, Good relationship with Contact) 14- 55 Blue Blazer Irregulars: Follower (1,024 x 25 base points) Notes: The Blue Blazer Irregulars number in the thousands, but BB has only paid for the ones who would actually be use and effective during a time of need. 30 Hong Kong Cavaliers: Follower (6 x 75 base points) Notes: Billy Travers, New Jersey, Pecos, Perfect Tommy, Rawhide, Reno 9 Fringe Benefit: Black Belt, Concealed Weapon Permit (where appropriate), Improved Equipment Availability Military equipment, Licensed Doctor 15 Money: Filthy Rich 9 Reputation: world famous physician/rock star, scientist/hero (worldwide) 14-, +3/+3d6 50 World Watch One: Base (250 points) Talents 3 Resistance: +3 to EGO Roll Skills 3 AK: The Far East 15- 3 Breakfall 13- 3 Combat Driving 13- 8 Computer Programming (Computer Networks, Hacking and Computer Security, Personal Computers, Mainframes and Supercomputers) 15- 3 Criminology 15- 3 Deduction 15- 3 Electronics 15- 3 Inventor 15- 3 Mechanics 15- 3 Paramedics 15- 3 Persuasion 14- 3 Riding 13- 3 Tactics 15- 2 TF: Common Motorized Ground Vehicles 5 WF: Common Melee Weapons, Small Arms, Lasso 3 Jack of All Trades 2 1) PS: Doctor 15- 2 2) PS: Musician 13- 2 3) PS: Race Car Driver 13- 2 4) PS: Singer 14- 3 Linguist 2 1) Language: Cantonese (completely fluent) 0 2) Language: English (idiomatic; literate) 3 3) Language: Japanese (idiomatic; literate) 2 4) Language: Mandarin (completely fluent) 2 5) Language: Vietnamese (completely fluent) 3 Scholar 2 1) KS: Asian Customs And Life Styles 15- 2 2) KS: Medicine 15- 2 3) KS: Music 15- 2 4) KS: Philosophy 15- 3 Scientist 2 1) SS: Brain Surgery 15- 2 2) SS: Electrical Engineering 15- 2 3) SS: Mechanical Engineering 15- 2 4) SS: Medicine 15- 2 5) SS: Overthruster Engineering 15- 2 6) SS: Particle Physics 15- 2 7) SS: Physics 15- 2 8) SS: Quantum Physics 15- 338 Total Powers & Skills Cost 476 Total Character Cost 200+ Disadvantages 15 DNPC: Penny Priddy 11- (Normal) 20 Hunted: Lord John Whorfin/Emilio Lizardo and the Red Lectroids 14- (As Pow, Harshly Punish) 25 Hunted: World Crime League 11- (Mo Pow, NCI, Harshly Punish) 20 Normal Characteristic Maxima 15 Psychological Limitation: Ascetic [denies himself pleasures and luxuries] (Common, Strong) 20 Psychological Limitation: Hunting Hanoi Xan [killer of his parents and wife] (Very Common, Strong) 15 Reputation: Helps The Helpless, 14- 15 Social Limitation: Public ID (Buckaroo Banzai) (Frequently, Major) 131 No Matter Where You Go, There You Are Bonus 476 Total Disadvantage Points
Background/History: Buckaroo Banzai was born to Masado Banzai and Sandra Willoughby in London in the winter of 1950. At the age of five, the young Buckaroo watched his parents die in a fiery jet car crash (engineered by the evil Hanoi Xan). He then spent his next nine years in Denver, attending school as well as learning how to ride, shoot, and use the lasso. From there he went on to college, including Merton Collage, Oxford, and Columbia P & S. While at Merton, he proposed to and married Peggy Simpson (who would eventually be killed by Hanoi Xan). Eventually, he would go on to found the Banzai Institute (at the age of 22). In many ways, Buckaroo is a modern Doc Savage, with skills and intellect far beyond the human norm.
Personality/Motivation: Buckaroo is a fairly stable person (mentally). His main hang up is that he is an ascetic, and has denied himself physical comfort and pleasure (in the novelization of the movie his quarters are described as "spartan"). On the other hand, Buckaroo is fairly driven to find and hunt down Hanoi Xan, the man who killed his parents and wife to be.
In turn, Buckaroo is hunted by the World Crime League (headed by Hanoi Xan), as well as Lord John Whorfin and his Red Lectroids. Whorfin desires revenge against Buckaroo for certain events that occurred when Whorfin and Banzai's father committed were involved in physics experiments back in the 1930's.
Penny Priddy is Buckaroo's current love interest. She bears an amazing resemblance to Buckaroo's slain fiancee (and, if memory serves is the woman's sister).
Quote: "No matter where you go... there you are."
Powers/Tactics: Although trained in kenjutsu and karate, Buckaroo's greatest weapon is his mind. He is a scientific genius, and has been (or is), a brain surgeon, race car driver, musician, and engineer of a number of interesting theoretical devices (like his Oscillation Overthruster). He has traveled extensively through the far East and is well versed with the cultures of Asia. He has studied medicine, and has carried on his parent's research in physics. Possibly his greatest invention is his "Oscillation Overthruster," which allowed him to drive a truck through a mountain (by pushing the truck into the Eighth Dimension!). On top of all that, Buckaroo is an accomplished musician.
Aside from his intellectual prowess, Buckaroo is well versed with the martial arts, and can handle most firearms comfortably. He is a well balanced person emotionally, and resists torture quite well. Buckaroo also has the vast resources of his base "World Watch One" to draw upon. This includes numerous labs, vehicles and a mobile bus/base/home. On top of that, Buckaroo has a number of allies to aid him in his adventures—the Hong Kong Cavaliers (Billy Travers, New Jersey, Pecos, Perfect Tommy, Rawhide, and Reno). The Cavaliers seem to be specialists of some sort or another (such as vehicle technician, computer hacker, medic, and so on), as well as musicians and bodyguards. Finally, he can call upon the services of his Blue Blaze Irregulars, a national (international?) group of fans who can be counted on to help him out as best they can.
Appearance: Buckaroo is of average height and weight, with black hair and a piercing, intense gaze. He is physically fit, and works out regularly, but isn't exceptionally muscled. Normally Buckaroo dresses in casual clothing.
Designer's Notes: Buckaroo Banzai is the character played by actor Peter Weller in the movie The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai: Across the Eighth Dimension. The film is delightfully strange, combining high-technology, alien invasions, and music. Although a commercial failure, the film still lives on as a "cult classic."
Publis from the HERO Message Boards writes:
Buckeroo's "oscillation overthruster" device was sighted as a "spectral analyzer" in Pen Pals, a 1987 Star Trek: The Next Generation episode. By the 24th century, the Oscillation Overthruster is still evading the minions of Lord Whorfin. Actually, the props and such for Next Gen have all sorts of BB references in them, like the Excelsior dedication "No matter where you go, there you are" (apparently, many of the folks behind-the-scenes worked on both projects).
While Teflon Billy states:
The wikipedia article on Buckaroo Banzai says the [Big Trouble in Little China] connection is an urban legend.
Buckaroo Banzai's Hero Designer File
(Buckaroo Banzai created by W.D. Richter and Earl Mac Rauch, character sheet created by Michael Surbrook. Additional material by Steve Kramer.)
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