Val CHA Cost Roll Notes 10 STR 0 11- Lift 100 kg; 2d6 HTH Damage [2] 11 DEX 3 11- OCV: 4/DCV: 4 14 CON 16 12- 11 BODY 4 11- 10 INT 0 11- PER Roll 11- 12 EGO 4 11- ECV: 4 11 PRE 1 11- PRE Attack: 2d6 10 COM 0 11- 3 PD 1 Total: 3 PD (0 rPD) 3 ED 0 Total: 3 ED (0 rED) 2 SPD 0 Phases: 6, 12 5 REC 0 28 END 0 25 STUN 2 Total Characteristic Cost: 31 Movement: Running: 6"/12" Leaping: 2"/4" Swimming: 2"/4" Cost Powers & Skills Skills 2 AK: Western Territories 11- 3 Animal Handler (Bovines, Equines) 11- 3 Conversation 11- 2 Gambling (Poker) 11- 2 KS: Famous People of the Old West 11- 2 KS: History and Lore of the Old West 11- 0 Language: English (idiomatic) 1 Language: Local Native American dialect (basic conversation) 1 Language: Spanish (basic conversation) 2 Navigation (Land) 11- 5 Riding 12- 4 Survival (Temperate/Subtropical, Desert) 11- 1 TF: Carts & Carriages, Equines 3 Tracking 11- 3 Trading 11- 5 WF: Small Arms, Blades, Thrown Chain & Rope Weapons, Thrown Knives, Axes, and Darts 3 Jack of All Trades 1 1) PS: Cook 11- 1 2) PS: Cowhand 11- 1 3) PS: Deputy Sheriff 11- 1 4) PS: Farmer 11- 1 5) PS: Guide 11- 1 6) PS: Hunter 11- 1 7) PS: Prospector 11- 1 8) PS: Soldier 11- 1 9) PS: Wagon Driver 11- 51 Total Powers & Skills Cost 82 Total Character Cost 50+ Disadvantages 10 Age: 60+ 5 Distinctive Features: Colorful Western Clothing and Accent (Concealable; Noticed and Recognizable; Detectable By Commonly-Used Senses; Not Distinctive In Some Cultures) 0 Normal Characteristic Maxima 15 Psychological Limitation: Code of the West (Common, Strong) 15 Psychological Limitation: Talkative (Very Common, Moderate) 5 Reputation: Annoying Old Coot (to people under twenty), 8- 100 Total Disadvantage Points
Background/History: No one, including Saul himself, knows exactly how old "Salty" Flatts is. His earliest memories are of heading west with his family to a new homestead sometime before he was out of short britches. As he grew to manhood, Salty acquired his nickname and a restless spirit. He left school after the fourth grade and started taking odd jobs, wandering from town to town as the whim took him. Over the decades, Salty has met many of the famous people of the Old West, (though exactly which ones are in dispute) and visited nearly every sizable settlement west of the Mississippi.
Nowadays, he's slowed down somewhat, and spends much of his time spinning tall tales of his many youthful exploits to anyone who will listen, or at least can't get away fast enough.
Personality/Motivation: Salty is a garrulous old man who enjoys the wide open spaces and long rides. He doesn't much cotton to the new-fangled machines of the modern age, and thinks the young women are far too uppity for their own good. But he is well-meaning at heart, and a stout companion in time of need.
Salty wants to spend his few remaining years as independently as possible, so is always on the outlook for a paying job that won't tie him down too long.
Quotes: "Consarn it! I thought them sidewinders looked kinda pee-kul-yar. Reckon we can cut them off at the pass?"
Salty tends not to have his store-bought teeth in except to eat, which gives him a distinctive manner of speech above and beyond his use of Western lingo.
Powers/Tactics: Salty is getting up in years, but is a tough old coot who has a wide range of job experience. He'll normally carry a six-shooter or a hunting rifle where he's allowed to, but can fight with a bowie knife or even his whittling knife if he has to. He's also able to use a lasso to good effect, even if he's never really developed the skill for trick roping.
He's no coward, but Salty didn't live to an advanced age by being too reckless either. He'll take full advantage of available cover, and doesn't challenge gunslingers openly.
Campaign Use: Salty is based on various characters played by George "Gabby" Hayes, and represents the "old but useful coot" archetype. In a Pulp campaign, his primary function is as a support character, lending skills to the player characters that they might not have covered, or using his local expertise to guide visitors. He makes a good sidekick for more combat-oriented cowboys, able to provide comic relief with his yammering without being incompetent.
Salty won't Hunt PCs except as part of a posse. If he needs to be more powerful, give him Skill Levels with guns. You'll note that he has a number of unspent points; the GM should customize these to the profession Salty will be pursuing in the campaign.
Plot Seeds:
"Inheritance": Salty never settled down with a woman, but he romanced a few when he was young. A long-delayed letter has now notified Salty that he has a pretty young granddaughter, and Salty went back East to look her up. Unfortunately, she's disappeared somewhere in the big city. Can the PCs help him locate little Emmeline, given that the photograph Salty has is ten years old?
"Eureka!": Salty has been out prospecting, and found what looks like a rich strike of (appropriate mineral) well into the hills. But unscrupulous men have overheard his boasting, and are after the map. This calls for some brave player characters to help out.
Appearance: Salty is a bit on the short and scrawny side, with gray hair (bald on top) and full beard. His face is wizened and leathery from decades of exposure to sun and wind, and his posture is a bit stooped. Saul wears Western garb, including a black cowboy hat, everywhere he goes, regardless of the local customs. (He will, however, wear freshly pressed clothes if it's a formal occasion.)
(Saul Flatts created by George "Gabby" Hayes, character sheet created by Scott Jamison)
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