Buck Rogers Native of Chicago, USA, Old Earth 10th level Terran rocketjock

Strength	17	Dexterity	18	Constitution	15
Intelligence	14	Wisdom	13	Charisma	16
Tech	10

AC 1 (smart suit+Dex), hp 55, THAC0 12 (inc. Dex)

Background:

Originally a top fighter pilot in the 20th Century, Buck is a man out of the past, catapultet by a strange sequence of events into his world's own future. In the year 1999, Colonel Anthony "Buck" Rogers volunteered to go into space in an attempt to shoot down an enemy battle sattelite, using a fighter plane modified for space travel and equipped with an experimental cryogenic life-suspension system developed by the brilliant and eccentric Dr. Faustus Huer.

During the battle, the cockpit of Buck's ship was ruptured and the vessel was blown out of orbit. As the cold of deep space began to close in, Huer's cryogenic device was automatically activated. Miraculously, it worked, and thanks to a set of unforeseen but fortunate circumstances, Buck was plunged into a deep state of suspended animation that allowed him to escape death for centuries. Considered lost in action, Buck Rogers became a legend among 20th-Century heroes and a source of inspiration for freedom fighters of the future.

After more than four hundred fifty years, Buck awakened to a very strange new world: an Earth controlled by Martian invaders and a solar system filled with strange, advanced technologies and odd, gene-twisted humans. Rescued by members of the New Earth Organization (a rebel band dedicated to breaking the tyranny of the Martian superpower, RAM), Buck quickly found himself the center of an epic conflict spanning the width and breadth of the entire solar system. Luckily, being Buck Rogers, he was equal to the job.

Description:

Buck stands over six feet tall, has sandy brown hair and a rangy, muscular frame. A simple, direct kind of guy, he has overwhelming confidence and optimism, a can-do mindset that runs completely counter to the self-centered, mercenary mentality of the 25th Century. Buck hates to see helpless or innocent people harmed, and just hearing about such injustices can provoke cold-blooded rage in the normally affable rocketjock. Buck's word also means a great deal to him - he never makes a promise he doesn't intend to keep, no matter what it takes. He is even-tempered and rarely gets mad, but when he does, watch out!

Buck also has a romantic streak, as a fighter pilot and now as a rocketjock, he's always been a ladies' man and has the charm to match his good looks. His main interest in the 25th Century is the lovely but hot-tempered Wilma Deering. A definite chemistry exists between them, made all the more interesting when the two are thrown together on some of NEO's toughest missions, but so far nothing serious has developed. Another romantic complication is in the beautiful (but lethal) form of Ardala Valmar, RAM heiress and part-time information broker.

All in all, Buck retains the American "right stuff" attitude that made him a top fighter ace back in his own day; this, and the legend that has grown up around him over the intervening years has made him an invaluable player on the stage of interplanetary politics. The stage is set for the right man to lead Earth out from under RAM's domination. Buck Rogers is that man.

Traits: Easygoing, smart, a bit cocky (comes with being a fighter jock); stands up for the little guy; honest and stubborn. Extensive knowledge of Earth military history. Loves to fly anything.

Locations: Chicagorg (his main home on Earth), Mars, deep space, and anywhere there's a fast ship.

Trademarks: A charismatic grin, blue NEO uniform with full military package, a rocket pistol in one hand and has an antiquated .45 caliber Colt in the other. Has no personal spacecraft at this time, but can fly anything.

Buck's gun:

Unique among the weaponry of the 25th Century, the .45 caliber pistol that survived through the centuries along with Buck is his most distinctive trademark - but he only shows it to those he intends to use it on. It has the same basic game characteristics (range, damage, ROF) as a rocket pistol, but Buck gets a +2 bonus to hit whenever he uses it. The bullets, being "only" bullets, are immune to the sorts of electronic defenses that can throw off a smart shell from a rocket pistol. The bad news is that bullets are in very short supply; he carries only 20 extra shells (in addition to the gun's full load of 6 shots) at any time, and can only get more when he's at one of the few NEO bases that has the facilities to manufacture them.