SWADE.SF.Bughunters

Based on the TSR setting Bughunters, these rules are a converion of the favor of that game to the Savage Worlds Adenture Edition (SWADE) with ideas and updates from the Science Fiction Companion (SFC).

BRIEF HISTORY OF EARTH 2198

Captain Harley set the ship down in the middle of the colony's main street. Somehow he managed not to land on any of the bodies.

I grabbed my medkit and checked my pistol. West was still vainly trying to raise someone on the radio.

"Give it up, Stanley," Clinton said as she hefted an assault rifle and popped the hatch.

Muggy air invaded the cabin. It bore green odors of the surrounding jungle and an undertone of nearer decay. Clinton wrinkled her nose, muttered an oath, and hopped out. She crossed the street to the chewed remains of a colonist. A shadow slid toward her.

"Look out!" I cried. Too late—a thing like a monkey mated with a wasp dropped from the sky and bore her to the ground. She went rigid when it stung her in the throat.

Cursing, I took careful aim with my pistol...

Mankind discoved safe interstellar travel in the late 21st century but finds the average human can't handle the physical stress outside of a stasis chamber. Synthetic humans (synths or synners) are cloned from paid average citizens, enhanced and sent out to protect human interests as they settle the cosmos. Along the way they have encounter hostile aliens.

Synners are "born" with all the memories of their hosts, given enhanced attributes, denser skeletons, plastic reinforced organ protection and preprogrammed skills. Only created to serve the United Terran Reconnaissance and Peacekeeping Force (UTRPF or utter-puff) spawning a human rights movement for them back home on Earth a place they themselves are forbidden from ever setting foot on.

They are slaves and heroes, envied and looked up, abused and entrusted with the future of the human race. PCs explore new worlds, pacify (ala exterminate all hostile life forms) them for colonization, perform SAR missions and combat hostiles.

Bughunters are understandably fatalistic. They don’t have much to look forward to in life except another dangerous mission to another dangerous rock to tangle with another dangerous alien life form. Their real reward isn’t their paycheck but the gratitude of the colonists whose lives they save.

SETTING RULES

Savage Worlds Adventure Edition -Setting Rules (pg. -145)

Gritty Wounds:

Wound Cap: a wound causes a max of 4 wounds each.

Wealth: as characters are in the military that provide their basic gear and 'owning' certain items is not allowed the basic Wealth die of a d6 and used for personal items like cloths or maybe a conputure (not weapons). Generally cannot have Proverty or Rich edges in the game but some origins have bonuses.

Also

Arcane Background (Psionics): There are Psionics in this game along with the Psionic skill but this is very rare still. See notes below if a character wishes to play one.

Character Creation

• Origin: Draw a Card from a standard Playing Card Deck. This will get you your basic Donor's origin background and what and where you points for things like Attributes, Skills, Edgea and Hindrances can be spent.
• Assign Traits, Edges and Hindrances: Based on your doner you determine your basic Traits, Skills, Edge(s) and Hindrances. This are limited in many cases. The points you spend on Hindrances are not limited in most cases BUT Edges must be Novice rank and skills that have a Donor Max listed must also be followed. No matter who or what your donor was you cannot have any Attributes less then a d4.
• Apply Cloning Processs Bonuses: The process to creating super soldiers means that you gain a +1 step to Agility and +2 steps to your Strength and Vigor. Also add +1 to Toughness and Edges Alertness, Brawny and Strong Willed. Then gain a bonus Edge (see list)
• Pick and MOS you Qualify for and Apply Bonuses: After the clone process is done, newly 'born' synners are assigned a MOS based on their natural talents, skills and background. NOTE that their is one unusual MOS that is fairly uncommon etc. and that is Psionics specialist. This is extremely rare (and only a recent phenomenon discovered with the advent of space travel) so this Background Edge may only be taken by those Donors who have experienced space travel (Colonist or high ranking/rich folk who have been off world; ask your GM) or Clones who have unlocked this ability doing the cloning process. See the Cloning Process and Psionic Specialist under the MOS for more details.

Doner Background

In order to qualify for the Cloning Process the Donor must report to a United Terran Reconnaissance and Peacekeeping Force (UTRPF) Donor Board to submit to multiple physical and metal interviews and tests. These review boards are only located on Earth, the Mars colony and the Alpha Centurior colony world of Ace-C-Two. Donors from other colonies or facilities would have had to traveled to one of the planets and stayed there a year to be able to donnate and so would have been restricted to certain backgrounds (those rich enough or access to transportation to do this). Work with the GM to see if its ok.
If they are approved they give a DNA sample and then over the course of a year report to the facility for every month for the Brain Copying-Transfering Personality Process that 'copies' and 'transfers' the Donor's personality and background into the still vat-growing Clone.
Why would anyone agree to this? Well the reasons are a varied as the Donor's themselves.

NOTE that any Physical Hindrance that the Donor may had had are fixed in the Cloning Process. Also certain Mental Hindrances would disqualify a person from the donor process. For this case, as the donor's reflect the backgrounds and basic abilities of the Clone the following Hindrances are Disallowed for characters -- Anemic, Arrogant, Bad Eyes (Major), Blind, Bloodthirsty, Delusional (Major), Elderly, Greedy (Major), Habit (Major), Hard of Hearing (Major), Illiterate, Jealous (Major), Mute, Obese, Obligation, One Arm, One Eye, Outsider (Major), Pacifist, Phobia (Major), Small, Suspicious (Major), Vengeful (Major), Wanted, Young.

Draw a Card
2 of ♣ Brainscan Failure!!!: The standard brain scan of a doner's personality and skills somehow failed (probably reulting in the death of the doner themselves!!). The character was force-grow to '18ish' as all other clones are but was 'born' with the memories of a baby! They had to under go 1-2 years of intense and very advanced memory and personality comuter generation implants along with experimental subliminal and auto-muscle stimulance to learn to read and write, walk and talk, basic personality creation and coping skills. If these were successful in creation a basic personality for the clone then They then are submitted to the UTRPF Basic Training course (about a year on average).
The character starts out with a d6 in all Attributes and 12 points for skills from the following list- Athletics, Battle (max d6), Common Knownledge (max d6), Drive, Fighting, Healing, Notice, Persuasion (max d4), Piloting (max d4), Repair (max d6), Shooting and Stealth. You gain one Combat Edge for free (use the Born a Hero setting for these Edge ignoring Rank requirement for it). You automatically gain a Hindrance called Blank Slate this is your major Hindrance choice and it means you have Reduced Core Skill (Persuasion) and Skill Penalty (Common Knowledge -2). You can take most other Minor Hindrances as you character is slowly building her own personality by the start of the game.

2 of ♦,♥, ♠ Criminal: Generally criminals are not accepted by the Review Board of the United Earth Gov for cloning of their synner process but you somehow slipped through.
You start with 5 points for Attributes and 12 points for the following Skills - Athletics, Common Knowledge, Drive, Electronics (max d6), Fighting, Gambling, Hacking, Intimidate, Notice, Performance, Persuasion, Repair (max d6), Research (max d6), Shooting, Stealth, Taunt, Thievery. You gain one free Background (except any Arcane Backgrounds, Aristocrat, Fame or Rich), Social or Weird Edges or also Thief if you qualify for it. You must have some level of Secret or Shamed (if your past is known) as one of your Hindrences.

Cloning Process

This process takes about a year to vat-grow a subject based on their DNA that are extracted at the beginning. During this year long process they also implanted with the memories of the Donor through brain copying-transfering to the clone.

After they are 'born' into 18ish year old bodies they go through a two-month and then a 8 month UTRPF Basic Training. After that they report to a six month MOS training program (see next step).

During the Cloning Process the character can choice

Military Specialty Occupation (MSO) Training

After cloning, physical r and basic training process the character is assigned an MOS that he or she is most qualified for.