THE PROFILER A Whooz In The Nooz Feature By Case Remington "G'day! For those of you new to Night City, it's always wise to get to know the lay of the land, so to speak. This lovely city of ours isn't really so bad--it's just the people in it that you have to watch out for. Some time ago, while laying low after exposing a minor bio-tech scam by a local corporation who need not be mentioned here, I came up with the idea of writing a regular column that profiled a number of the more interesting people here in Night City. Well, the series has been moderately successful and there have been quite a few calls to the news station asking for a compilation of these articles. For legal reasons, we can't reprint all of the original profiles, but what follows is a selection of some of the more frequently requested ones." Game Notes: These are all characters played by Glenn Hall in our Cyberpunk campaign. Warlock | Headbanger | Scat-Cat | Jolly Roger | Gruesome Max/Bane | Big Bopper | Dead-Eye | Eddington Thorpe

WARLOCK Real Name: Kimiashi Akimo Warlock was a Rockerboy and served as both the lead singer and guitarist for the mega-popular hard core chromotose band Apocalypse. He was the founder of the band and used it to help fan the flames of the anti-corporate movement. Considered by many to be a dark and enigmatic figure, Warlock seemed to undergo a complete metamorphosis not long after the recording of the band's second album. His attitude towards the big corporations mellowed considerably and his song writing was altered to reflect this change in outlook. He still performs with Apocalypse to this day. Game Notes: Warlock was born into a family that owned a major national corporation. His parents were slaughtered when he was young and he later discovered that his older brothers and sister were guilty of the hideous crime. Warlock vowed to avenge the death of his parents and used the medium of music to help spread anti-corporate sentiments. After a string of phenomenal concert performances, Apocalypse rose to tremendous heights of popularity in a very short period of time. This overly quick rise to fame and fortune spelled his doom as he lost sight of his purpose and died in an explosive firestorm during an ill-fated brawl at Totentan's. Several other band members were killed during the incident and the entire troupe was secretly replaced by a group of corporate-managed posers. INT: 7 TEK: 10 REF: 8 CL: 10 MA: 6 LUK: 3 ATT: 7 EMP: 5 BOD: 8 STR: 8 Skills: Charismatic Leadership +8, Wardrobe and Style +9, Perform +9, Play Guitar +9, Composition +9, Melee +7, Motorcycle +6, Fencing +5, Handgun +5, Resist Torture and Drugs +5 Cybernetics: Cyberoptic (right eye) with Color Shift, Cyberarm (right) with Thickened Myomers and Ripperhand, Interface Plugs, Instrument Link, Techair, Synthskin, Audiovox, Skinweave (6 SP), Light Tatoo Possessions: Yamaha Rapier motorcycle, Yamaha Smart Midi guitar, Kendachi powersword, Beretta model 101-T handgun, socialite suit (pants, shirt, jacket) HEADBANGER Real Name: Redjack Mack Headbanger was a rising star in the sports world who had just signed a multi-million dollar baseball contract when his promising career was very suddenly cut short by a murder conviction. He was thrown in prison where, as a Convict, he is still holder of every major athletic record in the penal leagues. Upon his eventual release he took up part-time work as a Combat Cabbie, though he eventually tired of that job and fell in with a group of street thugs. Under his leadership, they formed the gang that grew to become the Night City menace known as BoB (Brotherhood of Bedlam). During their most infamous act of urban terrorism, the Hababa firebombing, Headbanger was caught on video tape and the hunt was on. He has quite a reputation for brutality and has been known to crush many a skull with his trusty baseball bat. At this time he is still at large. Game Notes: Headbanger was wrongly accused of murder but, after more than a decade in prison, he decided to just go on with his life rather than try to clear his name. During the BoB years, the gang very quickly became a major player in Night City politics when they all but wiped out the Voodoo Boyz. Things got out of hand and the Headbanger was eventually caught and jailed for charges unrelated to the firebombing incident. Thanks to his Nu Shoes, he served his time without being recognized and was released one year later. Although he tried to clean up his act, it was only a matter of time before he fell back in with the gang. When his girlfriend was recently kidnapped by an unknown entity claiming to be the ghost of Razor Ramirez, former leader of the Voodoo Boyz, Headbanger once again took up the mantle of command and is currently trying to locate his girlfriend while destroying all remnants of Voodoo presence in Night City. INT: 7 TEK: 6 REF: 9 CL: 7 MA: 10 LUK: 5 ATT: 7 EMP: 5 BOD: 8 STR: 11 Skills: Rank +9 (BoB), Family +2, Athletics +10, Persuasion and Fast Talk +9, Melee +8, Intimidate +8, Awareness/Notice +6, Handgun +5, Play War Tank Europa +5 Cybernetics: Muscle Augmentation (+2), Skinweave (4 SP), Enhanced Antibodies, Anti-plague Nanotech, Toxin Binders Possessions: Baseball bat, Militech Ronin light assault rifle, Beretta model 101-T handgun, light armor pants and jacket, baseball cap SCAT-CAT Real Name: Vlade Hatchen Scat-Cat is a Fixer who kept finding himself taking the raw end of every major deal that he tried to swing. He had created a very prosperous business for himself dealing in everything from drugs and firearms to cyberware and tech. With a hand in everything, it was inevitable that he would take a fall and, in actual fact, he took several. He was in and out of prison on at least three separate occassions and had to rebuild his tiny empire again and again. Surprisingly, through a lot of determination and street savvy, he trod his way through the underbelly of Night City and managed to come out smelling like roses. He is the prime example of a smart kid with the guts to succeed in spite of his hard-luck situation and his attitude can be summed up with his saying "Dead men don't profit." Scat-Cat is still operating his business out of the Night City area. Game Notes: Scat-Cat is the sort of character who continuously finds himself getting into situations way over his head. However, he has a curious way of getting himself out of those same situations no matter how badly the chips are down. He thinks of himself as a cat with nine lives and has already used up three of them. The first was a near fatal explosion caused by an exploding robohound that had been programmed to kill him. The second was a terrorist bombing at a spaceport that, ironically, allowed him to escape from a covert military operations team that had captured him and his friends. His third life was spent narrowly evading certain death when a panzer raided the coffin house that he was trying to close a deal in. INT: 8 TEK: 5 REF: 11 CL: 8 MA: 9 LUK: 4 ATT: 9 EMP: 4 BOD: 6 STR: 6 Skills: Streetdeal +7, Awareness/Notice +7, Brawling +7, Persuasion +6, Handgun +6, Stealth +5, Hide/Evade +5 Cybernetics: Kerenzikov Boosting (alpha), 2 Cyberoptics with Low-lite, Teleoptics and Video Imagers, Cyberaudio with Amplified Hearing, Noise Damper, Sound editing and scrambler, Interface Plugs Possessions: MUTT (special cyberhound with microtransmitters that allow him to link both visual and audio stimulus with Scat-Cat who can then control him using simple commands), Beretta model 101-T handgun, 2 spawnblades, light armor pants and jacket, socialite shirt, special bladed leather boots JOLLY ROGER Real Name: Unknown Jolly Roger is a Pirate known to work the Night City docks and bay area. He is thought to smuggle weapons and other illegal items into the city but this has never been confirmed. It is known that he is affiliated with a small-time gang who call themselves the Sewer Rats. What marks Jolly Roger out as unusual is his terrifying appearance. He has a set of glowing green cyberoptics and a fully armored faceplate and cowl that are sculpted to look like a skull. This has led to a number of myths that suggest he may be some kind of walking dead or other gloomy horror and children in the area whisper his name with a hint of fear. He continues to work the waters around Night City under the cover of darkness. Game Notes: Jolly Roger is a low-life hood who just happened to get involved in something way too big for his liking. He and the other two members of the Sewer Rats robbed a small freighter of its cargo and discovered, much to their utter confusion, that they held in their hands a very valuable Stinger missle launcher with nuclear warhead. Jolly Roger is still the keeper of that dangerous toy. The only other item of any significance, is an on-running joke that the other player characters seem to enjoy playing on the hapless pirate. They insist that he looks better with a set of fake crossbones attached to his skull face and every so often Jolly Roger wakes up to find a new set welded onto his head. INT: 9 TEK: 8 REF: 9 CL: 8 MA: 6 LUK: 6 ATT: 6 EMP: 5 BOD: 6 STR: 6 Skills: Family +2, Fencing +7, Awareness/Notice +6, Persuasion and Fast Talk +6, Rifle +6, Brawling +5 Cybernetics: Faceplate, Cowl, 2 Cyberoptics with Low-lite and Thermograph, Independant Air Supply, Vampires, Light Tatoo Posessions: Stinger missle launcher with nuclear warhead, CAS 12g shotgun, Darra-polytechnic M-9 rifle, boat GRUESOME MAX (formerly BANE) Real Name: Max Muldoon Gruesome Max is a former Cop turned BoB member. He is completely hooked on the insidious drug Nuke and goes through severe mood swings during which he seems to lose all touch with reality. He is currently an active member of the gang. Game Notes: Gruesome Max began his career as a Cop on the Night City police force. He used the handle Bane in those days and was considered an unnecessarily viscious and savage person. Over the years, he developed a drug addiction and a major psychosis which led him to join a number of radical religious cults. Considered a threat by his own fellow cops, he was assigned to the dangerous task of becoming a deep cover agent and infiltrating the gang known as BoB. Unfortunately, his drug addiction worsened and he hit his low point at just about the same time as his induction into BoB. He was christened Gruesome Max by the other gang members and has completely lost all touch with his former identity. Note that he is simply not a nice man. INT: 6 TEK: 5 REF: 7 CL: 9 MA: 7 LUK: 4 ATT: 6 EMP: 7 BOD: 8 STR: 8 Skills: Authority +4, Melee +8, Awareness/Notice +7, Handgun +6, Intimidate +6, Athletics +5 Cybernetics: Cyberarm (right) with Thickened Myomers and Wolvers, Interface Plugs, Smart Link Possessions: Flak vest, light kevlar pants and jacket, epoxide helmet, .44 automag (smart) BIG BOPPER Real Name: Devon Hitchcock Big Bopper is a Booster who moonlights as a AV-4 gunner with a Trauma Team unit. He also runs his own one-man courier business in addition to hiring himself out as just your basic muscle when needed. He is an irreverant punk with a short temper and damn-the-torpedoes outlook on life. His reputation as a courier is sound thanks in no small part to his superb abilities as a cyclist. Big Bopper is currently still holding down half a dozen minor jobs in addition to his Trauma Team work. Game Notes: Big Bopper has a big mouth that frequently gets him into trouble. He is loud and brash and has a tendancy to rub everyone around him the wrong way. He is not a particularly big man physically and harbors a stereotypical grudge against anyone larger than himself. Although he is addicted to Sunnies, they do not tend to affect his job performance appreciably. INT: 8 TEK: 8 REF: 11 CL: 7 MA: 5 LUK: 7 ATT: 9 EMP: 6 BOD: 6 STR: 6 Skills: Rank +3, Motorcycle +8, Heavy Weapons +8, Awareness/Notice +7, Melee +6, Intimidate +5 Cybernetics: Interface Plugs, Vehicle Link Possessions: Mitsuzuki "Velociraptor" motorcycle (smart custom model), Militech urban micromissle launcher, Heckler and Koch MP-5K, Beretta M-97P, Kendachi monowhip, chainknife, c/ballistic mesh, light armor pants and jacket, Infohelm HUD with infrared, lot-lite, cell phone and independant air supply DEAD-EYE Real Name: Heathro Justin IX Dead-Eye is a Private Investigator with a reputation for being daring. His appearance is certainly memorable given that he stands just under five feet tall but weighs nearly two hundred pounds with a stocky frame and shoulders that could carry a horse. In short, he is a dwarf. His plaid shirts and heavy boots add to his distinctive look but perhaps his most distinguishing feature is the dull grey mono-optic that provided the source of his name. Of course, there are those who insist that the name refers to his uncanny aim with a handgun--a theory that Dead-Eye himself is loath to argue. He has been known to operate out of Night City in the past but has also made at least one orbital trip and is currently visiting the United Kingdom on unknown business. Game Notes: Dead-Eye really was once a dwarf back when we experimented with a Cyberpunk/Shadowrun hybrid game. It was during this period of time that he gained his deadly reputation as a gunslinger by killing no less than three solos with a taser while operating on an orbital adventure. He has since been converted back to the regular rules is currently employed as a security guard for Jack Entropy while on the UK leg of the singer's tour. INT: 9 TEK: 6 REF: 8 CL: 7 MA: 7 LUK: 5 ATT: 6 EMP: 6 BOD: 8 STR: 8 Skills: Research +4, Awareness/Notice +8, Handgun +8, Persuasion and Fast Talk +7, Brawling +7, Shadow/Track +6, Human Perception +5, Streetwise +5 Cybernetics: Mono-optic with Targeter, Thermograph, Low-lite and Tele-optics, Cyberaudio with Radio Splice, Sound editing, Noise Damper and Amplified Hearing, Interface Plugs, Smart Link Possessions: .44 gyrojet automag (smart), socialite clothing (pants, shirt, jacket) EDDINGTON THORPE Real Name: Eddington Thorpe Eddington is a Euro Solo whose fortunes, or misfortunes, have brought him to Night City. He has freelanced a number of minor jobs and has connected with BoB on at least one occassion, although he does not appear to be a full-fledged member. Though he may be a known quantity in his native UK, in Night City he is considered very much a wild card. His current whereabouts are unknown. Game Notes: Eddington is nothing more than what he appears. He is a low-level solo who can work a variety of different jobs. He was forced to leave his former home because he was being hunted by a street gang there and he simply decided to try his luck Stateside where he felt he had a better chance of finding work. INT: 8 TEK: 4 REF: 11 CL: 7 MA: 6 LUK: 4 ATT: 9 EMP: 6 BOD: 8 STR: 8 Skills: Combat Sneak +5, Awareness/Notice +7, Handgun +7, Rifle +6, Martial Arts (Sambo) +6, Stealth +6 Cybernetics: 2 Livewires, Smart Link, Chipware Socket, Optishields with Anti-dazzle and Targeter Possessions: Enfield "Spitfire" battle pistol (smart custom model), Arasaka WSA automatic pistol (smart custom model), Spawnblade, light armor pants and jacket, socialite shirt