A character's motives and mission are an important part of their role on a Laser team, in many cases. Normal individuals don't just choose a lifestyle of tracking down dangerous criminals, travelling through the Verge and Bleed to solve obscure problems, and risking their lives to solve problems for people that they've never met. Doing that requires a motivation; a goal. Goals and motivations are also useful from a player perspective; they can provide some guidance or be the onus for narrative development in a character's career. The GM could even use them to construct missions and episodes around.
While Laser can have any number of reasons for doing what they do, below are some of the most common. Note that these templates are like career templates; you can edit them as you see fit, and disadvantages listed in these templates do count towards your disadvantage limit. These are simply here to guide; players don't have to select one of these templates, although they are strongly encouraged to come up with motivations and goals of their own.
While Laser can have any number of reasons for doing what they do, below are some of the most common. Note that these templates are like career templates; you can edit them as you see fit, and disadvantages listed in these templates do count towards your disadvantage limit. These are simply here to guide; players don't have to select one of these templates, although they are strongly encouraged to come up with motivations and goals of their own.
Goals and ObsessionsNaturally, the Obsession [-5 to -10] (p. B146) and it's quirk variant (p. B164) make for possible disadvantages and quirks when it comes to thinking of goals. And while plenty of people have been obsessed with things, it's important to ask why a person wants to do these things. Obsession implies that there's an almost irrational psychological drive that's compelling them towards this goal and they'll sacrifice anything - anything - to attain it. In most instances, digging deeper reveals that it isn't an Obsession in these sense, but, rather, it's something much more prosaic - a desire to be famous, to make money, or the like; very rarely are things like that done for their own sake. That's why it's important to remember that just because a person seems off-kilter and does things that no sane adult would do, that doesn't mean their reasoning isn't just as rational as anyone else's - even if they do suffer from Obsession. |
Potential Motives
Adrenaline Addict
0 points Why are you a laser? Because that's where the action is! It's only when your back is against the wall that you truly feel alive; people may sneer and call you an adrenaline junkie, but time and and time again you've proven the usefulness of a person who embraces danger like a long-lost love, and being a Laser is a socially acceptable way to to take extreme chances. If you couldn't be a Laser, then life would be intolerably dull. Advantages: Daredevil [15], Luck [15], or Very Rapid Healing [15]. Disadvantages: A total of -25 points from Code of Honor (Machismo or Similar) [-5], Compulsive Gambling [-5*], Impulsiveness [-10*], On the Edge [-15*], Overconfidence [-5*], and Trickster [-15*]. Skills: Gambling (A) IQ [2] ● Any two of Acrobatics (H) DX [4], Climbing (A) DX+1 [4], Escape (H) DX [4], Fast-Talk (A) IQ+1 [4], Market Analysis (H) IQ [4], Parachuting (E) DX+2 [4], Skiing (H) HT [4], Sleight of Hand (H) DX [4], and Sports (Any extreme sport) (A) DX+1 [4]. * Multiplied for self-control number; see p. B120. Chosen
40 points You didn't volunteer for the job of Laser; someone chose it for you, and has offered to cover the costs, all or in part, for being a Laser so long as you do the job. While these powers are forbidden to be a meta-empire, that doesn't stop factions from within meta-empires from trying to influence Lasers. Or perhaps you were picked by the higher ups in the ASAI, or some clandestine branch of whatever hypercorp runs your local habitat. Naturally, this sometimes put you in an uncomfortable spot, where your job, your morals, and the desires of the individual who chose you may conflict, but that's for you to sort out and to live with the consequences of. You're often in conflict over your station anyway, but you're either forbidden to quit or you can't quite bring yourself to abandon the people that you now protect. Advantages: Patron (Ultra-powerful individual/very powerful organization, 12 or less, Minimal Intervention, -50%; Special Abilities, +100%) [60]. Disadvantages: Duty (Involuntary, 12 or less) [-15]; Enemies (More powerful individual; 12 or less; watcher) [-10]. Skills: Hidden Lore (Any) (A) IQ-1 [1] ● One of Administration (A) IQ+1 [4], Fortune-Telling (Dream Interpretation) (A) IQ+1 [4], Meditation (H) Will [4], or Religious Ritual (Any) (H) IQ [4]. Combiner -10 points
You are a fervent believer in the Combine and its ideals, and you took the post of Laser in order to bring order and glory back to the Verge and Bleed. By reducing the chaos, you feel, you can pave the way for the day when the Combine recovers its authority in deed as well as name. When that day comes, you're also hoping that maybe there's a post waiting for you in the Combine fleet. By serving on a laser crew, you can keep them from slipping into corruption, so they don't taint the Combine by association. While you feel the Combine's goals are good and worth fighting or, you may or may not feel ambivalence towards Godseekers, who are looking to bring back an era that, by your estimations, was a mistake and should probably stay buried. For your historical support, you point to the Indus-Fomalhaut civilization and the Yellowstone Le Belle Epoque - proof that humanity can run itself, and see the Combine as on the path to becoming another glorious civilization of old - without the God AIs. Disadvantages: Code of Honor (Professionalism) [-5]; Pacifism (Cannot Harm Innocents) [-10] ● A total of -15 points from among Charitable [-15*], Sense of Duty (Combine) [-10], Selfless [-5*], Stubbornness [-5]; Vow [varies], Workaholic [-5] Skills: Two of Diplomacy (H) IQ [4] or Fast-Talk, Leadership, Public Speaking, or Streetwise, all (A) IQ+1 [4] ● two of Area Knowledge (Verge and Bleed) (E) IQ+1 [2], Law (Any) (H) IQ-1 [2], Savoir Fair (Any) (E) IQ+1 [2] or Streetwise (A) IQ [2]. * Multiplied for self-control number; see p. B120. Doing the Right Thing
-25 points You act instinctively for the benefit of others, especially when they're unable to help themselves. As far as you're concerned, the fees that your crew earns are a means to an end; they keep the ship operational so you can continue to do good by others, since that is your goal: making the world a better place. You don't just work for your ideals, you live then, and embody them. While people are scared and discouraged, and nationalistic tendencies are running rampant, if enough people can put the common good for humanity above the short-term good for their tribe, then maybe, just maybe, humanity can't be too far from the road to recovery. Advantages: Higher Purpose [5]. Disadvantages: Pacifism (Cannot Harm Innocents) [-10]● One of Charitable (12) [-15] or Sense of Duty (Entire Race) [-15] ● a total of -10 points from Code of Honor (Gentleman's) [-10], Compulsive Generosity [-5*], Honesty [-10*], Selfless[-5*], or Truthfulness [-5*]. Skills: Diplomacy (H) IQ [4]; First Aid (E) IQ [1]. * Multiplied for self-control number; see p. B120. Glory Hound
-5 points You're brave and admirable - especially when the cameras are pointed at you or you're livestreaming to your vlog. Having a public image means a lot to you, and you make sure that the people are aware of your good deeds. Nobody does it better than you; ever since you were young, you've shown a natural flair for every activity you deigned to dabble in. Now, you're angling to bring that to the mainstream so everyone can be dazzled by your array of talents. Every problem that confronts your Laser crew is a chance to once again show the world - or your viewers - how great you are. If these qualities weren't counter-balanced by a disarming grin and a cargo-bay of charisma, people might think you're a conceited blow hard. Well, some might anyway, but haters can hate. You will continue being you - and being damn good at it, just like everything else. Advantages: Charisma 1 [5]. Perks: 3 of Combat Shtick (Any); Good with (Social Group), Honest Face, Hands-Free (Any), Influence Shtick (Any), Rule of 15, or Sea Legs/Space Legs. Disadvantages: Selfish (12) [-5] ● A total of -15 points from Code of Honor (Gentleman's) [-10], Compulsive Carousing [-5*], Enemies (Rivals) [varies], Jealousy [-10], Lecherousness [-15*], Overconfidence [-5*], Trademark [-5 to -10], or Workaholic [-5]. Skills: Current Affairs (Headline News, People, or Regional) (E) IQ [1]; Electronics Operation (Media) (A) IQ [2]-10; Propaganda (A) IQ -1 [1] ● one of Savoir-Faire (High Society) (E) IQ+1 [2], Public Speaking (A) IQ+1 [2]⁑, or Stage Combat (A) DX [2]. * Multiplied for self-control number; see p. B120. ⁑ Includes +1 from Charisma. Godseeker
-5 points The God AIs went somewhere during the Ascension Crisis, and where they went is a question that looms over humanity's head like the proverbial Sword of Damocles. The only way to really know is to strap on your boots and go find them yourself, and that's exactly what you're doing by being a Laser - after all, no other job justifies travelling around the Verge and Bleed as much. Maybe you're a devoted worshipper of the God AIs. Perhaps you think the Concordance was a good thing. Or maybe you think they need to be hunted down so we can finally make sure they're destroyed for good, since they were a scourge on humanity to begin with. Or maybe you're less interested in finding them personally and more interested in figuring out what went wrong so when you revive the God AIs, you can avoid making that mistake again. Whatever the case, you've devoted yourself to a singular task: figuring out where the hell the God AIs went. Advantage: Higher Purpose [5]. Disadvantages: A total of -15 points from among Code of Honor (Professionalism) [-5], Curious [-5*], Enemies (Rivals) [varies], Obsession (Long-Term) [-10]; Social Stigma (Singularity Seeker) [-10]; Workaholic [-5]; Xenophilia [-10*] Skills: Current Affairs (Regional) (E) IQ [1]; History (God AIs) (H) IQ-1 [2] ● one of Electronics Operation (A) IQ [2], Expert Skill (Computer Security or Conspiracy Theory) (H) IQ-1 [2], Philosophy (H) IQ-1 [2], or Research (A) IQ [2]. * Multiplied for self-control number; see p. B120. In It for the Money 0 points
You regard being a Laser as an economic assets and heroism as a job, and your ultimate goal is to be rich, and you've gotten in on the bottom floor to make that happen. Perhaps you're an Extropian or hypercorp CEO who discovered the difference between "laser" and "private military contractor" is a matter of legal semantics. You could do an easier and less dangerous job, but since you've taken on a hard one you expect that your work be appreciated that much work - and money is always a welcome way to show that appreciation. Granted, the line of work is a hard-scrabble one - for the moment. But you can see potential; you can understand how an entire crew might parley themselves into a franchise and then an empire. And sure, maybe you are occasionally tempted to cut a corner or two to fatten the margins. But in the long run, a reputation for honesty will serve as the cornerstone to a vast (private) law enforcement consortium that you hope to establish. As the Chinese proverb goes, "the best time to plant a tree was yesterday, the second best time is right now." And you'd better do it right now - because you're damn sure you aren't the only gun-wielding entrepreneur who hopes to corner this market. Disadvantages: Code of Honor (Professional) [-5] ● -15 points from among Greed [-15*], Jealousy [-10], Miserliness [-10*]; Overconfidence [-5*], Selfish [-5*], Sense of Duty (Laser Clients) [-10]. Skills: One of Administration, Merchant, or Soldier, all (A) IQ+1 [4]; Economics or Finance (H) IQ [4]; Savoir Faire (Any) (E) IQ+1 [2]. * Multiplied for self-control number; see p. B120. It's All My Fault -25 points
You're driven by the memory of a personal failure, and the need to atone for it. Whatever it was, this failure lead you to an epiphany - you can only erase its burden by acting to make the world better. Destroying yourself won't help anyone, though if the stakes were high enough and it were for the common good, that's always an option. This need to atone might be deeply religious in nature, or might be just for posterity's sake - after all, not everyone wants to be remembered as a jackass. You can decide on what you did before play, or you can leave it open for a revelation at a later moment. If you decide to save your past misdeed for later, you can drop hints about it along the way, or you can wait for an interesting moment for it to arise in play and tie it to that (after discussing with the GM). Advantages: Higher Purpose [5]. Disadvantages: Guilt Complex [-5]; Sense of Duty (Everyone you know) [-10] ● -A total of -15 points from Charitable [-15*], Enemies [varies]; Nightmares[-5*], Selfless [-5*], Vow [varies], or Workaholic [-5]. * Multiplied for self-control number; see p. B120. |
Judge, Jury, and Executioner -15 points
Only the misguided think that there is some sort of "right to life" or that life is sacred; in your eyes, protecting the innocent sometimes means killing the guilty - especially those who think the law can't touch them, or that they're somehow above the law. You may respect those who don't take life, but you don't let them stop you from fixing problems that society is too soft or too spineless to fix. Perhaps at some point in the past, lawless people hurt or killed a person you cared about, or perhaps you've seen the gradual decay of communities once the rot of lawlessness and corruption sets in. Regardless what the situation is, there are people who make the world a better place by living in it, and people who make the world a better place by leaving it. You want to be the former, while helping criminals be the later. Disadvantages: Bloodlust (12) [-10] ● -A total of -15 points from Callous [-5], Fanaticism [-15], No Sense of Humor [-10], Obsession (Long Term) [-10*], Stubbornness [-5], Vow [varies], and Workaholic [-5]. Skills: Expert Skill (Conspiracy Theory) (H) IQ [4]. One of Criminology or Streetwise (A) IQ [2]. One of Law (National, criminal), Philosophy, or Theology, all (H) IQ [4]. * Multiplied for self-control number; see p. B120. Legacy Laser 5 points
This isn't the first time the Combine has run the Laser program, and the previous time they did, one or more of your family members - a parent, an older sibling, a favored aunt or uncle, or even grandparent - stepped up to the plate and answered the call. Now that the program is back, it's time for you to step up and fulfill their shoes, living up to their legacy. Advantages: Claim to Hospitality (Family) [2]; Wealth (Comfortable) [10] ● A total of 15 points from Claim to Hospitality [varies], Contacts [varies], Independent Income [1/level], and Social Chameleon [5]. Disadvantages: Vow (Be worthy of your family) [-10] ● A total of -15 points from among Dependents (Family members or retainers) [varies], Enemies (of your family) [varies], Hidebound [-5], or Reputation (Family) [varies]. Skills: History (Laser Program) (H) IQ-1 [2]; Savoir-Faire (Any) (E) IQ [1]. * Multiplied for self-control number; see p. B120. Scientific Inquiry -10 points
Science is a beautiful thing, and the pursuit of that knowledge defines your life. In an earlier generation, you might have been content to spend your years in a quietly humming, antiseptic laboratory, painstakingly furthering the avenue of research. However, pure scientific research - that is, the pursuit of knowledge for its own sake, not in service to some Hypercorp agenda or some national bid for supremacy - was one of the many things lost in the Ascension Crisis. A generation of students found themselves redirect to making weapons and delving into whatever their Hypercorp masters told them to by dangling research grants in front of them, as if the future of human progress and knowledge were some sort of twisted carrot. You joined a laser crew to get away from that, knowing that the problems they're contracted to solve often revolve around weird anomalies and strange technologies, be they leftover God Tech or even weirder stuff from the alien civilizations long gone. Knowing your grant money won't hinge on making some greedy executive even richer. Laser work forces you to act as a generalist. Its dangers make you into less a lab-coated scholar and more into a two-fisted modern Darwin, but the weird thing is, that along the way you've made the weirdest discovery of all - that you actually enjoy things this way. Disadvantages: Code of Honor (Professionalism) [-5] ● a total of -15 points Bad Temper [-10], \ Curious [-5*], Enemies (Fellow Researchers) [varies], Jealousy [-10], Miserliness [-10*], Obsession (Long-Term) [-10]; Overconfidence [-5], Sense of Duty (Institution of Science) [-10]; Stubbornness [-5], or Workaholic [-5]. Skills: Two Science IQ/H skills at IQ [8];● One of Crewman (Any) IQ+1 [2], Current Affairs (Science and Technology) (E) IQ+1 [2], Scrounging (E) Per +1 [2], Survival (Any) (A) Per [2], or Urban Survival (A) Per [2]. * Multiplied for self-control number; see p. B120. Sexual Adventure -20 points
You signed up to be a laser after you clued into one essential observation: a lot of people get turned on by a uniform. As far as you're concerned, the entire purpose of a starship is so you can use it to cruise around the Verge and Bleed, meeting and bedding the sexiest people in the galaxy. Service as a Laser lets you love 'em and leave 'em guiltlessly - they knew that was part of the deal from the start. Although you can hardly blame them if they get attached. . . Somehow, your cases usually seem to bring you into contact with the foxiest elements of society; by pursuing clues and taking on the bad guys, you are routinely presented with opportunities highly conducive to temporary romance: rescuing, interrogating, handcuffing, getting trapped in an escape pod - nobody can tell you there's a career with a better package! Disadvantages: Lecherousness (12) [-15] ● a total of -15 points from Chummy [-5], Compulsive Carousing [-5*], Compulsive Spending [-5*, Enemies (rival or watcher) [varies], Gullibility [-10*], Impulsiveness [-10*], or Overconfidence [-5*]. Skills: Sex Appeal (A) IQ+1 [4] and one of Acting, Fast-Talk, Public Speaking, or Streetwise, all (A) IQ+1 [4] ● One of Carousing (E) HT+1 [2]; Erotic Art (A) HT [2]; or Savoir Faire (Any) (E) IQ+1 [2]. * Multiplied for self-control number; see p. B120. Something to Prove -25 points
You can tell people look at you as a failure. All your life, you've been written off, disregarded, and underestimated. You may have been a late bloomer in a family of overachievers, a slave, a member of a despised cast, an inheritor of a family disgraced, or borne some other outward stigma in an unforgiving society. But you haven't turned your attention inward, no matter how tempting; you haven't given up or agreed with them. You strive for vindication, for justification, by working to save some of the very same people who mocked or despised you. Disadvantages: Social Stigma (Second-Class Citizen or Valuable Property) [-10] ● a total of -15 points from Appearance [varies], Bad Temper [-10*], Charitable [-15*], Enemies [varies], Obsession (Long-term) [-10*], Phobias (Demophobia) [-15*], Selfless [-5*], Sense of Duty (Other outcasts) [-5 or -10], or Stubborn [-5]. Skills: Two of Diplomacy (H) IQ [4] or Fast-Talk, Leadership, Public Speaking, or Streetwise, all (A) IQ+1 [4] ● One of Scrounging (E) Per+1 [2] or Survival or Urban Survival, both (A) Per [2]. * Multiplied for self-control number; see p. B120. Where No One Has Gone Before -5 points
There are places of the Verge and Bleed that remain unexplored to this very day; places where "human visitation" means that a drone as been there, recorded some data, and left. There are alien artifacts and cities that sit empty, waiting for a brave explorer to come along and explore the ruins; to chart the uncharted and map the unmapped. You decided you wanted to be a Laser because you are driven to explore where nobody has gone before; to find new locations and fill in the empty spots on the map, and no other job lets you do that as easily - and legally - as being a Laser does. Disadvantages: A total of -15 points from Code of Honor (Professional) [-5], Curious [-5*], Disciplines of Faith (Mysticism) [-10], Flashbacks [varies], Loner [-5*], Obsession (Long- term) [-10*], and Sense of Duty (Fellow explorers) [-5]. Skills: Area Knowledge (Verge and Bleed) (E) IQ+1 [2]. Any one of Hidden Lore (Any) or Occultism, both (A) IQ+2 [8], Philosophy or Theology, both (H) IQ+1 [8]. * Multiplied for self-control number; see p. B120. Verger -10 points
The days of the Concordance are over, regardless what those fools in the Combine believe. The years since the Ascension Crisis have only further demonstrated this, and just like the Concordance, the Combine too will eventually fall out of favor and human civilization will continue on the path that its currently on, breaking into smaller, more manageable sectors. And while the meta-empires are rising up to fill the void, there are a lot of gaps between, and these gaps between need law enforcement. Eventually you believe that jurisdictional weirdness will vanish, but until then, it's up to you and your fellow lasers to provide practical solutions to these problems. Sure, you could use your laser status to advance your personal ambition but really, that'd make you just as bad as the Combine hacks in their so-called "navy." You, your position, and your wits are her to make sure that the new boss isn't the same as the old boss, and are here to demonstrate that while you may work for the Combine, every problem you solve just demonstrates the irrelevance of any Combine authority that much more and the superiority of local solutions over interstellar ones. Disadvantages: Code of Honor (Professionalism) [-5]; Pacifism (Cannot Harm Innocents) [-10] ● A total of -15 points from among Charitable [-15*], Sense of Duty (Verge and Bleed) [-10], Selfless [-5*], Stubbornness [-5]; Vow [varies], Workaholic [-5] Skills: Two of Diplomacy (H) IQ [4] or Fast-Talk, Leadership, Public Speaking, or Streetwise, all (A) IQ+1 [4] ● two of Area Knowledge (Verge and Bleed) (E) IQ+1 [2], Law (Any) (H) IQ-1 [2], Savoir Fair (Any) (E) IQ+1 [2] or Streetwise (A) IQ [2]. * Multiplied for self-control number; see p. B120. Tech Hound 0 points
You have a knack for technology, and you're always on the look out for the newest piece of cutting edge technology, whether it's out of a deep hypercorp black lab or some piece of god-tech - be it alien or God AI, you don't care. You joined up with your Laser team because it gave you access to all sorts of cool toys and bits of technology that you wouldn't normally have access to at home, and travelling around the Verge and Bleed gives you the chance to have access to plenty more. Advantages: One of Born to Be Wired 1 [5], Circuit Sense 1 [5], Computer Wizard 1 [5], or Cyberneticist 1 [5]. Disadvantages: A total of -15 Compulsive Spending on Tech [-10*], Curious [-5*], Honesty [-10*], Loner [-5*], Shyness [varies], Stubbornness [-5], or Workaholic [-5]. Skills: Two of Engineer (H) IQ [4] or Armoury (Any), Electrician, Electronics Operation (Any), Electronics Repair (Any), Machinist (Any), or Mechanic (Any), all (A) IQ+1 [4] ● One of Current Events (Science and Tech) (E) IQ+1 [2], Merchant (A) IQ [2], or Scrounging (E) Per+1 [2] * Multiplied for self-control number; see p. B120. |