Notorius NPC: Jedidiah Colter, 1820's Time-Displaced

Good morning Mutant Neighbors. Today we kick off a 5-day series highlighting some of the survivors living in my Mutant Future neighborhood. Today, we're heading up into the mountains to meet a throwback to the past. Don't make any sudden moves, or he may put a bullet into your head before you know what happened. Can you say, "Trigger finger?" Sure you can.

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Jedidiah Colter
4th Level Time-Displaced (1820s)

STR: 16 --- INT: 17
DEX: 11 --- WIL: 21
CON: 13 --- CHA: 12
HPs: 58 --- AC: 7
Mutations: none

Jedidiah Colter is a true "stranger to these h'yere parts" as he is an unwitting time traveller from the 19th century - 1820 to be exact. Colter was a fur trapper who was exploring, mapping, and hunting in the Rocky Mountains. A rugged frontiersman, Colter had been on his own in the wilderness for nearly three years, having very little contact with civilization, and coming down from the mountains only when he needed to sell his furs or secure some tools he couldn't make for himself.

Colter's adventure in the Mutant Future began when he chased a deer into a deep cavern. It's unclear if he passed through a wormhole in time in the depths of the earth or if the cave was a direct tunnel to the future. All he knows that, when he left the cave, he found himself in a strange new world. Knowing he'd never fit in (or survive) in what passed for the "new civilization," Colter decided to stay up in the mountains, making a life for himself in the same manner he did in the past.

"One mountain's as good as any other, I reckon," he'd say.

Colter is a formidable fighter and a crackshot with his antique muzzleloader rifle. In combat - whether hand-to-hand or ranged - he receives a +4 to hit bonus as well as a +4 damage bonus. His muzzleloader does 1d10 hit points when it connects, and it takes Colter two rounds to reload it. Colter can also hurl a hand axe he carries with astonishing accuracy (although he prefers to hang onto it for hand-to-hand combat). The hand axe does 1d8 when it hits. Since Colter comes from "Modern Age" and due to his INT score, Colter receives a +25% Technology Roll modifier. This modifier is only applicable to devices/objects in existence prior to 1820, however. (He would not receive the bonus to ID a Blu-Ray DVD player, for example, though he would be entitled to a normal roll without bonuses to "figgur it out.")

As a frontier explorer, Colter is quite accustomed (and quite comfortable) living off the land: trapping his own food, finding or building shelter, and using his outdoorsman skills to survive in the wilderness. In fact, except for "them lightning-headed deer," Colter claims he doesn't see much difference in where he came from versus where he is now.

Since he has kept himself hidden and distant from others, Colter's presence in the mountains is largely unknown. However, he has been spotted on rare occasion, but never caught or identified. Colter had to defend himself from marauders once, shooting a bandit between the eyes without being spotted. His exploits have crossed into the realm of rumor and legend, as they speak of a fur-covered "wild man" who lives in the mountains. The legends say he's 8 feet tall and can kill a man just by looking in his direction. Colter doesn't know of this - but if it keeps people away from his mountain, he's fine with it.

Colter is actually not a violent man, nor is he a villain. On some level, he's frightened as to his situation, but he knows fear won't fill his belly or put a roof over his head. So he'll stay hidden from the Mutant Future as long as he can. What becomes of him when he's discovered is left to the ML.

Stop by tomorrow and we'll visit another resident of...