Monday, April 9, 2012

Notorious NPC: YO-0-0, The Cobalt Corsair

Serial Number: YO-0-0
(AKA "The Cobalt Corsair")
5th Level Basic Android

STR: 14 --- INT: 18
DEX: 19 --- WIL: 9
CON: 13 --- CHA: 16
HPs: 50 --- AC: 2
Mutations: accumulated resistance (electrical); mental barrier; know direction

"Arrr! Beware when ye be sailin' the polluted seas of the Blasted Wastelands, for ye may cross paths with The Silvery Sea Dog! The Bolted Buccaneer! The Cobalt Corsair himself -- YO-0-0!"

YO-0-0 (pronounced "Yo-oh-oh") once was an Ancient navigational 'bot used on a cruise ship. After the Apocalygeddon, the ship was grounded, the passengers either fled into the Hellscape or died on board, and YO-0-0 was left alone on board. He spent decades wandering the decks of the abandoned liner, trying to rediscover a sense of purpose. A chance discovery of an old "Captain Blood" DVD in the ship's library resparked his "primary function" subroutine, and he spent the next few years watching every nautical holovid and reading every pirate-themed book he could find. He eventually remade himself as the greatest corsair ever to sail the Nine Seas. He rebuilt and relaunched the ocean liner (with the help of the remaining functional ship's 'bots -- reprogrammed by YO-0-0 to be his pirate crew) and now he plunders and pillages as he pleases. Everyone fears the approach of the pirate ship "Disney Magic."

YO-0-0's navigational programming allows him to know direction at all times. His pre-Apocalygeddon internal mapping software also allows him to travel the oceans with ease. His electrical accumulated resistance (a high-voltage capacitor) gives him a 30 hit point reserve against electrical attacks and damage. After he takes 30 HP of electrical damage, further shocks would then be applied toward his primary hit point count. Finally, he has specialized shielding around his positronic brain, giving him a fairly strong mental barrier against mental attacks. YO-0-0 is superhumanly fast and this, along with his metal body, gives him his 2 AC. He also receives bonuses of +1 to hit and +2 to damage in hand-to-hand combat. He prefers to use a vibrosabre in combat (2d12 hit points damage), although he is well versed with a variety of weapons. And before anyone gets any ideas, he is completely watertight and waterproof. He cannot swim on the surface, but he can walk underwater and shimmy up ropes and chains to get back on board without penalty.

YO-0-0 fancies himself as a "gentleman pirate," rather than a bloodthirsty cutthroat. (Think of Errol Flynn or Jack Sparrow.) Although he is devious, manipulative, and a first-rate liar, he is always polite and never cruel. Although his primary function is "loot and plunder" -- plundering and robbing ships and ports for years -- he really has no plans for the loot he's accumulated (all stored in cabins and rooms on the lower decks). He has buried random caches on islands throughout the seas (as that's what pirates do), and many maps of these locations are kept in his primary cabin. (Which could lead to some good old-fashioned Mutant Future treasure hunting!) His crew of nearly 200 reprogrammed 'bots are unwaveringly loyal to him and will defend YO-0-0 and the Good Ship Disney Magic to the death.

2 comments:

  1. Good stuff. I started reading it and thought "I'll make some pithy comment about him rusting" and then you went and covered that.

    ReplyDelete
  2. You bet I covered it. I've had one too many robots dunked with grins from the players. I figured a nautical robot would have been sealed up nice-n-watertight by his original builders.

    ReplyDelete