Dead End

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Shackleton Magellan

Shackleton Magellan

Player Jay Vasil TEMPORARY GRAVITY ⚠️ 1.2G — DX −1 (Beam Weapons exempt) · Heavy: Move 2, Dodge 6 (drop tool kit, survival kit, bug detector → Medium: Move 3, Dodge 7) · jumps/throws ×5/6 Point Total 215 Age 43 (apparent) Status alive
Ace surveyor — invented a better way to scout the unknown, Chasing the great find that clears his name, Owes Corvid Financial on a failed, raided mission, Curious, overconfident, too trusting, Runs a nanotech recon rig no repo crew could take
HP/12
FP/12

Appearance

Age
43 (apparent)
Gender
Male
Height
5’10"
Weight
165 lb
Build
Lean, wiry, restless
Hair
Dark going grey at the temples, self-cut
Eyes
Pale hazel, quick
Skin
Rad-weathered over spacer-pale
Handedness
Right
Appearance
Average
Status
0
TL
11
Nationality
Federal Republic citizen, frontier-born

Attributes

11
ST
[10]
12
DX
[40]
15
IQ
[100]
12
HT
[20]
Secondary
12
HP
15
Will
17
Per
12
FP
6.25
Basic Speed
6
Basic Move
9
Dodge
15
Fright Check
Derived
BL 24 lbsThr 1d−1Sw 1d+1SM 0

Lifting Feats

FeatWeight
One-Handed Lift48 lb
Two-Handed Lift192 lb
Shove & Knock Over288 lb
Carry on Back360 lb
Shift Slightly1200 lb

Slam

1d-3
v=1
1d-2
v=3
1d-1
v=5
Crushing damage at Basic Move up to 6

Active Defenses

Parry (Brawling) 9Block —Dodge 9
LocationDR
Torso~30
Elsewhere (sealed)~6*
All (tacsuit worn instead)40/20*

Encumbrance

LevelMax WtMoveDodge
None (0)≤24 lbs69
Light (1)≤48 lbs48
Medium (2)≤72 lbs37
Heavy (3)≤144 lbs26
X-Heavy (4)≤240 lbs15

Reaction Modifiers

No trait-based reaction modifiers — Appearance Average (0), Status 0, no Charisma/Voice/Reputation/Social Stigma/Odious Personal Habits+0

Cultural Familiarities

Spacer0

Languages

LanguageSpokenWrittenPts
Federal StandardNativeNative0

Advantages

Gizmo ×210
Signature Gear (recon rig)2
Absolute Direction5
Eidetic Memory5
Versatile5
Fit5
Lightning Calculator2
Less Sleep 12

Disadvantages

Debt (10 levels) — Corvid Financial−10
Enemy (Marek Solano / Corvid recovery; appears 6 or less)−10
Obsession (make the GREAT discovery — the find that clears his name)−10
Gullibility−10
Unluckiness−10
Curious−5
Overconfidence−5
Phobia (Triskaidekaphobia — number 13)−5
Sense of Duty (former crew)−5
Stubbornness−5
Quirk: Never throws away a broken gadget — hoards salvage−1
Quirk: Narrates his own plan out loud while he works−1
Quirk: Won’t start anything important on the 13th−1
Quirk: Names every piece of his kit−1
Quirk: Keeps a running log of every anomaly he’s seen−1

Skills

NameLvlRelPts
Archaeology14IQ+02
Astronomy14IQ+02
Beam Weapons (Rifle)14DX+24
Brawling
Parry: 9
12DX+01
Cartography15IQ+12
Computer Operation17IQ+34
Computer Programming15IQ+14
Electronics Operation (Comms)14IQ+01
Electronics Operation (Sensors)19IQ+516
Electronics Repair (Sensors)16IQ+24
Engineer (Electronics)15IQ+14
Engineer (Starships)11IQ−30
Fast-Talk14IQ+01
First Aid15IQ+11
Free Fall12DX+02
Geology (Rock Worlds)14IQ+02
Knife8DX−40
Mathematics (Applied)14IQ+02
Mechanic (Starships)10IQ−40
Merchant14IQ+01
Navigation (Hyperspace)15IQ+01
Navigation (Space)16IQ+12
Physics13IQ−12
Piloting (High-Performance Spacecraft)13DX+14
Prospecting15IQ+12
Scrounging17Per+11
Search16Per+01
Spacer15IQ+11
Stealth10
base 11
DX−11
Survival (Rock World)17Per+12
Vacc Suit12DX+02

Points Summary

Attributes170
Secondary Characteristics17
Advantages36
Skills72
Disadvantages−75
Quirks−5
Total (spent)215
Earned XP (Session 1)+5
Earned XP (Session 2)+5
Earned XP (Session 3)+5
Earned XP (Session 4)+5
Earned XP (Session 5)+5
Earned XP (Session 6)+5
Earned XP (Session 7)+5
Earned XP (Session 8)+5
Earned XP (Session 9)+5
Earned XP (Session 10)+5
Earned XP (Session 11)+5
Earned XP (Session 12)+5
Earned XP (Session 13)+5
Earned XP (Session 14)+5
Available (unspent)30

Melee Attacks

Weapon/ModeSkillParryDamageReachSTNotes
Brawling punchBrawling-1291d−1 crC
Utility knife (thrust)Knife-861d−2 impC, 1

Ranged Attacks

WeaponSkillDamageAccRangeRoFShotsSTBulkRclNotes
Blaster carbineBeam Weapons (Rifle)-145d(5) burn, sur10*500/1,500*3*350(3)*−4*

Shack Magellan reads as a man who has been everywhere twice and come home broke from all of it. Early forties, lean and restless, built narrow the way people get when they live on ship rations and never sit still. His hair has gone grey at the temples and he cuts it himself, usually a few days past when he should have. There is a permanent squint in a weathered, easy face that finds the joke in most things and trusts far too many of them. His hands never stop. There is always a bit of kit turning over in them, a probe-head or a coil of cable or one of the little canisters of nanomist he calls his “better idea.” Pale hazel eyes, quick and hungry. A sensor loupe pushed up on his forehead and a wrist display he checks the way other men check a watch, and clipped somewhere on him, always, the recon rig that ruined him and might yet buy him back.

His edge is real. Shack invented a better way to scout the unknown, a nanotech recon rig that oozes around corners, down cracks, and into dead ships and relays back what is there before he ever sticks his neck out. It made him briefly valuable, and then it made him reckless. He borrowed big from Corvid Financial to bankroll the expedition that was going to make his name, because his rig had found something out past the charted lanes, or he was sure it had, and Corvid liked sure. Deep into the run a reclamation crew called Sable boarded him, stripped the hold, took the claim and most of the ship, and left him drifting with the debt and none of the payday. The men who did it did not talk and did not miss, and moved through his ship like they had been grown to do exactly that.

When the note came due he could not cover a tenth of it, so he did the only thing a frontier man can do with a debt like that. He ran. Town, then planet, then system. Corvid does not forget, and there is a recovery man named Marek Solano working his file. So Shack took the one job at the far end of nowhere, at MacMillian’s dead-end station, and he keeps chasing the next great find, the one that clears the ledger and gives him back his name. He is Curious, Overconfident, and too trusting to let a mystery lie, which is exactly the kind of loose end the dead system makes of people.

Name, history, and voice are Jay’s to finalize. The physical description and the Corvid / Solano / Sable web are drafts offered for Jay to keep, bend, or replace.

📄 Background handouts & references (offered to Jay Vasil / Tim): Corvid Financial - Notice of Default and Recovery (Magellan) · The Anomaly Log (Shackleton Magellan) · Sable Reclamation - Salvage Manifest (Magellan claim) · Recon Rig Spec (Shackleton Magellan).

Name Cost Page Notes
Gizmo ×2 10 B57 Twice per session, pull out a small item he could’ve been carrying — undefined until revealed, so it can’t be searched, lost, or stolen first. “Always has the right gadget.”
Signature Gear (recon rig) 2 B85 Covers his nanotech recon rig + sensor kit (~$20k of distinctive gear). The one thing Sable / Corvid couldn’t take; foes can’t trace it.
Absolute Direction 5 B34 Never lost; +1 Navigation.
Eidetic Memory 5 B51 Remembers every scan, map, and anomaly he’s logged.
Versatile 5 B99 +1 to improvise, jury-rig, and think creatively.
Fit 5 B55 +1 to HT rolls for FP loss and staying conscious; faster recovery.
Lightning Calculator 2 B66 Instant, perfect arithmetic — ranges, vectors, yields.
Less Sleep 1 2 B65 One hour less sleep; more hours to work.

Advantages total: 36

Name Cost Self-Control Notes
Debt (10 levels) — Corvid Financial −10 — −1/level. Monthly payment = 1% starting wealth × 10 = 10%, from job income first (B26). Wealth is Average (no Wealth trait), so TL11 starting wealth $75,000 (B27) → $7,500/month. The trackable slice of what he owes.
Enemy (Marek Solano / Corvid recovery; appears 6 or less) −10 — −20 base (medium recovery team, 6–20) × ½ (6-or-less). He skipped the system, so they surface rarely, but they surface.
Obsession (make the GREAT discovery — the find that clears his name) −10 12 The engine of his choices.
Gullibility −10 12 Believes what he’s told; must roll to doubt an obvious lie.
Unluckiness −10 — Once/session the GM can make his worst roll happen.
Curious −5 12 Must roll to not investigate the interesting thing.
Overconfidence −5 12 Certain he’ll succeed; must roll to be cautious.
Phobia (Triskaidekaphobia — number 13) −5 12 His signature superstition.
Sense of Duty (former crew) −5 — The people the failed mission cost him.
Stubbornness −5 — Won’t be told the discovery isn’t out there.
Quirk: Never throws away a broken gadget — hoards salvage −1 —
Quirk: Narrates his own plan out loud while he works −1 —
Quirk: Won’t start anything important on the 13th −1 — Leans into the phobia.
Quirk: Names every piece of his kit −1 —
Quirk: Keeps a running log of every anomaly he’s seen −1 — And re-reads it.

Disadvantages total: −75 · Quirks: −5

Active Defenses

Parry (Brawling) 9Block —Dodge 9
LocationDR
Torso~30
Elsewhere (sealed)~6*
All (tacsuit worn instead)40/20*

Melee Attacks

Weapon/ModeSkillParryDamageReachSTNotes
Brawling punchBrawling-1291d−1 crC
Utility knife (thrust)Knife-861d−2 impC, 1

Ranged Attacks

WeaponSkillDamageAccRangeRoFShotsSTBulkRclNotes
Blaster carbineBeam Weapons (Rifle)-145d(5) burn, sur10*500/1,500*3*350(3)*−4*
Rules Reference
Humanoid Hit Location
RollLocationMod
3–4Skull–7
5Face–5
6–7Right Leg–2
8Right Arm–2
9–10Torso—
11Groin–3
12Left Arm–2
13–14Left Leg–2
15Hand–4
16Foot–4
17–18Neck–5
—Vitals–3
—Eye–9

Source: GURPS Basic Set 4e, p. B552

Size & Speed/Range
Speed/RangeSizeLinear Measure
002 yd
-1/+1±13 yd
-2/+2±25 yd
-3/+3±37 yd
-4/+4±410 yd
-5/+5±515 yd
-6/+6±620 yd
-7/+7±730 yd
-8/+8±850 yd
-9/+9±970 yd
-10/+10±10100 yd
-11/+11±11150 yd
-12/+12±12200 yd
-13/+13±13300 yd
-14/+14±14500 yd
-15/+15±15700 yd

Source: GURPS Basic Set 4e, p. B550

Equipment

QtyItemCostWeightLocationNotes
1Nanotech recon swarm (“nanomist”)$1,0002 lbBelt canister (one)Oozes around corners / into wrecks, relays A/V/IR. The heart of his invention. Surveillance swarm, nanobot, flier chassis (UT35, UT37): $500 base +100% for the flier = $1,000 for his one-square-yard swarm, about 2 lb (UT37); TL11, LC3. One canister, one swarm; it always refills (cinematic consumables house rule). Commanded by Swarm Controller software, Complexity 4 (UT37) — confirmed; runs on his wrist computer (C5–6).
1Nanobugs ×several~$100 eaneg.Belt pouchDrop-and-watch scouts (−18 to spot).
1MiniHUD + earpiece comm~$50+neg.WornSwarm feed to his eye; +1 to fast-info skills.
1Multiscanner / small radscanner~$1,0000.5Chest rig+2 Electronics Op (Sensors).
1MicroNav(confirm)neg.WristAbsolute Timing, +2 Navigation.
1Bug detector~$5001KitKnows when he’s the one being watched.
1Portable tool kit (Electronics Repair)~$1,20010Pack (droppable)Field fixes for the rig; the swing item for encumbrance.
1Personal computer (wrist/tiny, C5–6)~$1,1000.5WristComputer Op / Programming.
1Light vacc suit (sealed)(confirm)~10WornVacc Suit 11 — non-negotiable. Lightest sealed option to protect Basic Lift 24.
1Monocrys vest~$3002WornConcealable torso DR.
1Monocrys tacsuit (TL11)~$3,00015Worn (alternative)DR 40/20* all locations, flexible; full DR vs cut/imp, half vs everything else. Doesn’t limit DX; biomedical sensors built in. Sealed + climate control (−40°F to 120°F) only when paired with an air mask or combat infantry helmet. C/24 hr. NBC Suit skill to don/doff fast. LC2.
1Blaster carbine~$9,2005.6SlingBeam Weapons (Rifle) 14.
1Survival kit + personal basics~$3003Pack (droppable)Survival 16 off the ship.
1Spare power cells~$3001PouchesReloads for carbine + rig.
1Extra load from 1.2G gravity (B350)—45 lb—Temporary — Dinon I gravity (1.2G). Not an object: the extra effective weight high gravity adds, (body 165 lb + gear as ticked on the live sheet 60 lb) × 0.2 = 45 lb (B350). Keep it ticked. Remove when the crew leaves Dinon I.

Load-Out: Station Issue

QtyItemCostWeightNotes
1Electric Stun Wand (TL9)$1001 lbMacMillian security issue. sw/thr cr + HT-5(2) aff non-lethal knockdown/paralysis. Shortsword skill (defaults DX-5). B cell, 20 strikes. LC4.
1Sonic stun rifle (TL10)$2,0005 lbBeam Weapons (Rifle)-14; HT-4(5) aff, Acc 6, 60/180, 56(3), ST 5†, Bulk −3, LC4. Non-lethal.
1Nanoweave Tactical Vest + trauma plates (TL10)$1,50018 lbDR 70/10* torso (24/10* vest +46 plates) & 24/10* groin; flexible. When kitted this replaces the Monocrys vest and lands him around Medium. LC2.
1Combat Infantry Helmet (TL11)$2,0005 lbDR 36/24 head. B/24 hr. LC2.
1Fragment grenade (TL11) ×3~$120~1.5 lbThrown (Throwing skill). Fragmentation burst; signed out per mission. LC3.

The story so far

  1. Session 1The Ragged Edge of Space →Shackleton Magellan reads a room like a system diagram, looking for the input nobody is watching and the output nobody has secured.
  2. Session 2The MacMillian Anomaly →Shack has spent enough weeks on MacMillian Station to read its paperwork the way he reads a dead relay, hunting the one wire that carries current when nothing is supposed to be on.
  3. Session 3Buckle Up, Motherfuckers →They made him squadron leader for the run, which he took the way he takes most authority, as a set of variables he was now responsible for.
  4. Session 4The Case of the Missing Courtesan →He spent one of his gizmos on a tracker and put it on the ship’s transponder relay, quiet, no ping, answering only to his own frequency.
  5. Session 5Hostile Takeover →He staged the scene before security arrived, which is a thing he did not used to know how to do.
  6. Session 6The Albatross Takes Flight →He spent four days with the manuals and the cube and came out of it more unsettled than he went in.
  7. Session 7The Goodwin Contract →The ship told him a secret on the way in, and it was worse than a malfunction.
  8. Session 8A Crappy Plan Comes Together →The plan needed a badge and Shackleton remembered where one was.
  9. Session 9Snakes on a Catwalk →The scanner found what a sewer wall does not advertise: vibration sensors and noise sensors, a dense net of them in the earth around the perimeter.
  10. Session 10Six Shooters and Four Arms →Shackleton took the Peric IV D run as the quiet job and asked the ship how to get there.
  11. Session 11The Cost of a Clone’s Life →Shack read the plains on the way in: mines, domes, gangs of identical men, and gardens sized to feed a workforce.
  12. Session 12That Would Be a Mistake →The blind jump put The Albatross into the Katha System behind a line of ships waiting at the gate from Peric.
  13. Session 13Albatross Security LLC: The Zenith Job →Shack read the job board for Six, who could not find it, and turned up a security contract with no limit on hires.
  14. Session 14Iced Tea →Rock made a good case for doing nothing, and Shack told him so, and then said he did not care.

Every session in full →

Connections

People

Allied with

  • Kate Broadbeck NPC warmAccepted payment and a signal device to act as his informant inside Agramunt's quarters.1 session: Session 05 - Hostile Takeover

Knows

  • Hildebrand Panza NPC neutralUnaware; Shackleton recognised him from a security scan he ran months earlier.1 session: Session 04 - The Case of the Missing Courtesan

Sought by

  • Marek Solano NPC hostileWorking Shack's file with unhurried patience; already two systems into the chase.

Places

Located at

  • MacMillian Station IV Location neutralTook the MacMillian 'security' job at the dead end — far enough out to stay ahead of Corvid's recovery man.7 sessions, Session 01 - The Ragged Edge of Space to Session 07 - The Goodwin Contract

Visited

  • Aethel City Sewers Location3 sessions, Session 07 - The Goodwin Contract to Session 09 - Snakes on a Catwalk
  • Firetemic Tower Location3 sessions, Session 07 - The Goodwin Contract to Session 09 - Snakes on a Catwalk
  • Storage B-342 Location3 sessions, Session 07 - The Goodwin Contract to Session 09 - Snakes on a Catwalk
  • Katha System Location2 sessions, Session 11 - The Cost of a Clone's Life to Session 12 - That Would Be a Mistake
  • Peric IV D Location2 sessions, Session 09 - Snakes on a Catwalk to Session 10 - Six Shooters and Four Arms
  • Processing II Location2 sessions, Session 02 - The MacMillian Anomaly to Session 04 - The Case of the Missing Courtesan
  • Chae-gul 147 Location1 session: Session 12 - That Would Be a Mistake
  • House of Parts Location1 session: Session 07 - The Goodwin Contract
  • Meridian Esplanade Location1 session: Session 13 - Albatross Security LLC - The Zenith Job
  • Roberts Estate Location1 session: Session 11 - The Cost of a Clone's Life
  • Shipping and Receiving Sector Location1 session: Session 04 - The Case of the Missing Courtesan
  • The Comets Tail Location1 session: Session 01 - The Ragged Edge of Space
  • 07-Delta Station Location
  • Corwin II Subterranean Landing Bay Location

Organisations

Captured by

  • Sable Reclamation Faction hostileBoarded Shack's expedition mid-run, stripped the hold and claim, and left him with the debt.

Enemy of

  • Aethel Safety Bureau Faction hostileCornered him in the sewer catwalks; he bluffed them with a snake and shook the pursuit.1 session: Session 09 - Snakes on a Catwalk

Indebted to

  • Corvid Financial Faction hostileBorrowed big to fund the expedition that ruined him; the note came due and he ran.

Things

Created

Studies

  • Alien Navigation Device Item neutralStudied it across the three-hour flight home and worked out what it does.5 sessions, Session 04 - The Case of the Missing Courtesan to Session 10 - Six Shooters and Four Arms

Owns

  • Kinetic Logistics ID Card Item neutralSearched the body and recovered the card.2 sessions, Session 04 - The Case of the Missing Courtesan to Session 05 - Hostile Takeover
  • Monocryst Tactical Suit Item neutralHis worn protection on the 07-Delta raid.1 session: Session 05 - Hostile Takeover

Owned by

  • 40mm EMP Device Item neutralShackleton's gadget.1 session: Session 09 - Snakes on a Catwalk
  • Job Network Frequency Code Item neutralHolds the code.1 session: Session 09 - Snakes on a Catwalk
  • Smart Rope Item neutralShackleton's gadget.1 session: Session 09 - Snakes on a Catwalk

Events

Participated in

Mentions

Sessions

People

Places

Organisations

Things

Events

Other