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Characters

Archetypes Shooter Boomer Scrapper Hacker
Driver Breaker Patcher Facilitator
 
 
 
BOOMER
Maxwell 7 Mary 5 Taggert Hammer
JUSTIFICATION
Boomers are the best Archetype because when all else is said and done, laying down heavy machine gun fire, setting off some pyro, blowing a building, or otherwise letting everyone in the immediate vicinity know that they got completely crushed is just plain fun.
ROLE
Boomers excel at making things go "BOOM". Heavy weapons, high explosives, and general demolitions are the sort of things Boomers specialize in. Some Boomers are just Shooters with really big machine guns, while others are more bomb oriented, and still others go for unusual weapons with big punch like grenade or rocket launchers.
The main difference between Boomers and Shooters is primarily in the realm of scale, precision, and subtlety. If you want a person dead get a Shooter, if you want a bloodbath or catastrophe get a Boomer.
FOCUS
MAXWELL
CHARACTER SHEET
MAXWELL Pic
Boomers should be able to do gobs 'o damage vs multiple targets, locations, and what have you. Point targets aren't their main concern so their overall accuracy doesn't need to be as high as a Shooters, but they need to have ways to inflict damage en masse.
Mini-Gun (HERO System 5th Edition)
Gear Lvl 2
Military, 143,500 creds
This fearsome weapon, beloved by many Boomers and gun nuts, is one of the most lethal and destructive man-portable weapons in the world. Relatively rare and regarded as a highly recognizable "signature" weapon, its distinctive percussive whine has been the last thing heard by many and brings a chill to most peoples spines.
Jones & Strat Validator Minigun: Ranged Killing Attack 3d6+1 (vs. PD), 32 Charges (+1/4), Does Knockback Not Knockdown (+1/4), Semi-Armor Piercing (+1/4), Variable Advantage (+1 Advantages; Limited Group of Advantages (Area of Effect Line: 34", Area of Effect Cone: 17", Area of Effect Radius: 13" Half Circle); +1 3/4) (175 Active Points); STR Min 18+ Cannot Add Damage (-1 1/2), OIF (-1/2), Required Hands Two-Handed (-1/2), No Range (-1/2), Real Weapon (-1/4) [32]
Active Points 175 Real Cost 41
The Autofire Skills can be good, and for explosives oriented characters the Demolitions skill should be well covered (obviously).
 Equipment Availability is a crucial concern for Boomers, and a large Resource kit and armory is frequently key. Support skills like Fast Draw and Weapon Familiarities with a broad spectrum of weaponry are also handy just as they are for Shooters.
Heavy Weapon style Boomers draw a lot of attention and are well served by having their defenses as high as they can get them. Demo style Boomers usually rely more on setting things up out of combat and need various support skills such as Security Systems, Concealment, Electronics, and similar.
Boomers should start play with enough gear to wreak some havok with, and should pay attention to their survivability as well. Many Boomers wear some version of Power Armor "in the field" and consider the extra expense worth every half credit.
 
THE GRENADIER
Some Boomers make themselves useful by carrying a wide array of grenades into combat. Some use a grenade launcher and others rely on biceps as delivery mechanisms, but either way by cleverly selecting and using a wise assortment of task oriented grenades and maybe the occasional satchel bomb, the Grenadier can be very effective indeed.
While Grenadiers are particularly beneficial in situations that need tactical options, they must learn to practice caution lest they become their own victims.
HAMMER
CHARACTER SHEET
HAMMER Pic
+GrenadeLaunchers
THE HEAVY
A recognizable subtype of Boomer is the "Heavy", a heavy weapon weilding sort of person. The actual type of weapon isn't really important, but heavy machinegunners are stereotypical.
In addition to toting BFG's (Big Fraggin Guns), most Heavies are also beefy, brusier types that can take a beating and administer an ass-whuppin. This sort of character might even be good enough at stompin heads to do double duty as a Scrapper.
Machine Gun (HERO System 5th Edition)
Gear Lvl 2
Military, 82,000 creds
This classic belt-fed machine gun is popular with some old war vets, but largely ignored by more discerning marksmen due to it's indifferent accuracy.
Norn-Tek 225-FAAM Machine Gun: Ranged Killing Attack 3d6+1 (vs. PD), Semi-Armor Piercing (+1/4), Autofire (5 shots; +1/2), 225 Charges (+1) (137 Active Points); STR Minimum 18+ (STR Min. Cannot Add/Subtract Damage; -1 1/2), OAF (-1), Required Hands Two-Handed (-1/2), Beam (-1/4), Real Weapon (-1/4)
Active Points 137 Real Cost 30
 
THE DEMOLITIONIST
A more cerebral, or some might say demented, kind of Boomer doesn't bother hauling around an arsenal or rely on twitch reflexes and lots of ammo to get the job done.
Instead they use high explosives and shaped charges. Now, that's usin yer noggin!
This is much more of a thinking man's sort of Boomer since 90% of the job is in the planning and preparation and 10% is managing to get the payload emplaced.
Most Demolitionists avoid actual combat like the plague.
7 MARY 5
CHARACTER SHEET
7 MARY 5 Pic
Few Demolitionists are active Runners, finding more work as mercs or paramilitary, but some work both sides of the fence as the market blows and others enjoy the thrill of Running.
Demolitionist (Package) (HERO System 5th Edition)
  • Smart: +5 INT
  • Adept: +1 Overall Skill Level
  • Demolitions +4
  • Electronics
  • Mechanics
  • SS: Chemistry
  • Security Systems
  • Concealment
  • Analyze: Construction
  • Analyze: Explosives
  • KS: Explosives
  • Perk: Military Equipment Availability
Active Points 55 Real Cost 55
 
TAGGERT
CHARACTER SHEET
TAGGERT Pic
THE DESTROYER
This sort of Boomer is a Meta with a ability that allows them to be impressively destructive. Rare, and generally unique in their own way, the only thing that can be said about them collectively is that they tend to be scary mofo's and all bets are off until their particular weird abilities can be figured out and protected against...if its not too late.
Most can demand a big pay off, but work might tend to be sparse.
Also, because they are so unique, they often have to worry more about being identified and dealt with later by survivors and irked target corporations. Some have been known to take extreme precautions such as going to great lengths to maintain their anonymity.
THE OGRE
A very rare form of Boomer, almost exclusively the purview of full conversion borgs, some physical Metas, and a handful of very distilled Tubers.
This sort of Boomer is so strong or otherwise destructive with melee weapons (or their bare "hands") that they can serve the role of a Boomer, tossing vehicles around, shattering buildings, mowing down swathes of opponents, and the like.