Simon Tam

NAME: Simon Tam
TYPE: Fugitive Doctor
SPECIES: Human
HEIGHT: 1.778 m (5' 10")
WEIGHT: 69 kg
GENDER: Male

DEXTERITY: 2D

• Dancing: 3D+1
• Dodge: 3D+1
• Firearms: 2D+2
• Running: 3D+1

KNOWLEDGE: 3D+1

• Bureaucracy: 4D+2
• Business: 5D+1
• Cultures: 5D+1
• Intimidation: 5D+1
• Law Enforcement: 5D+1
• Scholar: 5D+1
• Scholar: (S) Biology: 6D+2
• Scholar: (S) Chemistry: 6D+2
• Scholar: (S) History: 6D
• Streetwise: 4D+2
• Value: 5D
• Tactics: 5D+1
• Willpower: 6D+2

MECHANICAL: 3D

• Astrogation: 5D
• Communications: 5D

PERCEPTION: 3D

• Bargain: 4D+1
• Command: 5D
• Con: 4D+1
• Gambling: 5D
• Investigation: 6D+1
• Persuasion: 4D+1
• Search: 5D

STRENGTH: 2D

• Climbing / Jumping: 3D+1
• Lifting: 3D+1
• Stamina: 3D+1
• Swimming: 3D+1

TECHNICAL: 4D

• Computer Programming / Repair: 6D
• First Aid: 6D
• First Aid: (S) Neurology: 7D+1
• First Aid: (S) Surgery: 8D
• First Aid: (A) Medicine: 3D
• Security: 6D

MOVE: 10
FORCE SENSITIVE: NO
FORCE POINTS: 4
DARK SIDE POINTS: 0
CHARACTER POINTS: 15

GEAR: Simon does not generally carry weapons of any kind, unless one counts the scalpel in his Doctor’s Bag. He wears the clothes he took with him from his previous life, which are the style of the upper class on Osiris. (This, sad to say, makes him often stand out on the border and outer planets.) While he was once a wealthy doctor, he now has only 25 Alliance credit notes left of his previous fortune, and usually spends his earnings as the resident medic of Serenity.

Traits

• Deadly Enemy (Minor Complication) - Simon is a wanted fugitive (as a result of rescuing his sister from an Alliance-controlled facility), with warrants flagged monthy on the Cortex.

• Easy Mark (Minor Complication) - Perhaps it’s a result of a sheltered upbringing, but Simon never expects deception—an easy target for betrayal and pratical jokes.

• Highly Educated (Minor Asset) - Simon is very smart, having graduated the top 3% of his class at the Medical Academy on Osiris and finishing his internship in 18 months.

• Loyal (Minor Complication) - Simon’s first instinct is to protect his sister, an impulse that goes so far that he ignores or pushes aside anything (or anyone) that he might want for himself.

• Steady Calm (Minor Asset) - Even with the dangerous and unusual situations that seem to crop up as a member of Serenity’s crew, Simon keeps a cool head—looking for his moment.

• Talented: Medical Expertise/Surgery (Minor Asset) - He was steered toward a medical career by his father, and Simon seemed clearly gifted from an early age.

Role Playing Notes

“I don’t mind saying that I took against the young doctor from the very start. Maybe it was the way he dressed—all wealthified—or the way he talked—all educated. Or maybe it was the fact that he chose Serenity as his ticket off Persephone. Though the ship looks fine to me, others tend to see her as sort of beat-up and disreputable. Not exactly the type of luxury cruiser I would guess the young doctor is accustomed to flying.

“I was suspicious of him from the start and I took considerable less to Simon Tan when I discovered that he landed me and mine in a world of trouble by smuggling his certifiable loony-bin sister on board my ship.

“Here’s the doc’s story, as he told it to us. If it’s a little vague, I don’t press him for the fine details. When you’re wadin’ hip deep through cow mi tian gohn, you’re not much interested in the color of the cow.

“Simon Tam was one of the lucky ones. He was born to money and brought up with his sister, River, on the wealthy core planet of Osiris. Highly intelligent, Simon waltzed through medical school and, at a young age, was on the road to being one of the most respected and admired (and well-paid) surgeons at one of the most prestigious hospitals in Capital City.

“Simon was smart, but his little sister, River, was a hundred times smarter. There wasn’t anything she couldn’t do, from dancing to theoretical physics. Lookin’ for an education program to challenge her, she went off to some high-powered Academy run by the Alliance. All was fine at first, and then Simon started receivin’ letters that made no sense. On closer inspection, however, he discovered they were written in code. River told him that people were hurting her and she had to escape.

“Simon had money and he had influence and he spent both liberally to help free River. She was cryogenically frozen and shipped to Persephone—a place you go when you don’t want to face a lot of questions, such as ‘what do you have in that large box, sir?’

“Turns out, sadly, that the Alliance wants his sister back. They want her back so bad that they’re not only offering good money for her, they’ve papered the ‘Verse with wanted posters on these two. Now I don’t mind makin’ trouble for myself, ‘cause I generally get paid for it. I do mind others makin’ trouble for me.

“I’ve been tempted more than once to let Simon and his sister take a stroll in space without benefit of suits, but, I’ll say one thing for him, the young doc is good at his job. And since our means of earning a living leads to a certain amount of scrapes and bruises, not to mention gunshots to the belly and the occasional knifing, I have decided to keep him on board. It’s fair to say that some of us might not be here to breathe the air if it weren’t for the young doctor.

“So far, he’s earned a place on my crew. Not sayin’ that’ll last. But so far...”

—Conversation with Malcolm Reynolds

Source:

• Serenity Role Playing Game (pages 22-23)
• thedemonapostle