The Wastes/Characters

The Wastes is a Fallout roleplaying site that is growing at a reasonable rate, and characters are developing, creating larger and larger trope lists. A character sheet was inevitable. Note that the changes to this list will be ongoing.

Andrew Hagan:

 * Dark and Troubled Past: Family troubles from the past, living through an atomic war, two hundred years walking through Hell, endless memories of better days and constantly fighting for your life will give you a Troubled Past.
 * Drowning My Sorrows: Played straight to a small extent. Hagan will drink if it's on hand and prefers alcohol to anything else but he will not go out of his way for it. He does drinks to forget though it rarely works.
 * Mangst: Hagan is most commonly thinking of his past when alone and he doesn't bother other people with it. Aside from the occasional slip when talking he keeps both his past and his feelings to himself.
 * Neutral Evil
 * Rebel Leader: Hagan served as one during the RP "All Ends in Time." However, Your Mileage May Vary on whether he served for the good of the people or his own interests.
 * The Woobie: Your Mileage May Vary with this one.
 * To Absent Friends: Hagan does this when alone though not just to his friends, also his family and what the world used to be.
 * Who Wants to Live Forever?: Played straight. Hagan feels very depressed and has on many occasions attempted suicide, however he cannot bring himself to do it. His inability to end his own life only serves to depress him further.

Caleb Wolff
The original Tribal, born of a proud warrior people descended from Force Recon Marines and refugees from the Resource Wars (including a few Israelis). A renowned hunter in his tribe's territory, he hangs around the Bucket Town area with the other ne'er-do-wells, supplying the brute power for many scavenging runs. Tall, burly and ruthless, he's not really the type you want to get on the bad side of.

Associated Tropes


 * Bar Brawl: Took part in clearing one out in the site's inaugural event.
 * Beard of Barbarism: Caleb rarely shaves or bathes. This leads to some impressive facial hair, but only makes him seem less approachable.
 * Braids of Barbarism: He keeps his hair in dreadlocks.
 * Fight Scene: Expect at least one severely violent fight per thread he's present in.
 * Finishing Stomp: His tribe teaches its warriors to end fights by crushing the victim's skull or throat with a stomping attack.
 * Good Old Fisticuffs: Played straight and subverted. His fighting style is based solidly in Krav Maga, Muay Boran and the LINE Combat System, and he frequently chooses the path of the Combat Pragmatist, but is quick enough to pull off the occasional flashy Superman Punch or flying knee.
 * Neck Snap: He's pulled this off once or twice. Probably more. He is 6' 4" and 245lbs though.
 * Proud Warrior Race Guy: As mentioned above, his tribe are warriors through and through, and their lineage can be traced back to a platoon of Force Recon Marines.
 * Scary Black Man: Scary Mixed Race Man.
 * Weapon of Choice: Caleb carries several weapons he's rather fond of.
 * BFG: He carries a chain-feed machinegun as a primary weapon. It has a habit of jamming, but is still counted among the most powerful weapons on the site.
 * Cool Sword: Actually, two cool swords. Rarely uses both at the same time though.
 * Handguns: His sidearm is a 10mm Auto pistol. It should be noted that the 10mm Auto round was designed to outperform the .357 Magnum round.
 * Power Fist: A weapon of last resort, Caleb wears impact-protective motorcycle gloves. Wouldn't be too bad if he wasn't so fond of punching people in the throat.

Jackal/Liam Rourke
A Ghoulified survivor and veteran of the Great War. Originally a nice man with marriage prospects, and a reserve police officer, he held a PhD in Mechanical Engineering obtained in his native Ireland. He would go on to legally surrender his Irish Citizenship and serve in the US Army Special Forces. He took part in several events in the setting background, including the Anchorage Liberation and attacks on Mainland China. He worked in a Power Plant when not on the front, and that was where he took shelter from the bombs. The combined radiation of the bombs and the damaged reactor mutated him into a Glowing Ghoul, the trauma of which only magnified the trauma of his time in the War - in which he committed acts tantamount to terrorism against the Chinese. Now, like many others, he walks the wastes, doing whatever he can to survive.

Associated Tropes:


 * Badass Bookworm: He graduated with an Engineering P.Hd back in Ireland. Considering that most people can't even read in the Fallout timeline, this makes him possibly one of the most educated, if the only, PC on the site.
 * Badass Grandpa
 * Becoming the Mask: While Liam is in fact the sentient, conscious entity in Jackal's head, the violent, animalistic, subconscious undercurrents of his mind tend to have control more often than not.
 * Chaotic Evil: Of the Animal Cunning variety. In his own mind, he's the ultimate predator, showing total disregard for life in general and is endowed with near superhuman intelligence, great physical prowess and over two centuries of survival and combat experience. He takes what he wants, when he wants, and he'll cut the throat of anyone who tries to stop him.
 * Cursed with Awesome: He's a Glowing Ghoul. That means that he can cook you from the inside out, but, that also means that he gives people cancer when they stand next to him for too long.
 * Dark and Troubled Past: Even before the Apocalypse, Jackal did some damned distasteful things in the name of his adopted homeland.
 * Disproportionate Retribution: All that happened was the guy coughed while he and Jackal were fishing. Jackal proceeded to beat the man senseless.
 * Evil Makes You Ugly: While it was technically the radiation that turned him into a peeling-skinned mutant, Jackal's Chaotic Evil is what makes him really repulsive.
 * Game Face: Jackal occasionally glows - eyes included - during fights.
 * Grumpy Old Man: Jackal has been around the block. He saw the world before the bombs fell. He knows how far things have fallen. And now he's here to bitch about it.
 * Hair-Trigger Temper: He'll seem quite happy one minute, then at no notice, reach across the table and slice a person's throat for having an annoying voice.
 * Heroic BSOD: Word of God states it involves a thermobaric weapon in his Backstory.
 * Immortality
 * Insane Equals Violent: Played straight. In a world without antipsychotics, Jackal is blood thirsty, aggressive, ruthless and calculating.
 * Light Is Not Good: A painfully literal case. Jackal is a source of light, but is far and above the most twisted character on-site. The light is usually portrayed as menacing anyway, silhouetting his bones and so on.
 * Living Forever Is Awesome: Contrary to other Ghoul characters, Jackal is quite happy to live forever as the world goes to toss around him. Despite being a borderline nihilist, he considers himself a God Among Men for having survived radiation poisoning that should have killed him several times over.
 * Manly Tears: Despite what his writer thinks, Jackal sheds a whole lot of these after Ellis dies.
 * I said unmanly, damnit!
 * Murder Is the Best Solution: What's worse is, he's usually more than aware of the other, more effective, more rational solutions. Removing the problem with a generous helping of violence just relieves the stress of the situation better.
 * Names to Run Away From Really Fast: Jackal - not a terrorist or assassin in this case. A predator picking the bones of the world - a title his not-so-subconscious picked for itself when it felt he was no longer human (long story).
 * Neck Snap: Jackal loves severing spinal cords like this. Justified, he is a Special Forces veteran, and in pretty good shape.
 * Odd Friendship: Ellis Colbeck was the only character Jackal gets along with. Everyone else, he hates beyond all reason.
 * Screw Politeness, I'm a Senior!: Jackal doesn't care about your opinions. You don't even have a degree.
 * Shout-Out: While most go out to various Clint Eastwood films, he also makes nods to Rambo, the Hunted, occasionally the Joker, and others.
 * Sociopathic Soldier: While he fits the Shell-Shocked Veteran variety most closely, he has an unhealthy amount Ax Crazy heaped on top for good measure.
 * The Dreaded: Twisted and sadistic to the point where he even disturbed another user. Has killed at least one victim by pinning them down and delivering a fatal dose of radiation.
 * Violent Glaswegian : Jackal, the Irish ghoul who's former American spec-ops and has a violent temper. He killed a man just because he was having a bad day and said man annoyed him. Doesn't help that the person who writes him is a real life Violent Glaswegian.
 * As far as Scotireland is concerned, yes.

Lucy Littlething:
The Kid Appeal Character of The Wastes, Lucy is 10 years old and the leader of a now mostly dead "Revised Girlscouts of America." She is a genius (having a 10 in intelligence, higher then most characters and NPC's) She is a former slavegirl having stabbed her former owner in her escape (he was believed dead until recently) Lucy also has an enemy in the Mt Rushmore Patriots, a group of national guard remnants from North Dakota (outside the area of influence for the game's setting)

Associated Tropes:
 * Child Prodigy: Lucy's parents were genius vault-dweller scientists and takes after them. Often this manifests into adults not believeing her much to their peril.
 * Competence Zone (subverted) Lucy is clearly outside the competence zone of the RP and as such her storylines come across as highly unbelievable at times. The purpose of this is (according to her player) to highlight how morally bankrupt the world in which she lives is
 * Deliberately Cute Child: In Lucy's case this can be a bad thing as she is wandering around with little or no supervision. With a charisma of 8 (possibly the highest in any current character) many people she encounters would love to keep her... suggesting this triggers her Berserk Button and results in their immediate death
 * MacGyvering: Having no melee combat skills and only a BB Gun for a weapon Lucy relies heavily on this, to a point where her player refers to her as "Lolita MacGyver"
 * Omnidisciplinary Scientist; Lucy has no field of study, she simply reads and knows a lot. Se changes from psychology, forensics, robotics and engineering at the drop of a hat.
 * Scout Out: (Semi subverted) A rare example of using the actual trademarked version of the scouts down to authentic 1950's era uniforms, the same Scout's Oath (with a few changes to reflect the wasteland's environment.

Stephen La Valley
A former Blue Blood Knight (the forums equivalent to a knight in a feudal hierarchy) Stephen was born in a lap of luxury, compared to most player characters. From an early age, he was both tutored in pre-war subjects such as Math, History, and more. He was also taught how to fight and how to lead soldiers in battle, something he found that he was rather good at. Since the age of twenty, he has been fighting in near constant skirmishes with other Blue Blood Knights in the name of his lord. However, after being knocked and left the Sole Survivor of his own detachment (although allowing other troops to escape the carnage), Stephen now is forced to wander through the wastes looking for something else to attach to.


 * Blue Blood: Stephen was born into a family of Wasteland Aristocrats. His family also owned an entire village (albiet a small village) and had enough spare income to be able to afford tutors for Stephen when he was growing up.
 * Honor Before Reason: Very much so. The reason Stephen entered the campaign that set off his whole Player Character history off was because he felt that he was obliged to go, if only so then he wouldn't seem weak in front of other knights and lords.
 * Mook Lieutenant: Was originally one of these. Then he lost the men that he was commanding due to being forced to take a Last Stand with.
 * Officer and a Gentleman: Attempts to be one of these. It works, considering that he cares for his men. But, then again, he also did follow a certain order that got everybody but him enslaved or killed.
 * Sole Survivor: He was the only survivor of his own small group of soldiers not to be killed or dragged off into slavery.

Suvarna Vishnavi
A slightly amoral chemist descended from Vault 15's resident pharmacist; Suvarna craves a life of luxury and deference from others.


 * Woman in White: Suvarna channels Lawrence of Arabia with the addition of white opera gloves and a veil.
 * Kill It with Fire: Suvarna doesn't pretend to know how to fight, but she can make firebombs with household chemicals!
 * Sesquipedalian Loquaciousness: Telling people they're ignorant peasants can get you killed. It's perfectly fair to make them feel like ignorant peasants with a fancy Vault-descended education, and Suvarna does.

Betty Brown:

 * Lawful Evil
 * Dumb Blonde: Betty Brown. How she managed to survive this long in the wastes, I have no idea. Her beauty must have helped though. Hrm....
 * Sweater Girl: Betty started out as one of these, but has since changed outfits.
 * Alliterative Name
 * Beware the Nice Ones: While usually a kind and well-meaning woman, she has been known to bash heads in with a crowbar when pushed too far.

Cattiebrie:

 * Cowardly Lion: Played straight.
 * Fiery Redhead
 * True Neutral
 * Hates Being Touched: Played straight.
 * Dark and Troubled Past
 * Scars Are Forever: Most notable is one that comes from her scalp through her eyebrow, missing her left eye, continuing down her cheek until it stops at her jaw.
 * The Woobie: Played straight.

Cay:

 * Wild Child: Cay, through and through.

Darrel Cohen:

 * Affably Evil: Even though he's a liar, thief and conman, he subscribes to a very strict moral code - he outright refuses to use violence unless attacked with intent to kill, believes in sharing prosperity with the poor, and serves the common good whenever possible. Your Mileage May Vary.
 * Gentleman Thief: Played straight.
 * Neutral Evil
 * Reluctant Warrior: Played straight. Darrel experiences self-loathing, revulsion and actual physical sickness after killing humans. Animals and mutants are fair game, though.

Steven Tucker
A Ghoulified survivor of the Great War. Originally, Steven was a model citizen of the Southern United States as well as a civilian scientist holding a degree in the physical sciences. However, his company went under, and he briefly took a job selling door-to-door in his local community, where his generally stand-up nature served him well. Then there was an increased push for troops, and Steven was trained as a medic and sent to Anchorage against his will. After serving in a field hospital in Anchorage, he came home. Just in time for the nuclear holocaust, it turns out. He fled with his neighbors into the sewers, where radiation sickness and lack of food caused the people to degenerate into savages. Steven escaped, and since then has been wandering the wastes, keeping a journal of everything he does.

Associated Tropes:
 * Age Without Youth
 * Awesomeness By Analysis: This is how Steven fights.
 * Badass Bookworm: Before the war, Steven ran a small company using his college education in general sciences while crusading for temperance on the side. After the war, he's had 200 years of survival experience, journals everything he does, and uses a monkey wrench to hit pressure points.
 * Badass Grandpa
 * Combat Medic: Steven did this before the Great War.
 * Dark and Troubled Past: Averted up until the Great War. Steven lived a fairly cozy life up until he was forced to go to Anchorage and when the Great War happened. After that, and after watching his insane neighbors tear each other apart, his life has really gone down the crapper.
 * Drowning My Sorrows: Averted. Steven does NOT drink, even in his deepest moments of despair.
 * Lawful Good
 * Martial Arts and Crafts: Steven's medical knowledge allows him to turn an opponent's body against him via pressure points and locks.
 * Martial Pacifist: Steven prefers negotiation and rarely, if ever, wants to fight, but he WILL mop the floor with you if you make him.
 * Shout-Out: Steven's journal is a shoutout to Isherwood Williams from Earth Abides during his earlier years.
 * Technical Pacifist: Steven has an aversion to fighting and killing, which is why he didn't want to go to Anchorage, but he has killed before. Never lightly, of course.
 * Who Wants to Live Forever?: Steven is frequently depressed from losing all his friends to atomic destruction, watching them tear each other apart in the sewers where he took shelter, and seeing the total dissolution of morals in the world.

Orion Keagan/Scorpio & Sam Duncan:

 * Badass Longcoat: Orion wears what can only best be described as a modified duster. I say "modified" as it has no riding slit in the back.
 * Bad Dreams: Orion's dreams are... obviously metaphorical, violent, chilling, and in short, utterly disturbing.
 * Chaotic Neutral: Orion once more. You almost never know what he's going to do next, but you can be damn sure that it has to do with his survival... or if he just feels like it.
 * Catch Phrase: Sam uses "Trust me. I'm a Doctor.", and uses it both comically and psychotically.
 * Combat Medic: Sam very much so. Sam can fix up anything from a small fracture to a gaping gash as well as a variety of other physical injuries. He also has the strength and ability to take on at least one enemy in hand-to-hand combat (with or without a weapon).
 * Dark and Troubled Past: Detatched mother, abusive father who expected more out of the both of them than was humanly possible. His father killed his mother in a particularly gruesome way as Orion watched.
 * Eyes of Gold: Orion would fall under this. However, if you really feel the need to get technical about it his eyes are yellow or amber, not gold.
 * Journey to the Center of the Mind: Scorpio did this to Orion when asked about Orion's memory.
 * Laser-Guided Amnesia: Orion. Attribute III to be specific. He has no memory of largely the past several years.
 * Real Name as an Alias: Orion introduces himself (when forced to) as Keagan, his last name as opposed to his first name.
 * Scars Are Forever: Let's count the ones Orion has: Large vertical scar on the left side of his face; claw marks on his chest; multiple smaller scars scattered across his body; numerous old bullet scars. ''"We all bear scars of our past. The only difference is wheter or not we choose to hide them, or wear them openly. Each on has a different meaning. Some may mean another story to tell your friends over a drink, some may have no meaning; their stories lost with the passage of time. Then there are some who's meanings are more dark and sinister. These are the ones

Ulic:

 * Appropriated Appellation: Ulic is not his birth name, but was the name given to him when he was cast out.
 * Bald Black Leader Guy: Not anymore (and probably never again due to his low charisma), but Ulic used to be a highly effective leader of tribal warrior squads. Note that there is a partial subversion of this trope because everyone in the Savar tribe, not just Ulic, is black.
 * Bald of Awesome
 * Blood Knight: Ulic got kicked out of his tribe in part for being drunk on bloodlust.
 * Good Old Fisticuffs
 * Lawful Neutral
 * Proud Warrior Race Guy: Ulic's ultimate goal is to reattain his honor and rejoin his clan by becoming this.
 * Scary Black Man
 * The Drifter: Ulic doesn't look for trouble or even work, preferring to wander the wastes but, if slighted, his code of honor calls for Disproportionate Retribution.
 * Walking the Earth: As a result of being kicked out of his tribe.

Father Gerade
Both the former priest and town leader of Buckettown, the sites resident mascot town, Father Gerade was elected peacefully into Buckettown during the first site-wide event. After a few other event missions to improve Buckettown, some of which never got off the ground, two users built a small army and overthrew Gerade. However, Father Gerade is currently hiding out somewhere that the PC's don't know. An NPC that basically has a Love It or Hate It deal going on, his fans and haters are basically half and half of the sites membership.


 * Alternative Character Interpretation: Is Father Gerade truly a force of good for the Wasteland? Was he simply just a misguided Optimist? Or maybe he used religion as a way for him to grow in power, keeping Buckettown in his firm grasp of power?
 * Authority Equals Asskicking: Inverted. Father Gerade was a rather old and frail man, who only carried around a farmers handheld sychte for protection. He relied mainly on his guards to do work for him, rarely coming out of his church unless hes needed.
 * Preacher Man: Before becoming leader of the mayor of Bucketown, and during his reign of Buckettown, Father Gerade served the towns local spiritual leader. Or, if some membersinterpretation is to believed that Father Gerade is more like a....
 * Sinister Minister: Some members, including the troper/member of The Wastes that edited this section, believe that Father Gerade was running Buckettown to the ground; running the place as his own theocracy.
 * Sequel Hook: Como'n. He's out there somewhere in the Wastes. He's BOUND to come back, either through PC means or through a event on the site.