Jules Drake is the epitome of the dashing rocketeer; brave to the point of reckless, utterly loyal to the cause and his cohorts and unwilling to back down in the face of danger.
He’s been extraordinarily successful in his endeavors, fighting for king and country and doing his part to ensure that the British Empire survives in the shadow of the Serpent. As such, Jules has often been tasked with special operations teams directed by MI6, and is on permanent loan to that agency.
Jules believes in getting the job done, and isn’t overly concerned with how the regulations say it should be done. He counts on his abilities to cover any shortcomings that might be in a given plan. This confidence has served him well, but it’s only a matter of time before his reach exceeds his grasp.
Jules has had an on again, off again relationship with Andrea Boundless, a woman he finds utterly intriguing … and utterly infuriating. He enjoys the passion she brings to a job, as well as the challenge of matching wits with her. Unfortunately for him, here his overconfidence is his undoing, as Andrea almost always manages to show him up while on a mission, a turn of events that usually ends in a shouting match between the two heroes.
Design Notes
I always loved the idea of rocketeers, even if they’re highly impractical (if not downright impossible) in the real world. Jules exists to give the game a dash of James Bond mixed with American-style adventurer. He’s all about taking risks, and like his female counterpart Andrea Boundless, he’s there to help keep the adventure moving.
In the playtest, he pulled off some of the most spectacular stunts, starting with the opening dogfight against sky pirates in which he jumped out of the plane and then ignited his jetpack. Since it takes a Piloting skill check to ignite said jetpack, it was a risky thing to do, but honestly, that’s exactly the sort of thing that Savage Worlds excels at.
The exploding dice mechanic rewards this kind of grand standing by making spectacular successes truly spectacular, while the bennies allow you to soak the failures (at least until you run out of them, at which point the failures can be every bit as amazing as the successes).
Statblock
Background: Nationality: British, Concept: Rocketeer, Inspiration: Rick O’Connell, The Mummy
Attributes: Agility d12, Smarts d6, Strength d4, Spirit d6, Vigor d8; Charisma: 0, Pace: 6″, Parry: 5, Toughness: 6
Skills Fighting (Agi) d6, Guts (Spi) d6, Know. Ophitech (Sma) d6, Notice (Sma) d6, Piloting (Agi) d10, Shooting (Agi) d12
Hinderances: Overconfident (Major), Loyal (Minor), Stubborn (Minor)
Edges: Combat Reflexes, Deadshot, Steady Hands, Ambidextrous,
Soldier (Royal Air Force Flying Officer of the RAF)
Weapons: Colt .45 (x2): Range: 12/24/48, Dmg: 2d6+1, RoF: 1, Shots: 7, Special: AP 1, Semi-Auto, Knife: Range: 3/6/12, Str+d4, RoF: 1, RoF: 1
Equipment: Money: 20 silver dollars, 5 gold dollars; Ammo: Colt .45: 25 rounds of ammo in belt; Backpack (in pack: Bedroll, Binoculars 8x, Bedroll, Compass, Canteen, Flashlight, Swiss army knife, 25 rounds of .45 ammo) Jules Drake’s Jetpack: Acc/Top Speed: 15/35 Climb: 35 Toughness 8 (2), Crew: 1
Major Simon Cartwright is part of Nuketown’s “The Week After Ragnarok” feature.