[DL] new Edge

["Nick Zachariasen" <zacharin@pluto.dsu.edu>]

O.K., admittedly this one is rather silly, but hey, that's what I'm for!

"We're Gonna Need Another Timmy!"
10-point Edge

Sometimes in his travels an hombre manages to pick himself up a sidekick.
Sometimes an hombre manages to pick himself up a LOT of sidekicks.  Your
cowpoke always seems to attract people (often young kids) who look up to him
and want to travel with him.  However, these people usually end up
regretting their decision just as they realize they're about to get
shot/eaten/blown up/etc.  Of course, if they somehow survive the situation
they, for whatever reason, choose to stay with the hero.
Upon buying this Edge, the character somehow manages to attract a Sidekick
(as in the Edge).  However, the hero does NOT get the 2-point Obligation
because, unlike the Sidekick Edge, the fanboy/girl IS supposed to be cannon
fodder (though the character obviously shouldn't treat the little squirt as
such).  The differences don't end there, though. The reason this Edge costs
so much is that when your Sidekick dies- and he will- you can somehow manage
to attract another one by simply making a Hard (9) Mien roll.  If the hero
gets two raises on this roll he may, at the Marshal's dicretion, attract a
Sidekick with an Arcane Background, though the Sidekick may not have more
than two levels in his appropriate skill (Hexslingin', Mad Science, Ch'i,
etc.). Now for the less-pleasant part.  First, the character is a Grim
Servant O' Death (as per the update in The Agency: Men in Black Dusters),
but only for the Sidekick (if GSoD is taken normally, the chance to hit the
Sidekick is doubled).  Also, Fate Chips may not be spent to avoid damage to
the Sidekick.
There are a couple other catches to WGNAT.  First, you should be able to
plausibly explain why your character tends to attract these poor saps.
Generally speaking, this should involve something along the lines of Rank,
Law Man, or Renown (though a character who is the head of a Triad in Shan
Fan would certainly be plausible)- Heroic would also be a plus.  Second,
your character becomes known as a death magnet, which after a while begins
to not do a whole lot for people's perception of him.  Third, if the
Sidekick manages to get kidnapped, the hero should save him/her if the hero
wants to continue enjoying the benefits of this Edge.  You can only get
another Timmy if either your old one is dead or you at the very least have
reasonable cause to believe that he is (such as finding his severed arm in
your saddlebag).  Note that your Sidekick may, after his untimely death (or
brush with it, if left for dead), become an Enemy of your hero as he becomes
disillusioned with his service and seeks vengeance.  Finally, the Sidekick
must be a Kid unless the hero gets a raise on his Mien roll.
Also, if your character is known to be careless with his Sidekicks' safety,
he may lose the benefits of this Edge, or at the very least only get
Sidekicks who have a Death Wish, and possibly even have people (friends,
family, lawmen, etc.) beginning to hunt him down in order to get him to
explain why the people who follow him around keep dying.

So?  Is good, ja?  At least funny?

Nick Zachariasen
Editor Emeritus
Trojan Times