"The man in black fled across the desert, and the Gunslinger followed."
The Dark Tower
by Steven King

THE DARK TOWER

THE GUNSLINGER
(Roland Deschain of Gilead)

Val	CHA	Cost	Roll	Notes
15	STR	5	12-	Lift 200 kg; 3d6 HTH Damage
26	DEX	48	14-	OCV:  9/DCV:  9
20	CON	20	13-
15	BODY	10	12-
13	INT	3	12-	PER Roll 14-
20	EGO	20	13-	ECV:  7
20	PRE	10	13-	PRE Attack:  4d6
10	COM	0	11-
7	PD	4		Total:  6 PD
6	ED	2		Total:  4 ED
6	SPD	24		Phases:  2, 4, 6, 8, 10, 12
7	REC	0
40	END	0
33	STUN	0
Total Characteristics Cost:  143

Movement:	Running:  7"/14"
		Swimming:  2"/4"

Cost	Powers & Skills
55	Six-Guns:  Multipower, 82-Point Pool; OIF (twin six-shot revolvers; -1/2)
3	1) u Single Shot:  RKA 2d6, Increased STUN Multiplier (+1/4), Reduced Endurance 
	(0 END; +1/2)
5	2) u Rapid Fire:  RKA 2d6, Autofire (5 shots; +1/2), Reduced Endurance (0 END; +1);
	Cannot Be Spread Or Suppressed (-1/4)
5	3) u Rapid Fire:  RKA 2d6, Area Of Effect (3" Any, Selective; +1 1/4), Reduced 
	Endurance (0 END; +1/2)

	Martial Arts:  A Gunslinger's Hand-To-Hand Combat Training
	Maneuver	OCV	DCV	Damage
4	Block		+2	+2	Block, Abort
4	Disarm		-1	+1	25 STR Disarm
5	Kick		-2	+1	7d6 Strike
4	Killing Strike	-2	+0	1/2d6 HKA (1d6 w/STR)
5	Joint Break	-1	-2	Grab One Limb; 1/2d6 HKA (1d6/STR), Disable
4	Punch		+0	+2	5d6 Strike

5	"Hypnotism":  Elemental Control, 25-Point Powers; Concentrate (0 DCV; -1/2), Extra 
	Time (1 Minute  [at least]; -1 1/2), OIF (bullet or other shiny object; -1/2), Gestures 
	(must manipulate object; -1/4), Incantations (-1/4), No Range (-1/2), Doesn't Provide 
	Mental Awareness (-1/4), 
5	1) Hypnosis:  Mind Control 10d6 versus Humans; Hypnosis Only (-1/2), END 5
5	2) Memory Recall:  Telepathy 10d6 versus Humans; Receive Only (-1/2), END 5

6	Strong Will:  Mental Defense (10 points)
2	Quick On His Feet:  Running +1" (7" Total)
6	Sharp Senses:  Enhanced Perception, +2 with PER Rolls

	Perks
3	Fringe Benefit:  Gunslinger

	Talents
3	Bump of Direction
28	Sharp Senses:  Danger Sense (Sense, Out of Combat, Immediate Vicinity) 13-

	Skills
16	Combat Training:  +2 with All Combat
20	Pistol Training:  +4 with Multipower
6	Pistol Training:  +2 with Pistols
12	Weapons Training:  +4 Range Skill Levels (all attacks)
2	Animal Handler (Raptors)13-
2	AK:  Gilead 11-
3	Climbing 14-
0	Concealment 8-

17	Fast Draw 21-
3	High Society 13-
5	KS:  Firearms 14-
5	KS:  Gunslinger Lore 14-
0	Language:  English (native)
4	Language:  The High Speech
3	Paramedic 12-
2	PS:  Gunslinger 11-
3	Riding 14-
3	Stealth 14-
8	Survival (Mountains, Temperate/Subtropical, Deserts) 13-
0	TF:  Equines
5	Tracking 13-
5	Two Weapon Fighting (Ranged)
6	Weaponsmith (Firearms) 14-
4	WF:  Common Melee Weapons, Bow, Pistols
291	Total Powers & Skills Cost
434	Total Character Cost

200+	Disadvantages
15	DNPC:  Jake (Normal) 11-
10	Distinctive Features:  Guns (the badge of a gunslinger) (C)
15	Hunted:  Maerlyn (MoPow) 8-
25	Psychological Limitation:  Determined To Find the Dark Tower (VC, T)
15	Psychological Limitation:  Protective Of The Innocent And Helpless (C, S)
10	Psychological Limitation:  Unimaginative and Pragmatic (C, M)
15	Reputation:  A Gunslinger 14-
129	Gunslinger Bonus
434	Total Disadvantage Points

Background/History: Roland hails from the land of Gilead, where he was raised and trained to be a gunslinger. A gunslinger is best described as a combination lawman, paladin, and knight-errant. His mission was to keep the peace, enforce the law, and protect the land. But, Roland's land has "moved on" and is falling into ruin. Now, he searches for the Dark Tower, where, he has been told, he will find his greatest enemy.

Roland's world is a strange place. It has "moved on," a phrase that is often repeated in the course of the stories. It means that the world has changed and not for the better. Things have been lost and forgotten. Wracked by war, both conventional and nuclear, it is home to invisible demons, mutants, and bandits. In some ways, it is reminiscent of the West as portrayed in a Sergio Leone film.

Campaign use depends on the nature of the world. Roland would fit right into Grimjack's Cynosure or Corwyn's Amber. In a superheroic game, the universe of Mid-World, Tull, Gilead, and New Canaan would make a perfect setting for a cross-dimensional adventure illustrating the danger of falling for the Dark Side of the Force...

Personality/Motivation: Roland is determined to find the Dark Tower, for it has been foretold that there, he will fight a great battle against Maerlyn and his master, The Beast. He will sacrifice even his close friends in this quest.

Roland is a practical man, not given to considering what ifs'. He take's what he is given without question and responds as he sees fit. He can be very stubborn.

Powers/Tactics: Most of Roland's abilities are based on his training with the use of the gun. He has spent most of his life perfecting his gunfighting skills and in the course of the story demonstrates such skills as shooting the gun out of someone's hand and shooting a knife blade in two. The Multipower reflects most of the abilities he's demonstrated so far. It is bought at Zero End, since he *never* seems to run dry. He has this trick of reloading the guns while fighting that doesn't require him to stop... His martial arts is based on conjecture. He is obviously trained in hand-to-hand fighting, and the maneuvers given are taken from sequences in the book.

The hypnotism skills are limited to the extent that they can only be used on a willing subject. The Mind Control is rather basic and only allows him to give simple commands, "Sleep" and "Forget (subject)" for example. His Telepathy simply allows him to experience a person's memories.

Roland's other abilities are taken from various incidents in the stories as well as logical guesses about what he *should* be able to do. It is obvious that he has other, undemonstrated abilities (for example, he speaks about five languages, but they aren't really named).

Appearance: Roland is tall, but not overly so, and lean. He is not exceptionally handsome, but he's not ugly either. His hair is dark, while his eyes are an icy blue. Roland is usually dressed in denim jeans, worn boots and rough, homespun shirts. Roland carries a pair of .45 caliber revolvers, weapons that immediately identify him as a gunslinger, worn in a set of crossed belts. People react to this fact in various ways; fear, envy, loathing and jealousy are typical. Sometimes, he is met with gratitude, but not often, the world has moved on. In addition, he usually carries a waterskin, a purse (i.e. shouldersack), a knife, and an assortment of minor pieces of gear.

Note: Roland ages dramatically by the end of the first book and looses most of his right hand in the beginning of the second.

Designer's Notes: Jake is a young boy from New York City. Brought over by the man in black, he dies towards the end of the first book. He returns, alive, in the third (time is nebulous in Roland's world) and Roland has sworn to never loose him again.

Maerlyn (or Merlin) is an evil sorcerer and the root of much of Roland's grief. Although the two have yet to meet, Maerlyn's servants (such as Marten and Walter, a.k.a. the man in black) have caused Roland a great deal of trouble.

The Gunslinger was created by Stephen King for his fantasy series "The Dark Tower". It is a bizarre combination of science and magic, guns and spells, demons and robots. Set in an alternate universe that, at times, crosses over with our own, it concerns itself chiefly with the character of Roland, the last gunslinger and his quest to find the Dark Tower. At the time I initially wrote this character sheet, three books had been released so far, they are The Gunslinger, The Drawing of the Three, and The Wastelands.

As a final note, this character sheet is, in fact, very much out of date and in need of extensive revision. At the time of this editing, King has released the fourth volume in the Gunslinger series: Wizard and Glass and has announced the titles of the last three volumes: Wolves of the Calla, Song of Susannah, and The Dark Tower. Once these books are released (this is to occur by November of 2004), I will be able to totally revise this character sheet and update it properly.

(Roland Deschain created by Stephen King, character sheet created by Michael Surbrook)


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