Need help creating an NPC sidekick

[Sybercid]

I am in the process of creating a sidekick character for the heroes game I am currently running. My hope is to get a "I can Drive/Fly Anything" type with a small pitch of Martial Arts. I wanted to make him just like I would a pc to give him a "real" feel. Anybody have any ideas of Class combos that would work well?

[Uncle Servo]

I am in the process of creating a sidekick character for the heroes game I am currently running. My hope is to get a "I can Drive/Fly Anything" type with a small pitch of Martial Arts. I wanted to make him just like I would a pc to give him a "real" feel. Anybody have any ideas of Class combos that would work well?

Well, there's always the option of pulling in a Psi-Tech or TurboJock (or even a Phaeton Juicer) from Rifts... they're pretty much the "fly/drive anything" type.

If you're wanting to keep it strictly HU though, I would take a character with a background in piloting (most likely a former military pilot who went into the civilian workplace), load him/her up with all the piloting programs (this may require a Bachelor's or Master's Degree), and slap him/her with Mechano-Link or Telemechanics.

[Uncle Servo]

That's not a bad take on the whole NPC sidekick issue. I can see where you're coming from.

Personally though, I tend to view NPCs as playing roles the PCs don't fill -- in this case, a pilot/mechanic who takes care of the group's transportation and maintenance. The PCs take on the bad guys, and the NPC just gets 'em to the fight and back again.

I think it's possible to have an NPC that is as powerful (or even more so) than the PC as a sidekick and still not outshine him/her. It's all in how you play the NPC. Maybe he's a crusty old veteran who's past his prime, but does what he does because he likes feeling needed.. or maybe he's someone who has great potential power but either is too afraid of it or rejects it for some reason.

There are several reasons why someone might willingly take a back seat even though he's capable of being the frontrunner. Of course, if that same character is FORCED to take a back seat... well, that could open up some good opportunities for story threads (the sidekick becomes a deadly enemy, if for no other reason he knows intimate details about the PC).

[Preacher]

I am in the process of creating a sidekick character for the heroes game I am currently running. My hope is to get a "I can Drive/Fly Anything" type with a small pitch of Martial Arts. I wanted to make him just like I would a pc to give him a "real" feel. Anybody have any ideas of Class combos that would work well?

Make a Minor Hero from PU2. Use the one Major and one minor combo. For the major use Mechano Link which gives you a 60% to pilot any vehicle IIRC. For the minor to give him a martial arts related ability simply pick EXT.PP. which gives a good dodge bonus and auto dodge even if he picks Basic HtH.
Thats how I would do it given the criteria.

[Uncle Servo]

Oooooh. Good roleplay! I like that very, very much, and I think it's perfect superhero game material. Sorta requires a callous player character group, of course, but those aren't impossible to come by.
So the question is, how much ranting do you let the bitter little ex-sidekick do, and how much do you simply let subtlety and danger prove hir anger?

That's a valid question, and probably best left up to the individual GM's judgement depending on the situation and the other player characters. To me, though, there's plenty of room for both.

But yeah, that's an interesting point. They needn't be sidelined only on the basis of unfulfilled youthful potential, despite how fun that can be over time. It could, indeed, be great age and skill in a tired person. I'd never thought of that, but it's a lot like Master Splinter, only less master, more friend and favor.

That's pretty much it in a nutshell, yeah.

When I worked at Dagger Comics, we had a series about a government-sponsored group of supers called Scorpion Corps. One of the things I liked about it was the character Mayday -- he was a former Navy pilot who essentially filled the same role mentioned above and not much else (he was one of the few things I actually liked about that series, btw).

[G]

Why should you make it EASY for them to get to the bad guys, and their stuff fixed?

Half the fun is getting there.. it seems to me what you are looking for would take away the roleplaying element of the game - and just leave the action part.

So I will suggest something on the opposite end of the spectrum, an NPC the heroes dont really want but have no choice about.. A good looking female detective who has been assigned from the local police department to go with them and make sure they don't mangle the laws too badly. She can hold her own in battle (a bullet proof vest and a gun). The PCs have no choice, shes part of the team or they goto jail. I don't see the need to give her super powers.

[Sybercid]

I like preachers idea, keep overlooking that I have PU 1 & 2. Honestly when I was thinking up the sidekick I kept picturing Kato from the Green Hornet. The Hero he would be working with is an interesting piece of work to begin with. Her name is "Primaddona" she has Matter Expulsion Crystal, Physical Perfection, and Divine Aura which only works when she applies a experimental face cream. She hates getting her hands dirty and only particpated in one fight because a thug had shot at her and hit her compact. She gave away her identity to a Limo driver who had been hired by a TV network she works with the drive her around. I had plan for the limo driver anyway then got struck by the Green Hornet marathon.