Hello all! First time posting, so... hello?

Anyways, I'm making a character (okay, helping make several characters since I'm the only one who's remotely rules-literate, but we're talking about just one right now), and I'm trying to figure out how to create the kind of final character I want. I've read a lot of the books, but my practical experience is roughly nil. So, hopefully the wise heads of the Forum can help me.

--What I have: I've chosen the Hive Mutant homeworld from the Radical's Handbook, and chosen the Grotesque and Brute mutations (my courage does not extend to rolling on the Major Mutations). I've got some very good starting rolls (GM lets us choose where to put things), so I've, from lowest to highest, 6, 7, 7, 9, 10, 17, 18, 18, 19. The Emperor's Tarot got me another +2 strength (yes, this is a lucky character). We start with 4000 XP, so a bit into Rank 5, and the GM is currently debating scrapping the monthly income thing in favor of the Influence mechanic from Ascension, with a limited number of starting influence rolls for equipment and maybe single freebie of Rare or lower availability.

--What I want: Basically, the game has a distinctly radical spin to it (the fact that I'm a mutant should've been a clue), and another player will have some Beast House connections (he's collects critters for them on Dusk), and we want to make our pair a couple. It'll be cute. He's a pretty-boy Verminspeaker who's completely nuts, I'm a giant, hideously scarred twist who's the common sense of the team.

--What I'm aiming at: Basically, I want to figure out a career path with those 4000 XP that fits the Beast Slaver mould. I've looked at Scum, which does have the Beast House Slaver background package, but it looks like it focuses more on fast-talking and fast-moving, which my character is... um... not. Emphatically so. Ultimately I'm looking for something that would let me take advantage of the huge strength and toughness, but still leave the character useful out of combat in some ways.

Think you guys can help?

JarydKehrer said:

Well there is a Beast House background package in IH IIRC for starters. As for Scum, they can be thugs, but I think Guardsman might be the preferred route (which also is supposed to represent criminal fighters). It depend on WHAT sort of beast house representative your friend wants - I'm sure they have quick guys adept at bluffing etc. as well as the plain fighter types, although the perfect one would be more focused on keeping beasts in check.

Another possibility might actually be Arbitrator. I know the fluff is all wrong, but they have the necessary Takedown talents, toughness, knowledge of the criminal world as well as the enforcing one and weapons such as Shock wich works well with people wanting to keep beasts in control.

Yeah, I'd say Guardsman, too, possibly with the Penal Legion alternate rank to get access to more hand-to-hand talents (and, well, he's a mutant) .

JarydKehrer said:

Personally I would make a Scum with Beast House background, than give him a Snare Gun (RHB weapons section) and than give him a shock weapon. Neural whip, shock stick, shock maul whatever. I'd say it works best if you can get a one handed weapon (anything but shock stick in this situation), since you can than pistol grip a snare gun and a shock weapon in other hand. Suddenly your a hell of a lot more like a beast catcher, since your about restraining and beating the target into submission with the shock weapon. Speak with your GM if you can exchange the FEL advance scheme for your S or T value or such, since, yes, Scum can be quite talky - but they by no means have to be (look at the Gun Metal City scum for example, they will shoot your face off instead).

You get plenty of advances with Scum to signfiy the low-end scum you would be, and you don't have to take anything overly bright and charming. You get access to stuff like Wrangling which fits your character skill set infinitely better, and if you can't change up your advance tree a bit its still really not bad - your a Hive Mutant so you already have crap FEL but pretty damned great toughness (2d10+25 puts you on equal level with Feral, the highest base roll), and hive world 2d10+20 strength is average. With Brute you go up +10 to both, so base of 2d10+35T and 2d10+30S means that your ahead of Feral Worlders by default. So yeah it sucks that your T/S advances are high by default, but I think its fits the character concept better. Guardsman definitely makes a more tank-y character, but have to go round about to get it to fit more than just stat wise.

And when it comes down to holding your own in melee, having a snare gun (or a man-catcher, though that can't be wielded in one hand) and a shock weapon will put you hugely ahead. Snare is incredible, shock is great (especially combined with snare for hilarity), and you can even see if your GM will let you have some positively vile weaponry to reflect your savage background (ie: nailbombs, bilge bombs, or fire bombs, though thats really god damned powerful due to their weirdly high PEN combined with Flame effect).