Thundercracker Contact Build (Transformers Essence20 rpg)

We round off the original wave of Seekers with the Contact build of Thundercracker!

Thundercracker was one of the original three Decepticon jets released with the original wave of Transformers in 1984. Being the blue jet who made sonic booms (something they could ALL do, given the speeds they are capable of flying), he was not particularly impressive. He always seemed to be the third guy in the team, to Starscream's leadership and Skywarp's unique teleporting power.

Despite his presentation in cartoon and comics, Thundercracker was chosen as one of Starscream's elite for a reason. And frankly, it's because he really competent at his job! Thundercracker is a stout warrior and enjoys battle. He's got a lot of weapons to draw on and his sonic booms are good to inspire fear in his enemy. All-in-all, he's a great combatant.

His drawback is the fact that he wants to engage in honorable combat with warriors and such. As the Decepticons gain power, and start committing atrocities, he is less enthused about his participation in the war, and seeks a way to be on the outs. The one thing keeping him in the Con ranks is his companion ship with Skywarp, who he sees as his best friend.

Unfortunately,  Thundercracker sticks around long enough to be severely injured alongside Skywarp during the Battle of Autobot City and subsequently cast into outer space on the return to Cybertron... only to be altered by the dark god Unicron into Scourge. Under Unicron's influence, Scourge loyally serves Galvatron for several years, until the Chaos-Bringer is ultimately destroyed and Scourge is restored to his former form of Thundercracker. 

Having been subject to the evil mind of Unicron and committing even more dark atrocities as Scourge, Thundercracker leaves the Decepticons and hides on Earth. He finds companionship with a dog he names Buster, and begins to use a pen name on the internet to create Hollywood screenplays. He is eventually discovered by the Earth Defense Command, to whom he surrenders, and spends a few years in a cell, continuing to write his scripts.

THUNDERCRACKER

“The deadliest weapon is terror.”

Thundercracker is a Decepticon Seeker that claims the skies as his arena. He looks down in contempt on those who cannot leave the ground -- he considers them lesser beings. He will often attack the flightless beings below him for no other reason than to satisfy his scorn.

Though more intelligent than his close friend and partner Skywarp, his superiority in this realm is the only thing he is sure of. Thundercracker is not entirely committed to the Decepticon cause, and even has some seemingly contradictory sympathy for the humans they terrorize. Fear of retribution from Megatron and the influence of his peers is usually enough to bury these doubts. Regardless, he needs constant reassurance that he's where he needs to be. Sometimes, his heart's just not in the job.

Influences

War Veteran: Thundercracker is a warrior, through and through. Although he eventually acquires another Influence:

Artisan, Traitor: After the final destruction of Unicron, Scourge is restored to his original form of Thundercracker. Shaken by the influence of pure evil and vowing to never again take the life of others, Thundercracker leaves the Decepticon Army and ends up adopting a dog (Buster) and becoming a famous Hollywood screenwriter.

Origin

Seeker: Thundercracker assumes the alt-mode of an F15 Eagle acrobatic jet.

Role and Focus

Vanguard (Strafer): Thundercracker is skilled at taking out ground-based targets. This Focus is found in the GIJoe Quartermaster’s Guide to Gear

Essence Scores and Skills

Strength 7: Brawn +d4, Intimidation +d4, Might +d6

Speed 9: Driving (Aerial) +d6, Initiative +d4, Targeting +d6

Smarts 7: Alertness (Perception) +d4, Culture +d6, Technology +d2

Social 5: Animal Handling +d4, Performance +d6

Gaining Thundercracker As A Contact

Decepticons, Rise Up!: If this Contact is on scene, the PCs can summon them for 1 round.

Doubts The Cause: Thundercracker believes that true victory is accomplished by combat, not slaughter. He often reflects on the lives taken by the war and wonders if it’s all been worth the cost of life. If the PCs spend time confiding in Thundercracker about wanting to return to a more noble warrior path, succeeding on three DIF 16 Culture, Persuasion, and Science Skill Tests, they gain Thundercracker as a permanent Contact.

Friendly Partners: Thundercracker considers Skywarp to be a partner and friend. If the PCs have Skywarp as a contact, and succeed on a DIF 10 Persuasion Skill tests, they gain Thundercracker as a temporary Contact.

Allegiance Points: 3

Contact Perks

Aerial Superiority (1 Allegiance Point): As  one of the elite Seekers,  Thundercracker is a high-flying warrior. A PC Gains an Aerial  Movement equal to their fastest Movement speed until the end of their next turn.

Sonic Boom (3 Allegiance Points): Thundercracker likes to announce his appearance with a fearsome sonic boom display. All Threats suffer 1 Sonic Damage and gain the Frightened condition (with the PCs as the subject of their fear). Each Threat retains the Frightened condition until they succeed on an attack roll against one of the PCs.

Ugh, Grounders! (2 Allegiance Points): Thundercracker makes a point to target non-aerial combatants first. A PC gains ↑2 on all Attacks made against non-flying targets until the end of their next turn. While using this perk, the d2 for attack rolls can make critical rolls.

Contact Hang-Ups

Lingering Doubts: Thundercracker’s doubts in the Decepticon cause sometimes impede his effectiveness, particularly when innocents are endangered. If the PCs attack innocent targets, rather than Threats, the PCs  must succeed  on a DIF 21 Persuasion Skill Test or Thundercracker leaves the scene.

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'Till All Are One