This section covers templates for Pulp-inspired characters. They may help players to decide how to create a new character or used "as-is" whenever the GM needs a specific type of NPC (a Private Investigator, for example).
Before you start examining the various roles, please remember that the
'30s were not an especially friendly era for any minority.
Black, Mexican
or Oriental heroes would be in a disadvantage if played in an US centered
campaign.
As a GM you may simply ignore the fact (look at the incredible casting decision for the
Wild Wild West movie as an extreme example of this). If you want to inject a
slightly more accurate feel for the era, give anyone playing a non-white
non-male character an automatic Social Stigma flaw.
Things are not much
better for women (white women, I mean), unfortunately.
Considering my experiences with the system, I strongly advise players against "generalist" PCs.
The Silhouette system is quite unforgiving with people having low skilled characters
(i.e. anyone with just one die in a given skill). This may be well and good for "realistic" play, but
if you want pulp heroes try to put at least two die in any "defining" skill your character should have.
Try having at least one (or two, if you can afford it) 3 die skill(s), and
invest some points in characteristics.
Specializations are not very cost effective, in terms of points, but again,
I urge everybody to try maxing out at least one defining skill by using
them, along with any related perks.
The templates I offer here are not built according this idea, though: they
are just starting points, and are intended to be usable for "generic" NPCs.
Player characters should invest more points in their defining traits, if
they want really "bigger than life" characters.