[BNW] New archetype: The Pretender

[Mark Kilfoil <kilfoilm@nbnet.nb.ca>]

Someone [Phil] recently posted an Archetype called "The Jack",
which got my head rattling about one of my favourite characters
on TV today:  the Pretender.

So, based on these two inspirations, here's a new archetype.

THE PRETENDER

"There are Pretenders among us.

"Genuises with the ability to become anyone they want to be.
In 1963, the Centre isolated a young Pretender named Jarod,
in order to harness his genius for our research.

"Until, one day, our Pretender ran away.... "


Pretenders are gifted individuals who have an enormous capacity
to absorb information and mentally place themselves in the mindset
of a person or situation -- or "pretend" to be there.  Most of
them, while geniuses in this capacity are mentally, physically
or socially handicapped, and do not survive on their own in 
"normal" society...

Or at least, that's how the Centre explains it.

The Centre is a slippery, mysterious, virtually unknown
organization with resources which stretch worldwide.  Very little
fact is known about the organization, and those who inquire tend
to find themselves "disinterested" -- one way or another.

Until just three years ago, the Pretender program operated without
a hitch.  The services of these geniuses were sold to every
type of organization imaginable, for high prices.

Then, three years ago, a Pretender from one of the Centre 
facilities ran away...  Jarod, one of the foremost Pretenders,
used his phenomenal genius to escape.  His flight and continued
freedom is an inspiration to other Pretenders, and the Centre 
has lost several more.

The Centre, for many reasons, does not want these Pretenders 
to be loose.  They represent a security risk, an information
threat, a public threat, etc, etc....  They have used all
the right reasons.

The Centre *will* get them back...  If they have to kill them.

POWERS:
Pretend:  Pretenders have an amazing ability to absorb information
 and phenomenal imagination and intelligence.  These three 
 capabilities combine to allow them to "pretend" to be someone 
 else.  Sometimes it is a specific person in a specific situation;
 sometimes it is a generic person in a specific situation; and
 sometimes, it is a specific *kind* of person in all situations.
 System:  Given an amount of time, the Pretender takes on a number
 of bonuses to one or more skills as if they had those skills.
 These bonuses may be split up among any number of skills, with
 a maximum effective skill of 5.  These skills last for a number
 of days up to the Pretender's Smarts level.
   a few minutes -- +1
   an hour or two-- +2
   a half-day    -- +3
   a full day    -- +4
   two days      -- +5
   a week        -- +6
 The Pretender can only "pretend" one bonus to any one skill 
 at once.  If they wish to get a better bonus to that skill, they
 must start over again.
 (An alternate system to this might be to have a Smarts+Mimic
 roll vs a base difficulty of Amazing (20), lowered by an amount
 of research (using the above time chart:  -5, -6, -7, -8, -9, 
 -10); the number of successes and raises indicates the bonus.)

TRICKS:
Fast Learner, The Natural
Technobabble Overflow:  A Pretender who is trying to convince
 someone that they are an expert in the profession they are
 pretending may simply overwhelm them with all the right 
 buzzwords.  System:  A Pretender may substitute the skill that 
 they are pretending to have for the appropriate Persuasion 
 skill.

QUIRKS (These do not count toward your Quirk limits):
Self-confident (2)
Sense of Time (1)
Wanted (-5):  The Centre is after you.
Curious (-3):  You cannot let something interesting pass you
 by.
Disability (-3):  Choose something appropriate to your character.
 Suggestions include:  Absent-Minded, Addiction, Bad Habit, Clumsy,
 Code of Honour, Coward, Crazy, Mute, Savage
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