Health 6
Vitality 52
Defense 18
Initiative +3
Speed 30 ft. (6 squares)

Fort +2, Ref +4, Will 0
Basic Attack Bonus: +2

Melee Unarmed +2 (1d4+1)
Melee Sap +2 (1d6+1)

Melee Knife +2 (1d4+1)
Ranged Knife, Throwing (10’ Increment) +2 (1d4+1)

Ranged Colt Peacemaker (15’ Increment, S, 6 cyl. mag.) +2 (2d6)
Ranged Spencer Rifle (50’ Increment, S, 7 box mag.) +2 (2d10)

Abilities Str 12, Dex 16, Con 12, Int 16, Wis 8, Cha 16, Spr 18, Exp 10

Skills Bluff +6(2), Disguise +7(3), Gather Information +7(4), Hide +5(1), Intimidate +6(2), Knowledge (Streetwise) +6(3), Knowledge (Theology) +6(3), Move Silently +5(1), Navigate +5(2), Read/Write Language +2(2), Ride +8(5), Search +6(2), Speak Language +2(2)

Feats: Combat Martial Arts (Deal lethal or non-lethal 1d4+STR; unarmed attacks count as armed), Personal Firearms Proficiency (Fire any personal firearm without penalty), Point Blank Shot (+1 attack and damage with ranged weapons within 30 feet)

Background Feats: Backing: Company Man (+2 on Charisma and Charisma-based rolls when dealing with fellow Special Operations members, Diplomacy and Intimidate with other organization familiar with Special Operations; Wealth bonus +2, requisition purchase up to DC 20 once per session), Cipher: Shadowy Past (-4 skill checks to learn about John Starke’s past), Contacts: Well-Connected (+2 Gather Information; 3 local contacts and 1 national contact, each gives +4 Gather Information)

Languages English, Hindi, Arabic

Possessions Colt Peacemaker (.45 revolver), Spencer Rifle (.56 repeating carbine), 3 Knives, Sap

“It is that belief in the superior pluck and fighting qualities of our race that won us India and still enable us to hold it.” — Garnet Wolseley, Junior Officer, British Army.


John Starke was born in Meerut, India in 1855. His father, Richard Starke, was a British officer attached to the 11th Bengal Native Infantry. Richard was killed when the native troops rebelled in 1857. Fortunately for John, his mother had taken him along while she visited friends in Calcutta. She remained there after the rebels were put down.

Growing up in the capital of the Raj, John received a first-class and diverse education. He was a curious lad, and often dressed native and played in the streets with local boys. He naturally learned Hindi and now speaks it as a native.

John’s tanned skin and command of the native language and customs allowed him to pass as Indian with ease. After he came of age, John traveled throughout the Raj and grew enamored of the varieties of people he encountered. For a few years he fell under the spell of Islam, learned Arabic, and even studied for a time in a Madrassa.

Being a dutiful subject of Her Majesty, John enlisted in the army once his wandering urge had been satisfied. In most respects, John was an average soldier. If one measured his skill at any particular task, he was often no better than average. Yet he somehow always seemed to be in the right place at the right time, and to seize the opportunities that presented themselves.

Although John got on well with the locals, he still held a grudge against the mutineers who had killed his father. He was always on the lookout for dissension wherever he was posted. He would dress as a local and mingle in the markets and restaurants, listening for seditious talk.

His breakthrough was the exposure of a rebellion plot by a dependent Mohammedan prince in a small northeast kingdom. On his own initiative, John led a daring night raid into the prince’s palace and caught the man and all his lieutenants with incriminating evidence. This success led to an immediate promotion and the expectation of even greater future deeds.

And John did not disappoint his superiors. Wherever criminals or rebels assembled, John was somehow near. Soon, he was removed from the regular army and assigned to the Special Operations department of the military. He received additional training in languages, customs, small arms, and unarmed fighting.

John’s new unit was charged with managing the myriad of principalities dependent upon the Raj but not officially part of the Raj. Through diplomacy and covert action, these minor kingdoms were befriended and played off one another so that none would combine to present a challenge to British power. He enjoyed further success in this new role.

Alas, John’s hit a run of bad luck. Some balderdash about a scandalous concubine or two in Delhi drew a little too much attention. At least for a while, he would have to lay low. John was ready for something new.