BLACK LAGOON

BALALAIKA

Val	CHA	Cost	Roll	Notes
15	STR	5	12-	Lift 200 kg; 3d6 HTH Damage [3]
18	DEX	24	13-	OCV:  6/DCV:  6
15	CON	10	12-
11	BODY	2	11-
18	INT	8	13-	PER Roll 13-
17	EGO	14	12-	ECV:  6
20	PRE	10	13-	PRE Attack:  4d6
10	COM	0	11-

5	PD	2		Total:  5 PD (0 rPD)
4	ED	1		Total:  4 ED (0 rED)
4	SPD	12		Phases:  3, 6, 9, 12
6	REC	0
30	END	0
27	STUN	0		Total Characteristic Cost:  88

Movement:	Running:	7"/14"
		Leaping:	3"/6"
		Swimming:	3"/6"

Cost	Powers & Skills
10	Cool Under Fire:  +20 PRE; Only To Defend Against Presence Attacks (-1)

	Martial Arts:  Commando Training
	Maneuver	OCV	DCV	Damage
4	Block		+2	+2	Block, Abort
4	Disarm		-1	+1	Disarm; 25 STR to Disarm
4	Escape		+0	+0	30 STR vs. Grabs
3	Joint Lock	-1	-1	Grab Two Limbs, 25 STR for holding on
3	Punch		+1	+0	5d6 Strike
1	Weapon Element:  Knives

28	Necksnap:  HKA 2d6, NND (defense is rigid rPD on the neck, or anything else that 
	prevents the neck/head from being turned and twisted the right way; +1), Does BODY (+1); 
	Must Target The Head (-8 OCV; -1), Must Follow Grab (-1/2), No STR Bonus (-1/2), 
	Requires A STR Roll  (No Active Point penalty to Skill Roll; 12- roll; -1/4), END 9
17	Stechkin APS:  RKA 1d6+1, 20 Charges (+1/4), Autofire (5 shots; +1/2); OAF (-1), Real 
	Weapon (-1/4) plus +1 OCV; OAF (-1), Real Weapon (-1/4), [20]
2	Move Soldier!:  Running +1" (7" total), END 1
1	Strong Swimmer:  Swimming +1" (3" total), END 1

	Perks
40	Hotel Moscow:  Followers (32 x 75 point base)
	Notes:  Ex-Spetznaz troops from Afghanistan. They are have the basic Military Training 
	Package Deal mixed with the Ranger Package Deal found in 5th Edition Dark Champions.
0	Fringe Benefit:  Captain
	Notes:  Former Spetznaz Captain, rank only applicable to members of Hotel Moscow
4	Fringe Benefit:  High-Level Leader Of Hotel Moscow
5	Fringe Benefit:  Improved Equipment Availability Military equipment
5	Money:  Well Off
6	Reputation:  Boss Of Hotel Moscow (City Of Roanapura) 14-, +3/+3d6
0	Vehicles & Bases—Pretty much anything Balalaika needs
	Notes:  Balalaika (and Hotel Moscow) seems to never lack for vehicles, housing, and 
	equipment. She can easily house all of her men at her "base" and used a Russian-registered 
	freighter to get to Japan (where it became her base of operations). Although she can't get 
	military vehicles or restricted weaponry (like, say, tanks or nukes), she can get just about 
	anything else.
3	Well-Connected
20	1)  Contact:  Multiple contacts within Roanapura, SE Asia, and Moscow. 11-
	Notes:  Represents Balalaika's contacts within Roanapura, the Russian Military, the 
	Vietnam navy, the Russian Mafia, and so on.

	Skills
10	Marksmanship:  +2 with Ranged Combat
4	Marksmanship:  +2 OCV with SVD Dragunov
12	Sniper's Eye:  Penalty Skill Levels:  +8 vs. Range Modifier with with Rifles; Only When 
	Balalaika Braces And/Or Sets (-1)

1	AK: Afghanistan 8-
3	CK: Roanapura, Thailand 13-
3	Climbing 13-
3	Concealment 13-
3	Demolitions 13-
3	Fast Draw (Pistols) 13-
3	High Society 13-
3	KS: Roanapura Underworld 13-
3	KS: The Military/Mercenary/Terrorist World 13-
2	KS: Spetznaz History And Customs 11-
2	KS: Soviet War In Afghanistan 11-
0	Language:  Russian (idiomatic; literate)
3	Language:  English (completely fluent; literate)
1	Language:  Japanese (basic conversation)
2	Navigation (Land) 13-
3	Oratory 13-
1	PS: Ex-Speztnaz Officer 8-
3	PS: Mission Planning And Logistics 13-
2	PS: Video Editing 11-
3	Stealth 13-
3	Streetwise 13-
6	Survival (Temperate/Subtropical, Desert, Mountain) 13-
3	Tactics 13-
3	Tracking 13-
3	TF:  Parachuting, Advanced, Parachuting, Basic, Small Motorized Ground Vehicles
6	WF:  Small Arms, General Purpose/Heavy Machine Guns, Grenade Launchers, Knives, Shoulder-Fired Weapons
257	Total Powers & Skills Cost
345	Total Character Cost

100+	Disadvantages
10	Distinctive Features:  "Fry Face"—Burn Scars On Face And Body (Concealable; Noticed and Recognizable; 
	Detectable By Commonly-Used Senses)
5	Distinctive Features:  Smokes Constantly (usually cigars) (Easily Concealed; Noticed and Recognizable; 
	Detectable By Commonly-Used Senses)
5	Distinctive Features:  Spetznaz Uniform Overcoat (she wears virtually everywhere) (Easily Concealed; 
	Noticed and Recognizable; Detectable By Commonly-Used Senses)
5	Hunted:  Other Criminal Factions in Roanapura 11- (As Pow, NCI, Limited Geographical Area, Watching)
0	Normal Characteristic Maxima
20	Psychological Limitation:  Loyal To Her Own (Common, Total)
20	Psychological Limitation:  Totally Ruthless (Very Common, Strong)
180	Experience
345	Total Disadvantage Points

Background/History: Balalaika is a former Spetznaz/VDV (Russian Airborne) trooper. She saw combat in the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan, and at one point held the rank of Captain in the Russian military. Her exact age is never specified, but my best guess puts her in her mid-30s if Black Lagoon is set circa 1995 and in her mid-40s if it is set around 2005 or so. Flash backs during Episode 21, Two Father's Little Soldier Girls, show her to look to be between 10 to 14 years-old in 1976, where it is mentioned she is training to enter the Olympics in target shooting. Eleven years later, in 1987, she is a First Lieutenant in Afghanistan, and is an expert marksman. However, in 1992 she has been stripped of her rank, is no longer a Captain, and watches dejectedly as an American wins the gold in women's Olympic rifle competition. Her face isn't scarred at this point and her hair is still fairly short. Sometime later, we see a scarred Balalaika at the funeral for her original second-in-command. She declares that "dirty money" was what killed him and it is her intent to go to war.

For Balalaika, war meant becoming part of Hotel Moscow, a branch of the Russian mafia. She (and her men) now live and work in the city of Roanapura, where they engage in various criminal operations designed to increase Hotel Moscow's power and influence under the cover of the "Bougainvillea Trading Company."

Balalaika first appears in Episode 1, The Black Lagoon, and periodically in the series after that. Episodes 19-24 (the Fujiyama Gangsta Paradise story arc) show her the most and give extensive details on her background and her personality.

Personality/Motivation: One can sum up Balalaika in one word: ruthless. She will get what she wants, and will not hesitate to use whatever force is needed to get it. Those crossing her can expect no mercy, and she isn't above using torture to find out what she needs to know, as well as mercilessly executing a now beaten and bloody informant once she has the information she needs. She doesn't bother with flamboyant and grandiose gestures either, although she did blow up Chin (as well as most of his apartment building) as a show of force to the other crime cartels of Roanapura.

Interestingly, Balalaika does have a sense of honor, and will treat fairly those who deal squarely with her. She respects (and seems to like) Dutch for example, and uses Lagoon Couriers for most of her jobs. She also seems to have a liking for Rock, probably because of the defiance he showed Asahi after they declared him "dead," as well as his business and language skills. She even tolerates Revy calling her "big/elder sister."

Quotes: "You think so? Don't misunderstand me. I wasn't asking, I was commanding."

"Hotel Moscow will show no mercy to anything in its way. We will reject it and annihilate it. Family, friends, even the pet dog if necessary."

"What I seek is destruction and domination. I don't have interest in anything else."

Powers/Tactics: As seen in Two Father's Little Soldier Girls, Balalaika is a crack shot, and scores several head shots in a row using a SVD Dragunov sniper rifle. She is also skilled with handguns and manages to Rapid Fire shoot the pistols out of Revy's and Roberta's hands in Episode 10 , The Unstoppable Chambermaid. She's also shown to be capable in hand-to-hand combat as well, and rather effortlessly disarms an attacker of his knife and then snaps his neck in Episode 20, The Succession. However, Balalaika's greatest "power" is her cadre of more than two dozen ex-Spetznaz/VDV troopers who served with her in Afghanistan. Known as the Desantniki (Russian for "deep strike"), or the Visotoniki, these men are hardened combat veterans. Well-trained and skilled at combat operations, they are as ruthless as their Captain, and follow her with nearly fanatical devotion. Unlike most other criminal cartels, Balalaika acts as if any Hotel Moscow operation is a military one, and approaches it with military planning and precision. This is seen best in Episodes 14 and 15 (Bloodsport Fairytale and Swan Song At Dawn) when Hotel Moscow is hunting Hansel and Gretel, as well as in the entire Fujiyama Gangsta Paradise story arc, in which the Desantniki destroy the Washimine Group.

Appearance: Balalaika is a tall woman, standing roughly 5'10" with a strong build. She's wide in the shoulders and hips and well-endowed, with blue eyes and thick wavy blonde hair that would fall past her waist if she didn't keep it tied up. She tends to dress in low-cut business suit and wear her old uniform jacket as an overcoat. At some point she was burned and scars cover the right side of her face and her upper body (at least), resulting in her being given the derogatory nickname of "Fry-Face." However, I highly recommend against using this within her hearing.

Designer's Notes: Balalaika was built around the Military Training Package Deal and the Ranger Package Deal found in 5th Edition Dark Champions. I selected skills based on scenes from the anime as well as ones that would make sense for a special forces commander. In some cases I bought the skills as a reduced level to represent the passage of time since she'd last really used it. I also applied several super-skills from Dark Champions as well, such as Necksnap and Sniper's Eye.

To make Balalaika less powerful, remove her Necksnap power, her Cool Under Fire, and reduce the number of Followers she can call on. To make her more powerful, give her a level of Deadly Blow with all Small Arms and more Ranged Combat levels.

(Balalaika created by Rei Hiroe, character sheet created by Michael Surbrook)

Balalaika's Hero Designer File

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