MOVIE-DERIVED CHARACTER ADAPTATIONS

EL MARIACHI

Val	CHA	Cost	Roll	Notes
10	STR	0	11-	Lift 100 kg; 2d6 HTH Danmage [2]
13	DEX	9	12-	OCV:  4/DCV:  4
16	CON	12	12-
13	BODY	6	12-
10	INT	0	11-	PER Roll 11-
13	EGO	6	12-	ECV:  4
15	PRE	5	12-	PRE Attack:  3d6
16	COM	3	12-
3	PD	1		Total:  3 PD (0 rPD)
3	ED	0		Total:  3 ED (0 rED)
2	SPD	0		Phases:  6, 12
5	REC	0
32	END	0
26	STUN	0		Total Characteristic Cost:  42

Movement:	Running:  6"/12"
		Leaping:  2”/4”
		Swimming:  2"/4"

Cost	Powers & Skills
10	Luck 2d6

	Talents
3	Perfect Pitch

	Skills
30	The Devil's Own Luck:  +3 Overall Levels
5	+1 with Musical Skills

2	KS:  Mariachi Traditionals 11-
0	Language:  Spanish (Mexican) (idiomatic) (4 Active Points)
3	Oratory (Singing) 12-
3	PS:  Mariachi 12-
2	PS:  Songwriter 11-
58	Total Powers & Skill Cost
100	Total Cost

50+	Disadvantages
5	Distinctive Features:  Black Mariachi Outfit, Guitar Case (Easily Concealed; Noticed and Recognizable; 
	Detectable By Commonly-Used Senses)
30	Hunted:  Moco's Thugs 14- (Mo Pow, NCI, Harshly Punish)
5	Money:  Poor
10	Unluck:  2d6
100	Total Disadvantage Points

Background/History: Little is known about El Mariachi's background, other than that he wants to be a mariachi. He wanders from town to town looking for work, which is sparse at best. Few want to hire an old-fashioned mariachi these days. All he owns he carries with him, his black mariachi outfit, his boots, and his guitar.

Those items are his doom, as his description, a man wearing black and carrying a guitar case, matches that of Azul, a brutal hit-man after Moco (Maurico), the local crime lord. Moco orders his enforcers to find and kill the man in black with a guitar case.

Personality/Motivation: More than anything, El Mariachi (of no name given) wants to be a mariachi. He has poured his life into that dream. He has a wonderful stage presence and a pleasant singing voice, and is able to genuinely move his audience. Off stage he is rather meek and humble, but despite that his drive to be a mariachi never wavers.

Quotes: "Soda pop, por favor."

"I want to be a mariachi."

Powers/Tactics: El Mariachi is not a fighter. He has no combat training to speak of. He is rather more durable than most (from walking miles upon miles from city to city), and fairly nimble. He is also incredibly lucky, given his ability to survive wave after wave of attacks by Moco's men.

The thugs he flees are mostly basic street scum with guns in small numbers. The seemingly low characteristics put him above the average individually.

Appearance: El Mariachi is a handsome, young (early 20s), fair-skinned Mexican man. He always wears his traditional mariachi outfit (it is his uniform) and always carrys his guitar with him. He is usually dusty from walking from town to tow. He neither smokes nor drinks alcohol, keeping to water and soda pop to prevent any damage to his voice.

Designer's Notes: This is El Mariachi shortly after the start of the movie of the same name (and definitely not the character from the sequels Desperado and Once Upon a Time in Mexico). I put him together because I wanted to try my hand at one of the few recent very low powered action heroes, perhaps to show that you don't need hundreds upon hundreds of points to have an interesting character. Perhaps this is the difference between a no-budget action movie hero (El Mariachi) and a big, Hollywood budget action movie hero (Desperado).

Yes, I did not give him Combat Luck. Rather, I did not give it to him yet. This is him at the beginning of the movie, before he was forced to become a gunslinger. He also lacks such basic gunslinger skills as Weapon Familiarity Small Arms. These are things he will learn (buy) with experience running for his life. One of his "Lucky" Overall Skill Levels could easilly be traded for Combat Luck and weapon skills if one so desires.

El Mariachi created by Robert Rodriguez and Carlos Gallardo. Character sheet by Rich Pieri [ratinox@peorth.gweep.net]

---

Return to Movie-Derived Character Adaptations.