Steel Bounty Hunter — Character Design Packet (concise)

1) High-concept

A tanky, all-black bounty specialist feared for crowd-control gadgets and clean captures. Often mistaken for a synth due to his metallic voice filter and unblinking discipline. Black cowboy hat, dusted duster, five-o’clock shadow.

2) Name & Callsigns

Legal: Gideon “Slate” Crowe (alt: Bastion Kane, Deacon Steel)
Callsign: “Black Warrant”, “Iron Marshal”, or “Nooseman”

3) Look & Silhouette

Wardrobe: Matte-black long duster with reinforced panels, armored under-rig, fingerless haptics gloves, steel-toed boots.
Headgear: Black cowboy hat (carbon-weave brim), low-profile comms band; stubble/5-o’clock shadow always visible.
Face: Subdermal cheek plates give a synth-like sheen under harsh light.
Read at 20m: Wide shoulders, long coat, hat brim—instantly identifiable.

4) Signature Non-Lethal: “Pacifier” Launcher (bazooka)

Type: Shoulder-fired concussive launcher (non-lethal by default).
Baseline effect: Cone shockwave that knocks targets down; heavy targets are staggered. At close range can render temporary blackout (KO) on low-health NPCs.
Selectable canisters:
- K-Wave: Pure concussive blast (largest knockback).
- Net-Foam: Expands into hardening foam net; immobilizes; weak to fire.
- EMP-Pulse: Silences electronics, flags synths, drains scopes/sights.
- Sleep-Mist: Low-tox aerosol; KO over 6–12s unless target exits cloud.
Balance knobs: 1.6s aim-ready; 4–6s reload; <3 carryable rounds; noisy; wind-up whine telegraphs fire; immunity frames for recently downed foes.

5) Lethal Sidearms (holstered for escalation)

Hand Cannon: 6-shot magnum, slow draw, armor-punch.
Carbine: Short, suppressed option for precise picks.
Edge: Heavy trench knife or vibro-machete (hat brim shadow finishers).

6) Gadget & Trap Suite

Grav-Bolo Discs: Seek ankles; trip + short tether.
Sting Mines: Low-profile; concuss + tinnitus; non-lethal default.
Arc Snare: Floor emitter creates a sizzling circle; step-in = stun tick.
Mag-Grapple: Mid-range yank; pulls light targets or yanks weapons.
Flash-Coil Baton: Guard breaks; charge-parry window.
Caltrop Dust: Micro-spikes that slow and cause bleeding (lethal variant toggle).

7) Armor & Passives

Steelline Duster: Damage directional reduction from front; reduced stagger.
Breaker Rigs: Bonus carry weight for traps; faster deploy animation.
Synth-RUMOR Meter: NPC suspicion climbs in certain towns; unlocks unique dialogue, prices, and ambush chance. Verified human status reduces it.

8) Role & Core Loop (player or AI)

Mark a target (Bounty Mark) → highlights last seen tracks & associates.
Set Zone with traps; push targets into killbox using Pacifier knockbacks.
Capture non-lethally for higher payout, or escalate if mission permits.
Extract using Mag-Grapple routes, smoke/foam denial.

9) Perk Tree (4 tracks, 3 tiers each)

Tracker: Footprint ping radius ↑ → Heat-trail wallhack (short) → Associate inference (auto-marks lieutenants).
Wrangler: Trap deploy speed ↑ → Double-plant (two at once) → Remote chain-detonate/recall.
Enforcer: Stagger resist ↑ → Pacifier cone width ↑ → Downed foes take longer to stand; capture window extends.
Artificer: Craft rare canisters → EMP duration ↑ → Foam nets auto-pulse shock if cut.

10) Bounty System Integration

Capture vs Kill Toggle: Contract board specifies payout multipliers (+40–120% for clean captures; +10–20% for lethal proof).
Proof Types: Restraint photo, DNA swab, brand tag, or synth-core reading (if applicable).
Reputation: “Marshal” (orderly towns) vs “Varmint” (raider hubs) tracks unlock different mods, stores, and ambush events.

11) Quest Hooks (short arcs)

“Not a Synth.” Clear your name after a spoofed serial ping frames you as Gen-3; decide whether to expose the real synth broker or leverage the rumor.
“The Black List.” Five escalating marks; final mark is your handler—choose justice, capture, or collusion.
“Foam & Fire.” Foam net shipments get sabotaged; track the chem rival offering lethal alternatives.
“Dead or Dressed.” Formal duel at sundown; non-lethal win unlocks unique hat skin.

12) AI Behavior (if NPC)

Opens with zone denial (two traps before first shot).
Probe with K-Wave; swaps to Net-Foam when player low stamina.
Retreat rules: <30% health → smoke + Mag-Grapple to high ground.
Morale: Will spare downed civilians; executes raider lieutenants only if mission is “lethal authorized.”

13) UI & Feedback

Pacifier HUD Ring: Shows knock cone, danger shade for KO threshold.
Rumor Icon: Synth-eye glyph fills as suspicion rises in a district.
Bounty Tracker: Breadcrumbs + last-heard VO snippets in subtitles.

14) Crafting & Upgrades (examples)

Pacifier Barrel Kits: Wide-cone vs long-throw.
Foam Chem Lines: Sticky (hold longer), Brittle (breaks with one melee to convert to lethal spikes—optional toggle).
Hat Mod: Lined brim = flash resist; stitched emblem = rep gain in marshal towns.

15) Tuning Targets (starting)

Health: +25% over baseline class.
Armor: 15–25% frontal damage reduction; rear normal.
Pacifier KO: Only when target <25% health or headshot within 4m.
Trap carry: 6 slots (2x each type) without perks.

16) Voice & Sample Lines

Intro: “Warrants don’t lie. People do.”
Non-lethal down: “Easy way it is.”
On synth accusation: “Steel shines on everyone. Doesn’t make us the same.”

17) Variants / Skins

“Court Black” (matte all-black default), “Nickel Night” (gunmetal trim), “Ash Marshal” (charcoal + burnt brim), “Foam Wrangler” (utility loops visible).

18) Concept-Art Prompt (for your artist/AI)

“Tanky bounty hunter in all-black duster and black cowboy hat, five-o’clock shadow, synth-adjacent face plates, shouldered non-lethal bazooka with shockwave muzzle, belt of compact traps (bolo discs, arc snares), matte armor undercoat, steel-toed boots, dusk lighting with dust motes, wide cinematic silhouette, grounded sci-fi Western vibe.”

Fallout Ideas For a New Game or Mods(PS4/5 and XBOX)

Gideon “Slate” Crowe — The Iron Marshal