back to Sunnyvale PSD

Character generation mostly follows 5th Edition Call of Cthulhu rules; more Character Generation info here if you need it. Roll 2d6+6 for STR (instead of the usual 3d6). Characters must have an EDU of at least 14, and an age of at least 22 -- a lieutenant would be at least age 27. Here's a character sheet:  coc6_modern_sheet.pdf

Presume a monthly salary of $7,000 (against a median family monthly income for Sunnyvale of $6,000); thus about $425,000 in assets  -- $42,500 available quickly, $42,500 in funds that would take 30 days or so to convert (and probably deal a blow to the character's retirement plans!), and $340,000 in property (cars, home, etc.). Average home prices in Sunnyvale are $593,000; with a 7% fixed-rate mortgage the monthly payments would be $4,500. Rental unit median monthly cost is $1,200, with a 2% vacancy rate. As you might guess, "cost of living" is one reason cited for the 40% annual turnover rate among PSOs!

As a combination firefighter/policeman/emergency medical technician, the "sample occupation" template is:

Public Safety Officer

Apply the pool of "EDU x 20" points to increase these occupational skills:

• First Aid (mandatory minimum 40%)
• Grapple
• Heavy Machinery (mandatory minimum 25%)
• Law
• Psychology
• Spot Hidden
• plus any two other skills as personal specialties

Then apply "INT x 10" points to personal interest skills.

All of the PSOs are EMT-trained; but a fully-qualified paramedics should have:

• First Aid  -- at least 60%
• Medicine -- at least 10%
• Pharmacy -- at least 10%

Note that military combat medics currently receive paramedic-level training, and can fairly easily transition to the Sunnyvale PSD (they still have to go through the police academy and the firefighting training, of course).

Members of the SWAT team have good justification for applying "personal interest" points towards:

• Climb
• Martial Arts
• Rifle
• Shotgun
• Submachine Gun

Remember, you can be on the SWAT team *and* a firefighter at the same time ... the SWAT team doesn't exist as a standing unit, but rather as all the people in the DPS who are currently SWAT-certified.