Line #313 Characters/TerraTech


1	!!The Player Character
2
3	In the campaign, you play as a prospector carrying out a survey mission for the [=GSO=] who crash-landed on an alien planet.
4
5	!! Tropes:
6
7	* TheEngineer: The player has complete freedom to build custom techs with their block stash, and will design and build most of their vehicles and bases during the game.
8	* UniversalDriversLicense: Not only can the player build anything, they can also pilot anything as long as it has propulsion. Cars, tanks, aeroplanes, hovercrafts and helicopters are all fair game.
9
10	[[foldercontrol]]
11
12	[[folder:Campaign [=NPCs=]]]
13
14	!!Crafty Mike
15
16	[[quoteright:340:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/ttcraftymikesmall.png]]
17
18	A con man who knows his way around [=GSO=] crafting systems. In the Crafty Business questline, he teaches the player how to refine, sell, process and otherwise manipulate resource chunks. His real name is Michael Croft.
19
20	!! Tropes:
21
22	* FeelingTheirAge: His excuse for getting the player to build him several small crafting bases is that he "can't move the way he used to".
23	* LovableRogue: Mike always seems to have dubiously-legal "business" to take care of, so he ropes the player into doing minor tasks around his bases. The loveableness comes into play because he lets the player keep the bases, including [[DiscOneNuke crafting equipment]] that can't be found anywhere else unless the player gets lucky with invaders.
24	* ThePiratesWhoDontDoAnything: Crafty Mike is described in-game as a ConMan, but we never get to see him con anybody in person.
25
26	!!Agent Pow
27
28	[[quoteright:340:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/ttagentpowsmall.png]]
29
30	A fierce warrior in charge of local peacekeeping for the [=GSO=]. Dealing with useless prospectors has left her cynical and given her a bad habit of mumbling insults at people. During the campaign, she enlists the player's help in dealing with bandits.
31
32	!! Tropes:
33
34	* BoyishShortHair: She has a short sideswept haircut, leaving room for her radio aerial.
35	* CynicalMentor: While she puts on a cheerful facade and pretends to give the player encouragement, Pow can be heard muttering that they're an idiot with no chance of completing her missions. She even expresses disappointment when they triumph over the [=SAM=] emplacement because she wanted to see their tech blow up.
36	* HeroicBuild: She is, or her tech is modelled after, a woman with the broad shoulders and heavy arms you'd expect of anybody with "pow" in their name.
37	* RobotHair: Although clearly made of metal, Pow has her distinctive silky red hair.
38
39	!!Suzie Vroom
40
41	[[quoteright:340:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/ttsuzievroomsmall.png]]
42
43	A friendly woman shaped like a racing car. As head of recruitment for Venture, she challenges the player to prove their worth against a variety of race courses, some of her own design, and introduces them to powered flight. [[WordOfSaintPaul Word of Former Social Content Producer]] posits that she's thicc.
44
45	!! Tropes:
46
47	* GenkiGirl: She has a lot of enthusiasm for racing and stunt driving, reacting with pure delight just to see the player buy a small rocket-assisted car.
48	* PreppyName: Her full name is Suzannah Vroomingdale.
49	* VerbalTic: Suzie's dialogue is sprinkled liberally with engine noises ("Vroom, vroom!"). Considering her surname, this may also count as PokemonSpeak.
50
51	!!Whimpey
52
53	[[quoteright:340:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/ttwhimpeysmall.png]]
54
55	A tech/person made primarily from Venture parts. He isn't much use in a fight and was captured at one point by Gruntle, needing the player's intervention to save him.
56
57	!! Tropes:
58
59	* DistressedDude: The player has to save him during the rescue mission on Mine Island.
60	* GagNose: His altimeter certainly resembles a big pointy one.
61	* PhraseCatcher: Gets "Shut up, Whimpey!" several times from Gruntle.
62
63	!!Repulsor
64
65	A misanthropic turret who wields sonic lances and uses them to push people away.
66
67	!! Tropes:
68
69	* CatchPhrase: He says "repulsive" a lot.
70	* HiddenDepths: The FlavourText for Whimpey's unique cosmetic hull piece notes that it looks like Repulsor's parts and speculates that he may have been trying to help the player. Indeed, while it calls for precise timing, the player can use Repulsor's sonic blasts to throw their tech onto Mine Island and rescue Whimpey.
71
72	!!Ice Crawler Brothers
73
74	[[quoteright:340:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/tticecrawler2small.png]]
75	[[caption-width-right:340:Vana, the red brother. Zozo looks pretty much the same, except blue and with earmuffs.]]
76
77	Two brothers, Zozo and Vana, who build extreme obstacle courses to challenge tech racers.
78
79	!! Tropes:
80
81	* AwesomeEgo: They have high opinions of themselves and their race courses, readily assuming the player is too awestruck to speak to them.
82	* ColourCodedForYourConvenience: Zozo has a colour-inverted version of the Venture skin, making him mostly blue. Vana is mostly red.
83	* JiveTurkey: The brothers constantly speak in slang.
84
85	!!Big Pete
86
87	[[quoteright:340:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/ttbigpetesmall.png]]
88
89	[=GeoCorp=]'s quest [=NPC=] who gives the player their license. Pete is a fat, jolly chap whose work ethic is not as great as it first appears.
90
91	!! Tropes:
92
93	* BigEater: He has a great appetite for resource chunks. It is unknown whether Big Pete is actually the big yellow tech we see or just a normal person piloting it, but either way, the chunks seem to disappear inside his "mouth" pretty fast.
94	* BlatantLies: Pete claims to be [=GeoCorp's=] hardest-working employee mere moments before he tasks the player with fetching him a bunch of resources so he can meet his quota.
95	* EatingMachine: If Pete is a sentient tech, he and his appetite would definitely count.
96
97	!!Mighty / the Almighty Leader
98
99	[[quoteright:340:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/ttmightyleadersmall.png]]
100
101	A big, strong ne'er-do-well who challenges players to destroy his creation, the Almighty Cube, and tries to sell them [=GSO=] cannons at a huge mark-up if they fail. He is arrogant, vain and obsessed with the Cube, but prefers to leave any fighting to his minions.
102
103	!! Tropes:
104
105	* BerserkButton: People who successfully destroy his cube. Expect him to order his minions to take revenge if you ever succeed.
106	* LargeAndInCharge: He leads a handful of smaller Mighty Minions who copy his style.
107	* ManlyFacialHair: He has an impressive horseshoe "moustache" made of bumper blocks, evoking the image of a rugged martial arts guru.
108	* SoreLoser: See above.
109
110	!!Mighty Minions
111
112	[[quoteright:340:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/ttmightyminionsmall.png]]
113
114	The [[{{Mooks}} servitors]] of the Almighty Leader. They are identical groupies who copy his moustachioed cyclops aesthetic, follow his martial philosophy and pay him hefty membership fees.
115
116	!! Tropes:
117
118	* MechaMooks: They most likely are. Mighty tries to spawn a couple the way the player spawns their own techs at one point, only to discover he's run out of parts.
119	* ScrewThisImOuttaHere: A couple of minions decide to run away after watching the player defeat the third-generation Almighty Cube.
120
121	!!Sergeant Smash
122
123	[[quoteright:340:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/ttsergeantsmashsmall.png]]
124
125	The tough, bullish Hawkeye sergeant who becomes the player's [=SO=] when they join Hawkeye. He tasks them with destroying enemy turrets in addition to any tech that so much as looks at them.
126
127	!! Tropes:
128
129	* CaptainSmoothAndSergeantRough: The Sergeant Rough to Bomber Command's Captain Smooth.
130	* DrillSergeantNasty: A milder example than many, but he rarely misses a chance to call the player a maggot. As the player rises through the license grades in Hawkeye, so Sergeant Smash's respect for them grows.
131
132	!!Bomber Command
133
134	[[quoteright:340:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/ttbombercommandsmall.png]]
135
136	An officer in Hawkeye's air force who enlists the player's help for a bombing mission. He has the voice and the moustache of a dashing fighter pilot and the physique of a sentient air traffic control tower.
137
138	!! Tropes:
139
140	* CaptainSmoothAndSergeantRough: Although not an actual captain, he acts as the Captain Smooth to Sergeant Smash's Sergeant Rough.
141	* OfficerAndAGentleman: Bomber Command is always polite and well-spoken, and also a leading figure in Hawkeye's air force. For bonus points, he calls the player "old chap".
142
143	!!Groundhog
144
145	The agent initially sent by Hawkeye to confront the Spider King.
146
147	!! Tropes:
148
149	Watch this space.
150
151	!!hubl
152
153	[[quoteright:340:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/tthublsmallpng.png]]
154
155	Technically not one individual but a type of sales robot sent out by Better Future, from which you can buy a [[BlatantLies reasonably priced]] Better Future license. Various hubl units teach the player how to pilot hovercrafts and anti-gravity airships, basic models of which they sell at [[BlatantLies excellent value]].
156
157	!! Tropes:
158
159	* AllLowercaseLetters
160	* CyberCyclops: Seemingly, although their "eye" is actually part of a large adjustment thruster.
161	* HoverBot: hubl units are equipped with Better Future's trademark hover rings, as well as an anchor to keep them from drifting away.
162
163	!!Atom
164
165	[[quoteright:340:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/ttatomsmall.png]]
166
167	Reticule Research's quest [=NPC=], styled after a mad scientist.
168
169	!! Tropes:
170
171	* AICronym: Towards the end of his full name, "Reticule Research Science Officer [=AT-0M-RRv1313=]".
172	* MultiArmedAndDangerous: He has four arms, allowing him to wield two [[LethalJokeItem fireworks launchers]] and still carry his Hawkeye radars.
173
174	[[/folder]]
175
176	[[folder:Guardians and Bosses]]
177
178	Please note that "guardian" is the word used for any pre-defined enemy guaranteed to appear in the campaign; for example, Little Thief, the tech the player has to destroy in order to get their radar. They do not have to actually guard anything.
179
180	!!Big Tony
181
182	A rival prospector who ambushes the player after their crash-landing.
183
184	!! Tropes:
185
186	* WarmUpBoss: Big Tony is pretty easy, even with the player's beaten-up starter tech.
187
188	!!Little Thief
189
190	A weaponless tech that swipes the player's lost radar block after the crash.
191
192	!! Tropes:
193	* GetBackHereBoss: Constantly flees from the player
194
195	!!Trader Troll
196
197	The first boss, who must be defeated to unlock trading stations. She/he shows up in a random tech using level 2 [=GSO=] parts.
198
199	!! Tropes:
200
201	* WakeUpCallBoss: Although the chosen tech may vary, the Trader Troll is generally tougher than the random spawns the player will have faced up to that point.
202
203	!!Wing-Nut
204
205	[[quoteright:340:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/ttwingnutsmall.png]]
206
207	A large, arrogant tech who likes to throw his weight around. The player comes into conflict with him after he claims ownership of Rook Creek Bridge.
208
209	!! Tropes:
210
211	* BribingYourWayToVictory: Instead of fighting Wing-Nut, the player can just pay his [=100,000BB=] bridge toll and complete the mission.
212	* EarlyBirdBoss: A boss wielding Hawkeye HG Cannon Turrets and ''several'' [=Mk3=] Battleship Cannons at a point where you're likely to not even have a Hawkeye license, let alone the high-level weaponry he sports.
213	* SkippableBoss: You can pay his toll to just skip him altogether, or alternatively drive off the bridge, causing him to follow and self-destruct. Doing this deprives you of his loot, though.
214
215	!!The Spider King
216
217	[[quoteright:340:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/ttspiderkingsmall.png]]
218
219	A spider-shaped tech with his own fortress and some agile hovering minions.
220
221	!! Tropes:
222
223	* FauxAffablyEvil: During his boss mission, he makes a show of being polite and [[BlatantLies promises]] to stop harassing passers-by, only to drop the act, summon a horde of minions and leap into the frey.
224	* FlunkyBoss: He has several hovering Fly drones to protect him and fight intruders.
225
226	!!Gruntle
227
228	[[quoteright:340:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/ttgruntlesmall.png]]
229
230	A kidnapper who takes over Mine Island during the Mine Island rescue mission.
231
232	!! Tropes:
233
234	* BreatherBoss: Unlike Wing-Nut and the Spider King, Gruntle is very much weak. While his flamethrowers are intimidating, he has the durability of a paper towel.
235
236	!!Almighty Cube
237
238	[[quoteright:340:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/ttmightycubesmall.png]]
239	[[caption-width-right:340:The cube's smallest version]]
240
241	An armoured cube built by the Almighty Leader to challenge prospectors and embarrass them into buying expensive cannons. Each version of the Cube can take quite a beating.
242
243	!! Tropes:
244
245	* ConMan: Not the Cube itself, but the Leader. He's the ringleader of a con where he offers blatantly overpriced parts to people who fail his challenge. Fittingly, the way he's built makes him look like he has a mustache.
246	* RecurringBoss: You are challenged to destroy the Almighty Cube three times, facing a [[UpgradedBoss stronger version]] each time.
247	* StoneWall: Exaggerated in that the cube doesn't attack the player at all. Breaking through its shields within the [[TimedMission time limit]] is still a challenge.
248	* TookALevelInBadass: After the player destroys it, Mighty and his minions rebuild the cube bigger and stronger than ever.
249
250
251	[[/folder]]
252
253	[[folder:Corporations]]
254
255	!!Galactic Survey Organisation ([=GSO=])
256
257	A government-run mining company created to help new prospectors build their techs and get into off-world mining. The default starting corporation, the [=GSO=] offer a bit of everything, from caterpillar tracks to wings to crafting machines to heavy cannons to cute little ploughs. They are nevertheless outclassed in at least one area by every other corporation.
258
259	!! Tropes:
260
261	* GovernmentAgencyOfFiction: The [=GSO=] is run by the government, although ''which'' government is never specified.
262	* JackOfAllStats: The [=GSO=] doesn't excel in any field, but they have the widest range of parts in the game and are currently the only corporation with a full set of crafting machinery.
263
264	!!Team Venture
265
266	The extreme sports organisation dedicated to setting up race tracks and stunt ramps on distant planets. They offer rocket boosters, aeroplane parts, the speediest wheels in the game and silos that can [[RequiredSecondaryPowers hang onto resource chunks at high speeds]].
267
268	!! Tropes:
269
270	* FragileSpeedster: Venture's blocks are lightweight, their wheels and propellers built for speed, their weapons geared towards tracking fast targets, and none of them have much [=HP=].
271	* GlassCannon: Venture weapons may be fragile, but they can dish out plenty of damage. Special mention must go to the double-barrelled Rapid cannon, which was the most powerful weapon in the game until Hawkeye came up with a much larger [[PowerCreep triple-barrelled cannon]].
272
273	!![=GeoCorp=]
274
275	A mining company which specialises in massive yellow techs and huge, rugged wheels to carry them. Their drills and plasma cutters are the game's strongest melee weapons. They offer the biggest repair bubble, but no shields; [=GeoCorp=] techs aren't technically meant for combat.
276
277	!! Tropes:
278
279	* MightyGlacier: [=GeoCorp=] parts are all tough and heavy, geared towards slow mining rigs and armoured cars.
280	* PileBunker: [=GeoCorp=] has two; the straight and angled jackhammers offer devastating rhythmic bashes with some of the highest [=DPS=] in the game. Getting them to hit anything can be a challenge.
281	* ThisIsADrill: [=GeoCorp's=] iconic fixed diamond drill [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin is a drill]], as is the articulated variant.
282	* WeaponsOfTheirTrade: All of [=GeoCorp's=] "weapons"- drills, buzzsaws, jackhammers, dynamite catapults and plasma cutters- are actually mining equipment, and they don't sell any "real" weaponry. As it turns out, though, when all you have is [[WhenAllYouHaveIsAHammer a bunch of heavy digging equipment]], every enemy tech starts to look like a rich mineral seam.
283
284	!!Hawkeye [=PMC=]
285
286	A private military contractor specialising in powerful weapons and heavy armour, available in black or desert camo. The organisation is run like a paramilitary; the player answers to Sergeant Smash after they join. Hawkeye currently offers the most powerful cannon and missile launcher in the game.
287
288	!! Tropes:
289
290	* LightningBruiser: The smaller Hawkeye wheels are fast enough and their weapons deadly enough to build this sort of tech.
291	* MasterOfAll: Overall, Hawkeye's blocks are the best for fighting. All their parts are durable, their weapons pack a serious punch, their wheels can bear some weight at a decent speed and they have enough variety to make interesting techs. However, their parts aren't geared very well for resource gathering.
292	* PrivateMilitaryContractors: Founded by "ex-military meat heads", Hawkeye is a mercenary company focused on powerful weaponry and strong techs.
293
294	!!Better Future
295
296	A dynamic new startup disrupting the tech industry with ultra-sleek, ultra-modern solutions. They specialise in hovercrafts and powerful laser weaponry, plus useful devices such as anti-gravity engines and [[YouHaveResearchedBreathing off switches for shields]]. Just make sure you have your rent put aside before you buy anything from them.
297
298	!! Tropes:
299
300	* EverythingIsAnIPodInTheFuture: Almost all external parts have at least one surface that has a shiny white covering, it's clearer than the other corporation parts, that they are made to slot together better with each other, without any other colour schemes, it's hard to make a tech that doesn't look frankensteined.
301	* LightningBruiser: Although not as durable as Hawkeye blocks, Better Future parts are geared towards speed and damage with a focus on agile hovercrafts.
302	* WeWillUseLasersInTheFuture: Part and Parcel of the Aesthetic, they have no actual kinetic ranged weapons, while they tear through most techs, they are notably fragile.
303
304	!!Reticule Research
305
306	An experimental technology company which offers a mix of powerful and almost useless experimental weaponry, most of which was designed by mad scientists. Aside from their specialised chassis blocks, they have orange trim and pleasingly round wheels to choose from.
307
308	!! Tropes:
309
310	* AwesomeButImpractical: As befits a company of mad scientists, some of Reticule Research's weapons offer more style than substance.
311	** The [=GIGA PLASMA=], while extremely strong, takes several seconds to charge up, as do the [=HIVE=] missile launcher and energy arc cutter.
312	** The tesla coil deals huge damage at the expense of battery power, the same battery power that keeps your shields and repair bubbles up.
313	** The [[LethalJokeItem fireworks launcher]] can do solid damage at close range, but it takes ages to recharge between shots.
314	** The Talon Laser, while intimidatingly powerful, also takes up a lot of space and has a short range.
315	* ResearchInc: It's even in their name. Reticule Research develops weapons for other corporations, and players who have the [=R&D DLC=] can test them out early. See below.
316	* SerendipityWritesThePlot: [=TerraTech=] has allowed players with the [=R&D DLC=] to try out experimental blocks since early in its development, with Reticule Research retroactively receiving responsibility for these blocks as the company "developing" them.
317	* SuperScream: In a weird way, their Sonic Blaster. This is largely an InformedAttribute, however, as the shots act more like laser energy and subvert the usual tropes asssociated with it, especially it having long range.
318	* WetwareCPU: In the FlavorText of their HIVE Missile Launcher, it's stated that each missile has an actual [[WickedWasps hornet]] inside to guide it. This technically makes it a BeeBeeGun... though when you craft it, you don't actually use any hornets.
319

Context Characters / TerraTech