Walter Bennett
Context
Walter was one of the Black Mesa scientists in the 1998/1999 HλLF-LIFE video game. For more context you can refer to those two articles :
For some unfathomable reason, Walter was very popular with HλLF-LIFE fans, who built him up as a comedy relief character. There even was high-profile fan-fiction about him back then. Said fan fiction (from defunct hub site Platehalflife) amply informs this profile. Thus, this is more player-favourite Walter than strictly Half-Life Walter.
Background
- Real Name: Dr. Walter Bennett.
- Marital Status: Desperately Single.
- Known Relatives: None who’d admit to it.
- Group Affiliation: BMRF Bio-Research Division.
- Base Of Operations: Black Mesa Research Facility.
- Height: 5’9” Weight: 120 lbs Age: 41
- Eyes: Blue Hair: Gray (and prematurely balding).
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Powers and Abilities
Walter is a trained biologist specializing in bio-chemistry. He’s picked up a little engineering knowledge while volunteering his free time to help the Weapons Research Division test their wares, but it’s just enough to be dangerous. His delight with firearms is exceeding only by his ineptitude with them.
He is quite knowledgeable about gangsta rap, and enjoys “gettin’ jiggy wit’ it” to the likes of Flava Flav and Public Enemy, a sight even more haunting than the alien hordes of Xen. Though rap is his favorite style of music, Walter will pitch a tent over just about anything with a beat to it (heavy metal, disco, etc.).
Look at ’em guns !
Walter is a bit of a gunfondler, though he’s never had the gumption to buy a firearm of his own and he couldn’t hit the broad side of a barn if he was inside it. Consequently, he likes to play around on the BMRF Security Division shooting range and the Experimental Weaponry proving grounds as much as possible. Thus, he has access to most of the weapons in Black Mesa.
Still, he’s most likely to go for one of the following experimental devices in an emergency, since they’re big, shiny, and make lots of noise and light.
History
Walter’s history is unremarkable, by and large. He demonstrated himself to be of adequate ability in college. Then he managed to snag a research grant at Black Mesa. He made liberal abuse of his position there to engage in whatever oddball experiments came to mind and to lord it over his subordinates.
Walter’s life was severely disrupted by the Incident at Black Mesa. He spent the first hours in a state of hysteric catatonia. Then, working with Security Guard Barney Calhoun and Doctor Rosenberg, Walter helped to restore a prototype teleporter and escape Black Mesa with his compatriots.
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Description
Walter is a thin, balding, middle-aged Caucasian male with thick eyeglasses and a somewhat hapless expression. Though he is of a thin (but wiry !) build, he pictures himself as being endowed with a sinewy musculature that Conan the Barbarian would envy.
He can always be found wearing his lab coat with formal attire, though he finds wearing a tie rather irritating.
Personality
Walter Bennett is an absent-minded scientist straight out of a ’50s sci-fi B-movie. He’s totally enthralled with his work (and any attractive women that might be nearby). He takes great delight in silly witticisms.
He is quite verbose, often attempting to impress others with his florid polysyllabic language. Most of it is a blatant case of overcompensation to any knowledgeable person. Think of Ash trying to sound knowledgeable in Army of Darkness.
Nevertheless, Walter persists in seeing himself as a revolutionary genius. Thus, he blames any difficulties or insoluble problems on inept co-workers, the capriciousness of fate, or his inexplicably more successful colleague Dr. Gibson (whom he loathes with a passion).
In addition to his delusions of sagacity, Walter also fancies himself quite the adventurer. He his particularly proud of his pugilistic skills, referring to his “Flying Fists of Fury !” whenever danger lurks… only to roll up into a whimpering fetal ball when danger stops lurking and raises its ugly head.
Quotes
“With my brains and your brawn, we’ll make an excellent team !”
(With a quavering voice) “I’m not going another step !”
“That bastard son Dr. Gibson better keep his slimy hands off my Metallica boxed set !”
DC Universe History
Walter makes an excellent sidekick/assistant to be foisted onto the PCs as a witness to or a participant in any events at a laboratory. He can provide exposition and tag along with the PCs, eager to test his mettle but breaking down every time something untoward happens nearby.
His panicked use of experimental weapons can provide all sorts of entertaining collateral damage.
Game Stats — DC Heroes RPG
Tell me more about the game stats
Walter Bennett, Ph.D
| Dex: 02 | Str: 02 | Bod: 02 | Motivation: Glory Hound |
| Int: 03 | Wil: 02 | Min: 02 | Occupation: Biochemist |
| Inf: 02 | Aur: 02 | Spi: 02 | Resources {or Wealth}: 006 |
| Init: 007 | HP: 010 |
Skills:
Artist (Dancing): 01, Gadgetry (Identify Gadget)*: 03, Medicine: 04, Scientist*: 03, Weaponry (Firearms, Exotic): 01
Advantages:
Area Knowledge (Black Mesa Research Facility), Scholars (Biochemistry, Gangsta Rap).
Connections:
BMRF Anomalous Materials Laboratory (Low).
Drawbacks:
Arch-Enemy (Dr. Gibson), MIA (Gangsta Rap), SIA (Getting a girlfriend, making lame puns/jokes), SIF (Physical danger).
Design notes
Though Walter likes to play with experimental weaponry, he doesn’t actually design or build any of it. Thus, he does not have any of the advanced skills necessary to construct such devices.
Walter Bennett — A Legend in His Own Mind
This is Walter as he imagines himself to be.
“But I was simply too strong for them. I climbed over cliffs, commandeered helicopters, and tore through armies with nothing but my bare hands. I was an unstoppable force ! I tore off my shirt and swung through dangerous jungles like an ape-man, annihilating the Administrator’s evil minions with my rebellious fellow apes !”
| Dex: 10 | Str: 07 | Bod: 06 | Motivation: Seeking Justice |
| Int: 12 | Wil: 12 | Min: 12 | Occupation: Adventurer |
| Inf: 10 | Aur: 10 | Spi: 10 | Resources {or Wealth}: Who needs money when your strong right arm can save the day ? |
| Init: 34 | HP: 060 |
Skills:
Gadgetry: 08, Flying Fists of Fury (Martial Artist)*: 10, Medicine*: 12, Scientist*: 12, Weaponry: 08
Advantages:
Too Damn Sexy (Attractive), Gift of Gab, Iron Nerves, Leadership, Lightning Reflexes.
Look at ’em guns !
In DC Heroes terms, all of these weapons require the Weapons (Exotic) Skill and use the same radioactive batteries for ammo ; each battery is equivalent to 5 ammo charges for the Displacer Gun, 20 for the Gauss Gun, and 10 for the Gluon Gun.
- Displacer Gun [BODY: 4, Dimension Travel (Banishment, Travel): 10, Range: 4/0, Ammo: 5, Limitations: Dimension Travel only works between Earth and Xen (Travel Distance 6/6), Travel Subpower has No Range (it only affects the gun and its user) and uses 3 ammo charges, Banishment inflicts a Physical Attack against the target’s BODY (no modifiers for Growth, Skin Armor, etc.) as well as any other object within 1 AP of the target (though this collateral damage does not dimensionally-displace the affected objects), it takes 1 round after the trigger is pulled for the chosen effect to activate, R#: 3]
The displacer gun looks like a high-tech personal generator with a pistol handle attached to it. The d-gun generates a green glowing sphere with an orange-colored corona; this sphere can be generated around the gun and user or fired at distant targets. When the sphere encounters a physical object, it triggers Dimension Travel (Banishment) as described above.
When used on itself, it sends the target and the gun to Xen, leaving a displacement sphere at the original location on Earth. There will be a corresponding sphere with reversed colors (orange sphere with green corona) at the arrival point in Xen. The portal from Earth to Xen remains open until someone touches the Xen sphere and returns to Earth, at which point the portals close. - Gauss Gun a.k.a. Tau Cannon [BODY: 3, AV: 4/0, EV: 6/9, Range: 4/6, Ammo: 20, R#: 4]
The gauss gun is a painfully obvious experimental weapon, a vaguely gun-like object with wiring and circuitry simply attached where ever it can be with no complete casing.
This experimental, highly unstable, weapon has two fire modes. The first is automatic fire and uses the first set of stats (AV: 4, EV: 6, Range: 4). It is useful for obliterating tough foes at close and medium range.
The second fire mode requires charging the gauss gun (Expends one Dice Action) and then firing (must be the Dice Action next turn). It uses the second set of stats (no AV, EV: 9, Range: 6) and uses 2 ammo charges. This fire mode is useful against extremely-tough opponents and vehicles. If the R# is rolled using the secondary fire mode (or if it is charged for more than one action), it will explode with Bomb: 5, blast radius: 0 (10‘). - Gluon Gun a.k.a The Egon [BODY: 4, AV: 5, EV: 7, Range: 6, Ammo: 10, R#: 3]
Another prototype energy weapon, the gluon gun emits a constant stream of energy that disintegrates anything in its path; the gluon gun consists of a backpack generator with a hose and nozzle coming out the bottom for the user to direct the energy stream like a fire hose (“Don’t cross the streams!”).
Source of Character: Half-Life video game.
Helper(s): Walter’s World on Planethalflife (long since defunct – borrowed bits and pieces for background flavor), Paul Soth.