My character needs a skill! help!

[IsraelHoudini]

my main character is a frustrated teacher. at the end of his day he goes to the gym or track or something to work out his angst about his life, etc. later he gets put into a kind of prison work camp. here he has to compete with the head prisoner for influence by using the same skill in a head to head competition. Finally when he escapes, he calls upon the same skill to save his neck just in the nick of time.

question is...what does he do? and how does it help him later in the plot? ???

[GenJerDan]

Swiped from How I Spent My Summer Vacation*: he can hold his breath longer than anyone else.

How it helps him later?...a myriad of possibilities.

Dan

*1967 Robert Wagner film no one has seen, so it's safe to swipe the bit. ;D
I wish it would come out on DVD.

[seattlegoods]

the skill to THROW HIS VOICE voice voice... ;) : ....kidin this is a hard one.. kinda feels like a math problem when reading this then going back and reading it again... if I think of anything I'll will post it. good luck

[CageWarrior]

brain power? maybe he could be a really smart guy and uses his intelligence to get an edge over people and overcome things.

ok not really as flashy as the ability to breathe fire but I tried ;)

[EVIL_HOMER]

Rope Climbing!

(Rope climbing is required at one stage of the escape)

Main character is experienced (Millatary training or extreme sports) He teaches a buddy in the prison gym to climb a rope as they prepare for the escape

Head prisoner tourments them and challenges the main character to a climbing contest/race in the prison Gym.

The catch is they must do it with a heavy weight tied to them (dangling from their waist)

(Maybe this is a competition that the inmates have designed to compete/battle against each other) (Inmates circle around to watch, it's an event)

The main character although he is new to the contest, is able to defeat him

As they later on escape from the prison something happens to his buddy (injured or unconcious). He reaches the rope obstacle/stage of the escape.

Lead character ties up his buddy to himself and proceeds to climb the rope. (Buddy dangling lifelessly)

If I go any further I may aswell write this thing myself

Hope this helps!

[reflex]

how about skill with a bow staff?

[uhrgl]

Hop scotch is way underused in film today.

[J_Barnes]

Skills, skills....skills...hmm....

Invoke Cthulhu, Level 3?

+2 Dodge Missile Attack?

-2 Cliched Screenplay Formula Resistance?

How about drinking? At the end, he has to drink the entire contents of a fermenting tank to avoid being drowned in Canadian beer.

Perhaps he has the incredible ability to eat 50 eggs?

Maybe he's horrible at basketball, but at the end of the film he's got to shoot a ball through a hoop at the top of a mast in order to get his sail back up and win the race?

[Neil Rowe]

..i think having him be a master pac man player would be pretty sweet. at the end pac man could come out of the screen and eat his enemy.


..or he could just be smart.. i liked that one too.

[Chris Messineo]

Two words: Roller Boogie