Character of the Week: La Cucaracha

Here's another PC of mine from the Global Guardians campaign world.

The cool art is from another player in the campaign named Zen Fairborn.

La Cucaracha
Real Name: Inez Escobar
Hair/Eye Color: None/Black
Height/Mass: 2.15 Meters/136.08 Kilograms
Nationality: Mexican
Place of Birth: Acapulco, Mexico
Date of Birth: June 3, 1980

Background/History: Born among Acapulco’s poorest families, Inez Escobar was luckier than most. Her parents ran a small street business, her mother knitting colorful blankets for the touristas and her father selling them. Her mother was particularly skillful, so the Escobars were able to scrape by, but with the pesos spread across eight children, a bad day meant that someone went hungry. As she and her siblings grew older and became able to help out more, other problems arose: Their father developed lung cancer and their mother developed arthritis. Inez, the oldest child, was fortunate enough to find a job as a maid in a run-down, roach-filled hotel. The money helped her family a great deal and, after their parents’ health worsened, Inez became the primary breadwinner.

She was working on the fourth story of the hotel when the earthquake hit Acapulco. Many buildings withstood the damage, but the poorly constructed hotel collapsed. Inez fell nearly twenty feet as the floor beneath her crumbled, then found herself pinned against a reinforced support beam while rubble and debris fell around her. With several ribs crushed and a lung punctured, she stared around at the ruin. She saw a bed on its side; a fat man with a bathroom mirror protruding from his pale, white back; and a large suitcase burst open, colorful vacation clothing pluming out like a bouquet. She noticed the wall beside her trembling and dozens of cockroaches scuttling out through the wallpaper. Inez had never read about irony, but she understood it, and, certain that she was going to die, she found a certain wry amusement in the fact that the cockroaches she so often squashed as part of her cleaning were going to escape the building while she did not.

Thinking about those cockroaches, she felt a strange rush in her skin. It began to grow thicker, and harder, and the rubble began to be pushed off of her. Trembling with fright, she started to squirm, barely noticing that the pain had stopped. She jumped again when she saw a pale, dapper man enter the room, dressed in crimson finery of a style she didn’t recognize. He seemed as surprised at the sight of her as she was of him, and raised his hand as if to point at her, then lowered it, a bemused smile on his face. “How lovely,” he said in a soft voice, and turned and walked into another room. Shortly afterward, Inez heard a woman’s scream. It was followed quickly by her own. Looking down, she saw what had become of her. She looked almost exactly like the cockroaches she had seen crawling out of the wall, only much larger. She had undergone a metamorphosis.

After a few terrible days of being chased in the streets by terrified people already reeling from the earthquake disaster and the appearance of someone called the Blood Red King, Inez was approached by Saul and Chloe Numen of the New Men, in town to assist with disaster relief. They calmed her and helped her find her way back to her family, all thankfully still alive, and she found herself accepted by the resilient Escobars with little reservation. With her hotel destroyed, she was out of a job, but the Numens noted the tenderness with which the giant cockroach treated their youngest child. And certainly here was someone who could protect the child and remain relatively safe herself. They offered her a job as their nanny. She gratefully accepted. Studying English and learning to use her new abilities, she became La Cucaracha of the New Men.

Unbeknownst to her, Inez has had the misfortune of having drawn the attention of two powerful “villains,” the Blood Red King (who remains fascinated by her transformation, but has not yet expressed any other motives for his interest) and Swarm, who believes that she can somehow control or subvert Inez with her powers.

Personality/Motivation: A sweet-natured nurturer, Inez has found, much to most people’s surprise, that she likes being a walking cockroach. Although many people find themselves uncomfortable around her because of her appearance, she is proud of the fact that she can use her abilities for good and that she can help to support her family with her salary as a nanny and a member of the New Men. Fully aware that she is not the brightest superhero, she tends to follow others’ lead, somewhat timid to offer her own suggestions, however good. As she grows in confidence and experience, she will likely become more forthright. Inez is honest to a fault and very protective of those around her, especially her young charge. Probably as a result of her new form and people’s general impression of cockroaches as filthy creatures, she is meticulous—some would say obsessive—about keeping her body, her quarters, and the base in general clean. Because of her powerful defenses, she considers herself nearly invulnerable to harm, and occasionally takes extra risks because of that.

Quote: “La cucaracha, la cucaracha, ya no quiere caminar...”

Quote About Her: “So pretty.”—The Blood Red King

Powers/Tactics: Dr. Saul Numen is of two minds about Inez’s transformation. At times, he thinks that her change, triggered by the activation of her metagene under stress, was permanent. But part of him suspects that she is a true metamorph, and could shift back to human form if she only knew how. He has sworn to find a “cure” for her. For her part, she humors him in his attempts, but in truth she is unconcerned and has no particular desire to change back.

Like many insects, Inez can lift much more than her own weight. She’s not as strong as some superheroes, but her strength is impressive, and she’s learned a number of different attack techniques that take advantage of her toughened cockroach form, from slicing through armor to bashing opponents and even cutting them with her chitin spines. Like a cockroach, she can easily walk on walls and ceilings, and she is extraordinarily resilient.

Appearance: An unattractive Hispanic woman with pinched, sallow features in her previous life, Inez has transformed into a shiny brown cockroach that walks upright. She possesses few human features. Although she can walk on her hind legs and has some ability to manipulate objects with her hands, she is not a true human/roach hybrid; she appears much more like a giant roach. She keeps herself very clean and polishes her shiny shell. She is just over 7 feet tall.

Val Char Cost Roll Notes

35 STR 25 16- Lift 3200.0kg; 7d6 [3]

20 DEX 30 13- OCV: 7/DCV: 7

23 CON 26 14-

12 BODY 4 11-

13 INT 3 12- PER Roll 12-

10 EGO 0 11- ECV: 3

15 PRE 5 12- PRE Attack: 3d6

0 COM -5 9-

13+14 PD 6 Total: 13/27 PD (0/14 rPD)

13+13 ED 8 Total: 13/26 ED (0/13 rED)

4 SPD 10 Phases: 3, 6, 9, 12

12 REC 0

50 END 2

41 STUN -1 Total Characteristic Cost: 113

Movement: Running: 9"/18"

Leaping: 9"/18"

Swimming: 2"/4"

Tunneling: 5"/10"

Cost Powers END

15 Cockroach Body: Elemental Control, 30-point powers

36 1) Cockroach Shell I: Armor (14 PD/13 ED), Hardened (+¼) (51 Active Points) 0

15 2) Cockroach Shell II: Physical Damage Reduction, Resistant, 50% (30 Active Points) 0

15 3) Cockroach Shell III: Energy Damage Reduction, Resistant, 50% (30 Active Points) 0

21 4) Digging: Tunneling 5" through 9 DEF material, Fill In Hole (47 Active Points); Increased Endurance Cost (x2 END; -½) 10

9 5) Gets in Any Crack or Crevice: Desolidification (40 Active Points); Does Not Protect Against Damage (-1), Only to Simulate Skill At Escaping from Bonds and Slipping into Tight Spaces (-½), Requires a Contortionist Skill Roll (-¼) 4

9 Cockroach Fighting: Multipower, 15-point reserve, (15 Active Points); all slots Increased Endurance Cost (x2 END; -½), Requires A Power Skill: Cockroach Tricks Roll (-¼)

1u 1) Clubbing Strike: Hand-To-Hand Attack +3d6 (15 Active Points); Hand-To-Hand Attack (-½) 2

1u 2) Piercing Strike: Killing Attack - Hand-To-Hand 1d6 (2d6 w/STR) (vs. PD) (15 Active Points) 2

20 Versatile Fighter: Variable Advantage (+½ Advantages; +1) for up to 35 Active Points of 35 STR (35 Active Points); Lockout (Cannot Use with Cockroach Fighting Multipower; -½), Requires a Cockroach Tricks Skill Roll (-¼) 3

Notes: Frequent manuevers include Sharpened Spines (Armor Piercing), Four-Legged Sweep (Area of Effect: One Hex), and Effortless Strike (Reduced END: 0).

10 Insect Walking: Clinging (normal STR) 0

6 Quick Runner: Running +3" (9" total) 1

2 Cockroach Leaper: Leaping +2" (9" forward, 4 ½" upward) 1

5 Six-Legged Cockroach: Extra Limbs 0

9 Cockroach Resilience: Life Support (Safe in High Pressure; Safe in High Radiation; Safe in Intense Cold; Safe in Intense Heat; Safe in Low Pressure/Vacuum) 0

Skills

3 Climbing 13-

3 Concealment 12-

3 Contortionist 13-

0 Everyman Skills

0 1) AK: Acapulco, Mexico (Everyman) 11-

0 2) Climbing 8-

0 3) Computer Programming 8-

0 4) Concealment 8-

0 5) Deduction 8-

0 6) Language: Spanish (native)

0 7) Paramedics 8-

0 8) PS: Maid 11-

0 9) Shadowing 8-

0 10) Stealth 8-

0 11) TF: Small Ground Vehicles (Everyman)

2 Language: English (fluent conversation)

0 The New Men Package (Cost: 1)

1 1) Fringe Benefit: Passport

2 2) KS: The Superhuman World 11-

6 3) Money: Wealthy ($1,000,000 Annually)

3 4) Reputation: International Goodwill Ambassadors 14-

20 5) Team Base Donation

9 6) Team Communicator

-20 7) Hunted by the Fatal Four 8-

-10 8) Monitored by the World Press 8-

-10 9) Social Limitation (Celebrity)

7 Power: Cockroach Tricks (DEX-based) 15-

4 PS: Cook 13-

4 PS: Tutor 13-

3 Stealth 13-

3 Streetwise 12-

2 Survival (Urban) 12-

3 Tracking 12-

Total Powers & Skill Cost: 212

Total Cost: 325

175+ Disadvantages

15 Dependent NPC: Escobar Family Members 11- (Normal)

25 Distinctive Features: Obvious Superhuman: A Giant Cockroach (Not Concealable; Extreme Reaction; Detectable By Commonly-Used Senses)

20 Hunted: Swarm 8- (Mo Pow, PC has a Public ID or is otherwise very easy to find, Harshly Punish)

15 Physical Limitation: Weird Biochemistry, Requires Special Medical Care (Frequently, Greatly Impairing)

20 Psychological Limitation: Code Vs. Killing (Common, Total)

15 Psychological Limitation: Protective of Children (Common, Strong)

1 Quirk: Deep Down, Doesn't Mind Being a Cockroach

1 Quirk: Grooms Herself Meticulously

1 Quirk: Leaves Mints on the Numens' Pillows at Night

1 Quirk: Often Sings "La Cucaracha" Song While Entering Battle

1 Quirk: Tends to Baby the Numens

20 Social Limitation: Permanent Identity: Inez Escobar, La Cucaracha (Very Frequently, Major)

15 Watched: The Blood Red King 8- (Mo Pow, NCI, PC has a Public ID or is otherwise very easy to find, Watching)

Character of the Week: Stuntman

Stuntman was the first character I created for the Global Guardians Universe. He has survived a campaign reboot and is a lot of fun to play. Let me know what you think.

Stuntman

Val Char Cost Roll Notes

30 STR 20 15- Lift 1600.0kg; 6d6 [3]

23 DEX 39 14- OCV: 8/DCV: 8

23 CON 26 14-

12 BODY 4 11-

18 INT 8 13- PER Roll 13-

11 EGO 2 11- ECV: 4

20 PRE 10 13- PRE Attack: 4d6

16 COM 3 12-

12+12 PD 0 Total: 12/24 PD (6/18 rPD)

11+12 ED 0 Total: 11/23 ED (6/18 rED)

5 SPD 17 Phases: 3, 5, 8, 10, 12

11 REC 0

46 END 0

38 STUN -1 Total Characteristic Cost: 128

Movement: Running: 11"/22"

Leaping: 6"/11"/12"/22"

Swimming: 2"/4"

Cost Powers END

15 Resilient Body: Elemental Control, 30-point powers

21 1) Tough Skin: Armor (12 PD/12 ED) (36 Active Points) 0

12 2) Tough Skin: Physical Damage Reduction, Resistant, 50% (30 Active Points); Must Be Aware of Attack (-¼) 0

12 3) Tough Skin: Energy Damage Reduction, Resistant, 50% (30 Active Points); Must Be Aware of Attack (-¼) 0

5 4) Fast Healer: Healing 1d6, Can Heal Limbs, Reduced Endurance (0 END; +½), Persistent (+½) (30 Active Points); Extra Time (1 Turn (Post-Segment 12), -1 ¼), Self Only (-½) 0

15 Seek the Center: Find Weakness 12- with Single Attack: Punch/Elbow Strike 0

10 Sprinter: Running +5" (11" total) 1

3 Acrobatic Leaper: Leaping +5" (6"/11" forward, 3"/5 ½" upward) (5 Active Points); Requires an Acrobatics Roll (-½) 1

Jeet Kune Do

Maneuver OCV DCV Notes

4 Block +2 +2 Block, Abort

4 Dodge -- +5 Dodge, Affects All Attacks, Abort

3 Grab/Joint Lock -1 -1 Grab Two Limbs, 50 STR for holding on

5 Kick/Knee Strike -2 +1 12d6 Strike

4 Nerve Strike -1 +1 3d6 NND

4 Punch/Elbow Strike +0 +2 10d6 Strike

3 Throw +0 +1 8d6 +v/5, Target Falls

1 Weapon Element: Blades

1 Weapon Element: Staffs

8 +2 HTH Damage Class(es)

Perks

2 Contact: Film Industry Contact 11-

1 Contact: People's Revolutionary Superhuman Collective member 8-

1 Fringe Benefit: Black Belt

Talents

12 Combat Luck: 6 PD/6 ED

Skills

3 Acrobatics 14-

0 Actor Package (Cost: 1)

3 1) Acting 13-

5 2) Cramming

3 3) Oratory 13-

-10 4) Social Limitation: Occupation (Actor)

3 Breakfall 14-

3 Combat Driving 14-

3 Demolitions 13-

3 Disguise 13-

0 Everyman Skills

0 1) AK: Hong Kong 11-

0 2) Climbing 8-

0 3) Computer Programming 8-

0 4) Concealment 8-

0 5) Deduction 8-

0 6) Language: Mandarin (native)

0 7) Paramedics 8-

0 8) PS: Big Brother 11-

0 9) Shadowing 8-

0 10) Stealth 8-

0 11) TF: Small Ground Vehicles (Everyman)

3 Expert: Movie Effects, Expert Skill Enhancer; all slots: Expert

2 1) KS: Famous Stunts (INT-based) (3 Active Points) 13-

6 2) PS: Stuntman (INT-based) (7 Active Points) 17-

2 3) SS: Pyrotechnics (INT-based) 13- (3 Active Points)

2 4) SS: Structural Integrity (INT-based) 13- (3 Active Points)

0 Jeet Kune Do Skills

20 1) +4 with Jeet Kune Do

3 2) KS: Jeet Kune Do (INT-based) 13-

-12 3) Martial Arts Bonus (20 Percent)

3 Linguist

2 1) Language: Cantonese (idiomatic) (4 Active Points)

4 2) Language: English (idiomatic)

4 3) Language: Japanese (idiomatic)

0 4) Language: Mandarin (Idiomatic, native accent) (4 Active Points)

3 Power: Martial Arts Tricks (DEX-based) 14-

0 Former PRSC Member Package (4 Points)

3 1) Interrogation 13-

2 2) KS: PRC Criminal Law 11-

2 3) KS: History of the Glorious Revolution 11-

2 4) KS: Maoist Doctrine 11-

2 5) KS: PRC Communist Party Leaders 11-

2 6) KS: People's Revolutionary Superhuman Collective 11-

3 7) Paramedics 13-

3 8) Teamwork 14-

-15 9) Hunted by the People's Revolutionary Superhuman Collective 8 or less

2 KS: Bruce Lee 11-

3 Streetwise 13-

3 Sleight Of Hand 14-

6 WF: Common Martial Arts Melee Weapons, Common Melee Weapons, Small Arms

Total Powers & Skill Cost: 222

Total Cost: 350

200+ Disadvantages

15 Dependent NPC: Deng Fu, Overly Curious Kid Brother 11- (Normal)

25 Hunted: Mister Chaos 11- (Mo Pow, NCI, Harshly Punish)

15 Hunted: Bushido 8- (Mo Pow, Harshly Punish)

15 Physical Limitation: Weird Biochemistry, Requires Special Medical Care (Frequently, Greatly Impairing)

20 Psychological Limitation: Code vs. Killing (Common, Total)

10 Psychological Limitation: Showoff (Common, Moderate)

15 Psychological Limitation: Thrillseeker (Common, Strong)

1 Quirk: Compares Everything to Movies

1 Quirk: Enjoys Cooking

1 Quirk: Flirt

1 Quirk: Likes Action Movies

1 Quirk: Likes Elaborate Planning Like He Used to Use to Plan Stunts

5 Reputation: Martial Arts Master, 11- (Only with Martial Arts Enthusiasts)

10 Social Limitation: Celebrity (Frequently, Minor)

15 Social Limitation: Public Identity: Peter Fu, Stuntman (Frequently, Major)

Total Disadvantage Points: 350

Background/History: A Hong Kong native, Peter made his mark in Chinese action movies as a stuntman, extra, combat specialist, and occasional actor. Although he loved the limelight that came from acting, his favorite part of his job was staging elaborate stunts, or gags, and taking their inherent dangers to the limit. He liked to claim that he'd fallen off every building in Hong Kong and had burst into flame more often than Heatwave. His facility with different aspects of his craft--falls, martial arts, stunt driving, pyrotechnics, gunplay, makeup, and more--made him one of Hong Kong's most in-demand stuntmen. His skill at languages also bought him dubbing jobs and acting roles. Although he braced at his government's often repressive laws, he enjoyed a freedom that many others in China envied.

Peter's parents died during a typhoid outbreak in 1999, leaving him with sole responsibility of his much younger brother Deng. Deng is a good-natured kid, but he's mischievous and has a knack for finding trouble. When preparing to film one of his most elaborate stunts (for the film Guns of the Plum King), Peter was forced to bring Deng to the set. He carefully instructed his younger brother on the importance of keeping still and staying away from trouble. He also set one of the studio gofers to the task of watching Deng. All this was to no avail. Just as his gag (falling, in flames, from a tall building, yet managing to twist and bounce off a plum tree in order to land on a fireworks display, setting them off and pointing them toward the movie's villain with his dying breath) was beginning, he saw Deng wandering into the pyrotechnics display. Already on fire, already falling, Peter had to change the pattern of his fall from the safe, planned route that would launch the pyrotechnics and burn or kill his brother to a dangerous, unguarded fall that would likely kill him. As usual, he did it with panache, thinking to himself, "I hope they can still use this footage." Still, adrenaline coursed through his veins as never before. As he fell, the world seemed to slow around him. Every movement became ultra precise. Every twist of his muscles was calculated with three priorities in mind: Protect Deng. Try to stay alive. Make it look good for the cameras.

Peter fell 150 feet, in flames, and landed not on the air cushion laid out for him, but instead on the hard, unforgiving ground.

He lived.

After the incident, Peter learned that he had the metagene and that—in his moment of crisis--it had enhanced his body, maximizing all of the abilities he'd trained for years. His strength, his resilience, his dexterity, and even his screen presence were all enhanced. Gags that once would have been hugely difficult for him to plan and carry out became effortless. Unfortunately for Peter, he lived in China, where everyone with the metagene worked for the government--or else. All the freedoms that he had enjoyed from his movie background were stripped away from Peter as he was immediately snatched up by government to become part of the People's Revolutionary Superhuman Collective. Deng was snatched up, too, because he tested positive for the metagene, even though his abilities hadn't yet kicked in. In fact, the government seemed even more interested in Deng, who it saw as having great potential.

After several months in the People's Revolutionary Superhuman Collective “boot camp,” Peter just couldn’t take any more. He established his most elaborate gag yet: an escape. Using pyrotechnics as a distraction, disguises for misdirection, and a hotwired crop duster for transportation, Peter and Deng managed to make it out of China and all the way to Japan, where they took refuge with some filmmaking contacts. Realizing that if China wanted him and his brother back, he would need some heavy-duty backup, Peter befriended the Japanese superhero team Senshudan One. If anyone could keep him and his brother safe, they would.

Under the codename Stuntman, Peter has fought crime on a few occasions, notably helping to protect a Tokyo-based theme park against an attack by Bushido. Dr. Mike Bowman, the former Doctor Tomorrow, credits him with saving his life. He fought alongside Senshudan One on a few occasions, even briefly dating Princess Snowflake Pink, but ultimately, he told himself that his goal was to become a movie star--the superhero activity was just a means to an end. He wanted to be another Bruce Lee or Chow Yun Fat, not another Achilles or Barnstormer.

The deaths of the Senshudan One team struck Peter hard, not just in terms of the protection that they offered him, but also in terms of lost friendships and regrets. If he’d taken the idea of being a superhero more seriously, he wondered, might his friends in Senshudan One not still be alive?

Personality/Motivation: Peter likes the flash and dazzle of a well-executed maneuver, particularly if it’s one that he’s executed or planned himself. He’s not as vain or conceited as some people occasionally think he is—he’s just very enamored of the idea of looking good for his audience, whoever that audience might be. Down deep, Peter’s a brave, self-sacrificing man who is learning to place his ideals over his prestige.

Quote: “Sure. There are lots of others who could take that fall and walk away from it. But could they do it with style?”

Powers/Tactics: Before his accident, Peter was a very well-trained normal who took the tools of his moviemaking craft seriously. He studied hard, and had an aptitude for picking up new skills. The activation of his powers increased his body’s strength, agility, resilience, healing ability, and even screen presence. He’s become the “ultimate stuntman” and performer. He can take considerable damage if need be, but his agility often helps him to keep from being damaged at all (the Combat Luck). Already a formidable martial artist who had trained with a pupil of Bruce Lee (who invented Jeet Kune Do), Peter found that his martial arts abilities were strongly enhanced by his newfound strength and agility. When pressed, he is a canny and dangerous combatant.

Campaign Use: Real Name: Peter Fu

Player: Rob Rogers

Hair/Eye Color: Black/Dark Brown

Height/Mass: 1.75 meters/74.8 kilograms

Nationality: Chinese

Place of Birth: Hong Kong, China

Date of Birth: 18 April 1978

Area of Operations: Tokyo, Japan

Appearance: Given his choice, Peter would probably wear sharp white shirts with collars, expensive shades, pressed blue jeans or khakis, and shiny, comfortable shoes—the look of a movie star on vacation. If asked to wear a more formal costume, he’d adopt something simple, form-fitting, and black, with no mask.

Character of the Week: Mung

I created Mung years ago. I'm not sure of the exact timing. He's had Dungeons and Dragons and Fantasy Hero incarnations and the details have differed, but his concept--stoic, tragic Dwarven monk--has remained essentially sound.

The particular version I'm sharing below is for the Hero System, created for a PBeM (play by e-mail) campaign world called Young Kingdoms, or Taranche, specifically a campaign called Fortune and Glory. For whatever reason, the GM of the Fortune and Glory didn't pick Mung, nor did he pick Peril the Finder, Mung's teammate, played by an online friend of mine. At any rate, I believe that the campaign and the campaign world have both died out, although the world's founders continue to run the excellent Global Guardians PBeM superhero universe. Some of the details of his background are based on that gameworld, but, of course, a lot of them are my own.

Mung

Player: Rob Rogers
Race: Dwarf
Culture: Khazak (Barbarian)
Gender: Male
Height/Weight: 5’/160 lbs.
Hair/Eye Color: Bald (was black)/Gray
Place of Birth: Harralind Ruby Mines
Age/Date of Birth: 48/Shieldmoon 17, 5105
Campaign: Fortune and Glory

Background Story:

Gray-skinned Tarmyk Firebristle was reputed to be the most taciturn and stoic of Khazak minstrels, if not the most skilled, yet even he was known to lift a calloused hand to his leathery cheek and brush away an unashamed tear when he related the tale of the fall of the Harralind Mines. The story sat heavy on Dwarven hearts, and was generally reserved for the gravest of occasions—funerals, visits of states, times of war, and nights when the listeners were all already very, very drunk.

The Harralind ruby mines were a gift from the gods, it was said, the product of an ancient god’s own blood and a kiss of fire. Whatever their real origins, the rubies were marvels to behold—shiny and beautiful, glowing with an inner luster. Some gems were as tiny as a gnat’s tear, while at least one was boasted to be as large as a dragon’s heart. They brought the tribe wealth, acclaim, and power, and few dared challenge them and their claim. The mine was well defended by seasoned warriors and trapmakers. Their songs told of the time they’d driven off a horde of goblins with only three casualties, and one of those a mule, and the time that a red dragon with fiery breath had tried to make the mines his own, but had been driven off by dwarven steel and a mighty catapult with ropes woven from the hair of the Harralind tribe’s finest warriors. But those were stories from centuries past, and the enemies were merely goblins and a single dragon. When the true menace came, the Harralind tribe was unprepared and overconfident.

The day came when the tribe was in the midst of celebration. Dalin Stoneheart, older son of the tribe’s chief, Cainor Stoneheart, was to be wed. His wedding gift would be the old chief’s symbol of authority, the Stoneheart Axe, whose power echoed the nobility, bravery, and skill of the one who wielded it. The tribe had brought in ale and brandy from the farthest reaches of the Taranche continent. Noble sons and daughters of other Khazak tribes—and even a few Durindan nobles—had come to celebrate and to tour the great red mines. Orchestras played, axes clanged in mock duels, and children screamed in joy while sliding down hills of ruby dust that made them look like they were covered in blood.

The mine guards had shifted duties in order to join in the celebrations. Only the greenest of the mine’s guardians remained on watch, save for the chief’s younger son, Mung, whose sense of responsibility demanded he stay focused on the mine’s protection. If some said that Mung’s sentinel duty had as much to do with jealousy over his brother’s incipient power and lovely bride as it did with responsibility, they said so quietly where he could not hear.

If the attackers had merely been the ogre barbarian chief Jakul Ironneck, his small horde of warriors, and his legion of orc and bugbear slaves, the battle would have been bloody and fierce, but the dwarves would have emerged triumphant. Instead, to the dwarves’ everlasting lament, the chief had hired a mercenary band led by the ogre mage Krigan Doomswallower, one of the deadliest and most ruthless warriors in the lands. His Band of 13 was said to include a leprous troll, a pair of ogre werewolves, a sorcerer with diabolic blood, a vampire, and a Lemanari wereshark; they were allegedly responsible for the death of at least one king, the fall of a noble house, and the complete disappearance of a merchant caravan bound for the Ocean of Black Storms.

Mung Stoneheart was the first to catch sight of the approaching horde. Silently staring at the earth, contemplating his brother’s wedding, he raised his head at a sudden noise and saw that the horizon was filled with dozens of screaming ogres and hundreds of orcs. Worse, flying straight toward him and his outpost, he saw Krigan Doomslayer strapped in a saddle on the back of an immense black dragon, waving his green, acid-dripping two-handed sword Bilespewer over his head and chanting mystical incantations. The dragon flexed its muscles and pulled out its wings, its dragonfear spilling off of it like a fog. Drowning in terror, Mung had time only to sound an alarm—an epic effort in itself—before he could take no more and was forced to run as fast as his short legs would carry him, his armor filling with tears, cold sweat, and worse.

The alarm was not enough. Despite the warning and the chance to draw arms, lower portcullises, and set traps, all but a few of the dwarves were slaughtered by Jakul’s hordes and Krigan’s trained mercenaries. Jakul made a goblet from the dwarf chief’s head and Krigan took the gift meant for the bride—a polished ruby orb—and set it in Bilespewer’s hilt.

A year later, Mung Stoneheart, the chief now of a broken tribe of fewer than a dozen dwarves, recruited troops from allied Khazak tribes and led them into the Harralind Mines through a hidden series of tunnels. There, they fought and slew Jakul Ironneck and drove off his tribesmen. But their victory was empty. Their riches had been plundered; their vaults were empty; their mines had mysteriously run “dry.” Worse, to Mung’s mind, the Band of 13 had long ago left the area, depriving him of his chance for vengeance.

No one had ever blamed Mung for running during the attack. Veteran warriors had experienced dragonfear and knew that there was no shame in it. If anything, it had served to preserve his life and bloodline when the tribe came under siege from an unstoppable force. But Mung blamed himself—he blamed his cowardice, his fear, his jealousy toward his brother, the unrequited love he’d felt for his brother’s dead bride. After the battle with Jakul Ironneck was over, he ordered the throne room cleared. He left only two items in the room: the Stoneheart Axe, recovered from Jakul’s meager treasure trove, and the ogre chief’s flaming club, the aptly—if unimaginatively—named Fireclub. Alone in the room, he stripped off his armor and his clothing, then carefully shaved off his hair and beard with his father’s axe. Tears poured freely down his bare cheeks. Lifting Fireclub in his hands, he stuck it under his face, burning what remained of his beard and making his tears boil. Despite the agony, he did not cry out.

He shattered the club with the axe, then carefully cleaned the axe and wrapped it in oilcloth, swearing never to wield it in combat unless it was to kill Krigan Doomswallower and his Band of 13.

The other dwarves stood agape when Mung left his father’s throne room. “For my cowardice, I have sentenced myself to penitence,” he said. “The Stoneheart clan is no more. It died with my father, my brother, and me. I am Mung Stoneheart no more. I am merely Mung.” He decreed that the mines would be divided among the tribe’s allies as they saw fit, so long as the surviving tribe members—most of whom had fled the battle, as he had—were provided for. Walking unarmored and weaponless into the frontier around the mines that had been his home, he swore to wander the continent until he found and killed the Band of 13.

Quote: “Come closer, then. What harm could an unarmed dwarf possibly do to you?”

Personality: Stoic and as tough as the stone that made up his tribe’s mines, Mung doesn’t indulge in much self-pity or self-blaming angst. The guilt he had was burned out of him by Jakul Ironneck’s club and his own rigid hands. What remains are his mission and a desire to improve himself. Mung was once one of the most accomplished axe fighters of his tribe. After he slew Jakul Ironneck, he swore not to use an axe again unless it was against the Band of 13. Instead, he has developed his axe-fighting techniques into a unique barehanded style. He also eschews armor, trusting instead to his own speed and toughened skin to preserve him from his enemies. Mung has concentrated his efforts on improving his own body, making his own body into a formidable and terrifying fighting machine.

Mung is still largely unaccustomed to city and imperial life. Entering a new city in search for evidence of the Band of 13, he found himself surrounded by liars and con men who sought to manipulate him or steal his gold. One of the liars, though, proved to have some mettle. That man, a fast-talking Vos named Peril the Finder, has become Mung’s only friend. In him, Mung sees a hidden nobility and honor that he respects, as well as a quick adaptability, sharp mind, and garrulous nature he envies. What’s more, Peril relishes life, something Mung has found himself unable to do for many years, even before his tribe was slaughtered. He would gladly die to save that carefree man he now loves more truly than he ever did his taciturn brother. He follows Peril’s moneymaking schemes for several reasons. First, they give him a wide variety of experiences and training. Second, every time he’s tried to follow the Band of 13 directly, he’s learned that they’ve moved on. Yet, in following the seemingly random patterns of Peril’s quests, he’s twice encountered agents of the band. (In the first of those encounters, the agent, a hobgoblin archer, merely fired a few arrows at Mung from the stern of a departing ship, yet it was the closest Mung had come to the Band. In the second encounter, he actually managed to corner and kill a member of the Band, a grizzled Aeteni warrior, since replaced.) Finally, Mung realizes that he’s not yet ready for a face-to-face encounter with the huge Band, even with Peril by his side. He needs experience, allies, and gold, and Peril’s schemes help bring him all three.

Appearance: Mung is a tall, muscular, bald, ugly dwarf, his face shaven and scarred by self-inflicted burns. Wishing to regain his honor through hand-to-hand combat, he eschews armor and finery, wearing instead simple gray or tan tunics. Although he wears boots or sandals when the need is there, he prefers traveling barefoot. His skin is the grayish of his kin, yet more scarred and leathery than most. He has not yet bothered to add many of the tattoos of the Khazak penitent, but might do so as time passes. He carries his family’s axe, the Stoneheart Axe, wrapped in oilcloth in his backpack, out of sight, wielding only a crossbow for enemies who attempt to travel beyond the range of his fists and feet.

Equipment:

Tunic (gray)
Belt
Quarterstaff (carried, rarely used except to lean on)
Belt knife (for food, etc.) in sheathe
Quiver with 20 quarrels
Crossbow (strapped to backpack)
Coin purse with 20 gold
Backpack, containing:
· Tunic (tan)
· Boots (ankle)
· Sandals
· Tinderbox
· Two torches
· One week’s iron rations
· Oilcloth
· The Stoneheart Axe (wrapped in oilcloth)
· Sharpening stone
· Hand axe (for chopping)
· Three lamp oil flasks
· Razor (for shaving beard and head)
· Second coin purse, with 30 gold and a small ruby

Notes for the GM: Mung is, essentially, a monk. He thrives on barefisted combat. His axe, Stoneheart, is purchased at a minimum right now; its only difference from a typical axe is that it does not have the “real weapon” limitation. The axe is supposed to grow more powerful as its wielder does, and so I foresee that, as Mung grows in experience, the axe will grow more powerful to reflect that, even if he never pulls it from its pack (in other words, I’ll pour a few XPs into improving it). I see the Band of 13 as a very long-term quest; it would be great if Mung picked up hints now and then or were able to take out a member or two, but I can’t see him taking them out very soon. Although I realize that Mung could become quite a powerhouse with an axe, I don’t intend to use him that way except under very isolated, heroic incidents (against the Band). He’ll likely focus almost entirely on unarmed combat. Mung is part of a duo, with the Peril the Finder character. I considered building Mung’s martial arts tricks as part of an elemental control, but decided against it for now—I’d only do so in the future with your permission. I’ve had fun making Mung’s character sheet, and helping with Peril’s, but I think our primary interest is playing these characters; we’re both happy to make any changes you see fit.

Val Char Cost Roll Notes

23 STR 10 14- Lift 606.3kg; 4 1/2d6 [5]

18 DEX 33 13- OCV: 6/DCV: 6

18 CON 4 13-

13 BODY 0 12-

13 INT 3 12- PER Roll 12-

13 EGO 0 12- ECV: 4

13 PRE 3 12- PRE Attack: 2 1/2d6

4 COM -3 10-

5/11 PD 0 Total: 5/11 PD (0/6 rPD)

3/9 ED 0 Total: 3/9 ED (0/6 rED)

4 SPD 12 Phases: 3, 6, 9, 12

9 REC 0

36 END 0

35 STUN 0 Total Characteristic Cost: 68

Movement: Running: 6"/12"

Leaping: 4"/8"

Swimming: 2"/4"

Cost Powers END

9 The Stoneheart Axe: Killing Attack - Hand-To-Hand 2d6 (plus STR) (vs. PD), Reduced Endurance 0 END (+1/2) (45 Active Points); Independent (-2), OAF (-1), STR Minimum 6-14 (-1/2), Required Hands One-And-A-Half-Handed (-1/4)

3 Arrow Catching: Missile Deflection (Arrows, Slings, Etc.) (10 Active Points); Costs Endurance Costs END Every Phase (-1/2), Required Hands Two-Handed (-1/2), Requires A Martial Arts Roll (-1/2), Increased Endurance Cost 2x END (-1/2) 2

3 Masterful Fall Stopping: Flight 7" (14 Active Points); Only to Stop a Fall (-1), Requires A Martial Arts Roll And A Breakfall Roll (-3/4), Requires Hands Two-Handed (-1/2), Increased Endurance Cost 2x END (-1/2), Only In Contact With A Surface (-1/4) 2

6 Crouching Tiger, Hopping Dwarf: Flight 7" (14 Active Points); Requires A Martial Arts Roll (-1/2), Increased Endurance Cost 2x END (-1/2), Only In Contact With A Surface (-1/4), Must Remain in Motion (-1/4) 2

Martial Arts

9 The Art of the Axe

Maneuver OCV DCV Notes

Avoidance -- +5 Dodge, Affects All Attacks, Abort

Block +2 +2 Block, Abort

Chop/Smash -2 +1 STR +5d6 Strike

Cleave +1 +3 STR + 1d6 Strike

Side Slash +0 +2 STR +3d6 Strike

+1 DC with the Art of the Axe

Weapon Element: Blades, Clubs, Empty Hand

Talents

6 Combat Luck (3 PD/3 ED)

Skills

Dwarf Package (6)

· +3 STR (3)

· +3 CON (6)

· +3 BODY (6)

· Darksight: Nightvision (5)

· Dwarven Longevity: Life Support , Longevity: 400 Years (2)

· Dwarven Sense: Bump Of Direction (3)

· -3 DEX (-9)

· Physical Limitation: Short and Stout (-5)

Khazak Dwarf Everyman Skills (0)

· AK: Harralind Ruby Mines 8-

· Climbing 8-

· Concealment 8-

· Conversation 8-

· Deduction 8-

· KS: Khazak Customs 8-

· Language: Khazak (idiomatic)

· Paramedics (Healing) 8-

· PS: Appraiser 8-

· PS: Stonecraft 8-

· Stealth 8-

· Survival (Mountain) 8-

Khazak Penitent Package (9)

· +3 CON (3)

· +3 EGO (3)

· Berserk Fury: Aid: STR 3d6 (30 Active Points); Self Only (-1/2), Only When Fighting (-1/2), Side Effects, Side Effect occurs automatically whenever Power is used (-1/2), Cannot Be Used Again Until All Points Fade (-1/4) (Real Cost: 11) plus Physical Damage Reduction, Resistant, 25% (15 Active Points); STUN Only (-1/2), Only When Fighting (-1/2), Side Effects, Side Effect occurs automatically whenever Power is used (-1/2), Linked (Lasts Only As Long As Aid Lasts) to Aid (-1/2) (Real Cost: 5) (16)

· +4 with HTH Combat (20 Active Points); Only When Fighting Ogres (-1/2) (13)

· Defense Maneuver: I-IV (10)

· Fringe Benefit: May Demand Shelter and Food from Any Dwarven House (3)

· KS: Ogres (INT-based) 14- (5)

· Rapid Attack (HTH) (5)

· Tracking 12- (3)

· Psychological Limitation: Seeks Death In Combat Against His Chosen Enemy (-20)

· Psychological Limitation: Utterly Fearless (-20)

· Social Limitation: Beardless (-5)

Martial Arts Master Package (17)

· Acrobatics 13- (3)

· Breakfall 13- (3)

· Climbing 13- (3)

· Combat Luck (3/3) (6)

· Paramedics (Healing) 12- (3)

· Power: Martial Arts Tricks (DEX-based) 13- (3)

· Stealth 13- (3)

· WF: Common Melee Weapons, Common Missile Weapons (4)

· +2 Levels with HTH Combat (10)

· 20 points of Art of the Axe Maneuvers (20)

· DNPC: A Current Student 11- (-10)

· Psychological Limitation: Code of Honor (-15)

· Reputation: Master Warrior (-10)

3 KS: The Art of the Axe 12-

1 Language: Khazak (idiomatic, literacy, everyman)

4 Language: Taoric (completely fluent, literacy)

2 Survival (Mountain) 12-

5 +2 Levels with HTH Combat, Only within 3” of Peril the Finder (-1)

Total Powers & Skill Cost: 82

Total Cost: 150

75+ Disadvantages

0 Normal Characteristic Maxima

5 Distinctive Features: Ugly, Bald, Scarred Dwarf (Easily Concealed; Noticed and Recognizable; Detectable By Commonly-Used Senses)

5 Distinctive Features: Filled with Stoic Sorrow (Easily Concealed; Noticed and Recognizable; Detectable By Commonly-Used Senses)

20 Hunted: The Band of 13 8- (Mo Pow; Harshly Punish; Extensive Non-Combat Influence)

1 Quirk: Constantly Trains Body

1 Quirk: Eschews Armor and Most Weapons

1 Quirk: Meditates Often

1 Quirk: Often Polishes--and Occasionally Talks to--the Stoneheart Axe

1 Quirk: Sucker for a Challenge

15 Psychological Limitation: Devoted to Hunting Down the Band of 13 (Uncommon; Total)

10 Psychological Limitation: Has Sworn Not to Use Axe or Blade Unless Against Band of 13 (Common; Moderate)

15 Psychological Limitation: WIll Die to Protect Peril (Uncommon; Total)

Total Disadvantage Points: 75