Two of the full player character write-ups for my Dresden Files RPG adventure, The Mark of Madness. I ran this adventure at GenCon 2014. In this post, Taylor Warner (Male, Hardcore Biker, Fomor Lackey) and Donny Brooks (Male, Black Court Initiate).
Taylor Warner
Taylor Warner (image sourced from Cosplay.com)
Age: 38
Template: Emissary of Power
High Concept: Tough-as-Nails Biker
Trouble: Fomor Lackey
Background
Taylor grew up in Toledo, Ohio. He followed in his old man’s footsteps (nee, tire tracks) and joined the Steel Graves Motorcycle Club. The MC were a proud institution of motorcycle enthusiasts and practitioners in age-old arts of the illicit cigarette trade and bootlegging. Taylor had been in and out of jails and prisons for all sorts of infractions. When he killed a fellow member in revenge for a job gone wrong, he was out of the club and forced to leave the city.
Aspect: Violent Temper
Example Invoke: Threaten or intimidate someone with a physical show of anger; furiously attack anyone who’s pissed you off
Example Consequence: Make you lose your cool in a tense moment; cause you to lash out in anger
Rising Conflict
Taylor was on his own and became a hired gun. He never really got along well with suits or the general white-collars, but could always rub elbows with the the working class. So, he was usually the type of muscle hired when a contractor needed additional support. That made him a good candidate for the Fomor. They offered power and money, and Taylor wasn’t one to pass up either.
Aspect: Jagged Around The Edges
Example Invoke: Get along with lower class people; tolerate rough and difficult conditions
Example Consequence: Cause difficulty in social situations; prevent you from gaining access to upper class areas, like receptions and clubs
First Story: Saddlebags
Taylor got his first taste of power and he liked it, he was introduced to a whole new world and the Fomor were poised to become big players on the magical scene, especially since there was some sort of dust-up with red vampires that left a power vacuum. The biker packed his saddlebags and headed to Detroit. Nothing was going to slow him down; not speed traps, not storms, nothing.
Aspect: Bullheaded
Example Invoke: Stand your ground; win an argument
Example Consequence: Force you to continue with a foolish plan; upset or alienate people in a social setting
Initial Team-Up: 2 > 4
Guest Star: Malcolm Baird
The plan to bust up a meth lab so the Fomor could take it over didn’t go exactly as planned–no one told him the lab was protected by Black Court vampires armed with uzis. Turns out that attacking the place at night wasn’t the best idea. Taylor took a few bullets and slinked off to a nearby abandoned warehouse to lay low and heal up. That’s when the creepy kid (Malcolm) appeared, performed some field medic work on Taylor, and left. Weird crap like that always seemed to happen–sometimes at the right time. By dawn the biker was all healed up and now he had sunlight on his side to take over the lab.
Aspect: Strange Luck
Example Invoke: Be lucky (if an unusual or unorthodox manner)
Example Consequence: Become a “weirdness magnet”
Secondary Team-Up: Spoke Up
Guest Star: Antonio “Tony” Tuzzolino
When Taylor discovered an ex-girlfriend was in Detroit, he searched her out for a possible reunion fling. He didn’t expect Vikki to freak out, but when she did he backed out. Psycho drama was not on his agenda. That didn’t stop her from calling her latest boyfriend, a P.I. named Tony to track him down. The biker didn’t shoot the P.I. but did show Tony that he knew how to use a gun–along with informing the private dick that he had no interest in Vikki. The two didn’t split on the best of terms, but they were at least out of each other’s hair.
Aspect: This is My Boom-Stick!
Example Invoke: Use your gun(s) in a novel way; train others in firearms
Example Consequence: Become fascinated with a firearm; have your reputation challenged
Taylor’s Detroit
Taylor isn’t an official servitor of the fomor, like the “turtlenecks” are. He doesn’t have gills, special vision, or anything like that. He’s more like a flunky. From what he can tell, it’s an experiment on the fomor’s part, retaining more of his humanity. It also gives him a bit more freedom, though he’s dependent on the fomor for power renewals–without them not only does his grafted strength and toughness start to fade, he gets weak in general. So, he lives in a loft by the river to be closer to the suppliers of his power who often supply him with orders, too.
The fomor have started to take a foothold in Detroit; mostly focusing on establishments previously held by the Red Court vampires, but not exclusively. Taylor’s job is usually to clear out a property the fomor want, typically with extreme violence. So, it was a surprise to him when his next instruction was to represent the fomor in some sort of shared-supernatural investigation, providing any muscle they might need. Taylor is also to report in when the cause of a madness plague was found, in case it can provide an asset to the fomor.
Base Refresh: 8
Total Refresh: 1
Skills
Superb: Driving, Endurance
Great: Guns, Might
Good: Fists, Intimidation
Fair: Survival, Weapons
Average: Alertness, Conviction
Powers & Stunts [-7]
-4 Supernatural Strength
+6 Might when lifting or breaking inanimate things
+2 Might when grappling; also allows you to inflict a 3-stress hit on opponent as a supplemental action during a grapple
+2 Might when using might to modify another skill
+4 Damage with attacks that depend on muscular force
-3 Supernatural Toughness
Catch: Sharpened Silver [+1]
Armor: 2 (Physical)
+4 Physical stress
Stress Tracks
Physical 00000000, Armor: 2
Mental 000
Social 00
Donny Brooks
Donny Brooks (image sourced from Criminal Minds TV show, actor Tyler James Williams)
Age: 21
Template: Black Court Initiate (from DFRPG Resources)
High Concept: Parkour-Practicing Black Court Initiate
Trouble: Cat’s Paw and Knows It
Background
As a pre-teen Donny may not have been that stealthy when trying to steal things, but he was always good about running and getting away. He got away from an abusive home life, after all. Parkour wasn’t a hobby, it was a survival mechanism, and Donny was very good at it. When you’re homeless and trying to live under the radar of protective services, just living on its own can be a risk.
Aspect: Living On The Edge
Example Invoke: Handle an extremely risky situation with finesse (at least more finesse than anyone has a right to have)
Example Consequence: Make you do something off the wall because it’s risky
Rising Conflict
If you’re nosy and clever enough, you can find some treats that someone else might overlook–be it something to pawn, something to eat, or something to defend yourself with. Donny sharpened his curiosity like a razor, using it to survive. But sometimes that curiosity can lead to trouble, like it did the night he snooped his way into a Black Court vampire nest and was turned. Even though Donny became a vampire (albeit, holding on to his humanity), that curiosity he honed hasn’t gone away.
Aspect: Curiosity Killed The Cat
Example Invoke: Discover hard to find things
Example Consequence: Make you spend time and effort exploring and examining things; lure you somewhere with the promise of interesting discoveries
First Story: Ebony Night
Becoming a vampire taught Donny that sometimes the best way to get away wasn’t to be seen in the first place. And now that Donny needed blood to survive, but didn’t want to kill anyone, living required that extra bit of stealth. One of his first tasks for his kindred was to steal a blood bank’s delivery. Donny slipped behind the driver as he was unloading and stole the keys from off his belt. From there it was an easy get-away in a truck filled with blood donations; now “donated” to the Black Court.
Aspect: One Foot Behind
Example Invoke: Give that extra bit of stealth required to get close enough to a mark to touch him/her without being seen
Example Consequence: Make the player think twice before charging someone head on or using other in-your-face tactics to overcome an opponent
Initial Team-Up: Time to Jet
Guest Star: Yolanda “Hexbait” Nieves
When you’re on the lowest rung of the pecking order you sometimes have to do things that the mindless “Renfields” can’t. Like properly bury the body of an alderman in Elmwood Cemetery so it won’t be discovered. One thing Donny didn’t suspect was that as he was burying one body, other bodies would start rising from their graves. At first, Donny thought a Juggelette witch was responsible, but then he realized she was being attacked by the undead, too. He spotted the fastest way out and she followed, throwing some impressive spell-casting. When they were safe enough the two traded names. The sorceress was called Hexbait. And with the cemetery overrun by undead, both their tasks couldn’t be completed. So, they teamed up tracked down the sorcerer responsible (he wasn’t that far away). Hexbait put on quite the crazy-face for the sorcerer, allowing Donny a chance to sneak behind and take the guy out. Looks like he had two fresh bodies to bury that night… and a bunch of old ones to put back in their graves.
Aspect: There’s Always a Way Out
Example Invoke: Locate or decipher an escape route or method to disable physical imprisonment
Example Consequence: Make the player scan his surroundings for options and miss other important details or not notice what someone is saying
Secondary Team-Up: Moonless Laughter
Guest Star: Zion Cross
When the Red Court suddenly vanished from the face of the earth, the already weakened House Skavis and Black Courts formed stronger truces… While also vying for the former Court’s territory, including the late-night dance club, Centaur. Donny went there to steal the papers of the club and ran into a White Court vampire named Zion–who was going to encourage the current owner to just sell it, outright. A stare-down between the two was broken when a group out of Chicago called the Ordo Lebes started to put a ward around the place. Both vampires were forced to abandon the club and in their escape of practitioners, flames, and stakes Donny laughed that sometimes the dead got along better than the living. Sure, Donny didn’t make any friends that day, but he didn’t exactly make any new enemies, either.
Aspect: Morbid Sense of Humor
Example Invoke: Know gory or anatomical facts (to jest about); keep your cool when dealing with morbid subjects
Example Consequence: Make you say inappropriate jokes or comments
Donny’s Detroit
If Donny’s learned anything in this life it’s that if you can run fast enough, you can get away from anything. Trouble is, he wasn’t fast enough to get away from the vampires that turned him. And now he’s finding that the /hunger/ inside of him catches up pretty quickly, too. He’s managed through first year as a vampire, though. He’s never taken a life by feeding–though it’s gotten close–and, in general, he’s never been a killer, anyway. The other Black Court vampires mock his “holding on to weakness,” but they aren’t letting him get away and they’re still faster than he is. Donny keeps looking, though. There’s got to be some sort of cure or way out somehow. Until then, he has little choice but do what Rodriguez Rodriguez–the vamp so bubbly they named him doubly (that’s sarcasm, by the way)–tells him to do.
Rumors say there’s some sort of curse or malady going around the city, affecting not just humans, but the supernatural, too–including vampires. Rodriguez and the other black bats don’t seem to really care, but the city’s so-called truce requires a token showing. So, that means Donny gets to represent the Detroit’s Black Court in this investigation. Whether or not Donny may care about the madness, he has to at least put in the token effort, or the vampires will punish him. And, as much as Donny may want out, he doesn’t want that exit route to be death.
Base Refresh: 8
Total Refresh: 1
Skills
Superb: Athletics, Stealth
Great: Alertness, Endurance
Good: Discipline, Fists
Fair: Deceit, Might
Average: Burglary, Guns
Powers & Stunts [-7]
-1 Stunt: Acrobat
+1 Athletics to survive a fall
+1 Athletics to dodge ranged attacks (requires colorful description of maneuver from player)
-1 Stunt: Fleet of Foot
+2 Athletics when sprinting
-1 Stunt: Human Spider
All climbing difficulties reduced by two
-1 Blood Drinker
Any time you draw blood in close combat (with claws or teeth), have chance to ingest blood (roll Fists) if successful gain +1 to next close-quarter attack against same target
Once per scene if you inflict enough stress/consequences to kill a victim from feeding you may take an immediate “free” recovery period and clear stress track, and mild physical consequences
When in the presence of fresh blood you feel a nearly uncontrollable urge to attack and the GM may request a Discipline roll to resist the urge
+1 Feeding Dependency (Blood)
When using any supernatural powers (listed below) in a scene, add to your Hunger stress track and roll against Discipline at the end of a scene (see pg 190 for details)
-1 Cloak of Shadows
Perception skill not penalized by darkness
+2 Stealth when in darkness or heavy shadow
-2 Inhuman Speed
+4 Alertness for Initiative
+1 Athletics
+2 Athletics when sprinting
Difficulty factors due to moving reduced by two when rolling Stealth
-1 Claws
Acts as Weapon: 2
Stress Tracks
Physical 0000
Mental 00
Social 00
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