The Bloody Skulls - Outlaw Biker Gang Vigilantes

[kamilion]

I'm slowly but steadily putting together a supernatural St. Louis, and sometimes I find ideas I want to throw in. This is one that was sparked by the "non-evil denarian" thread. http://www.jimbutcheronline.com/bb/index.php/topic,25166.0.html

I see these guys being similar to Wallace "Lizard" Gibbs from Baltimore (YS 380).


The Bloody Skulls

The Bloody Skulls are the St. Louis affiliate of the Outlaws MC motorcycle gang, a 1%er motorcycle club (as in, 99% of motorcycle clubs are law-abiding, and 1% are known for their criminal activities such as drug dealing, extortion, prostitution, and murder) with their home base in Chicago but with chapters world-wide. Their colors differ slightly from the traditional Outlaws colors, with the skull being red and the skull's eye sockets a bright green. They are a small club, consisting of only a dozen full members, led by three veteran members from the Chicago home chapter of the Outlaws MC. Although the Bloody Skulls are definitely an outlaw biker gang, with little respect for the law or social norms and with suspected connections to the drug and arms trade, they seem to be well-tolerated by the people within their territory.

The reason for this tolerance is simple - the Bloody Skulls are vigilantes who specialize in supernatural predators, though they aren't above dealing with human predators as well. Make no mistake, they are violent, unconcerned with legality, and willing to commit acts of brutality that would appall your average citizen. However, the members of the Bloody Skulls are forbidden to attack except in self-defense or in defense of their territory.

Origins
The Outlaws MC has a special group known as the SS, a group of bikers who serve as a kill squad, assassinating anyone who the club has decided needs to die. Unknown to most, they also serve to handle any supernatural dangers that threaten the club. In the past the SS had an inner circle known as the Bloody Skulls, led by two fiercely dangerous bikers known as Lil'Satan and Mad Wrench. Both of these psychotics were members of the Order of the Blackened Denarius, with plans to overthrow the Outlaws from the inside. That plan was thwarted with the aid of a True Believer and Outlaw member known as Preacher-Man, who's power of Faith was enough to free Mad Wrench from his thralldom.  In the aftermath, select members of the SS were chosen to hunt down Lil'Satan and his remaining Bloody Skulls, cleansing their taint from the club. When the hunt was over, the remaining hunters settled in St. Louis and started a new club as an affiliate of the Outlaws MC. Rumors say the leaders of the Outlaws don't want them to come home, but are unwilling to break their code to eject them, while the St. Louis chapter seems to be seeking some form of redemption for the sins of those who once used the name Bloody Skulls.

Membership
There are a dozen full-patch members of the Bloody Skulls in the club, with rarely any more than one probationary member at a time. Except for the three club founders and officers, all the members are locals. The Blood Skulls do not recruit and turn away most who apply - only someone hurt by the supernatural and looking for some pay back are admitted, and only if they can follow both the Outlaw code and the strict code of the Bloody Skulls. Unlike their parent club, the Bloody Skulls do not refuse women or non-whites. Anyone who challenges this faces the wrath of the Club President.

President: Mad Wrench
Vice-President: Preacher-Man
Sergeant-at-Arms: Smiley

[kamilion]

Mad Wrench

High Concept: Denarian Biker Seeking Redemption
Trouble: Slippery Slope
Aspects: I Can Do Bad By Myself; Mad Wrench Is Mad With A Wrench; Knowledge Of Hell At My Command; Long, Hard Road; O.F.F.O - Outlaw Forever, Forever Outlaw

Skills
Superb: (2) Craftsmanship, Fists
Great: (2) Driving, Intimidation
Good: (2) Conviction, Endurance
Fair: (3) Discipline, Athletics, Alertness
Average: (5) Might, Guns, Lore, Resources, Weapons

Powers
(-1) Demonic Copilot
(-2) Inhuman Recovery
(+1) The Catch: Swords of the Cross
(-6) Modular Abilities (4 Refresh worth)

Stunts
(Craftsmanship) Bike Mechanic: +2 on Craftsmanship whenever dealing with a motorcycle or other bike, +1 on other personal vehicles (boats, cars, trucks, small aircraft).

Stress
Physical 0000
Mental 0000
Social 00

Power Level: Submerged
Refresh: -9 (1 FP)

------

Background: Son of rural farmers, raised in southern Illinois on a soybean farm. The farm eventually went under and was bought by an agricultural corporation. The family lost everything and ended up living poor in Chicago. Though he was intelligent, he did poorly in school due to discipline and anger issues. He eventually dropped out of school and went to work as a mechanic. It wasn't long before his talent fixing motorcycles go him involved with the Outlaws MC "one-percenter" outlaw motorcycle gang, where his instinct with mechanical things, impressive strength and durability, and disregard for rules served him well.

"I Can Do Bad By Myself"

Rising Conflict: Descended into an orgy of violence, sex, and drugs, becoming so vicious he was called Mad Wrench (for his trademark of beating offenders with a 2 ft. wrench and his ability to fix his constantly breaking down bike) and placed into the SS, the Outlaw MC's squad of killers and enforcers. It also served to handle any "wierd stuff" the gang would run into, masking it behind the other violence regularly committed by them. During a conflict with RCVs, his natural ferocity and rage were noticed by the captain of the SS, Lil'Satan. He was taken as Lil'Satan's protege and eventually inducted into the Red Skulls, a secret society supposedly dedicated to destroying supernatural threats, but truly serving as Lil'Satan's personal loyalists. As part of his induction in the Red Skulls, he was granted the token of membership - a tarnished silver coin.

"Mad Wrench is Mad With A Wrench"

First Story: Too independent to be submerged under the Fallen Guziel, he was still heavily influenced, like being permanently affected by supernatural PCP. Over the course of several years, he led a band of the SS in cleaning out a nest of RCV (connected to the ones mentioned previously) who had infiltrated the Chicago Outfit (mafia). He truly came into his own, the knowledge of Guziel and the power of the Fallen allowing him to demolish the RCV infestation.

"Knowledge Of Hell At My Command"

Guest Star: Preacher-Man 10 years passed, and Wrench became the 2nd in command of the SS, he and Lil'Satan ruling their own personal feifdom within the Outlaws. Lil'Satan implemented his plan, attempting to take over the mainstream Outlaws, starting with the assassination of their leadership, but Preacher-Man (a fellow Outlaw, but deeply faithful) interfered, the power of his Faith staggering the Fallen. Fully himself for the first time in many years, Wrench fled, finding himself in the poor, rundown neighborhood of his childhood, at his elderly parents' door. His parents were terrified of him, and his rage flared, ending in their deaths. Stricken, broken, he raged against his own downfall and the Fallen in his mind, who for the briefest of moments, expressed sorrow. Holy Man arrived with a few members of the SS; Wrench begged forgiveness, vowing to earn redemption. Rather than cast aside the coin, he seize\ds upon the brief moment of remorse, determined to redeem not only himself, but Guziel as well.

"Long, Hard Road"

Guest Star Redux: Smiley Wrench and Preach systematically set about destroying the Red Skull members of the Outlaw MC, aided by certain in-the-know members. Their pursuit of Lil'Satan took them to St. Louis, where the last of the Red Skulls were slain with the help of a former SS biker and RCV Infected, Smiley. Lil'Satan's coin was encased in concrete and sank beneath the Mississippi. Rather than return to the main club, Wrench, Preach, and Smiley received permission to open a new chapter, which Wrench dedicated to hunting down the supernatural (and sometimes mundane) predators. He hopes to do enough good to wash the blood from his hands, but he's still an Outlaw at heart, loyal to the only family he has left.

"O.F.F.O - Outlaw Forever, Forever Outlaw"

[kamilion]

Preacher Man

High Concept: Biker of Faith
Other Aspects: Outlaw Forever, Forever Outlaw; No Man Is Beyond Redemption; Monsters Shalt Suffer His Wrath

Skills
Superb (2): Conviction, Empathy
Great (2): Alertness, Presence
Good (2): Guns, Driving
Fair (3): Lore, Endurance, Scholarship
Average (5): Fists, Craftsmanship, Rapport, Resources, Athletics

Powers
(-1) Guide My Hand
(-1) Holy Touch
(-2) Righteousness

Stunts
(Conviction) Devout Words
(Empathy) Won't Get Fooled Again
(Presence) Leadership
(Presence) Personal Magnetism

Stress
Physical 000
Mental 0000 (Extra Mild Consequence)
Social 0000

Refresh: -8 (2 FP)

[kamilion]

Smiley

High Concept: Infected Monster Hunting Biker
Other Aspects:  Outlaw Forever, Forever Outlaw; I've Stared Death In The Eye; It's Only Overconfidence If You Lose

Skills
Superb (2): Weapons, Athletics
Great (2): Driving, Endurance
Good (2): Discipline, Might
Fair (3): Burglary, Deceit, Alertness
Average (5): Stealth, Guns, Craftsmanship, Survival, Lore

Powers
(-1) Addictive Saliva
(-1) Blood Drinker
(+1) Feeding Dependency, affecting:
(-2) Inhuman Speed
(-2) Inhuman Recovery
(+0) The Catch: Sunlight, Holy Stuff (they make him uncomfortable, but don't cause damage unless he is full-on vamping out)

Stunts
(Driving) Sideswipe - Can use his bike to make an attack if moving.
(Weapons) Wall of Death
(Endurance) No Pain, No Gain
(Endurance) Tough Stuff

Stress
Physical 0000 (Extra Mild Consequence)
Mental 00
Social 00
Armor: 1 vs. blunt trauma.

Refresh: -9 (1 FP)

[kamilion]

Thoughts, suggestions, comments, criticism welcome.

[Sanctaphrax]

Alright.

Concepts are interesting. Skill points and refresh totals seem to be correct.

Catch values are odd. Swords Of The Cross should probably be +0 even if a strict reading of the rules would say otherwise. Sunlight and Holy Stuff should almost certainly be at least +1.

It would be nice to have a backstory for Smiley.

Don't see the point of Sideswipe stunt. I think that you can do that anyway.

I'm not familiar with the Devout Words stunt. I think you might mean Blessed Words.

I have to wonder how Smiley can have Superb Weapons and Mediocore Fists.

You might be better off folding Mad Wrench's Recovery into his Modular Abilities. Human Form might also be appropriate, or maybe not.

Mad Wrench's backstory implies that he ought to have high Lore and Might. He doesn't.

I have to wonder if all of the tarnished silver coins that Lil'Satan gave out were Blackened Denariuses (Denari? Denaripoda?). If so, wow. If not, then why did Mad Wrench get one that was?

There are a couple typos in the story guest-starring Preacher Man.

PS: It would be appreciated if you'd put these on the Spare Character Concepts thread.

[sinker]

I noticed the wonkeyness with the catches too. At the very least Smiley's catch ought to be +1 since holy things aren't all that hard to get and anyone who knows anything about RCV knows about it. Also that's all the positive return he can get for it so he might as well. As for mad wrench's catch one of the things I usually take into account (that the RAW doesn't technically mention) is how often do I want this to come up. If the Swords of the Cross are going to show up on occasion then I can see the +1 (or more) but if not, then I would bump that down.

(Driving) Sideswipe - Can use his bike to make an attack if moving.

I think a better (more stuntish) way of doing this would be: Can use his bike to make an attack at weapon +2 if moving. Isn't that generally the way it works (I.E. a +2 to a situation under very specific conditions)?

[sandchigger]

If Mad Wrench still has the coin then he's gonna need MUCH better Discipline to resist the Denarian for long. Remember, Demonic Co-Pilot gives you a bonus to your "murder, maim 'n break stuff! WOO!" type rolls, but then you've gotta defend against them using your Discipline. If you fail then eventually your little buddy's gonna eat your soul. Again.