I'm currently having major issues with Diablo 3... Not with running the game, but connection frustrations and the latest patch...
Which give me time to come back here...
And (with apologies to a certain author), a criminal who's magical powers are just another tool in his criminal bag of tricks...
Name: James Abbot Leeson Spenser Davis Jones Smythe Baskcomb Manning - but call me Jim
Template: Sorcerer
High Concept Aspect: Stainless Steel Sorcerer
Trouble Aspect: I Do What I Do
Background:
When most people think of crime, they miss the obvious benefits.
Benefits?
To quote an expert:
"Plenty of excitement for the populace, increased sales of newspapers, exercise for the sedentary law enforcement officers--and that is an interesting story in itself--as well as field maneuvers that were a pleasure for everyone involved. Far from being annoyed they should pay us a fee for making all these exciting things possible."
Jim's parents lived that philosophy. Grifters, con men, thieves, robbers - name any mostly non-violent crime and they've done it. The pair of them were like Bonnie and Clyde, but more versatile and much less violent. They joked that they never met a crime that they didn't like. They tunnelled into banks, broke through the walls of jewellery stories, and conned countless people - always with the idea that if they only took from the rich (or large corporations) that they weren't really hurting anyone.
Jim's birth came as a surprise and a complication. Since his parents were always on the move he went through many names - usually being told that his old last name was 'just a middle name, your grandmother's maiden name'. At least that's what he was told until he was old enough to understand things (which is how he ended up with so many names). Raised in that life, Jim never thought twice about conning or taking what he needed.
Background Aspect: Born To The Life
Rising Conflict:
One day, when Jim was in his teens, his happy little family fell apart. His parents took off running and didn't meet Jim at the agreed on spot. Or the backup spot. Or any of the other pre-arranged meeting points or make contact through any of the dead drops.
Old enough to fend for himself, Jim fell back on the con to support himself. Going to a speciality store, Jim picked up the uniforms for all the city's best Prep Schools. Those clothes transformed him from a street kid wandering to a rich boy playing hooky, which opened all sorts of the right doors.
As Jim was enjoying his life of petty crime he conned the wrong person; or maybe it was the right person. Jim's con brought him (and his budding mystic power) to the attention of a sorcerer, Leonard Cattrall, who saw Jim as a fitting apprentice and psychological experiment. Cattrall took Jim under his wing and into his house. Any knowledge that Cattrall wanted to hide was placed on bookshelves that Jim was encouraged to read. Any books that Cattrall wanted Jim to read were carefully concealed in a hidden safe, one that was always kept locked.
It was good system, one that took Jim years to unravel. Once he realised he had been the one being conned his education progressed in leaps and bounds - and he soon left his mentor. Less than a week later someone in a Grey Cloak was explaining a few facts of life to him. That while he might ignore the laws of the land, the Laws of Magic were to be Obeyed. Since the "Or Else" was a permanent one that didn't seem to involve a trial, Jim decided that some laws were worth obeying.
Phase Aspect: I Stole A Mystic Education
The Story: The Big Con
Armed with mystic powers, Jim had the world by the tail and he knew it.
That's when it started to fall apart.
There were other things out there, bigger than mere sorcerers. Jim thought that he had everyone fooled, which was when he discovered that the mark wasn't human.
The White Court Vampire thought it was funny that a Sorcerer hadn't spotted what it was. That, and that Jim would be a tasty snack. If <guest star> hadn't been there to help, Jim's story might have ended there. Once Jim realised that his emotions for the Vampire weren't real, that he had been conned at a very deep level, he cracked. He went from using magic as a tool to using magic as weapon. A short while later, Jim was running from a collapsing building and there was one less White Court Vampire in the world.
Aspect: Ready to Rock and Roll
Guest starring sections depend on who (and what) you want to link him to. Sample Aspects include "You Think I'm Who I Say I Am", "If I Can't Find The Backdoor I'll Make One", "Let Me Make Your Mind Up For You". One of the stories should explain how he got his Lawbreaker Stunt.
Power Level: Chest-Deep
Skill Cap: Great
Skill Points: 30
Starting Refresh: 8
Adjusted Refresh: 1
Burglary: Great - Those early lessons sank home
Deceit: Great - He's so good that even he believes his lies.
Performance: Good - The Play's the thing - except when it's a Con
Stealth: Good - You didn't see him there
Discipline: Good - He always sticks to the job at hand
Alertness: Fair - He's always aware of his surroundings
Conviction: Fair - It should be higher, but there are times that he doesn't even believe himself
Lore: Fair - Jim should have stayed with his mentor for a couple of extra years. He didn't steal as much of an education as he though he did
Rapport: Fair - he uses this to get the Marks to open up
Contacts: Average - he knows people in most walks of life
Endurance: Average - he keeps himself in shape
Fists: Average - for when his words can't keep him out of trouble
Investigation: Average - for casing the target (building, mark, whatever)
Resources: Average - he steals and cons, but somehow the money doesn't stick to his hands
Stunts & Powers
Invocation (-3) (Speciality Spirit (power bonus), Air, Earth)
Thaumaturgy (-3) (Photomancy)
Lwbreaker: Fourth (-1) - from going too far in changing someone's mind.
Items
Invocation:
Ring of Illusions (Focus for Spirit (Control, defensive) +1) - for when you need a veil now, right now.
Amulet of Good Times (Focus for Spirit (Control, offensive) +1) - See Rote below
Thaumaturgy:
Amulet of Centring (Photomancy Focus Lore +1)
- for longer term illusions.
Enchanted Items
Container of Sight Ointment
- since he lacks the Sight, Jim needs this to See. Technically it could be a potion but having it as an item means that he always scrap the bottom of the jar (incurring a point of mental stress for an extra daily use) for another dose.
Potion slot
Rotes:
Name: It's Because I'm Black, Isn't It?
Type: Spirit Evocation, Defensive block "Veil"
Area: Self
Power: 3, Targeted with Deceit, not Discipline.
Effect: When Jim gets into a sticky situation, he preys on social awkwardness. He ducks behind cover and moments later appears as a large black male.
Name: Laughs For All
Type: Spirit Evocation, Offensive maneuver
Area: A person
Power: 4 - 3 for the maneuver, 1 for duration
Effect: Places the Aspect "Laughing your Head Off" on a target. Note: This is on the borderline of the Fourth Law.
Thaumaturgy:
Veils. Illusions. When he is on the job, Jim rarely leaves home without them. He'll often set up an illusion that will (with luck) last a week or longer. Of course, that means he has to worry about thresholds, holy places, rainstorms, and other things that could degrade the illusion.
Beyond those Veils and illusions, Jim has a few rites that he likes. He uses them enough that they are almost his trademarks. Many times he'll often have one of these stored in potion form for quick use.
Diarrhea
It targets a victim's bowels. No, it doesn't kill anyone, but it's hard to chase someone after you've had that sort of accident. It's embarrassing most security guards aren't trained to deal with something like that happening to them.
6 to overcome the best Endurance roll that the average man can make
3 to fill the stress track, doing a takeout
2 for the mild social consequence of "Just suffered a bout of diarrhea"
For a total of 11 steps
Or, if you feel a maneuver placing the Aspect "suffered from diarrhea" will do:
6 to overcome the best Endurance roll that an average character can make, placing the Aspect "suffered a bout of diarrhea" on the character.
Vomit
The same as above, but targeting the stomach - giving the mild physical consequence of having vomited. It does no real harm but again it's a major distraction.
Same rolls as above.
Laughs For All
Places the minor mental consequence or Aspect "Laughing your Head Off" on a character. Again, no real harm - but a serious distraction. Yes, this is on the borderline of the Fourth Law.
Of course he can't really do any of these at the drop of a hat; he has to generate aspects to tap for the prep work, but given enough time he can flood a building with enough magic to affect everyone in a building.
Mundane Magic:
Jim routinely uses minor magic to disrupt his fingerprints; not erasing them, but leaving unusable partial prints behind. Mild drafts follow him, scattering any hair follicles or other DNA leavings.
He'll also do minor things to misdirect. Someone walks by a vase and it falls, becoming the focus of everyone's attention as Jim pockets something shiny.
Notes:
Jim isn't much of a mage. In his mind (and with his skills) it's clear that he's a dare-seeking criminal who uses magic, not a sorcerer who dabbles in crime. His magic is used mostly to aid his con jobs and other criminal acts while hiding his identity. Fake IDs, phoney papers, priceless artefacts - between illusions and the occasional conjured item he makes the props he needs for his crimes as he needs them.
Because that's what is important - the crimes. Not the gain but the thrill of the job. Robbery, burglary, grifting, whatever the crime the money is secondary to the thrill of hunt. All the loot he gets is spent on good living, passed on to a good cause, and otherwise gone in a flash. But what a flash! While the money lasts the good times roll. Sometimes he uses some of it to set up the next job but most times the money becomes nothing but a pleasant memory.
When it comes to conflicts, Jim prefers to disable rather than harm. (See the "combat" spells above.)
While on the job, Jim is usually in disguise. That's either a mundane disguise, a magical one, or (often) both. Illusions will generally fool most people but there are time when using a spell attracts too much attention. Many mystically inclined people (and beings) look for illusions and become suspicious when they see one - and Jim doesn't want them to become suspicious. Other times Jim will wear an illusion that he expects the mystically inclined will see through and think that they've seen his real face - with a mundane disguise under it.
Using Jim in play:
The PCs come across Jim in the middle of one of his jobs. Maybe they notice him using magic, maybe they don't, but Jim is unlikely to notice them (not unless one of them is obviously supernatural). What will happen to the PCs' carefully laid plans when they find themselves in the middle of a crime scene?
The PCs are hired to investigate one of Jim's crimes. No one was hurt during the job and if they track down Jim they'll find the loot is long gone - spent on a week of fine living. Jim treats the whole thing as a prank - how to the PCs react to that?
The PCs need something stolen, someone con, or another type of crime committed. One of their contacts puts them in touch with one of Jim's contacts. As long as the job seems fun and no one is really going to get hurt, Jim's fine with it. Can the PCs work with this unconventional sorcerer?
The PCs are in the Nevernever when Jim burst in on them - running away from a crime gone wrong. He's willing to work with them as long as they help him back to the real world. The thing is, he doesn't want to kill anyone along the way.
Jim blunders into something major (maybe Fairy Noble, Demon, Beastie from the Nevernever) but his lack of Sight means he doesn't notice anything wrong until it's too late. When he does notice he's up shit creek and is looking for a paddle - and he wants the PCs to be that paddle. He'll offer them loot from his most recent scheme or promise to help them at a later date if they'll help him now.
Jim needs the PCs as part of a con - and he might or might not tell them that he's using them.
Someone calls in a favour and sends Jim after the PCs in a non-fatal scheme (Jim wouldn't have it any other way). He humiliates them, takes something they value, or otherwise does something that's half crime and half prank.
Someone involved in the rackets (Marcone, a local version of a Marcone wannabe) is offended that Jim isn't kicking up. That, or Jim targeted the wrong the wrong mark. Either way, Jim has problems and needs help from the PCs (or the PCs are sent after him - this works either way).
Jim's parents open up a raft of idea. Jim has never used his magic to look for them because he fears what he might find. As long as they are missing he can think good thoughts, that they are still off having fun and missing him - where's the drama in that?
Jim's parents make contact and they need help; Jim becomes desperate for a big score so he can help them. In desperation he drags PCs into his scheme.
Jim's parents make contact and they want to work with him again - what will happen when Jim reveals his magical powers to them? How will they react when Jim tells them about more of the magical world, including the PCs?
Something makes contact and reveals that he/it has Jim's parents. He/it wants Jim to do a job that is clearly beyond Jim's abilities. Needing help, Jim approaches the PCs with his sob story.
Jim inherited his talents from somewhere - one of his parents is a warlock that has gone out of control. How does Jim deal with a reunion gone bad?
Jim inherited his talents from somewhere - one of his parents is a warlock that has gone out of control and the PCs about to deal with them when Jim finds his parent. Of course Jim won't accept that one of his parents is dangerous criminal and takes a stand against the PCs.
The PCs put away a middle aged couple for a con job gone wrong. Then things figuratively hits the fan as Jim discovers what happened to his parents and goes after the PCs. Not physically, but socially. Their property goes missing, someone plants drugs in their car/house/office, photos are taken of them doing embarrassing (or illegal things) - Jim won't stop until the PCs are ruined, in jail, or his parents are out of jail. Jim doesn't think that he can't get his parents but if the PCs put them away then maybe the PCs can get them out. If not, hey, does your dad have a grow op in the basement of your childhood home? You don't think so, your dad doesn't think so, but the police just stumbled over it. Sucks to have a parent in jail, doesn't it?
