Character Creation Challenge: Dorian Gray

The book "The Picture of Dorian Gray" certainly fits well with my Victorian theme.  The movie, and my first experience with this tale, belongs to a later time (1945) but it still works.

I am not sure when I first saw the 1945 movie starring Hurd Hatfield and a young Angela Lansbury, but it left a mark on me.  That picture! Only hinted at and eluded too through most of the film was bright and vivid in its final reveal. 

Dorian Gray can be seen in the NIGHT SHIFT game as an Immortal. His unique kill would be to destroy the painting.  

Here he is for Night Shift. NIGHT SHIFT is available from the Elf Lair Games website (hardcover) and from DriveThruRPG (PDF).

Dorian Gray

2nd level Survivor (Supernatural, Immortal)
Archetype: Immortal Amoral Libertine 

Strength: 10 (0) 
Dexterity: 11 (0)
Constitution: 14 (+1) S
Intelligence: 15 (+1) S

Wisdom: 11 (0)

Charisma: 17 (+2) P

HP: 7
Alignment: Dark
AC: 9 
Attack: +1

Fate Points: 1d6

Check Bonus (P/S/T): +2/+1/+0

Melee bonus: +0 Ranged bonus: 0

Saves: +3 Death Saves and area effects

Immortal Powers

Unique Kill: Destroy painting, Immortals regenerate 1d8 hit points every minute. +3 to Intelligence

Survivor Skills

Open Locks: 25%

Bypass Traps: 20%

Sleight of Hand: 30%

Move Silently: 30%

Hide in Shadows: 20%

Perception 45%

Danger Sense

Sneak attack +4, 2x damage

--

Dorian here is a different sort of immortal. There is a tendency to make immortals all sword-wielding warriors out for each other's head (Highlander, The Old Guard) but not Dorian. He is a lover, not a fighter.  Ok, he is an amoral lover and wicked man, but he is not going to go off to battle. 

In some other ways, he is much like a successful lich, with his painting as his Soul Cage. 

Dorian is described as a lot of things, but an RPG character is usually not one of them.  He is, by all accounts, a normal human.  I made him a 2nd level Survivor because I am sure he picked up a thing or two in his "adventures." 

Want to see more of the #CharacterCreationChallenge? Stop by Tardis Captain's Blog and the #CharacterCreationChallenge on Twitter for more! 

Character Creation Challenge: Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde

My week of doing the characters from Dracula has been an absolute blast. Can't wait to go reread the novel again.  It got me thinking about others from this time period that might work out well and there are dozens. More than I will do for this challenge for sure, but enough to keep my busy.

One such character is Dr. Henry Jekyll and his evil counterpart Mr. Edward Hyde.

This also gives me a chance to try out something different with the new Lycanthrope rules.  

Here he is for Night Shift. NIGHT SHIFT is available from the Elf Lair Games website (hardcover) and from DriveThruRPG (PDF).

Dr. Henry Jekyll/Mr. Edward Hyde

4th level Inventor (Supernatural, Lycanthrope)
Archetype: Disturbed Scientist/Human madman

Strength: 13 (+1) [16 (+2) p]
Dexterity: 11 (0) S [14 (0) s]
Constitution: 11 (0) [11 (0) s]
Intelligence: 16 (+2) P [16 (+2)]

Wisdom: 12 (0) S [12 (0)]

Charisma: 15 (+2) [15 (+2)]

HP: 18
Alignment: Light/Dark
AC: 9 [7]
Attack: +2 

Fate Points: 1d6

Check Bonus (P/S/T): +3/+2/+0

Melee bonus: +1 [+2] Ranged bonus: 0

Saves: +3 to Inteligence and Wisdom saves   

Powers (Jekyll): Danger Sense,  Stressful Transformation, Gadgets (Hyde serum, delivery system, antiserum). 

Powers (Hyde): Danger Sense, Regenerate 1d6 hp, Natural Weapons, Rip and Tear, +3 to wisdom saves.

Feed: Must commit an act of violence every night.

Skills:

Medicine, Science, Knowledge (Chemistry), Research

Madness: On a roll of 1 or 2 on a d6 Jekyll will transform into Hyde.

--

I opted to make Dr. Jekyll an Inventor rather than a sage because that seems to work out the best.  His inventions are his serum and the means to deliver it.  There was a great scene in the otherwise forgettable Edge of Sanity (1989) starring Anthony Perkins as both Jekyll and Hyde.  Basically, Hyde is walking around London, killing prostitutes and hitting on, for all purposes, a crack pipe. The movie was not good, but Perkins was and the scene stuck with me. 

Also the Jekyll/Hyde transformation can be used as a special type of Lycanthrope, or more generally, a "science" based Therianthrope.  This would be the same thing we would use for the Hulk and Cú Chulainn.

There are some more tweaks I can do to this character, but this is a good place to start.

Want to see more of the #CharacterCreationChallenge? Stop by Tardis Captain's Blog and the #CharacterCreationChallenge on Twitter for more! 

Character Creation Challenge: Quincey P. Morris

Quincey Morris is the odd man out here in the Dracula tale. He is a rich American, friends with Holmwood and Seward, and like Van Helsing he has had dealings with blood-suckers, in this case, vampire bats, before.  He is also the character that gets left out of most other media more times than not.

It is Quincey, or rather his Bowie knife, that is instrumental in bringing down Dracula so Harker and Holmwood can kill him.

Had he survived the attack by Dracula he would have been a great character to become a vampire hunter.  Other authors have picked up this challenge and have told stories of a survived Quincey, a vampire Quincey and even Quincey's younger brother (called "Cole" in at least one story).  Quincey lives on in John and Mina's son, Quincy Harker.

Again, one of the best portrayals was Billy Campbell in Bram Stoker's Dracula (1992) which was also one of the most book accurate portrayals.  Another good one is Ethan Chandler in Penny Dreadful

Here he is for Night Shift. NIGHT SHIFT is available from the Elf Lair Games website (hardcover) and from DriveThruRPG (PDF).

Quincey P. Morris

4th level Veteran
Archetype: Rich Texan

Strength: 13 (+1) S
Dexterity: 17 (+2) P
Constitution: 16 (+2) S
Intelligence: 11 (0) 
Wisdom: 13 (0) 
Charisma: 15 (+2)

HP: 24
Alignment: Chaotic Good
AC: 8
Attack: +2 

Fate Points: 1d6

Check Bonus (P/S/T): +3/+2/+0

Melee bonus: +1 Ranged bonus: +2

Saves:  +2 to all saves. 

Powers:  Combat Expertise, Improved damage, improved defense, Supernatural Attack, tracking

Skills:** 

Beast Whisperer, Steady Hands, Notice, Wilderness Survival

** Skills are optional in NIGHT SHIFT, but for Seward, Holmwood, and Morris I feel they are what set the characters apart and above and beyond their class abilities. 

--

You can see why Arthur and Quincey are often combined in movies where they work better in a book. Here their stats are not very different, they are both even 4th level Veterans.  I did that on purpose to show that with the optional skills rules you can provide more customization with the characters.  They are also played quite differently. 

Want to see more of the #CharacterCreationChallenge? Stop by Tardis Captain's Blog and the #CharacterCreationChallenge on Twitter for more! 

Character Creation Challenge: Arthur Holmwood Lord Godalming

In the book Arthur Holmwood, later the Lord Godalming, is the other suitor for the hand of Lucy and the one she ultimately chooses.  One of the plot threads in the books and made more clear in the 1992 movie, was that Holmwood, Seward, and Morris were all friends and even had a few adventures together.

I recall at the time of the 1992 movie that there were rumors of a possible prequel involving the "Victorian Young Guns" and their fights with the supernatural before Dracula.  Neat idea, but all three were fairly incredulous at the idea of the supernatural when Van Helsing brings up the topic.

Still, Holmwood is pretty important to the tale because not only is he Lucy's suitor, he provides the money and the title to get the heroes all the things they need.  Holmwood is also the one that drives the stake into Dracula's heart in the novel.

Cary Elwes provides one of the best performances, but I am also rather partial to Michael Gough in Hammer's 1958 Dracula and Simon Ward in 1973's Dracula which questionably featured Jack Palance as Dracula.

Here he is for Night Shift. NIGHT SHIFT is available from the Elf Lair Games website (hardcover) and from DriveThruRPG (PDF).

Arthur Holmwood

4th level Veteran
Archetype: Victorian Lord

Strength: 12 (0) 
Dexterity: 15 (+1) P
Constitution: 13 (+1) S
Intelligence: 12 (0) 
Wisdom: 11 (0) 
Charisma: 16 (+3) S 

HP: 22
Alignment: Neutral Good
AC: 8
Attack: +2 

Fate Points: 1d6

Check Bonus (P/S/T): +3/+2/+0

Melee bonus: 0 Ranged bonus: +1

Saves:  +2 to all saves. 

Powers:  Combat Expertise, Improved damage, improved defense, Supernatural Attack, tracking

Skills:** 

History, Convince, Literature, Wilderness Survival

** Skills are optional in NIGHT SHIFT, but for Seward, Holmwood, and Morris I feel they are what set the characters apart and above and beyond their class abilities. 

--

Want to see more of the #CharacterCreationChallenge? Stop by Tardis Captain's Blog and the #CharacterCreationChallenge on Twitter for more! 

Character Creation Challenge: Dr. John "Jack" Seward

My next three characters are the ones that get forgotten the most.  While Mina and Lucy will have their names changed/swapped, the next three are either reduced to one or two characters or forgotten about altogether.

Today I want to do one close to my heart, Dr. Jack Seward.  Seward was a psychiatrist and I spent a number of years as a psychologist.  Plus my one and only time on stage was playing Seward in my High School version of Dracula.  Yeah, I am not going to dump my academic career for a life in the limelight, but it was fun.

My favorite performance of Seward was from Bram Stoker's Dracula from 1992 played by Richard E. Grant, though Donald Pleasence also gave a great performance in 1979's Dracula.

Seward's role in the novel is to first be a suitor to Lucy, but he also brings in Van Helsing. His friends Arthur Holmwood and Quincy Morris are also instrumental in the battle against Dracula.

Here he is for Night Shift. NIGHT SHIFT is available from the Elf Lair Games website (hardcover) and from DriveThruRPG (PDF).

Yeah, me with a full beard in High School as Seward

Dr. Jack Seward

3rd level Sage
Archetype: Would-be suitor, doctor

Strength: 11 (0) 
Dexterity: 12 (0) S
Constitution: 13 (+1) 
Intelligence: 16 (+2) P
Wisdom: 12 (0) S
Charisma: 15 (+2) 

HP: 14
Alignment: Lawful Good
AC: 9
Attack: +1 

Fate Points: 1d6

Check Bonus (P/S/T): +3/+1/+0

Melee bonus: 0 Ranged bonus: 0

Saves:  +3 to saves against spells and magical effects. 

Powers:  Mesmerize Others (used on Renfield and Mina), Suggestion, Survivor Skills (level 1), Languages (16), Arcane Dabbler

Survivor Skills

• Open Locks: 15%
• Bypass Traps: 10%
• Sleight of Hand: 20%
• Move Silently: 20%
• Hide in Shadows: 10%

Spells*

Level One: Charm Person, Detect Evil

*In this case "Spells" will be just bits of lore and learning he is able to use. 

Skills:** 

History, Knowledge (Psychiatry), Medicine, Science

** Skills are optional in NIGHT SHIFT, but for Seward, Holmwood, and Morris I feel they are what set the characters apart and above and beyond their class abilities. 

--

Want to see more of the #CharacterCreationChallenge? Stop by Tardis Captain's Blog and the #CharacterCreationChallenge on Twitter for more! 

Character Creation Challenge: Lucy Westenra

Yesterday I featured Mina Murray Harker, the hero of the Dracula novel.  The archetypical victim though belongs to her friend Lucy Westenra.  I have compared Lucy and Mina a few times. Showing where Mina is the "Modern Woman," Lucy is the "Old World Woman."  She does a lot to make herself more attractive to Dracula.  She is looking for a man to define her life, she is a member of the "idle rich," she has bouts of sleep-walking, her innocence, and more.  Where Mina is proactive, Lucy is largely reactive.  

It is hard really not to feel bad for her.

After she is turned by Dracula all of that gets inverted.  The sweet, coquettish girl becomes the dangerous "bloofer lady" that preys on children. 

My favorite portrayal of her comes from Sadie Frost in 1992's Bram Stoker's Dracula, but I also rather liked how Jan Francis looked as the vampire Lucy (or rather "Mina" in this version) in 1979's Dracula, though she looks nothing like the "bloofer lady."   Though the most accurate physical portrayal was by Katie McGrath in the short run NBC series Dracula.

Here she is for Night Shift. NIGHT SHIFT is available from the Elf Lair Games website (hardcover) and from DriveThruRPG (PDF).

Lucy Westenra

2nd level Survivor (Supernatural, Vampire)
Archetype: Vampire Victim

Strength: 11 (0) 
Dexterity: 12 (0) 
Constitution: 8 (-1) 
Intelligence: 11 (0) S
Wisdom: 10 (0) S
Charisma: 17 (+3) P

HP: 4
Alignment: Chaotic Evil
AC: 9
Attack: +1 

Fate Points: 1d6

Check Bonus (P/S/T): +2/+1/+0

Melee bonus: 0 Ranged bonus: 0

Saves: +3 to all Wisdom saving throws, +3 to death saves. +1 to all others.

Powers:  Vampire Powers, Stealth skills, Climbing, Danger Sense (1-2), Sneak Attack x2

Vampire Powers

• Ability Bonuses (+2 to Strength, +2 Dexterity)
• Damage Immunity
• Feed on Life (Con drain)
• Vampire Regeneration
• Vampire Vulnerabilities

Stealth Skills

• Open Locks: 25%
• Bypass Traps: 20%
• Sleight of Hand: 30%
• Move Silently: 30%
• Hide in Shadows: 10%
• Perception: 45%

--

Dracula, and Lucy for that matter, drains Constitution, not "Levels," which is as it should be for "Dracula."  There was no way Lucy could survive three attacks of draining 2 levels when she is always described as frail and weak before Dracula even shows up.  Not only that the children Lucy later preys one are certainly 2nd level, they are barely 0 level.

Want to see more of the #CharacterCreationChallenge? Stop by Tardis Captain's Blog and the #CharacterCreationChallenge on Twitter for more! 

Character Creation Challenge: Mina Murray Harker

Longtime readers here will know of my love of Mina Murray Harker, the true hero of the Dracula novel.  I have talked about her here a few times, but in short, she is the one that puts all the pieces together, she is the one that has the forethought to transcribe everyone's notes.  She is the one that really has the tools to go hunting for Dracula.  She is also the prototype of the "Final Girl" a trope that will only grow for the next 120+ years.

One thing I have never cared for though was the whole reincarnated lover of Dracula.  Mina is interesting enough without needing to add anything else to her character.  That being said, I did not mind Alan Moore making her into a vampire.  But that is not what I am going with her.  This is Mina from the book and most of the movies.

Here she is for Night Shift. NIGHT SHIFT is available from the Elf Lair Games website (hardcover) and from DriveThruRPG (PDF).

Mina Murray Harker
3rd level Survivor (Human)
Archetype: Survivor

Strength: 10 (0) 
Dexterity: 12 (0) 
Constitution: 15 (+1) S
Intelligence: 16 (+2) P
Wisdom: 12 (0) 
Charisma: 16 (+2) S

HP: 11
Alignment: Light
AC: 8
Attack: +1 

Fate Points: 1d8

Check Bonus (P/S/T): +3/+1/+0

Melee bonus: 0 Ranged bonus: 0

Saves: +3 to death saves. +1 to all others.

Powers:  Stealth skills, Climbing, Danger Sense (1-3), Sneak Attack x2, Read Languages, 

Stealth Skills

• Open Locks: 35%
• Bypass Traps: 30%
• Sleight of Hand: 40%
• Move Silently: 40%
• Hide in Shadows: 30%
• Perception: 50%

--

Mina is a vampire attack survivor, more so that she survived an attack by Dracula.  That has to count for something. 

Want to see more of the #CharacterCreationChallenge? Stop by Tardis Captain's Blog and the #CharacterCreationChallenge on Twitter for more!