Escrito bajo protesta de decir verdad de no haber sido sentenciado con pena privativa de libertad por delito doloso, no estar inhabilitado para el servicio público, no pertenecer al estado eclesiástico o ser ministro

While idly reading the thoughts of people walking past him in the street, Inquisitor discovers a PC’s secret identity! What will he do with the informa- tion? He could just turn it over to Psimon, but it might be more fun to make use of it on his own....

Inquisitor begins experi- encing frequent, intense migraines. He thinks they’re a warning about something — that he’s subconsciously sens- ing some terrible threat to himself, or even to Earth. No one else in PSI believes him. Will the PCs?... and if so, what’s causing the headaches? Without PSI’s awareness, Inquisitor uses a thinly- disguised version of his life story as the basis for a horror novel — which, surprisingly, becomes a best-seller. PSI has to figure out a way to deal with the situation with- out attracting any more attention to itself.

FREAKSHOW

Val Char Cost Roll Notes

25 STR 15 14- Lift 800 kg; 5d6 [2] 27 DEX 51 14- OCV: 9/DCV: 9 22 CON 24 13-

15 BODY 10 12-

10 INT 0 11- PER Roll 11- 18 EGO 16 13- ECV: 6 25 PRE 15 14- PRE Attack: 5d6 8 COM -1 11- 15 PD 10 Total: 15 PD (3 rPD) 10 ED 6 Total: 10 ED (3 rED) 7 SPD 33 Phases: 2, 4, 6, 7, 9, 11, 12 14 REC 10 48 END 2

40 STUN 1 Total Characteristics Cost: 192 Movement: Running: 6”/12”

Leaping: 10”/20”

Cost Powers END

30 Nightmare Projection: Mental Illusions 12d6; No Range (-½), Only To Create Horrifying Nightmares (-½) 6 20 I Can Feel Your Fear: Mind Scan 10d6;

Cannot Attack Through Link (-1), Only Works If Target Is Frightened (-½) 5 8 +4 OECV with Mind Scan 0 8 Bag O’ Knives: HKA 1d6, Ranged (+½);

OAF (-1), Range Based On STR (-¼), 4 Recoverable Charges (-½) [4rc] 60 Supernatural Resilience: Physical and

Energy Damage Reduction, Resistant, 50% 0 3 Supernatural Resilience: Damage

Resistance (3 PD/3 ED) 0 20 Supernatural Health: Life Support

(Immunity: all terrestrial diseases and

poisons) 0

3 Fear Never Sleeps: Life Support

(Diminished Sleep: no need to sleep) 0 17 All In The Wrist: Missile Deflection &

Reflection (thrown objects; back at attacker); Requires A DEX Roll (-½) 0 29 Can’t Kill Me That Easily: Healing 4d6

(Regeneration, 4 BODY per Turn), Reduced Endurance (0 END; +½), Persistent (+½); Extra Time (1 Turn; -1 ¼), Self Only (-½) 0 5 Here I Come: Leaping +5” (10” Total) 1 4 He’s In Here Somewhere: Clinging (normal

STR), Only To Perch (-½), Requires A Climbing Roll (-½), Cannot Resist

Knockback (-¼) 0

5 Can’t Hide In The Dark: Nightvision 0

Talents 4 Double-Jointed

Skills

24 +3 Levels with All Combat 3 Acrobatics 14-

3 Breakfall 14- 3 Climbing 14-

3 AK: North Detroit 12- 2 SS: Chemistry 11- 5 SS: Poisons & Toxins 14- 5 Stealth 15-

9 Tactics 14-

2 WF: Common Melee Weapons Total Powers & Skills Cost: 275 Total Character Cost: 467 200+ Disadvantages

20 Enraged: when frustrated (Common), go 11-, recover 11-

20 Hunted: MCPD 11- (Mo Pow, NCI, Limited Geographical Area, Capture)

10 Hunted: Kinetik 8- (As Pow)

20 Psychological Limitation: Obsessed with Horror Movies, Circuses, And Freaks (Very Common, Strong)

20 Psychological Limitation: Loves To Frighten People (Very Common, Strong)

15 Social Limitation: Secret Identity (Jacob Sacco) (Frequently, Major)

162 Experience Points Total Disadvantage Points: 472

Background/History: In 1990, Advanced Concepts Industries fired Jacob Sacco from his janitorial job at its Detroit chemical research plant because of chronic absence. Jacob frequently overslept because he was always staying up late watching horror movies on cable. Besides, he had that monster- movie convention to help run, and operated a side business buying and selling paraphernalia from movies and TV shows like the long-running Dark Slasher series. So he was a little late a few times — that was no reason for his horse-faced supervisor to fire him! Now he couldn’t pay his rent and might have to move back in with his parents.

Then Jacob thought of a good way to make some money and get his revenge on his supervisor. He knew the company hadn’t exactly followed the most stringent safety precautions while dumping some chemical waste in a landfill in River Rouge. If he called the local paper, maybe he could get a reward. First he had to make sure it was still

VILLAINS

119

Millennium City

Chapter Six

there, though. That’s how he found himself crawl- ing through the smelly landfill site after midnight, crowbar in hand, looking for those barrels he knew had to be “around here somewhere.” And that’s how he found himself running from an overzealous security guard, who fired a warning shot into the air and began chasing him through the dump site. Terrified, Jacob stumbled in the dark and cut his side on a protruding piece of metal as he lost his footing and fell.

He tumbled down a hill, crashing to a halt in a puddle of some awful, slightly-glowing muck. The guard raced to the top of the hill above him, shouting something about him not moving. So he didn’t move. The muck was making him feel warm, kind of tingly all over. A strange feeling, but not entirely unpleasant. The guard was slowly walking down the hill with his gun still pointing at Jacob. Jacob looked down at his side. The wound was closing, the skin knitting itself up. The guard came closer, and stood staring down at Jacob. “Damn, are you still alive?” said the guard half to himself as he gazed at the figure lying in the muck. “Nope,” replied Jacob, as he casually leaped to his feet with a single motion and grabbed the guard. He savored every last bit of the guard’s terror before he snapped the man’s neck.

Things to do, places to go, people to kill, thought Jacob Sacco. Detroit was about to learn a new word for fear.

Personality/Motivation: Jacob Sacco lost his mind that night in the landfill. His insanity has mani- fested itself through his lifelong fascination with horror movies, carnivals, clowns, and freaks. He sees himself as some sort of avatar of terror, his only purpose in life to frighten. He commits crimes not for profit, but to increase the overall level of fear in his city. He kills some of his victims, but leaves others alive because the uncertainty of their fate creates greater emotional power than just kill- ing everyone. The Millennium City papers dubbed him “Freakshow,” a name he’s adopted as a badge of honor. He’s almost pathologically drawn to places where people choose to be frightened: Halloween parties, horror movies, summer fairs, and carnivals. Quote: “Boo.”

Powers/Tactics: Freakshow’s mutation granted him powers that maximize his ability to frighten people. He’s preternaturally strong and fast, and though he’s relatively easy to hurt he recovers from injury with astonishing speed. He can track victims by “smell- ing their fear,” and frequently toys with a victim by allowing him to run until exhaustion while stay- ing just behind him. He can even cause people to experience frightening “waking nightmares” simply by touching them.

Campaign Use: Freakshow’s powers don’t really lend themselves to direct confrontation

with superheroes. He’s more effective as a threat to a character’s DNPC, especially if the heroes must then pursue him through some appropri- ately atmospheric scenery (spooky old mansions, withered garden mazes, and other places where he can split up a team and attack them one at a time from ambush). He might decide to terrorize ACI in revenge for its part in his creation, which should put the heroes in the interesting position of having to defend or rescue people they really don’t care much for. He’s fought Kinetik a couple of times, and neither has enjoyed the experience.

If you want to make Freakshow tough enough to fight superheroes directly, increase his defenses and give him more powers (an Entangle defined as “paralyzed by fear”; an NND RKA defined as “scared to death”; and so forth). If he’s already too powerful for your PCs to tangle with, reduce his Damage Reduction to 25% and his Healing Regen- eration to 2d6.

Appearance: Freakshow stands about 6’3”, but weighs only about 155 pounds — he’s scarecrow- skinny, almost as if starving to death. He shaves his hair into a frazzled orange mohawk. He dresses mostly in black leather, with a torn t-shirt, spiked belt, and motorcycle boots. He wears thin wrap- around mirrorshades, and has a scarred, twisted upper lip.

FREAKSHOW