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One of the most charming aspects of Mythic RPG, is that the character summary starts the ball rolling. I said in my last post I wanted a character who was experienced in both magic and plane/genre hopping. The character could be a researcher constantly seeking the new, or someone a little less ivory tower and more self centered, though I know I don't want to play a real ne'er-do-well. A balance of practical and academic with a streak of heroism when the cards are down sounds like just the character for me. Flipping through a popular sci-fi name generator I have decided on Saul Tane.
Pre summary rambling
(This isn't an official part of character creation, but a little free form writing just to toss ideas on to the white space. For me after a few paragraphs of this, I have a much clearer view of who the character is going to be. This step is optional in the extreme, but without I draw a blank when I try to build a character.)
Saul Tane comes from a backwater galaxy, and in a tiny corner of that, which has barely conquered space travel within there own galactic system, much less, grappled with all the possibilities of dimensional shifts along the Parallel Axis.
About five hundred yeas ago a couple clever monkeys (sorry, scientist) realized that while the dimensions of space may be finite, there sure were a lot of them, and most of those finite dimensions are filled with, well nothing (which is a very silly place to travel to). Considerably less were filled with next to nothing, which is also a poor vacation destination. Even after much research could they find any mathematical dimension that very full of something.
Soon after, a very clever monkey, working with an equally clever monkey with a spanner developed an engine that could launch a small craft into one of those finite, but nearly empty spaces, and on account of their emptiness (and this is where it gets weird) they could travel great distances in less time because those same universes (the ones full of nothing, or to be more precise next to nothing) would have expanded at a much slower rate, yet still shared all the same points in space. What is more, extremely dense substances, like a large class three gas giant, or as star or black hole of any size, leave a gravitational shadow, which could, if your charts are right or you have an extremely clever monkey of your own, you can "Fall" out of those "higher" dimensions into a new spot within their own galaxy. It is true sometimes a ship would fail to reappear where it was planning to go, but it was assumed that just meant they had fed a black whole they mistook for a star, because their science monkey wasn't clever enough. And most of the time that was true, but some of the time....
If you stumble through space without a map looking for ultra dense materials that will leave a shadow in "hyper-space" (a term about as silly as the use of phrase "AI" in the 21st century Earth) you can stumble upon a Transdimensional Beacon. Particularly altruistic beings, that have probably long since became transcendent or extinct, left these behind to help lost travelers get to a safe harbor. (Because the only reason they could conceive of that you would be in near null space is that they got lost). Once activated these beacons transmit the lost travelers location to The Universal Reality Engine, which then moves the ship to The Omni-dimensional location, the jewel at the center of it all: Paradise. So, far as anyone knows it is a one way trip.
Paradise is a city of infinite size that exist at the very center of all things on the Parallel Axis, and as a shadow in all dimensions and times, though it is bugger hard to get to from anywhere in particular. In fact, it is easier to get to the One Real Place accidentally, than to access it from its nigh infinite Shadows. Also the name Paradise is somewhat misleading. It is a city of infinite size, which means it also has some slums, blue light districts, and urban war zones (also of infinite size, but avoidable with a good map). In fact, it is thought that the name Paradise at one time was slang for an acronym, but at this point no one remembers it, and on the whole the name has stuck.
Summary
Saul Tane is hardly the first human to reach Paradise, but of all of those that have, he has the least desire to go back to Earth (though occasionally he visits an Earth, but more on that later). Saul Tane, was a combination, genius, adventurer, and pain in the arse. None of those things have changed in the ages he has spent in the timeless city of Paradise.
It can't be said he got to Paradise on purposes, but his studies, both conventional, mathematical, and "speculative" suggested it must be there. His mistake was thinking that the black hole in sector 1794, was Paradise. It turned out to be a Transdimensional Beacon, that transported him to Paradise. Still it worked out all the same, and what is more he doesn't have to repay the $3 bet that the technically lost to his boss (or replace yet another ship come to think of it). He had made a second mistake as well. He thought the God Engine (more conventionally called the Universal Reality Engine) would be in Paradise, but if it is he hasn't been able to find it. Which isn't to say he hasn't learned to access it.
Tall, with wide shoulders that start a like a block of stone at his non existent neck, down to a near nonexistent waist, with inelegant tree trunk legs and hands like shovels, you can't say that Saul is a fashion plate in any humanoid dimension (well maybe a couple), but he is sturdy and strong, especially for an astrophysicist (most of which seem to be skinny fellows with thick glasses). Wizards come in all shapes and sizes, so he is doing fine on that front. A moody fellow (again common amid Wizard) he can be jovial or terse, and that can change on a whim, but the mood he has most of is curious, and that extends to nearly everything. Not given to fight unless there is no other option, he usually uses magic to cheat. On the whole he doesn't want to fight, but he hates to lose (though if forced to admit it, he does like the occasional tavern brawl). He is built like a brick cylinder, the moves about that well as you would expect for a brick cylinder, but he is very dexterous and steady of hand.
What he lacks in grace of foot and common good looks he makes up for with a very keen mind and, of course, Magic.
Attributes
Brawn: High
Agility: Below Average
Finesse: Above Average
Smarts: Exceptional
Intuition: Above Average
Ego: Exceptional
Toughness: High
Vis Pool Maximum : Exceptional
Current Vis Pool: Exceptional
(As you can see I have changed up the abilities some. To reflect that Strength is total body strength I picked a word that better reflected that to me. I switched IQ to Smarts to make it a bit more universal a term, Willpower became Ego, to reflect it is both a sense of self, thus potentially social, and a force of personality. I added Vis Pool Maximum, because a free form magic needs some limitations and Vis (Latin for energy) pool having a ceiling discourages using magic for everything. )
Abilities
Wizardry: Exceptional(The ability to tap into the power of the Universal Reality Engine. Usually effects are mapped to the paradigm of the particular setting/genre)
Brawl: Above Average (Fighting with fist, simple, and improvised weapons)
Skullduggery: Above Average (Sneaking and besting security measures)
Tech: High (All things gadgety or buttony)
Talk: Above Average (skill set ranging from haggling, diplomacy through persuasion, but not lying)
Deception: High (Lies, disguise, and slight of hand)
Ride/Drive: Average (getting about without using your own feet)
Athletics: Average (Anything you could learn in PE)
Know: Exceptional (Knowledge of a lore variety)
Investigate: High (Detailed searches and analyzing physical evidence)
(There are plenty of other abilities, like Shoot, Melee, Heal, Acrobatics, etc. but even a well rounded man of action can't know them all)
Strengths/Weaknesses
Strengths and weaknesses can give Rank Shift (RF) bonus or penalties. I also use them as tricks or permissions similar to the Fate RPG. With an experienced character you can expect a lot of quirks so hidden Strengths and Weakness will probably come out in play (see pg. 19 Mythic RPG).
S-Instant acclamation: Having traveled to many dimension and worlds Saul orients to new paradigms very quickly. +2RS for acclimation checks
S- Instant translator: Through a Low difficulty spell that takes but a moment to cast, Saul can talk to any being with an organized language, which is translated by the Universal Reality Engine (mind he may still have a terrible accent). This is usually an Average check for most casters, so the RS bonus has already been included. (Most planeswalkers use some variation on this trick be it spell or hardware.)
S- Wizard: Rather than having a limited attachment to the URE through rotes or devices, Saul has learned some of the "programming language of reality" or "True Speech". This grants permission to use free form magic. The difficulty of the spells are determined in the magic section. (forthcoming) (depending on your local idioms)
S- Planar Compass: With a small amount of concentration Saul can track down the closest "thin" spot that will take him back to Paradise. (There are many more of these than people think.) (+2RS to sensing the closest Thinning. More on Thinnings in the World Building article) There are spells that can simply take one to Paradise, but you have to overcome to local "gravity", and this is much easier to do at a Thinning.
W- Weirdness attractor: If it can go wrong, it will go weird (roll Fate Check to see if PC Negative Random events have a Weirdness component.)
W- Mood Swings- Saul is given to powerful emotions so any extremely good or bad situation could leave him giddy or morose or enraged. Exceptional Ego roll to resist. While in the grips of a powerful mood -1RS for all social interactions (like uses of Talk and Deceive Skills). (There are two kinds of wizards in the multiverse, those that are calm, serine, and centered in its harmonies. Saul is the other kind).
W- Curious to a fault (or Poke it with a Stick)- When encountering anything new and unknown Saul must "figure it out". Should he chose not to for what ever reason, this triggers a Mood Swing check.
Notes.
50 Favor Points
