A typical villain: “You’re at my mercy, madam. Now let me explain how merciless am I…”
Some say that the Undead Chancellor could have survived his assassination if not for a single Slavian agent that attacked him. The spy was no match for the lich, but Ven Rier could not resist the temptation of explaining all his plans to the helpless opponent. During his monologue a dirigible filled with explosives crushed at his base.
This might or might not be true, but Paulus Still believes strongly in this rumour. Paulus is a dwarf technomage whose career flourished during the days of the Undead Reich. Now he is in hiding and he has only desire – to find out why do the evil masterminds always gloat before finishing their enemies?
Paulus wants so badly to understand it that he became an Uhrwerk to make sure that he will research the matter systematically and logically. Since then he has examined various hypothesis, mostly by provoking and analyzing many confrontations between famous heroes and villains. He operates from an underground lab located below one of Vanadia’s great cities and filled with strange graphs, works of famous psychoanalysts and old newspapers. Many Children of the Undead Reich find him insane, but some are willing to cooperate with him, gaining his brilliant inventions in return.
As intelligent as he may be, Paulus is not very sensitive about human nature. He can’t see that the reason for villainous monologues are usually the pride and cruelty of evil masterminds, always needing to prove their superiority. Paulus can’t even see that he has these features himself – to the point of having one unconditional reflex programmed into his clockwork heart. Yes – the reflex of explaining his plans to helpless opponents! He hasn’t discovered it yet because he rarely engages personally in any conflict, but when he does, it will be a great surprise. And a material for further study…
Adventure ideas
Daring – Paulus has imprisoned a friend of our heroes and threatens to turn him into a ghoul unless they record three villainous monologues for him. It’s a matter of finding three evil masterminds and being defeated by them…
Exploration – it’s said that in the middle of the Lemurian desert hides the mummy of Black Abdul. He is a criminal mastermind from ancient Khemre known for never gloating about his deeds and Paulus will do everything to meet him.
Investigation – a noble gentleman disappear and then it turns out that he was a hiding villain. Our Ladies and Gentlemen have a great chance to investigate his crimes, but as soon as they find some really important clues he returns and tries to thwart their quest. All this is, of course, arranged by Paulus.
Society – maybe the villains always gloat because it’s a part of common knowledge that they do? To check it Paulus is conducting an experiment on the field of sociology. He has blackmailed a famous journalist into writing a series of articles accusing Extraordinary Ladies and Gentlemen of defying social order and dabbling in the affairs reserved for the police. And fighting evil on one’s own indeed becomes unfashionable! Our heroes have to stop the spreading of this opinion or the next time they save the world their reputation will be ruined!
Paulus Still
Default conflict: combat
Opponent, dice pool 3d10, challenge 5
Abilities:
Artificial heart: armor +3*, endurance +3*.
Brilliant inventor: once per session Paulus can suddenly create a gadget with two traits and use it until the end of the session.
Evil Gloating: when Paulus or his ally finish an enemy during a combat, Paulus begins to gloat and explain his plans. He doesn’t act during his next turn and the finished opponent returns to combat without any challenge markers and gains a token.
Heartless: automatically passes courage tests, cannot use bluff, empathy and expression or be affected by empathy, expression or intimidate skills.
Skills: academics (psychoanalysis) 6(9)/8+, technics 12/8+.
Steam-powered hand: brawl +3*, takes two tokens with a raise.
Technomage: control machines and missile.
Combat: brawl 12*/8+, firearms 9/9+; defense 19*. Brilliant inventor, evil gloating, steam-powered hand, technomage.
Chase: athletics 6/8+; endurance 17*. Brilliant inventor, technomage.
Discussion: intimidation 12/10+; confidence 20. Brilliant inventor, heartless. Paulus doesn’t want to convince anybody about anything, so he prefers fighting to talking. If he has any allies, he usually backups them during a discussion.
Paulus was originally written for Polish website polter.pl and the version above owes much to Aleksandra “Jade Elenne” Wierzchowska, the editor of the last incarnation of this NPC.
Faces of Urda will be one of regular series appearing at Steamagination, containing NPCs from all around the world of Wolsung. I can’t tell you how often will it appear, but I can tell that the next thing I’ll post here will be third part of A Game of Shops.
Steamagination 