From: durrell@pinball.arcade.uiowa.edu (Bryant Durrell)
Subject: Over the Edge:  An NPC (background, stats, story ideas)
Followup-To: rec.games.frp.misc
Organization: University of Iowa
Date: Tue, 5 Jan 1993 18:28:51 GMT


(Warning:  what you are about to read contains possible spoilers wrt both Over
the Edge and New Faces.  I've been using this character in my plots since
before I bought New Faces, but as soon as I read NF I saw the possibilities for
interaction.)
 
On a handful of churches and cathedrals scattered about Europe, an ancient race
clings to their long, drawn-out lives with a persistance that exists only in
those who know no other way.  They bask in the sunlight during the day,
subsisting by a slow silicon photosynthesis.  At night, they freeze into place;
deprived of light, their stony shells are no longer in the lease malleable.  By
night, the gargoyles can only wait until the next day.
 
Gargoyles are very seldom rebellious.  The story of last time a gargoyle
rejected his cathedral-bound life and ventured forth in human form has been
twisted by myth into the tale of the Hunchback of Notre Dame.  It was not until
twenty years ago that another gargoyle dared to rebel again:  Benjamin of
Winchester, or as he is known on Al Amarja, Fat Benny.
 
Fat Benny
 
Fat Benny looks like he's perhaps 35 years old, and not particularly
overweight.  He's completely bald (which has been known to confuse the
occasional Throckmorton) and brown eyed.  Although his facial features are
almost Celtic, his skin is darkly tanned, as well as being rather pock-marked. 
He dresses in Al Amarjan casual, and never wears a hat.
 
Attack:       2 dice, X2 damage in stone shape 
Defense:      3 dice 
HP:           21 (built to last)
 
Psychic Pool: 4 shots
 
Traits:
 
Fence, 3 dice -- he's an experienced fence, talented at negotiation, price 
estimates, and salesmanship.  (tends to refer to objects by their values)
 
Limited shapeshift, 2 dice -- although he's limited to one human form, he  can
change into any form made of stone and of the same mass.  (rough cast to  his
skin)
 
Tough internal structure, 3 dice -- due to the silicon nature of his body, 
even when in human shape he's very hard to damage.  (doesn't notice small 
jolts, bumps)
 
Immobile at night -- gargoyles cannot move about unless the sun is out or  they
are exposed to UV light.  (Keeps a tanning booth in his apartment)
 
Benny is young for a gargoyle, about 50 years old.  He left Winchester
Cathedral simply because he was bored.  He'd heard a lot of the younger humans
in the congregation talking about the modern world, and felt (with good reason)
that the other gargoyles were far too willing to live in the past.
 
 Unsurprisingly, given his unusual nature and yen for observing interesting
events and people, he wound up on Al Amarja.  As a fence, he finds that some of
the most interesting items on the island pass through his hands on their way to
some of the most interesting people.  This fascination has not gone unnoticed,
but most people mistake his fascination with the outre for a love of power;
"Fat" refers to this perceived love rather than to his weight.
 
He can be found every morning at the Breakneck Cafe on the Plaza of Flowers,
sipping coffee (the heat is enjoyable even if the caffeine has no effect) and
doing business.  He lives in the Flowers Barrio in a small walkup apartment
that's generally messy.  The astute observer might notice that his bed is
unusually sturdy.
 
Story Ideas
 
1.  Fat Benny discovers that he rather enjoys some of the things money can
bring him, perhaps becoming addicted to some human drug.  Unfortunately, his
fencing isn't bringing in enough money to keep him in his newfound vices.  In
desperation, he begins to fence himself, in various stone shapes, as "rare
statues."  After the buyer makes pickup, he waits until he's alone, reverts to
human form, and escapes.  PCs might be hired by an accomplice to help Fat Benny
escape from a more than usually well-guarded gallery, or by someone he's
cheated in order to find out what's going on, or by someone who's considering
buying a statue from Fat Benny to guard the statue.
 
2.  The secret ingredient needed to modify Nusbaum's plastic surgery (see New
Faces) is gargoyle blood.  Either Dr. Rodriguez has used up his supply of
gargoyle blood, and is looking for more, or poor Fat Benny has been the source
all along.  PCs could be hired to find Fat Benny by any number of people,
including Dr. Rodriguez, Dr. Nusbaum, or someone who wants to do business with
Fat Benny.
 
3.  Fat Benny has a brother.  He'd never have left the cathedral by himself --
indeed, he doesn't even like to listen to those silly humans.  However, he
misses his brother Benjamin enough to want to go visit him.  This gargoyle will
definitely have a flaw relating to his lack of understanding of human ways. 
("But where do you worship if there is no cathedral here?")  The PCs may run
into him in the course of their daily business, while he's asking everyone in
sight if they've seen his brother, or they may be hired by Fat Benny to guard
him while he visits.  This is really the standard "dumb burger" story, with a
bit of a twist.
 
-- 
Bryant Durrell					   durrell@chop.isca.uiowa.edu
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                 I feed on the flesh of the living, and I vote.

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