Day 22: "Doctor Babylon" (for B.A.S.H.)

 Doctor Babylon is an elegant man in his sixties. The babylonian theme is quite subtle, really, The cuneiform necktie, the face of Nebuchadnezzar on his ring. 

Rumors abound about Babylon. They say he killed Bauk, the metahuman kingpin of Odessa with his bare hands. They say he was part of such illustrious supervillain groups as the Seven Men of Vengeance and the Lords of Misrule. They say he speaks to the dead and knows their secrets. 

The other members of Doctors Without Boundaries know him as an easygoing man who believes in thorough planning, scientific boxing, and a glass of vodka before bedtime. They also know that he knocked down Doctor Olympia with one punch. Olympia didn’t seem to understand the concept of friendly sparring.

Verity has found herself depending on Babylon as a lieutenant, and as an intellectual equal. Maybe even a friend. 

Sooth has noted that he can’t seem to read Babylon’s mind, Menagerie enjoys learning a game called ‘Texas Hold’Em’ from Babylon, and Larceny can’t shake a feeling of deja vu.

The truth is that “Doctor Babylon” is a piece of fiction, a made-up identity. Babylon is John Elder, noted adventurer, detective and immortal. Elder is a frequent ally of the Protectors of Peace, but they know nothing of this scheme. Super-sorcerer the Blue Conjurer made Elder’s mind shield pendant, and is in the know, as is Elder’s great-great-great-granddaughter Leonie, with whom he usually plays chess on Wednesdays. 

Even a short history of John Elder’s life would be hundreds of pages. He was born (as far as can be ascertained) during the Last Interglacial, or around 130 000 years ago. His immortality has been explained as a consequence of meteoric radiation, or by some theory that John Elder will only die when mankind’s role on Earth is over. Elder maintains that he doesn’t know. 

Books on Elder claim that he was an advisor to Kublai Khan, one of Alexander the Great’s tutors, Mansa Musa himself, founded the Illuminati, or that Sir Arthur Conan Doyle lifted the character of Sherlock Holmes wholesale from Elder’s life.

Elder usually neither confirms nor denies, but will occasionally allude to being active in the Underground Railroad, and a paratrooper in WWII. Elder missed most of the 1980s, due to being an unwilling guest of Athanor Inc. The medical corp hoped to replicate his immortality (they failed). He escaped just in time to witness the fall of the East Bloc. 

John Elder has often worked as a detective in one way or another, but has never been part of actual law enforcement. “I’ve done enough wrong without having to go down that path” he says. 

It is safe to say that his antiauthoritarian streak has widened during the last few centuries.

Motivation: John Elder hopes to get through to Verity Rifkin, to connect with the person behind the power armor. The world is full of rattling sabers, and Verity’s big play might be what leads to a major war. Besides, she has much to offer the world.

He did not count on growing to like Verity. Behind the totalitarian ideas is a pleasant woman whose experiences with imprisonment and pounding her fists against the status quo matches his own.

BRAWN 2+ AGILITY 2+ MIND 4 (40)

Powers

Skillful (Level 5) (5 pts)

10 Extra Skill Slots.

Heightened Brawn (Level 1) (1 pt)

Heightened Brawn provides a +3 Result Bonus to all rolls with Brawn. 

Heightened Agility (Level 1) (1 pt)

Heightened Agility provides a +3 Result Bonus to all rolls with Agility. 

Resistance (Level 1) (1 pt)

Falling, Knock-Back

Fleet of Foot (Level 1) (1 pts)

Elder is are in excellent shape and very agile. He run your Agility x4 Squares per Panel, and you jump your Brawn +1 Squares. This Power is not considered a Super Movement and its effects do not combine with it.

Enhancement: Long Distance Runner: When you are in an Extended Check using your Athletics/Running Skill, add +10 Result Bonus to each roll.

Polymath (Level 2) (2 pts)

Elder can use this Power to perform Power Tricks of any Intense Training Power by spending a Hero Point. The maximum Rank of any Power he can replicate is equal or less than his Rank in Polymath. If the Power requires a Skill Check or any other such Limitation, he must abide by it. Note that as a Power Trick, each use of Polymath only lasts a single moment. Polymath cannot provide any long-lasting or constant benefit

Ring Their Bell (Level 2) (2 pts)

When Elder roll Doubles for your hand-to-hand attack or damage roll and the target still takes no damage from a successful attack, your opponent suffers from a Daze effect contested against the Damage roll instead.

Martial Arts Mastery (Level 2 (2 pts)

Fast: Elder's Priority is based on his Agility +1. In addition, if he's knocked down, he can immediately get up by making a 20 Athletics/Acrobatics Check. It takes none of his movement to stand like this.

Defensive: You can avoid a blow. Your Defense is 2 higher (to a max of x5) for defending against hand-to-hand attacks (fists, swords, etc.)

Tricky: He can lure opponents to attack, and then hit them when they leave an opening. If a hand-to-hand attack misses him and he rolled Doubles on your Defense roll, he can make an immediate unarmed counterattack.

Cunning: He always think three moves ahead. Elder knows what to say to put a foe off-balance and know when they are trying to do that to him. Whenever he must roll a Mind Check in relation to a combat maneuver (whether to resist or execute a Taunt, Trick, Intimidation, Feint, or similar maneuver), he get a +1 Multiplier Bonus to your Mind

Iron Will (Level 1) (1 pt)

Elder has a +2 Multiplier to any Mental Defense roll used to avoid having his will subverted or his mind injured. This would extend to enduring torture, resisting Mind Control, Suggestion, Daze, Mind Blast, or similar Powers. However, his strong will does not make him any more resistant to illusions or other types of trickery.

Tenacity (Level 2) (2 pts)

This gives Elder a Bonus Die for all defensive Brawn Checks other than Soak. This applies to wrestling (escapes and resisting moves), Checks to resist poisons, break free of bindings, etc.

World’s Greatest Detective (Level 1) (2 pts)

By analyzing the clues in an area, Elder can perfectly recreate the events that occurred there in his mind. This may even include the likely topics discussed by two people at a particular scene, as Elder uses logic, the evidence, and a keen understanding of human nature to piece it all together. This works like Clairvoyance 1 (Past), letting you use an Investigation Skill Check instead of a regular Mind Roll. 

Been There, Done That (Level 3) (3 pts)

This Power is based on Conjuring, but Elder is not actually pulling objects out of thin air. Instead, he simply has the items in question at the time and place when he needs them.

This “power” is “Forewarned is Forearmed” with the Esoteric Training add-on. 

Mental Defense Pendant (Level 3) (1 pt)

the pendant raises Elder's Mental Defense Multiplier is 2 higher than your Mind would normally allow, up to a maximum of x10. 

This device is both frail and easily taken.

Advantage

Immortality: John Elder is not capable of dying, whether by old age, disease, or axe blows. he's are also completely immune to the effects of aging, illness, and disease. If he's “killed”, his body will go into stasis for a month or two and he’ll come back. Even if his body is destroyed, it will eventually reform

Long-Lived: Elder has lived far longer than a single human lifespan. He has seen and done a lot during hislong life. He begins with two extra Skills, and may have met historical figures or witnessed historical events over a century ago. Surely there will be times when this past experience will come in handy. In the right situation, the Narrator will give Elder a hint based on a past life experience (maybe in the form of a flashback scene). Likewise, Elder may have made enemies who also have long memories. When the Narrator uses Elder's ancient past against him, they can give him a Hero Point.

Disadvantages

Hunted (Villainous): Elder has attracted the attention of Athanot inc., a powerful medical corp who wants to duplicate his immortality. 

Skills: Physical: Athletics (Climbing, Running), Escapology (Contortion), Perform (Play Instrument x2), Ride (Control), Stealth (Shadowing)

Mental: Deception (Disguise, Lying, Detect Deception), Humanities (Foreign Cultures, History), Investigation (Analysis x2, Finding Clues), Occult (Legends), Streetwise (Gather Information, Gambling, Crime).