Name: Count Fosco Source: "The Woman in White," Wilkie Collins, 1860; Classics Illustrated No. 61. Val Char Cost 13 STR 3 20 DEX 30 12 CON 4 10 BODY 23 INT 13 23 EGO 26 30 PRE 20 14 COM 2 5 PD 2 2 ED 3 SPD 5 REC 24 END 24 STUN Characteristic Rolls: STR: 12-, DEX: 13-, CON: 11-, INT: 14-, EGO: 14-, PER: 14- Run: 6", Swim: 2", Jump: 3", Lift: 150 kg Cost Powers END/Roll 15 EC: Mental Domination 10a) 6D6 Mind Control, -1/2 limit Concentration, 0 DCV 10b) 6D6 Telepathy, -1/2 limit Concentration, 0 DCV 5 Mental DEF 10 9 2D6 EGO Drain, +1 1/2 adv victim recovers 5 active points per day, -2 limit Independent, -1/2 IAF drugged candy, -1/2 Expendable: requires laudanum -- moderately expensive drug, -1/4 12 charges, -1/4 Fragile candy melts, is easily squished Cost Skills, Talents, Perks Roll 3 Acting 15- 3 Animal Handler 11- 3 Bugging (Eavesdropping) 14- 3 Concealment 14- 3 Conversation 15- 3 High Society 15- 3 Interrogation 15- 3 Linguist 0 LS: Italian, native 2 LS: English, fluent with accent 2 LS: German, fluent with accent 2 LS: French, fluent with accent 2 LS: Spanish, fluent with accent 3 Lockpicking 13- 3 Oratory 15- 3 Paramedic 14- 3 Persuasion 15- 2 PS: Musician 11- 3 Scholar 2 KS: Art 12- 2 KS: Italian Underworld 12- 2 KS: Mesmerism 12- 2 KS: Medicine 12- 2 KS: Music 12- 1 KS: Fencing 11- 3 Sci: Pharmacology 13- 3 Sci: Chemistry 13- 3 Seduction 15- 7 Shadowing 13- 3 Sleight of Hand 13- 3 Stealth 13- 3 Streetwise 15- 2 Familiar with Fencing Weapons 2 Familiar with Small Arms 8 +1 Skill Level with All Combat 3 Perk: Lightsleep 5 Perk: Resistance 100+ Disadvantages 20 Must manipulate those around him, common, total 10 Must mollify wife, common 10 Hates loud noises, easily startled, common 10 Animal Lover, common 20 Hunted 11-: The Brotherhood (Italian secret society), more powerful 8 Watched 11-: Madam Fosco 15 Incredibly fat, wears gaudy clothing, not concealable 10 DNPC 11-: Eleanor Fosco (wife), normal, useful skills 10 Reputation 11-: Charming foreign nobleman 5 1D6 Unluck 36 Suave Aristocratic Villain Bonus OCV: 7; DCV: 7; ECV: 8; Mental Def.: 10; Phases: 4, 8, 12 PD/rPD: 5/0; ED/rED: 2/0 Costs: Char.: 100 Disad.: 118 Powers: + 154 Base: + 100 Exp.: + 36 Total: = 254 Total: = 254 Background: Forty years before Professor Moriarty built his criminal empire, nearly fifty years before Dracula menaced London, England was endangered by a suave, aristocratic villain who would have been a worthy foe for modern heroes such as Batman or James Bond. His name? Isidor Ottavio Baldassare Fosco. When English heiress Laura Glyde returned from an extended Continental honeymoon in 1850, her husband invited an old friend to join them at the manor house. Sir Percival Glyde's friend, Count Fosco, had married Laura's Aunt Eleanor several years back. The Italian nobleman attempted to adopt the role of trusted uncle to Lady Glyde and her sister Marian, but the pair quickly came to fear and distrust him. He exerted an unwonted influence over Laura's husband. Laura's aunt -- once outspoken, energetic and sexy -- had become a pale, silent automaton who awaited her husband's instructions with dog-like devotion. Worst of all was the eerie feeling that Fosco was gazing into one's thoughts when he made eye contact and the conviction that he was somehow watching them even when he was in another part of the house. Gradually Laura and Marian deduced that the Count was plotting with Sir Percival to seize Laura's inheritance. Since Laura's only male relative was an invalid living on the other side of the country and since her trusted family solicitor was incapacited by a nervous breakdown, the women at first found themselves helpless to stop Fosco's schemes. Marian managed to temporarily delay his plans by pitting the urbane, contemplative Count against brutal, excitable Glyde. Powers and Abilities: Simply put, Count Fosco is an evil genius. In additon to being a man of broad experience and an excellent judge of human nature, the Count is an accomplished hypnotist and telepath. He must make eye contact and speak clearly to the subject for his powers to be fully effective. A sudden movement or noise nearby can enable his victim to shake free of his domination. A brilliant student of pharmacology and chemistry, Fosco doesn't hesitate to drug prospective hypnotic subjects to make them more susceptible. His usual tool for this is laudanum, an opium derivative, administered in chocolates, tea biscuits or other confections. Madam Fosco's robotic manner and pallid complexion are attributable to regular medication. Fosco is a masterful orator and became quite influential in his country's volatile politics as a member of the Brotherhood until he ran afoul of that murderous secret society. He sings opera, plays several musical instruments, writes literature, speaks multiple languages with perfect fluency, talks knowledgeably on any topic the heroes care to raise, and trains a menagerie of pets to perform complicated tricks. His charm, self-depreciating humor and numerous quirks make him appear a likeable eccentric. However, the Count is a ruthless, ambitious rogue absolutely without scruple. Although he's too old and fat to engage in fisticuffs, Fosco is a dangerous swordsman and an excellent marksman. He looks like an elephant but he strikes like a viper. On the other hand, direct, personal violence is simply not the Count's style. He's much more likely to persuade someone else to do his dirty work for him. He's even more likely to allow the heroes to turn him over to the authorities, knowing that he'll be able to talk himself out of a jail cell in a matter of minutes. Disadvantages: Fosco married Eleanor Farlie for her money only to discover that she'd been disinherited in favor of Laura because of the union. However, he is devoted to her in his own twisted way and will endanger himself to protect her. He also must work daily to maintain his hypnotic control of his wife. Should that control ever slip, her supressed resentment of his domination could explode with murderous fury. The Count is also hunted by the Brotherhood, a Roman criminal guild he once led. While he eagerly keeps tabs on events at home, he hasn't set foot on Italian soil in decades and must remain constantly on the move to avoid assassination. That's part of the reason he's so anxious to get his pudgy hands on Laura's fortune. Fosco's subtlety is a hindrance as well as a useful tool. Since he works through others he's limited by their weaknesses and mistakes; his crimes are necessarily more time-consuming and complicated to pull off. And his compulsion to manipulate those around him in any given situation could tip his hand to the good guys. Height: cm (6 ' 8"), Weight: kg (350 lbs), Sex: Male , Race: Italian Appearance: Fosco is a tall, immensely fat man in his sixties with a baby-smooth face dominated by commanding gray eyes. Given his age and his yellowish skin tone, the rich brown hair atop his head is probably a wig. He has a Brotherhood symbol branded on his left arm. Fosco dresses well but informally, preferring gaudy pastel colors. Although his colorful garb and amiable manners make him appear clownish at first glance, the Count becomes terrifying when he focuses his intense gaze upon a subject he wishes to interrogate. Madam Fosco is in her early forties. She has cold blue eyes and chalky white skin. She sits silently for hours performing little tasks for the Count, such as rolling his cigarettes, and speaks only to agree with him. At his command she can regain something of her former audacious personality to further the Count's ends, but this rush of emotion is turned off like a faucet as soon as Fosco's mission is complete. The only other break in her icy reserve is her intense jealousy toward any woman the Count pays attention to. While adultery is out of the question (Fosco is after wealth, not sex), this often puts a kink in his schemes because the Count has to mollify his wife before he can attempt to charm other females. Campaign Use: Count Fosco is an eerie low-power supervillian to throw against player characters in a Fantasy Hero, Western Hero, Horror Hero, or Justice, Inc., campaign. Heroes from other genres could encounter him as well. While he's not in the same league as most Champions mentalists, his wide range of skills and social contacts make him a more flexible opponent. Besides, that Western Hero sheriff isn't likely to have bought Mental Defense, and his NPC deputy certainly won't have. Depending on the game master's campaign, Fosco need not be after an heiresses' fortune but he will always be after money. His goal is to amass funds and followers enough to return to Italy and seize control of the various factions that are tearing it apart. Should he succeed in this he'll become an even greater threat to the world than he is already. A Fosco regime in a united Italy would be an efficient police state hungry for territory. In the same way, the Count need not be accompanied by Sir Percival Glyde, but he will always have an able-bodied protege to carry out his wishes and to take the blame if the authorities get wind of his current scheme. ====================== Hero System write-up by Kevin Scrivner