John Palmer

AlphaOmega

Name: John Palmer

Age: late 20's

Caste: Eclipse

Concept: Gentleman Mobster

John Palmer is, physically speaking, unremarkable. Average height (just under 6 feet), average build, dark hair, dark eyes, impeccably groomed and dressed. But it's the sheer force of personality that he exudes that makes him unique. He's always friendly, always a gracious host at the club he runs, with a smile on his face for any guest that walks in the door. But underneath that is solid steel, and anyone who underestimates him does so at their peril.

Motivation

To unite the underworld under him.

Anima

The Exalt can spend 10 motes and 1 Willpower point to sanctify an oath. Those who break the oath will horribly botch a number of critical actions (equal to the Eclipse's Essence at the time of the swearing) at the worst possible moment. The Eclipse must either shake hands to seal the agreement, or touch the hands of those swearing to the oath. When totemic, John's anima resembles a pair of shaking hands, glowing with faint wisps of silver and gold light.

Attributes

Physical

Strength 2, Dexterity 3, Stamina 2

Social

Charisma 4, Manipulation 4, Appearance 3

Mental

Perception 3, Intelligence 3, Wits 3

Abilities

Caste

Bureaucracy 5
Linguistics 1 (English, Spanish)
Drive 1
Socialize 3

Favored

Archery/Firearms 4
Integrity 3
Presence 5
Dodge 4
Larceny 3

Other

Performance 1
Resistance 1
Athletics 1
Awareness 2

Backgrounds

Resources 4

The earnings of a mid-level mob boss. The income derives from several properties which John either owns outright, or is a "silent partner". Most notable among these are the Lucky Star Hotel & Casino (where he is a silent partner), and the Velvet Room (a nightclub/dancehall) which he owns outright.

Followers 2

Various underlings and gang members. John has recruited only the best and those whom he can trust into his gang, and they act as his eyes and hands on the streets.

Influence 1

John has some influence in both the aboveground and underworld aspects of Las Vegas.

Backing 1

Although his influence was lessened after "going independent", John is still respected and somewhat trusted by the mortal mob of Las Vegas.

Charms

Archery/Firearms

• 2nd Archery/Firearms Excellency (pg. 184)

Cost: 2 motes/success. Player may spend up to (Ability+Attribute) motes; this Charm adds one success for every two motes spent.

• There is No Wind (pg. 187)

Cost: 3 motes. This Charm nullifies all penalties, except wound and multiple action penalties, applying to a single Archery/Firearms-based attack.

Presence

• 2nd Presence Excellency (pg. 184)

Cost: 2 motes/success. Player may spend up to (Ability+Attribute) motes; this Charm adds one success for every two motes spent.

• Irresistible Salesman Spirit (pg. 205)

Cost: 3 motes. Irresistible Salesman Spirit enhances a Presence-based roll to exert mental influence and make a favorable bargain or encourage a specific action. This Charm doubles the Solar's successes on the roll before comparing them to the target's MDV.

Resistance

• Ox-Body Technique (1x-1, 2x-2) (pg. 208)

This Charm gives the Lawgiver additional health levels.

Dodge

• Shadow over Water (pg. 227)

Cost: 1 mote. This Charm is used in response to an attack. It allows the Exalt to ignore all penalties that apply to his Dodge DV when resolving that attack. His Dodge DV is still 0 against an undodgeable attack, but he takes no further penalties.

• Seven Shadow Evasion (Conviction) (pg. 227)

Cost: 3 motes. The Exalt invokes this Charm in response to an attack. The attack must not be unexpected. This Charm is a dodge that perfectly defends against an attack -- even if the attack is undodgeable. This Charm has one of the Four Flaws of Invulnerability (Conviction -- This Charm does not function when a Solar's actions are contrary to his Motivation.)

Bureaucracy

• 2nd Bureaucracy Excellency (pg. 184)

Cost: 2 motes/success. Player may spend up to (Ability+Attribute) motes; this Charm adds one success for every two motes spent.

• Speed the Wheels (pg. 231)

Cost: 8 motes. The Solar communicates his desire for speedy resolution to the organization, and his player rolls ((Intelligence or Charisma) + Bureaucracy), adding the Solar's Essence in automatic successes. The difficulty of this roll is 1. If the person responsible for this project deliberately engages in delays, subtract an external penalty of ((that person's Intelligence + Bureaucracy) / 2) from the successes on the Bureaucracy roll. The Solar is aware of such delaying tactics, however.
If the Solar succeeds, this Charm divides the time needed to begin the project by (the Solar's Essence + 1), with a maximum possible time of one season.

Linguistics

• Sagacious Reading of Intent (pg. 233)

Cost: 3 motes. This Charm identifies the motivation behind a given statement that the Exalt reads or hears -- a one-sentence summary of what the person making that statement hopes to gain. If the Exalt invokes this Charm to defend against a social attack and the attacker's purpose is fundamentally hostile to the Exalt or the Exalt's motivation, this Charm perfectly negates the attack.

Combos

• "An Offer They Can't Refuse"

--2nd Presence Excellency + Irresistable Salesman Spirit. Cost: 1 WP, 3+2x motes. There is no visible effect as this combo is invoked; rather, John simply becomes far more persuasive.

• "Grease the Wheels of Progress"

--2nd Bureaucracy Excellency + Speed the Wheels. Cost: 1 WP, 8+2x motes. As with John's other Social Combo, there is no visual effect. However, anyone working within the room where the Combo is being used seems (to an outside observer) to work faster, with no movement or effort wasted.

Intimacies

--His territory (and those within it)
--His reputation

Essence

Essence: 2
Personal: 12
Peripheral: 29

Willpower

Willpower: 7

Virtues

Conviction 3, Compassion 2, Temperance 2, Valor 2

Limit Break

• Heart of Flint

The character's heart hardens to all emotion. He feels and expresses no emotions: not robotic, but lacking all empathy and feeling. The character considers only efficiency in choosing his course of action, and his reduced tact imposes a two-die penalty on all Social rolls involving face-to-face interaction.
Partial Control: The character's emotions are significantly muted but still present. He suffes a two-die penalty to Social rolls involving face-to-face interaction, and his primary motivation is still efficiency, but he will avoid doing anything to which he has a strong emotional aversion.
Duration: One full day
Limit Break Condition: The character is frustrated by the intemperate or childish nature of the world around him.

Equipment

Hand-tailored business suit, registered Glock 34 (exceptional -- +1 Accuracy, +1 Damage) and shoulder holster (with accompanying concealed-carry permits), PDA, cell phone with encryption.

Pistol:
Glock 34: Speed 4, Accuracy +2, Damage 6L(P), Rate 2, Range: 15, Clip 16, Cost ***

History

John started out as a simple thug, as part of a gang as a teenager. Within the gang, he was known for being calm under pressure. During a fight, he was careful, but never hesitated to do what was needed. But he was different from his gangmates in that he stayed in school, educating himself, and learning how to move in slightly higher circles. This combination of brains and ruthlessness caught the eye of someone higher up the food chain, and soon enough, John was making his way into the world of organized crime.

Within a few years, John had become someone to watch in the underworld. Any operation he ran, he kept clean and profitable. No dealers were busted, violence was kept to a minimum (or at least, kept behind closed doors), and oddly enough, civilian casualties were minimized. Whenever someone asked why, John generally just shrugged and muttered that it was "bad for business." Less than five years after he joined up, the high-ranking bosses decided to formally induct John into the family.

John arrived at the meeting place, and the bosses showed him what the underworld was really like. Fangs, magic, bloodsucking, the whole deal. John was understandably freaked out by this, and only got less comfortable when he realized that this wasn't just the job opportunity of a life time -- it was the job of several lifetimes. One of the bosses approached him....

And that's when things got weird.

The vampire contingent staggered out less than a half-hour later, muttering about how they'd seen the sun again, or something like that. A few minutes after that, John left, looking utterly collected and confident. No one is quite sure what happened that night -- or, at least, they're not talking about it. All that can be confirmed is that John made it out of that room still breathing, and with his own small territory to rule.

These days, he prefers to negotiate his way through most difficulties. The police prefer him to the other crime lords -- in John's turf, the violence is kept to a minimum and the bribes flow smoothly. Most people see him as an honest, hard-working businessman, and he likes it that way. But John remembers where he came from, and has no qualms about dealing with persistent problems in a very final manner. Above all, though, he's slowly expanding his territory.

After all, he ruled a lot more than Vegas once. He's looking forward to trying that again, only doing it better this time. After all, all that strife and civil war is bad for business.

Personality

No matter what happens, John is cool, collected, and takes pride in always appearing in control. His default state seems to be quiet amusement; he prefers to sit back and watch a situation, before entering into anything. However, when things turn serious, John becomes entirely serious, his posture and body language clearly conveying his authority. He is a leader, and people will listen to what he has to say.

Goals/Motivation

(Still working on it)

Character Notes

Theme Song: "Akio Car", from the anime "Revolutionary Girl Utena". Jazzy, suave, and with a hint of underlying menace. Suits John to a T.
Actor: Mark Strong. Played Septimus in "Stardust", proving that he can play polite and yet utterly ruthless.