Unknow: 70's Dark Champions

[Solomon]

... no, it's not a typo.

 

"Unknow" is the lead character in Roberto "Magnus" Raviola's "Lo Sconosciuto", an action/espionage comic first published in 1975.

I confess I'm a big fan of Magnus, an amazingly complete and versatile artist. Since this is the tenth anniversary of his death, I resolved to make some HERO conversions of his comics' characters.

 

In case you want to know more about Magnus' work, here's a few pages with English content:

 

Wikipedia article on Magnus

Wikipedia article on "Lo Sconosciuto"

 

CAVEAT: Since part of Magnus' work was erotic in nature, the following links might be NOT SAFE FOR WORK.

A Magnus tribute

Magnus Official Page

 

Without further ado, I present you Unknow.

 

 

Unknow

 

[b]Val  	Char   	Cost[/b]
15  	STR	5
18  	DEX	24
15  	CON	10
13  	BODY	6
13  	INT	3
10  	EGO	0
20  	PRE	10
12  	COM	1

6  	PD	3
5  	ED	2
4  	SPD	12
6  	REC	0
30  	END	0
30  	STUN	1

8"  	RUN	0
2"  	SWIM	0
3"  	LEAP	0
[b]Characteristics Cost:[/b] 77 


[b]Cost  	Power	END
[/b]3  	[i]Fast Artificier:[/i] +3 with Demolitions (6 Active Points); Only to offset penalties for performing tasks quickly (-1) 	
4  	[i]Fast:[/i] Running +2" (8" total) 	1
10  	[i]Finder's Keepers:[/i] Luck 2d6 	0
4  	[i]Observant:[/i] +2 PER with Sight Group 	0
5  	[i]Unimpressed:[/i] +10 PRE (10 Active Points); Only To Resist Presence Attacks (-1) 	
[b]Powers Cost:[/b] 26 


[b]Cost  	Martial Arts Maneuver[/b]
 	[b]Commando Training[/b] 
3  	Aikido Throw: 1/2 Phase, +0 OCV, +1 DCV, 5d6 +v/5, Target Falls 
4  	Boxing Cross: 1/2 Phase, +0 OCV, +2 DCV, 7d6 Strike 
3  	Hold: 1/2 Phase, -1 OCV, -1 DCV, Grab Two Limbs, 35 STR for holding on 
4  	Karate Chop: 1/2 Phase, -2 OCV, +0 DCV, HKA 2d6 
4  	Kung Fu Block: 1/2 Phase, +2 OCV, +2 DCV, Block, Abort 
8  	+2 Damage Classes (already added in) 
2  	Use Art with: Clubs, Knives 
Martial Arts Cost: 28 

[b]Cost  	Skill
[/b]10  	+1 Overall 
24  	+3 with All Combat 

2  	Animal Handler (Canines) 13- 
3  	Breakfall 13- 
3  	Climbing 13- 
3  	Combat Driving 13- 
5  	Combat Piloting 14- 
5  	Concealment 13- 
7  	Demolitions 14- 
3  	Interrogation 13- 
3  	Jack of All Trades 
1  	1) PS: Bartending (2 Active Points) 11- 
2  	2) PS: Bodyguard (3 Active Points) 12- 
1  	3) PS: Bouncer (2 Active Points) 11- 
1  	4) PS: Driver (2 Active Points) 11- 
4  	5) PS: Soldier (5 Active Points) 14- 
5  	Various Professional Skills  
2  	KS: Foreign Legion History and Traditions 11- 
5  	KS: The Military/Mercenary/Terorrist World 14- 
2  	Language: Arabic (fluent conversation; English is Native) 
3  	Language: French (completely fluent) 
1  	Language: Italian (basic conversation) 
1  	Language: Spanish (basic conversation) 
3  	Mechanics 12- 
3  	Navigation (Air, Land) 12- 
3  	Paramedics 12- 
3  	Security Systems 12- 
3  	Shadowing 12- 
3  	Sleight Of Hand 13- 
5  	Stealth 14- 
3  	Streetwise 13- 
12  	Survival (Marine, Temperate/Subtropical, Tropical, Desert, Mountain, Urban) 12- 
8  	TF: Common Motorized Ground Vehicles, Helicopters, Parachuting, Advanced, Parachuting, Basic, SCUBA, Small Motorized Boats, Small Planes, Small Rowed Boats, Wheeled Military Vehicles 
3  	Tactics 12- 
3  	Tracking 12- 
3  	Traveler 
3  	1) AK: Algeria (4 Active Points) 13- 
1  	2) AK: France (2 Active Points) 11- 
1  	3) AK: Middle-East (2 Active Points) 11- 
2  	4) AK: Vietnam (3 Active Points) 12- 
2  	5) CK: Marrakech (3 Active Points) 12- 
5  	Various Area Knowledge skills  
6  	WF: Small Arms, Blades, General Purpose/Heavy Machine Guns, Grenade Launchers, Shoulder-Fired Weapons 
[b]Skills Cost:[/b] 171 

[b]Cost  	Talent[/b]
3  	Lightsleep 
3  	Resistance (3 points) 
[b]Talents Cost:[/b] 6
[b]Total Character Cost:[/b] 308 

[b]Val  	Disadvantages[/b]
5  	Age: 40+ 
15  	Enraged: When innocents are threatened or exploited (Common), go 11-, recover 14- 
20  	Hunted: Police force or other authorities 11- (Mo Pow, Capture) 
5  	Money: Poor 
0  	Normal Characteristic Maxima 
15  	Physical Limitation: Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (Frequently, Greatly Impairing) 
15  	Psychological Limitation: Personal sense of honor, protective of innocents (Common, Strong) 
0  	Reputation: Mercenary, 8- (Known Only To A Small Group) 
20  	Social Limitation: No citizenship (Frequently, Severe) 
[b]Disadvantage Points:[/b] 95
[b]Base Points:[/b] 100
[b]Experience Required:[/b] 113
[b]Total Experience Available:[/b] 113
[b]Experience Unspent:[/b] 0 

 

 

Background/History: Little is known about his origin. Unknow won’t disclose where or when he was born, though it appears he came from an English-speaking country. Judging from his apparent age, his approximate date of birth is around or before 1930. At a young age he renounced his nationality and given name to join the French Foreign Legion. His Legion dogtag lists his name as “Unknowâ€, most likely a mispelling of the name he chose for himself when he joined the corp.

Unknow saw action as a Legionnaire in the Indochina War and the Algeria War. When he left the corp after about fifteen year’s service, Unknow found he couldn’t settle to a civilian life anymore. He began to drift from place to place, occasionally working as a mercenary but usually trying, without much success, to adjust to some quieter occupation. Unfortunately, the harder he tried to steer clear of trouble, the more trouble came looking for him. He more or less accidentally crossed paths with arms dealers in Morocco, terrorists in Italy, Nazi treasure hunters in France, and guerrilla in Haiti.

Personality/Motivation: Unknow desires nothing more than settling down and finding a quiet job in a quiet place. Unfortunately, that’s unlikely to ever happen because the people that need his “skills†tend to be an unsavoury lot. Besides, he’s got an amazing knack for being framed for crimes he didn’t commit or being coaxed into service for some shady organization.

Unknow is a man beset by ghosts from his past. He’s done a lot of things he’d rather not have done, a lot of things he’d rather forget. The places he’s been, the wars he’s fought, tend to resurface in sudden flashbacks. At night, he can rarely get more than a couple hours’ sleep in a row without nightmares waking him up. Trying to drown his memories in a bottle only gave him bad health and made it so some of his memories became hazy, but not any less painful.

He has been betrayed far too many times and buried too many dear friends. Now he has trouble developing emotional ties. In fact, he tends to be sarcastic and abrasive. He is, however, fond of simple people, children and animals. Though he fancies himself a cynic, he admire honest persons and idealists and will go to great lengths to protect them. His sense of justice is rudimentary but powerful: he loathes drug dealers, violent criminals and anyone he sees abusing or exploiting the weak and innocent.

Quote: “I’ve seen enough of your kind... vermin who thrive on blood but never get their hands dirty. I’m sick of you all!â€

Power/Tactics: Unknow may not be not the strongest combatant out there, but he’s a veteran with a sharp survival instinct. For all of his psychological issues, he’s surprisingly cool and efficient under pressure. He’s a methodical fighter that doesn’t like to take chances. He has a knack for finding useful things like weapons, money or train tickets, but he usually loses whatever he found within a few days. He’s also a good pilot and artificer.

Campaign Use: Unknow is the disgusted veteran, the man with a past. He’ll usually be working under some assumed name. He might be used as an ally if given some reason to work with the characters: he doesn’t have a proactive stance on crime but he’s ready to fight back if provoked. He might also work for some agency, but he will usually do so only if pressed into service. Unknow also makes for a good redeemable opponent: he won’t work for a known villain, and if he finds out his current employer is a scumbag, he’ll likely turn on him and aid the characters.

He lacks the long-term drive to Hunt anybody, though he might Watch someone on behalf of his current employer.

To make him tougher, give him Combat Luck and some more skill levels. To weaken him, reduce his Speed.

In a present-day campaign, Unknow would be at least in his mid-seventies. He would be too old to be a credible threat in combat, though he might still make for an interesting roleplaying encounter. To make Unknow younger you’ll need to remove the Foreign Legion, Vietnam and Algeria wars references and make him a veteran of some other conflict instead.

Appearance: Unknow is a middle-aged, 6†tall, wiry male Caucasian with strong, angular features, sunken cheeks, blue eyes and greying blond hair with a receding hairline. At the beginning of his published adventures (1975) he is at least in his mid-to-late forties, though he looks somewhat older. What he wears depends on what is appropriate or what he can afford presently. Given the choice, he’ll wear sunglasses and a casual man’s suit without a tie. He won’t remove his old Legion dogtag unless absolutely necessary.

 

 

Next up: A synopsis of Unknow's first story and character sheets for his first opponents.

[Susano]

Re: Unknow: 70's Dark Champions

 

Solomon.

I'd love to host these on my site, if that's okay with you.

[Solomon]

Re: Unknow: 70's Dark Champions

 

Solomon.

I'd love to host these on my site, if that's okay with you.

 

That would be cool! If you need the HD files just drop me a PM.

[CorPse]

Re: Unknow: 70's Dark Champions

 

Sol,

 

Very professional work! Looking forward to further posts.

[Solomon]

Re: Unknow: 70's Dark Champions

 

Unknow's World - The first series (1075-1976)

 

"Lo Sconosciuto" (It. “The Stranger†or “The Unknown Oneâ€) follows the travels and tribulations of a misfit veteran with an obviously fake name (Unknow). Stories in the first series tend to conform to a basic outline: Unknow is fleeing from his previous adventures, trying to settle down and find an honest job. By some twist of fate, he gets caught between the machinations of two or more organizations and needs to fight his way out of the mess.

 

GHOSTS OF THE PAST

Unknow can’t or doesn’t want to remember most of his past – a life of violence and bloodshed. Nonetheless, memories will resurface in strikingly vivid details to haunt his frail mind. It is often sense of guilt for his past misdeeds that prods Unknow to heroism, such as when he braves a sniper to save a mortally wounded man because he is reminded of a fellow Legionnaire he let die in Vietnam. Ghosts seem to haunt other characters as well, such as Herod from “The Five Jewellers†or El Lugubre from “The Man who Killed Ernesto ‘Che’ Guevaraâ€.

 

REALISM

Most stories deal with crime or terrorism, and are notable for their striking hyperrealism. More than in how the plot pans out, the author is interested in waving a rich and complex tapestry of secondary characters and exotic or familiar locales. In Magnus’ world, every life is precious and every death is important: the author makes sure that even characters who amount to little more than throwaway extras are strongly characterised. In fact, Unknow’s role sometimes fades into the background as much space is devoted to fleshing out other characters.

 

FATALISM

Events conspire to lead Unknow astray from his chosen path and back to a life of violence. The basic set-up of early stories often shows two or more factions acting at cross purposes, each unaware of the other, and doomed to mutual destruction. Unknow himself is often unaware of events transpiring around him.

 

HONOR IN DEFEAT

Unknow is a man defeated by life, and he’s fighting an uphill battle. A corrupt, violent world is waging a war of attrition against his sanity and health. In every adventure he gets physically or mentally scarred: victory has a price, and it’s usually a bitter one. On the other hand, by clinging to his few ideals and siding with the underdogs against overwhelming odds, Unknow manages to find a measure of victory even in defeat.

[Solomon]

Re: Unknow: 70's Dark Champions

 

A few hours before dawn

 

Synopsis:

In Marrakech an anonymous lead sets Tagi, a Moroccan detective, and Harris, presumably a MI-5 agent, on the trail of a criminal ring dealing in arms from Europe and contraband diamonds from central Africa. They suspect a local gangster named M’Barek, but need a warrant to apprehend him.

 

Meanwhile, Unknow is dozing off in a local fonduk (bar) when a beautiful Western woman rushes in. Two men follow her and, claiming to be police agents, try to abduct her. Unknow recognises one of them as a local gangster and challenges his claim. A gunfight breaks out and the criminals are killed, but more gangsters force Unknow and the woman to each flee their separate ways. Thanks to street urchin Assaf, Unknow escapes a police search. Fat’mah, a kind elderly woman, hides him.

 

Shortly after Eliza Gonçalves, the western woman from the fonduk, locates and contacts Unknow. She pleads his help, claiming that her husband, Pierre Duval, became involved with local crime and was abducted by smugglers, the same gang that she was fleeing from. She offers a share of the contraband diamonds she was supposed to smuggle, in exchange for her husband’s freedom. Unknow refuses – he doesn’t need diamonds and sees no reason to help a criminal. He does, however, allow the woman to share his hideout.

 

Later, Unknow returns from an errand and finds Fat’mah has been killed. Eliza claims that M’Barek’s gang came looking for him in retaliation for Unknow killing two of their number: she managed to hide but Fat’mah was killed. Unknow resolves to avenge the old woman. He collects his old Legionnaire gear, sneaks into M’Barek’s villa and kills his men one by one. He then confronts their leader and kills him too. Unfortunately, by now Duval is dead too.

 

Eliza sneaks up on Unknow and threatens to kill him. She is, in fact, a wanted terrorist and Duval was her accomplice, not her husband. They both worked for M’Barek. She planned to betray her employer and steal the diamonds, and she set the police on M’Barek’s trail to cover her escape. However, she accidentally stole a parcel of fake diamonds instead, so she needed Unknow to infiltrate the villa and recover the real valuables.

 

Unknow manages to pull the safety pin off one of his grenades and tries to talk his way out of the standoff – as long as he’s holding the grenade they’re both safe, but if Eliza shoots him, she might not have enough time to find cover before the explosion. The terrorist takes her chance and shoots anyway. Unknow dives out of the window just as he’s being hit on a shoulder, but manages to avoid the blast. He then crawls out of the villa with Assaf’s help. Eliza’s fate remains a mystery.

 

Shortly thereafter, Tagi and Harris show up. They now have a warrant, but M’Barek’s death deprived them of their only chance to crack the criminal ring.

[Solomon]

Re: Unknow: 70's Dark Champions

 

ELIZA GONÇALVES

 

 

[b]VAL	Char	Cost	Roll	Notes
[/b]10	STR	0	11-	Lift 100.0kg; 2d6; [2]
16	DEX	18	12-	OCV 5 DCV 5
14	CON	8	12-	
13	BODY	6	12-	
20	INT	10	13-	PER Roll 13-
13	EGO	6	12-	ECV: 4
25	PRE	20	14-	PRE Attack: 5d6
18	COM	4	13-	

4	PD	2		Total: 4 PD (0 rPD)
4	ED	1		Total: 4 ED (0 rED)
3	SPD	4		Phases:  4, 8, 12
5	REC	0		
28	END	0		
26	STUN	1	[b]Total Characteristic Cost:[/b] 80


[b]Movement:[/b]	
Running: 6" / 12"
Swimming: 2" / 4"
Leaping: 2" / 4"

[b]Perks
[/b]1	Criminal Rank:  Gang member
1	False Identity
1	Fringe Benefit:  Passport
5	Money:  Well Off


[b]Talents
[/b]5	Resistance (5 points)


[b]Skills
[/b]2	+1 with Pistol
10	+2 with all PRE Skills

3	Acting 14-
5	Analyze:  Character and personality 14-
3	Bribery 14-
3	Concealment 13-
3	Conversation 14-
3	Disguise 13-
3	High Society 14-
3	Interrogation 14-
3	Linguist
1	1)  Language:  Arabic (fluent conversation; Spanish is Native) (2 Active Points)
3	2)  Language:  English (idiomatic) (4 Active Points)
2	3)  Language:  French (completely fluent) (3 Active Points)
3	4)  Language:  Portugese (idiomatic) (4 Active Points)
2	PS: Journalist 11-
3	PS: Smuggler 12-
2	PS: Terrorist 11-
3	Persuasion 14-
2	KS: The Espionage World 11-
3	KS: The Military/Mercenary/Terrorist World 13-
3	Security Systems 13-
5	Seduction 15-
3	Shadowing 13-
3	Stealth 12-
3	Streetwise 14-
3	Trading 14-
3	Traveler
1	1)  AK: Benelux (2 Active Points) 11-
1	2)  AK: France (2 Active Points) 11-
1	3)  AK: Morocco (2 Active Points) 11-
2	4)  AK: Spain (3 Active Points) 13-
2	WF:  Small Arms


[b]Total Powers & Skill Cost:[/b] 108
[b]Total Cost:[/b] 188

[b]100+	Disadvantages
[/b]10	Enraged:  Whenever her PRE Skills or PRE Attacks fail (Uncommon), go 11-, recover 14-
20	Hunted:  International Law Enforcement Agencies 8- (Mo Pow, NCI, Capture)
0	Normal Characteristic Maxima
10	Psychological Limitation:  Overconfident (Uncommon, Strong)
25	Psychological Limitation:  Sociopath (Very Common, Total)
10	Reputation:  European terrorist, 8- (Extreme)
13	Experience Points

[b]Total Disadvantage Points:[/b] 188

 

Background/History: Eliza Gonçalves was born in Spain around 1950. She became involved with a terrorist group when she was a university student. When the police discovered her criminal activities, she seduced her older French accomplice Pierre Duval and they both fled to Morocco. In Marrakech they put their skills as arms dealers to good use with M’Barek’s gang. Eliza, however, soon grew discontent. She couldn’t bear simply being a pawn in a much larger game, so she concocted a plan to betray Duval and M’Barek and flee to South America.

Personality/Motivation: Eliza is almost a textbook case of a sociopath. She is entirely amoral and self-centred and feels neither empathy nor compassion for other human beings. On the surface, though, she’s outgoing, charming and flirtatious. She likes to manipulate others, and she’s extremely apt at doing that – nothing gives her as much pleasure as being completely in control of someone’s emotions. By the same token, she gets angry whenever she loses control over her mark. Her weak point is overconfidence – she believes her superior intellect can fool anybody, and this leads her to spin elaborate, daring charades even when just keeping a low profile would work better.

Quote: “My name is Eliza Gonçalves, and I... I need your help”.

Power/Tactics: Eliza is a skilled manipulator and spy. She’s particularly adept at quickly sizing up anybody’s personality (her Analyze skill). This allows her to determine the most effective angle from which to manipulate her target, i.e. who is vulnerable to bribery, who can be seduced and so on.

Campaign Use: The typical Eliza Gonçalves plot involves her gaining the PCs’ trust by playing the “damsel in distress” routine. If any male character seems interested, she might try to seduce him as well. She will then try to direct the group against her current enemies, or she might play one PC against the rest of the group.

She’s unlikely to directly Hunt anybody. She’ll manipulate someone else into doing the Hunting instead.

Eliza isn’t meant to be a combat-effective character. To make her more dangerous, give her higher PRE skills and some loyal bodyguard. To make her less dangerous, remove her Analyze skill.

You shouldn’t have any trouble adapting her to a present-day campaign, as her background isn’t tied to any specific historical event. Today, the original Eliza would be in her mid-fifties and could still cling to some of her charms, or she might sit at the top of a small criminal empire.

Appearance: Eliza is a striking Spanish beauty with finely chiselled features and deep, dark, almond eyes. Her raven hair is medium-length and wavy. She’s about 5’8”, with a slender and athletic build. She will dress accordingly to the situation at hand – she’s got loads of charm and fashion sense to boot.

[Solomon]

Re: Unknow: 70's Dark Champions

 

YOUSSEF M'BAREK

 

 

[b]VAL	Char	Cost	Roll	Notes
[/b]10	STR	0	11-	Lift 100.0kg; 2d6; [2]
11	DEX	3	11-	OCV 4 DCV 4
13	CON	6	12-	
11	BODY	2	11-	
18	INT	8	13-	PER Roll 13-
15	EGO	10	12-	ECV: 5
18	PRE	8	13-	PRE Attack: 3 1/2d6
10	COM	0	11-	

4	PD	2		Total: 4 PD (0 rPD)
3	ED	0		Total: 3 ED (0 rED)
3	SPD	9		Phases:  4, 8, 12
5	REC	0		
26	END	0		
25	STUN	2	[b]Total Characteristic Cost:[/b] 50


[b]Movement:[/b]
Running: 6" / 12"
Swimming: 2" / 4"
Leaping: 2" / 4"

[b]Perks[/b]
3	Business Rank:  Head of a minor import/export firm
3	Criminal Rank:  Caid, Gang Leader
25	Followers (up to 16 Thugs, 25 Base Character Points)
10	Money:  Wealthy
2	Reputation:  Powerful and respected (Known Only to Marrakech residents) 11-, +2/+2d6
3	Well-Connected
20	Various Contacts and Favors


[b]Skills[/b]
4	+2 with Pistol

3	Bribery 13-
3	Bureaucratics 13-
4	CK: Marrakech 14-
5	Conversation 14-
3	High Society 13-
1	Language:  English (basic conversation; Arabic is Native)
3	Language:  French (completely fluent)
3	Oratory 13-
3	PS: Businessman 13-
4	PS: Smuggler 14-
3	Persuasion 13-
3	Scholar
2	1)  KS: Arab Literature (3 Active Points) 13-
3	2)  KS: Marrakech Underworld (4 Active Points) 14-
1	3)  KS: Moroccan politics (2 Active Points) 11-
2	4)  KS: Sahara caravan routes (3 Active Points) 13-
1	5)  KS: The Military/Mercenary/Terrorist World (2 Active Points) 11-
3	Streetwise 13-
3	Trading 13-
2	WF:  Small Arms


[b]Total Powers & Skill Cost:[/b] 125
[b]Total Cost:[/b] 175

[b]100+	Disadvantages[/b]
5	Enraged:  When orders are not followed properly (Uncommon), go 8-, recover 14-
10	Hunted:  Moroccan Police 8- (Mo Pow, NCI, Limited Geographical Area, PC has a Public ID or is otherwise very easy to find, Watching)
10	Psychological Limitation:  Greedy and ruthless (Uncommon, Strong)
10	Psychological Limitation:  Mistrusts followers (Common, Moderate)
5	Psychological Limitation:  Quotes poetry at inopportune moments (Uncommon, Moderate)
5	Reputation:  Gang leader, 8- (Extreme;  Known Only to Marrakech Residents)
30	Experience Points

[b]Total Disadvantage Points:[/b] 175

 

Background/History: Youssef M’Barek was born in Marrakech from a wealthy and influential family and enjoyed the fruits of pampered upbringing and fine education. Unfortunately, he chose to devote his considerable intelligence to crime. Running an import/export firm specializing in chemicals and engineering equipment, over years M’Barek developed a network of international contacts.

Nowadays his legitimate business hides the real source of most of his wealth: smuggling and arms dealing. M’Barek illegally imports arms from Europe. His political ties allow him to arrange for convenient distractions such as street riots when he needs to divert the police’s attention from his “goods”. He then proceeds to move most of the arms to Central Africa thanks to Bedouin caravans. M’Barell also deals in contraband diamonds, which follow the opposite road – from Central Africa to Marrakech and then to Europe under cover of legitimate business trips.

Personality/Motivation: Despite being a villain of the worst sort, M’Barek fancies himself literate and a poet. He loves classic Arabic poetry and will quote from it almost constantly. He knows that the police is harboring suspicion on his activities, so he will try to present a respectable facade in public and he will be cautious not to be linked to any violent criminal action. He only respects his henchmen that show some wits and charms (such as his lieutenant Basim), but he shows nothing but contempt for his thugs. He doesn’t trust most of his followers and spends much time thinking about how to protect himself from his own henchmen.

Quote: “Quoth the poet: ‘But I do not fear him: if he wants to wage war, I will march against him’”.

Power/Tactics: M’Barek isn’t much of a threat by himself. What makes him dangerous are his Followers and his Contacts. He rarely leaves his well-guarded villa. Whenever anything goes wrong, his top priority will be to cover his tracks and avoid being targeted by police investigations. That, of course, involves eliminating anyone who knows too much about his operations.

Campaign Use: While M’Barek rarely leaves Marrakech, the international scope of his dealings makes for a lot of good plot hooks. Characters might stumble into his operations while passing through Morocco, or they might travel to Africa to confront him after finding evidence of his crimes in some distant country. Also, documents in M’Barek’s villa might lead PCs to other criminals in Africa or Europe. M’Barek’s gang is fairly small and not terribly powerful, but they are part of a much larger smuggling ring. Anyone who messes with them is likely to become the target of a far-reaching vendetta.

M’barek will ruthlessly Hunt down anyone who endangers his operations. He likes to kills his enemies with his own hands, so he will try to have them abducted and brought to his villa if possible.

M’Barek isn’t much of a combat threat. To make him more dangerous, just give him more and stronger Followers. To make him less of a threat, reduce his Followers and eliminate his international Contacts, making him a free agent.

No changes are necessary to make him suitable for a present-day campaign.

Appearance: M’Barek is a tall, thin Arabic man in his forties. He has sharp features and a piercing gaze. He keeps a short beard and usually wears well-made traditional Moroccan clothing.

 

Next update: Secondary characters from this story.

[Solomon]

Re: Unknow: 70's Dark Champions

 

Lesser characters in "A few hours before dawn".

 

Unknow with Assaf and Fat'mah

 

ASSAF

 

6	STR		8	DEX
8	CON		8	BODY	
10	INT		10	EGO
13	PRE		10	COM
2	PD		2	ED
2	SPD		3	REC
16	END		15	STUN

 

Abilities: Acting 12-, CK: Marrakech 13-, Concealment 12-, KS: Marrakech Underworld 11-, Language: English (basic conversation; Arabic is Native), Language: French (basic conversation), PS: Beggar 11-, Sleight Of Hand 11-, Streetwise 12-, Survival (Urban) 12-, Trading 8-

 

Disadvantages: Physical Limitation: Lame; Money: Poor; Psychological Limitation: Reckless.

 

Notes: Assaf is a lame street urchin making a living in Marrakech from begging and performing small favors for tourists. He’s energetic and friendly but rather naive and reckless, but he knows the city like the back of his hand. Given time, he can find almost anyone or anything. He has little concept of how much his services are really worth – he’ll start by asking outrageous prices but they can be easily bargained down.

 

 

 

FAT’MAH

 

6	STR		6	DEX
8	CON		6	BODY
10	INT		8	EGO
10	PRE		8	COM
2	PD		2	ED
2	SPD		3	REC
16	END		13	STUN

 

Abilities: Animal Handler (Canines) 8-, PS: Garden tending 8-, PS: Housewife 11-, Paramedics 8-.

 

Disadvantages: Money: Poor

 

Notes: Fat’mah is an ageing Moroccan lady that makes a living renting rooms. She is a motherly, friendly and empathic person with a traditionalist mindset. She thinks of adventurous types as reckless children who really ought to grow up, settle down, and raise some children.

 

 

PIERRE DUVAL

 

 

8	STR		10	DEX
8	CON		8	BODY
15	INT		10	EGO
10	PRE		8	COM
2	PD		2	ED
2	SPD		4	REC
16	END		16	STUN

 

Abilities: AK: Benelux 11-, AK: France 12-, AK: Morocco 11-, Acting 8-, Bribery 11-, Bureaucratics 11-, Forgery 12-, KS: The Military/Mercenary/Terrorist World 11-, Language: Arabic (fluent conversation; French is Native), Mechanics 12-, PS: Mechanical Engineer 12-, PS: Smuggler 13-, PS: Terrorist 11-, SS: Chemistry 8-, WF: Small Arms, False Identity, Fringe Benefit: Criminal Rank; Money: Well Off.

 

Disadvantages: Hunted: French Law Enforcement Agencies 8- (Mo Pow, NCI, Capture).

 

Notes: A French engineer turned terrorist, Pierre left Europe to join M’Barek’s gang when the police began breathing down his neck. He is responsible for the trans-Mediterranean side of M’Barek’s operations. He is also Eliza’s lover and has absolute trust in her.

 

 

 

HARRIS

 

 

8	STR		8	DEX
10	CON		12	BODY
18	INT		11	EGO
13	PRE		10	COM
3	PD		2	ED
2	SPD		4	REC
20	END		21	STUN

 

Abilities: Bureaucratics 12-, Conversation 12-, Criminology 13-, Deduction 13-, KS: Criminal Law and Procedure 13-, KS: Organized Crime 11-, KS: The Espionage World 13-, KS: The Law Enforcement World 13-, KS: The Military/Mercenary/Terrorist World 13-, Language: Arabic (basic conversation; English is Native), Language: French (fluent conversation), PS: MI-5 agent 12-, PS: Researcher 13-, Security Systems 8-, 10 points' worth of Contacts in various law enforcement agencies, Fringe Benefit: Espionage Rank, Fringe Benefit: Security Clearance.

 

Disadvantages: Hunted: MI-5 8- (Mo Pow, NCI, Watching), Social Limitation: Subjetc to Orders.

 

Notes: Harris is a British agent (most likely a member of MI-5) coordinating an international investigations on arms dealers. He is plump, polite and unassuming but very efficient.

 

 

 

TAGI

 

 

10	STR		14	DEX
13	CON		11	BODY	
13	INT		11	EGO
15	PRE		14	COM
4	PD		3	ED
3	SPD		5	REC
26	END		23	STUN

 

Abilities: +1 PER with Sight Group Perception rolls, Bureaucratics 12-, CK: Marrakech 12-, Combat Driving 8-, Concealment 12-, Conversation 8-, Criminology 12-, Deduction 12-, KS: Criminal Law and Procedure 12-, KS: Marrakech Government 11-, KS: Marrakech Underworld 11-, KS: The Law Enforcement World 12-, Language: French (completely fluent; Arabic is Native), PS: Police Officer 12-, Shadowing 12-, Streetwise 12-, WF: Small Arms, 10 points' worth of Contacts in city government and the street, Fringe Benefit: Law Enforcement Rank, Fringe Benefit: Local Police Powers, Fringe Benefit: Weapon Permit.

 

Disadvantages: Hunted: Marrakech Police 11- (Mo Pow, NCI, Watching), Social Limitation: Subjetc to Orders.

 

Notes: Tagi lives in a corrupt city and he knows that. He is aware that being an honest cop in Marrakech is like treading on thin ice and he acts accordingly. He works strictly by the book and doesn’t like to cut corners. He has little respect for politicians and government officers but he knows that, in this city, he wouldn’t last long without their support.

 

 

 

M'BAREK'S GANG

 

 

Notes: A crew of (mostly) Competent gangsters. Left to right: Rashid and Djedid (first image); Selim, Youssef, Saif, Basim, Maruf, Hasan and Khalif (second image).

 

 

 

Next update: Unknow's second story arc, "Largo delle Tre Api" and "Death in Rome" and a handful of villains.