THE DRIFTER Val Char Cost Roll Notes

10 STR 0 11- Lift 100 kg; 2d6 [1]

14 DEX 12 12- OCV: 5/DCV: 5 18 CON 16

15 BODY 10

25 INT 15 PER Roll 26 EGO 32 14- ECV: 9

33 PRE 23 16- PRE Attack: 6½d6 10 COM 0

8 PD 6 Total: 23 PD (15 rPD) 8 ED 4 Total: 23 ED (15 rED) 5 SPD 26 Phases: 3, 5, 8, 10, 12 6 REC 0

36 END 0

29 STUN 0 Total Characteristics Cost: 144 Movement: Running: 6”/12”

Teleportation: 25”/1,600”

Cost Powers END

60 Mystic Power: Endurance Reserve

(300 END, 30 REC) 0

375 Thaumaturgical Powers: Variable Power Pool, 150 base + 75 control cost,

Cosmic (+2) var

90 Mystic Wards: Force Field (15 PD/

15 ED/15 Mental Defense/15 Power

Defense), Reduced Endurance (0 END; +½) 0 60 Mystic Fortitude: Physical and Energy

Damage Reduction, Resistant, 50% 0 50 Mystic Fortitude: Life Support: Total

(including Longevity: Immortality) 0 7 Mystic Fortitude: Healing BODY 1d6,

Reduced Endurance (0 END; +½), Persistent (+½); Extra Time (Regeneration, 1 BODY per Turn

[Post-Segment 12]; -1¼), Self Only (-½) 0 75 Instantaneous Travel: Teleportation 25”,

x64 Noncombat 7

45 Walking Through Realities: Extra- Dimensional Movement (any physical location in any dimension) 4 9 Oracular Dreams: Clairsentience (Hearing

And Sight Groups), Precognition, Reduced Endurance (0 END; +½); Extra Time (minimum of 1 Hour spent sleeping, and often longer; -3), No Conscious Control (-2), Only Through Dreams (-1),

Precognition Only (-1) 0

15 See The Arcane: Detect Magic 14-

(Sight Group), Discriminatory, Analyze 0 Perks

3 Fringe Benefit: National Police Powers 5 Fringe Benefit: Security Clearance 3 Well-Connected

2 1) The Witness 8- (very useful Skills or resources)

17 2) The Trismegistus Council 11- (extremely useful Skills or resources, significant Con-tacts of its own, Organization)

25 3) 25 more points’ worth of Contacts and Favors in the Mystic World

Talents

46 Mystic Guardian Of Earth: Danger Sense (any location, any danger, sense) 18-24 Gift Of Tongues: Universal Translator

18-Skills

18 +6 with Thaumaturgical Powers VPP 3 Acting

16-3 Analyze Magic 14-3 Concealment 14-3 Conversation

16-5 Cramming

2 Cryptography 14-; Translation Only (-½) 3 AK: Earth

14-2 AK: Faerie

11-11 Navigation (Astral, Dimensional) 18-3 Oratory

16-3 Persuasion 16-3 Shadowing 14-3 Stealth

16-Total Powers & Skills Cost: 1,003 Total Cost: 1,147

200+ Disadvantages

20 Distinctive Features: discomfitting aura (Not Concealable; Causes Major Reaction [dis-comfort, nervousness, “the creeps”]) 15 Hunted: Circle Of the Scarlet Moon 8- (As

Pow, NCI, Harshly Punish)

20 Hunted: DEMON 11- (As Pow, NCI, Harshly Punish)

15 Hunted: Various Evil Cosmic Entities 8- (Mo Pow, Harshly Punish)

5 Physical Limitation: Cannot Disguise Him-self (Infrequently, Slightly Impairing) 20 Psychological Limitation: Tries to

Pre-vent The Disasters And Evil He Foresees (Common, Total)

10 Psychological Limitation: Manipulative; Not Above Playing On Other’s Weaknesses For The Greater Good (Common, Moderate) 842 Experience Points

Total Disadvantage Points: 1,147

Background/History: The Drifter — a name widely thought to be short for “the Astral Planes Drifter,”

though that belief didn’t become common until the mid-Seventies as a play on the movie title High Plains Drifter — is a strange mystic hero with an equally strange past. Jonathan Keyes was an an up-and-coming prosecutor in the New York City Dis-trict Attorney’s office in 1938 with a bright future ahead. He was working night and day amassing evi-dence for his biggest case ever, in which he planned to finally bring down notorious mob boss Matteo Camorra. But Camorra learned what Keyes was

doing and decided to make an example of him. He framed the young lawyer for various crimes, including suborn-ing false testimony and embezzling government funds.

And he did such a good job of it Keyes was found guilty and disbarred. His friends turned their backs on him in disgust, and Keyes, who’d always drank a little too much anyway, slipped into chronic alcoholism and depression. He soon lost his fancy apartment and wound up living in a rat-infested flop-house in the Bowery.

One night Keyes was sleeping off a bender in an alleyway near the docks when the sounds of a fight awakened him.

He saw a mugging

taking place — two young toughs were beating the old fisherman and taking his meager earnings for the night. Keyes tried to intervene and protect the old man, but the thugs overpowered him as well and one of them stabbed him in the heart with a knife. As Keyes fell to the ground in a small pool of his own blood, the crooks ran off.

Keyes awoke to find himself in a misty land-scape, a dark wood obscured by fog. Standing next to him was a being, who alternately seemed to look like an old bearded man in a robe, a beauti-ful young woman, or an enormous owl each time the dim moonlight caught him. His mysterious companion spoke to him, retelling his life story and commiserating over the misfortunes that had befallen him. “You lost your faith in the world, Jonathan, your faith in justice, law, and fairness.

Would you like an opportunity to set it all right, to restore the balance?” Keyes, thinking this was some sort of dying dream, laughed a little and said,

“More than anything.” “Done, then,” answered the being, who raised its hands/wings and disappeared into a choking mist that made Keyes cough. “You will return to the world, changed forever and yet unchanging, for as long as you have the will to fight for what is right.”

When the mist cleared, Keyes was back in the alley behind the fishery. He felt somehow stronger, more alive than he’d ever felt before. His mind was filled with knowledge and wisdom, his body with mystic power. Eerie visions passed before his

eyes, and secrets he was barely conscious of until he concentrated on them flitted through his brain.

He struck the alley wall experimentally, and was strangely reassured by the pain.

He returned to his rooms and tried to change out of his ratty overcoat and bloodstained shirt...

but no matter what other clothes he put on, they transformed before his eyes back into what he’d been wearing when he died. The wound on his chest remained too, no longer bleeding but still there as a reminder of his strange encounter.

Keyes used his remarkable new abilities over the next several weeks, first to bring to justice the two thugs that had “killed” him and then to dismantle the Camorra organization piece by piece, finally confront-ing Camorra himself in his penthouse apartment.

He narrowly avoided the mobster’s mad rush with a knife, causing Camorra to plunge over the railing to his death. But Keyes soon realized there was more to his abilities than just fighting crooks on the streets. He was somehow attuned to the world, particularly its mystic side, and could sense where he was needed. He began appearing mysteriously to those in peril, help-ing them and thwarthelp-ing the evil that attacked them.

More than one would-be victim later told report-ers about “that drifter who saved me”... and thus the Drifter got a name.

When World War II broke out, the Drifter found himself regularly in conflict with various mystics working for the Axis powers. Despite the fact that he preferred (and still prefers) to work alone most of the time, he joined the Justice Squadron to protect the American homefront from enemy activities. During this time he became friends with the original Brawler and Tomahawk, and when the war ended and the team broke up the three remained friends.

In the years after the war, few costumed superheroes were active. The Drifter continued to operate, but behind the scenes, in the shadows where his enemies also lurked. He studied more and more of the secrets of the arcane, becoming an accomplished thaumaturge and traveling exten-sively throughout the dimensions. In 1961 he met the young superhero Vanguard when both were pursuing a pack of werewolves, and they struck up a friendship. A few months later, Bram MacFarlane captured the Drifter and tried to siphon his potent mystical energies off to use himself. Vanguard assembled a new Justice Squadron to rescue his old friend, and when it was all over the Drifter joined the team himself. For the next thirty years, until Vanguard’s death in the Battle of Detroit, the two heroes remained the core of the Squadron.

Today the Drifter continues to be one Earth’s foremost mystical defenders. Though he rarely partici-pates in the day-to-day activities of the team, they’re always his first choice when he requires allies to help him deal with a major threat, and he’s always available for the team to call on themselves when they encoun-ter a magical problem. He’s on good encoun-terms with other mystical agents for good, whether groups like the Tris-megistus Council or individual heroes like Witchcraft and Robert Caliburn. Some have suggested he should be the next Archmage.

Personality/Motivation: The Drifter is a power-ful force for good in the world — one of Earth’s mightiest mystics, and a man (some would say

“being”) of bravery, learning, and wisdom to boot. Although he seems to enjoy being enig-matic just to frustrate those around them, and is in human terms somewhat distant and detached (not to mention, as Flashover puts it, “spooky”), the other JSers know he’s a true friend and rely on him and his advice extensively.

In addition to being “deliberately mysterious,”

the Drifter can also be pushy and manipulative — if he thinks something needs to be done, he doesn’t care if people do it because they’re asked or because he tricks them into it. All that matters is that it gets done. He’s always focused on the “big picture” of protecting humanity and defeating evil, and seems to care little for the “small problems” of everyday life (such as maintaining a Secret Identity, keep-ing dates with spouses or girlfriends, or the like...

something the other JSers and more than a few solo heroes have learned to their chagrin when he showed up out of nowhere to insist on their help).

Despite all that he’s learned over the last sixty years as a student of the occult and traveler among dimensions, the Drifter still doesn’t know who it was that first returned him from beyond death and gave him his original powers. He suspects that it was some Lord of the Outer Planes, perhaps a manifestation of Justice, though it’s possible he was bonded with some spirit who seeks to right wrongs.

Ultimately it’s not important; what matters is that he has a role to play in the destiny of the world and intends to do so to the best of his ability.

Quote: “I dreamed last night of fire and darkness.

You’re going to have to come with me.”

Powers/Tactics: The Drifter is one of the most powerful good-aligned mystics on Earth; some people even think he could give Takofanes a run for his money (an assertion the Drifter rightly denies, though the two have yet to clash). See The Mystic World for dozens of thaumaturgy spells he can cast with his Variable Power Pool. He’s also superhu-manly physically tough as a result of having died and come back to life, but otherwise is similar to an ordinary human physically in most ways.

The power the Drifter’s best known for is his ability to “walk through realities” — in other words, travel among the dimensions. Sometimes he does this to enable instantaneous travel over distances of up to about 3 kilometers (Teleportation), at other times he moves from one plane to another for longer periods of time (Extra-Dimensional Move-ment). (If necessary for plot purposes, the GM should let him use his VPP to apply naked Adders and Advantages to these powers, such as Increased Mass or MegaScale.) Among other things, these two abilities allow him to “appear out of nowhere”

to warn someone or request another hero’s help.

The Drifter frequently has precognitive dreams, and also has a powerful mystic sense for impending danger. These abilities allow him the time to gather small groups of heroes to oppose the threat — usually that means the Justice

Squad-ron, but sometimes his visions guide him to other heroes, or he considers another team more appro-priate for opposing a particular foe.

Despite his awesome power, the Drifter is restricted in a few ways. First, in the interest of maintaining cosmic balance, he prefers not to use more than 60-75 Active Points in any given VPP slot. He can use as much as he wants, up to the full 150, but he tends to do that only when it’s absolutely necessary. Too much use of powerful magic could strain the fabric of reality too much.

Second, the Drifter cannot disguise himself in any way, mystic or mundane. Any clothes he puts on transform themselves into the same thread-bare overcoat, white shirt with small bloodstain, grey pants, and scuffed shoes that he wears;

mundane disguises slough off him right away;

illusions unravel or shatter.

Campaign Use: The Drifter is a plot device par excellence. His mystic powers could get him involved in almost anything or with anyone, his power to perceive dangers and threats gives him a reason to warn people, and his manipulative attitude means he’s more than willing to meddle with someone if that meddling’s warranted by a greater good. He’s also a superb source of informa-tion about All Things Mystic (and not a bad one about All Things Everything Else, either). To keep him from overshadowing your PCs you may need to weaken him through such classic standbys as

“mystic static” or “got hit in the head and can’t concentrate enough to use all his powers.” But one thing’s for sure: when the Drifter turns up, there’s trouble brewing somewhere.

The Drifter probably doesn’t need to be any more powerful, but if necessary you can increase the size of his Variable Power Pool, or give him more commonly-used abilities outside the VPP (don’t buy them in Power Frameworks so he can use the VPP to augment them if necessary). To weaken him, reduce the VPP to appropriate levels, and/or get rid of some or all of the Cosmic (+2) Advantage so it’s harder to use.

The Drifter doesn’t exactly Hunt people. If he senses a danger he’ll show up to deal with it, either by himself or with the help of the JS or other heroes he’s dragooned into service, but he doesn’t spend his time tracking his enemies down. He’s more reactive than proactive most of the time.

Appearance: The Drifter is a plain-looking white man, apparently in his late thirties, with close-cropped brown hair and piercing blue eyes. He’s 5’10” tall with a slender but not athletic build.

He wears a slightly threadbare and dusty brown overcoat over a white button-down workshirt and pants, and scuffed black walking shoes. The shirt has a bloodstain directly over his heart — it’s small enough to cover up with the coat, but noticeable if he’s not trying to hide it. He has a remarkable facil-ity for blending into crowds.

FLASHOVER Movement: Running: 6”/12”

Leaping: 1½”/3”

Flight: 20”/80”

Cost Powers END

64 Fiery Form: HKA 2d6, Continuous (+1), Damage Shield (does damage in HTH combat; +¾), Reduced Endurance (0 END; +½), Persistent (+½); No STR Bonus (-½), Only In Heroic Identity (-¼) 0 60 Fire Creation And Manipulation:

Multipower, 75-point reserve; all slots Only In Heroic Identity (-¼)

6u 1) Fiery Blast I: Energy Blast 12d6, Reduced Endurance (½ END; +¼);

Only In Heroic Identity (-¼) 3 6u 2) Fiery Blast II: RKA 4d6, Reduced

Endurance (½ END; +¼); Only In

Heroic Identity (-¼) 3

6u 3) Fiery Blast III: Energy Blast 15d6 ; Only In Heroic Identity (-¼) 7 6u 4) Fireball: Energy Blast 10d6, Explosion

(+½); Only In Heroic Identity (-¼) 7 6u 5) Dehydrating Heat: Energy Blast 7d6,

NND (defense is Life Support [Safe Environment: Intense Heat] or having fire powers; +1); Only In Heroic Identity (-¼) 7 6u 6) Extinguish Fires: Dispel Fire 20d6, any

one Fire power at a time (+¼); Only In

Heroic Identity (-¼) 7

6u 7) Flashover I: Sight Group Flash 12d6, Reduced Endurance (½ END; +¼); Only

In Heroic Identity (-¼) 3

5u 8) Flashover II: Sight Group Flash 6d6, Area Of Effect (4” Radius; +1), Reduced Endurance (½ END; +¼); Only In Heroic

Identity (-¼) 3

17 Spark: RKA 1 point, Area Of Effect (One Hex Accurate; +½), Continuous (+1), Penetrating (+½), Reduced Endurance (0 END; +½), Sticky (only affects flammables; +¼), Uncontrolled (fire stops burning when it runs out of fuel or oxygen, or someone extinguishes the flames; +½); Limited Range (30”; -¼) 0