NPCs · Major · Artistic/Performance
Walker
Some cities have more spirit than others.
While geared for a modern or pulp campaign, adaptable in concept to any genre or setting
Description
Spirit/ male(?)/30ish
Walker appears to be a young man in his late 20, early 30s. He is a light skinned african american male, with loose curly hair. He tends to wear a retro appearing suits, from the 20s to 40s and a hat. He is almost never without an instrument, usually a saxaphone
Story
Walker was once a human in the Jazz period in San Francisco (which is where the term Jazz was coined and has a history with the music like New Orleans). He believed in the city and the spirit of the city. When he died, an old grungy miner type (The Goldsrush's spirit) escorted him around the city and explained his new job... as a city elemental... the spirit of the city.
Powers
He knows what is happening around the city. While he can effect emotions and feelings, he has little in the way of tangible powers. Just a probability control of what occurs inside the city.
How you might ask?
Imagine traffic against you, all the time. Imagine the city police driven to capture you. Every restaurant seems closed to you, or the service is crappy. Buildings dropping bricks or windows on the character. The Gas Main might explode, if you really piss him off.
Imagine people afraid of you, or liking you. Everyone in the city is part of it, and thus part of Walker's domain.
Roleplay Notes...
Walker is a laid back sort... a traditional musician. He like music and people enjoying themselves... even if it is rock and roll.
In fact if wasn't for the music, the 60s would not of been anchored in San Francisco. The Flower Children would of had no home (except maybe Berkeley). Walker made "FlowerChild" the elemental of the Haight Ashbury district.
He is noted for his acceptance of diversity.
There are other city elementals around, they are all based in their various neighborhoods.
Red Dragon for China Town.
The Banker: A stuffy 1890s robber barron.
The Exec: A female tech orriented executive type who exists around market st. She is always talking to someone on her headset cell phone.
The Fabulous: Castro and Polk's halloween party personified.
Hardass: Life is hard in Hunter's Point. The spirit of the place is harder still. He fuels the violence that makes the people "strong" there.
There are a couple of lesser ones in the city, each one protecting their own little turf, with Walker looking over the city.
Every city of note/ power has elementals. You will need to create them as you need them for your city.
Plot Lines
Something is subtly effecting the city, Walker asks you to check it.
Walker will actually visit with those who are mystically inclined. He may even talk to their friends.
Walker is often seen playing the Sax at the Bart Station downtown. He donates his money to homeless kids as he doesn't need it. In fact, the PCs might of seen him there before... heck they may even have given him money.
Walker is a sucker for music, so he will be present at any new concert. Mess with the music, and Walker will come down on you.
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- MoonHunter's Super Thread by MoonHunter Bound
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I think I 'get' the character, but I am not sure what to do with it. Is it a cosmic aid? Is it the mysterious source of info? Is it just a neat mystical thing in the background. I am not sure how to use this one and you didn't tell me.
It is all of those things you have mentioned, Kendra, and see also the plot lines.
A nice character that could exist in any city that has a 'spirit' of some sort. (Why is the freetext then Supers?)
Like it.
It has the Supers Freetext because it is most useful in a Super's game. This is an incredibly powerful spirit in an urban fantasy or any modern setting. The ablity to manipulate luck/ chance and motivation of the city (and its dwellers) is a powerful one inside the city limits. Even a neighborhood spirit (in a powerful city) would be a pretty powerful piece for most campaign. Unless your spirits are "not engaged" with the characters or most of the world, most PCs will be a DEX/Reflex save from being smeared.
In a Super's game, the PC's can hold their own (or at least not be a quick smear) against Walker or other city elementals. Given the amount of magic that occasionally floats into a super's game, they will encounter powerful magical beings. The elementals will come into play eventually.
Walker also can be used as your standard "Mystic Contact" for the Supers Team.
Werewolf has a similar concept in the City Father totems, spirits that are associated with a specific city. They are tied to the city and it's welfare, but are larger than the normal location based spirit, kinda scatter-brained. It described Atlanta as a singed Southern Belle, While Boston was a fast talking politico who looked like a Kennedy, or something like that.
On the whole, I like that idea, but I like this application better. Each major city could have it's own version of Walker.
Updated a bit of content.
Not someone to piss off.
Man, do I love urban fantasy...
Hi,
I am out of votes apparently, but again I like this idea. The description you give of this particular spirit doesn't go much above the list of other spirits you gave.
"The Banker: A stuffy 1890s robber barron.
The Exec: A female tech orriented executive type who exists around market st. She is always talking to someone on her headset cell phone."
As Kendra said the idea isn't well developed. So perhaps the walker could have a connection to some of the PCs. He could be an ancestor of one of the characters or need a character take of some physical matters he can't take manipulate. You could use the character as muse. Perhaps one of the character is an artist and the Jazz walker has to inspire him. So the Jazz walker would be kind of like a demi-god. You do little things for the Jazz walker and you play better. That would be a great adventure hook. Particularly in urban fantasy you to ask why are the characters doing this. In a world of video games, ubiquitous media, numerous personal relationships and a material culture that is endless, why chase spirits? In modern fantasy I think motivations are almost always personal. By employing the Jazz walker you can have art as a motivation and the Jazz walker as the plot motivator. Okay I am ranting.
So again I agree that the original post made The Moonhunter gave nothing more than a vague idea of various sterotypes in a fantasy package, but building off that you can get quite a bit. I think The Moonhunter is in my school of thought (I formed this school last week) that the idea is more important than the detail or content of the post.
NCN
You seem to be confused NCN. Every person here, bar none, thinks the idea is the most important thing. Period. This school of thought was formed long ago. In fact, I think MoonHunter may have formed it originally. :-)
On top of the "idea" its sometimes nice to have some cool fluff, or prose, or funky presentation, or delicious minutae or what have you. That is why we have "Idea Seeds" and "Stubs", and "Scrolls" and "Forums" as well as "Submissions", so our "idea-makers" can choose their milieu. Other times a great idea is a great idea, and stands lovely on its own without any furbishings. Vague, succinct ideas jotted down to percolate people's imaginations are great! No one has any issues with this approach. And at the same time, (and NOT at the expense of a simple, clear, succinct idea), you can have long rambling ideas with lots of details and minutae. Those are fun too. There is no wrong approach. It is all relative.
My humble suggestion would be, dont worry about what submissions "should" be. Just jump in and enjoy them, and share a few ideas of your own as well with us!
Also, you don't need to sign your posts "NCN". We see that you are NCN by looking at your name to the left of your comment. :-)
I really liked this sub. It, and its spawn, will go into my upcoming urban fantasy game. Probably make him less powerful, and have him use the PC as allies. 5/5
For some reason I'm reminded of the sax player on the simpsons, and the owl on sesame street :) Maybe just the sax, but the idea of the laid back street musician being something more, like an urban Beorn appeals to me.