Friday, July 8, 2011

Out of the Blue, Inspiration Strikes

While life, particularly work-related life hasn't let up any, once in a while, I still find a stray moment of creativity.  The other day, I was listening to an episode of the classic radio show "Suspense," an episode called "The Black Fedora," which I realized, was a great name for a pulp hero.

Today, I got my hands on a physical copy of The Villainomicon, for ICONs, the first game book (or any non-ebook for that matter) that has my name on the cover.  I won't lie to you, Marge, it's a damned cool feeling.  As a result, what little bit of my brain that isn't consumed by multiple massive IT projects is currently home to ICONS and superhero stuff.

This afternoon, I was mulling over that whole Black Fedora thing when the name Fedora Noir popped into my head.  And while that's not a great name for a real pulp hero, I happen to think it's a monumentally cool name for a second-generation pulp inspired hero.  This evening, I sat down with the ICONS Character Folio (a great program; worth every penny), and banged out Meridian's newest heroine and proprietor of the Midnight Detective Agency.



Fedora Noir
Deborah Black
Gimmick

Prowess  4
Coordination  5
Strength  3
Intellect  4
Awareness  5
Willpower  4

Stamina  7
Determination  3

Specialties
  Acrobatics
  Investigation Expert
  Area Expert - Meridian
  Criminology Expert

Powers
  Blast Device 3 (Blasting) - Phantom .45
    Affects Incorporeal
  Danger Sense Device 4  - The Haunted Hat
  Resistance Device 6 (Mental Attacks) - The Haunted Hat

Qualities
  Connections : Detective Lt. Walt Levinson, MPD (Boyfriend)
  Identity : Deborah Black, Crime Beat Reporter
  Motivation : Justice
  Catchphrase : "Sometimes, the Black Hats are the good guys."
  Epithet : The Midnight Detective

Challenges
  Enemy : Little Augie Caesar
  Personal : Acrophobia
  Social : Haunted Hat*

Point Total  45
Last modified  7/8/11

Height: 5'7"
Weight: 120 lbs
First Appearance: Meridian By Moonlight #1

From an early age, Deborah Black was steeped in her family lore. The granddaughter of The Black Fedora, Meridian's original Midnight Detective, she was instilled with a fascination for crime and justice at an early age, which led her to a career as a crime beat reporter for the Meridian Star.  Six months ago, she received an anonymous gift: her grandfather's hat.  On a whim, she tried it on, only to discover it was haunted by his spirit, a spirit that drove her to continue his mission.  Assuming the identity of "Fedora Noir" (it just sounds more stylish), she opened the Midnight Detective Agency, which allows her to fight crime when she's not reporting it.

*Haunted Hat:  When Deborah dons Black's Fedora, she is haunted by the ghost of her grandfather, The Black Fedora.  In unguarded moments, she's been known to converse with him.  This sets some people on edge.

I have no idea what I'll do with her, but it was fun to flex the muscles a little.

3 comments:

  1. Congrats! While waiting for fireworks to start the other night, I was reading my copy of ICONS. It's such a great game.

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  2. DUDE.

    She and Rex Radium--Atomic Detective HAVE to hook up at some time.

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  3. @Christian: It's funny: when I was playtesting the adventure I wrote for Adamant, I found a couple of things about the game that didn't work well for me. Which led me to the weird situation where I was writing for a game I wasn't sure I wanted to play once I was done with the playtests.

    Then, The Villainomicon came out and offered some rules fixes that addressed most of my problems and now it's the only supers game that interests me.

    @Justin: I think you mean "Team-Up." Detective Levinson is a jealous, jealous man.

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