An aside.
I always enjoyed the old "Giants in the Earth" pieces in The Dragon, and decided to play around with a similar idea for BRP.
So here is the first installment. Note this is presented without permission purely for fun. If you're the copyright holder and have a gripe, drop me a message and I'll take the post down.
For our first edition, I present:
KANE
"I kill things ... it's what I was made to do. I'm rather good at it"
Kane is an imposing figure - a massive, heavily-muscled man with shaggy red hair and beard, topped off by a pair of icy blue eyes. Those eyes are his most distinctive feature, as those who meet his gaze for more than a moment quickly perceive Kane's true nature - a ruthless butcher and killer.
Kane is a superhuman character, a man "who could master any situation intellectually, or rip heads off if push came to shove" in the words of creator Karl Edward Wagner.Kane's origins are mysterious. According to legends he was one of the first men, a man who killed his own brother and was cursed by the god(s) to wander the earth as an immortal, undying being, for eternity. He may, in fact, be the biblical Cain, or, more specifically, the original source for the biblical Cain. It is implied that he is the son of Adam and Lillith, the biblical Adam's first wife.
Most of Kane's written adventures take place in a prehistoric, Hyborian-age type world. However, he has been depicted as being alive and active in the late 20th century. In this case he would trade his swords and armor for guns and kevlar.
Whatever era he appears in, Kane is an amoral, if not outright evil, character. Bored by his own endless existence and unconcerned with relationships (since all relationships are transitory - Kane will be around long after any comrades/lovers/enemies, etc are long gone), Kane freely uses and discards others in pursuit of his own interests - which tend to be the acquisition of power. Kane frequently leads armies to their own destruction, pursues quests in which numerous companions lose their lives, fights in mad wars and wild conflicts, and dabbles extensively in sorcery and magic, and, later, organized crime. Common morality has no meaning to him. He is generally selfish and often cruel, though capable of heroism (if only in that he usually dispatches foes who are far worse than himself).
STR 19 CON 19 SIZ 18 INT 19 POW 20
DEX 17 CHA(APP) 15 EDU special
Move: 10
Hit Points: 19
Damage Bonus: +1d6
Armor: Favors a light mail shirt or similar, 5 points AP
Attacks: Greatsword (SR 4) 90% 2d8+1d6 (bleeding)
Heavy Revolver (SR 2) 75% 1d10+2 (impaling)
Skills: Climb 84% Dodge 82% Fine Manipulation 75% Gaming 70% Grapple 85% Knowledge (various sorcerous/occult matters) 65% Medicine 41% Navigate 80% Parry 91% Perform (Sorcerous Rituals) 65% Research 65% Ride 90% Sense 60% Spot 55% Stealth 55% Strategy 70% Swim 80% Throw 75% Track 60%
Powers: Kane is immortal and cannot die from age or disease. He can be killed by injury but has an uncanny ability to avoid that fate. Kane heals at an extraordinary rate (1d3+3 hit points per game week). Kane can only be outright killed by reducing him to -19 hit points. If reduced to 0 hit points or up to -18 hit points, Kane goes into a death-like coma and may appear to be dead to anyone not specifically checking to ensure his demise (assume a Spot or Medicine roll). He does not, however, die, and no emergency first aid is necessary.
Kane is an accomplished sorcerer and may have any number of Sorcery or basic Magic spells at his disposal.
Further Reference: Kane appears in a series of novels and short stories by the late Karl Edward Wagner. All I've read (and that's 99%) are very good, as is most of Wagner's other fiction. Here is a good website on Kane: http://karledwardwagner.org/Kane.html
The image of Kane is snagged from the website of artist Richard Pace. Please check it out: http://burningmonster.blogspot.com/2010/06/kane-sketch-card.html
