The Stranger
| Marvel: In the Heat of the Night | |
|---|---|
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| GM | |
| Erik | |
| Characters | |
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Wiretap The Stranger The Engineer The Faceless Hero Zilla | |
| The Game | |
| Rank 2 (Street Level) |
The Stranger (The Man With No Name) is a Rank 2 Eternal hero with excellent marksmanship and a wiped memory, keeping diaries to be informed of only the most recent of past lives. In his current life, editing, doctoring, and ghostwriting pay the bills and provide a cover for collecting bounties or heroic endeavors.
The Stranger's usual patrol is the Little Five Points area in Atlanta and its surrounding vicinity. The Stranger has become a founding member of the Phoenix Foundation, a trial collaboration of local street heroes. He likes the name for personal reasons.
Character Build
Traits
| Name | Description | Notes |
| Battle Ready | The Stranger is always mentally prepared for any sort of trouble to start. Add +30 Focus. | The Stranger is barely tapping into a reservoir of latent potential. |
| Investigation | The Stranger is an expert investigator, programmed in the arts of forensic science to better hunt Deviants. He has an edge on Vigilance checks to spot clues and Logic (investigation) checks. If he has access to a forensic lab at the time, he may add +2 to such checks. | The Stranger has no access to a forensic lab and doesn't know exactly what's in one compared to his imagination. |
| Presence | The Stranger is inherently charming and knows how to command attention on demand. He has an edge on Ego checks that involve getting people to pay attention to him or to voluntarily do things for him. | The Stranger is not a master of manipulation or a classic Face for a party but has the potential to impress people in his appearance and manner and can be clever when needed. There is likely a combination of Heroic Build and Charmer that cuts through the rough exterior (standoff-ish or literally in a standoff Death Glare. |
| Signature Attack | The Stranger is known for favoring handguns (pistols, revolvers, etc). He has an edge when making attacks that way. | He is an archetype Gunslinger, Fastest Gun in the West and Superhero Packing Heat. |
| Situational Awareness | The Stranger is programmed to always keep an eye out for trouble. He has an edge on initiative checks. | |
| Stranger | The Stranger doesn’t understand anyone's customs due to recent reactivation. Although he is observant, the Stranger has trouble on checks made when trying to decipher customs - or anything past the news cycle - or when trying to pass himself off as a local. | Equally "You're not from around here, are you?" and "Hey, Stranger, what'll it be?" people will react and interact with strangers differently. As an Eternal, The Stranger is likely an archetype or is close enough in role and personality to be conflated with said archetype. The Hero has 1000 Faces, but there are only 100 Eternals. See Mysterious Stranger specifically The Drifter. As a name, possibly "The Stranger" or "The Man With No Name"is an eponym and The Stranger is being named after himself / his own archetype rather than Spell My Name With a "The." As such, everyone else - not the Stranger - is The Expy With No Name. |
Tags
| Name | Description | Notes |
| Eternally Immortal | The Stranger does not age and could theoretically live forever. If The Stranger is killed, they can be brought back to life in the Activation Chamber found in the Exclusion, an Eternal base located beneath the South Pole. To make this happen, the Activation Chamber sacrifices the life of a random human anywhere on Earth. | For mysterious reasons, The Stranger reactivates in a one-person chamber in the Rocky Mountains. The original home city of the Eternals was/is in the Canadian Rockies (it is temporally ruined). See Trope: Resurrective Immortality. and Back From the Dead. and canonically Heroic Sacrifice over and over again. Also Really 700 Years old but also Really Was Born Yesterday. |
| Mahd Wy'ry | The character lives for so long that their accumulated memories have the potential to drive them insane. The only cure for this condition is to die and then be reborn with a restoration of their mind from a clean backup. This happens rarely, but the disease can progress quickly once it starts. | Possibly Brainwashing for the Greater Good. and Sanity Slippage, thankfully not a current issue, being recently reborn and unaware of the realities of Immortality. |
| Heroic | The Stranger acts heroically. He is intrinsically motivated (or created or programmed) to help and protect people and the planet. He does his best not to kill people, even with people who might deserve it. | Occasionally, instincts have said otherwise, and it is extremely, frighteningly clear to him that he could be efficiently ruthless if required. The Stranger doesn't remember the differences between deviants, mutants, and the rest of humanity. He can be interpreted by programming as a lawful neutral character (protect the machine) or as morally good because this drive means helping people he doesn't realize he is not a part of. As a loner and drifter, The Stranger could easily be interpreted as a classical anti-hero (morally good, but not seeming to have heroic qualities) or a Jerk With a Heart of Gold(we do like kittens and don't leave anyone hanging). Past representations could also be a matter of story inflation and Shrouded in Myth, or in extenuating situations where everyone is compromised, a sliding down into Grey-and-Gray or Black-and-Gray morality. |
| Linguist | The Stranger is fluent in a language other than his native tongue. | The language of Eternals - or Earth's Eternal population specifically - is debated, whether they learned various human languages and are programmed to pick them up, or if they taught languages to humans. Some theories are that it operates like Allspeak (but it is not Allspeak - there is never a fancy font change). Perhaps the most likely language is X'zelzi'ohr, the Universal Language, taught by the Celestials (who usually communicate telepathically).The Stranger woke up speaking something...not English, but with immersion, he has quickly begun to acquire languages. (Narrator's convenience) See the most common languages besides English and Spanish by state. |
| Signature Weapon | The Stranger is known for owning and using handguns, such as pistols and revolvers. | See the equipment below for the signature Colt. Revolvers are just better. |
| Authority | The Stranger carries bounty hunting licenses for various states, including Georgia as "Mitchell Grant." Grant has a military record and stays on the rosters of a handful of bail bondsmen. | Somewhere in his Bourne Identity stash are probably other things The Stranger could try to use, ie. a Texas Ranger star, Federal Marshall, etc. The Stranger doesn't know the validity of these identities, or how fake/real the badges are (fake FBI or OSHA badges, anyone?), but Grant is the confirmed up-to-date and currently used identity in Georgia with contacts like Wiretap. |
| Mysterious | The Stranger does not know who his real identity is and does not know from where his abilities stem. He cannot remember anything from before he woke up in the resurrection chamber near Ft. Collins nearly two years ago. | Mysterious past but also still Brainwashing for the Greater Good and a dash of Amnesiac Hero and You Wake Up In A Room. |
Powers
| Name | Description | Identifiers | Effect | Notes |
| Accuracy 2 | The character is a sharpshooter. | No Power Set, Permanent | The Stranger adds +2 to his Agility damage multiplier and gains a +2 bonus to Agility checks other than attacks. | Improbable Aiming Skills |
| Sturdy 1 | The character has protection from physical damage. | No Power Set, Permanent | The Stranger’s body is so sturdy that he has Health Damage Reduction 1. | Eternals are largely invulnerable and the Stranger has innate resilience. Alas, if he knew he could do it, he might have Healing Factor. |
| Slow-Motion Dodge | Time seems to slow down for the character, making it easy to dodge enemy attacks. | No Power Set, Reaction, Instant, Trigger: An enemy makes an attack against the character’s Agility defense. | The Stranger's enemy has trouble on the attack. | Bullet time. |
| Evasion | The character can dodge fists quickly. | Telpathy, Free-Action | The character can use their Agility defense score against Melee attacks too. | Super Reflexes |
| Double Tap | To be twice as sure. | Ranged Weapons Power Set, Standard Action, Instant | The Stranger makes a ranged attack against an enemy within 2 spaces. If the attack is a success, the enemy takes regular damage. On a Fantastic success, the enemy takes double damage and is bleeding. | The Stranger was made to be deadly and efficient at culling Deviants, traits he needs to mitigate against people. |
| Point Blank Parry | When the enemy steps in, the character lets loose. | Cost: 5 Focus; Ranged Weapons Power Set, Rection, Instant, Trigger: An enemy within 2 spaces misses an attack against the character. | The Stranger makes a ranged attack against the enemy who missed him. If the attack is a success, the enemy takes regular damage. On a Fantastic success, the enemy takes double damage and is bleeding. | Gun-kata. |
| Snap Shooting | The character shoots from the hip with deadly speed. | Ranged Weapons Power Set, Standard Action, Instant | The Stranger splits an attack to make two ranged attacks against separate targets (or he can focus a single attack on a single target). Make a single Agility check and compare it to the targets’ Agility defenses. On a success, an affected target takes half regular damage. On a Fantastic success, an affected target takes full damage and is bleeding. | The Stranger is an expert duelist and at the human limits of fast draw. See the 2022 World Fast Draw Competition - the 1986 world record still stands, by Ernie Hill at .208 second for one target and Bob Mernickle at .377 for a double target Fast Draw Records (non-traditional). |
Appearance and Description
The Stranger's appearance is decidedly non-descript, especially compared to other heroes. With no concrete identity to protect, he wears practical clothing that is more likely to conceal items on his person and protect him from the elements should he be caught outside. He does seem to adapt to the times by choosing clothes that are functional and blend in, though denim has been serviceable for over a century. He has a penchant for hats, though most don't wear them as often for regular wear these days.
He may go through rough phases or clean up well for a time by honest work and income. Still, nothing will change the fact that he is a stranger to most people, a drifter to their town, a traveler, bounty hunter, lawman, or otherwise, who, while his actions are appreciated, will always be an outsider from some other community. Little do they know that there is no home or family to return to. They make assumptions to accept his presence and fill the gaps with speculation.
What most remember about the Man With No Name is his striking stature, physique, and unnatural grit or durability. Sure, someone might comment about blue eyes and dark blonde hair or catch the exactness of his height on the way out the doors of a mini-mart, but they'll be quicker to point out his taciturn wit and ability to take a beating. If they ever see him use a pistol, they'll remember him as a keen sharpshooter. Nothing is out of the range of human possibility, but it is exceptional.
What none of them will know, however, is that the Man With No Name is an Eternal, one of 100 secret protectors of Earth and the Machine created by the Celestials hundreds of thousands of years ago. The Eternals, while having other abilities, gain resilience through their ability to manipulate energy on a molecular level, including healing themselves. However, true resurrection - either from bodily harm or the maddening effects Mahd Wy'ry - is performed by the Machine in its activation chamber, where a backup memory can be added to the Eternal's recovered or completely new body. Notably, the cost of Eternal re-activation is the death of someone else on earth.
At some point in time, The Man With No Name suffered either complete grievous harm or the effects of Mahd Wy'ry. Or both. Even if he knew of his true nature, he would not know if the resurrections he has experienced are simply a feature of Eternal molecular healing, or an ability to gain more energy through the Machine at a local level, or if his uniqueness includes the ability to re-activate away from the chamber. Only the Machine knows the truth and permits the mystery.
The Man With No Name would similarly not know if that meant taking energy in the form of life from plants, animals, or people around him as this is one of the most guarded secrets of the Machine and the Eternals, leading them to erase it from even their memories as the knowledge of sacrifice would forever hinder them.
Equally, The Man With No Name does not know if any other immortal being - or practically immortal being- might recognize him from their past. It stands to reason that if he has been around this long, others have too, and the news cycle gets full of heroes, villains, and aliens even with strange abilities. He recognizes this as a long shot hope in hell because the curse in his abilities also cut him off over and over again.
Still, perhaps one day he will be stopped in the street by an Asgardian or clapped over the shoulder by an Olympian, and called a name he has never heard before. Perhaps one day he will meet one of the few Eternals on Earth who will remember him and tell him his own story. Would it be a story he wants to hear?
Or, will they have simply forgotten him, too?
Guns and Gear
Usual:
- Colt .45 1873 Single Action Army 5 1/2 artillery model revolver
- 2005 Yamaha V-Star Silvarado (XVS650), has a passenger seat back and touring saddlebags: helmet, riding leathers, roadside and first-aid kit, old stetson, etc.
- Phone
- pocket-sized journal
- notes on cloth sewn into his leather jacket and jeans
Studio Apartment - based on Otto's Apartment Hotel (originally Wynne's Apartment Hotel, built 1927), has furnished apartments with included utilities, a coffee bar, shared community space, a restaurant, and a 24-hour gym. Perfect!
Gun Safe
- Rifles TBD
- more modern pistols TBD
- various ammunition TBD
- Small Fire and water-resistant safe
- "Work" laptop, minor personal electronics, burner phones
- A very worn, faded, and bullet-holed serape. Beware when this gets pulled out. Clothes make the Legend
Fire and water-resistant safe contents:
- Journals and older documents, news clippings, odd photographs, the clues to the past 150-70 years
- Several identification cards under a handful of names (a couple of states, military ID, passports, SS cards/birth certificates)
- Bounty hunter licenses for various states under a handful of names
- Storage drives for digital records, personal files, personal and work writing, etc.
Clues of the Past
- The Stranger's last resurrection was only a few years ago, but he was able to successfully pass on his currently built life and identities which date back about 15 years. He is relying on his records and photos of this time - he has no memory, but some folks could recognize him.
- When Wiretap was researching the identity the Stranger used with him, this was the end point he found.
- Wiretap confirmed that The Stranger has abilities and is a superhuman or abhuman of some sort but figures he either needed a chance to start over or to hide from mutant registration.
- After resurrections, the Stranger wakes in a small, one-person chamber deep in the Rocky Mountains, and comes out near Ft. Collins, Colorado. The Stranger knows instinctively how to get out of the chamber and find his way out of the facility. This might be hidden as an old mine, on government property, or just very remote and convoluted to navigate in the rugged terrain.
- The Stanger has evidence of his existence going back roughly to the Civil War, but the trail goes officially dry then, like seeing himself in a photo in the Ken Burns documentary but with no name, date, or location attached. It's possible he could try to find out more with dedicated research, which is easier to do in person on this side of the country rather than whatever is resetting him to go all High Plains Drifter out in Colorado, partially motivating him to come to Atlanta.
- He's seen portraits of look-alikes in previous eras of history, but no proof - plenty of both regular Joes and celebrities - like Keanu Reeves - get compared to museum art, too. It's all conjecture, but not something to dismiss either.
- The Stranger has zero record of information on his life during WWII - just the ticket to a bag left for himself in a train station. Every time he reads about it, he can't imagine not getting involved and just hopes whatever he died for then made a difference.
Writings
What I Did On My Summer Vacation
Notes
On Eternals
Hey Reader! Are you unfamiliar with Eternals? Want to learn more about Life, the Universe, and Everything? Read these notes for things not covered on this page.
Scratchpad
A Fistful of Names
Just A Handful of Eastwood characters to draw from for fake names so I don't have to remember them:
Frank Horrigan (In the Line of Fire), Jed Cooper (Hang Em High), Robert 'Robby' Kincaid (Bridges of Madison County), Mitchell Grant (Firefox), Tommy Novak (Pink Cadillac), Frank Conic (Space Cowboys), Rowdy Yates (Rawhide), Josey Wales (The Outlaw Josey Wales), Will Munry (Unforgiven). One namers - could combine: Hoogan (Two Mules for Sister Sara), Preacher (Pale Rider), and Coogan (Coogan's Bluff).
Build Notes
- The book has pistols as the small firearms or handgun category. The Man With No Name has a signature Colt .45 1873 Single Action Army 5 1/2 artillery model revolver. It's entirely possible that pre-mindwipe he had experience with similarly held advanced or alien weaponry or good aim with energy blasts. It's a signature style, but not a limit in experience with other aimed firearms or weaponry.