Ygor from "Son of Frankenstein"

’ They hanged me once Frankenstein. They broke my neck. They said I was dead. Then they cut me down. They threw me in here, long ago. They wouldn't bury me in holy place like churchyard. Because I stole bodies, eh they said. So, Ygor is dead! So, Dr. Frankenstein. Nobody can mend Ygor's neck. It's alright.’

I’ve covered the various Baron Frankenstein incarnations over the years, and while I have my favorite (I’ll cover him this year), one thing has always stood out – the idea of the assistant who we’ve come to associate as closely to Frankenstein as the monster itself. Although portrayed originally by Dwight Frye (and called Fritz), the half-crazed assistant really became the center focus in the 1939 film Son of Frankenstein, where he is not the hunchbacked figure we’ve come to associate with the name Ygor, but a criminal who survived hanging, played by the wonderful Bela Lugosi. Ygor wasn’t just an assistant – He was the real threat and villain of the 1939 movie, playing both on the sympathies and fears of those around him. Ygor was a monster in the true sense – He was vindictive, cruel, and absolutely ruthless.




Ygor



Ygor

F: Gd (10)
A: Typ (06)
S: Gd (10)
E: Rm (30)
R: Typ (06)
I: Ex (20)
P: Ex (20)

Health: 56
Karma: 46
Resources: Typ (06)
Popularity: - 10 (-20 in the areas around Castle Frankenstein)

Talents:
Ygor has several less than savory skills, including but not limited to:

Shadowing/Stealth
Crime*
Brawling
In addition, Ygor was a trained blacksmith and has Engineering: Blacksmith as a talent.

Powers:
Ygor has no real powers, but does have several benefits which have power-like effects. These include:

• Hard to Kill: Ygor is extraordinarily hard to kill, surviving gunshots, stabbings, hangings, and other effects which would kill a normal person. If Ygor must make an Endurance FEAT vs. Death, he gains a +1cs to his Endurance for that purpose. In addition, Ygor may spend karma during such an event to gain the ‘mysterious death’ effect (which causes heroes to lose karma as per the Advanced set).
• Command of the Monster: Ygor has command over Frankenstein’s Monster, and can command him to perform actions such as murder and violence. If Ygor is present, the Monster must make a Psyche FEAT against Rm (30) intensity to resist verbal commands.
• Body of the Monster: During the events of the movie Ghost of Frankenstein, Ygor has his brain placed within the Monster’s body. As such, Ygor’s FASE, Health, and physical prowess are replaced by the Monster’s FASE, Health, and Powers. There are drawbacks to this (see limitations below).

Contacts:
Ygor initially could call upon Wulf Von Frankenstein for assistance, but quickly betrayed him. Later, Ygor could call upon Dr. Theodore Bohmer. Ygor’s main contact however is the Frankestein Monster.

Limitations:
Ygor has several key limitations:

• Known Criminal and Grave robber: Ygor is a well-known criminal who was hanged for grave robbing and later was associated with the evil actions that occurred with the Frankenstein Monster.
• Severely Injured: Ygor was severely crippled by the hanging, and as such moves only 1 area per round. In addition, Ygor is considered to be hideous, and suffers a -1cs to all social interactions.
• Vengeful: Ygor is vengeful, seeking revenge years after events and using whatever tools are necessary to gain that revenge.
• Incompatible Biology: After Ygor’s brain is transplanted into the Monster’s body, Ygor discovers that he cannot see or sense anything – the body is incompatible with his brain. As such Ygor is suffers -4cs to all actions due to blindness and sensory failure.