Robert E Howard's grim and laconic puritan adventurer doesn't have the fame of the more famous Conan, but maintains a loyal fanbase that has seen the original stories reprinted countless times. Solomon Kane represented a stark contrast to Conan: A hero whose purpose was defending the defenseless, whose goals were to punish the guilty and bring justice to the lawless, whether they were mortal or not. Kane represented a contrast to the knight: A grim servant who pursued the goal of justice no matter what it cost and no matter where it led.
Why Solomon Kane?
I think Kane is one of the earliest pulp heroes I was exposed to, and definately the one that I like (almost as much as the Shadow). Kane's adventures were definatley the thing that turned me onto Robert E Howard, and I think with his ample comic appearances is a character often overlooked (John Carter an odd second).
So...Solomon Kane
Solomon Kane
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F: Rm (30)
A: Ex (20)
S: Gd (10)
E: Rm (30
R: Gd (10)
I: Rm (30)
P: Am (50)
Health: 90
Karma: 90
Resources: Typ (6)
Popularity: 5
Talents:
Occult Lore
Marksman*
Faith*
Sharp Weapons
Blunt Weapons
Resist: Domination
Knowledge: Elizabethan Era
Knowledge: Known World
Sailor
Military
Multi-Lingual
Powers:Kane has no real "powers", but considering he single-handedly 'killed' a ghost (With bare hands) and has gone toe to toe with the worst sorts of demons and monsters imaginable, he has several pseudo-abilities:
Iron Will: Once Kane's purpose is set, nothing will stop him. As such, Kane has In (40) Iron Will. Why so high? Kane's will has never been successfully broken in any of the stories, and he has ignored pain and damage that a man younger and in better health might be brought down with. Kane's will is nearly absolute when on the pursuit of justice, chasing a murderer of a friend's daughter over three continents and into unknown lands for justice, alone.
Faith: Kane's faith is unshakable, and can affect the occult. Again, Kane has been able to damage with his normal weapons creatures that normally would not be damaged (Such as killing a werewolf with his sword, the afformentioned strangling a ghost to 'death', etc.) As such, mystical creatures do not have their normal defenses against Kane.
The Staff of Solomon
A gift from long-time friend and companion N'Longa, Kane utilizes a carved wooden staff/club carved with ancient images and ending with a carved cat's head. The Staff of Solomon gives Kane the following abilities:
- Exorcism: Rm (30) rank
- Does Rm (30) mystical damage blunt
- Can slay standard vampires with a successful Yellow attack roll, as the staff is sharpened at one end and seems to be so for that purpose.
- Allows Kane to communicate with N'longa.
The Staff of Solomon is considered to have 30 popularity, as it is an artifact (possibly from one account being the Staff of Moses and/or an Atlantean artifact). What is known is the Staff has been used to vanquish evil over the eras, and possibly can only be used by those dedicated to that cause.
Contacts:
Kane has many contacts around the world, but invariably most of them die during the course of his travels and adventures. One contact that has survived is N'longa, a long-time friend and sorceror who has helped Kane in the past and presented him with the Staff of Solomon, a mystical artifact that Kane has used in many adventures.
Limitations:
Sense of Justice: Kane is bound by a serious ethic of justice, and will pursue the guilty in order to bring them to justice no matter the cost nor time. In Kane's first appearance Red Shadows, Kane pursues his adversaries from Europe to Africa over a two year period to bring a murderer to justice. Kane is bound to his ideals in this, and cannot be dissuaded.
Puritan: Kane is a puritan during the reign of Queen Elizabeth, making him rather unpopular in his native country.
