Lily Frankenstein from 'Penny Dreadful'

 “When our day has come... you will know terror. Until then, little man... live with the knowledge of what you have spawned. And suffer.”

Lily Frankenstein

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

F: Ex (20)
A: Gd (10)
S: Rm (30)
E: Mn (75) *
R: Gd (10)
I: In (40)
P: Rm (30)

Health: 135
Karma: 80
Resources: Pr (04)/Ex (20)*
Popularity: 0*

Talents:
Lily possesses the following skills and talents:
Area Knowledge: Belfast
Area Knowledge: London
Streetwise
Street Fighting

After her resurrection, Lily gains the following skills:
Knowledge: British Upper Culture
Firearms
Leadership*
Multi-Lingual

Powers:
Re-Animated Dead:
Unlike John Clare or other of Victor Frankenstein’s monsters, Lily seems to be more re-animated than a surgical composite. As such, Lily possesses the following attributes similar to John Clare/The Monster:

• Increased FASERIP: Lily’s resurrection has granted her greater FASERIP scores to where they are currently listed. Lily’s Strength is at least on par with the first creature, and has shown inhuman ability to both resist and recover from damage. Lily’s intellect and awareness are equally increased due to the process of reanimation – although one could argue the increase was more due to Lily no longer suffering from tuberculosis
• Invulnerability: Like John Clare, Lily is considered immune to the following effects: Aging, toxins, disease, and a majority of the results that require an Endurance FEAT. Lily can be treated depending on the Judge to possess ‘Immortality’.
• Endless Reserves: Like John Clare, Lily can resist most stunning attacks with a simple Green Endurance FEAT. Lily can still be slammed as normal and can be knocked unconscious usually through methods that her creator, Victor Frankenstein, can provide.
• Limited Body Armor: Much like John Clare Lily has a higher degree of resistance, ignoring any attack under Typ (06) intensity and not even reacting to attacks under Rm (30) damage (Although Lily still takes damage – she simply ignores them).
• Regeneration and Recovery*: Lily can regenerate and recover from injury with Rm (30) ability, including recovering lost Endurance ranks. Lily’s body seems to recover even from lethal injuries in relatively short times.

Contacts:
Prior to her rebirth, Lily could call on Ethan Chandler without hesitation and had additional contacts throughout the London streets and slums. Lily’s contacts are strange as she gains and loses them at different points:

• Dr. Victor Frankenstein: Lily’s ‘creator’ could be considered a contact early on, and would stop at nothing both to help her and later stop her. At the end of the series it is doubtful that Frankenstein is a contact Lily would remain friendly with.
• Dorian Gray: Fellow immortal and former lover, Lily could call on Gray at different points but when Gray was finished with her, he cast her out of his home and murdered a number of her followers. It is doubtful that Gray would remain a contact.
• Justine and the Women’s Movement: Lily created a more violent women’s movement and was set to use it to gain revenge on men and society. Specifically, Lily’s main contact with a young woman she rescued named Justine. The movement was destroyed for the most part by Dorian Gray when he betrayed Lily and Justine was murdered by Gray himself. If members are still alive, it is possible they would be willing to help Lily.

Limitations:
Lily’s reanimated condition has given her many abilities but has also led to many drawbacks.

• Unnatural Presence: Although not as severe as John Clare, Lily is…off…and while very beautiful and capable, there is something that has been remarked on by all who encounter her as being something unnatural. People who knew Lily as Brona do not immediately recognize her. As with Clare those who see Lily and are of the Demimonde will know that Lily is unnatural.
• Rage: Lily is filled with rage, both due to her tragic end as Brona but also through her rebirth and the conditions of her initial days. Lily’s rage is significant and usually dedicated towards men whom she sees as users and despoilers.
• Deceptive: Lily is more capable at deception since her rebirth, fooling Victor Frankenstein into believing that she had no memory of her previous life or manipulating situation to her own end. Lily can be difficult to discern her true intentions which works equally against her as it does for her.
• Enemies: At different points, Lily has made enemies of former allies, specifically Victor Frankenstein and later through Dorian Gray’s betrayal of her.
• Loyalty*: Lily does have loyalty and is considered to possess something of true loyalty for two people during Penny Dreadful: Ethan Chandler and Justine. Lily considers Ethan to be the only decent man she ever met and was protective of Justine as Lily saw herself in the young woman.

Dr. Victor Frankenstein from 'Penny Dreadful'

 If you cannot endure the nightmare, you should not lie down for the sleep.

Victor Frankenstein

 

 

 

 



 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

F: Typ (06)
A: Gd (10)
S: Typ (06)
E: Gd (10)
R: Rm (30)
I: Ex (20)
P: Ex (20) (At beginning of series), Rm (30) at end of series)

Health: 32
Karma: 70/80
Resources: Typ (06)/Ex (20) (Depending on the Resource backing of Malcolm Murray)
Popularity: 2 (within London Resurectionists and such in Greater London).

Talents:

• Nobility*
• Medicine*
• Chemistry
• Occult Lore
• Multi-Lingual
• Firearms
• Knowledge: Greater London Medical
• Knowledge: London Area
• Knowledge: Basic Meteorology
• Knowledge: Necro-Engineering (Returning the dead to life)
• Forensics and Pathology
• Electrical Engineering
• Sharp Weapons: Small

Powers:
Victor Frankenstein has no known supernatural abilities.

Equipment:
Laboratory: Frankenstein usually has access to a laboratory which is capable of providing him with access to power, chemicals, surgery, and other necessary tools in his research. Frankenstein’s resources are tied directly into how much material he has to work with in shaping and maintaining his lab, and its location is only known to a few individuals at any one time.

Contacts:
Frankenstein has some connections throughout the city, but mainly can rely on Ethan Chandler and Malcolm Murray as reliable contacts. Frankenstein might be able to rely on his surviving creations – The Monster/John Clare and Brona/Lily, although this is doubtful. In addition, Frankenstein went to school and still maintains cordial relations with Dr. Henry Jekyll.

Limitations:
Victor Frankenstein has several limitations which work differently than regular limitations. At the start of any event, The Judge determines which limitations are in play without telling Frankenstein immediately. Due to the nature of Frankenstein’s limitations, certain limitations may come into play while others may not. These limitations include (and are not limited to):

• Dark Secret: Frankenstein has reanimated the dead, giving life to the lifeless. Frankenstein is reluctant to tell anyone this secret (even his most trusted comrades, some of whom still do not know). Frankenstein’s steps to protect this secret are unknown, but anytime that it may be discovered Frankenstein must make a Psyche FEAT reaction.
• Enemy: First Creation – Frankenstein has an unusual relationship with his first creation, wavering between hatred (John Clare rightfully feels abandoned by his creator) to support (Frankenstein agrees to create a mate for this creature). The relationship is complex and never really certain, as Clare maintains both a respect and menacing presence in Frankenstein’s life.
• Enemy: Third Creation – Frankenstein loves/hates/desires Lily, and will work against his own intuition to regain her love. At the same time, after the Season 2 finale, Frankenstein becomes obsessed with regaining her/stopping her. Lily does not trust her ‘creator’, and while the two have parted, it is uncertain what the future would hold.
• Guilty: Frankenstein feels a degree of guilt (rightfully so) of his actions, but does not necessarily understand them while he acts. This continues well into the final season and beyond.
• Socially awkward: Frankenstein is awkward at times and can allow his agitation and intellectual arrogance to place him in difficult situations. The situation has led to many inadvertent comical situations, but has placed him in real danger as he did not understand the nature of his threats on occasion.

Originally published on 31 October 2017 at classicmarvelforever.com

Penny Dreadful - Do you believe there is a demimonde?

 

Debuting in 2014, Penny Dreadful  represented a different sort of show and was a dark contrast to how horror and period shows were done to that point. Gritty and full of references to the gothic horror that spawned it, Penny Dreadful re-imagined both the characters that were drawn from classic literature as well as the well-known folklore around such creatures. To say it was probably my favorite show of the last several decades would be an understatement. I've attempted to capture the elements of the characters in these write-ups and have a few more down the road.

Ethan Chandler (Played by Josh Harnett) - An American gunfighter hiding a deadly secret

Frankenstein's Monster (Played by Rory Kinnear) - the first creation of Dr. Frankenstein 

Sir Malcolm Murray  (Played by Timothy Dalton) - An famed explorer and man of means

Vanessa Ives  (Played by Eva Green) - A family friend of Sir Malcolm's daughter, witch, and psychic.

Dr. Victor Frankenstein (Played by Harry Treadaway) - A physician and scientist obsessed with death.

Sembene (Played by Danny Sapani) - A mysterious figure and ally of the group tied to Sir Malcolm.

Dorian Gray (Played by Reeve Carney) - A youthful immortal who is ageless and sins without regret.

Lily Frankenstein (Played by Billie Piper) - The reanimated Brona Croft - powerful and dangerous

Sembene from 'Penny Dreadful'

Sembene

'The shamans in my mountains call it Uchawi Mabadiliko... the changing from one skin into another. The ones so cursed do not always fully remember it, this... becoming. Is it a sickness? Or is it something else? Is it a blessing, the purpose of which we can not yet see? I say, this is what it is. For I know you my friend, Ethan Chandler, I see inside you.'

F: Rm (30)

A: Ex (20)

S: Gd (10)

E: Rm (30)

R: Typ (06)

I:  Rm (30)

P: Rm (30)

Health: -90

Karma: 66

Resources:  Typ (06)

Popularity: 0

Talents:

Sembene had several skills which made him quite a match for the foes that Sir Malcolm Murray faced, including:

Sharp Weapons

Blunt Weapons
Firearms

Knowledge: London

Knowledge: Upper African Continent

Knowledge: Multi-lingual

Knowledge: British Explorers.

Dual weapon fighting

Cook

Hunting/Tracking

Stealth

Unarmed combat

Marksman

Powers:

Sembene has no real powers, but demonstrates several power-like effects throughout the Penny Dreadful series. Significantly, Sembene has one power-like effect:

 Strong-Willed: Sembene is a man of extraordinary will, perhaps even greater than his associates (outside of perhaps Vanessa Ives). Sembene is not easily startled or surprised by the actions or activities that he is exposed to, and has gone toe-to-toe with vampires, witches, and ultimately werewolves. Sembene is considered to have Rm (30) will to resist fear effects or to startle, and to ignore conditions or events which may make others flinch. In addition, it is suggested through the series that Sembene is resistant to mystical effects, and he is not as easily swayed as the others when the Night Witches attack or use magic. Sembene is also able to ignore his own pain and conditions with a similar FEAT roll, being able to act when others are stunned and even resist pain.

Contacts:

Sembene is a close ally of those within Malcolm Murray’s circle – Vanessa Ives, Ethan Chandler, and even Victor Frankenstein. Sembene’s role with Malcolm Murray is outwardly as a manservant, but is quite equal to Murray (See Limitations).

Limitations:

Sembene has a few limitations, such as:

• Responsibility to/for Malcolm Murray: Although the exact nature of Sembene’s relationship to Murray is speculated as being that Murray saved Sembene’s life, the truth is a bit more complex, as it is heavily implied that Sembene had saved Murray’s life and is now responsible for it. As such, Sembene will risk his own well-being for Malcolm Murray’s, and often will act on Murray’s instruction without real question. Sembene feels very strongly that he’s responsible for Murray’s life, and takes the role very seriously.
• Unusual Looks: Sembene has a series of marks on his face which mark him by his former profession as a slave trader. Sembene’s appearance can seem fearsome, and when first encountered, can be rather imposing (-1cs for social checks upon first encounter). 
• Reputation: Sembene has a reputation as a slave trader prior to his encounter with Malcolm Murray.
• Enemies: Any enemy that Malcolm Murray has, Sembene has, and as such was considered to be an enemy of Dracula, the Night Witches, and any of Murray’s other enemies.

Ethan Chandler from 'Penny Dreadful'

Ethan Lawrence Talbot








F: Ex (20)/Rm (30)
A: Rm (30)/In (40)
S: Gd (10)/Ex (20)
E: Ex (20)/In (40)
R: Gd (10)/Pr (04)
I: In (40)
P: Ex (20)*

Health: 46
Karma: 110
Resources: Rm (30)
Popularity: 0*/40 (In occult circles, especially extra-dimensional circles)

Talents:
Ethan has developed many skills in his life, including but not limited to:

Mystic Origin*
Marksman*
Firearms
Knowledge: History (American West)
Heir to Fortune*
Hunting/Tracking
Brawling
Sharp Weapons
Knowledge: Religion
Knowledge: Multi-Lingual (English, Apache, Latin, and Spanish)


Powers:
Curse of Lycanthrope:
Ethan is cursed with lycanthrope, becoming a werewolf on the nights of the full moon. As a blessing and a curse, Ethan has several advantages as being a werewolf, including his increased skill, dexterity, endurance, and strength. Ethan’s abilities include:

• Tracking: Ethan can track with Rm (30) ability.
• Natural Weaponry: Claws: Ethan can rend flesh with Ex (20) ability, halving effective body armor. Ethan’s attacks are considered mystical and slashing.
• Hyper Running: Ethan can move at Gd (10) land-speed when transformed.
• Natural Weaponry: Bite: Ethan can do Rm (30) edged damage with a bite, and may be able to spread lycanthrope with such. Ethan’s bite requires the victim to make an Endurance FEAT vs. Rm (30) intensity or contract the disease/curse.
• Berserker: Ethan has no control of himself while transformed, rending friend and foe alike when the beast takes over. Ethan has only faintest memories of what he has done while a beast, and may indeed be responsible for several murders in London and definitely responsible for the Mariner Inn massacre. The only person who seems to be able to calm Ethan at any level is Vanessa Ives.
• The God’s Wolf (Wolf of God): Ethan is recognized as something special and is dangerous in the presence of the night comers and infected. As such, Ethan does +1cs damage when facing either while transformed.
• Predatory Senses: Ethan’s senses are slightly greater while in human form, partially allowing for his impressive reflexes, reactions, and sight. Ethan is considered to have Pr (04) enhanced senses while in human form, and Ex (20) enhanced senses while in his transformed state.
• Affinity with wolves: Ethan can seemingly bond and perhaps even control wolves with Gd (10) ability.

Contacts:
Ethan has few contacts that he’ll rely on. Sir Malcolm Murray sees Ethan as a surrogate son, Sembe while alive would consider Ethan a friend. Ethan was close to Dorian Gray at one time and Victor Frankenstein, but one would assume that neither are as close after the last events of the Penny Dreadful series. Kaetenay would be considered a contact, Hecate Poole if she had lived. Ferdinand Lyle, a director for the British Museum seems rather taken with Ethan, but Ethan’s best contact would be Vanessa Ives.


Limitations:

• Cursed: Ethan is cursed with Lycanthrope, and has no control of himself at any level when transformed. Ethan is bound to the lunar cycle, and has often lost control with no memory of his actions.
• Hunted: Ethan is hunted by his father, who has sent bounty hunters to return him to the United States. As such, Ethan is pursued and assumes several identities. Ethan’s father has Rm (30) resources to spend on such a thing (in Victorian times, In (40) in modern day) to bring Ethan home.
• Wanted: Ethan is wanted for his actions in the Mariner Inn Massacre and the belief he is tied to subsequent killings. As such, Ethan is considered a person of interest in several murders and actively pursued by Scotland Yard.
• Loyal:Ethan is extraordinarily loyal to Vanessa Ives, and would do anything for her.

The Frankenstein Monster from 'Penny Dreadful'

The monster is not in my face, But in my soul. 

The tragic creature from Penny Dreadful is murderous, dangerous, and pitiable – Although first shown as much a monster as his reputation has preceded him, he is in fact one of the more compassionate and moral figures within the show, often lamenting his condition and trying to find and justify kindness in the human soul. The Penny Dreadful creature is however is not however a victim of his circumstance – with cruel and efficient violence he stalks both his creator, his bride, and the others who have harmed him. Staying true to the literary form of Frankenstein, the monster is shown to be highly intelligent and articulate, which makes him very tragic and probably one of the most…human in the Penny Dreadful demimonde.

The Frankenstein Monster

 

The Creature, John Clare, Caliban

F: Ex (20)

A: Ex (20)

S: Rm (30)

E: Mn (75)

R: Ex (20)

I:  Rm (30)

P: Rm (30)

Health: 145

Karma: 80

Resources: Pr (04)

Popularity: 0/-5

Talents:

Knowledge: Classical knowledge

Knowledge: Science of the period

Knowledge: Literature

Knowledge: London Area

Multi-Lingual

Stagecraft

Brawling

Stalking and Hunting

Powers:

Reanimated Composite

The Creature is a surgical composite, brought to life and animated through electricity and the skill of Victor Frankenstein. As such, the Creature has several abilities due to his unique state:

• Endless Reserves: The Creature has an almost limitless reserve of Endurance for physical actions and can actually resist stuns with a successful Endurance FEAT. The Creature can still be slammed and Grand-slammed.
• Immunity: The Creature is considered Immune to the following effects: Aging, Toxins, and Disease. The Creature will not die unless severe traumatic damage is done to its head, and even then, it is unknown if he could be killed through such means. The Creature is also incredibly resistant to normal temperatures and is not bothered by up to -50 degrees. The Creature is also capable of holding his breath for extraordinary periods of time.
• Limited Body Armor: The Creature can be harmed but as such, ignores attacks under Typ (06) as being simple annoyances. In many cases the Creature simply ignores damage, but it has been shown that he can be hurt. In addition, the Creature seems to ignore pain with Ex (20) ability, simply shrugging it off as if he possessed a variation of Iron Will (without the health benefits).
• Recovery: The Creature regains lost Endurance ranks with Rm (30) ability.

Contacts:

Although the Creature has often made friends and associates, most of these associates are dead or no longer able to be called on. The one contact that the Creature has made that is somewhat reliable is his creator, Victor Frankenstein, who either the Creature terrifies and/or intimidates at various points.

Limitations:

Unnatural Presence: The Creature has an unnatural presence which unnerves many people combined with his scarred body and pale skin. Many people find themselves unable to be in the Creature’s presence without a reaction, especially if they are unaware of the shadowy world of the demimonde. The Creature is memorable and those who have seen him will not forget him, which has worked against the Creature in the past.

Emotionally Unstable: It is arguable that the Creature is emotionally unstable and prone to violent rages based around the psychological aspects of the Creature’s early ‘years’. As such, the Creature has problems expressing his rage and anger, and suffers a -1cs to reactions when provoked or angered in order to not overreact (Killing someone for instance to prove a point).

Tragic: The Creature is a tragic figure, as such he is prone to bad things happening and reduces all karma awards by 1/2, representing his tragic origins and existence.

Old Memories: The Creature is plagued by occasional memories of his old life, of which he learned of the fate of his wife and young son. These memories are a recent development and could have further impact in the future.

Hatred/Love for his ‘Father’ : The Creature loves/hates his ‘father’, Victor Frankenstein, at one point menacing him and the other asking for his forgiveness. As such, the Creature will protect Victor as well as seek him out.