MAGE

KEVIN LINDBERGH MATCHSTICK

Val	CHA	Cost	Roll	Notes
65	STR	55	22-	Lift 204.8 tons; 13d6 HTH Damage [3]
15	DEX	15	12-	OCV:  5/DCV:  5
35	CON	50	16-
20	BODY	20	13-
10	INT	0	11-	PER Roll 11-
11	EGO	2	11-	ECV:  4
15	PRE	5	12-	PRE Attack:  3d6
12	COM	1	11-

40	PD	27		Total:  40 PD (40 rPD)
30	ED	23		Total:  30 ED (30 rED)
4	SPD	15		Phases:  3, 6, 9, 12
20	REC	0
70	END	0
70	STUN	-1		Total Characteristic Cost:  212

Movement:   Running:  7"/14"
	   Leaping:  50"/100"
	   Swimming:  2"/4"

Cost    Powers & Skills
16	Great Strength:  Reduced Endurance (1/2 END; +1/4) for up to 65 Active Points of STR
10	Heroic Bearing:  +20 PRE; Only To Defend Against PRE Attacks (-1)
27	Excaliber:  Armor Piercing (+1/2) for up to 75 Active Points of STR Damage (sufficient to cover 
	a Haymaker), Reduced Endurance (0 END; +1/2); OAF (magic baseball bat; -1)
35	Invulnerability:  Damage Resistance (40 PD/30 ED)
46	Great Strength:  Leaping +37" (50" forward, 25" upward), Reduced Endurance (1/2 END; +1/4), END 2
2	Fast On His Feet:  Running +1" (7" total), END 1

	Perks
10	Does Not Exist (no ID)

	Skills
20	+4 with HTH Combat

2	CK: [Unnamed Local City]  11-
7	Climbing 14-
3	Disguise 11-
4	KS: Creatures of Faerie 13-
0	Language:  English (idiomatic; literate)
1	Language:  French (basic conversation)

Total Powers & Skill Cost:  183
Total Cost:  395

200+	Disadvantages
5	Distinctive Features:  Heroic Aura (Not Concealable; Noticed and Recognizable; Detectable 
	Only By Small Group)
15	Hunted:  Assorted Agents Of Darkness 11- (As Pow, Harshly Punish)
10	Physical Limitation:  Drawn To The Struggle (he can't turn his back on it) (Frequently, 
	Slightly Impairing)
10	Physical Limitation:  Matt Wagner (Infrequently, Greatly Impairing)
10	Psychological Limitation:  Fear Of Heights (Vertigo) (Uncommon, Strong)
15	Psychological Limitation:  Protective Of His Friends And Allies (Common, Strong)
10	Psychological Limitation:  Suffers Bouts Of Single-Mindedness (Common, Moderate)
10	Psychological Limitation:  Unsure Of Self, Bouts Of Self-Doubt (Common, Moderate)
110	Experience Points

Total Disadvantage Points:  395

Background/History: Kevin Matchstick is the primary character of Matt Wagner's fantastic 15 issue Arthurian legend Mage—The Hero Discovered. In the course of the series, Kevin discovers that he is an aspect of the Hero (an eternal ideal), "...the Pendragon who was once called Arthur..." and that he has a part to play in the eternal battle between darkness and light (whether he wants to or not). According to Matt Wagner, this examination of the "Hero that lies within us all" will be continued in Mage II—The Hero Defined, and Mage III—The Hero Denied.

In the course of the story, Kevin gains a number of unusual allies: Mirth, the World Mage, who first activates Kevin's power and acts as his advisor; Edsel, who comes bearing a baseball bat and drives her namesake; and Sean, who is a ghost who has forgotten he has died.

Kevin is also opposed by a number of enemies: numerous redcaps (short, nasty creatures that dye their caps in human blood—hence the name); a leanhaun sidhe (an Irish vampire and patron of poets); the Marhault Ogre; Cromm Cruich, the Worm of the Mists (a dragon); Gog Magog, a giant; the five Grackleflint brothers (Emil, Lazlo, Piet, Radu & Stanis) and their father, the Umbra Sprite.

Personality/Motivation: Kevin's personality is a difficult thing to quantify. For most of the book, he tries not to accept what is happening around him. Latter, he tries to avoid responsibility for his actions, stating, in effect, he was “forced” to do them. Eventually, he begins to accept his new life, or at least his mission. To be honest, I recommend picking up the collected Mage volumes for the full insight to Kevin's character.

Since I am presenting the "post-bat" Kevin, I kept the Unsure Of Self, Bouts Of Self-Doubt Psychological Limitation, as he still expressed some of that. He also has a dislike of killing, but has accepted that some deaths are necessary and unavoidable (as Mirth said "This is a war we are fighting..."). He is irresistibly drawn to the Struggle and will participate, like it or not (When asked to let go of the bat, he responded, "You know I cannot, it is too sweet..."). On the other hand, his powers only serve the Struggle and won't really protect him from minor non-threatening injuries (like getting a splinter in his hand). As Mirth put it once: "Remaining free to continue your quest would've served the Struggle. Proving yourself to your cellmates did not."

Powers/Tactics: As a hero, Kevin's powers are quite basic. He is extraordinarily strong and able to endure a great deal of physical abuse without suffering any harm. His exact strength level was hard to determine, as he never really lifted anything large. The best clue came in the panel after he defeated the dragon, Cromm Cruich. Bending down, Kevin flips the dragon over using only one arm. As the dragon looked to easily be 100' long (about the same size and mass as a Blue Whale), I decided an 65 STR seemed about right.

The bat was a more difficult problem. Making it a focused form of Hand Attack would lead to enormous amounts of damage potential. Although the bat is a very effective weapon in Kevin's hands, it did have it's limits. Looking at the bat's over all effect (inflicting damage on even the toughest of targets,) made me decide that making it a focused Armor Piercing advantage was the best course of action. If you feel this is a rules violation, then redesign it as "x"-dice of Hand Attack, 0 END, at what ever power level feels right to you.

Kevin himself is very tough. At one point Mirth informs him that a 20 story drop would "... only hurt the sidewalk." He has been run over by trains, fallen down elevator shafts, dropped large distances, dragged behind cars, and otherwise survived large amounts of abuse with no real lasting effects. His only real weakness is magic, especially that which affects the mind.

Kevin's background is never explored to any degree, making him to be sort of an "everyman." I included some likely skills based of sequences from the series. Game Masters should fill in what they want based on their desired character image. In addition, his background no matter means much, as Mirth has effectively removed Kevin's legal existence from the world. There is no trace of him... anywhere.

Kevin's heroic aura can only be seen by certain people. They will recognize Kevin for what he really is, and most likely help him. This aura is also easily seen by certain agents of Darkness, who will often dispose of anyone trying to help Kevin (as well as attacking Kevin directly). He is hunted by numerous evil creatures, which recognize his aura. Although Kevin destroyed the Umber Sprite and most of his followers in the course of Mage, there are still other beings out there.

Appearance: Kevin is a big man, standing over 6 feet in height, very broad and strongly built. He has black hair and a full beard. Towards the end of the series, his hair has grown long enough to fall to his shoulders. In Kevin's last appearance (so far), he has lost the beard and his hair falls past his shoulders.

Kevin has no set costume per say, usually he dresses in jeans, sneakers, and a black t-shirt with a white, Captain Marvel-styled, lightning bolt emblazoned on it. Kevin wears shirts like this all the time, at one point he had one on under his tuxedo. Excalibur appears as a white glowing baseball bat.

(Kevin Matchstick created by Matt Wagner, character sheet created by Michael Surbrook)

Kevin Matchstick's Hero Designer File

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