BIG TROUBLE IN LITTLE CHINA
EGG SHEN
Val CHA Cost Roll Notes 10 STR 0 11- Lift 100 kg; 2d6 HTH Damage [1] 17 DEX 21 12- OCV: 6/DCV: 6 13 CON 6 12- 10 BODY 0 11- 20 INT 10 13- PER Roll 13- 23 EGO 26 14- ECV: 8 13 PRE 3 12- PRE Attack: 2 1/2d6 10 COM 0 11- 4 PD 2 Total: 4 PD (0 rPD) 4 ED 1 Total: 4 ED (0 rED) 4 SPD 13 Phases: 3, 6, 9, 12 5 REC 0 26 END 0 22 STUN 0 Total Characteristic Cost: 82 Movement: Running: 6"/12" Leaping: 2"/4" Swimming: 2"/4" Cost Powers & Skills 80 Chinese Sorcery: Variable Power Pool, 40 base + 40 control cost, No Skill Roll Required (+1), Powers Can Be Changed As A Zero-Phase Action (+1); Limited Class Of Powers Available (Asian Magic; -1/2) 45 Six Demon Page: Multipower, 90-point reserve, OAF (-1) 3u 1) Magic Crystals: EB 8d6, Area Of Effect (One Hex; +1/2), Double Knockback (+3/4); OAF (-1), Extra Time (Full Phase, -1/2), 9 Charges (-1/4), Gestures (must throw; -1/4), [9] 2u 2) Crystal Rocket: EB 12d6; 3 Charges (-1 1/4), OAF (launching tube; -1), Extra Time (Full Phase, -1/2), [3] 3u 3) Silver Fan: Missile Deflection (Any Ranged Attack), Missile Reflection; OAF (-1), Only Works Against Magical Attacks (-1) plus +6 with Deflection; OAF (-1) 50 Do Things No One Else Can Do, See Things No One Else Can See: Aid STR, DEX, CON, PRE, REC, END, STUN and Running, 2d6 (standard effect: 6 points), Delayed Return Rate (points return at the rate of 5 per 6 Hours; +1 1/4), all powers simultaneously (+2); OAF (-1), 8 Charges (-1/2), Gestures (must drink; -1/4) plus Magesight, Range, Sense, Usable Simultaneously (up to 8 people at once; +1); OAF (-1), 8 Charges (-1/2), Linked (Do Things No One Else Can Do; -1/2), Gestures (must drink; -1/4) plus +2 Overall, Usable Simultaneously (up to 8 people at once; +1); OAF (-1), 8 Charges (-1/2), Linked (Do Things No One Else Can Do; -1/2), Gestures (must drink; -1/4), [8] 9 Divination: Precognitive Clairsentience (Sight Group), Reduced Endurance (0 END; +1/2); Extra Time (1 Hour, -3), Precognition Only (-1), OAF (divination materials; -1), No Range (-1/2), Gestures (must cast divination items; -1/4) Perks 5 Money: Well Off 2 Reputation: Chinese sorcerer (people of Chinatown) 11-, +2/+2d6 25 "Egg Fu Young Tours": Vehicles & Bases (125 points) Skills 10 +2 with Chinese Sorcery And Magical Powers 2 AK: Chinatown Sewer System 11- 3 CK: Chinatown 13- 3 CK: San Francisco 13- 3 Climbing 12- 0 Language: Cantonese (idiomatic; literate) 4 Language: English (idiomatic; literate) 2 PS: Tour Bus Driver (Egg Foo Young tours) 11- 17 Power: Sorcery 20- 3 SS: Alchemy 13- 3 Spell 11- 2 TF: Common Motorized Ground Vehicles 3 Scholar 2 1) KS: Chinese Culture And Civilization 13- 2 2) KS: Chinese History 13- 2 3) KS: Chinese Legends And Lore 13- 2 4) KS: Demons And Other Mystical Creatures 13- 2 5) KS: History Of Lo Pan 13- 2 6) KS: Sorcery 13- Total Powers & Skill Cost: 291 Total Cost: 373 200+ Disadvantages 5 Age: 40+ 15 Hunted: David Lo Pan 8- (Mo Pow, NCI, Limited Geographical Area, Harshly Punish) 20 Normal Characteristic Maxima 10 Psychological Limitation: Hunting Lo Pan ("The Evil Dream Must Die...") (Common, Moderate) 10 Psychological Limitation: Limited Tolerance For Braggarts And Fools ("And A Smart Man Knows Enough To Get In Out Of The Rain!") (Common, Moderate) 15 Psychological Limitation: Protective Of Allies ("You Leave Jack Burton Alone!") (Common, Strong) 98 Experience Points Total Disadvantage Points: 373
Background/History: Egg Shen is a Chinatown tour bus driver, running Egg Fu Young Tours out of what looks to be a converted firehouse. He also happens to be an accomplished sorcerer and the "local authority on Lo Pan." He has been hunting Lo Pan for sometime now, but has never had the opportunity to strike a final blow against Lo Pan's great evil... until now. Armed with his Six-Demon Bag, a magic potion and accompanied by Jack Burton, Wang Chi, and a half-dozen Chang Sings, Egg gambles everything on one last desperate attempt to free Miao Yin and Gracie Law from Lo Pan's clutches before Lo Pan frees himself from his awful curse and goes on to rule the world from beyond the grave. (whew...)
Personality/Motivation: For all his power, Egg does seem to be just a "normal" human. I'm not certain how old he really is, as an alchemist, he might be far older than he looks, although I doubt he's an immortal. The Age disad was an educated guess, since he didn't look to be all that sprightly.
It seems a safe bet Egg is hunted (probably indirectly) by the forces of Lo Pan. He is well known to Lo Pan, and their words indicated they have clashed many times before ("You never could beat me, Egg Shen!") Egg is also well known in the local area, having the reputation of a rich and powerful Chinese sorcerer, local Lo Pan authority and tour bus driver.
As far as his Psychological Limitations go, Egg will certainly stand by his allies and friends come Hell or high water. In the opening of Big Trouble we see him obviously getting threatened (or close to it) with contempt of court for refusing to speak about Jack Burton or his whereabouts. It goes without saying he has been hunting Lo Pan for sometime, and is willing to sacrifice himself to bring Lo Pan down ("If we reach Lo Pan..." "When!"). Finally, Egg, being an old and wise sorcerer, has little patience for those who rush in without a second thought ("You tried the front door and see where that got you?"). As he tells Gracie Law, "We must gather our strength...," for that is the only way to "bring order out of chaos...".
Quote: "I am the past Lo Pan, come back to haunt you!"
Powers/Tactics: Egg is a powerful Chinese sorcerer. Based on the scene where Jack, Wang and the Chang Sings gather in Egg's home, I'd guess Egg Shen's specialty to be alchemy. Jack does announce that "This place is a dump," while Wang replies "To Western eyes? Maybe. But, the contents of these bottles are priceless."
Early on in Big Trouble, Egg Shen demonstrates a from of divination, casting what look like animal bones and coins in a small mat to predict the outcome of the conflict with Lo Pan. I've also given him a Power Pool similar to the Power Pools possessed by the Three Storms. For more information on how best to set up this Pool, see the character sheet for Lightning.
Egg carries something he calls the "Six Demon Bag," which contains "Wind, thunder, all that sort of thing!". I don't know about that, but it sure contains some odd devices. Egg produces small explosive pellets several times, powerful enough to pitch Thunder over a wall, or toss a group of guards around. He also pulls out a "rocket launcher" and uses it to fire a chunk of what looks like ice (or a crystal) from a wooden tube. Finally, he hauls out a large silver fan while facing Lightning, using it to reflect Lightning's attack right back at him.
Egg Shen's Magic Potion is a tricky one. Egg states drinking it will allow one to: "See things no one else can see, do things no one else can do!" When Jack asks "What's this do again, exactly?" Egg's answer is "Gives buzz!". The construction I have presented was written up by John Prins, which looks good enough to allow a small group of people to tackle a large number of foes and come out on top.
Specifically, the potion looks to dispel fear (Jack states how "I don't feel scared at all") and grant the drinker above normal fighting prowess (as a friend of mine put it: "It's a D&D Superheroism potion"). It has the most obvious effect on Wang, since we see him run up and around a door arch, duel Rain to a stand still, and make a number of spectacular leaps through the air. Now, one can also make a case that Jack's reflection ability (where he catches the knife Lo Pan threw and tosses it back) is partially a result of the potion as well.
There are two powers of Egg's I really have to admit failure on trying to recreate. The first occurs in the Vault of the Dead Trees, where... something crawls out of a cave and eats an unfortunate Chang Sing. Eggs produces a handful of pellets and tosses them into the cave entrance, producing a bright flash and a cloud of smoke. Pointing at the cave, he then intones "You will come out no more!" Okay... Invisible Force Wall perhaps? Anyway, I agree with Jack on this one: "WHAT? What will come out no more?"
John Prins writes: Probably a simple Change Environment targeting the critter's weaknesses. Standard warding-vs-monster/demon type stuff. It could have just been a standard 6 Demon Bag attack (energy blast), with Egg warning the monster he'd better not come out again or face the same again (PRE Attack!).
Egg's other "odd" power is used during his duel with Lo Pan. He assumes a fighting stance and a beam of light shoots from his hands at Lo Pan. Lo Pan gets into a similar stance, and launches his own beam. When the two beams meet, we see the silhouetted forms of two warriors dressed in ancient armor dueling with swords. After a lot of grunting, shouting and bright lights, the two vanish in a big flare of light and sound. I have no idea what they were supposed to be doing, but it sure looked cool.
John Prins also writes: Contest of wills, for sure. Probably a simple Ego Attack vs. Ego Attack with visible special effects—they both blew their Skill Rolls at the same time. Though I notice you went with Cosmic sorcery pools :-/. Could have been a fancy Summon trick where the power of the critter is dependent upon the will of the creator, but that's unnecessarily messy. It could have been a special sorcerer's dueling skill (everything else was just show for a skill vs. skill contest, the winner gaining some benefit like the opponent's Sorcery Pool being reduced for a time)—in any case, neither of them really won.
Appearance: Egg is fairly short (a bit shorter than Wang Chi) and a touch rotund. He has scraggly hair, is in bad need of a shave, and has an odd walleyed look that is a touch disturbing. Normally, he dresses in Western fashions, although he dons more traditional dress to do battle with Lo Pan.
(Egg Shen created by Gary Goldman, David Weinstein, W.D. Richter and John Carpenter. Character sheet created by Michael Surbrook, additional material by John Prins)
Return to Movie-Derived Character Adaptations.