ORIGINAL FANTASY HERO CHARACTERS

MARIE SANGUINE
(a.k.a. "Bloody Marie" or "Bloody Mary")

Val	CHA	Cost	Roll	Notes
13	STR	3	12-	Lift 151.6 kg; 2 ½d6 HTH Damage [3]
21	DEX	22	13-
15	CON	5	12-
18	INT	8	13-	PER Roll 13-
18	EGO	8	13-
20	PRE	10	13-	PRE Attack:  4d6

7	OCV	20
7	DCV	20
3	OMCV	0
6	DMCV	9
4	SPD	20		Phases:  3, 6, 9, 12

5+3	PD	3		Total:  5/8 PD (0/3 rPD)
5+3	ED	3		Total:  5/8 ED (0/3 rED)
6	REC	2
30	END	2
10	BODY	0
25	STUN	3		Total Characteristics Cost:  138

Movement:	Running:	14m/28m 
		Leaping:	4m/8m
		Swimming:	8m/16m

Cost	Powers & Skills
	Martial Arts:  Cinematic Fencing
	Maneuver	OCV	DCV	Damage
4	Cut		+2	+0	Weapon +2 DC Strike
4	Esquive		--	+5	Dodge, Affects All Attacks, Abort
3	Floor Lunge	+2	+2	Weapon + Foe's v/5 Strike, You Fall
5	Basic Strike	+2	-2	Weapon +4 DC Strike; Half Move Required
3	Glide		+2	+1	Weapon Strike
4	Parry		+2	+2	Block, Abort
4	Riposte		+2	+2	Weapon +2 DC Strike, Must Follow Block
3	Legsweep	+2	-1	3 1/2d6 Strike, Target Falls
0	Weapon Element:  Blades

2	Fast On Her Feet:  Running +2m (14m total), END 1
2	No Fear Of The Ocean:  Swimming +4m (8m total), END 1
10	Fortune Favors The Bold I:  Luck 2d6
10	Fortune Favors The Bold II:  Luck 3d6; Only When Marie Is Engaged In Mass Melee/Ship-To-Ship 
	Action (-½)
5	Tougher Than She Looks:  Regeneration (1 BODY per Hour); Must Rest For The Entire Hour To 
	Regain 1 BODY (-½)

	Perks
4	Positive Reputation:  Successful Pirate Captain (throughout the Caribbean) 14-, +2/+2d6
0	Vehicle ("Lady Ariane" [all of Marie's ships are named "Lady Ariane"])

	Talents
3	Ambidexterity (no Off Hand penalty)
6	You'll Have To Do Better Than That!:  Combat Luck (3 PD/3 ED)
3	Sure Footed:  Environmental Movement (Supreme Balance)
2	Off-Hand Defense
3	+1/+1d6 Striking Appearance (vs. all characters)

	Skills
10	+1 with All Combat
5	+1 with Cinematic Fencing
6	+1 with all Agility Skills

3	Acrobatics 13-
3	AK: Caribbean 13-
1	AK: Indian Ocean 8-
3	Charm 13-
3	Climbing 13-
3	Combat Sailing 13-
3	Concealment 13-
8	Defense Maneuver I-III 
4	Gambling (Card Games, Dice Games) 13-
4	Language:  English (completely fluent; literate)
0	Language:  French (idiomatic; literate)
3	Language:  Spanish (fluent conversation; literate)
2	Navigation (Marine) 13-
3	Oratory 13-
9	Power:  The Sword! 16-
3	PS: Knot-Tying 13-
3	PS: Pirate Captain 13-
3	PS: Predict Weather 13-
2	PS: Sailor 11-
3	Streetwise 13-
3	Tactics 13-
3	TF:  Large Wind-Powered Boats, Rafts, Small Rowed Boats, Small Wind-Powered Boats
5	Two-Weapon Fighting ; HTH Multiple Attacks Only (-1)
5	WF:  Common Melee Weapons, Early Firearms, Early Emplaced Weapons

Total Powers & Skill Cost:  184
Total Cost:  321

275+	Matching Complications (50)
0	Distinctive Features:  Style (Not Concealable; Noticed and Recognizable; Detectable By Commonly-
	Used Senses)
5	Hunted:  The Spanish 11- (Mo Pow; Limited Geographical Area; Harshly Punish)
15	Psychological Limitation:  Humorless And Compassionless (Common; Strong)
0	Psychological Limitation:  Protective Of Women And Children (Common; Total)
15	Negative Reputation:  "Bloody Marie," scourge of the Caribbean, 14-
0	Social Limitation:  Pirate And/Or Privateer  (Frequently; Severe)
15	Social Limitation:  Woman In A (mostly) Man's World (Very Frequently; Minor)

Total Complications Points:  50
Experience Points:  46

Equipment:
Weapon			OCV	RMod	DMG		STUN	STR	Notes   
Cutlass, Blade		0	--	1d6		0	10	M
Cutlass, Hilt		0	--	(3d6)		na	10	M, +6 DEF to Loc. 6
Small Sword		0	--	1d6-1		0	8	M
Flintlock Pistol	0	-3	2d6+1 AP	+1	12	See below

Flintlock Pistol Notes: Armor Piercing only affects low-tech (i.e. period) armors. Pistol Activates (fires) on a 14-, takes 1 Turn to Reload, and requires 1/2 DCV (throughout) Concentration when reloading. A "cinematic" pistol does RKA 3d6+1, has a RMod of -2 to -0, and doesn't require a Activation Roll to fire.

Background/History: Born in 1684 on the Island of Tortuga, the girl who later in life would be known as Marie Sanguine ("Bloody Mary" to the English ) had a normal enough upbringing, especially since her family was of noble birth and was spared most of the toil common to colonists of the Caribbean. When she was 10, Marie and her mother Ariane were to return to France, and took passage on ship, but as misfortune would have it, never arrived. Their ship was taken by pirates, who stripped the French vessel of anything of value, had their sport with the passengers and crew, and took Ariane and her young daughter captive.

Young Marie showed an early glimpse of the quick thinking that would later bring herself so much fame by disguising herself as a boy and passing herself off as Lady Ariane's "son." The pirate captain's hope of ransoming the highborn pair kept Marie and her mother relatively unharmed, but a drunken pirate named Barker soon turned Marie's life into a nightmare. After nearly a week in the grip of the pirates, Barker defied orders and forced himself upon Marie's mother. Injuries endured during the struggle killed Ariane Sanguine. That night, as the pirates prepared to punish Barker, Marie broke away from her captors, seized a long-bladed seaman's knife, and opened Barker's throat in a single lightning-swift blow.

The pirate captain, one John Teach, was more amused than angered, and named Marie as his new cabin boy. "Barker owed you a life, and you took it from him" said the captain, "but his life was mine. Now, you owe me. A life for a life, as it should be."

As she neared her maturity, it became impossible for Marie to hide her sex, but her growing skills with weapons, the favor of Captain Teach, and the grudging respect of the crew kept her safe from unwelcome advances. By the time she turned 16, Marie was ship's quartermaster. When Captain Teach "retired" with a vast fortune, Marie, then 19, became first mate, and was voted in as captain by the time she was 21.

Marie now travels the seas, ranging from the steamy Caribbean and the mysterious coast of Africa, to the exotic Indian Ocean, and has several times risked the mighty Amazon. Her crew is more than content with the booty they have won from Spanish treasure ships, British slavers, and French ivory traders, but they also whisper, late at night, that it is not wealth their captain seeks. In a forgotten city in the heart of Africa, or so the story goes, are hidden the secrets of turning back time, and of bringing back the dead. Captain Sanguine, Bloody Marie, seeks those secrets for her mother, and herself.

Personality/Motivation: Formerly a cheerful and happy child, the rape and murder of her mother and the resulting rough-and-tumble upbringing amid a ship-full of cutthroats and knaves has turned Marie into dark and almost sullen lass. She smiles little and laughs even less, and has a notable lack of humor—and what little she does have is quite black. She shows little compassion for the needs and wants of others (aside from her crew), but has a notable soft-spot for mothers and children—certainly due to her own past experiences. One of the rules in her Articles of Agreement states that neither children or their mothers are to be harmed in anyway once a battle is over (those who choose to fight deserve what they get), and heaven help the new recruit who disregards said Article, for if Marie doesn't kill him the rest of her crew certainly will.

In the utter anarchy of pirate life Marie is somewhat of an oddity—not only is she a female captain, but her crew is uncommonly loyal. Unlike most pirate crews, in which a captain's decisions can be overruled by a simple majority vote, Marie's commands go virtually unquestioned. The reason for this is quite simple—Marie brings her crew prizes. They look upon her with almost superstitious awe, seeing her as a sort of "good luck" charm who brings them success in battle and who more than once has defied the odds to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat. It also doesn't hurt that Marie is a canny tactician, who wisely applies for (and usually receives) letters of marque from governors far and wide, allowing her to act as a privateer—often striking at Spanish shipping, but she isn't above taking British and even French ships if the opportunity (and fortunes of war) presents itself.

Quote: "Surrender now and stand by to boarded, else I show you why I am called "Bloody Marie"!"

Powers/Tactics: What Marie lacks in size and strength she more than makes up in speed and skill. She is far quicker than the average pirate and even trained British officers and Spanish Dons have be surprised by the sheer swiftness of her sword. In combat she tends to go all-out, starting with a brace of pistols, firing them once and then dropping them to draw her swords. In fact, once she has a sword in her hand she is nigh-unstoppable. Her fighting style is eclectic and most unusual, draw as it is from the teachings of a virtual hosts of swordsmen. As can be expected of someone with no formal training, she fights rather wildly, performing acrobatic techniques that would make most fencing masters cringe. Her Floor Lunge, in fact, results in her falling to the ground (usually supporting herself on one hand), while thrusting out with the point of her sword. The Flying Lunge is a similar technique, although in practice it is more like she hurls herself at a foe. The Riposte in only performed when she is using two swords—she blocks with one and strikes with the other, while the Sweep is performed without a sword at all—Marie simply kicks her foes legs out from under him. The Glide is perhaps her most subtle technique, seeing as it involves her pressing her sword against her foe's, and then "gliding" her blade up her opponent's and then twisting the sword for a quick strike.

To fully simulate Marie's fencing skills, she has the Power Skill of "The Sword!." Borrowed from GURPS Swashbucklers, this Power Skill allows Marie to do nearly anything dramatic and exciting that she needs to—provided she has a sword in her hand. The Sword! should be used if Marie want's to carve an initial on something (or in someone!), do a flashy disarm, hurl her sword, or swing from one ship to another via a loose line (and so on).

Appearance: Marie Sanguine, a young woman in her mid-twenties, has reddish-brown hair, blues eyes, and weathered (but attractive) features that make her look older than she really is. She stands just shy of 5'5" with a deceptively slender build that disguises the wry strength of someone who has spent most of their developing years working the rigging of a sailing ship. She dresses as befitting her rank, wearing a black knee-length dress, a long black coat (lined and trimmed in scarlet) complete with epaulets, black hose, black shoes, and a black hat set with a spray of feathers. Normally she only keeps a small sword on her person, but when preparing for battle will add two cutlasses and a pair of pistols.

Designer's Notes: "Bloody" Marie Sanguine is a pure Pulp Era pirate though and through. This is not to say she was active in the 1930s (she wasn't), but that her exploits are the sort one would expect to read about in a pulp magazine such as Weird Tales. Her Golden Age of Piracy bears only a passing resemblance to that of the "real world," and is more in line with worlds imagined by Robert E. Howard, Rafael Sabatini, and seen in Pirates of the Caribbean. Hers is a world of Voodoo, zombies, ghosts, ghouls, black magic, and the ever-present specter of the supernatural. Her expeditions to Africa and the Amazon have uncovered adandoned (and possibly pre-human) ruined cities, ancient civilizations, and strange monstrous guardians. And in between it all, she wanders the seas, taking what shipping she can find, and managing to keep out of the grasp of any one of a number of pursuers.

(Marie Sanguine created by Robert Dorf and Michael Surbrook, character sheet created by Michael Surbrook)

Marie Sanguine's Hero Designer File

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