Design Notes
Weird Scientists are Enchanters of a sort – while the Weird Scientist Profession uses magical skills, the character sees it as science and not magic at all. While the Weird Scientist is the only “magical” support that the Cermak Street Irregulars have, that’s okay since magic is still rare and on the weaker side of the 1879 world. The Players Guide and DMs Guide provide a few options for “schools” of Weird Scientists, but I decided to develop a bit of a school for Pleasance that was more personal. I took elements of both the Promethean and Newtonian Schools as well as a smattering of my own Weird Science ideas here – a mash up balancing the concepts of Phlogiston as it relates to the Classical Elements with Electrostatic manipulation, because good comic book fans know that electromagnetism can be used to justify anything.
Perception and Willpower were the prime attributes for the Weird Scientist so I dumped loads of points there, and as an Elf, this made for an easy way to get to Step 6 Dexterity. I even dropped her Charisma as an Elf from her off putting and somewhat eccentric behavior in pursuit of the SCIENCE! Besides Craft Device as a Weird Scientist, Pleasence started with Craft Armor, Craftsman, Impressive Display, and Mechanic as Core Skills to further work into the tinkering and gadget based weird science she will be using. As Optional skills, Magical Theory and Research make a huge amount of sense to further her attempts to tie her theories together and gain repute. Cryptography and Field Engineering were free skills that were picked to create some more overlap in the Irregulars but also to keep up with the idea of tinkering while the Knowledge Skills started with a rank each in Natural Philosophy and Chemistry as the underpinnings of the Weird Science she practices. Finally, a bit of French sounded like a good language to add.
For magical spells to be used in enchanting, she started with Shield (Used for the Electrostatic Solidifier), Ignite (that is the basis for the Phlogiston Revelator), Light Area (which collects the sparks for the Static Accumulation Dongle), and Slow Ship/Vehicle (for the Atmospheric Condensation Focuser).
With that 3000 Adventure points after raising enough Core skills to increase his Professional Rank, the first thing I did was add Durability for 100 Adventure Points and pick up a new spell for 800 – Remote Operation (For the Electrostatic Polarity Reverser). I added ranks of Craft Firearm and Spellcasting as Core and Optional skills respectively and the Free skill of Frighten from her practice of staring down those who don’t believe in her SCIENCE!
Solidly Middle Class at Social Rank of 3, She starts with a little armor, a chatelaine for Weird SCIENCE! and a an adventuring kit. By the time she becomes Professional Rank 2, the Phlogiston Revelator is in good working order with the first prototype of the Electrostatic Solidifier solidly attached to the Ballistic Vest underneath her clothes.
Character Notes
Pleasance Desdemona Aylen was always a bit of a problem child. She was one of those clever clever children that left their parents at their wit’s end because they were not nearly so clever. Growing up in England in the 1860s, Pleasance found that her inclination to read and to write did not always follow what her parents had thought she would do. Not as many young lads were looking for a literate wife where they were but the eight year old Pleasance was already reading and writing. She dived into historical records as she got older to learn the science and literature waiting for someone to read it all …..
This is where she began to find her true calling for SCIENCE! In the early 1870s, still a youth, she began to write more and more monographs on the old theories of Phlogiston and how they would interact with the Electrostatic Charges she was detecting from her experiments … experiments her parents didn’t know a thing about. Her education continued apace when she left home in 1874 to study abroad and learn everything she could in pursuit of SCIENCE! against the wishes of her parents. She was so clever, many of the scientists who took her in had trouble keeping up with her thoughts, beyond the problem that she was diving down paths of research that seemed fruitless. Grosvenor’s work in England, however, seemed promising enough that she wasn’t turned out because breakthroughs come in all shapes and sizes.
She returned to England in 1877 with sketches and plans for harnessing this power just under the surface of the world hoping that the British acceptance of the brilliance of Oswald Grosvenor would help her find patrons. Looking Glass Fever was not far behind, though. When she awoke, she found her frame to be slight, her ears long, and a definite distaste for meat — she was an Elf. Her experiments, though, bore fruit and despite being a Boojum, she was able to sell her work and her research to garner a respectable income and settled into Hackney where she continues her research apace. In Hackney, she found another set of outsiders in the Cermak Street Irregulars. Reginald asked questions like she did while Herbert and Flo found commonality in their love of the mechanical. In fact, the three of them in one laboratory sends shivers down Richie’s spine because he has no idea what they will cobble together next.
For now, though, she pursues her SCIENCE! while field testing her inventions with these new friends. Right now, she is actively seeking out members of The Galvanic Order to see whether their manipulation of electricity can be integrated into her gadgets … and then the fun begins!
Cermak Street Irregulars Overview Here
Fillable PDF Sheet from FASA Games.
1879™ is a Trademark of FASA Corporation. The Grosvenor Land™, The Gruv™, and the Samsut™ are Trademarks of FASA Corporation. This fan work does not claim or imply a claim to any marks or copyrights claimed by the FASA Corporation or other copyright holders. Please visit FASA Games for more information about 1879.
01/02/18
Guard-a-manger
Iona Stone
J Samuel Diehl
Zendead