Pulcinella
From Unofficial Handbook of the Virtue Universe
Pulcinella was always my favorite character in the Commedia dell'arte. Whenever I came upon a new roleplaying game, pen-and-paper or computer, I'd make a Pulcinella-themed character. I think what I liked the most about him was that, unlike the others like Arlecchino or Pantalone, Pulcinella seemed able to move freely from the light zany side of slapstick to the dark grotesque of grand guignol. That, to my eyes, made him infinitely more complex and interresting. As a RPG character, it opened up avenues for exploring a character with a great potential for soaring to heroic heights or to lose himself in his basest pulsions. And I still can't believe I was able to snag the name on Virtue!
| |
| Pulcinella | |
| Player: @Pulcinella | |
| Origin: | Natural |
|---|---|
| Archetype: | Scrapper |
| Security Level: | 50 |
| Personal Data | |
| Real Name: | Benjamin Marlowe |
| Known Aliases: | Punch |
| Species: | Human |
| Age: | 22 |
| Height: | 5'10 |
| Weight: | 173 lbs |
| Eye Color: | Brown |
| Hair Color: | Black |
| Biographical Data | |
| Nationality: | American citizen |
| Occupation: | Drama major student, part-time fast food cook, part-time crimefighter |
| Place of Birth: | Steel Canyon, Paragon City, USA |
| Base of Operations: | Confidential |
| Marital Status: | Confidential |
| Known Relatives: | Philip Marlowe (father), Louise Henderson Marlowe (mother) |
| Known Powers | |
| None whatsoever | |
| Known Abilities | |
| Confidential | |
| Equipment | |
| A set of Renaissance blades and the suit on his back | |
| ' | |
Contents |
History
Stupid Mistake #1
They say that love is blind, that's what you'll hear the most. Of equal validity but of lesser reknown is the fact that is also lacks any common sense. Take Benjamin Marlowe for example. As he was standing in line for registration at the Paragon City University, he spotted his lifelong love, Stephanie Miller, in another line. Never mind that he never told her how enamored he was or in what line she was standing, he had to go over and babble incoherently to her for half an hour. When he came to the front of the line and signed on the dotted line, he then realized he just registered as a Drama major. Stephanie was so overjoyed to have someone she knew enroll in the same classes that he just didn't have the heart to change his choice.
Stupid Mistake #2
Ben eventually took a liking to his Drama classes. At least it was more entertaining than doing an MBA. Mind you, he wasn't the best in his class but he sure became the most interested. He even joined an amateur troupe with Stephanie.
It's a well-known fact that using warehouses in Kings Row for anything more than storing crates and forgetting they were ever there is a bad idea. Sooner or later, the Skulls are bound to show up. Using one as a community theater falls under that category. One night, they were halfway through practice and the director had sent Ben to the upstairs prop room to fetch an inexistent codpiece - anything to get the overeager and mediocre actor away from the set.
That's when he heard loud shouting from downstairs. Looking out a small opening to the stage below, he saw his troupe surrounded by a group of skull-masked men. Normally at this point, he would have run out the back door and found some cops, but love never lets you do the sensible thing. Rummaging around for a moment, Ben found a battered Commedia mask, a fencing sword and an old velvet redingote.
In the most Errol-Flynnesque manner, Benjamin swung down from the rafters, landed in the middle of the mess and proceeded to fight back the Skulls, all the whille going "A-ha!" a lot. Surprisingly enough, he didn't end up as a bloody stain on the floorboards. He didn't really bash in any heads, but he did manage to impress the thugs enough for them to beat a hasty retreat.
Most importantly, the look in Stephanie's eyes was something he promised himself he'd see again.
Stupid Mistake #3
The following morning, Ben put on the mask again and rode the monorail to City Hall where he applied for his hero registration card. Sure, he likes acting the part and helping people is great and all, but he's almost hoping Stephanie gets mugged so he can san save her again.
He doesn't have super strength, breathe fire or fly; he's just a normal guy in a costume and acting on a really big stage. However, if there's one thing he's learned up to now, it's that all mistakes have consequences. He just hopes he can postpone them as long as he can.
Appearance
Ben composed the Pulcinella costume using pieces from two separate and highly different sources. From his first appearance, he has retained the purple velvet redingote and Pulcinella mask. The mask is made of sculpted boiled leather, hard enough to retain its form but not to actually protect the face from blows. Deeming this simple getup sufficiently flashy but lacking in the protection department, Ben has completed it with some biker gear he bought in a Kings Row shop (under the most dubious stares of the other customers). Thus a full black leather suit, complete with gloves and boots, affords him an additional layer of padding while being supple enough to not restrict his movements.
When not on patrol, however, Ben adopts a much more modest appearance: old t-shirts, cargo pants and sneakers are all he needs.
Personality
Benjamin is the introspective sort, which comes as a suprise considering the fact he ended up with theater as his career path. In fact, it makes perfect sense. Essentially, Ben has difficulty asserting his somewhat underdeveloped personality in everyday life. Theater, by way of letting him assume an artificial albeit stronger personality, lets him live life in a fuller way than he could do on his own.
The "role" of Pulcinella is the ultimate wet dream for an introvert of Benjamin's type: it constitutes a state-sanctioned and morally justifiable spare persona through which he can deal with duress in ways only dreamed of under normal circumstances. Thus, unlike shy unassuming Benjamin Marlowe, Pulcinella is an exuberant eccentric, a spotlight hogger in the worst possible manner.
That being said however, it is predictable that as Ben gets to spend more and more time with other heroes and develops more meaningful ties with some of them, he might let the Pulcinella varnish crack under the strain of true friendship.
Powers
Pulcinella has no real super powers; he's just a highly trained and motivated individual.
Stage-fighting
One of Ben's favorite classes is stage-fighting. Stage-fighting is not a real martial art per se; it puts the emphasis on showmanship rather than efficiency. Its other drawback is that is relies on scripted choreography rather than having to quickly react to actual and deadly events. However, big flashy moves do have the advantage of dazzling your opponent, giving you ample opportunity to target a weak spot - if you put the effort into looking for it.
Great Dedication
Benjamin would indeed describe this as "great dedication". He'd say his will to see justice prevail is stronger than any obtacle thrown in his way. We'll just say he just doesn't have enough sense to know when to give up.
Equipment
Renaissance Sword Set
Remnants of an age where actors could practice with the real thing, these steel blades have proven to be quite effective in dispatching evildoers. The set includes a rapier and a main-gauche.
Nemesis Staff Stage Prop
It's not as powerful as the real thing, but it's a damn good imitation.
Character Creation Trivia
Pulcinalla's real name comes from two playwrights comtemporary to Shakespeare: Ben Jonson and Christopher Marlowe.
