Val CHA Cost Roll Notes 12 STR 2 11- Lift 132 kg; 2d6 HTH Damage [2] 15 DEX 15 12- OCV: 5/DCV: 5 13 CON 6 12- 10 BODY 0 11- 13 INT 3 12- PER Roll 12- 11 EGO 2 11- ECV: 4 15 PRE 5 12- PRE Attack: 3d6 10 COM 0 11- 4 PD 2 Total: 4 PD (0 rPD) 4 ED 1 Total: 4 ED (0 rED) 3 SPD 5 Phases: 4, 8, 12 5 REC 0 26 END 0 23 STUN 0 Total Characteristic Cost: 41 Movement: Running: 7"/14" Leaping: 2"/4" Swimming: 2"/4" Cost Powers & Skills 2 Quick On His Feet: Running +1" (7" total). END 1 Perks 3 "MacHeath Spends Just Like A Sailor": Money: Well Off 6 "Look Out ... Old Macky Is Back!": Reputation: arsonist, murderer, rapist, thief (London Underworld) 14-, +3/+3d6 Skills 6 +2 with Jackknife 3 "Down By The River": CK: London 12- 3 Climbing 12- 3 "He Keeps It ... Out Of Sight": Concealment 12- 3 "Fancy Gloves... Wears Old MacHeath": Disguise 12- 3 "Keeps It ... Out Of Sight": Fast Draw (HTH) 12- 3 Interrogation 12- 3 KS: London Underworld 12- 0 Language: English (idiomatic; literate) 3 Lockpicking 12- 2 PS: Professional Criminal 11- 3 Security Systems 12- 3 Shadowing 12- 3 "Sneakin' ...Round The Corner": Stealth 12- 3 Streetwise 12- 1 "A Jackknife Has Old MacHeath": WF: Blades 56 Total Powers & Skills Cost 97 Total Character Cost 75+ Disadvantages 15 Hunted: London Police 8- (Mo Pow, NCI, Limited Geographical Area, Capture) 5 Psychological Limitation: Casual Killer (Common, Strong) 20 Psychological Limitation: Sociopath (Very Common, Strong) 15 Reputation: Mack The Knife, arsonist, murderer, rapist, thief, 14- (Extreme; London Underworld Only) 130 Total Disadvantage Points
Description: MacHeath, better known in street circles as "Mack the Knife," is a petty crook and blade-for-hire, who will take virtually any job, no matter how low. He's burned down homes, killed both men and women, raped a young widow, and stolen articles of every shape and size. He cares nothing for the law (since the law cares only for the wealthy and well-to-do), and is determined to get what he can while he can. Of course, it's only a matter of time until the police catch up with him, and when that happens, he'll hang for sure.
Mack the Knife, a.k.a. Mackie Messer, is first found in The Beggar's Opera by John Gay (1685-1732). He was then revised and rewritten into Mackie Messer for Die Dreigroschenoper ("The Three Penny Opera") by Bertolt Brecht (1898-1956) and Kurt Weill (1900-1950). The rather polite, well-mannered MacHeath was turned into the Mackie the cutthroat gangster. The song, the "Ballad of Mack the Knife" (Die Moritat von Mackie Messer), was created to introduce the character, who was now a thief, murderer, arsonist, and rapist. The play (and the song) eventually was translated into English, as The Three Penny Opera. Soon after, Mack the Knife was edited (dropping the last two stanzas about him being an arsonist and rapist), and Louis Armstrong recorded the first version in 1955. In 1958 Bobby Darin recorded it, with his version reaching number 1 on the Billboard charts and willing Darin a Grammy. Since then, many others have recorded the song, usually omitting the missing last stanzas.
This character sheet is a rather "liberal" translation of the song. I've included a number of skills not mentioned in the song based on his presumed character in the opera. I gave Mackie the Catburglar package from Dark Champions, although he's probably better used as a Pulp Hero sneak thief and minor gangster than a modern-day thug. Game Masters can make Mackie more powerful by giving him a knife-fighting Martial Art, Contacts, Followers, and even a Pulp Hero Superskill to allow him to slip into homes undetected.
Mack The Knife's Hero Designer File
(Mack the Knife [Mackie Messer] created by Bertolt Brecht and Kurt Weill, character sheet created by Michael Surbrook)
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