[Campaign Idea] Doctor Who Manchu

[Catsmate]

[Sorry, I couldn't resist the title.]

Inspired by this thread, and specifically misterharry's mention of Fu Manchu which sent my brain rattling down this track, like the proverbial two-bob bit in a Woodbine machine.

"Imagine a person, tall, lean and feline, high-shouldered, with a brow like Shakespeare and a face like Satan, a close-shaven skull, and long, magnetic eyes of the true cat-green. Invest him with all the cruel cunning of an entire Eastern race, accumulated in one giant intellect, with all the resources of science past and present, with all the resources, if you will, of a wealthy government--which, however, already has denied all knowledge of his existence. Imagine that awful being, and you have a mental picture of Dr. Fu-Manchu, the yellow peril incarnate in one man."

I expect most people are at least vaguely familiar with the Fu Manchu stories (books, films and some other media); the first book (The Mystery of Dr. Fu Manchu [UK] or The Insidious Dr. Fu Manchu [US]) was published by a journalist named Arthur Ward (pen-name Sax Rohmer) in 1913. It was set in 1911 describing the events of the first visit of the 'Devil Doctor' to Britain.

• Ward is an interesting character himself, a writer, occasional journalist and writer for the music halls before his career took off. He also has (like many men of the time) an interest in the occult, he was a Freemason, claimed membership in Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn, might have had Rosicrucian connections and was fascinated by Egyptology. Even if you don't involve him in this campaign idea he can pop up in an adventure, Edwardian or Pulp, that involves the occult or criminal activities, he was quite prepared to poke his nose into odd events or criminal activities in London where he could encounter anything from Torchwood to Cybermen, stranded aliens to time gates.
  

The book, actually a collection of short stories that'd been published in periodicals linked together, exploited the prevalent 'Yellow Peril' meme to tell the story of an evil, mustachioed, Chinese mastermind, his reign of terror in London and his heroic Anglo-Saxon antagonists, Denis Nayland Smith and Doctor Petrie. Fu Manchu returned to plague Britain in 1913 and 1914 before leaving again.

• "There was a great deal of apprehension in England . . . concerning the Chinese, because these people were running all the gambling and drug businesses (in Limehouse). They were baffling the law authorities because they were doing it all in this foreign language that nobody spoke and applying their own unique criminal methods. Further the Boxer rebellion in China was only a decade in the past and the Russo-Japanese, with it's surprise defeat of the Russian Empire, was even more recent. Asia was stirring and people were worried.
• As a point of fact the Fu Manchu of the books utterly lacked the stereotype mustache. 
• And don't forget this was during the Scareship era. Lots of possibilities for clues and red herrings.
  

Originally Rohmer ended the series in 1917 after three books, before reviving it in the '20s and writing ten more. His friend Cay Van Ash wrote two more (one being a Holmesian crossover set in a gap between two of Rohmer's books).

The characters are stereotypes, heavily based on the Holmes/Watson duo; Nayland Smith is the Imperial hero type, reminiscent of Allan Quatermain and numerous others. He's a man of action, a colonial police officer and administrator, with knowledge of Eastern Weirdness. Reasonably bright.

Petrie is the ultimate Everyman, he lacks even a first name in the books (given variously as John, Jack or Dexter in the films). He's a London physician with experience of the Orient and previous acquaintance of Nayland Smith and is called by him to assist when he pursues Fu Manchu.

• He was inspired by Flinders Petrie (William Matthew Flinders Petrie) the archaeologist and Egyptologist. Some fan works suggest that Dr. Petrie was the archaeologist's son but this doesn't fit history.
  

Now the Fu Manchu of the books and films is the classic evil mastermind, quite obviously inspired by Moriarty, engaging in all sorts of villainy. He's a master hypnotist, armed with an arsenal of poisons, creatures and devices, and backed by the 'Si Fan', an organisation stretching from the Mediterranean to the Far East.
In the later books he opposes the nascent Fascists and Communists and becomes rather more benign, though never really reaching anti-hero status.

However my take on Doctor Who/Fu Manchu, based somewhat on re-watching The Talons of Weng Chiang is a rather different one.

At the end of Talons there are a lot of loose ends. The Time Cabinet is left with Litefoot, albeit without it's key. The Tong of the Black Scorpion is destroyed onscreen, but could easily have survivors. There could be oodles of fifty-first century technology lying around. Now David McIntee wrote an excellent sequel to Talons (The Shadow of Weng-Chiang) set in Pulp favourite, thirties Shanghai, but I prefer to stick with the Edwardian setting of Fu Manchu.

• That said, it's an excellent book and a useful source of campaign and scenario ideas. It even has explicit possibilities for a sequel.
• The best resource for gaming in the Edwardian era, historical, fantastical or alternate, is Marcus Rowland's Forgotten Futures
  
  
  

What if Li H'sen Chang had a successor? Acolyte, apprentice or son (McIntee gives him a daughter) with similar abilities and skills, and knowledge of Greel, who missed out on the events of Talons for some reason. He returns to London and discovers the Tong base destroyed, his father dead, Greel dead and the survivors telling a story of a mysterious man, and his savage assistant, who destroyed all his father worked for. Let's continue to refer to him as Fu Manchu.
If this son was a young adult in 1889 he'd have been born around 1870, so he'd be 41-ish in 1911; with twenty years to collect the remains of Greel's resources, establish control of the Tong, study and plot.

Now Greel seemed to have quite a bit of advanced equipment lying around his lair, more than would have fitted in his Time Cabinet (there's that laser armed statue for a start) so either he was highly skilled at adapting Victorian technology to his purposes or he brought some manufacturing capacity with him when he fled. So I'm assuming he had some technical computers, a nano-fabrication device and some other odds and ends which Fu Manchu can obtain.

---

51st century background
In my Whoniverse Earth in the beginning of the sixth millennium is a backward, isolated and generally unimportant place. Abandoned during the Solar Flares era (the result of some ill-advised solar engineering) it now has a population approaching two billion, from cryo-stasis survivors, natural and artificial births.

• The fiddling with the sun was and attempt to end the Ice Age era; itself the result of some planetary engineering gone wrong.
  

The population has a bit of a grudge against the Galactic Federation who, in the view of Terran nationalists, didn't help them enough during the flare era (the advice to stop messing with technology you don't understand and leave Sol alone was not well received). Technologically Earth has regressed substantially, being a mix of 19th to 21st century, though with some advanced imports. There's a moderately effective embargo against importing advanced tech.

• Of course the Feds have their own problems; the split that formed the Confederacy was peaceful enough (only a few million died) but the Confed is expanding faster and encroaching on areas the Fed think are theirs. That said the rivalry is generally peaceful. One thing both powers do agree on is the New Terran Empire (a rather grandiose name for a smallish, sub-galactic, power) is not getting control of Earth. Theres too much social and cultural baggage there. Plus a lot of them, especially the non-humans, remember the last human Empire and not fondly.
• The Time Agency was a joint project, it didn't last. Both factions now have limited time travel and are anxious to monopolise it. Though a few Agents simply went rogue and set up as Freetimers.
• Both the Galactic Federation (actually eleven galaxies have significant membership), the Confederacy (also multi-galactic and other powers things are peaceful on the large scale. This won't last of course.
  

World Wars Four through Six didn't help things on Earth much either, lots of effort (and resources) that could have been used in rebuilding human civilisation on it's home were wasted. However after WW6 things are rather better. Of course there's still the lack of useful mineral resources on planet, asteroid mining and salvaging of surviving pre-flare bases is big business. What will become the Bio-al Foundation is being planned, and the Second Diaspora isn't too far off.

During the Supreme Alliance period, both before and during WW6, various 'Weird Technologies' were evaluated and tested. Hence the 'organic distillation' setup Greel used, research which would culminate in the New London Horror of von Wachten. Bio-tech was also popular, including weird cybernetic genemod animals.

---

After gathering the remainder of the Tong, and establishing his authority, recovering what resources he can the man who would become Fu Manchu leaves England and returns to China, hoping to use his abilities to gain power. And recover any other caches of equipment Greel left behind.

I'm not going to try and describe what happened during this period. Fu Manchu learned, probably attending universities in Europe as well as studying in the Orient. He also studied what he could find of Greel's notes, including a computer system he learned to operate.

• Fu Manchu supposedly attended Edinburgh, Heidelberg and the Sorbonne. He might be encountered there in the 1890-1905 period, presaging the main storyline. Don't forget to play up the racism of the era.

Exactly what futuristic knowledge did Fu Manchu amass from Greel's equipment? This is up to you to decide. I suggest he has a broad understanding of future history and technology, with detailed information on some technologies and device. A 51th century Wiki (for example) would give useful background but lacks detailed blueprints for most equipment.

• And Greel may have been prepared for a different destination that nineteenth century China.
  

He does have a nano-fabrication device that survived the events of Talons. However this is a small unit, capable of assembling small items (or parts of larger ones) given time and materials. It's not capable of matter transmutation; if electronics needs germanium, that rare element needs to be supplied.
Therefore while Fu Manchu has some energy weapons, radios et cetera, he doesn't have many of them. I'll cover this in more detail in the Resources section.

So, early in 1911 Fu Manchu sends agents to London to establish bases are prepare for his arrival. Why then and there? Well that depends on his motivations; he may have planned this, or he may have discovered something (like a cache of Greel's equipment) that he badly wants and have acted precipitately. Maybe he's learned of Torchwood and their collection of artefacts.




Motivations
What does Fu Manchu want? That's up to you to fine-tune for your players and campaign tone. Some possibilities:
1. Revenge. A classic motivation. But revenge upon whom?

• The Doctor: well he did kill his father (or mentor). A bit hackneyed but workable. Assuming Fu Manchu knows the Doctor is a time traveller (a Time Agent perhaps) he may plan to disrupt the past to entice him into a trap.
• Greel: the false god who got his father killed. McIntee does this one well so I'll leave it alone.
• Britain: perhaps embittered by his time there or the death of his father (and perhaps Greel) he seeks to punish the country he holds responsible
  
• The West: the previous option writ larger
  
• China: his homeland. Perhaps he's in England because he was forced to flee China.
  

2. Power. Also a classic. But what is his plan?

• Gain power in China, controlling the Empire (and thus preventing the events of late 1911). This is an interesting one, if Fu Manchu is aware of the near future in China heading off to London in mid-1911 seems reckless.
• Gain power in China, controlling the Republic. Again shouldn't he be there marshalling his forces?
  
• Precipitate war between China and Britain, to unify China (under his leadership). Inspired by the Russo-Japanese war.
• Stir up trouble in Europe, World War One isn't far off, and gain control of China while Europe is otherwise diverted.
  

3. Anarchy.
Trying to stir up death and destruction, and help it along. Expect plagues, mass murder and more.

4. Time Travel.
He wants desperately to be able to travel in time. Either to save/meet his father, conquer and empire for himself or change history to his whim.

5. Something else.
Whatever suits your game.




Resources.
What toys does Fu Manchu have access to? This should be tailored to your game and players. Some ideas.

• Manufacturing capability is limited, by size of assembler, speed of operation and requirement for rare elements (no transmutation); germanium, gallium et cetera for electronics); so limited stocks of energy weapons, compact radios but no armies so equipped. Nano-fabs are few in number, require cooling (water), steady power, computer control.
• Fu Manchi has a good, if irregular and theoretical, knowledge of future science (and history, though probably not detailed near future history). Hence he kidnaps and mind controls scientists to develop new technology.
• It's easier for him to manufacture quantities of near future weapons (i.e. compact automatic weapons, hand grenades, portable rockets) than really advanced stuff. Expect Pulp style gun battles and biplane strafing and bombing.
• Poison gases. From WW1 agents like phosgene and HS, to Cold War nerve agents and incapacitants like BZ to advanced toxics and sleep gases. Probably not in huge quantities.
• Drugs and poisons. A classic Fu Manchu meme. Lots of weird drugs, from rapid healing for minions, to toxins to dispose of enemies, to chemical interrogation ('Fast Penta' for example. Also using addictive recreational drugs for control/blackmail and pheromonal/mind control agents for dominating his victims.
• Weird lethal plants and animals. Another Fu Manchu classic; he was particularly adept at lethal creatures that would 'home in' on victims via a drug or perfume. Possibly down to 51st century bio-technology.
  
• Mind control. Use extensively. Cannon fodder that will die for him (suicide bombs perhaps), scientists that have been conditioned to serve him. Agents everywhere.
  
• Surveillance. Not something that appeared in Rohmer's work, though Van Ash equipped Fu Manchu's minion with wireless telephone taps, homing devices and tiny radio bugs. Useful for monitoring enemies, blackmailing officials into compliance and preparing traps for heroes.
• Bombs. Also not really really canonical but you can arm Fu Manchu's agents with hand grenades, booby traps, vehicle and suicide bombs, reliable parcel bombs and more.
  
• Energy weapons: Van Ash armed Fu Manchu with a variety of energy weapons: a laser sniper weapon, an "electrostatic vortex" (projected plasma weapon?), sonic screamer bomb capable of liquifying the brain, a ship-killing death ray and more. Large weapons should be heavily reliant on Edwardian technology and big.
• Psionics. Fu Manchu was a master hypnotist and there were example of other psi. Li was a receptive telepath (and the Fourth Doctor Sourcebook gives him telekinesis) so Fu Manchu should have these also. Perhaps granted via medical nanotech developed by Greel in his experiments?
• Mr. Sin. Hell no, leave that damned doll out. Unless you want to.....
• Cloning. A useful way to handle the player killing off a favoured villain or minion, to justify them reappearing a few months or years later. Perhaps Fu Manchu is already training his 'daughter', actually a force grown, sex swapped clone.
  
• Aircraft. 1911 saw some aviation firsts, first airmail delivery, first commercial cargo, first non-stop London-to-Paris flight, first naval aviation, first licensed women pilots (UK, USA, Holland). Also the first woman to die in an aviation accident and the death toll for aviation accidents reached 100. Does Fu Manchu make use of these primitive contraptions? Or has he contra-gravity flying machines?
  
• Nukes. See below, this deserves it's own section.
  

Nuclear energy.
Fu Manchu should have knowledge of nuclear fission from Greel's records, access to uranium (there's limited mining so purchase, theft or clandestine mining is possible), the ability to manage isotopic separation (via nanotech or the Tragellan method). So he should have the ability to build an atomic bomb.......

• This could be a campaign all on it's own as the heroes learn aspects of  the plan; buying uranium, sinister goings on in Cornwall, kidnapping of scientists, strange deaths (radiation poisoning) et cetera.
• There was a 'Uranium rush' in the 1910s, due to the desire for the newly discovered element radium; previously there'd been limited production of uranium (mainly the Austrian controlled silver mines at Joachimsthal) due to lack of uses. There is some in Cornwall, mixed with tin ores, possibly suited to a clandestine operation.
  

Actually building a reactor in Britain is unlikely, without the involvement of some serious industrial resources and facilities, but small scale production isn't impossible. Perhaps the current situation in China makes Britain preferable, or Fu Manchu needs technicians or scientists with skills unavailable in China.

• Shades of the Nestene Consciousness and plastics factories.
  

Another option is  the production of plutonium; 'bred' from uranium via fusor produced neutrons with separation via nanotech rather than Purex).

Production of fissionables should be limited; extraction from the ore, separation of isotopes or breeding and separation of plutonium are tricky, even with advanced knowledge and technology. Some polonium (discovered in 1898, extracted from uranium ore) and beryllium will probably also be needed. However not that much is needed for a crude bomb.

• Save the Curies! Marie and Pierre have disappeared from Paris! Is it related to the recent revelation of her affair with Paul Langevin, or is a sinister Chinaman with nuclear interests involved?
• This could be a pattern with a Fu Manchu centred campaign. Save Doctor X/Professor Y.
  

A simple fission bomb (or perhaps a few) should be possible. They'd be fifties technology, but probably with better electronics and explosives and less armour cladding so rather lighter. Somewhere in the region of 2-3 tonnes weight and 15-150kt yield, depending on sophistication. The weight would be beyond any aeroplane of the era but just possible for a dirigible or contra-gravity airship.

• Cue the campaign finale! Airship battle over London, or en route to London, with a nuclear bomb! Countdown timer! (red LEDs optional) Betrayal! Heroic battles on deck! Someone falling off and desperately clutching a rope!  Watch Michael York in Zeppelin for inspiration.
• Will Fu Manchu survive? Silly question......
  

Cleanup in 1911 please...
Unless you plan to abandon history as we know it you'll also need to remove all these advanced technologies and ideas. WW1 isn't far off....

• Of course you can simple cover it up. Van Ash had a secret British atomic bomb programme during WW1, with Fu Manchu intervening.
  

Events
Things that happened in 1911 that might fit into a campaign or be blamed on Fu Manchu.

• The Siege of Sidney Street. This was on the 3rd of January, a little early, but perhaps it was part of Fu Manchu's plot, an attempt to start an insurrection and/or kill Churchill.
•  he huge fire that devastated  downtown Constantinople (Istanbul) on the 6th of February. A weapons test or diversion for a theft or kidnapping?
  
• The mysterious sinking of the SS Yongala on 23rd March, for what sinister purpose?
• Was he pulling the strings of the Agadir crisis from May to July? Perhaps the financial crisis that struck Germany was his doing?
• Possibly he was behind the loss of the zeppelin "Deutschland", wrecked at Dusseldorf on 16th May?
  
• The 22nd August theft of the Mona Lisa from the Louvre? Was the picture really recovered in 1913?
• The explosion onboard, and sinking of, the French battleship Liberté in Toulon harbour on 23rd SEP, killing hundreds of sailors. Was this done by Fu Manchu?
  
• Was he involved in sabotaging the RN airship Mayfly so it was destroyed on it's first attempt to fly? (24th September)
  
• There's the destruction of the Bayless Damn in Austin, Pennsylvania on 25th September, releasing more than one and a half million tonnes of water, obliterating the town and killing more than a thousand poeple. Perhaps the testing of a aerial bomb, guided missile or sonic weapon?
• The overthrow of the Manchu dynasty and the proclamation of the Republic in the winter of 1911-12. Was this planned by FM or did it precipitate his departure for China.
• The Manchurian Plague of 1910-11 killed at least sixty thousand people and was unusual for being almost entirely the pneumonic form of the disease, as opposed to the usually more common bubonic. Was this an operation by Fu Manchu, perhaps aimed at the Japanese and Russian encroachment? Did it go as intended? Or was it too small (and not a generalised pandemic) or too large (and get out of control)? Was this the reason he departed China in 1911. The plague was mostly over by February, after brutal quarantine programmes, but inspired later Soviet and Japanese biological warfare experiments.
• On the same subject, there was a small, and still mysterious, outbreak of bubonic plague in Suffolk in October-November 1910 that could have been an experiment by Fu Manchu's agents. It mostly centred at the Royal Navy barracks at Shotley and the village of Freston, near Felixtowe.
  

The events that led to passing of the Parliament Act, 1911 (which ended the power of the House of Lords) could also be used, as background, or woven into a campaign with mind controlled parliamentarians.

You could easily include fictional events, such as a raid on the Royal Mint or the Tower of London, as part of Fu Manchus depredations; with sleep (or poison) gas as a force multiplier. Does he need a few tonnes of gold? Is he out to humiliate the government and Scotland Yard? Or is this just a diversion from something even more sinister?



Dramatis personæ.

Allies

• Nayland Smith and Doctor Petrie: I'd replace them with whatever investigators your players want to play, unless you;re going with a purely Edwardian pulp campaign. Both were in their late twenties or thirties (despite being played by older actors).
  
• Jago and Litefoot would be in their early sixties in 1911 but could become involved, either coincidentally or deliberately if they'd started investigating mysteries after their encounter with the Doctor.
• Ashleigh Holmes: The time traveller, smarter older sister of Sherlock, inventor of the Holmes Field for travelling through time. Mistress of disguise.
  
• Colonel Edmund Ross (and his burglarious, if now elderly, manservant Abercrombie): he'd be in his sixties now (he wasn't yet thirty in 1880 when he met the fourth Doctor. Possibly he's involved with Torchwood, probably fairly senior.
• Sherlock Holmes and Doctor John Watson: up to you if you want to involve the Great Detective (Van Ash did); he should be either retired or engaged in counter-espionage otherwise.
  
• Inspector John Weymouth; Nayland Smith's Lestrade. A solid Yarder who sees a number of his colleagues killed by various horrible means.
• Time Agents: finally getting around to cleaning up the Greel mess. A young Harkness perhaps?
  

Enemies

• Fu Manchu: you'll need to stat him yourself. I suggest you start with Li H'sen Chang, increase Ingenuity to 4 or 5, add a point to Resolve and Presence (or bring all of them to 5). He'd have a broader skill set, emphasising the sciences and medicine.Probably justify Time Traveller if he's studied more advanced technology.
• Fah Lo Suee: either daughter (biological or otherwise), slave or clone
• The Black Dragon tong: assorted mooks, not nearly as numerous as the Si-Fan
  
• Minions and Lieutenants: mooks with names, skills and speaking parts,
  

Bystanders

• Arthur Ward: inquisitive journalist, quite knowledgeable about Limehouse and criminality in London. Should survive to write a bowlderised account of the events as fiction. May know Henry Jago.
  
• Torchwood: technically this situation is exactly what they're supposed to handle. But if your want to take them off centre stage then they could be otherwise engaged, riven by internal disputes, under-resourced (the Liberals are in government) or otherwise unable to deal with Fu Manchu. Or perhaps they've been wiped out by a ripple in the timestream.
  
• Pierre and Marie Curie, Earnest Rutherford; potential kidnapees or sources of information. May be consulted if radioactives are found.
  
• H. G. Wells: another journalist and writer. Possibly troublesome.
• The Hourglass Club: a friendly club for unattached time travellers (Freetimers). Unlikely to become involved directly unless Fu Manchu antagonises them, by attacking it's premises, assaulting staff or trying to steal parked time machines (either in the club's garage, the dockside annexe or the Place in Scotland). If so they may become involved by requesting members to assist the players (and aid them with it's resources; financial, political influence, equipment, transport, research or communication). In extremis the Regents may call in a few favours from other time travellers.
  
  

Campaign ideas.

• Torchwood: Some interesting possibilities for shades of grey. They may forcibly recruit the characters to deal with Fu Manchu (impounding their transport), attempt to grab Fu Manchu's resources for the Greater Good
  of Britain, actually ally with him or be so internally factionalised as to be useless. Possibly antagonistic, and helpful at once.
• Or perhaps the players are agents of Torchwood, and have to deal with it's labyrinthine politics.
  
• Perhaps the players, time travellers, are asked by their associates in the Hourglass Club to deal with Fu Manchu after he steals a time machine they were garaging. This could lead to an ongoing campaign to preserver history.
  
• Raiding Torchwood: does Torchwood have a Warehouse 23 style collection of recovered alien technology? If so it'd be a tempting target for Fu Manchu.
• For a one off scenario (similar to Talons) a simple plot; arrive, find problem, defeat the villain and leave. Any cleanup to be done by someone else (Torchwood?) off stage.
• Then add a sequel:  Defeat Fu Manchu and he pops up again, years in his future.
  
• Recurring villain.  The players could encounter Fu Manchu multiple times over the years; possibly with Fu Manchu growing in power and capability.
• Pulp UNIT: after defeating him in 1911 they players find themselves facing Fu Manchu again 15-20 years later, better prepared and resourced.
• Campaign. Remain on Earth in 1911 (Britain, London, international) and frustrate the plans of Fu Manchu. May be voluntary or not (time machine impounded or stolen). Possibly an uneasy allience with Torchwood (or part of it) or
  other agency.
  
• What happens if Fu Manchu gains access to a time machine? Or even just something like Maxtable's time corridor?
  
• Who-free: dispense with the time travel motif altogether and stick with the classic Fu Manchu. Leave his origins mysterious.
• For a Lovecraftian feel add some of the Great Old Ones and have Fu Manchu trying to summon/control them for his own ends.

[Polar Bear]

Okay, I've statted up Fu Manchu. He's ridiculously powerful. I'm almost done with a revised Villains sheet that I'll be linking to soon, but here are my stats for him and his daughter. He's ... definitely a more-than-worthy adversary for the Doctor.

Fu Manchu
Master of arts ancient and modern, equally at home in genetically engineering bioweapons, activating force fields and anti-gravity rays, hypnotizing political lackeys to start wars overseas, or taking part in hand-to-hand combat to defeat a particularly worthy opponent. Over a century old, he is not without his own peculiar code of honor, and he loathes firearms and explosives, but make no mistake: he is by far the deadliest man the world has ever known.

Attributes: Awar 4, Coor 5, Inge 6, Pres 5, Reso 6, Stre 4

Skills: AniHan 4, Conv 5, Cra 4 (AoE: Acting), Figh 6 (AoE: Martial Arts), Know 6, Medi 6, Scie 6 (AoE: Botany, Chemistry, Microbiology, Surgery, Weird Science, Zoology), Subt 6 (AoE: Disguise), Tech 6 (AoE: Weird Technology), Tra 3

Good Traits: Authority (Major: leader of the Si-Fan cult); Fast Healing (Major); Hypnotism (Major); Friends (Major, can call upon his own or various allied secret societies around the globe); Gadgeteer (Major); Indomitable (Major); Linguist (Chinese, Japanese, English); Martial Artist (Major); Minions x 3 (Scientists; Technicians; Martial Artists); Psychic Training (Minor); Special: Omni-lingual (can speak any language with use of a story point, and speaks with no accent); Wealth (Major).

Bad Traits: Adversary (Minor: Sir Denis Nayland Smith); Code of Conduct (Major: loathes guns and explosives); Code of Conduct (Minor: respects worthy adversaries); Insatiable Curiosity (Minor); Obsession (Major: destroy the Western world).

Special/Creature/Psychic Traits: Fear Factor x1; More than Human; Immortal (Major: comes from his once-a-decade injection of his Elixir Vitae); Psychic; Telepathic (Restriction: his telepathic powers are limited; treat as Reso 2).

Base Traits: Advanced Technology; Armory (Restriction: no ballistics or explosives); Archives; Fortified; Holding Cells; Laboratory; Landing Facility; Medic; Minions x 3 (Scientists, Technicians, Martial Artists); Secret Base; Training; Vehicle Pool; Wealthy; Code (Si-Fan Cult rules); Criminal; Dangerous Experiments; Isolated.

Total Character Points: 118

Story Points: 12


Fah Lo Suee
The daughter of Fu Manchu, Fah Lo Suee has had her issues with accepting authority and professing her invidualism, balancing her love for her father with her need for romance. Once, she even joined the side of the angels. But then she rejoined her father, worse than ever, with only incomplete memories of ever having betrayed him. She does not have his decades of experience, nor his vast powers … but she’s learning.

Attributes: Awar 4, Coor 4, Inge 5, Pres 6, Reso 5, Stre 4

Skills: Athl 3, Conv 3, Figh 4 (AoE: Martial Arts), Know 3, Med 2, Scie 4, Tech 4, Tran 2

Good Traits: Attractive (Minor); Authority (Major: a leader within Si-Fan); Hypnosis (Minor, Restriction: eye contact and oral communication required), Martial Artist (Major); Minions (Major: martial artists).

Bad Traits: Amnesia (Minor); Emotional Complication (Minor: unsure how she feels about her father); Maverick (Minor)

Special/Psychic Traits: Psychic; Telepathic (Restriction: her telepathic powers are very limited, treat as Reso 1).

Gadget: Mimosa perfume, minor invention: Gives +2 to hypnosis attempts when she refreshes her perfume. Trait: Augment (see above). 1 Story Point.

Total Character Points: 62

Story Points: 5

[Catsmate]

Nice work, I'm currently re-reading the first trilogy (my Van Ash books are deadtree at home) and that looks right for the classic Fu Manchu, as opposed to my toned down version.

He later amasses quite a lot of advanced technology, i.e. anti-gravity (including flying saucers), the Ericksen Ray (and a shielding system based on it that disintegrated bullets), the Runsen Beam (not really detailed), the Jasper Vacuum Charger (boosted the effect of firearms greatly, in one case a rifle fitted was used in an assassination at ~3,200m) and much more. Plus all his usual poisons, fungi and creatures.

[Polar Bear]

Yeah, I wasn't about to stat every single creature and gadget he ever used. That way madness lies.

[Catsmate]

May 22, 2014 22:21:16 GMT Polar Bear said:

Yeah, I wasn't about to stat every single creature and gadget he ever used. That way madness lies.

Absolutely. Even if you stick with the books they're rarely consistent and often just plot devices.

[grinch]

Bit of an old thread but I really like the ideas in this.

Fu Manchu I think would make for a good main villain of an Edwardian Paternoster Gang campaign. Say set several years after the conclusion of a previous campaign set in the Victorian era. A campaign where (with help from your younger PCs) the Paternoster Gang managed to finally defeat the mysterious Napoleon of Crime but at a great cost. As in doing so, Madame Vastra, Jenny, and Strax were either killed or otherwise were missing in action. Obviously, they can remain dead or make a dramatic re-appearance. Having survived, been resurrected or have been in hiding all this time. Just how long does a Sontaran and Silurian live exactly?

Now a few years into the new century, Fu Manchu has taken advantage of the power vacuum left behind the Napoleon of Crime (and all the technology that was left behind) and has become the dominant figure behind most of if not all of the crime in London. Your PCs now aged must take on Fu Manchu perhaps with the help of a few upcoming members of the Paternoster Gang? The original three may be gone but their legacy still lives on.

You could also if you wanted to have newer PCs, have your old Paternoster Gang members appear as NPCs in mentor roles or even a few recognisable faces (some aged, some not) from the Victorian campaign make an appearance.

I do think you'd have to make sure that Fu Manchu differs from the Napoleon of Crime though. Aside from the blistering obvious, of course. Would make for a neat Great War game as well I think if you move along the campaign a few more years to its outbreak. With your PCs trying to prevent Fu Manchu from taking advantage of chaos raging throughout and the rest of the world.

[Catsmate]

Sept 16, 2021 13:02:03 GMT grinch said:

Bit of an old thread but I really like the ideas in this.

Thank you. Oddly I was revisiting my expanded notes on this idea recently as someone got me Maynard's authorised sequel The Terror of Fu Manchu (it's pretty terrible), so I might be posting a new version. Sometime....

Sept 16, 2021 13:02:03 GMT grinch said:

Fu Manchu I think would make for a good main villain of an Edwardian Paternoster Gang campaign. Say set several years after the conclusion of a previous campaign set in the Victorian era. A campaign where (with help from your younger PCs) the Paternoster Gang managed to finally defeat the mysterious Napoleon of Crime but at a great cost. As in doing so, Madame Vastra, Jenny, and Strax were either killed or otherwise were missing in action. Obviously, they can remain dead or make a dramatic re-appearance. Having survived, been resurrected or have been in hiding all this time.

I like it, remove the old characters and reboot. Unless they're needed.

Sept 16, 2021 13:02:03 GMT grinch said:

Just how long does a Sontaran and Silurian live exactly?

IIRR there was a reference somewhere to an 85 year old Sontaran.

Sept 16, 2021 13:02:03 GMT grinch said:

Now a few years into the new century, Fu Manchu has taken advantage of the power vacuum left behind the Napoleon of Crime (and all the technology that was left behind) and has become the dominant figure behind most of if not all of the crime in London. Your PCs now aged must take on Fu Manchu perhaps with the help of a few upcoming members of the Paternoster Gang? The original three may be gone but their legacy still lives on.

You could also if you wanted to have newer PCs, have your old Paternoster Gang members appear as NPCs in mentor roles or even a few recognisable faces (some aged, some not) from the Victorian campaign make an appearance.

I do think you'd have to make sure that Fu Manchu differs from the Napoleon of Crime though. Aside from the blistering obvious, of course. Would make for a neat Great War game as well I think if you move along the campaign a few more years to its outbreak. With your PCs trying to prevent Fu Manchu from taking advantage of chaos raging throughout and the rest of the world.

Well if (for example) Fu Manchu knew that a world war was coming he could be attempting to spark it off. Manipulating politicians and journalists, creating events like the Agadir Crisis, meddling in the Russo-Japanese war and the Balkans et cetera.

[grinch]

I definitely think there’s a great deal of potential having a campaign set in the Edwardian era in the calm before the storm that was the years leading up to The Great War. Also gives you room to include characters such as Thomas Carnacki (who has been established to have dealings with The Paternoster Gang in the past) and Torchwood to see how the latter is faring in a post Queen Victoria world.

An 85 year old Sontaran? Blimey. Considering the species propensity towards war, I doubt any of them live that long. Still, good to know that at least Strax could be knocking about if he survived the catastrophe that wiped out Vastra, Jenny and (hopefully) The Napoleon of Crime. Albeit much slower and not as strong.

Would certainly make for more of a global campaign if the Paternoster Gang were trying to prevent Fu Manchu from kickstarting a World War. Only to realise they can’t stop the war from happening but they can lessen the damage by stopping a few of his plans. Could even see a few of the PCs being confronted and opposed by militant Time Agents who despite acknowledging Fu Manchu as being an insane lunatic, the outbreak of the First World War is a fixed point in time and as such can’t be prevented.

Actually, here’s a thought. Maybe the Napoleon of Crime wasn’t killed in the encounter which killed the original Paternoster Gang and allowed Fu Manchu to seize control of his criminal empire? The casing was destroyed but the mutant remains in the custody of Torchwood. A few PCs might consider breaking into one of Torchwood’s headquarters (cue cameo from Captain Jack) to rescue the Napoleon of Crime. Seeing him as a wild card to be used against Fu Manchu.

[Catsmate]

Sept 17, 2021 12:15:53 GMT grinch said:

I definitely think there’s a great deal of potential having a campaign set in the Edwardian era in the calm before the storm that was the years leading up to The Great War. Also gives you room to include characters such as Thomas Carnacki (who has been established to have dealings with The Paternoster Gang in the past) and Torchwood to see how the latter is faring in a post Queen Victoria world.

Agreed, the period is one of my favourite for gaming.
I remember Carnacki in The Screaming Ceiling, very different to the books.
Torchwood seem to have been ignored in most of the Paternoster stories; as you say the transition to a new monarch might effect them greatly.
Personally I'd link them to the 'scareships' era, experiments in reverse engineered alien technology for flight.

Sept 17, 2021 12:15:53 GMT grinch said:

An 85 year old Sontaran? Blimey. Considering the species propensity towards war, I doubt any of them live that long. Still, good to know that at least Strax could be knocking about if he survived the catastrophe that wiped out Vastra, Jenny and (hopefully) The Napoleon of Crime. Albeit much slower and not as strong.

That was in Old Soldiers so it's not even deuterocanonical. But, maybe?

I rather like the idea of Strax being the linking character. Maybe a bit more thoughtful?

Sept 17, 2021 12:15:53 GMT grinch said:

Would certainly make for more of a global campaign if the Paternoster Gang were trying to prevent Fu Manchu from kickstarting a World War. Only to realise they can’t stop the war from happening but they can lessen the damage by stopping a few of his plans. Could even see a few of the PCs being confronted and opposed by militant Time Agents who despite acknowledging Fu Manchu as being an insane lunatic, the outbreak of the First World War is a fixed point in time and as such can’t be prevented.

Fu Manchu could be aiming to create a different war, perhaps extend it, alter the sides (having Italy and Sweden join the Central Powers perhaps) or change the outcome.

Sept 17, 2021 12:15:53 GMT grinch said:

Actually, here’s a thought. Maybe the Napoleon of Crime wasn’t killed in the encounter which killed the original Paternoster Gang and allowed Fu Manchu to seize control of his criminal empire? The casing was destroyed but the mutant remains in the custody of Torchwood. A few PCs might consider breaking into one of Torchwood’s headquarters (cue cameo from Captain Jack) to rescue the Napoleon of Crime. Seeing him as a wild card to be used against Fu Manchu.

I like that.

[grinch]

Yeah, I was slightly taken aback at first listening to it just how different he was to the books. Could always argue that the literary Carnacki is merely a fictionalised version of him or that he would eventually mature and grow into the character come his later years. Thinking back to my reimagining of the DC Comics character 'Gentleman Ghost' I posted a while ago, I actually thought Carnacki might have been responsible for the former's absence throughout most of the 20th century having banished him in some form.

I really like that idea for Torchwood. And it is strange how they are rarely mentioned considering the number of stories set in the Victorian era. With the turn of the century, Torchwood has had to adapt. Hence the increased focus on scareships as you said. Britain may rule the waves, but they also intend to rule the skies.

I think an aged Strax would be more thoughtful and less erratic. Especially if he has had to deal with the deaths of Vastra and Jenny. He'd be more than keen to get stuck in if only to have one last glorious battle to die in.

Altering the outcome of the Great War or extending its duration would be a mighty boon for Fu Manchu. In the chaos, he'd be able to step in and seize control as the Western powers destroy one another.

It does make you wonder whether the Napoleon of Crime would be a match for Fu Manchu. Especially considering it doesn't have a casing anymore or access to the technology or resources it once had. And of course, it'll betray the PCs the first chance it gets.

[Catsmate]

Sept 18, 2021 14:26:52 GMT grinch said:

Yeah, I was slightly taken aback at first listening to it just how different he was to the books. Could always argue that the literary Carnacki is merely a fictionalised version of him or that he would eventually mature and grow into the character come his later years. Thinking back to my reimagining of the DC Comics character 'Gentleman Ghost' I posted a while ago, I actually thought Carnacki might have been responsible for the former's absence throughout most of the 20th century having banished him in some form.

I assumed that, given the setting and the youthful sounding voice actor that he was in the early stages of his career.

You're right about Carnacki being useful as the 'banisher' of some creatures, explaining their absence.

Sept 18, 2021 14:26:52 GMT grinch said:

I really like that idea for Torchwood. And it is strange how they are rarely mentioned considering the number of stories set in the Victorian era. With the turn of the century, Torchwood has had to adapt. Hence the increased focus on scareships as you said. Britain may rule the waves, but they also intend to rule the skies.

Torchwood seems to have been ignored after the TV series ended; The Snowmen, Deep Breath, The Crimson Horror never involved them.

Sept 18, 2021 14:26:52 GMT grinch said:

I think an aged Strax would be more thoughtful and less erratic. Especially if he has had to deal with the deaths of Vastra and Jenny. He'd be more than keen to get stuck in if only to have one last glorious battle to die in.

I like this, it's the classic 'passing of the baton' motif. And he'd prefer a glorious death, surrounded by defeated enemies.

Sept 18, 2021 14:26:52 GMT grinch said:

Altering the outcome of the Great War or extending its duration would be a mighty boon for Fu Manchu. In the chaos, he'd be able to step in and seize control as the Western powers destroy one another.

Of course there's no reason to confine yourself to a more-or-less historical Great War. It could be longer or shorter, with different configurations or results. A Pulp Era starting from the premise that the war ended in 1916 with Germany victorious, Britain in revolution and the United States in economic chaos could confuse players nicely.
My EDCverse used this as its major divergence point.

Sept 18, 2021 14:26:52 GMT grinch said:

It does make you wonder whether the Napoleon of Crime would be a match for Fu Manchu. Especially considering it doesn't have a casing anymore or access to the technology or resources it once had. And of course, it'll betray the PCs the first chance it gets.

That is intriguing; a Dalek confined to a static life support system, manipulating events (and using Torchwood). Certainly a 'deal with the devil' situation.

[grinch]

You know, for someone who is considering writing up possible material for an Edwardian pre First World War campaign starring Fu Manchu, I do wonder what such a campaign would be called?

“The Paternoster Gang: The Next Generation/Brave New World/Further Adventures Of..?”

Just have to come up for potential villains to ally themselves with The Devil Doctor now....

[grinch]

To be honest, as well as preventing Manchu from igniting or worsening the effects of the Great War I could see a few PCs or NPCs being keen to obtain Manchu’s Elixir Vitae.

In fact, if I were to use The Face from Adam Adamant Lives! as a part of such a campaign I’d almost suggest he somehow got his hands on the formula. Although, an imperfect version which he tested on his arch nemesis and which was responsible for him going into suspended animation up until the Sixties. (Would make more sense than having him merely be frozen in a block of ice)