Nikolaos the Wonderworker

St. Nicholas of Myra

 

Instead of presenting my usual Xmas rerun, I thought I'd present some possible stats for that character.

 

 

Nikolaos the Wonderworker

An Encounter for Historical Settings

The being known as Nikolaos the Wonderworker may be encountered any time between the late 4th century CE to the 18th century CE. After that point, he transforms into the modern Santa Claus. He is an appropriate encounter for Weird Wars Rome, Pirates of the Spanish Main, The Savage World of Solomon Kane and even 50 Fathoms.

Nikolaos the Wonderworker is the transcendent form of the man known in life as St. Nicholas of Myra. An exceptionally devout and generous thaumaturgist in life, St. Nicholas was transformed at his death into a beneficent undead known as a transcendent being. Literally given new life and new purpose by his faith, Nikolaos the Wonderworker wanders the world, battling demons and bestowing boons.

By the 1600s, Nikolaos’ long centuries of undeath and absorption of the ambient Power Points of thousands of faithful from dozens of cultures has begun to wear on his mind. He has begun to transcend even beyond his initial rebirth, becoming a cross-cultural embodiment of midwinter generosity. Folk beliefs descended from Nordic myths and other cultures have begun to permeate his mind; soon he will be Father Christmas, and soon after that, he will be Santa Claus – and the memory of whom he was in life will be gone.
 

Legendary Transcendent Human Wild Card

Attributes: Agility d8, Smarts d8, Spirit d12+2, Strength d8, Vigor d8

Skills: Climbing d6, Driving d6, Faith d12+2, Fighting d8, Intimidation d6, Notice d10, Persuasion d8, Riding d6, Stealth d8, Streetwise d6, Taunt d6, Throwing d6

Charisma: +2; Pace: 6; Parry: 6; Sanity: 9; Toughness: 8

Hindrances: Heroic, Loyal, Stubborn

Edges: Alertness, AB: Faith, Brawler, Brave, Champion, Charismatic, Elan, Expert (x 2; Faith, Spirit), Great Luck, Holy Warior, Improved Extraction, Improved Level Headed, Improved Tough as Nails, Linguist, Master (x 2; Faith, Spirit), New Power (x 15), Power Points (x 5), Soul Drain, Transcendent

Gear: robes, Chains of St. Peter (Str+1d6, bind spirit, 20 Power Points), seemingly limitless gold

Special Abilities 

• Power Points: 35
• Powers: banish, bind spirit, bless/curse, boost/lower trait, detect/conceal arcane, dispel, fear, greater healing, healing, mind reading, quickness, sanctify, speak language, succor, summon spirit, teleport, wall walker
• Transcendent Being (see below): +2 Toughness; +2 to recover from being Shaken; no additional damage from Called Shots; immune to disease and poison; does not suffer wound penalties.

 

New Edge

 

Transcendent

Requirements:

Legendary, Spirit d12+2, Faith d12+2, Heroic and/or Vow [Major], AB: Miracles, Soul Drain

 

A hero who dedicates herself to a selfless life serving the tenets of her faith may transcend her mortal existence and take her place amongst the gods, becoming an immortal being that exists to literally embody her faith. While the most obvious examples of such transcendent beings are Buddhist bodhisattvas and Christian saints, transcendents may arise amongst any faith or species.*

 

Transcendent effectively become beneficent undead, gaining many of the benefits of undeath while avoiding the more pernicious detriments of that condition. Most importantly, transcendent beings “feed” on Power Points rather than blood or flesh.

 

Transcendents must consume 5 Power Points a day to maintain their undead state. Transcendents are usually able to subsist on the ambient Power Points present in “unawakened” beings and natural phenomena (what is often referred to a chi, qi, or Vril energy); by first learning to tap into their own soul’s reserves through Soul Drain, and then experiencing transcendent enlightenment, transcendent learn to essentially Soul Drain the environment in a non-intrusive manner. Rituals may be conducted by a transcendent being’s followers or cultists to feed them (see Savage Worlds Horror Companion, specifically the rules for accumulating Power Points in rituals), but this is unnecessary if the transcendent makes their home at or near a conjunction of ley lines or similar mystical site (such as the North Pole or Stonehenge).

 

Transcendent beings cut off from ambient Power Points (perhaps by being trapped inside a ritual circle, on a lifeless planet, or in a void dimension) are forced to consume their own stored Power Points (supplementing this with uses of Soul Drain as needed). A transcendent that reaches 0 power Points falls into a coma from which it may be awakened only with a ritual infusion of Power Points.

 

Transcendent beings receive the following benefits:

• +2 Toughness
• +2 to recover from being Shaken
• No additional damage from called shots
• Immune to aging, disease, and poison.
• Does not suffer wound penalties.