Luther Coughlin
| Luther Coughlin | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Player: @machinegunblues | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| "Everybody wants to do things the hard way nowadays." | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Character Build | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Class Focus: | Regen Tank | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Power Level: | 18 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Research & Development: | Science | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Biographical Data | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Real Name: | Sean Donovan | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Known Aliases: | Phillis | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Gender: | Male | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Species: | Vampire | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Ethnicity: | Caucasian - Irish American | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Place of Birth: | New York City | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Base of Operations: | Millennium City, Michigan | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Relatives: | None living. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Characteristics | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Age: | 114 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Height: | 6'3" | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Weight: | 190 lbs | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Eyes: | Black | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Hair: | Brown | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Complexion: | Pale | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Physical Build: | Somewhat muscular | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Physical Features: | Claws, fangs | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Status | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Alignment: |
Chaotic Neutral | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Reputation: |
Reputable | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Identity: | Open Secret | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Years Active: | Damn near a century. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Citizenship: | US Citizen | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Occupation: | Various small criminal enterprises | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Education: | Homeschooled | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Marital Status: | Single | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Known Powers and Abilities | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Regeneration, highly enhanced speed, shape-shifting (become bat swarm), heightened agility, claws, mesmerizing gaze, minor blood magic. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Equipment and Paraphernalia | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Katana, Thompson submachine gun. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Attributes | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Strength |
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Endurance |
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| Agility |
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Speed |
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| Fighting |
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Projectiles |
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| Durability |
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Resistance |
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| Intelligence |
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Psyche |
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| Intuition |
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Charisma |
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| ReldinBox Template | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Contents
Appearance
Luther appears to be a pale-skinned man in his early 20's, physically fit with dark hair and of relatively recent Irish stock. Fingers end in sharp, unretractable claws that he typically conceals with a pair of dark leather gloves. These have hidden slits in the fingertips that allow them to poke through when he desires. Luher dresses in rather archaic and by modern standards formal fashion, with suits and button-down shirts last in vogue in the 20's. He almost always wears a pink carnation pinned to his lapel.
Background
Luther Coughlin was one of hundreds of thousands of Americans who died in the muddy, rat-infested trenchs of France and Belgium during World War I. One more Irishman killed in a war for empires that resented their very existance. Unlike most of his fellows though, he didn't stay that way. Left for dead in an overrun dugout, he slowly bled out from a shrapnel wound, but not before something else found him. Something with strange, batlike wings and glowing red eyes that prowled the hellish battlefield of Europe taking its fill. Why it chose to turn Luther rather than drain him, he doesn't know, as it never told him.
After wandering and hunting amidst the corpse strewn battlefields till war's end like a feral predator, ravenous and barely sentient, Luther began to regain his sanity. At war's end he traveled to Ireland to search for an uncle that had remained behind in the mother country. For a time he found a home in the nascent IRA as an enthusiastic guerilla and feare assassin, an arrangement that allowed him to both take up arms for something he believed in and sate his neverending hunger. Later he moved back to the States and worked as a prolific gunman and fixer for several norotrious New York crime syndicates during prohibition. Coughlin had found his niche.
Since then, Luther's primarily been involved in three activities: small, under-the-radar criminal rackets, supporting the 'Irish independence movement' and satisfying his most driving and incurable hatred: his desire to destroy all other vampires, specifically predatory ones. Why he hates his own kind with such fervor, he's never explained in any detail. The most anyone has pried from him is that vampires 'stole something from me I'll never get back.' Despite a questionable moral outlook, Luther's on board with the heroic community in at least one respect, the need to wipe predatory human-hunting vampires from the face of the earth.
Personality
Luther has an oddly.. ethical outlook for a mass-murdering vampire. Generally speaking, he's at least polite to people who haven't in his judgement earned his displeasure, and he has an old school gangster's sensibilities when it comes to the general public: never harm the 'uninvolved'. He's mellowed out a great deal since his days gunning down rival gang members or killing for the Provos, and most of his rackets tend to be the invisible, under the radar sort. This includes gambling, number-running, cigarette smuggling, fraud, and protection rackets (ironically, protection usually offered against other West-Side gangs: "Pay me half of what Purple's asking and you'll never see them again", etcetera). The sorts of things he engages in nowadays rarely warrant superheroic involvement, unless he gets involved in a particularly nasty fanger hunt.
Luther would usually rather scare people into leaving him alone than actually fight them, but when pressed he can be a frightening opponent. He tries to terrorize his enemies as much as possible, fully baring his fangs and making keening vampiric screeching noises as he attacks with sword and claws.
Abilities
Luther is an old hand with a Thompson SMG and frequently uses it for opening barrages against groups of foes. He carries a Katana that with several decades practice he's managed to get quite good with; it's rumored to be a Japanese officer's sword from WWII.
Powers
Luther possesses a number of powers common to vampire-kind as well as a few oddballs that seem to be unique to him. His pet theory is that while all vampires suffer the same curse, it affects various individuals differently.
Regeneration: Nearly any wound Luther suffers begins to heal right before the eyes of his opponents. Severed limbs grow back in hours, or alternatively can be reattached by holding it to the stump for a few minutes. His regenerative powers work best when he is flush with blood and has recently fed. If it's been awhile it works slower; if he is starving it may not work at all.
Mesmerizing Gaze: By gazing into a human's eyes, Luther can imprint mental suggestions and alter memories. This can usually be only very simple things like, "I was never here", etc. Usually this works best on humans who have been weakened in some way, especially those who have been just been drained.
Intoxicating Venom: When Luther bites someone, his saliva has a calming, sedative effect on the victim similar to anaesthesia. Those who'd remember his feeding find it akin to a painkiller high.
Super Strength: Much stronger than human limitations, his claws can shred muscle easily and sword blows in his hands easily cleave through bones. As a baseline example Luther could lift the front end of a sedan off the ground a few feet but probably couldn't carry it around.
Inured to Pain: The most horrible injuries seem to cause him minimal discomfort.
Blood Magic: While at full strength, Luther has a few innate arcane abilities related to the vampiric curse. A form of shadow-shifting allows him to disappear and reappear short distances; he can briefly turn into a cloud of flying vampire bats, usually to escape combat; and he can 'shroud' his weapons to hide them from view. Most people don't realize he's carrying the Tommy until he starts firing it.
Weaknesses
Luther has many weaknesses common to the vampiric curse.
Decapitation: Severing the head or destroying most of the brain will kill Luther permanently. No regneration is possible from this.
Silver: Silver is toxic to Luther, as it is many vampires. Wounds inflicted by silver are horrendously painful and take very long to heal. Additionally, being bound with silver as in chains touching his skin removes many of his vampiric abilities - he can't renegerate, he is much weakened and blood magic is impossible. Even touching it burns his flesh. He can handle silver with protective equipment like rubber gloves, however.
Staking: Having a stake driven through his chest paralyzes Luther and removes all significant vampiric abilities.
Holy symbols: Any holy icon can keep Luther at bay, though it doesn't stop him from just shooting whoever's holding it. Likewise he cannot enter churchs or sanctified places. Symbols of evil or profane powers like demon lords or the Kings of Edom have no such power over him.
Fire: Sort of. Burns heal like anything else, but actually being on fire prevents tissue regeneration.
Blood Dependant: Luther must feed once a week in order to stay alive and maintain his powers. Starvation for over two weeks leaves him totally anemic and useless; a month and he's an immobile husk, though he can still be revived.
Luther gets his blood from a few sources. He can feed on an animal (least desirable), feed from a refrigerated blood pack (very usual, and still undesirable as cold blood is a bit like warm beer), take just enough from a willing subject (most desirable) or feed on someone he planned on killing anyway. Luther never, ever hunts humans specifically for food, not since his feral days just after his turning. In his own mind, this draws some moral and spiritual distinction between himself and predatory vamps.
Sunlight: Natural sunlight paralyzes Luther and will flash fry him in about five minutes. Vampire hunter tricks like directed UV lanterns have a similar effect, causing smoldering burns and terrible pain, but are usually insufficient to -kill- him by themselves; only the natural light of the sun has this dramatic effect.
Equipment
Aside from the Thompson and katana, not many. He isn't particularly gadget heavy.
Trivia
-Luther didn't just fight for the IRA in the 20's; he also spent most of the 70's and 80's fighting for the Provisionals in the Troubles. He still occasionally arranges for weapons to be smuggled to dissident Republican factions, not because he thinks they'll accomplish anything but just because he dislikes the British that much. He still has contacts and a good reputation with that organization, though only a few know his true nature.
-He uses modern technology as much as the next person, easily adopting to the times. Still he maintains a few antiques in his own home, like a boxy old-style radio and a phonograph that must be nearly a century old.
-He still smokes and drinks. While he can't eat food he maintains a sense of taste, and liquids pass through his system to no effect. "The one good thing about undeath is never having to worry about lung cancer."
-Luther doesn't know what vampire turned him and would pay dearly to find out.
-He frequently scuffles with the purple gang and thinks their tastes in suits is more criminal than anything else they do.
-His real name is Sean Donovan. Coughlin is just his latest and longest lasting pseudonym.
-His distrust for the national government is pretty strong and his attachment to American as a country zero to nil, a view shaped by his experiences in WWI. He tends to immediately distrust most patriotic-themed superheros, or at least think less of them.
