Doctor Dredd
Context
Dr. Dredd (no relation ) is a Dire Wraith, and an enemy of Rom the Spaceknight. He primarily appeared in 1983 storylines.
Background
- Real Name: Unrevealed.
- Marital Status: Quite possibly N.A..
- Known Relatives: None.
- Group Affiliation: Dire Wraiths.
- Base Of Operations: Near Clairton, West Virginia, U.S.A. ; formerly Wraithworld in the Dark Nebula.
- Height: Variable Weight: Unrevealed.
- Eyes: Variable Hair: Variable.
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Powers and Abilities
Dr. Dredd is a rarity – a Dire Wraith warlock. While normally only females can use magic, warlocks are those rare males who can wield spells. They usually are even more powerful than the females.
Dredd also possesses the shape-changing abilities normal to his race (though they are somewhat underdeveloped).
He also demonstrated an uncommon durability – most of the time. Although he wasn’t flattened by a punch from the Torpedo, and was unscathed when trapped in a burning laboratory full of chemicals. He also seemed vulnerable to being strangled by Rom in decaying human form, which is really weird for a shapeshifter.
History
Doctor Dredd, a powerful Dire Wraith warlock, apparently studied Rom and his allies for some time before he found a way to use his modus operandi.
Once he mystically discerned that the human Brandy Clark, a close ally of the spaceknight, secretly longed to become Rom’s lover, he struck.
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The merger
His plan rested on the fact that Brandy and the recently deceased spaceknight Starshine had had an exchange of power before Starshine’s death. Dredd could use this link to make it much easier for Clark to mystically merge with the Starshine armour. He persuaded Clark to agree to be the subject of his mysticism. Soon the merging ceremony commenced.
The ritual was interrupted by Clark’s actual boyfriend, Steve Jackson. But Dredd easily Mystic Froze him and finished the ritual. The Torpedo intervened, punching Dredd straight across the room. But Starshine/Clark emerged from the infernal light. Having been mesmerized by Dredd before the ritual, she promptly defended him and took the Torpedo out.
Dredd then teleported her and himself away to kill Rom. However, when they reached Khystym (Soviet Union), they were in for a surprise.
The attack
Rom’s armour was now occupied by the artificial lifeform Quasimodo. Quasimodo had restored Rom’s humanity in exchange for the armour. But with Quasimodo’s paranoia :
- The cloned human body Rom’s consciousness was now inhabitating, after leaving his armour, was programmed to decay and die.
- The Dire Wraiths who had been secretly backing Quasimodo were treacherously slain as soon as Quasimodo could make use of Rom’s armoured body’s weapons.
Thus, when Dredd and Brandy-in-Starshine’s-armour arrived, there was no Dire Wraith backup, and “Rom” immediately attacked. The two newcomers counter attacked, and the new Starshine seemingly destroyed “Rom”. In actuality, she had expelled Quasimodo’s consciousness from the armour. But misunderstanding what had happened broke Dredd’s hypnotic conditioning on Clark.
Meanwhile Rom, his human form already terminal, strangled Doctor Dredd. Dredd crumbled into dust as Wraiths do, though it may have been a trick.
With the help of the new Starshine and the Gremlin, Rom’s consciousness was returned to his armoured body in time to save him.
Description
In his chosen human form, Dredd has a definite flair for the somewhat campy and the definitely dramatic.
Personality
Doctor Dredd is a manipulator and a sadist. He relishes in using other’s repressed emotions and secret wishes against themselves. Dredd loves to mock nobility and chivalry – both directly, and by ironically pretending that his actions are gallant and for the good of others.
He’s pretty smart – his plan may well have worked if not for Quasimodo. Howbeit, his hunger for the kill and his sadism are a problem.
He has great, over-the-top, dramatic, Christopher-Lee -as-Dracula-like dialogue.
Quotes
“You wish to become a spaceknight, Brandy Clark. As such, you wish to offer your love to Rom. For that you will need the aid and assistance of… Doctor Dredd !”
(To Steve Jackson) “Why, I am Doctor Dredd… and I am merely granting your girlfriend’s fondest wish !”
“Now, there are more important tasks to be accomplished ! The death and destruction of Rom, spaceknight — at the hands of the woman he loves ! Fare ill, human cattle !”
“Rise, my golden gladiatrix ! Rise and strike at he who has hurt you !”
“By the black nebula !”
“You forget, I am a Wraith — able to assume any shape, however vile !”
DC Universe History
Y’know, it would make complete sense if the Limbo the Wraiths get banished in was the same Limbo as the DCU’s… and if Prometheus happened to contact them from his Crooked House. Yeah, I know Dredd was killed and not banished, but he’s a warlock and may have cheated death. His corpse looked much like a banished Wraith’s.
Game Stats — DC Heroes RPG
Tell me more about the game stats
Dr. Dredd
| Dex: 04 | Str: 03 | Bod: 07 | Motivation: Psycho |
| Int: 05 | Wil: 06 | Min: 07 | Occupation: Warlock |
| Inf: 06 | Aur: 06 | Spi: 07 | Resources {or Wealth}: 005 |
| Init: 015 | HP: 025 |
Powers:
Chameleon: 07, Energy blast (ML): 11, Mystic freeze: 06, Shapechange: 02, Teleportation (ML): 15
Bonuses and Limitations:
- Chameleon cannot mask the strong red glow in his eyes whenever he uses magic (which includes occult rituals).
- Shapechange allows fantastic forms.
- Shapechange is limited to creatures smaller than he is, and precludes increases in STR or BODY over his baseline.
Skills:
Charisma (persuasion): 08, Medicine (brainwashing): 05, Occultist: 09
Advantages:
Expertise (exploiting one’s hidden desires, Dire Wraith mystic lore), Leadership (only on his thralls, 15pts).
Connections:
Dire Wraiths (Low).
Drawbacks:
MIA toward Sadism, Attack Vulnerability (-2CS RV against choke holds and pain holds).
Equipment:
Cane [BODY 06, EV 03 (04 w/STR)].
Rituals:
- Dredd knew an unique ritual which could magically merge an ordinary human with a vacant Space Knight armour (although it is possible that the human must be of the same gender and general size than the galadorian who previously occupied the armour, and is prolly barely possible if there is not some kind of pre-existing physical link between the two). This required a ceremony that lasted for hours, and materialized as a large ball of infernal light where the naked subject and the vacant armour very gradually floated closer to each other.
- Subornation gaze [Hypnotism: 06, CT: 06, Nec. components: None]. This Ritual was used to turn Brandy Clark into an ally of Dredd.
- Sense weakness [Detect (repressed emotion): 12, Bonus: Detect has the Assess bonus, CT: 08, Nec. components: Unknown]. This Ritual was used to sense Brandy wanted to become Rom’s lover.
- Sense foe [Detect (spaceknight): 12, CT: 02, Nec. components: None].
Design Notes
I have not yet worked on a Dire Wraith writeup, so Dredd’s Wraith abilities are only based on what he’s actually displayed.
Source of Character: Rom comics. For those of you who are going all “oh, I remember him !” let me be depressing and note this story was published in 1983.
Helper(s): Chris Cottingham.