Vanishing Banisher
Context
This is a homebrewed character, created for the WORG 2016 Halloween Character Contest. The Vanishing Banisher was the gold prize winner.
Background
- Real Name: Oliver Augustine-King.
- Marital Status: Single.
- Known Relatives: Absolon Caine aka Bloodeye (ancestor), Frederick King (Father, deceased-ish), Charlotte Augustine-King (mother), Ophelia Augustine-King-D’zora’anth’q (Older Sister), Percival Augustine-King (Oldest Brother).
- Group Affiliation: None.
- Base of Operations: Mobile.
- Height: 5’11” Weight: 170 lbs.
- Eyes: Blue Hair: Brown.
Other distinguishing features: Slightly prominent upper teeth.
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Powers & Abilities
Oliver’s soul has been attuned to certain mystical energies. With focus, he can use this property to drive out demons and other possessing entities and to break the effects of mind control, to conceal and protect himself or to animate two-dimensional images.
With time and practice, these abilities may grow further.
Apart from his powers, he’s an accomplished occultist who’s studied under mystics from all over the world, and has a gift for deduction.
History
In 1635, the aged French pirate Absolon Caine summoned the demon prince Bez-koth. He sacrificed his entire crew and all the slaves in his cargo hold in order to form a terrible pact.
He would go on to spend another 50 years terrorizing the oceans as the demonic pirate Bloodeye. Bloodeye gouged out his victims eyes and livers as a sacrifice to his dark master. That lasted until the day the holy ship Joyeuse and its crew of warrior priests ended his reign…
But that’s another story.
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Sons of Caine
Unbeknownst to many, Absolon had been married in his human life. And his pact ensured that his descendants would want for nothing.
Over time, the Caine family moved to America. There they changed their name and bought their way into social esteem, but one thing remained the same. Each member would meet a terrible end, conscripted into the army of Bez-koth upon their deaths.
Some 300 years after Absolon’s pact, the three Augustine-King siblings watched as their father had a heart attack at the breakfast table. He then flew, screaming and flaming, out of the window.
Each sibling dealt with this problem in their own way. The eldest, Ophelia, scandalously married some sort of extra-dimensional wizard-creature who pledged to keep her safe. Percival invested a great deal of family money into technological solutions, the efficacy of which remains to be seen.
Ten-year old Oliver decided the best way to solve a problem is to deal with it yourself, and began studying the occult that very day.
Pursuits mystical
Oliver graduated from college with a degree in Folklore and Mythology. He then decided to travel the world, seeking mystical knowledge.
After five years of study, he finally hit upon what he felt was the right combination of rituals. These would protect himself and his loved ones from the demon that owned his family, etching the symbols upon his very soul.
Invisibility to conceal himself, a force field to protect himself, the ability to create an army to defend himself. And lastly, a way to force the demonic influence out of any family members lost to Bez-koth.
(The fact that many of these powers could be fun at parties was a pretty big factor as well.)
Of vanishing and banishing
Struck by inspiration, Oliver began discreetly inquiring among his friends and other members of society. He discovered that quite a number of them were in similar situations, having sold their souls to one entity or another, or being haunted by dead relatives, or in possession of haunted objects, etc.
He’s been taking those problems off of their hands for over a year now (earning himself the nickname of “The Vanishing Banisher”). He has even begun dipping his toe into the larger mystical community as a whole.
It’s all been quite entertaining!
Description
Picture the comic-relief “rich guy” background characters who tended to show up at parties in movies from the 1930’s to the 1960’s and you’re on the right track.
Oliver (in his 20’s as of this writeup) looks every inch the effete fop. He has carefully-tousled light brown hair and watery blue eyes. His blandly handsome features are marred slightly by a set of buck teeth, though his charm helps him pull them off.
For the sake of amusing those around him, he’ll tend to affect slightly exaggerated expressions and reactions.
He speaks in a high, chattering sort of tenor that straddles the line between charming and irritating. Again, this is largely an affectation.
He favors expensive white suits, with dark-colored shirts and bow ties.
When using his powers (and not invisible), occult symbols shine from his skin and eyes.
Personality
Rather than the driven avenger or mystical protector one might expect, Oliver has the breezy attitude of someone who grew up with no responsibilities and no need to work a day in his life.
Regarding himself as something of a mood-maker, he tends to come across as something of a vapid, shallow sweetheart. Fun at parties (and he seems to somehow be at *every* party possible), with dozens of stories and fun tricks, sure, but clearly not capable of functioning in the real world.
This is actually the attitude he takes into the field, cheerfully popping off lighthearted bon mots and such even in the worst situations.
For all this flippancy, though, he’s actually a very nice and friendly person. He cheerfully donates the profits from his detective work to those in need, and organizes charity balls and such.
He *likes* helping people, he just likes having fun, too.
If pressed into actual combat, he’ll usually go invisible, throw up his force field, and animate as many images as possible to attack while he works on an appropriate ritual. He’s started carrying comic books on his person for this very purpose. All his friends think it’s hilariously lowbrow.
Quotes
“Oh, my ! How interesting !”
“All those teeth ! Have you met my Aunt Constance ! Sweet old lady, but she looked like a shark had a wild night with her mother.”
“Why I was just in Bali when I met the most *interesting* kind of vampire ! After you’re met a lady who takes it *all* off, skin and everything, normal vampires seem just so jejune.”
“There’s nothing worse than being bored. Not even being eaten !”
DC Universe History
The Vanishing Banisher occasionally worked alongside other occult detectives during the mid-to-late 20th century.
Of particular note is the brief period in which he teamed up with Doctor Thirteen during which (to his bemusement) all of their cases turned out to somehow be elaborate frauds.
His ultimate fate is unknown, but Black Alice briefly imitated his powers at one point. This indicates that he may still be alive. If so, he’d be 80-something unless his aging was slowed somehow.
Game Stats — DC Heroes RPG
Tell me more about the game stats
The Vanishing Banisher
| Dex: 04 | Str: 03 | Bod: 03 | Motivation: Thrill of Adventure |
| Int: 05 | Wil: 05 | Min: 04 | Occupation: Dilettante/Occult Detective |
| Inf: 05 | Aur: 06 | Spi: 05 | Wealth: 007 |
| Init: 014 | HP: 000 |
Powers:
Force Field: 04, Invisibility: 06, Exorcism: 10, Animate Image: 04
Bonuses and Limitations:
- Animate Image has the Trans-dimensional Bonus.
- Animate Image has an Area of Effect.
Skills:
Occultist: 05, Detective: 05
Advantages:
Connoisseur, Familiarities (High Society, Exorcisms), Magic Background, Rich Family, Scholar (Eclectic Magic).
Connections:
None.
Drawbacks:
None.
Design notes
Rolled Magic-wielder, personal/universal, 4 powers.
Eclectic magic school.
2 bonuses to Animate Image.
2 skills.
Minus-one’d all physicals, Swapped STR and WIL, MIN and SPI.
Rolled 09 wealth, opted to cut it for Connoisseur.
I would really, REALLY have liked more APs of Animate Image, and Bonuses to Exorcism that would let it affect objects and places as well as people. A High Society Connection and Expansive Headquarters (mansion) would also have been appropriate.
Source of Character: Homebrewed using Dr. Peter S. Piispanen’s Random Magical Character Creation System.
Writeup completed on the 11th of November, 2016.