Willoughby Kipling
Context
W. Kipling is a Doom Patrol character, who appeared during the legendary grant Morrison run. He first popped up in 1990, and returned over the following few years.
He’s blatantly an expy for John Constantine. Presumably, there was some editorial reason why Morrison couldn’t use Constantine. But this could easily be useful, if you need a character to fill a Constantine-like role without all the Hellblazer stuff.
Background
- Real Name: Willougby Kipling.
- Marital Status: Unrevealed, but almost certainly single.
- Known Relatives: None.
- Group Affiliation: Knights Templar.
- Base Of Operations: Unnamed city, possibly London.
- Height: 5’9” Weight: 150 lbs. Age: 40-ish.
- Eyes: Brown Hair: Black, thinning.
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History
Willougby Kipling is a member (not exactly in good standing) of one of the last remnants of the Knights Templar. This secret group of sorcerers keep watch for occult threats to humanity, and occasionally send their members to confront these threats.
Kipling, as one of the least popular members, is often assigned the most unpleasant and dangerous missions. This is how he met the Doom Patrol.
The Cult of the Unwritten Book
The first time he met the Doom Patrol, Kipling was trying to stop the Cult of the Unwritten Book from summoning the Anti-God to “decreate” the Universe.
They were unable to stop the arrival of the Anti-God. But with the help of Crazy Jane’s Lucy Fugue personality, they did manage to slow down the “decreation” process to an almost imperceptible level. Thus, life continues as normal, although small things (ballpoint pens, for example) sometimes disappear without a trace.
Later, when Dorothy Spinner accidentally unleashed the Candlemaker, Kipling helped destroy the being. He first trapped it in Manhattan and later exposed it to Rebis’ new energy form, rendering it helpless.
Kipling also helped the Doom Patrol by downloading Cliff Steele’s consciousness back into his robot body and (for better or worse) putting Niles Caulder’s severed head into a cryonic suspension chamber.
When last seen, Kipling claimed to be “retired” and referred world-saving jobs to the Doom Patrol.
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Description
Kipling is a slender British man of around 40. He usually wears a trenchcoat and is almost never seen without a cigarette, a whiskey bottle, or both.
Personality
Willoughby Kipling is an utter bastard. He’s an ill-tempered, foul-mouthed, bullying coward. His first reaction to any impending crisis is to get drunk.
Confronted with physical (as opposed to magical or mystical) danger, Kipling is useless. He’ll beg, cower, cry, hide behind the nearest superhero and generally comport himself in a shameful and embarrassing manner.
Within his area of expertise (bizarre cults, especially those trying to bring about the end of the world), he’s arrogant and condescending, ordering people around and rarely listening to suggestions from anyone he considers less knowledgeable than himself (which is basically everyone).
Still and all, he HAS saved the universe twice.
Quotes
“I’m very big in the world of international strangeness, as a matter of fact.” [lifting bottle to drink] “Chin chin.”
Game Stats — DC Heroes RPG
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Willoughby Kipling
| Dex: 02 | Str: 02 | Bod: 02 | Motivation: Responsibility of Power |
| Int: 07 | Wil: 03 | Min: 07 | Occupation: Occult Investigator |
| Inf: 07 | Aur: 05 | Spi: 07 | Resources : 003 |
| Init: 016 | HP: 050 |
Skills:
Occultist: 12, Thief (Stealth): 04
Advantages:
Scholar (Computers, Strange Cults, The End of the World).
Connections:
The Doom Patrol (Low), The Knights Templar (Low).
Drawbacks:
SIA (Alcohol), SIA (Smoking), CIF (Combat, Physical Danger).
Rituals:
- Banishment Ritual
Effect: Dimension Travel (Banishment) 10 APs.
Casting Time: 2 minutes (5 APs).
Necessary Components: 1903 edition of A CHILD’S GARDEN OF VERSE by Robert Louis Stevenson (~$200 – 3 APs).
Special Restrictions: Sends the target into a dimension linked to an illustration in the book. The caster must read the associated poem aloud and turn the illustration to face the target.
- Summon Baphomet
Effect: Dimension Travel (Summoning) 10 APs.
Casting Time: 5 minutes (7 APs).
Necessary Components: 1903 edition of A CHILD’S GARDEN OF VERSE, a small quantity of the caster’s blood and an image of King George VI of England (Kipling carries a 1940 British penny for this purpose) (~$200 – 3 APs).
Special Restrictions: Can only summon the prophetic spirit Baphomet, who will appear in the form of a ghastly head — the decapitated Jayne Mansfield or a slain horse from a Brothers Grimm story are two examples. It then speaks a few lines of cryptic verse related to the caster’s current quest.
The caster gives himself a paper cut with a page of the book and lets the blood drop on to the image of George VI. The book must have been previously used in the aforementioned banishment ritual for this to work.
- Mystical Doorway
Effect: Warp 20 APs.
Casting Time: 5 minutes (7 APs).
Necessary Components: A sparkler (0 APs).
Special Restrictions: The caster uses the sparkler to draw a door in the air, closes his eyes, envisions the place he wants to go, then “opens” the door and steps through it. By “Pushing the Limit,” this ritual can be performed with any sort of “doorway” such as a large smoke ring.
Source of Character: DC Universe (Doom Patrol supporting cast).