Blade Anti-Hero
Real Name: Eric Brooks.
Occupation: Vampire hunter.
Identity: Publicly known.
Legal Status: Citizen of the United States with no known criminal record, wanted by Interpol, the FBI, and many other law enforcement agencies across the world at all levels from the municipal to the national, for many alleged murders.
Other Aliases: Unrevealed.
Place of Birth: Unrevealed, although hints have been given that he was born in Detroit, Michigan.
Marital Status: Single.
Known Relatives: Brielle (daughter); Vanessa (mother; undead); father (name unrevealed, deceased); Saffron Caulder (common-law ex-wife).
Group Affiliation: Associate of Abraham Whistler and Scud, reluctant ally of Rachel van Helsing's band of vampire hunters.
Base of Operations: Mobile.
First Post-Reboot Appearance: DRACULA UNLEASHED #
Origin: DRACULA UNLEASHED ANNUAL #1, tale 2.
History: Very little is known about the past of the dhampir known as Blade save for what his mentor, Abraham Whistler, has revealed to others, and Whistler's own sources are currently suspect.
According to Whistler, Blade's mother Vanessa was bitten and turned by a vampire just minutes before she gave birth. This altered the baby on a level undetectable by science, turning him into a dhampir (a kind of half-vampire that can develop many of the vampire's powers as they get older). His parents had given him the name Eric before he was born, and he was raised by his father and later his father's new girlfriend. As he entered his teens, his dhampiric nature asserted itself, which led him to be diagnosed with a rare type of porphyria, a disease where he needed regular infusions of hemoglobin. His father, however, knew that Eric had inherited something from the vampire that bit Vanessa, and started asking around in certain circles for assistance. A man – Whistler – showed up just as Eric in the throes of a hunger pang had bit into the bag of blood instead of letting it enter him intravenously. A fight broke out, Whistler's knee was crippled, Eric fled, and Eric's father was apparently shot and killed.
Eric apparently lived on the streets for several years before he was found again by Whistler, who took in the lad and taught him how to fight the thirst with the assistance of a serum an unnamed associate had cooked up, and then use his increasing strength and speed to fight vampires, eventually being known as Blade due to his preference for knives and swords.
At some undisclosed point in the years since teaming with Whistler, Blade was involved with a woman named Saffron and fathered a daughter, Brielle. For their own safety, Blade and Saffron split up, although he continued to send her whatever monetary support he could, usually taken from the vampires he killed.
Blade, Whistler, and their new ally, Scud, have recently encountered Rachel van Helsing's own small band of vampire hunters while hunting a vampire named Deacon Frost; Whistler had recently learned that Frost was the doctor who was present at Blade's birth. During their first meeting, Blade sensed something was different about two members of van Helsing's team, Lucy Harker and Hannibal King, although he could not tell offhand what that something was. A recent fight with Frost was interrupted by his mother; Vanessa indicated she knew about and was looking forward to getting to know her granddaughter before disappearing into the night.
Age: Indeterminate.
Height: 6' 2".
Weight: 220 lbs.
Eyes: Brown.
Hair: Black.
Uniform: None.
Strength Level: As a dhampir, Blade possesses possesses superhuman strength equivalent to "ten men", which with his build enables him to lift (press) roughly 2,300 lbs. (or slightly more than one ton).
Known Superhuman Powers: In addition to his superhuman strength, as a result of the circumstances of his birth, Blade possesses enhanced speed, durability, stamina, reflexes, leaping ability, and senses.
Blade is able to run without tiring for at least half an hour at speeds up to 45 miles per hour, and is able to stay awake for days on end without sleep. His leg muscles enable him to leap incredible distances, up to 10 feet high and 40 feet distant from a standing stance. His reflexes are such that he often reacts faster than almost anyone else who is not a vampire; his eyesight is such that he can see bullets in flight, which assists in his reflexes. He is able to see at least four times as far as most people, and can shift his vision to see into the near infrared and ultraviolet spectrums. In addition, he has perfect night vision, seeing clearly in near-pitch darkness. His hearing is superhumanly acute, enabling him to make out whispered conversation from across a crowded room when he concentrates. His sense of smell is likewise acute, although not to the degree of others such as Daredevil or Wolverine; he is able to track blood by scent for several hours after it is spilled.
Blade also possesses a healing factor which enables him to recover faster from injuries sustained during his hunts for vampires. He has not yet exhibited the vampiric ability to regrow his limbs if severed. This same healing factor makes him extremely durable, taking less damage from physical attacks than a regular person. He is also immune to vampiric mind control, either through the bite or hypnosis.
Unlike the other known dhampir, Lucy Harker, Blade has not yet exhibited other vampiric abilities, including but not limited to the ability to turn into a mist or take the form of a large bat. Whether he is able to do so and chooses not to or if the serum he takes to mitigate his vampiric thirst actually prevents him from developing these powers is currently unknown.
Other Abilities: Blade is a master of unarmed combat, although he doesn't follow any particular style. He is also a master knife fighter, swordsman, and marksman with conventional weapons. He is also skilled at throwing knives and various other weapons. Unknown to most, he is also a skilled jazz trumpeter.
Weapons and Paraphernalia: Blade is never without at least two automatic machine pistols which fire silver hollow-points filled with garlic paste, a number of wooden and silver-coated throwing knives, a series of solid silver stakes, and a special-built military-style side-sword which has a trapped hilt with, if someone applies pressure to the grip without flipping the hidden thumb switch, four silver-edged blades flip out to cut through the hand holding it. He is also known to carry a pump-action shotgun, a sawed-off double-barreled break-action shotgun pistol which he can use to fire silver stake rounds, and a pair of throwing blades he calls "glaives", which have razor-sharp blades and which can fly in curved paths. The glaives can be stored collapsed and used as throwing knives in their collapsed state, but he nearly always flips them open fully before throwing them. All of his blades, wielded and thrown, with the exception of the wooden ones, are exceptionally sharp and/or coated with silver.
Despite his durability, Blade is known to wear a police style ballistic fabric vest with ceramic trauma plate inserts for protection against gunfire.
Blade also carries a number of flash-bang grenades to create diversions.
Weaknesses: Blade suffers from a need to drink the blood of the living to sustain his existence. The serum he takes mitigates this thirst while providing the same nourishment as he would get from blood, but makes him unable to stomach regular food.
1,095 points
| ST: 22/48 [120*] | HP: 22 [0] | Speed: 7.00 [0] |
| DX: 14 [80] | Will: 15 [15] | Move: 8/24 [5] |
| IQ: 12 [40] | Per: 15 [15] | |
| HT: 14 [40] | FP: 14 [0] | SM: 0 |
| Dmg: 2d/4d (5d+2/8d-1) | BL: 97 lbs. (461 lbs.) | |
| Dodge: 12 | Parry: 18 | DR: 12/5* + 25 (assault vest w/ trauma plates) |
Languages: English (Native) (Native Language) [0].
Cultural Familiarities: Western (Native) [0].
Advantages: Appearance (Attractive) [4]; Combat Reflexes [15]; Danger Sense [15]; Discriminatory Smell (Passive Biological, -5%) [15]; Doesn't Sleep (Accessibility: Requires Minimum 1 Night's Sleep Per Week, -5%) [19]; Enhanced Move (Ground) 1.5 (Move 21/42 mph; Biological, -10%) [27]; Enhanced Parry (All Parries) +3 [30]; Enhanced ST +26 (Biological, -10%) [188]; Enhanced Time Sense (Upgraded from Combat Reflexes, -15; Passive Biological, -5%) [29]; Gizmos 2 [10]; Hard to Kill +2 [4]; Hard to Subdue +2 [4]; High Pain Threshold [10]; Hyperspectral Vision (Passive Biological, -5%) [24]; Immunity to Vampiric Mind Control [5]; Indomitable [15]; Injury Tolerance (Damage Reduction /2; Limited: Physical Attacks, -20%; Passive Biological, -5%) [38]; Natural Swordsman 4 [40]; Parabolic Hearing 3 (Passive Biological, -5%); Single-Minded [5]; Stalker 4 [20]; Telescopic Vision 2 (Passive Biological, -5%) [10]; Tough Guy 4 [20]; Unfazeable [15]; Vampiric Bite (1 HP/sec) [30]; Very Fit [15]; Weapon Master (All Swords) [30].
Perks: Biting Mastery [1]; Off-Hand Weapon Training (Knife) [1]; Off-Hand Weapons Training (Pistols) [1]; Sure-Footed (Uneven) [1].
Disadvantages: Code of Honor (Pirate's) [-5]; Dependent (Safron Caulder, Loved One; No More than 15%/165 pts.) (6) [-12]; Draining (Common: Blood; Illegal; Mitigator: Weekly Treatment (Special Serum), -65%) [-3]; Enemy Group (Law Enforcement; Group Size: 6-20 people at a time) (6) [-10]; Intolerance (Vampires) [-5]; Loner (9) [-7]; Pacifism (Cannot Harm Innocents) [-10]; Stubbornness [-5].
Quirks: Disciplined [-1]; Nervous Stomach (Result of the Serum) [-1]; OUCH! [-1]; Perfectionist [-1]; Secretive [-1].
Skills: Acrobatics (H) DX+0 [4] – 14; Body Language (A) Per+1 [4] – 16; Breath Control (H) HT+0 [4] – 14; Broadsword (A) DX+6 [8] – 20†; Camouflage (E) IQ+4 [1] – 16‡; Carousing (E) HT+0 [1] – 14; Climbing (A) DX+0 [2] – 14; Computer Operation/TL8 (E) IQ+0 [1] – 12; Connoisseur (Music) (A) IQ+0 [2] – 12; Current Affairs/TL8 (Headline News) (E) IQ+1 [2] – 13; Current Affairs/TL8 (People) (E) IQ+0 [1] – 12; Detect Lies (H) Per+1 [8] – 16; Electronics Repair/TL8 (Surveillance) IQ+0 [2] – 12; Explosives/TL8 (Demolition) (A) IQ+0 [2] – 12; First Aid/TL8 (Human) (E) IQ+0 [1] – 12; Forced Entry (E) DX+4 [1] – 18§; Guns/TL8 (Pistol) (E) DX+4 [12] – 18; Guns/TL8 (Shotgun) (E) DX+4 [8] – 18#; Guns/TL8 (Submachine Gun) (E) DX+4 [8] – 18#; Hiking (A) HT+4 [2] – 18‡; Interrogation (A) IQ+3 [8] – 15¥; Intimidation (A) Will+5 [4] – 20§; Judo (H) DX+2 [12] – 16; Jumping (E) DX+2 [4] – 16; Karate (H) DX+2 [12] – 16; Knife (E) DX+8 [12] – 22†; Lifting (A) HT+0 [2] – 14; Musical Instrument (Valved Brass) (H) IQ+0 [4] – 12; Navigation/TL8 (Land) (A) IQ+3 [1] – 15‡; Observation (A) Per-1 [1] – 14; Occultism (A) IQ-1 [1] – 11; Photography/TL8 (A) IQ+0 [2] – 12; Running (A) HT+0 [2] – 14; Search (A) Per-1 [1] – 14; Shadowing (A) IQ+4 [2] – 16§; Stealth (A) DX+4 [2] – 18‡; Streetwise (A) IQ+3 [1] – 15§; Swimming (E) HT+0 [1] – 14; Tactics (H) IQ+0 [4] – 12; Throwing (A) DX-1 [1] – 14; Thrown Weapon (Knife) (E) DX+4 [12] – 18; Tracking (A) Per+6 [1] – 21‡¶; Traps/TL8 (A) IQ+0 [2] – 12; Two-Handed Sword (A) DX+6 [8] – 20†; Urban Survival (A) Per-1 [1] – 14; Wrestling (A) DX+2 [8] – 16.
Techniques: Targeted Attack (Knife Thrust/Vitals) (H) def+2 [3] – 21; Targeted Attack (Guns (Pistol)/Vitals) (H) def+1 [2] – 16.
Starting Spending Money: $16,000 (80% of Starting Wealth, not yet accounting for his gear and arsenal).
* Includes +26 from Enhanced ST.
† Includes +4 from Natural Swordsman.
‡ Includes +4 from Stalker.
§ Includes +4 from Tough Guy.
# Defaulted from Guns (Pistol).
¥ Defaulted from Intimidation.
¶ Includes +3 from Hyperspectral Vision; Conditional +4 from Discriminatory Smell.
Role-Playing Notes:
Blade is a no nonsense man with his own innate sense of honor who is driven by his body's need for blood and a desire to avenge his mother's (un)death. He is suspicious of anyone exhibiting vampiric traits, be they vampire or fellow dhampir (with the exception of his own daughter), and will not willingly work with one unless circumstances dictate otherwise; he's always on the lookout for a betrayal from any vampires he'll work with. The only people he actually trusts are Whistler, Saffron, and Brielle; everyone else, including Van Helsing's team and his newest tech, Scud, he keeps at arms length.
| BROADSWORD | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| TL | Weapon | Damage | Reach | Parry | Cost | Weight | ST | Notes |
| 8 | Side Sword | 4d+10 cut | 1 | 18 | $1,650 | 3 | 10 | [1, 2, 3] |
| – Enhanced ST | 5d+20 cut | 1 | 18 | 10 | ||||
| or | 2d+6 imp | 1 | 18 | 10 | ||||
| – Enhanced ST | 3d+12 imp | 1 | 18 | 10 | ||||
Notes:
[1] Silver-Coated.
[2] Very Fine.
[3] Does 1d-1 (2) cut damage to any hand holding it withing 5 seconds of being drawn unless the safety is flicked on; safety is off by default and requires a Ready maneuver or a successful Fast-Draw (Sword) roll to turn on.
| GUNS (SUBMACHINE GUN) | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| TL | Weapon | Damage | Acc | Range | Weight | RoF | Shots | ST | Bulk | Rcl | Cost | LC | Notes |
| 8 | H&K UMP45, .45ACP | 2d+1 pi+ | 2 | 160/1,700 | 5.5/1.6 | 10 | 25+1 (3) | 10 | -3 | 2 | $900 | 2 | [1] |
Notes:
[1] The standard UMP45 has a folding stock; Blade, Whistler, and Scud have removed the stock entirely from Blade's own UMPs in order to fire them as pistols; the UMP45 in High-Tech lists Weight 6.5/1.6, ST 8†, and Bulk -4*.
| GUNS (SHOTGUN) | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| TL | Weapon | Damage | Acc | Range | Weight | RoF | Shots | ST | Bulk | Rcl | Cost | LC | Notes |
| 8 | Ithaca Model 37, 12G 2.75" | 1d+1 pi- | 3 | 40/800 | 7/0.4 | 2×9 | 4+1 (2i) | 10† | -6* | 1/5 | $450 | 3 | [1, 3] |
| 8 | Shotgun Pistol, 12G 2.75" | 1d pi- | 1 | 30/150 | 3.4/0.22 | 1×9 | 2 (3i) | 11 | -2 | 1/6 | $650 | 2 | [1, 2] |
| or silver stake | 4d imp | 1 | 1 | 2 (3i) | 11 | 6 | |||||||
| or wooden stake | 4d (0.5) imp | 1 | 1 | 2 (3i) | 11 | 6 | |||||||
Notes:
[1] First Rcl number is for shot, second is for slugs.
[2] Modified with a collapsible/folding stock; with stock folded has Acc 2, Bulk -5, ST 12†, and Rcl 1/6.
[3] Based on the muzzle-loaded Diablo double-barrel 12G pistol with a 6" barrel, although the model used by Blade is breech-loaded and firing wooden or silver stakes, presumably made by Whistler and/or Scud by cutting down commercial 12G double-barrel shotguns.
| KARATE | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| TL | Weapon | Damage | Reach | Parry | Cost | Weight | ST | Notes |
| 8 | Karate Punch | 2d+3 cr | C | 14 | – | – | 22 | |
| – Enhanced ST | 5d+11 cr | C | 14 | 48 | ||||
| 8 | Karate Kick | 2d+4 cr | C, 1 | n/a | – | – | 22 | |
| – Enhanced ST | 5d+12 cr | C, 1 | n/a | – | – | 48 | ||
| 8 | Karate Bite | 2d+3 cut | C | n/a | – | – | 22 | |
| – Enhanced ST | 5d+11 cut | C | n/a | – | – | 48 | – | |
| follow-up | 1 HP/sec | – | – | – | – | – | ||
| KNIFE | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| TL | Weapon | Damage | Reach | Parry | Cost | Weight | ST | Notes |
| 0 | Wooden Knife | 3d+15 (0.5) cr | C, 1 | 18 | $4 | 1 | 6 | [1] |
| – Enhanced ST | 3d+15 (0.5) cr | C | 18 | 5 | ||||
| or | 1d+13 (0.5) imp | C | 18 | 6 | ||||
| – Enhanced ST | 1d+13 (0.5) imp | C | 18 | 6 | ||||
| 0 | Wooden Stake | 1d+6 (0.5) imp | C | 18 | $4 | 0.5 | 5 | [1] |
| – Enhanced ST | 1d+12 (0.5) imp | C | 18 | 5 | ||||
| 8 | Silver Stake | 1d+6 imp | C | 18 | $2,400 | 0.5 | 5 | [1] |
| – Enhanced ST | 1d+12 imp | C | 18 | 5 | ||||
Notes:
[1] Built as a Large Knife made from Wood as per Low-Tech, p. 71.
[2] Composed of solid silver.
| THROWN WEAPON (KNIFE) | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| TL | Weapon | Damage | Acc | Range | Weight | RoF | Shots | ST | Bulk | Cost | Notes |
| 0 | Wooden Knife | 1d+12 (0.5) imp | 0 | 11/22 | 1 | 1 | T(1) | 6 | -2 | $4 | [1] |
| – Enhanced ST | 1d+12 (0.5) imp | 0 | 24/48 | ||||||||
| 0 | Wooden Stake | 1d+12 (0.5) imp | 0 | 11/22 | 0.5 | 1 | T(1) | 5 | -2 | $4 | |
| – Enhanced ST | 1d+12 (0.5) imp | 0 | 24/48 | ||||||||
| 8 | Silver Stake | 1d+12 imp | 0 | 11/22 | 0.5 | 1 | T(1) | 5 | -2 | $2,400 | [2] |
| – Enhanced ST | 1d+12 imp | 0 | 24/48 | ||||||||
| 8 | Small Throwing Knife | 1d+12 imp | 0 | 11/22 | 0.5 | 1 | T(1) | 5 | -2 | $90 | [3, 4] |
| – Enhanced ST | 1d+12 imp | 0 | 24/48 | ||||||||
| 8 | Throwing Glaive | 3d+7 cut | 0 | 18/33 | 2 | 1 | T(1) | 6 | -2 | $240 | [3, 4, 5] |
| – Enhanced ST | 3d+15 cut | 0 | 38/72 | ||||||||
| or | 1d+7 imp | 0 | 18/33 | 6 | |||||||
| – Enhanced ST | 1d+13 imp | 0 | 38/72 | ||||||||
Notes:
[1] Built as a Large Knife made from Wood as per Low-Tech, p. 71.
[2] Composed of solid silver.
[3] Silver-Coated.
[4] Fine quality.
[5] Double-bladed; built as a Large Throwing Knife at twice the weight and cost.
| TWO-HANDED SWORD | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| TL | Weapon | Damage | Reach | Parry | Cost | Weight | ST | Notes |
| 8 | Side Sword | 4d+11 cut | 1 | 18 | $1,650 | 3 | 9† | [1, 2, 3] |
| – Enhanced ST | 5d+20 cut | 1 | 18 | 9† | ||||
| or | 2d+6 imp | 1 | 18 | 9† | ||||
| – Enhanced ST | 3d+11 imp | 1 | 18 | 9† | ||||
Notes:
[1] Silver-Coated.
[2] Very Fine.
[3] Does 1d-1 (2) cut damage to any hand holding it withing 5 seconds of being drawn unless the safety is flicked on; safety is off by default and requires a Ready maneuver or a successful Fast-Draw (Sword) roll to turn on.
Design Notes:
1. Blade's origin comes more from the Blade trilogy of movies and TV series than it does the comics (Tomb of Dracula (1972) and Marvel Preview (1975) #3-4), where Blade was born in London, raised in a London brothel (with the implication his mother worked there), and trained by a hunter named Jamal Afari before Afari was turned (and later retconned to Blade effectively having Unaging, as his mother was bitten by Deacon Frost at the end of the Victorian era). Whether he is Unaging in the Reboot has yet to be determined.
2. "Immunity to Vampiric Mind Control" is built as a Rare Resistance. Counting down from Resistant to Psionics, which in the Basic Set is considered Very Common, Telepathy as a subset of Psionics would be Common, Mind Control as a subset of Telepathy is Occasional, and Vampiric Mind Control as a subset of Mind Control is then Rare. It won't break anything to make him immune to non-vampiric mind control, however, being only 5 additional points. YMMV.