I've haven't done a number of prefaces this year as I'm just trying to focus on the write-ups. I wanted to take a quick moment and your indulgence to talk about the 1943 version of Phantom of the Opera as I felt I needed to cover it as part of my long-running coverage of Universal Monsters. The 1943 version was the first version of the character or story I'd ever seen and it stayed with me even after watching the iconic 1925 version with Lon Chaney and the musical. I felt that the character of the Phantom from 1943 was far different and in many cases truly insane.

I didn't realize there was an actual sequel to the movie planned and that ultimately it was not produced as a true sequel. I felt that to complete my run on Universal Monsters I needed to do this version. As of late you may have noticed I'm reusing the format and that the stats are slightly higher than I have in the past projected them to be. I'm trying something different and this taking their setting as part of the generation system - I'm trying to cover as they are represented as part of their world, which may be slightly different than normal.

So...The Phantom of the Opera!


“The music comes down and the darkness distills it, cleanses it of the suffering that made it...”

The Phantom of the Opera



Enrique Claudin

F: Ex (20)
A: Gd (10)
S: Ex (20) *
E: Rm (30)
R: Typ (06)
I: Ex (20)*
P: Ex (20)

Health: 90
Karma: 70
Resources: Pr (04)
Popularity: 2 (as a noted violinist and musician) -5 as the Phantom

Talents:
Claudin is a master of the following skills:

• Performer: Musician
• Knowledge: Parisian area
• Knowledge: Parisian underworld
• Sharp Weapons
• Chemistry
• Sleight of Hand* (See limitations)

Powers:
A man possessed
Enrique Claudin is a man who is both motivated and obsessed with ensuring his goals are met – either through recovering his lost property and/or status or with the career of Christine Dubois. Since his disfigurement and descent into psychotic madness Enrique has become a terror of Paris whose goals are absolutely. Due to his madness Claudin has several key abilities that include:

• Inhuman Endurance and Strength (for human): Claudin’s madness have granted him greater endurance and strength compared to his normal state. Claudin seems to be stronger and more endurance than normal, able to enact greater feats of strength than normal and able to resist the effects of damage (hence the enhanced FASE). Claudin’s ability to recover from effects have led some to consider him to be supernatural. Originally Claudin’s FASE were: F : Gd (10) A: Typ (06) S: Gd (10) E: Gd (10). Claudin’s adjustments are based purely on his rage-induced psychosis.
• Ignore Damage Effects – Claudin’s increased Endurance allows him to apparently ignore stunning effects with a successful rank Endurance FEAT. Several times during the movie Claudin ignored deadly attacks, beginning when his face was burned by etching acid and moving onward to when he was haunting the Opera House. Claudin’s Endurance also allows him to make successful Roll vs. Death checks to ignore follow-up stun.
• Stealth within the Opera House: Claudin understand and knows the Parisian Opera House inside and out, knowing the secret passages, stage doors, and underground with absolute ability and knowledge. As such, Claudin may make a check to evade observation or ‘disappear’ into the Opera House after actions. While in the Opera House Claudin is considered to have the Stealth power at Ex (20).
• Greater Awareness: Claudin seems more in tune with his surroundings and environments since his disfigurement, hence the Ex (20) Intuition. Previously one could consider Claudin's Intuition to be Gd (10) or even Typ (06).

Contacts:
Before his crime and subsequent disfigurement, Claudin was a well-thought of member of the Parisian Opera Company as a violinist and a somewhat regarded musician. After his disfigurement Claudin’s only real contact was his protégé Christine Dubois and even then, she was not a contact.

Limitations:
Claudin’s limitations include:

• Obsessed Madman: Claudin was a madman whose madness was made more acute by the actions that led to his disfigurement. Claudin is absolutely obsessed with Christine and will do anything to ensure her rise and what he thinks would be her happiness. Claudin’s obsession ultimately led to the multiple murders he committed within Paris and the activities performed as the Phantom. Claudin will stop at nothing for Christine and will kill without hesitation. Claudin suffers a -1cs to his Reason or Psyche when Christine is involved.
• Disfigured: Claudin was burned by etching acid during the event which led to his current state and wears a mask to hide both his scars and identity. Claudin suffers -2cs to any social FEATS in which his face is exposed.
• Criminal: Claudin is wanted for his murders and is considered hunted by the Parisian police regardless if he is believed dead. Claudin is known by some to be the Phantom and his old identity offers him no sanctuary.
• Degenerative Nerve Disease: Although not specifically identified Claudine is suffering from a disease that is robbing him of his finer motor control, such as playing the violin. Although not mentioned as much after he became the Phantom, Claudin stated many times that he was going to have to quite as the loss was progressing. Claudin must make an Agility FEAT when attempting complex dexterous actions or suffer a -1cs to all similar activities for a period of 1d10 turns.