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Design John Jos. Miller and Steve Kenson

Editing Spike Y Jones Development Jon Leitheusser

Art Direction and Graphic Design Hal Mangold

Cover Art MK Ultra Studios

Interior Art Brett Barkley, Greg Kirkpatrick, and Mike Vilardi

Proofreading The Green Ronin Staff

Green Ronin President Chris Pramas

Green Ronin Staff Bill Bodden, Steve Kenson, Jon Leitheusser, Nicole Lindroos, Hal Mangold, Chris Pramas, Evan Sass, Marc Schmalz

Aces & Jokers is ©2010 Green Ronin Publishing, LLC. All rights reserved. Reference to other copyrighted material in no way constitutes a challenge to the respective copyright holders of that material.

Green Ronin, Mutants & Masterminds and their associated logos are trademarks of Green Ronin Publishing, LLC. Wild Cards is the trademark of the Wild Card Consortium.

The following is designated as Product Identity, in accordance with Section 1(e) of the Open Game License, Version 1.0a: all character and place names and descriptions,

all novel descriptions and references, hero points, and power points.

The following text is Open Gaming Content: all game stats and information, except for material previously declared product identity.

Printed in the USA

Green Ronin Publishing3815 S. Othello St., Suite 100 #304Seattle, WA 98118Email: custserv@greenronin.comWeb Site: www.greenronin.comwww.mutantsandmasterminds.com

A WILD CARDS SOURCEBOOK FOR MUTANTS & MASTERMINDS

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2 INTRODUCTION

INTRODUCTION

There are a lot of a characters in the Wild Cards universe. This volume contains information on over 300 of them—and a couple of snapshots on some to come.

Aces & Jokers is designed as a companion volume to Green Ronin’s Wild Cards Campaign Setting, which contains

copious details concerning Wild Card background, history, and lore. Not that it lacks biographical information: The Wild Cards Campaign Setting presents in meticulous detail the biographies of around 90 of the universe’s most important characters—aces, jok-ers, aliens, and nats alike. Lack of space prevented the inclusion of more, so here are the rest of them.

The following biographies are presented in two formats. About 30 have been selected to receive extensive treatment similar to that in the Campaign Setting. These can be found in Chapter 1: The Top Deck. Basically, the characters who made it into this chapter were those whose Wild Card exploits could support longer bios. Enough is known about them that their bios include detailed life stories and gaming stats.

Most of the rest of the characters covered in this book have been relegated to Chapter 2: The Draw Pile. These are the almost famous denizens of the Wild Cards universe. Some have a page or two recorded about their lives because of their brief and shining moment in the sun. Some have a couple a couple of paragraphs. Some just a sentence or two because they weren’t major characters in the books. Even obscure characters such as Ice Blue Sibyl, The Whisperer, Haymaker, and Sparkle Johnny, because they would make fine characters to play. They exist in the Wild Cards universe, albeit as little more than names, and are all ready to be fleshed out by you and—who knows? —maybe take their place in your own Wild Cards universe besides such stalwarts of the series as Cap’n Trips, Dr. Tachyon, and Billy Ray. They’re characters begging for their stories to be written, and you’re the author. Go for it.

A third class of characters can be found in Chapter 3: The Fast Shuffle: a rather short but interesting list of the alternate Wild Card biographies of real-world figures who have appeared in the series.

Finally, the last (but not least) character type can be found in Chapter 4: A New Hand, which presents previews of the Com-mittee Trilogy, the latest Wild Cards volumes, not all of which will actually be published by the time this sourcebook hits the shelves. The Committee Triad consists of Inside Straight (2007), Busted Flush (2008), and Suicide Kings (2009). As this is being written only Inside Straight has been published. Busted Flush and Suicide Kings haven’t been published.

A slew of new and interesting characters have been created to fill these books—for reasons that will be discussed later. Rather than try to write their biographies before their first story arc is completed, we hope to present a complete history of their first adventures in a third Green Ronin reference vol-ume to be published after the Committee Triad has appeared. This future volume will also include data from the Hard Call graphic novel, as well as other future graphic novels, publish-ing schedules allowing.

In the meantime, here are the stories of some 350 characters, from Esteban Akabal to Zelda (the Bodysnatcher), to keep you entertained and enthralled. All of the information contained here is drawn directly from the books, but there are bits of data here and there that were added in from the private character sketches circulated between Wild Cards authors. Not many of these char-acters had such sketches written about them, because most were created on the fly and were important in the context of only a story or two. Some were mentioned once and then forgotten, and are waiting for you to pick them up, dust them off, and add to the history of their deeds.

INTRODUCTION

SPOILERS ALERT!Needless to say, the following pages are filled to overflowing with spoilers. If you don’t want to learn the ultimate fate of Bat-Ears Brannigan before you read the story he appears in, read no further.

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INTRODUCTION

THE TOP DECK 3

CHAPTER ONE: THE TOP DECK

Here’s the cream of the biographical crop. These charac-ters, along with those already published in the Wild Cards Campaign Setting, are the most significant characters in the Wild Cards universe. You’ll find that many of these biographies aren’t as detailed as those in the first volume.

Although these are important characters who’ve had a large im-pact on the Wild Cards universe, many of them were conjured up by their various authors on the fly and less background informa-tion is available.

You and your players are welcome to build upon the informa-tion provided here if you wish to have some of these characters play a more significant role in your series. Depending on when your series is set, you may need to explain why that character is active or even why he or she is alive! You also may want to use the game information on the following pages as templates for char-acters of your own making. Find a character or set of powers you

like, make up a background, and introduce him or her as a new ally or enemy for the players to deal with.

THE BLACK DOGCreated by George R.R. Martin

Name: Unknown WC Name: The Black DogOccupation: Terrorist WC Status: JokerAliases: The Hound,

The Hound of HellEthnicity: Jewish

Birth: Unknown Death: --Height: Tall Weight: UnknownEyes: Unknown Hair: Unknown

CHAPTER ONE: THE TOP DECK

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4 THE TOP DECK

CHAPTER ONE: THE TOP DECK

Black Dog’s game stats are based on his known abilities. His con-trol of the Twisted Fists gives him considerable influence and the ability to call on any number of followers and resources (includ-ing weapons, explosives, and vehicles). Assume these are covered by his Benefit feat, and whatever capabilities the GM wishes to give him, based on the story.

BACKGROUNDBorn in Brooklyn, the Black Dog immigrates to Israel with his family at the age of 9. He draws a joker when he’s 20. While in public he wears a black canine mask, so no one knows the precise nature of his deformity. He’s the head of an international terrorist joker organization called the Twisted Fists. Their financial sup-port comes mainly from Jokertown and their headquarters are in the Jerusalem catacombs, a labyrinth of chambers and tunnels that meander under the ancient walled city.

The Dog makes a deal with Zoe Harris and Croyd Crenson (May 1994), sending them to Ukraine to get a nuclear warhead while promising to get Zoe’s Escorts safely to Vietnam and to turn Pan Rudo over to Croyd. The Dog wants the nuclear weapon to blackmail the Card Sharks into giving up the Black Trump, but, as usual, things don’t go exactly as planned. When last seen he’s in Billy Ray’s custody.

O.K. CASADAYCreated by Victor Milán

Name: O.K. Casaday WC Name: NoneOccupation: Soldier/CIA

operative/closet Card SharkWC Status: Nat

Aliases: Presumably; none recorded

Ethnicity: Caucasian

Birth: Unknown Death: Summer 1994Height: Tall Weight: Heavy but solidEyes: Unknown Hair: Balding blond

BACKGROUNDCasaday is a tall, broad-shouldered man with a granite slab of a jaw and a fringe of yellow-white hair set on top of an immense round head.

THE BLACK DOG POWER LEVEL 4STR DEX CON INT WIS CHA+2 +1 +1 +2 +2 +215 12 13 15 14 15

TOUGHNESS FORTITUDE REFLEX WILL+3/+1* +4 +4 +5

*flat-footedSKILLS:

Bluff 3 (+5), Climb 3 (+5), Concentration 4 (+6), Diplomacy 6 (+8), Disguise 2 (+4), Gather Information 9 (+11), Intimidate 6 (+8), Investigate 4 (+6), Knowledge (business) 2 (+4), Knowledge (current events) 4 (+6), Knowledge (streetwise) 8 (+10), Knowl-edge (tactics) 7 (+9), Knowledge (technology) 2 (+4), Knowledge (theology & philosophy) 2 (+4), Language 1 (Hebrew; English is native), Medicine 1 (+3), Notice 4 (+6), Search 4 (+6), Sense Mo-tive 6 (+8), Stealth 6 (+7)FEATS:

Benefit (leader of the Twisted Fists) 10, Connected, Contacts, De-fensive Roll 2, Fascinate (Intimidate), Improved Initiative, Leader-ship, Master Plan, Sneak Attack, Well-Informed

Equipment: varies, but usually includes at least one pistol or rifle close to handCOMBAT:

Attack +5, Grapple +7, Damage +2 (unarmed attack), Defense +5 (+3 flat-footed), Knockback –1 (–0 flat-footed), Initiative +5Abilities 24 + Skills 21 (84 ranks) + Feats 20 + Powers 0 + Combat 20 + Saves 9 + Drawbacks 0 = 94Sa

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