7.7 KiB
7.7 KiB
Quick ID
- Name: Benjamin Mulkerberg
- Aliases / Nicknames: “Lil Stinky”, “Ben”
- Vibe: rich kid cosplaying as hard-block dealer; aggressive code-switcher; performs toughness; terrified of being exposed.
- Class/Level (current): PC, Level 6 (campaign state), Elf Druid (weed + nature aesthetic, but he plays “street”)
- Core Theme: Identity performance vs identity theft (perfect mirror to Coherence/Instrumentality arc)
Baseline Backstory (Player-established)
- Family is extremely wealthy; he pretends he lives in a dangerous “W Block” type area, but he actually lives in a huge, expensive house in the mountains (Madera canyon analogue).
- Secret (biggest): He’s not from the block he claims. He’s a poser.
- Public Persona: wannabe gangbanger / “dealer” / hustle culture, tries to intimidate and posture.
- Reality: He sells small amounts of weed (never serious weight—more like $25 baggies / networking for “customers”).
- Night-before-school scene: packing extra weed to “network” the new school; listening to “magical DaBaby”; playing 2K on a magical PS5.
Family / Home
- Dad: Silicon Valley tech-guy retiring in the mountains. Player described dad as Mark Zuckerberg-adjacent.
- Has the resources/impulse to build a bunker / safe-room concept at home.
- Mom: wealthy, proper; drives fantasy equivalent of a BMW SUV; gives Ben rides but he makes her drop him off a few blocks away so classmates think he walked.
- House: spotless, expensive, canyon views, “Beverly Hills” energy. This house is a major pressure point because it disproves his whole persona.
Major Ongoing Hooks
1) Pip Conflict (Gang Arc)
- Pip Tumblefoot (halfling teen) is the recurring street-level antagonist tied to “The Circle” (gas station hangout).
- Ben got tangled with Pip early and it escalated hard.
- Pip has threatened Ben directly, including sending a photo of Ben’s house (establishes: Pip knows where he lives and can strike the family/home).
- Ben’s likely obsession: control the narrative + avoid exposure (“don’t let anyone see where I live / who my parents are”).
2) “W Block” Lie Exposure
- Ben’s biggest social fear isn’t death — it’s being outed as rich and fake.
- Your table has multiple pressure vectors to reveal it:
- Joe and Soren physically at his house.
- Pip’s coded threats that reference the “block vs hills” contrast.
- Any NPC he invites to his place sees it instantly.
3) School vs Street Split
- Ben is in the middle of two campaigns at once:
- The leyline/Root/Coherence mystery (school-level arc)
- The Circle gang retaliation (street-level arc)
- You can run the gang arc as “seasonal detour” sessions that are still thematically tied to identity/instrumentality.
Signature Behaviors (How to Play Him as NPC-like)
- Code-switches instantly when speaking to parents vs peers.
- Threatens, postures, brags when he thinks someone is a mark.
- Runs or bargains when he knows he’s outmatched.
- Motivated by:
- status/control,
- not being humiliated,
- protecting his lie,
- protecting his family only as long as it doesn’t expose him (this is where drama lives).
Key Relationships (as of now)
Party
- Joe Football: ally + chaos partner. Joe is a “simple guy” but dangerously competent when he commits to a plan. Joe went along with major escalation at the Circle.
- Soren: ally; morally volatile. Ben has already relied on Soren for backup after big consequences.
School NPC orbit (people Ben can invite / leverage)
- Elias Vae’lor: high-elf artificer-ish; “AV club” peer vibe; helps guide investigations; Ben suspects him at times (player paranoia already exists in campaign).
- Chaz Ironwick: jock archetype; useful as party muscle / social heat.
- Millie Fairweather: nerd archetype; potential friction with Soren; can become a “rival-friend” to the party later.
- Fouadriel Al-Mir: comedic relief now, long-term doom harbinger later (campaign-wide twist).
- Seb Castillo: conspiracy kid; can be used as rumor engine + evidence collector.
- Jax Hollow: “vapes and drives a Subaru” energy; utility NPC (ride/block driveway, etc.).
- Sumri Tord: rumor magnet; “magical disability” concept; social wildcard.
Major Events Ben Was Involved In (Chronological, high-signal)
Early: The Circle setup
- Ben goes to The Circle (gas station hangout) and gets baited by a small swarmy halfling figure → ambush vibes → “run” moment.
- Establishes: Ben is already being profiled/targeted as someone to extort or set up.
The Circle Explosion (huge pivot)
- Ben and Joe returned to The Circle together.
- Ben accepted a deal (with Pip / or Pip’s crew — the “deal” ties Ben deeper into the gang mess).
- Joe planted a trap + oil/accelerant and escalated into “cook them out.”
- Outcome:
- Explosion killed 3 total: one teen (charred remains stuck in trap), and two unrelated adults inside the gas station who got liquified in the blast.
- Pip survived (severely injured) and later issued threats.
- Aftermath:
- Ben received a direct message: “you’re fucking dead” (from Pip).
- Ben called Soren for help; she arrived at Ben’s house.
- Ben now has an urgent objective: protect parents / protect house / avoid exposure.
Retaliation Plan (current direction)
- Ben’s current plan (player-driven): throw a party at his house to recruit NPCs and force any retaliation attempt to happen on his terms.
- He wants to turn the “home reveal” into an advantage: more bodies, more chaos, more allies.
Items / Gear / Props (Ben-specific)
- Weed stash (core prop; constant)
- General “rich kid tools” available at home (security, money, bunker concept), but:
- Ben may refuse to use them openly because they reveal who he is.
School Integration (how Ben touches the main arc)
- Ben is an ideal “Instrumentality/Coherence” target because:
- He is already living as a constructed identity.
- He is constantly splitting into personas (parents vs peers).
- The Coherence’s “no more pain if no more separation” pitch tempts him: no more pretending, no more fear of being found out.
Potential “Coherence offers” tailored to Ben:
- “I can make everyone see the version of you you want.”
- “I can dissolve the shame.”
- “No one will ever catch you in a lie again… because there will be no lies.”
DM Levers (what reliably moves Ben)
Use these to motivate scenes without railroading:
- Threats to the house / parents (Pip retaliation)
- Social exposure risk (NPCs at his home, rumors, getting dropped off by mom)
- Status humiliation (called fake, poser, rich kid)
- Control fantasy (Ben thinks he can outsmart / outplay systems and people)
- Bargains (Ben will take deals he shouldn’t if it stabilizes his image short-term)
Notes / Tone Calibration
- Ben’s arc works best when consequences are:
- socially humiliating, legally threatening, or family-risk adjacent
- rather than immediate “you die.”
- The gas station deaths established that the world can have collateral consequences.
- For Ben, the interesting consequence is: “this can reach your parents and expose you.”
Current Status (start-of-next-session snapshot)
- Ben’s home has become the party’s staging ground.
- Pip is injured but mobilizing.
- Ben is likely trying to:
- keep parents safe without admitting why,
- keep Joe/Soren aligned,
- weaponize a party as both bait and shield.