IRL History
Power Level 6, 102 PP
Born into a not-too-influential Roman patrician family, Caesar lived a pretty quiet childhood until his aunt married a great rival, Gaius Marius, of the up-and-coming dictator of the day, Lucius Cornelius Sulla. Caesar's young adulthood was defined by becoming head of the family at age 16, then supporting his uncle Marius through a defeat in a civil war, which cost him his fortune at the hands of Sulla and his position in the priesthood as High Priest of Jupiter. To avoid divorcing his first wife, Cornelia, in this moment of crisis, he went into hiding, then joined the army. He vehemently denies having had an affair with King Nicomedes of Bithynia in his early career.
One of the most colorful episodes of his life is when he was kidnapped by Aegean pirates in his 20s. He demanded of his captors that his ransom be upped to 50 talents of silver instead of 20. He was relaxed and familiar with the pirates, and "joked" that after he was ransomed, he would raise a fleet, pursue and capture them, and crucify them alive. Turned out, he did all of that except the "alive" part—in a characteristic act of "mercy," he slit their throats before crucifying them.
Despite his debts, Caesar continued to advance his career as a soldier, a politician, a priest, and a scholar. His overarching tactic is to consolidate power to himself by appeasing the commoners through laws (of taxes, land ownership, citizenship, veteran care, etc.) that favor them at the expense of the aristocracy. Besides maneuvering an alliance with the extremely wealthy and influential Crassus and Pompey, he went to war in Gaul (as a leader of the army) to win fortune and favor that would help him get out of debt. He has been extremely successful in the Gallic wars, minus his failed invasion of Great Britain in the midst.
While he was away at war, his political Triumvirate has collapsed; Crassus died, and Pompey has turned against Caesar, causing the Senate to declare him a public enemy and issue him an ultimatum to step down from his military command and return to Rome. He is about to defy their authority by crossing the Rubicon with his army, saying "Let the die be cast," and starting a civil war for political supremacy.
He will win the war, have an ongoing affair with Egyptian queen Cleopatra, consolidate enormous political power under himself as effective dictator, and issue a number of sweeping legal reforms before being swarmed and assassinated by 60 treacherous Senators on the Ides of March, 44 B.C.
Complications
- Motivation - Ambition. Caesar doesn't see why he shouldn't accomplish as much as Alexander the Great did. And he is ruthless to those who stand in his way—until he's beaten them, at which point he sometimes shows great mercy.
- Relationships. Caesar's third wife is Calpurnia, but by Roman standards he is allowed to have other affairs with non-Romans. He is close (for now) with Mark Antony and Marcus Junius Brutus, but secretly favors his sister's grandson Gaius Octavius more.
- Debts. Caesar has struggled with crippling debt ever since Sulla stripped him of his inheritance and dowry for opposing him.
- Weakness. Caesar's family has poor cardiovascular health; Caesar himself has occasional symptoms that can be mistaken for epileptic seizures.
Defenses & Offense
Dodge +4 · (Default Dodge DC 14) · (Enhanced; +2 without Shield)
Parry +4 · (Default Parry DC 14) · (Enhanced; +2 without Shield)
Toughness +8 · (+5 without Armor)
Fortitude +5
Will +7
Initiative +0.
- Unarmed: Close Attack +2 · on a hit, bludgeoning Damage DC 16.
- Grab: Close Attack +2 · on a hit, restrain opponent DC 11.
- Gladius: Close Attack +7 · on a hit, piercing Damage DC 18, crit 19-20.
Abilities
Strength +1 · load limit 100 lb.
Stamina +5
Agility +0
Dexterity +1
Fighting +2
Intellect +7
Awareness +2
Presence +6
Skills
Athletics +3
Deception +10
Expertise: History +11, only ancient Mediterranean history
Expertise: Law +15
Expertise: Leadership +7 · (based on Presence)
Expertise: Military +16
Expertise: Oration +10 · (based on Presence) · (Fascinate)
Expertise: Politics +13 · (Ultimate Effort)
Expertise: Pop Culture +9
Expertise: Tactics +14 · (Ultimate Effort)
Expertise: Theology +13, only ancient Roman theology
Expertise: Writing +11
Insight +6
Intimidation +8
Persuasion +8
PowersActive Advantages
Benefit (Status: patrician) 2
Benefit (Wealth) 1 · well-off
Favored Foe (pirates)
Weapon Bind
Improved Defense · (from Shield)Languages
native: Latin · Coptic · Gallaecian · Greek · Spanish ·
Moment of Glory · talent power
- Once per Scene as a Standard Action, Caesar can spend a Hero Point and make an Expertise: Leadership check (DC 12) to Inspire all allies able to interact with him with a circumstance bonus to all checks until the start of his next turn. This bonus is equal to his Leadership check result minus 11, to a maximum of +3 at Expertise: Leadership result 14+.
Shield · equipment power
Armor · equipment power
- Caesar's Protection from his Armor is readily Noticeable.
Gladius · equipment power
