In a world without magic, how does Mordenkainan the Wizard pull off the amazing illusions? Certainly, Max Merlin doesn't know; he's just a psychic skeptic advisor to the local police. He's never around when Mordenkainan appears.
Max Merlin, (Psychic Investigator, Professional Magician, Birthday Parties & Bar Mitzvahs, as his business card says) shows up at crime scenes in his conservative business suit and horn-rimmed glasses to "assist". Any phone call to the Mayor's office will reach the receptionist, who will insist that Max is there to help the Mayor's political polling, and he won't get in the way.
Later, Mordenkainan the Conjuror, in his wizard robes, may show up to perform his own investigation and dispense justice outside the law.
- Age
- Old
- Gender
- Male
- Eyes
- Blue
- Hair
- White
- Skin Tone/Pigmentation
- Pale
- Height
- 5'11"
- Weight
- 180#
Appearance
Physical Description
Spry for his age
Identifying Characteristics
Santa Claus beard and male-pattern baldness.
All Mordenkainan's spells manifest with smoke of varying colors concealing the details of how his conjurations actually work.
Apparel & Accessories
Max Merlin wears thick horn-rimmed glasses and claims to have a fear of birds.
Mordenkainen wears a blue wizard's robe and hat and frequently has a raven sitting on his shoulder.
Specialized Equipment
Mordenkainan prefers to "cast spells" out of one of his three "magic artifacts" (which never leave his body but sometimes vanish). They are all just distractions with no actual powers.
Hat of the Horadrum
Wand of Watoomb
Serpent Staff of the Arch Mage
Special abilities
All stats shown are for Max Merlin. Mordenkainan usually has one less AP in all stats due to use of his "Split Spells".
Mentality
Employment
Max Merlin has befriended the phone receptionist at the Mayor's office, from whom he gets information about police investigations and authorization to enter police scenes. The receptionist is providing the Mayor with plausible deniability while boosting poll numbers by telling believers that Max's psychic skills are very helpful and telling skeptics that Max debunks psychics and charlatans who try to hide their crimes.
Personality
Savvies & Ineptitudes
Mordenkainan and Max Merlin participate in "Clark Kenting" expecting no one will recognize how similar they look when one wears glasses and the other wears a wizard hat.
Max uses the trope, "No Badge? No Problem!" whenever he can convince authorities to take the word of the Mayor's phone receptionist.
Max/Mordenkainan uses a "Transformation Sequence" wherein he spins around as colorful smoke appears around him then fades after he has transformed.
Social
Social