Bodie "The Beast"*, Promethean Pugilist
(Bodie's name is pronounced "boad-eee")
*Bodie's original fighting name was Bodie "The Bastard" but this offended my folk's sensibilities.
Concept~
Bodie was envisioned for Unhallowed Metropolis, one of the man-made Frankenstein's monster like "Prometheans". Instead of being some lunatic's slave or a crazed monster Bodie uses his super-human abilities to beat opponents to a pulp in the boxing ring.
History~
Bodie doesn't remember much about his awakening (he is secretly fairly sure that he snapped his "creator's" neck). Soon he found himself wandering the back alleys of London struggling with other lost souls for the necessities of life. He was more than willing to fight for his share, eventually a sporting fan witnessed Bodie in a back street brawl and knew there was money to be made in the patch-work giant.
Personality~
Bodie is gruff, to say the least. He doesn't like talking (in fact he finds it physically uncomfortable) so he's usually content to let his "mouth piece" do all the talking. Bodie is generally callous to other people, to him it's a matter of survival and he's intent on surviving. The only things he seems to enjoy in life is whiskey and huge amounts of food. He has scars over his head and is rarely seen with out his cap in place.
The Breakdown~
While Bodie was intended to be an NPC he could easily be adapted for Player use. Either way here's a breakdown of the Pros & Cons you can translate into your favorite RPG system.
The Good: Bodie is big (he stands just over 7 feet tall, if that's not tall enough for your game give him at least 6 inches over everybody else) and strong (much stronger than any typical boxer). He also doesn't really register pain, at worst his injuries make him mildly uncomfortable. He does possess a measure of notoriety amongst fans of boxing. Finally Bodie's not just a bruiser, he's learned plenty of boxing skills during his time in the ring.
Pros: D*mned Big, Strong Like an Ox, High Pain Tolerance, Trained Boxer, Notoriety: Boxing Fans
The Bad: Bodie isn't just big, he's monstrous and his scarred face is hideous to behold, he'll never be treated the same as a "normal" person. He's indifferent to the suffering of most others and has left a trail of possibly vindictive opponents behind him, and there's always the young up and comers who keep targeting him like young gunfighters challenging the notorious gunslinger. Then there's those folks who've lost money gambling on boxing, they sure would love to see something bad happen to The Beast. Bodie also suffers from horrible nightmares, his fractured brain trying to make sense of the jumble of memories in his skull. It's very likely that his troubled brain will eventually deteriorate to the point where he suffers Hallucinations or even a Split Personality.
Cons: Monstrous Appearance, Socially Shunned, Reputation: Cold Hearted, Enemies: Old Opponents, Young Contenders and Angered Gamblers, Mental Condition: Nightmares, Hallucinations or Split Personality
The Mouth Piece~ Bodie depends on a manager/talker to get him bouts and protect his interests. A good mouth piece would count as a Pro: Ally, one who's only using Bodie to make some quick cash and doesn't care what happens to the fighter would be a Con: Enemy. Bodie's current manager is a charismatic young man named Matthew Simonds.
Encountering Bodie~
Bodie was meant to be a background character, an NPC who's rising popularity would drive the story-line. As such Bodie is most likely to be encountered in the boxing ring or mixed up with organized crime. (If Bodie has fallen on hard times he'll have no problem acting as "muscle" to get by.)
If it fits the game better Bodie could be introduced early in his life, a mountain of a man stalking the grim alleys of the city.
Variations~
Bodie was intended for an Unhallowed Metropolis game, so he is both Cinematic and Gritty. If this doesn't fit your setting here's some thoughts on adapting him for your game...
Realistic:
If your game is closer to the real world Bodie is obviously not an inhuman monster. He's just a very large, very ugly man. His scars are the result of a horrible industrial explosion and his mental conditions are the result of brain damage from the accident (as well as taking a few too many shots to the head).
Horrific:
In a game focused on Horror Bodie is more likely to be a masked carnival attraction than a noted boxing personality. If his face is exposed it so disturbing it would cause onlookers to roll fear/fright checks and his cold-hearted nature would move up to Bloodthirstiness and Animal Savagery. If that's not enough perhaps, being made of corpses, Bodie can't actually heal. In order to recover from injuries he must eat livers from fresh human bodies. The Characters may end up on the trail of a brutal, bizarre killer that ends with one of them bare-knuckle fighting for their life.
Heroic:
There have been many interpretations of Frankenstein's Monster as a hero, or at least misunderstood.
Remove Bodie's Cold-Heartedness and tone down his appearance. He may, at first, be startling but those with Good Hearts will quickly look past his contenance.
Bodie may have tired of the fighting life, or at least the mercenary nature of the sporting world; this may lead him to struggling for a noble cause (one likely shared by the other Player Characters).
Remember that Bodie is NOT stupid. There's nothing stopping him from learning and learning to care.
A good Hero paring for Bodie may be a Scientific Genius who takes pity on "The Beast" and endeavors to help heal him, like an action packed version of the Elephant Man.
"Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus"~
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frankenstein
Unhallowed Metropolis:
http://www.hallowsevedesigns.com/unmet.html