It's noted that the Philadelphia Kid is _real_ good at jumping.
Mad Jack
certainly describes him that way (page 34). But...his stats
don't seem to
>indicate anything of the sort (page 102). In fact, his Nimbleness
and his
>Strength (the two things you think would be most useful for jumping)
are
>just a tad above average at best. Neither he or Blue Note
seem to actually
>have anything power-wise that would make him a good jumper.
I'm thinking that "he can jump like a frog on a hot plate" refers to his quickness more than anything else. This he has at 4d10, which seems adequate to match that description. I believe you're taking "jump" too literally here.
>Speaking of which...how do folks know that the Kid is a Doomsayer,
anyway?
>Granted, he wears purple and has the Omega sign on his chest.
But in fact,
>he actually doesn't seem to have any...well, visible Doomsayer-type
powers.
>All he's got is Sustenance and Tolerance. And yet Joan and
her folks are
>suspicious of where he got his powers (again, page 102).
Ummm, what powers?
> How do they know he has any powers? Sustenance and
Tolerance aren't
>exactly what you'd call high-profile stuff.
This goes beyond just Blue Note's performin' skill, although I willing to bet it helps a bit. Silas's whole Philadelphia Kid plot is one based on illusion and misdirection, with the kid at the center as a mostly ignorant patsy with dreams of glory. All visible signs point to the Kid being the powerful doomsayer and Blue Note a faithful sidekick when its really the other way around. The Kid showboats with his shootin' skills supplying the "flash" while Blue Note sneaks in and provides the "bang" and doesn't take any credit for it, claiming it was all the Kid's doing (reread the commentary of the battle at the bottom of page 34 and I think you'll see what I mean - no one asks how Blue Note did it because they're all awed with the Kid's ballsy performance). After all, who's wearing the purple? Not the older man with the fiddle. To stay in the spotlight, the Kid isn't going to tell either, making everyone think that he does have the powers...and that fits Silas's plans just fine. Joan and the gang have every reason to be suspicious to hear the stories told about him. The real question is what's going to happen when Joan's forces make a concentrated effort to approach and question the Kid and he has to prove he can "walk the walk"? It seems that this is part of the plan, but I'm not sure how Blue Note alone can deal with it. He's good, but I doubt Joan would send only one Doomsayer to chat with them - she knows the whole situation is shady. On page 102 it says that Blue Note will strike when some of Joan's mentors try to bring the Kid into the fold. Unless, Blue Note does a lot more teaching in the meantime, I can't see the ruse getting that far - nuke first, ask questions later.
- Matt