This is GURPS Fourth Edition Jeremiah Sand circa 1983, immediately before the events of Mandy. This version of Jeremiah Sand is not especially strong, agile, durable, or perceptive. His exceptional statistics are IQ and Will. This is intentional. He is a high-point social antagonist whose actual physical abilities are almost insultingly mundane. The danger comes from what he can make other people do. He has spent his adult life surviving through manipulation and psychological control rather than through direct confrontation.
Role: Cult Leader, Megalomaniac, Narcissistic Mastermind, Failed Psychedelic Musician, Self-Created Prophet, Malignant Narcissist
Age: 54 (as of 1983)
Height/Weight: 5'10", 165 lbs
Appearance: Handsome in a soft, androgynous, slightly decayed way. Longish hair, intense eyes, often barefoot or in robes.
Core Attributes
ST 9 [0] (Below average; weak grip, avoids physical exertion)
DX 11 [0]
IQ 14 [60] (Above average cunning, highly manipulative)
HT 10 [0] (Average; his body has endured years of heavy drug use)
Jeremiah is physically unimposing and relies on his followers for all manual labor and violence.
Secondary Characteristics
Damage: 1d-2 thr / 1d-1 sw
HP: 9
Will: 16 (He possesses a strong, imposing will when in control of a situation)
Per: 13
FP: 11
Basic Speed: 5.50
Basic Move: 5
Dodge 8
Basic Lift 20 lbs.
Damage: Thrust 1d-2; Swing 1d
Advantages
Jeremiah's strengths are entirely social and rooted in his ability to mesmerize the vulnerable.
Appearance (Attractive) [4] Even in 1983 there are traces of the handsome counterculture messiah he probably was ten or fifteen years earlier. His appearance is weathered rather than conventionally glamorous, but in the right clothing and ritual circumstances he can still be striking.
Charisma 3: He has an undeniable, magnetic pull on broken people. With a frightened runaway, lonely drifter, drug casualty, or spiritually disillusioned seeker, he can be mesmerizing. This is Jeremiah's defining mundane advantage. It does not mean everyone automatically likes him. It means he can be extraordinarily compelling when someone is predisposed toward his sort of performance.(+3 to Reaction rolls and Influence skills). [15]
Fashion Sense (in a twisted, prophetic way) [5]
Allies (Children of the New Dawn): A group of 6-10 brainwashed cultists built on 50-75% of his points. They appear constantly (roll of 15 or less) and are fiercely loyal. [30]
Ally Group (The Black Skulls): A small group of highly dangerous, chemically altered enforcers. They are extremely powerful (150%+ of his points) but highly unreliable (appear on a 9 or less) and require a special hallucinogenic offering to summon.
Rank 4 (Children of the New Dawn) [20] He possesses essentially absolute organizational authority. The cult is small, so Rank here represents the extremity of his control rather than a massive bureaucracy. He determines theology, relationships, punishment, movement, ritual, access to supernatural resources, and ultimately life and death.
Resistant to Psychedelics (+3) [3] (long-term user; he handles doses that would break most people)
Reputation +3 (Holy man and prophet; Children of the New Dawn; all the time) [5] Among his followers, Jeremiah's statements arrive with enormous presumptive authority. A normal man says: “I had a strange dream.” Jeremiah says it, and four people begin preparing for an exodus.
Sensitive [5] Not Empathy. That distinction suits him beautifully. Jeremiah is unusually good at detecting emotional states, but this doesn't mean he cares about them. He notices loneliness, insecurity, sexual attraction, shame, resentment, abandonment issues, and the desire to belong. He uses the information.
Smooth Operator 2 [30] (covers Acting, Fast-Talk, Leadership, Public Speaking, Sex Appeal)
Talent (Musical Ability) 1 [5]
Voice: Jeremiah has a cultivated speaking and singing voice. It is probably one of the few things about his self-image that has a genuine foundation. He knows how to lower his voice, pause, whisper, repeat someone's name, and make banal statements sound confidential and profound. It also explains why he remained convinced that a musical breakthrough was always just around the corner.His calm, resonant speaking voice grants a +2 to Fast-Talk, Performance, and Singing. [10]
Disadvantages
His mental flaws are his ultimate undoing.
Bad Temper (12) [–10] (especially triggered by rejection or mockery)
Bully: He only exerts power over those who are bound, drugged, or psychologically broken.
Callous: He views other human beings purely as objects for his gratification. Jeremiah understands other people's feelings but does not automatically treat those feelings as morally significant. This works wonderfully alongside Sensitive.. (-3 to teaching or psychology rolls to help others).
Cowardice (Severe): The moment his power fantasy is punctured by physical violence, he collapses. He must make a Will roll at a penalty when directly threatened with pain or death. (12) [-10]
Delusion (“I am the divinely chosen living vessel of the New Dawn / the sole true light whose desires express cosmic truth”) [–15]
Megalomania [–10]; He genuinely believes he is a living god, chosen by cosmic forces. He demands absolute worship and cannot tolerate disrespect.
Obsession (Being recognized as divine / possessing the perfect feminine vessel) [–10]
Overconfidence (Major) [–15]
Jealousy [–10] He reacts with absolute venom to anyone who overshadows him or rejects his "gifts."
Addiction (Psychedelics; expensive, incapacitating) [–15], Highly addictive, hallucinogenic substance required to maintain his connection to the Black Skulls.
Secret (Failed musician and fraud who invented his own mythology) [–5]
Code of Honor (Prophet’s Code: Never admit error, never show weakness, never let a challenge to his divinity stand) [–5]
Intolerance (Skeptics and conventional society) [-5]
Sadism [-15]
Selfish [–5] He reacts badly when his status is questioned and even trivial failures of deference can become evidence of spiritual contamination.
Notes on Delusion: Jeremiah interprets reality through the assumption that Jeremiah Sand matters cosmically. This is considerably more serious than merely believing himself spiritually enlightened. If he desires a woman, destiny brought her. If his album fails, society rejected truth. If followers abandon him, darkness has corrupted them. If a supernatural entity responds to his rituals, the universe has confirmed him. And when Mandy laughs at him, she has committed something close to metaphysical blasphemy. Whether Jeremiah consciously knows that portions of his theology are fabricated doesn't remove the Delusion. He has spent so many years rewriting events around himself that conscious deception and sincere belief have partially merged.
Notes on Megalomania: Jeremiah imagines himself as someone later generations will discuss. He isn't satisfied with being successful, admired, sexually desirable, or spiritually respected. He must be historically significant. This is why “Amulet of the Weeping Maze” contains the extraordinary third-person lyric: “Jeremiah Sand was a righteous man…” He is composing his own scripture while alive.
Notes on Intolerance: Jeremiah dismisses outsiders as spiritually asleep, materialistic, plastic, corrupted, or incapable of receiving truth. The lyrics provide this almost verbatim with his contempt for the: “rushing fools in plastic homes” “busy little bees” People living ordinary lives cannot merely be different from Jeremiah. Their lives have to be inferior.
Notes on Sadism: Jeremiah's sadism is primarily psychological and ritualized. He does not need to personally beat someone for pleasure. He prefers arranging a circumstance where the victim understands. Jeremiah controls what happens. Resistance has failed; other people have joined Jeremiah against them; and Jeremiah gets to define what their suffering means. That is far more satisfying to him than simply punching somebody.
Notes on Cowardice: This is important. Jeremiah surrounds himself with: Brother Swan; loyal followers; drugged captives; ritual authority; and possibly supernatural bikers. He can be extremely dangerous when the power relationship has already been decided. But put Jeremiah alone in a room with a physically capable person determined to hurt him and his mythology begins evaporating remarkably quickly. The finale of Mandy demonstrates exactly why this belongs on his character sheet.
Note on Jealously: This is not merely romantic jealousy. Jeremiah cannot comfortably tolerate relationships that create meaning independent of himself. Two followers becoming close is potentially threatening. Someone admiring another musician is threatening. A follower possessing expertise Jeremiah doesn't have is threatening. And Mandy loving Red is intolerable because Jeremiah cannot reinterpret that bond as originating with Jeremiah.
Note on Overconfidence: Decades of controlling vulnerable people have produced terrible threat assessment. Jeremiah tends to assume: “I have always been able to control the story. Therefore I will control this story.” And Red Miller is what happens when that assumption encounters someone who isn't interested in Jeremiah's story.
Note on Callous: Sensitive + Callous produces someone who can think: “She's frightened.” without naturally proceeding to: “Therefore I should stop frightening her.” Instead: “She's frightened. Excellent. What does the fear make possible?”
Quirks (–5 points)
- Speaks of himself in the third person or as an already historical figure when discussing his “mission”
- Cannot tolerate being laughed at and is extremely sensitive to ridicule.
- Collects and writes songs that are really personal mythology and mythologizes coincidences (A bird lands nearby and becomes an omen. A broken amplifier becomes spiritual interference. A stranger encountered beside a road was “placed” there).
- Prefers soft, intimate lighting and ritual atmosphere
- Refers to ordinary people as “plastic” or “busy little bees”
- Avoids mundane labor whenever possible - i.e. 'Prophets don't change tires. Brother Swan changes tires.'
Skills
Jeremiah is a master manipulator but notably mediocre at the art he claims to have mastered.
Acting -15 [8]
Brainwashing/TL7 (IQ/H) - 14: He excels at sleep deprivation, drugging, and breaking down identity.
Fast-Talk (IQ/A) - 15: (Includes Charisma and Voice bonuses). Used to lure runaways and justify his abuses.
Intimidation (Will/A) - 14: Probably his single most important skill. Used effectively against his own cultists, though this skill drops dramatically against an unimpressed target like Red Miller.
Performance (IQ/A) - 14: For preaching sermons and projecting the aura of a guru.
Theology (Cultic/New Dawn) (IQ/H) - 12: His own bespoke, apocalyptic scripture.
Poisons/TL7 (IQ/H) - 10: Specifically for dosing followers and victims with hallucinogens and sedatives.
Musical Instrument (Acoustic Guitar) (IQ/H) - 9: Narrative Note: He is canonically bad at this. He has barely invested points here, relying on his delusion rather than actual skill.
Singing (HT/E) - 12: (Includes Voice bonus). His voice is technically fine, but his songwriting is uninspired.
Notes on Fast-Talk: This is Jeremiah's preferred form of combat. Jeremiah is excellent at changing the subject from what he did to what your reaction supposedly reveals about you.
“You kidnapped me.”
“You still believe possession of the body means possession of the soul.”
“I want to leave.”
“That's the fear speaking.”
“You lied to me.”
“What you're feeling is the death of your old expectations.”
He has spent decades performing Jeremiah Sand.
The meaningful pauses.
The distant stare.
The expressions of sorrow.
The apparent revelation arriving halfway through a conversation.
Some of this may now be habitual enough that Jeremiah himself no longer knows where the performance stops.
Jeremiah can be remarkably gentle when gentleness is useful.
He doesn't begin most recruitment attempts screaming about cosmic destiny.
He listens.
In a realistic campaign this represents conventional hypnotic technique rather than supernatural mind control.
Combine it with drugs, sleep deprivation, repetition, ritual atmosphere, social pressure, and highly suggestible followers and it becomes much more formidable than the naked skill number suggests.
Will-based.
Jeremiah's intimidation is rarely:
“I'll punch you.”
It is:
“Brother Swan told me what you said last night.”
Then silence.
Jeremiah is genuinely skilled at getting people to act collectively.
His moral character doesn't erase that competence.
Informal, predatory psychology rather than scholarly clinical expertise.
He understands:
dependency;
shame;
attachment;
jealousy;
group conformity;
isolation;
intermittent reinforcement;
and the usefulness of confession.
He probably dresses all of this in mystical terminology.
Especially effective when the target is already dependent upon him.
Jeremiah doesn't necessarily ask:
“Did you betray me?”
He might spend an hour discussing forgiveness until the target starts confessing things Jeremiah didn't previously know.
He watches people's reactions closely.
His Sensitive advantage can make him substantially more effective at reading certain people in appropriate situations.
Jeremiah is probably better at detecting emotional concealment than factual deception.
Social Encounters: When interacting with PCs, Jeremiah speaks slowly, gently, and with absolute authority. He will attempt to use Fast-Talk or Brainwashing to isolate the most vulnerable member of the party, projecting himself as a father figure who uniquely understands their pain. If mocked or interrupted (as Mandy did), he will initially try to maintain his calm facade before flying into a screaming, vindictive rage.
In Combat: Jeremiah does not fight. If a combat encounter begins, his immediate tactic is to order Brother Swan or the Black Skulls to kill the intruders while he retreats to a safe room. If cornered with no allies, he will not draw a weapon. Instead, his Cowardice takes over: he will drop to his knees, weep, beg, bargain, and offer the player characters anything they want (money, his followers, his compound) to spare his life.