=== Exohumans | NPC ===

====== COLM McKEEGAN ======


{{ :colm_mckeegan.png?200|}}
===== Race and Faction =====

  * **Species:** [[the_humans|ExoHuman]]
  * **Born:** 2560, aboard the spaceship [[last_frontier|Last Frontier]]
  * **Affiliation:** Founder & Proprietor, [[the_red_wheel|The Red Wheel]] ([[beta_age|Beta Age]])
  * **Place of Residence:** [[firetown|Firetown]]

===== Background =====

Colm McKeegan was born in 2560 aboard the Last Frontier and grew up drifting between card games and con tables, never holding a steady job but cultivating an uncanny gift for reading people and manipulating odds. When the ship crash-landed on [[the_planet_voi_700_d|VOI 700 D]] on [[day_zero|Day Zero]], Colm was caught in the firestorm of collapsing bulkheads. He survived, but lost both legs to third-degree burns and shrapnel.

Rather than retreat into obscurity, Colm re-emerged years later in Firetown’s fledgling Entertainment District. Strapped into a brutal, custom-engineered wheelchair powered by a stolen and refurbished [[quantum_fusion_batteries|Micro-Grade QFBs]], Colm became a living legend: a flamboyant host of high-stakes games, charming patrons with barbed humor and luring them into games they'd rarely win.

In 2627, he founded [[the_red_wheel|The Red Wheel]], Firetown's most infamous gambling saloon, where traditional card games like [[twenty_one|Twenty One]] met experimental spectacles like Space Roulette — a game involving live gunfire and a blind marksman. Colm became both ringmaster and symbol of chance itself: broken, scarred, but eternally defiant.

Known for his unpredictable mood swings and undeniable charisma, he made enemies in the criminal underworld by refusing house affiliation, playing all sides for maximum profit. The [[peace_treaty|Peace Treaty]] and [[communards|Communardist]] reforms of 2631 eventually shut down The Red Wheel. Rumors suggest Colm officially retired, but he is secretly waiting for the day when gambling is legal again — and ready to relaunch his empire, flamethrower armrest and all.

===== Roles by Ages =====

==== Beta Age ====

  * **Founder & Proprietor, The Red Wheel (2626–2631):** Managed Firetown’s most dangerous gambling establishment. Hosted Space Roulette, directed daily operations, and cultivated a network of gamblers, criminals, and curious thrill-seekers.

===== Personality =====

  * **Traits:** Charismatic, volatile, sharp-tongued
  * **Behavior:** Shifts between disarming charm and chilling aggression. Loves spectacle. Treats life like a game he plans to win.
  * **Values:** Risk, dominance through cleverness, autonomy

===== Physical Attributes =====

  * **Height:** 1.76 m (before accident)
  * **Weight:** 95 kg (including wheelchair)
  * **Appearance:** Scarred from burns, with a partially melted left ear and skin grafts along his jaw. Wears a crimson waistcoat, fingerless gloves.

===== Combat Statistics =====

  * **Armor Class (AC):** 15 (modified armored wheelchair)
  * **Hit Points (HP):** 42

==== Actions ====

  * **Flamethrower Armrest (Left):** +6 to hit; 3-meter cone; 2d8 fire damage; targets must make DC 14 Dex save or be ignited (1d4 ongoing fire damage)
  * **Crossbow Armrest (Right):** +5 to hit; range 12 m; 1d10 piercing damage; silent mechanism
  * **Wheelchair Charge (Ram Action):** Once per encounter; 70 km/h burst speed; +4 to hit, 2d6 bludgeoning damage and target must make DC 13 Strength save or be knocked prone
  * **Hidden Knives (Backrest):** Quick melee slash; 1d6+2 slashing damage; usable as reaction against grapple or flanking

===== Special Abilities =====

  * **Mechanical Menace:** The wheelchair is powered by a Micro-Grade Quantum Fusion Battery (\u00b5QFBs); Colm gains +2 on initiative and advantage on any mobility-based skill checks while mounted.
  * **Gambler's Aura:** Once per in-game hour, Colm can force a re-roll on any d20 result within 10 m (friend or foe), citing "the house always wins."

===== Motivations and Goals =====

==== Beta Age Motivations ====

Colm aimed to build a temple of chance and danger, where destiny was written in bullets and bluffing skill. He refused to work for the cartels, preferring to remain a wildcard, dreaming of a future where he controls the odds in every corner of Firetown.

===== Tactical Advice for Dungeon Masters =====

Colm McKeegan can serve as:

  * **Roulette Master and Information Broker:** A charismatic lead to gambling quests or a key to unlocking the secrets of Firetown’s high-stakes underbelly.
  * **Wild Card Ally:** His independence means Colm can be bribed, betrayed, or manipulated—or he may do all three first.
  * **Surprise Combatant:** When cornered, Colm's wheelchair turns him into a terrifying opponent who can flame, stab, and ram through enemies with shocking speed.

===== Related Pages and Further Information =====

  * [[day_zero|Day Zero]]
  * [[beta_age|Beta Age]]
  * [[the_planet_voi_700_d|VOI 700 D]]
  * [[ralar_region|Ralar Region]]
  * [[free_state_of_settlers|Free State of Settlers]]
  * [[firetown|Firetown]]
  * [[the_red_wheel|The Red Wheel]]
  * [[twenty_one|Twenty One]]
  * [[frostpunkt|Frostpunkt]]
  * [[quantum_fusion_batteries|Quantum Fusion Batteries]]