Avatar Spotlight: Monte Wolfe (City of Mist TTRPG)
You’ve seen him on his TV show, his fashion magazines, his news segments, and on the stage in only the most fabulous nightclubs. Love him or hate him, Monte Wolfe is the most famous person in the City of Mist. But while this man’s voice is heard by every waiting ear, few people can actually tell you who Monte Wolfe really is.
That’s because Monte Wolfe is more than an icon; he’s an Avatar! Not only does he personally wield incredible power, but he also has his hands in almost every media studio in the city. If you’ve seen our last Avatar Spotlight, then you know how dangerous these figures can be. And in this week’s video, we’ll be going over Monte’s former life and current agenda in the hopes that your crew might one day unravel his empire.
There are spoilers ahead for the Shadows & Showdowns expansion, as well as for all of Monte’s operation. So as always, be careful with what secrets you unearth.
Who is Monte Wolfe?
Despite his claims to the contrary, Monte Wolfe had a pretty unremarkable childhood. Monte grew up in the suburbs as the fourth of five children, without the attention of being the oldest, youngest, or even the middlest middle child. As a result, Monte learned pretty quickly that if he wanted to get attention, he’d have to make up something to deserve it.
A childhood of seeking attention turned into an adulthood of grabbing the spotlight. To get on the news, Monte fabricated an abusive story concerning an old schoolteacher. That one step in the spotlight was all Monte needed. Story after story, lie after lie, Monte Wolfe climbed his way to the top. Now he owns multiple media arms, a clothing brand, and a skyscraper known as Wolfe Tower, with his penthouse on the top floor.
Monte can thank his Mythos for the aid in his rise to stardom. As the Rift of The Boy Who Cried Wolf, Monte could spread lies unnervingly fast. He always held a fear that one day the consequences of ‘crying wolf’ would catch up to him. But once he reached the height of his career, Monte threw away his mortal concerns and became an immortal Avatar.
Monte Wolfe’s Agenda
Monte Wolfe wants two things: to be in the spotlight and for his lies to spread panic. It’s not enough that people listen to him. If what he says doesn’t get a reaction, it’s not worth it. No matter the lies, no matter the people he hurts, Monte Wolfe’s ideal state is spreading panic throughout the city so he can giggle at the screams. To him, there’s nothing more intoxicating than attention and nothing more entertaining than a riot.
Unlike most Avatars, Monte is a public figure and is heavily involved with his operation. It’s very likely your PC’s might have heard of Monte Wolfe before they even discovered their own powers!
Much of the dirty work of Monte Wolfe’s agenda is done by Monte’s entourage. While Monte Wolfe is making media appearances, his dedicated group of agents and celebrities spread chaos and misinformation in his stead. This arrangement gives Monte plausible deniability while still keeping him on top of the latest gossip.
Monte’s entourage meets once a month at the top of Wolfe Tower. Each member is a Legendary Rift with powers that can shape reality and distort emotion. While the lies they spread may contradict at times, they’re all united in the goal of driving the City into constant panic.
There are four members you should look out for. Erica Drum is the Rift of the weaver of tall tales Baron Munchausen. She heads Monte Wolfe Media (or MWM), which uses its sponsored journalists and sensational tabloids to spread whatever message Monte Wolfe wants spread. If any public figures try to contradict MWM, then Monte calls his personal lawyer and Rift of the Devil’s Advocate, Barry Zabrowski. Using the Jackalope Research Institute (named after the famous cryptid), Barry uses fabricated studies to discredit these figures who try to tell the truth. If your crew isn’t careful, they could end up discredited as well!
The other half of Monte’s entourage is a bit more creative. Oscar Diggs, film producer and Rift of the Wizard of Oz, heads Emerald Studios. In exchange for funding for his projects, Oscar uses his magical “special effects” to aid Monte in his appearances...as well as to occasionally release a giant monster on the city to create panic. And for those who don’t watch TV, don’t read the news, and do nothing but shut their windows and listen to the radio, there’s Lonny Carr, country singer and Rift of Pan, who uses his magical music to control others’ emotions.
This well-oiled media machine uses every dirty trick at their disposal to spread panic throughout the city. Sometimes they conflict and even contradict each other, but the Lord of Lies Monte Wolfe likes it even better that way.
Facing Monte Wolfe
Monte Wolfe is an intimidating Avatar. While his operation probably won’t send armed goons to your house to shake you down for money, the incredible amount of influence he wields is still more than enough to ruin lives. Each of Monte’s lieutenants wield incredible power on their own, ranging from summoning monsters to hypnotizing thousands of people at once.
But more importantly, Monte’s network can be used to ruin your crew’s reputation. If you watched our previous video on social conflict, you might understand the importance of maintaining appearances while working to solve a case. But if your crew becomes disruptive enough to end up on Monte’s radar, all bets are off.
Monte Wolfe’s most effective technique for dealing with troublemakers is the All Out Media Attack. This Danger represents every media outlet, magazine, and newspaper under Monte’s control harassing your crew. Unless your crew stops holding back and unleashes a tidal wave of positive PR, they could be dealing with this Danger for the rest of the campaign.
If you’re going to take on Monte Wolfe, be prepared to stick to the shadows as much as you can and hope you can take him down before he notices you. Otherwise, prepare to fight for control over the narrative against the most powerful liar in town.
There are many more powerful forces working to shape the City to their design, and Monte Wolfe is just one that your crew could face. In truth, Monte may have even more powerful friends that we haven’t yet covered on this channel.
If you’d like to know more about Monte Wolfe and his associates, be sure to pick up the City of Mist expansion Shadows & Showdowns. If you haven’t picked it up yet, you’re in luck! This November, Son of Oak Game Studios is holding a Black Friday sale all month long!
What City of Mist character would you like to hear about next? Let us know in the comments, on social media, or on the City of Mist Discord. Until then, have fun!