Mr Unlucky

I would put the “Saw” villain as a Thanatomancer, who’d turned his method of murder into a variant of ‘suicide’. He upholds the basic tenets of the ritual for a human sacrifice, and does include an ‘out’, unlike his cohorts.

The sheer amount of charges he racked up probably paves his way to avoiding the police until he wants to entangle *them*, as well.

Alternately, regarding the Buffalo Bill analogy, it could be someone making the jump from Thanatomancer to the MH — by keeping portions of the skin, the charges remain to keep him going, with the significance of the daughter of a Senator (poor, poor Katherine) being the major charge perceived as required for the massive shift in potential.

Either way, the Buffalo Bill idea is a solid one. Kudos, Encryptshun, on the insightful idea.

Achilles; professional soldier who died, due to a tragic flaw (according to popularized mythology, at least).

Billy the Kid: live by a gun, die by a gun.

Pick a serial killer; all are walking icons of death, and when taken down, quite a few get clipped for their sins.

Take it as you will; those who deal in death all too often are prey to their fellows more than just the passage of the years.

I’ve been a fan of DLM since the first episode; from then on, I’ve seen the entire series almost a dozen times over, rewatching favorite episodes.

One of the most intriguing aspects, and the part which draws me back into the series for each new episode and season, is the human nature of their day-to-day life, which seems to be an almost mirror-opposite of the normal world — they’re dealing with tragic, heartwrenching moments with the aplomb of the most hard-hearted mercenary soul, and being laid low by things as simple as someone forgetting to call them on a birthday or missing their birth families, careers and personal goals, before joining the reapers.

I’ve chanced the entire series, and played a game with the Reapers as NPCs, and the players (a Cryptomancer , Amoromancer and a wheelchair-bound Annihilomancer) found no end of fun in trying to track them down, and ask them the ultimate questions: do they work for the Clergy, the Cruel Ones, neither or both?

They did get their answer, but none of them survived asking the complete question; sort of a funny, if tragic, moment in the game.

Sure.

Shoot.

Other ideas:
— A blind serial killer who tracks by “second sight”-type senses; he marks his prey with astral parasites and homes in on them. His methods are increasingly brutal and specific: he can smell fear at fifty paces.

— Local researcher breaks the barrier between the spirit world and the real world in a unique fashion: a pair of ghosts trapped in a sheet of crystalline glass, able to split the barrier for ten seconds an hour, twice a day.

— Carjacker is used as someone’s proxy. Said person is a Dipsomancer, who was supposed to be taken to the House of Renunciation. As a result, the carjacker is now robbing banks so he can buy cars, which he forces onto people at gunpoint.

— Computer guru and techno-geek finds a set of computer speakers which allows him to listen to someone’s thoughts, if he has their IP address and current email address. Downsides: first one he tuned into drove him insane; who knew the Freak had an email address, anyways?

— bag of dogs’ heads appears near the players home. Almost as disturbing as the man leading a brace (of 20) Border Collies, sans heads, directly towards them. The heads bark, but don’t make noise.

— Local mall shopper is now intangible and invisible, but in desperate need of insulin (he’s a diabetic). If the PCs can give it to him (somehow; that’s their problem) they’ll have a ghost-like friend for the next 3 days (until he’s run down by a passing trucker).

“No, really: an invisible man came out of nowhere, struck my car, then vanished.”
“Step out of the vehicle, sir. Been drinking tonight?”

Just some fuel for the fire….

Read:
“The Breathing Method” by Stephen King. It’s in one of his anthologies.

“The Great and Secret Show” by Clive Barker. Classic Adept lifestyles.