Veronica Mars
Private Eye Extraordinaire

Prowess 3
Coordination 4
Strength 3
Intellect 6
Awareness 6
Willpower 6

Stamina 9

Powers
None

Specialties
Investigation (Master +3 bonus), Deception (Expert +2 bonus), Technology (Expert +2 bonus), Law (Expert +2 bonus), Vehicles (Expert +2 bonus), Performance – Photography

Qualities
*”You think I’m tough? Wait until you meet my dad.” – Her father is her rock and mentor, and his private investigation firm is her base of operations. He is also the source of many of her complications, however, as he frequently gets into problematic situations.
*Trouble Magnet
*Underdog – Frequently underestimated due to her age, gender, or outsider status, Veronica has to work twice as hard to prove herself.

Background

At the beginning of the series, Veronica Mars is a 17-year-old junior at Neptune High in the fictional town of Neptune, California, located near San Diego. According to series creator Rob Thomas, Veronica’s birthday is in August. After school, Veronica works for her father, Keith Mars, a private investigator and the former sheriff of Balboa County, California. Initially, Veronica has few friends due to her social downfall after her father’s controversial actions, but her situation changes when she meets Wallace Fennel, whom she helps out of a difficult situation. Wallace quickly becomes Veronica’s best friend and closest ally throughout the series.

Veronica’s story is narrated through voice-overs and flashbacks, woven into the main plot of the series. A year before the events of the show, Veronica was part of the popular “in-crowd” at Neptune High, which was dominated by the wealthy and influential “09er” clique, named after Neptune’s elite 90909 zip code. Veronica’s best friend was Lilly Kane, and she was dating Lilly’s brother, Duncan Kane. Meanwhile, Lilly was in a relationship with Logan Echolls, Duncan’s good friend. Though Veronica didn’t come from the same wealth as other 09ers, she was accepted into the group because of her relationship with Duncan and her father Keith Mars’ position as sheriff.

However, Veronica’s life took a sharp turn when Duncan suddenly broke up with her without explanation, and Lilly refused to tell her what had gone wrong. Shortly afterward, Lilly was found murdered near her family’s pool. In the aftermath, Sheriff Keith Mars accused Lilly’s father, Jake Kane, a beloved and powerful software entrepreneur, of involvement in the murder. The accusation shocked the citizens of Neptune, and Keith was swiftly voted out of office and shunned by the wealthy 09er community.

Keith’s situation worsened when his successor, Sheriff Don Lamb, arrested Abel Koontz, a former disgruntled employee of Kane Software, who confessed to Lilly’s murder. This further tarnished Keith’s reputation, leading the community to view him as a pariah.

The shock and loss of income following Keith Mars’ fall from grace devastated the Mars family. Veronica’s mother, Lianne Mars, turned to alcohol and eventually abandoned the family a few months later. Despite the social pressure, Veronica refused to denounce her father, solidifying her status as an outsider. Duncan Kane and the rest of the 09ers cut ties with her, leaving Veronica isolated and banished from Neptune High’s elite social circle.

Two months after Lilly’s death, in an act of defiance, Veronica attended an 09er party hosted by Shelley Pomroy to show her former friends that she no longer cared about their opinions. At the party, Veronica’s drink was spiked with GHB, a date-rape drug, and she woke up the next morning in a guest bedroom, disoriented and without any memory of the night. To her horror, she realized she had been raped. When she reported the assault to Sheriff Don Lamb, he dismissed her claims, calling her a liar and humiliating her by throwing her out of his office.

These traumatic events left a deep mark on Veronica, fueling her cynicism and disgust toward her classmates and Neptune’s wealthy elite. Like her father, she became a social outcast. Veronica began channeling her anger and energy into working at her father’s detective agency, assisting with investigations. A turning point came when she met new transfer student Wallace Fennel, who became her best friend. With his friendship and support, Veronica started using her investigative skills to help fellow students and, in doing so, found herself frequently confronting the 09ers.

Over time, with the help of Wallace, as well as her newfound friends Wallace Fennel, Cindy “Mac” Mackenzie, and Meg Manning, Veronica slowly began to outgrow her bitterness and cynicism, allowing her to rebuild her sense of purpose and move forward.