Questions about Worm Parahumans' Powers in GURPS

GreatWyrmGold · 10-29-2013, 08:00 PM

Today, Worm posted its last chapter. Makes this as good a day as any to ask some questions I've been meaning to ask for a while.

Worm includes a lot of unique superpowers, and some of these piqued my interest. GURPS is one of the most flexible system in existence, but it does not include obvious advantages or disadvantages that correspond to these powers. Some examples are below; I may add more, and either way fully intend to link to good answers I receive. On that note, if you are a Worm fan who wants to know how to make your favorite parahuman in GURPS, feel free to ask. I will put your question and any answers in the OP as well!

WARNING: The following questions include unmarked minor spoilers with regard to the nature of many characters' powers! Major spoilers have been spoilered, but if you want to read Worm completely unspoilered, do not read the questions.

Ballistic
Power: Ballistic can turn any object or person he touches into a projectile, accelerating them to supersonic speeds compared to bullets. The projectile takes no damage from the acceleration, but unless the projectile is something/one like Glory Girl, the same will not be true upon impact.
How would you do this? It sounds a bit like one function of Telekinesis, but how would you restrict it to just that one?
Good solutions: Nereidalbel

Coil
Power: He can basically travel two paths, live in two universes where he made different choices, dismissing one and choosing the other at any time. His only limitation is that he can only have two "open" at once.
Forget rules, how would something like that work in a game? At all?
Good answers: the matrix walker

General
Most powers are limited by something called the Manton Effect, which is basically that you either cannot use your power on living organisms, or can only use your power on living organisms. For instance, most telekinetics can't throw people around, pyrokinetics can't burn the inside of your lungs, and force field users can't cut people in half with them. (Except Narwhal.)
Presumably, this would be an accessibility limitation, but what sort of cost would it be, if any? Presumably it would vary from person to person.

Glory Girl
Power: Glory Girl possesses what is in-universe known as the Alexandria Package: Flight, super-strength, and nigh invulnerability. In Glory Girl's case, the invulnerability it achieved via a force field right around her body. Glory Girl has a weakness, however: A sufficiently powerful strike will completely knock out the force field for a while. Sounds like Damage Reduction with the Ablative limitation? It isn't--no number of little, bug-based attacks do anything to it, and Tattletale's pistol just perfectly disables it. How would Glory Girl's force field be properly simulated?

Grue
Power: Grue can conjure darkness. This darkness spreads out and lingers for about 20 minutes. It also interferes with powers.
What advantage would conjuring darkness being? The power-weakening shouldn't be too hard, though. Right?

Spoiler:

Good solutions: Nereidalbel, the matrix walker

Panacea
Power: Panacea can heal...kinda. While healing is the commonest application of her powers, they are much, much more versatile. She has threatened to give people cancer, make everything they eat taste like bile, or make them morbidly obese. She could do all of these (except maybe the obese one. She still has to follow conservation of mass.)

Spoiler:

What advantage would cover all of this? Is it worth trying to figure out as anything except as a plot device? Is there any way to get something close to this as a PC?
Good solutions: the matrix walker

Scion and the Endbringers
Aside from being a great name for a rock band, Scion and the Endbringers are the most powerful beings on Earth. Scion is a golden man with no apparent limits to his power; the Endbringers are three massive humanoid monsters, nearly indestructible and wielding other massive powers, from the many attacks of Behemoth the Hero-Killer to the macroscale hydrokinesis and super-speed of Leviathan to the Simurgh's telepathy, telekinesis, and precognition.
Is there any point in statting these guys as anything more than plot devices? If so, how would you?

Spoiler:

Good answers: Nereidalbel. Short version: "Not really."

Skitter
The protagonist of the story, Skitter can control bugs. Worms, flies, spiders, crustaceans, mollusks, etc etc. She can get them to do just about anything they can do, from buzz around to weave silken costumes to flood peoples' lungs or rip apart their flesh. Thankfully, she usually sticks to stuff like the first two. Usually.
What kind of advantage would reflect this sort of power, the ability to so intimately control the actions of a creature?

Spoiler:

Good answers: Nereidalbel, the matrix walker

Thinkers (well, some)
Many Thinkers get headaches when they overuse her power. In an extreme example, Tattletale gets basically incapacitated for a week or so as she recovers from a migraine caused by overuse of her power.
...Okay, you've probably heard this a lot, but what ~~advantage~~ limitation would simulate this?
Good answers: Nereidalbel, the matrix walker

Tinkers
Everyone's least favorite opponents, Tinkers are basically like Iron Man and other heroes who make ultratech gear to let them beat all sorts of opponents. Sounds a bit like Gadgeteer...but then you realize that the sheer variety of gadgets is matched by the sheer variety of specialties. Some (like Bonesaw and Armsmaster, or of course Dragon) have such broad or versatile specialties as to be entirely awesome, while others (Kid Win) are extremely limited...and don't get me started on Leet. Any modifiers that would affect these specialties and give them appropriate point modifications?

Spoiler:

I have others, but first I need to figure out how I managed to exceed the character limit. Heh heh, character limit. Because of all the characters.
Here we go...

10-29-2013, 08:00 PM	#1
GreatWyrmGold Join Date: Oct 2011	Questions about Worm Parahumans' Powers in GURPS Today, Worm posted its last chapter. Makes this as good a day as any to ask some questions I've been meaning to ask for a while. Worm includes a lot of unique superpowers, and some of these piqued my interest. GURPS is one of the most flexible system in existence, but it does not include obvious advantages or disadvantages that correspond to these powers. Some examples are below; I may add more, and either way fully intend to link to good answers I receive. On that note, if you are a Worm fan who wants to know how to make your favorite parahuman in GURPS, feel free to ask. I will put your question and any answers in the OP as well! WARNING: The following questions include unmarked minor spoilers with regard to the nature of many characters' powers! Major spoilers have been spoilered, but if you want to read Worm completely unspoilered, do not read the questions. Ballistic Power: Ballistic can turn any object or person he touches into a projectile, accelerating them to supersonic speeds compared to bullets. The projectile takes no damage from the acceleration, but unless the projectile is something/one like Glory Girl, the same will not be true upon impact. How would you do this? It sounds a bit like one function of Telekinesis, but how would you restrict it to just that one? Good solutions: Nereidalbel Coil Power: He can basically travel two paths, live in two universes where he made different choices, dismissing one and choosing the other at any time. His only limitation is that he can only have two "open" at once. Forget rules, how would something like that work in a game? At all? Good answers: the matrix walker General Most powers are limited by something called the Manton Effect, which is basically that you either cannot use your power on living organisms, or can only use your power on living organisms. For instance, most telekinetics can't throw people around, pyrokinetics can't burn the inside of your lungs, and force field users can't cut people in half with them. (Except Narwhal.) Presumably, this would be an accessibility limitation, but what sort of cost would it be, if any? Presumably it would vary from person to person. Glory Girl Power: Glory Girl possesses what is in-universe known as the Alexandria Package: Flight, super-strength, and nigh invulnerability. In Glory Girl's case, the invulnerability it achieved via a force field right around her body. Glory Girl has a weakness, however: A sufficiently powerful strike will completely knock out the force field for a while. Sounds like Damage Reduction with the Ablative limitation? It isn't--no number of little, bug-based attacks do anything to it, and Tattletale's pistol just perfectly disables it. How would Glory Girl's force field be properly simulated? Grue Power: Grue can conjure darkness. This darkness spreads out and lingers for about 20 minutes. It also interferes with powers. What advantage would conjuring darkness being? The power-weakening shouldn't be too hard, though. Right? Spoiler: After his second trigger event, Grue's darkness allowed him to copy the powers of one person in his darkness, although usually without the control or innate understanding the original person had. What would be the best way to represent this? Good solutions: Nereidalbel, the matrix walker Panacea Power: Panacea can heal...kinda. While healing is the commonest application of her powers, they are much, much more versatile. She has threatened to give people cancer, make everything they eat taste like bile, or make them morbidly obese. She could do all of these (except maybe the obese one. She still has to follow conservation of mass.) Spoiler: And that's not the half of it. In the Slaughterhouse Nine arc, she (subconsciously) causes Glory Girl to love her by altering her brain structure/chemistry (long story), creates a crude wound-filling thing for a critically-wounded hero out of bugs, creates a "sarcophagus" thingy for said critically-wounded hero out of stray pets (IIRC), makes some relay bugs that extend Skitter's range with her power (long story), makes a giant beetle to improve her mobility, and gives Taylor a "bug" that neutralizes Bonesaw's agnosia-inducing stuff and reverses the effects, and is spread by fluidic contact. Much later, she messes with the power-controlling part of Taylor's brain to remove the limits (long story, ends horribly). What advantage would cover all of this? Is it worth trying to figure out as anything except as a plot device? Is there any way to get something close to this as a PC? Good solutions: the matrix walker Scion and the Endbringers Aside from being a great name for a rock band, Scion and the Endbringers are the most powerful beings on Earth. Scion is a golden man with no apparent limits to his power; the Endbringers are three massive humanoid monsters, nearly indestructible and wielding other massive powers, from the many attacks of Behemoth the Hero-Killer to the macroscale hydrokinesis and super-speed of Leviathan to the Simurgh's telepathy, telekinesis, and precognition. Is there any point in statting these guys as anything more than plot devices? If so, how would you? Spoiler: Scion is basically the source of all superpowers, except those granted by Cauldron or something. It is an extrasolar multidimensional entity formed of a massive number of "shards," which give people superpowers. Long story. Point is, he basically has every superpower as a side effect. So yeah. As for the Endbringers, they are pretty frikking tough. No vital organs; you need to smash them to bits and disintegrate their core or something, which only Scion has done. Ever. Homogeneous, plus Supernatural Durability, plus a crapton of hit points? Good answers: Nereidalbel. Short version: "Not really." Skitter The protagonist of the story, Skitter can control bugs. Worms, flies, spiders, crustaceans, mollusks, etc etc. She can get them to do just about anything they can do, from buzz around to weave silken costumes to flood peoples' lungs or rip apart their flesh. Thankfully, she usually sticks to stuff like the first two. Usually. What kind of advantage would reflect this sort of power, the ability to so intimately control the actions of a creature? Spoiler: In the final arc of the story, Taylor gets a big..."upgrade" to her power. Her range is a fraction of what it once was, Good answers: Nereidalbel, the matrix walker Thinkers (well, some) Many Thinkers get headaches when they overuse her power. In an extreme example, Tattletale gets basically incapacitated for a week or so as she recovers from a migraine caused by overuse of her power. ...Okay, you've probably heard this a lot, but what ~~advantage~~ limitation would simulate this? Good answers: Nereidalbel, the matrix walker Tinkers Everyone's least favorite opponents, Tinkers are basically like Iron Man and other heroes who make ultratech gear to let them beat all sorts of opponents. Sounds a bit like Gadgeteer...but then you realize that the sheer variety of gadgets is matched by the sheer variety of specialties. Some (like Bonesaw and Armsmaster, or of course Dragon) have such broad or versatile specialties as to be entirely awesome, while others (Kid Win) are extremely limited...and don't get me started on Leet. Any modifiers that would affect these specialties and give them appropriate point modifications? Spoiler: Contessa Power: She can basically ask, "How do I do X?", whether that is winning a game of chess or winning a war. As long as nothing which screws with powers interferes, she can see a path which allows her to perfectly accomplish her goal. ...Is there any way to do something like this? Good answers: the matrix walker Doorman Power: He makes doors. Like, portals between worlds and stuff. They can be anywhere, between any two points, and in any number. As long as you don't, say, make tens of thousands of portals every minute for half an hour or something idiotic. What advantage(s) let you make portals? Doorman's Unnamed Companion Power: People he touches get limited omniscience. They can see everything, in every universe (long story), but only concentrate on some of it. Again...what advantage would this be? Good solutions: the matrix walker Slug Power: Poor limbless Slug has a power very useful to Cauldron: He can wipe memories with a touch. What kind of thing would that be? Affliction afflicting Amnesia? Good solutions: the matrix walker I have others, but first I need to figure out how I managed to exceed the character limit. Heh heh, character limit. Because of all the characters. Here we go... Last edited by GreatWyrmGold; 11-02-2013 at 03:43 PM.