GURPS Supers Alternatives

[DreadDomain]

This is excellent feedback Naloth. You have highlighted stuff I was already wondering about and more!

Originally Posted by naloth

I don't really have much to say about Superman. The write-up looks like a pretty good representation of the post-crisis or earlier (Reeves) movie version. Hitting a playable point level requires that he's better than every one else at everything.

Thanks, this is what I was going for.

Originally Posted by naloth

This version of WW is better. As a GM I'd probably require conditions for how/when she could be stripped of her powers, but that's more a campaign background type thing. Because of how Binding works in GURPS (permanent, chipped away), I would probably change it to an Affliction (Daze? Paralysis?). If you're going to keep it as Binding, no layering and resisting vs ST only probably should be added.

Ok, will look into it again and compare with Affliction.

Originally Posted by naloth

The Flash: he's not in the same league as WW or Superman when it comes to fighting. The Flash has a fraction of the effective HP (Superman is effectively HP150, WW is effectively HP180, while this Flash is 50) and his regeneration is too slow for combat (needs to be bumped to at least Instant).

The challenge with Flash is to make him generally competitive with Superman and Wonder Woman without the same offensive punch or defensive resistance. In a one on one combat, he needs to be able to chip away at them (hit them often for small damage) and avoid most if not all of their attacks (might be able to sustain one hit but probably not too). I will look at Instant Regeneration.

Originally Posted by naloth

He does have a pretty good Dodge (~14), but only a step 2 for dodging area attacks (the others have area attacks). It looks like he has Striking ST 20 (always) and can switch to Striking ST40 by sacrificing his ATR, which is a fraction of what Superman does multiple times per turn. The Flash isn't as damaging, but I would give him more attacks that incapacitate in various ways to differentiate him.

Good catch on step! Will have to look at it. Same for Striking ST, I was going for a "Lightning fast concentrated punches" effect for extra damage that was high enough to damage Supes and WW but not so high as to totally knock-out, say, Grodd. Same for his normal strike at 3d that he can do 7 times a second. More than enough to dispatch many thugs but not high enough to overpower super-vilains. The trick is to balance what abilities are Alternate Abilities and which are not. If only for the low step he has, I will have to rebalance that.

Another aspect is his "combat move". While he is much faster than Superman, I realised after the fact that he was slower than Supes in combat. Not good.

Originally Posted by naloth

I've always done his super zipping around as a variant of Warp, since he doesn't (can't) use momentum for combat. You avoided that by making his combat speed ATR and his non-combat speed "Travel Time," but I'm not sure it's worth the extra points.

Will look into it.

Originally Posted by naloth

The Flash normally carries a lot more weight with him while running than ST10 would allow.

Good point.

Originally Posted by naloth

Twister should probably be an Emanation (he spins like a top in place?) while Vacuum seems more like an Affliction that causes suffocation than a fatigue attack.

Will look into it.

Originally Posted by naloth

Speed Force Talent 8 seems excessive. 5 point talents that add to all your super powers really should be capped at 4, especially if you're letting it exceed the Move and Attack skill cap (suggested for speedsters).

Yeah, I have already reduced it but to be honest, I was even considering not using Talents at all. I am trying to streamline as much as I can (that's why I was resisting on Wildcard) and think that Skills + Wildcards + Talents might be too many moving parts.

Originally Posted by naloth

I'd use Move! instead of Speed Force! unless you're going to have a slew of speedsters with that wildcard. It covers most of the same skills, and basically whatever you need to get from point A to point B. Throwing and Wrestling seem a bit out of place among the other skills listed in Speed Force.

I just think that Move! is bland and Speed Force! adds more flavour. I see them as interchangeable. I agree for Wrestling (don't know why I added it). For Throwing, it is for Flash throwing stuff at super-speed and imbuing them (special effect, not imbuement) with the speed force.