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Old 10-24-2020, 04:33 PM   #1
AlexanderHowl
 
Join Date: Feb 2016
Default Compound X [Powers/Supers]

Weird science drugs that transform mundane humans into powered humans are a staple of comic books, but they are often one-off inventions. However, there are occasionally settings that allow for the mass production of such drugs. With that in mind, I present Compound X. Please tell me what you think and if it is something that you would use in your settings.

Compound X

Compound X is an experimental drug with the potential to permanently transform an individual by greatly expanding their mental and physical capabilities, though it may also wreck their bodies and their minds. When a character takes Compound X, they must make a HT roll and a Will roll every day for three days, at a -1 to their HT rolls and Will rolls on the second day and a -2 to their HT rolls and Will rolls on the third day. Licensed versions of Compound X cost $1,000,000, but cheaper black market versions of Compound X exist for $100,000 (-2 to the associated HT rolls and Will rolls), $10,000 (-4 to the associated HT rolls and Will rolls), and $1,000 (-6 to the associated HT rolls and Will rolls). Anyone who takes any version of Compound X becomes immune to future doses of Compound X.

If a character critical fails one of their HT rolls, they suffer 100 CP worth of negative physical traits, plus (25 * margin of failure) CP worth of negative physical traits. If they fail one of their HT rolls, they suffer (25 * margin of failure) CP worth of negative physical traits. If they succeed on one of their HT rolls by exactly '0', they receive 25 CP worth of negative physical traits and 25 CP worth of positive physical traits. If they succeed one of their HT rolls, they receive (25 * margin of success) CP worth of positive physical traits. If they critical succeed on one of their HT rolls, they receive 100 CP worth of positive physical traits, plus (25 * margin of success) CP worth of positive physical traits.

If a character critical fails one of their Will rolls, they suffer 100 CP worth of negative mental traits, plus (25 * margin of failure) CP worth of negative mental traits. If they fail one of their Will rolls, they suffer (25 * margin of failure) CP worth of negative mental traits. If they succeed on one of their Will rolls by exactly '0', they receive 25 CP worth of negative physical traits and 25 CP worth of positive physical traits. If they succeed on one of their Will rolls, they receive (25 * margin of success) CP worth of positive mental traits. If they critical succeed on one of their Will rolls, they receive 100 CP worth of positive mental traits, plus (25 * margin of success) CP worth of positive mental traits.

Characters may develop power talents with the CP that they gain from Compound X, mental abilities from the CP that they gain from the associated Will rolls, and physical abilities from the CP that they gain from the associated HT rolls. Any abilities or power talents acquired through Compound X are either part of the Psionic source or the Super source (player's choice). Characters who choose the Psionic source may develop Anti-Super abilities while characters who choose the Super source may develop Antipsi abilities.
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Old 10-25-2020, 04:54 AM   #2
johndallman
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Default Re: Compound X [Powers/Supers]

Quote:
Originally Posted by AlexanderHowl View Post
Licensed versions of Compound X cost $1,000,000 . . .
How did this get licensed? Nobody with an appreciation of the odds would take it voluntarily; administering it would seem to be a violation of the Nuremberg Code.

Some over-optimistic individuals would take it, and most of them would end up crippled. You'd also get some people with super-powers, but they've been strongly selected for irresponsibility even before they acquired disadvantages from the drug. Manufacturing Compound X would be a crime, simply because of the danger it poses to society.
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Old 10-25-2020, 08:40 AM   #3
Gold & Appel Inc
 
Join Date: Jul 2007
Location: One Mile Up
Default Re: Compound X [Powers/Supers]

If making Compound X is a crime, only criminals will have Compound X, to paraphrase the NRA. If the up and down sides become widely known but its formula is attainable, it will probably still be used by and on those who are truly desperate for superpowers and/or a better life, for their families if not themselves. Shady governments and criminal organizations would probably offer strong (probably financial) incentive to volunteers, with genuine or fabricated follow-through, to entice participants. IE: Let us inject you with this stuff, and if it works right you work for us for X amount of years fairly compensated, if it doesn't your next of kin get oodles of cash money. People who are sane but already trapped in a body that is for whatever reason non-functional (people with severe neurological disorders, quadruple amputees, the extremely old, terminal cancer patients, etc) would flock to their door, hoping for powers that cure or offset their condition (who needs legs when you can fly?) or at least provide for their dependents. If a lot of them end up even more crippled or crazy as a bedbug, so what? A sufficiently unethical sponsor will simply lock them away or mercy-kill them and report it as a sad but not unknown terminal reaction that they were warned about when they signed on the dotted line. Worst case scenario of course would be subjects who become too powerful to control and unhinged in a subtle way that evades detection, but if the rewards outweigh the risks or at least seem to, somebody with the funding will make it happen.
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Old 10-25-2020, 08:54 AM   #4
AlexanderHowl
 
Join Date: Feb 2016
Default Re: Compound X [Powers/Supers]

If the penalties seem too steep, we could allow a bonus/penalty to HT and Will based on the quality of the medical facilities where it is administered. The rational is that the individual would be given drugs that would eleviate the worst of the symptoms and would be monitored for adverse reactions. For example, a field hospital would give +1 to HT and Will rolls, a normal hospital would give +2 to HT rolls and Will rolls, and a cutting edge research hospital at TL8 would give +4 to HT rolls and Will rolls. Conversely, no facilities would inflict a -5 to HT rolls and Will rolls and improvised facilities would inflict a -2 to HT rolls and Will rolls.

In that case, individuals with a minimum of HT 12 and Will 12 would have a reasonable chance at success, so the selection process for using the licensed version would require such individuals. The average result for such an individual would be 525 CP worth of abilities when administered at a cutting edge research hospital (changing a 75 CP character into a 600 CP superhuman). Conversely, an individual taking a $1,000 black market knockoff without any facilities would likely die (or at least be so horribly mutated that death would be a mercy).
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Old 10-25-2020, 09:10 AM   #5
Ulzgoroth
 
Join Date: Jul 2008
Default Re: Compound X [Powers/Supers]

Quote:
Originally Posted by Gold & Appel Inc View Post
If making Compound X is a crime, only criminals will have Compound X, to paraphrase the NRA.
Sure, but the same could be said for bomb vests. Or toxic low-quality narcotics. It's similarly doubtful that Compound X in 'non-criminal' hands would offer any benefit.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Gold & Appel Inc View Post
If the up and down sides become widely known but its formula is attainable, it will probably still be used by and on those who are truly desperate for superpowers and/or a better life, for their families if not themselves. Shady governments and criminal organizations would probably offer strong (probably financial) incentive to volunteers, with genuine or fabricated follow-through, to entice participants. IE: Let us inject you with this stuff, and if it works right you work for us for X amount of years fairly compensated, if it doesn't your next of kin get oodles of cash money. People who are sane but already trapped in a body that is for whatever reason non-functional (people with severe neurological disorders, quadruple amputees, the extremely old, terminal cancer patients, etc) would flock to their door, hoping for powers that cure or offset their condition (who needs legs when you can fly?) or at least provide for their dependents. If a lot of them end up even more crippled or crazy as a bedbug, so what? A sufficiently unethical sponsor will simply lock them away or mercy-kill them and report it as a sad but not unknown terminal reaction that they were warned about when they signed on the dotted line. Worst case scenario of course would be subjects who become too powerful to control and unhinged in a subtle way that evades detection, but if the rewards outweigh the risks or at least seem to, somebody with the funding will make it happen.
All of that sounds like the case for prohibition and suppression.
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Old 10-25-2020, 09:53 AM   #6
Donny Brook
 
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Default Re: Compound X [Powers/Supers]

If this is something that is an element of a setting either as background or a new threat PCs are supposed to confront, a lot of the elaborated details seem unnecessary.

If it is something the PCs would use before play begins to establish their abilities and disads, it reminds me of the old Traveller system where you rolled numerous times to generate a background career, but you could end up with useless characters or even die during chargen. Which was silly.

If it's something the PC's might encounter and be compelled or offered to take during a campaign, the potential for a massive unfun derail is too high to make it desireable IMO.
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Old 10-25-2020, 10:21 AM   #7
Gold & Appel Inc
 
Join Date: Jul 2007
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Default Re: Compound X [Powers/Supers]

Quote:
Originally Posted by Ulzgoroth View Post
Sure, but the same could be said for bomb vests. Or toxic low-quality narcotics. It's similarly doubtful that Compound X in 'non-criminal' hands would offer any benefit.

All of that sounds like the case for prohibition and suppression.
Bear in mind that I project use by shady governments and criminal organizations, not Children's Chewable Compound X in Fun Muppet Shapes on the shelf at CVS...
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Old 10-25-2020, 10:24 AM   #8
Gold & Appel Inc
 
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Default Re: Compound X [Powers/Supers]

Quote:
Originally Posted by Donny Brook View Post
If it's something the PC's might encounter and be compelled or offered to take during a campaign, the potential for a massive unfun derail is too high to make it desireable IMO.
I'm picturing it like its probable inspiration Compound V from The Boys: Super PCs were already given it and came out either totally or mostly okay, its use beyond their backstory is as an insidious global (possibly secret) threat / plot device.
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Old 10-25-2020, 10:27 AM   #9
Fred Brackin
 
Join Date: Aug 2007
Default Re: Compound X [Powers/Supers]

Quote:
Originally Posted by AlexanderHowl View Post
If the penalties seem too steep, we could allow a bonus/penalty to HT and Will .
I don't think it's the odds so much as the consequences. It's just barely possible to have a functional character with 25pts of negative Physical and negative Mental Traits. Even without the crit fails you can end up with multiples of -25pts on both sides.

Unless you parcel out positve and negative Traits on the net total rather than for each failed roll you'll get very few functional characters.

It's a thing my friends and I discovered back in 3e while making characters for a very high CP game. Many, many Gurps Disads (both Physical and Mental) are just as crippling no matter what your cp total is. Just because your gM allows more than 40 cp of disads doesn't mean you can find that many and leave your character still standing.
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Old 10-25-2020, 11:11 AM   #10
smurf
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Join Date: Jun 2005
Location: Bristol
Default Re: Compound X [Powers/Supers]

The Boys - Compound V

So called Nuremberg Code violated in Marvel with the 'X' program. Wolverine, X-23, Dead Pool etc.

Marshal Law had the SHOCC treatment (Super Hero Operational Command and Control) like many of the Screaming Eagles for a war in the 'Amazone'.

Rogue Trooper (2000AD) was a product of genetic manipulation to create GIs (Genetic Infantry) capable of survival of the hostile environment of Nu Earth.

I had run a campaign where the characters can be ex services, after serving a tour of duty with a military they were given genetic enhancements in: Strength, Endurance, Speed, Perception, and Cognitive Abilities. There was a TL9 package, TL10, Covert ops and a redacted side affect (no one knows it yet). Others went with the Chi disciplines and others went the Psychic route. Soldiers with badly damaged bodies could be made into Cyborgs, partial or full brain in a bucket. Also there are limited powered super suits.
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