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Old 09-19-2023, 01:32 PM   #1
Kallatari
 
Join Date: Jan 2006
Location: Ottawa, Canada
Default [IW] Looking for a GURPS Super IST teams and reason for fight

I'm looking for suggestions on "background story" ideas for my upcoming Infinite Worlds adventure that will be taking place in the 3rd Edition IST world.

The PCs are effectively supers in their own rights, currently running at about 900 points. In case it's relevant, the PC are: a daughter of Zeus with wind and lightning powers who is wielding Mjorlnir; a seraph angel from In Nomine with various Songs; a psi force-sword wielding Jedi (actually former Royal Guard from Cyrano but converted to Jedi after seeing Star Wars movies); a dual-pistol wielding gunslinger gadgeteer; and a priest of God (Christian religion) using Divine Favor with a wide variety of learned prayers.

Anyway, an outbreak of the Gotha virus has occurred on Homeline, and Infinity is sending them to the IST worldline to "as quickly as possible" find and retrieve Dr. Pathogen, a supervillain (of my creation) who can control and create diseases and plagues.

My plan is for the PCs to meet up with Dr. Pathogen in New York city where he's part of a supervillain team currently fighting the local IST superhero team. The PC will have to nab him during the battle while avoiding/dealing with both teams.

What I'm looking for is ideas on:

- Who are the super villains on the bad guy team? (5 or 6 members)
- Who is on the superhero team? (5 or 6 members)
- Why are the two teams currently fighting in New York?

I would prefer "cannon" NPCs that are defined in the various GURPS IST books, whether the core setting book, adventures, or other supporting documents (that are ideally available on warehouse 23 just in case I don't already have it). Please indicate the book and page reference.

My hopes for "cannon" villains/heroes are a (strong) preference, and failing that I can use other ideas for custom-made NPC. I this case, I don't need full stat block as I can wing it during play, so just provide a paragraph or two of who they are and their powers.

The reason that the two teams are fighting can obviously be anything, although bonus internet points will be provided if it can be tied to an actual cannon in-setting event/scenario.
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Old 09-19-2023, 06:50 PM   #2
patchwork
 
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Default Re: [IW] Looking for a GURPS Super IST teams and reason for fight

A quick scan for heroes suggests: Argurous Astraph, IST NYC team leader and overall commander, 1075 pts, IST p 101; Le Fantome d'Orleans, IST NYC, 700 pts, IST p 105; Patchwork, IST NYC, 675 pts, IST p 110. and Flamin' Jane, not IST but active in NYC and AA surely has her on speed dial, 600 pts, Supers p 111. If you're playing with 900 pt PCs, you outclass the vast majority of published supers, but I suppose that's your problem. I'd add a couple of the IST's regular folks in powered suits (supers p 50) to finish the squad.

The only villain "team" I even see is the one sponsored by the Iranian national government. The others all seem to be 500 pt simple mercs. Instead, I propose the use of Team 99 (Supers sidebar p 65): some powerful villain has surrendered to them, perhaps claiming to have been demonically possessed, perhaps bearing artifacts of interest. The IST demands this person and their artifacts be turned over to them for trial and sequestration, Team 99 refuses citing some combination of church sanctuary and the prerogatives of institutions of religious expression, and you have a standoff between two groups of nominal heroes. Maybe the surrendered individual and their artifacts are stoking conflict where it might not naturally escalate. I think all we have are names so you'll have to stat Team 99 yourself.
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Old 09-19-2023, 11:40 PM   #3
Gold & Appel Inc
 
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Default Re: [IW] Looking for a GURPS Super IST teams and reason for fight

Quote:
Originally Posted by Kallatari View Post
- Who are the super villains on the bad guy team? (5 or 6 members)
The first thing that needs to be addressed here is the question, "Who in their right or most kinds of wrong mind would want to work with a guy who calls himself Dr. Pathogen and creates and controls diseases?" Simple Answer: They don't. Maybe DP has infected their Dependents with some awful made-up wasting disease that only he can cure, and simply killing him won't help (or at least so he claims)... The villain team could thus be anybody, even bad guys who wouldn't normally work together because of opposing ideologies or whatever, and they want what DP wants (or an alternate cure, in which case they want his head on a stick, which would complicate the PC's objective to put it mildly). So what does a guy who creates and controls diseases want..?
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Old 09-20-2023, 08:28 AM   #4
Kallatari
 
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Default Re: [IW] Looking for a GURPS Super IST teams and reason for fight

Quote:
Originally Posted by patchwork View Post
A quick scan for heroes suggests: Argurous Astraph, IST NYC team leader and overall commander, 1075 pts, IST p 101; Le Fantome d'Orleans, IST NYC, 700 pts, IST p 105; Patchwork, IST NYC, 675 pts, IST p 110. and Flamin' Jane, not IST but active in NYC and AA surely has her on speed dial, 600 pts, Supers p 111. I'd add a couple of the IST's regular folks in powered suits (supers p 50) to finish the squad.
My first quick draft had the first three. But I admit I hadn't thought of Flamin' Jane. I'll add her as a likely member of the good guys.

Last edited by Kallatari; 09-20-2023 at 08:52 AM.
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Old 09-20-2023, 08:49 AM   #5
Kallatari
 
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Default Re: [IW] Looking for a GURPS Super IST teams and reason for fight

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Originally Posted by patchwork View Post
The only villain "team" I even see is the one sponsored by the Iranian national government. The others all seem to be 500 pt simple mercs. Instead, I propose the use of Team 99 (Supers sidebar p 65): some powerful villain has surrendered to them, perhaps claiming to have been demonically possessed, perhaps bearing artifacts of interest. The IST demands this person and their artifacts be turned over to them for trial and sequestration, Team 99 refuses citing some combination of church sanctuary and the prerogatives of institutions of religious expression, and you have a standoff between two groups of nominal heroes. Maybe the surrendered individual and their artifacts are stoking conflict where it might not naturally escalate. I think all we have are names so you'll have to stat Team 99 yourself.
Just FYI, my initial thoughts were the Columbian drug lords who sent a squad of "juiced' supers to kill the Columbian president in exile in NY. But I was hoping to be able to get more interesting villains involved than random juiced people.

The concept of two "good guy" teams fighting each other over philosophical difference is an intriguing one. I'll definitely ponder Team 99. I note that this could drag in the DMI as well, and lead to repercussions there. That could be of interest for any possible follow-up missions back to the IST worldline (I don't have any planned at this point, but it leaves the option open).

But then there's this:

Quote:
Originally Posted by Gold & Appel Inc View Post
The first thing that needs to be addressed here is the question, "Who in their right or most kinds of wrong mind would want to work with a guy who calls himself Dr. Pathogen and creates and controls diseases?" Simple Answer: They don't. Maybe DP has infected their Dependents with some awful made-up wasting disease that only he can cure, and simply killing him won't help (or at least so he claims)... The villain team could thus be anybody, even bad guys who wouldn't normally work together because of opposing ideologies or whatever, and they want what DP wants (or an alternate cure, in which case they want his head on a stick, which would complicate the PC's objective to put it mildly). So what does a guy who creates and controls diseases want..?
I'm not sure why Team 99 would work with Dr. Pathogen? He's clearly a villain. Specifically, he's a mercenary for hire, typically to kill people (with deadly diseases being his preferred method). He's also wanted as a suspect for several small towns and villages throughout the world who have all died out to mysterious diseases... typically towns believed to be harboring rebels against local dictators. (His participation yet to be proven in court!).

Perhaps Team 99 need him to cure something/someone for one of their own missions. IST doesn't think it's important enough and want Dr. Pathogen turned over now for trial. Dr. Pathogen says if he's given to IST he'll never help Team 99... so what do Team 99 need him for?

Gold & Apple suggest Dr. Pathogen is the "leader" of the team, possibly with a team under duress, so their goal becomes his goal. That could also work.. has he infected Team 99 and they're helping him because they have no choice? But then it's in their interest to let him get caught. Gold & Apple's idea of a bad guy team forced to help does add the added element of they're more likely to accept killing the exiled President, and also more likely to try to kill Dr. Pathogen if they break free of his disease.

Maybe I could bring that back to my original concept of Columbians drug lords wanting to kill the exiled President. They hired Dr. Pathogen to do it, but the exiled president is to hard to get to, so he infects his "team" (whether Team 99 or other villains) to do his work, and IST arrives to stop them. Sounds a bit convoluted (why not just infect the exiled president's guards), but fits a comic book world (but not necessarily IST which is more grounded in reality). Perhaps robot guards and security devices that can't be infected, so he needs backup to get in?

Anyway, thanks for what has been mentioned so far, and keep the ideas coming. It's much appreciated as it helps with the brainstorming.
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Old 09-20-2023, 09:18 AM   #6
Varyon
 
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Default Re: [IW] Looking for a GURPS Super IST teams and reason for fight

Maybe the Columbian President-in-exile is immune to Dr. Pathogen's diseases (maybe he's actually a low-tier super who's schtick is being immune to basically all diseases and poisons) - or the villain isn't quite willing to murder a sizable portion of New York City to get him (isolated villages in a country controlled by your client are one thing; stirring the hornet's nest by killing a bunch of US citizens is not a good plan for long-term survival). You could also have Dr. Pathogen not initially be a participant in the superfight, but rather be the prize - Team 99 (or whoever) have captured him and intend to take him to be prosecuted in the jurisdiction of their choosing (or intend to force him to do something for them), while the other group wants him extradited to their jurisdiction of choice (and/or intend to force him to do something for them). During the fight he might break free and either side with the group he'd rather be in the custody of, or just try to take advantage of the chaos to escape (possibly after killing or incapacitating some of the supers to make it harder to catch him later).
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Old 09-20-2023, 09:44 AM   #7
Bathawk
 
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Default Re: [IW] Looking for a GURPS Super IST teams and reason for fight

Love IST, it was my first RPG book I ever bought back in 1992

Besides the core three IST New York members (Argourous Astraph, Patchwork and the Fantome) the IST primer in the back of the 2nd edition supers book lists a charcter in a sidebar named "Quasar" who is also a member of IST New York

Also note I believe the writer said that in the 30 years since the books release, Astraph "retired "Witchwind of IST Tokyo is now the head super in charge)

As for villains, I usually have villains tied thematically to the story, so I rarely have super villain fights "just because"....my recommendation would be to have them staging some kind of violent protest....maybe they are causing major damage to wall street as part of the "occupy" movement, or they are xenophobes trying to sabotage Earth/Myrannmar(sp? the alien cat-people) relations. Even if they don't have radical views, they can of course just be mercenaries

I can of course whip up some pregenerated NPC's, but would probably need more details on your pc's offense/defense, and how "four color" or "gritty" they should be
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Old 09-20-2023, 10:10 AM   #8
Bathawk
 
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Default Re: [IW] Looking for a GURPS Super IST teams and reason for fight

Oh a few more thoughts about super opponents while I'm on break at work

Avoid abilities like Altered Time Rate, Duplication or Summonable Ally (groups)...it's frustrating for players when a fellow PC is spending 45 minutes describing each action available to him in detail...more frustrating when a GM has to narrate everything "Fasttrack" the speedster can do as he is zipping across the battlefield

Damage reduction is pretty much required once attacks exceed 3d or 4d damage, at that point a characters DR is goign to be enough to stop the attack completely, or it's soing to devastate them...rarely do attacks end up just causing only a few points of damage. Even if a SUper's concept normally wouldn't lend itself to Damage Reduction, it can still represent basic "comic-bookiness"

I also try to avoid afflictions...in GURPS HT is super cheap (even before you sell back your FP and Basic Speed), so you normally need affliction at high levels to affect more Super PC's and that's even before you take into consideration their DR.
On the flip side, an affliction that works can take a character out for MINUTES per margin of failure for most effects, essentially ending the fight right away, so if you use an affliction, I would at least change the duration to SECONDS per margin of failure (-35%)

an inexpensive bind, or mind control attack can likewise remove a charcter from the fight before it has begun on under 100 points
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Old 09-20-2023, 10:29 PM   #9
David Johnston2
 
Join Date: Dec 2007
Default Re: [IW] Looking for a GURPS Super IST teams and reason for fight

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Originally Posted by Gold & Appel Inc View Post
y). So what does a guy who creates and controls diseases want..?
New diseases to create and control.
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Old 09-21-2023, 07:37 PM   #10
Kallatari
 
Join Date: Jan 2006
Location: Ottawa, Canada
Default Re: [IW] Looking for a GURPS Super IST teams and reason for fight

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Originally Posted by Varyon View Post
You could also have Dr. Pathogen not initially be a participant in the superfight, but rather be the prize - Team 99 (or whoever) have captured him and intend to take him to be prosecuted in the jurisdiction of their choosing (or intend to force him to do something for them), while the other group wants him extradited to their jurisdiction of choice (and/or intend to force him to do something for them). During the fight he might break free and either side with the group he'd rather be in the custody of, or just try to take advantage of the chaos to escape (possibly after killing or incapacitating some of the supers to make it harder to catch him later).
I was about to post that I came up with something similar to this... guess you got there first.

I was thinking IST just finished capturing him and Team 99 shows up as they want him to deal with a special disease that someone important to them has that can't wait for the paperwork to be resolved to get formal permission to use Dr. Pathogen. Which is the same issue the PC have as they don't have time for formal negotiations... especially since they can't reveal The Secret. So even if IST does somehow agree to let him be loaned out for a bit, it will likely still turn into a 2-way fight between Team 99 and the PCs, and if that happens IST will probably just say no, and that brings it into a 3-way fight. (well, most likely outcome... but my PCs often surprise me with clever plans)
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