12-19-2021, 12:00 PM | #1 |
Join Date: Oct 2005
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Optimized Supersoldiers
I used relevant GURPS books (Bio-tech and Enhanced Senses, mostly) as a guide and inspiration to create a system-blind template for an optimized breed of supersoldiers and Homo Superior potential replacements for normal humans, to be used in various gaming and fanfiction contexts. Current state of the template may be found here.
It is meant to have pretty much all the useful enhancements that advanced sci-fi technology could provide. A major part of the concept is these superhumans should be absolutely maintenance-free and able to breed true without tech assistance (at least with their own kind; in all likelihood, they are too genetically divergent to be interfertile with humans, and I'd rather not bother with the complication of hybrids, since theoretically almost anyone can be turned into one). This requirement restricts the source and type of enhancements to genegineering, or at most symbiotic nanotech that is stored across the subject's body and can be transmitted from mother to child during pregnancy. Of course, magic, psi, or superpowers would not be suitable. However, the relevant tech can be pushed to the far edge of its conceivable potential. No cybernetics or the like, except perhaps the kind that can be built and sustained by nanosymbionts, and even so as little as possible. The feel is supposed to be 'flesh', not 'chrome'. Another requirement is they should be effectively indistinguishable from very fit and attractive humans, except with medical tests or when they are using their enhancements to do superhuman feats. One requirement that these supersoldiers should fulfil is being effectively immune to mundane individual weapons, by a mix of enhanced resilience and durability, healing factor, resistance to trauma, enhanced reflexes, etc. Being vulnerable to weapons that can destroy a tank or a building is OK, but the supersoldiers should absolutely laugh off bullets, guns, grenades, blades, and the like. How would you effectively ensure that in terms of genegineering (and possibly nanotech) enhancements? These supersoldiers are supposed to be as proficient and versatile at everything humans do (except maybe artistic skills, I did not bother to add specific enhancements to the template for that) as normal humans, only much better. However, they are supposed to be especially suited to be warriors, sex workers, researchers, and explorers. They are otherwise supposed to be free from genetic defects, but I wonder if a few Disadvantages might make them especially suited for their preferential jobs, such as slight to moderate degrees of increased libido (Lecherousness), aggressiveness and ruthlessness (Callous and/or Bloodlust), and curiosity (Curious) would fit. Your opinion? In your judgement, is there anything else in the current version of the template that is missing but would be suitable for addition? The blueprints for these supersoldiers are supposed to be the creation of advanced (TL 12+) aliens or time-travelers from the future with effectively unlimited resources from a human perspective. Moreover, the blueprints are going to provide a 'black box' biotech/nanotech treatment package that can perform the transformation process on its own once it gets built. Last edited by Irioth; 12-19-2021 at 02:11 PM. |
12-19-2021, 12:42 PM | #2 | ||
Join Date: Aug 2014
Location: Snoopy's basement
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Re: Optimized Supersoldiers
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12-19-2021, 01:15 PM | #3 | ||
Join Date: Oct 2005
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Last edited by Irioth; 12-19-2021 at 01:20 PM. |
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12-19-2021, 02:05 PM | #4 |
Join Date: Jun 2005
Location: Lawrence, KS
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Re: Optimized Supersoldiers
You might like to have a glance at GURPS Furries. One of its templates, the Wardog, is explicitly intended as a genetically designed supersoldier—in this case with canine ancestry. It has two versions, a more modest one without powers and a more intense one with a few added powers.
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12-19-2021, 03:03 PM | #5 | |
Join Date: Aug 2004
Location: Wellington, NZ
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Re: Optimized Supersoldiers
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12-19-2021, 03:11 PM | #6 | |
Join Date: Oct 2005
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Re: Optimized Supersoldiers
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12-19-2021, 03:22 PM | #7 | |
Join Date: Oct 2005
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The only absolute limits here are they cannot have anything their genes (or nanosymbionts) cannot give them, since they are supposed to stay maintenance-free and able to breed true w/o any tech support, so that they can thrive and multiply if say dropped in a low-tech environment, and less importantly they should stay casually indistinguishable from normal humans. Making something functionally bullet-proof is not that extreme, technologically speaking. Last edited by Irioth; 12-19-2021 at 03:36 PM. |
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12-19-2021, 04:01 PM | #8 | |
Join Date: Jun 2005
Location: Lawrence, KS
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Re: Optimized Supersoldiers
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Bill Stoddard I don't think we're in Oz any more. |
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12-19-2021, 04:14 PM | #9 |
Join Date: Jun 2013
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Re: Optimized Supersoldiers
A subcutaneous layer of flexible armor may be doable. A layer of spider silk - "arachnoweave" in Cutting Edge Armor Design (Pyramid #3/85) - should be at least theoretically possible for the body to produce on its own (spiders do it, after all), and having 1/8 inch or so (roughly the same thickness as the dermis) of that under most of your skin would grant you DR around 12 against piercing attacks (bullets) and cutting attacks (shrapnel, the primary killer for grenades). That lets the character shrug off most pistol and SMG rounds (negates 3d+1 worth of damage on average), and more powerful rounds will have their power reduced as well (although realistically, if you can reliably punch through ballistic armor, it generally has a fairly minimal effect on the projectile). As a bonus, it also grants DR 3 against everything else (crushing, impaling, and burning). Note that's "normal" spider silk; the Pyramid article suggests it would be enhanced (via enhancing the spider genome) at later TL's; boosting DR to 16/4 or higher for 3 mm may be feasible.
Bioplas is even more impressive, although being biologically producible may not be an option - but then the fact it's self-repairing means you could simply install it once and be done with it (note this would be a variant of bioplas - the stuff normally appears to repair itself via something resembling photosynthesis, so a modified version that takes the needed energy and raw materials from its "host" would be necessary. Ultra Tech Armor Design (Pyramid #3/96) indicates ~1/8 inch of that would grant a whopping DR 36 against piercing and burning attacks (like lasers); that will eat up around 10d worth of damage, so OpFor will largely need to switch to antivehicular weaponry to damage the supersoldiers. Note Bioplas has 1/3rd DR against everything else (crushing, impaling, and cutting), which is DR 13 here. Alongside redundant organs, I think either of the above would readily serve your purposes for being able to shrug off small arms fire - although obviously bioplas fits the bill a bit better.
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GURPS Overhaul Last edited by Varyon; 12-19-2021 at 06:23 PM. |
12-19-2021, 04:57 PM | #10 | |
Join Date: Oct 2005
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Re: Optimized Supersoldiers
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