(Another) World of Superhumans

[Rupert]

Originally Posted by Varyon

Honestly, "forms in an open space you don't have line of sight to" makes sense as a modifier on area-effect attacks, although I'm not certain what the cost would be.

Quite high, IMO, as that's essentially 'ignores DR and other barriers'.

[Rupert]

Originally Posted by pawsplay

Four technological consequences of powers resulting from genes being triggered by pesticides:

1) Dosing
If pesticides can trigger super-powers, then the right compounds should be able to intensify them, and maybe even trigger them in people with what would normally be genetic concentrations below the threshold.

That doesn't follow. There are plenty of genes that are 'on' or 'off', and the pesticide seems to switch such a set on, but has no effect on whatever it is that determines power level.

2) Genes
If genes are the answer, then bio-weapons, viruses, and other dirty tricks are natural means to de-active super powers.

No more than anything else is.

3) Genetic engineering
Assuming even a small number of genes, and the desirability of mapping those genes, designer embryos and covert human cloning operations would absolutely be a thing even with 2020 technology.

Given that they aren't for anything else just yet, nope.

4) Insects
Obviously, the purpose of insecticides is to kill insects. But it doesn't always work. What if the pesticides also created a number of giant super-powered bug creatures, plus a couple of mutant insect races?

Mentioned up-thread, and not just for insects. Imagine a super-crocodile that became empowered whilst really hungry and developed the power to attract prey, including humans, over long distances. People just start wandering into the swampland and never come out again, at a slow but steady rate.

[AlexanderHowl]

How about a group of sapient humpback whale supers that start destroying whaling ships in retaliation for the murder of the members of their species? Or a coyote that figures out how to transform into human and starts expanding their breeding pool beyond their species? While non-sap8ent super animals may be dangerous, sapient super animals will be capable of really causing problems.

[Otaku]

Originally Posted by Rupert

Given that they aren't for anything else just yet, nope.

We don't have physics defying super powers as an option, however. It is also important to remember that knowing something exists, even knowing what it does, is not the same as knowing how it does it. A eugenics program that does not yield a new, reliable strain of superhumanity but which leads to even a small increase in the amount of worthwhile supers a nation produces could still justify its existence, even be seen as successful.

In the real-world, such projects are doing well if they could reliably engineer humans who all have ST+1 with no drawbacks. AlexanderHowl has proposed a "superhumanity" who all have Attribute+2 bonuses across the board, plus Attractive. "Merely" standardizing a single one of those bonuses would be huge, even if it was technically a failure because hey, you're managing about 10% of your goal.

Let us also not forget the compound nature of a supers game with technology; even if it is a "super science" limited to a particular character, there can be technological options that just don't exist in the real-world. If you get a full on gadgeteer Super, you might have a TL8+1 superhuman cloning and breeding operation... maybe even while the rest of the world is still TL6!

Now, pardon me bringing up something from upthread, but I also wanted to point out something about handling Supers:

Originally Posted by AlexanderHowl

As for the danger associated with having supers mixed with mundanes, imagine an adolescent with the following ability: Mind Control (Conditioning, +50%; Reliable, +10, +50%; Super, -10%) [95]. They could rewrite the minds of everyone within their school with only a few days of effort and treat them as their personal toys, and that type of individual could occur within the bottom 80% of supers.

Originally Posted by AlexanderHowl

Let us imagine an adolescent girl awakens who just wants to be popular. Her only ability might be Charisma 10 (Super, -10%) [45], which would give her a +11 reaction modifier from everyone who meets her (+10 from Charisma and +1 from the Appearance (Attractive) of the Super template). Regardless of her other circumstances, that +11 will allow her to suddenly become one of the most popular people at her school. Her unconscious desire for popularity has manifested in a straightforward and effective (if relatively cheap) ability.

As a reminder, while such characters could do some formidable things, without additional abilities... well... they may not be quite as much of a bargain as one thinks. Social manipulation is powerful, but it isn't literally stopping a bullet. It might prevent one from being fired, but if you go all Purple Man, odds are the powers-that-be will become aware of you sooner or later. When they do, either you work for them, or they send a sniper (or the like) to deal with you. If this went without saying, then my bad. I totally misread the conversation. >.>

[Fred Brackin]

Originally Posted by Otaku

As a reminder, while such characters could do some formidable things, without additional abilities... well... they may not be quite as much of a bargain as one thinks. Social manipulation is powerful, but it isn't literally stopping a bullet. It might prevent one from being fired, but if you go all Purple Man, odds are the powers-that-be will become aware of you sooner or later. When they do, either you work for them, or they send a sniper (or the like) to deal with you.

With resisted abilities you're going to hit problems well before that. Even if it takes you rolling a Crit Fail or your target rolling a Crit Success that'll come pretty early. Even ignoring the cumulative odds I'm getting something like 1 in 27.

So if your target was a cop of even a mundane with a concealed carry permit loud noises of them emptying their magazine into the mind controller follow. Little Johnny Mind-Controller from earlier in the thread is going to be lucky if it's a pre-school teacher he hits the bad numbers with.

So, the probabilities of repetive efforts impose automatic limits on many subtle powers used in unsubtle ways. Those schools for Supers might be reform schools. That might be the way you get forced admissions.

[naloth]

Originally Posted by Otaku

In the real-world, such projects are doing well if they could reliably engineer humans who all have ST+1 with no drawbacks. AlexanderHowl has proposed a "superhumanity" who all have Attribute+2 bonuses across the board, plus Attractive. "Merely" standardizing a single one of those bonuses would be huge, even if it was technically a failure because hey, you're managing about 10% of your goal.

If supers are a product of induced stress, I suspect you'd see more programs like the in the movie Deadpool. Some would be volunteers, others would be volunteered. Either way you would have groups of people tortured into developing powers. Even "Sky High" (which this world sounds quite a bit like with centralized schooling) had jokes about subjecting kids to toxic waste and other hazards for powers.

[David Johnston2]

Originally Posted by naloth

If supers are a product of induced stress, I suspect you'd see more programs like the in the movie Deadpool. Some would be volunteers, others would be volunteered. Either way you would have groups of people tortured into developing powers. Even "Sky High" (which this world sounds quite a bit like with centralized schooling) had jokes about subjecting kids to toxic waste and other hazards for powers.

In the comics such things are discouraged by the results 9 times out of tend being massively deformed or deranged or both. It's honestly more trouble than it's worth.

[AlexanderHowl]

There is also no way to predict what abilities would be activated. For example, let us say the program ships latent supers to Antarctica, stripes them naked, and tosses them outside during the winter. The most probable abilities to manifest would be related to dealing with the cold, but there will be supers who will manifest abilities that produce heat, who will manifest abilities that allow them to escape, who will manifest abilities that allow them to mind control people into letting them back in, etc.

In addition, there is no certainty that stress will trigger latent abilities, just a probability that it will trigger latent abilities. If a stressful situation has a 50% chance of triggering latent abilities, half of the latent supers that you subjected to the lethal stress would die. It is much better to just allow people to awaken naturally, as the small stressors of the average week of life may only have a 2% chance of triggering awakening, but that adds up to a 99.8% chance of triggering latent abilities from age 13 to age 19.

[naloth]

Originally Posted by David Johnston2

In the comics such things are discouraged by the results 9 times out of tend being massively deformed or deranged or both. It's honestly more trouble than it's worth.

Deformed implies they have a negative self image. Deranged is possible, but making killers or sociopaths may be one of the goals of some of these programs.

Honestly, I suspect a lot of people would volunteer as readily as they would play the lottery. There are far better chances of winning and the prize seems better too.

Originally Posted by AlexanderHowl

There is also no way to predict what abilities would be activated.

Is that important? People don't generally mind playing a lottery where any prize is a winner. As stated above, basically all of these templates enhance what you are in good ways. Everyone would desire that especially if don't have a lot at the moment.

[transmetahuman]

Originally Posted by Varyon

Honestly, "forms in an open space you don't have line of sight to" makes sense as a modifier on area-effect attacks, although I'm not certain what the cost would be.

Originally Posted by Rupert

Quite high, IMO, as that's essentially 'ignores DR and other barriers'.

Malediction with Clairvoyance, X-ray Vision, or some appropriate Detect with Precise or Lock-On. Then, for the gas attack, you'd also want Respiratory or Contact Agent on top of the gas "delivery mechanism"... Though of course the Malediction could just target the individuals directly instead of through a poison.

I can't remember if there are rules for Area Effect Maledictions. I think I'm remembering M&M's perception range AEs. But, honestly, as David_Johnston2 said, how many supers' personalities and manifestation situations are going to result in such a specialized attack anyway?