Building a non-powered vigilante; Questions and Tips

[Lex_BR]

Greetings All

One of my players wants me to build him a non-powered batman/night-owl inspired vigilante for an upcoming supers campaign.

I think i have most of the character done well enough from his description but having never done this type of super before i've stumbled upon some questions and i would love to have some input and help from you guys.

Mainly, what do i have to pay for with points and what can he just use money or signature gear for?


The character is supposed to have, as per player request:

-A bullet resistant (not bullet-proof) suit that shields him from at least small caliber firearms

-A kevlar fire-retardant cape that he can cover himself and maybe two more people with in case of flames or explosions with a ready maneuver.

- Grappling hook for hard to reach places and as last minute resort weapon.

- Smoke pellets that go "BAMF" (seriously, he said that)

- Special goggles that give night vision (or some form of vision where he can see through the smoke from the smoke pellets), can zoom up to 100X, record audio and video as well as take pictures on demand.

- Regular and electric "stun" shuriken shaped like Hawk-wings


This is what i have so far:


Hawk Suit [01]

For the suit i figured the character would use modern steel chain rings between layers of kevlar or any other fabric. So i just purchased chainmail or similar gear for most of the body, halving the weight and keeping the DR as per rules on modern quality steel for old armor, a concealable vest for the torso if i'm not mistaken and steel-tipped boots and gauntlets and called it a Hawk-Suit. Paid for by signature gear. But i'm not sure if it's the right thing to do.. Ok, he bought a bunch of crap using money and built himself a hawk-suit through armorer skill but by that logic, didn't iron man also build himself something new through his skills out of a bunch of crap that already exists? should i charge points with gadget limitations for the suit? aniways..

Skull, Face | DR 2 |
Torso | DR 12/5* |
Arms, Legs | DR 4/2* |
Hands, Feet | DR 4 |
Groin |DR 4 |
Total : $ 3000 | 10kg |


The Cape [12]

Built from stronger than steel, heat resistant material, the NightHawk's cape provides extra protection for the back and neck and can be used to cover himself completely after a 1 round ready maneuver or a reflex save vs Block "Cloak"

Back, Neck | RD 4* | HP 10 | 2kg |

DR 4 [20] --> (-70%) [06] --> Alternative (1/5) [02]
Directional, back (-40%) Flexible (-20%) Can be stolen, force (-10%)

DR 4 [20] --> (-50%) [10]
Force Field (+20%) Active Defense (-40%) Flexible (-20%) Can be stolen, force (-10%)

I tried to make it so the cape always protects his back at 4DR, but alternatively he can cover his entire body with it through an active defense or ready maneuver, also providing the 4DR to the front and eyes, thus the force field modifier.



Smoke Pellets [19]

Throwing Skill; Range 20m; Vision -5; Duration 10s

Obscure 5; Vision [10] +90% --> [19]
Ranged (+50%) Area Attack 1; 4M (+50%) Persistent (+40%)
Can be Stolen; force remove (-10%); Limited Use, 10/day (-10%); Reduced Range x5 (-20%) Mundane Countermeasures, wind (-10%)


Fine Customized Electric Shuriken x10 [11]

|DMG Thr Cut|Range x0.5/x1|Rof 1|0.2kg|25$|
Follow-up: Roll vs HT or stun

Consumable Signature Gear [01]
Follow-up affliction; stun [10]
Link; weapon (+20%) Surge (+20%)
Reduced Range x5 (-20%) Unique weapon (-20%)


Grapple Gun

Now this is a tough one.. There is a grappling gun in gurps ultra-tech.
but we're playing in TL8 and it's TL10. i tried to mimic an automatic grappling gun through advantages and modifiers but i just can't find the right mix.

In the end i opted to let him have the grapple gun from TL10 through 100X overpriced signature gear, what do you guys think? anyone ever come up with a grapple gun idea i could use?

this is what it looks like :

Electromagnetic Auto Grapple Gun Signature gear [10]

DMG 1D crush|Acc1|Range 15m/30m|3kg|Rof 1|Shots 1(*)|ST 08|Bulk -2|$ 100.000,00|

Night Vision goggles

No idea what to do here. Should i just buy the advantages that mimic what he wants and add gadget limitations? Because all the things he wants exist in the real world, i'm just not sure if they exist within the same, lightweight easily concealable item. any thoughts?

Well, that's it for now..

Mostly i would like help with knowing what to pay for with money, signature gear or advantages with gadget limitations. Any tips on building a decent non-powered crime-fighter in a super powered world would also be appreciated.

Thanks in advance, Lex.

[Psychotime]

Technically you're still using points for signature gear.

[giant.robot]

Originally Posted by Lex_BR

Night Vision goggles

No idea what to do here. Should i just buy the advantages that mimic what he wants and add gadget limitations? Because all the things he wants exist in the real world, i'm just not sure if they exist within the same, lightweight easily concealable item. any thoughts?

Why not just use the night vision goggles or thermograph rules from High-Tech (HT47-48) and just add in the requested abilities. I would increase the cost as his goggles are custom made but other than that they just provide the same benefits as normal NVGs. The recording features are governed by the storage available as per the digital camcorders on HT43.

I would make this suggestion , have the helmet just contain a heads up display mechanism (maybe a small projector that projects onto his protective goggles) and headphones. He can then just attach different sensors to an AV input on his utility belt. This way he can keep sensors in a bag or something and attach them as needed to his display system and leave them on a rooftop when he runs down to get into a fight. He could even have a radio receiver that can pipe video and audio from remote sensors he sets up. Imagine a wireless security camera he sets up on an opposing rooftop he can use to get an overhead view of the fight so that thug with the baseball bat can't get the drop on him.

The rules for these are the same as the various sensors in High-Tech but attach to the AV system in his helmet and a recording device on his utility belt.

[Figleaf23]

I think it's possible to find pretty much everthing you need there in Ultratech. (Use the custom armor rules for the cape. Remember he needs the Cloak skill.)

Make him buy personal TL up to the level Ultratech specifies for the highest gadget, and make him buy the items as Sig Gear, cost adjusted for the TL difference. You will need to consider how he obtains ammo, batteries, etc.

[Lex_BR]

Originally Posted by giant.robot

Why not just use the night vision goggles or thermograph rules from High-Tech (HT47-48) and just add in the requested abilities. I would increase the cost as his goggles are custom made but other than that they just provide the same benefits as normal NVGs. The recording features are governed by the storage available as per the digital camcorders on HT43..

it's preety much the same as with the smoke pellets. Stun and Smoke grenades are very real and anyone with the right contacts, money or skills could get some through the black market, or create home-made versions.
However, ninja-style tiny plastic balls that instantly create a flashbang or a smoke cloud in a large area like we see batman or movie ninjas dont exist.
If something doesnt exist for purchase anywhere in the world it should cost points and not money (maybe even both), at least that's how i see it.

Night vision goggles as they are today are still preety heavy and clunky,
If i not only add the requested abilities to a regular night vision goggle but also make it the same weight and size of a pair of goggles with virtually unlimited power supply, then it's no longer a regular NVG, it's an entirely new superior object and it seems to me that it should cost some points.

I'm thinking that buying the advantages with gadget limitations is the way to go. Seems to be the most balanced way, otherwise the rich guy with no super-powers would actually be the most powerfull of all.

Originally Posted by giant.robot

I would make this suggestion , have the helmet just contain a heads up display mechanism ... Imagine a wireless security camera he sets up on an opposing rooftop he can use to get an overhead view of the fight so that thug with the baseball bat can't get the drop on him.

The rules for these are the same as the various sensors in High-Tech but attach to the AV system in his helmet and a recording device on his utility belt.

that's a great idea, but i would also feel bad about charging him just money instead of points for adding some sort of 360 vision to the goggles. As well as radio reception etc.

i think i'll let him use money to buy anything from the high tech list "as is".
to change anything, for example, combine a night vision goggle, video camera, police band radio reception device, telephone will cost actual character points.. that way the rest of the players wont bitch about the human being too strong.

[giant.robot]

Originally Posted by Lex_BR

However, ninja-style tiny plastic balls that instantly create a flashbang or a smoke cloud in a large area like we see batman or movie ninjas dont exist.
If something doesnt exist for purchase anywhere in the world it should cost points and not money (maybe even both), at least that's how i see it.

Off the shelf smoke and flash grenades (or at least military ones) are bulky because it's expensive to make them smaller and their size works well enough for the task at hand. They're not bulky because the technology doesn't exist to make them smaller. This guy's character already has a bunch of custom equipment, building custom smoke grenades doesn't seem like it's out of the question.

Powdered sugar and saltpeter will make a smoke bomb. Something the size of a small pill/medicine bottle would easily hold enough to obscure a doorway or fill a small room with smoke. A couple thrown in a room (like you often see Batman do) and it will completely fill with smoke.

Originally Posted by Lex_BR

Night vision goggles as they are today are still preety heavy and clunky,
If i not only add the requested abilities to a regular night vision goggle but also make it the same weight and size of a pair of goggles with virtually unlimited power supply, then it's no longer a regular NVG, it's an entirely new superior object and it seems to me that it should cost some points.

Back in college I made a decent and lightweight night vision monocular very similar to this one for a project. The key to something like this over military NVGs is they're just IR cameras and you're lighting up the scene with IR LEDs.

Military NVGs do near IR and visible light amplification so you don't need external IR lights to see, you don't want to be visible to an enemy also equipped with NVGs. However for a caped crime fighter it's a reasonable assumption that the bad guys don't have NVGs and you can make custom ones with TL8 technology that meet the player's requirements. If I could make one for less than $100 in college a wealthy crime fighter guy could easily make one.

[Gold & Appel Inc]

Originally Posted by Lex_BR

The Cape [08]

DR 4 [20] --> (-70%) [06]
Directional, back (-40%) Flexible (-20%) Can be stolen, force (-10%)

DR 4 [20] --> (-50%) [10] --> Alternative (1/5) [02]
Force Field (+20%) Active Defense (-40%) Flexible (-20%) Can be stolen, force (-10%)

I tried to make it so the cape always protects his back, but alternatively he can cover his entire body with it also providing the 4DR to the front and eyes, thus the force field modifier.

The more-expensive ability can't be Alternative to the cheaper one.

[Lex_BR]

Originally Posted by Gold & Appel Inc

The more-expensive ability can't be Alternative to the cheaper one.

oops, missed that.. thanks, man

[Phantasm]

Don't forget to give him enough Wealth so that he can buy, erm... hire the developers to build any advanced TL9/10 tech. Bruce Wayne and Tony Stark didn't really need to do this (look at John Henry Irons/Steel, who built his first "Man of Steel" battlesuit in his garage), but having the cash to buy his "powers" means he doesn't have to spend the points on Inventor!, Engineer, Gadgeteer, or whatever else needed to develop them. ;)

[aesir23]

The googles can be built as a gadget pretty easily.

Add Defensive to Obscure, Add Infravision or Night Vision, Add Protected Senses and/or DR (Eyes only). Can be stolen and Breakable to finish you up.