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Old 12-01-2017, 08:52 AM   #11
A Ladder
 
Join Date: Dec 2012
Default Re: Random Mutants and powers

To generate super villains randomly I use the following chart I wrote up. It's based on the power types from Powers (starting on p. P121). Then I just wing which abilities look most appealing at the time.


Roll 1d, 1d to determine which power type.
Code:
1 2 3 4 5 6

1 Air, Animal Control, Anti-Super, Astral Projection, Bioenergy, Body Alteration

2 Body Control/ST, Cold/Ice, Cosmic, Darkness, Death, Dimension Travel

3 Earth, Electricity/EK, ESP, Evil, Force Constructs, Gadget/Machine

4 Gravity, Healing, Heat/Fire, Illusion, Kinetic Energy/PK, Life

5 Light, Magnetism, Matter Control, Plant Control, Probability Control, Sound/Vibration

6 Telepathy, Teleportation, Time Mastery, Vampirism, Water, Weather
(ugly here, convert to a chart for something more visual friendly)
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Old 12-01-2017, 08:59 AM   #12
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Default Re: Random Mutants and powers

You forgot Magic (from Powers) and Speed (from Supers), which are both legitimate powers for X-men type mutants. I would replace Cosmic with Magic and Time Mastery with Speed.
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Old 12-01-2017, 09:28 AM   #13
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Default Re: Random Mutants and powers

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You forgot Magic (from Powers) and Speed (from Supers), which are both legitimate powers for X-men type mutants. I would replace Cosmic with Magic and Time Mastery with Speed.
I wouldn't consider either Cosmic or Magic to be an appropriate mutant power. Mutant abilities are tied to the genome, and thus are natural; they fall typically under Super, though they could be Biological or Psionic. In any case, they can be interfered with by advanced scientific methods, because that's part of all three power modifiers. Magic is by definition not part of "natural,' but is "supernatural"; it's a different mode of discourse. And Cosmic powers inherently are not limited by scientific countermeasures, or by the natural limitations of whatever thing they affect. I don't see a change in the DNA granting either supernatural abilities or true godhood.

So I would just substitute Speed for Cosmic and have done.
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Old 12-01-2017, 10:05 AM   #14
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You forgot Magic (from Powers) and Speed (from Supers), which are both legitimate powers for X-men type mutants. I would replace Cosmic with Magic and Time Mastery with Speed.
This wasn't meant to be the End All Be All List of All Powers For All Games (tm) chart. It's just the chart I use right now to make supers.

Magic doesn't fit in my super games (since magic doesn't exist in my game world). Feel free to add it in yours though.

I kinda roll all "speedster" powers into Time Mastery in my head (and I don't own Supers). YMMV.
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Old 12-01-2017, 01:26 PM   #15
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Default Re: Random Mutants and powers

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This site is clumsy and you have to tweak the results a little, but it feels right.

Just putting as many options out there as possible.
I love this site! Great for the type of mutants who need X-Men help: “Joe developed the talent to force zebras into a deep sleep. Tragically, Joe is well-known for being terrible at swimming.”
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Old 12-01-2017, 01:35 PM   #16
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I wouldn't consider either Cosmic or Magic to be an appropriate mutant power. Mutant abilities are tied to the genome, and thus are natural; they fall typically under Super, though they could be Biological or Psionic. In any case, they can be interfered with by advanced scientific methods, because that's part of all three power modifiers. Magic is by definition not part of "natural,' but is "supernatural"; it's a different mode of discourse. And Cosmic powers inherently are not limited by scientific countermeasures, or by the natural limitations of whatever thing they affect. I don't see a change in the DNA granting either supernatural abilities or true godhood.

So I would just substitute Speed for Cosmic and have done.
If this is actual Marvel, keep in mind the “X-gene” is a set of artificial genes introduced by Cosmic Celestials and the genes can cause violations of physical law, up to and including altering magical phenomena (Scarlet Witch). And in Marvel, magic has a long history of being trumped by science, with the Avengers vs Loki in their first comic.
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Old 12-02-2017, 12:02 PM   #17
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Default Re: Random Mutants and powers

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If this is actual Marvel, keep in mind the “X-gene” is a set of artificial genes introduced by Cosmic Celestials and the genes can cause violations of physical law, up to and including altering magical phenomena (Scarlet Witch). And in Marvel, magic has a long history of being trumped by science, with the Avengers vs Loki in their first comic.
Yup; so if Drakyrias really did mean X-Men style, it should be seen as far, far from realistic. Even verisimilitude isn't certain in Marvel; I'm not sure if the odds are better or worse you'll get a less-than-realistic power sampling from them. Just take the original five students plus Professor X himself (and as they were presented at the time). No really; I'd say that Beast, Marvel Girl, and Professor X are plausible (at least for science fiction), but Cyclops and Ice Man definitely aren't, with Angel falling somewhere in between.

Often enough it seems like physical mutations in Marvel Comics are unrelated to any superpowers the individual possesses. It is a very "rule of cool" situation. So... good on those systems presented here that generate such individuals. :)

Addendum: I'm not sure if there are any GURPS Powers... um... Power modifiers (drawing a blank and don't have time to dig for the answer) that would be off limits in GURPS. I can't think of examples for all of them off the top of my head, but there are multiple mutants with powers that canonically are about magic. Seems like chi-manipulation, working with spirits, even divine are all plausible.
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Last edited by Otaku; 12-02-2017 at 12:06 PM.
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Old 12-02-2017, 12:20 PM   #18
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Default Re: Random Mutants and powers

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Yup; so if Drakyrias really did mean X-Men style, it should be seen as far, far from realistic. Even verisimilitude isn't certain in Marvel; I'm not sure if the odds are better or worse you'll get a less-than-realistic power sampling from them. Just take the original five students plus Professor X himself (and as they were presented at the time). No really; I'd say that Beast, Marvel Girl, and Professor X are plausible (at least for science fiction), but Cyclops and Ice Man definitely aren't, with Angel falling somewhere in between.
"Plausible" is not the measure of whether something is science fiction. There's all kinds of science fiction that isn't plausible, including Frankenstein, 20,000 Leagues under the Sea, and The First Men in the Moon. Often enough it wasn't even plausible when it was written. What makes it science fiction is that it appeals rhetorically to "science" or "technology" for its Willing Suspension of Disbelief, whereas fantasy appeals to myths, legends, folklore, and fairy tales.

So if you are going to say that Iceman's lowered body temperature is metabolically impossible, or that Angel's flight is biomechanically over the top, well, yes. But that just makes them "non-hard science fiction"; it doesn't make them "not science fiction," or "fantasy" (no appeal to supernatural forces or magic spells).
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Old 12-02-2017, 02:24 PM   #19
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Default Re: Random Mutants and powers

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I'm not sure if there are any GURPS Powers... um... Power modifiers (drawing a blank and don't have time to dig for the answer) that would be off limits in GURPS. I can't think of examples for all of them off the top of my head, but there are multiple mutants with powers that canonically are about magic. Seems like chi-manipulation, working with spirits, even divine are all plausible.
QFT! And when you get into folks like Illyana Rasputin and Wanda Maximoff, it's possible to slap a Mutant (-10%) power modifier on their Magery advantages!

Check out my Marvel Reboot thread, post 2, for power mods I use. Not exclusive, either, as there are options that may show up in edge cases (like Spirit PM).
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Old 12-02-2017, 03:19 PM   #20
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Default Re: Random Mutants and powers

Well, Magic (or Magery) is a Power Talent, so it cannot normally benefit from a Source Modifier. I would allow Mutant to be combined with Magical though to represent a mutant ability to tap mana and shape it into abilities.
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