How to create a Human Thing?

[Tiggurix]

So, how would you guys create a human version of John Carpenter's the Thing? Basically, a version of the Thing that, instead of being a malignant alien being, is a super-powered human, likely of either the "anti-hero" or "super-villain" variety.

However, if we were to go for a more straight super-hero, I'd like to see if you guys could make a version of this being that could absorb other humans, and other forms of living beings, and then return them to their previous forms, instead of irreversibly absorbing and "killing" them.

I think the only limitation that I would personally put on this hero/villain, would be that he/she couldn't modify their own brain, as that is, as far as we know, the "true" seat of human consciousness. The only exception I could see would be that he/she could absorb the brain matter of other beings as their own, like the surgical modification in 3rd Ed. Biotech. But once he/she has done this, he/she wouldn't be able to separate the new brain matter from his/her own, thus effectively "killing", or at least severely diminishing, the being from which he/she absorbed the brain matter from.

If you want to know my personal interpretation of the Thing's powers, it's that it basically has the powers of complete metabolical and morphic control over its own body, down to the cellular level, and is more or less freely able to absorb/assimilate the biological matter of other organisms. So it can basically have any organic form that it wishes to have, with any function that a "mundane" biological creation could have, limited by its knowledge of possible forms and functions, naturally. But it can basically be any organic being it wants to be, with the only functional limit being the biomass available for consumption (however, it could still metabolise minerals and gasses and such into biological matter).

[Flyndaran]

Morph with improvised forms and duplication cover all I remember from the movie.
The monster had an odd phobia of being discovered like many doppelgangers of myth.

[Tiggurix]

I believe he/she would have much more than that. The traits that immediately spring to mind would be Regeneration (Extreme), Regrowth, Unaging, Gynandromorph, Immunity to Metabolic Hazards, the highest level of Radiation Tolerance, Very Fit, Elastic Skin, Nictitating Membrane, Night Vision, Metabolism Control, Stretch, Growth and Shrink (by rapidly absorbing biomass or throwing it off), and last, by not least, an absurd number of points in Modular Ability (Cosmic), with Physical Only, all reduced by the Biological or Super modifier, as appropriate.

On the other hand, I imagine that his/her body, without the willfull and guiding intelligence of his/her brain, would rapidly revert to the basic modus operandi of all life, and begin to uncontrollably consume, survive and reproduce, and basically become a cancerous monstrosity. For example, while he/she would have no problem with losing a finger, that finger, if left lying on the ground, would mutate, and begin to consume the surrounding micro-organisms, and grow and grow like an independent cancer, which would of course be an excellent plot hook.

By the same logic, it would also be impossible to donate blood and organs, as the blood and the organs would attempt seize control of the recipient's body, and probably successfully do so, and also transform the recipient into an uncontrollable monstrosity. However, for cinematic reasons, in some extremely rare cases the will of the recipient would be able to resist, and eventually subsume the infection, and basically gain the same powers him/herself, but probably as a genetic clone of the original "thing".

I also believe he/she would be sterile, as I don't think the body would undergo meiosis, as I think it would attempt to keep the DNA of every cell as complete as possible. However, I don't see any reason for why he/she wouldn't be able to initiate parthenogenesis, except for the fact that he/she probably wouldn't do so, as that would introduce a new being with the exact same powers, which could be disastrous.

[GodBeastX]

You realize adding points to Morph covers most of what you're talking about, right? It let's you improvise new advantages based on the point pool you add to morph and doesn't require modular abilities.

Some thing outside of morph, like you said, Unaging, probably temperature tolerance or something since we know it can live through icy death, but fire seems to kill it. Probably has injury tolerance for homogenous despite being fleshy, and it doesn't seem to have any vitals, brains or blood.

Severing body parts seems to crate independent creatures which is covered SOMEWHERE in gurps, just don't remember where.

It appears to need to feed and probably has Uncontrollable Appetite for eating people when alone with them.

I'd probably pull a few features from the Horror book too to spice it up. Like disappearing when unobserved since people seem to lose track of the thing all the time in the old and new movies.

[Nereidalbel]

Originally Posted by GodBeastX

Severing body parts seems to crate independent creatures which is covered SOMEWHERE in gurps, just don't remember where.

Injury Tolerance: Independent Body Parts on Powers pg53.

[Not another shrubbery]

Originally Posted by Nereidalbel

Injury Tolerance: Independent Body Parts on Powers pg53.

It's a creepy ability... I guess that's why it's usually found in horror, or just weird villains... ISTR Krag (from the old Prince Planet anime) having some form of it.

[jeff_wilson]

Originally Posted by Tiggurix

So, how would you guys create a human version of John Carpenter's the Thing? Basically, a version of the Thing that, instead of being a malignant alien being, is a super-powered human, likely of either the "anti-hero" or "super-villain" variety.

See Metamorphic Invader in GURPS HORROR for 4th ed.

Originally Posted by Flyndaran

Morph with improvised forms and duplication cover all I remember from the movie.
The monster had an odd phobia of being discovered like many doppelgangers of myth.

It's not odd for a disguised murder to fear discovery, and after absorbing the first person, the Thing knows that is how it would be seen by the remaining humans and that they are capable of killing it.

[Tiggurix]

Originally Posted by GodBeastX

You realize adding points to Morph covers most of what you're talking about, right? It let's you improvise new advantages based on the point pool you add to morph and doesn't require modular abilities.

Some thing outside of morph, like you said, Unaging, probably temperature tolerance or something since we know it can live through icy death, but fire seems to kill it. Probably has injury tolerance for homogenous despite being fleshy, and it doesn't seem to have any vitals, brains or blood.

Severing body parts seems to crate independent creatures which is covered SOMEWHERE in gurps, just don't remember where.

It appears to need to feed and probably has Uncontrollable Appetite for eating people when alone with them.

I'd probably pull a few features from the Horror book too to spice it up. Like disappearing when unobserved since people seem to lose track of the thing all the time in the old and new movies.

Note that I'm not trying to create a straight-up version of the Thing, but rather a human version of it. Therefore I don't think homogenous would fit, since the brain is not able to be "dispersed" throughout the body by his/her powers.

Also, I don't think any vulnerability to fire would fit, as I think that fire was effective more for counter-acting its regenerative abilities than anything else, in addition to the fact that they had flamethrowers on this antarctic base for some weird reason. Also, Uncontrollable Appetite DEFINITELY doesn't fit, at least not an intelligent form, because, if you recall the movie, the Thing didn't infect and consume Clark while it was alone with him in dog form, as the "test" they conducted later showed, presumably because he would have been an obvious victim. Remember, the Thing is very intelligent, and fully capable of constructing a make-shift vehicle out of spare parts, like it did as Blair.

[vicky_molokh]

You might want to look at [PROTOTYPE] for additional inspiration. Also deals interestingly with issues of humanity, memory, identity, brain morphing etc.

[Tiggurix]

Originally Posted by vicky_molokh

You might want to look at [PROTOTYPE] for additional inspiration. Also deals interestingly with issues of humanity, memory, identity, brain morphing etc.

I've read about Prototype, but I'm not really interested in playing it, since the main character of the games seems to always be a genuinely nasty person. I'd like to design a more genuinely heroic character, but with powers that would be seen as creepy and disgusting by most people, therefore the request to find a game mechanical way of reconstituting absorbed characters when he/she doesn't require their "help" anymore. After all, there shouldn't be a problem with preserving their brain inside the amalgamation, and finding a way of preserving their individual cells without infecting them with his/her own cells, as this character, as mentioned, has more or less complete mental control over his/her own body.