[Supers] GURPS Unofficial Handbook to the Marvel Universe, Reboot Edition

[Refplace]

Originally Posted by tbrock1031

Oh jeeze, she's the new Wolverine. Popular, and with an ever-changing origin story. Granted, she's much easier on the eyes than Wolvie ever was. ;)

I had plans to bring her into the Reboot, but I've no clue which origin to use. I'd actually considered making her a Legacy, as opposed to a Mutant or a Mutate, inheriting her powers from a pre-modern-era super.

I liked the original ith the High Evolutaionary.
The Darkhold had a hand in that too which led to some magic storylines.

[Otaku]

Originally Posted by tbrock1031

In the Reboot, I haven't prescribed any Social Stigmas to mutants as yet. Should they have SS(Minority Group)? Perhaps, but the only one to have it so far is Scarlet Witch, and she's not just a mutant but a Gypsy.

It will likely depend upon how you handle the entire "mutant" thing. I favor a more MC2 approach... which I took as being "Some people don't like mutants, but that is their problem." as opposed to "Yup... no one does a thing while you're assaulted for being a mutant, or are actually getting in line for their turn." In GURPS terms, I'm not sure if a mutant based Social Stigma is appropriate because going by this approach, most people aren't going to have an Intolerance for them specifically and it isn't really institutionalized, at least outside of obvious exceptions (Yes, it is institutionalized in a group like the Friends of Humanity =P).

Originally Posted by tbrock1031

I've also, if you read the X-Men entry back in... oh, I'll find the post later

I'm going to use that as my defense for why I didn't remember or missed it in the first place. ;)

Originally Posted by tbrock1031

... you'll see that the (original five) X-Men are operating in public rather than secret, are attending college at ESU, and have offered membership to Spider-Man, who is distinctly not a mutant (he's remaining a 'reserve' member, though). ;) The Reboot!X-Men aren't quite so "mutants only", though mutants still dominate the title.

I consider these to be "good calls".

Originally Posted by tbrock1031

The Xavier Institute for Gifted Youngsters still has a limited enrollment, albeit more in the "hundred students" than "fifteen students", but the requirements for enrollment are now "superhuman" rather than "mutant". The fact that most super-powered teenagers are mutants still means that 95% of the student body are mutants or second-generation supers rather than mutates. (They also offer adult enrollment for those who just developed powers.) Xavier's also went public as a "Mutant High".

I would like you to consider whether or not the school should truly live up to its name; you just have to be significantly gifted in some manner, perhaps even if it is across the board. If this just ruins the concept for you... then don't. XD If a group enjoys how with GURPS one often finds out that an expensive, exotic trait can be matched by something quite mundane, you can have various "super-normals-in-training" at the school. Of course I think that has great story/adventuring material, but maybe that isn't how you (and those you're likely to game with) would see it?

Originally Posted by tbrock1031

Still, this brings me to a question that needs to be answered:

"Mutants" are those with an active X-gene which grants them powers. "Mutates" are those who were modified in some other manner to grant powers.

What's a good term for second- or third-generation folks who have the same powers as their mutate forebears? They lack the X-gene, so "mutant" doesn't seem to fit, but nor are they really "mutates", as they inherited their powers.

Simply put... I would try to clean up the Marvel system so that you didn't need to worry about these things. We've seen it in some of the non-Earth-616 settings. For example, while I never finished the final part of the Earth X/Universe X/Paradise X series, I did agree how most super powers in the setting actually were using the "X-gene". There were a few added in that I didn't care for but whether they exist or not in the setting won't affect this basic concept. It basically just tells you that "mutants" and "mutates" exist as you've described... and unless a super has one of the abnormal power modifiers (Divine, Magic, Spirits, etc.) then they are a mutate. Since the only the catalyst matters, then the offspring of a mutate is a mutant so long as their powers trigger under the conditions that qualify one as being a mutant.

The whole matter is sticky because frankly... it's a mess in the Marvel Universe. Understandable since you've got so many writers wanting to go different directions (even if only in a subtle manner), shifts in the company wide direction over time, and of course concepts that once were considered "science fiction" moving into "science fact". In some cases, that seems inevitable; how many classic Marvel Comics characters haven't had to give their origin at least a face lift?

[Phantasm]

JAMESON, JOHN

Real Name: Major John Jameson.
Occupation: Pilot, former military pilot and astronaut.
Identity: Jameson does not use a dual identity.
Legal Status: Citizen of the United States with no criminal record.
Other Aliases: None.
Place of Birth: New York City.
Marital Status: Single.
Known Relatives: J. Jonah Jameson (father), Joan (mother, deceased), unnamed great-great-uncle (deceased).
Group Affiliation: Formerly the United States Marine Corps and NASA, currently an employee of SHIELD assigned to assist Sharon Carter and Captain America, ally of the Avengers.
Base of Operations: New York City.
History: The son of J. Jonah Jameson, owner and publisher of the Daily Bugle, from a young age John Jameson was interested in traveling to outer space (see Daily Bugle; Jameson, J. Jonah). While his father initially discouraged this, John petitioned for entrance to and was accepted to the US Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland, becoming an aviator on the USS Wasp after receiving his commission with the US Marine Corps (the USMC, being a part of the USN, trains their officers at the same college), flying AV-8B Harriers and F/A-18E Super Hornets in operations supporting operations in Iraq. When the opportunity came for a transfer to NASA for astronaut training, he leaped at the chance. In his time at NASA, he spent two tours on the International Space Station.

At some point, he was noticed by agents of SHIELD and was given an involuntary transfer to that agency (see SHIELD). While at SHIELD, he became friends with agent Sharon Carter, who recommended him to her great-uncle, Captain America, when the Captain needed a pilot for a case (see Captain America; Carter, Sharon). This mission, which took them to South America, had Jameson flying an unarmed SHIELD Learjet against a pair of surplus Argentinian fighters in the Andes mountains of Peru. He later admitted that it was the roughest and most exciting flying he'd done in a while, and asked Captain America if he could be his personal pilot. Impressed with the man's skills and courage, Cap agreed.

Since then, Jameson has proven to be one of Captain America's most faithful allies, accompanying him on many adventures across the world. He has become one of the Avengers' many allies, and is waiting for the opportunity to take their Quinjet into space (see Avengers; Avengers Quinjet).
Height: 5' 8".
Weight: 150 lbs.
Eyes: Brown.
Hair: Brown.
Uniform: None, formerly the standard USMC uniform.
Strength Level: Jameson possesses the normal human strength of a man his age, height, and build who engages in intensive regular exercise.
Known Superhuman Powers: None.
Other Abilities: Jameson is a skilled aircraft and aerospace pilot, and is trained in special forces combat.

260 points
Attributes: ST 12 [20]; DX 12 [40]; IQ 11 [20]; HT 12 [20].
Secondary Characteristics: Dmg 1d-1/1d+2; BL 29 lbs.; HP 13 [2]; Will 12 [5]; Per 12 [5]; FP 12 [0]; Basic Speed 6.00 [0]; Basic Move 6 [0]; Dodge 10.
Languages: English (Native) (Native Language) [0].
Cultural Familiarities: Western [0].
Advantages: 3D Spatial Sense [10]; Appearance (Attractive) [4]; Combat Reflexes [15]; Danger Sense [15]; Fearlessness 3 [6]; Fit [5]; G-Experience 1 (Zero-G) [1]; Hard to Kill 2 [4]; Hard to Subdue 2 [4]; High Pain Threshold [10]; Hot Pilot 3 [15]; Improved G-Tolerance (0.5G) [10]; Wealth (Wealthy) [20].
Perks: Courtesy Military Rank 4 [4]; Looks Good In Uniform [1]; Off-Screen Reload [1]; Style Familiarity (MCMAP) [1]; Suit Familiarity (Vacc Suit) [1].
Disadvantages: Code of Honor (Soldier's) [-10]; Duty to SHIELD (9) [-5]; Honesty (12) [-10]; Pacifism (Reluctant Killer) [-5]; Sense of Duty (Friends and Family) [-5].
Quirks: Closet Fan (Star Wars Prequels) [-1]; Eager to Get Back Into Space [-1]; Likes Flying Fast [-1]; Resents His Transfer to SHIELD [-1].
Skills: Artillery/TL8 (Guided Missile) (A) IQ+3 [12] – 14; Brawling (E) DX+2 [4] – 14; Free Fall (A) DX+2 [2] – 14*; Gunner/TL8 (Machine Gun) (E) DX+3 [1] – 15†; Hobby Skill (Star Wars Trivia) (E) IQ+0 [1] – 11; Judo (H) DX+0 [4] – 12; Knife (E) DX+0 [1] – 12; Navigation/TL8 (Air) (A) IQ+5 [1] – 16†‡; Navigation/TL8 (Space) (A) IQ+5 [2] – 16*†; Piloting/TL8 (Aerospace) (A) DX+6 [6] – 18†§; Piloting/TL8 (High-Performance Airplane) (A) DX+6 [8] – 18†§; Piloting/TL8 (Vertol) (A) DX+5 [4] – 17†§; Soldier/TL8 (A) IQ+0 [2] – 11; Spacer/TL8 (E) IQ+1 [2] – 12; Vacc Suit/TL8 (A) DX+1 [4] – 13.
Starting Spending Money: $20,000 (20% of Starting Wealth).

* Includes +2 from 3D Spatial Sense.
† Includes +3 from Hot Pilot.
‡ Includes +3 from 3D Spatial Sense.
§ Includes +1 from 3D Spatial Sense.
# Defaulted from Piloting (High-Performance Airplane).

Role-Playing Notes:
Jameson is a solid team player who has resented his involuntary transfer to SHIELD (he was thinking of resigning) prior to teaming up with Captain America. He has a love of flying and of space, and one day hopes to return there.

Designer's Notes:
1. As we haven't visited the moon in real life (Earth-0000 according to Marvel's timeline designation chart) since 1972, over 40 years ago, I didn't make him an astronaut who has been to the moon, like the mainstream and movie versions ("the first man to play football on the moon"). However, that seems to block the Man-Wolf and Stargod story arcs, which means if he goes that route in Year Two (always a possibility!), I'll need to come up with some other way of triggering it than a "glowing moon-rock he brought back". (At this rate, I'll start chronicling Year Two in 2025, though . . . .)
2. Marvel has always made John Jameson a tall man, listing his height in OHOTMUDE #6 as 6' 2". I'm the same height, and during my own time in the USAF I discovered that the US military and NASA have a height limit on their pilots of 6', meaning that by all rights, Jameson would have been rejected on the grounds of height alone. In fact, the military and NASA like to draw their pilots and astronauts from folks who are closer to 5', as the smaller one is the better they can handle high g-force maneuvers. So, I made him a bit shorter than usual.



I held off on John for several years; there were many calling for him back in '09 or so when I posted Spider-Man's cast. Well, here's why he wasn't in Spidey's cast; he was active elsewhere. ;)

[Flyndaran]

His weight though seems light as all the video I've seen of fighter pilots show them as muscular bricks. Holding the Valsalva maneuver to maintain blood flow isn't trivial.

[Phantasm]

Originally Posted by Flyndaran

His weight though seems light as all the video I've seen of fighter pilots show them as muscular bricks. Holding the Valsalva maneuver to maintain blood flow isn't trivial.

What would you recommend, then? I'm flexible with weights, and to be honest I'm not that knowledgeable about how heavy people under 5' 10" can get. I see his build as being akin to an American football quarterback or running-back, or an Olympic wrestler, so suggestions are welcome.

[Phantasm]

MACHETE

Real Name: Ferdinand Lopez.
Occupation: Mercenary, revolutionary, former goatherd.
Identity: Known to the authorities.
Legal Status: Citizen of Costa Negro with a criminal record in the United States.
Other Aliases: None.
Place of Birth: Costa Negro, South America.
Marital Status: Uncertain; possibly married, divorced, or widowed.
Known Relatives: Tanita (daughter).
Group Affiliation: Batroc's Brigade.
Base of Operations: Mobile.
History: The small South American nation of Costa Negro has been in a state of almost constant civil war for the last twenty years. It was in this environment that Ferdinand Lopez grew up.

Lopez's village had wavered between indifference to and acceptance of the US-aligned junta (military dictatorship) in power, if not actual loyalty. That changed when the local warlord took notice of one of the señoritas in the village and forcibly abducted her to be his bride. To prevent an uprising, the warlord ordered the village razed by his troops. Lopez and his daughter were among the few survivors; his daughter's mother's fate is unknown.

Realizing just how corrupt the government of Costa Negro was, Lopez joined the revolutionaries that he had up until that point considered criminals. It was there he discovered his talent with blades of all kinds. He distinguished himself in guerrilla combat against the government forces on several occasions.

When Mesmero conquered the nation, only to be stopped by the X-Men, Lopez got the idea of hiring himself out as a mercenary in the United States to help fund the revolution, as well as help put his daughter through school (see Mesmero; X-Men). Calling himself "Machete" after both a popular movie and his favored weapon, he was soon hired by Georges Batroc for a mission (see Batroc, Georges).

Since signing on with Batroc and his Brigade, Machete has fought Captain America, the Captain's sidekick Bucky, Iron Man, and the Taskmaster (see individual entries). He'll presumably remain with Batroc's Brigade for the foreseeable future.
Height: 6' 2".
Weight: 200 lbs.
Eyes: Brown.
Hair: Black.
Uniform: Green bodysuit with gray ballistic armor over the chest, black domino mask, yellow gloves, gray boots, blue belt, various straps holding a large number of blades, from combat knives to short swords.
Strength Level: Machete possesses the normal human strength of a man his age, height, and build who engages in moderately intensive regular exercise.
Known Superhuman Powers: None.
Other Abilities: Machete is a skilled combatant with all sorts of bladed weaponry. He also has some skill with firearms and has training with unarmed combat. He is multilingual, speaking fluent Spanish, English, French, and Portuguese.
Weapons: Machete carries an undisclosed number of bladed weapons on his body, including but not limited to two falchions, a straight-bladed short sword, a large combat knife, and four to eight throwing knives.

375 points
Attributes: ST 13 [30]; DX 12 [40]; IQ 11 [20]; HT 12 [20].
Secondary Characteristics: Dmg 1d/2d; BL 34 lbs.; HP 13 [0]; Will 11 [0]; Per 12 [5]; FP 12 [0]; Basic Speed 6.00 [0]; Basic Move 6 [0]; Dodge 10.
Languages: English (Native) [6]; French (Native) [6]; Portuguese (Native) [6]; Spanish (Native) (Native Language) [0].
Cultural Familiarities: Latin American (Native) [0]; Western [1].
Advantages: Combat Reflexes [15]; Damage Resistance 1 (Tough Skin, -40%) [3]; Enhanced Parry (All Parries) +1 [10]; Extra Attack +1 (Multi-Strike, +20%) [30]; Hard to Kill 3 [6]; Hard to Subdue 3 [6]; High Pain Threshold [10]; Natural Swordsman 3 [30]; Rapid Healing [5]; Striking ST +1 [5]; Very Fit [15]; Weapon Master (All Swords) [35].
Perks: Classic Features (Hispanic) [1]; Focused Fury [1]; Off-Hand Weapon Training (Broadsword) [1]; Off-Hand Weapon Training (Shortsword) [1]; Quick-Swap (Broadsword) [1]; Quick-Swap (Shortsword) [1]; Special Exercises (DR w/ Tough Skin) [1]; Special Exercises (Striking ST +1) [1]; Sure-Footed (Uneven) [1].
Disadvantages: Code of Honor (Soldier's) [-10]; Dependent (Daughter; 0 points or less; Loved One) (6) [-15]; Hidebound [-5]; Overconfidence (12) [-5]; Pacifism (Cannot Harm Innocents) [-10]; Sense of Duty (People of Costa Negro) [-10]; Social Stigma (Criminal Record) [-5]; Wealth (Struggling) [-10].
Quirks: Dislikes Dictatorial Governments [-1]; Dual Identity [-1]; Prefers "Revolutionary" Over "Supervillain" [-1]; Sends As Much Money Home As He Can [-1].
Skills: Animal Handling (Equines) (A) IQ-1 [1] – 10; Animal Handling (Goats) (A) IQ+1 [4] – 12; Brawling (E) DX+2 [4] – 14; Breath Control (H) HT+0 [4] – 12; Broadsword (A) DX+8 [20] – 20*; Carpentry (E) IQ+0 [1] – 11; Climbing (A) DX+0 [2] – 12; Current Affairs/TL8 (Politics) (E) IQ+0 [1] – 11; Farming/TL7 (A) IQ+0 [2] – 11; First Aid/TL7 (Goats) (E) IQ+1 [2] – 12; First Aid/TL7 (Human) (E) IQ+1 [2] – 12; Forced Entry (E) DX+0 [1] – 12; Guns/TL8 (Rifle) (E) DX+0 [1] – 12; Hiking (A) HT+0 [2] – 12; Jumping (E) DX+0 [1] – 12; Knife (E) DX+6 [4] – 18*†; Main-Gauche (A) DX+6 [11] – 18*‡; Mechanic/TL7 (Automobile) (A) IQ-1 [1] – 10; Observation (A) Per+1 [4] – 13; Packing (A) IQ-1 [1] – 10; Professional Skill (Goatherd) (A) IQ+1 [4] – 12; Running (A) HT+0 [2] – 12; Scrounging (E) Per+0 [1] – 12; Shortsword (A) DX+8 [8] – 20*§; Soldier/TL8 (A) IQ+1 [4] – 12; Stealth (A) DX+1 [4] – 13; Streetwise (A) IQ+1 [4] – 12; Survival (Jungle) (A) Per+0 [2] – 12; Swimming (E) HT+0 [1] – 12; Tactics (H) IQ+0 [4] – 11; Thrown Weapon (Knife) (E) DX+4 [12] – 16; Tracking (A) Per+0 [2] – 12; Weather Sense (A) IQ-1 [1] – 10; Wrestling (A) DX+2 [8] – 14.
Techniques: Dual-Weapon Attack (Broadsword) (H) def+4 [5] – 20; Dual-Weapon Attack (Shortsword) (H) def+4 [5] – 20.
Starting Spending Money: $150 (20% of Starting Wealth, minus cost of his blades).
Weapons: Two Large Falchions, one Shortsword, one Large Knife, four Large Throwing Knives, all Fine quality.

* Includes +3 from Natural Swordsman.
† Defaulted from Shortsword.
‡ Defaulted from Knife.
§ Defaulted from Broadsword.

Role-Playing Notes:
Machete is a man who only engages in criminal activity to help fund the rebel movement in his native country and support his daughter. He has an intense dislike of dictatorial governments, hence his support of the revolutionaries in Costa Negro fighting against the string of dictators there. He knows he is not a leader, but holds himself to a code of honor, looking for employers who are, in his mind, reasonable. He doesn't see himself as a villain; in his mind, he's a revolutionary and mercenary trying to help free his country.

[Phantasm]

I've hit a snag, guys. Well, not so much a "snag" as a "complete lack of enthusiasm" for doing the rest of Captain America's cast (primarily villains, it looks).

The guys I had planned to do are: Matador (probably not this soon after Machete, though, for various reasons), MODOK, Nightshade, Plantman, Primus, Red Guardian, Scarecrow, Sin (daughter of the Red Skull), Taskmaster, ULTIMATUM, Union Jack, Vermin, Max Zaran, Arnim Zola, and the rest of the Mutant Force/Freedom Force (Meteorite, Oracle, Paralyzer, and Slither) and Serpent Squad (Viper (original male) and Rattler).

(Red Skull is one of those "Year Two" guys, like Apocalypse and Galactus.)

So, does anyone want to help collaborate on any of these guys in the queue?

[Otaku]

Quick question because if I don't ask now it will be too late... does Marvel own the rights to the name "Primus" in comic books? Does he have an alternate title available?

I just know of at least one other Primus while it isn't as bad as say naming a brand new character "Batman", it is on par with naming one Jor-El or some other well known tertiary character.

[Phantasm]

Originally Posted by Otaku

Quick question because if I don't ask now it will be too late... does Marvel own the rights to the name "Primus" in comic books? Does he have an alternate title available?

I just know of at least one other Primus while it isn't as bad as say naming a brand new character "Batman", it is on par with naming one Jor-El or some other well known tertiary character.

Marvel's android named Primus, a creation of Arnim Zola's, was debuted in 1977, which was at least half a decade before the Gen1 Transformers were introduced as toys, much less before Marvel got the license for the Gen1 comics.

So yeah, they own a character with the same name, and can prove they had it first. However, they tend to not use it to avoid confusion; they really haven't used Primus since the mid-'90s, over in New Warriors v1.

Not seeing any other names for Marvel's Primus.

[Infornific]

Originally Posted by tbrock1031

What would you recommend, then? I'm flexible with weights, and to be honest I'm not that knowledgeable about how heavy people under 5' 10" can get. I see his build as being akin to an American football quarterback or running-back, or an Olympic wrestler, so suggestions are welcome.

Quarterbacks can get pretty bulked up (NFL pro is typically a BMI of 28), running backs even more so. Wrestlers can be leaner. You've got him at a BMI close to 23 - with ST 12 that suggests someone lean and muscular which sounds about right. If you're curious, writeups.org has an article about heroic heights and weights which includes a lot of pictures of male and female athletes to give a sense of what a given height & weight looks like in real life. Possibly NSFW - the athletes aren't wearing a whole lot of clothing. In fact, at the very bottom left there's a wrestler named Lincoln McIlravy who's the same height & weight as your version of Jameson.