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

[Phantasm]

Originally Posted by Emerald Cat

How well do Null-Power Field generators (NPFs) scale? Is it practical to mount one on an armored car and use it for crowd control?

That's a good question. I'm not entirely sure how they'd scale, but I'm thinking the public areas of a prison have larger ones installed for keeping the super-criminals under control. Part of me is thinking, "double weight/mass for double the area affected", but I'm willing to consider exponential expansion (double weight for four times the area effected), operating off the SSR table (1-1.5-2-3-5-7-10), or a 1-3-10 progression ala Spaceships.

As for weaponizing it for crowd control... I hadn't considered that. I'm thinking not, however, because to expand it to a larger area probably requires a larger device and hence more power, possibly more power than you can have even with a dedicated portable generator. (Plus, I'm not sure about allowing Sentinels to mount area-effect neutralizers....)

Originally Posted by Emerald Cat

Squelch screams "miracle drug" to me. It is capable of negating all biological powers without causing long term damage. I don't think that result is realistic for TL8 pharmacology. As such, I'd make Squelch TL8^.

This is a good point. I'm not entirely sure what the short-term and long-term side-effects would be. I'm open to suggestions for such effects.

[Phantasm]

BARON STRUCKER

Real Name: Wulfgang II, Baron von Strucker.
Occupation: Industrialist, subversive.
Identity: Baron Strucker's identity as the Supreme HYDRA is a secret.
Legal Status: Citizen of Germany with no criminal record.
Other Aliases: Supreme HYDRA.
Place of Birth: Bonn, Germany.
Marital Status: Married.
Known Relatives: Wolfgang (grandfather, deceased), Andreas (father, deceased), Andrea (aunt, deceased), Joli (mother), Zelinda (wife), Gunilla (daughter).
Group Affiliation: HYDRA.
Base of Operations: Berlin, Germany.
History: In the final days of World War II, Baron Wolfgang von Strucker along with a sizable contingent from the Nazi Hydra Science Division fled into the Far East, spreading throughout the Orient and reorganizing into the modern HYDRA organization (see HYDRA). In order to hide HYDRA's existence, Baron Strucker organized it into a cell structure, then returned to a now divided Germany, settling into the West German capital of Bonn. He avoided the Nuremberg Trials through a combination of political connections, destroying German records, and the alibi of having been overseas for much of the war (and hence not involved in the atrocities committed by others in the Nazi leadership).

At the turn of the century, the leadership of HYDRA passed to Baron Strucker's namesake grandson; the current Baron Strucker's father, Andreas, had died in combat with the now-disbanded outlaw team Shadowguard. The present Baron Strucker remains in contact with almost all HYDRA cells; he is the one person who knows the identities of all of HYDRA's cell leaders.

More ambitious than his late father, the current Baron Strucker has begun seeding as many government agencies in as many countries as possible with HYDRA sleeper agents, while ordering several other cells to engage in an increasing series of seemingly random terrorist attacks worldwide, designed to spread the law enforcement and intelligence communities thin.

To the public, the current Baron Strucker appears as a member of the old aristocracy who has shown good business sense, rising to a position on the board of directors for a conglomerate of German companies including Fokker Aircraft, Kraus-Moffei Wegman (producer of the Leopard 2 MBT), Heckler & Koch Firearms, and several others.

So far, Strucker's position as the Supreme HYDRA is unknown to both the world at large and those in positions of authority; even his sleeper agents don't know Strucker's name or face, as he communicates with them through indirect means. He has recently taken an interest in a pair of CIA agents – Nick Fury and Natasha Romanoff – who have thwarted a number of his distractions (see Black Widow; Fury, Nick). At present, however, a direct confrontation between Strucker and Fury seems a long way off; Fury is currently unaware of Strucker's existence.
Height: 6' 2".
Weight: 225 lbs.
Eyes: Brown.
Hair: Bald.
Uniform: None.
Strength Level: Baron Strucker 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: Baron Strucker is a skilled hand to hand combatant and a marksman with most conventional weapons.
Weapons and Paraphernalia: Baron Strucker has access to a wide array of advanced technology, both mass-produced and one-off experiments, due to HYDRA's contacts with AIM.

450 points
Attributes: ST 13 [30]; DX 13 [60]; IQ 13 [60]; HT 13 [30].
Secondary Characteristics: Dmg 1d/2d-1; BL 34 lbs.; HP 13 [0]; Will 13 [0]; Per 13 [0]; FP 13 [0]; Basic Speed 6.50 [0]; Basic Move 6 [0]; Dodge 9.
Languages: Arabic (Accented) [4]; English (Accented) [4]; French (Native) [6]; German (Native) (Native Language) [0]; Japanese (Accented) [4]; Mandarin (Accented) [4]; Swahili (Accented) [4].
Cultural Familiarities: Western [0].
Advantages: Charisma 3 [15]; Fit [5]; Gizmo 1 [5]; High Pain Threshold [10]; HYDRA Rank 8 [24]; Merchant Ran 5 [25]; Security Clearance (Free Access to a Narrow Range of Secrets) [10]; Status 6 [5*]; Wealth (Multimillionaire 2) [100].
Perks: Dirty Fighting [1].
Disadvantages: Megalomania [-10]; Secret Identity (Imprisonment) [-20]; Selfish (9) [-7].
Quirks: Attentive [-1]; Chauvinistic [-1]; Needs Reading Glasses [-1]; Wears Grandfather's Monocle (With Replaced Lens) [-1].
Skills: Accounting (H) IQ-1 [2] – 12; Administration (A) IQ-1 [1] – 12; Connoisseur (Literature) (A) IQ-1 [1] – 12; Connoisseur (Visual Arts) IQ-1 [1] – 12; Current Affairs (Business) (E) IQ+0 [1] – 13; Current Affairs (Headline News) (E) IQ+0 [1] – 13; Current Affairs (Politics) (E) IQ+1 [2] – 14; Fast-Talk (A) IQ+1 [4] – 14†; Finance (H) IQ+1 [8] – 14; Guns/TL8 (E) DX+2 [3] – 15‡; Guns/TL8 (Rifle) (E) DX+2 [4] – 15; Hiking (A) HT-1 [1] – 12; Intimidation (A) Will+1 [4] – 14†; Judo (H) DX+2 [12] – 15; Jumping (E) DX+0 [1] – 13; Karate (H) DX+2 [12] – 15; Knife (E) DX+0 [1] – 13; Lifting (A) HT-1 [1] – 12; Market Analysis (H) IQ+1 [8] – 14; Musical Instrument (Violin) (H) IQ-2 [1] – 11; Observation (A) Per+1 [4] – 14; Politics (A) IQ+1 [4] – 14; Running (A) HT-1 [1] – 12; Savoir-Faire (High Society) (E) IQ+0 [1] – 13†; Savoir-Faire (Mafia) (E) IQ+0 [1] – 13†; Streetwise (A) IQ-1 [1] – 12†; Swimming (E) HT+0 [1] – 13; Throwing (A) DX-1 [1] – 12; Wrestling (A) DX+0 [2] – 13.
Starting Spending Money: $40,000,000 (20% of Starting Wealth).

* Includes +2 levels from Merchant Rank and +3 levels from Wealth.
† Conditional +3 from Charisma when making Influence rolls.
‡ Defaulted from Guns (Rifle).

Role-Playing Notes:
Baron Strucker is a patient man, seeing himself as a chess player with the entire world as his board. He believes himself to have a great destiny – to be the one to unite the world under one rule, his rule – and is determined to learn from the mistakes of those who have tried and failed in the past.

Design Notes:
1. HYDRA Rank is designed using rules in Social Engineering for creating a criminal/subversive hierarchy, and does not add to his Status.

[Otaku]

Originally Posted by Phantasm

This is a good point. I'm not entirely sure what the short-term and long-term side-effects would be. I'm open to suggestions for such effects.

Can you explain Squelch a bit more? Maybe reference it? When I Google "Squelch Marvel Comics" I'm getting

• an article about a concept Marvel may have backed out of (or "squelched")
• the Wikipedia article for the Marvel Universe (and the search result warns me it doesn't contain the word "squelch")
• An article about weirdest comic book sound effects that includes "squelch" as one of them (also that made me need brain bleach)
• Your official project page for Marvel Reboot. XP

Wikipedia apparently has a list of comic book drugs, but it doesn't mention anything named "squelch". The Marvel Wikia I checked also has no entry for squelch. I recall something like this existing, but maybe it was known by another name?

Anyway, even just working with what the thread says, squelch is a miracle drug no matter what, because it is shutting down miraculous powers. XP If it is this important, I'm thinking side effects (both long and short term) should mostly just be typical pharmaceutical side effects, like dry mouth, constipation, etc. I'd actually make it all such possible effects, varying from person to person, because that seems to be how powers in the MU work. Only a few things produce semi-consistent results e.g. Hulks. Serious long-term effects should mostly be stuff like kidney damage or diabetes... things that are kind of a gray area of "Should the government be allowed to force people to take it for the 'greater good'?"

Now, I would also have a few other long term effects, all directly related to the powers. Not everyone, but some people may find their powers heightened, diminished, reduced, less controllable, more controllable, or flat out changed due to long term exposure. A scant minority (statistically insignificant but enough to justify a story) will suffer such a thing even from their first dose!

[Phantasm]

Originally Posted by Otaku

Can you explain Squelch a bit more? Maybe reference it? When I Google "Squelch Marvel Comics" I'm getting

• an article about a concept Marvel may have backed out of (or "squelched")
• the Wikipedia article for the Marvel Universe (and the search result warns me it doesn't contain the word "squelch")
• An article about weirdest comic book sound effects that includes "squelch" as one of them (also that made me need brain bleach)
• Your official project page for Marvel Reboot. XP

Wikipedia apparently has a list of comic book drugs, but it doesn't mention anything named "squelch". The Marvel Wikia I checked also has no entry for squelch. I recall something like this existing, but maybe it was known by another name?

To be honest, I "created" the drug for one of my own superhero settings, along with another drug called "Sizzle" which actively burns out super-powers (along with causing epileptic seizures, coma, and death...). So, it's one of those things that's a unique addition to the universe, not something from the comics. If there is a drug in the comics with similar effects - and I'm pretty sure there is in one of the universes, even if from one of the now-defunct publishers from the '90s - I'm not sure what it's called.

Originally Posted by Otaku

Anyway, even just working with what the thread says, squelch is a miracle drug no matter what, because it is shutting down miraculous powers. XP If it is this important, I'm thinking side effects (both long and short term) should mostly just be typical pharmaceutical side effects, like dry mouth, constipation, etc. I'd actually make it all such possible effects, varying from person to person, because that seems to be how powers in the MU work. Only a few things produce semi-consistent results e.g. Hulks. Serious long-term effects should mostly be stuff like kidney damage or diabetes... things that are kind of a gray area of "Should the government be allowed to force people to take it for the 'greater good'?"

Now, I would also have a few other long term effects, all directly related to the powers. Not everyone, but some people may find their powers heightened, diminished, reduced, less controllable, more controllable, or flat out changed due to long term exposure. A scant minority (statistically insignificant but enough to justify a story) will suffer such a thing even from their first dose!

All interesting thoughts. I guess it depends on where the cinematic dial is set to. (Personally, I'm setting it to "action movie", but others using this information may put it at "GRIMDARK!" or "four-color", which would have different effects.)

[Phantasm]

Updated Black Widow with some additional Striking ST.

[Otaku]

Ah, so that is why I couldn't find it. I remember X3 (the film) had a drug derived from Leech that basically replicated his own power nullification effect. This meant a guy like the Beast approached him, and suddenly his arm would appear as a normal, human arm, losing its fur and claws... but when directly interacting with Leech, it would somehow grow it all back the instant he was out of Leech's field of effect.

I realize Squelch wasn't going that far, but it was still pretty rapid in its effectiveness. Unless I had a reading comprehension fail. I mean, I would expect it to takes days, weeks, even months to fully inhibit stuff with "biological", at least fully.

Originally Posted by Phantasm

All interesting thoughts. I guess it depends on where the cinematic dial is set to. (Personally, I'm setting it to "action movie", but others using this information may put it at "GRIMDARK!" or "four-color", which would have different effects.)

I think my suggestion works for them all; when the drama is appropriate, you get a dramatic result, while slice-of-life gets the much more common, mundane results. "Drama" can be "Oh no, Professor Gargoyle was mutated by the Squelch!" or "Professor Gargoyle passed away due to complications from his long term use of Squelch." depending upon what is needed.

[Culture20]

There are quite a few drug based "mutant cures" in the Marvel comic books, but they're usually specific to natural mutants, and are given beneficent names like Hope or X-Cise. The way X-Cise works would probably work for any powered being though; knocks out the portion of the brain that allows activation of powers (must be tailored individually to user's brain), causes irreparable brain damage.
After Civil War, there were nanite based power negators (SPIN tech) that did something nearly identical to X-Cise and worked for non-mutants (She-Hulk was de-powered for a while). It isn't permanent, and also had to be tailored to the target. Usually injected with adamantium tipped darts.

I could see Squelch working on "biological" powers like wings, and other active-use bio-based powers by altering brain chemistry to where the user can't concentrate to activate the powers, side effects would include severe lethargy, malaise, lack of interest in anything, and perhaps even fuge state. Some super-prison wardens might love the stuff, but it would actively work against rehabilitation, so can't be used long term on prisoners in a "civilized democratic" country.

[Culture20]

Very early in X-Men, Magneto demonstrated a stationary island-wide mutant power negation field which was powered by his secret facility, and he used to negate Cyclops' power. This thing was probably decades ahead of anything any government could create. Portable power negation field generators in the comics are a relatively new invention, and they are game changers. Most of them before were either gigantic machines or were machines like the collars/cuffs, just room sized, so the superbeing needed to be "inside" the machine generating the field.

[Phantasm]

Originally Posted by Culture20

There are quite a few drug based "mutant cures" in the Marvel comic books, but they're usually specific to natural mutants, and are given beneficent names like Hope or X-Cise. The way X-Cise works would probably work for any powered being though; knocks out the portion of the brain that allows activation of powers (must be tailored individually to user's brain), causes irreparable brain damage.
After Civil War, there were nanite based power negators (SPIN tech) that did something nearly identical to X-Cise and worked for non-mutants (She-Hulk was de-powered for a while). It isn't permanent, and also had to be tailored to the target. Usually injected with adamantium tipped darts.

I could see Squelch working on "biological" powers like wings, and other active-use bio-based powers by altering brain chemistry to where the user can't concentrate to activate the powers, side effects would include severe lethargy, malaise, lack of interest in anything, and perhaps even fuge state. Some super-prison wardens might love the stuff, but it would actively work against rehabilitation, so can't be used long term on prisoners in a "civilized democratic" country.

Squelch is intended to be used to work on Chemical (there it would be temporary, as Chemical includes Maintenance: Weekly, so after a week or two of Squelch the chemical granting the power would be flushed from the system), Biological and Passive Biological (any number of non-Mutant/non-Super DR and IT:DR characters, including Luke Cage; he'd have to take it orally...). Wings such as Angel's (which have a "Mutant Biology, -0%" power modifier) wouldn't and shouldn't be affected by it, due to the headache involved of "why would he lose two extra limbs when the drug is administered?"

Remember that Biological, Chemical, and Passive Biological power modifiers have a "can be negated/suppressed through pharmaceutical means" clause in them (worth -5%). Squelch is intended to be one of those "pharmaceutical means of suppression". There are likely other kinds out there, with more serious side effects, most likely earlier generations of the drug from earlier generations of superhumans, which are more likely to act as you describe. Trial, error, charging ten to a hundred times manufacturing costs per dose, and military funding to get to the Squelch I'm trying to describe, one suitable for use in prisons to prevent inmates from using their superhuman strength to break out while keeping them cognizant, not one that suppresses them by making them so loopy they can't think.

Clear as mud?

[Otaku]

Originally Posted by Phantasm

Wings such as Angel's (which have a "Mutant Biology, -0%" power modifier) wouldn't and shouldn't be affected by it, due to the headache involved of "why would he lose two extra limbs when the drug is administered?"

Just to play devil's advocate, there can be a reason for this. Probably a few, but the main thing to remember is that realistic physical mutations aren't actually that realistic in the MU. I won't drone on about that; the main thing is that I favor running almost every source of Powers in the MU through the Celestials ancient manipulations and/or some sort of instability (or arguably, greater stability) in the Marvel Comics multiverse that allows such genes to basically play fast and loose with reality.

So, even if "BAM! Your wings shrink into your back!" is still too silly, there is some wiggle room to allow Squelch to slowly affect them, probably causing them to deteriorate until it makes more sense (even to some being forced to take the drug) to surgically remove the remains before they can become infected or badly diseased. I hate doing this, but I started this comment before realizing I had to run, so maybe I can run through it later... or maybe not, as this wasn't a super serious argument. ;)