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

[Phantasm]

Originally Posted by DreadDomain

Why No Signature on DR?

For much the same reason it applies in the Monster Hunters line. It's an armored hide that's not obviously armored. (Note that I didn't add No Signature to Abomination's DR, because his skin is obviously armored.) But if you look at Hercules, or Namor, or someone like Superman (during one of the inter-company crossovers), can you tell just by looking at them that they're bullet-proof? That's what No Signature does on DR.

Originally Posted by DreadDomain

It might be what you are looking for but Enhanced ST's cost seems way to high especially since it is only accessible while Super ST is in effect. Consider Hercules, for the point spent on Enhanced ST 35, he could have raised his Super ST by an sxtra +8 for a total of +21/+7000. A much better deal than +35.

Accurate first, then Simplicity. Cheap never factors into these builds.

I set a target two-handed lift (BL*8) for characters, in Herc's case 100 tons, and shoot for that. If I can get close with just Super ST, that's good, but some values take a little bit more tweaking. The best I could do with Super ST is approximately 80 tons; Enhanced ST at 8 per level (the combined price of Lifting ST + Striking ST) before modifiers needed more than just a few levels. What kind of two-handed lift would ST 7000 give? (As I'm setting the Hulk and Juggernaut as the two strongest in the setting, at a two-handed lift of about 500 tons, your proposal for Herc would probably push him higher than those two. (I need to adjust Hulk's sheet....))

[DreadDomain]

Originally Posted by Phantasm

For much the same reason it applies in the Monster Hunters line. It's an armored hide that's not obviously armored. (Note that I didn't add No Signature to Abomination's DR, because his skin is obviously armored.) But if you look at Hercules, or Namor, or someone like Superman (during one of the inter-company crossovers), can you tell just by looking at them that they're bullet-proof? That's what No Signature does on DR.


Accurate first, then Simplicity. Cheap never factors into these builds.

I set a target two-handed lift (BL*8) for characters, in Herc's case 100 tons, and shoot for that. If I can get close with just Super ST, that's good, but some values take a little bit more tweaking. The best I could do with Super ST is approximately 80 tons; Enhanced ST at 8 per level (the combined price of Lifting ST + Striking ST) before modifiers needed more than just a few levels. What kind of two-handed lift would ST 7000 give? (As I'm setting the Hulk and Juggernaut as the two strongest in the setting, at a two-handed lift of about 500 tons, your proposal for Herc would probably push him higher than those two. (I need to adjust Hulk's sheet....))

Regarding DR: got it, thanks.

Regarding Enhanced ST: from the other thread, I understand what you are trying to acheive. I am just pointing out that Enhanced ST is nowhere near worth the amount of points you gave it. I am NOT suggesting giving Herc +7000, I was just trying to illustrate how Enhanced ST is mispriced (a player would never buy Enhanded ST as written). I am suggesting repricing Enhanced ST but to be honest, it's not easy since it is not worth the same depending how many levels of Super ST you have.

[Phantasm]

Originally Posted by DreadDomain

Regarding Enhanced ST: from the other thread, I understand what you are trying to acheive. I am just pointing out that Enhanced ST is nowhere near worth the amount of points you gave it. I am NOT suggesting giving Herc +7000, I was just trying to illustrate how Enhanced ST is mispriced (a player would never buy Enhanded ST as written). I am suggesting repricing Enhanced ST but to be honest, it's not easy since it is not worth the same depending how many levels of Super ST you have.

Well, repricing Enhanced ST would mean repricing Lifting ST and/or Striking ST, and I'm hesitant to reprice any RAW traits for this project. I'd probably end up breaking things in the wrong way if I try. Using the rule set is one thing; changing the rule set is another altogether, one I am not comfortable doing.

[chandley]

Any reason not to go fractional Super ST to get to target lifts instead?

100 tons for BLx8 is BL 25,000, or ST 353. 13 to 14 on the SSR table is a difference of 200, 33/200 is .165. Super ST for 333 is +13.165, and costs 395 pts. The fractional bit gets ignored in most I-scale situations. If a mouse (Dc-scale, "Deci") somehow got past DR, that extra .165 HPs might help :). It does add about 3lbs to the non-Super Effort BL, so that isnt nothing.

It isnt explicit in RAW, but I dont think doing this does any violence to the rules. No one has talked about Deci-scale outside of maybe Bunnies and Burrows (I dont have it...) and fractional ST isnt normally done. But in this case it might actually be easier to look at than the Enhanced ST construction?

[Refplace]

For a Supers article I wrote in case Pyramid ever has a Supers issue I came up with comparisons for various ST modes. Here it is for about 100 Tons.

ST 360 (37d/39d) BL 12.96 tons, press 103 ton [3500]
Super ST 33/320 (33d/35d) BL 10 tons, press 80 tons [1020]
Log ST 41 (7d+1/8d-1) BL 12.5 tons, press 103 ton [310]
Not that Log ST does not do significant damge, for that you also have to buy additional Striking ST but that is priced differently in the Knowing Your Own Strength article and balances well (IMO) against Innate Attack.

[DreadDomain]

Originally Posted by Phantasm

Well, repricing Enhanced ST would mean repricing Lifting ST and/or Striking ST, and I'm hesitant to reprice any RAW traits for this project. I'd probably end up breaking things in the wrong way if I try. Using the rule set is one thing; changing the rule set is another altogether, one I am not comfortable doing.

This is precisely why I think de-rating Super Effort would work better (or fractionnal levels like Chandley suggests, it is the same idea but applied differently). Both solution uses the rules as opposed to change the rules.

Edit: adding link to derated Super-Effort for clarity.
http://forums.sjgames.com/showpost.p...7&postcount=10

[DreadDomain]

Originally Posted by Refplace

For a Supers article I wrote in case Pyramid ever has a Supers issue I came up with comparisons for various ST modes. Here it is for about 100 Tons.

ST 360 (37d/39d) BL 12.96 tons, press 103 ton [3500]
Super ST 33/320 (33d/35d) BL 10 tons, press 80 tons [1020]
Log ST 41 (7d+1/8d-1) BL 12.5 tons, press 103 ton [310]
Not that Log ST does not do significant damge, for that you also have to buy additional Striking ST but that is priced differently in the Knowing Your Own Strength article and balances well (IMO) against Innate Attack.

I believe ST 41 would be 8d+1/9d-1. To compare point for point, you could buy and extra 25d for 100 points (still a much better deal) but I suspect that KYOS is supposed to work with log DR as well.

[Refplace]

Originally Posted by DreadDomain

I believe ST 41 would be 8d+1/9d-1. To compare point for point, you could buy and extra 25d for 100 points (still a much better deal) but I suspect that KYOS is supposed to work with a log DR as.

Log ST 41 upgraded to 37d (Basic ST 360) costs about 420 points.
I dont like the idea of log DR though, IT:DR is much better suited to the comics. DR goes from no damage to red mist very quickly at those levels whereas IT:DR lets Titans slug it out better.
Also you would have to raise Innate Attack to Log or log DR would quickly overwhelm it.

[Phantasm]

THE BAR WITH NO NAME

The so-called Bar With No Name is in reality a series of drinking establishments; every major city in the United States has at least one, and New York City is known to have five: one in Harlem, one in Greenwich Village, one in Brooklyn, one in the Bronx, and one in Queens. There are rumors that the chain is international, ranging from Canada and Mexico to Europe and such locales as Brazil, Egypt, Russia, China, and India, although no such Bars outside the United States have been depicted.

The Bars cater to the costumed criminal underworld, a place for such criminals and mercenaries to relax and network away from the prying eyes of the police and costumed vigilantes. From the outside, these bars appear to be regular bars, all under a variety of names. A secret entrance in the rear leads to a staircase leading down to the criminal bar. The separation is as much to keep the regular clientele safe as it is to the criminal, since many normal people get nervous when around costumes, regardless of whether a crime is being committed. Once a week, the Bar With No Name in Harlem hosts a poker tournament; every so often, the villains will even "invite" (read: temporarily kidnap) Ben Grimm of the Fantastic Four to play poker with them (see Fantastic Four; Thing). The first time this happened, he was surprised, particularly as he was invited by Rhino and Juggernaut (who nearly trashed the block in a brawl before Juggernaut mentioned being late for the poker game), but he understands that even villains have the need to unwind (see Juggernaut; Rhino). No charges have ever been filed against the Bar or those sent to invite him, as he's always released unharmed at the end of the night (and usually a few thousand dollars richer).

Surprisingly, while the locations of each Bar With No Name is generally only known to the criminal underworld, the bars are completely legal! The bars always follow the local liquor laws, including generally not being open on certain days or times proscribed by law, maintaining their liquor licenses, and paying proper taxes. On top of that, there is no law in any locale where a known Bar With No Name exists that prevents people from drinking and socializing while dressed in outlandish outfits.

It is believed the first Bar With No Name was opened in Chicago, Illinois, during the Prohibition era as a meeting place for bootleggers; most believe it was a secret speakeasy for Al Capone. During World War II, with the emergence of costumed superhuman criminals, the Chicago bar began to cater to the costumed set. It wasn't long before the first of New York's opened, believed to be in Harlem. As each generation of superhuman criminals and crimefighters rose and waned, the number of Bars With No Name slowly increased. Today it is not uncommon to find retired super-criminals mingling with and giving advice to their younger, more active counterparts; even the retired criminals are known to wear their uniforms in the Bars.

Besides the New York and Chicago establishments, Bars With No Name are known to exist in Los Angeles, California; Houston, Texas; and Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Others are believed to exist in Las Vegas, Nevada; San Francisco, California; Phoenix, Arizona; and New Orleans, Louisiana, though they have yet to be depicted.

------

Mission Statement: To provide a safe haven for costumed criminals to relax, enjoy each others' company, and network while in their working uniforms. The Bar maintains a strict no-violence policy among its patrons, which it can't really enforce but which the patrons follow anyway (mostly because they don't want their safe haven destroyed). Each Bar is independent of the others, and maintains a second bar for regular clientele.

Capabilities

TL: 8
Members: 12
Wealth: Average.
Contacts: Criminal Skills-18 [15].
Notable Resources: Each Bar is its own two-level establishment, usually with room on the lower level for those villains who are larger than average.
Reaction-Time Modifier: -1

Costs and Values

Startup Cost: $374,400
Resource Value: $1,872
Patron Value: 10 points.
Enemy Value: -20 points.
Ally and Dependent Value: The Bars don't offer any Allies or Dependents themselves, but can be used to find temporary Allies of up to 150% point value.

Social Attributes

Type: Commercial
Loyalty: Neutral (10)
CR: 1.
Rank: Merchant Rank [5/level], does not exceed Rank 1.
Income Range: $1,300 (Struggling) to $2,600 (Average).
Reputation: +2 from costumed criminals, +0 from everyone else who learns about them.

Notes

The "members" of the Bar With No Name are the proprietor and his staff, which generally includes two bartenders on each level, four waitresses, and a small kitchen staff of a short order cook and a dishwasher. The criminals that frequent the bar are merely clientele, but will (generally) come to its defense.



I thought that since I've referenced this plenty of times I should do an entry for it. Whether the Bars are a full chain or independent of each other is up to individual GMs.

This is my first attempt at using Boardroom and Curia; how'd I do?

[Phantasm]

HENCHMEN FOR HIRE

Henchmen For Hire is a staffing agency catering to the criminal underworld. Like all staffing agencies, they hire people and contract them out to client organizations; their clients, however, are of a more sinister bent than the everyday evil of white collar embezzlers and telemarketing services.

Henchmen For Hire is the real name of Good Help Staffing, a temporary employment agency operating out of the fifth floor of the Baxter Building, most famously known as the home of the Fantastic Four (see Baxter Building; Fantastic Four). (The irony of operating out of the same building as one of the leading superhero teams in Manhattan is not lost on those in the know about the agency.) The agency consists of about forty men and women interviewing potential contractors, six account managers handling contracts for the legitimate clients, two account managers handling contracts for their criminal clients, four accountants, an eight-person IT staff, a three-person Human Resources office, the owner/manager, and his assistant. Subtle questions during the interview process permit the staff to gauge whether a potential employee is suitable for hiring out to their criminal clients. These questions generally start with the routine question about a criminal record, then branch off into other questions. As expected, the criminal hires are given preference if they've gone through one of the Taskmaster's training academies (see Taskmaster). Thanks to their location and the New York City population, they have a base of several dozen thousand potential employees to contract out to companies and crimelords alike. Only the two account managers handling the criminal clients answer the phones with "Henchmen For Hire", and then only on special lines.

The owner/manager of the company is Kevin Thompson, a mind-controller who once operated by the name Kilgrave before he retired from overt criminal dealings, legitimizing his criminal wealth by funneling it into the agency (see Kilgrave). He has kept the company solvent by maintaining a "no questions asked" policy for their criminal clientele, and not fudging the books. While he has occasionally been investigated by city, state, and federal law enforcement, Kilgrave has managed to avoid prosecution through his powers and the company's own legitimacy.

To date, Henchmen For Hire is known to contract out employees for Doctor Octopus, the Green Goblin, and the Hammerhead family of the Maggia (see Doctor Octopus; Green Goblin; Hammerhead; Maggia). They also occasionally do business with Advanced Idea Mechanics, though generally on a temp-to-hire basis (see AIM).

"We broker only for the most reputable clients."
– Merchants Guild Officer, Wing Commander Privateer.

-----

Mission Statement: Henchmen For Hire is dedicated to providing skilled criminal muscle to organized crime syndicates. As a side business, which incidentally brings in more income than their criminal enterprise, they also provide temporary workers for all kinds of businesses across New York City.

Capabilities

TL: 8
Members: 65
Wealth: Comfortable.
Contacts: Criminal skills-15; office skills-15.
Member Traits:
Notable Resources: Henchmen For Hire rents out a floor of the Baxter Building.
Reaction-Time Modifier: +0

Costs and Values

Startup Cost: $4,056,000
Resource Value: $20,280
Patron Value: 10 points.
Enemy Value: -10 points.
Ally and Dependent Value: The Allies they contract out almost never exceeds a 75 point character, but they can offer groups of up to 50 of them at once.

Social Attributes

Type: Commercial
Loyalty: Neutral (10)
CR: 2
Rank: Merchant Rank [5/level], not exceeding Rank 2.
Income Range: $2,600 (Average) to $260,000 (Filthy Rich).
Reputation: +1 (to job-seekers and employers)




Second attempt at using Boardroom and Curia. Wasn't sure if I should have all their potential temps as "members" or not; doing so would certainly raise several of the listed startup and resources values.

Please critique!