[SUPERS] My Unofficial Handbook to the DC Universe

[Phantasm]

Originally Posted by aesir23

Material: Kryptonite

Roughly how many "flavors" or "colors" of Kryptonite do you intend to have?

[aesir23]

Originally Posted by Phantasm

Roughly how many "flavors" or "colors" of Kryptonite do you intend to have?

In the current comics continuity, IIRC, the only naturally occurring Kryptonite is green Kryptonite. I'm going to stick with that.

My thinking is that the best way to handle this is to allow other colors of Kryptonite as individual Gadgets.

So, Luthor or the Ultra-Humanite or someone could easily make a different color of Kryptonite, but they'd have to buy it as a gadget.

Something like this:

Red Kryptonite
Affliction Lvl 10 (Area Affect 8yards, +125%, Disadvantage (Bad Temper 6or less + Berserk (Battle Rage) + Bloodlust), +45%, Based on HT (Target Roll) +20%, Accessibility: Only on Kryptonians -80%, Gadget (Can be Stolen (Easily Snatched) -40%) [175]

Black Kryptonite
Affliction Lvl 10 (Area Affect 8yards, +125%, Disadvantage (Enemy (Equal in Power, Evil Twin, 15 or Less), +60%, Based on HT (Target Roll) +20%, Accessibility: Only on Kryptonians -80%, Gadget (Can be Stolen (Easily Snatched) -40%) [210]

Easily within the budget of their Modular Gadget abilities.

This way, every type of Kryptonite might exist, but it cuts down on the silliness by having all of those wild effects become something deliberately designed for some nefarious purpose.

The real question is this: when building Kryponite gadgets (like Kryptonite Lazers), do I need to give them an enhancement to let them bypass Kryptonian defenses, or is it enough that those defense have the Bane limitation? I'm thinking it's probably a zero point feature or Special Effect (Counts as Kryptonite) +5%.

[aesir23]

Villain: The Parasite

Alias: Rudolph "Rudy" Jones
Affiliations: Secret Society (of Super Villains), Suicide Squad
Area of Operation: Metropolis

Rudy Jones was a sometime small-time criminal working as a night janitor in STAR Labs, when he was exposed to an unknown radiation source from one of the experiments and his meta-genes were activated.

He was transformed into a solid-bubblegum pink humanoid with the ability to drain the lifeforce from anyone he touched. Usually, his victims died and he was left craving more energy, more power. While he can use this energy to make himself somewhat stronger, and his new body is much more durable than usual, the true extent of Rudy's power becomes apparent when he touches someone with Powers.

The first time Superman tried to apprehend The Parasite, Rudy discovered that when he drained someone's life-force, he also drained their powers. He kept a powerless superman locked up in the sub-basement of STAR labs for days, draining him often enough to retain his kryptonian powers and feel totally sated. When Superman was able to escape, he defeated The Parasite with the help of some Kryptonite--Rudy hadn't realized he would have the heroe's weaknesses as well.

Since The Parasite can access the mind of his victims, he's well aware that Superman is Clark Kent. But he's never told anyone. He wants Superman all to himself--as a never-ending supply of supreme power.

The Parasite can make use of the intelligence of his victims, In the case of smarter, craftier victims, this results in a villain even more dangerous than The Parasite is on his own. On occassion, however the memories and skills of his victims come with enough of their of their consciousness that they can actually compete for The Parasite's body.

Name: Parasite AKA: Rudy Jones
Race: Human

Attributes [100]
ST 16 [60]
DX 12 [40]
IQ 9 [-20]
HT 12 [20]

HP 26 (Hit Points includes +10 from 'Extra Hit Points')
Will 12 [15]
Per 10 (Perception includes +1 from 'Extra Perception')
FP 12

Basic Lift 51
Damage 1d+1/2d+2

Basic Speed 6
Basic Move 6

Ground Move 6
Water Move 1

Social Background
TL: 8 [0]
Cultural Familiarities:
Languages: English (Native) [0].

Advantages [1889]

Mundane Advantages:
None.

Unique Physiology:
Damage Resistance (8) (Flexible; Super) [28]
Doesn't Breathe (Super) [18]
Doesn't Eat or Drink (Super) [9]
Extra Hit Points (10) (Affects HP; Super) [18]
Injury Tolerance (Homogenous; Super) [36]
Regrowth (Super) [36]
Resistant (Metabolic Hazards) (Very Common) (Immunity; Super) [27]
Unkillable (1) (Super) [45]

Drain Life-Force:
Affliction (Agony) (5) (Always On (effects are horribly inconvenient and/or very dangerous); Based On Will (Target Roll); Cosmic: Irresistible attack; Agony; Link (Powers must be used together); Melee Attack: Reach C; Super) [220]

Energy Reserve (Super) (25) (One Power; Special Recharge; Super) [15]

Extra IQ (6) (Accessibility (Capped at level of current Neutralize Victim) (+5); Conditional IQ; Super; Temporary Disadvantage: Split Personality) [30]

Extra ST (10) (Costs Fatigue (Variable) (+10); Super) [65]

Leech (FP) (1HP/sec) (Always On (effects are horribly inconvenient and/or very dangerous); Starvation Hazard; Heals Energy Reserve (heals HP or ER); Link (Powers must be used together); Steal FP (only drains FP); Super) [32]

Leech (HT) (1HP/sec) (Always On (effects are horribly inconvenient and/or very dangerous); Heals Energy Reserve (heals HP or ER); Steal HT; Super) [50]

Leech (ST) (1HP/sec) (Always On (effects are horribly inconvenient and/or very dangerous); Heals Energy Reserve (heals HP or ER); Steal ST; Super) [50]

Mind Probe (Contact Agent; Invasive; Link (Powers must be used together); Super; Universal) [39]

Mind Reading (Contact Agent; Link (Powers must be used together); Super; Universal) [36]

Modular Abilities (Absorbed Languages) (Accessibility (Only Languages Known by recent Mind-Probe Victim) (+6); Per point of abilities (+6); Trait Limited: One specific trait (Languages)) [12]

Modular Abilities (Absorbed Skills) (Accessibility (Only the Skills of Mind Probe Victim, at the point value they have.) (+6); Link (Powers must be used together); Per point of abilities (+40); Super; Skills Only) [160]

Modular Abilities (Absorbed Mental Advantages) (Accessibility (Only Advantages Known by Recent Mind-Probe Victim) (+6); Per point of abilities (+40); Advantages Only) [120]

Neutralize (Super) (Always On (effects are horribly inconvenient and/or very dangerous); Based On HT (Target Roll); Cosmic; Cosmic: Irresistible attack; Extended Duration X30; Inconvenient Effect: Must Steal Weaknesses and Vulnerabilities, Too; Link (Powers must be used together); Power Theft (gains stolen power); Super; Takes Extra Time (+1)) [455]

Disadvantages [-100]
Appearance (Monstrous) [-20]
Obsession (To keep Superman as a permanent food source and keep his powers forever.) (Long-Term Goal) (12 or less) [-10]
Secret (Knows Superman's Secret Identity) (Imprisonment or Exile) [-20]
Social Stigma (Monster) [-15]
Uncontrollable Appetite (Life-Force) (12 or less) [-15]
Unhealing (Partial) [-20]

Quirks [-3]
Craves the rush of absorbing powers from powerful people. [-1]
Likes mindless, low-brow TV shows. [-1]
Sexless [-1]

Skills [45]
Area Knowledge (local) IQ/E - IQ+0 9 [1]
Brawling DX/E - DX+2 14 [4]
Forced Entry DX/E - DX+2 14 [4]
Housekeeping IQ/E - IQ+3 12 [8]
Intimidation Will/A - Will+4 13 [4]
includes: +3 from 'Appearance'
Shadowing IQ/A - IQ+1 10 [4]
Stealth DX/A - DX+1 13 [4]
Streetwise IQ/A - IQ+1 10 [4]
Wrestling DX/A - DX+3 15 [12]

Stats [115] Ads [1506] Disads [-100] Quirks [-3] Skills [45] = Total [1553]

Power Explanation:
Here's what happens when The Parasite touches you (he does not need to touch bare skin):
Every turn you have to roll HT-5 or be incapacitated with Agony (Affliction)
Every turn you lose 1 FP (from Starvation), 1 HT, and 1 ST. (You don't lose any HP, but you can still die from it.) When you're free of him, you regain them at the rate you regain FP. (Leech)
Every turn he drains your FP, HT, and ST, The Parasite gains 1 HP or 1 ER, as he chooses. (Leech) (He can use ER gained in this way to increase his ST at a cost of 1/ST/Minute.)
If you do not break free after the first round, roll a contest of his Will versus your Health. If you win, The Parasite will try again every other round (while, presumably reducing your HT and therefore your ability to resist). If you lose, The Parasite steals all your powers (and weaknesses and vulnerabilities) for 30 minutes per margin of success.

The Leech (HT) ability is the key to effective use of this power. The lower The Parasite can get your (HT) score, the easier it becomes to incapacitate you and steal your powers.

[Phantasm]

Originally Posted by aesir23

Other Superman Villains (The Parasite, Metallo, ...any specific requests?).

Toyman comes to mind. And on the other end of the scale, General Zod and Mr. Myxlplyk.

Really, most of Superman's foes are folks he has to outwit, and are typically normal con-men (J. Wilbur Wulfingham and the like).

[aesir23]

Originally Posted by Phantasm

Toyman comes to mind. And on the other end of the scale, General Zod and Mr. Myxlplyk.

Really, most of Superman's foes are folks he has to outwit, and are typically normal con-men (J. Wilbur Wulfingham and the like).

Toyman's an interesting case, because he's someone who really shouldn't be a threat to Superman. He won't be that interesting a build, though. Just lots of points in Modular Gadget Abilities. I'll think about it. There's probably an angle I could take to make it interesting.

And Myxlplyk is far too silly for me. And also, just tens of thousands of points in cosmic modular abilities.

I'm sure I'll do Zod, eventually, and I'll tackle Brainiac, too (though he's a challenging one).

[Phantasm]

Originally Posted by Phantasm

Really, most of Superman's foes are folks he has to outwit, and are typically normal con-men (J. Wilbur Wulfingham and the like).

Going through my old 1986-era DC Who's Who collection, I feel I have to revise this statement.

Either they're normal people he can't in good conscience punch out for fear of pulverizing them (see: the classic "World of Cardboard" speech), are magic-users he has no defenses against, or are just as physically powerful as he is. So much so he's actually sort of relieved when he encounters someone he can duke it out with in a place where he can let loose without worrying about collateral damage. (Facing Mongul on Worldworld, for example.)

Some of his adversaries in the Silver Age were his childhood friends under some sort of mental domination and given powers (Lana Lang as the Insect Queen comes to mind here).

Then again, is it any wonder Superman has the tendency to make his friends' lives "interesting"?

[aesir23]

Originally Posted by Phantasm

Really, most of Superman's foes are folks he has to outwit, and are typically normal con-men (J. Wilbur Wulfingham and the like).

Often Lex Luthor himself fits this model, especially when he's in business-man mode rather than mad-scientist mode (my version is obviously a combination of both.)

I like to think that with most of the mortal, fragile criminals he has to outwit, it's really world-class investigative report Clark Kent who defeats them.

[Flyndaran]

IMO, Superman's greatest or at least most interesting and long lasting foes are ones he can't just punch into the sun.

[Phantasm]

Originally Posted by Flyndaran

IMO, Superman's greatest or at least most interesting and long lasting foes are ones he can't just punch into the sun.

Agreed. For all the hype, Doomsday just isn't that interesting.

What makes Toyman interesting to me is that he attempts to force Superman to be in multiple places at once. Doomsday is just a 40-page slugfest.

[Flyndaran]

That's why I loved the Superman-esque movie, Meteor Man. Despite gaining powers like the big guy, he couldn't be everywhere at once protecting everyone at once.