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

[Phantasm]

Taking a break to do a character I've had running through my head for a while.

THRUD

Real Name: Thrud Thorsdotter, Anglicized from Þrúðr.
Occupation: College student, apprentice Valkyrie.
Identity: Thrud's existence on Earth is public knowledge, though very few believe she really is the Thrud of myth. Her mortal identity of Trudy Nordstrom is known only to a select few, though she makes no effort to keep the two separate.
Legal Status: Princess of Asgard; as Trudy Nordstrom is legally a citizen of the United States; no criminal record in either identity.
Other Aliases: Trudy Nordstrom.
Place of Birth: Asgard.
Marital Status: Single.
Known Relatives: Thor (father), Sif (alias Violet Nordstrom, mother), Uller, Magni, Modi (half-brothers), Loki (adopted uncle), Freyja (adopted aunt), Tyr, Heimdall, Balder, Hoder, Vidar (uncles), Odin (grandfather), Jörd (also known as Fjörgyn, grandmother), Frigga (step-grandmother), Bør (great-grandfather, presumably deceased), Buri (great-great-grandfather, presumably deceased), Eisa (step-cousin), many other notable Aesir.
Group Affiliation: Gods of Asgard, Valkyries of Asgard, University of Houston Women's Basketball Team.
Base of Operations: Houston, Texas; Asgard.
History: By all accounts, Thrud was born centuries ago in Asgard to Thor and his wife, Sif (see Asgard; Sif; Thor). As she grew older, she exhibited several traits that showed through in her father's giant heritage, standing much taller than most gods, which often led her to be classified a giantess herself by some mythographers, though she was always counted among the Aesir due to her parentage (see Asgardians). Growing up, she was always a "daddy's tomboy", preferring the sword and shield over the so-called "womanly arts". At a young age, she was selected to be trained as a Valkyrie, and was tutored in the warrior arts by Brunnhilde, the most skilled of the Valkyrior (see Valkyrie).

When Sif walked out on her husband, Thrud decided to go with her mother, though she remained in regular contact with her father until he disappeared from Asgard. Thrud soon learned from Heimdall what had happened, and told her family (see Heimdall). When Sif chose to relocate to Midgard – the name the Asgardians give to Earth – she took Thrud and Thor's sons Magni and Modi with her (see Magni and Modi).

Still appearing as a young woman in her early 20s and wishing to learn more about Midgard and mortal life, Thrud commissioned a golden girdle from the Dwarves Eitri and Brokk of Nidavallir – descendants of the Dwarves of the same names who had forged Thor's hammer Mjolnir – to limit her strength when worn, and then using the papers provided by Sif when establishing their mortal identities to enroll at the University of Houston as a student, using the name Trudy Nordstrom. Due to her height and athletic nature, she was essentially drafted into their women's basketball team as their starting center.

Thrud has occasionally come to her father's assistance in his exploits, and has had a number of exploits of her own or alongside her brothers. She has a long-standing rivalry with her step-cousin Eisa, daughter of Loki, who has assisted Loki on several occasions (see Eisa; Loki). More recently, though, she has joined forces with a number of other Valkyries from across the Nine Realms under Brunnhilde's guidance in a mission to investigate and put an end to a long-dormant threat, the exact nature of which has not yet been revealed. Each member of the team hails from a different world; due to her mother's lineage, Thrud is considered the Valkyrie from Vanaheim (Brunnhilde is the official Valkyrie from Asgard).
Height: 7' 8".
Weight: 824 lbs.
Eyes: Blue.
Hair: Reddish-brown.
Uniform: None.
Strength Level: Thrud possesses the normal superhuman strength of an Asgardian goddess/giantess of her age, height, and build who engages in intensive regular exercise. She is estimated to be able to lift (press) roughly 50 tons.
Known Superhuman Powers: Thrud possesses the standard attributes of an Asgardian goddess of her stature. Owing to her parentage, she is more durable than most other Asgardians, being immune to most conventional weaponry even without armor. As a Valkyrie, she has the ability to see a "death aura" around those who are soon going to die without assistance; Thrud does not have the ability yet to tell the reason for death.
Other Abilities: Thrud is a skilled athlete, swordswoman, spear-fighter, and horse rider.
Weapons and Paraphernalia: Thrud owns a sword and circular shield made of uru, but these weapons have not exhibited any magical properties beyond being unbreakable; her sword, however, has been named Mektigeslag, which hints at magical properties. As a Valkyrie, she is permitted to wear a suit of mail made of Asgardian steel, which she often wears with a blue cloak. In her identity as Trudy Nordstrom, Thrud wears an enchanted golden girdle around her waist which limits her strength to that of a human of her age, height, and build (which is still fairly prodigious).

1,500 points
Attributes: ST 62/250 (Size, -10%) [0*]; DX 13 [60]; IQ 11 [20]; HT 15 [50].
Secondary Characteristics: SM +1; Dmg 7d+1/9d+2; HP 62 [0]; Will 11 [0]; Per 11 [0]; FP 15 [0]; Basic Speed 7.00 [0]; Basic Move 8 [0]; Dodge 11.
Languages: Old Norse (Native) (Native Language) [0]; English (Accented) [4].
Cultural Familiarities: Asgardian [0]; Western [1].
Advantages: Ally (Asgardian Flying Horse; 25% Starting Points) (15) [3]; Appearance (Beautiful) [8†]; Asgardian God [564‡]; Combat Reflexes [15]; Damage Resistance 40 (Tough Skin, -40%); [120]; Detect Death's Aura (Increased Range: Line-of-Sight, +70%; Reflexive, +40%; Sense-Based: Vision, -20%; Vague, -50%; Magical, -10%) [26]; Enhanced Block 3 [15]; Enhanced Parry (All Parries) 3 [30]; Extra Attack 1 (Multi-Strike, +20%; Single Skill: Broadsword, -20%) [25]; Extra ST +31 (Size, -10%; Magical, -10%) [248]; Hard to Kill 3 [6]; High Pain Threshold [10]; Injury Tolerance (Damage Reduction /10 (Limited Defense: Crushing Attacks, -40%)) [45§]; No Low TL 5 [25]; Signature Gear (Sword and Shield) [14]; Social Regard (Feared; Valkyrie) 3 [15]; Special Rapport (Flying Horse) (Magical, -10%) [5]; Status 6 [25#]; Super ST +12/+200 (Size, -10%; Magical, -10%) [27¥]; Unaging [5∫]; Very Fit [15]; Wealth (Very Wealthy) [30]; Weapon Master (Valkyrie Weapons) [30].
Perks: Citizenship (United States) [1]; Fearsome Stare [1]; Focused Fury [1]; Named Possession (Sword, "Mektigeslag" ("Mighty Blows" in Norwegian)) [1]; Rule of 15 [1]; Shield-Wall Training [1]; Style Familiarity (Armatura Equestris) [1]; Style Familiarity (Sword-and-Shield Fighting) [1]; Style Familiarity (Viking Spear Fighting) [1]; Sure-Footed (Uneven) [1].
Disadvantages: Code of Honor (Viking) [-5]; Enemy (Eisa, Daughter of Loki; Equal in Power; Rival) (9) [-5]; Gigantism [0]; Overconfidence (12) [-5]; Pacifism (Cannot Harm Innocents) [-10]; Sense of Duty (Friends and Family) [-5]; Stubbornness [-5].
Quirks: Dual Identity [-1]; Proud [-1]; Sprinkles Battle Plans with Sports Jargon [-1]; Unimaginative [-1].
Skills: Animal Handling (Equines) (A) IQ+0 [2] – 11; Axe/Mace (A) DX+1 [4] – 14; Bow (A) DX+1 [4] – 14; Brawling (E) DX+1 [2] – 14; Broadsword (A) DX+3 [12] – 16; Climbing (A) DX-1 [1] – 12; Fast-Draw (Arrow) (E) DX+1 [1] – 14£; Fast-Draw (Sword) (E) DX+1 [1] – 14£; Hiking (A) HT-1 [1] – 14; Jumping (E) DX+1 [2] – 14; Kiai (H) HT-2 [1] – 13; Power Blow (H) Will+1 [8] – 12; Riding (Equines) (A) DX+0 [2] – 13; Running (A) HT-1 [1] – 14; Savoir-Faire (High Society) (E) IQ+1 [2] – 12; Savoir-Faire (Military) (E) IQ+1 [2] – 12; Shield (E) DX+3 [8] – 16; Spear (A) DX+3 [12] – 16; Sports (Basketball) (A) DX+0 [2] – 13; Swimming (E) HT+0 [1] – 15; Throwing (A) DX+1 [4] – 14; Thrown Weapon (Spear) (E) DX+1 [2] – 14; Wrestling (A) DX+1 [4] – 14.
Techniques: Cavalry Training (Broadsword) (H) def+1 [2] – 15; Cavalry Training (Spear) (H) def+2 [3] – 16; Hands-Free Riding (Equines) (H) def+1 [2] – 12; Slam Dunk (Sports (Basketball) (A) def+0 [0] – 10¤.
Starting Spending Money: $76,520 (20% of Starting Wealth, minus cost of a heavy mail hauberk built for SM +1)

* Includes +9 from Asgardian God, +31 from Extra ST, and +12/+200 from Super ST. With the Extra ST and Super ST negated by her girdle, she has ST 19, Dmg 2d-1/3d+1; BL 72 lbs.
† Upgraded from Appearance (Attractive) from Asgardian God.
‡ Adjusted from the standard Asgardian God template by applying "Size, -10%" to ST and Super ST.
§ Upgraded from Injury Tolerance (Damage Reduction, /3 (Limited: Crushing Attacks, -40%)) in Asgardian God.
# Includes +1 level from Wealth.
¥ Replaces and upgraded from Super ST +11/+150 (Size, -10%) from the adjusted Asgardian God template.
∫ Upgraded from Extended Lifespan from Asgardian God.
£ Includes +1 from Combat Reflexes.
¤ Includes +1 from SM.

Role-Playing Notes:
Thrud often comes across as a "trust fund jock", which when called on it will say, "it runs in the family." In her "mortal" identity, she doesn't hide the fact that she is Thor's daughter, though she is careful not to brag about it, either. In combat, she tends to be more reserved than her brothers or father, and has been known at times to sprinkle her battle talk with sports jargon, much to her parents' annoyance and brothers' amusement.

Design Notes:
1. Unlike other Asgardians, I have put power modifiers on Thrud's Extra ST and Super ST in order to help describe how her girdle is able to suppress her strength. So far, I have not figured out how to charge for the girdle.

[Diomedes]

Originally Posted by tbrock1031

Still appearing as a young woman in her early 20s and wishing to learn more about Midgard and mortal life, Thrud commissioned a golden girdle from the Dwarves Eitri and Brokk of Nidavallir – descendants of the Dwarves of the same names who had forged Thor's hammer Mjolnir – to limit her strength when worn, and then using the papers provided by Sif when establishing their mortal identities to enroll at the University of Texas Houston campus as a student, using the name Trudy Nordstrom. Due to her height and athletic nature, she was essentially drafted into their women's basketball team as their starting center.

Speaking as a Texas alum and a Houston native, I can tell you UT doesn't have a Houston campus, only a medical school/hospital.

[Phantasm]

Originally Posted by Diomedes

Speaking as a Texas alum and a Houston native, I can tell you UT doesn't have a Houston campus, only a medical school/hospital.

Well, what's Houston's big college down there? Details like this I can always edit. ;)

[Diomedes]

Originally Posted by tbrock1031

Well, what's Houston's big college down there? Details like this I can always edit. ;)

The two major ones (and crosstown rivals) are Rice University and the University of Houston.

[Phantasm]

Originally Posted by Diomedes

The two major ones (and crosstown rivals) are Rice University and the University of Houston.

Probably easier to make it University of Houston, then. :) I'll edit and make adjustments.

Thoughts on the build?

[chandley]

Originally Posted by tbrock1031

Taking a break to do a character I've had running through my head for a while.

THRUD

Real Name: Thrud Thorsdotter, Anglicized from Þrúðr.

1,500 points
Attributes: ST 62/250 (Size, -10%) [81*]; DX 13 [60]; IQ 11 [20]; HT 15 [50].
Extra ST +31 (Size, -10%; Magical, -10%) [248]; Super ST +12/+200 (Size, -10%; Magical, -10%) [27¥];
6. I have absolutely no clue how to stat or price that magical strength-suppressing girdle of hers!

Suggestion: Girdle: All but +9 ST is Switchable +10% (Nuisance Effect, must done remove girdle to switch -10%; Gadget, Can be Stolen, forcefully removed -10%) [57]

You could upgrade the Nuisance Effect to full on Takes Extra Time if the girdle is a real pain to remove. I assumed a ready action (unbuckle and drop it). I counted 710 points of ST advantages above the ST 19 she ends up with.

[Phantasm]

Originally Posted by chandley

Suggestion: Girdle: All but +9 ST is Switchable +10% (Nuisance Effect, must done remove girdle to switch -10%; Gadget, Can be Stolen, forcefully removed -10%) [57]

You could upgrade the Nuisance Effect to full on Takes Extra Time if the girdle is a real pain to remove. I assumed a ready action (unbuckle and drop it). I counted 710 points of ST advantages above the ST 19 she ends up with.

Yeah, I worked off the normal 575 point Asgardian God racial template I cooked up a while back, which has a racial ST +9 [90] and Super ST +11/+150 [440], both without power modifiers or the Size limitation. The values listed in the write-up are the difference between the racial template (adjusted for "Size, -10%") and the final values.

You pretty much assume right that the girdle should be easy for her to remove; a ready action seems about right.

I'm not sure I'm following the math for the [57] you mention.

[Infornific]

OK, first pass at the Red Guardian.

Name: Red Guardian
Race: Human

Attributes [310]
ST 18 [80]
DX 15 [100]
IQ 13 [60]
HT 15 [50]

HP 18
Will 13
Per 15 [10]
FP 15

Basic Lift 65
Damage 2d-1/3d+1

Basic Speed 8 [10]
Basic Move 8

Ground Move 8
Water Move 1

Social Background
TL: 8 [0]
Cultural Familiarities: Slavic (Native) [0]; Western [1].
Languages: Arabic (Accented) [2]; Chinese (Accented) [2]; English (Accented) [2]; Russian (Native) [0]; Spanish (Accented) [2].

Advantages [299]
Born Soldier (2) [10]
Combat Reflexes [15]
Driver's Reflexes (2) [10]
Language Talent [10]
Luck [15]
Martial Artist (Military) (4) [40]
Military Rank (6) [30]
Patrons (KGB) (15 or less) [90]
Striking ST (1) [5]
Trained By A Master [30]
Very Fit [15]
Weapon Master (Shield) (one specific weapon) [20]

Perks [6]
Style Familiarity (Boxing) [1]
Style Familiarity (Judo) [1]
Style Familiarity (Military Hand-to-Hand - Fairbairn Close Combat Training) [1]
Style Familiarity (Military Hand-to-Hand - Krav Maga) [1]
Style Familiarity (Military Hand-to-Hand - MCMAP (U.S. Marine Corps Martial Arts Program)) [1]
Style Familiarity (Military Hand-to-Hand - Sambo) [1]

Disadvantages [-45]
Code of Honor (Soldier's) [-10]
Duty (15 or less (almost always); Extremely Hazardous) [-20]
Fanaticism (Russia) [-15]

Quirks [-4]
Idealizes Russia - tries to explain away any flaws [-1]
Jokingly claims Russia's superiority in all human endeavors [-1]
Respects honorable opponents [-1]
Thinks Karate & Kung Fu are for show offs [-1]

Skills [113]
Acrobatic Stand (Acrobatics) Tech/A - 15 [6]
Acrobatics DX/H - DX+0 15 [4]
Acting IQ/A - IQ-1 12 [1]
Choke Hold (Wrestling) Tech/H - 21 [3]
Climbing DX/A - DX-1 14 [1]
Computer Operation/TL8 IQ/E - IQ+0 13 [1]
Electronics Operation/TL8 (Security) IQ/A - IQ-1 12 [1]
Engineer/TL8 (Combat) IQ/H - IQ-1 12 [2]
Explosives/TL8 (Demolition) IQ/A - IQ+0 13 [2]
Fast-Draw (Knife) DX/E - DX+1 16 [1]
includes: +1 from 'Combat Reflexes'
Fast-Draw (Pistol) DX/E - DX+1 16 [1]
includes: +1 from 'Combat Reflexes'
Fast-Talk IQ/A - IQ-1 12 [1]
First Aid/TL8 (Human) IQ/E - IQ+0 13 [1]
Forced Entry DX/E - DX+0 15 [1]
Forward Observer/TL8 IQ/A - IQ-1 12 [1]
Free Fall DX/A - DX-1 14 [1]
Ground Fighting (Karate) Tech/H - 20 [3]
Ground Fighting (Wrestling) Tech/H - 22 [5]
Gunner/TL8 (Cannon) DX/E - DX+0 15 [1]
Gunner/TL8 (Rockets) DX/E - DX+0 15 [1]
Guns/TL8 (Pistol) DX/E - DX+2 17 [4]
Guns/TL8 (Rifle) DX/E - DX+1 16 [1]
Hiking HT/A - HT-1 14 [1]
Holdout IQ/A - IQ-1 12 [1]
Judo DX/H - DX+3 18 [2]
includes: +4 from 'Martial Artist (Military)'
Jumping DX/E - DX+0 15 [1]
Karate DX/H - DX+7 22 [16]
includes: +4 from 'Martial Artist (Military)'
Knife DX/E - DX+4 19 [1]
includes: +4 from 'Martial Artist (Military)'
Leadership IQ/A - IQ+3 16 [4]
includes: +2 from 'Born Soldier'
Lockpicking/TL8 IQ/A - IQ-1 12 [1]
Mathematics/TL8 (Applied) IQ/H - IQ-2 11 [1]
NBC Suit/TL8 DX/A - DX-1 14 [1]
Parachuting/TL8 DX/E - DX+0 15 [1]
Piloting/TL8 (High-Performance Airplane) DX/A - DX+3 18 [4]
includes: +2 from 'Driver's Reflexes'
Savoir-Faire (Military) IQ/E - IQ+2 15 [1]
includes: +2 from 'Born Soldier'
Scuba/TL8 IQ/A - IQ-1 12 [1]
Shield (Shield) DX/E - DX+7 22 [8]
includes: +4 from 'Martial Artist (Military)'
Skiing HT/H - HT-2 13 [1]
Soldier/TL8 IQ/A - IQ+2 15 [2]
includes: +2 from 'Born Soldier'
Spear DX/A - DX+3 18 [1]
includes: +4 from 'Martial Artist (Military)'
Staff DX/A - DX+3 18 [1]
includes: +4 from 'Martial Artist (Military)'
Stealth DX/A - DX+3 18 [1]
includes: +4 from 'Martial Artist (Military)'
Survival (Arctic) Per/A - Per-1 14 [1]
Survival (Desert) Per/A - Per-1 14 [1]
Survival (Jungle) Per/A - Per-1 14 [1]
Survival (Mountain) Per/A - Per-1 14 [1]
Swimming HT/E - HT+0 15 [1]
Tactics IQ/H - IQ+1 14 [2]
includes: +2 from 'Born Soldier'
Traps/TL8 IQ/A - IQ-1 12 [1]
Wrestling DX/A - DX+7 22 [12]
includes: +4 from 'Martial Artist (Military)'

Stats [310] Ads [299] Disads [-45] Quirks [-4] Skills [113] = Total [679]


I'm considering just collapsing all the close combat skills into Fist! Other skills are based on him being formerly a fighter pilot and having commando/secret agent type training. I relied in part on the GURPS Action line.

[Phantasm]

Originally Posted by Infornific

OK, first pass at the Red Guardian.

[snip]

I'm considering just collapsing all the close combat skills into Fist! Other skills are based on him being formerly a fighter pilot and having commando/secret agent type training. I relied in part on the GURPS Action line.

Looks fairly comprehensive, actually. I'll probably give him some level of Secret Identity as well (his civilian identity being a classified state secret), replace Gunner (Rockets) with Artillery (Guided Missile), and change his Patron from KGB to FSB (the KGB's replacement since the Soviet Union reorganized into the Russian Federation).

Where did the "Martial Artist (Military)" Talent come from? Is that in Action! 3: Furious Fists, or someplace else?

Also, instead of or in addition to Driver's Reflexes, more mileage could be obtained from the Hot Pilot Talent, given that he seems to lack the Boating, Driving, and Submarine skills that Driver's Reflexes cover, while Hot Pilot covers at least one other skill he does have (Gunner). I'll also give him Navigation (Air), Electronics Operation (Sensors), and at least a Dabbler perk covering Driving, Boating, and some other stuff.


Edit: Come to think of it, instead of Military Rank + Patron, it might be better to use the rules for Pulling Rank to give him, say, FSB Rank (which wouldn't grant Status) and Courtesy Military Rank, treating the FSB as a 20-point Patron like I do the CIA and SHIELD for their agents.

[Infornific]

Originally Posted by tbrock1031

Looks fairly comprehensive, actually. I'll probably give him some level of Secret Identity as well (his civilian identity being a classified state secret), replace Gunner (Rockets) with Artillery (Guided Missile), and change his Patron from KGB to FSB (the KGB's replacement since the Soviet Union reorganized into the Russian Federation).

Where did the "Martial Artist (Military)" Talent come from? Is that in Action! 3: Furious Fists, or someplace else?

Also, instead of or in addition to Driver's Reflexes, more mileage could be obtained from the Hot Pilot Talent, given that he seems to lack the Boating, Driving, and Submarine skills that Driver's Reflexes cover, while Hot Pilot covers at least one other skill he does have (Gunner). I'll also give him Navigation (Air), Electronics Operation (Sensors), and at least a Dabbler perk covering Driving, Boating, and some other stuff.


Edit: Come to think of it, instead of Military Rank + Patron, it might be better to use the rules for Pulling Rank to give him, say, FSB Rank (which wouldn't grant Status) and Courtesy Military Rank, treating the FSB as a 20-point Patron like I do the CIA and SHIELD for their agents.

I used Gunner (Rocket) because it was in the Wheelman template. Artillery (Guided Missile) makes much more sense. I just tossed in KGB as a place holder - I couldn't remember the modern equivalent. I used Patron and Rank because I don't have Social Engineering, but feel free to modify it.

As for the Martial Artist (Military) - short version is I made it up. A while back there was a discussion on the board that ended with a lot of people (with dissenters) agreeing Talents could be a good game mechanic to simulate general training in a martial art or arts, thus allowing for a character with extraordinary skills but not necessarily extraordinary DX. Now I was working with a few assumptions about the Red Guardian.

1. Since he was supposed to be a normal albeit exceptional human, his DX shouldn't be higher than Captain America's, possibly a little lower. Cap has DX 16 so I went with 15.

2. You saw RG as a top level hand to hand combat expert - not at Cap's level but close. I saw that as skills in the low 20s.

3. To get such skills with DX 15, I could spend an insane and unreasonable amount on multiple combat skills, which grates on my nerves. Or I could go with Fist! Or I could use Talents to represent his overall superb training at HtH. I chose the last option but there are others.

I can see Hot Pilot rather than Driver's Reflexes though on reflection I'd give him Driving and Boating. If I was doing it over again I'd probably start with Kromm's ultimate action hero template or use more Wildcard skills.

I'd also add a Perk (can't remember the name) to allow Armlock to follow a Karate Parry - it's a handy enhancement.