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Old 07-20-2020, 03:13 PM   #11
awesomenessofme1
 
Join Date: Mar 2016
Default Re: [Supers] Nerfed Marvel Universe

Quote:
Originally Posted by naloth View Post
I suspect he'll be doing a more "Ultimate" version of the characters. Ultimate Thor, for example, was a raving lunatic. His original powers were a belt and battery powered hammer.
Seems like Thor is generating a lot of discussion. I was originally planning on posting the characters in the order listed in the original post, but I think I'll bump him up the list.

Quote:
Originally Posted by DangerousThing View Post
What about Dr. Strange and his ilk? He is definitely magic.
I hadn't brought that up yet, but I knew it would come up eventually. There is a man named Stephen Strange in this world, he is a doctor, and he did suffer catastrophic nerve damage to his hands in a car accident. I might even stat him up at some point. I have a few ideas. But he's not going to be Sorcerer Supreme.

There are also some other edge cases I haven't fully decided on. Juggernaut, for example, can definitely still fit in, just needing an origins change. But someone like Ghost Rider is definitely on thin ground and there's a solid chance he won't fit in.
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Old 07-20-2020, 03:21 PM   #12
naloth
 
Join Date: Sep 2004
Default Re: [Supers] Nerfed Marvel Universe

Quote:
Originally Posted by awesomenessofme1 View Post
But someone like Ghost Rider is definitely on thin ground and there's a solid chance he won't fit in.
Ghost Rider 2099 him... Basically a human consciousness uploaded into a robotic, terminator looking body.
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Old 07-20-2020, 03:31 PM   #13
AlexanderHowl
 
Join Date: Feb 2016
Default Re: [Supers] Nerfed Marvel Universe

It is not really the Marvel Universe without aliens, magic, etc. It is not even really Marvel Lite. It would probably be easier to come up with your own setting rather than to transform the Marvel characters, as no one would aggrieved by your interpretation of their favored characters.
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Old 07-20-2020, 03:40 PM   #14
awesomenessofme1
 
Join Date: Mar 2016
Default Re: [Supers] Nerfed Marvel Universe

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Originally Posted by AlexanderHowl View Post
It is not really the Marvel Universe without aliens, magic, etc. It is not even really Marvel Lite. It would probably be easier to come up with your own setting rather than to transform the Marvel characters, as no one would aggrieved by your interpretation of their favored characters.
Did anyone ask? Not commenting on a thread you don't like is free. And in any case, I can name probably 15-20 Marvel movies that are entirely free of both aliens and magic that are nonetheless considered a tolerable, if not beloved, adaptation of the comic book universe. Maybe broaden your horizons a bit.
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Old 07-20-2020, 06:03 PM   #15
Purple Snit
 
Join Date: Jan 2011
Default Re: [Supers] Nerfed Marvel Universe

I think the point was, if you eliminate all the aliens, gods, and magic, what you have is not the original Marvel Universe by any stretch. However, there's no reason you can't imagine an alternate universe where similar characters exist, but wih different origins/power sets, which I think is the point here. I'm certainly willing to see what the OP comes up with.
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Old 07-20-2020, 09:27 PM   #16
Varyon
 
Join Date: Jun 2013
Default Re: [Supers] Nerfed Marvel Universe

Quote:
Originally Posted by awesomenessofme1 View Post
There are also some other edge cases I haven't fully decided on. Juggernaut, for example, can definitely still fit in, just needing an origins change. But someone like Ghost Rider is definitely on thin ground and there's a solid chance he won't fit in.
Honestly, I never realized Juggernaut wasn't a mutant until I played a Marvel mobile game that broke characters up into origin-based classes and classed him as Magic rather than Mutant (note the X-Men movies also had him as a mutant). Optionally, give him a Delusion that his powers are actually magical in nature.

For Ghost Rider, you could probably have a mutant with a similar appearance and roughly similar powers. Say, the ability to produce and manipulate a special kind of fire with "substance" to it - anything sheathed in the flames is subject to functional telekinesis. This gives him the ability to manipulate chains as weapons, do incredible stunts on a motorcycle, and roast people. If you give him a strong healing factor, you could even say his skeletal appearance is because when he accesses his power, the flames around his face burn off the skin; his healing factor keeps him alive (optionally, this gives him incredible DR on his head, as things have to pass through his telekinetic flame to strike him - this may indeed be a big part of why he sets his own head on fire). His appearance may be unnerving enough to give him Terror.
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Old 07-20-2020, 10:02 PM   #17
Infornific
 
Join Date: Dec 2004
Default Re: [Supers] Nerfed Marvel Universe

Quote:
Originally Posted by AlexanderHowl View Post
It is not really the Marvel Universe without aliens, magic, etc. It is not even really Marvel Lite. It would probably be easier to come up with your own setting rather than to transform the Marvel characters, as no one would aggrieved by your interpretation of their favored characters.
The problem is that Marvel like DC is a gumbo of all sorts of beings and powers many of which spend most of their time in their own pocket universes and don't really make much sense together. So you could strip away Dr Strange & the Norse gods and off world aliens and still leave you with Iron Man, Captain America, SHIELD etc. The early MCU was kind of like what's suggested here - Captain America & Iron Man were the main heroes, Thor was a sufficiently advanced alien who wasn't around most of the time and Dr. Strange just wasn't around. You also had the Netflix series which felt a little less superhero and a little more pulp but also seemed to feel like Marvel.

Note also that the Marvel universe itself mutates over time with different characters retroactively assuming more importance and power levels fluctuating, usually upward. Take the power levels of 1960s Marvel and strip away the goofier elements and you're not too far from what the original poster wanted. And if you want to use the basic Marvel characters, it's probably easier to say you've got alternate versions of Ant-Man, Captain America, Iron Man, etc than to create analogs that anyone can tell are based on those characters.

As a side note, the Wold Newton Universe fans have written a number of essays attempting to incorporate superheroes into the WNU which might be worth perusing for slightly more grounded versions.
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Old 07-21-2020, 09:39 AM   #18
Varyon
 
Join Date: Jun 2013
Default Re: [Supers] Nerfed Marvel Universe

I don’t know if this will be of use to you, but my mind went off on its own to try and figure out a way to have the telekinetic flames I suggested for NMU Ghost Rider work.

Flames of Perdition: Ghost Rider lets loose a stream of flame, which binds to a target and continues to slowly burn them alive, while making them susceptible to Ghost Rider’s peculiar type of pyrokinesis. While the target remains relatively healthy, any contact with them requires an HT roll to avoid suffering the same fate. Once the target has suffered enough injury (over 50% HP), however, it ramps up in intensity - while this doesn’t have a direct effect on the target, anyone who comes into contact with them is immediately affected, without a chance for an HT roll. In either case, Ghost Rider can opt to not let the flames spread to targets he’d rather they didn’t (such as himself). Anything that will douse normal flames will work to stop the Flames of Perdition.
Innate Attack 1d (Burning; Cyclic, 10 cycles 10 seconds apart, highly contagious +550%; Jet +0%; Selectivity +10%; Symptoms: Aura of Perdition at 50% HP +84%*) [37]

Touch of Perdition: With a touch, Ghost Rider can grant an aura to a target - typically one of the chains he uses as weapons, or his motorcycle - that works similarly to Flames of Perdition, above, without need to cause Injury. This both augments any damage they cause and allows him to manipulate them with his pyrokinesis.
Affliction (Advantage: Aura of Perdition +420%*; Melee, C, Cannot Parry -35%) [49]

Aura of Perdition: Ghost Rider erupts in an aura of flame, damaging and spreading to anything that comes into contact with him similarly to Flames of Perdition, above. He has perfect control over what the aura damages, allowing him to opt out allies, vehicles, gear, etc.
Innate Attack 1d (Burning; Aura +80%; Cyclic, 10 cycles 10 seconds apart, highly contagious +550%; Selective Area +20%; Symptoms: Perdition Aura at 50% HP +84%*; Melee, C -30%) [42]

*Without Symptoms, the cost of Perdition Aura is [36]. That makes Symptoms worth +72%; repeating this a couple times gives an end cost of [42], which when applied as a +84% Symptom gives [41.7]… which rounds up to [42].

The above should probably be built as an Alternate Ability set; with Touch of Perdition being the most expensive, this works out to [8]+[49]+[9] = [66], although [65] is arguably more fair (Flames is [7.4], rounded up to [8], while Aura is [8.2], rounded up to [9]; combining these to [15.6] and rounding up to [16] is probably more fair). The whole set is referred to collectively as Perdition Flames.

Pyrokinesis: Ghost Rider can manipulate those struck by the above effects telekinetically. This is useful for enhancing his chains and motorcycle, as well as for holding targets in place while his flames consume them. He can manipulate up to 2 targets passively, 3 actively.
TK 20 (Only on those affected by Perdition Flames -10%) [90]
Compartmentalized Mind 2 (No Mental Separation -20%; TK Only -10%) [70]


If this is of use to you but too powerful (the above powers alone are [225] or [226], although a Power Modifier would reduce that a bit), feel free to scale down.
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Old 07-21-2020, 09:52 AM   #19
awesomenessofme1
 
Join Date: Mar 2016
Default Re: [Supers] Nerfed Marvel Universe

Quote:
Originally Posted by Varyon View Post
I don’t know if this will be of use to you, but my mind went off on its own to try and figure out a way to have the telekinetic flames I suggested for NMU Ghost Rider work.

[snip]
I'm not planning on building Ghost Rider anytime soon, if at all (I'm doing the Avengers, then the Fantastic Four, then most likely the X-Men or a few independent supers), but if I do include him, I'll definitely take your ideas under consideration.
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Old 07-22-2020, 08:24 AM   #20
awesomenessofme1
 
Join Date: Mar 2016
Default Re: [Supers] Nerfed Marvel Universe

Wasp

Real Name: Janet Van Dyne
Height: 5’4”
Weight: 110 lb
Age: 28
Hair: Brown, chin-length
Eyes: Blue
Uniform: Yellow-and-black suit, black sealed helmet with yellow visor, yellow gloves and boots, translucent silver wings
Powers: Naturally, none. Using the Wasp suit, she can shrink to about 1 1/4 inches. While shrunk, she has greatly reduced strength and speed, but retains a high level of durability relative to her size. The suit also contains wings that allow agile flight of about 10 miles an hour, but only when shrunk, as well as a set of electric blasters she calls “stingers” that can be used to stun.
Skills: Training in unarmed combat, athletics, and aerial maneuvering. Degree in business.

Janet van Dyne is the heiress to a well-off New Jersey family. While she was getting her business degree, she met scientist Hank Pym, who she soon began dating. Once she had graduated, she decided that with Hank’s scientific skills and her own business skills, he could have more success with just the two of them compared to his corporate research job. Hank took a chance trusting her, and it paid off in spades. In his first year of independent research, he invented the Pym particle, a revolutionary substance that allows manipulation of objects’ size and mass. He refused to market that particular discovery, but in the years since, his other innovations have allowed Hank and Janet to earn a comfortable living.

Pym particles allowed Hank to create the Ant-Man and Wasp suits. Janet’s Wasp suit has significantly more functionality than the original Ant-Man. When asked about his choice to build it that way, Hank’s response was simple: Janet actually has the skills to use it, and the amount of time it would take for him to become proficient could be better spent on research. For her part, Janet has leaped into the role of costumed superhero. She keeps herself in top physical shape and she’s surprisingly strong for her size. Along with Hank, she was a founding member of the Avengers.

Janet has a peppy, upbeat, almost carefree-seeming personality. This can sometimes make her seem like a bit of a ditz, but anyone who’s met her more than briefly knows she’s quite intelligent and particularly shrewd when it comes to business. Janet tends to get along well with people, and she’s made many friends in her personal, professional, and superhero lives. She’s also one of the very few people who’s been able to get close to Hank Pym, an achievement she’s proud of.

Wasp [299]

Attributes [113]
ST 10 [0]
DX 13 [60]
IQ 12 [40]
HT 11 [10]
Damage 1d-2/1d
BL 20 lb
HP 10 [0]
Will 12 [0]
Per 12 [0]
FP 12 [3]
Basic Speed 6.00 [0]
Basic Move 6 [0]
Air Move 8 [0]
Dodge 10
SM0 (-10 when shrunk)

Advantages [162]
Affliction HT-3 (Accurate 2, +10%; Low Signature, +10%; Secondary Paralysis, +30%; Increased 1/2D x10, +15%; Reduced Range x1/10, -30%; Breakable (DR10, SM-5, Machine), -25%; Can Be Stolen (Must be forcefully removed), -10%; Superscience, -10%) [15]
Appearance (Beautiful) [12]
Combat Reflexes [15]
DR10 (Hardened 1, +20%; Can’t wear armor, -40%; Breakable (DR0, SM0), -35%; Can Be Stolen (Must be forcefully removed), -10%; Superscience, -10%) [13]
Fashion Sense [5]
Fit [5]
Flight (Only when shrunk, -10%; Winged (Force constructs)¹, -10%; Breakable (DR15, SM-3, Machine), -30%; Can Be Stolen (Must be forcefully removed), -10%; Superscience, -10%) [12]
Nictitating Membrane 5 (Breakable (DR5, SM-7), -25%; Can Be Stolen (Must be forcefully removed), -10%; Superscience, -10%) [3]
Sealed (Breakable (DR10, SM0), -35%; Can Be Stolen (Must be forcefully removed), -10%; Superscience, -10%) [7]
Shrinking 10 (Full HP (Not for mass, +0%), +30%; Full DR, +30%; Full Air Move², +10%; Minimum Size Only, +0%; Breakable (DR10, SM0, Machine), -40%; Can Be Stolen (Must be forcefully removed), -10%; Superscience, -10%) [55]
Status 1 [5]
Wealth (Heir to Very Wealthy) [15]

Perks [1]
Supersuit [1]

Disadvantages [-29]
Air Move-4 (Breakable (DR15, SM-3, Machine), -30%; Can Be Stolen (Must be forcefully removed), -10%; Superscience, -10%) [-4]
Chummy [-5]
Overconfidence (12) [-5]
Pacifism (Cannot Harm Innocents) [-10]
Secret Identity [-5]

Quirks [-2]
Lighthearted [-1]
Responsive [-1]

Skills [54]
Acrobatics-12 [2]
Acting-11 [1]
Administration-13 [4]
Aerobatics-14 [8]
Area Knowledge (New York City)-13 [2]
Area Knowledge (New Jersey)-12 [1]
Body Language-12 [2]
Carousing-11 [1]
Climbing-13 [2]
Computer Operation/TL8-12 [1]
Driving/TL8 (Automobile)-12 [1]
Fast-Talk-12 [2]
Finance-11 [2]
Innate Attack (Beam)-14 [2]
Judo-14 [8]
Jumping-14 [2]
Karate-12 [2]
Navigation/TL8 (Air)-12 [2]
Observation-12 [2]
Running-10 [1]
Savoir-Faire (Corporate)-12 [1]
Stealth-13 [2]
Swimming-11 [1]
Tactics-11 [2]

1 – Winged (Force Constructs) is a custom limitation. It functions similarly to Winged, except the wings cannot be damaged or crippled.
2 – The cost of Full Air Move was chosen more or less arbitrarily and it’s possible another value would be more fitting.

Last edited by awesomenessofme1; 02-23-2021 at 02:15 PM.
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