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

[Phantasm]

Originally Posted by woweed

I hate to bring it up, but you should probably use male pronouns throughout the entry. Also, that's not an entirely accurate description of transgender people. It's less that they're a women who identifies as male, and more that their brain is male, but their body isn't willing to agree.

Pronouns are strange things, and to be honest I really couldn't quite figure out how that worked prior to the transitioning process. Thanks for the tip.

Originally Posted by JulianLW

What's "White Knight Syndrome"? Where's that from?

It's from another thread on the forums, "Hero Complex Pricing?". Basically it's the compulsion to step in and try to help out even when you know intellectually you're in over your head, but your conscious won't let you back away despite the inevitable beat-down you're liable to get. (Consensus was that it was akin to or a flavor of Charitable.)

Originally Posted by AlexanderHowl

Which version of Union Jack is a transman? I thought that the replacement for Brian Falsworth was Joseph Chapman. Now, Chapman became Union Jack in 1981, so you could have him retire and being replaced by his daughter/son (who could be transsexual).

None of the canon ones are; this is more of a legacy OC. I've got a few OCs in this thread; other OCs that I can think of offhand are Rikki Buchanan/Bucky replacing Rikki Barnes, and a Helena Wayne/Huntress expy called Nightangel over in Detroit. In the Reboot timeline, Joseph Chapman was never Union Jack (nor has Spitfire's son become a vampire - yet).

[JulianLW]

Originally Posted by Phantasm

It's from another thread on the forums, "Hero Complex Pricing?". Basically it's the compulsion to step in and try to help out even when you know intellectually you're in over your head, but your conscious won't let you back away despite the inevitable beat-down you're liable to get. (Consensus was that it was akin to or a flavor of Charitable.)

Thanks! BTW, I love your Marvel book! I look at it for reference all the time!

[Phantasm]

MENTALLO

Real Name: Marcus "Mark" Flumm.
Occupation: Professional criminal, former private investigator and part-time costumed hero.
Identity: Known to the authorities.
Legal Status: Citizen of the United States with a criminal record.
Other Aliases: None.
Place of Birth: Watford City, North Dakota.
Marital Status: Single.
Known Relatives: None.
Group Affiliation: Lethal Legion, partner of Techno.
Base of Operations: Chicago, Illinois.
History: Mark Flumm grew up idolizing superheroes. After his telepathy manifested as a young teenager, Flumm prepared to become a superhero himself, inspired in large part by Charles Xavier, then known as Professor X, during Xavier's time in the superhero team known as the Shadowguard (see Xavier, Charles). Flumm began his superhero career by working as a private investigator in the Chicago, Illinois, area, using his telepathic and psychometric talents and self-defense training to fight crime using the name Mentallo.

This meager success drew the attention of an unnamed criminal subversive who found Flumm's heroism "sickening", but thought that Flumm's psychic talents could be useful to his organization. This subversive had his associate Doctor Faustus begin an operation designed to turn Mentallo into a villain (see Doctor Faustus). First, Faustus began by planting evidence – some manufactured, but some of it the truth which had been suppressed by the authorities – designed to portray Flumm's heroes in a negative light. Discovering that Flumm could not fully filter out the thoughts of those around him, Faustus then had his agents walk around thinking about how easily those with powers, including the Shadowguard and the Midwest's hero team of the '90s and '00s, the Rust Belters, got away with certain crimes. On top of all that, the only people who approached Flumm's PI office were those seeking to prove their spouses and significant others were cheating on them; these affairs were all secretly arranged by Faustus. Finally, when he felt Mentallo had sufficient doubt and a rising cynicism, Faustus arranged a meeting with Mentallo.

Mentallo walked away from that meeting a changed man.

Now determined to put his talents to use for himself rather than others, Mentallo committed a number of low-profile crimes. According to a later conversation, those were test runs. He then telepathically contacted the criminal technologist Techno with plans for them to steal some experimental technology (see Techno). This scheme brought the two of them into conflict with the crimefighters Ant-Man and Wasp, and the two were arrested (see Ant-Man; Wasp).

Some time later, Mentallo and Techno were recruited into the Crimson Cowl's Lethal Legion (see Crimson Cowl; Lethal Legion). While with the Legion, Mentallo clashed several times with Ant-Man and Wasp, as well as Iron Fist, his allies, and the Avengers (see Avengers; Iron Fist). Although arrested a few times during these conflicts, the Cowl always sprung him from prison.
Height: 5' 10".
Weight: 175lbs.
Eyes: Brown.
Hair: Black.
Uniform: Orange-red jumpsuit, brown boots, brown gloves, brown belt, brown cowl with hyperspectral goggles.
Strength Level: Mentallo possesses the normal strength of a man of his age, height, and build who engages in moderate exercise.
Known Superhuman Powers: Mentallo is a mutant with a number of telepathic powers. First, he can read the surface thoughts and send communicate with anyone in a five mile radius around him, although he has trouble reading the thoughts of fast-moving targets. His ability to read surface thoughts cannot be fully turned off, which creates a sensation in his mind which he likens to "background noise" or "white noise". Because of this noise, he cannot concentrate on conversing telepathically with more than three people at once; he can, however, broadcast his thoughts to everyone around him, though he prefers not to do so. He has been known to project images into the minds of others, occasionally producing hallucinations. A side effect of his telepathy is that it is virtually impossible to surprise him in combat, as his telepathy gives him advance warning if someone near is about to attack.

In addition, Mentallo possesses psychometric powers enabling him to "read" the psychic imprints on anything he touches. He normally has to concentrate to use this ability, though particularly strong impressions can trigger it without warning.
Paraphernalia: Mentallo's cowl contains psychotronic circuitry designed to block out telepathic "white noise", and his cowl's goggles include both infrared and ultraviolet lenses with a false color display. Although not specifically designed for such, the cowl also helps protect against psychic attacks.

Mentallo has also used a number of high-tech devices developed and built by Techno, including but not limited to a gun that fires a grappling hook and line, a jet pack, a personal force shield gauntlet, and a laser pulse-beam pistol.

324 points
Attributes: ST 11 [10]; DX 11 [20]; IQ 12 [40]; HT 11 [10].
Secondary Characteristics: Dmg 1d-1/1d+1; BL 24 lbs.; HP 11 [0]; Will 12 [0]; Per 12 [0]; FP 11 [0]; Basic Speed 5.50 [0]; Basic Move 5 [0]; Dodge 9
Languages: English (Native) (Native Language) [0]; Sioux (Accented Spoken) [2].
Cultural Familiarities: Western [0].
Advantages: Combat Reflexes (Mutant Psionic, -10%) [14]; Danger Sense (Mutant Psionic, -10%) [14]; Foresight (Bait-and-Switch) 1 [5]; Gizmo 1 [5]; Hyperspectral Vision (Gadget/Breakable: DR 2, SM -7, -25%; Gadget/Can Be Stolen: Forcibly Removed, -10%; Electronic, -30%) [9]; Impersonator 2 [10]; Mind Reading (Accessibility: Max Range 5 miles, -30%; Long Range 1, +50%; Multiple Contacts (+50%; Accessibility (Maximum 3 Contacts) (+6), -60%), +20%; Mutant Psionic, -10%) [39]; Psychometry (Mutant Psionic, -10%) [18]; Telecommunications (Telesend) (Broadcast, +50%; Short-Ranged 1, -10%; Video, +40%; Mutant Psionic, -10%) [51]; Telepathy Talent 2 [10].
Perks: Accent (Bostonian) [1]; Accent (Deep South) [1].
Disadvantages: Bad Sight (Farsighted) (Mitigator: Corrective Lenses, -60%) [-10]; Low Pain Threshold [-10]; Pacifism (Reluctant Killer) [-5]; Selfish (12) [-5]; Social Stigma (Criminal Record) [-5]; Supersensitive (Mitigator: Psychotronic Cowl, -60%) [-6]; Wealth (Struggling) [-10].
Quirks: Bad Dreams [-1]; Careful Planner [-1]; Cubs Fan [-1]; Cynical [-1]; Sarcastic [-1].
Skills: Acting (A) IQ+2 [2] – 14*; Beam Weapons/TL8 (Pistol) (E) DX+1 [2] – 12; Body Language (Human) (A) Per+2 [2] – 14*; Brawling (E) DX+1 [2] – 12; Carousing (E) HT+1 [2] – 12; Climbing (A) DX+0 [2] – 11; Computer Operation/TL8 (E) IQ+0 [1] – 12; Current Events/TL8 (Headline News) (E) IQ+0 [1] – 12; Detect Lies (H) Per+0 [4] – 12†; Fast-Talk (A) IQ+2 [8] – 14; First Aid/TL8 (E) IQ+0 [1] – 12; Forced Entry (E) DX+1 [2] – 12; Games (Baseball) (E) IQ+0 [1] – 12; Guns/TL8 (Grenade Launcher) (E) DX+1 [2] – 12; Guns/TL8 (Pistol) (E) DX+1 [2] – 12; Hidden Lore (Supers) (A) IQ+1 [2] – 13; Holdout (A) IQ+0 [2] – 12; Intelligence Analysis/TL8 (H) IQ+0 [4] – 12; Interrogation (A) IQ+1 [4] – 13†; Jumping (E) DX+0 [1] – 11; Knife (E) DX+1 [2] – 12; Law (Illinois Criminal) (H) IQ+0 [4] – 12; Musical Instrument (Clarinet) (H) IQ-2 [1] – 10; Observation (A) Per+2 [8] – 14†; Photography/TL8 (A) IQ+0 [2] – 12; Piloting/TL8 (Flight Pack) (A) DX+1 [4] – 12; Research/TL8 (A) IQ+1 [4] – 13; Running (A) HT+0 [2] – 11; Savoir-Faire (Mafia) (E) IQ+2 [1] – 14*; Savoir-Faire (Police) (E) IQ+2 [1] – 14*; Shadowing (A) IQ+2 [8] – 14; Shield (Force) (E) DX+1 [2] – 12; Shortsword (A) DX+1 [4] – 12; Speed-Reading (A) IQ+1 [4] – 13; Stealth (A) DX+1 [4] – 12; Streetwise (A) IQ+2 [2] – 14*; Swimming (E) HT+0 [1] – 11; Telereceive (H) IQ+2 [4] – 14‡;Telesend (H) IQ+2 [4] – 14‡; Throwing (A) DX+1 [4] – 12; Thrown Weapon (Knife) (E) DX+1 [2] – 12; Wrestling (A) DX+1 [4] – 12.
Starting Spending Money: $2,000 (20% of Starting Wealth).

* Includes +2 from Impersonator.
† Conditional +2 from Telepathy Talent.
‡ Includes +2 from Telepathy Talent.




I'm not sure about the range limitations on his Mind Reading and Telesend. Thoughts?

[Not another shrubbery]

Originally Posted by Phantasm

MENTALLO
Mind Reading (Accessibility: Max Range 5 miles, -30%; Long Range 1, +50%;

Telecommunications (Telesend) (Broadcast, +50%; Short-Ranged 1, -10%; Video, +40%; Mutant Psionic, -10%) [51];

I'm not sure about the range limitations on his Mind Reading and Telesend. Thoughts?

Mind-Reading and Telesend are supposed to have the same range limit according to background, and you presumably want them to have the same Range Modifiers. With Long-Ranged on the former, you get the big benefit of using the Long-Distance Modifiers, and capping the Range just becomes a Nuisance Effect. I think you're closer to a good value with your Telesend build, but I would call it what it is (Maximum Range is 5 miles). It's not as bad as a level of Short-Range, so I think a straight -5% looks best, but I could see using some value between -5 and -10 if you weren't holding to multiples of 5 :)

[AlexanderHowl]

I am not sure if Maximum Range is a legal category for Accessibility, especially for Mind Reading. Accessibility limits according to circumstance, target, and time, and 'anyone within 5 miles' is not really a meaningfully limited circumstance or target.

[Phantasm]

PISCES

Real Name: Unrevealed.
Occupation: Professional criminal.
Identity: Known to the authorities.
Legal Status: Citizen of both the United States and Lemuria with a criminal record in the US; diplomatic immunity status due to Lemurian citizenship unconfirmed.
Other Aliases: None.
Place of Birth: Miami, Florida.
Marital Status: Single.
Known Relatives: Nagino (alias Piranha, father); Naga (grandfather), Nagina (alias Barracuda, aunt), mother (name unrevealed).
Group Affiliation: Zodiac Cartel; her own organized criminal syndicate.
Base of Operations: Miami, Florida.
History: Back in the late 1980s, the grandchildren of King Naga of Lemuria, Prince Nagino and Princess Nagina, traveled to the surface as part of Lemuria's ongoing war with Atlantis (see Atlantis). The two, taking the names Piranha and Barracuda respectively, became operatives for a criminal geneticist calling himself Mister Sinister. Both fought the outlaw hero team known as the Shadowguard before returning to Lemuria in the early '00s. At some point in this time frame, presumably early on, Piranha appears to have had relations with an unidentified woman in Miami, Florida; Pisces is apparently the result of this relationship.

As she grew to adulthood, the woman who would become known as Pisces became part of the Miami criminal underworld. Only recently has she made moves to take control of the underworld from the Jaguar family of the Maggia; a very public battle between herself and Jaguar caught the attention of industrialist Cornelius van Lundt, secretly Taurus of the Zodiac Cartel (see Jaguar; Maggia; Taurus; Zodiac). Van Lundt inducted her into the Zodiac as Pisces and gave her the resources to increase her criminal holdings tenfold. (Pisces is believed to be the youngest of the Zodiac, being at most only twenty years old.)

Pisces first came into conflict with superhuman adventurers when she took Janet van Dyne hostage as van Dyne was vacationing in Miami; unknown to Pisces, van Dyne was secretly the adventurer known as the Wasp (see Wasp). Wasp fought Pisces and managed to defeat her, though Pisces fled into the ocean rather than be arrested.

When the Zodiac held Manhattan hostage under a giant energy dome, Pisces stayed loyal to Taurus until the very end. In this conflict, Pisces clashed with Spider-Man, Wasp, and Ant-Man (see Ant-Man; Spider-Man). When the other Zodiac members who sided with Taurus were being arrested, Pisces attempted to claim diplomatic immunity as a princess of Lemuria. It remains to be seen where and how she will reappear, and if her claim of being a Lemurian princess is indeed valid, as she was presumably born out of wedlock.
Height: 5' 9"
Weight: 160 lbs.
Eyes: Green.
Hair: Blond, knee-length.
Skin: Green.
Other Distinguishing Features: Pisces's skin is covered with fine scales, akin to those of a fish; her ears are pointed.
Uniform: Blue one-piece swimsuit with black trim.
Strength Level: Pisces possesses superhuman strength enabling her to lift (press) roughly 11 tons.
Known Superhuman Powers: In addition to her superhuman strength, Pisces's half-Lemurian physiology gives her superhuman durability and reflexes, the ability to breathe water as well as air, and survive the pressures and temperatures of the ocean depths. Most conventional pistol and sub-machine gun rounds bounce off her; it is not known whether rifle rounds affect her at all. As a Lemurian-human hybrid, she can see in the near ultraviolet spectrum, though reds in the visible spectrum appear black to her. She is able to swim at speeds approaching 60 miles per hour and run at speeds around 40 mph.

Because of her heritage, she has the potential to become a powerful sorceress, although she has not pursued any of the mystic arts. Like others of the Lemurian royal family, she can communicate with and command sea life.
Other Abilities: Pisces is a skilled hand to hand combatant, as well as skilled at handling and riding cetaceans (whales and dolphins).

1,123 points
Attributes: ST 31/121 [10*†]; DX 14 [80]; IQ 12 [40]; HT 12 [40].
Secondary Characteristics: Dmg 3d+1/6d-1 (13d/15d); BL 192 lbs (2,928 lbs/1.5 tons); HP 31 [0]; Will 12 [0]; Per 12 [0]; FP 14 [0]; Basic Speed 7.00 [0]; Basic Ground Move 7 [0]; Basic Water Move 7 [0] Dodge 11.
Languages: English (Native) (Native Language) [0]; Spanish (Native) [6].
Cultural Familiarities: Latin American [1]; Western (Native) [0].
Advantages: Claim to Hospitality (Lemurian Royal Family) [1]; Damage Resistance 15 (No Signature, +20%; Tough Skin, -40%; Passive Biological, -5%) [57]; Enhanced Move (Ground) 1.5 (Ground Move 21/42 mph) [30]; Enhanced Move (Water) 2 (Water Move 28/56 mph; Cosmic: Instantaneous Acceleration, +50%) [60]; Enhanced Parry (Bare Hands) 2 [10]; Enhanced Time Sense [45]; Extra Attack 1 [25]; High Pain Threshold [10]; Injury Tolerance (Damage Reduction /1.5) (Passive Biological, -5%) [24]; Lemurian Half-Breed [145]; Magery 0 [5]; Mind Control (Specific: Aquatic Animals, -40%; Magical, -10%) [25]; No Low TL 7 [35]; Organized Criminal Rank 4 [8]; Speak With Animals (Specific: Aquatic Animals, -40%; Magical, -10%) [13]; Status 1 [0‡]; Super Jump 1 (Biological, -10%) [9]; Super ST +10/+100 (Passive Biological, -5%) [395]; Super Throw 1 (Biological, -10%) [9]; Very Fit [15]; Wealth (Very Wealthy) [30].
Perks: Citizenship (Lemuria) [1]; Fearsome Stare [1]; Haughty Sneer [1]; Naval Training [1].
Disadvantages: Callous [-5]; Code of Honor (Honors Debts) [-5]; Intolerance (Hispanics) [-5]; Sadism (12) [-15]; Selfish (9) [-7]; Social Stigma (Criminal Record) [-5]; Social Stigma (Freak) [-10]; Stubbornness [-5].
Quirks: Ambitious [-1]; Aristocratic [-1]; Creative Insults [-1]; Impatient [-1]; Vindictive [-1].
Skills: Acrobatics (H) DX+0 [4] – 14; Animal Handling (Cetaceans) (A) IQ+1 [4] – 13; Aquabatics (H) DX+0 [4] – 14; Beam Weapons/TL8 (Pistol) (E) DX+0 [1] – 14; Beam Weapons/TL8 (Rifle) (E) DX+0 [1] – 14; Boating/TL8 (Motorboat) (A) DX-1 [1] – 13; Brawling (E) DX+2 [4] – 16; Computer Operation/TL8 (E) IQ+0 [1] – 12; Detect Lies (H) Per+0 [4] – 12; Electronics Operation/TL8 (Security) (A) IQ+0 [2] – 12; Forced Entry (E) DX+0 [1] – 14; Gesture (E) IQ+0 [1] – 12; Guns/TL8 (Pistol) (E) DX+0 [1] – 14; Guns/TL8 (Rifle) (E) DX+0 [1] – 14; Intimidation (A) Will+2 [8] – 14; Jumping (E) DX+0 [1] – 14; Leadership (A) IQ+0 [2] – 12; Lifting (A) HT+0 [2] – 14; Lip Reading (A) Per+0 [2] – 12; Navigation/TL8 (Sea) (A) IQ+0 [2] – 12; Observation (A) Per+0 [2] – 12; Riding (Cetaceans) (A) DX-1 [1] – 13; Running (A) HT+0 [2] – 14; Savoir-Faire (High Society) (E) IQ+0 [1] – 12; Savoir-Faire (Mafia) (E) IQ+0 [1] – 12; Smuggling (A) IQ+0 [2] – 12; Stealth (A) DX+0 [2] – 14; Streetwise (A) IQ+0 [2] – 12; Swimming (E) HT+0 [1] – 14; Throwing (A) DX+0 [2] – 14; Wrestling (A) DX+2 [8] – 16.
Starting Spending Money: $80,000 (20% of Starting Wealth).

* Includes +10 to ST and +2 to HT from Lemurian Half-Breed racial package.
† Includes +10/+100 from Super ST.
‡ Includes +1 from Wealth.

Role-Playing Notes:
Pisces holds herself above what she calls the "common rabble". She has a personal sense of honor where she honors debts she owes, but those debts she tries to work off as quickly as possible. She has a sadistic streak, which causes her to inflict pain on her enemies in battle instead of killing them or knocking them out, and will hold grudges forever.

Despite her claims, she has never been to Lemuria nor does she speak the Atlantean or Lemurian tongues. She only acknowledges her heritage as the daughter of a Lemurian prince when it serves her purposes; on the streets of Miami, no one cares, but it might hold some sway with the federal government.

Design Notes:
1. "Lemurian Half-Breed" is simply taking the Atlantean Half-Breed racial package from the Atlanteans entry and adding Scales [1].
2. Organized Crime Rank is built at 2/level as per the guidelines on p. 15 of Social Engineering. It does not add to Status.




Still futzing with Mentallo's range modifiers on his telepathy, but Pisces's bio came together quickly, unlike Mentallo's.

[pawsplay]

Moon Knight?

[Phantasm]

Originally Posted by pawsplay

Moon Knight?

He's a tough one mechanically, given his dissociative identity disorder and his strength waxing and waning with the phase of the moon. On top of that, I'd be obligated to do the rest of his cast, but ... other than Marlene Alraune and Bushmaster, I'm not sure who else he associates with outside the Avengers.

I might be able to slot him into the anthology "title". Where do you suggest I base him? Los Angeles? San Francisco? Chicago? Someplace else? (Anywhere but New York City.)

[Not another shrubbery]

Originally Posted by Phantasm

PISCES

Pisces holds herself above what she calls the "common rabble". She has a personal sense of honor where she honors debts she owes, but those debts she tries to work off as quickly as possible. She has a sadistic streak, which causes her to inflict pain on her enemies in battle instead of killing them or knocking them out, and will hold grudges forever.

Despite her claims, she has never been to Lemuria nor does she speak the Atlantean or Lemurian tongues. She only acknowledges her heritage as the daughter of a Lemurian prince when it serves her purposes; on the streets of Miami, no one cares, but it might hold some sway with the federal government.

Cool :) LIS, I have a soft spot for the Zodiac Gang, but I'm really only familiar with the version from back in the 70s, who were all human, and mostly normals, with the only female member being Virgo. I see the 2nd version (the android team) had a female Pisces. Is this based at all on that version? Or to the LLyra writeup you haven't gotten to?

[Phantasm]

Originally Posted by Not another shrubbery

Cool :) LIS, I have a soft spot for the Zodiac Gang, but I'm really only familiar with the version from back in the 70s, who were all human, and mostly normals, with the only female member being Virgo. I see the 2nd version (the android team) had a female Pisces. Is this based at all on that version? Or to the LLyra writeup you haven't gotten to?

Visually, yes, she's based on the female android Pisces, with a large dose of Llyra thrown in for good measure in the background. In many ways, she's an original character based loosely off a canon one (much like my new teenage Bucky and the Union Jack I posted). Given that there's been at least four different Zodiac groups in the comics in the last 50 years or so, plus versions in the cartoons, there's quite a few options to pick from for looks.

Have you checked out the Capricorn, Scorpio, or Libra entries I linked earlier? (Scorpio and Libra are based off the original lineup, Capricorn visually off the android but is possibly Nick and Jake's sister.)