On the Origin of the Species EditionPrevious Thread >>96441201The thread to talk about Super Heroes/Villains/Spies/Agents/Rogues be it in spandex or not.Popular Choices for Games:>Mutants & MastermindsCurrently the most played one, uses a d20 resolution for everything, has powers building and rules for tactical combat.>Marvel TSR/ FASERIPClassic Supers game from the 80s, still has a lot of fans and various retro-clones. Uses a d100 with an universal resolution table to decide the degree of success, has random character generation and abstract rules for powers and combat.>Masks (PbtA)Rules light game with focus on narrative. Less rules reading more making stuff up on the moment. Game is built on the concept of playing as young heroes but you can use it for more mature settings.TQs:>How did powers first start appearing in your setting? Was it a genetic mutation like the X-Men, deliberate meddling in the human genome like with the Inhumans, something else, or a mix?>If powers are genetic, how does inheritance work? And do powers get stronger over the generations like Quirks in MHA?
>>96691366Sorry, to distracted by Dazzler's ass. Can't think straight.
>>96691366What do you do when you’re stuck on what on creating characters and/or powers for your supers that aren’t just thinly-veiled copies of existing supers like Gambit, etc.? Especially if they’re throwaway characters not meant to appear again, who you don’t want to waste too much time on. And are there any random generators that you use or would recommend beyond the one below?>https://chaosgachaweb.onrender.com
>>96691366>TQ Answer: The Tunguska incident, which occurred in Tunguska, Russia in 1908. There's been shitloads of theories around what it was, with the most likely being a meteor entering the atmosphere and exploding from the heat and friction. My explanation is that there was an ancient extraterrestrial virus contained in part of the meteor, and the explosion caused it to get into our atmosphere. It edited the DNA of the people it infected, killing virtually all of them, but the edits gave a select few powers. Others carried those genetic changes latently, and sometimes the descendants of those people express powers.This gives two distinct waves of supers, the first one corresponding with the mystery men era, and the later one corresponding with the rise of the spandex-clad superheroes. The second wave has never stopped, because descendants of supers,or even distant descendants of people that had their genomes altered can express powers of their own.
>>96691366What kinds of cybernetic enhancements go well with what powers (or vice versa)? For example, an electrokinetic super, depending on the mechanics of it, would do well to have implanted batteries and/or dynamos to boost their storage/output, and maybe wires to help absorb other electricity.
>>96696330Telekinetics and psychic-guys could use a brainwave dampener to prevent them from suffering a psychic feedback from reading too many minds at one or overexerting their telepatic powers. Or the other way around and give them a psychic amplifier to increase the range and strength of their powersPlus big stupid metallic heads are fun, and even more fun to smash into pieces
>>96696330>batteries and/or dynamosBatteries ain't shit.Motorized spark gaps, coil pairs, grounding port for metal-plated footwear connection, and a terminal for coronal discharge.Achieve EM resonance and use Earth's magnetosphere as a giant battery.
>>96697235Well, that was just a random example off the top of my head, but thanks anyway. Do you have any suggestions for other powers as well?>>96696374Thanks, would love to hear more ideas from you.
Coppertop!
>>96703963What are his powers, pyrokinesis with metal skin?
>it's another people fearmonger supers plotNigga, you ain't smart as you think for doing that
>>96708472Who are you quoting?
>>96696330Why do you keep asking this?
>>96696330Since powers are effects based, none of this matters. You can flavor the source of your powers however you want.
>>96708200Electrokinesis, and yes.>The serum changed Coppertop's body into one made of a copper-colored metal. This had the effect of giving him superhuman strength as well as being resistant to damage. His body now constantly produced large amounts of electricity that Coppertop could put to a variety of uses. Coppertop's skin was almost constantly electrified, which guaranteed a nasty shock to anyone who touched him. By focusing the electrical power Coppertop could fire powerful bolts of lightning. With concentration Coppertop could also fly by manipulating the electricity to carry him along in the air.
>>96691366>lust provoking image
As it should be.
>>96709153>>96709217Well, my idea was that there would be a mad scientist giving personalized cybernetic upgrades to other villains in exchange for payment and/or services rendered, you see, and I was hoping for help coming up with some, like how >96697235 built on my electrokinesis suggestions. Oh, just thought of this, but what if a super who can fly is given a GPS node, or at least an internal compass? I'd imagine that navigating at 1000 feet in the air, let alone higher, would be a challenge without major landmarks. If nothing else they could be given secondary eyelids and/or implanted cameras to help keep dust and shit out of their eyes when flying but still let them see.
>>96712429How about you at least suggest a few powers, then someone can build upon them?Related, sorta, but in Invincible there was the guy with, what seemed to be, piezoelectric powers.He couldn't maintain much of a charge, so he stole and implanted some experimental capacitors.That, in turn, allowed him to accumulate and wield a much, much greater charge and turn his wife and son into a pair of charred corpses
>>96713064No, feed me engagement for free. I will never contribute anything to the board.
>>96714738Bitch, you gotta give to get.Even my autism needs something to work off of.
>>96713064NTA, but what about augmentations for magic user supers besides grimoire databases in their heads?
>>96712429What game are you going to use this in?
>>96713064Okay, how about augments for fire and ice powers besides temperature regulators to help them avoid getting too hot or cold, respectively, when they use their powers? I'd suggest fuel tanks for pyrokinetics, but that seems like it'd be too large to fit without replacing most of the body.>96714738That wasn't me, sorry.>>96717334Okay, seconding. Maybe they have built-in wands or other focus items?
>>96717334I was always fond of the idea that grimoire is more than just words and diagrams on a page.Rather, they themselves are infused with magic, acting as a focus for it, and sometimes even a mana battery.Hence why so many mages are seen walking around with them like guns in quick-draw holsters.Therefore, instead of a simple SD card with all the data, I would go with something like a holographic storage unit.You imprint it with all the magic a grimoire would have, and carve the necessary diagrams and magical pathways into it's structure.Then it can assist in channeling the magic, letting you direct the flow of mana into any of the diagrams and spell matrices carved into it.Bonus points for making it a fancy gem, set either in the forehead slot, or a crown-like helmet.Consider the processing crystals used by mages in Saga of Tanya the Evil. >inb4 an*meThey're effectively a combination of ballistic computer, mana battery, magic foci, and a collection of combat spell matrices that provide actual structure for the magic.
>>96720008Are you sure that wasn't you? Because you still haven't contributed anything to the board.
>>96720008>Fire & IceFirst off, I assume they can't create fire/ice ex nihilo. I'll start off with the overlapping areas.Fuel tanks are a no-go, unless you're a designated villain, as both powers would create a HUGE weakspot.You either get vaporized in a giant fireball, or frozen solid in your embrittled armor.If fire power is really just hypergolic fuel production, then it is an absolute bitch to store, in addition to the above.If ice power is something natural liquid nitrogen production, then storing it requires cumbersome insulated tanks.An augmentation would, therefore, most likely be something that instead aids in throwing respective substances in a specific direction.Like, say, a powerful compressor, pressure vessel, and an injector.That would enable launching stuff in a tight long-range jet in "precision mode", or disperse it for an AoE attack.For fire, I'd add some kind of close-range/melee setup that helps create a directed explosion.A thickener injector would be great for achieving napalm-like stickiness too.Possibly with copper liner "ammo" to punch through armor like a HEAT round. Alternatively, gyrojet ammo for long-range strikes.If fuel isn't hypergolic, then a wide dispersal mode would be even more devastating via thermobaric explosion.Burning fuel puddles also work well for area denial. And, of course, your own jetpack that you fuel yourself.Ice can create a hazardous area in dispersal mode, covering ground in frost and creating super-cooled air.Don't forget a breathing mask, though, or you'll risk creating icicles in your own lungs as well as your opponents'.I would also suggest additional dispersal in key body locations to build up ice as a regenerating ersatz armor.Since our iceman is good at cooling, he could also dabble in electromagnetics, such as using his power to cool superconductors.A SMES battery could hold plenty of power, and a superconducting railgun could propel a slug to hit like a meteor at long range.
Thoughts on Invincible RPG? (free quickstart on drivethru)iyo, does the year zero engine work for supers?
>>96703963I, too, have named a hero Coppertop
>>96721080buy an ad
>>96691366Are there any individuals or groups selling powers in your setting, like the Power Broker in Marvel or Cauldron in Worm?
>>96691366Do you have street level heroes on your super team? What is their role and how are they not hopelessly outmatched by people with powers?
>>96727125Why would they be outmatched?
>>96727201He's thinking that they'd all be like Batman and have no powers, at least that's my guess from the image they chose.
>>96728791And there's no reason they would be outmatched by people who have powers.
>>96727054I'm debating what would be a worse kind of a "power broker"-type villain.On one hand, we have MHA with it's One-for-All, with grandiose plans for the world and all the supes in it.And, on the other — a humble, down-to-earth guy that just deals in powers and power-granting items.I'm actually leaning toward the latter. There's no ambition for planetary rule, no New World Order™.Just a measured desire for the cold hard cash. No excessive greed, no eccentricity, only professionalism.The quintessential businessman, with a cool head and an eye for talent. There's something unsettling about it.
That isn't unsettling in the least. Profit is morally neutral.
>>96731314I meant the cold professionalism, and the apparent lack of ambition beyond securing stable profits.In a cyberpunk setting, he could be something like a corporate executive type, high-level fixer, or something along those lines.This stands out, when compared to the average ne'er-do-well that dreams of taking over the world, or at least their own hometown.Guys like that tend to fly under the radar and go unnoticed for years, slowly building their shadow empire.And until you accidentally stumble upon their network, you'll scarcely have any idea what it's about. Just another criminal empire.Then you find out the hard way just how many clients he's already had, and who agreed to provide protection as part of the deal.I can easily picture a guy like that being third or second strongest villain in the campaign.Maybe even THE strongest, if it's a cloak-and-dagger kind of game with detective work and tangling with the criminal underworld.Worth having even if he's not part of the plot, just have him and his empire have an unseen presence in the world.A good side quest, then, would be taking down part of his network, in order to disrupt it's operations in the city campaign is taking place in.Part of, because such things are often too massive to be taken down by anything short of a large government taskforce.Or you could try and play out a "deal with the devil" scenario, where you achieve some kind of mutually-beneficial understanding.Like you said, profit is morally-neutral, and the guy isn't running around robbing banks with his powers.If you can live with such "lesser evil", he could sell/rent you powers, or act as information broker, for a price.Worst part is that he isn't evil himself, at least no more than any other businessman.Can't easily justify taking him out, nor would it destroy his empire, at most it'll just change some of it's faces.
>>96731511Yes, I know what you were referring to.
Fun factDc comics and Mutants and Masterminds did an official crossover, where they stated a bunch of DC heros.Starfire in the only female superhero with *two* attractive perks.Catwoman, wonder woman, power girl? They only have one attractive perk.StarFire is canonically the hottest superhero.
>>96731878And Star Sapphire was the only villain to get the Attractive 2.
>>96731878Went back to check the books. In Vol2, Starfire was the only hero, in Vol1 Superwoman (The Anti-Earth Wonder Woman) and Phantom Lady (Stormy Knight) also had Attactiveness 2.
>>96728794Are you lying to us or to yourself?
>>96734054Are you going to present any reasoning at all or should we continue to ignore you?
>>96720289Thanks for the analysis, love the ideas! Interesting that you assumed that they can't create fire or ice ex nihilo when Shoto can and you used that gif of him.What about geokinetics and aerokinetics, to do another opposing theme? Maybe the latter could have a built-in glider or augmented lungs to allow them to create vacuums around themselves but still breathe. Not sure of the former though besides maybe magnets to help them use the ore in stone to manipulate it better.
>>96734639Augmented lungs won't allow you to breathe in a vacuum.
>>96734884To be clearer I probably should have said something about said lungs allowing them to hold their breath much longer and/or getting more oxygen out of the air they breathe.
>>96734639I assumed it for the sake of limiting the scope and allowing things like thermobaric explosions. And the character limit for a post is aids. IIRC Shoto doesn't create ice out of nothing, though. He pulls moisture from the ambient air — something cryokinetics should keep in mind when planning to use ice constructs.Unsurprisingly, it means that it's best to fight one in an arid area, or during a drought, which would limit them to direct thermal attacks only, as well as diminish their defensive capability.
Imagine not being able to create matter out of nothing lul
>>96734639Common elements:>3D nav suite and AR visor/helmet for a 3D map overlay>sealed suit with thermal insulation for subterranean/high-altitude environments, working with/in lavaGK:>portable chemlab for local mineral analysis (i.e. fight arena preparation)>relevant database(s) for cross-referencing the findings>total armor coverage for unrestrained use of sand-based area attacks>air filter to protect from asbestos and similar mineral fiber exposure>sensor suite, inc. geo-acoustic, for in-depth analysis and 3D-mapping of ground/target's internal structure>helmet with built-in lights, UV for NV or not, caves be dark yo>schematics database for making constructs>ballistic computer for precision rock-throwing>vessels for mineral-based cutting fluidAK:>portable meteorological and gas analysis lab>sealed suit for handling high and low pressure environments>insulation for high-altitude flight, and (relatively) weak thermal attacks>acoustic suite for helping with acoustic attacks (help find the right pitch to break things and such)I admit, I kinda ran out of ideas for the aerokinesis.Haven't really thought much about how it could be used, so can't come up with that many ways to augment or enhance it's use.>>96735495Not everyone gets to have godlike power to generate their element. That's why they need help in form of augmentations. No bulli.
>>96733965Hmm, I must have missed them. Thanks anon bro
>>96733965>being evil makes you hotter
>>96733965Shame they race swapped her to nig in the show
>>96735494I don't remember that, but it's been a while since I rewatched MHA. Still, like Frozone in Incredibles, it seems like he puts out a lot more ice than just the water in the air should allow.>>96736305These are all great ideas, thanks. And don't worry, I understand completely, maybe you'll have a brainstorm later.Speaking of the water comment above, what about augments for a hydrokinetic besides artificial gills or webbed feet and hands if he doesn't have them already, eye protection/augmented vision seems like a good idea, same for augments to better handle aquatic pressures and temperatures.Oh, and what about plant powers like Poison Ivy? All I can think of at the moment is maybe an internal storage space for seeds.
>>96691366I was thinking that one of the major villains in my world would be creating an army of clones of heroes to do their bidding, have you ever done anything similar? Because I could use all the help I can get! Speaking of cloning villains, what existing supers settings/stories have the best takes on this concept in your opinion (I was partially inspired by the Mauler “twins” from Invincible, but they mainly clone themselves)? Especially how the villain obtains the DNA from the heroes to make the clones without said heroes being the wiser, and how they target said heroes besides their personal arch-nemesis?
>>96738287A must-have for any combat-heavy hydrokinetic is something to turn a spray of water into a water cutter, even if it only works in pulse mode like a pistol shrimp's claw.I'd also pack some HE grenades — if you can keep water in shape, it would make any kind of explosion hit so much harder.Water-adapted sound emitters. Acoustic cavitation, and cavitation in general, can cause serious damage if used right.
bump
>>96727054I really don't like superhero/supervillain organizations that run likes office jobs. It feels like adventurer guilds in fantasy settings, it's so weird to me and doesn't feel right somehow. Anyone know what I mean? Maybe I'm overthinking it.
>>96738915These are great ideas, thanks! I presume that you couldn't think of anything for plant powers either? What about light or darkness powers then? Obviously an augmentation for light powers would be some mechanism that lets them focus their light attacks into more deadly lasers. Eyes that can better handle quick shifts in light levels would work for both, along with ways to handle extremely bright light and no light, respectively, but for darkness powers in particular I'm otherwise stumped. My best suggestion there is maybe some kind of armor that can be piloted by the super's animated shadow.
>>96691366Where do the heroes and villains in your supers settings actually get the energy to do what they do? I mean, for some we know the supposed source, but the kind of bullshit feats Kryptonians for example can pull goes well beyond what they should be able to do with just the energy they get from the sunlight they’re exposed to. So how are your supers fueled, are they converting matter directly into energy, drawing it from some kind of external source, or just outright altering reality on a subconscious level to give the laws of conservation a metaphorical middle finger or what? I prefer a mix between the latter two myself.
>>96743849Doesn't matter, roll dice and fight bad guys
>>96743869I ask partially because this would be a great in-setting mystery, especially if a villain is trying to solve it for their own dark purposes.
>>96743642>I presume that you couldn't think of anything for plant powers either?Was a bit out of shape, lemme fix that.>seed, culture, and/or sapling storage compartments>portable chem lab, with a gene sequencer, if possible>weight distribution and support system for plant armor>nutrient solution storage, and a distribution system for it>air filters and a supply of air for working with toxic pollen, or fast-growing fungal spores>fire suppression system, both for self, and for extinguishing surrounding flames>a supply of remote-controlled cameras, and a visor to see through themThat's in case of either VERY heavy armor, or for putting on/into constructs/"treants" to keep track of them.It's a tricky one, like fleshwarping. So many things could be done, so many ways to use plant control, and so many interpretations of what it means, to control plants.Like, can you grow them into dense armor plates, or make them form blades, or deposit explosive compounds inside themselves?It's why I like more well-defined powers — the smaller scope lends itself well to predicting possible uses, and how they could be augmented technologically.If anything, I'd assume the plant manipulator would rely mostly on homegrown cultures, rather than pack lots of equipment.Something light, something to help analyze plant specimens in the field, a field lab to concoct a mutagen to help guide the changes in the plant.I'm imagining a plant manipulator as something of a scientific type, with emphasis on study and experimentation.As opposed to something like simply growing giant combat carnivorous plants that can walk for/during a fight. Not that I judge — to each his own.
>>96743642>darkness powersI think defining what they actually do would help get things moving. Darkness, as in absence of light?Can you use it to suppress more than just like, creating an area utterly devoid of photons, and thus, the fundamental electromagnetic interaction?If nothing else, it would explain why the "darkness element" was always depicted as extremely destructive — it literally disintegrates matter on a molecular level!I think that whatever augmentation is used with such power would be mostly about supporting the person wielding it, rather than boosting the power itself.>inb4: like what?Grappling hooks, jet boots — mobility stuff. If your power is quickly disintegrating stuff, you may end up losing your footing as things start to collapse. Mobility may help you avoid getting buried under the rubble.Air supply is a must. It's scary just how easy would it be to turn surrounding air highly corrosive and toxic. A nasty fucking "element", if you think about it.
>>96743890no
>>96743890You are retarded and missing the entire point of superheroes.
