Anti-Super Powers

[AlgaeNymph]

Suppose I'm looking to create a team of superhumans designed to neutralize, abduct, and otherwise eliminate meddlesome superheroes...or -villains.  Because I do.  What powers and powersets would you all recommend?

[dmjalund]

Mental Paralysis (Entangle based on ECV)

[steriaca]

Drain and Dispel.

 

Missile Deflection.

 

Martial arts.

 

Power suits.

 

Special weapons technology. 

[Duke Bushido]

Here's something so effective I have never seen a GM allow it:  EDM, usable as attack, , range, based on ECV (which changes the points based range to line of sight.  Now I see you; now I don't.  )

 

Seriously: don't do that.  It's hard to get new players.    

 

(Don't do it with FTL, either)

 

 

I only offer it as a gateway to asking just what you mean when you say "get rid of."

 

short of that-  powers to neutralize powers-  Drain, and Supress are specifically for that purpose.  T-form can do it on a long-term (as in "career-ending") basis.

 

it is a matter of what you see happening, how you see it working, and what the aftermath is like.

 

 

[LoneWolf]

Mental Paralysis is very good if you don’t have a good ego but is pretty expensive.  A standard Entangle is surprisingly effective vs a lot of characters.  

 

I always liked an EMP pulse to take down technological based characters.  Buy it as a low dice AVLD does body with the defense not being an electronic device area of effect.    
 

[Lord Liaden]

1 hour ago, Duke Bushido said:

Here's something so effective I have never seen a GM allow it:  EDM, usable as attack, , range, based on ECV (which changes the points based range to line of sight.  Now I see you; now I don't.  )

 

Seriously: don't do that.  It's hard to get new players.    

 

(Don't do it with FTL, either)

 

 

I only offer it as a gateway to asking just what you mean when you say "get rid of."

 

 

There's an official Champions villain, Nebula (Champions Villains Volume Three: Solo Villains), who has essentially this power, although not using ECV (which IIRC under 6E no longer automatically grants LOS). Nebula is a displaced extra-galactic law enforcement officer with a very Draconian mindset. Her "Duress Gauntlets" exile criminals to a pocket dimension called Duress.

 

Duress receives a capsule description in Digital Hero #5, p. 11 (13 of the PDF), along with stats for its robotic guards, the Keepers.

[death tribble]

As a reminder the Viper special teams who used entangles to trap some and big cannons to take out others.

I think it was in one of the magazines. 

[Lord Liaden]

You might also look at the Stronghold Champions supplement detailing that super-prison (as well as describing how CU America's legal system has adapted to superhumans). That facility makes extensive use of "power negators" to render super-powers ineffectual. They come in area-affecting configurations that cover the whole prison, more limited ones in prisoner transport vehicles, and in personal restraints that prisoners wear.

[Grailknight]

If you want to keep it low tech, then go with Flash, Entangle and AVLD Attacks(tasers and gases). These are all available to the police and military in bulk. You can do it with SWAT teams or Special Forces.

 

For higher tech or outright Supers, you can use some effective combos. Flash Attacks followed up by Blast with 3-shot Auto-Fire and Penetrating(or anything really, if you're Flashed, you've lost), Constant or DOT Drains/AVLD's or even simple concealed explosives triggered in a noncombat surprise scenario.

 

It's the initial subdual that's the difficult part. Keeping them down just requires possessing the proper Powers and the brains to use those Powers intelligently.

[Armitage]

There was an old Adventurer's Club article that mentioned a team of villains that included a little old lady with a bunch of Invisible Drain and NND attacks based on her ability to mentally disrupt a target's biological processes.

 

(The article was actually about the creative use of Presence attacks.  When the heroes detected her and moved to stop her, she made a Presence attack on the crowd around her, convincing them that crazy heroes were about to attack a harmless senior citizen and they should protect her.)

[AlgaeNymph]

18 hours ago, steriaca said:

Martial arts.

 

Power suits.

Could you elaborate?
 

17 hours ago, Duke Bushido said:

I only offer it as a gateway to asking just what you mean when you say "get rid of."

Either turn them to your side, or turn them into bodies.

 

16 hours ago, Lord Liaden said:

There's an official Champions villain, Nebula

Yeah, her power was one I definitely had at the forefront of my mind.  : )

 

Also, thanks for directing me to those outtakes!  I also found out that Thunderbird doesn't like Lady Blue...  : (

 

8 hours ago, Lord Liaden said:

You might also look at the Stronghold Champions supplement detailing that super-prison (as well as describing how CU America's legal system has adapted to superhumans). That facility makes extensive use of "power negators" to render super-powers ineffectual.

I have, but I'm looking for powers on the cheap.  Suppressors cost a loootta points.

 

6 hours ago, Grailknight said:

Flash Attacks followed up by Blast with 3-shot Auto-Fire and Penetrating (or anything really, if you're Flashed, you've lost)

I know what Flash is but I'm unfamiliar with it in action.  Could you tell me more?

 

1 hour ago, Armitage said:

The article was actually about the creative use of Presence attacks.

And sometimes I get something good that I wasn't expecting.  : D

But that should be its own thread, assuming one isn't already there to search for.

[steriaca]

36 minutes ago, AlgaeNymph said:

Could you elaborate?

Yes. Technology is the great equaliser.  An Iron Man style suit can rival people with natural powers.

 

And with extreme training a martial artist can outshine some low level natural powers. 

[archer]

1) Whip up anti-alien paranoia on the internet.

 

2) Fully invisible AOE Transform which turns a person's blood green.

 

3) Fully invisible 1d6 RKA AOE Penetrating with the special effect of causing people to visibly bleed.

 

4) Do an event for people "to see aliens revealed". Done as a flash mob if the paranoia is small. As a scheduled media event through a sympathetic news network and event planner if the paranoia has taken a life of its own.

 

5) Hit some part of the mob with the Transform then the RKA. Stream it happening with the "aliens" revealed. If the villain has done their paranoia prep sufficiently, some part of the crowd will violently go after the "revealed aliens". (If its a media event, some enterprising person will be selling "Alien-popping baseball bats".)

 

6) When the heroes show up to quell the riot and protect the "aliens", hit them with the Transform then the RKA. So the heroes are revealed to be aliens themselves and only there to oppress the humans and rescue their alien co-conspirators.

 

It should be almost impossible to repair the reputation of the heroes because any delay about "coming clean" or "independent third-party testing" would be spun as them having had time to do a coverup.

 

That's a somewhat classical way to neutralize heroes because they wouldn't be able to operate openly and whatever people or police who they attempt to save will be as scared of them as of whatever else is menacing them.

 

Bonus points if the conspirator uses the Transform on whoever steps forward to do a testimonial praising the heroes. There's always going to be some bozo who challenges "Prove you aren't a green-blooded alien yourself!" And of course the person will agree to a blood test because the heroes have already done that and proved they're a red-blooded American.

 

Hilarity ensues.

 

(Note that you could likely only do this if the players have agreed to a major shakeup to their team status.)

[pinecone]

19 hours ago, AlgaeNymph said:

Suppose I'm looking to create a team of superhumans designed to neutralize, abduct, and otherwise eliminate meddlesome superheroes...or -villains.  Because I do.  What powers and powersets would you all recommend?

PSI vs Bricks, Reflection vs Blasters, Entangle (w/AE) vs Martials, is a start.

[Grailknight]

1 hour ago, AlgaeNymph said:

Could you elaborate?

 

I know what Flash is but I'm unfamiliar with it in action.  Could you tell me more?

 

Being Flashed means you cannot perceive anything with the affected Sense. If you have all your Targeting Senses Flashed you are at 1/2 DCV, 1/2 OCV in Melee and 0 OCV vs Ranged. You can make a PER roll with any non-Targeting sense to lessen these effects.

 

But the kicker is, unlike comics, where Flash only works as a surprise, there's nothing to stop your opponent from doing it repeatedly. You'll be stuck in a cycle of being unable to attack effectively while being a much easier target. It's difficult but possible to beat someone one on one in this case, but against a group of agents, you become hittable and suddenly that one or two hits they get in per turn becomes per phase if not more, they can take aim and hit with that slow 2-man  big gun they have vehicle mounted and if they keep moving and use cover well, you won't be able to find them all on that phase you come un-Flashed.

 

And it doesn't have to be Flash. Darkness and Invisibility can achieve the same effects but those are generally higher tech or Power options. 

 

[dmjalund]

43 minutes ago, Grailknight said:

But the kicker is, unlike comics, where Flash only works as a surprise, there's nothing to stop your opponent from doing it repeatedly.

not true, if a target is expecting a flash, they can look away or similar to avoid being targeted

[Ninja-Bear]

13 hours ago, death tribble said:

As a reminder the Viper special teams who used entangles to trap some and big cannons to take out others.

I think it was in one of the magazines. 

Apparently this article made it into the BBB. It’s the Viper 5 man squad.

[Grailknight]

47 minutes ago, dmjalund said:

not true, if a target is expecting a flash, they can look away or similar to avoid being targeted

 

In which case they have aborted away their turn to take a defensive action.  So, a delaying tactic vs Flash and not an option vs Darkness or Invisibility. 

[Tjack]

For reference material you may want to check out how the “Cape Killers” from Marvel Comics Civil War were used. They were the armored squads S.H.I.E.L.D. sent out after rogue paranormals.  Heroes & Villains alike.

[wcw43921]

Armitage mentioned Drains earlier--I was thinking END Drain coupled with STUN Drain, myself.  Characters can't use their powers if they don't have the strength to use them.  Mind Control works well in this regard, also--a character under a Mind Control effect is more likely to obey a command such as, "You are too tired to move.  You are falling asleep," rather than a straightforward "YOU WILL OBEY!"  That last one only ever works for guys like Menton.

[Cygnia]

We made jokes about Comeliness Drains -- "TOO UGLY TO FIGHT~!"

[Sundog]

Flight, usable on others is a superb way to neutralize melee monsters.

[unclevlad]

On 4/20/2022 at 5:42 PM, dmjalund said:

not true, if a target is expecting a flash, they can look away or similar to avoid being targeted

 

Depends on the Flash.  This is left open to SFX.  

 

Mental Entangle is expensive, but you may not need very much.  2d6 and +2 DEF gives you 4 DEF.  That'll keep many heroes occupied for a phase or two, or he'll push...that's OK, that's burning END.  The next step up would be 3d6 and +3 DEF...unfortunately a bit wasted, as the defense on a mental entangle is 3 points for 2 DEF, and there's the limit on the extra DEF you can buy.  But, with 6 DEF...even 5 DEF, 3d6 and +2 DEF...not many heroes will have enough EGO to break out without pushing...or at least, not for quite a while.  

[unclevlad]

XDM UAA is nasty, for sure.  

 

Just about as bad...and potentially cheaper, altho the build may be abusive...is Teleport UAA, with MegaScale and No Range Mod.  

 

END Drain is better than STUN drain, I'd think, because the halving rule doesn't particularly help...END is +5 for 1 CP, so even if you buy 100 END, it's only 16 points.  Even the half-effect rule for a defensive Characteristic doesn't help that much when there's so little to drain.  And buying up to 100 END is rather high.  STUN Drain will be a bit less effective in that regard, but may combine better with other attacks like AVAD.

[Opal]

The anti-supers team could have gadget pools and/or variable f/X powers.  They research their targets and hit their vulnerability/susceptibility/doesn't-work-in-blank-limitations....