Marvel's Ultimate Universe: Wolverine

[Allandrel]

Standard Opening: I’m preparing to run a game set in Marvel’s Ultimate Universe. I’ve been roleplaying for ten years, but I’m new to the Hero System. To help prepare for my game, and more importantly to help learn the ins and outs of the system, I’m statting up the entire Ultimate Universe. What I’m looking for here is feedback and suggestions on how to get the effects I want using the Hero system, rather than precisely replicating the abilities of the characters (though I’d like to do that, too).

 

(In addition, whenever I lack information about a character’s abilities, I’m going to fall back on the assumption that they’re pretty much the same as their Marvel Universe counterpart.)

 

Regarding Point Ranges: I’ve built Wolverine as a High-Powered Superheroic character, reflecting his decades of experience when compared to the other X-Men.

 

The following profile represents Wolverine when the X-Men start their world tour, just prior to the confrontation with Proteus (issue #13, in other words).

 

WOLVERINE (Logan/James Howlett)

 

STR 20 (Roll 13-, Lift 400 kg; 4d6 damage) (10 points)

DEX 18 (Roll 13-, OCV: 6/DCV: 6) (24 points)

CON 30 (Roll 15-) (40 points)

BODY 25 (Roll 14-) (30 points)

INT 13 (Roll 12-, PER Roll 15-) (3 points)

EGO 20 (Roll 13-, ECV: 7) (20 points)

PRE 20 (Roll 13-, PRE Attack 4d6) (10 points)

COM 10 (Roll 11-) (0 points)

 

PD 8 (Total: 16 PD, 8 rPD) (4 points)

ED 8 (Total: 16 ED, 8 rED) (2 points)

SPD 5 (Phases: 3, 5, 8, 10, 12) (22 points)

REC 15 (10 points)

END 60 (0 points)

STUN 60 (10 points)

 

Total Characteristic Points: 185

 

Running: 8â€

Jumping: 4â€

Swimming: 2â€

 

POWERS

 

Claws: Hand to hand Killing Attack 1d6 (3d6 with STR),* Armor Piercing x3 (+1 ½), Reduced Endurance (1/2 END, +1/4) (41 Active Points); Restrainable (-1/2) (27 points)

Unbreakable Adamantium-laced Skeleton: Physical Damage Reduction (Resistant) 25% (15 Active Points); BODY Only (-1/2) (10 points)

Mutant Healing Factor: Healing 3d6 (Regeneration; 3 BODY per Turn), Reduced Endurance (0 END, +1/2), Persistent (+1/2) (60 Active Points); Self Only (-1/2), Extra Time (1 Turn, -1) (24 points)

Animal Senses: Enhanced Perception +3 (all Sense Groups), Discriminatory Sense of Smell, Tracking Sense of Smell (19 Active Points) (19 points)

Athletic: Running +2†(4 Active Points)

Weapon X Mental Training: Mental Defense 10 (6 Active Points) (6 points)

Weapon X Thought Shielding: Mental Defense +20 (20 Active Points); Limited Power: Only vs. Telepathy (-1 ½) (8 points)

X-Men Uniform: Armor 16 (8 PD, 8 ED) (24 Active Points); Activation Roll 14- (-1/2), OIF (-1/2) (12 points)

 

*When adding damage, the question of whether Wolverine’s claws count as unarmed attacks or weapon attacks came up. I decided to consider them unarmed attacks, since they are a natural part of his body (like a lion’s teeth, an eagle’s claws, or an elephant’s tusks). Thus his extra damage classes from Martial Arts give him a base damage of 5 Damage Classes before adding in his STR; combat maneuvers could add one more Damage Class before maxing out.

 

Total Power Points: 110

 

SKILLS

 

+1 Overall Skill Level (10 points)

+3 with Hand to Hand Combat (10 points)

 

Breakfall 13- (3 points)

Climbing 13- (3 points)

Combat Driving 13- (3 points)

Defense Maneuver II (5 points)

Martial Arts: +2 Damage Classes, Killing Strike, M. Dodge, M. Escape, M. Strike, Nerve Strike, Offensive Strike (33 points)

Mechanics 12- (3 points)

Security Systems 12- (3 points)

Seduction 13- (3 points)

Shadowing 12- (3 points)

Stealth 13- (3 points)

Streetwise 13- (3 points)

Survival: Arctic/Subarctic, Mountain, Temperate/Subtropical, Deserts, Urban 12- (10 points)

Teamwork 13- (3 points)

Tracking 12- (3 points)

TF: Small Motorized Ground Vehicles, Two-Wheeled Motorized Vehicles, Combat Aircraft (2 points)

Two-Weapon Fighting: Hand to Hand (10 points)

 

PERKS

 

Contact: Nick Fury 8- (Extremely useful skills, access to major institutions, significant contacts of his own) (6 points)

Reputation: Ruthless Killer 11- (+2, known to the black ops and mutant communities) (2 points)

Reputation: Super Hero 11- (+2, known to the general public) (4 points)

 

TALENTS

 

Bump of Direction (3 points)

Combat Sense 12- (Sense) (17 points)

Lightning Reflexes +2 (3 points)

Resistance +2 (2 points)

 

Total Skill, Perk, and Talent Cost: 155

Total Cost: 450

 

DISADVANTAGES

 

Distinctive Features: Mutant (Concealable, Major Reaction, Detectable Only by Genetic Scans or Tests) (5 points)

Distinctive Features: Metal Skeleton (Not Concealable, Major Reaction, Detectable Only By Metal Detectors) (10 points)

Enraged: When Angered (Common) 8-, Recovery 8- (20 points)

Hunted: Former Weapon X Operatives 8- (As Pow, Wolverine has Public Identity, Kill) (15 points)

Hunted: S.H.I.E.L.D. 11- (More Pow, NCI, Wolverine has Public Identity, Watched) (20 points)

Physical Limitation: No memory of life before Weapon X (Infrequently, Greatly Impairing) (10 points)

Psychological Limitation: In Love with Marvel Girl (Common, Strong)(15 points)

Reputation: Ruthless Killer 11- (10 points)

Rivalry: Cyclops (Romantic Rival, Cyclops is Less Powerful, Wolverine Seeks to Harm Cyclops, Cyclops is Aware of Rivalry) (5 points)

Social Limitation: Mutant (Frequently, Major) (15 points)

Social Limitation: Public Identity (Frequently, Major) (15 points)

Vulnerability: Double Effect/Damage from Magnetic Effects (Uncommon) (10 points)

 

Total Disadvantage Points: 150

Base Points: 300

Total Points: 450

 

Patrick J McGraw

[Caped Crusader]

Good read, except that I would think Wolvie would have a higher DEX than 18, and maybe a 6 SPD...

[Guest frostbite]

I would go with a speed of 6 as well. But I'm not too sure about upping his dex. I'd probably go lightning reflexes. Also don't forget about life support for his immunity to diseases and poisons.

[bafzoul]

On your claws, STR can only double the damage of a HKA so increase it to a 1 1/2 d6 (3d6 total). with dtriple AP and add penetrating as his claws can slice through almost anything.

 

 

Just my two-cents

[Allandrel]

Originally posted by frostbite

I would go with a speed of 6 as well. But I'm not too sure about upping his dex. I'd probably go lightning reflexes. Also don't forget about life support for his immunity to diseases and poisons.

 

With the points values I'm working with, 5 is about as high as I can go, and considering the other writeups I'm looking at it will still make him one of the faster characters in the UU.

 

Diseases and poisons both do BODY damage, so his Healing Factor already covers that resistance.

 

Patrick J McGraw

[Allandrel]

Originally posted by bafzoul

On your claws, STR can only double the damage of a HKA so increase it to a 1 1/2 d6 (3d6 total). with dtriple AP and add penetrating as his claws can slice through almost anything.

 

 

Just my two-cents

 

Strength and other modifiers can only double the base damage; but for unarmed attacks a characters Martial Arts bonus DCs are considered to add to the base damage. So Wolverine's claws have a base damage of 5 DCs, potentially doubling up to 10 DCs.

 

Whether a HKA is considered a weapon attack or an unarmed attack is essentially dependent on its special effects; I determined that natural weapons (like claws, teeth, and tusks) would be considered unarmed, as they are essentially the same as punches and kicks - just more deadly.

 

Same reason why I didn't buy HKA twice, once for each arm - lions don't buy HKA for every foot.

 

Patrick J McGraw

[Vorsch]

Nice write up, good to see wolverine with 20 str and dex.

 

Though i think i would go the whole nine yards on the claws and make the 1d6 Hka NND does body 0 end, restrainable cost 35pts. ( i personally do not like NND does body but it fits )

 

also i think that wolverine should be tougher( even without the adamantium) with a pd and ed of 12. he should also have some resistand defences without the armour due to his skeleton, Damage resistance 12pd 12 ed, takes 1body per 1d6 of Killing attack regardless-1/2 cost 8 pts ( similar to combat luck but its what ive used for 10years for wolverine types)

 

cost 7+8 = 15

 

Lose the 25% Dam red as its pretty useless, and the 2 weapon fighting. give him 2 overall and 2 hth

 

save 15pts

 

Ps you list him as having 18pd/18d total when its 8pd +8 armour or am i missing some thing

[Chaosliege]

Originally posted by frostbite

I would go with a speed of 6 as well. But I'm not too sure about upping his dex. I'd probably go lightning reflexes. Also don't forget about life support for his immunity to diseases and poisons.

 

I agree with LS. I would even consider going to a 40 CON. Remember, Wolverine is vertualy tireless, and doesn't were down in a fight. I would consider lowering his STR though, if you're going for a true Wolverine. His STR would be closer to 15. You could always make up the diference with martial DCs.

 

I also agree with bafzoul on adding penetrating to the HKA. If points get too high, I'd drop to 2AP+Penetrating before 3AP..

[Allandrel]

Originally posted by Vorsch

Nice write up, good to see wolverine with 20 str and dex.

 

Though i think i would go the whole nine yards on the claws and make the 1d6 Hka NND does body 0 end, restrainable cost 35pts. ( i personally do not like NND does body but it fits )

 

I am considering 0 END, since he would still spend END to use his STR. As for NND... his claws can still be blocked by sufficiently powerful force fields, adamantium-based defenses, etc. Lots of AP should do the trick, really.

 

also i think that wolverine should be tougher( even without the adamantium) with a pd and ed of 12. he should also have some resistand defences without the armour due to his skeleton, Damage resistance 12pd 12 ed, takes 1body per 1d6 of Killing attack regardless-1/2 cost 8 pts ( similar to combat luck but its what ive used for 10years for wolverine types)

 

cost 7+8 = 15

 

Here's my reasoning on Wolverine's defenses:

 

Versus Normal Damage, Wolverine is tough, but not superhumanly so. His toughness is more in being able to take a lot of punches than ignoring any given attack - so rather than having a superhuman PD, he has a huge CON, REC (healing factor!), and STUN.

 

Same thing with Killing damage. His skin isn't bullet-resistent, so no innate rPD. His main defenses are once again his high CON and BODY, with his Healing Factor... and the skeleton.

 

The question I looked at with the skeleton was: what does it do? It doesn't prevent attacks from hurting him; rather it prevents attacks from hurting him as much as they would hurt somebody else, because his bones won't break or fracture. Since the adamantium reduces damage without necessarily preventing it, Damage Reduction seemed the ideal power to use. I limited it to BODY only to reflect that an attack will still tear up his soft tissue regardless of the skeleton; it only helps with serious injury (BODY damage).

 

Either method works, but Damage Reduction seemed more in line for the effect of "less damage without preventing damage."

 

Lose the 25% Dam red as its pretty useless, and the 2 weapon fighting. give him 2 overall and 2 hth

 

I've already explained the Dam Red, and the two weapon fighting is an essential part of Wolverine's fighting style.

 

save 15pts

 

Ps you list him as having 18pd/18d total when its 8pd +8 armour or am i missing some thing [/b]

 

I added wrong. Thanks for pointing out the error.

 

Patrick J McGraw

[Allandrel]

Originally posted by Chaosliege

I agree with LS. I would even consider going to a 40 CON. Remember, Wolverine is vertualy tireless, and doesn't were down in a fight. I would consider lowering his STR though, if you're going for a true Wolverine. His STR would be closer to 15. You could always make up the diference with martial DCs.

 

The CON is already superhuman, and his superhuman REC and END already reflect it for the power scale I'm working at.

 

How do you figure a STR of 15? Wolverine demonstrates remarkable strength all the time, certainly in the range of the upper human limit, not simply above average.

 

I also agree with bafzoul on adding penetrating to the HKA. If points get too high, I'd drop to 2AP+Penetrating before 3AP..

 

Agreed. I'll put it into the revision.

 

Patrick J McGraw

[Chaosliege]

Originally posted by Allandrel

How do you figure a STR of 15? Wolverine demonstrates remarkable strength all the time, certainly in the range of the upper human limit, not simply above average.

 

I was going entirely by the old comics I used to read. Unless Wolverines's gotten a lot stronger over the years, he was never anywhere near as strong as Cap. Cap being the Max human 20, that put Wolverine at about 15. But that's just my take on it. I've been wrong before..

[Allandrel]

Originally posted by Chaosliege

I was going entirely by the old comics I used to read. Unless Wolverines's gotten a lot stronger over the years, he was never anywhere near as strong as Cap. Cap being the Max human 20, that put Wolverine at about 15. But that's just my take on it. I've been wrong before..

 

Ah, we're just working at different scales, then. I'm working at a scale similar to the CU, where humans can have "Legendary" Characteristics, and the Superhuman range doesn't start until 31+, or even higher for mental characteristics.

 

I thought I'd mentioned it in my standard opening, so I'll have to add it. Essentially, I've got "Legendary" for the physical characteristics (STR, DEX, CON, BODY, and COM) at 18-25, with "Superhuman" at 26+. Mental Characteristics (INT, EGO, and PRE) are Legendary at 20-29, and Superhuman at 30+.

 

So Ultimate Cap will have a STR of 25.

 

Patrick J McGraw

[Pattern Ghost]

Re: The STR. Well, "Classic" Wolvie was about five-three but solid, so the 15 was a good call there. The Ultimate Wolvie has grown to a buff six foot, IIRC, and he's quite a bit stronger. The mainstream current Wolverine also seems bordering on max human too, same as the 90's blood-bath version.

 

On the writeup: I didn't get a chance to look at it in detail, but I didn't see extra Hand Attack damage on there. He should probably get an extra 2d6 or so for the skeleton, as it's one of his schticks.

[Allandrel]

Originally posted by Pattern Ghost

Re: The STR. Well, "Classic" Wolvie was about five-three but solid, so the 15 was a good call there. The Ultimate Wolvie has grown to a buff six foot, IIRC, and he's quite a bit stronger. The mainstream current Wolverine also seems bordering on max human too, same as the 90's blood-bath version.

 

On the writeup: I didn't get a chance to look at it in detail, but I didn't see extra Hand Attack damage on there. He should probably get an extra 2d6 or so for the skeleton, as it's one of his schticks.

 

I'l look into it for the re-write. It probably won't be more than one additional DC, though, since the extra damage from a fist-load comes partly from it's weight. Everything I've seen has indicated that adamantium-laced bones don't weigh all that much more than normal bones (look at the non-powered Bullseye for an example).

 

Patrick J McGraw

[Victim]

How about something like +Speed, only to take Recoveries. While 15 REC is good, it's not going to keep Wolverine conscious when under heavy attack.

[Metaphysician]

Ultimate Cap isn't limited to "peak human" by any stretch of the imagination. He's blatantly superhuman, easily in the same class as the Golden Avenger ( possibly with more enhancements ).

[Allandrel]

Originally posted by Victim

How about something like +Speed, only to take Recoveries. While 15 REC is good, it's not going to keep Wolverine conscious when under heavy attack.

 

Heavy, sustained attacks have taken Wolverine down several times in the comics.

 

Patrick J McGraw

[Allandrel]

Originally posted by Metaphysician

Ultimate Cap isn't limited to "peak human" by any stretch of the imagination. He's blatantly superhuman, easily in the same class as the Golden Avenger ( possibly with more enhancements ).

 

It's a question of effect. They haven't defined Cap's abilities specifically, but his strength clearly is impressive. I'm going to give him a STR 25, along with plenty of extra Damage Classes and martial arts, enough that he'll be able to hurt supertough characters with his bare hands (see Ultimates #5... Cap makes the Hulk bleed).

 

Patrick J McGraw

[Vorsch]

l

[Allandrel]

Here's the revision on Wolverine. Taking into account suggestions, and also the fact that I was already cutting costs left and right, I went ahead and gave him 50 more points. He is one of the most experienced heroes in the Ultimate Universe, after all.

 

Changes are in red

 

The following profile represents Wolverine when the X-Men start their world tour, just prior to the confrontation with Proteus (issue #13, in other words).

 

WOLVERINE (Logan/James Howlett)

 

STR 20 (Roll 13-, Lift 400 kg; 4d6 damage) (10 points)

DEX 18 (Roll 13-, OCV: 6/DCV: 6) (24 points)

CON 30 (Roll 15-) (40 points)

BODY 25 (Roll 14-) (30 points)

INT 13 (Roll 12-, PER Roll 15-) (3 points)

EGO 20 (Roll 13-, ECV: 7) (20 points)

PRE 20 (Roll 13-, PRE Attack 4d6) (10 points)

COM 10 (Roll 11-) (0 points)

 

PD 8 (Total: 16 PD, 8 rPD) (4 points)

ED 8 (Total: 16 ED, 8 rED) (2 points)

SPD 6 (Phases: 2, 4, 6, 8, 10, 12) (32 points)

REC 18 (16 points)

END 60 (0 points)

STUN 60 (10 points)

 

Total Characteristic Points: 201

 

Running: 8â€

Jumping: 4â€

Swimming: 2â€

 

POWERS

 

Adamantium Claws: Hand to hand Killing Attack 1d6 (3d6 with STR),* Armor Piercing x2 (+1), Penetrating (+1/2), Reduced Endurance (0 END, +1/2) (45 Active Points); Restrainable (-1/2) (30 points)

Unbreakable Adamantium-laced Skeleton: Physical Damage Reduction (Resistant) 25% (15 Active Points); BODY Only (-1/2) (10 points)

Adamantium-Reinforced Strikes: HA +1d6 (5 Active Points); Hand to Hand Attack (-1/2) (2 points)

Mutant Healing Factor: Healing 3d6 (Regeneration; 3 BODY per Turn), Reduced Endurance (0 END, +1/2), Persistent (+1/2) (60 Active Points); Self Only (-1/2), Extra Time (1 Turn, -1) (24 points)

Animal Senses: Enhanced Perception +3 (all Sense Groups), Discriminatory Sense of Smell, Tracking Sense of Smell (19 Active Points) (19 points)

Athletic: Running +2†(4 Active Points)

Weapon X Mental Training: Mental Defense 10 (6 Active Points) (6 points)

Weapon X Thought Shielding: Mental Defense +20 (20 Active Points); Limited Power: Only vs. Telepathy (-1 ½) (8 points)

X-Men Uniform: Armor 16 (8 PD, 8 ED) (24 Active Points); Activation Roll 14- (-1/2), OIF (-1/2) (12 points)

 

*When adding damage, the question of whether Wolverine’s claws count as unarmed attacks or weapon attacks came up. I decided to consider them unarmed attacks, since they are a natural part of his body (like a lion’s teeth, an eagle’s claws, or an elephant’s tusks). Thus his extra damage classes from Martial Arts give him a base damage of 5 Damage Classes before adding in his STR; combat maneuvers could add one more Damage Class before maxing out.

 

Total Power Points: 115

 

SKILLS

 

+1 Overall Skill Level (10 points)

+1 with All Combat (8 points)

+3 with Hand to Hand Combat (10 points)

 

Breakfall 13- (3 points)

Climbing 13- (3 points)

Combat Driving 13- (3 points)

Defense Maneuver II (5 points)

Martial Arts: +2 Damage Classes, Killing Strike, M. Block, M. Dodge, M. Escape, M. Strike, Nerve Strike, Offensive Strike (37 points)

Mechanics 12- (3 points)

Security Systems 12- (3 points)

Seduction 13- (3 points)

Shadowing 12- (3 points)

Stealth 13- (3 points)

Streetwise 13- (3 points)

Survival: Arctic/Subarctic, Mountain, Temperate/Subtropical, Deserts, Urban 12- (10 points)

Teamwork 13- (3 points)

Tracking 12- (3 points)

TF: Small Motorized Ground Vehicles, Two-Wheeled Motorized Vehicles, Combat Aircraft (2 points)

Two-Weapon Fighting: Hand to Hand (10 points)

 

PERKS

 

Contact: Nick Fury 8- (Extremely useful skills, access to major institutions, significant contacts of his own) (6 points)

Reputation: Ruthless Killer 11- (+2, known to the black ops and mutant communities) (2 points)

Reputation: Super Hero 11- (+2, known to the general public) (4 points)

 

TALENTS

 

Bump of Direction (3 points)

Combat Sense 12- (Sense) (17 points)

Danger Sense (Sense, Out of Combat, Intuitional) (17 points)

Lightning Reflexes +2 (3 points)

Resistance +2 (2 points)

 

Total Skill, Perk, and Talent Cost: 184

Total Cost: 500

 

DISADVANTAGES

 

Distinctive Features: Mutant (Concealable, Major Reaction, Detectable Only by Genetic Scans or Tests) (5 points)

Distinctive Features: Metal Skeleton (Not Concealable, Major Reaction, Detectable Only By Metal Detectors) (10 points)

Enraged: When Angered (Common) 8-, Recovery 8- (20 points)

Hunted: Former Weapon X Operatives 8- (As Pow, Wolverine has Public Identity, Kill) (15 points)

Hunted: S.H.I.E.L.D. 11- (More Pow, NCI, Wolverine has Public Identity, Watched) (20 points)

Physical Limitation: No memory of life before Weapon X (Infrequently, Greatly Impairing) (10 points)

Psychological Limitation: In Love with Marvel Girl (Common, Strong)(15 points)

Reputation: Ruthless Killer 11- (10 points)

Rivalry: Cyclops (Romantic Rival, Cyclops is Less Powerful, Wolverine Seeks to Harm Cyclops, Cyclops is Aware of Rivalry) (5 points)

Social Limitation: Mutant (Frequently, Major) (15 points)

Social Limitation: Public Identity (Frequently, Major) (15 points)

Vulnerability: Double Effect/Damage from Magnetic Effects (Uncommon) (10 points)

 

Total Disadvantage Points: 150

Base Points: 350

Total Points: 500

[Pattern Ghost]

Unless I'm missing a limitation on the HA, it should work out to 3 pts.

 

Re: the weight of Adamantium. In the 80's or so, when I was reading X-men, everyone who ever had to haul around an unconcious Wolverine remarked on how heavy he was for his size (that's the five-three one). Of course, Marvel now knowing how much (or settling on how much) imaginary things weigh is no surprise, and no biggie. The old MSH game just gave him +1CS (column shift) damage, so +1d6 HA seems good enough. Heck, could just say some of his MA damage classes are from the skeleton too.

[Allandrel]

Originally posted by Pattern Ghost

Unless I'm missing a limitation on the HA, it should work out to 3 pts.

 

It works out to 2.5 Real Points. Half-point fractions are rounded in the favor of the character, so it costs 2.

 

Re: the weight of Adamantium. In the 80's or so, when I was reading X-men, everyone who ever had to haul around an unconcious Wolverine remarked on how heavy he was for his size (that's the five-three one). Of course, Marvel now knowing how much (or settling on how much) imaginary things weigh is no surprise, and no biggie. The old MSH game just gave him +1CS (column shift) damage, so +1d6 HA seems good enough. Heck, could just say some of his MA damage classes are from the skeleton too. [/b]

 

OTOH, Wolverine has never been slowed down by his additional weight - neither has Bullseye, and we know for sure that he doesn't have any extra strength. While it may make him a bit heavier to carry, it doesn't affect his mobility at all.

 

Patrick J McGraw

[Pattern Ghost]

5/1.5=3.3333..

 

Rounds to 3.

[Allandrel]

Originally posted by Pattern Ghost

5/1.5=3.3333..

 

Rounds to 3.

 

Don't know where my math abilities went. I'll have to find another point to shave somewhere, then.

 

Patrick J McGraw

[Eyendasky80]

Speaking of math, is that 3 levels of HTH combat for 10 pts? They're five a piece, unless I'm mistaken.