PRIMUS Supers

[Mark Rand]

I know we've kicked this around before, but this time, I hope we can get some real discussion going.

In her PRIMUS Sourcebook for the fourth edition, Shelley mentions the possibility of PRIMUS-employed superhero teams, either in addition to or instead of the PRIME Team. This would be suitable in campaigns where PRIMUS has a very positive relationship with superheroes and there are a large number of paranormal threats.

The concept, as proposed by the Golden Avenger, would have a team composed of no more than 10 heroes at each base. An intelligence agent with training as a superhero liaison officer would serve as team leader.

They would be based at the PRIMUS base and would be assisted by a team of no more than 6 intelligence agents, a squad of assault agents, a computer expert, an electronics expert, a physician and a nurse. If either the computer expert or electronics expert were intelligence agents, they would simply serve in both posts.

When this was first proposed, pre 9/11, Congress was opposed to the idea.

After 9/11, however, their opinion changed.

[Vondy]

Re: PRIMUS Supers

 

If they're based at the Primus base - why wouldn't the local silver avenger serve as the team leader?

[Metaphysician]

Re: PRIMUS Supers

 

I'm not sure that PRIMUS could come up with that many supers per base.

 

OTOH, having some metahuman "flying teams" that move around the country as needed, lead by either top tier Silver Avengers, or perhaps the Golden Avenger himself, could work. Best source for such supers would be from current or former law enforcement, and former military.

[Chuckg]

Re: PRIMUS Supers

 

If UNTIL can only come up with enough supers to fill one team, I don't think PRIMUS should do much better.

[Vondy]

Re: PRIMUS Supers

 

If UNTIL can only come up with enough supers to fill one team' date=' I don't think PRIMUS should do much better.[/quote']

Well, something on the order of half the active supers in the CU live in the US - as does most of UNTIL's funding. I could see the US having more luck with building a second team (not necessarily a third or fourth team) due to manpower availability and cultural norms - as well as potential emergency reserves.

 

I could also see the US limiting UNTIL to one team of powerhouses through the petty purse for strategic and logistical reasons. Yes, we support UNTIL, but not so much that we want to be potentially concerned about them if we ever end up at loggerheads with the world body... like that would ever happen...

[Chuckg]

Re: PRIMUS Supers

 

1) It wasn't just UNTIL that I used for my benchmark.

 

If VIPER can recruit only 30 or so supers for Dragon Branch, with the entire world to recruit from, far higher salaries and benefits, and a much wider range of acceptable candidates than PRIMUS (after all, VIPER can recruit any scumbag that will reliably take orders most of the time, while PRIMUS has to find genuinely squeaky-clean sorts who can pass Top Secret background checks, government physicals, and psych evals -- oh yes, and they're US citizens)...

 

... I really don't see PRIMUS finding more than a dozen or so.

 

Add on to that that people like Kodiak, Teknique, and Stalwart prove that the already-diminished pool of available talent is being poached even by other Federal agencies...?

 

I'm seeing a squad of 5-6 supers. One squad.

 

2) Given that up until 1992, the US hadn't even signed the UNTIL treaty, I highly doubt that the US had any real influence over its founding and/or makeup. Hell, the real-world UN spends 99% of its time today telling the US to go pound sand.

 

AAMOF, as near as I can tell, the only two American citizens who in any way have significant influence over UNTIL are Drake 'Optimus' Wilson and Patty 'Siren' Renton -- neither of whom give the US government the time of day.

 

EDIT -- just searched again through the UNTIL sourcebook. The reason there is only one Unity squad is because that's how the General Assembly wants it.

[freakboy6117]

Re: PRIMUS Supers

 

You could go with something like the original storm watch make up

 

PRIMUS GOLD the publicity team

They do the high profile on camera stuff led by the golden avenger or a silver avenger specially selected for public relations ability and inspirational skill (think classic captain America)

 

PRIMUS SILVER the combat team

The less friendly face of primus they are primus SWAT team they come in and hit hard against major superhuman threats prison breaks extraterrestrial incursion etc.

Led by another silver avenger with a strong military background (like the Ultimate captain America perhaps).

 

PRIMUS BLACK the non existent team

They don’t exist there may even have former criminals on the team covert ops and paranormal threats are there responsibility anything the public shouldn’t know about lead by the midnight avenger (a silver avenger infected with vampirism or lycanthropy maybe)

[JmOz]

Re: PRIMUS Supers

 

You could go with something like the original storm watch make up

 

PRIMUS GOLD the publicity team

They do the high profile on camera stuff led by the golden avenger or a silver avenger specially selected for public relations ability and inspirational skill (think classic captain America)

 

PRIMUS SILVER the combat team

The less friendly face of primus they are primus SWAT team they come in and hit hard against major superhuman threats prison breaks extraterrestrial incursion etc.

Led by another silver avenger with a strong military background (like the Ultimate captain America perhaps).

 

PRIMUS BLACK the non existent team

They don’t exist there may even have former criminals on the team covert ops and paranormal threats are there responsibility anything the public shouldn’t know about lead by the midnight avenger (a silver avenger infected with vampirism or lycanthropy maybe)

 

I like the idea...especialy the Midnight Avenger...

[Mark Rand]

Re: PRIMUS Supers

 

If they're based at the Primus base - why wouldn't the local silver avenger serve as the team leader?

The Silver Avenger leads the team when he or she can. The intelligence agent/liaison serves as deputy leader and takes the team out whenthe Silver Avenger is too busy.

[Mark Rand]

Re: PRIMUS Supers

 

I'm not sure that PRIMUS could come up with that many supers per base.

 

OTOH, having some metahuman "flying teams" that move around the country as needed, lead by either top tier Silver Avengers, or perhaps the Golden Avenger himself, could work. Best source for such supers would be from current or former law enforcement, and former military.

 

The limit of 10 supers per team was suggested by the Golden Avenger. So far, there are, at most, six supers per team.

The idea of "flying teams" is a good idea, too. The country could be divoided into sections, with one team per section.

Heroes could be drawn from PRIMUS ranks, too.

An armored hero could be an Iron Guard agent using an experimental suit of armor while a heroic ninja could be a highly-skilled intelligence agent.

[OddHat]

Re: PRIMUS Supers

 

This is a place where the teams of reformed Supers idea works really well. A member of GRAB gets captured (to use the most obvious example) and offered a choice: Life in Stronghold without parole or five years as a paid member of a Primus team followed by a pardon. After voluntarily submiting to a Telepathic scan they're placed on a team and get regular visits from a Telepathic parole officer while in service. The pay and licensing fees should come out to more than they made from petty theft anyway.

[Chuckg]

Re: PRIMUS Supers

 

True, but would PRIMUS be the agency that got oversight authority on the Suicide Squad?

[OddHat]

Re: PRIMUS Supers

 

True' date=' but would PRIMUS be the agency that got oversight authority on the Suicide Squad? [/quote']

 

In the Silver-Bronze Age? Sure.

 

In the Iron Age, we just add cortical bombs with timers ...

[Mark Rand]

Re: PRIMUS Supers

 

You could go with something like the original storm watch make up

 

PRIMUS GOLD the publicity team

They do the high profile on camera stuff led by the golden avenger or a silver avenger specially selected for public relations ability and inspirational skill (think classic captain America)

 

PRIMUS SILVER the combat team

The less friendly face of primus they are primus SWAT team they come in and hit hard against major superhuman threats prison breaks extraterrestrial incursion etc.

Led by another silver avenger with a strong military background (like the Ultimate captain America perhaps).

 

PRIMUS BLACK the non existent team

They don’t exist there may even have former criminals on the team covert ops and paranormal threats are there responsibility anything the public shouldn’t know about lead by the midnight avenger (a silver avenger infected with vampirism or lycanthropy maybe)

Good idea.

PRIMUS GOLD sounds a lot like the PRIME team.

PRIMUS SILVER sounds like the three-issue OMEGA series from Worldwide Library. I can see Major Dave Tower, from the books, as a Silver Avenger. He'd probably choose Captain Amanda Stewart as the team's lead pilot. The rest of the team could be from Omega Force, too.

PRIMUS BLACK is an interesting team. As some of you know, I'm adding the post season-seven Buffyverse to the campaign. A Silver Avenger turned into a vampire could have a Slayer for a sibling, A mage friend of hers would've re-souled the now vampirac Silver Avenger and he'd want the mage on his team. A reformed cat burglar could also be a member, as could a heroic ninja. They might also spend some time assisting Slayers.

[Metaphysician]

Re: PRIMUS Supers

 

Here's a thought. If you want more PRIMUS-connected supers, perhaps Cyberline treatment occasionally triggers latent metahuman abilities in the treated individuals, in addition to its own enhancement. Given the need for genetic compatibility with the treatment, most such powers would probably be fairly minor, but such people would still make for viable members of a PRIMUS superteam. Hell, the whole reason for the founding of such a team could be due to a Silver Avenger who popped quite a bit more than minor metapowers. . .

[Mark Rand]

Re: PRIMUS Supers

 

Here's a thought. If you want more PRIMUS-connected supers' date=' perhaps Cyberline treatment occasionally triggers latent metahuman abilities in the treated individuals, in addition to its own enhancement. Given the need for genetic compatibility with the treatment, most such powers would probably be fairly minor, but such people would still make for viable members of a PRIMUS superteam. Hell, the whole reason for the founding of such a team could be due to a Silver Avenger who popped quite a bit more than minor metapowers. . .[/quote']

Let's see where we can go with this.

Silver Avenger Mariko Nakamura is skilled in ninjitsu and gymnastics. Like some ninja, she knows the nine ways of cutting. The cyberline treatment triggered her ability to use The Path of the Shadow's Companion (from Mike Surbrook's site). She looks a bit like Maria Chow, has Terry Kestler's stats, with ninjitsu added and is a bit of an adrenaline junkie.

Intelligence Agent April Curtis, who has a masters in electronics engineering and works with her, is a fellow ninja and gymnast. Although she knows the nine ways of cutting, she doesn't know The Path of the Shadow's Companion. Since she races a Lamborghini Diablo in events sanctioned by the Sports Car Club of America, April, the daughter of a very wealthy family, is considered a bit of an adrenalin junkie, too. PRIMUS officials want April on the superhero team, but she hasn't agreed, yet.

[SKJAM!]

Re: PRIMUS Supers

 

You could mine Executive Sanction (from Allies) for PRIMUS supers. (And the Redeemed for the secret team.)

[Metaphysician]

Re: PRIMUS Supers

 

I wouldn't overuse the "activated metapower" trick, though. AFAIK, there are less than a hundred Silver Avengers active at any time, plus retirees and reservists possibly. Anymore than a handful of "accidental activations" would stretch credibility ( *unless* you redefined Cyberline to have random power granting a standard effect ).

 

OTOH, even if the "extra power" is only maybe about 50-60 active points tops, and ~100 real points of powers, think about what you could make with that, plus standard Silver Avenger powers and training.

[Chuckg]

Re: PRIMUS Supers

 

Don't also forget that if Cyberline has anything more frequent than a 'very rare' incidence of unpredictable mutation, they wouldn't go around injecting it in so many people. Unless you're playing a /really/ Iron Age PRIMUS, that is.

[Mark Rand]

Re: PRIMUS Supers

 

I wouldn't overuse the "activated metapower" trick, though. AFAIK, there are less than a hundred Silver Avengers active at any time, plus retirees and reservists possibly. Anymore than a handful of "accidental activations" would stretch credibility ( *unless* you redefined Cyberline to have random power granting a standard effect ).

 

OTOH, even if the "extra power" is only maybe about 50-60 active points tops, and ~100 real points of powers, think about what you could make with that, plus standard Silver Avenger powers and training.

The Path of the Shadow's Companion is a 13-point EC that, with all powers, costs 123-points. However, since stress activated Mariko's latent powers recently, she doesn't have all of them and the ones she has don't always activate. This will, of course, improve as time goes on.

The nine ways of cutting, on the other hand, is a 30-point multipower and costs a total of 22-points.

[Metaphysician]

Re: PRIMUS Supers

 

Don't also forget that if Cyberline has anything more frequent than a 'very rare' incidence of unpredictable mutation' date=' they wouldn't go around injecting it in so many people. Unless you're playing a /really/ Iron Age PRIMUS, that is.[/quote']

 

Unless the random powers are basically non-obtrusive and no side effect. IOW, no turning into sentient piles of goo, permanent uncontrolled telepaths, or Man-Bot clones.

[Mark Rand]

Re: PRIMUS Supers

 

A few quick thoughts.

Currently, only four PRIMUS bases have superhero teams, Las Vegas, Denver, Millennium City, and Pittsburgh, which recently got a PRIMUS base.

Each team can be called on to assist anywhere in that time zone. Alaska and Hawaii are aided by the Las Vegas team and the Virgin Islands are under the Pittsburgh team's jurisdiction.

The Silver Avenger is the team leader. The intelligence agent with superhero liaison training is in charge of the PRIMUS assault and intelligence agents assigned to the team and serves as deptuy leader.

[JeffreyWKramer]

Re: PRIMUS Supers

 

Unless the random powers are basically non-obtrusive and no side effect. IOW' date=' no turning into sentient piles of goo, permanent uncontrolled telepaths, or Man-Bot clones.[/quote']

 

So, no "Summon 128 Clones of Carrot Top"?

 

Though that Power might be useful for target practice...

[OddHat]

Re: PRIMUS Supers

 

So, no "Summon 128 Clones of Carrot Top"?

 

Though that Power might be useful for target practice...

 

Or psychological warfare.

 

"Surrender Evil-Doer, Or I shall dispatch my endless legions of Gary Coleman to be your friend and hang out with you and tell you about his personal problems and how he deserves to be taken seriously as an artist!"

[Chuckg]

Re: PRIMUS Supers

 

Or psychological warfare.

 

"Surrender Evil-Doer, Or I shall dispatch my endless legions of Gary Coleman to be your friend and hang out with you and tell you about his personal problems and how he deserves to be taken seriously as an artist!"

 

"Somebody call the UN! They're committing crimes against humanity!"