Non-"adventuring" Metahumans

[transmetahuman]

I loved the old Champs half-supplement "The Blood" (published with "Dr. McQuark" iirc), about a family of extradimensional immigrant supers that weren't really heroes nor villains. Thinking about it got me to wondering whether any of you have interesting metahumans in your campaigns that gained great powers but just didn't have any interest in being a super-hero, super-villain, super-spy, or super-politician. Any super-accountants out there?

[Blue]

Re: Non-"adventuring" Metahumans

 

Just a codebreaker/language translator and a chef (though no one has realized it's a power yet).

[MitchellS]

Re: Non-"adventuring" Metahumans

 

In our Legacy Universe game Alfred, from Batman, is actually a low-level healer and empath. That's how he's been able to help and nurture Batman all those years.

[freakboy6117]

Re: Non-"adventuring" Metahumans

 

i once tried to create a super powered managment agency

supermanagment for superlife

 

so you had the duplicator lawyer [now isnt that a scary thought]

the super schmoozing agent

the flaboyant matter shaping stylist

global range teleporter publicist

[freakboy6117]

Re: Non-"adventuring" Metahumans

 

darn double post i'll put something interesting here when i wake up

[Enforcer84]

Re: Non-"adventuring" Metahumans

 

There was Aftermath Inc. In 4th ed. I liked them.

Brick, stone shaper, and an energy sponge.

[Rapier]

Re: Non-"adventuring" Metahumans

 

I loved the old Champs half-supplement "The Blood" (published with "Dr. McQuark" iirc)' date=' about a family of extradimensional immigrant supers that weren't really heroes nor villains. Thinking about it got me to wondering whether any of you have interesting metahumans in your campaigns that gained great powers but just didn't have any interest in being a super-hero, super-villain, super-spy, or super-politician. Any super-accountants out there?[/quote']

Our Champions campaign has a number of non-hero supers. A number of them I shamelessly borrowed from Wild Cards, but what can you do when you see a good idea? There are evens areas of the Dalls-Fort Worth Megaplex where supers outnumber norms (population wise) to a significant degree.

 

Many are business owners, cops, PIs, entertainment/media icons.

[OddHat]

Re: Non-"adventuring" Metahumans

 

I did a thread once posting a few of the 100 point supers running around in my game worlds; I usually use the idea that there are a significantly larger number of generally much less powerful supers running around that don't become Heroes or Villains. I also use the concept that the ability to learn Magic is the base genetic gift that makes a Super, and that all of those Demon Brothers and Morbanes might have been very different if someone had taught them to use their potential power before Demon got its hooks into them.

 

My favorite current 100 point Supers:

 

Speedy Delivery Guy

Big Red (very minor brick, currently UCWF minor bad guy)

Bell Simple (Nova Network Talk-Show Host who can always tell when you're lying)

TMIB (100 point metahuman Secret Service Agents)

Doc Got (Telepath Therapist)

Xardoz (The World's Most Dangerous Man, actually a villain)

[Metaphysician]

Re: Non-"adventuring" Metahumans

 

By 100 point, do you mean 100 points total or 100 points of powers or less??

[OddHat]

Re: Non-"adventuring" Metahumans

 

By 100 point' date=' do you mean 100 points total or 100 points of powers or less??[/quote']

 

100 point total. 50 + 50 in disads. Just ordinary people with a few minor powers or one moderate power.

 

It's fun to see what you get. Give it a shot.

[MitchellS]

Re: Non-"adventuring" Metahumans

 

darn double post i'll put something interesting here when i wake up

You can delete double posts by hitting Edit and then looking at the Delete box at the top of the edit page.

[OddHat]

Re: Non-"adventuring" MetahumansHere, one example:

Occult Book Store Owner Boris DuPree Val Char Cost 13 STR 3 11 DEX 3 13 CON 6 9 BODY -2 13 INT 3 11 EGO 2 13 PRE 3 14 COM 2 3 PD 0 3 ED 0 2 SPD 0 6 REC 0 26 END 0 23 STUN 0
6"	RUN	0
2"	SWIM	0
2 1/2"	LEAP	0

Characteristics Cost: 20

Cost	Power	END
3	Some Minor Magical Training: Mental Defense (5 points total)	0
3	Some Minor Magical Training II: +6 PRE (6 Active Points); Limited Power Power loses about half of its effectiveness (Only to Resist PRE attacks; -1)
27	Common Magic Pool: Variable Power Pool, 20 base + 7 control cost, Powers Can Be Changed As A Half-Phase Action (+1/2) (35 Active Points); Limited Class Of Powers Available Limited (Only Common Spells; -1/2), Incantations (-1/4), Gestures (-1/4)

Powers Cost: 33

Cost	Skill
2	PS: Occult Book Store Owner 11-
2	PS: Researcher 11-
2	KS: Arcane And Occult Lore 11-
2	KS: The Mystic World 11-
2	Language: Latin (basic conversation; literate)
2	Language: Gaelic (basic conversation; literate)
3	Trading 12-
5	Power: Magic Skill 13-

Skills Cost: 20

Cost	Perk
5	Vehicles & Bases [Notes: The Rampant Unicorn Book Store]
5	Money: Well Off
6	Contact: Various Buddies in the Mystic World (Contact has useful Skills or resources), Organization Contact (x3) (6 Active Points) 8-

Perks Cost: 16

Cost	Talent
5	Magesight
6	Combat Luck (3 PD/3 ED) [Notes: Minor Charms of Protection]

Talents Cost: 11

Val	Disadvantages
20	Hunted: Circle of the Scarlet Moon 11- (Mo Pow, NCI, PC has a Public ID or is otherwise very easy to find, Watching) [Notes: We own you boy; never forget that!]
10	Social Limitation: Secret: Member of the Circle of the Scarlet Moon (Occasionally, Severe, Not Limiting In Some Cultures)
10	Social Limitation: Subject to Orders (Occasionally, Major) [Notes: We have a job for you little man.]
10	Psychological Limitation: Curious (Common, Moderate)

Disadvantage Points: 50

---

Cost Summary:Base Points:50Disadvantage Points: 50Total Experience Available: 0Total Character Cost: 100Height: 1.67 mHair: BrownWeight: 64.00 kgEyes: BrownAppearance: Short but fit man in his early thirties, not bad looking, wears jeans, sweaters, and button down shirts on the job.Personality: Curious, friendly magic geek. Physical coward.Quote:"Why yes, I do have the Tome of Dracandros!"

"Help!"

Background: Boris is the son of a member in good standing of the Circle of the Scarlet Moon, and spent most of his life training to join that organization. In some ways he excelled; a quirk of genetics allowed him to effortlessly learn scores of spells. Unfortunately, not one of them was ever particularly powerful. Boris' father was more disapointed whe he realized that Boris would simply never have the killer instinct to be a really good Evil magician. Biting back his anger, he helped set Boris up in his current business, in the hope that he would at least be useful as a minor source of information on the goings on in the occult community.Powers/Tactics: Boris is a surprisingly gifted mage in a minor sort of way, able to cast a huge number of not very powerful common spells (as defined by campaign). He knows that he lacks the toughness for any sort of Metahman conflict, and if faced with that possibility will quickly (well, as quickly as he can) turn invisible and run away. However, on those incredibly rare occasions when the PC's need somone to cast a 20 point spell that none of them know, Boris is available.Campaign Use: Background character, possible NPC or minor contact.

[Metaphysician]

Re: Non-"adventuring" Metahumans

 

100 point total. 50 + 50 in disads. Just ordinary people with a few minor powers or one moderate power.

 

It's fun to see what you get. Give it a shot.

 

I just don't see you fitting even a normal Secret Service agent on 100 points, let alone one with powers.

[Kristopher]

Re: Non-"adventuring" Metahumans

 

One of my NPCs was dubbed "Carnage" by the press because his only attack power is as follows: 16d6 EB, Double KB, AoE Line, 1/2 END, Beam. He doesn't adventure because he's a walking cannon, and doesn't want to risk the collateral damage. So he works has a high-tech security consultant (if you've ever seen the movie Sneakers...) and has a plethora of useful skills. As someone else on this forum suggested last time I brought Carnage up, he's the guy you go get when the aliens are invading and the Earth's superheroes are on a "war footing".

 

I'm not sure what thread it was on, but at one point I posted an idea for those people with minor powers who wouldn't normally be considered "superheroes": the military looks for those with useful but low-end powers, recruits them, runs deep security/background checks on them, and then puts those who qualify and volunteer through serious special-forces training (SEALs, Pararescue, Delta Force, etc level training). Their cutting-edge equipment and weapons, intense training, and low-level powers combine to make them the world's best special ops unit. Imagine squads where the scout/point-man has excellent Danger Sense, the heavy-weapons specialist has 30 STR, the medic has Healing, the Intelligence specialist has 6d6 of Telepathy, the squad leader has a group Mind Link, another guy can walk through walls, and so on.

[OddHat]

Re: Non-"adventuring" Metahumans

 

I just don't see you fitting even a normal Secret Service agent on 100 points' date=' let alone one with powers.[/quote']

 

I wonder how much of you going on about this is serious and how much is trolling.

 

The serious answer would be that it depends on how you depict SS agents in your game world, what point totals you think they need, whether or not you charge them for their equipment, etc. My base SS agents come in at 75 points, which gives the MIBs room for 25 real points of powers.

 

The GM is free to design them on 750 points if he'd like, but I'd say it was overkill.

[OddHat]

Re: Non-"adventuring" Metahumans

 

I'm not sure what thread it was on, but at one point I posted an idea for those people with minor powers who wouldn't normally be considered "superheroes": the military looks for those with useful but low-end powers, recruits them, runs deep security/background checks on them, and then puts those who qualify and volunteer through serious special-forces training (SEALs, Pararescue, Delta Force, etc level training). Their cutting-edge equipment and weapons, intense training, and low-level powers combine to make them the world's best special ops unit. Imagine squads where the scout/point-man has excellent Danger Sense, the heavy-weapons specialist has 30 STR, the medic has Healing, the Intelligence specialist has 6d6 of Telepathy, the squad leader has a group Mind Link, another guy can walk through walls, and so on.

 

Godlike is set up kind of along those lines. Worth reading.

[TheEmerged]

Re: Non-"adventuring" Metahumans

 

One of my pet NPC's started this way -- Alexandria, AKA The Librarian. Very little in the way of combat powers (some standard armor & weapon equipment, low end for the campaign) -- but she's a terror off the field. It's her non-combatant powers, like x1,000,000 rapid sight and power-based internet connection, that make her indispensible in a research & intel/co-intel scenario

 

In my current campaign it's understood that 6 of 7 people with superpowers (henceforth novas) are "Level 1" -- based on 150pts plus 100pts in disads (the PC's are Level 2, starting with 250 pts plus 100pts in disads, currently around +100xp). It's also understood that for every nova that identifies himself or herself as a "white hat" or "black hat", there are 5 that consider themselves "civilians". So if you have 12 novas, one each are black and white hatted and 10 are just ordinary civilians who happen to have powers.

 

This allows for NPC's like Karl "The Creep" Bensom, a low-end Savant nova (30 INT) who also has a 60 PRE that costs end as has limited control. He works at a university library as a specialist in repairing old books. There's also Carter Crossover, an accountant who happens to be ten feet tall and built like the Hulk -- his powers are totally incidental to the character.

 

=================

 

Speaking in general terms, the "employable nova" is an under-utilized genre bit comics could do a better job with. As I've joked before, the nova with 1d6 Aid to COM with Cumulative and the decay rate bought back could name his price in a 'real' world (that's enough to turn a 8 COM Plain Jane to a 20 COM Swan). A shrinker could make a killing as a construction electrician. FedEX would pay a long-range teleporter with any respectable amount of extra mass a six digit salary and feel they were ripping the guy off.

[jackalope]

Re: Non-"adventuring" Metahumans

 

I have some super-powered no-hero/non-criminals in my campaign, such as this character:

 

Jen Cardac

 

Player: NPC Actress

 

Val	Char	Cost
8	STR	-2
13	DEX	9
8	CON	-4
8	BODY	-4
18	INT	8
11	EGO	2
35	PRE	25
24	COM	7
2	PD	0
2	ED	0
6	SPD	7
4	REC	0
20	END	2
20	STUN	4

6" RUN02" SWIM01 1/2" LEAP0Characteristics Cost: 54

 

Cost	Power	END
13	She's Got The Look: Elemental Control, 60-point powers, all slots Eye Contact Required (throughout; -1), Mutant Power (-1/4)
14	1) Inescapable Gaze: Entangle 1d6, 1 DEF, Reduced Endurance (0 END; +1/2), BOECV (Mental Defense applies; +1), Continuous (+1), Cumulative (24 points; +1), IPE, Hide effects of Power (Fully Invisible; +2); Eye Contact Required (throughout; -1), Cannot Form Barriers (-1/4)	0
13	2) Hypnotic Gaze: Mind Control 2d6, Telepathic (+1/4), Reduced Endurance (0 END; +1/2), Continuous (+1), NND (PRE 24+; +1), Invisible Power Effects, Hide effects of Power (Fully Invisible; +1), Cumulative (192 points; +1 1/2); Eye Contact Required (throughout; -1), Does Not Provide Mental Awareness (-1/4)	0
10	3) Penetrating Gaze: Telepathy 2d6, Reduced Endurance (0 END; +1/2), Continuous (+1), Invisible Power Effects, Hide effects of Power (Fully Invisible; +1), NND (PRE 24+; +1), Cumulative (192 points; +1 1/2); Eye Contact Required (throughout; -1), Receive Only (-1/2), Does Not Provide Mental Awareness (-1/4)	0
28	Cutting Comments: Drain PRE 1d6, Ranged (+1/2), Reduced Endurance (0 END; +1/2), Continuous (+1), NND (PRE 24+; +1), BOECV (Mental Defense applies; +1); Incantations (Requires Incantations throughout; -1/2), Mutant Power (-1/4)	0
5	Tounge Lashing Of A Lifetime: Delayed Return Rate (points return at the rate of 5 per Day; +1 1/2) for up to 10 Active Points of Cutting Comments; Increased Endurance Cost (x3 END; -1), Gestures (Requires both hands; -1/2), Incantations (-1/4), Mutant Power (-1/4)	3
15	Gaze Enhancer: +3 SPD; Limited Power Only For Continuing Gaze Attacks (-1)

Powers Cost: 98

 

 

Cost	Skill
2	AK: Hollywood 11-
5	Acting 17-
3	Concealment 13-
5	Conversation 17-
5	KS: A-List (INT-based) 15-
2	KS: The Celebrity World 11-
3	Deduction 13-
3	High Society 16-
2	KS: The Works of Shakespeare 11-
2	KS: Film 11-
0	Native Language: English (idiomatic; literate) (5 Active Points)
3	PS: Actress (PRE-based) 16-
3	Persuasion 16-
5	Seduction 17-
1	Shadowing 8-
1	Stealth 8-

Skills Cost: 45

 

Cost	Perk
9	Reputation: Beloved Media Darling (A large group) 14-, +3/+3d6
5	Money: Well Off
9	Contact: Agent (Contact has useful Skills or resources, Contact is slavishly loyal to character) 14-

Perks Cost: 23

 

 

 

Total Character Cost: 220

 

Val	Disadvantages
10	Psychological Limitation: Devious and Deceitful (Common, Moderate)
10	Psychological Limitation: Haughty and Irritating (Common, Moderate)
20	Psychological Limitation: Coward (Common, Total)
20	Social Limitation: Extremely Famous (Very Frequently, Major)
15	Social Limitation: Harmful Secret (Occasionally, Severe)
10	DF: Mutant (Not Concealable; Always Noticed and Causes Major Reaction; Detectable Only By Technology Or Major Effort)

Disadvantage Points: 85

 

Base Points: 200

Experience Required: 0

Total Experience Available: 0

Experience Unspent: 0

 

Oh sure, she could probably do fairly well as a criminal, or maybe even as a hero, but really, she'd rather be rich, famous, and loved by millions of adoring fans.

[nexus]

Re: Non-"adventuring" Metahumans

 

My New Universe game is mostly non adventuring types. Most "Supers" tend to be normal people with a minor power or two with the PCs pushing the "High End". Some of the non adventuring types are quite powerful pointwise (Edward the Dreamer can rewrite Reality as a whole and Catherine is the Messanger of God) but their actual impact on the game directly is quite small.

[Korvar]

Re: Non-"adventuring" Metahumans

 

I had a classic brick character, who made her living by making sculptures from construction I-beams with her bare hands...

[Metaphysician]

Re: Non-"adventuring" Metahumans

 

I wonder how much of you going on about this is serious and how much is trolling.

Damn, I didn't realize questioning the Holy Low Point Values was trolling. . .

 

The serious answer would be that it depends on how you depict SS agents in your game world, what point totals you think they need, whether or not you charge them for their equipment, etc. My base SS agents come in at 75 points, which gives the MIBs room for 25 real points of powers.

 

The GM is free to design them on 750 points if he'd like, but I'd say it was overkill.

 

*sigh*

 

There is also the little problem of whether 75 points represents even a real world Secret Service agent properly, but apparently, *that* isn't important. . .

[nexus]

Re: Non-"adventuring" Metahumans

 

The thing is you have to define "Properly". It varies from genre to genre, setting to setting. In a "realistic" as possible world, SS agents aren't going to be -that- expensive. A small package deal, some better than average physicals (Normal Humans have all 8s in Fifth Edition) in the 10-12 range. A bit of combat skill (A level or so) and some skills to round them out. I can easily see one coming in at around 75 or so points. In a more cinematic Super Agents game, they'd be more expensive. Heroes are built on 150 typically and they're good enough to simulate most of what you see in Action movies and thrillers, for example.

[Rapier]

Re: Non-"adventuring" Metahumans

 

Damn, I didn't realize questioning the Holy Low Point Values was trolling. . .

 

*sigh*

 

There is also the little problem of whether 75 points represents even a real world Secret Service agent properly, but apparently, *that* isn't important. . .

*Dons his devil's advocate hat*

All righty, Mr Smarty-SS-Guys-Are-Expensive-Pants. Put your SS Agents where your mouth is. Post your typical SS agent.

 

I'm thinking that 75+75 is right proper amount. Consider also, that your average SS agent is that much more trained than some of the high-end FBI agents, cops or military officers (where they actually recruit a number of their people). One of the great benefits of any single SS agent is the other 100 SS agents he/she can call upon in need. They also have a HUGE infrastructure backing them. But they don't need to pay for any that.

[OddHat]

Re: Non-"adventuring" Metahumans

 

Damn' date=' I didn't realize questioning the Holy Low Point Values was trolling. . .[/quote']

 

Nope, but asking the same questions repeatedly when you know the answer is "it depends" might be.

 

Personally I feel confident that my 75 point Secret Service agents are fine as far as doing what a Secret Service agent should be able to do in game. If another GM feels the need to get more detailed, and thus spend more points, well that's OK too.

[OddHat]

Re: Non-"adventuring" Metahumans

 

The thing is you have to define "Properly". It varies from genre to genre' date=' setting to setting. In a "realistic" as possible world, SS agents aren't going to be -that- expensive. A small package deal, some better than average physicals (Normal Humans have all 8s in Fifth Edition) in the 10-12 range. A bit of combat skill (A level or so) and some skills to round them out. I can easily see one coming in at around 75 or so points. In a more cinematic Super Agents game, they'd be more expensive. Heroes are built on 150 typically and they're good enough to simulate most of what you see in Action movies and thrillers, for example.[/quote']

 

Fully agreed.