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When it con JACKSON GURPS"Supers SUPER SCUM Awful Adversaries, Fiendish Foes, and PowerJul Punks By Mark Johnson Additional Material by Ron Bailey, Jr. and Sean T. DeLap Edited by Loyd Blankenship and Steve Jackson Cover by Alan Gutierrez Interior Art by Doug Shuler GURPS System Design by Steve Jackson Loyd Blankenship, Managing Editor; Charlie Wiedman, Art Director Page Design and Typography by Loyd Blankenship Production by Carl Manz and Charlie Wiedman Proofreading by Ingrid Kunze Useful Suggestions: Candace Johnson, Jeff Zahorowski, the Illuminati BBS, and the Red October BBS Playtesters: Super NOVA (Glenn Copeland, Thomas Kassebaum, Timothy Kassebaum, Rick Klaw, Chad Knox, Dave Newman, Derek Work) and the villains (Charles Schwartz and Lynda Manning-Schwartz) F;7%)22 &K-- *d INTRODUCTION . .2 Mastabah (750 points) . .28 Character Writeups . 2 Mirage (500 points) . .30 It's Your Game . 3 Predator (750 points) . .32 Running a Super Combat . 3 Professor Possessor (500 points) . .34 l'hugs ............................................. 3 Red Tempest (750 points) . .36 Rictus (500 points) . .38 CHARACTERS . .4 Soul Ripper (500 points) . .40 Black Moon Society . 4 Sponge (500 points) . .42 Howard Vinewood (5m points) . 4 Talon (500 points) . .44 Blaze (500 points) . 6 Tele-Fist (500 points) . .46 Thunderbolt (500 points) . .48 Cascade (500 points) . 8 . Corsair (500 points) . 10 T.R. A.D.E. (150 points) . .50 Deadly Dozen (da) . 12 Ventura (500 points) . .52 Doctor Radiation (1000 points) . 14 Voltmaster (750 points) . .54 Dominator (750 points) . 16 Warmonger (500 points) . .56 Domino (500 points) . 18 ThePride ..........................................58 Electra (500 points) . 20 Citrakaya (500 points) . .58 Erik Bloodaxe (500 points) . 22 Snow Leopard (500 points) . .58 High Assassins of the Nimba Cull (150 points) . 24 Egress (500 points) . .59 Hydra (500 points) . 26 Pride Mansion . .62 TheExchange .......................................64 GURPS,Illuminati, Roleplayer and the all-seeing pyramid are registered trademarks and Sqers is a trademark of Steve Jackson Games Incorporated. All names of other products published by Steve Jackson Games incorporated are registered trademarks or trademarks of Steve Jackson Games Incorporated, or used under license. Super Scum is copyright @ 1989 by Steve Jackson Games Incorporated. All rights reserved. Printed in the U.S.A. ISBN 1-55634-154-7 12345678910 STEVE JACKSON GAMES I INTRODUCTION Comic books change villains more casually than most people change socks - every month there's a new bad guy. But working up new villains for GURPS Supers isn't just a matter of picking the color for his long johns! A good foe should be carefully thought out and written up, taking time for even the most experienced players. Creating an interesting antagonist is a labor of love. But About GURPS what if the GM needs another foe quickly? Steve Jackson Games is committed to The answer is here! Super Scum presents 27 adversaries, four organiza- full support of the GURPS system. Our tions, sample thugs, plot devices to bring different foes together in a logical address is SJ Games, Box 18957, Austin, fashion, and a separate write-up of a powerful villain group. TX 78760. Please include a self-ad- dressed, stamped envelope (SASE) any time you write us! Resources now avail- The Character Descriptions able include: Skills: Modifiers due to advantages and disadvantages have not been in- Roleplayer. This bimonthly newsletter includes new rules, new races, beasts, in- cluded in the skill levels; the GM decides when a particular modifier actually formation on upcoming releases, scenario applies. TL of skills is assumed to be 7 unless noted otherwise. ideas and more. Ask your game retailer, or Disadvantages: Many characters have an Enemy disadvantage that refers to write for subscription information. New supplemer~tsand adventures. a group of supers. Assigning a PC group as this disadvantage provides a good We're always working on new material, rivalry as well as a start for many adventures. Otherwise it can be represented by and we'll be happy to let you know what's an NPC group, possibly an International Super Team (see p. SU99). available. A current catalog is available for Most villains are known by the general public to be lawbreakers, which an SASE. Errata. Everyone makes mistakes, in- earns them a bad Reputation. If the villain has a secret identity, the effects of the cluding us - but we do our best to fix our Reputation do not carry over into the "normal" persona unless he or she is a errors. Up-to-date errata sheets for all known criminal, too. Even though the Reputation only applies to a portion of the GURPS releases, including this book, are always available from SJ Games; be sure character's life, its value is not reduced. to include an SASE with your request. Super-Abilities:Single-skill powers are indicated by an asterisk to the left of Q&A. We do our best to answer any the entry; the cost for the power is computed at the single-skill rate for that skill. game question accompanied by an SASE. This section presents a few ideas about how to interweave Gamer itrpul. We value your com- Campaign Role: ments. We will consider them, not only for the lives of supers on either side of the law. In most cases this involves the new products, but also when we update enemy's non-super identity, a side that is sometimes overlooked. Whether the this book on later printings! opponents are as nasty without their costumes as on the battlefield depends on BBS. For those of you who have home computers, SJ Games operates a BBS with the individual and the GM. discussion areas for several games, includ- Power Variations: Most of the characters presented in this book are built ing GURPS. Much of the playtest feedback using 500 points - that's what most heroes in a four-color game begin with, too. for new products comes from the BBS. It's up 24 hours per day at 512-447-4449, at Each description gives brief notes how to downgrade or upgrade the villains. 300, 1200 or 2400 baud. Give us a call! Low-value supers are more often used for a "realistic" Supers game, but the higher totals aren't restricted to high-power games. In fact, it may be a good idea Page References Rules and statistics in this book are to pit 750-point villains against 500-point heroes on a regular basis. Why? specifically for the GURPS Basic Set, Because heroes sometimes outnumber the villains, and even if they don't, the Third Edition. Any page reference that GM is at a tactical disadvantage trying to intelligently run six different op- begins with a B refers to the GURPS Basic Set - e.g., p. B102 means p. 102 of the ponents while maintaining the flow of the adventure. GURPS Basic Set, Third Edition. Any ref- If an attribute level is changed, assume that all related skills change as well erence that begins with a SU refers to unless otherwise noted. In all cases it may be assumed that if a villain does not GURPS Supers. possess any Damage Resistance he or she will wear standard Kevlar armor, probably a concealable vest, while in costume. About the Author Mark Johnson is a graduate student in 1tjs Your Game Aerospace Engineering at the University of Texas, Austin. He is one of the original As the GM, you may change the enemies' character sheets or backgrounds playtesters for GUMS Supers, and ws in any way you like. With some modifications (to the disadvantages, at least) you his Super NOVA campaign at the Univer- can even turn some into heroes! Some backgrounds specifj a city where the foe sity Gaming Society. This is Mark's published work - but he's already work- usually conducts his or her activities but these can be changed to bring favorite ing on a book of heroic supers as a corn- opponents within your PC's territory. Or leave things the way they are and draw panion to Super Sewn. - Introduction -2- the heroes to the villains. A group of supers may have special vehicles, use standard forms of transportation, or use their own abilities to reach a new locale. Cannon Fodder Then there's the element of surprise. Ideally, the players will have never Any low-powered underling, regard- seen more than these two pages of Super Scum. Encounters are much more less of his social status, may be called a exciting when the players don't know exactly what powers their opponents have, "thug." These poor souls are hopelessly Outmatched versus a super especially defenses, because an energy blast that would stun a brick may kill a much less several of them. Never expect a psi. Until they determine the villains' limits, true heroes must exercise restraint. 61normal~~to be more than a nuisance. Ifit If the players have seen the adversary's character sheet (maybe they bought happens, great, but the primary job of a their own copy of Super Scum), it's not a bad idea to throw them a curve. The thug is to Occupy the heroes' time and energy while the real villains prepare for simplest adjustment is to alter the power level of the foe. Adding a few different baltle or ma*e their escape.) enhanced or limited super-skills under an existing power can greatly change the However, normal opponents can make way a villain is played. Or just switch appearances with another villain! a better showing if they play it smart. First of all, they should gang up on the supers. Many he& are deshtd with a !&per Running a Super Combat Block or Parry as their ~rinci~aldefense.

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