Invasion Y2K!

[Last Free Human]

A Note on Detecting Deltas:Ironically enough, the best test for determining if someone is secretly a Delta has been a scanner devised by IST Aleph from examinations of the advanced TL 12 biometric lock from the sabotage kits the Deltas deployed. The current scanner weighs 50 lbs, requires an Electronics Operation (Scanners) roll at -4 to operate and suffers from extreme Hangar Queen syndrome (requiring more time in the shop than your average commercial airliner). But it can accurately detect a Delta assuming you can get within 2 feet of a suspected infiltrator. The Wright Brothers hope to be able to have a more streamlined, handheld version available for use by IST security forces within the year. While this wont entirely replace the current security procedures of DNA tests, 48-hour observation periods and comprehensive bloodwork now required of all personnel entering an IST facility in any capacity, it will greatly speed up the detection process...if they can work the bugs out.
Michael R. Smith (lastfreehuman@gmail.com)
GURPS IST Aleph Wordpress (http://istaleph.wordpress.com/)
GURPS IST Aleph Twitter (http://twitter.com/IstAleph/)
Trek This! Wordpress (http://dthiller.wordpress.com/)
My Blog (http://lastfreehuman.wordpress.com/)

[Mark Skarr]

Mass conservation and Retains Shape is, basically, your "Humanoid only" for -40%. Technically, humanoid only would only be worth -20%. So, you might drop "Retains shape" and just keep "Mass Conservation."

3e isn’t nearly as well codified as 4e is. While there are still issues (Kromm and I will, on occasion, go around on some subject until Boo finally decide to make us agree to disagree and go off and kill zombies together, because we can’t get Borderlands to work multiplayer), it’s much easier to figure out than 3e.

The 3e price points are not terribly compatible with 4e. When in doubt, I default to 4e. It’s best to look at what the power does, and price it like something comparable. Genetic Match isn’t a 100 point advantage. At best, it’s a form of invisibility or a really limited mind control power. So, the Cosmic (Adding Utility, +50%) is your best bet.

The copies memories and personalities enhancements are not in 4e, as Mind Probe specifically fills that niche. Morph, in 4e, is an exotic, physical trait--not something conducive to mind-reading. That’s always going to be mind probe. And, you can’t add the ability to copy memories or personalities to Morph, in 4e, with Cosmic because you still can’t change the basic ability of the power.

If they have the IT homogenous in their morphed shape a cursory, medical, examination would prove that they are aliens. What you want is Injury Tolerance (Damage Reduction) with No Signature +20%. Homogenous isn’t that useful versus non-piercing/impaling attacks. Most super attacks and energy weapons would tear them up. IT/DR doesn’t care.

I’m not saying you have to change anything, but 4e does have specific ways of doing just about everything now. And, ultimately, it would be up to Bob, since, if he’s going to do a 4e IST book, he’ll have to pick and choose what he wants. But, if I were going to incorporate them into my IST game, I would be using a modified form of your template.

[Last Free Human]

All very good points. Many thanks for the help on working out the kinks on the Deltas, it is much appreciated, as I have said before, my GURPS-Fu has gotten weak and flabby from disuse. Hopefully I can find another chunk of free time soon in which to revise and finalize the write-up of them.

After that, it's on to the next aliens and maybe finally adding a few more details about the invasion, the aliens and some of the post-Y2K Invasion developments.

Oh, and my absolutely insane "One With The Works" timeline...

-Mike
Michael R. Smith (lastfreehuman@gmail.com)
GURPS IST Aleph Wordpress (http://istaleph.wordpress.com/)
GURPS IST Aleph Twitter (http://twitter.com/IstAleph/)
Trek This! Wordpress (http://dthiller.wordpress.com/)
My Blog (http://lastfreehuman.wordpress.com/)

[Last Free Human]

Mark,
How exactly did you stat out the Shapeshifting. I've been trying to recreate what you did to match the points and the "Total points Available for Morphing" and I am not getting the same numbers. I am curious as to what I am missing. Any help is appreciated.

-Mike
Michael R. Smith (lastfreehuman@gmail.com)
GURPS IST Aleph Wordpress (http://istaleph.wordpress.com/)
GURPS IST Aleph Twitter (http://twitter.com/IstAleph/)
Trek This! Wordpress (http://dthiller.wordpress.com/)
My Blog (http://lastfreehuman.wordpress.com/)

[Mark Skarr]

Sorry, been away for a while.

It's pretty simple:
Morph (Base Cost 100 points)

Limitations (-100%)
Mass Conservation, -20%
Retains Shape, -20%
Needs Sample, -50%
Nuisance Effect: Takes 3 hours to switch forms, -10%

Enhancements (+100%)
Once on, Stays on, +50%
Cosmic (Genetic Match), +50%

So, 100 points (+100%, -100%) = 100 points
+300 points for the extra points (being as once-on stays-on changes it from 90% of the points to 100%).

Grand Total: 400 points.

Or, did I miss your question?

[Last Free Human]

Thanks for the reply, my question was more about the "how did you get the 367 points available for morphing"? 
Thanks,

-Mike
Michael R. Smith (lastfreehuman@gmail.com)
GURPS IST Aleph Wordpress (http://istaleph.wordpress.com/)
GURPS IST Aleph Twitter (http://twitter.com/IstAleph/)
Trek This! Wordpress (http://dthiller.wordpress.com/)
My Blog (http://lastfreehuman.wordpress.com/)

[Mark Skarr]

Ah, okay. Well, when the shape shift, since they're replacing their natural race, they'll lose some of their inherent advantages and disadvantage. Basically, all of the "non-permanent" Advantages and Disadvantages (except for morph, which should probably move into the Permanent Advantages section, my bad):

Morph Pool [300] + Binding [26] + Corrosive Attack [16] + Injury Tolerance [40] + Mimicry [10] + Edgy [-5] + Loner [-5] + Odious Racial Habit (Eats Sapients) [-15] + Slow Eater [-10]

And . . . that's 357. Looks like I had a math-fail.

[Last Free Human]

Okay. Excellent, thank you, I was worried I had missed something when I was calculating.
I am revising the Delta species right now (I found some old notes from a few years back...yeek...and realized I had forgotten some elements of their design, so I am incorporating some into a version two) and should post them as well as the Gamma species pretty soon.

Thanks for the help, as always.

mike
Michael R. Smith (lastfreehuman@gmail.com)
GURPS IST Aleph Wordpress (http://istaleph.wordpress.com/)
GURPS IST Aleph Twitter (http://twitter.com/IstAleph/)
Trek This! Wordpress (http://dthiller.wordpress.com/)
My Blog (http://lastfreehuman.wordpress.com/)

[Mark Skarr]

Well, looking at it again, there are several other things that would also change.  Since they're replacing their racial package with the package of the person they're duplicating, there area some other points to contend with:

Base 357 points.

Do they keep their attribute levels?  If so, 357, but, since they're swapping those out, they shouldn't, and they'd be 387 points for morphing (yes, their IQ goes down because they're changing to a race without a racial IQ bonus).  They're personal bonus would stay, anything above their racial cost.

A Note on Detecting Deltas:Ironically enough, the best test for determining if someone is secretly a Delta has been a scanner devised by IST Aleph from examinations of the advanced TL 12 biometric lock from the sabotage kits the Deltas deployed. The current scanner weighs 50 lbs, requires an Electronics Operation (Scanners) roll at -4 to operate and suffers from extreme Hangar Queen syndrome (requiring more time in the shop than your average commercial airliner). But it can accurately detect a Delta assuming you can get within 2 feet of a suspected infiltrator. The Wright Brothers hope to be able to have a more streamlined, handheld version available for use by IST security forces within the year. While this wont entirely replace the current security procedures of DNA tests, 48-hour observation periods and comprehensive bloodwork now required of all personnel entering an IST facility in any capacity, it will greatly speed up the detection process...if they can work the bugs out.

As an aside:  This would devastate any ability to counter them.  Losing 48-hours for anyone to come into an IST facility would destroy the IST's ability to function.  And, yes, while that's the point of the inflitrator, it's nearly impossible to game with.  Without supers, this would ensure a population's collapse.
However, in the ISTs favor, it would be dirt-simple for a telepath (anyone with Mind Probe) to determine that they are, or are not, a Delta.  The Delta would resist with a 13 (Will plus Mind Shield) against whatever the telepath's Mind Probe skill . . . and I'll bet it's probably higher than 13 (probably a minimum of 16 with an IQ of 12 and +4 levels of Psionic Talent, but likely significantly higher).  Plus, the Telepath would know that there's a mind shield which would be a huge indicator.  The Delusion wouldn't protect their other disadvantages.
Likely Scenario:IST Telepath (Mind-Probing):  "Do you agree that the Ancient Astronauts are a bunch of posers?"Infiltrator:  "DIE INFIDEL!  Uh, oops."IST Telepath (to security battlesuits):  "Swing and a miss."

Worst-case Scenario:IST Telepath (Mind Probe Fails):  "Do you agree that Ancient Astronauts are a bunch of weenies?"Infiltrator (not getting the message):  *whistles innocently*IST Telepath (to security battlesuits):  "I couldn't get through the Mind Shield, take this guy in for testing."

[Shepherd]

To get around that problem, either add the "No Signature" enhancement to Mind Shield or switch to the Mind Block skill with the Camouflaged Mind Block technique from the 4th edition Supers book (pg. 38).
----------------------------------------------------

"Anyone can be a winner if their definition of victory is flexible enough." - The DM of the Rings XXXV

[Last Free Human]

All good points, my thoughts:
1. The attribute bonuses remain no matter what form they are in, typically. They're good at hiding these bonuses and "playing dumb" as needed.

2. Detecting Deltas. I will probably need to amend this a bit, but that's why I'm posting stuff, to get feedback. The DNA tests, bloodwork and 48-hour observation period will probably be changed to an every six month evaluation; a chore to be dreaded like the yearly physical and the psych evaluation (perhaps even rolled into that.) The main line of defense will probably be a combination of telepathic scans, the scanner and straight up guesswork. 

3. Telepathy and Deltas. I'm going to have to do some tweaking, it seems, since the main point of the Deltas was that telepathy didn't detect anything amiss with them. I like the Camouflaged Mind Block idea, but may need to do something else if they're going to reliably fool IST telepaths (or telepathic contractors in non-IST secure facilities) Basically the thought was that, literally up until they "activated" the Delta sleepers were basically indistinguishable from the people they replaced. They're good at hiding, both as a result of their species evolution as well as the adaptations made to their species by the Ancient Astronauts, and their Delusion is fun because it is so complete that they rationalize the "being an alien infiltrator" into it with surprising mental gymnastics. It can get pretty creepy interrogating them as they rationalize having been "eaten" into their mindset. This breaks down if they can't perform their little almost obsessive-compulsive rituals to maintain their mental cohesion.

4. I LOVE the warning sign. Especially the motto.

On another note, I realized that when I wrote them up I forgot to make clear that the extra time needed for changing shapes is for the FIRST time they assume a new shape (as they need to fully digest the victim) and that switching between memorized forms and their natural form (or elements of their natural form) takes less time (but is still slower than typical for the advantage). So I need to figure the math out on that too.

Thank God the rest of the aliens (with the exceptions of the AA's themselves) should be simpler.

Cheers and thanks again,

Mike
Michael R. Smith (lastfreehuman@gmail.com)
GURPS IST Aleph Wordpress (http://istaleph.wordpress.com/)
GURPS IST Aleph Twitter (http://twitter.com/IstAleph/)
Trek This! Wordpress (http://dthiller.wordpress.com/)
My Blog (http://lastfreehuman.wordpress.com/)

[Mark Skarr]

To be undetectable, like you're describing, would require cosmic-level mind-shield at an obscenenly high-level (probably in the +10 to +20 range) or taking Resistant (Immunity to Mind-Affecting Powers; 30). If the character has those disadvantages, they're going to be detectable. The delusion isn't relevant as the telepath is asking their subconscious that would know who and what they really are. The telepath would be able to determine that it is a delusion that they genuinely believe, but they'd be able to see their true knowledge as well. Cosmic only makes it tougher and lets it do special things, it can't change the base advantage into something else (which is what you're describing).

And, there's a significantly easier way of doing all of this. I have a megavillain in my Super San Diego game who actually does it.

There's no need for a race designed to replace someone (eventually, they'll replace the boss-race, look at Dune if you don't believe me). But, a powerful affliction that gives someone Mindlink (no signature) and an Involuntary, Secret Duty permanently then the AA buys a cosmic stack of Puppet. That way, the AA can switch into controlling the Puppet whenever they want . . . with no resistance roll. That has the other benefit that only the AA requires anything cosmic, instead of an entire race of cosmically-immune nega-psychics.

It's nearly undetectable and now there's no way to determine who they are unless you have precognitive or time-spanning powers. They're not just acting like the person . . . they still are the person.

That was just a logo I found, and it seemed to fit for this. If I were doing it for anything more that just here, I'd have used a real logo.

[Last Free Human]

I seem to recall there was an advantage or power in 3e called Facade or something like that, which basically did something like this, I think it was in one of the Wild Cards books...maybe Aces Abroad? I'll see if I can find it somewhere. Ugh. I wish I had the time to actually work on this regularly. 
M
Michael R. Smith (lastfreehuman@gmail.com)
GURPS IST Aleph Wordpress (http://istaleph.wordpress.com/)
GURPS IST Aleph Twitter (http://twitter.com/IstAleph/)
Trek This! Wordpress (http://dthiller.wordpress.com/)
My Blog (http://lastfreehuman.wordpress.com/)

[Mark Skarr]

A lot of 3e powers are gone. For good reason. 3e was unbalanced and priced as a "this seems good." 4e has built a pretty stable price structure. Pretty much everything can already be done in 4e, so few advantages/powers/abilities have to be made in the future.

[Last Free Human]

Mostly I was looking at Facade as inspiration for a possible solution to the detection problem. I am probably going to work with a variant on Compartmentalized Mind using the old Facade power from Aces Abroad as inspiration. I will post the results in a day or two probably when I've had a chance to clean up. I will probably add a few levels to the Delta Mind Block and add No Signature to it as well. The Compartmentalized Mind allows the Facade (based on the snapshot gathered by the devouring) to be presented as the "dominant" mind while the Delta hides dormant until activated by an external AA trigger, at which point it switches places with the Facade.
Based on the study of the surviving Deltas, the IST's (and every other organization on Earth and Meeranor) have concocted a dozen ways to try and ferret out the shapeshifters. Once you know what to look for and what to expect, detecting a Delta is a trivial issue for the more seasoned telepaths. For instance all IST agents now have a unique, tagged radio-telepathy implant that self-destructs if you a) attempt to remove it or b) eat the agent. The main reason they weren't detected before the invasion is simply that no one was looking for them, with all the Pre-Y2K worries, the last thing anyone was looking for was body snatchers.

M
Michael R. Smith (lastfreehuman@gmail.com)
GURPS IST Aleph Wordpress (http://istaleph.wordpress.com/)
GURPS IST Aleph Twitter (http://twitter.com/IstAleph/)
Trek This! Wordpress (http://dthiller.wordpress.com/)
My Blog (http://lastfreehuman.wordpress.com/)