Augmentation Process
The process of developing super-powered agents and soldiers has been a desire of many organizations since World War II, but most experiments of this type have ended in disaster. The Power Broker's augmentation process is the most recent and most successful of these processes.
Dr. Karl Malus was used to develop the process. Funded by grants from secret illegal operations within the U.S. Government and by outside aid by groups such as the UCWF, Malus made several prototypes of his equipment before arriving at his present design.
The augmentation process modifies the subjects Strength, Agility and Endurance, increasing each to various degrees according to their normal metabolism. Given normal human test subjects, the success rate is 50% - failure indicates disaster. Using the Augmentation Process Results Table, roll separately for each ability. Such enhancements will always have the minimum value listed, and never be greater than the maximum listed rank. If using the advanced set rules, the new rank will always be at the lowest possible number for that rank.
Health is adjusted to the new levels. Failure for normal humans is on a roll of 01-50. This usually results in a gross mutation of the body, and the reduction of abilities as follows:
- Psyche is reduced by as many ranks as Strength is increased.
- Intuition is reduced by as many ranks as Agility is increased.
- Reason is reduced by as many ranks as Endurance is increased.
Reduction of any ability down to Feeble leaves the subject a mindless brute. Player characters become NPC's controlled by the Judge.
Malus disposed of his failures by putting them in the sewars beneath Los Angeles. A large number of them still live there, though some were rescued by the Shroud and his criminal Night Shift. Typical stats for such creatures follow:
| Typical Statistics | |
|---|---|
| Fighting | Typical |
| Agility | Remarkable |
| Strength | Remarkable |
| Endurance | Remarkable |
| Reason | Feeble |
| Intuition | Feeble |
| Psyche | Feeble |
| Health | 96 |
| Karma | 6 |
| Resources | Not Applicable |
| Popularity | 0 |
Typical successful augments have the following stats:
| Typical Statistics | |
|---|---|
| Fighting | Good |
| Agility | Remarkable |
| Strength | Remarkable |
| Endurance | Remarkable |
| Reason | Typical |
| Intuition | Good |
| Psyche | Good |
| Health | 100 |
| Karma | 26 |
| Resources | Good |
| Popularity | 10 |
There may be literally hundreds of augmented individuals in the world at present, and as many failures in the sewars below Los Angeles.
Malus' augmentation was apparently a three-stage process. Captain America underwent the the first part briefly, and Ms. Marvel underwent the first and second stages.
First Stage: Initial Augmentation
The subject's cells and bombarded and enhanced. At this point, success is determined. Success grants the level rolled on the Augmentation Results Table for 1-100 hours. Failure results in the immediate effects listed above which are permanent.
Second Stage: Fixing the Augmentation
For beneficial augmentations, this makes the change permanent.
Third Stage: Addiction
Used in connection with the wrestler-augmentation program for the Unlimited Class Wrestling Federation, the target subject is injected with a highly addictive durg, which the Power Broker provides to keep a close rein on his workers. It is possible to break the hold of the drug. Demolition Man and the other wrestlers did so after the Power Broker's initial plans were exposed by Ms. Marvel and the Thing.
The above effects are noted only for normal humans, and the effects on mutants and mutated humans are as yet not fully investigated. Captain America was enhanced by the process temporarily, but did not choose to finish the process.
As a rule of thumb, use the following randomly determined rates for determining success or failure of the augmentation process on unusual subjects:
Mutated Humans
(including those already augmented by the process): 52-70% chance of failure (50 + 2D10)
Mutants
10-60% chance of failure
Aliens
1-100% chance of failure per species
Judges may use augmented thugs for their own adventures, but keep in mind that heroes will have a tendency to seek out those who create such individuals. The Power Broker, who is in reality a criminal named Curtiss Jackson, is currently free on bond and awaiting trial, but is still in the business of augmenting humans.
Augmentation Process Results Table
Roll for Agility, Strength, and Endurance
| Dice Roll | Effect | Minimum | Maximum |
|---|---|---|---|
| 01-50 | +1CS | Good | Remarkable |
| 51-70 | +2CS | Excellent | Incredible |
| 71-99 | +3CS | Remarkable | Amazing |
| 00 | +4CS | Incredible | Monstrous |