Updated: June 13th 2023
Click here for the Superman GCS build referenced below.
After watching the latest iteration of Superman on TV - Superman and Lois on the CW - I decided to put together a GURPS Superman build based on this superb rendition.
GURPS Character Sheet is my character generator of choice here. I like GURPS Character Assistant from Steve Jackson Games, and I've bought it to support my favorite game system. However, GCS is just easier to use.
If you are familiar with GURPS, you know that a Strength value of 20 is considered the standard human maximum. With that in mind, if a standard progression were followed for Superman, a truly representative strength value would cost a mind-boggling number of points to achieve.
This is where the supplement GURPS Supers pg.24 (which builds on GURPS Powers pg. 58) comes into play. Super-Effort rules are applied, so adding 24 levels of Strength allows for spending 1 Fatigue Point (1 FP) to achieve super levels of lifting and punching. GURPS Supers pg. 146 has the Super-Abilities table that provides more info.
Note that GCS presents the Encumbrance, Move & Dodge Max Load values, and the weights under Lifting & Moving Things, based on the Super-Effort results.
You can see that he would still be impressively powerful, but not near the levels we expect from Superman as presented in comics, TV and film. This gives you an idea of the range of power the character can apply in a given situation.
If Superman were being used as a character in a game, keeping both sets of values handy - one with Super-Effort, one without - would be useful.
Superstrength is covered a bit more below.
Skills
Clark Kent's skills are consistent with his intrepid reporter persona. Note that I did include Farming as a skill here to reflect his years growing up on a farm.
Traits
Ally and Dependent are interesting Traits in the GURPS system. The former is an Advantage, the latter a Disadvantage. I placed Jordan Kent, the super son in this show, as an Ally worth 50% of Clark's starting points. GURPS does not get more nuanced and it is only a 4 point ally but it gives an 'in game' thematic justification for a sidekick with powers. Jordan is part of the Dependent (Group: Family) Disadvantage here as well, reflecting his dual nature relative to his father.
As most parents know, teens are blessing and a curse at times.
Due to the nature of his physiology, I included increases to the Attributes as base Advantages. Even without the benefits of yellow sunlight, Kryptonians are naturally more powerful than a run-of-the-mill human.
Kryptonian Powers
Most of us know how Superman's powers work. His cells absorb yellow solar energy that enhance his already remarkable Kryptonian physiology and provide a host of super powers.
We also know his vulnerability to Kryptonite. I chose to represent that with different modifiers in this build. The first is the Weakness Disadvantage (shown above) where Clark takes continuing damage with exposure to the radioactive mineral from his home world.
In some stories, that damage stops under red sunlight. I chose not to include that as part of this build.
In GURPS terms, each of his powers have a Super [-10%] modifier that reduces the cost of each power. This means anything that is defined as affecting/disrupting powers in that category would cause him problems, including shutting off some or all of his powers.
An Accessibility [-15%] modifier is applied as well to represent the effect of Red Sunlight on his abilities.
A Fatigue Point reserve to help power his Super-Effort (Energy Reserve (Sunlight) 50 provides plenty of power for all of his super feats. It was specifically included here for use with his Super-Effort when doing things well beyond the human norm.
How do you represent a gradual degradation of power with the lack of yellow sunlight? For game purposes I consider it more of a 'macro' effect to be discussed as a plot point between the player and GM.
The same goes for magic - Superman is affected by magic, but what that means in a GURPS game is up to the GM.
If magic is treated as manipulating an underlying force that affects reality, and thus physics, then bypassing non-magical defenses makes sense. In that case, I would suggest adding the Bane (Magic) [-5%] to the DR and ITDR in the section on Toughness.
Superman's ranged attack powers are primarily his Heat Vision and his Breath Attacks. These are set up as power pools with alternate abilities.
The inclusion of Intelligence in the increased Attributes (shown below) that can be shut down by red sunlight is a design choice that I was conflicted about. The fact that he can be confused and disoriented due to the sudden weakness brought on by the exposure to these elements justifies that, I believe.
Exposure to red sunlight does NOT permanently remove Kryptonian powers, only dampens them for the duration of the exposure. In the Christopher Reeves film Superman II the fortress transformed his physiology, and later Zod and his minions, with red sunlight as a single component of the entire process.
Superstrength
In the past I've read speculation that Clark possesses some ability to control gravity, which enables his flight on Earth and some of his super strength. I noticed a gravity disruption around him when launching into flight in the film Man of Steel that would grant some cross-media confirmation to this idea.
When considering the use of lifting strength in films and comics, I wondered about those submarines and cargo ships that fail to break under their own weight when being carried. Control (Gravity) might just explain it. I included it here to represent the reduction in weight to an object Superman is touching. While mass may not change - still requiring a lot of effort to guide a large object to a safe landing - the reduction in gravity's pull makes it easier for him to perform such a feat.
I've mentioned Super-Effort above. To make use of the rule, you need to buy standard Strength up to the racial maximum - here it is 20 as Superman is almost human without his powers. Then you buy the Increased Strength Trait (Advantage) but modify the costs as shown below.
Base Cost is set to 50 and Cost per level is 25, not 10. This gives us the cost shown in the Super-Abilities table on GURPS Supers pg.146.
Notice the Lifting ST and Striking ST modifiers above? In GCS you note those traits as zero cost Traits at the Supervalue level +20 shown for Total ST in the Super-Abilities table on GURPS Supers pg.146.
Hearing
With the enhanced hearing shown in numerous movies and comics, the Hearing pool seemed easier to represent as individual and discrete powers.
Movement
However, if his flight is Gravity based, then how does it work in space? My explanation is that he can generate a warping effect in local space-time, which also explains his faster-than-light propulsion. Such warping effects can explain super-speed as well.
To determine how to apply the super speed effects here for ground, movement, I considered the following:
1) Superman is faster than a speeding bullet. That is 867 yards per second (2600 feet per second).
2) His Basic Move of 9 yards per second gets increased to 19 yards per second with Increased Basic Move.
3) With an Altered Time Rate of 1 (to represent his faster reflexes and perception) a character can get two actions/moves in a turn. That gives us 38 yards per second.
4) With Enhanced Move 6 that is 38x32, or 1216 yards per second. The Cosmic (Complete Maneuverability) modifier means he can move from 0 to max speed in a single second.
Faster than a speeding bullet. Note that he is even faster in the air and space.
Altered Time rate has been given the Switchable (+10%) modifier. Clark operates at normal human speed most of the time, but can operate at a higher level when necessary.
Toughness
Superman is tough. He is not entirely immune to all damage but for all intents and purposes he is invulnerable.
1) Damage Resistance 100 means there has to be more 100 points of damage done in a single hit to impact him at all. However, Kryptonite can get past that DR.
2) Kryptonite will prevent Regeneration from working.
3) Finally, Kryptonite will bypass the Injury Tolerance (termed as Damage Reduction for Supers) as well.
Typically, ITDR will reduce damage that passes standard DR by its
factor, to a minimum of 1 point. For everyone 5000 points of damage Superman takes on a single hit, 4900 will get through his DR 100 but that remainder will be reduced to a single point of damage.
With 44 Hit Points, this means he could take 2,200,000 points of damage before his body is reduced to -440 points and utterly
destroyed. I included Unkillable in this build. He can continue to function until the point he is reduced to ash if he can stay
conscious.
Of course, Kryptonite bypasses all of this.
As mentioned previously you can choose to add the Bane (Magic) limitation, like Kryptonite, for the DR and ITDR
Advantages.
Vacuum Support means Superman is immune to the bad effects of being in space or a vacuum, like decompression. He still needs air while in space.
Pressure Support means he can ignore the effects of high pressure, such as underwater.
While I didn't include Doesn't Breathe (Oxygen Storage) for his ability to hold his breathe, that is something you can add if it makes sense for your campaign.
Vision Powers
The vision powers are fairly straightforward in GURPS, and fits neatly into a Power Pool of Alternate Abilities.
I hope this is useful for your future super builds, and please provide any feedback on differences you think would improve on this build.