Superpowered! Supplement for The Quantum Engine rpg - Tinkerer NPC: The Glitch

 

Here is the artwork for Silas Vane, "The Glitch," depicting him in his chaotic underground workshop, surrounded by the prototypes and bioware described in his NPC profile. This profile picks up right from 

Superpowered! Supplement for The Quantum Engine rpg & The Pulp Hero The Master of Men The Spider.

Since the 2d6 Superpowered system thrives on characters with high utility and narrative-shifting gear, a Tinkerer-style NPC needs to be more than just a "shopkeeper." They should be a plot catalyst—the person who provides the gadget that saves the day (or accidentally levels a city block).

Here is "The Glitch," an NPC designed specifically for 2d6 Superpowered.

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NPC Profile: The Glitch (Silas Vane)

Concept: The Hyper-Caffeinated Underground Artificer

Archetype: Gadgeteer / Information Broker

Silas doesn't have "super strength" or "flight." His brain simply operates at a higher refresh rate than reality. He views the physical world as a series of poorly written lines of code that just need a little "hot-fixing." He operates out of a laundromat basement filled with high-end tech, half-eaten donuts, and at least three soldering irons that are always on.

Core Stats

Attribute	Value	Notes
Brawn	2	Not a fighter; prefers to hide behind a reinforced desk.
Agility	4	Lightning-fast hands for delicate circuitry.
Intellect	6	A genius-level polymath with a specialty in "unconventional" tech.
Will	3	High focus, but easily distracted by new shiny parts.

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Powers & Signature Gear

• Omni-Tool Rig: Silas carries a custom gauntlet that functions as a Swiss Army knife on steroids. (In 2d6 terms: Utility Power, +2 to any Tech or Repair rolls).

• The "Feedback" Field: A passive defensive device that creates a localized distortion. Attacks against him suffer a -2 penalty as the air literally "glitches" around him.

• Prototypes: He always has 1d6 experimental devices on hand. These grant temporary Powers (e.g., Invisibility, Gravity Manipulation) but have the Unstable complication—on a roll of double 1s, the device explodes or malfunctions spectacularly.

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Roleplaying The Glitch

Personality: Fast-talking, paranoid, and perpetually exhausted. He speaks in fragments and often forgets that other people can’t follow his train of thought. He doesn't care about "Good" or "Evil"—he cares about whether the engineering is elegant.

The Hook: "I can fix your visor so it sees through lead, sure. But I also added a feature that translates bird calls into jazz. Don't touch the red toggle unless you want to smell like burnt ozone for a week. Now, do you have the micro-capacitors I asked for?"

Plot Hooks for Your Campaign

1. The Warranty Clause: A gadget Silas sold the players develops a "personality" and starts overriding their commands during a mission.

2. The Repo Man: A major tech conglomerate (the legal owners of the parts Silas "borrowed") has tracked their hardware to the players.

3. Upgrade Quest: Silas can build the team a base or a vehicle, but he needs a rare "Singularity Core" currently being used as a paperweight by a local Supervillain.

To capture the chaotic energy of a Tinkerer-style NPC like The Glitch, this table is designed for the 2d6 Superpowered system. These items are high-reward but high-risk.

When a player uses one of these, have them roll their 2d6. On a natural 2 (Snake Eyes), the device functions, but the Side Effect triggers immediately.

The Glitch’s "Mostly Functional" Prototype Table (d100)

d100	Device Name	Primary Effect (2d6 Mechanic)	The "Glitch" (Side Effect)
01-10	Phase-Shift Belt	Gain Incorporeal power for 3 rounds. Pass through walls.	You reappear 1d6 feet above the ground.
11-20	Kinetic Dampener	Spend a Reaction to reduce incoming Physical damage by 4.	You lose your next Move action as you "freeze" in place.
21-30	Neural Uplink	+2 to all Intellect-based rolls for the next hour.	You can only speak in binary or rhythmic beeps for 10 minutes.
31-40	Gravity Boots	Gain Flight (Low Altitude) or walk on ceilings.	One boot stays magnetized; -2 to Agility rolls.
41-50	Flash-Bang Glove	Emit a burst of light. Targets must roll Will vs. TN 10 or be Stunned.	You are also Blinded for 1 round.
51-60	Molecular Glue	Traps an enemy in place (TN 12 Brawn check to escape).	The glue is sentient and tries to "hug" your arm too.
61-70	Bio-Organic Med-Spray	Heal 1d6 Wounds instantly.	You sprout decorative, non-functional feathers or scales.
71-80	Pocket Wormhole	Teleport up to 30 feet to a visible location.	You swap one piece of clothing with a random NPC nearby.
81-90	Static Overload Gun	Ranged attack: 2d6+2 Energy damage.	The gun needs 2 rounds to "cool down" (unusable).
91-99	Probability Engine	Reroll any one die in a 2d6 pool.	The GM gets to reroll one of their dice against you later.
00	The "Everything" Button	Roll twice on this table; both effects happen at once.	The device explodes. Gain a Permanent Scar or -1 to a random Stat.

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How to use this in your Session

Instead of letting players buy these, have Silas offer them as "Field Testing Loans." * The Deal: Silas gives them the gear for free, but they have to record "telemetry data."

• The Catch: If they bring the gear back broken, he demands a favor (a plot hook). If they lose it, he sends a "Remote Retrieval Drone" (a combat encounter) to get it back.

A Quick Rule of Thumb for 2d6 Superpowered

If a player wants to "tinker" with these items themselves during a Rest:

1. Intellect + Tech Roll (TN 10): They stabilize the device. It no longer glitches on a natural 2, but loses its charge after one use.

2. Fail: The device activates immediately in their hands.

   Gemini said

   In the 2d6 Superpowered system, cybernetics and bioware are often treated as permanent Power swaps or "Gear with a Cost." For every two major augmentations, a PC should typically reduce their maximum Will by 1 to represent the strain on their psyche or biological harmony.

   Here is a d100 table of "The Glitch’s Black-Market Body Mods."

   The Cyber-Bio Augmentation Table

   d100	System Name	Type	2d6 Effect	The Trade-Off (Complication)
   01-10	Subdermal Plating	Cyber	+2 Armor vs. Physical; ignore "Bleeding" effects.	-1 Agility; your skin feels like cold, stiff plastic.
   11-20	Adrenal Pump	Bio	Once per combat, take an extra Action.	After the combat ends, you are Stunned for 2 rounds.
   21-30	Optical HUD	Cyber	+2 to Ranged attacks; see in Infrared/UV.	Visual "Lag." -2 to Will saves against Illusions.
   31-40	Prehensile Tail	Bio	Gain an extra limb for Grappling or holding items.	Hard to hide in public; -2 to Social/Stealth in crowds.
   41-50	Logic Co-Processor	Cyber	Automatically succeed on any TN 8 or lower Intellect task.	"Cold Logic." You cannot use Empathy or Persuasion.
   51-60	Pheromone Glands	Bio	+2 to Charisma/Persuasion rolls.	Animals hate you. Dogs bark, horses bolt.
   61-70	Nanite Blood	Bio	Regain 1 Wound at the start of every turn.	Nanites are "hungry." You must eat 4x the normal calories.
   71-80	Retractable Claws	Cyber	Melee attacks deal 2d6+2 Lethal damage.	Metal detectors are your worst enemy. Always.
   81-90	Sound Dampener	Cyber	+4 to Stealth rolls involving noise.	You are effectively Deaf while the system is active.
   91-99	Titanium Skeleton	Cyber	+1 Brawn; you cannot be knocked prone.	You weigh 400 lbs. Swimming is no longer an option.
   00	The Chimera Core	Both	Choose any two effects from this table.	Your body is rejecting the mods. Lose -2 Will permanently.

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   Implementation: The "Installation" Scene

   When a PC decides to go under the knife with Silas, it’s never a clean hospital procedure. It’s more like a "chop shop" for humans.

   1. The Procedure: The player must make a Brawn + Will roll (TN 10).

   2. Success: The installation is a success. The character gains the benefit immediately.

   3. Failure: The body rejects the part initially. The character suffers a -1 penalty to all rolls for the first 24 hours while their nervous system "reboots."

   4. Critical Failure (Snake Eyes): The Glitch "accidentally" installed a different part. Roll again on the d100 table to see what they actually got.

   Maintenance and Repair

   Unlike natural powers, these systems can be hacked or EMP’d.

   • EMP/Electrical Attacks: If a character with cyberware takes Energy damage, they must roll 2d6. On a 4 or lower, their augmentations "short out" and are disabled until they spend an Action to manually reset them.

   • Healing: Bio-ware heals with the body. Cyberware requires a Tech + Intellect roll (TN 10) and spare parts to fix if the character is severely wounded.If the players decide to "forget" to pay Silas or try to walk off with his prototype railgun, he doesn't call the police—he sends The Bloodhound.

     For those who lean into the "Bio" side of his shop, Silas also offers Cyber-System Organisms (CSOs): living parasites or symbiotic creatures engineered to live inside a host's body.

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     1. The Remote Retrieval Drone: "The Bloodhound"

     The Bloodhound isn't a sleek, corporate drone. It’s a flying junk pile of mismatched thrusters, grabber claws, and a very loud speaker that plays Silas’s voice on a loop demanding his stuff back.

     Bloodhound Stat Block (2d6 Superpowered)

     • Brawn: 4 (Industrial hydraulics)

     • Agility: 3 (Clunky but persistent)

     • Intellect: 2 (Basic AI; "Locate. Grab. Return.")

     • Will: 5 (Hardened against hacking)

     Powers & Features:

     • Mag-Lock Claws: +2 to Grapple checks. If it wins a Grapple against a character holding a "Glitch" item, it automatically disarms them.

     • Taser-Net: Ranged attack (30ft). Targets hit are Restrained and take 1d6 Energy damage per turn until they break free (TN 12 Brawn).

     • Hardened Shell: Armor 3. It ignores the first 3 points of damage from non-piercing sources.

     • Geofence Recall: Once it has the item, it engages "Turbo-Thrusters" and flies directly back to Silas at double speed.

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     2. Cyber-System Organisms (CSO)

     Unlike traditional cybernetics, CSOs are alive. They require a "Host Bond" (a Will roll vs TN 10) to install. If the bond fails, the organism tries to consume the host for nutrients instead of helping.

     The CSO d100 Table

     d100	Organism Name	Placement	2d6 Effect	The "Hunger" (Drawback)
     01-20	Neural-Leech	Base of Brain	Grants Telepathy (Limited to 60ft).	Feeds on memories. Permanent -1 to Intellect rolls after a week.
     21-40	Adrenal-Wasp	Near Heart	Once per Day: Ignore all damage penalties for 3 rounds.	When it "stings" your heart, take 1 Wound that cannot be healed for 24 hours.
     41-60	Viper-Tongue	Throat/Mouth	Ranged Attack: Spit acid (2d6 damage).	You lose the ability to taste food; everything tastes like copper and ash.
     61-80	Chameleon-Skin	Epidermis	+4 to Stealth rolls when stationary.	The skin is cold-blooded. -2 to all rolls in freezing temperatures.
     81-00	Hydra-Lung	Chest Cavity	Breathe underwater and immune to toxic gas.	You must submerge in water for at least 1 hour a day or take 1 level of Exhaustion.

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     3. The "Cyber-Sickness" Tracker

     In 2d6 Superpowered, balance is key. If a player goes "Full Metal" or "Full Bio," use this scale based on their total number of Augmentations/CSOs.

     Number of Mods	Title	Mechanical Penalty
     1-2	Augmented	None. Just some weird scars.
     3-4	Glitched	-1 to all Will rolls. You start hearing radio static.
     5-6	Overclocked	-2 to all Social rolls. Your humanity is fading.
     7+	Tech-Terror	You become an NPC. Your body is now a vessel for the machine/parasite.

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     A Note on Maintenance

     Cyber-Organisms don't need a mechanic; they need a Biologist (or a very steady hand with a needle). To "repair" a CSO, a player must make an Intellect + Medicine roll. If they fail, the organism goes "Feral" inside the body, causing 1d6 internal damage.