Sirius the gamma dog
Context
Sirius is a very minor Hulk character (well, a dog) who appeared in a 1984 storyline. Normally he’d be a side note at best, but I though it would be interesting to show an example of gamma mutate animal.
There were others, more dangerous gamma-powered canines. But Sirius is a good example of something that can be brewed up without a multi-million dollars lab.
Sirius was presumably named after the brightest star in the Northern hemisphere firmament. It’s also named the “dog star” since it looks like it is following at the heel of the Orion constellation.
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Background
- Known Relatives: None.
- Group Affiliation: Pet of the Douglas family.
- Base Of Operations: Presumably upstate New York.
- Height: About 25” high Weight: About 80 lbs.
- Eyes: Dark green Hair: Dark green
Powers and Abilities
Sirius was an ordinary, medium-sized dog. Then he was exposed to a controlled dose of gamma radiation. This greatly enhanced his strength, vitality and ferocity. Sirius could batter a hole through a robust wooden door within a few minutes by jumping at it and hitting with his paws and head.
Our DC Heroes RPG stats apply to Sirius 30 to 40 hours after exposure (assuming that the Douglases lived within a few hours’ drive of the lab). The dog likely would have continued to get stronger and more durable.
Sirius was a very old and sick animal. A larger, younger, healthier dog would likely have achieved correspondingly higher levels of strength, durability, aggression, etc. over the same time period.
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History
In the early 1980s, Bruce Banner found himself in control of his Hulk form and transformations for a while. He resumed his scientific research. Assisted by Dr. Waynesboro, he investigated using gamma ray exposure to fortify crops and help the wounded, sick, infirm, aged, etc. to heal and get stronger. See the Kate Waynesboro profile for full context.
Being extremely wary about side effects, they decided to test the treatment on animals. This is what brought them into contact with the Douglas family. The Douglases’s dog, named Sirius, was aged and suffered from a terminal cancer of the bones.
There was no conventional way to save the decrepit cur. As a result, it was agreed to attempt gamma bombardment as the first test of the Banner-Waynesboro experimental treatment.
The procedure worked fine. Sirius was visibly refortified. His cancer immediately went into remission. The only side effect was that he now had green skin and fur. The tests showed nothing special about his condition.
Sirius was handed over back to the overjoyed Douglas family. They were to bring their pet to the lab for further tests in a few weeks.
You wouldn’t like him when he’s angry
Once the Douglas got back home, Sirius became hostile. He seemed to grow stronger, and even bit the Douglas boy. Mr. Douglas managed to drag the dog in the cellar and chain him there despite the animal’s strength. During the evening, Sirius kept savagely howling and snarling.
It eventually got strong enough to snap its chain. The dog immediately charged upstairs, slamming repeatedly against the parental bedroom’s door and soon bursting through. Mr. Douglas unloaded a .38 special revolver into their former pet, narrowly killing it.
The shaken Douglas family brought the corpse to Drs. Waynesboro and Banner for analysis.
Atomic dog
Much of the research that led to the treatment experimented on Sirius was actually published. All of Banner and Waynesboro’s early work was – Banner’s foundational work is required reading for grad students in several disciplines. The work is an evolution of the Hernandez-Waynesboro-Banner process developed in the Universidad de la Ciudad de México to fortify crops.
Having unethical researchers produce more gamma-irradiated specimen is thus quite possible. In fact it would seem that the “war dogs” project of the US Army was exactly that.
Interestingly, the Banner-Waynesboro treatment tried on Sirius and a number of persons seemed to work on anyone it was tried on. By contrast, the rate of “successful” gamma mutation from less controlled exposure is roughly .1%, with the remainder of the population dying from radiation damage.
However, only the short-term survival rate is known. Thus, it is entirely possible that seemingly successful tests subjects might have run into severe health issues at a later date.
Description
See illustrations.
Personality
Very nice and friendly (but very old and sick) doggie who became a maddened killer and predator. Awwww.
Game Stats — DC Heroes RPG
Tell me more about the game stats
Sirius
| Dex: 03 | Str: 04 | Bod: 04 | Motivation: Canine |
| Int: 02 | Wil: 01 | Min: 01 | Occupation: Dog |
| Inf: 01 | Aur: 00 | Spi: 01 | Resources {or Wealth}: N.A. |
| Init: 005 | HP: 000 |
Powers:
Analytical Smell/Tracking Scent: 07, Claws: 05, Extended Hearing: 04, Jumping: 01, Running: 05, Shrinking: 01, Super Hearing: 04, Ultra Vision: 04
Bonuses and Limitations:
- Ultra vision is Night Vision Only.
- Super Hearing is Ultrasounds Only.
Advantages:
None demonstrated.
Connections:
N.A..
Drawbacks:
MPR (colour-blind), Creepy Appearance (green skin and fur), Serious Rage, SIA toward Aggressiveness, Misc.: body mass is 1 AP.
Game Stats — DC Adventures RPG
Tell me more about the game stats
Sirius the gamma dog — Averaged PL3.2
| STR | STA | AGL | DEX | FGT | INT | AWE | PRE |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| -1 (03) | -1 (02) | -1 (01) | -2 | 00 (03) | -4 | 01 | -2 (-1) |
Powers
A dog is a dog, of course ● 6 points ● Descriptor: Canine
– Senses 3 (Acute smell, Tracking, Ultra-hearing).
– Shrinking 2 (Permanent, Innate, Normal Strength).
Green, green… supergreen ● 33 points ● Descriptor: Gamma irradiation
– Enhanced Strength 4, Permanent Enhanced Stamina 3, Enhanced Agility 2, Enhanced Fighting 3, Enhanced Presence 1.
– Enhanced Skills (Athletics 2, Perception 1).
– Enhanced Advantage (Defensive Roll 1).
– Leaping 1, Speed 4, Senses 1 (Low-light vision).
Combat Advantages
Defensive Roll 1.
Other Advantages
None demonstrated.
Skills
Athletics 1 (+6), Perception 3 (+5).
Offense
| Initiative +1 |
| Unarmed +3, Close, Damage 3 |
Defence
| Dodge | 05 | Fortitude | 06 |
| Parry | 03 | Toughness | 02*/03 |
| Will | 01 |
* Without Defensive Roll
Complications
- Handicap He’s a dog. No manipulative extremities, little colour vision, low body mass, mediocre ability to vent body heat, clearly not as cool as a cat, etc..
- Appearance Few dogs are green.
- You won’t like him when he’s angry Sirius is in a state of permanent murderous gamma rage.
Powers Levels
- Trade-off areas. Attack/Effect PL 3, Dodge/Toughness PL 4, Parry/Toughness PL 3, Fort/Will PL 4.
- Points total 29. Abilities -20, Defences 8, Skills 2, Powers 39, Devices 0, Advantages 0. Equiv. PL 2.
Notes
This is not a straight port using OMACS 2 – stats have been skewed to be more in-line with M&M dog stats. As can be seen in his Attributes, Sirius was a quite aged specimen.
Source of Character: Incredible Hulk issues in 1984.
Helper(s): WORG’s Animals File.