Superhero Population Density Experiment

[TheEmerged]

Proof that I have too much free time on my hands...

The following is a listing of where nearly every superhero in my campaign world is from, by country. Exception are the "Level 4" novas (worldshakers, generally in the 1000-1800pt range) and "Level 5" novas (Doctor Destroyer, The Trickster, and a nova that hasn't erupted just yet, each starting with 1800pts), which are all being treated as special cases. And yes, there's a "copout" heading for The Rest Of The World created primarily by some differing statistical baselines (I based my initial numbers on the assumption there are about 7 billion people in the world, turns out we haven't quite hit that mark yet...).

I prepared it in preparation for the third "Nova Mysteries" handout for my players. I use that for general world background stuff the players should know but isn't likely to come up in an adventure.

Anyway, here's the link.

Linkage!

[Trebuchet]

Wow, you have a lot of paranormals! In my campaign there are somewhere between 500-1000 paranormals of all levels, but at least half of them are 250 or fewer points. The very few above 500 points are all extradimensional/immortal in nature. (My biggest villain weighs in at a mere 1600 points. Of course, since he rules Columbia he has a few other assets to utilize.)

[TheEmerged]

Averages out to 1 in a million, same as the official Champions Universe... About 86% of those are "Level 1", meaning they're built on 4th Edition Standard Superhero points (100 plus 150 disadvantages, 60 active point cap).

[Enforcer84]

Very nice. Now, write em all up! And have Acroyer do Costume Design Forums on them. And hermit can make a poll and.... okay, getting ahead off myself here.

[Tamashii2000]

Originally posted by TheEmerged
Proof that I have too much free time on my hands...

The following is a listing of where nearly every superhero in my campaign world is from, by country. Exception are the "Level 4" novas (worldshakers, generally in the 1000-1800pt range) and "Level 5" novas (Doctor Destroyer, The Trickster, and a nova that hasn't erupted just yet, each starting with 1800pts), which are all being treated as special cases. And yes, there's a "copout" heading for The Rest Of The World created primarily by some differing statistical baselines (I based my initial numbers on the assumption there are about 7 billion people in the world, turns out we haven't quite hit that mark yet...).

I prepared it in preparation for the third "Nova Mysteries" handout for my players. I use that for general world background stuff the players should know but isn't likely to come up in an adventure.

Anyway, here's the link.

Linkage!

Sounds like you converted some Aberrant characters over, would love to see hero stats for Pax..

[Supreme]

Personally, I think 7000 worldwide is too high. It makes it too likely that a hundred or so would get together on a regular basis and topple governments -- like ours. But, what is the reason for the US having the highest concentration? We have 1 "nova" per 95,000, but China only has one per 3,000,000. That's a HUGE disparity.

[SuperPheemy]

Again, I have received a mysterious communique' from CLOWN in my Cubicle of Solitude. After drying the seltzer-water from my face, I reviewed it for content, and realized that it is a messsage meant for Supreme.

(The taped message opens with Merry Andrew standing before a podium dressed like John Ashcroft. Behind him stands SkateKate in an off-the shoulder toga and a cardboard sign hung over her chest marked with the word "Censored". She is blindfolded, but can clearly be seen peeking out from below, smiling and occasionally winking).

*Off camera, someone puts on scratchy record of "America the Beautiful"*

(The screen first display's a quote from Supreme's post: "But, what is the reason for the US having the highest concentration? We have 1 "nova" per 95,000, but China only has one per 3,000,000. That's a HUGE disparity.)

*Ten seconds later, the camera refocuses on Merry Andrew, and SkateKate, Merry Andrew takes a sip of pommegranite juice, then after clearing his throat, begins his reply*

"Because, only in a land saturated in freedom an liberty can humanity dare to dream of those feats incomprehensible to those poor benighted, godless, communists. As our promise of liberty gives our aspirations wings which can ascend to the very gates of Heaven itself, and our imagination brush the very face of God, those living under socialist oppression are blinded from seeing beyond the dreary fate which has befallen them through the totalian tyrrany of their communist masters.

Perhaps, one day, as the sun's light breaks over the horizon in brilliant promise, we who are right and true will bring to these sad masses the fruits of every man's birthright, Freedom and Justice for all."

*The record of "America the Beautiful" begins to skip, repeating; America (scratch) America (scratch) America (scratch)... Merry Andrew, moved by the scene stands stoic, allowing a single tear to run down his face. SkateKate suddenly passes gas, which sets all the CLOWNs both on camera and off to laughing. Snapshot ends the message between laughs by choking out "cut.... that's... awrap"*

[Supreme]

Ummm... okay... Care to speak more plainly, Superpheemy? I'm not sure I get your -ahem- CLOWN's point.

[SuperPheemy]

Hey, I'm just the messinger, and not responsible for the content of any CLOWN editorials. (Or, in other words, the views and opinions expressed in CLOWN editorials are solely their own and should not be taken as being representative of the policy of Hero Games, or SuperPheemy.)

Myself, I keep my political musings to my LiveJournal. Though, I'm certain that the opportunity to Lampoon current political sentiment may have been too much for Merry Andrew to resist.

[Supreme]

Originally posted by SuperPheemy
...Myself, I keep my political musings to my LiveJournal. Though, I'm certain that the opportunity to Lampoon current political sentiment may have been too much for Merry Andrew to resist.

I wasn't trying to express any political sentiment. I have no particular problem with a campaign that has fewer supers in China than in the US. I just think that theEmerged should have a reason why.

[SuperPheemy]

The satire wasn't necessarily directed at you, after all, if it was then you and I would have to meet in a Marvel Presents or Elseworlds crossover issue and have one of those titanic battles. Then Starlord would create the poll "SuperPheemy vs Supreme: who would win" and the community would go on at length about how the actual crossover ish was completely unrealistic. And of course there would be caveats over whether or not we were talking about the "Pre-Crisis Supreme", or when "SuperPheemy weilded the Lazarus Energies", and the debate would go on and on and on...

But for the record, Merry Andrew just e-mailed me and apologises if his commentary gave the impression that you had made some sort of political stance by your statement. Furthermore, he urges the Emerged to respond to the original querey before another such misunderstanding causes a horrifying clash of near-gods.

[TheEmerged]

Actually, Supreme, the "mystery" of why the ratio differs so much is the subject of the Nova Mystery 3 handout -- so I can't give out too much just yet. Besides, I don't want to reveal anything my players are supposed to find out the hard way

In some cases, I have very good reasons for certain areas having a higher density. Israel, for example, would have trouble surviving if its ratio wasn't well above average.

In other cases, it's my world and I want to have fun with it. Good example here is Poland's nova population being higher than France & Germany's.

In the cases of areas like China, it's not so much that the novas don't erupt (although that is an element, see below) but that they don't STAY. In especially repressive areas that's because they use their powers to flee, or die trying. The reverse of this is why Italy's ratio is a little higher than you might expect; it's a popular destination for novas of a certain mindset.

In other cases there are campaign specific reasons; this is especially true in any area in which the ratio is far too high. Central America, for example, has the worst nova density in the world -- because El Junte (one of the "Level 4" novas) actively hunts them down and kills them.

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So, why is America's nova ratio so crazy?

1> Novas tend to erupt in proximity to other novas. This quickly evolves into a "the haves continue to gets" scenario.

2> The first stage of the emergence (1972-1985) was primarily in North America; fully 80% of the nova eruptions in this time period took place in North America (including Canada and Mexico). Part of this is #1; part of this censored under "mystery the players must discover" protocol. The so-called "second emergence", which may be an aftereffect of Dr. Destroyer's first full-blown attempt at world takeover (also in 1985); it was "more global" but still focused in America.

If I go ahead with the idea of a third stage of nova eruption (haven't completely settled this), it's recent and the most global one to date.

3> Many, perhaps even a majority of American novas (white & black hatted) follow the example of the "first nova" Hyperion, who has Total Code Vs Killing -- even many villains pay lip service to the ideal. This is not as true in the rest of the world and outright unheard of in parts thereof. The result is that American novas tend to live longer -- hence, there tend to be more of them. American novas are also more likely to have CVK at some level...

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On the subject of 7000 novas worldwide being too many -- that's just a little more than 1 in a million, folks.

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What keeps large numbers from getting together and toppling govenerments? Well, it's happened in places: Cuba is run by El Junte, for example, although that's a case of one particularly powerful one getting and staying in power.

The other reason is that Level 1 novas aren't all that tough: they're designed similarly to the "deltas" from Brave New World. Generally a Level 1 nova has one power they can do a few tricks with, but a rifle (and maybe a handgun) is probably a threat to them. The "beat" officers in the USA, for example, carry a sidearm built as a 50 active point multipower, the first slot of which is a 3d6+1 RKA (8 charges).

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RE: Converting Caestus Pax. That'd be a lot easier if Aberrant had ever given us a full writeup of him The one in Worldwide Phase 1 just gives you enough to get the idea he's more than the players should be able to handle. As such, my plan is to do my own writeup for him the first time the players decide to leave the country

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Thanks for the input, gang! Let me know if there's something else my players will probably want to know

[TheEmerged]

Originally posted by Supreme
It makes it too likely that a hundred or so would get together on a regular basis and topple governments -- like ours.

Realized after the fact that this was a particularly thorny question I needed to answer.

Since 1993, no small part of the answer has been the Golden Avenger. The current head of Primus is the second person to hold that title, the first dying during the Battle of Detroit.

The current model? I haven't finished converting her from 4th Edition to 5th Edition yet, but the 4th edition writeup clocked in just shy of 1800 points. She is defined as being the very edge of what a Level 4 can do, and personally powerful enough that she's the reason Firewing is lying in cold sleep at an undisclosed location

From 1979 to 1992, credit Hyperion and the Capital Gang. Hyperion is this campaign world's version of Superman or Captain Marvel (Shazam), and is estimated around 1300 points at his prime (which was over a decade ago, hence the "estimated").

Before the second (and third?) emergence, the ratio was considerably lower than it is today. My current (subject to change) estimate is that there were only about 2500 novas in the world at the time of the Battle of Detroit (1992).