Sci-fi Superheroes

[Alverant]

I am considering running a sci-fi themed superhero campaign for my regular group. Doing this raises a lot of basic questions, the biggest being how to make superheroes super when the average police office can be 300+ points? (1) Galactic Champions has high techology so characters start with 700 points. I'm not looking to go quite that high, maybe 500. I need ideas on how to make the PCs to be superheroes and not be outclassed by some guy going to Wallmart with a credit card.

 

At this point, the rest of the setting is blank. I have ideas running around in my head but nothing concrete.

 

Thanks!

 

(1) I figure the basic weapon of law enforcement in a sci-fi campaign would be an energy pistol bought as a multipower with 3 slots 5d6 EB NND, 10d6 eb, 3d6+1 RKA. Plus add-ons like video camera and microphone, fingerprint ID scanner, better sites, self-destruct. Then you have all the equipment and gadgets the officer needs like amour, restraints, cell phone (with computer link), and so on.

[bigdamnhero]

Re: Sci-fi Superheroes

 

(1) I figure the basic weapon of law enforcement in a sci-fi campaign would be an energy pistol bought as a multipower with 3 slots 5d6 EB NND' date=' 10d6 eb, 3d6+1 RKA. Plus add-ons like video camera and microphone, fingerprint ID scanner, better sites, self-destruct. Then you have all the equipment and gadgets the officer needs like amour, restraints, cell phone (with computer link), and so on.[/quote']

One simple approach would be to just set AP caps for supers that are significantly higher than what normals can field. So yes your high-tec cops have a ton of cool powers, but all those powers max out at around 50AP. Meanwhile, your supers have 20d6 EBs, 30 points of Armor/FF, etc. Also, tech-driven powers are more likely to be built around Foci and other Lims, whereas your supers' powers are harder to take away.

 

A more subtle approach might be to build your supers around powers that can't be duplicated by your world's technology. Maybe things like mentalism, teleportation, etc. (A Mystic-themed super in a sci-fi setting could be very interesting.) Or your supers have better access to Advantages like NND, AVLD, etc.

 

A third approach could be to treat the supers more like heroes in a Heroic-level game - that is, it's not so much the powers they have that set them apart, but how they use them.

[ghost-angel]

Re: Sci-fi Superheroes

 

Another approach to Sci-Fi is not raise the damage of weapons at all.

 

Simply switch them to "high tech" lasers or pulse weapons or whatever. The reason for the switch is a simple one of cheaper resources instead of more damage (an oft overlooked aspect of sci-fi IMO) from bigger guns.

[Lord Liaden]

Re: Sci-fi Superheroes

 

BDH, those are excellent suggestions.

 

For my part, when I've wanted to make superheroic abilities qualitatively as well as quantitatively superior to "real world" equipment that's available to non-supers, I've used a House Rule that takes advantage of the Limitations "Real Weapon" and "Real Armor," which are applied to just about every such item published for 5E HERO that's not part of the supers genre.

 

I last described my rule in this post. If the equipment used by your space-cops is "Real," even if based on the same Active Points, your supers will be noticeably superior to them in most confrontations between them.

[Thia Halmades]

Re: Sci-fi Superheroes

 

Ayup.

 

I personally can't imagine going near something that high powered, but to nod to the assembled, the first thing that caught my eye was GA's response. Worry less about the whole "gobs o'damage" and focus in more on making space-techy versions of modern equipment. Then throw down some appropriate caps on powers (that includes your Heroes), make sure you know what DEF you're dealing with and you're good to go.

 

Mmm. Chocolate. Then football. Then sleep.

[Alverant]

Re: Sci-fi Superheroes

 

Thank you everyone. I'm responding to you at once.

 

BDH

I think 20d6 is a bit high, but I get your point. Putting a cap on normal weapons and letting the superhumans go beyond that (75 points to start). It still allows for SWAT weapons to make the police an effective back up.

 

I like the idea of encouraging more unusual powers. My concern is that unusual powers are expensive and defences against them are more effective. In my usual superhero game half of us have flash attack. Before long Viper agents had tinted goggles and almost everyone had a gas mask. If the players start counting on their opponents having defences against their exotic powers, they're not going to use them.

 

I'd like to keep them superhumans if possible. I don't know if the rest of the group would like to play normal people. Plus playing as normal people raises the need for vehicles. Since I don't have as much experience with them, I'd rather avoid it.

 

GA

You have a good point. I checked the damage on older weapons and they are close to todays, damage-wise. What changed are things like reliablity, cost, sites, ammo, and other extras. Unfortunately if armor becomes more common or the need for one-hit-kills increases, then the law will need more damaging weapons. Today some police officers carry pistols, others have machine pistols, and semi- and full- autos are part of SWAT teams. I have to wonder how high it will go in a sci-fi campaign. It's why my own gun had 3 modes for non-lethal, semi-lethal, and lethal.

 

LL

I had a similar idea to yours, giving every paranormal 20rP/ED armor vs real weapons, or something similar, for free. Of course if a PC picks up a fallen pistol, the special defences no longer applies.

[Sketchpad]

Re: Sci-fi Superheroes

 

My only advice to add is to make sure your players and you can handle the high-level of power. I submit to your consideration ... a story ...

 

In the early/mid 90s, a friend of mine (and fellow group member) came to me and asked if he could run a game. Gleeful at the chance to play for a change, I said, sure. He then told the group it would be a 400 pt game (back when basic characters were based on 250 pt) with no limit for powers. I cleared my throat, pulled him aside and mentioned that he may be making a mistake. He was adamant that he knew what he was doing ... so I let him go, offering the warning: "You're giving kids candy".

After a few weeks of building, we all submitted our characters and ... during the first adventure ... his nightmares became reality. Three of the six member group managed to wipe out pretty much every opposition that we had. At the end, he threw the papers up into the air and hissed several swears under his breath.

 

So just make sure your players can handle the power and don't get point drunk ...

[bigdamnhero]

Re: Sci-fi Superheroes

 

I think 20d6 is a bit high' date=' but I get your point. [/quote']

Yeah, it wouldn't be my first choice either. I agree with g-a & Thia that going high-tec doesn't have to mean upping the damage levels significantly.

 

I like the idea of encouraging more unusual powers. My concern is that unusual powers are expensive and defences against them are more effective. In my usual superhero game half of us have flash attack. Before long Viper agents had tinted goggles and almost everyone had a gas mask. If the players start counting on their opponents having defences against their exotic powers' date=' they're not going to use them.[/quote']

I've seen the same thing happen. But then, you as GM have ways to control that, right? Simply limit normal NPCs to 2 or 3 points of Flash Def, Power Def, whatever.

 

But I wasn't thinking just of unusual attack powers, but also of unique sfx: stuff like plant control, gravity manipulation, teleportation, whatever, that cannot be duplicated by the science of the day. One hero might be a radiation projector, so all his attacks are NND or AVLD. A villain might have body control (fleshwarping) powers. Think how effective a powerful cyberkinetic could be in a high-tec world. The idea is to focus them beyond just Who's Got The Biggest EB.

 

Another way to think of it is that all the cops in your world are going to be, essentially, low-level gadgeteers/energy projectors. Fine. So you make your heroes speedsters, bricks, metamorphs, mystics, etc. So it's about them being not just more powerful, but more versatile. Of course, then you have to regularly put them in situations where that versatility pays off, which may call for a little more creativity than your average Weekly Smackdown.

[ghost-angel]

Re: Sci-fi Superheroes

 

GA

You have a good point. I checked the damage on older weapons and they are close to todays, damage-wise. What changed are things like reliablity, cost, sites, ammo, and other extras. Unfortunately if armor becomes more common or the need for one-hit-kills increases, then the law will need more damaging weapons. Today some police officers carry pistols, others have machine pistols, and semi- and full- autos are part of SWAT teams. I have to wonder how high it will go in a sci-fi campaign. It's why my own gun had 3 modes for non-lethal, semi-lethal, and lethal.

 

Armor may not get better, it may just get lighter and easier to use. Instead of kevlar vests with metal plates they may be kinetic jackets (think windbreaker).

 

The weapons may aquire Armor Piercing so even common armor isn't as effect but large amounts of armor may still be able to block the blast.

[Lord Liaden]

Re: Sci-fi Superheroes

 

When I've mixed weapons and equipment from different eras together, I modify how they interact with each other based on the ATRI Level of the technology used (as per ATRI Levels in Star HERO). Weapons which are two or more ATRI Levels more advanced than the armor/protective equipment they're used against are treated as if they were Armor Piercing vs. that armor, i.e. the armor Defense is halved against that attack. If it's the armor that's more advanced than the weapon, the weapon is treated as if it had Reduced Penetration against that armor.

 

This is based on the observation that the greatest advances in weapon technology haven't been in their damaging power against unarmored flesh, but in their ability to penetrate personal protections. Therefore in a setting where all tech is roughly comparable, IMO it would be fair for the actual damaging power of the weapons to be not that much greater than modern-day ones.

[ghost-angel]

Re: Sci-fi Superheroes

 

Indeed. In fact one of the main concerns for armor is not making it better, but making it lighter. We want to add more gadgets and other things to the combat soldier, since you can reasonbly only expect them to carry so much in weight a lot of R&D is going into making the same only lighter, smaller and easier to carry. Multi use devices, same level of protection on less noticeable to the soldier.

 

As we advance our armors get marginally better, but most technology is going into making them easier to wear, use and take longer to wear out through use. Effeciency over damage and protection.

 

Same with weapons, making the ammo and guns lighter allows a single soldier to carry more ammo. If you halve the weight of ammo (going from lead rounds to say, pulse rifle clips) they can now carry twice as much ammunition at the same weight; thus allowing for more prolonged deployment before running out. And requiring less resources spent on moving supplies forward.