Registration & Sanction

[bigdamnhero]

I put together some notes for my players on the benefits & disadvantages of registration and government sponsorship. Just an expansion on the section in CU. Thought I'd share it here in case anyone else might a) find it useful or have any other good ideas they wanted to share. (Note that in my world PRIMUS is more like UNTIL in the CU.)

 

 

Registration:

 

Registration is theoretically mandatory for all superheroes; while in practice this has never really been enforced, unregistered superheroes are technically “vigilantes” in the eyes of the law. Registered superheroes, while not considered to be working for the government, can normally expect to get full cooperation from PRIMUS and any other law enforcement agency nationwide; they also have access to PRIMUS itself as a source of information and assistance. Registered superheroes are also permitted to testify in criminal trials without disclosing their identities to the court. (Since most players regard testifying as at least as much of a nuisance as it is as a bonus, this is only a 1-point Perk.) However, the downside is that registered heroes are required to disclose their Secret Identities to the government, and PRIMUS will generally keep an eye on their activities.

 

Registered Superhero Package Deal

Pts.

12 Contact: PRIMUS (Contact has access to major institutions, Contact has useful Skills or resources), Organization Contact (x3) (12 Active Points) 11-

2 Fringe Benefit: Registered Superhero

1 Fringe Benefit: Able to testify in court in Hero ID

-15 Hunted: PRIMUS 8- (Mo Pow, NCI, Secret ID On File, Watching)

 

 

Government Sanction:

 

A few heroes go a step further and become officially sanctioned by the Government. Sanctioned superheroes are, for most purposes, considered to be Federal employees. In addition to the benefits and constraints of registration, they are sworn law enforcement officers; they also receive government security clearances, and are issued passports valid under their Hero names, making it far easier for them to travel abroad when needed. Their relationship with PRIMUS is generally much better than a registered agent has, and they are granted direct access to PRIMUS’ computer network. In some cases, the government may even provide the hero with vehicles, bases, or other equipment or resources. As an incidental bonus, they can also expect to become quickly skilled at working with large bureaucracies. Finally, they receive an annual salary starting at $100,000. (More experienced heroes are often paid much more than that.) In return, however, sanctioned heroes are expected to follow orders when the government orders them on some dangerous mission.

 

Government-Sanctioned Superhero Package Deal

Pts.

3 Computer Link: PRIMUS Computer System

15 Contact: PRIMUS (Contact has access to major institutions, Contact has useful Skills or resources, Good relationship with Contact), Organization Contact (x3) (15 Active Points) 11-

3 Fringe Benefit: Federal/National Police Powers

3 Fringe Benefit: Government Rank (FBI Special Agent-equivalent)

3 Fringe Benefit: Security Clearance

1 Fringe Benefit: Passport (in Hero ID)

1 Fringe Benefit: Able to testify in court in Hero ID

1 Salary: $100,000 per year

-15 Social Limitation: Subject To Orders (Frequently, Major)

-15 Hunted: PRIMUS 8- (Mo Pow, NCI, Secret ID on file, Watching)

Optional

var. Vehicles, Bases and/or other Resources

[Wanderer]

Re: Registration & Sanction

 

Overall, both packages seem rather good to me. My biggest criticism is that, since the Registered Superhero perk ultimately ends up working like granting limited law enforcement powers, it's utterly redundant in the sanctioned hero package. All it gives there is already subsumed in Federal/National Police Powers.

 

I would reprice PRIMUS Contact as Contact: PRIMUS (Contact has access to major institutions, Contact has useful Skills or resources, Good relationship with Contact), Organization Contact (x3) (15 Active Points) 11-. A major federal law enforcement organization has all kinds of experts and resources on call. Theoretically, sanctioned agents should be expected to have an higher access chance than registered ones, but I can see the need to sacrifice realism to keep the Contact point charge affordable. To save point, you might want to reduce roll for registered heroes to 8-, and/or, as you did, shave the good relationship with contact for them.

 

For sanctioned heroes, you might want to substitute the redundant registered hero perk with some Government/law enforcement rank; I suggest PRIMUS Special Agent (3), the equivalent of FBI special agent.

 

I would reduce Bureaucracy to a familiarity, and give them the Federal Law and Procedure KS at 11- instead. At least some familiarity with Criminology and the Superhuman World might be in the package. They are as likely as Bureaucracy.

 

IMO a $ 100,000 salary for sanctioned superhero agents, a rather more rare and precious kind of operative than your average mundane FBI grunt, is too low. You might want to up the paycheck to Well-Off (3), at least. Of course, it also depends on how much powerful the heroes are meant to be. If they are 350-pts. lightweights, they are going to be worth less in the government's eye. If they are Avengers-like or JLA-like 600-800 pts. big guns or 1000+ pts. powerhouses, then even the full Well-Off (5) might be warranted. You want your walking WMDs to be quite happy to work for you. Anyway, sanctioned superhuman agents are expected to get the same fringe benefits package that an enlisted/veteran NCO or official gets.

 

If you want to save points, you may also assume that Security Clearance subsumes Computer Link. The latter is a limited version of the former, in most regards, and the combination seems rather redundant to me anyway.

 

Is your sanctioned heroes' jurisdiction limited to law enforcement vs. superhuman crime within the national borders, or do they sometimes get to be sent to "project power" abroad by doing special operations-style missions in foreign countries (saving hostages, hunting terrorists, attacking rogue states, etc.) ? If the latter, then they are also effectively working as special operations soldiers some of the time (probably their legal status includes some bylaw authorizing the government to militarize them for emergencies, much like the National Guard) and therefore their government status might also warrant a Military Rank; I suggest Fringe Benefit: Lieutenant (3). Again, this gets the more likely the greatest the PC's power level is, and quite likely if they are Avengers/JLA level.

 

Last, but not least, sanctioned agents should have the option of having their civilian identity sealed from the public as a national security issue and covered up by the FBI, or their loved ones brought to live in military bases, protected by government, or put in the equivalent of the Witness Protection Program. I'm not sure of how to represent this, but tentatively, I would suggest a combination of Social Limitation: Secret Identity (Occasionally, Major) (if government agencies do most of the chores involved in keeping up a Secred ID, it gets challenged less often than for an unaligned vigilante) and Deep Cover (with the understanding that if it gets blown, the agency will eventually set up another; you may want to charge, or charge not, the cost to players as for the rules).

 

I hope these notes are helpful.

 

Edit: I'm not sure I fully understand what do you mean by PRIMUS in your setting is more like UNTIL: Does it mean it has international jurisdiction, or that it does not answer to U.S. government ? If so, I'd have some further modifications to suggest for the package.

[bigdamnhero]

Re: Registration & Sanction

 

Good suggestions - thanks!

My biggest criticism is that' date=' since the Registered Superhero perk ultimately ends up working like granting limited law enforcement powers, it's utterly redundant in the sanctioned hero package. All it gives there is already subsumed in Federal/National Police Powers. [/quote']

The way I envisioned it, they're not quite the same thing. The "Registered" Perk means that you are not officially considered a "vigilante" and police/feds will generally cooperate with you, share information, etc. But you're still not a sworn law enforcement officer in the eyes of the state, the courts, etc. To oversimplify: Registered means you can ask the cops for help; Police Powers means you order them around. But I agree that having the later makes the former redundant. So I'll probably swap out the Registered Perk for a Rank Perk. (As I think about it, Police Powers probably also ought to come with a Disad to reflect having to follow police procedures... )

 

I would reprice PRIMUS Contact as Contact: PRIMUS (Contact has access to major institutions' date=' Contact has useful Skills or resources, Good relationship with Contact), Organization Contact (x3) (15 Active Points) 11-. [/quote']

Good catch. I actually meant to stick "Useful Skills/Resources" in there; not sure how it went missing.

 

IMO a $ 100' date='000 salary for sanctioned superhero agents...is too low. [/quote']

I originally had it as $200,000, but reduced it to refelct the minimum starting salary a starting hero might initially be offered. I agree experienced heroes should get more than that. OTOH, I didn't want it to make it so high that it's all about the money; just high enough that characters could, if they wished, give up their day jobs.

 

you may also assume that Security Clearance subsumes Computer Link. The latter is a limited version of the former' date=' in most regards, and the combination seems rather redundant to me anyway. [/quote']

I'm not sure that one makes sense to me. To use a real world parallel, lots of people have security clearances but that doesn't mean they have access to the FBI's computer system. So I would say the clearance is a prerequisite for the later, but they're not the same thing in my eyes.

 

Is your sanctioned heroes' jurisdiction limited to law enforcement vs. superhuman crime within the national borders' date=' or do they sometimes get to be sent to "project power" abroad [/quote']

Primarily the former. (At least so far.) And since in comics, law enforcement and military ranks tend to have a lot of overlap anyway I figured it wasn't worth worrying about. If the campaign was more focused on Squadron Supreme-style military missions, a military rank would proably be more important. (Frankly, I'll be surprised if any of my players go the Sanction route anyway; I put it together mostly for comparison purposes.)

 

Last' date=' but not least, sanctioned agents should have the option of having their civilian identity sealed from the public as a national security issue and covered up by the FBI, or their loved ones brought to live in military bases, protected by government, or put in the equivalent of the Witness Protection Program.[/quote']

I assumed that heroes' Secret IDs would not be disclosed to the public; I'm not sure there's a need to reflect that seperately. As for protecting DNPCs, that's not a bad optional Perk, probably some variant on Deep Cover, UBO.

 

Edit: I'm not sure I fully understand what do you mean by PRIMUS in your setting is more like UNTIL

PRIMUS works for, and mostly within, the US. But in terms of style & capabilities, they look & feel a lot more like the "canon" version of UNTIL - more like cops, less like soldiers, and without the Avenger program. UNTIL in my world is a much smaller agency with a more limited role, essentially just a souped-up version of INTERPOL. Basically, I wanted to focus on just one "super-cop" organization, so I melded the parts I liked from both agencies. I only mentioned it in case anyone wondered why Contact: UNTIL wasn't included anywhere.

[Wanderer]

Re: Registration & Sanction

 

Good suggestions - thanks!

The way I envisioned it, they're not quite the same thing. The "Registered" Perk means that you are not officially considered a "vigilante" and police/feds will generally cooperate with you, share information, etc. But you're still not a sworn law enforcement officer in the eyes of the state, the courts, etc. To oversimplify: Registered means you can ask the cops for help; Police Powers means you order them around. But I agree that having the later makes the former redundant.

 

Yes, I understand the difference between the two and indeed it makes sense. My point about it was just that the latter made the former redundant for fully sanctioned heroes.

 

So I'll probably swap out the Registered Perk for a Rank Perk. (As I think about it, Police Powers probably also ought to come with a Disad to reflect having to follow police procedures... )

 

I suppose that Subject To Orders, which you rightfully included in the Sanctioned package, satisfies this issue. Just treat police procedures as standing orders Just remember, if you ask characters to follow police procedures, to give them the appropriate skills (Criminology and KS: Criminal Law and Procedure, maybe Forensic Medicine and Deduction, too) at least as familiarities. Of course, it also depends on how fully trained you mean your super-agents to be. A lot of other stuff might be justified as training, at least as familiarities: Acrobatics, Breakfall, Tactics, Teamwork, Stealth, Electronics, Mechanics, Paramedics, Computer Programming, KS: Superhuman World, KS: World Politics, Lockpicking, Security Systems...

 

Good catch. I actually meant to stick "Useful Skills/Resources" in there; not sure how it went missing.

 

Heh. I'm thoroughly familiar with the sensation That's why character creation programs like Hero Designer are so useful. They make so easy to make last-minute revisions.

 

I originally had it as $200,000, but reduced it to refelct the minimum starting salary a starting hero might initially be offered. I agree experienced heroes should get more than that. OTOH, I didn't want it to make it so high that it's all about the money; just high enough that characters could, if they wished, give up their day jobs.

 

Experience is a significant factor, but raw power level is another powerful determinant of how big their paycheck is going to be. 350-pts. ligthweight protectors of one city will raise less than 700-pts. big guns which are responsible for a whole nation's security or 1000-pts. powerhouses who have a global projection. Which is your expected power level and range of responsibilities ? Spiderman/Classic X-Men or Avengers/JLA ?

 

I'm not sure that one makes sense to me. To use a real world parallel, lots of people have security clearances but that doesn't mean they have access to the FBI's computer system. So I would say the clearance is a prerequisite for the later, but they're not the same thing in my eyes.

 

Theoretically yes, but let's sum up things: sanctioned agents are going to have full national police powers, a significant security clearance, and a sizable military/law enforcement/intelligence rank. I cannot see any realistic reason why the combined package should not justify full access to government databases. Hence I deem the computer link as redundant. IMO it is mostly fitting for civilians that have the access anyway. ie if any, it would have more sense in the registered package.

 

Primarily the former. (At least so far.) And since in comics, law enforcement and military ranks tend to have a lot of overlap anyway I figured it wasn't worth worrying about.

 

Yep, this is a recurring quandary. How to put in realistic terms the sweeping legal sanction that government-backed supers enjoy in comics. On one hand, they make arrests, so they should be policemen (right, they don't often seem to follow proper procedures... but we don't see them going to the bathroom, ether). OTOH, they often seem to have that sweeping freedom of action in emergencies that only the military has.

 

To err on the side of caution, I generally regard Avengers-like government-backed supers as having both kind of status: policemen in normal situation and within the borders, and military in emergencies and abroad. Unless they work for U.N. or the like, but then upping police powers to international is roughly the price of having both kinds of rank. Anyway, YMMY. Both kinds of ranks (police and military) are mostly useful in that they allow characters to give orders to, or at least overrule and expect full cooperation from, normal cops and soldiers. Not to mention civilians. In movies, it's the moment where you flash your badge.

 

If the campaign was more focused on Squadron Supreme-style military missions, a military rank would proably be more important. (Frankly, I'll be surprised if any of my players go the Sanction route anyway; I put it together mostly for comparison purposes.)

 

They might surprise you. Provided they got a decent amount of character points, the appeal of the global scenario, running all over the world and beyond to play the world cop/protector, gets far too more alluring than just being the civic defensor of good old NY or the like (cfr. Spider-Man enrolling in the Avengers). True, full-fledged military missions like conquering rogue states are more expected for Iron Age teams like the Ultimates or the Squadron Supreme, but the Avengers,too, get mobilized by the U.S. Government or the U.N. for intervention in foreign countries from time to time (e.g. when they have been overrun by superhuman terrorists like Ultron). The appeal of the sanctioned hero game is that it allows to mix traditional vigilante comic plots with intelligence/military scenarios a la James Bond.

 

I assumed that heroes' Secret IDs would not be disclosed to the public; I'm not sure there's a need to reflect that seperately. As for protecting DNPCs, that's not a bad optional Perk, probably some variant on Deep Cover, UBO.

 

Well, the difference between a classic Secret ID and a government-sanctioned one, at least assuming a realistic legal system, is that the second fully allows doing all kinds of legal stuff in superhero ID, like entering contracts, testyfing, having one's name registered as trademark. And in the second case, the Secret ID is a national security issue, and the FBI or MI5 may threaten action against those who try to disclose it arbitrarily.

 

There's justification both to deem the difference irrelevant and incorporate it in normal Secret ID (but I'd still suggest to lower the frequency in the latter case, since then a character has the legal sanction and the assistance of the government to keep it secret), because differently from normal SID, it is in government databases and can be disclosed by corrupt officials, cfr. the Valerie Plame case. Or you might rule that the legal sanction and government assistance in upkeeping of the SID are worth more, probably reflected by the Deep Cover Perk. In either case, character still deserve the points of the SID disadvantage, since nasty things happen if the secret is broken, and they still have to put some effort in maintaining it, if only to avoid slips.

[Squall]

Re: Registration & Sanction

 

Neat packages, and I could see more and more games making use of that sort of thing in the wake of Civil War, etc. When reading over them myself, the comparisons I came up with were "One is a concealed carry permit, one is a badge." Hopefully that's not too far off from what you had in mind when creating 'em.

[bigdamnhero]

Re: Registration & Sanction

 

When reading over them myself' date=' the comparisons I came up with were "One is a concealed carry permit, one is a badge." Hopefully that's not too far off from what you had in mind when creating 'em. [/quote']

I hadn't thought of them in those terms, but yeah nicely put. Thanks.

[Grimble]

Re: Registration & Sanction

 

Thanks a lot, bigdamnhero. I will be using your Registered Superhero package deal as written. My PCs have just taken over for the World Watchers (my worlds Champions/Avengers/JLA) and are still trying to get the hang of being the "BIG" Supers on he block. Especially since they are just 450-500pt characters.

A couple of the heroes weren't even superheroing when they got the call to join the group. One of theme is a mutant brick who runs a Constuction company. One is a Pedator style alien (she does have a green card,though:D )

Next session, I plan on having a Primus Rep show up to The Watchtower and tell those who have not registered that things can be made difficult for the group if they don't choose to comply and stick with vigilante status.

It should be fun.

 

Grimble

[Wanderer]

Re: Registration & Sanction

 

Neat packages' date=' and I could see more and more games making use of that sort of thing in the wake of Civil War, etc. When reading over them myself, the comparisons I came up with were "One is a concealed carry permit, one is a badge"[/quote']

 

Well, as regards the registration package, I think that concealed carry permit is a useful comparison, but an even more useful one is "private security guard" or "P.I.", since they combine permit to carry lethal force instruments with official recognization of an established relationship with law enforcement.

 

As it concerns the Marvel Civil War legislation, it is plain that in some cases, the full Sanctioned package, despite the name, should be employed istead for the Registered superheroes. The registration and compliance with adequate training gives superhumans that wish to continue heroic activities the option of getting full-fledged employment as federal law enforcement officials, with police powers, salary, etc.

 

NRAMA: Let's hit the specific of the Act itself (...) What kind of information does SHEILD require? What kind of agreement do the heroes have to sign?

 

TB: Those heroes who've registered have given their names and some accounting of themselves, and have passed muster on a training course designed to show facility and responsible command of their abilities. You'll see more of the specifics of this process in the Ms. Marvel tie-in issues.

 

NRAMA: (...) generally speaking, what's the motivation for those heroes who've signed up? Do they all fit into a specific mindset or type of hero?

 

TB: I don't think there's a specific mindset necessarily, other than not wanting to operate that far outside the law. Plus there are the benefits of a steady paycheck and the support of SHIELD and other heroes like themselves.

 

NRAMA: Paycheck - so they do get paid and are employees of the Federal government?

 

TB: If they choose to be, yes. You need to register if you possess superhuman abilities, but this isn't a draft-one is not forced to operate as a federalized super hero against one's wishes. But for those who choose to accept the assignment, there are the perks of being a government employee.

[jkwleisemann]

Re: Registration & Sanction

 

I like your writeup, BDH (and repped, BTW). I'm working on a game where everybody's going to be sanctioned heroes, and while I'm tweaking it a bit (not as many perks, but more skills and training), I'm going to be using something very similar. Thanks.

 

Err... would be repped. Seems I've already done so too recently... was it for this? *tries to remember... and spread rep around....*

[Cold Steel]

Re: Registration & Sanction

 

Pretty Good setup. So Repped.

[bigdamnhero]

Re: Registration & Sanction

 

Finally got around to posting changes based on suggestions here and from my players. Thanks again!

[ghost-angel]

Re: Registration & Sanction

 

I created some Package Deals based on what's currently up in the first post. They are on the Hero Designer Site and for use with HDv3.

 

Registered Superhero Package Deal

Sanctioned Superhero Package Deal

[bigdamnhero]

Re: Registration & Sanction

 

I created some Package Deals based on what's currently up in the first post. They are on the Hero Designer Site and for use with HDv3.

Beat me to it.