A Challenge: Supers are new to the world

[S7Michelle]

Not exactly a WWYCD since this world is quite a bit different from the Champions Universe, but rather if you were playing in this game, how would you/your character handle this.

 

Game Setting: "Nearly 100 years ago, during a near cataclysmic event, a meteorite smashed into the Earth. In addition to the tectonic stress-related events and it sending dust around the planet, it also sent a strange energy around the planet. Strangely this energy settled into the bodies of certain humans displaying only specific and rare genetic patterns. The energy infused the humans, some more than others, with strange and powerful abilities. The Golden age of Superheroes was born."

"However, it ended nearly as quickly as it began. As the years passed and the Superheroes had families, the energy seemed to dilute and then fade away completely leaving only a residual mark on brainwave scans and DNA. In time, even most of those faded away, absorbed into the genetic pool."

"6 weeks ago, about 600 miles off the East coast of the US, a ball of energy appeared swirling and destroying everything within 100 miles. Despite all attempts to analyze the anomaly virtually no information could be gleaned from it and it destroyed any probes sent into it. Exactly 48 hours after it appeared 12 beams of energy lanced out from the vortex and seemed to home in on 12 specific individuals. The energy seemed to rekindle the old powers and gave all 12 extraordinarily powerful abilities, at least according to the media. There was no doubt as to where exactly the energy beams landed however in the case of a few individuals, who they are is still unknown."

 

You and eleven others are cosmically powered supers (1,000+ points) in a world that hasn't had to deal with super powered individuals in almost a century and which even then was dealing with individuals much less powerful than you. In addition to the twelve, there are an unknown number of others who have slightly heightened abilities and minor powers.

 

At least for the time being, though this may change eventually, the police and the world in general probably don't have sufficient power or technology to hold the twelve in jail. They also don't have any sort of power draining devices yet. They could eventually hurt or kill any one of you with sufficient fire power, but it wouldn't be easy.

 

At least three of you are planning to be heroes (in our game Nicole with matter control and transformation powers, Pietria with magnetism powers, and Ricky a brick with density increase and I think gravity related powers). My PC (Nicole) has a Moderate Code vs. Killing. Pietra doesn't have one though her personal code includes a reluctance to kill. Not sure about Ricky.

 

On the other hand, some of the twelve are criminals. So far, I only know a little bit about four of them. There is Bandit, a fun and thrill loving young woman with darkness powers and intangibility, who can go anywhere she wants and steal anything she wants, but who seems to have at least a low level code against killing. Stable, a young man with mental problems who is fine as long as left alone to do whatever he wants, but if bothered will lash out (wasn't harmed by being accidentally hit by a bus and had strenth high enough to throw it into other cars. The GM mentioned he wasn't her brick so he probably has other not yet known powers. Isn't a casual killer per se, but I have a feeling he wouldn't feel to bad about hurting somone. Doesn't seem overly interested in talking either, maybe can't?). Grim Reaper, a fanatic who believes that sinners should be punished, all sin is equal, the punishment for sin is death, and that he is doing the right thing by killing those deserving of death. The Reaper doesn't kill everyone he meets but ones that he judges deserving of death by some as yet unknown method of judgement. Reaper is a powerful brick with a scythe and some very very scary killing attacks. (The GM mentioned in passing that he is a Casual Killer). There will also be a mentalist, though that's all I know about him or her.

 

We haven't yet encountered any of them in game. The GM has been running test spars between me and them to get a feeling of power level. But the personalities shown in the spars will probably carry over.

 

The challenge is: You and your team have managed to knock out and capture one or more of the bad guys. Now what?

[Squall]

Re: A Challenge: Supers are new to the world

 

Personally? I'd probably kill them, depending on the bad guy. It sounds like two of the three have so far displayed lethal intent and ability, and given there's no realistic way to lock them up (without knowing more about them), they'd probably wind up dead. The Bandit chick's a unique problem in that she doesn't seem worth executing (nor deserving of it), but is even harder to incarcerate. She seems the sort that you've just got to harass if/when you can, let her break out, harass her some more, and repeat until someone comes up with a way to keep her locked up.

 

But, yeah. Crazy guy, and Reaper? I'd bet those two would put up a fight (in a fashion obviously lethal enough) they could be put down, and legally, on a self defense argument.

[Sundog]

Re: A Challenge: Supers are new to the world

 

The Reaper guy would have to be killed; he's just too dangerous to be allowed to live. Stable, on the other hand, could be isolated - say, a South Pacific island, regularly patrolled.

 

With Bandit - co-opt her. Show her that she can have just as much fun and thrills and adventure as one of the good guys (She's actually rather similar to one of my characters, Silverghost, but less messed up). You'd have to keep an eye on her, to be sure, but if you can put yourself in the position of being maned her aprole officer or equivalent, maybe you can not only turn her talents to "good", but provide her some direction and maybe some moral grounding too.

[wrestlinggeek]

Re: A Challenge: Supers are new to the world

 

It would depend on what powers and abilities I and my team possessed. If we could contain them ourselves, then they would all get a fair trial (Stable would get a mental competency exam, first). Isolating Stable on a desserted island looks like a good option, as long as there is plenty of food and water. Someone from the team could make a monthly supply run, if need be. Offering Bandit some sort of community service in return for a reduced sentence is probably a good idea, especially if we can convince her that being a hero would be as much or even more fun. Reaper needs to be executed. I feel like if we have the power to kill him, we most likely have the power to hold him long enough for a trial. But it would probably fall to us to be the executioners. In case you can't figure it out, I would do everything I could to work with and within the law, after making it clear to the authorities that we are just trying to help, and that we are going to help with or without their permission, and that trying to stop us would just waste everybody's time.

[S7Michelle]

Re: A Challenge: Supers are new to the world

 

While I didn't get many responses the first time, I decided to update it with the current information from the game just to see if it triggers any more conversation. Since I last posted, we've learned a good bit more about some of the characters (and I've learned some of my initial guesses were a bit off) and have actually encountered them IC rather than just in test bouts.

 

Our first IC encounter with Stable was in an Albertsons. He scared off all of the customers (with a few thrown shopping charts and such) and was in the cereal lane dumping out every box of Kellogg's cereal (We later learned in search of a plastic Germany license plate—Kellogg's was doing a license plate of each state promotion and apparently he didn't realize Germany wasn't one of the 50 states).

 

After unsuccessful attempts to communicate, we let him leave the store. Once outside he was joined by Grimm, they seem to be friends. Grimm spoke with us for just a bit, and ultimately we allowed him to leave with Stable. It didn't seem worth the fight to take him in, especially since the fight and the possible death of police officers if they were taken into custody, seemed to far outweigh the little damage (a few injured customers and a messed up store) that had been done.

 

Further research provided quite a bit of information on both of them.

 

Stable and his parents were in a car accident when he was a young child. His parents were killed and he suffered brain damage. Since the accident he hasn't spoken and had been in mental hospitals up until he got his powers. He also responds extremely badly to being touched (especially by non Novas). Both Nicole and Ricky feel badly for him though haven't come to any conclusions about how to deal with him in the future. Nicole has looked up what Germany license plates look like and intends to give him one next time they meet.

 

Grimm lost his wife and children to gang violence. He was actually acting as a vigilante before he gained his powers and gaining them has apparently acted to justify his mission in his mind. It looks as if the "sinners" he is killing are actually all criminals of some sort or another. The bad part is that it looks as if he is also (possibly) willing to kill those who get in his way. He threatened the cops that were there when we met with him and Stable for the first time, though the cops did have guns pull on him too. So its hard to draw firm conclusions. He is definitely going to lead to arguments between Nicole and Ricky. Nicole feels for Grimm and can see where he's coming from, even if she doesn't quite agree with his methods. Ricky, on the other hand, sees Grimm as straight out evil.

 

We've also met Widget, a Nova whose power is enhanced intelligence and who wears power armor. That was a meeting that left Nicole feeling like she'd gotten a C- on her "Novas of the World" quiz and convinced her that she needed to be doing more research. It looks like Widget is probably either the female CEO of Apex Technologies or her brother. The power armor makes it hard to tell for sure. So far, Widget seems to be heroically inclined. He's helped deal with a fire and an attack on the city. But he's also called us "rent-a-cops" and mentioned that not everyone is interested in being "Boy or Girl Scouts." So time will tell there too.

 

We're currently dealing with Bandit, who definitely is still best described as a fun loving, thrill seeking thief who doesn't want to see anyone hurt. The evening started with us trying to stop her from stealing a dinosaur skeleton and ended with her helping us fight off Godzilla. I'm pretty sure she's going to get to leave with her stolen skeleton once the night is over. Though I'm also quite sure that we'll be seeing her again. She's already implied she'd be interested in playing catwoman/batman with Ricky. Though he's a bit to straight laced to even be interested. But she and Nicole hit it off well enough.

 

But right now, Nicole's main focus is on what to do with the unconscious Godzilla (she's planning to try to change it into a gecko) and then on tracking down whoever summoned it and making it quite clear that she doesn't appreciate having HER CITY attacked by Godzilla. Not sure which of the twelve was behind this attack. There isn't much information available on the other five yet.

 

 

As for our characters, Nicole is the somewhat idealistic, middle class, college student. She likes using her powers. She feels like she should use them to help people and make the world a better place. And, for the most part, she respects the government. Just like anyone else, she may grumble about laws she finds foolish, but she'll still follow them and not pull an "I'm a superior being" unless put into a position where she truly felt the government was being evil rather than just annoying. For instance, she'd complain about the paperwork but would register if asked. She's already started to make herself a communication hub among the other Novas. At the very least, she is more than willing to share her phone number and address (Public ID, not like she couldn't be tracked down) with those that seem at least reasonably worthy of friendship. And it looks as though she is planning to meet and make friends with (not necessarily recruit, just get to know) as many as she can. That may change depending on what happens with the others though.

 

Ricky is the blue collar, slightly sarcastic, practical, and pure comic book heroic type (has the Heroic Code Disadvantage). He still can't quite understand why the rest of us think that having code names and dressing up in unique outfits is fun. Even moreso than Nicole, he's the type who obeys the law, respects the government, and sees his powers as a responsibility.

 

Peitra is the Princess of Wales (and future queen of England). She's very patriotic and believes that her actions reflect upon her country. She's also just a bit of an airhead.

 

So, at least for now, I don't see any of us proclaiming ourselves above humanity. Though the GM has already said that there will be a Magento/Dr. Doom type appearing sooner or later and I think he or she will make things quite interesting.

[SatinKitty]

Re: A Challenge: Supers are new to the world

 

I like this Campaign. Sounds like an interesting change from your run-of-the-mill Supers campaign. In any situation like this, however, there would be the little problem of the Human's first instinct to wipe the Novas off the face of the Earth. At this power level, I think it would be pretty serious.

If I were playing in this Game, I would follow your example and do what I could without creating a scare or a panic.