People with Powers

[Doctor Agenda]

Re: People with Powers

 

A normal childhood, and her dignity back.

 

Oh yeah, and Tancredo would probably get 10 STR TK Megascale Only effects illegal aliens, Only for pushing southward.

 

Yeah, if she's still ABLE to want that. Could certainly have the effect of buying up her Ego and buying down her Psych Lims. With an instant 10 years of effective therapy she might be able to carry off a career like Madonna's, or even save her money and retire young to lead a sane life in relative obscurity.

 

Good point about Tancredo. In a multipower with Megascale Entangle Only to Form Barriers, perhaps?

[Cold Steel]

Re: People with Powers

 

I know i am going to be lynched for suggesting this but here goes: You can use/steal ideas from the Paragons campaign setting book from M&M. That book pretty details much that was discussed in this thread on how powers can manifest and how society handles the situation, more or less.

 

For comic book inspiration, read up on Rising Stars.

[Certified]

Re: People with Powers

 

Want to talk lynching there is always Aberrant by White Wolf

[Cold Steel]

Re: People with Powers

 

Want to talk lynching there is always Aberrant by White Wolf

 

Ohhh... I forgot about that one! Repped for that one you are.

[Doctor Agenda]

Re: People with Powers

 

I know i am going to be lynched for suggesting this but here goes: You can use/steal ideas from the Paragons campaign setting book from M&M. That book pretty details much that was discussed in this thread on how powers can manifest and how society handles the situation, more or less.

 

For comic book inspiration, read up on Rising Stars.

 

 

I'm familiar with Aberrant, it has something to offer, but I'll have to check out this Paragons thing.

[Vondy]

Re: People with Powers

 

At 10% you'll have massive upheavals and a new world order emerge, unless those 10% are concentrated among those who already hold the reigns of power, wealth, influence, and status (which is still probably significantly less than 10% when you get right down to it). As such, you will need to start planning the macro-changes that occur either in the background, or which the players find themselves in the middle of (and affecting the outcome of), before you get going. And, you will have those who unite to defend the old world order and those pushing for a new world order and who the good guys are will be a judgment call. You'll probably have powered people on both sides of the equation, and those will also fall into various factions, groups, and philosophy. Get ready for world chaos...

[casualplayer]

Re: People with Powers

 

150 Million Chinese just got powers of some sort. That's gotta have an effect on the world.

 

You haven't commented yet on whether being bestowed is a visible phenomena. Are observers going to be able to verify that 1:10 was the ratio worldwide? Are there subgroups that were favored or cheated? Wars have started for less.

 

I think your world is going to quickly look like Xanth, with or without the outrageous puns. Not saying that wouldn't be a blast to play in but you signed yourself up for a whole lot of work, Dr. Agenda.

[Kevin Schultz]

Re: People with Powers

 

Heh - I'm reminded of an observation made in (I think) GURPS Ancient Greece: "In terms of game mechanics, one of the reasons the greek phalanx was so superior was because their swords were an inch longer than their opponent's." That is to say, when it comes to statistics, even a little bit (such as up to 10 extra points for 10% of the population, or one side of a major battle having swords that are an inch longer than their foes) is going to have a major effect on large patterns.

[Doctor Agenda]

Re: People with Powers

 

At 10% you'll have massive upheavals and a new world order emerge' date=' unless those 10% are concentrated among those who already hold the reigns of power, wealth, influence, and status (which is still probably significantly less than 10% when you get right down to it). As such, you will need to start planning the macro-changes that occur either in the background, or which the players find themselves in the middle of (and affecting the outcome of), before you get going. And, you will have those who unite to defend the old world order and those pushing for a new world order and who the good guys are will be a judgment call. You'll probably have powered people on both sides of the equation, and those will also fall into various factions, groups, and philosophy. Get ready for world chaos...[/quote']

 

You've got an excellent point, I was hoping by making 90% of that 10% gain +25 base and +25 Disads or less, and more often subtle or 'repair work' (correcting phys lims for instance), Social Cohesion could be maintained. Of course, each smaller tier will be more troublesome for it's size. The US would run about 3000 people around the low-powered super range, 300 around standard super, 30 high-powered, and 3 very high-powered on average, with a 30% chance of having one cosmic-level super (rolls dice...and we do...guess that's it for North America). The Chinese and Indians are practically guaranteed to have one cosmic super each, Muslims 1, and Christians 2.

 

The effect is pretty evenly spread among people who are capable of having clear desires (very young children, people in comas, etc, need not apply, with the exception that someone ELSE might want something for them badly enough to transfer the power to a person who is non compos mentos), so power shifts are a serious concern. I think most of the low-level types are not going to have power as their foremost concern and won't get gifts appropriate to gaining power...most of those who do will probably already be pretty close to the reigns of power. Still, I can see I need more justification to not have a societal meltdown, since that's not exactly the kind of story I want to run. Give it a few years and these gifted people will generate an AIDS vaccine, new cancer treatments, cleaner energy, true AI, all sorts of things that would be more often positive than not, I think, because you've got more people really wanting to discover a cure for AIDS and other diseases than you have people really wanting to discover new ways to melt the skin off of people...at least I hope so.

 

Aberrant has a less large-scale change, but addresses the issue with a powerful, rich, quick-reacting organization using its resources to influence the public, governments, and the UN to avoid violence. An organization like the Aeon Society isn't appropriate for this world but...I've got two PCs and and a GMPC with Intelligence scores over 20 and one of them is an Empath...I originally envisioned the PCs mostly reacting to tumult around them and finding their place in it, but maybe it makes more sense for them to proactively use their abilities to put a lid on the seething chaos at a higher level. I've already decided to spread out the effects of the event over several months, so there will be time before everyone who will be affected changes, maybe there's an opportunity for a small group with super powers to do something like that.

 

Or, maybe one or more of the cosmic types impose some kind of peace.

[Doctor Agenda]

Re: People with Powers

 

150 Million Chinese just got powers of some sort. That's gotta have an effect on the world.

 

You haven't commented yet on whether being bestowed is a visible phenomena. Are observers going to be able to verify that 1:10 was the ratio worldwide? Are there subgroups that were favored or cheated? Wars have started for less.

 

I think your world is going to quickly look like Xanth, with or without the outrageous puns. Not saying that wouldn't be a blast to play in but you signed yourself up for a whole lot of work, Dr. Agenda.

 

Yeah, I know. That's why I'm here begging for help.

 

The effect isn't visible. It's accompanied by vibrations like a heavy, invisible, silent vehicle moving just underground. This vibration bounces off the crust from below in a coherent, laser-like fashion, touching off change as it comes close to the surface, but gradually fading. As a worldwide phenomenon it is sure to be quickly linked to the subsequent changes, but it will be impossible to know who was changed (most people still won't be affected) unless a person's particular change would be logically visible (turn into a Klingon or start discharging energy, for example). Not every area will experience the Vibe, so it will be possible to eliminate those areas, but the areas that ARE affected will be randomly (and fairly evenly) distributed. People in great stress are more likely to change and a group of people in great stress might change as a group...people in a shootout or a burning building, for instance...but no subgroup is particularly favored or cheated. My gamers pretty much sucked up all the high-powered juice in our metro area, though, so I'm sure the usual suspects will be crying (all that power, wasted on 'nobodies').

 

Xanth, hmm? The wish-like factor might run in that direction. Maybe a cross between Xanth and Wild Cards? At any rate the world will be a much more exotic place.

[Doctor Agenda]

Re: People with Powers

 

Heh - I'm reminded of an observation made in (I think) GURPS Ancient Greece: "In terms of game mechanics' date=' one of the reasons the greek phalanx was so superior was because their swords were an inch longer than their opponent's." That is to say, when it comes to statistics, even a little bit (such as up to 10 extra points for 10% of the population, or one side of a major battle having swords that are an inch longer than their foes) is going to have a major effect on large patterns.[/quote']

 

 

VERY true and why I'm particularly trying to get a feel for what most people would really want, expressed in points, and why I think the hundreds of millions of people hovering around 10 extra points will have more of an effect than the relative handful of real supers.

 

It's easy to anticipate the wishes of the have-nots, a high percentage of them will want what they're lacking or a way to get it or a way to get around it. These folks will have their illnesses cured, become lucky with money, regain their lost youth, become more attractive, find true love, that sort of thing. It will be a social earthquake, but not a collapse, and probably seen as a good thing overall...not to mention often subtle enough that no one may notice.

 

Subgroups are likely to have common themes in their changes that will make them somewhat predictable, en masse, liberally sprinkled with oddities. Celebrities will tend to want more talent, fame, or respect; Trekkies will want Vulcan traits or phasers or hot alien chicks, and so forth.

 

The criminal element, those ruled by anger, revenge, hate, or lust for power, the unhinged, the control freaks, the bullies, the politicians...these folks are going to be a real problem.

[Clonus]

Re: People with Powers

 

150 Million Chinese just got powers of some sort. That's gotta have an effect on the world.

 

 

As I recall I handled the problem by having China disintigrate as the more powerful superhumans became warlords, returning it to the pre-communist era.

[casualplayer]

Re: People with Powers

 

I honestly never thought of people wishing themselves into Klingons, although if the Vibe caught me at the right time....

 

Most people are going to suddenly have the ability to be first in line or never bite down on a popcorn kernel again, so they aren't going to necessarily change the face of the world. 100 million Chines probably just wanted to never go hungry or their children to do better in this world. But if they are self-aware that the Vibe Fairy just visited and they blew their wish on petty desires there might be a whole lot of resentment with no outlet except the charismatic, opportunistic badguy's 10 Step Program to Acheiving your Goals through World Domination.

 

Some people might get the ability to make it rain, not realize it and subconsciously rain on their own parade for the rest of their life. The Vibe could have a horrible effect on the strong willed in a bad frame of mind. Guess you have to get your villains from someplace, or at least your tragic figures.

[Clonus]

Re: People with Powers

 

Ooh - other question on Luck - is the character aware of their power? All players are aware of their character's Luck' date=' and they spend it to their percieved advantage; to use the previous example, PC's are aware of their abilty to spend luck to pick up someone "outside their league". .[/quote']

 

They are? What do you base that on?

[Doctor Agenda]

Re: People with Powers

 

I honestly never thought of people wishing themselves into Klingons, although if the Vibe caught me at the right time....

 

Most people are going to suddenly have the ability to be first in line or never bite down on a popcorn kernel again, so they aren't going to necessarily change the face of the world. 100 million Chines probably just wanted to never go hungry or their children to do better in this world. But if they are self-aware that the Vibe Fairy just visited and they blew their wish on petty desires there might be a whole lot of resentment with no outlet except the charismatic, opportunistic badguy's 10 Step Program to Acheiving your Goals through World Domination.

 

Some people might get the ability to make it rain, not realize it and subconsciously rain on their own parade for the rest of their life. The Vibe could have a horrible effect on the strong willed in a bad frame of mind. Guess you have to get your villains from someplace, or at least your tragic figures.

 

 

That's sounds like the right ballpark. What's important to you AT THE TIME the Vibe affects you will strongly influence your results, but you deepest desires can still color that. Still, if you're being mugged, you'll get something to help you deal with the situation and screw your dream of replacing Korn's drummer...unless your new Korn-like drumming skillz allow you to fend off your attacker!

 

The Vibe is out to make you what you want to be, not rip you off, but buyer's remorse will be pretty common. Money can't buy you happiness, and Love isn't always what it's cracked up to be, and so forth. It will also probably be hard for some people to handle that they got a free tummy tuck and someone else got that AND lightning bolts.

 

How would your average Champions player feel about getting a makeover and mad computer skills when some hoser who barely ever cracked a comic book gets to be Force Man? Worse, some other gamer got the power to summon loyal gynoids? What were you thinking?

[Dr. Anomaly]

Re: People with Powers

 

How would your average Champions player feel about getting a makeover and mad computer skills when some hoser who barely ever cracked a comic book gets to be Force Man? Worse' date=' some other gamer got the power to summon loyal gynoids? What were you thinking?[/quote']

I'd be thinking there are LOTS of ways to very creatively stretch 25 points to cover a LOT of bases...

 

(As someone who runs a techno-mage that has a relatively small [35 point] Magic VPP, I'm sort of used to thinking along those lines...)

[cutsleeve]

Re: People with Powers

 

Are you sure you want it to be 10% thats like 660 million people across the globe. If 90% of those people are only highly exceptional that you still have 66 million super powered people spread across the globe. Now if 1% of those super powered people, or 0.01% of the world population, is magneto/green lantern/Xaxier level you have 660000 people who are movers and shakers of the paranormal world. If out of those 660000 you have 1% who are Superman/Galactus/Darksied level you'd have 66000 people who can bench press the earth. you can see where this is going lets just say that a person of beyonder level power is a 1 in a billion chance then you would still have 6 people just on the earth who can tailor reality and existance to fit them.

[BoneDaddy]

Re: People with Powers

 

That's just crazy enough to work! That +5 Ego is doing it's job if a candidate is actually willing to re-examine his position. Of course a drastic change in approach will tip off Hillary that SOMETHING IS GOING ON...especially with Stay the Course for Honor Huckabee.

Armed with 15 more AP, Mike Huckabee would be the biggest thing to hit Rock n Roll since the Beatles, and would ditch politics so fast it would make heads spin around completely at Fox News.

 

It's interesting - armed with 25 AP, I'd waste it. Wealth, fame, talent, prestige, and me and all my loved ones would get old and die anyway. I probably wouldn't even find the cure for cancer. (sigh)

[Kevin Schultz]

Re: People with Powers

 

They are? What do you base that on?

 

Which they, the player or the character?

• I base the belief that a player is aware of their character's power on the assumption that the player as looked at the character sheet. While "Luck, No Concious Control" can certianly exist, that's not what were're talking about here - we're talking about the base power. That's why I specifically call out "no concious control" in the second part of the post you quoted.
  
• I base the belief that the player uses luck due to the words written in the rulebook about how luck works and how often it can be used. Of course, player may choose NOT to spend their luck in a given scene, but that's part of the perception process: they percieve no need to spend luck in a given scene, and so they don't.
  
• I base the belief that the player spends luck for his character's advantage on the assumption that the player has enough rational self-interest to do so.

[Doctor Agenda]

Re: People with Powers

 

I'd be thinking there are LOTS of ways to very creatively stretch 25 points to cover a LOT of bases...

 

(As someone who runs a techno-mage that has a relatively small [35 point] Magic VPP, I'm sort of used to thinking along those lines...)

 

True that, but unless you're a PC you don't get to design your 25 points (and that's 0-25 points), it's more like you tell the GM what's most important to your character and the GM spends the points for you. And the GM is VERY busy.

[Doctor Agenda]

Re: People with Powers

 

Are you sure you want it to be 10% thats like 660 million people across the globe. If 90% of those people are only highly exceptional that you still have 66 million super powered people spread across the globe. Now if 1% of those super powered people' date=' or 0.01% of the world population, is magneto/green lantern/Xaxier level you have 660000 people who are movers and shakers of the paranormal world. If out of those 660000 you have 1% who are Superman/Galactus/Darksied level you'd have 66000 people who can bench press the earth. you can see where this is going lets just say that a person of beyonder level power is a 1 in a billion chance then you would still have 6 people just on the earth who can tailor reality and existance to fit them.[/quote']

 

Yikes, that WOULD be unmanagable! It's not as bad as it sounds at first glance, though. 90% of that 10% are in the +0-25 base points range, (1d6-1x5, MAY be enough to take someone up to the next level, e.g., Incompetent up to Normal). By most standards, most of these wouldn't be considered 'highly exceptional' with an average of +10-15 base points. Many (probably not most) of them will become exotic, having abilities or features normal humans can't have (like becoming--or just looking like--a D&D-style Elf). Standard Supers are 1 in a million (around 6,000 of them world-wide), Cosmic supers are 1 in a billion, and that's around 700+ points: the Champions universe has way more than 5-7 of those types. I'm planning on having cosmic guy who is working on getting to Beyonder level: the guy behind it all.

 

The Aberrant setting changed about 1 in a million people into a super. In this one, the effect is 'spread out' so there is a continuum of people who are still affected, but gain progressively less powerful: 1 in a million Standard Supers, 1 in 100,000 Low-powered Supers, 1 in 10,000 Heroic, 1 in 1,000 Competent, 1 in 100 Skilled, 1 in 10 'Normal'. The lines can be blurry, if you're already Skilled, a 'normal' level boost can make you Competent, but you get the idea.

[Doctor Agenda]

Re: People with Powers

 

At 10% you'll have massive upheavals and a new world order emerge' date=' unless those 10% are concentrated among those who already hold the reigns of power, wealth, influence, and status (which is still probably significantly less than 10% when you get right down to it). As such, you will need to start planning the macro-changes that occur either in the background, or which the players find themselves in the middle of (and affecting the outcome of), before you get going. And, you will have those who unite to defend the old world order and those pushing for a new world order and who the good guys are will be a judgment call. You'll probably have powered people on both sides of the equation, and those will also fall into various factions, groups, and philosophy. Get ready for world chaos...[/quote']

 

I've been thinking about what you've said. The effect being pretty evenly spread (geographically most areas aren't affected, but the ones that are, are pretty much random, so pretty evenly spread out on average) brings in a stabilizing force I hadn't thought about. Everyone knows dozens of the people who are only minimally affected, even if the affect isn't easily noticeable. They would be your friends and family. The people in power have some special talents of their own already in the ranks. This adds up to human connections to consider before taking action, and leverage that can be used against you no matter how powerful you are. If you want to buck the system, better find a way to disguise yourself and hope THEY weren't already keeping an eye on you. If you're smart, and it is possible, you will hide the fact that you got 'boosted'. There will probably be some object lessons on that early on.

[Doctor Agenda]

Re: People with Powers

 

Heh - I'm reminded of an observation made in (I think) GURPS Ancient Greece: "In terms of game mechanics' date=' one of the reasons the greek phalanx was so superior was because their swords were an inch longer than their opponent's." That is to say, when it comes to statistics, even a little bit (such as up to 10 extra points for 10% of the population, or one side of a major battle having swords that are an inch longer than their foes) is going to have a major effect on large patterns.[/quote']

 

All sides will have 'swords an inch longer'. Knowing some sorts of gentlemen as I do, they may wind up with swords more than in inch longer, but I'm mixing metaphors.

 

A pattern: about a sixth of the world is in grinding, absolute poverty (living on less than $2.00 a day). Assuming a 50% predictability rate based on Maslow's hierarchy, 5% of them are going to significantly better their circumstances in obvious ways like being able to farm more productively, gaining the ability to find water, gaining immunity to communicable diseases, healing abilities, that sort of thing. At an average of +10-15 base points, most of those affected should (perhaps gradually) be able to climb out of poverty completely. That's about 600 million people out of the worst poverty in a matter of days to a year or two. Their increased productivity will benefit those around them, too. The higher-powered among them will have dramatic enough abilities that they can command top dollar for their services: powerful healing and curing abilities, rain-making, economic genius, etc. The poorer the country, the more likely a significant portion of that country's 'Vibed' will have abilities oriented to bettering their economic situation. Of course a LOT of abilities are economically useful, but a subsistence farmer is unlikely to imagine how much money they could make with laser eyes capable of precision spot-welding.

[Doctor Agenda]

Re: People with Powers

 

Armed with 15 more AP, Mike Huckabee would be the biggest thing to hit Rock n Roll since the Beatles, and would ditch politics so fast it would make heads spin around completely at Fox News.

 

It's interesting - armed with 25 AP, I'd waste it. Wealth, fame, talent, prestige, and me and all my loved ones would get old and die anyway. I probably wouldn't even find the cure for cancer. (sigh)

 

You'd probably be in very good company. Fame by the way, is an excellent example of how new Disads can play in. A person's power could even BE a Disad: Distinctive Features might be all a Goth girl gets for long hoped-for natural pallor and elegant fangs. Ever wished you were more ambitious or motivated? A Psych Lim can do that for you, just change your Psych Lim-Unmotivated Schmoe to Psych Lim-Ambitious Over-achieving Dick and watch yourself achieve your career goals while losing your friends and family. More gently, many people could 'buy-off' psych lims that are holding them back and become better-adjusted: how's THAT for a subtle empowerment?

 

If Huckabee loses, that would make a great story for what became of him: He got boosted and decided to get his attention and power jollies more directly: he doesn't need a position of authority to rule millions anymore. Under his leadership, without presidential responsibilities holding him back, the Christian Right could reach new heights of success. Maybe that Christian Exodus movement will finally succeed in taking over South Carolina.

 

Thanks for THAT image, Bonedaddy! We'd be better off he just used his charisma to become a David Koresh-style cult leader, but I guess he'd be too smart for that.

[Doctor Agenda]

Re: People with Powers

 

As I recall I handled the problem by having China disintigrate as the more powerful superhumans became warlords' date=' returning it to the pre-communist era.[/quote']

 

You had a similar problem? Please tell me more.