I have created a Regulation Act

[Psylint]

Re: I have created a Regulation Act

 

Couple of points:

 

1. Failure to register should be a felony, you're average superhero is packing more deadly force than you're average machine gun, and they're all registered or supposed to be anyways.

 

2. Artificial supers (that is equipment based supers) are more likely to be regulated by ATF, FDA, etc. that is to say that the equipment itself will be regulated rather than the possessor/inventor thereof.

 

3. As far as defining superhuman, I would prefer something along the lines of "1(a)Superhuman or Paranormal for the purposes of this Act shall be defined as any person or entity that demonstrates any behavior, action, or expression that is incompatible with accepted community standards for normal human capability."

 

1( Notwithstanding section 1(a) any person or entity that demonstrates any ability to perform any of the following will be deemed to be a superhuman required to be registered under the act:

(i) the ability to project any form of energy other than normal voice. Normal voice is defined for the purposes of this act as [goes into details of human voice in terms of frequency, amplitude, range, volume etc.)

(ii) the ability to lift more than x kilograms over the head.

(iii) any reaction time faster than [whatever the Olympic start time is]

(iv) any skin or outer covering of said person or entity with a hardness of greater than .2 on the Moh's scale

(v) any ability to create either intentionally or as a by product any display, sound, tactile or other perceptible sensation outside the realm of normal community standards.

(vi) any perceptive ability beyond normal community standards or any ability to perceive any of the following [gives ranges like sound lower than 100 Hz, or higher than 50,000 Hz, etc.)

 

Yes, I am basing the definition of superhuman off of the pornography laws, but when you're in a "I'll know it when I see it" circumstances, it seemed appropriate.

 

Peace

[Kevin Schultz]

Re: I have created a Regulation Act

 

Ooh - just had a thought:

 

1. Science/Technology-based heroes - don't bother trying to register them. Ultimately, their powers are controlled by the patent office. The fact that they're considered superheroes is a game mechanic thing: we can see the points on the character sheet, so we know they're a meta. But to everyone else, he's just using a gun, and as such he's covered by whatever regulations there are on that kind of gadget. EPA, FAA, whatever. Put together a task force version of the agency that focuses on vigilanties, and you're set.

 

2. Martial Arts - not an issue. Yeah, they can punch through steel. But ultimately, unless their powers start becoming magical (and yes, chi-based effects are magic: they're just chinese magic), then they're not enough of a problem to deal with. However, this implies a mega-game agreement that the "intense training" SFX can't go beyond a certian value without moving over into chi magic. Personally, I'm fine with that, but I suppose that may depend on your campaign.

 

3. Magic - already regulated by the federal government. What, you ask? Yep: interstate/international commerce. You're pulling power from beyond the boundaries of the country, and in that sense it's just like buying electricity from Canada. I think there are a couple types of powers which are traditionall called 'magic' which don't actually cross interdimensional boundaries, but they're relatively few. Even chi-based effects have a spiritual component to them, and in a comic book world that implies a form of supernatural energy, albiet one described differently than in the west.

[Clonus]

Re: I have created a Regulation Act

 

What if Fishboy has glands that produce a toxic venom he can use on others with a bite? Or touch?

 

If he uses that in public, he has bigger problems than a failure to register. The point of the regulation I have proposed is to soothe public fears of an accidental or mis-aimed power discharge (as well as the use of mentalist abilities). Someone who was just plain toxic to be around would be covered by the same kind of public health regulations that eventually sent Mary "Typhoid Mary" Mallon into confinement for the rest of her life.

[Clonus]

Re: I have created a Regulation Act

 

You know, I kind of like the idea of just plain using community standards as a benchmark. That would mean that what you had to register for would vary from community to community, which would of course be a stupid idea from the point of view of a government who wants to get a line on all the freaks, but it would have interesting world building consequences. It would mean that certain cities would become magnets for heroes and villains who don't want to register just because they have "liberal" community standards.

[Kelcyron]

Re: I have created a Regulation Act

 

I see this (and most regulation acts) as wonderful reasons to move to Canada.

 

Kelcyron

[Clonus]

Re: I have created a Regulation Act

 

I see this (and most regulation acts) as wonderful reasons to move to Canada.

 

Kelcyron

 

Yeah right. You think Canada _wouldn't_ try to regulate or at least identify people with the ability to perforate people by pointing a finger? About all Canada would have going for it, is less of an inclination to draft supers for military service.

[transmetahuman]

Re: I have created a Regulation Act

 

[1] Definition of ‘Superhuman or Paranormal Ability’: A superhuman or paranormal ability is hereby defined as any power which produces more energy than can be explained by the caloric content of consumed food.

Telepathy? Clairsentience? Precognition?

 

2. Artificial supers (that is equipment based supers) are more likely to be regulated by ATF' date=' FDA, etc. that is to say that the equipment itself will be regulated rather than the possessor/inventor thereof.[/quote']Agreed.

 

3. As far as defining superhuman' date=' I would prefer something along the lines of "1(a)Superhuman or Paranormal for the purposes of this Act shall be defined as any person or entity that demonstrates any behavior, action, or expression that is incompatible with accepted community standards for normal human capability."[/quote']I was thinking along I'll-know-it-when-I-see-it lines myself, but reading "incompatible with accepted community standards for normal human capability" in print just tripped some big red flags - I've got friends who'd qualify in many conservative communities just for the volume they can pack up where the sun don't shine, among other things. I can so see this being abused to harrass lots of non-superhuman "deviants"...

[Clonus]

Re: I have created a Regulation Act

 

Telepathy? Clairsentience? Precognition?

 

 

Yes. At least in my campaign all of those applications would take significant amounts of energy.

[Kevin Schultz]

Re: I have created a Regulation Act

 

Yes. At least in my campaign all of those applications would take significant amounts of energy.

 

At this point we'd probably have to get more information on what the source(s) of metahuman powers in the given game-world are.