A Super powered Nation

[CoreBrute]

Your character has chased down a biochemist who is an immigrant from an African Nation (It can be fictional like Wakanda if your campaign has established one already). He has taken DNA profiles from hundreds of super powered heroes and villains, and seems to be making some kind of DNA bomb.

 

When you find him however in his secret floating fortress, you are alone and defeated his hired mercenaries. But when you attempt to capture him he tells you that he isn't creating a bomb but a super power activator. He planned to release it over his home nation which is troubled by infighting and war by some powerful generals but has almost no super powered individuals, or international support. He wanted to release the activator over the whole nation and give almost the whole population super powers. This way the country would be able to have it's own super heroes like America and Europe, and the people will be able to stop the tyrants trying to abuse them. "Can't you see the good in this?"

 

He says that the serum isn't fatal but he also says he can't control what powers they will get. He agrees that there might be some super villains formed, but there should be some super heroes as well. "And my home needs heroes. We should be allowed to defend ourselves, just let me give them my people a chance. Then you can arrest me."

 

Lie detection and telepathy proves he's telling the truth. However you've only got a few minutes before the UN soldiers who came in with you arrive and will take him away and shut down the machine. Also none of your team mates are here at this moment, so the choice is entirely up to you. Let this nation continue it's suffering or allow it to become a nation with more super powered individuals then any other in the world?

 

EDIT: See part Two (http://www.herogames.com/forums/showthread.php/81369-Super-powered-Nation-The-Gathering-storm?p=2055932

And Part Three: http://www.herogames.com/forums/showthread.php/83235-Super-powered-Nation-The-Lightning-strikes?p=2108488#post2108488

And Part four http://www.herogames.com/forums/showthread.php/83340-Super-Powered-nation-40-Days-and-40-nights)

[kahuna's bro]

Re: A Super powered Nation

 

take the chance nd let himdo it

[McCoy]

Re: A Super powered Nation

 

All Characters: Can't see this doing anything except escalating the civil war / series of coups to a superpowered civil war. "Are you insane? What if the two worst generals get the highest power levels? 'When elephants battle, the grass suffers!'" His homeland needs to get its act together, but the equivalent of passing out deadly weapons at random probably is not going to end well.

[Lucius]

Re: A Super powered Nation

 

I'll cover some of my other characters later perhaps.

 

Quetzlcoatl: I'll buy us some time.

 

(On radio to the UN force) He's got a nuke! Repeat, he has a nuke! Stand fast! If anyone approaches closer, we're all going up! Let me try to reason with him!

 

(Off the radio) OKay, start downloading everything to my suit's onboard computer. I can't stop them from taking you away, but if this works for your country I can go on to do it on a global scale. And if you tell anyone I'm a man in a power suit and not a real dragon hybrid, or tell anyone you didn't have me convinced you had a nuke, I hunt you down and kill you myself, got it? Now move!

 

Lucius Alexander

 

Superpalindromedary

[Stone]

Re: A Super powered Nation

 

Quantum - arrest the scientist, take all DNA samples, and destroy the all the associated equipment. Then ask the scientist, "If you could build a floating fortress, why do you need super heroes?"

 

Stone - similar to Quantum, but would promise to visit Africa for a little while

 

Sprectre - Would not be involved in this scenario

[CoreBrute]

Re: A Super powered Nation

 

Quantum - arrest the scientist, take all DNA samples, and destroy the all the associated equipment. Then ask the scientist, "If you could build a floating fortress, why do you need super heroes?"

 

 

"It's a rental." He says with guilt. "I stole it from another super villain, and planned to return it. Also the weapons the generals have can easily destroy this." You realize it is quite a slow moving aircraft. It only survived detection for long by hiding in clouds.

 

All Characters: Can't see this doing anything except escalating the civil war / series of coups to a superpowered civil war. "Are you insane? What if the two worst generals get the highest power levels? 'When elephants battle' date=' the grass suffers!'" His homeland needs to get its act together, but the equivalent of passing out deadly weapons at random probably is not going to end well.[/quote']

 

"I've seen weaker super heroes take down cosmic monstrosities. My people have the heart, they could take down any super powered general if they had a fair chance, super powers. And if the generals did become super powered then maybe the United Nations would finally take an interest in my home and sort out the problem!"

[BoloOfEarth]

Re: A Super powered Nation

 

Assuming the activator works as he described, most (if not all) of the population getting powers would mean it was very likely that the general and his lackeys would also get powers. So it wouldn't solve anything, it would actually make things worse.

 

I'd point out to him that powers don't make the hero, but rather the person makes the hero. If his country is split by infighting, giving all sides powers isn't going to magically solve the underlying conflicts. The generals in power will still be in power, still commanding weaker-willed people to do their bidding. And they would be willing to use (or more accurately, abuse) that additional power more freely than, say, the man in the street. In addition, the generals already have their forces organized, so they will be better able to direct and project that added power more effectively than, again, the man in the street.

 

All this would accomplish is a likely genocidal reaction against all internal opposition, followed by a push to take over all of the non-superpowered neighboring countries. Should be a bloodbath. Somehow, I doubt the neighboring countries will thank the biochemist.

[JmOz]

Re: A Super powered Nation

 

Arrow through bomb/activater, what ever it takes to stop the insanity

[hfergus]

Re: A Super powered Nation

 

Volt - "You realize that many would be supers suddenly with no support mechanism to help them- like ones that have gone before? 'Power corrupts. Absolute power corrupts absolutely.' And 'too many cooks spoil the broth.' Tell you what, lets find people who are already heroic in nature and expose them only. How about that?" If he goes for it, Volt lets it go. Otherwise he fries the device. Too unpredictable.

 

Olorin - "Right. Too chaotic. How about exposing a few, ones that seem reliable?" Then acts like Volt.

 

Black Tiger. "No." Then detroys the device if he can.

 

Leadman - "I have a bad feeling about this. A recipe for disaster." Then bye-bye device.

 

Futurian - "Oh wow! Can I flip the switch?" In any case, it's very likely that Futurian can (and will) change the device - so that only one person will be affected and only one shot- the designer of the machine. Instant hero. Helps him get away. Then allows the chips fall where they may.

[McCoy]

Re: A Super powered Nation

 

"I've seen weaker super heroes take down cosmic monstrosities. My people have the heart' date=' they could take down any super powered general if they had a fair chance, super powers. And if the generals did become super powered then maybe the United Nations would finally take an interest in my home and sort out the problem!"[/quote']

"After all, outsiders imposing solutions in Africa has worked so well in the past. Bringing back colonialism is not the answer. Your people must find their own answer, and increasing the level of force available is not a first step likely to lead to that."

[hfergus]

Re: A Super powered Nation

 

I've been asked by a friend who has no access to a computer to post her reaction:

 

Disarray - "You talk about the powerful generals and chaos. You seem to want freedom and self determination for your people. Yet you are going to force superpowers on everyone, whether they want it or not. No choice. Where's the freedom in that? And you know that side effects can be horrific. No. If you believe in self determination and freedom, expose only volunteers. And make sure they are good people to start with." If he goes for it, she helps him. Otherwise she does her best to destroy the device.

[Mathew]

Re: A Super powered Nation

 

A super powered nation is a polite nation... still...

 

Being a Libertartian, using force against others is the #1 sin. Why can't he take volunteers to become super powered, instead of FORCING it on others. Making people superhuman voluntarely is no crime. Forcing it on others in unethical. How are you any better then the dictator if you engage in unwilling human experimentation?

[DusterBoy]

Re: A Super powered Nation

 

Challenger: "This isn't the answer, friend." Then zaps the machine.

[Black Ops]

Re: A Super powered Nation

 

Black Ops. "Ughh. There is a reason I do not like to go out and mix into International things. If you had not messed with some of my friends I would not even be here. Try it for all I care." Shruggs and goes (teleports)(He is from a pretty dystopian place).

Headcase:"Odd Idea. Why not hire somebody competent to solve the problem ?" (Yes He is kinda Iron Age)

Yomi: "You are under Arrest!"

[Lucius]

Re: A Super powered Nation

 

Out of Character:

 

Why does it happen that this nation has no super beings already?

 

Lucius Alexander

 

The palindromedary wonders about the implication that only America and Europe have superpowered people

[Badger]

Re: A Super powered Nation

 

Badger: Probably point out what he knows of his father's species. An entire planet, that is full of nearly all superpowered individuals. (let us just say a very brutal history where the most powerful generally makes the decisions and kill those in the way)

[kahuna's bro]

Re: A Super powered Nation

 

Out of Character:

 

Why does it happen that this nation has no super beings already?

 

Lucius Alexander

 

The palindromedary wonders about the implication that only America and Europe have superpowered people

good question maybe the country has no known super with natural[as opposed togageteers which a countr that por couldn't afford matairals for

[assault]

Re: A Super powered Nation

 

Why does it happen that this nation has no super beings already?

 

Maybe it's a small nation.

 

More generally, who says that super beings are evenly distributed geographically? After all, unless there are so many "freak accidents" that they stop being "freak", you wouldn't expect to see anything like a predictable statistical distribution.

 

Many other types of characters could be expected to cluster, whether around Lost Cities, places where training is possible, centres of Mystic Power, major technological research centres, and so on. Of course, there will also be loners - but these are the exceptions, pretty much by definition.

 

So I would expect to see a highly uneven distribution of supers. That's not quite how it works in the CU, but even there there are Hidden Lands and so on to create major statistical anomalies.

 

The real benefit of all this, of course, is that superbeings exist in the places where they are useful for narrative purposes, and not where they are inconvenient. But don't tell anyone that.

 

The palindromedary wonders about the implication that only America and Europe have superpowered people

 

Not necessarily implied, in this case, but I understand the implications of the implication. Or something like that.

[Deadborder]

Re: A Super powered Nation

 

Skadi would smash the bomb. Sure, she'd make up some justifcation later aobut how a nation of supermen would only make htigns worse, how the damage done to his nation by the inevitable fighting would only harm more innocents and, in the end, the horrible military strongmen running the country would only get worse. But first smash bomb

[McCoy]

Re: A Super powered Nation

 

Out of Character:

 

Why does it happen that this nation has no super beings already?

 

Lucius Alexander

 

The palindromedary wonders about the implication that only America and Europe have superpowered people

Why do nuclear physicists tend to cluster in North America, Europe, India and China? Why do actors seem to end up in New York or LA?

 

To become a super hero, several things have to happen.

• One has to have powers
  
• One has to be willing to use them
  
• One has to be able to use them without killing ones self
  
• and One has to be willing to dedicate themselves to a goal other than personal enrichment
  

 

Suppose you lived in a country decimated by AIDS, with an average annual household income of under US$1000.00 More than half the people you know are illiterate, everyone you know is on the verge of malnutrition (at least two members of your extended family have died for lack of a mega-dose of Vitamin A that would have cost about five cents American). Your infant sister died of dysentery because your mother couldn't breast feed her (she's HIV+) but also couldn't afford the fuel to boil the water to mix her formula. For three generations your family has been caught between two sides in a civil war, and you can't tell which side is worse. (Again, members of your extended family have been conscripted by both sides.) Then you develop super powers. What would you do?

 

My first ten answers are variations on "move my family away from here, in any direction."

 

You're poor, so you're not a gadgeteer. You're uneducated, so power tricks with your Sx are not going to be easy. You're in the back of beyond, so finding, much less purchasing, martial arts training or a Kevlar vest or other training or equipment to cover gaps in your natural powers is, well, more unlikely than you developing powers in the first place.

 

There seems to be a certain synergy among supers, so it really doesn't bother me that they cluster in North America and Europe.

 

As an aside this is also why it never bothered me that DEX clustered around 23. I always figured that any super with a 10 DEX without really really good resistant defenses got killed their first or second time out.

 

[EDIT] For that matter, what did the perp in the OP do when he had a marketable skill? He got out of town! Bet he got his biochem degree in Europe or North America.

[kahuna's bro]

Re: A Super powered Nation

 

well put

[Lucius]

Re: A Super powered Nation

 

From the Original Post

 

This way the country would be able to have it's own super heroes like America and Europe,

 

Lucius Alexander

 

Inevitable palindromedary tagline

[McCoy]

Re: A Super powered Nation

 

From the Original Post

 

 

 

Lucius Alexander

 

Inevitable palindromedary tagline

Not argueing that part, just pointing out that America and Europe have LOTS of things not currently available in war-torn African nations.

[Drhoz]

Re: A Super powered Nation

 

Vitus : Boggle for a while, since he's seen the kind of people with superpowers already and can make a pretty accurate guess what would happen with a sudden random mass of more of the same, throw up his hands, say "Fine, whatever, on your own head be it" and swear to himself that if he ever finds a way back to Aura he's going to slam the gate behind him and barricade it shut.

 

Zero : Slightly more naive, but would offer assistance if the gadgeteer would prefer to give powers to people with suitable psychiatric profiles. Megalomaniacs are right out.

Rumbaba the Goblin : Wrong genre.

[BlueCloud2k2]

Re: A Super powered Nation

 

Super Blue: "You would force the citizens of your country to develope super powers? Are you out of your d@mned mind? I was born with my powers - I had the responsibility forced upon me and I hate it! Nothing good has come of me having powers - nothing. Everyone I know and love either can't stand being assoiciated with me or dies. Oh sure, I do the best I can with what I have - just as any decent person would. But you assume your nation consists of decent people. You may be trading the Generals that are currently running your nation into the ground for something worse on an epic scale."

 

And then he proceeds to destroy the machine.

 

War God: "Interesting concept. But you are courting disaster by doing this - your world is already chaotic enough with the super-powered beings you have. Add a few thousand more who were born into poverty and lived under an oppressive regime their whole life, and you would be forcing the kettle to boil over. No, though you mean well your actions are foolish."

 

And then he proceeds to destroy the machine.