Superhero License

[Armitage]

Aaron Williams' new comic Use Sword On Monster features a magically enhanced human who has been issued a "Hack-N-Slash License" by the Department of Homeland Supernatural Security, authorizing him to use his abilities to protect civilians from supernatural threats. In an early comic he receives a text from the DHSS alerting him to a nearby crisis, but it's not yet clear if he's an actual government agent, or the superhuman equivalent of a volunteer firefighter.

 

In any case, it got me thinking about a level of superhero authorization somewhere between government sanction and guy-in-tights; sort of the superhero equivalent of a Private Investigator's License. However, looking at the PI Package Deal in Dark Champions and the Private Investigator entry on Wikipedia, neither really indicate any particular advantage to having a license.

Is it just a way to say "I'm a certified professional, not a random person", like a License to Practice Medicine?

Would the authorities be more likely to cooperate with you? Be less likely to kick you out of a crime scene if you can justify your presence? More likely to share information if it doesn't endanger a case?

[The Weapon]

The big advantage is that when the cops find you in a mask at a crime scene they don't automatically haul you in or even ask you to take it off. A licensed superhero is something like a "confidential informant" in that he can report to the police or testify without giving his real name. Whether the police kick you out of a crime scene depends on whether the hero has a reputation for being careful about evidence.

[Greywind]

Before that, there's the question of how they get along with the police.

[GhostDancer]

Also, sometimes, there's a distinction, how the police get along with them. Being registered does not always mean the authorities are helpful. Real life analogs abound. However, registration may help you with liability, especially if you are a government employee. Good Samaritan law(s) may help you whether you are registered or not.

 

In our local Dark Champions campaign, Shadows Over Detroit, unregistered vigilante The Kraken, my player character, is consistently and proactively helpful to the authorities, more so than Spider-Man, likewise reputedly killing no one, maiming no one, and gets no love from the local police. A rookie cop shot at him. Even if he were registered, this attitude would persist, though he would shot at by the po-po less frequently, I suspect.

[BoloOfEarth]

In a past Champions campaign, I used the Oregon Hero Sanction (by Bob Greenwade), which seems similar to what Armitage was talking about. You can find the gist of it at http://www.angelfire.com/super2/bobgreenwade/sanction.htm.

 

To quote Bob:

Essentially, this is somewhat similar to the Oregon Builders' Board in the real world. Building contractors and those who work for them (carpenters, electricians, masons, plumbers, etc.) have to be licensed through the Board; their license fees pay for the administration. In return, the Board makes sure that anyone working as a builder has the proper training. This setup was actually requested by the builders themselves early in Oregon's history, and set up to be self-supporting (in fact, this part of OPAB's design was based on the OBB).

 

It's also similar to licensing to become an attorney, bounty hunter, physician, private investigator, or other type of professional. Certain boundaries must be set, or disasters can easily happen. (The similarilty holds up particularly well with bounty hunters and private investigators, since these two occupations share functions with superheroes.)

 

When I used it, I think it worked quite well. The players went along with it because it was effectively supers regulating themselves, with some state oversight, in exchange for certain benefits to the registered supers.

 

[Clonus]

PI licenses primarily give you the freedom to advertise that you are a snoop for hire. They also protect the investigator to a limited extent from things like "stalking" charges because you have a professional reason for what you are doing.

 

In the case of a superhero license some of the things a license might empower you to do include any or all of:

 

1. The freedom to operate without having law enforcement authorities or courts demand you unmask. It can make your alias a legal name for all purposes

2. The authority to make arrests and to use physical force against people who resist arrests. In English common law, which applies to all former colonies by default there is a right for private citizens to make arrests which dates back to the Middle Ages, but this can be restricted by local anti-vigilantism laws.

3. The freedom to use dangerous superpowers in public for lawful purposes.

4. Access to law enforcement databases, and to crime scenes after the crime scene investigators are done but before the general public

5. Enhanced protection from civil liability.

6. And much like PI licenses, being a licensed superhero gives a legitimate explanation to authorities for behaviour that would otherwise be suspicious like lurking on rooftops in a mask.

 

 

 

[kahuna's bro]

my 00.2 iv

've always seen super-heroes as amatuer p.i.s of a sort so a super- hero would have a private detectives licensn at the very least

[psyber624]

in your campaign it could mean whatever you want it to. It could be like a license to practice medicine, meaning if your NOT licensed it is actually illegal for you to perform superhero activities. It could be a self-regulating license issued and monitored by the superhero community so that they know who you are and what you stand for (something marvelverse should have done ages ago to stop all the Hero vs Hero battles due to misunderstanding). Or it could be full government sanction including police powers. Your campaign, you decide

[Michael Hopcroft]

How would such a license affect things if I were maintaining a Secret Identity? It would be relatively easy for a tech-savvy villain to hack the Regional Superhero Database and find the registration information of all the registered heroes in the state. If the registration data included a real name and address, it would literally be extending an open invitation for crooks and villains to mess with their homes and families.

[Armitage]

Or it could be full government sanction including police powers.

 

It would be less than government sanction, to still take advantage of Burdeau v. McDowell (1921).

i.e. evidence obtained by private citizens is admissible in court, even if it was obtained in a way that would make it inadmissible if a sanctioned law enforcement officer did it.

[Clonus]

How would such a license affect things if I were maintaining a Secret Identity? It would be relatively easy for a tech-savvy villain to hack the Regional Superhero Database and find the registration information of all the registered heroes in the state. If the registration data included a real name and address' date=' it would literally be extending an open invitation for crooks and villains to mess with their homes and families.[/quote']

 

There's no particular reason to put that information in a regional database. But you know the real reason to keep a secret identity for heros who have their powers in both IDs is less to protect them from the bad guys, than the authorities and the media.

 

 

 

 

 

[Greywind]

Mostly so they can have a life outside of the suit.

[mallet]

Well, going off of the Fringe Benefit list I'd say a:

 

Licence to Practice a Profession (1pt) would be that you have "registered" with the local authorities. Meaning, they know your superhero name, costume, etc... And won't start a manhunt to track you down if suddenly you start flying around the city or leaping from rooftop to rooftop.

 

Local Police Powers (2pts) would be the next step up, meaning that you are allowed to make arrests, investigate crimes, etc... with out worry that the police will try and stop you. It also means that they probably know more about your real identity or that you have saved enough people and/or stopped enough crimes that the police and citizens of the city consider you a hero and look up to your character.

 

Then after that it just depends on how many points the character wants to spend on additional fringe benefits like Federal Police Powers (3pts) or Computer Link (varies) for access to the police database, Contacts, etc...

 

But still remember, even if you have local or federal police powers, you are still not a cop or agent (that's a different fringe benefit) so they still might not give you full access or help any time you want it (that is why contacts and favours are important). Also, just because a hero has local or federal police powers doesn't mean that they are above the law, in fact they are probably being held to a higher standard then non-licensed heroes. if your hero creates too much damage, hurts too many criminals, etc... he/she might find their powers revoked, being sued for brutality (cops get sued for excessive force all the time and they don't even have super strength or fire bolts, etc... so shooting a fire bolt at a human bank robber or picking up the getaway car and throwing it into a wall will probably get the police and lawyers out looking for you.) or worse. If you use super human strength or powers on a normal human (like a bank robber or mugger) I'd bet that they would press charges against your hero and/or have the case against them dismissed and be back out on the streets by dinner (or when they get out of the hospital).

[mallet]

Oh, and also address your original question.

Licensing is usually government regulated for the public's piece of mind, ​not the government's. It says that this person has the necessary training and education to do that job. Just like getting a Driver's License says you've past the tests and are considered safe to operate a vehicle on the road.

 

A license to practice medicine exists so not just anyone can go around saying their a doctor and screwing over sick people. It basically means that some governing body has approved the doctors qualifications and believe that he/she is at least marginally capable of carrying out the duties of a doctor.

 

Same goes for P.I.'s (although with generally a lots less layers of red tape), I'm sure it varies greatly State to State, but there would at least be a criminal check, background check, and possibly ex-police, military or security training and experience.

 

Or for Lawyers (Passing the Bar exam gives them the License to practice law in a certain area).

 

An example from fiction would be James Bond's License to Kill. Basically it means that the British Government trusts him enough that they won't arrest or charge him for killing anyone. If he kills anyone they believe in him enough to except his word that it was justified or necessary (and probably won't ask many questions). Obviously it is only good on British soil (If he pulls that License out after killing the President of Russia and shows it to the Moscow police I'm sure he will still spend the rest of his life in a Gulag.) And if he just starts walking around killing people for the heck of it, or just because they annoy him, they would also take the License away.

 

Same as if you get too many traffic violations and they take your driver's license away, or kill too many patients and thry take your medical license away.

 

Following that logic, then it your setting it might be that any super powered person who wants to fight crime or use their powers in public might have to take some courses and pass a test before being licensed.

 

Any character using super powers in public to fight crime might be fined or arrested if caught and they don't have a license. Just like if you get pulled over by the police for driving without a drivers license.

 

Maybe then the superheroes would also need to buy insurance? Just like you need to buy insurance for your car or a doctor needs to have malpractice insurance. Super Hero malpractice insurance? Man, I'd hate to see what some superhero's insurance premiums would be...

 

[Cassandra]

On the Life Action Tick show a Superhero License was issued by the DMV.

 

2 Point FB: Local or 3 Points Federal

 

[psyber624]

As far as how maintaining a database of information on registration affects maintaining a secret id its just like any rationale for secret ID, its a convention of the system/game. In reality noone could possibly get away with maintaining a secret id. Modern Forensics, Surveillance, etc. would render any attempt, especially the minimal "domino mask" precautions, moot in the real world. So the answer is simply that the Superhero Registration Database is unhackable (the best super hero computer guys create the code for it or whatever you wish) until the GM decides he wants to bring that Secret ID Complication into the game. At that point having a super hacker get it is just one of the MANY avenues he has to expose your character identity so being a Registered Superhero wont really offer any more protection or risk to your secret ID than anything else. Unless, of course, your GM decides otherwise and WANTS registering to make you vulnerable....