Weldun

I my original post, I mentioned Eastman and Laird. In that, I was referencing the original TMNT comics. But I think you have the basis of where the rights of non-human sapient beings will lie, on their ability to articulate the very argument for themselves. At least, in court. Which helps explain the very "hands-off" approach of the city police with regards to my Moreaus. They generally just dump the wretch somewhere near The Zoo and call it a day or focus on containment and diffusion of potential situations. The Moreaus have, in a way, hampered their own progress by effectively policing themselves and dealing with issues "in house" and the powers that be in the city have been content to let that situation continue because it means that they don't have to deal with the issue, turning the Moreaus into a disadvantaged class through apathy and neglect instead of any active persecution.

Right now I've been rocking a playlist suggested to me by YouTube's algorithm. https://youtu.be/2X_2IdybTV0?list=RDAUO_5EALZoM

With regards to the Moreaus in my campaign, they could have a devastating effect on conservation efforts. Moreaus can (although usually don't) interbreed with their originating species, with the Moreau traits (intelligence, hands with opposable thumbs, etc...) being dominant to an extreme. Moreaus could conceivably breed with and then out compete several endangered species. Additionally, imagine the potential ecological impact of, as an example, the Canadian Beaver population tripling in the next 20 years and then further modify that with advanced intelligence and tool use. Beaver dams drastically impact the local ecosystem but they eventually burst. The local ecosystems have evolved to handle this phenomenon, but at a particular scale. Now imagine if Beavers started building larger dams that were designed for longer use and occupations. Of course, the advantage to a Moreau Beaver doing this is that they could likely include sluices to allow for proper management of water levels and to simulate the natural dam bursting. (I just deleted two more paragraphs because I was rambling and the main point was made. )

It's an instrumental rendition of that Queen classic, Somebody to Love. Love that brief solo by May.

Pretty much all isn't the same as all, and my problem is the sections in the Champions Universe materials state that some rights have been extended to non-human sapients in the United States and leaves it at that. There's no guidance on what rights they do and don't have, which can be frustrating for a GM (me) who based his campaign in an established setting so that he could focus his attention elsewhere. I'm thinking that it's the basics. They have the right to life, it's most likely illegal to own one (the thirteenth amendment is wonderful in how plain it's language is) and they have the right to own property (if only to keep them involved in the 'white market' economy and therefore be a revenue stream through taxes and tarrifs). But I'm not sure about freedom of travel. I could see the "left" go two directions, the social liberals wanting them to have that freedom but the conservationist crowd (quite fairly) having serious concerns.

Nice. Is that you, my man? Otherwise, were you aware that that video is unlisted?

I remember seeing a fan-music-video for Stargate Atlantis using that piece. It cast Zelenka as Sancho Panza to McKay's Don Quixote.

Given the PCs insect theme, teaming up with Hornet could make even more sense. And set the scene for a more gradual shift in methods later.

That's part of what stops them from being recognized as "persons" though, isn't it? You'll get slippery slope arguments and people arguing that while the humans have DNA that is 97% to 98.4% identical to chimpanzees and bonobos, these apes don't have the same rights.

Fortunately most Moreaus view it as bestiality and this aspect is not widely known as most of the cases involved "feral" Moreaus. Moreaus that didn't have significantly human physical characteristics and could readily pass for a normal member of their species. But another issue is the wide range of species. Most Moreaus will have to be very careful in the coming generations if they want to avoid becoming as inbred as an Austrian Duke. Most Moreaus fall into the Petting Zoo People trope, with rare instances of differences. I admit to being heavily influenced by Eastman and Laird in my youth and later Palladium' After The Bomb and Rifts settings. (Hate the system, though.) And a fair amount of their clientele is human. Just because Moreaus have a nebulous place in law hasn't stopped social acclimation with the Zoo being a bit of a tourist attraction, especially the Moreau flea-market ("The Agora") in the Zoo. Moreaus are becoming the new normal in the city, but that's still a far cry from recognizing them as equals under the law.

A simple idea is team her up with another notable shrinker, but one who is further off the deep end than she is. Hornet. I'm not saying that she go off the deep end, but cutting off someone's hair without their permission counts as battery (if they are sanctioned, they should be getting reprimanded) and can leave the victims with feelings of violation. Given her paranoia and petty nature, I could easily see her being a little nastier than usual and seeking out Hornet. (Who knows how villains manage this? Is there an evil Craigslist?) Get his help flooding their base with bees or wasps, if she can find it. Petty individuals can be patient when they can visualize the payoff. Have them stalk and try to follow the PCs and wait for her opportunity. Have commentators in the media speculate about how she's elevated from the "set off the base sprinklers in the middle of the night" and "sneak in and short-sheet" style to painful and debilitating pranks. Have people speculate that the PCs behavior is a contributing factor to this change. Have someone quote the whole "monsters are made, not born" shtick. If the PCs escalate, have these same commentators remark on the PCs pettiness. It's expected from a lot of villains, but heroes are held to a different standard.

@Steve: The rest of the city's Moreaus are scattered around the city, another element of "street" lifestyle. The majority of Moreaus only exceed human capabilities in certain areas, most notably the senses as they tend to retain most of their base species' sensory abilities. But Moreaus do have a noticeably larger percentage of "enhanced-level" individuals and many possess limited psychic abilities. This has brought the attentions of numerous groups including PSI, VIPER (who loves to recruit reptiles and snakes) and other groups. The sheer variety of species and abilities has baffled observers, as it brings into question just what Genesys' plan for them was. Many Moreaus work low end jobs or have turned to criminal pursuits. The Moreau PC in my game is the bouncer at a Moreau stripclub where half the permanent staff also work as prostitutes. @Freakboy6117: Thank you for that, actually. I can see where issues with it might arise, but that also opens up some potential story ideas.

I have a question. What is your objective here as a GM? Are you simply wanting to have this character behave in a manner consistent with her personality and background? Or is this kind of behavior typical of your PCs and are you trying to curb it a little? Because, if it's the latter and you don't want to escalate the threat level, escalate the scope. Not just a team up, but a team up that the PCs would really not want to see become permanent. Don't just have her team up with someone, but have her team up with someone and get along with them. Even enjoy the event. So much that they start working together more often. Teams are bad news for superheroes, even when it's just a duo.

Oh, I have such an evil idea... I'll post details later as I have players on this forum that I want to surprise a little. I love it when I get to resurrect an old idea with a new spin.

Gods-damnit! That's just embarrassing and if Sundog ever finds out, he'll never let me hear the end of it. I'm a huge Alien Nation fan. But yes, the largest concentration is in a district known to most residents by the unofficial name, "The Zoo." About half of the Moreaus in the city live there.

Thank you for all the insights and comments so far. I fear that I was remiss, however, in failing to mention that the breakout was 12 years prior to the campaign start. One of my players is playing a Moreau (a mutant Hero Shrew) and another is playing a philanthropic businessman with a progressive hiring policy regarding non-human sapients. (At our table we use the terms sapient and sophont, the later referring to those who verifiably can be affected by powers that target "souls.") @Lord Liaden: Thank you for that reference to Stronghold. As I mainly use my PDF collection and Stronghold hadn't come up in previous games, I hadn't really looked there as we have a physical copy but I do not possess the PDF. Unfortunately Steve has still been somewhat ambiguous and left it to GMs to determine what rights have been extended to non-human sapients and that leaves me with the same conundrum. That's the downside to a Lawyer. Trying to nail them down to a definitive statement (without precedent) is like nailing gelatin to a tree. @Lucius: The opinion was, unfortunately, unpublished and is anecdotal in nature as the question was put forward by a relative as part of a thought exercise and comes from a post in a old thread from ten years ago by Cancer. @Steve: Moreaus are not related to humans and cannot interbreed with them, but a plot point has been that they can (so long as they are still physically compatible) interbreed with their baseline species and their anthropomorphic traits are incredibly dominant.

Firstly, an apology on the length of this post but if you are one the tl;dr crowd, please do me the courtesy of stopping here. The nature of the topic means that it will, at times, get a little wordy. Secondly, I do not live in the United States and as such, my understanding of the laws of the United States of America and the State of California is not necessarily solid. Lastly, while I would prefer if the topic remained specific to the non-human sapients described below, but the nature of such discussion is that we will digress into a broader aspect of the topic, hence the thread title. In my Champions game, I had phenomenon of recent history that unleashed several hundred thousand intelligent creatures based on various animals. Most of whom have a bipedal stance, hands with opposable thumbs and the ability to communicate complex concepts, usually by human or human-like speech. In simple terms, mutant animals of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles variety, but I felt it important to word it that way. These creatures are commonly referred to as "Moreaus" and were created artificially in several laboratory facilities. Their creation was illegal and their events leading to their release are still not entirely known. But it raises an important issue and that is, what are their rights? From Champions Universe, this piece that pertains to the legal status of Moreaus. "A number of Supreme Court rulings have stated that the Fourteenth Amendment’s guarantees of due process and equal protection do not apply to sentient aliens, extradimensional entities, artificial intelligences, and the undead, because they are not “persons” under the law. On the other hand, they do apply to mutants, mutates, clones, and genetic constructs based on human stock. Congress has, however, passed laws granting at least limited rights to all “independent, free-willed, sentient entities” in American territory." Yes, some human DNA was used in their creation, but they are derived primarily from various animals, not from human stock. Based on my reading of the 14th Amendment, what the first part of this statement means for Moreausis that they are not citizens, despite having been born/created within the United States, and thus are not subject to the privileges or immunities that citizens enjoy. Additionally, the are not guaranteed protection of life, liberty or property without due process of law and the equal protection of the laws. What are these "privileges or immunities?" Well, a Supreme Court ruling that has "not been overruled and has been specifically reaffirmed several times" outlines them specifically. They are, "access to seaports and navigable waterways, the right to run for federal office, the protection of the federal government while on the high seas or in the jurisdiction of a foreign country, the right to travel to the seat of government, the right to peaceably assemble and petition the government, the privilege of the writ of habeas corpus, and the right to participate in the government's administration." There was also something called the Slaughterhouse cases that went into definitions of the Right to Travel, but they made my eyes cross from trying to navigate the wording so if someone could explain it, I'd love some insight. Moreaus can technically be detained without charges, questioned without being made aware of what few rights they do possess and have no recourse to seek remedy for illegal confinement. So what about these "limited rights?" An opinion from a Senior Judge from Washington State (IRL) on the subject about Extraterrestrials and Murder/Assault was, "In the absence of other precedents, and of direct statutes, something that could be assumed to be an extraterrestrial alien would almost certainly have the same protections and obligations under the law as a human foreign national. In other words, kill them and it's murder, injure them and it's assault, and the other way around." So, it's logical to assume that this opinion was one of those "limited rights." But what others exist?

The Big Bad Voodoo Daddy cover of the Cab Calloway classic, The Ghost of Smokey Joe

I placed USD as the most useful, because it illustrates to new players the concept of special effects vs. mechanical/game effects. But the equipment guide runs a close second as it shows how to use that concept to simulate known, real world effects.

Sounds similar to the Juicer augmentation process from Palladium Books.

I don't know if the CU got re-written for 6E or not like it did in the 4E-to-5E shift. I use the CU largely as written, but I've added a few things (like a large city just WEST of Monterrey, Callifornia) and a population of Mutant Animals that were created there. A few extra tweaks too, but largely the CU. EDIT: So, posting when tired results in East/West confusion.

Just as I'm about to stat up some fictional street drugs for my Champion campaign. Thanks wcw43921!

Personally, I've stuck with 5E because a lot of changes in 6E changed things that I liked. As always, it falls to personal taste and obedience of the first rule of gaming. Are you having fun? With a substantial 5E library (We have every Ultimate except for Mystic) and THE MOST USEFUL SUPPLEMENT EVER PRINTED FOR HERO, the UNTIL Superpowers Database, it's proven easier for me to GM 5E, especially for new groups as I have a lot of reference material to source from and my players were able to build characters more readily. The only things that I've taken from 6E have been the new STUN multiplier for Killing Attacks (Goodbye STUN-lotto) and a modified version of Unified Power.

I like it.