A.L.G.E.R.N.O.N. Files and Related
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- Posts: 173
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Re: A.L.G.E.R.N.O.N. Files and Related
~PLACES~
Absalom Heights MetaMax Penitentiary
Blackhallow Prison (European MetaMax Prison)
Bone Mountain MetaMax Penitentiary
Caernas (Extradimensional Location –Alternate Earth)
a. The Church of the Seven
b. The Circles Arcane
c. The Empire of the Ivory Throne
d. Hellspire
e. Highcrown
f. Shadowpits
g. Shieldtowers and Shieldtower Wall
h. The Silent Men
i. Vass the Undying
j. The Witchbreed
City at the End of Time (Extradimensional Location)
The Crossroads (Extradimensional Location)
Dragovina
Earth-Alpha ("Main" Earth)
Earth-Beta (“Mundane” Earth) (Extradimensional Location –Alternate Earth)
Earth-Delta (Reverse Earth) (Extradimensional Location –Alternate Earth)
Earth-Epsilon (Gernsbeck Earth) (Extradimensional Location –Alternate Earth)
Earth-Gamma I-IV (Nazi Earths) (Extradimensional Location –Alternate Earth)
Earth-Nu I-III (Steampunk Earths) (Extradimensional Location –Alternate Earth)
Earth-Omega I-XII ("Broken" Earths) (Extradimensional Location –Alternate Earth)
Earth-Omicron (British Imperial Earth) (Extradimensional Location –Alternate Earth)
Ft. Sunderland Meta-Max Penitentiary
Goddard Station
The Hellgate (Extradimensional Location)
Holcroft Secure Psychiatric Institute
Hyperion Point
a. Cape Calypso
b. Goblintown
c. Hammerhead Bay
d. Innovation Park
e. Ironbrook
f. Silicon Circle
Kingsport
a. Stonegrave Bay
b. The Tatters
c. Caliburn Cove
New Alcatraz MetaMax Penitentiary
Nine Worlds Nightclub
Oneiros (a.k.a. The Dreamlands) (Extradimensional Location)
People’s Republic of Makoroa
The Pickman Museum of Unnatural History
“The Pit” (Highly Classified DARPA Operations Facility—Human Amplification Research)
Qaddari
Riker's Island Enhanced Containment Wing
The Road with No Name (Extradimensional Location)
RSCN17753 (a.k.a. “Ghost Town”)(Highly Classified International MetaMax Facility "hidden" in Extradimensional Location)
The Seven Pillars of Eternity (Extradimensional Location)
Science City Eberesko (Secret Russian Research Facility)
Science City Morozko (Russian MetaMax Facility)
The Shackled Tower (Extradimensional Location)
The Shadowlands (Extradimensional Location)
Sterling City and Silver Falls
a. Argent Narrows
b. Cedar Wash
c. Foxborough
d. Galena Barrens
e. Osage Mountains (including Mount Aster and Mount Callingsworth)
f. Pennywise
g. Stockington
h. The Stone Forest
i. Verdaine Bridge
Thundertown
a. Boom-Boom Alley
b. The Ring
c. Tri-Spires
Wakefield Island
The Well of Worlds
Youdo (Chinese MetaMax Facility)
Absalom Heights MetaMax Penitentiary
Blackhallow Prison (European MetaMax Prison)
Bone Mountain MetaMax Penitentiary
Caernas (Extradimensional Location –Alternate Earth)
a. The Church of the Seven
b. The Circles Arcane
c. The Empire of the Ivory Throne
d. Hellspire
e. Highcrown
f. Shadowpits
g. Shieldtowers and Shieldtower Wall
h. The Silent Men
i. Vass the Undying
j. The Witchbreed
City at the End of Time (Extradimensional Location)
The Crossroads (Extradimensional Location)
Dragovina
Earth-Alpha ("Main" Earth)
Earth-Beta (“Mundane” Earth) (Extradimensional Location –Alternate Earth)
Earth-Delta (Reverse Earth) (Extradimensional Location –Alternate Earth)
Earth-Epsilon (Gernsbeck Earth) (Extradimensional Location –Alternate Earth)
Earth-Gamma I-IV (Nazi Earths) (Extradimensional Location –Alternate Earth)
Earth-Nu I-III (Steampunk Earths) (Extradimensional Location –Alternate Earth)
Earth-Omega I-XII ("Broken" Earths) (Extradimensional Location –Alternate Earth)
Earth-Omicron (British Imperial Earth) (Extradimensional Location –Alternate Earth)
Ft. Sunderland Meta-Max Penitentiary
Goddard Station
The Hellgate (Extradimensional Location)
Holcroft Secure Psychiatric Institute
Hyperion Point
a. Cape Calypso
b. Goblintown
c. Hammerhead Bay
d. Innovation Park
e. Ironbrook
f. Silicon Circle
Kingsport
a. Stonegrave Bay
b. The Tatters
c. Caliburn Cove
New Alcatraz MetaMax Penitentiary
Nine Worlds Nightclub
Oneiros (a.k.a. The Dreamlands) (Extradimensional Location)
People’s Republic of Makoroa
The Pickman Museum of Unnatural History
“The Pit” (Highly Classified DARPA Operations Facility—Human Amplification Research)
Qaddari
Riker's Island Enhanced Containment Wing
The Road with No Name (Extradimensional Location)
RSCN17753 (a.k.a. “Ghost Town”)(Highly Classified International MetaMax Facility "hidden" in Extradimensional Location)
The Seven Pillars of Eternity (Extradimensional Location)
Science City Eberesko (Secret Russian Research Facility)
Science City Morozko (Russian MetaMax Facility)
The Shackled Tower (Extradimensional Location)
The Shadowlands (Extradimensional Location)
Sterling City and Silver Falls
a. Argent Narrows
b. Cedar Wash
c. Foxborough
d. Galena Barrens
e. Osage Mountains (including Mount Aster and Mount Callingsworth)
f. Pennywise
g. Stockington
h. The Stone Forest
i. Verdaine Bridge
Thundertown
a. Boom-Boom Alley
b. The Ring
c. Tri-Spires
Wakefield Island
The Well of Worlds
Youdo (Chinese MetaMax Facility)
Last edited by That Sullivan Guy on Fri Feb 05, 2021 3:38 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: A.L.G.E.R.N.O.N. Files and Related
~TECHNOLOGY AND TECHNICAL TERMS~
ACVs — Anthroform Combat Vehicles
AMC (“Amcee”) — Anthroform Mechanoid Construct (i.e., humanoid robots)
Arcanology
Astral Space/Deep Astral/Universal Subconscious/Oneiros
ATL — Alternate Timelines / Parallel Earths
AVN “Avian” Mk I-IV
"Broken Worlds"
Catastrophic Cascading Genetic Failure / “Zipper”
Chronospace/T-Space/Timestream
Contiguous Dimensional Expressions
Cyber-Implants
a. Ceramometallic Bone Weave
b. Cyber-Prosthesis
c. Cyber-Rejection Syndrome
d. Subdermal Carbon-tube Armor Lattice
e. Synthetic Polyresin Muscle Reinforcement
Cyberframe (Powered Armor)
DELPHI/DOJ Parahuman Rating System (Green 1-10/Yellow 1-10/Red 1-5/Black) [usually shortened as "DPR" + Rating]
Disruptors (Immediate Nuclear Force Depolarization Field Generator)
DODJTF-Enhancile Index ("Paragon" / "Champion" / "Titan")
DTL — Divergent Timeline
DTL/ATL Naming Convention — “Earth -" [Greek Letter (spelled out in English] [Roman Numeral](used by government and media types)
E-Beams (Electron/Particle Weapons) [also, “Neural Disruptor”]
Enhancile/Parahuman/Metahuman/ “Mutant”/Superhuman/Psion
Entreatable Entity
Entropic Index
Exoframe (“Mini-Mech”)
FAI — Full Artificial Intelligence a.k.a. Artilect
Flexcrete/ “Superplastic”
Fractional Diminishing Energy Exchange
Gravitic Distortion Cladding
Gravitic Induction Drive a.k.a. G-Drive
Gravity Cannon a.k.a. Weaponized Gravitic Capacitor
HRC (Hard-Radiation Containment) Lasers
IEFT (Instantaneous Electromagnetic Field Translation)
Induced Alienation Syndrome
Interdimensional Cysts/Pocket Dimensions
Interstitial Space /” The Gray”
Invictium Steel Alloy
Jumpspace/Jumpdrive/Jumpgates
Mass Interchange/Conversion
Medicomps
Menzel-Gate teleportation technology
Metadimensional Key/Intraversal Frequency (IF)/ IF Index (“Associated Frequency”)
MetaMax Prison/Penitentiary/Facility
Nanofac
Nanohive Construct / Cyberswarm
NESS (Non-Standard Sapient) /Bootstrapped (Lifeform)/Uplift
Noncontiguous Dimensional Expressions / “Nether Realms”—Mystic Dimensions
NTO (“Non-Terrestrial Origin”)
Omnitech “Omnite” or “Omnium” Steel
Omnitech AJAX [Armored Jump-jet Augmented eXoframe]
Omnitech Babelbox Computerized Translation Matrix
Omnitech Giantkiller series ACVs (Anthroform Combat Vehicles)
Omnitech Medicomps
Omnitech Menzel-Gates
Omnitech OpOp-Comps (Optimized Optical Chip Computers)
Omnium Steel Alloy or Omnite
Omniversal Differential Indicator [alphanumeric string naming convention for dimensions used by scientific types]
Omniversal Stack
Parahuman Studies
Paraphysics
Photoplasm — "Hardlight" Force Field
Photoweave (Remote Projective Holography Field Calibration)
Plasma Pulse Weapons
Polyphasic Particles
PONTO (Pathogen of Non-Terrestrial Origin)
Quantum Level Differentiating Wave Scanner
SAI — Seed Artificial Intelligence a.k.a SmartCom
SAPI — Semi-Autonomous Packet Intelligence a.k.a. Smartware a.k.a. KnowBots
Sensesynch (Integrated Sensory Synchronization for Augmented Reality)
Smartsuit (cybersuit)/Smartskin
Startreader SV
Steele Theorem for Interdictive Chronomorphological Constraint Sets
Steiger-Voight Inhibitor Tech
Subspace Insertion Transit a.k.a. Needle Drive
Subverse/ Microverse/Planck-Breaker
Synth/Android
Undetermined Intermediating Genetic Factor
Unified Psionic Field
USS Galileo
ZPee / Zero-Point Energy/Quantum Foam Interaction
ACVs — Anthroform Combat Vehicles
AMC (“Amcee”) — Anthroform Mechanoid Construct (i.e., humanoid robots)
Arcanology
Astral Space/Deep Astral/Universal Subconscious/Oneiros
ATL — Alternate Timelines / Parallel Earths
AVN “Avian” Mk I-IV
"Broken Worlds"
Catastrophic Cascading Genetic Failure / “Zipper”
Chronospace/T-Space/Timestream
Contiguous Dimensional Expressions
Cyber-Implants
a. Ceramometallic Bone Weave
b. Cyber-Prosthesis
c. Cyber-Rejection Syndrome
d. Subdermal Carbon-tube Armor Lattice
e. Synthetic Polyresin Muscle Reinforcement
Cyberframe (Powered Armor)
DELPHI/DOJ Parahuman Rating System (Green 1-10/Yellow 1-10/Red 1-5/Black) [usually shortened as "DPR" + Rating]
Disruptors (Immediate Nuclear Force Depolarization Field Generator)
DODJTF-Enhancile Index ("Paragon" / "Champion" / "Titan")
DTL — Divergent Timeline
DTL/ATL Naming Convention — “Earth -" [Greek Letter (spelled out in English] [Roman Numeral](used by government and media types)
E-Beams (Electron/Particle Weapons) [also, “Neural Disruptor”]
Enhancile/Parahuman/Metahuman/ “Mutant”/Superhuman/Psion
Entreatable Entity
Entropic Index
Exoframe (“Mini-Mech”)
FAI — Full Artificial Intelligence a.k.a. Artilect
Flexcrete/ “Superplastic”
Fractional Diminishing Energy Exchange
Gravitic Distortion Cladding
Gravitic Induction Drive a.k.a. G-Drive
Gravity Cannon a.k.a. Weaponized Gravitic Capacitor
HRC (Hard-Radiation Containment) Lasers
IEFT (Instantaneous Electromagnetic Field Translation)
Induced Alienation Syndrome
Interdimensional Cysts/Pocket Dimensions
Interstitial Space /” The Gray”
Invictium Steel Alloy
Jumpspace/Jumpdrive/Jumpgates
Mass Interchange/Conversion
Medicomps
Menzel-Gate teleportation technology
Metadimensional Key/Intraversal Frequency (IF)/ IF Index (“Associated Frequency”)
MetaMax Prison/Penitentiary/Facility
Nanofac
Nanohive Construct / Cyberswarm
NESS (Non-Standard Sapient) /Bootstrapped (Lifeform)/Uplift
Noncontiguous Dimensional Expressions / “Nether Realms”—Mystic Dimensions
NTO (“Non-Terrestrial Origin”)
Omnitech “Omnite” or “Omnium” Steel
Omnitech AJAX [Armored Jump-jet Augmented eXoframe]
Omnitech Babelbox Computerized Translation Matrix
Omnitech Giantkiller series ACVs (Anthroform Combat Vehicles)
Omnitech Medicomps
Omnitech Menzel-Gates
Omnitech OpOp-Comps (Optimized Optical Chip Computers)
Omnium Steel Alloy or Omnite
Omniversal Differential Indicator [alphanumeric string naming convention for dimensions used by scientific types]
Omniversal Stack
Parahuman Studies
Paraphysics
Photoplasm — "Hardlight" Force Field
Photoweave (Remote Projective Holography Field Calibration)
Plasma Pulse Weapons
Polyphasic Particles
PONTO (Pathogen of Non-Terrestrial Origin)
Quantum Level Differentiating Wave Scanner
SAI — Seed Artificial Intelligence a.k.a SmartCom
SAPI — Semi-Autonomous Packet Intelligence a.k.a. Smartware a.k.a. KnowBots
Sensesynch (Integrated Sensory Synchronization for Augmented Reality)
Smartsuit (cybersuit)/Smartskin
Startreader SV
Steele Theorem for Interdictive Chronomorphological Constraint Sets
Steiger-Voight Inhibitor Tech
Subspace Insertion Transit a.k.a. Needle Drive
Subverse/ Microverse/Planck-Breaker
Synth/Android
Undetermined Intermediating Genetic Factor
Unified Psionic Field
USS Galileo
ZPee / Zero-Point Energy/Quantum Foam Interaction
Last edited by That Sullivan Guy on Fri Feb 05, 2021 4:43 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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- Posts: 173
- Joined: Sat Jul 29, 2017 7:26 pm
Re: A.L.G.E.R.N.O.N. Files and Related
CHALLENGER INSTITUTE TERMINOLOGY
The following are a number of formal or informal terms used by the Challenger Institute’s DELPHI Group to describe in shorthand many of the subjects represented by abilities or origins generally outside the capacity of normal humans. The following is not an exhaustive list nor even necessarily the most technical of terms in use at the Institute, but are the most commonly used among Challenger Institute personnel nonetheless. Note that due to the Institute's long history of working with the US government and various federal agencies, several of these terms are now also used outside the Institute proper.
A.L.F. — Artificial Life Form. Encompasses idents genetically engineered pre-vitro, computer-based sentient personas such as A.I.s or androids, energy-based life, and various synthetic organisms. In short, any artificially “created” lifeform.
Augment (a.k.a. "Auggie," Enhancile, “Supersoldier”) — Normal human who has been modified, usually through technological means such as chemicals or cybernetics, to possess parahuman-level abilities. “Supersoldier” implies that the end result is specifically intended to be combat effective, and/or includes the training level required for such.
Battlesuit (a.k.a. "Turtle") — Someone using a form of powered armor or other wearable device that provides offensive and defensive abilities rivaling parahuman levels.
Shadow File — ident, location, or phenomena whose existence, study, and information pertaining thereto has been highly classified and is strictly withheld from public knowledge.
Blaster (a.k.a. "Zap") — A parahuman or non-human whose primary demonstrated abilities involve the innate or intrinsic control and/or discharge of a form or multiple forms of energy.
Brick (a.k.a. "Tank") — A parahuman or non-human whose primary demonstrated abilities are strength and durability beyond (usually far beyond) the capacity of the human body.
Bump (a.k.a. Monster or "Spookshow") — Non-human (possibly not even actually living) creature or ident whose existence depends on or is explained by magic. Short for “things that go bump in the night.”
Cape — Generic term for any metahuman who uses a costumed identity or code name, though the operating assumption is that it applies to “good guys” only.
Channeler — Anyone demonstrating abilities derived through control or expression of magical energies not involving any form of identifiable spells, dweomers, or enchantments; someone whose abilities are derived partially or primarily from untrained and/or innate magic.
E.L.F. (a.k.a. Alien, "Tourist") — Originally, Extraterrestrial Life Form. Current usage may also substitute the words “Extradimensional” or “Extratemporal” for “Extraterrestrial.” Any ident not originally from 21st century Mainline Earth.
Geddy— Short for “Armageddon.” Nickname for any ident with sufficient power to pose an extinction level threat to human civilization. Sometimes used interchangeable with the Challenger Institute’s DELPHI-Black threat rating.
Gimmick (a.k.a "Motif-Man" or "Gadget-Geek") — A parahuman or paragon who relies on a particular and emphasized “theme” behind their appearance and/or activities and almost without fail also use specific equipment tailored to that theme.
HazSit — Short for "Hazardous Situation." Used to identify an encounter with an individual or individuals [1] demonstrating powers/abilities where [2] those powers/abilities appear to be uncontrolled or are rapidly becoming uncontrolled and usually [3] where the nature of those powers/abilities present a clear and obvious danger to everyone in the vicinity of the individual or individuals.
Ident — Any sentient individual; short for the word “identity.” Used in place of the word “entity,” or the possibly insulting “thing,” or any other awkward or possibly even inaccurate pronoun construction when dealing with a life form outside standard nomenclature.
Looking Glass — Situation or phenomena where established physical laws are being warped or changed either due to the presence of an ident with the power to do so, or where a separate continuum (such as another dimension) is overwriting local continua. E.g., “The ELF just walked by our position and that’s when everything went all Looking Glass on us.”
Mainline — The standard timeline culminating in the 21st century Earth from which the Challenger Institute observes events. “Non-mainline” refers to any alternate or parallel Earth where historical continuity differs from accepted record.
Magic (a.k.a. Paranormal) — Generally, any phenomena that cannot be adequately explained even through the strained extrapolations of known scientific laws. This includes spellcraft, “miracles,” and enchanted materials/items of various kinds. If the Challenger Institute can’t classify something under any other category, it will go here.
Mentalist (a.k.a Psionic) — A parahuman possessed of telepathic, clairvoyant, or psychokinetic abilities. The general principles behind mental powers, such as psionic waveforms and the “psion” particle, are understood to some extent and are testable. If the ability in question cannot be explained through any application of those principles, it will instead likely be classified as “magic.”
Mutant — A form of parahuman whose abilities manifested at birth or at puberty. In either case, testing shows that the genetic structure for the abilities was always present and expression was very likely inevitable. Children who inherit abilities from their parents are generally just referred to as parahumans, even if their parents were themselves classed as mutants. This designation is not applied to “triggered” parahumans, whose abilities would never have expressed without some form of external trauma or other stimulus.
Parahuman — An individual possessed of talents, traits, or abilities outside the generally-accepted capacity of the human body or human mental faculties. A very broad term. As opposed to the terms “paranormal” or “magic,” the abilities of a parahuman can actually be explained or measured through the application of understood scientific law, though those explanations may require such principles to be extreme extrapolations. The term "Metahuman" is still used in some older Institute records and literature, but is generally voided in modern usage due to the negative connotation.
Paragon (a.k.a "Cornfed")— An individual who through exceptional or specialized training achieves a level of talent or ability exceeding traditionally accepted limits on human capacity, but who is still operating within generally-accepted human biological and mental parameters. Note - this is entirely different from the term "Paragon" as used by the DOD classification system (with which the Institute had no participation in creating)
Popper (a.k.a. "Roid") — Originally, individuals who use chemical means to temporarily achieve parahuman levels of ability; however, current usage also includes low-grade parahumans whose abilities do not normally express except during temporary periods of extreme stress.
Savant (a.k.a. "Egghead," Supergenius) — A parahuman possessed of intelligence, technical aptitude, or other mental reasoning abilities beyond accepted human capacity, such as the required acumen to design and construct technologies centuries or more advanced than mainstream 21st century Earth.
Snidely (a.k.a. "Black Hat") — Generic term for any parahuman criminal that adopts a costumed identity or code name in order to commit their crimes.
Speedster (a.k.a. "Road Runner," Speed Monster) — Parahuman possessing the ability to physically accelerate his actions far beyond humanly accessible active speeds or rates of movement.
Spellcaster (a.k.a Wizard or Witch, though both usages are frowned on) — Anyone capable of manipulating magical energies through trained spell forms, rituals, or formulae.
Threat Rating (a.k.a. DELPHI Tag) — The Challenger Institute uses a simple combination of colors and numbers to quickly place an individual’s demonstrated abilities on a continuum. This scale was originally prepared for the Justice Department; as such, it mostly relates to the threat level or degree of difficulty involved in keeping an individual incarcerated. The three basic colors are Green, Yellow, and Red, with each color being further broken down on a numerical basis ranging from 1 to 12. This number’s derivation is complicated and involves scientific calculations of amounts of measurable force the person can apply or measurements of energy discharge capacity, other metrics related to powers, and so on. The numerical rating is generally ignored by most people, with the color being considered the more important item. DELPHI Green-One might be applied to a metahuman mentalist who must exert great effort to telekinetically move a sheet of paper or paper clip very slowly and only a short distance. DELPHI Red-Three, on the other hand, could be someone who can melt through inch-thick armor plating in a second or two with frighteningly little effort. Most “name” metas fall in the Yellow-Eight to Red-Eight range.
• Green: Minimal Power. Can generally be incarcerated in a standard facility with no more than a few extra precautions.
• Yellow: Noticeable Power. Can generally be incarcerated in a standard facility that has been outfitted with limited refurbishing, such as reinforced cells or insulated plastic sheeting in place of conductive materials.
• Red: Dangerous Power. Generally can only be safely incarcerated in a facility specifically designed to incarcerate superhuman prisoners.
There is one other classification used only rarely: DELPHI Black. There is no number associated with this classification. The press generally refers to this level of metahuman as “world-beaters.” They are possessed with sufficient power to pose a serious threat to any level of opposition, and it is believed they cannot be safely incarcerated at all, or, if so, only with the application of extreme measures (such as cryosleep or stasis fields).
The Three Rules — Popular but completely unofficial set of three ‘guidelines’ posted on bulletin boards and screen savers in the Challenger Institute facilities: “If you see something that appears to break the laws of physics, one of three things is occurring: (1) Your observations are in error; or (2) Your understanding of the science involved is incomplete or inadequate; or (3) Magic sucks.”
"Ticket Down" (or "Gotta Ticket Down") — As in "everything is going straight to Hell" and used as a warning that a situation has spiraled out of control with potentially disastrous consequences. A more tongue in cheek variant sometimes heard is "Rotary Device Failure Due to Defecatory Impact."
Ultratech (a.k.a. Sci-fi Toy, "Shiny") — Technology whose functions vastly exceed the standard capabilities of 21st century achievement, such as matter transportation, or global-scale gravitic manipulation, or bio-engineering capable of creating life forms ex nihil. In some cases, not only do the functions of such technology surpass what mainstream Earth can produce, they are beyond the intellectual capacity of normal humans to analyze or even operate.
Vanilla (a.k.a. "Flatline," Mundanes) — Normal and unaugmented humans, or the technology or talent level produced or possessed by same. This term is never used in the Challenger Institute’s official publications or public announcements as it may be interpreted negatively. “Flatline” comes from the readings of any gear designed to register parahuman, psionic, or other exotic power signatures.
Xenoform (a.k.a. BEM, "Martian") — Idents that, regardless of being ALF, ELF, or parahuman, do not (or no longer) morphologically resemble human beings at all.
The following are a number of formal or informal terms used by the Challenger Institute’s DELPHI Group to describe in shorthand many of the subjects represented by abilities or origins generally outside the capacity of normal humans. The following is not an exhaustive list nor even necessarily the most technical of terms in use at the Institute, but are the most commonly used among Challenger Institute personnel nonetheless. Note that due to the Institute's long history of working with the US government and various federal agencies, several of these terms are now also used outside the Institute proper.
A.L.F. — Artificial Life Form. Encompasses idents genetically engineered pre-vitro, computer-based sentient personas such as A.I.s or androids, energy-based life, and various synthetic organisms. In short, any artificially “created” lifeform.
Augment (a.k.a. "Auggie," Enhancile, “Supersoldier”) — Normal human who has been modified, usually through technological means such as chemicals or cybernetics, to possess parahuman-level abilities. “Supersoldier” implies that the end result is specifically intended to be combat effective, and/or includes the training level required for such.
Battlesuit (a.k.a. "Turtle") — Someone using a form of powered armor or other wearable device that provides offensive and defensive abilities rivaling parahuman levels.
Shadow File — ident, location, or phenomena whose existence, study, and information pertaining thereto has been highly classified and is strictly withheld from public knowledge.
Blaster (a.k.a. "Zap") — A parahuman or non-human whose primary demonstrated abilities involve the innate or intrinsic control and/or discharge of a form or multiple forms of energy.
Brick (a.k.a. "Tank") — A parahuman or non-human whose primary demonstrated abilities are strength and durability beyond (usually far beyond) the capacity of the human body.
Bump (a.k.a. Monster or "Spookshow") — Non-human (possibly not even actually living) creature or ident whose existence depends on or is explained by magic. Short for “things that go bump in the night.”
Cape — Generic term for any metahuman who uses a costumed identity or code name, though the operating assumption is that it applies to “good guys” only.
Channeler — Anyone demonstrating abilities derived through control or expression of magical energies not involving any form of identifiable spells, dweomers, or enchantments; someone whose abilities are derived partially or primarily from untrained and/or innate magic.
E.L.F. (a.k.a. Alien, "Tourist") — Originally, Extraterrestrial Life Form. Current usage may also substitute the words “Extradimensional” or “Extratemporal” for “Extraterrestrial.” Any ident not originally from 21st century Mainline Earth.
Geddy— Short for “Armageddon.” Nickname for any ident with sufficient power to pose an extinction level threat to human civilization. Sometimes used interchangeable with the Challenger Institute’s DELPHI-Black threat rating.
Gimmick (a.k.a "Motif-Man" or "Gadget-Geek") — A parahuman or paragon who relies on a particular and emphasized “theme” behind their appearance and/or activities and almost without fail also use specific equipment tailored to that theme.
HazSit — Short for "Hazardous Situation." Used to identify an encounter with an individual or individuals [1] demonstrating powers/abilities where [2] those powers/abilities appear to be uncontrolled or are rapidly becoming uncontrolled and usually [3] where the nature of those powers/abilities present a clear and obvious danger to everyone in the vicinity of the individual or individuals.
Ident — Any sentient individual; short for the word “identity.” Used in place of the word “entity,” or the possibly insulting “thing,” or any other awkward or possibly even inaccurate pronoun construction when dealing with a life form outside standard nomenclature.
Looking Glass — Situation or phenomena where established physical laws are being warped or changed either due to the presence of an ident with the power to do so, or where a separate continuum (such as another dimension) is overwriting local continua. E.g., “The ELF just walked by our position and that’s when everything went all Looking Glass on us.”
Mainline — The standard timeline culminating in the 21st century Earth from which the Challenger Institute observes events. “Non-mainline” refers to any alternate or parallel Earth where historical continuity differs from accepted record.
Magic (a.k.a. Paranormal) — Generally, any phenomena that cannot be adequately explained even through the strained extrapolations of known scientific laws. This includes spellcraft, “miracles,” and enchanted materials/items of various kinds. If the Challenger Institute can’t classify something under any other category, it will go here.
Mentalist (a.k.a Psionic) — A parahuman possessed of telepathic, clairvoyant, or psychokinetic abilities. The general principles behind mental powers, such as psionic waveforms and the “psion” particle, are understood to some extent and are testable. If the ability in question cannot be explained through any application of those principles, it will instead likely be classified as “magic.”
Mutant — A form of parahuman whose abilities manifested at birth or at puberty. In either case, testing shows that the genetic structure for the abilities was always present and expression was very likely inevitable. Children who inherit abilities from their parents are generally just referred to as parahumans, even if their parents were themselves classed as mutants. This designation is not applied to “triggered” parahumans, whose abilities would never have expressed without some form of external trauma or other stimulus.
Parahuman — An individual possessed of talents, traits, or abilities outside the generally-accepted capacity of the human body or human mental faculties. A very broad term. As opposed to the terms “paranormal” or “magic,” the abilities of a parahuman can actually be explained or measured through the application of understood scientific law, though those explanations may require such principles to be extreme extrapolations. The term "Metahuman" is still used in some older Institute records and literature, but is generally voided in modern usage due to the negative connotation.
Paragon (a.k.a "Cornfed")— An individual who through exceptional or specialized training achieves a level of talent or ability exceeding traditionally accepted limits on human capacity, but who is still operating within generally-accepted human biological and mental parameters. Note - this is entirely different from the term "Paragon" as used by the DOD classification system (with which the Institute had no participation in creating)
Popper (a.k.a. "Roid") — Originally, individuals who use chemical means to temporarily achieve parahuman levels of ability; however, current usage also includes low-grade parahumans whose abilities do not normally express except during temporary periods of extreme stress.
Savant (a.k.a. "Egghead," Supergenius) — A parahuman possessed of intelligence, technical aptitude, or other mental reasoning abilities beyond accepted human capacity, such as the required acumen to design and construct technologies centuries or more advanced than mainstream 21st century Earth.
Snidely (a.k.a. "Black Hat") — Generic term for any parahuman criminal that adopts a costumed identity or code name in order to commit their crimes.
Speedster (a.k.a. "Road Runner," Speed Monster) — Parahuman possessing the ability to physically accelerate his actions far beyond humanly accessible active speeds or rates of movement.
Spellcaster (a.k.a Wizard or Witch, though both usages are frowned on) — Anyone capable of manipulating magical energies through trained spell forms, rituals, or formulae.
Threat Rating (a.k.a. DELPHI Tag) — The Challenger Institute uses a simple combination of colors and numbers to quickly place an individual’s demonstrated abilities on a continuum. This scale was originally prepared for the Justice Department; as such, it mostly relates to the threat level or degree of difficulty involved in keeping an individual incarcerated. The three basic colors are Green, Yellow, and Red, with each color being further broken down on a numerical basis ranging from 1 to 12. This number’s derivation is complicated and involves scientific calculations of amounts of measurable force the person can apply or measurements of energy discharge capacity, other metrics related to powers, and so on. The numerical rating is generally ignored by most people, with the color being considered the more important item. DELPHI Green-One might be applied to a metahuman mentalist who must exert great effort to telekinetically move a sheet of paper or paper clip very slowly and only a short distance. DELPHI Red-Three, on the other hand, could be someone who can melt through inch-thick armor plating in a second or two with frighteningly little effort. Most “name” metas fall in the Yellow-Eight to Red-Eight range.
• Green: Minimal Power. Can generally be incarcerated in a standard facility with no more than a few extra precautions.
• Yellow: Noticeable Power. Can generally be incarcerated in a standard facility that has been outfitted with limited refurbishing, such as reinforced cells or insulated plastic sheeting in place of conductive materials.
• Red: Dangerous Power. Generally can only be safely incarcerated in a facility specifically designed to incarcerate superhuman prisoners.
There is one other classification used only rarely: DELPHI Black. There is no number associated with this classification. The press generally refers to this level of metahuman as “world-beaters.” They are possessed with sufficient power to pose a serious threat to any level of opposition, and it is believed they cannot be safely incarcerated at all, or, if so, only with the application of extreme measures (such as cryosleep or stasis fields).
The Three Rules — Popular but completely unofficial set of three ‘guidelines’ posted on bulletin boards and screen savers in the Challenger Institute facilities: “If you see something that appears to break the laws of physics, one of three things is occurring: (1) Your observations are in error; or (2) Your understanding of the science involved is incomplete or inadequate; or (3) Magic sucks.”
"Ticket Down" (or "Gotta Ticket Down") — As in "everything is going straight to Hell" and used as a warning that a situation has spiraled out of control with potentially disastrous consequences. A more tongue in cheek variant sometimes heard is "Rotary Device Failure Due to Defecatory Impact."
Ultratech (a.k.a. Sci-fi Toy, "Shiny") — Technology whose functions vastly exceed the standard capabilities of 21st century achievement, such as matter transportation, or global-scale gravitic manipulation, or bio-engineering capable of creating life forms ex nihil. In some cases, not only do the functions of such technology surpass what mainstream Earth can produce, they are beyond the intellectual capacity of normal humans to analyze or even operate.
Vanilla (a.k.a. "Flatline," Mundanes) — Normal and unaugmented humans, or the technology or talent level produced or possessed by same. This term is never used in the Challenger Institute’s official publications or public announcements as it may be interpreted negatively. “Flatline” comes from the readings of any gear designed to register parahuman, psionic, or other exotic power signatures.
Xenoform (a.k.a. BEM, "Martian") — Idents that, regardless of being ALF, ELF, or parahuman, do not (or no longer) morphologically resemble human beings at all.
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Re: A.L.G.E.R.N.O.N. Files and Related
Whew.
Okay - now with all of that stuff put out there in one place, I have no excuses for not putting more details out where they're not just jotted down in a post-it note strewn notebook or rattling around in my (aging) head. Fingers crossed.
Okay - now with all of that stuff put out there in one place, I have no excuses for not putting more details out where they're not just jotted down in a post-it note strewn notebook or rattling around in my (aging) head. Fingers crossed.
Re: A.L.G.E.R.N.O.N. Files and Related
It's beautiful.
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Re: A.L.G.E.R.N.O.N. Files and Related
I can't be sure of who exactly, but given the timing, I have to assume it was people from this board — In the last few weeks a few people have gone to RPGNow and each has bought copies of the entire set of Algie Files I had up. Whoever you were, thank ya kindly. Much appreciated.
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Re: A.L.G.E.R.N.O.N. Files and Related
Thanks so much for posting this material, Aaron!
All my best.
All my best.
Re: A.L.G.E.R.N.O.N. Files and Related
It is great to see a familiar face… er, read a familiar name. Moreover, it’s great to see that you’re doing well, in spite of life’s many surprises. I look forward to reading your work again, both old and new. Cheers!
Hermes (Glenn Hall)
Hermes (Glenn Hall)
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Re: A.L.G.E.R.N.O.N. Files and Related
Thanks, Glenn. And a reciprocal show of appreciation that you are also doing well.
Re: A.L.G.E.R.N.O.N. Files and Related
Wow. I'm just now finding out about this thread, and I'll be watching it for future updates. With that said, do you mind if I post a few questions?
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Re: A.L.G.E.R.N.O.N. Files and Related
Hey, D.
You're always welcome to ask questions.
When I started posting all of this I hadn't anticipating picking up a couple of gig jobs that are keeping me a whole busier than I was when I did the posting. Short version: I don't know when I'll get around to answering anything, but I'll do my best.
You're always welcome to ask questions.
When I started posting all of this I hadn't anticipating picking up a couple of gig jobs that are keeping me a whole busier than I was when I did the posting. Short version: I don't know when I'll get around to answering anything, but I'll do my best.
Re: A.L.G.E.R.N.O.N. Files and Related
No worries. I'll post the questions and check back in when I can.That Sullivan Guy wrote: ↑Fri Aug 20, 2021 6:35 pm Hey, D.
You're always welcome to ask questions.
When I started posting all of this I hadn't anticipating picking up a couple of gig jobs that are keeping me a whole busier than I was when I did the posting. Short version: I don't know when I'll get around to answering anything, but I'll do my best.
Re: A.L.G.E.R.N.O.N. Files and Related
Just out of curiosity, what comics/books/movies/etc. influenced this setting?
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Re: A.L.G.E.R.N.O.N. Files and Related
Is there any plan to publish the characters of the A.L.G.E.R.N.O.N. Files. I for one would love to see more of this setting.
Re: A.L.G.E.R.N.O.N. Files and Related
... ummmm ...mightydavidson wrote: ↑Sat Oct 30, 2021 8:59 pm Is there any plan to publish the characters of the A.L.G.E.R.N.O.N. Files. I for one would love to see more of this setting.
"I'm sorry. I love you. I'm not sorry I love you."