At the height of World War 2 the first superhuman emerged. There was nothing, no one, that could stop him. His name was Dr. Impossible, and he made history by forcing the Axis and Allies to agree to a peace treaty which he mediated.
On Friday 21 January 2000 the second superhuman emerged. Leading a fleet of never before seen aerial vehicles the individual calling themselves Imperator appeared over Hadron City in northern Kansas. That day an impenetrable barrier surrounded the city.
It remained a sore spot in the American psyche, an entire city and millions of citizens trapped. Until on Friday 13 April 2018, when the barrier was brought down. The United States accompanied by Dr. Impossible moved in to secure the city, finding it drastically changed.
A six month conflict ensued between the US military along with their super human ally against the forces of Imperator. The fighting spilled out into surrounding cities, scaring the larger part of Kansas. People questions if the fighting would ever end. Eventually, Imperator was confronted by Dr. Impossible. The aerial battle spanned several states, but it's end was never seen. At some point there was an explosion over the Arizona desert and both combatants were gone. Neither have been seen since.
Without their leader Imperator's forces eventually fell, or went to ground. Martial law has been enacted in Hadron City and a private army, Stronghold International, has been contracted to get Hadron City under control.
You were part of Imperator's organization. You either followed him to Hadron City as part of the occupying force, or supported his endeavors from outside. Things went silent after Imperator's defeat. Three months have passed, now finally something. Null, one of Imperator's inner circle of Praetors, approached you. They asked you to join them in retaking Hadron City and continuing what Imperator started there. Null promised you power, real power, and authority … if only you followed them and gave them your loyalty.
"The future of mankind lies in Hadron City.", those were the words first spoken by Imperator to his forces before the invasion. Now they were echoed by Null. If you had seen the city before the fighting started, before Stronghold's martial law, you could have believed it.
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The above sets the stage for a game I would like to run for four players. The PCs will start as normal people (Ability upper limits dicussed here), albeit very skilled and talented. Later they will be given the opportunity to become much more powerful. The setting is going to be on the darker side of grayscale. You are people of questionable morality, working for a bad person, in a world that may get pretty grim.
For character creation, PCs are PL 7 with 105 PP. They may not have any Powers or Devices. No Inventor, Ritual, or Artificer Advantages. There is no magic in this setting. Super science is also an exceedingly rare thing that normal scientists, engineers, etc. can only maintain and maybe repair. Not recreate. Aside from vehicles and HQ, you may have free mundane Equipment that is supplied by Null (ex. no blaster weapons), unless you want to personally own something.
Other than a build and 2 Complications, I would like a brief concept/background describing your character. Of note, I want to know what role they played in Imperator's organization, where they were and what they were doing during Hadron City's occupation, and what they have been doing the past three months.
A couple warnings. Do not get overly attached to who your character begins the game as. I do not want to spoil anything, however prepare yourself for change that you cannot completely control when it comes to the origin of powers. I also want to try using the lethal combat rules. This mainly impacts the significance of degrees of success on damage and counts recovery time by hours, not minutes.
Cast
Diego Gonzalez, a spy with a background in art history and linguistics.
Peter Ezima, a member of Imperator's Engineering Corps inside Hadron City
Hitori Zanzo, a master swordsman and melee combat instructor to Imperator's forces.
Dr. Levi Kripke, a world renowned neurosurgeon and spokesperson for "Imperator's Society".
Alexandria Thompson, a soldier in Imperator's army, turned mercenary after Imperator's defeat.
Supporting Cast (NPCs)
Tilly Sander, an Imperator loyalist specialized in urban warfare.
Main In Character Thread, Backup
Extended Interludes Thread, Backup
Null's Favor: 0Null's Favor wrote:I am going to try out using an abstract system to reflect the relationship between Null as a patron to the PCs. When the group does something that advances Null's agenda in a significant way they will gain a point of "Null's Favor". This the group can spend to do things like request backup or reinforcements on a mission, get help improving a HQ, borrow a Device for a time, or get access to normally off limits information. There are no hard and fast rules, as I said it is abstract, and while Null may not do exactly as you request they are likely to do something that benefits the group and fits the spirit of the request. At worst the response will be "no" and you keep the point for later use.
Subway Station HQ
Size: Medium ; Toughness: 8 ; Features: Concealed, Living Space, Power System, Security System 2 (DC 30), Workshop, Well Supplied*
