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 questioned 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 privileged. You grew up in the shadow of Imperator, having been born in Hadron City during his time in control. You have seen and lived the Utopian Dream that was his vision for the world. You grew up in a socially and technologically advanced society where the need for money was gone. There was no hunger. No homelessness. Healthcare was universal. Crime had been reduced to such a degree that it might as well have been nonexistent. Education of the highest quality was freely available to anyone, for as long as they wished to pursue their education.
Imperator called you the First Generation of mankind's future. You were going to help him spread the Utopian Dream throughout the world. Then they killed him for trying to save humanity. Your home is in ruin. Stronghold is strangling Hadron City as they loot the technological wonders Imperator built. They're killing the Dream and stealing your future from you. In the weeks that followed you've felt paralyzed and victimized, struggling to find a new normal. That is going to change. Soon you won't have a choice but to fight.
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The above sets the stage for a game I would like to run for three to four players that are able to post on a regular basis. One place is reserved for MrDent12, which leaves room for 3 more players. The PCs will be one of the young people (ages 13-18) that were born and grew up in Hadron City. The First Generation have been mentally and physically conditioned to be the best of humanity. They have been subjected to advanced, and accelerated, learning techniques and conditioning that pushes the limits of what is humanly possible. This means a teenager can justifiably have expert level training in a given field. That aside, the First Generation are still normal humans (Ability upper limits discussed below), albeit very skilled and talented. Combat training is also not just an option, it is mandatory. All characters should be competent combatants, even if they do not reach PL caps.
For character creation, PCs are PL 7 with 105 PP. They receive an additional 5 PP that may be used to buy Powers that reflect exceptional ability, skill, or talent. Only these 5 PP may be used to purchase Powers. Things such as Speed, or Leap, should not have more than 1 rank. You are pushing the limits of what a human can achieve, not entering the realm of superhuman. No 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. Eidetic Memory (I will allow the +5 to memory checks only) and Jack of All Trades are off limits. You may purchase ranks in Luck, but no more than 2. Half of a character's attack value must be fully paid for (with Attributes or Advantage), both melee and range.
I encourage the use of Expertise Skills to reflect areas of knowledge. I rather see Expertise: Computers, for example, than someone grabbing the condensed Technology Skill package that consists of numerous unrelated fields. Using a specialized field like this will lower DCs for checks. As native born and raised in Hadron City all characters will receive 1 rank of Expertise: Hadron City for free. If you feel your character's background and experiences justify a greater knowledge of the city and things involving it you may purchase additional ranks.
Other than a build and 2 Complications, I would like a brief concept/background describing your character. Of note, I want to know what your character was up to before, during, and after the war.
Some warnings. This story is a tragedy, and is unlikely to end well for your character. There will be themes that include lose of innocence, lose of humanity, and possibly personal horror. The setting is on the darker side of grayscale. You will not be playing traditional heroes. You will be playing the brainwashed youth a villain was going to use to conquer the world. The world itself may get pretty grim. Further, do not get overly attached to who your character begins the game as and be prepared for change that you cannot completely control. I will also be using the lethal combat rules. This mainly impacts the significance of degrees of success on damage and counts recovery time by hours, not minutes.
Benchmarks wrote:I am considering the sum of the parts, as well as the individual concept. A character that is hitting "one of the best in the world" or better in more than a couple Abilities is going to give me pause but may not be a hard no. I also do not want to see more than one "peak of human achievement" on the entire team for a given Ability
Normal Human Benchmarks
Strength: 4, a key point of your character is their strength. Power-lifters beyond the limits of most people.
Stamina: 4 being the "one of the best in the world" area. It grants as much toughness as a kevlar vest and is just shy of steel plate armor. 5 might be pushing it as peak human. I am not sure.
Agility, Dexterity: 6, the best of Olympic Gymnasts fall into this area. World class illusionists, drivers, or trick shooters may touch on the manual Dexterity, but I often pair these two. 7 being peak human
Awareness: 6 would be someone like Sherlock Holmes, hyper aware, almost to the point it is a defect. 7 would probably be scary on an emotional or sensory level for the person themselves, and be peak human.
Fighting: This one I am the most flexible on. Fighting as an Ability is weird and I don't feel a need for a hard number here. 7 is a good stopping point for the spirit of the setting though.
Intelligence: 4 is genius level. 6 is one of the greatest minds in the world. 7 is just shy of super-genius, and is peak human
Presence: 6, you could have your own cult of personality if you put the effort in. Think of the greatest, charismatic leaders and speakers throughout history. At 7 you'd be on the verge of supernatural charisma.
Skill Benchmarks
4-5 is Competent
6-10 is Professional caliber
11-15 is an Expert or Specialist in that area
16-17 has you at one of the best, if not THE best, in the world with that Skill
Threads
In Character Thread
The Cast
Mel Sarah, a stealthy shock trooper.
Maryanne Fairweather, an ambitious and manipulative social engineer.
Jamie Kane a front line brawler that use to be part of the boy band "Utopian Dream".