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Old 06-08-2018, 02:36 PM   #1
Lameth
 
Join Date: Aug 2004
Default Transhuman and Supers

I am thinking about a hard science Sci-Fi, in our solar system only, and then maybe mixing it with low level supers. Earth based, and other locations. My idea is a super game mixed with sci-fi and maybe even some dark supernatural way down the road.

The PCs will have minor powers, maybe psionics or moderate level abilities, like magnetism or fire control. access to cybernetics would also be allowed, or gene splicing.

Im just trying to think of the "hook", how to get the two themes to merge and feel right. How to get a medium level supers game to mix with hard sci-fi [ala Aliens or Covenant]. How did powers manifest? was it a comet in the sky and then people started to get powers, or perhaps over use of gene control on the populace?

And then from there im trying to work ok general plot outlines. For a fantasy game, its base is heroes fighting evil and exploring. For supers its see bad guy, beat up bad guy, save the world. Well is it the same themes in a hard sci fi with supers? Some help getting over this metal hump would be great also.

Basically any help would be great. thx
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Old 06-08-2018, 02:56 PM   #2
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Default Re: Transhuman and Supers

I would probably go with side-effects of gene-splicing for the first supers. This would give you mainly bricks and super-scrappers at first, and then a generation later things just started going WEIRD with the genetic codes as more and more folks developed other powers that mocked the laws of physics.
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Old 06-08-2018, 02:58 PM   #3
AlexanderHowl
 
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Default Re: Transhuman and Supers

There are plenty of 'mundane' power modifiers suitable for transhumans without adding any supernatural elements. Biological (for biological augmentations), Electronic (for cybernetic augmentations), Nanotech (for nanotech augmentations), and Savant (for memetic augmentations). In addition, a lot of cybershells can reach 500+ points without any powers, and AI characters that run spaceships might reach into 1000+ points without any powers.
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Old 06-08-2018, 03:10 PM   #4
Lameth
 
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Default Re: Transhuman and Supers

Quote:
Originally Posted by AlexanderHowl View Post
There are plenty of 'mundane' power modifiers suitable for transhumans without adding any supernatural elements. Biological (for biological augmentations), Electronic (for cybernetic augmentations), Nanotech (for nanotech augmentations), and Savant (for memetic augmentations). In addition, a lot of cybershells can reach 500+ points without any powers, and AI characters that run spaceships might reach into 1000+ points without any powers.
Oh I get that. But I have a want and an ask to also run a supers game, so I thought, "ok lets see if I can blend in a interesting way".

As an example, a while back I wanted to run a modern game with some elements of urban fantasy, and my PCs wanted to play a high fantasy game also at the same time. So in the end I created a high fantasy world then due to the destruction of multiverse ley lines caused various other realms, including earth, to be destroyed and some of its lands and people got dumped in this high fantasy world. So now I had a high fantasy game with elements of technology from earth, and even some from other worlds, and still a very "fantasy" like feel over all to it. But now that elf may have a ipad they found with their spells on it. Or that navy seal now knows how to cast spells. etc.

With this I wanted to do the same melding, but I need to find the hook for it. With the pervious game it was the dimensional incursions and modern people on a fantasy world concept, so im looking for my hook for a sci fi super like game.
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Old 06-08-2018, 06:49 PM   #5
Anthony
 
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Default Re: Transhuman and Supers

Thematically, transhumanism is about becoming more than human, and superhumans are more than human, so seeking out superpowers is a perfectly plausible thing for transhumanism. However, it depends a bit on what you mean by "supers"; do you mean superpowers, or superheroes?
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Old 06-08-2018, 07:21 PM   #6
Dalillama
 
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Default Re: Transhuman and Supers

Precursor artifacts are always a classic. Asteroid miners keep finding these things buried in rocks, when someone touches them with bare skin, they get powers that can't be duplicated by human technology (probably called psi, it's in theme). And a 'Super Normal' might be 'just' a borged-out genetically engineered supersoldier.
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Old 06-08-2018, 07:25 PM   #7
rkbrown419
 
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Default Re: Transhuman and Supers

You could always say that genetic enginering unexpectedly changes the latnet psychic abilities all humans have to active powers and in some cases masively boost the power level.
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Old 06-08-2018, 07:25 PM   #8
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Default Re: Transhuman and Supers

A lost branch of human enhancement maybe?

Sci-fi is littered with examples of people who have enhancements that are no longer produced. While the "I am the last cyborg/envoy/whampire/hadenman/wolfen/glandular psychic before we were outlawed" won't fit in a transhuman setting. Several other justifications are still available, products of mysterious genius, products of unforseen interactions between two lots of last generation's genetic engineering, products of a finite substance (exposure to alien biogel during gestation), a side effect of an illegal operation that was purged or even leave it open and have it as a campaign plot piece "what happened to us/them"
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Old 06-08-2018, 07:26 PM   #9
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Default Re: Transhuman and Supers

The real problem for a transhuman society is someone with Machine Telepathy who does not think that AIs are alive. You could get into some real interesting scenarios with a villain who reprograms ghosts and SAIs for fun and profit. I can imagine a scenario where they strip a SAI down to a LAI, or a ghost down to a fragment, and no one knows what happened until days or weeks later.
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Old 06-08-2018, 07:37 PM   #10
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Default Re: Transhuman and Supers

What about turning the idea on its head, rather than a transhuman world with supers added you had a world that became a transhuman setting due to the influence of supers?

Mad scientists and the like advance the sciences to those of tranhuman space. Incorporating "super" biological processes is just another type of enhancement. But wild supers still exist.
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