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Old 09-08-2020, 11:33 PM   #41
Rupert
 
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Default Re: (Another) World of Superhumans

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Originally Posted by AlexanderHowl View Post
Technological suppressors would probably be the solution for always on abilities (as opposed to passive abilities like DR). As for the proportion of abilities, I would go with a relatively low proportion of physical abilities due to their low utility in a TL8 environment. The physical abilities that will probably manifest will have great utility for their cost (such as Duplication or Extra Attacks). I would imagine that high levels of DR and Super ST will be quite uncommon because of the ability point distribution.
If we're talking the general population (rather than the player character population), why skew away from the physical just because TL8 gadgets make them less than useful? Having a physical power of little commercial or government use and thus being powered but not really being able to gain from it makes for an interesting range of stories, and might explain why some supers become villians.

Also, a fair number of 'useless' physical traits are quite handy in day-to-day life even if they don't make you money and can be replaced by gear. For example DR1 (tough skin) or (flexible, no signature) (if armour is by default visible in your game) or a force field for that matter would be quite handy even though it's pretty useless when it comes to getting you a job as a super. It means not getting all those little cuts and bruises that one picks up in normal life. It means not cutting yourself when a knife slips as you prepare dinner, and so on. A few more DR and you don't care about the odd fall or walking into a pole, low-speed spills on a bike or motorbike, etc.

Even being a bit (or a lot) stronger than normal is handy, especially is it doesn't come with a lot of extra bulk (though extra mass is useful when dealing with heavy objects, of course).

Then there are the more exotic physical powers, like Regeneration and Regrowth. On their own they don't really make you very useful as a 'super' (though if you're in good enough shape to be trained as a soldier they're probably attractive to a government), but they're certainly attractive to normal people who fear dying from accidents, losing limbs, and so on.
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Old 09-08-2020, 11:38 PM   #42
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Default Re: (Another) World of Superhumans

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Supers do not suffer from disabilities at a rate different than the general public, though those that do suffer from disabilities before awakening almost universally develop compensatory abilities in addition to their normal allotment of innate abilities. For example, a super with Blindness would likely develop Discriminatory Hearing, Discriminatory Smell, Discriminatory Taste, and Sensitive Touch and may develop new senses like Detect or Scanning Sense. In general though, supers are better than mundanes, stronger, faster, smarter, healthier, and more attractive (supers average ST 12, DX 12, IQ 12, HT 12, and Appearance (Attractive)).
Does that come out of their powers budget? Because if so, that's the first 80%'s power right there - being 'better than'. It also guarantees widespread resentment of supers, especially once it becomes apparent that it's not merely inheritable (bad enough), but genetic so if you don't have it you never will (well until gene therapy progresses to the point where it can be something you get in an injection).
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Old 09-09-2020, 05:54 AM   #43
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Default Re: (Another) World of Superhumans

No, the attributes and appearance are not innate abilities, as they do not have power or source modifiers, they just represent the average mundane capabilities of the supers. They are not quite genetic, as people do not manifest the above average attributes abs appearance until their superpowers awaken. In effect, they acquire the racial template of Super when their powers first manifest, so a 25 CP preadolescent may become a 150+ CP super (25 CP base plus 124 CP Super template plus 1+ CP in power talents and innate abilities).
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Old 09-09-2020, 08:26 AM   #44
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Default Re: (Another) World of Superhumans

Whether they are typed or not, that means that those 100-odd points of attributes are part of the 'powers' a super gets, which is pretty nice. It means that even someone with a low point value junk power and low talent level will still do better in life, generally. Even if they feel slighted compared to their luckier 'relatives', they'll be resented by the non-powered too.

By the way, is what powers you have also genetic and inheritable? And if so, is it a simple enough correspondence that it can easily be predicted? I expect it's at best only somewhat predictable, given what you've said about people with disabilities tending to manifest compensatory powers.
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Old 09-09-2020, 09:38 AM   #45
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In my mind, the powers would not be genetic (though the genes that would allow the development of powers would be) but would instead be determined by the physical circunstancss and unconscious desires of the individual super when they awaken. For example, an adolescent who was lonely and wanted friends could either develop a) Allies (Summonable, +100%), b) superhuman levels of Charisma, c) Mind Control, d) Terror (Awe), or e) any other ability the could get them friends. Conversely, an adolescent who was bullied and just wanted to be left alone could develop a) Jumper (to go to another world), b) Flight (to fly away from their bullies), c) Invisibility (to be unnoticed), d) Warp (to go to another country), or e) any ability that either conceals them or allows them to escape.

Let us imagine an adolescent girl awakens who just wants to be popular. Her only ability might be Charisma 10 (Super, -10%) [45], which would give her a +11 reaction modifier from everyone who meets her (+10 from Charisma and +1 from the Appearance (Attractive) of the Super template). Regardless of her other circumstances, that +11 will allow her to suddenly become one of the most popular people at her school. Her unconscious desire for popularity has manifested in a straightforward and effective (if relatively cheap) ability.
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Old 09-09-2020, 11:38 AM   #46
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Default Re: (Another) World of Superhumans

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Let us imagine an adolescent girl awakens who just wants to be popular. Her only ability might be Charisma 10 (Super, -10%) [45], which would give her a +11 reaction modifier from everyone who meets her (+10 from Charisma and +1 from the Appearance (Attractive) of the Super template). Regardless of her other circumstances, that +11 will allow her to suddenly become one of the most popular people in the history of mankind. Her unconscious desire for popularity has manifested in a straightforward and effective (if relatively cheap) ability.
Fixed that for you.
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Old 09-09-2020, 11:50 AM   #47
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Default Re: (Another) World of Superhumans

With superhumans awakening in the 1950s, that may not necessarily be the case (anyway, most major celebrities in the USA exceed a +11 due to a combination of Appearance, Charisma, Reputation, Status, Voice, etc.). In addition, Charisma 20 (Super, -10%) [90] would be possible for 25% of supers, and it would be a phenomenally useful ability. It would be so useful that such people would likely be forced by the government to wear power suppressors (after they are detained by individuals who are immune to super powers) to prevent them from dominating everyone around them.
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Old 09-09-2020, 02:44 PM   #48
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Default Re: (Another) World of Superhumans

Maybe I should rephrase:

What percentages of supers would have physical mutations that grant powers (wings, feet with opposable thumbs, retractable claws); psychic powers like telekinesis or telepathy; elemental powers such as fire, ice, lightning, etc.; enhanced or new passive senses (Daredevil's and Wolverine's enhanced senses of smell and DD's radar sense); more physical powers like a body of steel; etc.?


Note that I'm not asking about point values here or power levels, as the same concept can often be built on 400, 1600, or a quarter million points, depending on power level, but more about the variety of powers.
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Old 09-09-2020, 03:32 PM   #49
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Default Re: (Another) World of Superhumans

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With superhumans awakening in the 1950s, that may not necessarily be the case (anyway, most major celebrities in the USA exceed a +11 due to a combination of Appearance, Charisma, Reputation, Status, Voice, etc.)..
I would disagree. But then I rarely combine Appearance and Voice with Charisma and would almost never give a celebrity a positive reputation with more than a narrow group. The wide spread reputation of celebrities tend to be negative.
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Old 09-09-2020, 04:31 PM   #50
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Default Re: (Another) World of Superhumans

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Maybe I should rephrase:

What percentages of supers would have physical mutations that grant powers (wings, feet with opposable thumbs, retractable claws); psychic powers like telekinesis or telepathy; elemental powers such as fire, ice, lightning, etc.; enhanced or new passive senses (Daredevil's and Wolverine's enhanced senses of smell and DD's radar sense); more physical powers like a body of steel; etc.?


Note that I'm not asking about point values here or power levels, as the same concept can often be built on 400, 1600, or a quarter million points, depending on power level, but more about the variety of powers.
Since powers come from the physical circumstances and unconscious desires of the adolescents, there are a wide diversity of abilities and many supers will have multiple types of powers. When it comes to innate abilities, I would say that 90% of supers have some sort of innate mental abilities, 90% of supers have some sort of innate physical abilities, and 20% of supers have some sort of innate social abilities (the average super possess three innate abilities). As mentioned previously, this does not count power talents or the Supers Template, which is ST+2, DX+2, IQ+2, HT+2, and Appearance (Attractive).

When it comes to exact distributions of innate abilities, 50% of supers will possess sensory abilities, 50% of supers will possess defensive abilities, 50% of supers will possess offensive abilities, 50% of supers will possess movement abilities, and 50% of supers will possess recovery abilities, and 50% will possess other abilities. Physical mutations may grant a number of innate abilities (extra eyes would be sensory, a thick hide would be defensive, a striker would be offensive, wings would be movement, etc.). I would say that only 20% of supers would have obvious physical mutations and only 20% of them would have obvious physical mutations without switchable (and 80% of those would likely be socially acceptable, like angelic wings for someone from a Western European background, multiple arms for someone from a South Asian background, draconic features for someone from an East Asian background, etc.).

If someone manifests culturally negative unswitchable physical mutations, that will likely be a good indication of a profoundly negative self-image. If an American adolescent super manifested a demonic appearance (unless it is that of an inhumanly handsome incubus or inhumanly beautiful succubus), I imagine that they would find themselves receiving a lot of attention from psychological professionals. Of course, they may resolve their underlying psychological difficulties by the time that they reach adulthood, but they will likely bear the marks for the rest of their existence.
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