Katalysator-1 worldline
Since I felt the need to create so much material for this, including stuff that doesn't really fit the New Reality Seeds thread, it's getting a thread of its own. I'll probably start other threads for the other Katalysator worldlines, as was suggested elsewhere, and an index thread for things that apply to all of them.
Katalysator-1 (Q5, current year 1977) diverged on March 27th, 1945, when a group of scientists in Berlin accidentally discovered a form of psionic catalyst drug (which gave this and similar worldlines its Infinity designation, from the German word for 'catalyst'). Realizing what they had, they attempted to produce large amounts of it in a hurry (having a negative effect on quality), and give it to as many of those they believed were loyal to the Third Reich (or strongly opposed to the Soviets) as they could. It didn't take them very long to realize that doses large enough to produce truly impressive powers also left the victims quite mad, often leaving them useless, or even a threat to their own side (especially if given lower-quality drugs). By the time the scientists and their SS supervisor knew of the problem, a few of the test subjects had either defected to the Allies (including one nurse who brought the formula for the drug, along with a small case of samples, to Field Marshal Montgomery), or had made a mess, intentionally or otherwise, of Berlin's defences... and defenders, in some cases. Berlin was captured by the Soviet Union on May 8, 1945 (about a week later than on Homeline), with some of the new psychics inflicting significant casualties on the Red Army, about 27% more than in Homeline's history; near the end of the battle, even some Allied prisoners were given the drug, so long as the telepaths read them as strongly anti-communist. Hitler appears to have committed suicide on May 5; the doctors were unable to save the Fuehrer's life, though rumours abound that with the help of one or more of the new psychics, they saved Hitler's brain. Of the scientists who knew how to make the drug, one was captured by the Soviets, two were killed (or had committed suicide), one had been transferred to an unknown location before the battle, and the last had injected himself with a fairly large dose of the catalyst on May 6, and vanished immediately upon waking up. Following the war, the British traded the formula for America's data on the atomic bomb, and a serious reduction in Britain's war debt - they had sufficient 'relatively stable' telepaths and probability alterers that they could have just taken the information, but in the face of the Soviet threat (and learning from their espers and other intelligence assets that Russia probably had at least one of the scientists who developed the drug), Churchill wished to maintain good relations with the US. Even this could not allow the British to keep India in the Empire, although it did delay their leaving until 1950, and result in a less united subcontinent, with the Princely States retaining independence with British backing, and in several cases, being strong supporters of the new Imperial Commonwealth. In Europe in 1950, Heligoland gained a status similar to the Channel Islands, while the British Occupation Zone was leaning closer to Britain. In 1954, Elizabeth II was crowned Queen of the Dominion of Hannover. French opinion on this was somewhat ambiguous: on the one hand, keeping Germany divided was very much in their national interest; on the other, potentially being surrounded by Perfidious Albion was very much not. The Americans and Soviets were even less pleased, but Eisenhower was not inclined to go against the will of the German people in that area, and Beria did not bring sufficient pressure to bear to prevent it (it is debatable whether he even could have, as he was struggling to stay in power, and thus alive, since Stalin's assassination in 1952; the complete failure of the communist revolution in France in 1955, and the reactionary government that rose in response, sealed his fate: he was assassinated on October 25th of that year). 1955 was also the year that the formula for the catalyst drug ceased to be Top Secret - not because the various governments did not want it to be, but because too many people that they did not control knew it, including some in the employ of organized crime. On June 17, 1949, a gestalt of British teleporters successfully sent a rotating TV camera, battery, and a powerful radio transmitter from Whitehall in London to Mons Bradley, on the Moon (previous, secret tests had used film cameras, or transmitted on rarely-monitored frequencies). They retrieved the lot after about an hour. Less than a week later, the same group sent a scientist in a prototype counterpressure spacesuit, having previously sent (in many stages) the various parts and supplies for a prefabricated moon-base, designated Royal Moon Station Bradley; he was safely retrieved two and a quarter hours later, having begun the assembly of the base, and collected several moon-rock samples. The Soviets claimed to have had a man on the Moon prior to this, but could not offer adequate proof; the earliest confirmed presence of a Russian on the Moon is in June or July, 1950 (the approximate date of death of an unidentified body in a spacesuit bearing the Soviet flag, found in Firmicus crater in 1953), and the earliest Soviet known to have visited the Moon and returned alive was Georgy Beregovoy in August, 1950. The US, having fewer reliable teleporters at the time, but better psi-tech, especially in the area of psychokinesis, demonstrated a flying saucer (Convair X-5) on July 4, 1949, which made three orbits of the Earth, transmitting voice and images from on-board (the vehicle had to be manned, as it could only amplify existing psychokinetic forces), as well as filming several reels in technicolor, and performing a few experiments. A larger and more advanced saucer (Selene 1) took five Americans to the Moon, landing in Mare Serenitas on September 7, 1950, with US Army Space Corps Captain Donald K. Slayton being the first American to walk on the Moon. The Soviet Cosmic Fleet was discovered by the CIA to have built a monkey-copy of the Selene saucers in 1951 (prompting some very serious investigative work by US counter-intelligence services), but did not officially disclose their use of saucers until 1958, when they showed off the long-range Venera 1 saucer in October. The vehicle, commanded by Vladymir Komaraov, left for Venus on November 2, and arrived on May 7, 1959 (the distance was and is too far for reliable teleportation, even at closest approach), making contact with the primitive (late TL0^-early TL1^) natives on May 15. The new United States Space Forces (amalgamated from the USASC and USNSS) managed to land the saucer Aphrodite 1, commanded by Major John Glenn, on Venus in August of that year, also meeting the natives, but prior to that, President Eisenhower ordered the USSF to have a man on Mars 'before anyone else.' They succeeded in this in March of 1966, with Lt. Col. 'Gus' Grissom taking the first steps on Mars while all of Earth watched. The Martian natives sought them out, and proved to have highly eccentric technology, being mostly TL3^, but with a few items and some knowledge from much higher TLs, evidence of a fallen civilization. In 1953, a Jump Beacon was installed in Serenity Base, finally allowing the US to teleport to the Moon (similar beacons are in place at US Army Space Corps and US Navy Space Service bases on Earth); these beacons would be replaced with sets of Psychotronic Teleportals in 1960. Mass producible psi amplifiers appear to have been an American monopoly until 1957, when the Soviets began making them, and spies from both the UK and China stole the plans, and photographed the factories. Psychotronic Generators appear to have been among the first psychotronic devices invented, but it was not until 1958 that generators that did not need to be frequently or constantly 'primed' with lesser amounts of the same power (or even the same ability) were developed - though they do still require the user to have a psi ability of some type, even if just a perk. By 1959, it had been confirmed that the children of active psis consistently gain powers of their own around puberty, though it was already known that just being around psis for long periods could potentially lead to abilities developing. In 1968, archaeologists at Cydonia Planitia on Mars found a treasure trove of ancient Martian technologies; while very little is currently understood about them as yet, some items that are still operational have made it onto the black market, giving people in this worldline access to various poorly understood examples of TL11^ self-repairing technology. |
Re: Katalysator-1 worldline
Still hate the character limit.
By the time Infinity found this TL(7+1)^ world, during the local year 1971, they had developed top-notch mental health services, excellent trauma medicine, and sophisticated psi tech, including a range of psi drugs. Most major nations have moon bases and orbital stations, and each of the six Great Powers (Brazilian Empire, British Imperial Commonwealth, Republic of China, Third French Empire, USA, and USSR) have landed people on Venus and Mars. Their understanding of mundane rocketry lags well behind Homeline in the same period, being closer to 1957 than 1977, due to the availability of teleporters and psychokinetics. Computer science also lags behind Homeline's 1970s, though not as far, being roughly around 1967's technology, apart from a few bizarre one-offs that appear to be psionically assisted. The Cabal does not appear to have any interest in (or perhaps awareness of) this no mana world. (Unknown to Infinity, most intelligence services are aware that they've been visited by agents seemingly arriving from the future, or possibly from alternate worlds - the latter is believed to be less likely - and their respective governments have had high-level meetings about it. Worse from Infinity's PoV, some Gadgeteers in this worldline have been trying to reverse-engineer the conveyors from what little their Espers have been able to determine about them, and are making progress.) For clarity, I'll put the infobox in another post. There's also a timeline, which I hope will only need one post. |
Re: Katalysator-1 worldline
Katalysator-1, 1977
Current Affairs As the Cold War struggles on, psionics and strange technologies enable interplanetary exploration, and thus the hope that humanity may survive World War III (which some say increases the chance that the war will happen). Divergence Point March 27, 1945: A group of scientists in Berlin accidentally discover a form of psionic catalyst drug. Major Civilizations Western (empire with rivals); Orthodox (empire with rivals); Islamic (multipolar); Chinese (empire); Japanese (unitary); Indic (empire) Great Powers Brazilian Empire (representative democracy, CR3); British Imperial Commonwealth (representative democracies, CR3-4); Republic of China (semi-democratic oligarchy, CR4); Third French Empire (oligarchy, CR4); United States of America (representative democracy, CR3); Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, (oligarchy, CR5); Japan (representative democracy, CR4); India (oligarchy moving toward representative democracy, CR4) Worldline Data TL: (7+1)^; Mana level: No mana Quantum: 5; Infinity Class: Z2; Centrum Zone: Inaccessible |
Re: Katalysator-1 worldline
Something of a work-in-progress, let me know if there's anything missing.
Timeline of Katalysator-1: 1945 March 27: (Point of Divergence) A group of scientists in Berlin accidentally discover a form of psionic catalyst drug. April 12: One of the scientists working on the catalyst is transferred to another, more secret location, in case Berlin is captured. April 15: Klaus Bruckner is given the catalyst. He is the first to demonstrate healing abilities, though a few other healers follow. April 19: Blasa Koch is given the largest dose of the catalyst to date, and bursts into flame. She barely survives, thanks to the efforts of two ranged healers, and one who is effectively fireproof. April 23: Blasa Koch is officially codenamed 'Feuermädchen.' Late that night, nurse Hilde Rickmers injects herself with a large dose of the catalyst, having convinced Klaus to aid her. By the next morning, both are gone from Berlin, thanks to faked paperwork. April 27: Obersturmfuehrer Ernst Kruger is given a dose of the catalyst, and demonstrates a wide range of abilities, as well as a greatly enhanced ego. May 3: Hilde Rickmers and Klaus Bruckner reach British lines, and deliver the catalyst to Montgomery's HQ. May 5: Hitler, knowing his cause is lost, kills himself. Corporal Arnold Billings volunteers to be injected with the catalyst, becoming the first British psychic. May 6: One of the scientists who worked on the catalyst vanishes, apparently after injecting himself with a measure of it. May 8: The Wehrmacht forces in Berlin surrender, though SS troops will make guerilla attacks on the Allied Occupation force for quite some time. Only one of the catalyst scientists is captured, but one is enough. Examination of Hitler's burned remains creates speculation that his brain was removed post-mortem. May 19: Approximate date that samples and information on the catalyst drug (but apparently not the formula) arrive in Japan. June 30: Japanese diplomats begin sending out feelers on what terms of surrender would be acceptable to the Allies. July 26: Japan surrenders with minor conditions, the most important being that the Emperor will not be prosecuted for war crimes, that his position will be respected, and that the Soviet Union will not take part in any occupation of Japanese territory. September 16: Boston Agreement - Whitehall trades the catalyst's formula for America's data on the atomic bomb, and a serious reduction in Britain's war debt. 1946: Psi-lead social engineering experiments secretly begin in Occupied Germany. 1947: United States Air Force formally separated from the US Army. US Army Space Corps founded. In China, Mao Tse-tung dies. 1948: US Navy Space Service founded. Mass producible psi amplifier developed (by a psychic Gadgeteer) at the United States Air Force Institute of Technology. 1949 The first of several groups of psis begins working to manipulate French society. They will often be at cross-purposes with similar groups. June 22: Richard van der Riet Woolley becomes the first man to walk on the Moon. Royal Moon Station Bradley founded. July 4: Convair X-5 flying saucer is demonstrated to the public for the first time. 1950 March: Heligoland is granted a status similar to the Channel Islands. June/July: An unknown Russian man arrives in Firmicus Crater, on the Moon, but is not retrieved, and dies. August: Georgy Beregovoy becomes the first Russian to walk on the Moon and return to Earth alive. Soviet Cosmic Fleet founded. September 7: Selene 1 flying saucer, under the command of USASC Captain Donald K. Slayton, lands on the Moon. November 5: British Imperial Commonwealth announced. 1951 The CIA discovers that the Soviets have a 'monkey copy' of the Selene design, much to the concern of many in the US counter-intelligence community. USNSS deploys the first orbital station (a 'can full of air' about the size of a shipping container, powered by a mercury boiler), designating it Module One, Heinlein Naval Base. 1952: Stalin is assassinated. After a brief power struggle and longer purge, Beria takes control of Russia. 1953 A Jump Beacon is installed in Serenity Base, finally allowing the US to teleport to the Moon. The unknown cosmonaut (see June/July 1950) is discovered in Firmicus Crater; the Soviet Union denies that he is one of theirs, calling him a British hoax. 1954: Elizabeth II is crowned Queen of the Dominion of Hannover. Brazilian Empire restored. Pierre Mendès France lands a French flying saucer on the Moon. 1955 Communist revolution fails in France, French Third Empire declared. The Catalyst is declassified due to being too well-known. October 25: Beria assassinated. 1956: Brazillian gestalt teleports a Jump Beacon to the Moon, followed by a man. 1957: Mass producible psi amplifiers cease to be an American monopoly. 1958 Republic of China puts a man on the Moon. July 29: USASC and USNSS are amalgamated into the United States Space Forces. November 2: Venera 1 is sent to Venus. Eisenhower orders that the planned US mission to Venus must be moved up, and that the US must get a man on Mars 'before anyone else.' 1959 May 7: Venera 1 lands on Venus. The commander, Vladymir Komaraov, is the first human to walk on another planet. May 15: The crew of Venera 1 encounter primitive, but sapient, natives, designated Venereans by the crew. August: USSF saucer Aphrodite 1, commanded by Major John Glenn, lands on Venus. 1960: Jump Beacons are replaced with sets of Psychotronic Teleportals. (British) Imperial Space Service lands on Venus. 1964: Nelson Rockefeller defeats scandal-plagued President John F. Kennedy in the election, promises victory in Viet Nam. 1966 March: Lt. Col. 'Gus' Grissom is the first human to walk on Mars. July 4: One American tactical nuclear device is detonated 876 feet above Hanoi, North Viet Nam. July 5: One Soviet tactical nuclear device (of roughly the same yield as the American weapon, above) is detonated 869 feet above Saigon, South Viet Nam. Soviets vow to continue 1::1 ratio of nuclear weapons use. Rockefeller quietly decides not to make use of further nuclear weapons, unless heavily provoked. 1968: Archaeologists at Cydonia Planitia on Mars uncover a treasure trove of ancient Martian technologies. 1971: Scouts for Infinity discover this worldline. 1973: Intelligence and counterintelligence agencies on Katalysator-1 become aware of Infinity's researchers, though not their origin. 1976: Henry M. 'Scoop' Jackson is elected President of the USA. 1977: Present Day. |
Re: Katalysator-1 worldline
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And where did this Empire of Brazil comes from? |
Re: Katalysator-1 worldline
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I'd personally favor this setting having weaker super powers in general, offset by the British interests and The core of German Psis. But that's personal preference. |
Re: Katalysator-1 worldline
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Re: Katalysator-1 worldline
Hannover was discussed in the New Reality Seeds thread, and no-one came up with a better name.
Also, groups of psis manipulating society are mentioned in the timeline entry (society is made up of individuals, you just need to find the right ones to nudge at the right times). It's just that they don't necessarily get the exact results they want, especially when there's more than one group doing the manipulating. They don't cancel each other out, they just skew the results into something other than expected. If you run an Infinity game in this setting, though, don't just tell the players, that's supposed to be a mystery for them to solve. BTW, malloyd gets points for his comments on the Império do Brasil. Mind you, ericthered is not entirely wrong, they certainly were involved, and not just in Brazil, but much as in France, things did not go just as planned. Going to post a couple of Nazi characters next, one per post. They're pretty powerful, but they're also pretty crazy, which is why people who aren't desperate, foolish, or already nuts use smaller doses. |
Re: Katalysator-1 worldline
Obersturmfuehrer Ernst Kruger, 1945
Age: 17 Attributes ST 11 [10]; DX 11 [20]; IQ 12 [40]; HT 11 [10] Secondary Characteristics HP 11; Will 12; Per 14 [10]; FP 11 Social Background Languages: German (Native) [0]; English (Broken) [2]. TL: 6^ Cultural Familiarity: 20th century Western [0]. Subtotal: 92 Advantages Fit [5] Military Rank (Waffen-SS) 3 [15] Status 1 [5] Wealth (Comfortable) [10] Hard to Kill (Not Against Fire, -10%; Psychic Healing, -10%) 10 [16] Hard to Subdue (Not Against Fire, -10%; Psychic Healing, -10%) 10 [16] Regeneration (Regular; Not Against Fire Damage, -10%; Psychic Healing, -10%) [20] Aspect 2 [8] Suggestion 1 [10] Telereceive 3 (Shallow) [24] Mind Shield 4 [16] Telepathy Sense 2 [7] Mind Clouding 3 [18] Danger Sense (ESP, -10%; Not Against Fire, -10%) [12] ESP Talent 2 [10] Psychic Hunches 4 [51] True Sight 1 [15] Coincidence 1 [27] Curse 5 [30] Second Chance 2 [24] Perks Classic Features (Nordic 'Aryan'). [1] Dabbler (Studies: Intelligence Analysis 8; Politics 9; Psychology 8; Strategy 8) [1] Eye for Distance. [1] Honest Face. [1] Avatar. [1] Karma Bank. [1] Subtotal: 345 Disadvantages Duty (Waffen-SS; 15 or less; Extremely Hazardous) [-20] Fanaticism (Nazism) [-15] Intolerance [-10] Megalomania [-10] Paranoia [-10] Pyrophobia (6) [-10] Selfish (12) [-5] Quirks Beer snob. [-1] Hates garlic. [-1] Nosy. [-1] Proud. [-1] Subtotal: -84 Skills Acting [IQ/A] [1] 11 Animal Handling (Equines) [IQ/A] [1] 11 Armoury/TL6 (Small Arms) [IQ/A] [1] 11 Bicycling [DX/E] [2] 12 Brawling [DX/E] [1] 11 Camouflage [IQ/E] [1] 12 Climbing [DX/A] [2] 11 Detect Lies [Per/H] [1] 12 Disguise/TL6 [IQ/A] [1] 11 First Aid/TL6 [IQ/E] [1] 12 Guns/TL6 (Pistol) [DX/E] [4] 13 Guns/TL6 (Rifle) [DX/E] [4] 13 Hiking [HT/A] [1] 10 Jumping [DX/E] [1] 11 Leadership [IQ/A] [1] 11 Navigation/TL6 (Land) [IQ/A] [1] 11 Philosophy (National Socialism) [IQ/H] [2] 11 Riding (Horse) [DX/A] [1] 10 Savoir-Faire (Military) [IQ/E] [1] 12 Scrounging [Per/E] [1] 14 Soldier/TL6 [IQ/A] [1] 11 Spear (Rifle Bayonet) [DX/A] [2] 11 Stealth [DX/A] [2] 11 Survival (Woodlands) [Per/A] [1] 13 Tactics [IQ/H] [1] 10 Throwing [DX/A] [2] 11 Traps/TL6 [IQ/A] [1] 11 Wrestling [DX/A] [2] 11 Aspect [Will/H] [2] 11 Coincidence [IQ/H] [4] 12 Curse [IQ/H] [4] 12 Danger Sense [Per/H] [4] 16* Mind Shield [Will/H] [1] 10 Mind Clouding [IQ/H] [4] 12 Psychic Hunches [IQ/H] [4] 14* Second Chance [IQ/H] [8] 13 Suggestion [IQ/H] [4] 12 Telepathy Sense [Per/H] [1] 12 Telereceive [IQ/H] [1] 10 True Sight [Will/H] [2] 13* * Includes +2 for ESP Talent. Techniques Bulk Compensation (H) Mind Clouding+0 [2] 13 (Light Encumbrance) Transference (H) Second Chance-10 [2] 4 Subtotal: 84 Total: 437 Equipment Waffen-SS Uniform Medium Helmet. Gives DR 4 to Head, Skull. Boots, hobnailed. Give DR 2 to Feet. Luger P08 pistol Six magazines, 9x19mm ammo Sturmgewehr 44 Three magazines, 7.92×33mm ammo Notes Ernst had previously been a member of the Hitler Youth. His position in the Waffen-SS came after he volunteered for the dangerous medical test that gave him his powers - he was one of the few to both survive, and not become either uselessly insane, or hostile to the Third Reich. This is Ernst before and during the Fall of Berlin. Before he gained his powers, Ernst had HT 12, Courtesy Rank (Hitlerjugend) 3, Overconfidence, and the quirk 'Dislikes open flame.' The latter two have become Megalomania and Pyrophobia. After Germany surrenders, he loses his Duty and Rank, and gains Enemies (Agents of the Allied Powers, Hunter, 9 or less) [-30], Alternate Identity (Illegal) [15], and a new quirk (Rants about the 'Zionist Conspiracy.' [-1]), as he becomes a terrorist and would-be world conqueror. If left alone for long enough, he will accumulate followers like a cult leader, mostly in a cell system. His Telepathy makes him a serious problem, but he would be far less of a threat if he wasn't so terribly hard to catch - particularly as you shouldn't let him touch your skin. His Avatar is the Nazi flag flapping in the wind to the sound of the Horst-Wessel-Lied. If you're running a Supers-style game (or perhaps even if you aren't), he's likely to call himself 'der Ubermench,' though he'll probably not be the only successful (or surviving) test subject to choose that name. The Monsters section of the GURPS Repository has a number of Nazi characters that I based Ernst on, particularly the Hitler Youth Tank Hunter. His powers (apart from the Psychic Healing abilities) are mostly taken from a few templates in GURPS Psis: Telepathy: Eavesdropper, Likable, Mental Guard, and Shadow; ESP: Hyper-Observant (slightly modified); and Probability Alteration: Doom Bringer and Lucky Devil. |
Re: Katalysator-1 worldline
Blasa 'Feuermädchen' Koch, 1945
Age: 19 Attributes ST 10 [0]; DX 11 [20]; IQ 10 [0]; HT 12 [20] Secondary Characteristics HP 10; Will 12 [10]; Per 10; FP 15 [9] Social Background Languages: German (Native) [0]; English (Broken/None) [1]. TL: 6^ Cultural Familiarity: 20th century Western [0]. Subtotal: 60 Advantages Acute Hearing 1 [2] Very Beautiful [16] EK Shield (Absorption (Full), +100%; Limited, Burning, -20%, Nuisance Effect: Flaming aura, -5%) 10 [77] Enhanced Move 2 (Air Speed 60; Psychokinesis, -10%; Immediate Preparation Required, 1 minute, -30%) [24] Scanning Sense (Exclusive Active IR; Ergokinesis, -10%) [9] Levitation (Nuisance Effects: Flaming aura and trail, -10%) 15 [38] PK Shield (Nuisance Effect: Flaming aura, -5%) 10 [38] + PK Shield (Piercing Only, -40%; Nuisance Effect: Flaming aura, -5%) 50 [110] Protected Scanning Sense (Ergokinesis, -10%) [5] Pyrokinesis 10 [140] Regeneration (Regular; Psychic Healing, -10%; Nuisance Effect: Must have fire nearby, -5%) [21] Temperature Tolerance 6 (Psychokinesis, -10%) [6] Perks Skill Adaptation: Levitation based on Will. [1] Skill Adaptation: PK Shield based on Will. [1] Umbrella. [1] Subtotal: 451 Disadvantages Duty (Waffen-SS; 15 or less; Extremely Hazardous) [-20] Intolerance (Communists) [-5] Low Pain Threshold [-10] Bad Temper (12) [-10] Bloodlust (12) [-10] Cryophobia (12) [-5] Impulsivness (12) [-10] Oblivious [-5] Pyromania (6) [-10] Quirks Exhibitionist. [-1] Mild Claustrophobia. [-1] Proud. [-1] Uncomfortable if there are no fires within twenty feet. [-1] White eyes with no visible pupil. [-1] Subtotal: -90 Skills Administration [IQ/A] [2] 10 Area Knowledge (Local) [IQ/E] [1] 10 Camouflage [IQ/E] [1] 10 Cooking [IQ/A] [1] 9 Electronics Operation/TL6 (Communications) [IQ/A] [2] 10 Electronics Operation/TL6 (Sensors) [IQ/A] [2] 10 First Aid/TL6 [IQ/E] [2] 11 Gunner/TL6 (Cannon) [DX/E] [1] 11 Savoir-Faire (Military) [IQ/E] [1] 10 Scrounging [Per/E] [1] 10 Sex Appeal [HT/A] [1] 11 Soldier/TL6 [IQ/A] [1] 9 Typing [DX/E] [1] 11 EK Shield [Will/H] [4] 12 Levitation [Will/H] [4] 12 PK Shield [Will/H] [4] 12 Pyrokinesis [Will/H] [4] 12 Techniques Expanded Area (H) Pyrokinesis-5 [6] 12 Rapid Launch (H) Levitation-4 [5] 12 Subtotal: 44 Total: 465 Equipment Sauer BM .32 ACP semiautomatic pistol Gas mask and container Binoculars Uniform Shoes First Aid Kit Notes The two PK Shield listings are the same power (hence the '+'), which works far better on Piercing attacks than on others. 'Limited, Burning' on the EK Shield is -20% because EK Shield already has a -20% from Limited, Energy. Before she got her powers, Blasa was rather average in looks, had 'Sense of Duty (Germany),' and had the quirks 'Hates cold and winter' and 'Irritable.' She only survived her empowerment because some previously empowered individuals had healing abilities. Even so, the ordeal left her blind, save for the Active IR (and thus Infravision) granted by her power. In combat, she tends to leave all her equipment behind, both to save weight, and due to the high probability of destroying it (she burned off her uniform three times before her superiors accepted this, though some do suspect she does it on purpose). Her Cryophobia isn't just a fear of being cold, which it would take a lot for her to even notice, but of cold and ice in general. Encountering ice, sleet, snow, or liquified gasses, or especially being attacked or threatened by someone with cold powers, could set her off. Template from GURPS Psis: Fast Flight (modified). The Monsters section of the GURPS Repository has a number of Nazi characters that I based Blasa on, particularly the Luftwaffe Auxiliary Servicewoman. |
Re: Katalysator-1 worldline
Now, a couple of Germans who aren't Nazis:
Hilde Rickmers, 1945 Age: 24 Attributes ST 9 [-10]; DX 11 [20]; IQ 12 [40]; HT 10 [0] Secondary Characteristics HP 9; Will 13 [5]; Per 12; FP 13 [9] Social Background Languages: German (Native) [0]; Heligolandic Frisian (Native) [4]; English (Accented/Native) [5]. TL: 6^ Cultural Familiarity: 20th century Western [0]. Subtotal: 73 Advantages Ally (Klaus Bruckner, 80% of points, 15 or less) [10] Attractive [4] Healer 1 [10] Sensitive [5] Spirit Allies (Cosmic Modular Abilities; Astral Projection, -10%; Nuisance Effect: must chant and display runes, -10%; Only for Allies with Summonable and Minion, -50%) 10 [30] Resistant to Sickness +3 [5] Adjustment (Healing Only, -30%) 9 [36] Aura Reading 5 [22] Coincidence (Nuisance Effects: 'Cannot use Extra Effort to gain more uses per day' and 'Only to grant the wishes of others,' -10%; Reliable, +60%) 3 [105] Curse 5 [30] EK Shield 3 [12] Empathy (Psychic Healing, -10%) [14] Photorefraction 5 [25] - Hologram 5 (Alternative Ability of Photorefraction) [5] Retrocognition 4 [40] - Prognostication 5 (Alternative Ability of Retrocognition) [8] - Visions (Full) (Alternative Ability of Retrocognition) [4] Retrocognitive Flashbacks (from Retrocognition) [6] Second Chance 1 [12] Seekersense 1 [7] Spirit Communication 3 [18] Weather Control 2 [44] Perks Alcohol Tolerance. [1] Classic Features (Pale brunette). [1] Soothing Touch. [1] Subtotal: 455 Disadvantages Code of Honour (Professional) [-5] Insomniac (Mild) [-10] Pacifism (Reluctant Killer) [-5] Sense of Duty (Heligoland) [-10] Bad Temper (15) [-5] Delusion (I'm a witch!) [-5] Fanaticism (Britain) [-15] Frightens Animals (Telepathy, -10%) [-9] Phobia (Traditional 'witch banes') (12) [-5] Quirks Believes that Heligoland was and would be better off under British rule. [-1] Fascinated by the occult. [-1] Flirts well unconsciously, but becomes awkward (-2 to Sex Appeal) when flirting on purpose. [-1] Rather fond of schnapps. [-1] Responsive. [-1] Subtotal: -74 Features Fortune-Telling is Complementary for all ESP skills. [0] Symbol Drawing is Complementary for all Psi skills. [0] Skills Biology (Biochemistry)/TL6^ [IQ/H] [1] 10 Body Language [Per/A] [1] 11 Chemistry/TL6^ [IQ/H] [1] 10 Diagnosis/TL6 [IQ/H] [4] 13* Diplomacy [IQ/H] [4] 12 Fortune-Telling (Runecasting) [IQ/A] [1] 11 Meditation [Will/H] [1] 11 Occultism [IQ/A] [2] 12 Pharmacy (Synthetic)/TL6^ [IQ/H] [1] 11* Physician/TL6 [IQ/H] [8] 14* Physiology/TL6 [IQ/H] [1] 11* Psychology [IQ/H] [2] 12* Sex Appeal [HT/A] [4] 11 Symbol Drawing (Futhorc) [IQ/H] [2] 11 Writing [IQ/A] [1] 11 Adjustment [IQ/H] [4] 12 Aura Reading [IQ/H] [2] 11 Coincidence [IQ/H] [4] 12 Curse [IQ/H] [4] 12 EK Shield [IQ/H] [2] 11 Empathy [IQ/H] [4] 12 Hologram [IQ/H] [2] 11 Photorefraction [IQ/H] [4] 12 Prognostication [IQ/H] [4] 12 Retrocognition [IQ/H] [4] 12 Second Chance [IQ/H] [4] 12 Seekersense [Per/H] [4] 12 Spirit Communication [IQ/H] [4] 12 Visions [IQ/H] [4] 12 Weather Control [IQ/H] [4] 12 Techniques Channeling (H) Spirit Communication-8 [3] 6 Evil Eye (H) Curse-4 [4] 11 Pinpoint (H) Seekersense-10 [5] 6 Reactive Use (H) Photorefraction-4 [3] 10 Unsupervised Change (H) Weather Control-10 [2] 3 * Includes +1 from Healer Talent. Subtotal: 109 Total: 563 Equipment Nice clothes shoes purse First-Aid kit Notes I normally would not use or allow Reliable to be added to most Psi abilities, but it's thematically appropriate in this context, and thematically limited. Evil Eye changes Curse from a touch-range attack, to one based on the user's line of sight. Hilde would not have survived her empowerment, if not for Klaus's healing abilities. If her Will were lower, she's have more, and/or worse, mental problems. Ghostdancer did a helpful chart for ally/familiar/dependent costs in his blog (scroll down a little). Spirit Ally availability maximums (for one ally): x4 (Constantly): 60%, 338 x3 (15 or less): 75%, 422 x2 (12 or less): 100%, 563 x1 (9 or less): 150%, 845 x.5 (6 or less): 200%, 1126 Thus, the more powerful a spirit is, the less likely it is to be available to help when you need it. I very likely wouldn't allow Constantly without enough backstory to justify it, though in the case of the Spirit Allies power, it just means that she doesn't have to roll to see if the spirit is available, or if the thoughtform will manifest. If you want to run a game without spirits, dropping Spirit Allies and Spirit Communication doesn't make Hilde much less playable, although it does remove one of the justifications for her Delusion. GURPS Bio-Tech supplied the Nurse template (p207) that I used for her. Templates from GURPS Psis include EK: Energy Absorber, Illusionist; ESP: Ghost Sight, Past-Scanner, Psychic Tracker (modified); Probability Alteration: Doom Bringer, Rain Dancer; Psycic Healing: Empathic Bond (modified). |
Re: Katalysator-1 worldline
Klaus Bruckner, 1945
Age: 22 Attributes ST 16 [54 (SM, -10%)]; DX 12 [40]; IQ 11 [20]; HT 14 [40] Secondary Characteristics HP 16; Will 13 [10]; Per 13 [10]; FP 14; SM+1 Social Background Languages: German (Native) [0]. TL: 6^ Cultural Familiarity: 20th century Western [0]. Subtotal: 174 Advantages Ally (Hilde Rickmers, 120% of points, 15 or less) [21] Eidetic Memory [5] Hard to Kill 2 [4] Hard to Subdue 3 [6] Intuitive Mathematician [5] Mathematical Ability 4 [40] Single-Minded [5] Affliction (Advantage: Hard to Kill 10 (Psychic Healing, -10%; Extended Duration: 10 minutes, +40%) [39] Affliction (Advantage: Regeneration (Regular; Psychic Healing, -10%; Extended Duration: Permanent until fully healed, +150%; Melee Attack, C, -30%) [73] Damage Control 3 [32] Mind Clouding 3 [18] Aura Reading 5 [22] - Emotion Sense 4 (Psychic Healing; Alternate Ability of Aura Reading) [4] Cure Disease 1 [6] Psychic Healing Talent 1 [5] Perks Pharmaceutical Probe. [1] Subtotal: 276 Disadvantages Gregarious [-10] Pacifism (Cannot Kill) [-15] Sense of Duty (Friends) [-5] Phantom Voices (Annoying) [-5] Phobia (Snakes) (12) [-5] Post-Combat Shakes (12) [-5] Stuttering [-10] Quirks Bum knee. [-1] Fond of animals. [-1] Likes dark-haired women. [-1] Loves Hilde, but thinks he's not good enough for her. [-1] Subtotal: -59 Features Gigantism. [0] Mathematics is Complementary for all Psi skills. [0] Skills Animal Handling (Dogs) [IQ/A] [2] 11 Astronomy/TL6 [IQ/H] [1] 13* Cryptography/TL6 [IQ/H] [2] 14* First Aid/TL6 [IQ/E] [4] 13 Guns (Rifle)/TL6 [DX/E] [1] 12 Guns (Shotgun)/TL6 [DX/E] [1] 12 Hiking [HT/A] [1] 13 Intimidation [Will/A] [1] 12 Mathematics (Pure)/TL6 [IQ/H] [8] 16* Mathematics (Statistics)/TL6 [IQ/H] [4] 15* Mathematics (Cryptology)/TL6 [IQ/H] [2] 14* Mathematics (Surveying)/TL6 [IQ/H] [1] 13* Mathematics (Applied)/TL6 [IQ/H] [1] 13* Physics (Astrophysics)/TL6 [IQ/H] [1] 13* Stealth [DX/A] [2] 12 Survival (Woodlands) [Per/A] [2] 13 Tracking [Per/A] [2] 13 Traps/TL6 [IQ/A] [2] 11 Affliction (Healing) [IQ/H] [4] 12** Aura Reading [IQ/H] [2] 11** Cure [IQ/H] [4] 12** Damage Control [HT/H] [2] 14** Emotion Sense [IQ/H] [2] 11** Mind Clouding [IQ/H] [4] 11 * Includes +4 from Mathematical Ability. ** Includes +1 from Psychic Healing Talent. Techniques Cure Affliction (H) Cure-6 [2] 7 Harden Bone (H) Damage Control-4 [5] 14 Heal Limb (H) Affliction-6 [2] 7 Restore Limb (H) Affliction-10 [4] 5 Bulk Compensation (H) Mind Clouding+0 [5] 15 (Medium Encumbrance) Subtotal: 74 Total: 465 Equipment Clothes Boots Notes Fear of reptiles in general is -10, so I suspect that fear of snakes, specifically, should be around -5. Klaus was never the brightest child growing up; indeed, before he got his powers, he had IQ 9, though he could somewhat fake higher intelligence due to his excellent memory, Talent for maths, and single-minded devotion to learning. Also, his father was a hunter and dog-trainer, and made sure his children could handle themselves there (he certainly can shoot, he just doesn't want to). Before gaining his powers, Klaus had Pacifism (Total Non-Violence) [-30], and the 'Doesn't know his own strength' quirk. GURPS Psis supplied some templates to Klaus: Shadow (yes, the 8-foot-tall guy can sneak up on you) and Treat Disease. Thoughts? |
Re: Katalysator-1 worldline
Cool setting! I like alt-history.
Some suggestions for expansion: Consider what PC parties might originate within this world. I can imagine all sorts of adventures taking place in this world that don't require the story to be about alternative worlds. Say more about how daily life differs from our world. Say more about the political divisions between everyday people in the West (or on Earth). Can you say more about how religion has coped with psi? Write up an introductory paragraph for people who are new to the setting, just surprising the setting and what's different and special about it. |
Re: Katalysator-1 worldline
I keep wanting to reply to this and being tired, so if this is lacking detail and/or coherency, that's why.
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One problem that it occurs to me that the players and GM might have, is accurately playing a party of loons without driving each other crazy in RL. Quote:
Really, the widespread existence of psi-tech is going to make things quite different from either our 2017, or our 1977 - if you can afford a flying car, there's little reason not to buy one, because they're practical and fairly safe when piloted by someone competent - what they aren't is cheap, so most people still get around the same way they did in our 1977. Psi-tech Mind Shield generators are common and somewhat cheap, because early high demand lead to manufacturers trying many ways to undercut the competition. Mind Block and Expert Skill (Psionics) are commonly taught in school, sometimes even before High School. Mental Strength, Autohypnosis, and Meditation are probably all available in school, and anyone planning to take the catalyst, or who has psi abilities through exposure to active psis (e.g. one or both parents) is probably encouraged or required to take them. RadioShack predates the point of divergence, and you can get some examples of psi-tech there. Psi-based entertainment systems may be an option, though data storage is fairly primitive (you can have video tape without microchips, but the VCR would be a bit bigger, I think). Psi drugs of various types are available, even a few over the counter, but the catalyst itself would require a prescription (though there most likely is a political movement to make it freely available to all, in small enough doses to be safe; most doctors and many politicians would find that objectionable, though not all for the same reasons). A greater interest in having competent mental health professionals might or might not have much effect on daily life, but having fairly large numbers of crazy people with super powers would. Quote:
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Re: Katalysator-1 worldline
Here's another character, this one rather less overpowering (and rather less nuts). If there's anything missing, let me know and I'll edit it in, as I pretty much guessed at his equipment, and vaguely feel that there's something wrong or incomplete with his mundane skills:
Corporal Arnold Billings Age: 31 Attributes ST 11 [10]; DX 11 [20]; IQ 10 [0]; HT 10 [0] Secondary Characteristics HP 11; Will 12 [10]; Per 13 [15]; FP 10 Social Background Languages: English (Native) [0]; French (Broken/None) [1]; German (Broken/None) [1]. TL: 6^ Cultural Familiarity: 20th century Western [0]. Subtotal: 57 Advantages Contact Group (Criminals; Skill 12, 6 or less, Usually reliable) [5] Street-Smart Talent 2 [10] Exoteleport 3 (Touch-Only) [45] Mind Shield 4 [16] Telepathy Sense 2 [7] Oracle (ESP, -10%) [14] Visions (Dream) [5] Perks Coin Trick. [1] Exposition Sense. [1] Skill Adaptation: Exoteleport based on Will. [1] Subtotal: 105 Disadvantages Code of Honor (Pirate's) [-5] Duty (British Army, 15 or less) [-15] Greed (15) [-7] Lunacy [-10] Quirks Hates driving. [-1] Ironic sense of humour. [-1] Strong Liverpudlian accent. [-1] Loves a good beer, but loves the waitresses more. [-1] Subtotal: -41 Features Fortune-Telling is Complementary for all ESP skills. [0] Skills Acting [IQ/A] [2] 10 Fast-Talk [IQ/A] [4] 11 Fortune-Telling (Tarot) [IQ/A] [2] 10 Filch [DX/A] [2] 11 Games (Tarocchi) [IQ/E] [1] 10 Guns (Rifle)/TL6 [DX/E] [1] 11 Hobby (Card tricks) [DX/E] [2] 12 Lockpicking/TL6 [IQ/A] [4] 11 Merchant [IQ/A] [2] 12* Panhandling [IQ/E] [1] 12* Pickpocket [DX/H] [4] 11 Scrounging [Per/E] [1] 15* Shadowing [IQ/A] [1] 11* Sleight of Hand [DX/H] [4] 11 Smuggling [IQ/A] [4] 11 Soldier/TL6 [IQ/A] [2] 10 Stealth [DX/A] [4] 12 Streetwise [IQ/A] [2] 12* Survival (Woodlands) [Per/A] [1] 12 Tactics [IQ/H] [2] 9 Throwing [DX/A] [2] 11 Urban Survival [Per/A] [1] 14* Exoteleport [Will/H] [4] 12 Mind Shield [Will/H] [1] 10 Telepathy Sense [Per/H] [1] 11 Oracle [IQ/H] [4] 10 Visions [IQ/H] [1] 8 Subtotal: 60 Total: 181 Equipment Brodie helmet Uniform Boots Boot knife SMLE (.303 British) Bayonet Grenades Backpack w/ typical marching supplies Notes *Includes +2 from Street-Smart Talent. Templates from GURPS Psis: Teleportation: Object Sending; Telepathy: Mental Guard; ESP: Intuitive Divination. As a child, he and his siblings were sometimes taken care of by their slightly dotty great-aunt (a semi-retired carnival 'gypsy' with no noticeable trace of Romani blood), who taught them card games and tricks, including Tarot, to keep them busy and out of trouble. In the former, she succeeded, but in the latter, the Billings children became quite skilled at getting things they were not exactly supposed to - just not when Great-Aunt Millie was minding them, because they didn't want her to stop the lessons. In civillian life, he made a marginal living as a non-violent small-time criminal, and an odd-job man for the shops and such in the poorer part of Liverpool. Since joining the Army, he mostly uses his criminal skills to keep his fellows' morale up, and to obtain supplies that they might not technically be entitled to. In most of Britain, Arnold's Contact Group will be available on a 9 or less, or a 12 or less in his native Liverpool. Due to his power, if Arnold is used in combat at all, he's quite likely to be issued rather more grenades than would be typical. On the other hand, he would be far more useful for his oracular abilities, if he trains them up enough. Thoughts? |
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