Suddenly, Supers!

[malloyd]

Originally Posted by christ0pher

Yeah, I pictured a lot of "everyday people" trying to figure out how to live with these powers initially.

Why? Many people have talents they rarely bother to use. Why should super powers be any different? Most people with them will not change their lives very much unless their new power offers them an obviously better way of earning a living, in which case that is what they will use it for. If it weren't for the media making them think it was the "right" thing to do with them, I wouldn't bet on any substantial number of them picking "become a vigilante"

Yes, thank you for this. Some people might feel the responsibility to do something when a psychopathic with Superman powers starts tearing up New York, and then disappear back home when the dust settles. Some with the power might just go to watch the carnage.

It's worth noting that Superman powers do constitute one of those obvious violations of physics. There are any number of not quite man portable weapons that will apply energies and forces that will rip apart anything about human sized made of atoms. If some super can take an anti-tank round and remain not ripped apart, there is new physics happening.

Yeah, I would think most would lean toward easily obtainable, existing identity concealing gear. Ski-masks, motorcycle helmets, goggles...

Why conceal your identity at all? This is another of those superhero genre conventions that don't hold up too well. Even criminals often don't bother, law enforcement personnel certainly don't.

Interesting, I hadn't thought of technology based off the Supers. I just wonder if very few people with power would let themselves be studied that much.

Why not? Way, way more will than are going to go fight crime. It's a socially useful thing you can do with your new power that involves no particular risk. Somebody will probably even pay you a decent salary for it.

[FireTigeris]

To limit Sups in some games I've used basically power levels 0-5, anyone over level 3 also has +1 Empathy, each level above 3 gets an additional level of empathy.

Now there are -real- reasons for those above the median (2.5) to help people or fight crime- they feel it- also causes sanity checks and willpower checks in high stress or places where many people are in pain... (lol- cuz I'm evil that way)

also each large information age government makes a roll once per 'quarter' to develop "anti-sups weapons" used first on the very powerful or criminally insane... but can be volunteered for (after successful production)... when 'successfully developed' receiving a charge from the device (which is city block sized and shielded) removes one level of power, permanently if the device is working correctly. It can be used 10 times a day but no more than once a day per person (if they want the person alive).

[Kromm]

It's important to define how "magical" this cosmic energy is, too. If it actively defies analysis – that is, if the energy not only flies in the face of existing science but also alters its base nature unpredictably, despite producing consistent effects, and exists in a "the scientific method does not work" bubble – then you won't see tech based on it and you will make many people nervous. That kind of thing is likely to stir up both scientists (who cannot pin it down beyond "It appears to be totally random and all results are irreproducible.") and the faithful ("It appears to be conscious and one step ahead of us . . . is it God or is it Satan?"). At that point you'll see quite a few powerful authorities that are accustomed to relying on rational thought for their military and intelligence edge grow very worried about their way of life, and quite a few ordinary people reverting to superstition.

The repercussions of this will depend on the nature of the powers. Someone who can resist bullets or come back from the dead is one thing; someone who can control minds is another. Even if the latter kind of person is lily-white in motivation, the mere existence of such gifts beyond the reach of science to understand, block, or duplicate will generate serious paranoia and xenophobia. Similarly, however "good" you might be, if your power causes everyone around you to strip down and participate in an orgy, I can promise you that religious and superstitious people will react poorly not just to you but to all powers: "They come from the Devil!"

[Gedrin]

I ran a campaign very similar to this. IMC the event was caused by a burst of "Cosmic Energy" that bathed a bit less than half the planet with the primary area of effect being North America. The burst triggered powers in people experiencing life threatening situations at the moment. On the night of the event, everyone had uncontrollable. Campaign began with everyone making 75pt high end normals, and choosing a power portfolio, but not knowing their exact powers.

E+1: Lots of those people in accidents yesterday, sneak out of hospitals or otherwise refuse or exit treatment. Much documentation of the weirdness. Doctors baffled and word begins to spread through the medical community of miraculous healing.

E-Day (June 2nd, 2003): The PC's all experienced traumatic accidents or other events that would kill a normal person. There are several major accidents, mishaps and minor disasters. Tram derailments, small panic riots, fires. Emergency services are strapped. None of the events individually qualify as major disasters, but all together the responder services are very strapped.

E+2: Secretary of State Colin Powel resigns, citing the further development of his cancer. This is the PR story, consistent with his prior diagnosis. Colin Powel actually has Earth Control powers, and turned to solid stone inside the White House.

E+3: The internet is starting to buzz in a weird way. People post video, but of course it's all debunked.

E+4: Major flooding continues in Mississippi. Potential for major flooding disasters.

E+5: China detains a group of US businessmen without public cause, and it begins to spiral into a major indecent. Rhetoric is much higher than normal for such a situation.
By this point, there are accusations of bizarre terrorism plots and the Sunday Show talking heads are beginning to address the issue, but no one is willing to admit that there are supers involved. Such things don't exist.

E+6: Several major SWAT incidents. A series of fires in Chicago's inner city projects kills 6. Fire investigators blame arson, but say no more. Equal to how the fire started, are questions about why only 6 people died in such a bizarre inferno.


E+7: Factory fire in Ohio causes a tremendous explosion. White there's no super related activity with the fire, the reporter covering the fire is close to the explosion. When debris strike him, he reflexively gains Body of Metal and completely looses his mind, on live TV. Video goes viral and receives wide broadcast.
Government statements are of the "keep calm" variety.

E+8: Another major tenement fire in Chicago, 20 killed, two police officers missing. Manifestos on the net point to racial motivations.
Numerous other incidents occur across the US, Canada and Mexico. Following the wild rumors and collapse of Sinola Mexico, several governors begin calling up the national guard.

E+9: While covering the detention of Canadian, Mexican and US citizens by the governments of France, UK and Japan, CNN reporters use the term "suspected Supers".

E+10: Lightning hurling Super attacks the premier of the new Green Lantern movie, staring Will Smith. Smith and family are saved by other Supers who had won tickets to the premier on a local radio show (PC's).

E+11: Chicago PD confronts a pyro super dressed in KKK hood, 4 killed before a second super appears, dressed as a fireman, to defeat him. They are dubbed "The Klansman" and "The Fireman". Fireman's identity never discovered.

E+12: In Mississippi, flooding spills over into populated areas. Ancient woman with water control powers saves children from a collapsing day care center. Dubbed "Grandma Moses".

E+13: President GWB addresses the nation with his "Extraordinary Americans" speech. While calling for calm, pledging to work to allow all to live in the land of the free and protect all Americans, the speech is received with mixed reviews at best. The "X-Americans" or "ex-Americans" appellation is widely rejected.

E+14: The FBI, which has been assisted with a wide variety of blatantly illegal (mostly without warrants) means, has identified many supers and invites them to join the US government for training, research and investigation. Supers are offered a good cash bonus (80-120k), living expenses and a wide variety of benefits in exchange for spending three months on a research base. Some accept, some reject. No one is literally forced, but there's pressure to comply.

After this, supers are considered by law to be armed as with a gun at all times. It causes problems in banking and travel, but alternate services begin to form during the campaign. There is universal registration. Additionally, the research camps did extensive psychological testing, and several people who went tot he camps noticed that easy to get along with types went to "Green" teams, some others went to "Yellow" teams, and it was really uncommon to hear from anyone on a "Red" team again. It's rapidly exploding into a civil liberties nightmare.

[Gold & Appel Inc]

Originally Posted by malloyd

Why not? Way, way more will than are going to go fight crime. It's a socially useful thing you can do with your new power that involves no particular risk. Somebody will probably even pay you a decent salary for it.

Case in point, last time I checked you can get ~$100/day in the Rockville Corridor letting them do completely bland medical experiments on you as a normal human, if you give them full control over your body and movements for the duration (usually ~30 days). Imagine what they'd pay for full access to a unique superbeing.

[christ0pher]

Originally Posted by malloyd

Why? Many people have talents they rarely bother to use. Why should super powers be any different? Most people with them will not change their lives very much unless their new power offers them an obviously better way of earning a living, in which case that is what they will use it for. If it weren't for the media making them think it was the "right" thing to do with them, I wouldn't bet on any substantial number of them picking "become a vigilante"

There's still a transition period and I can only imagine that learning you can fly or walk through walls would take some getting used to. There's a bit of a difference between suddenly learning you're good at chess and learning you can move the pieces with your mind. I agree, a large majority will do nothing with the powers, but there are people who would want to show them off, people who like to be a spectacle, people who like helping others, and people who will go on a "power trip" lording themselves over others.

Originally Posted by malloyd

Why conceal your identity at all? This is another of those superhero genre conventions that don't hold up too well.

I guess I'm just not a trusting person. The idea that a person or their family would be left alone if the world knew they could do impossible things. It may be a genre convention, but I believe it would hold true in this case. Especially if, from the government's point of view, a horde of people that can smash their way into any secure facility in the world and do as they wish were unleashed. It's a game changer, walking weapons of mass destruction. Even worse, thinking weapons of mass destruction. At the least people would clamor to know everything about these individuals, the devious, looking for some leverage. I would not want to stand in that spotlight.

Originally Posted by malloyd

Why not? Way, way more will than are going to go fight crime.

I agree, some would submit to study, but I guess it depends on the powers, if it's even possible at our level of sophistication to learn anything useful.

[christ0pher]

Originally Posted by FireTigeris

To limit Sups in some games I've used basically power levels 0-5, anyone over level 3 also has +1 Empathy, each level above 3 gets an additional level of empathy.

I guess having something like this happen to you could alter your perspective on life. I'm gonna put this idea in my pocket, thanks.

[malloyd]

Originally Posted by christ0pher

I guess I'm just not a trusting person. The idea that a person or their family would be left alone if the world knew they could do impossible things. It may be a genre convention, but I believe it would hold true in this case.

This is probably the disconnect. Yes this happens all the time in comics, because it provides a nice source of conflict to drive plots. It doesn't actually make sense though. Relatively few super powers are actually that destructive. Certainly the number of supers whose powers allow them to inflict more damage than a I could by stealing a truck and running it into a crowd, or a big propane tank, or the supports of the promenade downtown while there are a lot of people on it, isn't all that huge, even in comics where they are freely allowed to violate physical limits on chemical bond strengths and sources of energy. And yet, no government attempts to confine everybody who knows how to drive a truck.

Edit: I suppose to an extent it's a matter of when you are setting things. There could easily be a few days or weeks of panic where governments and other organizations do stupid stuff, but once there has been long enough for everybody to start thinking logically about the problem, it pretty quickly becomes obvious that this is both pointless (most supers simply aren't a threat) and stupidly counterproductive (persecuting these people means they fail to come forward to be studied, or to accept government jobs).

I would not want to stand in that spotlight.

Then why are you using your powers in public at all? Surely it's much easier to remain unknown by *not showing off* than it is by showing off but wearing a mask.

[christ0pher]

Originally Posted by Kromm

It's important to define how "magical" this cosmic energy is, too. If it actively defies analysis – that is, if the energy not only flies in the face of existing science but also alters its base nature unpredictably, despite producing consistent effects, and exists in a "the scientific method does not work" bubble – then you won't see tech based on it and you will make many people nervous.

I was operating under assumption that proper analysis would be beyond our current scientific understanding, and it would take decades of study to find anything meaningful or reproducible.

Originally Posted by Kromm

The repercussions of this will depend on the nature of the powers. Someone who can resist bullets or come back from the dead is one thing; someone who can control minds is another.

To psi, or not to psi: that is the question. If we remove the possibility of mental coercion or manipulation as a power we can lessen the chance of drone strikes on suspected supers. Of course, we'd lose the chance for some really good bad guys... tough choice. lol!

[NineDaysDead]

Originally Posted by FireTigeris

To limit Sups in some games I've used basically power levels 0-5, anyone over level 3 also has +1 Empathy, each level above 3 gets an additional level of empathy.

+1 Empathy?

Originally Posted by FireTigeris

Now there are -real- reasons for those above the median (2.5) to help people or fight crime- they feel it- also causes sanity checks

sanity checks? What game is this for?