The Campaign Builder's Guild

Superpunk â,¬' Superhumans in a cyberpunk setting.

This is my fifth attempt at a Mutants and Masterminds setting. Something which is entirely unique, to my knowledge (please correct me if Iâ,¬,,¢m wrong), Superpunk, as the name implies, combines cyberpunk themes and concepts with superhuman abilities. Iâ,¬,,¢m aiming for an Iron Age feel with this setting, with powers being mostly more realistic, combat being more lethal, and the whole setting infused with a healthy dose of grit. Add in some of my personal touches, and you have Superpunk.

Rules:

Mutants and Masterminds core book. When I run this setting, I will be using the Unlimited Power Points variant from the Masterminds Manual, but that is by no means required to run an enjoyable game in Superpunk.

Hero Origins

Heroes are all of one of the following origins.

Training â,¬' Simple training covers a lot of abilities in Supermodern, but a normal human without science or mutation cannot exceed human physical limits, except for those few who begin tapping a mystic power source..

Technology â,¬' humans with cybernetic implants, masters at using the Metanet, and people in battlesuits are the most common exemplars of this type of person. Rare is the person who doesnâ,¬,,¢t have some technological â,¬Ëpower,â,¬,,¢ even if it is as simple as a device that allows them to harpoon onto a car to ride for awhile, or a wetjack to plug into the Metanet or other devices.

Alien â,¬' the half aliens from Supermodern make their presence here, facing many of the same issues as before, but also having to deal with a still active Third Reich that believes their extraterrestrial origins make them far less human than even Jews. Alien powers are always linked to psionics, and cannot go beyond what can reasonably explained as psionic powers. (Which provides considerable flexibility.) Half=Aliens experience much less prejudice in Superpunk than they do in most settings, simply because the corporate mindset rarely cares about where you came from, and more what work you can do. However, half-aliens will find their lot more difficult in some areas, and many humans blame halfbreeds for the fall of the government or the third world war or whatever other problem they can, and they must contend with this prejudice when buying an apartment or a house or applying for citizenship. Still, their dollars spend as well as anyone elseâ,¬,,¢s.  

Mutants â,¬' Whether the result of former Government or current corporate experimentation or part of their genetic code, mutants have astonishing physical abilities. The key term here is physical â,¬' mutants do not have powers that could not reasonably be found in nature. As a general rule of thumb, a mutant power must be a physical change or a change to a physical ability to be mutant. Some mutants are also half-aliens or witchborn, or enhanced by super-science, so they may have other non-physical abilities through other power sources. An important factor of mutants in any of my superhero worlds is that they are rarely the result of accidents or random genetic fluctuation. Rather, they are the result of intentional tampering with human DNA or the offspring of people who were intentionally tampered with.

[note]Iâ,¬,,¢m still toying with the witchborn some. I want people with magic origins for their powers to be distinctive, and I'm not sure how well the Witchborn work for this. Thoughts?[/note]Witchborn: The result of a powerful sorcererâ,¬,,¢s spell that temporarily granted him complete control of Nevada and part of California, witchborn have magical powers and demonic appearances, their genetic code being forcibly altered with hellish energies. Although originating in the Western US, the witchborn have spread across the globe. They tend to have the most fantastic powers, since their magic allows them to break many of the physical barriers. Witchborn experience surpizingly little prejudice, but their late emergence coupled with the power of Pentagram, a corporation run by witchborn, is a large factor in this. As a general rule, people with small-minded attitudes are too worried about fearing the witchborn to actively go against them. Other characters can have a magical origin, but that is extremely rare
.
Overarching Concepts

The Government Has Failed While I will eventually outline exactly what caused this failure, for now take it at face value. The government, no matter what country you are from, has failed in a horrible fashion, and Megacorps control almost everything. Cities still exist, and people get around by buying citizenship from different Megacorps, which allows them access to that â,¬Ëcorps areas that are open to citizens. Most governments, including the US government, still exist in theory, but they are former shells of what they once were. Corporations have their own private security forces and the Regulators patrol random stretches of road, but that is the closest thing to law and order in Superpunk. Inside the cities, so long as you stay in the corporate districts, you are pretty safe, but if you venture too far, you need to be able to fend for yourself.

Life Is Dangerous This doesnâ,¬,,¢t require much explanation. Combat is more often lethal than in most superhero games, and the heroes often go for the kill, not messing around with knocking their foes unconscious. With the general lawlessness of the world, as long as no one important is killed, most street fights go uninvestigated, though rarely unnoticed. Property damage is another matter entirely, and most Megacorps take a very dim view on this.

Powers are common but heroes are few.. Most people with inborn powers find corporate employ or work for one of the rogue groups scattered about. A few still cling to the old ways, taking up the cause of the poor and downtrodden, or defending a chosen city, and they are usually left alone by the corps, as long as they donâ,¬,,¢t interfeare with corporate business. A few people with extreme levels of power take up a general defense of Earth, found new corporations, or leave the planet altogether. However, very few work against corporations, unless they are in the employ of an existing corps. A few rouge groups of heroes here and there try to do damage to the corps, and some succeeded to varying degrees, but for the most part the heroes still toe the corporate law.

Aliens Exist And not just as half-breeds on earth. With corporations building colonies on asteroids, humanity has come in contact with no less than thirteen distinct Alien races. Although contact with aliens is by no means common, it also is not so rare as to be a huge event, and some humans, especially those on asteroid colonies, have thrown in their lot with the extraterrestrials, joining their ships and trying to prove their worth in the stars.

Timeline

[spoiler][ooc]This is more of a rough timeline with vague events than a complete construct.[/ooc]

1910s

• First battlesuits, large and cumbersome, fielded in WWI alongside tanks

.

1930s

• First super soldier serum invented by German scientists working for Hitler
• *First halfbreeds born

1940s

• WWII
• Super soldiers used by Germany
• First American super soldiers and British super soldiers created (circa 1941
• Although Germany looses the war, German super-soldiers, who still outnumber Allied super soldiers 5 to 1, fight Allied forces to a standstill outside of old German borders. Peace is forged, but Hitler is left in control of the Reich. Allied inspector into German super-soldier facilities find the concentration camps, and force Hitler to allow all remaining Jews in Germany to flee to America. The concentration camps are officially disbanded, but some underground ones continued to operate after the inspectors left.
• Japan, lacking super soldiers, is defeated, but America is still forced to drop an Atom bomb on Nagasaki to force final surrender. Rumors say that allies tried to drop a second bomb on Germany to force complete surrender, but no evidence points one way or another.
• Hitler dies, reported suicide, and Himmler takes over the Reich.
• UN formed

1950s

• Cold War begins: Arms race includes developing better super-soldiers and battlesuits.
• First space missions launched, by USSR and then America.
• USSR puts the first man on the moon in 1954, thirty six hours ahead of the American lunar landing
• First space station built by America
• First computer built
• Alien hysteria begins, lead by Senator John McCarthy, who feared they were taking over politcally. He also accused various government officals of being controlled by halfbreeds, who usually were his political rivals. When he accused the President of being controlled, he was seen as having gone to far, and his campaign ended, though fear of halfbreeds remained.

1960s

• World War Three begins.

[ooc]More to come later![/ooc][/spoiler]
Cosmology, Heroes, and Other Stuff

[ooc] Kind of a generic title, I know, but I decided I wanted and OOC block to chat with yâ,¬,,¢all about what Iâ,¬,,¢m doing here.

First, I want to let you all know this is my last new setting for a while â,¬' I have enough being produced here on the boards to last even me for at least a couple of weeks. :P seriously, Iâ,¬,,¢m do promise not to post any totally new settings for a little while.

Second, This is an â,¬Å"alternate Earthâ,¬Â scenario, tired to my other superhero worlds much like the different Marvel worlds are tied together. This one is part of universe 2330, which does not contain any of my other campaign worlds. (Eventually, virtually all my other worlds will probably be encompassed by this, a few of them even being in the same universe) Not every universe has the same time frame, so it can be the 1600â,¬,,¢s in one universe and the 3000â,¬,,¢s in another. (This will matter when I start developing my other worlds) When it comes to my numbering system, the closer together two universes are in number, the more similarities they have. (Most of my superhero worlds happen in the 2300â,¬,,¢s, with Redemption taking place in 2411, and my other (non superhero) Alternate Earth, Earth 2085, takes place in Universe 2085 (an odd coincidence :P). Most alternate Earths, with or without heroes, take place in the 2000 range.) Iâ,¬,,¢m still working on the details of the multiverse, so this is all subject to change, but I like this for now.

When it comes to my other heroes and villains, some will and others wonâ,¬,,¢t be making an appearance here. Amanda Murell, for example, is not going to be present, but the Watchgirl is. Once I develop more heroes, Iâ,¬,,¢ll post them up. As with Supermodern, any heroes you guys want to submit, feel free to post â,¬' Iâ,¬,,¢m always looking for new ideas. Same goes for alien races or even megacorps. Remember, Superpunk has a grim and gritty (Iron Age, for those of you who know about comic book development) feel to it, so try to keep your submissions on the darker side. Thanks![/ooc]

So, wait.  You have a Superhuman setting, without superheroes?  I mean, aliens, mutants, witches, and techno guys are fine, but where are the superheroes?  Obviously, mutants can cover a lot of this ground: uber-strength, uber-speed, wings.  But what of people with super-speed, and super-strength, and the ability to just fly?  I'm thinking of the Flash's speed, and the Hulk's stregth, and Superman's ability to fly.

I like it so far though.  I love alternate Earh histories, and yours is pretty good.

Looking forward to more.

Wait... what? Iron Age?

Quote from: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iron_AgeIron Age[/url]]In archaeology, the Iron Age is the stage in the development of any people where the use of iron implements as tools and weapons is prominent. The adoption of this new material coincided with other changes in some past societies often including differing agricultural practices, religious beliefs and artistic styles, although this was not always the case.

Greek/Roman mythology[/url]]The Iron Age, beginning with the Dorian invasion - This is the current and last age in which humans must struggle to stay alive, when the world is full of pain, discontent and vice. Zeus will someday destroy this race of humans. This is among others comparable to Hinduism's Kali Yuga or the Judeo-Christian End Times.[/quote]

Hmmm...

;) Túrin

Quote from: DarkxarthSo, wait.  You have a Superhuman setting, without superheroes?  I mean, aliens, mutants, witches, and techno guys are fine, but where are the superheroes?  Obviously, mutants can cover a lot of this ground: uber-strength, uber-speed, wings.  But what of people with super-speed, and super-strength, and the ability to just fly?  I'm thinking of the Flash's speed, and the Hulk's stregth, and Superman's ability to fly.

I like it so far though.  I love alternate Earh histories, and yours is pretty good.

Looking forward to more.

There are superheros. However, I can't stand the Flash, Hulk, or Superman. I don't like that a man can run faster than light, the idea that a humanoid form can hold up an entire mountain range or that a man can fly into the sun and come out unharmed I like at least a smidgen of logic in my superheroes, and those three are probably the worst examples of superhero illogic. [note]Even though my examples of reasonable superhero powers are all mutants, that doesn't mean I like all mutants. Wolverine recently regenerated from being hit with a nuclear blast, and pretty much about any Omega level mutant besides Phoenix right up until the end of the first Dark Phoenix saga bugs me as much as Superman does.[/note]Give me Quicksilver's speed, the Beasts' strength, or Iron Man's (or Angel's) ability to fly any day of the week. Don't get me wrong, I have fun reading the Hulk, and I'm sure I could enjoy the Flash. (I will not like Superman, unless you are referring to Golden Age superman, where he could just run really fast, leap an eighth of a mile, and could toss around cars with ease, but wouldn't have been able to budge a mountain, and would have been injured by an artillery shell.) Also, I can see the appeal of those comics, (even Superman), but they just aren't for me. Even in my looser games, if a man wants to move near light speed, that's fine, as long as he also goes incorporeal while doing so (since an incorporeal form wouldn't interact with air molecules and would have a mass of 0, preventing his passage from tearing the Earth out of orbit) or transforms into actual light, or some other process that, while impossible, at least doesn't just flip the middle finger to the laws of physics.

*gets off my soapbox, looks around, blushing.*

Sorry if I went off a bit there, that's one of my favorite rants. If you're looking for a good measure of power level in Superpunk, look at Marvel's Ultimate Line - that is about the power level I aim for in most of my comics. (And yes, their is an Ultimate Hulk, but none of the feats we have seen Ultimate Hulk do come anywhere near 616 Hulk holding up a bloody freaking mountain range (which he actually did do, during the Secret Wars.) Also, remember that my mutants are not marvels mutants, and engineered mutants can do some pretty amazing things, and a half-alien or witchborn could very easily fly in what appears to be a superman like manner, though sheer willpower (Though it'd actually probably be an extension of Telekinesis or some act of magic.)  Superpunk aims for a quasi-realistic feel, which is part of the whole Iron Age feel to comics. (For more on Iron Age comics read below.) Again, I don't mean to be condescending or elitist, I'm just trying to state what I like in my superheros.

Quote from: TúrinWait... what? Iron Age?

Quote from: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iron_AgeIron Age[/url]]In archaeology, the Iron Age is the stage in the development of any people where the use of iron implements as tools and weapons is prominent. The adoption of this new material coincided with other changes in some past societies often including differing agricultural practices, religious beliefs and artistic styles, although this was not always the case.

Greek/Roman mythology[/url]]The Iron Age, beginning with the Dorian invasion - This is the current and last age in which humans must struggle to stay alive, when the world is full of pain, discontent and vice. Zeus will someday destroy this race of humans. This is among others comparable to Hinduism's Kali Yuga or the Judeo-Christian End Times.

Sorry, I probably should have clarified that.

Quote from: Mutants and Masterminds, 2ed, pg 193[Under heading Realistic Powers]Super-powers in the Iron Age were often treated more realistically than before...generally, the realistic implications of powers made them more lethal. After all, strenght sufficient to lift tons should easily smash flesh and bones...

The Iron Age of comics was brutal, where heros like Punisher, Wolverine (without adamantium) and Deadpool thrived. I'm going more unrealistic with powers than the Iron Age, probably closer to a Modern Age feel, but the world itself is going to have a very grim and gritty Iron Age feel. (One 'team' in particular is going to pay homage to this fact._

Hope that helps clarifiy. :)

Quote from: Dementia X

Quote from: DarkxarthSo, wait.  You have a Superhuman setting, without superheroes?  I mean, aliens, mutants, witches, and techno guys are fine, but where are the superheroes?  Obviously, mutants can cover a lot of this ground: uber-strength, uber-speed, wings.  But what of people with super-speed, and super-strength, and the ability to just fly?  I'm thinking of the Flash's speed, and the Hulk's stregth, and Superman's ability to fly.

I like it so far though.  I love alternate Earh histories, and yours is pretty good.

Looking forward to more.

There are superheros. However, I can't stand the Flash, Hulk, or Superman. I don't like that a man can run faster than light, the idea that a humanoid form can hold up an entire mountain range or that a man can fly into the sun and come out unharmed I like at least a smidgen of logic in my superheroes, and those three are probably the worst examples of superhero illogic. [note]Even though my examples of reasonable superhero powers are all mutants, that doesn't mean I like all mutants. Wolverine recently regenerated from being hit with a nuclear blast, and pretty much about any Omega level mutant besides Phoenix right up until the end of the first Dark Phoenix saga bugs me as much as Superman does.[/note]Give me Quicksilver's speed, the Beasts' strength, or Iron Man's (or Angel's) ability to fly any day of the week. Don't get me wrong, I have fun reading the Hulk, and I'm sure I could enjoy the Flash. (I will not like Superman, unless you are referring to Golden Age superman, where he could just run really fast, leap an eighth of a mile, and could toss around cars with ease, but wouldn't have been able to budge a mountain, and would have been injured by an artillery shell.) Also, I can see the appeal of those comics, (even Superman), but they just aren't for me. Even in my looser games, if a man wants to move near light speed, that's fine, as long as he also goes incorporeal while doing so (since an incorporeal form wouldn't interact with air molecules and would have a mass of 0, preventing his passage from tearing the Earth out of orbit) or transforms into actual light, or some other process that, while impossible, at least doesn't just flip the middle finger to the laws of physics.

*gets off my soapbox, looks around, blushing.*

Sorry if I went off a bit there, that's one of my favorite rants. If you're looking for a good measure of power level in Superpunk, look at Marvel's Ultimate Line - that is about the power level I aim for in most of my comics. (And yes, their is an Ultimate Hulk, but none of the feats we have seen Ultimate Hulk do come anywhere near 616 Hulk holding up a bloody freaking mountain range (which he actually did do, during the Secret Wars.) Also, remember that my mutants are not marvels mutants, and engineered mutants can do some pretty amazing things, and a half-alien or witchborn could very easily fly in what appears to be a superman like manner, though sheer willpower (Though it'd actually probably be an extension of Telekinesis or some act of magic.)  Superpunk aims for a quasi-realistic feel, which is part of the whole Iron Age feel to comics. (For more on Iron Age comics read below.) Again, I don't mean to be condescending or elitist, I'm just trying to state what I like in my superheros.

I was using Hulk, Flash, and Superman as extremes.  But Quicksilver, Beast, and Angel (Iron Man uses technology to fly) are good examples too.  I didn't realize that Superman had ever gone or exceeded the speed of light.  That's stupid.  And I knew that the Flash went pretty danged fast, but I had always assumed they were both going MUCH slower than the speed of light.

Yeah...the Flash's power entry is probably the wierdest thing I have ever read.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Flash#Powers_and_abilities

It mentions him an Supes often get in races that end up as ties, too. >.<

Quote from: WIKIHe can create his costume out of pure speed energy, and can either impart his high velocities to other people and objects already in motion or steal the velocity they possess

That, is stupid.

Anyway, you basically answered my questions about superpowers.  I'm looking forward to more!