The Campaign Builder's Guild

I was thinking about something interesting, and I want your opinion.
What about a fantasy rpg/novel about a world where people develop superpowers (probably along the lines of x-men). There's no magic per say, just super powers.

I picture the captain of the City Watch who reads minds.
The Warrior trying to reclaim his homeland who has super strength.
A cunning rogue with reflexes that border on the precognitive.

Thats really the only thoughts I have on the subject. What about you?

This sounds pretty cool. You could still have 'wizards' - official positions, that is - but these people would instead have powers - powers of illusion, maybe telekinesis, etc - which allow them to pretend they're far more powerful than they actually are, creating rumours about themselves and so on.

Of course, this would only work if powers weren't something the general populace knew much about...

Hmmm.

So from a functional perspective, what would be the difference between there being magic and there being super powers?  Would it just be a lack of diversity (i.e., you only get one "spell")?  Or is it that everyone has super powers so there's something less "magical" about them?  

The notion is intriguing, and it somewhat reminds me of Xanth.  

I suppose some other questions are:

1) How does it shape social institutions?
2) Do people with better powers take advantage of it to acquire money, fame, and influence?
3) Would people still use swords for anything?
4) What would the industrial applications of certain powers be?  Would they take the Human Torch, put him in a very large stone coffin, and only feed him if he runs the brand new blast furnace that produces modern quality steel?
5) What happens to people without powers?  (If any)

PS - It's spelled "per se".  It's Latin for, roughly, "in and of itself" or "by itself".

Damn you per se, it kept coming up as wrong. Well, I'm a firm believer that if normal people got super powers, they would use them to make money. It would be about a lack of diversity, the powers would also be random. So you might score something good or something lame. A blacksmith who could super heat metal would probably be able to forge swords of modern day quality. The idea is that you drink a potion once you're "of age" and you develop powers within the next day. Now, I could totally see a group of barbarians in the north who see this as unholy. And if someone was unable to develop powers they may choose exile rather than be seen as lesser by his peers.

Reminds me very much of Wild Cards.

OK I totally had a shower epiphany. Here's the pitch: The Super Powers potion is a quick fix to power, these people have turned away from the old, classical sense of magic because trying to attain that kind of power takes effort really. They now have this potion that automatically gives you powers. I want it to mirror the relationship of how deadly skill with a sword that took hours of practice and fitness (magic) gave way to the deadly power of a gun (super powers). So we have a group of friends who all grew up together, went to school together and church together, who all get to the right age and take the potion. Except Ron (not set on the name) fails to develop powers. The Church and Elders frown upon this, it's very rare and seen as abnormal. Soon afterwards, Ron is framed for murdering a roaming trader who came into town the day before. The justice system is so different in this world. The corrupt City Watch Captain shows irrefutable to the elders by reading Ron's mind (and lying about it) telling them that he committed the crime. Ron is sentenced to exile, with nothing but a near dead work horse and whatever provisions he can carry. He wanders to the blasted wastelands where he finds a whole tribe of people eking an existence in the desert. they are the practitioners of magic in the classical sense

Sure it reminds us of Wild Cards. Reminds me of X-Men, Heroes, and every other Super Hero story. I think the key is to make it different, and I think that's where the setting comes in. I want it feel like I took Dune, Wheel of Time (especially wheel of time) and X-Men and put it in a blender.

I like your goal mix. Dune, Wheel of Time, and X-Men could make a pretty amazing setting, presuming you take just the right things from each (the outfits from X-men, the sand from Dune, and the slowness from Wheel of Time, for example, probably wouldn't make the best setting).  

So every person, normally, gets powers? At least a little something, somewhere.  That brings in an interesting dynamic. I'd imagine that most people get something minute (I can make water come out of my fingers so I can water my plants! But then I get dehydrated...).  It's the really powerful ones that makes the setting interesting.

Also, yeah, Ron doesn't work. Too many Potter references.

I agree, ron does not work. The idea is that everyone who lives in this community (whether that is a country or village, not sure yet) takes the special potion given to them by the priesthood that gives them powers. They usually have utilitarian uses, we are not going to see a lot of super heroes running around. For example:

Steve the Farmer has minor control of weather. Making it rain above his fields in the morning and making it a cloudless day in the afternoon. He can only control a small area however.

Frank the Blacksmith can FLAME ON! so he has a special forge he made that lets him use his own body heat to super heat and strengthen metals. Creating high grade steel.

Joe the Plumber has X-ray vision which he uses to see metal hidden beneath the ground. He uses this to fix problems in peoples pipes, as well as walk around the beach looking for items that are buried beneath the sand.

Things like that, I doubt that I will include too much lame powers (making your hair grow any length) because I would think that if people knew that was the case, they'd be less inclined to take the potion. People with powers are seen as inferior, at least a little. Its the kind of thing an adult would never openly say, but a child sure would. Having no Powers is a lot like being Morbidly Obese, people kind of make fun of you behind your back. It's a real stigma. Well I'm off to work where I'm sure I'm going to think about this for the next 5 hours.

oh, and I'm glad you all are interested in this and I really appreciate you're input. I'm like House, I need to knock my ideas off of people and a white board.

Markus, Captain of the City Watch

He is a dangerous man, he knows everyone's secrets because he can read your mind. He is manipulative, and everyone owes him something. Even if you are purely innocent, he can frame you and claim he's reading your mind. How will anyone know he's lying?

Another character concept I have been carrying around is Hannah. She has the superpower of Rapid Cellular Mitosis. She can split into two people, creating a clone. She can only do this so many times (I liked the number 9 for the number of clones she can have). These clones are exact copies of her in all ways physically and mentally except for a few things.
 

The Clones cannot clone themselves. They have no superpowers.

Each clone has their very own personality, sometimes very similar to Hannah's, but other times very opposite.

Hannah has no control over the clones. They act as independently as she does.

I know that the clone who follows Kolothor into the desert is very brave and strong hearted. She represents all the "strong" qualities of Hannah, without a lot of the doubt most people have. She is very much an extrovert. However, this strong personality often rubs people the wrong way. She often acts without thinking, and may be lying to Kolothor when she says Hannah and her decided to send her into the desert. More then likely, the horse she's riding and the food she's carrying was "borrowed".

There's another clone who's also very extroverted, although in a much more sexual way. She is very much the carnal side of Hannah, loves going to the tavern and meeting men and women. She often sneaks out of the house at night to have fun on the town. This doesn't help Hannah's reputation around town at all.

the last clone I'm planning on going into deep detail on, who will be a major part of the story is "Evil Hannah" Evil Hannah is manipulative, greedy, and selfish. She often puts on a fake persona of being kind and caring just like Hannah, but really is only interested in killing Hannah and taking her place. Unfortunately there are few obstacles to carrying out that goal. For example, City Watch Captain Markus may have troubles reading the minds of the clones, he would recognize that Hannah was Evil Hannah immediately. She will need to find a way to either kill him or manipulate him to allow her to carry out her goals. She also wants to break into the temple where they keep the potion and drink it herself in the hopes of developing an Ability.

Prophecy
I'm planning on using Prophecy, at least a little bit. If I write this, I want to do a prologue that is a punch in the nose of war. A huge epic battle where we see Kolothor lead an army or mages against the army of his former village. Not sure yet on those details. Then Chapter one will be TEN YEARS EARLIER...

 War
I do know that my story will take Kolothor to the ends of the world and back, but he's not the only character. Just the only one (for now) who's hero's journey will actually be a physical journey rather than an emotional one. His friends back home will face several threats as well. Such as the possibility of a war with an "invading" force.

The death of the Chieftain and the political power grab for his seat on the Council.

I started thinking more about the Journey of Magic. I want it to be something spiritual, something mystical as you come into contact with something not of this world.

Very similar to the Old Ones of Lovecraft fame. I've been coming up with a few branches of magic, something very broad and sweeping.

Mind Magic- allows you to read minds, mind control.
Body Magic- This is the magical buffs you give out. Like Bulls Strength
Fire Magic- Attacks
Water magic- Not sure
Air Magic-Travel magic
Earth Magic- Building and creation.

It's nothing unique, we've all seen it before. But my theory is that Kolothor will fall asleep and enter the domains of these monstrosities. Each one requiring a quest of some sort. And when he wakes up he has something magicy in his hands. Like a staff or orb. He's also going to be trained by a talking helm.