Super Nova (game idea)

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Razorwing
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Super Nova (game idea)

Unread post by Razorwing »

In the Origins of Power thread, I started to describe a setting for an HU game I hope to run in the New Year. In this thread I hope to refine the ideas I proposed and maybe get some ideas from others currently running games (or have run games recently) to make the setting a memorable one.

To start, let me repost the original concept I was working from the other thread:

there are a few factors that are contributing to the appearance of Supers in my game.

The first happened over 10,000 years ago and it is still felt to this day. Back then, three powerful empires had risen, the Lemurians, the Atlanteans and the People of Mu. All three rose quickly by mastering the power of Magic, but their approaches were vastly different. The Altaneans mastered the more standard spellcraft of Invocations and similar specialties. The People of Mu used the Magic of the Mind (Psionics). Finally the Lemurians used magic to augment themselves through various means... creating what is commonly believed to be the "Super" gene that gives people super powers. Legends suggest that these three Empires became locked in a great war... though the nature of which has been lost to history. What is known is that when the war ended, their empires were no more and the survivors were scattered across the world... their legacies giving rise to legends of powerful beings who would be seen as Gods and Demons to those less developed. Over time however, their legacies began to fade as generations of breeding with normal human stock diluted these ancient bloodlines.

For the next 10,000 years, the number of active Supers world wide would be few and far between, for while the blood of the ancients remained within the human race, most of that power remained dormant. Maybe a dozen or two remarkable people would awaken their ancient heritage with each generation, but most remained ignorant of the power sleeping within them. Only 1 in 1,000,000 people would develop super powers, magical ability or psychic gifts.

The first event that would reawaken the power the Ancients left behind came at the end of the Second World War. Though there were rumors that both the Axis and Allies had "Super Soldier" programs that were at least partially successful, true Superheroes wouldn't be seen until after the first Atomic Bombs were detonated over Japan. The increased radiation from this and subsequent detonations by the USA and Russia would begin triggering the latent "Super Gene" that was the legacy of Lemuria. Additionally the sudden deaths in Japan also had Psychic and Mystical repercussions that would awaken the psychic legacy of Mu while also increasing the ambient levels of magical energy in the world's Ley Lines, reactivating the mystic legacy of Atlantis. Even so, the number of these newly Awakened would remain low enough to go nearly undetected... only 1 in 100,000 would discover their power and most tried to keep those abilities hidden.

Now, in the early 21st century, a new project is being undertaken by a truly gifted individual... one that will alter the course of Human History (though not necessarily in the way he hoped or imagined). Trystan Harthorne has unlocked the secret of Cold Fusion, allowing the creation of cheap, limitless energy. His original prototype generator powers his company's HQ and has been such a success that he has gotten the green light to build a bigger version to power an entire city. All seemed to be going well as the new reactor began to power up, but as it passed the 75% of capacity mark (which is what it was believed would be enough for the city's current needs), a sudden spike in power sent the reactor to over 200% or capacity... overloading nearly everything in the city and causing the reactor to go Nova. Fortunately, the building it was housed in was designed to contain and channel such an explosion to be as harmless as possible, but a variety of unknown energies were still released. Fortunately the fallout seemed harmless for the most part... but it has caused a dramatic increase of Supers (soon to be referred to as Novas) not only within the city, but also world wide.

After the Reactor incident, world wide incidents of "Supers" has increased to the point where 1 in 10,000 people are likely to have some sort of unusual ability (super powers, magic or psionic), while in the city the number is higher still at 1 in 1000 people having been affected.

Part of the reason for the explosion was the fact that the reactor site had been (presumably unknowingly) built over a Ley Line Nexus... though how the fusion reaction and the nexus interacted to cause the explosion remains a mystery. However, many psychics and sorcerers have noticed that the local Ley Lines seem stronger than those elsewhere, as if they are getting more energy than they normally should. Additionally, Trystan Harthorne's company has closed off all access to the reactor site for unknown reasons (the reason is that the explosion has created a Dimensional Rift at the Nexus the reactor was built on... and it is still open).

I'm thinking of starting the game just a few weeks before the Reactor incident with the majority of the players receiving their powers as a result. They may even be contacted by Trystan Harthorne in an attempt to redeem himself by becoming their patron... showing that even this disaster has a silver lining.

The increase in the number of Supers (Novas) around the world is not just those with Super Powers, but in all categories. Those who have bloodlines going back to the three ancient Empires make up a significant majority, but, but others have also arisen that have no connection to those legendary nations (such as Aliens). The Nova incident has caught the attention of beings from other worlds and dimensions... some of which are curious as to what is going on... while others see this as an opportunity to conquer a new world (of which the ancient enemy that fought the three ancient empires is one).

I hope to add to this thread regularly (as time permits) to get feedback on characters (NPCs) and such that I hope to introduce. I think the next post will be of Trystan Harthorn... the one responsible for the Nova incident and how he plans to make amends for his part in all of this by becoming the hero known as Sentinel. If anyone has questions or suggestions for this setting, please feel free to comment... it will help me to refine the setting in ways that I might not think of doing myself (at least not right away). This will be a unique version of the HU setting and as such may or may not use any previously publish material (and what might be used will most likely be altered for the setting's needs).
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Razorwing
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Re: Super Nova (game idea)

Unread post by Razorwing »

As promised, here is the next item I am adding to this setting is one of the iconic characters; Trystan Harthorn, though in this setting he has also become known as Fusion.

His history is fairly simple... he has always been a genius, graduating High School by the time he was 12, and University (with the equivalent of a Masters) by the time he was 16. He made is first million by the time he was 18 and became a billionaire by age 20. At age 25 he made the breakthrough that would allow the creation of a Cold Fusion generator and a year later he had built and demonstrated the prototype. Two years after that a larger reactor had been built, known as the Terra Nova Reactor. For a month the Terra Nova reactor worked as predicted, but an unexplained power surge caused it to overload.

Trystan however wasn't about to let everything he worked for go up in flames without attempting to shut the generator down. Using a prototype containment exoskeleton suit to protect himself from the extreme radiation the generator was producing, he attempted a manual shutdown from within the reactor itself. He managed to activate the fail-safes that would channel a nova reaction as harmlessly as possible, but was unable to prevent the reactor from going Nova. He did observe the initial formation of a dimensional rift before he was rendered unconscious.

When he awoke, he was in an intensive care unit with a number of doctors monitoring his life signs... all in gear designed to protect them from radiation exposure. His exposure to the reactor core had irradiated his body, causing him to emit large quantities of radiation, yet for an unknown reason he didn't seem to be suffering from any adverse effects himself. While he recovered he began to read reports from the incident to try and figure out what had happened, during which he realized that the rift he saw forming in the reactor had released a number of unknown and theoretical energies into the world. More disturbing however was a report that the rift had yet to close... and thus was still releasing those same energies. Fortunately, despite his condition, he was able to convince the board of directors of his company to increase the shielding in what was left of the reactor facility to contain those energies (which were now a lot lower since the rift appeared to be somewhat stable).

Determined to get back into the game and fix the problem he caused, Trystan repurposed one of the containment exoskeletons to contain the radiation he was emitting (and even use the radiation to power the suit), he began to study the rift and the effects the various forms of energy it released had caused. Soon reports of people developing unusual abilities began to circulate... people he realized had been changed by exposure to similar energies he had been exposed to. Unfortunately, many of the reports suggested that many of these individuals were either unused to their powers... or were using them to hurt others. Feeling somewhat responsible for creating these "Novas" (a term he used to describe those who gained their abilities from his reactor going nova), he further refined the containment exoskeleton into a battle suit so that he could confront and contain these Novas to either help those who were frightened or capture those who were a danger to the populace.

His containment suit has gone through a number of revisions in the 12 months since the Nova Incident... allowing him to control the radiation his body produces to power it and grant him a number of Nova-like abilities. However, he has yet to find a cure for his condition, thus he is effectively trapped within his armor, unable to directly interact with the world around him... at least not without harming it. While he is confident he can find a cure for himself in time, the isolation from human contact is beginning to wear on him, but he comforts himself be turning his company and its resources into dealing with the emerging Novas... containing those that pose a threat and training those who can be reasoned with to use their gifts to protect humanity. Unfortunately, the appearance of Novas has become a world wide phenomena... and there are potentially millions of Novas that could slip through the cracks. He hopes that the Sentinel Initiative he has proposed to the city council will give the world hope that Novas can become heroes and guardians... icons to look up to and respect as shining examples of what the human race can achieve. Now all he needs is the right team of Novas to form the core of the Sentinels, to which end he is combing through the extensive files of unexplained incidents looking for the right individuals.
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Razorwing
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Re: Super Nova (game idea)

Unread post by Razorwing »

Here are Trystan's stats.

Fusion
Real Name: Trystan Harthorn
Alignment: Scrupulous
Attributes: IQ- 25; ME- 15; MA- 20; PS- 18 (45 superhuman)*; PP- 14; PE- 16; PB- 20; SPD- 22
Hit Points: 50 SDC: 75 PPE: 20
Race: Human Height: 5 ft 10 in Weight: 175 lbs Age: 29 Sex: Male
Experience Level: 10th level Analytical Genius Mega Hero
Skills of Note:
Scholastic– Electrical Engineer 98%, Mechanical Engineer 96%, Weapons Engineer 91%, Robot Mechanics 98%, Robot Electronics 96%, Radio: Basic 98%, Read Sensory Instruments 98%, Chemistry 98%, Chemistry: Analytical 98%, Computer Operation 98%, Computer Programing 96%, Computer Repair 91%, Astrophysics 96%, Art 98%, Anthropology 86%, Biology 96%, Paramedic 98%, Intelligence 89%, Research 98%, Math: Advanced 98%; Buisness/Finance 98%, Law (General) 91%, Photography 98%, Writing 91%.
Secondary– Hand to Hand: Basic, Swimming 98%, Netwise 67%, Wardrobe/Grooming 97%, Pilot: Automobile 89%, Prowl 81%, Running, Physical Labour; Athletics, Aerobic Athletics; Body Building, Kick Boxing.
Special– Analyze/Operate Devices 109%, Build/Modify Armor 109%, Comunications: Electronic Countermeasures (Jamming) 99%.
Special Abilities:
Mega Powers– Super Genius Inventor, Wealth
Achilles HeelsRadioactive: Since the Nova Incident, Trystan has been emmiting high levels of radiation and while he seems to suffer no ill effects of this, he can pose a danger to those around him. There is a 30% chance per hour of close proximity (within 50 ft) to him that one will begin to show signs of Radiation Poisoning (reduce by 5% for every 50 ft away). Isolated: To protect others from the radiation he now emmits, he must constantly wear his Fusion Containment Suit; and while it does channel the energy he emmits into amazing powers, it also keeps him isolated from human contact and social interactions.
Combat Training: Hand to Hand: Basic
Attacks per Melee: 6
Combat Bonuses: +1 to initiative, +1 to strike, +3 to parry, +3 to dodge, +5(32)* damage, +2 to disarm, +5 to pull, +5 to roll, +1 vs. magic/poison, +4% vs. coma/death.
Other Combat Info: +2 kick damage, Sense of Balance 61%, Critical Strike on a Natural 19+, Body Throw/Flip: 1d6 (victim looses initiative and 1 melee attack), Snap Kick: 1d6, Roundhouse Kick: 3d6, Axe Kick: 2d8, Knee Strike: 1d8, Leap Kick: 3d8 (2 attacks), 60% invoke trust/intimidate, 50% to charm/impress.
Body Armor:
Fusion Containment Suit (Mark VI)
A.R.: 15 (natural) SDC: 660 (Main Body)
Features: Provides the following Super Powers:
Major Power: Radiation Control.
Minor Powers: Flight (Wingless) and Superhuman Strength (use values in brackets while in the suit).
Note: As long as Trystan is wearing the suit, he does not radiate any radiation unless the containment seals are breached as a result of damage (10% cumulative chance of containment breach for every 10% of SDC damage the suit takes). Once containment is breached, Trystan must concentrate to avoid contaminating an area with radiation (as per the rules in the Control Radiation Power). The suit is designed to withstand temperatures greater than what Trystan can generate (made of an alloy of Chromium, Titanium, Tungsten and Vanadium).
Money: As CEO of Hearthorn Enterprises, Trystan is one of the richest men on the planet and despite the recent dip in stock prices can still secure a stagering amount of funds to support his recent ventures into Super Heroics/Crime Fighting. Currently his company is retrofitting the Terra Nova Reactor Facility into a research and containment facility to study the Rift created durring the Nova Incident and are in the process of creating 3 other facilities… one to contain Rogue Novas, a specially designed facility for Trystan (where he doesn’t have to constantly wear his containment suit) and a facility where he will mentor a team of Novas to act as guardians of the city… the Sentinel Program.
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gaby
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Re: Super Nova (game idea)

Unread post by gaby »

Great,character,I hope to see more.
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Razorwing
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Re: Super Nova (game idea)

Unread post by Razorwing »

Working on it.

Maybe a villain next... one that was a colleague of Trystan's on the Terra Nova Reactor who wasn't as lucky as Trystan when it came to being exposed to the reactor's energies.
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Traska
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Re: Super Nova (game idea)

Unread post by Traska »

Razorwing wrote:Working on it.

Maybe a villain next... one that was a colleague of Trystan's on the Terra Nova Reactor who wasn't as lucky as Trystan when it came to being exposed to the reactor's energies.


Fission? ;)
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Razorwing
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Re: Super Nova (game idea)

Unread post by Razorwing »

:shock: Why didn't I think of that one... :twisted: so many evil possibilities with that! :lol: Mwhahahahahaha!
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