Super Nova (game idea)
Posted: Sun Oct 12, 2014 1:13 am
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).
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).