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2012
Jan 16, 2011 10:36:03 GMT -5
Post by gamedave on Jan 16, 2011 10:36:03 GMT -5
On December 21, 2012, the Mayan calendar ends. And so does the world. At least, that was a popular fringe belief in the years leading up to 2012. Skeptics scoffed. They pointed out the belief was wrong-headed in every way: the Mayan calendar doesn't end on that date, it just turns over; there is no evidence the Mayans themselves attached any significance to the date, and indeed their astronomical calculations extended millennia beyond that date; and there is no reason to believe the Mayans had any special insight into the cosmos or future events. On December 22, 2012, they weren't scoffing anymore. The world as we had known it ended, and a new Age began: the Age of the Super.
On December 22, 2012, the day after the winter solstice, a new day dawned over the Yucatan peninsula, the ancient home of the Maya. After the shortest day of the year, a new solar year dawned. And, completely unforeseen by anyone, a new Age dawned as well. As the dawn raced around in the world, in 24 hours, it transformed the world. Men and women of every nation and walk of life found themselves radically altered by the new dawn, transformed into beings of immense power, transformed into Supers.
Relatively speaking, the numbers of Supers was actually quite small, perhaps only a few thousand across the entire planet, out of a population of over six billion. But there impact was enormous. At a stroke, everything we thought we knew about astronomy, physics, chemistry, biology, evolution, and the universe itself was overturned. Supers existed. They walked among us - and flew over us. They fought epic battles over the fate of the planet. And the 99+% of the world left unenhanced was nevertheless left profoundly altered, with a burning question: In the Age of the Supers, what will be the fate of the non-Supers?
2012: Age of the Supers is a setting for Mutants & Masterminds 3rd Edition. Set a few years after the dawn of the Age of the Supers in 2012, it is a world where Supers are still a brand new phenomenon, and ordinary men and women, as well as the Supers themselves, are still trying to sort out what this new Age means, and how to react to it.
It is a central conceit of this setting that most of the Supers have adopted comic-book style costumes, code-names, and roles (it is a supers rpg), but against a backdrop of wrenching social and political changes, and only very recently. The PCs are among this first-ever generation of Supers. They will have to figure out how to deal with their new-found powers, how to relate to other new Supers, to all of the non-Supers in their lives, and to society at large. Their actions will profoundly affect the shape of this new Age, and the future of humanity. The campaign will deal with profound personal and social issues and dilemmas in the new Age of the Super.
Plus punching super-villains in the face.
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2012
Jan 16, 2011 22:36:08 GMT -5
Post by gamedave on Jan 16, 2011 22:36:08 GMT -5
In the Age of the Supers, there are five possible Origins: Millennial, Chimera, Indigo, Supernatural, and NEXTGen. Every character must have one of these five Origins. In AotS, normal humans have the following caps: Strength 4 Stamina 4 Agility 7 Dexterity 7 Fighting 12 Intellect 7 Awareness 7 Presence 7 Dodge 12 Parry 12 Fortitude 12 Will 12 Skill Modifier +18 Attack + Effect = 16 Dodge + Toughness = 16 Parry + Toughness = 16 Fortitude + Will = 16 Anything in excess of these caps must be purchased through the Enhanced Trait power, or another power, even if it is within bounds of your Power Level. For example, a PL 12 character could have a Fortitude 12 and Will 12 and be within PL limits, but at least 8 points of that total must come from Enhanced Fortitude and/or Enhanced Will. NOTE: AotS assumes that there are no "super-normals"; seemingly unpowered crime-fighters, martial artists, and the like are actually low-powered Supers, mostly Supernaturals and NEXTGen. However, it is possible, if a player is really set on it, to have a super-normal. In this case, the character would be PL 8, and have to fall under the "normal" caps above, and would not have any powers, even gadgets or devices, only mundane equipment.
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2012
Jan 16, 2011 22:51:56 GMT -5
Post by gamedave on Jan 16, 2011 22:51:56 GMT -5
Millennials are the most spectacular and, perhaps, the most powerful of the Supers of the new Age. In most cases, it was their eruptions that heralded the dawning of the Age of the Supers to the normals around them. Milllennials are capable of generating and controlling vast amounts of a heretofore unknown energy. This energy interacts with the four fundamental forces of the universe, but the precise nature of the interaction varies from Millennial to Millennial. Energy blasts, flight, and force fields are all common effects, but gravitational, electromagnetic, and nuclear effects have all been noted as well. Some Millennials even somehow channel the energy they generate into enhancing their strength, resilience, or speed. In addition, all Millennials seem to be able to mentally sense other Millennials and Millennial energies. There is no apparent rhyme or reason to who manifests as a Millennial. Known Millennials range from their late teens to mid-40s. A sibling of a Millennial is more likely to manifest as a Millennial than a non-sibling, suggesting a genetic component to the phenomenon. However, no unique genetic markers have been identified (at least publicly). As with most Supers, most Millennials had rather extreme personalities before manifesting, and their manifestations generally seem to have enhanced any extreme personality traits they may have had. In particular, risk-taking, attention-seeking, poor impulse control, and strong emotional expressions are all common to Millennials. Game MechanicsMillennials vary from PL 10 - 14+. The Energy Controller is the archetypal Millennial, but Paragons or Speedsters with an energy blast as an alternate effect are also common. All Millennials must take the following power: Millennial Sense: Senses 2 (Detect Millennials/Millennial Energy, Ranged) * 4 points
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2012
Jan 16, 2011 23:16:46 GMT -5
Post by gamedave on Jan 16, 2011 23:16:46 GMT -5
Less common and less spectacular, but more bizarre than the Millennials are the Supers that have become known as Chimeras. Chimeras manifest various biomechanical augmentations. Some Chimeras are able to suppress their augmentations and appear to be normal humans, but others have been permanently transformed. Some level of enhanced strength and resiliance combined with at least a partial armored exoskeleton are universal among Chimeras. Other than that, they display a diverse array of abilities, manifested through biomechanical growths. A Chimera with an energy blast, for example, will typically manifest a biomechanical energy cannon, while a flying Chimera might manifest wings, or biomechanical jet thrusters. And, like most Supers, all Chimera seem to be able to sense their own kind. Chimeras in their augmented form obviously have far more mass than they do in their human forms, and some Chimeras actually grow dramatically in size. Where this mass comes from (or goes to, for those able to revert to human form) is a complete mystery. All known Chimeras manifested in their mid-teens to early 20s. They tend to be more withdrawn than other Supers, and actually tend to have had the most stable, "normal", personalities of any Supers - before they were transformed into monsters. Other than that, there is no real commonality to Chimeras - unlike Millennials, not even siblings of a Chimera seem to be more likely to manifest as one. That last observation is all the more odd given that there is a definite genetic component to Chimeras. All known Chimeras who have been tested have been found to have triple-stranded mitochondrial DNA. Two of the strands are identical to their mothers' mitochondrial DNA, but, somehow, a third strand, which does not match any known genome, has become attached. How this could have happened, how such a structure could be stable, much less functional, and how this could possibly result in Chimeras are all profound biological mysteries. Game MechanicsChimeras range from PL 8 - 12, although a Chimera above PL 10 is very rare. The Battlesuit (without the Removable flaw), Shapeshifter, and Warrior are all good models for Chimeras. All Chimeras must take the following: Biomechanical Exoskeleton: Enhanced Strength (Noticeable) 4+, Enhanced Stamina (Impervious Toughness, Noticeable) 4+ * 18+ points Sense Chimera: Senses 2 (Detect Chimera, Ranged) * 2 points Complication: Inhuman Appearance
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2012
Feb 27, 2011 13:44:05 GMT -5
Post by gamedave on Feb 27, 2011 13:44:05 GMT -5
The concept of "indigo children" was a set of New Age beliefs developed in the 1970s and widely popularized in the 1990s. These beliefs ranged from their being the next stage in human evolution or possessing paranormal abilities such as telepathy to the belief that they are simply more empathic and creative than their peers. Skeptics pointed out that there was no evidence for this, and the supposed traits of indigo children were usually either uselessly vague, or very similar to diagnoses of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, autism, or other developmental disorders. It remained a fringe belief. Until 2012. One of the emergent groups of supers were quickly labeled Indigos, and seemed to validate at least some of the fringe beliefs about indigo children. Indigos all have greatly enhanced mental capabilities, and most display some sort of telepathy or other psionic abilities. Indigos' eyes usually have a violet glow when using these abilities, and the abilities themselves usually involve glowing violet auras. Indigos often (but not universally) have a distinctive physical appearance: pale skin, white hair, and odd violet eyes. Even more pronounced are the Indigos' personalities, the most distinctive of any of the Supers. Indigos are typically aloof and have poor social skills, bordering on solipsism. They display many of the characteristics of Autism Spectrum Disorder - but only when dealing with non-Indigos. When dealing with other Indigos they actually tend to be highly social, albeit in a quiet, mostly telepathic manner which most non-Indigos find disturbing. Known Indigos vary in age between their early teens and early twenties, but all seem peculiarly solemn and mature for their age. Genetic testing on Indigos has revealed that they all share large common segments of introns which appear to have become active. These segments do not appear to occur in any other known life form - even the immediate family members of Indigos. Fierce debate continues among scientists and fringe theorists about the implications of this finding. Game MechanicsIndigos range from PL 8 - 14+. The Psionic is the iconic Indigo, but Gadgeteer, or a Battlesuit worn by its inventor, with a few tweaks, are also good models for Indigos. All Indigos must take the following: Indigo Mind: Enhanced Intellect 2+, Enhanced Awareness 4+, Enhanced Presence 2+ * 16+ points Psionic Sense: Senses 2 (Detect Indigos/Psionics, Ranged) * 4 points Telepathy: Communication 3+ (Mental, Limited: Indigos Only) * 9+ points Complication: Eerie Note that all Indigos are telepathic with each other, but, while common, not all are capable of telepathy or mind-reading with non-Indigos.
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