[M&M 3E] Atomic Heroes of 1950

[The Great Triangle]

I'm interested in running a game about pulp superheroes set in 1950, using the Mutants and Masterminds 3rd edition system.  The game will focus on a team of heroes tasked with defending the state of Utah, and the greater American Southwest against Communists, Aliens, Demons, and Frost Giants. 

The game will mostly be about mid range heroes with a golden age mood, meaning that both powered and unpowered characters will be welcome.  Most characters will get their powers through radiation, but magic and alien experiments or heritage are also fairly common power sources.  In the setting, superheroes are legally recognized by the government as agents of the law, though generally only with regards to super-crime.  (defined as crime committed by costumed criminals, often using magic or super-tech)  The world has a long history of costumed adventurers, but only at the end of World War II did human beings begin to routinely exhibit superpowers. 

Knowledge of the M&M 3e system will not be necessary to play, only a strong character concept.  Understanding of the d20 system will be extremely helpful, and knowing True20 even more so, but it should be possible to play without them, having another player write your character sheet.   

[Callie Del Noire]

Hmm.. I might enjoy doing a speedster.

[The Great Triangle]

Speedsters would be pretty good in the game, since more than a few battles will take place in massive, open fiels and deserts where maneuverability is important.  Ownership of vehicles capable of going extremely fast will also be a good idea, though anti-tank firepower would also come in handy for dispatching Kaiju and such.

[ShadowFox89]

 Ooooh, I'm interested. I've got a bunch of ideas, but I'll have to look over the MnM3e book again to see.

[Callie Del Noire]

Trying to find a suitable look for a speedster.

50s era could be fun

[AribethAmkiir]

I'd be interested, but I have no knowledge of M&M (I've wanted to learn it for a while), some working knowledge of D20 and have never even heard of True20.

[ShadowFox89]

Mutants and Masterminds is a fairly open ended system for building a character. You can make literally any kind of character you wish, within the limits of the power level and power points given.

I could even stat up your succubus for you ;)

Which reminds me, what tags should we expect for this game?

[Callie Del Noire]

Mutants and Masterminds is a fairly open ended system for building a character. You can make literally any kind of character you wish, within the limits of the power level and power points given.

I could even stat up your succubus for you ;)

Which reminds me, what tags should we expect for this game?

Whose Succubus?

And you know..that would make for an intersting chracter in the setting. :D

[AribethAmkiir]

That sounds like it'd be fun ShadowFox. 

[The Great Triangle]

For tags, I've made a list of tags in another thread I'll paste here in a couple hours.

What you should expect is that the primary power sources will be atomic, alien, magic, psionic, technological, and training.  The only alternate dimension is the Underworld, plus hyperspace and any power dimensions needed for your concept

[Callie Del Noire]

And for power levels?

Was thinking of one of these pictures for the speedster. :D

[TheGlyphstone]

Flagging the thread as Edisonbot.

[Callie Del Noire]

Flagging the thread as Edisonbot.

No no.. don't go with the Evil Edison as you creator! Go with Tesla.. be Atomic Robo!!!



http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atomic_Robo

[TheGlyphstone]

I tried to be Atomic Robo already, but Tesla is a bad guy in this universe. :( SO, I had to settle for the next best thing.

[ShadowFox89]

I think I might try for a psychic..... Or make my kitsune character for MnM3e :3

[Callie Del Noire]

I tried to be Atomic Robo already, but Tesla is a bad guy in this universe. :( SO, I had to settle for the next best thing.

That is sooo wrong.. Undead Edison is soo much better than an OCD genius like Tesla.

[The Great Triangle]

For power level, the game will be starting at PL 10, and will allow players to re-assign their points with justification any time there's an extended downtime.  (Which is a polite way of saying that your advancement will be limited to the core book level of 1 power point per adventure, 2 power points for especially hard adventures.)


As for Tesla, Tesla DID fight for the west before 1943, but his utopian futurism ultimately made him side with the Soviet Union after Edison disillusioned him with Capitalism. 

So if your atomic robo was built 1943 or earlier, Tesla would be an appropriate inventor, though you'll automatically receive the complication "suspected communist"

Speedsters don't have anything especially complicated about them in this setting, though you're free to take the complication "frequently mistaken for Kid Quantum" as speedsters often move too fast to be recognized, and Kid Quantum is a big leaguer known for getting into just about everything.

As far as demons go, they fall into two basic types in the setting, plus the "more things in heaven and earth" type demons which defy any sort of explanation.  The two types are underworld demons and alien demons.  Underworld demons come from the realm of the dead, and their signature trait is that they often lack a physical body, often using possession or an avatar to get their duties done.  Corporeal underworld demons are not unheard of, however, usually resulting from the union of a human mother and a demon father.  Most of the powers of underworld demons have the death descriptor. 

Alien demons, meanwhile, live in hyperspace, and are masters of a combination of magic and sufficiently advanced technology.  They are most known for being frequently involved in attempts to conquer the world, whereas underworld demons are typically just looking for souls to torment.  Alien demons typically have an even mix of the alien and magic descriptor in their powers.

Japanese legends in general are extremely common in the setting, thanks to Hiroshima and Nagasaki, which have left Japan under seige by super powered giant monsters.  The trauma of the atomic explosions woke up nearly every magical creature in all Japan, and the loss of WW2 seriously riled up the ninja clans, who started to be hunted down by the occupying US forces.  All of this means that Japanese characters will tend to have a lot of complications, thanks to regret, things coming to hunt them down, and residual racism and mistrust from the war getting in their way.  (though is should be noted that Japan was the nation that built the most advanced technological robot hero in the world: Astro Boy)

Finally, psychic powers are fairly ubiquitous in the setting, though very few people have psychic powers of any note.  The Cerebrophone (a telepathic helmet) is considered a perfectly normal means of communication.  Police departments employ psychic detectives, and special forces soldiers are often screened for psychic resistance.  In the atomic age, the number of psychics with useful powers is increasing, and it may only be a matter of time before psychic power increases to a level that can compete with the greatest atomic heroes.

[Callie Del Noire]

Robo was built in '23. Of course I'm sure the feds love that he's atomic powered. :D

[ShadowFox89]

 I was thinking fox spirit more than actual Japanese kitsune, with some telepathy and shadow manipulation thrown in :P

[The Great Triangle]

As long as you can think up a cool name and stay least two complications, go for it!

Spirit characters often have the following power, reflecting the fact that most spirits are incorporeal.


Spirit Form

Insubstantial 4 linked Immunity 16 (life support, fatigue, aging) linked Invisibility (visual), death. 40 points

Spirits whose native form is insubstantial have the power permanent and innate, while spirits who can generate a body just have it continuous or occasionally permanent with a 0 point nullify power.  Some magicians have a limited spirit form power that leaves their body vulnerable to attack.

[The Great Triangle]

Here's my collected setting information:


[/quote]

It is a scientific fact that there is something immortal, and indivisible within every human being, and many animals as well.  When this atomic soul is assaulted, whether through hardship, intense training regmens, or the fury of battle, the human organism becomes more powerful, and gains additional abilities.  One force, however, affects the atomic soul more than any other; nuclear radiation.  As Neitzche said before he was tossed into the pit to the earth's core he dug from his island fortress "What does not kill me makes me stronger."

The bombardment of the atomic soul has created remarkable heroes throughout history; Alexander the Great, Benjamin Franklin, and of course Le Homme-Corbeau of France, whose most famous incarnation was Napoleon Bonaparte.  The first modern atomic hero was Marie Curie, and we all remember the pictures of her flying above Verdun, raining down fire and ice upon the German forces.  With the help of Madame Curie and the Petites Curies, the allies decisively defeated the Central Powers in the first world war.  As allied nations began to give doses of radiation to their heroes to create remarkable leaders, and effective soldiers, the mysterious villain Ragnarok took control of Weimar Germany at the head of the National Socialist party, begining a massive economic reform program.  Meanwhile, the French government appropriated Curie's atomic technology, and began to replicate the conditions of her experiments to produce a new generation of atomic heroes.  The end result of project Orleans was Madame Guillotine, who, along with Captain Maginot, will live in infamy for their betrayal of France.

The tradition of carrying on a costume and a name started in the 15th century with Le Homme-Corbeau of France, an identity taken by Gilles de Rais, after witnessing how inspiring the legend of Joan of Arc became.  Gilles fought a tireless battle against corruption, but was sentanced to death for the murder of children.  Unable to sustain the damage the loss of both figures would do to the French state, Jean de Dunois, the Bastard of Orleans, took up the mantle of Homme-Corbeau.  Since that time, it has been fashionable for particularly famous heroes to enjoy a sort of immortality by having new adventurers take their name and costume, if they can live up to the legend.

Lady Liberty's first incarnation was Betsy Ross, a young widowed seamstress who quietly sabotaged the efforts of the British to put down the revolution.  Seventy years later, a fiery abolitionist named Lydia M. Child again donned the mask of Lady Liberty to help operate the underground railroad, and lead slaves to freedom.  At some point after the civil war, Lydia Child abandoned the identity of Lady Liberty, and it was taken up by an unknown feminist, who fought crime in the name of women's suffrage until the outbreak of World War I.  The third Lady Liberty is popularly supposed to have been Susan B. Anthony, but her identity was never revealed.  The fourth Lady Liberty was an African American, and donned the costume in the 1920s to fight mostly against the Klu Klux Klan.

During the second World War, she was killed by Demagog when he went over to the side of Ragnarok during the Normandy invasion, becoming the first Lady Liberty to be killed in the line of duty.  The fifth Lady Liberty is an atomic powered mixed race champion of the American Way, who fights to preserve all people from the bondage of communism.  She sits on the North American council of WAHMO, and is assigned as guardian over the Midwestern United States and Canada.  She spends most of her time patrolling the North Pole, making sure that nobody attempts to militarize the region, and that Santa's Workshop remains hidden and unmolested.

Some other heroes and villains that have had multiple incarnations include:  Ameterasu (disputed), Captain Prussia, Demagog, General Lee, La Femme Nikita, Ragnarok (disputed), Shiva, and Uncle Sam

In 1939, Ragnarok invaded Poland, followed by swift invasions of Denmark, Sweeden, Norway, Finland, and France.  In the begining, the French looked ready to decisively defeat the German army, but the appearance of an army of Frost Giants, followed by Madam Guillotine and Captain Maginot lead to the swift surrender of France, and the formation of a new, collaborator government in the Summer of 1940.  The winter of 1940 was defined by vast and vicious battles in the air between the Ice Dragons of the Ultimate Reich and Nikola Tesla's flying fortresses.  Meanwhile, the Japanese invaded many countries with the blessing of the Goddess Ameterasu, and the support of dozens of mystical ninja clans.  The United States responded with an embargo of oil and nuclear materials to Japan, raising tensions between the two nations. 

On December 7, 1941, Japan attacked the US Navy at Pearl Harbor, drawing the United States into the Second World War.  The costumed adventurers of the United States threw their all into the war effort, including Lady Liberty's fourth incarnation, General Lee's second incarnation, and Demagog.  Over the next few years,  the Manhattan project worked to develop the Ultimate Weapon, while America's forces fought against Ragnarok, Madame Guillotine, and Ameterasu.  At the same time, the soviet army fought a desperate battle against the Frost Giants in the darkness of winter, supported by Nikola Tesla's armored titans, and led by heroes like "Mad" Ivan, Captain Kalashnikov, La Femme Nikita, and the second through fourteenth incarnations of Hero of the People.  The war was incredibly destructive, and was joined eventually by the American atomic hero Briarpatch, who helped hold back Ragnarok before going to France to support the D-day landing. 

With the help of the Petites Curies, the latest incarnation of Homme-Corbeau, and a mysterious ghost called Dybbuk, the invasion of Germany was successful, enabling the Soviet Union to advance using their new Titan Legion, led by Tsar Bronevoj.  As World War II in Europe drew to a close, the Trinity Tests of July 16 changed the world forever, creating a new generation of atomic heroes, such as Captain Trinity, Kid Quantum, Lord Protector, and the fifth incarnation of Lady Liberty.  The atomic explosions at Hiroshima and Nagisaki bathed Japan in atomic radiation, giving hundreds of people throughout the country superpowers, and creating alarming numbers of gigantic monsters, including the vicious King Kaiju.  The trauma was so destructive to Ameterasu that she split into two beings; her more merciful and forgiving half, and her hate filled and vicious portion Oni-Sama.  As Japan collapsed into horrifying Kaiju battles and ancient horrors came out of the woodwork, the Emperor surrendered, and World War 2 came to a close. 

The years after the war were not kind to Japan.  Many atomic powered teenagers were conscripted to fight battles against the evils threatening the nation, often wearing brightly colored costumes, and using giant robots to defend the cities.  Technology advanced rapidly throughout the nation, leading to the creation of the atomic robot Astro Boy in 1949, and the formation of the Western Atomic Hero Mutuality Organization later that year.  With the Soviet Union's expanding nuclear arsenal,  WAHMO now works to contain its Soviet counterpart, SERPENT, with the majority of violent actions taking place in Asia, where open war in Korea started earlier this year. 


WAHMO is organized into a series of councils, underneath a global council that deals with global threats.  Each continent has a coucil of five atomic heroes, who help organize the fight against the problems of that continent, under the direction of a member of the global council.  The North American council is supervised by the third incarnation of General Lee, a nuclear powered hero that can call upon the ghosts of the dead.  Your PCs will be members of a team assigned to defend Salt Lake City, and the state of Utah under the greater direction of WAHMO.  You'll have to deal with people given atomic powers by nuclear tests, soviet sabeteurs from SERPENT, Oni and Kaiju sneaking into the country from Asia, and aliens coming to make unfriendly contact.  Membership in WAHMO is voluntary, though the organization provides financial stipends and legal representation to its members.  Those who refuse to join WAHMO are still listed as organizational assets if they don't openly attack the organization.

As far as optional rules go, each power will need to have at least one descriptor, and each hero will need to have at least two complications.  I will allow players to design custom equipment, but all custom equipment requires GM approval, save for vehicles.  The equipment list will be expanded considerably, but most equipment will only be available to unpowered heroes, though magic heroes will get some equipment as well.  Lethal damage is a one point flaw that can be added to any damaging power, or affliction power which causes incapacitation.  The standard equipment will be rewritten to accomidate this flaw.  A power with the lethal damage flaw inflicts the dying condition upon anyone incapacitated by the attack, and only inflicts half knockback unless the effect rank of the lethal effect is 7 or higher.  Most lethal items can have the lethal flaw bought off as a feature for one equipment point.   The knockback rules from the GM's guide will be in effect, but characters must opt in to cause knockback, and knockback damage always equals the knockback result of the attack.

[TheGlyphstone]

Robo was built in '23. Of course I'm sure the feds love that he's atomic powered. :D

I'm going with a homage to AR rather than a direct ripoff, so it'll be an Edisonbot.

[The Great Triangle]

I've finished setting up a wiki for the game!  Hooray!

https://elliquiy.com/wiki/Atomic_Hero_1950

There's your equipment list and such.

[TheVillain]

Tagging the thread as a definite maybe.

[The Great Triangle]

If anyone wants help making a character for this game, feel free to PM me!  I'd be more than happy to assist you guys in figuring out how to stat up your character.