City of Heroes (Freeform Modern Superheroes) [CLOSED]

[Totoro]

City of Heroes

Welcome to New Providence.

Overview

City of heroes is a freeform superhero and villain group game set in a fictional city, in a world where humans and superhumans exist side by side. The game will be centered around PvP conflict between three factions as the players heroes and villains fight for control of the city itself. While the game heavily relies on pitting players against other players it is not a competitive environment but a collaborative storytelling, pitting characters against one another and attempting to play to 'Win' will be no fun for anyone. The setting will be 'New Providence', a fictional city in North America. All characters will likely have obtained their powers and abilities from differing sources, much like the varied backstories in comic book universes. The in game year is 2017, but this game is set in its own universe and some technology may be in advance of normal time. This game will feature very little smut and be entirely plot-driven. Much of the plot will be pushed forward by player led events with everyone being able to make suggestions and form plans together or against one another. There will be GM-Events likely to kick things off and keep things moving along depending on how things pan out.

The idea of the setting and universe is to create something of a blank slate or canvas for players to be able to create heroes, villains or vigilantes with versatile powers, backstories and personalities. What happens then will be entirely player-driven, with a few GM events every now and then but many of those will be up to player suggestions. All teams will have a few NPC's made to start things off and then what happens after that'll be all on player suggestions and IC actions. These NPC's will give a baseline idea of the organisations and the type of people who might be in them. If you want a zombie raising necromancer villain to attack the city, we can do that. A giant robot piloted by a hero's going on a vigilante rampage against criminals, that can happen too. A political race for the new mayor? Leadership stuggles in factions? A group of radicals trying to restart the Divide? Ideas are endless and very based on player ideas. Down the line there'll be space for players to move up their organisations ranks, or even start their own organisation. 

The Setting

For millenia superhumans and ordinary humans have lived together. As the origins and paths to becoming superhuman were so varied, and none could explain why some were born that way, people rarely saw any difference. Of course there were conflicts in the past, with many conquering hordes or invasions spearheaded by particularly powerful superhumans. But overall these were wars of nations or ideologies rather than conflicts between humans and superhumans.

In 1996 the first true war between ordinary humans and superhumans broke out. Known as The Great Divide the conflict started when a powerful superhuman destroyed an entire city block with a thermonuclear explosion. Across the world it was called into question how these godlike beings could be allowed to live unregistered, unmonitored. Soon enough there were groups vying for their extermination or at least registration and surveillance. Meanwhile many superhumans refused to be contained and tagged like the criminals they fought so hard to stop.  The nature of the Divide varied wildly across the world. Some nations were thrown into a full blown war against their own people, Superhumans and their supporters against ordinary people. Others maintained control with an iron fist and took down any rogue superhumans. Some were conquered by their superpowered population who instigated their own regime and rules.

America was one plagued by a constant battle with no clear victor. Entire states were declared active warzones and evacuated on mass. Cities were torn apart as military forces contended with superhumans with vast powers. Enough humans joined the superhumans to make the numbers loosely even, and there were tragedies on both sides. When Detroit became a homebase for a huge superhuman population and their followers the U.S Army committed to a brutal airstrike, only to be hit back by a Superhuman crashing a tidal wave into New York city in a terror attack both sides were shocked by. Tragedies on both sides were many, and it's hard to gauge who suffered the most but the death toll was in the millions after a decade of brutality.

The American Divide finally ended in 2007 with the signing of 'The Custodian Agreement'. A deal that meant all Superhumans must register, but can go on living an ordinary civilian life so long as they agree not to utilise their powers in any kind of aggressive manner. Those who wished to fight crime would join the Custodians, becoming registered and licensed superheroes to defend their Nation's civilians from criminals. While America was as good as saved the world as a whole was still shaking and reeling. Since 2007 many other nations have formed similar agreements, or their wars have ended with a surrender of one side or the other. A few still rage on, now 21 years of bloodshed with little end in sight.

Some soon abandoned the Custodians rigid rules and formed the 'Vengeance Initiative'. Not existing for retribution against Custodians but instead existing to bring down deserved Vengeance on the most violent perpetrators of crime through The Great Divide. They eventually became an underground society dedicated to vigilante justice. Truly opposing the Custodians were The Syndicate, a ruthless criminal organisation that spanned America and had many international ties. They gather the cruel and greedy who seek to abuse or gain power for personal gain. Many of them were those who'd joined neither side in the Divide and simply used the bloodshed to further their own goals.

New Providence is a city in conflict. Although The Great Divide ended fifteen years ago and times are far better they've been steadily slipping. Faith in Custodians has shifted, with them being seen as a militant police with a purely black/white morality. The Vengeance Initiative brings fear of death to many as they've been known to kill mistakenly and attack petty, minor criminals. The Syndicate's operation of spreading fear and chaos has stepped up and Supervillains are now able to operate without the rapid response they used to get from the overworked, strained Custodians.

Factions

Most characters will be a member of one of the three following factions. Each faction has a description/overview giving an idea of their goals, ideas, rules and history. They each also have details of their current leader in the 'Important NPC's' section. Beneath each description is a list of pros/cons for the group, things which may drive PC's towards or away from each faction. Some characters can be unwilling to join any faction, or have not yet made their mind up. Please note some Custodians may have wavering morals, or sometimes secretly break the law. Some of the Initiative may kill, others may not, and their methods are highly varied. Some of the Syndicate may have more noble goals than others, one way or another, perhaps trying to infiltrate the group or just being desperate for money. No characters alignment is final and it may be possible to change sides as the story unfolds. Detailed breakdowns of the premise, structure, base of operations and six NPC members for each organisations can be found at the links below.

The Custodians

The Vengeance Initiative

The Syndicate

Timeline

December 10th 1996: Start of The Divide. Global conflict between humans and superhumans of varying severity.
May 8th 2007: End of The Divide. Custodian agreement in American and similar deals across many other nations. Some wars still rage on. Other countries are fully captured by one side or the other.
July 2nd 2007: Formation of the Syndicate across America, creating a brutal support organisation for the cruel who would abuse superpowers. Lead by Mr. Sanguine in New Providence.
January 18th 2009: Striker betrays Exemplar and becomes Interfector, starting the Vengeance Initiative for vigilante heroes who refuse to register and play by a list of rules in the face of evil like Mr. Sanguine.
February 22nd 2014:Mayor Frank Carter is elected in New Providence, an everyman who supports the Custodians and hopes to find peace.
December 6th 2017: Present Day.

Rules

1. Do not cause or participate in drama. Report any personal issues to me or staff depending on severity.
2. Do not godmode in any situation. This means do not control others characters or named NPC's. If you attack another, state what you do but not how the target reacts.
3. Understand this is a storytelling effort, and not a competition. Every fictional character loses sometimes. Create an interesting character and aim to have a mixture of failures and successes.
4. Writing will be in the third person past tense only, and English should be at a good but not necessarily flawless standard.
5. There will be no strict post rate as the game will be something of a sandbox. If you're unable to reply for longer than usual it's polite to let your partners know. If you're absent for a month without contact or posts your character will be considered inactive.
6. Smut is absolutely not the focus of this game. To keep the threads centered around story and plot it will not be allowed in the ordinary threads. If the game's large enough I may make a dedicated thread, otherwise players are welcome to use 1x1's.
7. Please take the time to read through the setting, factions and important NPC's, as well as the example character sheet. It shouldn't take too long and it will help get an idea of the game's universe. If you still have questions I'm always open to being asked here or via PM.
8. This comes under godmoding, but do not kill other players characters without express permission. If you wish for your character to die and it fits a storyline, it's fine, so long as everyone involved is agreed. Similarly do not kill or control important NPC's, their actions and reactions will be controlled by me.

Character Creation

Player characters will be heroes or villains in New Providence. All characters need an alignment although some may stray the line between the three at times. Not all characters need to have any kind of superhuman abilities, some may just be citizens who wish to use the chaos or fight it with ordinary gadgets and equipment. The potential range for powers is broad, with a small list of highly impractical/disruptive or unbalance-able powers banned.

Players will be allowed a total of three characters, all of which may belong to the same or different factions. Please do not list numbers or statistics to get across a characters strength or speed. A vague approximation such as 'Can lift a car' or 'Can throw a tank' is helpful, but specifics inevitably lead to conflict being a comparison of numbers rather than storytelling.

A character sheet for Exemplar is linked in his description under the Custodians faction run-down.

Banned Power List

Reality Warping
Anything involving the words 'Omni' or 'Absolute'
Power Manipulation
Chronokinesis
Excessive or uncounterable telepathy
Precognition
Deity or godlike physiology/powers

Code Select Expand

[float=right][img height=300 padding=3]https://placeholdit.imgix.net/~text?txtsize=33&txt=350%C3%97300&w=350&h=300[/img][/float]
[center][size=18pt][glow=blue,2,300][u][b]Alias[/b][/u][/glow][/size][/center]

[size=14pt][u][b]The Basics[/b][/u][/size]
[b]Legal Name:[/b]
[b]Age:[/b] 18+, please
[b]Gender:[/b] Anything goes here
[b]Nationality: [/b] Where were they born?
[b]Occupation:[/b] What do they do?
[b]Resources:[/b] How much money or influence do they have? What can they afford, or who can they call on?
[b]Affiliation:[/b] Custodian, Vengeance Initiative or Syndicate. May also be a free agent.

[hr]

[size=14pt][u][b]Physical Description[/b][/u][/size]
[b]Height:[/b]
[b]Weight:[/b]
[b]Face Claim:[/b] A real person is preferred but optional. Artwork faceclaims will need a good visual description and art of a reasonable quality.
[b]General Appearance:[/b] How do they dress casually and when operating. How do they keep themselves physically.

[hr]

[center][size=14pt][b][u]Personality and Background[/u][/b][/size][/center]

[center][b][u]Personality[/u][/b] [/center]
At least a paragraph describing what they are like as a person.

[center][b][u]Background[/u][/b][/center]
At least 3 paragraphs describing their life up to this point. Should include how they attained their powers and their experience with heroics.

[hr]

[center][size=14pt][b][u]Superpowers & Skills[/u][/b][/size][/center]

[center][u][b]Superpowers[/b][/u][/center]

[b]Power Name:[/b] The name and details of their ability. Simple powers such as superhuman strength don't need specific detailing or numbers.

[center][u][b]Skills[/b][/u][/center]

[b]Skill Name:[/b] A learned skill or ability ordinary humans can learn to do. Examples would be martial arts, running a company or marksmanship.

[hr]

[center][size=14pt][b][u]Equipment[/u][/b][/size][/center]

[b]Equipment Name:[/b] Description of a piece of equipment utilised by the hero or villain. Something like Thor's hammer Mjolnir, Wonder Woman's Lasso of Truth, Tony Stark's Iron Man armour or a signature handgun.

[hr]

[center][size=14pt][u][b][b]Weaknesses[/b][/b][/u][/size][/center]

All characters should have at least one weakness to their powers/abilities and one flaw as a person. More would be encouraged.

[hr]

[center][size=14pt][u][b]Other[/b][/u][/size][/center]

This is room for any details you want to add to your character sheet. Character relations can be placed here, or simply anything that didn't fit anywhere else.

Example Character Sheet

Exemplar

The Basics
Legal Name: Samuel Jones
Age: 48
Gender: Male
Nationality: American
Occupation: Full time hero, Chief of the New Providence Custodians
Resources: Full control of the New Providence Custodians with tens of millions of dollars of yearly budget, vast support staff. Military and police connections as well as Government agencies and special forces. Can call on dozens to hundreds of Custodian licensed and registered superheroes.
Affiliation: Custodian



Physical Description
Height: 6'4"
Weight: 240lbs
Face Claim: Daniel Craig
General Appearance: Samuel is a tall, well kept man with a good deal of muscle and very low body fat. He requires very little exercise to keep this physique. He keeps himself pristine at all times and embodies the organisation he represents in the city. His hair is kept short and smart, his face is always clean shaven and he never lets a blemish or scar show. In public he wears suits, often attending high class events to discuss the Custodians. When fighting crime he's worn a variety of outfits over the decades, but currently sticks with the Custodians 'Official' practical armour.

Personality and Background

Personality

Samuel is a dedicated perfectionist who dislikes laziness, carelessness or stupidity. He dedicates his every waking moment to the Custodians and wouldn't hesitate to give his life for their cause. There can be no doubt in anyone he meets mind that he is the hero he claims to be. He works to inspire others, pushing new generations of heroes to do the right thing and not abuse their abilities. He personally takes rookies on patrols and trains with them, letting them know he's just another hero like they are. Despite his large following he has very little ego about what he does. The dedication to his public image, appearance and persona is out of practicality and care for what he does. If he allowed himself to appear messy or lazy he would no longer be sending out the positive message he intends to. He's never had a relationship that's lasted as his life is so utterly devoted to working and not making time for others.

While he's always under a great deal of stress, and can be very serious when it matters, Samuel's often smiling and positive. He attempts to encourage rather than enforce and bring down crime by inspiring hope instead of spreading fear. He's an absolute professional and there are only a small handful of people who cause Samuel to take an operation personally. He's witnessed first hand the cruelty of Mr. Sanguine over the past decade and would have difficulty just arresting him, knowing he's incredibly illusive. Similarly he's had to deal with the failure he faced when his old friend Striker beat him in a fight and set up a Vigilante operation. While they at least target criminals Exemplar's had to see the savage takedowns carried out by the renamed 'Interfector' and his Vengeance Initiative. Mr. Sanguine disturbs him and inspires him to hate and anger, but Interfector causes him fear as he's not sure he is even capable of bringing him down.

Background

Samuel was born in 1969 to a veteran of the Korean war and a school teacher in New Providence, America. His parents weren't rich but they were reasonably well off, kind hearted and encouraging. He was a smart kid who got on well in school, becoming fairly athletic and getting good grades at the same time. His teachers and parents noticed his diligence as almost robotic, as he would apply himself fully to every little thing in his life and left minimal time for fun, relaxation or friendships. But he always appeared very happy and so nobody was too worried about him. By the time he was a teenager he was getting the best grades in his classes at the same time as being on half the school sports teams. He still had little time for friends but he was kind and friendly to people he met.

In 1988 he'd just started College studying law, liking the idea of working as a lawyer. While he'd always been inspired by superheroes he had no powers and was smart but not enough to create a suit or something similar to fight crime with. He'd gone to the local University as he adored his hometown of New Providence. Everything was going well when, out for his daily jog, he took a new route in the woods. He wasn't quite sure why, but it was as though something drew him deeper into the forest. Eventually he discovered an ornate sword among the dirt and leaves which seemed to be completely spotless despite it's unclean surroundings. He was somewhat nervous but deeply curious, and picked up the blade lightly. It had a scabbard just beside it, equally spotless, but he focused on the ornate and incredible sword for now. As he held it he felt a rush of energy, flooding through his palm from the hilt and then through every part of him. When it stopped he felt a changed person. Energy ran through his veins the like of which he'd never felt before. Picking up the scabbard he rushed home, realising his running speed was more than twice what it had been before.

He tested himself and discovered that the sword granted him superhuman strength, endurance and speed while he either held it or had it sheathed at his side. After some debate and a trip home to talk to his parents Samuel took up the name 'Exemplar' and set about being a good superhuman worthy of the title 'Superhero'. It quickly transpired that despite his inexperience he was incredibly powerful and capable, effortlessly taking down a multitude of petty criminals until he met 'Striker'. Striker was a great deal more experienced than him, about a decade older, and incredibly powerful too. They soon started working together to take down criminals and discovered nobody could stop them.

After years of adjusting to his new life as a superhero The Divide changed Samuel's world. Civil war broke out across much of the world, America included. Exemplar became a hero of the Superhumans, although he always sought out the diplomatic route wherever he could he did carry out several takedowns against U.S military bases to stop their bombers from attacking Superhuman camps. During the war Samuel lost both his parents to a single particularly violent battle. He and Striker took down those responsible and it's one of the only times Exemplar ever took a life. It shook him, but he couldn't bring himself to regret it. Over time Exemplar grew popular as a figure of light through darkness, becoming a commander of the Superhumans forces and proving to be able to always find the most peaceful solutions. It was his desire for a gentle resolution to every problem that caused a slight divide between him and his friend Striker, who was considerably more hard line in his ideas and actions.

Exemplar was there when the Custodian agreement was signed, and volunteered himself to spearhead the organisation in New Providence. Despite the fact he fought for one side in the war even his former foes realised he had always been seeking peace as best he could, and he was rapidly forgiven. He proved to be a highly capable leader, recruiting quickly and training expertly alongside his friend Striker. The two of them did a masterful job cleaning up the streets until the Syndicate first arrived. Nobody was sure where they really began, but they popped up all across America over the space of a month. Locally they were lead by a Supervillain known as 'Mr. Sanguine', a particularly bloody and brutal figure who showed no mercy to those in the way of his abuse of powers for personal gain.

Several years into their campaigns against the Syndicate Exemplar and Striker managed to track down a known Syndicate member and human trafficker. Exemplar made the arrest before his friend placed his hand on his shoulder and shook his head. He told him he couldn't let this one go in alive. To this day Samuel's not sure why Striker snapped there, but he can understand why. No matter what Syndicate members always evaded jail sooner or later, and this man was pure evil. It didn't stop the shock when Striker punched him in the gut. His friend was a teleporter, and able to deliver a punch with a force greater than a cannonball by teleporting his fist to the target in a fraction of a second. Exemplar was used to hard fights, but not like this. Striker's ruthlessness overwhelmed him and he was slammed into the alley wall, and felt his bones break for the first time. Trying to recover from being winded and having cracked ribs he could only watch when Striker kicked the criminal in the skull and snapped his neck, before the Exemplar struggled up and attempted to arrest Striker. His old friend tried to leave, but Exemplar was fast and tenacious and managed to keep up until Striker broke his leg and dropped him off the side of a building.

After his recovery Exemplar returned to duty as the head of the Custodians and declared 'Interfector', formerly Striker, and his new 'Vengeance Initiatives' to be illegal vigilantes and criminals. He was now fighting a war on two fronts as he tried to arrest both the true villains and the brutal 'Heroes' who operated as if they were above the law, stretching human-superhuman relations. Nowadays Exemplar is highly experienced and has had a good deal of success, coupled with a few notable defeats at the hands of the rival groups. He's yet to come to blows with Interfector yet but he's concerned of what might happen on that day. He runs a masterful PR campaign and has recruiters and testing/training grounds across the city as well as Custodian HQ where he lives and operates. He's hoping rising tensions might cause one of the rivals to make an error that allows the capture of their leader, or that his new recruits will be able to exceed him and do what he's failed to do.

Superpowers & Skills

Superpowers

Exemplar's Gift: Since finding the Exemplar Blade in a local wood Samuel's gained incredible physiological powers. His strength, speed and durability are far in excess of ordinary humans. His powers only function if he is holding the sword, or it's in it's scabbard on his person. The blade gave him the knowledge of a master swordsman in an instant. In addition to his incredible physiology while wielding the sword he's capable of flight at a supersonic speed. He is strong enough to lift and throw a tank, fast enough to dodge bullets and resilient enough to withstand hand grenades, gunshots or being hit by a speeding car. The powers granted by Exemplar's gift include:

• Superhuman Strength
• Superhuman Speed and Agility
• Superhuman Durability and Stamina
• Supersonic Flight

Skills

Master Swordsman: Since picking up the Exemplar Blade Samuel's been blessed with the knowledge of a lifelong swordsman who's trained daily for decades. His style is graceful, elegant and primarily defensive. He often tires foes and disarms them, waiting for the opportune moment to disarm them safely. He's no slouch with his fists but he's world class with his sword.

Strategist: Exemplar's lead the Custodians in New Providence for a decade now. He is in control of their budget, operations, recruitment and training. While he now delegates much of this work he has the final say on everything. The organisation's not without failure or errors but they have proved to be incredibly effective in their role, stamping out almost all lone supervillains and carrying out numerous successful raids against both the Vengeance Initiative and the Syndicate. The fact some of this mastery of strategy came from his time as a commander for the Superhumans in The Divide is one he keeps quiet about for the most part, but not one he denies.

Experienced Hero: Exemplar isn't young, and has had vast practice fighting a huge array of superhumans and ordinary humans with different powers, abilities, equipment and goals. Even after ten years of warfare and another ten years of crime fighting he's only ever lost a single fight. He can form plans of action incredibly quickly, adapts to wildly unpredictable situations easily and always keeps a cool head while operating.

Public Relations: After the war Exemplar was first among those signing up to register and act as a licensed hero. He's worked hard for the last ten years to repair trust and faith between humans and superhumans, and done a remarkable job overall. He's never been caught in a scandal, broken a law or shown himself as anything but a shining hero. He has a huge fanbase and following in New Providence and some of his exploits make national news.

Equipment

Exemplar Blade: A sword Sam found as a teenager. It is the source of his powers and he always wears it in a scabbard. The sword itself is an ornate, beautiful longsword of unknown origin. The hilt has an intricate lion made of gold on it, and the craftsmanship is incredible. The blade itself can cleave through steel or incredibly resilient armour. It seems to be impossible to break, letting it be wielded with a great deal of force due to the strength it grants Samuel. He utilises it carefully, disarming opponents or striking them non-lethally if he's forced to. He will typically attempt to use hand to hand combat before drawing the blade. No dirt ever sticks to the blade, and it always shines as though freshly polished and cleaned.

Custodian Armour: A set of highly advanced military grade armour. It has a belt, many adjustable holsters and straps to accommodate varying equipment and each set is custom-made for the individual. All sets are kevlar reinforced and resistant to bullets and stabbings. The armour itself is designed to be sleeker than ordinary military gear and can be redesigned to suit the aesthetic of the hero. Exemplar's is a deep blue with a golden trim, with a large sword and shield icon on the center of his chest to signify his role as a protector. It is immaculate at all times. Due to his raw power Exemplar rarely carries any kind of weapons or gadgets, relying on sheer might to carry the day. 

Weaknesses

The City on his Shoulders: Exemplar is the shining knight millions look up to. He has no personal life, nowhere to hide his own sorrow or doubt. To confide in a Councillor would be to admit to having vulnerability, a trait not practical for a man like him. Having a civilian life was no longer an option at his level of fame. He has no negative habits that would allow him to vent or release, leading to a great deal of stress weighing on him at all times. His largest source of self-doubt is his crossroads with his old friend Striker, and if he were to fight the man now known as Interfector his own moral conflict would likely make him lose again.   

The Sword's Gift: Examplar's sword is the source of his power. If he drops it, it is knocked from his hands or worse destroyed he will rapidly lose his powers. So far it's seemed indestructible but it may be possible to destroy with enough power or the right means. He can still utilise his powers if the sword is at his side in a scabbard, where it is always kept. It could be possible to ambush him while he sleeps, although he is always well guarded as he lives in the Custodians HQ.

Other

This is room for any details you want to add to your character sheet. Character relations can be placed here, or simply anything that didn't fit anywhere else.

[Dragonslayer]

Interested, I never played this game, though I wish I did back in the day

[Totoro]

Interested, I never played this game, though I wish I did back in the day

It's really nothing to do with the game, I just borrowed the name. I very briefly played it, was fun for a while but not hugely stand out. A more modern version could be cool.

[TheBlackThrone]

Interested. I'll discuss with you my idea.

[Totoro]

Interested. I'll discuss with you my idea.

Was hoping to have you around, love to see what your idea is.

[Totoro]

Going to be putting this game idea on hold indefinitely due to a change of heart about what kind of game I want to run, will be putting up an interest check for a different idea.

Thank you for interest and apologies.