Supernatural Paragons

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Prince Charon
Posts: 61
Joined: Tue Jun 02, 2020 1:45 am

Supernatural Paragons

Post by Prince Charon »

Another of my settings from the old forum, in a few posts for ease of finding stuff:

Books used include Paragons, Supernatural Handbook, elements of d20 Modern's Urban Arcana, and probably Book of Magic and Power Profile: Magic Powers; Emerald City, Worlds of Freedom, and adaptations of existing comic-book universes may also be involved.


I suggest setting the game in the 1980s or early '90s, as cellphones were rare, cellphone cameras were non-existent, and security cameras were not everywhere, yet. It would only require small changes to some characters, and larger changes to very few. 'Calamity' Jane Haskill could even still have her PDA, as the first of those (the Psion Organiser) came out in 1984. Useful reference: 1980s American Cars, Guns, Gadgets and Consumer Goods [Atmosphere, look, minutiae].

The Breakout is fairly recent, and a group called the Pact (overarching magical conspiracy from the Paragons book, pp63-65) believe it to be their fault: Not long before the Breakout, the Pact attempted a series of rituals to bring magic back to the world, beginning at sunrise at various magical sites throughout the world. They started on a large yacht in the Bermuda Triangle, at the projected site of Atlantis (or an important outpost thereof), then at Stonehenge, and so on, with the final ritual taking place at the next sunrise at that boat over Atlantis.

Once the final ritual was complete, people (along with animals, plants, objects, locations, and so on) began gaining magic... but not all the 'right' people, not just members of the Pact, or even mostly members of the Pact. It happened everywhere, mostly to people who were already seen as spooky or weird outsiders in their communities (Wiccans & New Agers, mystics, gamers & other nerds, local shamans & Voudonists, Christians in areas where Christians are rare, would-be superheroes (unpowered, until then), general lunatics, and so on). Most humans who gain powers start with the ability to sense magic, an increased understanding of some branch of mystical study, and an ability to make that magic work. Those who gain significant power might find themselves naturally good at several spells (though they might not use the word 'spell' to describe them), or rapidly creating or 'discovering' several magic items.

(The main hole in the Pact's belief is that there is no evidence beyond memories that the Pact existed as a singular group, rather than a lot of unconnected groups, before people started getting powers. Even the yacht in the Bermuda Triangle seems never to have existed, nor did the people on it.)

The Breakout itself was a strange, strange day: Fortean phenomena occurred all over the world with alarming frequency, people flew unaided or performed other impossible feats, fictional characters, objects, and buildings appeared out of the Imageria, the skies turned red... and then it all stopped, and went almost back to normal. Almost... but not quite. People who gained powers during the Breakout kept them (and many didn't hide this), and some beings and items that arrived from the Imageria then remained.

As far as the general public knows, paragons are rare, powerful, and strange, but mostly have little effect on their daily lives. Most people are vaguely aware that there are more paragons out there than the famous ones and whomever they have locally, but generally not how many. Magic is, by nature, subtle, invisible to those without eyes to see, and from the perspective of the Pact, most of the well-known paragons have something wrong with their powers, that they are so obvious - or just have powers that aren't naturally subtle, like Flight or Super-Strength. For every obvious paranormal like Patriot or Rampage, there may be a hundred to a thousand with less visible powers.

Animals, plants, and other life forms that get empowered (as well as objects, buildings and locations) tend to be somewhat similar to existing myths, whether old or new, and can cause a great deal of trouble. A lot of them still look fairly normal, at first glance, especially to those whose eyes are closed to magic. Spirits from the Imageria have also been known to manifest, though quite few of the really powerful ones manifest often. Things like this would create adventures, even without human evil.

Supernatural horrors are not the only menace the PCs might confront, but they are always there in the shadows, lurking...


If I run a game in this setting, I would likely suggest that the players create characters as PL 2 to 4 Bystanders, or optionally PL 5ish Street-level Adventurers, and then add the template, below:
Basic Spellcaster template:

+1 to Awareness
+1 to Will

Ritualist or Artificer advantage (though the other may also be bought)

+1 rank to Insight
+1 rank to Expertise (Occult) or Expertise in a Magic specialty (Folk Magic, Hermetic Magic, Qabalah, Wicca, Christian Mysticism, Western or Eastern Alchemy, Psionics, Technomagic, et cetra), but usually not Magic or Arcane, as those are rare in this setting, most often possessed by someone with multiple Magical or Occult specialties.

Senses: Magical Awareness (Dimensional: Imageria)
Often has Accurate, Acute, and/or Analytical
PCs then add enough points to bring the character up to the campaigne PL; NPCs add whatever they need to. The powers should generally be appropriate to the style of magic the paragon knows. Those without Artificer probably should not have Device powers, unless gained from another character, or found during or shortly after their breakout ('There's a box in the attic that you don't quite recognize, and something inside seems to be glowing...').

Characters with an Expertise (magical specialty) bonus of +10 or higher frequently have a level or two of Variable, limited to the style of magic they know, or something related to that style, and often with one or more other appropriate limitations. Starting with higher levels is quite rare.

Many new magi will find a book, or several books (or sound recordings, or even a database), containing detailed knowledge of their style of magic. This is important partly because having a spell already recorded lets you skip the design check (and thus, many who don't start with a book might choose to write one).

How the Magical Awareness power manifests varies. The default is a mental awareness - you just know things. If you have Analytical, you may 'just know' quite a lot. This is not absolute, though - one mage might see an aura of power around a spellcaster or Device, another hear music or other sounds, a third smell the magic, and there could even be those who taste it at a distance, or feel it as if by touch.

How the Awareness manifests has no bearing on what Extras are available, though how you describe things could get complicated if all the PCs have different types of Awareness, and you try to describe something individually to each of them. On the other hand, the general theme of the character sometimes should effect how the Awareness manifests - a werewolf being able to 'smell magic' is very thematically appropriate, and someone who sings their spells probably hears others' magic as music.

The three Extras mentioned in the template are not the only ones that can be applied to this power, simply the most common.


Most powers have Subtle 1 (Subtle 2 is rare enough to require special justification) or Indirect, because that's just how magic tends to work in this setting. Likewise, they will usually have the Check Required flaw, though this is a little less common. The skill will usually be Expertise (magical specialty), but depending on the caster's preferred style, may instead be something else: religious magi often use Insight, while artistic and spirit-using magi might use Persuasion, and technomagic Devices tend to require Technology. Alternatively, it may be an Expertise skill based on Awareness or Presence, or even another attribute, like a mystical martial artist with Expertise (Ki), basted on Fighting.

While all powers are available unless otherwise noted, some are more common than others: Mental, Parasensory, and Savant abilities appear more frequently than Physical enhancements, and Miraculous abilities vary widely (though minor miracles are pretty common). The most common Physical powers slightly overlap with Savant powers: small bonuses to physical Abilities, leaving you just a little better off than you look like you should be, or stronger-but-briefer bursts, accompanied by damage checks and/or the Tiring flaw, as (for example) the adrenal glands are activated by a spell.

True Healing and Regeneration are pretty rare, though powers that grant circumstance bonuses and Advantages to Treatment skill, or to rolls to recover from conditions, are fairly common, and to a lesser degree, so is Temporary Healing with the Mental or Illusion descriptor. Strength and speed beyond normal human limits are also quite rare, but those who have it tend to be well-known.

Non-mundane powers always have the Magic descriptor, but may have others.

The Inventor advantage applies only to mundane inventions in this setting. 'Superscience' tech requires Artificer.


There are good reasons for costumes and secret identities in this setting, beyond genre convention: Knowing the target's True Name provides a +5 circumstance bonus to casting spells on the target, and may bypass some defenses, unless the target is powerful and/or skilled enough to protect their name. Likewise, the costume can help boost one's connection to a totem, or to other spirits (and may be a Device).


Post-scriptum: For those who are wondering, people trying to be superheroes in real life has been going on for a while: Dragnet depicted one such individual in an episode in 1969, and I'm reasonably sure it was inspired by one or more real incidents.
Prince Charon
Posts: 61
Joined: Tue Jun 02, 2020 1:45 am

Re: Supernatural Paragons

Post by Prince Charon »

Magic and the Pact

First, a bit on magical specialties and other Expertises:

In general, Expertise (Occult) is something anyone with a lot of time on their hands could learn with access to a good library, or the internet. Using it to cast spells or create magic Devices is possible, but should have a higher DC. Expertise (Arcane) covers the functions of both Occult and Magic, and so is generally restricted - unless the GM particularly wants to simplify things like that, which is perfectly reasonable. You also could make Expertise (Magic) more accessible, rather than dividing it into lots of specialties as I have - or, you can divide it into different specialties, or redefine existing ones. Whatever works best for your game.

Some magical specialties work better with Artificer than with Ritualist, or vice versa. Alchemy, for example, is very much an Artificer skill in most respects, outside of Neidan (Chinese internal alchemy), which makes more sense with the Ritualist advantage. If your game keeps track of the monetary costs of spell components, Western Alchemy tends to be on the expensive side, as does external Eastern Alchemy.

Technomagic, also called Technomancy (which refers to a form of divination, not magic in general), Technurgy (a more accurate term for technological thaumaturgy), Treknology, Ætheric SCIENCE!, Superscience, Psychotronics, Psi-tech, and so on, is more-or-less exclusively an Artificer-based skill. Using it with Ritualist would be possible by the rules, but generally thematically inappropriate. At its core, Technomagic is the use of magic to create Devices that look and act like (fictional) advanced technology. Most technomagicians would not think that they are doing magic at all, or even believe in magic: they know they are merely working with advanced science (or SCIENCE!), and don't understand why people have trouble duplicating it.

Psi, also termed Psionics or Applied Parapsychology, is much like Technomagic, in that psychic Ritualists generally don't see themselves as performing magic. The rituals they use tend to involve far more meditation, and far less chanting, drawing symbols, consulting spirits, and so forth. Getting into a fandom, Expertise (the Force), also called such things as Jedi Arts or Sith Magic, tends to be fairly similar, though with the Sith somewhat being an outlier. Some Jedi and Sith mix in a form of Technomagic, to gain lightsabres and holocrons, and sometimes other Devices, like blasters or droids (which would also be constructs, usually).

Folk Magic is primarily focused on the sort of thing that would help people in a small, rural community survive, both individually and as a village: helping crops grow, keeping the weather from being too disastrous, predicting problems before they strike, dealing with animals (including a little shapeshifting, if you're powerful enough) and minor spirits, and a fair bit of low-level healing, mostly in the area of Treatment enhancements (and of course, some cursing, illusion-making, and mind-altering, for those of more flexible morality). Overlaps significantly with folk religion. Spells tend to be low point-cost, and low in power ranks, but folk magic is a good starting point for a healer or spiritualist (summoner) type caster. If your game keeps track of how much you spend on spell components, folk magic tends to be much cheaper than average, sometimes less than 10% of normal costs.

Hermetic Magic, the preferred style of the Pact, could in many ways be described as Folk Magic's more sophisticated, wealthy, and cosmopolitan cousin. Much more ceremonial and tending to go for higher point costs and power ranks, but is often slower than average (add around 5% to 20% to normal 'construction' time for any ritual, but does not effect design or research checks), and if your game keeps track of component costs, they tend to go for the more expensive ones, from double normal prices to sometimes even ten times as much! Also, Hermetic magic is generally not great for healing, nor for physical enhancements, the latter being something many in the Pact see as vulgar. It is, however, a very eclectic style, with practitioners adapting spells from all over the world.

Astrology & Tarot are divinatory styles that overlap somewhat with Hermetic magic, and in the case of Tarot, also Western Folk magics. While primarily focused on gathering information or predicting the future (Senses, Communication, sometimes a little Summoning), these styles can also be used to manipulate probability (Luck Control, or powers with the Luck descriptor), or perhaps to work spells with the classic Western elements (Earth, Air, Fire, Water, and Quintessense or Æther). If you don't mind another layer of complexity in your game, work out which Zodiac signs are dominant or weakened at the time the game takes place (usually in-setting, but you can use real time if you prefer), and what they influence, and use this to modify casting DCs.

Runic or Symbol Magics work spells through specific alphabets or symbologies which have mystical significance (whether historical or pop-culture), such as Norse Runes (which in common speech have lent their name to all such alphabets), Celtic Ogham letters, Gematria (also a religious style), Enochian, astrological or alchemical symbols, et cetra. Component costs can be anywhere from negligible to very expensive, depending on how you want to play it. An extremely common, if not universal, limitation of this magic is that you must have some representation of the symbol or symbols you are using, even if all you do is draw them in the dust or air; requiring prepared runestones or similar things would be a greater Limited flaw, of course. If you also play GURPS, there's a fairly detailed description of this type of magic, with worked examples, in GURPS Thaumatology (pp168-179), and less detailed examples in GURPS Magic (pp205-209).

Elemental styles focus on one or more of the classical elements, or on a particular category of magic, such as Illusions, Conjuration (mostly Summoning spells), Divination, or Necromancy (below). They might also be divided up culturally, if the GM and players like being that granular. D&D's Schools of magic or clerical Domains, GURPS Colleges, World of Darkness Spheres, Pillars or Sorcery Paths (short PDF), and so on, could be used for inspiration.

Necromancy, which technically means 'divination by the dead', has come to cover all branches of magic involving interaction (other than destruction or banishment, though both are also part of Necromancy) with the dead and undead, whether embodied, or ghosts. For obvious reasons, this is generally considered creepy, and in many societies, quite evil; thus, practicing necromancers tend to be secretive, even among other spellcasters. Communication and Summon are generally the basic powers.

Theurgical styles are those that work within a particular religion, usually closer to official doctrine (if there is any) than Folk magics, but not always; in the absence of official doctrine, it is simply a form of folk magic with greater emphasis on the faith than on thaumaturgy. Qabalah, Christian or Islamic Mysticism (or mysticism of a specific branch of Christianity or Islam, like Catholicism or Sufism), Vodoun (voodoo or hoodoo) & Santería, the various branches of Wicca, Native American faiths, Buddism, Shinto, Hinduism, and so on. One might have an Expertise in the faith as a whole, or in a specific focus, like the followers of specific gods in polytheistic faiths (the Mithraic mysteries of ancient Rome, the Egyptian cult of Iset, et cetra). Like folk magics, theurgy is often good for healing spells, but unlike most folk magic, practitioners rarely think of themselves as spellcasters, or as having any real power within themselves at all: to them, their deity is the one doing all the work, which they merely request.

Chi (Qi, Ki, Prana) is used by meditative Eastern spellcasters, often associated with a specific martial arts style (Aikido, Shaolin Kung Fu, Kalaripayattu, and so on), or a religious/philosophical discipline, like Yoga. Generally a Ritualist style, though related styles can produce Devices. Practitioners often do not see themselves as magic users, but as Enlightened Martial Artists, or similar ideas. Depending on the style, there may be no spell components at all. The Iron Age book from M&M 2e has some useful information on fighting styles and Martial Arts-related powers, starting on page 45.

Diabolic Magic, called Diabolism, Black Magic, Dark Magic (which is also a term for hidden or secretive magic, or for Elemental Magic dealing with Shadows), and various other names, is an effective 'all around' style for those who don't care about its corrupting influence, the loss of free will, the risk of higher beings coming to punish them for using it, or other costs (or are too arrogant to think it will affect them, specifically, or think 'just this once won't be a problem,' or, most often, are tragically ignorant of the consequences), nor the unpleasant side effects many of its spells have. It's also very easy to learn, at least in the sense of just randomly finding 'helpful' books or a willing teacher ('Just sign here...'). Necromancy, above, is sometimes treated as a branch or subset of Diabolism, though the Pact does not do this. GMs should seriously consider imposing some nasty limitations and other Flaws on powerful Diabolic spells (see also About Extras and Flaws, below). Heroes are likely to encounter many Diabolists, some of whom they might even be able to save - for the moment, at least.

Frequent encounters with users of a specific style of magic (especially if you witness them performing a Ritual or crafting a Device) can lead to gaining a rank or two in Expertise for that style, even if you never use it.


On researching 'existing' spells, or designing new ones:

If you have your own magical library, you can substitute the design check for a spell with a research check, which would usually have a lower DC: half the DC of the design check, modified by the size of your library, and how well the spell fits the theme or style of that library, if it has one: generally, I would say to reduce the research DC by 1 every time the number of books doubles, but other GMs may prefer a different method. Of course, if the GM decides that the spell isn't in your library, you're still out however long you spent searching for it, but it does not further penalize the design check. The research check may also be modified by specific Extras and Flaws (below), beyond their effect on the point cost.

The time required for the research check depends on the size of the library (if applicable, divide this by the number of people searching), and how well it's organized: if you've only got one or two books, you should probably decide in advance how many spells they have, but you can flip through them fairly quickly, probably in less than half an hour. If you have access to the library of Silas the Elder (presumably with his permission, as getting in without it would be an impressive feat, and getting out after, a greater one...), searching could take days, if you don't have a search spell of some sort, but nearly any type of spell might be found there. An equally large but less well-organized library might take a week or more of searching.

One other important drawback of looking for an existing spell over writing your own should probably be mentioned: what you find isn't likely to be exactly what you want. At best, it will be fairly close.


About Extras and Flaws:

The reason Subtle 1 and Indirect are so common in this setting is that while by the rules they are Extras, in-universe, a visible or audible effect that tells mundanes 'I am doing magic' is something you would normally need to add to the spell. Think of that scene in Star Wars: A New Hope, where Vader chokes Admiral Motti for making fun of his religion; there's no glow, no ominous hum, just Lord Vader making a gesture and talking. Likewise, if you don't have Magical Awareness, or another such sense, you aren't going to see a connection between the old voodoo woman sticking the pin in that doll's chest, and the greedy landlord having a heart-attack (though if you see both of them, you could deduce it, just as you and everyone at that table knew Vader was choking Motti in the movie).

Indirect is generally attached to spells where being Subtle would seem odd: A Subtle lightning bolt is possible by the rules, but sounds silly, whereas a bolt from the clouds makes perfect sense. Poltergeist effects would also fit Indirect better than Subtle, as would creating a sinkhole, causing the floor to collapse, having a nearby fire flare up, or pushing the target around with a dust devil or gust of wind (or a wave, if the ocean is close enough).

If you want to create a new spell that has neither Subtle nor Indirect, add 5 to the design check DC, but not to the construction check. If you want to research an existing spell in a magical library that lacks them, add 10 to the research check (but again, not the construction check), as that sort of showing off is not exactly common. If the GM agrees that some of the mages who wrote your library were the type to show off, then you don't need to add to the research check, or don't need to add as much. Subtle 2, which hides spells even from those who normally would detect that, would add 10 to either the design check or the research check, because it's that tricky to pull off.

The Check Required flaw is fairly common among spells, but less so for Devices. Finding a spell without Check Required adds 1 to the research DC, while creating one adds 3 to the design check. Again, it does not affect the construction check, beyond its effect on the point cost.

The Tiring flaw is fairly common among physical enhancement or transformation spells - finding such a spell without Tiring does not affect the Difficulty, but finding that type of spell with it reduces the research DC by 5. It has no effect on design or construction checks beyond point cost.

The Side Effect Flaw is very common for Diabolical spells, and GMs are encouraged to be nastily creative when determining what those effects are - particularly at high ranks, or when the caster has been using Diabolical magic for a long time. Diabolical spells without this or another unpleasant and/or disturbing flaw (or more than one) can only be gained on a natural 20 on the design or research check, unless it's the first Diabolical spell the caster has tried to research/design ('First taste is free,' after all). Most sorcerors will try at some point to negotiate with a demon for less troublesome side effects. Sometimes, this even works, but oh, the price...


About the Pact:

The Paragons book is intentionally vague on the subject of how the Pact is organized. We know that each House is lead by the First Chair of the planet that corresponds to that House's metal, such as 'First Chair of Mars, in the House of Iron,' or 'First Chair of the Moon, in the House of Silver,' and there are seven chairs per planet (and most of the chairs are empty), but who exactly is below the Elders, and whether each planet is represented in only one house is left to the GM. This is more of a suggestion than a requirement for this version of the Paragons setting, but I will probably use something like it if I run a game in this setting:

In each House, there are forty-nine Chairs: seven per planet, and seven planets (except when the House leadership decides to alter this, such as the House of Gold acknowledging Uranus, Neptune, and Pluto as planets, thus having eleven). One planet has primacy in each House, such as Mars in the House of Iron, the Moon in the House of Silver, and so forth. The Chairs of that planet in that House hold at least moral authority over the other Chairs of the same rank or below (so, the Third Chair of the Sun in the House of Gold holds precedence over the Third Chairs of the other planets in the House of Gold, as well as the Fourth and lesser Chairs of the Sun in the House of Gold). There may be a further hierarchy among the planets within the House, or there may not, as this varies from House to House. Likewise, how much authority each Chair has over his or her fellows varies, with the Houses of Gold and Iron being the most hierarchical and authoritarian, and the House of Mercury being the least of both, with the Elder of the House being pretty much First Among Equals. Some seated officers hold more than one Chair, whether for ceremonial purposes, honourary awards, or to confuse those in other Houses - or some combination thereof. Specific Chairs may come with additional titles and duties, such as Secretary, Treasurer, Serjeant-at-Arms (or Corporal-at-Arms, or sometimes a few ranks of '<something>-at-Arms'), and so on, or they may be titles granted to whichever seated member the Elder chooses, with no correspondence to Chair, or even rank.

Below the seated officers in most Houses are lesser members, with limited access to magic, performing supporting tasks. Some are servants of various types, though a servant is not necessarily a member. Those who are members often have rank-titles like Initiate, Novice, or Disciple, sometimes with flowery additions like 'Radiant Disciple of the Sun, in the House of Gold'. Depending on the House, there may be only one or two ranks of lesser members, or several, possibly with overlapping authority. To add to the confusion, the lowest rank titles vary from House to House, so an Initiate in one House might be equal to a Disciple in another, but a grade or two lower in a third, and an alternate title for a Seventh Chair of a planet in a fourth. In meetings of the entire House, which rarely occur, these lesser members are often literally unseated, being required to stand at the back and sides of the room.

These lower ranks are often apprenticed to a superior, though not necessarily one-on-one, and trained in Hermetic Magic, as well as assisted in developing the Ritualist advantage; in most Houses of the Pact, Artificer is only taught to those who already know Ritualist, though in the House of Mercury, that's a matter for the Master to decide, sometimes even with input from the apprentice. Interestingly, in the Houses of Copper and Tin, it is more common to learn to be an Artificer first, and only later, be trained as a Ritualist. Other magical styles common in the Pact are Western Alchemy, and Western divinitory styles like Astrology and Tarot, but the libraries of the Pact cover many other branches of the Great Art, even if they have few practitioners. Necromancy is more common than most would prefer to admit, particularly in the House of Lead, but actual Diabolic magic is rare.

Though not directly magical, Expertises in such categories as the Imageria, Spirits, Cryptobiology, Esoteric Geography, and similar branches of the Occult are available, and depending on the House and Master, may be required subjects of study.

Those who join the Pact already possessing Artificer or Ritualist are at least expected to learn a little Hermetic Magic (+1 to the Expertise), and if they also have mastered spells or possess bonded Devices (have them as Powers, in other words), tend to be promoted to seated officer faster than those who are less powerful. This is not automatic, however, as it depends on the needs and preferences of the Elder of the House, and the higher Chairs of the Planet that member might join.

Benefit (Pact Membership) Table:

1- Unseated Member (Minion to Elite Minion)
2- Seventh Chair
3- Sixth or Fifth Chair
4- Fourth or Third Chair
5- Second Chair of a non-Primary planet
6- First Chair of a non-Primary planet, or Second Chair of the Primary Planet of the House
7- First Chair of the Primary Planet of the House, and thus Member of the Council of Elders for the House

PCs should probably not start with Pact Membership above rank 3 or 4.

Note that 'Minion' is usually not an official title, nor does it have anything to do with the Minion advantage. It's just a way of describing how most of the seated members think of people who have that rank.)

Pact rank is nearly always accompanied by a Duty or Responsibility Complication, as membership has its dues (and not merely financial ones).
Prince Charon
Posts: 61
Joined: Tue Jun 02, 2020 1:45 am

Re: Supernatural Paragons

Post by Prince Charon »

A sample low-level Pact member:

Martin Winthrop - PL 5

Strength -1, Stamina -1, Agility 1, Dexterity 0, Fighting 0, Intellect 4, Awareness 2, Presence 0


Advantages
Artificer, Beginner's Luck, Benefit 2: Pact Membership: Seventh Chair of the Moon in the House of Tin, Benefit, Wealth (well-off), Connected, Eidetic Memory, Equipment 2, Languages 3, Luck (Recover), Skill Mastery: Expertise: Weather Magic, Ultimate Effort: Expertise (Weather Magic)


Skills
Deception 1 (+1), Expertise: Air Magic 1 (+5), Expertise: Hermetic Magic 1 (+5), Expertise: Meteorology 1 (+5), Expertise: Water Magic 1 (+5), Expertise: Weather Magic 5 (+9), Insight 1 (+3), Investigation 2 (+6), Perception 1 (+3), Ranged Combat: Throw 5 (+5), Vehicles 1 (+1)


Powers
Magical Awareness: Senses 4 (magical, sensory, Accurate: Magical Awareness, Analytical: Magical Awareness, Awareness: Mental/Magical; Dimensional: dimension - Imageria)
Winthrop's Wonderous Weather Wand (Easily Removable)
. . Deflecting Winds: Burst Area Deflect 6 (magical, wind; Burst Area: 30 feet radius sphere, DC 16, Indirect 2: any point away or fixed point in fixed direction; Limited: Physical Projectiles)
. . Weather Control Array
. . . . Aerokinesis: Move Object 5 (magical, wind, 1600 lbs.; Indirect 2: any point away or fixed point in fixed direction)
. . . . Blinding Gust: Burst Area Affliction 5 (magical, wind, 1st degree: Impaired, 2nd degree: Disabled, 3rd degree: Unaware, DC 15; Alternate Resistance (Dodge), Burst Area: 30 feet radius sphere, DC 15, Increased Range: ranged, Indirect 2: any point away or fixed point in fixed direction; Limited: Vision)
. . . . Lightning Bolt: Damage 5 (electricity, magical, DC 20; Increased Range: ranged, Indirect 2: any point away or fixed point in fixed direction; Limited: Sky must be visible and storming)
. . . . Weather Control: Environment 8 (magical, weather, Other: 3 points of effect 3, Radius: 0.5 miles; Selective, Subtle: subtle; Check Required: DC 10 - Expertise (Weather Magic))
. . Weather Prediction: Senses 4 (magical, weather, Precognition; Limited: Weather)
. . Weatherproof: Movement 1 (magical, weather, Environmental Adaptation: Weather)


Equipment
Car, Toolkit (Basic)


Offense
Initiative +1
Aerokinesis: Move Object 5, +5 (DC 15)
Blinding Gust: Burst Area Affliction 5 (DC Dog/Fort/Will 15)
Grab, +0 (DC Spec 9)
Lightning Bolt: Damage 5, +5 (DC 20)
Throw, +5 (DC 14)
Unarmed, +0 (DC 14)


Complications
Power Loss: When his Wonderous Weather Wand runs out of power, Martin is mostly just a fairly wimpy man in his mid-twenties. Recharging it is also inconvenient: he must get up on the roof of his house, attach the Wand to the top of an enchanted lightning rod, and then sacrifice a mouse to Iupiter Optimvs Maximvs to make the rod summon a lightning storm; a bolt of lightning will then strike the rod (and charge the wand) within fifteen minutes to two hours - or he can spend a Hero point to summon the lightning immediately. The poor mouse still dies, though.

Responsibility: Martin is apprenticed to the Third Chair of the Moon, in the House of Tin, which puts a number of burdens on his time.


Languages
Greek, Latin, Native Language (English), Sanskrit


Defense
Dodge 3, Parry 0, Fortitude 1, Toughness -1, Will 4


Power Points
Abilities 10 + Powers 34 + Advantages 15 + Skills 10 (20 ranks) + Defenses 6 = 75


At some point, I should probably start a 'Prince Charon's Builds' thread.
Prince Charon
Posts: 61
Joined: Tue Jun 02, 2020 1:45 am

Re: Supernatural Paragons

Post by Prince Charon »

On 'Mutants'

The word 'mutant' actually covers three groups: those who fit the scientific definition of the word; those who have undergone noticeable, permanent physical changes as a result of empowerment; and people and other lifeforms who possess powers and complications derived from Marvel Comics' mutants.

Members of the first and second group may experience some prejudice, depending on what changes they have, and the sort of people they meet. Those of the third category will experience some prejudice (unless the GM doesn't use this option), because they share a specific Complication:
Mutant: The first time you use a power, admit to being a 'mutant,' or show a physical mutation in front of an unempowered person who is already prone to bigotry (which, sadly, is not rare), they must make a Will save at DC 15, or instinctively fear and hate you to some degree. It is possible to recover from this effect over time, if the bigoted individual has reason to.
This is a Subtle effect that no Marvel-style mutant is capable of detecting, though other empowered beings might notice it with some difficulty (DC 20 if you have an appropriate Detect power), generally as a curse on the 'mutants'. A non-mutant (or non-Marvel-mutant) with the right power or spell can remove the effect of the curse from unempowered individuals, but removing the curse itself would likely require a significant quest and/or a great ritual (a truly epic quest/ritual would be needed to remove it from all mutants, though this might be accomplished by just convincing Marvel Comics to remove or significantly alter that aspect of the plot in subsequent X-Men books).
Prince Charon
Posts: 61
Joined: Tue Jun 02, 2020 1:45 am

Re: Supernatural Paragons

Post by Prince Charon »

Currently, I'm imagining that the Pact's ritual started on June 6 (Summer Solstice), 1986, and The Breakout occurred on Friday, February 13th, 1987 (which was a Full Moon!). A lot of people sparked during the former, and far more, often with greater or more obvious powers, sparked during the latter.

I've considered two possible campaignes, with two start dates: a PL6 game starting on Saturday, June 7, 1986 when the PCs discover their powers, and possibly join the Pact (or begin interacting with members thereof) after a session or two, with the Breakout being a major even later on; the other, a PL8 campaigne, would start on the day of the Breakout, with the PCs trying to deal with the chaos, and sparking from the stress. The PCs from the first might be NPCs in the second, if both are played. Other GMs might prefer different options, such as a Vanguard team (Mission Team Gamma?) in the early 1990s, when paragons have been around for a few years.

On the PL 6 game:

Mostly, this will start with the PCs waking up from a strange dream, or several strange dreams, to find that they somehow have powers and/or Devices that they recall from the dream or dreams. Because it's a Saturday, most people in the US (and some other nations) will have the day off, thus giving them more time to work out what's going on, and what they're going to do. Information about current events will be limited: in the 1980s, the Internet was still mostly on college campuses and very few homes, the World Wide Web had yet to be spun (Tim Berners-Lee came up with the idea in 1989), and you didn't get your news from a computer (Usenet and various bulletin-board systems existed, but were fairly limited, if you even had an Internet connection - plus, the 'net was damn slow), you got it from the papers, radio, or television, and the morning of the day after that ritual is a bit too soon for there to be much news of strange events, unless you live near one of the ritual sites - even then, there wouldn't be much. The PCs will know something strange happened to them, but unless they're part of the Pact, won't yet have a clue how wide-spread it is. Even researching the past, or other information, was less convenient: you went to the library or a bookstore (which would be less likely to have a coffee shop in it, though some did), because even if usenet could get you started, it was mostly telling you which books or periodicals you needed to look in. If they don't have the book or books you want, they have to order it, and even if it's available somewhere they can get it from, delivery takes days to weeks.

How the PCs are connected to each other would of course depend greatly on the players, but I do have a few suggestions: Given the distribution of empowerments, it would be fairly easy to justify all of them being part of the same SF and/or gaming club (kind of meta, that), members of the same SCA group, initiates of a Wiccan circle, members of a local Masonic lodge (or other group with a strange reputation, with or without Pact connections), or even inmates at the same psychiatric hospital (if your players are willing to take the appropriate Complications, and you think they can believably play them without driving you, or each other, crazy).

One possible grouping would be a team of super-hero wanna-bes. This is more appropriate for a post-Breakout game, but is not totally inappropriate for the pre-Breakout setting. Most would-be superheroes would be in the PL 3 to 5 range, and usually on the lower end, so the powers they gain would be a significant boost, even if no-one gets any Physical or Miraculous powers (which fits the setting well: Physical powers, and non-minor Miraculous powers, are less common before the Breakout than after, and as said above, are still uncommon, even then).

Alternatively, they may not all know each other directly, but instead meet due to, for example, all deciding to investigate something at the same place, or being brought together by a seer or medium, or a spirit talking to them in their dreams. The Magical Awareness that all of them will have should help with this (unless someone wants to play a super-normal, or a Device-user who received their Device(s) from another character - for that matter, a single Artificer equipping and mentoring a group of otherwise unempowered folks could be an interesting hero team).

If one or more of the PCs are part of the Pact, and the rest are not, the Pact member(s) may be ordered to recruit the other PCs, with varying degrees of forcefulness. If none of the PCs are part of the Pact, recruitment attempts could happen later, once someone from the Pact notices them - but it's still possible for the Pact to miss them completely: they don't have a huge membership, and they aren't everywhere, tending to focus on the wealthier parts of society, and on locations of great mystical significance.

Important campaigne events could be scheduled by folklorically-interesting dates on the calendar. For example, the next Friday after people wake up with powers is the 13th of the month, and there's a Full Moon on the 22nd, for the PCs' first encounter with a werecritter (or even several werecreatures, but that might best be reserved for a later session). Then there's Halloween in a few months, and a few months after that, the first major event: The Breakout. The PCs will probably be expecting something big, because it's a Full Moon on Friday the 13th, but how big, and exactly what, the PCs are unlikely to guess (and the players, if they haven't read this one).

Depending on how many sessions you run before getting to the Breakout, and how many character points you give out in that time, the PCs could already be PL 8 by the time the Breakout happens. This is not required, however.


The entry for the PL 8 game isn't ready, yet. If it takes too long, I'll post it incomplete and ask for help.
Prince Charon
Posts: 61
Joined: Tue Jun 02, 2020 1:45 am

Re: Supernatural Paragons

Post by Prince Charon »

On the PL 8 game:

On the Breakout

It starts out as a seemingly normal day. Sure, some of the kooks on the radio went on about how there's a full moon on Friday the Thirteenth, but who believes that stuff, any more (well, maybe you do, but what precautions, if any, do you take)?

Around lunch time, or maybe a little after, things start getting strange. The first signs might have been a rain of toads, or a man in a cape and leotard flying over the city, or a building appearing, or growing larger, or even the skies turning red and demons appearing out of holes in the air, which happens later in the day. The point is, things get strange, and you are one of the people who get strange with it. (If you're playing a game that started with the ritual, of course, you've already gotten strange, and may well have been preparing for something big to happen - but not exactly this! You should probably discuss any preparation you've made, as individuals and as a group, with the GM.)


Snapshots of the day:

In New York City, Spider-Man stops a mugging, much to the surprise of both mugger and victim. Elsewhere in the city, <stuff>

Meanwhile, at the Hall of Justice, spirits from the Imageria have manifested and gathered, in the form of the Justice League of America! ... and have no real clue yet how they got here. They're more concerned about all the trouble going on everywhere. Individuals and small teams are rapidly deployed.

During a riot that afternoon in Washington, D.C. (prompted by people being scared of all this weird stuff happening, and the government not appearing to be doing much about it), a big, bald, blue man in a swimsuit appears and tells the mob "You will all return to your homes." When one of the startled rioters shouts at him in protest, the strange being replies "You misunderstand. It was not a request," and teleports the whole crowd to the places they individually call home.

On a street in London, UK, a grinding, whooshing sound occurs, as an obsolete blue police box materializes out of the Imageria.

<I need more examples, maybe just stuff that would get on the news. Suggestions welcome>


In the Aftermath, some things remain, of which these are examples, not necessarily the totality (depending on the GM):

In Metropolis, Illinois, the Daily Planet building is enlarged, and a few new employees are present, though they believe they've been there all along; Lexcorp Tower appears on the other side of town, and STAR Labs is also present.

In New York City, an abandoned brownstone has been transformed into the Avengers' Mansion. In Flushing Meadows-Corona Park, the Trylon and Perisphere are present (though somewhat northeast of their original position, now occupied by the Unisphere), refurbished for the use of the Justice Society of America. In the county of Westchester, NY, outside White Plains, a mansion appears, which seems to have been converted into a school for 'mutants.' Titans Tower stands on an island in the East River.

Near Washington, D.C., the Hall of Justice is still present, and is possibly the only new building.

In New Jersey's Great Swamp National Wildlife Refuge, a portal or portals to the Imageria have formed, leading to Slaughter Swamp, home of Solomon Grundy, and the Hall of Doom. In various crime-ridden cities on the east coast of the USA (primarily Camden, NJ), portals exist leading to Stately Wayne Manor and the Batcave.

The House that Hate Built is present, though its location is not terribly stable.

An abandoned manor near London has become the headquarters building for the UK branch of the United Nations Intelligence Taskforce. A few other such buildings also appear, always in nations where the UNIT episodes or seasons of Doctor Who are or were popular. The number of personnel from the Imageria in each building tends to be fairly small, even in Britain, although local government personnel who aren't hostile are generally welcome.

In various parts of central and eastern Europe, portals can be found leading to Castle Frankenstein, Castle Dracula, and others. Occasionally, a Monster will wander out, though not all of these creatures are particularly hostile.

At various remote locations in Africa, South America, and so on, portals leading to various lost cities and Lost Worlds remain stable.

In the polar ice north of the Arctic Circle, a portal exists to the portion of the Imageria which contains Superman's Fortress of Solitude. At the North Pole, a portal leading to the Christmas Village has manifested.

Beneath the seas, a variety of underwater cities, or portals to them, have appeared. Not only Poseidenos, the capital of Aquaman's Atlantis, but Ry'leh and Mu exist.

In all cases, new or modified buildings in the physical world tend to have rather fewer people from the Imageria in them than than those that are simply accessible through portals, and the number of manifested spirits that remain in the world is significantly smaller than the number manifesting while the Breakout was happening. In a lot of cases, they seem to take turns existing, though Superman and Thor are somewhere in the world most of the time, Batman is generally present somewhere in or near New Jersey at night, and the Spider-Man is in and around NYC more often then not. There are generally only one or two Green Lanterns on Earth at any one time (apart from paragons with similar abilities), and one Captain America (but not necessarily Steve Rogers).
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