[FATE] Guardian Chronicles: A Superhero Campaign Concept

[Knightfall]

That's all for tonight.

All opinions welcome. I'll check back tomorrow. Time to sleep.

 

[Knightfall]

[sblock="Second Chronicle Secret (Minor)"]Darkstar builds a secret base on the far side of the moon. This base is called Watchdog Station. He built it using knowledge he gained through conversing with the several Predecessors spirits that only he can see and hear.

These alien ghosts helped him tap into the Energy in unique ways. With this knowledge he gained the ability to design advanced technology, robotics, and AI beyond that possible on Earth. The station is operated by an AI that Darkstar names Watchdog.

The base is discovered during the time of the Third Chronicle, which is why it is only a minor secret. Durinig the time of the Second Chronicle, however, very few people on Earth should know of the base's existance.[/sblock]

 

[Knightfall]

[sblock="Second Chronicle Secret (Major)"]There is more to Watchdog Station than what is discovered during the Third Chronicle. When it is discovered, it is found in shutdown mode. Only the most basic robots, programmed to upkeep the station, are active. Watchdog remains offline until certain conditions are met.

What isn't discovered is that the Station was once home to humans. Darkstar clandestinely brought many of the brightest and strongest normals (and a handful of supers) from Earth to live at the station during the 90s. They helped in the development of new technology. Most of this research was designed to help these humans construct ships capable of traveling to other star systems.

The alien intruder didn't discover the base, which allowed these humans to survive unscathed. After Darkstar's death, they continued their research and eventually constructed a dozen starships. Once completed, these humans used the ships to leave the Sol system (around 2120). Their mission -- to find allies for humanity. One superhuman went with each ship.

After they left, Watchdog erased any trace of their existance and the technology they used to leave the system before shutting down. Darkstar deemed the rest of humanity not ready to have that technology. They would have to discover it on their own.[/sblock]

 

[ValhallaGH]

First Chronicle Secret - it may be a major secret in that nobody knows it but it doesn't seem particularly world-changing or even very notable. Unless old IG is going to be far more stupidly-bad ass than he really deserves.

Darkstar sounds like a major character, being able to single-handedly alter an entire war. PL 15, with some nifty powers centered on darkness control, teleportation, insubstantial (maybe), blast, and probably some impervious protection. I'd start with a hybrid of the Energy Controller and Costumed Adventurer archetypes and then scale up to about PL 15, and appropriate ranks in his various abilities.

Like Superman and Centurion (Freedom City) he's a hero without equal, who sets the standards and eventually dies saving the entire planet.
His death is a tragedy that opens the field for new heroes, but these heroes can never be his equals.

By the beginning of the Third Chronicle, the general public should feel about supers the way most of today's public feels about cowboys. Neat people from a bygone age, with a few remnants still around, but essentially gone and unneeded.

It seems that corruption is going to be a very large element of your campaign. The corruption of the Alien's remnants, the corruption of the Darkness, the corruption of individuals with power from the Energy. Corruption abounds in many fashions, some concrete and definite and others a corruption of the soul that has no manifestation beyond words and deeds.
Not my cup of tea but I can see how some people would love to play in it.

 

[Knightfall]

First Chronicle Secret - it may be a major secret in that nobody knows it but it doesn't seem particularly world-changing or even very notable. Unless old IG is going to be far more stupidly-bad ass than he really deserves.

Well, the 1st C was never where I intended to make my focus, so I haven't really put as much thought into it as the other eras. IG is a badass but not overly so.

Darkstar sounds like a major character, being able to single-handedly alter an entire war. PL 15, with some nifty powers centered on darkness control, teleportation, insubstantial (maybe), blast, and probably some impervious protection. I'd start with a hybrid of the Energy Controller and Costumed Adventurer archetypes and then scale up to about PL 15, and appropriate ranks in his various abilities.

Like Superman and Centurion (Freedom City) he's a hero without equal, who sets the standards and eventually dies saving the entire planet.
His death is a tragedy that opens the field for new heroes, but these heroes can never be his equals.

The Darkstar character is where the original idea for this campaign concept came from. Therefore, he is a very powerful character who can regenerate from almost any injury, but he must be under direct sunlight to do so.

And, yes, heroes who come after him just don't have the same power levels. There are a few from when he is alive who go on to greater things but they never gain the fame/infamy that Darkstar had. Other heroes never become as attuned to the Energy as Darkstar was. (At least, not until the 3rd C begins.)

By the beginning of the Third Chronicle, the general public should feel about supers the way most of today's public feels about cowboys. Neat people from a bygone age, with a few remnants still around, but essentially gone and unneeded.

That's a interesting way to look at it. At the beginning of the 3rd C, any supers (or mutants) that exist rarely display their abilities in a flashy manner. A lot of them work clandestinely for government agencies and private companies. Those that become to visible are often hunted by powerful criminal cartels who don't want to see a another "Darkstar" rise to thwart their plans.

It seems that corruption is going to be a very large element of your campaign. The corruption of the Alien's remnants, the corruption of the Darkness, the corruption of individuals with power from the Energy. Corruption abounds in many fashions, some concrete and definite and others a corruption of the soul that has no manifestation beyond words and deeds.
Not my cup of tea but I can see how some people would love to play in it.

Yes, corruption will be a big deal. I like the idea of a darker world where even supers can't hope to change the world into a bright and sunny place. There are many paragons of good that live and die throughout the various eras, but they must endure in a violent world that doesn't truly understand (or even accept) them.

There are good guys and bad guys but there are also a lot of gray-area heroes who don't take a stand one way or another. Mutants tend to fall into this category the most.

The 3rd C is probably the one era that comes the closest to a Golden or Silver Age type campaign (I think; I haven't decided yet). Regardless, the technology of the world has advanced to a point where normals can challenge supers with battlesuits and the like.

The 3rd C is also where humanity has to start dealing with "obvious" alien incursions on Guardian Earth. I'm planning to use the Alternity aliens as well as the Star Frontiers aliens for the Guardian Chronicles.

 

[ValhallaGH]

I wanted to address this point real quickly:

Regardless, the technology of the world has advanced to a point where normals can challenge supers with battlesuits and the like.

In the M&M ruleset, anyone can have a super-powered battlesuit. This has the game mechanics Device, and is a unique item that containes most of their power.
From the subtext (which I may be missreading) you're talking about battlesuits as Equipment, a game mechanic representing mass-produced items that anyone with appropriate funds and connections can buy. Most firearms fall into this category, as do vehicles such as motorcycles, nuclear submarines, and cargo planes.

That's a frighteningly advanced world that doesn't really need super-people to defend it, anymore. Especially since they lack the combination of moral guidance, courage, and inspiring qualities necessary to keep society from eating itself.

 

[Knightfall]

I wanted to address this point real quickly:

In the M&M ruleset, anyone can have a super-powered battlesuit. This has the game mechanics Device, and is a unique item that containes most of their power.
From the subtext (which I may be missreading) you're talking about battlesuits as Equipment, a game mechanic representing mass-produced items that anyone with appropriate funds and connections can buy. Most firearms fall into this category, as do vehicles such as motorcycles, nuclear submarines, and cargo planes.

That's a frighteningly advanced world that doesn't really need super-people to defend it, anymore. Especially since they lack the combination of moral guidance, courage, and inspiring qualities necessary to keep society from eating itself.

Hmm, I wasn't really saying that battlesuits would be available as mass-produced equipment that anyone can buy. It was more like that super-powered battlesuits wouldn't be available as a hero type until close to the beginning of the 3rd C.

Characters like Iron Man are interesting, but I think that such advanced technology is unrealistic when it comes to today's society. I could see Device prototypes that are "really risky" to use being developed near the end of the 2nd C.

However, by the end of the 3rd C, I could see special black ops units that are basically powersuit units. These special military units would have roughly 3 to 5 members.

Since I haven't finished reading the book yet, I can't really say how it's all going to work yet. Assignments for my night classes have to come first.

 

[ValhallaGH]

Oh, believe me, I understand school being an issue.

I will point out that a PL 12 "Normal" (i.e. un-powered) person is as dangerously capable as any PL 12 powered person, up to and including being able to take down powered people within a couple PLs of him. It takes some skill to build a character that can do that, and even more skill to play him so that he does it, but it is very, very possible.
An opposite-end example would be a modern research think-tank. The kinds of guys that spend 20 years figuring out a single technology that revolutionizes the world. Five man team, four PL 1 reasearch scientists (6 ranks, 14 or 15 Intelligence, 1 Teamwork feat each), and one PL 5 team leader (10 ranks, 16 or 17 Intelligence). On average they'll get a 46~ish result after 20 years of research, making one nearly-impossible discovery that revolutionizes the world. This is the sort of thing normals can do at relatively low levels of skill and training (four trained professionals and one acknowledged expert).
A single PL 10 super-scientist can have a +30 on his skill check, doing research of the same quality in one check. If he spends the same kind of focus on it as the team, or is extremely lucky, he can make discoveries that should be impossible (DC 50) and unlock technologies or knowledge that is a century or more ahead of the times. This is what is possible by a single master in the field with one of the highest super-human intelligences.
Normals are capable and competative, especially with the incentives of semi-deities flying around.


As for the suits, whatever doesn't break your suspension of disbelief, man. I've got nothing against dudes in relatively simple servo-suits at even current technologies.
With the right incentives and researchers, I can totally accept guys in pretty advanced power-armor flying about and kicking butt, within the next 10 to 15 years of technology. Sooner if you limit them to ground-systems and allow for increased sizes (BattleTech Mechs, anyone?).

 

[Angel Tarragon]

Many thanks for taking the time to get this info posted Knightfall. You've given me the inspiration to go ahead with the creation of my M&M campaign setting. I hope you don't mind if I mimic your layout here.

 

[Knightfall]

Many thanks for taking the time to get this info posted Knightfall. You've given me the inspiration to go ahead with the creation of my M&M campaign setting. I hope you don't mind if I mimic your layout here.

No worries.