Looking for a System to run InFamous

[Umbral_Magmus]

I’m interested in running a tabletop game set in the world of InFamous. For anyone unfamiliar, it’s a video game series about street-level superhumans called Conduits who can absorb and manipulate elements like Electricity, Smoke, Neon, or even Video from their surroundings.


I’m looking for a system that can support a few very specific design goals:

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1. Resource Management (Core Mechanic)​

This is the most important piece.

I want powers to consume a finite energy resource that must be actively replenished from the environment. Conduits shouldn’t be able to go long without recharging—refilling should happen multiple times during a single combat encounter.

Key ideas:

• Energy sources (neon signs, generators, smoke stacks, etc.) have limited capacity and only partially refill a character.
• Once drained or destroyed, those sources are gone.
• Positioning and mobility should matter heavily—players need to move to stay effective.
• Encounters should be shaped by the availability and placement of these energy sources.

I’m also considering a meta-layer where players can spend points to introduce or define energy sources on the battlefield.


Example:
A Neon Conduit holds out in an area full of neon signs. As long as those signs remain, she can keep recharging and fighting. Once they’re destroyed, she quickly becomes vulnerable.

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2. Morality System (With Mechanical Weight)​

I want morality to be more than flavor—it should directly affect gameplay.

• Actions like killing vs. incapacitating enemies should shift morality.
• Non-lethal approaches should be possible, but more difficult and precise.
• Morality should provide tangible benefits and drawbacks, not just narrative consequences.

Example:
A Neon Conduit can easily kill by firing center mass, but non-lethal takedowns require precision (like targeting legs), making them riskier in combat.

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3. Progression (Zero to Hero + Horizontal Growth)​

Conduits start relatively limited and grow into powerful forces over time.

• Early progression should feel grounded and constrained.
• Power growth should be noticeable and impactful.
• In addition to vertical power increases, I want horizontal progression through gear, techniques, or unique upgrades.

Example:
An Electricity Conduit uses a weapon like the Amp to channel power into melee attacks, complementing their ranged abilities and expanding their playstyle.

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What I’m Hoping to Find​

A system that:

• Strongly supports resource-driven powers tied to the environment
• Encourages movement and tactical positioning
• Can handle morality with real mechanical consequences
• Supports both vertical and horizontal character growth

If nothing fits perfectly, I’m also open to systems that could be adapted or hacked to achieve this.

 

[aco175]

Maybe the system you are most familiar? I mostly play D&D, so I tend to look to fit things into that system. Not sure I can be more help unless you want ideas to fit into D&D 4e or 5e.

 

[RenleyRenfield]

Scion (link) is designed for exactly inFamous and second son both. Just start with Hero and work your way up. It has every part you ask for along with a clear ST (GM) guide on creating plots, stories and more.

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

Maybe the system you are most familiar? I mostly play D&D, so I tend to look to fit things into that system. Not sure I can be more help unless you want ideas to fit into D&D 4e or 5e.

This doesn't sound much like any of the editions of D&D I know (although maybe 4E could handle it).

It needs to be tactical, run off of mana/power points, and there needs to be a mechanical system to track moral choices.

I suspect there's an off-the-shelf system that could handle this, even if the flavor needs to be reskinned to cover supers, but I think that's easier than building multiple new systems for a game like 5E that doesn't support them by default.

 

[Umbral_Magmus]

This doesn't sound much like any of the editions of D&D I know (although maybe 4E could handle it).

It needs to be tactical, run off of mana/power points, and there needs to be a mechanical system to track moral choices.

I suspect there's an off-the-shelf system that could handle this, even if the flavor needs to be reskinned to cover supers, but I think that's easier than building multiple new systems for a game like 5E that doesn't support them by default.

But its not just mana points though that regen.

In the games, abilities are limited not by how much power a character “has,” but by where they are. You recharge by drawing from external sources like electricity from infrastructure or smoke from vents which means positioning, movement, and awareness of the battlefield are central to how combat plays out. Running out of power doesn’t just mean waiting for it to come back; it forces you to disengage, relocate, and actively seek out a way to recover.

What I’m looking for are TTRPG systems that support something similar: mechanics where resource recovery is tied to the environment, the map, or fictional positioning, rather than passive regeneration or resting. Ideally, the system would:

• Encourage constant movement during combat rather than static exchanges
• Make terrain and location mechanically relevant to resource use
• Tie different abilities or characters to different kinds of environmental “fuel”
• Create a natural rhythm of engage → deplete → reposition → recover

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

I could definitely use HERO for most of this, but it absolutely does not have real morality mechanics.

You could, however, implement them as Disadvantages (possibly at the campaign level), but YOU (the GM) would have to figure out how you’d want to model them.