Some General Notes about Freedom City:
Freedom City said:
People with super-powers have existed throughout Earth’s history, but have become more prominent and numerous since the late 1930s. Freedom City in particular is an epicenter for superhumans, but they are found in other cities and places around the world.
Nearly every sort of super-power or gimmick found in the comic books can and does exist in the world of Freedom City. There is magic, superscience, and aliens, lost worlds, gods, megalomaniacal supervillains, and more. Despite this, the world on the surface is still very much like our own and most of the history and society from our world also exists there.
Costumed heroes and villains with superhuman powers have been public figures since the late 1930s. The overall history of superhumans roughly mirrors the history and trends of superhero comic books in the real world since their introduction in the 1930s.
Superheroes and villains have aged since their first appearances, with the exception of some who are particularly long-lived or immortal. There have been several distinct “eras” of superhuman activity in the world, which resemble different periods in comic book publishing history.
Virtually any type of character or plot from the superhero comic books can (and probably does) exist in Freedom City. All the various superhuman origins, powers, and themes co-exist in the setting. Any of the origins discussed in Mutants & Masterminds are available here.
Although everyone has heard about superheroes and villains, and probably seen them (on TV, if nothing else), most people in Freedom City still live fairly ordinary lives, despite the occasional invasion from outer space or similar threat.
Areas of Freedom City:
Freedom City said:
Freedom City is situated along the coast at the confluence of the Wading and South Rivers where they flow into Great Bay, which makes its way through the Centery Narrows out into the ocean. The Interstate passes close by the city along the coast, providing easy access to all points of the city by land.
The heart of the city—Downtown—lies between the rivers while the entire metropolitan area spans both sides of the rivers. Southside can be found on the far bank of the South River. Northward is Hanover, a largely college and technical community, home to a number of small businesses. To the west are a collection of suburbs and national forest with unspoiled natural terrain and opportunities for camping, hiking, and other outdoor activities. The downtown peninsula’s elevation rises gradually toward Lantern Hill, while the land south of the South River rises toward low hills in Bayview and the areas south of the Jordan Airport. Parts of the seaside around the Centery Narrows and Great Bay rise a short distance above the water with some seaside cliffs in spots. Along the east are several coastal communities, exclusive estates, and manor houses, some of which date back centuries.
Life in Freedom City:
Freedom City said:
In Freedom City, you can see heroes flying through the sky, zombies and giant dinosaurs emerging from the ocean, trees uprooting and rampaging in the streets, and even buildings coming to life. Still, it’s also a city where millions of people live, work, and play every day.
Like most big cities, Freedom City has a schism between rich and poor, but people don’t always let themselves notice it. In the new high-rise apartments and sprawling manors, the wealthy have lives of leisure, interrupted by the occasional plot to rob or blackmail them. Others aren’t so lucky and struggle with poor living conditions, or work in a constantly changing world that seems to have left them behind. Some don’t even have that and face life out on the streets with nowhere to turn. Like the worlds of normal people and superhumans, those of the rich and poor rarely mix.
Despite the occasional unnatural storm or super-powered battle among the skyscrapers downtown, most people in Freedom go about their daily lives. They go to work, complain about traffic and construction, go out for lunch or dinner, and go home to their families at night. Evenings and weekends, they find time to get out and enjoy some of the unique things the city has to offer. This is the majority of the citizenry—middle class and comfortable, except when demons rampage down the streets or aliens invade. Life in Freedom City is many things, regardless of income and living conditions, but it’s certainly never dull.
City Government:
Freedom City said:
Freedom City has always had an active government. Unfortunately, the government hasn’t always lived up to the city’s name. There have been times in the not too distant past when political corruption ran rampant in Freedom City. The administration has been working to change that and it has succeeded, slowly but surely. For the first time in decades, most people in Freedom City respect their elected officials and trust them to do right.
The city government has had many different relationships with Freedom’s superheroes. At times, the city has supported them in every way. During other administrations, Freedom City has discouraged or even outlawed superheroes. Although the current city government is on friendly terms with Freedom’s super-powered protectors, experienced heroes know that relationship can change almost overnight, and they are cautious about trusting any politician too much. The same can be said for the politicians, who walk a narrow line between cooperation and caution.
Heroes of Freedom City:
Freedom City said:
The Freedom League is Freedom City and the world’s premier superhero team and has been for decades. The current team is technically the third incarnation of the Freedom League, and the largest by far of any of the previous teams.
Current Roster:
Bowman: Archer with multiple gadget arrows
Captain Thunder: Brick with electrical powers, flight
Daedalus: Armored suit, inventor
Dr. Metropolis: Spirit of the city, earth powers
Johnny Rocket: Speed powers
Lady Liberty: Brick, light powers, flight
Pseudo: Shapeshifter
The Raven: Gadgets, skill-based
Siren: Swimming, water control
Star Knight: Armored suit
Freedom City said:
The world-famous Atom Family is made up of adventurers and explorers who investigate strange phenomena and fight threats to the safety of Freedom City and the world. The team currently consists of the four grandchildren of Dr. Alexander Atom, their friend and legal guardian Jack Wolf, and their grandfather’s intellect, maintained within the computers of their headquarters, the Nucleus, atop the Goodman Building in Freedom City.
Current Roster:
Dr. Atom: Spirit of the team's grandfather trapped within a computer system
Jack Wolf: Skill-based action/adventurer
Maximus Atom: Shrinking, insubstantial
Tesla Atom: Radiation powers, flight, force field
Victoria Atom: Growth, elongation
Chase Atom: Telepathy, illusion, mental blast
Freedom City said:
When Duncan Summers purchased the failing Claremont Academy in the Bayview area of Freedom City, he had no intention of creating another hero team. The Academy had once been a prestigious private school, but fell on hard times and closed after sustaining damage during the Terminus Invasion. Summers had a somewhat different idea in mind for the school—taking what he’d learned in his superhero career and passing it on to a new generation. There were more young superhumans in the world than before, and they needed someone to teach them how to control their powers and use them constructively. They also needed someone looking out for them to keep them out of the clutches of villains like the Mastermind, Dr. Sin, or SHADOW. Duncan reluctantly trained his daughter Callie to become the second Raven, and was surprised how much he enjoyed teaching.
Current Roster:
Duncan Summers: Gadgets, headmaster (retired from the superhero life)
Bolt: Blast and stun
Megastar: Brick, blast powers
Nereid: Swimming and water powers
Seven: Magic
Sonic: Sound based powers
Freedom City said:
Most of the heroes in the World of Freedom tend to come together to form teams and work with other heroes for the greater good. This is particularly true since the expansion of the Freedom League. A great many formerly solo heroes are now affiliated (at least loosely) with the League. However, there are still some members of the superhero set who prefer to operate on their own.
These heroes are loners for various reasons: because they deal with forces and threats beyond the comprehension of most people or simply because their very nature tends to isolate them, even in a world of gods, aliens, and super- powered mutants. Still, few, if any, can doubt their intentions or their dedication to the greater good.
Most Popular Solo Heroes:
Dr. Tomorrow, Guardian of Time: Gadgets
Eldritch: Magic
Foreshadow: Precognition, skill-based
Lantern Jack: Ghost, mental and magic powers
Villains of Freedom City:
Freedom City said:
Freedom City is fortunate indeed to have its heroes, since the city is also the focus on some of the most dangerous supervillains ever known. They range in power from thugs and criminal masterminds thriving off human suffering to godlike entities from the depths of space and worlds beyond this dimension. Their motives span the spectrum from simple greed to a mad desire to destroy all of creation, or more likely to bring it under their crushing heel. Your heroes may be the only things standing between these villains and the achievement of their goals.
Most Notorious Organizations:
Brotherhood of the Yellow Sign: Worshippers of an ancient god
The Crime League: Collection of various solo villains, including: Blackstar (Darkness Control), Devil Ray (Brick, Aquatic Powers), Dr. Simian (Group Leader; Devices), Dr. Stratos (Weather Control), Hiroshima Shadow (Radiation Control), The Maestro (Sonic Control, Illusions), Medea (Magic), Orion the Hunter (Gadgets), Wildcard (Luck Control).
Factor Four: Elemental villains, including: Professor Fathom (Water Powers), Granite (Stone Form), Pyre (Fire Powers), Sylph (Gaseous Form, Suffocate).
The Foundry: High tech development firm that supplies villains from time to time.
The Labyrinth: Secretive globalcorp involved in criminal activities.
Larceny, Inc: Quartet of supervillains: Getaway (Super-Speed), Grab (Elongation), Smash (Brick), Trap Door (Teleport).
The Power Corps: Minions dressed in armored suits, serving Mastermind.
Psions: Evil mentalists, including: Professor Psion (Telepathy, Mind Control), Empath (Mind Control, High Cha), Ember (Fire Powers), Jump (Teleport), Aura (Telepathy, Illusions), Argent (Telekinesis).
SHADOW: Neo-Nazi organization, ruled by the villain Overshadow.
The Tyranny Syndicate: Composed of the Freedom League's opposites from the Anti-Earth. They are Black Bowman, Captain Thunderbolt, Daedalus, Johnny Speed, Lady Anarchy, Madame Sin, Mr. Metropolis, and Red Siren.
Most Notorious Solo Villains:
Argo the Android: Created to destroy the Freedom League, very powerful.
Baron Samedi: Magic and mind control powers.
Captain Kraken: Devices, blast, strike.
The Collective: Elongation, Absorption, many other transformation abilities.
Conundrum: Skill-based.
The Cosmic Mind: Mental powers.
The Crimson Kitana: Device/magic based.
The Curator: Alien supercomputer.
Doc Otaku: Gadgets, minions.
Dr. Sin: Minions.
Fear Master: Emotion control, other mental powers.
Freebooter: Geek transforms into mighty pirate.
Gamma the Atom-Smasher: Brick, minor radiation powers.
The Green Man: Plant control.
Hades: Fire powers, teleport.
The Hellqueen: Fire powers, illusion, teleport.
Jack-a-Knives: Ghost with massive strike power.
Lady Lunar: Alien with telepathy and mind control.
Lady Tarot: Luck control.
Magpie: Skill-based, teleport.
Malador the Mystic: Magic.
Mastermind: Telepathy, telekinesis, leader of the Power Corps.
Megalodon: Brick, animal control.
The Meta-Grue: Growth, shapeshift.
Mr. Infamy: Power broker, unknown powers (seemingly unlimited).
Mr. Mist: Gaseous form, suffocate.
Nacht-Krieger: Shadowform, strike.
Omega: Cosmic control, brick, super powerful!
Quirk: Massively powerful ultra-being from another universe.
Rant & Rave: Twins with disintegrate and other abilities.
The Silencer: Gadget, sound control.
Silver Scream: Ghost, mental powers.
Star-Khan: Battlesuit.
Superior: Brick, cosmic control.
Terra-King: Minions, blast.
Toy Boy: Gadgets/minions.
Una, Queen of the Netherworld: Magic, illusion, water powers, many others.
Warden: Skill-based, gadgets.
White Knight: Brick, fire control.
