Season 3 Ground Rules

New Champions Protocol Campaign — Season 3 Ground Rules

General Description

The year is 2072.
At some point in 2022, the technology for the Vanishing Machine ‘leaked’. Quickly thereafter, an arms race for the creation of Vanishing Machines ignited. Even more of the world’s population was vanished. Terrorists used Vanishing as a means to extort money. Vanishing was secretly used by governments in their efforts to topple foreign governments. Billionaires bought their own Vanishing Machines and eliminated their foes.
So as to avert impending anarchy, governments created an international federation to regulate the accumulation of energy: the International Energy Regulation Agency (IERA).
Vanishing a person requires a fixed amount of energy, popularly called “X”. So stored energy at any level at or above X is illegal, worldwide.

The world is a modern alternate-earth where Dr. Destroyer took over in the late 2010’s and then ##SPOILERS HIDDEN UNTIL JUNE 2022##
However, by 2072, governments have reorganized. For the most part, national identities remain, though they’ve been unified heavily around the regulation of energy storage and consumption. The game will have an investigative-police genre/feel but may also have an undercurrent of “resistance against the faceless government”.
There is great poverty and pain in this world due to the strict regulation of energy and because of the fighting amongst the various powers/factions.

IMPORTANCE OF THE PCS

The PCs are very important because they provide the moral narrative of the story. Though the factions have defined goals/motivations, the PCs actions will re-establish the world’s moral compass, long ago lost to Vanishings. There are three main groups from which the heroes may choose:

1. Agents of the International Energy Regulation Agency
2. Leaders of the Free Energy Resistance
3. It will also be possible to play a character in the villainous group, Level 37.

Solo Track — “Storylines” Only

Finally, players may choose a “solo track” for their player-character, not typically participating in group events, but instead exploring a singular storyline that will at-times intersect with the other groups, but is not the norm. Note: players choosing this path may always play NPC/Support roles in regularly scheduled games/events.

CAMPAIGN TONE

• Morality: Good vs bad is mostly clear-cut for people, but is very complex among the main organizations. (E.g. individuals are reasonable but have just lived through forty years of Cold War + ten years of energy restrictions.)
• Realism: Sliding scale varying from romantic to realistic.
• Outlook: Seriousness balanced by light-hearted.
• Continuity: Mostly serial, some enforcement of continuity.

PHYSICAL WORLD (Description):

1. Advanced (comic book) technology exists (AI, advanced weapons and defenses, advanced vehicles), various origin sources exist like radiation, magic, super-science, aliens, etc. Coming from season 1/2 where the Vanishing is now a historical event, the Vanishing event may be the source of powers.
2. Fifty-six years ago, the Vanishing was an event that wiped out all superheroes and even some villains.

CHARACTER BUILDING GUIDELINES

• Hero System 6th Edition
• Starting Points for PCs: 250
• Matching Complication Points: 45 total; No more than 20 from any single type.
• A single power and/or framework may not have more than three individual limitations or more than 1 and 1/2 in cumulative limitations.
• Characters can carry ordinary tech without paying points.

• Further explaining the Defenses Combined maximums. The digits reflect the raw value of the defense, not the active points of the defense. A character may have 20 Mental Defense (or 20 Resistant Mental Defense). They may also have, 20 Physical Defense (or 20 Resistant Physical Defense). Or a combination of 10 non-resistant physical defense + 10 resistant physical defense. The maximum is the raw digit of defense per type.
• Purchased abilities, maneuvers, skill levels, etc CANNOT allow a player character to go above the value maximums referenced above.
• Power frameworks are excluded from the Active Point maximum. Powers within frameworks must follow the guidelines.

HOUSE RULES:

• We are NOT using hit-locations
• Pushing is ONLY for moments when the story or session is hanging in the balance. It is to be used rarely.
• Characters with the ability to remove player agency (commonly obtaining EGO+30 or PRE+30) are strongly discouraged.
• The Unified Power limitation can only be used with one concept. As many powers as desired can be placed under the common “Unified” power concept, receiving the benefit of the limitation, but only one over-arching concept can be applied at a time for a character.

Variable Power Pools (VPP):

It is possible to utilize variable power pools in this campaign, but they will be strictly reviewed for concept and balance. VPP slots cannot be changed during a session. This is a GAME limitation and not cause for additional limitation value added to the VPP.

Barrier:

In our campaign, the “Barrier” power is a defense power, unless it is used ‘offensively’. That means, it is not necessary to make a to-hit roll when targeting yourself. And for purposes of phase-based actions, it is the same as ‘turning on a defensive power.’

Hand Killing Attacks (HKAs) & STR:

The amount of dice that can be added to an HKA in the form of STR is equal to the amount of dice that have been purchased in the killing attack. Ex. If you purchase 1 pip of HKA, then only 1 pip of STR may be added to the attack. Similarly, if you purchase a 2d6 HKA, then up to 2d6 STR may be added — for a combined 4d6 HKA.

COMPLICATIONS REQUIRING GM PERMISSSION:

POWERS REQUIRING GM PERMISSION:

• All “stop-sign” powers.
• All yellow/warning-sign powers.
• Energy/electricity-based powers.

UNAVAILABLE SKILLS AND TALENTS:

EVERYMAN SKILLS:

Each of the following skills are available without cost at an 8 or less roll, (except where noted differently):

• Acting;
• Climbing;
• Concealment;
• Conversation;
• Deduction;
• Area Knowledge: Home country or region;
• KS of player’s choice 11-;
• KS of player’s choice 8-;
• Native Language (4 points’ worth, with literacy
• Paramedics;
• Persuasion;
• One Professional Skill at 11- (representing the character’s job, hobby, or the like
• Shadowing;
• Stealth;
• Transport Familiarity: Common Motorized Ground Vehicles

Note: If a player chooses to have one of these Everyman skills at a level higher than 8-, then it costs the full amount and is not reduced by 1 point because of the prior Everyman skill. (see the Hero System 6th Edition Skills book, page 41).

SHARED WORLD:

This is a shared-world run by multiple GameMasters. A GameMaster’s Guide is available for those who volunteer to run sessions, storylines, or specific events.