It is a time when Heroes are needed. 

Here in the confines of The City (though we’re not 100% on exactly where “The City” is), villains plot to overthrow the government. Street gangs and organized syndicates control the seedier parts and extend their influence into richer wards. Rumors come in from The Capital (ditto, still not sure precisely where, but it’s not too horribly far away) about domestic entities and international corporations squeezing their way into positions of power. Far to the east, a brilliant scientist mad with power conducts devilish experiments, slowly building a private army of abominations. It is indeed a time for Heroes. 

Unfortunately, all they have is you. 

The real Heroes, the big-name sirs and madams, are all spoken for - taking on their individual nemeses and banding into super groups to battle the big, scary forces of Ultimate Evil. These guys get the corporate funding, the military contracts. The President shakes their hand. Little kids want to be them when they grow up. They have the keys to several cities. These stalwart defenders of the masses get on cereal boxes and have action figures made in their likeness. 

You are not one of these people. I cannot stress this enough. 

Don’t get me wrong, you have powers. Most likely, anyway. Hell, you may not have any powers, and just be a hardboiled, Dedicated mundane. Either way, you’re in over your head, despite the fact that you’re still in the shallow end. So, fight the good fight, and above all: have fun with it. 

If you are a fan of The Tick, Captain Hammer, or Human Occupied Landfill, this is the game setting for you. If you’ve never heard of these productions before, join in anyway. Just please try not to take yourself too seriously. Point of fact, it’s really best if you take nothing too seriously, at least at first. Those that choose to play in this setting will take on the role of neophyte Heroes. Some are wannabes, some actual persons of heroic potential. You guys are just starting out in a world FILLED with things that are probably more powerful than yourselves. Situations will come up where running up to the bad guys with guns a’blazin’ might not be the best approach.

This game will be very stereotypical. There will be henchmen. There will be cunning traps. People will be kidnapped and stuck in easily escapable deathtraps while the villain walks away, confident that their plans will succeed and the good guys/innocent will die. Banter, actual BANTER will be exchanged. Your Heroes will be half-qualified, but your enemies will be fairly predictable. Join us!

[hider=Origins (or How You Got Super):]
[u]Metahuman[/u]: Representing the next stage in human evolution, or some such claptrap. This is the easy way out for characters, or simply “I was born this way”. Most Metas begin to exhibit latent powers at puberty, though a rare few show their true colors much younger. It is almost certain that Metas will have Meta offspring, but spontaneous Metahuman expression still happens among normal people with normal parents. Though it is the most common occurrence, there is no guarantee that similar powers will be passed down from parent to child (the lady with mind control powers and an affinity for unarmed combat has a son that climbs walls and talks to spiders). 

Metahumans have an odd penchant for giving themselves catchy birthday-clown nicknames and dressing up in strange clothes. Also, most Metas will have at least one natural feature that seems a little …off… though not all. Many pass as regular human to all but the closest inspection. 

[u]Altered[/u]: Altered Humans have a bit more of a backstory. Their powers came from somewhere, whether by accident or choice. Cosmic rays, cybernetic modification, exposure to secret formulae, gifts bestowed by powerful extradimensional beings, military experimentation, etc. are all classic, standby causes. These individuals have powers on par with Metas, and in some cases can pass their “Alter” down to the next generation or gift it to others. They are as varied as their origins, and often have codenames attached to their identity, most times by the powers that altered them or the media. 

[u]Technology[/u]: Tech Heroes, as the name implies, derive their abilities through amazing acts of engineering niftiness. Many use a series of gadgets, often one-of-a-kind devices to accomplish what normal humanity otherwise could not. Some of these Tech Heroes even go as far as to build their best work into a formidable battlesuit, enabling them to look like some manner of futuristic knight errant with laser-vision. The upside: Tech Heroes can freely give their persona to others they deem worthy, preferably after a period of training in its proper use. The downside: Some halfwit can steal it (or the blueprints thereof) and make life very interesting for the Hero. 

[u]Relic[/u]: Relic Heroes are the mystical equivalent to Tech Heroes, except that their equipment is magical or extradimensional in nature. Maybe they stumbled across a forgotten temple that still housed an item of power and intelligence, maybe they inherited a lucky somethingorother that, for whatever reason, chose to reveal its true power to them. Perhaps a set of golf clubs got caught in an electrical storm during the autumn equinox while a virgin used them as impromptu stress relief aids, thus giving them strange and unusual powers and the ability to share said powers with their wielder, so long as they first make a hole-in-one while wearing the appropriate checkered pants. Y’know, standard stuff. 

[u]Alien[/u]: If you abuse this, I will smite you. Aliens are sentient creatures that come from another planet, another reality, another dimension, whatever. Their powers commonly come from their different biology, resulting in any number of exotic (read: WEIRD) abilities. Also, they may still have access to bits of offworld tech or extradimensional energies. Well, sometimes. Unless they’ve been earthbound for a long frigging time, these guys will have the most difficult time blending in or accepting our cultural norms. This is a character type that you’re really going to have to work with your wise, humble, giving GM to flesh out. Again, you abuse, I smite. 

[u]Mystic[/u]: People with a talent for Magic. Yes, in my campaign world, Magic does exist, but it is very rare and difficult to wield. With the right training, anyone can use it. Of course, with the right training anyone can become a chainsaw-juggling spinal reconstructive neurosurgeon, but the training and natural talent as a prerequisite keeps all but the most serious far, far away. That, and when you open the door to a Mystic origin, other things can peek back through said door at you. Most practitioners of the Mystic Arts choose to specialize and work in a single area of magic, as every kind requires a somewhat different mindset. In all cases, the unlucky bastards that choose this as their calling find that their life is absorbed by it; it is notoriously hard to be an EX-magician. Further, the intellect, emotional openness, and pure force of will necessary to do more than “light as a feather, stiff as a board” keeps their numbers low. 
But, if you can deal with the hassle without cracking (and sometimes even if you do), lots of cool stuff can come your way. Eventually. Sometimes.

[u]Automaton[/u]: You are an artificial construct. Maybe you have sentience, maybe you have really detailed programming. It’s quite possible that you’re a terracotta statue that got sick of standing there and decided to see what was outside of your particular burial shrine. Golem, robot, android, whatever; you are the non-living given animation and freedom of action (if not always freedom of will). If your creator is still around, they may have very opinionated views on how you should spend your time. 

[u]Dedicated[/u]: Normal humans, these characters have absolutely zero super powers. What they DO have is a massive amount of angst, inner turmoil, and/or reserves of mental fortitude necessary to make them lethal. At least useful. The Dedicated often have shadowed pasts, and their skills have put them in demand amongst more traditional Hero types. Sometimes this can lead into a grey area with Tech Heroes, but for the most part the two are very distinguishable. A Dedicated human may be a street savvy operator, an highly trained agent of some bureaucratic organization, well established cult, best of the best of the best military unit; they could be an unstoppable computer hacker, or maybe they just don’t care one whit about their personal safety and, against all odds, kept surviving (yeah, that’d be YOU, if you pick this origin). Such characters tend to have their own specialized gear, or at least a preference in recurring equipstuffs. 
[/hider]

[u]What I need from you[/u]: 
Craft a character, run the idea past me, and let me make the final cuts to it. 

Each character must have an overall theme/gimmick/tie-together for their powers. Keep it modest. 

Each character may have THREE skills. These represent non-power abilities, trade skills, combat training, etc. 

Each character may have TWO contacts, which may be most anyone. Again, keep it modest. 

Give me a detailed description of your character. From there, I will assign numbers to your physical and mental stats. I have lovingly ripped them off from an older RPG, this is just a series of points that help me keep things together. I give advancement for ROLEplaying, not ROLLplaying. 

[hider=Character Sheet Template]

[u]Name[/u]: (Real name, or facsimile thereof)

[u]Identity[/u]: (Superhero name)

[u]Origin[/u]: (Origin of powers, described above)

[hider=Stats:]
(This is for me to fill in, after we converse)

Fighting - 
Agility - 
Strength - 
Endurance -  
Reason -  
Intuition - 
Psyche -  
[/hider]

[u]Appearance[/u]: 

(How your Hero is perceived) 

[u]Powers[/u]:

(Either the easiest or most difficult part to nail down. Keep it fairly modest, and work with me on this. B-list Heroes beginning careers, remember?)

[u]Talents[/u]:

(Everyone starts with three. Non power related skills or background experience.)

[u]Contacts[/u]:

(Everyone gets two. People you know that may be of use to you; friends, family, business contacts, former teachers, etc.)

[u]Background[/u]:

(How you became the way you are, and why.)

[/hider]

After I spit the stats back at you, form a “Public Bio” for everyone else to see. Whatever you want to share, share. Whatever you want to keep quiet, keep quiet. For inspiration, I like to look at the old profiles at [url]http://classicmarvelforever.com/cast_list/all.htm[/url]  When we have enough characters to get started, I'll set us up in the IC. 

One last thing: You throw the punch. I land it. Tell me your actions, I determine (through my own nefarious means) the outcome. Above all, HAVE FUN WITH IT. 

And… begin.