Bureau of Paranormal Investigations

[TheUnknowable]

Based on a series of stories I wrote and posted on another forum:
The place I posted them.

A summary for those that don't want to read them:
We work for the Bureau of Paranormal Investigation. It is a division of the FBI that deals with cases involving Otherkin (non-human intelligent lifeforms) and paranormal abilities.
Paranormal abilities generally come in sets. Most species only have a few possible sets, but humans have over a hundred different possible sets and more are discovered every year. Some say it is because, by some estimates, 90% of the people on the planet are all or part non-human. Some say it is because humans have a gift unlike any other race: adaptability. Power sets are groups of powers, usually four, that follow a common theme, like fire, or telekinesis, or stunning. They usually contain a offensive power, a defensive power, and a tactical power, plus one more that could be any of those. Genetics determines what power sets you might have, with part-otherkin possibly having the power sets of that race or similar human ones, and your personality determines which of the possible ones you actually get. There are also rogue powers, which are powers from other possible power sets that you get because nothing in your power set can help you. Your brain unlocks it out of desperation.
When powers first unlock, you only get one from the set, and it is usually weak. You unlock more, and they get stronger, as you use them. They are ranked from class 1, being barely capable of doing it, to class 10, the theoretical limit of human abilities. Powers are based on energy, with how good the energy pattern is and the amount of energy you put into it being what determines its class.

This would essentially work by me playing the Director of the BPI office we work at, as well as a rookie agent. The Director would give you missions and tell you about crimes in the area. You can work with a partner or he can assign someone to work with you on a case-by-case basis. Hopefully this will mean that we don't get stuck if someone doesn't show up.

I'll add all of the species I've written in so far, but this doesn't have to follow the other story.

CS:
Name:
Sex:
Age:
Species:
Appearance:
Powerset:
Rogue powers?:
History:

[Punished GN]

Interested.

[TheUnknowable]

cool. Any idea what kind of person you'll be?

[Luminance]

I read through the stories and came to love this idea. Definitely interested!
Also, I was thinking of my character being a Sense Manipulator with a touch of Imperceptibility. Contemplating being a 100% full pure human female.

[Nuada]

Possible interest :)

[TheUnknowable]

Luminance said
I read through the stories and came to love this idea. Definitely interested!Also, I was thinking of my character being a Sense Manipulator with a touch of Imperceptibility. Contemplating being a 100% full pure human female.

Perception distortion would be a good ability for one of us to have. There aren't any really big differences between pure humans and your run-of-the-mill few-non-human-chromosome normal humans.
1) Pure humans tend to have wider array of possible powersets, as any non-human DNA skews the possible sets towards the race it is from.
2) Theoretically, pure humans can adapt faster than non-pure, but that hasn't been tested.
3) The racist people who think non-humans are evil will accept a pure human much more readily than a non-pure. Also, they won't have kids with non-pures.

I'm thinking of making a guy with Kekkai (spherical barriers that are good against physical attacks, poorer than average against energy) and a rogue power of "sympathetic healing" (link our subconscious so that I take your pain, emotional or physical, and boost your immune system and healing rate).

[lydyn]

Checking my interest here too. This sounds like a very unique and cool idea!!

[BlessedWrath]

I'm interested in this. I'd like to see more information about the limitations on abilities, as well as some examples of what would be allowable. I have a number of concepts I've been wanting to try out.

[TheUnknowable]

BlessedWrath said
I'm interested in this. I'd like to see more information about the limitations on abilities, as well as some examples of what would be allowable. I have a number of concepts I've been wanting to try out.

Well, powers shouldn't get too ridiculous. Explosions should be limited to a five meter radius at class 10. Keep them below what you would expect a low level god to have.
If you can come up with a good enough explainer, pretty much anything is allowable. I'd stay away from inherently OP powers like those that copy other's powers. More powerful abilities tend to use more energy, so try to balance it.

[lydyn]

I honestly had a potentially powerful idea for a power ... though, it's more of the tactical focus, but still deadly. Yet at the same time, I was going to limit it mostly by the fact that it cannot be "unlocked" normally. Much like the rogue power, it has to come in a time of danger.. while the rogue power would just be a more extreme version of it... anyways - it's just all thoughts right now. It can tweaked and so forth later on - I'm sure we can come to a compromise if need be.

[Girlie Go Boom]

Oooohhh... wows.

Interested!! MEEE!!!

Can play something like Ellen Page in X-men? Like, someone who can slip through walls and for a change up, maybe even go invisible?

[Luminance]

TheUnknowable said
Perception distortion would be a good ability for one of us to have. There aren't any really big differences between pure humans and your run-of-the-mill few-non-human-chromosome normal humans.1) Pure humans tend to have wider array of possible powersets, as any non-human DNA skews the possible sets towards the race it is from.2) Theoretically, pure humans can adapt faster than non-pure, but that hasn't been tested.3) The racist people who thing non-humans are evil will accept a pure human much more readily than a non-pure. Also, they won't have kids with non-pures.I'm thinking of making a guy with Kekkai (spherical barriers that are good against physical attacks, poorer than average against energy) and a rogue power of "sympathetic healing" (link our subconscious so that I take your pain, emotional or physical, and boost your immune system and healing rate).

Since my characters ability will directly affect a persons brain functions then I could probably add a Perception Distortion power as well, if you'd like. It works well with this point you made Pure humans tend to have wider array of possible power sets.

And yes, I'd gathered all of that information about pure humans since I did read all of the stories you posted on the other forum. They were all super awesome by the way :3
I was also thinking about my character having been tentatively part of one of the anti-Otherkin 'mudblood ish' like cults before joining the BPI. Maybe forced to join the cult due to family connections with it, but having been lied to about some of the deeper truths. "All Otherkin and non pure humans are evil" Blah, blah stuff.

[TheUnknowable]

Bunnita said
Oooohhh... wows.Interested!! MEEE!!!Can play something like Ellen Page in X-men? Like, someone who can slip through walls and for a change up, maybe even go invisible?

With as many telepaths as there are that could still sense your location, invisibility definitely isn't OP, but phase shifting could be. You'd need a decent negative side to it, like high energy usage, or that it can be blocked by most mystical barriers.

[docblargle]

Checking interest. This looks pretty cool.

[Girlie Go Boom]

K

TheUnknowable said
With as many telepaths as there are that could still sense your location, invisibility definitely isn't OP, but phase shifting could be. You'd need a decent negative side to it, like high energy usage, or that it can be blocked by most mystical barriers.

K, so like I'll just wait till we see the OOC before submitting a charrie sheet then cuz I think I'll just be asking too many questions that can like be answered by just reading the OOC, right?

[TheUnknowable]

The OOC will pretty much just be this, but with species and lore discussions thrown in.

[BlessedWrath]

Still interested and curious about the setting. I will await the OOC. I am developing ideas, but need to think it over and make sure they're compatible with what you have in mind.

[TheUnknowable]

A bit of lore:

Why most Otherkin can reproduce with humans:
Long ago, spirits came to Earth to possess animals, as they could naturally produce energy that the spirits could absorb. Many of these animals were mutated by the spirits and, by biokinetically altering their DNA then selectively breeding them, they created new breeds, many of which became mythical creatures. Eventually, a new race evolved, humans. Unlock the other biological lifeforms, they had abilities which the spirits could copy if they possessed them and used them enough. They had several shortcomings, though. Physically they were weaker than many animals, they were more difficult to possess, and their powers were impossible to predict. In order to know what they could do you either had to find one of the few that had powers or you had to possess them and unlock their powers. In order to fix those weaknesses, they did the same thing to humans that they did to animals, only you couldn't leave a human once it had powers or it could be a threat. For this reason, and to prevent inbreeding from having a too limited gene pool, they formed groups with similar interests in a host. These groups, dozens or hundreds in size, created the their own breed of what they considered the perfect host, like breeds of dogs.
Eventually they abandoned their host for the most part, finding other worlds and dimensions with better hosts. Their former host species formed their own cultures and societies.

How to get powers:
1) Genetics. Most Otherkin and some human bloodlines have this trait.
2) Enter subspace (not-space). Very rare, and the only species that uses it for teleporting are Seraphs. Used by Watchers (the Roswell aliens) on children that don't develop telepathy within a month of birth. Only works on Telepathy, Telekinesis, and Spirit powers.
3) Get possessed. Most spirits unlock your powers when they possess you, and when they are being exorcised locking your powers down is a low priority, especialy if your powers are useful in stopping the exorcism or fighting it.
4) Be exposed to a closely related power.
5) Surgery. Current techniques developed by the USSR during the Cold War.
6) Some powerful telepaths can unlock powers. Some branches of the BPI have such telepaths on the payroll in case they recruit someone without powers, or someone's powers get taken away or locked.

[TachyonBlade]

I'm interested, which is something really rare.
Well, I'm considering the things I could do, and I'm wondering, what kind of use would be a character based around the usage of mundane weaponry? Like, a set of powers that would assist with melee/ranged weapon usage? Because depending on what we're gonna deal with, I may or may not go with that. A character based around the usage of guns, basically.

[TheUnknowable]

Good to have you. That would work fine. If I was writing one like that, I'd go with someone like gambit who can "charge" melee weapons and bullets. You can do whatever you want, though.

Also, in my stories there's something called "magebane". It's a sedative that also suppresses a person's powers. Against really strong people that's not enough to stop them, but for your run-of-the-mill otherkin it works fine.