The rise of superpowers in the last few years can't be attributed to any one cause. Some have theorized about the galloping pace of technology, the next phase in human evolution, even the guarded whispers about magic returning to the world. But the truth of the matter is that no one really knows for sure.
But to see the evidence of it, all you need do is glance at a newspaper, turn on the television. There are plenty of people using their phenomenal abilities, technology, talents, and arcane gifts for evil purposes. Maybe they are drunk with power, insane, zealots, or simply greedy. Crime and terrorism are perpetrated daily by what the media has taken to calling supervillains, not to mention acts of wanton or careless destruction. Supervillains have been known to start wars, cause famines, and destroy entire settlements simply because they can.
Fortunately, there are those out there who have chosen to use their gifts for good. Whether through a strong moral compass or simply a desire for attention, there are superheroes in every nation of the world. Some are born with their powers, some use the creations of science, some are the demons and fae of old, some have only courage and skill.
Last year, concerned global citizens, painfully aware that villainy knew no boundaries, decided that had to be the case for superheroes as well. And so the Champions were born.
While superhero teams had existed before, the Champions was an undertaking unprecedented in scope. It was intended to be a fully nonpartisan peacekeeping NGO, not beholden to any government or corporate interest. All funding was through private donations, the contributors' names unknown to members. To prevent the group from acting disproportionately on any one nation's interests, only two volunteer superheroes would be accepted from any country. The Champions, based out of a villa in the hills outside Geneva in neutral Switzerland, were conceived from the start as an impartial force for justice all over the world. Scrambling at a moment's notice, they were prepared to offer disaster relief and emergency assistance to police and local superheroes.
Of course, there were protests, controversy. Some felt the Champions required accountability. Some governments, notably North Korea, made it very clear the Champions were not welcome within their borders. And with the mixing of cultures and viewpoints, there was inevitably tensions within the team itself. Grudges and bad blood seethed below the calm surface of teamwork.
Finally, it all came to a head in Nagoya.
But to see the evidence of it, all you need do is glance at a newspaper, turn on the television. There are plenty of people using their phenomenal abilities, technology, talents, and arcane gifts for evil purposes. Maybe they are drunk with power, insane, zealots, or simply greedy. Crime and terrorism are perpetrated daily by what the media has taken to calling supervillains, not to mention acts of wanton or careless destruction. Supervillains have been known to start wars, cause famines, and destroy entire settlements simply because they can.
Fortunately, there are those out there who have chosen to use their gifts for good. Whether through a strong moral compass or simply a desire for attention, there are superheroes in every nation of the world. Some are born with their powers, some use the creations of science, some are the demons and fae of old, some have only courage and skill.
Last year, concerned global citizens, painfully aware that villainy knew no boundaries, decided that had to be the case for superheroes as well. And so the Champions were born.
While superhero teams had existed before, the Champions was an undertaking unprecedented in scope. It was intended to be a fully nonpartisan peacekeeping NGO, not beholden to any government or corporate interest. All funding was through private donations, the contributors' names unknown to members. To prevent the group from acting disproportionately on any one nation's interests, only two volunteer superheroes would be accepted from any country. The Champions, based out of a villa in the hills outside Geneva in neutral Switzerland, were conceived from the start as an impartial force for justice all over the world. Scrambling at a moment's notice, they were prepared to offer disaster relief and emergency assistance to police and local superheroes.
Of course, there were protests, controversy. Some felt the Champions required accountability. Some governments, notably North Korea, made it very clear the Champions were not welcome within their borders. And with the mixing of cultures and viewpoints, there was inevitably tensions within the team itself. Grudges and bad blood seethed below the calm surface of teamwork.
Finally, it all came to a head in Nagoya.
Last week, the Champions were informed of an unprecedented meeting taking place in an elegant downtown hotel in the bustling Japanese city of Nagoya. Japanese, Korean, Chinese, and Russian criminal syndicates were holding a massive summit to hammer out territorial borders in Asia. So many members of the triads, mafiya, kkangpae, and of course yakuza in one room planning a criminal conspiracy- candy to superhero ears. Working with Japanese police and superheroes, a bust of the summit was planned.
But as always happens when so many people are involved, mistakes were made. Somehow, at the last second, the plan fell apart. What was supposed to be a surprise turned into a massive battle lasting hours. Not only were the gangsters heavily armed with the most cutting-edge of weaponry, but they also had several superhumans in their midst. The fighting spilled out into the streets of Nagoya, and innocent bystanders were caught in the crossfire. Adding insult to injury, the battle proved too much for the hotel complex, and the high-rise collapsed, trapping dozens underneath the wreckage. Subway trains were derailed, power lost to the business district, the hospitals flooded with wounded, fires breaking out all over. By the time the dust had cleared, hundreds lay dead- gangsters, police, firefighters, civil defense workers, hotel staff and guests, passersby, supervillains. And more than one superhero.
But as always happens when so many people are involved, mistakes were made. Somehow, at the last second, the plan fell apart. What was supposed to be a surprise turned into a massive battle lasting hours. Not only were the gangsters heavily armed with the most cutting-edge of weaponry, but they also had several superhumans in their midst. The fighting spilled out into the streets of Nagoya, and innocent bystanders were caught in the crossfire. Adding insult to injury, the battle proved too much for the hotel complex, and the high-rise collapsed, trapping dozens underneath the wreckage. Subway trains were derailed, power lost to the business district, the hospitals flooded with wounded, fires breaking out all over. By the time the dust had cleared, hundreds lay dead- gangsters, police, firefighters, civil defense workers, hotel staff and guests, passersby, supervillains. And more than one superhero.
The outcry was immediate. The Champions were crucified in the press, the Japanese government issued the first of what would be many censures and even arrest warrants for some of the more destructive heroes. Public demonstrations were held against the Champions. The donations quickly dried up, leaving the team with hardly any operating capital.
For several members, roughly half the team, enough was enough. The humiliation, arguing, trauma and what some saw as ingratitude was just too much. They walked out on the Champions and formed their own as-yet unnamed superhero team. Some joined the splinter group because of their genuine beliefs, some had no wish to be associated with the team name, others for more petty reasons like grudges with other members. Each group refuses to recognize the other, and competition seems inevitable. With no money, an unbuilt reputation, not even a base of operations, the splinter group has a daunting task ahead of them. But so, too, do the Champions.
Both face similar problems: grubbing for funding and reputation, old enemies who sense a convenient moment to strike, and of course the simple fact that the world isn't likely to get better on its own. But as to whether the Champions or the splinter group can be the ones to improve things, only time will tell. . .
For several members, roughly half the team, enough was enough. The humiliation, arguing, trauma and what some saw as ingratitude was just too much. They walked out on the Champions and formed their own as-yet unnamed superhero team. Some joined the splinter group because of their genuine beliefs, some had no wish to be associated with the team name, others for more petty reasons like grudges with other members. Each group refuses to recognize the other, and competition seems inevitable. With no money, an unbuilt reputation, not even a base of operations, the splinter group has a daunting task ahead of them. But so, too, do the Champions.
Both face similar problems: grubbing for funding and reputation, old enemies who sense a convenient moment to strike, and of course the simple fact that the world isn't likely to get better on its own. But as to whether the Champions or the splinter group can be the ones to improve things, only time will tell. . .
Each character has an Archetype. This is just a simple reference device for people to quickly understand the feel of your character and maybe get a few ideas stirring.
Supernatural: You are just one of many nations of beings who for centuries had been hiding in the shadows and stories of mankind. Those with the blood of gods, those who wield the arcane forces, who hunger for blood, who see the future, who journey to the spirit worlds, who speak to nature, who enchant and seduce. The children of the old bloodlines, the realms of magic, have been living alongside humanity since the dawn of time. Those like you used to rule the mortal world in man's ancient past, but for countless centuries, the children of magic have lived aloof from man. Your kind has faded from the perception of man but never disappeared. The Fae still played their deadly games in their own courts. The Vampyr continued to feed and prey on those mortals who had forgotten. The Were-Clans and the Ghouls and the Demonblood still stalked the shadows. The Mages, Medicine Men, Witch-Doctors, Shamans, Warlocks, Spellcasters, and Enchanters honed their trade and practiced their varied arts as they had for millennia. But now your kind hides no longer, now those who had been the source of man's legends and nightmares have stepped into the light again. Once you had to live in the half-world between reality and story. And as ever, you must choose as those like you have chosen since the dawn of time. Will you aid them as Merlin did? Will you fight for them as Heracles did? Will you prey on them as the Impaler did? Will you terrorize them as Talbot did? Whatever you choose, you will make your mark in history and legend, and the world will not be the same.
Metahuman: You were born different. You lived among normal people. But you were never really one of them. You had always felt different. There have always been those like you. Those who had monstrous strength, who could read minds, who could set anything ablaze, who could lift objects with a thought, who were born with scales or fur instead of skin. There is something in your blood. Something that makes you more than human. It can be activated by anything. A powerful trauma. An emotional stimulus. A near-death experience. A freak accident. Nobody quite knows what makes you so powerful, or what causes it. The people like you could have born with power, they could have tasted it as they died, or they could have found their power at any point in between. What is certain is that you are not normal. That you and those like you, will change everything. You are different, both part of and apart from mundane humanity. You are a new breed, whether a freak mutation, or the next evolutionary step, or something else entirely, none know the answer. And none know what will happen next. Will you be humanity's protector? It's servant? It's salvation? Or it's ruin? It's master? It's damnation? The choice is entirely yours. It was said that the meek shall inherit the Earth. But they never accounted for you.
Gifted: You may not have superhuman powers or arcane abilities. You may not be able to cast spells or conjure flame or level buildings with one strike. You may have only mortal blood flowing through your veins. But you are not a normal man or woman. Whether you had a natural inclination or dedicated your life to it, you became a master at your chosen discipline, someone beyond average achievement. There is something in you, a drive, an initiative, that made you able to stand your ground with superhumans. You are the pinnacle of human achievement, someone that the average person can only aspire to be. You are a master, a savant, a prodigy, a genius at what you do. You are an example of humanity's capacity for greatness, for better or ill. Alexander, Sun Tzu, the Bard, Mozart, the Lionheart, Saladin, Genghis Khan, the Red Baron, Einstein, the White Death. These are your peers. You have earned your place. A place in the deciding course of humanity, both one of them and apart due to your nature. You are one of the latest in a long line of great men and women, from the the good, the bad, to those in between. Defined by your talent and your uniqueness than by blood. And with your power you can be great. You know that with your skills, you can face any obstacle, do almost anything. But what will you do with your skill? Will you safeguard the world or grind it under your feet? What you do will echo through history and memory of man.
Augmented: You were not born with power, but power was bestowed upon you. The miracles and spectacles of science, the fruits of man's never-ending quest for knowledge, have gifted you abilities beyond your wildest dreams. There is a new breed of superhuman. Those like you who have been made into something more than human. Those who are part man and part machine. Those who who have their speed, their strength, their senses altered beyond the limits or normal humans. Those who fill their blood with chemicals to make them strong or fast or feel no pain. Those who are mutated, changed, spliced into something that is part human and part something else. Even those who use some new marvel of technology that increases their strength or lets them fly through the sky. Whatever your gift, with it you are a peer of the supernatural and the superhuman. You are a walking weapon. Perhaps you were created by a government. Or made in a private lab. Perhaps to heal you, perhaps just because you could. Whatever your specific path, you were gifted mythical power through the science and technology of man. And now you are above normal man. From now on, you choose your own path. Chemistry, engineering, cybernetics, or biology has given you control of your own fate. The choices you make, for good or ill, will shape the fate of the world as well.
Supernatural: You are just one of many nations of beings who for centuries had been hiding in the shadows and stories of mankind. Those with the blood of gods, those who wield the arcane forces, who hunger for blood, who see the future, who journey to the spirit worlds, who speak to nature, who enchant and seduce. The children of the old bloodlines, the realms of magic, have been living alongside humanity since the dawn of time. Those like you used to rule the mortal world in man's ancient past, but for countless centuries, the children of magic have lived aloof from man. Your kind has faded from the perception of man but never disappeared. The Fae still played their deadly games in their own courts. The Vampyr continued to feed and prey on those mortals who had forgotten. The Were-Clans and the Ghouls and the Demonblood still stalked the shadows. The Mages, Medicine Men, Witch-Doctors, Shamans, Warlocks, Spellcasters, and Enchanters honed their trade and practiced their varied arts as they had for millennia. But now your kind hides no longer, now those who had been the source of man's legends and nightmares have stepped into the light again. Once you had to live in the half-world between reality and story. And as ever, you must choose as those like you have chosen since the dawn of time. Will you aid them as Merlin did? Will you fight for them as Heracles did? Will you prey on them as the Impaler did? Will you terrorize them as Talbot did? Whatever you choose, you will make your mark in history and legend, and the world will not be the same.
Metahuman: You were born different. You lived among normal people. But you were never really one of them. You had always felt different. There have always been those like you. Those who had monstrous strength, who could read minds, who could set anything ablaze, who could lift objects with a thought, who were born with scales or fur instead of skin. There is something in your blood. Something that makes you more than human. It can be activated by anything. A powerful trauma. An emotional stimulus. A near-death experience. A freak accident. Nobody quite knows what makes you so powerful, or what causes it. The people like you could have born with power, they could have tasted it as they died, or they could have found their power at any point in between. What is certain is that you are not normal. That you and those like you, will change everything. You are different, both part of and apart from mundane humanity. You are a new breed, whether a freak mutation, or the next evolutionary step, or something else entirely, none know the answer. And none know what will happen next. Will you be humanity's protector? It's servant? It's salvation? Or it's ruin? It's master? It's damnation? The choice is entirely yours. It was said that the meek shall inherit the Earth. But they never accounted for you.
Gifted: You may not have superhuman powers or arcane abilities. You may not be able to cast spells or conjure flame or level buildings with one strike. You may have only mortal blood flowing through your veins. But you are not a normal man or woman. Whether you had a natural inclination or dedicated your life to it, you became a master at your chosen discipline, someone beyond average achievement. There is something in you, a drive, an initiative, that made you able to stand your ground with superhumans. You are the pinnacle of human achievement, someone that the average person can only aspire to be. You are a master, a savant, a prodigy, a genius at what you do. You are an example of humanity's capacity for greatness, for better or ill. Alexander, Sun Tzu, the Bard, Mozart, the Lionheart, Saladin, Genghis Khan, the Red Baron, Einstein, the White Death. These are your peers. You have earned your place. A place in the deciding course of humanity, both one of them and apart due to your nature. You are one of the latest in a long line of great men and women, from the the good, the bad, to those in between. Defined by your talent and your uniqueness than by blood. And with your power you can be great. You know that with your skills, you can face any obstacle, do almost anything. But what will you do with your skill? Will you safeguard the world or grind it under your feet? What you do will echo through history and memory of man.
Augmented: You were not born with power, but power was bestowed upon you. The miracles and spectacles of science, the fruits of man's never-ending quest for knowledge, have gifted you abilities beyond your wildest dreams. There is a new breed of superhuman. Those like you who have been made into something more than human. Those who are part man and part machine. Those who who have their speed, their strength, their senses altered beyond the limits or normal humans. Those who fill their blood with chemicals to make them strong or fast or feel no pain. Those who are mutated, changed, spliced into something that is part human and part something else. Even those who use some new marvel of technology that increases their strength or lets them fly through the sky. Whatever your gift, with it you are a peer of the supernatural and the superhuman. You are a walking weapon. Perhaps you were created by a government. Or made in a private lab. Perhaps to heal you, perhaps just because you could. Whatever your specific path, you were gifted mythical power through the science and technology of man. And now you are above normal man. From now on, you choose your own path. Chemistry, engineering, cybernetics, or biology has given you control of your own fate. The choices you make, for good or ill, will shape the fate of the world as well.
Players will be limited to one character at first. Depending on in-game events, this limit may be increased.
Birth Name:
Alter Ego:
Gender:
Age:
Country of Origin: Remember, only two per nation. Feel free to narrow them down to a specific city or region.
Archetype: Supernatural, Metahuman, Gifted, Augmented
Allegiance: Did you go with the Champions or the splinter group?
Appearance: Picture or description is acceptable.
Powers/Skills: Any limits or weaknesses in their powers or skills should be included as well. Please aim for balance and common sense, I don't want absolutely perfect and invincible characters.
Equipment/Resources: What you regularly carry, and what you can easily access.
Biography: An overview of their history and insight into their personality and psychology as well as their motivations for their career in the superhuman world. How did they feel about Nagoya? Why did they side with this particular team?
Special Notes: Anything else we need to know.
Birth Name:
Alter Ego:
Gender:
Age:
Country of Origin: Remember, only two per nation. Feel free to narrow them down to a specific city or region.
Archetype: Supernatural, Metahuman, Gifted, Augmented
Allegiance: Did you go with the Champions or the splinter group?
Appearance: Picture or description is acceptable.
Powers/Skills: Any limits or weaknesses in their powers or skills should be included as well. Please aim for balance and common sense, I don't want absolutely perfect and invincible characters.
Equipment/Resources: What you regularly carry, and what you can easily access.
Biography: An overview of their history and insight into their personality and psychology as well as their motivations for their career in the superhuman world. How did they feel about Nagoya? Why did they side with this particular team?
Special Notes: Anything else we need to know.
Welcome to Schism: Blood of Heroes, a game based on the simple maxim that superheroes always seem to end up fighting at some point.
A few concepts to remember:
This RP depends on player actions to move forwards. The GM team will of course throw the occasional challenge at you and there is an overarching plot, but for the most part you are free to make and pursue your own goals, whether they be personal or for your entire team. By all means, surprise me! Do things I won't expect.
As such, worldbuilding is important. I left a lot of the backstory vague for a reason, I'd love to see all of you introduce characters, concepts, and events that influence things. Improv actors use a phrase I think is relevant here: “Yes, and?” Meaning that if someone brings up something new, roll with it, build on it. Don't negate it.
Each team will have two trackers: one for reputation and one for assets. These influence how easy certain tasks will be to accomplish, for instance reputation comes in handy when trying to persaude someone to help you, while assets are good if you're trying to get new equipment. These trackers will go up or down depending on in-game events.
Finally, be advised that your choices change the world! People might live or die based on what you do, and it's entirely possible for you to be killed.
A few concepts to remember:
This RP depends on player actions to move forwards. The GM team will of course throw the occasional challenge at you and there is an overarching plot, but for the most part you are free to make and pursue your own goals, whether they be personal or for your entire team. By all means, surprise me! Do things I won't expect.
As such, worldbuilding is important. I left a lot of the backstory vague for a reason, I'd love to see all of you introduce characters, concepts, and events that influence things. Improv actors use a phrase I think is relevant here: “Yes, and?” Meaning that if someone brings up something new, roll with it, build on it. Don't negate it.
Each team will have two trackers: one for reputation and one for assets. These influence how easy certain tasks will be to accomplish, for instance reputation comes in handy when trying to persaude someone to help you, while assets are good if you're trying to get new equipment. These trackers will go up or down depending on in-game events.
Finally, be advised that your choices change the world! People might live or die based on what you do, and it's entirely possible for you to be killed.
My one abiding principle is that you have respect with one another and play with a fair heart.
Also, respect the authority of your GMs: Polyphemus and MrDidact.
Also, respect the authority of your GMs: Polyphemus and MrDidact.
CHAMPIONS
Gant d'Argent- Polyphemus
The Dragon Knight- dragonmancer
Eve- Sterling
Odysseus- BlackSam3091
The Jack- DFTBA
Friction- RumikoOhara
God Fist- Renny
The Alice- TheHangedMan
SPLINTER
Archos- WanderingSpirit
The Tortoise- CadenGallic
Shade- EkkoRhodes
The Chameleon- arca9
Red Jack- MrDidact
The Celtic Sniper- Iktomi
UNAFFILIATED
The Womb- Yin Jingshin
Prototype 2- GreenGoat
The Mouse- Banana
DIED AT NAGOYA
The Hare
Okyeame
Mat Rempit
Buscapé
Carter
Gant d'Argent- Polyphemus
The Dragon Knight- dragonmancer
Eve- Sterling
Odysseus- BlackSam3091
The Jack- DFTBA
Friction- RumikoOhara
God Fist- Renny
The Alice- TheHangedMan
SPLINTER
Archos- WanderingSpirit
The Tortoise- CadenGallic
Shade- EkkoRhodes
The Chameleon- arca9
Red Jack- MrDidact
The Celtic Sniper- Iktomi
UNAFFILIATED
The Womb- Yin Jingshin
Prototype 2- GreenGoat
The Mouse- Banana
DIED AT NAGOYA
The Hare
Okyeame
Mat Rempit
Buscapé
Carter
CHAMPIONS-
Reputation: Distrusted
Assets: Low. Minimal cash flow, but possession of headquarters (the Swiss villa) and transport (the team jet).
SPLINTER-
Reputation: Distrusted
Assets: Nil. No cash, no resources aside from member-donated transport (Cochran family jet).
Reputation: Distrusted
Assets: Low. Minimal cash flow, but possession of headquarters (the Swiss villa) and transport (the team jet).
SPLINTER-
Reputation: Distrusted
Assets: Nil. No cash, no resources aside from member-donated transport (Cochran family jet).
