An Alternative origin for the explosion of Supers!

[psiandco]

An Alternative origin for the explosion of Supers!

The following can be used as an alternative Heroes Unlimited campaign setting,
or even added to an official setting!

It all begins with "operation Paperclip"...
the Nazis were defeated. The Nuremberg trials and governmental law enforcement "Nazi hunters" routinely rounded up scapegoats for the gallows.
Using the threat of public execution allied nations propelled Elite Nazi Scientists into their waiting hands: mostly splitting the brilliant minds and
forbidden research between the United States and the Soviet Union.

Then "Roswell" happened. The U.S. Army had recovered a crashed alien explorer-scout craft.
In the face of technology potentially several billion years more advanced, High-ranking officials brought some of the most gifted minds together
to discover every last secret, they could from the wreckage. It was like asking a caveman to build a moon lander. A few errors in judgment caused
the alien Dark matter reactor to briefly overload killing a whole team of scientists. To prevent any further disaster several efforts in the
reverse engineering program were halted.

These "washout" scientists had snuck a few bits of knowledge out and founded their own companies with advanced technology.
Some of the Nazi scientists had been tasked with unraveling the secrets of alien biology. Genetic science didn't exist then,
but when their programs were terminated, they took obscenely tiny samples with them for study.
As computers advanced, the basics of genetics were at last beginning to be explored through "Observable Gene Expression"
techniques. The Nazi scientists made incredible progress before they died of old age and passed their secrets on to a new generation of conspirators:

They had TWO discoveries out of the countless advancements that they would never have any hope of understanding.
1. The Polymerase twister (a hyper-evolution organelle) and,
2. The Nuclear Metabolic enzyme (or "N.M.E.").

The aging Nazi scientists sought to experiment with the "Polymerase twister" to discover the secret of biological immortality,
They did their cell expression experiments using "Hela" cells. aka, Henrietta Lacks cancer that actually turns out to the ONLY
immortal human cell line. All of the experiments failed until an accidental acid spill nearly destroyed one test.

"Stress on a cell sample altered with Both the PT and NME, was triggered in response to the acid. " The cell suddenly
"Hyper-evolved" to resist the acid. Not only that, but the cell had learned to THRIVE on the caustic substance!

The scientists had learned a vital clue about the Polymerase twister. It needed the NME to work. It needed an environmental
stressor to activate. Repeated experiments revealed that the "Hyper-evolution" effect always produced a random result! They
would need a nearly infinite number of single-cell trials, but could only "observe" so much... They needed a mature organism
to identify what the burst of hyper evolution enabled.
The scientists realized a "solution", to get as many test subjects as they could ever need, as many mature organisms as
they dared. All of which would be Stressed by pubescence. All of which would run straight to hospitals desperate to find out
"What was wrong with little Johny?"

a new "Vaccine" would be forcibly injected into newborn babies, (*even though babies don't have a working immune system that can learn by reacting to disease). The Poly twister and N.M.E. would take root in every replicating and growing cell thereafter. Once the altered children hit puberty, an unknown number would "Hyper-evolve".

[psiandco]

The Aliens had mastered their "evolution" technology to simply adapt to every planet they land on. (*The Earth-side conspiracy do not have any control of the Polymerase twister).
The N.M.E. nuclear metabolic enzyme is the source of power for mutant powers in this alternative setting.
As the power source is known and somewhat understood by the conspiracy, some technology could be created to help identify mutants, detect/track, restrain, even nullify the N.M.E. organelle.

Doorway Scanners that detect if a person is a mutant (like a security x-ray) these devices could sweep the nation warning employees at a building that "mutants" have entered a building.
Handheld Scanners that can detect mutant bioenergy at range, like a handheld detector with a screen visually showing the distance and direction.
Mutant restraint device modifies the N.M.E. to weaken the mutant instead of empowering them. kind of like a Tazer.
Power negator device, this device is too large and bulky to carry. It sends out a cone-shaped field, any mutants in the area of the field find that their powers do not work, will not activate, and completely shutoff.

[psiandco]

What if?

...using this alternative story as the genesis of supers, you declare that your players are among the "First" generation of supers.

[Stone Gargoyle]

The two reasons for the increase in supers in my campaigns are 1) nuclear accidents leading to freak weather pattern and radiation leakage and 2) aliens and otherdimensional beings mating with humans to create mutants and hybrids. It doesn't need to be more specific or complicated than that.

[Stone Gargoyle]

For my writing, I tap into a stream of consciousness. I must have tapped the wrong one.
The thread is supposed to point out that the n.m.e. Nuclear metabolic enzyme, provided all the energy needed to power super abilities.
(*the aliens who have mastered hyper-evolution, use the ability to instantly adapt to any world they land on.)
The following post, would talk about the "what if" scenario, the players are the first "Super mutants" our society witnesses in action. How many people would not believe they exist. How a wide variety of corporations and other organizations would be in the secret businesses of "getting their hands on the super kids" for a variety of reasons. Some, not so good.

Supers are common in my campaign world. The whole "not believing they exist" part would not work in a society where supers are common. As far as people wanting to control them, that is a given and already exists in the game settings. If you have them be the only supers, that also limits oyu in what kind of baddies they can face. I think you are putting too many restrictions on the game.

[psiandco]

okay. that should fix things a bit...

[PapaMambo]

I've always gone by what was printed in the books and then extrapolated on that.

Mankind has always had myths and legends of Demons, Angel's, Gods, Spirits Monsters, and Heroes. Every legend, every myth has a grain of truth to it. How many of these legends are true?

Then, with the dawn of the 20th century, there was an awakening. World powers started an inexorable march to war, and with that they tried everything in their power to gain the upper hand.

In WWII, Nazi Germany was on a mission to create a pure Aryan race, a race of super humans (small 's'). Nazi scientists started dabbling in chemical experimentation as well as eugenics to create the Ubermensch that would rule the Reich for a thousand years. Whispers abounded that they also sought out supernatural relics (the Spear of Destiny, Holy Grail and Ark of the Covenant being just a few), and resorting to consorting with dark hosts and darker magic to achieve their ends.

The US had an influx of brainpower from Nazi Germany and the many talented scientists fleeing from the Reich's campaign of ethnic cleansing. With this sudden explosion of knowledge, the US Government started experimenting to create their own answer to the Ubermensch - the super soldier. Volunteers were subjected to chemical enhancement as well. The harnassing of the atom and the dawn the Nuclear age led to the inevitable discovery of genetics and mutants. Radiation seemed to have awakened a long dormant gene and those exposed to large doses of radiation (at least the ones who didn't die of poisoning) were discovered to have powers that far exceeded those of normal humans. Some were genetically predisposed to pass down this mutant gene to their progeny. Probably the WORST kept secret in US history was the crash landing of a UFO in Roswell New Mexico. We were no longer alone in the universe. Many of our greatest technological advances were due to reverse engineering of alien technology. The US covertly joined alliances with many alien races and continues to monitor the skies for further incursions by both friendly and hostile alien forces.

The USSR - When the Iron Curtain went up, the USSR implanted spies wherever they could in the West. Many secrets were stolen, including the chemical and nuclear manipulations of the US and Germany. Russia also had a campaign to harness psychic energies and to this day, their psionic program is unrivaled. Forces within the Motherland also worked with creatures of myth - Lycanthropes, Vampires and others who felt their mutual isolationist attitudes served their own benefit.

Japan became a much more industrialized nation after WWII, putting their efforts into manufacturing and technology development. Their greatest strengths have allowed their Robotics and Cybernetic programs to flourish and exceed similar programs elsewhere on Earth. They have developed miniaturization and nano technology that has put them at the forefront of weapons technology. Their development of robotics has made the world more convenient and safe. Giant robots have replaced traditional tanks and artillery and have shown great utility when dealing with larger than life threats that the world now faces.
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.
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Just my own little contribution.. every country has something that it contributes to the world of HU

[SolCannibal]

Honestly, i never bother to come up with a "big reason" or "big explosion" of supers everywhere or whatnot - more like a hundred or thousand localized peaks or temporary booms across the ages generating all kinds of legends or mystery through history, so i can insert stuff in whatever gonzo timeline i decide to cook up.

I dare say mostly vanilla HU except for a key point of divergence here and there, like Century Station as a derelict technomagic SDF-1/Black Knight expy hovering in Earth's orbit and taken over by multiple waves of failed alien invaders from 19th century onwards until an alliance of earth governments & superteams finally took it over in the 90s and have been exploring or disputing rights, spending on administration, dealing with alien occupants and so on ever since.

Or the fact somehow Myamoto Musashi's Book of Five Rings ended being adopted by the founder of a conscientious objector movement and civil rebellion within one of the warrior races of a major evil empire and from there ended being recopied and spread by social, political and philosical students or mystics through a whole arm of the galaxy (generating all kinds of misconceptions about the book's author, species and world of origin in the process), among other things.

Ah, and "ghost planets" that may fade between different versions of the same star system according to strange peculiar planetary cycles.

Also, Dark Tribunal got a lot of cosmetic changes and refocusing of some parts - they're known as the considerably more grey SciPol (Science Police), an organization dedicated to policing and curtailing institutional and corporate abuse of living beings as subjects of biotechnology, cybernetics and all kinds of experimentation, going from secret hits on certain scientists, corporate & intelligence heads or civil servants and bombing of secret labs to the liberation, medical & psychological treatment and recruitment of rescued aliens, mutants or altered humans & animals, being some major supporters of the Mutant Underground network.

[Sir_Spirit]

Personally I like the idea that the massive deaths in WW1 awakened ancient Evils, and the Heroes to fight them. Then WW2 exacerbated that, and a new age of heroes was born.

[SolCannibal]

Personally I like the idea that the massive deaths in WW1 awakened ancient Evils, and the Heroes to fight them. Then WW2 exacerbated that, and a new age of heroes was born.

It's fair and fine, the setting is purposefully vague and open so that every GM can tailor things and play at worldbuilding to its heart's content, plus messing with WW2 is kind of a classic due to how comic books and the superheroes genre came to be in the post-depression, late interwar period basically.

[Grammarsalad]

Personally I like the idea that the massive deaths in WW1 awakened ancient Evils, and the Heroes to fight them. Then WW2 exacerbated that, and a new age of heroes was born.

I absolutely love this idea! I like the idea of HU being set in the BtS/Nightbane world. There is no actual alien player characters, but all aliens are truly alien horrors, no atorians, but rather they are more like Mi-Go.

The mass death of these wars could have put earth 'on the map' , attracting these creatures.

[SolCannibal]

Personally I like the idea that the massive deaths in WW1 awakened ancient Evils, and the Heroes to fight them. Then WW2 exacerbated that, and a new age of heroes was born.

I absolutely love this idea! I like the idea of HU being set in the BtS/Nightbane world. There is no actual alien player characters, but all aliens are truly alien horrors, no atorians, but rather they are more like Mi-Go.

The mass death of these wars could have put earth 'on the map' , attracting these creatures.

Me, i toy with several alternate Earths that may or not have some degree of contact with each other, more than one HU-style Earth among them, Nightbane being in a funny stream of sorts that sometimes will turn closer to BtS to the point of confusion, while another variant ends closer to a tokusatsu-esque HU with tones of Kamen Rider: Black, Garo and the Devil May Cry series of games.

And then there's the utterly unrelated HU-Earth where "Mutant Underground" is a pay-per-view mutant arena fighting program of the Deep Web (so kind of like this, or at least that's the hype for their clientele), Century Station is a gigantic derelict alien spaceship used as waypoint by multiple waves of failed space invaders until an alliance of supers and multiple militaries took it over (with all ensuing trouble of dealing with its mysteries and multiple layers of occupants) and a mostly played straight AU setting, with space ronin guerilla apes spreading the words of Musashi across the stars - ah, the Book of Five Rings happens to be forbidden in the Atorian Empire and just it's possession can be classified as sedition within their territory.