Age of Heroes MUX is a game set in a world very much like our own, and very much unlike our own. Major historical events of the past are as we would know them, but the game world diverges sharply from the world we live in at the point where Tesla unlocked the power of The Stranger.
From that day forward the world was a more colorful place than our own. It is a world that has known of super powered individuals for almost three quarters of a century, and that has had a profound effect on the course of world events.
The game grid will be primarily concerned with the fictional city of San Angeles built from and over the ruins of San Diego and Los Angeles, the most modern city in the world built in the wake of the terrible earthquake of 2006. Built by the common efforts of dozens of super heroes (and even a couple villains truth be told) it is a testament to the human ability to persevere and triumph over adversity.
San Angeles has a grittier side, generally referred to as Undercity, a wasteland under San Angeles housing numerous landfills and waste dumps, not to mention the remains of the older cities and suburbs. A haven for criminal elements, and home to many homeless and poverty stricken Undercity is a place where life is cheap.
San Angeles proper is a place for mostly 'four color' action, where as Undercity is for gritty, street-level action. Not that there can't be overlap.
This is a world with long established super heroes and villains, a world of high adventure.
Legal Issues
- Geneva Convention, Protocol I: Prohibits use of metahuman operatives in the field of warfare.
- Watkins Act: Prohibits the entry of telepathic evidence in legal proceedings, except where the subject has explicitly volunteered for such procedures, under the Fifth Amendment rights concerning self-incrimination. No citizen of the United States can be held as guilty for refusing to undergo telepathic investigation.
- Stephens-Williams Act: Created the procedure via which a citizen at or over the age of majority for their state can register their 'heroic identity' and powers (if any) with the Freedom Brigade (or, during the term that the Brigade was dissolved, the FBI) to become a legal citizen patroller, with expanded powers of citizen's arrest and limited immunity to responsibility from damage caused during these fights (which is paid by taxpayer dollars). Under the auspices of this act, one's 'heroic identity' can testify in court without revealing their identity publically. Vigilante activities without registration under this act may be considered illegal, and lead to police investigation and/or arrest. For more information see Superhero Registration.
Magic
Magic has been around a very long time and has gone through a number of cycles where it was stronger and weaker. The trend with magic is that it has been waning in power over the ages, a cycle fueled by man's awakening to science and reinforced by progressively more secular world views.
Magic was strongest when men lived in caves, waning a bit as they learned agriculture, and a bit more when they started making cities. It enjoyed brief resurgences during the Middle Ages and Renaissance in Europe. It was always pretty potent in Australia, especially the outback. It has always been fairly strong in darkest Africa and the wild areas of South America.
During the 19th and early 20th centuries magic had all but faded away, though there were hold overs, people from ancient traditions of magic who could still manage a spell or two, mystery men and pulp heroes often found such people and places steeped in what magic lingered.
The trend of ever waning magic ended after Nikola Tesla triggered the energy pulse that changed the world.
With that pulse all the Ley Lines and ancient mystical strongholds in the world were revitalized. Indeed, magic is stronger since that pulse than it has ever been, mystical heroes and villains able to work incredibly potent spells the likes of which the world has never known.
Magic as an art has existed for millenia; magic as a force of nature to be reckoned with only since 1943.
Mystical Devices, often referred to as Artifacts or Relics can be created by Mystics with the Artificer feat. Mystics can also perform Rituals (Rites, Rotes) if they purchase the Ritualist feat. See our House Rules about these feats.
Psionics
Psionics, Psychic Ability, the power of the mind unleashed.
Mental abilities have been around as long as people have, though the talent has been exceedingly rare until recent decades. Throughout human history there have been those that could see the future, or sense the presence of water, or even move things with the power of their minds. Indeed, Poltergeist activity has often been theorized to be the subconscious mind manifesting telekinetic power. Mind readers, faith healers, empaths…the list goes on and on.
Psychics have never been as numerous or as powerful as they are since the energy pulse from The Stranger, but there have always been psychics. There have also always been charlatans.
Super Science
Super Science had its roots in Science Fiction and the mad science of the Pulp Era, one might even argue that it originated in ancient Greece, or the Age of Reason. Whatever the truth there can be little doubt that there is Science that transcends what is currently known and understood, and the unique people that can grasp it.
Super Science is the stuff of comic books and science fiction and only those with the brains to understand it, the creativity to conceive it, and the knack for invention to make it real are Super Scientists.
In game terms there are certain qualities that are needed to be a Super Scientist.
- Intelligence One must have an intellect at or beyond the very peak of human ability. A super scientist must have an INT of 24 or higher to be able to understand super science.
- The Knack One must have the Inventor feat to make super science devices.
It should be noted that it is possible to have a glimmering of understanding when it comes to super science, a prime example would be a person of narrowly focused ability able to produce certain limited bits of tech that is or verges on super science. From the comic books an example of such a person would be Peter Parker. Pete is a very intelligent person and a capable scientist, but he's no super scientist. He has however designed some fairly unique devices that are pretty much super tech, most notably his web shooters.
The key trait that separates a super scientist from such a dabbler is scope — a super scientist is broader, often vastly broader in the scope of his ability.
Super Scientists can create Devices if they purchase the Inventor feat, a dabbler does not need this feat as they're only 'super' in a very narrowly focused manner. Super Scientists can also create temporary inventions using their skills. See our House Rules on the Inventor feat.