Birdsie
The God-Emperor of Mankind
Inspired by Worm.
System inspiration taken from Weaverdice & Halping Quest.
System inspiration taken from Weaverdice & Halping Quest.
- Hello, and welcome to Fragmentation!
Fragmentation is a roleplay in a modern society taking place on an alternate earth. Superpowers are real, and their users - parahumans, or "capes," as slang refers to them - walk the streets at day, night, and in between, seeking to fulfill their personal agendas. Ranging from justice and vengeance to things as primal as the desire to see people suffer; the parahuman condition offers a wide selection of diverse sociopaths and dependable heroes alike.
This is a reboot of a previous superhero RP with a similar premise. Since then, I've altered things around quite a bit. Here's how this works:
Experiment
Natural Capes
Instead of choosing their superpowers, the players will determine the character's Trigger Event. A Trigger Event is a situation where a person's frustration, stress, fear, adrenaline, or anger reach a critical mass and metaphorically explode: granting them a power as a result. What nebulous void powers come from is truly unknown and possibly best left unexplored, but that doesn't change the fact that whatever source they originate from chooses those who undergo the aforementioned process, not to mention that only a fraction of people have the potential to undergo a Trigger Event.
Based on the Trigger Event, I, the GM, will then craft an appropriate, fitting power for that character. Powers will be directly tied to the Trigger Event. Physical abuse, emotional abuse, environmental rejection, long-term stressors, abstract stressors - each of these will grant a different result, which will further be molded by things like the character's personality, nature, and the details of the Trigger Event. If you want a power that is strong and works outside the rules, get creative.
The system for power-crafting is meticulous with elements selectively picked from a pair of tabletop games with the most thorough rules for such systems. For every possible detail a Trigger Event can include, there is a chart detailing how the power will behave, and much more.
Cauldron Capes
There is another way to obtain powers. Some people, either unaware of what a Trigger Event is, or incapable of experiencing it go around looking for answers. How to get superpowers? If they are truly honest about their desire to gain powers, they are approached by an agent of a mysterious shadow organization known only as Cauldron.
What price to pay for a superpower? It varies. Truth be told, Cauldron isn't interested in money and is even ready to accept favors as a payment to those who can't afford it in an old-fashioned way. Where they get their serums from is just as mysterious as natural Trigger Events. Nonetheless, Cauldron has a wide selection of vials to pick from; often, a vial family is tied around specific types of powers. This grants choice to whoever would seek out Cauldron and its vials, a choice they would otherwise not have.
However, there is a price to pay for dealing with the devil. Each Cauldron vial has a low - usually lower than 10% - chance of deviancy. The results vary. Rarely, people's bodies mutate. Other times, their powers are unreliable and bizarre, having seemingly no middle setting between Off and Obliterate. Sometimes, the power is semi-sentient or interferes in their daily life. The risk exists and you have to be willing to take it in your bid for power.
Or, if you prefer, you can always trade your humanity for greater power, if you don't care about it.
Setting
June 12th, 2019: Brockton Bay, Massachusetts
Brockton Bay is a city so infamous for its cape activity and crime that people all across America - and even the world - refer to Brocktonites with a special kind of perspective. Each person living there must surely be a veteran in surviving encounters with powered villains, if they can live there on a daily basis!
The truth, as it were, turns out to be far more boring and mundane.
Although the gangs - especially ones governed by parahuman leaders - have been growing and even thriving that all ended when Leviathan struck in 2016. The Protectorate arrived a bit too late, and the local capes - villains and heroes alike - fell to the might of the Sea Endbringer. The city followed, almost sinking due to damage to the aquifier, but was saved before it had been too late.
There has been a ceasefire present between the major groups for almost two years. Or rather, what is left of them. The ABB, the Empire 88, the Merchants, no one is making any moves because no one has the strength to. Even the local PRT force has been devastated.
So now, after years of reconstruction, the city is ripe for picking. A fresh stage, rinsed in saltwater, prepared to greet new players on the chessboard.
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