Super-human Classification

[Blue-Lantern]

This was already posted on other forums, but a friend recommended this one.

Hello, I am creating a classification for super-humans, to use in a RPG setting. It has only "mutants" individuals, and no actual magic heroes (however see the quantic class).

Mainly, my idea is based on the Mutant X classification of mutants (terrible show, but this idea was good).

The Classes that I come up with are:

Champions or Super-sapiens - have otherwise "normal" human abilities at super-human levels, such as super-strength, enhanced regeneration and photographic memory.

Psionic or Mind masters - mind powers like telepathy, telekinesis, mind control, etc.

Beasts or Ferals - Include those with animal-like powers and also plant-like traits.

Elementals or Energetics - Have powers over (one kind of) matter or energy, Pirokinessis, Magnetic powers and others are the powers of that class.

Dimensional or Quantics - Have the powers the can alter the laws of physic or reality itself. Intangibility, Probability manipulation and Time control are examples.

Meta-morph or Trans-morph - can change themselves, altering or adapting them own bodies. It may be just physical transformation, but some may actually change enough to copy powers.

You can classify almost any super-heroes archetypes and super-powers in those groups, Some are in two or more, but is OK.

Currently, my doubt is how classify super-humans like The Thing and Colossus, the x-man may be a Trans-morph, but the Thing is more like a elemental.

Any suggestions or ideas?

To clear things up more, The Super-humans will have race-like divisions that are called Genus, each Genus belongs to a class or two.

The setting is one the 22th century around the year of 2139. In the 20th century super-humans start to become public, mostly with the rising of the Star-Sentinel (a.k.a. the Star-Traveler)in 1939 the first public known super-hero, the 20th was very similar to what we see in regular comics with super-heroes and villains fighting, this remains until early 21th century, than, the Gene Wars started humans and super-humans fighting in multiples sides preaching cooperation or "race purification". Long story short, the Super-humans won the war and started the "Genocracy", a form of govern in global scale composed of super-beings.

The war was not without cost, the mysterious "magic" heroes left under unknown circumstances, and the Star-travelers (descendent's from the original) needed to leave earth after a "Clone-bomb" created a Psionic field that would eventually kill all of them. They finally fulfilled they namesake and traveler through the stars for almost a century.

And the Star-travelers returned.

And the World has changed.

During they absence the Genocracy instituted Caste system that divided super-humans in Genus and Classes. Reproduction was watched, Hybrids are feared because they are unique and may develop unstable or powerful abilities. The values of Super-heroism are lost.

Obviously, the Star-travelers had to do something about it.

Genus Examples

Atlatians

Class: Champions - athletic. Sub-classified as Bestial - Animalia Pisces/amphibian.

Description: generally basis*-looking, with sometimes traits in non-human colors, mostly hair and skin who is green or blue.

Powers: Can breath both air and water since adolescence, resist deep water pressure and movie faster in water, higher resistance and strength than basis-humans that can reach super-human class levels. Very few have Psionic and elemental (hydro) powers, but those individuals are rare.

(based on Namor and Aquaman)

Star-Travelers

Class: Quantum&Energetic

Description: They powers seem to evolved for survival in space and inter-stellar travel. They are basis-human looking.

Powers: Personal force field allows survival in vacuum and harsh environments of others planets, can feed themselves from energy (heat and radiation), also can "Star-jump", using star gravity to open portals between systems. Some *unknown percentage, needs study) can project they force fields in telekinetic manner and also have energy manipulation (heat&radiation).

(based on Superman, some touch of Silver Surfer)

Accelerated

Class: Dimensional

Description: Time distortion gives them super-speed, mostly basis, but many age (relatively) faster.

Powers: Usually from pre-birth they develop a personal time distortion that make they own time go faster, giving super-speed. The time acceleration is rather erratic on early life, but they master it with years, allowing faster speeds, or even Time manipulation on rare cases.

(based on Flash and Impulse)

Olympians

Class: Champions/Super-humans

Description: basis-human looking but with a usual "healthy" and attractive looks. They have physical traits that can be reach or go over the basis-human.

Powers: strength, agility and stamina who are naturally in the pic of basis-human limits and many times over it, but rarely in extraordinary levels.

Felines

Class: Bestial - Animalia Carnivore

Description: appearance ranges greatly usually have cat-like ears a eyes with a tail and may display fully hair covered body, claws and face exactly like a Feline animal.

Powers: Greater senses of smell, hearing, night-vision and agility, many have claws, bite adapted mouth, greater strength and stamina.

*basis or human-basis = the term used for non-powered

[SkyLion]

Looks like an interesting setting! ::thumbup1 Were you looking for advice or feedback, or just wanting to share?

[Blue-Lantern]

Looks like an interesting setting! ::thumbup1 Were you looking for advice or feedback, or just wanting to share?

All of the above

I specially want help to see if the Classes get all mutant powers (Technological and Magical are left out on purpose)

[Finbar]

1) He wanted feedback, I believe...

2) The Thing and Colossus have the same basic powers (except for Colossus' ability to become human and explosive ability), so they would both be transmorphs. Although the FF had elemental inspiration, they aren't elementals by your definition. Magneto would be a better example of an elemental.

3) Interesting idea...needs some refinement, but otherwise looks like a good beginning...

FR

[Blue-Lantern]

1) He wanted feedback, I believe...

2) The Thing and Colossus have the same basic powers (except for Colossus' ability to become human and explosive ability), so they would both be transmorphs. Although the FF had elemental inspiration, they aren't elementals by your definition. Magneto would be a better example of an elemental.

3) Interesting idea...needs some refinement, but otherwise looks like a good beginning...

FR

I am thinking in expand the elemental definition to include people who have the bodies made of "extra-ordinary" (a.k.a. not organically possible) materials, it makes some sense and help to include heroes like Hidro-man, Ice-man, Sand-man, and so on.

[SkyLion]

Also..in Abby terms, the Thing and Collosus do not have the same power. Collosus has a bodymorph: Solid/ Density Increase while the Thing has Armor, possibly superheavy.

[Finbar]

I am thinking in expand the elemental definition to include people who have the bodies made of "extra-ordinary" (a.k.a. not organically possible) materials, it makes some sense and help to include heroes like Hidro-man, Ice-man, Sand-man, and so on.

Actually, these guys would meet your classification of elemental anyway, as they have basically a suite of powers with a theme (besides being made of the element (and thus being transmorphs as well); for example, Hydroman can manipulate water, has limited shapeshifting (water forms), and has a number of attacks via water (bursts, flooding, etc.). In essence, all three characters would have Bodymorph and either Elemental Anima (Hydroman and Sandman, who require those elements to be available), or Elemental Mastery (Iceman, who's been shown to be able to summon ice even in deserts).

Caveat on Iceman: It depends on which version of the character you go with when it comes to his Bodymorph. Even though he started out as pretty much Armor+Invulnerability (Cold), he has been depicted as being completely being made of ice (and has been able to reform himself when shattered (Healing with a Power Max?)).

Skylion: Yeah, I should have caught that. Too long away from Abby, and too much Champions (where Colossus would merely have more Life Support than the ever-lovin' blue-eyed Thing).

FR

[SkyLion]

Collosus weighs as much as if he was solid metal (he is) Even his eyes are metal. he has no need to breathe (the aforemetnioned life support). Im not entirely sure the Thing needs to breathe...I have fuzzy recollections of him being gassed before, and also an image of him eating a hoagie. I do know however that the Thing doesn't weigh as much as Collosus and that there have been incidents where his rocky hide has been chipped off or broken...

[Finbar]

Not only has Benjy been gassed, but he frequents the Yancy Street Bar; although he has problems getting drunk, he does give it his best shot. Of course, I would hate to deal with the...um...excretory problems. As for his skin getting chopped off, it would be the same as someone doing a skin scraping.

It is worth noting that Mr. Grimm does weigh a bit more than your usual person; the only reason that he weighs less than Piotr is because rock weighs less than metal...

That said, the only problem with the classification system are characters like Rogue or Leech (who affect powers themselves), or characters with physical powers such as Angel's healing blood or the oh-so-popular pheromones. Although it could be argued that the physical powers are essentially feral in nature, they have effects that are well beyond what animals are capable of (especially when we start dealing with entities like Omega Red).

FR

[SkyLion]

This is why I love conversations like this..sooner or later somebody mentions Omega Red.. ::biggrin

,,

Regarding Rogue and Leech, I classify those as meta-powers.

[Finbar]

That's because Omega Red is such a weird individual...

And, although I agree that they are metapowers (as described in the MUSH RPG Ultimate Powers Book), they don't really fit any of the classifications given. That is, they usually lack the willful intent of psionic powers, are usually always on, and seem to have some psychological aspect as well (usually the person is set apart, either through their own efforts or those of others, and sometimes because of their own powers). There are exceptions (such as Synch, who could turn his powers on or off, could determine what powers he had and could build on them, and was extremely affable), they are extremely rare.

More to the point, they aren't covered in the classifications given...

FR

[Blue-Lantern]

That said, the only problem with the classification system are characters like Rogue or Leech (who affect powers themselves), or characters with physical powers such as Angel's healing blood or the oh-so-popular pheromones. Although it could be argued that the physical powers are essentially feral in nature, they have effects that are well beyond what animals are capable of (especially when we start dealing with entities like Omega Red).

Well...

Rogue is metamorph/energetic class i think... she can absorb bio-energy and change her body based on the bio-energy absorbed.

Leech, i am not sure how his powers work, if is like the movie, energetic/elemental because it appears to control and change DNA and life in the radius of his power.

most physical powers are champion, methamorphic or feral. It is possible to have ferals who have more strength than the animals that they are based of, but they still have a "theme" that is based on animals

Regeneration is a Champion power, humans can heal wounds... even if they can't grow arms back .

Pheromones also would likely to be champion, borderline feral. Humans do have pheromones.

This raises a question

stuff like "spiting acid" or "four-arms but otherwise normal" would be considered champion or feral?

[SkyLion]

Up to you...ultimately the decision rests with you as ST. Personally I feel categoriesa re unneccesary.

[Blue-Lantern]

Up to you...ultimately the decision rests with you as ST. Personally I feel categoriesa re unneccesary.

I like the idea mostly because I think it is weird that Magneto could have a reality-warping daughter and a speedster son. I believe that the great genetic variety that resulted in so many diferent powes would lead to a form of speciation, thus creating "races", all Neo-Humans call still bread with each other, but they have traits that tell them apart.

Also, it is a government weapon to control citizens. "Hibrids" may have more powers than "Pure" Neo-humans, thus will more dificult to control. And You can imagine that it is already hard to keep the order in a world with people who have only two or three powers.

[SkyLion]

Magneto has children who can do other things because the mutant gene that expresses powers is the X Factor...similar to NOvas in that it manifests the whims of the user. Technically Scarlet Witch's power is simply to manipulate probability. However when combined with actual training in magic by powerful sorcerers... ::sly

[Blue-Lantern]

Magneto has children who can do other things because the mutant gene that expresses powers is the X Factor...similar to NOvas in that it manifests the whims of the user. Technically Scarlet Witch's power is simply to manipulate probability. However when combined with actual training in magic by powerful sorcerers... ::sly

So... you are saying that the parents powers does not matter?

Sort hard to believe, even more than a guy who is suppose to be alive at WWII having a bodybuilder physic ::brick....

[SkyLion]

Belief???

,,

Uhhhhh...you DO realize we are talking about comics here yeah?

,,

Mutants are similar to NOvas...the gene that powers them is similar to a node in that its expression is unique to the individual. Same thing with the "Nova phisique."

,,

But yeah, its your game. If you want traits to be passed down to offspring and have categories, more power to ya.

,,

Oh yeah, and cuz noone has said anything yet...

,,

Welcome to the Boards!!!!!

,,

:jumping40: :jumping40: :jumping40: ::welcome :jumping40: :jumping40: :jumping40:

[Finbar]

Magneto technically hasn't been around since WWII; his body has been cloned, aged, and youthened, so he could easily have any physique he wanted. Also, Marvel tends to not really allows its mutants to inherit the same powers as its parents; it happens (such as Cable inheriting Jean Grey's TK), but it's not that common...

However, you may want to look at the Marvel example of Genosha; the mutant slaves there do tend to breed true rather than random, and are genetically manipulated in order to have the most applicable powers for the current needs of the country. Relative to you, it would allow some control over what powers appear, even though some would either ignore that conditioning or grow past. Worse, it could cause mutants more powerful than normal....

FR

[Blue-Lantern]

Well, thanks for the welcoming ::happy is nice to be here.

and just to keep the topic moving

new genus:

Lupinus a.k.a. Werewolves

Class: Bestial - Animalia Carnivore . sub-class: transmorph

Description: Bestial Neo-humans with canine-based traits, typically they look like wolfs, but may have a more dog-like appearance. Among the Lupinus, the power of multiform is much more common than in others bestial genus, most Lupinus have a full human-looking form, with no or minimal bestial traits and a other form with half-human and half-canine traits, some may have a complete wolf-looking form. Unfortunately the transmorphic nature make the Lupinus more likely to be lycantropic-infection¹ carriers.

Merfolk

Class: Bestial - Animalia Pisces/Amphibians

Description: Bestial Neo-humans with fish-based traits, and sometimes traits of other aquatic animal. The main trait that separates the Merfolk is the ability to breath underwater and a fish-like tail instead of legs, the rest of the Merfolk body can be complete human but many may be complete covered with scales and have more bestial traits, like fish-shaped head, claws, tentacles and others. Many Merfolk have a type of the multiform that specifically changes they fish-tail to human-shaped allowing them to walk in land.

EDIT:

¹Lycantropic-infection is a virus-based disease that is created in organisms that have two or more forms (but not freeform organisms), the transformation in those organisms cause the cells to be unstable and the DNA to fragment and create virus, while most of those virus are harmless to the original organism and others, sometimes a virus will become more contagious and may mutate a infected organism giving some traits from the original "mother" organism. This seems to be the origin of many legends. Small amounts of silver are known to reduce this effect, but cause ill side-effects, mostly notable the dificulty of transform.