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Aberrant: Infinite Earth - Axis and Allies World setting


Dawn OOC

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This is the setting thread for the Axis and Allies setting. Feel free to discuss and ask questions in the thread. Please mark threads in IE and characters with the [A&A] tag. Please note, this setting deviates from standard IE rules.

Axis and Allies—a Steampunk Aberrant World

In 1900, the first of the Dynamics became known to the world. Since then, these super-men have aided the technological advances that have brought the world into the ‘modern’ era of 1939. The use of ‘quantum æther’ has allowed advances such as round-the-world blimp flights and the ability to contact someone across the ocean. Vast knowledge is transmitted via quantum on devices called ætherlabes. Medicine has defeated many of the ills plaguing man, including polio and measles. Cancer is rarer, and people usually survive it. AIDS is a new disease, just making itself felt as soldiers in Africa carry it out of the bush and into civilization.

1939. Hitler’s Germany is on the warpath. The first to fall was Poland, who was split by Germany, Slovakia, Lithuania, and their ally, Soviet Russia. Poland had 100,000 military personnel evacuated, while those Poles who remained behind formed the Polish Underground State, complete with an underground Home Army. All of the Baltic countries were forced to allow Russia to station troops in their countries. When Finland refused, they were invaded.

By mid-1940, Germany had invaded Denmark and Norway, and controlled Sweden as well. Finland fell, while Russia helped Germany circumvent the Allied blockade. Iceland was controlled by Britian, and the discontent over the war had already ousted British Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain. He was replaced by Winston Churchill.

The Allied powers were angered by Germany’s aggressions, but that was nothing compared to their outrage when the mad-man’s Iron Blitzkrieg invaded Western Europe. France, Belgium, the Netherlands and Luxembourg were invaded in May. The speed of their advance terrifies Britain, despite their Dynamic heroes who defend their shore. Other Dynamics from neutral countries such as the United States have come to Britain to join the war effort.

Concept: Steampunk with modern trappings in World War II.

Starting Date: January 26, 1941; for a timeline which we are using as a guide, click this: http://www.historypl...ine/ww2time.htm

Intent: Beyond the usual ‘have fun’, this setting is to tell the stories of war through the eyes of novas. Nazis are the villains, and both sides have Dynamics.

Eruption: No one is born dynamic in this setting. Anyone can erupt, as far as science can tell, and they show no sign before eruption. There is a slight hereditary tendency, but it is not safe to assume that you will be a Dynamic just because a relative is. Eruptions generally occur from stressful events. Lab experiments have once or twice resulted in eruption, but it believe that they occurred due to the stress of the tests, not from the experiment itself.

Culture: Most people are set in the 1950’s, but the interconnections of the ætherlabe has allowed people of certain counter-cultures to connect and grow. LGBT, women and minorities are all learning the powers they have, both through their representative Dynamics and via the power of unity. However, ætherlabes are still very expensive, so most people only gain access to one via public institutions such as colleges or libraries. The ‘æthernetwork’ is not all pervasive: third-world countries do not have one, and Axis and Allied ætherlabes do not talk to one another.

Themes: Though I intend to focus on the war in Europe, the tale of the War Hero is not the only possible story that can be told in the Axis and Allies world. There are many other things to explore: quantum æther experiments, the culture war that is slowly gaining traction, or just exploration of a steampunk world. Remember, steampunk is a genre about the best and worst of humanity: the bright shining light of human innovation struggling against institutionalized classism, racism, and tyranny. We threw this into WW2 because who doesn’t like to kill Nazis?

The Isms

A player who chooses to play a minority, woman, non-cissexual or any other "-ism", you as a player are free to explore the themes of bigotry or not, as you wish. Racism, sexism and all forms of bigotry can be triggering for various individuals, so we're not mandating that the cultural norms of the 1940's be followed. Players should not feel constrained by these cultural norms. On the flip side, players who explore those themes should not be censured for a realistic portrayal of -isms of the time.

Mechanics

Aberrant standard with the following exceptions:

40 NP

Start at Quantum 3, max Quantum is 5

Base Quantum pool is 40

No taint from Quantum or Node (A&A is meant to be a low-taint world)

No strengths and weaknesses

10 xp per month for every month you have at least one IC post, and the IE birthday bonus is 10 xp; no story awards

Allowed books – all of the published materials, the mega-attribute books.

Character limit - no more than 2 active characters per player; if you want another character, one of your active characters needs to be definitively retired before the new one of introduced.

‘2nd Gens’ – There are no such thing. Anyone can be descended from Dynamics; becoming a Dynamic is something that happens or not. Children born from two Dynamics are only slightly more likely to someday be a Dynamic than other children.

Devices – built by calculating the cost of each power on the device, then subtracting 1 NP or 3 xp.

Ex. Laser sword-gun – Quantum Bolt 3, Claws 3. Q-bolt is 3+3+3-1 for 8 NP plus claws 1+1+1-1 for 2 NP for a total of 10 NP.

Playing Axis – Not allowed at this time, though playing an Allied spy in Axis territory is

Justin, anything else to add?

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The 3 mega-att books are allowed. Compendium and Breed Apart aren't. The former is, uh... unregulated and the latter unnecessary.

And yes, like the rest of IE, this game is open world, not ST run. I just wanted to clarify that since some have asked.

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Okay since Mech is making the "Captain America" of this world I'm going to make a Canadian war hero who's got a power suite inspired by the protagonist of the Prototype games. (although less ooky if that is possible...)

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What I'm thinking is Flight (Translucent bird/angel wings made of pure light when the flight power is used), Metric F-Ton of Armor (She is for all intent and purpose bulletproof), and Is quite strong (A few levels of Mega Strength w/Lifter, Thunderclap), Dexterous (Mega Dex w/Enhanced Movement), and Physically Fit (MStamina with Hardbody).

I got a question, though, can we take a Mega Enhancement as a Body Modification without taking a mega attribute? If so, what sort of limitations would we have to adhere to?

Was thinking of if I get a device as well, I was thinking of giving her a Royal Navy issued full suit that protects her from inhaled or contact toxins, diseases, chemicals, and has protection against suffocation as well with an attached gas-mask. The suit looks like this with a integrated gas-mask attached to it. I'm thinking it might have some sort of ability as well to self-seal any damage. It's also designed to give resistance to cold.

Might make it where she has pressure tolerances for high-altitudes as well.

It's not a full pressure-suit yet, but it might happen. At least she'll be warm on the cold days.

100617-F-1234S-017.jpg

Or I might just make her immune to those things through body modifications (Not taking Adaptability, that's pretty broke). This is a design in progress, after all.

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Justin - curses. Although I wasn't gonna get one, curses! I guess Dirigibles are more logical then?

As for building stealthy, sneaky characters, I have a feeling this is a game where "there can be only one" won't necessarily apply. It's Open World it feels... And to have a covert ops team doing shadowruns against those bloody krauts warms my blood. ^_^

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My concept was more a social spy...face infiltrator.

But it was probably too similar to Echo in the end, in powers if not in concept.

I'll see if I can think of anything else that's cool.

If not, maybe for the best. I am in a lot of games.

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Just a Note heritage, My character John is a shapeshifter. the Canadian forces are trying to push him into the stealthy spy role but his personality just isn't suited for it even if his powers are. I'm using the Protagonists from the Prototype games as inspiration for his powers so he's more like the big stompy battlefield shapeshifter.

Still just though I'd make you aware of that.

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Just a Note heritage, My character John is a shapeshifter. the Canadian forces are trying to push him into the stealthy spy role but his personality just isn't suited for it even if his powers are. I'm using the Protagonists from the Prototype games as inspiration for his powers so he's more like the big stompy battlefield shapeshifter.

Still just though I'd make you aware of that.

Yeah, someone mentioned in chat you were working on a shapeshifter; the conept I'm working on may or may not include shapeshifting, but if it does, she will just have the Copycat advantage as opposed to full-on Shapeshift.

By the way, is there any sort of period version of Eufiber or unstable molecules or whatever? And is there an Aetherlabe skill replacing Computers, or does it not work that way?

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Name: Autumn Winter Summers

Nickname: Spirit [she refuses to answer to her given name, a friend starting calling her Spirit in Elementary School and it stuck]

Code Name: Shimmer

Powers: Speed and Agility, she can run at super sonic speeds, throw hyper accelerated punches, excellerate her healing speed, act with near perfect precision, balance and accuracy, and possesses hyper aware intuition. Her natural dexterity is superhuman, and her code name is an indication of just how fast she can be, so quick all you see is a shimmer where she was.

Nationality: USA

Background: Her father was a Captain in the US army, he had served in world war II with distinction, and his wife was a Jewish immigrant from Germany who married him and returned with him to the U.S after the war. Autumn was born November 1st, 1920, the day after Halloween, in Washington D.C, where her father was serving in the pentagon, and was the eldest child, her name was chosen as a sort of compromise between her parents, though she would eventually chose not to use it at all. Her two brothers were born over the next 8 years or so, but she remained the eldest, and though her parents were protective and loving there daughter, they also expected her to be responsible and a good example.

The great depression did not affect her family as bad as it did some, as her father was still in the military at the time, though he had been thinking of retiring, he stayed in, as much to insure his family was provided for as for the fact he enjoyed his work. It did have them moving around a lot as her father was posted in different locations thoughout the USA.

In the late 30's, Autumn was going by Spirit at this point and spending a lot of time with a native America Shaman who went by Bright Eagle, and she was somewhat interested by the idea of a spirit quest and a totem animal, and when she was 18 she underwent a spirit quest of her own.

It was here that she found her Totem was the Horse and that her powers awoke, just as world war two was about to begin, and her sense of responsibility was such that she thought she should try to make a difference in this war.. it was at this point that she took on the hero name of Shimmer, and began to look for ways to use her superhuman speed and dexterity to help the Allied powers.

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I think we can call it Aetherfiber. An adaptive weave of cotton treated in a concentrated aetheric field while coated with a fluid sensitive to aetheric fields. The fluid binds to the cotton cloth, thus making the cloth stor aetheric energy and allowing it to be pseudo-biological. It can heal, grow, and behave like a biological life form while under the influence of an Aetheric field generated by a Dynamic.

Also...

pre_1359403945__beretgirl1.jpg

June O'Gara reporting for duty!

June is a flier who is quite resiliant to gunfire, artillery, and helps save downed or wounded pilots. She's also a really sweet girl when not making the Krauts crap in their fatigues. :D

Also, when she flies, she manifests wings of translucent light, and when her armor is active it forms around what she is wearing, looking like plate-armor. Her force field looks like a glowing aura of light around her body, faint, but noticable. Particularly at night.

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