More Than Human

More Than Human

The superman has always been with us. Since time immemorial, there have been those capable of feats no human can do, leading us into the future. They always called it a bright future, a land of wonders, they have always done great deeds in the name of causes they themselves thought were noble, but what has it led us to?

It has led to a hundred million dead in the ten years of the Second World War. It has led to the situation today, where Stalin rules the USSR with an iron fist, facing down an equally unyielding NATO as apocalypse looms over the heads of all. It has led to brushfire wars all over the world, except that in many cases the soldiers have the ability to destroy towns and cause untold destruction. The road to hell is paved with good intentions, and on both sides there are those who fight for what they believe is right-and in the end all they create is death. The question is not if there will be a reckoning, but when.

Faster-than-light has guaranteed that the apocalypse will not be total, though. Perhaps the survivors will realize, when apocalpyse finally happens, how foolish our course is. Or perhaps, despite being more than human, they are still all too limited by their viewpoints and beliefs.

The Supermen

There are roughly four types of superhuman, although there are significant variations in them. One of them has apparently existed since time immemorial, the Legends. The Inspired started appearing since the early 1900s, first very rarely, but now more and more often. One was created in the early 1920s, the Novas. And the last one was pioneered by the USSR in the mid-1940s, an attempt to create an artificial superman-the Remade.

Only the Remade can be truly built-a Legend is born as much as made, to become an Inspired is a subconscious choice, and although one might think that a Nova could be cloned it hasn't happened successfully yet. The clone always ends up insane and Tainted-only the most insane and suicidal will attempt it nowadays.

The Legends

-Some are born to greatness.

Legends are those who are born into greatness, a main character in some sort of inscrutable cosmic story. Their destiny is unknown to any, even to them, but they know that they will be guaranteed to be remembered. Legends are often called "magicians" but their magic is not the common perception of wand-waving. Their magic is as varied as they are, and they are as often supermen in the vein of Odysseus and Achilles as they are magicians like Merlin. Their power is not bound is only bound by their force of will, their beliefs, and their destiny.

Their tradeoff however, is an inability to create. A Legend can only rehash or exaggerate-it needs that grain of truth lest it become fiction.

A human can split a wood board with a blow-a Legend can split a concrete wall.

A human can create fire with two stones and kindling-a Legend can create a conflagaration with no tools.

A human can build a wall-a Legend can summon one out of the Earth.

A human can dodge a ball-a Legend can dodge a bullet.

The Inspired

-Others achieve greatness through work.

The most human-seeming at first glance, Inspired are powered by their obsession. Their obsession in one field lets them create wonders, whether through alchemy, clockwork, electricity, atomic power, nanotechnology, or exotic spacetime manipulation. They have been responsible for many of the breakthroughs that we take for granted-fusion powerplants, cures for diseases and poisons, flying cars, superconductors-and more. They have also been responsible for the creation of doomsday devices, disassembler bombs, flying fortresses, and other weapons of death.

The Inspired's obsession is their greatest strength and their greatest weakness. An Inspired always starts obsessing about one field, but as their power grows their obsession grows, and often Inspired die of overwork, alienated from society in their waning years. A brief life burns brightly and the Inspired burn all too bright and all too brief.

An Inspired can break scientific tenets, presumably altering reality-but some of that Inspiration rubs off on their machines. This doesn't happen with all their inventions-some of them are just ahead of their time instead of physics-breaking, but the minority, like perpetual motion machines, teleporters, and FTL drives, are. These devices require an Inspired to build but not to maintain or use.

Novas

-There are those who have greatness thrust upon them.

Novas gained their superhuman ability by sheer luck. Ever since the 1921 Hammersmith Experiment which swept a wave of mutagenic radiation over the Earth, a few are born with the Mazarin-Rashoud gene, and the possibility to express it. In a time of extreme stress this gene manifests, allowing the now-erupted Nova to warp reality. Often this is used to improve their bodies and minds, but they can also create energy, manipulate minds, teleport, or other acts.

Novas are capable of incredible physical and mental feats and are possibly the most versatile of all posthumans. However, being more than human in every way they are also the most strained in relating to humanity-a Nova suffers from Taint as the body was not designed to channel the raw power of the universe, invaribly driving them away from humanity.

Although Novas may build wonders as well their wonders must conform to mundane laws of physics-they may copy the designs of the Inspired but they may not improve on them or truly understand them-no matter how intelligent. There is "novatech", but that is not technology as much as an extension of a Nova's will-it works because the Nova wants it to work and has invested some of his reality-warping power into it, little more.

Remade

-And there are those who buy greatness.

Remade are Human 2.0, created by a lab instead of human stock. Prototyped by the USSR to counteract the Axis's advantage in superhuman numbers, Remade are the most common of all posthumans. The earliest ones were genetically and chemically modified, faster, stronger, and tougher than human and threatening to German supermen when given super-science weaponry. Development of Remade has not ceased since the end of World War II and the technology has leaked, despite USSR attempts to keep it secret. Now any country with the ability to afford the equipment (and there are many) can start producing its own superhumans.

There are now dozens of varieties of Remade, ranging for the USSR Alphas to the advanced cyborg chassis that the Chinese Steel Dragons use to the Splicers becoming more and more common in the United States. As anyone willing to pay the money can become a Remade it is the easiest course of transcending human limits and some countries are debating or have enacted mandatory enhancement policies.

Most Remade conform to physical limits-only a few have been rebuilt by Inspired, allowing them nearly as much power as a "true" superman. They may be superhumanly strong-but if they try to lift a car they'll just rip the bumper off, and if they try to throw a one-ton weight they'll just go flying backwards instead. Nevertheless a cutting-edge Remade can match a weak Nova or Legend and in numbers and armed with similarly cutting-edge weaponry they are potent in their own right.

Technology

The appearance of the Inspired in the early years of the 20th century did much to leapfrog technological advancement. New theories and improvements were hitting maturity right as people had adjusted to the old generation. The oldest remember how impressed they were with radio-but merely a decade and a half after its invention television was introduced, and color television soon after that. Those who have grown up with posthumans have gotten used to near-continuous culture shock, as new and superior inventions were introduced at a breakneck pace.

In peace and in war, technology has advanced as fast as there were Inspired to take it to new heights, civilian and military both. World War II was fought with stealth fighters and cluster bombs, and ended with the nuclear annihilation of several cities in Britain, Japan, and Germany. World War III, when it will be fought, will be fought with antimatter bombs, fusion-powered warships, and high-energy weapons.

Although advancements can be built by Novas and Inspired alike, the ones Novas create are either extensions of their will or perfectly possible under mundane laws of physics. The inventions of the Inspired defy physics and cannot be reproduced without another Inspired at least managing the process-but nevertheless can do wonderful things. Despite the obvious power of atomic rayguns, nanite disassemblers, energy shields, and one-man warships, there are often significant needs for material which can be mass produced cheaply and easily and issued in bulk numbers.

Superscience

Although wondrous devices can be constructed without any violation of the laws of physics, superscience is still valuable for what the posthuman mind can accomplish without being bound to the laws of physics. Those who are Inspired can create wonders which should not function-clockwork golems with the ability to reason and think, powered only by windup springs, faster than light drives, teleporters and resurrection machines-wonders that could only have been dreamed about without the crafting hand of the Inspired.

Static Superscience

The most common method of creating technological wonders, static superscience conforms to the laws of physics, although it is almost always far more advanced than it has any right to be, or use principles of physics which although real are essentially impossible to apply without the hand and mind of the Inspired. Antimatter battery-powered railguns, strong AI, and even the occasional reactionless drive. The lowest examples of static superscience and the most cutting-edge prototypes of human origin blend together, but the greatest are still wondrous in their own right.

Dynamic Superscience

The true draw of the Inspired is, however, the ability to break physics completely, instead of merely playing with its quirks or what is theoretically possible but implausible. Faster-than-light teleportation, direct temporal manipulation, resurrecting the dead, energy shields, pocket dimensions, and more are the realm of dynamic superscience, which is often as magical as the powers of the Legends. Rarer, far more difficult to create, and requiring both skill, inspiration, and an excessive amount of obsession, the rare machines which fall under this category are much-prized for their power.

Novatech

Novas themselves can create and invest machinery with their reality-altering characteristics, giving it some of the character of superscience. The Nova's own power is the relevant factor here-the investment of that power is what makes the machine work, not anything inside. A Nova who fancies himself a magician may build a magic wand, carving it with arcane runes for nights on end, while another one may construct a multi-ton industrial device for the same purpose of transmuting matter. Either way, the machine functions, as the internals are not as important as the Nova's will and the Nova's intent.

Rules Sketches

The rules sketches are for, in theory, a SD. A RPG would run on M&M rules or something similar.

Nation Generation

A nation in More Than Human has four characteristics-infrastructure, traits, military, and major characters. Nations will have points to spend on each category.

Traits

A nation may have one positive Defining Trait and any number of positive Lesser Traits, the latter of which are bought by starting points. A nation may also choose to take one negative Defining Trait to gain another positive Defining Trait.

Positive Defining

God-King-the nation is ruled by a powerful God-King, whether benevolent or not. The nation receives one -level

Utopia-whatever the power's political philosophy the power does not suffer from internal dissent, bureaucratic inefficiencies, or other problems that plague real governments. Popular support is high,

Upgrades-the vast majority of the entire nation's population is posthuman, almost always Remade, although there are a handful of colonies which are mostly to entirely made up of Novas. This allows one to put a no-cost posthuman template on all its people. This template is Zeta-level.

Posthumans

The most critical component of a nation, posthumans of all stripes have defined history. Would modern computer systems have been possible without the Novas and Inspired to create cheap methods of synthesizing sapphire, gallium-arsenide, and other rare materials? Could nuclear fusion have been developed without the help of the Inspired? The posthuman are truly the architects of this century and most of the last.

Posthumans were classified under several response codes by NATO, with the Warsaw Pact using similar. (names subject to change.)

Zeta-The posthuman has powers which can be emulated with relative ease or are of marginal use. A Zeta is roughly equivalent to a small group of men (a fireteam, two or three workers) in an area where he or she specializes in. An Inspired at this level is capable of easily understanding and improving modern technology but does not have the strength of obsession to break the laws of physics yet.

Epsilon-The posthuman has powers which can generally only be emulated with extreme difficulty. At this level a posthuman is equivalent to a larger group of men (a platoon or small business) in what he or she can do. An Inspired at this level dabbles in bending the laws of physics, and is capable of creating low-level Static superscience. Most Legends are Epsilon-level.

Delta-The posthuman is very powerful, with powers which technology can only build in far larger . A posthuman at this level often finds mundane tools as much of a hindrance and limiter as a help. Delta-level posthumans can duel with tanks, explore space on their own, and other impressive feats. A Delta-level Inspired is capable of creating Static superscience routinely and Dynamic superscience with difficulty. Novas are generally Delta-level.

Gamma-The posthuman is exceedingly powerful. Gamma-level posthumans are far beyond humanity, capable of feats that humans can only conceive about with the most impressive tools in their arsenal. A Gamma-level Inspired can make use of both Static and Dynamic superscience but will also start to feel the encroachment of madness.

Beta-The posthuman has the power equivalent to what a city government could possibly bring to bear. Betas can duel with armor battalions and air support, leap miles with a single bound, outspeed bullets, solve equations faster and more precisely than the best supercomputers, and other feats far beyond human comprehension. An Inspired at this level can make use of even the most extreme superscience, but is likely at least somewhat insane.

Alpha-The posthuman has power equivalent to small nations. An Alpha's actions take an entire nation's infrastructure to emulate. An Alpha may be able to destroy a cutting-edge warship, singlehandedly solve climactic apocalypse, destroy a city in a matter of minutes, or other feats of raw power. An Inspired at this level considers physics to be even less than a suggestion and finds it trivial to create Dynamic superscience which does so.

Points and Modifiers

Points/Power Level/Maximum characteristic/ability level

Zeta-3 points, x1, +1
Epsilon-5 points, x1, +2
Delta-10 points, x1, +3
Gamma-20 points, x2, +3
Beta-40 points, x2, +3
Alpha-80 points, x5, +5

Epsilons and Deltas can be used as draft for combat units in which case their characteristics improve the unit if applicable, while Gammas, Betas, and Epsilons act on their own. Only Zetas, Epsilons, and Deltas may be Remade.

Characteristics

A characteristic always costs (Power Level) points per level of improvement. All posthumans may buy characteristics although they manifest differently.

Power-the physical strength and power of the posthuman. At +0 the posthuman is no more than human, while a Zeta with +1 could have an average lift exceeding the human world record and an Alpha with +5 Power is capable of benchpressing a frigate. Presence increases a character's close-in attack and speed.

Resistance-the durability of the posthuman. At +0 the posthuman can die from a case of the flu or a inconvenient bullet, while a Epsilon with +2 durability can shrug off most small arms fire and virtually any non-engineered disease, and an Alpha at +5 requires naval artillery to wound.

Finesse-a measurement of the character's precision and agility. A Zeta with +1 might outsprint an Olympic runner and have steadier hands than a surgeon or a master sniper, while an Alpha with +5 could deflect bullets with a sword.

Abilities

Matter Creation (15 pts) [Novas only]-the posthuman is capable of creating matter out of thin air. The posthuman therefore improves industrial output as rare material can be synthesized for free, albeit in small quantities. Each posthuman (10 Gammas, 1 Beta, or 1 Alpha) creates 1/5/15 industry per game turn, respectively.

Unkillable (5 pts)-the posthuman may bleed like a normal person but they take a lot longer to put down for good. Although just as easy to incapacitate the posthuman is far harder to kill. Unkillable and Unstoppable are not mutually exclusive but less efficient than simply buying more Resistance.

Unstoppable (5 pts)-the posthuman simply can't be put down. He/she/it might expire of blood loss and shock immediately after accomplishing the task, but the task will get done. The posthuman is just as easy to kill but far more difficult to incapacitate.

Security Nightmare (5 pts/level)-the posthuman is capable of, whether by shapeshifting, pheromones, magic, or psychic powers, of easily breaching security measures. This greatly increases their ability to attempt espionage missions.

Hyperintelligent (1 pt/level)-the posthuman is much smarter and can trivially figure out what it takes skilled baselines months or more to analyze. This improvement increases research output as well as the ability to command. Hyperintelligents must be explicitly assigned to do such-although useful when applied it is a waste when not.

Flight (2/5/10/15 pts)-the posthuman is capable of flight. At 2 points the posthuman flies as fast as a slow helicopter, at 5 the posthuman can fly at high subsonic to low supersonic, at 10 the posthuman is capable of traveling anywhere on a planet in a matter of hours, and at 15 the posthuman can travel fast enough for interplanetary travel.

Environmental Resistance (1 pt)-the posthuman never gets sick or tired and is much more resistant to environmental hazards.

Adaptability (3 pts) [Novas only]-the Nova is essentially immune to any environment, no matter how extreme. This does not translate into an immunity to direct attack, even if the Nova can literally sunbathe or finds magma baths relaxing. This is a far more powerful version of Environmental Resistance and stacking both has no effect.

Ranged Attack (3-7 pts/level)-the posthuman is capable of a powerful ranged attack. Each level of this ability costs as much as the posthuman's power level + 2. The attack is on the same scale as the posthuman, with firepower equal to the posthuman's Power. Each further purchase of this power increases the attack power, accuracy, and range.

Stealth (3-7 pts/level)-the posthuman is difficult to spot, whether because he or she doesn't show up in mirrors and electronic recordings, can turn invisible, or due to shapeshifting. Each level of this ability costs as much as the posthuman's power level + 2, and increases their ability to hide from surveillance.

Superscience

Inspiration (5pts/level) [Inspired Only]-the Inspired are capable of constructing wonders. Each level of Inspiration allows the posthuman to create (Power Level) points of Inspiration each game turn, which can be spent on super-science advancements

System

Sketch Combat Ideas The Modifier is a representation of the rough scale of the combatant. The Modifier multiplies the unit's attack, range, defense, as well as the attack roll. Infantry and light vehicles are x1, most vehicles are x2, and warships are generally x5. The modifier benefits weapon and armor rolls but generally penalizes (multiplies the opponent's) agility and accuracy rolls.

Special Abilities

Pint-Sized (X)-the unit is not as large as its modifier would suggest and therefore takes the agility, stealth, and accuracy penalty of a unit which has a modifier of (X) instead of its true value. All Gammas, Betas, and Alphas have Pint-Sized (1).