Realistic or Modern Beyond Power [open l accepting]

[Lavvy]

Beyond Power is a group rp focused on detailed character building, complex relationships, and real, human emotions and problems in a world populated by people with fantastic supernatural abilities. The world is dark, gritty, and corrupt, but that doesn't mean you have to be! In fact, in the city of Ephyra, you can be whatever you want.

So who will you become?

Join the discord server here!

Submit your character Applications here!​

This setting was heavily inspired by Hero Rising, One Punch, The X-men Universe, and the Incredibles.

 

[Lavvy]

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Roughly 100 years ago, the world as we knew it changed forever.​

What started as a few scattered cases of unusual birth defects soon spread into a worldwide epidemic. More and more babies were born outside of the normal human spectrum. Some countries referred to it as 'mutation.' Others called it being cursed, blessed, or powered. Global governments immediately tried to find a way to register and control these children, because as they grew, their strange abilities developed into a variety of unique and terrifying powers. Everything from people who could fly, change their shape, or fire lasers from their eyes, to people with animal traits, those who could move things with their minds or walk through walls. As years progressed, regulations surrounding how powered people could work, live, travel, or even where they were allowed to be, became more and more stifling. Their own parents were terrified of them, and the governments of the world doubly so. Eventually, as the new powered generation grew up, tensions boiled over. There was a bloody series of civil wars that cropped up worldwide, and many raged on for years. Except for France. They seemed to have their shit handled. As for the rest of the world, however, the road to peace was long and hard won. Governments were overthrown and reestablished, and factions split and merged and split again. After decades, the dust finally settled, and the sun rose on a new era of peace, with powereds and non-powereds living side by side in a peaceful utopia.​

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That was the idea, at least.​

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Reality is seldom so simple. These days, roughly two thirds of the population is born with powers. Most powereds abilities derive from those of their parents or ancestors, sometimes in strange and unpredictable combinations. There are several different classes of powereds to help young kids identify and learn about how to control their abilities. But even if you can breathe fire, you still have to make a living. For the most part, life in the cities hasn't changed drastically. A telekinetic may be better at sorting mail than others, but most peoples abilities don't affect their day jobs. People still have families, go to work, and try to carve out a living for themselves. But there are always malcontents. There are still many factions left over from the old wars, those who believe people with powers are dangerous abominations, and people who are still afraid of how non-powered people may yet try to cage and control them, like the old days. Many detest this new kind of harmony, and seek to tear it apart. That's where the new class of superstar comes in - Heroes.​

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Superheroes were a hit with the general public from the start, but the reality was that initially, they caused a lot of problems. Everything from mass destruction of property, to powereds pretending to be heroes just to more easily commit crimes themselves. It took years of struggling with public opinions and complex legislature to finally settle on what would eventually become the Globally Organized Association of Legal Supers, or G.O.A.L.S.​

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G.O.A.L.S. became the international legal organization by which ordained vigilantes would be given permission by the international governments to use their abilities in the name of stopping crime. Specifically - powered crime. It provides permits, training, as well as international and national rankings of the most accomplished heroes. No one can legally pick up hero work without a G.O.A.L.S. issued licence. But there are plenty of those who do so anyway, acting as outlaws to exact their own ideas of justice. Licensed Heroes are tasked with stopping these vigilantes, as well as foiling the plots of various anti-human and anti-powered extremest cells. The top heroes in each country became celebrities, pop culture sensations who often earned movie deals, merchandising licenses, and massive fanbases. Most every powered kid dreams of becoming a famous Superhero one day. With how much technomancers have progressed, even people who were born without powers can try and get in on the game these days. Heroing is a rather cutthroat industry these days, and people get into it for all sorts of reasons, both pure and selfish. Meanwhile, everyone else is just trying to go about living peaceful lives and raising their families. In this world, everything can change from one moment to the next. ​

 

[Lavvy]

All right folks, no one likes 'em but let's get these out of the way. Rules are important, yo.

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o1. DON'T BE A DICK​

The big one, and the easy one. Let your characters be dicks, so you don't have to be. Ooc drama, shade-throwing, etc. won't be tolerated, coz ya boi don't have time for sorting that shit out. If you and another player are having a big enough problem that you can't sort it out yourselves, bring the issue to me. ​

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o2. OBEY RPNATION ToS​

Kinda goes without saying but I gotta say it anyway. Don't post anything questionable on the site.​

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o3. NO GOD MODDING​

If you're here, I don't expect this to be an issue. No controlling other peoples characters without their explicit permission. I have no problem with you guys writing out your partners actions in order to respond better, provided that you both have talked about this with each other and agreed on what's going to happen.​

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o4. LITERACY LEVEL​

We don't measure literacy by paragraphs here, so we technically qualify as Lazy Lit. HOWEVER, that just means that we're even stricter about quality. One paragraph posts are allowed as our minimum, but we do prefer that you write at least three. But length is not our primary concern. What matters most is that you give other players something to work with!! We don't do well with 'my character sits around and waits to be accosted because she's too cool for school' biz.​

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o5.ACTIVITY & DROPPING​

Part of the great thing about this open world setup is that, if your partner drops off of the face of the earth, the rest of the story can go along fairly uninhibited. As such, we are drop-friendly. I understand that interests wane and life happens. All I ask is that you at least try to communicate with people you're involved in active plots with to let them know. We do not have a required amount of activity, so just post as you're able. If we don't hear ANYTHING from you (no posts, no ooc chat, no discord appearances) after a few months, we will move your characters to the graveyard. But tbh you can always return and we can pull them back out.​

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o6. KEEP IC AND OOC SEPARATE​

I wrote this world to be divided by racial tension, political bullshit, and general humanity-struggling-to-not-suck-ness. A lot of characters are going to be bitchy, judgmental, bigoted dicks. That doesn't mean that the person you're writing with is. And if someones character doesn't like your character, that does NOT mean that the player has a problem with you. Just try to keep the gap between in character and out of character in mind!​

 

[Lavvy]

Now that that's out of the way, on to the good stuff - the basics of how the roleplay and characters work!

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How do I apply to join?​

To apply, you'll fill out the Application form in The Application Thread, and post it in there! Once your application is approved, you'll move on to creating a full profile, also located in the app thread. Once your profile is completed, just contact myself or a moderator, and we will either approve it, or ask for adjustments! ​

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Characters are NOT automatically accepted, and they must be approved before you can post!​

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What should I do to make sure my character gets approved?​

An excellent question! What we value most in characters is an interesting, well-rounded personality! No one is completely good or completely evil, after all. Everyone has conflict, and everyone has qualities that trip them up. Any character can be interesting, even if it's, say, a worn-out office worker who can talk to bugs. Likewise, giving your character only one central feeling or singular driving motivation can make any character feel flat and 2d. We don't need any characters whose entire life is just one tragedy after another, sad sad sad, angst angst angst. Or any characters who are 100% COOL BADASS ALL OF THE TIME. I mean, it's fine if the character thinks that, but you and I know better!​

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And if your character isn't accepted on the first go round, don't stress! We are more than willing to give you tips, pointers, or outline what we'd like changed. But, on that same note, please don't take it personally if we ask you to overhaul your character completely. It's not terribly likely, but we want to ensure quality for all of our players!​

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What kind of powers can my character have?​

You are just full of good questions! And the answer to this one is - basically whatever you want! That's right, you can give your character whatever crazy, mind-blowing powers you want! If you can think of it, you can have it! The only caveat is this - your characters power should have a balanced weakness. For example, one of our NPCs has the ability to rot away a persons flesh within seconds. Which is pretty scary. However, in order to use it, he must maintain skin-to-skin contact until the flesh has rotted away, or else it won't work. Likewise, he can heal himself from wounds, however he must stop whatever else he is doing and really focus on closing those wounds, and he can easily bleed out before he's able. We will be more than happy to bounce ideas back and fourth with you about a proper power-weakness balance for any idea you come up with, so don't be afraid to shoot us your craziest ideas! ​

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We also really encourage characters with 'mundane' powers, like the ability to tell where any smell originates from, or the power to understand what bugs are saying. Not every power is going to be super cool and badass. We also love it when seemingly mundane powers are used in really cool ways, too, so hit us with your best shot!​

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On that note, your character does not need powers. One third of the population in this world is still regular, normal old powerless humans, and there are plenty of them in the city! There are even some human Heroes these days, thanks to the aid of technomancers! And that's to speak nothing of the anti-powered terrorist cells. In a world where most people have crazy weird abilities, normies are the spice of life! After all, how interesting your character is depends on their personality, not their powers.​

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If you'd like a springboard or some starting ideas, these two generators might help get the gears turning!​

Power Generator One​

Power Generator Two​

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We also encourage ridiculous conditions or quirks to powers. Like, say, you can stop time, but it only happens when you sneeze! It is worth noting that most powered peoples abilities manifest between the ages of 10 and 15.​

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What kind of face claim should I use?​

Simple! None! We won't be using face claims at all in this rp. This is for several reasons. First, using real-life models for face claims makes me feel creepy. Second, I don't like using art without an artists permission. And Third, the biggest reason, is that I don't want anyone to be stifled or limited based on what face claims they can find. If you want your character to be a pink semi-translucent goo creature, you go for it! Wings, horns, every ethnicity and age and gender, all of it is open to you, and there's no need to find a face that fits! We are here to write, after all, so write away!​

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Okay, my character has been accepted. Now what?​

Well, now you can either set up some plots, or jump right into roleplaying! We encourage you to chat and plot with other members in the ooc to get some ideas going. You can create plots to advertise in the discord server, you can post specific relationships for your character that you'd like filled! You can look for friends, rivals, long lost siblings, whatever!​

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I want to play another character. Do I have to reapply?​

Yes! You have to reapply for each character you want to create. Although it is not wholly necessary for you to include things like your samples or your discord if you have a previous character already accepted.​

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How many characters can I play?​

You are allowed to play two characters during your first month of joining. Once you have been active and posting for at least one month, the two character limit is lifted. After that, you can play as many characters as you think you can keep up with!​

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[Lavvy]

IMPORTANT HERO INFORMATION!

If you're making a hero or wannabe hero character, here is some important info that you - and your character - will need to know!

• The Globally Organized Association of Legal Supers
  
  Or G.O.A.L.S. for short, is a very powerful organization with branches in every part of the world. No hero alive today got to where they were without the help of the G.O.A.L.S.! They are responsible for installing the system by which governments the world over can monitor, support, and benefit, from the help of courageous powered people also known as ordained vigilantes. The local divisions are responsible for training, testing, and issuing hero licenses of different levels. In order to obtain a hero license, you must complete a basic course in one of their local locations, which outlines the local laws and legislations surrounding what a hero is and isn't allowed to do in your city. You'll then be required to pass a written and physical examination, after which your assessment will be filed, and you'll receive results in two to three weeks. If you pass, they'll send you your license and Hero Registration number. If you've failed, you'll be able to reapply in three months. All in all, the affair is very similar to obtaining a drivers license, although the rules for renewing licences vary depending on your hero class.

- All heroes are employed by the Globally Organized Association for Legal Supers, or G.O.A.L.S. for short. Anyone who wants to try their hand at hero work can do so by applying for a license with them. Interference with law enforcement or taking life is still off the table, and trying to take matters into your own hands without a license can result in a hefty fine, jail time, or even a wanted status!

- Heroes are separated by ranks, and scores! Your personal numeric score tells you where you rate among all registered heroes (you have a national number and an international number). Your score is determined by a lot of things, such as collateral damage caused during missions, number and rank of villains stopped, injury and loss of life caused, as well as general popularity.

- Heroes are also organized by Ranking. While your Score will fluctuate almost daily, your Rank will remain the same until you pass certain tests under G.O.A.L.S., and will be reflected on your Hero License. Here is a quick rundown of how the ranks work!

D Class​

The most common type of hero license, which allows for the most basic of Super Hero Privileges. Heroes holding a class D license may intervene in active crimes, providing they do not interfere with or impede law officers already involved. Class D heroes may use violent, non-lethal force, employing either weaponry, powers, or a combination of both, but may still be held accountable for use of excessive force in certain situations. Class D heroes can be dismissed from crime scenes by local authorities, and must adhere to these orders - police officers outrank Class D heroes. Most everyone starts out with a class D license, and D Class heroes receive no compensation for any successful hero work. Anyone who passes the tests set by G.O.A.L.S. can obtain a D Class license.​

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C Class​

The next rank up, C Class heroes might be entitled to compensation for assisting in the subduing of criminals and the prevention of certain acts of crime. Unlike D Class, who can only act in response to in-progress crimes, C Class and above heroes may act as kind of bounty hunters, tracking down and capturing known criminals, particularly powered villains. C Class heroes will be rewarded for bringing in bounty heads, which is usually a considerable sum in comparison to the small fees which might be paid for helping to stop active crimes in progress. Class C heroes are still outranked by law enforcement. In order to obtain a C Class license, a hero must have a clean record, no cases of use of excessive force,have held a D Class license for at least one year, and been credited with the active prevention of at least ten crimes.​

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B Class​

B Class heroes are officially considered 'professional level' and are paid regular monthly stipends by G.O.A.L.S. and the local government as well. This pay depends greatly upon the heros 'rank' locally, how much crime they stop, how many criminals they bring in, the danger rating of the crimes averted, as well as their popularity among the populace. That last one isn't written officially, but everyone knows that it plays a part. Local governments are always more eager to keep a popular hero on their good side. B Class heroes do not have to take orders from local law enforcement, and may act against their wishes if they think it's in everyones best interests. In order to obtain a B Class license, heroes must take a series of tests mandated by their local government, as well as the B Class physical and mental tests laid out by G.O.A.L.S. (which are leagues more difficult than the D Class tests). Unlike the C Class license, there is no minimum for how long a C License must be held before a B license can be obtained (although you must have successfully obtained one). However, the more active crimes and criminals have been apprehended, the better your chances of being granted a B License, as your overall hero score is taken into account.​

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A Class​

A Class is the highest rank (publicly) attainable for a licensed hero. Class A heroes are among those top ranked nationally, and are the only class allowed to use lethal force is necessary. A class heroes are also the only class which formally outranks local law enforcement, and can take control and give orders to officers involved in an active crime scene. A class heroes are always well-paid by local governments as well as G.O.A.L.S., and most are celebrities in their own right. Obtaining an A Class license is an incredibly involved process, involving extensive mental and physical testing. It is usually issued on a case by case basis, but can be directly granted in certain circumstances by G.O.A.L.S.​

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S Class​

Technically, this is not an obtainable class. There is no S Class license. 'S Class' is the unofficial term given to heroes hired directly by the government. Very little is known about the official rules of S Class heroes, but they are the only class which outranks even Federal Law Agents, and Class A heroes. They are occasionally given authority over other heroes, and made leaders to stop major threats. S Class heroes are NOT given this rank by G.O.A.L.S. and operate completely outside of the organization, instead working directly for their government. ​

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There is a ranking system for villains as well, which can be found on the Lore page!

- Heroes can (and often do) employ sidekicks! Sidekick contracts usually very from case to case, but most of the time, a sidekicks hero rank and score are considered to be tied to that of the hero they work for, for as long as they remain under contract. Sidekicks offer support in a variety of ways depending on their skills, and in exchange they gain experience, notoriety, a percentage of any hero profits, and usually may be written onto their heroes work insurance as well (which is something most lower rank heroes cannot usually afford on their own, making sidekick work ideal for those trying to make a living).

 

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