SOS

This is the superhero universe I want to play in. Treat this as the canon setting bible: The Boiler The Milk Man Golden child, lead/main guy advertiser for the company, super nice After two missions he goes missing and they ask the team to track him down because no one can know why he’s gone. Turns out he’s a total piece of shit, drugs, gambling, hookers etc. Ask the players if they want to be heroes or villains Heroes start in a helicopter being briefed by the dispatcher Villains start in county jail, they know that their criminal friends/connections (Make sure one of the villains has ties to a criminal syndicate/Villain Group) have some plan to bust them out on the drive to the prison. You wake up with an intense throbbing piercing your head. As your eyes adjust to the light you remember where you are, and the previous night’s events. You’re in the county jail, just a 20 minute drive from the capital city, Golden child, lead/main guy advertiser for the company, super nice After two missions he goes missing and they ask the team to track him down because no one can know why he’s gone. Turns out he’s a total piece of shit, drugs, gambling, hookers etc. Prologue High above the streets of New-Slate City there’s a tri rotor Helicopter flying south through Midtown. On its side in big bold red lettering reads: SOS. Inside is the newly formed Zulu team, operating from Slate Hill, the northwestern-most part of NSC. **SHOW MAP** On the far end of the inside of the helicopter is a monitor. As you fly over Slate Square you almost get a headache from making eye contact with the massive screens and 3D Holographic advertisements popping out from Billboards. One features Golden Child giving a thumbs up while saying on repeat, “In Distress? Call SOS!” After a moment the monitor buzzes to life. “Uh Hello? Can- Can you hear me? Hi! My name is Roy Ridley *reading off something* and I will be your new dispatcher. I know for some of you this is your first time working with SOS, and there are also others who were transferred here from Yankee. But regardless of your experience level, I’m happy to be working with you guys!” *wait a moment* “Okayyyy, alright I'm just gonna go down the list here…” **LIST THE HERO NAMES AND ASK PLAYERS TO DESCRIBE** “Ok! Now that that’s out of the way… we have received an anonymous tip that there will be an attempt to disrupt a high security prisoner transfer. I’m sure you could put this together, but your job is to make sure that doesn’t happen.” You look out the helicopter and spot the SOS bus the ‘copter has been trailing. “Maintain a visual on the package at all times. You’ll find parachutes under your seats. I’ll be on the line if you need help. Ridley, out-” the monitor flicks off. **SOS, Slate Hill Branch, New Slate City** “I told you to handle this!!” Bastion leaned over her desk towards the superhero. “And I told you not to bother me with trivial shit like breaking up a damn-Wrecking Crew drug deal! This shit’s above my paygrade!” A tall handsome young man with light gold skin and blond hair stood infuriated and restless. “Your paygrade is whatever I say it is, Goldenchild.” Bastion took a moment to regain her composure, pushing her hair back with a sigh. She lit a cigarette. “You were in the area, what were you doing then?” Bastion asked the young superhero. “I..had something else to do..” Goldenchild’s eyes darted from his boss’. He turned away slightly. “Tch.” Bastion scoffed. “That deal wasn’t for drugs, you roided-out iridescent ape! it was Asari tech, and they weren’t meeting junkies- they were making the deal with The Reapers! Which you would know if you read the goddamn briefing!” Goldenchild stayed quiet. “Now get out so I can clean up your mess!” Goldenchild hurriedly exited the room, bumping into the receptionist and Bastion’s assistant, Sockboy. “She can be scary huh?..” Sockboy whispered to Goldenchild as he walked out of the office. The meek receptionist was only met with a rude shove from the hero as he walked away without a word. Sockboy walked into the office. “Miss, Bastion?” “Get me Moist.” Bastion responded without a moment’s waste. “And call Zulu.” (New Slate City. Established in 2045 after the end of the Asari Invasion. The war decimated our planet. And North America was nearly wiped off the map completely. It was only thanks to the strength and perseverance of Gold Standard and The Guardians Guild that humanity was able to endure. And fight off the Asari invaders. Gold Standard and the heroes that protected our world are forever preserved in the memory of New Slate City. After all, we owe our lives to them.) A helicopter flies over Midtown Slate. Hydroboy sits within a helicopter, joined by his Zulu team compatriots. As the heroes fly over Midtown they almost get a headache from the bright advertisements on the huge screens, one for Reeve Tech advertising new A-Steel products. And another more prominent one, features GoldenChild giving a big thumbs up and saying “In Distress? Call S.O.S.!” On repeat. S.O.S. Superhuman Operative services was also established by GoldStandard after the Asari’s defeat. New Slate City has no centralized police force, instead it relies on S.O.S. and their branches around the city to keep peace. After flying over midtown in silence for what felt like an eternity, a monitor in the back of the helicopter buzzes to life. “Uh Hello? Can- Can you hear me? Hi! My name is Roy Ridley.” Roy read off a prewritten script. “And I will be your new dispatcher. I know for some of you this is your first time working with SOS, and there are also others who were transferred here from Yankee. But regardless of your experience level, I’m happy to be working with you guys!” “Okayyyy, alright I'm just gonna go down the list here…” “Ok! It looks like everybody’s here. Now that that’s out of the way… we have received an anonymous tip that there will be an attempt to disrupt a high security prisoner transfer. I’m sure you could put this together, but your job is to make sure that doesn’t happen. The package is currently on route to the Slate Hill branch. SOS has received authorization to put the prisoner under our supervision. We have reason to believe they possess information valuable to our cause.” Hydroboy looked out the helicopter and spotted the SOS bus the ‘copter had been trailing. “Maintain a visual on the package at all times. You’ll find parachutes under your seats. I’ll be on the line if you need help. Ridley, out-” the monitor flicked off. Hydroboy looked across from him, making eye contact with Lloyd Ivanov, his friend and new teammate. Lloyd Ivanov was also known as the superhero Blur, and had become rather successful and popular in his own right. Going solo for a few years under a vigilante license before joining the Slate Hill branch. “Parachutes? Ok, pussy.” The remark came from Hydroboy’s far right, on the opposite end of the helicopter. Hydroboy looked over at another one of his new teammates, White Swan. A tall, slender, and elegant woman in a white costume and mask which proudly featured a swan’s head adorned on its top. White Swan, or Vivienne-Marie Deschamps, gracefully swan dove from the helicopter’s edge, letting herself plummet as she gained speed before extending her wings from her back – coming seemingly out of nowhere – and catching the wind to pull herself upwards and shooting towards the bus. Hydroboy turned back to his left to see Lloyd already drop from the helicopter and out of his view. “You ready, Waterboy?” Hydroboy turned to his right to see B-Girl, the final assigned to this operation. She had already put on her parachute and was getting ready to jump before she turned back to Hydroboy. “It’s actually Hydroboy.” Hydroboy meekly corrected her as he scrambled to get his parachute on. “HAH. That name sucks…” B-Girl, or Barbara Steiner leapt out from the helicopter, leaving Hydroboy alone. Hydroboy stuck his head out of the helicopter, feeling the wind slap his face and push his hair to the side, before dropping to join his team. Hydroboy ripped the cord. But to his chagrin, it merely snapped off. Hydroboy’s eyes widened in panic. (Shit-) His train of thought was cut off by a whoosh as White Swan caught him in her arms midflight. “Careful there, Waterboy! You won’t be a hero for long if you’re that careless!” “...It's Hydroboy..” Hydroboy grumbled to himself defeatedly. But his embarrassment was interrupted by the high-pitched roaring of engines. He turned his head to look behind him, he saw two jet-black motorcycles with red rimming and a large black van all driving towards them. Hydroboy then watched in horror as a man in a black mask with two red lines running down the middle stuck his body halfway out the van and pointed a rifle at him. Hydroboy could do nothing but watch in awe and fear as the man looked down the scope and-BLAMM. END NEXT TIME: Hydroboy meets an early end??? Appendices Superhuman Operative Services S.O.S. has been operating within New-Slate City since its establishment, and was created alongside it by Gold Standard twenty two years ago, in 2045, following the Asari defeat at the hands of Gold Standard. Upper-Level Management C.E.O. Aaron Badgers is the current CEO and primary shareholder of SOS. He was given the title after Gold Standard’s untimely death at the hands of Alexi Pateras AKA Loki AKA The Laughing Man. C.E.O.’s Assistant/President Francine Myers aka Zombie girl is the current president of SOS and came into that position at the same time Badgers became the CEO. The Board C.F.O. Vice Presidents Leonard Karson and Jessica Gourner are the current VPs of SOS and oversee the day to day management of the various branches. They dress like they're in the secret service and seldom leave each other’s side. SH Branch Manager Bastion aka Barbara Carter is the current branch manager of the Slate Hill SOS branch Golden Child The Slate Hill Branch SOS’ Slate Hill Branch primarily operates within the northwestern most part of New-Slate City. They have a receptionist, William Banning AKA Sock Boy. Dispatchers There are currently three active dispatchers working from the Slate Hill Branch. The one the characters will be spending the most time with is Roy Ridley, an ex superhero who is now deskbound after his leg was crushed by a Reaper controlled Kaiju. The two others are Leonard Neiman, an old man who has the ability to predict time two seconds into the future but not at will, and Kat Schlesinger, a cute quiet brunette who works in the back. Supes There are eleven superheroes active from the Slate Hill branch. Catman In an effort to create more supes to protect New-Slate City from the escalating gang wars, Badgers and the board began experiments on simple housecats to transform them into warriors. Catman is the culmination of this effort. He’s a huge jacked cat with a human-like body, only fur with a cat head and tail. Unfortunately SOS forgot to account for being able to control and train their creation, so being dubbed somewhat a failure, Catman now works out of the Slate Hill Branch. Revenant Revenant claims he is a divine warrior chosen by god to enact holy justice on the criminals of New-Slate City. He and Ares used to run together before joining SOS alongside one another in order to escape the assault and murder charges that were following them. Ares Ares claims to be the Greek god of War and to be Zeus’ child. We don’t really ask about it. He and Revenant used to run together before joining SOS alongside one another in order to escape the assault and murder charges that were following them. White Swan Mr. Moist Bubble Boy Bubble boy’s stomach holds an otherworldly toxic gas that has no natural way to escape his body. Nailfile B-Girl The Midnight Rider Lady Larygitis Automaton Rob Steele was a very famous and successful Nascar driver. This was before the Asari Invasion. He was in the middle of a race when the Asari dropped the bomb. Seeing the explosion in the horizon, Steele peeled off the track and drove as hard as he could. He raced harder than he ever had in his life, but it wasn’t enough. After the explosion, Steele was left in critical condition, his body in a coma but his brain very much active. It was only seven months ago that Aaron Badgers and the board plucked his body from the hospital. They transferred his brain into a metal body, in exchange for his “life,” Steele began working for SOS under the name Automaton. Toxitress Midtown Branch Dispatchers Supes The Chief The Gaze Dino Dan Weather Girl Watson Count Cutlery Mouse Man Boneless Betty High-5* City Center Branch The CC Branch also doubles as SOS’ HQ and as NSC’s prison, being underneath the Branch, called “The Silo.” The CC Branch is the tallest building in NSC and its top floor is the CEO’s office, with a reception in the front of the floor. The Bottom three floors act as the operational Branch and the floors in between are offices. The heroes working out of the CC branch are second only to The Guardians Guild. Dispatchers Supes The Gauntlet She-Wolf Montgomery Wilson Mother Nature Tai Chi Master T’hall Zorell Lady Cosmic Wave Lord Madame Magenta East-Slate Branch Dispatchers Supes Werewolf Ghost Blowhard Sal Stretch Sofa King Cavalier Fire-Foot Hijack Ms. Melody The Soviet Snowman Downtown-Slate Branch Dispatchers Supes Freedom-Fighter Silver Streak Firecracker Bob the Blob High Voltage Lumber Jack Deadbolt Blujay Morning Dove The Dispatcher The dispatcher acts as the heroes’ gateway into New-Slate City. The dispatcher our heroes will be spending the most time with is Roy Ridley, an ex-superhero named Striker who is now deskbound after his right leg was crushed by a Reaper controlled Kaiju. Detainment SOS branches all contain a seven cell jail in their basement however NSC’s official prison is privately owned by SOS and is underneath the main HQ in CC. New-Slate City New-Slate City was officially established in 2045 by Dr. Samuel Slate after the Asari Invasion shook the world. New-Slate City does not have an official police force but instead relies on the various SOS branches for public safety. New-Slate City has a mayoral election every four years, the current mayor is Harold Shaw, a normie who came from money. Slate Hill Slate Hill is the northernmost and westernmost point of New-Slate City. There’s a large residential area which contains a small park and school system but also a small metropolitan area within which is The Vargas Memorial Shopping Center. Though it's coastal, there are no beaches on Slate Hill, being situated on a cliff overlooking the water. There’s a small pre-invasion manor overlooking the water used as an SOS safehouse and quarters for heroes working from the Slate Hill branch. The manor is used for heroes that are too large for the apartment complex or just prefer it over the sounds of the city. There’s a small run-down bar run by ex-heroes called the Jolly Walrus that doesn’t ask too many questions and has Christmas decorations up all year round. The Golden Canyons The Golden Canyons are home to the most expensive real-estate in New-Slate City. Home to winding paths and sprawling canyons, only the most eccentric of New-Slate City’s wealthy call The Golden Canyons home. Midtown Midtown is the largest of NSC’s districts. It also has the second highest crime rate and is home to The Lawrence Downing Memorial or The Lefty Memorial Sports center. As well as the Meta museum and Slate-Square. Midtown also has its own public k-12 school system and an SOS branch. The Kennel The Kennel has the highest crime rate in NSC and it also has the highest villain population. The Kennel is divided into two halves: The north, Wrecking Crew controlled side. And the south, Children of Asari controlled side. Los Rios Los Rios is the second largest district in NSC. Though it actually has the least population, most of Los Rios is an open ruinated area with the exception of a small ghetto closest to the rest of the city. The ruins of the Asari Mothership, the one that Silver Streak destroyed, can be seen in the horizon. Marking the end of NSC’s borders. There are several large Reeve Tech factories producing a purple smoke that has permanently made the eastern horizon its home. Hero Heights Hero Heights is a district of NSC that has been completely bought out by SOS. SOS used the land to construct a massive three building apartment complex containing lodging for SOS’ employees, well those who don’t have their own place or just want a secret home away from their secret identities. City Center The City Center is the financial capital of New-Slate City. This is where you’ll find the corporate big wigs with their trophy wives. This is also where SOS and Reeve Tech both have their headquarters. Only the best of SOS work at the City Center Branch. East-Slate East-Slate has the largest residential area of NSC, housing duplexes, townhouses, condos, and apartment complexes. The Silver Shore The Silver Shore is the one place in NSC where you can find the suits and the bums hanging out together. For as many deluxe water-view villas, there’s twice as many squatters. The Silver Shore has Pierre’s Boardwalk and a small pier off of it. There’s also half pipes and a marina where the ultra wealthy can park their mega yachts. The Silver Shore also has the third lowest crime rate in NSC. Downtown Slate Downtown Slate is home to the one surviving pre-invasion structure, the now abandoned, former Guardian’s Guild Headquarters. Though the new one was erected just across the street. Downtown Slate has the least roads in all of NSC and has many sections paved with brick so civies. can walk without fear. Downtown Slate has the lowest crime rate in all of NSC, most likely because its where the Guardians call home. Harper’s Cove Harper’s Cove is a small island containing a cove off the coast of NSC. Pre-Invasion the island was a prison for maximum security prisoners but was shut down in the early 2000s for inhumane practices. Once the invasion began it was briefly used as a POW camp for the Asari and for people the U.S. just wanted to get rid of. After the invasion ended and the Asari were cleared out there was a small population of both supes and Asari that were left behind and now continue to call Harper’s Cove their home. One of these people is Samson, who has vowed to take revenge on the world that threw him and his family away. Heroes Villains There are currently seven independently operating super-villains within NSC. Rat King, Lava Larry, The Inquisitor, Coldfront, Dung Beetle, and Samson. Rat King Lava Larry Puzzle Princess Coldfront Dung Beetle Samson Criminal Organizations There are several criminal organizations both currently active and inactive within The Wrecking Crew The Red Reaper Syndicate The Red Reaper Syndicate is jointly led by The Architect and Dr. Edmund Reeve. Reeve Tech operates as a front for the organization. Reeve Tech has the highest net value of any business in America, producing phones, tablets, computers, cars, voting machines…Reeve tech provides Reaper Soldiers with enhancements both giving grunts powers and enhancing preexisting ones. The Red Reapers have a general and an enforcer, James Pacer, who just goes by Pacer. He’s a Harvard graduate with an IQ of 142 who essentially sold his soul to Reeve Tech in order to get superpowers, having idolized Silver Streak his whole life but having no powers of his own. He’s a speedster with Reeve tech augmentations that essentially make up his entire body, for his reason he always wears gloves and a turtle neck, to cover up the fact that his body below his neck is almost entirely A-Steel cybernetics. After the Asari Invasion Dr. Reeve took it upon himself to acquire almost all of the a-steel on the planet, and he essentially succeeded though some can still be found in the far corners of the earth or in the hands of some eccentric collector. The Syndicate’s grunts and heavies are jointly made up of employees and debtors who now have the unfortunate pleasure of being subjected to augmentations without their consent. The Syndicate uses no phones, radios, or any external device for communication. They use an internal system implanted in their brains to relay information without a word. Demitri Ivanov paid Reeve to impact cybernetics in his child, Lloyd, when he was born out of a desire to have a superpowered child, who he would groom to be his successor and grow his family’s vast fortune. Children of Asari Gold Standard Gold Standard, whose real name was Dr. Samuel Slate, was a superhero active from 2020-2045. Aaron Badgers Aaron Badgers is the current CEO and primary stockholder of SOS, he was an active member of the Guardian’s Guild operating under the name “Grand Slam” from 2032 until its brief disbandment in 2045 following Gold Standard’s death and the establishment of New-Slate City. A year later Badgers restarted the group along with taking on his new role as CEO of SOS. Amazon Mr. Mystery Javier “Javi” Silva was a former detective who was recruited to the CIA where he worked as a manhunter but pivoted to working at the former pre-invasion Lefty The Kid Brought from back in time by Dr. Edmund Reeve, Silver Streak Silver Streak aka Billy Vargas, was a founding member of The Guardian’s Guild and Gold Standard’s best friend. He was by his side ever since it was him, Gold, Sparrow, and Pateras together as teen heroes. The Brave Bunch. Though Gold Standard is largely accredited with the defeat of the Asari, Silver Streak was actually largely responsible. He sacrificed himself achieving new speeds to create a speed implosion destroying the Leviathan Catalyst, thereby cutting off control to their troops, winning the war. However it was only thought he was destroyed as he had actually just travelled forward in time to our heroes, today. The Architect The Architect, Edwin Shultz, is an architectural and engineering genius of unparalleled levels. Operating as a founding member of The Guardian’s Guild active from 2028 to its temporary disbandment in 2045. After the defeat of the Asari, it was Shultz who made New-Slate City. They say Rome wasn’t built in a day, but New-Slate City certainly was, and that’s all thanks to The Architect’s genius and rapid-construction nano-bots, and a piece of Asari technology, the Leviathan Catalyst, without which New-Slate City couldn’t have been created. After its use, the Catalyst was destroyed, however both SOS and The Architect know of another’s existence. There were two motherships that arrived during the Asari Invasion, both powered by the Leviathan Catalyst. The first was recovered soon after the final battle, but the second couldn’t be found in the debris. Following Gold Standard’s death at the hands of Alexi Pateras, The Architect grew disillusioned with the good he could do as a hero. He cut ties with The Guardians along with SOS, joining Edmund Reeve as the leader of The Red Reapers. He desperately seeks to acquire the Leviathan Catalyst in order to shape New-Slate City to his image. Sally Sparrow Classified as the most powerful telepath of the century, Sally Sparrow was a founding member of The Guardian’s Guild and led the team after its reestablishment by Aaron Badgers in 2045. Born in 2009, Sally Sparrow is currently 58 years old though thanks to her telepathic ability she doesn’t look a day over 24. Alexi Pateras Alexi Pateras was a founding The Guardian’s Guild A superhero team established by Gold Standard in 2028, The Guardian’s Guild are the heroes who defended the planet from the Asari Invasion in 2043. Founding members include: Gold Standard, Amazon, Mr. Mystery, Lefty The Kid, The Architect, Sally Sparrow, Silver Streak, and Alexi Pateras. The current roster is led by Sally Sparrow and consists of: Dragonfly, Sovereign, Ms. Minute, The Morphic Woman**, Sentinel, and Shade. Dragonfly Dragonfly has one of the highest IQs in New-Slate City, and by extension the world. He’s able to use his Dragonfly suit to shrink down to near molecular levels whilst retaining his strength. Sovereign Leslie King was born a mutant with the ability to create clones of himself with their own free will. After his family passed at the start of the Asari Invasion, Leslie fell into a deep depression. He created many clones to replace his “family.” Eventually he didn’t know whether he was him or just a clone. Driven to madness, King slaughtered his “family,” dubbing himself the one true king, Sovereign. Ms. Minute The Morphic Woman Shade Sentinel Dr. Edmund Reeve Dr. Edmund Reeve is the founder and CEO of Reeve Tech, a pre-invasion company that survived the move to NSC. Reeve’s ultimate goal is power and he hopes to one day throw a coup after he and his partner, The Architect, are able to recover the Leviathan Catalyst. The Asari The Asari are an alien race from outside of our galaxy that invaded Earth in 2043. On their planet the strongest human-known substance is created, A-Steel, which hoardes of were brought alone with the Asari during their invasion. Pretty much all of it was purchased by Reeve Tech and are commonly used in their cybernetic augmentations. Vigilantes Vigilantism is highly illegal in NSC. That is by definition someone who is acting as a superhero but without the proper authorization. To acquire such authorization you need to apply through SOS. Unregistered Vigilantes Ikarus Circe Benethorn Registered Vigilantes A registered vigilante is a superhero who works outside of direct SOS control, though they are highly monitored by it and authorization can be revoked at any time. Hercules Nike Marcus The Minotaur Slate City