SPOILER: What to Do?
What would superheroes do if they existed in our world? How would they occupy themselves without staving off alien invasions every week or two? How could they get through the week without having 16 supervillains to punch out? (Okay, if you accept the existence of superheroes, human nature tells us that supervillains would also exist. That's fine, but a balanced super campaign should have more than just an endless stream of baddies.) How would they make their livings? Well, this column will discuss "real-world heroics" that come up when real-world heroes appear in your campaign. Don't worry - there's plenty to do!
Natural Disasters[edit]
One of the most "heroic" activities for real.world heroes would be averting natural disasters or assisting victims once tragedy has struck. Here are just some of the possibilities.
Imagine how useful a weathercontrolling (for the rain he could summon) or flre-controlling hero would have been during the San Francisco Bay Area firestorm several months ago. These heroes could also help extinguish or prevent the annual brush and forest fires that occur throughout the world.
- Weather-control heroes could relieve droughts and avert floods, tornadoes, hurricanes, and other kinds of destructive weather. They could be the ultimate meteorologists - since they'd never be wrong! (And neither would you if you could change the weather to fit your forecast.)
- Air- or weather-controlling heroes could make great strides in cleaning the world's air, stopping acid rain, or even rejuvenating the ozone layer.
- Earth-controlling or other geologically-inclined heroes could periodically and safely relieve tectonic stresses near faultlines and active volcanoes. They could also check dormant volcanic regions to see if they've remained dormant since the last time they were checked.
Heroes could perform these activities out of the goodness of their hearts or they could do it full.time for the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, N.O.A.A. (National Oceanographic & Atmospheric Administration), the U.S. Geologic Survey, various United Nations organizations, etc.
Public Service[edit]
Another important area for real-world heroes' talents would be in public service, especially in various aspects of law enforcement.
- Superpowered police would be nice to have around, especially during riots or other situations requiring crowd control. The crime rate might even drop if criminals knew they could be arrested by someone who can run faster than their getaway car, or someone who could lift the car clean off the ground - with them in it!
- The courts could use "juries" of telepaths to quickly determine suspects' guilt or innocence, as well as any mitigating circumstances regarding the crimes the person is suspected of committing. (This idea does bring up the topic of law, the courts, and how superheroes work within that system, but that goes beyond the scope of this column. If you want more information on this topic, write and let me know.) Telepaths could also determine suspects' mental health and whether they should be sent to prison or to a hospital.
- Telepaths and healers could work wonders by curing those who are mentally or physically ill or hospitalized.
- Every flre department in the country would want a fire-, water-, or aircontrolling hero on their flre trucks.
- Super-strong heroes would be very valuable to rescue squads and E.M.T. (Emergency Medical 'Technician) teams. After all, they are "walking jaws of life: '
- Clairvoyant, precognitive, or postcognitive heroes could help people recover lost items or find missing persons. Precog heroes could make a living by advising others on "what their future holds:' tellinll the police where the next bank robbery or drug deal will take place, etc. Postcog heroes could also solve most crimes by just entering the scene of the crime and using their "see the past" abilities.
- What wonderful, life-saving devices or simple conveniences could the scientific heroes come up with if they devoted themselves full-time to research and study. Imagine Reed Richards, Tony Stark, and Hank Pym working together to find solutions for toxic waste disposal, "cold fusion:' "warm superconductors:' or cures for diseases like cancer or AIDS. Several heroes did try to find a cure for cancer when one of their own, the original Captain Marvel, was aftlicted with the disease in the graphic novel, The Death of Captain Marvel. The title of the graphic novel gives you a clue as to how successful they were - though there were extenuating circumstances. The characters also briefly discussed why they never got together earlier to try and fmd a cure for this awful disease. I highly recommend the graphic novel, if you can still find it in the comic stores.
- The mail would move a lot quicker with a few super-fast heroes in the Post Office.
Many of the duties listed here could require a hero's full-time devotion. But hey, even heroes have bills to pay. Heroes could work for local, state, or federal governments. Many of the "brainy" heroes might also work for the top universities, teaching and conducting research with private or corporate funding.
Para-Military[edit]
This area of real-world heroics is occasionally seen in the comics themselves. Remember SHIELD's old Super-Agent program, and the current benefactor of the X-Factor team-the U.S. government. As a result, this section need not be as detailed as the others, as examples already exist in the comics.
- Covert agencies, like SHIELD or thc CIA, would love to have agents who can read minds, turn invisible, fly over enemy installations and take photographs, etc.
- Many "law and order" heroes like Captain America might become fulltime members of the FBI or DEA, to better combat organized crime, especially drug smuggling.
- Many combat-oriented heroes who lack powers that operate on a large scale) could end up enlisted or drafted into their country's armed forces. This could lead to heroes doing battle with conventional armed forces. After all, modern.day soldiers are the closest thing to real super heroes that exist in our world. What other individuals have the speed, mobility, and firepower of an F-16 pilot, for example? See DRAGON® Magazine issues #105 and #144 for articles detailing American and Soviet armed forces.
- Heroes could serve as elite commandos, often operating against "enemy" heroes. Supervillains might not be necessary when there are plenty of national teams of heroes to "go to war" with.
For more on an espionage-oriented campaign, see With Great Power in POLYHEDRON® Newszine #65.
Real-World Campaigns[edit]
There are two ways to add real.world heroics to your super campaign. The easiest way is to simply throw in one or two real-world heroic activities (make up your own or use ideas from the list above) after your next supervillain epic ends. Use the news for ideas. Your players will probably appreciate the change of pace.
A possibly more interesting option is to, at least temporarily, send your heroes dimension.hopping to our world. Any dimension-transference device, trap, or dimensional-powered villain could arrange to plop the heroes down here. Where would they go? Who would they work for? Who would be out to get them? The answers to these questions only you can answer, since only you know your campaign. Have fun!
