MTH:Kryptonians

Kryptonians

Overview

Introduction

Superman's people, Kryptonians are a nearly extinct alien race which, when exposed to the radiation of a yellow sun (like Earth's) for a protracted period of time are granted super powers.

Physical Description

Human, essentially. Most Kryptonians seem to look like rather healthy and attractive examples of humanity, though this is more a tendency than a rule, and they have the same breath of variation in their traits. They exhibit racial patterns analogous with humans.

Culture/Society

Strictly speaking, in mainstream continuity, none. The species is nearly dead. What culture they have demonstrated to have prior to the destruction of the planet is inconsistently shown. Sts; edit to taste.

Capabilities

Powers

Mega Strength, Mega Stamina, Super Speed, Invulnerability (Gamma [Broad Category [Physical Attacks]), Invulnerability (Gamma [Broad Category [Energy Attacks]), Flight, Force Strike (Heat vision and Frost Breath, see below).

Merits

Super Vision (x-ray vision), Super Vision (Microscopic Vision), Super senses (All), Quick Healer.

Power Tree Merits

Heat Vision is modeled by giving Force Strike the Force Shot Merit, and the Tilting (Extreme Heat) Merit, and using a pool of Intelligence* + Athletics. If a Kryptonian learns to strafe with their Heat Vision, they can buy the Rapid Fire technique.

• At various points in the comics, Heat Vision is shown to be connected to a Kryptonian's brain activity. For example, Non, who is either shown to be lobotomized or learning-impaired, has either non-functioning or minimal Heat Vision. Thus Intelligence is the attribute.

Frost Breath is also modeled by giving Force Strike the Force Shot Merit, and the Tilting Merit, but in this case using Extreme Cold. It uses the normal pool in place of the Intelligence based one above.

Though Frost Breath and Heat Vision are logically to different powers, it is permissible for a player to buy them both as Force Strike (once) with the applicable merits, as a character with a different rational could.

Kryptonite

Exposure to Kryptonite applies both the Allergy and Depowering Conditions to Kryptonians. This is experience of Green Kryptonite specifically.

Character Creation

Dealing With Power

Kryptonians have quite a lot of powers. Starting with a minimum rating in all the powers and merits listed, assuming a player uses all of their initial merit points toward them, still requires 43 experiences. That means that a starting character in a typical game will not have all of them. Fortunately, as we have seen with Superboy and other young Kryptonians, they don't start with all of them, and don't start with all at full strength. This gives an easy rational for character's not starting out on Superman's level; they're just younger.

Rarity

As stated above, the Kryptonian race is all but dead, so how is the player-character around? There are several possibilities;

Option 1) Phantom Zone Escapee - An unnamed number of Kryptonians survived the destruction of their world by having been in the Phantom Zone, a timeless alternate dimension used to house criminals. This would either require a character to be a criminal or have been falsely convicted of a heinous crime. It would also require an escape form a place supposedly inescapable. Zod, Ursa and Non are examples.

Option 2) Off-World - Several rationals are given in the comics for why Kryptonians almost never left their planet, but, of course, some did. Those far enough from home when calamity struck could have lived. In some incarnations Supergirl is an example.

Option 3) Descended - If the timeline for the game matches, the character may be a child of one of the surviving Kryptonians already in the DC universe.

Option 4) Daxamite - An off shoot of the Kryptonian race known for not having their xenophobic tendencies and eventually being able to breed with other species, the fate of the Daxamites is vague or completely unaccounted for in some versions of the DC universe. They are mechanically identical to Kryptonians.

Option 5) Cloned, Half-Kryptonian - Usually, Kryptonians cannot be cloned by human technology. An exception to this rule is if the alien DNA can be spliced with human DNA, creating a half-breed. The Half-Kryptonian usually will not possess all of the typical Kryptonian powers. This is ideal for players who are interested in some of the Kryptonian powers and not others.

Option 6) Cloned, Bizzaro - Botched attempts at creating a Kryptonian clone may create a Bizzaro Kryptonian. Bizzaros are limited to 1 dot of intelligence, but mechanically are nearly identical to 'normal' Kryptonians. They switch Heat Vision and Frost Breath, having instead Frost Vision and Heat Breath. Their vision uses the default pool instead of Intelligence.

Option 7) Kandor Escapee - Brainiac miniaturized and bottled the Kryptonian city of Kandor prior the the destruction of the planet, complete with it's populace. Superman currently keeps the city within the Fortress of Solitude, under a simulated red sun. The man of steel has never been able to figure out how to return the city to it's original size, so there it remains. In theory, if one of those Kryptonians where to figure out a way to escape and return to normal size, they would be an appropriate player character. If the same method were to be repeatable though, many Kryptonians would be on earth. This would be ideal should there be multiple players who wish to play Kryptonians.