Campaign created Sunday, March 21, 2010 10:33:12 AM by Luzingu

AT will focus on a world of magic and power, where neither are secrets. For as long as humans can remember, there have been deities and beings with power.

(This campaign should be ready to run by September 2010; bear with me until then. I'll try to answer questions through changes here, rather than one-by-one.)

In American Turkey, players will explore a world that is immersed in magic, powers, and technology. This has meant a considerable rewrite of history, though humans have arrived in 2010 in more or less the same state. China is still Communist. Al-Qaeda still launched its 9-11 attack. The United States is still a democracy. However, there are many differences.

The deities exist. In the United States, religious neutrality, as dictated by the Nordic Accords, is the law, though most of the rest of world has chosen sides. Europe is largely Catholic or Orthodox in its Christianity, as the Protestant Reformation never accomplished more than a few political reforms in the Church. England, Scotland, Ireland and Wales resisted Christianity, for the most part, and joined the Nordic Union and its pagan ways. Islam holds sway in large parts of the developing world. Hinduism holds sway in India. Communism, with its atheistic bent, remains strong in China, where Mao Tse-Tung still rules as the People's Defender, and North Korea, where Eternal Leader Kim Il-Sung rules from beyond the pale, but it shows no signs of failing as it did in the Soviet Union.

This campaign will focus on a United States forged from a revolution against London in 1776. The founders of this country had to come to terms with the powerful forces of the native peoples of North America. The Pact of Nations still is the fundamental treaty binding together the native population and the largely-European United States. Religion is not banned, but it does not rule civic life in the way of the rest of the world.

Campaign Guidelines
We will use Hero 6th Edition Rules, with updates as they come.

Characters will evolve through three stages. The first stage will be a discussion about what the young version of the character can do while facing an early problem. For some, that early version may be as far back as one thousand years ago, while for others, it will be a decade ago. The focus will be on determining what kind of character the player wants, not on dice or power descriptions.

After that session, usually solo, the player will draw up a middle version of the character and roleplay it through a scenario.

The final version will emerge after that.

After each of the first two runs, I will provide the player with suggestions as to both abilities and complications for the next stage.

Base Points = ??/400/600
Maximum Complications = ??/75/100
TOTAL MAXIMUM POINTS = ????/475/700
Maximum Points from One Complication = 40/50 (final version)

Ability Guidelines
Characteristics should be at least average for this campaign. If a character is lame or deathly afraid of water, this may negatively affect movement below the average range. In general, the final version of a character should have at least 150 points in Characteristics, 150 points in Skills, Perquisites, and Talents, and 200 points in Powers.

Skills, Talents, Perks and Powers
There are few limitations to the choices you make for your character, except that they have to create a playable character. A Multiform in which you can change forms as a No Phase action and be either a Brick, a Mentalist, an Energy Projector, or a Detective, wouldn't pass muster. But a Multiform that allowed your character to shift between human form, bear form, basilisk form and whale form, would be just fine (though I'd have to figure out which kind of basilisk you had in mind). The idea of the ruleset is to create a balanced character.

Power Frameworks
Characters may have Multipowers and Variable Power Pools.

VPP's must have some restriction on the ability to alter the makeup of powers. It can either have an absolute requirement that a lengthy stay in a laboratory or library is required, or a Power Skill Roll with AP modifiers. In this way a wizard can spend hours researching a major defensive spell, but can pop off a house cleaning spell without too much effort, and a mechanic can spend a week rebuilding the company car into the company sub, but not have to think about turning his cell phone into a one-shot stun gun.

Magic Power Frameworks are governed by the Rule of Similarity, which states that any effect must proceed from a similar source. For practicing wizards, this has meant that all spells must have as a spell component one item that has a similarity to the desired effect. For a tracking spell, one needs to have something close to the individual being tracked. Blood and body parts work best. For a light spell, a wizard might use a match, tungsten, neon gas, or an unlit candle. The Rule of Similarity holds true in Magical Power Frameworks.

Gadget Pools (Tech Power Frameworks) are already governed by this rule. It is very hard to make an effective pistol out of cheese. Even hard cheese.

From time to time a player may need to violate this rule. Attempting to bypass the Rule of Similarity is a minimum -8 modifier to the Power Skill roll. Making a tracking spell work without anything from the tracked person or making a handgun out of feta are still impossible, but trying to track Mark using one of his wife's shoes or trying to build a pistol out of fired clay might just work a little bit.

Power Frameworks that don't rely on magic or tech are possible, but they should be focused on a particular effect. A character might be "The Fastest Man in the World" or "The Human Furnace" and want to build a Power Framework around that concept. In that case, staying true to the idea of the character will usually provide enough of a limit to the power. Players who want to create "Mr. Invincibly Powerful Man" are encouraged to be less sexist.

Powers
See the Campaign Messages

Languages
Players may use the Language Familiarity Table on page 81 of 6E1. Other languages exist as well, though most are extra-dimensional. The Norse Pantheon and associated species speak and read Old Norse, which has a 3-point similarity with Danish, Norse, and Swedish. Classical Sanskrit, with a 3-point similarity to Hindustani, Punjabi, and Sinhalese, is spoken by the Hindu Pantheon and associated species. Classical Sanskrit has a 2-point similarity with Romany, Bengali, and Nepalese. Latin is spoken throughout the learned Christian World and by the beings of the Christian Pantheon.

Martial Arts
Players may create new maneuvers for their Martial Art. Players should have at least the maneuvers in the UMA or Ninja Hero supplements or the 6E supplements when they become available.

Morality: Gray. Good is not an easy concept to define in AT. The Catholic Church and the Nordic Church have some areas of agreement, but also wide areas of disagreement on this subject.

Realism: Realistic. AT is our world plus magic, powers, slightly higher tech, and extra-dimensional beings. Pretty much everything else stays the same.

Outlook: Realistic. The world of AT will be modeled after the real world with all of its finery and all of its dross.

Seriousness: There are consequences for every action. If your character is a jester, that's fine, but others may not take her as seriously. Your character is grim to the point of being rude? Don't expect to be invited to many parties.

Character Importance: Very. As individuals, there are only a few hundred on Earth that are in your league, but humans are social animals and fight in packs, or armies. Where there is power, there are those who will do what they can to undermine it. Al Qaeda, La Costra Nostra, and the Yakuza are all active in WCR, and what they lack in raw power, they make up for with money, ruthlessness, and weaponry. Vampires and demons hunt humankind for food with a savagery that most humans have not yet reached.

The World of American Turkey
UNTIL and VIPER do not exist. INTERPOL is very active in controlling the activities of paranormals worldwide. In the USA, the FBI, the Department of Homeland Security, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Magic (ATFM) are the federal authorities tasked with most paranormal threats. State and local authorities act within their jurisdictions. Tribal authorities exercise control over tribal lands. In Canada, provinces and territories provide law enforcement, for the most part, with the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) taking the lead in rural areas.

There are many criminal organizations ranging from biker and prison gangs to the Yakuza and Russian mafia. Most employ some level of magic and many have people of paranormal power. The Holy See has jurisdiction over supernatural (Un-Godly) threats in most of the world, but in the United States, the Inquisitors and Exorcists serve an advisory role only.

Magic may be practiced by almost anyone with a basic understanding of magical energy and access to one of various texts, many of which may now be found on the Internet. Wikipedia has a project called Wikimoire that lists a variety of spells, magical substances, magical tomes, and information about magical beasts and beings. It has the same level of accuracy as other Wiki-projects. Creating and using more advanced spells requires a more advanced understanding of magical energy which may be learned at any one of a variety of schools, institutes and universities. Industrial magic is used to create more mundane tech, such as truly smart automobiles and police riot walls.

Magic and paranormal powers are not regulated in the US, just as martial arts skill or basketball abilities are not. Certain individuals may be routinely detained during police investigations. Access to certain magical or technological items may be restricted on the basis of national security. Using a spell in a public setting may be illegal. But knowing magic or having a mutation are not considered things that can or should be registered.

The world of American Turkey has a magical authority on par with the APA or the AMA. The White Council of Magics licenses individuals in the art, or science, of magic. It operates in both the United States and Canada, where it also is known as Le Conseil Blanc. It is rumored that there are other, clandestine, organizations of wizards, warlocks, witches and shamans whose dedication to law and order might be called into question by their actions. Some have suggested that there is a Black Council, a Grey Council, an Order of Black Magicks, and others.

There are approximately 4.5 billion people in the world of American Turkey, and humankind is not the top of the food chain. Nearly 25% of humanity have some mutation that gives them a special power. Nearly 99.9% of these possess something akin to savant syndrome in that their ability has imposed a physical or cognitive condition which makes life very difficult for the individual. Some are fatal. On occasion, a fetus has caused the death of several people in utero or during delivery.

1,000,000 years ago	Mankind relies on basic magic and primitive tools to survive.
5,000 BCE	Rise of the Gods. As Earth's population increases to the 5 million mark, extremely powerful individuals arise as well. Many call themselves deities and demand worship. Heroes arise as well, but many are put to death by these deities.
3,000 BCE	Rise of Man. Humankind spreads from rural villages to form cities and civilizations. The number of deities decreases, though the few that are left are worshipped over larger areas. The first account of a summoned creature, in the Mahabharata, tells of the summoning of a rhakasha via Brahman's foot, a magical gate. Oral myths from other parts of the world indicate that these summoned creatures may have arrived much earlier as a result of the actions of various deities or may have been present on Earth before the deities arrived.
2,500 BCE	Age of Heroes. Mankind grows powerful through the acts of selflessness of key figures. For some, their power can be traced to paranormal effects, while others learn to master magic. The Code of Hammurabi lays out the first record of penalties for using magic to cause harm. The first known collection of spells, the Alexandria Codex, lays the framework in the West for a systematic study of magic. In the East, theHuabian Moshu provides Chinese scholars a way to master the forces of nature through magic and alchemy. The Shang Xiang, in China, grants degrees in many areas of study, including the art of magic and the science of alchemy.
343 BCE	Persian conquest of Egypt and decline of the Egyptian deities.
200 BCE	The rise of Rome in the West and the Han Dynasty in China. Deities remain active in the world, although mankind relies more on technology and magical prowess to tame the Earth.
313 Common Era (CE)	Constantine I promulgates the Edict of Milan which legalizes Christianity in the Eastern Roman Empire. Constantine will later claim that he was, at that time, already Christian, though evidence of his adherence to traditional Roman religious practice can be found from this, and later, periods of his life. Beginning of the decline of the Greco-Roman and the Greco-Egyptian deities and the ascendancy of the Christian deities.
341 CE	Roman Emperor Constans bans pagan (non-Christian) sacrifices.
383 CE	Priscillian of Avila becomes the first Christian heretic to be killed. The charge was practicing magic.
450 CE	Atilla the Hun attacks Gaul. Western civilization under the Romans declines until its collapse with the fall of Constantinople in 1453. Shamanistic magic succeeds over the more developed magics of the civilized world. Nalanda University, formed in India, grants degrees in academic studies important to Buddhist culture, including history, Pali, and seventeen areas of magical study.
596 CE	Pope Gregory I sends a mission to Britain to Christianize the Anglo-Saxon natives, but is rebuffed. The entire mission not only fails to convert more than a handful of natives, but so angers King Æthelberht that he orders them to leave Britain. When they instead continue their mission, he has them killed and their heads sent back to Rome.
1054 CE	The Great Schism of Eastern and Western Christianity becomes official when Patriarch Michael I of Constantinople is excommunicated by legates of the recently deceased Pope Leo IX. Though the excommunication lacked authority, Michael retaliated with the excommunication of the recently deceased Pope. Even in the face of divine visitation, the schism remained.
1066 CE	William II, Duke of Normandy loses at the Battle of Hastings to Harold II, King of England, after also failing in his attempt to subdue Brittany. Harold had earlier encountered Harald III of Norway and Tostig Godwinson, his brother, at Stamford Bridge and avoided battle by showing them the approaching Christian fleet that William had assembled. William was lured into battle against what appeared to be a much smaller force led by Harold, but after engaging what little cavalry he had at hand, he was surprised by the enveloping moves of Harald and Tostig. In the ensuing melee, Harald was killed and Tostig and Harold badly wounded. Harold lived long enough to accept William's surrender, but succumbed to his wounds soon after. Tostig was named king by the Witenagemot within the month and took Harald's daughter, Ingegerd, as his wife after finding his own wife, Judith, guilty of consorting with and aiding William. This move thus united the English and Norwegian people under one king, and led to the end of the Viking Age of plunder and pillage.
1198	First outbreak of the Black Death reported in Europe in the port of Naples.
13th - 17th centuries	The Renaissance begins sporadically throughout the Old World. The old reliance on magic is replaced with a greater utilization of technology. Da Vinci constructs the first primitive mechanized armor suit for Pope Alexander VI. In Korea, Yi Sun-sin constructs the turtle ships to defeat the magically superior Japanese military. Gunpowder proves to be a great equalizer on the battlefield, as a peasant can be given a gun and taught to shoot. Schools of magical studies are developed in China, Japan, and throughout Europe. Harvard College, later Harvard University, is founded in 1639 as the first university in the British colonies. Throughout this period, many of those who practice magic outside of the religious fold are hunted down as witches and warlocks. Pockets of Black Death appear throughout Europe and are reported in Asia.
1491	Christopher Columbus seeks funding for an expedition to Asia across the Western Ocean. King Ferdinand II of Aragon and Isabella I of Castille, who need funds to continue the Inquisition of the Iberian Peninsula, fund Columbus. Within a year, Columbus returns with tales of a fabulous land full of wealth, which he still supposes to be Asia.
1494	The Treaty of Tordesillas lays out the line of demarcation of territory between Spain and Portugal in the Western Hemisphere.
1498	Last of the Plague Centers closes in Rome. Black Death is officially announced eradicated.
1502	Erikr Thorvaldson, descendant of Lief Erikson, returns to London with news of the Norse colony of Vinland in North America. He is accompanied by Tekak, an Iroquois chief. Norse colonization of the New World begins in earnest with this news. Later that year, the first case of syphilis (in Europe) is diagnosed in Lisbon.
1518	Martin Luther, a radical priest, is executed and excommunicated for the heresy of denying the power of the Roman Catholic Church.
1542	With the subjugation of the Aztec and Inca empires complete, the Spanish turn their sights on the Maya cultural area of the Yucatan. By 1530, it was increasingly evident to the Crown that the Maya was not a centralized power, like their previous enemies, and that conquest, if it ever came, would be costly. At the urging of Pope Paul III, King Charles had his armies negotiate the Peace of Tikal. This formed the basis for negotiation between Catholic and pagan populations for the next three centuries. Some authorities cite letters between Madrid and Rome that indicate that this was to be a short-term peace and that final conquest was the ultimate goal, but Nordic interference put an end to any attempts at conquest. The Maya kept alive the religious traditions of Mesoamerica, including those of their rivals in the area.