Questions are a burden to others; answers are a prison for oneself.
a) What is your concept? Give me a one or two sentence description of your character.
b) What do you look like? Hair/eye color? Height and Weight? Costume? Think of what your mug shot would look like.
c) What can you do? What separates you from the masses? Brains? Training? Acidic blood? Magic tea cozy?
d) What have you done? What separates you from a random survivor? Describe a typical crime. There is a reason you could not be at the welcoming ceremony with Champion. If you are a hero give me an example of your heroism and tell me why you were not incinerated for standing with Champion?
e) What have you been doing lately? How have you spent the last two years under V'sori occupation? Most importantly tell me about your capture by the V’sori. Yes you have been captured, no this cannot be negotiated.
f) What have you seen in the world? Detail a hero or a villain or an ordinary person you have ran into, worked with, fought, or just heard about. Maybe a member of Alpha Squadron you tangled with. Maybe a criminal mastermind you worked for. Maybe a taxi driver or whoever ran the newsstand near your old lair. Make them interesting. Think of yourself as pitching a 1 or 2 issue special series for the Necessary Evil comic book we are all creating.
g) What is the greatest thing in life? What is your desired end state/goal. Tell me what is important to you.
Heredity
Human: Free edge as normal.
Atlantean: Aquatic. Dependency, immersion in water. Low Light vision. Toughness. Telepathy, SPC3 power, range, only to connect to Atlanteans, Hybrids, and V’sori. V’sori gain +2 notice vs. player. Wanted (V'sori).
Hybrid: Heritage (Aquatic or Free Edge), Telepathy as Atlantean, Secret converts to Wanted(V'sori) if your your hybrid status becomes known. Note Hybrids may change to either Human or Atlantean by spending a conviction benny. This can only be done once as they are then no longer a Hybrid.
Setting and general rules
No non-consensual PVP.
Where books conflict ask. Generally SPC3 has first authority then SWADE then the NE guide. This page or a GM agreement of course trumps the books.
Born a Hero: Ignore Rank requirements for edges during character generation.
Comic Book Combat. See SPC3. It’s big.
Conviction. Resolving/Involving backstory issues is a great way to earn this
Creative Combat. Optional, but it does make Tests more effective.
Free AB Superpowers SPC style. Power level III 45-power points, 15-point limit.
Death and Defeat. Defeated results can be reversed by spending a Conviction benny.
Dumb Luck. Can use a benny to reroll a crit fail. Both the failure and the rolled result happen.
Fanatics. Goons/minions take hits for their leader.
High Adventure. Spend a benny to gain one use of a combat edge ignoring trait requirements.
Larger than life. May take 1 additional Major Hindrance. For those of you familiar with earlier editions Super Karma is NOT in effect.
More Skill points. Start with 15 skill points
Never Surrender. Incapacitated Wild cards are still dealt cards and recover on a Joker.
No finishing moves. You do still get the Drop though.
Rising stars. You will reach level IV if you live long enough. Progression criteria are secret
Throwdown. Ignore unarmed defender rule.
Villainous conviction. Both conviction and VConviction are active for everyone.
Wound cap. Attacks inflict a maximum of four wounds.
Advice & Changes to Edges and Hindrances
SWADE EDGES
Arcane Background. Available with permission. Note this means a great deal more system understanding and paperwork on your part.
Arcane Resistance/Improved. Only applies vs superpowers that have an explicitly arcane trapping. Applies ans normal to other AB's
Aristocrat. Most V’sori will not be impressed. Some will.
Brawler/Bruiser. The bonus damage will not stack with the Special Weapon Additional Attack form of the SPC3 Melee attack power. It does stack with the other forms.
Fame/Famous. These edges increase the attention V’sori and collaborators pay to you. This is good and bad.
Rich/Filthy Rich. These do not generally provide a yearly income without a good explanation.
Hard to Kill: ignore wound penalties on the Death and Defeat check.
Harder to Kill. The roll for this edge happens AFTER the Blaze of Glory effect of Death and Defeat.
Rapid/Improved Rapid Fire: Does apply to powers with appropriate trappings. Recoil penalties are assessed for these extra shots.
Martial artist/Warrior. The extra damage does stack with an SPC3 Melee attack power that uses any of the Additional Attack forms.
Power Edges. Do not apply to AB: SPC3 superpowers.
Champion. V’sori/supers are not generally considered supernatural. It all depends on trappings. That said the supernatural does exist in Star City.
Sidekick. Use SPC3 version.
SWADE Hindrances
Bad Eyes. Glasses are available.
Bloodthirsty. Taking this hindrance means the V’sori are no longer interested in capturing you alive. You have been warned.
Habit. Substance addictions generally run about $20/day. And are not subject to the black market mark up.
Slow. Wheelchairs and prosthetics are available.
Wanted. Note, Taking Wanted by the V’sori means there is a unit in the V’sori bureaucracy dedicated to hunting you specifically 24/7. You have been warned.
(Special note for Atlantian and Hybrid characters. The heritage based Wanted is not as severe as the individual wanted. Atlanteans and Hybrids are persued as a group. Information on you as an individual will be given greater weight that it will for the human beside you but there is not a unit tracking you specifically.)
SPC3 Edges. All available.
SPC3 Hindrances.
Alien Form. Very nearly unavailable. You will need a very good backstory and you will have great difficulty operating in public. You have been warned.
Distinctive Appearance. Cannot be taken with Alien form.
Secret identity. This is reduced to minor. Post invasion it just doesn’t matter that much.
Transformation. Note this does not trump Alien Form or Distinctive Appearance. You are Alien/Distinctive in all your forms.
NE Guide Edges. Not available. They have generally been replaced by SWADE/SPC3 edges.
NE Guide Hindrances. Not available. They have generally been replaced by SWADE/SPC3 edges.
Gear
Where there is a conflict in weight, cost, etc. defer to the SPC3 version.
~Armor~
SWADE.
Modern armor is available but is generally inferior to the armor offered in SPC3 and should be considered Vintage/out of date or poorly made civilian knockoffs of military gear. It is purchased at half cost, but it applies a -1 penalty to pace and is uncomfortable to wear.
Futuristic armor, shields, and weapons are unavailable.
SPC3.
~All armor available.
NE Guide
~Standard armor. Use the SPC3 version of the item.
~Heavy armor.
Ablative armor does not exist. The Ablative effect is simply too good.
Duraweave clothing costs $200 per suit but is NOT heavy armor. SPC modified NE greatly lessens the need for Heavy Armor and Heavy Weapons.
Modified Fin combat armor. Use the stats for SPC3 combat armor but drop the weight to 10. K’tharen generally take exception to anyone else wearing this armor. They won’t, generally, attack on sight but if the fight’s already started or no one is looking…..
V’sori Personal combat armor. Unavailable at start of play.
Tactical helmet. Weight is 5 (the 1 was a typo) and not Heavy Armor otherwise as listed. The integrated (not Omega secure but that can be fixed) commlink and GPS reader explain the higher cost.
Z-belt. Not Heavy Armor. It does reduce energy weapon damage by 4 before AP as ballistic protection works. The belt can be upgraded to +2 for an additional $500. The ablative effect works but even in the upgraded version it will only negate one wound before burning out. Recharging takes an hour using house current. A spare battery to hot-swap costs $100 and weighs 1.
~Weapons~
Where there is a conflict in weight, cost, etc. defer to the SPC3 version.
SWADE.
~All medieval and modern melee weapons are available. Futuristic weapons are not. Use the weapon mods in SPC3 instead.
~All ranged weapons, black powder weapons, modern firearms, including machineguns are available. With the destruction of most armed forces modern firearms are easy to get. CHEAP versions of all modern firearms are available for half price. These are generally poorly maintained/damaged weapons looted from a destroyed supply base or battlefield on the mainland. Please note CHEAP gear on your character sheet and don’t roll a critical failure when using it or I will be entertained.
~LASERS are not available. Use pulse weapons from the SPC3.
~All special weapons except the vehicle LASERS are available. CHEAP versions are available. Note CHEAP grenades are a very very bad idea and no sane dealer will sell them. That said they are available, knock yourself out.
SPC3
Close combat weapons. No restrictions.
Weapon Modifications. Available. Can be placed on ranged/special/etc weapons with GM approval.
Pulse weapons. Available but rare. These were just coming into use by the major Earth militaries when the invasion happened. Powerpacks recharge @ 6 shots per hour at house current.
Special weapons. Nullifier gun is unavailable.
Special Ammo. Available.
NE Guide
Hand weapons Archaic and Modern use SWADE book versions. Energy weapons use SPC3 Weapon modifiers to create.
Ranged weapons. Use SWADE versions. If you want a gyrojet, plasma, or an M2-Hero killer or anything else that does not have a direct equivalent, ask and we’ll work it out.
Special weapons
Fusion grenades. V’sori made. These were heavily used in the initial invasion. Supplies are drying up as world peace has descended on the earth.
CS-Mega taser: Use SPC3 Stungun with Power Weapon and Stun modifications. So d6/d10 with raise damage then vigor-4 or stunned.
POS-1 and 2. Use SPC3 versions.
Stun Wand. Unavailable. Use a baton/club with stun power mod from SPC3
Other Weapon Gear. Use SPC3 Cape killer rounds rather that Hero Killer ammo.
~Other gear/Miscellaneous gear~
Where there is a conflict in weight, cost, etc. defer to the SPC3 version.
SWADE. Available.
SPC3. Available. Note the Commlinks are not Omega secure but that can be fixed.
NE Guide. Available.
~Combat drugs, available cost unchanged. A dose will now in addition to bumping the related attribute up a die give you an edge thematically related to the drug used. Agility will generally give the Quick edge and so on. Multiple doses will advance or add additional edges.