Mar 18, 2019 3:08 pm
The Written Rules of Hero Work
You MUST have a Sponsored Licence.
Every Pro-hero has to have a government issued license obtained from the Offices of Hero Licencing and Registration (henceforth: OHLR), and the backing of a corporate sponsorship. Kind of like a work visa. The government requires every hero to register their real identity* and obtain corporate sponsorship in order to do Hero Work. The corporation gains notoriety and positive exposure(usually) through association with the hero. The government gains the assurance that they can recoup the cost of collateral damages from Hero Work (like insurance carried by a contractor) because a normal citizen could not be expected to carry such costs.Secret Identities are permitted.
A Hero in good standing may rely on the government to maintain their privacy. The licensing process and corporate sponsorship system allow for Heroes to maintain a secret, or private identity if they desire. If the Hero’s identity is needed for any legal purpose the corporate sponsorship stands in for the Hero.
Vigilantism is PROHIBITED.
All Hero Work must be sanctioned and appropriate reports filed with the OHLR. Most of the time, the incidents Heroes respond to are a public crisis and approval from sponsors is given before the Work actions even start. There may be times where a licensed hero gets involved in a situation without prior authorization from sponsors. It is permissible for a sponsoring corporation to retroactively approve the Work in these instances. Provided proper reporting procedures are followed, Any Hero found to be Working without a licence or proper sponsorship will face appropriate criminal charges.*
A Hero License is not a License to Kill.
Any death related to or stimming from Hero Work will be investigated by the OLHR. If the Hero(s) involved in the Work are found to be at fault, their licence will be revoked, all sponsorships will be suspended, and appropriate criminal proceedings will commence Heroes are intended to be supplementary law enforcement personnel, they are not Justice unto themselves.Sponsorship Contracts are negotiated individually
Every Hero is expected to negotiate their own contract on an individual level. They may employ lawyers or agents as they desire, but negotiations are singular. The Supreme Court has ruled that Heroes cannot unionize.
The Unwritten Rules of Hero WorkThe following items are considered part of unwritten code of Hero Work.
There are three (3) types of Supervillains
The Traditional Supervillains are the mobsters and businessmen. They are in the life to make a buck. When Heroes show up, they usually look for the quickest escape because they will likely be outclassed and outnumbered very quickly. Taking these guys down is earns good points because they usually work in larger groups and they also tend to follow the rules as long as there aren't any personal vendettas involved.
The Activist Supervillain are bad guys with a cause. The trick is to figure out what that cause is and exploit it if you can. The problem is they might just be insane, or they might be a truly die-hard righteous type willing to die for the cause. This group is a real mixed bag when it comes to the Work. They like a lot of collateral damage because it gets them more press. If you capture them, your Hero popularity can go up. If they escape or cause the wrong kind of collateral damage, you won't gain points. They sometimes team-up in like minded groups, but these tend to not last long as their volatile nature gets in the way.
The Thrill-Kill Supervillains are the worst. They are the bad guys that aren't in it for the money or the cause, but just for the sheer chaos and havoc. The good news is they are the least common, they tend to work alone because they don't like to share the spotlight and they are great for your hero standings as their plans usually threaten the most people in the widest area.
Leave Family out of it.
Traditional Supervillains don’t go after the immediate families of Heroes, and Heroes return the courtesy. If a Hero’s secret identity is known to the villian, they can expect that their family will not be endangered by this knowledge. The Villains leave them alone and expect similar treatment in return. Thrill Villains are a different story. They are often unpredictable and chaotic. No such expectations should be extended to ward them.
The Public loves watching. Don't avoid the camera.
Avoiding the camera for to long is a sure fire way to lose popularity. The people need to see you if you want to keep their favor.
You MUST have a Sponsored Licence.
Every Pro-hero has to have a government issued license obtained from the Offices of Hero Licencing and Registration (henceforth: OHLR), and the backing of a corporate sponsorship. Kind of like a work visa. The government requires every hero to register their real identity* and obtain corporate sponsorship in order to do Hero Work. The corporation gains notoriety and positive exposure(usually) through association with the hero. The government gains the assurance that they can recoup the cost of collateral damages from Hero Work (like insurance carried by a contractor) because a normal citizen could not be expected to carry such costs.
OOC:
*Optional Stunt to avoid this: False Identity - You possess a secondary identity, including all appropriate documents so that you can exist as two people. What you do with the additional identity is up to you. Some people need it to go legit and avoid punishment for past crimes. Some people create new personas to give their hero persona’s secret identity a buffer. Work out the details with the GM. [Permission Stunt]A Hero in good standing may rely on the government to maintain their privacy. The licensing process and corporate sponsorship system allow for Heroes to maintain a secret, or private identity if they desire. If the Hero’s identity is needed for any legal purpose the corporate sponsorship stands in for the Hero.
Vigilantism is PROHIBITED.
All Hero Work must be sanctioned and appropriate reports filed with the OHLR. Most of the time, the incidents Heroes respond to are a public crisis and approval from sponsors is given before the Work actions even start. There may be times where a licensed hero gets involved in a situation without prior authorization from sponsors. It is permissible for a sponsoring corporation to retroactively approve the Work in these instances. Provided proper reporting procedures are followed, Any Hero found to be Working without a licence or proper sponsorship will face appropriate criminal charges.*
OOC:
*Again, the appropriate stunts or powers may allow a PC to get around this particular bundle of red tape if desired.Any death related to or stimming from Hero Work will be investigated by the OLHR. If the Hero(s) involved in the Work are found to be at fault, their licence will be revoked, all sponsorships will be suspended, and appropriate criminal proceedings will commence Heroes are intended to be supplementary law enforcement personnel, they are not Justice unto themselves.
OOC:
::GM NOTE:: Like police in the real world, Heroes in good standing with the government and/or the public can expect a certain level of protection against criminal charges. Many cases are dismissed on the grounds that the Hero in question was not responsible for the death of the criminal, villain, or civilian, or simply had no alternative but to use lethal force. Again, this is not to say you have carte blanche to deal with every threat with full force, but the option really isn’t "off-the-table" most of the time.Every Hero is expected to negotiate their own contract on an individual level. They may employ lawyers or agents as they desire, but negotiations are singular. The Supreme Court has ruled that Heroes cannot unionize.
The Unwritten Rules of Hero Work
OOC:
In which the author notes the irony of writing these down in contrast to their nature.There are three (3) types of Supervillains
The Traditional Supervillains are the mobsters and businessmen. They are in the life to make a buck. When Heroes show up, they usually look for the quickest escape because they will likely be outclassed and outnumbered very quickly. Taking these guys down is earns good points because they usually work in larger groups and they also tend to follow the rules as long as there aren't any personal vendettas involved.
The Activist Supervillain are bad guys with a cause. The trick is to figure out what that cause is and exploit it if you can. The problem is they might just be insane, or they might be a truly die-hard righteous type willing to die for the cause. This group is a real mixed bag when it comes to the Work. They like a lot of collateral damage because it gets them more press. If you capture them, your Hero popularity can go up. If they escape or cause the wrong kind of collateral damage, you won't gain points. They sometimes team-up in like minded groups, but these tend to not last long as their volatile nature gets in the way.
The Thrill-Kill Supervillains are the worst. They are the bad guys that aren't in it for the money or the cause, but just for the sheer chaos and havoc. The good news is they are the least common, they tend to work alone because they don't like to share the spotlight and they are great for your hero standings as their plans usually threaten the most people in the widest area.
Leave Family out of it.
Traditional Supervillains don’t go after the immediate families of Heroes, and Heroes return the courtesy. If a Hero’s secret identity is known to the villian, they can expect that their family will not be endangered by this knowledge. The Villains leave them alone and expect similar treatment in return. Thrill Villains are a different story. They are often unpredictable and chaotic. No such expectations should be extended to ward them.
The Public loves watching. Don't avoid the camera.
Avoiding the camera for to long is a sure fire way to lose popularity. The people need to see you if you want to keep their favor.