The PowerForce Aliens

One year ago...

A meteor crashed on Earth, releasing the energies of an unknown chemical element on our atmosphere. Thanks to this element, called Superium, mankind faced a new evolutionary step: super-powered beings, as in comic books and sci-fi stories, entered the world. Mastering the energies in their own cells, they gained amazing powers.

A race unlike our own, the Saryans, decided to take no more of the humans' offenses to their territories. They lived peacefully under the oceans for centuries, sharing the same world with those unaware of their alien presence. A war against the surface people divided the peaceful Saryans, and a half-human Tidal Warrior convinced the Elders that the humans had nothing to do with the Superium that menaced their Sunken City, Hydrotys. Peace was celebrated once more, and the Saryans assumed their place among the nations of the world.

Two months ago...

Dr. Kheops and the PowerForce had their last battle of tragic proportions. After stopping Kheops from destroying the world in an atomic explosion caused by Superium meltdown, Major Power and Dr. Kheops disappeared. Quantum, the most powerful human being in the Universe, was reborn as the Superium energies covered the Earth for a second time. New super-humans were created, and a new age was about to begin.

The Krethorians, a race of powerful psionicists once defeated by the PowerForce, saw a perfect chance to conquer the planet. They organized their squadrons and marched, with astonishing firepower, to the Solarium System. The planet Solarium 3, without its main defenders, wouldn't resist the ultimate conquer force of the Universe...

Now...

As Earth doesn't have a super-team to protect them anymore, the Krethorians, a race of evil aliens, attacks Earth with a vengeance. Mankind faces slavery and defeat, but some of the former PowerForce members and new heroes join together to save the planet from the biggest menace since the Dawn of the Superium. Their cause seems lost until Major Power returns...

The Krethorians fought to the end, but the new PowerForce, along with old enemies and new heroes, drove the conquerors away. A new age for mankind started, but the Krethorians still remember their shameful loss, and they swore revenge. The universe is full of mysteries and diversity, and who knows what other races may inhabit the long distant stars...

A Universe of Diversity

There are many alien races in the PowerForce Universe. They range from hostile to friendly, and their cultures and appearances are unique. The races below may be used by players with caution, unless the group is mainly formed by alien beings. Any new races can be added to this list, as the GM chooses. This is by no means a complete, detailed description of each culture, but guidelines for character creation.

The Saryans:

One of the first intelligent races to step on Earth, the Saryans are aquatic beings. Gifted with gulls and flaps, blue or green skin and membrane-protected eyes, these individuals are not able to survive without water. In their home planet, Te'thys, the Saryan civilization reached a high technological level, without forgetting their people's traditions. Therefore, it is not rare seeing a Saryan driving advanced underwater machinery and fighting with ordinary swords.

The Saryans made their first contact with the human civilizations during the ascension of ancient Greece, creating legends about long lost peoples living under the seas, and terrible sea beasts that turned out to be submarines. The lost seas people were called Atlanteans, and some still call the Saryans that way nowadays. They didn't interfere with human affairs for centuries, preferring to abandon their city of Atlantys when the Atlantic ocean became a major market route, moving to the distant city of Hydrotys. When the Superium hit the Earth, the mighty walls of Hydrotys were damaged, and some Saryans considered that the humans were declaring war on them. After a battle against the PowerForce, Gaumird and his armies were defeated, and the Saryans assumed their place among the nations of the world.

Game use: The Saryans are stronger and more agile than ordinary humans. Therefore, they start the game with Strength 2 and Agility 2. They also gain the power Resistance to Underwater pressure 3 and Breathe underwater 3, as well as Swimming 2. They have a racial Vulnerability: Water Dependence 5, and they need water tubes to live in the surface, because their organisms are not equipped with lungs to breathe air. There is a hybrid race, the Half-Saryans, an amalgamation of Saryan and human DNA. These powerful and rare beings, a creation of Saryan advanced technologies, receive a Good Thing (+1) in Agility and Breathe underwater 3, but don't depend only on water to survive. They have a Vulnerability: Salt Dependence 3, because they have to consume large amounts of table salt (Sodium chloride) to survive. Half-Saryans can be affected by the Superium, but the effects of Superium irradiation in Saryans vary from slight demeanor changes to fearful, irrational mutations.

The Sham'ssar:

Maybe the strangest race in the Universe, the Sham'ssar are similar to terrestrial worms, but bigger and filled with sharp thorns and teeth, aligned in lines. This race could be one more species destined to an evolutionary stagnation if a Superium meteor didn't strike their planet, giving them an advanced intellect and a strange symbiotic capacity. The Sham'ssar are spread all over the universe after they mastered the arts of space traveling, inhabiting bodies in all known planets of the universe. They also keep watch on the planets that are about to receive a Superium body.

The Sham'ssar race doesn't seek the conquer of the universe by forming symbiotic bonds with other races: they consider it an honour to be given just to worthy members of other, "inferior" races. The bond is a Superium power, and this power can be added to the host's abilities as well. Among the known members of this race on Earth, Cy'Hryk (SEE-Har-eek), the Sham'ssar that bonded with William Monticelli to form Invader, a former PowerForce member.

Game use: The Sham'ssar never act in their worm form outside their planet, because they are fragile and depend too much on methane. When they are not bonded with other living beings, consider all their attributes as 0, except for Psyche and Wits 5. When bonded with other living beings, including humans or Saryans, they give the following powers: Protection 4 and Claws 4. Other 1-3 powers can be given, according to the GM's choice. The racial Vulnerability is the Symbiotic bonding: the host must produce methane for the Sham'ssar, who acts as an "energy thief". In a danger situation, at the GM's discretion, the Sham'ssar can reclaim the control of the host's body, and the character must resist a Wits test against NP 5 or lose control of his/her actions, turning instantly the chitin armor on. Only those not affected by the Superium can host one Sham'ssar.

The Volghanians: (Created by André Oides)

A race as old as Humanity, but luckier, the Volghanians always had contacts with other alien races. Their planet, Volghan, localized in intergalactic commercial crossroads, soon the Volghanians learned how to trade and to use this advantage to their benefit. Creating great automated cities and spaceship centers, using technology that was left in their planet by an old, lost alien race, the Volghanians became some of the most successful merchants of the galaxy. Their frail bodies, similar to humans but able to live long life spans, and different only in the shape of their pupils, an elongated shape similar to felines' eyes, allowed them to travel the width and length of the universe. But the wars changed everything.

The Volghanians fought civil wars in a battle for internal powers and profitable commercial routes. The most radical faction and the best equipped, the Force of Volghan, overthrew the government and the armies of the Commercial Republic of Volghan. The Volghanian Force established a State similar to the Fascist governments of the Second World War, preaching the superiority of the Volghanian race and destroying commercial alliances with "lesser" races. A revolutionary group, the Volghanian Resistance, acts clandestinely, trying to reestablish the Republic and bring order to Volghan. One of their main tactics is to send ambassadors to other planets, especially in planets affected by the Superium, seeking help for the Volghan Resistance. kh'Ahyer, a former PowerForce member, is a member of this divided race.

Game use: The Volghanians have an organism similar to humans, only having a longer life expectancy: they can life up to 500 years of age. This effect, in the majority of the campaigns, is just a simple alteration, and it doesn't impose bonuses or penalties to the game. They receive a penalty of -1 in all Charisma tests with humans because of their cat-shaped pupils.

The Krethorians: (Created by Valdir Espíndula)

The Krethorians are an alien race known for its space explorations and colonies. They have advanced technologies, especially in areas such as transportation, weapons and genetics. The Krethorian exploring elite is known by its astounding psychic powers and because they never age, blessings given to its race by inbreeding and artificial Superium genetic alterations. The Krethorians look for planets enlightened by yellow suns (such as Earth), where they can extract solar energy and food - the Krethorians live on photosynthesis, and they dependency of light replaces other necessities such as sleep or food, with the exception of water. This genetic trait, common to all Krethorians, made space travel a much easier task for them than for humans. Krethorians live to discover and conquer other planets, fighting the former owners of the planet if needed, and seldom losing a battle. The Krethorians tried to conquer Earth twice, and they established an Empire when the PowerForce was dissolved. Now, they are planning revenge against those who banished them from the most valuable planet of the universe...

The Krethorians have a very strict caste system. These castes (or social groups) are: the Elite, the Soldiers and Explorers, and the Servants. The Elite controls all 14 planets of the Krethorian empire, including the biggest planet and their homeland, Krethor, and all other classes, manipulating and coordinating the actions of all levels of society. The Elitemen live eternally. The Soldiers and Explorers, a superior class if compared to the Servants, form the Krethorian army and they are genetically engineered for combat. The Explorers are considered the eyes and hands of the Elite. Sometimes a Explorer has its own ship, but in the majority of cases, an Explorer is part of a ship's crew with up to 25,000 Servants and Soldiers. The Servants, the lowest Krethorian caste, has no rights from birth, and they must serve the superior factions of the race. They form the majority of the Krethorian race.

The Krethorians are similar to humans, with the exception of their green skin, ranging from light tones to dark olive. Their eyes are black, big circles, without internal distinctions. The female Krethorians have mammal glands, which store large amounts of chlorophyll for the time of child-bearing. The Krethorians are not a pacific race, but they prefer to colonize desert planets. Their war technology is extremely advanced, and they use plasma and laser weapons for army combat. Their ships and plasma cannons are their main battle forces. There are no Krethorian members in the PowerForce.

Game use: The Krethorians are divided into several castes, as described above. These castes are listed as well as their game statistics.

Elite: The powerful Krethorian lords and citizens are about 1.80 m. tall, intelligent and have a superiority attitude to other races and castes. Average attributes: Agility 1, Strength 1, Health 1, Charisma 1 (0 for humans), Wits 2, Psyche 2, Protection 1, Speed 1. Psychic powers (average): Telepathy 3, Mind Control 3, Mental Blast 3, Mental Shield 3. Some Elite members have Telekinesis, Telekinetic Shield and Pyrokinesis (Maximum PLs of 2 to all powers). They also have several scientific/social skills.

Explorers: There are the Krethorians which can be encountered more easily. The are physically equal to the Elite. Some of the Explorers are in command of the great Krethorian battleships. Average attributes: Agility 1+1, Strength 1, Health 1+1, Charisma 1 (0 for humans), Wits 1+1, Psyche 2, Protection 1, Speed 1. Some Explorers may have weak Psychic powers. They usually have space navigation, xenobiology and combat skills.

Soldiers: These men are genetically built by the Elite scientists for combat. They have increased physical attributes for war and low mental attributes to avoid rebellious behaviour. They are very agile despite their amazing size, up to 1.90 m. tall and 150kg+ in weight. Average attributes: Agility 2, Strength 3, Health 2, Charisma 0, Wits 1, Psyche 1, Protection 2, Speed 2. They have combat skills and use the Krethorian arms and armors.

Servants: The lowest class has no power or special characteristics. All attributes are PL 1 and they are similar to the Explorers physically, but their skin is less shiny. All servants have skills related to the jobs they have in the Krethorian society.

Krethorian weapons and armors: The most used Krethorian handguns are laser pistols and rifles (PL 3 damage), but some plasma rifles are also used (PL 4 damage). The combat armors are complete pressurized suits with PL 4 Protection. Made of a plastic fibre, the armors are light and have radio transmitters linked to a telepathic network.. There are very seldom aquatic or land vehicles, but they exist and are equipped with plasma cannons (PL 5 damage) and a strong coating of plastic and metal (PL 5 protection). These vehicles can also be radio-controlled.

Krethorian Ships: The explorer ships are the most common vehicles in the Krethorian fleets, designed for all sizes of crews. Below, some of the most common spaceships in the Krethorian fleet, with statistics:

The Eldani: (Created by Alan Lambert)

Deeply spiritual, and extremely militaristic, this enigmatic race could be the best hope the human race has.

The Eldani (the singular form is Eldanus) are almost two meters tall, humanoid in appearance, and extremely imposing to behold. By Earth standards, they are a beautiful race. Their skin tones and hair and eye coloration seem to run the whole range found on Earth, causing some to speculate that we have a common ancestry somewhere in time. They wear elegant clothing, prone to light pastels and a lot of jewelry. Even combat gear tends to look more for show than functionality.

Eldani are especially social creatures, and they love a good party. Normally calm, polite, even chivalrous, once the alcohol begins to flow, they become loud, boisterous, and even obnoxious at times. An Eldani banquet often degenerates into what one witness described as "the ultimate frat party". Eldani brew a beer-like alcoholic beverage that is considered one of the most potent drinks in half the known galaxy. This may be an exaggeration.

Although a spiritual race, the Eldani do not worship a deity or deities, but instead believe in the universe as a living entity. Every lifeform in the universe is an extension of the universe, aiding in its eternal quest to understand itself. Fierce, proud warriors, the Eldani do not seek war, but once they feel it has been thrust upon them, they make sure their enemies will remember the experience for generations.

Their main rivals in the galaxy are the Krethorians. Enmity between the Krethorians and the Eldani go back hundreds of years, so far back that no one can remember the cause. Their history is full of border skirmishes and attempted invasions, with neither side able to gain the upper hand for long. At this time a period of relative peace exists between them, a galactic Cold War. The Eldani love to assist races the Krethorians have subjugated. In fact, they love to harass Krethorians wherever and whenever they can. The Eldani have just established an embassy on Earth, against the better judgment of their Krethorian hosts.

Game use: Eldani have a minimum of PL 2 in both Strength and Health, and all have combat training. The Eldani in the House Warrior have a minimum of Combat 3 (super-skill) and Combat Reflexes 2.

The Technoids: (Created by Mauno Joukamaa)

Technoids are a race of inorganic, robot-like beings who have just recently made contact with other space-faring races. The following information has been gained through observing and questioning them, but Technoids are very secretive about themselves as a race, so it is probably erroneous in many details.

The bodies of the Technoids are made of such things as hydraulic pipes, circuits, electric wires, metal support structures etc. and they vary very much in their appearance. Most of the Technoids encountered so far are humanoid-shaped, but some vehicle-shaped Technoids are known to exist and it is even speculated that Technoid spaceships are in fact huge Technoids.

The heart of every Technoid is a small metal sphere which is called Core Unit and which hosts a variety of retractable sensors and manipulators as well as the "brain" and consciousness of the Technoid. The Core Unit is capable of detaching itself from the body of Technoid; without the Core Unit the body is a but pile of high-tech junk. The Core Unit has the normal Gadget Construction, Charisma, Wits and Psyche PLs of the Technoid but PL 0 in all other attributes, except Protection, which is PL 4. Killing a Technoid is possible only by the complete destruction of the Core Unit. Otherwise, lethal damage will only destroy its body and make it inoperable. If given enough time and materials, Core Unit is capable of constructing a new body for itself.

As the Technoids are totally inorganic, new Technoids are not born but they are constructed. Although all Technoids are very skilled in electronics and mechanics, it seems that only so-called "Technoid Masters", who apparently live on the Technoid homeworld, are capable of constructing new Core Units, and thus, new Technoids. It is not known if the Technoid Masters are high-ranked Technoids, beings belonging to another alien race or something else entirely.

The Technoid society is communist and totalitarian, although not repressive. Each Technoid owns only its own body, all other equipment and possessions belonging to the Technoid society. Each Technoid is created to fulfill certain function in the society but these functions can be very broad in their definiton and a Technoid can be assigned to a new job if he wishes so.

Although each Technoid's only purpose of life is to serve the Technoid society, they are clearly individual and they have also their own interests, which may contradict those of the Technoid society. This individualism is tolerated as long as it doesn't threaten Technoid society and its goals. Technoids don't have names as such but each Technoid is assigned an unique alpha-numeric code-sign for identification.

The location of the Technoid homeworld is not known and the attempts to find it by computing the trajectories of the Technoid spaceships have been so far unsuccessful.

All Technoids revere an entity known as Master Builder. According to Technoids, Master Builder constructed the first Technoids and taught them to make more Technoids before disappearing in some way. Who or what Master Builder was and what happened to him/her/it/whatever, is not known. Many historians and sociologists of other space-faring races doubt the legend about Master Builder and think that the first Technoids have been built by an organic race that for some reason has died out. Some even claim that Technoids were originally mechanical servants who rebelled and destroyed their masters, but these persons are not usually allowed to express their views openly.

Technoids have announced that their intention is to establish trade relations and treaties with all races and nations that are interested, exchanging their technology and expertise for various raw materials. Although many governments have greeted this proposal with enthusiasm, there are also those who think that accepting this offer may lead to unanticipated and unwanted consequences. This is especially true of many Volghanians, who think that the Technoids are trying to usurp their position as the foremost commercial might in the galaxy. Then there are also those who suspect that the true intentions of the Technoids are something more sinister. Although these individuals are usually regarded as paranoid conspiracy theorists, there are rumours that strange accidents have happened to some of them...

Game use: Technoids' attributes vary widely and besides the basic attributes they may have all kinds of extra abilities, which are best treated as powers. When making NPC Technoids, the GM should assign attributes and abilities relative to the function in the Technoid hierarchy the individual Technoid is supposed to fulfill.

All Technoids have an ability called Gadget Construction, which enables them to construct all kinds of devices using parts from their own bodies. The PLs of the devices are limited by the Gadget Construction PL of the Technoid. The Technoid may assign the gadget one attribute equal to the PL in Gadget Construction, one attribute equal to the PL in Gadget Construction minus one and so on until PL 1 is reached after which all the rest of the attributes of the gadget are PL 1. So, a Technoid with PL 4 in Gadget Construction could construct a device with PL 4 in one attribute, PL 3 in another and PL 2 in yet another. All the other attributes would be PL 1 by default. The time required to construct one gadget is 1D6 time units given in the Duration table for the highest PL of the gadget. When constructing a gadget, the success is determined by rolling the Gadget Construction PL against the Tech Level PL of the intended gadget. If a Technoid wishes to construct more than one gadget, the effective PL of the Gadget Construction is decreased by one for every gadget already constructed. The size of the gadgets is limited by the size of the Technoid so that a Technoid may create only gadgets whose size PL is one or more PLs less than its own size.

Example: A Technoid needs a gun and decides to construct one out of his own parts. He has Gadget Construction 3 and he figures that he needs as much punch as possible, so he assigns PL 3 for the damage of the gun. This leaves PL 2 for the range, and all the other attributes of the gun are PL 1. Presuming that he makes the Gadget Construction roll against PL 3 (common military technology, Tech Level 3), it will take him 1D6 hours to construct the gun, after which he has something equivalent to a low-ranged rifle.

Later on he needs a small flying device to distract an enemy. This is well within his abilities (everyday civilian technology, Tech Level 1), but because he has already constructed one gadget, his effective Gadget Construction PL is only 2 and he can't make the new gadget go faster than PL 2 unless he disassembles his gun.

Technoids may be played as Player Characters. Technoids PCs are low-level operatives in the bottom of the Technoid hierarchy and they have PL 1 in all of their basic attributes and Gadget Construction PL of 1D6 (3, if you use PASS).

Technoid Player Characters may increase their attributes with acquired E-points as usual. They, however, don't need rationales for raising their physical attributes above PL 2 or secondary attributes to PL 2 or above, because this is presumed to happen by adding new and improved parts to their bodies. Technoid PCs may also use their E-points to increase their size or purchase new powers which would be obtainable at the Tech Level equal to their Gadget Construction. With new powers PL 1 costs one E-point and new levels have the usual cost in E-points of new level to second power.

Because they are only minor figures in the Technoid hierarchy, Technoid PCs don't know anything more about the Technoid race than is given above.

A Final Word on the PowerForce

The PowerForce Universe is open for expansion. After the planet-shattering events of the last months under Krethorian domination, the world is ready for new super-heroes, alien races, expansion and adventure seeds. New teams such as the Meta-Human League are not developed, and more people to help me fleshing out the descriptions of the new super-humans in the planet are needed. I have developed several villains and stand-alone heroes besides the new PowerForce, as for descriptions of the main cosmic powers in the PowerForce Universe and some alien races. But it is up to all of us to create a whole new Universe over this draft.

I would like to hear from you about new ideas for super-human teams (the Meta-Human League, the New Red Army and maybe more international super-teams would be fit for development), new Alien races, more villains, the major independent super-heroes - whatever you wish to collaborate. And if you don't like anything on this draft, we can discuss and change it. After all, I would love to see an official Powergame setting produced by this Mailing List with the help of the fans, playtesters and Mikko himself (if he finds the time to do it).

Let's create a world! And if you want to e-mail me personally to get more information on NPCs and give opinions about this draft, send e-mails to msarsur@hotmail.com.