Heroes of the Cypher System

A look at Boundless, the Superhero Setting Offered in Claim the Sky
over 3 years ago – Thu, Nov 19, 2020 at 01:54:23 PM

Today we thought we'd take a closer look at Boundless, the setting in Claim the Sky.

The Secrets of the Boundless Setting

To truly understand the world of Boundless, you must first understand the alien race known as the Azaki. Aeons ago, before humans walked upright, the Azaki came to Earth. Once here, they built a number of colonies and used their technology to alter the climate, the atmosphere, the geology, and even the flora and fauna of the planet, presumably to make it more hospitable to them, or at least more to their liking.

The reason that all of this is so key to the world of Boundless is that it is very likely the presence of these aliens and the influence they had on the Earth that created the difference between our “normal” Earth and the “supernormal” Earth of Boundless, where superpowered beings routinely break the laws of physics (as we understand them), utilize incredibly high technology, and have drawn the attention of intelligent beings on other worlds and even other dimensions. (The Azaki might not be the source of all the differences, but you wouldn’t be far wrong if you simply said they were.)

Although the Azaki are gone, even today, hidden, high-tech citadels of the Azaki can still be found in remote corners of the world. Ancient peoples used some of the wonders left behind by the aliens to advance their civilizations. Modern explorers and adventurers who have discovered caches of ancient Azaki technology have used it, sold it, or studied it. For example, the terrorist known as Midknight utilizes Azaki technology his father discovered to power his armored suit, his weaponry, and his robotic warhorse.

But even more than just leftover artifacts, the Azaki changed the world with their modifications on animal life, particularly on protohumans. Manipulation on the genetic level has resulted in certain humans wielding incredible powers. For some, this manifests as an apparent mutation, while others have these powers revealed only when in contact with certain conditions. Most often, such events happen in the presence of Azaki technology—and often in times of great stress. The Chicago-based crimefighter Warp gained (or rather discovered) his ability to manipulate interdimensional energies by inadvertently touching an Azaki artifact in a museum.

While alien genetic tinkering has manifested itself throughout human history, there is no denying that its effects are growing over time. There have always been individuals with astounding abilities, but starting in the twentieth century, their numbers increased dramatically and now in the twenty-first century, more superhumans exist than ever before.

After the deciding conflicts of the Second World War were fought largely by superhumans on both sides, an international organization was formed to help deal with the growing challenges that superpowers and high technology presented. This organization, BASTION (Bulwark Against Supernatural Threats of an Illicit or Ominous Nature), employs well-equipped agents and even their own superhumans to prevent major catastrophes that can happen due to supernatural events or attacks. They even have a special prison built to hold superhumans.

Working with BASTION from time to time, independent heroes operate to help the world by protecting it against calamity and by fighting against superpowered criminals and villains. Many governments of the world have provided for such vigilantes with broad exceptions, allowing them to operate extrajudicially for the good of the people (within reason). Other governments most decidedly do not make such allowances. And some of these nations—mostly totalitarian states—conscript all superhumans they discover into their own military or government forces.

The Society of Seven is a team of superheroes using their formidable powers to confront some of the greatest threats to humanity.

The Majestic Family is an extended family of superhumans using their abilities and advanced technology to explore the world, the universe, and even other universes. It was Mildred Majestic and her sister Gwendolyn who initially discovered and named the so-called Worlds Between, mysterious other universes with their own strange laws of physics, and their own bizarre inhabitants.

And while there are many others, one cannot list the superhuman protectors of the world without mentioning Silver Sentinel. Perhaps the greatest of all heroes living today, this lone figure maintains a constant vigil from a base on the moon. It’s thought that of late, his concerns have been as much on worlds beyond Earth as on Earth itself. In many ways, the Majestic Family and Silver Sentinel are responsible for putting Earth on the so-called galactic map, making first contact with a variety of nonhuman civilizations and generally establishing our world as a place of powerful heroes.

But not all superhumans are heroes, of course. Criminals such as the magic-wielding Runic or the nefarious Silhouette are far beyond the ability of normal authorities to cope with, but pale in comparison to the terrible power of terrorists like Vantablack or the Elemental, or worse still, monstrosities like Humonger, conquerers and maniacs such as Lord Ash or Gravitas, and, well, the list unfortunately goes on.

Of course, there are threats from beyond as well. The alien Grin have attempted to invade the Earth in years past. The extradimensional forces under the command of the almost godlike Sorrow always present a danger, as do the strange inhabitants of the subterranean Inner Earth. And while they are not from another world or realm, the clandestine criminal organization calling itself the Dagger operates around the globe conducting a variety of far-reaching schemes that threaten the freedom and the wellbeing of everyone on the planet as much as any alien invasion ever could.

Lastly, there are some individuals who defy categorization. For example, Blackstar hails from a distant world, but no one knows exactly why she is here. Ruthless is a man accused of a multitude of crimes but has also been known to commit acts of selfless heroism. And perhaps most prominent of all is the Royal House of Videsh. The rulers of a small, isolated Himalayan kingdom, each member of the royal family possesses their own paranormal ability—and their own agenda.

The world of Boundless overflows with wonder and danger. Will you join the ranks of its heroes as you Claim the Sky as your own, writing your name in the clouds as well as the annals of history?

Let’s Make Cypher System Dice!
over 3 years ago – Wed, Nov 18, 2020 at 02:52:15 AM

In the Cypher System, some die roll results—particularly on the d20—have special meaning beyond just the number rolled. A 1 triggers a GM intrusion, a 20 often results in a major effect, and 17-19 on attack rolls deal extra damage. You can certainly play the Cypher System with standard dice—most people do!—but having custom dice is both convenient and, well, cool!

Custom Cypher System dice have been available in the past, but they’re currently sold out. So let’s make some new ones! Here’s what we have in mind:

This isn’t a stretch goal—we’ve just decided to do it. In fact, we’re rolling them out right now, as an add-on. You get a set with one d20, one d6, and a set of percentiles, for $13. How do you reserve your set? Funny you should ask, because. . .

We Have a New Way of Doing Add-ons

Kickstarter is rolling out a new process for handling add-ons. It’s in beta now, and campaigns like ours can only participate by invitation. Well, on Friday we were invited! You can now use Kickstarter’s beta program to wrangle any add-ons you want. Please note:

• This only works from a desktop browser—this feature doesn’t work through the Kickstarter mobile app yet.
• It only works if you choose (or have already chosen) a pledge level. If you pledge for no reward, it doesn’t seem to allow add-ons.
• But don’t worry: you can still do add-ons the old-fashioned way, by simply increasing your pledge by the value of the add-on, and then selecting it in BackerKit after the campaign.

To add on the dice (or anything we offer), just follow these steps:

• Click Manage Your Pledge.
• Scroll to the bottom of the page and click Change Your Pledge.
• Click Pledge $$. You don’t have to make any changes to your pledge level or amount.
• NEW! The Add-Ons step: You’ll see your pledge level at the top, then a list of all the available add-ons below it. Click Add for any that you want. Then click Continue at the bottom of the page.
• On the final page, click Confirm Changes.

That’s it!

We hope you dig the dice. We’re also closing in quickly on our next stretch goal, so please spread the word about this campaign so we can hit it, and keep unlocking more!

Take a Look Inside Claim the Sky
over 3 years ago – Sat, Nov 14, 2020 at 02:00:54 AM

Want a glimpse into what we’re planning to do with superheroes in the Cypher System? Here’s an annotated outline for Claim the Sky. If you have one of our existing genre books, like Stay Alive! (horror) or The Stars Are Fire (science fiction), you’ll see some similarities in the approach. The bottom line is that you’ll be able to run virtually any campaign you can imagine within the full breadth of the superhero genre, and find lots of support in this book. Plus a full-fledged campaign setting! Have a look:

Part 1: Gaming with Superpowers

Chapter 1: Building a Superhero

If you already have an idea for a superhero, whether it be modeled on an existing character from the comics or movies or something all your own design, this chapter will provide step-by-step guidelines for using the Cypher System to bring that character to reality. It also discusses avoiding stereotypes and walking the fine line between the cliché and the comfortably familiar.

Chapter 2: Superheroic Character Options

Continuing to focus on player characters, this chapter presents new descriptors, new foci, and a new look at types and flavors. Also included are new rules for balancing weaknesses and shortcomings that can help balance a high-powered hero.

Chapter 3: Superpowered Rules

Building on the rules in the Cypher System Rulebook, this chapter offers more options for replicating abilities seen in comics and movies, difficulties and NPCs above level 10, using XP to directly increase a specific power, jury-rigging high tech devices, “coming back from the dead,” and much more.

Chapter 4: A World With Powers

When designing a setting for superheroes, there is a wide gamut of options. Weaving together a place where aliens, mutants, wizards, and high tech all intermingle requires a bit of thought. This chapter offers advice and ideas for creating realistic settings, comic-book style settings, and far future settings, and discusses all the choices involved with each. You’ll also get advice on creating character names, handling vigilante justice versus official authorities, dealing with the villains once they’re defeated, and more.

Chapter 5: Comic Book Storytelling

This chapter discusses extensively the tropes of comics and super heroes—recurring villains, secret identities, cliffhangers, crossovers, guest stars, nemeses, storytelling through action, and much more. Also included are GM-focused discussions on balancing power levels, using different kinds of powers to challenge different kinds of heroes, GMing “mastermind” NPCs, and so on. Lastly, it offers a meta system for dividing stories into “issues” and “arcs” for GMs who really want a comic book feel.

Chapter 6: Superhero Stories

For GMs who want to move beyond “stop the villain from robbing the bank” scenarios, this chapter offers a number of brief descriptions for one-shot adventures and ongoing, campaign-style storylines (and how to weave them together). It also addresses the different kinds of stories from “street level” heroes all the way to cosmic beings.

Chapter 6: Cypher Shorts

As with our other genre books, this chapter offers a handful of brief, one-shot, ready-to-play scenarios in any superhero setting.

Chapter 7: Creatures and NPCs

Where would heroes be without villains? This chapter offers stats and descriptions for a plethora of villains as well as aliens, robots, genetic monstrosities, and more.

Chapter 8: Superheroic Cyphers and Artifacts

This chapter offers more power-boost cyphers, high-tech manifest cyphers for high-tech heroes, weird alien and magical artifacts, and a few surprises.

Part 2: Boundless

Chapter 9: Overview

Boundless is intended to evoke (but not replicate) the superhero settings from comics and movies that we all love. Boundless is earth as we know it, but wondrous powers, aliens, high technology, and even magic all exist. Heroes here deal not just with criminals, but megalomaniac conquerors and terrorists as well as threats and challenges from other planets, from mystic realms, or even from beyond time.

This chapter also answers questions like what technology from “alternative” sources (like aliens, super-geniuses, etc.) has made its way into the lives of regular people and what exactly does the typical person know about superpowers, other dimensions, and so on.

Chapter 10: Boundless Player Characters

This chapter briefly discusses how the PCs can fit into the setting, including appropriate locations and foes based on the characters’ area of focus, suitable enemies, allies they might have among the other heroes, and groups that might offer them affiliation or membership.

Chapter 11: History of the World

In the distant past, the alien Azaki visited Earth, and manipulated protohumans (and other animals) on a genetic level. Hidden, high-tech citadels of the Azaki can still be found in remote corners of the world. (Their manipulations and technological artifacts are responsible for many of the heroes and villains of the setting.) Superheroes first became prominent in the twentieth century, particularly during the world wars. After WW II, a secretive, international agency called BASTION (Bulwark Against Supernatural Threats of an Illicit or Ominous Nature) was founded to help deal with the growing challenges that superpowers and high technology presented. As the Cold War ended, superpowered individuals became less political and developed an almost insular community of heroes, rivals, and outright villains, all with their own agendas.

(We’ll include more on the history and the movers and shakers in the setting in an upcoming article.)

Chapter 12: Superpowered Survey

This chapter details the various heroes and villains based around the world, in places as disparate as New York, London, Tokyo, the Amazon, and Nairobi, and everywhere in between. Special emphasis is given to two particularly powerful and influential threats: the Royal House of Videsh, rulers of a small, isolated Himalayan kingdom, each with their own superpower, and the secretive international criminal syndicate known as the Dagger.

Specifically detailed locations include BASTION headquarters (and superpowered prison), Silver Sentinel’s Lunar Base, the hidden Azaki citadel in the Andes, the lost subterranean realm of Inner Earth, the interdimensional Worlds Between, the far-flung planet known as Mystery Earth, and many more.

Chapter 13: Adventure: Death, Thy Name is Gravitas

The extremely dangerous megalomaniac wielding the power of gravity itself calls himself Gravitas and seeks to work out his anger issues… on an entire city.

Chapter 14: Adventure: Talons of Doom

A confederacy of criminals and villains joins forces to systematically eliminate as many heroes as they can so that they can operate unchecked. The PCs must stand against them, or simply become their next victims.

Chapter 15: Adventure: Beneath a Red Sun

The heroes must travel to the planet Korboros in a distant system in order to prevent a catastrophe that would have grave implications all the way back on Earth.

We Have Unlocked The Origin!
over 3 years ago – Fri, Nov 13, 2020 at 07:30:03 PM

Quick: Are you backing at the PDF Mega Event level (for PDFs) or Superteam level (for print products) or higher? If not, you might want to increase your pledge right now. Go ahead, we’ll wait!

Back?

Awesome. Because here’s the deal: We just unlocked The Origin, and everyone at those levels and above is getting it added to their rewards automagically. A whole new book.

(And as we’ve already revealed, should this campaign make it to $250,000, we’re also going to add the Cypher System Bestiary. And who knows what we’ll unlock on the way there—or after—should the campaign keep rocking along at such an awe-inspiring pace!)

So what’s our next stretch goal? They can’t all be new books, but we can make the books we’re making better. When we get to $120,000, we’ll add a poster map to Claim the Sky. This double-sided, oversized poster will be included in every copy of the hardcover (and as a high-res extra with the PDF). It will be similar to those we’ve done for the existing genre books, Stay Alive!, The Stars Are Fire, We Are All Mad Here, and the forthcoming Godforsaken.

Please spread the word—it’s by reaching new backers that we drive those numbers up! Remind people that every pledge level includes the complete Cypher System Rulebook in PDF, so they don’t have to own the corebook already to get in on this great Kickstarter.

And as a thanks for unlocking The Origin, here’s a closer look at the cover art for the book!

First Responders Gets Bigger!
over 3 years ago – Wed, Nov 11, 2020 at 10:51:57 PM

You’re knocking out stretch goals with super speed!

Just a couple of hours after funding this campaign, you’re already taking us into stretch goal territory. That’s what we call a superpower!

First Responders is getting bigger. It’s getting a significant page count increase, with more character options, gear, cyphers, and insight into the book’s unique style of play. It also means more rules for mega-challenges, and more campaign scenarios, that you can use in a First Responders campaign—or bring into any Cypher System game!

Since First Responders is a reward at every single pledge level, this gives virtually every backer a bigger, better reward!

Next: Let’s Make The Origin!

More superpowers? Of course!

Superhero settings can be very different, so while the Boundless setting presented in Claim the Sky posits a world in which supers are a fact of life, we want to also look at the other end of the genre’s spectrum. Unlike Boundless, in The Origin the setting is far more “normal”—at least at first glance. Powers exist, but only in the shadows. No spandex or capes here.

Player characters in this setting must come to grips with the fact that they can do things normal humans cannot, and then decide what to do with these abilities. Meanwhile, clandestine departments from the government, terrorist organizations, and even more mysterious groups seek to find those with powers. Some may want to study them. Others to recruit. Still others to destroy. Who can the characters ally themselves with? Whose motives can they trust? And at the heart of it all, what is the event that gave birth to these superhuman abilities in the first place—what is The Origin?

The Origin will be a standalone Cypher System supplement, but it also dovetails nicely with Claim the Sky, presenting the other side of the superpowered coin.

We’ll fund The Origin if we hit $100,000. It will be added in PDF to all backer levels from PDF Mega Event and up, and in print to Superteam and up. (Secret Base, the retailer level, works differently and is an exception.) So if The Origin—and possible future new products—appeals to you, make sure you’re backing at a level that gets you all the unlocked stretch goals!