TEXT: V1.0 copyright © 2001 Marco Chacon 
  Children Of The Nuclear Age 
  A popcorn (action adventure) Super Hero scenario for 2-5 players. The characters are students at 
  an elite high school in upstate New York. 
   
  With the detonation of the Atomic Bomb, the Nuclear Age has come and its children are more 
  than human. O'Neil Mutations (first classified by Dr. Cornelius O'Neil), commonly called 'Nukies,' 
  are a new strain of humanity with awesome powers and, often, a terrifying capability for violence. 
  You are high school aged mutants, attending the Virgo Academy, an elite private school where 
  normal humans and nukies mix under the eye of its first generation headmistress—a enigmatic 
  figure of great power. 
   
  Your characters are 50pt high school students with 4pts Weird Stuff and 4E/4D  (standard) letters 
  for super powers. Choose a handle (a superhero name) for your character. 
  • 
  Nukies are often defined by their tragedies as much as their powers. A tragedy 
  (described in the Supers Rules) is something that's wrong with you powers (in general) 
  or wrong with you because of your powers. Your character should have a Tragedy 
  (receiving either an A or a B additional letter). If you do not have a tragedy other nukies 
  (especially highly mutated ones) may deride you as a 'pretty-boy/girl' nukie … one who 
  was not so cursed. 
  • 
  Nukies are seriously distrusted if not outright hated by most of society. Your home-life 
  before you came to the Virgo Academy (a journey described below) was probably very 
  rough. Firstly not all Nukies establish their full strength immediately and secondly many 
  go through transitions of uncontrolled power usage during which they are normally 
  vulnerable to violence. Many of your characters may have lived on the street, been 
  runaways, etc. 
  • 
  Nukies are a relatively recent phenomena. There is a 'first generation' (including Virgo, 
  who runs the school) but most Nukies are within 10 years of your age (about 16-17). 
   
  The Virgo Academy 
  You attend the Virgo Academy (newly arrived). It is an elite private school run by a first-
  generation nukie, a woman with the handle Virgo (Kathryn De'Lenor). She is an extremely 
  powerful mentalist with a Force Field which, when active, gives her an almost angelic 
  appearance.  
   
  You want to make your attendance work: The Virgo Academy has a group of nukies like yourself 
  and offers an excellent opportunity. It's the only place you've ever been that you fit in. Sometimes 
  the rules and regulations are annoying (and no one like having chores or homework) but it has 
  real opportunity … and so far it hasn't been boring! 
   
  Two Paths To Entry 
  Your character may have come to the Virgo Academy one of two ways: Scholarship or The 
  Underground Railroad. 
   
  The Underground Railroad 
  It is a loose-knit group of safe houses, friendly truckers, and other people who help feed, 
  clothe, shelter, and transport mutant runaways—a cliché in the social world of nukies—to 
  one of the areas where the schools recruit. A man named Alexi, the dean of students at 
  the Virgo Academy, met you and he offered you a home, a place to live, a place with 
  people like yourself … a place where you might fit in and belong. 
  • 
  Characters choosing this method spent some time on the run and on the street. 
  • 
  They usually have no home they can go back to. It is likely they have been disowned, 
  abused, or otherwise expelled traumatically from their community. 
  • 
  Such characters may be wanted by the authorities (but not for serious crimes). 
   
   
  
  V1.0 copyright © 2001 Marco Chacon 
  Direct Recruitment 
  You, your parents, or someone you know contacted the Virgo Academy. It's an elite prep 
  school that, as it turns out, has an excellent diversity program geared toward nukies. You 
  met with the school recruiter and signed up! 
  • 
  This method should be chosen if the character is to have a good relationship with 
  their family. 
  • 
  The character may purchase a (small) amount of wealth indicating that he or she 
  comes from a very wealthy family. The effect will be to give the character a slightly 
  higher allowance. 
   
  The World 
  The world of the Nukie-verse is one where nukies (super beings) have only been around for 
  about 2 generations. The first generation came unheralded. The elder-adult age nukies are rare 
  and they tend to keep out of the public eye. Although there are handles ('pyro-boy') and costumes 
  (wonder-materials) there aren't many real 'superheroes.' This is partially because most nukies 
  have a hard enough time just getting by and partially because if a nukie gets really out of control 
  there are organizations that will step in—quietly—to put things right. 
   
  O'Neil Mutations 
  Technically nukies are called O'Neil Mutations after Dr. Cornelius O'Neil of the National 
  Science Foundation. He was the first person to isolate the 'high-energy-genome' that 
  makes nukies work.  Power usage is called an O'Neil Manifestation. The genome 
  becomes active around puberty. It can be detected by a blood test (O'Neil Screening). 
   
  First Generation 
  The first-gen nukies (aged between 40-50) are rare. Their children (between 10 and 30 
  years of age) are second-gen. The characters are third-gen. While nukies almost always 
  breed true (and it's a dominant trait), even normal human couples can have a nukie child. 
  Blood tests are usually not done until later in life. The O'Neil test doesn't work well on 
  infants (the reasons are unclear). These first-generation mutants are thought of as being 
  somehow nobler and a few of them are vastly more powerful than ordinary nukies. 
   
  The Destruction Trend 
  The most disturbing thing Dr. O'Neil noted in his report was that nukies tended (with a 
  strong statistical trend) to be not just capable of paranormal abilities but of paranormal 
  violence. Almost as though they were designed as some kind of super-predator, many of 
  them had either biological or (more surprisingly) energy weapons. There is no known 
  explanation for this but it has not made Ma and Pa America sleep any easier at night. 
   
  Nukies In Sports/Entertainment/Etc. 
  Nukies are banned from all national league sports. They don't exist in the entertainment 
  field. Some famous people and even a few young sports heroes are or have been 
  secretly O'Neil mutations. The sports figures, when discovered, are reviled and thrown 
  out, even if their mutation had nothing to do with the game they play.  
   
  In the entertainment field it's kept quiet … but there's always the danger. Being a nukie is 
  political suicide (only a few nukies are old enough to be really active in politics anyway). 
  Overall, if you can keep it quiet: you do. 
   
  
  V1.0 copyright © 2001 Marco Chacon 
  Wonder Materials 
  One of the scientific breakthroughs to come out of examination of the nukie phenomena 
  is the science of Wonder Materials. These are materials that change properties in the 
  field of an O’Neil manifestation. If a nukie has a costume made of Wonder Materials and 
  activates her Body of Flame, it won’t burn—the material will be transparent to it and allow 
  the effect to travel through it. Most of the schools can get their students Wonder Material 
  clothing—but it usually does not look normal (it might be bulky, slick, etc., depending on 
  how it was constructed). 
   
  The Underground Railroad 
  The Underground Railroad is the common name for a loose-knit chain of people, safe-
  houses, and assistants who find and help nukies who have been living on the street. 
  They channel them (over the course of days) to one of the major cities (Chicago, New 
  Your, Denver, Phoenix, Atlanta, and others) where they are housed until they choose a 
  school. 
   
  The Schools 
  There are several—no one knows how many—schools for nukies. A few of these are 
  nukie-only. Others are charter programs at existing organizations. Many are private and a 
  few are secret. When a person (usually at the age of puberty) starts displaying O'Neil 
  Manifestations (super powers) they are often ostracized by their families. Many are 
  thrown out, more run away. A few result in tragedies (friends or enemies being killed in a 
  sudden, uncontrolled release of power). 
   
  The schools are where they wind up. Most nukies in the railroad haven't heard of them or 
  don't imagine they could ever go to an elite private academy. The characters have 
  traveled to New York where they were put in a hotel and interviewed by several different 
  schools. They chose the Virgo Academy. 
   
  Toon Town 
  There are several cities with 'toon towns' but none like New York. Toon Town is where 
  the nukies live. These are 20-35 year old nukies (first or second generation but not ultra 
  powerful). It isn't a place a normal human wants to be caught alone. 
   
  Toon Town is marked with huge swatches of day-glow graffiti that warn people coming off 
  the exit ramp to turn back! The streets themselves are pretty clean but something's not 
  right: the colors on the buildings look 'off.' Huge spike-backed monsters wander the 
  streets. Toon Town is a rough place … even for a nukie. The hotel where the characters 
  stayed during recruitment was in Toon Town's heart and through their window they could 
  see that they didn't want to spend their lives out there (especially for a human looking 
  'pretty boy/girl' nukie). For their part, the denizens of Toon Town didn't want the kids—
  they realized there was no life for them there in the freak show.  
   
  There are normal people in Toon Town, even tour buses (who pay protection money to 
  the local syndicate). Not everyone is a freak but nothing's normal either. From the 
  unidentifiable food you get at the semi-Asian restaurants (don't look too closely) to the 
  utterly bizarre strip-clubs and speakeasies filled with smoke-borne chemicals that aren't 
  on the FBI's narcotics list, the whole place has more than one foot in the surreal. 
   
  Outside the US 
  Nukies are a commodity anywhere. In other nations they are recruited (often forcibly) into 
  the military. The US has an abnormally high nukie population and some countries actively 
  (and illegally) recruit in the US. The upshot of all of this is that normal people fear foreign 
  government’s alleged recruitment of Nukies (they paradoxically don’t want nukies in the 
  military and fear a “nukie-gap” with other nations). US isolationism is rising. 
   
  
  V1.0 copyright © 2001 Marco Chacon 
  Welcome to the Virgo Academy 
  All of us are different, some in subtle ways, others in more overt ones. These differences make us 
  who we are but they can also be a source of conflict and confusion. At the Virgo Academy our 
  revolutionary program puts you or your children into a safe, caring environment where they can 
  get the acceptance and enrichment they require.  
  For Students 
  At the Virgo Academy you'll meet people like 
  yourself and get to learn and relax in a 
  controlled, supervised, and safe environment. 
  Our 
  expert 
  instructors 
  have 
  top-notch 
  experience in assisting in the control of O'Neil 
  manifestation effects. 
   
  When you aren't learning, you can relax in the 
  estate pool or spa, go horseback riding, or use 
  or 
  state-of-the-art 
  video 
  and 
  television 
  entertainment center. 
   
  Higher Education 
  There are several schools that cater to students 
  in your position. None of them have a program 
  as well suited to finding you a place in higher 
  education as the Virgo Academy.  
   
  History 
  The Virgo Academy has a lengthy and 
  distinguished history—it was a preparatory 
  school shortly after the nation was born and 
  has been prominent for almost one and a half 
  centuries. Despite this heritage, it has been kept 
  modern with numerous updates. 
  For Parents  
  Adolescence can be a trying time—even more 
  so when you're different.  The Virgo Academy 
  understands the special needs of your children.  
   
  Kathryn De'Lenor is a nationally recognized 
  expert in the field of O'Neil psychology and 
  has received government grants and worked 
  with the Department of Education and the 
  Department of Defense on programs for 
  unusual youths. 
   
  At the academy your children will learn and 
  grow in a disciplined environment, one where 
  we are capable of gently and caringly handling 
  the sometimes wild tempests of youth. 
   
  Choosing the Virgo Academy is the right 
  choice for a son or daughter who is facing a 
  lifetime struggle to fit in—choose a place where 
  he or she will find numerous friends, an 
  enriching environment, and the instruction and 
  discipline that other schools are often unable to 
  provide. 
  Special Facilities 
  The Virgo Academy features the following unusual facilities: 
  • 
  Weight machines capable of handling up to 3 tons of lift. 
  • 
  Archery and target practice range (with titanium targets capable of withstanding 3,800 
  lbs tensile impulse and shear) 
  • 
  Full medical facilities, on call doctor, and surgical theater. 
  • 
  Computer network with its own multi-national satellite network and relay system.  
  • 
  Equestrian riding ground. 
   
  The Rules (From the Student Handbook) 
  • 
  No Special-Status student may exhibit his or her abilities in a threatening manner. If there is 
  any question, the Special-Status student will be reprimanded and disciplined accordingly. It 
  is best to avoid confusion by restraining in exercise of O'Neil manifestation. 
  • 
  If a Special-Status student harms another student, even in self-defense, with an O'Neil 
  manifestation, the special-status student will be subject to severe disciplinary measures 
  (probably including expulsion). 
  • 
  Use of an O'Neil manifestation to circumvent school rules (i.e. to cheat on an exam) will carry 
  additional heavy penalties. 
  • 
  Misconduct of any sort by a Special-Status student will carry additional penalties as they are expected 
  to set a standard of behavior for the school. 
  
  V1.0 copyright © 2001 Marco Chacon 
  The Virgo Academy Estate stands 
  5 stories tall including the tower. 
  It's exterior is stone and it has a 
  carriage house out front.  
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  1. 
  Storage under the tower. 
  1.1  Armory. 
  2.  Central security monitor and 
  duty station. 
  3.  Secure holding cell. 
  4.  Generator room. 
  5. Entry from upstairs: security 
  cameras. 
  6. Student lockers and showers. 
  8.  Armory 
  9. Storage. 
  11. Clinic and medical theater. 
  14. Training hall / battle training 
  facility / Gymnasium 
  16. Off limits 
  17. Off limits 
   
   
  Side View 
   
   
   
  Basement 
   
   
  
  V1.0 copyright © 2001 Marco Chacon 
   
  115. Carriage House. 
  100. Grand Entryway 
  103. Central Hall. 
  104. Formal Dining room 
  106. Pantry 
  107. Kitchen 
  108. Breakfast Room 
  109. Laundry/cleaning supplies 
  110. Formal Lounge 
  111. Garden Entrance 
  112. Library. 
   
  Central Hall 
   
   
  200. Tower Chamber 
  202. Alexi's Master Bedroom 
  205. Guest Room 
  206. Bedroom (boys) 1 
  207. Bedroom (boys) 2 
  208. Bathroom 
  209. Excel's Room 
  210. Bathroom 
  211. Trophy Room 
  212. Bedroom (boys) 3 
  213. Display room 
  214. Sitting Room (lounge) 
   
   
   
   
   
  302. Virgo's Room 
  304. Virgo's Boudoir 
  305. Bedroom (girls) 4 w/ bath 
  306. Bedroom (girls) 5 w/ bath 
  307. Music Room 
  308. Bathroom 
  309. Upstairs lounge (game room) 
  310. Command/Media Center 
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  First Floor 
   
   
  Second Floor 
   
  Third Floor 
   
   
  
  V1.0 copyright © 2001 Marco Chacon 
   
  401. Gymnastics training hall 
  ballroom 
   
   
  View Down Central Stair: 
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  Fourth Floor 
   
  The Tower 
   
   
   
  
  V1.0 copyright © 2001 Marco Chacon 
  The Academy Grounds (the School Itself) 
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  •PLAYERS: STOP READING NOW • 
  • IF YOU CONTINUE READING YOU WILL RUIN YOUR ABILITY TO PLAY IN 
  THE CAMPAIGN • 
  
  V1.0 copyright © 2001 Marco Chacon 
  GM's Notes 
  This is a world-book setting (and a few adventure seeds). How exactly the characters fit in will 
  need to be determined by you. Rather than being divided into Acts and Scenes (like JAGS 
  modules) this is more of a reference. 
   
  The Dark Secret 
  The characters have been recruited by a Cabal, a secret (or not so secret as the case may be) 
  society run by powerful Nukies. Nukies, even less powerful ones, are valuable. They have a trait 
  (not obvious, even to most medical examination) called suit (like a deck of cards). There are 5 
  Suits (called Hearts, Diamond, Clubs, Spades, and Joker). When you get a certain number of 
  Nukies with the right suits together sometimes something happens. This something is called a 
  Synergy Event. When this occurs, some or all of the nukies in the group vastly increase in power 
  scale. 
   
  The characters (and most of the Nukies in the world) are Omega 1 scale. After a Synergy Event 
  they will be Omega 5 or 10. Virgo and her co-conspirators (and, indeed the other Cabals) are 
  groups of nukies that have gone through these events early on by accident. Thus, nukies (young 
  ones capable of bonding into Synergy Groups) are like collectable cards: you want to collect, 
  trade, and build out your hand or 'deck.' Some hands are better than others: some groups and 
  combinations more readily undergo the flashover event. Some nukies are better examples of the 
  suits than others. To know for sure you have to do genetic testing … and there's a lot that's not 
  understood about that. 
   
  Something that is known is that attitude and 'power signature' (or "Jungian Phenotype") have a lot 
  to do with what suit a nukie has and how well he bonds with others. A nukie's Power Signature is 
  how his powers look and work. It was noticed early on (by the nukies) that there were certain 
  themes within their ranks. These themes (sometimes obvious, other times less so) were the initial 
  clues as to how to form their groups. 
   
  What Suit are the PC's (and NPC's) 
  It isn't that important. Firstly, they're some of all suits with dominant and regressive traits. 
  Secondly, whether they fit a theme or not is important. Thirdly there's a complex science 
  of 'valences' and 'bonding' as to how they fit into a Synergy Event. Finally: no one really 
  understands it all. It's still in the guesswork stage (lots of people think they have the 
  answer). 
   
  As the Game Master you'll have to decide who eventually gets it all right—but the point 
  is, it's complex and the reasons for these cabals warring with each other are fairly arcane. 
  Have the character's turn up something like this and see what they make of it. 
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  Gene Anomalies: 
  X-S-L-H-? 
  E/I Ratio: Open 
  Volatility Index: 0.1 
  Trait Index 
  CATGC  TACAG TCGAC  AAGTC  
  GACCA  CATTG CAXXF  XAHIG 
  CGGXA  GAXXY CATAC  CATAG 
  SACCA  TAGGA XXAGG  GGACG    
  GAXAC  GAGGA GACAT  TAGGA 
  CAXAT  LAHAT DAGAX  SAGAC 
  Genetic Report:  Snow Devil 
  Jungian-Phenotype Index: 8.33 
  H 
  D 
  S 
  C 
  J 
  HhHH 
  DdDd 
  ssss 
  CCcc 
  J?j? 
   
  O'Neil Blood Typing: 7/1.00e-9 [POSITIVE] 
  CDC Valence Graph: 
   
   
   
   
   
   
  ♠ 
  ♦        ♠ 
  ♥♥ 
  
  V1.0 copyright © 2001 Marco Chacon 
  The Cabals 
  There are several active power-groups composed of nukies in the US and the world.  The scope 
  of this book isn't going to include all of them (and of course you can create your own) but here are 
  some examples: 
   
  The Cabals are aware of each other and believe that if any one group gets too powerful (i.e. is 
  too successful at recruiting and creating loyal or brainwashed Synergy Groups) they will destroy 
  the others, all of them are playing with survival as one of their primary goals. After that, some of 
  them are aiming for conquest, genocide, or even making the world a better place to live by 
  keeping the peace. 
   
  Zodiac 
   
  Description: an incredibly powerful group of 12 
  Nukies that run the school the characters attend 
  (not all of them have zodiac themed powers—
  some barely fit the title. A few of them are dead 
  on). 
  Goals: Varied. Some of the Zodiac members 
  work for the good of mankind (Aquarius). 
  Others are interested in personal power 
  (Tarus). Together they are an extremely 
  wealthy and powerful group. They meet once or 
  twice a year and otherwise keep in contact with 
  members they like.  
  Schools: 
  • 
  The Virgo Academy (run by Virgo): an elite private school with both humans and nukies. 
  • 
  The Tessel Academy (owned by Gemini and Scorpio): a private school that held only 
  nukies. Since the nearby Virgo Academy has proved more successful, Scorpio's team is 
  now there (and it's creating friction) 
  • 
  Others not in the area (west coast schools) 
  Personality: The Zodiac are refined. They act like high-society aristocrats and, economically, are. 
  Although there are many voices at the table, they, as a whole can be ruthless when they want 
  something or are threatened. 
   
  The Titans 
   
  Description: The leader of the Titans looks 
  like the ancient monster Typhon (a man 
  with a snake's body and large bat-wings). 
  They live underground in a base built in the 
  abandoned 
  and 
  walled-up 
  pneumatic 
  subway system in New York. 
  Goals: Survival. The Titans are not 
  wealthy and believe that if they don't keep 
  their location and existence a secret they 
  will be destroyed by humanity or the other 
  Cabals 
  Schools: 
  • 
  None. They kidnap or recruit those who fit their mold. 
  Personality: The Titans are monsters—but are often noble ones. The majority of them 
  are non-human in appearance. Although some are handsome (Icarus and his sister) they 
  are usually circumspect about appearing in public. 
   
  
  V1.0 copyright © 2001 Marco Chacon 
   
  Isis 
   
  Description: Isis is the name of the head 
  of a small government conspiracy.  There 
  are two other first-gen nukes allied with her. 
  They have links to several powerful, liberal 
  senators on their side. 
  Goals: The Isis project is on the black-
  budget in congress. It is supposed to be a 
  weapons development program but it’s 
  really a series of secret schools designed 
  to try to prevent an upcoming disaster: a 
  war between nukie-kind and mankind.  
  Schools: 
  • 
  They have several secret bases posing as other structures. They make their 
  recruits disappear or give them a cover story (some attend normal schools with 
  their identities kept secret). 
  Personality: Isis is a progressive, kind, and immensely powerful entity. Her organization 
  believes that the Cabals will eventually push mankind to the brink and it will result in 
  genocide for one or the other. She and her fellows: Apollo and Zeus seek to prevent that.  
   
  If the characters leave the Virgo Academy, the Isis project would be a good place for 
  them to disappear to. 
   
  Pentacle 
   
  Description: Five nukies in high positions 
  in the US Government. They are behind the 
  nukie military recruitment project. 
  Goals: Control of the US and supremacy 
  over the world. They have the stats from 
  the government genetics study of nukies. 
  They know the power they can wield if they 
  can control the US politically and use their 
  power against the rest of the globe. 
  Schools: 
  • 
  The Eagle Academy: a military academy with nukie cadets. It is very strict and 
  regimented. There is an extreme focus on loyalty training. 
  • 
  West Point: although nukies are not currently allowed to serve (the bill is adrift in 
  a divided congress) they can attend and graduate. 
  Personality: The school is an elitist military academy. The Pentacle organization is 
  disciplined, severe, and well informed. They represent the greatest threat of this group to 
  Zodiac. 
   
  Colt Bioforge 
   
  Description: The most active arm of a 
  mega-multinational conglomerate run by 
  humans. They have only two Omega 10 
  Nukies 
  … 
  and they are both paid 
  employees, not on the board. 
  Goals: They are trying to find ways to turn 
  themselves and their soldiers into super-
  humans. They know more about the nukie 
  genome than anyone else and control vast 
  sums of money. 
  Schools: 
  • 
  The Pendragon Scholarship: This is a prestigious scholarship given to nukies 
  who participate in programs at small private universities (which are paid 
  handsomely). It comes with many rules governing the behavior of the nukies. 
  There they are trained and (hopefully) made to feel that only Colt Bioforge really 
  cares for them. More importantly, they are studied. 
  Personality: Ruthless and rich, the top of the corporation is a power-mad monster. There 
  are cells in it, however, that think that its public do-gooder persona should be promoted. 
  These are the people actually running the schools. 
   
   
   
   
  
  V1.0 copyright © 2001 Marco Chacon 
  The Hive Mind 
   
  Description: In the late 50’s the police 
  found a group of five people in a house in 
  the wilderness. They lay on their backs in a 
  pattern like a star. They were all dead. 
   
  Their bodies were, however, resistant to 
  dissection, cremation, and examination. 
  They were taken and still exist in storage in 
  a government facility.  
   
  The cult had left their bodies. They had 
  become a telepathic entity out near the 
  moon: They had become the Hive Mind. 
  Goals: Enslavement. The Hive Mind is 
  infectious. It is a single mind with multiple-
  personality-disorder. It is, in essence, a 
  hungry, angry god. 
   
  The creators were Telepathic Nukies. Their 
  legacy is one of corruption and mental 
  infection.  All the law officers involved with 
  the discovery of the bodies either went 
  missing or committed suicide.  
   
  Even handling the documents concerning 
  the Hive Mind is dangerous. People have 
  become delusional and obsessed. 
  Schools: The Hive Mind has cults. Nukies are snatched and brainwashed in cults 
  (usually held by other nukies). When they are vulnerable, the mind will contact them and 
  they will become a conduit for the entity. 
  Personality: The cults range from public and seemingly harmless to secret and terrifying. 
  When you know what’s all behind it then it really gets scary. 
   
   
  
  V1.0 copyright © 2001 Marco Chacon 
  Purify 
  The characters may have heard of these guys but they're not in the player's section. You can 
  explain it to them. Purify is a North American terrorist organization dedicated to the genocide of 
  nukies. They have had some help from a nukie called The Misanthrope. He is a Super Genius 
  Nihilist nukie that has created several weapons systems for Purify (and other renegade world 
  governments). The leadership of the organization realizes the hypocrisy of their benefactor: the 
  troops have the impression that he must just be a really smart human. 
   
  Heavy Mazer 
  36pt Radiation Attack 
  -1/15y 
  1 turn charge up. 
  The Heavy Mazer looks a little like a white, high-tech shoulder fired anti-tank weapon with 
  a beam projector on the end instead of a barrel. Its attack is insidious: you get radiation 
  poisoning even if you survive the initial burst. These are rare and expensive; a strike 
  team will have (at most) one of these. It can fire 4 times on a standard charge. 
   
  AFF Rocket 
  41pt Explosive 
  -1/15y 
  4 rockets 
  Anti-Force Field Missile: a man-portable rocket launcher (it takes 2 seconds to set up and 
  get in aiming position). It is fired from the sitting or kneeling position (like the Army's 
  Dragon Missile). It requires a to-hit roll at SKILL+1 (targeting system). The next turn it can 
  be fired. It then makes it's own to-hit roll at 16- against Force Field using targets. If the 
  target drops the field it's to-hit roll goes to a 13-. It goes 40 yards per second. 
   
  E-Sensor 
   
   
   
  An E-Sensor is a bulky object that looks a bit like a large portable oscilloscope (about 20 
  lbs). It is designed to detect O'Neil energy signatures at range. It can detect use of 
  powers (of many sorts) within 200 yards on an operator roll (Trivial Skill, MEM based, 
  usually 13-). If the GM deems powers to be somehow quiet or purely biological they are 
  at –3 to detect. Energy powers (Force Field, Powered Flight, etc.) are at +3. Once 
  detected, the sensor can track the target while he is within range. 
   
  Tranq Dart 
  12 PEN, -20 Armor Reduction 
  -1/10" 
  3 shots 
  The dart uses a special nerve toxin that will paralyze the target. It uses Paralysis toxin 
  (See the attacks book). It must break the skin. Because of the (against a nukie) relatively 
  low power of the dart, it is considered risky. If the 20pts of Armor-Reduction is more 
  defense than the nukie has, the armor's PEN resistance is halved. The POWER of the 
  attack is 15-, Strongly Resisted by CON. 
   
  Frenzy Serum 
  STR +29 
  BLD +10 
  Damage Pts +24 
  The nukie Frenzy was captured and is held in a secret prison being drained, slowly, of 
  her blood. This is used to make the Frenzy Serum, a kind of hyper-steroid. Some of the 
  chosen troopers are given doses before a mission. On Frenzy, a human can stand up to 
  a nukie (somewhat). 
   
  When taken it causes a sudden, immediate, increase in strength. It also raises the body 
  temperature to 103F and begins converting body-fat into muscle. It is washed down with 
  several gallons of nutrients and the subjects gain physical size in a matter of minutes. 
   
  The Frenzy Serum has horrific long-term effects: psychosis, mutation, massive hyper-fast 
  cancer, etc.  This is not widely known amongst the troops (after a few weeks the member 
  will be transferred to a secret base in the mid-west and euthanized—his teammates will 
  simply believe he was hidden out of the country). 
   
   
   
   
   
  
  V1.0 copyright © 2001 Marco Chacon 
   
  Name: Gary Durham 
  Handle: White Knight 
  15 
  PHY 12 
  STR 60 
  BLD 26 
  CON 12 
  Damage Pts   
  18 
  STC 15- (-1:10pts) 
  5+8 
  REF 11 
  COR 13 
  REA 11 
  AGI 11 
  Basic Punch 
  55 
      
   
  5 
  INT 10 
  RES 11 
  MEM 11 
  WIL 12 
  Basic Kick  
  66 
   
   
  27 
  Enhancements 
   
   
  Skills 
   
   
  4 
  Tough +4 DP 
   
   
  Ranged Combat 
  L2 
  14- 
   
   
   
   
  Street Fighting 
  L2 
  14- 
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  Philosophy 
  L1 
  12- 
   
  Defects 
   
   
   
   
   
  -2 
  Full of hate 
   
   
   
   
   
  -3 
  Serious enemies 
   
   
   
   
   
   
  Tragedy: Suit [a] 
   
   
   
   
   
  Rank Powers 
   
   
   
   
   
  J 
  Power Armor (Standard) +49 STR, 150 DP +15 BLD 
   
  F 
  --Armor 25/50pts 
   
  E 
  9mm Mini-Gun: 6 DMG, -1/5", 32 ROF, -1/2 Ctrl 
   
  E 
  Wrist-rockets: 38pt Explosive (+2 BLD, 20 rockets) 
   
  F 
  Particle Beam (1 turn charge-up) 36pt (-14 to Force Fields) 
   
  C 
  Flight Pack: Powered Flight 20 
   
  A 
  Night/Infrared Vision 
   
   
   
   
   
  White Knight 
  The White Knight is one of Purify's ultimate weapons: a creation of the Super Genius nihilist The 
  Misanthrope, it is a suit of powered armor that is designed for lethal combat with nukies.  
  Appearance: The White Knight suit is a high-tech suit of 'partial' plate mail over a slick, white, 
  flexible-metal body suit. The wearer's muscles show through it. There is a large assembly on the 
  right wrist that wraps around it ('wrist rockets') and on the left, a sealed belt of ammo snakes out 
  from a box on a waist-belt (ammo for the gatling-gun style 9mm cannon). The particle beam is 
  fired from the visor, a T-shaped glowing red indentation in the helm. It takes a turn to charge 
  (onlookers will see it 'bleeding' energy). 
   
  The flight pack is a large backpack with two ½ yard diameter 'saucers' that extend from it (looking 
  a little like wings). These are retractable. They are turbo-fans and allow the suit to hover. It's 
  surprisingly quiet in operation. 
  Personality: The White Knight is a deeply unhappy man with ingrained hatred for nukies. He tells 
  stories about how the half-breeds slaughtered his parents (they are alive and well in Montana). 
  He, himself, isn't sure why he's on this road but sometimes he feels like a chosen holy warrior 
  sent to slaughter infidels. Other times he simply twists inside with a longing for vengeance on 
  those who've never hurt him. 
   
  He has studied radical, racist philosophy and can hold forth on topics like how the Holocaust 
  never happened, why one particular race (his) is supreme, etc. His understanding of his own 
  genetic superiority is a weakness: a quickly made, well-reasoned argument might slow him down 
  (but not too much) while he takes time to explain to his adversaries why he's righteous in killing 
  them. 
   
  NOTE: The White Knight is 'over letters.' He is meant to fight a group of opponents for some time. 
  Also Note: There are several suits and people like him in Purify. 
  
  V1.0 copyright © 2001 Marco Chacon 
  Astral Entities 
  Another secret of the world is the existence of Astral Entities (other than the Hive Mind). These 
  are what you would reasonably call ghosts. When a person dies, whatever happens to their 'soul,' 
  there may be a residue left behind. This energy residue is the echo of their personality. 
  Sometimes it is true to their legacy. Sometimes it gets twisted.  
   
  Most are hard to detect (even a telepath usually needs the unusual trait Sensitive) and can only 
  make their presence known with a blast of cold air, a faint eerie wind, or a feeling of being 
  watched. Others are more active. Even powerful psionics like Virgo believe this to be superstition. 
   
  GM's Note: One aspect to the Nukie-verse is that of the ghost story and astral travel. If 
  you feel this doesn't belong in a super-hero game, feel free to ignore this aspect: in that 
  case the Academy isn't really haunted, just creepy. A possible explanation for all this is 
  that the presence of the Hive Mind has caused the astral ether to become 'active' again, 
  calling these things up. 
   
  Phantasm 
  A Phantasm is the embodiment of fear. It is a hungry, lonely being and will try to prey 
  upon those it can. When a Phantasm finds a target (usually someone alone and mildly 
  spooked) it will stalk them. The more the person believes in it, the more powerful it 
  becomes. At first, things will be slight: moving objects, slamming doors, tilting pictures, 
  etc. If the person becomes afraid, then it can sink its teeth in. 
   
  When a Phantasm strikes it will attempt to isolate the target (once the target believes, it 
  can call out in only a voice the target can hear, make noises of rattling chains, etc.) It will 
  attempt to frighten the target to death. 
   
  A Phantasm usually only gets one chance to feed on its victim. The POWER is based on 
  the character's belief: 
  Character Is Roleplaying Fear: POWER is 13-. 
  Character 'believes it is someone playing games': Power is 12-. 
  Character believes in ghosts: 11- 
  Character is being badly Roleplayed: 14- (you get a break for roleplaying real unease) 
  Character is really afraid: 15- 
   
   
  Result 
  Effect 
  Minor Effect 
  Target feels the cold 'chill of death.' WIL+2 roll not to run from the place. 
  Standard Effect 
  Target sees a terrifying image. WIL roll not to run. 
  Major Effect 
  Target is terrified: WIL is reduced by 1 and Phantasm can try again (target is 
  frozen with fear) 
  Critical Effect 
  Target is horrified. WIL is reduced by 2 and Phantasm can try again (target 
  screams, cowers, etc.) 
  Catastrophic Effect 
  Target is petrified. WIL is reduced by 3 and Phantasm can try again (hair 
  turns white, etc.) 
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  
  V1.0 copyright © 2001 Marco Chacon 
  Abominations 
  Sometimes the dead bodies can be re-inhabited and get up and walk around. 
  Abominations are dry animate corpses. They are very sneaky and supernaturally silent. 
  They have odd motivations. Some are dangerous, some are curious. However, they feed 
  on emotions of fear so you don't want one in your neighborhood.  
   
  Name: Abomination 
   
   
  PHY -- 
  STR 24 
  BLD 8 
  STC 12- 
  DP 240 
  Armor: 12 
  REF 12 
  COR 10 
  REA 10 
  AGI 10 
  TBH -0 
  INT -- 
  RES -- 
  MEM -- 
  WIL -- 
  To-Hit 14- 
  Description: The Abomination appears as a rotted human corpse. It does not shamble—it moves 
  with frightening fluidity. They are incredibly strong for their weight and can climb effortlessly. 
  Stealth: Level 3, 18-. They also have a –3 Cloak power (wrapped in shadows) 
  Undead-Vision: They can see perfectly well in the dark. They know where every living thing is 
  within a 30 yard radius. 
  Life Drain: The Abomination can drain life. It Grapples and can drain 12pts (ignores armor, does 
  not penetrate force fields). Draining will replenish its own DP by 2pts for every point it drains. 
  Minor Success: -2 DM 
  Standard Result: +0 DM 
  Major Success: +4 DM 
  Critical Success: +6 DM 
  Emotovore: They can feed on fear. Usually a sudden fright will sustain one but sometimes they 
  get more and more hungry … they may attack their prey with intent to stalk and kill it, driving the 
  fear up to extremely high levels. 
  Automaton: they take no penetrating damage (use the Automaton damage rules) 
   
  Guardian Geist 
  Spirits, (given a fancy German name) that have 'returned' to watch over something or 
  someone. They may defend a possession they had in life (making life miserable for the 
  new owner) or may actually defend a person—either someone they knew or a person 
  who reminds them of someone they new. It this case it's like having a guardian angel. 
   
  Guardian Geists have POWER 12 TK (striking or lifting for 12pts of damage) but very 
  rarely use their full strength. They also can't handle much attention. If they are being 
  sought, they tend to hide. Usually they work in eerie, hit and run techniques (throwing 
  something, making a mess when no one's watching, etc.) 
  
  V1.0 copyright © 2001 Marco Chacon 
  The School Grounds And Descriptions 
  The players should have the mansion described to them (as well as the grounds in general). They 
  can go exploring when time permits. 
   
  The Mansion 
  The mansion is a massive, pre colonial-era stone building that has been re-modeled many times 
  in its 150+yr history. When you reach the school grounds you encounter a 12'-high Victorian iron 
  gate and massive stone wall which surrounds the private grounds of the house (Virgo's property 
  extends beyond that, encompassing the school and even the town). The road winds and twists 
  through a shaded glen of evergreen trees. Coming around a sharp curve you see the house: a 
  breathtaking mansion atop a small hill. Below it is a circular driveway with a coach house off to 
  the left where several of Virgo's cars, including her personal transport—a Silver Shadow Rolls 
  Royce—are housed. 
   
  Inside the house is a mixture of the modern and the antique. Unique chandeliers hang from the 
  ceilings (the one in the entry-way weighs over 40lbs of Waterford crystal). The walls are dark 
  wood with splashes of light from open windows and stained glass. The kitchen and dining room 
  are modernized with facilities to cook for dozens. 
   
  Upstairs in the command chamber is a wide-screen TV, a computer network with several stations, 
  and a global communication system that Virgo has the access codes to.  
   
  The rec-room includes a Brunswick Regulation pool table and a 1940's Wuritzler Jukebox (and a 
  more modern sound system as well). 
   
  The library is an eclectic room with locked shelves (glass fronts) displaying originals by Dickens, 
  Melville, and others. It is decorated with felt backed chairs, framed pictures of Virgo's ancestors, 
  and pictures of odd, dismal landscapes. The room is crammed with nooks and crannies and odd 
  statues. Often one has an uneasy feeling of being watched there. 
   
  The formal lounge is a vast hall. At one end it is furnished with exquisite designer furniture, much 
  of it made at the turn of the century. A Steinway baby grand piano (which Virgo plays expertly) 
  rounds out the room with a display of 200-year-old Royal Copenhagen Flora Danica china (which 
  the students never eat with). At the other is a chamber with tall arched windows that is furnished 
  with world maps and globes. The table in the center is a single piece of black marble with Greek 
  writing carved into it—it came from Athens and was used by Julius Caesar. The grand hall is set 
  with busts of Virgo's ancestors and hung with European tapestries. When the Zodiac is in town, 
  they meet here (astute observers will note space for 12 chairs). 
   
  The sitting room is done with tasteful leather and suede furniture, a modest TV set, and a 
  fireplace. It also has several small tables with antique lamps suitable as a quiet place to study or 
  read. 
   
  Downstairs is the duty station: the house has its own monitors, grounds security and tracking 
  systems but at times a student may be given monitoring duty.  There are screens that show 
  cameras to all the public halls of the house and most of the outside, radar screens for overhead 
  tracking, perimeter monitors for the doors and windows, and motion-detection systems for the 
  grounds. Getting stuck on night watch is sometimes a punishment since it's usually not 
  necessary. 
   
  The Armory contains a number of mundane weapons under keypad combination lock (sub 
  machine guns, a selection of Winchester antique collectable hunting rifles, and several modern 
  Glock and H&K handguns).  
   
  The Trophy room contains turn-of-the century collectibles Virgos ancestors picked up. Ivory from 
  India, jade sculpture from Mexico, mounted heads of exotic beasts, shrunken heads in glass 
  
  V1.0 copyright © 2001 Marco Chacon 
  display cases, etc. In the 21st century, Virgo finds it a bit tacky (Rhino horns, Elephant Tusks, and 
  other pieces of endangered species are on display) but has left it out of some sense of history. 
   
  The combat training room underground consists of Nukie-scale weight machines (custom made), 
  impact-resistant cement buttressed targets (for practicing with ranged attacks), fire suppression 
  systems, and several pieces of gear that can be used to make 'obstacle courses.' 
   
   
  The Academy Building (the Preparatory School) 
  The Virgo Academy School Grounds are located ½ mile from the mansion (due to the winding 
  road and thick tree cover you can’t see one from the other).  It is a very old brick building with a 
  great deal of heritage. 
   
  Polo Trophies line a gilded glass case inside. The school is done in dark wood and polished 
  brass. Although reserved in tone, it is friendly as well. The lounges (reserved for upper-classmen 
  and nukies, underclassmen don’t have lounges) are friendly and comfortable. 
   
  The school shows its age ‘around the edges.’ The stairwells are dark, at night it can get positively 
  creepy (not that anyone should be in there). The computer labs (215) are stocked with state-of-
  the-art networked computers (and their own generators) (security is Electronics Underground or 
  Computer Skill L3, -2 to hack) but the rest of the school has a sometimes flaky electrical system. 
   
  The wrestling room (to the northwest) is also set up as a nukie 'workout' center (less serious than 
  the underground training room). 
  
  V1.0 copyright © 2001 Marco Chacon 
  Secrets and Facts About the Virgo Academy 
  The house dates from the first colonies in America (heavily modified in recent years). Over the 
  decades it housed the creepy, aristocratic Virgo line.  When it fell into Virgo’s hands (when her 
  parents committed suicide just after her graduation of finishing school) she was working on 
  building the Zodiac Society.  The school was a natural vehicle for their recruitment efforts. 
   
  The Senior Team 
  Before the current crop of nukies arrived, Virgo had an “Encounter Team.”  These were powerful 
  second-gen Nukies who she had trained to Astral Travel. She had sent them to make contact/do 
  combat with the Hive Mind and their souls never returned. When asked about them she tells 
  people they are ‘lost’ (but does not tell the characters how—the assumption is that they went to 
  some other country). Their bodies are in fact in the Bunker. 
  • 
  Solar Flare (male): Energy Body, Plasma Blast, Heat Ray. 
  • 
  Midnight (female): creates a telepathic darkness field. Has powerful Telekinesis. 
  • 
  Machine (male):  A character with perfect body control (enhanced dodge, hyper fast 
  reflexes, and a low damage high-penetration attack). 
  • 
  Lodestone (male): Very strong, magnetic powers. 
   
  Underground Areas 
  Under the mansion are two steel walled (vault quality) rooms that are off limits. Room 16 contains 
  several artifacts that Zodiac has captured (not specified here but to be named in later 
  supplements). The other (17) holds a collection of Egyptian art that is 'infected' with mental 
  memes (similar to what the Hive Mind does). These (according to what Virgo and the Zodiac 
  believe) should not exist, being thousands of years old. They whisper to those who come near 
  (telepathically). They are quite dangerous. 
   
  The Bunker 
  The bunker is a hidden, sealed building. It has shifting e-mag fields that discourage phasers. It 
  appears as a 1 story building out in the forest with no windows and only one door. Inside (should 
  the characters find a way in: it takes L3 Disarm Security Systems at a –3 roll) are members of the 
  original Senior Team in stasis sleep tubes. 
   
  The Grave Yard 
  Virgo’s aristocratic, sometimes insane ancestors are buried here. It is a creep, vine covered 
  place. It is hard to get to (no paths lead to it, but characters flying over the estate may see it). 
  There are several crypts. Virgo’s ancestors believed they were under a curse and might rise from 
  the dead. They buried their dead in sealed sarcophagi. Virgo believes this to be silly superstition 
  and didn’t do that for her parents. 
  • 
  The plots have been dug up. 
  • 
  The coffins are empty. 
  • 
  It’s up to you as the GM to decide what happened … 
   
  House Construction 
  • 
  The exterior walls are steel with electro-mag sensors in them that detect out of phase 
  characters. They have 800DP, 12 Armor, and 14- STC. A Major Failure will put a human 
  sized hole in them. 
  • 
  The grounds and the structure have a security and motion detection system. Movement 
  on the grounds after hours will be detected on a 14-. Cameras in the area will be trained 
  on it. 
  • 
  The school is under the protection of a sky-watch radar early warning system. It has a 17- 
  chance to detect a flying, human sized object. It gets three rolls starting at 12 miles 
  range. 
  • 
  There are 3 light AA guns on the roof in retractable turrets. They fire every turn with a 13- 
  to hit, -1/300” range for 40pts PEN damage. 
  
  V1.0 copyright © 2001 Marco Chacon 
  Life at the Virgo Academy 
  The Virgo Academy is set on several square miles of land owned by Virgo. The mansion has 
  been in her family (who were rich and powerful before she was a first-gen Nukie) when the US 
  was 13 colonies. It is a sweeping, white, majestic structure with sprawling manicured lawns 
  around it and a large, placid, blue lake. 
   
  It is nestled in a forest on several square miles of land that also house the prep-school and dorms 
  (for the non-nukie students), an armored underground generator, a bunker (which is sealed), and 
  a small graveyard, hidden in the woods with a gothic iron fence around it.  
   
  Day-To-Day Life 
  If you're a nukie then it's … strange. You get up in the morning in a vast, exquisitely furnished 
  mansion (of which, under the thin skin of real wood paneling is hardened steel) and then, after 
  breakfast (it's a two-person job to stay behind and clean up) you walk to school. 
   
  School is an elite prep school with a twist: you're the resident non-humans. You have special 
  classes (paranormal-gym and a special ethics class) and you're watched closely. 
   
  Student Rooms 
  Students at the Virgo Academy sleep 2 to a room (you can modify this as necessary to 
  suit your number of players). Rooms have a modicum of privacy however: 
  1. Virgo or Alexi can search the rooms at any time. 
  2. The characters have computer terminals that have internet access—but it's 
  tracked. Electronics Underground L3 or Computer Skill L3 can get around this. 
  3. Rooms may be personalized and generally are to reflect the character's 
  personality. 
   
  Teachers and staff 
  None of the regular staff are O'Neil mutations. There is elite security at the school (both 
  to protect the students from outside forces and to protect them from rogue O'Neil 
  mutations).  In the event that a student becomes upset the teachers are trained to try to 
  calm the student and diffuse the situation. If things get out of hand they've got a hot line 
  to Virgo and the security will be on call. 
   
  Security 
  The security response team wears hard-armor and carries stun-batons (high voltage 
  tasers) and a special high-technology non-deadly nerve-gas. If they ever wound up using 
  it on normal students there'd be a massive lawsuit. They hold it in reserve for a true 
  emergency. They have a weapons locker with M-16's, a SAW, and a high-powered 
  tranquilizer dart gun. 
   
  Courses 
  The students take 8 hours a day of courses. This is one more hour than the normal 
  students (and there is a fair amount of homework but with tutors and individualized 
  instruction there’s still plenty of free time). 
   
  The extra class is in Ethics and Control. It takes place in the gymnasium with a variety of 
  instructors.  There are also frequent field trips that Virgo sends the characters on (usually 
  with Alexi to oversee them). 
   
  Chores 
  All the nukie students are assigned chores (posted in the kitchen and available on the 
  house’s network). There is an allowance system, which gives them a moderate income 
  (many of the students don’t have families). Usually the students spend about 5 hours a 
  week doing chores: washing windows, vacuuming, dusting, cleaning the kitchens, etc. 
   
  
  V1.0 copyright © 2001 Marco Chacon 
  The Town 
  On Virgo’s land is a small town. Two traffic lights, four police officers, and a strip that still 
  has a general store and a malt-shop. The town is sleepy and nameless (it has a mayor 
  but it technically exists on private land). The citizens treat Vrigo with almost reverent 
  respect but are uneasy around her students (their ancestors lived on Virgo’s ancestor’s 
  land—they have a healthy relation with her. They don’t, however, like these new non-
  human people she’s brought in). 
   
  Discipline 
  The PC's are assumed to be pretty well behaved in general. If someone has made a killer 
  character they don't belong at the Virgo Academy (Virgo's ethics aside, why would she 
  put a super-powered psychopath in there with the students). On the other hand, if a 
  character has violent tendencies but has a real wish to work on them and master them 
  that may work. 
   
  Virgo expects to have to monitor some students closely and is capable of putting in 
  mental blocks that will allow the staff to shut a character down if things go badly. If a 
  character really and truly rebels, Virgo will expel him/her. Before that happens, however 
  there are several measures. 
  • 
  Boredom Enhancement: Writing lines on a chalkboard or scrubbing floors is 
  nasty boring work. Doing it for Virgo if she's mad at you is even worse. By 
  trapping your mind in a tight loop so that it nearly starves from lack of stimulation, 
  the punishment can be effective against even hardened characters (WIL roll at   
  –3 to avoid roleplaying serious regret—at least at getting caught). 
  • 
  Dream Therapy: This is more therapeutic. If a character has poorly controlled 
  violent tendencies she will run dream-scenarios where the character faces them 
  and the consequences. This will cause sudden night terrors (character wakes up 
  thinking he's killed his loved ones) and tossing and turning, moaning in his sleep, 
  etc. It seems dreadful but the 'scars' are not lasting (any more than dreams are). 
  The character will, after a week, get +2 to WIL rolls for about a month. Over time 
  this can be permanent. It is pretty traumatic, though, so she only does it if 
  someone asks for it (misbehaving). 
  • 
  Mental Observation: For less serious offenses the character may be given some 
  long-term annoying tasks (cleaning the windows, policing the grounds, etc.) Virgo 
  will place a memory-observation meme in the character and track him/her. 
  Through this, she'll know if the character was 100% dedicated to the task. If the 
  character slacked off (WIL+1 roll not to slack) then she'll reset the time of the 
  task. 
  • 
  Mental Strike: If someone attacks her or she's really angry (unlikely—she keeps 
  herself under tight control, but say a character spits on her) she may 'mentally' 
  slap the target. This is a PWR vs. WIL roll with a 16- Power (strongly resisted). 
  Result 
  Effect 
  Minor Effect 
  Character is stung. Treat as stunned. 
  Standard Effect 
  Character reels. Treat as dazed. 
  Major Effect 
  Character feels a sudden 'ice-pick' of guilt or shame. Incapacitated for 2s 
  Critical Effect 
  Character is devastated. Incapacitated  for 10min. 
  Catastrophic Effect 
  Character is nearly destroyed. Incapacitated for 10 days. 
   
   
   
  
  V1.0 copyright © 2001 Marco Chacon 
  Normal Human Students 
  During the course of the day the characters will interact with regular, non-nukie students at the 
  Virgo Academy. The presence of both creates a certain amount of tension—tension that Virgo is 
  acutely aware of. 
   
  The rules listed in the player section are well known to the student body and give some of the 
  less tolerant mundane students a potential weapon against the physically superior mutants. Virgo 
  allows this: she wants to force the characters to learn to compete on equal terms—without 
  resorting to the use of their abilities. She is also aware that they may, in the long run be more 
  distrustful of humans and (perhaps) more loyal to Zodiac. 
   
  Like most high schools there are cliques that have formed (the Virgo Academy being an elite 
  prep-school makes some of the standard cliques non-existent). 
   
  NOTE: The team members have agreed to live by Virgo's rules. They will not tolerate a general 
  violent response against the student body by PC's. This is not to say that they never do engage in 
  physical intimidation, rather that there's got to be a certain style and art to it (and you have to be 
  careful not to get caught—if a nukie sees another intimidating a student and doesn't stop it he or 
  she is guilty too). 
   
  Friends of the Characters 
  The characters will have a few legitimate human friends. These are the rare sort, who 
  aren't fooled by appearance or species (or maybe they just like being friends with 
  nukies). These characters sometimes pay a social price for their affiliations. 
   
  The Aristocrats 
  The Aristocrats are the Crem de la Crem of the families at the Virgo Academy. Their 
  parents went there before it was turned into a veritable stable for all kinds of non-humans 
  and they're plenty unhappy about it. Despite living in the somewhat Spartan dorms, these 
  students have it all (even cars parked in the city for use on weekends). They're well 
  aware they have vast economic advantages over most of the nukie students and resent 
  them bitterly. 
   
  The Polo Club 
  It's the 'sport of kings' and the Virgo Academy students certainly fit the category of 
  princes. The school competes in several polo matches a year and is second to the rival 
  school The Cheltenham Academy. This creates several problems: 
  1. They wish they could have people like Excel play (so they could win—he'd be a 
  master player). 
  2. They resent the athletic prowess that the nukies possess.  
  3. They're the darlings of the administration—but the headmistress favors the nukie 
  characters. 
   
  The Swim Team 
  The Swim Team is second in prestige to the Polo Club but they fall into the same 
  category. 
   
  The Hackers/Geeks 
  The biter irony is that the historical whipping boys of the school hierarchy are sometimes 
  above the nukies. Early on the small geeky clique decided that Danny, good though he 
  might be, wasn't one of them. They've managed to rub his face in it for quite some time 
  and, since none of them have ever seen him manifest a paranormal ability, they believe 
  that whatever his powers are, they can push him around. 
   
   
   
  
  V1.0 copyright © 2001 Marco Chacon 
   
  Student Government 
  A subset of the Aristocrats who are even more elite than the rest: the class president is 
  the king and the class vice-president the queen. They have plenty of adoring sycophants. 
  They believe they can get rid of the nukies by causing some sort of incident. They are 
  smart and careful and are working to find a way to cause the outsiders to seriously hurt 
  normal students forcing Virgo to pull them out for all time. 
   
  Some Students of Note 
  The majority of the students who attend the school get along decently with the characters. They 
  are not persecuted (mostly). However, the above cliques have more enmity for the characters 
  than one might expect considering the difference in power. Here are some friends and foes 
  amongst the mundane student body. 
   
  Name: Macy Williams 
  Clique: Friend of char 
  Name: Allan Jakar 
  Clique: Aristocrat 
  Description: Macy is a short, black haired girl in the sophomore 
  class. She's unusually kind and sensitive and has felt a real 
  sympathy for the character's plight. She is one of the first 
  normal students to come up and introduce herself to the 
  characters. Roger and Kit feel protective of her since she takes 
  flack for being friendly with them. 
   
  Description: Tall and lean, Allan has crisp Nordic good looks. He 
  comes from an ancient political family in Denmark and already 
  has practice wielding his wealth and power against enemies. He 
  despises Excel, ignores Danny, feels that Roger and Kit are 
  barbarians and similarly has contempt for everyone else. 
  Name: Stacy Grant 
  Clique: Swim Team 
  Name: Marcus Vandimir 
  Clique: Aristocrat 
  Description: A powerful swimmer, she resents the fact that for 
  all her effort she will never be as fast or as strong as the nukies 
  effortlessly are. She considers Excel (who has nukie blood but 
  no abilities) to be different from the other 'freaks.' She is quite 
  beautiful (statuesque) and has realized, with disgust, that 
  Danny has a crush on her. 
   
  Description: Marcus is powerful (13 PHY) and a natural athlete 
  (12 REF, 15- L3 Karate). He believes (wrongfully) that he could 
  beat Excel in a fight. He has physically intimidated Danny (who, 
  psychologically doesn't stand up for himself). He knows enough 
  to stay away from Roger and Kit.  
  Name: Veronica Chase 
  Clique: Student Body Vice President 
  Name: William Deverin III 
  Clique: Student Body President  
  Description: The queen of the Virgo Academy. She is 
  imperious, 
  callus, 
  and 
  assured 
  permanent 
  popularity 
  regardless. She plans to destroy the nukie presence that is 
  sullying the school. 
   
  Description: Heir to an oil fortune in the billions, Deverin plans to 
  remove the annoying interlopers from his life. Any means will do. 
  He projects profound confidence.  
  Name: Martin Laney 
  Clique: Friend of chars 
  Name: James Linn 
  Clique: Hacker  
  Description: He's a reporter for the school paper: The Monitor. 
  He sees the casual discrimination of his classmates and is 
  disgusted by it. He prints stories about them in a favorable light 
  despite being sometimes ostracized for it. 
  Description: The heir to a telecom fortune, Linn has been around 
  technology all his life. He runs the computer labs. The fact that 
  one of those nukies can compete with him on an intellectual level 
  strikes him as being cosmically unfair: the strong ones are 
  supposed to be stupid.  
  Name: Maxwell Laurent 
  Clique: Polo Club 
  Name: Stephen Warrant II 
  Clique: Aristocrat 
  Description: The captain of the club and an excellent 
  sportsman. He is a gentleman and doesn't let his prejudices 
  show. He'll be cordial to the characters, even greeting new 
  characters.  When it comes down to it, though, he treats them 
  like they have some fatal disease (he seems to almost feel 
  sorry for them) 
   
  Description: He is a worm. His interest is in seeing those more 
  powerful, popular, etc. than him toppled. He realizes that the 
  nukies, due to their semi-outcast status, are safe targets (safer, 
  say, than the other Aristocrats). He will pretend to be their friend 
  and then try do get them involved in something humiliating: if he 
  can get one expelled that'd be wonderful. 
   
  
  V1.0 copyright © 2001 Marco Chacon 
  Scorpio's Team 
  The characters and Virgo's team aren't the only nukies attending the school. The Tessel 
  Academy (in a nearby mansion run by Scorpio, another member of the Zodiac) was not proving 
  as efficient as Virgo's school so Scorpio petitioned Zodiac. Their decision was to merge the 
  schools 
   
  Although the two women don't care much for each other, they have their orders. Now Scorpio's 
  team transfers in to the Academy each day. They arrive in a private armored bus with one-way 
  windows. 
   
  The two teams have only been together for a little while and they are uneasy with each other. 
  They are not enemies—they are at worst rivals. Some members of the teams really like each 
  other (but don’t trust each other all that well) 
   
  The Issues 
  • 
  Virgo is training her students to integrate into society. Scorpio is training a 'Response 
  Team' (she has advisors train them in military maneuvers and combat training). In 
  practice Virgo's team gets this too—it's part of knowing how to mange your powers, but 
  they don't practice ambushes. As a result, the Scorpio Team thinks of itself as a combat 
  unit (while Virgo's team thinks they'd win in a fight). 
  • 
  Tachyon (energy-body character from Scorpio's school) is infatuated with Amber (energy 
  body character from Virgo's team). Amber isn't so taken (she's a creepy weird-science 
  super-genius and he's a teenage male). That sometimes leads to conflicts. 
  • 
  The two team-leaders (Excel and Anti Matter) are potentially in competition since they're 
  being compared to each other. 
  • 
  Neither team really knows about the Zodiac (but they do, of course, see the trend). They 
  know their mentors don't like each other and don't trust the other team's motives. 
   
  Contests 
  The result of this rivalry isn't all out warfare (well, there might be a scrape but both teams are 
  afraid of what their headmistresses would do to them!). Here are some challenges that either 
  team might arrange (note—depending on what the PC's are like, you may need to modify this 
  quite a bit). Feel free to make up some of your own. 
  • 
  Nukie Tag: in the gym (after hours) one player is declared to be it (on one team). The 
  other team tries to 'tag' him (that is touch him: no ranged attacks allowed). The catch 
  is that his team members defend him. If a member of the it team touches a member 
  of the catching team—or hits with a low powered ranged attack, the tagged character 
  must go back to 'base' (one of the baskets in the gym). The catching team gets to 
  choose the It team's member they must catch (they won't choose Steam who can 
  become insubstantial). Take turns alternating until one team is ahead by 2. The game 
  lasts 10 turns. 
  • 
  Hide and Seek: in the school, one team is the hiders and one team is the seekers. 
  The hiders head out into the corridors. The seekers then go in a minute later. The 
  idea is for the hiders to return to base (a chosen exit) without getting tagged. One 
  member can be left behind to guard the base. Ranged attacks are allowed.  The 
  seekers have 10 minutes to find all the hiders or the hiding team wins (so you can't 
  just put all your people around the base—you have to go out and scout). Leaving the 
  building is cheating. 
  • 
  One-on-one: two flying characters can take turns trying to out maneuver each other, 
  sparing (both parties are trying to be controlled) is possible. Etc. 
   
   
   
   
  
  V1.0 copyright © 2001 Marco Chacon 
  Cast Of Characters 
  Name: Kathryn De'Lenor[Ω10] 
  Handle: Virgo 
  2 
  PHY 10 
  STR 10 
  BLD 08 
  CON 11 
  Damage Pts   
  450 
  Minor   
  150 
  15 
  REF 12 
  COR 12 
  REA 12 
  AGI 12 
  Basic Punch 
  1 
  Major      
  450 
  30+7 INT 13 
  RES 13 
  MEM 13 
  WIL 14 
  Basic Kick  
   3 
  Critical    
  900 
   
  Enhancements 
   
   
  Skills 
   
   
   
  Attractive L4 (unearthly beauty) 
   
  3.25 
  Ranged Combat 
  L2 
  13- 
   
  Telepathy L4 (from Psionics Book) 
   
   
   
   
   
   
  Mind blast L4 (from Psionics Book) 
  4 
   
  Psychology 
  L3 
  16- 
   
  Memory Overwrite 
   
   
  Mathematics 
  L2 
  14- 
  G 
  Invasive Meme 
   
   
  Physics 
  L2 
  14- 
   
  Astral Travel 
  2 
   
  Literature 
  L3 
  15- 
   
   
   
   
  History 
  L2 
  15- 
   
  Wealthy 
  2 
   
  Etiquette  
  L3 
  15- 
   
  Social Status 
   
   
  Politics 
  L2 
  13- 
   
  Etc … etc. … etc. … 
  2 
   
  Diplomacy 
  L2 
  14- 
   
   
   
   
  Musical Instrument 
    Piano 
  L3 
  16- 
   
   
   
   
  Riding 
  L2 
  16- 
  Rank 
  Powers 
   
   
   
   
   
   
  Angelic Form 
   
  F 
  Force Field (440pt field)  
   
  J 
  Telekinesis 150pt STR 
   
  G 
  Judgment Beam (Power Blast): 480pts of damage 
   
  E 
  Toughness +500pts 
   
  E  
  Powered flight (energy angel-wings) 
   
   
  Virgo 
  Appearance: Kathryn appears as a tall woman in her early 40's with faintly red hair. She has an 
  aristocratic bearing, perfect posture, and walks like (and is) a graduate of a ladies finishing 
  school. She dresses immaculately and with understated (but incredibly expensive) jewelry. Her 
  voice is has a pleasant tone unless she is angry in which case it is often cold. 
  Description: When her form (force field) is active, she appears angelic: awesome, cool, and 
  possibly even terrifying. Her body is surrounded with soft light and she has white, glowing, 
  luminous wings (feathered in appearance). Her physical attack is a soft ray of light she casts from 
  her hands that strike for 480pts of impact damage (!) More commonly she will engage in mental 
  combat. 
  Personality: Virgo takes her position as headmistress seriously. She is analytical, political, and 
  stern. Her motives are not entirely pure (she is a member of Zodiac and their goals are varied but 
  involve the acquisition of power). However, she really does care about her students. 
   
  While she has no compunctions about discipline, she won't ever hurt (outside of a mental slap) 
  any student who isn't about to injure him/herself or someone else. She is also an excellent 
  counselor (psychology). She works with her telepathy and her technique to help ease the mental 
  trauma many nukies suffer when going through their metamorphosis.  
   
  To the characters she will be an enigma: the school's top authority figure and disciplinarian on 
  one hand and a ultra-powerful guardian angel on the other. The characters won't know she's 
  Omega 10 scale but they'll get the picture that she's not to be trifled with. 
   
  She feels extremely guilty about losing her first 'Encounter Team' to the Hive Mind (at night she 
  sometimes goes, quietly, to the bunker and stands over them, scanning for some evidence of 
  their return. 
   
  
  V1.0 copyright © 2001 Marco Chacon 
  Soap Opera: Virgo isn't involved with the lives of the students on a day-to-day basis … but she 
  does have to deal with Zodiac. She and her right-hand-man Alexi are often being called away or 
  having their hands tied (Zodiac forbids them to interfere with something the characters are 
  involved in). She trusts her students but doesn't want to see them hurt. 
   
  NOTES: Virgo is built using the Psionic Rules from the Psionic rulebook. This is not commonly 
  allowed but the beta nature of the Supers Psionic rules and the complicated nature of her ability 
  require it. She is not a general participant in the campaign and should be used sparingly. Her 
  points and letters don't add up: she's not even remotely a fair fight for the characters. 
   
  Invasive Meme 
  Offensive/Dual Rank 
  Description: A Meme is like a mental Gene (Richard Dawkins coined the term)—it can be a belief, 
  a thought form, or that song you can't get out of your head. This ability lets the telepathic 
  character implant such a meme. This is a subtle way of exercising control. 
   
  Invasive Meme is a PWR vs. STAT attack of the Strong sort (G) against WIL. Use the rules for 
  Chemical Attack to see how to buy it (yes, we know it’s not a chemical attack but it uses the same 
  rules). 
   
  The Meme has two modes: Behavior modification and trigger.  
  • 
  Behavior Modification Memes: the infected character must make WIL rolls at the listed 
  negative or engage or not-engage in the behavior. Each time a WIL roll is made, if the 
  character makes it, he performs the action and the negative modifier is reduced by 1 (it 
  becomes easier to break the next time). If the character tries to perform the action and is 
  prevented, he can't try again for 10 hours. 
  • 
  A trigger meme has some event (a spoken word, the sight of a certain playing card, etc.) 
  that causes a behavior. This can be used to shut someone down, make them take a pre-
  defined action, etc. The action will seem perfectly reasonable to the infected character 
  and thus, if others are present, might be a weakness (the character can be coaxed out of 
  doing what he feels he should). 
   
  Effect 
  Result 
  Minor Effect 
  WIL roll at –1. Minor Meme. No Trigger. 
  Standard Effect 
  WIL roll at –1. Standard Meme. No Trigger. 
  Major Effect 
  WIL roll at –2. Major Meme. Trigger. 
  Critical Effect 
  WIL roll at –3 Critical Meme. Trigger 
  Cat. Effect 
  WIL roll at –6 Catastrophic Meme. Trigger. 
   
  Minor Meme: The character has as sudden thought like craving ice cream, doing something with 
  his hands while watching TV, etc. This can counter-act a bad habit. 
  Standard Meme: The character does (or does not do) something they want fairly badly (i.e. 
  retorting to someone who just insulted them). 
  Major Meme: The character does (or does not do) something they want really badly (the 
  character will retreat instead of standing and fighting, will be forced to go to the aid of people he 
  normally wouldn't help, etc.). With a trigger acting against the character he will roll at –3. 
  Critical Meme: The character will do whatever the thought-form says. If it's something really 
  against his nature (killing people when he's not a killer) let him roll at+2 to resist. The behavior will 
  last at most 10 minutes if strongly resisted. A trigger can incapacitate the character. 
  Catastrophic Meme: As above but no +2 and the behavior lasts as long as necessary. 
   
  Note: Memes modify behavior, not personality. A character infected and given the imprint to 
  control his rage (a Standard or Major Meme) will still be spitting mad—he just won't be able to 
  strike. At the Major level, he won't even defend himself. 
   
  
  V1.0 copyright © 2001 Marco Chacon 
   
  Name: Leslie Tessel [Ω5] 
  Handle: Scorpio 
  5+3 
  PHY 11 STR 109 
  BLD 08 
  CON 12 
  Damage Pts   
  263 
  Minor   
  88 
  15+5 REF 12 COR 12 
  REA 12 
  AGI 13 
  Basic Punch 
  99 
  Major      
  263 
  15+5 INT 12 RES 13 
  MEM 12 
  WIL 12 
  Basic Kick           119 
  Critical    
  526 
  27 
  Enhancements 
   
   
  Skills 
   
   
  8 
  Attractive L3 
   
  3.25 
  Street Fighting 
  L2 
  14- 
  24 
  Wealthy 
  4 
   
  Economics 
  L3 
   
   
   
  2 
   
  Etiquette 
  L3 
   
   
   
   
   
  Politics 
  L2 
   
   
   
   
   
  Vamp 
  L2 
   
   
   
  2 
   
  Law 
  L3 
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  Defects 
   
   
   
   
   
  -2 
  Quick Tempered 
   
   
   
   
   
  -1 
  Can be cruel 
   
   
   
   
   
  Rank 
  Powers 
   
   
   
   
   
  F 
  Ultra-Sharp Energy 'claws': Cutting Beam 55 / 193 
    If she hits by 4+ use the higher number 
   
  E 
  Toughness +250 
   
  A3 
  Bio Armor 45/90 
   
  A 
  Super Strength +98 
   
  Scorpio 
  Appearance: Scorpio is one of the youngest members of Zodiac. She is an athletic 34-year old 
  with blond hair and sharp green eyes. When she tries she can look like she's in her late 20's. She 
  has a bright smile with a nasty edge to it. She is short (5' 4") and sensitive about it. 
  Description: Scorpio, in full battle mode, has energy claws and immense strength and durability. 
  She is considered a 'weak' member of Zodiac (the characters will never hear that!) because she 
  lacks powers that are outside the physical spectrum (being in Zodiac isn't about being able to 
  eviscerate your enemies—it's about political power and that doesn't come … usually … from 
  energy claws). Her body is infused with a red light when she's angry. She isn't in the Omega-10 
  elite but is still far stronger than the players (but all together they might conceivably beat her). 
  Personality: At first Scorpio seems far more hip and energetic than Virgo. She seems much 
  more accessible (has seen the latest movies, drives herself in a sporty custom car, etc.) 
  However, she has a serious nasty streak. 
   
  Where Virgo can be stern, Scorpio can be cruel. If one of her students upsets her, she may 
  humiliate them (in addition to giving them lengthy, intricate punishment tasks—something she 
  learned from Virgo). She resents the fact that her school failed and now her team is in Virgo's 
  hands several hours a day. 
   
  With the characters from Virgo's team she'll be nice enough but may make offhand comments 
  about mistakes she thinks Virgo is making (when Virgo begins teaching the telepathy and Astral 
  travel she'll say things like 'you think she'd learn after what happened last time.' 
   
  Finally, to Virgo's disgust, she's not above physical discipline of her students when she's angry 
  with them (Virgo can and has caused discomfort but has never done even the mental equivalent 
  of 'roughing someone up') 
  Soap Opera: The characters could get invited to dinner at her house (her students better be on 
  great behavior). They could witness a temper flare-up (scary—she's far stronger than they are). 
  When she comes to the Virgo Estate the characters have to dress up nicely and act respectful … 
  that could be a problem for characters like Danny with run-away mouths. 
  
  V1.0 copyright © 2001 Marco Chacon 
   
  Name: Alexi Romarov 
  Handle: Alexi 
  5+3 
  PHY 11 STR 12 
  BLD 11 CON 11 
  Damage Pts   
  42 
  Minor   
  26 
  15+5 REF 12 COR 12 
  REA 12 AGI 13 
  Basic Punch 
  -1 
  Major      
  77 
  15+5 
  INT 12 RES 12 
  MEM 16 WIL 13 
  Basic Kick  
   2 
  Critical    
  154 
  27 
  Enhancements 
   
   
  Skills 
   
   
  8 
  Photographic Memory 
  8 
  3.25 
  Jujitsu 
  L3 
  13- 
  12 
  Likeable L3 
  8 
  5.5 
  Tae Kwon Do 
  L3 
   
  2 
  Attractive L1 
  8 
  5.5 
  Firearms 
  L3 
   
  32 
  Keen Senses +8 to all senses 
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  2 
  5 
  History 
  L3 
  19- 
   
   
   
   
  Blind fighting 
  L3 
  15- 
   
  Defects 
  2 
   
  Stealth 
  L3 
  15- 
  0 
  Blind, two glass eyes (he can see fine due to 
  abilities, however) 
   
   
   
   
   
   
  Unusual Traits 
   
   
   
   
   
  [8] 
  Instinct 
   
   
   
   
   
  [12] 
  See Inner Person 
   
   
   
   
   
  Tragedy: No-eyes (uses glass eyes) 
   
   
   
   
   
  Rank 
  Powers 
   
   
   
   
   
  B 
  Toughness +30 
   
  4E,3D,1B 
  Immunity to all physical attacks 
   
  Alexi 
  Appearance: Alexi is a tall, trim man with neatly cut hair, a slightly hollow look to his cheeks, and 
  an air of refinement. He is the dean of the Virgo Academy and dresses in earth tones. His voice is 
  soothing … he sounds a very little like Mr. Rogers from television. 
  Description: Alexi has no abnormal appearance or handle. 
  Personality: Virgo found Alexi as an officer in a disintegrating Soviet army unit. She recognized 
  his potential immediately and he has since been her right-hand-man. He knows most if not all of 
  her secrets and is extremely loyal. 
   
  Alexi is good at heart—he has made war in the army but his concerns were always for his men. 
  Now his concerns are for the students at Virgo's school (both hers and Scorpio's). He has the 
  attitude of letting people learn from their own mistakes and as a result will sometimes not turn a 
  student over to Virgo if they seem to have learned their lesson. He also recognizes that the strife 
  between the nukie characters, the other team, the student body, and the world in general is 
  something they need to work through themselves. He has a great deal of trust and respect for 
  Barry (handle: Excel, the Virgo Team leader)—often more than Barry has in himself. 
  Soap Opera: Virgo doesn’t generally use her telepathy to check and see if people are out of bed, 
  where they’re not supposed to be, etc. (although she can and the characters fear it). Alexi usually 
  knows what the students are up to—his senses are very keen. He can operate normally despite 
  the fact that he's blind (he can't read unless he touches the page). He can show up, 
  unannounced to rescue or admonish the characters. They can come to him and know there's at 
  least a chance they won't get in trouble. 
  
SOURCE: textdata/thevault/Jags/JAGS Children of the Nuclear Age.pdf