Esper High School is a modern day campaign revolving around the adventures of a group of high school students (i.e. the Player Characters). The students are all espers and members of the Phenomena Department, a secretive organization dedicated to opposing the activities of Novus Mundus, a criminal organization dedicated to controlling the world.
The idea behind Esper High School is to try and create the feel of the typical Japanese high school adventure manga, in which action is mixed with intrigue and romance. The campaign itself can be set anywhere, although genre conventions naturally suggests placing it in Japan. Character will have to deal with school life during the day (tests, studying, romantic entanglements, that bully in your third period class), while fighting evil at night.
Character Design
The Player Characters should either be orphans, or exchange students. All of the PCs are wards of the Phenomena Department, which in this case is run (as far as the students know) by Trent DaSteel and Michael Erica de Normandy. The students themselves should come from all walks of life, and be of a variety of nationalities. Genre conventions state that there should be five students (five is an important number in Chinese and Japanese philosophy), which can usually be divided by hair color. The hero (usually Japanese) has black, dark blue, or dark green hair, the hot-tempered fighter (with reddish hair and deeply tanned skin), the mystic (often a Shinto) with purple hair, and the intellectual (blond hair—often an American). All the PCs must be espers, although their powers levels and specialties can (and should) vary. Personalities should as well, and as this "team" is fairly new and untried, they don't have to mesh well (at the outset). In a proper manga, odds are the entire team would be all-female, in a RPG campaign, a mixed-sex group would work just fine (note that having a crush on either Trent or Michael is fine for the PCs, as is getting steamed when said PC discovers them in each other's arms).
Importance of the Player Character's
The actions of the PCs are vitally important to the fate of the world (or, at least, their home country). However, virtually no one really knows the PCs exist, and the Phenomena Department wants to keep it that way.
Morality 1/2/3/4/5
(3) Some cross-over between Good and Evil
Realism 1/2/3/4/5
(2) Romantic
Outlook 1/2/3/4/5
(3) Success balanced by failures
Seriousness 1/2/3/4/5
(3) Seriousness balanced by light-heartedness
Continuity 1/2/3/4/5
(3) Some long stories and some episodic ones
Physical World
The campaign world is fairly identical to the modern one, with a few minor changes (mainly in such things as computers and home electronics). Novus Mundus, however, has access to high advanced technology, developed in secret and kept hidden from the world at large. This technology includes such things as cyborgs, battlesuits, and energy weapons. Naturally, Novus Mundus is more than willing to use this high-technology to try and take down the Player Characters.
Scope
The campaign will focus on events in the home city of the Player Characters and their high school. Travel to other cities (and countries) is possible, but will not occur a the outset.
Technology Level
>See "Physical World" above.
Character Building Guidelines
1) Starting Points for PCs: 150
2) Maximum Disadvantage Points for PCs: 100
3) Max points from any one Disadvantage Category: 50
4) Characters automatically have Normal Characteristic Maxima disadvantage at no point value: NO
5) Character can carry normal technology (weapons, etc.) at no point cost: YES
Power Levels Beginning Range Beginning Maximum OCV/DCV (levels) 5-7 8-9 Speed 3-4 5 DEF 4-6 8 Skill Rolls 11- to 13- 15- Esper Power Level Average Maximum Normal Attack 45 pts 60 pts Killing Attack 30 pts 45 pts Defenses 10-15 DEF 20 DEF+ Other 30 pts 60 pts
Campaign Rules
1) Combat Uses Hit Locations Chart: NO
2) Knockback or Knockdown Rules Used: Knockback
3) Are Characters Allowed to Push?: YES
House Rules
This game will use the Kazei 5 psychokinetic rules. Note that in this case, such Ego-based powers like Telepathy and Mind Control will be far more common. PCs are recommended to invest in Mental Defense.
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