- Silvia Whitman, a current resident of Earth.
The world of 2022 is much different than what we thought it would be. Ten years prior, an event known as Skyfall, occurred. Seemingly a grand meteor shower, in actuality Skyfall was the result of an alien accident. What were thought to be meteors streaking through the sky were actually the remnants of a massive cargo carried through space, carrying the seeds to another species. These "seeds" were meant to grow into fully capable organisms, however, many burned up in the atmosphere. Those that did land would begin to grow using genetic materials around themselves. These creatures were dubbed "Phantasms" for their seemingly insubstantial and fluid forms (Despite being able to take different forms, Phantasms still keep a very liquid/amoeba like quality to their look). They began to grow in number at an astonishing rate, becoming a plague on mankind. It seemed as though for the first year or so that conventional technology would hold the creatures at bay, but soon they began to adapt.
Luckily for humanity, a new breed stepped forth with the capability to combat the Phantasms. Known as Espers, these men and women had access to amazing powers that allowed them to take out whole groups of Phantasms single handed. Espers had what was known as the "zero gene" a variation in their DNA caused by the same origin of the Phantasms. The vaporized pods from the Skyfall event had mixed into the atmosphere and certain people were saturated with enough of the material to form unique abilities.
Technology has advanced to where not only can Espers take on the Phantasms, but standard humans. Robotic "power armor" and even "mecha" have been developed since the early days, and some have merely trained themselves to live in a world where combat is the norm.
A good portion of humanity lives in orbiting colonies, those who were lucky enough to afford it (or by hook or crook). Those who remained were either doing so because of duty (military and police), or simply because they had no other choice.
This is the world of Zero Gene, where the players will fight for the future, striving to put an end to the Phantasms, if there is even a way. The world is a cobbled together idea I got one day when I thought about how humanity would deal with a possible alien threat. It takes a lot from anime (certainly G-Gundam and Getter Robo Armageddon) , but also from things like X-Men (the Espers). I also may have been influenced by the Shards setting from Mecha and Manga.
Anyway, the players start out PL 8 (hopefully they will grow all the way into PL 10 or even 12) and are currently operating in or are travelers come to Neo York (the remnants of New York City). There is a rule with Zero Gene, that despite its name the players come from different walks of life. Not everyone has to be an Esper. The three origins for most characters are:
- Trained Humans (elite soldiers, police, ridiculous martial artists/weapon masters, gadgets users)
- Espers (already explained these, but also note that Esper powers are always Noticeable when in use, and thus cannot be subtle)
- Power Armor Users (which represents anything from Iron Man battlesuits to mecha)
Player Characters
- Vixen
- Sally Salvage
- Wyatt Hallows
- Olivia "Bloodsport" Cassidy
