So You Want To Be A Superhero
By Clark Kent
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Solo Or Team
Once the uniform has been finished, the next important decision that the Hero-to-be has to make is whether they wish to embark on a solo career or join forces with other heroes. Although I recommend the latter, both paths are viable.
Solo heroes need to be very self-sufficient and highly aware of their surroundings. They don't have backup, no-one to watch their back as they infiltrate a criminal's hide-out, no-one to drag them to the nearest hospital should they be outmatched in combat. Conversely, going solo means that you generally don't have to worry about classified information being leaked or putting up with someone whose very presence irritates you.
However, unless there are specific reasons that mitigate against it, I would highly recommend joining a team.
Metapowers are many and varied. In addition, many of them have what can be described as a "Rock, Paper, Scissors" relationship. While Physical Invulnerability might be highly useful in the field, those who rely on it may find themselves helpless in the face of a Telepath. By the same reasoning, a Telepath may find themselves completely unable to counter a Speedster who can move faster than the Telepath can bring his or her focus to bear. This is where the Team comes in. A well-assembled team can cover each others weak points, presenting a formidable obstacle to any lone villain.
Within a team, the hierarchy is very important and should be clearly defined. Having multiple leaders is a recipe for confusion and failure, each team should have a single field leader and a confirmed chain of command to ensure that should the leader be incapacitated, the team knows who is to take over without it devolving into a squabble which enemies would gleefully capitalise on.
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Lone heroes are, as the name suggests, solitary in nature. They tend to be local heroes since having no real backup means that they usually cannot simply outsource the information-gathering aspect of being a Superhero. This in turn limits their ability to counter criminals since they generally collect information via one of three methods on what they need to accomplish. News services, patrolling or informants can help to locate villains seeking to perform their illegal activities, but a great deal of luck is also involved due to the relative lack of hours available for such tasks.
Those who seek to work alone must also work out how to finance their activities. Being a Hero is more expensive than many people realize. Uniform costs, transportation, bribing informants, first aid (for oneself and others), the costs can mount up surprisingly fast. While there are methods to reduce said costs, they also tend to reduce the capabilities of the Hero in supporting the cause of Justice.
That being said, those who are able to counter the disadvantages offered by solo operation can be some of the greatest heroes I have met.
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If you choose to join a team, then there are several options. Local teams are the most numerous, generally consisting of a group of heroes who protect a given town or portion of a city. This option is the best-suited to those still growing into their powers or whose powers are unsuited to the large-scale combat that National and International teams can face.
Local Teams operate in conjunction with the local law-enforcement and frontline-emergency services and are often called upon to aid them in the course of their duties. The importance of Local Teams to the concept of Superheroes as a whole cannot be overstated as it is these teams who interact the most with the general public. it is the Local Teams who are responsible for the general reputation of Superheroes in society.
The next level are the Response Teams. These teams generally have at least one or two heavy hitters amongst their number as well as training in search-and-rescue. It is usually the Response Teams who form the muscles and sinews of the metahuman response to natural disasters or attacks by Supervillains.
Above the Response Teams are the Crisis Teams. Generally consisting of multiple heavy hitters, these are the teams who swing into action whenever a threat arises on a national (or low-level International) level. Supervillain gangs fall under this heading since any group of Supervillains who manage to work together for more than a single mission without succumbing to the urge to engage in backstabbing or infighting is, by definition, a major threat.
The next level of teams are the Intervention Teams (despite persistant lobbying by Tony Stark to have them called the Avengers Teams). These teams operate on an international to global scale. Anything that puts more than one country at risk is the domain of these teams, which are almost completely composed of heavy hitters, each one almost a match for a non-Meta-enhanced army. The mere fact that these teams need to exist should tell you a great deal of the threats which have arisen (and been countered) in the past and only veteran superheroes are chosen for this level of work.
Finally, there's the Protectors, the team responsible for countering threats on a steller level. As the leader of said team, I am uniquely positioned to confirm that we are hadly ever needed, but when we are, it is generally a "defeat it or Earth dies" type of threat.
Needless to say, it can be a highly stressful job.
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Super Teams generally number between four and nine individuals (although there are exceptions). This allows for a wide variety of powers to be deployed while silmultaneously keeping the numbers low enough that each member knows the preferred styles and tactics of all their fellow team-mates. While some teams fall outside this range (such as Generation X or the First Metahuman Company), there are usually very good reasons for this and in practise, they tend to sub-divide into fairly well-established squads whenever in the field. In the FMC's case, their groupings are specifically designed around the powersets and general specialities of the troopers in question.
