Author: LordXenophon
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How to Decide on an Origin
When you ask people what origin you should pick for your character, most will say that it doesn't matter; you just pick what you like. There are a few minor differences, though. It may not really matter in game play, but you might want to consider some of these differences anyway.
Origin Based Powers
At first level, you get a minor power according to your origin. These are all ranged attacks with a short range. None do very much damage and the side effects are very short lived. Even so, you might want to choose your origin based on the name, feel, damage type or side effect of this power.
Magic: Apprentice Charm - Minor damage (energy), foe -resistance
Natural: Throwing Knives - Minor damage (lethal), + minor DoT (lethal).
Mutation: Mutagen - Monor damage (toxic), foe -damage
Science: Tranq Dart - Minor damage (lethal/toxic), foe sleep
Technology: Taser Dart - Minor damage (energy), foe hold
First Contacts and Missions.
Your origin determines which contact will give you your earliest missions and introduce you to your later contacts. This is the starting point for your entire career path. If you know which contacts you want to be introduced to, you can use the information in the Contacts section to trace a path backwards to a starting contact, then you can choose your origin to give you the starting contact you want.
Which origin you pick also determines which bad guys will be in your first missions. If you know which bad guys you want to fight (or avoid fighting) at the lowest levels, you can pick your origin accordingly.
Magic:
You will start out as the newest member of Modern Arcane Guild of Investigation (MAGI).
First contact: Gregor Richardson (if you start in Galaxy City) or Azuria (if you start in Atlas Park).
Initial foes: Hellions.
Natural:
Your first missions come from Enhanced Logistics for Insight and Tactical Excellence (ELITE).
First contact: Derek Amberson (if you start in Galaxy City) or Susan Davies (if you start in Atlas Park).
Initial foes: Council or Skulls (random chance of either).
Mutation:
You will start play as a new member of Genetic Investigation and Facilitation Team (GIFT).
First contact: Prince Kiros Nandelu (if you start in Galaxy City) or Antonio Nash (if you start in Atlas Park).
Initial foes: Skulls.
Science:
You will start as a member of Scientific Experimentation, Research and Application to Paranormal Humans (SERAPH).
First contact: Rebecca Brinell (if you start in Galaxy City) or Jonathan St. John Smythe (if you start in Atlas Park).
Initial foes: Vahzilok.
Technology:
You will begin play as a member of Department of advanced Technology Application (DATA).
First contact: Caitlin Murray (if you start in Galaxy City) or Rick Davies (if you start in Atlas Park).
Initial foes: Clockwork.
Roleplaying Concerns.
This is probably the most common reason players have for choosing a particular origin. If you have a specific background story in mind for your character, then you will probably want to choose the origin which best fits the story.
Magic:
These can be people who wield magic, were altered by magic or who posess some item of magical power. They could also be magical creatures. Examples include witches, wizards, undead, elves, golems, demons, demigods, and scrappers with magical swords. Some magic origin heroes you may have heard of include Wonder Woman, Dr. Strange, Raven, The Black Knight, Dr. Fate, Isis, Thor, Blade and Spawn.
Natural:
This can mean a person who technically has no superpowers at all. It can also mean someone who was born different in a way that makes him superpowerful on Earth, but normal where he comes from. Examples include dwarves, aliens (including nictus), martial artists, trained soldiers, monsters from the deep, detectives, etc. Heroes who use the powers of the mind also fall into this category. Some natural origin heroes you might be familiar withinclude Superman, Batman, The Punisher, Starfire, Robin, The Shadow, Ranma Saotome, Sgt. Rock, Aquaman and Dick Tracy.
Mutation:
Mutants are characters who were born different. They might have recieved their powers at birth. They may have discovered their powers through training. Some mutant powers activate as a result of puberty or a traumatic experience. What they all have in common is that their DNA is not normal for their race. The best known examples of mutants are the X-Men. Some other famous mutants are Quicksilver, Captain Comet and Killer Croc.
Science:
A science origin hero is not a person who uses his knowledge of science. (That would fall under Natural or Technology.) This is someone who has been altered by science. He's been modified with drugs, had his genes spliced, been subjected to radiation, spent too long under water, was bit by a radioactive spider or in some other way has been transformed by science. Examples are very common among older superheroes. You may be familiar with Spider Man, The Hulk, Daredevil, The Fantastic Four, Plastic Man, Captain America, Darkman and The Swamp Thing.
Technology:
This category can be broken down into 3 types of characters - Those who posess and use powerful technology (advanced aliens, cops from the future, gadgeteers, hackers), Those modified with advanced technology (cybernetic implants, reconstruction, artificial limbs, etc.), and those who are themselves artifacts of high technology (androids, holographic doctors, drones of a supercomputer, etc.) A few examples of technology heroes are The Blue Beetle, The Green Arrow, The Green Lantern, Ironman, The Mighty Morphing Power Rangers, Cyborg, The Modular Man, Inspector Gadget, The Six Million Dollar Man, Oracle and Tank Girl.
Some character concepts fall into more than one category. For example, you might want to make an Assault Rifle / Fire Control blaster who has mutant powers but carries a gun to attack with. In this case, pick whichever origin better describes the character, or pick the one which will be noticed first. Cable, when he was first introduced, seemed to be just a very skilled soldier with access to high-tech weapons (Technology), but was later revealed to be a mutant. Everyone knew that Wolverine was a mutant, but as his past was investigated he learned that his adamantium skeleton was given to him in a laboratory (Science). Another good example would be the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, who's physical forms are the result of some toxic waste they encountered as hatchlings (Science), but who's most potent power is their martial arts training (Natural).
Locations of Enhancement Stores
Availability of enhancements is not a common reason to choose a particular origin, but it does happen. Enhancements of all origins are generally easy to get, especially if you have the right contacts. If you want to make sure you can buy your enhancements from conveniently located stores, you might want to make your own origin one that is available in or near your favorite hunting grounds. You might even want to check the maps to see how easy each store will be for you to reach from the areas where you expect to be. Talos Island and Independence Port both have single origin stores for all origins. Dual Origin enhancements are available at the same stores, plus one for each origin in Skyway City and Steel Canyon. Your highest level store will be in either Brickstown or Founder's Falls, depending on your origin:
Magic: Brickstown
Natural: Founder's Falls
Mutation: Founder's Falls
Science: Brickstown
Technology: Founder's Falls
Source of Enhnancement Drops
Some people choose their origin according to what enemies they will be fighting and what enhancements those enemies drop. Most likely, you will fight every villain group in the game, so this is rarely a factor in choosing an origin. On the other hand, you may have a favorite zone or villain group and might want to choose your origin in order to be able to use the enhancements they drop. Examples would be Croatoa, where everything you fight tends to drop Magic enhancements, and the Council, who tend to drop Science and Natural enhancements. Only the most experienced players will be aware of what enhancements they are most likely to find, since you will face a variety of foes. This is largely controlled by personal habits, so I won't bother to go in depth about this subject. If you know what enhancements your play habits tend to bring to you, then you might want to choose the origin of your next alt accordingly.
Origin Based Titles
At 15th level, you get to choose a title for your character. All characters, regardless of origin, choose from the same list:
Awesome
Bold
Courageous
Daring
Extraordinary
Famous
Gallant
Heroic
Incomparable
Legendary
Magnificent
Outstanding
Powerful
Remarkable
Startling
Terrific
Ultimate
Valiant
Wonderful
At 25th level, you get to choose a second title. At this time, you can also change your first title to make the two look good together. The second title is based on your origin. If you know what title you want, then you might want to choose the origin which can have that title. For example, if you want your character to be known as the Wonderful Wise Walrus, then you will need to choose Magic origin. Here are your choices, by origin:
Magic:
Arcane
Baffling
Cosmological
Dread
Esoteric
Frightening
Ghostly
Haunted
Ineffable
Lofty
Mythic
Occult
Petrifying
Radiant
Supernatural
Terrifying
Unknowable
Venerable
Wise
Natural:
Accomplished
Brave
Captivating
Death Defying
Estimable
Fabulous
Grim
Horrifying
Insightful
Lone
Mysterious
Obdurate
Peerless
Resolute
Sublime
Talented
Unfathomable
Virtuous
Wary
Mutation:
Audacious
Bizarre
Colossal
Dazzling
Eerie
Freaky
Grotesque
Humongous
Incomprehensible
Luminal
Marvelous
Ominous
Peculiar
Resplendent
Strange
Tremendous
Unnatural
Victorious
Weird
Science:
Adept
Bright
Curious
Deductive
Exceptional
Far Seeing
Glorious
Honorable
Indescribable
Lucky
Majestic
Otherworldly
Phenomenal
Redoubtable
Stupendous
Thoughtful
Unearthly
Venturous
Watchful
Technology:
Armored
Brilliant
Crafty
Discerning
Excellent
Famed
Galvanized
Herculean
Indestructible
Learned
Mechanical
Outlandish
Potent
Resilient
Splendid
Titanic
Unbreakable
Valorous
Wired
There you go! Now you have all the information you need to help you decide on your origin. Happy hunting!
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