https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Q1kQUCRWfQ
Just a little food for thought.
I hope you enjoy it. It's a video about the laws in a superhero universe. Obviously not every superhero universe, but this one.
It's based on how things were usually done at Marvel and DC up until the late 80s, and I think it makes a lot more sense than most of what I've seen since then.
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http://rpg.drivethrustuff.com/browse/pub/3185/Crusader-Game-Books
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC48O9dPcNVdeyNM4efAvX6w/videos?view_as=subscriber
The bit about super heroes not going to court is a weird one. I assume super villians do, where is the line drawn? Who draws the line? Who says yes, this person is a super hero and no, this person is not. What if a masked, powered, person stops a mugger but keeps the ill-gotten goods? Are they a hero, a villian? What if when fighting a super villain the actions of a super hero caused the death of a bystander? Who does the family of that bystander go to for justice? Are super hero fights treated the same as natural disaters? What of two superheroes get into a fight with eachother? Is the victor declared the good guy and a hero and thereby pinning all the blame and responsibility on the loser who's now declared a villain?
[Img]https://ludovicotech.files.wordpress.com/2017/09/batman-forever-too-many-questions-146951.jpg?w=480[/img]
"Let the past die. Kill it if you have to."
CoT with it's "supers have always been a thing" has supers go to regular courts, albeit with some protections for secret identity and such.
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Avatar by MikeNovember
Makes more sense. But how does one subpoena a super hero? Do they just hope the cops will pass along the message? Take out a bilboard? To register to be a super hero do they need to put down a mailing address? For a meta answer I guess there'll be an in game messaging/mail system, perhaps that's used.
"Let the past die. Kill it if you have to."
There is a registry, but I doubt it'd require a mailing address :p The meta would be you lose "lawful" points if you don't show for a supoena.
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Avatar by MikeNovember
In COT we're going to have to go to court!? well, this game isn't going to be any fun, Hell if I wanted a court game I'd just play Ace Attorney
Yes superhero battles are treated as natural disasters, "acts of God" and if innocent bystanders are killed, the villain is always to blame.
if 2 heroes fight each other then they will each take care to not destroy property or kill innocent bystanders.That's what heroes do. otherwise they wouldn't be heroes.
So called heroes who leave a trail of destruction or bodies in their wake (out of proportion to the threats they faced) are vigilantes and the law and other heroes view them as no different from the villains they battle.
http://rpg.drivethrustuff.com/browse/pub/3185/Crusader-Game-Books
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC48O9dPcNVdeyNM4efAvX6w/videos?view_as=subscriber
No, in game we wont have to, unless they make it part of a story arc. It's just part of the lore.
So if two heroes while fighting eachother caused damage who is to blame? No one? If their fight caused injury to the public who is to blame? Do they both just get dubbed as villains or vigilantes? Who makes that call?
So non powered heroes can get away with multiple murders (of super villains) provided the villain could have posed a risk to their life? What seperates a vigilante gunning down a group of criminals with guns from the example in the video of a hero not being charged with murder because the enemy had a sword? Surely the criminals with guns provide a credible threat to the vigilante's life that gunning them down was justified.
How, if heroes don't go to court, can it be determined that a hero only acted in self defense of themselves or others? Can a hero be a witness in a criminal case? Can they be a lawyer? Can a hero sue someone?
Do you need powers to be classified a super hero? When do you graduate from do-gooder in a mask to full blown hero? Or are masked do-gooders also exempt from the courts? Are unmasked heroes treated the same way? Are they treated that way if they also don't have a super hero identity? Can a super powered person join the police force? Are they then also exempt from court proceedings? Can super heroes run for government?
"Let the past die. Kill it if you have to."
Nonthere are no court proceedings for every action. It was a general example given that is all. I’m that within the context of the story around the “world” of CoT there are ways the city has set up its laws around super heroes existing.
We had an entire update on [url=https://cityoftitans.com/content/law-and-superhero]Law and the Superhero[/url].
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As I've already said superheroes do not kill people ON PURPOSE.
Gunning down a bunch of bad guys is definitely trying to kill them.
Not only do heroes not try to kill people, they actively try not to.
In the story Charlie referenced in the video, Paladin not only didn't throw Johny into the vat of chemicals on purpose but he jumped into the vat himself to save him, then told the other villains to call an ambulance. (it was 2 cool videos you should watch them).
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B2kepnzSgUc
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5pPQ25-G_o0
http://rpg.drivethrustuff.com/browse/pub/3185/Crusader-Game-Books
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC48O9dPcNVdeyNM4efAvX6w/videos?view_as=subscriber
oh I almost forgot, no superheroes can't sue anyone AS SUPERHEROES, they would have to do it as civilians because they don't appear in court as Superheroes. If an offense such as liable or slander only effects the heroic identity and the character's real identity is a secret, he has no legal recourse. I refer you to the case of Spider-man v the Daily Bugle.
http://rpg.drivethrustuff.com/browse/pub/3185/Crusader-Game-Books
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC48O9dPcNVdeyNM4efAvX6w/videos?view_as=subscriber
What constitutes a super hero in this setting of yours? Who decides who is or is not a hero?
Can a superhero appear as a witness in court?
What's the legal resource for a hero that abuses their power or position? Does their status as a super hero get revoked?
"Let the past die. Kill it if you have to."
Re: hero gunning down bad guys.
See idk, that's unlawful, violent behavior, but is that inheriently "villainous", basically the Punisher.
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[url=http://cityoftitans.com/forum/desvipers-creative-impulsivity]My Non-Canon Backstories[/url]
Avatar by MikeNovember
What makes someone a superhero?
There are conventions such as costumes and code names people use to identify themselves as superheroes.
Using these means either accepting the role of superhero, or impersonating one.
Real superheroes are marked by a combination of extraordinary abilities and heroic actions.
Heroes help people above all, and as the video stated:
Superheroes respect the police
Superheroes don't try to kill people
Superheroes try to avoid property damage.
http://rpg.drivethrustuff.com/browse/pub/3185/Crusader-Game-Books
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC48O9dPcNVdeyNM4efAvX6w/videos?view_as=subscriber
Yeah we have different ideas of "heroic" I see :p
My main (non-canon) superteam is overtly anti-police, doing their own system of rehabilitation. However, that means they're also very anti-killing.
That being said, the police kill people so....
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Avatar by MikeNovember
until very recently a police offer's best weapon was a gun.
Tasers and numbers work better today, but even now sometimes the gun is the best thing.
Superheroes tend to have more and better non lethal options.
police are not superheroes
http://rpg.drivethrustuff.com/browse/pub/3185/Crusader-Game-Books
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC48O9dPcNVdeyNM4efAvX6w/videos?view_as=subscriber
oh sorry, No superheroes can't appear as witnesses in court.
Yes if a superhero becomes a vigilante or villain he stops being a superhero.
http://rpg.drivethrustuff.com/browse/pub/3185/Crusader-Game-Books
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC48O9dPcNVdeyNM4efAvX6w/videos?view_as=subscriber
Way too black and white for me. "He's a superhero" isn't a good reason for legal action, or lack thereof. Especially when there's clear debate over what a superhero actually is.
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Who decides if a person is a superhero, vigilante, or villain? Is there some sort of government agency that tracks this stuff and can actively decide when an individual no longer meets the requirements of being a hero?
"Let the past die. Kill it if you have to."
Read the Wearing the Cape series. It actually has a pretty good example of how a world with powered people would try to handle things.
OK first of all let me be perfectly clear that this is not our world but a superhero world where people do not act or think like people in the real world.
Superheroes, Super Villains and even the regular folks in these worlds act differently from people in our world.
To them good and evil are more black and white than in the real world.
To them it's OK for a Superhero to have a kid sidekick even if that means taking children into dangerous situations.
To these people a pair of glasses is a perfect disguise.
In one episode of my show, A minor character got a make over and had to reintroduce herself to her friends.
In the world I'm writing about, lawyers are much less influential
laws are simpler and judges are wiser
The focus of the legal system in this world is not so much law and order as liberty and justice.
Liberty to them means you can do good without fear of punishment
and Justice means you get punished for doing evil.
Yes they use the words Good and Evil.
The police appreciate the help of superheroes because as I STRESSED in the video, they can't maintain civilization without their help.
The monsters and villains are too powerful, and the giant disasters too frequent.
The type of questions you're asking are the type of questions I expect from people who live in our world.
But these questions seem ridiculous to the people of a superhero world.
http://rpg.drivethrustuff.com/browse/pub/3185/Crusader-Game-Books
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC48O9dPcNVdeyNM4efAvX6w/videos?view_as=subscriber
So like, you want a superhero fantasy where judges are so good laws don't have to be complicated?
CoT is going to had a gritty side ;)
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Avatar by MikeNovember
Superhero worlds always have a gritty side, but the things I've said reflect the reality of their legal system.
http://rpg.drivethrustuff.com/browse/pub/3185/Crusader-Game-Books
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC48O9dPcNVdeyNM4efAvX6w/videos?view_as=subscriber
Guess you're more a North Titan guy and I'm more a South Titan guy :p
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Avatar by MikeNovember
That's a good way to put it.
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His attitude is reflected in his forum name. He has a very idealized picture of what constitutes Good/Evil.
He forgets that it is Society as a collective that defines Good/Evil. And in no way is it a perfect system. As only a small percentage of people can be called a Super, the laws and rules are going to be heavily weighed against them.
As a small percentage, We, the Super, will have to act accordingly and suffer the discomforts associated with those laws, rules and regulations (assuming we are lawful).