The National Office for Variant Affairs, more commonly referred to as N.O.V.A., is a government agency that deals with Variants involving everything from public relations to legal issues to scientific research. The agency for the most part is quite professional, though, over the years, corruption has started to make its way through the system at various levels.

Ability Classes and Danger Levels
N.O.V.A. uses a system to classify Variants based on their specific abilities and also by the potential threat to society that those abilities pose. This does not necessarily take into account the notoriety of a Variant, but an especially aggressive or abusive Variant may have a higher danger level than normal (if he/she has been identified).

Danger Levels
Green - Low _{(oh please...are you even a Variant?)}
Blue - Mild _{(yeah, that guy kinda bothers me a bit...)}
Yellow - Moderate _{(hey now...you be careful with that, ok? we don't want any trouble)}
Red - High _{(wait...she can do what?!...yeah, we're screwed...)}
Black - Extreme _{(that's ok...we don't need the Earth anyway, right?)}

Class 1 - Enhancements
These are powers that usually only affect the person using them. They come in the form of things like heightened senses, superhuman strength, accelerated healing, and even immortality. Class 1 abilities are usually of very little danger to others when they aren't being specifically abused.

Class 2 - Alteration
Though Class 2 abilities are similar to Class 1 in the fact that they affect only the user, the difference lies in the nature of how they work. While Class 1 abilities are passive, Class 2 are alternatively more active. These abilities allow a person to alter their bodies, both partially and fully. Some examples would be a physical transformation, a manifestation of an elemental force, or adopting the physiology of a non-human creature. This classification isn't limited to changes in physical appearance. Altering one’s natural ability to adapt to certain situations or environments also falls into this category.

Class 3 - Mental Powers
This category of abilities involves those linked with the mind. Standard psychic powers such as telepathy, telekinesis, and ESP fall into this class as well as powers based on auras, sleep, emotions, and intuition. Other examples of Class 3 abilities would be dream manipulation, astral projection, super-enhanced learning, and illusions.

Class 4 - Manipulation/Creation
Though there may be a few abilities that blur the line between Class 3 and Class 4, Class 4 abilities primarily deal with the manipulation and/or creation of matter and energies outside of the body; however, the creation abilities are of a very specific and limited nature. This class quite possibly contains the widest variety of powers such as the power to manipulate the elements or organic matter, the power to control something more abstract such as color, and even limited power over space-time.

Class 5 - Almighty Powers
This category is reserved for powers that many would consider to be 'godlike’. These abilities are almost -- if not completely -- impossible to control or counter and, at times, have the potential to alter reality or cause an apocalypse. Oftentimes, they can be highly extreme versions of abilities from other classes such as the creation of highly complex life forms or the ability to gain infinite knowledge. The ability to manipulate intangible concepts like probability or physics also fall under this category. Because of their catastrophic potential, the powers in this class are always considered to be of the highest danger level.

Class 6 - Multi-Powered
This is a special designation for sets of powers that fall into multiple categories. This doesn't include a single power that has multiple uses.

Notoriety
One of the primary goals of N.O.V.A. is to identify and register all Variants living within the nation's borders. As one would expect, not all Variants are willing to comply with the agency's agenda, whether out of privacy or sheer rebellion. For these reasons, every Variant has a certain level of notoriety with N.O.V.A., whether officially or unofficially.

Variants who have yet to be identified by N.O.V.A. are considered Unknown.

Confirmed Variants fall into two categories: Watched and Wanted. Those who have been identified but have not registered -- as Variants have no legal obligation to do so -- are put on a Watch list. Variants who are known to misuse their abilities and pose a threat to the well-being and quality of life of others are considered Wanted. Vigilantes operating outside of the law are also considered Wanted as oftentimes their actions can cause collateral damage to people or property.

Variants who register with N.O.V.A. do so under the obligation that they will gain or have already gained employment -- whether through their own means or through one of N.O.V.A.’s programs. This is to ensure that Variants who are compliant are ‘productive members of society’. While several Variants see the registration as a step toward tagging and tracking, others (usually the less fortunate) see it as a way to guarantee themselves a job in a world that has mixed opinions on the treatment of those with powers. Employed Variants must renew their registration once a year and are also subject to ‘check-ins’ with N.O.V.A., which is a large part of why many Variants choose not to register.

M.A.D.
N.O.V.A. employs a task force that is specially trained and equipped to handle Variant criminal activity. M.A.D., which stands for Monitoring, Apprehension, and Detainment, is a fairly recent institution that is being implemented in several major cities. Its members, which included Variants until a rather serious incident caused a policy change, are commonly referred to as MADmen. M.A.D. uses both street cameras and surveillance drones to track suspicious Variant activity. The main facility contains their central command center as well as an armory, garage, and training camp. There are also several smaller satellite 'posts' that are dispersed throughout a city to ensure a wider coverage and quicker response times.

Intelligent Command and Operation Network (ICON) - an AI guidance system that controls the movements of vehicles and civil robots throughout the country. Construction bots, delivery drones, and public transport vehicles are all linked to ICON.
Interactive Immersive Interface (i³) - virtual reality (i³Total) and mixed reality (i³Spatial)
Omni-Lens - eyewear that uses i³Spatial technology
Drones - any unmanned aircraft or airborne device; delivery, security, personal
E-Vap - electronic vapor cylinders used for smoking; sometimes called 'cyls’
Stingers - used to shoot intravenous drugs
Dissemblers - a small, concealable device used to make oneself ‘invisible’ to surveillance cameras; extremely rare and highly illegal

Coalition Zero
Coalition Zero is a highly secretive agency that operates to maintain global welfare. Rather than operating as a single collective body, the Coalition is made up of a network of independent agents, both human and Variant, called ciphers who take orders from an unknown head commander simply known as The Apex. Some agents choose to operate in small cells while others prefer to work solo. The funding and resources for the agency are explicitly undisclosed.

Pariah Underground
The Pariah Underground is a loose network of wayward Variants operating in several major cities throughout the nation. Though many normal humans accept Variants as a part of society, there are those who view them as a danger or a blemish of the population. These more negative attitudes have driven a large number of Variants to oppose normal humans. Though they are more rebels than terrorists, the activity of the Underground had become more aggressive in recent years.

Chimera
Chimera is an underground hackers’ guild that frequently engages in acts of cyber-terrorism. One of the primary goals of Chimera is to infiltrate government systems and the systems of large corporations. Though governments and corporations are their main targets, they will make attacks on citizens quite often. Chimera employs a variety of militant techies including coders, hardcore gamers, and computer engineers.

Character Sheet

[N.O.V.A. Profile]

Name |
Alias |
Age |
Gender |
Appearance | (height, weight, body type/build, identifying marks/tattoos)
Notoriety | (Unknown, Watched, Wanted, Employed, Missing)
Class/Level |
Abilities |

[Gear]
Attire |
Armament/Equipment |

[Temperament & Lifestyle]
Affiliation | (can be independent)
Alignment |
Personality/Habits |
Occupation/Trade |
Skills/Talents |
Family |
Background |