Registration
The following rules apply to the members of the PATO; specifically the U.S.A (since 1951), Canada (1934, used as a model), Great Britain (1951), Brazil (1959) and the European Mainland members (1960) and Japan (1951):
There are two levels of registration – the Basic Registration is required for all metahumans and simply means that they notify the government that they have a power, that they can control it and that they don’t plan to use it in an unlawful way. Their power will be registered, rated and kept completely confidental – for example, the United Heroes wouldn’t be given access to this data, unless they were suspected of a crime involving their powers.
Extended Registration is required if:
- they wish to use their power on someone other than themselves (healer)
- they want to use their power on other peoples’ or public property
- they want to open a business or perform a job based on it (teleporting courier)
- their power is inherently uncontrollable and/or dangerous to people and property (Gloom Glimmer, Tyche).
- Your power falls under the S-Classification.
It requires a metahuman to go through extensive testing, psychological evaluation, basic training (usually three months spent in governmental training facilities OR United Heroes’ training facilities) and agree to certain extended duties and restrictions:
- They must notify airport officials if they wish to travel by plane (and might not be allowed – for example, there’s no way any commercial airline would accept Tyche on their planes) – and must be available for emergencies, if their power is applicable (and might get a reduction in travel fee – Gadgeteers or inherent fliers and such are very well-liked).
- If they travel into another country, they must notify their particular office for metahumans beforehand that they’ll be entering (and might be denied permission – for example, Tyche might be denied access to a country on the grounds that power is uncontrollable and might cause widespread damage).
- If their powers are combat-applicable, than they have to be ready to help during S-Class events, though they are only forced to participate if a government official or UH-approved superhero asks them to.
- They are not allowed to knowingly associate with supervillains or habitual criminals in any way and must report them to the nearest lawperson or superhero at the earliest possible time.
Exceptions for using your powers without having to go through the extended registration process are:
- Emergencies (like someone using their power to help save people out of a fire or heal the victim of a car crash), so long as it is not habitual – if they keep doing it, it’ll be interpreted as not just chance behaviour but a pattern, and they are thus required to register and gain training (even if they swear never to do it again)
- S-Class Events – they get a free pass on those, no matter what
- Self-Defence – if they attack you first, you are allowed to strike back. If you kill them or cause permanent damage, then you have to make an extended registration.
Metahumans who undergo extended registration are given certain tax breaks, so long as they hold to the rules and restrictions of such.
Business
As mentioned earlier, earning money with a power requires the extended registration no matter what. Furthermore:
- Metahumans must be trained for their chosen profession (a healer would need to study medicine, though with a different curriculum than a normal doctor, depending on the particulars of their power)
- They have to prove that they can use their power safely – a teleporter who wants to make a courier service (they exist, yes; one of those very profitable metahuman jobs) would have to prove that he or she can use their power reliably and safely – so no accidental portal cuts, no “ups sorry I ended up within your private property” mishaps and so on.
- They have to make it clear that they use powers for their business – a metahuman can’t pose as a normal doctor and secretly use their power for the job, even if they are have the proper registration and training – your clients/patients/customers have to know.
- They need a special, more expensive insurance than usual. On the upside, since this insurance is managed with exceptional care, they don’t have to deal with the usual insurance claim problems.
Due the rarity of metahuman powers, metahuman-specific business is very rare and very lucrative, but since it has to be open, it is also subject to prejudice – and vandalism, if opened in the wrong location.
Tieshaunn 
This came about as an answer to theant87’s question regarding registration and business in a previous comment thread.
Chapter will follow today or tomorrow at the latest (about 50% done with it).
A note, you change from “their” to “your” in guideline number 5.
Huh, this is pretty similar to UMBRA, (Urban Metahuman Bastion and Response Act,) and has some elements that look a bit like the CLEAR act (civilian law enforcement agent registration act) and the PROTECT act (providing reasonable organization to engage credible threats). The biggest difference is that you specify metahumans, which I avoided in the CLEAR act because it was unconstitutional (equal treatment under the law,) and so just required any “civilian law enforcement agents” to register and do the full psych exam. One requirement I do have is a non-hero handler who can monitor them for psychological issues and provide some oversight and accountability.
No wonder there are so many villains. The prospect of a metahuman witch hunt is spooky. -Although given the power level of most metahumans, I doubt baselines could ever really present a threat to them. Which makes the anti-metahuman groups seem a hell of a lot more justified, actually.
I figure there is ALOT of fear and hate toward metahumans due to all the S class threats, but they still need metahumans so the government cracks down hard against anti-meta stuff. A non hero handler might be useful for metas like contrivers but I can see people greatly disliking such a thing if they were required to check in with them all the time like probation officer. I wonder if they have agents who do surprise inspections like food inspectors.
Well, the handlers are only for heroes. There’s no regulation on non-hero metahumans (besides the one making it illegal to use metahuman abilities on someone without their consent,) and metahuman businesses are actually encouraged.
One small mistake: Oops, not Ups I ended up on your property.
And the world expands again. Interesting things we learned.
1. All metahumans who have to use extended registration are in effect forcibly drafted for S-class fights whether they want to or not if someone asks them. “I don’t want to fight”, sorry you power is too useful and I asked. That aspect might be able to be fought if you got a good lawyer and took it to the supreme court. Though this US might not have gotten rid of the draft due to the increased presence of the Soviet Union and the longer war with the Germany.
2. The fact that they are required by law to get training if they continuously help people in training, yet they didn’t forcibly take in Brennus and co. suggests that they are really short handed. I’m wondering how they would react to a large, vigilante, and non government controlled hero team like New Wave. They might not like vigilantes but they probably do need their help.
3. How much do you charge for a teleporting courier? Metahumans businesses could probably charge whatever they wanted and people would pay it if it was useful enough. Let’s see healing, building tech, and teleporting are all easy enough. I wonder if there are “Professional” palm/fortune tellers, psychic detectives, and spirit mediums who aren’t seen as crackpots.
4. So there are S-class who didn’t go nuts and start killing people if the rules extended to them. Depending on their power though, it might not really work ethically/morally. Maybe if Nilbog existed in your universe he could have grown creations to act as organ doners.
5. Now hiring Secretary Position for Contriver Wizard. Pay negotiable. Must be B+ blood type, able to sacrifice goats and chickens, be certified for safety with a firearm, have no tattoos, and be able to word Microsoft Excel. Note: Not having a fear of walking pickles is a not required but suggested.
4. One of the United Hero kids has a S-class power, that invincibility power.
no, he has a Transcendent power.
S-Class is not a power level, but rather a classification that encompasses powers or persons that can cause widespread physical, mental or social damage on at least city-wide scale by themselves, and which cannot normally be defeated by anything less than a concentrated metahuman effort
that’s the bare bones definition
I think I have to writer another brennus file about classifications
Hmm. Pretty cool.
Bit of a beef with the ‘Defence of private property’ clause in Canada. By my understanding of Canada’s laws (admittedly incomplete,) violence is a legal monopoly of the police. Unless it is in direct self defense, a VERY high bar to jump and not including defense of property, it’s a criminal act.
Still, this is your universe, and having parahumans around would change the laws and their application quite a bit. For example, I’d expect cop cars to have some VERY heavy weapon in the trunk (military autoshotguns or sniper rifles) and civilian SWAT teams to have M2 browning machine guns available.
my mistake. fixed
also, yes, police patrols have some interesting stuff in their trunks
Poor Tyche