Need 98 Mutants

[Tvtyrant]

I'm working on a story that has 100 super-powered individuals (all of them got their powers from the same event, not other super powers in the setting.) I currently have a few fleshed out, but I need help making ones with unique back stories, powers and personalities.

Power range wise I am looking at the lower to middle end for the most part (Toad to Colossus level, or super mutants from Fallout.) Any help would be appreciated!

Additional information: There was a tunguska style event above the Yukon 10 years ago, and the small towns it happened by all died or were changed into mutants. The changed individuals mostly scattered during the panic of discovering their powers and physical mutations, although the majority remain within Canada's borders.

There are 15 members of the 100 changed individuals who work within the Canadian government, mostly in the military and CSIS. The other large concentration is in a group known as Typhon, which is based around a mutant called Echidna who can lay eggs that hatch into customized life forms. Typhon is slowly infiltrating world organizations to funnel money into an expensive attempt to replicate the effects of the Yukon Event.

[Ravens_cry]

Are they all going for the costumed industries or will the majority be trying to live out their lives as normal people with abnormal abilities?

[Tvtyrant]

Are they all going for the costumed industries or will the majority be trying to live out their lives as normal people with abnormal abilities?

Most of them are hiding in various places, trying to avoid scrutiny. There are a few of them that have made attempts to set up as super heroes or warlords, but mostly they hide to avoid being drafted into the government or killed in witch trials.

Also I am assuming very little in the way of crazy costumes. Military members wear kevlar vests and carry appropriate weapons, civilians try to stay under cover. The few super hero and super villain types might wear costumes.

[Malfunctioned]

I'm always a fan of powers that seem weak but with cool applications..

How about these guys


The power to control fabrics. Nothing to powerful, however scarfs basically become extra limbs, clothes can be used to hold others back and of course, who wouldn't want a perfect coat-fluttering entrance?
A mutant who can move at super-speed but only in very short bursts. Not great for travelling, but great for evading and dodging.
The ability to generate electric current through the body and use to it power anything that runs off electricity. However the power can't be used to actually harm others, only powering devices.

[Jay R]

How much detail do you want? Here's one I developed for a Champions game years ago.

He was a one-time smuggler. He was involved in various smuggling operations until he saw innocents getting murdered. Disgusted, he turned away, and tried to find a way to fight back. He’s not willing to use a gun, which limited his ability to fight them.

He cannot stand by and see evil occur, and believes he can make a difference. His criminal record kept him from joining the police force (indeed, they are Watching him). Unsurprisingly, he is uncomfortable around policemen. He started studying martial arts. (He had some hazy idea of becoming a Batman , Punisher or Rorschach figure -- he is a fan of Modern Age comics.)

The police know him as a person on parole, who is a believed to be a trouble-maker, and they aren’t positive that he isn’t going back to the gangs. Accordingly, they keep an eye on him.

At many of the places he tried to learn, they were spending a lot of time on what he saw as nonsense. "I'm here to learn how to break heads; why are you talking about cosmic harmony and universal peace?" One result is that he went into several dojos, and was exposed to many different styles.

After trying many styles and variations, he eventually got pretty good at Monkey Style Kung Fu. He earned a black belt, but he never really fit into the Martial Arts culture, and never really got what it was about. (Consider him similar to the bullies in The Karate Kid, but unwilling to bully, of course..)

He wants to help keep kids from joining the gangs, and has started teaching in a dojo. He has eight students there who (currently) consider that more cool than the gangs.

Then came the Yukon event, and he morphed into a monkey shape much better suited to his martial arts style, and much better at it. At first it was a sort of half-monkey / half –human, but it is now pretty much a monkey (baboon) form.

His first thought was that here was the perfect way to start attacking the gangs, but some early exploits had nothing to do with that. He might have been upset, but he quickly learned that there were ways to use his (primarily martial arts based) abilities to help people, even without fighting. Some of the martial arts philosophy started to make more sense, so he went back to his books, and everything seems to be coming together.

He has greater physical attributes, and the ability to scramble up walls (Clinging). But mostly he's a martial artist with lots of skills (Acrobatics, Stealth, Breakfall, Contortionist, Lockpicking, Climbing, Shadowing, etc.)

One night, while he was contemplating some of the moves in the Shao-Lin Snake Style, his skin started to get scaly. This startled him enough that he lost his train of thought, and reverted to human form. He currently believes that his body has a limited ability to change shape to fit his current fighting approach. He is wondering if he should encourage this, and is contemplating re-studying the Bear, Dragon, Praying Mantis, Shao-Lin Crane, Shao-Lin Snake, or White Crane styles.

Any multiform he develops will be based on a martial arts style, probably a Kung Fu style. He will be basically a martial artist, but I might give him some extra abilities as well. A Praying Mantis form could shrink to insect size, a snake form might have a poisonous bite, etc.

If he develops another form, he will keep it hidden as long as possible; his distrust for authorities leads to a desire to keep it hidden if he can, and at least one member of the team is required to report to the military.

[The monkey form will always be his default form, and the other(s) will be brought out only for specific purposes. One thought I've considered is to have a form that comes, not from a martial arts style, but from his comic book interest. Imagine him contemplating how to track down the mob, and turning into -- a bat.]

[Tvtyrant]

How much detail do you want? Here's one I developed for a Champions game years ago.

He was a one-time smuggler. He was involved in various smuggling operations until he saw innocents getting murdered. Disgusted, he turned away, and tried to find a way to fight back. He’s not willing to use a gun, which limited his ability to fight them.

He cannot stand by and see evil occur, and believes he can make a difference. His criminal record kept him from joining the police force (indeed, they are Watching him). Unsurprisingly, he is uncomfortable around policemen. He started studying martial arts. (He had some hazy idea of becoming a Batman , Punisher or Rorschach figure -- he is a fan of Modern Age comics.)

The police know him as a person on parole, who is a believed to be a trouble-maker, and they aren’t positive that he isn’t going back to the gangs. Accordingly, they keep an eye on him.

At many of the places he tried to learn, they were spending a lot of time on what he saw as nonsense. "I'm here to learn how to break heads; why are you talking about cosmic harmony and universal peace?" One result is that he went into several dojos, and was exposed to many different styles.

After trying many styles and variations, he eventually got pretty good at Monkey Style Kung Fu. He earned a black belt, but he never really fit into the Martial Arts culture, and never really got what it was about. (Consider him similar to the bullies in The Karate Kid, but unwilling to bully, of course..)

He wants to help keep kids from joining the gangs, and has started teaching in a dojo. He has eight students there who (currently) consider that more cool than the gangs.

Then came the Yukon event, and he morphed into a monkey shape much better suited to his martial arts style, and much better at it. At first it was a sort of half-monkey / half –human, but it is now pretty much a monkey (baboon) form.

His first thought was that here was the perfect way to start attacking the gangs, but some early exploits had nothing to do with that. He might have been upset, but he quickly learned that there were ways to use his (primarily martial arts based) abilities to help people, even without fighting. Some of the martial arts philosophy started to make more sense, so he went back to his books, and everything seems to be coming together.

He has greater physical attributes, and the ability to scramble up walls (Clinging). But mostly he's a martial artist with lots of skills (Acrobatics, Stealth, Breakfall, Contortionist, Lockpicking, Climbing, Shadowing, etc.)

One night, while he was contemplating some of the moves in the Shao-Lin Snake Style, his skin started to get scaly. This startled him enough that he lost his train of thought, and reverted to human form. He currently believes that his body has a limited ability to change shape to fit his current fighting approach. He is wondering if he should encourage this, and is contemplating re-studying the Bear, Dragon, Praying Mantis, Shao-Lin Crane, Shao-Lin Snake, or White Crane styles.

Any multiform he develops will be based on a martial arts style, probably a Kung Fu style. He will be basically a martial artist, but I might give him some extra abilities as well. A Praying Mantis form could shrink to insect size, a snake form might have a poisonous bite, etc.

If he develops another form, he will keep it hidden as long as possible; his distrust for authorities leads to a desire to keep it hidden if he can, and at least one member of the team is required to report to the military.

[The monkey form will always be his default form, and the other(s) will be brought out only for specific purposes. One thought I've considered is to have a form that comes, not from a martial arts style, but from his comic book interest. Imagine him contemplating how to track down the mob, and turning into -- a bat.]

Perfect. The more detail the better, I can always twist it to work and it makes the characters feel more alive if different people make them (different tendencies of thought.)


Malfunctioned

Re: Need 98 Mutants
I'm always a fan of powers that seem weak but with cool applications..

How about these guys

The power to control fabrics. Nothing to powerful, however scarfs basically become extra limbs, clothes can be used to hold others back and of course, who wouldn't want a perfect coat-fluttering entrance?
A mutant who can move at super-speed but only in very short bursts. Not great for travelling, but great for evading and dodging.
The ability to generate electric current through the body and use to it power anything that runs off electricity. However the power can't be used to actually harm others, only powering devices.



Fabric-guy is going to be an amazingly deadly assassin who dresses like an idiot person with too much clothing. Super long Doctor Who scarf allows him to climb fire escapes and the extremely long fringes are used to stab and shoot people. He generally kills by taking possession of their shirt and ordering it to strangle them.


http://cdn2.fashionablygeek.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/03/dr-who-scarf.jpg?22a92a
http://www.outbackleather.com/images/P/758-409-01-01.jpg

[factotum]

How about a guy who has low-level telekinesis--he basically can't shift much mass, but what he *can* move, he can propel extremely fast? Imagine a fusillade of forks as a weapon, for instance!

(By the way, does Colossus really count as mid-range in terms of power? The guy is the next best thing to indestructible and can throw tons of stuff around--he's basically a silver, less angry version of the Hulk!).

[Jay R]

(By the way, does Colossus really count as mid-range in terms of power? The guy is the next best thing to indestructible and can throw tons of stuff around--he's basically a silver, less angry version of the Hulk!).

It doesn't matter whether Colossus is midrange or not, as long as we all know what Colossus can do. That's the highest level the OP is looking for, whether you call it midrange or upper range.

[AtomicKitKat]

I'm gonna try restricting myself to the theme of "useful in a mining town".

Soften Earth and Stone. He can't really do much else beyond weakening existing rocks up to a certain radius from his hands(and then breaking it like you would a loaf of bread). Not gamebreaking, in terms of he can't even make a usable tunnel, but whatever small stones you bring to him, he can help you uncover the gemstones or precious metals within.

Hard-hat Hair. Anything thrown or impacted against her hair bounces off harmlessly, but if she intentionally moves it, like by flicking it over her shoulder, it behaves normally.

[Jay R]

I'm gonna try restricting myself to the theme of "useful in a mining town".

Why? The genetic mutation doesn't know anything about the social system.

[rlc]

Some generic ideas:
Guy who can create minor earthquakes
Guy who has extra arms
Guy who can teleport
Girl who can greatly speed up decomposition of organic matter
Girl who has elemental-magic-like abilities
Girl who can phase

[Slipperychicken]

Hypnosis, which is only effective while the mutant is dancing.

The ability to use imaginary weapons and objects. Like pointing his fingers at people and shouting "BANG!" to inflict gunshot wounds on them, or motioning to swing a sword to hack objects in half. This mutant can also "drive an imaginary car" by miming the motions involved with driving a car, or form an imaginary wall by performing a routine mime trick. Imaginary items only "exist" while physically touched or held by the mutant with this power (although some items like imaginary grenades work just fine), and immediately vanish if the mutant is killed, knocked unconscious, or his concentration is otherwise broken.

The ability to punch people through the internet. The mutant must be looking at online content the target is responsible for (such as a comment, image, video, price-hike, or announcement) to make this ability work. It also only works when the target is near some manner of computer monitor. The mutant is a neckbeard who has declared a crusade against trolls and spammers everywhere.

The ability to put anyone except himself to sleep with his monotonous, boring voice. The mutant cannot deactivate this ability, and dearly wishes for a cure, even though his services are often called upon by both the government (for crowd control), and to help people suffering from sleep disorders. The mutant was an unremarkable statistics professor before his powers fully came to fruition.

The ability to conjure any sound imaginable with a mere thought. The mutant is also a potent musician and something of a celebrity. He's listened to many horrible sanity-rending noises to employ them as a deterrent to attackers.



The power to control fabrics. Nothing to powerful, however scarfs basically become extra limbs, clothes can be used to hold others back and of course, who wouldn't want a perfect coat-fluttering entrance?

The power perversion potential (http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/PowerPerversionPotential), however, is off the charts for this one.

[Mono Vertigo]

There's that character concept I have that I can't seem to stat properly in M&M3e, so here it is...

A mutant who can make duplicates of herself. But every duplicate is an emotional aspect of her - wrath, fear, joy, etc - and when she manifests one, the original can't feel that emotion anymore. Summoning too many at a time, or too many positive emotions, can work against her mental health, so she needs to be careful.
(Otherwise it's great for beating up enemies, and the fear-aspected clone is less about cowering in a corner and more about preemptively striking against suspicious targets out of paranoia.)

[AtomicKitKat]

Why? The genetic mutation doesn't know anything about the social system.

You ever see that 1990s Fantastic Four cartoon? That's the restriction I was working from. You're exposed to a mutagenic source. Your first "life-or-death" crisis that triggers your mutation determines what it does. Eg, a guy who's just "normal" when he pulls stuff, but if he's pushing, he can move a mountain. Why? Because his first crisis was his car/the ceiling falling onto him.

Likewise, the heat vampire. Able to snuff out all flames within a certain radius, but has to carry a lump of radium or hot water bottle or whatever wherever they go because otherwise they'll freeze to death. How did it come about? Their first crisis was a house fire. If they didn't put it out, they'd be burned to death.

And so on and so forth.

[Tvtyrant]

There's that character concept I have that I can't seem to stat properly in M&M3e, so here it is...

A mutant who can make duplicates of herself. But every duplicate is an emotional aspect of her - wrath, fear, joy, etc - and when she manifests one, the original can't feel that emotion anymore. Summoning too many at a time, or too many positive emotions, can work against her mental health, so she needs to be careful.
(Otherwise it's great for beating up enemies, and the fear-aspected clone is less about cowering in a corner and more about preemptively striking against suspicious targets out of paranoia.)

What happens when one of the aspects dies? Does she regain the emotion or is it gone forever? Has she lost any in the past?

[Slipperychicken]

What happens when one of the aspects dies? Does she regain the emotion or is it gone forever? Has she lost any in the past?

Maybe, when the mutant tries to call on a dead emotion, it generates a "Null" aspect instead, which is an unsettling, soulless duplicate without any will of its own. Its obeys the mutant's commands completely and without hesitation, making it a highly useful minion. As the mutant loses emotions (a highly traumatic and damaging event), he can summon more null aspects at once, one for each lost emotion, but also loses the ability to feel that emotion. The mutant can "restore" a nullified aspect (over the course of months) by learning to feel that emotion again, and even then it is only restored by degrees. If a null aspect is killed, it can be immediately summoned again.

EDIT: Maybe each emotion-aspect has its own unique powers relating to its emotion. Rage might be extremely strong and able to take lots of punishment (it might even grow stronger when more hate and violence are directed at it). Fear might be quick, highly perceptive, and able to sniff out plots before they can unfold. Love might be extremely attractive and good with people. Melancholy (or Sadness) might have fantastic memory, and be able to make others break down in tears by making them recall their saddest moments.

Also, each emotion might grow stronger when its exposed to more of itself (hatred gets stronger with anger and violence directed at the mutant, fear gets stronger when others are scared around the mutant, and so on). However, this also increases that emotion's prominence in the mutant's psychology.

[Coidzor]

Well, I ended up coming up with some mutants the other day whose body temperature has been raised to the melting point of lead due to becoming (partially) made out of semi-solid fire. Then I realized that this was a bit too hot for my purposes and they'd set fire to anything that came near to them, so I decided to just make them have a body temperature of ~98 degrees Celcius instead of 98 degrees Fahrenheit, although emotions cause their temperature to fluctuate.

If you want to have something forced to hide out on the edges of society though, something which is so hot that the air around it will cause pine needles to burst into flames and can bake(roast?) people to death just by being in the same room with them for too long might be right up there. Or maybe they just have a damaging "heat aura." Or both.

Can only eat things after they've already been burned to ash or it turns to ash in their mouth unless it's a sufficiently large piece of coal or the like that they get it down before it gets completely burnt up. Or they take their sustenance from whatever is burnt up around them by their heat, which would mean they may or may not like the 'taste' of human flesh.


I'm gonna try restricting myself to the theme of "useful in a mining town".


Useful in a mining town? The ability to sense and swim through stone and to take one or two others with them. Useless when standing on wood or grass or soil or even sand, but let the person get accessed to some exposed rocks along the side of a cliff or something and you'll not likely see 'em again if they want away from ya. Might be able to find pockets of gas and other nastiness better than our current tech for spotting them.



A mutant who can move at super-speed but only in very short bursts. Not great for travelling, but great for evading and dodging.
The ability to generate electric current through the body and use to it power anything that runs off electricity. However the power can't be used to actually harm others, only powering devices.


Hmm. That reminds me of something actually. How about a mutant who mostly just has the ability to adjust gravity as it affects them, which mostly means they can jump good (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uwbqr2UjeSg), fall slower, or become harder to move if someone tries to pick them up.

If you made it an energy field surrounding his body you might be able to work in even more of a Tesla reference.


Most of them are hiding in various places, trying to avoid scrutiny. There are a few of them that have made attempts to set up as super heroes or warlords, but mostly they hide to avoid being drafted into the government or killed in witch trials.

Also I am assuming very little in the way of crazy costumes. Military members wear kevlar vests and carry appropriate weapons, civilians try to stay under cover. The few super hero and super villain types might wear costumes.

Witch trials? In Canadia? :smallconfused: I think what was necessary to cause those is the most intriguing teaser you've dropped. :smallamused:

So most of the ones hiding, if they're not able to pass for normal, are basically bums, then?

I suppose you could have a character who can take on the mannerisms/skills/mundane talents of another by sexing them/consuming their blood/something more unpleasant that has been using this to build up a repertoire and has started up some kind of acting career or as some kind of entertainer (I mean, when you can just *eat*/schtup/drink the blood of a singer and guitarist and then be able to sing and guitar as well as the both of them can...).

So they've got a broad base of skills to draw upon, but can no longer grow and learn normally due to the interaction between what they themselves knew and what they've taken from others. Except in ways that aren't influenced by what they've taken from others, I suppose. So if they learned to shoot on their own, they could get better, but if they took someone's marksmanship abilities, then the only way to improve would be either to A. somehow return them(and the ability to do so is unlikely given what seems to be the tone so far) or B. steal them from someone even better at marksmanship.

Or maybe some ability as a con man combined with a power to win trust effortlessly from others, that would be another way for such a one to make an entrance into the comfortably wealthy classes and thus insulate themselves from their past.

[factotum]

Hmm. That reminds me of something actually. How about a mutant who mostly just has the ability to adjust gravity as it affects them, which mostly means they can jump good (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uwbqr2UjeSg), fall slower, or become harder to move if someone tries to pick them up.


There was a guy like that in the "Wild Cards" novels--he could extend his gravity control to other people as well, though. I imagine such a person could make some very impractical flying machines actually work, which might be an interesting twist on it...

[Jay R]

It's worth pointing out that the OP wrote "I need help making ones with unique back stories, powers and personalities."

He's not looking for sets of powers; he's looking for descriptions of people who happen to have powers.

Magneto is not merely someone with the power to manipulate metal magnetically, but a Jewish boy who lost his family in the WW2 Holocaust, and who now has the power to lash out at a world from which he has always felt alienated, and who does not recognize that his hatred of the humans is too close to what was once directed at him.

[Asta Kask]

Witch trials? In Canadia? :smallconfused: I think what was necessary to cause those is the most intriguing teaser you've dropped. :smallamused:

Mutants stole all the maple syrup.

[Mono Vertigo]

It's worth pointing out that the OP wrote "I need help making ones with unique back stories, powers and personalities."

He's not looking for sets of powers; he's looking for descriptions of people who happen to have powers.

Oh, yeah, right. Expending on Emotional-Duplicates Girl:
Tammy is a young girl, in her last year of high school, who has a hard time focusing on a single thing at a time, but likes to see herself as a level-headed and nice person. Living in a bad neighbourhood, her parents had her take self-defense classes.
Which didn't do much wonder when not one, not two, but a whole group of thugs tried to mug her when she was coming back home. The mutation, however, did help, and within minutes, a small army of Tammies laid waste to the criminals. (Before disagreeing loudly over what to do with them.)
Now, while her clones are more one-dimensional than she is (embodying a single emotion and all), she considers them siblings of sort, who help her tremendously with chores and homework (though they're no smarter, or individually faster, than she is). As much as she likes them though, she now can't help but wonder about what identity - and most particularly hers - is supposed to be. After all, she's just an empty shell hosting all her emotions; if they should all be made incarnate at the same time, what would there be left? Sometimes, she feels like Wrath, or Fear, or Joy are more competent than she is; if one of them took her place permanently, would everybody be better off?

[Philemonite]

Oh, yeah, right. Expending on Emotional-Duplicates Girl:
Tammy is a young girl, in her last year of high school, who has a hard time focusing on a single thing at a time, but likes to see herself as a level-headed and nice person. Living in a bad neighbourhood, her parents had her take self-defense classes.
Which didn't do much wonder when not one, not two, but a whole group of thugs tried to mug her when she was come back home. The mutation, however, did help, and within minutes, a small army of Tammies laid waste to the criminals. (Before disagreeing loudly over what to do with them.)
Now, while her clones are more one-dimensional than she is (embodying a single emotion and all), she considers them siblings of sort, who help her tremendously with chores and homework (though they're no smarter, or individually faster, than she is). As much as she likes them though, she now can't help but wonder about what identity - and most particularly hers - is supposed to be. After all, she's just an empty shell hosting all her emotions; if they should all be made incarnate at the same time, what would there be left? Sometimes, she feels like Wrath, or Fear, or Joy are more competent than she is; if one of them took her place permanently, would everybody be better off?

That is so awesome, it requires a system dedicated to it. That would be so cool.:smallamused::smallbiggrin::smallcool:

[rlc]

Well, okay:

Some generic ideas:
Guy who can create minor earthquakesAfter many years of not fitting in anywhere and even being thrown over the wall at his high school, Marcus Stump was one of the first to receive his powers. While at first he enjoyed opening up crevices beneath his tormentors in vegeance for all that they had done to him, he soon realized that he was just as bad as they were. After this realization, he began using his newfound abilities for good.

Guy who has extra armsA machinist who often found that his bosses were very demanding, Ralph Sedgwick began to sink into depression as he saw that he was unable to keep up with their demands. However, just when it seemed that his luck was at its worst, the event happened. When he woke up the next morning to get ready to go to work, he screamed as he realized that he had grown two extra arms! While this would certainly increase his productivity, he now feared for his life more than his job. After a few minutes of panic, he decided that he would try to hide his extra arms in his shirt and still go to work, because he needed the money. Who knows, maybe he could get away with it? Of course, getting away with it was the least of his worries, as he would soon find out.

Guy who can teleportA taxi driver who grew to hate traffic jams, Ricardo Pujols was stuck in yet another one on his way to pick up a customer. It was then, while he was sitting in his cab and complaining about the traffic in Spanish, that the event happened. While many who sat in that traffic jam died, he was able to escape by concentrating on a nearby tree. The shade saved his life and he soon learned to master his new power.

Girl who can greatly speed up decomposition of organic matterAn organic farmer from Oregon, Beatrice Gordon came to the Yukon for a hiking trip. However, soon after arriving, the explosion happened and her activities were put on hold indefinitely.
After returning home, she found that her compost heap had been ravaged by rodents. Upset, as this was her main source of fertilizer, she decided that she would just have to start all over again.
However, lo and behold, by simply focusing on wanting the compost back, she got her wish with a wave of her hand over some of her produce. Over the last decade since the explosion happened, she has learned to control her power, but still searches for the true source. She has since moved to the Yukon permanently.

Girl who has elemental-magic-like abilitiesA practitioner of Wicca in her tween years, Aimee Smith was counted among the survivors of the event. However, while she had begun questioning her faith as a Wiccan before, she soon found that she had gained the ability to cast magick spells for real. She is one of the youngest mutants.

Girl who can phaseRaven Black, a young woman who often stole bags of chips from her local convenience store before the event, would soon become a catburglar after gaining the ability to phase through solid objects. She has been at large for most of the decade that has followed, although she was once caught. Of course, her ability allowed her to escape almost immediately.

[Tvtyrant]

Thanks for the assistance everyone! I will start editing the initial post to add the characters (with world appropriate modifications) and the makers name.

[The Second]

The man with eight eyes:
He has developed six extra eye; two in the normal facial position, one at each temple, one on either side of his head, just behind his ears, and two at the back of his head. All of his eyes are fully functional and allow him a three-sixty field of view.

Frog girl:
A young woman who's skin exudes a slippery, colorless, orderless, paralytic slime.

Dr. Claw:
A surgeon who has developed huge, clawed hands.

The Amazing Billy:
A pro skateboarder who has gained the ability to slow his perception of time, kind of like bullet time.

Milly the Metal Muncher:
A bag lady who's saliva has become corrosive to metal. She's also able to digest the metal she eats.

Squid Girl:
A young woman who has grown several octopus-like tentacles.

The Crab Thing:
A man who's body has become covered with hard, chitinous plates.

The Transparent Woman:
A woman who's body has become completely transparent. Not invisibility per se, more like clear glass.

The Slime:
A person who's body has liquified. They can no longer take on human form, but retain all their memories and intellect. Is unable to communicate except with burbles and hisses.

Steel Rapunzel:
A woman who's hair has become as strong as steel.

The Organ Donor:
He can spontaneously regenerate any organ, but not any other body parts.

The Cat Lady:
She has the ability to control felines both mentally and physiologically.

Mack the Knife:
He has the ability to absorb small, metallic objects, such as knives, and eject them at will.

The Woman Who Could Not Die:
A woman who's technically dead, but who continues to function. Basically a rather putrid, walking corpse with all the faculties of a normal person.

[rlc]

Dr. ClawNext time, Gadget! Next tiiiiime!

[factotum]

Next time, Gadget! Next tiiiiime!

There's an idea--how about a biological Inspector Gadget, who can deform his extremities to form different shapes and possibly even tools? Of course, he's currently in prison due to showing things to the ladies that I cannot mention in a family forum... :smallwink:

[Asta Kask]

Hmm. a Canadian who can encase people in sticky blocks of maple syrup.

[endoperez]

I'm always a fan of powers that seem weak but with cool applications..

If you have lots of time in your hands, you might want to try Worm. It's three Lord of the Rings trilogies' worth of this. Also bleak, psychologically scary, and clearly unedited.

https://parahumans.wordpress.com/category/stories-arcs-1-10/arc-1-gestation/1-01/



How about these guys


The power to control fabrics. Nothing to powerful, however scarfs basically become extra limbs, clothes can be used to hold others back and of course, who wouldn't want a perfect coat-fluttering entrance?
A mutant who can move at super-speed but only in very short bursts. Not great for travelling, but great for evading and dodging.
The ability to generate electric current through the body and use to it power anything that runs off electricity. However the power can't be used to actually harm others, only powering devices.


The first two powersets fit to two named, recurring characters in Worm. Both badass.


Here's some ideas, starting from a simple power and iterating through a few different variations on how to use it.

The power to absorb darkness (leaving a ghostly, illuminating mist in its stead), and exhume the stored darkness later. Additionally, if there's a darkness so total that no light reaches through it, he can also absord objects within, and later restore them. It's easier to restore singular things, rather than groups of things. The items show some minor outside damage, abrasions, scratches, that sort of stuff. He can store living beings, but when they're returned, they come back dead, looking horrified, dessiccated and covered in abrasions.

As a civilian, he can move things around. He can create the darkness his absorption-power requires, absorb large containers filled with things, take a bus, a flight, heck even a taxi, and it'd still be cheaper than lugging a ship container's worth of stuff the traditional way. It's also a perfect way to smuggle things.
As a utilitarian, he can be a rescuer, lighting up the darkness, taking "away" things like roadblocks, collapsed rubble, blocked doors - with enough precision, perhaps even things like shrapnel from inside a body without cutting the flesh.
Give him a pair of night-vision goggles (and his power makes sure he can have them), and he's going to have the perfect battlefield. Other than that? Guns, weapons, tools. Always the perfect one for the situation.

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The power to make a person unlucky, like a black cats . Or, like a ladybug, lucky. Courageous like lion, loyal like a dog, deadly and malicious like a snake. Power to empower people with with the symbolic attributes of an animal, in other words. He gets to choose which symbol to use, and many animals have several symbols from which to choose from. While he's not able to control animals or people his power affects, the symbolic power might have a temporary effect on the target before one gets used to it.
With knowledge, the power gets more varied. It can be used to surprise enemies - they might know they're affected, but not how. It can be used to empower oneself, or one's allies.
As a civilian, it can be used to heal, regenerate limbs, heal diseases; to assist in building, learning, perception, or most types of physical or mental tasks.
As a part of a team of supers, he's an exceptional ally, helping to cover weaknesses, emphasize strengths, adapting to situations, and keeping the other side guessing.

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The power to act in a way that makes the most beautiful set of events come through. Imagine someone playing soccer, kicking the ball, bouncing it off of someone's head, into another player's leg, from where it bounces between two people right into the third player who's in a perfect position to score a goal. Imagine a firefight that happens just like in the movies. Imagine a swimmer rising from the water just when the last rays of the sun hit his muscles, and then the gigantic shark comes up from the waves, him standing on its nose, and jumping up to grab the handles of his hoverbike.
He'd have a limited foresight of various things that might come to pass, each beautiful in some way. If he doesn't use his powers, none of the futures will come to pass, but each future tells something of the things that might happen... He might know what he does, but not to whom, and not what happens to everyone else around him, for example. So, for example, if he knows that he could hit someone standing behind him unconscious without looking, but is in a safe situation, he might decide to instead act as if he knew that someone was in the room with him.
As a civilian, he'd be the perfect entertainer. He wouldn't be allowed to be a professional athlete, but in charity games, anything he does will be beyond entertaining. Soccer, basketball, bowling, ping pong, downhill skiing, skateboarding... juggling, magic tricks, outrageous bets that he always won but were too entertaining to pass on, the works.
As a superhero, well... he'd be the action movie hero. He'd go in, enemies would fall. Unfortunately, sometimes there just isn't any way to make a situation beautiful, and his power fails. Alternatively, the beautiful situations he sees don't seem preferable to him - beautiful deaths, perfect last words etc.

[arcane_asp]

Here's one for your 98 mutants -

Elaine Elton, 28 year old librarian and amateur astronomer, meek and not an assertive person. After herpowers manifest, she found she can teleport, and has great fun zapping around the immediate countryside in short range bursts. When she tries to go further, she find that she often 'ports in moving a some speed and end sup tripping or staggering a few metres.
Then she tried a long-distance port, and arrived at a breakneck speed that nearly dashed her across the landscape and seriously injures her.
Being an amateur astronmer, she is able to work out why - the earth itself is in orbit of the sun, and rotating itself. Just 'porting to another point in space doesnt remove the energy and inertia they have, and landing on another part of the planet that is going a differnt speed/direction to the one they left creates serious issues!

Think of jumping from the roof of a moving car onto the roof of another moving car going the opposite direction

Being meek and not wanting to draw attention to herself, she begins her own business as a courier, and clients are amazed at how quickly their deliveries get made. Elaine had no significant other or children, and just wants a quiet uneventful life. Being able to teleport straight out of dangerous or eventful situations is a handy tool to achieving that life.

[Jeff the Green]

Josephine McCracken is a seven year old girl. She is fairly normal, liking dolls and her friends better than ice hockey, but she's extremely nervous and always has sunken eyes and a tired look to her. She adamantly refuses to look strangers in the eye and will do anything she can to avoid meeting new people, and keeps her "security blanket" from her early life, a pink checked teddy bear named Mopo. She enjoys reading, particularly fantasy stories where evil plans are always averted on time.

This is because her power is to instantly recognize the power of other mutants when she looks in their eyes, which she sees as a series of vignettes of the mutant using their powers for the most unspeakably violent, destructive, or vile purposes they could be turned to. She has essentially constant night terrors and frequent flashbacks and panic attacks as a result.


Witch trials? In Canadia? :smallconfused: I think what was necessary to cause those is the most intriguing teaser you've dropped. :smallamused:

If you got superhero problems I feel bad for you, son. I got 98 mutants but a witch ain't one. :smallcool:

I'm so very, very sorry.

[Jaycemonde]

Dr. Claw:
A surgeon who has developed huge, clawed hands.

Half-Life zombie claws (not caked in gore, but the same basic form). Still tries to be a surgeon for as long as he can, despite having a hard time grappling with the scalpels and other tools. Gets the name "Claw" from a smart-assed colleague.
Rather simplified and abridged version of a bigger idea I'd had but gotten too attached to.

[D20ragon]

Oh, yeah, right. Expending on Emotional-Duplicates Girl:
Tammy is a young girl, in her last year of high school, who has a hard time focusing on a single thing at a time, but likes to see herself as a level-headed and nice person. Living in a bad neighbourhood, her parents had her take self-defense classes.
Which didn't do much wonder when not one, not two, but a whole group of thugs tried to mug her when she was coming back home. The mutation, however, did help, and within minutes, a small army of Tammies laid waste to the criminals. (Before disagreeing loudly over what to do with them.)
Now, while her clones are more one-dimensional than she is (embodying a single emotion and all), she considers them siblings of sort, who help her tremendously with chores and homework (though they're no smarter, or individually faster, than she is). As much as she likes them though, she now can't help but wonder about what identity - and most particularly hers - is supposed to be. After all, she's just an empty shell hosting all her emotions; if they should all be made incarnate at the same time, what would there be left? Sometimes, she feels like Wrath, or Fear, or Joy are more competent than she is; if one of them took her place permanently, would everybody be better off?


That is so awesome, it requires a system dedicated to it. That would be so cool.:smallamused::smallbiggrin::smallcool:

I fully support this! Anyone up for a brainstorming session?


Josephine McCracken is a seven year old girl. She is fairly normal, liking dolls and her friends better than ice hockey, but she's extremely nervous and always has sunken eyes and a tired look to her. She adamantly refuses to look strangers in the eye and will do anything she can to avoid meeting new people, and keeps her "security blanket" from her early life, a pink checked teddy bear named Mopo. She enjoys reading, particularly fantasy stories where evil plans are always averted on time.

This is because her power is to instantly recognize the power of other mutants when she looks in their eyes, which she sees as a series of vignettes of the mutant using their powers for the most unspeakably violent, destructive, or vile purposes they could be turned to. She has essentially constant night terrors and frequent flashbacks and panic attacks as a result.



If you got superhero problems I feel bad for you, son. I got 98 mutants but a witch ain't one. :smallcool:

I'm so very, very sorry.

Don't be. :smallbiggrin:




Hmmmmmm.....
I've had a bunch of odd superpowered types floating about for some time.
Let's see if I can dig some up.
No backstories yet, just powers.
Anatomical separation, limited to the hands and fingers and "remote control' over the separated extremities.
Be the perfect pickpocket. Just leave a few fingers in their pocket, and let them find their way back to you.
Limited "sight warping"
Replacing one or both of your eyes with any other object, even another eye.
Meaning, that if you chose, you could go blind in one eye, but in return be able to see out of someone else eye. When you stopped seeing through their eyes, your sight would return.
Be highly confusing, though.
And lastly, a beatnik/hipster with super powerful cricket legs strikes me as funny for some reason.
He'd be called the cricket. He would wear a weather inappropriate scarf and a beret, and would play music by rubbing his cricket legs together on the sidewalk. Also, he could jump really high. :smallbiggrin:
Why do I think this is funny??:smallconfused:

[Mono Vertigo]

That is so awesome, it requires a system dedicated to it. That would be so cool.:smallamused::smallbiggrin::smallcool:

I fully support this! Anyone up for a brainstorming session?
:smallredface:
You flatter me! That was just the first character I imagined when I discovered M&M3e, except I've not found the right way to stat her yet. I didn't imagine her concept would be so amazing, it's basically a new twist on the good old duplication power, and I'm only exploring its ramifications.

[Asta Kask]

Could be done in GURPS.

[D20ragon]

Meh!
What fun is just tacking system on to a new idea?
I personally, am a fan of systems that are are tailor-made to fit their content.




But yes, it could be done in GURPS.

[Tvtyrant]

I could use Mutants and Masterminds too, but I won't!

Two of the big players from the Siege of Montreal in 2034.

Francoise Aylmer.

Francoise Aylmer's father was an active member of the FLQ (Front de libération du Québec,) and died imprisoned for his participation of the bombing of the Montreal stock exchange in 1969.

Francoise spent his life developing a new organization to free Quebec from the British Canadians, just as his father had done. Forced to flee Quebec in 2030 after being betrayed by Steven Esquire, a member of his organization who had grown disillusioned with Francoise's violent agenda. Hiding in the Yukon with two of his closest cohorts, Francoise was witness to the impact that would change his life.

Upon waking the next day Francoise found that his body had returned to that of a man in his prime. Over the next few weeks it became apparent that he was invincible, no longer needing to breath and unable to be physically harmed by anything. Francoise also gained a secondary power, the ability to treat solid materials as liquids and "swim" through them. Francoise quickly returned to Quebec, sure that nothing could stop him on his path to independence.

Francoise entered into a career of violence in his quest to create an independent "New France." Almost completely unstoppable, he killed multiple members of Parliment, the Prime Minister, generals, and even critically injured the president of the US when they attempted to aid the rapidly collapsing nation of Canada. When NATO besieged Francoise fortress in Montreal Francoise found himself facing off against Mr. Prefect (Canadian super hero with the ability to make events beautiful) and the local cab driver Ricardo Pujols. Mr. Perfect fought Francoise to a stand still in a gun-fu fight in front of Montreal's city hall, and while repeatedly pining him had Ricardo teleport both of them onto the moon. Francoise's forces fell before NATO without him, and the world has returned to some semblance of normality.

Janieve Abel.

Janieve Abel was a young woman when she joined Francoise Aylmer's organization the CLQ (Combattants de la liberté du Québec.) An idealist, Janieve believed that a free Quebec would create a cascade leading to more fair deals between the First and Third Worlds as the cost of tyranny would become apparent.

Janieve murdered her former boyfriend Steven Esquire before fleeing to the Yukon with Francoise. Her power rapidly developed in the coming weeks, gaining the ability to create and control blackberry bushes spontaneously from dirt. The thickness, length and number of vines were under her control, as well as the shape they took as the developed and the distance the started from her.

Janieve's power came with a terrible flaw. Whenever she used her powers she would quickly fall into a coma, the length of which was determined by how much power she used. Janieve has been unconscious ever since the siege of Montreal, when she ensnared a division of NATO forces in tree trunk thick vines as they approached the city. Her body is kept in a special facility which contains no dirt in case she ever awakes.

[AtomicKitKat]

Based on my own frustrations with translating solo gaming success vs actively competing against others online, I present to you:
Theodora "Teddy" Sampras, aka Telepresence. Her powers stem from an episode of nerd-rage, where after a particularly frustrating session of gaming, she felt like throttling her mouthy opponent. And did. Through her screen. Her powers work only when/where there is an instant connection to the target. Telephone, "live" television, closed -circuit television, online games, teleconferencing, all work to transmit her actions instantaneously across continents.