Whaddaya call 'em?

[transmetahuman]

In a world where people exist who transcend human ability to the point where laws, customs, and scientific theory have to be reexamined, sooner or later people will need term for them- the They Ain't Like Us. What term is used in your world to describe the whole mess of them - whether they be heroes, villains, contractors, or just trying to live a normal life? Edit: The intent was the term used by politicians, scientists, news media, etc. when referring generically to people with superhuman powers. But feel free to tell us your slang, too. :)

Supers or Superhumans

Metahumans

Paranormals

Supernaturals

Common Origin - All the powers in my world have the same cause.

- Mutants

- Novas

- Aces

No one term - There is no term that refers to all of them, but one or more of the distinct subsets are referred to by a term in this list.

Other - The overall term isn't listed (please post it), or none of the listed terms is used.

[Ghost Archer]

Usually paranormals.

[ghost-angel]

We use Paranormals primarily.

We also tend to break other things that are Not Us into Supernatural and Pretrenatural... so we use those three terms to class the "werid things."

[Kyle A.]

I call them Metahumans normaly but sometimes refer to them as Superhumans.

[Lord Mhoram]

Hypernormals.... Hypers for short

[Spectrum]

I tend to use the term Supers.

[Hermit]

Usually Supers or Superhumans
Metahumans is a close second
"Capes, Cowls, and Longjohns" are also thrown about by some NPCs pretty freely :)

[Tim]

Supers or Superhumans mostly. The Government usually refers to them as Paranormals.

[Enforcer84]

Panoramics

[MisterVimes]

The scientific term in my game is Metahuman, but the more common usage is Ultra (named after the first Metahuman of the 20th century).

[OddHat]

Metahumans, Metas - People with an activated meta-gene

Black Masks, White Masks - Costumed Villains / Heroes

Science Hero / Villain, Mad Scientist - People who use (or appear to use) supertech.

Mages - Um, mages.

Other terms crop up as well.

[winterhawk]

Supers/Superhumans as the official term, like something used in a news report.

Masks is used as a derrogatory, esp. by the police/underworld.

[transmetahuman]

I'm a little suprised that Novas and Aces are being used without the "Common Origin" block being checked. The terms originated with the two biggest common origin settings I know of - Aberrant and Wild Cards. How do you (whoever checked 'em) use them?

[Supreme Serpent]

Super-: Supers, Superhuman, Superhero, Supervillain

[OddHat]

I'm a little suprised that Novas and Aces are being used without the "Common Origin" block being checked. The terms originated with the two biggest common origin settings I know of - Aberrant and Wild Cards. How do you (whoever checked 'em) use them?

Common Origin is not strictly true for Wild Cards (at least five cannon characters with demonstrable powers were not Wild Cards victims, and there were others mentioned in interviews with the authors), and it's also not strictly true for Abberant. Throw in the Abberant - WoD and Wild-Cards - (Other GURPS world book, we used Voodoo) cross over campaigns, and you get non-common origin worlds with the terms still in public use. :)

[Cancer]

Of course, as a normal in any universe where they existed, I would probably call them "Sir". Unless they publicized a preferred form of address ahead of time.

[Brother Jim]

didn't Aberrant have both Novas and Psions ??







i'm far too lazy today to dig out my books and check though.

[OddHat]

didn't Aberrant have both Novas and Psions ??

i'm far too lazy today to dig out my books and check though.

In theory the Psions came later. The Aeon setting did include aliens, but (iirc) both Novas and Psions gained their powers from the same source. Psions were the weaker, more limited, less dangerous form of Novas that humanity was being encouraged to evolve into by our Alien Masters.

[Nucleon]

Supers. The Superhumanity.

Supers covers extraterrestrials, mutants, the altered, the gods and the just dashing and heroic human with simple knowledge of extended martial arts.

Nucleon thinks that "metahumans" makes too much "elves and orcs."

[TheRavenIs]

Ok my group has used many terms over the years, usually we don't us the term Super's.

- Hyperhumans

- Ultrahumans

- Boosted

- New Men

- Mega's

- and the new world I am starting will be using the term - Jump Started

[pinecone]

Old folks and many europeans use Ubers, hippsters use Paras, the east coast likes Masks, and the west coast likes Supers....the government uses an inscutable code useing greek letters both for type and for power levels...over the years "gov-speak" has filtered into the media and many people now use Omegas to refer to mutants. Alphas are "super-normals" and Deltas are your typical supers thease terms are also becoming popular, Delta meaning "super being" and Alpha meaning super skill characters as well as "hot shots " in the business world.....(the government uses differant codes for differant types of supers...Delta is the code for the "average" power level....so most heros regardless of their Type code are Deltas as well for their power code....)

[Trebuchet]

Although the term "paranormal" was often used when superhumans first appeared in 2000, the official term "metahuman" is now used by the authorities and press; especially for characters with inate powers. "Superhuman" or "supers" are still often used to describe persons with non-inate superpowers (tech-based heroes/villains and costumed criminals/crimefighters who use extensive training), especially by the man on the street. Another common term, growing in use (especially by the general public), is "metas."

[assault]

Technical term: Metahuman
Colloquial: Super, superhuman, etc.
Specific subtypes: mutant, etc.


Black Masks, White Masks - Costumed Villains / Heroes

I have "Blue Masks, Black Masks and Red Masks" having been used during the Cold War, all to describe people who are/were more or less heroes.

"Blue Masks" is the shortened version of "Red, white and Blue Masks". Mainstream superpatriots. Eg: Superman.

"Black Masks" are vigilante types with their own agendas. Eg: Batman.

"Red Masks" are heroes who failed to sign onto McCarthyism, for whatever reason. Eg: Dark Knight Returns version of Green Arrow. The 80s version of the Crimson Avenger, who fought in the Spanish Civil War when he was young, might be another candidate.

The third category are/were rather rare. At least some of them became villains.

[zornwil]

Supers, metahumans, paranormals, mutants, as far as the populace goes.

Many mutants and now a few humans refer to them, as a body, as X Man or X Men or X People.

Magneto and his followers (and even splinter groups rejecting his rapproachment) have championed homo sapiens supernus as the next evolutionary step beyond homo sapiens sapiens. (Magneto - "As yesterday’s scholars dubbed Homo sapiens “Homo sapiens sapiens” for the being’s self-awareness, we must devise a new category for this new development – human over biology! We are Homo sapiens supernus. - from his "The X-Man Manifesto")

[Kirby]

Supers, Paranormals, Metahumans and Mutants are the responses I chose.

Mutants simply because that's how some define their origin. Paranormals and Metahumans because that's what DC used to refer to theirs a decade or so ago (they may still, I just don't read comics any more). But ever since I purchased San Angelo: City of Heroes, I've been calling them Supers.

[assault]

"Sir".

"Ma'am" is a bit iffy.

More generally, whatever they want to be called.

Or else.

[TheEmerged]

I use the Aberrant terminology myself -- nova, eruption, etc.

I didn't check "Common Origin" because I didn't know what that was supposed to mean. "Why would someone call a nova a 'Common Origin'..."

[Baphomet Jones]

I use the terms Masks or Supers generally. More cynical characters refer to groups of them as a Pajama Party

[tinman]

Posthumans.

[Plex]

I tend to use them all, depending on the type of being. Some are used as derogatory remarks...