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Slang terms for Archetypes - Adventures in world Fluff.


Enforcer84

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I'm looking for some slang terms for some of the various archetypes out there and their more common sub categories.

 

For instance, we call Strong guys Bricks, other games have called them tanks. But PS236 has the common FISS (Flying Invulnerable Strength Speed)* and Mutants and Masterminds calls them Paragons which I love. 

 

 

Archetype:

Brick (Tank) - Someone with Superhuman Strength as their main powerset.

   Paragon - A Brick with Flight, often superhuman senses, speed, and a penchant for capes.

   Hulk (Brute) - A Brick who is massive and bulging with muscles, often less human in appearance

   Godlike - A Brick who is big but wouldn't get distinctive features from it. 

   Amazon - A female brick who doesn't quite fit the Hulk category - tend to be tall and powerful but not drastically so.

 

Mentalists (Psis)

   Mover - telekinetic, those who affect energy tend to be named differently (Burner for pyrokinetic, Chiller for Cryokinetic, etc - these often cross over into the energy projectors whose abilities aren't psionic in nature)

   Emo - Empath

   Creeper - Telepath

   Headcase - Multiple "disciplines"

   Controller - Mind Control or Illusions

 

Speedster - sadly and unoriginally they tend to be classified by their SFX

    Runner - Running

    Flyer- you can see where this is going...

 

Some random ones...

Size Changers: 

Growth: Giant, Big

Shrinking: Bug

Both: Big Bug :)

 

Language is ever changing and these terms popped up more for use with modern communications that breed a need for briefer, more succinct descriptive terms.

Anyway,  feel free to throw some out if you think mine suck or to cover the myriad of powers I didn't.  

 

 

 

*Thanks Assult

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My 0.03 on this.

Chojin: Japanese for 'above person' (Cho is above or over, Jin is person).

.

Esper: Mentlist. Especially if the subject has mental senses.

.

Sprouts: British slang for Brick (from "Muscles", "Boy Scouts", and "Brucial Sprouts". Brit slang can be odd at times.)

Blaster: Energy Blaster.

.

Spookys: Desolification powered person, for their 'ghost' powers.

.

Dolf: Magic Spell Caster, based on the name Gandolf, from The Hobbit / Lord of the Rings saga.

.

Mancer: Another term for a mystic, especially if they limit themselves to one category of magic (Be it 'Necro', 'Cryo', 'Pryo', 'Terra', 'Areo', ect...)

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My 0.03 on this.

Chojin: Japanese for 'above person' (Cho is above or over, Jin is person).

.

Esper: Mentlist. Especially if the subject has mental senses.

.

Sprouts: British slang for Brick (from "Muscles", "Boy Scouts", and "Brucial Sprouts". Brit slang can be odd at times.)

Blaster: Energy Blaster.

.

Spookys: Desolification powered person, for their 'ghost' powers.

.

Dolf: Magic Spell Caster, based on the name Gandolf, from The Hobbit / Lord of the Rings saga.

.

Mancer: Another term for a mystic, especially if they limit themselves to one category of magic (Be it 'Necro', 'Cryo', 'Pryo', 'Terra', 'Areo', ect...)

nice!

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Unfortunately, the only categories I use are: Mystery Man, Wizard and Superhuman. Or Costumed/Masked Crimefighter and Mystic, if I want non gender specific titles for the first two.

 

Mystery Man: gadgeteer, martial artist, weapon master.

Wizard: mystic.

Superhuman: usually bricks. Basically anyone with "real" superpowers. Sometimes "Metahuman", if people are trying to sound science-y.

 

People who use technology that makes them the equivalent of "real superpowers" tend to be lumped in under Mystery Man or Superhuman, depending on how they present themselves. (Goodness knows how Iron Man would be categorised!)

 

Of course, these are relatively polite terms, mainly used for heroes.

 

Mad Scientists are Mad Scientists. Freaks and monsters are freaks and monsters. Etc. No specific terms beyond this.

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I was thinking that a super-strong individual could also be called a Hercules, or Herc for short.  A super-strong female would very likely be called a "lady Herc" or a "Herc-girl," much to her dismay.

 

Speedsters could also be called Swifts, or Rockets--the last one especially for flyers.

 

Another thing to consider is individuals possessing a certain powerset would very likely be named after the first individual to display those powers.  People with the ability to generate and control flame could be called Torches, while speedsters could be called Flashes. Those in the PS238 universe possessing the FISS powerset could very well be called Extraordinaries, after Mr. Extraordinary, the first metahuman of the modern age.

 

After all--would we even be calling them superheroes--or supervillains--if it weren't for this guy right here?

 

tumblr_ls3yd8xct51qfl90zo4_1280.jpg?w=51

 

I Don't Think So.

 

Hope that helps.

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Evos (evolved humans)

 

From Wild Cards - Aces, Jokers, Deuces and Nats (Naturals).

 

Shifter - Shapeshifter.

 

Hardbody, Hardboy, Hardgirl - people who are invulnerable or who can alter their body into invulnerable materials like metal.

 

Olympians - insult mocking super beings who believe themselves to be better than everyone.

 

Headcases - telepaths.

 

Para-Docs - superhuman scientists who always insist on being called doctor or professor even though no proof of having a diploma or degree exists. (Doctor...Who?!!)

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Gun Bunny firearm user

Flag suit patriotic hero who has some elements of his national, regional or organisational icons worked into his suit(flag, crests, seals ,colours etc.)

Flag Hag girlfriend/wife/sidekick/ of a patriotic or iconic hero who seems to only be in it for the reflected fame and glory.

Sellout/shils corporate sponsored heroes

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Mujin, Hirojin, and Nagajin: Japanese slang for homo superior ('Mutant'). Hirojin and Nagajin are 'old' terms currently only used by old folks, and references to the atomic bomb strikes at Hiroshima and Nagasaki (and the first place Mutants started to appear in Japan).

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From Wild Cards - Aces, Jokers, Deuces and Nats (Naturals).

 

I've always liked the use of "Nats" by supers, especially the villainous ones.  It sounds like they're referring to non-powered people as "gnats".

 

To add to the list:  teleporters who can take others along get called "taxis" in our group.

 

I've heard battlesuited characters called "tin cans" or simply "cans".

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Mind Controllers could be "Simons". Two reasons for this. First is the kids game "Simon Says". Next is that maybe the first known Mind Controller was Japanese. And the Japanese word for Mind Control is 催眠術 Saimin Jutsu. Saimin sounds awfully close to Simon and the the Americans and such just took up calling everyone of that type Simons.

 

Foreign Orchid

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My street-level supers game featured the Boys of Destruction, a street gang with a large number of (mostly) low-powered members. The slang they used reflected a power with the suffix, "boy." Examples include a," laserboy" (energy projector), "muscleboy" (brick/martial artist), "wizboy" (mentalist), and, "techboy" (gadgeteer).

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