Mutants Among Us University

[Hermit]

My name is Miles Noren, I am a college professor at Balding-Wheeler University where I teach music. And I believe I am going out of my damn mind. I am wide awake, and yet I am dreaming. Classical orchestrations, and Broadway tunes accompany visions both spectacular and nightmarish, mostly of my fellow staff, and students! But also of the ones behind it.

 

I wipe the sweat from my brow, I have a fever. 

 

I see a savior, and butcher and liberator and  tyrant looming over it all, Kinematik? Yes, that's his name. The 1812 Overture begins as he fills my mind, as he sows the seeds along the campus and waters them. The music switches to 'Be Prepared' from Disney's the Lion King... and then as battles rise, some seeds grown defiant and wild, others hungry for the blood he offers.... it switches anew to 'Won't be fooled again' by the Who.

 

I turn my view away from him.. towards the forest of chaos he's raising and I...

 

Stagger against the cabinet where I keep the aspirin.

 

The vision is changing anew.. the seeds, not trees, but students mostly.. but which ones? I don't...

 

Ah, it's not what will happen, it's what might happen, if it takes root.

 

****

I'm about to make some college students and staff, to make as NPCs (not a lot of stats, mostly fluff) that the PCs may end up interacting with, with possible mutations and possible futures. Hopefully I'll get a table top campaign off the ground.

[Hermit]

Alexina "Alex" Finnmore , sophomore, age 19 about to turn 20, a trustfund sort whose parents are paying her way. While she observes some formalities and decorum that betray her old money upbringing, a part of her resents the expectations from her parents and this clashes a bit with her naturally loyal nature. The blue eyed brunette has discovered she rather likes being called Alex , partly because it would annoy her mother no end. Formality aside, she's a welcoming individual by nature and most folks like her.

 

(If she develops a mutation)

I see Alex taking a cup that says drink me, and sipping as she must. She gasps and begins to dwindle, dwindle and go small till she's no bigger than a doll all to the tune of the Nutcracker suite, the mundane made magical as she finds a far bigger world than she ever expected.  But the draught in her veins is also in her brain. I see her growing more rebellious, defying the world she knew...  but she is vulnerable even as she gains power.

 

The words thrown her way will be very big, and may sway her. Kinematik will redirect her, have her lash against society that has tried to restrain her. The ones  who oppose him, the heroes shall I call them? They may instead show her that exchanging her parents' plans for her only to wear the mantle of rebel soldier isn't exactly freedom for herself either.

 

 

[Hermit]

Renata Echeverría, Freshman, age 18 Cuban American girl whose own parents are proud that she's the first of their family to make it to a college. She's new to the area, and too much on her guard, in fact she's a bit over sensitive. She's tired of folks assuming she's of Mexican Heritage.  The brown eyed girl glares if someone makes a comment about her height and don't call her 'Ren'.  She's competitive, because she had to bust her hump to get a scholarship and knows that just getting by doesn't get you anywhere.  With maturity her flaws may soften, but she's got a lot in her favor too; A hard work ethic, an iron will, and faith that with effort things will get better and not just for herself.

 

(If she develops a mutation)

Renata's future is a perilous one. I see electricity pouring out of her finger tips and cascading over her body as Vivald's the Storm plays, and I see her running still trailing with energy from her skin as the song Shock Treatment from that RHPS spin off blares. She will not be able to stop it, yet even as the power she gains takes easy contact from her, her strong will hold . She will not easily fall to sweet whispers of  Mutant supremecy, simply being born superior goes against all she believes. But should he point out he might be able to help her gain control? THAT might tempt her.

 

But she is more likely to hold or seek her own path. 

[JmOz]

First, sit down and watch Sky High...Just saying

 

 

[Hermit]

1 minute ago, JmOz said:

First, sit down and watch Sky High...Just saying

 

 

 

Have. Great movie. Highly overlooked. 

 

But the situation here is a little different. That's a high school for future superheroes where almost everyone has powers and is in the know.

 

This is a small to medium college where nothing exciting has ever happened. Only now it's remoteness makes it ideal for a villain's plot  to trigger mutation  and what may happen if that's set in motion.   Still, yes, a great movie to take some archetypal personalities from *G*

[Hermit]

Alvin Brooker, Senior, Age 23, a strapping all American golden boy complete with hair to match, easy smile, and bittersweet about graduation as he'll be saying goodbye to his Frat brothers. He's one of those guys you kind of want to hate because he's just too close to perfect, but he's a noble jock type rather than a jerk meathead so it's hard not to like him. 

Sometimes he can be a bit clueless about introverts, thinking they just need a push to get over their 'shyness' but he means well.

 

 

(If he develops a mutation)

 

On the stage of what might be, I see Alvin screaming as scales form out of skin, and hair falling. The music  Verdi - Dies Irae, shrilling as he punches a hole through a wall. He is used to being the winner, the golden boy, but that is now what he looks like now and people react accordingly as he speaks in his new rasping voice trying to explain. Powerful, unconquerable, but he has never been an island and enjoys belonging.  The mutant cause offers him acceptance and approval.

 

Only kindness from the right hero can change his destiny and even then, it will not be easy

[Hermit]

Michelle Blake, Junior, Age 23, a friendly outgoing woman who may laugh when it's not appropriate but is a likable kind of weird. Some think she dyes her normally dark brown hair a new color at least once a month, wears flamboyant colors in many contrasting layers. From her Happy Go lucky attitude, you'd never know she was fighting a battle with cancer hoping to graduate before it (or the treatment attempts) finish her off

 

(If she develops a mutation)

As the tune of Le Mer by Debusy builds up in my mind, I see Michelle Blake shedding illness in the waters of rebirth. She abandons her garish wigs as a mohawk like fin blooms from her bald head as the song "I'm going to wash that man right out of my hair" takes over. Her once hidden and scrawny form filling out with health and an alien beauty.  More whimsical than before, she still maybe pressed to feel a debt, a life debt no less, to the Mutant supremacists and seek to repay her savior. Less and less will she relate to mere humans, and eventually, she'll see airbreathers as just amusing creatures to play with.

 

An anchor of friendship formed even before the change might be all that keeps her human.

 

 

 

 

[Hermit]

Edwin "Ed" Fullerton, 18 year old sophomore, is a redheaded stepchild. Really. His family life was pretty rough. Because of this, he's cautious by nature, bordering on distrustful, with new faces. That said, he's observant, analytical, and tries to stay emotionally detached. As might be guessed, he hasn't made many friends yet. The slender ginger is considered to be one who gives it to you straight and most of the other students admit he's probably acing his classes. A true bookworm.

 

(If he develops a mutation)

 

With "La Carmagnole"  in the backdrop, I see Edwin's features melting like wax only to reform to resemble oh so many others one at time. Impressionable, and with stunted Empathy, he will contemplate the ramifications of a growing mutant population and the older mundane population fearing it is being supplanted, and he will deduce Kinematik is right. It is not the venom in his mind making him impressionable, he has always felt superior and now his new gifts prove it. He cannot be saved I fear. His sister is another matter.

 

 

[Hermit]

Some of  you are probably wishing this had more context

The other 90% of you haven't even looked at this thread or have and got bored

I'm putting some details in spoilers in case my players get on.. which I don't think they will

 

Spoiler

[spoiler]In a nutshell, Kinematik has found Lancer alive, and recruited her. While the true PSI formula isn't something they can recruit exactly, by kidnapping some leading genetiicsts and biochemists, they have assembled a baseline mutagen. The PSI Serum has a history of bringing out darker elements in those who take them along with powers, and perhaps that, and a Kinematik's encouragement of aggression boosters in the formula, is why this mutagen might not just awaken latent mutants, it opens their minds and not always in the best ways.  There are almost no superheroes in the closest large cities so it's not like there will be much resistance  [/spoiler]

 

The Players will be playing three students caught up in this, and being PCs, they'll be a little less subject to the recruitment attempts. Without other heroes around, it falls on them to step up and learn fast as their fellow students either join the ranks of Mutant Supremicists or just wreck havoc on their own.

 

So far, the PCs have a mentalist with no obvious physical mutations, a blaster who if anything will look better than she started but still 'normal', and a speedster who is going to grow a prehensile tail and come out of the closet

 

So I hope to give them some RP in NON powered mode to make and establish friendships and make it a bit more personal for them, let them pick the NPCs they want to befriend etc. Some NPCS will not mutate but will be in danger, others will, and also... be in danger. So I hope to make about 10 to 20 NPCs with 'what if they get powers' angles so I'll be semi prepared.

[Hermit]

Pr Miles Noren is the unfortunate guy who has precognition and may lose his marbles even as he might play plot device dropping ranting clues to the PCs. He may end up a full time ally, albeit one with limited use. Or he could see something in the future that will make him decide the mutants must fight among themselves to grow strong enough for a coming threat

[archer]

20 hours ago, Hermit said:

Some of  you are probably wishing this had more context

 

 

"Mutants Among Us University" is a collection of words which doesn't have any context or meaning for me. So if you're intending for that to communicate anything to me, it didn't happen.

[Hermit]

4 hours ago, archer said:

 

"Mutants Among Us University" is a collection of words which doesn't have any context or meaning for me. So if you're intending for that to communicate anything to me, it didn't happen.

 

Well, no. I didn't think the title would. i kind of thought the post you're (Partly) quoting would help those who might be curious.

 

(Though there are and were also the tags of Campaign Prep, NPC ideas, and College Setting )

 

 

[steriaca]

Melvin Morphean has one major problem in his life. His mutant power is the inability to go asleep. He doesn't have any I'll effects of not getting a good night's sleep. But it does annoy him being awake while the rest of the campus is asleep.

 

On the other hand, he has all the time in the world to study things. Lots of things. From lockpicking to advance mathematics.

[Hermit]

On 12/26/2020 at 9:57 PM, steriaca said:

Melvin Morphean has one major problem in his life. His mutant power is the inability to go asleep. He doesn't have any I'll effects of not getting a good night's sleep. But it does annoy him being awake while the rest of the campus is asleep.

 

On the other hand, he has all the time in the world to study things. Lots of things. From lockpicking to advance mathematics.

 

While I might not use or will tweak if I do.. thank you for putting in your own ideas

[steriaca]

3 minutes ago, Hermit said:

 

While I might not use or will tweak if I do.. thank you for putting in your own ideas

Thanks. Not all mutants spit acid or generate extradimensinal force emitions from their eye sockets. There is always room for the oddball who has no offense or totally defensive power.