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Here are the seventeen stock university students that I use at conventions when I run University of Hellenback games. The "befores" are all more or less 50/50 normals (for GM ease, most of them actually have more than 50 points in disads, but I only spend 100 total points for that stage and the "afters" are all more or less 100/150 supers. The deal is, in case you haven't read the Episodes section is that all PCs start out as "normals" and get to discover the powers in the first few modules. If you're planning on attending one of my convention games, and don't plan to BYO 50/50 normal, you probably shouldn't read this page. Or only read the "before" sections.
In case you were wondering, I haven't assigned gender, race, etc. to any of these. Typically, I pass around a "baby name" book during character selection. I find this saves me a lot of aggravation in the long run.
Before - This young freshman is looking for a major in Medieval French Lit. S/he comes from the right side of the tracks, and don't you forget it. We're talking money to burn and has all the skills you'd expect from a member of the horsey set. This PC enjoys horseback riding and running.
After - The powers here are pretty straightforward psi. The PC can read minds, mentally blast people, find a given mind at a distance, and see auras and psychic manifestations. The "second sight" occasionally gets distracting, causing the PC to talk to people who aren't there, detour around things nobody else can see, and so forth.
This is an easy one to give the player hints on - s/he'll hear comments that people deny making. People glow to his/her sight, giving hints into their character.
Before - One of the rare upperclassmen in this batch, this junior has managed to get a seat as the president of the student council, but hasn't managed to pick a major. This one's a born politician.
After - Think "Plastic Man". S/he can deform and reshape like a living blob of Silly Putty. Being made of putty, this PC is hard to hurt. S/he can "melt" and flow under doors, make "suction cup hands" and climb up buildings, do a really nifty sofa impression, and stretch out his/her arms to great lengths and even swing by those distended arms.
This is another easy one on the power discovery game - s/he can melt accidentally, get hit with debris and hent instead of bruise...
Before - This PC is an expert in the discipline of martial arts, with the emphasis on discipline and arts. S/he is gentle and will go out of his/her way to avoid a fight.
After - This PC drew pretty generic energy powers. S/he can fly, shoot energy bolts, create blinding flashes of light and can generate a force field that can be extended to cover other persons s/he is touching. When startled or frightened, this PC may generate the force field involuntarily.
Make use of that Accidental Change disad for this PC. Another good way to demonstrate the powers would be a discharge of the Flash or Energy Blast while the PC is performing katas and concentrating on his/her "chi".
Before - This sophomore accounting major had the sense to move off campus and shares a house with three other University of Hellenback students, and a puppy. His/her hobbies include swimming and poker and s/he is an absolute fanatic about cars, especially antique cars. S/he speaks Italian pretty well and German very well.
After - This PC has control over his/her density. S/he can increase density to become stronger and tougher, or decrease it so much that s/he rides along air currents. At extremely low density, the PC becomes transparent, nearly invisible. The PC adjusts density at a more or less instictive level and doesn't always consciously realize that s/he is doing it. This can lead to all sorts of "don't know my own strength" accidents and the like.
This PC can accidentally break off a doorknob or splinter a chair (with density increase) or get carried off by a stiff breeze (low density). I'd wait for the character to experiment with being "light" to introduce the invisibility angle.
Before - This PC is your stereotypical computer/gaming geek. S/he also has a bad smoking habit, not necessarily just tobacco, could be cloves or oregano (or some more exotic herbs if you're running an adult game), whatever. This PC has chronic eyestrain and cannot tolerate bright lights.
After - This PC can turn into a being of electricity. S/he can become pure energy (and thus immune to physical attacks) and can "burn" people from this form. S/he can also move along telephone and electric wires at great speed. The PC can also shoot electric bolts, but tires easily from this as s/he is tossing off parts of his/her "essence". Water causes extra damage to this PC.
This PC can have a sympathetic reaction to lightning or go spontaneously to energy form when threatened.
Before - This poor PC just can't catch a break. S/he's all but albino, and gets born on a farm to a poor family. S/he can eat almost anything, and has had to. As a result of incredible bad luck, s/he has become so used to any decision going wrong, that any decision has become paralyzing.
After - This PC gets extra big, extra strong, extra tough, and, oh yeah, grows two extra sets of arms (that's six arms total, in case you're counting). Ewww...
This is another easy one. Just pick any incredibly inconvenient time (remember that bad luck) and *whoosh*, huge!
Before - This PC is an actor (yes, that is the preferred gender-neutral term), successful enough to have landed a job selling the local telephone psychic service. Of course, it's not too hard to act enthused, because the PC actually believes in that stuff.
After - The PC has power over the force of magnetism. S/he can fly metal object around, reflect metal-based attacks, and the more I think about it the more I think I could have built these powers more efficiently.
The Distinctive Feature is an easy clue - let the PC discover his/her watch has stopped, and that paper clips are stuck to it. Cruel GMs can even cause the PC to erase valuable data from diskettes.
Before - This sophomore Archeology major is a foreign student, and, in fact, is minor nobility in his/her own land. S/he speaks English with a mild accent (and, of course, is fluent in whatever the native language turns out to be). His/her younger brother is in an exchange program with a local high school, and drops by from time to time. S/he has a running rivalry with some other student.
After - This PC has sonic powers. S/he can temporarily deafen people, create auditory illusions, become completely silent, and "sound blast" things.
Again, the Distinctive Feature makes a great stepping off point - there are always funny echoes around the PC - distortions of sound, etc. The Energy Blast is another good clue - let the PC accidentally destroy something - maybe shatter a pane of glass.
Before - This PC is what we used to call a "ROTC jock" when I was in college. The military is his/her life and obsession.
After - This PC has fire powers. S/he can cause objects to ignite at a distance, has a protective force field, and is protected from flash blindness. S/he can also summon a small pack of "fire pups". The pups appear to be normal, bright red puppies except that they are very hot to the touch (call it a 1d6 damage shield) (they don't damage the PC). They are about as bright as normal puppies, but are very friendly and loyal to the PC.
The PC can suddenly observe things catching fire around him/her. Also, if the PC is knocked down or depressed, a fire pup can appear and start licking his/her face.
Before - This PC is most notable for being, well, a babe. S/he is agile, exiting and attractive - to the point that s/he has a little trouble shedding his/her admirers. S/he can both drive very well and pilot small aircraft.
After - The PC is a teleporter. S/he can teleport long distances, talking along the rest of the group if desired. The PC can also travel between dimensions and time. This can happen spontaneously when the PC is attacked or startled.
The PC can dodge an attack far more completely than intended, or just wake up after a nightmare on the front lawn - along with his/her bed, stereo, roommate...
Before - This PC is a philosophy major with good mental reflexes. S/he sleeps lightly, but can "play possum" frighteningly convincingly. S/he's been around and has a bit of a temper.
After - The PC has become a fairly typical clairvoyant. S/he is subject to visions of the past, future, etc. and can cause whatever ghosts/spirits within range to manifest. On the downside, the PC suffers from nightmares and is constantly being pestered by lonely ghosts.
This power practically reveals itself. The nightmares are probably a good place to start, as well as conversations with people nobody else can see. Maybe s/he'll spontaneously know the origin of the "mystery meat".
Before - This PC is in Pre-med. The PC is very dedicated to being a doctor -- the vast majority of his/her time goes into studying, hospital volunteer work, and anything else to further that goal. This comes at the price of awareness of the rest of the world.
After - We're talking garden-variety mentalist here. The PC can read minds, control minds and cause people to have personal hallucinations.
The easiest way to start off this character is with hearing the ambient thoughts of what's around him/her. The PC can also discover that people become remarkably compliant when s/he gives orders...
Before - This PC is tough, cute, and a Home Ec major. S/he is probably a jock.
After - This PC has what I've always referred to as the "Stupid People Trick" power. That's because I was inspired by watching some yahoo dress all in Velcro (tm?) and jump off a trampoline into a wall also covered in Velcro. It has to be one of the most dumbfoundingly silly things I've ever seen. So that's this PC's power. S/he can leap great distances and stick to walls. Well, stick to pretty much anything, really.
A good way to introduce this power is to wait for the PC to decide to either leap at something or dodge something and have them go wheeee and wind up stuck to the third story of some building.
Before - This PC is a Physics major. S/he's very bright and skilled in all sorts of techie stuff. The PC also has a largish family and strong religious convictions.
After - And, now, the garden variety telekinetic... The PC can create a telekinetic wall to shelter an area, fly a bit, move stuff with the power of his/her mind.
The PC an discover supplies flying to his/her hand as needed, or, if threatened by something, make it bounce away doing no harm.
Before - This PC is popular and friendly. S/he's been elected the Student Body Treasurer. The PC has a sharp quick mind - so quick that it doesn't always stay on track.
After - The one non-mutant in the group, this PC is possessed of a magic sword which gives him/her mystical armor, warnings of evil around him/her, teleportation, and the ability to suppress magic.
This one's another easy one to discover, as the PC is hardly going to miss the fact that s/he now has a great big magic sword. At GM option, the sword can be presented by some supernatural being to the PC with a charge to "protect the innocent, blah blah blah".
Before - This PC is your stereotypical tortured artist. S/he is addicted to coffee and is very sensitive about his/her art. The only saving grace is that s/he is actually pretty good.
After - At some point, this PC's roommate vanished and left him/her with a cat. Anyway, the PC can create small portals and reach through them to hit things or retrieve small objects (no bigger than a basketball). S/he can also redirect attacks by carefully placing the portals. The "Variable Power Pool" represents the fact that the PC can produce just about any plausible object up to a certain level.
The PC is most likely to discover this while reaching for something and spontaneously creating a portal.
Before - The PC is a CompSci major. S/he is very smart and quick but not particularly attractive.
After - This PC can shrink instantly down to a small size, causing a blinding flash. S/he can glide on air currents and jump extra high while small, and also use the regrowth to add extra power to a punch.
This is another easy one. Pick a convenient moment and make the PC go tiny.