Pathfinder and Xmen styled Mutants


Advice


hello everyone, and yeah. seems cheesy but I remember reading an old marvel comic called 1602, it was basically the marvel heroes set in Elizabethan England. and one of the things that stuck out in my mind was how they handled Mutants, instead of mutants they were called Witchborn. they still saved people and suffered persecution. anyway, bringing this back to pathfinder. I had the idea of doing something similar. giving characters a monster ability like blindsight or heat or regeneration etc.

but finally my question, how do you add persecution of those with these natural abilities when sorcerers and wizards and even witches exist in the world without persecution. and keep the world consistent.


Well, one way to do it is to make it some kind of genetic elimination fear. Having a race that can breed with other races but don't produce hybrids but just one race would be scary to humans. Its like a race that's converting humans into something else if they're accepted.

Physical differences would help.

I had one situation where Sorcerers were persecuted along with Half-elves and Half-orcs for having 'tainted blood'. Same went for Tieflings and hypocritically Aasimar. In fact the first setting I wrote up myself and still come back to has a persistent war between a faction of humans and half-monster races as they see Dhampir, Were-folk, Gilmen, Tieflings, Changelings, and Zombie-folk to be diseases full blooded monsters have sent to wipe out humanity.


Malwing wrote:

Well, one way to do it is to make it some kind of genetic elimination fear. Having a race that can breed with other races but don't produce hybrids but just one race would be scary to humans. Its like a race that's converting humans into something else if they're accepted.

Physical differences would help.

I had one situation where Sorcerers were persecuted along with Half-elves and Half-orcs for having 'tainted blood'. Same went for Tieflings and hypocritically Aasimar. In fact the first setting I wrote up myself and still come back to has a persistent war between a faction of humans and half-monster races as they see Dhampir, Were-folk, Gilmen, Tieflings, Changelings, and Zombie-folk to be diseases full blooded monsters have sent to wipe out humanity.

but isn't that most of the races in pathfinder. dwarves can't breed with anything other than dwarves, same for halflings. or at least thats my understanding since all of the half-races are half human and there aren't any half-gnomes or half-dwarfs.

and yeah, I though about them hating half-races and sorcerers. but then it'd almost be pointless to have the mutants since they could just play any half-race and deal with the exact same persecution. I need a reason for the persecution of mutants that wouldn't also lend itself to other tainted blood races as you mentioned.


Leonhart Steelmane wrote:
Malwing wrote:

Well, one way to do it is to make it some kind of genetic elimination fear. Having a race that can breed with other races but don't produce hybrids but just one race would be scary to humans. Its like a race that's converting humans into something else if they're accepted.

Physical differences would help.

I had one situation where Sorcerers were persecuted along with Half-elves and Half-orcs for having 'tainted blood'. Same went for Tieflings and hypocritically Aasimar. In fact the first setting I wrote up myself and still come back to has a persistent war between a faction of humans and half-monster races as they see Dhampir, Were-folk, Gilmen, Tieflings, Changelings, and Zombie-folk to be diseases full blooded monsters have sent to wipe out humanity.

but isn't that most of the races in pathfinder. dwarves can't breed with anything other than dwarves, same for halflings. or at least thats my understanding since all of the half-races are half human and there aren't any half-gnomes or half-dwarfs.

and yeah, I though about them hating half-races and sorcerers. but then it'd almost be pointless to have the mutants since they could just play any half-race and deal with the exact same persecution. I need a reason for the persecution of mutants that wouldn't also lend itself to other tainted blood races as you mentioned.

Depending on what side you want the players to be on in regards to whether they're X-men or not, you could just ban half-races/Sorcerers or require them. Given the diversity of the races pathfinder can provide if they exist there is very little sense of singling anyone out unless they have unreasonably creepy origins. Like Aboleth-folk or Skinwalkers. Abberation mutations is probably the best bet since Aboleth are kind of anti-humanoid by nature, I don't think there are any current abberation PC race, and they are generally considered unnatural and alien on multiple fronts.


Following are a few ways to take this trope.


  • Someone powerful has a vested interest in this persecution and is disseminating propaganda. A church preying off of its worshippers' prejudices, an iron-rich nation making money off the sale of weaponry (or, even better, a nation replete cold iron/silver/adamantine/..., a material which just happens to be the "mutants'" weakness), a powerful demagogue seeking to unite "pure" humans/demi-humans--these all have literary (and real-world, sadly) antecedents.
  • It's known that there is some temptation concomitant to becoming a mutant. Not all mutants are bad, but one hears enough stories about the bad ones that fearful/superstitious/bigoted commoners have generalized their trepidation to all mutants. Close to the reasons adduced in "X-Men," although that, too, has a healthy dose of the above machinations.
  • Simple novelty might play a role. Half-orcs, sorcerers, and witches may have been around long enough to have achieved (ostensible) equality, but mutants are a newer phenomenon. Once again, in real life, marginalized groups are subject to disparate amounts of suspicion and abuse, and what was regarded without rancor yesterday may now be the despised minority du jour.
    Real-World Trigger Warning:
    Examples here would be the rise of Islamophobia or the rampant burning of black churches in the contemporary U.S.: these prejudices have been around for a long time, but they recrudesce and gain lethal force when it suits the caprice of the white majority.

Well, that got grim, but I hope that the post provided you with some ideas nonetheless :).


Malwing wrote:
Leonhart Steelmane wrote:
Malwing wrote:

Well, one way to do it is to make it some kind of genetic elimination fear. Having a race that can breed with other races but don't produce hybrids but just one race would be scary to humans. Its like a race that's converting humans into something else if they're accepted.

Physical differences would help.

I had one situation where Sorcerers were persecuted along with Half-elves and Half-orcs for having 'tainted blood'. Same went for Tieflings and hypocritically Aasimar. In fact the first setting I wrote up myself and still come back to has a persistent war between a faction of humans and half-monster races as they see Dhampir, Were-folk, Gilmen, Tieflings, Changelings, and Zombie-folk to be diseases full blooded monsters have sent to wipe out humanity.

but isn't that most of the races in pathfinder. dwarves can't breed with anything other than dwarves, same for halflings. or at least thats my understanding since all of the half-races are half human and there aren't any half-gnomes or half-dwarfs.

and yeah, I though about them hating half-races and sorcerers. but then it'd almost be pointless to have the mutants since they could just play any half-race and deal with the exact same persecution. I need a reason for the persecution of mutants that wouldn't also lend itself to other tainted blood races as you mentioned.

Depending on what side you want the players to be on in regards to whether they're X-men or not, you could just ban half-races/Sorcerers or require them. Given the diversity of the races pathfinder can provide if they exist there is very little sense of singling anyone out unless they have unreasonably creepy origins. Like Aboleth-folk or Skinwalkers. Abberation mutations is probably the best bet since Aboleth are kind of anti-humanoid by nature, I don't think there are any current abberation PC race, and they are generally considered unnatural and alien on multiple fronts.

okay, I'll look into aboleths. thanks.


Leonhart Steelmane wrote:
Malwing wrote:
Leonhart Steelmane wrote:
Malwing wrote:

Well, one way to do it is to make it some kind of genetic elimination fear. Having a race that can breed with other races but don't produce hybrids but just one race would be scary to humans. Its like a race that's converting humans into something else if they're accepted.

Physical differences would help.

I had one situation where Sorcerers were persecuted along with Half-elves and Half-orcs for having 'tainted blood'. Same went for Tieflings and hypocritically Aasimar. In fact the first setting I wrote up myself and still come back to has a persistent war between a faction of humans and half-monster races as they see Dhampir, Were-folk, Gilmen, Tieflings, Changelings, and Zombie-folk to be diseases full blooded monsters have sent to wipe out humanity.

but isn't that most of the races in pathfinder. dwarves can't breed with anything other than dwarves, same for halflings. or at least thats my understanding since all of the half-races are half human and there aren't any half-gnomes or half-dwarfs.

and yeah, I though about them hating half-races and sorcerers. but then it'd almost be pointless to have the mutants since they could just play any half-race and deal with the exact same persecution. I need a reason for the persecution of mutants that wouldn't also lend itself to other tainted blood races as you mentioned.

Depending on what side you want the players to be on in regards to whether they're X-men or not, you could just ban half-races/Sorcerers or require them. Given the diversity of the races pathfinder can provide if they exist there is very little sense of singling anyone out unless they have unreasonably creepy origins. Like Aboleth-folk or Skinwalkers. Abberation mutations is probably the best bet since Aboleth are kind of anti-humanoid by nature, I don't think there are any current abberation PC race, and they are generally considered unnatural and alien on multiple fronts.
okay, I'll...

thanks for the suggestions. the first scenario could be a mutant versus industrialisation industry kind of campaign. but to be honest I'd don't think it'd be a persecution tale as much as an environmental one.

the second one could work but I can't think of any particular reason that they'd hate the mutants and not say, the arcane magic users could be just as deadly, if not more so. and I think this could be said about the third scenario as well.

I think the problem is that the reason mutants are persecuted in the comics is because people fear there power, but in a pathfinder setting where anyone could be just as powerful and dangerous though arcane or divine magic. it doesn't really make sense to fear one and not the other.

I need another reason for people to hate them besides just fear. its so hard to persecute the bizarre when the world is so bizarre haha.


Well, you could use "Psionics Are Different" rules, and the magic-using powers that be don't have enough tools to control these mutant creatures (mutation includes psionic abilities). (or vice versa if the powers that be are psionic, possibly a cabal of immortal Elan)


Leonhart Steelmane wrote:

hello everyone, and yeah. seems cheesy but I remember reading an old marvel comic called 1602, it was basically the marvel heroes set in Elizabethan England. and one of the things that stuck out in my mind was how they handled Mutants, instead of mutants they were called Witchborn. they still saved people and suffered persecution. anyway, bringing this back to pathfinder. I had the idea of doing something similar. giving characters a monster ability like blindsight or heat or regeneration etc.

but finally my question, how do you add persecution of those with these natural abilities when sorcerers and wizards and even witches exist in the world without persecution. and keep the world consistent.

The easiest way might be to have your world have no Sorcerers/Oracles, all magic comes from prepared casters (Witches/Wizards/Clerics/Druids). Give each of your PCs bonus feats using the Eldritch Heritage feats (or let them play full Sorcerers). Their powers are their manifested blood; some people could fear the latent power in them, others could seek to capture and control it, and others might just see it as a taint that could them (since no one knows where the power comes from).

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