Mutant City Blues 2e

MUTANT CITY BLUES
BLUES BLUES
Ever since the Sudden Mutation Event, people have been able to fly. Phase BY ROBIN D. LAWS AND
through walls. Read minds. Shoot bolts of energy from their fingertips.
Walk into dreams.
GARETH RYDER-HANRAHAN
As members of the elite Heightened Crime Investigation Unit, you and

your fellow detectives solve crimes involving the city’s mutant community.
When a mutant power is used to kill, you catch the case. When it’s a mutant
victim in the chalk outline, you get the call. And when it comes time for a
fight, you deploy your own extraordinary abilities to even the odds.
With new human capacity has come new science. Your squad brings
forensic science to bear on the solution of mutant crimes. Need to know if
a suspect is the victim of mind control or dream observation? Perform an
EMAT protocol to detect the telltale signs of external influence. Was your
victim killed by a light blast? Use Energy Residue Analysis to match the
unique wound pattern to the murderer, as surely as ballistic science links
a bullet to a gun.
Does your crime scene yield trace evidence of two separate powers? Use
your trusty copy of the Quade Diagram, the infallible map of genetic
relationships between mutant powers, to tell if one suspect could have
used both – or if you have two perps on your hands.
ROBIN D. LAWS AND GARETH RYDER-HANRAHAN

If chases, interrogations and mutant battles weren’t enough to handle,
you also serve as a bridge between the authorities and your mutant
brethren. To successfully close cases, you must navigate the difficult new
politics of post-mutation society, and deal with your own personal issues
and mutation-caused illnesses.
Police work will never be the same!
New and upgraded in the 2nd Edition:
• Push rules make the acclaimed GUMSHOE investigative rules set even
faster and more flexible
• New modes of play help GMs tailor the game to their players
• Personal crisis rules bring the stress of the job into play
• Character templates to help players build their officers
• Expanded chase rules for superpowered action
• Rules for superpowered private investigators
• A thrilling new scenario, Blue on Blue, delves into buried secrets of
Mutant City and the early days of the Sudden Mutation Event
PELGM201 $39.95
PELGM201
BLUES By Robin D. Laws
Additional material and design by Gareth Ryder-Hanrahan
MUTANT CITY BLUES 2ND EDITION
Publishers: Simon Rogers and Cathriona Tobin
Author: Robin D. Laws
Additional material and design by: Gareth Ryder-Hanrahan
Editing: Tim Gray, , Becky Smith, Cathriona Tobin
Art Direction: Gareth Ryder-Hanrahan, Cathriona Tobin
Cover Artist: Gene Ha
Interior Artists: Tangmo Cecchini, Mary Corbalis, Douglas P. Lobo, Miguel Santos, Lily Serrentino,
Phil Stone, Jessica Trevino, Karolina Węgrzyn
Layout: Jen McCleary
Playtesters: (1st edition): Benjamin B, Paolo Bongiovanni, Aaron Cattle, Dave, Steve Dempsey, Troy Duffy,
Alex Fradera, Zane Goodin, Chuk Goodwin, Mike Grace, Lynne Hardy, Richard Hardy, Kev Hickman, Chris
Huth, Paul Jackson, Alex Johnson, Wai Kien, Rob Lim, Peter Macejka, Robert Mill, Justin Mohareb, Matthew
Radings, Jesse Scoble, Simon Stroud, Anthony Sweeting, Peter Tracy, Graham Walmsley, Gordon Wilson,
Playtesters (2nd edition): Steve Alonso, Paul Aparicio, Tashfeen Bhimdi, Phil Catterall, Grace Cheetham,
Will Cooper, Michael Duxbury, Clayton Embrey, Nook Harper, Daniel Klinestiver, Jeanna Lundgren, Robert
Lundgren, Melissa Marsh, Stephen Marsh, Andy Mason, Elena Morris, Alex Paulsen, Russ Paulsen, Douglas
Radmore, Charles Richards, Scot Ryder, Matt Sands, Emily Savidge, David Sparkes, Cissy Street-Mellor, Jak
Van Der Graaf.
Includes rules adapted from Night’s Black Agents by Kenneth Hite.
©2020 Pelgrane Press Ltd. All rights reserved. Mutant City Blues is a trademark of Pelgrane Press Ltd.
Pelgrane Press is co-owned by Simon Rogers and Cathriona Tobin.
2
CONTENTS
Contents
IT’S NOT A BIRD, IT’S NOT A PLANE �� 5 Cover�� 94
THE WORLD OF THE ENHANCED�� 6 Free-For-All Combat�� 94
Mutants and Geopolitics�� 7 Range�� 94
THE GAME IN A NUTSHELL�� 11 Smashes and Throws�� 94
Roleplaying Basics�� 11 Suppressive Fire�� 94
Surprise�� 94
YOUR CHARACTER�� 12
Exhaustion, Injury and Death�� 95
Modes�� 12
Fighting Example�� 95
Buying Abilities�� 12
Chases�� 96
General abilities�� 13
Simultaneous Reveal�� 97
What Good are Ratings?�� 14
The Lead�� 97
Mutant powers�� 14
Raises�� 97
Templates�� 14
Pursuit Intervention�� 98
Pushes�� 17
Mutant Stunts �� 98
Choosing Your Mutant Powers�� 17
Investigative Abilities�� 99
The Quade Diagram�� 18
Hazards�� 99
Example�� 18
Improvised Power Use�� 100
And Finally…�� 20
ROLLING ON UP�� 102
STANDARD ABILITIES�� 21
Investigative Abilities�� 21 HCIU PROCEDURE�� 103
General Abilities�� 28 Mission Statement�� 103
Recruitment�� 103
THE INTERVIEW�� 32
Organizational Structure�� 104
MUTANT POWERS�� 33 Ranks�� 104
Power Quick Reference�� 33 DNAS Officers in the HCIU�� 104
Power Descriptions�� 36 Assignments�� 106
Investigative Powers�� 36 Shifts and Scheduling�� 108
General Powers�� 41 Evidence Collection�� 108
Genetic Risk Factors�� 77 Interviews and Interrogations�� 108
STEAK & SHAKE�� 80 EMAT Protocol�� 111
THE GUMSHOE RULES SYSTEM�� 81 Testimony in Court�� 111
Why This Game Exists�� 81 A Bridge Between Communities�� 112
From Structure to Story�� 81 Media Relations�� 112
Gathering Clues�� 82 FORENSIC ANAMORPHOLOGY�� 114
Pushes�� 82 Anamorphology 101�� 114
Inconspicuous Clues�� 83 DNA Analysis�� 116
Tests�� 84 Organ Grafting�� 116
Contests�� 87 Energy Residues�� 117
Composure�� 88 Assorted Forensic Anamorphology�� 119
Overwork�� 88 REFERENCE: ASSORTED TESTS, BY POWER�� 122
Regaining Pool Points�� 88
THE HEIGHTENED AND THE LAW�� 123
Forced Refreshes�� 89
Article 18�� 123
Improving Your Character�� 89
Proof of Heightened Status�� 123
Improving Mutant Powers�� 89
Probable Cause�� 124
I.D.�� 90 Incarceration�� 124
SUPER-POWERED ACTION�� 91 Dorphing�� 125
Distance�� 91 MUTANTS FOR HIRE�� 127
Fighting�� 92 Playing Private Investigators�� 127
Non-Lethal Attacks�� 92 The Firm�� 128
Lethal Attacks — Shooting�� 93 Clients�� 128
Ammo Capacity�� 93 Getting Paid�� 128
Armor�� 93 The Law & Private Investigators�� 129
Automatic Weapons�� 94 Mutant Investigators�� 129
3
A CHANGED WORLD��130 Story Arcs and Extended Play�� 173

Sports�� 130 Case of the Week��173
Medicine�� 130 Criminal Tapestry��173
The Arts�� 131 The Big Plot��174
Politics�� 132 The Criminal Pyramid��174
Timeline�� 132 Career Police��174
Heightened Sub-Cultures�� 135 The Changing City��174
Slang and Jargon�� 137 ADVICE FOR PLAYERS��175
BUILDING MUTANT CITY��138 Choosing Your Watch Commander�� 175
Involving the Players�� 138 Subplots�� 175
The Quade Institute�� 138 Interviewing Techniques�� 176
Birch Towers�� 140 BLUE ON BLUE��177
Betula Security Consultants�� 141 Backstory�� 177
The Bulwark of God�� 142 The Crime�� 177
City Hall�� 143 The Investigation�� 177
Police Headquarters�� 144 The Twist�� 177
HCIU HQ�� 145 The Culprit�� 177
Medical Examiner’s Office�� 147 Conclusions�� 177
Police Forensic Services�� 147 Scenes�� 178
Protesters and Activists�� 149 Sins of the Helix�� 178
Neutral Parity League��149 Cold Case�� 180
The Racks��149 The Widow�� 181
The Mutant Community�� 150 The Quade Institute�� 183
CapeCon Enterprises��150 The Glitch Case�� 184
CNM Freedom Hall��150 Typhoid Mary�� 184
Evolve Movement��151 Interrogating Angie�� 186
Heightened Information Alliance��151 Fake News�� 187
Temple of Heliopolis��152 All Fired Up�� 188
ADVICE FOR GMS��153 The Spider�� 189
Cases�� 153 Attack of the Spider�� 189
Structure��153 The Fixer�� 191
Building a Case: Worked Example�� 154 The Big Lie�� 192
Running the Game�� 157 Clearing the Case�� 192
Investigative Powers��159 APPENDICES��195
Polishing and Preparation��159 THE QUADE DIAGRAM��203
Maintaining Power Consistency��160
MUTANT CITY BLUES CHARACTER SHEET��204
Calling On Abilities��160
Action and Power Use��161
INDEX��205
Ending Scenes��161
Sample Premises�� 162
Supporting Characters�� 164
Ratings as Difficulty Benchmarks��164
Supporting Character Abilities��164
Sample Abilities��164
Subplots�� 166
Personal Subplots��166
Secondary Cases��166
Stresses�� 166
Stress Cards��167
Choosing Your Crisis��168
Crisis Tests��169
Spontaneous Crises��169
Choosing Cards��169
Crisis Situation Table��170
Stress-Related Departures/Stressing Out��173
4
IT’S NOT A BIRD, IT’S NOT A PLANE
It’s Not a Bird, It’s Not a Plane

There’s a particular stink associated with a stakeout. levitation. Turning lazily, end over end, engine still
A rich humus of fast food wrappers, takeout cups, roaring, but harmless as a helium balloon – until it
the smell of the chemical cleaner the lab rats use to comes down, thought Lomax desperately.
clean off the telephoto lenses. After three days, Rick The shadow of the truck passed over them. Lomax
Lomax’s car was thick with it. looked up through the windshield, and for a moment
Cecilia Chu’s nose wrinkled as she slid into the he locked eyes with the truck driver as he sailed
passenger seat. “This,” she said, passing him yet overhead. The driver’s face was slack, impassive,
another coffee, “is fucking pointless.” despite the fact he’d just tried to drive head-on into
Across the street, a door opened. A man hurried another vehicle and was now tumbling through the
down the steps and got into the black SUV parked sky forty feet overhead.
outside. Rick Clooter. Suspected trafficker in illegal Chu couldn’t move yet – her face was deathly pale
dorphing. with the effort of lifting something that big. Lomax
“Maybe not.” Lomax waited until the SUV turned scrambled out of the car, ran down the street after
the corner onto Washington Street, then followed. the truck, waving his hands. “Get clear! Get the hell
The heavy chassis of the SUV was like a fleck of dirt in back!” he shouted. Chu could put the truck down
his X-ray eyes; he could see it through the intervening moderately gently, but they couldn’t control where
buildings. Made keeping a tail on it easier. it would land. There was a mostly empty parking lot
“Where’s he off to?” muttered Cecilia. She up ahead, but the truck wasn’t drifting that way. Of
drummed her fingers on the dash. Little sparks of course it wasn’t; with his luck, it’d end up landing on
lightning leapt between her digits; a nervous tic. a bus full of orphaned nuns or something.
“Maybe wherever he’s keeping the jolters.” More sirens in the distance. Shouting, screams
“He’s not that sloppy.” of panic. A flying woman, dressed in the livery of
“Maybe we’ll get lucky.” a courier company. “Hey! You up there!” shouted
Somewhere beneath the trashpile, the radio Lomax. “The truck’s weightless – push it over there!”
crackled. Chu dug it out and listened as they He flashed his police badge at her, and her eyes
approached a wide intersection, Washington & 10th. widened. She swooped around and gave the truck a
Clooter’s car idled at the stop light; they were four nudge, pushing it off the street, into the parking lot,
vehicles behind. and down towards the ground.
Movement. Close enough. “Chu! Drop it! Drop it!”
A blue refrigerated truck, on the far side of the The gravity bubble popped, and the truck dropped
intersection. As the lights changed, it swerved into heavily, smashing into the ground and the perimeter
Clooter’s lane. Barreling straight towards him, tires fence of the parking lot. The front wheels came down
squealing, aiming for a head-on collision. first, and then the rear axle hit the tarmac with a
A split second to react. dreadful crunch. Lomax ran into the parking lot and
Chu took it. checked the driver. Stunned, but still alive. Lomax
She clenched her fists, focused all her intent right pulled him out of the vehicle. He didn’t resist, didn’t
at the truck. Lomax knew his partner could control react. Totally out of it. Lomax shoved the man down
gravity, but in that moment, she pushed her powers onto the ground, told him to put his hands out by his
beyond anything he’d seen her do before. side. The man complied.
A bubble of distortion exploded out from her. Lomax glanced back towards the intersection, his
Lomax felt it rather than saw it. The coffee cups in mutant vision turning the crowd into a sea of skeletons
the holders between them exploded. His stomach and ghosts. Clooter was gone. Shit.
lurched, his heart fluttered. Parked cars all along the One of the skeletons stumbled up to him. He
side of the street rocked back and forth, a chorus of blinked, and Chu’s face replaced the grinning skull.
car alarms. “You OK?” he asked.
The onrushing truck rose into the air, bleeding “I think I pulled something in my brain,” she
kinetic energy as it took off, an impossible act of muttered. “God, that hurts.” She nodded towards the
truck driver. “This guy better have a good story.”
5
THE WORLD OF THE ENHANCED

Ten years ago, the world changed. Or, rather, one per of affected patients. At the height of the pre-SME
cent of people changed, and the world was forced to keep hysteria, roughly 1 in 200 people in the industrialized
up with them. world displayed symptoms. In the developing world,
The first symptoms appeared on January 12th. Around infection rates were anywhere from thirty to forty-five
the world, people from all walks of life experienced flu- per cent lower, with the lowest rates occurring in sparsely
like symptoms: nausea, headaches, muscle aches, and populated rural areas.
fever. Many people still remember these early days of Eleven days after their onset, on January 23rd, all
what would later be termed the Sudden Mutation Event symptoms went away, nearly at once. This merely fueled
(SME) with anxiety and dread. the speculation of a terrified world populace. Was it a
Patients flooded emergency rooms and walk-in clinics. biological attack of some kind? The result of some
Panicked news correspondents rushed to the assumption undeclared industrial accident? Did angels of death
that a global, drug-resistant influenza pandemic had herald the coming end times?
begun — even though the illness proved fatal to no one. It The mystery illness became known as the ghost flu,
struck all age and demographic groups. Scientists found named for its sudden disappearance and lack of lasting
previously unknown genetic material in the bloodstreams effects.
It wasn’t until months later that
the first mutant powers manifested.
Tammy Graves, a 13-year-old from
the tiny community of Slocum,
Texas, took literal flight while
attempting to catch a pop fly during
a softball game. Over the next few
weeks, hundreds, then thousands of
people around the globe displayed
a sudden command of superhuman
powers, from bizarre adaptations of
eyesight to the ability to enter others’
dreams. These individuals included
nonagenarians, young teens, and
every age group in between. Only
pre-pubescents were unaffected. The
eldest early mutant was 103-year-
old Eula Skinner, of Griderville,
Kentucky who gained the ability to
move objects with her mind.
All manifesters, as they
were at first known, shared one
commonality: they’d been struck by
ghost flu.
With the 24-hour cable news
channels hungrily following each
revelation of a pensioner who could
walk through walls, or a firefighter
who proved immune to flame,
pundits predicted a wave of political
hysteria even before the full sweep
of the event had become apparent.
6
Fearful liberals conjured up images of emergency police

forces rounding up ghost flu sufferers and imprisoning The Present Day
them in brutal internment camps. Conservatives
whipped up fears of super-powered terrorists launching
The game occurs in a fictionalized near future.
devastating attacks against the centers of government
and national monuments. To keep the game current no matter when you
Both impending disasters fizzled. Displays of initial start to play it, we’ve avoided stating a definite
hysteria proved surprisingly muted, confined to a few date for the game’s present. If you start your
isolated incidents of vandalism and harassment directed game in 2019, the game occurs in 2029. If
against known ghost flu sufferers. With one in two you’re reading this in 2020, the game is set in
hundred people exposed to the virus — or whatever 2030, and so on.
it was — everybody could name multiple friends and The game world may occasionally refer
acquaintances, if not loved ones, who would be subject to real-life public figures, but supporting
to the whims of the state were any kind of quarantine
characters appearing in heavily spotlighted
program instituted. A number of popular celebrities,
roles are fictionalized. So, for example, the
sports figures and politicians were among the affected.
Even the most reactionary politicians discovered that President of the United States is a fictional
their own sons, daughters, mothers and brothers were character, rather than a contemporary
among the mutants — or heightened, as they soon came politician.
to be known. Persecution of a minority becomes difficult Alternatively, you may wish to set the game
when you identify with it. in an alternative present, and put the first
Other early predictions were also proved wrong. First appearance of mutants ten years in the past.
of all, fewer than half of ghost flu sufferers manifested Pick whichever option feels most comfortable
extraordinary powers during the first year of the — do you want the freedom offered by the
SME. In the nine years since then, some sufferers have
clean slate of future history, or do you prefer
subsequently manifested. Others, unaffected by the ghost
to extrapolate based on existing trends and
flu, have since demonstrated mutant powers. Today
roughly one in one hundred people in the industrialized events?
world possesses one or more heightened abilities, with the
US displaying the highest rate (at 1 in 97) and Belgium,
Holland and Germany the lowest (at 1 in 103.)
especially as members of their security forces. The
unwilling or incapable were either institutionalized or
MUTANTS AND carefully monitored. Failure to report the possession of
GEOPOLITICS mutant powers was, and is, treated as an act of sedition.

For example, in China, during the first year of the
Throughout the world, nations weathered the social SME, mutants associated with both the Falun Gong
upheavals that followed the SME according to their spiritual protest movement, and various regional
prior political stability. Democratic, highly industrialized independence organizations launched a number of
nations absorbed the new realities with surprising uncoordinated actions in defiance of Communist
resilience. Mutant rights, responsibilities and treatment party authority. Though these were chiefly peaceful
are topics of ongoing fervent debate. Some mutants from demonstrations, the Politburo used its control over
groups mistreated by society used their new-found gifts the media to label the protests as terrorist activities.
to push back against oppression or marginalisation; in Dispatching the new People’s Army squadron of
other places, conflicts over the standing of mutants enhanced anti-terror soldiers, the party destroyed not
have temporarily eclipsed older arguments about only the mutant protestors, but the broader movements
immigration, inequality or social change. A lingering they fought for. Anti-mutant fears were used as a pretext
sense of uncertainty permeates even the most stable for a wider crackdown. This triggered a diplomatic
countries; no assumptions are safe any more. crisis and a temporary cooling of relations with the west,
Effective authoritarian regimes experienced brief which reversed itself only in the face of a mini-recession.
spasms of doubt and disorder, then reasserted pre- At present the Chinese government has returned to its
existing levels of social control. Their governments previous status quo, in which an arbitrarily-enforced
dragooned mutants into the apparatus of the state, authoritarianism paradoxically coexists with unfettered
7
capitalism. The mutant uprisings have receded into

memory as atrocities have a way of doing. Mutants who New Genes, New Science
serve the state apparatus or enjoy connections to the
wealthy and powerful prosper. Those who do not skulk The ultimate origin of the SME remains a hotly
in the shadows, or lie in state-sponsored hospital beds in
debated topic. Scientific theories abound,
perpetual induced coma.
The world’s most vulnerable nations, including those and piles of grant money await anyone who
finally embarking on a recovery from past colonial can float a solid research plan to prove any
horrors, fared worst of all. Terrorists, mercenaries, and of them. In the absence of a definite answer,
fugitives from all around the world flooded into weak conspiracy theories about bioweapons,
states, turning them into havens of violent lawlessness. escaped experiments, forced evolution, aliens
Also proved wrong was the initially common idea or mystical awakenings fill the void.
that people with incredible powers would feel compelled That central mystery aside, understanding
to emulate comic-book heroes. A small handful of of mutant powers has advanced rapidly in
people adopted colorful costumes, secret identities, and
the decade since their initial onset. Leading
thematically appropriate nicknames, declaring themselves
the scientific charge is the mediagenic,
crimefighters. An even smaller number obliged them by
using their powers to commit high-profile crimes, giving indefatigable Dr. Lucius Quade. He coined
them someone to fight. Most people, however, carried on the term for the scientific study of mutant
with their ordinary lives, trying to forget that they could genes and abilities, anamorphology, and is
shoot bolts of lightning from their fingertips or freeze routinely called on to weigh in on any social
a glass of water just by looking at it. Many mutants, or political controversy surrounding mutant
especially those living outside cosmopolitan cities, either rights. At first affiliated with the top technical
downplay their powers or pretend not to have them at all. university in the area where you choose to
After ten years, the existence of mutant powers has set your series, Quade struck out on his own
been thoroughly assimilated into the public consciousness.
to found the Quade Institute, a cutting-edge
Mutant characters appear not only in action movies
research facility located in the series’ home
and adventure TV series, but as token characters in
sitcoms and dramas. Heightened movie stars, pop city. QI, as it is abbreviated, attracts the world’s
singers, and heiresses rub shoulders across the tabloid top bioscience experts and is an occasional
pages. Professional sports leagues now allow heightened target of anti-mutant activists. It is funded by a
athletes on their teams, using complicated point systems constellation of private and public institutions,
to decide how many mutants, with which particular most notably the research foundation of
powers, any given team can field. When a superbeing is famous venture capitalist and mutant Galen
seen rocketing over the skyscrapers of the city, passers- Birch.
by may stop and point, but they don’t ask themselves, in Although Quade maintains that the QI’s
slack-jawed wonder, if they’re seeing a bird, a plane, or
primary focus is always pure research, rumors
an ubermensch. Instead, they think, “Oh, hey, that guy
persist of the imminent announcement of
has Flight powers. I wonder if he also has Heat Blast or
Strength, or maybe both…” various practical applications of his work.
Aiding acceptance of mutant rights were the Sources claim that he’s working on a vaccine to
undeniable economic and social benefits afforded by prevent the development of mutant powers,
many of the strange new powers. Individuals capable and/or genetic therapies to counter the effects
of curing inoperable cancer with a laying-on of hands of risk factors associated with them. Others
became highly-paid fixtures of hospital oncology accuse the QI of working on means to induce
departments. The ranks of the psychiatric profession latent mutant powers in those who have yet to
flushed with new entrants who could observe their manifest them.
patients’ dreams, or literally share their feelings. People
A more detailed profile of Quade appears
who could turn lead into industrial-grade gold found
on p. 139.
lucrative jobs in the manufacturing sector. Mutants who
could withstand fire or toxic gases and inhaled smoke
were sought after as firefighters.
8
Police work, too, was changed by

the possibilities of the post-mutant
world. Detectives with heightened
senses were able to act as walking
crime labs, analyzing evidence on
the spot with microscopic vision
or a preternatural sense of touch.
Riot squads came to appreciate the
presence of officers who could calm
angry crowds. Bomb squads happily
turned over the most dangerous
disposal work to officers who could
disable explosive devices simply by
projecting an energy field.
As police departments began to
confront super-powered criminals,
they found it necessary to fight
fire with fire, recruiting tactical
officers with the outlandish abilities
necessary to apprehend them.
Criminal law has undergone its
own changes in response to the SME.
The verifiable existence of mind-
altering powers has introduced the
new legal defense of acting under
outside mental influence. Revised
privacy statutes make it a crime
to read someone’s mind without
their consent — though they also
grant psychic police officers the
right to eavesdrop on thoughts,
provided they secure a warrant by
establishing probable cause. A tiny
number of powers, particularly radiation projection, are The Heightened Crime Investigative Unit symbolized
considered so inherently dangerous that their possessors a new acceptance of mutant police officers. Given the
are required to register with the government. Although mandate to investigate all crimes involving mutants,
public fears of the heightened have prompted drives to either as suspects or victims, it is composed of a few dozen
increase penalties for crimes committed with the use of mutant detectives. The HCIU has become something of
mutant powers, these remain controversial and in most a show pony. Citizens demand its intervention whenever
jurisdictions have yet to pass into law. a terrifying crime with apparent mutant overtones shakes
Although the specter of the internment camp has their sense of security. Reporters subject it to white-
largely been dispelled, mutants continue to suffer subtler hot scrutiny, knowing that stories featuring the city’s
prejudice. This phenomenon is especially prevalent in mutant cops reliably score big ratings. They celebrate its
inherently conservative or authoritarian institutions, successes with only slightly less fervor than they devote to
including the police force. For years, a glass ceiling publicizing its failures. The fault-lines in the relationship
separated the low-ranking but heavily-worked heightened between man and superman are often reflected in the
police officers from the upper echelons of career cases the HCIU are called upon to investigate. Though
advancement. In the department in which the player they often find themselves at the center of the social and
characters serve, various bureaucratic maneuvers kept political whirlwind, they do what good cops do — they
mutants from reaching the rank of detective until five keep their heads down, follow the evidence, slap the cuffs
years ago when, in response to judicial and legislative on the bad guys, and then grumble about the paperwork.
pressure, a new squad was formed.
9
By Their Crunchy Bits, You Shall Know Them
In most settings where characters possess extraordinary abilities, like magic spells, psionic abilities
or mystical fu powers, it is never quite clear to what degree the inhabitants of the world are aware of
the game’s rules artifacts. When a sorcerer casts a magic missile spell, does he call it a magic missile?
Does an abomination know it uses a feat called Absorptive Tentacles?
In Mutant City Blues, not only the characters, but everyday inhabitants of the world, are well aware
of the existence of mutant powers. They refer to them by the names given here. These were defined
by Dr. Lucius Quade and his team of anamorphologists, first in a series of scientific papers and finally
in his popular book, The New Helix.
Few people have the Quade Diagram (p. 19) memorized, just as few people know the Periodic Table
by heart1. But even kids understand that it exists, and can easily access it with a quick internet search.
The idea that the various powers appear in an immutable pattern of genetic relationships has seeped
down into popular culture, the same way that people in our world know that DNA can be used to
conclusively identify people.
Mutants who are out of the closet about their parahuman powers may discuss them openly. They
may list their mutant abilities in their profiles on social networking sites. At social gatherings, mutants
tend to cluster together. In some circles, that stock question of awkward small talk, “What do you do?”,
refers not to your occupation, but your superpowers.
In everyday conversation, people sometimes alter the names of powers. You say Observe Dreams,
I say Dream Observation. Nicknames for the powers are also common: you might hear “dreampeep-
ing” more often than either formal term.
1 Yes, we realize that a disproportionately high number of people reading a book like this have committed
the periodic table to memory. Still, you get our point, right?
10
THE GAME IN A NUTSHELL
THE GAME IN A NUTSHELL

In the Mutant City Blues roleplaying game, players portray
either cops or private detectives who use super powers to
ROLEPLAYING BASICS
This is a tabletop roleplaying game, or RPG.
solve their cases.
When playing an RPG, a group of participants gather
It uses the GUMSHOE rules system, designed for
to talk their way through a story they spontaneously
investigative play, based on the principle that it is never
create together, adjudicated by a set of game rules.
interesting to fail to get information. Whether the players
Unlike other types of games with multiple
get clues they need to move forward into the story is
participants, you don’t win or lose a roleplaying game.
never left to chance.
Often you play many times, building a story featuring
The game takes place ten years from the present,
the same characters and situations. You come to follow
after a small but significant percentage of the worldwide
them as you would the episodes of your favorite serialized
population acquired mutant abilities. Ranging from
television adventure show.
invisibility to fire control, from webbing to the capacity
All but one of the participants takes on the role of
to walk into others’ dreams, these powers came to human
a particular fictional character. These participants
kind all at once, in a single, ill-understood event.
are called the players. The characters are player
Though its origins remain murky, forensic science has
characters, or PCs for short. Your rules set may give you
come to grips with the phenomenon, allowing lab techs
other synonyms for the PCs, for example investigators,
to scientifically analyze crime scene evidence pointing to
heroes, conspirators, or the team.
the use of mutant powers in the commission of a crime.
As a player, you prepare for the first session of play
Powers cluster on the genome according to a
by inventing details about your character, following a
predictable pattern. The so-called Quade Diagram
character creation process laid out by the rules set.
definitively maps the relationships between powers. It
Typically one participant serves as the Game
features as both an in-game and in-world artifact. If you
Moderator—GM for short.
have the Psionic Blast power, for example, you could also
The GM guides you through the events of the game:
have Threat Calculus or Lightning Decisions, but won’t
• populating an imagined world with compelling
have Command Mammals or Reduce Temperature.
places, people and things for the main characters to
Cops and private detectives both use the Quade Diagram
interact with
in profiling unknown mutant suspects. All of this is public
• portraying those secondary figures, called GMCs
knowledge, with powers discussed according to their
(Game Moderator Characters)
official Quade designations on the news, around the
• describing the setting’s places and things to you when
dinner table, and in chat servers.
your characters encounter them
Mutant City Blues scenarios blend a relatively realistic,
• deciding how the rules apply, should confusion about
street-scaled take on the supers genre with the mood,
them arise
structure and tropes of television cop shows.
• refocusing your attention when the group gets
The player characters might tackle such cases as:
distracted or bored
• the murder of a mutant activist who fought for the
rights of the genetically altered The action in a roleplaying session happens in each
• the disappearance of a social media consultant participant’s imagination. Just as your experience
working for a roster of enhanced clients reading a compelling book doesn’t provide an observer
• the theft of data from a controversial project to with rich visual cues, playing a roleplaying game remains
develop a cure for mutant powers a low-key affair.
• allegations that the chief of police used a legally It used to be hard for absolute newcomers to initially
restricted power, irradiating a blackmailer figure out what the heck goes on in a roleplaying game.
These days, lots of folks point video cameras at their
tables, playing online in real time for others to watch.
Roleplaying streamers, as they are called, then archive
the results on sites like YouTube. If RPGs still seem
mysterious to you, check out an example game and you’ll
soon see how it all comes together.
11
YOUR CHARACTER
This section is addressed to players and shows them how
to create their characters. GMs should read it, too.
MODES
Before starting play, the GM asks the players if they want
The default assumption is that your character is a
to include personal subplots mirroring the emotional
member of the Heightened Crimes Investigation
crises cops often undergo in police procedural television
Unit (HCIU), an elite police squad set up to deal with
shows. These might involve struggles with family trouble,
crimes that involve mutant perpetrators. Your character
alcoholism, trauma, addiction, rage, or the temptations
has already accumulated years of positive performance
of corruption or brutality. Though a staple of the cop
evaluations while serving in other detachments, such as
genre, some players may find these elements too close
robbery-homicide, special victims, gang units, organized
to the bone to make for an enjoyable experience at the
crime control, vice, or narcotics. Your character is most
gaming table.
likely a heightened individual, although they might be
• To skip that part and focus only on
one of the few non-heightened individuals with sufficient
mysteries and superpowers, play in Safe
expertise to be accepted without these abilities.
Mode. Rules that apply only to this mode
The GUMSHOE rules define your character by
are marked with the Safe Mode icon:
what they can accomplish in an investigative scenario.
The component elements of each ability don’t matter • To explore the genre’s dark personal
in rules terms. The rules don’t care if your Forensic drama, play in Gritty Mode. Rules that
Accounting ability is one part native mental acuity to two apply only to this mode are marked with
parts training or vice versa, although you can mention the Gritty Mode icon:
them when describing your character to others. All that
matters is how you solve cases, and overcome other
obstacles arising from them.
BUYING ABILITIES
Each player may spend 60 points on standard General
Your character, therefore, has two sets of abilities.
abilities (see p. 28), 30 points on mutant powers (see p.
• Investigative abilities help you gather information
33) and a variable number of points on Investigative
to solve cases.
abilities that depends on the number of regularly-
• General abilities let you overcome obstacles and
attending players in your group.
perils.
Your mutant powers also fall into the two categories of
Investigative or General. The categories aren’t completely INVESTIGATIVE BUILD POINTS
exclusive — you’ll sometimes use your General knowledge
to pick up a clue, or cleverly bypass an obstacle. # Of Players Investigative Build Points
2 18
3 14
Private Investigators
4 12
Some game groups may chafe at the 5+ 10

bureaucracy and legalisms involved in
policing, and find themselves more suited (Players who can only attend every now and then
to the roles of seedy, underpaid, borderline get the same number of investigative build points
legal private investigators. These use the as everyone else, but are not counted toward the
same rules as regular Mutant City Blues player total when deciding how many points to allocate.)
characters. See Mutants for Hire on p. 127 for
more on private investigator characters.
12
YOUR CHARACTER
For most characters, you start by picking a template

to reflect your role in the police force prior to joining
GENERAL ABILITIES
These cost a number of points equal to the character’s
Heightened Crimes. These are listed on p. 14. They pre-
rating in that ability. So, if you want a Shooting rating
select a bunch of Investigative and General abilities for
of 8, that costs 8 points.
you, leaving the remainder of your points to spend as
You start the game with a free 1 point of Health and
you wish. (Private Investigator types don’t need to take
Composure.
a template.)
General abilities use different rules than Investigative
Buying an Investigative ability costs one point per
ones, and allow for possible failure. When choosing
ability. If you want to be good at charming people, it
General abilities, you’ll want to concentrate your points
costs one point to buy Charm.
among a few abilities, giving you comparatively higher
You start with either Bureaucracy or Cop Talk as a
ratings than you want in the Investigative category. You’ll
free Investigative ability.
find that you’ll want ratings of around 8 in core abilities,
When creating characters, it is essential that you
like Health, Composure and Shooting or Scuffling.
coordinate with your fellow players to make sure that
You must have an ability to get useful information
at least one member of the group possesses each of the
from it, or to perform tests and contests (see p. 84). You
Investigative abilities. Successful groups also ensure that
might be able to perform unremarkable tasks without
the various General abilities are all accounted for. When
having the related ability. You can still drive a car without
in doubt, perform a roll-call of abilities to make sure
the Driving ability; you just can’t do anything difficult
you’ve covered all the abilities.
behind the wheel. You don’t need Preparedness to own
If you want, you can save build points from character
a bag full of stuff, but that stuff will never come in handy
creation to spend later. You can spend these in the course
during an investigation.
of play, as long as you come up with an entertaining
An average person off the street has no Investigative
backstory for why your grizzled street cop is secretly an
abilities at all, and Health and Composure ratings of 4
expert in Art History or has an unexpectedly soft side
or so. This is all they need to get through life. You need
for Reassurance.
to be much better than average, because you’re going up
If your GM is running an ongoing series of Mutant
against heightened criminals. GUMSHOE focuses not
City Blues games, you will accumulate additional build
on your character’s innate traits, but on what they can
points during play.
actually do in the course of a storyline. Why they can do
it is up to each player. Your characters are as strong, fast,
and good-looking as you want them to be.
I’m No Rookie Although there is no set cap on abilities, the second
highest rating must be at least as high as half the highest
If you’re familiar with the first edition of rating.
Mutant City Blues, be advised that Investigative
abilities work somewhat differently in this
revision. You don’t have investigative pools Justin wants to have a Health rating of 30. This
requires him to take at least one other ability at 15.
any more. Instead, Investigative abilities
This would leave him only 15 points to spend on
are binary — you have a particular ability or
all of the other General abilities. Justin reconsiders,
you don’t — and you use Pushes instead of opting for a lower Health rating, so he can spend his
point spends (see Pushes, p. 17). The central other points more freely.
concept of Investigative abilities, though, is
unchanged — if you’ve got the right ability,
and use it in the right place, you always get
the clues you need to progress.
The list of Investigative and General
abilities has been updated slightly, and some
mutant powers have been tweaked. There’s
a fuller list of changes on the Pelgrane Press
website.
13
WHAT GOOD ARE TEMPLATES

RATINGS? Pick one of the following templates to reflect your
character’s previous role before they got assigned to
Players used to the bumbling half-competence of their
Heightened Crimes. Non-powered officers were almost
characters in other investigative game systems may be
certainly detectives of some sort; uniformed beat cops
surprised to learn how effective GUMSHOE characters
who developed powers might get hastily promoted into
can be.
HCIU to put their abilities to use.
Possessing an Investigative ability indicates a high
• Each template lists its total cost in both Investigative
degree of professional accomplishment or impressive
and General abilities.
natural talent. If you have an ability relevant to the task
• Points left over after picking a template can be
at hand, you automatically succeed in discovering any
assigned as you wish.
information or overcoming any obstacles necessary to
Talk to your GM if your character concept doesn’t fit
propel you from the current scene further into the story.
with any of these templates. Private Investigators (p. 127)
General abilities use a different set of rules and are
aren’t obliged to take a template.
measured on a different scale than Investigative abilities.
The two ability sets are handled in different ways
because they fulfill distinct narrative functions. The rules Cold Case
governing General abilities introduce the possibility of 8 Investigative, 30 General
failure into the game, creating suspense and uncertainty.
Investigates cases that are several years old, applying new forensic
Uncertain outcomes make scenes of physical action more
science techniques to uncover previously undiscovered evidence.
exciting, but can stop a mystery story dead if applied to
the collection of information. This division may seem Data Retrieval, Evidence Collection, Forensic
aesthetically weird when you first encounter it, but as Accounting, Forensic Anthropology, History, Law,
you grow used to the GUMSHOE system you’ll see that Research, Photography
it works. Composure 5, Driving 2, Health 5, Infiltration 2,
Mechanics 4, Medic 2, Preparedness 4, Sense Trouble 2,
MUTANT POWERS Shooting 2, Surveillance 4
These are explained on p. 33. A few mutant powers are
Investigative although none will ever be essential to the Commercial Crimes
plot; most are used as General abilities. Like General
8 Investigative, 30 General
abilities, they cost a number of points equal to the desired
rating, but there are some special restrictions and added Investigates cases of fraud, money-laundering and other white
costs associated with these powers, so check out the collar crime.
Mutant Powers chapter (p. 33) for details. You have 30 Criminology, Cryptography, Data Retrieval, Forensic
points to spend. Accounting, Interrogation, Law, Negotiation, Research
If you want, you can play a non-enhanced liaison
Composure 5, Driving 2, Health 5, Infiltration 4,
officer to the HCIU, forgoing mutant powers altogether.
Mechanics 4, Preparedness 4, Scuffling 2, Shooting 2,
You may conceive your character as possessing
Surveillance 4
extraordinary expertise which justifies their presence
on a squad normally reserved for the enhanced. If your
character concept requires this, you get an extra 9 build Forensic Science Division
points to spend on General abilities. 8 Investigative, 30 General
Forensic analysis and evidence collection — you’re more likely to
be wearing a protective scene suit than a uniform.
Anamorphology, Ballistics, Chemistry, Energy Residue
Analysis, Evidence Collection, Fingerprinting, Forensic
Anthropology, Pharmacy
Mechanics 4, Medic 4, Preparedness 4, Shooting 2,
Surveillance 2
14
YOUR CHARACTER
LIST OF TEMPLATES
Template Type
Cold Case Special Crimes
Commercial Crimes Special Crimes
Forensic Science Division Support
Gang and Narcotics Special Crimes
Homicide Special Crimes
Investigative Analysis Support
Juvenile Special Crimes
Patrol Uniform
Robbery Special Crimes
Special Assault Special Crimes
Special Weapons and Training Uniform
Technical Investigation Support
Traffic Uniform
Undercover Support
Gang and Narcotics Investigative Analysis

8 Investigative, 30 General 6 Investigative, 30 General
Investigates and disrupts narcotic distribution networks and Plainclothes police detective, specialized in interviewing and
organized crime. interrogating suspects.
Criminology, Electronic Surveillance, Evidence Criminology, Document Analysis, Evidence Collection,
Collection, Interrogation, Languages, Pharmacy, Forensic Anthropology, Interrogation, Law
Streetwise, Traffic Analysis,
Athletics 2, Composure 5, Driving 2, Health 5,
Athletics 4, Composure 5, Driving 2, Health 5, Infiltration Infiltration 2, Preparedness 4, Scuffling 2, Sense Trouble
2, Preparedness 2, Scuffling 4, Shooting 4, Surveillance 4 4, Shooting 2, Surveillance 4
Homicide Juvenile
Investigates high-profile or complex murder cases.
Deals with young offenders, at-risk teens, child abuse and
Anamorphology, Anthropology, Bullshit Detector, exploitation.
Evidence Collection, Forensic Anthropology,
Interrogation, Law, Streetwise Bullshit Detector, Data Retrieval, Evidence Collection,
Forensic Psychology, Pharmacy, Popular Culture,
Athletics 2, Composure 5, Driving 2, Health 5, Infiltration Reassurance, Streetwise
2, Medic 2, Preparedness 2, Scuffling 2, Sense Trouble 4,
Shooting 4, Surveillance 2 Athletics 4, Composure 5, Driving 2, Health 5,
Infiltration 2, Medic 2, Preparedness 4, Scuffling 2,
Shooting 2, Surveillance 4
15
Special Assault
Investigates cases of sexual violence and assault.
Bullshit Detector, Evidence Collection,
Forensic Anthropology, Forensic Psychology,
Interrogation, Pharmacy, Reassurance,
Streetwise
Infiltration 2, Medic 4, Preparedness 2, Scuffling
2, Sense Trouble 2, Shooting 4, Surveillance 2
Special Weapons & Training

Covers counter-terrorism, hostage rescue, and police
backup.
Architecture, Ballistics, Explosive Devices,
Intimidation, Negotiation, Streetwise
Athletics 6, Composure 6, Driving 2, Health
7, Infiltration 4, Mechanics 2, Medic 2,
Preparedness 2, Scuffling 4, Sense Trouble 5,
Technical Investigation
Patrol 8 Investigative, 30 General
4 Investigative, 30 General The technical side of policing, focusing on retrieving evidence
from electronic devices and crime scene analysis.
These are regular beat cops, patrolling the city streets and keeping
public order. Data Retrieval, Document Analysis, Electronic
Surveillance, Evidence Collection, Research
Community Relations, Evidence Collection, either
Intimidation or Reassurance (pick one), Streetwise Pick any three from: Anamorphology, Ballistics,
Cryptography, Explosive Devices, Fingerprinting,
Athletics 4, Composure 5, Driving 2, Health 5, Medic 2, Photography or Traffic Analysis
Scuffling 4, Sense Trouble 2, Shooting 4, Surveillance 4
Mechanics 6, Preparedness 4, Shooting 2, Surveillance 4
Robbery
Investigates major robberies, especially bank robberies, and
Traffic
kidnappings. 4 Investigative, 30 General
Evidence Collection, Fingerprinting, Negotiation, Traffic control may not be the most glamorous assignment, but it
Photography, Research, Streetwise gives a close-up view of the whole city.
Pick two from: Architecture, Art History, Criminology, Negotiation, Photography, Streetwise, Traffic Analysis
Forensic Accounting, Forensic Anthropology, Athletics 2, Composure 5, Driving 6, Health 5,
Reassurance Mechanics 2, Scuffling 2, Sense Trouble 2, Shooting 4,
Athletics 4, Composure 5, Driving 2, Filch 2, Health Surveillance 4
5, Infiltration 4, Mechanics 2, Scuffling 2, Shooting 2,
Surveillance 4
16
YOUR CHARACTER
Undercover CHOOSING YOUR

MUTANT POWERS
Trained to observe or infiltrate criminal organizations and Although little progress has been made in identifying
maintain long-term cover identities. the specific altered genetic material giving rise to
Bullshit Detector, Forensic Psychology, Impersonate, the various mutant powers, they do tend to appear in
Interrogation, Intimidation, Pharmacy, Popular Culture, clusters. A mutant who manifests night vision is highly
Streetwise likely to also exhibit thermal and/or micro vision and
somewhat likely to possess enhanced olfactory abilities
or spatial awareness. They will almost never have flight
Infiltration 4, Mechanics 2, Scuffling 4, Sense Trouble 2,
capabilities, and will never display fangs or memory
alteration capabilities.
Certain Genetic Risk Factors (GRFs) are also
PUSHES linked to particular powers. Mutants with both natural
The primary purpose of your Investigative abilities weaponry and limb extension are highly likely to suffer
is to obtain information and overcome obstacles that from Skeletal Mineralization. Individuals capable of
might prevent forward progress in your investigation. erecting force fields and moving objects via telekinesis
Sometimes, you may want to employ these abilities for are prone to sensory overload.
other purposes — to get extra information, to bypass Safe Mode: You may occasionally
or lower the difficulty of a General ability test, or get discuss your character’s GRF as an indicator
some sort of added benefit. To go beyond the regular of something bad that might happen to you
boundaries of an Investigative ability, you use a Push. someday, but it never comes up in play.
You get two Pushes per game session, and unused Pushes The squad may from time to time encounter a person
do not roll over. who manifests the medical condition associated with its
neighbors on the Quade Diagram. This may feature as
For example…
a clue in a case.
Cop Talk lets you interact with your fellow officers, pick Gritty Mode: The conditions associated
up gossip, or get information from them. If you push Cop with your GRF may manifest during your
Talk, you could: career, as seen in subplots that threaten your
• rally the spirits of your team-mates by reminding ability to continue as a cop or private eye.
them of their duty to the public By compiling statistical data on known
• convince another officer to conceal the evidence of mutants, statisticians have assembled a map of mutant
your horrible on-duty mistake traits, showing their relationships to one another. This
• impress your superiors or the media with your is known as the Quade Diagram, after the project’s
dedication and apparent professionalism. supervising researcher, Professor Lucius Quade.
Architecture lets you identify building styles, guess the Abilities which often appear in combination with their
location of exits and entrances, or identify the purpose neighbors are called connected powers. The Quade
of a particular structure. With a Push of Architecture, Diagram marks connections between powers with solid
you could: lines. Abilities which sometimes appear in combination
• declare that you have a buddy in an architecture firm are called correlated powers. These are indicated with
who’ll help with your enquiries dotted lines.
• say there’s an exit right there so you can escape the (Investigative abilities are marked with a magnifying
mutant chasing you glass; abilities not bearing this symbol are General. The
• find the ideal sniper’s nest so you can cover your distinction between Investigative and General abilities,
buddies on the street below. unlike the rest of the diagram, is a rules abstraction not
found in the game world. The version of the Quade
Forensic Anthropology is used for autopsies and
Diagram the characters, as opposed to the players, know
gathering information from corpses. Push it to:
omits the magnifying glass icons. Otherwise, it’s the
• complete an analysis much more quickly than normal
same chart.)
• falsify evidence to frame a criminal
HCIU officers use Quade Diagrams in their
• declare that one of the lab techs in the morgue is a
investigations. They know that if a crime scene turns up
friend of yours who’ll let you examine that body after
trace evidence of both lightning damage and prehensile
hours.
17
hair, at least two mutants were present, as the Lightning them, some reward heavy investment, and some require
and Entangling Hair traits are too widely separated only a minimal number of points to be useful.
on the diagram to belong to the same individual1. The Where ordinary General abilities require that your
connection between mutant traits and certain personality second-highest rating be at least half that of your highest
disorders similarly makes the Quade Diagram a useful rating, mutant powers face no such restriction. You can,
tool in criminal profiling. if you want, spend all of your points on a single General
To ensure that the statistical linkage between your mutant power, starting with, say, a Force Field rating of
mutant powers is reflected in your choice of enhanced 27.
abilities, players use the Quade Diagram during character Entries in black boxes are not powers, but Genetic
creation. Game Moderators must also follow the Quade Risk Factors (GRFs). In order to connect certain powers
Diagram when creating supporting characters. (A GM on the Quade Diagram, you must also acquire the GRFs
could conceivably create a scenario in which a mutant’s between them.
apparent divergence from the Quade Diagram is a major Safe Mode: Taking a GRF costs you
plot point, but this would be both an exception and a 3 points. This extra price paid during
huge deal in the game world.) character creation is its only impact on play.
You start out with 30 build points with which to Gritty Mode: A GRF connected by
purchase mutant powers for your character. These points a solid line to any ability you already have
must be allocated between the purchase of the powers costs you nothing. If connected by a dotted
themselves, and then in rating points for each power. line, you must pay 4 points. You may not pay
points to leapfrog a GRF. A GRF represents
THE QUADE DIAGRAM a latent propensity for the problem in question. Each
GRF lists one or more Stress Penalties, each keyed to
Start by buying any one ability anywhere on the Quade one of seven tags: Addiction, Corruption, Fear, Home
Diagram. A General power costs 4 build points. An Life, Medical, Obsession, and Rage. As you acquire
Investigative power costs 1 point. them, note them on the Stress Penalties section of your
You may then, if you wish, choose to buy more character sheet. Stress Penalties stack: if you have two
powers. These must be adjacent to powers you already GRFs, each of them causing a -1 penalty to Rage, your
have, or nearly so. As you follow the Quade Diagram to total Rage penalty is -2.
assemble your list of powers, you can branch in multiple
directions; you don’t have to follow a single path from
point A to point B. EXAMPLE
Following an unbroken line, denoting that the two
powers are connected, costs you nothing. Every time You decide to start with the Regeneration ability. As
you cross a dotted line, denoting that the two powers a General ability, this costs you 4 points, reducing
are correlated, you pay an additional 4 points. You may your total to 26 build points. You then take Strength,
leapfrog abilities by paying 2 build points for each ability which is connected to Regeneration by a single solid
skipped. If you cross a dotted line while leapfrogging an line. Crossing the line costs you nothing; Strength is
ability, you must also pay the 4 points for that, in addition also a General ability, costing you 4 build points,
to the 2 points for skipping the ability. You never pay reducing your total to 22.
more than once to leapfrog the same ability. Then you acquire Toxin Immunity (Inhaled),
Buying an Investigative power gets you that power. which is connected to Regeneration by a dotted line.
Like regular Investigative abilities, you either have an Crossing the line costs you 4 points. The ability is
Investigative power or you don’t. You can spend Pushes General, and so costs you 4 build points. You pay a
on Investigative powers. total of 8 points, reducing your total to 14.
Buying a General power gets you a rating of 1. To Next, you want the Healing ability. The Messiah
increase any General power rating, pay one build point Complex GRF lies between it and Regeneration,
per rating point. Check the description of the power — connected by a solid line. To get Healing, you
some powers require a minimum point spend to activate must also acquire Messiah Complex. It costs you
nothing (Gritty Mode) or 3 points (Safe Mode.) (To
1
Unless, that is, the perp has the Absorption power and prevent this example from branching off into two
has borrowed both Lightning and Entangling Hair from two
separate victims.
sub-examples, let’s say that we’re playing in Gritty
Mode.)
18
THE QUADE DIAGRAM
19
Crossing the solid line to Healing

costs you nothing. Healing is a General Design Notes: The Quade Diagram
ability and costs you 4 points. You now
have 10 build points left.
The Quade Diagram, and its role in character
You decide that you want the Heat
generation, exists primarily to evoke the particular
Blast ability. The Flight ability lies
between it and Regeneration on the setting of Mutant City Blues. It conveys the idea that
Quade Diagram. You pay nothing the setting’s mutant powers conform to unvarying, if
to cross the solid line to Flight, and 2 not yet fully understood, laws of science. The diagram
points to leapfrog the Flight ability. You reinforces the concept that all powers share the same
now have 8 build points. It costs you origin. It has some game balance effects, by making it
nothing to cross the solid line to Heat difficult for a single player to cherry-pick all of the most
Blast. You then buy Heat Blast for 4 dramatic abilities, but these are not its primary point.
points, leaving you with 4. GMs may wish to warn players ahead of time that
With build points running low,
Mutant City Blues discards the standard super-powered
you figure it’s time to stop buying new
RPG design goal of allowing you to replicate any hero
powers and start investing in rating
points. Your powers are: Regeneration, you find in comic books. You’ll find that you can create
Strength, Toxin Immunity (Inhaled), knock-offs of certain iconic characters (sort of) but that
Healing, and Heat Blast. (You also others are impossible to reproduce.
acquired the Messiah Complex GRF.) The driving convention in a default comic book
You allocate your remaining 4 points universe is that every character embodies a unique
between your five powers as follows: theme and distinctive set of powers. In the Mutant City
Regeneration 1, Strength 1, and Heat Blues world, enhanced characters conform to a number
Blast 2. You are adding these values to of recognizable types, with slight variations in detail.
your starting rating of 1 in each ability,
Players may find it frustrating to start with a
for final ratings of: Regeneration 2,
character concept and then attempt to use the Quade
Strength 2, Toxin Immunity (Inhaled)
1, Healing 1, and Heat Blast 3. Diagram to realize it. It’s much more fun to start with
the diagram and see where it leads you. Some classic
character types familiar from years of superhero
(In practice, most players will choose fewer
roleplaying are unavailable here. For example, you can’t
powers, and also be more parsimonious in
skipping powers and crossing dotted lines. We quite create the very strong and invulnerable “tank”
present this sub-optimal character to illustrate archetype. (If you or one of your players considers a
more of the possible costs incurred during super setting without tanks a complete deal-breaker,
power selection.) swap regeneration and armor on the diagram.)
Game Moderators who wish to ignore the Mutant
AND FINALLY… City setting and play games of super-powered
GUMSHOE investigation in more typical comic-book
You are nearly ready to go. Think of some
Subplots (see p. 166) for your character, look worlds should discard the Quade Diagram. Abandon
at the interview techniques, and with the other the unified theory of superpower origin, allowing PCs to
players consider which watch commander acquire them through various unrelated origin stories,
you’d prefer (see “Choosing Your Watch from alien parentage to super-tech, magic, and beyond.
Commander,” p. 175). You may also want to add additional powers, including
more outré comic book abilities like duplication, time
travel, and near-omnipotent magic rings. Power costs
remain the same, but characters start play with only 20
build points to spend on superhuman abilities. Players
may increase this to 25 by voluntarily acquiring a single
GRF.
20
STANDARD ABILITIES
STANDARD ABILITIES
This chapter covers all Investigative and General abilities find the best ability for the task during play, by scanning
which aren’t mutant powers. the most likely portion of the overall list.
Many standard technical abilities have new
INVESTIGATIVE ABILITIES applications in the world of Mutant City Blues. For more
on this subject, see Forensic Anamorphology on p. 114.
The following abilities are the bread and butter of
GUMSHOE characters.
Ability listings consist of a brief general description, Anamorphology (Technical)
followed by examples of their use in an investigation. Anamorphology (“the science of change”) is the study
Creative players should be able to propose additional uses of mutant powers, their genetics, and the origins of the
for their abilities as unexpected situations confront their SME. Although any untrained investigator can read a
characters. Quade Diagram, you can also:
Certain specific actions may overlap between a • identify an individual’s mutant powers from a DNA
couple of abilities. For example, you can enhance image sample
resolution with either Data Retrieval or Photography. • conduct a medical examination to identify the
Some abilities, like Research, are broadly useful, and presence of GRFs (p. 17), and to pinpoint their present
will crop up constantly. Others may be called for many stage of development
times in the course of one scenario, and not at all in • on a brief but close-up visual inspection (in person or
others. When building your character, strike a balance via photographic or video image) spot the telltale signs
between the reliable workhorse abilities and their exotic, of retracted mutant organs and appendages, including
specialized counterparts. gills, fangs, stingers, and natural weaponry
Investigative abilities are divided into the following • tell when a subject is using a non-obvious mutant
sub-groups: Academic, Interpersonal, and Technical. power, and make a solid educated guess as to what
The purpose of the sub-groups is to allow you to quickly power is in use (any layman can see what’s going on
LIST OF INVESTIGATIVE ABILITIES

Academic Interpersonal Technical
Anthropology Bullshit Detector Anamorphology
Architecture Bureaucracy Ballistics
Art History Charm Chemistry
Criminology Community Relations Cryptography
Forensic Accounting Cop Talk Data Retrieval
Forensic Psychology Impersonate Document Analysis
History Influence Detection Electronic Surveillance
Languages Interrogation Energy Residue Analysis
Law Intimidation Evidence Collection
Natural History Negotiation Explosive Devices
Occult Studies Reassurance Fingerprinting
Popular Culture Streetwise Forensic Anthropology
Research Pharmacy
Photography
21
when a mutant flies through the air or doubles the Ballistics (Technical)
length of their forearm).
You process evidence relating to the use of firearms. You
can:
Anthropology (Academic) • identify the caliber and type of a bullet or casing
You are an expert in the study of human cultures, from found at a crime scene
the stone age to the internet age. You can: • determine whether a particular gun fired a given
• identify artifacts and rituals of living cultures bullet
• describe the customs of a foreign group or local • trace the ownership of a particular firearm
subculture • identify unusual weapons, and guess at the sort
• intelligently analyze academic treatises on crime rates, of criminal group who might employ a particular
the effects of incarceration and other topics related to weapon (“the Bosnian cartels use that sort of gun”).
policing
• extrapolate the practices of an unknown culture from Bullshit Detector (Interpersonal)
similar examples
You can tell when people are lying. You must usually be
• guess at power structures and subfactions within a
interacting with them or observing them from a close
group — identifying, say, a gang leader, or the most
distance, but sometimes you can spot liars on television,
influential person in a neighborhood
too. Unfortunately, nearly everyone lies, especially when
• spot cultural trends and influence.
facing possible trouble from the authorities. Sometimes
you can infer why they’re lying, but it’s hard to reliably
Architecture (Academic) discern motive or get at the facts they’re working to
You know how buildings are planned and constructed. obscure.
You can: Not all lies are verbal. You can tell when a person is
• guess what lies around the corner while exploring an attempting to project a false impression through body
unknown structure language.
• judge the relative strength of building materials Certain individuals may be so adept at lying that they
• identify a building’s age, architectural style, original never set off your bullshit detector. Some people believe
use, and history of modifications their own falsehoods. Psychopathic personality types
• construct stable makeshift structures lie reflexively and without shame, depriving you of the
• identify elements vital to a building’s structural telltale tics and gestures you use to sense when a person
integrity. is deceiving you.
In play, the most important use of Bullshit Detector
is to cut off unprofitable lines of investigation. The GM
Art History (Academic) will ensure that you can tell when a particular suspect has
You’re an expert on works of art from an aesthetic and given you everything you need to know, or that you can
technical point of view. You can: rely on a witness’ testimony in your investigation.
• distinguish real works from fakes With a Push of Bullshit Detector, you may be able to
• tell when something has been retouched or altered identify exactly what they’re lying about.
• identify the age of an object by style and materials
• call to mind historical details on artists and those
around them.
You also have connections in the art world: you know the
market, the dealers, and the fences.
22
STANDARD ABILITIES
Chemistry (Technical)
Why No Lying Ability? You’re trained in the analysis of chemical substances.
You can:
Unlike many other RPG rulesets, GUMSHOE • among a wide variety of other materials, identify
does not treat lying as an ability unto itself. drugs, pharmaceuticals, toxins, and viruses
Instead characters employ it as a tactic while • match samples of dirt or vegetation from a piece of
using any of the various interpersonal abilities. evidence to a scene
With Bureaucracy, you tell functionaries what • match paint flecks and other physical evidence
they want to hear. Using Interrogation, you • test for the presence of various substances.
convince suspects that you’re their kind of
guy, and so on. There’s a little bit of deception
in nearly every successful interpersonal
Community Relations
interaction — at least when you’re on the job (Interpersonal)
for the HCIU. You’re practiced at projecting an impression of
competence, trustworthiness and media-savvy heroism.
Middle-class, law-abiding civilians see you as a good,
Bureaucracy (Interpersonal) upstanding cop and are willing to help you with your
You know how to navigate a bureaucratic organization, inquiries. (Compare Streetwise, p. 27). You can:
whether it’s a governmental office or a large business • quickly and efficiently elicit information from
concern. You know how to get what you want from it in witnesses
an expeditious manner, and with a minimum of ruffled • inspire witnesses to come forward and volunteer what
feathers. You can: they saw
• convince officials to provide sensitive information • reassure people or disperse crowds of bystanders
• gain credentials on false pretenses • navigate newspaper or other media interviews without
• find the person who really knows what’s going on embarrassing yourself or the department.
• locate offices and files
• borrow equipment or supplies. Cop Talk (Interpersonal)
Bureaucracy is not a catch-all information gathering You know how to speak the lingo of police officers, and to
ability. Bureaucrats wish to convey the impression that make them feel confident and relaxed in your presence.
they are busy and harried, whether or not they actually You can:
are. Most take a profound, secret joy in directing inquiries • coolly ply cops for confidential information
elsewhere. When players attempt to use Bureaucracy to • get excused for minor infractions
gain information more easily accessible via other abilities • demonstrate you are a colleague
(such as Research), their contacts snidely advise them to • navigate both official regulations and unspoken
do their own damn legwork. A Push can get you more customs
assistance from staff. • pick up on gossip and intrigue within the department.
This ability also covers your own expertise in dealing
with paperwork and police administration. If you need to
fill out lots of forms, or pull strings to get something done Criminology (Academic)
within the system, use Bureaucracy. You’ve studied the history and sociology of crime,
especially international organized criminal syndicates;
Charm (Interpersonal) you’re a crime nerd. You’re familiar with obscure
criminal groups and techniques, famous cases and
You’re good at getting people to help you by
criminals, and you stay current with bulletins and reports
complimenting them, as subtly or blatantly as they prefer.
from international agencies like Interpol. You can:
You can get them to:
• identify international criminals and their connections,
• reveal information
known or suspected
• perform minor favors
• identify cases where a major criminal syndicate may
• regard you as trustworthy.
be involved
This ability also covers flirting with people who find you • liaise with federal and international enforcement
sexually attractive, and exploiting this attraction to get agencies.
them to reveal information.
23
Cryptography (Technical) Energy Residue Analysis

You’re an expert in the making and breaking of codes, (Technical)
from the simple ciphers of old-school espionage tradecraft
By studying debris and damaged objects found at a scene,
to the supercomputer algorithms of the present day.
you can tell what blast powers (or other mutant abilities)
were used to damage them. You can also distinguish
Data Retrieval (Technical) items damaged by mutant powers from those destroyed
You use computer and electronic technology to retrieve by naturally-occurring incidents of similar sources. For
and enhance information on hard drives and other example, you can examine a rooftop and determine first
media. You can: of all that it was struck by lightning, and second of all,
• recover hidden, erased or corrupted computer files that the lightning was generated by a mutant and was
• increase the clarity of audio recordings, zeroing in on not a storm effect.
desired elements
• miraculously find detailed, high-resolution images Evidence Collection (Technical)
within a blurry video or JPEG
You’re adept at finding, bagging and tagging important
• rapidly locate and copy relevant information from a
clues. You can:
hard drive or computer system.
• spot objects of interest at a crime scene or other
investigation site
Document Analysis (Technical) • note relationships between objects at a crime scene,
You’re an expert in the study of documents, both physical reconstructing sequences of events
and electronic. You can: • store objects for forensic analysis without
• determine a document’s approximate age from contaminating your samples.
physical or stylistic clues
• identify the manufacturer of paper used in a Explosive Devices (Technical)
document, or the printer that printed onto it
You’re an expert in bombs and booby-traps. You can:
• evaluate the writer’s mindset and intent
• defuse bombs and traps
• tell forged documents from the real thing
• reconstruct exploded bombs, determining their
• identify distinctive handwriting and writing styles
materials, manufacture, and the sophistication of the
• examine metadata and trace images.
bomb-maker
You may be able to identify the distinctive style of a • safely construct and detonate explosive devices of
particular forgery — you can tell if a fake ID was made your own.
by a teenager, or by a particular criminal gang, or by a
foreign intelligence service.
Fingerprinting (Technical)
You’re an expert in finding, transferring and matching
Electronic Surveillance fingerprints. This includes expertise in the computer
(Technical) software used to compare sample fingerprints against
You’re adept at the use of sound recording equipment to large databases of criminal defendants and government
gather evidence. You can: personnel.
• trace phone calls
• plant secret listening devices or operate a directional Forensic Accounting (Academic)
microphone
You comb through financial data looking for irregularities.
• locate secret listening devices planted by others
In the words made famous during Woodward and
• make high-quality audio recordings
Bernstein’s investigation of the Watergate scandal, you
• enhance the quality of audio recordings, isolating
know how to “follow the money.” You can:
chosen sounds
• tell legitimate businesses from criminal enterprises
• handle the technical side of wiretaps, pen registers,
• spot the telltale signs of embezzlement
email taps and other modern surveillance methods.
• track payments to their source.
24
STANDARD ABILITIES
Forensic
Anthropology
(Technical)
You perform autopsies on deceased
subjects to determine their cause of
death. In the case of death by foul
play, your examination can identify:
• the nature of the weapon or
weapons used
• the presence of intoxicants or
other foreign substances in the
bloodstream
• the contents of the victim’s last
meal
• the approximate time of death
• the crime scene, in the case of a
dumped body.
In many cases, you can reconstruct
the sequence of events leading to the
victim’s death from the arrangement
of wounds on the body.
You also perform DNA analysis
on samples found at crime scenes,
matching them to samples provided
by suspects.
Forensic Psychology
(Academic)
You apply psychological insight to
the solving of criminal cases. From
the details of a crime scene, you can, based on past case Impersonate (Interpersonal)
studies of similar offenses, assemble a profile detailing You’re good at posing as another person, whether briefly
the perpetrator’s likely personal history, age, habits and misrepresenting yourself during a phone call or spending
attitudes. long periods undercover in a fictional identity.
You can also glean useful information from simple Successfully disguising yourself as an actual person
observation of individuals, especially as they react to known to those you’re interacting with is extraordinarily
pressure. difficult, and requires a Push in each scene you maintain
the deception.
History (Academic)
You’re an expert in recorded human history, with an
emphasis on its political, military, and economic and
technological developments. You can:
• recognize obscure historical allusions
• identify artifacts by culture and usage
• distinguish real artifacts from fakes
• recall capsule biographies of famous historical figures
• tell where and when an object made during historical
times was fashioned
• identify the period of an article of dress or costume.
25
Influence Detection Intimidation (Interpersonal)

(Interpersonal) You elicit cooperation from suspects by seeming physically
imposing, invading their personal space, and adopting a
You’ve been trained in the EMAT Protocol, a series of
psychologically commanding manner. Intimidation may
observational techniques used to identify signs of mind
involve implied or direct threats of physical violence but
control or mental influence. To use them, you must speak
is just as often an act of mental dominance. You can:
to the subject, making intense eye contact. The apparent
• gain information
subject matter of the conversation means little to the
• incline the subject to leave the area
outcome: it can be an intense exchange on a serious
• quell a subject’s desire to attempt violence against you
subject, or can consist entirely of innocuous small talk.
or others.
While speaking, you introduce a series of keywords more
important for their rhythmic effect than their meaning.
By gauging subtle unconscious responses in the subject, Languages (Academic)
especially eye movements and changes in breathing You are an expert in the principles and structures
pattern, you can tell whether they are currently under underlying languages. You can:
mutant mental influence, or have been in the recent • given a large enough sample of text, decipher the
past. If you’re especially fortunate, you can also identify basic meaning of an unknown language
the particular power used on the subject. (When it is • identify the languages most similar to an unknown
convenient to the mystery to know the type of power, you language
can name it specifically. When it would blow a plot point • identify artificial, alien and made-up languages.
best revealed later, you learn of the influence but can’t
pinpoint the particular ability used.) You’re also verbally fluent and literate in several
Any power which allows or requires the subject to languages other than your native tongue. You may specify
defend with a Composure test can be detected with this some of these when you create your character, or choose
ability. These include: Emotion Control, Illusion, Induce opportunistically in the course of play, revealing that you
Aggression, Induce Fear, Induce Mental Disorder, just happen to speak Javanese when circumstances require
Observe Dreams, Memory Alteration, Nondescript, it. You are not learning the language spontaneously
Possession, Read Minds, Sexual Chemistry, and but revealing a hitherto unmentioned fact about your
Telepathy. character. You may elect to be literate in an ancient
Unfortunately, the EMAT techniques are of no great language which is no longer spoken.
help in breaking a subject of mental influence. The Game Moderator may elect to charge you a Push
You can also identify at a glance people who are if your knowledge of an obscure language is egregiously
Trance Susceptible. improbable or convenient.
A subject can prevent you from attempting the
EMAT protocol by avoiding eye contact and refusing Law (Academic)
to engage you in conversation. This is a telling refusal,
You are familiar with the criminal and civil laws of your
as the protocol usually establishes innocence. It is much
home jurisdiction, and broadly acquainted with foreign
more common for suspects to insist on a protocol, even
legal systems. You can:
when they have not been influenced, than to refuse one.
• assess the legal risks attendant on any course of action
• understand lawyerly jargon
Interrogation (Interpersonal) • argue with police and prosecutors.
You’re trained in extracting information from suspects and
witnesses in the context of a formal police-style interview. Natural History (Academic)
This must take place in an official setting, where the
You study the evolution, behavior, and biology of plants
subject is confined or feels under threat of confinement,
and animals. You can:
and recognizes your authority (whether real or feigned).
• tell when an animal is behaving strangely
Once you have a subject under such conditions, you may
• tell whether an animal or plant is natural to a given
question them thoroughly and incisively, establishing a
area
timeline of events and illuminating any contradictions
• identify an animal from samples of its hair, blood,
or anomalies in their accounts. You’re also trained in
bones or other tissue
interview techniques, including various mind games, and
• identify a plant from a small sample.
can judge the best approach for a particular subject.
26
STANDARD ABILITIES
Negotiation (Interpersonal) Popular Culture (Academic)

You are an expert in making deals with others, convincing You’re a font of apparently useless information that
them that the best arrangement for you is also the best for would stand you in good stead as a contestant on a quiz
them. You can: show. You’re especially good in the following spheres of
• haggle for goods and services interest:
• mediate hostage situations • celebrities and entertainment
• swap favors or information with others. • sports records and statistics
• geography
• arts and literature.
Occult Studies (Academic)
This ability also covers current events, names in the news,
You’re an expert in the historical study of magic,
scandalous rumors, trending topics on social media and
superstition, and hermetic practice from the stone age
the like. This catch-all ability also allows you to know any
to the present. From Satanists to the Golden Dawn, you
obscure fact not covered by another GUMSHOE ability.
know the dates, the places, the controversies, and the
telling anecdotes. You can:
• identify the cultural traditions informing a ritual from Reassurance (Interpersonal)
examining its physical aftermath You get people to do what you want by putting them at
• supply historical facts concerning various occult ease. You can:
traditions • elicit information and minor favors
• guess the intended effect of a ritual from its physical • allay fear or panic in others
aftermath • instill a sense of calm during a crisis.
• identify occult activities as the work of informed
practitioners, teenage posers, or — where your
campaign allows it — bona fide occultists. Research (Academic)
You know how to find factual information from books,
Pharmacy (Technical) records, and official sources. You’re as comfortable with
a card catalogue and fiche reader as with an internet
You’re able to identify and compound drugs and search engine. Your phone brims with exotic and useful
medicines. You can: contacts.
• identify drugs and recognize their side-effects and
contra-indications
• identify a drug addict after a brief interaction Streetwise (Interpersonal)
• analyze and trace the manufacture of controlled You know how to behave among crooks, gang-bangers,
substances druggies, hookers and other habitués of the criminal
• identify poisons and determine antidotes underworld. You can:
• know where to obtain illegal or controlled drugs • deploy criminal etiquette to avoid fights and conflicts
• describe the manufacturing process for different • identify unsafe locations and dangerous people
compounds, and the equipment and chemicals • gather underworld rumors.
needed.
Photography (Technical)
You’re proficient in the use of cameras, including still and
video photography. You can:
• take useful visual records of crime scenes
• rapidly sort through hours of surveillance camera
footage to find a particular individual or vehicle, and
track the target across other camera feeds
• analyze and enhance blurred images
• spot manual retouching or digital manipulation in a
photographic or video image
• realistically retouch and manipulate images.
27
Traffic Analysis (Technical) GENERAL ABILITIES

You can extract patterns from a large mass of data — raw The rules governing General abilities introduce the
signals intel, phone metadata, a lot of surveillance tapes. possibility of failure into the game, creating suspense and
This lets you: uncertainty. Uncertain outcomes make scenes of physical
• determine which numbers in a set of phone records action more exciting. See p. 84 for how General abilities
called who, when, and likely about what are used in Tests and Contests to resolve these uncertain
• dig through shared connections on social media sites outcomes.
or communications apps to build up a picture of a General abilities break down into three categories.
suspect’s contacts list • Focus, fusing mental concentration with dexterity of
• determine which cars in a city’s traffic pattern are movement.
driving where, when, and how long they’re staying • Physical, drawing on bodily strength.
there • Presence, drawing on emotional and mental
• work out routines in a suspect’s behavior, or in an strength.
organization, and spot unusual deviations from this The categories usually come into play when characters
baseline gain Stress cards, representing the personal crises
• assemble a communications or organizational picture characters often undergo in cop shows. As such they
of a social network such as a criminal conspiracy, apply only in Gritty mode. One Stress might penalize
drug smuggling ring, smuggling operation or social only the Physical abilities, another the character’s Focus
contacts of a victim or suspect. abilities. Other conditions like sickness or intoxication
can also play into one category or another.
Unlisted Abilities
Athletics (Physical)
Players may propose abilities not listed Athletics allows you to perform General acts of physical
here. To get the cost benefit of Investigative derring-do, from running to jumping to dodging
abilities, they must persuasively argue for oncoming objects. Any physical action not covered
by another ability probably falls under the rubric of
the field’s direct application to investigations.
Athletics.
GMs should reject abilities that overlap
If your Athletics rating is 8 or more, your Hit
substantially with current ones. The most Threshold (the Target Number your opponents use when
likely sort of ability to pass muster is an attempting to hit you in combat) is 4. Otherwise, your
academic pursuit not included here. Hit Threshold is 3.
Overlapping Abilities Composure (Presence)

This is used to resist various mutant powers that affect
Some clues might be discoverable with more the mind, and to keep the emotional crises that afflict
than one ability. The fact that a John Doe died cops and private eyes at bay. As mind control powers can
through exposure to a tainted drug might be powerful, you may wish to invest in a high Composure
be found with Chemistry, or Pharmacy, or (8 or more) to keep perps from twisting your melon.
Forensic Anthropology. A wavering criminal
informant might be convinced to assist you
with a Push of Reassurance (“You can trust
me”) or Charm (“C’mon, buddy, do me a favor”)
or Negotiation (“We can see about getting you
more money”) or Streetwise (“If it’s the Cubans
you’re worried about, we can protect you”). If
a player can make a convincing case for why
this ability applies in this situation, it works.
28
STANDARD ABILITIES
LIST OF GENERAL ABILITIES

Focus Physical Presence
Filch Athletics Composure
Infiltration Driving Preparedness
Mechanics Health Sense Trouble
Medic Scuffling Surveillance
Shooting
Driving (Physical) Infiltration (Focus)

You’re a skilled defensive driver, capable of wringing high You’re good at placing yourself inside places you have no
performance from even the most recalcitrant automobile, right to be. You can:
pick-up truck, or van. You can: • pick locks
• evade or conduct pursuit • deactivate or evade security systems
• avoid collisions, or minimize damage from collisions • sneak up on suspects and their hideouts, to take them
• spot tampering with a vehicle by surprise
• conduct emergency repairs. • find suitable places for forced entry, and use them.
For every rating point above 1 in Driving, you may add Despite its name, Infiltration is as useful for getting out of
an additional vehicle type to your repertoire. These places undetected as it is for getting into them.
include: motorcycle, transport truck, helicopter, or
airplane. You may choose exotic types, like hovercrafts
and tanks, although these are unlikely to see regular use
Mechanics (Focus)
in an investigation-based game. You’re good at building, repairing, and disabling devices,
from classic pit-and-pendulum traps to DVD players.
Given the right components, you can create jury-rigged
Filch (Focus) devices from odd bits of scrap. Mechanics doubles as an
Your nimble fingers allow you to unobtrusively Investigative ability when used to:
manipulate small objects. You can: • evaluate the quality of workmanship used to create an
• pilfer clues from a crime scene under the very noses of item
unsuspecting authorities • determine the identity of a handmade item’s maker by
• pick pockets comparing to known work by that individual.
• plant objects on unsuspecting subjects.
Medic (Focus)
Health (Physical) You can perform first aid on sick or injured individuals.
Health measures your ability to sustain injuries, resist If someone is Hurt (0 to -5 Health), you can spend
infection, and survive the effects of toxins. When you get Medic points to treat their wounds. For every Medic
hit in the course of a fight, your Health pool is diminished. point you spend, they regain 2 Health. You can only do
A higher Health pool therefore allows you to stay in a this to Hurt characters, and cannot restore their Health
fight longer before succumbing to your injuries. above where it was before they incurred this damage.
When your Health pool is depleted, you may be If you’re treating your own injuries, the benefit is
dazed, wounded, or pushing up the daisies. For more on halved: you only regain 1 Health for every point of Medic
this, see “Exhaustion, Injury and Gruesome Death,” p. spent.
95. If someone is Seriously Injured (-6 to -11 Health), you
can spend 2 points of Medic to stabilize them and stop
them bleeding out, but cannot restore their Health; they
need hospitalization.
You can also use Medic to treat various conditions,
like poisoning.
29
Preparedness (Presence) and accessories. If you have Shooting, you have a gun, and
so on. Preparedness does not intrude into their territory.
You expertly anticipate the needs of any mission by
It covers general-purpose investigative equipment, plus
packing a kit efficiently arranged with necessary gear.
oddball items that suddenly come in handy in the course
Assuming you have immediate access to your kit, you can
of the story.
produce whatever object the team needs to overcome an
The sorts of items you can produce at a moment’s
obstacle. You make a simple test (p. 84); if you succeed,
notice depend not on your rating or pool, but on narrative
you have the item you want. You needn’t do this in
credibility. If the GM determines that your possession of
advance of the adventure, but can dig into your kit bag
an item would seem ludicrous and/or out of genre, you
(provided you’re able to get to it) as the need arises.
don’t get to roll for it. You simply don’t have it. Any item
Items of obvious utility to a superpowered investigation
which elicits a laugh from the group when suggested is
do not require a test. These include but are not limited
probably out of bounds.
to: police credentials, handcuffs, note paper, writing
Inappropriate use of the Preparedness ability is like
implements, a laptop computer, a cellphone, a mini USB
pornography. Your GM will know it when they see it.
drive, various types of tape, common tools and hardware,
light weapons, flashlights of various sizes, chem lights,
batteries, magnifying glasses, a thermometer, and a no- Scuffling (Physical)
frills audio recording device. You can hold your own in a hand-to-hand fight, whether
Other abilities imply the possession of basic gear you wish to kill, knock out, restrain, or evade your
suitable to their core tasks. Characters with Medic have opponent. This includes unarmed combat and use of
their own first aid kits; Photographers come with cameras hand weapons like knives or clubs.
30
STANDARD ABILITIES
Sense Trouble (Presence) Surveillance (Presence)

This ability allows you to perceive (either with sight or You’re good at following suspects without revealing your
other senses) potential hazards to yourself or others. For presence. You can:
example, you can: • guide a team to follow a suspect for short periods,
• hear the tread of a psycho killer as he sneaks up handing off to the next in sequence, so the subject
behind your cabin doesn’t realize they’re being trailed
• see a skulking figure hiding in the high weeds • use telescopic viewing equipment to keep watch on a
• smell the singed shredded clothing of the recently- target from a distance
blasted mutant who lies in wait behind the stairs • find undetectable vantage points
• spot the metal trapdoor hidden beneath that artfully- • hide in plain sight.
scattered covering of dead leaves 8 or more points in Surveillance grants you the
• have a bad feeling about that noise the car engine has Investigative ability Electronic Surveillance.
been making since you left the rest stop.
Players never know the Difficulty Numbers for Sense
Trouble before deciding how many points to spend, even
in games where GMs generously inform the players of
other Difficulty Numbers. Players must blindly choose
how much to spend.
Shooting (Physical)
You are adept with firearms. As well as being able to
shoot accurately, you may have knowledge about models,
availability and maintenance.
Firearms in Mutant City Blues
In most jurisdictions, police officers are

armed, a notable exception being Great
Britain. If you don’t want HCIU officers to be
armed, introduce a protocol banning firearms
— after all, aren’t superpowers enough?
A Shooting rating of 2 or more is enough
to pass a basic firearms competency test; a
rating of 4 indicates above-average familiarity
and experience in using a weapon; a rating of
8 or more suggests training as a marksman.
Firearms are much more likely to result in
lethal damage than a blast power or melee
attack — if you want to avoid killing, avoid
casual use of firearms.
31
The Interview
“You don’t remember anything?” Lomax sighed. God, was I ever that young? thought Lomax. The
The driver — Larry Sigmor, according to his ID — uniformed cop looked like a high school student.
scratched his head and stared blearily at the detective “It was the weirdest thing, sir. I was at the
across the interrogation room table. intersection of 17th and Lafayette, and the image of
“No… not a thing. I made a delivery at a restaurant that truck and its license plate just popped into my
on 17th street, and then… it’s just a blur.” mind. I could tell it was…” The young cop waved his
“Which restaurant?” hands vaguely — describing telepathic impressions in
“Fontanelli’s.” ordinary language was always tricky. “…dangerous,”
“Who did you talk to there? What time? Where he finished awkwardly. “Like it was poisonous, or
did you go then?” More shrugs and blank stares. radioactive.”
Lomax choked down the question he wanted to ask — Chu took a note. “Did you get any impression of
did you intend to kill Rick Clooter? It wasn’t time to show the tipster? Any emotional bleedthrough, any sense of
that card, not yet. a voice?”
“Let’s take a break,” said the detective. The cop shrugged. “Not really. Maybe a little
Outside, Chu waited for him. She held up a scared and guilty?”
printout. “Results of Sigmor’s EMAT. He was clearly “What time get you get the tip-off?”
under the effects of some mental influence, probably “2.37.”
Possession, which is consistent with his behavior. High “Was there anyone around?”
responsiveness to all keyword prompts, clear deviation “Lots of people.”
from baseline. The shrink says it’s a textbook case of Lomax groaned. “Anyone could have sent that
external mental influence. The memory loss is a little warning.”
hinky, though.” “Fucking teeps,” swore Chu. She dismissed the
Lomax leafed through the report. “He could be uniformed cop with a wave of her hand, and turned
faking it. Or it’s a stress thing.” to Lomax. “So, what do you think? Someone knew
She snorted derisively at that thought. “You saw Sigmor was possessed, and decided to beam in an
how totally out of it he was. He was still possessed anonymous tip? Or… I don’t know.” She drummed
when we pulled him out of the truck. Someone else her fingers on the table in anger. “Maybe we should
was running him.” have let that truck hit Clooter. At least he’d be off the
“Someone at the restaurant?” streets. I want to get that bastard, Lomax. I want it
“Maybe. It’s Fontanelli’s Steakhouse, right? bad.”
Possession’s strongly correlated with plasma “Chu.”
deficiency.” Chu glanced at the door of the She looked down. Four little separate wisps of
interrogation room. “He doesn’t know anything. He smoke rose from the cheap plywood of the cafeteria
was a puppet. With that strong an EMAT report, desk. Tiny bolts of electricity trailed from Chu’s
there’s no way he can be held responsible for his fingers as she lifted her hand.
actions.” “I’m fine. I’m fine. The medics checked me out.
Lomax paused. “The tip that got called in. Where I’m fine, OK.”
was that from?” “OK.” Lightning’s correlated with genetic risk for limbic
hypertrophy — heightened aggression, he thought, but out
loud he said: “Telepathy’s correlated with influence
detection… but let’s check Fontanelli’s first.”
32
MUTANT POWERS
MUTANT POWERS
This chapter provides a complete list of documented
enhanced powers. They are organized by category,
POWER QUICK REFERENCE
Here are all of the powers, listed in alphabetical order,
with Investigative abilities appearing first, followed by
categorized into Investigative, or General along with
General abilities. Finally we detail the GRFs to which
their category - Focus, Physical, or Presence. Grid
the enhanced are prone. The relationship between the
references show you where the power appears on the
powers is shown on the Quade Diagram (see p. 203).
Quade Diagram.

Power Type Grid Ref. Page Ref.
Absorption General/Presence D2 41
Alter Form General/Physical E5 41
Analytic Taste Investigative C2 36
Armor General/Physical B2 42
Blade Immunity General/Physical B1 42
Blood Spray General/Physical D0 42
Cognition General/Focus E3 43
Command Amphibians
General/Presence C1 44
& Reptiles
Command Birds General/Presence A3 44
Command Fish General/Presence A4 44
Command Insects General/Presence D1 44
Command Mammals General/Presence C6 44
Concussion Beam General/Focus D3 46
Cure Disease General/ Presence E1 46
Deplete Oxygen General/Presence A3 46
Detect Influence General/Focus F3 47
Disease Immunity General/Physical E1 47
Disintegration General/Focus B2 47
Earth Control General/Focus E6 47
Emotion Control General/Presence F2 48
Empathy General/Presence F1 48
Endorphin Control (Others) General/Presence E1 49
Endorphin Control (Self) General/Presence E1 49
Entangling Hair General/Physical A1 50
Enter Dreams General/Focus F0 50
Environmental Awareness Investigative C6 37
33

Fangs General/Physical D1 50
Fire Control General/Focus D3 51
Fire Immunity General/Physical D2 51
Fire Projection General/Focus D2 51
Flight General/Physical B4 51
Force Field General/Focus F5 52
Gills General/Physical A4 52
Gravity Control General/Focus E4 52
Healing General/Presence B3 53
Hearing Investigative B6 37
Heat Blast General/Focus B5 53
High Energy Dispersal General/Presence E4 53
Ice Blast General/Physical A2 53
Illusion General/Focus E5 54
Impersonate General/Presence E5 54
Induce Aggression General/Presence C0 55
Induce Fear General/Presence C0 55
Induce Mental Disorder General/Presence E0 56
Invisibility General/Physical D5 56
Kinetic Energy Dispersal General/Presence D4 56
Light Blast General/Focus D4 57
Light Control General/Focus D5 57
Lightning General/Focus E4 57
Lightning Decisions General/Focus E3 57
Limb Extension General/Physical C4 58
Magnetism General/Focus E6 58
Memory Alteration General/Focus E2 58
Microvision Investigative D6 38
Natural Weaponry General/Physical C5 59
Night Vision General/Physical D6 59
Nondescript General/Presence F0 59
Observe Dreams Investigative F0 38
Olfactory Center Investigative C6 38
Pain Immunity General/Physical E1 59
Phase General/Physical B2 60
34
MUTANT POWERS

Plant Communication Investigative E0 38
Plant Control General/Presence E0 60
Possession General/Presence D1 60
Precision Memory General/Focus E3 61
Psionic Blast General/Focus D3 61
Quills General/Physical A1 62
Radiation Immunity General/Physical C3 62
Radiation Projection General/Physical C3 62
Read Minds Investigative E2 39
Reduce Temperature General/Presence A2 62
Reflexes General/Focus E4 62
Regeneration General/Physical B4 63
Resist Influence General/Presence C0 63
Secrete Acid General/Physical C1 63
Self-Detonation General/Physical C2 63
Sexual Chemistry General/Presence F1 65
Sonar General/Physical B5 65
Sonic Blast General/Physical B5 65
Spatial Awareness Investigative E6 39
Speed General/Physical E4 66
Spit Acid General/Physical C1 66
Spontaneous Combustion General/Presence D3 66
Spread Pathogen General/Presence E1 67
Strength General/Physical B4 67
Suppress Explosion General/Physical C2 68
Suppress Influence General/Presence F2 68
Swimming General/Physical A4 68
Technokinesis General/Focus E4 68
Technopathy Investigative E3 39
Telekinesis General/Focus E6 69
Telepathy General/Focus F3 70
Teleportation General/Physical E5 70
Telescopic Vision General/Focus D6 71
Thermal Vision Investigative D5 40
35

Threat Calculus General/Focus E3 71
Touch Investigative B2 40
Toxin Immunity (Ingested) General/Physical C4 71
Toxin Immunity (Inhaled) General/Physical A4 72
Tracking General/Focus C6 72
Translation Investigative F1 40
Transmutation General/Focus B3 72
Venom (Bite) General/Physical C1 73
Venom (Spit) General/Physical C1 73
Venom (Stinger) General/Physical C1 73
Wall Crawling General/Physical B1 74
Water Blast General/Focus A5 74
Water Manipulation General/Focus A5 74
Webbing General/Physical B1 75
Wind Control General/Focus A3 76
X-Ray Vision Investigative D5 40
POWER DESCRIPTIONS Analytic Taste

In addition to a description of what the power can do Your sense of taste is superhuman, and you have, by
and how it works in rules terms, each mutant power trial and error, trained yourself to use it as a precision
description includes the following entries. instrument. You function as a walking, talking chemical
Connected: names of powers directly (that is, with a analysis lab, able to instantly detect the composition
solid line) connected to the ability on the Quade Diagram. of nearly any object you can touch your tongue to.
Correlated: names those traits connected to the By distinguishing fine gradations of taste, you can,
ability by dotted lines. for example, match a sample of heroin to the precise
GRFs appear in the above two entries in italicized text. batch it came from, or conduct a comparative analysis
If an individual with this ability exhibits obvious of soil samples. Although you may for good reason be
anatomical adaptations which have not already been reluctant to do so, you can even identify blood types from
described in the body of the entry, these are described small samples, or derive similar identifying or typing
under the entry labeled visual cues. information from other bodily fluids.
Slang terms: indicates popular street names for the Some individuals with analytic taste suffer from
power, or its use. As is the case with slang, etymologies are high revulsion thresholds and can only enjoy the purest,
sometimes obscure. most perfect foods. Others become inured to traditional
Some abilities include discussions of legal pleasures associated with the sense of taste, or become
ramifications surrounding their use. passionate connoisseurs of substances ordinary people
consider inedible.
INVESTIGATIVE POWERS When using this sense, you consume, at most, only
trace quantities of the substances you test. Analytic taste
Mutant Investigative powers form their own category, grants no ability to digest inedible matter.
standing alongside the core GUMSHOE categories: Although this power grants no poison immunity, only
Academic, Technical and Interpersonal. the most toxic of substances will harm you in the tiny
trace quantities required for analysis.
36
MUTANT POWERS
Grid: C2 Environmental Awareness can substitute for Sense

Connected: Suppress Explosion, Secrete Acid, Venom Trouble, provided that the hidden danger in question is
(bite) somehow distressing to the local flora and fauna.
Slang terms: “The Bud”, Slurping, Tastee Positive example: An invisible, odorless nerve agent
sweeps through a forest, killing wildlife. Animals on the
periphery of the gas experience distress as they horribly
Environmental Awareness die. A normal player character would have to make a
Like an animal, your sensory apparatus constantly Sense Trouble test to notice the approaching peril; you
monitors dozens of barely perceptible cues from the automatically perceive the change in the environment.
natural environment. When a natural disaster such as an Negative example: A sniper draws a bead on you
earthquake or tsunami is in the offing, your instinctive as you relax on the shore of an unspoiled lake. Various
senses automatically detect it, long before any ordinary birds and woodland creatures are vaguely aware of him,
human. but don’t perceive him as a threat. You don’t get any
You can spot disturbances in the natural order, benefit from this mutation, but you can still make a Sense
sense the distress of an area’s wildlife population, and Trouble test.
instinctively gauge its environmental health. With a
Push, you can get stronger and more specific impressions Grid: C6
— you can’t exactly talk to animals, but you can tell the Connected: Command Mammals, Tracking
rough direction and nature of whatever disrupted the Slang terms: Wolf sense, green sense, algorey
regular cycle of life.
Some people with this mutation come to regard
urban environments as unbearably disturbing. The
Hearing
overwhelming sounds and smells of mechanized life Your sense of hearing exceeds that of an ordinary human.
oppress them terribly, prompting them to seek out a You can hear sounds from a long distance. The auditory
hermit-like existence in an isolated wilderness. processing centers in your brain can act as on-the-fly
sound editors and enhancers, cutting out background
37
noise, zeroing in on a particular frequency, or maximizing Composure test (Difficulty 5): Empathy, Enter Dreams,
sound from a single source (such as a pair of people Observe Dreams, Possession, Psionic Blast, Read Minds,
conversing in the middle of a large crowd). You can even and Telepathy.
mentally replay a garbled noise, for example a misheard Upon awakening, subjects with any of these abilities
word or phrase, in order to make it out properly. Once may, on a Difficulty 4 Composure test, retroactively sense
you’ve identified a sound you can mentally compare it that their dreams were observed.
to another sound, to see if it derives from a similar or Legal ramifications: Observing an individual’s
identical source. dreams without a legal warrant is a felony punishable by
You can pick up most clues available to a user of a prison term of up to five years. HCIU officers must,
the Electronic Surveillance ability, though, for obvious working through prosecutors, demonstrate probable
reasons, you are unable to create recordings for later cause before obtaining a dream observation warrant.
study or use as evidence. Witnessed dreams are admissible in court but, as
unfiltered material from the subject’s unconscious mind,
Grid: B6 can be easily reinterpreted by any halfway competent
Connected: Insula Skew defense lawyer.
Correlated: Olfactory Center
Slang terms: eavesdrop, earwig, gondo Grid: F0
Connected: Enter Dreams, Empathy, Meta-Persona
Microvision Identity Disorder
Slang terms: sandmanning, nodding, dreampeeping
You can selectively alter your visual perceptions to
examine items at a high level of magnification, from
that of an ordinary light microscope (around 1500x) to Olfactory Center
that of an electron microscope (up to 50 million times). You can detect and process smells to a degree far
In tandem with certain technical Investigative abilities, superior to a normal human. By practicing comparative
microvision may allow you to perform complicated lab smell-testing, you have become adept at identifying and
studies instantaneously, right at the crime scene. It can distinguishing various smells.
be used to enhance or speed up the use of Ballistics, You can distinguish and recognize people by body
Chemistry, and Fingerprinting. odor. Like a sniffer dog, you can detect and identify
the smells of various chemical compounds including
Grid: D6 narcotics and explosives.
Connected: Night Vision
Slang terms: Scoping, sliding, m-peeping Grid: C6
Connected: Tracking
Observe Dreams Correlated: Hearing, Night Vision
Slang terms: Stinkread, sniffing, inhale-o-vision
When within direct visual perception range of a sleeping
individual undergoing REM sleep, you are able to enter a
trance state, close your eyes, and see the subject’s dreams. Plant Communication
You see what the subject is dreaming from their point of You can attune yourself to the electromagnetic, non-
view. You are unable to control the circumstances of the sentient consciousness of plants, gleaning information on
dream, or control the dreamer’s actions within it. (The the following and similar subjects.
mutant General power Enter Dreams allows you to do • Has the area been disturbed recently?
this under certain circumstances.) • Have any traumatic events happened here lately?
You may share the dreamer’s emotions, experiencing • Have there been any storms lately?
fear, sorrow, or sexual arousal. To shut down these feelings, • Is a storm coming?
make a Composure test (Difficulty 4). Emotionally raw • Is the soil moist?
subjects, with Composure pools of 3 or less, add 2 to your • Is the soil well fertilized?
Difficulty. • What is eating the plants here, and to what extent?
The dreamer remains unaware of your intrusion, • For flowering or fruiting plants, when was the last
unless they become lucid during the dream. Individuals time you were harvested?
whose dreams are being observed, and who possess You are not literally talking to the plants, but sensing the
any of the following abilities, may become lucid on a answers based on their general health and the state of
their electromagnetic auras.
38
MUTANT POWERS
Grid: E0 Spatial Awareness

Connected: Plant Control, Spread Pathogen
Your brain manifests a superhuman command of three-
Slang terms: greenspeak, mulch-mouth, Stevie
dimensional information. You can perfectly measure
Wondrous
distances by sight. You can calculate a complex set of
bullet trajectories in your head, instantly garnering results
Read Minds that what would take a mundane crime scene technician,
You can read the surface thoughts of any individual working with a complicated set-up of threads or lasers,
within your direct, unaided line of sight. Subjects’ sub- hours to complete. You can intuit the precise movements
vocal thoughts register in your central auditory system, and actions undertaken at a crime scene merely by
as if they are whispering in your ear. At your default level comparing the relationships between disturbed objects
of concentration, you can’t direct subjects’ thoughts, but and such other indicators of movement as blood spatters
merely eavesdrop on what they are already thinking. and footprints.
Sub-vocal thoughts tend to be much more fragmentary This ability can also improve your Shooting. Push
and loopingly repetitive than spoken speech. Spatial Awareness to increase your Damage Modifier
Subjects with the abilities Empathy, Read Minds and with missile weapons by 1 for the duration of a single
Telepathy automatically detect your attempt to read their combat. You may not increase your modifier by more
thoughts. They can block it by spending a Push. You may than 1, or increase the damage modifier of a blast power.
overcome their defenses if you’re willing to spend more
Grid: E6
Pushes than they are.
Connected: Earth Control, Telekinesis, Teleportation
If you spend a Push, you can drill down into a subject’s
Correlated: Night Vision
memory, finding the answer to a single question. This
Slang terms: panoramix, laserbrain, vector detector
process is noticeably invasive, even to victims without the
above-named powers. They must make Composure tests
(Difficulty 4) to resist feelings of terror, violation or intense Technopathy
paranoia. Whether or not they suffer such sensations, Technopathy allows you to extract information from any
subjects experience hangover-like symptoms which persist machine that stores digital data, such as a computer hard
for about forty-eight hours. Also, they become obsessed drive. It functions as a more impressive, more covert form
with matters related to your question for a period of a of Data Retrieval. You must touch the item where the
week or so. Victims without the above-mentioned powers data is stored; contact with a computer monitor in one
probably know they’ve been psychically assaulted but, room does not permit you to access information from a
without additional information, can’t identify you as the server in another part of a building. You can access a wi-
perp. With those powers, they are able to identify you. fi network simply by touching the copper contact points
Information gleaned by mind reading is accurate of a laptop wireless card to your tongue, but again, you
but subjective. If the subject is self-deceptive, delusional can’t get access to stored data unless it’s in transit across
or simply misinformed, the facts you extract will be the network.
incorrect. Bullshit Detector can’t help you sort out true You can access information on a cellphone, but can’t
from false belief. pull data off the phone network or the cloud without
Legal ramifications: Mind reading without either access to phone company servers.
the subject’s consent or a legal warrant is a felony You can bypass security restrictions like passwords,
punishable by up to twenty years in prison. HCIU but certain forms of encryption baffle you without the
officers must work with prosecutors to secure warrants, use of Cryptography. You can parse simple forms of
supplying a judge with probable cause. Information data, but more complex structures may be beyond your
gained from mind reading is thus more likely to be used ability to visualize. For example, you could easily “read”
to develop a case, or to gather intelligence on an exigent a text document or “see” an image file, but unless you’ve
basis, than as trial evidence. got Architecture, you might not be able to understand
In addition to the above restrictions, Read Minds is that this highly complex 3d model is an architect’s
an Article 18 power; see p. 123. plans for a bank vault, while you might need Forensic
Anthropology to recognize a set of DNA records.
Grid: E2
This power does not allow you to write or transfer
Connected: Empathy Loop
data from one system to another.
Slang terms: brain phreaking, grayreading, spooking
39
Legal Ramifications: In many instances, Translation

Technopathy allows you to gather electronic information
You comprehend all languages, written or spoken, living
covertly and non-invasively. However, evidence gathered
or dead. When confronted with an unfamiliar language,
this way is not admissible in court. Technopathy is an
you must hear or read about a hundred words of it.
Article 18 ability.
Hieroglyphic or symbolic languages require a sample
Grid: E3 size of two hundred symbols, and a study time of ten to
Connected: Cognition twenty minutes. You can also pick up on the underlying
Slang terms: carding, malpathy, fishing meaning or intent of slang and references, even if you
don’t have all the cultural clues needed to untangle them.
With a Push, you can convincingly emulate a particular
Thermal Vision accent or style of speech.
You can, at will, alter your perceptions so that you see
the infrared spectrum instead of the normal visible Grid: F1
spectrum. This allows you to see the heat signatures Connected: Empathy
given off by creatures and objects, as if you are peering Slang terms: babelry, altavizio, hieroglyptics
through a thermographic imager. Thermal vision grants
you a limited ability to see through walls, provided that X-Ray Vision
the walls are about as thin as those in a normal house.
You can alter your normal vision to see through solid
You see only heat sources, and their rough shapes, on the
objects of a total thickness of up to 1 meter, at a maximum
other side of the wall.
distance equal to your normal vision. You can adjust
Legal ramifications: In what many regard as a
your vision to concentrate on the depth of field you’re
legal inconsistency, use of thermographic imagers is not
interested in, within this range. Thickness is treated
regarded as an unreasonable search. Evidence procured
cumulatively if you’re seeing through multiple objects
through it is fully admissible without a search warrant.
spaced some distance apart: you can see through a six-
The ruling predates the SME, but has since been
inch wall if no other obstructions sit between you and
applied to mutant powers as well as to ordinary thermal
your target, but will be thwarted if a truck packed tight
technology.
with cargo pulls up in front of it. Any thickness of lead
Grid: D5 will block the power completely.
Connected: Watcher Syndrome, X-Ray Vision When using this ability, you emit trace quantities of
Slang terms: thermo, t-peeping, “the hots” radiation, which is detectable with a sensitive Geiger
counter.
Touch Legal ramifications: Several mutants have been
sued in cases where they are alleged to have used their
Your sense of touch is incredibly sensitive, even through a X-Ray Vision to watch a particular subject for sustained
set of extra-thin latex gloves. You can find minute pieces periods, causing the subject to develop cancer. Although
of trace evidence with your fingertips, detect tiny flaws these cases have yet to wend their way through the
in objects, and differentiate between materials by the feel courts, HCIU officers with X-Ray Vision must follow
of their surfaces. In past cases, you have performed feats strict health guidelines to minimize the amount of time
such as the following. any living organism is exposed to their radiation.
• Finding well-hidden safes and compartments.
• Determining that a door knob at a crime scene had Grid: D5
been recently replaced, leading to the discovery of a Connected: Light Control, Thermal Vision
damaged knob in the suspect’s possession. Slang terms: bone-sight, the Ray, XRV, panty
• From the depth of microscopic indentations, detector
determining that a document supposedly made by a
particular antique typewriter was in fact produced by
a different model.
Grid: B5
Connected: Phase, Reduce Temperature
Slang terms: feely, the rubs, Braille-o-vision
40
MUTANT POWERS
GENERAL POWERS Absorption (Presence)

The following mutant powers are all treated as General You can absorb the powers of other mutants, briefly
abilities. They fit into the same three categories (Physical, wielding them yourself. To do so, you must be touching
Presence and Focus) and can be affected by Stress cards. the subject, and succeed at an Absorption test. The base
Range: Some powers are ranged, allowing you to Difficulty equals the subject’s pool in the ability you’re
produce an effect from a distance. If a power is described attempting to absorb. If, in the immediately previous
as ranged, but no specific range is given, that distance combat round, you damaged the subject with your bare
varies in accordance with your current pool value in the hands, reduce the Difficulty by 25%, rounding up. If
ability. If it is 3 or less, your range is twenty-five meters. you have just damaged the subject with your Fangs (a
When your pool is between 4 and 6, it is fifty meters. If connected power), reduce the Difficulty by 50%. (You
your pool is 7 or more, your range is one hundred meters. qualify for only one of these reductions.)
If you succeed, you may now wield one of the victim’s
powers. You choose which power to absorb. You may
Believability vs. Balance spend 5 Absorption points to rob the victim of the power
until you relinquish it; otherwise they may continue to
To reinforce the notion that the powers of access it, too.
the Quade Diagram are genetic mutations
If the absorbed power requires or allows you to spend
points to use it, you spend Absorption points as if they
existing in a believable world of cause and
are points in the borrowed ability.
effect, the various General abilities have not You retain access to the power for an hour. Before it
been carefully balanced against one another. elapses, you may spend an additional Absorption point
The real world is not game balanced: some to extend the duration for another hour.
abilities or items of technology are flat-out When you absorb an additional power, you must
better than others. General powers in Mutant spend 7 Absorption points, or relinquish all other
City Blues work the same way. Some grant their absorbed powers you’re currently maintaining. You may
users a terrifying impact on their environment relinquish a power at any time, regardless of how far
and others around them, while others are you are from the person you absorbed it from, or what
barriers lie between you.
comparatively unimpressive. Neither are all
If you are reduced to 0 or fewer Health points, all
abilities intended to be popular and useful
powers relinquish immediately.
choices for player characters working as
police detectives. If players gravitate toward Grid: D2
some abilities and not others, so be it. This Connected: Fangs
too reflects the reality of the setting, indicating Slang terms: spongeworthy, the squish, Nolte, suck-
that enhanced individuals with certain power up
sets would be more likely to prosper in law
enforcement than others. Alter Form (Physical)
For a more traditional supers game You can change your physical appearance, including
discarding the Quade Diagram and SME your facial structure, build, weight, coloration, and even
backstory, you may wish to dampen certain apparent gender. It costs 3 Alter Form points to adopt a
powers and boost others, or impose different new appearance, plus 1 point for every 15kg of weight
acquisition costs for various General powers, difference between your real form and the adopted one,
based on their perceived efficacy. and 1 point for every 15cm of height difference.
If the new form is 30 or more kilograms lighter or
heavier than you, or 30cm or more shorter or taller,
your sense of coordination suffers. The Difficulty of all
Athletics, Scuffling and Shooting tests increases by 1.
You remain in the altered form for one hour, after
which point you must spend 1 point per hour to remain
in that form. Returning to your true form costs nothing.
41
You can’t convincingly mimic the exact form of a Blade Immunity (Physical)
known person; to do that requires the connected ability
When struck with any cutting or stabbing weapon,
Impersonate.
including the natural weapons of animals and your fellow
When you alter your form to a member of the opposite
mutants, your skin cells arrange themselves to deflect the
sex, you acquire the outward characteristics, but not the
blade of your enemy’s weapon. After you are struck with
internal organs to match.
such a blow, you may spend 1 Blade Immunity point to
Your new form must fall within the range of human
reduce the damage dealt to 0.
possibilities: you can’t give yourself a wolf head, grow
wings, or replicate the anatomical changes brought on Grid: B1
by other mutant powers. Connected: Armor, Scleroderma, Quills, Wall Crawling
Correlated: Secrete Acid
Grid: E5
Slang terms: turnaway, knifeslip, schmenkel
Connected: Impersonate
Slang terms: blobbing, morphing, switch-out,
zeligging Blood Spray (Physical)
You can perform a ranged attack in which you send a
Armor (Physical) high-pressure spray of your own blood gushing from your
mouth. You hit your target on a successful Blood Spray
At will, you can cause your skin to harden to the
test. If you hit, the opponent must make an Athletics test,
consistency of a rhino’s hide. Like anyone’s, your skin
the Difficulty of which equals 4 plus any Blood Spray
cells contain a fibrous structural protein called keratin.
points you spent on the attack. If they fail the test, they
This power causes your keratin to swell and harden on
are knocked over and must, in lieu of their next attack,
command.
make an Athletics test (against the same Difficulty) in
Even more so than a real rhino’s hide, armor protects
order to regain their footing. If they fail, they continue to
you against kinetic impact, including bullets, blunt force,
slip on the blood, losing further attacks until they finally
unarmed blows in hand to hand combat, as well as
succeed.
injuries sustained when you fall or get crushed. For every
A blood spray attack inspires instinctive revulsion.
3 Armor points spent when activating your power, you
Anyone within direct visual range must make a
reduce any instance of damage from any of those sources
Composure test or suffer the urge to flee. Victims with
by 1 damage point.
the Olfactory Center power add your Blood Spray pool
It takes about a minute to activate your armor, and
to the Difficulty of this test.
about ten to relax your keratin back to its normal state.
Characters who do not flee suffer ill effects while
The armor is extremely itchy; after you’ve had it activated
they remain able to see and smell your blood: their Hit
for about ten minutes, the discomfort and distraction
Threshold decreases by 1, and the Hit Threshold of
you suffer increases the Difficulty of all General ability
anyone they’re attempting to attack effectively increases
tests by 1. The itch recedes five minutes after you’ve
by 1.
deactivated your armor.
In addition to any Blood Spray points you spend, each
Grid: B2 use of this power costs you 3 Health points. Health points
Connected: Blade Immunity lost to Blood Spray use can be refreshed with a large
Slang terms: rhino, hairy, kevin meal of red meat, washed down with large quantities of
orange juice or a similarly sugary drink, followed by an
hour’s nap.
Clever mutants will also find non-combat uses for
this outré power: for example, to cover the lenses of
inconvenient security cameras.
Legal ramifications: Individuals using this power in

the commission of crimes are easily convicted. To use
this power is to cover a crime scene with one’s DNA.
Grid: D0
Connected: Command Insects
Slang terms: toad-eye, go-gore, splashing
42
MUTANT POWERS
Cognition (Focus)
Your brain exhibits the raw calculating power of an Animal Command Powers
advanced supercomputer. You are able to perform
complex mathematical calculations off the top of All animal command abilities (Command Amphibians
your head. You may spend 3 Cognition points to and Reptiles, Command Fish, Command Insects, and
rapidly accomplish any task involving calculations Command Mammals) work as follows.
and correlating reams of information — in effect, Test your Command [Animal Type] against a
you can use it to Push abilities like Research or Difficulty set by the GM. The Difficulty increases
Traffic Analysis to get the job done faster. as the gulf between the desired action and the
This General ability allows you to identify
creature’s normal range of behavior widens. If the
moments when players, including yourself, arrive
task is an ongoing one, the GM increases the Difficulty
at an essentially correct interpretation of facts
gathered using your Investigative abilities. You accordingly. Animals with more complicated behavior
may at any time spend 3 Cognition points to test patterns can perform longer-term tasks.
the validity of a theory of the case at hand. The In all cases, the power operates by establishing
GM responds by telling you whether the theory is a psychic connection with the creature’s brain
hot, warm, cold, or freezing. As per the traditional structures or nervous systems. The communication
kid’s game of hotter-colder, hot means that you’re is one-way only, from you to the creatures. They
correct, or very close to it, and cold means that cannot convey information to you. Animal command
you’re far from the mark. does not render them intelligent. It is possible that
The GM may also simply respond that you
your character anthropomorphizes them, attributing
haven’t got enough information to come up with a
rationally grounded theory. To qualify for analysis to them personality and volition they don’t in fact
by the Cognition power, the reconstruction of an possess.
event must be reasonably complete. Generally Animals exhibiting strong paternal or maternal
speaking, it must name a suspect, describe the instincts can be prompted to undergo long periods
method by which the crime was committed, of hunger or sacrifice their own lives to protect
and stipulate a motive. It must also account for something. In effect, you are hijacking these instincts
any puzzling anomalies surrounding the event to your own ends. Creatures lacking these instincts
you’re investigating. Cognition doesn’t help you behave in a more self-protective manner. They’ll
to identify lucky guesses or tell you, without
follow commands until they become hungry, and will
evidence, whether a particular likely-seeming
then resume their standard search for food.
suspect is indeed the perpetrator.
Sometimes a player will lay out a correct The range of your power is 10m per point in
theory of the case and then immediately discard your Command [Animal Type] pool. The subject
or forget it. After some time has passed, if the creature(s) must be within this range when you first
group continues to head off in a less productive establish the link and issue the command. After that,
direction, the GM may tell you that someone at the distance between you and the creatures is no
some point already hit on the correct theory. They longer relevant: you can leave the area, or command
do not specify when this happened, who said it, or the animals to do so.
what the theory was. This use of Cognition costs If a creature has already been commanded by
no points.
another mutant wielding the same power, you
Grid: E3 can cancel the previous set of commands with a
Connected: Telepathy, Technopathy, Precision successful use of the power. Ending an existing
Memory command always carries a flat Difficulty of 4. You
Correlated: Lightning Decisions must do the same to cancel an ongoing behavior
Visual cues: Individuals possess slightly to you’ve ordered yourself. To avoid having to do so,
dramatically convex foreheads, accommodating build an endpoint into your first command, so that
their enlarged frontal lobes.
the creatures go back to their normal behavior after
Slang terms: bumhead, calc, lobey
a specified condition is fulfilled.
43
Command Amphibians Command Fish (Presence)

and Reptiles (Presence) You can command fish to perform simple tasks in
accordance with their instincts and physical capabilities.
You can order amphibians and reptiles to perform simple
Mostly this means that you can get them to swim en
tasks in accordance with their instincts and physical
masse in a particular direction. Predatory fish like sharks
capabilities. You can prompt the creatures to swarm en
can be induced to attack chosen targets.
masse on a chosen point. Venomous snakes and reptiles
With a single use of this power, you can command any
can be induced to bite specific targets. Alligators and
number of fish who normally school together.
crocodiles can be sent out to attack, or ordered to guard
If your rating in Command Fish exceeds 8, you can
particular sites as if they contain the animals’ own eggs.
also command octopuses, squid, lobsters and crayfish.
With each use of the ability, you may affect any
The octopus exhibits surprising intelligence and can
number of creatures of a given zoological order, within
perform an array of complex underwater tasks.
the range of your power. The orders are: crocodilia,
squamata (lizards and snakes), and testudines (turtles and Grid: A4
tortoises.) Connected: Swimming
Amphibians and reptiles aren’t known for their long Slang terms: minnowing, aqua, blubbing, Nemo
attention spans, so lengthy or sustained actions call for
high Difficulty numbers.
Command Insects (Presence)
Grid: C1 You can command insects, worms, and spiders, within
Connected: Cortisol Elevation, Venom (Spit) the highly restrictive limits of their ingrained behavior
Correlated: Command Insects and physical capabilities. Mostly this means that you can
get them to move en masse to a particular location. You
Command Birds (Presence) can command fireflies to fly together in a lantern-like
grouping, station poisonous spiders where they are likely
You can command birds to perform simple tasks in
to sting interlopers, or send plagues of locusts to strip the
accordance with their instincts and physical capabilities.
crops of farmers who’ve aroused your godlike wrath.
Birds that can be trained, such as hawks and parrots,
With a single use of this power, you can command all
can be instantaneously imprinted with more complex
insects within its range.
behaviors. These behaviors must be in line with what a
handler could, over time, train the birds to do. You can Grid: D1
get a mynah to repeat a particular phrase, but he’ll never Connected: Blood Spray, Possession
defuse a bomb for you. Correlated: Command Amphibians and Reptiles,
With a single use of this power, you can command Spread Pathogen
any number of birds who normally flock together. In Slang terms: the buzz, roaching, chitinator
other words, you can command as many seagulls as can
be found within the ability’s range, or a mating pair of
falcons. Command Mammals (Presence)
You can command mammals, within the limits of their
Grid: A3 instinctual behavior and physical capabilities. If an
Connected: Wind Control animal is trainable to perform a given task, you can
Slang terms: Lancaster, hawking, feathering instantly get it to reproduce this learned behavior, even if
this particular specimen is wild and has never performed
it.
You can command as many specimens of a given
species as are found within your ability’s range.
While humans are mammals, you can’t use this power
on them in most circumstances. At most, you can give a
mild subliminal nudge one way or another.
Grid: C6
Connected: Environmental Awareness
Slang terms: furring, Rover, zigroy
44
MUTANT POWERS
Blast Powers
A number of mutant abilities are

classified as blast powers; they
all work in the same basic way.
A blast power is a ranged
attack generated from within
your body, without aid of a
weapon, and consists of a
stream of energy or matter
directed at an opponent.
When attacking with your
blast power, use your blast
power ability instead of Shooting
to determine whether you hit.
Base damage is 0, same as
a light firearm. When you score
a success, meeting or beating
the target’s Hit Threshold, you
may spend an additional 2
points from your blast ability to
increase the damage by 1, or an
additional 4 points to increase it
by 2.
If you reduce an opponent to
0 Health with a blast, you get to
decide if your attack was lethal
or non-lethal. Some blasts are
always lethal or non-lethal, but
in most cases, you can narrate
how you cleverly incapacitated your target without killing or permanently injuring them.
Keep track of all blast power points you spend to increase damage (as distinct from the spend you
make to hit your opponent in the first place).
When you use your blast power, if you can describe the action in a way that convinces the GM that
the type of blast power you’re using is the very best, most perfect, one to use in this situation, you
may get a refund of your damage-boosting points at the end of the fight. Assuming the GM agrees
that your action description was especially cool and appropriate, make an unmodified die roll. On a 5
or 6, you regain any points you spent increasing your damage and can apply them as a refresh to any
General ability, including the Blast power you just used.. So, if you spend 4 points boosting your blast
damage in a thematically appropriate way, you may be able to get a 4-point Composure or Athletics
refresh out of it.
Examples of cool and appropriate description:
• your fire projection makes you the obvious candidate to fight the ice monster
• fine control of your concussion beam allows you to detonate the bomb your target carries while
protecting others from the explosion
• your light blast fritzes out the night vision goggles worn by your opponents.
45
Concussion Beam (Focus) conditions like chronic obesity. Certain toxins are cured
by Cure Disease; others, by Healing.
This blast power emits a beam of pure kinetic energy,
The difficulty of your attempt is also the number of
which hits your opponents with blunt force trauma,
hours before you can use the ability again.
visible as a rippling distortion in the air. You can also
use concussion beams to shove objects around or smash Grid: E1
through barriers. It’s impossible to use this power gently; Connected: Forced Genetic Drift, Spread Pathogen
even if you try to “pull your blow”, it’s still a strong shove Slang terms: quinner, faithing, bac-smack
or punch.
Decide during character generation whether the
beam is emitted from your hands or eyes. Deplete Oxygen (Presence)
Unlike most other blast powers, Concussion Beam is Some people are said to suck the air out of a room. You
not countered by High Energy Dispersal, but instead by are literally capable of this. You can deplete the oxygen
Kinetic Energy Dispersal. from any area, centered on any point within range. The
approximate size of the area you can deplete determines
Grid: D3 the Difficulty of your test, as follows.
Connected: Kinetic Energy Dispersal
Slang terms: the slam, invisipunch, two-by-four
Enclosed Space Difficulty
Coffin 4
Cure Disease (Presence)
Compact car 5
By touching an ailing subject, you can cure any disease
caused by infection or bodily degeneration. It cures Family car 6
mental disorders rooted in physical disorders of the SUV or van 7
brain, but not personality disorders, like sociopathy.
Small room 8
The Game Moderator chooses the Difficulty of your
Cure Disease test according to the severity of the illness, Large room 9
with the following table as a guideline. Airplane 11
Cathedral 13
Illness Difficulty
Entire skyscraper 15
Common cold 2
Influenza, mumps, chicken pox 3 If you’re outdoors, oxygen will diffuse in from the
surrounding air, countering the effect. In an enclosed and
Stinger venom (see p. 121) 4
relatively airtight space, people and creatures experience
Pneumonia 4 near-immediate breathing trouble. Those in the area of
Cancer, early stage 5 effect lose 1 point from each of their General abilities
(except Preparedness) per minute. These are refreshed
Diabetes 5
after spending as many minutes breathing normally as
Alzheimer’s 6 they have spent in a state of oxygen deprivation.
Cancer, advanced 6 Victims in a fully airtight space suffer hypoxia. After
8 minutes, they must make Difficulty 8 Health tests, or
Ebola 6
suffer immediate and fatal heart attacks. Survivors must
Cancer, inoperable 8 make additional Health tests every minute thereafter,
with the Difficulty increasing by 2 each time.
GRFs arising from mutant powers can’t be cured Deplete Oxygen confers no immunity to oxygen
outright, but you can spend Cure Disease points to deprivation, so if you’re in the affected area, you suffer
assist in a patient’s recovery. You can’t heal congenital along with everyone else.
GRFs; nor does this ability heal wounds, or reverse This power immediately quenches all fires within
damage already visited on a patient by the effects of its area of effect, whether enclosed or not. Neither Fire
illness, such as cardiac arrest or stroke. It can’t change a Projection or Spontaneous Combustion powers can be
patient’s body morphology, and so can’t be used to cure used within an affected area in an enclosed or airtight
space.
46
MUTANT POWERS
Grid: A3 Disintegrated matter crumbles into a fine dust.

Connected: Asthma, Toxin Immunity (Inhaled) Even a rookie criminalist can spot the telltale signs
Slang terms: asphyx, reteek, vaderize of a disintegration wound: they look as if large portions
of tissue have been excised with surgical precision, albeit
in an irregular pattern no surgeon would ever duplicate.
Detect Influence (Focus) All blood vessels exposed by a disintegration wound
When any individual within your direct line of sight has immediately self-cauterize, making it impossible to bleed
been targeted, successfully or otherwise, by a mutant out from such an injury.
power that can be resisted with a Composure test, you Disintegration blasts are always lethal damage.
perceive an aura of faintly glowing colorless energy
around them. A trail leads from the aura in the direction Grid: B2
of the mutant using the influence ability; if you can see Connected: Transmutation
the power-user, the trail clearly connects them to their Correlated: Healing, Radiation Projection
victim. Slang terms: dusting, cancel, dissing
You must consciously activate this power in order to
use it.
Where the discovery of mental influence is not a core
Earth Control (Focus)
clue that advances the current investigation, make a You can animate quantities of sand or soil, producing the
Detect Influence test (base Difficulty 4) to see the telltale following effects.
aura. If the influencer’s rating (not pool) in the power Earthquake: On a successful Earth Control test
equals 8 or more, the Difficulty is 5. (Difficulty 4), you can cause a small, localized earth
If the discovery is a core clue, treat Detect Influence tremor to radiate outwards from any point within range.
as an Investigative ability. If you activate the power, you The tremor strikes a roughly circular area centered on
succeed. your chosen point. The default diameter of the circle is
3m. You may attempt to affect a larger area by testing
Grid: F3 against a higher Difficulty, at +1 Difficulty for each
Connected: Suppress Influence, Telepathy additional meter of diameter. The affected area must
Slang terms: early bird, moonglow, wormer be composed primarily of sand or soil; you can’t cause a
tremor on an expanse of barren rock.
The tremor is strong enough to damage architectural
Disease Immunity (Physical) supports, cause unsecured objects to fall and possibly
When making a Health test to resist infectious diseases or shatter, and to throw people to the ground. Anyone in the
their effects, you may spend 1 Disease Immunity point to tremor zone (including yourself) must make an Athletics
add 3 points to any roll. test against the same Difficulty as the Earth Control
Disease Immunity does not protect you from diseases test. Those who fail are knocked off their feet and take
caused by environmental factors. When your power first damage, with a damage modifier of –2.
manifested, it cured any congenital or genetic diseases Sandstorm: You cause loose sand and grit to rise into
you might have had. However, it did not protect you from the air, filling a roughly globe-shaped area of disturbance
any GRFs correlated with your mutant powers. with a diameter of 1m for every Earth Control point you
spend. You can move the center of the sandstorm to any
Grid: B1
spot within range. The sandstorm forces all creatures
Connected: Forced Genetic Drift
within the effect (except for you, who are immune to it)
Correlated: Fangs, Pain Immunity
to hunker down and protect their eyes. Characters can
Slang terms: breather, smocker, Typhoid Stan
make Composure tests (Difficulty 6) to fight this impulse
and remain standing with eyes open, but Shooting and
Disintegration (Focus) the use of ranged powers becomes impossible due to low
This blast power (see sidebar, p. 45) damages objects by visibility, and the Difficulties of all other physical abilities
breaking them down at the molecular level. are increased by 3.
In addition to the normal combat damage like any Grid: E6
blast power, you can use it to destroy unliving matter. Connected: Magnetism, Spatial Awareness
To do so, make a Disintegration test, with a Difficulty of Slang terms: dirt, shovel, moving
1 for every 5kg of matter you wish to destroy. You may
select any object within range.
47
Emotion Control (Presence) Grid: F2

Connected: Low Impulse Control
You can alter the mood of any subject within range.
Slang terms: shrinky-dink, stirring, brainbong
The subject will feel all of the physical signs associated
with the chosen emotion, in addition to its psychological Legal implications: Attempts to criminalize non-
components. The default difficulty is 2, plus the number consensual use of Emotion Control have been thrown
of steps it takes to get from the subject’s current emotional into disarray by a Supreme Court ruling. Five out of
state to the desired state on the following diagram. nine justices accepted the proposition that the effects of
the power are on a par with those achievable through
Anxious normal human interaction. Fearing that this might set a
precedent allowing the laying of charges for any behavior
Curious Disgusted causing a shift in another’s mood, the justices struck
down the law. Civil suits involving the use of this power
have been thrown into doubt but continue to grind their
Joyful Angry way through the courts.
Content Depressed Empathy (Presence)

Empathy is a General ability which supplements the
Reﬂective Sad use of your Investigative abilities, particularly your
interpersonal abilities. It enables you to gauge, in real
time, the success of your various interpersonal gambits
during interrogations and other interviews.
Your brain’s ability to perceive and process emotional
Reese wants to use his Emotion Control to make cues from the people around you has been heightened to
Samira angry. She is currently content. The least superhuman levels. To a naïve observer you may seem
number of steps on the chart between content and like a mind reader, but really you’re processing, at nearly
angry is four: content to reflective, reflective to instantaneous speed, a wide variety of overt and subtle
sad, sad to depressed, and depressed to angry. The signals as to the moods of the people you’re observing.
Difficulty of Reese’s Emotion Control test will At any time, you may spend 1 Empathy point to
be 6: 4 steps, plus the default value of 2. If your determine a subject’s current prevalent emotional state.
target has an appropriate Stress Penalty, apply it GMs may describe these however they prefer. Those
to the Difficulty. So, if Samira has a -2 Rage Stress who prefer a systematic approach can name any of the
Penalty, the Difficulty drops to 4 when trying to emotions from the diagram given above, under the
make her angry. Emotion Control power.
Also, you can monitor a subject for subtle increases
and decreases in amusement, anxiety, arousal, anger,
Players may describe their character’s present moods,
or sympathy. Keying in on a subject in this way costs 3
when necessary. The GM may rule that the character’s
Empathy points. You must specify a single one of the
described behavior better fits another mood — if the PC
aforementioned emotional states. You can then, over
has been raging and cursing at an enemy for the past
the course of a single scene or conversation, sense every
ten minutes, he’s clearly angry, no matter how much
time that emotional state intensifies or decreases. This
the player claims he’s simply reflective. GMs determine
is especially useful during interrogation scenes, when
supporting characters’ starting moods.
you or another team member is trying to get a suspect
The subject’s mood remains as directed for ten
to crack and sign a confession. By tracking ups and
minutes. You can extend this period by spending 1
downs in anxiety level in response to specific comments
Emotion Control point for each additional ten minutes.
and questions, you can tell when your verbal gambits hit
Victims questioning their sudden mood swings may
home, and when they backfire, allowing the suspect to
make Composure tests (Difficulty 4); if successful, they
recover their composure.
realize that their emotions have been altered by an
Individuals suffering from certain mental conditions
outside force. They still feel the emotion, but can restrain
are difficult or impossible to read using empathy.
themselves from taking actions based on it.
Psychopaths do not exhibit identifiable anxiety or
sympathy. Persons with the Dissociation GRF (or a
48
MUTANT POWERS
similar, non-congenital emotional disorder) may not Endorphin Control (Others)

register at all. When a subject with Personality Drift or
Meta-Identity Disorder shifts character traits, you lose (Presence)
your read and must start over again, paying 3 Empathy You can stimulate endorphin production in the brain of
points as if you were keying in on an entirely different another person within range. The subject experiences an
person. exhilarating rush of physical pleasure which masks pain
Although you will never encounter a situation where and increases tolerance for risk and danger.
you need Empathy to gather a core clue, a forgiving To use the ability, make an Endorphin Control test
GM may allow you to use it in place of an Interpersonal against a Difficulty of 3. If the subject’s Health pool
ability, provided you describe your attempt in a suitably equals 8 or more, the Difficulty is 4.
believable manner. They may, when similarly justified, If successful, you may spend X Endorphin Control
also permit you to make interpersonal Pushes using (Others) points. The subject gains X Health points and
Empathy points. X Composure points, which may take them beyond their
Finally, you can also heal Composure damage caused rating. The effect expires after five minutes, after which
by traumatic events, and from sources such as Psionic the subject loses X Health and X Composure points. You
Blast (p. 61). Each Empathy point spent restores 1 can extend this period by spending 1 Endorphin Control
Composure point to any living subject. Recipients’ final (Others) point for each additional three minutes.
Composure pools may not exceed their Composure Legal ramifications: Authorities have, with limited
ratings. success, attempted to subject willing recipients of
Empathy can cure victims slain by psionic blasts. The Endorphin Control (Others) to the same legal penalties
Difficulty depends on the time that has elapsed since the faced by heroin users; for more, see “Dorphing,” p. 125.
patient died. Use of this power without consent can lead to charges
of administering a noxious substance, a crime punishable
Time Difficulty by up to one year in prison. Courts have applied this
offense to Endorphin Control (Others) on the grounds
0–5 minutes 6 that the power induces the production of a quantifiable
6–15 minutes 8 substance within the subject’s brain.
16–59 minutes 10 Grid: E1
1–2 hours 12 Connected: Addictive Personality, Induce Mental
3–6 hours 16 Disorder
Correlated: Empathy
Grid: F1 Slang terms: bingo, hammer, love monkey
Connected: Nondescript, Observe Dreams, Sexual
Chemistry, Translation Endorphin Control (Self)
Correlated: Endorphin Control (Others)
Visual cues: Individuals tend to have enlarged irises (Presence)
of unusual bright and uniform color, lending them a You can stimulate your own brain to produce endorphins
striking or mesmerizing quality. Several top movie at will, supplying a heady rush of pleasure that blots
stars exhibit the telltale signs of enhanced empathy, out both physical pain and emotional trauma. To
though all deny any mutant genes. activate the power, spend X Endorphin Control (Self)
Slang terms: hug-out, furrow, the mopes points. You gain X Health points and X Composure
points for five minutes, after which you lose X Health
and X Composure points. You can extend this period
by spending 1 Endorphin Control (Self) point for each
additional three minutes.
Grid: E1
Connected: Addictive Personality, Pain Immunity
Slang terms: benny, the benediction, Colonel Zodd,
5-20
49
Entangling Hair (Physical) While in the dream, you may interact with the
subject’s dream persona. You may take control of their
Your hair is long, luxurious, and prehensile. You can
dream environment, shaping it to your will, introducing
use it to reach out and immobilize a single foe within
new characters, changing the setting, or altering the
range. Use it in lieu of an attack, testing Entangling Hair
fundamentals of its illusion of reality.
against your opponent’s Hit Threshold. If successful,
If the changes you make to the dream seem too strange
you have entangled your target, who is then unable to
or diverge too sharply from the subject’s usual dreams,
launch attacks or take other actions. Instead, they must
they may achieve a state of lucidity. The subject’s persona
(assuming they don’t just give in) struggle to get free from
realizes that they are dreaming, and gains an ability to
your hair’s constricting grip. This requires an Athletics
manipulate the dream environment equal to your own. If
test, with your Entangling Hair pool as the Difficulty.
they try to alter your dream persona, they automatically
When you have a target entangled, you must devote all
fail — and identify you as an intruder. A lucid dreamer
of your attention and energy to maintaining your grip
will always remember what happened in a dream.
and can’t take any but the most trivial of physical actions.
If the changes you make to the dream render it too
This power’s range is nonstandard, at 1m per rating
terrifying, the dreamer will immediately awaken, in
point.
a state of extreme agitation. They will remember the
Grid: A1 dream, but, unless they were lucid, will not automatically
Connected: Scleroderma know you were responsible for it. (This does not prevent
Slang terms: hopper, folf, leashing them from figuring it out later, especially if they are
aware of you and your ability.)
Enter Dreams (Focus) Legal ramifications: As per Observe Dreams, p. 38.
By putting yourself in a trance state, you are able to Grid: F0
enter the dreams of a sleeping person currently engaged Connected: Meta-Persona Identity Disorder
in REM sleep. To do so, you must succeed at an Enter Slang terms: fuselation, sandscooping, remixing
Dreams test, against a difficulty determined by the
distance between you and the subject. Fangs (Physical)
Your upper canine teeth are two to three inches long,
Distance Difficulty sharp, and hollow. They can be used as weapons in
Scuffling tests, with a +0 damage modifier. You can spend
Touch 4
points from your Fangs pool in addition to Scuffling
Unaided visual range 5 points, but only if you’re attacking with the intent to
Within 500m 6 injure (in other words, you can’t use Fangs if you’re trying
to restrain, wrestle or knock a foe unconscious).
Within 2km 7
If you also have the Venom (Bite) power, you can use
Within 200km 8 this bite to deliver venom.
Within 2000km 9 If you also have the Plasma Deficiency GRF, you
can use a bite from your fangs to extract plasma from a
Anywhere on planet 10
victim.
A successful fang strike counts as touching the victim,
Where subjects possess any of the following mutant
a requirement for use of the Absorption power, and using
abilities, add their current pool in the relevant ability to
Fangs reduces the Difficulty of Absorption (p. 41).
your difficulty: Threat Calculus, Enter Dreams, Observe
You do not need to succeed at a Scuffling test to bite a
Dreams, Possession, Read Minds, or Telepathy. If they
willing or possessed subject.
have more than one of these abilities, add the highest
You can spend 1 Fangs point to retract your fangs, so
pool only.
that they appear like normal teeth. It costs 1 Fangs point
You may remain within the subject’s dream for one
to extend them again.
minute. After that, you must spend 1 Enter Dreams point
per minute to remain in the dream. Note that, contrary Grid: D1
to popular conception, dreams do not occur in a hyper- Connected: Absorption, Plasma Deficiency
accelerated timescale; rather, they use film-like editing Correlated: Disease Immunity, Venom (Bite)
techniques to jump around from one scene to the next, Slang terms: stickers, pokers, vamps
giving the impression of a compressed chronology.
50
MUTANT POWERS
Fire Control (Focus) Fire Projection (Focus)

You can manipulate any existing flame within range, This blast power (see sidebar, p. 45) allows you to direct
performing the following stunts. a jet of flame from your hands to a chosen target. Your
• Extinguish flame (Difficulty 1 per cubic meter of hands are not damaged by your flame, but, unless you
flames). also have the Fire Immunity ability, any other part of you
• Cancel a Fire Projection blast before it reaches its can be injured by your own blast.
target. The character generating the blast calculates Fire Projection may also be used to ignite flammable
what the damage will be if it hits; you test Fire Control substances. The Fire Control ability can be used to
against it, using the potential damage as the Difficulty. cancel your blasts.
If you succeed, the blast has no effect.
• Increase size of flame (Difficulty 1 per cubic meter Grid: D2
added to flames). Connected: Fire Immunity
• Cause flame to leap from one fuel source to another Slang terms: bugging, arson powder, cinder
(Difficulty 1 per m of movement).
• Sculpt flame into cohesive shapes (Difficulty varies Flight (Physical)
by complexity of shape, at GM’s discretion, where 2
You can fly unaided through the air. When executing
is a simple cube or pyramid, and 8 is an animated
aerial stunts or maneuvers, test your Flight ability
anthropomorphic figure).
against a Difficulty determined by the GM, based on the
After animating a humanoid shape for flame, you can following sample difficulties.
direct it like a puppet to fight your enemies. Use your
Fire Control ability as its Scuffling; its flaming fists Action Difficulty
carry a Damage Modifier of +2. It cannot be damaged
Maneuvering through tight space
by ordinary weapons, but is destroyed on contact with 4
without reducing speed
flame retardant substances or by another character’s
opposing use of Fire Control. You must remain in direct Catching a falling person 5
visual contact with it, and can do nothing but direct its Dodging falling debris 5
movements. If you are hit, entangled or forced to take
Righting an out-of-control aircraft 6
other significant action, the flame loses its animation and
cohesiveness.
When your Flying pool contains 8 or more points, you
Grid: D3 fly (in combat) at 20m per round, or 10m with an action.
Connected: Toxin Immunity (Ingested), Trance (See p. 91 for combat movement rules.) When your pool
Susceptible is lower than 8, you fly at 10m per round, or 4m with an
Correlated: Kinetic Energy Dispersal action.
Slang terms: flameshape, fifth level wizard, Dalmatian To quickly fly long distances, pay Flight points, as
bait follows.
Speed (in Cost for Time to

Fire Immunity (Physical) km/h) 1km travel travel 1km
You can render your body impervious to fire damage. 40 2 90 sec
Spend 1 Fire Immunity point to reduce all damage from
100 4 36 sec
a single source of flame to 0. When a single source of
flame would otherwise do 3 or fewer points of damage
to you, it is reduced to 0 without any Fire Immunity Grid: B4
expenditure on your part. Connected: Heat Blast, Strength
Slang terms: zooming, j-packing, roof watching
Grid: D2
Connected: Fire Projection
Slang terms: no-scorch, coal walking, flameshrugger
51
Force Field (Focus) spend 2, the movement rates of all characters within the
area are halved. If you spend 4, anyone within the area
You can will into existence an invisible wall or bubble at
must make an Athletics test with a Difficulty equal to your
any point within range. If you create a wall, the difficulty
Gravity Control rating to move at all. In combat, this
of the Force Field test to create it is 1 per square meter.
attempt takes all of the character’s energy and attention,
The wall must conform to a straight line. The difficulty
forfeiting their chance to make an attack during the
to create a bubble is 12 per meter of radius.
current round. The gravity field remains in force for
When you first create a Force Field, multiply your
a number of rounds equal to your rating, or until you
pool value (after taking into account the loss of any
choose to drop it.
points you spent on the original test) by 4. This is the
You can also decrease the pull of gravity on a
amount of damage your force field can sustain before
particular object, causing it to rise into the air and float
vanishing - any excess damage rolls over to you. Through
uncontrollably upwards like a balloon, where it remains
great mental concentration, you can fortify your existing
for a number of rounds equal to your Gravity Control
force field by spending Composure points. The damage
rating. It then drifts gently downwards for an equal
it can sustain before collapsing increases by 2 for every
number of minutes, like a depleted helium balloon,
Composure point spent.
coming to a harmless landing on the nearest horizontal
Once created, the force field remains stationary.
surface. While suspended in the air, the object’s
Though impervious to liquids and solids, gases pass
weightless state may cause it to be buffeted by winds, so
through the force field unimpeded. It cannot be used to
that it eventually lands far from its point of origin. Even
protect you from airborne toxins, or to suffocate those
a gentle breeze can move it a considerable distance. The
trapped inside it.
cost of levitating an object varies depending on its mass.
Force fields protect against lightning and disintegration
blasts, but provide no shelter from light blasts. Feat Cost
Grid: F5 Lift 100kg (manhole cover,
1
Connected: Sensory Overload average grown man)
Slang terms: stayaway, the gate, boundary issues Lift 150kg (linebacker) 2
Gills (Physical) Lift 200kg (piano, solid woden desk) 3
You can breathe underwater, thanks to a set of gills which Lift 300 kg (motorcycle) 4
open up at the sides of your neck. By spending 2 Gills
Lift 400kg (street light, kiosk) 5
points, you can cause them to seal up, so that you look
normal to all but the closest medical examination. To Lift 500kg (telephone pole) 6
reactivate your gills, spend another 2 points. Lift 600kg (sailboat) 8
Polluted waters may lack sufficient oxygen to breathe;
Lift 800kg (dumpster) 10
make a Gills test against a Difficulty of 4 to remain
normally active in any oxygen-depleted body of water. Lift 1000kg (car) 15
Grid: A4
Connected: Swimming People and animals can easily (that is, without having to
Correlated: Sonar, Toxin Immunity (Inhaled) make a roll) slip out of the anti-gravity bubble created
Slang terms: scalo, the pinks, wetnap by this effect before they get more than a few inches off
the ground. It works only on living creatures who are
unwilling or unable to resist it.
Gravity Control (Focus)
Grid: E4
You can increase the pull of gravity in a chosen area.
Connected: High Energy Dispersal
The area is centered on any point within range, with
Slang terms: crushing, helium, planetary
a diameter of your choice, up to your current Gravity
Control pool in meters. You may spend either 2 or
4 Gravity Control points to activate the power. If you
52
MUTANT POWERS
Healing (Presence) You can melt 1kg of the substance for each minute of
effort you devote to the task. To keep your heat blast
You can cure wounds and injuries (though not diseases or
going for an extended period, spend 1 Heat Blast point
genetic GRFs) with a touch of your hands — skin contact
for each minute after the first.
required. Each Healing point spent restores one Health
Heat Blast can cancel an Ice Blast before it reaches
point to any living subject. Recipients’ final Health pools
its target. The character generating the blast calculates
may not exceed their Health ratings.
what the damage will be if it hits; you test Heat Blast
By making a Healing test, you can revive the recently
against it, using the potential damage as the Difficulty. If
dead. The Difficulty depends on the time that has elapsed
you succeed, the ice attack has no effect.
since the patient died.
Grid: B5
Time Since Death Difficulty Connected: Flight
0–5 minutes 6 Slang terms: the ripple, toaster, convection
6–15 minutes 8
16–59 minutes 10
High Energy Dispersal (Presence)
With a quick shake of your head, you can disperse all
1–2 hours 12
energy generated by nearly any blast power within range.
3–6 hours 16 By spending 2 High Energy Dispersal points in
response to the use of a blast power by a nearby mutant,
No revivals are possible after six hours. you can prevent most blast powers from doing any damage
You may cure your own wounds, although if you also to any target; human, animal, or inanimate. The beam is
have Regeneration, you will find that a more economical dispersed after it is generated but before it hits its target.
method of repairing damage to your own body. Any points expended by the blast power’s wielder on its
Certain toxins are cured by Healing; others, by Cure damage modifier remain spent. High Energy Dispersal
Disease. does not counter Concussion Beam or Ice Blast.
The power has no visible effect but is accompanied
Grid: B3 by a low swishing noise, like the air being let out of a tire.
Connected: Messiah Complex You have to be in range to use this ability (see Blast
Correlated: Transmutation Powers sidebar, p. 45).
Slang terms: handsing, waveaway, fixiting
Grid: E4
Connected: Gravity Control, Lightning, Reflexes
Heat Blast (Focus) Correlated: Kinetic Energy Dispersal
You can radiate a narrow blast (see sidebar, p. 45) of Slang terms: nuh-uh, tude, NYD
intense scorching heat.
In addition to damaging your opponents in combat, Ice Blast (Physical)
you can use your heat blast to melt objects. The difficulty
depends on the type of substance — see table for You can create a stream of hard ice pellets and send them
examples. hurtling at an opponent, causing damage. This is a blast
power; see sidebar, p. 45.
Ice Blast can be countered by Kinetic Energy
Substance Difficulty
Dispersal or Heat Blast.
Wax 1 Conversely, Ice Blast can cancel a Heat Blast before
Plastic 3 it reaches its target. The character generating the Heat
Blast calculates what the damage will be if it hits; you
Tin 4 test Ice Blast against it, using the potential damage as the
Silver 5 Difficulty. If you succeed, the heat attack has no effect.
Gold 6
You can also use an ice blast to coat objects in ice,
freeze bodies of water and so on, but remember, you’re
53
generating a hail of ice pellets, not generic “cold”. You

can’t, for example, harmlessly freeze a bad guy in place, Illusion Difficulty
or stop a car from driving off a bridge without dealing Inanimate object 9
considerable abrasive damage to the target.
Machine with moving parts 8
Grid: A2 Animal 7
Connected: Reduce Temperature
Person 6
Correlated: Wind Control
Slang terms: frosty, icicle, the shoulder Specific animal known to target
5
(like a pet)
Illusion (Focus) Specific person known to target 4

By overriding individuals’ sensory systems, you can make Entire location altered in appearance 3
them experience nonexistent objects or beings. Doing so
Complex audio (like a song) 2
costs 3 Illusion points for each person affected.
When they interact with your illusion, your targets Fantastic creature or impossible vista 1
may make Composure tests to discern the unreality of
your illusion. They continue to perceive it for its duration
but know that their senses are being interfered with. Impersonate (Presence)
Difficulties of these Composure tests depend on the You can expertly mimic the vocal timbre, speech patterns,
illusion’s complexity. gestures, body language and gait of a chosen subject. You
Where the illusion contains multiple elements, the must first closely observe the subject, either in person or
Difficulty is based on the element imposing the lowest on film or video, for at least an hour.
challenge to the target. If you create an illusion in which Your impostures are an incredible feat of brain
the family pet (Difficulty 5) turns on a touchscreen tablet processing power, and require sustained focus. After an
(Difficulty 8) with its nose and plays you the latest Arcade hour, you must pay 1 Impersonate point or drop out of
Fire tune (Difficulty 2), the final Difficulty derived from character. You may continue on by paying 1 point for
the lowest of those values, and is therefore 2. each hour after that.
If you are within range of your target, you may Impersonate grants you no psychic knowledge of the
continue to direct the course of a successful illusion, subject. However flawless your outward mimicry, you
putting dialogue in the mouths of your imaginary can still be tripped up when you take an uncharacteristic
characters, moving creatures about, and so on. action or fail to answer a question correctly.
Subjects react to horrifying illusions as if mesmerized: The process of mimicry does grant a limited instinctive
this power, no matter how gruesomely executed, insight into your subjects: when faced with a question you
cannot be used to induce them to flee the scene. For can’t answer or a choice you don’t know how to make,
greater understanding of this phenomenon, consult you can spend 1 Impersonate point to convincingly
the scientific paper “Quasi-Hypnogogic State Variance finesse the issue. You don’t get the right answer, but do
Between Mutant Mental Abilities As Correlated To find a convincing way to put off the question.
Neurotransmitter Activity,” Dr. Aaron N. Rosenblum, Alone, this ability requires you to use costume and
Journal Of Anamorphological Neurology Studies, 12(1): 112- makeup to disguise yourself as the subject in order to pass
124. visual inspection. In tandem with the connected power
Even if the subject believes an illusion that suggests Alter Form (p. 41), you can bodily alter yourself to match
they are being harmed, they take no actual damage. the subject, right down to fingerprints and retina pattern.
A character who is already prone to cardiac arrest or (You do not, however, copy the subject’s DNA or blood
severe anxiety may be required to succeed at a Health or type.)
Composure test, respectively, to stave off an attack. If the subject is behaving abnormally during your
observation period, you will replicate these atypical traits.
Grid: E5 For example, if you try to impersonate Johnny Depp by
Connected: Personality Drift watching the Pirates of the Caribbean movies, you’ll wind
Slang terms: Caligari, sorcerer, psych up acting like Captain Jack Sparrow, not the real person
behind the performance.
54
MUTANT POWERS
Especially bold impersonators have been known The effect lasts for 3 rounds of combat. To extend
to, after performing extensive research, move in with it past then, spend 1 Induce Aggression point for each
their victims’ families, taking over their lives like additional round.
cuckoos commandeering a nest full of hatchlings. The Legal ramifications: Acting under the influence of
extended absences of their subjects are often secured Induce Aggression has been accepted as an affirmative
through murder. In at least one notorious case, the legal defense against assault and murder charges. The
wife of a wealthy victim in such a scheme stood by the vagaries of the justice system being what they are,
impersonator at trial, proclaiming him infinitely more defendants in several high-profile cases have nonetheless
loving and attentive than the original. been convicted, despite evidence that they were targeted
Legal ramifications: Gaining advantage by posing by it.
as another person constitutes fraud, and may also be
punishable under identity theft statutes. Law enforcement Grid: C0
operatives using Impersonate to go undercover in Connected: Induce Fear
the pursuit of their official duties are granted waivers Correlated: Induce Mental Disorder
shielding them from prosecution on either count. Slang terms: matador, the pike, the angries
Checks to identify impersonators (typically blood
tests) are part of various high-security protocols. Induce Fear (Presence)
Grid: E5 You can send a signal deep into a subject’s limbic system,
Connected: Alter Form prompting them to immediately flee the scene in terror.
Slang terms: cowbell, Limewire, catwalk To use this power, make an Induce Fear test. If
successful, the subject may make a Composure test, with
the result of your test as the Difficulty. If they succeed,
Induce Aggression (Presence) the power has no effect. If they fail, they must exit the
You can send a psychic signal directly into a subject’s area at maximum speed using the best means at their
limbic system, prompting them to launch an immediate disposal. They continue to flee for at least ten minutes.
attack against the person on the scene they consider to be When they first begin their flight, you can increase that
most threatening to them. If they consider more than one time by spending 1 Induce Fear point for each additional
person equally threatening, they attack the one closest at five minute interval.
hand. Although the power itself grants you no influence Even after the subject stops running, they feel a
over your victim’s choice of target, you can always try to powerful aversion to the spot where you terrified them.
manage the situation in other ways to achieve the desired They must make a Difficulty 4 Composure test to return
result. there. After having done so, they still feel a nagging
To use this power, make an Induce Aggression test unease at that location, which dissipates over weeks,
against the standard Difficulty of 4. If successful, the months, or years, depending on how often they have
subject may make a Composure test, with the result of occasion to return to that spot. If you scare them out of
your test as the Difficulty. If they succeed, the power their own home, for example, they readjust much more
has no effect. In rare cases where the victim doesn’t quickly than if you terrorized them from a location they
feel remotely threatened by anyone around them, the rarely visit.
GM may grant a bonus to their Composure test. It is Induce Fear mirrors the visual manifestations of
frighteningly easy to use this power to turn people against Induce Aggression (above) but with bright yellow eyes.
their loved ones and family members. Underneath the
strongest and most sincere bonds of affection lurk deeply Grid: C0
buried fears and resentments, which this ability ruthlessly Connected: Induce Aggression, Cortisol Elevation
exploits. Slang terms: limbo, the terrors, number nineteen
Reduce the Difficulty for targets with appropriate
Stress Penalties.
When you Induce Aggression, your eyes briefly but
obviously glaze over, as if covered with opaque red
contact lenses. The subject, if affected, then displays the
same red-eyed appearance for the effect’s duration.
55
Induce Mental Disorder Invisibility (Physical)

(Presence) You can bend light around your body, so that you can’t
be seen by those whose vision is confined to the visible
You scramble the electrical signals in a victim’s brain.
spectrum. Cameras and other standard imaging devices
You can replicate the effects of the GRFs Limbic
are likewise incapable of registering your presence. You
Hypertrophy, Sensory Overload, GABA Oversufficiency,
can, however, be detected by thermal imagers, some
Dissociation, Low Impulse Control, Messiah Complex,
animals, and mutants with the Thermal Vision power.
Cortisol Elevation or Meta-Persona Identity Disorder.
To become invisible for ten minutes, spend 1
Or you can induce the following disorders.
Invisibility point. At the end of this period, you may
Amnesia: The subject is unable to recall details of their
remain invisible for another ten minutes by spending
identity or past, though they retain a general cultural
another point, and so on.
knowledge.
Where opponents who can’t see you are concerned,
Kleptomania: The subject is seized by a self-destructive
your Hit Threshold increases by 1 if you are touching
compulsion to steal things, pursuing both the thrill of
someone or if your last action was an attack, by 2 if you
illicit thievery and the mortifying attention of being
are moving but not otherwise touching or attacking, and
caught.
by 3 if you are standing perfectly still. Environmental
Paranoia: The subject becomes convinced that they
conditions, like snow or sand, that make your position
are under constant surveillance by unseen enemies who
clear even to those who can’t see you, may fully or
mean to destroy them, and everyone they meet may be a
partially nullify Hit Threshold increases, at the GM’s
minion of these enemies.
discretion.
Pathological Liar: Driven by wounded self-esteem,
While invisible, you may spend Invisibility points as
the subject lies compulsively, in order to seem more
Infiltration or Surveillance points, gaining a +2 bonus to
impressive than they really are.
your roll for each Invisibility point spent. In the former
Sociopathy: The subject pursues their goals without
instance this may enable you to surprise opponents; see
conscience, and may perform dangerous or sadistic acts
“Surprise,” p. 94.
for the sheer sick joy of it.
A collaborative GM may allow you to propose Grid: D5
additional disorders. Connected: Light Control, Personality Drift
To use this power, make an Induce Mental Disorder Slang terms: wipeout, seethru, goodbye
test. If successful, the subject may make a Composure
test, with the result of your test as the Difficulty. If they
succeed, the power has no effect. Kinetic Energy Dispersal
The simulated mental disorder holds sway over (Presence)
the victim for three hours. When you originally use
With a wave of your hand, you can disperse all kinetic
the power, you can extend the duration by spending 1
energy invested in a single movement. This includes
Induce Mental Disorder point for each additional three
blunt force trauma, the force from bullets, the crushing
hour period.
energy of falling debris, impact with objects moved by
When you use this power, your eyes exhibit a gray,
Telekinesis, and the blast powers Concussion Beam, Ice
swirling pattern like the eye of a hurricane. They remain
Blast, Spit Acid and Water Blast.
this way for the effect’s duration.
By spending 2 Kinetic Energy Dispersal points, you
Legal ramifications: Giving new life to the term
can reduce damage from any single blow or source to any
“temporary insanity”, courts allow defendants to claim
single subject within range (including yourself) to 0. This
influence of this power as an affirmative legal defense
occurs after any ability points have already been spent by
against various crimes. Juries, who typically resist even
the party generating the kinetic energy.
valid insanity defenses, are sometimes responsible for
The power is visible as a swirling vortex that appears
wrongfully convicting affected defendants.
momentarily in the air at what would otherwise be
Grid: C0 the point of impact, accompanied by a crackling noise
Connected: Endorphin Control (Others) reminiscent of an unfolding ball of cellophane.
Correlated: Induce Aggression, Meta-Persona Identity For reasons anamorphologists have as yet been
Disorder unable to explain, Kinetic Energy Dispersal does not
Slang terms: Dr. Shakey, crazymaker, straightjacket prevent damage from bladed weapons, even though they
56
MUTANT POWERS
are propelled by kinetic energy. Dr. Lucius Quade has You can’t blot out the sun, or other massive or distant
argued that the fault lies within the mutant’s imposition light sources, but can dampen their rays within a sphere
of a false mental framework on their own abilities, but centered on any point within range. The sphere has a
has so far been unable to prove his hypothesis. diameter of 1m per Light Control point in your pool.
Grid: D4 Grid: D5
Connected: Limb Extension, Concussion Beam Connected: Invisibility, Light Blast, X-Ray Vision
Correlated: High Energy Dispersal, Light Blast Slang terms: switch, panel, dimmer
Slang terms: jiu-jambo, bulletproof, trix
Lightning (Focus)
Light Blast (Focus) This is a blast power; see sidebar, p. 45.
You can project a beam of blinding white light from your Lightning, which follows a jagged line to find its
hands. This is a blast power; see sidebar, p. 45. target, is erratic and hard to dodge. When making a
Light Blast is slightly less damaging than other blast Lightning attack, you may choose to roll two dice and
powers; you begin with a base damage modifier of –1, take whichever one you prefer when rolling to hit.
instead of the usual 0. However, if both rolls miss, then your blast hits some
Victims of a Light Blast must make Difficulty 4 Health innocent bystander or another player character.
tests after each hit. Those who fail suffer momentary,
partial blindness, causing a +3 increase to the Difficulties Grid: E4
of any tasks requiring clear vision, as per the GM’s Connected: High Energy Dispersal
discretion. This condition lasts until the end of the next Slang terms: jaggy, zap, golfhater
round. Successive light blasts don’t increase the penalty,
but do make it last longer. Lightning Decisions (Focus)
Light blasts are always non-lethal.
When determining whether you are an aggressor or
Grid: D4 defender in any contest, you may spend 2 Lightning
Connected: Light Control Decisions points to be considered the aggressor, regardless
Correlated: Kinetic Energy Dispersal of your pool number in the relevant ability compared to
Slang terms: lumo, whiteout, spotty the other contestant.
If the other contestant also has Lightning Decisions,
the character willing and able to spend the higher number
Light Control (Focus) of Lightning Decisions points is declared the aggressor.
You can increase or decrease the light output of any or all If you are both willing to spend the same number
light sources within range. Make a Light Control test; the of Lightning Decisions points, your pools in the ability
Difficulty equals 2, plus the number of steps of change up both drop by that amount, and the normal method of
or down on the following list. determining aggressor and defender is then used.
• No light emitted You can also spend Lightning Decisions points on the
• Candle first test you make in any chase or combat. So, if the first
• Incandescent (less than 100W) or glass halogen thing you do is draw a gun and shoot, you can spend
• Incandescent (100W) or quartz halogen Lightning Decisions on Shooting; if the first thing you do
• Fluorescent, LED is take cover, you can use it on Athletics.
• Arc lamp
• Sodium lamp Grid: E3
• Sunlight Connected: Threat Calculus, Limbic Hypertrophy
Correlated: Cognition
To plunge an area illuminated by glass halogen lights into Slang terms: yepster, jumper, tinsky
darkness would incur a Difficulty of 4: the base of 2, plus
2 for the two steps down from “glass halogen” to “no
light emitted.”
57
Limb Extension (Physical) threshold, you spoil the original attack but fail to harm
the new target.
You can extend your arms or legs far beyond their normal
Mutants with this power are sometimes hired as
length. Your bones and musculature enter a semi-liquid
bodyguards by tabloid celebrities. They use their
state for the duration of the effect.
Magnetism to wipe memory cards used by paparazzi.
Spending 1 Limb Extension point gains you up to an
This has resulted in several lawsuits.
additional meter of length on one limb. You may extend
a single limb by more than one meter, and/or extend Grid: E6
multiple limbs at once. Extension becomes tiring after Connected: Earth Control
ten minutes, after which you must make a Health test Slang terms: uby, filer, fridge
(Difficulty 4) or be forced to retract the limb or limbs in
question. If successful, you must test again after each ten
minute interval, with the Difficulty increasing by 1 each Memory Alteration (Focus)
time. Retracting costs you nothing. You can send a scrambling electronic pulse into a subject’s
brain, interfering with their centers of memory storage.
Grid: C4 You can erase memories from a given period, possibly
Connected: Skeletal Mineralization, Kinetic Energy masking the period of amnesia with false memories of
Dispersal your choice.
Correlated: Strength To simply erase an individual’s memory of a given
Slang terms: stretch, bandman, armstrong block of time, make a Memory Alteration test against
a Difficulty determined by the interval you want to
Magnetism (Focus) obliterate.
You manipulate magnetic waves, allowing you to perform To implant a false memory, multiply the Difficulties
the following stunts. given above by 1.5, rounding up to the nearest whole
Demagnetize: By spending 1 Magnetism point, you number. The memory is only as detailed as the player’s
can create eddy currents in any single electronic device verbal description of it, so it’s much easier to implant a
within X meters of your fingertips, where X is your believable memory that covers a short interval than one
current Magnetism pool before taking the required spanning a longer period.
expenditure into account, disrupting it and erasing any To use this ability, you must touch the victim’s
stored information. cranium with your bare hands. If they know you’ve done
Magnetize: By spending 1 Magnetism point per kg of this, they’ll seek out means to recover their memory (see
a metal item’s weight, you can charge it with magnetic below), so you’ll either want to include the alteration
energy, causing it to adhere powerfully to the nearest in your selected interval, or ensure that they are under
larger metal object. The force is sufficient to send sedation or otherwise unable to accurately perceive your
the object hurtling dangerously through the air to its actions.
destination. When you tamper with someone’s memory, you can
Redirect Bullets: When another character fires a gun spend any number of additional Memory Alteration
within your range, you may pay 2 Magnetism points to points; these are added to the Difficulty of any Composure
choose a new target for the bullets. The target must also tests the victim may later make to recover their stolen
be within range. Wait to announce you’re using this stunt recollections.
until after the shooter has fired the gun, making their The memory alteration is of indefinite duration.
test and deciding how many Shooting points to add to it. Whenever the subject might have reason to regain
You must then make a Magnetism test, at least matching their memory, they may make a Composure test (base
the shooter’s result; otherwise, you fail to snag the bullets Difficulty 4). Reasons to make this test might include
with your magnetic field and they continue on to their hypnotic regression therapy, or traumatic events evoking
original target. If you succeed and if your Magnetism the suppressed incident. If your victim succeeds, they
test exceeds the new target’s Hit Threshold, they hit your remember the truth, and reject their false memories.
target. The bullets lose kinetic energy when magnetically Although of little to no use in ethically performed
redirected, delivering 2 damage points less than they police work, Memory Alteration is a power in great
otherwise would. If your Magnetism result is enough economic demand. Mutants with this power set up
to snag the bullets but does not match the new target’s private practices, erasing patients’ unwanted memories.
They enforce corporations’ draconian non-disclosure
58
MUTANT POWERS
Interval Difficulty
Night Vision (Physical)
You can switch your visual senses to see plainly at night
0–5 min 4
or in complete darkness. You perceive the world in the
6–10 min 5 green hues of a night vision scope. Unlike technological
11 min–1 hour 6 night vision equipment, you can even see in places where
no radiation is present, a fact anamorphological science
1–3 hours 7 has yet to convincingly explain. Spend 1 Night Vision
1 day 8 point for every ten minute interval of active power use.
1 week 11
At night, you can spend Night Vision points on
Surveillance and Sense Trouble tests; any Night Vision
1 month 14 spends are doubled so spending 1 point gives a +2 bonus
1 year 17 to your result.
3 years 20 Grid: D6
10 years 23 Connected: Microvision, Watcher Syndrome
Correlated: Olfactory Center, Spatial Awareness
Erase all memories 26
Slang terms: N-peeper, greenscope, blairbing
agreements, erasing the memories of top executives

Nondescript (Presence)
before they leave to join competing firms. Spy agencies
are known to use memory alteration to remove classified You blend easily into crowds and small groups, leaving
data from the minds of agents and operatives. little impression when you’re present, and remaining
Legal Ramifications: Non-consensual memory profoundly unmemorable after you depart. It’s not that
alteration is a felony carrying a recommended sentence you’re invisible; instead, you seem so boring that no one
of 5–10 years per offense. thinks to engage with you.
Activate this power by spending any number of
Grid: E2 Nondescript points. To notice you while present or
Connected: Megalomania remember you later, others must make Composure tests
Slang terms: wiper, deja didn’t, vodka (Difficulty 4 + your Nondescript expenditure.).
Your preternatural dullness lasts for as long as you
remain in a single location, keeping your head down and
Natural Weaponry (Physical) doing more or less whatever everyone else is doing.
You are equipped with either claws or bony spikes. If you If you do something dramatic while the power is
choose spikes, decide whether they protrude from your activated, people take notice, and can, if they want, take
knuckles, ulna, elbow, or forehead. appropriate measures to stop you. However, afterwards
When using these weapons in Scuffling combat, your they will remember the incident but may have trouble
Damage Modifier is +2. giving anything but the vaguest description of you. They
You may retract or extend your natural weapon(s) by can remember you more distinctly by making Composure
spending 2 Natural Weaponry points. tests (Difficulty 4 only).
You can spend Natural Weaponry points on Scuffling
tests, but only if your intent is to injure. Grid: F0
Connected: Empathy
Grid: C5 Slang terms: nowheresville, huh, mumbles
Connected: Skeletal Mineralization
Correlated: Olfactory Center
Slang terms: claws, spikes, scratchers Pain Immunity (Physical)
You can shut down your body’s pain receptors at will.
This power does not protect you from injury, just from
the unpleasant sensory warnings that accompany it.
You may spend 2 Pain Immunity points to remove all
effects of a single source of pain. These include:
• the need to make Composure tests to avoid taking an
unwanted action motivated by pain, including giving
59
in to torture or ceasing an activity that’s causing you depending on the location of the attack. You are reduced
injury to –8 Health. If you recover, you lose one third of your
• any Difficulty modifiers you incur due to distraction Health rating, and no longer have the hand or foot. For
from pain or injury. obvious reasons, this is an ill-advised move in all but the
If Hurt, you may spend 2 Pain Immunity points to ignore most desperate circumstances. Having Regeneration
the penalties of that condition for the rest of the scene, is no help here, as the lack of an extremity to reattach
including the need to make Consciousness tests. prevents you from fully restoring yourself.
If Seriously Wounded, you may spend 4 Pain You can phase up to about a kilogram of clothing
Immunity points to ignore the penalties of that condition. and small personal effects with you. You cannot solidify
If reduced to -12 Health, you may spend 2 Pain clothing or other objects while inside another person (or
Immunity points to keep acting for one round. You living organism).
can keep doing this, but once you stop spending Pain Legal Ramifications: Phase is an Article 18 power;
Immunity, you perish. see p. 123.
Grid: E1 Grid: B2
Connected: Endorphin Control (Self) Connected: Dissociation, Touch
Correlated: Disease Immunity Slang terms: ghosting, slipout, tweening
Slang terms: macho, wireless, nullgrunt
Plant Control (Presence)
Phase (Physical) You can invest all plants within a discrete area with rapid
You can render yourself insubstantial, walking through growth and mobility, allowing them to immobilize one
walls and other solid barriers. Spend 3 Phase points or more targets. Choose any point within range as the
to pass through any single obstruction. Barriers of 0.5 center of the effect; it works on all vegetation within a
meters or more may, at the GM’s discretion, cost an circular area with a diameter of 1m per point in your
additional 3 points for each half a meter of thickness. Plant Control pool (before any points are spent to increase
You may also render yourself immune to most weapons your test result or the number of targets). Designate
by becoming insubstantial; this reduces the damage the number of targets you want to restrain, paying an
suffered from any attack to 0 and costs you 3 Phase points additional 1 Plant Control point for each after the first.
per attack. You do this after your attacker has made a If your result equals or exceeds a target’s Hit
successful attack test, but before they announce the result Threshold, they are immobilized. Assuming they resist,
of their damage roll. (You do not lose your opportunity they must spend their next action attempting to get free
to phase if the GM or opposing player forgets that you from the entangling vegetation. This requires a test of
have the power and goes straight to the announcement Athletics, Strength, or any blast power against a Difficulty
of damage.) of 4. Each additional Plant Control point you spend adds
A suspect takes a swing at you in the interrogation 1 to the difficulty for all entangled opponents.
room, using his Scuffling ability. He spends 2 Scuffling Obviously, this power is useless in areas without
on the test and rolls a 2, for a test result of 4, enough to significant plant life, like many streets in highly urbanized
get past your Hit Threshold. “Are you going to phase?” areas.
asks your GM. You decide to do so, spending 3 Phase Grid: E0
points. The GM does not bother to roll damage, so you Connected: Plant Communication
never know how hard a blow you just spent your points Slang terms: thumbing, gardening, mad salad
on.
Phasing offers you no protection against blast powers,
except for Concussion Beam and Ice Blast. Possession (Presence)
You can solidify a hand or other extremity while still You can override the consciousness of a chosen victim,
inside another person (or other living organism), but controlling their motor impulses and impelling them
as well as destroying all of your opponent’s tissue with to perform one or more actions. The subject must be
which you overlap, it destroys your extremity. You must within 1m of you, and you must be able to make direct
succeed at a Scuffling test to move your fist or foot into eye contact with them. Make a Possession test (Difficulty
a critical organ, like the brain, heart, or liver. You then 4). The victim must be able to see your eyes, it doesn’t
automatically reduce the opponent to –11 or –12 Health, matter if you can see theirs. Mirrorshades and similar
60
MUTANT POWERS
devices offer no protection against possession. However, Precision Memory (Focus)

during fights, chases and other fast-moving situations
You display astonishing recall of events and visual details.
where eye contact is tough to establish, the Difficulty of
You can recite the contents of a thousand-word document
your Possession test may increase from +1 to +4, at the
verbatim after glancing at it for a few seconds.
GM’s discretion.
Whenever you, the player, make a statement based on
On a success, the subject must make a Composure test
a faulty recollection of prior events in the game, the GM
with your Possession result as the Difficulty. If they fail,
immediately steps in to correct you. This is a mistake,
you override their volition. Their eyes become glassy; if
you, the character, would never make. Each correction
you impel them to speak, their voice is slow and slurred.
costs you 1 Precision Memory point. If your pool is at 0,
Any observer can spot these obvious symptoms of a
the GM allows your faulty memory to stand.
possession in progress. It takes an expert in the EMAT
You may retrospectively gain clues that were available
protocol to spot the signs of recent, but no longer active,
to you in prior scenes, by thinking back on the scene. This
possession.
costs you 1 Precision Memory point per scene, whether
At no further cost, you can command the subject
or not you recover useful clues. These must be clues that
to perform one action. Each action after that costs you
could logically be pieced together without returning to
an additional 4 Possession points. You may not access
the scene or conducting further physical interactions
any Investigative abilities possessed by the subject, or
with it. You can’t know what was in a box if you didn’t
the following powers or General abilities: Cognition,
open it. However, remembering its outer markings in
Empathy, Enter Dreams, Illusion, Impersonate,
detail, you can retrospectively employ your Art History
Mechanics, Medic, Observe Dreams, Precision Memory,
ability, identifying it as a 16th century piece in the style
Read Minds, Surveillance, or Threat Calculus. Other
of Benvenuto Cellini. Given the above limitation, you
abilities may be used but suffer a +2 Difficulty modifier.
can even use Pushes retroactively.
The victim’s personality is completely suppressed, so
you can command their body to do whatever you want, Grid: E3
regardless of their conscience or moral code. Connected: Cognition, Megalomania
If the victim’s failed Composure test came within Slang terms: eidetic, total, replay
2 points of the needed Difficulty, they remain aware
but helpless as you control them. Otherwise, they are
unaware of what they are doing, and retain no memory Psionic Blast (Focus)
of it thereafter. You emit a wave of electrical energy which interferes
Possession continues indefinitely, until you perform with a living being’s brainwaves, causing mental trauma
any other action requiring you to use an Investigative and, in some cases, brain damage. This is a blast power;
ability, or make a General ability test. see sidebar, p. 45.
When you first establish the possession, and each time Psionic Blast differs from other blast powers in that
you force the victim to take action, your eyes glow bright it reduces the victim’s Composure instead of Health.
green. This effect can easily be seen by nearby witnesses However, the damage suffered is a physical blunt force
and captured on still or video camera. injury to the brain, rather than emotional trauma. If a
Legal ramifications: Use of the Possession power, Psionic Blast drives a character’s Composure pool to 0,
which is nonconsensual essentially by definition, is a further damage from the blast affects Health instead.
felony punishable by up to 10 years in prison. Claims Damage from Psionic Blast can be healed by the
of possession have been accepted as an affirmative legal Empathy ability. Unaided, the victim heals naturally at a
defense against various criminal charges. Juries, however, rate of 2 Composure points per day.
remain skeptical where solid evidence of possession
cannot be shown by defense counsel. Grid: D3
Connected: Threat Calculus
Grid: D1 Slang terms: brainblast, mindzap, hangover
Connected: Command Insects, Plasma Deficiency
Slang terms: override, puppet, kermass
61
Quills (Physical) 24 hours, they suffer an amount of damage that doubles

each day: 1 Health points the first day, 2 the second, 4
Your back, shoulders and forearms are covered with
on the third, 8 on the fourth, and so on. The doubling
dozens of long, spiny quills, like those of a porcupine.
continues until the character is healed (only the Cure
Your damage modifier when Scuffling unarmed is +1.
Disease power will do the trick) or reaches –12 Health
Whenever an opponent who is Scuffling with you gets a
points and dies.
Scuffling test result exactly equal to your Hit Threshold,
Legal Ramifications: Radiation Projection is
that opponent suffers a die of damage, plus your +1
considered an Article 18 power (see p. 123); mutants
modifier.
possessing it face severe legal restrictions. If your
You may spend 2 Quills points to retract or extend
character has this dangerous and much-feared power,
your quills. You can spend Quills points on Scuffling tests.
you’ll have to explain to the GM’s satisfaction how you
Grid: A1 ever got hired on to the HCIU. If you are ever caught
Connected: Blade Immunity using it, on duty or off, it will probably spell the end of
Slang terms: porcupine, acupuncturer your career, requiring you to retire the character.
Grid: C3
Radiation Immunity (Physical) Connected: Radiation Immunity, Self-Detonation
Whenever you suffer damage from Radiation Projection, Correlated: Transmutation
or any other radiation source, you may pay 1 Radiation Slang terms: millirad, Chernobyl, three-mile
Immunity point to reduce the damage to 0.
If you also possess the Radiation Projection power, Reduce Temperature (Presence)
you are automatically immune to the damage inflicted
You can reduce temperatures in a spherical area centered
by your own power, and needn’t pay points to reduce it
on any point within range. The diameter of the sphere
to 0. You must still pay when targeted by other mutants’
is 1m for each point in your Reduce Temperature pool.
Radiation Projection.
To activate the power, make a Reduce Temperature test.
Grid: C2 The Difficulty equals 3, plus 1 for every 5°C you want
Connected: Radiation Projection, Toxin Immunity the temperature to drop.
(Ingested)
Grid: A2
Slang terms: shroomer, clicky, Homer
Connected: Ice Blast, Touch
Slang terms: popsicle, freezer, chiller
Radiation Projection (Physical)
You can bombard targets with highly concentrated Reflexes (Focus)
radiation. This is a blast power; see sidebar, p. 45.
You react to incoming threats with preternatural speed.
Whenever you use your power, everyone within
You may spend 2 Reflexes points to automatically
X meters of you (where X is your current Radiation
succeed at any dodge attempt that would normally
Projection pool) must make a Health test or lose 1 point
require an Athletics test.
of Health to radiation damage. This includes you, unless
To avoid a successful Shooting or Scuffling attempt,
you also possess the power Radiation Immunity.
make a successful Reflexes roll, with the result of the
At the end of any scene or combat in which you
Shooting or Scuffling attempt as your Difficulty. You can
used your power, everyone who took damage from you
only dodge attacks that you’re aware of; you can’t dodge
must make a Health test against a Difficulty equal to
a sucker punch or sniper shot.
the number of Health points you cost them. Again, this
includes you, unless you also have Radiation Immunity. Grid: E4
Characters who fail contract radiation sickness. Every Connected: High Energy Dispersal, Speed
Slang terms: hooper, fly-fast, bounce
62
MUTANT POWERS
Regeneration (Physical) Secrete Acid (Physical)

Your body naturally heals itself of even the most The pores of your palms secrete a powerful acid, which
gruesome injuries. Once every three minutes, you may can be used to destroy small objects, or at least render
spend 1 Regeneration point to refresh 2 lost or spent them unusable. To destroy or degrade an object, make a
Health points. This requires no concentration on your Secrete Acid test, with the Difficulty determined by the
part; you can carry on doing whatever you’re doing as GM, using the following examples as a guideline.
lacerated muscle knits together, bones fuse and snap into If you touch someone’s bare skin while secreting acid,
place, and sliced skin smoothes itself over. they lose 1 Health point. If you strike them in a Scuffling
If your Regeneration rating is 8 or more, the power contest, you add 1 to your damage bonus for every 2
can bring you back from the dead. Provided that your Secrete Acid points you spend. You can spend no more
Health pool is no lower than –18, you can continue to than 20 Secrete Acid points on a single attack.
spend Regeneration points (once every three minutes, as
usual) until you reach –11 and come sputtering back to Grid: C1
(seriously wounded) life. Connected: Analytic Taste, Spit Acid
You can’t regrow a limb or other lost or severed body Correlated: Blade Immunity
part in its entirety, but if you still have the missing bit you Slang terms: the melts, slough, vinegar
can stick it back onto or into its correct anatomical location
and watch in nauseated wonder as your regeneration Object Difficulty
power knits the severed tissue back together. Your once-
severed organ or extremity is considered reattached Document 2
when you cross the boundary from seriously wounded to Cell phone, tablet computer 4
hurt. If you are already hurt or healthy, it fully reattaches
Door lock 4
upon your first expenditure of Regeneration points.
Kilo of illicit drugs 4
Grid: B4
Watch 4
Connected: Strength, Messiah Complex
Correlated: Toxin Immunity (Inhaled), Toxin Laptop or desktop computer 5
Immunity (Ingested) Gun 6
Slang terms: lumo, whiteout, spotty
Suitcase full of money 6
Diamond 10
Resist Influence (Presence)
When you make a Composure test to avoid the effect of
a mutant power, the Difficulty of that test is reduced by Self-Detonation (Physical)
2. You may reduce the Difficulty by an additional 1 for You blow up real good. By initiating a chemical reaction
every Resist Influence point you spend. in your entire body, you can cause a spontaneous
Grid: C0 detonation. To activate the power, first decide which
Connected: Command Amphibians and Reptiles class of explosive device you wish to emulate (see p. 99
Slang terms: bullhead, lizard brain, limbic shield for more about explosives). This determines the eventual
Difficulty of your Self-Detonation test:
It takes you a number of rounds to activate the power
equal to the specified explosive class. You must stand
still and concentrate throughout this period. Your body
trembles and is surrounded by a nimbus of crackling
energy, making what you are doing obvious to any
trained eye. All HCIU officers have been trained to
recognize these signs.
If you lose consciousness or take any other action
during the activation period, you lose a number of Self-
Detonation points equal to the Difficulty of the attempt,
and the effect does not occur.
63
At the end of the activation, make your test. On a Legal Ramifications: Self-Detonation is an Article
success, the specified explosion occurs, with your position 18 power, incurring draconian legal restrictions on
as its center. Your body literally flies apart with deadly anyone possessing it.
force. Grid: C2
Your constituent atoms float about in the atmosphere Connected: GABA Oversufficiency, Radiation
for a period called the Reconstitution Interval (see table, Projection
above). When it elapses, you reform, unharmed, with Correlated: Disintegration
all of your pools refreshed. Your reappearance occurs at Slang terms: dynomite, TNT, blammo
a location of your choice within a distance of the blast
location equal to your Self-Detonation rating times 250 Equivalent Reconstitution
meters. Class Difficulty
To Interval
If you also possess the power Radiation Projection,
1 Pipe Bomb 4 1 hour
you can choose to activate it as you explode, heavily
irradiating the area of the explosion, and, in the case of 2 Grenade 8 2 hours
an open-air explosion, polluting the air with radioactive 3 IED 12 12 hours
fallout.
You are unable to produce explosions less effective 4 Truck Bomb 32 1 week
than a pipe bomb. Bunker
5 64 1 month
Buster
6 Nuke 96 1 decade
64
MUTANT POWERS
Sexual Chemistry (Presence) Sonar (Physical)

You may, at will, emit powerful pheromones provoking By emitting a series of high frequency sounds and waiting
in others an intense desire to have sex with you. to hear them echo back to you as they bounce off various
The ability is not selective: a pheromone emission surfaces, you can sense your relationship to other people
will affect everyone within approximately 30m. Judicious and objects in three-dimensional space. You are mostly
mutants use it only when they are alone with their chosen unaffected by darkness, smoke and other conditions that
targets. might interfere with vision.
Affected individuals must make a Composure test to Your sonar sense extends from you in all directions,
avoid influence. You may spend any number of Sexual to a maximum distance of 10m per point in your Sonar
Chemistry points, adding to the test’s base Difficulty pool.
of 4. All targets are affected by this expenditure. The Sonar provides more reliable depth perception
Difficulty of the test decreases by 8 for targets whose information than the sense of sight. You may grant
sexual orientation would normally rule you out as a sex yourself a single +2 modifier on any Shooting test by
partner. spending 1 Sonar point.
Those who succumb to your chemical charms will This sense allows you to detect mutants using
behave toward you as they would toward anyone to whom the Invisibility power. You automatically succeed in
they feel an overwhelming physical attraction. People on disbelieving any illusion with a strong visual component,
the sexual prowl will come on to you. Those who react because your echolocation registers elements of the
to sexy people by becoming shy and withdrawn become illusion as lacking physical substance.
helplessly introverted. Individuals deeply committed If you also have the Gills mutation, you can use Sonar
to celibacy or monogamous relationships will fight to underwater, overcoming problems of visibility even in
control their sudden urges. the deepest and darkest waters.
In all instances, however, subjects will feel a reflexive
urge to cater to you and make you happy. This impulse Grid: B5
is limited by the individual’s typical code of behavior. An Connected: Insula Skew, Sonic Blast
already-shady character might commit crimes for you. Correlated: Gills
An upright citizen will refuse, but will feel sufficiently Slang terms: blippo, the waves, batshit
drawn to you that they won’t inform the authorities.
You get a free Push that can be spent on any suitable Sonic Blast (Physical)
Interpersonal Ability when dealing with the subject
This blast power (see sidebar, p. 45) allows you to emit a
(usually Charm).
high-frequency screech, which forms in your diaphragm
When a PC is affected by the power, the player decides
and emanates from your mouth. High frequency sound
to what extent the character’s reaction exceeds a general
waves buffet your intended target, damaging their soft
desire to please the wielder.
tissue and internal organs.
Legal ramifications: Use of this power is not illegal
Sonic blasts cause collateral damage. If you succeed
but has on occasion led victims to sue those who wield it
in damaging your opponent, anyone standing within
in civil court for causing undue emotional distress, with
X meters of your target, where X is your current pool
mixed success.
in Sonic Blast after any spent on the attack, also loses 1
Users of this ability have occasionally been charged
Health point. You are immune to your own sonic blast,
with riot incitement. Deploying it in a crowded place can
but not to those of other mutants.
be extremely dangerous to the user. Rapists have been
exonerated or given reduced sentences by arguing that Grid: B5
they were acting under the influence of this power. Connected: Sonar
Slang terms: howler, fat lady, voxbox
Grid: F1
Connected: Empathy, Low Impulse Control
Correlated: Addictive Personality
Slang terms: phero, the hots, sex bomb
65
Speed (Physical) removed. Keep the original result but reduce the damage
inflicted by the acid by 1 each round. So, if you hit a foe
You can run at a highly accelerated speed.
for 4 damage this round, they’ll take 3 points of damage
So long as you have 1 or more points in your Speed
next round, 2 points in the following round, and 1 point
pool, you can move at the following rates during combat.
in the round after that. The target may stop this ongoing
You can travel 20m (or ten grid squares, if you’re
damage if they somehow wash away the acid in time.
using – see “Distance,” p. 91), if all you’re doing is
The acid produced by this power is chemically distinct
moving. Or you can take significant action and also move
from that of the Secrete Acid power, and is incapable of
10m (or 5 grid squares). This movement can take place
doing significant damage to inorganic matter.
before or after your action, or you can break it up, in 2m
increments, bookending your action as desired. You can Grid: C1
therefore move 2m, take an action, then move another Connected: Secrete Acid
8m, or move 6m and then 4m, and so on. Slang terms: xeno, wark, sprayjob
Under difficult terrain or environmental conditions,
like uneven ground or storms, your maximum speed
is 10m/5 grid squares (without an action) or 4m/2 grid Spontaneous Combustion
squares with an action. (Presence)
To run at high rates of speed over long distances, pay
You can initiate a process of rapid oxidization, causing
the following number of Speed points for each km, or
objects within standard range to burst into flames.
fraction of a km, you run at the following speeds.
Test Spontaneous Combustion against a Difficulty
determined by the type of material. GMs should
Speed Cost for Time to extrapolate Difficulties for unlisted materials based on
(in km/h) 1km Travel Travel 1km the entries below.
40 1 90 sec
100 2 36 sec Material Difficulty
200 3 18 sec
Paper 1
500 4 7.2 sec
Gasoline 2
750 5 4.8 sec
Wood 3
1000 7 3.6 sec
Plastic, Cloth 4
Additionally, you can dodge gunfire and other Shooting Living Flesh 8
attacks by making Speed tests. Use the value of the attack Metal 10
roll as the Difficulty.
Grid: E4 This assumes you’re igniting about 1kg of material.

Connected: Reflexes Double the Difficulty for each additional kg of material
Correlated: Limbic Hypertrophy initially ignited. In the case of a material with a base
Slang terms: speedster, cheetah, [brand name of Difficulty of 4 or less, fire will quickly spread to the rest
currently popular athletic shoe] of the object. Less flammable materials will tend to burn
out when the area you have ignited is consumed.
Damage done to living tissue causes a loss of 1 Health
Spit Acid (Physical) point per 1kg ignited per round while on fire, to a
You can spit globules of highly concentrated acid at your maximum of 3 lost Health points.
enemies, damaging them from a distance. This counts as The flame you generate can be extinguished by any
a blast (p. 45), and can be countered by Kinetic Energy normal means — and by Fire Control, of course.
Dispersal (p. 56), which causes your globule to dissipate
harmlessly. Grid: D3
Spit Acid deals -2 damage, but keeps damaging Connected: Fire Immunity, Trance Susceptible
the target in every subsequent round until the acid’s Slang terms: rash, sponco, fuh-sizzle
66
MUTANT POWERS
Spread Pathogen (Physical) Strength (Physical)

By triggering genetic changes in the benign bacteria The SME hardened your muscle fibers to the toughness
inhabiting a subject’s body, you can infect them with a of steel, allowing you to perform incredible feats of
debilitating, contagious flu-like disease. Make a Spread strength.
Pathogen test against a target within a number of meters Your Damage Modifier when fighting unarmed is +1
equal to your Spread Pathogen pool. The subject makes for every 4 points in your Strength pool, to a maximum
a Health test; if your Spread Pathogen test exceeds both 4 of +4.
and the Health result, the pathogen takes effect. You can spend Strength points in Athletics tests in
The subject loses a number of Health points equal which muscle power is a factor, including lifting, running,
to the difference between your two results. They sicken and breaking down doors, gaining 3 Athletics points for
rapidly and, after ten minutes, begin to suffer from a every Strength point spent.
constellation of symptoms including coughing, sneezing, When the feat you wish to attempt surpasses the limits
sinus pressure, headache, chills, and physical weakness. of ordinary human ability, you instead make a Strength
Subjects are unable to think properly, losing the ability test, with a Difficulty chosen by the GM, using the
to use Investigative abilities, and suffer a +3 increase to following guidelines as a benchmark.
all General ability Difficulties. To undertake any action
that would delay them from heading home and crawling
into bed, they must make Composure tests (Difficulty 4). Difficulty
Difficulty
At the moment the subject gets sick, spend any (with
Feat (w/o mutant
number of Spread Pathogen points; this expenditure mutant
strength)
determines the virulence of the pathogen. If you spend strength)
no points, it is not contagious. Anyone coming within 1m
of the subject while they remain sick must make a Health Lift 100kg (manhole
test against the number you have set as the virulence. If cover, average 1 4
they fail, they suffer the same ill effects as the original grown man)
victim. Unlike your primary target, their version of the
pathogen is not contagious. Lift 150kg
2 6
Sufferers of the infection may make a Health test (linebacker)
at the end of each twenty-four hour period to recover
from it. The Difficulty starts at three times the virulence Lift 200kg (piano,
3 8
and drops by 2 every day. Cure Disease can remove the solid wooden desk)
Pathogen (Difficulty = Virulence x 3) and allows the
victim to heal normally. Lift 300kg
4 12
(motorcycle)
Legal Ramifications: Spread Pathogen is an Article
18 power; see p. 123. Lift 400kg (street
Grid: E1 5 Not possible
light, kiosk)
Connected: Cure Disease, Plant Communication
Correlated: Command Insects Lift 500kg
Slang terms: Mary, crud, the icks 6 Not possible
(telephone pole)
Lift 600kg
8 Not possible
(sailboat)
Lift 800kg
10 Not possible
(dumpster)
Lift 1000kg (car) 15 Not possible
(continued on next page)
67
Throw person 3m 4 12
Suppress Influence (Presence)
You can block mind-controlling mutants from exercising
Throw person 6m 6 Not possible their influence in a particular area. Specify an area of up
to 3 cubic meters. No individual within that area, other
Throw person 9m 8 Not possible than yourself, can be targeted by mutant powers resisted
by a Composure test. The protection remains active for
Throw person 12m 12 Not possible ten minutes for each Suppress Influence point you spend.
You may expand the area by 3 cubic meters for each
Break reinforced additional Suppress Influence point you spend.
4 12
door unaided
Grid: F2
Break steel door Connected: Detect Influence
8 Not possible
unaided Slang terms: the cone, foiler, wormshield
Bend steel jail

8 Not possible Swimming (Physical)
cell bars
You can swim at a high rate of speed, executing complex
Stop oncoming
maneuvers in the water. Your movement rate while
10 Not possible swimming equals your running speed on land. While
car
swimming, most physical feats you undertake use
Stop oncoming
Swimming tests, instead of Athletics.
20 Not possible
train
Grid: A4
Connected: Command Fish, Gills, Water
Manipulation
Grid: B4 Slang terms: flipper, endado, spitzer
Connected: Flight, Regeneration
Correlated: Limb Extension
Slang terms: strongman, rips, spinach Technokinesis (Focus)
You can impel machines and devices to do your bidding.
You must be touching the machine to activate the power;
Suppress Explosion (Physical) afterwards, it costs 1 point per combat round to maintain
You can alter the kinetic energy fueling an explosion, a connection to the machine, even if you’re not actively
dissipating its force and converting it into a harmless controlling it.
implosion. To activate the power, make a Technokinesis test
As an explosion first occurs, make a Suppress against a Difficulty determined by the complexity
Explosion check, with a Difficulty equal to twice the of the machine (see table). Only devices including
device’s Explosive Device Class (see p. 99). If successful, electrical components are subject to your whims; purely
the bomb fizzles and has no effect. If you fail, it does its mechanical devices like pendulums, levers and pulleys, or
normal damage. even low-tech guns, are beyond your control. Generally,
If preventing a mutant with the Self-Detonation the machines appear to be operating themselves. When
power from exploding, make a Suppress Explosion test you cause a car to drive, for example, its steering wheel
with the result of your opponent’s Self-Detonation test as and pedals move as if controlled by an invisible entity.
your Difficulty. You can operate a computer or other similar device
HCIU members with this mutation probably served using this power, and do so at the machine’s maximum
on the bomb squad before earning a transfer to their input speed. For example, you could “type” a lengthy
present assignment. If so, remember to buy yourself the essay as quickly as you can think the words, or use a
Investigative ability Explosive Devices. digital painting program to create images you visualise in
your mind’s eye. You cannot, however, do anything you
Grid: C2
couldn’t do using the normal user interface.
Connected: Analytic Taste, GABA Oversufficiency
GMs use the following table as a guide to machine
Slang terms: tard, D.D., anticat
complexity.
68
MUTANT POWERS
Telekinesis (Focus)
Machine Difficulty
You can move objects by sheer force of will. The base
Difficulty of the Telekinesis test to move an object is 0,
Gas pump 2
modified by factors including its size, the distance you
Tennis ball machine 2 want it to travel, and its speed.
Car, vintage 3
Change to
Stereo 3 Factor
Difficulty
Television 3
Vending machine 3 For every 1kg mass +1
Automated teller 4
For every 1m of distance
Cell phone 4 +1
object is to travel
Electronic lock 4 For every additional object
+1
Steam shovel 4 moved, after the first
Car, modern 5 Object travels distance in 5
+0
Firearm with electronic seconds
8
components
Object travels distance nearly
+2
Missile launcher 9 instantaneously
Cruise missile 10 Object travels distance in 15
-2
seconds
Although you can override a machine’s controls, locks
and safety mechanisms, you can’t cause it to do anything Objects moved nearly instantaneously can, if your
beyond the limits of its design. You can command a Telekinesis test result exceeds a target’s Hit Threshold,
vending machine to spit out its coins or release all of do damage, like a missile weapon. The Damage Modifier
its cans of soda, but you can’t get it to fire missiles at from such attacks is determined by the mass of the item.
incoming attackers or trundle down a corridor to block a
door for you, because it is not designed to perform these
tasks. Mass (in kg) Damage Modifier
Grid: E4 1 -2
Connected: Technopathy
2 -1
Slang terms: shorting, twelve, blinkster
3 0
4 +1
5 +2
6 +3
7 +4
Kinetic Energy Dispersal can be used to counter these

telekinetic attacks.
Grid: E6
Connected: Sensory Overload, Spatial Awareness
Slang terms: geisting, spacek, whooshing
69
Telepathy (Focus) Teleportation (Physical)

You can silently project your thoughts into the minds You can disappear from one location and instantly
of others. Recipients hear your thoughts spoken in your reappear in another. Doing so requires a Teleportation
voice, as if through earphones. You can establish the test against a Difficulty derived from the distance traveled
link so that it is one way only, or so that you can hear and your familiarity with your chosen destination. Add
their thoughts as well. Participants in the telepathic link all pertinent factors from the table below to get the
communicate only the thoughts they wish to. You can’t Difficulty of your attempt.
use Telepathy to read minds; nor do your subjects gain
unauthorized access to your thoughts. Change to
Factor
You can open a psychic channel to a single individual Difficulty
by paying 2 Telepathy points. You may maintain
You can now see destination
multiple links at once. To open several active links so that +0
unaided
participants can communicate with each other as well,
pay an additional 2 Telepathy points. You can now see destination
A telepathic link remains active until you shut it with aid of surveillance device
+1
down, or for fifteen minutes, whichever is greater. You (binoculars, camera, sniper
may pay an additional 2 points per link to maintain it scope, etc.)
past the fifteen minute duration. If you have already
established multi-party communication, this capability is You have studied destination
extended at no additional point cost if you pay to extend from multiple photographs or +6
the duration of all of its constituent links. video
The subject must be within direct visual range of You have been in destination for
you when the link is first established. To keep the link +4
five minutes or less
active, subjects must remain within a range equal to your
Telepathy rating times 1000m. If the distance between You have spent hours at
+3
you and a subject exceeds that distance even briefly, the destination
link is severed.
You have spent days at
Taking part in a telepathic link is only a little more +2
destination
distracting than listening to people talk, and does not
hamper you or your subjects as you perform other tasks. You have spent weeks at
+1
A subject who does not want to hear you talking in destination
their head can attempt a Composure test, with your
Telepathy pool as the Difficulty. If successful, the link is You have spent months or more
+0
briefly established, then broken. at destination
Grid: F3 Destination is within 100m +0

Connected: Cognition
Slang terms: B-streaming, cortexting, twoughting Destination is within 1km +1
Destination is within 10km +2
Destination is within 10,000km +18
You have teleported X previous

+2X
times in the current session
70
MUTANT POWERS
You can’t intentionally teleport into the middle of an Threat Calculus (Focus)
object, barrier, or person. If an object or barrier has
You are able to predict what physical moves the people
been moved to your desired destination since you last
around you are about to make. So long as you are able
familiarized yourself with it, you will instead appear at
to observe a subject, they can never make a physical
the nearest safe location.
move that surprises you. If another character makes a
Like any other power (except where explicitly noted)
move, you may spend 3 Threat Calculus to interrupt
teleportation takes an action in combat. Therefore, you
their action with a move of your own. You can only use
can’t both attack and teleport, or vice versa, during the
Threat Calculus once per combat round (it doesn’t give
same round. (This is our roundabout way of confirming
you extra actions, it just lets you move your own action up
that, sorry, you can’t do the cool thing that blue guy with
in response).
the tail in those comics and movies does.)
When you or a comrade gets hit by a blast attack
Legal Ramifications: Teleportation is an Article 18
whose base damage was increased by a point spend,
power; see p. 123.
you may spend 1 Threat Calculus point to cancel that
Grid: E5 extra damage against you, or 2 Threat Calculus points to
Connected: Spatial Awareness cancel it against another target.
Slang terms: bamfing, redshirting, besting You can also spend a point of Threat Calculus to
determine the amount of force a target is willing to use to
resist arrest. You can tell at a glance if they won’t resist,
Telescopic Vision (Focus) if they’ll just try to flee, if they’ll fight back, if they’ll use
You can selectively alter your vision to see distant objects lethal force, or if they’re overwhelmingly dangerous.
as if they are right in front of you. This allows you to, Threat Calculus does not protect you from actions
among other things, conduct surveillance without the taken by people you are unaware of.
need for cumbersome equipment. The range of this sense
depends on your rating. Grid: E3
Connected: Lightning Decisions, Psionic Blast
Slang terms: TC, Will Robinson, conred
Rating Range
Toxin Immunity (Ingested)
1 250m
(Physical)
2 500m
Your enhanced liver processes toxins that would kill an
3 1km ordinary person, allowing them to pass through your
body without harm. The toxins are neutralized in the
4 2km
process, so you can urinate in the serene confidence that
5 4km you’re not introducing dangerous substances into the
water supply.
Telescopic Vision does not allow you to see through Whenever you ingest a poisonous substance, including
objects, but if you have X-Ray Vision as well, you can bacterial toxins from food poisoning, spend 2 Toxin
combine the two powers. Immunity (Ingested) points to ignore any damage and
If you spend a point of Telescopic Vision, you can ill effects you would otherwise incur, without having to
ignore the effects of Range (p. 94) for one Shooting or make a Health test.
Blast attack. Grid: C4
Legal ramifications: Several mutants have been Connected: Fire Control, Radiation Immunity
successfully prosecuted for using telescopic vision to Correlated: Regeneration
violate Peeping Tom statutes. Slang terms: tiger, cast iron, guts
Grid: D6
Connected: Microvision
Slang terms: telepeeping, scroping, teevee
71
Toxin Immunity (Inhaled) Although you automatically succeed if you spend

the appropriate number of points, you may face other
(Physical) obstacles along the way, from bears to bear traps.
Microscopic mutant filtration cells in the lining of The above costs assume a mostly natural environment.
your lungs immediately block the absorption of toxic To track in an urbanized environment, double the cost.
substances into your bloodstream. Whenever you are
exposed to gaseous or powdered toxins, spend 2 Toxin Grid: C6
Immunity (Inhaled) points to ignore any damage and Connected: Environmental Awareness, Olfactory
ill-effects you would otherwise incur, without having to Center
make a Health test. The ability also protects you against Slang terms: hound dog, smelt, Waldo
smoke inhalation.
Grid: A4
Transmutation (Focus)
Connected: Deplete Oxygen You can alter the elemental composition of inanimate
Correlated: Gills, Regeneration objects. To do so, test Transmutation against a Difficulty
Slang terms: teach, aqualung, dealt-it of 4, or the number of steps separating the elements in
the following list, whichever is greater.
Tracking (Focus) Graphite
If provided with a scent sample from a living subject, Sulfur
and a location where the subject recently was, you can Calcium
track them to their current location. Your tracking Titanium
sense is so highly developed that methods used to throw Iron
off bloodhounds don’t work on you. Even if the quarry Nickel
crosses a river or masks their scent with perfume, you’ll Copper
still find them — although you may be delayed as you Aluminum
search for the real trail. Silver
If finding a subject’s location provides a clue necessary Tin
to the solving of a case, you automatically succeed. Platinum
Otherwise, you must spend points to find the present Gold
location of other subjects. The cost varies according to Lead
the time elapsed between the subject’s presence at your
start point, and the beginning of your tracking effort. You can transmute 100 g or less of material per day,
(Where durations on the chart overlap, use the most based on the weight of the substance before it is changed,
forgiving option.) without strain. To transmute more than this in a single
day, pay 3 Transmutation points for each additional 100
Maximum Time Elapsed Cost g.
Transmuted elements are identifiable as such using a
15 minutes 1 simple Herceg-Mikkelson test, which any trained person
1 hour 2 can quickly administer with the aid of an inexpensive
chemical solution. Transmuted precious metals typically
3 hours 3 fetch 1% of the price of their naturally-occurring
6 hours 4
counterparts and are not used in coinage or luxury items.
However, many mutants with this power make a living
9 hours 5 transmuting base metals into precious ones for industrial
use.
12 hours 6
You may transmute part of an object; turning iron
1 day 7 into calcium causes significant damage to any machine
made of steel.
2 days 8 Legal ramifications: Passing off transmuted
3 days 9 precious metals as genuine constitutes fraud.
1 week 10
72
MUTANT POWERS
Grid: B3 Venom (Spit) (Physical)

Connected: Disintegration
Glands in your throat produce a powerful poison, which
Correlated: Healing, Radiation Projection
you can expel as a projectile onto an opponent’s exposed
Slang terms: philosophy, alchemy, FG
eyes or mouth. The range for this ability is your Venom
(Spit) pool in meters. Test Venom (Spit) against your
Venom (Bite) (Physical) target’s Hit Threshold. If successful, you do damage with
By biting an opponent’s exposed flesh, you can inject a +1 modifier.
them with a powerful neurotoxin. At the time of the bite, Also, until they clear the gob of toxic mucus from
spend any number of Venom (Bite) points to increase the their face, your opponent is wracked with pain and
Difficulty of all later Health tests made by your victim suffers blurred vision. To clear away the mucus, they
while attempting to resist the effects of the toxin. This (or a character coming to their aid) must make a Medic
number is referred to as the bite’s Toxicity. test, with the result of your Venom (Spit) attack as the
One minute after the bite, the victim must make a difficulty. If no one aids the target, they will attempt to
Health test against a Difficulty of 4 plus the Toxicity. On clear the mucus instinctively, even if they lack the ability
a failure, the victim immediately succumbs to the toxin. and have little chance of success. They can suppress this
On a success, they still have one half hour per point of instinct only on a Composure test with the result of your
Toxicity before the toxin strikes. Venom (Spit) attack as the difficulty. If successful, they
When the toxin takes effect, the victim makes a second may ignore the pain, but it and the blurred vision increase
Health test, again with a Difficulty of 4 plus the Toxicity. the Difficulties of all actions the target undertakes by 2.
On a failure, their Health pool is immediately reduced After ten minutes, the Difficulty of the Medic test
to –9, unless they are already at –9 or less, in which case to clear the mucus decreases by 2, and it continues to
they die. On a success, their Health pool is reduced by decrease by 2 at ten minute intervals. When it drops to 0,
the bite’s Toxicity. the venom’s effect ceases.
In either case, the victim cannot refresh Health points This ability is useless against a target wearing a helmet
(except through the Healing power) and continues to or other protection over their entire face.
lose 1 Health every 3 hours until they are administered
Grid: C1
an antivenin. Antivenins to mutant powers are too
Connected: Command Amphibians and Reptiles,
perishable and expensive to appear in standard first aid
Venom (Stinger)
kits, so victims will need to find them at hospitals.
Correlated: Venom (Stinger)
HCIU officers who have reason to believe they’ll be
Slang terms: cobra, naja, gob
facing venomous suspects can requisition supplies of
antivenin.
Multiple bites against a single target are redundant. Venom (Stinger) (Physical)
Unless you also have Fangs, the damage modifier Your spinal column houses not only your spinal cord,
from a bite attack is –3. but a meter-long, thin, prehensile organ terminating in
a barbed stinger. The stinger delivers a paralytic poison
Grid: C1
which immobilizes your victims.
Connected: Analytic Taste, Secrete Acid
By spending 2 Venom (Stinger) points, you can cause
Correlated: Fangs
this organ to emerge from your first thoracic vertebra. It
Slang terms: viper, rattle, zina
costs 2 Venom (Stinger) points to retract.
You can attack your enemies with this organ when
close enough to Scuffle with them. Test Venom (Stinger)
against your opponent’s Hit Threshold. On a successful
hit, you do no damage, but force the victim to make a
Health test with the result of your Venom (Stinger) attack
as the difficulty. On a failure, they lose an additional
2 Athletics points whenever they make an Athletics,
Driving, Infiltration, Scuffling, or Shooting test, or makes
a test of a mutant power. When the victim drops to 0
Athletics points, they are paralyzed. Although conscious,
they are unable to move. (If they have no Athletics pool
73
when you first hit them, they are paralyzed immediately.) Water Blast (Focus)
A victim may not refresh Athletics while paralyzed.
You can emit a high-pressure stream of water from your
Every ten minutes, they may make a new Health test, at
fingertips. This is a blast power; see sidebar, p. 45.
first against the result of your Venom (Stinger) attack. After
On a successful hit, your opponent is knocked back
every subsequent ten minutes, the Difficulty decreases by
by the spray, moving 1m directly away from you, in the
2. On a successful result, the effect ends.
same direction as your blast, for every point of difference
The toxin’s effects may be ended at any time with a
between your Water Blast result and their Hit Threshold.
successful application of the Cure Disease power, against
If this knocks them into a solid barrier, such as a wall,
a Difficulty of 4.
they lose an additional 2 Health points.
Grid: C1 An opponent who is suitably braced and prepared for
Connected: Webbing, Venom (Bite), Venom (Spit) your blast may try to resist in a contest of Athletics vs
your Water Blast. If you win, the opponent is knocked
over and pushed away.
Wall Crawling (Physical) Water Blast is countered by Kinetic Energy Dispersal.
Tiny filaments protrude from your palms and the
undersides of your fingers, allowing you to cling to walls Grid: A5
and ceilings without other aid. You automatically succeed Connected: Water Manipulation
at any climbing attempt. Your rate of speed while climbing Slang terms: H2, scour, cannoning
depends on your Wall Crawling rating, as follows.
Water Manipulation (Focus)
Rating Climbing Speed You can shape water, causing it to cohere into a bounded,
though still liquid, form, and directing its movements.
1–4 Normal movement/2
Here are some of the stunts you can perform and
5–8 Normal movement accompanying Difficulties.
9–12 Normal movement x2

Stunt Difficulty
13–16 Normal movement x3
Explode plumbing 4
17+ Normal movement x4
Fill hole with ground water 4

You can spend Wall Crawling points to resist attempts to
pull you off the wall. Weather conditions or surfaces like
glass may require you to spend Wall Crawling points to Keep area dry during rainstorm 4
keep climbing.
If you fall within reach of a surface, you may make a Cause miniature rainstorm
4
Wall Crawling test (Difficulty 4) to slow your descent and within area
either grab onto the wall or land without damage.
Hold back flood waters within area 6
You may try to pick up items with Wall Crawling;
spend Wall Crawling points as Filch points in such a test.
Cause body of water to flood its banks
4
Grid: B1 within area
Connected: Scleroderma, Webbing
Create animated water-puppets in
Slang terms: freekle, mantis, sidewaysing 6
human or animal shape
After animating a humanoid shape from water, you can

direct it like a puppet to fight your enemies. Use your
Water Manipulation ability as its Scuffling; its liquid fists
carry a Damage Modifier of +0. It cannot be damaged
by ordinary weapons, but loses the ability to move if
the temperature drops to 0°C or less. You must remain
in direct visual contact with it, and can do nothing but
74
MUTANT POWERS
direct its movements. If you are hit,

entangled or forced to take other
significant action, the water sloshes
into a puddle and drains away.
Grid: A5
Connected: Swimming, Water
Blast
Slang terms: fountain, Plumber’s
Helper, weatherman
Webbing (Physical)
You secrete sticky proteinaceous
fibers from glands located in your
forearms. Though lighter than rope,
the web material possesses a tensile
strength comparable to steel. The
webbing has three primary uses.
Adhesive: You can secrete a sticky
blob of webbing, which you can
use as a powerful glue to stick two
objects together. For example, you
could use it to quickly stick a GPS
device on the bottom of a suspect’s
car. Pay 1 or more Webbing points
each time you do this. The glue
remains insoluble for thirty minutes
for each point you spend, after
which it quickly biodegrades into a
watery goo.
Movement: You can cast the web
up above you and then climb it like
you would a rope, scaling up or rappelling down sheer successful Shooting test. If you shoot webbing at a subject
surfaces. The sticky webbing adheres to any ordinary and miss, you still have to pay the 2 points. A webbed
surface, supporting your weight even more securely than subject can make an Athletics or Strength test to get free,
would a grappling hook. Spinning a length of climbing- with a Difficulty equal to 4 plus your Webbing pool as of
suitable webbing costs you 2 Webbing points. Making the moment you began to spin the restraint webbing (that
difficult maneuvers using your webbing requires the is, before you spent the 2 points to activate it). Another
Athletics ability. Swinging from web to web is possible person who is not caught in the web can carefully cut a
but very difficult, with a base Difficulty of 6, which can restrained person out of it with a utility knife or other
be additionally complicated by other factors, such as blade of similar sharpness, though this takes several
wind speed and storm conditions. minutes.
Restraints: You can restrain subjects by spraying
them with a wide arc of webbing, which keeps them Grid: B1
immobilized for a cost of 2 Webbing points for every Connected: Venom (Stinger), Wall Crawling
two hours you want the webbing to retain its strength. Correlated: Command Insects
Hitting a moving target with your webbing requires a Slang terms: silking, rackrope, nidding
75
Wind Control (Focus)

Through force of will, you can increase or decrease Minor Mutations
wind speeds. To alter prevailing wind velocity, test Wind
Control against a Difficulty equal to 4, plus the number of The spectacular and useful mutations listed
steps of separation from the present state to your desired in this section are not the only fruit of the
state, on the following list. Spontaneous Mutation Event. Another 1%
• Calm of the population acquired odd mutations
• Breeze of little practical benefit. In popular parlance
• Strong Breeze these are called minor mutations, although
• Near Gale
anamorphologists prefer the term B-category
• Gale (light structure damage begins)
mutations. The powers of the Quade Diagram
• Storm (trees uprooted; moderate structure damage)
• Violent Storm (heavy structure damage) are called A-category mutations. People
• Hurricane (structures may be obliterated) usually manifest either one or the other,
rarely both A and B mutations.
The area affected is a sphere with your current range as
its diameter, and your position as its center point. Your Common minor mutations include the
miniature storm moves as you do. following.
Having generated your miniature wind storm, you Individuals may exhibit irises of unusual
must spend 1 Wind Control point per minute to keep it color, including red, bright purple, yellow, or a
going. bizarre rainbow pattern. Other eye mutations
When your storm, violent storm or hurricane first include slitted pupils recalling the eyes of a cat
appears, everyone inside it (including you) must make or alligator, and vastly enlarged irises. People
an Athletics test against a Difficulty equal to your Wind exhibiting the latter condition are sometimes
Control result. Those who fail lose a number of Health
called “Anna Mays.”
points equal to the difference between their results and
New hair colors include candy apple red,
the Difficulty, from flying debris.
Combat movement rates within a storm, violent storm violet, and green. Other people sport hair
or hurricane, including your own, are halved. which is literally coppery or golden, or which
You can also create, in the same sphere, an area of resembles vegetation.
highly variable wind speeds. These make it more difficult Fast-growing nails and hair are also
for users of missile weapons to predictably hit their common. Some unlucky mutants have to get
targets. (Even in strong winds, a trained shooter can their hair cut two or three times a week.
compensate, as long as the winds remain consistent.) Test Others suffer from spontaneous tattoo-like
Wind Control against a Difficulty of 6; if successful, the skin discolorations, or disfigurations of the
effective Hit Threshold of any target within the sphere
face. Although many were disfigured by the
increases by 2.
SME, as many others became more beautiful
Grid: A3 than they’d been before.
Connected: Asthma, Command Birds A check of internet fetish sites will locate a
Correlated: Ice Blast small community of drooling enthusiasts for
Slang terms: gale, puff, albatross any B-category mutation you care to name.
76
MUTANT POWERS
GENETIC RISK FACTORS Cortisol Elevation

As they investigate their cases as HCIU officers, the Resistance Ability: Composure
PCs also face personal obstacles called Subplots; these Stress Penalties: Fear -1 (if you have not yet made a
are further described on p. 166. Genetic Risk Factors Physical test this episode); Rage -1 (if you have)
connected with their mutant powers serve as a major
source of Subplots. Forced Refreshes (p. 89) can also Your fight or flight response has over-tuned itself. Right
trigger GRFs. now you’re jumpy and prone to sleepless nights. Should
Just as certain enhanced abilities are connected on matters get worse, you might respond to danger with
the Quade Diagram, certain combinations of powers debilitating panic.
introduce propensities for particular unwelcome
psychological or physical conditions. Dissociation
Resistance Ability: Composure
Addictive Personality Stress Penalties: Home Life -1
Resistance Ability: Composure This condition causes people to withdraw from others
Stress Penalties: Addiction -1 emotionally. As it becomes more extreme, they see
the world as essentially unreal, and their actions as
You like thrills, risk, and activities that give you meaningless.
accelerating levels of stimulation when repeated.
You’ve been known to drink a few too many, and also
to experiment with soft illicit substances. You always Empathy Loop
have a bet down on an upcoming game. When you surf Resistance Ability: Composure
the internet, you keep going until you’re bleary-eyed, Stress Penalties: Home Life -1
always looking for another cool site or cache of very
specific X-rated material. When you fire up a new video People with the empathy loop condition respond to
game, you can’t stop until you’ve beaten the damn thing. others’ strong emotions as a contagion. They feel the
Your brain doesn’t kick into gear until you’ve had your feelings of those around them so acutely that they either
morning dose of caffeine, which you probably repeat mirror or reject them. They may act out, performing an
throughout the day. exaggerated version of the responses the other person is
probably successfully suppressing. Or they shut down
entirely, building a wall of an apparent indifference that
Asthma may be mistaken for dissociation.
Resistance Ability: Health
Stress Penalties: Medical -1
GABA Oversufficiency
If your GRF manifests you will have trouble breathing Resistance Ability: Composure
after exposure to pollutants, common allergens, changes Stress Penalties: Addiction -1
in temperature, and excesses of humidity. When you
catch a cold, breathing problems linger long after the If your GRF manifests your brain will produce an over-
infection clears your system. flow of gamma-Aminobutyric acid, a neurotransmitter
suppressor essential to mood regulation. This condition
shortens and lessens positive moods, leading to a sense
of numbness and melancholy. Subjects often seek to lift
themselves with drugs or alcohol, which may provide
momentary relief but in the end reinforces the effect.
77
typically sequester themselves away

from other people, although mutants
are much less likely to suffer the ill-
effects of Forced Genetic Drift than
non-mutants.
Some scientists theorise that those

who develop this GRF are, in effect,
infection vectors for the ‘ghost flu’ that
preceded the Sudden Mutation Event,
and speculate about some ‘mutant
zero’ or cosmic energy field that caused
the initial spate of mutations. However,
all the mutants who developed powers
after exposure to a Forced Genetic
Drift field also contracted the ghost flu
ten years ago, so there’s no conclusive
proof that this condition can turn non-
mutants to mutants.
Insula Skew
Stress Penalties: Corruption -1
Subjects of this GRF undergo a

cellular mutation in the insular cortex
triggering material acquisitiveness.
Some may flaunt their wealth, while
others hide it all away. Either way, an
evidence locker full of cash and items
you can trade into cash might entice
you with a siren call.
Limbic Hypertrophy
Stress Penalties: Rage -1
Your amygdala, the almond-shaped

part of your brain responsible for
Forced Genetic Drift triggering of survival instinct, might be provoking you to
quicker and more intense bouts of anger.
Resistance Ability: Health
Stress Penalties: Home Life-1
Low Impulse Control
Incipient: When stressed, you radiate an energy field Resistance Ability: Composure
that alters human cellular division. At low levels, this Stress Penalties: Roll a die during character generation.
field causes skin lesions, headaches, and slows natural Even: Rage -1. Odd: Corruption -1.
healing processes. More intense fields can, in rare
cases, cause mutations to develop in those around you, People manifesting this condition have a hard time paying
but cancers are a far more likely result of exposure attention to the voice in their head that says, “You’ll get
to advanced Forced Genetic Drift sufferers. Subjects into big trouble if you do this.”
78
MUTANT POWERS
Megalomania Plasma Deficiency

Resistance Ability: Composure Resistance Ability: Health
Stress Penalties: Choose between Obsession -1 or Stress Penalties: Medical -1
Corruption -1. When you take a Stress card bearing the
other tag, you acquire that Stress penalty as well. Your circulatory system doesn’t produce enough blood
plasma. Rumor has it that a few mutants with this GRF
You may one day succumb to an outsized perception wind up waylaying victims and drinking their blood.
of your own importance and accomplishments. Your
present engagingly cocky and assertive attitude could
Scleroderma
eventually metastasize into aggrieved and narcissistic
ranting. Resistance Ability: Health
Stress Penalties: Medical -1
Meta-Persona Identity Disorder You are at a heightened risk of a chronic disease in which
excess collagen gathers in deposits in your skin. Advanced
cases lead to renal failure.
Stress Penalties: Roll a die during character generation.
Even: Obsession -1. Odd: Corruption -1
Sensory Overload
You have the urge to create an alter-ego, hiding your
powers behind a mask or costume. If your Stress Penalty is
Stress Penalties: Fear -1
Obsession, then your instinct is to be a costumed vigilante,
bringing justice to those who consider themselves above If this GRF manifests, input from your five senses ramps
the law. If it’s Corruption, then you must fight the secret up to a distracting, perhaps even alarming or painful
desire to be a villain. degree.
Messiah Complex Skeletal Mineralization

Resistance Ability: Composure Resistance Ability: Health
Stress Penalties: Obsession -1 Stress Penalties: Medical -1
When people are in trouble, you feel that you are the one If your GRF ever kicks in, the calcium in your bones
who can and must save them. will start to transform into iron, slowing your movement.
Should your GRF activate, what now registers as Fully advanced cases result in paralysis.
altruism could turn into a tendency to blame yourself for
everything and forgive yourself for nothing.
Trance Susceptible
Personality Drift Stress Penalties: Fear -1
Stress Penalties: at the beginning of each scenario This GRF may leave you vulnerable to hypnotists and
after the first, roll a die, gaining the corresponding mutants with mind-affecting powers.
penalty for the duration: 1) Addiction 2) Corruption 3)
Fear 4) Home Life 5) Obsession 6) Rage. Watcher Syndrome
In Personality Drift patients the complex set of genetic Resistance Ability: Composure
switches that determine typical responses to stimuli Stress Penalties: Choose between Obsession -1 or Home
unlock and unpredictably shift. They behave like radically Life -1. When you take a Stress card bearing the other tag,
different people from day to day. One week you might you acquire that Stress penalty as well.
compulsively seek dangerous pleasures, the next you Should your GRF activate, you’ll retreat from the
recoil from all risk. In the end you might identify your world through the safe distance of your camera or other
various shifts in response as distinct personae, or think surveillance device. You find that you’d sooner observe
of yourself as a single individual who at any moment is events than participate in them. Great if you’re on stake-
capable of absolutely anything. out duty; terrible when you have to testify in court or save
your faltering marriage.
79
Steak & Shake

Chu looked queasy as Lomax finished off his steak. “Did you talk to Sigmor when he made his delivery
“You sure you don’t want anything?” earlier?” asked Lomax.
She shook her head. “My stomach’s still levitating “He seemed fine. Fine.”
after the thing with the truck.” Chu looked around “Not what my partner asked,” snapped Chu.
the restaurant, mentally tagging the security cameras. “Oh. Uh. Yes, I talked to him, I think. Just said hi.”
“This is all a waste of time. We should be looking for The hand holding the docket shook.
Clooter.” “We’ll take a look at the camera footage,” said
Lomax wiped his lips and threw his napkin on the Lomax, “and we may have more questions then.
plate. “You know, they did this study of judges a few Would you mind stepping out for a moment?”
years back, where they tracked severity of sentencing Fontanelli paused, then smiled. “Of course.
against time of day. They found that judges came Anything I can do to help Larry.”
down much heavier just before lunch, when they were
cranky with low blood sugar, and were most forgiving Six cameras. Six grainy, black-and-white feeds,
after eating.” tiled on the laptop screen. One covering the delivery
“You’re proposing we should starve judges?” yard out back, one in the kitchen, one front of house,
“I’m proposing I take the lead here.” and two covering the main restaurant. And one
“Fine.” dancing static.
The waitress drifted over to their table. “Can I get “Sigmor’s truck arrives 1.25. Departs 2.23. Nearly
you folks some dessert, or coffees, or —“ an hour for a delivery?” Chu shook her head. “But
“The bill,” said Lomax. Then he flashed his badge. the storeroom camera’s conveniently busted, so we
“And the manager.” don’t know what he was doing for most of that time.
It’s been broken for a month, according to Fontanelli.
Fontanelli ushered the two cops into a tiny back And here we go.”
office. Sizzling meat and the clatter of pans and plates Onscreen, Larry Sigmor emerges from the back of
from the kitchen next door. Stiflingly hot, too. the restaurant and gets a coffee from the bar. Another
“Such a terrible accident — but you say no-one figure — his back to the camera — comes over to
was killed.” Fontanelli mopped his face with a cloth as stand next to him. The two leave together. 2.20 on
he sank into his seat. “I didn’t know HCIU dealt with the clock.
traffic accidents,” he added. Chu zoomed back and forth through the footage.
“Have you dealt with Heightened Crimes before, The stranger enters only moments before making
Mr. Fontanelli?” asked Chu. contact with Sigmor, and never shows his face.
“No, no. People talk, that’s all.” “He knows where the cameras are. He’s planned
“There’s a mutant connection to the case,” said this.” Lomax leaned back in Fontanelli’s chair, which
Lomax with deliberate vagueness. “We’re retracing creaked under his weight. “Something’s fishy about
the movements of the driver, Larry Sigmor. He made it, though.”
a delivery here at —“ he checked his notebook, even “Waitasec,” said Chu, suddenly. She rewound all
though he knew the time by heart. “1.25.” the feeds. “Look at this. 1.42. This cook” — she tapped
“I’m happy to co-operate, of course. Larry the kitchen feed — “plates two steaks and walks out
Sigmor… I’ve known him for years. But I don’t recall with them. Where do they go?” She squinted at a
anything odd about his delivery, earlier. I mean… tiny black-and-white freeze-frame of a dinner plate.
here’s the docket. Signed and time-stamped.” “Plasma deficiency… does that steak look rare to
“Could you give us a copy of that,” asked Lomax, you?”
“and your security camera records from today?” Lomax stared at the screen, and saw she was right.
Fontanelli hesitated. “You can look at the camera The two plates were never brought out to diners in
feeds here,” he said, turning his laptop towards the restaurant.
Lomax. “I’ll need to ask my nephew how to get a “Dinner and a show,” he muttered.
copy… I’ve no idea how those things work.”
80
THE GUMSHOE RULES SYSTEM

This chapter describes the basic GUMSHOE rules committed by a group of antagonists. The bad guys do
system and is addressed to players and GM alike. But first something bad. The player characters must figure out
bear with us for a little explanatory theory. who did it and put a stop to their activities.
WHY THIS GAME EXISTS FROM STRUCTURE TO

Investigative scenarios have been done wrong since the
early days of roleplaying games. As a consequence, they’re
STORY
The GM’s structure notes are not a story. The story occurs
hard to run and prone to grind to a halt. GUMSHOE is
as you, the team of players, bring the structure to life
here to fix all that.
through the actions of your characters. The story proceeds
What’s wrong about the traditional way of doing
from scene to scene, where you set the pace, discovering
investigative games? They’re based on a faulty premise.
clues and putting them together. Your characters interact
Story-based roleplaying, of which investigative games
with locations, gathering physical evidence, and talk to
were an early, if not the earliest example, evolved from
supporting characters run by the GM, gathering expert
dungeon-bashing campaigns. They treat clues the same
and eyewitness testimony.
way that dungeon games treat treasure. You have to
The first scene presents the mystery you have to
search for the clue that takes you on to the next scene. If
solve. You then perform legwork, collecting information
you roll well, you get the clue. If not, you don’t — and the
that tells you more about the case. Each scene contains
story grinds to a halt.
information pointing to a new scene. Some scenes may
However, treasure gathering isn’t the main event in
put a new twist on the investigation, as the initial mystery
a dungeon game. There, the central activity is killing
turns out to be just one aspect of a much bigger story.
the monsters and enemies who live in the dungeon.
As clues accumulate, a picture of the case emerges, until
The treasure-finding phase comes afterwards, as a mere
your characters arrive at a climactic scene, where all is
reward. If you don’t get all the treasure in a room, you
revealed and the bad guys confronted. A wrap-up scene
lose out a bit, but the story keeps going, as you tromp
accounts for loose ends and shows the consequences
down the hallway to the next monster-filled chamber.
of your success — or, in rare instances, failure. (Why is
Imagine a dungeon game where you always had to roll
failure possible at all? Its possibility creates urgency and
well to find another room to plunder, or sit around feeling
suspense.)
frustrated and bored.
To move from scene to scene, and to solve the overall
In a fictional procedural, whether it’s a mystery novel
mystery, you must gather clues. They fuel your forward
or an episode of a cop show, the emphasis isn’t on finding
momentum.
the clues in the first place. When it really matters, you
may get a paragraph telling you how difficult the search
was, or a montage of a CSI team tossing an apartment.
But the action really starts after the clues are gathered. Tip for Players:
Investigative scenarios are not about finding Containing Speculation
clues, they’re about interpreting the clues you do
find. Investigative scenarios often bog down into
GUMSHOE, therefore, makes the finding of clues all speculative debate between players about
but automatic, as long as you get to the right place in the
what could be happening. Many things can be
story and have the right ability. That’s when the fun part
happening, but only one thing is. If more than
begins, when the players try to put the components of the
puzzle together. one possible explanation ties together the
That’s hard enough for a group of armchair detectives, clues you have so far, you need more clues.
without withholding half the pieces from them. Every Whenever you get stuck, get out and
investigative scenario begins with a crime or conspiracy gather more information.
81
GATHERING CLUES access to all, or nearly all, of these abilities.)

There’ll also be clues that aren’t core, but which provide
Gathering clues is simple. All you have to do is: 1) get
vital context, added detail, or supporting evidence.
yourself into a scene where relevant information can be
PUSHES
gathered and 2) have the right ability to discover the clue
and 3) tell the GM that you’re using it. As long as you do
these three things, you will never fail to gain a piece of Certain clues allow you to gain special benefits by
necessary information. It is never dependent on a die roll. spending a Push. During your first few scenarios, your
If you ask for it, you will get it. GM will offer you the opportunity to spend a Push as
You can specify exactly what you intend to achieve: you uncover these clues. After that it’s up to you to ask if
“I use Document Analysis to determine if the memo was there’s anything to be gained by spending extra time or
really written by Danziger.” effort on a given clue. You can even propose specific ways
Or you can engage in a more general informational to improve your already good result: if your suggestion
fishing expedition: “I use Evidence Collection to search is persuasive or entertaining, the GM may award you a
the crime scene.” special benefit not mentioned in their scenario notes.
Each benefit costs a Push on an Investigative ability.
If your suggested action corresponds to a clue in the
Players each get two Pushes per session; unused Pushes
scenario notes, the GM provides you the information
don’t carry over. You can only Push Investigative abilities
arising from the clue.
you possess.
Additional information gained provides flavor or
Dedicated cop John Brody looks for the campsite helps overcome a challenge, but is never required to
hideout of a gang of anti-mutant thugs called solve the case or move on to a new scene. Often it makes
barheads. He searches a section of forested land off the character seem clever, powerful, competent, or
the highway for evidence of their presence. His player, heroic. Alternatively, you may wish to present the Push
Justin, says, “I put my video camera in infrared mode as your character putting in extra effort to the point of
and scan the area for heat traces.” This is all he needs obsession. It may grant you benefits useful later in the
to do to get the information he needs to proceed to scenario, frequently by making a favorable impression on
the next scene, a confrontation with the barheads supporting characters. If you think of your GUMSHOE
in their encampment. “Blobs of heat energy pop game as a TV series, an extra benefit gives the actor
up to your right, about a hundred yards away. It playing your character a juicy spotlight scene.
looks like there’s four or five people, appearing and
disappearing behind a barrier.”
“Can I tell what kind of barrier they’re behind?”
asks Justin. The GM knows that it’s the barheads’
Some clues would be obvious to a trained investigator tricked-out recreational vehicle. This information
immediately upon entering a scene. These passive clues isn’t necessary to move forward, and in fact Justin’s
are provided by the GM without prompting. Scenarios character, John, will stumble across it in a moment
suggest which clues are passive and which are active, if he keeps going toward the cannibal camp. But it
but your GM will adjust these in play depending on how would be mighty impressive, in a Sherlock Holmes
much guidance you seem to need. On a night when you’re kind of way, if he could answer that question now.
cooking with gas, the GM will sit back and let you prompt “Do you want to Push Evidence Collection?”
them for passive clues. When you’re bogging down, they asks the GM. Justin agrees, and marks off one of his
may volunteer what would normally be active clues. two remaining Pushes.
For each scene, the GM designates at least one core The GM explains as follows: “You remember the
clue. This is a clue you absolutely need to move to the contours of this vehicle from the course on automotive
next scene, and thus to complete the entire investigation. identification you took when you were detailed for
A scene may have multiple core clues; either there’ll be training at the FBI headquarters in Quantico. It’s
several possible next steps for the players to follow, or a luxury motor home, a 2006 Patriot from Beaver
several different clues point to the same scene and the Motor Coaches. You remember the price tag on one of
players only need to find one of them to progress. GMs those puppies. Over three hundred grand.”
will avoid making core clues available only with the use John whistles through his teeth. “Somebody’s
of obscure Investigative abilities. (The character creation funding these idiots, big time.”
system is set up so that the group as a whole will have
82
Spending Pushes on benefits often gives you an

Example Push Benefits advantage, perhaps in a later General conflict.
Thus it is in your interest to propose cool benefits
to the GM, even when they aren’t specified in
Here are some special benefits you might get from
the scenario. As a rule of thumb, a Push equates
Pushes.
to a +2 bonus to a General ability test.
You get an advantage in a future contest of General GMs of great mental agility who feel
abilities. comfortable granting their players influence
• You find your gas tank has been punctured before over the details of the narrative may allow them
you drive the vehicle. to specify the details of a special benefit.
• You notice that there is a hole in the fence around If you wish to make a Push in a situation
the back of the complex or that the goons go off where the GM has no special benefit to offer
duty at 6.00pm. you, and cannot think of one that pertains at all
• The plans show that the bomb must remain to the investigation, the Push remains available.
horizontal if you are not to trigger it.
• You give a favorable impression to supporting INCONSPICUOUS
characters.
• You recognize and recover stolen artwork for the
CLUES
Sometimes the characters instinctively notice
original owner, who will then be more inclined to something without actively looking for it. Often
help you. this situation occurs in places they’re moving
• You Push Architecture to discover a hidden room through casually and don’t regard as scenes in
where there is a hostage who can give clues or even need of intensive searching. The team might
help with General abilities. pass by a concealed door, spot a droplet of blood
• You Push Charm to get a good case from the on the marble of an immaculate hotel lobby, or
Lieutenant. approach a vehicle with a bomb planted beneath
it. Interpersonal abilities can also be used to find
A flashback scene is triggered, giving more detail or an inconspicuous clues. The classic example is of
opportunity for roleplaying. a character whose demeanor or behavioral tics
• You find the body of an old colleague, and remember establish them as suspicious.
It’s unreasonable to expect players to ask
that he was a good cop gone bad.
to use their various abilities in what appears to
• You get your clue in the form of a recalled harangue
be an innocuous transitional scene. Otherwise
from the lieutenant. they’d have to spend minutes of game time
with every change of scene, running down their
Pushes can help you resolve a moral dilemma. If your
abilities in obsessive checklist fashion. That way
character finds the action required to get a core clue
madness lies.
distasteful you might use a Push to avoid this. Instead the GM asks which character
• Intimidating a local might give a core clue for free, possesses the ability in question. (When in doubt
but pushing Reassurance on the same local could for what ability to use for a basic search, the GM
get you the same information without upsetting defaults to Evidence Collection.)
your source. If two or more characters have that ability,
pick the player who’s due a spotlight moment.
Pushes might speed up an investigation or provide an
alternate route to the truth.
• A Cop Talk Push might get the DNA evidence John visits the hospital to get his lip
processed a day earlier than normal. stitched up after a nasty fall. His squad-
mate Aliyah Williams waits with him.
• Push Bureaucracy to pull strings and requisition
The doctor in the ER is an anti-mutant
a couple of warm bodies from Patrol Division to
sympathizer, and intends to tip off his
knock on doors and find witnesses, letting you zero barhead buddies that the cops are on to
in on the mind-altering mutant without having to them. The GM decides that the Bullshit
use Influence Detection.
83
Detector ability will alert the cops to the panicked

anxiety underlying the doctor’s wearily professional
TESTS
A test occurs when the outcome of an ability use is in
demeanor. Both characters have the ability, but John
doubt. Tests apply to General abilities, and mutant
just had an exciting chase scene, so Aliyah deserves a
powers which are treated as General abilities, only. Unlike
turn in the spotlight.
information gathering attempts, tests carry a fairly high
“Aliyah,” says the GM, “you can’t put your finger
chance of failure. They may portend dire consequences if
on it, but there’s something hinky about the doctor.”
you lose, provide advantages if you win, or both.
Even in the case of General abilities, the GM should
call for tests only at dramatically important points in the
story, and for tasks of exceptional difficulty. Most General
Evidence and Forward ability uses should allow automatic successes, with
Movement possible bonuses on point spends.
If you don’t have a rating in a General ability, you can
Investigations in Mutant City Blues differ in still attempt a test, but suffer a -2 penalty to your roll.
one crucial manner from those in the other There are two types of test: simple tests and contests.
GUMSHOE games. When you’re a cop, it’s not
enough to know what happened and get to Simple Tests
the next scene, and eventually lay a climactic A simple test occurs when the character attempts an action
smackdown on the perps. You have to be able without active resistance from another person or entity.
to prove your case in court. You may have Examples include driving a treacherous road, jumping
the answer to the mystery, but lack enough a gorge, sneaking into an unguarded building, binding a
evidence to trigger a prosecution. wound, shooting a stationary target, or disconnecting a
Most adventures, though, should end with security system. Resisting mutant mental powers is also
a simple test.
the satisfaction of a conviction; the default
The GM determines how hard any given action is
assumption is that the chain of core clues
by assigning it a Difficulty Number ranging from 2 to
leads not only to the perpetrator, but also to 8 (occasionally even higher), where 2 offers only a slim
enough evidence to go to trial. chance of failure, 4 is the norm and 8 verges on the
Sometimes the unit will find itself in a impossible. The player rolls a single die; if the result
position where they know what happened, is equal to or higher than the Difficulty Number, the
but have to find the evidence to make the case character succeeds.
stick. Maybe they (or other officers) engaged All die rolls in GUMSHOE use a single ordinary (six-
in an illegal search. Perhaps they believe a sided) die.
witness’ account but fear that their credibility Before rolling the die, the player may choose to spend
any number of points from the relevant ability pool,
will be torn to shreds by a good defense
adding these to the final die result. Players who forget to
attorney. In this structure, the core clues lead
specify the number of points they want to spend before
them to the physical evidence that allows rolling are stuck with the unmodified result.
them to make an arrest, even if they’ve had a In the game world, expenditure of pool points in this
good idea of the perp’s identity from early on way represents special effort and concentration by the
in the scenario. character, the kind you can muster only so many times
In certain cases, you can throw a change- during the course of an investigation.
up at your players, by creating a trail of clues
leading to a conclusion contrary to their
suspicions.
84
John wants to climb a high wall to see if his perp is

Difficulty Numbers
on the other side. John’s player, Justin, has a full 8
points in his Athletics pool. He decides that he really and Story Pacing
needs a win on this one and decides to spend half of
them on the attempt. He rolls a 5. With the 4 points Just as the GUMSHOE system keeps the story
from his pool, this gets a final result of 9. Displaying moving by making all crucial clues accessible
impressive acrobatic grace, John pulls himself easily to the characters, GMs must ensure that tests
over the wall. and contests essential to forward narrative
momentum can be easily overcome. Assign
relatively low Difficulty Numbers of 4 or less
The GM never directly reveals Difficulty Numbers. They to these crucial plot points. Reserve especially
may, in response to player questions, give rough verbal hard Difficulty Numbers for obstacles that
indications of how hard a task seems to the naked eye: provide interesting but nonessential benefits.
• “A little kid could jump that fence.” For example, if the characters have to
• “You’ve climbed fences that high before, but never sneak into the cannibal campground in order
easily.” to stage the final confrontation, assign the
• “You’ve never managed to climb a fence that high relatively low Difficulty Number of 4 to the
without hurting yourself.” task. If it seems to the characters that they
ought to have a tougher time of it, insert a
detail justifying their ease of success. The
cannibal assigned to patrol duty might be
found passed out at his post, say.
85
The test represents the character’s best chance to Piggybacking

succeed. Once you fail, you’ve shot your wad and cannot
When a group of characters act in concert to perform a
retry unless you take some other supporting action that
task together, they designate one to take the lead. That
would credibly increase your odds of success. If allowed
character makes a simple test, spending any number
to do this, you must spend more pool points than you did
of their own pool points toward the task, as usual. All
on the previous attempt. If you can’t afford it, you can’t
other characters pay 1 point from their relevant pools in
retry.
order to gain the benefits of the leader’s action. These
points are not added to the leader’s die result. For every
Aliyah has just failed her Mechanics test to repair character who is unable to pay this piggybacking cost,
a broken pump in the sinking ship she and the because they lack pool points or do not have the ability at
other detectives are trapped in. She spent 2 points all, the Difficulty Number of the attempt increases by 2.
from her Mechanics pool on this attempt. The GM
decides she’ll have one more shot at it before the ship
Although they have a warrant for their raid on a
capsizes. Now she must spend at least 3 Mechanics
mutant cult leader’s compound, John, Orlando,
points. Fortunately she has 4 points left in her pool.
Kim and Sharmaine decide to sneak in, to take the
The Difficulty Number of the repair attempt is 5 —
suspects by surprise when special forces vans bust
the GM has described it as fairly hard because the
through the front gate. This should forestall any
pump is old. Aliyah adds 3 points and rolls a 6, to
chance of a superpowered showdown, which might
get a final result of 9. The pump kicks back in, just
endanger the many children resident in the complex.
in time to reverse the ship’s sinking.
Kim, with an Infiltration of 8, takes the lead. John,
Orlando and Sharmaine have 2, 0, and 4 points
in their Infiltration pools, respectively. John and
Cooperation Sharmaine pay 1 point apiece; their pools go down
When two characters cooperate toward a single goal, they to 1 and 3. Because Orlando has no points to spend,
agree which of them is undertaking the task directly, and the Difficulty Number of the Infiltration increases
which is assisting. The leader may spend any number of from 4 to 6. (If the group left him behind, it would
points from their pool, adding them to the die roll. The be easier to sneak in, but he’s the one with Emotion
assistant may pay any number of points from their pool: Control.) Kim spends 3 points on the attempt and
all but one of these is applied to the die roll (so they need rolls a 1. This would have overcome the Difficulty
to spend at least 2 points to be able to help). if it wasn’t for Orlando’s presence. Clearly, he’s
stumbled on his way into the back garden, setting off
a jury-rigged alarm system.
John and Orlando are trying to salvage boxes of
crucial documents from a suspicious blaze. John In most instances a group cannot logically act in concert.
has 3 points left in his Flight pool. Orlando has Only one character can drive a car at one time. Two
2 points in Limb Extension. They decide that characters with Preparedness check their individual kits
John will fly over the burning pile of boxes, tossing in sequence, rather than checking a single kit at the same
what he can to Orlando, who will grab them with time.
rubbery, outstretched arms. The GM rules that these
improvised uses of the powers, though not explicitly
mentioned in their rules descriptions, make dramatic
sense in a mutant-powered world, and thus have a
chance to succeed. Both choose to spend all of their
remaining points on the attempt. John adds 3 points
to the die roll. Orlando spends 2 points, but adds
only 1 to the die roll. John’s player rolls a 3, for
a result of 7. This beats the Difficulty Number of
6, allowing them to zoom away with evidence that
will make it easier to prosecute their suspect.
86
continues until one character loses, at which point the

Improvised Power Use other one wins.
Typically each character attempts to beat a Difficulty
Number of 4, not the total rolled by the opponent.
GMs may allow players to improvise effects
for their mutant powers, if they seem like
a logical extrapolation from the power Pursued by a distraught suspect with the Self-
description, and if the effect granted from Detonation power, Aliyah flees through the evacuated
the improvisation seems less impressive halls of the Quade Institute, hoping to put enough
overall than the written power’s most notable distance behind her to clear the other mutant’s blast
effect. As a general rule, improvised power radius. Her Athletics pool is 6; the suspect’s is 7. As
uses should allow the players to do things
the fleeing character initiating the chase sequence,
Aliyah is the first character to act. She rolls against
they could accomplish without extraordinary
a Difficulty of 4, spending 1 point. She rolls a 4,
powers, but in a more impressive way. To and manages to scramble into a laboratory. Aliyah
resolve an improvised power use, call for spots a button controlling a blast door which will
an ability test, using the power as an ability. seal off the lab complex from the rest of the building.
Players who enjoy stretching the limits of their The suspect spends 1 point as well, rolling a 3
powers may invest additional points in them, for a total of 4. He picks up speed, ducking down to
even where they’re not that useful for the slip beneath the blast door before it closes.
power’s main purpose, in order to effectively Aliyah spends another point, taking her Athletics
improvise with them. to 4. She rolls a 6, for a final result of 7. The GM
invites her player to explain how: “I spot an open
Improvised power use is covered on p. 100.
window and clamber down onto a ledge.”
The GM rolls for the suspect, spending 1 point
and rolling a 2. That’s a failure. “Exhausted and
CONTESTS panting,” the GM narrates, “the suspect stops,
These occur when two characters — often a player leaning against a wall. He begins to weep, talking
character and a supporting character controlled by the to himself between sobs. You can’t make it all out,
GM — actively attempt to thwart one another. Although but he’s saying something about his daughter.”
contests can resolve various physical match-ups, in a Not having heard about a daughter before,
police procedural game, the most common contest is Aliyah senses an important piece of information. As
the chase, in which the investigators run after escaping she clings to the ledge, she wonders if she can now
criminals intent on dodging justice. calm the suspect down with Reassurance, and then
Sometimes, the participants in a contest use different get him to explain his situation.
abilities (e.g. Stealth vs Surveillance), or substitute powers
for common abilities (Flight for Athletics). The GM rules
which abilities qualify for a contest, and which grant Where the odds of success are skewed in favor of one
contest advantage. contestant, the GM may assign different Difficulties to
In a contest, each character acts in turn. The first to each. A character with a significant advantage gets a
fail a roll of the contested ability loses. lower Difficulty Number. A character facing a major
The GM decides who acts first. In a chase, the handicap faces a higher Difficulty Number.
character who bolts from the scene acts first. Where the An investigator scrabbling without gear up a rock face
characters seem to be acting at the same time, the one finds it harder to move quickly than the well-equipped
with the lower rating in the relevant ability acts first. climber he’s pursuing. In this case he might face a
In the event of a tie, supporting characters act before Difficulty Number of 4, while the mountaineer gets the
player characters. In the event of a tie between player lower Difficulty of 3.
characters, the player who arrived last for the current Throughout the contest, GM and players should
session goes first in the contest. collaborate to add flavor to each result, explaining what
The first character to act makes a test of the ability the characters did to remain in the contest. That way,
in question. If they fail, they lose the contest. If they instead of dropping out of the narration to engage in
succeed, the second character then makes a test. This an arithmetical recitation, you keep the fictional world
verbally alive.
87
COMPOSURE
This ability is used to resist various mutant powers, and What Do Pushes and Pool Points
to stave off the effects of neurological and personality Represent?
disorders. In Mutant City Blues, unlike some other
GUMSHOE games, Composure does not go below 0. Pushes and pool points are a literary
A character reduced to 0 Composure can still attempt
abstraction, representing the way that each
Composure tests, but has no points to spend to boost their
character gets their own time in the spotlight
chances of success. Depict a 0-Composure character as
exhausted, anguished, emotionally depleted or impulse- in the course of an ensemble drama. When
driven; without Composure, a character is prone to you do something remarkable, you expend
making mistakes and bad decisions. a little bit of your spotlight time. More active
players will spend their points sooner than
OVERWORK less demonstrative ones, unless they carefully

pick and choose their moments to shine.
A character with 0 points remaining in a General Ability
pool other than Health may spend Composure to make Remember, all characters are remarkably
tests using that ability. The costs are tripled, so it costs competent. Pushes and pool points measure
3 Composure to get a +1 bonus to the die roll. This your opportunities to exercise this ultra-
represents the character pushing themselves to the limit competence during any given scenario.
of endurance. They do not represent a resource, tangible
or otherwise, in the game world. Players
REGAINING POOL POINTS are aware of them, but characters are not.
The team members’ ignorance of them is
Spent points from various pools are restored at different
rates, depending on their narrative purpose. analogous to TV characters’ obliviousness
to commercial breaks, the unwritten rules
of scene construction, and the tendency of
Health
events to heat up during ratings sweeps.
The Health pool refreshes over time, at a rate of 2 points
However, where a pool could be seen
per day of restful activity. (Wounded characters heal at a
to correspond to a resource perceptible to
different rate, over a period of hospitalization; see p. 95.)
Use of the Medic ability can restore a limited number the characters, we handle refreshment in
of Health points in the course of a session, but only to a somewhat more realistic, if also abstract,
Hurt characters. manner. Characters’ ebbing Health scores
are perceptible to the characters in the form
of welts, cuts, pain, and general fatigue.
Composure
Composure is less tangible but can be
This also refreshes at the rate of 2 points per day of restful
subjectively measured in the characters’
activity — which doesn’t include actively pursuing a case.
moods and reactions. Physical abilities, also
Taking a break in the middle of a case to grab a
coffee, get some sleep, or otherwise relax restores 1 point tied to fatigue and sharpness of reflexes, are
of Composure. also handled with a nod to the demands of
Once per game session, one character may regain realism.
d6 points of Composure by playing through a scene
where they receive some sort of emotional support or
reassurance. This scene may include another player
character (an inspiring pep talk, getting invited to have
dinner with your partner’s family), a GM character (a
dressing down from a superior that inspires the officer to
shape up, taking time with a loved one), or the player can
just describe how their character gets their head back in
the game (getting drunk in a dive bar, visiting the grave
of a parent).
88
“Action” Abilities IMPROVING YOUR

Pools for the physical abilities of Athletics, Driving,
Scuffling, and Shooting are fully restored whenever
CHARACTER
At the end of each investigation, each player gets 2 build
twenty-four hours of game-world time elapses since the
points for each session they participated in. (This assumes
last expenditure.
a small number of 3-4 hour sessions; if you play in shorter
bursts, modify accordingly.) Players who had characters
Other General Abilities die in the course of the investigation only get points for
The remaining General abilities refresh at the end of each session involving their current character.
each case. These build points can be spent on either investigative
or General abilities. You may acquire new abilities or
bolster existing ones. If necessary to preserve credibility,
Refreshing Mutant Powers rationalize new abilities as areas of expertise you’ve had
A General mutant power pool refreshes fully when all along, but are only revealing later in the series.
twenty-four hours of game time have passed since your
last expenditure from that pool.
IMPROVING MUTANT
FORCED REFRESHES POWERS
You may acquire additional mutant powers, or improve
If you have one or more GRFs, you can attempt a
the rating of existing ones, in the course of play, at
forced refresh. You strain a mutant power to the limits,
the same costs you would have paid during character
triggering a GRF incident. Test your GRF’s resistance
creation. If a GRF stands between a current power and
ability against a Difficulty of 8. Your pool refreshes
one you wish to acquire, you must acquire that GRF, at a
whether you succeed or fail — but if you fail, you gain a
cost of 0 build points.
Stress card.
Byron Krimmel (played by Justin) has exhausted

his Gravity Control pool, but needs to get a remote The Pregs
control device away from a bomber before he uses
it to detonate an explosive on the monorail tracks. New powers manifest after a several-week
He has the Sensory Overload GRF, and is therefore period of nausea, sweats and hot flashes.
eligible for a forced refresh. His player, Justin, tests Anamorphologists call this experience
Sensory Overload’s resistance ability, Composure, Additional Power Onset Complex, or APOC
against a Difficulty of 8. He spends 3 Composure
for short. Colloquially, this is referred to as
points, which is all he has, but rolls a 4. Even so,
“the pregs”, as in, “I had the pregs something
his Gravity Control pool refreshes, giving him all
the points he needs to float the remote control off the awful for weeks, and then one morning I
floor and up into the sky, higher than the bomber could shoot fire out of my fingertips.” These
can reach. Hundreds of people on the monorail are symptoms are distracting but have no game
saved, but at a high cost to Byron — he gains a Stress effect.
card. You don’t have to wait for a couple of
weeks of game time to elapse before picking
up a new mutant power. Instead, slip in a line
If you have more than one GRF, the GM determines of foreshadowing dialogue about how you’ve
which one is used for a forced refresh, depending on been feeling crappy for the past few weeks,
what seems dramatically appropriate. This may be the
then use the power as you need it.
GRF that was most recently featured in the storyline, or
the one that bears a thematic connection to the action
at hand.
89
I.D.
Lomax hustled Chu out the door of the restaurant. tense? She was a mutant. A jolter. Lisa Ramirez. She
Confronting Fontanelli now wouldn’t be helpful. took her mom’s maiden name after the divorce.”
Out into twilight; all the street lamps were lighting “Shit. Yeah, I remember the case file.” Chu took a
up. The two cops got into their car and drove slowly sip of coffee as crowds of high school students streamed
down 17th. past the car. “So, what, it was a hit? Fontanelli wants
Lomax yawned. “If Sigmor and the puppeteer Clooter dead, but he wants to keep his hands clean.
were in cahoots —” He hires the Puppeteer to zap Sigmor. No, wait, he
Chu laughed. “Cahoots?” hires both of them. The Puppeteer is Sigmor’s alibi.
“In cahoots with each other,” he continued Mind control’s a valid defense — he says he was
doggedly, “then we don’t know when he was possessed. mind controlled, and he’s got the EMAT report to
We assumed he was possessed at the restaurant, but if prove it. Jury’s told that Sigmor’s a victim too —
they left together…” and investigating the Puppeteer’s a dead end, ‘cos
“We have to find that tipster. And fucking Clooter, Fontanelli’s covering for him. Neat.”
too.” She yawned, too, then winced. “My headache’s “They knew Clooter was on the move, too. They’ve
back. I need sleep, Lomax.” got better intel than we do,” groused Lomax, but Chu
“I’ll drive you home.” interrupted him.
He dropped Chu off at her apartment. “That’s him,” she said. “Wes Polman.” Head
“You turning in, too?” down, nervous, the boy walked alone towards the
“I want to check something first.” school.
Lomax stepped out of the car and hurried to catch
Back at the precinct, he checked the archives. up with the student.
Fontanelli didn’t have a criminal record, but he was “Wes Polman? I’m Detective Lomax. You’re not
in HCIU’s files. As he flipped through the old case in trouble, but would you mind answering a few
file, a familiar face stared back at him. questions?” Hands open at his sides, trying to be as
Rick Clooter. non-threatening as possible.
His phone chimed. Chu. MEET ME 17TH STREET “I didn’t do anything!” protested Polman.
HIGH SCHOOL. HAVE ID’ED OUR TIPSTER. “Where were you yesterday, around two-thirty?”
“I don’t know! In school!”
Another morning. Another stakeout. “I’ll tell you where you were,” said Lomax. “You
Chu showed him a yearbook photo of a skinny- were looking that way, and you saw a refrigerated
looking kid. She gestured towards the high school. truck drive by with two men in the front. And you
“One of my sister’s kids goes there. She told me a sensed one of them using a power.” Lomax raised his
few months ago about this boy in her math class who hand and concentrated, and a soft light welled up
was perving on the girls with telepathy. Sending them from his fingers. I’m like you. “Warning the police that
psychic dick pics or something. They caught the little something bad was going down was the right thing to
bastard, suspended him for a few months, but he’s do, Wes.”
back there now. It’s him, I bet you.” The boy nodded slowly. “Okay. That was me.”
“Telepathy’s correlated with influence detection,” “We’re going to need to call your parents. We may
agreed Lomax, uneasily. “On a related topic — did need you as a witness.”
you know that Fontanelli had a daughter — past
90
SUPER-POWERED ACTION
Mutant City Blues series may include as little combat
and action as any other GUMSHOE series. GMs
DISTANCE
Distance is usually de-emphasized as a factor in
can structure their games so that the player characters
GUMSHOE combat, to be treated with the hand-waving
investigate crimes, and an enhanced tactical squad goes
usual for fight sequences in story-heavy roleplaying games.
out to capture the mutant wrongdoers once the arrest
Mutant City Blues involves more chases and intentional
warrants have been drawn up. This is a realistic touch: in
combats than most of its sibling games, but most combats
real police organizations, crime investigation and high-
can still be run with a minimum of worrying about
risk takedowns are handled by separate squads with quite
relative position.
different skill sets.
The ranges for firearms and mutant powers are listed
Most players, however, will look over their lists of
in meters; assume a character can run around 10 meters
super powers and expect to be able to use them in the
in one combat round under typical conditions, or move
occasional comic-style donnybrook. GMs who choose
about half that if doing something else like shooting or
to recognize this desire can structure their scenarios to
hiding. Most encounters take place at relatively close
include the possibility of one or more big action set piece
range, within 25 meters or so.
sequences per investigation.
Game Moderators who enjoy using tactical maps and
Doing so requires a more tactical approach than
miniatures can use a scale of one square = 2 meters.
GUMSHOE has to date presented. This section provides
the rules crunch necessary to run super-powered battles
and action sequences.
91
FIGHTING The final damage result is then subtracted from your

opponent’s Health pool.
Fights are slightly more complicated contests involving
Most opponents are eliminated from the fight when
the following abilities.
reduced to 0 Health. Depending on circumstances and
• Scuffling vs. Scuffling: the characters are fighting in
the method used to injure them, they may be stunned,
close quarters.
knocked unconscious, maimed, killed, or convinced to
• Shooting vs. Shooting: the characters are apart from
surrender.
one another and trying to hit each other with guns or
Player characters and significant GM characters are
other missile weapons.
not necessarily eliminated at 0 Health — from 0 to -5
The aggressor is the first character to move against the Health, they’re injured, and from -6 to -11, they’re
other. When the status of aggressor and defender are seriously injured.
unclear, the combatants compare their current pool
NON-LETHAL ATTACKS
numbers in the abilities they’re using in the fight. The
character with the higher number chooses whether to act
as aggressor or defender. (Unlike an ordinary contest, in
a fight it is often advantageous to strike first.) For notes Scuffling
on handling combats with more than two characters, see In Mutant City Blues, a trained police officer can effectively
“Free-for-all Combat”, p. 94. restrain an unarmed subject with a success in a Scuffling
A contest proceeds between the two abilities. When vs. Scuffling contest, followed by an expenditure of an
combatants using the Scuffling or Shooting abilities roll additional 2 Scuffling points. If another officer is on hand
well, they get the opportunity to deal damage to their and free to physically assist, that officer can complete
opponents. the restraint for their partner, spending only 1 Scuffling
Hit Thresholds: Each character has a Hit Threshold point. The subject is then subdued, cuffed, and ready for
of either 3 (the standard value) or 4 (if the character’s transport to a holding cell.
Athletics rating is 8 or more). The Hit Threshold is the
Difficulty Number the character’s opponent must match Tasers
or beat in order to harm them. Less competent supporting
characters may have lower Hit Thresholds. Creatures Although tasers exist in the world, they are not used by
may have Hit Thresholds of 4 or higher, regardless of HCIU officers. A string of incidents in which victims
their Athletics ratings. suffered fatal heart attacks after overzealous taser
Dealing Damage: When you roll on or over your use have led to stringent departmental restrictions.
opponent’s Hit Threshold, you may deal damage to them. Although patrolmen get them as standard equipment,
To do so, you make a damage roll, rolling a die which is the paperwork requirements for taser requisitions by
then modified according to the relative lethality of your detectives are onerous. Using them in the field leads to
weapon, as per the following table. (Some superpowers even more red tape. Departmental lore has it that you’ll
have their own rules for damage.) get passed over for promotion if the brass sees too many
taser use reports stapled to your personnel jacket.
(This emulates the treatment of tasers in the source
Weapon Type Damage Modifier material. In real life they might arguably be a life-
Fist, kick -2 saving non-lethal technology. Because they make action
sequences boring and short, popular fiction occasionally
Small improvised weapon, puts them in the hands of bad guys and their minions, but
-1
police baton, knife does not give them to the heroes. Sympathetic characters
Machete, heavy club, light use holds, punches, mutant powers and/or threats of gun
0 violence to subdue recalcitrant suspects.)
firearm
Sword, heavy firearm +1
Blasts
For firearms, add an additional +2 when fired at point Most blast powers (p. 45) can be used to take foes down
blank range. at range non-lethally. This works just like Scuffling — you
Characters may never spend points from their combat can choose to stun or disable foes instead of killing them
pools to increase their damage rolls. with most blasts. (Of course if you then want to restrain
them you have to move in first.)
92
LETHAL ATTACKS — • Military-grade body armor reduces bullet damage by

4 points and knives by 2 points.
SHOOTING
Guns kill, and discharging your firearm in the line of
duty is a big fucking deal. To reflect this, if you reduce Sharmaine is shot by a street punk. The GM rolls
a foe to 0 Health (or -12 in the case of significant named a 3 for the punk’s damage, adding 1 point for his
bad guys) with a Shooting attack, the default assumption high-caliber handgun, for a total damage of 4.
is that they’re shot dead. Sharmaine wears light body armor, reducing the
If you’ve got time to aim, and a clear shot, you can damage to 2 points. Her Health pool decreases from
spend 2 points of Shooting to attempt a disabling shot. 6 to 4.
You still need to roll to hit: if you hit and reduce your foe
to 0 Health (or -12 yadda yadda), roll a d6. If the result
Light body armor is heavy, hot, and marks you out as
is more than the damage you dealt, then you got it right
someone looking for trouble. All of these drawbacks
— your foe’s down but not dead. If the result is less than
apply doubly to military-grade body armor.
the damage, then your target’s dead unless you’ve got a
In choosing to make contemporary body armor
medical team or a Healer right there.
highly effective against firearms, we’re drawing on the
portrayal of Kevlar vests in cop shows and movies. We
AMMO CAPACITY make no claims for any resemblance between these rules
MCB sets aside the loving attention to firearm intricacies and real life.
characteristic of most contemporary-era RPG systems.
For example, characters need reload only when
dramatically appropriate. Otherwise, they’re assumed to One Gun, Two Combatants
be able to refill the cylinders of their revolvers or jam
clips into their automatic weapons between shots. If your opponent has a gun well in hand
When reloading is an issue, GMs may request a and ready to fire, and you charge him from
Shooting test (Difficulty 3) to quickly reload. Characters more than five feet away, he can empty his
who fail may not use their Shooting ability to attack entire clip or chamber at you, causing terrible
during the current round. injuries. You are automatically hit. He rolls one
instance of damage, which is then tripled.
Separated from her teammates, a wounded Yes, we said tripled. And, yes, the tripling
Charmaine crawls into a condemned tenement to occurs after weapon modifiers are taken into
hole up. The punks give chase. The GM decides that account. This is why few people charge when
limited resources will increase the sequence’s sense of their opponents have the drop on them.
suspense, and declares that Charmaine has only four If your opponent has a pistol but it is
shots left in her Glock autopistol, and only one extra not well in hand and ready to fire, you may
ammo clip in her pocket. The GM plans to have the attempt to jump them and wrestle it from
punks gang up on her, forcing her to roll Shooting to their grip. If they have a pistol well in hand but
successfully reload as they rush her. are unaware of your presence, you may also
be able to jump them, at the GM’s discretion.
The characters engage in a Scuffling contest
ARMOR to see which of them gets control of the gun
Armor may reduce the damage from certain weapon and fires it. The winner makes a damage roll
types. If you’re wearing a form of armor effective against against the loser, using the pistol’s Damage
the weapon being used against you, subtract a number of Modifier, including the +2 for point blank
points from each instance of damage dealt to you before range.
applying it to your Health pool. If you jump an opponent with an unready
• Light body armor, as worn by riot police officers, rifle, a Scuffling combat breaks out, with
reduces each instance of damage from bullets by the opponent using the rifle as a heavy club
2 points and from cutting and stabbing weapons (damage +0).
(knives, swords, machetes) by 1 point.
93
AUTOMATIC WEAPONS The fight continues until one side capitulates or flees,
or all of its members are unconscious or otherwise unable
In general, if you’re caught out in the open by automatic
to continue.
weapons fire, you’re dead. If there’s a narratively plausible
reason why the GM wants to avoid an instant kill (a
protective mutant power, the target’s running for cover, RANGE
the attacker’s firing from a moving vehicle), then resolve The effect of range on firearms combat is likewise
as follows. After making a successful Shooting attack with simplified nearly out of existence. Handguns and
an automatic weapon, the attacker may spend another shotguns can only be accurately fired at targets within
3 Shooting points to inflict another instance of damage. around 25 meters. Firing beyond this range increases the
Determine damage after the attacker decides how many Difficulty of the attack by +2.
instances they wish to pay for. The range limit for rifles is 100 meters; firing at targets
If there are multiple targets close to the original beyond this range incurs a Difficulty penalty.
target, the attacker may ‘walk’ instances of damage to
SMASHES AND THROWS

other nearby victims.
By spending 2 Scuffling points before making a Scuffling

COVER attack on a foe, you may smash or throw your opponent
In a typical gunfight, combatants seek cover, hiding instead of just punching or kicking them. Smashing a foe
behind walls, furniture or other barriers, exposing into a suitable obstacle — a concrete wall, a table, the
themselves only for the few seconds it takes them to pop hood of a car — does -1 damage instead of the usual -2
up and fire a round at their targets. The GUMSHOE damage for a punch. Smashing a foe into something hard
rules recognize three cover conditions. and projecting, like a bathroom sink, metal railing or the
Exposed: No barrier stands between you and the corner of a table, deals +0 damage.
combatant firing at you. Your Hit Threshold decreases Throwing someone so they fall onto something hard
by 1. deals -2 damage; throwing them onto something hard
Partial Cover: About half of your body is exposed to and projecting does -1 damage — but in both cases it
fire. Your Hit Threshold remains unchanged. sends them sprawling away from you, giving you a
Full Cover: Except when you pop up to fire a round, chance to escape or draw a weapon. If you want to throw
the barrier completely protects you from incoming fire. someone at a specific target (towards that window), add
Your Hit Threshold increases by 1. +2 to their Hit Threshold.
FREE-FOR-ALL COMBAT SUPPRESSIVE FIRE

Combat becomes more chaotic when two groups of Instead of making a regular attack, you can attempt
combatants fight, or a group gangs up against a single covering fire. You can automatically suppress one target;
opponent. The GM abandons the aggressor/defender if trying to suppress two or more targets, you’ve got to
model. Instead, the GM determines an order of action, make a Shooting test at a Difficulty of 2 + the number of
ranking all participants in the combat according to their targets.
present pool values in the fighting skills they’ll be starting A suppressed target suffers a -2 penalty to all Shooting
the fight with — Scuffling or Shooting. Ties are broken attacks, and may not move if their movement would put
in favor of characters with higher ratings in those skills. them at risk of being hit. The target may ignore both
If characters are still tied, player characters win out over penalties for one round if they make a Difficulty 4
creatures and enemies, and early-arriving players win Composure test.
over late-arriving players.
SURPRISE
The time it takes to go through the ranking order
once, with each character taking an action, is called a
round. When one round ends, another begins. When Characters are surprised when they find themselves
called upon to act, each character may strike at any suddenly in a dangerous situation.
opponent within range of their weapons. Surprise supporting characters by sneaking up
Characters who join a combat in progress come last on them with a successful Infiltration test. The basic
in order of precedence. If more than two characters join Difficulty is 4, which may increase for especially vigilant
during the same round, the GM determines their relative characters.
precedence using the rules above.
94
Avoid being surprised with a successful Sense Trouble Whether or not you maintain consciousness, you are
test. The basic Difficulty is 4, but may be higher in the no longer able to fight. Until you receive first aid, you
case of notably sneaky opponents. will lose an additional Health point every half hour.
Surprised characters suffer a +2 increase to all General A character with the Medic ability can stabilize your
ability Difficulties for any immediately subsequent condition by spending 2 Medic points. However, they
action. In a fight, the penalty pertains to the first round can’t restore your Health points.
of combat. Even after you receive first aid, you must convalesce
in a hospital or similar setting for several days. Your
EXHAUSTION, INJURY period of forced inactivity is a number of days equal
to the number value of the lowest your Health pool
AND DEATH reached. (So if you were reduced to –8 Health, you are
Unlike most abilities, your Health pool can drop below 0. hospitalized for 8 days.) On the day of your discharge,
When it does this, you must make a Consciousness roll. your Health pool increases to half its maximum value.
This uses a die with the absolute value2 of your current On the next day, it refreshes fully.
Health pool as your Difficulty. You may deliberately strain When your pool dips to –12 or below, you are
yourself to remain conscious, voluntarily reducing your dead. Time to create a replacement character.
Health pool by an amount of your choice. For each point Again, most bad guys get eliminated at 0 Health.
you reduce it, add 1 to your die result. The Difficulty of If you’re intervening in a bar brawl, then the mooks
the Consciousness roll is based on your Health pool before go down when you reduce them to 0 Health. Save the
you make this reduction. full Health rules for significant bad guys and important
characters.
Kim faces a meth-crazed concussion beamer in
the urine-stained hallways of a filthy squat. She FIGHTING EXAMPLE
takes a force blast that drops her Health pool to
–2. The tweaker turns and runs; Kim struggles to
While undercover as a corrections officer in a facility
remain conscious so she can radio backup with a
housing mutant convicts, John fends off Alejandro
description. The absolute value of –2 is 2, so this is
Reiter, a beefy guard who’s been helping gang leader
the Difficulty of her Consciousness roll. She chooses
El Monstroso run his criminal empire from behind
to expend another 1 Health point she doesn’t have.
bars. Reiter comes at him from behind in the break
That gives her a bonus of 1 to her roll. She rolls a 6,
room, making this a close quarters fight, for which
for a final result of 7. Kim calls it in, but now her
the Scuffle ability is required. The GM declares that
Health pool is down to –3.
Reiter is the aggressor. Reiter has a Scuffle rating
and current pool of 12, a Health rating and pool
If your pool is anywhere from 0 to –5, you are of 10, a Hit Threshold of 4, and, thanks to his
hurt, but have suffered no permanent injury, beyond Strength power, a Damage Modifier of 2. John’s
a few superficial cuts and bruises. You must make a Scuffle rating is 10 but his pool is down to 6. His
Consciousness roll to stay active. The pain of your injuries Health pool is down to 8 from a rating of 12. His
makes it impossible to Push Investigative abilities, and Hit Threshold is 4. With no weapons at hand, his
increases the Difficulty Numbers of all tests and contests, Damage Modifier is –2.
including opponents’ Hit Thresholds, by 1. The GM spends 2 points from Reiter’s Scuffling
A character with the Medic ability can improve your pool, dropping it from 12 to 10. The GM rolls,
condition by spending Medic points. For every Medic getting a 2. Modified by the point spend, that comes
point spent, you regain 2 Health points — unless you are out to a 4, which beats John’s Hit Threshold. Reiter
the Medic, in which case you only regain 1 Health point may then make a damage roll. The GM rolls a
for every Medic point spent. The Medic can only refill 4; with his Damage Modifier of 2, that equals 6
your pool to where you were before the incident in which points of damage. Reiter places him in a choke hold,
you received this latest injury. reducing John’s Health pool from 8 to 2.
If your pool is between –6 and –11, you have John attempts a judo throw to break the hold.
been seriously wounded. You must again make a His player, Justin, spends 3 points, taking his pool
Consciousness roll to stay active. from 6 to 3. He rolls a 3, for a result of 6, which
more than meets Reiter’s Hit Threshold. Justin rolls
2
In other words, treat the negative number as a positive.
For example, if your Health pool is at –3, the Difficulty of the
roll is 3, and so on
95
a 5. Combined with his –2 modifier, this comes out

to 3 points of damage. Reiter’s Health pool drops
CHASES
Although contests can resolve various sorts of match-ups,
from 10 to 7.He throws Reiter over his shoulder and
in a cop show the most common contest is the chase, in
onto a break room table, which collapses under his
which officers pursue escaping suspects. These rules are
massive bulk.
designed to add depth and drama to such contests, but
Reiter responds by barreling for John’s legs in an
they require more attention and creativity than other
attempt to knock him down and pin him to the floor.
contests. The GM should use them only for major “set-
The GM spends another 2 Scuffle points for Reiter,
piece” scenes, where the game turns on the result of
taking his pool from 10 to 8. The roll is high, a 5,
the chase. (For most escape attempts, either treat it as
which modifies to a 7. The ensuing damage roll is a
a regular contest, or just charge the players 2 points of
2, which his Damage Modifier brings to a total of
Athletics or Driving to apprehend the quarry.)
4. John’s Health drops to –2. He is now hurt, and
The core of the chase is the same as the full contest:
suffers an increase of 1 to all Difficulty Numbers,
an aggressor (the pursuer in a chase) and a defender
including his opponent’s Hit Threshold, which
(the runner in a chase) repeatedly test a chase ability
now becomes 5. He must make a Consciousness
(usually Athletics or Driving) against a Difficulty
roll, against a Difficulty of 2, which is the absolute
Number, usually 4. The pool of points in the chase ability
value of his Health pool. He rolls a 3, and remains
is called the chase pool. As in any other test or contest,
conscious.
the participants may spend points from their chase pool
Now it’s John’s turn to hit back. Justin spends 2
to influence the chase ability die roll.
points, reducing his pool from 3 to 1. He rolls a 2,
There are three major differences between a thriller
for a total of 4. Before he got hurt, that would have
chase and a full contest.
been enough, but now he’s just short of the mark. He
• The pursuer and the runner reveal their spends
tries to jab his thumbs into Reiter’s eye sockets, but
simultaneously, and then roll.
can’t exert enough pressure to do more than annoy
him. • The results are applied to the Lead (an abstract
Reiter attacks again, spending another 2 Scuffle measure of the distance between them); individual
points, taking its total from 8 to 6. The GM rolls a successes or failures do not necessarily end the chase.
5, for a total of 7—again enough to deal damage. The • The runner may opt to raise the Difficulty number of
damage roll is a 3, plus the Damage Modifier of 2. the next chase ability test.
Reiter delivers a stunning head butt, dropping John’s
Other special rules and conditions may apply during
Health total from –2 to –7. He is now seriously
thriller chases, as enumerated below.
wounded and thus unable to continue fighting.
That puts John out of the fight. His Consciousness
roll faces a Difficulty of 7, the absolute value of his
Health pool. He could go even further into the red to Chase Powers
strain for a bonus, but elects not to. There’s no point
in making the roll, which is guaranteed to fail. Flight: With a pool of 8 or more, a flyer can
John passes out. Given the intensity of the result, the keep up with a car chase. Without a pool of
GM describes the head butt as having given him a 8 or more, flyers aren’t fast enough to keep
concussion and possible brain injury. up with a vehicle, but can participate in a foot
Reiter, having attacked John impulsively, is now chase. Flyers always count as being more
left wondering what to do with him. At this point, maneuverable than a vehicle.
another undercover HCIU officer, Aliyah Williams,
Speed: Speedsters can always participate
enters the break room. Reiter slips out, realizing that
in vehicle chases while on foot, and are usually
he’ll now have to go on the lam to avoid arrest.
John is seriously wounded and will die if not both the fastest and most maneuverable
stabilized. Fortunately, Aliyah can get him to the participants in a chase. Speed spends
prison infirmary for immediate treatment. are doubled in a foot chase against non-
speedsters.
96
SIMULTANEOUS REVEAL Changing the Lead

Both the pursuer and the runner select and record The results of the two ability rolls (runner and pursuer)
their spends, if any, in secret and then reveal them alter the Lead as follows.
simultaneously. You can use notes on pieces of paper, • Pursuer succeeds, runner fails: the Lead shortens
poker chips, coins, pips on a die, or any other agreeable by 2.
method of recording a spend. • Pursuer, runner both succeed or fail: the Lead
Once the spends are revealed, the runner rolls first alters by 1 depending on whose margin of success (or
and adds their spend; the pursuer then rolls and adds failure) was greater. If the pursuer won by more or
theirs. lost by less, the Lead drops by 1; otherwise, the Lead
increases by 1. Ties go to the runner.
THE LEAD • Pursuer fails, runner succeeds: the Lead lengthens
by 2.
Track the back-and-forth of a thriller chase with the
Lead. The goal of the pursuer is to reduce the Lead to
0; the goal of the runner is to increase the Lead to 10. The End of the Chase
Lead increments are abstract measurements of dramatic If the Lead reaches 0 or below, the pursuer has won.
tension, not easily reducible to kilometers or yards. In The runner cannot run any more; they may have crashed
some cases, the GM may reduce or increase these goals: or fallen, or simply be blocked by a car or a cul-de-sac.
in a maze of alleyways, a runner may only need to open If the runner does not wish to surrender, a combat likely
up a Lead of 6 to escape; if the pursuers have air cover begins (see p. 91).
(a police helicopter or the like) spotting for them, an The pursuer gets the choice of whether to go first in
escaping car may need to get to a Lead of 14. any ensuing combat, regardless of ability pools.
If the Lead reaches 10 (or whatever goal the GM has
Beginning Lead set) or higher, the runner has won. The pursuers have
lost the runner; they cannot be found for the remainder of
The Lead begins halfway between 0 and the runner’s the scene unless they draw renewed attention somehow.
goal (so the starting Lead is usually 5), unless the GM The runner also wins if all of the pursuers have
rules that some specific occurrence increases or decreases crashed, fallen, or otherwise been taken out of the chase.
it.
In a foot chase, the participant with the higher
Athletics pool at the beginning of the chase is usually RAISES
faster; the participant with the higher Athletics rating at Scrambling over a chain-link fence, throwing obstacles in
the beginning of the chase is more maneuverable. In a the path of a pursuer, weaving through traffic — anything
car chase, decide which vehicle is faster or more agile. that makes it harder to continue the chase can help the
The Game Moderator should also determine the runner escape.
conditions of the chase: Before the next round of the chase starts, the runner
• An open chase is one on flat ground, good roads, can raise both sides’ Difficulty Numbers by 1. For
clear weather, etc. Adjust the starting Lead by 1 in example, if the Difficulty of the last chase round was
favor of the faster participant. The faster participant 4, the runner can raise it to 5. This represents trying to
also gets to add +1 to their chase ability die rolls. throw off the pursuer by changing the ground rules of the
• A normal chase is one with some hills, twists, bumps, chase, if only for a little while.
buildings, traffic, and so forth. The faster participant If the runner fails at the raised Difficulty, the Difficulty
gets to add +1 to their die rolls. In addition, if only one drops back to its previous level for the next encounter.
participant has a chase ability rating of 8 or higher, If the runner succeeds, and the pursuer fails, the
they get to add +1 to their chase ability die rolls. runner may choose between keeping the Difficulty raised
• A cramped chase is one in narrow streets, rush-hour or lowering it for the next encounter.
traffic, mountain roads, stormy weather, etc. Speed If both succeed, the runner may choose to either raise
is less important than maneuverability in such cases. the Difficulty again for the next set of rolls, keep it at the
Adjust the starting Lead by 1 in favor of the more current level, or lower it back to the previous level. The
maneuverable participant. The more maneuverable pursuer must agree to lower the Difficulty for the runner
participant also gets to add +1 to their chase ability to lower it in this circumstance.
die rolls.
97
The runner describes the nature of the

raise. A mutant power can be used as part
of a raise (using Wind Control for a boost,
Phasing through a barrier, using Natural
Weaponry to claw your way up a sheer wall);
in such cases, points from the power can be
spent instead of points from the chase pool.
PURSUIT
INTERVENTION
In a vehicular pursuit, a police vehicle
may attempt what’s known as the PIT
maneuver (Pursuit Intervention Technique,
or fishtailing) — a precise bump or ram,
designed to force the target into a spin.
This technique is dangerous, especially at
speed — police prefer less hazardous ways of
bringing a chase to an end, like waiting for
the quarry to run out of gas, or setting up a
block or spike strips on the road ahead. If the
situation warrants it, though, the PIT may be
employed.
A PIT attempt can only take place if the
Lead is 1 or 2. A PIT attempt always costs the
pursuer 3 points from their Driving before
any die is rolled. The Driving test Difficulty
for the PIT is 5 (or 4 if the target vehicle is
smaller and lighter than the pursuit car).
• If the test fails, the pursuer must spend
2 points immediately from their Driving
pool; if their pool is insufficient, the Lead
alters in the opposition’s favor by 1 for
every point by which they fall short. MUTANT STUNTS
• If the test succeeds, the Lead alters in the pursuer’s Both pursuer and runner can attempt to use mutant
favor by 1. powers to knock the other out of the chase. To attempt to
• If the pursuer rolls a 6 on the die and succeeds, the use a power in the middle of a chase, spend 3 points from
other vehicle has crashed, and likely been forced off the mutant power’s pool before any die is rolled. Then
the road. make a mutant ability power test as normal, describing
how you’re using your power to alter the dynamics of the
In a foot chase, if the Lead has been reduced to 1,
chase.
the pursuer may spend 2 Scuffling to grab the runner,
• If the test fails, the character using the power must
turning the chase into a Scuffling vs Scuffling fistfight.
spend 2 points immediately from their chase pool.
If the Lead has been reduced to 2, the pursuer may If the pool is insufficient, the Lead alters in the
make a Scuffling test (Difficulty 4) to tackle the target; if opposition’s favor by 1 for every point by which it falls
successful, the chase ends in a fistfight. If the test fails, short.
then the pursuer misses the tackle and the Lead increases • If the power test succeeds, the Lead alters in the
by 3 instead. mutant’s favor by 1.
98
• If the character using the power rolls a 6 on the die and Moderate shock, equivalent to a jolt from a stun
succeeds, the chase ends immediately in their favor gun. You lose 2 Health and (if in combat time) your next
unless the other character responds with a mutant four actions. You always lose at least one action, but may
stunt of their own. The responder doesn’t need to roll buy off the loss of other actions by paying 3 Athletics,
a natural 6 to counter. If the circumstances especially Lightning Reflexes or Regeneration points per action.
suit that use of the power, or the GM’s especially Extreme shock, equivalent to a lightning strike. You
impressed by the description, then the stunt may end suffer one die of damage, with a +4 modifier.
the chase on a lower roll too (4-6). The GM should always give you some opportunity
to avoid being shocked, whether it be an Athletics test to
INVESTIGATIVE ABILITIES avoid unexpected contact, or a Sense Trouble test to spot
the danger.
During a chase, the characters may also Push investigative
If you are reduced to –6 or fewer Health, the current
abilities. A Push might:
is assumed to have traveled through your heart or brain,
• increase or decrease Lead by 1
causing cardiac arrest or brain damage, respectively.
• increase or decrease the Difficulty of a test by 1
The GM describes appropriate symptoms during your
• give a partial (2-point) refresh of the chase ability
hospital convalescence, and may — if narrative credibility
• increase or decrease the goal by 2.
so demands — decide that you need a session of mutant
• For example, Push:
Healing to fully recover.
• Cop Talk to call in backup and co-ordinate the chase
• Community Relations to shout “Stop that thief!”
• Electronic Surveillance to track a subject on Explosives
security cameras Explosives divide into six classes.
• Architecture to know a short cut across a rooftop Should you find yourself within a bomb’s annihilation
• Intimidation to get those pedestrians out of your radius when it detonates, you will find the term grimly
way. self-explanatory. A tearful funeral sequence, followed by
the introduction of your new character, will ensue shortly
HAZARDS afterwards.
If you are within a device’s damage radius (but
In or out of combat, the characters’ survival may be
outside of its annihilation radius) when it explodes, you
threatened by assorted hazards, from electrical shock to
take a die of damage, plus a modifier equal to three times
poisoning.
the explosive’s class.
If you are outside of an explosion’s annihilation and
Electricity damage radii but within its debris radius, make an
Damage from exposure to electricity varies according to Athletics test with its class times three as the Difficulty. If
voltage. you fail, you take a die of damage, plus a modifier equal
Mild shock, equivalent to briefly touching a “hot” to its class.
microphone or open household electrical circuit. You GMs are free to create additional explosive devices
falling between these six broad increments. Some
lose 1 Health and are blown backwards for a couple of
weapons, like fragmentation grenades or pipe bombs
meters.
EXPLOSIVES
Class Equivalent To Annihilation Radius Damage Radius Debris Radius
1 Pipe Bomb — 1m 4m
2 Grenade — 2m 6m
3 IED — 3m 12m
4 Truck Bomb 3m 9m 36m
5 Ballistic Missile 12m 60m 240m
6 Nuke 500m 3km 4km
99
packed with nails, may be designed to deliver especially

damaging debris, with a damage modifier equal to twice
IMPROVISED POWER USE
In the continuities of the big comic book companies
the device’s class.
— built up over decades of stories featuring hundreds
Fire of disparate heroes, their antagonists, and supporting
casts — pretty much anything can happen. Powers come
Damage from exposure to fire varies according to the from multiple sources, including radioactivity, magic,
surface area of your body exposed to the flame, and genetic mutation, high technology, and alien heritage.
repeats for each round (or, outside of combat, every few Powers are not generic but unique — Johnny Fire’s flame
seconds) you remain exposed to it. abilities might work quite differently from those of the
Minor exposure, most often to an extremity like a Blazemaster. Comic book heroes routinely improvise
hand or foot, carries a damage modifier of –2. new applications of their powers to get themselves out of
Partial exposure, to up to half of your surface area, tough situations. Super-powered characters are still very
carries a damage modifier of +0. rare, and the police remain consistently baffled when
Extensive exposure, to half or more of your surface powers are used to commit crimes.
area, imposes a damage modifier of +2. By making all superhuman abilities consistent
The GM should always give you a chance to avoid and predictable, Mutant City Blues allows you to run
being set on fire. The difficulty of extinguishing a flame procedural mysteries in a world of extraordinary powers.
varies depending on the substance (except for Fire This is not a world where anything can happen, but one in
Control, which works equally well whatever the source). which a well-documented set of superhuman capabilities
If your clothes are simply on fire, the flames are easier to must be factored into the reconstruction of any crime
put out than if you are covered in an adhesive accelerant, scene. When an investigator examines a crime scene,
like the incendiary gel used in many types of napalm. they have to entertain the possibility that the perpetrator
could fly, teleport or phase through a wall, but know that
Toxins the criminal couldn’t travel through time or turn into a
Toxins are either inhaled, ingested or injected directly into robot. Two individuals with the same power might not
the bloodstream. They vary widely in lethality. A dose of be able to wield it to the same degree, but its underlying
household cleaner may impose a damage modifier of –2, capabilities remain consistent. The limits of fire powers
where a sophisticated nerve gas might range from +6 to are the same for both Johnny Fire and the Blazemaster.
+16. Inhaled toxins tend to take effect right away. Injected To preserve the predictability of mutant powers,
and ingested toxins take delayed effect, anywhere from GMs should curtail or completely disallow the sort
minutes to hours after exposure. Their damage might be of improvised power use that is a staple of the source
parceled out in increments, and may prevent you from
material.
refreshing Health points until somehow neutralized.
If you choose to interpret this rule strictly, characters
As with any hazard, the GM should always give you a
are able to improvise minor effects only. These are
chance to avoid exposure to them.
impressive but small gestures that announce or illustrate
the character’s power, but accomplish nothing difficult
enough to require a test.
A looser version of the rule allows characters to
improvise effects for general mutant abilities to overcome
actual plot obstacles. In most cases, this involves
substituting a mutant ability for a general ability.
Officer Taylor (played by Niamh) needs to get

through a locked door. Smashing through it is a
Difficulty 6 Athletics test; Niamh instead melts the
lock with her Secrete Acid power.
100
If a problem involves combining abilities, the

best approach is to have the player make a
regular general ability test, but allow points
from the ability to be spent on the general
ability test at a 2 for 1 exchange rate.
Byron Krimmel (played by Justin) wants to

use the Gravity Control power to decrease
the weight of a deployed blast door, so he
can lift its considerable weight long enough
to slide underneath it. The Gravity Control
description talks about causing standalone
objects to float up into the air, which doesn’t
seem to fit the situation. However, Justin
convinces you that this would be a sensible
application of the power, given what else it
can do. You accept his argument. Lifting the
door with Athletics carries a Difficulty of 8.
Adding 4 to that for the improvised power
use, you arrive at a Difficulty for his Gravity
Control test of 12.
If a player suggests an entirely novel use of

a power - something that’s plausibly within
the power’s penumbra of effects, but not
something that can reasonably be achieved
through other means, we suggest a Difficulty
of at least 8 and usually 12 or more.
Officer Taylor wants to use her Blade

Immunity power to grab a knife from an The improvisation that takes place is by the player,
assailant, arguing that she can cause her skin to not the character. The PC is not finding a new use for
stiffen after the weapon penetrates the outer layer. It’s the ability, but instead doing something that in the game
a stretch, but the GM allows the attempt, assigning world is standard and well-documented, but happens not
a Difficulty of 4 + the attacker’s Scuffling result. to appear in this rule book. It is then treated as a pre-
existing, predictable technique that other mutants with
the same power have been using all along – or, possibly,
Disallow improvised power uses when they duplicate the
the technique is an especially challenging or rare one that
specified effects of another existing power. For example,
only a few especially talented mutants can achieve, but
you can’t use Read Minds to see into a subject’s dreams,
it’s still a known use of the power. When examining crime
because that steps on the Observe Dreams power. Allow
scenes in later episodes, the detectives can assume that
them when they permit the character to do something
other characters can duplicate the feat. The GM then
that can be accomplished by a non-mutant ability, or
reassigns its default Difficulty to bring it line with the
which cannot otherwise be done at all. In the latter case,
documented applications of this and other powers.
assign them a Difficulty of 12.
101
Rolling On Up
Sigmor had lawyered up. “My client is the victim Chu’s report, afterwards, describes it in
here, not a suspect!” blustered the lawyer. “He was dispassionate, careful phrases.
Possessed when operating the vehicle.”
“Possession is a defense if it’s non-consensual,”
said Chu. “But if you willingly allowed yourself to be Detective Lomax identified himself as a police
possessed as part of conspiracy to murder — that’s a officer. The suspect immediately attempted to
different matter.” use the mutant power of Possession to control
“And we have evidence that your client and the Detective Lomax. (I personally observed the
Possessor met for a considerable time before any mind characteristic green flash from my position
control took place,” added Lomax. “Prosecutors hate on the far side of the automobile, and the use
the mind control defense; I bet any DA would love to of Possession was later confirmed in the lab
take a case where they can nail your client for trying by a standard PCD test). He then verbally
it fraudulently.” commanded Lomax to attack me. Detective
“Mike said —” began Sigmor, but his lawyer Lomax turned and attempted to deploy his Light
shushed him. Blast, which I Dispersed. I then used a gravitic
“Mike Fontanelli,” said Chu, “can’t help you now.” restraint technique to incapacitate Detective
Lomax and both suspects.
Sigmor gave them a name. An address. A quiet
Mister Fontanelli agreed to assist with
little house in the ‘burbs.
investigations into Richard Clooter, on the
Fontanelli’s car was parked outside.
understanding that his co-operation would
Lomax rolled down the window and took a look
be taken into account in the event charges are
with X-Ray Vision.
brought against him.
“Just the two of them. Fontanelli and the
Puppeteer.”
“Want to call for backup? If he gets a whammy on
one of us, it’s three on one.” At the time, though:
Lomax shook his head. “Fontanelli wants the Chu pulled Fontanelli out of the gravity warp and
same thing we do — he wants to get Clooter. He just slammed him up against the doorframe. “Do you
picked a stupid way to do it. I want his source within have any idea how many people your stupid stunt
Clooter’s operation, though. Let’s play it soft and get could have killed? How many lives was Clooter worth
him to co-operate.” to you?” Lightning crackled around her, leaping from
“Your call,” said Chu, “you go first.” her to the metal of the handle, the hinges, blowing out
“Why me?” the porch light in a shower of glass and sparks.
“Because I threw a fucking truck, and your Light “He… he ruined my daughter’s life… The cops
Blast is shit.” did nothing. He’s untouchable.”
“Right.” He got out of the car and crossed the “So you decided to hit him with a truck?” snarled
street towards the little house. Chu followed. She Chu.
brushed her hand against the hood of Fontanelli’s car. “Chu… softly…” muttered Lomax.
Little sparks of static jumped from her fingers to the “Right.” She released the gravity field. Lomax
metal. “Still warm. He just got here.” pulled a blindfold out of his pocket and tied it around
Lomax nodded, took a breath, and rang the the eyes of the puppeteer.
doorbell. “Mr. Fontanelli, we’re arresting you for conspiracy
to murder Rick Clooter…”
102
HCIU PROCEDURE
HCIU PROCEDURE
The material in the following chapter is
excerpted from your local police department’s
Heightened Crime Investigation Unit
operations manual. To balance its official
perspective with the between-the-lines
realities of the job, we also present, as a
series of sidebars, blog entries written by
the anonymous HCIU officer who goes by
the handle UpCopper, and handwritten
annotations by another HCIU officer.
MISSION
STATEMENT
Your duty as members of the Heightened
Crimes Investigation Unit is the same as any
police officer’s — to serve and protect.
You do this by investigating serious crimes
where a preliminary survey of the scene
suggests the potential involvement of one or
more members of the mutant community.
In the course of your duties you will identify
persons of interest, gather evidence against
suspects, and, where warranted and in
consultation with prosecutors, lay charges.
To do so effectively, you must gather sufficient
evidence to gain arrest warrants and, finally,
to secure convictions against the guilty.
Under high scrutiny from the media,
you will conduct yourselves at all times with
dignity, rectitude, and respect. Your actions,
on and off duty, will bring honor and positive in undercover operations. Others from technical
repute to the force. backgrounds may have transferred from our various
forensics departments, from crime scene analysis to the
coroner’s branch.
RECRUITMENT The leadership of this detachment does not believe
Assignment to the HCIU is a coveted honor. The squad in leadership by micromanagement. You will be granted
currently consists of only twenty-four investigating wide latitude to pursue avenues of investigation and to
officers, plus commanders and support staff. You won employ unconventional tactics afforded you by your
assignment to this squad by demonstrating excellence, extraordinary capabilities. When we say that you occupy
first as a cadet, then as a patrol officer, then finally as a position of extreme visibility, and that your work
a detective. As detectives, you accumulated years of will be carefully monitored to ensure that it meets the
positive performance evaluations while serving in other justifiably high expectations of the department and its
departments, such as robbery-homicide, special victims, civilian overseers, it is not to induce in you an attitude
gang units, organized crime control, vice, or narcotics. of excessive caution. It is to merely point out that, as
Some of you, particularly those with disguise-oriented rare as heightened police officers might be, there is no
powers such as Impersonation, Illusion, Form Alteration, shortage of candidates hoping to take your place, should
and Nondescript, may have distinguished yourselves you stumble and fall.
103
ORGANIZATIONAL UK Police Force

STRUCTURE •
•
Chief Constable
Deputy Chief Constable
As HCIU investigators, you will be detached to one of
• Assistant Chief Constable
six squads, each typically comprising three to six officers.
• Chief Superintendent
Officers may rotate in and out of cases as their other
• Superintendent
responsibilities, such as court appearances, paperwork
• Chief Inspector (equivalent of Captain)
and case follow-up, demand.
• Inspector (equivalent of Lieutenant)
Each squad is overseen by one of two watch
• Sergeant
commanders, each occupying the rank of lieutenant. You
• Constable (or Detective Constable)
will report directly to your lieutenant for duty assignments.
Your lieutenant’s performance evaluations depend on All investigating squad members are of equal rank
their case clearance rate, as do yours. When they deem (Detective I or Detective Constable). On any given case,
it fruitful to give you a long leash, they will do so. When a detective will be designated as the primary investigating
your case founders, they will prod you for updates. If you officer, or primary for short. This detective takes
can’t explain it to your lieutenant, you don’t have enough responsibility for the direction of the case. Although they
facts. It is your lieutenant’s responsibility to ensure that may not issue orders, or reprimand squad members who
your investigation proceeds according to operational do not comply with their requests, other members of the
guidelines, and that the officers under their command squad are expected to follow the primary’s lead in order
perform efficiently and ethically. Should a question arise to preserve effective process flow. If the investigation
within a squad as to the operational correctness of a concludes in an arrest and trial, the primary is credited
proposed course of action, take it immediately to your with the case clearance, or collar. This success is noted
lieutenant. If they suspect you of wrongdoing, they will in their personnel file, as part of their case clearance
immediately alert internal affairs, triggering a formal percentage. Conversely, if the case is not conclusively
investigation. resolved, the failure counts against them.
RANKS DNAS OFFICERS IN THE

Each police force has its own ranking system. HCIU
officers are usually out of uniform, that is, they are
HCIU
Officers without evident mutant powers (‘DNA
detectives. In the UK, police detectives have the same Standard’) may occasionally be detailed to the HCIU,
rank structure as uniformed officers, except with the for any of the following reasons.
prefix ‘Detective’ in front of the rank title. Two sample Personnel shortages. Otherwise qualified detectives
rank structures follow. with mutant powers may not be available for promotion
into the unit.
Los Angeles Police Department Relevant skills. A DNAS individual with, for
example, a PhD in anamorphology may be better
• Chief
specialized on issues surrounding the heightened and
• Assistant Chief — Deputy Chief II
criminology than a gene-expressive officer.
• Deputy Chief — Deputy Chief I
Community liaison. Investigating officers sometimes
• Commander
find it advantageous to have a DNAS individual on hand
• Captain I — Captain II — Captain III
to conduct certain interviews or deflect enhancement-
• Lieutenant I — Lieutenant II
related concerns of the general population.
• Detective III
• Sergeant II
• Detective II
In other words, sometimes the norms don’t like it
• Sergeant I when the chromes wear badges, and it’s better to
• Detective I
• Police Officer III+1/Senior Lead Officer send in one of their own to play good cop.
• Police Officer III
• Police Officer II
• Police Officer I
104
HCIU PROCEDURE
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JUN The Blue Wall

14 Everybody knows there are the book rules, and there are the real rules. You got to know
the book rules, because the brass can use them to jam you up when politics requires. But if
you want to put away the bad guys and do the right thing, the real rules are what you got
to follow. If you don’t know them like the blood in your veins, you ain’t a real cop. You’re
just wearing a badge.
Real rule #1: Have your partners’ backs. You’re loyal first to the people you work cases
with. If they can’t trust you, you can’t trust them to come to your aid when some perp
throws a fireball at your back.
Real rule #2: Your second loyalty is to your watch commander — provided he’s
demonstrated he’s a stand-up guy and not a prick. If he’s a stand-up guy, he’ll have your
back. That bit in the ops manual about him calling the rat squad the second he gets a
bad smell coming off you? That’s the prick move. A stand-up commander gives you every
benefit of the doubt — provided you’ve proven you’re good, and deserve his trust. He’ll go
to the wall for you, while you exonerate yourself against whatever bullshit charges they want
to pin on you. This assumes you’re worthy of the badge, and aren’t dirty or a seat-warmer. If
you flip out and waste a crowd of citizens with your bone claws, there ain’t jack he can — or
should — do for your sorry ass.
Real rule #3: Your third loyalty is to any other cop. If you’ve been around for long
enough to earn a detective’s badge, you’ve already learned to divide your colleagues into
categories. First, there’s the good cops. That’s what you strive to be, and what you pray to
God your partners are.
Then there’s the seat-warmers, the guys who are just putting in time till retirement.
Sometimes they’re idiots who stand in the way of getting things done. You may have to bust
their balls a bit to get them to do their jobs. But you never rat them out, because, whatever
else they are, they’re still cops. If a boss asks you about them, you maybe roll your eyes. But
nothing goes down on paper to jack the poor schlub up.
The last category is the guys who’ve gone dirty. You won’t find them in the HCIU. They
avoid getting promoted too far from street level, where the money is. If you’re unlucky
enough to run across one of them, you’ve got to handle it right. They can’t think you’re a
prick willing to turn them in to the rat squad. But you don’t want them entangling you in
their crap and dragging you down with them, either. Keep your distance, and avoid seeing
anything the bosses would want you to report. They may be scumbags, but they’re cop
scumbags.
That’s assuming they’re the kind of scumbags who help themselves to a little dirty
money, or let their problems with substances or gambling lead them by the nose. If they
shake down honest citizens, or commit rapes and murders, then they’re beyond the pale. If
they cross those lines, you’ve got to take them down, and there isn’t another cop who won’t
understand that.
But if you break any of the real rules, they won’t understand, and they shouldn’t. Don’t
expect help the next time you go through a door in a bad neighborhood. Expect to be
shunned. Hell, I’ll be one of the guys giving you the cold shoulder in the locker room.
105
ASSIGNMENTS Community and public relations requirements.

Cases threatening to inflame tensions between the
Squads are expected to rotate the duties of primary
heightened community and police may be deemed best
from case to case so that, over time, the burden is
handled by members of that community. In high profile
shared between all members. Squads are permitted to
cases, pressure from media and other non-police sources
use whatever system they see fit when distributing this
may prompt commanders to detail HCIU officers to
responsibility, provided that the above goal is met. Many
a case. These decisions are taken out of a necessary
robbery-homicide squads employ a practice of assigning
concern for public relations and should not be regarded
primary status to the officer who first picks up the phone
as a cynical surrender to unpleasant political realities.
when a call comes in. Others may use a roster system
If the chief of detectives determines that a case
to ensure strict rotation. The watch commander must
should be retained by its original investigating squad, an
approve all assignments of primary status and may make
HCIU officer will be detailed to liaise with that team,
changes for any reason. Watch commanders may deem
providing contacts, expertise and operational assistance,
that a particular detective’s skill set, mutant abilities, or
as required.
personal history either better enables them to take the
If the chief of detectives transfers the case to the HCIU,
lead on a given case — or requires that they take a back
the original primary is detailed to the HCIU as liaison
seat.
officer, and a new primary is designated from within the
Most case calls to the HCIU come from central
HCIU squad chosen to spearhead the investigation. The
dispatch in response to requests from patrol officers.
liaison officer provides full details on the case to date,
Uniformed officers respond to 911 calls or may come
and continues to participate in the investigation under
across crime scenes in the course of their patrol activities.
the lead of the new primary.
When they determine that a case may involve a mutant
It sometimes transpires that a case assigned to the
perpetrator and/or victim, they call dispatch, who then
HCIU on the basis of apparent heightened involvement
contacts HCIU. A small handful of case calls come from
will, after some investigation, be revealed as having
the public directly dialing the HCIU number. When
no connection to the mutant community. When such
this occurs, you will alert dispatch, who will send patrol
a determination is made, the watch commander may
officers to the scene. If they verify that the tip is based on
contact the chief of detectives to request that the case be
accurate information, dispatch will contact you, so you
transferred to the squad normally detailed to the type
can join patrol officers at the scene.
of crime in question, whether that be vice, robbery-
When another detective squad works a case and
homicide, fraud, or narcotics.
discovers in mid-investigation that it involves mutant
powers, their watch commander is required to notify the
chief of detectives, at police headquarters. The chief of A clearance is a clearance, so if his squad
detectives evaluates the circumstances and determines
whether to keep the case under the aegis of its current has been assigned a solvable case, a watch
investigators, or transfer it to HCIU. When making this commander will hold onto it like a terrier with
decision, they consider the following factors.
Duration of case to date. Cases which have a rat in its jaws, even if it turns out to bear
undergone little development by current case officers no relation to the squad’s mandate. If the case
may be readily transferred with little loss of case
knowledge. Where non-heightened officers have instead smells like a dog, he’ll do his best to unload
been working an investigation for extended periods, it
becomes challenging to effectively convey all relevant
it on another squad and get it off his year-
information to a new team. to-year stats. Of course, all the other watch
Danger to non-enhanced officers. Investigations
likely to lead to hostile encounters between heightened commanders know how this works, and will beg,
suspects and police may be better handled by officers wheedle and cajole the chief of detectives to
with the powers to defend against them.
avoid getting any loser cases palmed off on
them.
106
HCIU PROCEDURE
Follow UpCopper
JUL Pure Cops, Lixer Cops

28 Cops are like anybody else, but more so. There’s tension between the pure and the lixers out in
the real world, and you get that reflected inside the squad room, too. Some norms have chips
on their shoulders about us. If you got as far as detective, you learned to tolerate a lot of crap.
When other squads catch a case that turns out to be HC material, their reluctance or
eagerness to part with it generally has squat to do with anti-lixer prejudice. Cops are territorial.
We hold onto cases we think we can clear, and try to dump that which will screw up our
performance evaluations. If we happen to like somebody for a crime, and we develop a healthy
hate-on for him, we want to see the case through to the arrest. We want to be the ones to slap
the cuffs on. That’s as true of the pure cops as of the lixers.
So often another squad will hold onto a case that ought to be ours, holding back their
knowledge of the facts that would earn it a swift transfer to our humble bailiwick. This means
sometimes you inherit a case after some norm squad has already screwed the pooch on it.
Of course, when it comes to pressure from outside, we forget our squabbles and close
ranks. We’re cops before anything else.
AUG Clearing Cases

5 The detective’s mantra is ABC: always be clearing. Most watch commanders keep a list of
all active cases, with the primary’s name emblazoned beside the name of each victim. (In a
multiple homicide, each victim is treated as a separate case, so if you, as primary, haven’t
caught a killer of six, you will have six cases lodged against you, with your clearance rate taking
a commensurate hit.) In days past, the list was maintained on a blackboard, whiteboard or
bulletin board. Now it appears on a plasma screen display.
When your name is on the big board, it should gnaw at you night and day, as it does your
watch commander. It threatens your clearance rate. You must get it off that board. Then it
becomes a positive statistic. Then a new case goes up next to your name, and that haunts you,
until you clear that. And so on. Welcome to the glamorous world of police work.
A case is considered cleared when an arrest is made, or when it is found to be something
other than a crime. So if you find out that a supposedly stolen car was borrowed by the owner’s
son, or that an apparent murder victim in fact committed suicide, that’s a clearance. Although
it’s your duty to help prosecutors put the scumbags in prison after you apprehend them, 95%
of the time an arrest counts as a clearance. It’s not your problem if the idiot jury fails to convict
— unless the defendant is truly exonerated, and evidence appears that the real perp is still out
there. Then the case goes back on the board, and if you’re lucky, you have to investigate all over
again. If you’re unlucky, the watch commander docks you the original clearance and then puts
a new primary in charge, so you have no hope of making good for the blot on your record.
Despite what the defense shysters say, the department doesn’t like to arrest or convict the
innocent. Do you have any idea how much paperwork that makes?
107
SHIFTS AND SCHEDULING The first thing I want to know when I hit a
Each watch commander oversees three eight-hour shifts, homicide scene as primary is: was the vic killed
assigning one squad to each: 6 AM to 2 PM, 2 PM to 10
PM, and 10 PM to 6 AM. Squads are rotated between here, or dumped? If it’s the former, telling
shifts on a quarterly basis.
When you are not working a case or assigned to a
physical evidence will be everywhere. If it’s a
specific support duty, such as appearing in court or dumper, I know I’m screwed.
engaging in a public relations exercise, your presence
is required in the squad room during your shift hours.
While waiting to catch cases, you field inquiries, file INTERVIEWS AND
INTERROGATIONS
paperwork and rework cold investigations. Officers are
expected to maintain a professional, diligent demeanor.
In accordance with memos #43907D, 324097A, and Successful interviews and interrogations are the key
E39780-12, our crackdown on newspaper reading, to a high clearance rate. Scientific evidence may prove
internet surfing, and nerf basketball tournaments during facts, but narratives win convictions. During the early
office hours remains in place. stages of an investigation, you want to establish what
While working on a case, squads may arrange hours might have happened, then narrow it down to what
as needed to contact witnesses, conduct stakeouts, did happen. Interviews allow you to do this. When
and consult with technical personnel. The primary interviewing witnesses who are not suspects, be polite,
is responsible for keeping time records of all squad firm, and professional. Witnesses are often reluctant to
members’ activities. Squad members must clock in for involve themselves in a police investigation. Without
full work weeks. They may bank lieu time with approval triggering complaints, be sure to inform persons holding
of watch commanders. Watch commanders have limited vital information of the benefits of sharing it, and of the
discretion to permit overtime hours on high-priority consequences of withholding it.
cases. Officers receive time-and-a-half for approved The official policy of the department as to a suspect’s
overtime, and double time for case work extending into access to legal counsel is that we never discourage people
statutory holidays. from availing themselves of their legal rights.
A truism of police work is that the most likely suspect
probably did it. Murders among the heightened are no
EVIDENCE COLLECTION different than any other. Most are committed among
Although HCIU officers often possess the expertise and family members, then close friends, and then business
equipment (or mutant powers) to examine and process associates (especially associates in criminal enterprises.)
evidence, actual evidence collection is handled, as with The chief motivations for murder are commonly listed as
any investigation, by civilian criminalists detailed to the sex and money. Even more prevalent is the temporary
Crime Scene Processing unit. Although you can expect alleviation of annoyance — the hot-headed murder
them to exercise judgment and collect obvious pieces of committed out of momentary anger by a person with
evidence, a good detective always remains at the scene to limited financial and emotional resources. These are the
request the bagging and tagging of all relevant materials. easy murders to clear. Be grateful when you get them.
You must perform all necessary paperwork when Suspects are easy to locate and easier to persuade in the
either accessing or removing materials from Evidence interrogation room.
Storage, to thoroughly document the whereabouts of The hardest murders to clear arise from organized
each piece of evidence that might be introduced in court crime activities, especially the drug trade. Witnesses are
at all times. This process flow is called the Chain of savvy to interrogation tactics and aware that confession
Custody. Defense lawyers win acquittals by successfully is never in their best interests. These cases are solved
calling into question the chain of custody. When the outside the interrogation room, by working informants
chain of custody is broken, police careers go along with and establishing communications surveillance.
it. It is in these cases, where suspects are connected
to multiple murders, draw on considerable financial
resources, and can effectively intimidate any witnesses
against them, that mind-reading warrants may be applied
for, and granted.
108
HCIU PROCEDURE
Follow UpCopper
AUG Detective as Con Man

14
Any good detective is a con artist. He convinces witnesses to talk, even when it’s not in their
interests to do so.
He persuades suspects that he’s on their side, that he shares the same worries, and that
he’s there to help. He’s selling a bill of goods — that a confession offers the best possible deal
for the suspect. Now and then the odd undetectable slap upside the head will get your skel’s
attention, but it’s an ability to fashion an appealing sales pitch that separates the detective
with the high clearance rate from the hapless mug with red names all over his section of the
big board.
The trick to an interrogation is to find what makes your suspect tick. Step one: get
to know him well enough to figure out what he thinks he needs. Step two: find a way to
convince him that the way to get it is a signed confession.
Courts have upheld your right to deceive suspects. Use it. Tell them you’ve got hard
physical evidence, or that their accomplices have flipped on them, or that an eyewitness just
picked them out of a photo array. Lying works more often than not, but if you’ve got a perp
of above-average intelligence, do it carefully. Don’t say anything the perp knows to be false.
You never want to let a suspect take control of the interview, which is exactly what happens
when you get caught in a lie.
As police investigators we are supposed to respect a suspect’s right to legal counsel. In
fact, we respect it so much that we say whatever is necessary to persuade him not to use it!
When a suspect lawyers up, he shuts up. Convince him, even though it is never true, that
he’s better off speaking to you without a lawyer. You can’t come out and say this in so many
words; you have to hint around it. Suggest that bringing in a lawyer escalates matters, or
takes them out of your hands, so that you and he are no longer able to work together to get
the best deal for him.
Like most interrogation gambits, this won’t fly with hardened criminals. They know the
drill, won’t talk anyway, and have their shysters on speed-dial.
109
Interrogation Tips for GMs and Players
During playtest we found that some players who’d excelled in interviews as fake cops (The Esoterrorists),
ordinary people (Fear Itself) and self-appointed inquirers into cosmic terror (Trail Of Cthulhu) became
suddenly tentative when called upon to extract information from witnesses and suspects as the
badge-wearing police officers of Mutant City Blues. The pressure of properly playing trained cops kept
them dallying and fretting rather than diving into interpersonal scenes to get the information they
needed to move forward.
The following tips should keep interviews on track.
Game Moderators
Takebacks. Players may be too worried about making mistakes in interviews, for fear that they’re
playing their cop characters incorrectly. Allow them to take back any obviously out-of-character
remarks they happen to blurt out as they feel their way through a scene.
Passive use of Interpersonal abilities. By default, GUMSHOE assumes that the use of Interpersonal
abilities is active; the players have to correctly choose an appropriate ability and describe how they’re
using it to open the witness up to questioning. When you see that players are hesitant, tell the player
with the relevant ability that his experienced cop character can sense that it will work here:
• “You get the feeling that this guy will crack if you lean on him a little.” (Intimidation)
• “He seems kind of smitten by you.” (Charm)
• “The squeal of a police scanner tells you you’ve got a wannabe cop on your hands.” (Cop Talk)
Kibitzing. Permit players whose characters are absent from the interview to give advice to the players
taking the lead in it. If you feel the need to make this convention seem realistic, specify that the
interviewing characters are wearing tiny ear-implant radio receivers.
Players
When in doubt, remind yourself of the following.
• Find and exploit your angle. It’s rarely in anyone’s interest to talk to the cops. You’re a con artist,
selling a bill of goods. As you begin an interview with a resistant subject, your first step is to figure
out what they want. That’s your angle, usually exploitable through the use of an Interpersonal
ability. Work your angle to convince the subject that they can get what they want by cooperating
with you. When they buy in, you’ve got your opening. Take advantage of your opening to pry loose
the information you seek.
• Never undercut your partner. Most interviews are tag-team affairs. Except when working an
angle (like the classic good cop/bad cop stratagem), never block or negate a partner’s gambit.
Instead, build on what they’re doing, even when you disagree with it, or sit back and let them make
their play. If it blows up in their face, you can come back around to try a new angle. Otherwise
you’re giving the subject the leverage to play you off against each other.
• If they’re talking, you’re winning. Don’t sweat the occasional setback. In the typical interview,
you don’t have much to lose. At worst, the subject will clam up entirely. Even if you feel a sense of
embarrassment or temporarily lose control of the exchange, you still have a chance of moving it
back in your direction.
• When in doubt, let the line go slack. If something goes wrong, turn it around and use it. You don’t
have to control the interview or dominate the subject at all times. Often you can close your con
by letting the subject feel that they are on top. Then pull the rug out from under them with new
information or a sudden switch to hardball tactics. Comfortable or confident subjects blab. The
more someone talks, the more likely they are to give themselves away.
110
HCIU PROCEDURE
EMAT PROTOCOL Court Sequences in Play

Perpetrators otherwise lacking a viable defense
often claim to have been acting under the influence
of a mutant power. It is therefore incumbent on Although the eventual disposition of their
you as investigators to use the EMAT protocol, a investigations in court must be uppermost in
series of observational techniques used to identify detectives’ minds as they pursue the cases, they
signs of mind control or mental influence, early in rarely take center stage in a Mutant City Blues
any interrogation, to rule out this possibility (see game. Usually a scenario can conclude with a quick
Influence Detection on p. 26.) summary of the prosecution and sentencing of the
The officer conducting the EMAT examination
guilty party, as part of a brief denouement.
must testify in court to its veracity, and should
As a change of pace, however, a case may include
hone their communications skills accordingly.
If you discover signs of mental influence, one or more court sequences.
communicate this to prosecutors, as it constitutes A story may begin with the acquittal of a clearly
exculpatory evidence which must be turned over guilty suspect. Perhaps supporting character
to the defense, should an arrest result. If you detectives or forensic scientists have botched the
believe that the suspect would not have committed case in some way. Maybe corruption played a
the crime except for the mental influence, this part in the acquittal. The PCs now have to pursue
transforms them into a witness against the true the perp for a different crime entirely, this time
culprit — the mutant who influenced them. The making sure their case is ironclad. However, the
case is not considered cleared until you find this
doctrine of double jeopardy prevents the suspect
individual and build a case against them.
from being retried on the same charges, and the
Although you may naturally share your opinion
of the case with prosecutors, the decision to forgo detectives have to be careful to avoid accusations
charges against an influenced suspect remains of harassment. (Double jeopardy may not be an
theirs. issue in certain non-US jurisdictions. For example,
However, the mere fact of mental influence in Canada, prosecutors as well as defense attorneys
does not guarantee that the suspect did not are allowed to appeal verdicts.)
independently form the intent to commit a crime. Alternatively, a court scene may lead a detective
This determination confronts the prosecutor with to a new crime. Perhaps they’re on the witness
the difficulty of proving state of mind, but still stand when they spot a crucial piece of evidence
results in a clearance for you.
suggesting that the defendant has been framed.
As an HCIU officer who may come into regular,
Now the detective must convince prosecutors to
perhaps unknowing, contact with mind-controlling
individuals, you are subject to unannounced abandon their case so the PCs can find the real
EMAT tests as often as once a month. If you do culprit.
encounter a mind controller, you are required to If the PCs flagrantly violate police procedure or
submit a form 334 within eight hours. An Internal the civil rights of their detainees, you may feel the
Affairs EMAT specialist will then arrange an need to preserve the believability of your series
emergency EMAT test within 24 hours of filing. by continuing a case all the way to its horrifying
(Warning: due to recent budget cuts, wait times for implosion before a judge.
emergency EMAT testing may exceed this ideal Subplots can also feature scenes that take place
time frame.) To refuse a department-administered
in court.
EMAT results in immediate suspension from the
Use the directed scene method to keep all
force.
players engaged in court scenes. Give uninvolved
TESTIMONY IN COURT players temporary roles as prosecutors, defense
lawyers, witnesses, and spectators. You’ll probably
Every police officer could stand to improve their
demeanor on the witness stand in court. Juries want to keep the judge as a character under your
who we expect to decide cases based on evidence control, so that you can keep a lid on the pacing and
alone often in fact make emotional judgments outcome of court sequences.
about the parties on both sides, and then select
111
A BRIDGE BETWEEN
COMMUNITIES
The HCIU exists not only to police the
mutant community, but to act as a bridge
between it and the department. Like any
police force, we are often unfairly branded as
an instrument of prejudice. Persuading your
community of our good faith is part of your
job.
In furtherance of this goal, you may
sometimes be detailed to community
outreach assignments. Do not think of these as
distractions from real police duties. Creating
a bond of trust between the department and
the gene-expressive community lays essential
groundwork for your later investigative work.
When you knock on a mutant’s door, you
want him to happily welcome you into his
home, and to open up to you when you ask
him what he knows.
Dealing with mutant rights activists
requires special diplomacy. Even if you
personally dislike their strategies or agendas,
we recommend that you express sympathy
with them while in turn communicating to
them the department’s own priorities.
MEDIA RELATIONS
All police officers are representatives of the
entire department, and should comport
themselves with dignity and circumspection when
the factual evidence that fits their chosen side. You must interacting with reporters. An HCIU officer must exercise
present yourself to the jury as personable, trustworthy, and special care and restraint, because they are a figure of
professional. great interest to the media. Members of the public are
Answer prosecutor’s questions in a clear, direct manner. fascinated by the activities of the city’s mutant police
A skillful defense attorney will attempt to elicit misleading officers. Any controversy involving you will be magnified
evidence by framing questions in an unfavorable way. a hundredfold.
Within the limitations imposed on you by the judge, do In the past, certain former officers have fallen prey
your best to respond in a way that makes your point, not to the siren song of media attention, and have courted
the defense’s. publicity, promoting themselves at the expense of the
Expect defense attorneys to attempt to bait you. department. HCIU officers are expected to at all times
Although judges will prevent them from openly appealing know the difference between themselves and rock stars.
to anti-mutant prejudice, they may do so in covert ways, Those hoping to use the unit as a stepping stone to book
attempting to portray you as strange or unreliable. This is deals or Hollywood consultancies will face swift, harsh
why it is essential to maintain a spotless personnel file. If reprimand.
you lose your temper or cross a line in the course of one Coordination with the press, especially when
investigation, you are negatively impacting not only that entreating the public to come forward with information,
case, but every other case you investigate in the future. can be an invaluable technique in finding missing persons,
Officers with certain powers should expect the locating fugitives, and gathering tips. Media strategy is
implication that they suffer the well-known GRFs the province of the watch commander. Unauthorized
connected or correlated with them, even when they do not. leaks to the press will not be tolerated.
112
HCIU PROCEDURE
Follow UpCopper
SEP Citizens and Scrotes

3
During his rookie year, every cop learns that there are two kinds of people in the world:
citizens and scrotes.
Citizens are the good people. The ones who pay their taxes, follow the rules, and just
want to raise their families in safety and peace. They’re who you do this job for. When you
talk to them, you treat them with deference and respect. Even if maybe they’re not so fond
of you, on account of your being a mutant. Sometimes you’ll deal with a guy who’s a bit of
dick, but also a citizen. The citizen part trumps the dick part. Maybe you push back a little,
but you hold back.
Scrotes are the wrongdoers, the criminals, the low-lives, the druggers and the muggers,
the pimps and the pros. They’re the societal refuse who give the citizens reason to live in fear.
You never cut a scrote a break, because they need leaning on. Maybe one day they’ll find
God or L. Ron Hubbard or whatever and turn themselves into citizens. But when you’re
dealing with them, they’re scrotes. They’re the ones you do this job to.
Whether somebody is a norm or a lixer doesn’t matter. It’s the scrote/citizen divide that
counts. A mutant citizen gets your deference and respect. A mutant scrote gets slammed up
against the wall.
SEP If It Bleeds, It Leads

9
Note the use of the word “unauthorized” in the phrase “unauthorized leaks.” A strategic
discharge of information to friendly reporters can be an investigating detective’s best
friend, especially when leads start drying up. Let’s say, for example, you need to shake up
an overconfident suspect, so that he makes a mistake you can capitalize on. The exposure
can pay off — provided you cover your tracks. To be able to do this, you’ve got to cultivate
relationships with reporters you can trust.
To figure out which reporters have your back, and which ones are out to jam you up,
check out some of their articles. Look for ones whose copy divides the world into citizens
and scrotes, like you do. Generally, the police beat reporters are stand-up guys, and the
investigative reporters are scumbag-enabling weasels out to score points at your expense.
The one mistake you should never make is to take credit for anything, because that’s the brass’
job. They live for press conferences. Steal their thunder in public, and you’ll be reassigned to
guarding the auto yard before you know what hit you.
113
FORENSIC ANAMORPHOLOGY
In a world where super powers are widespread and derive
from a consistent, if incompletely understood, point of
ANAMORPHOLOGY 101
As previously mentioned, the Quade Diagram is an
origin, their physical traces can be subjected to scientific
invaluable aid to any HCIU investigator, and can be used
analysis which holds up in court. Just as detectives in
by any layman to tell which powers are likely to be found
our world rely on ballistics to identify bullets found at a
in combination, and which are too far apart to occur in a
crime scene, HCIU officers can use forensics to analyze
single individual.
the physical after-effects of mutant abilities, most notably
HCIU officers trained in anamorphology will also
blast powers. DNA evidence can be scoured to tell mutant
be aware of Lucius Quade’s system of Mutation Siting.
from norm, and to identify which powers individuals are
Different sets of related mutations are considered to be
likely to manifest.
sited in various organs or systems of the body, because
Forensic scientists have been at the forefront of
they either alter the anatomy of those bodily structures,
efforts to find practical applications for the discoveries
or because they contain a high concentration of S-cells.
of anamorphology. The Quade Institute maintains a
department of forensic science, which offers training
to criminalists and police investigators. Your character S-Cells
may have attended classes there. Even if you didn’t, the S-cells are found in all mutants. These are strange cells
techniques you rely upon when analyzing crime scenes which are formed from undifferentiated stem cells,
for traces of mutant powers were shaped in its ultra- but which do not reproduce and serve no discernable
modern corridors. anatomical function. Anamorphologists believe that these
114
are a by-product of the mutation process, but have not Intestinal: Analytic Taste, Secrete Acid, Self-
yet pinpointed the mechanism that produces them. Some Detonation, Spit Acid, Suppress Explosion, Venom (Bite),
speculate that the secret of the SME can be found by Venom (Spit), Venom (Stinger).
better understanding the origins of S-cells. Others suggest Lymphatic: Cure Disease, Disease Immunity, Forced
that S-cells are responsible in some way for the slightly Genetic Drift, Plant Communication, Plant Control,
lower incidence of cancer in mutants. Spread Pathogen.
Another theory, credited more by crazy people and Muscular: Flight, Healing, Heat Blast, Regeneration,
comic book writers than by anamorphologists, claims Strength.
that S-cells contain the latent potential for a second, even Nucleus Accumbens: Endorphin Control (Others),
more staggering SME. When that day comes, the hidden Endorphin Control (Self), GABA Oversufficiency, Induce
powers of the S-cells will unlock themselves, transforming Mental Disorder, Insula Skew, Pain Immunity. (The
mutants into creatures no longer recognizable as humans. nucleus accumbens is a collection of neurons in the brain
These theories tend toward the apocalyptic, envisioning believed to control pleasure and reward, and to play a
that the new species will manifest as either angelic beings role in addictive behaviors.)
of light, or grotesque demon-like monsters. Nervous: Gravity Control, High Energy Dispersal,
At any rate, S-cells are found throughout every Lightning, Lightning Decisions, Reflexes, Speed.
mutant’s body, but cluster in larger numbers in the Orbitofrontal Cortical: Cognition, Illusion, Psionic
systems where their powers are sited. Blast, Read Minds, Threat Calculus. (This complex is
sited in the brain region associated with decision-making.
Olfactory: Command Mammals, Environmental
Power Complexes Awareness, Olfactory Center, Tracking.
The Quade team has identified twenty-three groups of Optical: Alter Form, Impersonate, Invisibility,
mutant powers, each of them referred to as a complex. Light Blast, Light Control, Microvision, Night Vision,
Individual complexes are named for the organs or systems Telescopic Vision, Thermal Vision, X-Ray Vision.
their mutant powers modify, giving you the Alimentary Parahippocampal Gyrus: Earth Control, Force
Complex, the Epidermal Complex, and so on. Although Field, Magnetism, Sensory Overload, Spatial Awareness,
some controversy still attends some of the Quade team’s Telekinesis, Teleportation. (This brain region was once
classifications, the generally accepted power complexes, considered a site of memory storage and retrieval, but the
and their constituent abilities, are as follows. siting of these peculiar mutant powers there has called
Alimentary: Radiation Immunity, Radiation this into question.)
Projection, Toxin Immunity (Ingested). Renal: Fire Control, Fire Immunity, Fire Projection,
Amygdalic: Command Amphibians & Reptiles, Spontaneous Combustion.
Cortisol Elevation, Induce Aggression, Induce Fear, Lymbic Respiratory: Asthma, Command Birds, Deplete
Hypertrophy. Oxygen, Toxin Immunity (Gaseous), Wind Control.
Auditory: Hearing, Sonar, Sonic Blast. Salivary: Analytic Taste, Secrete Acid, Spit Acid,
Circulatory: Absorption, Blood Spray, Command Venom (Bite).
Insects, Fangs, Plasma Deficiency, Possession. Skeletal: Concussion Beam, Kinetic Energy
Epidermal: Armor, Blade Immunity, Entangling Dispersal, Limb Extension, Natural Weaponry, Skeletal
Hair, Quills, Scleroderma, Wall Crawling, Webbing Mineralization.
Hippocampal: Memory Alteration, Precision Somatosensory: Disintegration, Ice Blast,
Memory, Technopathy, Telepathy, Translation. (Sited in Phase, Reduce Temperature, Sensory Overload, Touch,
the hippocampus, part of the brain below the temporal Transmutation
lobes.) Throat: Command Fish, Gills, Swimming, Water
Hypothalamic: Emotion Control, Empathy, Blast, Water Manipulation.
Enter Dreams, Nondescript, Observe Dreams, Sexual Apart from the known proximity of powers on the
Chemistry. (The hypothalamus is the portion of the brain Quade Diagram, there appears to be no limit to the
connecting the endocrine and nervous systems.) number of complexes a single mutant’s powers belong
to. As the diagram shows, the complexes are usually
composed of correlated, as opposed to connected, powers.
115
PIC Tests
Genetic Risk Factors and Even more challenging is the Power Identification
Genetic Markers Centrifuge test, or PIC, which tells you exactly which
powers the subject possesses. It requires a perfect
Lucius Quade identifies two types of GRFs sample and many hours of painstaking prep work. Some
arising from genetic mutations: anatomical
technicians claim to be able to take a sample from a
subject suffering the symptoms that foretell the onset of a
and psychosocial. (These correspond to
new power, and identify which power will manifest at the
the abilities that require Health as their end of the process.
resistance ability, and those that require
Composure.) Anamorphologists have located
genetic markers corresponding to all of the Lab Work
anatomical mutations, but none for any of the Characters can access this information directly by using
psychosocial GRFs. This seems to imply that their own Forensic Anthropology abilities, with access
to HCIU laboratory facilities. Or they can send evidence
the psychosocial GRFs are not mutations, per
out for testing by staff technicians. As always, each
se, but are instead proclivities that arise from
approach has its drawbacks. You get it faster if you do it
the experience of using the powers to which yourself; generally in a day if not within hours. (This is
they are connected or correlated. the same unrealistically quick pacing you see in forensics-
heavy procedural shows.) However, sustained lab work
prevents you from being out in the field, actively moving
DNA ANALYSIS the case forward by interviewing witnesses and gathering
The presence of mutant genes can be detected via DNA further evidence. Leaving it to the specialists allows you
analysis. The information gatherable from any quantity to continue to pound the pavement for additional clues
of biological material depends on two factors: the but leaves you at the mercy of their perpetual backlog.
time devoted to testing, and the quality of the sample.
Reasons for poor sample quality include degradation, in
which the DNA has decomposed, and contamination,
ORGAN GRAFTING
Some mutant powers have proved to be transmissible
where it is mixed with other substances. Mixed samples
via transplantation. This sometimes occurs when the
containing DNA from multiple sources is a common type
biological material in which the power is sited (see
of contamination; well-established techniques exist to
above) is successfully transplanted into a new host. The
separate them.
phenomenon was originally discovered accidentally,
The easiest information to extract from a sample is the
when organs or tissues from donors of unrevealed
presence of S-cells, which confirms that a sample comes
heightened status were used in medical procedures. In
from a mutant source. This can be gleaned even from
recent years, a covert industry has sprung up to conduct
samples of such poor quality that they can no longer be
transplants purely for the purpose of inducing mutant
used to for a positive identification.
powers. Whether necessary or elective, these surgeries
carry considerable risk. The chances of tissue rejection
PCD Tests increase significantly when mutant genes are present
More difficult to extract are the genetic markers in transplanted biological materials. Even when the
corresponding to particular power complexes. If transplant takes, there is only a small chance that the
successful, these tests tell you which complex or complexes power sited in the material will be transmitted to its user.
the individual’s powers belong to. They’re called PCD It always takes some time for a heightened power to
tests, which is short for Power Complex Detection. PCD manifest after a transplant. The shortest documented
tests require either many hours of painstaking work, or a interval is twenty-eight days; the longest is 1,469 days.
sample of impeccable quality. Typically the recipient gains a single power from the site
complex corresponding to the type of tissue involved.
(In other words, a lung transplant recipient receives one
power from the respiratory complex, a bone graft patient
gets one from the skeletal complex, and so on.) The first
power may be a GRF.
116
After the first power manifestation, the subject may or

may not continue to manifest additional powers. If further
ENERGY RESIDUES
The new investigative ability Energy Residue Analysis (p.
powers appear, they usually do so under stress conditions.
24) allows forensic scientists to examine items damaged by
Intervals between additional power manifestations cluster
blast powers and identify the power used, and sometimes
in the four-to-six-week range. However, edge cases have
other relevant information as well. Think of it as a less
been reported when the interval has been either much
definitive version of ballistics, but for blast powers. What
shorter or quite a bit longer than that.
the discipline can tell you about a scene varies by blast
Later powers will be traceable to the original power on
power type.
the Quade Diagram, but do not necessarily belong to the
same complex as the original power. A patient might get
Fangs, a power from the circulatory complex, from a bone
marrow transplant, and then, many weeks later, develop
Disease Immunity as her next power, even though it is
from the adjacent Lymphatic complex.
The power complexes available from various organs/
tissues, along with their chances of rejection and power
transmission, are as follows.
Information on transplants is not presented with the idea
that HCIU officers will have received their mutant abilities
in this way, but as background detail on the science of
mutation that may figure into their investigations.
Power
Organ/ Rejection
Complex Acquisition
Tissue Rate
Rate
Bone
Circulatory 78% 12%
marrow
Skin Epidermal 34% 7%
Intestine Intestinal 68% 14%
Muscle Muscular 57% 6%
Cornea Optical 24% 17%
Liver Renal 45% 3%
Lungs Respiratory 87% 10%
Bone graft Skeletal 28% 11%
117
Concussion Beam Flesh is not a good medium for holding evidence

of distinctive blast signatures: burnt flesh immediately
An energy residue expert can, on a visual examination
bubbles and sloughs off. However it is usually possible
of an object, determine whether it was smashed by a
to distinguish between the victim of a fire blast and one
concussion beam, or by some other force.
burned by some other source.
Users of this power tend to project their invisible force
An ERA can, through microscopic examination,
beams in a telltale manner. The edges of the beam may
distinguish materials damaged directly by fire projection
be blunt or sharp, and of slightly varying widths. As a
and those that burst into flame due to close proximity to
result, you can take two items of the same material and
a heat blast.
same approximate mass and shape damaged by two
concussion beams, and compare them to see if they were
broken by the same individual. For example, you could Heat Blast
examine the remains of two doors and compare the Heat blasts, which damage objects by proximity of heat
cracks and splinters. If the two doors were broken by the rather than impact, leave little useful evidence. It is possible
same person’s concussion beam, you’ll find close matches to distinguish objects damaged by heat blasts from other
in both. You can also use stresses, fractures and splinters sources of extreme heat and from fire projection. Heat
to rule out a person for whom you have a known sample blasts do not leave identifiable signatures which can be
of concussion beam damage as the individual who caused traced to particular individuals.
damage to another object.
It is very difficult to deliberately contort one’s
concussion beam to remove its signature shape, which Ice Blast
exists on a microscopic level. Suspects may be compelled Just as no two snowflakes are alike, each ice blast can be
by court order to use their concussion beams to destroy traced to the mutant who generated it — provided that the
like objects under laboratory conditions. ice crystals can be found before they melt, and kept frozen
Victims struck by concussion beams tend to exhibit long enough to take quality microscopic photographs for
distinctive bruising patterns. To get a good match, it is comparison purposes. The residue analyst examines the
necessary to take high-resolution photographs of the shape and size of the constituent water crystals left behind
bruises within a few hours of an attack. These can be by any ice blast attack. These are as unique, and therefore
compared to photographs from other concussion beam traceable to an individual, as fingerprints. Analysts use
attacks for similarities or differences. Some forensic small ice chests, the size of drink coolers, but with battery
laboratories hire individuals with the Regeneration ability powered refrigeration capabilities, to collect ice evidence.
to submit themselves to court-mandated concussion beam These are not standard equipment in an analyst’s vehicle,
attacks by suspects under lab conditions. They then heal but must be signed out of the lab’s properties locker. You
their injuries after photographs are taken for comparative may, on a successful Preparedness test, be deemed to have
purposes. This is a highly paid job, usually undertaken on a cooler conveniently on hand when you need one.
a fee-for-service basis.
Concussion beam analysis is considered strongly
circumstantial but lacks the absolute certitude associated Light Blast
with DNA or fingerprint evidence. Successfully explaining Light blasts leave no distinctive traces on unliving matter.
it to a lay jury requires a skillful courtroom manner. However, the injuries they inflict on human flesh, which
resemble severe sunburns, can exhibit telltale microscopic
patterns along the edges of the wounds. These are distorted
Fire Projection when the damaged skin begins to flake off, so in the case
Different users tend to shape their fire blasts in distinctive of a surviving victim it is necessary to acquire high-
ways, but, because fire tends to spread and consume resolution close-ups of the wounds within approximately
objects it touches, these are harder to detect than in three hours of the injury. Light blast wounds degrade less
the case of concussion beams. It is also very difficult to quickly post-mortem, and can yield useful information up
locate, in a mass of charred material, a fire blast’s original to twelve hours after the time of injury. In cases where
point of impact. Certain materials, plastics in particular, the victim dies some time after incurring the injuries,
serve as ideal media for these telltale impact signatures, degradation to the injury pattern occurs quickly for the
so criminalists examining burnt scenes for evidence of time between injury and death, and then slows.
mutant activity often gravitate to them first. The rate of degradation can aid in determining an
approximate time of death for victims of light blast attacks.
118
Lightning generated by mutant powers, labeling them the Zero

Point, the SD, the RPI, the RT, and the RSR. The
Lightning damage is the hardest of the blasts to identify.
Zero Point is generated by mutants who have only the
If it has a distinguishing characteristic, it lies in the
Radiation Projection power, and no other. SD is generated
bizarre multiplicity of damage effects it leaves behind.
by mutants who possess both Radiation Projection
Lightning strikes tend to leap from their original targets
and Self-Detonation. RSR appears when the mutant
to metal objects, including pipes and power lines, doing
possesses those two powers, plus Suppress Explosion.
collateral damage to them. So you might find a victim
The RPI pattern appears when the generating mutant
of a lightning strike lying in the middle of a room, with
possesses Radiation Projection and Radiation Immunity.
black scorch marks surrounding nearby electrical sockets,
When the mutant has both Radiation Projection and
wires or junctures. These secondary electrical arcs may
Transmutation, the RT pattern is found. A mutant with
blow apart drywall, shatter mirrors, or melt plastics and
several of the above combinations will leave residue that
resins. The key to distinguishing natural lightning from a
oscillates between them. For example, an individual
blast attack is one of geometry. Natural lightning travels
capable of Radiation Projection and Self-Detonation and
unpredictably but comes from the sky; mutant attacks
Transmutation, will leave a trace that alternates between
tend to be made vertically from a position of 1–1.5m off
the SD and RT patterns. However, a mutant whose
the ground. Neither flesh nor inanimate materials retain
residue generates an RSR pattern never registers as an
distinctive damage patterns enabling the analyst to trace
SD.
an attack to an individual mutant.
In short, a scintillation test gives you either a complete
or partial profile of the perpetrator’s mutant abilities.
Psionic Blast Although they can be used as circumstantial evidence in
When examined by a brain scan, the living victim of a court, they are best used to rule out suspects.
psionic blast attack shows a distinctive pattern of brain
damage that can be tied to a particular perpetrator with Water Blast
an 87.3% accuracy rate. Patterns of damage are much
If the water from such a blast evaporates or leaches
harder to detect in a dead brain, the parts of which must
away before crime scene evidence can be collected, no
be examined manually. In the case of a victim killed by a
distinctive patterns tying the perpetrator to the offense
psionic blast (or who dies by other means after suffering
can be found. However, if you’re lucky enough to collect
one), the ERA can only testify that one set of fatal injuries
an uncontaminated sample of the water generated by a
is consistent with other fatal injuries known to have been
water blast, it will contain blood and skin cells from the
caused by the same psi-blaster. Juries generally consider
blaster, in trace quantities which can be isolated with the
such testimony as circumstantial rather than directly
aid of a centrifuge (or detected with Microvision).
probative evidence.
Radiation Projection ASSORTED FORENSIC

Radiation projection leaves an ineradicable and dangerous ANAMORPHOLOGY
energy residue. ERA training includes a thorough Though analysis of blast power effects is the most
grounding in radiation safety protocols. Any scene where cohesive and fruitful branch of forensic anamorphology,
radiation is believed to be present must be sealed off, and researchers continue to develop tests for the presence of
entered only by personnel wearing anti-radiation suits. other mutant abilities.
Residue analysts and others examining the scene must
shower thoroughly afterwards and properly dispose of all
Blood Testing
contaminated materials.
Through the use of a detection device known as a Blood tests can confirm that a victim has been infected
scintillation counter, the analyst can detect not only the by the Spread Pathogen power. The pathogen mutates
presence of radiation, but telltale energy signatures that slightly as it travels from the original host to secondary
can be used to identify it as the product of a heightened victims. DNA analysis reveals its generation, and can
ability, and to point toward the identity of the mutant tell whether a victim was infected by a mutant with the
responsible for it. power, or from another infected person.
Researchers at the forensic department of the Quade Blood tests can also identify persons with Forced
Institute have identified five known scintillation patterns Genetic Drift fields and sufferers of the Plasma Deficiency
GRF.
119
Botanical Enzyme Testing

When subjected to the Plant Control power, Devising Novel Forensics Tests
photosynthetic plants produce a previously unknown
enzyme dubbed diastellozine. This substance remains in GMs may permit characters to devise their
their leaves and stem structures for up to thirty-six hours. own new forensic tests to establish facts about
A plant sample harvested during this interval can be the use of mutant powers in the commission
crushed up with a mortar and pestle and submerged in of crimes. To do so, they must:
a chemical compound which turns red when exposed to • possess the technical investigative
diastellozine. The depth of the red hue suggests the length ability they’d need to perform the test, if
of time that has passed since the Plant Control power was
it already existed
employed, with a slight pinkish haze indicating thirty
• devise a rationale for how the procedure
or more hours, and a deep purplish-crimson pointing
toward a very recent use. works which rises at least to the level of
Only plants containing chlorophyll yield this evidence pseudo-scientific plausibility given in the
(which is most species: a minority get nutrients through descriptions of the standard tests
symbiotic or parasitic relationships instead). • Push the technical investigative ability in
question.
Cellular Plasticity Biopsy GMs may disallow tests which would allow the
A sample of tissue is taken from the scar tissue of a group to leapfrog over several scenes to reach
living patient and examined under a microscope for an a boringly easy solution to the mystery at
abnormal cell structure and level of malleability. If it
hand. Perhaps the character can later perfect
displays these signs, it is apparent that the wound was
the attempted technique, even though it was
subject to the Healing power.
A mutant with the Microvision power and the Forensic unsuccessful in the case that inspired it.
Anthropology ability can perform this test noninvasively, Pioneering new techniques may lead to
merely by peering intently at a subject’s scar tissue for subplot scenes in which the character is
about a minute. given technical awards, pressured to produce
This technique does not work on tissue that has scientific papers, wooed by the Quade
Regenerated; it returns to its original state, leaving no Institute to retire to academia, or encounters
trace of the previous wound. skulduggery while attending forensic
conferences.
Follicular Expansion Check Prosecutors will be especially leery when
Use of the Entangling Hair power inevitably leaves asked to lay charges based on an unproven
behind strands of hair which can be examined under a technique. New science is always difficult to
microscope (or with the Microvision power). The hair is introduce in court. It may be much easier to
sliced with a razor; if it reveals microscopic fibers beneath make a discovery than to round up the peer
its outer sheath, the hair is revealed as having prehensile reviewers and expert witnesses necessary to
qualities. have it considered admissible at all.
DNA can’t be extracted from hair. Hairs pulled out by
their roots still have skin cells attached to their roots, and
DNA can be gleaned from that. However, few hairs left
behind during the use of Entangling Hair are pulled out
Forensic Dentistry
by the roots. These will be found only where the subject The puncture wounds left by Fangs typically appear
used the power in the course of a vigorous or violent fight. as part of a larger bite mark. Like any bite wound,
photographs or casts of these injuries can be compared
to casts of a suspect’s teeth. Photographs are used with
living victims; wound casts are made during autopsies.
120
Magnetic Field Viewer Setule Analysis

This simple device takes the form of a piece of thick To search a wall or other surface for signs that someone
cardstock around a pane of green cellophane. It can be has traveled along it using the Wall Crawling power, apply
used to detect malformations in an object’s magnetic field, a length of clear evidence tape (like packing tape, but with
indicating that it was recently subjected to the Magnetism specially manufactured glues that do not degrade the
power. The field distortions remain for a number of hours gathered samples) along it. Under a microscope, search
equal to the mutant’s Magnetism rating. the tape for tiny hairs, which are in turn covered with
Samples of sand or soil may also be viewed to detect even smaller hairs called setules. Each ends in a triangular
the recent use of the Earth Control power. These field tip. These tiny hairs enable mutants to scale walls.
distortions are weaker and last for about fifteen minutes Only a few setule-bearing hairs are discarded with any
per rating point. given climb. Because they fall out on their own, samples
A MFV filter placed on a camera lens allows the gathered in this way never include attached skin cells and
investigator to document these readings as photographic can’t be used in DNA extraction.
evidence.
Veterinary PET Imaging
Materials SEM A positron emission tomography (PET) scanner is used
To determine whether a piece of metal or other to study the brains of living vertebrate animals. Their
elemental sample has been Transmuted to its present metabolic functions and changes in blood flow in response
state, technicians employ a scanning electron microscope, to stimuli are recorded and compared to the responses of
or SEM. control creatures under the same conditions. If metabolic
A similar technique can determine whether a sample responses are sluggish or scrambled, it is apparent that
of powdery residue constitutes the remains of an object the creature in question was recently affected by the
destroyed by the Disintegration power, and what material Command Birds, Command Fish, Command Mammals
it used to be made of. or Command Reptiles & Amphibians powers.
Characters with Microvision and the Chemistry To perform the test adequately, the technician must be
ability can perform these tests without equipment. able to consult a control recording for the same species of
creature. Compilation of the necessary database is only
partially complete. Common animals, especially urban
Secretion Analysis ones like dogs, cats, raccoons, pigeons, and squirrels, are
Acids produced by the Secrete Acid and Spit Acid powers well represented. Whether an exotic species appears is a
include only highly degraded trace elements of DNA. matter of chance.
(In the words of your first year Forensic Anamorphology Although several researchers are working to find one,
instructor, “It’s acid! What do you expect?”) However, there is as yet no equivalent test for the Command Insects
the exact chemical composition of acids varies between power.
individuals according to blood type. An Acid Analysis test
can therefore identify the secretor’s blood type.
Mutant acids are extremely corrosive and must be Wound Pattern Analysis
handled carefully during the evidence collection process. During post-mortem examination, medical examiners
Mutant venoms can be tested to see which of the three can make casts of wounds left by Natural Weaponry.
types they fall into: Venom (Bite), Venom (Stinger), or Each natural weapon is as unique as a tooth, possessing
Venom (Spit.) distinctive grooves and edges. Medical examiners can also
DNA can be extracted from bite venom drawn from determine the angle of injury and the relative positions
a victim’s bloodstream and then processed to separate it of attacker and victim when the wounds were inflicted.
out for identification. It is present in pure bite venom but These extrapolations allow them to confirm or debunk,
impossible to extract until it binds onto a victim’s blood for example, claims of self-defense.
cells.
Spit venom can, like acid, be used to identify the
mutant’s blood type.
Stinger venom does not yield DNA samples at all.
121
QUICK REFERENCE: ASSORTED TESTS, BY POWER
Power or GRF Test
Command Amphibians and Reptiles Veterinary PET Imaging
Command Birds Veterinary PET Imaging
Command Fish Veterinary PET Imaging
Command Mammals Veterinary PET Imaging
Disintegration Materials SEM
Earth Control Magnetic Field Viewer
Entangling Hair Follicular Expansion Check
Fangs Forensic Dentistry
Forced Genetic Drift Blood Testing
Healing Cellular Plasticity Biopsy
Magnetism Magnetic Field Viewer
Natural Weaponry Wound Pattern Analysis
Plant Control Botanical Enzyme Test
Plasma Deficiency Blood Testing
Secrete Acid Secretion Analysis
Spit Acid Secretion Analysis
Spread Pathogen Blood Testing
Transmutation Materials SEM
Venom (Bite) Secretion Analysis
Venom (Spit) Secretion Analysis
Venom (Stinger) Secretion Analysis
Wall Crawling Setule Analysis
122
THE HEIGHTENED AND THE LAW

The criminal justice system reacted with surprising speed, seeming citizens to file pro forma reports of their mutant
and even more surprising common sense, to the dawn activities. Mutants with Radiation Projection and Self-
of a mutant age. Armed with appropriate legislation, Detonation are assigned the most gung ho case officers,
judges and prosecutors are prepared for whatever legal and are monitored with something bordering on vigilance.
conundrums await in this strange new era. HCIU officers are sometimes called on to investigate
unlawful use of Article 18 powers. Using any of these
ARTICLE 18 powers in the commission of a crime is an offense unto
itself, in addition to the underlying offense.
In most instances, the possession of mutant powers is In the case of powers monitored for national security
considered a private matter — though of course you’re purposes, Article 18 forms serve as a recruiting tool.
subject to criminal or civil penalties if you use them to Mutants with these powers are often hired as operatives
commit bad acts. However, a few powers are deemed so by intelligence agencies. Cops investigating these persons
inherently dangerous to the general populace, or pose may find that their shadowy minders have thrown up
such a threat to national security, that it is a crime merely procedural roadblocks to keep them at bay.
to secretly possess them, even if you never use them.
The classic Article 18 power is Radiation Projection,
which poses a severe long-term health hazard whenever it PROOF OF HEIGHTENED
is used. Other powers falling under the law’s public safety
provisions are Self-Detonation and Spread Pathogen.
STATUS
Many issues at trial hinge on the question of whether an
Some powers are considered Article 18 for national
individual possesses mutant powers, and which ones he
security reasons — that is, they scare the bejesus out
wields.
of counter-espionage officials. They are Invisibility,
“I’d have to be able to fly through the air to do what
Technopathy, Teleportation, Phase, and Read Minds.
they say I did,” doesn’t work as a defense in a world where
Legislation to add other powers to the list, most notably
everyone knows full well that people can fly through the
Possession, is currently bogged down in committee.
air. The prosecution must be able to establish that the
At present, those charged with Article 18 violations
defendant does possess Flight powers, but this is like
are still permitted jury trials. Jury nullification is common
proving that he has a good singing voice or knows the
in cases where ordinary people who mind their own
rules of chess. The inherent possibility of the claim is no
business and have never used their powers for good or ill
longer in doubt.
are charged with possessing the second ability set. Juries
Witnesses may be called upon to prove that they possess
are not so sanguine about irradiators, exploders and
certain powers, for example when they’re testifying to
disease spreaders.
things they perceived with heightened senses or mental
National security officials are consequently trying
powers.
to change the law to disallow jury trials. They’re also
PCD tests (p. 116) administered by accredited labs are
lobbying to radically expand the list of powers covered
considered proof of one’s mutant power status.
by Article 18, to considerable pushback by mutant rights
Because defense attorneys are never required to prove
organizations.
anything, but must only cast doubt on the case against
If you possess any of the named powers and wish to
them, defendants claiming not to have the powers ascribed
avoid an Article 18 charge, all you have to do is file a form
to them by the prosecution are not required to submit
with the federal government, naming your power and
PCD test results. However, savvy lawyers produce them
providing personal information. You must continually
whenever possible. They know that, even if instructed
update your record in the national database whenever
otherwise, juries will ask themselves why this simple proof
you change residences or workplaces — or even travel
hasn’t been provided to them.
within the country. You must also call a hotline every
Some heightened rights activists regard PCD tests as
time you use your power, scheduling a debriefing with a
a discriminatory invasion of privacy and refuse to submit
Homeland Security official within seven days. In practice,
to them, even to clear their names. Most HCIU officers
the DHS staffers assigned to Article 18 compliance duty
regard this argument as a dodge.
are overworked and undermotivated, and allow harmless-
123
PROBABLE CAUSE Even more invasive than PCD tests are court-approved
mental eavesdropping efforts, in which an HCIU officer
Just as police can obtain court orders to force rape
or asset uses the Read Minds power to glean information
suspects to provide DNA samples, persons of interest to
directly from a subject’s brain. These are subjected to an
the HCIU can be required to submit to testing for mutant
even greater judicial scrutiny than wiretap warrants. They
powers. Officers receive permission to force such invasions
are typically permitted only for brief periods of time, and
of privacy only by securing warrants. Acting through
only when all other avenues of investigation have been
prosecutors, officers must prove probable cause to a judge.
exhausted. Typically applicants must also establish an
To show probable cause, investigators must establish that
ongoing threat to the public posed by the subject of the
their suspicions are founded on solid evidence, and that
warrant, as in the case of violent gang leaders or serial
there is no other way of getting the information they need
killers. Mind-reading warrants are rarely doled out
to proceed with their investigation.
just to prove who previously committed a single crime
Because the PCD test may establish an individual
which is unlikely to be repeated, like a domestic killing.
belongs to a stigmatized group, most judges place great
Neither rule or practice requires that the subject of a
weight on the privacy side of the scale in determining
mind reading warrant be a mutant; they are most often
whether probable cause exists to force a test. Officers must
deployed against high-ranking organized crime figures or
provide solid reasons to believe that the particular person
suspected terrorists, regardless of their genetic status.
they’re seeking to test committed a serious crime, and
It is well-known among cops and district attorneys that
that certain knowledge of their mutant status is required
the standards required for probable cause vary widely
to proceed with charges. They can’t, for example, have
between judges. Some are skeptical hard cases, anxious
everyone with access to a crime scene tested to see if they
to preserve privacy rights against ever-expanding state
spit venom or can wield a heat blast.
power. Others are pushovers for the prosecution who sign
However, all individuals who are remanded to
any search warrant put in front of them. (In other words,
custody awaiting trial, or sentenced to prison terms, are
GMs can easily justify why a warrant might, for plot
given PCD tests as part of their admittance procedure.
purposes, be available in one case and not in the next,
These tests are administered across the board, whether
even under very similar circumstances.)
or not officials suspect that the inmate is a mutant.
They warn prison authorities of the need to take special
incarceration measures (see below). Results of these INCARCERATION
tests remain confidential until the inmate is convicted In a practice many heightened rights activists find
of a crime, at which time they become part of his rap discriminatory, mutant prisoners are segregated in all but
sheet and enter police databases nationwide. Until then, the smallest prison facilities. Mutant prisoners who would
prosecutors are not, barring a contrary order by the judge otherwise be housed in local jails are shipped to larger
in the case, permitted access to prison PCD tests. Judges prisons more equipped to handle them.
will also disallow testimony intended to introduce such Sections of prisons reserved for mutant inmates are
evidence via a back door. For example, a prosecutor most often called Heightened Inmates Wing, or HIWs.
who visits prison to explore a plea arrangement with a These were established out of fear that mutant inmates
defendant and his lawyer and sees that he’s incarcerated would terrorize and dominate other prisoners. Activists
in the Heightened Inmates Wing can’t, as a way of argue that this outcome, even if it happened, would not
backhandedly showing that his PCD test confirmed him vary significantly from the status quo, where the toughest
as a mutant, ask a witness to describe the circumstances and best-connected inmates tyrannize the others.
of his incarceration. Mutant prisoners are divided into three groups,
HCIU officers often rely on mutant profile information according to the security threat their powers pose.
on rap sheets when investigating cases. This information So-called access-approved prisoners are permitted to
may be introduced in subsequent trials only when the interact with their fellow mutant prisoners, sharing cells,
judge decides that its probative value outweighs the risk recreational and work facilities. They have powers which
that it will prejudice jury members against the defendant. are deemed to pose a minimal threat to themselves, other
HCIU officers relying on less-than-recent PCD results inmates, and corrections officers.
in their investigations should remember that they will not Access-denied prisoners are kept in isolation, because
include any new powers that manifested after the test was their powers are considered a threat to others. However,
taken. their powers are not considered likely to aid in escape
from this ultra-secure wing of the facility. These include
124
was ruled a form of cruel and

unusual punishment by the courts.)
This punishment is referred to as
‘IQC’, ‘iceboxing’ or ‘eighteening’
in some circles; various civil
liberties groups continue to
object to the use of the technique,
although public sentiment towards
IQC varies. High-profile article
18 cases correlate with a surge in
support for whatever techniques are
needed to keep dangerous mutants
incarcerated.
Powers in the induced-
quiescence category include all
blasts as well as Alter Form, Deplete
Oxygen, Disintegration, Earth
Control, Force Field, Illusion,
Gravity Control, Impersonate,
Invisibility, Light Control, Limb
Extension, Magnetism, Phase,
Possession, Read Minds, Self-
Detonation, Sexual Chemistry,
Spontaneous Combustion,
Spread Pathogen, Telekinesis,
Teleportation, Toxin Immunity
(Gaseous), Transmutation, Wall-
Crawling, Water Manipulation, and
X-Ray Vision.
Unlike their comic book
counterparts, incarcerated mutants
are not constantly escaping to
wreak further havoc on society.
Corrections officials do such a good
job of keeping them behind bars
that they are less likely to engage in
successful prison breaks than non-
mutant inmates.
DORPHING
Blood Spray, Entangling Hair, Fangs, Flight, Induce When it became known that certain
Aggression, Induce Fear, Induce Mental Disorder, mutants could induce a heroin-like high, it took about
Natural Weaponry, Secrete Acid, Webbing, Strength, five seconds for addicts worldwide to start tracking them
Quills, and Venom (all types). down, sweaty fistfuls of cash in hand. Endorphin Control
Prisoners in the ominous-sounding induced-quiescence (Others) offered the doper’s dream — a safe, reliable,
class are kept sedated around the clock, and fed through intense, and — most of all — legal high. The practice
tubes. Those nearing the ends of their sentences are given of receiving recreational jolts of the Endorphin Control
involuntary physiotherapy, much of it machine-aided, so (Others) power became known as dorphing.
that their muscles won’t have completely atrophied by Proponents of the worldwide war on drugs reacted
the time they’re released. (An earlier version of induced- to this phenomenon with horror, viewing it as the thin
quiescence incarceration included no such benefit, but end of the wedge that would eventually lead to the
125
legitimization of all drug use. They fed hysterical stories From the perspective of most cops, all anti-dorphing
to an eager media, demonizing mutants with Endorphin laws achieve is to push the activity underground, where
powers and portraying the practice as wildly unsafe. it intermingles with various other criminal enterprises.
That this required blatant manipulation of the facts HCIU investigators, who are as a rule uninterested in
fazed anti-drug campaigners not one whit. Dorphing is vice or narcotics offenses, see them mostly as leverage to
in fact safer than intravenous drug use by several orders use against dorpher witnesses. Although everyone knows
of magnitude, offering zero risk of blood-borne infection that convictions are rare, no user wants the hassle of even
or overdose. However, the propaganda campaign was an inconclusive brush with the system.
a huge success: most people believe that dorphers face HCIU officers are more interested in the crimes that
a high risk of cerebral hemorrhage every time they, to surround dorphing than in the act itself. Dorphing is
use the dorpher parlance, take a jolt. In response to the highly addictive, inspiring users to commit various crimes
outcry of anxious parents, legislators quickly enacted to fund their expensive habits. Users tend to become
stiff criminal penalties for abuse of this power, both for emotionally fixated on the people who sell them their jolts
the mutant and the recipient. The formal names of the (known as fixers), sometimes committing crimes of passion
charges are Administration of a Restricted Intoxicant and to ensure their access to them. In a crime analogous to
Willful Metabolization of a Restricted Intoxicant. pimping, criminal syndicates have been known to kidnap
In practice, however, prosecutions for either crime are and coerce law-abiding mutants unfortunate enough to
rarely mounted, as the crimes are nearly impossible to possess the power into acting as fixers.
prove. There is no physical evidence and no smuggling A subculture within the drug culture practices
network. Even if you videotape a mutant administering sdorphing (pronounced suh-DORF), in which an addict
a jolt, there is no certain proof that the power was used forms a permanent submissive bond with a mutant,
or the subject’s brain chemistry temporarily altered. who gets them high in exchange for engaging in various
Attempts to have undercover narcotics officers pose as degrading acts. In the public’s mind, ordinary dorphing
dorphers permit an entrapment defense. is often conflated with the kinkier practice of sdorphing.
126
CHAPTER NAME
MUTANTS FOR HIRE

The private investigation industry enjoyed a renaissance
in the wake of the SME. Mutant-related concerns —
and often, sheer paranoia — meant that groups and
individuals who had never thought before to hire a PI
found themselves turning to their search engines. Private
investigators could delve into the grey area of uncertainty,
where the client suspected there might be mutant activity
afoot but it wasn’t clear enough to warrant a police
investigation — and in the early years of the SME,
concerns about mutants were everywhere. Stock being
stolen from a warehouse — what if it’s a phasing mutant?
Get burned in a business deal? Why, what if the guy across
the table could read minds? Get caught having an affair?
I swear, darling, he was a mind-controlling mutant!
At the same time, many newly-empowered mutants
found that their talents were in demand by private
investigation and security firms. A mutant with
Microvision or Analytical Taste is a walking forensics lab.
Some powers like Invisibility or Tracking had few socially
acceptable applications beyond detective work. Mutants
with dangerous physical mutations like Claws or Blast
who wanted to use their new-found talents legally found
work as bodyguards and security staff.
The boom times stopped rolling a few years ago.
Enhanced private investigators are still in demand,
but as mutants become more of a fact of life and less a
mysterious threat, the market’s shrinking and rival firms
turn increasingly cut-throat to survive.
PLAYING PRIVATE
INVESTIGATORS
Player groups who want more flexibility — and less
responsibility and authority — than HCIU officers should
play private investigators. Character creation follows the
same rules as on p. 12-20; a private investigator does not
have to take a template, but can if they wish, indicating
the character is a former law enforcement officer.
Characters built without a template can pick any one
Interpersonal Ability instead of having to choose between
Cop Talk and Bureaucracy.
Mutant Detectives should read their mutant powers
carefully, especially the legal limitations and consequences
of using them, and decide how much they’re willing to
risk on behalf of a client.
127
THE FIRM Clients are not always honest; your attorney may not care
about discovering the truth. But they’re not paying you to
As a group, the players must agree on answers to the
have a conscience.
following questions.
• What sort of private investigation firm do they • Background Checks: Companies making new
run? A small firm, operating out of an anonymous hires in sensitive areas, landlords with troublesome
industrial estate on the edge of town? A slick corporate clients, firms who suspect employees of cheating or
operation on the 12th floor of a skyscraper, with a defrauding them, spouses who suspect their partners
shiny logo and a smart office that looks like a legal of cheating, political groups seeking dirt on rivals —
firm? A two-bit office in a dying strip mall? a lot of private detective work involves digging up
• Who’s got the detective license? Who officially runs information on people. Technically, it’s illegal under
the company? Many states require the lead investigator anti-discrimination legislation to do a background
to be qualified and licensed. Who owns the company? check to determine whether someone is a mutant,
• Who are their typical clientele? What sort of but it’s permissible to investigate a suspected use of
person usually hires them? Does the firm specialize an undeclared mutant power. (So you can’t be hired
in a particular type of case, like missing persons or to determine whether a client’s neighbor is a Phasing
cheating spouses, or do they take whatever walks mutant, but the client can believe that someone’s
through the door? Phasing into their property and want you to find out if
• How far behind are they on rent? How precarious that’s true or not, and who’s responsible.)
are their finances? Can they afford to turn down the • Background investigations are often dull, routine
occasional dodgy client, or do they operate in a grey work, but they pay the bills and can occasionally
area with respect to the law? Or are they behind on turn up something interesting. Assume most of your
rent because they only take honest, deserving clients? firm’s work between adventures is run-of-the-mill
• What staff do they have? Do they have a receptionist? background checking.
An accountant? Technical support? A pet hamster? • Desperate People: Relatives of missing people, or
• What’s their relationship with the police? Do unsolved murder cases. People unsatisfied or otherwise
the cops trust the investigators, or do they consider unable to go through regular legal channels. People
them nuisances and troublemakers? What’s their in need of discretion, who want matters handled
relationship with HCIU? With senior police officers? privately. People in need of protection. People willing
With the cops on the beat? to pay you not to ask certain questions. People with
nowhere else to go.
CLIENTS While a client’s paying the bills, and you’ve got to keep
them onside, that doesn’t mean they get to direct your
Here are some common types of clients for private
investigation, or that they need to be kept informed of
investigation firms.
every lead you follow. Assume they’re as unreliable,
• Attorneys: There’s no such thing as private detective/
biased and potentially deceitful as anyone else you talk to.
client privilege. However, if you’re hired through an
They’re paying for your time, not your trust.
attorney, then you’re technically working for that
attorney and your reports count as work product that
is covered by privilege. Most clients, therefore, hire GETTING PAID
detectives through their attorneys. This may pay well Speaking of getting paid — the usual practice is to charge
and provide regular employment to reliable detectives, a client an initial retainer, based on an estimate of how
but attorneys expect a high degree of professionalism. much time and effort the case will require. When the
If you screw up and damage their reputation, or if the retainer is nearly exhausted, start sending monthly bills.
information you provide won’t hold up in court when In addition to your paycheck, you take professional
necessary, you’ll quickly be cut loose. expenses like travel and subsistence out of the retainer. It’s
• Attorneys typically want you to gather information up to you whether you charge extra for the use of mutant
that supports their client’s case. If a client’s going to powers. Some powers are clearly services that can be
sue for divorce, then you need to get court-admissible provided to a client, like Suppress Influence. Other cases
evidence of the affair. If a client wants to sue their old are less clear-cut — good luck getting travel expenses out
employer for damages, you might be called in to gather of a stingy client if you’ve got Teleportation.
evidence proving that the employer was negligent.
128
MUTANTS FOR HIRE
Some firms have an “unusual circumstances” or • Mutant Powers: Mutant investigators have physical
“danger money” clause in their contracts that lets them gifts that put them on par with a fully-equipped
charge extra when detectives have to use mutant abilities forensics department. With Microvision, you can spot
in the course of an investigation, treating mutations as a fingerprint on a glass; with Tracking, you can follow
special professional qualifications. a suspect across the city with consummate ease.
• Risk: Sometimes, you’ve got to bend the law a little
THE LAW & PRIVATE — especially when dealing with criminals. Sneaking
into that warehouse may technically be breaking and
INVESTIGATORS entering, but if it’s the only way to find out what’s
Private investigators don’t have any more privileges or going inside, the risk may be worth it. You’ll only get
(legal) powers than the average Joe Citizen. They can’t into legal trouble if someone calls the cops.
break the law. They can’t get warrants. They can’t Keep in mind that the burden of proof for private
trespass. No access to crime scenes. No powers of arrest. investigators is often lower than for cops. A police
No wiretaps. Investigators have to rely on: officer’s evidence has to stand up in court, and survive
• Loose tongues and shoe leather: Investigation is attacks by zealous defense lawyers. Tainted evidence or
all about talking to people, and more importantly, questionable testimony can sink a case. By contrast, a
getting them to keep talking. The investigators can’t private investigator may not need to meet such a standard
compel people to sit down for an interview, so they — if you’re just writing a report for a client, what matters
have to use other methods: getting subjects drunk in is what information you uncover, not how you get it.
a bar, blackmailing or persuading people into talking,
relentlessly asking questions, finding ways to pressure
people into cooperating, or just keeping on talking to MUTANT INVESTIGATORS
one person after another until you find the one obscure Some mutant investigators advertise their abilities.
witness with the clue you need. A lot of detective work Mutants with Tracking can easily make a living as bounty
relies on patience and Interpersonal Pushes. hunters or finders of missing people; Mutants with Detect
• Public information: A lot of information is in the and Suppress Influence are often hired as the psychic
public domain, from city records to social media. equivalent of bodyguards. If you’ve got an analytic
Poring through old files, searching through online ability like Touch or Microvision, you can do forensic
data troves, or just going through endless newspaper investigation on the fly, a valuable talent for any detective
articles is part of the job. Expert contacts and agency.
informants who are willing to share information with Other mutants prefer to keep their abilities hidden. If
you are also vital; your detectives have a network of people know you can Read Minds, then you’re in trouble.
such contacts they can draw on. Cultivate relationships You can’t legally Read Minds without a warrant, but your
with journalists, clerks, receptionists, beat cops, social clients will keep pushing you to use your abilities on their
workers, bartenders and other people who keep their behalf, and you’ll be buried with lawsuits and accusations
eyes open. from witnesses that you brain-zapped them. It’s much
• Deception and cunning: A private investigator better to hide your abilities (some detectives advertise
can’t trespass, but you can bluff your way past the they’ve got related abilities, like Threat Calculus, and let
receptionist if he assumes you’re a pizza delivery guy. clients draw their own conclusions).
A private investigator can’t demand access to phone
records, but can send you a fake email promising you
a special discount if you download a coffee app that
tracks your movements. The line between private
investigator and con artist is sometimes a thin one.
Embrace the grey zone.
129
A CHANGED WORLD
When it first became apparent that significant numbers
of people had spontaneously gained inhuman powers, a
SPORTS
Perhaps the most dramatic ethical crisis surrounding the
wave of apocalyptic panic swept the world. Commentators
use of mutant powers in everyday life occurred in sports.
predicted a new dark age, in which superhuman gangs
After initial resistance, both the NBA and major league
would rove the earth, laying waste to civilization and
baseball permitted the use of certain powers during play.
enslaving the unheightened populace. People flocked to
The NFL briefly experimented with a similarly permissive
stores to stock up on water and non-perishable foods.
attitude, but, after several deaths on the field resulted from
Abandoned backyard fallout shelters were rebuilt.
tackles by super-strong players, has retreated to its original
Then the hysteria gradually dissipated. A few murders
no-mutants policy. Mutant athletes continue to be barred
were committed by mutated suspects. Mutants with
from the Olympics, but several court cases threaten to
pre-existing criminal backgrounds went on sprees of
overturn the IOC’s prohibitions on the grounds that they
looting and destruction. However, the widely predicted
are discriminatory.
consolidation of mutants into a single tyrannical political
Needless to say, pro wrestling quickly embraced
entity never materialized. Mutant powers proved as
mutant powers in all their permutations. Matches are
prevalent among cops and national guardsmen as among
still quasi-scripted, with predetermined results and soap
violent criminals. The body politic breathed easier, aware
opera storylines, but now allow the combatants to use
that, even in a new world of mutant abilities, decent, law-
every power this side of Radiation Projection in the ring.
abiding people vastly outnumbered the psychopaths and
Mutant wrestlers sweat to put on a good show while
bullies.
shielding their screaming audiences from stray lightning
Instead the SME changed the world in subtler ways.
bolts and blood sprays.
Few people allowed the sudden acquisition of mutant
powers to alter their sense of identity. Most individuals
who discovered that they were immune to radiation or MEDICINE
could elongate their limbs did nothing much about it. Mutants with Healing or Cure Disease are highly sought
Most went on being accountants, farmers, engineers, or after by hospitals and private clinics. A small handful of
whatever they were before the SME. If they didn’t keep them go to the trouble of gaining medical degrees. Most
their powers completely secret, they limited them to the instead wait to perform their miracles under prescription,
occasional impromptu demonstration at office parties and essentially acting as walking, talking pieces of medical
family gatherings. A handful sought out more lucrative equipment.
occupations centered around their new abilities, or tried The existence of these powers has provided oncologists,
to leverage them into entertainment industry careers. surgeons and other expert doctors with additional and
Only a few occupations are sufficiently remunerative highly effective treatment options, but has hardly exiled
to lure mutants in large numbers. Empathy can earn them to the unemployment line. Seriously ill patients still
one a lucrative career in the marketing industry, as a outnumber mutant healers by a wide margin, so access
highly tuned meter of consumer reactions during focus to their services is rationed either by need (in nations
groups. Their clients include not only manufacturers and with socialized medicine) or (in the United States) by the
marketers, but political operatives testing responses to new patient’s ability to pay.
slogans and candidates. People with the Transmutation Even under national health care schemes, most
power can, if they want it, find employment producing practicing mutant healers are sufficiently well rewarded
quantities of desired metals for industrial use. Limb financially and socially to ensure their participation in
Extension is surprisingly prevalent among buskers. the system. A few rogues, however, practice underground
mutant medicine, secretly and illegally selling their
services to high-paying patients lower down on the
official priority list. The limited availability of guaranteed
cures for otherwise untreatable illnesses has intensified
the health care debate in the US. The deep-pocketed
lobby group AHMA (American Heightened Medical
Association) vigorously fights attempts to regulate its
130
A CHANGED WORLD
membership, misleadingly painting the health systems of

other industrialized countries as indentured servitude for
THE ARTS
Established celebrities in the film and entertainment
medical mutants.
world showed a great reluctance to go public with any
Cure Disease is infinitely more valued than Healing, as
mutant powers they may have developed in the wake of
many more people face death from life-threatening illness
the SME. Actors feared getting typecast as mutants, or
than from injury. Healers hankering for illicit rewards
being required to use their powers in dangerous ways
make their services available to criminals who’ve suffered
on movie sets. It took a new wave of celebs to dare to
gunshot and knife wounds in the course of their illegal
openly proclaim their genetic status, using the novelty of
activities — strictly on the down-low, of course.
their mutant abilities to seize the public spotlight. Many
of these were type-B mutants with dramatic physical
enhancements but no extraordinary powers.
Technology Today’s roster of internationally-known mutant
celebrities includes:
The rate of technological change in the ten • Suavely rugged action movie hero Sam Martinez, best
years since the SME has been incremental known for shoot-’em-up flicks Full Bleed and Re-Friggin’-
rather than transformative. Consumer Lentless. The wisecracking Martinez openly displays
electronics have become smaller and less the Armor and Blade Immunity abilities. Rumor has
expensive. Computer processing power and it that he also possesses the somewhat creepier Quills
storage capacity have increased enormously power, but keeps them retracted at all times, to avoid
— only to be used up by programs that hog the
an unseemly reduction of his sex appeal.
• Pop star Crystal Shatter (born Krista Lee Betton in
new resources and file sizes that fill the larger
Berryville, Arkansas) uses her Type-B ability to lend
media. Vehicle engines have become smaller
her skin a metallic sheen in various hues. Her sexually
and slightly more energy efficient, though not aggressive persona and impeccably produced pop
enough to relax worldwide upward pressure singles have combined to make her an omnipresent
on fossil fuel prices. Revolutionary fuel cell fixture on magazine covers and concert stages,
technology and economical biofuel extraction comparable to Cher or Madonna in their respective
are said to be five to ten years in the future — heydays.
the same time frame experts have been giving • Unlikely celebrity Victoria Royster rose to fame on
for years. the first all-mutant installment of the revamped reality
TV show Surveillance House. A shy, easily flustered
Some have argued that the SME, or rather
homemaker from Presho, South Dakota, Royster
the boom in anamorphological studies that
won the hearts of a nervous nation by displaying a
followed it, has retarded scientific advances complete and disarming normalcy despite her ability
in other areas. In her book The Stunted Future to turn invisible at will. She became an iconic figure
economist Miller Rudd lays out the case that representing all the ordinary people with mutant
the rush to fund this new, sexy field has denied powers, who carried on with their calm, decent lives
crucial grant money to countless projects of after discovering their extraordinary abilities. Victoria
great potential benefit to mankind. Critics now hosts a popular afternoon talk show in the Oprah
have, however, noted her tendentious use of format, and endorses a wide variety of packaged
statistics and ties to the anti-mutant Neutral goods, from toilet cleansers to washing machines.
Purity League. On screen, Hollywood celebrated the heightened long
In forensic science, it is true that most before any of its established actors crept timidly out of the
innovations relate to the reconstruction of closet. Action movie audiences learned to crave fantastic
events involving mutant powers. In other stunts shot for real, without aid of CGI or wires. On
movie sets, mutants now dominate the stunt profession.
areas, police lab equipment has advanced
They not only play mutants with obvious powers, but
to the point where the fanciful technologies
use their abilities to perform stunts in which supposedly
shown in the old CSI television shows have normal characters crash cars, fall from great heights, or
now in many cases become available in real tumble through plate glass. Now that any injury can be
life. quickly repaired by an on-set mutant with Healing, safety
131
standards have plummeted. (The same trend can be seen Neither side enjoys a monopoly on moral rectitude.
in many other high-reward, high-risk industries.) To restrict a person’s rights due to a mutation they have
Since the embrace of these trailblazers by a sensation- no control over seems unfair or draconian, depending on
hungry public, many older movie and TV stars stepped how extreme the truncation of their liberties. But many
forward to admit that they could levitate toasters or frolic powers do threaten public safety or national security if
in their groupies’ dreams. Determining which real-life completely unchecked.
tabloid figures gained mutant powers in the SME is left as As both mutants and cops, the HCIU detectives stand
an exercise for individual GMs. in the middle of this ideological divide. Cops believe in
Mutant creators have made their mark on the more authority and tend to see civil libertarians as protectors
rarefied planes of the art world. Several contemporary of criminals. If your play group is like most, they’ll treat
dance companies consist entirely of mutants. Their the privacy of suspects and witnesses with a cavalier
interpretative choreography incorporates powers such as disregard. On the other hand, they’re members, albeit
Flight, Limb Extension, Gravity Control, Telekinesis and relatively high-status ones, of a group still treated with
Webbing. widespread fear and prejudice. Every day a politician
Performance art is increasingly dominated by appears on cable news to propose new restrictions on the
mutants. The best known practitioner is Jean Iboshi, nation’s mutant population.
whose internally-generated light displays have won her Probably because mutation cuts across all class and
a coveted so-called “genius grant” from the MacArthur identity boundaries, anti-mutant measures have yet
Foundation. to win the approval of more than a hard-line fringe.
Author Deena Tynan regularly tops the best-seller However, mutant rights crusaders are often viewed as
list with her series of detective novels featuring mutant annoying troublemakers. Most people, including many
private eye Jimmy Setzer. A TV show based on the books, of the closeted heightened, basically want the issue to go
“Setzer”, is now in its second season. Smart-alec cops away.
sometimes refer to their HCIU colleagues by yelling out, Mutant politicians have made gains at the local level,
“Hey, Setzer!” where they can draw on concentrated populations of the
gene-expressive. There is, as of yet, no mutant occupying
POLITICS statewide office in the US. In many democracies, a single
token mutant functionary serves as a cabinet minister —
Just as it was before the SME, most voters in industrial always in a junior portfolio.
democracies concern themselves primarily with the
state of the economy, healthcare and national security.
However, mutant rights issues continue to generate TIMELINE
controversy. In every democracy, advocates for greater The following is a brief overview of events since the SME.
monitoring and control of mutant activities have Because the date of the SME floats depending on when
aligned themselves with the party, usually on the right, you start your game, we represent years with the formula
most concerned with projecting an image of toughness PY+X, where PY is the current year when you start
on internal security matters. Those who fight against playing, and X is the number of years out from that. So if
apparently discriminatory measures have aligned you’re playing in 2019, and an event is said to take place
themselves with the party associated with civil liberties. in PY+3, it happens in 2022.
Many of the events are local to Mutant City, the real-life
city of your choice where the action of your series occurs.
The ### is a placeholder indicating a customizable local
reference; see p. 138 for more on these.
132
A CHANGED WORLD
Jan 12, PY: First ghost flu symptoms reported.
Jan 16, PY: Apex of ghost flu panic. Worldwide pandemic feared. Riots break out in dozens of cities, mostly in
the developing world.
Jan 18, PY: Panic abates as world populations realize that the flu appears to be non-fatal.
Jan 23, PY: All symptoms end simultaneously. The unnatural suddenness of the epidemic’s end fuels a new, less
demonstrative wave of paranoia.
April 2, PY: First power manifestation occurs when Tammy Graves takes flight during a softball game in Slocum,
Texas.
April 3, PY: Three new manifestations are caught on video and reach the attention of the international media.
Roman Shevchenko of Bradavka, Ukraine, is hit by a truck — and passes through it, unharmed. In a quarantine
unit in Dar Es Salaam, Tanzania, hospital orderly Yasiin Muhinda lays hands on the sufferer of an Ebola-like virus,
healing him instantly. Adriana Mori, a bored tour guide at an Etruscan burial site in Cerveteri, Italy, apparently
causes a cloud of flies to form into a moving, three-dimensional representation of actor Brad Pitt.
April 4, PY: Online video hosting sites are flooded with footage of hundreds of people manifesting strange
powers. These appear on news cable channels, fueling another worldwide panic.
April 5, PY: Thousands of people are now manifesting mutant powers.
April 12, PY: In the absence of disasters, panic subsides, and attention returns to other local or international
news stories.
May 30, PY: Mutant City experiences its first mutant-related homicide, when unemployed construction worker
Don David French enters into a drunken argument with step-brother Jack Guest over the validity of an impending
football record. French hits Guest in the chest with a lightning bolt, electrocuting him.
June 13, PY: Mutant City’s first large-scale mutant crime occurs when six heightened individuals, all of them
boasting lengthy criminal records, botch a bank robbery, which devolves into a hostage situation. Self-styled
costumed heroes calling themselves the Blue Team attempt a raid on the bank, leading to the maiming of a hostage
and the severe beating of several Blue Team members, including leader Eugene “Thunder Squall” Pavnicki. The
incident is finally defused by police hostage team negotiator, Eric Krose.
133
June 17, PY: The militant anti-mutant organization Human Integrity Campaign forms during a meeting in
Mutant City, attended by concerned citizens and apostate neo-Nazis from around the country.
June 28, PY+1: The Blue Team is involved in another humiliating incident. Mutant youths assault anti-mutant
goons, or barheads, in the neighborhood that will later become known as Helixtown. Blue Team members
intervene, and are turned on and beaten by both sides. Eugene “Thunder Squall” Pavnicki is hospitalized with a
concussion.
July 13, PY+1: The Blue Team announces a change in focus from active crimefighting to “outreach”: that is,
dressing up and doing personal appearances.
Aug 18, PY+1: Lucius Quade, professor at Mutant City’s most prestigious science university, coins term
“anamorphology” to describe study of mutant powers, an area he has already been researching.
Oct 28, PY+1: Venture capitalist Galen Birch holds a press conference to announce his mutant status. He calls
for all mutants to reveal themselves, and “stand without shame as harbingers of a new era.”
Jan 13, PY+2: Quade publishes paper unveiling preliminary version of his famous diagram.
Apr 13, PY+2: Radical Evolve Movement (p. 151) founded in Seattle, WA.
Aug 18, PY+2: Lucius Quade announces foundation of department of Anamorphological Studies at ###.
May 6, PY+2: Mainstream political lobbying group the Heightened Information Alliance is founded during
invitation-only conclave in Mutant City. Attendees include Lucius Quade, Galen Birch, and Brian Schmiederer
(p. 143).
Aug 18, PY+3: With key funder Galen Birch, Lucius Quade breaks ground on site of his new independent
research foundation, the Quade Institute.
Last weekend before Labor Day, PY+3: First annual CapeCon, an SF media con with heavy goob (comic
book emulation) fandom track, debuts at the ### convention center.
Sept 9, PY+3: The ### Park Riot. A large Human Integrity Campaign rally turns into a deadly riot when
protesters are attacked by a team of masked, blast-wielding assailants. The perpetrators disappear in the chaos
after 18 people are killed. Even more deaths are averted by police lieutenant Ellis Deakins, who calms the crowd
and averts a stampede.
Sept 10, PY+3: Ellis Deakins becomes a media hero.
Sept 12, PY+3: Homicide detectives establish that the heightened perpetrators of the ### Park killings were
foreign mercenaries hired by leaders of the Human Integrity Campaign to foment anti-mutant outrage.
Sept 14, PY+3: First media reference to gentrifying Mutant City’s downtown neighborhood with high mutant
population as “Helixtown.”
Nov 2, PY+3: Separatist organization Continental Nation of Mutants is founded in Mutant City.
Nov 12, PY+3: First issue of scientific journal Proceedings of the Quade Institute publishes finalized Quade Diagram.
2nd weekend in May, PY+4: Quade Institute hosts first annual Symposium Of Anamorphological Research
(SOAR). Participants in panel discussion “Faith and Mutation” form the Ecumenical Working Group, an
organization devoted to reconciling mutant status with various Christian denominations.
Sept 25, PY+4: Continental Nation of Mutants activist Eddie “The Machine” Florence presides over grand
opening of the local chapter’s Freedom Hall.
134
A CHANGED WORLD
Nov 3, PY+4: Brian Schmiederer elected as municipal councillor for downtown ward including Helixtown.
Apr 29, PY+4: Leaders of the Ecumenical Working Group announce its dissolution in favor of a new, mutant-
oriented religious faith, the Eighth Day Church.
May 1, PY+5: Trial of Human Integrity Campaign leaders for the ### Park Riot concludes. They are convicted
of murder and sentenced to (depending on where you locate Mutant City) either death or life imprisonment.
May 2, PY+5: In Quebec City, flamboyant Catholic heretic turned Eighth Day Church pastor Gilles Tremblay
experiences an ecstatic vision of an alien invasion, and the mutant counter-insurgency that ultimately defeats it.
July 18, PY+5: Ellis Deakins elected as police commissioner.
Sept 9, PY+5: Deakins announces formation of first HCIU unit, commanded by Lieutenant Eric Krose.
Sept 12, PY+5: From the ashes of the disgraced Human Integrity Campaign, lower-level leaders launch the
Neutral Parity League.
Nov 19, PY+5: Gilles Tremblay and entourage move to Mutant City.
Apr 28, PY+6: In Philadelphia, PA, author and activist Davon Riddle publishes Heliopolis Awaits, the manifesto
of the Heliopolan movement, which hopes to establish a homeland for mutants in northern Somalia.
May 2, PY+6: Gilles Tremblay announces plans for Bulwark of God cathedral in Mutant City’s old Anglican
district.
Oct 1, PY+6: Davon Riddle moves to Mutant City, where he establishes worldwide structure for his movement,
declaring himself its Chief Delegate In Exile.
HEIGHTENED sinister-looking mask to frighten people into submission,

the vast majority of goobs see themselves as good guys — or
SUB-CULTURES at least as inspiring representations of same. Just as some
Just as attitudes of non-mutants toward the gene- Star Trek fans bridle at the word “Trekkie”, preferring
expressive fall on a wide spectrum from envy to indiffer- instead the vastly more complimentary “Trekker”,
ence to hatred, mutants themselves evince a widely vary- dedicated members of the goob sub-community consider
ing set of views on their own condition. These are reflect- that term a slur. They want to be called costumed
ed in the various sub-cultures and political aggregations personalities, sometimes abbreviated to “cosper”.
to which they belong. Straighteners regard all mutant powers, not just
Goobs take inspiration from the sixty years of costumed the GRFs, as diseases, which they hope to cure. They
hero comics, TV shows and movies that preceded the raise funds for research toward a permanent end for
SME. They give themselves heroic nicknames, wear their condition. As a stopgap measure, they participate
costumes, and attempt to promote themselves in the in twelve-step-type programs meant to suppress any
media. Goobs gather at events called conventions, where urges they may feel to actually use their powers. Some
they sign autographs and promote their various product straighteners ally with anti-mutant groups, like the NPL.
lines. Some attempt to engage in vigilante justice, a Others fight the Neutral Parity League and its ilk, arguing
phenomenon that has grown steadily less common after that they perpetuate discrimination against people with a
a spate of accidental deaths during the early years of humiliating disease. The former group, called cleansers,
the mutant era. Costumed heroes, the so-called villains believes that a cure for mutations, when it comes, should
they were chasing, and innocent bystanders were hurt be administered to everyone, whether they like it or not.
or killed in a series of highly publicized incidents. Now The latter group, known as electivists, espouses the
most mutants who want to fight crime join the force, and hypothetical cure only for those who want it.
the only costumes they don are police blues. Although Expressivists are mutants (and friendly non-
the occasional criminal adopts a colorful nickname and mutants) who advocate full civil rights for the genetically
135
altered. The mainstream mutant rights group is the Tremblay, a Quebecker now resident in Mutant City,
Heightened Information Alliance (HIA). This middle- foretells an alien invasion. Each is surrounded by a small
of-the-road lobbying outfit avoids making waves and corps of zealots who continually denounce the other
favors incremental legislative solutions to anti-mutant leader. Most eighters take a wait and see approach,
discrimination in public and private life. They take planning to rescue humanity from whichever apocalypse
plenty of flak from the boisterous Evolve Movement, a rears its head.
loud and confrontational group who prefer non-violent Some mutants make an effort to intermarry only
civil disobedience, including demonstrations and site with other gene-expressives, in the hope of producing
occupations, as their main way of demanding immediate a new generation of heightened with even greater or
fair treatment for their people. They target specific more varied powers than are currently known. They are
locations or social problems for ‘forced evolution’ and called strainers, after their desire to refine the mutant
disruption (“Evolve Wall Street! Evolve Health Care” and strain. Strainers appear within the eighter and separatist
so forth). communities, but also include many heightened with no
In the public mind, the radical expressivists of Evolve particular ideological ambitions. So far no child born of
are often confused with separatists. In fact, these parents who were mutants at the time of conception has
radical groups regularly clash. Where expressivists want shown any heightened powers whatsoever — but then,
better treatment for mutants within society, separatists they’d all be ten years old at most, and powers in children
advocate the formation of an all-mutant state. The two tend to manifest during puberty. Strainers predict a new
main separatist organizations are the Heliopolans, who wave of world-changing mutations in a few years, when
advocate an exodus to northern Somalia, which will be the children of mutant matches develop their powers.
taken over by mutants and renamed Heliopolis, and the Anamorphologists see no solid evidence for these claims.
Continental Nation of Mutants (CNM), who merely Most mutants are apolitical: they may pay some
want to create all-mutant neighborhoods in each major attention to the political endorsements of the HIA, but
city, to be run autonomously from any municipal, state or in general try to keep their mutant status from interfering
federal authority. Although both disclaim terrorism as a with their everyday lives. They prefer to define their
tactic, many of their leaders have long rap sheets for both identities by their ties to other interests and communities.
violent protest and organized criminal activity. CNM There are mutant Republicans, mutant Democrats,
members are known for adopting colorful nicknames mutant Scientologists, mutant Seventh-Day Adventists,
inspired by their super powers, giving them a surprising mutant environmental activists, and so on.
commonality with goobs. Although the two separatist
groups include representatives of all colors and creeds,
many of their top leaders cut their teeth in ethnic or
racial autonomy movements, including the Nation of
Four Colour
Islam, Movimiento Estudiantil Chicanx de Aztlán, Costumes
and the American Indian Movement, before acquiring
superpowers and setting aside their old allegiances. In safe mode, play up the comic-book
Over the past decade, some mutants have developed sensibilities of Mutant City by having more
their own religious denomination, the Eighth Day costumed villains. Even in the real world,
Church, abbreviated as 8DC. Followers are known criminals often adopt colorful nicknames;
as eighters, for short. Originally strictly Christian in
add in mutant powers, and you can make
its theology, the 8DC has evolved into an ecumenical
adversaries more memorable by giving
movement in which various major religions are blended
with a message of God’s special mission for His mutant them villainous sobriquets and even the
children. Believers hold that the SME was a revised act occasional costume. Similarly, it might be
of creation — some even use the computing analogy of common practice for HCIU officers to be given
a firmware update — to prepare humanity for a coming superhero-esque callsigns or nicknames. If
period of calamity. It is the duty of eighters to shepherd you establish this to be true, then have each
the entire species through the imminent crisis. Competing player suggest names for the other members
prophets Bonita Moroyiannis and Gilles Tremblay of the team (i.e. you can’t name yourself, but
offer conflicting visions on what this disaster might be. you can pick the best or least worst suggestion
Moroyiannis, a Greek citizen, predicts an environmental
from the table).
cataclysm brought on by global climate change, while
136
A CHANGED WORLD
SLANG AND JARGON

anamorphology: the scientific study of mutant powers GRF: Genetic Risk Factor. Undesirable changes that may
and their genetic origins. accompany certain powers.
Anna May: a category-B mutant with hyper-enlarged HC: short for Heightened Crime Investigation Unit, used
irises. by cops.
barhead: member of the thuggish youth wing of the HIW: short for Heightened Inmates Wing, the segregated
Neutral Parity League. section of a prison facility reserved for mutant prisoners.
category A mutation: more potent and useful powers, jolt: a hit of endorphins from the Endorphin Control
as recorded on the Quade Diagram. (Others) power, undertaken voluntarily and
category B mutation: minor changes, like strange eyes recreationally. As in “I went jolting last night,” or “I
or hair color, with little practical effect. was taking a jolt when the cops busted in.”
chrome: term for mutants, possibly derived from lixer: term for the heightened, used by non-mutants. It
“chromosome”; considered a slur. derives from a reference to the DNA double helix. If
cleanser: a straightener (see below) who advocates a cure you’re a fervent mutant rights activist, you probably
for all mutants, administered involuntarily if necessary. consider this an outright slur. Otherwise, you likely
cosper: a synonym for goob (see below), preferred by think of it as mildly impolite, or use it yourself. The
members of that community. term is well entrenched among cops, mutant and
DNA Standard (DNAS): bureaucratic term for the 99% norms alike.
of the population without evident mutant powers. norm: term for non-mutants, used by many mutants.
dorphing: act of getting high with the aid of a mutant Anti-mutant bigots treat it as an outrageous insult.
with Endorphin Control (Others). PCD: Power Complex Detection, a DNA test that
eighter: member of the Eighth Day Church (p. 136). determines which of the Quade Complexes the sample
electivist: a straightener (see below) who pursues a cure donor’s mutant powers derive from.
to mutations only for those, like themselves, who seek it. PIC: Power Identification Centrifuge testing, a DNA test
EMAT protocol: a technique using conversation and that identifies which mutant abilities the sample donor
observation to identify signs of mind control or mental possesses.
influence. pregs, the: the sweats, hot flashes and nausea that
ERA: forensic/cop acronym for a forensic scientist trained accompany onset of a new mutant power. See p. 89.
in Energy Residue Analysis. As in, “Hey, get the ERA pure: term for non-mutant population, preferred by
to take a look at this.” some non-mutants.
expressivist: a supporter of equal rights for mutants. sdorph: (pronounced suh-DORF; sometimes spelled
gene-expressive: bureaucratic/politically correct term s-dorph) addict dependent on a mutant with Endorphin
for the heightened. Not much used outside of official Control (Others) who gets him high in exchange for
documents and earnest round-table discussions. entering into a submissive or otherwise exploitative
gene-neutral: bureaucratic/politically correct term for relationship.
those without mutations. separatist: a mutant who seeks to create politically
genie: term for mutants, particularly those with GRFs. autonomous communities for the heightened, either in
Considered a slur. neighborhoods in various cities, or in the hypothetical
goob: a mutant who takes inspiration from old comic African nation of Heliopolis.
books, wearing a distinctive costume, adopting a straightener: mutant who seeks a cure for their
colorful nickname, and possibly engaging in vigilante condition, and/or tries not to use their powers.
crimefighting. Considered a slur, although in common
use among cops
137
BUILDING MUTANT CITY

This chapter provides material you can customize to the various key locations like the Quade Institute, and ask
create your own urban locale for your Mutant City Blues the players where they think they might be located and
series. It includes prominent figures, particularly in the if their characters have had any interaction with these
police hierarchy and people connected, for good or ill, places or groups.
with the mutant community. Also detailed are various
institutions and locations that may crop up during the
team’s investigations. Local Placeholders
Although you could set your Mutant City Blues series
in a fictional American metropolis, as you see in certain Whenever possible we avoid references to
comic books, we instead recommend placing it in an
specific places in favor of generic descriptions.
actual city you and your players are very familiar with.
Occasionally, though, we’ll use a placeholder
Doing so reinforces the game’s sense of social realism,
underlining the idea that this is the real world after ten (###) to indicate that you should fill in the
years of adjustment to widespread superpowers. name of an appropriate location, institution,
With that in mind, this chapter is presented not or other entity from your city of choice. For
as a conventional gazetteer, but as a series of people, example, if you’re running a game set in New
organizations and institutions to situate in the city of your York City and see a reference to the ###
choice. Entries for locations begin with suggestions on Park riots, you’ll know to refer to this in your
which sorts of neighborhoods to place them in. own game as the Central Park Riot. If you’re
This section does include some default assumptions running it in Toronto, you might instead refer
which you may have to alter, depending on which place
to the incident as the Queen’s Park Riot; for
you choose to make into Mutant City. Our approach
London, the Hyde Park Riot, and so on.
to the law and police department structure is that seen
in American procedural dramas. To place it in another
country, you’ll want to alter certain details. The job titles
and organizational charts of the police department and THE QUADE INSTITUTE
prosecutor’s office differ by country. You’ll need to adjust Location: research district or university campus.
your legalese to suit your local criminal code. Physical Description: A gleaming post-modern minaret
To better evoke your designated city, the ethnicities of glass and black steel, the Quade Institute looms above
and proper names of certain characters might also the city as a symbol of progress and aesthetically pleasing
require changes. For example, for a game set in London, strangeness. Ten floors of labs and office space occupy its
you might want to swap out the Hispanic characters for central cube, with administrative and support facilities
people of Indian, Caribbean, or Arabic descent. If the appearing in the twelve-story tower thrusting up into the
politics of your chosen city is dominated by particular city skyline. A ground-level complex of shops and cafes
communities or interest groups, make sure that they’re serves as base to the rest of the structure’s pedestal.
represented among your cast of supporting characters. The high ceilings and chrome fixtures of the labs
Almost any character presented here can be changed themselves are designed to impress researchers and
fairly easily to represent the distinctive constituencies of donors. They are temples to science, projecting an air of
your chosen city. hushed excitement and efficiency. Administrative offices
comfort the money people with their oak paneling and
INVOLVING THE PLAYERS lush leather furnishings. Researchers’ offices strive for
modernistic utilitarianism but, since they’re occupied
As part of character creation, encourage your players
by scientists, tend to be messy and overstuffed with loose
to define locations and groups in your Mutant City. At
paper.
a minimum, ask each player to briefly describe their
The Institution: The Quade Institute has established
character’s home, family and at least one place or group
itself as the world’s foremost anamorphological research
outside the police that they’re connected to (church,
center. Attracting scientists from all over the world, its
sports team, hobby, favorite bar). You might run through
staff is a picture of internationalism.
138
Of particular interest to HCIU detectives is its In his public persona, Quade is an animated raconteur,
Department of Forensic Anamorphology, whose cutting- who wraps thorny concepts of science and social policy in
edge labs and pioneering techniques may provide down-to-earth language and a twinkling sense of humor.
more advanced evidence analysis than that offered by In private, he can seem distracted and abrupt. He’s always
the police labs. To working detectives, the Quade labs in motion, usually racing to some meeting he’s already
offer temptation and disappointment in equal measure: late for while he checks his messages and fields entreaties
investigators know that prosecutors hate new science, from a train of anxious assistants. Though often seen at
which is very difficult to introduce into evidence. As expert cultural and fundraising events with his dazzling and
witnesses, Quade Institute scientists are considered a much younger wife, Lily, rumor has it that Quade remains
mixed blessing: although juries love their credentials, few a persistent womanizer. His celebrity and charisma give
of them are good at communicating scientific information him ample opportunity to stray. Police officers detailed
to a lay audience. to his bodyguard report having to constantly peel him off
The Institute also houses a department of social attractive women.
science, the Quade Center for Public Policy. Though Quade’s goals are to advance the field of
unaffiliated with any political organization, it serves as anamorphology and to expand his empire at the Quade
a specialized think tank advancing the general cause of Institute. He fights for mutant rights but views the more
mutant rights. militant activists for the cause as naïve hotheads whose
attention-seeking efforts do more harm than good.
Although persistent rumors claim that Quade
Lucius Quade
himself has been gifted with mutant powers, perhaps of
Cognition, his consistent reply to all such inquiries is, “If
only I were so lucky.”
General Abilities: Athletics 2, Composure 12, Health

6, Mechanics 4, Medic 4, Scuffling 2.
Mutant Powers: None.
Sarita Sandhu
“This technique is too unproven to hold up in court, but
just between you, me, and the electron microscope, I
think I’ve got your criminal.”
Dr. Sarita Sandhu is the public face of the Quade
Institute’s Forensic Anamorphology Department.
Before switching her focus to pure research, she served
for several years as a criminalist for the Los Angeles
Police Department, where she learned to like cops and
identify with the prosecution. HCIU detectives draw on
her expertise when their own lab techs draw a blank.
“Fear is the enemy, and knowledge is the sword we use to
Although a credible presence on the witness stand, her
conquer it.”
evidence is invariably in too preliminary a stage to be
Celebrity scientist Lucius Quade is a striking, middle-
admissible in court. As such, she can point detectives in
aged, thrice-divorced African-American. Quade dove
the right direction, but without satisfying their need for
into SME research earlier than other geneticists, and has
evidence they can base charges on.
dominated the field ever since. Online futures markets
Attractive and personable, Sarita is single and used to
peg him as the leading candidate for next year’s Nobel
charmingly deflecting the flirtations of male detectives.
Prize in medicine. He’s a constant presence not only
in Mutant City, but on the national scene, as a regular General Abilities: Athletics 4, Composure 10, Health
fixture on cable news and televised political roundtables. 8, Mechanics 3, Medic 4.
Though avowedly apolitical, his pleas for tolerance on Mutant Powers: None.
behalf of the heightened have made him a bogeyman of
reactionary pundits.
139
Eleni Roberts
“I understand the sentiment, but if
you read the literature you’ll find that
similar proposals have always failed in
the past.”
Head of the Quade Center
for Public Policy, Professor Eleni
Roberts is a frequent participant in
symposia and talking heads gabfests,
where she offers sober, sane and
somewhat boring analysis of mutant
issues. Married to the CEO of a
major telecom firm, she acts as the
center of a social circle consisting of
wealthy mutants. Although her own
gene-expressive status is no secret,
she discreetly de-emphasizes it. Her
demeanor is patrician and polished,
more stylish society lady than rumpled
professor. In addition to fundraising
for the Institute and the Heightened
Information Alliance, she is also active
in various environmental causes.
General Abilities: Athletics 2,

Composure 12, Health 5.
Mutant Powers: Environmental
Awareness, Hearing, Olfactory
Center.
BIRCH TOWERS first millions managing a high-risk hedge fund, he now

Location: financial district. invests in emerging technologies, with an emphasis on
Physical Description: A crudely looming skyscraper communications and biotech. Through his charitable
with gold-colored ornamentation, which vaults upwards research foundation, The Whitebark Group, he serves as
in a triumphant V-shape. Taller than any other building a major funder of the Quade Institute. He sits on that
in the city, the Birch Towers house extensive office space, organization’s board, as well as that of the Heightened
including the headquarters or branch facilities of several Information Alliance (p. 136), to which he is also a major
multinational corporations. Its cathedral-like entryway donor.
boasts a breathtaking fountain and enormous murals and Birch, in his late fifties, is a serial marrier of models,
sculptures by top contemporary artists. Birch Towers is and is currently embroiled in acrimonious divorce
also home to several exclusive restaurants. The uppermost proceedings with his fifth wife, Svetlana. Ordinarily
floors comprise the palatial residence of billionaire mutant a pudgy, somewhat unattractive man, he disconcerts
Galen Birch. interviewers and negotiating partners by occasionally
transforming himself into a tall, broad-shouldered fellow
boasting a full head of wavy hair, a lantern jaw, and a
Galen Birch
wide, gleaming grin. Birch refers to this persona as his
“Without ambitious men, we’d all still be living in caves.” “avatar” or “true self.” The projected image is not entirely
Venture capitalist Galen Birch is famous as the consistent. Some days he looks a little like Kirk Douglas;
world’s richest (admitted) mutant. His rise from a humble at other times he recalls Burt Lancaster. As it is produced
working-class background to staggering wealth is detailed with his Illusion power, he can only adopt it while dealing
in his best-selling book Birched! Though he made his with small groups. Illusion is a mind-affecting power, so it
140
registers only in person: he still appears as his usual lumpy Betula’s livelihood depends on excellent cooperation
self in photographs or on television. with the police. Its personnel are required to be fully
Galen’s priorities, in rough order of importance, are: forthcoming in response to any police enquiry. Former
personal aggrandizement, the advancement of mutant cops, including ex-HCIU, are found throughout its staff
rights, amassing wealth faster than his rivals, and enjoying and management. The biggest problem PCs will find in
life’s luxuries. dealing with them is their habit of crowing about how
much better they have it than the poor underworked,
General Abilities: Athletics 8, Composure 8, Driving overpaid saps still working for the force.
8, Health 8, Surveillance 8.
Mutant Powers: Illusion 24.
Reg Taylor
BETULA SECURITY
“Sorry it took a while to get here. I was hanging out on
my boat. You guys do have boats, right? Oh wait, sorry,
CONSULTANTS you still work for the department, don’t you?”
Ex-HCIU detective Reg Taylor serves as liaison
The city’s largest and best-known private security firm between Betula and the police force. His official title is
is headquartered in Birch Towers. Though founded by Vice President In Charge Of Special Communications.
Galen Birch, he is now a minority shareholder. One of The PCs, who are presumed to have been working for
the city’s dominant financial companies, ###, owns a the HCIU for a while, know him from his days on the
majority interest. squad. He was a kidder then, and he’s a kidder now. His
Betula advertises itself as the ideal security firm for a latest riff centers around his cushy new lifestyle now that
post-mutant world. Run and staffed almost exclusively he’s making the big corporate bucks. He seems to have
by mutants, it offers a lucrative profession to individuals aged in reverse by about ten years since making the leap:
lucky enough to have expressed combat-ready powers. he sports a fuller head of hair, fewer lines around the
Betula puts applicants through extensive physical eyes, and straighter, whiter teeth. Reg can’t help flaunting
training, rejecting otherwise unimpressive specimens his gold cuff-links, Rolex watch, or top-of-the-line new
who just happen to be able to shoot fire or shrug off mobile phone. But he does it with enough of a shit-eating
bullets. They provide bodyguard, site security and rapid grin to get away with it.
response services to the city government, as well as its top Deep down, he still yearns to nail the bad guys, so
corporations and richest private individuals. Their sleek, he’ll be as cooperative as possible when his old colleagues
streamlined vans and discreetly paramilitary uniforms are come around seeking information. He’s the one who
such a common sight around the city that they’ve become provides security camera footage and makes sure that
almost invisible. Betula personnel talk openly to the cops. Occasionally he
The firm features prominently in the fantasies of asks for a favor in return, requesting that the detectives
conspiracy theorists and crazy people. After a few well- tread discreetly among the firm’s important clients.
publicized stumbles in the Galen Birch era, it has posted On very rare occasions, if the detectives can convince
a surprisingly good incident record since the new owners him that the guy they’re going after is a complete and
bought out the bulk of his shares. Wannabe cops and total scumbag, Reg may be prevailed upon to use his
soldiers are thoroughly screened out during a lengthy shape-shifting powers on their behalf — “Purely on an
probation period. Without powers of arrest or detention, extra-curricular basis, you understand.”
its personnel can’t rely on the intimidating power of the Reg loves sports and always tries to rope his buddies
law to secure cooperation. Betula trains its people to into making ill-considered wagers on an upcoming game.
ramp down confrontations with calming words and body He himself shows a weird weakness for betting on the
language. Its personnel respond in a purely defensive eighth horse in any race, no matter what the odds. Reg
capacity. If a person or site they’re guarding comes under belongs to the Eighth Day Church. He’s low-key about
attack, they fight back. They do not pursue attackers his beliefs and thinks that Gilles Tremblay (see below) is a
or intruders when they flee or disengage. Nor do they nutjob of enormous proportions.
conduct investigations of suspects. Betula keeps a tiny
General Abilities: Athletics 8, Composure 8, Driving
staff of investigators on hand, but only for self-policing
8, Filch 8, Health 8, Infiltration 8, Scuffling 8, Shooting
purposes, or to perform security evaluations of sites or
8, Surveillance 8.
individuals they’re guarding.
Mutant Powers: Alter Form 8, Impersonate 8.
141
THE BULWARK OF
GOD
Location: downtown, near other historic
churches.
Physical description: This impressive
cathedral was purchased from the local
Anglican Diocese, which found it too
costly to maintain. It has since been
extensively refitted in keeping with the
pseudoscientific iconography of the
Eighth Day Church (see p. 136).
The new metal-clad structure
combines post-modernist lines with the
imposing authority of medieval Gothic
cathedrals. Tapestries behind the altar
vividly depict a future war between
superhumans and aliens. They jarringly
combine the aesthetics of the Bayeux
Tapestry with Topp’s original Mars
Attacks bubblegum cards. Their aliens
and ships are more inspired by H. R.
Giger than 1950s pulp covers, though.
Everybody says that the church’s
flamboyant founder, Gilles Tremblay,
installed various fortress-like facilities,
including an impregnable fallout shelter,
in the building when he remodeled it.
They’re there to make the church a
defensive strongpoint when the aliens
invade, or so the story goes. Supposedly,
its spires have even been outfitted with emplacements for
machine- and anti-aircraft guns, which can be assembled sect within the Eighth Day church, which predicts an
with parts from the vault on a few hours’ notice. environmental collapse instead of an alien attack.
The Institution: The Bulwark of God is a congregation
of the Eighth Day Church, regarded as a loose cannon Gilles Tremblay
by more conservative followers of that new faith. It draws “At the day of reckoning, we will be reforged, in a crucible
a large congregation to Tremblay’s showy, emotionally of alien fire.”
potent church services. The cathedral supports an Gilles Tremblay was a pipe-fitter from rural Quebec
impressive network of social outreach charities, including when, in the wake of the SME, he developed the power
soup kitchens, addiction counseling, and women’s to heal others, and to mend his own rent flesh. After a few
shelters. Tremblay also aggressively funds combat training years as a well-paid healer, he started his own heretical
for church members and other volunteers, to which both Catholic cult, proclaiming himself a saint. When the
mutants and DNASes may apply. Although this project is Eighth Day church arose, he switched affiliations, aligning
regarded as sinister by many people, including most cops, himself with its predictions of an unspecified future
he says that he’s merely preparing for the sadly inevitable disaster which would be averted by its worshippers. Four
war against the saucer people. years ago, during an election to choose the church’s next
The cathedral is a frequent target of attacks by zealots Moderator, Tremblay announced that he had received an
of all stripes. They include anti-mutant types as well as ecstatic vision of a terrible alien invasion. Although he
various religious fanatics, including members of a rival lost the election to a more moderate figure, he has gone
142
on to build a cult of personality around himself within the neighborhood furniture store into a city-wide chain of
church. Leaders have deftly acknowledged the possibility mid-priced stores. His successful election was due in
of Tremblay’s claims without fully endorsing them, large part to his high recognition factor as the star of his
preventing a schism. own television advertising. Manny loves to glad-hand
Tremblay moved to Mutant City to further develop his and preside at high-profile events. As a politician, he’s a
empire, establishing the Bulwark of God as its temporal consummate balancer of competing community interests.
outpost. He hates it when a big criminal case hits the headlines,
In person, he is a short, squat man whose wild hair especially if it makes the city look dangerous to tourists
wreathes his head like a crazy halo. He speaks in a and investors. Naranjo’s fiercely protective staffers, many
charismatically intense manner, most often about himself. of whom came up with him in the Hispanic Business
Association, are quick to lean on police headquarters
General Abilities: Athletics 8, Composure 12, when an alarming case seems to be dragging on too long.
Driving 4, Filch 4, Health 7, Infiltration 4, Mechanics Naranjo considers the heightened an overly vocal
6, Medic 4, Preparedness 8, Scuffling 8, Shooting 12, community who lack the sheer numbers at the voting
Surveillance 8. booth to justify sustained attention. Rather than
Mutant Powers: Healing 12, Regeneration 6, addressing their deeper concerns, he placates them,
Transmutation 4. hoping they’ll shut up.
GRF: Megalomania.
General Abilities: Athletics 2, Composure 12,
CITY HALL Driving 2, Health 6.
Location: use the existing city hall for your chosen
location.
Councillor Brian Schmiederer
The Institution: The SME has done little to change the
structure and function of municipal government. City “Okay, first thing we should do is set up a task force to
Hall has, however, beefed up its security measures, in part deal with this, with plenty of community consultation.
by hiring Betula Security to guard its facilities and key And then we’ll draw up a feasibility study and — wow,
personnel. this’ll be great!”
The only mutant city councillor is Brian Schmiederer,
whose ward includes a funky downtown neighborhood
Mayor Manuel Naranjo with high concentrations of the heightened, gays, and
artists. Schmiederer is an energetic, idealistic guy who’s
always coming up with new ideas — some of them good
but unworkable, others just plain kooky. His constituents
love him, thanks to his charm and tireless appearances at
community events.
He’s an advocate of a careful public relations approach
to heightened affairs. Schmeiderer advises the mutant
community to keep their cool, project a non-threatening
image, and show understanding toward those who fear
them. Radical mutant rights activists take as many shots
at him as do the anti-mutant crowd.
With his oversized glasses, skinny frame, and over-
reliance on polo shirts, he resembles a young Elvis
Costello gone preppie. He mentions his mutant powers
in his campaign literature and can occasionally be seen
to use his Translation ability when communicating with
constituents. Brian lives with his partner of seven years, a
city fireman named Greg Carlos.
“Don’t worry, friends — Mayor Manny is here for you!”
Manuel Naranjo, known to friend and foe alike General Abilities: Athletics 5, Composure 8, Health
as Manny, is a bundle of energy and model of civic 7.
boosterism. A self-made man, he parlayed his family’s Mutant Powers: Empathy 8, Translation.
143
POLICE HEADQUARTERS During the riot, he saved anti-mutant protesters, but

later participated in the investigation that revealed the
Location: use the existing police HQ for your chosen
protest leaders as having hired the heightened killers.
city.
This even-handedness led to a reputation as a trustworthy
broker between communities when disputes arise.
Police Commissioner Ellis Cop house rumors have it that Deakins owes his ###
Park heroism to a secret weapon: one or more officers
Deakins with the Emotion Control or Endorphin Control (Others)
powers, who discreetly calmed the crowd by influencing
its most volatile members.
General Abilities: Athletics 4, Driving 4, Health 6,

Infiltration 4, Scuffling 4, Shooting 5, Composure 12.
Mutant powers: None.
Chief of Detectives Dennis

Shockley
“Detective, if you know what’s good for you and your
career, you’ll retract what you just said, turn an about-
face, and never address me again. I trust I make myself
clear.”
A skilled bureaucratic infighter, Dennis Shockley
ensures his survival in a difficult post by balancing two
sometimes-incompatible forces. His overall performance
is judged by the clearance rates of his various detective
“Fine work, detective. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’m late squads, including the HCIU. Focusing on the goal of
for a function…” higher percentages with a shark-like intensity, he’s never
Ellis Deakins rose to fame in the first year of the SME, reluctant to chew out his watch commanders when the
as the commanding officer at the scene of the ### Park numbers start to slip. On the other hand, he understands
Riot. Deakins’ calm authority helped to quell the riot on a visceral level the importance of cultivating personal
and was widely credited with preventing a stampede that relationships with the police commissioner and mayor’s
could have resulted in hundreds of deaths. Lionized in office. When they call him to demand quick results, or
the media, he rose quickly through the ranks and was to press the department to alter its behavior toward an
easily confirmed as police commissioner five years ago. important constituency, he follows through without qualm.
Looked to as a source of calm in an often turbulent time, When Shockley takes an interest in a quick clearance —
Deakins appears regularly on the TV news. Lately his or demands that a case be buried — the detectives hear
high approval rating has aroused the ire of the mayor’s about it, fast, from their watch commander.
staff, who see him as stealing the boss’ media limelight. In person, Shockley maintains a stiff, stern,
Deakins is a volunteer at his church, a staple of charity unapproachable posture. The motor pools and evidence
fundraising throughout the city, and a devoted husband lockers of the city’s police force are full of formerly
and father of six. All but one of his children are cops or touted detectives who crossed him, and remain in career
headed for police careers. His newfound connections to purgatory because of it.
the upper echelons of society have led him to occasionally
exert pressure on his watch commanders on behalf of the General Abilities: Athletics 5, Composure 8, Driving
wealthy and privileged. 4, Health 6, Infiltration 2, Scuffling 4, Shooting 8,
Surveillance 4.
144
HCIU HQ case, he’s a supportive commander ready to go to the wall

for his people if necessary. Unfortunately, he can’t afford
Location: The HCIU offices are housed on the top to antagonize the chief of detectives, having stood up to
floor of an urban precinct house. Their level of decay his political demands a few times too many. A straight
matches the current prevailing situation in your city. If shooter, Krose is willing to see the rules bent only so far,
police offices are always well-maintained and -appointed, and then only when underhanded tactics clearly serve a
the PCs enjoy positive working conditions. They may greater good. Although in his fifties, he continues to cut a
examine evidence displays on fancy touch-screen plasmas dashing figure around the office, with his craggy jaw and
and scoop up information on their sweet new laptops, marathoner’s physique.
via super-fast broadband connections. If not, they’re A mahogany-framed picture of his beautiful,
stuck in unpleasant surroundings and are forced to deal wheelchair-bound wife and three coltish teenage
with cramped quarters, obsolete computer and phone daughters takes pride of place on Krose’s desk.
equipment, and perpetually failing plumbing. Though not himself a mutant, Krose has come to
Their section of the building includes at least two identify with the heightened. He constantly reminds his
interrogation rooms, a large shared office space, and an people, super-powered and DNAS alike, that they’re
office for each of the four watch commanders. HCIU there to defend the 99% of decent, law-abiding mutants,
space includes a private set of lockers, a shower, and a and not just to lock up the minority of creeps.
small dark room featuring a single army-surplus cot. General Abilities: Athletics 10, Composure 10,
Detectives take power naps to keep their brains semi- Driving 6, Health 8, Infiltration 4, Mechanics 2, Medic
functional during long shifts. 2, Scuffling 6, Shooting 6, Surveillance 6.
Holding cells are on the lower level, in the area of the Mutant Powers: None.
building reserved for uniformed patrol officers. Detectives
don’t have much cause to venture into uni territory, except Lieutenant Nina Perreau
to pass through the central foyer where the desk sergeant
“Every second you’re out on that street, you’re being
monitors people traveling in and out of the station house.
judged, detective — and don’t you forget it.”
The newest addition to the ranks of HCIU watch
Lieutenant Eric Krose commanders is Lt. Nina Perreau, who received a lateral
promotion to the post after a mixed performance as head
of the Fraud squad. As both a woman and an African-
American, Perreau’s career has been dogged by locker
room whispers that she’s a mediocrity who owes her
promotions to her minority status. Perhaps as a result,
Perreau, a short and slightly matronly woman, commands
with a noticeable chip on her shoulder. She’s quick to
chew out subordinates at the slightest hint of disrespect.
From her point of view, she takes flak for minor missteps
that would be forgiven in any other commander. She’s
especially tough on any squad members who happen to
be visible minorities as well as mutants, on the grounds
that they have to be twice as good as the male Caucasian
officers they’re competing with. Her perception of herself
as a victim of subtle institutional prejudice inspires her
to push hard on cases with a mutant-rights angle. On
normal days, her main goal in life is to exceed Eric Krose’s
clearance rate.
Perreau is a divorced mother of two. Her son Andrew
“I want this case closed fast, and closed right.”
is an intern at the city’s busiest hospital, and her daughter
Former hostage negotiator Eric Krose is the only
Patrice pursues an MBA at a top university.
HCIU watch commander who’s held the post since the
unit’s initial formation. He currently enjoys an exemplary General Abilities: Athletics 3, Composure 12,
clearance rate and by no means intends it to slip. Krose Driving 2, Health 6, Infiltration 3, Medic 2, Scuffling
maintains an air of easy authority. Despite his occasional 4, Shooting 6, Surveillance 6.
terse outbursts when his detectives get bogged down in a Mutant Powers: None.
145
Lieutenant Hoyt Haigh three jobs to put himself through the police academy.
He ingratiated himself to the mayor by working tirelessly
“People have good reason for thinkin’ we’re freaks.”
for his first election campaign, and won a cushy job as
From his donut-eating physique and rumpled clothing
the mayor’s driver soon after joining the force. Bevan
to his gruff, stolid demeanor, Hoyt Haigh appears every
parlayed his connections to a series of plum assignments,
inch the old school cop.
finally securing his present post at the HCIU.
He had been a desk sergeant for many years when,
The most media-conscious of the watch commanders,
while defusing a squad room brawl, he revealed his mutant
Bevan sees to it that his boyishly handsome face is
powers. Haigh disintegrated the floorboards beneath a
splashed across the front pages whenever a high-profile
mammoth, PCP-addled perp gone berserk, safely lodging
case hits his desk. Observers of department politics can’t
him in the resulting hole until his colleagues could get
quite decide whether he’s angling for a job as police brass,
their tasers out. Three years ago, when heightened rights
or aiming for electoral office. Although Bevan’s clearance
activists protested the lack of gene-expressive individuals
rate is not as high as Krose’s, he’s the one the politicos
in the HCIU command structure, the chief of detectives
go to when they need something handled quietly, or with
elevated Haigh from his happy obscurity to the heartburn-
media savvy. Bevan’s network of contacts at all levels of
rich environment of the unit.
the city’s power structure enables him to pull strings for
Haigh seems content with the lowest clearance rate of
his detectives. However, he’s strictly a quid pro quo kind
all the unit watch commanders. Opinion in the unit is
of guy. When he does a favor for you, he makes sure you
divided as to whether he thinks himself untouchable, or
understand that one day he’ll come to collect on it.
is hoping to get busted back down to his comparatively
Bevan’s interest in mutant affairs is limited to their
stress-free former position. At any rate, the screw-ups
high media profile. As far as he’s concerned, the HCIU
and loose cannons on the squad tend to gravitate toward
is a stepping stone, not a cause or crusade. On camera,
him. Whenever the PCs have a problem with a fellow
he supports mutant rights precisely to the extent that
unit member, it’s probably with one of Haigh’s detectives.
mainstream public opinion allows.
Persistent rumors have it that Haigh ran with dirty cops
Bevan is married to his childhood sweetheart, who is
early in his career, when he served in the vice squad.
currently expecting their first child. Demure and poised,
If it weren’t for his own genetic status, Haigh would
she seems well cast for the role of political wife.
be considered an anti-mutant bigot. He routinely refers
to the heightened as lixers, genies, and chromes. His General Abilities: Athletics 10, Composure 12,
contempt for goobs is especially ill-concealed. Then Driving 8, Health 10, Infiltration 2, Scuffling 4,
again, his discomfort level with women, blacks, Asians Shooting 12.
and Hispanics isn’t exactly hidden, either. Mutant Powers: None.
Seemingly ashamed of his genetic status, he never uses
his Disintegration power when he doesn’t have to, and
has so far kept his other mutant abilities secret. Sergeant Mike Nadler
Haigh is twice-divorced and lives with a long-term “Hang on, kid. There’s only one of me.”
partner, Monica Landford, who he continually derides as When detectives need the assistance of uniformed
a nagging pain in the ass. officers, they go through the station’s desk sergeant,
Mike Nadler3. With his broad shoulders, world-weary
General Abilities: Athletics 2, Composure 4, Driving bearing, and shrewdly suspicious sense of character, he
6, Filch 4, Health 5, Infiltration 2, Mechanics 4, fits the role of patrolman herder to a T. Nadler never has
Preparedness 5, Scuffling 8, Shooting 4, Surveillance 6. enough officers to go around, and responds to all requests
for assistance with beleaguered sighs. After letting the
Mutant Powers: Disintegration 16, Transmutation 4,
detectives know how badly they’re imposing on him, he
Healing 4.
always manages to get the job done — though perhaps
more slowly than impatient investigators would like.
Lieutenant Sean Bevan Nadler is required to be responsive to the watch
“The mayor’s office wants this to go away quietly. So commanders but does not answer to them. He outranks
that’s what’s going to happen.” the detectives but is not in their chain of command. The
The youngest watch commander in the squad is Sean
Bevan, an adroit political maneuverer tipped for a sterling 3
If you want to be strictly realistic about it, you’ll create at least
career in the department’s higher reaches. The oldest two additional desk sergeants, varying their appearance by
son of a widowed supermarket cashier, Bevan worked shift. But who wants to remember that many desk sergeants?
146
sergeant, a father of five and grandfather of six, refers to

any detective under the age of fifty as “kid.” He bristles
POLICE FORENSIC
visibly when he overhears a uniformed officer make SERVICES
disparaging remarks about mutants. Although he doesn’t Location: Research the police forensics lab of your
broadcast the fact, his eldest granddaughter recently chosen police department; it is probably a visually
developed the ability to walk through walls. uninspiring structure tucked away in an industrial zone.
The Institution: Decide whether you want your
General Abilities: Athletics 4, Composure 13, crime lab to be a futuristic, gleaming facility as seen in
Driving 6, Health 5, Infiltration 4, Mechanics 4, Medic many TV procedural shows, or the drably utilitarian set-
2, Scuffling 8, Shooting 4, Surveillance 4. up found in reality. For the sake of dramatic continuity,
Mutant Powers: None. depart from strict realism by allowing the lab techs to get
results to the detectives within hours or days, as opposed to
MEDICAL EXAMINER’S the weeks or months most understaffed and underfunded
labs are capable of. Also allow HCIU detectives to use the
OFFICE equipment to perform their own tests, which would be
Location: Depending on your chosen location, autopsies forbidden in real life.
in criminal cases may take place in a standalone facility, Forensic services include the following.
in a department of a hospital, or at the forensic services • Artist reconstruction services. These include suspect
headquarters (see below). For narrative convenience you sketches, sculpted facial reconstructions from
may wish to depart from reality and fold the medical skulls, and aged portraits of individuals who have
examiner’s facility and forensic services into a single been missing or wanted for a long time since their
institution, as is often done in TV procedurals. last known photographs. (These functions can be
Some jurisdictions use the term “coroner” instead of performed by characters with both Art History and
“medical examiner.” Forensic Anthropology.)
• Ballistics testing.
Mads Jensen • Data retrieval.
“This poor fellow — how he must have suffered in his • Document analysis.
final moments.” • Fingerprint identification.
The city’s chief medical examiner is a mournful • Photo lab.
Dane who has never lost the ability to empathize with • Physical evidence analysis.
his subjects as people. He verbally reconstructs their • Plan drawing. This department creates floor plans and
final moments in sympathetic and overly vivid detail. 3D computer models of crime scenes. (These functions
However, he can’t help himself from becoming giddily can be performed by characters with the Architecture
excited by the opportunity to dissect subjects bearing ability.)
obvious mutant physiology.
A recovering alcoholic, Jensen speaks in twelve-step Sheldon Fitton
aphorisms. A dedicated fan of rock music with a particular “I’m just not sure about the nose.”
interest in Nordic death metal, Jensen bonds with any Reconstructive artist Sheldon Fitton is a middle-aged
squad member who shows signs of being a record buff. man with a friendly manner who seems utterly untouched
(Depending on the size of the jurisdiction, the chief by the grim subject matter of his work. He lives in the
medical examiner may actually perform autopsies, or suburbs, coaches a kids’ softball team, and is a master at
might be an administrator who hasn’t touched a corpse the barbecue, eager to swap marinade recipes.
in years. For larger jurisdictions, make Jensen a staff
pathologist.) General Abilities: Athletics 2, Composure 12, Driving
2, Health 6, Mechanics 4, Medic 2.
General Abilities: Athletics 4, Composure 6, Health Mutant Powers: None.
6, Mechanics 4, Medic 12, Surveillance 4.
Leonard Northrup
“This is a hollow-point bullet all right, but one intended
for increased accuracy in target shooting, not to do greater
damage on impact with flesh. Not the ammunition I’d
choose if I were premeditating murder.”
147
No one loves guns and ammo with greater fervor Ed “the Ted” Riley
than the alarming intense Leonard Northrup. Balding,
“Sorry, dudes. The print is too blurred to get more than
mustachioed and extravagantly muscled for a man
a four-point match.”
pushing sixty, Leonard is a down-the-line law-and-order
Fingerprint and evidence analysis guru Ed Riley
man and lifetime member of the country’s leading gun
wears loud Hawaiian shirts under his lab coats, used to be
owners’ movement (or whatever cause is most associated
a championship video game player, and is trying to lose
with reactionary testosterone in your Mutant City). He
eighty pounds before his wedding, scheduled for two years
assumes that all cops share his reflexively right-wing
from now. As a young man he learned to hide his brilliant
views, which he wears on his sleeve — literally, as a series
intellect behind a curtain of nerd humor and surfer-speak.
of patriotic tattoos, from back in the day when only
He refers to himself as “The Ted” and encourages others
sailors, soldiers and longshoremen sported ink.
to do likewise.
General Abilities: Athletics 8, Composure 6, Driving
General Abilities: Composure 10, Health 3,
4, Health 10, Mechanics 6, Medic 4, Preparedness 4,
Mechanics 12.
Scuffling 6, Shooting 18.
Lucy Bellaver
Mariya Zolotukhin
“It’s amazing how much this FBI software can enhance a
“There is no data which can be erased so that I may not
simple JPEG, isn’t it?”
find it.”
Photographic technician Lucy Bellaver is a former
The lab’s data retrieval expert is a dour young Russian
nun who decided to pursue the Lord’s work by helping
whose small talk consists mostly of minor complaints about
to protect the meek from the predatory. Although she’s
her day, especially the difficulty of the work detectives
renounced her vows, she remains celibate, living alone in
have assigned to her. Her natural beauty shines through
a small downtown apartment. From the way she talks,
a clear disinterest in personal styling, and she responds
detectives may mistakenly believe that she’s shacked up
to flirtations with a sense of impatient nausea. What she
with somebody named Martin. This is the name of her
lacks in sparkle she makes up for with miraculous feats
beloved pet, an African grey parrot.
of computer wizardry. She is highly secretive about her
mutant status, especially around others of her kind. General Abilities: Composure 12, Health 6,
Mechanics 4, Preparedness 4.
6, Mechanics 6, Preparedness 4.
Mutant Powers: Armor 4, Blade Immunity 6,
Entangling Hair 6. Henry Glass
“I compared the measurements we took at the scene and
Chieko Renan the original plans and found a six-foot discrepancy. If I
were you, I’d go back and check for a secret compartment,
“It’s your lucky day, detectives: the paper bears a specialty
right about — here.”
watermark.”
Failed architect Henry Glass works for the plan
In her spare time, document analysis expert Chieko
drawing department. Though brilliant at his job,
Renan practices origami and writes unpublished mystery
detectives have to be careful to keep him on topic, or he’ll
novels about a plucky document analyst who solves
launch into a critique of the visionless idiots who built
crimes the poor stupid police detectives are too dumb
whatever structure he’s drawing or reconstructing. He
to understand. Although her work is top-notch, she will,
has to check himself from treating the detectives like all
if not interrupted, bombard the team with completely
the lackey architecture students who used to work for him
absurd theories of the crime they’re investigating. She’s
back before his firm went bankrupt. Glass is in his mid-
a slightly plump woman in her thirties who owns many
forties, wears thick-framed glasses, and surrounds himself
pairs of cute eyeglasses. Her somewhat unusual name
with objects of severe modernist design.
reflects her Japanese-French heritage.
Mechanics 8.
Mechanics 3.
148
PROTESTERS AND Richard Wayne Jason

ACTIVISTS
When a case takes on political overtones — as it often does
in Mutant City — detectives may find themselves dealing
with the town’s rich tapestry of activists, community
leaders, and pot-stirrers.
NEUTRAL PARITY LEAGUE

This group upholds the supposedly downtrodden rights
of the 99% of the population without mutant powers.
It is the successor organization to the Human Integrity
Campaign, which was revealed to have hired murderous
mutants to disrupt its own rally, leading to the ### Park
Riot. Present leaders of the League disclaim affiliation
with the violent methods of the HIC, but carry on its
vehement rhetoric. (“Neutral” refers to the DNA-neutral
status of its membership, not its attitude.) Though open
to so-called “pures” of all races and creeds, the NPL
borrows stylistically from ultra-right nativist groups from The wiry and vicious Richard Wayne Jason serves as
around the world. leader of the NPL’s youth wing, when he’s not doing time
The NPL’s feared youth wing marks itself by in prison for assault. He favors the use of all three names
displaying a distinctive tattoo on the back of the neck or to give himself that serial killer vibe, even though his own
shaved head. The tattoo depicts a grotesque caricature of crimes have never gone beyond bone-breaking. He’s
a mutant, surrounded by a red circle with a bar through short-tempered and easily goaded. While in jail, he hangs
it. Aside from this single tattoo, they disavow all piercings out with his buddies in the Aryan Nation.
and body modifications, as a tribute to the untrammeled General Abilities: Athletics 12, Composure 3, Filch
purity of their flesh. They are known colloquially as 12, Health 12, Infiltration 8, Mechanics 6, Medic 6,
barheads. Although they use the term themselves, they Preparedness 6, Scuffling 12.
reserve the right to treat it as a slur (and therefore cause Mutant Powers: None.
for a fight) when uttered by outsiders.
Conrad Priestley THE RACKS

Where there are NPL thugs, their rivals, the Racks, are
The NPL’s political leader is Conrad Priestley, a gray-
never far behind, tire irons and bicycle chains in hand.
faced, badly dressed man who lives by himself in an
(The name conflates the phrase “righteous activists.”)
apartment full of political tracts and semi-feral cats.
They’re a loosely affiliated network of anti-bigotry youth
Perhaps because the lingering smell of feline urine is
activists who welcome heightened members and enjoy
imperceptible on television, he is an oddly compelling
busting heads in furtherance of a righteous cause. The
guest on shows where persons of extreme views scream
Racks combine a flair for inclusive rhetoric with an
at each other. In his younger days, Priestley was expelled
aggressive taste for violence. In several incidents, mutant
from the University of ### for vandalism. Before the
members have badly harmed NPLers and bystanders,
SME he self-published works of Holocaust revisionism,
increasing anti-heightened tensions throughout the city.
but now welcomes the comradeship of his Jewish pure
brethren against the mutant threat.
Adoni Guerra
General Abilities: Composure 8, Health 4. The Racks are headed by the charismatic lunkhead Adoni
Mutant Powers: None. Guerra, a former political science major at the University
of ### who dropped out to pursue his vocation of ass-
kicking full time. He lives in a squat with the inner circle
of the Racks and makes his meager living from a variety
of street hustles, including occasional forays into minor
149
league drug dealing. He handles inquisitive cops by an initial position as a queen bee volunteer, she now
cheerfully talking their ears off until they get tired of him jealously guards her secrets and prerogatives. Notorious
and leave him alone. Guerra is currently on probation for for keeping no records except in her head, Betsy has all
torching Conrad Priestley’s car. of the show’s details at her sharp-tongued command. If
General Abilities: Athletics 12, Composure 6, something happened to her, the show would collapse into
Driving 4, Filch 8, Health 12, Infiltration 6, Mechanics utter disaster — a fact she’s always ready to remind you
4, Medic 4, Scuffling 12, Surveillance 4. of, if you happen to forget. She incessantly complains of
Mutant Powers: Fire Immunity 4, Spontaneous the burdens placed on her, while viciously resisting any
Combustion 8, Toxin Immunity (Ingested) 4. effort to pry even the smallest responsibility from her
GRF: Trance Susceptible. hands. An incorrigible gossip, Betsy can be relied upon
to gather — and freely dispense — the secret poop on any
THE MUTANT notable member of the goob community. A middle-aged
woman with long, limp blond hair, Betsy keeps trying to
COMMUNITY lose weight, but is always thwarted by omnipresent snack
The city includes notable exponents of most major mutant food when the stress of convention season descends.
groups, many of whom are quick to insert themselves into Betsy has used her Memory Alteration power precisely
high-profile HCIU cases as a way of gaining publicity. once, to erase a fellow committee member’s recollection
Local mutants tend to cluster in Helixtown, a once- of an embarrassing gaffe she made during a show. She
shabby downtown neighborhood now in the midst of a has regretted this ever since, and sworn never to deploy
gentrification process. it again.
General Abilities: Composure 12, Driving 4, Health

CAPECON ENTERPRISES 4, Medic 4, Preparedness 8.
Headquartered throughout the year in modest offices Mutant Powers: Memory Alteration 12, Precision
in a converted warehouse shared by various boutiques Memory 12.
and small web design firms, CapeCon Enterprises rises GRF: Megalomania (incipient).
phoenix-like, once every August, to stage CapeCon, the
biggest science fiction, comic book and mutant fandom
event in the country. The rest of the year, this not-for-
CNM FREEDOM HALL
The Continental Nation of Mutants (p. 136), as it does in
profit organization serves as an informal hub for Mutant
any major city, congregates in an extensively remodeled
City’s goob population. Some fans complain that its
private community center which it calls a Freedom Hall.
membership has grown ossified and insular over the
Its amenities include a gym, pool, seminar rooms, day
years. Its core membership is composed of ex-members
care facilities, and a small theater suitable for meetings,
of Blue Team, a group of mutant vigilantes who dropped
theatrical productions, or film screenings.
out of active crime-fighting after finding themselves on
The walls are festooned with fliers, banners and posters
the receiving end of several vicious thrashings. Logistical
promoting the group’s separatist agenda. It advocates the
snafus abound at its convention, but that doesn’t stop
conversion of Helixtown into an autonomous zone, run
the fans from coming. In addition to its iconic event,
by and for its mutant populace. Some might argue that its
CapeCon stages readings and appearances throughout
hotheads and ideologues are drawn to this goal precisely
the year.
because it is impossible — it allows them to maintain
their stance of moral superiority without ever having to
Betsy “Steeltrap” Sperling run anything bigger than the Freedom Hall itself. In the
“I probably shouldn’t reveal this, but when he was a meantime, however, many of its younger members pursue
guest at the ’04 show, he was hoovering up the Peruvian the more modest goal of making non-mutant residents
marching powder like tomorrow wasn’t coming.” of this rapidly gentrifying neighborhood feel unwelcome.
Betsy Sperling is not the official high commander of Their harassment techniques range from verbal catcalls
CapeCon Enterprises: that honor goes to Blue Team to late night assaults. The more moderate adults who
founder Eugene “Thunder Squall” Pavnicki. However, run the hall concentrate on their boycott of non-mutant
while Eugene swans around posing for photo ops and businesses.
doing interviews, Executive Administrator Betsy Sperling
takes charge of all the organizational heavy lifting.
Having insinuated herself into her present role from
150
Eddie “The Machine” Florence Sharon Bryson

“Each species should rule its own affairs — you in 90% of “We have the power! No one can put us down!”
the world, us in our 10. Where’s the hatred in that, my Sharon Bryson heads the local Evolve chapter.
friend?” Unapologetically loud and boisterous, she ping-pongs
The leader of the Mutant City Freedom Hall (official between joyous abandon and self-righteous anger.
title: Chapter Chairperson) is the outwardly gregarious Sharon rocks a classic punk-anarchist-dyke look, typified
Eddie Florence, a second-generation veteran of black by a bright pink mohawk and sleeveless leopard-print
activist organizations who has turned his mutant status sweatshirt. Her most shameful secret is her seven-figure
into a new cause. His smiling, backslapping public trust fund.
manner belies his unsparing dedication to the separatist
cause. Florence plays the media expertly, putting a benign General Abilities: Athletics 6, Composure 5, Filch
face on the CNM for broad consumption, while winding 4, Health 6, Infiltration 10, Mechanics 6, Medic 2,
up the hard core with incendiary rhetoric behind closed Preparedness 6, Scuffling 10, Shooting 4, Surveillance
doors. 3.
Mutant Powers: Lightning Decisions 2, Telepathy 10,
General Abilities: Athletics 4, Composure 6, Fleeing Speed 12.
8, Health 6, Infiltration 4, Mechanics 4, Scuffling 4, GRF: Limbic Hypertrophy.
Shooting 8, Surveillance 2.
Mutant Powers: Cognition 4, Lightning Decisions 8,
Technopathy. HEIGHTENED INFORMATION
ALLIANCE
EVOLVE MOVEMENT The city’s mainstream mutant rights organization (p.136)
naturally places its national headquarters in the heart
The local chapter of the Evolve Movement (p. 136) is
of Helixtown. It takes up the lower level of a posh new
headquartered in a dilapidated former car wash on the
condominium complex catering to the most prosperous
margins of Helixtown, where it begins to fade into an
of the gene-expressive community. The HIC’s well-
industrial zone. After repeated attacks by vandals, it has
appointed offices hum with modern efficiency, as its
been heavily fortified and tricked out with the latest in
dozens of staff members busy themselves with press
surveillance gear. Evolve slogans cover its ever-changing
releases, grant proposals, and white paper presentations.
exterior coat of murals by mutant graffiti artists. Its
Brian Schmiederer’s constituency office is right across
common area provides a twenty-four hour refuge for
the street, and he is a frequent fixture here, still trying to
the community’s malcontents, street people, and scruffy
drum up support for his Museum of the Evolving Helix.
idealists.
Janice Saralegui
“I bet this problem has a simple solution if we all sit
down and put our minds to it.”
Executive Director Janice Saralegui is a veteran of
various non-profit organizations, having headed an
affordable housing lobbying group, an arts fundraising
foundation, and a cancer research charity. She did not
come out as a mutant until applying for her present
position, a fact that continues to rankle more radical
expressive rights activists. Janice, a vivacious, slightly
pear-shaped woman in her early fifties, practices a relaxed
management style, earning her the loyalty of her devoted
staff. She regularly rubs elbows with Lucius Quade, Galen
Birch, and others of the city’s leading lights, mutant and
otherwise.
General Abilities: Composure 12, Health 6, Medic 2.

Mutant Powers: Touch.
151
TEMPLE OF HELIOPOLIS Davon Riddle

The Heliopolans (p. 136) have built a gleaming golden “I have granted you audience. Now speak.”
spire, combining architectural elements of mosque and Reclusive in the extreme, Heliopolan CDE (Chief
synagogue in a gaudy post-modern style. It rises above the Delegate in Exile) Davon Riddle rarely meets with
main drag of Helixtown, much to the chagrin of the local outsiders, and never with non-mutants. Surprisingly
community association, which fought against it on the young, Riddle is intense and withdrawn. He says little,
grounds that it’s out of keeping with the neighborhood. dropping his scarce pronouncements like bombs.
Of course, the ultimate goal of the Heliopolans is to leave Although the Heliopolans are putatively secular, he
the neighborhood forever, in favor of their hypothetical adopts the manner of a prophet, wearing his hooded
future mutant nation in Africa. The temple’s interior is sweatshirt like a monk’s robe.
surprisingly modest and austere. Intimidating guards,
all members of the group, stand watch to keep outsiders General Abilities: Athletics 8, Composure 12, Health
away. Officers of the organization are called Delegates in 12, Scuffling 8, Shooting 4.
Exile, or DEs. Mutant Powers: Fire Immunity 12, Spontaneous
The group’s followers preach the virtues of their Combustion 12.
imagined nation on street corners throughout Helixtown.
They also tithe their income to the national building fund.
Though skeptics accuse temple leader Davon Riddle
of embezzling the money, it is in fact all accounted for,
gathering interest in lucrative hedge fund investments.
RELATIONS BETWEEN GROUPS

To assume that the various mutant activist groups work together when their goals intersect is to
display a vast naïveté about the nature of political factionalism. Each organization sees its specific
agenda as the only way forward for mutantkind. Groups drawing the attention and energy of other
mutants away from them are not only counterproductive — they’re usually regarded as a worse threat
than any force in mainstream society. The opinions of the various radical leaders toward one another
are summed up in the following table.
Sharon Bryson Eddie Florence Davon Riddle Janice Saralegui
Doesn’t want to
What Sharon Bryson overthrow the
thinks of...
— oppressor —wants to
A spooky creep. A tool of The Man.
become the oppressor
A dangerous fantasist
What Eddie Florence A spoiled brat, raised
thinks of... on privilege.
— devoted to an A tool of The Man.
impossible cause.
What Davon Riddle Unworthy of Theres a knife behind A tool of the inferior
thinks of... consideration. his smile.
— species.
He’s trouble, but you

What Janice Saralegui She needs a mother Let him continue to
thinks of... figure.
can strike a deal with
marginalize himself.
—
him.
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ADVICE FOR GMS
ADVICE FOR GMs

Cases in Mutant City Blues emulate the structure of police The Suspects: A bullet-pointed rundown of the
procedural TV shows (or novels) but with the added various innocent parties who might appear on the players’
element of socially realistic super powers. Take stories suspect list.
from both real-life news and police procedural shows, The Twist: (optional) In some cases, identifying the
then add a genre twist by factoring in mutant powers. perpetrator simply sets up an additional obstacle for the
Look to comics and superhero movies for inspiration, detectives to overcome. This might be a hostage situation,
but remember to ground everything you take from them a new crime committed by someone else, or a difficult
in the reasoned, remorselessly logical and downbeat courtroom situation.
world of Mutant City Blues. ‘Blues’ is the key word there The Culprit(s): This entry briefly tells you who
- collide the fantasy of incredible superhumans changing committed the crime, and why.
the world with the grimy, greedy nature of human beings,
and find your stories there. Not every case need end with
a satisfying ‘win’ for the players.
Scenes
To more closely evoke the spirit of most police Arrange scenes in whatever order makes sense to you.
procedurals, add Subplots (see p. 166) featuring the Group them by category, as given below, or in likely order
personal stories of the HCIU investigators, including of occurrence. You may find it easier to allow the PCs to
their struggles with their SME GRFs, if any. set the pace and direction of the investigation if you list
the scenes by category, allowing them to find their own
connections between scenes. Players who fear railroading
CASES may more easily accept this approach.
Each mystery in a Mutant City Blues series should in some In published adventures, at the start of each scene,
way hinge on the mutant experience, highlighting the we list the scenes that might lead in to this scene, and
setting’s unique element. If a scenario could be done as the ones that lead out. This may be useful when plotting
a standard police procedural in the real world, there’s your own scenarios — if most of your scenes have only one
no point presenting it in this world. This is not to say lead-in and lead-out, then your adventures are probably
that every single case has to be a murder investigation overly linear (or you’re writing an action- or drama-heavy
in which the killer turns out to be heightened. Mutants game where the mystery takes a back seat to other forms
can be killed by normals. Normals can commit crimes, of fun). If most of your scenes have more than two or
disguising the scenes so they seem to have been committed three lead-ins and lead-outs, then your adventures may
by mutants. Cases can reflect the impact of mutants and be unfocused, and may benefit from more attention to
mutations on politics, sports, business, or culture. They pacing or simplicity.
might turn on the forensics of superpowers, or require the Scene types aren’t necessarily exclusive. An
use of a particular mutant investigative ability. investigative scene where the players go door to door
questioning locals could suddenly turn into a thrilling
STRUCTURE mutant-powered chase. A dramatic scene where a player
tries to reconcile with his estranged boyfriend could
The following case structure provides a solid starting
become a tense combat if a mob hitman shows up in the
point for police procedurals in general, including Mutant
middle of their conversation to kill the off-duty cop.
City Blues.
Investigative scenes fall into three rough categories.
• Interviews and Interrogations: This type of
Introduction scene revolves around interactions with suspects and
Backstory: Provides a brief account of the case at hand. witnesses, relying chiefly on Interpersonal abilities.
If this was a television episode, this section would be the • Physical Evidence: This category consists of scenes,
description that appears in the TV listings. including the initial crime scene, where the chief
The Crime: A few lines describing the initial crime activity is the accumulation of physical evidence,
that causes the HCIU to be assigned to the case. mostly with Technical abilities.
153
• Information Gathering: In this type of scene,

players hit the books, using their Academic abilities to Floating Clues
increase their understanding of the people and events
associated with the crime. One useful technique is the “floating clue” —
In any such scene, there should be at least one core
a vital piece of information that the players
clue pointing to the next scene. You can have a web of
clues, where the PCs have multiple potential lines of can find in any of several locations. The USB
inquiry — just make sure they always have at least one stick with the video of a mob informant being
solid lead to follow. beaten to death might be in the pocket of the
Following core clues always gets the players to the end mob enforcer, or in his safe at home, or in his
of the scenario, but it doesn’t automatically imply a good car — wherever the PCs search first, that’s
ending. The players might not collect enough evidence to where they find it.
put the bad guys behind bars, or they might fail to resolve
some other situation. The point of core clues is to ensure
that the investigation never stalls, not to hand the players
all the answers on a plate. Leveraged Clues
Action: These are scenes, including chases,
apprehensions, standoffs, and superpowered battles,
A staple element of police procedural shows
where the heroes are tested in the use of their General
is the crucial fact which, when presented to a
abilities. These sequences provide the case’s narrative
unpredictability: although the PCs are guaranteed to previously resistant witness or suspect, causes
succeed in information gathering, they can easily fail them to break down and suddenly supply
here. the information or confession the detectives
Dramatic: These are scenes of character development seek. This is represented in GUMSHOE by the
and conflict. In practice, many of these will be entirely leveraged clue. This is a piece of information
improvised, deriving from player-suggested Subplots. which is only available from the combined use
However, on occasion you’ll want to introduce dramatic of an Interpersonal ability, and the mention of
sequences arising from the case itself, which can apply to
another, previously gathered clue. The cited
any character, or which are tailored specifically to one PC.
clue is called a prerequisite clue, and is by
In the latter instance, make sure you have contingency
plans in case that player doesn’t show up for a crucial definition a sub-category of core clue.
session!
Antagonist Reaction: The players aren’t the only
active parties. GM characters may pursue their own goals BUILDING A CASE:
independently. A criminal might try to destroy evidence
or intimidate a witness to stop them talking to the police; WORKED EXAMPLE
a serial killer might strike again; a crime boss sends his Backstory: Wealthy financier David Graber is found
legal team to bail his minions out of prison. Antagonist dead in his secure office — with the door locked from the
reactions might be triggered by specific circumstances inside. It’s initially assumed to be a drug overdose; but a
(“as soon as Mike finds out the police talked to witnesses, he young woman, Kari Kristobel, comes forward and claims
drives his car out into the countryside and sets fire to it to destroy that she was Graber’s lover, and that he was on the phone
the evidence”) or be left “floating”, so the GM can drop to her when he died. She heard sounds of a struggle.
them in as needed. The Crime: Graber was killed by a phasing hitman,
Wrap-Up: This suggests one possible satisfactory who walked through the walls and attacked him.
conclusion to the case, just to make sure that you have The Suspects: Graber’s estranged wife Cynthia, and
one. Don’t force the players toward it. If they steer the his business partner Anthony Cord, were having an affair,
plot toward another suitable ending, embrace it, adjusting and both stand to benefit hugely from Graber’s death.
as necessary. For example, you might conceive of the Cynthia claims that Cord hired the murderer; under
ending as occurring during a shoot-out with police, but questioning, Cord admits that he contemplated hiring an
the players might interact so adroitly with the culprit assassin, but claims he’s being framed.
that a dramatic confession scene suddenly seems more The Twist: Searching Cord’s computer files gives
appropriate. contact details for the assassin, Marcello. Once the officers
154
ADVICE FOR GMS
capture him, he claims he was hired by David Graber — though, that players are capricious and unpredictable
and following the money confirms that. by nature, and will make unexpected choices.)
The Culprit(s): The real mastermind is Bremmer • In Interviewing Kari, the players can also confirm
Cord, Anthony Cord’s son. He discovered his father’s Graber was murdered. While there are no immediate
half-formed plan to kill Graber, and put it into action. lead-outs from this scene, the players can return
He tracked down Kari Kristobel and convinced her to to question Kari again later once they pick up the
seduce Graber. prerequisite clue that David Graber’s money was used
Starting with this tangled tale of lust and murder, the to pay for his own murder.
next step is to break it down into scenes. There are three • Scenes like Anthony Cord, Cynthia Graber and
clear lines of investigation. First, there’s the circumstances Cord’s Files are all investigative scenes where the
of Graber’s death, where forensic investigation points to players pick up clues that point in various directions, or
a phasing mutant. Second, there’s Graber’s business and illuminate more about the backstory of the case. Take
family contacts. And thirdly, there’s Kari Kristobel and a look at the list of investigative abilities and pick the
her involvement. The GM notes down some clues that ones that the players will obviously employ (Bullshit
could be found from all three lines of inquiry, and where Detector and Interrogation when questioning a
they might lead — and how each one might cross-over suspect; Data Retrieval and Accounting when
with another, tying the case together. looking at corporate files). Then look at other abilities,
and see if you can include some unexpected or oblique
clues. Maybe Electronic Surveillance coupled with
Scenes Anamorphology to spot that you need an electronic
Here’s a possible break-down of the scenes. The passcard to get into Graber’s building — even if the
investigation begins with a Locked Room Murder, assassin can walk through walls, Phasing isn’t easy, so
where the team’s called to investigate the apparent suicide it’s possible that someone on the inside helped them
of David Graber. That leads to three possible scenes. enter the building.
• In The Dead Man, the players confirm it was a • If the players need a push, then Bremmer Cord
murder made to look like a suicide, and learn about “accidentally” gets arrested; a search of his car in A
who Graber was and his close associates — Anthony Busted Tail Light discovers clues pointing toward his
Cord and Cynthia Graber. father’s files. (Remember, Bremmer’s trying to pin the
• In The Killer, the players learn what little they can murder on his father and Cynthia Graber so he can
about the murderer from physical evidence, previous swoop in and control everything.)
crimes committed by the assassin, and police files. • Chasing the Killer is a chase scene against a murderer
Note that while there’s a way for the players to get who can phase through walls. If they capture him,
to Chasing the Killer early (maybe a lot of legwork they can question him in Questioning the Killer,
and some investigative Pushes get a clue pointing to but if the players fail to capture the killer, they can still
the assassin’s hideout), it’s much more likely that the find the core clue in the alternate scene The Hideout.
players find it through the more satisfying route of • Both those scenes give access to the clue that the killer
questioning key characters like the Cords and Cynthia was paid in cash — but there’s a matching withdrawal
Graber. Players tend to prioritize the most immediately from Graber’s personal credit card. Following
interesting or time-sensitive clues — given a choice the Money discovers that David Graber gave his
between spending days doing background checks, and young lover Kari access to his card — she hired the
talking to the witness who’s right there, they’ll usually assassin. When confronted with this, she confesses that
go for the latter. When designing your mysteries, try Bremmer Cord convinced her to put his father’s plan
to put yourself in the players’ shoes and think about into action.
their most likely line of inquiry, their second most • Finally, in Resolution, the player characters arrest
likely and so on, and prepare for those. (Bear in mind, Bremmer Cord for conspiracy to murder.
155
Locked Room Murder

Investigation -
Physical Evidence
Interviewing Kari
The Killer
Investigation -
Investigation - Any
Interrogation
The Dead Man

Investigation -
Physical and Technical
Anthony Cord Cynthia Graber

Investigation - Investigation -
Interrogation Interrogation
Cord’s Files
A Busted Tail Light
Investigation -
Antagonist Reaction
Technical
The Hideout
Investigation -
Physical
Chasing the Killer

Action Following the Money
Investigation -
Technical
Questioning the Killer

Investigation -
Interrogation Questioning Kari
Investigation -
Interrogation
Resolution
Wrap-Up
156
ADVICE FOR GMS
RUNNING THE GAME and definite resolutions. Players who resolve questions of
procedure with swift efficiency, or who prefer to focus on
An investigative story in any medium is, by its very
characterization over storyline, require a looser hand on
nature, highly structured. The investigators learn of a
the structural tiller.
mystery, then move through a series of scenes, each of
which concludes in the acquisition of a clue which segues
into the next scene. The story reaches its climax when Perception Is (Nearly) All
the investigator discovers and reveals the answer to the Some groups are hyper-sensitive to issues of railroading.
mystery. It may or may not conclude, for extra punch, These concerns, which are absolutely legitimate, may
in a physical confrontation with the story’s now-revealed be based on past bad experiences with controlling GMs
antagonist. who forced them to enact essentially passive roles in
Structure can be difficult to achieve in the roleplaying unalterable, preset storylines. If members of the group
medium. Guide the players too little and they lose the are avid roleplaying theorists, they may respond out of
thread, resulting in a loose and sloppy narrative that a general ideological feeling that players ought to shape
provides none of the neat, order-making pleasure the and drive the story, taking on responsibilities traditionally
genre is meant to provide. Guide them too much and they given to the GM.
feel that their freedom of action has been taken away from The most important way to prevent players from
them, and that they’re merely observers moving through feeling railroaded is to remain flexible and reactive to the
a predetermined sequence of events. (As you probably choices the characters make. We’ll discuss this a bit more
know, this latter syndrome is known in roleplaying jargon in the next section.
as railroading.) However, nearly as crucial is avoiding the appearance
The trick to successfully running investigative of railroading.
scenarios is to strike the right balance between the two Some players may feel that the GUMSHOE system’s
extremes. The exact balance is a matter of collective reliance on automatic successes inevitably leads to a
taste. Groups prone to flailing about may welcome a railroaded result. In practice, this simply isn’t so. The
strong structure with clear goals, a straight narrative path degree of narrative flexibility a GM exercises is entirely
157
unrelated to the game’s resolution mechanic (or relative • Tailor characters and situations to the player
lack of same). Flexibility remains up to the GM, and characters. If a player portrays a sloppy, rumpled
your ability to improvise within the basic structure reporter, confront her with a neat-freak, press-hating
of the investigative story, as it does in nearly any set of authority figure. A character known to fall for sexy
roleplaying rules. muscular types should meet successions of sexy
As proof of this, we cite a weird phenomenon that muscular types, and so on.
occurred during playtest. The groups that expressed the • Introduce story elements giving players opportunities
strongest misgivings about possible railroading were those to flesh out their characters’ backstories. Weave old
whose GMs had done the most improvising. friends, acquaintances, mentors, colleagues and rivals
This result can be partly attributed to variances in into your supporting casts.
group tastes, but also suggests the enormous importance
of maintaining the perception of free choice. When you’re
on a roll as a GM, you can create the perception of free
Any Track Is the Right Track
choice even when players respond predictably to the Although it may be, oddly enough, more important to
scenario. On an off night, you can convey the impression maintain apparent than actual narrative freedom, we
of constricted options even you’re improvising furiously should still endeavor to provide the real thing to the
to keep up with their completely unexpected choices. maximum extent possible.
Here are five ways to maintain the perception of Fortunately, it’s easier to provide freedom than it is to
narrative freedom. seem like you’re providing it. Simply ensure that any clue,
• When using a prewritten adventure, paraphrase especially any core clue, is available not only to players
as much as possible. Avoid reading right from the using the ability specified in the scenario, but to any player
scenario. Even if it’s well-written, your narration, no who provides a credible and entertaining alternate method of
matter how halting and tentative, will seem more acquiring that clue. The scenario is a foundation to work
spontaneous than canned text. Some GMs read too from, which ensures that there is at least one way to move
much of the scenario out loud because they have through the story. It should never be regarded as the only
trouble extracting the necessary nuggets from a way to get to the resolution. A group of players will often
prewritten text. Judicious use of a highlighting pen come up with better ideas than the scenario writer ever
can work wonders to zero in on the best details, which could. Give yourself permission to go with them.
you can then weave into your own extemporaneous One slight exception: this advice pertains only to clues
sentences. available in the current scene. Allow players to leapfrog
• During scenes of character interaction, listen carefully scenes by acquiring information they’re meant to get later
to player dialogue and respond accordingly. Riff with only when pacing permits. If you’re early in a session when
the players. This is more important than spewing the the threat of leapfrogging occurs, and you’re not confident
supporting characters’ clues or talking points, even if you can improvise enough new intervening scenes to
that means altering the characterization from what make a full evening’s entertainment, by all means block
you see on the page. the players’ efforts. If you’re zooming toward evening’s
• Encourage players to flesh out minor details of the end, leapfrogging may prove a blessing — just be sure to
setting and situation. If they ask you what the weather squeeze in all of the necessary ancillary information the
is like, ask them what they want it to be. If they ask players might miss by skipping ahead.
if such and such an item is present at a particular Scenes in the middle of an investigation can often be
location, tell them that it is and ask them to describe juggled around with no ill effect to the storyline. When
it. On rare occasions the mystery plot will turn on this is the case, it’s always better to let the players dictate
these little details, and you’ll have to pull back from pacing than to force them back into the order of events
this technique and stick to your clue trail. Otherwise, envisioned by the scenario.
seek out opportunities for player input. The scenario is only the blueprint. The building
happens during play.
158
ADVICE FOR GMS
INVESTIGATIVE POWERS
Imprisonment as Plot Device Unlike mundane Investigative abilities, including those
introduced in this book, game designers can’t assume
Obstacles where the punishment for failure that the players will have access to any particular mutant
is imprisonment or other loss of freedom to Investigative power. For this reason, mutant powers can
maneuver should be introduced with caution. never be the only way of getting core clues in published
If the characters can gain information while scenarios. You, with your comprehensive knowledge of
your players’ characters, can of course design adventures
captured, and will be presented with a fairly
that hinge on their particular mutant abilities.
easy avenue of escape afterwards, by all
Mostly Investigative mutant powers allow the
means include them. You can allow tests or characters to gather the same information they would
contests to avoid such consequences. with their normal abilities, but in a faster, cooler way.
However, plot turns in which characters
are captured and cannot escape invariably
bring game sessions to a screeching, thudding
POLISHING AND PREPARATION
With your scenario sketched out, take time to consider
halt. Either allow the characters to avoid them
ways to connect it to your player characters. Do any of
with automatic successes on Interpersonal
them have mutant powers that you can showcase? Maybe
abilities, or build an escape hatch into your Hearing can pick up extra clues from the recording of
story. The team’s superiors serve this purpose Kira’s phone call, or perhaps Plant Communication
well. They can always deploy resources to get can turn David Graber’s desk plant into a witness. Look
the characters sprung, after a suitable interval for ways to connect the players’ backstories and subplots
of nail-biting and discomfort. — if a character is having money troubles, then maybe
Bremmer Cord could offer them a bribe.
159
While it’s not necessary, some GMs enjoy preparing Look out for plotting pitfalls when introducing new
facsimile handouts, digging up street maps, finding powers. We’ve omitted certain standard comic book
photographs of people who look like key characters (who powers, because they screw up mystery plots. Time
would you cast as Bremmer Cord?) or planning setpiece travel and precognition are prime examples. Be equally
action sequences (what cool things could a phasing cautious when modifying the capabilities of existing
character do in a chase scene? Phase onto a moving bus? powers. Certain troublesome powers, like Read Minds
Phase into a wall and climb up it while intangible?). and Phase, have been included, but limited in such a way
as to minimize their mystery-wrecking potential.
MAINTAINING POWER
CONSISTENCY CALLING ON ABILITIES
The rules offer a number of ways to call on abilities,
The world of Mutant City Blues is not one in which
depending on the situation. Choosing the right way to
absolutely anything can happen. Mutant powers exist, but
call on an ability is crucial to the forward momentum of
operate in a predictable fashion. The nature of the SME
your investigative plot. Make this choice according to the
remains mysterious, but the interrelationships between
consequences of failure.
the powers are well known.
If the consequence of failure is that a character fails
This consistency of background is necessary so that
to get a piece of crucial information, success should be
the players know what is and isn’t possible whenever they
automatic provided that the character has the ability in
attempt to reconstruct events connected with a crime
question, and the player thinks to ask for it. (Even at that,
scene. They know that an apparent locked-room mystery
you may need to improvise during play if no player steps
might be explained by a mutant with the Phase power,
up to claim the needed clue, bending the details of the
or that a suspect might have escaped by flying off the
scenario so that the same information can be garnered
balcony. However, if a case rests on a witness’ claim to see
with a different ability, possibly by another player.)
the future, they can safely dismiss him as crazy or deluded
If you have a piece of information that offers a fun
— this is as impossible in the game world as it is in ours.
sidelight on the action but is not essential to move
Avoid diverging from the established pseudoscience
through the story, you can make this available if the
of mutant powers when creating cases. Doing so
players actively use the relevant ability. Don’t bombard
undermines the setting’s sense of reliable reality. If you
them with unasked-for information that isn’t relevant.
do create exceptions to the way powers work, don’t do
If a piece of information is illuminating and useful, but
it offhandedly, or to justify close up minor holes in your
not crucial to solving the case, make it available with a
plotting. The existence of a character whose cluster of
Push. Pushes are opportunities for characters to take the
powers defies the Quade Diagram would be an incredibly
spotlight and demonstrate their competence and insight;
big deal, as would one with a previously undocumented
make them feel worth it. (If you can, give the players a
power. Should you include these elements in a case, make
core clue from the scene too. For example, a telltale
them central to it. Also, construct the mystery so that the
footprint might be found with Evidence Collection —
players don’t have to guess that you’ve cheated the setting
but if the players haven’t found it yet, you could give it to
details in order to solve it. Rather than forcing them to
them as part of a Reassurance Push. The empathetic
figure out that a suspect has a nonstandard power or
officer consoles the terrified witness, who mentions as
cluster to understand what’s going on, make that part of
part of his testimony that he heard some noise outside
the premise, or allow them to discover it in some other
the kitchen window. Checking the flowerbed outside
way.
the window reveals the print without any invocation of
More satisfying still is to tease players with the prospect
Evidence Collection.
of a stunning new development in anamorphology, but
Interrogation scenes can get repetitive. Feel free to
resolve the story so that it turns out to be bogus, restoring
either summarize interviews, or let the players know
the informational status quo. A mutant with an apparently
through their Investigative abilities that a prisoner won’t
undocumented power might, for example, be faking it to
talk unless they go out and obtain some added leverage
defraud the Quade Institute or gain a false alibi.
(“He won’t talk unless you can tie him to the car thefts” or “You
If you see something about the state of mutant powers
can tell he’s trying to protect someone”).
that you want to change, do it at the start of play. You
If an action’s consequence of failure might be death
might decide to introduce additional powers; if you do,
or injury, by all means make it a test. If game world logic
place them on a modified Quade Diagram and give your
suggests that a supporting character will actively oppose
players access to them during character creation.
the PC, make it a contest.
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ADVICE FOR GMS
Now and then you can resort to a teaser action

Compensating for Spotty sequence, in which the HCIU detectives have been
enlisted to use their powers to counter some other police
Attendance issue, from a hostage crisis to a standoff with rioters. A
teaser sequence takes place at the beginning of a new
Older gamers most likely to enjoy an scenario. At its conclusion, unit members stumble across
investigative campaign are sadly prone to the actual mystery. If they quell a riot, they may then,
scheduling disruptions. If your group is typical, for example, find a murder victim left behind when the
you may not be able to rely on any particular crowd disperses.
player showing up on a given night. If a core Subplots provide excellent opportunities for the
clue can only be discovered using an ability characters to show off their mutant powers. Because
you’re tailoring them to particular characters, you can
possessed by an absent player, give it to the
devise situations that call for the use of their specific super
players. When this occurs, explain it as the
abilities.
character remembering a fact or technique
taught to them by their absent teammates.
ENDING SCENES
In a novel or TV episode, writers can freely cut to the
ACTION AND POWER USE next scene when their characters have acquired all of the
Mutant City Blues emphasizes procedural investigation in clues available in the current one. The characters might
a world changed by the advent of superhuman powers stick around for hours tying up loose ends and pursuing
more than it does the use of those powers themselves. fruitless questions, but this doesn’t happen on screen. We,
Many scenarios resolve themselves perfectly well even the audience, are not forced to sit through such sequences.
if the characters never use their mutant powers. If you This kind of concise editing isn’t so easy in the
structure your mysteries so that they always climax in a roleplaying medium. Players don’t know when they’ve
superpowered action sequence in which the detectives got all the clues.
apprehend the bad guys, the mysteries themselves will Here’s a simple trick to gently steer them onwards,
be easy to solve: the perp will always turn out to be a without unduly breaking the illusion of fictional reality.
powerful mutant capable of taking on the whole team. Before play, take an index card and write on it, in big
Although you should structure the occasional case block letters, the word SCENE. As soon as the players
this way, you’ll also want to look for other ways for the have gleaned the core clue and most or all of the secondary
players to bring their characters’ powers into play. After clues in a scene, and the action begins to drag, hold up the
having devoted time to picking out their favorite power card. When the players see this, they know to move on.
combinations and learning what they can do, they’ll (Of course, you have to explain the cue to them before
expect to be able to spotlight them at least occasionally. play begins.) Easy, efficient, yet somehow not nearly as
One way to put them through their paces is to disruptive or jarring as a verbal instruction.
introduce red herring action sequences. These are chase,
fight or stunt scenes which turn out to be incidental to the
main mystery. For example, the search for a witness may
lead the team to a drug den full of cracked-out mutants.
When they enter, its denizens fight back. They’re not the
main bad guys, but they can still serve as opponents in an
exciting interlude, in which the unit’s victory allows them
to further their investigation.
161
SAMPLE PREMISES Timed Results

This section presents ten ideas for you to flesh out
into full-fledged cases. If your players have read
this section, use these as models for your own The following structural technique applies to any
original premises. GUMSHOE game where the characters have access
to the services of a forensic lab, and rely on tests
performed by others.
An Airtight Alibi
You can shape the pacing of a case with a timed
When fertility doctor Walid Ali is found dead
result. This occurs when believability requires a
of oxygen deprivation in his BMW, suspicion
first falls on his building manager, Vladimir suitable interval between the submission of evidence
Umansky. He has the Deplete Oxygen power to forensic experts and the results of the testing they
and was embroiled in a nasty lawsuit with Ali. perform. In police procedurals, it is common for the
But when Umansky provides an unshakeable direction of an investigation to be changed suddenly
alibi, the HCIU must look elsewhere. Eventually when the lab results come in. The scientific evidence
their investigation leads them to Todd and Jessica may exonerate the current top suspect or point the
Mahoney, a mutant couple who conceived with investigators toward new witnesses or locations.
Ali’s help. The couple are strainers, who married Alternatively, it can change the meaning of previously
with the express intent of breeding better mutant
gleaned information, causing the investigators to
babies, but discovered that their baby did not
re-interview previous witnesses, or conduct closer
share the father’s DNA — Ali had, through
incompetence or spite, fertilized Jessica’s egg with searches of crime scenes.
non-mutant sperm. Todd’s power is Absorption; A timed result can serve as a delayed-reaction
he used it to borrow Umansky’s Deplete Oxygen core clue, directing the PCs to a new scene. These
ability, and then used that to kill the doctor. (You are useful devices in cases where the scenes can
decide whether Umansky was in on the plot, or be connected in any order. If the PCs get bored or
an unwilling victim of Mahoney’s Absorption.) bogged down in one scene, they can receive a phone
call from the lab techs calling them in to receive
Drop Zone some much-needed exposition, which sends them in
A former HCIU officer with the power of flight a new direction.
becomes a prime suspect for murder when The arrival of a timed result can also change the
his norm mistress, Grace Hamilton, is found players’ interpretation of their current case notes
splattered across a parking lot, dropped from without moving them to a new scene. They might
a great height in an area with no nearby tall dismiss a suspect’s alibi, alter their timeline of events,
buildings. Is he guilty, or was he framed? What or reject information provided by a witness whose
skeletons in the unit’s closet can he threaten to perceptions are revealed as unreliable.
reveal? News of a lab report requiring the team’s
This case could tie into a prior subplot
attention can also be used to cut short a scene that
featuring this ex-cop, Joe Stilson, as an
the players won’t abandon, even though they’ve
antagonist for one or more of the PCs. Or his
key relationship could be to the dark past of the already collected all available clues.
team’s watch commander. You can also use the results of a lab test as a
If this is a frame-up, it was committed by a backup clue — if the players keep failing to pick up
perp once put away by Wilson, who did it by on the significance of one clue, you can remind them
kidnapping Grace and dropping her from a by having a lab test come back with information that
glider (so that witnesses wouldn’t report any highlights that clue. (“Remember the paint-splattered
plane sounds). shoes you found? The lab reported matching paint
flecks in the victim’s wounds. Now, which of the
suspects works as a decorator?”)
162
ADVICE FOR GMS
Extra Crispy That Look in Your Eyes

Tyler Baulch, a mutant known to have the Magnetism Real estate mogul Osvaldo Perez is found at the scene
and Earth Control powers, uses a flame thrower to kill of his wife’s murder, babbling incoherently and covered
his hated brother-in-law, under the assumption that it will with blood. Physical evidence suggests that he killed her,
be taken for a Fire Projection attack. Anyone looking at but his peculiar demeanor prompts homicide detectives
a Quade Diagram, he reasons, will know that he can’t to call in an HCIU expert in the EMAT protocol to check
have done it, since his powers are too far away from Fire for signs of mental influence, which he indeed shows. The
Projection on the genetic map. case is therefore transferred to the HCIU.
The PCs eventually discover that the woman was
seeing her yoga instructor, Jason Dillman, on the side.
Miscongenial She’d recently been pressuring him to remain in the
A top surgeon’s murder is traced to an incident in relationship, despite his efforts to cool things off. She
which he negligently transplanted mutant bone marrow might have been using his habit of seducing his wealthy
into a young patient, Molly Morris, who then went on female clientele to blackmail him.
to develop Fangs and the Venom (Bite) power. The hit However, there’s a twist. Osvaldo has set things up
was commissioned by the girl’s mother, distraught after to get the pleasure of personally killing his unfaithful
revelations of Molly’s unsavory mutant powers derailed wife, while also framing the boyfriend for the crime. He
her beauty pageant career. learned that an undocumented worker in the employ of
his construction firm had the Emotion Control power,
Nerve Endings and paid the man to get him good and furious right
before the murder. This not only made the killing easier,
An international courier is found murdered in a hotel but causes him to register to an EMAT practitioner as
room and the HCIU is called in when a plastic bag found being under mutant influence. Perez is confident that the
at the scene is found to contain trace amounts of mutant man fears deportation enough to keep quiet about the
DNA. Investigation takes the characters into the shadowy arrangement.
world of international organ smuggling. It turns out that
the courier was bringing nerve tissue (the source of the
DNA) harvested by the Chinese government from an There But For the Grace of God
executed political prisoner. The tissue was purchased by A member of another HCIU squad may have committed
a dot-com billionaire hoping to gain heightened Speed. murder during a GRF-induced haze. The PCs investigate
The murderer is a relative of the involuntary donor who the case, in the face of pressure from the other squads to
fled China during its post-SME crackdown. “do the right thing” and find a patsy to blame. Meanwhile,
in the session’s subplot, the PC with the GRF most likely
Puppy Chow to induce a similar blackout fears that their own condition
is worsening.
Antiques dealer Douglas Charbot is found dead in his
apartment, torn to pieces by his beloved golden retriever,
Robbie. Who used Command Mammals to turn his loyal Wrath
pet into the instrument of his murder? A mutant researcher is killed, and his lab and files
destroyed. Initial clues point to a disgruntled worker, then
Skinned to industrial sabotage by a rival pharmaceutical firm.
It finally transpires that the crime was committed by a
The beating to death of a category-B mutant member of fiercely radical new anti-mutant group which believes
the Racks seems at first to be the work of the Neutral that mutants are the work of Satanic forces, and the
Parity League’s violent youth wing. Further investigation researcher’s work could be the key to suppressing the
reveals that she was involved in a messy love triangle manifestation of any more mutants. (Alternatively, the
within her own gang. Although barheads administered anti-mutant types could be the apparent killers, and the
the fatal blows, she was lured to her death by one of her pharmaceutical firm the real bad guys.)
own.
163
SUPPORTING CHARACTERS SUPPORTING CHARACTER

Game statistics in GUMSHOE are, whenever possible, ABILITIES
player-facing. When you as GM have the choice between Supporting characters do not gather clues during cases and
making a determination based on a player test, or on a do not need Investigative abilities. Mutant Investigative
test made by you on behalf of a GMC, always choose powers are an exception to the above principle, as a
the player. For example, you may want to specify that a suspect or witness’ ability to see through walls or read
harried relative of a kidnapping victim might eventually minds may constitute a plot point in a case. You may
lose her patience with the HCIU and participate in a wish to assign Investigative abilities to academics, techies
damaging press conference. Rather than having her make and police colleagues, even though they won’t be using
a Composure test to see when and if this happens, set it up them, as a shorthand way of conveying their degree of
so that a player makes a Reassurance Push to forestall her. expertise relative to the main characters. More often,
Likewise, if you want to have a GMC steal something it’s easier to simply indicate this in your notes without
in a situation where the PCs are in no position to affect assigning abilities. Don’t bother to dole out abilities from
the outcome, simply decree that it happens. Don’t bother a predetermined number of build points — just choose
testing the character’s Filch ability. To do otherwise is to abilities as the plot and backstory require.
engage in false branching: you are creating unpredictability Most standard General abilities are suitable for
for yourself in a way that remains invisible to the players. supporting characters. Preparedness is questionable, but
They don’t get a chance to alter the outcome, and thus you might want to allow it for informative purposes even
gain no benefit from the uncertainty you’ve introduced. though the character never tests against it. For the very
few characters more competent than trained, decorated
RATINGS AS DIFFICULTY police detectives, assign more than 60 points to General
ability ratings. For ordinary folks, assign as few as seem
BENCHMARKS appropriate.
You may want to use a supporting character’s rating in a Mutant powers needn’t be built with the same number
General ability as a benchmark for the Difficulty of a PC’s of points as the characters, either. The PCs represent the
test. GMC ratings translate into difficulties as follows. upper echelon of mutants, who have had their powers for
a long time and use them on a regular basis as part of their
jobs. People who don’t make much use of their powers
Rating Difficulty will have lower ratings, fewer powers, or both. A rare few
individuals have honed their powers to an even greater
1–7 4
extent than the PCs, and might be built on 48 or even 64
8–12 5 mutant power points, give or take a point here and there.
13–16 6 Everyone’s powers connect up on the Quade Diagram,
though.
17+ 7
Note also any GRFs picked up during the power
selection process. However, supporting characters
shouldn’t test Health or Composure to stave off worsening
Detective Wills (played by Lynne) is in the room when GRF symptoms. Instead, simply decide, as part of your
Richard Wayne Jason, a supporting character, tries plot, if and when they succumb. You may want to indicate
to surreptitiously take a pistol from a desk drawer. the stage of the GRF as a benchmark of its current severity
Rather than having the supporting character make
a Filch test to succeed, you require a Surveillance
test from Lynne, to see if Wills spots his attempt. SAMPLE ABILITIES
Jason’s Filch rating is 12, making this a Difficulty
5 Surveillance test. Bodyguard
Specialized security provider for a famous, wealthy or
important figure.
It is always acceptable, however, to have supporting
characters make tests to defend themselves during General Abilities: Athletics 10, Composure 8, Health
complex interactions in which the players are also rolling 8, Scuffling 12, Shooting 6, Sense Trouble 8
dice. Combat is an obvious example.
164
ADVICE FOR GMS
Damage Modifier: -2 (fist) or +1 pistol Security Guard

Armor: -1 vs bullets (concealed vest)
For a mall rent-a-cop, drop Athletics and Composure
by 2; for high-end security, add 2 to Sense Trouble and
Burglar Shooting.
An intruder or cat burglar.
General Abilities: Athletics 6, Composure 6,
General Abilities: Athletics 6, Composure 8, Health Health 6, Scuffling 6, Shooting 4, Sense Trouble 4
6, Infiltration 7, Scuffling 3 Damage Modifier: -2 (fist), -1 (baton) or +1 (handgun)
Damage Modifier: -2 (fist) or -1 (screwdriver)
Street Tough
Guard Dog Regular troublemaker, low-ranking criminal goon
Apit bull, Doberman or other large breed that can be
trained to attack. If the dog hits with two bite attacks
5, Scuffling 4
in subsequent rounds, it can worry an opponent — the
Damage Modifier: -2 (fist) or -1 (small knife or baton)
second attack deals double damage as the dog bites down,
and it inflicts normal damage every round thereafter.
General Abilities: Athletics 10, Composure 3, Health Violent Offender

6, Scuffling 8, Sense Trouble 4.
Drunk college kid, rioter, cornered pickpocket
Damage Modifier: +0 (bite)
Hardened Criminal 4, Scuffling 3
Damage Modifier: -2 (fist) or -1 (small knife or thrown
Tough bank robber or other violent criminal
rock)
8, Infiltration 6, Scuffling 8, Shooting 6
Damage Modifier: -2 (fist) or +1 (pistol) With Great Power…
As police officers, the players have the ability

Hoodlum
to arrest and detain suspects. Impress upon
Drug dealer, street hood.
them the danger of abusing this ability. They
General Abilities: Athletics 6, Composure 5, Health can arrest anyone, but detainees have to be
6, Scuffling 5, Shooting 4, Sense Trouble 3 charged within a short time (between 24 and
Damage Modifier: -2 (fist) or -1 (small knife) or +1 72 hours, depending on state) or released —
(handgun) and an erroneous arrest can cause significant
trouble for the arresting officers. Warn players
Mob Enforcer/Mercenary who try to take control of a challenging
Highly dangerous and professional. situation by arresting everyone that they’re
just going to end up squandering all their
General Abilities: Athletics 10, Composure 12, Pushes on Law, Bureaucracy and Cop Talk
Health 10, Scuffling 8, Shooting 12 to keep their prisoners in jail. Remind them
Damage Modifier: -2 (fist) or +1 (pistol) that while having one prisoner to interrogate
Armor: -1 vs bullets (concealed vest)
can be a useful investigative tool, arresting
everyone isn’t a good option.
Ordinary Bystander
Passers-by, witnesses, or victims on the street.
General Abilities: Athletics 1, Composure 4, Health 3
165
SUBPLOTS Like any big-city detectives, HCIU members have

too much on their plates and sometimes have to work
Keep track of the Subplots suggested by your players,
multiple cases at once. A Subplot can revolve around the
either using the Gritty Mode player tracker (p. 168) or a
investigation of a minor mutant crime. This may be of a
simple scratchpad in Safe Mode. Look for ways to weave
humorous nature, offering comic relief from the grimmer
these Subplots into your campaign and your cases.
primary case.
Sometimes, you’ll see ways to integrate a Subplot into
GMs may on occasion choose to drop in directed scenes
a planned mystery. If Bob suggested a Subplot about his
involving minor cases for pacing reasons. You might want
con artist sister, and you’re planning a scenario about a
to lighten the mood, or give the players a break from a
mutant shapeshifter scam, then you could easily replace
case that’s got them stuck. A staple directed scene of this
one of the throwaway Game Moderator Characters in
nature is an interrogation with an amusingly sleazy and
that scenario with Bob’s sister, giving him a personal stake
stupid suspect, who can be tricked into a confession in the
in the case.
space of a single scene.
In other situations, look for ways to use Subplots
Much of the advice given in the “HCIU Procedure”
to mirror or underline elements in the main story. For
department pertains to the workaday world of grindingly
example, if the players are hunting a serial killer, one
ordinary police work, which will be represented more
obvious twist is for the killer to target a family member of
in secondary cases than in the dramatic and puzzling
one of the officers — but it could be more interesting to
mysteries of your main storylines.
contrast the player’s desperate hunt for a serial killer with
one player’s attempts to connect with her estranged son.
The officer spends their nights poring over clues and trying STRESSES
to identify the killer, and then their downtime at the ball Use only in Gritty Mode.
park and the zoo; you contrast the bright sunshine and
In the main distinguishing feature of the
laughter and normality with the horror and bloodshed,
game’s Gritty mode, episodes include
and force the player to straddle the two mindsets.
Subplots in which the characters face
personal crises. They might overcome these, or undergo
PERSONAL SUBPLOTS a gradual emotional or career spiral that threatens to
These are story elements that the player wants to explore, take the characters out of play. The ongoing effects of
but don’t carry the risk of taking the character out of play personal crises on a character’s ability to put down cases
or pushing the character to behave in a particular fashion. are represented by Stress cards.
During character creation, and as desired between game Crisis scenes can occur as part of the main investigation,
sessions, the players can suggest Subplots that their or during a subplot.
characters might become involved in (p. 175). When When faced with a Crisis, the affected character
designing a case, the GM picks one player to ‘spotlight’ makes a Composure test to ward off any lingering effects
and includes one of their personal Subplots in the game. on performance or personality. A few Crises instead test
Personal Subplots can be used in both Gritty and Safe against Health.
mode. The Difficulty of the test is 4 if it’s just a subplot, or 6
if it’s part of the main investigation.
A character’s GRFs may impose penalties when
SECONDARY CASES faced with certain types of Crisis. GMs engineer story
Subplots needn’t focus only on the detective’s off-the- events so that characters deal with Crises matching these
clock life. They can deal with work issues arising from vulnerabilities. However, characters without GRFs — or
past cases in the character’s backstory. Although we only even without mutant powers entirely — can face Crises
see the detectives’ most interesting challenges dramatized in the line of duty. You don’t need to suffer from Lymbic
over the course of a series, make clear that they are Hypertrophy to be tempted to beat up that prisoner who
also working less interesting cases between scenes and shot your partner.
episodes. They’re also performing routine police work, When the test succeeds the character may feel fear,
from paperwork to court appearances. anger, worry, or pain in the moment, but is then able
to shake it off and keep going, with no lasting negative
impact.
166
ADVICE FOR GMS
When the test fails, the character takes the moment stressful situation. The list of tags is:
hard, as represented by a Stress card. A sample Stress o Addiction (substance abuse)
card looks like this: o Corruption (becoming a dirty cop)
o Fear (anxiety triggered by the dangers of the job)
o Home Life (difficulty sustaining relationships
MISSED COMMITMENT outside work)
Home Life o Medical (physical injuries or debilitating conditions
-1 to Focus tests. -1 to Composure tests to avoid that might require eventual reassignment to desk
Stress cards tagged Home Life. duty)
Deactivate: by mollifying the disappointed loved o Obsession (emotional tunnel vision, often but not
one. always about the job)
Discard: by breaking from case work to attend to o Rage (anger management problems).
the disappointed loved one. • Text: Describes what the card does — often a penalty
to certain tests.
• Deactivates: Cards can go from your active pile
to inactive status. When inactive, they do not count
STRESS CARDS against your total number of Stress cards held, or exert
Stress cards consist of the following elements. their effects. This entry describes the conditions under
• Title: An evocative card name invoking either the which the card deactivates. The card may also have
situation that caused the Stress, or its lingering information about what causes it to reactivate.
emotional or physical consequences. • Discard: This entry tells you how to get rid of the
• Tag(s): One or more identifiers marking the type of card entirely.
When you meet the discard
condition, you discard the card even
if it is currently inactive.
Some card effects reactivate an
inactive card.
The full set of Stress cards can
be found at the back of this book,
starting on p. 195.
Card Terms
Certain terms used on the cards
refer to the following definitions.
• Interval: The time that passes
between the acquisition of two
core clues. A new interval begins
whenever the group gains a core
clue.
• Margin: The difference
between the Difficulty number
and a final test result (including
point spend).
• Table time: The amount of
real time that passes for GM
and players during your game
session.
• World time: An amount of
imaginary time that passes
for the PCs and GMCs in the
fictional setting.
167
CHOOSING YOUR CRISIS

Devote your first scenario to straight-up case work, bringing in Subplots in subsequent episodes.
Before your second scenario, complete or consult your Player Tracker (also found in the Appendix).
PLAYER TRACKER
Player Character Subplots Crisis Penalties Last Crisis
Fill in the tracker with:

• the names of your players
• their character names
• suggestions of Subplots made by the player, if any
• crisis penalties (if any) from GRFs, including the tags the penalties apply to
• the date (in your real time) when that character last faced a personal crisis.
An example looks like this:
PLAYER TRACKER
Brother loses
Aser Aiza Regis Home Life -1 July 7
control of powers
Diane Dara Dorian none July 14
Johan Carter Hicks Rage -1
internal affairs
Karen Billie Trent Corruption -1
investigation
Stacy Kim Hamer Unexplained scars Medical -1
Tran Jacob Ng Missing buddy Addiction -1 June 30
168
ADVICE FOR GMS
Of the players attending the new session, pick one to When it’s time to introduce a Subplot for a character
feature in the evening’s personal crisis Subplots. When with no Crisis penalties, and you can’t think of a natural
making the choice, narrow down the candidates by personal moment to arise out of the scenario, ask the
weighing these criteria, in this order: player what sort of problem they want to encounter.
1. who has gone the longest without a Subplot
2. who has the highest total number of crisis
penalties CRISIS TESTS
3. whose character or ongoing personal storyline When the character faces the moment of crisis, the player
best mirrors the theme of the case, or can be makes a Difficulty 4 test of the ability keyed to Health (for
dovetailed into the case. medical crises) or Composure (for any other crisis). On a
Having chosen your Subplot PC, think of a crisis that success, the player can choose whether to give in to the
fits, in this order, the following factors: temptation or succumb to the medical problem. (Players
1. their crisis penalties rarely say yes to the second, because there’s no benefit to
2. their characterization and known past history it, but might decide the upside of temptation beats the
3. the theme of the scenario. risk. If they know that ahead of time, they won’t bother
When an immediate idea doesn’t present itself to you, to spend pool points to increase their chances of success.)
enlist the player. This may involve asking what kind of On a failure, or if the player chooses to have the
crisis they want to deal with, or suggesting a GMC you character bested by the crisis, the player takes the Stress
might introduce that the squad member cares about. card you’ve chosen to represent the consequences of that.
Of the three players who still haven’t had a personal When Buck makes his offer to Billie, Karen makes
crisis crop up, only Johan and Karen are present for a Composure test, against which her penalty of 1
tonight’s session. Neither has yet had a Subplot, and against Corruption applies. Karen elects to spend
both have a single crisis penalty. Tonight’s mystery 2 Composure. She rolls a 2, which, if not for the
involves crooked fire inspectors, which fits Karen’s penalty, would have succeeded. You give her the most
Corruption penalty better than Johan’s Rage penalty. basic of the Corruption Stress cards, “No One Will
So you pick Karen’s PC, Billie Trent, to feature in Ever Find Out.”
the Subplot. Karen has suggested an internal affairs
investigation of her character, but you want to save On a failure, you may need to collaborate with the player
that for later in the campaign. to create a set of circumstances where the character
You ask Karen to describe a friend who works as would credibly make the terrible decision that leads to
an arson investigator, who might, like Billie, have the Stress card. When the player says, “This would be
played fast and loose with the law in their shared out of character,” ask, “What circumstances would have
past. “Buck Nakamura,” says Karen. “We grew up to exist for it to be in character?” Then introduce those
in the same neighborhood in Newburgh, New Jersey, circumstances so that it makes sense and doesn’t seem to
where we had to scrabble to survive. I was sweet on come from left field.
him for a while, before he figured out he preferred
dudes.”
You adjust your scenario to turn a GMC featured SPONTANEOUS CRISES
in it into her old pal Buck. He accepts bribes from From time to time a story element may arise organically
the mob to cover up their insurance fires. One of his from the story that either:
clients has taken advantage of a rash of fires set by a • provokes a crisis test, which might lead to the character
mutant firebug to torch his own place. When Billie taking a Stress card, or
figures this out, Buck will offer her expensive concert • inspires a player to make a choice for which a Stress
tickets to look the other way. He doesn’t expect her card is clearly warranted, with no test to avoid it.
to frame the firebug for this arson — just fail to pass Embrace these situations as they come up. They show
along her discovery that this one building owes its that the group has immersed itself in the gritty side of the
demise to an opportunistic copycat burn-down. cop/detective genre.
CHOOSING CARDS
Use the Stress cards found in the book’s Appendices (p.
195) to fit the following situations.
169
CRISIS SITUATION TABLE

What’s Happening in the Story Card Name Tags
Your case work leads to a missed pickup from school, CRISIS SITUATION TABLE
parent-teacher conference, recital,

Missed Commitment Home Life
medical appointment or other obligation to
a family member.
You can’t stop working on or thinking about

Taking Work Home With You Home Life
the case during family time.
Your partner can’t take the pressures of your

“I Didn’t Sign Up For This” Home Life
job any more.
You discover a close friend or family member

has a drug problem, or has relapsed into Loved One’s Drug Problem Home Life, Addiction
an existing problem.
A loved one seeks your aid after a scrape with the law
Loved One Gets Busted Home Life, Corruption
leads to an arrest.
You and your partner seek professional help for your

strained relationship. As a hardened cop or PI, talking Relationship Counselling Home Life
about feelings is not your strong point.
Your partner leaves you. Gone, Daddy, Gone Home Life
You commit a petty act of professional malfeasance. No One Will Ever Know Corruption
It’s Only Illegal When

You commit a more serious act of corruption. Corruption
Perps Do It
An investigation is launched into your professional

misconduct. If you’ve done nothing, it’s unfair. Internal Affairs Investigation Corruption, Fear
But is that the case?
You killed, in the line of duty, legitimately. Righteous Shoot Fear
Whether you did it in secret or are trying to

pass it off as a legit killing in the line of duty, That was Straight-Up Murder Corruption, Fear
you committed murder.
The cops all think you’re dirty. Under a Cloud Corruption, Fear
Sure, you’ve been cleared, but plenty of cops

Suspicions Remain Corruption
think you got away with serious crimes.
An aggrieved party announces possible

Legal Threat Rage, Home Life
civil action against you.
You’ve been served! Those legal threats have

Lawsuit Rage, Home Life
turned into a full-fledged lawsuit.
Something at work has you worked up,

Bubbling Frustration Rage, Home Life
and you’re taking it out on those around you.
Someone has gone to some lengths to make it

Framed Rage, Fear
look like you committed a serious crime.
170
ADVICE FOR GMS

Your anger builds. You can’t help yourself.

Hair Trigger Rage, Corruption
Sooner or later, you’re gonna lash out.
A close call leaves you worrying about physical danger. Jumpy Fear
Your fear of getting hurt accelerates another notch. Shaken Fear
You just can’t get calm any more. Off Your Game Fear
That terrible experience has started coming back

on you as a powerful, multi-sensory hallucination Flashbacks Fear
that strikes without warning.
You are admitted as a hospital in-patient. Hospitalized Fear, Medical
You’ve drunk or drugged yourself into oblivion. You can’t

Bender Addiction
remember what you did, but it was probably bad.
You got access to drugs that were, or should have been,

in police custody and had yourself a shameful little party Snorting the Evidence Addiction, Corruption
with them.
Your addiction has put you in the worst position ever —

Rock Bottom Addiction
maybe bad enough that you’ll really clean up this time.
Under the influence, you feel tempted to say something

Intoxicated Outburst Addiction, Rage
you shouldn’t. To the wrong person. Loudly.
You’re supposedly clean, but feel the temptation to

Teetering Off the Wagon Addiction
abuse your substance of choice again.
You’re supposedly sober, but the anger issues

connected to your substance abuse are still roiling Dry Drunk Addiction, Rage
around in that head of yours, and anxious to get out.
A past injury leaves you in constant agony. Chronic Agony Medical
Your great pain tempts you to abuse drink or drugs in

Self-Medicated Medical, Addiction
an attempt to dull your screaming pain receptors.
Your mutant DNA goes flooey, flooding your nerve cells

Genetic Inflammation Medical
with pain-inducing chemicals.
You take a hit to the face. Black Eye Medical
Whatever your chronological age,

Worn Down Medical
you’re getting too old for this shit.
You return to the job after a brush with death. You Nearly Bought It Medical
The murderer you’re tracking sends a mocking

Taunted by the Killer Obsession
message — to your office, or, worse, the press.
You feel an attraction to a civilian involved in the current

Never Date a Witness Obsession
case. Getting closer would be unprofessional. But…
171

You’ve cheated on your partner,

Infidelity Obsession
or are considering it.
Like you said in the job interview, your greatest

Workaholic Obsession
weakness is you care too much about the job.
Food and sleep can wait. You’re determined to puzzle

All-Nighter at the Cork Board Obsession
over those clues until finally they all make sense.
The tougher things get, the more you rely on procedure

to get you through. Woe betide any smart-ass who By-the-Book Obsession, Rage
wants to cut corners.
Procedure is for pencil-pushers. You’re tempted to blow

the case wide open — which means playing by your own Maverick Obsession, Rage
set of rules.
(cops only) The brass have really been

Butting Heads Rage, Obsession
riding your ass.
Someone disrespects you, and you feel a heedless rage

Self-Destructive Rage, Obsession
telling you to do something really stupid.
You have the Forced Genetic Drift GRF but it hasn’t been
Tension Headache Home Life
doing that much harm.
The effects of your Forced Genetic Drift field are getting

Cancer Scare Home Life
out of hand.
Everything you feared about your Forced Genetic Drift is

You’re a Carcinogen Home Life
beginning to come true.
You are subjected to mind control powers. Susceptible Fear
Your past sensitivity to mind control powers

Puppet Fear
comes back to haunt you.
The parent you aren’t speaking with comes back into

your life, making demands you are unable or unwilling Estranged Parent Home Life
to meet.
A loved one dies. You feel like you could have prevented
Wracking Guilt All tags
it, if only you’d done something differently.
Private Investigators Only
You desperately need a case. No Clients Home Life
You’re in debt and need a cash injection. Hiding from the Bank Home Life, Corruption
You’ve antagonized the police. Perhaps with your

Pissing Off the Cops Rage
smart-mouthing ways, maybe by showing them up.
After this latest incident, honest cops

Shady Reputation Rage, Corruption
want nothing to do with you.
172
ADVICE FOR GMS
In certain instances, which will become clear in

context, the PC isn’t necessarily taking the action
STORY ARCS AND
described in column one, but is tempted to do so. They EXTENDED PLAY
only follow through on the emotionally understandable Most individual cases get resolved in two or three sessions
but unwise choice if they fail the Crisis test. It may help to of play. The players get their initial lead, they chase down
insert the phrase “you are tempted to” into any of these the leads, there’s a dramatic twist and a fight scene or
entries as you describe the situation to the player. We’ve two, and then the bad guy goes to jail. However, most
used it sparingly at the table in hopes of avoiding mind- Mutant City Blues games run for multiple sessions.
numbing repetition. For an extended series (a campaign, in traditional
You may wish to create your own cards, either TRPG parlance), consider how you’re going to structure
renaming existing cards, or designing ones with themes your game. Are you going to have a series of individual,
related to your scenarios, and effects similar to those in largely unconnected cases, or is there a bigger picture
the cards provided here. that slowly becomes clear — and if so, how slowly? Take
your own circumstances into account: a long campaign
that you play once a week for two or three years needs a
STRESS-RELATED DEPARTURES/ different structure to a short, intense six-week game. That
STRESSING OUT long campaign might be structured like an episodic TV
A character’s career as a cop or private eye ends when the show, with characters drifting in and out, lots of stand-
player receives a new Stress card that leaves them with 3 alone episodes, and the occasional cliffhanger or end-of-
or more active Stress cards. season climax where the status quo changes. A shorter
The reactivation of a card already held never causes campaign is more like a miniseries you can binge watch
the character to leave play, even when that reactivation that hurtles towards a bloody conclusion.
takes the player to 3 or more active Stress cards. Here are some typical structures for Mutant City Blues
When a player takes a final Stress card and must take campaigns.
the current character out of play, the player, assisted as
necessary by the GM, describes their farewell sequence CASE OF THE WEEK
from the series. Use the nature of the final card as Each case is mostly stand-alone; everything gets wrapped
inspiration. up neatly at the end of each investigation. Occasionally,
• A player getting Estranged Parent as the final card you’ve got a call-back or sequel to a previous case, but in
might move to another state to run the family business. most cases, there’s minimal continuity. Player Subplots
• Butting Heads might mean you’ve punched out the play out on the sidelines of cases.
police commissioner. This approach is the easiest to run, and especially suits
• Chronic Agony might portend early retirement groups with uncertain schedules or frequently missing
and a trip to a Swiss clinic in hopes of receiving an players.
experimental treatment.
• And, needless to say, That was Straight-Up Murder
leads to the character’s arrival at maximum security CRIMINAL TAPESTRY
prison, perhaps concluding with a shower-room Each case is mostly stand-alone, but over time, there’s a
shanking. build-up of continuity. The drug dealer you bust in the
Cop show aficionados will recognize this device as third game connects to the smugglers you encounter in
mimicking the various ways main cast members leave session nine; the anti-mutant terrorist of session 2 turns
ensemble shows when their contracts wind up or they are out to be the son of the preacher you encounter in session
written out by the producers. The player can make a new 10. This is the most ‘realistic’ of the campaigns: the world
character and work with the GM to introduce them to is a complex place of unexpected connections, but there’s
the team. no overall framework or structure. Attentive players
appreciate call-backs and connections; others may get
frustrated or confused.
If you take this approach, give your players some
way of organising information and continuity. A map of
the city works, where the players can mark factions and
groups; alternatively, you might write up ‘case reports’
after each session and circulate them to your players or
put them online (better yet, have one of the players write
up the report in-character).
173
THE BIG PLOT CAREER POLICE

In this structure, there’s Something Going On in the This structure puts more emphasis on the careers and
background, and some or even all of the players’ cases internal politics of the police. The goal of the players is
connect to this. If the Big Plot is “a sinister corporation to win promotion — or at least, protect their careers until
is experimenting on mutants”, then the players’ first case they can retire with a full pension. For this style of game,
might be a child kidnapping (the child was kidnapped and lavish attention on the personalities in the precinct, and
experimented on), the second a serial killer (an escaped use Subplots to flesh out the supporting cast (families and
test subject, given powers through experimental gene friends) of each player character. Track clearance rates
therapy), the third a murder (a corporate whistleblower, and public perception of the police; let the players rise
killed before he could reveal the sinister scheme). Not or fall in rank depending on their actions. (Players often
every story has to connect to this overarching plot, but as chafe when questions of chain of command arise in a
the players get closer to uncovering the core mystery, the game, so don’t let the rank gap between players grow too
more central it becomes. Even player Subplots should, wide. A detective can argue with a lieutenant, but not a
sometimes, connect to this big plot. captain.)
Having a core story works well in a short campaign. The career police approach gives structure to a ‘case
If you intend on a longer campaign, then intersperse of the week’ game. Players can work towards the goal of
more stand-alone episodes between cases related to the advancement in the police by clearing cases and building
‘arc plot’. Beware of being too enamored with secret up their reputations — and other players can delight
machinations and conspiracies; the focus of the game in being the maverick who doesn’t care about getting
should always be on the player characters and their story. promoted, but just wants to solve the case, or the aging
detective who’s two weeks away from retirement, but still
takes on the dangerous assignment that may get them
THE CRIMINAL PYRAMID killed.
Here, most of the players’ cases revolve around a particular
criminal enterprise or conspiracy. The GM maps out the
structure of the conspiracy in advance, and each case THE CHANGING CITY
involves one ‘node’ of the conspiracy. For example, in In an extended game, ensure that the players see Mutant
the case of a drug empire, imagine a pyramid with the City change as a result of their actions. Does the city slip
street-level dealers at the bottom rung, the enforcers and into corruption? Into decay? Into anarchy? Into stifling
distributors above them, then production and supply, corporate control? If they bring down one crime lord,
then money laundering, then the kingpin at the top. To does another criminal group take his place?
bring down the outfit, the players need to make their Change your supporting cast, too. If the players have
way up the pyramid, with each successful case pointing a comfortable relationship with their watch commander,
towards some other node in the conspiracy. As the players bring in a new face to shake things up. Let the game
get closer to the top, the conspiracy starts pushing back, evolve over time.
trying to foil their efforts.
Giving the players a single overarching goal can
lend focus to a campaign. Take care when planning the
conspiracy to include lots of different nodes that can
support different sorts of cases, so not every game revolves
around drug trafficking or mutant prize-fighting or illegal
dorphing.
Both the Criminal Pyramid and the Big Plot come
with built-in climactic confrontations. When the players
expose the big plot, or get to the top of the pyramid, it’s
the endgame. Depending on your group, you may wish
to end the whole campaign there, or start a new plot arc
from scratch (“next season on Mutant City Blues…”).
174
ADVICE FOR PLAYERS
ADVICE FOR PLAYERS

The following player advice is specific to a Mutant City Prepare three suggestions for Subplots involving your
Blues series. character. Suggestions should be a phrase or sentence
long — specific enough to give the GM inspiration, but
CHOOSING YOUR WATCH sufficiently general to allow them to fill in the details. Pick
situations that illuminate your character by confronting
COMMANDER them with a challenging but telling personal conflict.
In preparation for your first session, read the descriptions Grim or emotive storylines are standard for the genre, but
of the four HCIU watch commanders, starting on p. 145. you can balance these out with positive developments.
At the top of the first session, before the first case begins, Even the occasional light or humorous Subplot should
consult with the other players to arrive at a consensus present you with a challenge to overcome.
choice for the watch commander who oversees your Subplots can be one-shots or arcs. A one-shot Subplot
squad. This discussion occurs out of character; the actual gets resolved in the same story it’s introduced (my
detectives don’t get to pick who they work for. character’s con artist sister shows up in town, causes trouble, and
The presumption of most series is that you and your leaves again). An arc takes longer to develop and longer to
team members have been working for your commander resolve, typically involving three or more linked Subplots.
for a while and have histories together. You may also (1 – my character’s con artist sister shows up in town, causing
choose to spell out what these may be. However, if every trouble; 2 – my sister gets involved in a criminal scheme; 3 –
player casts his character as the chosen commander’s best either my sister helps us take down the criminals, or she goes to
friend, expect the GM to collaborate with you to throw jail too). Where possible, leave the GM wiggle room when
some spanners into the works. For example, if one PC is it comes to concluding arcs, and remember that these
the commander’s protégé, the laws of dramatic tension are suggestions and seeds, and Subplots may play out in
decree that at least one other must be in his bad books for unexpected ways once they hit the table.
some reason. Use the following suggestions, mostly drawn from
The obvious default choice is Lt. Krose. He’s a straight stock police show situations, for inspiration — or swipe
shooter who will back you up when you get into trouble, them outright.
but expects good results. • Become involved in mutant rights activism
If your group tends to get stuck and needs some • Bonds with troubled kid
pushing and pulling, you may want to pick the demanding • Burned by a reporter
Lt. Perreau, who can yell you back on track when you get • Confidential informant needs rescue from a sticky
lost in your pile of clues. situation
Groups who chafe at close supervision may prefer to • Confronted with evidence of a dirty cop
work for the irascible but somewhat inattentive Lt. Haigh. • Courted by strainer clinic as egg/sperm donor
He may also prove unusually tolerant when you step over • Elderly neighbor gets mugged
the line a bit. • Former partner in trouble
For a politically astute, well-connected commander, • Goob tries to recruit me for his “super-team”
pick Lt. Bevan. He can exert pull on your behalf — but is • Groomed as a media star
ambitious, and will demand favors in return. • Kids get hassled at school because I’m a mutant
GMs may substitute their own watch commanders • Moonlighting as a bodyguard
for the ones supplied in this book, especially when your • New romance
group has run previous Mutant City Blues series. • Old beef with watch commander resurfaces
• Perp I threw in the slammer comes back to threaten
SUBPLOTS revenge
Subplots are personal stories revolving around your • Pressured to admit I’m gay
character. After the first case, which will typically be • Prosecutor pressures me to lie on the witness stand
an introductory scenario focusing purely on the game’s • Pursued by groupie with a thing for mutant cops
procedural aspects, Subplots will begin to come into play. • Relationship break-up
Each player becomes the subject of a Subplot every few • Relationship threatened by pressures of the job
cases.
175
• Relative drawn into Gilles Tremblay’s secret army of interview techniques, but your characters are. To help
anti-alien warriors you take on their roles, a list of standard questions appears
• Relative has a brush with the law below. Most of them assume a murder investigation.
• Separatist mutants prove to be bad neighbors Refer to them when you find yourself lost for direction in
• Someone rats me out to Internal Affairs the middle of an interview sequence.
• Straightener researcher convinced my blood contains • Where were you between the hours of X and Y? [Where X and
cure for mutant powers Y represent the time frame of the crime you’re investigating.]
• Troubled, long-lost relative comes back into my life • [If an alibi is offered] Can anyone confirm this?
• When a scumbag defendant gets off on a shaky judicial • Who stands to benefit from this crime?
ruling, I suspect corruption in the justice system • Do you know anyone who had reason to wish the victim
• Wooed to jump to the Quade Institute’s forensic harm?
anamorphology department • Was he receiving threats of any kind?
Subplots are supposed to be about you. If you want to • Were you on good or bad terms with the victim?
involve another PC in your subplot idea, get the player’s • What sort of person were they?
assent first, collaborating as necessary so that both of you • What was their family situation?
are equally happy with the suggestion’s possibilities. • Were they having problems in their family or relationship?
• What was their financial situation?
• Do you know anyone the victim would have confided in?
INTERVIEWING TECHNIQUES • What notable projects or activities was the victim involved
Although GUMSHOE never withholds a clue from you in?
if you have an appropriate ability and look in the right • Was the victim [or other figures in the case] a known mutant?
place, you do still have to look. In police investigations, Vary your tactics according to your sense of the witness’
interviews with witnesses, experts and potential suspects temperament and emotional state. If you can’t get a read
provide the bulk of the information you’ll need to clear on your witness, ask the GM if Forensic Psychology
your cases. If you fail to ask the right questions, you can provides you any useful hints into their character. These
miss crucial clues. You, the players, aren’t trained in may suggest whether, for example, you’re better off using
Intimidation or Charm to overcome a witness’ reluctance.
176
BLUE ON BLUE
Blue on Blue
This introductory mystery pulls double duty as a potted
history of Mutant City and a compelling mystery.
THE CULPRIT
The mastermind behind the crime spree is an ambitious
and well-connected criminal mutant, Malcolm Shandell.
BACKSTORY He used his technokinetic abilities to commit the initial
Nine years ago, police officer Adrian Mulrovey was one of series of burglaries, known as the Glitch Case, and has
the first cops in the precinct to develop mutant powers. He since invested the profits from the robberies into a small
took medical leave, and volunteered as a test subject with commercial empire that covers his ongoing criminal
Dr. Lucius Quade. He was part of Quade’s original study activities.
group. Unable to cope with his burgeoning mutations, His brief crime spree taught Shandell how useful
Mulrovey committed suicide. mutant powers can be in the commission of crime; rather
At least, that’s the official story. than risk himself, he’s set himself up as a fixer, connecting
mutants to criminals. Need a chemical Transmuter
THE CRIME
for your drug lab, or a super-strong leg-breaker, or a
shapeshifter? He’s got the names and the numbers if
The HCIU get involved when an Evolve Movement (p. you’ve got the money. To ensure a constant supply of
136) demonstration goes awry, and Mulrovey’s case is mutant recruits, Shandell seeks to poison the minds of the
brought up as proof that the authorities deliberately try mutant community against the authorities. He’s fostering
to wipe out mutants. HCIU are asked to look into the the conspiracy theory that Mulrovey was killed by the
case to disprove the allegations. government because he discovered their plan to eradicate
mutants.
THE INVESTIGATION
Cold Case gives the known facts of the case and CONCLUSIONS
Mulrovey’s life and death. From there, they can talk to There are two possible endings to this scenario. If you
The Widow, or visit The Quade Institute to access want to wrap everything up neatly, then Malcolm
the sealed records. Either can point to Typhoid Mary, Shandell attempts to kill the investigating officers to cover
Mulrovey’s former lover Sandra Pryde. up his crimes in The Big Lie (p. 192). Use this climactic
Talking to the Widow or researching the Cold Case action scene if you want a conclusive, dramatically
provides a pipe clue to The Glitch Case. satisfying ending.
An alternate line of inquiry runs through the Evolve Alternatively, if you’re using this adventure as the
Movement; Interrogating Angie points to All Fired starting point for an ongoing Mutant City Blues series, a
Up. more downbeat but open-ended final scene is better; for
Either the Institute or Pryde can provide the list of that purpose, use Clearing the Case. In that ending, the
Mulrovey’s fellow test subjects — the Spider, All Fired officers may correctly suspect that Malcolm Shandell is
Up, and the Fixer. both a murderer and the mastermind of a mutant-fueled
As the investigation draws closer to its target, the team criminal syndicate, but they are unable to prove either
may need to deal with Fake News or Attack of the suspicion. You can then use Shandell as an ongoing
Spider. adversary in your series, where the officers slowly pick
apart his operation until they have enough proof to arrest
THE TWIST him.
Three of Mulrovey’s fellow test subjects were criminals,
and used their mutant powers to carry out a frantic crime
spree before police forensics and techniques caught up to
the challenge. Now, they’re trying to bury the sins of their
past.
177
You should be on our side! They’ll poison you too!”

Privatization Can the player characters take Angie down without
excessive force?
If you want to run this scenario for Private
Investigators instead of HCIU officers, it’s an
easy adaptation. Instead of starting with Sins
Angie Sholter
of the Helix, your opening scene is The Widow —
A young and passionate member of the
the characters are hired by Danica Mulrovey
movement, Angie believes that mutants are a
to disprove the allegations against her late
phase change in human evolution and society.
husband. In this variant, HCIU and the Mutant
“The revolution is in our cells!” is one of her
City PD’s policy is to ignore the rumors about
rallying cries. Her powers are still developing:
Mulrovey; they’re not interested in fighting for
she was able to fly as a child, but her recent
the reputation of a dead officer.
acquisition of Strength and Regeneration
indicates she’s got considerable untapped
potential. She mistrusts the police, and will
be thrown off balance if treated with respect
SINS OF THE and understanding — she’s expecting a
SCENES confrontation, not a conversation.
HELIX General Abilities: Athletics 6, Composure
Scene Type: Introduction 6, Health 8, Scuffling 4
Lead-Outs: Cold Case, Interrogating Angie Mutant Powers: Flight 2 (rating 4), Strength
5 (rating 10), Regeneration 4
If this is your first instalment in a Mutant City Blues series, Angie deals +3 damage with that flagpole
then start by having the players introduce their characters when Scuffling, but won’t smash anyone with
and describe their morning routine as they get to work. it unless her life is in danger.
Mention there’s a public protest by the activist Evolve
Movement a few blocks from police HQ, complaining
about mistreatment and bias towards mutant criminals — Taking Angie Down
are any of the characters monitoring the protest? Helping Angie’s in over her head — she got shoved by one of the
out with crowd control? What’s their attitude towards riot cops and used her powers impulsively. It’s clear to the
Evolve? player characters that if they can give her a way to back
The protest is small but intense. Have one of the down, she’ll take it. She’s waving the pole threateningly,
players describe a recent incident that was the flashpoint but isn’t attacking with it.
for this latest demonstration — did some patrol officer • Anamorphology (or Flight used as an investigative
blame an innocent mutant? Was a prisoner injured while power) can tell that she’s low on Flight power, and
in custody? Crowd control police, though, manage to can’t dodge or flee easily.
keep the protest calm and contained… • Negotiation + crowd control: Clearing the area
Until one protestor, Angie Sholter, starts shouting around her, putting the focus of attention on her,
about Genetic Risk Factors being a government plot to and then talking her down works. She’ll lay down her
destroy mutants. She’s wearing a printed t-shirt with flagpole to avoid hurting anyone.
the slogan THEY WANT US DEAD; underneath it is • A Push of Intimidation or Reassurance: An emotive
a photograph of a man in a police uniform. There’s a appeal — or threat — can convince her to drop the
brief altercation between her and one of the riot cops, flagpole.
and suddenly Sholter takes to the air, and uses her Super- • Disarming Her: Angie’s not an experienced
strength to rip a flagpole off the face of a nearby bank. combatant, and the flagpole is an awkward and top-
She waves the pole around like an oversized club, and heavy weapon; beating her in a Scuffling contest
threatens to smash the oppressors. When she sees any can knock it from her hands. There are two issues
mutant cops, she shouts at them: “You’re mutants too!
178
CHAPTER NAME
cellphones covering the

protest, but if the officers
believe their lives or the
lives of the public are in
danger, they may result
to firearms. Fortunately,
Angie’s Regeneration
keeps her alive even if she’s
shot.
The Arrest
The other Evolve protestors
take up Angie’s cry, shouting
to any police who displayed
mutant powers that they
should be on Evolve’s side.
“The government wants us
dead,” they shout. However,
there are no more violent
incidents when Angie’s
arrested and detained.
• Popular Culture:
Underground rumors
claim that the government,
or some other sinister
faction, has schemed to
develop a mutant-killing
virus ever since the first
days of the Ghost Flu.
Various stories alternately
blame the government,
the Quade Institute,
— she’s super-strong, so she can spend Strength on
the Neutral Parity League, the military-industrial
the Scuffling contest if she concentrates, and she’s
complex or the Russians.
flying three meters off the ground. She’s close to the
• (Core) Several of the protestors — along with Angie
bank, though, so officers could jump on her from the
and her t-shirt — mention Adrian Mulrovey. As Cop
windows. Alternatively, luring her down to the ground
Talk/History/Pop Culture informs the characters,
works. Remind the players that they can team up on
Adrian Mulrovey was the first cop in Mutant City to
her — they could take her by surprise (p. 94) or use
develop powers, back in the early days of the Ghost
non-lethal attacks (p. 92). She won’t use her Strength
Flu. He committed suicide.
in a fight unless she’s injured.
• Streetwise or Interrogation: Protestors claim that
• Stunning Her: A power like Concussion Beam,
Mulrovey uncovered this scheme, and was murdered
Endorphin Control, Deplete Oxygen, Emotion
to cover it up. He’s a martyr to the mutant cause.
Control or Webbing can take her down.
If any of the player characters were involved in Angie’s
• Shooting Her: Deadly force (or potentially deadly
arrest, or if HCIU want to take the case, they can follow
force) is a last resort, especially with TV cameras and
up by Interrogating Angie, p. 186. Otherwise go straight to
Cold Case, below.
179
• He asks them to do it quietly. Mulrovey’s death caused

COLD CASE a lot of bad feeling in the department — it was an
example of how the authorities botched the initial
Scene Type: Core response to the Sudden Mutation Event. There are
Lead-Ins: Sins of the Helix lots of people in City Hall who’d prefer that Krose
Lead-Outs: The Widow, the Quade Institute just suck it up and ignore the use of Mulrovey in the
Evolve propaganda.
After the Evolve protest, Lieutenant Krose (p. 145) calls

the PCs and gives them a new assignment. (Substitute The Files
your preferred watch commander if the players chose Mulrovey’s personnel file is on the system. Here are the
someone other than Krose). He’s concerned about the key details obtained by skimming it with Bureaucracy.
Evolve use of a former PD officer in their propaganda • (core) Adrian Mulrovey was married to a Danica
and conspiracy theorizing; he got a call from Councilor Mulrovey. Their shared address is on file; she’s still
Schmiederer (p. 143) while the protest was ongoing. listed as living there. See The Widow, p. 181.
Krose wants to get out ahead of this nonsense. • He attended a medical study run by a Dr. Gaushell at
If any of the player characters have been cops for a the university. Dr. Gaushell was one of Dr. Quade’s
decade or more, they may have worked alongside Officer colleagues; she now works at The Quade Institute, p.
Mulrovey. Anyone with an interest in mutant history or 138.
who was keeping track of current events ten years ago • Mulrovey killed himself in the garage at his home. He
knows the rough shape of the incident. Otherwise, Krose shot himself through the roof of the mouth using a gun
briefly outlines what went down nine years ago. he owned.
• Adrian Mulrovey was a young police officer, four years • There was an investigation into his death; the files are
out of the academy. deeply buried in the police archives, and it looks to
• When the first mutants manifested, no one knew what have been fairly perfunctory.
was going on. It was a weird, chaotic time. o According to the report, Mulrovey was doing
• Mulrovey was the first cop to mutate. He developed housework while his wife was taking a nap upstairs.
Gravity Control powers, but had a lot of trouble They’d had an argument earlier. She discovered
controlling them. He took medical leave, and signed the body in the garage when she woke.
up with a medical study group under Dr. Quade at o Danica Mulrovey was questioned after the incident;
the university — this was before the establishment of she maintained that her husband shot himself.
the Quade Institute, of course. Mulrovey hoped the o Forensic Anthropology: There’s a note that
doctors there could get rid of his powers. Mulrovey’s clothing was soaked in a ‘liquid residue’,
• He ended up killing himself with his own gun. A which the examiners assumed was spillage from
tragedy — he was a good man. A few years later, they’d the laundry. These days, they’d have tested that for
have known how to cope with his condition, shown anamorphological residue.
him how to master his powers, given him counselling o There’s nothing to support any theory that
so he could adjust. But those early years were like the Mulrovey had uncovered any sinister government
end of the world. conspiracy.
• Krose doesn’t understand why Evolve are linking • There are a few photographs of Mulrovey. Before his
Mulrovey to bizarre conspiracy theories. He wants mutation, he’s the image of a clean-cut young cop,
the officers to look into the case and find out what’s determined to serve the public good. Afterwards, he’s
going on. a haunted man, clearly terrified by what’s happening
o Cop Talk or Forensic Psychology: This is to him. There’s a photograph from a party in a bar
personal for Krose; he’s pissed that someone’s near the station — a going-away party for Mulrovey
dragging the name of a good cop through the mud. when he took medical leave. He looks miserable, and
everyone else is trying to ignore the fact that the beer
in their glasses is rising into the air in zero-gravity
bubbles.
180
BLUE ON BLUE
• He accidentally injured her when his powers developed.
THE WIDOW She remembers him struggling to get out of bed. He

tripped and fell over — and then gravity switched off
in the house. He didn’t hit the ground, but she floated
Scene Type: Core
over the bannister and fell down the stairs.
Lead-Ins: Cold Case
• She urged him to take medical leave; she saw a news
Lead-Outs: The Quade Institute, Typhoid Mary,
article about Quade’s research at the university, and
the Glitch Case
convinced Adrian to attend.
• The research group helped him at first. There were
Danica Mulrovey was 25 when her husband killed other early mutants there.
himself. That was nine years ago; she’s moved on in many • Adrian got more worried about what mutation would
ways since then. She’s in a new relationship, and when the do to society. He feared a breakdown of the social
officers call to her home, she’s juggling a three-year-old. order. He said that people aren’t meant to have such
Danica brings the officers in, but she’s clearly cold abilities.
and suspicious. While she’s come to terms with Adrian • She and Adrian grew apart. He started avoiding her —
Mulrovey’s death, she still harbors some resentment she thinks he was afraid of hurting her again with his
towards the police for what she sees as their abandonment powers. He stopped talking about the research group
of him. at the Quade Institute. There were… complications
there.
Danica Mulrovey o She still has contact details for Mulrovey’s doctors
at the university. He was working with Dr. Gaushell
General Abilities: Composure 4, Health 5
of The Quade Institute (p. 183).
Mutant Powers: None
o As Mulrovey’s next of kin, she can release his files
at the Quade Institute (p. 138) if asked. This may
require a Charm Push if the player characters are
Privatization II on poor terms with Danica.
• If a player character uses Reassurance or
If you’re playing with private investigators, Interrogation to get her to keep talking, they get this
then this is the opening scene. Danica hires Core Clue.
the player characters, and asks them to o She discovered that he was regularly meeting with
meet them at her house. She shows them a another woman from the research group, Sandra
recording on her laptop of the Evolve protest, Pryde. Pryde is also a mutant; Danica confronted
Angie Sholter’s address, and the references
Adrian, and he admitted he and Pryde had slept
together. They started to argue, and Adrian lost
to Danica’s late husband Adrian Mulrovey.
control of his powers again, warping gravity around
Danica then explains the circumstances of her
her. They were both so alarmed that they stopped
husband’s suicide, and asks the investigators talking. She recalls that use of mutant powers, not
to disprove any connection between Officer the affair with Pryde, as the moment when her
Mulrovey and the wild conspiracy theories of marriage fell apart.
the Evolve Movement. o Danica has an old phone number for Pryde; with a
little digging, the officers can find a current address
for her. See Typhoid Mary, p. 184.
• A few nights after that, Adrian killed himself. She was
Danica’s Account taking a nap upstairs, he was doing housework in the
Danica’s discomfort about going over old traumatic garage. She overslept because her alarm didn’t go off
experiences is clear, but Bullshit Detector suggests she’s due to a power cut. She came downstairs, and found
not lying. She’s a little cold towards her former husband. Adrian’s body in the garage.
• Adrian Mulrovey was a good man. He became a police o The alarm that didn’t ring is a pipe clue,
officer because he wanted to protect people. She used foreshadowing the use of Technokinesis in
to worry about him — he was always putting himself Mulrovey’s death.
in danger. He could never stand by the sidelines.
181
The Garage
It’s a nine-year-old crime scene.
There’s no physical evidence left
here. When Adrian Mulrovey
was alive, they kept a washer and
dryer here; since the kitchen was
remodelled, they moved those
utilities in there. If asked, Danica
complains that the appliances never
worked properly afterwards — she
blames the forensic team.
Electronic Surveillance spots
that the garage (and the main house)
both have high-quality but old
burglar alarms, presumably fitted by
Adrian Mulrovey. These alarms did
not go off on the night he committed
suicide.
More usefully, Evidence
Collection (Core Clue) spots
boxes of old papers. Checking
through those files discovers some
other useful clues.
• Mulrovey has a number of
files and clippings — including
photocopies of police reports,
which he definitely shouldn’t
have had. He must have obtained
them from police buddies.
The reports relate to a series of
burglaries called The Glitch Case
(p. 184). They describe a string
of robberies where thieves broke
into high-value targets like jewelry stores and banks.
Electronic alarms mysteriously failed to work; there
was no forensic evidence of the intruders. There should The Truth
be a fuller report in the police archives. The Glitch
robberies started around the same time Mulrovey first Mulrovey was investigating the Glitch Case
took medical leave, and ended around the time of his before he died. Shandell realized that Mulrovey
death. was on the verge of exposing the criminals -
• There are also a few issues of a newsletter sent by the Parson’s impulsive use of Fire Projection was
old Human Integrity Campaign, a now-defunct anti- the clue Mulrovey needed to connect the
mutant group that became the Neutral Parity League. dots. With Castle’s aid, Shandell broke into
The dates on the newsletters are from the year after Mulrovey’s home (disabling the alarms with
Adrian Mulrovey’s death; if questioned, Danica admits
Technokinesis). They paralyzed Mulrovey with
she briefly subscribed but stopped her association with
webbing and shot him.
the group after the ### Park Riot (p. 134). (This is a
red herring, intended to throw suspicion on Danica.)
182
BLUE ON BLUE
• Regrettably, Mulrovey’s domestic circumstances were

THE QUADE not conducive to his emotional equilibrium, and he
committed suicide.
INSTITUTE o If Juanita Almanza is present, she cuts off this line

of inquiry — the university and Dr. Gaushell had
nothing to do with Mulrovey’s suicide.
Scene Type: Alternate
o If Almanza isn’t present, then Gaushell admits that
Lead-Ins: Cold Case, The Widow
she’s always wondered about Mulrovey’s suicide.
Lead-Outs: Typhoid Mary, the Spider, All Fired
How could he kill himself when he was given such
Up, the Fixer
a miraculous gift?
• Gaushell’s personally appalled by allegations that
Nine years ago, Miranda Gaushell was a post-doctorate Mulrovey was murdered. She blames the Evolve
student working with Dr. Quade, whose theories about Movement for spreading lies to divide mutants and
human genetic potential took on sudden relevance in norms.
the wake of the Sudden Mutation Event. These days,
Gaushell works in the exalted heights of the Institute’s The Research Files
gleaming cube (p. 138).
Gaushell doesn’t usually deal with police or public The files relating to Mulrovey are sealed. The officers can
inquiries; the PCs have to go through Sarita Sandhu (p. gain access to them:
139). Sandhu’s initially hesitant to let Gaushell speak to • if they get permission from one of the participants
the police, worried about giving any extra credibility to involved or their next of kin, like Danica Mulrovey or
the wild rumors being spread by the Evolve Movement. Sandra Pryde
A Charm or Negotiation push gets them quick and • if they get a warrant (only available if the officers can
unguarded access to Gaushell; otherwise, she makes them reasonably suggest foul play in Mulrovey’s death, or if
wait until a Quade Institute lawyer, Juanita Almanza, is they suspect a connection to the Glitch case)
available to sit in on the meeting. • with a Push of a suitable ability (Law, Charm,
Negotiation, Bureaucracy, or Intimidation might
all work).
Meeting Gaushell The files describe Gaushell’s work with a study group of
Gaushell is a small, nervous woman, much more at home five people who developed mutant abilities shortly after
in a laboratory than a meeting with police. She claims to the SME.
barely remember the Mulrovey case — the years after the • Adrian Mulrovey, police officer: Gravity Control.
SME were a chaotic time, and extremely stressful for her. • Sandra Pryde, barista: Fangs, Absorption (Typhoid
She’s fascinated by mutants, and instantly drawn to any Mary, p. 184). Gaushell notes that Pryde has since
player characters who have mutant abilities. A character been diagnosed as projecting Forced Genetic Drift.
who exhibits an especially impressive or potent mutant • Lynn Parsons, homemaker: Fire Projection (All Fired
ability gains a free Push when dealing with Gaushell. Up, p. 188). Anyone with Art History recognizes the
• Adrian Mulrovey contacted Dr. Quade’s research name: Parsons has since become a notable artist, who
project at the university. He had developed a mutant uses her powers to create works of art.
condition, and needed assistance and counselling in • Glen Castle, unemployed: Command Insects (The
order to gain control of his powers. Spider, p. 189). A Push of Cop Talk (or checking the
• She put him in a group with other newly-manifested files) recalls that Castle was a small-time crook with
mutants, so they could share their experiences and several convictions for assault and robbery.
develop coping mechanisms. She also studied his • Malcolm Shandell, mechanic: Cognition (The Fixer,
abilities. p. 191). Anyone with Streetwise or Electronic
o She can’t share her files without permission (see Surveillance knows that Shandell now owns a
The Research Files). small chain of electronics stores across the city; some
o She’s still in contact with some of Mulrovey’s fellow specialize in repairing broken phones and tablets,
test subjects; she’ll ask them if they’re willing to talk others sell specialized audio-visual gear, cables and
to the police, but can’t give out their details without other parts.
authorization. (She’s still in touch with Malcolm
If the officers failed to spot the case files in Mulrovey’s
Shandell, The Fixer, p. 191).
house, then after they discover the abilities possessed
183
by Parsons, Shandell and Castle, spending a Push on • After several successful burglaries, the thieves were
Anamorphology, Criminology or Popular Culture interrupted by a security guard. The guard was
lets the investigator vaguely recall the Glitch Case (p. attacked by a “blast of flame” and stunned; the thieves
184). fled. The guard saw at least two people fleeing the
scene. After that, there were no more Glitch incidents.
o Energy Residue Analysis suggests that the attack
was a Fire Projection blast. The techniques used to
THE GLITCH carry out such an analysis weren’t developed until
several years after the Glitch Case — but, luckily,
CASE the rentacop’s half-melted gun is right there in a
plastic baggie in the case file.
Scene Type: Core o The officers can use their own Energy Residue
Lead-Ins: The Widow, The Quade Institute Analysis to examine the gun using modern
Lead-Outs: Any techniques; the blast signature isn’t one on file, but
if the officers get a sample from Lynn Parsons (p.
188), it’s a match.
PCs who follow up on the references to the Glitch Case
in Mulrovey’s papers can obtain the official case files with
Bureaucracy, Cop Talk or Research. The facts of the
case are these. TYPHOID MARY
• Nine years ago, there was a string of burglaries, all
Scene Type: Core
using the same modus operandi (MO).
• All high-value targets — jewelry stores, banks, private Lead-Ins: The Widow, The Quade Institute,
residences belonging to wealthy citizens. All had Interrogating Angie
electronic security systems of some sort. Lead-Outs: The Quade Institute, All Fired Up,
• In each case, security systems mysteriously failed. The Fixer
Cameras shut down, alarms failed to go off, electronic
doors unlocked themselves. Sandra Pryde now lives in a trailer on an old farm outside
o Anamorphology: That sounds like a use of the the city. She’s a late-stage Forced Genetic Drifter — her
Technokinesis power. aura is powerful enough that any non-mutants who come
o If the officers have already interviewed Danica close to her are very likely to develop various genetic
Mulrovey and discovered that there was a conditions. She isolates herself from society because she’s
mysterious power cut in her house on the night a danger to others.
of Adrian’s suicide, that too might be a sign of If contacted by the officers, she’s willing to talk, but on
Technokinetic activity. two conditions.
o Technokinesis is strongly correlated with the Article First, she warns any non-mutant officers that they’ll
18 power Technopathy — and the Cognition ability need to take precautions. They can talk with her from the
possessed by Malcolm Shandell. opposite side of the yard, or by phone.
• Mechanical locks and other barriers were cut through Second, she wants the cops to get rid of the stupid
with a blowtorch — or highly focused Fire Projection. Evolve kids who’ve been shooting videos and protesting
Again, no fire alarms ever went off. outside her farm.
• No fingerprints were found on any of the crime
scenes. However, there were patches of some sort of
liquid deposit, which may have been a residue of some Signs and Portents
cleaning agent. On arrival at Pryde’s farm, the officers spot a number
o Chemistry: That looks similar to the report of of discarded signs, along with several bunches of flowers.
Adrian’s death; his clothing was similarly stained. A Checking (Evidence Collection or Popular Culture)
push of Evidence Collection or Anamorphology discovers that the signs are similar to those used at the
suggests that it could be the watery residue left over Evolve Movement protest; mutant kids, claiming that
from a use of the Webbing power, which would also Pryde was either another early victim of a government
explain the lack of fingerprints; a mutant could use plot to wipe out mutants, or that her Genetic Risk Factor
web-lines to tear open doors, smash display cases was deliberately engineered and she was infected during
and so on. her treatment at the university under Gaushell. See
Interrogating Angie, p. 186.
184
BLUE ON BLUE
Meeting Pryde scared and confused, and no one else understood. Just
Adrian.
Sandra Pryde’s beautiful, even with her prominent
• And then he shot himself.
fangs deployed. She’s suspicious of HCIU, and bristles
• And a few years later, she discovered that she’s a
at any mention of the Quade Institute — a legacy of her
walking plague vector. That was fun.
experiences as one of the first cases of a highly developed
• If asked about the other subjects from the study, she
Genetic Risk Factor. If questioned with Reassurance or
claims she doesn’t remember any of them. Bullshit
Interrogation, she reveals the following.
Detector (core clue): She’s lying, as she doesn’t want
• She was one of the first mutants in the city. The fangs
to get her friend in trouble with the police. If pressed,
came first, but she can do other things too — like kill
she admits she’s still in infrequent contact with Lynn
people just by being around them. Her own sister
Parsons. They can’t meet, any more, but sometimes
developed leukemia and died from it; thirty-seven
talk on the phone. She’s involved with some mutant
people she closely associated with developed life-long
rights group, and even paid for Sandra’s trailer. See All
conditions that they traced back to her. Stay away from
Fired Up, p. 188.
her!
• Interrogation: By showing her file photographs and
• She remembers Adrian. They went through those first
reminding her of the names of the other test subjects,
changes together. It was through being with him that
the character can jog her memory. She remembers
she discovered she could absorb powers. Good times.
Malcolm Shandell in particular as being fascinated by
Well, actually, those were shit times, but he was nice.
her mutant powers. Everyone else was just trying to
• She admits to having an affair with him. They were
come to terms with the changes, but he pushed them all
to experiment with their powers.
He was creepily intense about it.
He also told her not to tell Dr.
Gaushell that she’d developed a
second power after Fangs.
• If asked about the troublesome
‘mutant kids’, she says that
because she was one of the first
diagnosed GRF cases, she’s
become a weird sort of celebrity
or something. It’s especially bad
lately — some mutants from the
Evolve Movement came out here
and tried to get her to say that
she was deliberately infected with
her risk factor by the government
when she was being studied by
Quade’s team.
• Negotiation and the promise
that the cops will keep the
protestors away, or a Negotiation
push, gets Pryde’s permission to
unseal the research files at the
Quade Institute (p. 183).
Sandra Pryde
General Abilities: Athletics
8, Composure 10, Health 6,
Scuffling 4
Mutant Powers: Absorption
10, Fangs 6, Forced Genetic Drift
185
o Data Recovery or Traffic Analysis: If the team

INTERROGATING asks Angie for access to her phone, or checks with
the Heightened Information Alliance, they discover
ANGIE that the email with a link to the video was sent from
their server, but they claim they were hacked. The
HIA does not believe that risk factors are anything
Scene Type: Alternate
other than tragic genetic conditions, and certainly
Lead-Ins: Sins of the Helix
does not endorse any conspiracy theories linking it
Lead-Outs: All Fired Up
to deliberate infection by the government or any
other party. All that implies that someone’s hacked
Super-strong mutant agitator Angie Sholter is still in or stolen the HIA mailing list.
custody after the events of the Evolve Movement protest. o Forensic Psychology: It looks like someone’s
Special restraints are available for super-strong prisoners, deliberately stirring up tension between the mutant
but Angie has — so far — co-operated with her arrest. community and the authorities, encouraging
She knows she went too far in her protest, and is scared of mutants to think the government and police are
facing serious jail time. their enemies.
Reassurance coupled with Interrogation is the best
way to get information from her. The Lawyer
• She’s quick to apologize for her actions at the protest.
At a suitable moment in Angie’s interrogation, the
She doesn’t want to go to prison.
interview’s interrupted by the arrival of Gary Hoster, a
• She quarreled with her parents when her powers
lawyer who claims he’s here to represent Ms. Sholter. He
developed, and moved out of home to Mutant City.
tells her not to talk to the police, and declares that she was
She doesn’t know if they even know she’s been arrested.
attacked by the riot cops at the protest and that she was
• One of the riot cops called her a ‘lixer freak’ and she
acting purely in self-defense.
got mad.
Confused, Angie looks to the PCs for guidance. Do
• She joined the protest after she got sent a link to a
they tell her to listen to her lawyer, or try to argue with
video that showed her that Genetic Risk Factors are
Hoster?
artificial — an attempt by the government to sabotage
• Accounting/Law/Streetwise: (Core Clue): Hoster’s
the evolution of humanity.
not a public defender, and he’s certainly not cheap —
o Interrogation: It was the first time she’s protested
who hired him? Sholter didn’t. If asked, Hoster says
with the radical Evolve Movement; she’s a member
he was hired by Lynn Parsons of the Heightened
of the more mainstream Heightened Information
Information Alliance. (All Fired Up, p. 188).
Alliance. She thought the link came from them.
o Photography: The video is a low-budget, If Angie co-operates with her lawyer, Hoster gets her out
melodramatic propaganda video — lots of talking on bail. If kept under surveillance, then the officers spot
heads freezing and turning to black and white, Hoster dropping her off at the electronics store run by The
lots of stock footage. Some scenes in the video Spider (p. 189) — Shandell’s syndicate will try to recruit
were shot outside Sandra Pryde’s farm. There’s her into their criminal operation.
a thread of a conspiracy theory that suggests the
Quade Institute was hired by the government to
deliberately infect mutants like Adrian Mulrovey,
Gary Hoster
but the overarching message is “don’t trust norms General Abilities: Athletics 2, Composure 8, Filch 6,
— mutants are under attack”. There’s no link to a Health 4, Scuffling 2
campaign or mailing list at the end, just a link to Mutant Powers: None
the Heightened Information Alliance.
186
BLUE ON BLUE
Bridget Sharp
FAKE NEWS General Abilities: Athletics 4, Composure 4, Health 6,
Scuffling 4
Scene Type: Hazard Mutant Powers: Phase 10
Lead-Ins: Any
Bridget’s in her mid-20s. Her Phase ability is an Article
Lead-Outs: All Fired Up, The Fixer
18 power (p. 123); it developed at a young age, and she’s
used to regular surveillance and questioning over every
Throw this scene in if you want to delay the player time she uses her power. She has no criminal record —
characters, or if you’ve had several scenes in a row of low- but as a registered Article 18 mutant, she’s got a degree
key interrogation and want some added action. of indulgence not usually granted by the authorities, so
While the officers are en route to the next location in minor incidents in her past may have been unofficially
the story, they’re intercepted by a pair of young mutants overlooked.
— part of the same group who showed up outside Sandra She won’t use her Phase power offensively, but may
Pryde’s farm (p. 184), and who appear in the video use it to bypass barriers — close a door in her face, and
that triggered the Evolve protest in Sins of the Helix. she’ll just phase through it.
The mutants confront the cops, shoving cellphones and
cameras in their faces and insisting that HCIU is a front Chad Massey
for the government’s secret mutant eradication project.
The mutants are Bridget Sharp and Chad Massey. General Abilities: Athletics 6, Composure 4, Health
Sharp takes the lead, demanding the officers admit 10, Scuffling 6
that they’re trying to suppress the truth about Adrian Mutant Powers: Light Control 10, Light Blast 6
Mulrovey’s death, shouting that they’re intimidating Chad’s in his early 20s. He has a criminal record — he
witnesses like Sandra Pryde and Danica Mulrovey. used his Light Control abilities to assist in a series of
Massey stands back and films everything with his digital muggings and burglaries when he was younger. He
camera; he’s also speed-dialed several reporters, so was still a juvenile at the time, and escaped a custodial
there’ll be a media presence here just in time to catch any sentence.
altercation between cops and mutants. • Bureaucracy: His counsel during the trial was Gary
Sample questions: Hoster, the same lawyer who represents Angie Sholter.
• Did you threaten Adrian Mulrovey’s widow? • Evidence Collection: The camera he uses to record
• Was Mulrovey ostracized by the police? the player characters has a sticker on it, noting that
• Did the police kill Mulrovey? it belongs to Shandell Electronics. It was rented from
• Did he infect Sandra Pryde? Were they having an the shop run by The Spider (p. 189).
affair?
No-commenting is the safest option.
Streetwise/Bullshit Detector/Popular Culture: Wrap It Up
These two are obviously trying to stir up trouble between
mutants and non-mutants, perhaps trying to trigger more If Sharp and Massey get any usable recordings
violent protests like the Evolve demonstration. that put HCIU in a bad light, then Lieutenant
If any of the player characters do anything foolish, it’ll Krose calls the player characters back to the
be caught on camera and add fuel to the controversy over station. He says that it’s becoming politically
the Evolve protest and the mystery of Adrian Mulrovey. untenable to continue this investigation —
See the sidebar “Wrap It Up”. he’s being told to drop it and just ignore the
use of a dead cop in the videos. He’s come to
believe that someone is deliberately agitating
the mutant community against the cops — but
unless the officers have a clear lead to follow
and believe they can make an arrest with 24
hours, he has to tell them to drop the case.
187
• If questioned, she admits that she’s still in infrequent

ALL FIRED UP contact with Malcolm Shandell; he’s become quite
wealthy, and is also a donor to the HIA. Why, just last
Scene Type: Core week, Shandell donated some new computers to the
Lead-Ins: The Quade Institute, Typhoid Mary, HIA from his electronics stores.
Interrogating Angie o Interrogation or Bullshit Detector notes that
Lead-Outs: The Fixer she dislikes talking about Shandell.
Mentioning either Shandell or Castle makes Parsons try
to end the interview; she claims she needs to get back to
Ten years ago, Lynn Parsons was miserable, trapped in a work, so unless the officers have any important questions
failing marriage with no prospects and no hope. Today, for her, she’d prefer if they leave. She underlines her words
she’s one of Mutant City’s most successful artists. She by conjuring a spike of white-hot flame from her fingers,
operates a gallery in the same building as the Heightened like she’s holding a blowtorch.
Information Alliance offices (p. 151), where she sells the
distinctive, almost hypnotic pieces that have made her
famous. She uses her powers of Fire Projection to etch Angie Parsons
and scorch metal bowls, creating quasi-holographic General Abilities: Athletics 4, Composure 6, Health
images that shift and glow as the light strikes them. 6, Scuffling 4
A quick background check with Art History or Mutant Powers: Fire Projection 8, Fire Control 20
Research:
• Parsons was one of the first mutant artists.
• She’s a well-known backer of the Heightened
Information Alliance, although she’s also rumored to Pressuring Parsons
be connected to the Heliopolans, and certainly several To get Parsons to admit her involvement in the Glitch
of her pieces decorate the Heliopolan temple (p. 152). burglaries, the officers need to put pressure on her. Here
• She’s spoken out against mistreatment of mutants, are some possible options.
especially by the police. • Obtaining one of her artworks, and using Chemistry
and Energy Residue Analysis to compare the burn
marks on the metal bowls to the gun taken from the
Interviewing Parsons scene of the last Glitch burglary (p. 184) — the patterns
Confident and poised, she bears little resemblance to the match.
photographs of her on file at the Quade Institute. “I was o Alternatively, if the Agents don’t yet know about
a different person then”, she says, “I have evolved. My the connection to the Glitch Case, then they might
former self has been burnt away.” dig up records from that cold case after taking a
If questioned: sample of Parsons’ burn residue.
• She recalls her experiences under Dr. Gaushell, but • Claiming that they have proof that she was present at
says that it was a troubled time for her. She would the burglaries, and spending a Push on Interrogation.
prefer that the records remain sealed. • Claiming they have proof that Mulrovey was
• She remembers poor Adrian Mulrovey, mainly murdered, and spending a Push on Interrogation.
because she and Sandra Pryde still talk about him If they do so, she confesses to the following.
sometimes. She didn’t know Mulrovey was a cop until • She, Castle and Shandell carried out the Glitch
after he died. robberies ten years ago. Castle could throw webs, and
• She’s given money to Sandra Pryde (Typhoid Mary, he did the lifting. She used her powers to cut through
p. 184) and other causes, like legal defense funds for locks. Shandell took care of the alarms — he’d just
mutants. stare at them, and they’d switch off.
o If you’ve played through Interrogating Angie (p. 186), • Why did she do it? It was Shandell’s idea. She needed
she admits hiring Gary Hoster to defend Angie money, and wanted the thrill. Everything was really
Sholter. The case was suggested to her by Malcolm strange and different back then. She could make fire
Shandell. with a thought — who knew what else was possible?
• If questioned, she says (truthfully) that she hasn’t seen The rules had broken down. Nothing made sense any
Glen Castle in years. Bullshit Detector picks up that more.
the question unnerves her slightly.
188
BLUE ON BLUE
• She doesn’t know how they sold off the jewels they Interviewing Castle
stole; either Castle or Shandell knew someone who
Castle’s immediately defensive — he says he hasn’t been
could fence the goods.
in trouble with the cops in a long time, and they won’t pin
• She stopped when they ran into a security guard. She
anything on him. He initially refuses to talk to them; using
could have killed the man. She swore never to use her
Intimidation and threatening to bring him down to the
powers for criminal purposes again — but she kept the
station gets him to grudgingly answer a few questions.
money.
• He was part of one of the first mutant studies. It was
• She had no idea that Mulrovey’s death was anything
a waste of time. He doesn’t remember much about it.
other than a suicide.
• He recalls Mulrovey. Sad to hear he ate his gun. Of
course, the way some cops treat mutants, he’s not
surprised. Mulrovey might have worn a uniform, but
THE SPIDER it’s the genes underneath that count, right? HCIU
should know — you think the other cops will back you
Scene Type: Alternate up if things get bad? Nah — you’re just a bunch of
Lead-Ins: The Quade Institute, Typhoid Mary lixers to them.
Lead-Outs: The Fixer, Attack of the Spider • He admits that he met Mr. Shandell in that initial
study group.
• If presented with the video camera used by Chad
Ten years ago, Glen Castle was a small-time crook, with a Massey (p. 187), he admits that he knows Chad; Chad
string of convictions for assault and robbery. Now, he’s an also works for Mr. Shandell sometimes.
aging small-time crook who can Control Insects and spit
webs. He works in one of the chain of electronics repair
stores owned by Malcolm Shandell, in a run-down part of Threatening Castle
Helixtown. The store is grubby and unwelcoming. If the officers try to arrest or physically threaten Castle, he
• Streetwise: They sell second-hand electronics here; panics. Run Attack of the Spider (next page).
the place is almost certainly being used to resell
stolen goods. Pickpocketed phones and other stolen
electronics cycle through these places.
Inside, Glen Castle sits on a stool, with a half-disassembled
ATTACK OF THE
computer on the desk. A host of ants swarm across
the innards of the computer, cleaning out dust and re- SPIDER
screwing loose connections.
Scene Type: Hazard
• Anamorphology: Clearly, he’s got Command
Lead-Ins: The Spider
Insects.
Lead-Outs: None
• Architecture: There’s a room just off to the side of
the main office that’s heavily insulated, like he’s trying
to keep it warm. (Castle has a large collection of exotic Run this scene if the officers try to arrest Glen Castle,
insects, some of which are illegal and dangerous.) or if they’re getting too close to tracking down Malcolm
• Evidence Collection: There’s a sticky, whitish Shandell.
residue on various objects around the room — on Glen Castle attacks the officers, using his powers
drawer handles, coffee mugs, boxes and the like. It’s to their fullest effect. He’s got Command Insects and
likely that Castle’s (a) got the power of Webbing and Webbing, both of which he’s honed to a considerable
(b) is really lazy. degree.
o That residue decays over time to a watery liquid, If indoors (in his repair shop), for example, he begins
similar to that described on Mulrovey’s clothing by using Command Insects to command his scorpions
(Cold Case, p. 180) and in the Glitch Case (p. 184). to attack the police officers. A successful Athletics test
However, without a more recent sample, there’s no (Difficulty 4) lets an officer dodge past the scorpions; a
way to conclusively tie Castle to either crime scene. successful Scuffling test (Difficulty 5) lets an officer squish
a scorpion. Assume there are two scorpions per player
character. If either test is failed, the character gets stung
(Difficulty 6 Health test; if you fail, you count as Hurt
until you receive medical attention.
189
While the scorpions crawl over the officers, Castle Chasing Castle
flees, shooting webs to cover his retreat. Any character
In a chase, Castle uses his Webbing to full effect, slinging
stuck in the webs can’t make tests to avoid getting stung.
his way onto rooftops and weaving barriers and nets to
If outdoors, then Castle uses his webbing to climb
slow any pursuers down. Castle’s desperate to escape,
to the roof of the building, then flings a heavy glass
taking unsafe risks and jumping off rooftops. Optionally,
terrarium containing his scorpions down at the officers.
have him fall off a building to his death rather than
A Sense Trouble test (Difficulty 6) lets the officers spot
escaping.
Castle before the scorpion-tank comes swinging down
If the players do manage to overtake and restrain
at them. If they’re on foot, then it counts as a Shooting
Castle, they can arrest and interrogate him.
attack with +1 damage; if they’re in a vehicle, then Castle
aims for the windshield, smashing the tank into the glass
and sending a hail of glass shards and scorpions flying Interrogating Castle
through the interior of the car (everyone inside takes -2 Castle refuses to answer any questions without his lawyer
damage, and are now covered in scorpions). present (the stalwart Gary Hoster, once again). If the
In either case, after flinging the scorpions, Castle tries officers present evidence tying him to either the Glitch
to escape — his goal here is to dissuade the police from Case or the death of Adrian Mulrovey, he’ll take the rap
following and to distract them to give Shandell a chance for either crime, claiming that he acted alone. He says he
to prepare for any arrest. has no idea why the alarms failed in the Glitch Case and
the death of Mulrovey, or who fired a fire blast in the last
Glen Castle Glitch robbery.
Bullshit Detector gives the investigator the gut feeling
that Castle’s protecting someone else with his confessions.
8, Shooting 7, Scuffling 10
This is an accurate hunch - Castle’s shielding Shandell -
Mutant Powers: Command Insects 12, Webbing 16,
but a hunch isn’t proof.
Wall Crawling 4
Weapon: Screwdriver (-1 damage)
190
BLUE ON BLUE
Interviewing Shandell
THE FIXER Shandell isn’t a naturally charming or charismatic figure;
he seems calculating in any conversation, suddenly
Scene Type: Core lurching into outbursts of flattery or defensiveness like
Lead-Ins: The Quade Institute, Typhoid Mary, All he’s hitting buttons on a conversational minigame.
Fired Up It’s hard to use Bullshit Detector on him; he seems
Lead-Outs: The Big Lie, Clearance disingenuous about absolutely everything.
He’ll admit the following freely.
• He was part of the initial mutant study under Dr.
The Sudden Mutation Event changed people in very
Gaushell.
different ways. Some people were destroyed by their
• He’s still in contact with Lynn Parsons and Glen
powers — look at Sandra Pryde. Other people, like Lynn
Castle.
Parsons, embraced their new abilities and used them to
• He possesses Cognition and Technokinesis (but not
create a new life for themselves.
the Article 18 power Technopathy). His Technokinesis
And then there are people like Malcolm Shandell. To
developed three years ago — well after the events of
an external observer, his life was barely affected by his
the Glitch Case.
mutant gifts. He developed the power of Cognition, to
If specifically questioned, he denies:
rapidly draw together disparate facts and process them
• any knowledge of the fake news claiming that the
at lightning speed, but he didn’t become a mutant super-
research subjects were deliberately infected with their
genius. At most, he’s a semi-successful local businessman,
GRFs, or any involvement in the videos made about
running a chain of electronics and phone repair stores.
that topic
• Popular Culture: Shandell’s made a number of
• any knowledge of how such videos were mysteriously
high-profile donations to various pro-mutant causes,
distributed through the Heightened Information
especially the Heightened Information Alliance. He’s
Alliance servers
also sponsored a program targeting newly-manifested
• any connection to the Glitch Case
mutants, designed to teach them to control and
• any connection to the death of Adrian Mulrovey.
explore their powers.
If the officers are in position to push Interrogation
He’s also donated considerable amounts to various or Intimidation while questioning him, then he’s shaken
political campaigns, including the mayor. enough for Bullshit Detector to work; he’s lying about
• Streetwise: Some of Shandell’s stores are used to his knowledge of the various crimes.
fence stolen electronics, according to the word on the
street.
We’ll Be Back
To arrest Shandell, the officers need to have some evidence
Meeting Shandell or testimony tying him to a crime. Their first interview
Shandell meets the player characters at the offices of with Shandell won’t give them that proof, although they
Shandell Electronics. The company has a distribution may come to strongly suspect him of being a criminal.
warehouse full of electronics — brand-new boxed They need to keep investigating.
items, spare parts, and shelves upon shelves of broken
or half-repaired items. Across the yard is a low building
containing the company offices. Arresting Shandell
A successful Sense Trouble test (Difficulty 4) notes The best possible witness is Lynn Parsons, who (if arrested
that some of the workers out in the yard have mutant herself) can implicate Shandell in the Glitch Case. The
powers — there’s a telekinetic mutant lifting spare parts, officers may suspect him of involvement in the Mulrovey
and another who’s using his elongated limbs to pluck murder and/or the propaganda, but are unlikely to have
items off a high shelf. enough evidence to prove his involvement there.
Optionally, if you want a conclusive ending, run The
Big Lie when the officers try to detain Shandell.
191
Kolb’s a new recruit, and unsure about the whole thing.

THE BIG LIE Given the slightest opening, he’ll flee. In combat, he uses
his acid spit power to intimidate the officers into retreating
Scene Type: Conclusion instead of attacking them directly — a character may
Lead-Ins: The Fixer automatically dodge his acid globs if they don’t move
towards Shandell.
This is the knock-down combat scene ending. Three Malcolm Shandell

of the staff working in Shandell’s yards are mutants: General Abilities: Athletics 4, Composure 12, Health
Shandell identified them, and convinced them that they 10, Scuffling 4, Shooting 2
would always be hated and mistrusted by society, so that Mutant Powers: Cognition 8, Technopathy,
their only option was to engage in a life of crime. The Technokinesis 12
three are Justin Manzo, a telekinetic, Hugh Clegg, a Weapons: None, but a high-speed forklift inflicts +3
mutant with natural weapons and limb extension, and an damage on anyone struck by it (Athletics test, Difficulty
acid spitter named Sonny Kolb. 5 to dodge)
In a fight, Manzo uses telekinesis to smash the
window and give his boss cover while escaping, while
Clegg and Kolb slash or spit at the cops. Shandell uses his Aftermath
technokinesis to send a forklift driving towards the cops While running isn’t proof of guilt, ordering your gang of
before escaping on foot. brainwashed mutants to attack cops never goes down well
with a jury. A search of Shandell’s offices turns up the
Justin Manzo evidence listed in Clearing the Case, below. Lynn Parsons
also comes forward and turns herself in, solving the
General Abilities: Athletics 4, Composure 6, Health Glitch Case.
8, Scuffling 6, Shooting 6 Without Shandell’s backing, the conspiracy theory
Mutant Powers: Telekinesis 12 connecting Mulrovey’s death to a government-sponsored
Weapon: Manzo hurls screwdrivers, hot soldering anti-mutant scheme loses traction, but continues to
irons and other tools at the officers; if pressed, he pulls circulate on the wilder corners of the internet for years.
out a handgun (+1 damage).
Manzo’s used his powers in a dozen different crimes, and
is convinced he’s facing a long prison sentence if arrested.
CLEARING THE
Hugh Clegg
General Abilities: Athletics 8, Composure 4, Health CASE
10, Scuffling 10
Scene Type: Alternate Conclusion
Mutant Powers: Limb Extension 8, Natural Weapons
Lead-Ins: The Fixer
6
Weapon: Claws +2 damage
Clegg’s the least stable of the three; he’s obsessed In this low-key finale, the cops have enough evidence to
with Genetic Risk Factors, especially the Skeletal connect Shandell to minor charges, but not enough to
Mineralization he’s prone to, and believes that HCIU charge him with Mulrovey’s death. Even if they convince
officers secretly carry syringes full of tainted blood to Lynn Parsons to implicate Shandell, it will still be a long
infect mutant prisoners. and drawn-out court case — and it’s a ten-year-old series
of robberies, so it won’t be a high priority for the district
Sonny Kolb attorney.
6, Scuffling 6, Shooting 8 Searching Shandell Electronics
Mutant Powers: Spit Acid 10, Secrete Acid 6 The officers can obtain a warrant to search Shandell’s
Weapon: Club (-1 damage) or Acid Spit offices. A search doesn’t discover anything incriminating,
but they do find some evidence.
192
BLUE ON BLUE
• Accounting flags a number of irregularities — without permission; in any case, it’s enough to stem
including the money he got to start the firm. There the distribution of the conspiracy theory.
are several large cash injections a few months after
the Glitch cases. There’s no way to prove that this is
laundered money from the proceeds of the robberies, Following On
but it would fit the pattern. If you’re using Blue on Blue as the starting point for a
• Data Recovery finds a list of names on a computer Mutant City Blues series, here are some possible future
in Shandell’s office. All of the individuals on the list cases connected to this one.
are mutants; some of them have not publicly admitted • The Fix Is In: For years, Malcolm Shandell has used
they possess powers. his connections to steer mutants into a life of crime.
• Evidence Collection finds a storeroom containing He identifies young, vulnerable mutants with useful
hard drives, phone SIMs and other data storage powers, recruits them, then sells their services to
devices. Shandell claims that it’s to ensure customer criminal contacts. Angie Sholter is now on his radar
privacy — if his staff are repairing a customer’s — Shandell will try to use her debt to Gary Hoster
computer, they remove any storage to protect their to draw her into his orbit. When the officers discover
personal data. Angie’s fingerprints all over a crime scene, can they
• Anamorphology: If Shandell has the Technopathy see beyond the facts of that one case and uncover the
power, he might be illegally accessing data off those larger conspiracy?
drives — which might explain how he was able to • Key Witness: Lynn Parsons is the linchpin of any
assemble a list of mutants. attempt to convict Shandell for the Glitch burglaries.
• Photography: On one of the computers in Shandell Without her, Glen Castle will take the fall for the
Electronics, the officers find the raw video footage crime, and Shandell will walk free. Shandell’s obvious
used to assemble the viral video that triggered next move is to eliminate or discredit Parsons. He
the Evolve protest. Shandell claims that one of his might have her die in an “accident”, or set up a
employees made the video without his knowledge and confrontation between the HCIU and either the HIA
193
or the Heliopolans to divide her loyalties and put

pressure on her not to testify.
• Blackmail: Shandell has the Technopathy mutation, BETRAYED BY
which lets him secretly gather data from computers THE DEPARTMENT
and other digital storage devices. He’s used this to You can’t shake the feeling that Officer Mulrovey was
obtain blackmail material on various officials and abandoned by the department. They don’t care about
wealthy citizens. So far, he’s held this blackmail in mutants like you — they didn’t have his back, and they
reserve, because he’s afraid of exposure: Technopathy don’t have yours.
is an Article 18 mutation, and his failure to register it
Corruption, Rage
is illegal. However, if the investigation forces Shandell
-1 to Presence tests. -1 to Composure tests to avoid
to push back against the police, he’ll start threatening
Stress cards tagged Corruption.
powerful figures like city councilors with exposure
Reactivates if any officer expresses prejudice or
unless they shut the investigation down.
mistrust of mutants.
• Meet The New Boss: While Shandell’s under
Deactivate: by successfully using Cop Talk or
police scrutiny, there’s a vacuum in the city’s
Bureaucracy.
criminal underworld to be filled. Who’s going to take
Discard: at end of session, if inactive.
advantage of Shandell’s weakness to take over his
criminal networks? Who’s going to fence stolen goods,
or connect mutants to criminal gangs?
Optionally, if a character was especially affected by some
aspect of this investigation, they might face a Crisis and
risk gaining one of the following Stresses. THE ONE THAT GOT AWAY
You know Malcolm Shandell’s guilty, but can’t prove it.
Obsession
-1 to Presence tests.
Deactivate: by annoying or harassing Shandell.
Discard: when Shandell’s convicted.
BLACK WIDOW
You’re attracted to Sandra Pryde.
Obsession
-1 to Presence tests.
When you are at loose ends, make a Difficulty
4 Composure test. Failure: you pursue your
apparently mutual, but unwise, attraction to her.
Deactivate: by visiting the beautiful recluse
without succumbing to your desires.
Discard: at end of case, if inactive. Alternatively,
swap for Infidelity if appropriate.
194
APPENDICES
Appendices
PLAYER TRACKER
STRESS CARDS
MISSED COMMITMENT “I DIDN’T SIGN UP FOR THIS”

Home Life Home Life
-1 to Focus tests. -1 to Composure tests to avoid -1 to Focus tests. -1 to Composure tests to avoid
Stress cards tagged Home Life. Stress cards tagged Home Life.
Deactivate: by mollifying the disappointed loved Reactivates when you drop below 0 Health.
one. Deactivate: at beginning of scenario.
Discard: by breaking from case work to attend to Discard: by going for an entire scenario without
the disappointed loved one. dropping below 0 Health.
TAKING WORK HOME WITH YOU LOVED ONE’S DRUG PROBLEM

Home Life, Obsession Home Life, Addiction
When you receive this, and whenever it is Lose X points from Focus pools of your choice
reactivated, lose X points from your Presence every interval. X = number of Stress cards you
pools, distributed as you prefer. X = the number hold with the Addiction tag.
of inactive Stress cards you hold. Reactivates when problem becomes relevant
Reactivate when the criminal you’re hunting again.
commits another felony or escapes capture. Deactivate: after problem goes unmentioned for
Deactivate: by playing out a scene where you two intervals.
do something absorbing with your long-suffering Discard: if relative was last seen agreeing to get
loved one. treatment, roll a die at end of scenario. Even:
Discard: when the squad cracks the case. discard.
195
LOVED ONE GETS BUSTED IT’S ONLY ILLEGAL WHEN PERPS DO IT

Home Life, Corruption Corruption
Lose X points from Focus pools of your choice -1 to Focus tests.
every interval. X = number of Stress cards you Deactivate: by going out of your way to do
hold with the Corruption tag. something good.
Reactivates when problem becomes relevant Discard: At start of session, make a Push and
again. roll a die. Even: discard. Odd: trade for “Minor
Deactivate: after problem goes unmentioned for Infraction.”
two intervals.
Discard: if inactive at end of scenario, spend a
Push and roll a die. Even: charges against relative
are dropped; discard.
INTERNAL AFFAIRS INVESTIGATION
Corruption, Fear
Lose 2 Health when you make a Sense Trouble
test.
RELATIONSHIP COUNSELLING If you have had this card before, instead receive
Home Life “Under a Cloud.”
-1 to Focus tests. -1 to Composure tests to avoid Deactivate: by throwing suspicion onto a Game
Stress cards. Moderator Character cop.
Reactivates when you receive a Stress card tagged Discard: by confessing to Internal Affairs and
Rage, Fear or Addiction. making a Cop Talk Push (or as recipient of
Deactivate: by attending a counseling session another PC’s Cop Talk Push).
with your partner.
Discard: at end of a scenario in which you
attended a counseling session with your partner
and did not receive any new Stress cards, roll a
RIGHTEOUS SHOOT
die. Even: discard.
Fear
-1 to Focus tests if you have not yet made an
attack this session. -2 to Focus and Physical tests if
you have.
GONE, DADDY, GONE Reactivates when you enter a situation that might
Home Life require you to fight or draw your weapon.
-1 to Focus tests. Deactivate: with a Difficulty 4 Composure test,
Deactivate: by ending a scene with the loved one to which Fear penalties apply.
who wants to cut ties with you on a positive note. Discard: at end of scenario in which this card
Discard: by spending two Pushes and ending remained inactive throughout, make a Difficulty
a scene with the loved one on a note of full 4 Composure test, to which Fear penalties apply.
reconciliation. Success: discard.
NO ONE WILL EVER KNOW THAT WAS STRAIGHT-UP MURDER

Corruption Fear, Corruption
-1 to Focus tests. -1 to Focus tests, plus an additional -1 to Focus if
Deactivate: after two hours (table time). card reactivated this session. Counts as 2 Stress
Discard: at end of session. cards.
Reactivates when the investigation into your
victim’s death comes closer to you.
Deactivate: at end of any session in which this
card did not reactivate.
Discard: n/a
196
APPENDICES
UNDER A CLOUD BUBBLING FRUSTRATION

Corruption, Fear Rage, Home Life
You can’t make Pushes. After a failed test, lose 1 point from the Presence
Deactivate: by taking part in an important collar. pool of your choice.
Trade: for “Suspicions Remain” by convincingly Reactivates when you fail a test.
framing another cop for your crimes. Deactivate: when you succeed at any test.
Discard: At the end of a scenario in which this Discard: when situation that caused you to take
card is deactivated, spend a Push and roll a die. this card has been resolved in your favor.
On a 4+, discard.
FRAMED
SUSPICIONS REMAIN Rage, Fear
Corruption Lose 1 Composure at the end of each interval.
-1 to Composure tests to avoid Stress cards. Reactivates when you talk to a lawyer or
Reactivates at beginning of each scenario. investigator about the charges against you.
Deactivate: by making a Push. Deactivate: after two intervals where the charges
Discard: if you are Seriously Wounded in the against you go unmentioned.
honest performance of your duties. Discard: when charges are dropped, or when you
are exonerated in court.
LEGAL THREAT
Rage, Home Life HAIR TRIGGER
-1 to Presence. Rage, Corruption
Reactivates when you initiate contact with the When first received and when reactivated, lose
person who’s threatening you with legal action. 2 times X points from your Presence pools. You
Make Difficulty 4 Composure test to keep choose distribution. X = the number of active
your cool during this scene. Failure: trade for Stress cards you hold.
“Lawsuit.” Reactivates when someone disrespects you.
Deactivate: by convincingly apologizing to the Deactivate: by striking a prisoner.
person. Discard: by beating up a prisoner.
Discard: if the person first appeared as part of
the main mystery, discard at end of scenario. If
the person first appeared in a subplot, discard
when person is imprisoned or dies.
JUMPY
Fear
-1 to Composure tests to avoid Stress cards
bearing the Fear tag.
LAWSUIT Deactivate: by spending 3 Sense Trouble points.
Rage, Home Life Discard: at end of session.
-1 to Presence tests. -1 to Presence tests for any
other PC who might be called to testify in the suit.
When you initiate contact with the person
who’s threatening you with legal action, make a
Difficulty 5 Composure test to keep your cool.
Failure: also gain “Bubbling Frustration.” Success:
trade for “Legal Threat.”
Discard: when you win the case in court.
197
SHAKEN BENDER
Fear Addiction
Roll a die before any combat. Odd: -2 to Shooting -1 to Focus tests.
pool and -1 to Scuffling pool. -1 to Composure tests vs Addiction stresses.
Reactivates when you drop below 0 Health. Deactivate: by spending a Push. Then roll a die.
Deactivate: when you win a fight or chase down Even: regain the Push.
a perp. Discard: when you go for an entire scenario
Trade: at end of session, if desired, trade for without making a test vs. an Addiction stress, roll
“Hair Trigger.” a die. Even: discard.
Discard: if this card remains inactive for three
scenarios in a row.
SNORTING THE EVIDENCE

Addiction, Corruption
OFF YOUR GAME -1 to Focus and Presence tests.
Fear -1 to Composure vs Addiction and Obsession
-2 to mutant power tests. stresses.
Reactivates when you drop below 2 Health. If you already have another active Addiction
Deactivate: when you win a fight, if your Health stress, trade for “Rock Bottom.”
exceeds 2. Deactivate: n/a.
Discard: when you collar a recurring major bad Trade: at beginning of any scenario, spend 2
guy (as defined by your GM). Composure to trade for “Bender.”
Discard: N/A
FLASHBACKS
Fear ROCK BOTTOM
-2 to Focus tests. Addiction
Reactivates at the end of any fight or chase. -2 to Focus and Presence tests.
Deactivate: when you attend a counseling -2 to Composure vs Addiction and Obsession
session. stresses.
Discard: at the end of a session in which you Deactivate: spend 3 Composure.
attended a counseling session, roll a die. 1-2: Discard: at end of scenario, admit to your
discard. superiors that you have a substance problem and
enter a program.
HOSPITALIZED
Fear, Medical INTOXICATED OUTBURST
-1 to Physical tests. Addiction, Rage
-1 to Composure tests vs Fear and Medical Choose either Focus or Presence when you receive
stresses. this card. -1 to tests of that ability category.
Deactivate: at end of scenario. You can’t spend Pushes to gain favors from police
Discard: when you go for an entire scenario superiors, or anyone who has heard of what you
without taking a new Fear or Medical card. said and has lost respect for you as a result.
Deactivate: apologize to someone you offended.
Discard: apologize to someone you offended and
spend a Push.
198
APPENDICES
TEETERING OFF THE WAGON GENETIC INFLAMMATION

Addiction Medical
-1 to Focus tests. -1 on tests of mutant powers.
When this card is deactivated, you may reactivate Reactivates on any mutant power failure.
it to discard any other stress card, provided that it Deactivate: on any mutant power success.
lacks the Addiction tag. Discard: after three consecutive mutant power
Deactivate: on a failed Focus test. successes.
Discard: if desired, you may discard at end of any
session in which you did not test Composure to
avoid an Addiction stress.
BLACK EYE
Medical
You can’t make Interpersonal Pushes.
DRY DRUNK Reactivates if your Health drops below 0.
Addiction, Rage Deactivate: after any Presence success.
-X to Presence tests when all of your other Discard: at end of session.
Addiction stresses are inactive. X = your total
number of active and inactive Addiction stresses.
Deactivate: by mouthing off to someone you
shouldn’t.
WORN DOWN
Discard: by punching someone you shouldn’t.
Medical
-1 to Physical tests.
Reactivates on a Physical failure.
Deactivate: after any Physical success.
CHRONIC PAIN Discard: if you still have at least 4 Health in your
Medical pool at end of session.
Reactivates at the start of each day.
Deactivate: on a Physical success.
Discard: on a Difficulty 4 Health success. On a
YOU NEARLY BOUGHT IT
failure, trade for “Self-Medicated.”
Medical
Arrives in hand deactivated. Reactivates on the
first Physical failure of a session.
SELF-MEDICATED Deactivate: after any Physical success.
Medical, Addiction Discard: N/A
When you first receive this card, and each time
it reactivates, pay a total of X points from your
Focus pools. X = your total number of active and
inactive Medical stresses.
TAUNTED BY THE KILLER
Reactivates on any Focus failure.
Obsession
Deactivate: on a Focus success.
When you receive this, and when it reactivates,
Discard: at beginning of any session, you may
roll a die. Even: lose 3 Focus points, distributed as
choose to roll a die. Even: discard. Odd: trade for
you prefer.
“Bender.”
Reactivates when you receive another
communique from the killer.
At end of session, make a Difficulty 4 Composure
test. Failure: gain “Hair Trigger.”
Deactivate: by gaining a core clue.
Discard: when the squad cracks the case.
199
NEVER DATE A WITNESS ALL-NIGHTER AT THE CORK BOARD

Obsession Obsession
-1 to Focus tests. -1 to Physical tests.
When you are at loose ends, make a Difficulty Reactivates when the group goes for more than 45
4 Composure test. Failure: you pursue your minutes (table time) without gaining a core clue.
apparently mutual, but unwise, attraction to a Deactivate: by gaining a core clue.
witness mixed up in the case. Discard: when the squad cracks the case.
Reactivates when the witness reaches out to you.
Deactivate: by going on a date in which you
explain that you can’t be with this person.
BY-THE-BOOK
Rage, Obsession
When another PC suggests a violation of
procedure, make a Difficulty 4 Composure test.
INFIDELITY Failure: you must berate that PC. Unless one of
Obsession you spends a Push, both gain “Butting Heads.”
-1 to Focus tests. Take an additional -1 to Focus Reactivate when another PC suggests a violation
tests after talking with or about the person you’re of procedure while you hold one or more active
stepping out with, or stepping out on; extra Stress cards.
penalty ends at beginning of next interval. Deactivate: when the PC you berated gains a
Reactivates when your lover contacts you or your core clue.
partner asks a question that might lead to the Discard: when the squad cracks the case, roll a
truth. die. Even: discard.
Deactivate: by distancing yourself from your
lover.
Discard: by breaking it off and making a
Difficulty 5 Composure test, to which Obsession
MAVERICK
penalties apply.
Rage, Obsession
When you receive an order you dislike from a
superior, make a Difficulty 4 Composure test.
Failure: you loudly proclaim your intent to disobey
WORKAHOLIC the rule and your contempt for the superior.
Obsession Deactivate: by getting results, dammit.
Lose 2 Health when you receive this, and when it Discard: when the squad cracks the case.
reactivates.
Reactivates when the group spends more than 7
minutes (table time) deciding which lead to pursue
next.
BUTTING HEADS
Deactivate: by snapping at another PC for not
Rage, Obsession
caring enough about the case.
Both you and the PC who caused you to get
Discard: when the squad cracks the case, roll a
this card, or caused it to reactivate, are at -1 on
die. Even: discard.
mutant power tests.
Reactivates when you disagree with another PC
on what lead to tackle next.
Deactivate: when the other PC gains a core clue.
200
APPENDICES
SELF-DESTRUCTIVE YOU’RE A CARCINOGEN

Rage, Obsession Home Life
When you are thwarted or disrespected, score a Forced Genetic Drift only
Difficulty 4 Composure success or lash out at the Your Forced Genetic Drift has given the non-
person you really blame for everything — yourself. mutant you spend the most time with a rare and
Do something stupid or terrible that brings harm fatal viral cancer. Counts as 2 Stress cards. -2 to
or disaster, with yourself as primary victim. Focus tests, -1 to Presence tests.
Reactivates d6 hours (table time) after it Reactivates at beginning of scenario.
deactivates. Deactivate: spend 2 Pushes; victim’s symptoms
Deactivate: when the card effect is triggered. go into remission.
Discard: when the squad cracks the case, roll a Discard: if inactive at end of scenario, you may
die. Even: discard. make a Difficulty 8 Health test. Success with
margin of 2 or less: trade for “Cancer Scare.”
Success with higher margin: discard.
TENSION HEADACHE
Home Life
Forced Genetic Drift only SUSCEPTIBLE
Your Forced Genetic Drift condition has made Fear
everyone around you irritable, ill or miserable: -2 to Composure tests to resist Emotion Control,
-1 to Focus tests. You can’t make Interpersonal Possession, Induce Aggression or Induce Fear.
Pushes without also making a 2-point Health -1 to Composure tests to resist any other mutant
spend per Push. power, or ordinary hypnosis.
If active when you drop to 0 Health or lower, roll When you fail such a test, trade for “Puppet.”
a die. Odd: trade for “Cancer Scare.” Reactivates on any Composure failure.
If inactive when you drop to 0 Health or lower, Deactivate: on any Composure success.
reactivates. Discard: when you arrest the perp whose actions
Deactivate: if you conclude a scenario with no led to your taking this card.
other Stress cards.
Discard: if you conclude a scenario with no other
Stress cards and 3 or more points in your Health
pool.
PUPPET
Fear
You automatically fail tests to resist Emotion
Control, Possession, Induce Aggression or Induce
CANCER SCARE Fear. -2 to Composure tests to resist any other
Home Life mutant power, or ordinary hypnosis.
Forced Genetic Drift only Reactivates on any Composure failure.
Your Forced Genetic Drift has given one of Deactivate: on any Composure success with a
your co-workers or household members painful margin greater than 2.
skin lesions, which may be symptoms of a drift- Discard: in any subsequent scenario, if you go for
generated cancer. -2 to Focus tests while you wait an entire session without a Composure failure.
for the results of testing.
Deactivate: by consciously prioritizing your work
instead of worrying about your victim’s health.
Discard: at end of scenario, roll a d6. On a 1,
swap this card for “You’re A Carcinogen”. On any
other result, discard.
201
ESTRANGED PARENT HIDING FROM THE BANK

Home Life Home Life, Corruption
-1 to Focus tests or -1 to Presence tests (you -2 to Presence tests. All Preparedness pools are halved.
decide). Deactivate: when you get paid.
Reactivates when the parent shows up Discard: at the end of a scenario in which you
unexpectedly with a new demand. You may get paid, roll a die. Even: discard. Push Forensic
choose the same penalty from before, or switch it. Accounting for a reroll.
Deactivate: when you go for an entire session
without dealing with your demanding parent.
Trade: for “Wracking Guilt” if the parent dies.
Discard: when you fully reconcile with the
PISSING OFF THE COPS
parent.
Rage
Private Detective Only
Any benefit that requires a Cop Talk Push instead
requires two Pushes.
WRACKING GUILT Reactivates when you annoy any police officer
Home Life, Obsession ranked detective or above.
Roll a die at the beginning of a session. Even: -1 to Deactivate: by giving the cops information they
Presence. Odd: -1 to Focus. find actively useful, at cost to your own cause.
Reactivates when you are forced to remember Discard: by handing the cops a major victory.
your dead loved one.
Deactivate: When you go for an entire session
without being reminded of your grief.
Discard: n/a
SHADY REPUTATION
Private Detective Only
Rage, Corruption
You can only use Cop Talk and Bureaucracy
NO CLIENTS Pushes to gain benefits from corrupt cops and
Home Life officials. Other PCs in the scene must spend 2
Private Detective Only Cop Talk or Bureaucracy Pushes to get benefits
-1 to Focus tests. that would normally cost them 1.
You can’t turn down this client. You need to Reactivates when you do something that makes
spend an extra Push if you want to use Bullshit you look disreputable.
Detector on this client. Deactivate: by doing a favor for a cop or official
Deactivate: when you get paid. If this card is who’s willing to vouch for you.
active at the end of the case, trade it for Hiding Discard: by conclusively disproving the main
from the Bank. accusations against you.
Discard: in any subsequent scenario, when you
get positive media exposure through a high-profile
success.
202
THE QUADE DIAGRAM
203
MUTANT CITY BLUES Character Sheet

Character Name: Pushes:
Player Name:
INVESTIGATIVE ABILITIES
Academic Interpersonal Technical
Anthropology Bullshit Detector Anamorphology
Architecture Bureaucracy Ballistics
Art History Charm Chemistry
Criminology Community Relations Cryptography
Forensic Accounting Cop Talk Data Retrieval
Forensic Psychology Impersonate Document Analysis
History Influence Detection Electronic Surveillance
Languages Interrogation Energy Residue Analysis
Law Intimidation Evidence Collection
Natural History Negotiation Explosive Devices
Occult Studies Reassurance Fingerprinting
Popular Culture Streetwise Forensic Anthropology
Research Pharmacy
Photography
Traffic Analysis
GENERAL ABILITIES MUTANT POWERS-Investigative

Ability Type Pool Rating
Athletics Physical
Compose Presence
Driving Physical
Filch Focus MUTANT POWERS-General
Health Physical
Infiltration Focus
Mechanics Focus
Medic Focus
Preparedness Presence
Scuffling Physical
Sense Trouble Presence
GRFs
Shooting Physical
Surveillance Presence
STRESS PENALTIES
NOTES
Tag Penalty
Addiction
Corruption
Fear
Home Life
Medical
Obsession
Rage
204
INDEX
INDEX
Key to entries:
G/F (a): General/ G/Pr (p): General/Presence power
Focus ability
G/Ph (a): General/Physical ability I/A (a): Investigative/Academic ability
G/Pr (a): General/Presence ability I/I (a): Investigative/Interpersonal ability
I/T (a): Investigative/Technical ability
G/F (p): General/Physical power
G/Ph (p): General/Physical power I (p): Investigative power
Symbols Bellaver, Lucy (forensic services) 148 arms; See also Shooting
### 138 Betula Security Consultants 141 ammunition 93
8DC. See Eighth Day Church Bevan, Sean (HCIU lieutenant) 146 armor 93
Birch, Galen (mutant venture capitalist) chases 96–98
A 140–141 cover 94
Absorption (G/Pr (p)) 41 introduction to 8 damage 92
A-category mutations 76 Birch, Svetlana 140 death 95
Action scenes 154 Birch Towers 140–141 distance 91
Activists 149–152 Blade Immunity (G/Ph (p)) 42 exhaustion 95
group relations 152 Blast powers 45, 92 fighting 92
Addiction (stress penalty) 18 energy residue analysis 117–119 Fighting example 95–96
Addictive Personality (GRF) 77 Blood Spray (G/Ph (p)) 42 free-for-all combat 94
Additional Power Onset Complex 89, 137 Blood testing 119 initiative 94
Advice for GMs 153–174 Blue Team (costumed mutant superhe- injury 95
Advice for players 175–176 roes) 133, 134, 150 non-lethal attacks 92
Alter Form (G/Ph (p)) 41 Botanical enzyme testing 120 range 91
Ammunition 93 Bryson, Sharon 151 restraining 92
Analytic Taste (I (p)) 36 Build points 12 smashes and throws 94
Anamorphology 114–121 and character improvement 89 suppressive fire 94
ability - I/T (a) 21 ignoring the Quade Diagram 20 surprise 94
blood testing 119 non-enhanced liaison officer 14 Command Amphibians and Reptiles (G/Pr
botanical enzyme testing 120 saving to spend later 13 (p)) 44
cellular plasticity biopsy 120 Bullshit Detector (I/I (a)) 22 Command Animal powers 43
DNA analysis 116 The Bulwark of God 142–143 Command Birds (G/Pr (p)) 44
energy residue analysis 117–119 Bureaucracy (I/I (a)) 23 Command Fish (G/Pr (p)) 44
follicular expansion check 120 Command Insects (G/Pr (p)) 44
forensic dentistry 120 C Command Mammals (G/Pr (p)) 44
forensic tests reference 122 Campaign structures 173–174 Commercial Crimes (PC template) 14
Genetic Markers and GRFs 116 CapeCon Enterprises 150 Community outreach 112
lab work 116 CapeCon (event) 134, 150 Community Relations (I/I (a)) 23
magnetic field viewer 121 Cases 153–156 Composure 88
materials SEM 121 Category A & B mutations 137 ability: G/Pr (a) 28
mutation siting 114 Cellular plasticity biopsy 120 average rating 13
new forensics tests 120 Character creation 12–31 overwork 88
organ grafting 116 Character improvement 89 refreshes 88
power complexes 115 Charm (I/I (a)) 23 starting freebie points 13
S-Cells 114 Chases 96–98 Concussion Beam (G/F (p)) 46
secretion analysis 121 Chemistry (I/T (a)) 23 energy residues 118
setule analysis 121 Chrome (slur) 137 Connected mutant powers 17
veterinary PET imaging 121 City Hall 143 Consciousness roll 95
wound pattern analysis 121 Cleansers. See Straighteners (sub-culture) Contests 87
Animal Command Powers 43 Clues 154 Continental Nation of Mutants (CNM) 150
Anna May (Category B mutant) 137 acquiring 82–83, 158, 160–161 timeline 134–136
Antagonist Reaction scenes 154 and Detect Influence 47 Cooperation (between players) 86
Anthropology (I/A (a)) 22 and Empathy 49 Cop Talk (I/I (a)) 23
Architecture (I/A (a)) 22 gathering 82 Core clue 154
Armor 93 interval 167 Correlated mutant powers 17
power: G/Ph (p) 42 timed results 162 Corruption (stress penalty) 18
Art History (I/A (a)) 22 Clue types Cortisol Elevation (GRF) 77
Article 18 (dangerous powers) 123 core clues 82 Cosper. See Goobs (sub-culture)
Arts post-SME 131–132 floating clues 154 Costumed personalities. See Goobs
Asthma (GRF) 77 inconspicuous clues 83 (sub-culture)
Athletics (G/Ph (a)) 28 leveraged clues 154 Court in play 111
passive clues 82 Cover 94
B CNM. See Continental Nation of Mutants Creatingn an adventure 154
Ballistics (I/T (a)) 22 (CNM) Criminal law (in response to the SME) 9
Barhead (NPL member) 137. See also Neu- Cognition (G/F (p)) 43 Criminology (I/A (a)) 23
tral Parity League Cold Case (PC template) 14 Crises
B-category mutations 76 Combat. See also Scuffling; See also Fire- choosing your crisis 168–169
205
crisis scenes 166 Expressivists (sub-culture) 135. See quick reference table 33–36
Crisis Situation Table 170–172 also Heightened Information Alli- Genetic Risk Factors (GRFs) 77–79
crisis tests 169–173 ance (HIA) Anamorphology 21
spontaneous crises 169 Extended series 173–174 choosing your mutant powers 17–18
Crisis Situation Table 170–172 Crises 166
Cryptography (I/T (a)) 24 F Cure Disease 46
Cure Disease (G/Pr (p)) 46 Fangs (G/Ph (p)) 50 Disease Immunity 47
Fear (stress penalty) 18 forced refreshes 89
D Fighting. See Combat gaining from power increases 89
Damage 92–93 Filch (G/F (a)) 29 genetic markers 116
Data Retrieval (I/T (a)) 24 Fingerprinting (I/T (a)) 24 Healing 53
Deakins, Ellis (police commissioner) 144 Firearms 31 Induce Mental Disorder 56
timeline 134–135 ammunition 93 supporting characters 164
Death 95 armor 93 types 116
Deplete Oxygen (G/Pr (p)) 46 automatic weapons 94 Genie (slur) 137
Detect Influence (G/F (p)) 47 Ballistics 22 Ghost flu. See Sudden Mutation Event
Dice (six-sided) 84 cover 94 Gills (G/Ph (p)) 52
Difficulty number 84–85 damage modifiers 92 Glass, Henry (forensic services) 148
for Animal Command powers 43 range 94 GM. See Game Moderator (GM)
for Consciousness rolls 95 Shooting 92 GMC. See Game Moderator Character
for Crisis tests 166 suppressive fire 94 (GMC)
for forced refreshes 89 Fire Control (G/F (p)) 51 Goobs (sub-culture) 135
ranged attack 94 Fire (hazard) 100 Graves, Tammy (first mutant manifest) 6,
Disease Immunity (G/Ph (p)) 47 Fire Immunity (G/Ph (p)) 51 133
Disintegration (G/F (p)) 47 Fire Projection (G/F (p)) 51 Gravity Control (G/F (p)) 52
Dissociation (GRF) 77 energy residues 118 GRFs. See Genetic Risk Factors (GRFs)
Distance (in combat) 91 First aid 29, 30, 73, 95 Gritty Mode. See Modes (of play)
DNA analysis 116 Fishtailing. See Pursuit intervention tech- GRFs 18
and blood tests 119 nique icon 12
and Forensic Anthropology 25 Fitton, Sheldon (forensic services) 147 Guerra, Adoni (Racks) 149
DNAS. See DNA standard (DNAS) Flight (G/Ph (p)) 51 Guest, Jack (first homicide victim of a mu-
DNA standard (DNAS) 137 Floating clues 154 tant power) 133
Document Analysis (I/T (a)) 24 Florence, Eddie “The Machine” (CNM) 134, GUMSHOE (rules system) 11–14, 81–89
Dorphing 125–126 151 and narrative freedom 157
Dramatic 154 Follicular expansion check 120 and player-facing statistics 164
Dramatic scenes 154 Forced Genetic Drift (GRF) 78 super-powered comic-book style 20
Driving (G/Ph (a)) 29 blood tests for 119
Drugs. See also Toxins (hazard) Force Field (G/F (p)) 52 H
dorphing 125–126 Forensic Accounting (I/A (a) 24 Haigh, Hoyt (HCIU lieutenant) 146
identifying with Pharmacy 27 Forensic anamorphology 114–122 Hazards 99–100
devising new tests 120 HC / HCIU. See Heightened Crime Investiga-
E test quick reference table 122 tive Unit (HCIU)
Earth Control (G/F (p)) 47 Forensic Anthropology (I/T (a)) 25 Healing (G/Pr (p)) 53
Earthquake (from Earth Control) 47 Forensic Dentistry 120 Health
Ecumenical Working Group 134, 135 Forensic Psychology (I/A (a)) 25 ability: G/Ph (a) 29
EDC. See Eighth Day Church Forensic Science Division (PC template) 14 average rating 13
Eighters. Followers of Eighth Day Church Forensic services (department) 147–148 death 95
Eighth Day Church 135 Form 334. See EMAT Protocol exhaustion 95
Electivists. See Straighteners (sub-culture) French, Don David (first mutant murderer) hazards 99–100
Electricity (hazard) 99 133 injury 95
Electronic Surveillance (I/T (a)) 24 opponents & GMCs 92
from Surveillance 31 G recovering with Healing 53
EMAT Protocol 111 GABA Oversufficiency (GRF) 77 recovering with Medic 29
and Influence Detection 26 Game Moderator Character (GMC) 11, refreshes 88
Emotion Control (G/Pr (p)) 48 164–165 starting freebie points 13
Empathy (G/Pr (p)) 48 Game Moderator (GM) 11. See also Game Hearing (I (p)) 37
Empathy Loop (GRF) 77 Moderator Character (GMC) Heat Blast (G/F (p)) 53
Endorphin Control (Others) (G/Pr (p)) 49 advice for GMs 175–196 energy residues 118
Endorphin Control (Self) (G/Pr (p)) 49 interrogation tips for GMs 110 Heightened Crime Investigative Unit (HCIU)
Energy residue analysis 117–119 Gang and Narcotics (PC template) 15 assignments 106
ability: I/T (a) 24 Gene-expressive (mutants) 137 community outreach 112
Entangling Hair (G/Ph (p)) 50 Gene-neutral (non-mutants) 137 court sequences 111–112
Enter Dreams (G/F (p)) 50 General abilities DNAS Officers in the HCIU 104
Environmental Awareness (I (p)) 37 build points 12 EMAT protocol 111
ERA 137. See also Energy residue analysis buying cost 13 evidence collection 108
Evidence 84 categories 28 GMCs 145–147
Evidence Collection (I/T (a)) 24 choosing ratings 13 HQ 145
Evolve Movement (pro-mutant subculture) descriptions 28–31 incarceration 124
134, 136, 151 improving with experience 89 interviews and interrogations 108
Exhaustion 95 master list 29 media relations 112
Experience points. See Character improve- refreshing 88–89 mission statement 103
ment restrictions 13 organizational structure 104
Explosive Devices (I/T (a)) 24 tests 84–87 probable cause 124
Explosives (hazard) 99–100 General powers 41–76 proof of heightened status 123
206
INDEX
public view 9 Law (I/A (a)) 26 Nadler, Mike (HCIU desk sergeant) 146–
ranks 104 Leveraged clues 154 147
recruitment 103 Light Blast (G/F (p)) 57 Naranjo, Manuel “Manny” (Mayor of Mu-
shifts and scheduling 108 energy residues 118 tant City) 143
Heightened Information Alliance (HIA) 134, Light Control (G/F (p)) 57 Natural History (I/A (a)) 26
136, 140, 151 Lightning Decisions (G/F (p)) 57 Natural Weaponry (G/Ph (p)) 59
Heightened Inmates Wing (mutant prison Lightning (G/F (p)) 57 Negotiation (I/I (a)) 27
section) 137 energy residues 119 Neutral Parity League 149
Heliopolans (separatist mutant organiza- Limb Extension (G/Ph (p)) 58 timeline 135–137
tion) 136 Limbic Hypertrophy (GRF) 78 The New Helix (book by Lucius Quade) 10
Temple of Heliopolis 152 Lixer (term for mutants) 137 Night Vision (G/Ph (p)) 59
Helixtown (Mutant City area) 134, 135, 150, Low Impulse Control (GRF) 78 Nondescript (G/Pr (p)) 59
151, 152 Lying 23 Non-enhanced liaison officer
High Energy Dispersal (G/Pr (p)) 53 build points 14
History (I/A (a)) 25 M Non-Player Character (NPC). See Game
Hit Threshold 92 Magnetic Field Viewer 121 Moderator Character (GMC)
with cover 94 Magnetism (G/F (p)) 58 Norm (non-mutants) 137
Home Life (stress penalty) 18 Materials SEM 121 Northrup, Leonard (forensic services)
Homicide (PC template) 15 Mechanics (G/F (a)) 29 147–148
Human Integrity Campaign (anti-mutant Media relations 112 NPC. See Game Moderator Character
campaign) 134, 135, 149. Now Neu- Medic (GMC)
tral Parity League ability: G/F (a) 29
spending to heal 95 O
I Medical Examiner’s Office 147 Observe Dreams (I (p)) 38
Ice Blast (G/Ph (p)) 53 Medical (stress penalty) 18 Obsession (stress penalty) 18
energy residues 118 Medicine post-SME 130–131 Occult Studies (I/A (a)) 27
Illusion (G/F (p)) 54 Megalomania (GRF) 79 Olfactory Center (I (p)) 38
Impersonate Memory Alteration (G/F (p)) 58 Overwork (Composure 0 spends) 88
ability: I/I (a) 25 Messiah Complex (GRF) 79
power: G/Pr (p) 54 Meta-Persona Identity Disorder (GRF) 79 P
Imprisonment as plot device 159 Microvision (I (p)) 38 Pacing 162
Improvised power use 87, 100–101 Minor mutations. See B-category mutations Pain Immunity (G/Ph (p)) 59
Induce Aggression (G/Pr (p)) 55 Modes (of play) 12 Passive clues 82
Induce Fear (G/Pr (p)) 55 Mori, Adriana (early mutant) 133 Patrol (PC template) 16
Induce Mental Disorder (G/Pr (p)) 56 Moroyiannis, Bonita (8DC prophet) 136 Pavnicki, Eugene “Thunder Squall” (Blue
Infiltration (General/Focus) 29 Muhinda, Yasiin (early mutant) 133 Team leader) 133, 134, 150
Influence Detection (I/I (a)) 26 Mutant City PCD tests. See Power Complex Detection
Initiative (group combat) 94 activists and protestors 149–152 (PCD) tests
Injury 95 Betula Security Consultants 141 Perreau, Nina (police lieutenant) 145
Insula Skew (GRF) 78 building your city 138–152 Personality Drift (GRF) 79
Interrogation (I/I (a)) 26 the Bulwark of God 142 Personal subplots 166
Interviewing techniques 176 City Hall 143 Pharmacy (I/T (a)) 27
Intimidation (I/I (a)) 26 HCIU HQ 145 Phase (G/Ph (p)) 60
Investigative abilities ignoring the setting 20 Photography (I/T (a)) 27
build points 12 policing 144–148 PIC tests. See Power Identification Centri-
buying cost 13 the Quade Institute 138–140 fuge (PIC) tests
categories 21 slang and jargon 137 Piggybacking (groups of PCs) 86
creating new abilities 28 Mutant investigators 129 Plant Communication (I (p)) 38
descriptions 21–29 Mutant powers Plant Control (G/Pr (p)) 60
difference from 1st ed 13 animal command powers 43 Plasma Deficiency (GRF) 79
improving with build points 89 Article 18 (dangerous powers) 123 Player Subplot tracker 168
master list 21 blast powers 45 Poisons. See Toxins (hazard)
meaning 14 build points 12 Police Forensic Services 147–148
Investigative Analysis (PC template) 15 buying cost 14 Police Headquarters 144
Investigative powers 36–40 buying powers 18 Politics post-SME 132
quick reference table 33–36 chase powers 96 Pool points
Investigative scenes 153–154 choosing your mutant powers 17 regaining 88–89
Invisibility (G/Ph (p)) 56 connected powers 17 Popular Culture (I/A (a)) 27
correlated powers 17 Possession (G/Pr (p)) 60
J descriptions 36–39 Power Complex Detection (PCD) tests 116,
Jargon 137 energy residues 117–119 123, 137
Jason, Richard Wayne (Neutral Parity forced refreshes 89 Power Identification Centrifuge (PIC) tests
League) 149 improving 89 116, 137
Jensen, Mads (Chief Medical Officer) 147 improvised power use 87, 100–101 Powers. See Mutant powers
Jolt (endorphin hit) 137 in chases 98–99 Precision Memory (G/F (p)) 61
Juvenile (PC template) 15 master list 33–36 Pregs, the. See Additional Power Onset
mutant investigators 129 Complex
K power complexes 115 Preparedness (G/Pr (a)) 30
Kinetic Energy Dispersal (G/Pr (p)) 56 power Quick Reference 33–36 Priestley, Conrad (Neutral Parity League)
Krose, Eric (police lieutenant) 145 range 41 149
timeline of 133–135 Command Animals 43 Private investigators, playing 127–129
Mutation siting 114 Psionic Blast (G/F (p)) 61
L energy residues 119
Languages (I/A (a)) 26 N Pure (non-mutants) 137
207
Pursuit intervention technique 98 directed scenes 166 Technical Investigation (PC template) 16
Pushes 17, 82–83 Schmiederer, Brian (mutant city councillor) Technokinesis (G/F (p)) 68
example Push benefits 83 134, 135, 143, 151 Technology post-SME 131
in chases 99 Scleroderma (GRF) 79 Technopathy (I (p)) 39
number per session 82 Scuffling 92–93 Telekinesis (G/F (p)) 69
ability: G/Ph (a) 30 Telepathy (G/F (p)) 70
Q Sdorph 137 Teleportation (G/Ph (p)) 70
Quade Diagram 19 Secrete Acid (G/Ph (p)) 63 Telescopic Vision (G/F (p)) 71
abadoning 20, 41 Secretion analysis 121 Template (for character creation) 13–17
A-Category mutations 76 Self-Detonation (G/Ph (p)) 63 list of templates 15
choosing your powers 17–18 Sense Trouble (G/Pr (a)) 31 Temple of Heliopolis 152
connected & correlated powers 36 Sensory Overload (GRF) 79 Tests 84–86
maintaining power consistency 160 Separatists (pro-mutant subculture) 136 contests 87
publication of 134 Setule analysis 121 cooperation (between players) 86
using 11, 17 Sexual Chemistry (G/Pr (p)) 65 crisis tests 169–173
Quade, Dr. Lucius 139 Shevchenko, Roman (early mutant) 133 Difficulty numbers 84–85
introduction to 8 Shockley, Dennis (Chief of Detectives) 144 piggybacking (group of PCs) 86
Quade Institute 8, 138–140 Shooting 92. See also Firearms simple tests 84
and scintillation patterns 119 ability: G/Ph (a) 31 Thermal Vision (I (p)) 40
Department of Forensic Science 114 ammunition 93 Threat Calculus (G/F (p)) 71
timeline of 134 armor 93 Throws. See Combat
Quills (G/Ph (p)) 62 automatic weapons 94 Timed results (pacing technique) 162
cover 94 Timeline post-SME 132–135
R suppressive fire 94 Touch (I (p)) 40
Racks (activist group) 149–150 tasers 92 Toxin Immunity (G/Ph (p))
Radiation Immunity (G/Ph (p)) 62 Simple Tests 84 Ingested 71
Radiation Projection (G/Ph (p)) 62 Skeletal Mineralization (GRF) 79 Inhaled 72
energy residues 119 Skinner, Eula (oldest mutant manifest) 6 Toxins (hazard) 100
Radical Evolve Movement 134 Slang 137 Tracking (G/F (p)) 72
Rage (stress penalty) 18 Smashes. See Combat Traffic Analysis (I/T (a)) 28
Ramming. See Pursuit intervention tech- SME. See Sudden Mutation Event Traffic (character template) 16
nique Sonar (G/Ph (p)) 65 Trance Susceptible (GRF) 79
Range 91 Sonic Blast (G/Ph (p)) 65 and Influence Detection 26
blast powers 45 Spatial Awareness (I (p)) 39 Translation (I (p)) 40
Command Animals 43 Special Assault (PC template) 16 Transmutation (G/F (p)) 72
firearms 94 Special Weapons & Training (PC template) Tremblay, Gilles (8DC pastor) 135, 136,
mutant General powers 41 16 141, 142, 176
Read Minds (I (p)) 39 Speed (G/Ph (p)) 66
Reassurance (I/I (a)) 27 Spit Acid (G/Ph (p)) 66 U
Redirect Bullets (Magnetism stunt) 58 Spontaneous Combustion (G/Pr (p)) 66 Undercover (character template) 17
Reduce Temperature (G/Pr (p)) 62 Sports post-SME 130
Reflexes (G/F (p)) 62 Spread Pathogen (G/Ph (p)) 67 V
Refreshes 88–89 Story arcs 173–174 Vehicles. See Driving (G/Ph (a))
Regaining pool points. See Pool points: Straighteners (sub-culture) 135 Venom (G/Ph (p))
regaining Strainers (pro-mutant subculture) 136 Bite 73
Regeneration (G/Ph (p)) 63 Streetwise (I/I (a)) 27 Spit 73
Renan, Chieko (forensic services) 148 Strength (G/Ph (p)) 67 Stinger 73
Research (I/A (a)) 27 Stress 166–173 Veterinary PET imaging 121
Resist Influence (G/Pr (p)) 63 and ability categories 28
Restoring pool points. See Pool points: and GRFs 77–79 W
regaining card terms 167 Wall Crawling (G/Ph (p)) 74
Restraining opponents 92 choosing cards 169–173 Watch Commander
Riddle, Davon (Heliopolan CDE) 152 from forced refreshes 89 choosing 175
Riley, Ed “the Ted” (forensic services) 148 penalties 18 list 145–146
Robbery (PC template) 16 penalties and Induce Aggression 55 Watcher Syndrome (GRF) 79
Robert, Eleni (Quade Institute) 140 stress-related departures 173 Water Blast (G/F (p)) 74
Subplots 166–168 energy residues 119
S how to choose 175–176 Water Manipulation (G/F (p)) 74
Safe Mode. See Modes (of play) Sudden Mutation Event 6, 78 Weapons. See also Firearms; See also Scuf-
GRFs 18 changes to the world post-SME 130–137 fling
icon 12 timeline 132–135 tasers 92
Sandhu, Sarita (Quade Institute) 139 Supporting characters. See Game Modera- Webbing (G/Ph (p)) 75
Sandstorm (causing with Earth Control) 47 tor Character (GMC) The Whitebark Group (charitable founda-
Saralegui, Janice (HIA) 151 Suppress Explosion (G/Ph (p)) 68 tion) 140
S-Cells (in mutants) 114–115 Suppress Influence (General/Presence Wind Control (G/F (p)) 76
Scene Flow Diagram power) 68 Wound Pattern Analysis 121
example 156 Suppressive fire 94 Wrap-up scenes 154
Scenes 153–156 Surprise (combat) 94
ending scenes 161 Surveillance (G/Pr (a)) 31 X
flashback scenes from Pushes 83 Swimming (G/Ph (p)) 68 XP. See Character improvement
personal subplots 166 X-Ray Vision (I (p)) 40
secondary cases 166 T
Scene types 153–154 Tasers 92 Z
Crisis scenes 166 Taylor, Reg (Betula Security) 141 Zolotukhin, Mariya (forensic services) 148
208
MUTANT CITY BLUES
BLUES BLUES
Ever since the Sudden Mutation Event, people have been able to fly. Phase BY ROBIN D. LAWS AND
through walls. Read minds. Shoot bolts of energy from their fingertips.
Walk into dreams.
GARETH RYDER-HANRAHAN
As members of the elite Heightened Crime Investigation Unit, you and

your fellow detectives solve crimes involving the city’s mutant community.
When a mutant power is used to kill, you catch the case. When it’s a mutant
victim in the chalk outline, you get the call. And when it comes time for a
fight, you deploy your own extraordinary abilities to even the odds.
With new human capacity has come new science. Your squad brings
forensic science to bear on the solution of mutant crimes. Need to know if
a suspect is the victim of mind control or dream observation? Perform an
EMAT protocol to detect the telltale signs of external influence. Was your
victim killed by a light blast? Use Energy Residue Analysis to match the
unique wound pattern to the murderer, as surely as ballistic science links
a bullet to a gun.
Does your crime scene yield trace evidence of two separate powers? Use
your trusty copy of the Quade Diagram, the infallible map of genetic
relationships between mutant powers, to tell if one suspect could have
used both – or if you have two perps on your hands.
ROBIN D. LAWS AND GARETH RYDER-HANRAHAN

If chases, interrogations and mutant battles weren’t enough to handle,
you also serve as a bridge between the authorities and your mutant
brethren. To successfully close cases, you must navigate the difficult new
politics of post-mutation society, and deal with your own personal issues
and mutation-caused illnesses.
Police work will never be the same!
New and upgraded in the 2nd Edition:
• Push rules make the acclaimed GUMSHOE investigative rules set even
faster and more flexible
• New modes of play help GMs tailor the game to their players
• Personal crisis rules bring the stress of the job into play
• Character templates to help players build their officers
• Expanded chase rules for superpowered action
• Rules for superpowered private investigators
• A thrilling new scenario, Blue on Blue, delves into buried secrets of
Mutant City and the early days of the Sudden Mutation Event
PELGM201 $39.95
PELGM201

Mutant City Blues 2e

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Mutant City Blues 2e

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MUTANT CITY BLUES

As members of the elite Heightened Crime Investigation Unit, you and

ROBIN D. LAWS AND GARETH RYDER-HANRAHAN

Police work will never be the same!

New and upgraded in the 2nd Edition:

Publishers: Simon Rogers and Cathriona Tobin

Author: Robin D. Laws

Additional material and design by: Gareth Ryder-Hanrahan

Editing: Tim Gray, , Becky Smith, Cathriona Tobin

Art Direction: Gareth Ryder-Hanrahan, Cathriona Tobin

Cover Artist: Gene Ha

Layout: Jen McCleary

Includes rules adapted from Night’s Black Agents by Kenneth Hite.

Pelgrane Press is co-owned by Simon Rogers and Cathriona Tobin.

A CHANGED WORLD������������������������������������������130 Story Arcs and Extended Play������������������������ 173

It’s Not a Bird, It’s Not a Plane

THE WORLD OF THE ENHANCED

Fearful liberals conjured up images of emergency police

GEOPOLITICS mutant powers was, and is, treated as an act of sedition.

capitalism. The mutant uprisings have receded into

Police work, too, was changed by

By Their Crunchy Bits, You Shall Know Them

THE GAME IN A NUTSHELL

Some game groups may chafe at the 5+ 10

For most characters, you start by picking a template

WHAT GOOD ARE TEMPLATES

Gang and Narcotics Investigative Analysis

Special Weapons & Training

Undercover CHOOSING YOUR

Crossing the solid line to Healing

LIST OF INVESTIGATIVE ABILITIES

Cryptography (Technical) Energy Residue Analysis

Influence Detection Intimidation (Interpersonal)

Negotiation (Interpersonal) Popular Culture (Academic)

Traffic Analysis (Technical) GENERAL ABILITIES

Overlapping Abilities Composure (Presence)

LIST OF GENERAL ABILITIES

Driving (Physical) Infiltration (Focus)

Sense Trouble (Presence) Surveillance (Presence)

Firearms in Mutant City Blues

In most jurisdictions, police officers are

POWER QUICK REFERENCE

POWER QUICK REFERENCE

POWER QUICK REFERENCE

POWER QUICK REFERENCE

POWER DESCRIPTIONS Analytic Taste

Grid: C2 Environmental Awareness can substitute for Sense

Grid: E0 Spatial Awareness

Legal Ramifications: In many instances, Translation

GENERAL POWERS Absorption (Presence)

Legal ramifications: Individuals using this power in

Command Amphibians Command Fish (Presence)

A number of mutant abilities are

Grid: A3 Disintegrated matter crumbles into a fine dust.

Emotion Control (Presence) Grid: F2

Content Depressed Empathy (Presence)

similar, non-congenital emotional disorder) may not Endorphin Control (Others)

Fire Control (Focus) Fire Projection (Focus)

Speed (in Cost for Time to

Gills (Physical) Lift 200kg (piano, solid woden desk) 3

generating a hail of ice pellets, not generic “cold”. You

Illusion (Focus) Specific person known to target 4

Induce Mental Disorder Invisibility (Physical)

agreements, erasing the memories of top executives

A CHANGED WORLD��130 Story Arcs and Extended Play�� 173