Introduction

Rise of the Mutants is an introductory adventure for 3-5 players in a superheroic setting. It was designed for Champions, the superhero genre version of Hero Games, but could be adapted for any other supers game. The adventure was designed with the intention of playing through the development of teenage mutant abilities, so it works best with characters that have no super powers to begin with. The events of Rise of the Mutants occur in and around a high school in a city of the GM's choice.

Setting

The default setting for Rise of the Mutants is Pleroma, a world similar to our modern Earth. It is a world that has seen the rise of heroes at intervals in the past, and another heroic age is about to begin. This period is an amalgamation of several different genres, most notably of mutant superheroes and an alien visitation leading to an intensification of technology development.
Player characters are students in their final year at Deer Valley High School in the fictional city Wintergreen. Heroes may be designed using the Backgrounds listed in the Pleroma Player's Handbook, or may design their own according to the guidelines provided. As events unfold in Rise of the Mutants, players will spontaneously develop powers and have their characteristics enhanced.

Summary

Play begins with the characters in class when a humming sound alerts them to the arrival of a spaceship over Wintergreen. Through use of cellphones by a fellow student, they learn that spacecraft are hovering over many of the important cities of the world. The teacher tries to maintain calm, but some of the students are overcome with fear and there is a risk that this will develop into a full-blown panic if the characters don't find a way keep the other students calm.
After this is resolved, the characters will become aware that there is a commotion in the halls of the schools, where students are trying to flee the school despite the best efforts of school staff. In the chaos a few students are trying to accosting a student and attempting to steal his things. The characters may try to put a stop to this activity.
The student chaos then spills out onto the streets in front of Deer Valley High. Some of the students run directly into the midst of a battle between rival gangs, putting their lives in extreme danger. In the midst of this, aircraft who have been unsuccessful in challenging the spaceship over Wintergreen come crashing to the streets of the city.
The main driver of the story, the visitation of the aliens, will not be resolved until a future issue in this comic series.

Episode One

At A Glance

During a native language class, a steady hum begins to be heard emanating from outside. Any one looking out the windows of the classroom will be able to identify the sound as coming from a spacecraft that is moving in to settle over the downtown area of Wintergreen. There are military aircraft trailing after it.

Information Gathering

Although cell phones are generally turned off or confiscated during class, some students manage to keep and use them surreptitiously. In addition, students in the class may have access to laptops. Teachers will have access to both, but will generally try to limit information to avoid causing a panic.
Anyone accessing the internet will learn that a crisis has been developing over the past couple hours as the military attempts to respond to the arrival of the spacecraft. They will also learn that spacecraft have arrived in the vicinity of at least fifty major cities in the world, and have yet to reveal their intentions.

Personalities

Maria Gonzalez. Keywords: Emotional, Generous, Slow to Respond. Description: 5'4'', 135 pounds; brown eyes, black hair; dresses in conservative clothes with small colourful flower prints on them; Gaming Statistics: 13 intelligence, 10 ego, 13 presence, all other stats as normal person. Skills: teaching 12-. Other notes: 42 year old Latina schoolteacher; daughter of immigrants to Wintergreen.
Lauren Hinkson. Keywords: Moral, Entitled, Diplomatic. Description: 5'6", 130 pounds; clear, blue eyes; blonde hair; dresses in high quality clothing. Game Statistics: As cheerleader, with no options.
Elinore Nybeck ('Ellie'). Keywords: Hates routine, Unsupportive, Needs Personal Space, Gender Divergent. Description: 5'11"; 130 pounds; green eyes; black hair; dresses in poorer clothes, general unkempt appearance, hair unbrushed. Gaming Statistics: As Tech Kid with no options.
Freddie Tweed. Keywords: Bad-mannered, Risk-taking, Self-doubt. Description: 6'2"; 180 pounds; hazel eyes; blond hair; dresses in athletic clothes. Gaming Statistics: As Athlete with no options.

Running the Episode

Since the characters are starting off with no special abilities, it is important to allow as much latitude in their actions as possible. In general, the characters should make any discoveries they wish, so allow a moment for them to see the spacecraft first, look on the internet for information about the crisis, and interact with other students and the teacher as they wish. If the characters don't do any of these things, then have some of the students or the teacher do them instead.
Maria Gonzalez, the teacher, will do her best to ensure the safety of her students by maintaining order in the classroom. She will be hesitant to share any information she does have, though she knows little more than the students. If the player characters don't think of checking the internet for information, Elinore Nybeck is a good candidate to gather information.
After the general situation is clear, the three students detailed under "Personalities" may, at the GM's discretion, create chaos in the classroom by their own extreme reactions. Other students will become fearful and it will start to seem as if the students will attempt to flee the classroom. The characters will start to hear a commotion in the halls, and it will become clear that leaving the classroom might put students in danger.
Any attempts to stop the three students from stoking the other students' fear, or to prevent students from fleeing into the hall, should be resolved through the use of Presence attacks or newfound inherent mutant abilities the characters experience.

Episode Two

At A Glance

At some point during the school day, it will be decided that the students should be allowed to return to their homes. This episode assumes that the students will leave the school through the hallways on the second floor. If students have already been evacuated by use of other super powers, the GM should run the encounter somewhere near the front entrance of the school instead of in the hall.
While attempting to leave the school, and perhaps attempting to make sure others leave it safely, the characters will come across a situation in which four schoolchildren are accosting a fifth, who is crouched on the ground with his hands above his head to protect himself. He is a mutant who has just had the acid sheen power manifest itself, leaving his skin scarred and mottled. The children are attacking him out of fear that he is one of the aliens.

Information Gathering

The students who are surrounding the mutant are discussing what should be done with him. If the characters ask what has happened, the children are happy to share unless there is some indication that the players are mutants themselves. If they see anything odd about the characters, they will become alarmed and either attack or flee.
The story they tell is that sometime after the spacecraft arrived, a liquid sheen appeared on the boy's skin and the top of his desk, where his hands were resting, began to smoke as it corroded. Upon seeing this, everyone fled the room, including the boy, who these four students managed to surround. They believe he is an alien, sent ahead to help when the spacecraft arrived.

Personalities

Shae Townson: Keywords: Fair, Curious, Irresponsible. Description: A tall, bronze skinned woman with dark brown eyes, a cleft chin, small ears and thin eyebrows. She has straight, black hair, usually wears a dress. Gaming Statistics: As Martial Artist, with no options.
Francis Perrin: Keywords: Stoic, Successful, Perfectionist. Description: A short, black skinned person with brown eyes, angular eyebrows and a softly shaped jaw. They have straight, black hair, wear complimentary eyeliner, coffee-coloured blush and colourful eyeshadow. Gaming Statistics: As cheerleader, no options.
Quinn Ottinger: Keywords: Unfocused, Perverse, Incapable of Love. Description: A bodybuilder-like, olive skinned young woman with cold, brown eyes, large ears, a pointed chin and hollow cheeks. She has thick, brown hair, seems expressive, wears new, casual clothes, has a small mole on her back, and she has a misleading appearance; she looks older than she really is. Gaming Statistics: As Athlete, no options.
Jacob Young: Keywords: Frank, caring. Description: Heavily built, white-skinned, brown eyes, stubby nose and rosy cheeks. Black hair, broad shoulders, and a thick neck. Gaming Statistics: As Athlete, with no options.
Eddie Isaac (mutant): Keywords: Follower, Sensible. Description: 5' 1" tall, cream-skinned with brown eyes, large ears, a round chin and curved eyebrows. They appear masculine, and act non-binary. Curly, black hair dip-dyed half way with shades of royal blue, seem unlikable, and have weak arms, and narrow shoulders. Gaming Statistics: As Tech Kid with no options. Acid Sheen Power: 1/2 d6 Killing Attack to all who touch, plus 1/2 d6 Killing Attack each phase thereafter until a total of six body are lost. Endurance cost is 10 per phase, turns off when endurance is depleted.

Running Episode Two

This episode will be triggered once the characters enter the second floor hallway. This may occur as a result of following other students into the hall if the characters can't convince them to stay in the classroom, or later in the day when the decision is made to evacuate the school. In either case the situation is chaotic, and the characters may feel obligated to help the other students. As mentioned above, the characters may evacuate students through the windows using super-powered means; if they do, this episode may occur in front of the school.
If the characters choose to guide other students through the chaos in the halls, have the group make three presence attacks at different intervals to determine success. One possible approach is to do the first attack as the students enter the halls, the second when they see Eddie being accosted in the hall, and the third when the group reaches the front door of the school to ensure they are directed away from Episode Three. Presence attacks should be made against a collective Presence of 8.
The characters will need to decide whether or not to come to Eddie's rescue. If they choose to help him, they will need to decide if they can still manage any students that they are escorting, perhaps by splitting up, or doing an extra Presence attack to compel the group to wait.

Episode Three

At A Glance

Upon exiting the school, the characters will notice that there is a pitched battle going on between two forces in the middle of the street. One of the forces is dressed in the iconic purple suits of the Purple Gang, an organized crime syndicate that is involved in extortion of businesses downtown. The other group are the green-skinned Hutepi, a species of reptile men from the far south. They are easily recognizable by their long brown trenchcoats and their use of their native martial arts.
To the characters horror, two of the students who have left the school have wandered into this gang battle. In addition, far overhead one of the military helicopters deployed to monitor the spacecraft over Wintergreen strayed too close to its protective field and broke its rotors. It is now plunging toward the street where students and gang members alike are engaged in different activities.

Information Gathering

There isn't much time to investigate what is going on, particularly once the helicopter loses control. Any characters who have previous knowledge of gangs can make a City Knowledge: Wintergreen Gangs check to understand what is going on. They will know that there has been tension between several gangs over turf boundaries. The Purple Gang, in particular, have been planning to expand into other areas, and a follow-up Deduction roll will have the characters surmising that they have brought forward their plans to take advantage of the chaos the alien visitation is causing.

Image Credits:
Cover image - stock vector by studiostoks, licensed from Shutterstock April 9 2023, text design by Nimirien (Autumn Getty)
Summary image - Nimirien (Autumn Getty), using Canva