City-tier Power Level, Alien Theme, Mutant Theme, Masks sheet
Sprout
A size-changing mutant from a race of tiny humanoids“Tally ho! Have a taste of my sewing-needle sword, evildoer!”
Sprout is a member of Generation Zeta.
Nobody has any idea that Midge Leafstone or their whole society even exists. Midge and their kind are inches tall humanoids, who live in the nooks and crannies of human society. They call their existence “the Giants’ Shadow”, and live in fear of accidental - or worse, deliberate - assaults from curious Giants.
Midge is a mutant among their kind. They have two notable powers. The first is that they can grow to an enormous size (a whole five feet two inches), or vary their size between that and their normal height. The second is that they have telepathic command over many creatures of natures, such as birds, raccoons, or wolves. These powers made Midge the perfect infiltrator - or diplomat - to the world of the Giants.
To keep their identity a secret and to learn more, Midge has taken on a heroic identity. Calling themselves “Sprout”, they use tactical size-shifting and animal companions to fight crime the best that they can. Being a hero naturally lets them find acceptance while keeping secrets, but Midge is learning to enjoy it.
Playing Sprout
Midge is a hyperactive, ultra-curious dingus. Their motivation is to learn all about the Giants’ world. Everything is new and amazing and interesting, and they’ll try anything for the experience of it.
Sprout’s inspirations are Ant-Man and the Borrowers.
Plots
- Keep a community of their folk safe from discovery by the Giants
- Rescue tiny folk captured by a specific group of Giants
- Learn something new about the Giants’ world
Dialogue
“What do you mean I’m small? I’m normal sized! Even big!”
“What do you mean, you’re seeing a shrink — ooooooh! I get it! That was so good!”
“I’m not gonna let them hurt anyone. I promise all of you. Cross my heart.”
Comic Book Panels
Under attack, Sprout rapidly shifts sizes from large to small and back again, ducking and weaving through a network of attacks.
Out of the blue, a bird zooms down on the battlefield. Sprout leaps off its back, gliding on a leaf. They land on top of a villain’s shoulders, then grow to full size and grab something valuable while the villain is surprised.
Sprout, looking determined, pulls a bunch of stuff - rubber bands, marbles, clothespins - out of their pockets. They use rapid size-changing to shrink, manipulate the objects into a weird-looking mechanical device, and put it to work!
Background
Where do you come from?
Midge Leafstone is a tiny humanoid who lives in the nooks and crannies of the human world, in a concealed collection of communities they call “The Giants’ Shadow”.
Why did you come to Earth?
Midge wants to make friends with the “Giants”. Their people are hidden away and scarce, and Midge thinks friendship is the only way for them to survive.
Why do you want to stay here (for now at least)?
The human world is incredibly varied compared to the Giants’ Shadow. There’s numerous cultures, amazing high technology, and interesting people. Maybe Midge can learn more about it all, and share with their people.
Why do your people want you to come home?
The Giants are dangerous and mysterious to the tiny folk. It’s even worse when a Giant learns about them. Nobody wants to be taken as a pet, an exhibit, or a specimen.
The Outsider
Hero Name: Sprout
Real Name: Midge Leafstone
Look: ambiguous (character has NB pronouns); (scrawny) human body; bizarre eyes; average clothing; no costume
Abilities: You can fly (via leaves or birds) and you’re pretty tough. Choose two: radical shapeshifting (size-changing), alien weapons (animal allies)
Labels: Danger -1, Freak +2, Savior +0, Superior +2, Mundane +0
When our team first came together: We didn’t trust each other at first, but that changed. How? Why?
Midge was supportive & accepting of these weird-looking heroes!
Relationships:
- You’ve been learning about Earth by spending time with TBD
- You have a crush on TBD but you keep it under wraps
Influence: Cheerful - everyone gets influence
Outsider Moves
Alien Tech (Sprout can construct useful devices out of things like springs, rubber bands, and the like)
Alien Ways
The Best of Them
Variations
Powers
- Sprout’s powers demand some creativity. They can shrink and grow to great effect, but their command of animals and ability to slap together a gadget out of ordinary junk can accomplish a lot.
- If Sprout needs to be more powerful, the limit on their maximum height can be increased from 5’ 2” to higher - perhaps much higher.
The Giants’ Shadow
- As written, Sprout’s people are relatively low-tech and rustic, despite being surrounded by 21st century science and culture.
- What if they’ve found ways to keep up? Computers might not work well at their scale, but electronics might.
- Taking it further, their ability to sneak almost anywhere might make them more advanced, as they’re as smart as the Giants and could have replicated their discoveries.