MnM2e - Freedom City Atlas 05 - Providence Asylum.pdf - 2nd Edition - Dihercen

The Freedom CiTy ATlAs:

ProvidenCe Asylum

a green ronin production

Design Steve Kenson and Phillip Lienau

Development Jon Leitheusser

Graphic Design & Art Direction Hal Mangold

Editing Evan Sass

Cartography Phillip Lienau

Publisher Chris Pramas

Green Ronin Staff Chris Pramas, Nicole Lindroos, Hal Mangold, Steve Kenson,

Jon Leitheusser, Evan Sass, Marc Schmalz, and Bill Bodden

in no way constitutes a challenge to the respective copyright holders of that material. Freedom City, Freedom City Atlas,

Mutants & Masterminds, Green Ronin, and their associated logos are trademarks of Green Ronin Publishing, LLC.

The following is designated as Product Identity, in accordance with Section 1(e) of the Open Game License, Version 1.0a:

all character and place names and images, hero points, and power points.

The following text is Open Gaming Content: all game stats, except material previously declared Product Identity.

Permission is granted to print one copy of the electronic version of this product for personal use.

Green Ronin Publishing

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www.greenronin.com

www.mutantsandmasterminds.com

FREEDOM CITY ATLAS

PROVIDENCE ASYLUM

tumed criminals are bound for one of two places: The first is

Blackstone Penitentiary (detailed on pages 75-78 of Freedom

City ), the other is Providence Asylum, where those deemed

mentally-ill by the justice system can receive treatment, and what

is more of a sign of questionable sanity than putting on a strange

costume to go out and commit crimes? (Save, perhaps, putting one

on to go out and prevent them...)

Situated on the seaside bluffs overlooking Great Bay in Port

Regal, Providence was once the private estate of a wealthy Freedom

City family beset by tragedy. Even now, the asylum looks more like a

Gothic manor from the outside than a mental hospital. Still, no one

admitted to Providence’s “Special Patient Care” wing for the treat-

ment of super-criminals would mistake it for anything else.

History

What is now the Providence Asylum was originally the estate of the

wealthy Phillips family, one of the Freedom City area’s founding

families from the 1700s. The estate was built in imitation of French

country estates, called “the Versailles of the South Bank,” although

more in mockery than admiration, particularly following the French

Revolution, as the Phillips family were noted for their “French sym-

pathies”.

The estate remained the property of the Phillips family for over a

century, until 1908, when Howard Phillips willed it upon his death

to Dr. Reginald Carter, to be used as a hospital for the treatment of

the insane. This came as quite a shock to the remaining members

of Mr. Phillips’ family, many of whom protested, but the will was

upheld in court. Some believe Phillips’ unusual generosity was due

to the death of his younger sister Wilhelmina, believed to have com-

mitted suicide at the age of fifteen by throwing herself from the

bluffs overlooking the Great Bay. Dr. Carter treated Howard during

a nervous breakdown in his later years, leading to accusations of

coercion and malfeasance.

Dr. Carter established an asylum in accordance with Howard

Phillips’ wishes, naming it “Providence,” and served as its first direc-

tor. Eleven years later, in 1929, Dr. Carter disappeared without a

trace. Authorities could find no evidence of foul play or blackmail,

although speculation was rife that Carter fled Port Regal due to guilt,

or that he cracked under the strain of his work and took his own life,

perhaps in the same fashion as Wilhelmina Phillips, although no

body was ever discovered.

sPeciAl PAtients

The Providence Board of Trustees appointed a new director, and

Providence Asylum continued to function. In the years following Dr.

Carter’s disappearance, Providence Asylum began treating the first

of what became known as their “special” patients, namely the crimi-

nally insane, prone to dressing up in strange costumes and adopting

particular motifs for their crimes. Initially, they were the foes of

Freedom City’s first costumed heroes, those declared incompetent

to stand trial.

For decades, the asylum’s policy was only to treat those patients

who could be rendered “reasonably safe” through the use of con-

ventional restraints and drugs. When true superhuman criminals

appeared in the wake of the Centurion’s public debut, Providence

Asylum wanted nothing to do with housing them. Those deemed

criminally insane needed to receive treatment at South River

Penitentiary or whatever other facility housed them.

Still, Providence Asylum saw more than a few of Freedom City’s

costumed criminals, those considered relatively harmless when

deprived of their unusual devices, costumes, and gimmicks, or given

sedatives or other drugs to control their “conditions.” The success

rate of treatments remained small, but better than the conventional

prison system in terms of rehabilitation.

tHe sPc

Improvements in technology and Providence Asylum’s record (along

with a need for more government funds for the aging hospital), led to

the bold proposal in recent years to refit an area for “Secure Patient

Care,” capable of holding superhuman patients in much the same

manner as state-of-the-art prisons like Blackstone. Not only would

this deal with concerns about prison populations and overcrowding,

tHe Freedom city AtlAs

Welcome to the Freedom City Atlas, a series of products intended to

flesh-out and further detail the award-winning Freedom City setting for

Mutants & Masterminds. In this series, we “zoom-in” to look at different

facets of Freedom City in detail, providing you with all the information

you need to know about them to make them centerpieces in one or more

adventures set in the city.

Freedom City, like most comic book universes, is the work of many

people who have contributed to it. While writers, editors, and artists

have added their elements to the world, a big contributor is cartographer

Phillip Lienau. He brought Freedom City to life like never before in the

Second Edition of the sourcebook with his comprehensive map, found

on pages 26 and 31 of Freedom City, Second Edition, along with several

other detail maps. Phillip’s work transformed a fantastic and fanciful

superhero setting into a place that seems extraordinarily real. Using his

maps, you could easily navigate the streets of Freedom, envisioning its

various landmarks and buildings.

Now we’re finally able to bring you more of Phillip’s extraordinary

work, coupled with some adventure hooks and ideas for your own

Freedom City games. Whether you’re a first-time visitor to Freedom or a

long-time resident, we know you’ll enjoy this tour of some of the city’s

hot spots. Welcome to Freedom City, and enjoy your stay!

PROVIDENCE ASYLUM

Providence Asylum

A fter their defeat at the hand of Freedom City’s heroes, cos-

PROVIDENCE ASYLUM

FREEDOM CITY ATLAS

PROVIDENCE ASYLUM

GROUNDS

0 50 100

200 ft

but Providence’s administration offered a compelling case for poten-

tial treatment and rehabilitation, as well as the humanitarian issues

involving locking the mentally-ill up with hardened criminals.

Since its approval, the SPC program has had mixed success.

Conventional treatments often prove difficult under the condi-

tions required to keep patients secure, and government guidelines

favor safety and security over an effective clinical environment.

Providence’s director, Dr. Ellis, has worked hard to prove the effec-

tiveness of the program, and even lobbied for its expansion, but she

faces an often-balky Board of Trustees along with endless amounts

of bureaucratic red tape in her pursuit of treatments for the patients

entrusted into her care.

lAyout

Providence Asylum is housed in the castle-like Phillips estate in Port

Regal, on acres of lightly wooded grounds overlooking Great Bay.

Provisions of Howard Phillips’ will maintain many of the older fea-

tures of the estate, while others—particularly the main house—have

been substantially renovated for the mental hospital’s use.

tHe Grounds

The grounds of the old Phillips estate have been kept largely as they

once were, at the request of Mr. Phillips. The land is surrounded by

copses of trees, providing shade and privacy, and a small orchard of

fruit trees (mostly apples) is planted along the access road leading

up to the hospital building; their blossoms are quite beautiful in the

springtime.

1. Access roAd

A private access road leads off the main road to the grounds, cutting

through the tall trees on either side. There is a swinging gate across

the road just before the main gate lodge comes into sight. Visitors

are required to check-in here via intercom with the security person-

nel at the gate lodge before proceeding further.

2. GAte lodGe

The gate lodge spans the access road with a graceful arch and

wrought iron gate, with the name “providence” spelled out above

PROVIDENCE ASYLUM

FREEDOM CITY ATLAS

PROVIDENCE ASYLUM

the span. Uniformed security personnel (use the Thug archetype,

M&M, page 229) man the lodge and check the credentials of visi-

tors before allowing them entrance. At least three guards man the

gate lodge at all times.

3. cottAGes

The three small cottages along the side road past the gate lodge

have been converted into office and administration buildings for

hospital staff, along with some simple overnight quarters for person-

nel (like Dr. Ellis) who sleep over on-site from time to time.

4. stAbles

The former stables have been converted into a garage for the stor-

age and maintenance of hospital vehicles, including two mini-vans

and two patrol jeeps used by the security staff.

5. tHeAter

The outdoor theater set up alongside the babbling brook running

from the artificial grotto down towards the bluffs is largely unused

and maintained by the grounds personnel. On occasion, asylum

staff have received permission to use the theater to stage benefits

or talent shows, or even for art therapy. It is also a spot of interest

to patients with theatrical leanings; the Maestro ( Freedom City, page

150) was quite fond of it, for example.

6. WorksHoP

The workshop building at the far side of the orchard serves as a

machine shop and maintenance facility for the asylum. Access is

restricted, simply because many of the tools and other items from

the workshop are potentially dangerous in the wrong hands.

7. tHe diAnA Grove

A bit of whimsy on the part of the estate’s original designers, past

the end of the road leading through the orchard is a stately grove of

trees centered on a neo-classical “temple” a rectangular building of

pillared white marble featuring a life-sized statue of the Roman god-

dess Diana. Marble benches are set around the “temple” to sit and

enjoy the peace and quiet of the grove.

Providence staff members like to tell tall tales about how the tem-

ple was actually used as part of some pagan black magic rituals that

took place on the grounds, and how the Phillips estate was involved

in the British “Hell-fire Club” phenomenon, but these are just stories,

so far as anyone knows.

8. tHe teAHouse

The “teahouse” is a decorative gazebo near the tennis courts, and

a popular place for staff members or patients allowed access to the

grounds to gather and sit in the shade. The tennis courts themselves

are clay surfaced and do not see much use, except for occasions

when off-duty staff members set up a portable basketball hoop

(edicts of the asylum’s charter do not permit modifications like the

installation of a permanent hoop on the courts).

9. rose GArden

Past the south wing of the manor house, a terraced rose garden

stretches down towards the bluffs. It is laid out in an English style,

featuring a variety of different colors, and proudly maintained by

the grounds-keeping staff. Marble benches are placed around along

the gravel paths for people to sit and enjoy the peace and fragrance

of the gardens.

10. tHe bluFFs

The bluffs overlooking Great Bay feature a fifty-foot drop down

to the narrow strip of rocky beach below, where the surf regularly

surges and pounds, particularly in stormy weather. A narrow set of

wooden stairs down to the boat launch is the only way up or down

the bluffs short of climbing them (a DC 16 Climb check).

11. boAt lAuncH

At the base of the bluffs along the beach is a small boat launch

owned and maintained by the asylum, where small watercraft (not

much larger than a motorboat) can be moored. Providence has and

maintains a motor launch and there is a shed with maintenance

equipment and extra fuel. The boat launch sees very little use except

in rare emergencies when a patient manages to get out into the

water.

12. tHe mAnor

The large and imposing manor house situated on the rise overlook-

ing most of the grounds, with a commanding view of the bluffs and

the bay beyond them, is used as the asylum proper.

Ground Floor

The ground floor of the asylum is the only one accessible to the

public. The south wing consists of staff offices and examination and

treatment rooms, with the old conservatory turned into a waiting

room and a large recreation room occupying the former ballroom of

the manor.

The north wing still contains the manor’s substantial library,

including all the volumes donated by Mr. Phillips along with the

estate. Much of the library is taken up with psychological reference

works, but it also holds recreational reading available to residents.

The east side of the wing, towards the bluffs, holds the director’s

office and reception room, while the west side has a reading room

and the main reception area off the library, where visitors are typi-

cally asked to wait.

Behind the main hall is the old solarium, looking out over the

gardens and towards the bay. It provides a quiet sitting area for

patients and staff, particularly during the winter months when it is

too cold to go outside.

uPPer Floors

The second, third, and fourth floors of the manor are used primarily

for patient care at Providence, bedrooms and the like converted into

patient rooms for long-term care and treatment rooms. The patient

PROVIDENCE ASYLUM

MnM2e - Freedom City Atlas 05 - Providence Asylum.pdf

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