This is a HERO 5th Edition (revised) game. It is a one-source world, i.e. all characters receive their powers via KS-Serum-sourced DNA Threading. There is no magic, no normal-person-piloted power armor.
Game Background:
The Invasion has happened; the alien 'Thunder' have gained a beachhead upon the planet, from which conventional forces have not been able to dislodge them. Thunder forces hold hundreds of waterfront cities across the world, from New York and Los Angeles to Tokyo, Hong Kong, and others. They are strongest in pure-salt-water cities, such as Los Angeles; they are weakest in pure-fresh-water cities, like Chicago. It is self-evident that the Thunder utilize seawater in their fuel processes, and possibly in their life-cycle as well; whether it is the salt mixture, the trace metals and minerals, or some other combination the scientists have yet to discover. It is notable, however, that the Thunder struck and seized cities, and not relatively bare portions of coastline; it is likewise notable that in the six years since the Invasion, a noticeable amount of what used to be humanity's hives have been consumed and reused.
The Thunder hold the high ground; communications, observation, weather, and spy satellites lasted for a few weeks at most. Ground-based telescopes have verified that there are approximately a score of Thunder armed colony ships in orbit. Nothing launched since the invasion has managed to make it out of the stratosphere; nuclear payloads were similarly somehow detected in transit, whether by conventional aircraft or ground-hugging Tomahawk-style missiles, and were destroyed by massive area-effect mass-drive bombardment. Clearly the nuclear payload is keyed to, as conventional cruise missiles (though not high-ballistic - medium, intermediate, long-range, or intercontinental) were not destroyed, and were able to advance into the target zone before being detected, deployed against, and often (though not always) destroyed. Even outside the 'threat zones', however, air travel remains risky, as one never knows if any particular aircraft will suffer either a kinetic bombardment elimination, or be suddenly targeted by planetary forces for elimination.
Humanity, however, holds the 'low ground'; though the enemy has at-will control over the air across 65% of the planet's land mass, they do not appear to possess sub-marine technology. The United Nations Planetary Defense Force now controls nearly every submarine in existence, and though those submarines have executed tactical and strategic strikes of surpassing genius, they are virtually irreplaceable - and vulnerable to surface attack if they venture within twenty-five or so meters of the surface. Resupply and crew exchange operations are among the most highly-secured and -classified operations in the ongoing war.
The Thunder themselves wield technology that is considerably higher than humanity has been able to achieve, utilizing high-energy plasma weapons on individual, rocket/missile, and gunship scales. Though these weapons have not been deconstructed, analyzed, and reproduced at the level where the common trooper is equipped with them, certain hurdles have been leaped due to a biological one achieved by a certifiable mad genius - but his success was the key to others.
Two years after the Invasion, with humanity being gradually but implacably driven away from the oceans that still feed a vast amount of people, the German genetic genius Professor Karl Schein offered the combined defense forces a radical proposal - genetic alteration of volunteers from the Armed forces. His serum, he stated, would 're-Thread' the subjects' DNA in order to greatly enhance their strength, stamina, resistance to damage, rate of recovery, reflexes, speed, perception, and all in all turn soldiers into super-soldiers. He refused to volunteer any information regarding his methodologies, and in fact had concealed all of his research data before presenting his findings, his offer, and his further research demands to the PDF.
Caught between a rock and a maybe-not-so-hard-after-all place, the PDF gave Prof. Schein all he demanded. But the DNA of adults has stablized, and all of the many military volunteers died, went mad - or worse. It wasn't until six months later that Schein, during illegal (but, due to his carte blanche blanket permission, permitted) experimentation upon adolescents, discovered the key to success. Schein discovered that during puberty, children's DNA was in flux - very slight, but enough for the numerous 'KS serum' variants to gain a foothold.
The KS serum's 'Threading' of adolescent genetics has worked far beyond even the PDF's wildest dreams. The teenagers so enhanced possess not only the assured abilities, but powers beyond human capacity - the ability to fire bolts of energy, to generate shielding, to run at racecar speeds, to leap tens of meters at a time, even to fly.
While seventh through ninth graders across the world volunteer (with the permission of their parents or guardians) for military schools designed to turn them over to the national militaries as trained soldiers once they graduate, others volunteer for the United Nations Planetary Defense Force fill schools that will turn them into soldiers for a global cause. Since the UN holds the KS Serum, only these latter undergo the injections. Just under 3% of them prove reactive to the KS Serum. 30% of thsoe die due to complications; 10% adapt powerfully, but suffer psychotic breaks and must be put down. 55% receive a slight boost to their natural potential; 4% receive significant increases in their natural abilities or minor superhuman enhancements. Only 1% both fully Thread and retain psychological stability.
The inspiration for this game comes from various 'earth-invasion' manga, as well as the movie 'Battle: Los Angeles'. You may think of the latter as a documentary on the first few days of the Invasion. This is a Teen Champions game, albeit with a purpose. Your character enters the game at age 13, 14 or 12 with a really good story. You are a true volunteer; there are no victims of 'pressured into volunteering' here. If your Threading fails, you will go back to your ordinary life. If it fails catastrophically, you will die, or turn into a monster and die. If it succeeds, you will become a movie star who regularly risks particularly brutal death in order to try to turn the tide on a decade-long war of survival.
Aides/Assistants, Squad 1, Platoon 1, Oscar Company:
You have since been introduced to your other Cadet Sergeants (CSgt), Cadet Corporals (CCpl), and even a set of Cadet Privates (CPvt) who, though not much more advanced than yourselves (as they're in the last semester of their first year - part of the class you'd encounter if you should turn right out of your squad hallway) still are on-point enough to be able to run you lot ragged. However, their main task at this time is to get you to your classes on time, help you get used to living in the place, and basically be superior enlisted personnel to help you figure life out.
One night out of every nine, your squad is assigned to 'base security', and each of you will serve an hour shift during the overnight in the company watch post and patrolling the company passages, with one CSgt, one CCpl, and one senior cadet noncom or cadet officer. (As the CPvts have their own post to see to, they do not second to your post. That'll change next quarter.)
The older cadets essentially serve in group rotations. These are your supervising cadet noncoms, groups A, B, and C, including Class Company, current rank, and a bit of descriptor:
Group C:
CSsg Baldwin, Adam: Caucasian (W. Illinois) (Current Staff Sergeant)
CSgt Dobies, Kayla: Caucasian (Canadian)
CSgt Parsons, Alek: Black (Tennessee)
CCpl Case, Nicolette: French-Canadian
CCpl Saum, Ian: New Jersey (Yiddish)
CPvt de Tragir, Maximillian: Hispaniolan
CPvt Hernandez, Raoul "Ray": Mexican
If you're wondering what 'Hispaniolan' is, it's from Hispaniola - Haiti and the Dominican Republic. In the world of International, the attacks brought down their governments, and the UN has taken over its administration, along with Northern Mexico and assorted other locations on the planet. Hispaniolans are generally black of skin, with a Carib/African/French cultural blend.
The uniform colors of the Planetary Defense Force are blue, green, and tan. They have:
A Blue Dress Uniform;
An Evening (Mess) Dress Uniform;
A Service Uniform;
A Combat Utility Uniform;
A Physical Training Uniform; and
A Specialized Combat Jumpsuit.
You will at this point possess 2 Service Uniforms, 8 Combat Utility Uniforms, 12 Physical Training Uniforms, 12 sets of underclothes, 24 pairs of socks, and various necessary accoutrements (belts, insignia, etc.). At a certain point, you will be allowed and required to purchase (i.e. the cost is deducted from your savings) an Evening/Mess Dress Uniform and a Blue Dress Uniform; that point is late in your last quarter as a cadet corporal. You may, at any time, purchase any of the above items available to you, with the singular exception of the SCJ.
The Specialized Combat Jumpsuit is a significant piece of technological craftsmanship that is created and fitted for each individual. On your first day of Movement Training, you were measured (while naked in a laser grid booth) to the millimeter. The SCJ typically takes two weeks to create, and will be repaired, revised, and replaced as required by the necessities of personal growth, your powers, and combat. It is a standing order to report any discomfort in the wear of the SCJ; while the interim combat jumpsuits are worn over physical training uniforms (basically underwear, shorts, and t-shirts), the specialized combat jumpsuit has special use and wear requirments which you will be told about In Character.
FYI, the Service Uniforms look similar to the USMC green-and-khaki Service Uniforms.
PDF Insignia:
If a color is not defined (chevrons, squares), the default for Marines is green on a tan field; the default for Navy is blue on a tan field. Cadet insignia badges and tabs are always outlined in red; the only time a cadet does not wear a red-outlined insignia is during Field Duty.
E-4 (W-4): 1 Dark Square on Gold Bar
W-5: 2 Dark Squares on Gold Bar
W-6: 3 Dark Squares on Gold Bar
W-7: 4 Dark Squares on Gold Bar
W-8: 1 Dark Rectangle on Gold Bar
W-9: 2 Dark Rectangles on Gold Bar
W-10: Narrow Stripe in middle of Gold Bar
O-C: Interrupted (Slashed 5 Times) Gold Bar
O-1: Gold Bar
O-2: Silver Bar
O-3: 2 Silver Bars
O-4: Gold Leaf
O-5: Silver Leaf
O-6: Eagle
O-7: 1 Silver Star
O-8: 2 Silver Stars
O-9: 3 Silver Stars
O-10: Planet (Earth)
The leaf for O-4 and O-5 has 5 equal, distinct, large lobes, compared to the 7 of the American Oak and the 3(ish) of the Canadian Maple; kind of like that of the Chinese Lotus but with a stem.
All information provided is in regards to the way the UNPDF works and ONLY in regards to that. Actual ranking structures and common usage were consulted, then roundly and thoroughly abused.
Enlisted Ranks Code: Marine Rank
E-1: Private Junior Grade
E-2: Private
E-3: Private First Class
E-4: Corporal
E-4: Specialist*, ***
E-5: Sergeant
E-6: Staff Sergeant
E-7: Gunnery Sergeant
E-8: Master Sergeant
E-9: Sergeant Major
E-10: Senior Sergeant Major
Note that both Marine and Navy rank names are identical from O-2 through O-6; this was specifically done in order to keep relative rankings clear. (Previously, for example, a Marine Captain was an O-3, while a Navy Captain was an O-6. Now, all Captains are O-6.)
* - E-4: Specialists tend to be somewhat seperate from the command chain. Often given temporarily to civilians who are in the field embedded in military units, the rank is also assigned to enlisted men who have a technical, as compared to combat, specialty as they rise in rank. while a military Specialist can choose to continue to rise in their service's standard enlisted rankings (becoming a Sergeant, etc.) they can instead choose to receive a warrant commission.
** - Warrant officers (E-4 and W-5 to W-10). Warrant officers (sometimes referred to as 'wookies') are almost always technical specialists; entry into the PDF Warrant Officer ranks is either through post-technical-school or -college warrant, or by rising through enlisted ranks and learning a specialty.
In regards to their speciality, as well as outside of combat, a WO can give commands to any enlisted individual as well as to commissioned officers of up to one number under his number-rank. But since the PDF reserves commissions (standard officer rankings) for combat command, even highly-trained technical specialists such as surgeons, judicial branch, military police (varies), cryptography wonks, physicists, etc. are 'only' warrant officers, as are 'less-educated' non-combat tracks such as supply, organization, armorers, drivers, maintenance, and the like. In practice, therefore, since operations such as MASH units are in command of surgeons with W-8 Senior Chief Warrant Officer ranks, courtesy and respect is absolutely given to wookies by enlisted and commissioned officers alike; they've earned it.
Thus, while in their domain a Warrant Officer's authority is premier. This is able to be overridden by commissioned officers in only three situations: 1) impending combat, 2) written orders, or 3) direct orders from an authorized superior. First, an impending or active combat situation changes any 'domain' to that of combat, making the commissioned officer's authority, even if that officer is an O-1 or even O-C, absolute. Second, a commissioned or warrant officer bearing written orders (which in this day and age can mean electronically encoded) from an authorized superior may take charge of a facility in order to fulfill their orders; for example, a W-5 MP with orders written to the effect can take charge of a W-8's supply dump in pursuit of discovering who's been stealing stuff, but the W-5 can't just walk in without orders and start flashing his MP badge. Third, a commissioned officer of sufficient acknowledged rank (at least 1, and possibly 2 or more, rank levels above the WO) can give a direct order that the Warrant Officer must respect and follow.
As examples, from the TV show 'MASH', Captain 'Hawkeye' Pierce would be a W-6 Senior Warrant; Major Margaret Houlihan, a W-7 Chief Warrant; and Colonel Sherman Potter a W-8 Senior Chief Warrant Officer (possibly W-9 Master Chief Warrant Officer). None, of course, would be eligible for a combat command; they're physicians, not tacticians. However, within the boundaries of the MASH unit, that W-8's orders are absolute unless they get attacked, receive written orders, or are directly ordered by a General (or, perhaps, a full Colonel).
As a note, warrant officer coding also does not start with a '1' ranking; since the E-4 Specialist is a likely-warrant-to-be, the PDF determined to begin Warrant codes at W-5, to keep the hierarchy structure understandably clear.
*** - O-C: Sub-Lieutenant and Midshipman; also E-4 Specialists. In the PDF Academies, all individuals (both Threaded and otherwise) spend three months - the last quarter of their fourth year - assigned to the front lines embedded in a combat company following an intensive nine-month stint outside the academy proper in what is called 'Path Determination Training'. This training once again breaks down the cadet, pushing them physically as well as - or rather, especially - mentally, to determine their command capacity. Those with relatively limited capabilities, whether that is due to personality, intellect, or scope of focus, are assigned to Enlisted ranks, and in their Field Duty quarter are assigned as E-4 Specialists. Those whose mental acuity, flexibility, and personality are a fit for combat command are assigned to Officer ranks, and in their Field Duty quarter are assigned as Officer-Candidates, or O-Cs, and hold either a Sub-Lieutenant (if embedded in Marines) or Midshipman (if embedded in the Navy) ranking.
In combat, O-Cs are officers; though they are expected to follow orders as assigned by their own COs (such as 'do whatever Sergeant Babcock tells you'), in the event of absence of orders, elimination of command, or other such extenuating or extreme circumstances, an O-C is expected to take command of their detachment and execute their mission with confidence, diligence, and intelligence - which will typically include paying close attention to the advice of their non-commissioned officers (E-5 and above).
During PDT (Path Determination Training) in their fourth year (Q13-Q15), cadets are at a seperate location, in order to both turn up the pressure cooker as well as not distract them from that cooker by giving them other cadets to pay attention to. Field Duty (Q16) is just that - assignment to a front-line company, first contact with the Thunder. Presuming they survive, cadets return to the Academy in time for the start of their senior year (Q17-Q20) to become Cadet Officers and Cadet Senior Non-Coms. The only nickname the rest of the Academy usually has for them is either 'sir' or 'snake', and the latter is usually only out of earshot.
PCs are initially built as 0/50 characters, being between 12 and 14 years old.
You do not have to spend all your points; points unspent will likely result in higher, or more broad, powers post-Threading.
I expect internally-complete characters, even at this point. Create a realistic 13-year-old. You don't have to be ultra-gung-ho, spending your entire life focussed on saving the world and gaining skills for that; you already have that drive above and beyond most others, enough to risk the 40% death and 59% minor-effect rate. To give perspective: 1 in 10 adolescents are put up to applying. 4 in 5 of them don't really want to, and are dismissed. Just to have overcome the very real fears of likely imminent death, you are 1 in 50. You don't need to be a little warrior yet, especially since that's what boot camp is there to start you with, and this school is meant to complete.
ATTRIBUTES:
Standard attributes for average NPCs of your character's age is 6. For comparison, most human adults possess attributes of 8, while 'active humans' - typically cops, hikers, rock-scramblers, etc. - have one or two physical attributes at 10, while managers, salesmen, and the like may have one or two mental attributes at 10.
PCs have minimums of 8 in Dex and 10 in Int. More than 1-2 points higher in either of those (or other attributes above 8-10) are significant, even astonishing individuals for their age.
In regards to Ego: though 6 is the average for an adolescent of their age, a 7 ego is the absolute minimum for this game. An 8 is the maximum, with the following additions:
If your background is free of personal encounters with / personal loss caused by the Thunder, i.e. your desire to undergo threading is not somehow based on revenge, both technical minimum and maximum are raised by 2.
If your background lacks a 'combat bunny' nature - by which is meant a lack of martial arts, most/all weapon skills, and/or primarily-combat-applicable skills - your technical minimum and maximum are raised by 2.
These additions stack. If you lack the above two elements in your background, your minimum Ego is 10, maximum is 12. This helps to describe in game statistics how determined you have been to persuade your parents to let you risk a 40% death rate for the 1% chance to become a superstar.
A special note on Comeliness: For the purposes of this game, comeliness is interpreted as 'sexual allure'. A 12-year-old _might_ be attractive to a few people, but the general viewpoint is 'off limits' - therefore, a 12-year-old's COM is going to run around 5-7. For each point above 5, roughly 10% of those attracted to your gender will find the character sexually attractive. At a 15, pretty much all guys are going to think a woman's attractive. Go above that, and even some not-normally-sexually-interested women would 'turn bi for that', so to speak. A 'developing' young woman might have an 8 to 10. Going above that will result in very real issues for the character, and I would rather not go there.
For all other attributes, characters should not vary by more than 2 points lower than the average; see also the notes on attributes.
All other Characteristics, including Running, may be sold back to the above minimums, with the understood common restrictions (only one Figured Characteristic sold back), as appropriate to your character.
SKILLS:
Standard HERO Modern Everyman (NOT Dark Champions) skills are applicable, changing the motor vehicle for bicycles (two-wheeled muscle-powered vehicles). Most skills should be set at 11- at the most, with 10- Competence or 8- familiarities being more appropriate. Anything over this will require GM approval, and will likely receive a restriction of one sort or another, e.g. Navigation (Mountains Only) or Tracking (Deer Only). As compensation, this'll probably save you a point.
DISADVANTAGES:
20 of your starting 50 disad points are accounted for:
5 points: Social Limitation: Minor (Under 18) (Occasionally; Major; Not Limiting In Some Cultures)
15 points: Psychological Limitation: Save Humanity (Common; Strong)
Decide what represents the other 30 points' worth. DNPCs are frowned upon, as they are a) vanishingly unlikely to come into play, and b) may be worth no points, as they may be more powerful than you, have NCI, etc.
If you question the psychological limitation, remember that your character is possibly 12, certainly 13, and 14 at the oldest, and is risking a 4 in 10 chance of death. Only a strong drive to help save humanity is going to cause them to not only volunteer, but persuade their parental unit to acquiesce.
POWERS AND TALENTS:
No powers at game start; talents only by persuasion.
Do not be misled; I will be designing your character's power set. I will, however, be led by your character's personality, concept, chosen skills, outlook, history, viewpoint, etc - in other words, the 0/50 character you built at game start. I will even be led by what you would like to see in your character's power-set - but understand that certain abilities and levels will be designed to fit in well with the other PCs, so while you may get a lot of what you want, you are exceedingly unlikely to get exactly what you want.
You can, if you wish, include a powers build to help give me an idea of what you-the-player would like; the desires of the character should be found in the character writeup, eh?
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For You Newbies to HERO System:
Congratulations on daring to get involved with the HERO System. I personally enjoy HERO because it is balanced; one character is generally equal to any other character of the same point value. They may not be equal in the same areas - the close-combat monster may be great in a fight, but in a technical setting it's the guy who spent a few points gaining some abilities besides 'I hit him' who will shine. I also like the system because you can do virtually anything with it.
What I need from you in order to build your character is for you to give me as complete a writeup of your thoughts about the character as you can. For their age, are they strong? Fast? Smart? Stubborn? Charming? Do they play video games? (Almost everyone who games plays 'Take Back the Planet', at least to an extent; it's notable that TBP is a purchased game which is otherwise free - but which has in-game purchaseables, of course - whose profits all go to the Red Cross and organizations like Wounded Warrior.) Are they sporty (and which sports), what are their other interests?
Characters have eight primary attributes:
Strength (1 pt/pt)
Dexterity (1 pt/3 pts)
Constitution (1 pt/2 pts)
Body (1 pt/2 pts)
Intelligence (1 pt/pt)
Ego (1 pt/2 pts)
Presence (1 pt/pt)
Comeliness (2 pts/pt)
Baseline is 10, so these PC youths get to 'sell back' attributes to 6, gaining points which can be spent elsewhere - skills, for example. PCs, however, do have minimums of 8 in Dex and 10 in Int.
Characters also have six secondary, also known as 'Figured', characteristics:
Physical Defense (PD): STR/5 base, 1 pt/pt. Resists standard non-lethal physical attacks, punches and the like.
Energy Defense (ED): CON/5 base, 1 pt/pt. Resists standard non-lethal energy damage - holding on to an ice cube, a hand over a candle flame, etc.
Speed (SPD): 1 + (DEX/10) base, 1 pt/10 pts. In combat, only the whole number is used - so a 1.9 SPD is treated as a 1. How often you go in a 12-second Turn.
Recovery (REC): (STR/5) + (CON/5) base, 1 pt/2 pts. How much Stun and Endurance you recover every 12 seconds, or if you specifically take a rest.
Endurance (END): CON * 2 base, 2 pts/pt. How long you can go without exhausting yourself.
Stun (STUN): (STR/2) + (CON/2) base, 1 pt/pt. How much of a beating you can take.
Characters can 'sell back' only one Figured characteristic. SPD, REC, END, and STUN cannot go below 1. Characters also have Running (6", or12m), Swimming (2"), and Leaping (STR/5 in game-inches), which they can sell back to 0.
So saying your character is a football linebacker would suggest to me that they have a good STR, CON, and BODY, have a skill about Football, maybe an additional point or three of STUN. Saying your character is a football (soccer) forward lets me know that they've probably got a good DEX and CON, as well as a good END and maybe a bit more Running, not to mention that skill about non-American Football.
Characters also have negative aspects - disadvantages. At this point, these are usually social or psychological, though if you have something else strange or distinctive (a scar, tattoo, or port-wine stain on your body, a way of carrying yourself, an unusual and distinctive accent, or you have a medical issue) those would apply as well. (Note that the medical issue MAY make you ineligible to join at this time, so it's best to just go with something else). Social limitations can be a matter of being part of a disliked or legally-restricted minority ('greasers', 'Native Americans', 'nerds'), being poor, or something that is relatively obvious just by looking at you, which makes it tougher to deal with some social social groups; all characters will start out with a social limitation of being a legal minor, since they're between 12 and 14. Psychological limitations are a character's 'buttons' - a strong feeling of responsibility, a desire for vengeance, prejudice, arrogance, patriotism, etc. - and if a situation arises that hits that button, the character may be unable to stop themselves from making ... 'sub-optimal choices', shall we say.
So tell me who your character is - what they like, don't like, are into, do for fun. Give me as good of an idea of who they are, and I'll do my best to cast that into game terms.
Do not, however, say 'oh, he's like X person from X movie/anime/manga/book', because I may well have not read it or seen it, and this should be YOUR character, not someone else's. Play Pablo Hernandez, not Harry Potter.
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On the Meaning of Characteristics:
Average characteristics of 6 - what I've put down for the 'starting 13 year old' - is exactly that, an average, what a standard 13-year-old is like.
If you're smaller than the standard, you should have less BODY, etc. Remember - understand - that the Standard Ordinary Adult has 8 for their attributes. 10 in an attribute represents an average someone who relies on that attribute for a living - either on their body's ability to move well, or someone who isn't going to stand down at just a casual threat, someone who does manual labor, or keeps track of inventory, or is a salesman.
Look at your character in any particular statistic, and think - 'am I going to be better than my parents in this? Better than a cop?' In certain areas you should be well ahead of the curve.
When it comes to Dexterity (8) you are someone who is quicker than most 13-year-olds, on par with most adults, and if you go up to 10, as quick as the common soldier. If you know any sleight-of-hand, your magic tricks fool almost everyone. If you play sports, your ball-handling skills are sure to be the best in your class, and maybe the best in the school.
In regards to Intelligence (10) you're probably the smartest (not necessarily best-grades, but smartest) kid in your class. You leave your parents behind. You can make decisions, though not always the right one, from what information you have with pretty good speed and confidence. You notice things most other kids (and many of the adults aroound you) miss, and make connections they need to be led to. You are on par, on a raw knowledge and decision-making capability, with a typical store manager or a beat cop.
If you have an increased Ego, your Ego (let's say a 12) is that of someone determined to make their viewpoint be the one that gets carried out. You tend to win arguments, presuming they don't descend into fistfights or a plea to authority of 'I'm the adult, so we do it my way', not only with your classmates but with your teachers, your parents, and most adults. You have a drive that gets noticed. You don't take 'no' for an answer very much, or if you do, you figure out a way around it.
On the other side of the coin, there are things that improved levels will imply.
A Strength higher than 6 - a 7 - will mean working out, early puberty, and the like. 8 means you give your father a run for his money when you arm-wrestle. A 9 or 10 is extraordinary for your age - you're sure to be the star varsity football linebacker, even as a freshman. Anything higher is well and truly incredible, and you'll be an internet phenomenon freak of nature.
A Dex higher than 10 again puts you a cut far above the rest. You're already at least as good a shot as standard cops and soldiers; going to 12 or higher puts you into local sharpshooter competitions. A 15 lets you win them regularly.
A Body and/or Con at 7 means you're among the last to fall out during the mile run; in fact, you probably complete it. At an 8, you keep up with your parents on the long nature hikes and can take any dishing-out your fellow 13-year-olds can manage. At a 9 or a 10, you can not only hike them into the ground, you're the local distance-running or boxing champion. Above that and you've garnered statewide attention for being able to take a licking and keep on ticking.
Higher Intelligence than 15 and you're entering into certified genius ground. Take a science, and have at least one of your online IDs known for insightful commentary on that science.
Higher Ego than 12 and you should be successful in something - a business making money, whatever. Your drive accepts you being second to nobody.
With a Presence higher than 6, though, you can charm your fellow students better than most; going above an 8, and you are one of those who can sweet-talk your teachers and parents into giving you what you want. At or above 10, and the force of your personality makes you a fantastic (even if untrained) speaker, someone whom everyone says 'is a natural leader'. In fact, you're probably captain of the sports team, leader of the debate team, or the leader of your local gang of punks.
Comeliness is, in my mind, less 'cute' than it is 'sexually interesting'. Babies and toddlers are usually cute; we humans are hard-wired to think that. Yes, the 'standard characters' place small children at a 10; that's a 4-5, +5-6 that's linked directly to people's innate protective instincts; otherwise, how is it you lose 2 points just by growing up? For purposes of this game, Comeliness is a measure of how sexually attractive you are generally considered. Most adults (8) are attractive to a certain number of people, but not everyone. Models (18) are considered sexually attractive by just about everyone. 13-year-olds (6) aren't thought of as ugly, but they -are- considered 'off limits'. If you have an 8, you're a blossoming young woman, or a sort of hunky guy; at a 10, you're definitely an early bloomer. Above that, and the pedophiles are lined up taking tickets in order to get a crack at you. Sorry to have gone there, but this is how these things work. Spend a point every now and then to indicate your developing sexuality and attractiveness.
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HERO System Basics:
HERO System works off the d6 - the idea being that most standard board games had d6s in them, so you could probably scrounge at least one or three of them. For anything BUT damage rolls (which can, at higher levels, closely resemble Shadowrun or high-end Pathfinder with sheer quantity of dice rolled), you toss 3d6, add together.
A 3 is always some measure of success; an 18 is always some measure of failure. The odds of each being rolled - and the cumulative chance for that number or lower being rolled - are as follows:
Keep these in mind for later. ;)
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Skills:
Skills in the HERO System are given a success number - 10-, or 8-, or whatever - which is the number you want to roll at or under. An 8- skill, for example, only succeeds if you roll 8 or less on 3d6 - a roughly 26% chance. Increase that by only two points to 10-, and you double your success rate: a 50% chance.
These chances can be modified - having to use a noncombat skill in combat, having extensive familiarity with an item, good or poor tools or conditions, even how much time you can take, or if you have to rush it. Especially notable for this medium, good RP in regards to using the skill can earn you bonuses too! Otherwise, all of these can give you bonuses or penalties to your chance. A -1, for example, is a -1 to your chance - your 8- goes to a 7-. A +2, on the other hand, sends your 8- to a 10-.
Theoretically, if you have an 18- in a skill, you shouldn't have to worry (except for the occasional crazy issue and bad luck). However, having that high of a skill - an 18- or better - allows you to do truly phenomenal things, outside the realm of known normal possibilities with the skill. This is what Tony Stark and Reed Richards have their science skills at, putting together ides of which less elite scientists can't even conceive. "I'm sorry, sir - I'm not Tony Stark." Doing so gives you a -10 to your skill, but enables you to come up with 'next stage' advances in theory and development.
Skill rolls can be resisted, such as a Conversation roll (trying to casually winnow out useful information) being resisted by another Conversation roll (keeping up the conversation without giving anything away). Modifiers are usually applied to each person individually.
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Time, In and Out of Combat:
First, understand that time is time - there is no actual difference between 'combat time' and 'non-combat time', after all, it's just that when you get to combat, there's a definite need to be able to make decisions and dice rolls at discrete intervals. That said, most events occur during standard, non-combat time. Many skill rolls will typically take 1 Turn to complete - have a chance to figure out a puzzle, enter in a command sequence on a computer, whatever. Background skill rolls - science skills (SS), knowledge skills (KS), area knowledge (AK), cultural knowledge (CuK), professional skills (PS), and the like - may have a longer baseline, especially if there's either an element of research involved, or if you have to put together a report. The Time Chart (and its equivalencies if needed) is as follows:
Time Period/Duration
1 Segment (1 Second)
1 Phase (Varies)
1 Turn (Post-Segment 12) (12 seconds)
1 Minute
5 Minutes
20 Minutes
1 Hour
6 Hours
1 Day
1 Week
1 Month
1 Season (3 months)
1 Year
5 Years
25 Years
1 Century
The Combat Turn is split into 12 Segments, each a second in length. In combat, a character can act a number of times per Turn equal to their Speed (SPD) attribute. Most everyone has a 2; a few people have a 3. These actions are split as evenly as possible throughout the Turn, with everyone (except for SPD 1 characters) going on Segment 12. A SPD 2 character goes on Segments 6 and 12; a SPD 3 character goes on Segments 4, 8, and 12. A SPD 12 character would go on every Segment.
Each action a character gets is called a Phase; 'Phase' and 'Segment' tend to be semi-interchangeable among HERO players, but they are actually distinct. A SPD 3 character moves on 4, with their first Phase taking place from Segments 4 through the end of Segment 7. The SPD 2 character's first phase, however, takes place from Segment 6 through the end of Segment 11.
Each phase is split into two 'half-phases'; most of the time a character will execute a set-up 'half-phase' action (take up to 1/2 their movement's distance, aka a 'half-move', brace their weapon, take aim, etc.) and then execute an attack (most of which are also half-phase actions). Attack actions, no matter when they're taken, end a character's phased action. So you cannot punch and run, you can only run and punch. Penalties accrue across the Phase, but all such penalties are reset at the beginning of your next action Phase.
Here is a complete Speed chart. For ease of access though:
SPD 1: Phase 7.
SPD 2: Phases 6, 12.
SPD 3: Phases 4, 8, 12.
SPD 4: Phases 3, 6, 9, 12.
SPD 5: Phases 3, 5, 8, 10, 12.
SPD 6: Phases 2, 4, 6, 8, 10, 12.
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Distance and Movement:
Distance in HERO system is in 'inches' - aka ". 1" = 2m. HERO also uses hexes instead of squares, but I'll be playing fast and loose with the mapping anyhow. This informational bit gives you something to grasp, however - 500" = 1000m = 1km, while 800" = 1600m, which is roughly a mile. (Okay, 1609, so 804.5".)
Check out your stats, you'll see a Run, Swim, and Leap distance; this is the distance you can move in combat in one of your Phases. For you SPD 2 people, that's per 6s of time, trying to be aware of attackers, not get hit, everything else. If you want to attack, the furthest you can move is half that distance (round down) - so a Run 5" person could move 2" (4m, or around 13 feet) and attack.
In a non-combat situation, people can typically move 2x their combat movement per Phase, in exchange for being at 1/2 DCV and 0 OCV. Some individuals are very good at sprinting (lookin' at you, Jodie) and can Run x4 their combat speed, but with an increased END cost (4 END total for that Phase).
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Sidebar: Pushing a Power:
A character can attempt to increase their output, whether that's a huge effort to lift something, to sprint faster, or whatever. With a successful EGO roll, they can add up to 10 Active Points (10 STR, 5" Running) to that ability for one Phase. This effort comes at a cost - an additional 10 END on top of whatever the ability normally requires.
Later on, I will give bonuses to EGO rolls for Pushing, and eventually remove the EGO requirement altogether - but at current, it'll still require the roll.
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Combat: Types, Combat Values, Attacking:
HERO views combat as being of three different types: Hand-to-Hand (HTH) or Ranged for physical combat, and Mental combat for psychic stuff like telepathy (or the rare power bought 'based on Ego'). Maneuvers and skill levels typically apply to only one sort of combat; a +1 OCV for HTH combat obviously only adds to your brawling, though a +1 DCV will add to both HTH and Ranged combat. 'All Combat' (and 'all skills') skill levels can add a +1 to OCV, DCV, or ECV - but only one at a time, OCV or DCV or ECV.
Unlike skill rolls, combat is opposed directly - your Offensive Combat Value (OCV) against their Defensive Combat Value (DCV), or opposing Ego Combat Values (ECV), and vice-versa. Combat maneuvers will add or subtract to your OCV and DCV; if you're trying to do more than one type of attack in an action (such as with the Sweep or Rapid Fire combat maneuvers), advantages are for that specific attack only, but all penalties are applied to all attacks in that Phase. Simply add the bonuses and/or penalties to your standard OCV and DCV to determine your combat values for that phase.
The 'to hit' equasion is 3d6 + OCV - 11 = DCV Hit. The die roller here makes it quite easy to put this together; for example, if you have an OCV of 3, you would use:
[dice=Attack]3d6+3-11[/dice]
The result would be the DCV you hit. Most often I'll be giving you the DCV of your target, because why not, right? You can then roll your damage - and your knockback.
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Combat: Don't Hit Me!!:
Eeek, someone's attacking you!! Well, you can (maybe) avoid that by giving up your next (and ONLY your next) Phase and Aborting to a defensive maneuver. There are three that matter:
Dodge. Get out of the way of a punch. This adds 4 to your DCV.
Block. Stop their punch. Roll your OCV against theirs; if you meet or beat it, you blocked them.
Dive for Cover. Jump out of the way of the blast. Move up to 1/2 your movement (usually Running), and make a Dex roll with a -1 penalty per 1" of movement. Succeed, and you're prone but where you 'dove' to; fail, and you get blasted in mid-stride, and THEN you're prone.
Doing any of these takes up your next Phase, with some restrictions. First, if you've already acted this Segment, then it sucks to be you, you can't Abort. Second, if you haven't acted yet, you can Abort your current Phase; next Segment you could potentially Abort to something different, but typically it's a 'why bother' thing if you Dodged, because you get that +4 DCV until your next action. Third, if you Abort a future action (you are 3 SPD and go in 4, you're attacked and Abort your Segment 8 action to a Dodge in 5), then you can't Abort again until AFTER the segment you aborted - in this example, until Segment 9, when if necessary you could Abort your Segment 12 action. You couldn't actually move your Segment 12 action forward to Segment 9, though - the only options available to you in 9 and 10 are aborting to a defensive move.
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Combat: Damage and Knockback:
Yay, you hit!! Roll 3½d6 for damage. Whatsamatta, paizo.com don't like 3½d6? Of course it doesn't - doesn't like 3.5d6 either. So just roll 3d6+1d3. If it adds a point, just add a point - 3d6+1. Most damage so far is going to be Normal damage, as compared to Killing damage. Normal damage is applied against a target's standard defenses (PD or ED), with anything above it being subtracted from their STUN.
Normal damage can still break bones, though. In your damage roll, every 6 is worth 2 BODY damage; every 1 is worth 0; 2-5 are worth 1. So if your 3d6+1d3 roll comes up 6 2 3 2, that's 5 BODY done on that roll. A +1 to your roll NEVER adds BODY damage. But this damage too goes up against the target's standard defenses; anything above them is BODY damage that's gonna require healing.
Killing damage, on the other hand - like with the guns you're going to be lugging around with you - is handled a wee bit differently. The rolling is (mostly) the same, but all that is considered BODY damage - and goes against your resistant defenses (rPD, rED). If you don't have resistant defenses, then it all goes through to your BODY. Such weapons do STUN damage as well; each such attack rolls to see how much that is, a base 1d6-1 multiplier to your BODY damage, minimum multiplier of 1. (A 3 BODY damage attack might therefore do only 3 STUN - or it might do 15. This is called the STUN Lotto for a reason.) Fortunately for you, if you take no body from the attack, you can add your standard defenses to the STUN damage being done to you.
This being a superheroic campaign, when you punch someone, you have a chance of knocking them off their feet. Roll 2d6; add a die if you used a martial or a Killing attack (or 2d6 if you used a martial killing attack), subtract a die if your target is flying. If the total rolled is higher than the BODY damage on your damage roll (not the amount that got through), then there's no knockback. If it's exactly equal, then you knocked your target down. If it's LESS than that amount, then you knocked them back - one inch (1", or 2m) for every extra point. You get to choose the direction of your knockback, within reason - down, up, or 'away' in some direction, whether that's left, right, or forward at some angle is up to you. (You can't knock them towards you, except with the sort of attacks that aren't going to come up for a while.)
If you've been knocked arse over teakettle and you hit something along the way, you take Knockback inches worth of regular damage unless, y'know, knocked into a bed of nails or something dangerous; then it's appropriate damage class worth of killing damage. Knocked back for 5"? Take 5d6 damage, reduced by your PD. (Knockback damage is almost always physical, not energy, damage.) Both you and the object you hit, by the way, take the damage.
If you don't hit something, but instead go skidding along the ground for some nice road-rash, then you take half the impact amount - 5" worth of KB bouncing along the ground gets you 2.5d6 (2d6+1d3) damage.
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Combat: Damage Addendum (Non-critical info):
Don't have to really worry about this now, but because it's been mentioned: damage classes. Or rather, Damage Classes (DCs). Regular damage is 1 DC per 1d6 of damage. 3d6 strike? 3 DC attack. For a killing attack, however, it's 1 DC per 1/3 of a d6 - so a 3 DC killing attack is 1d6K. Wondering what that '1/3' thing is all about? 'Thirds' are +1, then ½, then 1d6. Yes, you can have a 1-pip killing attack, like a thrown dart. A 1d6+1K attack is therefore a 4 DC attack.
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Combat: Endurance:
Most abilities drain your endurance - your END - for every Phase in which you use it. Using an ability - whether that's Running, Leaping, or STR - costs END, specifically at a rate of 1 END per 10 Active Points (or fraction thereof) in the ability. Using STR to lift something or punch someone costs (STR / 10) END; pretty much everyone is at the 1 END point. For STR, this applies to all uses of STR across your Phase. You could heft up a crate of books as your first half-action, then smack someone with them in your second half-action, and it'd cost you only 1 END. Running 5" costs 1 END, but Running 6" costs 2.
After Segment 12 of each Turn, everyone gets to use their Recovery (REC). This is called (duh) your Post-12 Recovery. You receive back your REC in both STUN and END; high REC people can take a lickin' and keep on tickin', if their REC restores a good amount of what they lose. This may seem like you can go forever, but if you're spending 2 END (moving and punching) every one of your 3 Phases, but you only have a REC of 3, it means you're down 3 END by the end of that Turn - and you'll be completely out of your 15 END in the middle of 5 Turns.
You can, however, choose to take a full-Phase action (not moving, attacking, dodging, blocking, Aborting, etc.) and 'take a Recovery', regaining your REC in END and STUN just as if it were a Post-12 Recovery.
Since all Combat starts on Phase 12 (perhaps to make sure everyone theoretically gets the chance to act at least once), you get to act, then take a Post-12 Recovery right away. Ain't life grand?
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Combat: Maneuvers:
Martial artists and athletes aren't the only ones to learn combat maneuvers; there is a whole list of funky things you can do. I highly recommend acquiring HERO 5th Edition Revised, or the two 6e books as a backup; the differences with the latter are mostly in power purchasing and the like.
Standard Maneuvers:
Maneuver: Phase (OCV/DCV), Effects
Block: ½ (+0/+0), Block HTH Attacks, Abort
Brace: 0 (+2/½), OCV only to off set the Range Modifi er
Disarm: ½ (-2/+0), Disarm target, requires STR vs STR Roll
Dodge: ½ (—/+3), Dodge all attacks, Abort
Grab: ½ (-1/-2), Grab Two Limbs; can squeeze or throw
Grab By: ½ † (-3/-4), Move and Grab object, +(v/5) to STR
Haymaker: ½* (+0/-5), +4 Damage Classes to any attack
Move By: ½ † (-2/-2), ((STR/2) + (v/5))d6; attacker takes ⅓ damage
Move Th rough: ½ † (-v/5/-3), (STR + (v/3))d6; attacker takes ½ or full damage
Set: +1 (+1/+0),
Strike: ½ (+0/+0), STR damage or by weapon type
Other Attacks: ½ (+0/+0),
Optional (Complex) Maneuvers
Maneuver: Phase (OCV/DCV), Effects
Blazing Away: ½ (+0/+0), Make as many attacks as desired, only hit on a 3
Club Weapon: ½ (+0/+0), Killing weapon does equivalent Normal Damage
Cover: ½ (-2/+0), Target held at “gunpoint”
Dive For Cover: ½ (+0/+0), Character avoids attack; Abort
Hipshot: ½ (-1/+0), +1 DEX only for purposes of initiative
Hurry: ½ (-2/-2), +1d6 DEX only for purposes of initiative
Pulling A Punch: ½ (-1/5d6/+0), Strike, normal STUN damage, ½ BODY damage
Rapid Fire: 1 (-2/x/x½ ), Make multiple Ranged attacks
Roll With A Punch: ½ (-2/-2), "Block" after being hit, take ½ damage; Abort
Snap Shot: 1 (-1/+0), Lets character duck back behind cover
Suppression Fire: ½ (-2/+0), Continuous fire on hex(es), must be Autofire
Sweep: 1 (-2/x/x½ ), Make multiple HTH attacks
Martial Maneuvers (Must be purchased via Martial Arts)
Maneuver: Phase (OCV/DCV), Effects
Choke Hold: ½ (-2/+0), Grab, 2d6 NND (see text)
Defensive Strike: ½ (1/+3), STR Strike
Killing Strike: ½ (-2/+0), HKA ½d6
Legsweep: ½ (+2/-1), STR + 1d6 Strike; Target Falls
Martial Block: ½ (+2/+2), Block, Abort
Martial Disarm: ½ (-1/+1), Disarm, +10 STR to Roll
Martial Dodge: ½ (—/+5), Dodge, aff ects all attacks, Abort
Martial Escape: var (+0/+0), +15 STR versus Grabs
Martial Grab: ½ (-1/-1), Grab Two Limbs,+10 STR for holding on
Martial Strike: ½ (+0/+2), STR + 2d6 Strike
Martial Th row: ½ (+0/+1), STR+ v/5 Strike; Target Falls
Nerve Strike: ½ (-1/+1), 2d6 NND (see text)
Offensive Strike: ½ (-2/+1), STR + 4d6 Strike
Sacrifice Throw: ½ (+2/+1), STR; You Fall, Target Falls
+1 Damage Class: — (—/—), Adds to all Martial Maneuvers
Weapon Element: — (—/—), Allows use of Martial Arts with weapons
†: Grab By, Move By, and Move Through are usually performed at the end of a Full Move, and thus take a Full Phase. However, a character could perform one after taking a Half Phase Action (such as opening a door), so they’re listed as Half Phase Actions.
EXPLANATION OF TERMS:
Phase: How long it takes to perform the Maneuver (usually either a Half Phase [½] or a Full Phase [1]).
OCV (Off ensive Combat Value): The Maneuver’s modification to OCV. For example, a +1 OCV means a character has +1 to his OCV when making an Attack Roll with the Maneuver.
DCV (Defensive Combat Value): Th e maneuver’s modification to the attacker’s DCV. For example, performing a Haymaker decreases the attacker’s DCV, making it more likely he’ll be hit.
Effects: The damage or other effect done by the Maneuver. STR means the Maneuver does STR/5 in d6 of Normal Damage.
Abort: A character can forfeit his next Phase to perform this Maneuver in a Segment when he doesn’t have a Phase. For a more detailed explanation, see Aborting An Action, page 361, HERO 5e Revised.
Dash (“—”): That column is not relevant to that maneuver.
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