| 2 people marked this as a favorite. |
The Modern Path (D20 Modern for Pathfinder) is cool. Very cool. There is something I would like to do with it, in fact. Add superhero rules. Why? I like a lot of fantasy in my RPGs. I got into TMP for Urban Fantasy RPing, in fact. Well, what I think would be very cool is superpowers.
Here's my idea for the system. Superhero is three class archetypes. Superhero archetypes are more powerful than other class archetypes, so if one character is a superhero, everyone in the party should be one. The archetypes are ascended (the classic "got my superpowers in some sort of accident"), natural (X-Men style mutants and aliens like Superman), and mundane (uses technology and/or training in place of superpowers, like Batman or Iron Man). Each archetype has a range of powers you can pick from (ascended and natural use mostly the same lists, but mundane has it's own). These powers cost points (1, 2, or 3, depending on utility) to learn. The GM decides how many points each character has at first level (3 to 10 is recommended, but GMs can decide to hand out more if it fits what they want to do for the campaign). According to GM wishes, players either only get points to spend learning superpowers at first level, meaning what they start with is why they get (recommended), or can get more at higher levels. Regardless of whether or not superheroes learn new powers as they level up, these powers get more powerful as a character levels up.
Now for what I need help with. Superpowers. Could you guys come up with some suggestions for how powerful 1, 2, and 3 point powers should be, and ideas for powers that should be available in this ruleset? I need all the superpowers you guys can think of, as I want as large a variety as possible. I want lots of weird stuff like some of the X-Men mutants, as well as the classic stuff and whatever you guys can think up.
Also, any general advice on how to do this system would be appreciated. This could either be great fun as players make up cool homebrew superheroes, or stupid if the system ends up being broke. I'd love advice on how to make sure it's the first option that ends up happening.
My first suggestion would be to take a look at the Hero/Champions System. Its one of the best Superhero power generating systems I have seen. It is very math intensive but should provide more than enough examples of powers and related power level to each other.
Another good Superhero system is Mutant's and Masterminds. Great system and far simpler than Hero/Champions. Powers in that system already come in a cost of 1, 2 or 3 points per rank format so it would jsut be tying the effects of multiple rants to actual character levels. Again it provides a great list of powers and even has rules for designing unique powers.
Do either of these systems have anything like an SRD so I can take a look at them?
Do you think this should have it's own iconics?
Another great Super hero system - which is VERY close to Pathfinder and is almost 100% compatible (with a few tweaks) here and there is Supers 20.
Alot of the "super" powers come from your feats you select. You can select normal feats like pathfinder, or select a superhuman power feat. Your "strength" of that power is based off your power level feat...being a feat it has to be selected and so you can grab a ton of different powers but if you dont select a power level a few times they will all be weak powered. Or you can take a single power feat (like fly) and the rest in power level feat and make it really powerful. Classes are kinda based off your prime score - Tank (con) Speedfreak (dex) Star (Chr) Brainiac (Int) Powerhouse (str).
I even had my GM allow me to bring in a Super into our Pathfinder game (back story was he was a fallen diety starting over in human form, but had access to eventual superhuman powers)
Examples...
Sinestro (Star 10/Brainiac 10): HD 20d8+60; HP 180; Init +2; Spd 30 ft; Defense 28, flatfooted 18 (+2 Int, +2 Dex, +14 Class); BAB +12; Atk +12 melee (2d6+0, unarmed), or +14 melee (5d4, energy contruct weapons), or +14 ranged (12d4+0, energy blast); SQ Friends in high places; AL Sinestro Corps; SV Fort +9, Ref +12, Will +13, Rec +9; Rep +19; Str 10, Dex 14, Con 16, Int 16, Wis 8, Cha 14.
Background: Academic
Occupation: Superagent: Perks 3+4 power stunts (Area Effect, Autofire, Agency Rank (Leader of Sinestro Corps), Energy Bolt, Energy Weapons, Flight, Force Field)
Hobby: Unarmed 4
Skills: Academics (Ancient Korugarian Cultures) 23 (+27), Academics (History of Green Lantern Corps) 23 (+26), Acrobatics 21 (+23), Computers 16 (+19), Engineering 16 (+19), Firearms 23 (+25), Influence 23 (+25), Leadership 23 (+25), Perception 23 (+22), Power Control 23 (+26), Unarmed 22 (+22), Stealth 23 (+25), Vehicles 16 (+18), Weapons 12 (+12)
Feats: Attack Focus (energy construct weapons): +2 to attack rolls, Blast: (Energy) (PL +2, worn device, Sinestro Corps Ring), Control Energy (PL +2, worn device, Sinestro Corps Ring), Dedicated (Sinestro Corps), Enemy (Green Lantern Corps):+3 damage, Ensaring Attack (PL +2, worn device, Sinestro Corps Ring), Exploit Weakness, Iron Will, Life Support (PL +2, worn device, Sinestro Corps Ring), Master Plan, Power Level x10, Smart Defense, Teamwork (Sinestro Corps):+4 bonus to skill checks, Voice of Command
Access/Contacts/Followers: Complete Access (Sinestro Corps mainframe on Qward, Book of Parallax)
Wealth: Varies
Possessions: Varies by situation.
Character Disability: Code: Fixated on preserving order at all costs.(DSR 5), Enemy: Green Lantern Corps (DSR 5)
Iron Man (Star 10/Brainiac 10): HD 20d8+60; HP 180; Init +2; Spd 30 ft; Defense 34, flatfooted 24 (+8 Int, +2 Dex, +14 Class); BAB +12; Atk +12/+17 melee (2d6+0/+5, unarmed), or +14 ranged (11d4+0, energy blast); SQ Friends in high places; AL SHIELD, the Avengers, Stark Industries employees and clients; SV Fort +9, Ref +12, Will +13, Rec +9; Rep +19; Str 10 (21), Dex 14, Con 16, Int 26, Wis 8, Cha 14.
Background: Dilettante
Occupation: Hero Academy Graduate: Perks 4+4 power stunts (Area Effect Blast: 1 hex, Electrical Engineering, Gadgeteer, Gadget Guru, Government Sponsored Team, Mechanical Engineering, Professional Reputation, Tech Wizard)
Hobby: Unarmed 4
Skills: Academics (economics) 16 (+24), Academics (metallurgy) 16 (+24), Academics (physical sciences) 13 (+21), Acrobatics 13 (+15), Chemistry 16 (+24), Computers 16 (+24), Engineering 16 (+24), Firearms 23 (+25), Influence 18 (+20/+24 w/ women), Leadership 23 (+25), Legal 23 (+31), Perception 23 (+22), Power Control 23 (+26), Read/Write Language (French, Italian, Japanese, Russian and Spanish), Speak Language (French, Italian, Japanese, Russian and Spanish), Unarmed 12 (+12/+17), Vehicles 16 (+18), Weapons 12 (+12/+17)
Feats: Attractive, Blast- Energy (Worn Device PL +1), Endorsement Deal, Exploit Weakness, Flight (Worn Device PL +1), Force Field (Worn Device PL +1), Gadgetry, Life Support (Worn Device PL +1), Power Level x10, Smart Defense, Superhuman Intelligence, Superhuman Strength (Worn Device PL +1), Teamwork (Avengers), Voice of Command
Access/Contacts/Followers: Complete Access, Followers: 3x 3rd level (SHIELD personal bodyguard), Skill Contact: James Rhodes (Vehicles 22 ranks)
Wealth: 42
Possessions: Varies by situation.
Character Disadvantages: Enemy- Skrulls (DSR 5)
Solomon Grundy (Tank 15): HD 15d12+90; HP 205; Init -2; Spd 30 ft; Defense 9, flatfooted 11 (-2 Dex, +11 Class); BAB +11; Atk +25 melee (2d8+14, unarmed), or +9 ranged (5d4+14, Thrown Object); SQ Resilience, 11 DR physical; AL None; SV Fort +21, Ref +5, Will +3, Rec +9; Rep +7;
Str 27, Dex 6, Con 23, Int 6, Wis 6, Cha 8.
Background: Criminal
Occupation: Thug: Perks 2+3 power stunt (Flurry, Power Punch, Resistant to Fire, Cold, 1 unspent)
Hobby: Unarmed
Skills: Athletics 11 (+24), Influence 20 (+18), Perception 7 (+5), Unarmed 19 (+33)
Feats: All-Out Attack,Armor, Life Support, Superhuman Constitution, Permanent (growth), Power Attack, Power Level x11, Super Leap, Superhuman Strength, Resurrection, Regeneration
Access/Contacts/Followers: None
Wealth: NA
Possessions: None
Character Disadvantages: Hideous Appearance (DSR5)
The hardest thing about making up Grundy is his variability in power capability. One comic will show him getting his rear kicked by Batman and another having him hand out a beating to Superman. I went with a tank type for Grundy with a lack of combat Feats reflecting his inability to think tactically. He really is just a brick that hits things until they fall down. He is “powered” by elemental energy that imbues his form with pseudo-life. He is resistant to physical attacks, fire and cold. He does not need to eat, sleep or breathe. Grundy almost immortal (if he wasn’t already undead) due to the fact that when he is destroyed/killed he always seems comes back to “life” sooner or later
Captain America (Powerhouse 13, Speedfreak 5)
Real Name: Steve Rogers, Identity: Known to the US government
HD 13d10+65, 5d8+25; HP 200; Init +; Spd 30 ft; Defense , flatfooted (+5 Dex, +2 Cha, +14 Class); BAB +16; Atk +22/22/18/13 melee (2d12+5, unarmed), or +23 ranged (12d+4+5, Shield); SQ Melee Master; AL The Avengers, SHIELD, America, SV Fort +11, Ref +8, Will +5, Rec +6; Rep +8; Str 20(+5), Dex 20(+5), Con 20(+5), Int 16(+3), Wis 16(+3), Cha 18(+4). Height: 6'2", Weight: 240 lbs, Eyes: Blue, Hair: Blonde
Background: Military
Occupation: Special Operator: Perks 2+3 power stunts (Point Blank Shot, Called Shot, and Precision Strike)
Hobby: Unarmed
Skills: Acrobatics 16 (+23), Athletics 15 (+), Perception 4 (+3), Power Control 19 (+24), Stealth 10 (+15), Unarmed 18 (+23), Weapons 18 (+23), Languages (French, German, Japanese, Russian; Base: English), Outdoorsman 10 (+13)
Feats: Acrobatic Defense, Agility Training, Attack Focus (Unarmed), Attack Focus (Shield), Deflection (Shield), Superhuman Dexterity, Combat Martial Arts, Defensive Roll, Elusive Target, Power Level x12, Teamwork (Avengers), Unique Weapon (Shield)
Access/Contacts/Followers: SHIELD, Complete Access (Avengers ID Card), Avengers (Wealth - Avengers Stipend)
Wealth: 11
Possessions: Indestructible Shield (+5 hit/dam, +1d6 Called Shot Damage, Ricochet strike a 2nd target at -5, Blast - 12d4+1d6+5), Chain Mail DR 3, Com-link, and Binoculars
Hero nor M&M have SRDs available to look at, but their PDFs are reasonably priced ... in fact, Paizo has them right in their store:
HERO System — 6th Edition Basic Rulebook
It's important to note that neither system is Pathfinder compatible. They're both point generation systems that can handle 99% of superhero builds out there. I've ran both extensively (and am currently running M&M 3e) if you have any questions :)
You probably want to add archetypes such as Acrobatic Fighter, Arcanist, Blaster, Elementalist, Feral Fighter, Gadgeteer, Gunslinger, Martial Artist, Mimic, Powered Armor, Powerhouse, Psychic, Shape Shifter, Speedster, Super Soldier, and Weapon Master
The key to Super Powers is to keep them basic and not overlap to much here is a list of powers I use in my homebrew hero game.
Accumulate Energy, Altered Form,Animal Communication and Control
Animal / Monster Companion, Animal Powers, Armor, Burrowing
Combat Technique, Control Element, Cybernetic Replacement
Dimensional Travel/Teleport, Divination, Drain, Elasticity
Energy Blast, Enhanced Senses, Entangle, Environmental Independence
Extra Limbs, Flare, Flight, Force Field, Gadget, Growth, Heal
Illusion Generation, Immortality, Invisibility, Manipulate Mass
Mimicry, Mind Control, Phasing, Power Armor, Regeneration,
Shape Shifting, Shrinking, Signature Weapon, Slumber, Summoning
Super Speed, Super Strength, Swinging, Telekinesis, Telepathy
Time Manipulation, Underwater Adaptation, Wall Crawling
Weapon Creation.
@Kelsey MacAilbert I have an extensive homebrewed super hero system that I give you permission to use email me at redmonkey_da@yahoo.com I hope I can be of some help. It includes races, Occupational Archetypes, and Powers
I also do Super Hero Art check out my work on Deviant Art account name redmonkey-da
Good luck and let me know if you need any help!!! Looking foward to it!
Good luck and let me know if you need any help!!! Looking foward to it!
Thanks for the support. I emailed Realmwalker, and if his system is good I'll use that and make my work a campaign setting for it.
Good luck and let me know if you need any help!!! Looking foward to it!Thanks for the support. I emailed Realmwalker, and if his system is good I'll use that and make my work a campaign setting for it.
I sent the document to you. If you want help with it feel free to let me know.
|
Another D20 based SuperHero game is Blood and Vigilance: Modern Superhero d20
Super Hero Origins
Blood and Vigilance introduces Origins (the source of a superhero's power) into Modern d20 with Advanced Training, Alien, Artificial Life, Cybernetic Enhancement, Freak Accident, Jinx, Mutant, and Scientific Experiment
Super Hero Classes
Although all the classes in Modern d20 are usable, Blood and Vigilance adds new classes appropriate to the super hero genre including Acrobat, Brick, Energy projector, Gangster, Mastermind, Mentor, Psychic, and Speed Demon.
Super Powers!
Blood and Vigilance also introduces a unique power system to allow your characters to be more than human and a disadvantage system to bring them back down to Earth.
Yea, I like the Blood and ___ books, very good material. I think alot is OGL, but you have to ask them. I need to see if we can convert some of thier material over to the Modern Path.
|
|
Now for what I need help with. Superpowers. Could you guys come up with some suggestions for how powerful 1, 2, and 3 point powers should be, and ideas for powers that should be available in this ruleset? I need all the superpowers you guys can think of, as I want as large a variety as possible. I want lots of weird stuff like some of the X-Men mutants, as well as the classic stuff and whatever you guys can think up.
Aberrant divides powers into a three level 'tier' system, with level 1 powers including stuff like bioluminescence and claws and hypnosis, level 2 powers including flight and energy blasts and force fields, and level 3 powers other being single awesome powers like shapeshift, matter creation and self-duplication, or arrays of powers like magnetic control or gravity control or weather control (which might include offensive, defensive, manipulative/utility and transportative sub-powers).
The 'tier system' used by some gamers to rank D&D/PF classes might be useful to consider, not in specific, but in general. A 'tier 1' power might be something that is generally useful in a wide range of situations, such as the ability to cast a variety of spells, or shapeshift into many different forms, adapting to a wide range of scenarios, or to use telekinesis to put up shields or block attacks, to fly around, to directly attack people (Fort save!) or to throw crap at them (Ref save!), to manipulate large amounts of stuff as a utility power, etc.
Lower tier powers might be really good at one thing. Your disintegrating ray may be hot patooties and destroying stuff, but it's not necessarily going to help you get anywhere faster, or escape a dangerous situation, or search for clues, or even protect yourself against an explosion or energy attack.
The lowest of the low will be powers that rank just above cosmetic. You can glow. You have claws. Your fur protects you from cold weather and gives you a tiny bit of protection. Whoopy. Any idiot can carry a flashlight or a knife or wear an insulated jacket and be exactly where you are.
I tend to think of super-powers in several categories, based on how challenging they are to GM for.
Powers that summon minions or create duplicates of yourself (the Darkness, Madrox, etc.) clutter up the board and mess with action economy, and, most important, cause that players turn to take up far more time than it should. Such powers *should* be expensive, for that reason, and especially to prevent someone from combining powers like these with an already super build. Playing with a 'Multiple Man' can be bad enough, but if Multiple Man also has super-strength or force field claws or super-speed, it gets *crazy.*
Powers that can transport the entire team can both detract from the characters who already paid for their own transportation ability (if TK Girl can fly the whole team to their destination, Wingman is flapping away looking like a chump) and 'rewarding' the players who didn't bother to give their hero any means of self-transportation (all those points Wingman spent on being able to fly suddenly seem like a waste, if TK Girl is going to be carrying Hairy Claw Guy With No Movement Powers around anyway...).
Buffing powers (or 'force multipliers') can be a head-scratcher, depending on the nature of the game. Comic books rarely use buffing characters, and Mutants & Masterminds pretty handily renders them meaningless, as all characters are 'capped' at their 'Power level,' which the vast majority of characters already meet with their own powers, meaning that any attempt to slap a force field on them or stimulate their adrenal glands or whatever just makes them as good as they already were. Either the game allows for this, and the team ends up having a player whose powers follow the very 'un-comic-book-y' role of augmenting allies during combat and significantly increasing their effective power level, or the game forbids it, and Unseen Force Field Woman slapping a force field up to protect Made of Rock Dude is, mechanically, a non-event, since she can't increase his level of protection above what his own powers already provide him.
Types of powers;
Transportation - flight, teleportation, burrowing (!), swinging on ropes, running ridiculously, swimming at ludicrous speed, dimensional / time travel, bouncing / super-jumping
Offensive - direct attacks (blinding, suffocating, induce heart attack, aging, seizing control of someone's motor systems, induce pain/pleasure), physical projectiles (throwing webbing, boulders, rain, ice, etc. at someone), energy attacks (lasers, fire, lightning, radiation), indirect attacks (make ground slippery, change gravity in the area, generate toxic fog, blinding flash). Some are damaging (lightning bolts), some induce conditions (blinding flash of lightning or stunning arc of electricity or nauseating gas or entangling webs).
Defensive - can either make the target hard to hit (super-agility, danger senses, blurry distorted visual camouflage / illusions, cover of darkness or fog, etc.), hard to damage (force field, impenetrable skin, made of energy, incorporeal, gaseous form) or able to recover so quickly from injury or harm that it doesn't matter much (Team Shnikt Bub).
Utility / Manipulation - control weather, move a bunch of crap telekinetically, gravitically, magnetically, magically, animate / control elemental forces (ice, water, earth & stone, metal, etc.).
Healing - kinda speaks for itself, and, while a staple of fantasy parties, it's rare as a super-power in comic books (and, much more common in superhero RPG 'parties' which lack the sort of 'plot armor' that keeps super-heroes from suffering any long-term injury that isn't built into the plot).
Communications - telepathy, comm-badges, radios built into cowls or flight rings, etc.
Summoning / Control - allows the person to control animals, plants, or possibly even other people (or robot minions or machines or whip up fire elementals or pet tornadoes, etc.). Some versions will require the 'materials' to be there, such as flying ants or fish, others are less restricted (able to animate earth or turn cars into robots), and some are completely unrestricted (able to summon demons from Limbo, create energy constructs from a 'power ring' or call up dozens of duplicates of oneself).
|
FYI: The 2.0 version of The Modern Path: Heroes of the Modern World rules can now also be found at http://www.d20modernpf.com.
This is the same site that was originally in place for 1.0 but it took some time to get the 2.0 rules updates fully integrated. Big thanks to Game Room Creations for voluntarily sending us the PDF of the new rules when they were released. We have linked as much content as possible to d20pfsrd.com where appropriate to make playing in and running games using this system more convenient. Thanks!
Note: We are still in the "polishing it up" phase so a few links may not go where intended, or, may not fully indicate if they are "external" links (ie, those that hop over to d20pfsrd.com that is.)
Do either of these systems have anything like an SRD so I can take a look at them?
Hero nor M&M have SRDs available to look at, but their PDFs are reasonably priced ... in fact, Paizo has them right in their store:
HERO System — 6th Edition Basic Rulebook
It's important to note that neither system is Pathfinder compatible. They're both point generation systems that can handle 99% of superhero builds out there. I've ran both extensively (and am currently running M&M 3e) if you have any questions :)
I would note, however, that M&M 2nd edition is based on the d20 system, and you could probably incorporate aspects of Pathfinder you liked (e.g., Combat Maneuvers) in pretty easily. (And M&M 3rd you can still see the underpinnings of the d20 framework that you could probably also work with it.) It is point buy and thus not fully compatible, but if you know how to play a d20 game, you basically know how to play M&M.
Nobody has mentioned super-stretch like Plastic Man or Mr. Fantastic.
Plastic Man would also have a shapeshifting power that allows him to form complex machines (airplanes, cars, etc)
Expect to see a basic alpha build out tomorrow.