TEXT: S T E V E N  S .  L O N G
  
  A Sourcebook for the HERO System
  Author:  Steven S. Long
  Editing & Development:  Allen Th omas
  Layout & Graphic Design:  Andy Mathews
  Cover Illustration:  Andy Mathews
  Interior Illustration:  Nate Barnes, Storn Cook, Robert 
  Cram, Andrew Cremeans, Matthew Tito Cuenca, Keith 
  Curtis, Jonathan Davenport, Louis Frank, John Grigni, Jeﬀ  
  Hebert, Bryce Nakawaga, Cara Mitten, Brad Nault, Eric 
  Radamaker, Derrick Th omas, Erich Von Haus
  Hero SystemTM ® is DOJ, Inc.’s trademark for its roleplaying system.
  Hero System © 1984, 1989, 2002 by DOJ, Inc. d/b/a Hero Games. All rights reserved.
  Champions © 1984, 1989, 2002 by DOJ, Inc. d/b/a Hero Games. All rights reserved.
  Fantasy Hero © 2003 by DOJ, Inc. d/b/a Hero Games. All rights reserved.
  Dark Champions © 2004 by DOJ, Inc. d/b/a Hero Games. All rights reserved.
  The HERO System Combat Handbook © 2005 by DOJ, Inc. d/b/a Hero Games. 
  All rights reserved.
  Star Hero, Justice Inc., Danger International, Pulp Hero, Western Hero © 2002 by 
  DOJ, Inc. d/b/a Hero Games. All rights reserved.
  No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, 
  electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or computerization, or by 
  any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the 
  Publisher:  DOJ, Inc., 1 Haight Street, Suite A, San Francisco, California 94102.
  Printed in the U.S.A. First printing July 2005
  Produced and distributed by DOJ, Inc. d/b/a Hero Games.
  Stock Number:  DOJHERO112 • ISBN Number:  1-58366-058-5
  http://www.herogames.com
  
    TABLE OF CONTENTS
  INTRODUCTION ................................................. 4
  CHAPTER ONE:  
  BEFORE COMBAT
  BEFORE COMBAT .............................................. 6
  Combat And Noncombat Time ........................... 6
  Senses In The Hero System .............................. 6
  Perception Rolls ............................................ 6
  Sense Groups ............................................... 8
  Perception Roll Modiﬁ ers ............................. 11
  Affecting And Using Senses ......................... 13
  ENTERING COMBAT ......................................... 15
  Game Scale ................................................... 15
  Combat Time ................................................. 16
  Time Chart ................................................. 17
  Beginning Combat ......................................... 17
  Actions ....................................................... 17
  Multiple-Power Attacks ................................ 18
  Who Goes First? ......................................... 20
  Holding An Action ........................................ 21
  Aborting An Action ...................................... 21
  The Actions Table ........................................ 24
  Movement ..................................................... 24
  Normal Movement ....................................... 28
  Powered Movement .................................... 28
  Vehicle Movement ....................................... 30
  Mounted Movement .................................... 30
  Aerial Mounted Combat ............................... 32
  Movement Skill Levels ................................. 32
  CHAPTER TWO:  FIGHTING
  FIGHTING ......................................................... 34
  How Combat Works ..................................... 34
  Attack Rolls And Combat Value ....................... 35
  The Basic Attack Roll ................................... 35
  Calculating OCV And DCV ............................ 36
  Mental Combat ........................................... 39
  COMBAT MODIFIERS ....................................... 40
  Explanation Of Combat Modiﬁ ers .................... 40
  Area Of Effect Attack ................................... 41
  Autoﬁ re ...................................................... 41
  Bouncing An Attack ..................................... 43
  Concealment .............................................. 43
  Coordinated Attacks .................................... 44
  Encumbrance ............................................. 45
  Environmental Conditions ............................ 46
  Explosion .................................................... 48
  Multiple Attackers ....................................... 48
  Off Hand ..................................................... 49
  Spreading An Attack .................................... 49
  Surprised .................................................... 50
  Surprise Move ............................................ 50
  Target A Hex ............................................... 51
  Target Prone ............................................... 51
  Target Size .................................................. 51
  Throw Object .............................................. 51
  Unfamiliar Weapon ...................................... 52
  Weapon Size/Shape .................................... 52
  CHAPTER THREE:  COMBAT 
  AND MARTIAL MANEUVERS
  COMBAT MANEUVERS ..................................... 55
  Standard Maneuvers ...................................... 58
  Optional Combat Maneuvers ........................... 74
  Optional Fantasy Hero Combat Maneuvers ....... 83
  MARTIAL MANEUVERS .................................... 85
  CHAPTER FOUR:  DAMAGE 
  AND ITS EFFECTS
  DETERMINING DAMAGE ................................ 104
  How Many Dice Do I Roll? .......................... 104
  Damage Class .......................................... 104
  Normal Damage Attacks ............................ 105
  Killing Damage Attacks .............................. 105
  Adding Damage ........................................... 106
  Doubling Damage ..................................... 106
  No “Half Damage Classes” ......................... 107
  Methods Of Adding Damage ...................... 107
  Adding Damage To Attacks With Advantages 109
  TAKING DAMAGE ........................................... 112
  Normal Damage Attacks ............................ 112
  Killing Damage Attacks .............................. 112
  Minimum Damage From Injuries ................ 112
  Attack Modiﬁ ers ........................................ 113
  Effects Of Damage ....................................... 113
  Stunning ................................................... 113
  Knockout .................................................. 114
  Injury ........................................................ 116
  Death ....................................................... 116
  OPTIONAL EFFECTS OF DAMAGE .................. 117
  Wounding .................................................... 117
  Hit Location ................................................. 117
  Knockdown .................................................. 122
  Bleeding ...................................................... 123
  Knockback ................................................... 123
  OTHER DAMAGE EFFECTS ............................. 128
  Critical Hits .................................................. 128
  Mystery Damage .......................................... 128
  STUN Damage In Heroic Campaigns .............. 129
  Healing And Recovering Damage .................. 131
  CHAPTER FIVE:  OTHER 
  COMBAT RULES AND 
  EFFECTS
  OTHER COMBAT EFFECTS ............................. 134
  Breaking Out Of Entangles And Grabs ......... 134
  Casual Strength ........................................ 134
  Characters As Weapons ............................. 134
  Crushing Damage ..................................... 135
  Dragging .................................................. 135
  Disguising Damage ................................... 135
  The Fastball Special .................................. 135
  Inability To Sense An Opponent .................. 138
  Large Targets ............................................ 138
  Missed And Random Shots ........................ 139
  Shoving .................................................... 139
  Optional Combat Rules ................................. 139
  Groundﬁ ghting .......................................... 139
  Ignoring Opponents ................................... 140
  Interposing ............................................... 140
  Sucker Attacks .......................................... 140
  Targeting Injured Areas .............................. 140
  Twisting The Blade .................................... 140
  RECOVERY ..................................................... 142
  ENDURANCE .................................................. 143
  Pushing ....................................................... 145
  PRESENCE ATTACKS ..................................... 146
  EXAMPLE OF COMBAT .................................. 148
  CHAPTER SIX:  
  ENVIRONMENTAL AND 
  GENRE EFFECTS
  UNDERWATER COMBAT ................................. 152
  The Underwater Environment ........................ 152
  Breathing .................................................... 154
  Perception And Communication ...................... 54
  Moving Underwater ...................................... 155
  Divers And Diving ...................................... 156
  Game Elements ........................................ 157
  Skills ........................................................ 157
  Talents ..................................................... 158
  Powers By Special Effect ........................... 159
  Powers By Category And Type .................... 162
  Power Advantages .................................... 162
  Power Limitations ..................................... 163
  Underwater Fighting ..................................... 163
  GUNFIGHTING ................................................ 165
  Altering The Range Modiﬁ er ....................... 165
  Blowthrough ............................................. 165
  Close Quarters Combat ............................. 166
  Grace Under Fire ....................................... 166
  Recoil ....................................................... 166
  Reloading ................................................. 167
  Slow Firearms ........................................... 168
  Storm Of Lead .......................................... 168
  Cinematic Gunﬁ ghting Tricks ......................... 169
  
  4 
  Hero System 5th Edition
  INTRODUCTION
  Nearly every HERO System roleplaying cam-
  paign involves combat at some point — in fact, 
  most adventures feature at least one ﬁ ght every 
  game session. Combat is dangerous, tense, and 
  action-packed, so it’s a great way to inject some 
  excitement and drama into the game.
  Given combat’s importance in so many 
  games, it’s no surprise that the HERO System 
  rules for combat cover a  lot of ground. At their 
  heart they’re pretty straightforward and simple 
  — but if you want, you can expand on that sim-
  plicity with expanded, optional, and variant rules 
  to give your characters even more choices and 
  opportunities in combat.
  Th e HERO System Combat Handbook collects 
  all the rules about personal combat from existing 
  5th Edition books so that you can quickly and easily 
  reference them. It starts with Chapter Two of the 
  5th Edition, Revised core rulebook, then adds in all 
  the additional information from books like Th e 
  Ultimate Martial Artist, Star Hero, Fantasy Hero, 
  Th e Ultimate Brick, and Dark Champions, and from 
  other sources such as the online Rules FAQ ﬁ le. In 
  other words, most of the text of the Combat Hand-
  book has been reprinted from other books, though 
  some of the rules appear here in print for the ﬁ rst 
  time. Where appropriate, page references have 
  been changed to refer to the 5th Edition, Revised 
  rulebook. Th e chapters — Entering Combat, Fight-
  ing, Combat And Martial Maneuvers, Damage And 
  Its Eﬀ ects, Other Combat Eﬀ ects, and Environment 
  And Genre — present the material in the order it 
  appears in Chapter Two of the core rulebook.
  WHAT THIS BOOK DOESN’T CONTAIN
  It’s also important to note what this book 
  doesn’t contain.
  First, it only covers personal combat. For 
  expanded rules about combat involving vehicles, 
  see Th e Ultimate Vehicle; for rules for mass com-
  bats, battles, and sieges, see Fantasy Hero.
  Second, it doesn’t cover weapons, armor, or 
  other combat gear. For that, see various HERO 
  System genre and setting books or Th e HERO 
  System Equipment Guide.
  Th ird, it doesn’t include the rules for creating 
  Martial Maneuvers, for Ranged Martial Arts, or 
  for other subjects pertaining to martial arts. You 
  can ﬁ nd that information in Th e Ultimate Mar-
  tial Artist. Similarly, it doesn’t have advanced or 
  expanded rules for mental combat; those are in Th e 
  Ultimate Mentalist.
  ROLEPLAYING COMBAT
  As you read through this book, remember 
  not only the strategic aspects of the rules, but the 
  roleplaying aspects as well. All too oft en players and 
  GMs look at combat solely as an exercise in tactics, 
  strategy, and power-gaming, but in fact it has a lot 
  of roleplaying potential.
  When running a ﬁ ght, you can best realize this 
  potential if you “talk out” your battles as much as 
  possible.  Th is simply means describing what your 
  character does in real-world terms rather than just 
  game terms.  “I hit him with my Oﬀ ensive Strike” 
  is a lot less exciting than “I knock his shield out of 
  position with my own shield, pivot to the right, and 
  deliver a powerful slash right to his side!” Roleplay-
  ing combat is fun, adds an important dimension 
  to the battle, and can even result in some tactical 
  bonuses — such as when the GM likes a maneu-
  ver’s description so much he awards a Surprise 
  Move bonus to the character.
  When describing attacks this way, you don’t 
  have to use Hit Location penalties. A player can say, 
  “Okay, I shoot him in the head!” without taking a 
  -8 OCV penalty. So long as the character doesn’t 
  receive the game beneﬁ ts of hitting someone in 
  the Head (x2 BODY, x2 NSTUN, and so forth), 
  he doesn’t suﬀ er the penalties either. A “described 
  shot” to the Head does ordinary damage, it’s just 
  portrayed that way to make the combat more 
  enjoyable. Of course, if the character wants the 
  extra damage for hitting his opponent in the Head, 
  he can take the -8 OCV penalty for his attack in the 
  usual way.
  
  chapter one:
  chapter one:
  chapter one:
  ENTERING COMBAT
  
  6 ■ Entering Combat
  Hero System 5th Edition
  T
  his chapter provides rules for running 
  combats and similar encounters. Combat 
  ranges from throwing a punch, to drawing 
  and shooting a pistol, to casting a lightning 
  bolt spell. Th e HERO System breaks combat down 
  into several steps. Th e rules explain each step thor-
  oughly, with examples to illustrate how you might 
  conduct actual game combats.
  The HERO System covers all types of combat 
  with a set of simple rules. As you gain experience 
  with these rules, there are optional rules you can 
  use to make your combats more “realistic” and 
  exciting. Add in optional rules when you feel 
  more comfortable with the game and can deal 
  with the added complexity. For the most part, the 
  optional rules are better for Heroic games than 
  Superheroic games.
  COMBAT AND 
  NONCOMBAT TIME
  In the HERO System there are two types of 
  time:  combat and noncombat.
  Combat time is very precise, measured second 
  by second, with exact actions and results. Because 
  so much can happen in only a few seconds of 
  combat time, there are extensive rules for playing it 
  out. It may take a couple of hours (real time) to play 
  out a combat that’s just a few seconds or a couple 
  of minutes (game time) long. As you become more 
  familiar with the rules and rhythm of the game, the 
  combats you run will typically take less time.
  Noncombat time, on the other hand, isn’t as exact. 
  Th is is when the GM sets the scene for the players, 
  tells them what’s happening to their characters, and 
  begins the plot of the session’s adventure. Hours, days, 
  or weeks of game time can pass in a few minutes of 
  real time as the GM describes what’s happening. Th is 
  tremendous variation in time is similar to what hap-
  pens in movies and novels. In a novel, weeks may pass 
  in one paragraph or sentence, or a whole chapter may 
  describe a ﬁ ght that lasts for a minute.
  Th ink of a game session as the telling of a 
  story with the help of the players. First, the GM 
  describes where the characters are, either dealing 
  with each one individually or starting with the 
  group as a whole. As he describes the setting, the 
  characters will probably want to do things. For 
  example, the GM says, “Reynolds, you hear the 
  high-pitched whine of a laser pistol shot. It sounds 
  like it’s right around the corner.” Th e player, acting 
  out the part of Reynolds, describes what he does in 
  response:  “I’ll run around the corner to see what’s 
  happening.” Th e GM shouldn’t worry about exactly 
  how far it is to the corner, or how long it takes 
  Reynolds to get there, because this is still noncom-
  bat time. What’s important to the adventure is that 
  Reynolds gets to the corner, looks around, and sees 
  an assassin shooting the ambassador.
  Unless it looks like there’s going to be a ﬁ ght 
  (or some other sequence you need to detail pre-
  cisely, like a car chase), you don’t have to be exact 
  about things like time or distance. It’s not really 
  important to know exactly how long it takes Reyn-
  olds to eat his breakfast, drive to work, or talk to 
  his boss. Th e GM starts the adventure by telling 
  the characters their current locations and activities. 
  Aft er that, the adventure may include some investi-
  gation, conversation between the players and NPCs, 
  or perhaps some mood-setting emotional scenes. 
  All this happens in noncombat time.
  Usually, the event that marks the change from 
  noncombat to combat time is when the GM has the 
  PCs make Perception Rolls to spot their enemies 
  (or vice-versa).
  SENSES IN 
  THE HERO SYSTEM
  Characters are constantly perceiving — seeing, 
  hearing, and smelling the world around them. In 
  some games, they may even have exotic Senses 
  such as “x-ray vision” or the ability to detect magic. 
  Here’s how they use those Senses.
  Perception Rolls
  Characters aren’t always aware of everything 
  going on around them, especially during combat. 
  Whenever something’s obvious, the GM tells the 
  character about it (“You see a ’67 Chevy in front 
  of you”). But he may require characters to make 
  Perception Rolls (PER Rolls) to notice something 
  inobvious, or to notice something during a combat 
  or crisis situation. Every character’s base PER Roll 
  equals 9 plus his Intelligence divided by 5:
  Perception Roll = (9 + (INT/5)) or less
  For example, a character with INT 14 has a 
  PER Roll of (9 + (14/5) =) 12 or less.
  To make a PER Roll, the character should roll 
  this number or less on 3d6. Th e GM should apply 
  modiﬁ ers to this roll depending on the circum-
  stances (see below).
  BEFORE 
  COMBAT
  
  7 
  Hero System Combat Handbook ■ Chapter One
  THE RANGE OF SENSES
  Many Senses can perceive things at a distance 
  — in other words, they work at Range. For example, 
  characters can see and hear things far away.
  Th e HERO System rules don’t establish any 
  speciﬁ c outer limit or boundary for a Ranged 
  Sense. However, the Range Modiﬁ er (page 37) 
  applies to all PER Rolls. In eﬀ ect, this restricts the 
  Range of a Sense signiﬁ cantly. However, the GM 
  should also establish any other limits that seem 
  appropriate based on common sense, dramatic 
  sense, and considerations of game balance. For 
  example, even if a character on Earth rolls a 3 on 
  his Sight Group PER Roll, he can’t see what’s hap-
  pening on Mars. As a guideline, when the Range 
  Modiﬁ er reaches the point where it reduces a 
  character’s PER Roll to 0 or below, beyond the 
  outer limit of that Range Modiﬁ er category things 
  are too blurry, indistinct, or obscured for the 
  character to perceive, even if he rolls a 3.
  TARGETING AND NONTARGETING SENSES
  Of course, not all Senses are equal — a normal 
  human can learn a lot more about someone by 
  looking at him than by smelling him. To reﬂ ect this 
  diﬀ erence, the HERO System divides all Senses into 
  two categories:  Targeting and Nontargeting.
  A Targeting Sense is a Sense a character can 
  use to determine the exact location of a target. For 
  normal humans, Sight is the only Targeting Sense.
  A Nontargeting Sense is one with which the 
  character can, at best, sense the general location of 
  a target. For normal humans, Hearing and Smell are 
  Nontargeting Senses. Taste and Touch both have 
  no range, so characters can’t use them to locate tar-
  gets at all (to use these Senses, the character would 
  already have to have found his opponent).
  Lack Of Senses In Combat
  In combat, a character must normally use a 
  Targeting Sense to detect his target. If he can do so, 
  there is no change in his OCV or DCV, and combat 
  proceeds normally.
  However, characters can’t always perceive their 
  opponents with Targeting Senses. For example, 
  a character may have been blinded by a Flash, or 
  his opponent could be Invisible. When a character 
  cannot perceive his opponent with any Targeting 
  Sense, he suﬀ ers modiﬁ ers to his OCV and DCV:
  —In HTH Combat, the character is at ½ OCV and 
  ½ DCV. Th is applies both to when he makes attacks 
  in HTH Combat, and is attacked in HTH Combat.
  —In Ranged Combat, the character is at 0 OCV and 
  ½ DCV. Th is applies both to when he makes attacks in 
  Ranged Combat, and is attacked in Ranged Combat.
  If a character can make a PER Roll with a 
  Nontargeting Sense (a Half Phase Action) to per-
  ceive a particular target, then against that target 
  only he is at -1 DCV, ½ OCV when attacked or 
  attacking in HTH Combat, and full DCV, ½ OCV 
  when attacked from or attacking at Range. Against 
  all other targets he is aﬀ ected by the standard “lack 
  of Targeting Sense” modiﬁ ers described above. Th e 
  beneﬁ ts of making this roll last until the beginning 
  of the character’s next Phase; if he wants them to 
  continue, he has to use another Half Phase Action 
  and succeed with another PER Roll.
  Example: Orion, under attack by the super-
  villain team Eurostar, has been Flashed, and 
  therefore can’t see. He’d normally  be at ½ DCV, 
  ½ OCV in HTH Combat and ½ DCV, 0 OCV 
  at Range — a sitting duck. However, he makes 
  his Hearing PER Roll against Durak. He is now 
  only -1 DCV, ½ OCV in HTH Combat and full 
  DCV, ½ OCV at Range against Durak only. He’s 
  still at ½ OCV and DCV in HTH and ½ DCV, 
  0 OCV at Range against all other opponents.
  Moving While Blind
  Th e HERO System rules have no speciﬁ c pen-
  alties or restrictions for moving while a character 
  is blinded (i.e., unable to perceive his surroundings 
  with a Targeting Sense). Th e the GM may impose 
  any penalty he considers appropriate. A character 
  could usually eliminate the penalty by moving 
  slowly (1” per Phase as a Full Phase Action) — that 
  way he can feel his way safely past anything he 
  might trip over or bump into. If a character runs 
  into a suﬃ  ciently large object, he may take Move 
  Th rough damage based solely on his velocity (see 
  Collisions, page 73).
  
  8 ■ Entering Combat
  Hero System 5th Edition
  Sense Groups
  Th e HERO System divides Senses into seven 
  Sense Groups:  Hearing, Mental, Radio, Sight, 
  Smell/Taste, Touch, and Unusual. Th e Senses with 
  which a character is born, or that he later naturally 
  develops, are considered Inherent. Other Senses, 
  such as Infrared Perception bought as OAF Night-
  vision Goggles, are only Persistent (at best).
  Although normal Senses, those which all 
  humans possess, are not exactly “Powers” per se, 
  you can derive a point value for one by determining 
  the Physical Limitation value of not having it. For 
  example, the Physical Limitation Blindness (lack 
  of Sight Group Senses) aﬀ ects a character All Th e 
  Time and is Fully Impairing, so it’s a 25-point Dis-
  advantage. Th erefore, Normal Sight as a “Power” is 
  worth 25 points.
  Th e Simulated Sense Group Rule
  Characters in HERO System games oft en 
  have unusual Senses bought using the Enhanced 
  Senses Power (HERO System 5th Edition, Revised, 
  page 160). Many of these Senses (primarily those 
  belonging to the Unusual Sense Group) are subject 
  to the Simulated Sense Rule.
  Th e Simulated Sense Rule is this:  if one of a 
  character’s Senses is based on or “mimics” one of 
  the standard Senses, that Sense is aﬀ ected by Sense-
  Aﬀ ecting Powers that aﬀ ect the mimicked Sense’s 
  Sense Group and by any Sense-Aﬀ ecting Powers that 
  speciﬁ cally target that Sense. It receives the Sense 
  Modiﬁ ers (like Sense and Targeting) associated with 
  that Sense Group for free. Th e rules usually refer to 
  this as “assigning” a Sense to a particular Sense Group.
  Example:  Infrared Perception bought to rep-
  resent a character’s ability to see heat pat-
  terns is assigned to the Sight Sense Group — it 
  “simulates” Sight. If the character’s Sight Group 
  Senses are Flashed, that Flash aﬀ ects his Infra-
  red Perception. On the other hand, his Infrared 
  Perception automatically gains several Sense 
  Modiﬁ ers (Discriminatory, Range, Sense, and 
  Targeting) for free, because all Sight Group 
  Senses have those Modiﬁ ers.
  Th is rule typically applies to the members of 
  the Unusual Sense Group, Sense-like Talents, and 
  so forth. For example, N-Ray Perception, Spatial 
  Awareness, and many forms of Detect have the spe-
  cial eﬀ ect of being “super-sensitive” or “super-pow-
  erful” versions of one of the standard Senses. N-Ray 
  Perception could be a form of Sight powerful 
  enough to see right through most objects. It would 
  be aﬀ ected by a Flash versus the Sight Group, or by 
  a Flash versus N-Ray Perception speciﬁ cally.
  If a Sense is not deﬁ ned as “belonging to” 
  one of the standard Sense Groups, it can only be 
  aﬀ ected by Sense-Aﬀ ecting Powers individually. 
  For example, Combat Sense and Danger Sense 
  both “stand alone” — they don’t simulate any Sense 
  Group, so only Sense-Aﬀ ecting Powers speciﬁ cally 
  designed to aﬀ ect them (such as with Darkness 
  versus Combat Sense, Invisibility to Danger Sense, 
  and so forth) work against them.
  Because of the Simulated Sense Rule, char-
  acters cannot use Sense-Aﬀ ecting Powers on the 
  Unusual Sense Group as a whole. Th ey must aﬀ ect 
  its Senses individually, or whatever Sense Group an 
  Unusual Sense belongs to as a whole.
  THE HEARING SENSE GROUP
  The Hearing Sense Group includes Normal 
  Hearing (which every character possesses unless 
  he has an appropriate Physical Limitation) and 
  any other Enhanced Senses based primarily upon 
  hearing. Active Sonar and Ultrasonic Perception 
  are almost always bought as part of the Hearing 
  Sense Group.
  Th e Hearing Sense Group provides the follow-
  ing Sense Modiﬁ ers:  Discriminatory, Range, Sense. 
  Th e Discriminatory eﬀ ect provided by the Hearing 
  Group is not the full Discriminatory obtained by 
  buying that Sense Modiﬁ er, but rather an eﬀ ect of 
  somewhat cruder degree. For example, a character 
  can tell a bird’s song from a trumpet solo, but might 
  not be able to tell two diﬀ erent types of bird songs 
  apart. Characters can make Normal Hearing (or the 
  entire Hearing Sense Group) fully Discriminatory 
  by paying the usual cost. Although Normal Hearing 
  has Increased Arc Of Perception (360 Degrees), the 
  Hearing Sense Group does not provide this Sense 
  Modiﬁ er to other Senses assigned to the group.
  Normal Hearing is worth 20 Character Points 
  as a Power. Lack of Hearing (deafness) is a 20-point 
  Physical Limitation (All Th e Time, Greatly Impair-
  ing). Deafness means a character cannot make 
  Hearing PER Rolls; lack of hearing in one ear (a 
  15-point Physical Limitation [Frequently, Greatly 
  Impairing]) means Hearing PER Rolls are at -3.
  THE MENTAL SENSE GROUP
  The Mental Sense Group includes Mental 
  Awareness, Mind Scan, and any other Enhanced 
  Senses based primarily upon mental powers. To 
  a limited extent, Telepathy (which acts as both 
  “mental hearing” and a “mental voice”) and Mind 
  Link (a more limited form of Telepathy) are 
  also a part of this Sense Group for purposes of 
  applying Sense-Affecting Powers. No character 
  has any Mental Group Senses normally, though 
  characters who buy any Mental Power get Mental 
  Awareness for free (see HERO System 5th Edition, 
  Revised, page 163).
  Th e Mental Sense Group provides the follow-
  ing Sense Modiﬁ ers:  Range. Mental Awareness 
  functions as a Sense, but the Mental Sense Group 
  does not provide this Sense Modiﬁ er to other 
  Senses assigned to the group.
  Mental Awareness allows a character to 
  perceive the user and target of Mental Powers, 
  which are normally not perceivable (except to 
  those two characters). Any character who has a 
  Mental Power has Mental Awareness for free. If 
  a character with Mental Powers does not have 
  Mental Awareness for some reason, he may take 
  this as a -¼ Limitation on the Powers, or as a 
  5-point Physical Limitation (since it only costs 
  5 points, that’s all it’s worth as a Disadvantage), 
  as the GM prefers. Mental Awareness is not a 
  
  9 
  Hero System Combat Handbook ■ Chapter One
  360-Degree Sense, Discriminatory, or a Target-
  ing Sense. Discriminatory Mental Awareness 
  would allow the character to determine (with a 
  successful PER Roll) the specific Mental Power 
  being used, the level of power (i.e., Active Points, 
  plus or minus 10%), and whether the power is 
  being used grossly or subtly. Analyze with Mental 
  Awareness allows the character to know the exact 
  Active Points in the Power, and any Advantages 
  bought for it.
  THE RADIO SENSE GROUP
  The Radio Sense Group includes Radio Per-
  ception and any other Enhanced Senses based 
  primarily on radio. No character has any Radio 
  Group Senses normally. High Range Radio 
  Perception, Radar, and Radio Perception/Trans-
  mission are almost always bought as part of the 
  Radio Sense Group.
  Th e Radio Sense Group provides the following 
  Sense Modiﬁ ers:  Range, Sense. Radio Perception 
  has Increased Arc Of Perception (360 Degrees), but 
  the Radio Sense Group does not provide this Sense 
  Modiﬁ er to other Senses assigned to the group. 
  However, many of them buy it separately — HRRP, 
  Radio Perception, and Radio Perception/Trans-
  mission all have it. Radar does not have it, but is a 
  Targeting Sense.
  THE SIGHT SENSE GROUP
  Th e Sight Sense Group is the most important 
  Sense Group and the one most oft en aﬀ ected by 
  Sense-Aﬀ ecting Powers. It includes Normal Sight 
  (which every character possesses unless he has an 
  appropriate Physical Limitation), Nightvision, and 
  any Enhanced Senses based primarily on sight. 
  Infrared Perception, N-Ray Perception, and Ultra-
  violet Perception are almost always bought as part 
  of the Sight Sense Group.
  The Sight Sense Group provides the fol-
  lowing Sense Modifiers:  Discriminatory, Range, 
  Sense, Targeting. The Discriminatory effect pro-
  vided by the Sight Group is not the full Discrimi-
  natory obtained by buying that Sense Modifier, 
  but rather an effect of somewhat cruder degree. 
  For example, a character can tell two people 
  apart based on their visual appearance, but 
  cannot always determine a person’s ethnicity 
  or religion through Sight. Characters can make 
  Normal Sight (or the entire Sight Sense Group) 
  fully Discriminatory by paying the usual cost.
  Normal Sight is worth 25 Character Points 
  as a Power. Lack of Sight (blindness) is a 25-point 
  Physical Limitation (All Th e Time, Fully Impair-
  ing) that has severe eﬀ ects on a character. Not only 
  can he not make Sight PER Rolls, but his CV may 
  be reduced (see page 7). A character who’s blind in 
  one eye (and thus lacks depth perception) suﬀ ers 
  no penalties in HTH Combat but is at ½ OCV in 
  Ranged Combat (making this condition a 10-point 
  Physical Limitation [Infrequently, Greatly Impair-
  ing] for many characters in most campaigns).
  THE SMELL/TASTE SENSE GROUP
  Th e Smell/Taste Sense Group includes Normal 
  Smell and Normal Taste 
  (which every character possesses unless he 
  has an appropriate Physical Limitation) and any 
  Enhanced Senses based primarily on smell or taste.
  Th e Smell/Taste Sense Group provides the 
  following Sense Modiﬁ ers:  Discriminatory, Range 
  (Smell only), Sense. Th e Discriminatory eﬀ ect pro-
  vided by the Smell/Taste Group is not the full Dis-
  criminatory obtained by buying that Sense Modi-
  ﬁ er, but rather an eﬀ ect of somewhat cruder degree. 
  For example, a character can tell a steak from a 
  potato by smell or taste, but can’t necessarily iden-
  tify every ingredient in either dish. Characters can 
  make Normal Smell or Normal Taste (or the entire 
  Smell/Taste Sense Group) fully Discriminatory by 
  paying the usual cost.
  Although Normal Smell has Increased Arc Of 
  Perception (360 Degrees), the Smell/Taste Sense 
  Group does not provide this Sense Modiﬁ er to 
  other Senses assigned to the group. Normal Smell 
  works at Range, and provides this eﬀ ect to other 
  Smell-based Senses; Normal Taste and Taste-based 
  Senses do not have Range.
  Normal Smell/Taste is worth 5 Character 
  Points as a Power. Lack of smell/taste (no chemo-
  reception) is a 5-point Physical Limitation (Infre-
  quently, Slightly Impairing).
  THE TOUCH SENSE GROUP
  Th e Touch Sense Group includes Normal 
  Touch (which every character possesses unless he 
  has an appropriate Physical Limitation) and any 
  Enhanced Senses based primarily on touch.
  Th e Touch Sense Group provides the fol-
  lowing Sense Modiﬁ ers:  Discriminatory, Sense. 
  Th e Discriminatory eﬀ ect provided by the Touch 
  Group is not the full Discriminatory obtained by 
  buying that Sense Modiﬁ er, but rather an eﬀ ect of 
  somewhat cruder degree. For example, a character 
  can tell a dollar bill from a piece of ordinary paper 
  of the same size, but cannot tell a $1 bill from a $5 
  bill. Characters can make Normal Touch (or the 
  entire Touch Sense Group) fully Discriminatory by 
  paying the usual cost.
  Normal Touch has Increased Arc Of Percep-
  tion (360 Degrees), but the Touch Sense Group 
  does not provide this Sense Modiﬁ er to other 
  Senses assigned to the group. Normal Touch is 
  not a Targeting Sense, but touching a target would 
  allow the character to make a PER Roll with 
  Normal Touch (a Nontargeting Sense) to reduce 
  the standard penalty for not perceiving the target 
  with a Targeting Sense.
  Characters generally cannot make themselves 
  Invisible to Touch; this is more or less the same 
  thing as Desolidiﬁ cation and should be bought 
  using that Power. Characters can, however, Flash 
  the Touch Sense Group (with eﬀ ects indicated 
  below) or create Images that aﬀ ect it (see HERO 
  System 5th Edition, Revised, page 189).
  
  10 ■ Entering Combat
  Hero System 5th Edition
  Normal Touch is worth 15 Character Points as 
  a Power. Lack of Normal Touch is a 15-point Physi-
  cal Limitation (Frequently, Greatly Impairing). 
  In game terms, a lack of Normal Touch (whether 
  permanent or as the result of a Sense-Aﬀ ecting 
  Power) generally imposes penalties of -3 (or more) 
  on DEX-Based Skills, OCV in HTH Combat (and 
  even some Ranged combat, if the character has to, 
  for example, shoot weapons), and any other activi-
  ties requiring dexterous action. Lack of Touch does 
  not render a character immune to pain or reduce 
  the degree of damage he takes from attacks. He still 
  takes full damage — he just doesn’t feel it. Th us, 
  the character may think he’s perfectly uninjured 
  and healthy, when in fact he’s about to collapse due 
  to system shock (STUN damage) or has suﬀ ered a 
  life-threatening wound (BODY damage). However, 
  at the GM’s discretion, characters who lack Touch 
  may receive bonuses to rolls to resist pain.
  THE UNUSUAL SENSE GROUP
  Th is Sense Group includes a hodgepodge of 
  Senses that don’t belong in any other group:  Active 
  Sonar, Clairsentience, Detect, Find Weakness, High 
  Range Radio Perception, Infrared Perception, N-
  Ray Perception, Radar, Radio Perception/Transmis-
  sion, Spatial Awareness, Sensory Talents, Ultraviolet 
  Perception, Ultrasonic Perception, and any form of 
  Detect that’s not primarily based upon some other 
  Sense Group.
  Th e Unusual Sense “Group” really isn’t a Sense 
  Group in the normal meaning of the term — 
  instead, it’s a way of categorizing several odd Senses 
  that don’t ﬁ t in another Sense Group. Characters 
  cannot buy Sense-Aﬀ ecting Powers that aﬀ ect the 
  entire Unusual Sense Group (unless the GM per-
  mits this). Instead, the Simulated Sense Rule applies 
  to the Senses in this group:  they’re aﬀ ected by 
  Sense-Aﬀ ecting Powers that aﬀ ect the Sense Group 
  the character assigns them to.
  Clairsentience
  Clairsentience has several unique properties. 
  Its focal point can be at any location within the 
  Power’s range, instead of just at the character him-
  self (other Senses’ focal points are the character’s 
  sensory organs). From that perception point the 
  character uses the Sense in the standard fashion, 
  and the Range Modiﬁ er applies.
  Clairsentience is thus “Indirect” in some ways 
  (since a character can project it “through” walls, 
  around corners, and so forth). It can approximate 
  Improved Arc Of Perception — the character can 
  establish the perception point wherever he prefers 
  within his range, including behind him, and sense 
  in any direction from that perception point — but 
  is not inherently a 360-Degree Sense. For a discus-
  sion of how Sense-Aﬀ ecting Powers aﬀ ect Clairsen-
  tience, refer to Sense-Aﬀ ecting Powers, below.
  For purposes of Sense-Aﬀ ecting Powers, 
  Precognitive Clairsentience and Retrocognitive 
  Clairsentience should be considered separate from 
  each other and from normal Clairsentience. Th us, 
  a Flash versus Clairsentience aﬀ ects a character’s 
  ordinary Clairvoyance or Clairaudience, but not his 
  Precognition or Retrocognition; a Flash versus his 
  Precognition won’t aﬀ ect his normal Clairsentience 
  or Retrocognition. If a character has more than 
  one form of Clairsentience (say, Clairvoyance and 
  Clairaudience), it’s the GM’s decision, based on spe-
  
  11 
  Hero System Combat Handbook ■ Chapter One
  cial eﬀ ects and logic, as to whether they’re aﬀ ected 
  separately or together by Sense-Aﬀ ecting Powers.
  Characters can buy Clairsentience as a Target-
  ing Sense. However, this can be extremely unbal-
  ancing in combat, since it allows characters to 
  hide behind complete cover and still perceive their 
  opponents. Th erefore GMs should be very cautious 
  about allowing any character to buy Clairsentience 
  as a Targeting Sense. However, even if Clairsen-
  tience is Targeting, a character cannot establish 
  LOS with it (unless the GM permits otherwise).
  Detect
  Detects allow the character to perceive virtu-
  ally anything he can think of — enemies, minds, 
  life force, gold, secret doors, starships, you name it. 
  Typically a Detect is subject to the Simulated Sense 
  Rule — for example, if a character has the ability to 
  “smell” gold, his Detect Gold is part of his Smell/
  Taste Sense Group.
  N-Ray Perception
  N-Ray Perception allows characters to per-
  ceive through barriers and other solid objects, as 
  appropriate. It could be a form of perception that 
  can see through things, a sense of smell so powerful 
  it can smell things through barriers, hearing so pre-
  cise it can detect minute shift s in air currents that 
  indicate what things are and where they’re located, 
  and the like — its deﬁ nition is as broad as the 
  player’s imagination. But no matter how you deﬁ ne 
  it, you must also deﬁ ne a reasonably common sub-
  stance that blocks it (see HERO System 5th Edition, 
  Revised, page 163).
  Spatial Awareness
  Spatial Awareness allows a character to per-
  ceive his surroundings without contacting them. 
  Th is usually means he can perceive through bar-
  riers and other solid objects, as appropriate. Like 
  N-Ray Perception, it’s oft en deﬁ ned as some sort of 
  super-reﬁ ned version of one of the ordinary senses, 
  and thus is subject to the Simulated Sense Rule. 
  Spatial Awareness does not operate in 360 Degrees 
  and is not Discriminatory, but is a Targeting Sense. 
  If Spatial Awareness is bought Discriminatory, it 
  can sense ﬁ ne details.
  Even More Unusual Senses
  Th is “category” includes several “Senses” that 
  don’t belong in any other group, not even the 
  Unusual Sense Group. Th ese Senses are covered by 
  the Simulated Sense Rule. 
  Voice As A “Sense”:  A character cannot use his 
  voice to “perceive” anything. However, since char-
  acters’ voices are silenced by Darkness that aﬀ ects 
  the Hearing Group, the voice has some Sense-like 
  aspects. Voice is worth 20 points as a Power.
  Sense Talents:  Several Talents are unusual types of 
  Senses. See HERO System 5th Edition, Revised, page 
  86 for further discussion.
  Other Senses And Sense Groups
  If he wishes, the GM can establish other “Sense 
  Groups” based on common special eﬀ ects. For 
  example, all of a character’s Senses that derive from 
  his mystic powers might belong to a “Mystic Sense 
  Group,” which would then be subject to Sense-
  Aﬀ ecting Powers directed against it.
  Th e GM can also establish other Senses if he 
  wishes to. For example, he could create “Mystic 
  Awareness,” which functions just like Mental 
  Awareness regarding mystic or magical energies.
  Perception Roll Modiﬁ ers
  Like Skill Rolls, PER Rolls are subject to modi-
  ﬁ ers. Some of these modiﬁ ers are the same as those 
  for Skills; others are diﬀ erent, or are speciﬁ c to PER 
  Rolls based on a given Sense.
  SKILL MODIFIERS
  As a general rule, GMs can apply the following 
  types of Skill Modiﬁ ers to PER Rolls (see HERO 
  System 5th Edition, Revised, page 45 for details):  
  modiﬁ ers for Routine, Easy, Diﬃ  cult, and so on; 
  taking extra time; and excellent or poor conditions. 
  Other such modiﬁ ers apply as the GM sees ﬁ t.
  RANGE MODIFIER
  Attempts to perceive things at a distance are 
  subject to the Range Modiﬁ er. See page 37.
  MODIFIERS FOR SPECIFIC SENSES
  The accompanying Perception Modifier 
  tables show modifiers for specific objects or 
  conditions which affect those Senses. The GM 
  should add up all of the modifiers; if the total 
  is positive, then the character can probably 
  perceive the object, substance, or phenomena 
  without making a PER Roll. If the total is zero or 
  negative, the character has to make a PER Roll 
  with that modifier to perceive the subject.
  If a character tries to perceive someone using 
  Stealth, they compete in a Skill Versus Skill Contest. 
  In essence, you subtract the amount the character 
  makes his Stealth roll by from the other character’s 
  PER Roll. A failed Stealth roll does not automati-
  cally mean the character is perceived; if the other 
  character fails his PER Roll, the Stealth still works, 
  albeit barely.
  Th ese modiﬁ ers do not apply to a character’s 
  CV in combat; they apply only to PER Rolls. How-
  ever, the GM may require characters to make PER 
  Rolls every Phase in combat if it’s diﬃ  cult to see (or 
  otherwise perceive) their opponents. Any character 
  who fails a roll suﬀ ers the standard penalties for 
  not being able to perceive his target with a Target-
  ing Sense.
  
  12 ■ Entering Combat
  Hero System 5th Edition
  SIGHT PERCEPTION 
  MODIFIERS
  Situation 
  Modiﬁ er
  Contrast
  Extremely high contrast 
  (e.g., a lighted object in darkness) 
  +5
  Low contrast 
  -1
  High contrast (e.g., black object on white) 
  +1
  Darkness and shadow
  Night 
  -2
  Dark night 
  -4
  Moving object 
  +1
  Object size (large)
  Object ﬁ lls entire hex 
  +2
  2 hex object 
  +4
  4 hex object 
  +6
  8 hex object 
  +8
  16 hex object 
  +10
  32 hex object 
  +12
  ...and so forth
  Object size (small)
  ¼ hex object 
  -2
  1/8 object 
  -4
  1/16 hex object 
  -6
  1/32 hex object 
  -8
  ...and so forth
  Sight aids
  Binoculars 
  +2
  Telescope 
  +3
  Time spent looking
  Looking (Half Phase) 
  +1
  Long look (Full Phase, ½ DCV) 
  +2
  HEARING PERCEPTION 
  MODIFIERS
  Situation 
  Modiﬁ er
  Doors
  Open a door 
  +0
  Slowly open a door (1 Phase) 
  -2
  Slamming a door 
  +2
  Echoes
  Generally 
  +3
  Locating source of echoes 
  -3
  The environment
  Downwind from noise 
  +1
  Foggy weather 
  -1
  High contrast sound 
  +1
  Noisy area 
  -3
  Quiet area 
  +3
  Upwind from noise 
  -1
  Movement
  Run (6”+) 
  +1
  Fast walk (3”) 
  +0
  Normal walk (2”) 
  -1
  Careful walk (1”) 
  -2
  Time spent listening
  Listen (half Phase) 
  +1
  Listen close (1 Phase, ½DCV) 
  +2
  Vehicles
  Hovercar 
  +1
  Spaceship taking oﬀ  
  +5
  Truck 
  +3
  Voices and like noises
  Loud conversation 
  +1
  Shout 
  +2
  Whisper 
  -3
  Whistle 
  +3
  Weapons
  Grenade 
  +6
  Pistol 
  +3
  Riﬂ e 
  +5
  Submachine gun 
  +4
  Miscellaneous
  Body hitting ground 
  +0
  Breaking glass 
  +1
  Car alarm 
  +3
  Parabolic microphone 
  +4
  Punch 
  +0
  Siren 
  +4
  Sneeze 
  +1
  SMELL PERCEPTION 
  MODIFIERS
  Although the sense of Smell is technically Ranged (a 
  character can smell something across the room), for 
  humans it isn’t as precise as either Sight or Hearing. 
  Moreover, as the distance to the object increases, the 
  chance to smell it decreases dramatically.
  Characters can use their sense of Smell in combat, but 
  only with great diﬃ  culty. Attempting to Smell an oppo-
  nent is automatically a -5 to the PER Roll, along with 
  normal penalties for range. (Th is does not apply if the 
  character has bought Smell as a Targeting Sense.) Here 
  are some additional modiﬁ ers:
  Situation 
  Modiﬁ er
  People
  Person 
  +0
  Smelly person (unbathed or perfumed) 
  +2
  Extremely smelly person 
  +4
  Wind
  Downwind, light breeze 
  +1
  Downwind, strong breeze 
  -1
  Upwind, light breeze 
  -2
  Upwind, strong breeze 
  -4
  Miscellaneous
  Dung 
  +3
  Gasoline 
  +3
  Skunk 
  +5
  
  13 
  Hero System Combat Handbook ■ Chapter One
  Affecting And Using Senses
  Here are some additional rules regarding how 
  to use and aﬀ ect Senses in the game.
  ADJUSTMENT POWERS
  In some situations, with the GM’s permission 
  characters can use Adjustment Powers (and Dispel) 
  to aﬀ ect Senses, provided those Senses are not 
  Inherent (as most characters’ natural Senses are). 
  Th e eﬀ ects vary depending upon the Power and the 
  Sense, as described below.
  Aid and Healing
  Characters can Aid or Heal Senses. However, 
  they cannot increase a Sense beyond its normal 
  level of eﬀ ect — to do that, characters have to buy 
  Enhanced Senses.
  Aiding a sense “heals” that Sense from being 
  Flashed or Drained. Th is is referred to as, for 
  example, “Aid versus Flash.” Such a Power normally 
  aﬀ ects any sort of Flash, but at the GM’s option 
  characters may have to buy it versus Flash by Sense 
  Group (such as Aid versus Sight Group Flash). 
  Since Senses are not “Characteristics” or “special 
  eﬀ ects,” an Adjustment Power that aﬀ ects all Char-
  acteristics or Powers with a related special eﬀ ect 
  normally should not counteract Flashes.
  To use Aid versus Flash, roll the Aid dice and 
  count the Normal Damage BODY. Each “BODY” 
  rolled “heals” 1 Segment of Flash eﬀ ect for the 
  duration of the Aid. If the “healing” eﬀ ect equals or 
  exceeds the number of Segments of Flash eﬀ ect, the 
  Sense is restored. But as always, Aid is not perma-
  nent, it only temporarily “boosts” a Sense. If the Aid 
  wears oﬀ  before the Flash eﬀ ect does, the remaining 
  Segments of Flash once again aﬀ ect the character.
  Healing versus Flash works the same as Aid 
  versus Flash, with one exception:  it’s permanent. 
  Th e Segments of Flash eﬀ ect it removes are gone 
  forever, thus allowing the victim of the Flash to 
  recover from it more quickly (or instantly).
  Example:  In Phase 3 Dr. Destroyer Flashes 
  Nighthawk’s Sight Group Senses with a 12 
  BODY Flash, so Nighthawk will be Flashed for 
  12 Segments. In Segment 7, Th e Medic arrives 
  and uses his Healing versus Flash to restore 
  Nighthawk’s eyesight. Since 4 Segments passed 
  since the Flash, the Flash only has 8 BODY 
  currently in eﬀ ect, and Th e Medic’s Heal-
  ing only has to roll 8 BODY or more to “heal” 
  Nighthawk. If Th e Medic rolled only 2 BODY, 
  Nighthawk will still be Flashed for 6 Segments. 
  If Th e Medic had arrived in Segment 3, when 
  the Flash had 12 BODY, he would have had 
  to roll 12 BODY on his Healing dice to restore 
  Nighthawk’s eyesight fully.
  Aid and Healing versus Flash also work 
  against Adjustment Powers used to aﬀ ect a char-
  acter’s Senses. In this case the total rolled on the 
  dice adds to the Sense’s point total to counteract 
  the eﬀ ect of the Adjustment Power. For example, 
  if a villain used Drain Sight Group to remove 15 
  points from a hero’s Sight Group Senses, Th e Medic 
  could use his Healing versus Flash to counteract 
  the eﬀ ect. If Th e Medic rolls 12 on his Healing dice, 
  the hero gets 12 of the Drained points back, so he 
  has only lost 3 points’ worth of eyesight — not even 
  enough to suﬀ er a PER Roll penalty (see below).
  Dispel
  A character cannot Dispel a character’s Inher-
  ent Senses — he must use Transform to perma-
  nently deprive a character of one of his innate 
  Senses. However, a character could use Dispel to 
  destroy gadgets that provide Senses, such as IR 
  Goggles, or to Dispel non-innate Senses.
  Drain And Suppress
  With the GM’s permission, characters can 
  Drain or Suppress individual Senses (not Sense 
  Groups) using the point costs for them listed above, 
  provided they aren’t Inherent. If the Drain/Suppress 
  does not Drain all points in the sense, the Sense 
  becomes less acute — the character suﬀ ers -2 to his 
  PER Rolls with that Sense for every full 5 points 
  Drained/Suppressed. If the Drain/Suppress equals 
  or exceeds the points in the Sense, the character 
  loses that Sense until the points are restored. Since 
  this is similar to using Flash or Transform, some 
  GMs may prefer to disallow it.
  Transfer
  A Sense can be Transferred from one char-
  acter to another. Th is is another way to overcome 
  the eﬀ ects of a Flash. Th e Transfer is based on the 
  points in the Sense, as detailed above.
  CHANGE ENVIRONMENT
  Some Change Environment abilities can aﬀ ect 
  one or more Senses. For example, a character may 
  be able to Change Environment to create a thick 
  fog that obstructs Normal Sight. See HERO System 
  5th Edition, Revised, page 135 for more information.
  DARKNESS AND FLASH
  Darkness (HERO System 5th Edition, Revised, 
  page 145) and Flash (HERO System 5th Edition, 
  Revised, page 176) are the two primary Sense-
  Aﬀ ecting Powers. Th e notes that follow detail some 
  aspects of these Powers.
  Darkness Or Flash Versus Clairsentience
  Darkness and Flash may work against 
  Clairsentience in unusual ways, depending upon 
  the special eﬀ ects of the Clairsentience. For 
  instance, a typical example of Clairsentience in 
  a Fantasy setting is a coven of witches gathered 
  around a cauldron whose waters display a scene 
  several miles away (say, a group of knights on the 
  march). Th e situation aﬀ ects how Darkness and 
  Flash work.
  First, since the Clairsentience is deﬁ ned as 
  using the witches’ eyesight to view a picture in a 
  pool, if their eyesight is Flashed (or blinded by 
  Darkness) the Clairsentience won’t work. Th e Flash 
  could take place at the cauldron itself (maybe 
  an enemy of the coven snuck up on it and cast a 
  “blinding spell” or something similar), or it could 
  take place at the scene being viewed (if one of 
  the knights sets oﬀ  a Sight Group Flash for some 
  
  14 ■ Entering Combat
  Hero System 5th Edition
  reason, the witches viewing it may be Flashed, since 
  their perception point is exposed to the Flash).
  Second, the Clairsentience Power itself could 
  be Flashed or blotted out by Darkness. A Flash 
  versus Clairsentience would have to be launched at 
  the witches themselves, since they’re the source of 
  the power — a Flash versus Clairsentience at the 
  scene being viewed won’t aﬀ ect them. However, a 
  Darkness versus Clairsentience used either at the 
  scene of the cauldron or the scene being viewed 
  will prevent the spell from functioning properly, 
  since it “blacks out” the area to Clairsentience.
  Darkness And Flash Versus Th e 
  Mental Sense Group
  Th e Mental Sense Group is aﬀ ected by Flash 
  and Darkness somewhat diﬀ erently than most 
  other Sense Groups. Th is is because Mental Powers 
  can be targeted two ways:  through eyesight (or 
  other Targeting Senses) or through Mind Scan.
  A Darkness versus the Mental Sense Group pre-
  vents any use of Mental Awareness or Mind Scan by 
  aﬀ ected characters. It also prevents the use of Telepa-
  thy and Mind Link, since, like a Darkness versus 
  Hearing, it aﬀ ects both the “mental hearing” and the 
  “mental voice” aspects of those Powers. However, if 
  the victim has LOS to his target, he can still use Telep-
  athy and Mind Link on that target, since they work 
  either through a Mind Scan “circuit” or through LOS. 
  Mind Scan itself does not work on an LOS basis, so it 
  doesn’t matter whether a character in a Mental Sense 
  Group Darkness ﬁ eld can see his target — the Mind 
  Scan is eﬀ ectively “blacked out.”
  A Flash versus the Mental Sense Group is 
  another story. It also blocks Mental Awareness 
  and Mind Scan, but it only Flashes the “mental 
  hearing” aspect of Telepathy and Mind Link. Th e 
  “mental voice” aspect of those Powers still func-
  tions (similarly, a character suﬀ ering from a Hear-
  ing Group Flash can still talk). Since Mind Scan is 
  Flashed, Telepathy and Mind Link can only be tar-
  geted through LOS. Th e character cannot read the 
  thoughts of anyone he can establish LOS on — his 
  “mental hearing” has been “deafened” — but he can 
  send his thoughts to other persons. If he already 
  has a Mind Link established when the Flash goes 
  oﬀ , the “mental voice” aspects continue to function, 
  but the “mental hearing” aspects are cut oﬀ .
  Additionally, characters can aﬀ ect Mental Powers 
  with Sense-Aﬀ ecting Powers that aﬀ ect the Sight 
  Group (or any other Sense Group that contains Tar-
  geting Senses used to establish LOS). If a character 
  does not have Mind Scan and his Sight is blocked by 
  Darkness or Flash, he is eﬀ ectively unable to use his 
  Mental Powers. If any mental eﬀ ects are in existence 
  when the Darkness or Flash is used against him, such 
  as Mental Illusions or Mind Control, his control over 
  those powers is cut oﬀ , but they remain in eﬀ ect at 
  whatever level they were when cut oﬀ  and deteriorate 
  as per the rules from then on.
  SENSES AND ADVANTAGES
  Normally characters should not apply Advan-
  tages to Senses or Sense Groups. For example, a 
  character should not buy Indirect for his Normal 
  Sight so he can see through walls; he should buy 
  a Limited form of N-Ray Perception or Clairsen-
  tience. However, characters can apply some Advan-
  tages, such as MegaScale, to a character’s Senses or 
  Sense Groups with the GM’s permission.
  
  15 
  Hero System Combat Handbook ■ Chapter One
  O
  nce the GM decides to begin combat, such 
  matters as scale and time become very 
  important. Reasonably precise measure-
  ment of these things makes game play 
  easier. Th is section explains how combat scale and 
  time works in the HERO System.
  DRAMATIC VERSUS REALISTIC COMBAT
  Th e GM, aft er seeking input from the play-
  ers, should decide whether he wants the combat in 
  his game to emphasize realism or drama. Th e two 
  aren’t mutually exclusive, of course, but they do 
  tend to have some strong diﬀ erences. Some genres 
  favor drama; others, such as some Military Action, 
  oft en hew more toward “realism.”
  “Realistic” combat pays attention to real-
  istic details about combat and makes an eﬀ ort 
  to simulate them in the game, either to increase 
  verisimilitude or make combat a less attractive 
  option for PCs (sometimes both). Although there’s 
  considerable debate (even among learned scholars) 
  as to what is or is not “realistic” when it comes to 
  simulating gunﬁ re, explosions, and the like, typi-
  cally realistic game combat does at least some or all 
  of the following:  uses all the optional damage rules 
  (such as Bleeding); discourages most fancy “stunts” 
  and maneuvers by imposing harsh CV penalties for 
  performing them; restricts the eﬀ ectiveness of most 
  body armor.
  “Dramatic” combat, on the other hand, tends 
  to take its cues from action movies. Th e emphasis 
  is less on a “realistic” depiction of armed combat 
  than on running an enjoyable battle that maximizes 
  the scope of the characters’ options and the useful-
  ness of their many abilities. Of course, diﬀ erent 
  levels of “dramatic” can exist; one campaign might 
  allow just about any sort of hair-raising, swash-
  buckling stunt, while another simply ignores the 
  more annoying or time-consuming “realistic” rules 
  to speed game play. In contrast to “realistic” games, 
  dramatic games tend to use fewer optional damage 
  rules (sometimes none except for Hit Locations), 
  encourage stunts and clever maneuvers by grant-
  ing bonuses (or at least imposing no penalties), and 
  don’t worry about making all the equipment func-
  tion “realistically.”
  Th e degree to which the GM emphasizes “real-
  ism” or “drama” does a lot to provide ﬂ avor and feel 
  for the campaign, and it inﬂ uences character design 
  as well. In a realistic game, players have to give 
  some thought to how their characters cope with 
  the nature and eﬀ ects of combat, which may mean 
  buying more CON or BODY to withstand injury, or 
  more END so they can ﬁ ght longer. In a dramatic 
  game, players oft en design characters with special 
  ﬁ ghting styles and other unusual abilities to take 
  advantage of the more “free-form” concept of battle.
  Th e HERO System rules already handle the 
  dramatic side of combat pretty well; that’s part of 
  the nature of the system. Many of the optional and 
  additional rules in this chapter lean more toward 
  “realism” than drama.
  GAME SCALE
  Combats are oft en run without a map or 
  board, using only the GM’s and players’ imagina-
  tion to keep track of who is where and how far 
  away they are from prominent objects. Th is is easy 
  for short combats, or when several characters ﬁ ght 
  a single opponent.
  For larger or more intricate combat situa-
  tions, the GM may want to use a floor or tabletop 
  and some miniatures or other markers for the 
  characters — “mapping” a HERO System combat 
  is not necessary, but you may find it helpful and 
  fun. The GM can lay out exactly where each 
  character is in relation to the surroundings and 
  the other characters.
  Whenever the HERO System rules refer to an 
  “inch,” this represents 2 meters (approximately 6.5 
  feet) in the game setting (thus, 1” = 2m). Maps pub-
  lished with HERO System games use a hex-shaped 
  grid to mark oﬀ  the inches. If you’re using such a 
  map, each hex is 1” wide. Th is scale allows the GM 
  and player to use 25 mm (1/72 scale) miniatures to 
  represent characters.
  One game inch = 2 meters = 6.5 feet
  When you count hexes, the hex a character 
  stands in is “0” (in other words, you don’t count it). 
  Th e hex counted as “1” is the hex adjacent to his, 
  and so on until you reach the target. Th e hex the 
  target stands in is counted.
  ENTERING 
  COMBAT
  
  16 ■ Entering Combat
  Hero System 5th Edition
  COMBAT TIME
  A battle can end quickly if the opponents are 
  unequal, but a fair ﬁ ght usually lasts much longer. 
  Th e HERO System rules divide combat time into 
  small units so you can easily keep track of what’s 
  going on. Th ere are three separate time increments:  
  Turn, Segment, and Phase.
  TURN
  Th e basic time frame of combat is called a 
  Turn. Each Turn equals 12 seconds of time. Each 
  Turn a character gets a number of Phases equal to 
  his Speed (see below). A Turn is divided into 12 
  Segments.
  SEGMENT
  A Turn consists of 12 Segments, each 1 second 
  long. Characters who can perform an Action in a 
  Segment (i.e., who have a Phase in that Segment) 
  do so in order of their DEX values. Th e character 
  with the highest DEX score goes ﬁ rst, the second 
  highest goes next, and so on. Two or more charac-
  ters with the same DEX who act in the same Seg-
  ment should each roll 1d6; the one with the highest 
  roll acts ﬁ rst. Ties should roll again.
  Aft er every Segment 12, before the next Turn 
  begins, there is a “Post-Segment 12” period that 
  takes no time. At this time most characters auto-
  matically get to take a Recovery (see page 142).
  PHASE
  A Segment on which a character can act is 
  known as one of his Phases. Each character has a 
  number of Phases in each Turn equal to his SPD. 
  For instance, a Speed 5 character has ﬁ ve Phases; 
  the character can perform one or more Actions in 
  each Phase. Th e Speed Chart tells you which Seg-
  ments a character’s Phases are in.
  Each time one of a character’s Phases comes 
  up, he may perform one or more Actions. Find 
  the character’s Speed on the left  side of the Speed 
  Chart, and look at the row next to it. Every Segment 
  marked with an “X” in that column is a Segment 
  in which the character has a Phase. For instance, a 
  character with a SPD of 4 has Phases in Segments 3, 
  6, 9, and 12.
  A character’s Phase begins on his DEX in 
  each of the indicated Segments. For example, if a 
  character has SPD 5, DEX 20, his ﬁ rst Phase in a 
  Turn begins in Segment 3 on DEX 20. Typically the 
  GM begins each Segment by counting down DEXs, 
  from highest to lowest, until there’s no one left  who 
  has a Phase. HERO System gamers typically refer 
  to this as having a character’s DEX “come up” or 
  “occur,” or as a character “going on” his DEX (“My 
  character goes on DEX 21”).
  Th e type of Actions a character performs have 
  no eﬀ ect on when he acts. A character gets to per-
  form his entire Phase’s worth of Actions when his 
  Phase occurs, even if a character with a lower DEX 
  only wants to perform a Zero or Half Phase Action.
  Example:  Steve is running a Dark Champions 
  campaign with player characters including 
  Blade (DEX 20) and Knockout (DEX 14). Since 
  the highest DEX in the campaign is 25, Steve 
  always starts his DEX count at 25. “DEX 25, 
  24, 23, 22, 21, 20... okay, Blade, it’s your Phase, 
  what do you do?”. Blade gets his entire Action 
  now (unless he chooses to Hold).
  Aft er Blade’s Phase is resolved, Steve contin-
  ues the count:  “DEX 19, 18, 17, 16, 15, 14... 
  okay, Knockout, it’s your Phase.” Knockout gets 
  her entire action now (unless she chooses to 
  Hold) — even if she only wants to perform a 
  Zero Phase Action, she doesn’t get to act before 
  Blade, because his DEX is higher.
  In non-combat situations, everyone is assumed 
  to act at SPD 2 at all times, unless the circum-
  stances require them to use their full SPDs.
  In a combat featuring many characters, GMs 
  may wish to ignore the SPD Chart to make combat 
  go more quickly and smoothly. Simply allow each 
  character to act once per “combat round.”
  CHANGING SPEED
  A character who wants to use a lower SPD 
  can decide to lower his SPD in the Post-Segment 
  12 period. Normally, lowering SPD in a Segment 
  requires use of an Adjustment Power such as Drain. 
  Similarly, a character cannot return to his normal 
  SPD aft er voluntarily reducing it until Post-Seg-
  ment 12. Characters cannot lower their SPDs to 
  lower than SPD 2 without GM permission.
  Example:  Nighthawk is thrown into a river 
  in Segment 8 and starts to drown. He decides 
  to reduce his SPD to 2 so he can survive long 
  enough for help to arrive. To do this, he must 
  wait until the end of the Turn (Post-Segment 
  12). In the next Turn, he will be SPD 2 until he 
  decides to return to his normal SPD (this must 
  happen on a Post-Segment 12 also).
  Th ese rules also apply to raising SPD through 
  means other than Adjustment Powers; Adjustment 
  Powers use the optional rule described below.
  Optional Speed Change
  If you want to allow a character to lower or 
  raise his SPD during a Turn, without waiting for 
  Post-Segment 12, use the following optional system. 
  THE SPEED CHART
  Segments
  Character’s Speed
  1
  2
  3
  4
  5
  6
  7
  8
  9
  10 11 12
  1
  –
  –
  –
  –
  –
  –
  X
  –
  –
  –
  –
  –
  2
  –
  –
  –
  –
  –
  X
  –
  –
  –
  –
  –
  X
  3
  –
  –
  –
  X
  –
  –
  –
  X
  –
  –
  –
  X
  4
  –
  –
  X
  –
  –
  X
  –
  –
  X
  –
  –
  X
  5
  –
  –
  X
  –
  X
  –
  –
  X
  –
  X
  –
  X
  6
  –
  X
  –
  X
  –
  X
  –
  X
  –
  X
  –
  X
  7
  –
  X
  –
  X
  –
  X
  X
  –
  X
  –
  X
  X
  8
  –
  X
  X
  –
  X
  X
  –
  X
  X
  –
  X
  X
  9
  –
  X
  X
  X
  –
  X
  X
  X
  –
  X
  X
  X
  10
  –
  X
  X
  X
  X
  X
  –
  X
  X
  X
  X
  X
  11
  –
  X
  X
  X
  X
  X
  X
  X
  X
  X
  X
  X
  12
  X
  X
  X
  X
  X
  X
  X
  X
  X
  X
  X
  X
  
  17 
  Hero System Combat Handbook ■ Chapter One
  It’s more complex, but lets characters with Powers 
  like Multiform use their abilities to the fullest. Fur-
  thermore, you should always use this system when 
  SPD is altered with Adjustment Powers.
  Under this system, a character can change his 
  SPD in any of his Phases. Changing SPD is a Zero 
  Phase Action. Aft er he has changed his SPD, a char-
  acter cannot act (though he may Abort; see below) 
  until the next Segment that’s a Phase for both of the 
  SPDs. Once he has taken an Action at the new SPD, 
  he is at that SPD for the rest of the Turn.
  Example: Storvak is in his humanoid form 
  (SPD 3). On Segment 4, he has a Phase, and 
  decides to change into his cheetah form (SPD 
  5). He can now only act when he reaches a Seg-
  ment that’s a Phase for both of his SPDs. SPD 
  5 gives Storvak a Phase on Segment 5, but 
  because SPD 3 does not also give him a Phase 
  in Segment 5, he cannot take an Action — he 
  must wait until Segment 8, when both SPD 3 
  and SPD 5 provide Phases, to act. Th ereaft er he 
  acts on SPD 5’s Phases.
  If you use these rules, a character cannot 
  temporarily choose to act at a lower SPD so he can 
  act again sooner. His choices are to stay with his 
  current SPD, or use the full amount of the SPD 
  he changes to. But the GM may choose to allow a 
  character to act at a lower SPD if he prefers.
  Time Chart
  Many Powers, Power Modiﬁ ers, Skills, and 
  Actions involve greater amounts of time than are 
  used for combat. Th e Time Chart (see sidebar) 
  indicates the diﬀ erent time increments used both in 
  and out of combat.
  BEGINNING COMBAT
  Unless the GM rules otherwise, combat always 
  begins on Segment 12. Th is gives everyone a chance 
  to act and then take a Post-Segment 12 Recovery 
  (see page 142). If combat begins with a Surprise 
  attack, the targets don’t get to act on Segment 12 
  — the attackers get a free Phase.
  As in any other Segment, the character with 
  the highest DEX goes ﬁ rst in Segment 12, and the 
  GM then counts down the DEXs until there’s no 
  one left  who has a Phase.
  Actions
  As discussed above, a Phase is a Segment in 
  which a character can act, i.e., perform an Action. 
  During a Phase, a character may perform one or 
  more Actions, depending upon the nature of those 
  Actions and the order in which he performs them.
  Th ere are four basic types of Actions:
  FULL PHASE ACTIONS
  Th e ﬁ rst are Full Phase Actions. Full Phase 
  Actions take a character’s entire Phase; he can do 
  nothing else and take no other Actions that Phase 
  (though he could still make a Presence Attack 
  or perform any other Action that takes no time). 
  Examples of Full Phase Actions include a character 
  using more than half of his inches of movement (a 
  “Full Move”), taking a Recovery, using the Rapid 
  Fire or Sweep Combat Maneuvers, recovering from 
  being Stunned, or changing a Clip.
  HALF PHASE ACTIONS
  Second are Half Phase Actions. Th ese are 
  Actions that only require half a Phase to perform 
  (in other words, a character can perform two Half 
  Phase Actions per Phase). Half Phase Actions 
  include a character using up to half of his inches of 
  movement (a “Half Move”), opening a door, using 
  the Power Find Weakness, or making most PER 
  Rolls or Skill Rolls (though the time on the latter 
  can vary, depending upon the Skill used and the 
  circumstances).
  A character cannot “combine” two Half Phase 
  Actions into one. For example, he can’t get to his 
  feet and make a Half Move all as a single Half 
  Phase Action.
  ZERO PHASE ACTIONS
  Th ird are Zero Phase Actions. A character may 
  perform as many Zero Phase Actions as he wishes 
  at the beginning of a Phase or aft er performing 
  a Half Phase Action, but not aft er performing an 
  Attack Action or a Full Phase Action. Shift ing 
  SPEED QUICK-
  REFERENCE TABLE
  If Your SPD Is 
  You Have Phases In Segments
   
  1 
  7
   
  2 
  6, 12
   
  3 
  4, 8, 12
   
  4 
  3, 6, 9, 12
   
  5 
  3, 5, 8, 10, 12
   
  6 
  2, 4, 6, 8, 10, 12
   
  7 
  2, 4, 6, 7, 9, 11, 12
   
  8 
  2, 3, 5, 6, 8, 9, 11, 12
   
  9 
  2, 3, 4, 6, 7, 8, 10, 11, 12
   
  10 
  2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12
   
  11 
  2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12
   
  12 
  1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12
  TIME CHART
  Time Period/Duration
  1 Segment
  1 Phase
  1 Turn (Post-Segment 12)
  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
  OPTIONAL TIME 
  INTERVALS
  Th e intervals on the 
  standard Time Chart 
  were chosen for ease 
  of memorization. Each 
  increment is three to 
  seven times the length 
  of the preceding incre-
  ment, and most are rep-
  resented by either one or 
  ﬁ ve time periods.
  If the GM wishes to use 
  a more mathematically 
  regular (but harder 
  to remember) series, 
  each increment is ﬁ ve 
  times the length of the 
  preceding increment, 
  leading to the following 
  time increments:  1 Seg-
  ment, 1 Phase, 1 Turn, 
  1 Minute, 5 Minutes, 25 
  Minutes, 2 Hours, 10 
  Hours, 2 Days, 10 Days, 
  and so on.
  
  18 ■ Entering Combat
  Hero System 5th Edition
  Combat Skill Levels, Penalty Skill Levels, or Skill 
  Levels is a Zero Phase Action; the Levels’ setting 
  lasts until the character changes them (which he 
  can only do during a Phase, or when Aborting). 
  Other Zero Phase Actions include activating a 
  Power, turning oﬀ  a Power, shift ing the points in a 
  Power Framework, or using Casual STR.
  ACTIONS WHICH TAKE NO TIME
  Fourth are Actions which take no time. As the 
  term implies, these Actions take no time to per-
  form; a character may perform them whenever he 
  wishes and as oft en as he wishes. For instance, a 
  character could perform an Action that takes no 
  time on a Segment when he doesn’t have a Phase, 
  aft er performing a Full Phase Action, in the middle 
  of attacking, before making an attack, aft er making 
  an attack, or the like. Examples including making 
  a Presence Attack, making a soliloquy, or making a 
  roll at the GM’s request.
  ATTACK ACTIONS
  Attack Actions — Actions that require or 
  involve any kind of Attack Roll, such as using Mind 
  Control, using a Combat Maneuver, projecting 
  an Energy Blast, Dodging, Blocking, or throwing 
  a punch — are a special case. Attack Actions only 
  take a Half Phase, but must be the last action the 
  character performs in the Phase. For example, a 
  character can Half Move and then attack, but can’t 
  attack and then Half Move. Performing an Attack 
  Action brings a character’s Phase to an end — he 
  can perform no other Actions aft er performing an 
  Attack Action.
  A character can turn on (activate) or off 
  (deactivate) a Power or ability at the beginning 
  of his Phase or after he’s performed his first Half 
  Phase Action, but not at any other time unless 
  noted otherwise (such as Aborting to activate a 
  defensive Power).
  If a character performs a Combat Maneuver 
  or other maneuver that modiﬁ es his OCV, DCV, 
  damage done, or other factors, any modiﬁ ers from 
  the Maneuver remain in eﬀ ect from when the 
  character performs the Maneuver until the begin-
  ning of his next Phase. Th us, a SPD 3 character 
  who Dodges on his Phase in Segment 4 retains the 
  Maneuver’s +3 DCV bonus until the beginning of 
  his next Phase in Segment 8.
  Multiple-Power Attacks
  A character may use as many Attack Powers 
  (or other attacks) in a Phase as he wishes, provided 
  he meets several restrictions.
  First, he must be able to pay the END for all of 
  the Powers.
  Second, he can only make one Attack Roll. It 
  must be the same type of Attack Roll; a character 
  can’t use a Power requiring a DEX-based Attack 
  Roll together with one requiring an ECV Attack 
  Roll, except with the GM’s permission. A character 
  could use an area-aﬀ ecting attack (which works 
  against DCV 3) and a non-area-aﬀ ecting one 
  (which works against the target’s DCV) as part of a 
  multiple-power attack, but he must make the Attack 
  Roll against the target’s DCV for the non-area-
  aﬀ ecting attack (in other words, not against the 
  DCV 3 for the area-aﬀ ecting attack). Th e attacks 
  can aﬀ ect diﬀ erent defenses (such as an Energy 
  Blast and an RKA, or a Drain and a Flash).
  Th ird, he must use all of the Attack Powers or 
  attacks on the same target. Use of multiple powers 
  in this fashion is considered a single Attack Action.
  Example:  Defender has an Energy Blast slot 
  in his Multipower and a Sight Group Flash 
  (bought separately, outside his Multipower). 
  Defender may attack with both Powers in the 
  same Phase (assuming he has enough END to 
  pay for both). He may only make one Attack 
  Roll, however; if he misses, both Powers miss. 
  He may not use the Energy Blast on one target 
  and the Flash on another; he must use both 
  against the same target.   
  Characters should not combine Ranged and 
  non-Ranged attacks into a multiple-power attack 
  (unless the GM permits this); the attacks should 
  both be Ranged or non-Ranged. Oﬀ  Hand penalties 
  do not apply to multiple-power attacks even if the 
  special eﬀ ect of the attack is that the character ﬁ res 
  an attack from each hand, ﬁ ghts with two weapons, 
  or the like. Th e overall attack is considered to be 
  made with the character’s good hand.
  Characters can use slots from two or more diﬀ er-
  ent Power Frameworks to perform a multiple-power 
  
  19 
  Hero System Combat Handbook ■ Chapter One
  attack, assuming they obey all the rules for such 
  attacks. For example, a character could combine his 
  Flame Blast (Energy Blast 8d6, bought as a slot in a 
  Multipower) with his Firebolt (RKA 2d6, bought as a 
  slot in an Elemental Control) into a multiple-power 
  attack. Characters can also make multiple-power 
  attacks with a slot in a Power Framework and a power 
  that’s not in any Framework. However, a character 
  may not combine two or more slots from a single 
  Power Framework as part of a multiple-power attack, 
  even if he has suﬃ  cient reserve or base points to use 
  both slots at once. 
  Characters cannot use defensive maneuvers or 
  actions (such as Block or Missile Deﬂ ection) as part 
  of a multiple-power attack. Nor can they make a 
  multiple-power “attack” that consists of nothing but 
  defensive actions.
  USING MULTIPLEPOWER ATTACKS
  When a multiple-power attack succeeds, the 
  target applies his defenses (if any) separately to 
  each part of the attack. Th e damage from the attack 
  does not add together for purposes of determin-
  ing if the target is Stunned. Moreover, if one of the 
  attacks reduces or aﬀ ects the target’s defenses or 
  CV (for example, a Drain PD or a Flash), the other 
  attack applies ﬁ rst.
  To determine the Knockback caused by a 
  multiple-power attack, determine the Knockback 
  for each attack used, and then apply only the best 
  result. For example, if a character uses an Energy 
  Blast and an RKA in a multiple-power attack, and 
  one did 6” Knockback and the other 3” Knockback, 
  the target takes 6” Knockback.
  A character can only Spread a multiple-Power 
  attack if he can Spread all the powers used in the 
  attack. He must Spread both of them equally, and 
  though the Spreading reduces both powers’ DCs, he 
  only gets one OCV bonus. For example, if a charac-
  ter has an Energy Blast and an RKA, he can reduce 
  both by 3 DCs to obtain +3 OCV with them in a 
  multiple-Power attack (he only gets +3, not +6).
  Characters can make multiple-power attacks 
  involving Combat Maneuvers that work at Range, 
  including Ranged Martial Maneuvers from Th e 
  Ultimate Martial Artist. However, all standard rules 
  for multiple-power attacks apply (for example, he 
  must use two “distinct” attacks and must accept the 
  worst OCV and DCV modiﬁ ers of all the Maneu-
  vers involved).
  Diﬀ erent Powers
  A character cannot use the same power, abil-
  ity, or weapon to attack more than once per Phase 
  with a multiple-power attack — that requires two 
  (or more) distinct attacks. To attack multiple times 
  with the same power, ability, or weapon, a charac-
  ter should buy Autoﬁ re for that ability or use the 
  Combat Maneuvers Sweep or Rapid Fire.
  When characters engage in weapons combat, 
  use Martial Maneuvers, and the like, attacks based on 
  or using STR count as “distinct attacks” for purposes 
  of making multiple-power attacks provided their 
  eﬀ ects are reasonably distinguishable. A Maneuver 
  that causes damage (such as Legsweep) is reasonably 
  distinguishable from one that provides extra STR for 
  a speciﬁ c purpose (such as Martial Disarm) in most 
  instances. Two Maneuvers that simply cause damage 
  (Strike and Martial Strike, for example) generally are 
  not, but the GM determines this based on the char-
  acter, the situation, and other factors. If a character 
  wants to hit a single target multiple times with the 
  same, or two similar, damage-causing Maneuvers or 
  attacks (like Martial Strike and Defensive Strike), usu-
  ally he should choose one of the maneuvers and use 
  a Sweep (or Rapid Fire, for Ranged attacks). Multiple-
  power attacks work best when characters combine 
  two diﬀ erent forms of attack to generate an interesting 
  eﬀ ect, not when they simply lump two attack abilities 
  together to cause more damage.
  At the GM’s option, if a character wants to 
  ﬁ ght with a melee weapon in each hand, he may 
  do so as a multiple-power attack, even though 
  that involves using two similar (perhaps identical) 
  attacks that both do damage with STR. (Th e same 
  applies to using two Ranged weapons, such as two 
  pistols or two thrown daggers.)
  Combat Skill Levels; Extra DCs
  A character may not apply any Combat Skill 
  Levels to improve his OCV or DCV with a mul-
  tiple-power attack unless he could apply the CSLs 
  to any of the attacks individually. To use the above 
  example, if Defender has some 2-point CSLs with 
  his Energy Blast, he cannot use them when making 
  a multiple-power attack with his Energy Blast and 
  Flash. However, if he had some 3-point CSLs usable 
  with his EB, Flash, and Entangle, or 5-point CSLs 
  with Ranged Combat, he could apply those. Simi-
  larly, a character may not use a Combat Maneuver 
  with a multiple-power attack unless he could use 
  that Maneuver with any of the attacks individually.
  If a character has Combat Skill Levels he 
  can apply to a multiple-power attack, and he uses 
  them to increase the attack’s damage, the increase 
  affects all attacks that are a part of the multiple-
  power attack.
  Extra DCs bought for Martial Maneuvers 
  increase the eﬀ ects of all Martial Maneuvers used 
  in a multiple-Power attack. Th ey do not apply to 
  non-Martial Maneuvers used as part of that attack.
  Combat Value Modiﬁ ers; Adding STR
  A character may make a multiple-power attack 
  with Powers, Combat or Martial Maneuvers, weap-
  ons, or other forms of attack that provide OCV or 
  DCV modiﬁ ers. In this case, the character uses the 
  worst of the modiﬁ ers (i.e., the ones that hinder 
  him the most, or help him the least). For example, 
  suppose a character wants to perform a Martial 
  Disarm (-1 OCV, +1 DCV) and a Legsweep (+2 
  OCV, -1 DCV) against a target as a multiple-power 
  attack. Th e character’s Attack Roll is at -1 OCV, and 
  he is at -1 DCV — the worst OCV modiﬁ er and 
  DCV modiﬁ er from the two maneuvers.
  If both attacks used in a multiple-power attack 
  involve adding STR to the damage (such as HA and 
  HKA), the character may add his full STR to both 
  attacks. Similarly, if a character uses velocity to add 
  damage to his multiple-power attack, the velocity 
  adds its full eﬀ ect to both attacks.
  
  20 ■ Entering Combat
  Hero System 5th Edition
  Combat Maneuvers
  With the GM’s permission, a character can use 
  a Combat or Martial Maneuver to perform a mul-
  tiple-power attack, but only if that Maneuver could 
  be used with either attack individually. In this case, 
  the character gets the full OCV and DCV modiﬁ ers 
  from that Maneuver. If the Maneuver adds damage, 
  it only adds damage to one of the powers in the 
  attack, not both. If the character’s already adding 
  STR, such as to an HA or HKA that’s part of the 
  multiple-power attack, he cannot also add STR to 
  the Maneuver before applying it — it simply adds 
  its extra dice of damage to the overall eﬀ ect.
   OTHER RULES AND RESTRICTIONS
  Multiple-power attacks are Missile Deﬂ ected, 
  Dodged, or Blocked as one attack. Th ey are aﬀ ected 
  by Absorption as two separate attacks, however.
  At the GM’s option, characters may make mul-
  tiple-power attacks with some non-Attack Powers. 
  For example, a character might be allowed to use 
  his Weather Alteration ability (Change Environ-
  ment) together with his Lightning Bolt (RKA) to 
  create a “storm” eﬀ ect, or he could combine Dark-
  ness with an Area Of Eﬀ ect Ego Attack to create a 
  “mind-numbing shadow ﬁ eld.” However, characters 
  cannot use a Presence Attack as part of a mul-
  tiple-Power attack — but since a Presence Attack 
  takes no time, any character can perform one aft er 
  attacking anyway.
  Th e GM may, in his discretion, rule that char-
  acters cannot use certain attacks in multiple-power 
  attacks, based on the attacks’ respective Advantages, 
  Limitations, special eﬀ ects, or other factors. For 
  example, he might forbid a character to use a ﬁ re 
  power and ice power at the same time, combine a 
  Power with the Autoﬁ re Advantage with a Power 
  lacking that Advantage, or use a Power that does 
  No Knockback together with one that does normal 
  Knockback. If attacks have Power Modiﬁ ers that 
  are mutually exclusive — such as Concentration, 
  Gestures, or Incantations, each of which prevents 
  the simultaneous use of other Powers with the 
  same Limitation — those attacks may not be com-
  bined into a multiple-power attack.
  Autoﬁ re, Rapid Fire, And Sweep
  Characters can perform multiple-power 
  attacks with Autoﬁ re attacks with the GM’s permis-
  sion, but some special rules apply. If a character 
  ﬁ nds two suﬃ  ciently distinct Combat or Martial 
  Maneuvers that work at Range to use with an Auto-
  ﬁ re weapon/ability in a multiple-power attack, a 
  Maneuver that increases the attack’s damage would 
  increase the damage of each Autoﬁ red shot that 
  hits. Each Autoﬁ red shot that hits would also have 
  the other distinct eﬀ ect (say, a Disarm).
  A character cannot Rapid Fire or Sweep with a 
  multiple-power attack unless the GM permits him to.
  Who Goes First?
  If there’s some question as to the exact 
  timing of Actions (for example, a character is 
  trying to Desolidify when someone’s trying to 
  hit him), the GM should resolve the situation 
  by having both characters make DEX Rolls. The 
  character who makes his DEX Roll by the most 
  gets to act first; if both characters make the roll 
  by the same amount, the Actions go off simul-
  taneously. Sometimes this means a character 
  gets hit just before he manages to use a Defense 
  Power or take a defensive Action, but c’est la 
  guerre. A character can Abort to a defensive 
  Action (see below) to guarantee that it takes 
  effect before he gets hit (similarly, a Held defen-
  sive Action always takes place before an attack; 
  see below).
  Alternately, the GM may dispense with 
  the DEX Roll (perhaps as a way of speeding up 
  combat) and allow one of the characters to go ﬁ rst 
  based on their respective abilities. Two possibilities 
  include:  the character with the highest INT acts 
  ﬁ rst (if their INTs are also tied, use PRE); or the 
  character with Fast Draw acts ﬁ rst (if both have 
  Fast Draw, the one with the highest roll acts ﬁ rst).
  Consequences Of Losing Th e DEX Roll
  If two characters use DEX Rolls to determine 
  who acts ﬁ rst, the loser of the roll cannot then 
  choose to Abort to a defensive Action — commit-
  ting to the roll means the chance to Abort is lost. 
  Th e character has staked his chances on getting 
  to act ﬁ rst, and having failed to do so, has to live 
  with the consequences. In some cases, the GM may 
  even want the characters to specify what Actions 
  they’re attempting, and what powers or attacks 
  they’re using, before letting them make their DEX 
  Rolls. Th e losing character has already stated, in 
  eﬀ ect, (a) that he’s attacking, (b) what attack he’s 
  using, and (c) where he’s aiming. He can’t change 
  just because the winner got lucky, saw it coming, 
  and moved away. However, the losing character can, 
  if hit, declare that he’s Rolling With Th e Punch (if 
  appropriate).
  Similarly, if a character loses a DEX Roll Con-
  test to determine who acts ﬁ rst, and the target of 
  his attack moves out of the original hex he was in, 
  the character cannot “re-target” his attack to “track” 
  the target and still hit him.
  RESTRICTING 
  MULTIPLE-POWER 
  ATTACKS
  To prevent characters 
  from over-using mul-
  tiple-power attacks, the 
  GM can impose restric-
  tions similar to those on 
  Rapid Fire and Sweep:  
  for each power or 
  maneuver added to the 
  combination (including 
  the ﬁ rst one) the char-
  acter suﬀ ers a -2 OCV 
  penalty; multiple-power 
  attacks take a Full Phase; 
  using one halves the 
  character’s DCV.
  Since Linked (HERO 
  System 5th Edition, 
  Revised, page 299) 
  depends in part on the 
  multiple-power attack 
  rules, if the GM restricts 
  them, he may want to 
  consider increasing 
  the value of Linked to 
  reﬂ ect that.
  DYNAMIC COMBAT
  When characters make 
  DEX Rolls to determine 
  who acts ﬁ rst, keep in 
  mind that the combat 
  rules model a dynamic 
  situation. Th ey break 
  a battle down into dis-
  crete steps for game 
  management purposes, 
  but from the point of 
  view of “visualizing” 
  the ﬁ ght or providing a 
  dramatic explanation for 
  what a die roll signiﬁ es, 
  everything’s happening 
  at once. It’s not as if the 
  combatants line up on 
  the battleﬁ eld, then the 
  character with the high-
  est DEX performs all his 
  Actions while his lower-
  DEX opponent stands 
  there like a statue, then 
  the lower-DEX char-
  acter takes his Actions 
  while the higher-DEX 
  character stands around. 
  Everything happens 
  simultaneously — it just 
  has to be broken down 
  into discrete, ordered 
  steps for game purposes.
  
  21 
  Hero System Combat Handbook ■ Chapter One
  Holding An Action
  A character may choose not to act when his 
  DEX indicates that his Phase begins. He may wait 
  until a lower DEX or until some event occurs (“I 
  wait until he strikes”; “I wait until he comes around 
  the corner”). Th is is known as Holding an Action 
  (or delaying or reserving a Phase).
  A character may Hold his Action until a later 
  DEX in one of his Phases or until a later Segment. 
  However, he can never use a Held Action to take 
  two Actions in one Segment — he loses any Held 
  Action when the next Segment in which he has a 
  Phase begins, because he can only have one Phase 
  at a time. (Th e GM may, if he wishes, let a character 
  Hold his Action until his next Phase begins, but if 
  he chooses to use the Held Action before his Phase 
  occurs, it takes the place of his Phase — he cannot 
  have two Phases in the same Segment.) A character 
  who waits a whole Turn without taking an Action 
  still has only one Phase saved.
  A character may perform a Half Phase Action 
  and then Hold a Half Phase. Th e character is con-
  sidered “ready” and may perform the Held Half 
  Phase Action later.
  Typically, a character must either Hold his 
  Action until a speciﬁ ed lower DEX, or to wait for 
  a speciﬁ ed event (such as “I’ll wait until he looks 
  at me” or “I’ll Dodge if anyone attacks me”). In 
  the latter case, once the speciﬁ ed event occurs, the 
  character may choose not to use his Held Action, 
  and keep Holding it. With the GM’s permission, a 
  character can Hold his Action “generically,” without 
  declaring any sort of precondition for acting, and 
  then may perform whatever Action he wants to 
  whenever he wants to.
  A character can usually use a Held Action (or 
  Half Phase Action) at any time (unless the speciﬁ ed 
  precondition for acting would prevent this). If two 
  characters want to perform an Action at the same 
  time, each character should make a DEX Roll (or 
  EGO Roll, if using a Mental Power); the character 
  who makes his DEX Roll by more gets to act ﬁ rst. If 
  both characters make the roll by the same amount, 
  their Held Actions occur simultaneously. Regard-
  less of the roll, defensive Actions (any the character 
  could Abort to; see below) occur ﬁ rst; the need to 
  make a DEX Roll only applies to attacks, movement 
  Actions, and the like.
  A character who Holds his Action on Segment 
  12 still gets his Post-Segment 12 Recovery (see page 
  142), and may use his Held Action in the next Turn 
  on any Segment until a Segment in which he has 
  another Phase.
  Example:  Defender (SPD 5) and Ogre (SPD 5) 
  are in HTH Combat. It’s Segment 12. On DEX 
  23, Defender Holds his Action. On DEX 18, 
  Ogre charges Defender. Defender decides to ﬁ re 
  his Energy Blast. Since both characters want to 
  act at the same time, each must make a DEX 
  Roll. Defender rolls a 7, making his roll by 7. 
  Ogre rolls a 14, missing his roll by 1. Defender 
  made his roll by more, so he acts ﬁ rst. If Ogre 
  is still standing aft erward, he can then take his 
  Action. If the rolls had been made by equal 
  amounts, the two characters would have taken 
  their Actions simultaneously.
  If Witchcraft  had used an attack in Segment 
  12 to Knock Ogre Out before he could attack 
  Defender, Defender could continue Holding 
  his Action and use it in Segment 1 or 2 of the 
  next Turn. Th is would not prevent him from 
  taking a Post-Segment 12 Recovery. He could 
  not Hold his Action into Segment 3, however, 
  because that’s his next Phase. When Segment 
  3 begins, if he hasn’t used his Held Action, he 
  loses it. He can’t even use it in Segment 3 before 
  DEX 23 comes up — he loses it as soon as Seg-
  ment 3 begins.
  Generally, Holding an Action does not affect 
  a character’s Combat Value. If a character Blocks, 
  or uses some other Combat Maneuver that 
  affects his CV, in a Phase, and in his next Phase 
  declares a Held Action, at that point he loses the 
  CV modifiers from the Maneuver. Just because 
  he chooses to delay his Action doesn’t mean his 
  Phase hasn’t occurred, and that ends the effect of 
  a Combat Maneuver. However, his Combat Skill 
  Levels, if any, remain allocated as they were until 
  he changes them.
  Aborting An Action
  Sometimes a character can act ﬁ rst to protect 
  himself, regardless of relative DEX or the fact that 
  he doesn’t have a Phase. Th is is done by Aborting an 
  Action (sometimes called “Cancelling a Move”). 
  DEFENSIVE ACTIONS ONLY
  A character can only Abort his next Action 
  to perform a defensive Action. The text box on 
  page 23 lists some examples of what constitute 
  “defensive Actions.”
  A character cannot normally Abort to a move-
  ment Action, such as to run, ﬂ y, or Teleport out 
  of danger’s way. Dive For Cover and decelerating 
  or turning are exceptions to this — although they 
  do involve some movement, characters can Abort 
  to them. At the GM’s option, characters may be 
  allowed to Abort to other forms of movement in 
  appropriate circumstances.
  A character can never Abort to make an attack 
  (including to use a Damage Shield, which is not a 
  defensive power). However, if a character has an 
  attack of some kind Linked to a Defense Power (for 
  example, a Damage Shield Linked to a Force Field), 
  he may activate the attack when he Aborts to acti-
  vate the Defense Power.
  Ordinarily a character can only Abort to pro-
  tect himself. However, with the GM’s permission, a 
  character can Abort to protect others (for example, 
  to step in front of an attack intended to hit another 
  character, or to use Missile Deﬂ ection at range to 
  save someone from a bullet).
  A character may perform more than one 
  defensive Action while Aborting — such as Abort-
  ing to Dodge and simultaneously activating a 
  Defense Power — provided they’re not mutually 
  THE “NULL ZONE”
  As the text indicates, a 
  Held Action is lost at 
  the beginning of the 
  Segment on which the 
  character’s next Phase 
  occurs. Th us, there’s a 
  “null zone” between 
  the start of that Seg-
  ment and the start of 
  the character’s Phase 
  (which begins on his 
  DEX in that Segment). 
  Th is may create some 
  diﬃ  culties if a charac-
  ter wants to Hold his 
  Action in anticipation of 
  something his foe will 
  do when the foe has a 
  higher DEX.
  In this situation, the 
  GM should apply some 
  common sense and dra-
  matic sense. If a char-
  acter wants to Hold his 
  Action in anticipation 
  of a foe’s conduct, the 
  GM could use the Held 
  Action to, in essence, 
  move the character “up” 
  in the initiative order for 
  the Phase, so he can “go 
  ﬁ rst” before his foe only 
  for the purposes of start-
  ing another Held Action. 
  But if players start abus-
  ing this privilege, or it 
  causes problems, the 
  GM should stop allow-
  ing this and revert to the 
  strict letter of the rules.
  
  22 ■ Entering Combat
  Hero System 5th Edition
  exclusive. For example, a character cannot Abort to 
  Dodge and Block; both are Combat Maneuvers and 
  cannot be performed together.
  Whether a character can Abort, and to what 
  Actions, is always subject to the GM’s discretion. 
  Th e GM may limit a character’s capacity to Abort 
  based on the circumstances, the special eﬀ ects of 
  powers, Limitations taken on particular powers, 
  and so forth (see below).
  Example:  Willy Watson can turn into Mus-
  cleman when he utters a secret word. In his 
  Muscleman form he has signiﬁ cantly greater 
  defenses (and a higher DCV to boot). Th erefore 
  the GM normally should allow him to Abort 
  to activate his Muscleman powers and switch 
  identities (he might not allow this if Watson 
  couldn’t speak for some reason). On the other 
  hand, James Harmon, the superhero Defender, 
  has bought all of his powers (including Defense 
  Powers) through a powered armor suit, which 
  he simulates with the Limitation Only In Heroic 
  Identity. When he’s not wearing the armor, he 
  carries it around in his briefcase. Th e GM rules 
  that, since it takes him at least a full Phase or 
  longer to get the suit out of the case and put 
  it on, Defender cannot Abort to any of the 
  Defense Powers he bought through the suit.
  GM’s Permission Actions
  Generally, a character cannot Abort to shield 
  his eyes, or otherwise protect himself from, the 
  eﬀ ects of a Flash. Th e rules note that a character has 
  to be “prepared” to do that, and Aborting typically 
  implies a lack of preparation. However, the GM 
  could allow a character to “Abort to cover my eyes” 
  if he wanted to.
  Characters can only Abort to “right one’s self” 
  or “get to one’s feet” aft er suﬀ ering Knockback with 
  the GM’s permission.
  Characters can only Abort to create a wall with 
  Entangle with the GM’s permission. Before grant-
  ing permission, the GM should decide that creating 
  an Entangle wall constitutes a “defensive Action,” 
  rather than an attempt to separate two areas, block 
  someone’s escape, or the like.
  A character cannot Abort to using his full STR 
  the very same moment he’s Grabbed unless the GM 
  speciﬁ cally permits this on the grounds that it’s 
  “defensive” because being free from a Grab prevents 
  the character from suﬀ ering the usual DCV penalty 
  for being Grabbed.
  HOW TO ABORT AN ACTION
  Typically a character must declare an Abort 
  when an attacker announces he’s attacking that 
  character, but before any rolls are made. A character 
  can’t wait to see whether an Attack Roll misses, and 
  if it hits, then declare an Abort (unless, of course, 
  the GM permits this for the sake of drama).
  Aborting an Action requires the character’s 
  next full Phase to perform — in essence, the char-
  acter uses his next Phase “early” to protect himself. 
  If he’s Holding a Phase or Half Phase, he may 
  Abort to use his Held Action to perform a defen-
  sive Action; in that case he does not lose any more 
  Phases. If a character Aborts his next Phase, he can’t 
  act until the Phase aft er that.
  Example:  Lazer (SPD 5) is attacked in Segment 
  6 and decides to Abort to Dodge. Doing so uses 
  up his Phase in Segment 8 — when Segment 8 
  rolls around, Lazer can do nothing (but at least 
  he’ll still have the beneﬁ t of the extra DCV from 
  the Dodge); he won’t get to act again until his 
  Phase in Segment 10. If Lazer was attacked in 
  Segment 5 before his DEX came up, he would 
  instead have lost his Action in Segment 5 when 
  he Aborted to Dodge — since he had not yet 
  had the chance to take an Action, he still had 
  his full Phase left  in Segment 5 and could use 
  it to Abort to Dodge. If Lazer was attacked in 
  Segment 5 aft er he made a Half Move and was 
  Holding his remaining Half Phase Action, he 
  could Abort to Dodge and sacriﬁ ce his Held 
  Half Phase; he would not have to use up a full 
  Phase in that instance.
  Example:  A character has DEX 20, SPD 4, 
  which means he normally has a Phase on Seg-
  ments 3, 6, 9, and 12. In Segment 2, he Aborts his 
  Phase in Segment 3 to Block. Since he’s used his 
  Phase on Segment 3, he can’t do anything then 
  (though he can keep Blocking if he’s attacked 
  again, using the standard rules for that). When 
  his next Phase rolls around, in Segment 6, he 
  can then attack.
  If this same character Aborted in Segment 3, 
  but before his Phase occurs (for example, to 
  Dodge an attack from a character with DEX 
  25), he could Abort again on Segment 4 if nec-
  essary. Th e Phase he lost was the one he would 
  normally have in Segment 3.
  Once a character has performed an Attack 
  Action or otherwise used his full Phase in a par-
  ticular Segment, he cannot Abort to any Action 
  until the next Segment. For example, if Lazer’s DEX 
  came up in Segment 5 and he used his Phase to 
  attack Defender, and Defender then attacked him 
  back, Lazer could not Abort — he’s already acted in 
  Segment 5. He must wait until Segment 6 before he 
  can Abort his next Phase.
  Once a character Aborts, he cannot Abort 
  again or take any other Actions until aft er the Phase 
  he Aborted has passed. For example, suppose a 
  SPD 4 character (Phases in 3, 6, 9, and 12) Aborts 
  his Phase in Segment 6 in Segment 4 to Dodge an 
  attack. He cannot Abort again, or take any other 
  Actions, in Segments 4, 5, or 6. Aft er Segment 6 
  passes (i.e., in Segment 7 or later), he can Abort 
  again (for example, in Segment 7 or 8 he could 
  Abort his Phase in Segment 9).
  If a character Aborts his Phase in Segment 12 
  in an earlier Segment (say, Segment 11), in Segment 
  12 he cannot Abort his ﬁ rst Phase in the next Turn 
  — standard rules for Aborting apply. Th e character 
  can’t Abort again until aft er the Segment in which 
  he’d have the Phase he Aborted has passed.
  Characters who are Surprised normally cannot 
  Abort their next Phase; they have, aft er all, been 
  
  23 
  Hero System Combat Handbook ■ Chapter One
  taken unawares (see Surprised, page 50). However, 
  the GM may, in his discretion, allow them to Abort.
  An Action a character Aborts to always “goes 
  ﬁ rst,” even if an opponent is already attacking 
  or has a higher DEX. For example, if a character 
  Aborts to activate his Force Field, he automatically 
  gets the Force Field turned on before any opponent 
  can attack him or complete an Action.
  A character can Abort to a power that takes a 
  Full Phase, Delayed Phase, or Extra Segment. He 
  can Abort to a power that takes an Extra Phase, but 
  if so he loses his next two Phases. He cannot Abort 
  to powers that take more Extra Time than an Extra 
  Phase unless the GM permits him to.
  Aborting, Constant Powers, And Endurance
  A character who Aborts to activate a Constant 
  Power pays END in the Segment when he activates 
  the power (i.e., when he Aborts). He must pay END 
  to maintain the power in the usual fashion, but 
  he does not have to pay END again until the next 
  Phase in which he can act (in other words, not the 
  Phase he Aborted, but the next one aft er that).
  If a Constant Power is already in eﬀ ect when 
  a character Aborts one of his Phases, he pays the 
  END to maintain the Power in the Segment in 
  which he Aborts (regardless of the type of Power). 
  For bookkeeping purposes, since he’s eﬀ ectively 
  taking his Phase then, it’s easiest just to have him 
  pay the END then, too. He doesn’t pay any addi-
  tional END in the Segment in which he’d normally 
  have the Phase he Aborted; thereaft er he pays END 
  on his Phases as usual.
  DEFENSIVE ACTIONS
  Some valid defensive Actions for Aborting include:
  Block (including any Martial Maneuvers with the Block 
  Element).
  Dodge (including any Martial Maneuvers with the 
  Dodge Element).
  Dive For Cover (see text).
  Any Combat or Martial Maneuver with the Abort Ele-
  ment.
  Activating a Defense Power (this includes shift ing 
  the allocation of points in a Power Framework to use 
  a Defense Power; shift ing the allocation of Combat 
  Skill Levels that can improve DCV; and switching 
  forms, shapes, or identities to obtain more defense or 
  protection).
  Activating any Power that provides a character with 
  more points of defense (for example, Density Increase, 
  Growth Linked to Armor) or some other signiﬁ cant 
  form of protection (such as Desolidiﬁ cation).
  Decelerating or turning while moving, operating a 
  vehicle, or riding a mount.
  Resisting Knockback with STR or Flight.
  Use of any other Maneuver, activation/use of any other 
  Power, or performing any other Action deemed by the 
  GM to be primarily for purposes of defending or pro-
  tecting the character.
  
  24 ■ Entering Combat
  Hero System 5th Edition
  The Actions Table
  The Actions Table lists some examples of 
  the Actions a character can perform in a Phase. 
  The GM must decide how long an Action not 
  listed on the Action Table takes, using the listed 
  examples as guidelines.
  Example:  Wendell wants his character to run 
  to a pedestal and grab a mind-control helmet. 
  Th e GM might call that a Half Move and a 
  Grab maneuver.
  MOVEMENT
  All characters have some sort of movement 
  ability, be it ordinary movement (such as walking 
  or swimming) or more exotic abilities like Flight 
  or Teleportation.
  FULL MOVES AND HALF MOVES
  Each Phase a character may move any portion 
  of his inches of movement with a particular mode 
  of movement. A Full Move is deﬁ ned as moving 
  more than half of a character’s movement distance 
  with a particular mode of movement. It takes a 
  Full Phase Action to make a Full Move; a character 
  who has made a Full Move can’t perform any other 
  Action in that Phase.
  A Half Move is deﬁ ned as moving up to half of 
  a character’s movement distance with a particular 
  mode of movement. A character who’s made a Half 
  Move can perform another Half Phase Action in 
  that Phase (including making a Half Move with 
  some other mode of movement, if desired).
  Example:  Kinetik has Running 20”. That 
  means he can perform Half Moves of 1-10”. 
  If he moves 11” or more in a Phase, that’s a 
  Full Move.
  COMBAT AND NONCOMBAT MOVEMENT
  Th e HERO System rules divide movement into 
  two categories:  Combat Movement and Noncom-
  bat Movement.
  A character using Combat Movement, which 
  equals the number of inches of a given mode of 
  movement he’s purchased or can use naturally, 
  moves as quickly as possible while still looking out 
  for incoming attacks. A character using Combat 
  Movement has his full DCV and OCV and can 
  move up to his full movement rate.
  A character using Noncombat Movement moves 
  as quickly as he can — he isn’t looking out for incom-
  ing attacks. A character’s usual rate of Noncombat 
  Movement is double his Combat Movement rate; he 
  can increase this rate without increasing his Combat 
  Movement (see Movement Powers, HERO System 5th 
  Edition, Revised, pages 122-25). While moving at Non-
  combat Movement velocity, a character is at ½ DCV 
  and 0 OCV (and ½ DECV and 0 OECV, if appropri-
  ate). (If the character wants to make an attack, the 0 
  OCV counts as his base OCV, and can be modiﬁ ed 
  from that point.) If the GM wants additional “realism,” 
  ACTIONS TABLE
   
  Time 
  Move
  Action 
  Required Required
  Brace 
  0 Phase 
  —
  Find Weakness 
  ½ Phase 
  —
  Grab 
  ½ Phase $* 
  —
  Haymaker 
  ½ Phase #* 
  —
  Missile Deﬂ ection 
  ½ Phase * 
  —
  Move By 
  ½ Phase *† 
  1”
  Move Th rough 
  ½ Phase *† 
  1”
  Set 
  1 Phase 
  —
  Set and Brace 
  1 Phase 
  —
  Other Combat Maneuvers
  Any action that requires
  an Attack Roll 
  ½ Phase * 
  —
  Accelerating/decelerating 
  0 Phase 
  —
  Change clothes 
  1 Phase 
  —
  Draw a weapon 
  ½ Phase 
  —
  Get to one’s feet 
  ½ Phase 
  —
  Make a PER Roll with a
  Nontargeting Sense to
  perceive an enemy 
  ½ Phase 
  —
  Make a Presence Attack 
  No Time 
  —
  Make a roll at the GM’s request No Time 
  —
  Make a Skill Roll 
  Variable 
  —
  Open a door 
  ½ Phase 
  —
  Recover from being Stunned 
  1 Phase 
  —
  Shift  a Multipower 
  0 Phase & 
  —
  Shift  Skill Levels 
  0 Phase & 
  —
  Speaking (conversation) 
  Variable 
  —
  Speaking (soliloquy) 
  No Time 
  —
  Start a vehicle 
  ½ Phase 
  —
  Take a Recovery 
  1 Phase 
  —
  Turn on a Power 
  0 Phase & 
  —
  Turn oﬀ  a Power 
  0 Phase 
  —
  Use Casual Strength 
  0 Phase 
  —
  Use more than half of your
  inches of movement 
  1 Phase 
  Full Move
  Use up to half of your
  inches of movement 
  ½ Phase Half Move
  #  Action takes place at the very end of the next Segment
  $  A character who has made a successful Grab can 
  squeeze the target for his normal STR damage or 
  Th row him.
  *  Attack Action — the character may not perform 
  another Action aft er these Actions, but may perform a 
  Half Phase Action before these Actions.
  †  Move By and Move Th rough are usually performed 
  at the end of a Full Move, and thus take a Full Phase. 
  However, a character could perform one aft er taking a 
  Half Phase Action (such as opening a door), so they’re 
  listed as Half Phase Actions.
  &  Even though they are Zero Phase Actions, a charac-
  ter can only perform these Actions once per Segment. 
  In the case of turning on a Power, this applies per 
  Power, not to the character’s Powers as a whole.
  
  25 
  Hero System Combat Handbook ■ Chapter One
  he can use the Velocity-Based DCV to determine the 
  character’s DCV, but the OCV of a character using 
  Noncombat Movement is always 0. Th us, a character 
  using Noncombat Movement can still ﬁ ght, but at 
  the lowered values. Of course, to attack, the character 
  must limit himself to only making a Half Move with 
  his Noncombat Movement.
  Example:  Kinetik has Running 20” with x16 
  Noncombat Movement. His Combat Move-
  ment is 20”. When Running at speeds of 20” 
  per Phase or less, he retains his full OCV and 
  DCV. His Noncombat Movement velocity can 
  be as high as (20 x 16 =) 320” per Phase. If he 
  moves from 21-320” per Phase, he’s using Non-
  combat Movement, which means he’s at half 
  DCV, 0 OCV.
  If Kinetik hadn’t purchased Increased Non-
  combat Movement, he’d have the normal Non-
  combat Movement rate of double his Combat 
  Movement, or 40”. In that case, if he ran at 
  velocities of 21-40” per Phase, he’d be using 
  Noncombat Movement and suﬀ er the standard 
  CV penalty.
  VELOCITYBASED DCV
  To use this optional rule, the player should 
  determine the total number of inches his character 
  would travel in an entire Turn while using a par-
  ticular mode of movement at a particular rate (this 
  allows a character’s SPD to factor into the calcula-
  tion). Th e simple formula for this is:
  Velocity per Phase x SPD = Inches per Turn
  Once the character knows his velocity per Turn, 
  the Velocity-Based DCV Table tells him his DCV.
  Velocity-Based DCV is relative; two characters 
  or vehicles moving at the same high speed in the 
  same direction have their normal DCVs — rela-
  tive to each other, they’re not moving fast at all. As 
  a good rule of thumb, if characters are moving in 
  the same direction, subtract the attacker’s velocity 
  from the target’s velocity (see page 70). If the result 
  is 0 or less, the target gets its normal DCV; if the 
  result is greater than 0, use that ﬁ gure to determine 
  its Velocity-Based DCV. On the other hand, if the 
  characters are heading directly towards each other, 
  add their velocities together to determine each 
  one’s Velocity-Based DCV relative to the other.
  ACCELERATION, DECELERATION, AND 
  GRAVITY
  When using his movement, a character can 
  accelerate at a rate of 5” per hex, up to his maxi-
  mum normal Combat Movement in inches per 
  Phase. Th us a character with 25” of Flight would be 
  moving at a velocity of 5” aft er traveling one hex, 
  10” aft er traveling two hexes, 15” aft er traveling 
  three hexes, and so on, up to his Combat Move-
  ment velocity. Adding or removing velocity is a 
  Zero Phase Action, but characters can do it only 
  once per Phase, unless the GM rules otherwise.
  A character can decelerate at the same rate, up 
  to his normal Combat Movement velocity. Since 
  the total acceleration or deceleration in a Phase 
  is limited to the character’s Combat Movement 
  velocity, a character with a high Noncombat Move-
  ment may need several Phases to reach maximum 
  velocity or to slow down at the end of his journey. 
  Characters can buy Advantages for their Movement 
  Powers that allow them to accelerate and decelerate 
  more quickly.  See Movement Powers, HERO System 
  5th Edition, Revised, pages 122-25.
  A character cannot instantly decelerate to 0” 
  by turning oﬀ  a Movement Power, or by switch-
  ing to another slot in a Power Framework (if that’s 
  how he bought the Power). He may not deactivate 
  the Movement Power until he decelerates to 0” 
  normally or through some outside means (such as 
  being hit with an attack that would stop him from 
  moving), or the GM speciﬁ cally allows him to.
  Flight, Gliding, Running, Swimming, and 
  Swinging are also aﬀ ected by gravity (other Move-
  ment Powers are not so aﬀ ected). When moving 
  in a direction consistent with gravity (for example, 
  diving with Flight, or Running down a steep hill), 
  the character may add +1” of movement for every 
  1” of movement he uses. For instance, a character 
  using 15” of Flight in a dive would add +15” for a 
  total of 30” of Flight per Phase. Since this doesn’t 
  improve the character’s ability to decelerate, going 
  too fast can lead to spectacular crashes. When 
  working against gravity (Flying straight up or at a 
  steep angle, Running up steep stairs), the character 
  must use 2” of movement to move 1” (eﬀ ectively 
  halving his movement rate).
  Gravity’s eﬀ ect on a character’s velocity aﬀ ects 
  the damage a character does with Move By, Move 
  Th rough, and similar Combat Maneuvers. For 
  example, a Move Th rough performed by using 
  Flight 20” to dive straight down toward the target 
  does (40/3 =) +13d6 damage from velocity.
  ENDURANCE
  Unless noted otherwise in a Movement Pow-
  er’s description, all movement costs END at the rate 
  of 1 END per 10 Active Points in the Movement 
  Power. (Th is includes movement the character 
  receives for “free,” such as the standard Running 
  6” and Leaping from STR.) If a character moves 
  at Noncombat velocities, the END cost equals the 
  END he uses to move at Combat velocities — a 
  character with Flight 15” and a x8 Noncombat 
  Movement multiple (total of 40 Active Points and 
  Flight 120”) only spends 4 END per Phase.
  VELOCITY-BASED DCV TABLE
   
  Velocity in 
   
  Inches per Turn 
  Base DCV
   
  1-32 
  1
   
  33-64 
  3
   
  65-125 
  5
   
  126-250 
  7
   
  251-500 
  9
   
  501-1,000 
  11
   
  1,001-2,000 
  13
   
  2,001-4,000 
  15
   
  4,001-8,000 
  17
   
  8,001-16,000 
  19
   
  and so forth
  REAL-WORLD 
  SPEEDS
  Characters who want to 
  know how fast they’re 
  moving in real-world 
  terms (such as miles per 
  hour) can ﬁ nd out using 
  this formula:
  1. First, ﬁ gure out how 
  many total inches the 
  character moves in a 
  Turn. (In other words, 
  multiply his maximum 
  Noncombat Movement 
  velocity by his SPD.)
  2. Multiply that by 5 to 
  determine the charac-
  ter’s inches of movement 
  per minute.
  3. Multiply that result 
  by 60 to ﬁ nd out the 
  character’s inches of 
  movement per hour.
  4. Th ere are 804.5” in 
  a mile and 500” in a 
  kilometer. Divide a char-
  acter’s inches of move-
  ment per hour by those 
  ﬁ gures to determine his 
  speed in miles or kilo-
  meters per hour.
  For example, Kinetik 
  has Running 20”, 
  x16 Noncombat, and 
  SPD 7. Th at means 
  he moves (20 x 16 
  =) 320” per Phase 
  at his maximum 
  velocity, or (320 x 7 
  =) 2,240” per Turn. 
  Th at’s a velocity of 
  (2,240 x 5 = 11,200” 
  per Minute, or 
  672,000” per Hour; 
  672,000”/804.5 =) 
  835 miles per hour!
  
  26 ■ Entering Combat
  Hero System 5th Edition
  MOVEMENT AND STRENGTH
  As an optional rule, the GM can allow charac-
  ters to use their Flight or Leaping to enhance their 
  ability to lift  or push. (He can allow them to use 
  other forms of movement in appropriate circum-
  stances; for example, a character who’s underwater 
  might be able to augment his STR with Swimming.) 
  Every 2” of Combat Movement becomes +1 point 
  of STR. Any movement “velocity” used in this way 
  cannot be used for movement, nor can characters 
  apply it to increase the damage done by Combat 
  Maneuvers and similar attacks that use the charac-
  ter’s STR to do damage.
  Example:  Defender sees a building about to fall 
  on a crowd of innocent civilians. He ﬂ ies under 
  the building, but his 55 STR is not enough to 
  hold it up. Th inking quickly, he points his boot-
  jets straight down. He decides to use all of his 
  10” of Flight to increase his STR; his STR (only 
  for purposes of holding the building up) is now 
  55 + (10/2) = 60.
  Stopping Moving Objects
  Characters can also use STR to oppose another 
  character’s or object’s movement — to stop a speed-
  ing car or runaway horse, for example. To do this, 
  the character must make an Attack Roll to Grab 
  the character or object and obtain a ﬁ rm hold; the 
  object may make a STR Roll (with additions to STR 
  from movement) every Phase to break free from 
  the character’s grip (this is a Zero Phase Action, 
  but may only be done once per Phase). For every 5 
  points of STR a character has (including STR added 
  from movement), he may subtract 1” of movement 
  per Phase. Th us, a charac-
  ter with 50 STR subtracts 
  10” of movement the ﬁ rst 
  Phase he tries to stop a 
  moving object, another 
  10” the next Phase (reduc-
  ing the character’s or 
  object’s movement by a 
  total of 20”), and so on 
  until the object gets away 
  from him or is brought to 
  0” of movement.
  If the character 
  fails to stop the moving 
  character or object com-
  pletely with his STR the 
  first Phase he tries to do 
  so, but it does not break 
  free from his grip, he 
  will be dragged along 
  by the moving charac-
  ter or object unless he 
  lets go. If he is dragged, 
  his weight may cause 
  the moving character 
  or object to slow down 
  even further. Consult the 
  rules for Encumbrance 
  (pages 45-46) to deter-
  mine what effect, if any, 
  the extra weight has, based on the character’s or 
  vehicle’s STR (if the object is not a vehicle, the 
  GM should assign it a STR for this purpose).
  Example:  Defender (STR 55, Flight 10”, weighs 
  200 kg) tries to stop a runaway bus (STR 40, 
  Ground Movement 15”, moving at 45” per 
  Phase with Noncombat Movement). He makes 
  an Attack Roll and Grabs the vehicle. Th e vehi-
  cle immediately gets to try to break free from 
  his Grab. It rolls 9½d6 (for 40 STR + 8 STR 
  from Combat Movement) and gets 8 BODY; 
  Defender rolls 12d6 (for 55 STR + 5 STR from 
  Combat Movement) and gets 12 BODY, so he 
  maintains his Grab. Defender’s STR slows the 
  bus down by 12”; it’s now moving at 33” per 
  Phase. Because Defender did not stop it and it 
  did not break his grip, he’s being dragged (or 
  pushed) along by the vehicle; his weight isn’t 
  enough to slow it down any further. He keeps 
  subtracting 12” per Phase from its movement 
  until it comes to a stop or breaks free.
  Expanded Rules For Stopping Moving Objects
  Some GMs also need rules for much bigger 
  moving objects — avalanches and landslides, mete-
  ors and comets, and the like.
  Any object that applies constant force in 
  its forward progress is referred to as a “resisting 
  object.” Th is category includes vehicles operating 
  under their own power, objects moved by gravity 
  powers or Telekinesis, and the like.
  All these objects have two signiﬁ cant charac-
  teristics:  their movement rate and their Strength. 
  For objects moved by gravity or Telekinesis, calcu-
  
  27 
  Hero System Combat Handbook ■ Chapter One
  late the strength of the gravity/Telekinesis rather 
  than that of the object. Gravity has a STR value 
  equal to the amount of STR necessary to pick up 
  the entire resisting object in the ﬁ rst place — if it’s 
  a normal-sized man, gravity acts on it with STR 10; 
  if it’s a 100-ton space shuttle, gravity has STR 60. If 
  the object doesn’t have its own STR Characteristic 
  naturally, and isn’t being aﬀ ected by gravity, the GM 
  should assign it a STR based on its size, mass, and 
  any other factor he deems relevant.
  A character trying to stop a moving resisting 
  object must ﬁ rst put himself in a position to apply 
  movement (opposite to its current direction) to some 
  portion of it (preferably its most forward point — that 
  tends to be most eﬃ  cient, and is the most visually 
  appealing). Th is usually means the character must 
  use his own movement abilities to get to that point, 
  normally without making a Move Th rough or Move 
  By attack against the resisting object. Once he’s in 
  position, use the basic “stopping moving objects” rules, 
  above, to determine if he can get a hold on the object 
  and start to slow it down. Typically, a character needs 
  to have an appropriate Movement Power to stop a 
  resisting object — a superhero who lacks Flight usu-
  ally can’t Grab a ﬂ ying object and use his STR to slow 
  it down, since he has no way to counter its forward 
  momentum. Th e GM may waive this rule in appropri-
  ate circumstances.
  Generally, a character can only stop a resist-
  ing object if he has enough STR to lift  that object 
  when it’s not in motion. Weaker characters who 
  try to stop a resisting object simply suﬀ er a Move 
  Th rough from the object and get knocked out of 
  the way or dragged along. Characters may also ﬁ nd 
  it more diﬃ  cult (or impossible) to properly Grab 
  and stop some types of objects, such as tidal waves 
  or avalanches; they may need to have Force Wall, or 
  a large, ﬂ at object, to use as a tool in this situation.
  Th e simple, easy to use rule described above 
  allows a character to subtract inches of movement 
  from the resisting object’s velocity each Phase 
  automatically, based on his STR. To make the situ-
  ation more dangerous, diﬃ  cult, and dramatic, the 
  GM may want to change this a little to render the 
  outcome less certain:  the character must make a 
  STR Versus STR Roll against the resisting object 
  each Phase; if he loses, he doesn’t get to subtract 
  any inches of movement from it that Phase. (At 
  the GM’s option, if he wins the roll by a signiﬁ cant 
  margin, he may subtract more movement than 
  normal for that Phase.)
  If a character fails to stop a moving object 
  that he’s Grabbed, in later Phases he can choose to 
  Squeeze it and damage it instead of using his STR 
  to subtract inches of movement. He cannot Th row 
  it or use any other option for Grab; all he can do 
  is Squeeze. Assuming he does enough damage, he 
  may destroy the object, bring it to a halt, cause it to 
  crash, or the like.
  OBSTACLES
  If a character comes to an obstacle while 
  moving, he has several options. First, he can stop 
  his movement, assuming he has suﬃ  cient room 
  to slow down. Second, he can perform a Move 
  Th rough on the object, thereby smashing through 
  it (if successful) or running into it and hurting 
  himself (if not). Th ird, he can try to shrug it aside 
  by using his Casual Strength (see Strength, HERO 
  System 5th Edition, Revised, page 34, for more details 
  on Casual STR).
  Example: Baran the warrior (STR 25) is ﬂ ee-
  ing from a ﬁ re demon when he comes to a thin 
  wooden door. Not wanting to slow down, Baran 
  uses his Casual STR — 13 STR — to try to push 
  the door open. Th e GM looks at the Strength 
  Table to ﬁ nd that 13 STR would lift  150 kg, so 
  he rules that’s more than enough to push aside 
  the door. Baran ﬂ ings the door wide and con-
  tinues his escape without wasting a step.
  SEGMENTED MOVEMENT
  Some types of movement don’t work realisti-
  cally by uneven Phases. In this case, you can split 
  the movement into Segment by Segment move-
  ment. Th is helps to simulate falls and similar situ-
  ations where the character’s SPD doesn’t directly 
  aﬀ ect his velocity. If a character uses Segmented 
  Movement, he should move on every Segment, 
  instead of every Phase. Th e GM can multiply his 
  velocity per Phase x SPD to determine his velocity 
  per Turn, and then divide that by 12 to determine 
  how fast he moves per Segment.
  EXAMPLE RESISTING 
  OBJECTS
  Th e following are suggested STR and movement values 
  for various resisting objects characters might encounter:
  Asteroid/meteor, small*:  STR 40-60, movement 500”
  Asteroid/meteor, medium*:  STR 60-100, movement 500”
  Asteroid/meteor, large*:  STR 100-150, movement 500”
  Avalanche, small*:  STR 30-40, movement 20”
  Avalanche, medium*:  STR 40-50, movement 20”
  Avalanche, large*:  STR 50-60, movement 20”
  Bus/truck:  STR 40-55, movement up to 100” 
  Noncombat
  Car:  STR 30-40, movement up to 125” Noncombat
  Tidal wave, small*:  STR 30-40, movement 80-120”
  Tidal wave, medium*:  STR 40-50, movement 80-120”
  Tidal wave, large*:  STR 50-60, movement 80-120”
  Train/subway:  STR 55-65, movement 40-80” Noncom-
  bat (or up to 336” for bullet trains)
  *:  Character may need a Force Wall or large, ﬂ at object 
  to “Grab” this “object.”
  FACING
  Generally speaking, the 
  HERO System doesn’t 
  have any rules for facing 
  (i.e., which direction 
  a character’s looking 
  toward). Th e only spe-
  ciﬁ c rules in the system 
  for changing facing 
  pertain to Teleporta-
  tion (HERO System 5th 
  Edition, Revised, page 
  234). If an issue pertain-
  ing to facing comes up 
  in the game, changing 
  facing while Running, 
  Leaping, Swimming, 
  Swinging, or Tunneling 
  is a Zero Phase Action 
  in most circumstances. 
  Th at means a character 
  can’t do it aft er perform-
  ing a Full Phase Action, 
  but the GM can rule 
  otherwise based on the 
  situation, the abilities 
  involved, common and 
  dramatic sense, and 
  other relevant factors. 
  Changing facing with 
  Flight, Gliding, or Tele-
  portation depends on 
  Turn Modes and/or the 
  the use of the Position 
  Shift  Adder.
  
  28 ■ Entering Combat
  Hero System 5th Edition
  Normal Movement
  “Normal” movement means those modes of 
  movement all characters possess — Running, Leap-
  ing, and Swimming.
  RUNNING
  Running is the standard form of movement 
  for most characters. All characters start with 6” of 
  Running; they can increase this by +1” for every 2 
  Character Points. In Heroic campaigns, the Normal 
  Characteristic Maximum breakpoint for Running is 
  10” per Phase; aft er this maximum, the cost doubles. 
  Th ere is no maximum for Superheroic campaigns. 
  Running has no Turn Mode (see Flight, below); a 
  character can turn as oft en as he wants when Run-
  ning. Th e GM may require characters to use a Turn 
  Mode if the footing is especially treacherous.
  LEAPING
  All characters have a base forward leap of 1” 
  and a base upward leap of ½” (half the forward leap) 
  for every 5 points of STR; a character can increase 
  his forward leap by +1” for every 1 Character Point. 
  Th e Normal Characteristic Maximum breakpoint 
  for Leaping in Heroic campaigns is 5”; aft er this 
  maximum the cost doubles. Th ere is no maximum 
  for Superheroic campaigns.
  It’s impossible to change direction once a 
  leap has started — there’s no way to leap around a 
  corner, for example. A leap is considered to include 
  a short run to get some velocity; a standing leap is 
  only half as far. It’s possible to perform a leap of up 
  to half the character’s inches as a Half Move. For 
  some leaps, characters may have to make Attack 
  Rolls to land in the target hex (see Leaping, HERO 
  System 5th Edition, Revised, page 196). When a char-
  acter lands from a leap, he does not hurt himself, 
  and generally causes no damage to whatever he 
  lands on unless he’s performing a Move Th rough or 
  the GM rules otherwise.
  SWIMMING
  All characters can swim a base distance of 
  2” per Phase. A character can increase his Swim-
  ming rate by +1” for every 1 Character Point. Th e 
  Normal Characteristic Maximum breakpoint for 
  Swimming in Heroic campaigns is 5”; aft er this 
  maximum the cost doubles. Th ere is no maximum 
  for Superheroic campaigns. Swimming has no 
  Turn Mode; a character can make as many turns 
  as he wants when Swimming.
  Based on their conception, some characters 
  won’t know how to swim. For example, Dwajmi the 
  desert nomad has never seen water except in a well 
  or a shallow oasis, so he’s never learned to swim. 
  Characters such as Dwajmi may sell back their 
  natural 2” of Swimming, gaining 2 Character Points 
  to spend on something else. If they later decide to 
  learn how to swim, they must buy Swimming at 
  the standard cost. Unless a character has at least 1” 
  of Swimming, he cannot even stay aﬂ oat. Th e GM 
  may rule that some characters (for example, Heavy-
  worlders in a Science Fiction campaign) can never 
  learn how to swim.
  Powered Movement
  “Powered” movement means those modes 
  of movement characters have to pay Character 
  Points for:  Flight; Gliding; Swinging; Telepor-
  tation; and Tunneling. (It also includes Extra-
  Dimensional Movement and FTL Travel, but 
  those aren’t covered here.)
  FLIGHT
  A character’s Flight speed depends on how 
  many Character Points he spent on Flight. A char-
  acter who ﬂ ies isn’t as maneuverable as someone on 
  the ground — he has a Turn Mode that deﬁ nes how 
  oft en he may make a 60-degree turn (or a one hex 
  side shift  on a hex grid). Th e Turn Mode is deﬁ ned 
  by the formula:
  Current Turn Mode = Total Distance 
  Traveled This Phase/5
  A character can make his ﬁ rst 60-degree turn 
  any time aft er the start of his move; this turn is 
  “free.” Once he’s turned, he cannot turn again until 
  he moves his Turn Mode in inches forward. As a 
  simple rule, a character using Combat Movement 
  cannot make more than ﬁ ve evenly spaced turns 
  during a move. If the character moves at Non-
  combat velocities, he can make no more than two 
  evenly spaced turns.
  Example:  Lazer ﬂ ies at 10” per Phase. Using 
  the formula, he has a Turn Mode of 10/5 = 
  2”. Lazer wants to turn around, so he turns 60 
  degrees, moves 2”, turns 60 degrees, moves 2”, 
  turns a ﬁ nal 60 degrees and completes his move 
  by ﬂ ying 6” (see illustration).
  As discussed on page 25, gravity aﬀ ects Flight. 
  A ﬂ ying character must use 2” of Flight distance 
  to gain 1” of altitude (i.e., to ﬂ y upward, against 
  gravity). If he dives, he gains +1” of velocity for 
  every 1” of Flight distance he has (i.e., ﬂ ying down-
  ward, with gravity, increases his speed). To pull 
  out of such a dive, the character should dive his 
  Turn Mode in inches. If he’s diving straight down 
  (his Flight distance in inches free, plus his Flight 
  distance down) then he must dive twice his Turn 
  Mode. When a character has pulled out of a dive, 
  he’s considered to be ﬂ ying level (at his regular 
  velocity) and can continue ﬂ ying whatever direc-
  tion he wants.
  
  29 
  Hero System Combat Handbook ■ Chapter One
  GLIDING
  Th e GM should regulate how rapidly a glid-
  ing character can climb. Climbing is relatively 
  easy when there are thermals or good winds; a 
  glider can generally gain 1d6” of altitude per Phase 
  (halved for working against gravity, as normal). At 
  other times a character’s ability to gain altitude may 
  be limited or nonexistent. Th e Turn Mode and dive 
  rate of a gliding character are the same as for Flight. 
  Characters can only gain velocity while Gliding 
  by losing altitude (see HERO System 5th Edition, 
  Revised, page 182).
  SWINGING
  A character’s Swinging speed depends on how 
  many Character Points he spent on Swinging. Th e 
  GM determines the direction of a swing based 
  on the situation, the point to which the character 
  attaches his swingline, and other factors. Typi-
  cally a swing takes place in a straight line, and the 
  character cannot change direction once he begins 
  the swing (he cannot, for example, swing around 
  corners, though the GM might allow minor shift s 
  in direction based on body motion and the like). 
  However, the GM may allow characters to swing in 
  arcs in some circumstances. For example, if a char-
  acter attaches his swingline to the corner of a build-
  ing, he might be able to swing in an arc around the 
  corner of the building. In this case, Swinging has 
  the standard Turn Mode (see above), unless the 
  GM rules otherwise. Th e character should describe 
  the arc of his swing to the GM before making it so 
  the GM can approve it, and cannot change it once 
  he begins the swing unless the GM permits him to.
  TELEPORTATION
  Many aspects of and rules for Teleporting are 
  covered under Teleportation, HERO System 5th Edi-
  tion, Revised, page 233.
  Teleporting Blind
  When a character cannot see his target loca-
  tion and doesn’t have it memorized, any attempt to 
  Teleport is considered “blind.” Th e character makes 
  an Attack Roll to hit the target hex (DCV 3), with a 
  normal Range Modiﬁ er. If the roll misses, he ends 
  up in a diﬀ erent hex (use the standard rules for 
  attacks that miss a hex to determine where he goes). 
  If the hex is occupied, the character takes damage.
  Teleporting Into A Solid Object
  If a character is unlucky enough to Teleport 
  into a solid object (for whatever reason), his natural 
  safety system kicks in, getting him to the closest 
  space from the target hex where he ﬁ ts. Th e system 
  shock is terrible, and may be fatal. To determine 
  damage, use the accompanying table. Th e Teleport-
  ing character gets no defenses of any kind against 
  this damage.
  It’s impossible for a character to deliberately 
  Teleport another character into a solid object, even 
  if the Teleportation is bought Usable As Attack.
  Example: Cheshire Cat (Teleportation 30”) is 
  in a cell. Although he can’t see out, he decides 
  to try to escape by Teleporting straight up. He 
  declares his target hex and makes a success-
  ful Attack Roll (even after applying the Range 
  Modifier). Unfortunately, the cell is buried 
  100” underground, so the nearest safe loca-
  TELEPORTATION 
  DAMAGE TABLE
   2d6 Roll 
  Effect
   
  2-7 
  3d6 of d6 STUN Only Damage
   
  8-11 
  2d6 of d6 Normal Damage
   
  12 
  1d6 of d6 Killing Damage
  If the nearest safe hex is further than the character’s 
  Combat Movement with Teleportation, add 2 to the 
  eﬀ ect roll. If the nearest safe hex is more than double 
  his Combat Movement with Teleportation, add 4 to the 
  eﬀ ect roll. 
  
  30 ■ Entering Combat
  Hero System 5th Edition
  tion is the cell. His Teleportation shifts him 
  back to the cell automatically. The GM rolls 
  2d6 for the effect; he rolls a 9, which means 
  Cheshire Cat takes 2d6 of d6 of Normal 
  Damage. The roll is an 8, so the Cat takes 
  8d6 Normal Damage with no defense.
  TUNNELING
  Tunneling has no Turn Mode. A character 
  cannot automatically perceive where he’s going 
  when he’s Tunneling unless he has Sensory Powers 
  that let him perceive through the medium he’s 
  Tunneling through. See HERO System 5th Edition, 
  Revised, page 241 for more information.
  Vehicle Movement
  Vehicles move just like characters:  they have a 
  SPD, Combat Movement velocity, and Noncombat 
  Movement velocity. However, all vehicles have a 
  Turn Mode with all forms of movement (see Flight, 
  above), including Ground Movement (Running).
  For further information on vehicle movement 
  in combat situations, see Vehicle Combat, HERO 
  System 5th Edition, Revised, pages 471-75.
  Mounted Movement
  In some games, such as Fantasy campaigns, a 
  lot of movement takes place while the characters 
  are riding horses or other mounts. Th is oft en pro-
  vides a character with greatly enhanced movement 
  capability, but at the cost of restricting his ability to 
  perform certain Actions in combat.
  A mount essentially functions as a vehicle. Its 
  inches of Running (or other form of movement) 
  substitute for the character’s. However, when it 
  moves, and what Actions it can take, depend upon 
  its SPD and DEX and the rider’s SPD and DEX.
  RELATIVE SPEED AND DEXTERITY
  If the rider’s SPD exceeds the mount’s, the 
  rider can only make the mount move on its own 
  Phases. Th e rider either has to (a) Hold his Action 
  so he can act on his mount’s Phases (thus, they act 
  together); (b) make the mount Hold its Actions so 
  that it takes its Phases in Segments in which the 
  rider also has a Phase; or (c) limit himself to per-
  forming Actions other than moving (such as attack-
  ing or defending himself) in Segments in which he 
  has a Phase but the mount does not.
  If the mount’s SPD exceeds the rider’s, or the 
  mount has Phases in Segments in which the rider 
  does not, the rider can make the mount Hold its 
  Action so their Phases coincide, thus allowing him 
  more control over the mount (or the rider may, if he 
  chooses, Hold his own Actions for the same purpose). 
  However, the rider may choose to let the mount move 
  on its own, with only minimal control from him. To 
  do so, he makes a Riding roll (this takes no time). If he 
  succeeds, the mount makes a Half Move or Full Move 
  in whatever direction the rider desires; it may, if it 
  makes only a Half Move, perform another Half Phase 
  Action (such as an attack, if it’s trained to ﬁ ght). If he 
  fails, the mount does not move, or may move in an 
  undesired direction. In either case, the rider is consid-
  ered to be moving at Noncombat Movement velocity 
  (and thus to be at ½ DCV), regardless of his actual 
  velocity. (Th is penalty only applies in this speciﬁ c situ-
  ation; riding a mount does not always halve DCV, see 
  Combat Values And Fighting, below.)
  Regardless of their relative SPDs, both rider 
  and mount can only act on their own DEXs in their 
  Phases. Th us, if a high-DEX character rides a low-
  DEX mount, he has to wait until the mount’s DEX 
  comes up during the Phase before the mount (and 
  thus he) can move. Th e rider can take his Action 
  (such as attacking a nearby foe) on his own DEX 
  — but if he does so, he’ll be unable to control the 
  mount properly if it moves on its own DEX (just as 
  if the mount moves in a Segment in which it has a 
  Phase but the rider does not).
  COMBAT TRAINING FOR MOUNTS
  In combat, the rider’s ability to function eﬀ ec-
  tively as a mounted warrior depends on whether 
  his mount is trained for battle or not. A mount is 
  considered trained for combat if it has a Presence 
  of 15 or greater or it knows the Riding Skill itself 
  (in this case, the Skill simulates the mount’s self-
  control and knowledge of how to move to help its 
  rider ﬁ ght). If a mount isn’t trained for combat, the 
  rider must spend a Half Phase and make a Riding 
  roll every one of his Phases; this helps him keep the 
  mount under control and make it act as he wishes 
  (though he cannot make it attack). Furthermore, 
  even if the rider makes his Riding roll, he is at ½ 
  OCV (his DCV remains normal). If the rider fails 
  his Riding roll, he must make a second Riding roll 
  to keep from being thrown; he can do nothing that 
  Phase but hang on to the mount and make a Half 
  Move directly away from the thick of battle.
  If the mount is trained for combat, the rider 
  may make the mount move without making a 
  Riding roll; furthermore, the rider is at normal 
  OCV (but suﬀ ers a -2 penalty; see below). If rider 
  and mount both have a Phase in the same Segment, 
  both may attack. Th ey make up to a Half Move, 
  and then the rider makes a Riding roll (this takes 
  no time). If the roll succeeds, the rider may make 
  his attack, and the mount may also make an attack. 
  Alternately, the mount can make a Full Move (thus 
  preventing it from making an attack) and the 
  rider has a Half Phase Action in which to attack or 
  defend himself. If the roll fails, the rider may use 
  his remaining Half Phase to attack, but the mount 
  may not attack or move any further.
  COMBAT VALUES AND FIGHTING
  In combat, the mount and the rider each 
  have their own CVs calculated from their own 
  DEXs. However, the rider is always at -2 OCV 
  because, even with a trained combat mount, 
  he must spend some energy and concentration 
  keeping his seat and controlling his mount. At 
  the GM’s option, any negative modifiers applied 
  to the Riding roll in a Phase may also apply to 
  the rider’s (or the mount’s) OCV, reflecting the 
  difficulty of keeping the mount controlled in 
  
  31 
  Hero System Combat Handbook ■ Chapter One
  such conditions. If the rider attacks 
  targets on foot, and the campaign 
  uses Hit Locations, the Hit Location 
  should be rolled as a High Shot (see 
  pages 117-20).
  If a mount is injured, its rider 
  may, at the GM’s option, have to make 
  another Riding roll to control it (this 
  takes no time). If he fails the roll, the 
  mount moves away from combat as 
  fast as it can in its next Phase. Mounts 
  trained for combat usually won’t do 
  this unless badly injured (i.e., they take 
  5 or more BODY from a single attack).
  If the mount takes Knockback 
  from an attack, it usually loses its 
  balance and falls. The rider must 
  make a Riding roll to leap off the 
  mount or otherwise prevent him-
  self from being caught in the fall 
  and taking the same damage as the 
  mount takes from the Knockback 
  (this takes no time). If the rider 
  takes Knockback from an attack, 
  he must make a Riding roll at -1 
  for every 2” (or fraction thereof) 
  of Knockback taken or fall off the 
  mount; if the roll succeeds, the 
  rider takes no Knockback and retains his seat 
  (otherwise he’s knocked off the mount). If the 
  mount is Knocked Out, it will fall, requiring 
  the rider to make a roll as described above.
  If either the mount or the rider performs a 
  defensive Combat Maneuver such as Dodge or 
  Block, the beneﬁ ts of that Maneuver apply only 
  to the character making them. A rider does not, 
  for example, gain bonuses to his DCV because his 
  mount Dodges.
  If a mount moves at Noncombat velocity, the 
  rider himself does not suﬀ er Noncombat Move-
  ment penalties to CV.
  Th e GM may apply modiﬁ ers of -1 to -5 to any 
  Riding roll to reﬂ ect combat conditions, monsters, 
  damage the mount has suﬀ ered, and anything else 
  that might scare a mount.
  Example:  Sir Gareth (DEX 18, SPD 4, 6” Run-
  ning) rides his trusty steed Destrier (DEX 15, 
  SPD 3, 12” Running) into battle. Destrier is a 
  trained warhorse (PRE 15).
  In Segment 3, Sir Gareth has a Phase, but Des-
  trier does not. Sir Gareth could attack someone 
  if he wanted to, but he cannot move, because 
  Destrier doesn’t have a Phase. Sir Gareth opts 
  to Hold his Action until Destrier can move. In 
  Segment 4, on DEX 15, Destrier moves forward 
  12”, carrying Sir Gareth with him. Because Des-
  trier is a trained warhorse and is not making 
  an attack, Sir Gareth need not make a Riding 
  roll to get Destrier to go where he (Sir Gareth) 
  wants, and he has his full OCV (-2 for riding a 
  mount) when he attacks this Phase. Sir Gareth 
  swings his sword at a foe, using his OCV 4 (6-2) 
  to hit the enemy and wound him.
  In Segment 6, Sir Gareth has a Phase, but Des-
  trier does not. Because there is another enemy 
  within HTH range nearby, Sir Gareth decides 
  to use his Phase to attack. He rolls again with 
  OCV 4 and hits and kills his target.
  In Segment 8, Destrier has a Phase, but Sir 
  Gareth does not. Sir Gareth has Destrier Hold 
  his Action so they can act together in Segment 
  9. Had Sir Gareth chosen to have Destrier run 
  forward, he could have made a Riding roll to 
  get Destrier to go where he (Sir Gareth) wanted 
  him to, but he would have been at ½ DCV until 
  his next Phase. 
  In Segment 9, on DEX 15, Sir Gareth urges 
  Destrier to charge towards an enemy knight. 
  However, an enemy wizard has cast a fear spell 
  over the battleﬁ eld, frightening Destrier, so Sir 
  Gareth must make a Riding roll at -2 to get him 
  to act. Sir Gareth succeeds, so Destrier makes 
  a 6” Half Move towards the foe. Sir Gareth 
  decides they will both attack. He makes another 
  Riding roll, so Destrier can use his remaining 
  Half Phase to attack. As Sir Gareth hacks at the 
  enemy knight and misses (the GM imposed the 
  -2 for the initial Riding roll on his OCV, to sim-
  ulate the diﬃ  culty he’s had controlling Destrier 
  this Phase), Destrier tries to bite (HKA 1 point) 
  the enemy knight’s horse. Destrier rolls a 6 with 
  his OCV 4, and hits! Th e enemy horse takes a 
  minor wound; the GM has the enemy knight 
  make a Riding roll to keep his horse under con-
  trol (he succeeds easily).
  In Segment 12, both Sir Gareth and Destrier 
  have a Phase. Sir Gareth decides they will 
  attempt to Coordinate their attack. He Holds 
  his Action until DEX 15. Th e GM allows them 
  
  32 ■ Entering Combat
  Hero System 5th Edition
  to Coordinate if both make 8- rolls; they suc-
  ceed! As Destrier rears up and comes crashing 
  down on the enemy knight, Sir Gareth uses the 
  momentum of the maneuver to increase the 
  force of his sword-blow (the GM grants him +1 
  Damage Class to simulate this); both hit, and 
  the enemy knight falls lifeless to the ground.
  Aerial Mounted Combat
  In some campaigns, particularly High Fantasy 
  games, mounted combat may take place in the air, 
  pitting characters riding pegasi, dragons, hippog-
  riﬀ s, manticores, griﬃ  ns, rocs, and other fantasti-
  cal ﬂ ying beasts against each other. Th e rules for 
  mounted combat generally apply to aerial mounted 
  combat without any changes, but GMs and players 
  should keep several things in mind.
  First, mounts using Flight have a Turn Mode, 
  making them less maneuverable than horses. Th ey 
  an also ﬁ ght in three dimensions, which may make 
  it a little diﬃ  cult to keep track of the combat or 
  prepare for every enemy tactic.
  Second, aerial mounted combat is more likely 
  than ground mounted combat to involve Ranged 
  attacks. If an aerial battle takes place wholly at 
  Range, the GM may want to adapt the rules for 
  Dogﬁ ght Combat (page 323 of the rulebook, or 
  page 214 of Th e Ultimate Vehicle). If two or more 
  aerial combatants close to HTH Combat range, 
  resolve their ﬁ ght normally.
  Th ird, due to the danger of falling from high 
  in the air, saddles for aerial mounts are usually 
  sturdier and strap the rider in more strongly. Th is 
  provides a +2 bonus to any Riding rolls to avoid 
  being “unhorsed” by an attack (or a -2 OCV on 
  attackers’ Unhorse maneuvers), and acts as -2” 
  Knockback Resistance in the event the campaign 
  uses the Knockback rules. However, the saddle’s 
  ﬁ rm grip should also hinder the character. Th e GM 
  determines the exact drawback, but typical ones 
  include:  increasing the damage of attacks by +1-2 
  DCs, since characters can’t “roll with” the blow to 
  any degree; imposing a small penalty on DEX; or 
  imposing a -1 to -2 penalty on CV.
  Movement Skill Levels
  If the character has any Skill Levels that apply 
  to a particular type of movement, they have several 
  uses:
  First, he can use each Level to lower his Turn 
  Mode by 1 (minimum of 0”).
  Second, each Skill Level provides a +1 to any 
  roll required to land in, or otherwise move to, a 
  particular hex.
  Th ird, at the GM’s option, the character can 
  use each Skill Level to increase his acceleration or 
  deceleration with his modes of movement (not 
  with vehicles) by 1” per hex per Skill Level applied.
  Fourth, at the GM’s option, a character can use 
  Levels with movement to improve his DCV if he 
  Dodges or uses a Combat or Martial Maneuver that 
  provides bonuses to DCV while moving.
  Skill Levels with one mode of movement cost 
  2 Character Points per Level. Skill Levels that apply 
  to any of a character’s modes of movement cost 3 
  Character Points per Level.
  
  chapter two:
  chapter two:
  chapter two:
  FIGHTING
  
  Hero System 5th Edition
  34 ■ Fighting
  T
  his section covers all aspects of ﬁ ghting 
  and combat. It summarizes the combat 
  process; discusses how characters hit their 
  targets and how targets try to avoid being 
  hit; and describes modiﬁ ers to combat, including 
  various environmental conditions and the many 
  Combat Maneuvers characters can use. Later sec-
  tions describe how to determine damage, how to 
  take damage, the eﬀ ects of taking damage, and the 
  Endurance cost for ﬁ ghting.
  Th e HERO System includes many optional 
  combat rules. Although they add depth and ﬂ avor 
  to combat, they can also complicate it and slow it 
  down considerably. It’s oft en best for new players 
  and others who are learning the game to ignore 
  the options and just concentrate on the basic rules. 
  Also, the GM should consider using fewer optional 
  rules when he has a lot of 
  players in a game, since combat goes faster 
  without the options.
  How Combat Works
  Although combat in the HERO System 
  involves a lot of rules and options, it’s really quite 
  simple. Once you read the rules and try them out, 
  you shouldn’t have any trouble running all sorts of 
  battles. Here’s the basic procedure:
  1.  Th e player decides what Action his character will 
  perform in the character’s Phase.
  2.  If the character attacks a target, he must make an 
  Attack Roll to hit it.
  a.  If the Attack Roll fails, the attack misses and the 
  character’s Phase ends; the GM moves on to the 
  next character who has a Phase in that Segment.
  b.  If the Attack Roll succeeds, the character must 
  determine how much damage the attack does and/
  or what other eﬀ ect it has. Th e character’s Phase 
  then ends, and the GM goes on to the next charac-
  ter who has a Phase in that Segment.
  All combat can be divided into two types:  
  Hand-To-Hand Combat (HTH) and Ranged 
  Combat. HTH Combat is combat between charac-
  ters who are standing in the same or adjacent hexes. 
  Usually HTH Combat involves punching or melee 
  weapons such as swords, not attacks like guns or 
  energy bolts that can aﬀ ect targets at a distance. 
  Ranged Combat is any combat between charac-
  ters who are not in the same or adjacent hexes; it 
  requires weapons such as guns or bows, or Ranged 
  attacks such as Energy Blasts or RKAs. Assuming 
  special eﬀ ects, common sense, and/or dramatic 
  sense don’t forbid it, a character can use a Ranged 
  attack against a character in the same hex as he, or 
  an adjacent hex.
  Here’s a checklist of the sequence of combat. 
  If a character attacks someone, these steps take 
  place. The following sections of the rulebook 
  explain the steps.
  COMBAT SEQUENCE CHECKLIST
  1) Determine the attacker’s Oﬀ ensive Combat Value 
  (OCV). Base OCV is DEX/3.
  2) Determine the target’s Defensive Combat Value 
  (DCV). Base DCV is DEX/3 or is based on an 
  object’s size.
  3) Attacker makes an Attack Roll (3d6). To hit the 
  target, the attacker must roll less than or equal to 
  (11 + attacker’s OCV - target’s DCV).
  4) If the Attack Roll fails, the attack misses, and the 
  attacker’s Phase ends. Th e GM moves on to the next 
  character who has a Phase in that Segment.
  5) If the Attack Roll succeeds, the attacker hits; 
  determine the damage and any eﬀ ects of damage. 
  Th e attacker’s Phase ends; the GM moves on to the 
  next character who has a Phase in that Segment.
  Optional rules add more steps to the Combat 
  Sequence. Th e GM may use any or all of the 
  optional rules. If the GM uses all of them, combat 
  goes much slower, but is much more realistic. Nor-
  mally, the GM would only want to do this for very 
  special battles — like a “trial by combat” or a one-
  on-one battle.
  OPTIONAL COMBAT SEQUENCE CHECKLIST
  1) Determine the attacker’s OCV (see Figuring 
  OCV And DCV).
  2) Determine the target’s DCV (see Figuring OCV 
  And DCV).
  3) Attacker makes an Attack Roll (3d6). To hit the 
  target, the attacker must roll less than or equal to 
  (11 + attacker’s OCV - target’s DCV).
  4) Pay the END cost for the attack.
  5) If the Attack Roll fails, the attack misses, and the 
  attacker’s Phase ends. Th e GM moves on to the next 
  character who has a Phase in that Segment.
  6) If the Attack Roll succeeds, the attacker hits; 
  determine the damage and any eﬀ ects of damage. 
  To determine the additional eﬀ ects of the damage:
  a) Roll on the Hit Location table to ﬁ nd where the 
  attack hit (this aﬀ ects the damage result).
  b) Check for Knockback:  target may be Knocked 
  Back or Down.
  FIGHTING
   HOW YOU WANT 
  TO ROLL DICE 
  IN COMBAT
  Here’s a quick summary 
  of the core resolution 
  mechanics in HERO 
  System combat — in 
  other words, how you 
  want to roll the dice 
  when ﬁ ghting.
  Skill Rolls, Characteristic 
  Rolls, and Perception 
  Rolls:  You want to roll 
  low on 3d6; the lower 
  the roll, the more likely 
  you are to succeed.
  Attack Rolls:  You want 
  to roll low on 3d6 to 
  hit; the lower you roll, 
  the more likely you 
  are to hit your target. 
  Th is applies to physical 
  combat, mental combat, 
  and any other type of 
  combat.
  Damage/effect rolls:  
  When you’re rolling the 
  dice of damage or eﬀ ect 
  for your attack, you 
  want to roll high. Th e 
  higher you roll, the more 
  damage you do to the 
  target, or the greater the 
  eﬀ ect your attack has.
  
  35 
  Hero System Combat Handbook ■ Chapter Two
  c) Check for a Wounded result; target makes EGO 
  Roll to keep ﬁ ghting next Phase.
  d) Target may be Bleeding; keep track of blood loss.
  e) Check for severity of wound; target may be 
  Impaired or Disabled.
  Th e attacker’s Phase ends; the GM moves on to 
  the next character who has a Phase in that Segment.
  ATTACK ROLLS AND 
  COMBAT VALUE
  The first step in combat is to determine 
  whether an attack hits its intended target. To do 
  that, you need to know the attacker’s OCV, the 
  target’s DCV, and the results of the attacker’s 
  Attack Roll.
  The Basic Attack Roll
  Whether an attack hits a target is determined 
  by an Attack Roll made with 3d6. All Attack Rolls, 
  regardless of the form of the attack, are determined 
  as follows:
  Attack Roll = (11 + Attacker’s 
  OCV - Target’s DCV) or less
  Example: If the attacker’s OCV is 8 and the 
  target’s DCV is 6, then the Attack Roll is 11 + 8 
  - 6 = 13 or less. If the attacker has an OCV of 7 
  and the target has a DCV of 10, then the Attack 
  Roll is 11 + 7 - 10 = 8 or less.
  A result of 3 on an Attack Roll always suc-
  ceeds, and may entitle the character to some extra 
  beneﬁ t or advantage (perhaps some extra dice of 
  damage, or an Armor Piercing eﬀ ect). A result of 18 
  always fails, and may cause the character to incur 
  some disadvantage (perhaps reducing his DCV for 
  a Segment or two).
  ALTERNATE ATTACK ROLL CALCULATIONS
  If the GM doesn’t want to reveal the target’s 
  DCV to the player, there are two methods he can 
  use to determine whether the Attack Roll suc-
  ceeds; both are mathematically identical to the 
  standard method.
  Th e ﬁ rst way is this:
  (11 + Attacker’s OCV - 3d6 roll) = 
  the DCV the attack hit
  Example: If the attacker’s OCV is 8 and he rolls 
  a 13 for his Attack Roll, he has hit a DCV of 6 
  or less (11 + 8 - 13 = 6) — if the target has a 
  DCV of 6 or less, it has been hit. If the attacker 
  rolled a 7, he would hit a DCV of 12 or less.
  Th e second way is to treat the Attack Roll 
  more like a Skill Roll. Th e attacker’s “Attack Skill 
  Roll” equals his OCV + 11, and how much he 
  makes the roll by tells you the DCV he hit.
  Example:  If an attacker has OCV 9, then his 
  “Attack Skill Roll” equals (9 + 11 =) 20 or less. 
  If he rolls a 13, he made the roll by 7, so he hits 
  the target if the target is DCV 7 or lower. If he 
  rolls an 8, he makes the roll by 12 and hits DCV 
  12 or less.
  ATTACK ROLL QUICK-REFERENCE TABLE
  Target’s DCV
  OCV
  1
  2
  3
  4
  5
  6
  7
  8
  9
  10
  11
  12
  13
  14
  15
  1
  11
  10
  9
  8
  7
  6
  5
  4
  3
  3
  3
  3
  3
  3
  3
  2
  12
  11
  10
  9
  8
  7
  6
  5
  4
  3
  3
  3
  3
  3
  3
  3
  13
  12
  11
  10
  9
  8
  7
  6
  5
  4
  3
  3
  3
  3
  3
  4
  14
  13
  12
  11
  10
  9
  8
  7
  6
  5
  4
  3
  3
  3
  3
  5
  15
  14
  13
  12
  11
  10
  9
  8
  7
  6
  5
  4
  3
  3
  3
  6
  16
  15
  14
  13
  12
  11
  10
  9
  8
  7
  6
  5
  4
  3
  3
  7
  17
  16
  15
  14
  13
  12
  11
  10
  9
  8
  7
  6
  5
  4
  3
  8
  17
  17
  16
  15
  14
  13
  12
  11
  10
  9
  8
  7
  6
  5
  4
  9
  17
  17
  17
  16
  15
  14
  13
  12
  11
  10
  9
  8
  7
  6
  5
  10
  17
  17
  17
  17
  16
  15
  14
  13
  12
  11
  10
  9
  8
  7
  6
  11
  17
  17
  17
  17
  17
  16
  15
  14
  13
  12
  11
  10
  9
  8
  7
  12
  17
  17
  17
  17
  17
  17
  16
  15
  14
  13
  12
  11
  10
  9
  8
  13
  17
  17
  17
  17
  17
  17
  17
  16
  15
  14
  13
  12
  11
  10
  9
  14
  17
  17
  17
  17
  17
  17
  17
  17
  16
  15
  14
  13
  12
  11
  10
  15
  17
  17
  17
  17
  17
  17
  17
  17
  17
  16
  15
  14
  13
  12
  11
  
  Hero System 5th Edition
  36 ■ Fighting
  ATTACK ROLL CALCULATION CHART
  To speed play, players and GMs can use the 
  accompanying chart to determine what number 
  they need to roll to hit a target. Cross-refer-
  ence the attacker’s OCV (leftmost column) with 
  the target’s DCV (topmost row); the number 
  indicated is the number the attacker must roll 
  less than or equal to hit the target. Remember 
  — a roll of 3 always hits and a roll of 18 always 
  misses, regardless of relative CVs.
  Calculating OCV and DCV
  Obviously, the key factors in ﬁ guring out whether 
  a particular Attack Roll succeeds and an attack hits 
  its target are the OCV and DCV involved. Base OCV 
  and DCV are ﬁ gured as follows:
  Base OCV = Attacker’s DEX/3
  Base DCV = Target’s DEX/3
  It’s called base OCV and DCV because OCV 
  and DCV can be modiﬁ ed by Skill Levels, the Range 
  Modiﬁ er, Combat Modiﬁ ers, Combat Maneuvers, 
  and other factors. If the result of the formula is a frac-
  tion, apply the standard HERO System rounding rules 
  (HERO System 5th Edition, Revised, page 7). For exam-
  ple, a character with DEX 20 has an OCV of 20/3 = 
  6.7, which rounds to 7.
  COMBAT VALUE CV
  Sometimes the rules use the general term 
  Combat Value, or CV. CV reﬂ ects how good the 
  character is at combat. A character’s CV = DEX/3. 
  Th e term CV may be used to discuss modiﬁ ers to 
  both OCV and DCV.
  The following checklists contain the steps 
  for determining a character’s OCV and DCV. It 
  may look complex, but figuring OCV and DCV 
  is actually quite easy. The following sections 
  explain these steps.
  OCV CHECKLIST
  1)  Determine base OCV (character’s DEX/3).
  2)  Add any applicable Combat Skill Levels the 
  character wishes to use to increase his OCV.
  3)  Apply any modiﬁ ers for the particular weapon 
  or armor the character uses.
  4)  Apply any modiﬁ ers for the particular Combat 
  Maneuver or Martial Maneuver the character uses.
  5)  Apply any Combat Modiﬁ ers.
  6)  Apply the Range Modiﬁ er (if applicable).
  7)  Apply any other modiﬁ ers.
  8)  Apply any modiﬁ ers that halve OCV (or other-
  wise reduce it by a fraction or percentage). A char-
  acter’s OCV can only be halved once, regardless of 
  how many “halving” modiﬁ ers he’s subject to.
  DCV CHECKLIST
  1)  Determine base DCV (character’s DEX/3).
  2)  Add any applicable Combat Skill Levels the 
  character wishes to use to increase his DCV.
  3)  Apply any modiﬁ ers for the particular weapon, 
  armor, or shield the character uses.
  4)  Apply any modiﬁ ers for the particular Combat 
  Maneuver or Martial Maneuver the character uses.
  5)  Apply any Combat Modiﬁ ers.
  6)  Apply any other modiﬁ ers.
  7)  Apply any modiﬁ ers that halve DCV (or other-
  wise reduce it by a fraction or percentage). A char-
  acter’s DCV can only be halved once, regardless of 
  how many “halving” modiﬁ ers he’s subject to.
  Th e DCV Modiﬁ ers Table lists some common 
  situations that halve or otherwise aﬀ ect a char-
  acter’s DCV, including the eﬀ ect on Hit Location 
  modiﬁ ers (if any).
  Generally, penalties to DCV should not eﬀ ect 
  DECV. However, the GM may, in his discretion, 
  apply some or all of them if it seems appropriate to 
  do so. In some cases, such as with Haymaker and 
  Rapid Fire, the GM may want to switch DCV pen-
  alties for DECV penalties.
  REDUCING COMBAT VALUE TO ZERO
  A character’s DCV cannot be reduced below 0, 
  regardless of how many modiﬁ ers are applied.
  A character’s OCV can be reduced below 0 
  — just apply the negative value of the OCV to 
  increase the target’s DCV and make the Attack Roll 
  as if the attacker has OCV 0. For example, a charac-
  ter with OCV -3 can still attack — but his target is 
  at +3 DCV, and he uses OCV 0 to make his Attack 
  Roll, so his odds of hitting are mighty slim.
  If a character already has a negative OCV and 
  suﬀ ers a further penalty that would halve his OCV, 
  halve the negative OCV and apply that half amount 
  to reduce the OCV further; normal rounding rules 
  apply. For example, if a character has OCV -4, halv-
  ing reduces it to -6 (-4 plus half of -4, or -2). If he 
  has OCV -3, halving reduces it to -4.
  A reduction of OCV or DCV to 0 should 
  generally be considered as “reducing CV by a per-
  centage,” and thus be applied as the very last step 
  in the OCV or DCV calculation. However, the GM 
  may change this if he wishes (for example, he might 
  consider the 0 to be the character’s base CV), and 
  the rules may note other exceptions.
  THE DURATION OF COMBAT VALUE 
  MODIFIERS
  Modiﬁ ers that alter a character’s CV remain in 
  eﬀ ect from when they take eﬀ ect until the begin-
  ning of the character’s next Phase. For example, a 
  SPD 3 character who takes a Recovery on his Phase 
  in Segment 4 remains at ½ DCV until the begin-
  ning of his next Phase in Segment 8.
  
  37 
  Hero System Combat Handbook ■ Chapter Two
  COMBAT SKILL LEVELS
  Combat Skill Levels (CSLs), which are bought 
  with Character Points, can modify the character’s 
  OCV, DCV or both. Th ey’re described on HERO 
  System 5th Edition, Revised, pages 53-54.
  Depending on the type of Combat Skill Level, 
  a character may use CSLs to increase his OCV, 
  DCV, damage, and/or the damage done by an 
  attack. A character must state how he’s applying 
  his Combat Skill Levels before he makes his Attack 
  Roll. Usually, one CSL adds +1 to a character’s OCV 
  (or sometimes DCV, but Levels which improve 
  DCV are rarer). Characters may also use some 
  Combat Levels to increase damage:  2 CSLs add one 
  Damage Class to an attack’s damage, with certain 
  restrictions (see pages 106-11).
  As an optional rule, GMs can decide that 
  Combat Levels do not apply to DCV in all cases. 
  See Combat Skill Levels:  Optional Rules:  DCV 
  Levels, HERO System 5th Edition, Revised, page 54, 
  for details. Five-point Combat Levels with HTH 
  Combat may be applied to DCV only against HTH 
  attacks, not against Ranged attacks (and vice-versa).
  RANGE MODIFIER
  When a character attacks a target at Range, the 
  attack is subject to the Range Modiﬁ er. Th is reﬂ ects 
  the fact that it’s harder to hit a target who’s far away 
  than one who’s nearby. Among other reasons, this is 
  because the target appears smaller at range — there 
  is “less” of it to hit. Th us, a target who’s half man-
  sized is just as hard to hit as one who’s man-sized 
  but twice as far away.
  Th ere is no Range Modiﬁ er out to 4” — it’s as 
  easy to hit any target up to 4” away as one who’s 
  adjacent to the attacker. Aft er 4”, any attack suﬀ ers 
  a -2 OCV modiﬁ er. Th ere’s an additional -2 OCV 
  Modiﬁ er for each doubling of the range thereaft er: 
  -4 OCV at 9-16”, -6 OCV at 17-32”, and so on.
  If the GM wants additional detail, he can use 
  the Optional Range Modiﬁ er Table, which breaks 
  the modiﬁ er down into smaller incremental steps.
  DCV MODIFIERS TABLE
  Character Is  
  DCV 
  Hit Locations
  Aﬀ ected by EGO +30 Mental Illusion 
  ½ 
  ½
  Aﬀ ected by PRE/EGO +20 Presence Attack 
  ½ 
  Normal
  Aﬀ ected by PRE/EGO +30 Presence Attack 
  -0 
  ½
  Aﬀ ected by Flash/Darkness/Invisibility
   
  Ranged, makes Nontargeting PER Roll 
  Normal 
  Normal
   
  HTH, makes Nontargeting PER Roll 
  -1 
  Normal
   
  Ranged, fails Nontargeting PER Roll  
  ½ 
  Normal
   
  HTH, fails Nontargeting PER Roll 
  ½ 
  Normal
  Attacked from behind out of combat 
  ½ 
  ½
  Attacked from behind in combat  
  ½ 
  Normal
  Braced 
  ½ 
  ½
  Bulky Focus, character is carrying 
  ½ 
  Normal
  Climbing 
  ½ to -0 
  Normal
  DEX 1 or less 
  -0 
  ½
  Encumbered (depending on degree) 
  -0 to -5 
  Normal
  Entangled 
  -0 
  ½
  Fighting in a cluttered or cramped area 
  -2 
  Normal
  Grabbed by another character 
  ½ 
  Normal
  Grabbing another character 
  ½ 
  Normal
  In the water or swimming 
  -2 
  Normal
  Intoxicated 
  -2 
  Normal
  In zero gravity 
  ½ 
  Normal
  Knocked Out 
  -0 
  ½
  On a narrow surface (tightrope, ledge) 
  -2 
  Normal
  On ice, mud, or other slippery surfaces 
  -1 
  Normal
  Prone 
  ½ 
  Normal
  Recovering from being Stunned 
  ½ 
  ½
  Resisting Knockback with STR 
  ½ 
  Normal
  Sleeping 
  -0 
  ½
  STR 0 (or lower) 
  ½ (or lower) 
  Normal
  STR -30 (or negative value of STR) 
  -0 
  ½
  Stunned 
  ½ 
  ½
  Subject to Multiple Attackers Bonus 
  -1 to ½ 
  Normal
  Surprised (in combat) 
  ½ 
  Normal
  Surprised (out of combat) 
  ½ 
  ½
  Taking a Recovery 
  ½ 
  ½
  Underwater 
  -2 
  Normal
  Using Autoﬁ re Skills 
  ½ 
  Normal
  Using a Bulky Focus 
  ½ 
  Normal
  Using Noncombat Movement 
  ½ 
  Normal
  Using a Power with Concentration 
  ½ 
  Normal
  Using Rapid Fire or Sweep 
  ½ 
  Normal
  RANGE MODIFIER TABLE
   
  Range 
  Modiﬁ er
   
  Adjacent 
  -0
   
  2-4” 
  -0
   
  5-8” 
  -2
   
  9-16” 
  -4
   
  17-32” 
  -6
   
  33”-64” 
  -8
   
  65”-128” 
  -10
   
  and so forth
  OPTIONAL RANGE MODIFIERS
   
  Range 
  Modiﬁ er
   
  Adjacent 
  -0
   
  2-4” 
  -0
   
  5-6” 
  -1
   
  7-8” 
  -2
   
  9-12” 
  -3
   
  13”-16” 
  -4
   
  17”-24” 
  -5
   
  and so forth
  
  Hero System 5th Edition
  38 ■ Fighting
  COMBAT SKILLS:
  BUILDING COMBAT-CAPABLE 
  CHARACTERS
  Because the HERO System oﬀ ers so many options for 
  character creation, it’s sometimes diﬃ  cult for a new 
  player to ﬁ gure out exactly how to build a character 
  who can do what he has in mind. Th is is important 
  when it comes to combat, where rules and numbers 
  are the most prominent. So, here’s a quick guide to the 
  Skills and other abilities a character needs to be compe-
  tent in combat.
  Using Weapons:  If a character has paid Character Points 
  for a weapon or attack, no Skill is required for him to use 
  it; he can use it automatically. In Heroic campaigns and 
  other games where characters get weapons and equip-
  ment for “free” (i.e., without paying Character Points for 
  them), characters must buy Weapon Familiarity Skills 
  to know how to use particular types of weapons. (See 
  HERO System 5th Edition, Revised, page 75.)
  Shields:  Characters don’t need any special Skill to use 
  a shield.
  Building And Repairing Weapons:  A character who 
  wants to make and ﬁ x his own weapons should buy 
  Weaponsmith (HERO System 5th Edition, Revised, page 
  75). For information on how to create weapons using 
  the HERO System rules, see Chapter Four.
  Martial Arts:  A character who has received special train-
  ing in unarmed or armed combat styles can buy Martial 
  Arts. Martial Maneuvers modify a character’s CV and 
  damage, and sometimes provide abilities ordinary 
  Combat Maneuvers do not. (See HERO System 5th Edi-
  tion, Revised, page 64, and pages 56-82 of this book.)
  Two-Weapon Fighting:  A character who wants to ﬁ ght 
  with a weapon in each hand has several options. If he 
  wants to restrict himself to attacking the same target, 
  he can use two or more attacks or weapons in a mul-
  tiple-power attack (see page 18). If he wants to be able 
  to attack the same target or diﬀ erent targets, he can 
  use the Combat Maneuvers Sweep and Rapid Fire; the 
  special eﬀ ect of the attack is that he’s attacking with 
  a weapon in each hand. (See pages 78, 81.) He may 
  wish to buy Ambidexterity (HERO System 5th Edition, 
  Revised, page 87) to counteract the standard Oﬀ  Hand 
  penalty, or, if he is particularly adept at this form of 
  ﬁ ghting, should consider buying the Two-Weapon 
  Fighting Skill (HERO System 5th Edition, Revised, page 
  73). In some cases he can use Reduced Penetration 
  (HERO System 5th Edition, Revised, page 303) to simu-
  late a two-weapon attack.
  Combat Skill Levels:  A character who’s especially good 
  at ﬁ ghting may want to buy one or more Combat Skill 
  Levels for some or all of his attacks. CSLs can improve 
  OCV (and/or sometimes DCV), increase the amount 
  of damage he can do, and have other eﬀ ects. (See 
  HERO System 5th Edition, Revised, pages 53-54.)
  Accuracy At Range:  A character who wants to be par-
  ticularly accurate with Ranged attacks should consider 
  buying Range Skill Levels (a type of Penalty Skill Level). 
  RSLs counteract the Range Modiﬁ er (thus making it 
  easier for a character to hit a target at a long distance). 
  (See HERO System 5th Edition, Revised, page 66, and 
  page 37 of this book.)
  
  39 
  Hero System Combat Handbook ■ Chapter Two
  You can easily calculate the Range Modiﬁ er 
  by counting the distance in doublings starting at 
  eight until the number is greater than or equal to 
  the range. Th en multiply the number of doublings 
  by -2 OCV.
  Example: Th e attacker is standing 31” away 
  from the target. Th e GM starts counting the 
  distance “8, 16, 32 — that’s three doublings, so 
  your total penalty is -6 OCV.”
  Skill Levels with a Ranged attack (like a pistol) 
  can add directly to OCV (see Combat Skill Levels) 
  to help oﬀ set the Range Modiﬁ er. Ranged Skill 
  Levels, a type of PSL, can only be used to oﬀ set the 
  Range Modiﬁ er. RSLs are also used for weapons 
  that have especially good or bad performance over 
  range. Th ese bonuses or penalties have no eﬀ ect on 
  adjacent targets.
  Example: A .38 derringer (HERO System 5th 
  Edition, Revised, page 485) has an inherent -
  2 Range Modifier, meaning it’s not very accu-
  rate for shots at long ranges. When Randall 
  fires his derringer at an opponent 12” away, 
  the total Range Modifier is -4 for Range, plus 
  -2 for the derringer, for a total modifier of -6. 
  If Randall used a rifle (Range Modifier +2) 
  instead, the total OCV modifier would be -4 
  for range, +2 for the gun, giving a total of 
  -2. Neither gun provides any bonus or pen-
  alty when used against adjacent targets, and 
  RSLs never add to a character’s OCV — they 
  just offset the Range Modifier.
  Mental Combat
  Most attacks use the ordinary Attack Rolls and 
  CV already described. However, Mental Powers use 
  Ego Combat Value (ECV) instead of the normal 
  Combat Value. ECV can be divided into Oﬀ ensive 
  ECV (OECV) and Defensive ECV (DECV), just 
  like CV. Th e Powers that use ECV are Ego Attack, 
  Mental Illusions, Mind Control, Mind Link, Mind 
  Scan, Telepathy, and powers bought with the Power 
  Advantage Based On ECV. Ego Combat Value is 
  determined using the following formula:
  Ego Combat Value = EGO/3 
  Substituting ECV for CV, Mental Combat 
  works just the same as normal combat. Th e Attack 
  Roll is (11 + OECV - Target’s DECV) or less on 
  3d6. Apply any modiﬁ ers for Combat Skill Levels, 
  just as normal. However, Mental Combat works 
  on a Line Of Sight basis; if an attacker can see the 
  target, he can attack him without suﬀ ering the 
  Range Modiﬁ er. Typically, none of the Combat 
  Modiﬁ ers apply, either.
  A character using a Mental Power uses EGO 
  instead of DEX to determine when he acts in the 
  Phase. (However, his SPD still derives from his 
  DEX.) If he wants to take any physical actions 
  (such as making a Half Move) ﬁ rst, he must wait 
  until his DEX comes up, move, and then use his 
  Mental Power.
  See Mental Powers, HERO System 5th Edition, 
  Revised, pages 116-21, for more details regarding 
  Mental Powers and Line Of Sight.
  EVENING THE ODDS:  
  FIVE WAYS TO AFFECT 
  YOUR FOES
  When their characters face opponents who seem to 
  take little or no damage from their attacks, players oft en 
  get frustrated or upset. Aft er all, it’s not much fun to feel 
  completely useless in combat. But don’t get frustrated, 
  get creative! Here are some ways to aﬀ ect enemies who 
  seem invulnerable or undefeatable:
  1. Pushing:  Assuming it’s appropriate (see page 145), 
  the character can Push his attack to do more damage 
  than normal.
  2. Surprise Move:  A clever Surprise Move (page 50) 
  oft en leads to an OCV bonus awarded by the GM. Use 
  that bonus to hit the enemy in a vulnerable spot the 
  character would otherwise have diﬃ  culty hitting.
  3. Try Something Different:  Instead of relying on his 
  most powerful attack, the character should try one of 
  his more obscure, but less powerful, abilities. Maybe the 
  dragon can shrug oﬀ  your Fireball spell, but you can 
  blind him with a properly-placed application of your 
  Create Light spell.
  4. Use Your Environment:  Th e battleﬁ eld can provide all 
  sorts of interesting tactical options, ranging from things 
  the character can throw at his enemies (or hit them 
  with) to dangerous areas he can trick them into enter-
  ing. For example, maybe a character could trip, trick, or 
  throw a heavily armed and armored warrior into water 
  or quicksand, eﬀ ectively immobilizing him.
  5. Use Your Skills:  Rather than relying on raw power, 
  perhaps the character can cleverly apply his skills 
  to create a way to aﬀ ect his foe. For example, when 
  ﬁ ghting a robot so heavily armored that it cannot be 
  aﬀ ected by gunﬁ re, maybe a character could get close 
  enough to use Lockpicking to open up a panel on the 
  robot, creating a vulnerable spot.
  
  Hero System 5th Edition
  40 ■ Fighting
  W
  here and how combat takes place can 
  aﬀ ect characters’ Attack Rolls. Combat 
  Modiﬁ ers describe environmental con-
  ditions, character actions other than 
  Combat Maneuvers that aﬀ ect combat, certain 
  Power Advantages, and other such factors that help 
  or hinder a character in battle. Examples include a 
  character attacking someone by surprise or ducking 
  behind cover. Th e accompanying Combat Modi-
  ﬁ ers Table provides summary descriptions of the 
  standard Combat Modiﬁ ers.
  During game play, situations may occur that 
  aren’t covered in the Combat Modifiers — like 
  firing upside down from a helicopter at midnight 
  during a thunderstorm. In such cases, the GM 
  should apply a modifier that seems reasonable, 
  using the modifiers listed in the Combat Modi-
  fiers Table as guidelines. But remember, HERO 
  System games simulate dramatic fiction, not “real 
  life,” so characters should often be able to accom-
  plish incredible feats. In fact, the GM should give 
  players a bonus for especially creative and excit-
  ing maneuvers, since they make things more fun 
  for everybody.
  Any DCV modiﬁ ers from Combat Modiﬁ ers 
  modify a character’s DCV versus all attacks, both 
  HTH and Ranged.
  EXPLANATION OF 
  COMBAT MODIFIERS
  Th e text below describes how the Combat 
  Modiﬁ ers work.
  In general, unless the text says that a Combat 
  Modiﬁ er aﬀ ects ECV, it does not. However, the 
  GM should make exceptions whenever he feels it’s 
  appropriate to do so.
  COMBAT 
  MODIFIERS
  COMBAT MODIFIERS TABLE
  Modiﬁ er  
  Notes  
  OCV 
  DCV
  Area Of Eﬀ ect Attack 
  Must hit hex’s DCV (3; 0 if adjacent) 
  — 
  —
  Autoﬁ re 
  More than one shot; 1 hit/2 points roll is made by 
  +0 
  -0
  Bouncing An Attack 
  Requires 1 Combat Skill Level per bounce 
  +1 to +3 
  —
  Concealment  
  By Hit Location Table or:
   
   
  Target half hidden 
  -2 
  —
   
   
  Only target’s head and shoulders visible 
  -4 
  —
  Coordinated Attacks 
  Combine damage for purpose of Stunning 
  — 
  —
  Encumbrance 
  Attacker is weighed down 
  — 
  -0 to -5
  Environmental Conditions 
  Various ambient conditions or situations 
  Varies 
  Varies
  Explosion 
  Treat like Area Of Eﬀ ect 
  — 
  —
  Multiple Attackers 
  -1 DCV/attacker aft er the ﬁ rst; must Coordinate 
  Varies 
  —
  Oﬀ  Hand 
  Using oﬀ  hand 
  -3 
  —
  Spreading An Attack  
  For one target, +1 OCV per -DC 
  Varies 
  —
   
  To hit multiple targets, -1d6 per additional hex 
  — 
  —
  Surprised 
  In combat 
  — 
  x½
   
  Out of combat, take 2x Stun 
  — 
  x½
  Surprise Move 
  GM decides 
  +1 to +3 
  —
  Target A Hex 
  Must hit hex’s DCV (3; 0 if adjacent) 
  — 
  —
  Target Prone  
  May have Concealment 
  — 
  x½
  Target Size 
  Fills 1 hex/2x human sized 
  +2 
  —
   
   
  Fills 2 hexes/4x human sized 
  +4 
  —
   
   
  Fills 4 hexes/8x human sized 
  +6 
  —
   
   
  ½ human sized 
  -2 
  —
   
   
  ¼ human sized 
  -4 
  —
   
   
  ⅛ human sized 
  -6 
  —
  Th row Object 
  Unbalanced, unaerodynamic object 
  -4 
  —
   
  Balanced or aerodynamic object 
  -2 
  —
   
  Balanced and aerodynamic object 
  -0 
  —
  Unfamiliar Weapon 
  Character lacks appropriate Weapon Familiarity 
  -3 
  —
  Weapon Size/Shape 
  GM decides 
  Varies 
  Varies
  —:  No change in the indicated value
  
  41 
  Hero System Combat Handbook ■ Chapter Two
  Area Of Effect Attack
  Th e rules in this section cover not only Area 
  Of Eﬀ ect attacks, but any attack directed against a 
  point on the ground (in other words, a hex) rather 
  than a person or an upright object. A character can 
  also use an Area Of Eﬀ ect attack to target a hex 
  in the air, underwater, or the like (for example, to 
  attack a parachutist or a submarine) — he’s not lim-
  ited to targeting hexes on the ground.
  A character may make an Area Of Eﬀ ect attack 
  against either a hex or the target’s normal DCV. 
  Generally, it’s easier to hit the hex the target’s stand-
  ing in, because the DCV of a hex is 3, or 0 if the 
  hex is adjacent. Attacks aimed at a hex suﬀ er the 
  normal Range Modiﬁ er.
  To use an Area Of Eﬀ ect attack, a character 
  picks the hex he’s aiming for. Th is becomes the 
  central hex of his Area Of Eﬀ ect (or the ﬁ rst hex for 
  an Area Of Eﬀ ect [Cone] or [Line]). If he fails his 
  Attack Roll, the center of the Area Of Eﬀ ect misses 
  the target hex by 1” for every 1 point which the 
  Attack Roll fails by; the maximum miss distance 
  is half the distance to the target. To determine the 
  direction of the miss, the character should roll 1d6 
  and consult the accompanying diagram.
  Usually, an Area Of Eﬀ ect attack aﬀ ects every-
  thing in the area — the character doesn’t have to 
  make a separate Attack Roll on each target (unless 
  he has bought a version of the Area Of Eﬀ ect 
  Advantage that requires this). Even if the center 
  of the Area Of Eﬀ ect misses the target hex, the 
  attacker may still catch his target with one of the 
  hexes in the Area Of Eﬀ ect, depending on how far 
  the Area Of Eﬀ ect misses by and in what direction. 
  Adjacent Hexes
  As noted above, using an Area Of Eﬀ ect attack 
  against an adjacent hex means the hex has DCV 0 
  instead of DCV 3. “Adjacent” means just that — the 
  hex right next to the hex the character is standing 
  in when he begins or launches the attack. Unless 
  the GM permits it, a character cannot buy Area Of 
  Eﬀ ect (One Hex) as an Advantage for his STR and 
  then use it on other hexes (such as the hex at the 
  end of a Move By/Th rough, or hexes reached with 
  Stretching) at DCV 0 — those hexes have DCV 3 
  against his attack, since they’re not “adjacent” to 
  him when he begins the attack.
  Autoﬁ re
  Automatic weapons and Powers bought with 
  the Advantage Autofire can fire more than one 
  attack with a single Attack Roll. Thus, they can 
  hit one target several times or several targets one 
  time each.
  AUTOFIRE AGAINST A SINGLE TARGET
  To use an attack with Autoﬁ re on a single 
  target, the character decides how many times he 
  wants to ﬁ re the attack, up to a maximum of the 
  number of “shots” he has purchased via the Autoﬁ re 
  Advantage. He makes a normal Attack Roll. If the 
  Attack Roll succeeds, the character hits the target 
  one time; in addition, for every full 2 points by 
  which he makes the Attack Roll, he hits the target 
  an additional time. For example, if he needs a 12- 
  to hit his target, and rolls an 8, he hits his target 
  3 times (once at 12, once at 10, and once at 8). A 
  single target cannot be hit more times than the 
  number of “shots” ﬁ red.
  Example:  Andarra ﬁ res her Autoﬁ re (5 shots) 
  blaster at an alien agent standing next to her. 
  Andarra has a base OCV of 7, and the agent 
  has a DCV of 5. Because the attack is point-
  blank, there’s no Range Modiﬁ er. Andarra’s 
  Attack Roll is 11 + 7 - 5 = 13 or less. She rolls 
  an 8, hitting the agent three times (once each at 
  13, 11, and 9).
  AUTOFIRE AGAINST MULTIPLE TARGETS
  To use an attack with Autoﬁ re on multiple 
  targets, a character declares the targets and counts 
  a line of continuous hexes that includes all the tar-
  gets. He suﬀ ers a -1 OCV penalty for each hex in 
  the line. He must make a separate Attack Roll for 
  each target ﬁ red at, and each target can only get hit 
  one time. He must ﬁ re a minimum of one shot into 
  each hex, even if no target occupies it (thus, a char-
  acter with a 5-shot Autoﬁ re weapon could aﬀ ect a 
  maximum of ﬁ ve hexes, and, at most, ﬁ ve separate 
  targets). If the character misses one of the targets, 
  he may continue down the line of hexes attempting 
  to hit other targets.
  Example:  Andarra ﬁ res at three rock creatures 
  in a ﬁ ve-hex continuous line. She suﬀ ers a -5 
  penalty to her OCV for ﬁ ring at each target 
  (-1 for each hex in the line). Andarra has an 
  OCV of 6. Each rock creature has a DCV of 4. 
  Andarra’s ﬁ rst Attack Roll is 11 + 6 - 4 - 5 = 8 
  or less. Andarra rolls a 5, hitting the ﬁ rst rock 
  creature (each target can only get hit once). 
  Andarra rolls to hit the second rock creature 
  and gets a 9, missing it altogether. Th en she rolls 
  a 6 and hits the third rock creature.
  ENDURANCE COSTS 
  IN COMBAT
  Here’s a quick reference 
  to help you remember 
  Endurance (END) costs 
  during combat.
  Strength (STR):  STR 
  costs 1 END per 10 
  points used (or 1 END 
  per 5 STR in some 
  Heroic games). For 
  example, a superhero 
  who uses STR 50 to 
  punch spends 5 END to 
  do so.
  Powers:  Most Powers 
  cost 1 END per 10 
  Active Points in them. 
  For example, an Energy 
  Blast 8d6 (40 Active 
  Points) costs 4 END 
  each time it’s used; 
  an Energy Blast 8d6, 
  Armor Piercing (60 
  Active Points) costs 6 
  END per use.
  Some Powers, like 
  Armor, Clinging, and 
  Mind Link, do not cost 
  END at all. See the indi-
  vidual Power descrip-
  tions for information (or 
  the reference table on 
  HERO System 5th Edi-
  tion, Revised, page 129).
  Powers that normally 
  cost END may have 
  the Advantage Reduced 
  Endurance (which 
  reduces the END cost 
  to half or zero) or the 
  Limitation Increased 
  Endurance Cost (which 
  makes them cost more 
  END than normal).
  Powers that don’t nor-
  mally cost END may 
  have the Limitation 
  Costs Endurance, which 
  makes them cost END at 
  the standard rate, and/or 
  the Limitation Increased 
  Endurance Cost, which 
  makes them cost more 
  END than normal.
  
  Hero System 5th Edition
  42 ■ Fighting
  AUTOFIRE DAMAGE
  If a character uses a Combat Skill Level or 
  other means to increase the damage done by an 
  Autoﬁ re attack, the increased damage applies to 
  every shot that hits the target. Th e GM may change 
  this rule if he considers it unbalancing for a par-
  ticular attack.
  Each Autofire shot counts as a separate 
  attack for purposes of determining Stunning — 
  the individual Autofire shots do not add together 
  to make a “single attack.” For example, if a char-
  acter with CON 20 takes 18 STUN and 14 STUN 
  (after defenses) from two Autofire hits from the 
  same burst of fire, he’s not Stunned, since neither 
  hit, by itself, did 21 or more STUN to him. (Of 
  course, even though he’s not Stunned, he may be 
  Knocked Out.)
  If a character with an Autoﬁ re attack Coordi-
  nates with other characters, regardless of whether 
  they do or do not have Autoﬁ re attacks themselves, 
  and he hits the target with two or more shots, add 
  only the largest STUN total from any of the shots 
  to his comrades’ attack for purposes of determin-
  ing the eﬀ ects of Coordinating. Th e other shots still 
  hit and cause damage to the target, they’re just not 
  counted for purposes of the Coordination rules.
  If a character has an Autofire attack that’s 
  also Constant, it continues to affect the target 
  with the same number of shots that hit him the 
  first time, unless the GM rules otherwise based 
  on the circumstances.
  Characters may train themselves to overcome 
  some of the restrictions on Autoﬁ re attacks. See 
  Autoﬁ re Skills, HERO System 5th Edition, Revised, 
  page 50, for more information.
  AREAEFFECTING AUTOFIRE ATTACKS
  If a character has an attack that lets him Auto-
  ﬁ re an area-eﬀ ecting attack (such as Darkness, or a 
  power with the Area Of Eﬀ ect or Explosion Advan-
  tage), it’s possible he might miss some shots even 
  though he attacks against DCV 3. Here’s how to 
  resolve that.
  For multiple shots against a single target, the 
  Attack Roll determines how many shots hit the 
  target. Th e rest are considered misses and have no 
  eﬀ ect on the target. You can randomly determine 
  the “scatter” for the missed shots, adapting the rules 
  on page 41 if you want, but the target should not 
  suﬀ er any additional damage. If the GM wants to 
  go to a lot of extra trouble, he can determine the 
  exact area aﬀ ected by each missed attack, and if 
  any of them overlap the target or another character, 
  apply the damage as appropriate.
  If attack misses entirely, make one calcula-
  tion for where the shots would scatter to based 
  on the normal rules, then apply the damage from 
  that one attack to the affected area. Again, the 
  rest are considered misses and have no effect on 
  the area hit (which may or may not overlap to 
  hit the target anyway), unless the GM wants to 
  resolve each miss separately.
  In either case, lots of other things may get 
  destroyed in the area from the other “missed shots,” 
  but they shouldn’t have any eﬀ ect in game terms 
  
  43 
  Hero System Combat Handbook ■ Chapter Two
  — it’s just a special eﬀ ect — unless the GM wants to 
  take the time and trouble to come up with a more 
  “realistic” result.
  For single shots against multiple targets, deter-
  mine whether each hits, and for any misses deter-
  mine the scatter normally.
  Bouncing An Attack
  A character with a Ranged Attack and Combat 
  Skill Levels that apply to it can Bounce the attack 
  oﬀ  the right surface. Th e GM must decide what 
  surfaces are appropriate for Bouncing a given type 
  of attack. For each bounce the character wants the 
  attack to perform, the character must use one CSL. 
  (For example, if the character wants to ricochet 
  his attack oﬀ  of three walls to hit the target from 
  behind, he has to allocate 3 CSLs to Bouncing.) 
  Determine the Range Modiﬁ er for the attack by 
  counting the length of the entire path of the attack. 
  A Bounce can give the character a Surprise Move 
  bonus (+1 to +3 OCV) if the target isn’t expecting 
  this type of attack (or possibly eliminate or reduce 
  the eﬀ ects of the Concealment Combat Modiﬁ er).
  Example:  Marshal Graves squares oﬀ  against 
  some desperadoes who are holed up inside the 
  Last Chance Saloon. One of them has hidden 
  behind the bar. Graves wants to Bounce a 
  shot from his Colt Peacemaker oﬀ  one of the 
  wooden shelves behind the bar to hit his target. 
  Th e GM rules that this is possible. Graves has 
  OCV 6 and three Combat Skill Levels with his 
  Peacemaker; he’s 4” from the shelf, and the shelf 
  is 1” above the desperado. Graves must use one 
  CSL to Bounce, and decides to use the other 
  two to increase his OCV to 8. Th e Range Modi-
  ﬁ er depends on the entire path of the attack:  4” 
  + 1” = 5”, for a -2 Range Modiﬁ er. Th us, Graves 
  has a ﬁ nal OCV of 6. However, the GM rules 
  that he doesn’t suﬀ er the -4 OCV penalty he 
  normally would for the desperado’s Conceal-
  ment behind the bar.
  Bouncing is most oft en used in Superheroic 
  campaigns. However, it’s appropriate for some types 
  of Heroic campaigns as well. For example, in a Dark 
  Champions campaign or a Western Hero campaign, 
  characters might be skilled at bouncing bullets 
  underneath cars or wagons, oﬀ  of posts, and so 
  forth to hit targets hiding behind cover.
  Characters shouldn’t be able to Bounce some 
  Ranged attacks, such as frangible bullets and many 
  types of spells; the same applies to arrows and 
  throwing knives in campaigns stressing “realism.” 
  Th ey can take a -¼ Limitation, Cannot Be Bounced. 
  Th e GM may reduce this to -0 if Bouncing is 
  uncommon in the campaign.
  BOUNCED WEAPONS
  Characters in some campaigns often use 
  blunt missile weapons — thrown billy clubs, 
  shields, weighted disks, and the like — against 
  their enemies, carefully planning the ricochets 
  to hit multiple targets (a form of Rapid Fire, 
  usually) and/or to make the weapon bounce 
  right back to the character so he can catch it and 
  throw it again right away. In game terms, a char-
  acter can do this with the Bouncing An Attack 
  rules. He simply devotes one applicable Combat 
  Skill Level to make the weapon return to his 
  hand. The CSL doesn’t improve his OCV with 
  the attack, it just guarantees he threw the weapon 
  with the right “spin” to make it ricochet back to 
  his hand. (Alternately, the character can simply 
  define the attack as a power without the Focus 
  Limitation — thus ensuring, as a special effect, 
  that it always “bounces back” to him, because the 
  rules let him use the attack again and again with-
  out anyone being able to take it away from him.)
  Concealment
  Targets who are partly Concealed or “behind 
  cover” are harder to hit. If a target is half Concealed 
  (like a person behind a table or leaning around 
  a corner), the attacker suﬀ ers a -2 OCV. If only a 
  person’s head and/or shoulders are showing (like 
  someone peering out of a door), the attacker suf-
  fers a -4 OCV. Th is aﬀ ects both Ranged and HTH 
  attacks, though Concealment is most likely to come 
  into play during Ranged Combat.
  CONCEALMENT WITH HIT LOCATIONS
  If the campaign uses the optional Hit Location 
  Table (page 118), Concealment works diﬀ erently. If 
  a character has some cover from an opponent, the 
  GM should decide what Hit Locations are covered. 
  For example, a character standing behind a desk 
  would have his feet, legs, and (perhaps) abdomen 
  covered; similarly, a character ﬁ ring a pistol around 
  a corner would only be exposing his head and one 
  hand, arm, and shoulder. Once the GM determines 
  what’s Concealed, combat occurs normally. If an 
  attack hits the Concealed character, roll the Hit 
  Location. If the Hit Location rolled is protected by 
  Concealment, the attack strikes the cover instead. 
  Th is usually means the target takes no damage, 
  although if the Concealment was lightweight or the 
  attack was powerful, the attack may “blow through” 
  the Concealment and still have enough power to 
  damage the target anyway.
  Example:  Andarra has just drawn her 
  blaster on a squad of Imperial Star Marines. 
  Not liking the odds, she ducks behind a rock 
  before firing. The well-trained Marines return 
  fire. Because the rock protects roughly half of 
  Andarra, the Marines receive a -2 OCV to 
  their Attack Rolls.
  Alternately, the GM could have the Marines 
  attack normally and then roll Hit Locations. 
  Only Andarra’s head, arms, shoulders, and 
  chest are exposed, so any Hit Location roll of 12 
  or more hits the rock, doing no damage to her.
  
  Hero System 5th Edition
  44 ■ Fighting
  OPTIONAL EXPANDED CONCEALMENT 
  RULES
  Some GMs may ﬁ nd the basic Concealment 
  rules — -2 or -4 OCV — insuﬃ  ciently detailed for 
  their campaigns. Gamemasters who want expanded 
  rules for Concealment should use the modiﬁ ers 
  listed in the accompanying table.
  FIRING INTO MELEE
  Gamemasters may, if they wish, use the normal 
  Concealment rules when a character tries to make 
  a Ranged Attack against a character in the middle 
  of a HTH Combat with one or more other persons 
  (“ﬁ ring into melee,” in gaming parlance). In this sit-
  uation, the GM decides how much “cover” the other 
  bodies in the battle provide, based on the number 
  of combatants, how quickly they’re moving around, 
  their relative sizes, and other factors. Th e attacker 
  then makes his Attack Roll against the target’s DCV, 
  including the OCV penalty from Concealment. If 
  the roll misses solely as a result of the Concealment 
  OCV penalty (i.e., it misses by less than or equal to 
  the penalty), then the attacker may have actually hit 
  the cover — one of the other people in the melee. 
  Th e GM decides which combatant is the potential 
  target (either randomly, or based on his evaluation 
  of the ﬁ ghters’ positions when the attacker ﬁ red). 
  Th e attacker must make another Attack Roll against 
  that target, using only his base OCV from DEX (no 
  bonuses from Combat Skill Levels, Combat Maneu-
  vers, or the like apply). If that Attack Roll hits, the 
  attacker’s shot has accidentally hit someone other 
  than his intended target!
  Example:  Lt. Andy Barrett, a skilled sniper, 
  wants to help out the other soldiers in his 
  squad, who have run out of ammunition while 
  assaulting a terrorist training camp and are 
  now involved in a swirling hand-to-hand melee 
  with the terrorists. He decides to shoot the ter-
  rorist who’s ﬁ ghting his friend Sgt. Ortiz. Barrett 
  has an OCV of 10, and the terrorist he targets 
  has DCV 6. Th e GM decides that, based on the 
  swirling confusion of the combat, the terrorist 
  has a little more than half cover — ordinarily a 
  -3 OCV penalty for Barrett. However, the GM 
  also thinks that the fact the terrorist’s a little 
  larger than Ortiz helps Barrett, so he reduces 
  the penalty to -2 OCV, giving Barrett a ﬁ nal 
  OCV of 8.
  Unfortunately, Barrett rolls a 14, so he misses 
  by 1. He missed by less than or equal to the 
  Concealment penalty of 2, so he may hit 
  someone else in the battle. Since there are six 
  other combatants (Ortiz, Private Michaels, 
  and four terrorists), the GM rolls 1d6 (1-2 
  for Barrett’s friends, 3-6 for the terrorists). 
  He gets a 4 — the potential victim is another 
  terrorist, fortunately! Barrett uses his base 
  OCV of 6 to make an Attack Roll against the 
  terrorist’s DCV of 5. He rolls a 10, a hit! At 
  least he didn’t hit his friends....
  Coordinated Attacks
  Th is Combat Modiﬁ er allows two or more 
  characters to “coordinate” so their attacks are more 
  eﬀ ective against a single opponent.
  HOW TO COORDINATE
  Before any two (or more) characters can Coor-
  dinate attacks, at the very least they must have fought 
  together or trained together in the past. Th is training 
  can be “in the ﬁ eld” during typical combats, or the 
  characters can deliberately spend time practicing 
  Coordinating their attacks. At the GM’s option, char-
  acters may have to buy an Agility Skill, Teamwork, to 
  reﬂ ect their ability to Coordinate properly (see the 
  HERO System 5th Edition, Revised, page 72). A char-
  acter cannot “Coordinate” with himself.
  To Coordinate attacks, the characters must 
  attack on the same DEX on the same Phase (the 
  attacks are considered to occur simultaneously). 
  Faster characters may have to Hold their Actions 
  to wait for comrades who have lower DEXs. If the 
  combat is particularly confusing or noisy, the GM 
  might require the characters to make a PER Roll to 
  notice the cue to attack.
  When characters try to Coordinate, they 
  must make an appropriate Skill or Characteris-
  tic Roll to see if they succeed. If the characters 
  have the Teamwork Skill, use it (with appropriate 
  modifiers to reflect the amount and quality of 
  their practice together). Otherwise, use a DEX 
  Roll or Tactics roll, with negative modifiers to 
  simulate the characters’ lack of experience fight-
  ing together (a flat 8- chance to Coordinate may 
  be appropriate in some situations).
  EFFECTS OF COORDINATING
  If two or more characters successfully Coor-
  dinate, there are several eﬀ ects. First, Coordinat-
  ing attacks may make the target easier to hit (see 
  Multiple Attackers, below). Second, Coordinated 
  attacks are more likely to Stun the target. When 
  two or more attackers successfully Coordinate their 
  attacks, each of them rolls his damage as usual for 
  the type of attack he used. However, any STUN 
  damage the target takes aft er applying his defenses 
  adds together for the purpose of determining 
  whether he’s Stunned. If the Knockback rule is 
  being used, Knockback is determined normally for 
  each attack, then added together.
  Typically, characters can Coordinate any types 
  of attacks that do damage. However, Mental Powers 
  that do damage, such as Ego Attacks, generally 
  cannot be Coordinated with attacks that do physi-
  OPTIONAL EXPANDED 
  CONCEALMENT MODIFIERS
  Percentage Of Body Concealed 
  OCV Modiﬁ er
  1-10% (nearly all of the body showing) 
  -0
  11-24% (two-thirds of the body showing) 
  -1
  25-50% (half the body showing) 
  -2
  51-74% (one-third of the body showing) 
  -3
  75-90% (head and shoulders showing) 
  -4
  91-100% (head showing) 
  -8
  
  45 
  Hero System Combat Handbook ■ Chapter Two
  cal damage (the GM must decide when attacks 
  can be Coordinated based on the nature of the 
  Powers involved, the attacks’ special eﬀ ects, and 
  the circumstances). Mental Powers that do damage 
  can be Coordinated with other Mental Powers that 
  do damage in the usual fashion (to “coordinate” 
  continuing-eﬀ ect Mental Powers, use the rules for 
  complementary Mental Powers, HERO System 5th 
  Edition, Revised, page 119). When Coordinating the 
  eﬀ ects of Powers like Dispel, which don’t directly 
  cause damage, add the eﬀ ect rolls together, or use 
  some other common-sense result.
  In the event one or more characters involved 
  in a Coordinated attack uses an attack or power 
  that somehow lowers the target’s DCV, the lowering 
  does not apply to any attacks used in that Coor-
  dinated attack. Depending on how the lowering 
  works, it might apply in later Segments, or to other 
  attacks (not a part of the Coordinated attack) that 
  take place in the same Segment but aft er the Coor-
  dinated attack occurs.
  Example: Arkelos the mage (SPD 3, DEX 
  18) and Chiron the rogue (SPD 4, DEX 20) 
  attack a dragon who just incinerated their 
  friend the paladin. Th ey decide to Coordinate 
  their attacks. On Segment 6, Chiron holds his 
  attack. On Segment 8, Arkelos has a Phase, 
  and on DEX 18, they both attack (Chiron 
  uses his Held Action). Chiron’s sword does 
  15 STUN aft er defenses, Arkelos’s ﬂ ame bolt 
  does 18 STUN aft er defenses. Th e damage is 
  totaled for the purposes of seeing whether the 
  dragon is Stunned. Since 15 + 18 = 33 STUN is 
  greater than the dragon’s 28 CON, the dragon is 
  Stunned. Whew!
  Coordinating works the same even if diﬀ er-
  ent types of attacks are used (such as a Normal 
  Damage attack and a Killing Damage attack, or 
  a Normal Damage attack and a Drain), or if the 
  campaign uses the Hit Location rules. Each attack 
  applies against its relevant defenses in the regular 
  manner, modiﬁ ed by Hit Locations as appropriate. 
  When you determine the total STUN damage the 
  target takes aft er applying the relevant defenses to 
  reduce each attack’s damage, add it together to ﬁ nd 
  out if he’s Stunned.
  Because the point of Coordinating is to 
  improve the chances of Stunning a target, charac-
  ters cannot Coordinate attacks that don’t do STUN 
  damage (or the types of damage described above). 
  For example, characters can’t Coordinate their 
  Grabs to somehow obtain a “better” Grab eﬀ ect.
  Encumbrance
  A character who carries around heavy 
  equipment may become encumbered, and there-
  fore not able to fight and move as well. The char-
  acter will also find it difficult to perform acts 
  requiring agility (i.e., a DEX Roll). The Encum-
  brance rules should only be used in Heroic cam-
  paigns (except regarding movement, in which 
  case they also apply to Superheroic campaigns).
  To determine Encumbrance, calculate the 
  total weight of all the items a character car-
  ries. This includes both worn items (such as his 
  armor, clothing, backpack, and sheathed weap-
  ons) and any items carried in his hands. Since 
  a character often carries around a fair number 
  of miscellaneous items, he should probably add 
  one or two kilograms to the total. The GM must 
  
  Hero System 5th Edition
  46 ■ Fighting
  decide the weight of any items not listed. Com-
  pare this total weight to Encumbrance Table I. 
  Encumbrance Table II provides a quick reference 
  suitable to most Heroic campaigns.
  Because the Encumbrance movement 
  penalties can become severe, GMs may wish 
  to modify the rules slightly for characters who 
  only have the standard 2” of Swimming. For any 
  level of Encumbrance from 50-89%, a character 
  in the water cannot move, but can tread water 
  and keep himself afloat by paying the END for 
  his Swimming and his Encumbrance. At 90% 
  Encumbrance and above, the character can only 
  tread water by paying double those END costs. At 
  100%+, the character sinks like a stone.
  Environmental Conditions
  The Environmental Conditions Table lists 
  some typical environmental conditions and the 
  problems they can cause in combat. In addition 
  to the CV and DC penalties (which apply to 
  all forms of attack unless otherwise noted) and 
  other penalties listed in the table, GMs may also 
  wish to restrict the use of certain Maneuvers or 
  other Actions in particular conditions. For exam-
  ple, characters fighting in hip-deep water usually 
  can’t use kicks.
  Characters can eliminate the combat penalties 
  for a particular type of environment with the Skills 
  listed in the table or by purchasing the Talent Envi-
  ronmental Movement (HERO System 5th Edition, 
  Revised, page 89).
  CLIMBING
  When a character makes easy climbs (such 
  as climbing up or down a ladder), he suffers -1 
  DCV, but no penalty to OCV or DCs. More dif-
  ficult climbs, including most climbs that require 
  the character to make a roll with his Climbing 
  Skill, reduce his DCV by up to half and subtract 
  2 DCs from all attacks.
  In either case, a character can eliminate these 
  penalties with a successful Climbing roll. Th is roll 
  is separate from any roll needed to keep climbing 
  or not fall; typically it takes no time, but the GM 
  may require the character to use up to a Half Phase 
  Action to make it in appropriate circumstances. If 
  the character fails the roll, the penalties still apply; 
  if he fails it badly, he probably falls as well.
  CLUTTERED OR CRAMPED CONDITIONS
  In cluttered or cramped areas, characters are 
  typically at -2 DCV, -1 OCV (if not worse). Based 
  on the type of area, a character may not be able 
  to use certain types of maneuvers (such as Flying 
  Kicks, maneuvers with the FMove Element, and 
  various kinds of kicks and sweeps) at all. Charac-
  ters can eliminate these penalties by succeeding 
  with an Acrobatics roll.
  Weapon Lengths And Enclosed Spaces
  Long weapons aren’t much good when a 
  character’s ﬁ ghting in an enclosed, cramped, or 
  cluttered space, and this optional rule simulates 
   ENCUMBRANCE TABLE II
  Encumbrance (Total Weight Carried)
  STR 
  0-10% 
  11-24% 
  25-49% 
  50-74% 
  75-89% 
  90-100%
  5 
  0-5.4 
  5.5-12.4 
  12.5-24.5 
  24.6-37.0 
  37.1-44.5 
  44.6-50.0
  8 
  0-7.5 
  7.6-18.0 
  18.1-36.8 
  36.9-55.5 
  55.6-66.8 
  66.9-75.0
  10 
  0-10.0 
  10.1-24.0 
  24.1-49.0 
  49.1-74.0 
  74.1-89.0 
  89.1-100.0
  13 
  0-15.0 
  15.1-36.0 
  36.1-73.5 
  73.6-111.0 
  111.1-133.5 133.6-150.0
  15 
  0-20.0 
  20.1-48.0 
  48.1-96.0 
  96.1-148.0 
  148.1-178.0 178.1-200.0
  18 
  0-30.0 
  30.1-72.0 
  72.1-147.0 
  147.1-222.0 
  222.1-267.0 267.1-300.0
  20 
  0-40.0 
  40.1-96.0 
  96.1-196.0 
  196.1-296.0 296.1-356.0 356.1-400.0
  23 
  0-60.0 
  60.1-144.0 
  144.1-294.0 294.1-444.0 
  444.1-534.0 534.1-600.0
  25 
  0-80.0 
  80.1-192.0 
  192.1-392.0 392.1-592.0 592.1-712.0 712.1-800.0
  0-10%:  No Encumbrance penalty
  11-24%:  -1 DCV/DEX Rolls
  25-49%:  -2 DCV/DEX Rolls, -1” movement, 1 END per Turn
  50-74%:  -3 DCV/DEX Rolls, -2” movement, 2 END per Turn
  75-89%:  -4 DCV/DEX Rolls, -4” movement, 3 END per Turn
  90-100%:  -5 DCV/DEX Rolls, -8” movement, 4 END per Turn
  Greater than 100%:  Character cannot move or take other actions
  All weights listed are in kilograms (kg).
  ENCUMBRANCE TABLE
  Total Weight 
  DCV/ 
   
  END Cost
  Carried 
  DEX Roll 
  Movement 
  per Turn
  Up to 10% 
  -0 
  — 
  0
  10-24% 
  -1 
  — 
  0
  25-49% 
  -2 
  -1” 
  1
  50-74% 
  -3 
  -2” 
  2
  75-89% 
  -4 
  -4” 
  3
  90-100% 
  -5 
  -8” 
  4
  Notes
  Total Weight Carried:  A percentage of the total weight 
  a character can lift , as indicated by the Strength Table 
  (page 34). For example, a character with a 20 STR can 
  lift  400 kilograms; if carrying 200 kilograms, he would 
  suﬀ er a -3 to DCV and DEX Rolls.
  Movement:  Moving characters can carry up to 24% of 
  the weight they can carry with their STR at no penalty. 
  However, carrying more than that slows them down. 
  Th e Movement column shows the impact that carry-
  ing 25% or more of their carrying capacity has on their 
  movement. Th e number of inches listed in the table 
  is subtracted from the character’s movement rate. As 
  explained on page 364, characters can use their move-
  ment to improve their STR; this may allow them to 
  overcome some or all eﬀ ects of encumbrance at less 
  cost in velocity.
  END Cost Per Turn:  When Encumbered in combat, the 
  character uses this much END per Turn in addition 
  to any other END used for STR, Powers, and the like. 
  Additionally, you can use this number as the amount of 
  Long Term END he loses every hour which he carries 
  that much weight.
  A character must pay the END cost for Encumbrance 
  in his ﬁ rst Phase of each Turn. As a default, he pays 
  the entire END cost in his ﬁ rst Phase, but the GM 
  may, if he wishes, divide the END cost equally over the 
  character’s Phases for the Turn. At the GM’s option, 
  characters so Encumbered that they must pay END do 
  not get Post-Segment 12 Recoveries (and possibly not 
  even normal Recoveries) until they get rid of enough 
  weight to remove the penalty, or sit down and do noth-
  ing but rest.
  
  47 
  Hero System Combat Handbook ■ Chapter Two
  that fact. Th e accompanying table lists a variety of 
  diﬀ erent ﬁ ghting environments and their eﬀ ects 
  on diﬀ erent types of weapons. If used, these rules 
  replace the general rules for cramped and cluttered 
  spaces described above, though the GM may still 
  allow a character to reduce or eliminate the penal-
  ties if he succeeds with an Acrobatics roll.
  FALLING AND FLYING
  Every now and then a character may have to 
  ﬁ ght during a long fall. Th e parachuting sequence 
  from the James Bond movie Moonraker probably pro-
  vides the classic example of this sort of thing — two 
  falling characters ﬁ ghting for a single parachute. 
  Falling characters are severely restricted in 
  their use of martial arts and other forms of attack. 
  Attacks requiring them to use their legs — just 
  about all kinds of kicks and sweeps, for example 
  — are diﬃ  cult or impossible to perform, as are 
  most throws and dodges. Punches or hand attacks 
  are allowed, and grappling and choking attacks are 
  the easiest of all (and oft en the most logical choice, 
  too). Th ere’s no way to eliminate these penalties. 
  In some situations characters need to remember 
  the possibility of doing Knockback, something they’ll 
  oft en want to avoid — if your opponent has the only 
  parachute, you want to stick close to him and take it 
  from him, not knock him away from you.
  Parachuting characters oft en use the reverse 
  of these rules — punching and grappling attacks 
  are not really possible, but some kicks are. Th e GM 
  should determine what maneuvers a character can 
  use based on the situation.
  Refer to Zero Gravity, below, for information 
  about fighting in situations where there is no 
  gravity at all. 
  INTOXICATION
  Intoxicated, drunk, stoned, or similarly 
  impaired characters are at -2 OCV and -2 DCV.
  NARROW SURFACES
  Characters sometimes have to fight on 
  narrow surfaces such as tightropes, tiny ledges, 
  tree branches, and the like. In this situation, a 
  character is at -2 DCV and -2 DC to all attacks; 
  he can eliminate these penalties by succeeding 
  with an Acrobatics roll.
  POOR FOOTING
  Sometimes characters ﬁ nd themselves ﬁ ght-
  ing in environments with poor footing:  ice, rain-
  slicked rocks, mud, rowboats, and the like. In this 
  situation, a character suﬀ ers -1 DCV and -1 DC to 
  all attacks, but can eliminate these penalties with a 
  successful Breakfall roll.
  WATER
  Characters fighting underwater or while 
  swimming have -2 DCV and -2 DCs to all attacks 
  unless they make an appropriate Skill Roll or 
  have TF: SCUBA. A character who stands in 
  water while he fights is at -2 DCV (and typically 
  also suffer Poor Footing penalties) unless he suc-
  ceeds with a Breakfall roll.
  See page 152 for expanded rules for under-
  water adventuring.
  ZERO GRAVITY
  Pages 280-81 of Star Hero have detailed rules 
  about the eﬀ ects of zero gravity on character 
  actions. Th e standard Skill Roll and OCV penalty 
  for all activity in zero gravity (a.k.a. free fall) is -3; 
  the standard DCV penalty is ½ DCV. Characters 
  can overcome this penalty in two ways. First, they 
  can buy the PS: Zero-G Operations Skill (Star Hero, 
  page 45). Th is method is the most “realistic,” and is 
  ENVIRONMENTAL CONDITIONS TABLE
  Condition 
  Problem; Modiﬁ ers
  Climbing 
  During easy climbs (such as a ladder), characters suﬀ er -1 DCV; 
  more diﬃ  cult ones can reduce DCV by up to half and subtract 2 
  DCs from all attacks.
  Cluttered, Cramped 
  In cluttered or cramped areas, characters are typically at -2 DCV, 
  -1 OCV (if not worse); an Acrobatics roll eliminates these pen-
  alties.
  Intoxication 
  Intoxicated or drunk characters are at -2 OCV and -2 DCV.
  Narrow Surfaces 
  Characters ﬁ ghting on tightropes, tiny ledges, tree branches, and 
  other narrow surfaces are at -2 DCV and -2 DC to all attacks; an 
  Acrobatics roll eliminates these penalties.
  Poor Footing 
  When footing is poor — on ice, rain-slicked rocks, mud, or 
  the like — characters suﬀ er -1 DCV and -1 DC to all attacks; a 
  Breakfall roll eliminates these penalties.
  Water 
  Characters ﬁ ghting underwater or while swimming are at -2 
  DCV and -2 DCs to all attacks unless they make an appropriate 
  Skill Roll or have TF: SCUBA. A character who stands in water 
  while he ﬁ ghts is at -2 DCV (and typically also suﬀ er Poor Foot-
  ing penalties) unless he makes a Breakfall roll.
  Zero-Gravity 
  Characters in Zero-G are typically at -3 OCV and/or -3 DCs for 
  any attacks that require them to have their feet on the ground 
  (such as kicks) or which need the momentum of gravity to 
  function properly (such as some punches or throws). Characters 
  are also usually at ½ DCV. Characters can eliminate some or all 
  of these penalties with a successful PS: Zero-G Operations roll.
  WEAPONS IN ENCLOSED SPACES
   
   
  Short 
   Medium 
  Long 
  Extra Long
  Environment 
  Unarmed 
  Weapons 
  Weapons 
  Weapons 
  Weapons
  Extremely Cramped (coﬃ  n, latrine) 
  -2 
  -3 
  N/P 
  N/P 
  N/P
  Very Cramped (3’ hallway) 
  -1 
  -2 
  -3 
  N/P 
  N/P
  Cramped (room crowded with 
  furniture or debris, 4-7’ hallway, 3’ doorway) 
  — 
  — 
  -1 
  -2 
  -3
  Partly Cramped (room with 6’ ceiling, 
  8-10’ hallway, 4’+ doorway) 
  — 
  — 
  — 
  -1 
  -2
  —:  No eﬀ ect on OCV.
  Number:  A penalty to the character’s OCV with the weapon.
  N/P:  Use of this weapon is not possible.
  
  Hero System 5th Edition
  48 ■ Fighting
  best suited for characters used to normal gravity 
  but trained for zero-G work. Second, they can buy 
  the Zero-G Training form of Environmental Move-
  ment (HERO System 5th Edition, Revised, pages 89-
  90). Th is costs 4 Character Points and automatically 
  cancels all Skill Roll and CV penalties caused by 
  zero-G. Th is method is most appropriate for char-
  acters born to a zero-G environment, or who spend 
  virtually all of their time in one.
  Zero Gravity And HTH Combat
  Th e penalties for Ranged Combat in zero-G 
  are as noted above, but HTH combat requires some 
  additional explanation and rules. Th ese penalties all 
  apply when the character is in free fall in zero-G. 
  If he’s braced against a surface (for instance, if he 
  wears magnetic shoes and stands on a steel sur-
  face), they do not apply.
  OCV Penalties:  A character suffers a -3 OCV 
  penalty for all attacks requiring him to have his 
  feet on the ground (such as kicks in Martial Arts 
  packages) performed in zero-G. In some situa-
  tions the GM may rule that characters cannot 
  use these maneuvers at all. He also suffers a -3 
  OCV penalty for other HTH attacks, reflecting 
  the general difficulty he has moving and contort-
  ing his body in zero-G.
  DCV Penalties:  Characters are at ½ DCV when in 
  zero-G.
  Damage Penalties:  All HTH Combat attacks suﬀ er 
  a minimum of a -1 DC damage penalty when 
  performed in free fall, as they normally beneﬁ t 
  from the character’s secure contact with a surface 
  or momentum arising from a leap from a surface. 
  Th ese penalties are usually higher (-3 DC), but the 
  GM can adjust the penalty as he sees ﬁ t.
  Action/Reaction (Knockback):  Combat in free fall 
  should always use the Knockback rules, even if the 
  campaign normally only uses Knockdown rules.
  Knockback becomes a very serious problem in 
  zero-G combat. When a character takes Knockback, 
  he continues to move that many inches per Seg-
  ment until he hits something. If the character has a 
  safety line or tether, he moves until he reaches the 
  limit of the rope and stops. Without a tether, there’s 
  a real danger of ﬂ oating oﬀ  helplessly into deep 
  space. Characters in that situation can make a DEX 
  Roll once per Phase to attempt to grab objects in 
  adjacent hexes and thereby keep from ﬂ ying away. 
  Victims wearing any sort of zero-G ﬂ ight pack can 
  bring themselves to a stop using their thrusters.
  For characters in free fall, roll 1d6 less than 
  normal to determine Knockback, as if they were 
  flying — which, in essence, they are. Moreover, 
  instead of applying Knockback just to the target, 
  divide it between attacker and target. If an attack 
  does 4” Knockback, then the target doesn’t sail 
  back 4” — both attacker and target sail away 
  from one another 2”.
  Grappling:  Grabbing someone negates OCV penal-
  ties for strikes and the Action/Reaction eﬀ ect (when 
  a character has Grabbed someone and hit him, doing 
  Knockback, neither of them goes anywhere).
  Explosion
  Explosion attacks are aimed at a hex, so you 
  handle the Attack Roll identically to an Area Of 
  Eﬀ ect attack (see Area Of Eﬀ ect Attack, above). 
  Explosions do full damage to the center hex; they 
  lose DCs per hex from the center hex. Always sub-
  tract the dice that rolled the highest numbers ﬁ rst. 
  See HERO System 5th Edition, Revised, page 258 for 
  more information.
  Multiple Attackers
  Th is optional rule reﬂ ects the fact that 
  when there are a lot of attackers ﬁ ghting a single 
  defender, it’s harder for the defender to evade 
  their attacks. To gain a Multiple Attacker Bonus, 
  the attackers must Coordinate their attacks (see 
  Coordinated Attacks, above). If the attackers suc-
  cessfully Coordinate, the defender suﬀ ers a -1 
  DCV for every attacker aft er the ﬁ rst, down to a 
  minimum of ½ DCV. Th e attackers can ﬁ ght at 
  Range, HTH, or a combination of both. Th e DCV 
  penalty applies only against those opponents who 
  Coordinate their attacks; the character’s DCV 
  against other attacks is determined normally. A 
  character who has the Skill Defense Maneuver 
  (HERO System 5th Edition, Revised, page 57) can 
  avoid the eﬀ ects of Multiple Attackers.
  A character attacked by Multiple Attackers 
  can choose to ignore some of them to concentrate 
  on a more dangerous opponent. In this case he 
  gets his full DCV against the single opponent, but 
  is ½ DCV against all the other Multiple Attackers.
  Characters with Mental Powers may obtain 
  a Multiple Attackers Bonus for ECV when using 
  any Mental Power with which they can Coordi-
  nate (see above). 
  Multiple Attackers is an optional rule. It can 
  be particularly inappropriate for a martial arts 
  campaign or one based on the swashbuckling 
  
  49 
  Hero System Combat Handbook ■ Chapter Two
  exploits of the Th ree Musketeers, since gener-
  ally such characters are supposed to be able to 
  take on large numbers of less skilled opponents 
  and defeat them without getting hurt. Th e same 
  applies to cinematic Dark Champions campaigns 
  where characters oft en seem to survive fusillades 
  of bullets, or in Fantasy campaigns where it’s 
  common for a single skilled warrior to ﬁ ght and 
  defeat several lesser swordsmen at once.
  Example:  Five VIPER agents attack Nighthawk. 
  Because they ﬁ nd Nighthawk almost impossible 
  to hit, they decide to try for a Multiple Attacker 
  Bonus. (Th is is made simpler because all VIPER 
  agents have DEX 14 and SPD 3.) On Segment 
  4, they Coordinate their attacks (this is easy for 
  them because they’ve all trained together and 
  purchased the Teamwork Skill) and attack as 
  one. Nighthawk receives a -4 to his DCV, and 
  will probably be hit.
  Off Hand
  An attack made with a weapon used in the 
  character’s “off” hand suffers a -3 OCV penalty. 
  If the character is right-handed, this applies to 
  weapons held in the left hand, vice-versa for 
  left-handed characters. The Talent Ambidexterity 
  eliminates this penalty.
  Th e Oﬀ  Hand rules only apply to weapons — a 
  character can punch someone with either of his ﬁ sts 
  and suﬀ er no OCV penalty for the “oﬀ ” hand. How-
  ever, GMs interested in fairness or “realism” may want 
  to apply the Oﬀ  Hand penalty to barehanded attacks 
  like punches (and many Martial Maneuvers).
  This optional rule is usually used only in 
  Heroic campaigns or other games where charac-
  ters buy Weapon Familiarity and similar Skills 
  instead of paying Character Points for their 
  weapons and equipment.
  Spreading An Attack
  This optional rule allows a character to 
  “spread” a Ranged attack to get a better chance 
  to hit a target. Effectively, the character “widens” 
  the attack at the cost of doing less damage. The 
  character does -1 Damage Class for every +1 
  OCV he wants. He makes his Attack Roll against 
  the target’s DCV.
  Alternately, a character may Spread his attack 
  to hit more than one target. Th e character loses 1 
  Damage Class for each hex he wants to ﬁ ll with his 
  attack. Th e hexes must be adjacent, and typically in 
  a straight line as well (the attack could therefore hit 
  a hex, and the hexes on either side, but not the hex 
  behind). Th e character must make a separate Attack 
  Roll against each target, using that target’s DCV; he 
  receives no OCV bonus for Spreading (his “bonus” 
  is the ability to attack more targets). A Spread 
  attack can be Missile Deﬂ ected or Reﬂ ected.
  With either form of Spreading, the character 
  must pay the full END cost for the attack, even 
  though it’s not doing full damage.
  Spreading is most commonly used with 
  Energy Blast, but characters may also Spread other 
  types of Ranged attacks (unless the GM rules 
  otherwise). Th e only Mental Power characters can 
  Spread is Ego Attack (and, at the GM’s discretion, 
  some Ranged attacks bought Based On ECV).
  A character can only Spread a multiple-Power 
  attack if he can Spread all the powers used in the 
  attack. He must Spread both of them equally, and 
  though the Spreading reduces both powers’ DCs, he 
  only gets one OCV bonus. For example, if a charac-
  ter has an Energy Blast and an RKA, he can reduce 
  both by 3 DCs to obtain +3 OCV with them in a 
  multiple-Power attack (he only gets +3, not +6).
  Spreading is usually only used in Superheroic 
  campaigns. Characters may not spread attacks that 
  aﬀ ect an area (such as Change Environment, Dark-
  ness, Images, or any power with the Area Of Eﬀ ect 
  or Explosion Advantages), nor any attack with the 
  Beam Limitation.
  Example:  Starburst has an Energy Blast 10d6. 
  He decides to Spread his attack to get a better 
  chance to hit his target. He spreads his attack 
  by 2d6. Th is gives him a +2 OCV, but he only 
  does 8d6 damage if he hits. He pays the full 5 
  END that his Energy Blast normally costs.
  Starburst now wants to try to hit several agents 
  with one shot. Th e agents, not being particu-
  larly clever, have conveniently lined up shoulder 
  to shoulder, six agents in three adjacent hexes. 
  Starburst spreads his attack by 3d6, thus ﬁ lling 
  up all three hexes. Starburst must now roll his 
  Attack Roll against each agent. Each agent he 
  hits takes 7d6 damage. Starburst pays the full 5 
  END for his Energy Blast. 
  SPREADING STRENGTH
  Some GMs may prefer to let characters Spread 
  their STR as a way of representing an “arm sweep,” 
  massive ﬁ sts, or the like. In this case, the charac-
  ter may only Spread for one hex (unless he had 
  Stretching or some other ability the GM believes 
  justiﬁ es a broader Spread).
  Additionally, in some cases the GM might let 
  a character use the Spreading rules for his STR to 
  reﬂ ect how he picks up large objects and uses them 
  as “clubs” to hit people in HTH Combat, instead of 
  the Weapon Size/Shape rules (see below). In this 
  case, the character has to Spread for area, not OCV, 
  and the number of hexes Spread must equal the 
  “footprint” of the object.
  Example:  Grond decides to smash the Cham-
  pions with a school bus. In game terms, a bus 
  measures 5” x 2.5” (see Th e Ultimate Vehicle, 
  page 48). Th erefore Grond must Spread for 10 
  hexes — a footprint 5 hexes long and 2 hexes 
  wide (the GM lets him have the additional .5 
  hex of width for free). Th erefore he loses 10 
  Damage Classes from his attack and only does 
  (90-50) 40 STR worth of damage — 8d6. On 
  the other hand, he’s hit all ﬁ ve of the Champi-
  ons at once!
  
  Hero System 5th Edition
  50 ■ Fighting
  Surprised
  Th is Combat Modiﬁ er applies when a charac-
  ter is attacked from behind, above, by an invisible 
  attacker, from ambush, or any other situation where 
  he’s surprised by the attack.
  A character Surprised while out of combat 
  is at ½ DCV and takes 2x STUN from the attack; 
  moreover, the penalty for any Placed Shot is halved 
  (see page 120). Double the STUN damage before 
  applying defenses (and, in campaigns using the Hit 
  Locations rules, before applying the STUN modi-
  ﬁ er for a location).
  A character Surprised while in combat is at ½ 
  DCV, but Placed Shot penalties are not halved, and 
  he takes regular STUN damage from attacks.
  For an attacker to receive a Surprised bonus, 
  the target must not be expecting any attacks. For 
  example, a character running at Noncombat veloc-
  ity toward a ﬁ ght expects trouble, and isn’t totally 
  unaware, so he usually can’t be Surprised. In this 
  situation he wouldn’t take 2x STUN (but he would 
  have a DCV penalty because he’s using Noncombat 
  Movement). Conversely, an unconscious (Knocked 
  Out) or asleep character takes 2x STUN.
  Th e GM should interpret the phrase “expecting 
  any attacks” in a common-sense fashion. Obviously, 
  anyone who’s in combat expects to be attacked, 
  so in most cases other attackers entering the fray 
  (even by surprise, as with unexpected reinforce-
  ments arriving) won’t inﬂ ict the Surprised penalty. 
  However, it’s possible for a character in combat to 
  be attacked from so unexpected a quarter, or in so 
  unexpected a way, that he suﬀ ers a Surprised pen-
  alty. Some possible examples include:
  —a clever assassin uses Stealth to sneak up behind 
  the character and stab him in the back
  —a character who seems like an ordinary soldier 
  suddenly reveals that he has superhuman powers
  —a heretofore unrevealed sniper ﬁ res at the character
  On the other hand, if the character has 
  good reason to suspect the presence of a sneaky 
  attacker, a sniper, or the like, Surprised probably 
  wouldn’t apply. And if the character has Defense 
  Maneuver, whether he’s expecting surprise 
  attacks really doesn’t matter; he’s automatically 
  prepared for them.
  Surprise Move
  A Surprise Move is any maneuver a character 
  makes that startles an opponent, tricks an enemy, 
  takes advantage of a foe’s unperceptiveness, or 
  involves an unexpected action that provides him 
  with a new angle of attack. Examples might include 
  faking unconsciousness and attacking when an 
  enemy comes close, swinging from a chandelier to 
  attack an enemy from above, or suddenly shift ing 
  from one type of attack to another.
  Th e GM should reward this sort of inven-
  tiveness on the part of the players with a bonus, 
  
  51 
  Hero System Combat Handbook ■ Chapter Two
  because this type of creative playing adds depth, 
  interest, and excitement to the game. (Of course, 
  the villains also get their chance to pull Surprise 
  Moves on the characters.) Th e bonus for a Sur-
  prise Move is +1, +2, or +3 OCV (sometimes even 
  greater), depending upon the maneuver attempted 
  and the circumstances.
  Target A Hex
  A character may make an area-affecting 
  attack (such as with Darkness or a power with 
  the Area Of Effect or Explosion Advantage) 
  against either a hex or the target’s normal DCV. 
  Generally, it’s easier to hit the hex the target’s 
  standing in, because the DCV of a hex is 3, or 0 if 
  the hex is adjacent. Attacks aimed at a hex suffer 
  the normal Range Modifier.
  Target Prone
  A prone target (i.e., one who’s lying on the 
  ground) is at half DCV. However, he may have 
  Concealment, making it harder to hit him. Many 
  attacks and other situations can cause a character 
  to become prone.
  If a character wants to drop prone voluntarily 
  (perhaps to get behind Concealment quickly, avoid 
  being run over by a train, or the like), he must use 
  a Zero Phase Action (this is a defensive Action he 
  can Abort to). Getting back to one’s feet takes a 
  Half Phase Action (unless the character uses Break-
  fall; see HERO System 5th Edition, Revised, page 
  51). Neither dropping down nor standing up costs 
  END, but it does aﬀ ect the character’s CV — see 
  Groundﬁ ghting, page 139, for details.
  Target Size
  Targets larger or smaller than normal human 
  size (1” tall) are easier or harder to hit. Big objects 
  are easier to hit:  a target 2x human size is +2 to an 
  attacker’s OCV; a target 4x human size is +4; and 
  so on. Targets smaller than human size are harder 
  to hit:  ½ human Size is -2 to an attacker’s OCV; 
  ¼ human size is -4; and so forth. (A human-sized 
  or hex-sized inanimate object typically has a DCV 
  of 3; the GM can treat the OCV bonus for large 
  objects as a DCV penalty, and the OCV penalty for 
  small objects as a DCV bonus, if he prefers.)
  Th e Target Size modiﬁ er is generally only used 
  for objects that don’t have deﬁ ned DCVs. Charac-
  ters with Size Powers, or who are larger or smaller 
  than normal all the time, have CV modiﬁ ers 
  deﬁ ned by those powers, their other abilities, and 
  their Disadvantages. Similarly, Vehicles have their 
  own DCV modiﬁ ers based on size.
  Th ese same modiﬁ ers apply to PER Rolls made 
  to perceive an object that’s larger or smaller than 
  normal human size.
  Throw Object
  Some objects are more difficult to throw 
  than others because of their shape. This imposes 
  a penalty on the Attack Roll in addition to 
  the standard Range Modifier. The penalties 
  described here only apply to Ranged attacks; 
  see Weapon Size/Shape, below, for information 
  concerning HTH Combat with large weapons 
  or objects. This Combat Modifier is for non-
  weapon objects; it doesn’t apply to weapons like 
  throwing knives, which are meant for throwing.
  Throwing an unbalanced, unaerodynamic 
  object, such as an unwilling character, a sword, 
  or a car imposes an additional -4 Range Modi-
  fier. Throwing a balanced or aerodynamic object, 
  such as a willing character, a rock, or a jetpack, 
  imposes an additional -2 Range Modifier. Char-
  acters can throw balanced and aerodynamic 
  objects, such as a pole thrown like a spear, with-
  out any additional Range Modifier.
  If a character throws something that ﬁ lls one 
  hex or more, treat it like an Area Of Eﬀ ect Attack 
  (i.e., allow him to target the attack at a hex, rather 
  than at a speciﬁ c target). You should also use this 
  method for thrown explosives, such as grenades, 
  and similar attacks not targeted at an individual.
  Alternately, the GM can determine the OCV 
  bonus for targeting the object being thrown (see 
  Target Size, above) and apply that bonus to the 
  attacker’s OCV when he throws the object. Th is 
  reduces the chance that characters with high STR 
  can repeatedly use large missiles to hit other char-
  acters eﬀ ortlessly.
  Th e Th rowing Table, HERO System 5th Edition, 
  Revised, page 35, describes how far a character can 
  throw diﬀ erent types of objects.
  A character does his STR damage with a 
  thrown object, up to the DEF+BODY of the object. 
  For example, a costumed vigilante with STR 20 
  who throws a coﬀ ee mug (DEF 1, BODY 1) at 
  someone only does 2d6 of damage — even though 
  he can do 4d6 STR damage with a blow, the object’s 
  DEF+BODY equals two, which limits him to 2d6.
  CATCHING THROWN OBJECTS
  Sometimes characters may want to catch 
  objects thrown to them. Typically this requires 
  at least a Zero Phase Action, if not more (unless 
  the GM rules otherwise). In the interest of dra-
  matic sense, the GM could let a character catch 
  something when he doesn’t have a Phase, but then 
  require him to spend a Half Phase Action (or the 
  like) on his next Phase to “ready” the object.
  These rules only apply to objects thrown 
  to the character with the intent that he catch 
  them. Characters cannot catch thrown weapons 
  and other attacks; that would require an appro-
  priately-constructed ability built using Missile 
  Deflection or the like.
  
  Hero System 5th Edition
  52 ■ Fighting
  Unfamiliar Weapon
  Th is optional rule is usually only used in 
  Heroic campaigns. A character must have Weapon 
  Familiarity with a weapon to use it properly. Oth-
  erwise, he suﬀ ers a -3 OCV penalty when using the 
  unfamiliar weapon.
  Weapon Size/Shape
  Most weapons described in the HERO System 
  rules are normal ones like swords and clubs. How-
  ever, characters sometimes pick up some mighty 
  strange objects and use them to beat on other char-
  acters — a giant might pick up a log and wield it as 
  a club against a group of knights, the super-strong 
  Grond might pick up the armored hero Defender 
  and use him to smash some other superhero into a 
  bloody pulp.
  In this situation, the GM has two choices. 
  First, for really large objects, he can treat them as 
  Area Of Effect attacks that cover an area equal 
  to the size of the object. Thus, a supervillain who 
  uses a car as a club would cover a 2”x1” area (the 
  size of a standard car) when he tries to smash 
  the heroes with it. To take a more complicated 
  example, the giant described above could swing 
  his “club” from side to side; this would cover an 
  area defined by the length of the log and the arc 
  through which the giant swings it. Unlike normal 
  Area Of Effect attacks, targets often can Dodge 
  this sort of attack. For example, the knights could 
  simply duck under (or jump over) the log as the 
  giant swings it, or the heroes step out of the way 
  of the car as the supervillain brings it crash-
  ing down. (Of course, targets can also Dive For 
  Cover if they prefer.)
  Second, the GM can determine the OCV 
  bonus for targeting the impromptu weapon (see 
  Target Size, above) and apply that bonus to the 
  attacker’s OCV when he attacks with the object. 
  Th us, using a human as a club would provide 
  no OCV bonus, but using a log that’s four times 
  human size would add +4 to the attacker’s OCV.
  Unlike normal weapons, which are built to 
  hit other things without suffering significant 
  damage themselves, impromptu weapons typi-
  cally take some or all of the damage they inflict. 
  That’s why strong characters like to pick up 
  Enemy A and use him to hit Enemy B — both 
  enemies take the damage. The GM decides the 
  extent to which an impromptu weapon is dam-
  aged through use. It should depend on how 
  much like a “normal” weapon the object is (a log 
  used as a club wouldn’t suffer much damage, but 
  a goblin used for the same purpose would likely 
  take just as much damage as the target).
  An impromptu weapon can only do as many 
  Damage Classes of damage as it has DEF+BODY; if 
  the character using the weapon does more damage 
  with his STR than that, the object typically breaks. 
  See HERO System 5th Edition, Revised, page 447 for 
  further information.
  WEAPON LENGTHS
  Weapons are deﬁ ned with four Length catego-
  ries:  Small (S), Medium (M), Long (L) and Extra 
  Long (L2). Short weapons include things like dag-
  gers and hatchets, most natural weaponry like claws 
  and fangs, and unarmed attacks. Long and Extra 
  Long weapons include shaft ed weapons like spears, 
  polearms, and lances, and perhaps the natural 
  weapons of creatures with exceptionally long limbs. 
  Everything else is a Medium weapon. Th e following 
  optional rules apply to the use of weapons of vari-
  ous lengths; GMs may choose to use some, all, or 
  none of them. See also pages 46-47 regarding weap-
  ons in cramped or enclosed spaces.
  Weapon Reach
  A Short or Medium weapon can strike tar-
  gets in the character’s own hex, or in adjacent 
  hexes. As always, the GM should apply some 
  common sense when adjudicating a combat situ-
  ation. If a character stands on one side of a hex, 
  and there’s a target on the far side of the hex 
  across from him, he can’t stab that character with 
  a dagger or sword — that’s not really “adjacent” 
  in any meaningful sense. A character’s “reach” 
  may include taking a step or two, but not so 
  many that it would amount to a Half Move.
  Long weapons have ranges of 1” or 2”. A 
  weapon with a 1” range can strike characters any-
  where in an adjacent hex, and possibly even slightly 
  into a hex beyond that depending on the relative 
  positions of attacker and target. A weapon with 
  a 2” range can strike characters anywhere in any 
  adjacent hex or the hexes beyond that, and possibly 
  even into a hex beyond that depending on the rela-
  tive positions of attacker and target.
  If you’re not using a hex map, you can simplify 
  matters by assigning speciﬁ c lengths to the weap-
  ons. A character with a Short weapon can strike 
  anyone within reach of his arm (about two to two-
  and-a-half feet from his body). A character with a 
  Medium weapon can strike anyone within six feet 
  of his body. A character with a Long weapon can 
  strike anyone within 12 feet of his body; one with 
  an Extra Long weapon can strike any target within 
  18 feet of his body.
  An attacker with a Long or Extra Long weapon 
  can attack “over” a friendly character, at an oppo-
  nent on the other side, at a -2 OCV penalty. Th is 
  makes massed ranks of spearmen particularly 
  eﬀ ective in battle.
  OCV Penalties 
  Wielders of Short weapons are at a disadvan-
  tage when ﬁ ghting opponents with longer weapons. 
  When a character with a Short weapon (including 
  unarmed characters) ﬁ ghts a target with a Medium 
  weapon, he suﬀ ers a -1 OCV penalty. When he 
  ﬁ ghts a target with a Long or Extra Long weapon, 
  he’s at -2 OCV.
  Similarly, when a character with a Medium 
  weapon ﬁ ghts a target with a Long or Extra Long 
  weapon, he suﬀ ers a -1 OCV penalty. A charac-
  ter with a Long weapon suﬀ ers no OCV penalty 
  against a character with an Extra Long weapon. In 
  
  53 
  Hero System Combat Handbook ■ Chapter Two
  any situation, the character with the longer weapon 
  does not get a bonus to OCV.
  Weapon length OCV penalties apply to 
  attempts to Block as well as attacks.
  A weapon length OCV penalty only lasts 
  as long as it takes the character with the shorter 
  weapon to hit the target with the longer weapon. 
  Hitting the target means he’s gotten inside the 
  target’s reach — and the situation reverses. Th e 
  wielder of the longer weapon now suﬀ ers an OCV 
  penalty identical to the penalty the character previ-
  ously had. To get rid of the penalty, he has to back 
  up 1” to get his reach back (this constitutes a Half 
  Move, of course), or has to hit his foe in spite of the 
  OCV penalty (this means he’s thrown his foe back 
  to his preferred ﬁ ghting range).
  When a character has a weapon the same 
  length as his foe’s (for example, if both have 
  polearm Long weapons), but decides to make 
  an unarmed attack (for instance, kicking his 
  opponent), he does not suﬀ er the OCV penalty 
  — because he has a weapon of length similar to 
  his foe’s, he ﬁ ghts at no reach disadvantage even 
  though he’s using a Short attack.
  Shields And Longer Weapons
  A shield constitutes a Short weapon when 
  used to attack a target (i.e., make a shield-bash 
  attack), and suﬀ ers any penalties appropriate for 
  weapon length. However, the shield does not suﬀ er 
  a weapon length OCV penalty when its bearer tries 
  to Block a Medium, Long, or Extra Long weapon 
  attack. A shield blocks a dagger, a sword, a spear, 
  and a pike with the same OCV.
  Hit Locations 
  A character with a Short weapon can choose 
  to roll 2d6+1 (High Shot) or 2d6+7 (Low Shot) 
  (depending on whether he strikes high or low) for 
  his Hit Location rolls without taking any OCV pen-
  alty for making a Placed Shot.
  A character with a Medium, Long, or Extra 
  Long weapon rolls the standard 3d6 for his Hit 
  Location rolls. If he wants to make a High Shot, 
  Low Shot, or the like, he suﬀ ers the standard OCV 
  penalty for a Placed Shot.
  WEAPONS FOR SMALL AND 
  TALL CHARACTERS
  In some campaigns, characters come in many 
  diﬀ erent sizes. For example, the characters in a 
  Fantasy campaign might range from sprites and 
  halﬂ ings to trolls and giants. Each race uses weap-
  ons suitable to its size, which may aﬀ ect the damage 
  a weapon does. Th e weapons tables in this chapter 
  assume weapons sized for humans and other char-
  acters that are standard height (1”) (or close to it, 
  such as dwarves). Th e accompanying table pro-
  vides guidelines for varying the damage and STR 
  Minima for smaller and larger weapons, based on 
  the Size/Weight categories used for Physical Limi-
  tations and Package Deals (see the HERO System 5th 
  Edition, Revised, page 574).
  Characters sometimes want to wield weapons 
  that are too large or small for them. Even assuming 
  a character has enough STR to lift  the weapon at all, 
  he may be unable to wield it eﬀ ectively due to its 
  STR Minimum (see page 327 of the HERO System 
  5th Edition, Revised). Additionally, the character 
  may suﬀ er an OCV penalty because he cannot 
  handle the weapon eﬀ ectively. Find the character’s 
  Size/Weight category on the Larger And Smaller 
  Weapons table. A character can wield weapons used 
  by creatures one category smaller or larger than 
  he at no penalty. For each step beyond that, he suf-
  fers a -1 OCV penalty (this is cumulative with any 
  STR Minimum penalties). For example, a human 
  can wield a Large or Small creature’s weapon with 
  no penalty. But he suﬀ ers a -1 OCV when using 
  Diminutive or Enormous weapons, a -2 OCV for 
  Tiny or Huge weapons, and so forth. A Huge giant 
  can wield Enormous and Gigantic weapons without 
  any size problems, but would suﬀ er a -3 OCV with 
  a Small creature’s weapon.
  Every step below Human-sized reduces a 
  weapon’s Length category by one (to a minimum 
  of “Short”). Th us, a spear that’s Long at human 
  dimensions counts as a Short weapon when cre-
  ated for Diminutive and smaller creatures. Simi-
  larly, each step above Human-sized tends to add 
  one to the weapon’s Length category (to a maxi-
  mum of “L2”), though the GM may make excep-
  tions to this if appropriate.
  If appropriate, a GM may let two or more 
  characters wield a weapon too large for either of 
  them to use on his own. To determine the group’s 
  eﬀ ective STR, add their lift ing capacities together, 
  then use that total to derive the group’s “STR” on 
  the Strength Table. Th at tells you whether the 
  group can lift  the weapon, and how the group’s 
  STR compares to the weapon’s STR Minimum. All 
  characters wielding the weapon must take their 
  Phases on the same Segments (faster characters 
  have to Hold their Actions if necessary, and may 
  lose some Actions). Th ey must use the same DEX 
  to strike. Th is DEX determines the group’s OCV; 
  the group cannot apply any Combat Skill Levels 
  (unless every member of the group has CSLs with 
  Oversized Weapons, in which case they can apply 
  only as many Levels as the character with the 
  fewest Levels has).
  See also page 58 regarding Blocking with dif-
  ferent-sized weapons.
  LARGER AND 
  SMALLER WEAPONS
  Size Category 
  Weapon Damage 
  Weapon STR MIN
  Insectile 
  -6 DC 
  -30
  Minute 
  -5 DC 
  -25
  Minuscule 
  -4 DC 
  -20
  Tiny 
  -3 DC 
  -15
  Diminutive 
  -2 DC 
  -10
  Small 
  -1 DC 
  -5
  Human-sized 
  — 
  —
  Large 
  +1 DC 
  +10
  Enormous 
  +2 DC 
  +20
  Huge 
  +3 DC 
  +30
  Gigantic 
  +4 DC 
  +40
  Gargantuan 
  +5 DC 
  +50
  Colossal 
  +6 DC 
  +60
  
  Hero System 5th Edition
  54 ■ Fighting
  NINE WAYS TO 
  SPEED UP COMBAT
  The slow pace at which combat sometimes 
  proceeds is a complaint common to many role-
  playing games. Here are a few suggestions for 
  making your HERO System combats run swiftly 
  and smoothly.
  1. Restrict SPDs:  Th e more Actions the participants 
  can take, the longer combats last. Limiting charac-
  ters to relatively low SPDs (such as a maximum of 4 
  or 5) can help to speed combats up some.
  2. Abolish The Speed Chart:  Another approach is to 
  abandon the Speed Chart altogether and allow each 
  character to take, for example, three Actions per 
  Turn (or “one action per round,” with each round 
  deﬁ ned as being, say, four seconds long). Th is may 
  require the GM to create some “house rules” to 
  handle Holding an Action, speedster characters, 
  and the like.
  3. Be Prepared:  Th e GM should come to the game 
  with a chart for his use listing the DEXs, SPDs, and 
  other relevant combat information for the PCs and 
  their enemies. Th is allows him to read oﬀ  the order 
  of combat quickly. Sometimes putting this chart up 
  for everyone to see (by writing it on a chalkboard, 
  for example) helps to keep the players focused on 
  the game (albeit at the expense of letting them see 
  the NPCs’ combat information).
  4. Let Players Roll In Advance:  If you trust 
  your players, let them make their Attack Rolls 
  and other rolls before you call their DEX in a 
  Phase. That way, instead of having to wait for 
  Fred to roll to hit, then roll damage, then count 
  the damage, you can just have him tell you, “I 
  missed” or “I hit DCV 8 for 38 STUN, 7 BODY.” 
  You could even have each player make twenty or 
  thirty Attack Rolls and damage rolls in advance 
  and write them down on a piece of paper for you. 
  For each one of their attacks, you cross the next 
  entry off the list and describe what happens.
  5. Require VPP Preparation:  If any PC has a Variable 
  Power Pool, only let him use powers he’s prepared 
  in advance — don’t let him stop in mid-game 
  to create a new gadget, spell, or ability he hasn’t 
  already written up.
  6. Use Average Damage:  To save time rolling and 
  counting damage, assume all attacks do average 
  damage. If that becomes too predictable, roll 1d6 
  for damage — on a 1-2, the attack does 25% less 
  damage, on a 5-6 33% more damage. Or, for every 
  point by which a character makes his Attack Roll, 
  increase the average damage of his attack by 10%.
  7. Ignore STUN Damage:  For some genres, such 
  as Fantasy, you can ignore STUN damage from 
  ordinary attacks without negatively aﬀ ecting the 
  game. If an attacker wants to Stun (instead of kill) 
  his target, or uses an attack that only does STUN, 
  keep track of STUN damage, but otherwise don’t 
  bother. Th is also saves the characters from having 
  to engage in the highly unheroic act of administer-
  ing a coup de grace to every unconscious opponent 
  when the ﬁ ght ends.
  8. Don’t Let NPCs Take Recoveries:  For all but the 
  most powerful or important enemies and NPCs, 
  don’t apply Recoveries (even the Post-Segment 12 
  Recovery). Once they go down, they stay down.
  9. Treat Minor NPCs Differently:  When the char-
  acters are facing “thugs” or other low-powered, 
  low-quality enemies, don’t calculate every point of 
  damage precisely. One good, solid hit (perhaps any 
  attack, or an attack succeeding by 3 or more on the 
  Attack Roll) takes any thug out of the combat.
  
  chapter three:
  chapter three:
  chapter three:
  COMBAT AND 
  MARTIAL MANEUVERS
  
  Hero System 5th Edition
  56 ■ Combat And Martial Maneuvers
  A
  lthough the number of diﬀ erent ways one 
  character can strike another in combat 
  is nearly inﬁ nite, the diﬀ erences between 
  the vast majority of these maneuvers — in 
  game terms — are minimal. Th erefore, the HERO 
  System has a limited number of Combat Maneuvers 
  that cover most of the possibilities. Any character 
  can use these basic Combat Maneuvers, provided 
  he has the necessary weapon (if any) or meets other 
  special conditions listed.
  Th ere are three types of Combat Maneuvers. 
  Th e ﬁ rst type, Standard Combat Maneuvers, can 
  be used by any character in just about any type of 
  campaign. Th ey cover the vast majority of combat 
  situations, and many characters never need to use 
  any other maneuvers. Th e second type, Optional 
  Combat Maneuvers, tend to be more advanced or 
  complicated, or are primarily suited to particular 
  types of campaigns. As their name indicates, they’re 
  optional; not all GMs use them in all campaigns.
  Th e ﬁ rst two types of Combat Maneuvers are 
  free — they cost no Character Points, and any char-
  acter can use them. Th e third type, Martial Maneu-
  vers, costs Character Points to learn (see HERO 
  System 5th Edition, Revised, page 64). Martial Arts 
  are discussed in the next section of this chapter.
  Combat Maneuvers can modify the character’s 
  OCV, DCV, damage done, and/or other factors. 
  Any modiﬁ ers from a Maneuver remain in eﬀ ect 
  from when the character performs the Maneuver 
  until the beginning of his next Phase. Th us, a SPD 
  3 character who Dodges on his Phase in Segment 
  4 retains the Maneuver’s +3 DCV bonus until the 
  beginning of his next Phase in Segment 8.
  Some Combat Maneuvers provide a DCV 
  bonus or penalty. For Dodge and Martial Dodge, 
  the bonus applies to all attacks; for other Maneu-
  vers, the modiﬁ er generally only applies to HTH 
  Combat. However, for ease of game play, some GMs 
  allow a Maneuver’s DCV modiﬁ er to apply to DCV 
  generally (i.e., against all attacks, HTH or Ranged).
  A character can use any of the Combat 
  Maneuvers, provided he meets the conditions 
  and restrictions listed on the Combat Maneuvers 
  Table and his GM allows the maneuver. Th e player 
  must state what Combat Maneuver his character 
  uses before rolling the dice. Unless the rules note 
  otherwise, using a Combat Maneuver counts as 
  an Attack Action (see page 18). Using a Combat 
  Maneuver typically costs 1 END (see page 143), 
  and the character also has to pay the END cost for 
  any STR or power used with the Maneuver.
  Characters are not limited to using the maneu-
  vers described here — they’re free to try any action 
  they want, even if it’s not listed on the Combat 
  Maneuvers Table. Th e GM should determine the 
  modiﬁ ers applicable to and eﬀ ects of a maneuver by 
  comparing it to the listed Combat Maneuvers. If the 
  action is suﬃ  ciently odd, the GM should give the 
  character a Surprise Move bonus. Usually actions 
  players suggest consist of several parts, and may take 
  their characters more than one Phase to accomplish.
  Example: Andarra says: “I’ll pull out my pistol, 
  shoot the guard, smash the window, and leap 
  outside!” Th e GM analyzes this action, and 
  decides it consists of:  a Half Phase Action (draw 
  weapon), a Half Phase Action (shoot the guard, 
  which is a Strike), a Zero Phase Action (smash-
  ing the window, a use of Casual STR), and a 
  Half Phase Action (leap out of the window). It 
  takes Andarra one full Phase and a Half Phase 
  to do what she’s described. Th at leaves her a 
  Half Phase to move away from the window, 
  shoot other guards, or do something else.
  ROLEPLAYING COMBAT MANEUVERS
  Th e rules explain how combat in the HERO 
  System works in game terms. But no system, how-
  ever complex, can include every possible com-
  bination of punch, kick, energy bolt, sword, and 
  gun. Th e Combat Maneuvers’ names describe the 
  general form of a particular type of attack. But the 
  names of the Maneuvers shouldn’t dictate how a 
  character actually performs the attack.
  Each of the Combat Maneuvers and Martial 
  Maneuvers actually encompasses dozens of dif-
  ferent types of attacks — in essence it labels them 
  with a generic name and allows you to apply some 
  game rules to them. For example, you won’t ﬁ nd 
  “Snap Kick” or “Elbow Smash” listed in the Combat 
  Maneuvers Table. Th ose are simply forms of Strike. 
  A character may use a Snap Kick against a fallen 
  foe, or an Elbow Smash when inﬁ ghting, but the 
  HERO System simulates all of these with the OCV, 
  DCV, and eﬀ ects of a Strike. A Haymaker can be a 
  double-handed smash, a kick, or a full uppercut. A 
  Martial Th row can be as simple as a foot thrust in 
  the way of a running opponent.
  The martial arts styles listed below are a 
  good example of this. Although constructed from 
  the same group of Martial Maneuvers, each one 
  applies its own name and effects to the various 
  Maneuvers. Thus, a Nerve Strike is a Low Blow 
  in Dirty Infighting and a Tien-hsueh Strike in 
  Kung Fu. The rules applicable to each Maneuver 
  are the same, but they have different names and 
  special effects in each style.
  COMBAT 
  MANEUVERS
  Hand-To-Hand Combat 
  (HTH):  Combat between 
  characters standing in 
  the same or adjacent 
  hexes, and usually 
  involving punching or 
  melee weapons such as 
  swords, not attacks that 
  work at Range (such as 
  guns or Energy Blasts).
  Ranged Combat:  
  Combat that takes place 
  at any distance beyond 
  HTH Combat range, 
  involving the use of 
  Ranged attacks such as 
  missile weapons (hand-
  held weapons used at a 
  distance, such as arrows 
  or thrown daggers), 
  small arms (pistols, 
  riﬂ es, lasers guns, and 
  the like), energy bolts, 
  and so forth.
  
  57 
  Hero System Combat Handbook ■ Chapter Three
  COMBAT MANEUVERS TABLE
  STANDARD MANEUVERS
  Maneuver 
  Phase OCV 
  DCV 
  Effects
  Block 
  ½ 
  +0 
  +0 
  Block HTH attacks, Abort
  Brace 
  0 
  +2 
  ½ 
  +2 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 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” aft er being hit, take ½ damage; Abort
  Snap Shot 
  1 
  -1 
  +0 
  Lets character duck back behind cover
  Suppression Fire 
  ½ 
  -2 
  +0 
  Continuous ﬁ re on hex(es), must be Autoﬁ re
  Sweep 
  1 
  -2/x 
  x½ 
  Make multiple HTH attacks
  * Th is maneuver takes one extra Segment to perform
  †:  Grab By, Move By, and Move Th rough are usually performed at the end of a Full Move, and thus take a Full Phase. 
  However, a character could perform one aft er 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):  Th e Maneuver’s modiﬁ cation 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 modiﬁ cation to the attacker’s DCV. For example, performing a Hay-
  maker decreases the attacker’s DCV, making it more likely he’ll be hit.
  Eﬀ ects:  Th e damage or other eﬀ ect 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.
  Dash (“—”):  Th at column is not relevant to that maneuver.
  
  Hero System 5th Edition
  58 ■ Combat And Martial Maneuvers
  Players should strive to come up with creative 
  attacks and actions in combat and then ﬁ nd the 
  Maneuver that best represents the actions they 
  envision. Truly unusual moves should earn a Sur-
  prise Move bonus, but GMs must be careful not to 
  give out bonuses unless a move really deserves it. 
  Th e listed Maneuvers assume that both the attacker 
  and defender are ﬁ ghting intelligently. Only very 
  surprising, risky, or exciting actions should get 
  additional bonuses.
  STANDARD COMBAT 
  MANEUVERS
  Here are the rules for the Standard Combat 
  Maneuvers. A few, particularly Block and Grab, 
  have information that pertains to related Martial 
  Maneuvers as well.
  Most of the Combat Maneuvers are fairly 
  simple and straightforward at their core, with 
  increased complexity you can add on as you learn 
  the rules and/or begin to deal with complex situ-
  ations in the game and want more detailed rules. 
  If necessary, check with your GM to ﬁ nd out what 
  level of detail he considers appropriate.
  BLOCK
  Th is Combat Maneuver allows a character to 
  block an opponent’s HTH attack and set himself up 
  to deliver the next blow.
  Using Block
  A character who wants to Block must 
  declare his intention before his attacker makes 
  an Attack Roll. To attempt a Block, he must make 
  an Attack Roll against his opponent’s OCV (not 
  DCV). If he succeeds, he Blocks the attack and 
  takes no damage (and no Knockdown or Knock-
  back). Furthermore, if these two characters both 
  have their next Phases in the same Segment, the 
  character who Blocked automatically gets to act 
  first, regardless of relative DEX (the Blocking 
  character’s opponent is delayed until after the 
  Blocking character’s DEX; see below). Blocks 
  have no effect on Ranged attacks. Using Block 
  counts as an Attack Action.
  If the Block misses, the attacker still has to 
  hit the Blocking character’s DCV. Th e CV bonuses 
  obtained from Block are general ones; they apply 
  against all characters, not just against the attacker 
  the character attempts to Block.
  Example: Ogre tries to punch Powerhouse. 
  Powerhouse attempts to Block. Ogre’s OCV 
  is 6, and Powerhouse’s OCV is 5. Powerhouse 
  needs a 5 + 11 - 6 = 10 or less. Powerhouse rolls 
  a 10 and successfully Blocks. Powerhouse takes 
  no damage. If he and Ogre both have their next 
  Phases in the same Segment, Powerhouse auto-
  matically gets to act ﬁ rst, even though Ogre’s 
  DEX is higher than his.
  A character can normally Block any HTH 
  Combat attack, including Disarms, Choke Holds, 
  Grabs/Grab Bys, Move Bys/Th roughs, sword blows 
  (see below), most No Range attacks (unless the GM 
  rules otherwise), and so forth (but not including 
  HTH Combat attack bought with the Area Of Eﬀ ect 
  or Explosion Advantages, or the like). However, the 
  GM must consider common sense, dramatic sense, 
  and game balance when determining what attacks 
  a character can Block. For example, although a 
  character could Block a Move Th rough performed 
  against him by another character, he probably can’t 
  Block a Move Th rough performed by a Vehicle.
  If a character Blocks a Constant HTH attack, 
  the ﬁ rst roll deﬂ ects it entirely — it’s as if the 
  attacker missed. He doesn’t have to keep Blocking it 
  in subsequent Segments.
  If a character Blocks a Move Th rough, the 
  character making the unsuccessful Move Th rough 
  attack does not take any damage.
  Generally, a character cannot Block a HTH 
  Combat attack bought with the Area Of Eﬀ ect or 
  Explosion Advantages. However, the GM can allow 
  a character to Block such attacks in appropriate 
  circumstances. For example, if both the attacker 
  and the defender had Area Of Eﬀ ect on their STR, 
  bought to represent the enormous size of their 
  hands, the GM might allow each character to Block 
  the other’s attacks.
  Weapons, Shields, And Strength
  In Heroic campaigns, the GM can assign a 
  penalty (-1 to -3) to Block if one character is using 
  a melee weapon and the other is not.
  A character using a shield to Block may add 
  the shield’s DCV bonus to his OCV for purposes 
  of Blocking.
  A character with WF: Oﬀ  Hand who ﬁ ghts 
  with a weapon in each hand receives +1 DCV. 
  When Blocking, he may add this bonus to his OCV 
  to determine if the Block succeeds. At the GM’s 
  option, any character, regardless of whether he buys 
  WF: Oﬀ  Hand, may add +1 to attempts to Block 
  when wielding a weapon in his oﬀ  hand. (In eﬀ ect, 
  this makes any weapon the equivalent of a small 
  shield.) If the GM establishes such a rule, characters 
  who buy WF: Oﬀ  Hand should receive +2 DCV 
  (and bonus to Block) instead of +1.
  Block does not depend on the relative STRs 
  of the characters involved, or on the weapons used. 
  Th erefore, a pixy with a dagger can Block a giant 
  wielding a club — the special eﬀ ect of the Block 
  could be gently deﬂ ecting the blow just enough to 
  keep from being hit, or even of a sort of dodging. If 
  the GM wants to, he can adapt the -2 modiﬁ er for 
  unarmed Blocks of weapon attacks (see above) to 
  this sort of situation. Th e weapon breakage rules on 
  page 189 of Fantasy Hero also apply.
  Block And Invisible Attacks
  Generally, a character cannot Block an attack 
  he cannot perceive (or, at best, can only Block 
  with OCV 0). Th at means the GM has to decide 
  on a case-by-case basis whether a character can 
  “perceive” an attack. If the attack is Fully Invisible 
  (including the source of the power), then a charac-
  VISUALIZING BLOCK
  Don’t forget the visual 
  element of the combat 
  you’re describing. A 
  Block is a Block, but 
  visually it can be any 
  number of things. A 
  character can Block a 
  punch or weapon by 
  catching the incoming 
  blow on his own wrist 
  or forearm; he can Block 
  a kick by using the fore-
  arm or a counterkick; he 
  can Block a sword attack 
  by clapping the incom-
  ing blade between his 
  two hands (a popular 
  technique in martial arts 
  movies).
  
  59 
  Hero System Combat Handbook ■ Chapter Three
  ter probably has no chance to Block it. On the other 
  hand, if the character can’t perceive the attack but 
  can perceive his attacker gesturing at him or ini-
  tiating the attack, the GM might simply apply the 
  penalties for ﬁ ghting an invisible attacker, or maybe 
  a Surprised modiﬁ er, to the Block attempt.
  ACTING FIRST
  As noted above, a character who Blocks an 
  attacker automatically gets to act ﬁ rst (regardless 
  of relative DEX) if he and the attacker have their 
  next Phases in the same Segment. If this beneﬁ t 
  applies, it does so even if the attacker decides not 
  to attack the character in his next Phase. However, 
  the attacker’s DEX for purposes of acting ﬁ rst is not 
  lowered as to any other character. Unless the char-
  acter stops the attacker somehow, the attacker can 
  attack some other target at his normal DEX.
  The “may act first” benefit only applies if the 
  two characters involved both have their normal 
  Phases on the next Segment. If the attacker 
  Holds his Action and chooses to act in a Seg-
  ment in which the character has a Phase but 
  the attacker normally does not, the characters’ 
  respective Actions occur in their normal order 
  — whichever character has the higher DEX acts 
  first, despite the Block.
  BLOCKING FOR SOMEONE ELSE
  A character can Block for someone else — a 
  useful tactic when a character wants to defend an 
  injured or defenseless person from an attacker. 
  To do this, a character must be in range of either 
  the attacker or the target. In other words, he must 
  either be in the same hex or an adjacent hex, or 
  have a weapon or some other way to extend his 
  reach. If the weapon is Short or Medium, he must 
  be in the same hex or an adjacent hex to either 
  the attacker or the target; if the weapon has a 
  reach of 1” or more, he must be within that reach 
  of either of them.
  Regardless of the weapon used, an attempt 
  to Block for someone else is made at -2 OCV. If it 
  succeeds, the attack is Blocked. However, the char-
  acter does not automatically get to go ﬁ rst before 
  the opponent whose attack he Blocked if they both 
  have their next Phase in the same Segment; they act 
  on their respective DEXs in the usual manner.
  Multiple Blocks
  A character who has successfully Blocked one 
  attack can Block additional attacks made against 
  him (by the same or diﬀ erent characters). He may 
  make these additional attempts to Block in the 
  same Phase or later Segments before his next Phase 
  (this does not count as Aborting to Block; it’s just 
  an extension of the initial Block). Each additional 
  roll is made at a cumulative -2 penalty (second 
  Block -2, third Block -4, and so on). If the character 
  misses any of his Blocks, he cannot Block further 
  attacks. If he attempts to Block an attack in a Seg-
  ment in which he does not have a Phase, he cannot 
  Abort in that Segment.
  
  Hero System 5th Edition
  60 ■ Combat And Martial Maneuvers
  Example:  Ogre, frustrated, brings a group of 
  friends to pound on Powerhouse. Powerhouse 
  blocks Ogre’s punch as before, but now must 
  Block another attack in this Phase (in Seg-
  ment 4), one in Segment 5, and two more in 
  Segment 6. His roll to Block this second attack 
  is determined as described above, but with an 
  additional -2 penalty to Powerhouse’s OCV. He 
  makes this roll, but fails against the third attack 
  (he had a -4 penalty, aft er all). Because he’s 
  failed to Block an attack, Powerhouse cannot 
  try to Block any more attacks in Segment 5. 
  Furthermore, he cannot Abort to a defensive 
  Action in Segment 5, because he tried to Block.
  If a character Aborts to Block, and then contin-
  ues to Block other attacks in later Segments aft er he 
  Aborted, he may continue to Block in the Segment 
  in which his next Phase occurs, but before his Phase 
  occurs. For example, if a SPD 3, DEX 15 character 
  Aborts his Phase in Segment 12 to successfully 
  Block an attack, he can Block a second attack (at -2) 
  in Segment 4 — when his next usable Phase occurs 
  on DEX 15 — if his attacker has a Phase in Segment 
  4 prior to DEX 15. Furthermore, he then receives his 
  normal Phase when his DEX occurs in the initiative 
  order, and may make an attack or perform any other 
  Action he normally could during a Phase. However, 
  the GM may, in his discretion, change these rules, 
  and/or impose an OCV penalty (or other appropri-
  ate penalty) on the Action the character takes when 
  his Phase arises.
  If a character successfully Blocks attacks from 
  multiple opponents, he gets the “may act ﬁ rst in the 
  next Phase, if they share it” beneﬁ t against all of them.
  Th ere’s no absolute limit to the number of 
  Blocks a character can perform — though the pen-
  alty for multiple Blocks imposes a practical limit.
  MULTIPLE ATTACKS
  Some attacks, such as Sweep or Multiple Move 
  By, involve a sequence of attacks directed at the 
  target in which if one of the attacks misses, all 
  subsequent attacks automatically miss. For these 
  purposes, successfully Blocking one of the attacks 
  in the sequence does not count as a “miss”; the 
  attacker may continue with the rest of the sequence.
  Sometimes a character wants to Block an 
  Autoﬁ re HTH Combat attack that has “hit” him 
  multiple times. Autoﬁ re used against a single 
  target requires a single Attack Roll from which the 
  number of hits are determined. Th erefore, the char-
  acter makes a single Block roll. If he makes the roll 
  exactly, he Blocks one of the hits. For every 2 points 
  by which he makes the roll beyond that, he Blocks 
  another hit. If the character Blocking the attack gets 
  attacked by another character that same Phase and 
  wants to Block that character’s attacks, his Block 
  roll suﬀ ers a -2 for the second attack, -4 for the 
  third, and so forth. Th e penalty doesn’t derive from 
  the number of Autoﬁ re shots Blocked, because the 
  character only made one Block roll, and Blocking 
  some but less than all of an attacker’s Autoﬁ re shots 
  does not count as a “missed Block” for purposes of 
  ending a character’s ability to make multiple Blocks.
  For an attack like Sweep, which involves mul-
  tiple Attack Rolls, a character must make one Block 
  roll for each Attack Roll, at the normal penalty for 
  making multiple Blocks in the same Phase. So, to 
  Block a three-attack Sweep involves one normal 
  Block roll, a second roll at -2, and a third at -4. If 
  another character attacked the Blocking character, 
  an attempt to Block his attack would be at -6.
  BLOCKING AND MISSILE DEFLECTION
  In many campaigns, particularly martial 
  arts games, Blocks can aid Missile Deflection in 
  some ways.
  —If the GM permits, a character can use his Martial 
  Block (or other Block-based maneuver) with his 
  Missile Deﬂ ection instead of his normal Block, 
  thereby gaining the Martial Block’s CV bonuses 
  with his Missile Deﬂ ection.
  —If a character has Missile Reflection defined 
  as catching a weapon and immediately throw-
  ing it back, he can instead just catch the weapon. 
  He may then use it himself or throw it on a later 
  Phase. Throwing it on a later Phase constitutes 
  an Attack Action, not as a continuation of his 
  Missile Reflection.
  —A weapon that has a large striking surface (like a 
  war fan or a shield) can add its OCV (or, in the case 
  of shields, DCV) bonus to the Missile Deﬂ ection 
  Block attempt.
  BLOCKS COMBINED WITH OTHER 
  ELEMENTS
  Some Martial Maneuvers, such as Defensive 
  Th row and Grappling Block, combine Block with 
  other Martial Maneuver elements such as Grab or 
  Th row. Since these maneuvers have an oﬀ ensive or 
  aggressive aspect to them, a character cannot Abort 
  to them (even if he wants to use just the Block part 
  of the maneuver).
  REDEFINING BLOCK
  Th e basic Block maneuver allows the character to avoid 
  all damage from a Hand-To-Hand attack and then go 
  ﬁ rst in the next Phase if both combatants have their 
  next Phase in common. If the GM prefers, he can rede-
  ﬁ ne Block slightly to allow diﬀ erent combat dynamics. 
  Th e following are some suggestions along these lines:
  1)  A Block deﬂ ects all damage from an attack, but does 
  not let the Blocker go ﬁ rst in the next Phase. Th is sort 
  of Block is sometimes referred to as an “active Dodge.”
  2)  A Block deﬂ ects half of the damage from an attack, 
  and allows the Blocker to go ﬁ rst in the next Phase.
  3)  A Block deﬂ ects half of the damage from an 
  attack, and does not allow the Blocker to go ﬁ rst in 
  the next Phase.
  4)  A Block deﬂ ects all of the damage from one attack 
  only, and provides its DCV bonus against all other 
  attacks that Phase. In other words, characters cannot 
  use Block to avoid successive attacks in the same Phase, 
  though they get the DCV bonus from the maneuver.
  
  61 
  Hero System Combat Handbook ■ Chapter Three
  BRACE
  Th is Maneuver allows a character to brace 
  himself to steady his aim and improve his accuracy 
  at range.
  To Brace, a character must take a Zero Phase 
  Action (not an Attack Action) to steady himself 
  — in eﬀ ect, it “tacks on” to another Combat Maneu-
  ver, allowing a character to Brace and then make 
  an Attack Action all in the same Phase. Th is gives 
  him a +2 OCV that only oﬀ sets the Range Modiﬁ er. 
  Additionally, Bracing reduces the STR Minimum 
  for using a Ranged weapon by 5. However, the 
  character’s DCV is halved because he stands still to 
  Brace. If a character is Stunned while Bracing, he 
  loses the eﬀ ects of the Maneuver.
  A character can combine Brace with Set in 
  the same Phase and get both bonuses. He gains a 
  +1 OCV, plus a +2 OCV only to oﬀ set the Range 
  Modiﬁ er — but this takes a Full Phase, and he’s at 
  ½ DCV. For more information, see Set.
  If a character is Bracing and/or Setting, and 
  he’s Stunned by an attack, he loses the eﬀ ects of 
  either maneuver (or both, if using both).
  DISARM
  Th is Maneuver allows a character to knock a 
  weapon or hand-held object out of another charac-
  ter’s grasp.
  USING DISARM
  To use Disarm, the character makes an Attack 
  Roll. If the Attack Roll succeeds, the two characters 
  engage in a STR Versus STR Contest:  each rolls 
  1d6 per 5 points of STR and counts the Normal 
  Damage BODY. If the attacker’s BODY total is 
  higher or the rolls tie, the Disarm succeeds and the 
  target’s weapon or object goes ﬂ ying ½d6 hexes in 
  the direction of the strike (attacker’s choice, within 
  reason). If the defender’s BODY total is higher, he 
  retains his grip on his weapon — the Disarm fails.
  Modifying Th e Disarm Roll
  In some situations the GM may wish to 
  modify the Disarm roll. First, there may be a nega-
  tive modiﬁ er (-1 to -3) if the character attempting 
  the Disarm is unarmed or using a short weapon 
  to try to Disarm an armed character or one with a 
  much longer weapon — it’s hard for a bare-handed 
  ﬁ ghter to Disarm someone with a sword! Second, 
  if the target of the Disarm is Surprised, he may 
  only use his Casual STR to resist the Disarm. Th ird, 
  it’s a little more diﬃ  cult to Disarm a two-handed 
  weapon than a weapon held in one hand. A char-
  acter trying this suﬀ ers a -2 OCV penalty on his 
  Disarm. Alternately or in addition, the target gets 
  +5 STR in the STR Versus STR Contest to keep 
  hold of his weapon. 
  Fourth, characters with Martial Maneuvers 
  that involve Disarming opponents (such as Mar-
  tial Disarm) can use the maneuver’s STR bonus to 
  resist being Disarmed. Th is option prevents fencers 
  and similar characters from constantly Disarming 
  each other.
  Disarming Incoming Attacks
  A character can Hold his Action to Disarm 
  an incoming attack. Th is happens especially oft en 
  when a character makes a Half Move and then 
  Holds his Action, waiting for his attacker to reach 
  him. However, a Disarm versus an incoming attack 
  doesn’t automatically mean the attacker is Dis-
  armed before he performs his attack. Th e characters 
  must make DEX Rolls to see who goes ﬁ rst. If the 
  Disarm rolls tie, or the character performing the 
  Disarm succeeds with his DEX Roll by more, he 
  goes ﬁ rst. If he successfully Disarms his opponent, 
  the opponent doesn’t get his to make his attack and 
  can do nothing else this Phase. If the Disarm misses 
  or fails, the opponent gets his attack this Phase. If 
  the target of the Disarm makes his DEX Roll by 
  more, he goes ﬁ rst and attacks before the Disarm 
  attempt. If the Disarming character is not Stunned 
  or Knocked Out by the attack, he can then perform 
  the Disarm.
  RANGED DISARMS
  Characters can perform Disarms (but not 
  Martial Disarms or the like) with ranged weapons 
  — for example, by shooting a gun out of an enemy’s 
  hand. Determining the outcome of the attack is a 
  two-step process.
  First, the character has to make an Attack Roll 
  to hit the weapon. He doesn’t suﬀ er the standard -2 
  OCV penalty for making a HTH Disarm; instead, 
  the OCV penalty depends on the size of the 
  weapon (or other object) he’s trying to shoot out of 
  the target’s hand (see accompanying table).
  Second, if the character hits the object, con-
  vert the Damage Classes of the attack into STR at 
  the rate of 1 DC = 5 STR. Th e GM may rule that 
  some Damage Classes (such as those provided by 
  exotic types of bullets) don’t count for purposes 
  of calculating the “STR” of a shot. Once you know 
  the attack’s “STR,” roll a STR Versus STR Contest 
  in the standard method for the Disarm maneuver. 
  For example, a 1d6+1 RKA bullet has 4 DC, which 
  equals 20 STR for Disarm purposes, and would roll 
  4d6 to determine the “BODY damage” done by his 
  STR for Disarming.
  A Disarmed weapon usually ends up ½d6 
  inches away from its former holder in the direction 
  the Disarming attack travels (Disarming player’s 
  choice, within reason). Th e GM decides whether 
  the Disarmed weapon suﬀ ers damage.
  You can also use this system to determine 
  whether the force of a particular attack is enough 
  to knock over an object. But the GM should 
  apply some standards of “realism” to this sort of 
  action — it isn’t usually possible to tip over cars 
  and other large objects with attacks, even if they 
  have the “STR” to do it.
  As an alternative to using the Disarm rules, 
  characters can simply try to wound their enemies 
  in ways that make them drop held objects. A char-
  acter who takes an Impairing or Disabling wound 
  to the Hand or Arm may drop whatever he’s hold-
  ing. Th e character makes an EGO Roll at -1 to 
  the roll for each 2 BODY taken; if he succeeds, he 
  maintains his grip, if he fails, he drops the held 
  
  Hero System 5th Edition
  62 ■ Combat And Martial Maneuvers
  object. Another alternative would be to use other 
  appropriate powers, such as Teleportation Usable 
  As Attack or Telekinesis, to remove the weapon 
  from the target’s grasp (in this case, the GM may 
  want to impose the standard OCV penalty for tar-
  geting an object the size of the weapon, or perhaps 
  the -6 for targeting the Hand).
  DODGE
  Th is Maneuver allows a character to avoid an 
  attack. A character performing a Dodge can’t attack, 
  but is much harder to hit — he adds +3 DCV 
  against all attacks. Characters can Abort to Dodge. 
  Using Dodge counts as an Attack Action.
  As noted on page 248 of the HERO System 5th 
  Edition, Revised core rulebook, Dodge has no eﬀ ect 
  against Area Of Eﬀ ect attacks, Explosions, and 
  other area-aﬀ ecting attacks — those attacks apply 
  against the DCV 3 of the target hex, so the target’s 
  DCV is irrelevant. Th is applies even to HTH 
  Combat attacks bought with those Advantages.
  Some attacks, such as Sweep or a Multiple 
  Move By, involve a sequence of attacks directed at 
  the target in which if one of the attacks misses, all 
  subsequent attacks automatically miss. For these 
  purposes, successfully Dodging one of the attacks 
  in the sequence counts as a “miss” and ends the 
  sequence of attacks.
  DODGE AND OTHER MANEUVER 
  ELEMENTS
  Using the Maneuver creation rules in Th e 
  Ultimate Martial Artist, a character could create a 
  Martial Maneuver that combines Dodge with an 
  element such as Target Falls, thus allowing him to 
  (for example) “trip” people who attack him. How-
  ever, you must apply common sense when using 
  such a Maneuver. For example, the Target Falls part 
  of the maneuver would only aﬀ ect HTH attackers, 
  not persons who attack the character at range.
  Some Martial Maneuvers might combine 
  Dodge with other Martial Maneuver elements such 
  as Grab or Th row. Since these maneuvers have an 
  oﬀ ensive or aggressive aspect to them, a character 
  cannot Abort to them (even if he wants to use just 
  the Dodge part of the maneuver).
  GRAB
  Th is Maneuver allows a character to get a hold 
  on another character or object.
  Making A Grab
  To Grab an opponent, a character must 
  make an Attack Roll with appropriate modiﬁ ers. 
  If successful, he has Grabbed his opponent. (As 
  described below under Escaping From Grabs, the 
  victim immediately gets a Casual STR roll to break 
  free, if desired.)
  The Grabber (the character performing the 
  Grab) and Grabbed character both occupy the 
  same hex. Typically this is the Grabber’s hex. 
  However, if the Grabber has a Half Phase Action 
  available before attacking, he can specify in 
  advance that he wants to move into the Grabbee’s 
  hex before Grabbing him.
  A character may not be able to Grab targets 
  signiﬁ cantly larger than himself. A human, no 
  matter how strong, isn’t really able to Grab a giant.
  SQUEEZING AND THROWING
  In many cases, a character Grabs his enemy just 
  to hold onto him or prevent him from doing some-
  thing, but sometimes the Grabber wants to hurt the 
  target at the same time. A character who has Grabbed 
  someone can do either of the following:
  —Squeeze him or smash him against something. 
  Th is does regular STR damage (STR/5 in d6 of 
  Normal Damage) to the victim; the character 
  retains his hold on the victim.
  —Th row him. Th is does regular STR damage to the 
  victim, and subjects him to the eﬀ ects of a Th row 
  (see Martial Th row, page 90), but typically requires 
  the character to let go of the victim. See the Th row-
  ing Table, HERO System 5th Edition, Revised, page 
  35, to determine how far the Grabber can Th row 
  the Grabbed character (though he can choose just 
  to Th row him to the ground in an adjacent hex [i.e., 
  to “slam” him], or the like).
  If the Grabber chooses to Squeeze or Th row 
  the Grabbed character in the same Segment in 
  which he (the Grabber) successfully Grabbed him, 
  the Squeeze or Th row does not require an Attack 
  Roll (it automatically succeeds) and takes no time. 
  A character cannot Hold this “free” action; he must 
  use it in that same Segment. If the Grabber wants 
  to Squeeze or Th row his victim in a later Phase, 
  doing so is an Attack Action (it doesn’t automati-
  cally succeed, requires an Attack Roll, and so forth). 
  TARGETING WEAPONS 
  AND GADGETS
  Weapon 
  Attack Roll Penalty
  Assault Riﬂ e 
  -3 to -5
  Bow 
  -4 to -6 (this assumes the character 
  is targeting the bow itself; targeting 
  the bowstring would be a -12, but 
  any hit to a bowstring will break it) 
  Crossbow 
  -3 to -6 (most crossbows are large 
  and bulky enough that they’re 
  fairly easy to hit, but pistol cross-
  bows are as diﬃ  cult to target as a 
  handgun)
  Grenade 
  -6 to -7
  Handgun 
  -5 to -8 (especially large handguns, 
  such as the AMT Automag, would 
  be -5; derringers and other small 
  guns are -7 or -8. Most handguns 
  are -6)
  Knife 
  -5 to -8
  Machine Gun 
  -2 to -5
  Riﬂ e 
  -3 to -4
  Shotgun 
  -3 to -5
  Submachine Gun 
  -4 to -6
  Sword 
  -3 to -5
  
  63 
  Hero System Combat Handbook ■ Chapter Three
  Assume any Grab-and-Th row is a Standing Th row, 
  unless the Grabber begins a Phase with a Grabbed 
  victim and the GM lets him move before making 
  the Th row.
  A character may want to Grab-and-Throw 
  something at a specific target (for example, to 
  throw one enemy into another, or to pick up 
  a live grenade and Throw it through an open 
  window). To do this, he must make a separate 
  Attack Roll against that target. Unless the GM 
  rules otherwise, this is a separate Attack Action, 
  so it cannot be performed in the same Phase 
  when the character performs his Grab. The 
  standard CV modifiers for Grab apply, and the 
  GM may impose other modifiers to reflect the 
  circumstances. If the attack succeeds, both the 
  Thrown object and the target take the character’s 
  STR damage. (See page 134 for further informa-
  tion about using characters as missiles.)
  If the Attack Roll for a Squeeze fails, the 
  victim takes no damage but remains Grabbed. If 
  the Attack Roll for a Throw fails, the victim is no 
  longer Grabbed (unless the GM rules otherwise, 
  as he might if the Throw is a slam) and suf-
  fers no effects of a Throw (he takes no damage, 
  remains on his feet, and suffers no initiative pen-
  alty in relation to the character who threw him) 
  (see below for more information).
  Aft er performing a Grab, in that same Segment 
  a character can only Squeeze or Th row the target as 
  an immediate attack. He can’t use any other maneu-
  vers or attacks (unless the GM so permits, and even 
  in that case, using another attack should mean 
  releasing the Grab in most circumstances). In later 
  Phases he can use any attacks he wants (provided 
  he has the free limbs or other means to do so).
  If a Grab-based Maneuver (such as Martial 
  Grab) provides a STR bonus, that bonus applies 
  solely for the purposes of holding on to the target. 
  It doesn’t increase the damage done by Squeez-
  ing or Th rowing the target, increase the distance 
  a target can be thrown, or have any other eﬀ ect. 
  Similarly, characters can use Combat Skill Levels to 
  increase their OCV or DCV when Grabbing, but 
  not the damage done by Squeezing or Th rowing.
  A character cannot use his Hand-To-Hand 
  Attack to improve the damage done by Squeezing 
  or Th rowing a Grabbed character. Nor can charac-
  ters Haymaker Squeeze or Th row damage.
  See page 134 for rules regarding using a 
  Grabbed character as a “club” or “missile” against 
  other characters.
  Missed Th rows
  Th e basic eﬀ ects of a missed attempt to Th row 
  a Grabbed character are described above. If the 
  Grabbing character was Th rowing the victim for 
  distance, the GM can determine where the Th rown 
  character lands using the rules for missed area-
  aﬀ ecting attacks or whatever other method seems 
  appropriate to him.
  A character cannot Th row a Grabbed person 
  in an eﬀ ort to hit another target (such as another 
  character or a speciﬁ c hex), miss that target, but 
  still inﬂ ict Th row damage on the Th rown person. 
  A miss is a miss — the character chose a tactic that 
  would have been especially eﬀ ective if it had suc-
  ceeded, so he has to live with severe consequences 
  (doing no damage to anyone, even the Th rown 
  character) if he fails.
  If a character is “just” throwing a Grabbed 
  victim for distance, with no intention of caus-
  ing any injury, all he has to do is succeed with the 
  Attack Roll to make the Th row, then consult the 
  Th rowing Table. Th e GM can determine exactly 
  where the target “lands” using the rules for missed 
  area-aﬀ ecting attacks or whatever other method 
  seems appropriate to him.
  OTHER GRAB OPTIONS
  As indicated above, aft er performing a Grab, 
  in that same Segment a character can only Squeeze 
  or Th row the target as an immediate attack; he can’t 
  use any other maneuvers or attacks unless the GM 
  permits it.
  At the GM’s option, besides Squeezing or 
  Throwing a Grabbed victim, characters can do 
  any one of the following immediately after per-
  forming a Grab in that same Segment without 
  the need for an additional Attack Roll. They can 
  also perform them when they have Phases in 
  later Segments (or, if appropriate, if they want 
  to Abort to them), but they must first succeed 
  with an Attack Roll, just like with Squeezing or 
  Throwing in later Segments. These options are 
  most appropriate for martial arts campaigns and 
  the like.
  PULLING THE 
  SQUEEZE
  Pulling A Punch 
  applies to any HTH 
  attack. If a character 
  knows before per-
  forming a Grab that 
  he wants to pull his 
  Squeeze, or if the 
  Squeeze is one per-
  formed in a Phase 
  after the Grab and so 
  requires an Attack Roll, 
  then the OCV penalty 
  applies as usual. If the 
  character decides he’d 
  like to Pull the Squeeze 
  after he makes his Grab 
  Attack Roll, the GM 
  can either decide to let 
  him do it with no pen-
  alty, or can require him 
  to make another Attack 
  Roll not for purposes 
  of hitting but only for 
  purposes of determin-
  ing if the Pull succeeds.
  
  Hero System 5th Edition
  64 ■ Combat And Martial Maneuvers
  Grab and Block
  Grab and Control
  Grab and Redirect
  Grab and Shove
  A character can only use one of these addi-
  tional functions in a Phase (just like he can’t both 
  Squeeze and Th row a victim). Having Grabbed a 
  target, the character cannot Block and Redirect in 
  the same Phase, or Block and Th row, or any other 
  combination.
  Grab And Block
  With this combination, a character Grabs 
  someone — and then, at any time while the Grab 
  is still in effect, Blocks an incoming attack with 
  the Grabbed character’s body. To do this, he per-
  forms the Grab normally. If the Grabbed charac-
  ter does not immediately escape, the Grabber can 
  perform a Block with his body. Roll the Block 
  maneuver (or Martial Block maneuver) at a -2 
  to OCV (this replaces the normal ½ OCV the 
  Grabber has against other targets). If it succeeds, 
  the Grabber has Blocked the attack; the Grabbed 
  character takes the damage of the incoming 
  attack. You can only Block this way once per 
  Phase, unlike ordinary Blocks.
  If a character has Combat Skill Levels with 
  Grab, he cannot apply them to the OCV of the 
  Block of a Grab-and-Block combination.
  Th is is a very useful maneuver for PCs. But vil-
  lains can also Grab and Block, and are fond of doing 
  so with captured DNPCs and other innocents.
  Grab And Control
  When a character Grabs someone, he can also 
  attempt to Control that person, meaning turn the 
  victim so he cannot attack the character as easily. 
  To do this, he makes a STR Versus STR Roll with 
  the victim. (If this is immediately aft er he Grabbed 
  the victim and the victim’s Phase hasn’t yet come 
  up, he does get a Casual STR roll.) If he rolls 2 
  BODY more than the victim on the STR Versus 
  STR Roll, he can turn the victim so the victim 
  cannot strike him this Segment. To maintain con-
  trol, the character must make a similar roll on each 
  of his Phases.
  Grab and Control is very good for subdu-
  ing someone a character wishes to speak to but 
  not hurt; it does the victim no harm and gives the 
  character a Phase or two to speak. A character can 
  also use Grab and Control to force someone to the 
  ground without hurting him (to force him to the 
  ground and do STR damage to him in the process, 
  Grab and Th row him, as described above.
  Grab And Redirect
  Redirect follows a Grab of someone’s weapon. 
  If a character Grabs a weapon, he may then make a 
  STR Versus STR Roll to attack with it. If he succeeds 
  (i.e., he ties or betters the victim’s BODY total), he 
  can attack the weapon’s wielder or a character in the 
  same or an adjacent hex as the wielder. If his normal 
  STR is enough to use the weapon, he doesn’t suﬀ er 
  an OCV penalty. However, he only does the weapon’s 
  base damage; because the wielder of the weapon 
  resists him, the character doesn’t get to use any of his 
  STR which exceeds the weapon’s STR Minimum to 
  increase the damage done by the weapon.
  Characters can use Grab-and-Redirect with 
  Ranged attacks, assuming appropriate special 
  eﬀ ects (such a maneuver might work very well with 
  a gun, less well or not at all with a bow or throwing 
  knife). Characters cannot apply Range Skill Levels 
  with a Redirect, though.
  If a character has Combat Skill Levels with 
  Grab, he cannot apply them to the OCV of, or 
  damage caused with, the Redirect of a Grab-and-
  Redirect combination. Nor can he apply Extra DCs 
  to increase the damage of that maneuver.
  Grab And Shove
  Once a character has Grabbed someone, he 
  may attempt to Shove the victim backwards. He 
  makes a STR Versus STR Roll. If he succeeds, he 
  may shove the victim back a maximum of 1”. He 
  moves with the victim and continues to hold on to 
  him as he does so.
  A character may perform this option even 
  aft er he’s performed a Half Move and Grab/Shove. 
  For example, a character with 7” of Running moves 
  4” forward and Grabs his target successfully. He can 
  now elect to Shove his target back 1”, even though, 
  at Phase’s end, he’s moved a total of 5” (more than 
  his Half Move) and still performed an attack.
  Shoving does no damage to a target unless he’s 
  shoved into a surface such as a wall; in that case, 
  he takes the character’s STR damage. A STR 18 
  character shoving a target into a wall will do 3½d6 
  Normal Damage to that target. If the campaign uses 
  Hit Locations, this is just generalized damage.
  Anyone who Grabs can Shove. Th ere’s also 
  a special martial Shove maneuver which allows 
  characters to shove more eﬀ ectively. Refer to Shove, 
  below, for more details.
  Further Options
  Th e GM may allow other optional “uses” for 
  Grab as a multiple-power attack. For example, a 
  large monster could Grab-and-Squeeze a character 
  with its mouth and also use its fangs (an HKA) as 
  part of a multiple-power attack.
  MULTIPLE GRABS
  In some situations, two or more characters 
  may want to perform Grabs on the same target. For 
  purposes of analyzing this situation, assume three 
  characters:  A, B, and C.
  Suppose C has Grabbed B. A also wants to 
  Grab B. If C is willing to have A help him hold B, 
  A simply makes a normal Attack Roll against B’s 
  DCV (which is reduced by the Grab, of course). To 
  break free B must defeat the higher of A’s and C’s 
  STRs. Alternately, the GM can add A’s and C’s lift ing 
  capacities together to determine their “group STR,” 
  as described on page 6 of Th e Ultimate Brick (or 
  page 95 of this book regarding Shove), and B has to 
  break free from that. If B only wants to free the part 
  of his body held by one of his captors, he has to 
  make his STR Roll versus that person’s STR, but if 
  he succeeds he only frees that part of his body.
  If C doesn’t want A to Grab B (maybe A is 
  trying to pull B free), A has to make his Attack Roll 
  SQUEEZING 
  MULTIPLE TARGETS
  In some situations, a 
  character may want 
  to Grab and Squeeze 
  two characters. Th is 
  could simulate, for 
  example, smashing 
  two enemies’ heads to 
  together, or simply be 
  a clever combat tactics 
  for a character with 
  large arms. To do this, 
  a character must Sweep 
  Grab two targets, then 
  Squeeze them both that 
  same Phase if he suc-
  ceeds. In later Phases he 
  has to Sweep Squeeze 
  (since Squeezing in later 
  Phases counts as an 
  attack), or choose which 
  one to Squeeze.
  COMBAT SKILL 
  LEVELS WITH 
  SQUEEZE OR THROW
  Characters could apply 
  the following types of 
  Combat Skill Levels to a 
  Th row made aft er Grab-
  bing someone:
  —CSLs with HTH 
  Combat
  —CSLs speciﬁ cally 
  bought for throwing 
  Grabbed characters
  CSLs for Grab would 
  not apply, since this is a 
  Th row, not a Grab. CSLs 
  bought for Th row-based 
  maneuvers (such as 
  Martial Th row) would 
  not apply, since a Th row 
  aft er a Grab isn’t a 
  Th row-based maneuver.
  Characters could apply 
  the following types of 
  Combat Skill Levels to 
  a Squeeze made aft er 
  Grabbing someone:
  —CSLs with HTH 
  Combat
  —CSLs speciﬁ cally 
  bought for squeezing 
  Grabbed characters
  CSLs for Grab would 
  not apply, since this is a 
  Squeeze, not a Grab. 
  
  65 
  Hero System Combat Handbook ■ Chapter Three
  against the higher of C’s DCV or B’s DCV. If A 
  succeeds, he can then engage in a STR Versus STR 
  Contest with C to free B (B takes no damage from 
  this, unless the GM feels it would be appropriate to 
  apply some measure of the STR involved to reﬂ ect 
  the tugging on B’s body).
  Instead of trying to free B by Grabbing him, A 
  might instead Grab C and then try to pry his 
  arms from around B. He makes a Grab attack 
  against C as normal (keep in mind that C has a 
  reduced DCV from performing a Grab on B). A 
  may then pit his STR against C in a STR Versus 
  STR Contest to pry C’s arms from around B, 
  and if he succeeds, he frees B.
  GRABBING A MOVING CHARACTER
  Sometimes a character may want to Grab a 
  character who’s moving. When a moving char-
  acter is Grabbed, he immediately gets a standard 
  Casual STR Roll to break out. If the GM is using 
  the optional rule on page 26 regarding the eﬀ ect of 
  movement on STR, then the character’s Casual STR 
  would be calculated with that in mind. If the roll 
  succeeds, the character keeps moving until the end 
  of his declared inches of movement (assuming he 
  wasn’t there already). If the roll fails, the character 
  is reduced to 0” of movement and remains in the 
  hex where he was Grabbed. He has to break out in 
  the usual fashion, without gaining any STR beneﬁ t 
  from movement.
  Typically a Grabbed character cannot use any 
  form of movement to keep moving while Grabbed, 
  dragging the Grabbing character along. He may be 
  able to use his movement to improve his STR to 
  break free (see page 26), but that’s all (though Tele-
  portation lets a character escape from most Grabs 
  easily). Even if the GM chooses to allow this (at 
  least for some special eﬀ ects), the Grabbed charac-
  ter may be subject to Encumbrance rules for carry-
  ing so much weight.
  MOVING WITH A GRABBED CHARACTER
  Unless some other rule (like the weight limit 
  for Teleportation, or Encumbrance) prevents it, 
  typically a character who has the STR to pick 
  up a target he’s Grabbed can move the Grabbed 
  person with him as he moves. With the GM’s 
  permission, he might even be able to move fast 
  enough to slam the Grabbed person into some-
  thing and do extra damage to him. This is a form 
  of Grab and Throw that requires the character 
  to let go of the Grabbed person after making no 
  more than a Half Move (since the Throw itself, 
  as an attack, requires at least a Half Phase Action 
  to perform). The character may add his velocity 
  divided by 5 (velocity/5) in d6 of damage to his 
  STR damage for the Throw (to a maximum dice 
  equal to the DEF+BODY of the object the victim 
  is slammed into). The GM may restrict or forbid 
  this form of attack to preserve game balance, in 
  the interest of dramatic sense, or the like.
  Escaping From Grabs
  When a Grabbed character tries to escape 
  from his captor, both characters roll 1d6 for each 
  5 STR they have and count the Normal Damage 
  BODY. If the Grabbed character’s total is higher, he 
  escapes; if the Grabber’s total is higher or the rolls 
  tie, the victim remains Grabbed. Trying to break 
  out of a Grab does no damage to either character.
  Th e rules for Casual STR (HERO System 5th 
  Edition, Revised, page 34) mean very strong char-
  acters can eﬀ ectively ignore Grabs performed by 
  much weaker foes. A Grabbed character should be 
  allowed to roll his Casual STR immediately aft er 
  being Grabbed, if desired (even if he doesn’t have a 
  Zero Phase Action available; this initial attempt to 
  break free is an Action that takes no time, though 
  the character can only try it once, right aft er he’s 
  ﬁ rst Grabbed). Th e Grabbing character gets his 
  entire Grabbing STR to resist this breakout attempt; 
  he’s not restricted to using just his Casual STR.
  A character attempting to escape immediately 
  with Casual STR may apply half his STR bonus from 
  an Escape-based Martial Maneuver (such as Martial 
  Escape), but may not apply bonus dice from using 
  Contortionist, a Movement Power, or the like. In later 
  Phases, he may use half the bonuses from Contortion-
  ist and/or Movement Powers to increase a Casual STR 
  roll to break out, but using either or both converts the 
  use of Casual STR to a Half Phase Action. He can add 
  full Contortionist and/or Movement Power bonuses 
  to a normal, full-STR damage roll to break free.
  A character cannot Abort his next Phase to use 
  his full STR the very same moment he’s Grabbed, 
  unless the GM speciﬁ cally permits this on the 
  grounds that it’s “defensive” because being free from 
  a Grab prevents the character from suﬀ ering the 
  usual DCV penalty therefor.
  A character may not use a Ranged Attack that 
  exerts force (such as an Energy Blast) to break free 
  from a Grab, even if it has the No Range Limitation.
  Th e standard rules for Grab indicate that the 
  victim’s STR damage roll to break free must exceed 
  the Grabber’s roll — in other words, ties go to the 
  Grabber, not the victim. As an option, the GM can 
  rule that ties go to the stronger character. Th at way 
  a character with, say, STR 41 derives a little extra 
  beneﬁ t from spending that extra point when he’s 
  wrestling with a character who has STR 40.
  See page 134 for more information on escaping 
  Grabs, including the time required and the Actions 
  available to the character aft er he breaks free.
  The Effects Of Grab
  Grab immobilizes two of the target’s limbs 
  (usually his arms; see below) and reduces his 
  CV. The Grabber can attempt to Sweep with his 
  Grab to immobilize more than two limbs (or 
  more than the defined number of limbs for the 
  maneuver, in the case of Grab-based Martial 
  Maneuvers). Each limb (or group thereof, if the 
  maneuver immobilizes two or more limbs at its 
  basic level) counts as a separate attack.
  OTHER WAYS 
  TO ESCAPE FROM 
  GRABS
  Here are some other 
  tricks characters can 
  use to break free from 
  Grabs:
  Growth:  If a Grabbed 
  character activates the 
  Growth Power, he may 
  automatically be able to 
  break free from a Grab. 
  Alternately, the GM 
  can convert the Grow-
  ing character’s growth 
  momentum to STR (on 
  a 1d6 = +5 STR basis) to 
  determine the eﬀ ect of 
  growing out of a Grab. 
  (See HERO System 5th 
  Edition, Revised, page 
  183 regarding growth 
  momentum.)
  Shrinking:  Shrinking to 
  half a character’s size 
  or less allows him to 
  slip out of a Grab auto-
  matically if he beats the 
  character Grabbing him 
  in a DEX Roll Versus 
  DEX Roll Contest. (At 
  the GM’s option, the 
  shrinking character may 
  use his Power:  Shrinking 
  Tricks Skill instead, if he 
  has it.)
  Stretching:  Depending 
  on the special eﬀ ects of 
  a character’s Stretch-
  ing, the GM may allow 
  him to escape from a 
  Grab automatically by 
  Stretching or contort-
  ing his malleable body, 
  or may grant him STR 
  bonuses solely for pur-
  poses of determining if 
  he can escape.
  Teleportation:  Unless 
  the special eﬀ ects of the 
  power indicate other-
  wise, a character can 
  Teleport out of a Grab 
  by making a Half Move 
  or Full Move with Tele-
  portation.
  
  Hero System 5th Edition
  66 ■ Combat And Martial Maneuvers
  While the Grabber immobilizes the Grabbed 
  character’s arms, the Grabbed character cannot use 
  most handheld weapons and Accessible Foci. (See 
  Attacks By Th e Grabbed Character on page 67.)
  GRABBING WITH ONLY ONE HAND
  Th e Grabber must use both hands/arms to 
  gain the full eﬀ ect of a Grab. If he uses only one 
  hand, he is at -5 STR to hold on (but can use his 
  other arm to make other attacks in later Phases); 
  he still suﬀ ers the usual CV penalties for perform-
  ing a Grab. If a Grab-based Maneuver (such as 
  Martial Grab) provides a STR bonus, a character 
  performing a one-handed Grab can only use half of 
  the STR bonus. If a Grab-based Martial Maneuver 
  speciﬁ es that it only immobilizes one Limb (i.e., it 
  takes the “One Limb” restrictive element), it only 
  require one hand to perform at full STR.
  Example:  Ken the sumo wrestler is STR 20. He 
  executes a Sumo Grab on his opponent, but 
  uses only one hand, the better to pummel his 
  foe with the other. Ken normally uses his full 
  STR of 20 and gets a +10 STR from the Grab 
  maneuver. But this time, using only one hand, 
  he gets only STR 15 and +5 STR from the Grab 
  maneuver (total of STR 20).
  If a character Grabs another character with 
  just one hand, that typically means both characters 
  have at least one free hand. Th ey can use their free 
  hands to attack each other if they want to. Standard 
  Grab modiﬁ ers (which include OCV penalties for 
  the Grabbed character to attack the Grabber) apply. 
  Technically the Grabber could squeeze the Grabbed 
  character, but the GM might want to restrict that 
  depending on the exact arrangement (e.g., if the 
  Grabber has only Grabbed the victim by the arm, 
  inﬂ icting damage by squeezing probably doesn’t 
  make much sense).
  TARGETABLE LIMBS
  Characters are considered to have ﬁ ve limbs:  
  two arms, two legs, and one head. Th e head counts 
  as a limb because a character can use it to attack 
  (i.e., headbutt) an opponent close enough to Grab 
  him. Th e standard Grab, attacks deﬁ ned as joint-
  locks, and similar attacks normally Grab one to two 
  limbs, “pins” and bearhug-type holds, such as those 
  used in Wrestling, may Grab three or more limbs. 
  A character can always choose to Grab fewer limbs 
  than the maximum allowed by his maneuver.
  Example:  Okamura Hiromi is using her Jujutsu 
  to ﬁ ght a big, tough street thug wielding a pair 
  of knives. She wants to capture him for inter-
  rogation. However, her Joint Lock maneuver 
  only immobilizes one limb (typically, one arm), 
  leaving her vulnerable to being stabbed by the 
  knife the thug is carrying in his other hand. She 
  also prefers to prevent him from kicking her 
  with his hobnail boots.
  Since she has a 12 OCV and the thug only has 
  a 5 DCV, Hiromi decides to try to Grab both 
  of his arms and one of his legs. Th is requires 
  her to Sweep him with her Joint Lock. Th e Joint 
  Lock immobilizes one limb, so each additional 
  limb counts as a separate target, imposing a -
  4 on each of her Attack Rolls. She rolls a 14, 
  an 11, and a 10, hitting all three times. In the 
  space of but a second, she has used her martial 
  arts to almost completely immobilize the thug. 
  Now she can bear him to the ground so he can’t 
  stomp on her foot with his free leg.
  Had Hiromi missed one of her rolls, no further 
  rolls would be allowed and all remaining target 
  limbs would have been free to move.
  Example:  Suppose the thug in the above exam-
  ple faces Strongarm, a low-level “brick” super-
  hero. Strongarm isn’t any more willing to be 
  stabbed or stomped on by this miscreant than 
  Hiromi was, even though he’s harder to hurt. 
  Since a basic Grab immobilizes two limbs, each 
  additional two limbs impose a cumulative -2 
  on each of his Attack Rolls. He decides to Sweep 
  his Grab, so he can Grab the thug’s arms and 
  legs. Th is imposes a -2 to both of his rolls, since 
  the arms count as his ﬁ rst two limbs, and the 
  legs as his second two limbs. He rolls a 7 and 
  a 10, easily hitting both times. Th e thug is now 
  trussed up like a Th anksgiving turkey.
  GRAB’S EFFECT ON COMBAT VALUE
  When a character tries to Grab another 
  character, he suﬀ ers the standard -2 DCV penalty 
  listed on the Combat Maneuvers Table. If the Grab 
  succeeds, the Grabber suﬀ ers the ½ DCV penalty 
  described below — this replaces the -2 DCV pen-
  alty, it’s not in addition to it.
  Example:  Defender (DCV 8) attempts to Grab 
  Devastator. He’s at -2 DCV, giving him DCV 
  6. He misses. He remains at DCV 6 until his 
  next Phase.
  But suppose Defender hits Devastator. He’s now 
  Grabbing someone, so he has ½ DCV, giving 
  him DCV 4. Th e ½ DCV penalty replaces the 
  standard -2 DCV penalty instead of adding to 
  it (i.e., he’s not DCV 3).
  A Grabbed character has ½ DCV against all 
  attacks. Th e Grabber also has ½ DCV against all 
  attacks (both those from other characters, and 
  any the Grabbed character may be able to launch) 
  — concentrating on holding someone leaves the 
  character more open to attack.
  The Grabbed character may be able to 
  attack the Grabbing character at -3 OCV (or 
  another character at ½ OCV), but this requires 
  an appropriate free limb or other means of 
  attack, and the GM may rule that a Grabbed 
  character cannot perform some attacks or 
  Maneuvers. The character performing the Grab 
  has his full OCV against the Grabbed charac-
  ter and is ½ OCV against other targets. At the 
  GM’s option, some of the penalties the Grab-
  ber suffers may be reduced if his STR is 20 or 
  more points greater than the Grabbed charac-
  ter’s STR (see accompanying text box).
  
  67 
  Hero System Combat Handbook ■ Chapter Three
  Attacks By Th e Grabbed Character
  As noted above, a Grabbed character can 
  try to attack the person Grabbing him. (At the 
  GM’s option, he might be allowed to attack some 
  other character instead, using the same abilities 
  with which he could attack his captor.) The sorts 
  of attacks a Grabbed character can use in this 
  situation depend largely on the special effects 
  involved, common sense, dramatic sense, and the 
  circumstances. He can never use Accessible Foci 
  (but see below regarding weapons), and he can 
  always use his own raw STR to try to break free 
  or hurt the character Grabbing him. Beyond that, 
  the GM has to decide whether he can or cannot 
  use an attack, adjust the rules for each specific 
  situation, based on the special effects and charac-
  ters involved. As a default rule:
  —the Grabbed character can use any of his own 
  attacks against the character Grabbing him, but 
  cannot use Combat or Martial Maneuvers unless 
  the GM so permits (since those typically require 
  a degree of movement and mobility the character 
  cannot achieve when Grabbed)
  —the Grabbed character can only use attacks that 
  are “free” (unhindered by the Grab — such as eye-
  beams) against other targets
  On important factor for the GM to keep 
  in mind is the number of limbs Grabbed. If the 
  attacker only Grabs one limb, or the victim has 
  Extra Limbs that are fully manipulable, then the 
  victim may be able to use his free limbs to attack 
  freely, wield Accessible Foci, or the like.
  A Grabbed character usually ﬁ nds it impos-
  sible to use weapons, since they’re Accessible Foci. 
  However, in some situations, he might have a limb 
  free with which he could draw and use a weapon 
  (possibly suﬀ ering Oﬀ  Hand penalties, depending 
  on what limb he has free). Assuming weapons use 
  is even possible, a Grabbed character can use any 
  Short weapon at no additional penalty, any Medium 
  weapon at an additional -2 penalty to OCV, and any 
  Long weapon at an additional -5 penalty to OCV. 
  Th ese penalties are in addition to those imposed by 
  the Grab itself.
  GRAB AND HIT LOCATIONS
  By default, a Grab immobilizes the target’s 
  arms and accessible Foci. Th is presumes the Grab-
  bing character either speciﬁ es the arms as a target 
  or does not specify any particular target.
  Within the bounds of realism, characters can 
  choose which limbs to immobilize with a Grab 
  maneuver. With a standard Grab, the maneuver 
  almost always aﬀ ects the two arms, but with a Mar-
  tial Grab just about any combination is possible.
  Regardless of which limb the character chooses 
  as a target, Hit Location Attack Roll and damage mod-
  iﬁ ers do not apply, just like with any maneuver deﬁ ned 
  as speciﬁ cally targeting a Hit Location. 
  At the GM’s option, a character may suﬀ er 
  penalties to a standard Grab maneuver if he tries 
  to Grab anything other than the arms or the head. 
  If the campaign uses Hit Locations or the character 
  speciﬁ es an attack against Location 5 (the Head), a 
  Grab maneuver hitting Location 5 (the Head) and 
  involving a Squeeze both does extra damage (Head 
  locations take 2x STUN and BODY from Normal 
  Damage attacks) and cuts oﬀ  the target’s breath, 
  making him unable to shout or talk (see the rules 
  above for Choke Holds). A Grab maneuver hit-
  ting Locations 3 and 4 does the extra damage, but 
  doesn’t cut oﬀ  the victim’s breath with a Squeeze.
  GRABBING AND BEING STUNNED OR 
  KNOCKED OUT
  A Grabber who is Stunned automatically lets 
  go of the Grabbed person (or object) at the end 
  of the Segment unless he succeeds with an EGO 
  Roll. Th e roll suﬀ ers a penalty of -1 per 10 points 
  of STUN damage (or fraction thereof) the char-
  acter took from the attack that Stunned him (aft er 
  defenses). At the GM’s option, even if the character 
  maintains his grip, a Grabbed person may receive a 
  bonus to break free (such as +5 or +10 STR) until 
  the Grabber recovers from being Stunned.
  A Grabber who is Knocked Out automatically 
  lets go of the Grabbed person (or object) at the end 
  of the Segment.
  GRAB AND KNOCKBACK
  A Grabbed character may be attacked by a 
  third party and suﬀ er Knockback (or maybe even 
  suﬀ er Knockback from the Grabber, if the Grab-
  ber has more limbs free to attack with). Similarly, 
  a Grabbing character could be attacked and suﬀ er 
  Knockback. In either case, determine the number 
  of inches of Knockback normally. Th en roll the 
  Knockback damage dice (the full amount, as if the 
  character had hit an obstacle) in a “Strength” Versus 
  Strength Contest against the Grabber’s STR. If the 
  Knockback wins the contest, the Grabbed character 
  is knocked out of the Grab and the character who 
  GRAB AND COMBAT VALUE
  Th e standard CV penalties for performing a successful 
  Grab are:
  Grabber: ½ DCV against all attackers (including 
  Grabbed character)
   
  Full OCV against the Grabbed character
   
  ½ OCV against other targets (if attacks are 
  possible at all)
  Grabbed: ½ DCV against all attackers (including 
  Grabber)
   
  -3 OCV against the Grabber (if attacks are 
  possible at all)
   
  ½ OCV against other targets (if attacks are 
  possible at all)
  At the GM’s option, if the Grabber’s STR is 20 or more 
  points higher than the Grabbed character’s STR, change 
  the penalties to the following:
  Grabber: -2 DCV against all attackers (including 
  Grabbed character)
   
  Full OCV against the Grabbed character
   
  -1 OCV against other targets (if attacks are 
  possible at all)
  VOLUNTARY GRABS
  If a character wants to 
  be Grabbed (perhaps 
  to let another character 
  throw or carry him), 
  there’s probably no need 
  for any rolls other than 
  the Attack Roll — and 
  maybe not even that. 
  It’s all up to the GM. 
  He might, for example, 
  require a character 
  to make STR Rolls to 
  hang on to a target 
  that’s moving quickly 
  or erratically, even if it 
  doesn’t mind “giving 
  the character a lift .” If 
  the target doesn’t want 
  to be Grabbed, then 
  STR Rolls are necessary 
  to represent whatever 
  eﬀ orts it makes to break 
  free, unless for some 
  reason it chooses not to 
  make STR Rolls. If the 
  GM rules the target’s 
  making no such eﬀ orts, 
  he can rule that the 
  Grabber automatically 
  wins the contest. As 
  always, common sense, 
  dramatic sense, and 
  considerations of game 
  balance should apply.
  A Grabber cannot let 
  a Grabbed character 
  maintain his full OCV 
  and DCV, even if the 
  Grabbed character vol-
  untarily submits to the 
  Grab.
  
  Hero System 5th Edition
  68 ■ Combat And Martial Maneuvers
  was attacked travels a number of inches equal to 
  the ((inches of KB) - (BODY rolled for Grabber’s 
  STR)). Resolve the damage from those inches of 
  Knockback traveled normally. If the Grabber wins 
  the contest, the character takes no Knockback, and 
  no damage from Knockback.
  Example:  Squeeze (STR 40) has Grabbed Brain-
  wave. One of Squeeze’s allies takes advantage of 
  Brainwave’s reduced DCV to shoot him with an 
  Energy Blast that does 15 BODY damage. Th e 
  GM rolls 5 on the 2d6 for determining Knock-
  back, so Brainwave would ordinarily take 10” of 
  Knockback. Th e GM rolls the 10d6 in a “Strength” 
  Versus Strength Contest against Squeeze. Th e GM 
  rolls 10 BODY, and Squeeze rolls 8. So, Brainwave 
  is knocked out of Squeeze’s grip and travels (10-8) 
  2”, taking 2d6 Knockback damage.
  Th e same rules apply to Knockdown.
  GRABS AND MOVEMENT
  When a character Grabs a moving target, the 
  target immediately gets a standard Casual STR 
  Roll to break out. If the GM is using the optional 
  rule on page 26 regarding the effect of movement 
  on STR, then you should calculate the character’s 
  Casual STR with that in mind. If the roll suc-
  ceeds, the target breaks free and keeps moving 
  until the end of his declared inches of movement 
  (assuming he wasn’t there already). If the roll 
  fails, the target’s movement immediately drops 
  to 0” (this does not cause him damage), and he’s 
  Grabbed in the attacker’s hex. He has to break 
  out in the usual fashion, without gaining any 
  STR benefit from movement.
  Grab Weapon
  A character can choose to Grab 
  a target’s weapon, Accessible Focus, or 
  other held or carried object instead 
  of the target himself. Such attacks are 
  at -2 OCV in addition to all other 
  modiﬁ ers. If the attacker success-
  fully makes the Grab, then he has his 
  hands on the target’s weapon or Focus 
  and can attempt to wrench it away. 
  In this case, use normal Grab rules to 
  see if the attacker succeeds. Until one 
  character gains control of the weapon, 
  neither character can use it. As an 
  optional rule, the GM may want to 
  assign additional penalties (-1 to -3) if 
  one character is ﬁ ghting with a much 
  shorter weapon (simulating the fact 
  that it’s harder for a character with a 
  short weapon to get close enough to 
  one with a longer weapon to Grab 
  that weapon). Th e Grabbing character 
  take no damage from touching or 
  grabbing hold of the weapon.
  When Grabbing a weapon, 
  Focus, or object, a character’s DCV 
  is only reduced during the Segment in which the 
  object was Grabbed — his DCV returns to normal 
  at the beginning of the next Segment (assuming he 
  has control of the object).
  GRAB BY
  Grab By is essentially a combination of Grab 
  (as it pertains to weapons and Foci, and sometimes 
  to people) and Move By. It allows a character to 
  make a Full Move past another character and Grab 
  an object that person’s holding, or to do things like 
  ﬂ ying through the air and catching a falling person. 
  Th e character suﬀ ers OCV and DCV penalties 
  combining those of Grab and Move By.
  When the character performs the Grab, in addi-
  tion to the penalties for the maneuver he suﬀ ers the 
  -2 OCV penalty if he attempts to Grab an Accessible 
  Focus, weapon, or object. However, if the Grab suc-
  ceeds, he does not suﬀ er the typical reduction to 
  DCV caused by Grabbing someone. He only suﬀ ers 
  the DCV penalty for the Maneuver itself (-4) during 
  the Segment in which the object was Grabbed — his 
  DCV returns to normal at the beginning of the next 
  Segment (assuming he has control of the object).
  Th e character’s velocity divided by 5 adds to 
  his STR (not his STR dice) only for purposes of 
  succeeding with the Grab. Otherwise, standard 
  rules for Grabbing weapons and Foci apply, as 
  appropriate (e.g., the victim can immediately make 
  a Casual STR roll to hold onto the object). Stan-
  dard rules for Move Bys also apply, as appropriate; 
  characters can make Multiple Grab Bys if they so 
  desire, at the same additional penalty as for Mul-
  tiple Move Bys. At the GM’s option, characters may 
  use Teleportation to perform a Grab By (at no STR 
  bonus), even though it cannot be used to perform 
  
  69 
  Hero System Combat Handbook ■ Chapter Three
  Move Bys. Characters cannot combine Grab By 
  with Move By/Th rough, taking objects from some 
  targets and hitting others (unless the GM allows 
  this as some sort of Sweep).
  Example:  Defender wants to snatch an 
  enchanted staﬀ  out of an evil sorcerer’s grasp. 
  He plots out his movement path, ﬂ ies by him 
  at 25”, and performs a Grab By. His normal 
  CV is 10; it is reduced to OCV 7, DCV 6 by 
  the maneuver, and he loses another 2 points of 
  OCV for trying to Grab an object, so his ﬁ nal 
  OCV is 5. Fortunately for him, the sorcerer only 
  has a DCV of 5, so an Attack Roll of 9 succeeds. 
  He rolls 12d6 (11d6 for his base 55 STR, +1d6 
  for +5 STR for his velocity (25/5)) while the sor-
  cerer rolls 3d6 (for his 15 STR). Defender easily 
  wins the contest and takes the staﬀ  away from 
  the sorcerer. Defender’s DCV is not halved, only 
  reduced by 4 for the Maneuver.
  HAYMAKER
  A Haymaker is basically an all-out attack — 
  the character takes extra time to “wind up” a punch, 
  put extra force into his Energy Blast, aim carefully 
  to hit a vital spot, focus the power of his mind par-
  ticularly well, or otherwise attack the target power-
  fully. It oﬀ ers the chance to do extra damage, but at 
  the risk of the target moving or the character being 
  hit while he’s standing still and preparing to attack.
  Haymaker applies to any attack, not just 
  punches. Th is includes Mental Powers and other 
  attacks that don’t involve physical force. For exam-
  ple, a character could Haymaker his Drain STR, 
  his Ego Attack, his Major Transform, or his Tele-
  kinesis. He could even Haymaker an appropriate 
  Presence Attack in a situation where he suﬀ ers the 
  drawbacks from Haymakering (such as combat). 
  When a character Haymakers an unusual attack, 
  the GM determines how much damage or eﬀ ect 
  the Haymaker adds (see accompanying text box). 
  A character cannot Haymaker with an entire mul-
  tiple-power attack. He may Haymaker with one of 
  the powers in a multiple-power attack; the standard 
  penalties for Haymaker then apply to the multiple-
  power attack as a whole.
  Haymaker takes an extra Segment to execute. 
  Th e character begins the attack on one of his 
  Phases (this only requires a Half Phase Action; the 
  character could, for example, make a Half Move to 
  the target ﬁ rst). However, he doesn’t actually launch 
  the attack until the very end of the next Segment, 
  aft er all characters who can act in that Segment 
  have acted. Th e character may Abort to a defensive 
  Action in the Segment in which the Haymaker goes 
  oﬀ , but doing so ruins the Haymaker.
  Example:  A character with a Phase in Seg-
  ment 6 declares he’s going to Haymaker his 
  Punch (a Strike). He begins the attack on 
  his Phase in Segment 6, but the blow won’t 
  land until the very end of Segment 7, after 
  all characters in Segment 7 have taken their 
  Actions. He could Abort to, say, Block in Seg-
  ment 7 before the Haymaker goes off, but if 
  so he loses the attack. 
  Haymaker adds four Damage Classes to the 
  damage of the attack used. Haymaker is a Maneu-
  ver in and of itself — a character cannot, for exam-
  ple, do a Haymaker with an Oﬀ ensive Strike. (Th e 
  Strike Maneuver is an exception to this, since it rep-
  resents the “default” attack; most Haymakers char-
  acters perform are with some type of Strike.) He 
  can perform a Haymaker with a Normal Damage 
  or Killing Damage weapon (see Adding Damage, 
  page 106, for more information).
  Th ere are several risks to performing a Hay-
  maker. First, the character’s DCV is greatly reduced. 
  Second, if the target moves 1” or more before the 
  Haymaker is used, the character suﬀ ers any Knock-
  back, or the character is Stunned or Knocked Out, 
  the Haymaker fails and the character has wasted 
  his Phase. At the GM’s option, other events, such as 
  the character taking a large amount of damage, may 
  also prevent a Haymaker from being used. Th ese 
  UNUSUAL HAYMAKERS
  Here are some guidelines for quick-and-easy adjudica-
  tion of the eﬀ ect of unusual Haymakers:
  Drain:  Haymaker adds +2d6 to any Drain.
  Entangle:  Haymaker adds +2d6 for purposes of deter-
  mining the Entangle’s BODY; it doesn’t add any DEF. 
  At the GM’s option, a character can Haymaker his STR 
  when trying to escape from a Grab or Entangle (but 
  this means breaking out automatically takes a Full 
  Phase, regardless of how well the character breaks out). 
  Since many of the diﬃ  culties involved with performing 
  a Haymaker don’t matter when a character’s trying to 
  break out of a Grab or Entangle, the GM may prefer 
  not to allow this.
  Firearms:  A character can Haymaker a gunshot, unless 
  the GM forbids him to. Th is could represent carefully 
  aiming to hit the most vulnerable part of a target.
  Flash:  Haymaker adds +4d6 to any Flash, regardless of 
  the number and type of Sense Groups aﬀ ected.
  Grab:  A character cannot Haymaker a Grab or Hay-
  maker the Squeeze or Th row damage he can do to a 
  Grabbed opponent. He could Grab a target with less 
  than all of his manipulatory limbs, then use one of his 
  free limbs to make a Haymaker Strike on the Grabbed 
  target in a later Phase (in doing so he’d suﬀ er all the 
  penalties for both Grab and Haymaker, though).
  Mental Powers:  Haymaker adds +2d6 to an Ego Attack, 
  or +4d6 to any continuing-eﬀ ect Mental Power (such 
  as Mind Control). Th is still reduces the character’s 
  DCV; his DECV is unaﬀ ected (unless the GM rules 
  otherwise, which might be appropriate in situations 
  where the character has a signiﬁ cant chance of being 
  counterattacked with Mental Powers).
  Presence Attack:  Haymaker adds +4d6 to any Presence 
  Attack.
  Telekinesis:  Haymaker adds +2½d6 to Telekinesis 
  when it’s used to attack, or +13 STR when used to Grab 
  (or the like).
  Transform:  Haymaker adds +4d6 to a Cosmetic Trans-
  form, +2d6 to a Minor Transform, and +1d6+1 to a 
  Major Transform.
  
  Hero System 5th Edition
  70 ■ Combat And Martial Maneuvers
  rules apply regardless of what type of attack the 
  character Haymakers with.
  A character pays the END for the STR or 
  power used to perform a Haymaker in the Seg-
  ment in which he launches the attack (i.e., the 
  Segment after he begins the attack); if the attack 
  fails or cannot be performed for any reason, he 
  must still pay the END. For example, if a char-
  acter begins a Haymaker during his Phase in 
  Segment 6, he pays the END for it in Segment 7. 
  With STR, this means he pays END for it even 
  if he used his STR for other purposes during his 
  Phase in the previous Segment.
  High-SPD Haymakers
  At SPD 7 and above, characters can have 
  Phases in two or more consecutive Segments. If a 
  character begins a Haymaker in a Phase before a 
  Phase in a consecutive Segment, he’s still perform-
  ing the Haymaker in the next Segment, and there-
  fore loses his Phase in that Segment.
  Example:  Th underbolt (SPD 8) begins a Hay-
  maker in his Phase in Segment 2. He’s SPD 8, so 
  he also has a Phase in Segment 3 — but since 
  he doesn’t ﬁ nish his Haymaker until the end of 
  Segment 3, he loses his Phase in that Segment.
  MOVE BY
  Th is Maneuver allows a character to attack 
  while doing a Full Move past his target. Th e char-
  acter simply thrusts out an arm, ﬁ st, leg, tail, other 
  appendage, or weapon and hits his opponent as he 
  moves by him. Move By is a Maneuver in and of 
  itself — a character cannot, for example, do a Move 
  By with an Oﬀ ensive Strike. Characters cannot per-
  form Move Bys with Ranged attacks.
  To use Move By, the character must plot his 
  entire movement path and then make his Attack 
  Roll. The target can be at any point along the 
  hero’s intended path. Hit or miss, the character 
  finishes at the end of his movement path. The 
  character must be able to move at least 1” to 
  perform a Move By. Characters cannot perform 
  Move Bys with Ranged attacks.
  A successful Move By does half of the char-
  acter’s regular STR damage plus (velocity/5)d6 
  Normal Damage to the target (in other words, 
  (STR/2) + (vel/5)d6) (it’s not limited to double 
  the amount of STR dice the character has). (Halve 
  a character’s STR before determining the STR 
  damage he does with a Move Th rough; that elimi-
  nates potential problems with trying to halve 
  a half-die of damage.) However, the character 
  himself takes one-third of the STUN and BODY 
  damage done to the target. He cannot avoid this 
  damage by taking Personal Immunity on his STR 
  or Movement Power, but his appropriate defenses 
  apply against it. Th e character doesn’t necessar-
  ily have to travel his Full Move to get the damage 
  for his full velocity; see Acceleration, Deceleration, 
  And Gravity, page 25. If a target Blocks a Move By, 
  the character making the unsuccessful Move By 
  attack does not take any damage.
  COMMON MOVE BY/
  THROUGH RULES
  Several rules apply to both Move By and Move Th rough.
  Relative Velocity
  Since the damage from a Move By or Move Th rough 
  depends on velocity, it’s the characters’ relative velocity 
  that matters when determining it. (Determine the OCV 
  penalty the character performing the Move By/Th rough 
  suﬀ ers solely from his own velocity, however.)
  “Relative” velocity refers to the relationship between the 
  velocities of the attacker and his target — sometimes 
  they add together, sometimes they cancel each other 
  out. For example, if two attackers rush together at 8” 
  each, their relative velocity is 16”; the Move Th rough 
  gets +5d6 damage. If one runs toward the other at 6”, 
  the relative velocity is 6” and the Move Th rough gets 
  +2d6 damage. If the attacker runs at 10”, and the victim 
  runs away from him at 4”, the relative velocity is 6” and 
  the Move Th rough gets +2d6 damage.
  Stunning And Movement
  Because a character takes half or full damage from his 
  own Move By/Th rough, he could Stun or Knock him-
  self Out by performing the Maneuver. 
  With a Move By, the character has to plot his entire 
  movement path before performing the maneuver, as 
  detailed in the text. If he’s Stunned or Knocked Out, the 
  plotted movement path still applies, even if it means 
  he’s tumbling along the ground, unconscious, due to 
  momentum.
  With a Move Th rough, the character should have 
  already declared which of the three “follow-through” 
  options — move with the target, keep moving to the 
  end of his own movement, or stop in the hex where 
  he hit the target —  he wants to use. If he’s Stunned or 
  Knocked Out, the declared condition still applies, even 
  if it means tumbling along the ground, unconscious, 
  due to momentum.
  Alternately, the GM could declare, based on special 
  eﬀ ects, the circumstances, common sense, and dra-
  matic sense, that the character stops moving where he 
  is when Stunned or Knocked Out.
  Hand-To-Hand Attack
  If a character performs a Move By/Th rough, he can 
  add his Hand-To-Hand Attack damage to it, provided 
  the GM believes that makes sense based on the spe-
  cial eﬀ ects of the HA and the Combat Maneuver. For 
  example, if the HA is deﬁ ned as a club, a character 
  might be able to run past someone and smash them 
  with it (Move By), but couldn’t use those HA dice when 
  tackling someone (Move Th rough). In some cases, such 
  as the Battering Ram speedster power in Th e UNTIL 
  Superpowers Database, a character might buy HA with 
  a Limitation indicating that it only works with Move 
  By/Th rough. In any event, the damage from the HA 
  dice should not be halved, though the GM is free to do 
  so if he feels that’s necessary to maintain game balance.
  Advantages On STR
  If a character has an Advantage on his STR that aﬀ ects 
  how it does damage (such as Armor Piercing), that 
  Advantage does not apply to the damage he takes from 
  performing a Move By/Th rough. However, the GM 
  may change this rule if he believes it’s causing game 
  balance problems.
  RELATIVE VELOCITY
  As noted in the main 
  text, the damage 
  from Move By, Move 
  Th rough, and other 
  velocity-based maneu-
  vers usually depends on 
  the characters’ relative 
  velocity. 
  If the target of a Th row 
  is standing still, his 
  velocity is 0” and adds 
  no damage to the attack. 
  If he’s Th rown in a 
  Segment in which he 
  doesn’t have a Phase but 
  the GM judges that he 
  is “moving” (e.g., he’s 
  in mid-air or mid-run 
  in a situation when he 
  moved last Phase and 
  is obviously going to 
  keep moving in his next 
  Phase), the GM can 
  assign him whatever 
  velocity seems appro-
  priate. As always, apply 
  common sense and dra-
  matic sense.
  
  71 
  Hero System Combat Handbook ■ Chapter Three
  Example:  Starburst (Flight 15”) is 5” away 
  from Ogre. He does a Move By on the villain 
  and ends up 10” away from Ogre at the end of 
  the Maneuver. Th e villain takes ½ of Starburst’s 
  STR damage plus 15/5 = 3d6 for Starburst’s 
  velocity. Starburst has a 15 STR, so the villain 
  takes (½ x 3d6) + 3d6 = 4½d6 of damage. Star-
  burst will take one third of the damage himself, 
  but this will bounce oﬀ  of his PD. 
  Characters may not perform Move Bys with 
  Extra-Dimensional Movement, FTL Travel, Tele-
  portation, or any MegaScaled movement. However, 
  they can perform them at Noncombat Movement 
  speeds with other forms of movement (though this 
  means the character has OCV 0; see pages 24-25).
  A character may perform a Move By with a 
  weapon or a Killing Attack; see Adding Damage, 
  page 106. Divide the character’s STR by 2 for pur-
  poses of calculating extra damage or DC/OCV 
  penalties based on the weapon’s STR Minimum. 
  Th e weapon, not the character, takes the one-third 
  damage from the Move By. If the BODY damage 
  done to the target exceeds three times (3x) the 
  weapon’s base Damage Classes, the weapon breaks. 
  If a character makes a Move By with a natural Kill-
  ing Attack (say, his claws), the damage he takes is 
  the equivalent DCs of Normal Damage, not Kill-
  ing Damage. Characters cannot use other innate 
  attacks (such as a “Shock Touch” [No Range Energy 
  Blast]) with Move By without the GM’s permission; 
  if the GM grants permission, he determines the 
  Maneuver’s eﬀ ect (if any) on the attack.
  MULTIPLE MOVE BYS
  A character can perform more than one Move 
  By in a Phase. A character can do a Multiple Move 
  By on one target or on several diﬀ erent ones. A 
  Multiple Move By takes a cumulative -2 OCV for 
  all the attacks the character makes that Phase. Th us, 
  when a character decides to do a Multiple Move By 
  on four agents, he suﬀ ers a -8 OCV when attacking 
  each agent. He must make a separate Attack Roll 
  for each target. Once the attacker misses one of his 
  Move Bys, all subsequent Move Bys automatically 
  miss as well. Th e character spends END for STR 
  once for the Phase, plus the END for movement.
  If a character performs a Multiple Move By 
  on one target (by moving in a circle and hitting 
  him repeatedly), he can only make an attack each 
  time he returns to the ﬁ rst hex he attacked from. If 
  an attacker moved in a tight circle around a target, 
  the attacker would have to travel through 5 hexes 
  before he returned to his original hex. He could 
  only attack the target each time he came back to the 
  original hex.
  Example:  Starburst decides to try a Multiple 
  Move By on Ogre’s three henchmen (each of 
  whom is DCV 4). Starburst suffers a -6 OCV 
  penalty on all of these attacks, so his OCV 
  is only 3. His first Attack Roll is a 10, which 
  hits; unfortunately, his second one is a 13, 
  which misses. Because he missed the second 
  attack, he does not get to attack the third 
  henchman at all.
  A character cannot spread his Multiple 
  Move By over multiple Segments (e.g., one attack 
  in Segment 12, one in Segment 1, one in Segment 
  2, and so forth). All attacks are made in the Seg-
  ment in which the character has a Phase and uses 
  the Maneuver.
  
  Hero System 5th Edition
  72 ■ Combat And Martial Maneuvers
  MOVE THROUGH
  Move Th rough allows a character to attack at 
  the end of a Full Move by running right into his 
  opponent. Th is can simulate a ramming attack, a 
  tackle, or many similar actions. Move Th rough is a 
  Maneuver in and of itself; a character cannot, for 
  example, do a Move Th rough with an Oﬀ ensive 
  Strike. Characters cannot perform Move Th roughs 
  with Ranged attacks.
  A character can perform a Move Th rough as a 
  Half Phase Action — for example, aft er using Find 
  Weakness on the target. Th at means he can only 
  make a Half Move toward his target, but in most 
  cases that’s enough to accelerate to full velocity 
  using the movement rules, so it won’t change the 
  calculation of CVs or damage/eﬀ ect. However, it’s 
  also possible to perform a Move Th rough as a Full 
  Phase Action — at the end of a Full Move. In fact, 
  that’s how it’s most oft en used.
  Characters may not perform Move Th roughs 
  with Extra-Dimensional Movement, FTL Travel, 
  Teleportation, any MegaScaled form of movement, 
  or Telekinesis. However, they may perform them at 
  Noncombat Movement speeds with other forms of 
  movement (though this means the character has a 
  base OCV of 0; see pages 24-25). Characters cannot 
  perform “Multiple Move Th roughs”; see page 82 
  regarding Sweep Move Th roughs.
  USING MOVE THROUGH
  To perform a Move Th rough, the attacker 
  must make an Attack Roll against his target, modi-
  ﬁ ed for his velocity. If the attacker misses his target 
  and has inches of movement remaining in his Full 
  Move, he keeps traveling in a straight line through 
  the hex the target was standing in (and may collide 
  with some object in the vicinity, such as a wall or a 
  tree, and hurt himself; he has no chance to hit other 
  targets he would want to hit). He may decelerate if 
  he wishes. If he does not have inches of movement 
  remaining in his Full Move, he ends his Full Move 
  in the target’s hex. A character must be able to move 
  at least 1” to perform a Move Th rough, but doesn’t 
  necessarily have to travel his Full Move to get the 
  damage for his full velocity; see Acceleration, Decel-
  eration, And Gravity, page 25. However, in most 
  cases a character should make a Full Move when 
  performing a Move Th rough, unless he can articu-
  late a good reason for the GM why he wouldn’t.
  If the character hits his target, he does his 
  regular STR damage + (velocity/3)d6 in Normal 
  Damage (it’s not limited to double the amount 
  of STR dice the character has). Th e target takes 
  full damage, and the character performing the 
  Move Th rough takes half of the STUN and BODY 
  damage done to the target. He cannot avoid this 
  damage by taking Personal Immunity on his STR 
  or Movement Power, but his appropriate defenses 
  apply against it. If the attack did no Knockdown 
  or Knockback, then the attacker takes the full 
  damage instead (it’s like running into a wall — and 
  yes, it’s possible for a character to Stun himself or 
  Knock himself Out with his own Move Th rough). 
  If a target Blocks a Move Th rough, the character 
  making the unsuccessful Move Th rough attack 
  does not take any damage.
  If the attacker hits the target and doesn’t do 
  Knockdown or Knockback, or he hits the target 
  at the end of his Full Move, he stops in the target’s 
  hex, directly in front of the target. If he hits and 
  does Knockdown or Knockback and has inches 
  of movement remaining in his Full Move, he has 
  several choices. First, he can travel with the target, 
  ending up either in front of the target in the same 
  hex (if he does not choose to decelerate) or in any 
  hex between the point of impact and the hex where 
  the target comes to rest (if he decelerates aft er hit-
  ting the target). Second, he can continue to move 
  up to the remaining inches of movement in his 
  Full Move or the inches of Knockback done to the 
  target, whichever is less. Th ird, he can remain in the 
  hex where he hit the target.
  Example:  Starburst does a Move Through on 
  Ogre. Starburst does 3d6 for STR, and 15/3 = 
  5d6 for velocity, for a total of 8d6. Starburst 
  rolls the damage, getting 23 STUN, 8 BODY. 
  Ogre takes full damage — 23 STUN, 8 BODY 
  — and Starburst takes half the damage — 11 
  STUN, 4 BODY (he can apply his PD to 
  reduce it, of course). If he rolls no Knockback, 
  he takes full damage (23 STUN, 8 BODY), 
  just like Ogre.
  If a character performs a Move Through 
  on a target, the situation may arise in which the 
  Knockback roll indicates the attack would do 
  Knockback, but the target can’t take Knockback 
  (perhaps because he’s standing against a wall, or 
  the like). In that case, the character takes only 
  half damage from his own Move Through — he 
  “did” Knockback, even if the target didn’t actually 
  move. However, in the interest of common sense 
  and dramatic sense, the GM may, if he wishes, 
  rule that this was the equivalent of “no Knock-
  back” and apply full damage.
  TYPES OF ATTACKS ALLOWED
  Generally, a character can only use his STR, 
  most types of weapons, or some forms of Kill-
  ing Attack (like claws) when performing a Move 
  Th rough (see below). He can’t use special abili-
  ties representing HTH Combat attacks, such as 
  a Rapid-Fire Punch (Energy Blast, Autoﬁ re, No 
  Range), unless the GM is willing to analogize the 
  attack to a weapon. Th e GM may rule that some 
  weapons — such as clubs or maces — can’t be used 
  as part of a Move Th rough.
  In most cases, a character may add his Hand-
  To-Hand Attack (HA) damage when performing 
  a Move Th rough, provided the GM believes that 
  makes sense based on the special eﬀ ects of the HA 
  and the Combat Maneuver. For example, if the 
  HA is deﬁ ned as super-hard ﬁ sts, adding it to a 
  Move Th rough would probably make sense in most 
  cases — but if it were a club, that might not make 
  any sense at all. In some cases, a character might 
  buy HA with a Limitation indicating that it only 
  works with Move Th rough (for example, see Comin’ 
  Th rough on page 54 of Th e Ultimate Brick). Th e HA 
  
  73 
  Hero System Combat Handbook ■ Chapter Three
  dice are part of the overall damage, and thus aﬀ ect 
  the damage the character himself takes from per-
  forming the maneuver.
  At the GM’s option, a character can Grab a 
  victim, then perform a Move Th rough on him by 
  carrying him and running into a large object like a 
  wall, vehicle, or hillside. In this case, the character 
  suﬀ ers the penalties for both maneuvers. Th e GM 
  may limit the damage done to the DEF + BODY of 
  the object the character collides with, if appropriate.
  Generally, characters may not add growth 
  momentum damage to a Move Th rough. However, 
  the GM may allow this if the character can somehow 
  position himself so that the target is “above” him (as 
  might be possible with Flight or Gliding, but not with 
  ground-based Movement Powers or Swinging).
  Weapons And Killing Attacks
  If a Move Th rough is performed with a weapon 
  or Killing Attack, divide the character’s STR by 2 for 
  purposes of calculating extra damage or DC/OCV 
  penalties based on the weapon’s STR Minimum. 
  Th e weapon, not the character, takes the half (or 
  full) damage from the Move Th rough; if the BODY 
  damage done to the target exceeds three times (3x) 
  the weapon’s base Damage Classes, the weapon 
  breaks. If a character makes a Move Th rough with a 
  natural Killing Attack (say, his claws), the damage he 
  takes is an equivalent DC of Normal Damage, not 
  Killing Damage. Characters cannot use other innate 
  attacks (such as a “Shock Touch” [No Range Energy 
  Blast]) with Move Th rough without the GM’s permis-
  sion; if the GM grants permission, he determines the 
  Maneuver’s eﬀ ect (if any) on the attack.
  SET
  Th is Combat Maneuver represents the eﬀ ects 
  of taking extra time to aim at a target with a 
  Ranged attack, thereby improving one’s accuracy. 
  Set does not work with HTH Combat attacks.
  An attacker who wants to Set must spend a 
  Full Phase aiming at the target (this is known in 
  some genres as “drawing a bead”). During this 
  time he cannot move, change clips of ammunition, 
  attack the target, or perform any Actions other than 
  Zero Phase Actions. A character who has Set on a 
  target receives a +1 OCV to all attacks against that 
  target until he loses his Set. A character must Set on 
  a speciﬁ c target (either an individual or an object); 
  he can’t just Set until a target presents itself.
  A character who has Set can attack on a 
  Phase, then continue aiming at his target for sev-
  eral Phases, and then attack again, all without 
  losing his Set bonus. However, the character loses 
  the Set bonus if he doesn’t attack or aim at the 
  target, or is forced to stop aiming at the target for 
  any reason (for example, he becomes Stunned or 
  Knocked Out). He also loses the Set bonus if the 
  target moves out of sight. Of course, a character can 
  regain his Set bonus by spending another Phase 
  aiming at the target.
  A character can Set and Brace in a single 
  Phase, thereby getting both bonuses. However, 
  the character has to fulfill the requirements for 
  both Modifiers — he must take a Full Phase and 
  be ½ DCV.
  STRIKE
  Th is is the basic attack Maneuver. It includes 
  attacks such as punches, kicks, elbow smashes, 
  headbutts, attacks with weapons, ﬁ ring a gun or a 
  longbow, and just about any other way a character 
  can hit another character. Th e basic OCV, DCV, and 
  damage modiﬁ ers are 0, but the OCV modiﬁ er and 
  the damage may vary by weapon type.
  A Strike performed with a ﬁ st (or foot, elbow, 
  or knee, for that matter) does a maximum of the 
  character’s STR/5 in d6 of Normal Damage (1d6 for 
  every 5 STR). For example, a STR 20 person could 
  do up to 4d6 Normal Damage with a Strike. Th e 
  GM may award a particularly creative Strike with a 
  Surprise Move bonus. For instance, a sudden head-
  butt or back kick may be worth an OCV bonus.
  COLLISIONS
  Sometimes two characters deliberately run into each 
  other. Resolve this as if each had simultaneously per-
  formed a Move Th rough on the other. Since they want 
  to hit each other, you can probably dispense with the 
  Attack Roll altogether and simply assume they col-
  lide as planned, but if you want them to make Attack 
  Rolls, each character’s CV modiﬁ ers are based on his 
  own velocity alone. However, the damage each of them 
  take is based on their combined velocity — in other 
  words, each character does his own STR damage + 
  ((his velocity plus target’s velocity)/3)d6 of damage to 
  the other character, and takes half that much damage, 
  with his own Move Th rough. Each character takes the 
  half/full damage from his own Move Th rough, plus the 
  full damage caused by his opponent’s Move Th rough, 
  separately — he applies defenses to each of them indi-
  vidually, and they don’t add together for purposes of 
  determining whether he’s Stunned or the like.
  Example:  Ramrod has STR 40 and Running 
  30”. Tank has STR 60 and Running 15”. Th ey 
  deliberately run into each other at full speed 
  to determine who’s tougher. Ramrod does 23d6 
  damage ((STR/5=8) + ((30 + 15)/3=15) to Tank, 
  and takes half that himself (or all of that, if Tank 
  takes no Knockback). Tank does 27d6 damage 
  ((STR/5=12) + ((30 + 15)/3=15) to Ramrod, and 
  takes half that himself (or all of that, if Ramrod 
  takes no Knockback).
  If a character collides with a large object, typically he 
  takes his velocity/3 in dice of Normal Damage, but 
  limited to a number of dice equal to the DEF+BODY 
  of the object impacted. Th e GM may alter this in the 
  interest of game balance, common sense, and dra-
  matic sense.
  
  Hero System 5th Edition
  74 ■ Combat And Martial Maneuvers
  OTHER ATTACKS
  Characters use this Maneuver when making 
  any other attack not listed, including using Attack 
  Powers such as Drain, Energy Blast, Entangle, 
  Flash, a multiple-power attack, or other Powers 
  that require an Attack Roll. To attack, the character 
  should just make a normal Attack Roll, modiﬁ ed by 
  any particular modiﬁ ers for the Power, Skill Levels 
  used, or applicable Combat Modiﬁ ers.
  OPTIONAL COMBAT 
  MANEUVERS
  Th ese maneuvers add more ﬂ avor to combat, 
  but require more work by the GM. Gamemasters 
  who are just learning the HERO System, running 
  for large numbers of players, or want to speed play 
  shouldn’t use them unless everyone in the game is 
  comfortable with them.
  BLAZING AWAY
  A character may use this Combat Maneu-
  ver to “blaze away” with a Ranged attack, firing 
  as often as he can (up to the maximum amount 
  of END or Charges he has available). It’s most 
  appropriate for Heroic campaigns, but can be 
  used in Superheroic games as well.
  When Blazing Away, the character makes 
  one Attack Roll for each attack ﬁ red, but he hits 
  his target only if he rolls a 3 (he cannot improve 
  this number with Combat Skill Levels, Combat 
  Modiﬁ ers, or any other method). He must expend 
  END or Charges for each attack. He may use an 
  Autoﬁ re attack to Blaze Away, but still hits only if a 
  3 is rolled, and can only hit with one attack out of 
  each “burst” ﬁ red. Th e GM may want to restrict an 
  attacker using Blazing Away to 4-5 shots to reduce 
  the amount of die rolling involved.
  Blazing Away counts as an “extremely violent 
  action” for purposes of making a Presence Attack.
  Example:  Fireﬁ ght notices a large group of 
  thugs rushing up to see what happened to their 
  boss (whom he just shot with his pistol). He 
  runs forward (a Half Move) and Blazes Away 
  over their heads with 5 shots. He realizes he has 
  little chance of hitting them, but hopes to make 
  a Presence Attack to scare them away, using his 
  extremely violent action to get a bonus.
  When Blazing Away, a character must specify 
  in advance how many shots he wishes to make. 
  He’s not allowed to make them one-by-one, seeing 
  if each one hits before deciding whether to launch 
  additional shots.
  Using an Area Of Eﬀ ect attack, Explosion, or 
  the like doesn’t change the eﬀ ects of Blazing Away 
  — a character can still only hurt the target if he 
  rolls a 3 on his Attack Roll. Th e missed area-aﬀ ect-
  ing attacks can’t harm his enemy.
  Usually a character cannot use an attack 
  with the Extra Time Limitation to Blaze Away. 
  However, the GM should consider the nature of 
  the Limitation and the special effects involved. 
  For example, if the Limitation only applies to 
  activating the power the first time, but not there-
  after, a character might be able to Blaze Away 
  with it after it’s been activated.
  At the GM’s option, characters can Blaze Away 
  with HTH attacks by making a series of wild, vio-
  lent punches, kicks, slashes, or the like. 
  CLUB WEAPON
  Th is maneuver allows a character to do 
  Normal Damage with a weapon that ordinarily 
  does Killing Damage. In essence, the character uses 
  the “ﬂ at of the blade” or other blunt part of the 
  weapon instead of the edge or point. Th e weapon 
  does an amount of Damage Classes of Normal 
  Damage equivalent to its Damage Classes of Killing 
  Damage. For example, a great sword (2d6 Killing 
  Damage) would do 6d6 Normal Damage when 
  used with a Club Weapon maneuver.
  Club Weapon may not work with all weapons. 
  For example, a club with spikes all over it may not 
  have any blunt surfaces, so a character couldn’t use 
  it to perform this Maneuver. Whether a character 
  can perform Club Weapon with a given weapon is 
  up to the GM.
  USING RANGED WEAPONS
  While Club Weapon is most applicable to 
  melee weapons such as swords and axes, at the 
  GM’s discretion characters can use it with some 
  Ranged weapons. For example, a character could 
  use the haft of a throwing spear or the butt of 
  a rifle to perform a Club Weapon attack. In 
  this case, the GM may wish to assign a specific 
  amount of damage to the “club,” rather than con-
  vert the DCs directly.
  For example, many ﬁ rearms have high Damage 
  Classes due to exotic ammunition or other fac-
  tors that don’t involve the size/shape/weight of the 
  gun itself. Th erefore they should do Club Weapon 
  damage based on the type of ﬁ rearm, rather than 
  the DCs:  a handgun does +1d6 Normal Damage; a 
  submachine gun or carbine +2d6 Normal Damage; 
  and a riﬂ e, shotgun, or assault riﬂ e +3d6 Normal 
  Damage. Th is damage adds to the character’s 
  Normal Damage from STR, as if it were a Hand-To-
  Hand Attack.
  
  75 
  Hero System Combat Handbook ■ Chapter Three
  COVER
  Th is Maneuver allows the character to aim an 
  attack successfully at an opponent, but not ﬁ re right 
  away. It’s used to simulate the common situation of 
  holding someone at gunpoint, bowpoint, or sword-
  point. Covered is usually limited to Ranged attacks, 
  but in some circumstances characters can use HTH 
  attacks to Cover a target. For example, a thief can 
  Cover a victim by holding a dagger against the 
  victim’s throat.
  USING COVER
  To Cover an opponent, the character must 
  declare his intention and then make an Attack Roll. 
  He makes this roll at a -2 OCV penalty in addition 
  to any other modiﬁ ers (such as the Hit Location 
  penalty, if he aims at a speciﬁ c Hit Location). If 
  the attacker makes the roll, the target is Covered. 
  Th e attacker does no damage then, but at any time 
  thereaft er, he may automatically do damage to the 
  target — no additional Attack Roll is required, and 
  doing the damage takes no time.
  Example: 
  Defender 
  shouts 
  “Freeze!” at Lazer and tries to 
  cover him. Defender has a 7 OCV 
  and Lazer has an 8 DCV. Lazer 
  is standing 5” from Defender, so 
  Defender’s must roll 11 + 7 - 8 - 1 
  (for Range) - 2 (for the Maneuver) 
  = 7 or less to hit. He rolls a 6, and 
  successfully Covers Lazer. If Lazer 
  doesn’t surrender, Defender can 
  automatically do damage to him. 
  ESCAPING FROM COVER
  A character can escape from 
  being Covered. To do this, the 
  Covered character must wait for 
  (or arrange) a distraction. For 
  example, any Presence Attack 
  that equals the Covering char-
  acter’s PRE does the trick, but 
  the defender is at -3d6 for any 
  Presence Attack he makes (after 
  all, he’s at a big disadvantage). 
  If the attacker is distracted, the 
  two characters must make a 
  DEX Roll Versus DEX Roll Con-
  test (target first). If the attacker 
  wins, the target remains Cov-
  ered. If the target wins, he’s no 
  longer Covered.
  In some genres, such as mar-
  tial arts campaigns, GMs may want 
  characters to be able to escape from 
  being Covered more easily. In this 
  case, success in a Skill Versus Skill 
  Contest (pitting the Covered char-
  acter’s Fast Draw, Sleight Of Hand, 
  or DEX Roll against the attacker’s 
  PER Roll (with a Targeting Sense) 
  or DEX Roll) allows a Covered 
  character to escape.
  DIVE FOR COVER
  Th is Maneuver allows a character to get out of 
  the way of explosions, Area Of Eﬀ ect attacks, being 
  englobed in a Force Wall, and other attacks that 
  cover a large area.
  Using Dive For Cover
  To use Dive For Cover, the character chooses 
  a hex to move to, then makes a DEX Roll with a 
  penalty of -1 for every 1” of distance moved. A 
  character can only Dive For Cover up to half his 
  maximum movement with the mode of movement 
  used in the Maneuver.
  If the DEX Roll succeeds, the character is in 
  the designated hex when the attack goes oﬀ . He’s 
  considered to be prone (and thus at half DCV) 
  until the next Phase in which he can act.
  If the DEX Roll fails, the character is consid-
  ered to be in the air in his starting hex. Th is means 
  
  Hero System 5th Edition
  76 ■ Combat And Martial Maneuvers
  he hasn’t automatically avoided the attack, and if 
  it hits him, the GM rolls 1d6 less for calculating 
  Knockback (if the campaign uses the Knockback 
  rules). It doesn’t change his DCV or when he next 
  acts (though if he Aborted to Dive For Cover, that 
  obviously factors in). Th e “in the air” penalties and 
  consequences apply until the character’s next Phase. 
  (Of course, he doesn’t literally remain “in midair” 
  the entire time — all this means is that the penal-
  ties and consequences of failing the Dive For Cover 
  roll remain in eﬀ ect until his next Phase.) At that 
  point, he “lands” and is “prone”; he must spend a 
  Half Phase to “get up.” If he was hit while in midair, 
  that may aﬀ ect the situation by causing Knockback, 
  Stunning him, or the like, and the GM should deal 
  with that situation normally. If the attack has no 
  signiﬁ cant eﬀ ect on the character other than the 
  loss of some STUN and/or BODY, he still “lands” in 
  his next Phase as described above.
  Dive For Cover is an Attack Action. A char-
  acter Diving for Cover may not perform any other 
  Maneuver (like Dodge or Block). A character can 
  Abort to Dive For Cover.
  Some attacks, such as Sweep or a Multiple 
  Move By, involve a sequence of attacks directed at 
  the target in which if one of the attacks misses, all 
  subsequent attacks automatically miss. For these 
  purposes, a successful use of Dive For Cover counts 
  as a “miss” and ends the sequence of attacks.
  A character cannot use Breakfall or Acrobat-
  ics to avoid the DCV penalty for Dive For Cover, 
  or to avoid being prone after a Dive For Cover 
  (though when he’s allowed to stand up from 
  being prone, he can use Breakfall to accomplish 
  that as a Zero Phase Action). Nor may he use 
  either Skill as a “Complementary Roll” for the 
  DEX Roll to Dive For Cover.
  A character can Dive For Cover two or more 
  times in a row, provided the special effects and 
  timing allow for that. For example, a character 
  who Dives For Cover and ends up prone, but 
  is attacked in a later Segment before he’s had a 
  chance to get to his feet, might not be allowed 
  to Dive For Cover again, since he hasn’t had a 
  chance to reorient himself and get into a position 
  that would allow him to move quickly again. But 
  in some campaigns, the GM might let characters 
  who are “prone” Dive For Cover by scrambling, 
  rolling, or crawling out of the way.
  LENGTH OF MOVEMENT
  A character can only Dive For Cover up to 
  half his maximum movement with the mode of 
  movement used in the Maneuver. Making a Half 
  Move before Diving For Cover doesn’t aﬀ ect how 
  far a character can Dive For Cover with a mode 
  of movement — he’s still restricted to only half 
  his maximum movement. For example, if Lt. Bar-
  rett has Running 10”, and he’s already made a 
  Half Move of 3”, he can still use Running to Dive 
  For Cover a maximum of 5” (half of 10”). He can 
  choose to Dive less than 5” if he wants to, but the 
  rules don’t force him to do so. If a character makes 
  more than a Half Move, that’s a Full Move and pre-
  vents him from Diving For Cover that Phase.
  A character can Dive For Cover using his 
  Noncombat Movement, unless the GM forbids this 
  for reasons of game balance, dramatic sense, or the 
  like. Th is allows him to Dive for up to half his Non-
  combat Movement distance. Doing this halves his 
  DCV, making it more likely he’ll be hit if the Dive 
  For Cover fails.
  TYPE OF MOVEMENT
  Although Dive For Cover’s name implies that 
  characters use Running (ground movement) or 
  Leaping to perform it, characters can use any type 
  of movement (except Extra-Dimensional Move-
  ment, FTL Travel, or any form of MegaScaled 
  movement) to Dive For Cover. Th e mode of move-
  ment used does not aﬀ ect the need to make a DEX 
  Roll, or modify the roll in any way.
  Regardless of what form of movement a 
  character uses to Dive For Cover, he’s considered 
  “prone” at the end of the Maneuver. He may still be 
  standing, but due to disorientation and other fac-
  tors suﬀ ers the usual penalties for being “prone.” He 
  must spend a Half Phase to get to his feet (or get 
  his bearings) and is at ½ DCV until he does so.
  If a character uses Leaping to Dive For 
  Cover, the Accurate Adder has no enhanced 
  effect (for example, it doesn’t remove the need 
  to make a DEX Roll, or add a bonus to the DEX 
  Roll). Similarly, the Position Shift Adder provides 
  no extra benefits.
  PROTECTING OTHER CHARACTERS
  A character can also use Dive For Cover to 
  protect another character from an attack. He must 
  Dive For Cover to a point between the attacker and 
  the victim. He attempts the Dive For Cover roll 
  normally. If he succeeds, he takes the damage from 
  the attack — the attacker does not have to make an 
  Attack Roll, he just rolls the damage, which applies 
  normally to the character who Dove For Cover to 
  “interpose” himself. If the Dive For Cover roll fails, 
  the attacker must make his Attack Roll as normal to 
  hit his intended target.
  SKILL LEVELS
  A character cannot apply any type of Combat 
  Skill Levels to the DEX Roll he makes when Diving 
  For Cover, since CSLs only aﬀ ect CV. Nor can a 
  character buy 2-point Combat Skill Levels with 
  Dive For Cover, since that type of Level only aﬀ ects 
  OCV. However, he can use applicable 3-point and 
  more expensive CSLs to increase his DCV while 
  Diving For Cover, if appropriate.
  If a character has Skill Levels that can apply 
  to DEX Rolls, he may use those to improve his 
  DEX Roll when Diving For Cover, provided he 
  has not already allocated them in the Segment 
  when he uses the Maneuver. Typically this does 
  not include Skill Levels with all Agility Skills or 
  all noncombat Skills, since a DEX Roll is a Char-
  acteristic Roll, not a Skill Roll. The GM can, at 
  his option, treat the DEX Roll as an “Agility Skill” 
  roll, thus allowing 5-point Agility Skill Levels or 
  8-point All Non-Combat Skills Levels to apply, 
  but this is not recommended.
  DECLARING A DIVE 
  FOR COVER
  In most situations, a 
  character must declare 
  his Dive For Cover 
  before his attacker 
  makes an Attack Roll 
  or announces what 
  type of attack he’s using 
  — when the weapon’s 
  pointed at him but not 
  yet ﬁ red, so to speak. 
  Otherwise, problems 
  may arise if a char-
  acter declares some 
  other defensive Action 
  (primarily a Dodge or 
  Block), then tries to 
  switch to a Dive For 
  Cover when he discov-
  ers his attacker’s using 
  an area-aﬀ ecting attack. 
  While some area-aﬀ ect-
  ing attacks (such as 
  grenades, ﬂ amethrowers, 
  or area-aﬀ ecting attacks 
  previously encountered) 
  are obvious (and thus 
  alert the character to 
  Dive For Cover instead 
  of Dodging or Block-
  ing), others are not. Th e 
  existence of the Dive 
  For Cover Maneuver 
  doesn’t grant characters 
  prescient knowledge of 
  the types of attacks used 
  against them.
  
  77 
  Hero System Combat Handbook ■ Chapter Three
  Non-Area Attacks
  Dive For Cover is most useful for avoiding 
  attacks that cover a large area, such as Explosions 
  and Area Of Effect attacks. However, characters 
  can use it to avoid regular (non-area-affecting) 
  attacks as well. For example, a character who 
  desperately wants to avoid being chopped in two 
  by an axe-wielding Denebian autochthon could 
  Dive For Cover to get away from his attacker. If a 
  character successfully Dives For Cover this way, 
  the non-area attack automatically misses; if the 
  Dive For Cover roll fails, the attacker makes his 
  Attack Roll at +2 OCV.
  When a character Dives For Cover to avoid 
  a non-area attack, he’s not required to literally 
  dive behind cover, move beyond the range of the 
  attack, or the like — all he has to do is travel far 
  enough to get away from the effect of the attack. 
  In many cases, moving 1” out of the way does 
  the trick; in other cases, he may have to move 
  further. The GM may, of course, establish a mini-
  mum distance based on the nature of the attack, 
  or specify that the character has to Dive in a par-
  ticular direction. For example, a character trying 
  to Dive For Cover to avoid an attack by a spear-
  wielding opponent should have to Dive at least 
  the length of the spear; Diving just 1” to the side 
  might not remove a character from the arc of a 
  swung greatsword. In any event, a clever oppo-
  nent may try to take advantage of the character’s 
  ½ DCV if he simply dives a mere 1” away. 
  For Ranged non-area attacks — such as most 
  Energy Blasts — the nature of the attack and the 
  environment may restrict the character’s ability to 
  Dive For Cover. For example, if an attacker ﬁ res an 
  Energy Blast at a character from straight in front of 
  him, and the only direction the character can Dive 
  is straight back, the Dive For Cover may not help 
  him — he might still be in the Energy Blast’s path. 
  In that case, the GM might rule that the character 
  has to be able to Dive at least 1” to the side to use 
  the Maneuver with any chance of success. Or the 
  GM might rule that, based on the nature of the 
  Energy Blast, the character could Dive For Cover 
  straight back and “hit the dirt,” allowing the Energy 
  Blast to pass over him harmlessly. As always, 
  common sense, dramatic sense, special eﬀ ects, and 
  the GM’s discretion should apply.
  HIPSHOT
  Th is Maneuver is intended for those situations 
  where a character just has to get oﬀ  the ﬁ rst shot. 
  To use it, a character sacriﬁ ces 1 point of OCV to 
  get +1 DEX for this Phase only for the purpose of 
  going ﬁ rst in the Phase. A character may not sac-
  riﬁ ce more than one point of OCV this way. Th e 
  character’s DCV and DEX-based Skill Rolls are not 
  aﬀ ected by making a Hipshot.
  Th e player who wants his character to take a 
  Hipshot must declare this at the beginning of the 
  Segment in which he has a Phase so the GM can 
  keep the combat in order. If two characters with the 
  same DEX both declare a Hipshot, the GM should 
  randomly determine who gets the ﬁ rst shot oﬀ .
  Despite this maneuver’s name, characters can 
  use it with HTH attacks as well as Ranged attacks. 
  Characters may use Hipshot with other Combat 
  or Martial Maneuvers (though in most cases they 
  simply use it with Strike).
  Example:  Th e Sandman and Crossbow both 
  have the same DEX, 26. Th e GM and the player 
  have randomly determined who acted ﬁ rst each 
  Phase. As a result, Th e Sandman has taken a 
  couple of bad wounds, and he can’t last much 
  longer. He tells the GM he’ll use Hipshot, so he 
  sacriﬁ ces 1 point of OCV to get a DEX of 27 for 
  purposes of going ﬁ rst. Th is gives him a guar-
  anteed chance to strike ﬁ rst this Phase (unless 
  Crossbow also uses a Hipshot, in which case 
  they’ll use the random determination method 
  to see who goes ﬁ rst).
  HURRY
  Th is maneuver, which is similar to Hipshot, 
  provides a character with a way to raise his DEX 
  for purposes of going ﬁ rst in a Phase, but at the 
  expense of rushing his attack (and thus having a 
  worse chance to hit). Characters may use Hurry 
  with other Combat or Martial Maneuvers (though 
  in most cases they simply use it with Strike).
  To use Hurry, a character declares at the begin-
  ning of a Segment in which he has a Phase that he 
  will Hurry his next Action. He rolls 1d6 and adds 
  the result to his DEX only for purposes of acting 
  earlier in the Phase. When the DEX count gets to 
  his eﬀ ective DEX, he acts.
  Normally, a character should declare he’s Hur-
  rying at the beginning of a Segment in which he 
  has a Phase. If the character waits to declare that 
  he’ll Hurry until aft er the DEX count has begun, 
  and his eﬀ ective DEX while Hurrying would exceed 
  the DEX of characters who have already acted, the 
  Hurrying character does not retroactively get to act 
  before they did — Actions already taken are taken, 
  and the character simply gets to act right away.
  While Hurrying, the character is at -2 CV and 
  -2 on all Skill and Characteristic Rolls. DEX gained 
  from Hurrying does not add to CV, Figured Char-
  acteristics, Skill Rolls, or Characteristic Rolls.
  
  Hero System 5th Edition
  78 ■ Combat And Martial Maneuvers
  Example:  Fireﬁ ght (DEX 20) declares at the 
  beginning of the Phase that he will Hurry. He 
  rolls 1d6 and get a 5. His eﬀ ective DEX for 
  taking an Action is now a 25. When the DEX 
  count reaches 25, he can act, but will be at -2 on 
  his CV and Skill and Characteristic Rolls.
  Suppose Fireﬁ ght declares aft er the GM has 
  begun the DEX count that he will Hurry. He 
  rolls 1d6 and get a 5. His eﬀ ective DEX for 
  taking an Action is now a 25. However, the GM 
  has already counted down past DEX 24 and 
  23, and characters with those DEXs have acted. 
  Fireﬁ ght does not get to act before those charac-
  ters, but he may now act. He is at -2 on his CV 
  and Skill and Characteristic Rolls.
  Generally, a character should only attempt rela-
  tively simple actions while Hurrying. Many normally 
  automatic actions become diﬃ  cult if a character 
  Hurries. Th e GM should feel free to require DEX 
  Rolls, Skill Rolls, or any other appropriate roll to 
  determine if a character can properly perform an 
  Action while Hurrying (or, alternately, impose a pen-
  alty on the action attempted).
  PULLING A PUNCH
  Th is Maneuver allows an attacker to Knock Out 
  his opponent without permanently injuring him.
  To Pull a Punch, an attacker takes a -1 OCV 
  penalty for every 5d6 (or 5 DCs) in the attack. If 
  the Attack Roll succeeds, the punch (or other HTH 
  attack) does half the BODY it would normally do, 
  and Knockdown and Knockback are calculated from 
  this BODY. However, if the attacker makes his Attack 
  Roll exactly, he does full damage to his target.
  Example: Orion wants to incapacitate a gang 
  member without hurting him. He does a 9d6 
  punch, and declares he’s Pulling his Punch. He’s 
  -2 OCV for the attack, giving him a ﬁ nal OCV 
  of 4, the same as the gang member’s DCV. Orion 
  must roll an 11- to hit; if he rolls an 11 exactly 
  the kid takes full damage (and probably has to 
  go to the hospital).
  At the GM’s option, characters can automatically 
  Pull their punches without any OCV penalty. Th is is a 
  good way to simulate four-color comic book combat 
  and other campaigns where the characters are sup-
  posed to be larger-than-life good guys — penalizing 
  such characters for trying to do the “right thing” by 
  not severely injuring their opponents is usually unfair.
  A character can Pull A Punch with a Ranged 
  attack with the GM’s permission. Characters may 
  use Pulling A Punch with other Combat or Martial 
  Maneuvers (though in most cases they simply use it 
  with Strike).
  REDUCING KNOCKBACK
  At the GM’s option, a character can Pull A 
  Punch not to reduce damage, but to reduce the 
  amount of Knockback an attack might do. For every 
  2” of Knockback (or fraction thereof) the character 
  wishes to remove, he suﬀ ers a -1 OCV penalty. If the 
  attack hits and does Knockback, reduce the Knock-
  back distance traveled and damage suﬀ ered by the 
  indicated amount.
  Alternately, the GM can make things even easier 
  and safer:  the character takes a -2 penalty to his OCV, 
  and if his attack hits, it does no Knockback at all.
  RAPID FIRE
  Th is Maneuver allows a character to ﬁ re a 
  Ranged attack more than once in a Phase, either at a 
  single target or at multiple targets. Rapid Fire works 
  with any Ranged attack, including Mental Powers, 
  unless the GM rules otherwise.
  Rapid Fire requires a Full Phase and reduces the 
  character to ½ DCV. He also suﬀ ers a cumulative -2 
  OCV penalty for each shot aft er the ﬁ rst. (For exam-
  ple, if a character wants to Rapid Fire four targets, 
  that’s a total -6 penalty, and that -6 applies to all four 
  rolls.) If he misses any of his Attack Rolls, all remain-
  ing shots in that sequence automatically miss also. He 
  must expend END or Charges for each shot taken. He 
  may elect to stop his attack aft er any successful “shot,” 
  but this does not retroactively diminish the OCV and 
  DCV penalties for using the Maneuver.
  Th ere is no penalty for using Rapid Fire to 
  attack multiple targets or for tracking the attack 
  across hexes. However, all targets must be within the 
  character’s front 180-degree line of sight. With the 
  GM’s permission, a character can use Rapid Fire to 
  ﬁ re two diﬀ erent Ranged weapons or attacks (typi-
  cally one in each hand), the same way he can per-
  form a Sweep with multiple Combat Maneuvers.
  A character cannot spread his Rapid Fire over 
  multiple Segments (e.g., one shot in Segment 12, one 
  in Segment 1, one in Segment 2, and so forth). All 
  shots are ﬁ red in the Segment in which the character 
  has a Phase and uses the Maneuver.
  In campaigns that use Knockback, when the 
  character uses Rapid Fire to hit a single target mul-
  tiple times, determine the Knockback separately for 
  each Rapid Fire shot that hits the target. Th e target 
  takes the highest amount of Knockback rolled. 
  For example, if a character hits a target twice with 
  a Rapid Fired Energy Blast, and one hit does 6” 
  Knockback and the other 3” Knockback, the target 
  takes 6” Knockback.
  If  a character uses Rapid Fire with Combat 
  Maneuvers or other forms of attack that modify 
  OCV and/or DCV, Maneuver bonuses to OCV 
  are not cumulative (each applies only to the attack 
  it’s used with), and if DCV bonuses are involved 
  (including a +0 “bonus”), only the lowest bonus 
  applies. However, all OCV and DCV penalties are 
  cumulative (they apply to all attacks made with that 
  Rapid Fire). DCV penalties from maneuvers should 
  be subtracted from the character’s DCV before his 
  DCV is halved for using Rapid Fire. Maneuvers or 
  Skills that halve the character’s DCV aren’t cumula-
  tive with the halving eﬀ ect from Rapid Fire (the 
  character’s DCV is only reduced by half). Characters 
  cannot combine Rapid Fire with Haymaker.
  Th e GM may wish to restrict characters using 
  Rapid Fire to a maximum of 2-3 shots per Phase, 
  
  79 
  Hero System Combat Handbook ■ Chapter Three
  which gives a reasonable increase in ﬁ repower while 
  still rendering the attacker vulnerable to counterattack.
  Example:  Fireﬁ ght wants to use Rapid Fire on 
  the boss of the terrorist group he’s been pursuing. 
  He decides to ﬁ re three shots — that ought to be 
  enough to take him down! Th is takes a Full Phase 
  and reduces his DCV by half. He has a -4 OCV 
  on all three shots.
  Now Fireﬁ ght wants to use Rapid Fire to shoot 
  one time at each of the boss’s three henchmen, 
  who are also ﬁ ring at him. Th ese three thugs are 
  all in front of him, but are spread out over ten 
  hexes. He suﬀ ers the same penalties — ½ DCV, -4 
  OCV — and does not take a penalty for ﬁ ring at 
  multiple targets.
  A character cannot use Rapid Fire with Auto-
  ﬁ re attacks unless he knows the Rapid Autoﬁ re 
  Skill (HERO System 5th Edition, Revised, page 50). 
  Additionally, the GM may rule that characters 
  cannot Rapid Fire some Powers or weapons — such 
  as slings, crossbows, and some spells. If so, those 
  attacks may, at the GM’s discretion, take a -½ 
  Cannot Be Rapid Fired Limitation.
  If a character Rapid Fires with a Mental 
  Power and has a significant chance of being 
  counterattacked with Mental Powers, the GM 
  may substitute ½ DECV for the standard ½ DCV 
  penalty if he wants to. Otherwise, the standard ½ 
  DCV penalty applies.
  Several rules apply to both Rapid Fire and Sweep.
  Combat Skill Levels
  A character could buy 2-point CSLs just to improve 
  his OCV with Rapid Fire or Sweep, regardless of what 
  type of weapon or attack he Rapid Fires with. If he buys 
  3-point CSLs with Rapid Fire (or more expensive CSLs 
  that could apply to Rapid Fire/Sweep), he can use them 
  to increase his OCV and/or DCV with Rapid Fire/Sweep 
  (but note the DCV Checklist on page 36, which in eﬀ ect 
  halves any Levels applied to DCV).
  If a character has 2-point (or more expensive) Combat 
  Skill Levels with an attack, can he apply those Levels to 
  his OCV when Rapid Firing/Sweeping with that attack.
  If a character uses a Combat Skill Level to increase the 
  damage done by, or his OCV with, a Rapid Fire/Sweep 
  attack, the CSL applies to every “shot” that hits the 
  target. He doesn’t have to divide his CSLs among the 
  shots. As always, the GM may change this rule if he 
  ﬁ nds it unbalancing.
  Combat Value
  For Rapid Fire and Sweep, the attacker determines his 
  OCV at the beginning of the sequence, based on the 
  OCV modiﬁ ers from Rapid Fire/Sweep itself and other 
  factors. Th at OCV should remain unchanged throughout 
  the sequence of shots, unless the GM deems it appropri-
  ate to alter the attacker’s OCV for some reason. If the 
  attacks are made against a single target, the target’s DCV 
  remains the same throughout the sequence in most 
  situations. However, if the circumstances of the attack 
  change his DCV in some way (for example, if one attack 
  frees him from an Entangle or Knocks him Out), then 
  his DCV changes for all shots thereaft er. Th e GM may 
  choose to ignore this rule, and maintain the DCV the 
  target had at the start of the sequence, if he prefers to run 
  the attack in a simpler fashion.
  If the attacks are made against multiple targets, with 
  each being attacked once, each has its own DCV, 
  determined by the conditions at the time the sequence 
  began. If some targets are attacked more than once, 
  the rules stated above apply.
  A character using a Rapid Fire or Sweep may elect to stop 
  his attack aft er any successful “shot.” However, he cannot, 
  by doing so, retroactively diminish the OCV and DCV 
  penalties for using the Maneuver.
  If a character uses Rapid Fire or Sweep with another 
  Combat/Martial Maneuver, and that Combat/Martial 
  Maneuver imposes an OCV penalty, the Maneuver’s 
  OCV penalty does not accumulate the way the penalty 
  for Rapid Fire/Sweep does. For example, if a character 
  uses a Sweep Oﬀ ensive Strike (-2 OCV) to hit three foes, 
  his OCV penalty is -6 (one -2 for using Oﬀ ensive Strike, 
  plus an additional cumulative -2 for Sweeping each target 
  aft er the ﬁ rst).
  DCV Of Target
  With Rapid Fire and Sweep, if the character misses with 
  one attack, all subsequent attacks that are part of the 
  maneuver automatically fail. If the targets have diﬀ erent 
  DCVs, the attacker chooses in what order to make the 
  attacks, but the GM can override this choice if necessary. 
  In many cases the circumstances will suggest a logical 
  or common-sense order in which the rolls should occur, 
  and the GM should make sure that neither PC nor NPC 
  attempts to get around that order just to obtain a rules 
  beneﬁ t.
  Extra Time
  If an attack has the Extra Time Limitation, usually that 
  means a character cannot use it to Rapid Fire or Sweep. 
  However, the GM should consider the nature of the Lim-
  itation and the special eﬀ ects involved. If the Limitation 
  only applies to activating the power the ﬁ rst time, but not 
  thereaft er, a character might be able to Rapid Fire/Sweep 
  with it aft er it’s been activated.
  Multiple-Power Attacks
  As a default rule, characters cannot Rapid Fire or Sweep 
  with a multiple-power attack; that’s too likely to cause 
  game balance problems or slow down play. But the GM 
  can allow this if he thinks it’s appropriate and fair.
  Power Frameworks
  A character use one or more slots in a Power Framework 
  as the attack(s) for a Rapid Fire or Sweep, against either 
  a single target or multiple targets, if any of the follow-
  ing apply:  it’s the only power in the Framework used in 
  the attack; the Framework is a Multipower or Variable 
  Power Pool with enough reserve/pool points to allocate 
  to two or more slots used in the attack simultaneously; 
  the Framework is an EC with two or more Attack Powers. 
  Of course, the GM can forbid this if he feels the proposed 
  attack deﬁ es common sense or dramatic sense or would 
  cause game balance problems.
  Preparation Time Not Required
  Neither Rapid Fire nor Sweep require a Phase to prepare 
  to use them. As long as a character has a Full Phase free, 
  he can use Rapid Fire or Sweep.
   COMMON RAPID FIRE/SWEEP RULES
  
  Hero System 5th Edition
  80 ■ Combat And Martial Maneuvers
  ROLL WITH A PUNCH
  Roll With A Punch allows a character to take 
  less damage from a HTH attack. Th is Maneuver is 
  unique because a character may perform it aft er 
  he’s been struck by an opponent’s attack (i.e., aft er 
  the opponent’s Attack Roll succeeds, but before he 
  rolls damage).
  To Roll With A Punch, the character must 
  make an Attack Roll against his attacker’s OCV 
  (like Block); this roll has a -2 OCV penalty. If 
  successful, the character takes only half the 
  STUN and BODY that the attack would have 
  normally done. (Halve the total after defenses 
  have been applied.) However, the attacker rolls 
  one less die for Knockback (making it more 
  likely the character takes Knockback).
  Unless the GM rules otherwise, the effects of 
  Rolling With A Punch apply to any sort of HTH 
  Combat attack — physical punches, a sword, poi-
  soned claws, an energy gauntlet, or the like. How-
  ever, the Maneuver’s most appropriate for attacks 
  that do damage from physical impact (such as 
  an actual punch), and the GM may restrict Roll-
  ing With A Punch to such attacks if he feels that 
  makes more sense.
  A character may Abort to Roll With A Punch. 
  However, he cannot do so if he’s unable to act or 
  Abort to an Action. For example, if he’s tried to 
  Dodge or Block the attack and failed, he cannot 
  Roll With A Punch because he’s now unable to act 
  or Abort. A character cannot Roll With A Punch 
  aft er an unsuccessful Block or Dodge, whether he 
  Aborted to the Block or Dodge or not.
  This Maneuver is most appropriate for 
  Superheroic campaigns, but is also applicable to 
  Heroic campaigns.
  SNAP SHOT
  Th is Maneuver allows a character to move 
  aft er making an attack (which is normally not 
  allowed) — the character ducks out from Con-
  cealment (see page 43), makes an attack, and then 
  ducks back behind cover. It’s normally only used 
  with Ranged attacks, but may, with the GM’s per-
  mission and in the right circumstances, be used 
  in HTH Combat as well. Snap Shot requires a Full 
  Phase, and characters can use it with other Combat 
  Maneuvers (for example, a character could use 
  Rapid Fire while Snap Shooting).
  To make a Snap Shot, the character must 
  start fully Concealed near a corner, edge, or 
  opening in whatever he’s hiding behind. The 
  opening or edge must be in the same hex as the 
  character. He steps out (on his Phase and DEX) 
  and attacks, using the modifier for Snap Shot (-1 
  OCV) in addition to whatever other modifiers he 
  might have (for the weapon or maneuver he uses, 
  for example). He gets his full DCV (modified, if 
  necessary, by any other maneuvers he is using) 
  plus a bonus for Concealment.
  The character may only fire at targets he’s 
  aware of, although he may make a PER Roll 
  to spot previously unknown targets. After this 
  combat action, he’s exposed to enemy attack for 
  the rest of the Segment in which he attacked. On 
  the Segment after the Snap Shot he may duck 
  back behind Concealment (at the same DEX at 
  which he made his Snap Shot).
  SUPPRESSION FIRE
  Characters may only use this Maneuver with 
  attacks capable of Autofire. Basically, a character 
  uses this Maneuver to “hose down” an area with 
  bullets, energy bolts, or what have you so that 
  anyone coming into that area is automatically 
  attacked. Suppression Fire simulates the clas-
  sic “Cover me!” situation in movies, where one 
  character sprays a hail of bullets at the enemy to 
  give another character a chance to move without 
  being fired at.
  USING SUPPRESSION FIRE
  To use Suppression Fire, the character 
  defines a hex line or group of hex lines that he’s 
  firing through. Find his OCV to hit that hex line 
  or lines, taking into account the normal modi-
  fiers for using Autofire against a group of hexes 
  (each hex line counts as one hex for this pur-
  pose). In addition, he suffers a -2 OCV penalty 
  for performing Suppression Fire.
  Suppression Fire takes a Half Phase and is an 
  Attack Action. Th e character must ﬁ re into the deﬁ ned 
  area the maximum number of shots he can ﬁ re with 
  the Autoﬁ re power/weapon being used, unless the 
  GM rules otherwise. Th e shots aren’t equally divided 
  into all the hex lines; they’re considered to be ﬁ red 
  into the deﬁ ned area as a whole. Since Suppression 
  Fire can last until the character’s next Phase, the char-
  acter ﬁ res that many shots each Segment, not just in 
  Segments when he has a Phase. He must use the same 
  number of attacks in every Segment in which he uses 
  Suppression Fire. He must expend END or Charges 
  for each shot made. (If he’s using an attack that costs 
  END instead of Charges, the character should declare 
  how many “shots” he’s ﬁ ring, with a minimum of one 
  per hex line.)
  Anyone (or anything) who enters the area cov-
  ered by Suppression Fire is automatically attacked 
  once for each hex line he moves through. Th ere’s no 
  way to “sneak” through a hex line, move through a 
  hex line on a Segment in which the attacker does 
  not have a Phase, or run through a hex line without 
  getting attacked. Several targets may take damage, 
  even if they enter the area on diﬀ erent Segments. 
  Th e attacker must roll to hit; he makes one Attack 
  Roll per hex line the target moves through. Th e 
  attacker’s OCV is determined by the number of hex 
  lines being ﬁ red into, plus the -2 OCV Maneuver 
  penalty. Th e target’s DCV is normal, and each target 
  can only be hit once per hex line per Segment.
  Th e maximum number of hits a character can 
  obtain with Suppression Fire in a Segment equals 
  the number of shots ﬁ red in that Segment. Once 
  he rolls that many successful Attack Rolls against 
  targets moving through the aﬀ ected area, by deﬁ ni-
  
  81 
  Hero System Combat Handbook ■ Chapter Three
  tion he cannot hit any more targets. A character 
  using Suppression Fire cannot decline to make an 
  Attack Roll against a target in the area — in each 
  Segment, he must make one roll per hex line every 
  target moves through until he has used up all his 
  hits for that Segment. However, if two targets enter 
  the “Suppression Fire zone” at the same time, the 
  character can choose which one to make his Attack 
  Rolls against ﬁ rst. If any issues of timing arise, the 
  GM determines which targets the character can (or 
  must) attack ﬁ rst.
  A character cannot “overlap” his Suppression 
  Fire so he can attack a target more than once per 
  hex line. Autofire Skills have no effect on Sup-
  pression Fire.
  Pinning Targets Down
  To be hit by Suppression Fire, a target has to 
  move into, out of, or through the “Suppression Fire 
  zone,” or take some other Action that indicates 
  movement (such as attacking the character who’s 
  using Suppression Fire, or most other targets). If he 
  doesn’t move in any way, the ﬁ re has him “pinned 
  down” — which is oft en the point of the maneuver 
  anyway. Th e GM determines what Actions, if any, 
  a “pinned down” target can take without exposing 
  himself to the Suppression Fire.
  Going Beyond Hex Lines
  Not every area a character wants to cover with 
  Suppression Fire neatly divides into hex lines. If the 
  GM can’t count some reasonable approximation 
  of hex lines, he should deﬁ ne the number of “hex 
  lines” in the area aﬀ ected and use that modiﬁ er. 
  Such “hex lines” for Suppression Fire must be adja-
  cent to each other as much as reasonably possible.
  SWEEP
  Th is Maneuver allows a character to use a 
  HTH attack more than once in a Phase against a 
  single target or multiple targets (provided they’re 
  all within HTH range). Characters may use Sweep 
  with most Combat Maneuvers, not just a Strike (see 
  below). Sweep is usually performed with some sort 
  of (large) hand-to-hand weapon such as a great-
  sword, but it may be done barehanded.
  Sweep requires a Full Phase and reduces the 
  character to ½ DCV. He also suﬀ ers a cumulative 
  -2 OCV penalty for each attack aft er the ﬁ rst. (For 
  example, if a character wants to Sweep four targets, 
  that’s a total -6 penalty, and that -6 applies to all 
  four rolls.) If he misses any of his Attack Rolls, all 
  remaining attacks in that sequence automatically 
  miss also. He must expend END or Charges for 
  each attack. He may not use Sweep with Autoﬁ re 
  
  Hero System 5th Edition
  82 ■ Combat And Martial Maneuvers
  HTH attacks unless he has the Rapid Autoﬁ re Skill 
  (HERO System 5th Edition, Revised, page 50). He 
  may elect to stop his attack aft er any successful 
  attack, but this does not retroactively diminish the 
  OCV and DCV penalties for using the Maneuver.
  In campaigns that use Knockback, when the 
  character uses Sweep to hit a single target mul-
  tiple times, determine the Knockback separately 
  for each Sweep attack shot that hits the target. 
  The target takes the highest amount of Knock-
  back rolled. For example, if a character hits a 
  target twice with a Sweeped HA, and one hit does 
  5” Knockback and the other 4” Knockback, the 
  target takes 5” Knockback.
  With the GM’s permission, a character can 
  Sweep with more than one Combat Maneuver 
  — for example, Martial Disarming one opponent 
  while punching another. In this case, Maneuver 
  bonuses to OCV are not cumulative (each applies 
  only to the attack it is used with), and if both 
  maneuvers provide DCV bonuses (including a 
  +0 “bonus”), only the lowest bonus applies. How-
  ever, all OCV and DCV penalties are cumulative 
  (they apply to all Attack Rolls). DCV penalties 
  from maneuvers should be subtracted from the 
  character’s DCV before his DCV is halved for 
  using Sweep. Maneuvers or Skills that halve the 
  character’s DCV aren’t cumulative with the halv-
  ing effect from Sweep (the character’s DCV is 
  only reduced by half).
  A character cannot spread his Sweep over 
  multiple Segments (e.g., one attack in Segment 12, 
  one in Segment 1, one in Segment 2, and so forth). 
  All attacks are made in the Segment in which the 
  character has a Phase and uses the Maneuver.
  Th e GM may wish to restrict characters using 
  Sweep to a maximum of 2-3 attacks per Phase, 
  which gives a reasonable increase in attack power 
  while still rendering the attacker vulnerable to 
  counterattack.
  Example:  Nighthawk faces four thugs. He 
  knows his ﬁ ghting skill greatly exceeds theirs, 
  so he decides to punch all four of them. He per-
  forms his Punch (Martial Strike) as a Sweep.
  He starts out with a base OCV of 11 (from 
  DEX and CSLs). He’s Sweeping four characters, 
  so with the -2 OCV cumulative for each target 
  aft er the ﬁ rst, he suﬀ ers a -6 OCV, making his 
  ﬁ nal OCV 5 versus each foe.
  His enemies have DCV 4. He needs a 12 or less 
  to hit. He rolls an 11, an 8, a 12, and a 4. He has 
  hit all four targets.
  On his next Phase, he does it again. He rolls 
  a 12, a 9, and a 13. Since his third Punch was 
  a miss, he doesn’t even get to roll to hit the 
  fourth target.
  Later on, aft er polishing oﬀ  the four thugs, 
  Nighthawk encounters their master. Hoping for 
  a quick end to the encounter, he decides to use 
  Sweep to punch the master three times (which 
  will give him a -4 OCV (total OCV of 7) against 
  the master’s DCV of 8). He roll 10, 9, and 12. 
  Th e ﬁ rst two attacks hit, but the third misses. 
  Unfortunately, he’s now at ½ DCV against the 
  master’s counterattack.
  MANEUVERS USABLE WITH SWEEP
  Characters may use Sweep with most 
  Combat Maneuvers, not just a Strike. For exam-
  ple, a character could Sweep Disarm several ene-
  mies, Sweep Martial Throw, and so forth. How-
  ever, a character may not Sweep with Haymaker, 
  and can only Sweep maneuvers that use a Full 
  Move (such as Move Through or Passing Strike) 
  if all targets are in adjacent hexes.  (“Adjacent” in 
  this sense typically means “all of the targets are 
  in hexes adjacent to the attacker,” but not neces-
  sarily the same hex, since there are six hexes 
  adjacent to any given hex. However, in the case 
  of Maneuvers like Sweep Move Through, all the 
  targets would have to be in hexes adjacent to one 
  another — in most cases, they’d probably have to 
  be lined up or the like, since there are “realistic” 
  limits to how much an attacker can twist and 
  turn as he moves regardless of whether there’s a 
  Turn Mode involved. As always, the GM should 
  adjudicate the situation with game balance, 
  common sense, and dramatic sense in mind.) A 
  character cannot do a Sweep Move By; refer to 
  the description of Move By for information on 
  Multiple Move Bys.
  A character may only Sweep Grab as many 
  targets as he has hands/limbs to hold them. Th e 
  exception is when the character tries to Grab more 
  than one of a single target’s limbs, as detailed above 
  under Grab. In that situation, a character may 
  attempt to Sweep as many limbs as he wants; this 
  reﬂ ects his ability to tangle an enemy up so he can’t 
  use his limbs properly.
  A character can only perform a Sweeping 
  Choke Hold, Crush, Takeaway, or Bind on as many 
  targets as he has hands/limbs to hold them. Grab-
  bing the heads of two opponents and banging them 
  together constitutes Sweeping a Grab and Crush.
  Sweep does not work with maneuvers such 
  as Root and Escape (which are not attacks), Crush 
  or any other attack with the Follow Element (the 
  Sweep would have to be performed with the origi-
  nal attack, such as the Grab part of a Crush), and 
  Shove (which a character can already use on several 
  people at once, refer to Shove, below).
  If a target is holding one weapon in each hand, 
  the character may Sweep Disarm both weapons, 
  counting each weapon as a separate target.
  
  83 
  Hero System Combat Handbook ■ Chapter Three
  OPTIONAL FANTASY HERO 
  COMBAT MANEUVERS
  Th e following Optional Combat Maneuvers 
  are appropriate for Fantasy campaigns. Gamemas-
  ters should review them and decide whether to 
  incorporate them into the game. (See also the Flail 
  Maneuver on pages 168-69 of Fantasy Hero.)
  SET VERSUS CHARGE
  Th is Combat Maneuver (which diﬀ ers from 
  the Standard Combat Maneuver Set) allows a 
  character to use a weapon to resist the eﬀ ects of 
  a charging foe (such as a knight on horseback, an 
  angry boar, or a berserk ogre rushing at the charac-
  ter to cleave him in two).
  To perform a Set Versus Charge, the character 
  needs two things. First, he needs a long, thrusting 
  weapon — typically a spear, glaive, trident, or other 
  polearm. Th e GM may, at his option, allow char-
  acters to Set Versus Charge with other large, long 
  weapons, such as greatswords.
  Second, since Set Versus Charge only works 
  against charging opponents, the character needs 
  to be prepared. Typically this means he Holds his 
  Action in anticipation of the charge. Set Versus 
  Charge requires a Full Phase.
  A character who declares a Set Versus 
  Charge must state that he is doing so, and which 
  direction he’s preparing for a charge from (he 
  doesn’t have to indicate the specific target he’s 
  setting against, since that really depends on who 
  chooses to charge him — he just has to face the 
  right direction). When the charging attacker 
  comes within range (based on the length of 
  the weapon the character uses), the character 
  makes his Attack Roll. If the character’s weapon 
  is longer than the charging attacker’s weapon, 
  the character’s Attack Roll occurs before his 
  opponent gets to make an attack. If the two have 
  equal-sized weapons, their attacks on each other 
  occur simultaneously. If the charging attacker 
  has a longer weapon, he gets to make his Attack 
  Roll first, and if he succeeds may ruin the char-
  acter’s Set Versus Charge (for example, by Stun-
  ning the character).
  Set Versus Charge adds +0 OCV, +0 DCV. If 
  the character’s Attack Roll succeeds, the charging 
  attacker takes the normal damage for the weapon 
  (including bonuses from the character’s STR, 
  Combat Skill Levels, and the like), increased by 
  the charging attacker’s velocity — add +1 Damage 
  Class for each full 3” of movement the charging 
  attacker had. Th e DCs add equally to both Normal 
  and Killing Damage weapons, though as usual they 
  cannot more than double the DCs of damage in the 
  base attack (see page 106).
  Typically a Set Versus Charge hits the rider of 
  a mount, not the mount. Th e character may declare 
  that he’s aiming for the mount instead, or the GM 
  may roll randomly to determine whether rider or 
  mount takes the blow.
  Example:  Orcs (DEX 15, SPD 3) riding giant 
  wolves (Running 11”) attack the village of Tim-
  berton. Sir Gareth (STR 15, DEX 18, SPD 4) 
  and his companions defend the hapless hamlet. 
  Sir Gareth has a Medium Spear (a Long 
  weapon); in Segment 3 he decides to Set Versus 
  Charge. Th e orcs approach from the west, so Sir 
  Gareth faces that way. Since the orcs only have 
  SPD 3, he must Hold his Phase in Segment 3 
  until they get to him.
  In Segment 4, when the orcs get a Phase, the 
  charge arrives. Sir Gareth is prepared, with his 
  spear-butt planted ﬁ rmly in the ground (braced 
  by his foot) and the spearhead aimed at an 
  approaching orc. As a Long weapon, the spear 
  has +1” reach, so Sir Gareth gets to attack ﬁ rst. 
  When the orc gets within range of his weapon, 
  Sir Gareth rolls to hit. He has a base OCV 6, 
  and two Combat Skill Levels applied to OCV, 
  giving him an OCV of 8. Th e orc is DCV 5. Sir 
  Gareth rolls an 11 and hits! Th e orc runs full 
  into the spear. Th e spear does a base of 1½d6 
  Killing Damage (5 DCs), and Sir Gareth adds 
  +1 DC because his STR (15) exceeds the weap-
  on’s STR Minimum (10) by 5. Additionally, he 
  adds +1 DC for each full 3” of the orc’s move-
  ment. Th e wolf was using Running 11”, so Sir 
  Gareth can add +3 DCs (if the wolf had Run-
  ning 12”, Sir Gareth could add +4 DCs). So, 
  the weapon does 5 +1 +3 = 9 DCs of damage, 
  or 3d6 Killing! Sir Gareth rolls 14 BODY and 
  skewers the orc.
  SHIELD WALL
  Two or three characters with shields can 
  help defend each other by establishing a shield 
  wall so their “zones of protection” overlap. To 
  establish a shield wall (which takes a Zero-Phase 
  Action for all persons involved), a character with 
  a shield must stand next to another person with a 
  shield (i.e., they must be in the same hex or adja-
  cent hexes). Both characters must face the same 
  way and agree to participate in the shield wall. 
  If these conditions apply, the character gets +1 
  DCV. (Of course, so does the other character.) If 
  a character has two people forming a shield wall 
  with him, one on each side, he receives a +2 DCV 
  bonus. Of course, if the character moves out of 
  the shield wall, he loses this bonus.
  Characters may only establish a Shield Wall 
  with small, medium, or large shields.
  UNHORSE
  A character may use this Optional Combat 
  Maneuver to knock a person off a horse (or 
  other mount). To do this, the character must 
  have a Long weapon (typically a spear or other 
  pole arm) or a quarterstaff. The Maneuver is a -1 
  OCV, +0 DCV attack.
  To Unhorse a target, the character makes an 
  Attack Roll. If the roll succeeds, he knocks the 
  target oﬀ  his horse, doing Normal Damage equal 
  to the attacker’s STR divided by 5 (not his weapon’s 
  damage), +1d6 for every full 5” the mount moved 
  
  Hero System 5th Edition
  84 ■ Combat And Martial Maneuvers
  in that Segment (or the last Segment in which it 
  moved, if it didn’t move that Segment). Th e target 
  can make a Breakfall roll at -1 per 2d6 damage 
  (if he has that Skill) to take half damage (or no 
  damage if he makes the roll by half).
  Th e Unhorse maneuver assumes the target 
  doesn’t expect someone to try to knock him from 
  the saddle. If the GM believes the target is prepared, 
  the attacker suﬀ ers an additional -3 OCV with his 
  Unhorse maneuver. Additionally, some types of 
  saddles, such as the aerial mount saddle described 
  above, impose penalties on Unhorse because they 
  hold the rider so ﬁ rmly in place.
  FANTASY HERO OPTIONAL COMBAT MANEUVERS
  Maneuver 
  Phase 
  OCV 
  DCV 
  Effects
  Bind 
  ½ 
  +0 
  +0 
  Binds weapon with STR Versus STR Contest
  Set Versus Charge 
  1 
  +0 
  +0 
  Weapon + target’s v/3 damage
  Shield Wall (1 side) 
  0 
  — 
  +1
  Shield Wall (2 sides) 
  0 
  —  
  +2
  Unhorse 
  ½ 
  -1 
  +0 
  Knocks target from saddle, does STR/5 + target’s v/5 Normal Damage
  
  85 
  Hero System Combat Handbook ■ Chapter Three
  A
  ny character can use the basic Combat 
  Maneuvers, but only those who have 
  received special training, or have a particu-
  lar aptitude for HTH combat, know Mar-
  tial Arts. Many of these Maneuvers are improved 
  versions of standard Combat Maneuvers; a few 
  provide new abilities.
  Martial Arts is a Skill — characters have to 
  purchase Martial Maneuvers at the cost listed in the 
  sidebar on HERO System 5th Edition, Revised, page 
  64. Characters must spend a minimum of 10 Char-
  acter Points on Martial Maneuvers. As noted on 
  page 143, Martial Maneuvers don’t cost END. How-
  ever, unless the GM rules otherwise, a character 
  performing one must still pay the full normal END 
  cost for his STR. Th is applies even if the maneuver 
  is one that doesn’t beneﬁ t from adding STR damage 
  or capacity, such as a Nerve Strike.
  Martial Arts can represent many things. It 
  most oft en represents advanced HTH Combat 
  training, whether received from an ancient Chinese 
  master at a hidden temple deep in the Himalayas, 
  an unarmed combat specialist in the military, a 
  skilled practitioner of elven swordﬁ ghting, or any 
  of hundreds of other sources. It can also simulate 
  the standard maneuvers taught to warriors who 
  use a particular type of weapon — instead of using 
  the basic Strike maneuver, they use these advanced 
  maneuvers. Martial Arts could even simulate a 
  character who has an innate ﬁ ghting ability of 
  some sort; this is particularly good for ferocious 
  monsters and beasts, whose skill with their claws 
  and fangs could be represented with a few speciﬁ c 
  Martial Maneuvers.
  When a character uses a Martial Maneuver 
  with a weapon, substitute the weapon’s damage for 
  “STR” listed in the Damage/Eﬀ ects column, and 
  consider any added damage as added Damage 
  Classes, not added d6s. For example, a Martial 
  Strike with a weapon does Weapon +2 DC. See 
  Adding Damage:  Haymaker And Martial Maneu-
  vers, page 108, for more information.
  A character cannot Link two or more Martial 
  Maneuvers together.
  Partial Maneuvers
  Many maneuvers have more than one element 
  or “aspect,” such as Block-Grab or Block-Th row. 
  In most cases it’s not necessary for a character to 
  use all aspects of a maneuver — he can use only 
  those aspects he wants to. For example, a Reversal 
  allows a character to Escape a Grab, and then Grab 
  the person who Grabbed him. A character with 
  this maneuver does not have to perform the Grab 
  if he doesn’t want to; he can simply Escape, and 
  then end his maneuver at that point. Another good 
  example is the Joint Lock/Th row, which involves 
  Grabbing the target’s limb and bending it to force 
  the target to the ground. A character doesn’t have to 
  use either the “NND” or the “Th row” aspects of this 
  maneuver if he prefers not to. (Of course, an attack 
  or maneuver which “Must Follow” a particular 
  maneuver or which is a “Response” to a maneuver 
  cannot be used on its own.)
  However, sometimes one element acts as a 
  “prerequisite” for another, or the deﬁ nition of the 
  maneuver dictates that all elements have to be used. 
  For example, with Choke Hold, a character cannot 
  use the “NND” element of this maneuver with-
  out ﬁ rst using the “Grab” element. Similarly, most 
  Th row-based maneuvers do their damage in whole 
  or in part by slamming the target to the ground, 
  so not using the Target Falls element makes the 
  maneuver meaningless.
  Th us, you have to look at the maneuver from 
  the perspective of special eﬀ ects, common sense, 
  and dramatic sense. In light of that, the GM could 
  allow a character to use only part of a maneuver 
  if he wanted — but even so, that should be the 
  exception, not the rule. Maneuvers with multiple 
  elements are packaged together speciﬁ cally because 
  they’re meant to be used together; a character who 
  doesn’t want to do those things together should 
  purchase two maneuvers that each do one of the 
  things the “combo” maneuver does all at once. Th e 
  GM has the ﬁ nal say regarding whether an element 
  has to be used in a maneuver.
  MARTIAL 
  MANEUVERS
  COMMON SENSE 
  AND MARTIAL ARTS
  Th e GM should keep 
  common sense in mind 
  when dealing with Mar-
  tial Arts damage. In the 
  real world, some martial 
  artists are capable of 
  incredible feats, but 
  that doesn’t mean PCs 
  can duplicate those 
  feats eﬀ ortlessly just 
  because they’ve spent a 
  few points on Martial 
  Maneuvers. Even though 
  a character can do 
  9d6 with his Oﬀ ensive 
  Strike, he shouldn’t nec-
  essarily be able easily to 
  kick down a wall or the 
  bars of a jail cell. Even if 
  game terms say the wall 
  only has 3 DEF, 3 BODY 
  per hex, or the jail bars 
  are only 6 DEF, 6 BODY, 
  a little dose of common 
  sense tells you that not 
  even trained martial 
  artists can routinely kick 
  down walls or smash 
  jail bars with their bare 
  hands. Regardless of 
  whether it’s possible in 
  game terms to do it, the 
  GM can, and should, tell 
  players their characters 
  can’t do these things, 
  because it would be 
  just plain ridiculous. If 
  it suits the tone of the 
  campaign, let them do 
  it, but in more “realistic” 
  games, feel free to ignore 
  what the rules say and 
  tell the players No.
  
  Hero System 5th Edition
  86 ■ Combat And Martial Maneuvers
  Martial Maneuvers That 
  Improve Standard Maneuvers
  HAND-TO-HAND MARTIAL MANEUVERS
  Maneuver 
  Phase 
  Cost 
  OCV 
  DCV 
  Effects
  Basic Strike 
  ½ 
  3 
  +1 
  +0 
  STR +2d6 Strike
  Basic Strike 
  ½ 
  3 
  +1 
  +0 
  STR +2d6 Strike
  Charge 
  ½ 
  4 
  +0 
  -2 
  STR +2d6 +v/5 Strike, FMove
  Choke Hold 
  ½ 
  4 
  -2 
  +0 
  Grab One Limb; 2d6 NND(2)
  Counterstrike 
  ½ 
  4 
  +2 
  +2 
  STR +2d6 Strike, Must Follow Block
  Crush 
  ½ 
  4 
  +0 
  +0 
  STR +4d6 Crush, Must Follow Grab
  Defensive Block    
  ½ 
  5 
  +1 
  +3 
  Block, Abort
  Defensive Strike   
  ½ 
  5 
  +1 
  +3 
  STR Strike
  Defensive Th row 
  ½ 
  3 
  +1 
  +1 
  Block, Target Falls
  Disarming Th row  ½ 
  5 
  +0 
  +0 
  Grab Weapon, +5 STR to take weapon away; Target Falls
  Fast Strike 
  ½ 
  4 
  +2 
  +0 
  STR +2d6 Strike
  Flying Dodge 
  ½ 
  5 
  — 
  +4 
  Dodge All Attacks, Abort; FMove
  Flying Grab 
  ½ 
  5 
  -2 
  -1 
  Grab Two Limbs, +10 STR for holding on; FMove
  Flying Tackle 
  ½ 
  3 
  +0 
  -1 
  STR +v/5 Strike; You Fall, Target Falls; FMove
  Grappling Block 
  ½ 
  4 
  +1 
  +1 
  Grab One Limb, Block
  Grappling Th row   ½ 
  3 
  +0 
  +2 
  STR +2d6 Strike; Target Falls; Must Follow Grab
  Joint Break 
  ½ 
  5 
  -1 
  -2 
  Grab One Limb; HKA ½d6 (2 DC), Disable
  Joint Lock/Th row 
  ½ 
  4 
  +1 
  +0 
  Grab One Limb; 1d6 NND(7); Target Falls
  Killing Strike 
  ½ 
  4 
  -2 
  +0 
  HKA ½d6 (2 DC)
  Killing Th row 
  ½ 
  5 
  -2 
  +0 
  HKA ½d6 (2 DC); Target Falls
  Legsweep 
  ½ 
  3 
  +2 
  -1 
  STR +1d6 Strike; Target Falls
  Martial Block 
  ½ 
  4 
  +2 
  +2 
  Block, Abort
  Martial Disarm 
  ½ 
  4 
  -1 
  +1 
  Disarm; +10 STR to Disarm roll
  Martial Dodge 
  ½ 
  4 
  — 
  +5 
  Dodge, Aﬀ ects All Attacks, Abort
  Martial Escape 
  ½ 
  4 
  +0 
  +0 
  +15 STR vs. Grabs
  Martial Flash  
  ½ 
  4 
  -1 
  -1 
  Flash 4d6 (choose Sense Group)
  Martial Grab 
  ½ 
  3 
  -1 
  -1 
  Grab Two Limbs, +10 to STR for holding on
  Martial Strike 
  ½ 
  4 
  +0 
  +2 
  STR +2d6 Strike
  Martial Th row 
  ½ 
  3 
  +0 
  +1 
  STR +v/5; Target Falls
  Nerve Strike 
  ½ 
  4 
  -1 
  +1 
  2d6 NND(1)
  Oﬀ ensive Strike    
  ½ 
  5 
  -2 
  +1 
  STR +4d6 Strike
  Passing Disarm 
  ½ 
  5 
  -1 
  -1 
  Disarm, +10 STR to Disarm roll; FMove
  Passing Strike 
  ½ 
  5 
  +1 
  +0 
  STR +v/5; FMove
  Passing Th row 
  ½ 
  5 
  +0 
  +0 
  STR +v/5; Target Falls; FMove
  Reversal 
  var 
  4 
  -1 
  -2 
  STR +15 to Escape; Grab Two Limbs
  Root 
  ½ 
  4 
  +0 
  +0 
  STR +15 to resist Shove; Block, Abort
  Sacriﬁ ce Disarm    ½ 
  4 
  +2 
  -2 
  Disarm, +10 STR to Disarm roll
  Sacriﬁ ce Lunge     
  ½ 
  4 
  +2 
  -2 
  STR +v/5; FMove
  Sacriﬁ ce Strike    
  ½ 
  5 
  +1 
  -2 
  STR +4d6 Strike
  Sacriﬁ ce Th row     
  ½ 
  3 
  +2 
  +1 
  STR Strike; You Fall, Target Falls
  Shove 
  ½ 
  4 
  +0 
  +0 
  +15 STR to Shove
  Takeaway 
  ½ 
  5 
  +0 
  +0 
  Grab Weapon, +10 STR to take weapon away
  Takedown 
  ½ 
  3 
  +1 
  +1 
  STR Strike; Target Falls
  Weapon Bind 
  ½ 
  4 
  +1 
  +0 
  Bind, +10 STR
  +1 Damage Class 
  — 
  — 
  — 
   
  Adds to all Martial Maneuvers
  Weapon Element 
  — 
  — 
  — 
   
  Allows use of Martial Arts with weapons
  EXPLANATION OF TERMS:
  Phase:  How long it takes to perform the Maneuver (usually either a Half Phase [½] or a Full Phase [1]).
  Cost:  Th e Maneuver’s cost in Character Points.
  OCV (Offensive Combat Value):  Th e Maneuver’s modiﬁ cation 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 modiﬁ cation to the attacker’s DCV. For example, performing a Hay-
  maker decreases the attacker’s DCV, making it more likely he’ll be hit.
  Effects:  Th e damage or other eﬀ ect 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 21.
  Dash (“—”):  Th at column is not relevant to that maneuver.
  
  87 
  Hero System Combat Handbook ■ Chapter Three
  Many Martial Maneuvers — such as Defen-
  sive Strike, Martial Strike, Offensive Strike, 
  Martial Dodge, Martial Block, and Martial Grab 
  — are essentially just “improved” versions of 
  Standard Combat Maneuvers. They either pro-
  vide an OCV bonus, a DCV bonus, a damage 
  bonus, and/or some other enhanced ability (such 
  as the extra Grabbing STR from a Martial Grab). 
  They function identically to the regular Combat 
  Maneuvers of similar name, but with diﬀ erent 
  modiﬁ ers. See the descriptions of the relevant Stan-
  dard Combat Maneuvers for more information.
  CONVERTING MARTIAL MANEUVERS TO 
  STANDARD MANEUVERS
  In some campaigns, the GM may wish to make 
  a Martial Maneuver (such as a kick or Bind) a Stan-
  dard Maneuver. Th ere’s nothing wrong with this, 
  if it doesn’t unbalance the campaign and the GM 
  keeps two things in mind.
  First, there should be some justiﬁ cation 
  in realism or the genre for making a Martial 
  Maneuver Standard. For instance, in Fantasy Hero 
  Weapon Bind is a Standard Maneuver, since weap-
  ons combat is such a prevalent part of that genre 
  (see below). Another example is campaigns that 
  allow any character to perform some sort of “kick” 
  maneuver, on the grounds that anyone can kick 
  somebody else and do more damage than a punch, 
  it’s just not as easy as punching them.
  Second, Standard Maneuvers derived from 
  Martial Maneuvers should never be as eﬀ ective 
  as their martial counterparts, so characters who 
  buy Martial Maneuvers still beneﬁ t from doing so. 
  For example, a standard “kick” maneuver should 
  impose CV penalties a standard Strike does not, 
  and should not add as much damage as a compa-
  rable martial arts “kick” maneuver. As a good rule 
  of thumb, a Standard Maneuver should cost about 
  0-1 points when built using the Martial Maneuver 
  construction rules.
  Players should also remember that liberal 
  application of special eﬀ ects can “convert” a Stan-
  dard Maneuver into a Martial Maneuver. For 
  example, you could deﬁ ne a Grab and Th row as a 
  “footsweep” or “takedown” of some sort.
  Bind
  To use Bind, a character performs an OCV 
  versus OCV attack as with a Block; a successful hit 
  binds his opponent’s weapon, resulting in a tempo-
  rary deadlock. Th e attack does no actual damage. 
  Normally, the attacker uses a weapon, and binds the 
  target’s by pinning it up against the target’s body. 
  However, characters can use this maneuver bare-
  handed, usually by pinning the target’s weapon arm 
  against his body, or pinning the target’s weapon 
  under the target’s own arm aft er a wild swing.
  If the character’s Attack Roll succeeds, the tar-
  get’s weapon is momentarily bound; both ﬁ ghters 
  immediately make STR Rolls. If the target possesses 
  the Escape maneuver or the Bind maneuver, he can 
  use its STR bonus in the STR Versus STR Rolls. If 
  he knows both, he can only use the bonus from one 
  of them. If the attacker wins or the roll is a tie, the 
  Bind stays in eﬀ ect; if the defender wins, he breaks 
  the Bind and the ﬁ ght can resume normally.
  If the attacker wins another, immediate 
  STR Roll (which takes no time but may only be 
  attempted once per Phase), he may also elect to 
  shove his opponent back 1”, maintaining the Bind, 
  as long as there’s room for the defender to move 
  backwards; if the attacker fails or merely ties this 
  second STR Roll, he may not do this.
  On each of the Bound character’s Phases, both 
  characters again roll the STR Versus STR Rolls, 
  as before. Th is takes the Bound character a Half 
  Phase; resisting an attempt to escape the Bind is an 
  action which takes no time. Th e Bound character 
  can follow his attempt to escape with an attack or 
  movement. (If the weapon remains Bound, the 
  character cannot use it in an attack.) Th e defender 
  can also break a Bind automatically by moving 1” 
  backward in one of his Phases.
  While the characters remain Bound together, 
  they may still talk, attack with their free hands (if 
  any), and so forth. Th ey are at their normal OCV 
  and DCV against one another, but the Bound char-
  acter is at ½ DCV against attacks from third par-
  ties, while the attacker is at full DCV against attacks 
  from third parties.
  BIND IN FANTASY HERO
  At the GM’s option, characters in Fantasy 
  campaigns (and other campaigns, if appropriate) 
  can use a new Standard Combat Maneuver, Bind. 
  A Bind allows a character to “lock up” another 
  character’s weapon, preventing him from using it 
  but not actually disarming him. A basic Bind is +0 
  OCV, +0 DCV, takes a Half Phase, and if it succeeds 
  allows the two characters to engage in a STR Versus 
  STR Contest as described above.
  Characters may use Bind against an oppo-
  nent’s shield. A Bound shield provides no DCV 
  bonus to its wielder.
  Choke Hold
  Th is maneuver allows a character to Grab an 
  opponent’s head and neck and inﬂ ict NND damage. 
  A Choke Hold works just like a normal Grab 
  for purposes of determining whether the victim 
  escapes (for example, he gets an immediate Casual 
  STR roll to break free and take no damage, and the 
  OCV/DCV penalties for Grabbing/being Grabbed 
  apply). However, it only immobilizes one “limb” 
  — the head. Besides being Grabbed, the victim of 
  a Choke Hold takes the listed NND damage and 
  cannot speak or shout. (Th e character using Choke 
  Hold cannot also Squeeze or Th row the victim; 
  applying the NND hold takes the place of that.) Th e 
  defense against this NND is having rigid armor on 
  the neck, a PD Force Field, or Life Support: Self-
  Contained Breathing. If the victim doesn’t have one 
  of these defenses, he takes all the damage rolled.
  A Choke Hold prevents the use of headbutts. A 
  Choke Hold does not cut oﬀ  the victim’s senses, but 
  might interfere with them (i.e., cause PER Roll pen-
  alties, as determined by the GM). It might cut oﬀ , 
  
  Hero System 5th Edition
  88 ■ Combat And Martial Maneuvers
  or diminish the eﬀ ectiveness of some powers (such 
  as a sonic scream), but that’s up to the GM, who 
  should make the call in light of game balance con-
  siderations, common sense, and dramatic sense — a 
  PC shouldn’t be allowed to turn a 4-point Martial 
  Maneuver into a frequently-used Drain All Powers 
  Emanating From Th e Head.
  A character rendered unconscious by a Choke 
  Hold can be killed by continued application of the 
  Maneuver. Aft er the Choke Hold has rendered the 
  target unconscious, it does 1 BODY per Phase to 
  the target if it’s maintained. (See Holding Breath 
  and Drowning, page 142.)
  A character may make a Choke Hold one-
  handed, using the usual rules for Grabbing with 
  only one hand (see below under Grab). Th is only 
  aﬀ ects the STR of the Grab part of the maneuver; it 
  still does 2d6 NND(2).
  Extra Damage Classes applied to a Choke 
  Hold only increase the NND damage done; they 
  cannot increase the STR of the hold. If a character 
  has Martial Grab, or some other maneuver that 
  adds STR to Grab, he does not get the beneﬁ ts of 
  that extra STR when using Choke Hold. Choke 
  Hold and Martial Grab are completely separate 
  Martial Maneuvers.
  Crush
  Th e Crush Martial Maneuver uses the Follow 
  element. As indicated on pages 93-94 of Th e Ulti-
  mate Martial Artist, the Follow element means 
  the attack takes place on the Phase following the 
  indicated maneuver/event. To use Crush, a char-
  acter Grabs his target in a Phase (he could then 
  Squeeze the target, if desired, per the usual rules for 
  Grab). In his next Phase, provided the target hasn’t 
  escaped, the character can attack with his Crush. 
  Th is requires an Attack Roll (modiﬁ ed by the 
  maneuver’s OCV modiﬁ er, the target’s DCV pen-
  alty for being Grabbed, and so forth). If a character 
  wants to repeatedly Crush someone, he has to make 
  an Attack Roll each Phase he uses the maneuver.
  Flying Dodge
  Th e Flying Dodge maneuver is a popular one 
  in many martial arts campaigns, since if used prop-
  erly it keeps the combat colorful and exciting in 
  addition to protecting the characters.
  If a character has a Held Half Action, he may 
  use it to use Flying Dodge. In that situation, he gets 
  a Half Move and the +4 DCV bonus.
  If a character Aborts to a Flying Dodge, he gets 
  the Full Move worth of movement normally associ-
  ated with the maneuver.
  If a character with Flying Dodge moves out 
  of the way of an area-aﬀ ecting attack, compare the 
  inches moved to where the attack hits (typically the 
  hex the character was formerly standing in) and 
  the attack’s size — it’s possible that, as with a Dive 
  For Cover, the character’s movement didn’t carry 
  him far enough to get out of the way. If the Flying 
  Dodge’s movement carries him beyond the area 
  covered by the Area Of Eﬀ ect/Explosion, then the 
  attack doesn’t aﬀ ect him.
  If a character uses Flying Dodge to try to 
  avoid a ranged non-area-aﬀ ecting attack, he still 
  gets to move and still gets a DCV bonus from the 
  maneuver, but he’s not automatically missed — the 
  attacker still gets a roll to hit (unlike with Dive For 
  Cover, where the attack would automatically miss). 
  If it’s a HTH attack, the Attack Roll is irrelevant, 
  since the character won’t be in HTH combat range 
  any longer.
  If a character performs a Flying Dodge to, 
  for example, move around a corner so his attacker 
  cannot see him, that does not mean his attacker’s 
  attack automatically misses. Th e HERO System 
  combat rules model a highly dynamic situation 
  — two or more characters acting in the midst of 
  battle — with a relatively rigid set of timed and 
  controlled actions. It’s not as if one character moves 
  while everyone else does nothing, then the next 
  person acts, and so on — all the actions in a combat 
  Segment are occurring more or less “at once,” but 
  
  89 
  Hero System Combat Handbook ■ Chapter Three
  are resolved in a certain order to manage the game. 
  Th e attacker’s attack might hit just as the character 
  starts his Flying Dodge or the like. Th e fact that 
  he declares that he’s moving around an obstacle 
  doesn’t ensure he’ll get there in time — all the 
  maneuver provides is a DCV bonus.
  If a character uses a Flying Dodge against a 
  Ranged attack, the Range Modiﬁ er that applies to 
  the attacker derives from the distance between the 
  attacker and where the character is at the end of 
  his movement. For example, if a character begins a 
  Flying Dodge 4” away from his attacker (-0 Range 
  Modiﬁ er) and ends it 12” from his attacker (-4 
  Range Modiﬁ er), the attacker suﬀ ers a -4 Range 
  Modiﬁ er penalty.
  If a character uses Flying Dodge, but gets hit with 
  an attack anyway, and that attack causes Knockback, 
  calculate the Knockback from the hex the character 
  moved to when he used Flying Dodge.
  Flying Kick
  Several styles, such as Kung Fu and Tae Kwon 
  Do, have a ﬂ ying kick of some sort as one of their 
  maneuvers. In HERO System terms the ﬂ ying kick 
  is represented as a Sacriﬁ ce Strike, not a Passing 
  Strike, to achieve the necessary level of power (the 
  +v/5 element of the Passing Strike rarely adds 
  enough damage to equal the +4 DC of the Sacri-
  ﬁ ce Strike). However, in Superheroic games, where 
  characters oft en have large amounts of movement, 
  a Passing Strike might more accurately reﬂ ect this 
  sort of attack.
  The Full Move Element
  If a character has a Martial Maneuver with 
  the FMove element, such as a Passing Strike, he 
  can perform a Half Phase Action before using 
  it. However, that means he can only make a Half 
  Move when using a Movement Power with his 
  Martial Maneuver.
  Characters cannot use Martial Arts maneuvers 
  with the FMove element in the same manner as a 
  Multiple Move-By.
  Grappling Block
  Grappling Block allows a character to Block a 
  HTH attack, and at the same time Grab the person 
  making the Block. If the character just wants to 
  Block, without Grabbing, he can Abort. Th e charac-
  ter cannot Abort to Grappling Block it if he wants 
  to use the Grab part of the maneuver.
  Joint Locks And 
  Related Maneuvers
  Several types of maneuvers — the Joint Break, 
  the Joint Lock/Th row, and Grabs deﬁ ned as “Joint 
  Locks” — are performed by grabbing hold of a limb 
  and bending it in such a way the target cannot use 
  it. Sometimes this involves bending the limb in the 
  direction it’s designed to move, but in a manner 
  which “locks” it. More commonly, these maneuvers 
  bends a joint in a way it’s not supposed to bend. 
  Th is causes great pain (simulated by the NND 
  DMG Element of the Joint Lock/Th row maneuver). 
  Th is may also break the joint (the Killing Damage 
  and Disable elements of the Joint Break) or force 
  the target to fall down (the Th row element). Th e 
  holding and locking aspect of these maneuvers is of 
  course simulated with the Grab element.
  In adjudicating the effects of joint-breaking 
  maneuvers, the GM should carefully consider the 
  nature of the attack. Standard resistant defenses, 
  such as a superhero’s “bulletproof spandex” or a 
  soldier’s flak jacket, offer little (if any) protection 
  against having one’s joints bent backwards. On 
  the other hand, suits of metal armor and similar 
  equipment might completely protect the joint 
  from bending the wrong way. The GM might 
  want to grant these attacks a sort of NND effect 
  where the “defense” against the attack is wearing 
  something which keeps the joint from being bent 
  backwards, having pliable limbs (i.e., Stretching), 
  buying an Exert maneuver to fight the effect of 
  the joint-break, or something similar. However, 
  this could make joint-breaks more effective than 
  other types of Killing Damage maneuvers, so the 
  GM should be careful not to unbalance the cam-
  paign by doing this.
  GMs should also keep the Impairing and Dis-
  abling rules (pages 120-21) in mind when charac-
  ters use joint-breaks; refer also to the discussion of 
  Disabling Attacks on page 100.
  Killing Strike
  Th is Maneuver allows a character to do Killing 
  Damage to the target without using a weapon. It 
  includes things like breaking bones, throat punches, 
  snapping a victim’s neck, and so on. Rules regarding 
  adding STR (as if to an HKA) and what defenses 
  protect against Killing Damage apply to the damage 
  done by a Killing Strike.
  Killing Throw
  Killing Th rows generally divide into two types. 
  Th e ﬁ rst type, discussed under Joint Locks And 
  Related Maneuvers, above, involves twisting a joint 
  to break it and force the target to fall down. Th e 
  damage occurs during the throw, not as a result of 
  the target’s impact with the ground. Th e other is 
  a throw intended to make the target fall in such a 
  way that he takes Killing Damage (broken bones 
  and the like) because of his impact with the ground. 
  Players and GMs should keep these “special eﬀ ects” 
  in mind when creating Killing Th row maneuvers 
  and adjudicating their eﬀ ects.
  Legsweep
  Th is Maneuver allows a character to knock an 
  opponent’s legs out from under him, dashing him 
  painfully to the ground. See Martial Th row for details 
  
  Hero System 5th Edition
  90 ■ Combat And Martial Maneuvers
  on the eﬀ ects of, and restrictions on, Th rows (for 
  example, a character cannot Legsweep a target who 
  weighs more than he could lift  with his Pushed STR).
  Martial Disarm
  This Maneuver is identical to a normal 
  Disarm, except that the character receives a 
  bonus to his STR only for purposes of determin-
  ing the outcome of the Disarm STR Versus STR 
  Contest. The character has his normal STR for 
  all other purposes. The character also receives a 
  bonus to his DCV.
  As an optional rule, GMs might allow char-
  acters with Martial Disarm to use the Maneuver’s 
  STR bonus to resist being Disarmed. Th is option 
  prevents fencers and similar characters from con-
  stantly Disarming each other. 
  Martial Escape
  Th is Maneuver helps a character escape from 
  Grabs. Th e character adds the STR from this 
  maneuver to his own STR when rolling BODY to 
  break out from a Grab; the additional STR has no 
  other eﬀ ect. At the GM’s option, characters can 
  also use the STR bonus from Martial Escape when 
  attempting to escape from an Entangle. See Other 
  Combat Eﬀ ects, page 134, for more information 
  about escaping from Grabs and Entangles, includ-
  ing the time required to Escape.
  If a maneuver which has Escape as one of its 
  features also has some other element which aﬀ ects 
  the person whose Grab is being Escaped from 
  (such as Target Falls or Disarm), the second ele-
  ment only works if the Escape succeeds.
  At the GM’s option, a character does not have 
  to make a complete escape from a Grab or Entan-
  gle. Instead, he can try to free only one limb, and 
  then use it as he sees ﬁ t. Th is allows +5 STR on the 
  attempt to “Escape,” since the character can concen-
  trate his eﬀ orts on freeing just one limb.
  Martial Grab
  Th is maneuver is identical to a normal Grab 
  (the standard CV penalties for Grabbing or being 
  Grabbed apply), except that the character receives a 
  bonus to his STR. Th is bonus only helps the charac-
  ter hold the target; it does not add to damage done 
  by squeezing or throwing the victim. See Grab, page 
  62, for details on Grabs.
  Martial Throw 
  And Other Throws
  Martial Th row and other Th row-based 
  Maneuvers allow an attacker to throw an opponent 
  to the ground. Th is has several eﬀ ects.
  First, the Th rower does his STR damage to the 
  Th rown character, plus 1d6 for every 5” of veloc-
  ity the target had. If the surface is extremely hard 
  or rough, the GM may, at his option, increase the 
  damage the Th row does. Th e Th rown character 
  may reduce the damage taken from a Th row by half 
  if he makes a Breakfall roll at -1 for every 2d6 of 
  damage done by the Th row. 
  Second, the target usually ends up prone in 
  an adjacent hex. Th e Th rower may instead opt to 
  Th row the victim as far as possible; consult the 
  Th rowing Table, HERO System 5th Edition, Revised, 
  page 35, to determine this distance. Characters can 
  increase the distance they Th row a victim by sub-
  tracting damage from the Th row — every -1d6 of 
  damage adds +1” to the Th row. A Th rown character 
  may keep his feet (or land on them) if he makes an 
  Acrobatics roll at -3; this does not, however, prevent 
  him from taking damage from the Th row.
  Example:  “Bull” Robinson is a STR 20 wres-
  tler who wants to use his Slam maneuver to 
  Th row his opponent out of the ring. According 
  to the STR Table, it requires 10 STR to lift  a 
  man, leaving Bull 10 points of STR for throw-
  ing purposes. Based on the Th rowing Table, he 
  can throw his opponent 4”. If he wants to hit 
  something with his opponent (say, an obnox-
  ious fan), he suﬀ ers a -4 penalty to the Range 
  Modiﬁ er.
  Th ird, if the Th rower and Th rown character 
  both have their next Phases in the same Segment, 
  the Th rower automatically gets to act ﬁ rst, regard-
  less of relative DEX (the Th rower’s opponent is 
  delayed until aft er the Th rowing character’s DEX). 
  Th is applies even if the character has made a Break-
  fall roll to reduce the damage suﬀ ered because of 
  the Th row and/or an Acrobatics roll to keep his 
  feet, but at the GM’s option does not apply if the 
  character makes a Breakfall roll by half.
  If the Attack Roll for a Throw fails, the 
  victim  suffers no effects of a Throw:  he takes 
  no damage, remains on his feet, and suffers no 
  initiative penalty in relation to the character who 
  threw him.
  A character may want to Hold his Action to 
  “block,” stop, or interrupt an incoming attack by 
  Throwing the attacker. In this situation, apply the 
  rules for stopping incoming attacks with Disarms 
  (see above).
  A character cannot use a Throw-based 
  maneuver to Throw a target who’s already prone.
  The rules for Throws described here also 
  apply to Throws made after a character has been 
  Grabbed (see page 62).
  THROWS AND STRENGTH
  A character cannot Th row a target who weighs 
  more than he could lift  with his Pushed STR. If a 
  character applies the Area Of Eﬀ ect Advantage to 
  a Th row maneuver, the weight limit for Th rows 
  applies per target, not over the entire area.
  When using a Th row-based maneuver, a char-
  acter must use a minimum of enough STR to lift  
  the target. He doesn’t have to use his full STR if 
  he doesn’t want to. Furthermore, he may, with the 
  GM’s permission, use his STR only to “lift ,” not to 
  cause damage (though he still has to pay END for 
  the STR when doing this, of course).
  
  91 
  Hero System Combat Handbook ■ Chapter Three
  If a character applies the Area Of Eﬀ ect Advan-
  tage to a Th row-based Martial Maneuver using the 
  rules on page 104 of Th e Ultimate Martial Artist, 
  the weight limit for Th rows applies per target, not 
  over the entire area.
  DAMAGE FROM THROWS
  If the GM wants more detailed rules for the 
  eﬀ ects of Th rows, the damage a character takes 
  from a Th row depends in part on the surface he 
  lands on. Th e surface also modiﬁ es the Break-
  fall roll the character can make to only take half 
  damage (see accompanying table). Th ese penalties 
  are cumulative; an extremely hard, uneven surface 
  (say, a sidewalk with a lot of broken bricks and 
  trash lying around) adds +4d6 damage and imposes 
  a -4 to the target’s Breakfall roll.
  Remember that the Breakfall roll to halve the 
  damage taken from a fall also suﬀ ers a penalty of 
  -1 per 2d6 of damage the Th row does. Neither that 
  modiﬁ er nor the ones described in this chart apply 
  to a Breakfall roll made simply to stand up without 
  taking a Half Phase.
  Th e Eﬀ ect Of Velocity
  If the target of a Th row is standing still, his 
  velocity is 0” and adds no damage to the attack. If 
  he’s moving, use his relative velocity, as discussed 
  on page 70. If he’s Th rown in a Segment in which 
  he doesn’t have a Phase but the GM judges that he 
  is “moving” (e.g., he’s in mid-air or mid-run in a 
  situation when he moved last Phase and is obvi-
  ously going to keep moving in his next Phase), 
  the GM can assign him whatever velocity seems 
  appropriate. As always, apply common sense and 
  dramatic sense.
  Th rowing A Target Into Another Target
  With the GM’s permission, a character can 
  use a Throw-based maneuver to Throw a target 
  into another target. See Characters As Weapons, 
  page 134.
  RESISTING THROWS WITH SKILLS
  Acrobatics
  A character may attempt to resist being 
  Th rown if he has the Acrobatics Skill (this applies 
  to both Grab and Th row, and maneuvers with the 
  “Target Falls” Element). As described on page 112 
  of Th e Ultimate Martial Artist, if the Th rown char-
  acter makes his Acrobatics roll at a -3 penalty, he 
  keeps his feet. (Visually, he may have been thrown 
  and somersaulted 
  instantly back to his feet, 
  or have jumped above 
  the attacking Legsweep, 
  and so forth.) However, 
  he still takes full damage 
  from the attack (includ-
  ing surface modiﬁ ers, as 
  detailed in the accompa-
  nying table).
  Breakfall
  As explained on 
  page 113 of The Ulti-
  mate Martial Artist, a 
  character can make a Breakfall roll to halve the 
  damage taken from a fall (he can also use Break-
  fall to stand up without taking a Half Phase, but 
  that requires a separate roll). He suffers a penalty 
  of -1 per 2d6 to the roll; if he fails the roll he 
  takes full damage from the Throw. Additional 
  penalties for the type of surface are described in 
  the accompanying table. These penalties do not 
  apply to a Breakfall roll made to stand up with-
  out taking a Half Phase.
  RESISTING THROWS WITH POWERS
  Many Powers enable a character to resist 
  maneuvers built with the Target Falls Element. A 
  power which allows the character to resist being 
  thrown sometimes also prevents him from taking 
  damage from the maneuver. Th is works as follows.
  If the maneuver is one where the attacker’s 
  impact knocks the target to the ground (such 
  as Flying Tackle and some Killing Throws), the 
  target who uses Powers to resist being Thrown 
  still takes full damage.
  If the maneuver is one where the attacker 
  knocks the target’s feet from under him (such as 
  Legsweep and Takedown), the target who uses 
  Powers to resist being Thrown takes only half 
  damage from the maneuver.
  If the maneuver is one where the attacker 
  levers, unbalances, or redirects the target into hit-
  ting the ground, and all the damage comes from the 
  impact with the ground (maneuvers such as Grap-
  pling Th row, Martial Th row, and Sacriﬁ ce Th row), 
  the target who uses Powers to resist being Th rown 
  takes no damage from the maneuver.
  Clinging
  When a martial artist uses a maneuver with 
  the Target Falls Element on a character with Cling-
  ing, he must also roll and win a STR Versus STR 
  Roll:  his STR versus the STR of the target’s Cling-
  ing. If he fails, the target does not fall down. If he 
  ties or wins, the target does fall.
  Density Increase, Growth, And Heavy Targets
  If the attacker’s Pushed STR (whether he’s 
  currently Pushing it or not) is inadequate to pick 
  up the target, then his attack cannot Th row the 
  target down. Th e rule keeps human-strength char-
  acters from Martial Th rowing 700-ton mecha, 
  for instance, but it applies to all situations using 
  Martial Th row maneuvers, not just those involv-
  THROW MODIFIERS TABLE
  Surface  
  Damage Breakfall
  Hardness
  Soft  (water, a cushion or mat, extremely soft  earth) 
  — 
  -0 - +1
  Average (carpeted ﬂ oor, average earth or sand) 
  +1d6 
  -1
  Hard (wooden or tile ﬂ oor, packed earth) 
  +2d6 
  -2
  Extremely Hard (cement or asphalt, metal) 
  +3d6 
  -3
  Evenness
  Smooth or even surface (ﬂ oor, most sidewalks) 
  — 
  -0
  Sloped surface (hillside, ramp) 
  — 
  -0 to -1
  Bumpy, uneven surface; cluttered surface 
  (stairs, trash-strewn alley, rocky ground) 
  +1d6 
  -1
  
  Hero System 5th Edition
  92 ■ Combat And Martial Maneuvers
  ing Density Increase or Growth. Th e GM has ﬁ nal 
  authority over which characters/objects are too 
  heavy for a martial artist to pick up and/or throw.
  Note the phrase “...the attacker’s Pushed STR 
  (whether he’s currently Pushing it or not)...” Th is 
  means a character can Martial Th row anything he 
  could pick up with his fully-Pushed STR, regardless 
  of how much STR he’s currently using. For instance, 
  a STR 5 character in a Superheroic campaign could 
  Push his STR to 15 and pick up 200 kg; therefore, 
  a STR 5 character could Martial Th row any target 
  weighing up to 200 kg. A STR 10 (i.e., normal) 
  character could Martial Th row something weighing 
  in at 400 kg — 880 pounds! 
  A character can build a Martial Th row-type 
  maneuver with a STR bonus from the Exert basis, 
  with the STR bonus applying not to increase the 
  damage done by the Th row but to add to the char-
  acter’s Th rowing strength. Extra DC bought with 
  the martial art with such a maneuver would either 
  add to STR damage or to the Exert bonus, not to 
  both (the character must choose which aspect of 
  the maneuver the Extra DC increase when he buys 
  them; he does not get to switch them around on an 
  attack-by-attack basis).
  Th e GM can adjudicate the eﬀ ects of these 
  Th rowing rules as he sees ﬁ t; some campaign styles 
  may call for characters to be able to Th row heavy 
  objects; some may not.
  Flight
  Characters can use Flight to resist Throws. 
  If the character is not currently flying, has his 
  Flight power available to him, and knows the 
  attack is coming, he can use his Flight to resist 
  being Thrown; he will not be Thrown down. 
  However, if he’s already flying, he can’t do this; 
  the attacker is already using his Flight against 
  him with the Throw maneuver.
  Knockback Resistance
  If a character has any Knockback Resistance 
  and is prepared to use it (i.e., is not attacked from 
  Surprise), he does not fall when struck by Th row 
  maneuvers where the attacker’s impact knocks the 
  target to the ground (such as Flying Tackle and 
  some Killing Th rows). However, all other Th row 
  maneuvers work normally on him.
  Stretching; Shape Shift 
  Th rows may not work on characters with mal-
  leable bodies — a character with Stretching, and 
  some forms of Shape Shift , simply manipulates or 
  “moves” his body so the attacker cannot get lever-
  age to throw him. GMs should adjudicate this eﬀ ect 
  on a case-by-case basis.
  Strength
  A character cannot resist being Th rown with 
  STR.
  
  93 
  Hero System Combat Handbook ■ Chapter Three
  Nerve Strike
  Th is Maneuver allows an attacker to strike par-
  ticularly vulnerable or sensitive parts of a target’s 
  body. In game terms, this is represented by NND 
  damage. Th e target takes full damage from the 
  Nerve Strike unless he has rigid armor protecting 
  his vulnerable spots, a PD Force Field, or Lack Of 
  Weakness (any type).
  At the GM’s option, characters can develop 
  other Nerve Strike maneuvers that are aﬀ ected by 
  diﬀ erent defenses. For example, solid ear coverings, 
  Resistance, or rigid Resistant PD protecting certain 
  parts of the body might be acceptable defenses 
  against a variant Nerve Strike.
  DEFENSES FOR NERVE STRIKES
  The HERO System 5th Edition, Revised 
  describes two basic types of NND strikes and 
  their possible defenses:  solid Armor (resistant 
  PD) or a PD Force Field or Lack of Weakness for 
  a Nerve Strike (“NND(1)”); solid Armor (resis-
  tant PD) on the neck or not having to breathe 
  for a Choke Hold (“NND(2)”). These options 
  are perfectly acceptable for most campaigns, but 
  can cause problems in Superheroic campaigns or 
  other games where those defenses are common 
  (which makes the maneuvers useless). 
  If this problem exists in your campaign, there’s 
  a twofold solution:  ﬁ rst, deﬁ ne the defenses to a 
  Nerve Strike better; second, oﬀ er more potential 
  defenses, so Nerve Strikes have some variety. As 
  always, the GM has the ﬁ nal say on what defenses 
  are acceptable. Here’s an expanded list of possible 
  defenses, with explanations:
  NND 1:  Rigid resistant PD on vital areas or Lack 
  of Weakness
  NND 2:  Rigid resistant PD on the neck or not 
  having to breathe
  NND 3:  Rigid resistant PD on a speciﬁ c Hit Location
  NND 4:  Solid ear coverings
  NND 5:  Resistance
  NND 6:  PD Force Field or Power Defense
  NND 7:  Various defenses against joint-bending; 
  see below
  NND 1:  Rigid resistant PD on vital areas or Lack 
  of Weakness:  Th e NND(1) defense requires the 
  target to have solid, rigid resistant PD over his vital 
  points. “Rigid” means a suﬃ  ciently solid defense 
  to prevent the attacker from being contacting the 
  target’s vital points. Th e stereotypical “bulletproof 
  spandex” worn by many superheroes is not stiﬀ  
  enough for this purpose. Nor does the super-strong 
  skin of most “brick” characters suﬃ  ce, since they 
  still have nerve endings a trained martial artist 
  can ﬁ nd and strike. A brick with tough “plates” in 
  place of skin, or who transforms into rock or metal, 
  probably has “rigid” defenses, as does any brick 
  who took Reduced Sense Of Touch as a Physical 
  Limitation because his super-tough skin prevents 
  him from feeling things properly. Suits of powered 
  armor, kevlar backed by ceramic or steel plates, 
  PD Force Fields, and similar types of resistant PD 
  block this Nerve Strike, as do most forms of Lack 
  of Weakness (though not, for example, a Lack Of 
  Weakness deﬁ ned as preventing the attacker from 
  seeing the weak points).
  “Vital points” are particularly vulnerable 
  places on the body. Th ey include nerve clusters 
  close to the skin, places where an attack can quickly 
  and easily cut oﬀ  blood ﬂ ow (such as the neck), 
  places where vital organs are relatively close to the 
  skin, locations where an attack can easily interrupt 
  the ﬂ ow of ch’i throughout the body, and so forth. 
  In campaigns featuring a wide variety of human-
  oid species, such as some science ﬁ ction settings, 
  a martial artist may have to buy a Science Skill 
  reﬂ ecting his knowledge of a particular species’s 
  anatomy to use this type of Nerve Strike against 
  that species. An NND(1) may have no eﬀ ect, or 
  reduced eﬀ ect, on some species (particularly non-
  humanoid ones).
  NND 2:  Rigid resistant PD on the neck or not 
  having to breathe:  This is the defense for Choke 
  Holds and other NND strikes which cut off the 
  target’s ability to breathe. The general comments 
  about defenses appropriate for NND(1) apply 
  here as well.
  NND 3:  Rigid resistant PD on a speciﬁ c Hit Loca-
  tion:  NND(3) is the defense for a Nerve Strike 
  which always targets a speciﬁ c nerve cluster or 
  vital point. Th e character must deﬁ ne the target 
  point when he buys the Nerve Strike. As with other 
  attacks targeting a particular Hit Location, such 
  a strike should not receive any to-hit or damage 
  modiﬁ ers because of the location struck.
  NND 4:  Solid ear coverings:  NND(4) is the defense 
  for a Nerve Strike deﬁ ned as clapping one’s palms 
  against the target’s ears, causing terrible pain (and 
  sometimes disorientation). A “bulletproof spandex” 
  mask or super-strong skin oﬀ ers no protection 
  against this sort of attack; a helmet, earphone-like 
  gadgets, or having no ears would.
  NND 5:  Resistance:  NND(5) attacks cause so much 
  agony that only characters who can withstand a 
  high level of pain (i.e., who have bought the Talent 
  Resistance) have any defense against them. In some 
  cases, unusual nervous systems and certain other 
  powers or abilities might also act as a defense 
  against this NND.
  NND 6:  PD Force Field or Power Defense:  NND(6) 
  usually represents some sort of mystical, ch’i/ki-
  based ability to hurt a target by attacking his life 
  force. Only a PD Force Field or Power Defense 
  oﬀ ers enough protection to save someone from this 
  sort of attack.
  NND 7:  Defenses against joint-bending:  Charac-
  ters use NND(7) to simulate the excruciating pain 
  caused by maneuvers which bend or torque a joint 
  in a way it’s not supposed to move. Th e defenses 
  against this include Resistance, having rigid armor 
  on the joint in question which prevents improper 
  bending, Powers with a similar eﬀ ect (such as 
  Stretching), or STR (as a Characteristic or Exert 
  maneuver) double or more that of the STR used 
  VITAL POINTS 
  AROUND THE 
  WORLD
  The body’s vital points 
  are known in Japan as 
  kyusho (and an attack 
  against those points 
  is an atemi strike); in 
  China as tien-hsueh; 
  in Korea as kuepso or 
  keupso; in Vietnam as 
  huyet; in Indonesia as 
  rahasia; and in India 
  as marman. 
  AVLDS
  If you’re having trouble 
  making NND strikes 
  effective in your games 
  after using the other 
  suggestions offered 
  in this book, consider 
  converting the NND 
  damage to AVLD 
  damage. This may have 
  major effects on cam-
  paign balance, however, 
  so treat such a change 
  carefully and remain 
  willing to return to 
  the old system if it 
  becomes too unbalanc-
  ing or inefficient.
  
  Hero System 5th Edition
  94 ■ Combat And Martial Maneuvers
  to bend the joint. In some cases the Talent Double-
  Jointed may have the same eﬀ ect. Refer to the 
  discussion of joint-locks and similar maneuvers, 
  above, for more information. 
  DISABLING NERVE STRIKES
  Characters can use Nerve Strikes to temporar-
  ily Impair or Disable a limb. Refer to the discussion 
  of Disabling Attacks on page 100.
  TWO OR MORE NERVE STRIKES
  As described on page 265 of the HERO 
  System 5th Edition, Revised, characters should 
  not normally have more than one NND attack 
  (at least, not without GM permission). GMs may 
  want to consider carefully whether a character 
  should have more than one Martial Maneuver 
  with the NND DMG Element (including Choke 
  Holds). In many cases, NND strikes are different 
  enough that it doesn’t unbalance play for a char-
  acter to have more than one. 
  Passing Disarm
  Standard Disarm rules (such as the Disarmed 
  object goes ﬂ ying ½d6 hexes) apply to Passing Dis-
  arms. If the character wants to be able to keep the 
  weapon or object he snatches from the target while 
  moving past him, he’d need to build a Passing Take-
  away type of maneuver.
  The Response Element
  If a character has a Martial Maneuver with 
  the Response Element defined so that it only 
  works after his opponent performs some maneu-
  ver or action, the opponent has to complete the 
  maneuver/action — just starting it isn’t enough. 
  However, the opponent doesn’t have to complete 
  it successfully; for example, a maneuver that’s a 
  Response to an attack doesn’t require that the 
  attack hit or hurt the character. However, if a 
  maneuver Must Follow Block, the character must 
  successfully Block an attack with it; if the Block 
  fails, he can’t use the maneuver to “respond.”
  A Response-based maneuver can only be 
  used against the character who “triggers” it. For 
  example, if an attack Must Follow Block, a char-
  acter can only use its attack against the person he 
  just successfully Blocked; he can’t make an attack 
  against some third party.
  If a character has a Martial Maneuver with 
  Response that speciﬁ es an attack as the precondi-
  tion for the maneuver, that means any type of that 
  attack. For example, a maneuver with “Must Follow 
  Grab” works with any type of Grab — i.e., a stan-
  dard Grab Combat Maneuver, or any Maneuver 
  with the “Grab Opponent” Element (Martial Grab, 
  Grappling Block, Joint Lock, or the like). Th e GM 
  has the ﬁ nal say as to what sort of attacks trigger a 
  “Must Follow” maneuver.
  Root
  Characters use the Root maneuver to counter 
  the Shove maneuver (see below). Use the STR from 
  a Root to calculate the total STR opposing a Shove. 
  Of course, if the character resists the Shove suc-
  cessfully, he does not move at all, and the character 
  attempting the Shove is left  looking foolish.
  Note, however, that Root also has the “Block” 
  element. Th is is just another way of deﬁ ning the 
  resistance to being Shoved:  if the character Blocks 
  the Shove, it has no eﬀ ect on him at all. Th e special 
  eﬀ ect in this case is “immovability,” not the typi-
  cal block associated with most martial arts — the 
  Shover has struck the Rooted character solidly, but 
  has not moved him! If the Block fails, the character 
  can still use the extra STR from the Root to resist 
  Shove. In most cases, the GM should not allow 
  characters to use the Block element of the Root 
  maneuver to Block attacks other than Shoves, but 
  this depends upon the situation.
  Characters with the Root maneuver may add 
  its STR to their own when they brace to resist 
  Knockback (page 127).
  Sacriﬁ ce Throw
  This maneuver is basically identical to a 
  Martial Throw. However, the victim cannot be 
  Thrown for distance — he must land in the 
  Thrower’s hex or an adjacent hex — and the 
  Thrower himself ends up prone in his own hex. 
  A character cannot use Breakfall to keep his 
  footing when he performs a Sacrifice Throw, but 
  can use Breakfall in a subsequent Phase to get to 
  his feet without using a Half Phase.
  Shove
  Th e discussion of “Grab And Shove,” above, 
  generally applies to the Shove maneuver as well. 
  However, Shove oﬀ ers several additional beneﬁ ts. 
  First, when using Shove, a character does not have 
  to Grab his opponent, which can be time-consum-
  ing and potentially dangerous.
  Second, a character using Shove can propel 
  his target back more than 1”, and does not have 
  to move with him. For every 10 STR in the Shove 
  maneuver, a character can push a target back 1”; 
  thus, at even its lowest level a Shove moves its 
  target back 2”. A Shoved character can make a DEX, 
  Breakfall, or Acrobatics roll (his choice) at -1 for 
  every point by which the Shoving character made 
  his Attack Roll to fall down at any point during his 
  “move.”  Th is eliminates any further movement and 
  halves the damage the Shove would have caused. 
  However, the fallen character is at the same disad-
  vantage as a Th rown character — the Shoving char-
  acter gets to attack him ﬁ rst on their next Phase (if 
  they both have their next Phase in the same Seg-
  ment), regardless of relative DEX.
  Th e third advantage to Shove is that the extra 
  STR of the maneuver not only adds to the distance 
  a character can move his target, it adds to any 
  
  95 
  Hero System Combat Handbook ■ Chapter Three
  damage he does if he shoves the target into a solid 
  object. Th e target cannot take more dice of damage 
  than the (DEF+BODY) of the object he hits (just 
  like Knockback).
  Th e fourth advantage to Shove is that a char-
  acter can use it on more than one target at a time, 
  in two ways. First, an attacker can Shove one target 
  into another target, causing damage to both of 
  them. Th e attacker needs to make a separate Attack 
  Roll to hit the second target; any OCV bonuses 
  bought with the Shove maneuver do not apply to 
  hitting the second target.
  Second, in some instances a character can use 
  his Shove maneuver on several characters simul-
  taneously — for example, when he’s holding a staﬀ  
  and several thugs grab it and he Shoves all of them 
  oﬀ  of him. In this sort of situation, the Shoving 
  character uses his base STR plus Shove maneuver 
  bonus STR. To calculate the combined STR of the 
  characters resisting the Shove, determine their lift -
  ing capacity, based on the Strength Table on page 34 
  of the HERO System 5th Edition, Revised. Add their 
  lift ing capacities together, then use that ﬁ gure and 
  the Strength Table to determine their combined 
  STR for the purpose of resisting a Shove.
  Example:  Th ree thugs attack Cheng Fei, a 
  practitioner of Tai Ch’i Ch’uan. Cheng gets his 
  forearm between himself and the three thugs 
  as they try to knock him down, so he decides 
  to push them away from him, using his Shove 
  maneuver; he has STR 40 for this purpose. Th e 
  thugs have STRs of 10, 15, and 10. Th eir lift -
  ing capacities are 100, 200, and 100 kilograms, 
  respectively, for a total of 400 kg. Th is equals 
  STR 20 for purposes of resisting Shove. Cheng 
  rolls 9 BODY on his dice, the thugs roll 3 on 
  theirs, so they’re thrown back 4” from their 
  intended target!
  Shove only works on opponents that can ﬁ ght 
  back; characters cannot ordinarily use it against 
  inanimate objects. However, a character could build 
  a similar Exert-based maneuver that worked on 
  objects, if the GM allowed.
  Th e GM can apply the rules and guidelines for 
  resisting Th rows with Powers (see above) to eﬀ orts 
  to resist Shove, if appropriate and desired. However, 
  in general, Knockback Resistance should not have 
  any eﬀ ect — Shoving is not Knockback, and doesn’t 
  really depend on “impact” the way some Th rows do. 
  For Clinging, use the standard “STR versus Cling-
  ing” rules on page 143 of the HERO System 5th Edi-
  tion, Revised.
  Shove As A Standard Maneuver
  At the GM’s option, any character can shove 
  another character the same distance he could throw 
  him with a Prone Th row. Th is is a standard combat 
  action involving STR and doesn’t require the char-
  acter to purchase any maneuver. Th e GM may, if he 
  wishes, allow a character with only 0 Extra STR to 
  still shove someone ½”. Th e general rules for Shove 
  apply to this type of shoving.
  Takeaway
  Visually, a Takeaway can look as rough as 
  grabbing a weapon and yanking it out of the target’s 
  hand, or can be more elegant, resembling a Disarm 
  in which the weapon ﬂ ies out of the target’s hand 
  and into the attacker’s. In any event, the attacking 
  character takes no damage from the weapon when 
  he takes it away.
  When a character performs a Takeaway, he 
  can immediately toss the weapon to someone or 
  hand it to a character in his hex or an adjacent 
  hex as an Action which takes no time. Tossing 
  the weapon at someone to hurt or even distract 
  him constitutes an attack, so he can’t do it until 
  his next Phase.
  If a character has a Takeaway maneuver, at 
  the GM’s option he can use it to defend against 
  Takeaway maneuvers used by persons attacking 
  him, using the same optional rule as for Disarms 
  (page 61).
  The Velocity/5 Element
  If a character uses a Martial Maneuver with 
  the v/5 Element, such as a Martial Th row, he does 
  not take damage if he fails to do Knockback to 
  the target. Th e v/5 Element does not impose any 
  requirement on characters to do Knockback or 
  suﬀ er damage — that’s one way in which they 
  tend to be better than the standard Move By or 
  Move Th rough, which is why characters have to 
  pay Character Points for them instead of getting to 
  use them for free. If a character wants to create a 
  maneuver that has that requirement, he can use the 
  Take Half/Full Damage restrictive Element to build 
  the maneuver and work with the GM to deﬁ ne the 
  damaging aspect as only aﬀ ecting him if he fails to 
  do Knockback.
  As always, the GM should evaluate each 
  situation individually, and decide based on 
  common sense, dramatic sense, special effects, 
  and considerations of game balance what hap-
  pens. Regardless of the maneuver used, a GM 
  might decide that a character who’s stupid 
  enough to charge right into a brick wall will 
  probably hurt himself.
  Weapon Element
  Some martial arts styles teach the use of weap-
  ons with Martial Maneuvers. In fact, some styles, 
  like Fencing, require a weapon. In the latter case, 
  the character doesn’t have to pay points to use the 
  style’s Martial Maneuvers with a weapon — that’s 
  what he learned when he bought the Maneuvers 
  (he can’t use them barehanded). Other styles 
  assume unarmed use of Maneuvers as a default.
  To use his unarmed Martial Maneuvers with 
  a weapon, a character must purchase a Weapon 
  Element for each class of weapons he wishes to 
  use with his Maneuvers. (It may help conceptu-
  ally if you think of the term “Weapon Element” as 
  meaning “a Skill Characters Buy To Let Th em Add 
  
  Hero System 5th Edition
  96 ■ Combat And Martial Maneuvers
  Martial Maneuver Damage To An Attack.”) Use 
  the subcategories in the Weapon Familiarity Table 
  (HERO System 5th Edition, Revised, pages 75-76) to 
  determine what categories of weapons a Weapon 
  Element can be bought for. For example, to use a 
  martial arts style with three subcategories (Blades; 
  Axes/Maces/Hammers/Picks; Staﬀ s) costs 3 Char-
  acter Points (1 point per weapon category). Simi-
  larly, a character with natural weaponry (such as 
  claws or fangs) can’t automatically use his Martial 
  Arts with them for free; he needs Weapon Element:  
  Natural Weaponry, WE: Claws, or the like (however 
  the GM permits him to deﬁ ne it). 
  Example:  Isao has a katana and wants to add 
  Martial Maneuver damage and modiﬁ ers to its 
  damage when he uses this. He knows Karate, a 
  martial art intended primarily for barehanded 
  (unarmed) use. Th erefore, if he wants to add 
  Martial Maneuver damage and modiﬁ ers to his 
  katana, he must buy an appropriate Weapon Ele-
  ment (WE: Blades, in this case). If he’d bought the 
  martial art Kenjutsu, which is intended for use 
  with swords as a default, he wouldn’t have had to 
  buy a Weapon Element to use his Martial Maneu-
  vers to improve his katana’s damage — that’s how 
  Kenjutsu works by default.
  Example:  Black Fang, a werewolf, has claws. 
  He has the martial art of Kung Fu. He wants 
  to add Martial Maneuver damage and modi-
  ﬁ ers when he uses his claws, so he must buy 
  Weapon Element:  Claws. Alternately, he could 
  buy a Martial Art that he deﬁ ned as working 
  by default with his claws; then he wouldn’t need 
  a WE: Claws, use, but would need Weapon Ele-
  ment:  Barehanded to use the Martial Maneu-
  vers with just his STR.
  One exception to the Weapon Element rules:  
  characters can add Hand-To-Hand Attack damage 
  to Martial Arts normally, as stated on page 185 of 
  the HERO System 5th Edition, Revised. Th is only 
  applies to HA bought as an innate power, though 
  — if a character uses HA to create a weapon like a 
  club or a staﬀ , he needs a Weapon Element to use 
  that weapon with his Martial Maneuvers.
  A few Weapon Elements (e.g., Use Art In Zero 
  Gravity, Use Art In Armor) work a little diﬀ erently 
  — they function sort of as Limited forms of Envi-
  ronmental Movement, allowing characters to use 
  their Martial Arts in situations where they would 
  otherwise be unable to use them or suﬀ er penalties.
   A Weapon Element, if purchased, applies to all 
  Martial Arts a character knows. However, a “free” 
  Weapon Element gained by purchasing a weapon-
  based style such as Fencing, does not carry over to 
  any other maneuvers or styles. Having a Weapon 
  Element with a weapon does not remove or negate 
  a weapon’s inherent OCV penalty (if it has one).
  In Heroic campaigns, a character can only buy 
  a Weapon Element for weapons he has WF with. In 
  a Superheroic game, where a character pays Char-
  acter Points for his weapons, he does not have to 
  buy the appropriate WF to use his weapons with his 
  Martial Maneuvers. However, he does have to buy 
  the appropriate Weapon Elements.
  +1 Damage Class
  Characters may improve their Martial Maneu-
  vers by buying Extra Damage Classes. Each Extra 
  DC adds one Damage Class to any Maneuver that 
  does Normal Damage (such as Martial Strike or 
  Martial Th row) (it takes two Extra DCs to add +1 
  DC to a Killing Damage attack; see page 108), or 
  +5 STR to any Maneuver that grants extra STR for 
  limited purposes (such as Martial Grab).
  An Extra Damage Class adds to all of a 
  character’s Martial Maneuvers — he doesn’t have 
  to purchase Extra DCs maneuver by maneuver. 
  Characters cannot purchase half an Extra DC, nor 
  apply Limitations to Extra DCs. However, if he 
  wants to simulate a special form of attack, he could 
  buy some Extra DCs at full price, then voluntarily 
  restrict them to only certain Maneuvers for no 
  point savings.
  A character can choose not to use his Extra 
  DCs if he wants to do less damage than normal.
  MARTIAL ARTS STYLES
  Martial Maneuvers are oft en grouped together 
  into styles that represent classic martial arts such 
  as Karate, Wrestling, or Kung Fu. Characters need 
  not buy every Maneuver and Skill listed in a given 
  Martial Arts package to be practitioners of a style, 
  but must spend at least the minimum 10 Charac-
  ter Points on Martial Maneuvers. Characters who 
  spend at least 15 Character Points on the style’s 
  Martial Maneuvers, have a Knowledge Skill of the 
  style on at least an 11- roll, and have bought at least 
  one 3-point Combat Skill Level with the style can 
  
  97 
  Hero System Combat Handbook ■ Chapter Three
  be considered “black belts.” True mastery involves 
  buying all Maneuvers and related Skills as well as 
  several CSLs with the style.
  Players may, with the GM’s permission and 
  approval, create their own martial arts styles. Such 
  styles should have some sort of unifying theme or 
  doctrine and contain at least four appropriate Mar-
  tial Maneuvers.
  BOXING
  Although normally conﬁ ned to the sport-
  ing arena, Boxing is an eﬀ ective Martial Art that 
  concentrates exclusively on punches and blocks. 
  A boxer is an eﬀ ective ﬁ ghter in a straightforward 
  battle of upright punches, but may be at a disad-
  vantage against more well-rounded martial artists 
  because of his lack of throws, holds, escapes, and 
  similar maneuvers.
  DIRTY INFIGHTING
  Th is isn’t a typical martial art; rather, it’s a col-
  lection of low blows and dirty tricks used by street-
  ﬁ ghters and barroom brawlers.
  FENCING
  Fencing is the European art of swordﬁ ghting. 
  All the maneuvers in this package require a sword; 
  the character cannot use them barehanded (except 
  possibly the Parry, which could be made with 
  objects other than a sword with the GM’s permis-
  sion). You can use Fencing as an example of how to 
  design other weapons-based styles, such as Escrima 
  or Kenjutsu.
  GENERIC MARTIAL ARTS
  Th is package represents the “generic” martial 
  arts style practices by many comic book superhe-
  roes, pulp ﬁ ction adventurers, and the like.
  JUJUTSU
  Jujutsu (better known as its more sport-ori-
  ented form, Judo) is a defensive art that focuses 
  on throws and holds. Typically the jujutsuka 
  slams his opponent to the ground and then 
  applies a choke hold.
  BOXING 
   Cost Maneuver 
  OCV 
  DCV 
  Notes
   
  4 
  Block 
  +2 
  +2 
  Block, Abort
   
  3 
  Clinch  
  -1 
  -1 
  Grab Two Limbs, 
  +10 STR
   
  4 
  Cross  
  +0 
  +2 
  STR + 2d6 Strike
   
  5 
  Hook  
  -2 
  +1 
  STR + 4d6 Strike
  Paramedics
  KS: Boxing
  DIRTY INFIGHTING
   Cost Maneuver 
  OCV 
  DCV 
  Notes
   
  4 
  Disarm 
  -1 
  +1 
  Disarm, +10 STR
   
  4 
  Kidney Blow 
  -2 
  +0 
  ½d6 HKA
   
  4 
  Low Blow  
  -1 
  +1 
  2d6 NND ([def. 
  is Resistant PD 
  on groin])
   
  4 
  Punch  
  +0 
  +2 
  STR + 2d6 Strike
   
  5 
  Roundhouse  -2 
  +1 
  STR + 4d6 Strike
   
  3 
  Th row 
  +0 
  +1 
  STR + v/5, Target 
  Falls
  Streetwise
  WF: Blades (switchblades and the like)
  FENCING
   Cost Maneuver 
  OCV 
  DCV 
  Notes
   
  4 
  Froissement    -1 
  +1 
  Disarm, +10 STR
   
  4 
  Parry  
  +2 
  +2 
  Block, Abort
   
  5 
  Slash  
  +0 
  +2 
  Weapon +2 DC 
  Strike
   
  5 
  Th rust  
  +1 
  +3 
  Weapon damage
  WF: Blades
  KS: Fencing
  GENERIC MARTIAL ARTS
   Cost Maneuver 
  OCV 
  DCV 
  Notes
   
  4 
  Block 
  +2 
  +2 
  Block, Abort
   
  4 
  Dodge 
  — 
  +5 
  Dodge, Aﬀ ects All 
  Attacks, Abort
   
  5 
  Kick 
  -2 
  +1 
  STR +4d6 Strike
   
  4 
  Punch 
  +0 
  +2 
  STR +2d6 Strike
   
  3 
  Th row 
  +0 
  +1 
  STR + v/5; Target 
  Falls
  JUJUTSU
   Cost Maneuver 
  OCV 
  DCV 
  Notes
   
  4 
  Block 
  +2 
  +2 
  Block, Abort
   
  4 
  Choke Hold 
  -2 
  +0 
  Grab One Limb; 
  2d6 NND
   
  4 
  Disarm 
  -1 
  +1 
  Disarm, +10 STR
   
  4 
  Escape 
  +0 
  +0 
  +15 STR Escape
   
  4 
  Joint Lock   
  -1 
  -1 
  Grab Two Limbs, 
  +10 STR for hold-
  ing on
   
  3 
  Sacriﬁ ce Th row +2 
  +1 
  STR Strike; Target 
  Falls; You Fall
   
  3 
  Slam  
  +0 
  +1 
  STR + v/5, Target 
  Falls
   
  4 
  Strike 
  +0 
  +2 
  STR +2d6 Strike
  Breakfall
  KS: Jujutsu
  
  Hero System 5th Edition
  98 ■ Combat And Martial Maneuvers
  KARATE
  Karate is a fast, straightforward Okinawan style 
  designed to defeat an enemy as quickly as possible.
  KUNG FU
  Originating in China, Kung Fu is one of the 
  oldest and most diverse martial arts styles ever 
  created. It has hundreds of substyles, some con-
  centrating on rapid strikes, others on defense or 
  circular attacks.
  WRESTLING
  Wrestling, one of the world’s oldest martial 
  arts with variants in hundreds of countries and cul-
  tures across the globe, concentrates on bringing an 
  opponent to the ground and holding him there.
  KARATE
   Cost Maneuver 
  OCV 
  DCV 
  Notes
   
  4 
  Block 
  +2 
  +2 
  Block, Abort
   
  4 
  Disarm 
  -1 
  +1 
  Disarm, +10 STR
   
  4 
  Dodge 
  +0 
  +5 
  Dodge all attacks, 
  Abort
   
  4 
  Knifehand 
   
   
  Strike 
  -2 
  +0 
  ½d6 HKA
   
  4 
  Punch/
   
   
  Snap Kick 
  +0 
  +2 
  STR + 2d6 Strike
   
  5 
  Side/Spin Kick -2 
  +1 
  STR + 4d6 Strike
  WF: Common Melee Weapons
  KS: Karate
  KUNG FU
   Cost Maneuver 
  OCV 
  DCV 
  Notes
   
  4 
  Block 
  +2 
  +2 
  Block, Abort
   
  4 
  Disarm 
  -1 
  +1 
  Disarm, +10 STR
   
  4 
  Dodge 
  +0 
  +5 
  Dodge all attacks, 
  Abort
   
  4 
  Escape 
  +0 
  +0 
  +15 STR vs. Grabs
   
  3 
  Joint Lock/ 
  -1 
  -1 
  Grab Two Limbs,
   
   
  Grab 
   
   
  +10 STR
   
  5 
  Kick             
  -2 
  +1 
  STR +4d6 Strike
   
  4 
  Knife Hand     -2 
  +0 
  ½d6 HKA
   
  3 
  Legsweep 
  +2 
  -1 
  STR +1d6, Target 
  Falls
   
  4 
  Punch 
  +0 
  +2 
  STR +2d6 Strike
   
  3 
  Th row 
  +0 
  +1 
  STR +v/5, Target 
  Falls
   
  4 
  Tien-hsueh 
   
   
  Strike 
  -1 
  +1 
  2d6 NND
  Acrobatics
  Breakfall
  WF: Common Melee Weapons
  KS: Kung Fu
  WRESTLING
   Cost Maneuver 
  OCV 
  DCV 
  Notes
   
  4 
  Choke Hold 
  -2 
  +0 
  Grab One Limb; 
  2d6 NND
   
  4 
  Escape 
  +0 
  +0 
  +15 STR Escape
   
  3 
  Hold  
  -1 
  -1 
  Grab Two Limbs, 
  +10 STR for 
  holding on
   
  3 
  Sacriﬁ ce Th row +2 
  +1 
  STR Strike; Target 
  Falls; You Fall
   
  3 
  Slam  
  +0 
  +1 
  STR + v/5, Target 
  Falls
  Breakfall
  KS: Wrestling
  
  99 
  Hero System Combat Handbook ■ Chapter Three
  OTHER MARTIAL 
  ARTS RULES
  Th e following additional rules cover special 
  cases in which characters might want to use Martial 
  Arts. Th ey’re optional, and the GM can also choose 
  to apply them to other forms of HTH Combat.
  Armor
  Most martial arts styles aren’t designed for use 
  while the ﬁ ghter is wearing armor — armor oft en 
  impedes a ﬁ ghter’s ability to move and to see, which 
  robs a martial artist of many of the beneﬁ ts of his 
  ﬁ ghting style. If forced to use his martial arts in 
  armor, a character may suﬀ er a DCV penalty for 
  wearing armor, and always suﬀ ers a -1 to -3 pen-
  alty to OCV. Th e extent of this penalty depends on 
  the amount and type of armor, and the character’s 
  ﬁ ghting style (some styles, such as Wrestling, adapt 
  more easily to armor than others). For example, full 
  plate armor would impose a -3 to just about any 
  style, whereas a chain mail shirt might only impose 
  a -1 to -2 on most styles. 
  To eliminate this OCV penalty, characters 
  need only buy a 1-point Element for their martial 
  arts style, Use Art in Armor. To eliminate the DCV 
  penalties, characters can buy Penalty Skill Levels or 
  CSLs with DCV.
  Styles specially intended for use by armored 
  ﬁ ghters (such as Kenjutsu or Weapons Combat) do 
  not require their practitioners to purchase this Ele-
  ment; it’s a “default” Element of that style.
  Bound Characters 
  And Martial Arts
  When a martial artist is bound, he suﬀ ers 
  OCV and DCV penalties.
  Hands Bound in Front:  Th e character is at 
  -1 DCV, and is at -1 OCV for all Hand-To-Hand 
  attacks and Combat Maneuvers (including Martial 
  Maneuvers). Th e GM may rule that he cannot use 
  certain weapons (such as bows).
  Hands Bound in Back:  Th e character is at 
  -1 DCV, and is at ½ OCV for all Hand-To-Hand 
  attacks and Combat Maneuvers (including Martial 
  Maneuvers). Th e GM may rule that he cannot use 
  any hand weapons or punching maneuvers.
  Feet Bound Apart:  Th e character is at -1 DCV, 
  and his running speed is cut in half. He is at -1 
  OCV because he cannot move in on his foe as fast 
  as normal. (Th is OCV minus is eliminated if he 
  is Grabbing his opponent; see Grab, above.) Feet 
  Bound Apart means they are shackled together 
  with chains which allow the character a very short, 
  hobbled stride (usually one to two feet). Th e GM 
  may rule that the character cannot use any kicking 
  maneuvers (except through use of Acrobatics, or 
  when kicking from a prone position).
  Feet Bound Together:  Th e character is at ½ 
  DCV, and his running (hopping) speed is reduced 
  to 1” per Phase. He is at ½ OCV because he moves 
  in on his foe so slowly. (Th is OCV minus is elimi-
  nated if he is Grabbing his opponent; see Grab, 
  above.) Th e GM may rule that the character cannot 
  use any Kicking maneuvers (except through use of 
  Acrobatics, or when kicking from a prone position).
  Combinations:  These modifiers are cumula-
  tive. Two -1 modifiers means a ½ multiplier to 
  the CV, and two ½ multipliers or a ½ and a -1 
  mean a 0 CV.
  For example, a character with his hands bound 
  in front and his feet bound apart is at ½ OCV, ½ 
  DCV, and half running speed. A character with his 
  hands bound in back and his feet bound together 
  is at 0 OCV, 0 DCV, and cannot run (though if he 
  is able to get up, he can hop at 1” per Phase; the 
  GM should require a DEX roll at -3 or an ordinary 
  Acrobatics roll to stand up unassisted, and one 
  DEX or Acrobatics roll per Phase of hopping).
  NEGATING THE EFFECTS OF BEING BOUND
  Th e Contortionist Skill allows a character to 
  slip out of bonds. Also, if the character has missed 
  his Contortionist roll to slip his bonds, but the situ-
  ation warrants (i.e., the GM says it’s possible), the 
  character with Contortionist can change “hands 
  bound in back” to “hands bound in front” by con-
  torting his bound wrists over his legs. 
  A character with Acrobatics can negate the 
  effects of being bound for each Phase he success-
  fully makes his Skill Roll. If the character’s hands 
  are bound in front, he receives a -1 to Acrobat-
  ics; if his hands are bound in back, he receives a 
  -3; if his feet are bound apart, he receives a -2; if 
  his feet are bound together, he receives a -5; and 
  combinations of the above are cumulative (i.e., 
  hands bound in back and feet bound together 
  mean a -8). Each Phase the character makes his 
  Acrobatics roll at the listed penalties; if he suc-
  ceeds, he can ignore the OCV and DCV penalties 
  of his bound state during that Phase.
  Casual STR Versus 
  Barriers 
  In martial arts ﬁ lms, characters oft en punch or 
  thrust through a door, wall, or even roof to stab the 
  assassin on the other side. Th is can already be done 
  in the HERO System, but it’s not as eﬀ ective as in 
  the martial arts ﬁ lms, because the DEF and BODY 
  of the intervening surface reduce the damage done 
  by the attack.
  To make this trick work, you can use optional 
  rule:  if the character’s Casual Strength attack (half 
  the character’s Strike damage or half his weapon 
  damage, modiﬁ ed by half his STR) does enough to 
  penetrate a barrier, the barrier does not reduce the 
  damage his attack causes.
  Example:  David Li knows his opponent is on 
  the other side of the door. He cannot see his 
  foe and so attacks at ½ OCV; however, his 
  foe is trying to be still and stealthy, and does 
  not see the attack coming, so he is at 0 DCV. 
  David’s Attack Roll succeeds. His STR is 15, 
  and his Oﬀ ensive Strike (kick) adds 4d6, for a 
  
  Hero System 5th Edition
  100 ■ Combat And Martial Maneuvers
  total of 7d6; therefore half of that is 3½d6. Th e 
  GM rules the door has 2 DEF, 2 BODY. David 
  rolls his 3½d6, coming up with 4 BODY, just 
  enough to get through. David can do his full 
  Kick damage to his unseen foe.
  Concealed Weapons 
  And Gadgets 
  Th e HERO System’s rules for concealing 
  objects (pages 450-51 of the core rulebook) pre-
  sume a character’s concealing Obvious, Accessible 
  Foci (OAFs) and require a PER Roll versus Con-
  cealment roll (with various modiﬁ ers) to detect the 
  object. But many of the weapons built for martial 
  artist characters (such as the “Concealed” versions 
  of weapons in Th e Ultimate Martial Artist and Th e 
  HERO System Equipment Guide) are Inobvious 
  Accessible Foci (IAFs). Th ough they’re in “plain 
  sight” most of the time, they’re either artfully built 
  into another object, or clever decoration or con-
  struction cleverly disguise their true purpose.
  Th e Inobvious part of the Focus Limitation 
  corresponds to a Concealment “Skill” of 13- (11- 
  base roll, +2 for the fact that the weapon is built 
  into an object); extremely well made concealed 
  weapons may merit higher Concealment “Skills.” 
  Th erefore, when someone tries to spot an Inobvi-
  ous (or concealed) object, that person makes a PER 
  Roll against the object’s Concealment roll in a Skill 
  Versus Skill Contest. A successful roll only reveals 
  that there’s something unusual in the construction 
  of the item; the perceiving character has to perform 
  a hands-on search with another PER Roll versus 
  Concealment Roll contest to open the weapon up 
  or determine what it does.
  Naturally, once the Inobvious weapon is 
  used as such, it’s no longer Inobvious. When you 
  pull your ninja-to out of its sheath disguised as a 
  vacuum cleaner, the other fellow doesn’t have to 
  make a PER Roll to realize what it is; its function is 
  now obvious.
  Disabling Attacks
  Sometimes a character benefits most in 
  combat not by doing raw STUN to an opponent 
  but by disabling or weakening him so he fights 
  less effectively, making it easier to defeat him. In 
  the HERO System, there are four ways to attack 
  to disable. Also refer to the rules on breaking 
  limbs on page 116.
  STANDARD IMPAIRING AND 
  DISABLING RULES
  Th e ﬁ rst is to do enough damage to a limb to 
  Impair or Disable it, as described on pages 120-
  21. Th is form of Disabling usually results from an 
  attack which, though not speciﬁ cally intended to 
  disable, does enough damage to Impair/Disable the 
  UNSTRUCTURED 
  SEQUENCE ATTACK 
  EXAMPLE
  Inohara Mitsuo and 
  Sotomura Takuji, two 
  karateka, ﬁ ght one 
  another for the hand of 
  the beautiful Princess 
  Miyoko. Inohara, the 
  younger and less experi-
  enced ﬁ ghter, is DEX 20, 
  SPD 4. Sotomura is DEX 
  23, SPD 4, and does an 
  average of 2 DC more 
  damage per maneuver 
  than Inohara. Aft er 
  the ﬁ rst two Phases of 
  combat, Inohara knows 
  his chances to defeat 
  Sotomura in a straight-
  forward battle are slim. 
  Desperate to win the 
  hand of the Princess, he 
  decides to risk all on an 
  unstructured sequence 
  attack 4 Phases long.
  Th e sequence begins 
  in Phase 6. Sotomura 
  attacks and does 22 
  STUN, 6 BODY to Ino-
  hara, no Knockback. 
  Continued on next page
  
  101 
  Hero System Combat Handbook ■ Chapter Three
  area anyway. Attacks of this sort suﬀ er the standard 
  Attack Roll and damage modiﬁ ers for the location 
  struck (but of course, the damage modiﬁ er does not 
  matter for purposes of determining whether a limb 
  has been Impaired or Disabled).
  Th e advantage to using this form of disabling 
  attack is that it’s likely to result in long-term 
  Impairment or Disablement. Th e drawbacks are the 
  Attack Roll and damage modiﬁ ers, and the possibil-
  ity of severely injuring the target.
  THE DISABLE ELEMENT
  Th e second way is to buy a Martial Maneuver 
  with the Disable Element. Maneuvers of this sort 
  are speciﬁ cally intended to target limbs, and do not 
  suﬀ er either to-hit or damage penalties for the loca-
  tion targeted. 
  A Disable-based attack makes it easy to Impair 
  or Disable a limb, or even to break or destroy one. 
  On the other hand, characters can normally only 
  use an attack with the Disable Element for that one 
  purpose, and it may be too severe in some situ-
  ations. Characters should consider Pulling their 
  Punch or using fewer dice in situations where too 
  much damage to a limb will have inappropriate or 
  undramatic consequences.   
  DISABLING NERVE STRIKE
  Th e third way to disable a limb is to use a 
  Nerve Strike to temporarily Impair or Disable it. 
  To Impair a location, the STUN done by the blow 
  must equal or exceed the target’s BODY score, 
  either before or aft er modiﬁ ers for the Hit Location. 
  If a character has 12 BODY, the Nerve Strike must 
  inﬂ ict 12 STUN. To Disable a location, the STUN 
  done by the blow must equal or exceed 2x the 
  target’s BODY score, either before or aft er modiﬁ ers 
  for the Hit Location. If a character has 10 BODY, 
  the Nerve Strike must inﬂ ict 20 STUN.
  Nerve Strike disabling attacks suﬀ er the stan-
  dard Attack Roll penalties for the area they are 
  aimed at.
  Th e precise eﬀ ects of the Impairing or Dis-
  abling blow are listed on the accompanying table. 
  Of course, a character can make no attacks with a 
  disabled limb.
  Impairing and Disabling results from a Nerve 
  Strike do not last very long. To determine how long 
  they do last, roll 1d6 and consult the Nerve Strike 
  Impairing/Disabling Time Table.
  Th e advantage of using a disabling Nerve 
  Strike are that the opponent suﬀ ers no permanent 
  injury. Th e drawback is the temporary nature of the 
  Impairment/Disability.
  DECLARED DISABLING ATTACKS
  Th e fourth and ﬁ nal way to disable a limb is 
  the Declared Disabling Attack (DDA). Th is attack, 
  in eﬀ ect a new Combat Maneuver, is entirely 
  optional and is subject to GM approval — it’s a 
  “caution sign” ability.
  A DDA allows a character to declare that a 
  particular hand-to-hand attack will be a disabling 
  attack (at the GM’s option, this might require a 
  DEX roll or other Skill Roll). Th e attack suﬀ ers 
  the usual Attack Roll modiﬁ ers for that particular 
  target. If the attack hits, convert the BODY damage 
  rolled on the dice into Phases of Impairment:  one 
  Phase for each BODY rolled. Th e target takes the 
  STUN rolled as normal, with the standard modiﬁ -
  ers for Hit Location. Th us, a DDA doesn’t cause any 
  real injuries, but does hamper a character signiﬁ -
  cantly for a short but crucial period of time.
  At the GM’s option, an especially high DDA 
  BODY roll may Impair the limb for a longer time:  
  the entire combat, the rest of the day, or whatever 
  seems appropriate and dramatic. Alternately, it 
  might do some actual BODY to the limb.
  Example:  Jean-Claude, a savateur, realizes 
  he needs to weaken his opponent Francois 
  before he can get in a really telling blow. He 
  decides to use his coup de pied bas (low kick) 
  to target Francois’s right knee with a DDA. 
  His normal 10 OCV will suffer a -6 penalty 
  for targeting the Legs. If he hits he will do 
  normal STUN damage to his target, with 
  the x½ modifier, and the BODY he does will 
  become Phases of Impairment. He rolls a 5 
  and hits!  He does 8 BODY and 29 STUN. 
  Francois has 10 PD; his right leg becomes 
  numb and useless for 8 Phases, and he also 
  takes 4 STUN ([29 x ½] - 10). The GM rules 
  Francois’s movement is reduced by half, he’s 
  at -2 DCV, and he cannot perform several 
  types of kicks because of his Impairment.
  Sequence Attacks
  A sequence attack (also known as a pattern 
  attack) is an attack built up over several Phases to 
  gain an advantage over an opponent in the end. 
  Visually, a sequence attack usually requires the 
  attacker to make several feints or attacks whose 
  main purpose is to force the target into a disadvan-
  tageous position for the ﬁ nal blow — setting the 
  enemy up for the kill, in other words.
  DISABLING RESULTS TABLE
  Area 
  Effect Of Disabling Attack
  Head 
  Target is conscious, but unable to act, and at ½ DCV
  Hands, Arms, Shoulders 
  Target loses use of limb from that point down; anything 
  in his grasp is dropped
  Chest, Stomach 
  Character cannot take Recoveries and is at -2 OCV 
  and -2 DCV
  Vitals 
  Target is conscious, but nearly paralyzed; he’s at half move-
  ment, ½ OCV, and ½ DCV
  Th ighs, Legs, Feet 
  Target loses use of limb from that point down; he’s at half 
  movement and ½ DCV
  NERVE STRIKE IMPAIRING/
  DISABLING TIME
   
  1d6 
  Time Condition Lasts
   
  1 
  1 Phase
   
  2 
  2 Phases
   
  3 
  1 Turn
   
  4 
  1 minute
   
  5 
  5 minutes
   
  6 
  1 hour or more (GM’s option)
  Th e young warrior (PD 
  12, CON 19, STUN 38) 
  shrugs oﬀ  the pain and 
  begins his sequence 
  attack. He puts all of his 
  Levels into OCV, giving 
  him a total OCV of 10. 
  Sotomura’s base DCV 
  is 8, so Inohara needs 
  a 13- to hit him. He 
  rolls an 11, and his ﬁ rst 
  feint succeeds. (Note 
  that Sotomura takes no 
  damage.)
  In Phase 9, Sotomura 
  attempts a Knifehand 
  Strike and misses. Ino-
  hara counters with a 
  Spin Kick. He keeps his 
  levels in OCV and rolls 
  a 13, barely succeeding 
  and forcing Sotomura 
  further into position. 
  In Phase 12, Sotomura 
  punches Inohara and 
  does 27 STUN, 9 BODY, 
  no Knockback. Inohara 
  is still standing, but the 
  wear and tear are begin-
  ning to take their toll. 
  He performs the third 
  part of his sequence and 
  rolls a 7, easily drawing 
  Sotomura further into 
  his trap.
  In Phase 3 of the next 
  Turn, Sotomura once 
  again tries his knifehand 
  attack, and again misses. 
  Inohara feints at him 
  again, rolls a 10, and 
  successfully completes 
  his sequence attack. 
  In Phase 6, Sotomura 
  connects with his Knife-
  hand Strike, doing 8 
  BODY, 24 STUN, no 
  Knockback. Inohara 
  is on the ropes, but 
  now he has Sotomura 
  right where he wants 
  him. He chooses to add 
  Continued on next page
  Continued from last page
  
  Hero System 5th Edition
  102 ■ Combat And Martial Maneuvers
  Characters can use two types of sequence 
  attacks:  unstructured and structured. Th e GM 
  should decide which of these two types of sequence 
  attacks to allow in his campaign, if any. Although 
  sequence attacks are intended primarily for Hand-
  To-Hand Combat, in some situations it might be 
  possible to use them with Ranged Combat (for 
  example, deliberately missing someone with three 
  shots to force him into an open area where he has 
  no cover to hide behind).
  UNSTRUCTURED SEQUENCE ATTACKS
  In an unstructured sequence attack, the 
  attacker does not have to specify in advance 
  which maneuvers he’ll use against his target — in 
  fact, maneuvers aren’t really used at all. To begin 
  an unstructured sequence attack, the character 
  declares the length (in Phases) of the sequence 
  he intends to attempt. An unstructured sequence 
  attack can be of any length, but tends to have a 
  practical limit of three to ﬁ ve Phases.
  To execute the sequence, the character makes 
  an attack against his target in each Phase of the 
  sequence. He makes this attack against the target’s 
  base DCV (DCV as derived from DEX, without 
  any maneuver modiﬁ ers or Combat Skill Levels). 
  Th e attacker may use any Combat Skill Levels he 
  has with Hand-To-Hand Combat or with a martial 
  arts style; he may not use Levels which only apply 
  to one or two speciﬁ c maneuvers. A hit does no 
  damage — it doesn’t actually contact the target at 
  all, it simply indicates the target was moved into 
  position for the next part of the sequence.
  For the unstructured sequence attack to suc-
  ceed, the character has to “hit” his target during 
  each Phase of the sequence. If he stops the 
  sequence at any time, if he misses even one of the 
  attacks, or if he takes Knockback/Knockdown, is 
  Stunned, or is Knocked Out, the sequence is dis-
  rupted and ruined. (However, if he takes damage 
  without being knocked back, Stunned, or Knocked 
  Out, the sequence is not disrupted — sometimes a 
  ﬁ ghter deliberately subjects himself to punishment 
  to deliver a truly telling blow against his enemy.)
  Th e character realizes the beneﬁ ts of making 
  a sequence attack in the ﬁ rst Phase aft er the 
  sequence ends. Th at beneﬁ t is:  for every Phase of 
  the sequence, the attacker may add +1 to his OCV 
  or +1 DC to the damage he does to the target. Th e 
  attacker must pick one option or the other; he 
  cannot, for example, use half of his Phases for an 
  OCV bonus and half for a damage bonus. Th us, a 
  sequence attack oﬀ ers the attacker the chance to set 
  a superior ﬁ ghter up for a devastating blow. 
  STRUCTURED SEQUENCE ATTACKS
  Structured sequence attacks are similar to 
  unstructured sequence attacks, with a few impor-
  tant diﬀ erences. 
  First, the attacker must specify in advance 
  which maneuvers he will use in each of the 
  Phases of his attack. Each maneuver must be 
  offensive in nature, whether it’s a Strike, Throw, 
  Disarm, Bind, or what have you — no Dodges, 
  Blocks, or other primarily defensive maneuvers 
  allowed. All normal modifiers apply, and the 
  attack is made against the target’s DCV as modi-
  fied by maneuvers, levels, and the like.
  Second, if the attacks made during a struc-
  tured sequence attack hit, the target does take 
  damage, but only half damage.
  Third, after the attacker successfully com-
  pletes the sequence, he gains a bonus of +1 OCV 
  or +1 DC damage per Phase of the sequence, and 
  he may divide his bonuses between OCV and 
  damage as he pleases.
  DETECTING AND DEFENDING AGAINST 
  SEQUENCE ATTACKS
  One of the reasons sequence attacks are so 
  difficult is that they’re relatively easy to detect 
  and avoid.
  To detect a sequence attack (of either type), 
  the target can make a roll against any of the fol-
  lowing Skills:  Tactics, Analyze Style, KS: [attack-
  er’s specific martial arts style]. If the target does 
  not have any of these Skills, the GM may at his 
  option allow the character to make a PER Roll 
  at -4. Regardless of which Skill the target usea, 
  the attacker may attempt an Acting or Sleight Of 
  Hand roll to make his sequence attack harder to 
  detect; for every 2 points he makes the roll by, he 
  imposes a -1 to the target’s roll.
  A character can avoid a sequence attack 
  in many ways. The first is to not get hit — if 
  the target can block or dodge even one of the 
  sequence’s blows, the whole sequence falls apart. 
  Second, he can Stun, Knock Out, or do Knock-
  back to his attacker, or hit him with a maneuver 
  that ruins the sequence (such as a Martial Grab). 
  Third, he can simply move far enough away 
  from his attacker to force him to make a full 
  move to catch up — this is enough to break up 
  the sequence, since the attacker has to forego an 
  attack to follow his quarry. Fourth, the GM might 
  rule that some Surprise Moves (page 50) disrupt 
  the sequence because they startle the attacker.
  SEQUENCE ATTACKS BETWEEN PLAYER 
  CHARACTERS
  It’s even more diﬃ  cult for a PC to use a 
  sequence attack on another PC, because it’s virtu-
  ally impossible to hide the fact that the character 
  is using a sequence attack. Once the other player 
  realizes what’s going on, he can easily have his char-
  acter disrupt the sequence.
  Th e only way for a PC to use a sequence attack 
  on another PC without giving himself away is to enlist 
  the help of the GM. Usually this is done in advance, 
  but it can also be done by passing the GM a note or 
  speaking with him privately. Th e player should inform 
  the GM of what he wants to do, and the GM helps 
  him by maintaining a deceptive front. Th is requires 
  a high level of player and GM cooperation, and may 
  require the player to give false readings of his die 
  rolls in some cases (for example, in an unstructured 
  sequence attack, telling the other player that an attack 
  made against his character just missed, while secretly 
  signalling the GM that the attack hit for purposes of 
  maintaining the sequence).
  +4d6 to his normal 6d6 
  attack, puts all of his 
  Levels into OCV, and 
  launches a side kick. 
  Sotomura’s DCV is cur-
  rently 10, Inohara’s OCV 
  is 8. He rolls an 8 and 
  connects!  He rolls 43 
  STUN, 11 BODY, and 
  2” Knockback, Stunning 
  Sotomura and knocking 
  him out of the ring. Th e 
  Princess is his at last!
   STRUCTURED 
  SEQUENCE ATTACK 
  EXAMPLE
  In the example given 
  above, suppose that 
  Inohara had declared 
  a structured sequence 
  attack using these 
  maneuvers:  Punch, 
  Punch, Knifehand 
  Strike, and Spin Kick. 
  His attacks are made 
  against Sotomura’s 
  regular DCV (his base 
  of 8, plus any levels or 
  maneuver modiﬁ ers 
  available). Each hit dam-
  ages Sotomura, but he 
  only takes half damage. 
  At the end, aft er each 
  attack hits, Inohara gets 
  a bonus of +4, which 
  he may split between 
  OCV and Extra DC of 
  damage, as he chooses.
  Continued from last page
  
  chapter four:
  chapter four:
  chapter four:
  DAMAGE AND ITS EFFECTS
  
  Hero System 5th Edition
  104 ■ Damage And Its Effects
  A
  ttacks are intended to do damage (or achieve 
  some other eﬀ ect that puts the enemy at a 
  disadvantage). Th e amount of damage an 
  attack does, and thus the extent of its eﬀ ect 
  (if any) upon the target, is determined by rolling dice. 
  Th us, the damage done by any attack varies — an 
  attack might do an enormous amount of damage one 
  Phase, and little or no damage next Phase. Th e varia-
  tion in damage from rolling dice makes combat more 
  interesting; it can also provide the GM with details 
  to use in describing the battle (an attack that does a 
  lot of damage may have hit a vital spot; one that does 
  almost none may really have been more of a nick than 
  a direct hit). And of course it’s fun to roll dice.
  Although there are many diﬀ erent types of 
  attacks and ways to attack someone in the HERO 
  System, in most cases the damage done is one of 
  two types:  Normal Damage or Killing Damage. 
  Th is is explained in detail below, but basically, 
  Normal Damage is caused by things like punches, 
  clubs, and Energy Blasts; it’s intended primarily to 
  Stun the target. Killing Damage is done by things 
  like bullets, swords, and claws, and is intended to 
  injure or kill the target.
  How Many Dice Do I Roll?
  For characters with powers that they use to 
  attack, the amount of damage depends on the 
  number of dice of eﬀ ect purchased or Active Points 
  in the Power used to build the ability (which in 
  turn depends on the number of Character Points 
  spent on the Power).
  For weapons, the number of dice of damage 
  depends on the weapon type. Refer to the weapons 
  tables on HERO System 5th Edition, Revised, pages 
  481-86 for the damage ratings for some typical 
  weapons. STR may add to the damage done with 
  melee weapons.
  For unarmed combat, the number of dice of 
  damage depends on the character’s STR, plus any 
  extra damage for the type of Combat Maneuver 
  used. Divide the character’s STR by 5 to get the base 
  number of dice of Normal Damage done by the 
  character. A character with a STR of 20 could roll 
  up to 20/5 = 4d6 of Normal Damage.
  Of course, characters can buy STR in totals 
  that aren’t multiples of 5. If a character’s STR is 
  over half way to the next multiple of 5 (i.e., the STR 
  rating ends in 3, 4, 8, or 9), he can add ½d6 of eﬀ ect. 
  For instance, someone with a STR of 23 would 
  do 4½d6 of damage with a punch (23/5 = 4.6). A 
  character doesn’t have to use his full STR when 
  attacking; he can also Pull his Punch (see page 78) 
  to reduce the damage his STR does.
  Damage Class
  Different dice of damage are not the same 
  — 1d6 of Killing Damage is much more likely to 
  injure a target than a 1d6 Normal Damage attack. 
  However, it’s necessary for game purposes to 
  establish a rough comparison between different 
  types of damage.
  Th e Damage Class (“DC”) of an attack pro-
  vides a way to do this. An attack’s DC is based 
  on the number of Active Points in it divided by 
  5. Th us, an Energy Blast 3d6 and Ranged Killing 
  Attack 1d6 (each with 15 Active Points) are both 
  Damage Class 3 — or, in more game-oriented 
  terms, each has 3 DCs. On the average, any attack 
  of a given Damage Class is equally as harmful for 
  the target as any other attack of that Damage Class 
  — but of course, since diﬀ erent attacks have diﬀ er-
  ent eﬀ ects, sometimes one will be more desirable or 
  “better” than another in a particular situation or for 
  a particular purpose.
  Th e basic rule for Damage Classes is:  1 DC 
  equals 5 Active Points in the Power. Th us, a power 
  with 45 Active Points has 9 DCs (which would be 
  9d6 Normal Damage or 3d6 Killing Damage). Put 
  another way, each d6 of Killing Damage is 3 DCs, 
  each d6 of Normal Damage is 1 DC.
  DETERMINING
  DAMAGE
  COUNTING THE DICE
  One of the things that 
  may slow down your 
  HERO System combat 
  is counting the damage 
  dice — particularly if 
  you’re in a game where 
  characters have high-
  damage attacks, such as 
  a superhero game. Here 
  are a few tips to make 
  counting the damage 
  dice quicker and easier:
  —Group dice into 10s, 
  such as 6-4, 3-3-2-2-, 
  5-5, and so forth. Th en 
  you can quickly add up 
  the 10s and any remain-
  der dice.
  —When counting 
  Normal Damage BODY, 
  compare 6s and 1s. If 
  they’re equal, then the 
  BODY damage equals 
  the number of dice 
  rolled (the “0 BODY” 
  from the 1s averages out 
  the “2 BODY” from the 
  6s). If you have more 
  6s than 1s, you do that 
  many more points of 
  BODY than the dice 
  rolled; if you have more 
  1s than 6s, you do that 
  many BODY less than 
  the dice rolled.
  DAMAGE CLASS TABLE
   
   
   
   
   
  Active
   DC 
  Killing 
  Normal 10-point* Points
   
  1 
  1 pip 
  1d6 
  ½d6 
  5
   
  2 
  ½d6, 1d6-1 
  2d6 
  1d6 
  10
   
  3 
  1d6 
  3d6 
  1½d6 
  15 
   
  4 
  1d6+1 
  4d6 
  2d6 
  20
   
  5 
  1½d6, 2d6-1 
  5d6 
  2½d6 
  25
   
  6 
  2d6 
  6d6 
  3d6 
  30
   
  7 
  2d6+1 
  7d6 
  3½d6 
  35
   
  8 
  2½d6, 3d6-1 
  8d6 
  4d6 
  40
   
  9 
  3d6 
  9d6 
  4½d6 
  45
   10 
  3d6+1 
  10d6 
  5d6 
  50
   11 
  3½d6, 4d6-1 
  11d6 
  5½d6 
  55
   12 
  4d6 
  12d6 
  6d6 
  60
   13 
  4d6+1 
  13d6 
  6½d6 
  65
   14 
  4½d6, 5d6-1 
  14d6 
  7d6 
  70
   15 
  5d6 
  15d6 
  7½d6 
  75
   16 
  5d6+1 
  16d6 
  8d6 
  80
   17 
  5½d6, 6d6-1 
  17d6 
  8½d6 
  85
   18 
  6d6 
  18d6 
  9d6 
  90
   19 
  6d6+1 
  19d6 
  9½d6 
  95
   20 
  6½d6, 7d6-1 
  20d6 
  10d6 
  100
  ...and so forth.
  *  Th is column is included for the sake of convenience; 
  it shows the DCs of Powers such as Drain or many 
  NNDs, which cost 10 Active Points per 1d6.
  
  105 
  Hero System Combat Handbook ■ Chapter Four
  Damage Classes Of Advantaged Powers
  Determining the Damage Classes of an attack 
  to which a character has applied Power Advantages 
  is a little more diﬃ  cult. Each DC remains equal to 5 
  Active Points, so to ﬁ gure out how many DCs each 
  dice of damage is worth, you must determine the 
  Active Point cost of 1d6 worth of the Power. To do 
  this, multiply the cost of 1d6 of the Power by the 
  value of all Advantages that directly aﬀ ect how the 
  victim takes damage (see sidebar). For example, 
  the Power Advantages No Normal Defense and 
  Armor Piercing would be applied, while Reduced 
  Endurance or Indirect would not. Th en divide that 
  number by 5, and you’ll know how many DCs it 
  takes to get an entire 1d6 worth of that Power.
  Example:  To determine the Damage Class 
  of an NND Energy Blast, start with the base 
  Power — Energy Blast, which has 1d6 per 
  DC. NND is a +1 Power Advantage, so each 
  d6 costs (5 x (1 + 1)) = 10 Active Points. 
  Dividing 10 Active Points by 5 Active Points 
  yields a 2. Therefore it takes 2 DCs to get 1d6 
  Energy Blast NND, so each DC of an Energy 
  Blast NND is ½d6 damage.
  Now something trickier. Assume a character 
  has a Major Transform bought with the Power 
  Advantage Penetrating. Each d6 of Major 
  Transform costs 15 Character Points, and Pen-
  etrating is a +½ Advantage, so the total number 
  of Character Points per 1d6 is 22. Divide that 
  by 5, and you discover it takes 4 DCs to add 
  1d6. Adding or subtracting 1 DC would there-
  fore have no eﬀ ect (there’s no such thing as a 
  quarter-die of damage), but a change in 2 DCs 
  would change the Transform by ½d6.
  Normal Damage Attacks
  Punches, Energy Blasts, blunt weapons like 
  clubs, and concussion explosions are Normal 
  Damage attacks. Th is type of damage tends to 
  knock an opponent out (by causing STUN damage) 
  rather than kill him (by causing BODY damage).
  For Normal Damage, the total on the dice is 
  the amount of STUN damage the attack does. To 
  determine how much BODY damage it does, look 
  at the numbers rolled on the dice:  a 1 is 0 BODY; 
  a 2-5 is 1 BODY, and a 6 is 2 BODY. Th us, a 6d6 
  Normal Damage attack that rolls 6, 5, 4, 4, 2, and 1 
  does 22 STUN and 6 BODY. Th e number of BODY 
  done is usually close to the number of dice rolled.
  Example: Randall Irons uses his 25 STR to hit 
  the nefarious Professor Wong. Because Wong is 
  irredeemably evil, Randall decides to do his full 
  damage. Randall rolls 25/5 = 5d6 for damage. 
  He rolls the dice and the following numbers 
  come up: 2, 6, 3, 5, 4. Th e total of the dice is 20, 
  so 20 STUN is applied to Wong. Th e 2, 3, 5 and 
  4 do 1 BODY each, and the 6 does 2 BODY, so 
  the total BODY damage is 6 BODY.
  If a character has to roll a half die (½d6), 
  damage is determined diﬀ erently. Roll the half die 
  separately, or use a diﬀ erent color or size die to 
  identify it as the ½d6. Th e face value of the die is 
  multiplied by one-half and rounded up to get the 
  number of STUN done. Th e ½d6 does 1 BODY if 
  the roll is a 4, 5, or 6.
  Killing Damage Attacks
  Claws, knives, bullets, and similar attacks do 
  Killing Damage. Th is type of damage is more likely 
  than Normal Damage to kill an opponent.
  Damage for Killing Damage attacks is deter-
  mined diﬀ erently from Normal Damage attacks. 
  Th e total of the dice is the number of BODY 
  applied to the target. To determine the STUN done, 
  the character rolls a STUN Multiplier — 1d6-1 
  (minimum of 1)  — and multiplies the result by the 
  amount of BODY done.
  Example: Armadillo slashes a policeman with 
  his claws, doing an HKA 2d6. Th e dice rolled 
  are 3 and 4, for a total of 7 BODY. Armadillo 
  then rolls 1d6 for his STUN Multiplier, rolling 
  a 6. Since Armadillo has a standard HKA, the 
  STUN Multiplier is 1d6-1. He rolled a 6, so the 
  STUN Multiplier is 6 - 1 = 5. Th e total STUN 
  damage done is 7 x 5 = 35 STUN.
  Stun Multiplier Variants
  Some GMs may find the 1d6-1 STUN Mul-
  tiplier difficult to work with. It adds another die 
  roll to combat, and can result in some extremely 
  high (and low) STUN totals for Killing Attacks. 
  If this is a concern in your game, you can use a 
  flat x3 STUN Multiplier for all Killing Damage 
  attacks, rather than the 1d6-1 Multiplier. This 
  reduces dice rolling, math, and the potential for 
  abuse. A ½d6 (or ½d6+1) STUN Multiplier has 
  some of the same effects.
  In some campaigns (particularly Heroic ones), 
  the GM may prefer to use the Hit Location Table 
  (see pages 117-18) instead of a rolled STUN Mul-
  tiplier. In that case, use the STUN Multiplier listed 
  on the table instead of rolling one.
  ADVANTAGES THAT 
  DIRECTLY AFFECT 
  HOW A VICTIM 
  TAKES DAMAGE
  For purposes of calcu-
  lating the DCs of an 
  Advantaged attack, as 
  described in the text, the 
  GM determines which 
  Advantages  “directly 
  aﬀ ect how the victim 
  takes damage,” since 
  diﬀ erent GMs may have 
  diﬀ erent opinions on the 
  issue. Likely candidates 
  include Area Of Eﬀ ect, 
  AP, AVLD, Autoﬁ re, 
  BOECV, Continuous, 
  Cumulative, Damage 
  Shield, Explosion, Does 
  BODY, Does KB, Double 
  KB, MegaScale in some 
  instances, Penetrating, 
  Sticky, Transdimen-
  sional, Trigger, Uncon-
  trolled, Usable As Attack, 
  Variable Advantage, and 
  Variable Special Eﬀ ects. 
  However, the ﬁ nal deci-
  sion is up to the GM; 
  he may exclude some of 
  these, include ones not 
  listed here, or both.
  NORMAL DAMAGE
   
  Each die
   
  for Normal Attack 
  BODY done
   
  1 
  0 (zero)
   
  2-5 
  1
   
  6 
  2
  
  Hero System 5th Edition
  106 ■ Damage And Its Effects
  ADDING DAMAGE
  Characters in HERO System combats have 
  several ways to increase the damage their attacks 
  do, such as Combat Skill Levels, Martial Maneuvers, 
  and some Combat Maneuvers. Th e rules in this sec-
  tion explain how to add damage to an attack.
  Doubling Damage
  You must always follow a basic rule when 
  increasing damage:  a character cannot more than 
  double the Damage Classes of his base attack, no 
  matter how many diﬀ erent methods he uses to add 
  damage. A character’s extra Maneuver damage, 
  extra STR, damage bonus from movement, and 
  CSLs used to increase damage, put together, cannot 
  more than double the base Damage Classes done 
  by an attack or weapon. For example, a knife (HKA 
  ½d6, or base damage of 2 DCs) cannot do more 
  than Killing Damage 1d6+1 (4 DCs), regardless of 
  how a character adds damage to it. (See below for 
  some exceptions.)
  DETERMINING THE BASE DAMAGE
  In most cases, the base damage done by an 
  attack is obvious — it’s what the character paid 
  Character Points for, the deﬁ ned damage for a 
  weapon, or the like. Attacks involving STR are a 
  little diﬀ erent.
  With Hand-To-Hand Attacks, HA damage 
  counts as base damage done by STR for purposes of 
  the “doubling damage” rule. For example, a charac-
  ter with STR 20 and HA +2d6 does “base damage” 
  of 6d6, which he can double to 12d6 through vari-
  ous means.
  For Haymaker and Martial Maneuvers, a char-
  acter’s STR is the base damage. Th e basic Maneuver 
  damage — such as +2 DCs from a Martial Strike, 
  or +4 DCs from an Oﬀ ensive Strike or Haymaker 
  —  is not the same thing as Extra DCs purchased 
  for a character’s Martial Arts (see below). In other 
  words, the basic damage bonus from a Maneuver 
  remains subject to the normal doubling rules. As 
  an optional rule, GMs for many campaigns, such as 
  most Ninja Hero games, allow the damage added by 
  the basic Martial Maneuver to count as base DCs 
  just like HA damage, which avoids the “doubling 
  damage” restriction for low-STR characters.
  Example:  Chan Hseng has STR 15 and several 
  Martial Maneuvers, including a Martial Strike 
  (STR +2 DCs) and an Oﬀ ensive Strike (STR +4 
  DCs). If he uses his Martial Strike, he does 5d6 
  damage. If he uses his Oﬀ ensive Strike, he does 
  6d6 (6 DCs) damage — not 7d6, because he 
  cannot more than double the base damage pro-
  vided by his STR (3 DCs). (In some campaigns, 
  the GM wouldn’t worry about this and would 
  allow him to do 7d6 damage anyway.)
  
  107 
  Hero System Combat Handbook ■ Chapter Four
  Now suppose Chan Hseng buys an HA +4d6. 
  Th e damage from an HA counts as base 
  damage done by STR, so his “base damage” for 
  STR is now 7d6. Th at means he does 9d6 with 
  his Martial Strike and 11d6 with his Oﬀ en-
  sive Strike — he can add all +4 DCs from the 
  Oﬀ ensive Strike, since his base damage is equal 
  to or greater than 4 DCs.
  EXCEPTIONS
  There are three exceptions to the “charac-
  ters cannot more than double the base Damage 
  Classes” rule.
  Normal Damage Weapons In
   Superheroic Campaigns
  Th e ﬁ rst is Normal Damage weapons in Super-
  heroic campaigns. Since characters in Superheroic 
  campaigns pay Character Points for their Normal 
  Damage weapons, the weapon’s damage simply 
  adds to the character’s STR, even if the combined 
  damage is more than double the weapon’s damage 
  (as noted above). Th us, a Superheroic character 
  with STR 20 (4d6 HTH damage) and a club (HA 
  +6d6) does 10d6 Normal Damage.
  A Heroic character, on the other hand, can 
  only increase the club’s damage with STR exceed-
  ing its STR Minimum or the other methods 
  described below. In any event, the standard “no 
  more than double” rule applies — he can’t make 
  a club (4d6 Normal Damage) do more than 8d6 
  Normal Damage.
  Extra Damage Classes For Unarmed 
  Martial Maneuvers
  Th e second is Extra Damage Classes pur-
  chased for a character’s unarmed Martial Maneu-
  vers. Any Extra DCs that increase an unarmed 
  Martial Maneuver’s damage count as base DCs. For 
  example, if a character has a Killing Strike (HKA 
  ½d6, 2 DCs) and has bought two Extra Damage 
  Classes for it, the Killing Strike does 1d6 as its 
  base damage. Th e character may then use STR, 
  movement, CSLs, and the like to increase that 1d6 
  damage to a maximum of HKA 2d6 damage.
  Extra DCs used to add damage to armed 
  Martial Maneuvers are considered to be added 
  damage, not an increase to the base DCs. An HKA 
  1d6 sword used with a Martial Strike with 2 Extra 
  DCs (+4 DCs total) does 1½d6 damage, but its base 
  damage is still just 1d6.
  Movement Bonuses To Normal Damage
  Some Combat Maneuvers involve adding 
  damage from movement. When the attack involves 
  Normal Damage, the Maneuver description itself 
  indicates the amount of damage the maneuver 
  adds (velocity/5 for Move Bys, velocity/3 for Move 
  Th roughs). Th e extra dice of Normal Damage 
  added from the Maneuver’s velocity can exceed the 
  number of dice in the base attack (whether this is 
  the character’s STR, a weapon, or what have you).
  Example:  Fastbreak, a speedster in a Champi-
  ons campaign, has STR 20 and Running 26”. 
  He performs a Move By, which does ((STR/2) 
  + (v/5))d6 damage. Th at means he does (20/2 
  =10) + (26/5 =5) = 2d6 + 5d6 = 7d6 damage. 
  He can still add the full 5d6 from his veloc-
  ity despite the fact that he only does 2d6 from 
  STR — movement bonuses to Normal Damage 
  aren’t subject to the “no more than double the 
  base damage” rule.
  No “Half Damage Classes”
  For purposes of the rules about adding damage, 
  there’s no such thing as a “half Damage Class.” Charac-
  ters can only add damage in whole DCs. For example, 
  a character cannot use one Combat Skill Level to add 
  “half a Damage Class,” because there’s no such thing as 
  a half Damage Class.
  Similarly, when a character calculates the 
  damage bonus from velocity, or the eﬀ ect of using 
  STR to add damage by exceeding a weapon’s STR 
  Minimum, the normal HERO System rounding 
  rules do not apply. A character has to have a full 
  3”/5” of movement (depending on the Maneuver 
  used), or full 5 extra points of STR, to get +1 DC 
  — anything less than that has no eﬀ ect.
  Methods Of Adding Damage
  Th e primary methods for increasing the 
  damage done by an attack are:  Combat Skill Levels; 
  Haymaker and Martial Maneuvers; movement 
  (velocity); and in some circumstances Strength.
  COMBAT SKILL LEVELS
  Combat Skill Levels (HERO System 5th Edition, 
  Revised, page 53) can increase the damage done by 
  a HTH or Ranged attack or Maneuver.
  CSLs In Heroic Campaigns
  In Heroic campaigns, a character can use two 
  CSLs to increase the damage done by a HTH or 
  Ranged attack (whether Killing Damage or Normal 
  Damage) by one Damage Class. For instance, a KA 
  1d6+1 weapon would do 1½d6 if a character used 
  two CSLs to increase its damage; 2d6 if he used 
  four CSLs, and so on — up to a maximum of twice 
  the original Damage Classes, as discussed above.
  CSLs In Superheroic Campaigns
  In Superheroic campaigns, a character can use 
  two CSLs to add +1 BODY to the damage done by 
  a Killing Attack or +3 STUN to the damage done 
  a Normal Damage attack. (Th is bonus adds to the 
  overall damage, before the STUN Multiplier, if any, 
  is applied; it doesn’t add to each die of damage.) 
  Th is applies to both HTH and Ranged attacks. 
  However, the damage the character does cannot 
  exceed the normal maximum for the attack or 
  weapon. For example, if a character adds +1 BODY 
  damage to a weapon that does 1d6 Killing Damage, 
  the most BODY the weapon can do is 6, regardless 
  of the +1.
  
  Hero System 5th Edition
  108 ■ Damage And Its Effects
  HAYMAKER AND MARTIAL MANEUVERS
  Th e Haymaker Combat Maneuver and many 
  diﬀ erent Martial Maneuvers can add a certain 
  amount of Damage Classes (typically two or four) 
  to a character’s attack.
  Maneuvers Adding To Normal Damage
  For Normal Damage (including STR damage), 
  each Damage Class added by a maneuver adds one 
  Damage Class to the attack. Th is typically means 
  +2d6 or +4d6 — +1d6 for every Damage Class the 
  maneuver adds. Th us, a character with 20 STR (4d6 
  HTH damage) using a basic Martial Strike does 
  6d6 HTH damage. (Don’t forget the rules about the 
  base damage of STR, as described above.)
  Maneuvers Adding To Killing Damage
  For Killing Damage, every two Damage 
  Classes added by a Maneuver add one Damage 
  Class worth of damage to the attack (whether it’s an 
  armed or unarmed attack). For example, a Martial 
  Strike (+2 DCs) adds one Damage Class (not two) 
  to an HKA. Th us, a basic Martial Strike (+2 DCs) 
  increases an HKA 1d6 (3 DCs) to 1d6+1 Killing 
  Damage (4 DCs). Th is eﬀ ect applies to all types 
  of Killing Damage — armed, unarmed, weapons, 
  innate abilities, and so on.
  Martial Maneuvers Th at Don’t Add Damage
  Martial Maneuvers that don’t add dice 
  of damage — such as Killing Damage strikes, 
  NND Strikes, Exert-based maneuvers, and so on 
  — cannot be used to add damage to weapons or 
  other attacks. If the Maneuver doesn’t add DCs to 
  an attack — if it allows the character to do a dif-
  ferent type of damage than Normal (e.g., Killing or 
  NND) — it’s not going to add to weapon damage 
  at all. Its function isn’t to add, but to diﬀ erentiate. 
  Th at’s why weapons-based styles — Arnis, Fencing, 
  Gatka, Kenjutsu, and the like — don’t have Killing 
  Damage-based maneuvers, and why their NND 
  maneuvers (like the Atemi Strike in Naginatajutsu) 
  are expressed as straight damage, not a bonus to the 
  weapon like the other Maneuvers.
  MOVEMENT
  Maneuvers involving movement, such as 
  Move Bys and Move Throughs, add extra damage 
  because of their velocity and momentum. The 
  character must pay END for any movement he 
  uses and for the STR involved. These rules also 
  apply to damage added from growth momentum 
  or Stretching “velocity.”
  Movement Adding To Normal Damage
  For Normal Damage, the Maneuver descrip-
  tion itself indicates the amount of damage the 
  Maneuver adds (velocity/5 for Move Bys, velocity/3 
  for Move Th roughs). Th e extra dice of Normal 
  Damage added from the Maneuver’s velocity 
  can exceed the number of dice in the base attack 
  (whether this is the character’s STR, a weapon, or 
  what have you).
  Movement Adding To Killing Damage
  For Killing Damage, a character can add 1 DC 
  for every 1d6 of bonus Normal Damage dice. How-
  ever, he still cannot more than double the damage 
  done by the weapon or attack (he cannot add more 
  DCs than the attack normally has). For example, 
  if a character with a sword (HKA 1d6+1) did a 
  Move By at 15”, he would add +3 DCs damage from 
  velocity, thus increasing the sword’s damage to 
  2d6+1. At most, between velocity and other meth-
  ods, he can increase the sword’s damage to 2½d6 
  (twice the weapon’s base DCs).
  Movement Adding To Weapon Damage
  When performing Move Bys and Move 
  Th roughs with weapons, divide the character’s STR 
  by 2 for purposes of calculating extra damage or 
  DC/OCV penalties based on the weapon’s STR 
  Minimum. Th e weapon, not the character, takes the 
  one-third or one-half damage from the maneuver. 
  If the BODY damage done to the target exceeds 
  three times (3x) the weapon’s base Damage Classes, 
  the weapon breaks.
  STRENGTH AND HKAS
  Strength (STR) adds to the damage done by 
  HKAs. A character gets +1d6 to his HKA for every 
  15 points of STR used with it (or, to put it another 
  way, +1 DC for every 5 points of STR used with it).
  In Heroic campaigns, when weapons are 
  involved, the character’s STR does not add to a 
  weapon’s HKA damage automatically — it only 
  adds damage if it exceeds the weapon’s STR 
  Minimum (see HERO System 5th Edition, Revised, 
  page 478). For every full 5 points of STR the 
  character has above the weapon’s STR Minimum, 
  he may add +1 DC of Killing Damage (or, for 
  weapons like staffs that do Normal Damage, 
  +1d6 of Normal Damage).
  Example:  Brak the Barbarian (STR 21) wields 
  a dagger (1d6-1 [2 DCs], STR Min 6). Since 
  his STR is 15 above the STR Minimum, he can 
  add +3 DCs to the dagger’s damage. However, 
  since the weapon’s base damage is only 2 DCs, 
  he can only increase its damage to 4 DCs, or 
  KA 1d6+1.
  Later, Brak wields a battle axe (2d6 [6 DCs], 
  STR Min 13). His STR is 8 points above the STR 
  Minimum. Th at means he can only add +1 DC 
  of damage, since he needs 5 full points of STR 
  above the STR Minimum to add a DC. Th us, 
  he does KA 2d6+1 with the battle axe (if he has 
  other ways to add damage, he can increase the 
  axe’s damage up to a maximum of 4d6, or 12 
  DCs). If he had STR 23, he could add +2 DCs, 
  making the axe do KA 2½d6 damage.
  STR And Maneuvers Combined
  A character may want to add damage to his 
  HKA with a Combat or Martial Maneuver that 
  would normally add to his STR damage. For 
  example, Move By/Th rough and Martial Strike all 
  involve adding damage to STR damage.
  In this situation, the character typically does 
  not get to apply his STR damage twice (i.e., once 
  to the HKA, then once to the Maneuver before 
  it adds damage to the HKA). Th e HKA counts 
  
  109 
  Hero System Combat Handbook ■ Chapter Four
  as the base damage. Th e character then increases 
  that with STR. If he can add more damage to the 
  HKA, he may use the bonuses from the Maneuver 
  to improve it (but he doesn’t get to add his STR to 
  the Maneuver ﬁ rst). However, the GM may allow 
  a character to “double-dip” and apply his STR to 
  the Maneuver as well (this may be appropriate for 
  some high-powered campaigns.)
  Example:  Chan Hseng has STR 15, a Martial 
  Strike (STR +2d6 damage), and a sword (HKA 
  1½d6, STR Minimum 10). He uses his STR to 
  increase the damage by +1 DC (to 2d6), then 
  uses his +2 DCs from the Martial Strike to add 
  another +1 DC (to 2d6+1). He does not get to 
  add +5 DCs (3d6 for STR + 2d6 Maneuver 
  bonus) to the HKA, since he’s already added his 
  STR. However, if the GM permitted, he could 
  do that, thus adding +2 DCs from the Maneu-
  ver instead of +1 (for a total of 2½d6).
  OTHER CIRCUMSTANCES
  Th e GM can also give a character bonus 
  damage dice for extraordinary circumstances or 
  Maneuvers. For example, if a knight in a Fantasy 
  campaign wants to have his horse rear right before 
  he attacks, so that the momentum of the horse’s 
  action adds to the force of his attack, the GM might 
  add +1 DC to the attack to reﬂ ect that momentum.
  Adding Damage To 
  Attacks With Advantages
  Adding damage becomes a little more compli-
  cated if the attack has Advantages.
  COMBAT SKILL LEVELS, HAYMAKERS, AND 
  MARTIAL MANEUVERS
  Damage bonuses from Haymakers, Mar-
  tial Maneuvers, and Combat Skill Levels are not 
  aﬀ ected by Advantages. Th ey add to an attack that 
  has Advantages at the same rate, and by the same 
  rules, as they do to an attack with no Advantages.
  Example:  Chan Hseng wields a knife (HKA ½d6 
  [2 DCs], Armor Piercing). He uses his Martial 
  Strike (+2 DCs) to increase the damage done 
  by the knife. Th is means the knife does HKA 
  1d6 damage — the Advantage doesn’t aﬀ ect 
  the way his Martial Maneuver damage bonus 
  applies to the knife’s damage. Th is remains true 
  regardless of what Advantage the knife has — 
  +1 Increased STUN Multiplier, Ranged, Pen-
  etrating, or what have you.
  Th is rule also applies in Heroic campaigns to 
  damage added when a character’s STR exceeds the 
  STR Minimum of a weapon.
  STRENGTH
  When a character uses his STR to add damage 
  to an attack with Advantages, the main factor 
  in determining how to add damage is the base 
  (unmodiﬁ ed) Active Point value of the attack (i.e., 
  the Active Points in the attack without any Advan-
  tages). (Th is does not apply in Heroic campaigns to 
  
  Hero System 5th Edition
  110 ■ Damage And Its Effects
  damage added when a character’s STR exceeds the 
  STR Minimum of a weapon; as noted above, that’s 
  unaﬀ ected by Advantages.)
  STR And Advantaged HAs
  A character who has a Power Advantage on an 
  HA (or other Normal Damage attack to which he 
  adds STR damage) does not also have to buy that 
  Advantage for his STR, and may apply the Advan-
  tage to the dice of damage provided/added by STR, 
  if either of these situations exists:
  —the character only uses his STR up to the unmod-
  iﬁ ed Active Point value of the HA
  —the unmodiﬁ ed Active Point value of the HA 
  equals or exceeds the character’s STR.
  “Unmodiﬁ ed” means the Active Points with-
  out applying any Advantages. For example, an 
  HA +4d6, Armor Piercing normally has 30 Active 
  Points, but its unmodiﬁ ed Active Points are only 20.
  If neither of the circumstances described 
  above applies — in other words, if the unmodiﬁ ed 
  Active Points in the HA are less than the character’s 
  STR, or the character uses more STR than the 
  unmodiﬁ ed Active Points in the HA — then the 
  character cannot use the HA dice (since the rules 
  don’t permit a character to use a Power without 
  using the Advantages bought for it [HERO System 
  5th Edition, Revised, page 246] and HA dice can 
  only add to STR damage, not be used on their own 
  [HERO System 5th Edition, Revised, page 184]).
  Example:  A character has STR 15 and an HA 
  +3d6 (15 Active Points when unmodiﬁ ed). He 
  doesn’t have to purchase any Advantage pur-
  chased for the HA for his STR. If the HA were 
  Armor Piercing (a modiﬁ ed total of 22 Active 
  Points), then the total attack would do 6d6 
  Armor Piercing Normal Damage — as long as 
  the unmodiﬁ ed Active Points in the HA equal 
  or exceed the character’s STR, the Advantage 
  applies to all the dice of damage.
  But suppose the attack was an HA +2d6 Armor 
  Piercing, which only has an unmodiﬁ ed 10 Active 
  Points. In that case, the character has several 
  choices. First, he can voluntarily restrict himself to 
  using 10 STR or less, in which case the Advantage 
  on the HA applies to all the dice. Second, he can 
  buy the Advantage for his STR, in which case the 
  Advantage applies to all the dice. Otherwise, he 
  cannot use the HA dice at all.
  Th ere’s one exception to this rule:  the Advan-
  tage Invisible Power Eﬀ ects. A character must always 
  purchase IPE for his STR if he wants an Invisible 
  HA (or other attack to which he can add STR 
  damage) to remain invisible.
  STR And Advantaged HKAs
  If a character adds STR damage to an Advan-
  taged HKA (or other Killing Damage attack), his 
  STR adds to the attack’s damage at a lesser rate.
  To determine how much STR it takes to add 
  +1 DC, apply the Advantages on the Power to 5 
  STR (the basic amount used to add 1 DC). Th e 
  result is how many points of STR it takes to add +1 
  DC to the attack. For example, if a character with 
  30 STR has an HKA 4d6, Armor Piercing, it takes 
  7.5 points of STR (5 x (1 + ½) = 7.5) to add +1 DC 
  to the attack (so, with 30 STR, the character adds 4 
  DCs, increasing the attack’s damage to HKA 5d6+1; 
  adding +3 DCs would require 22.5 points of STR). 
  As indicated in this example, the standard HERO 
  System rounding rules do not apply when deter-
  mining the amount of STR required to add damage 
  (don’t round at all).
  For purposes of using this rule with melee 
  weapons, ignore the Reduced Endurance Advantage 
  (which all melee weapons must have). STR adds 
  to a weapon with Reduced Endurance as if the 
  weapon were un-Advantaged (or only has whatever 
  other Advantages are applied).
  Naked Advantages
  If a character buys a naked Advantage for an 
  HKA or other attack, he can still apply damage 
  from STR, Martial Maneuvers, velocity, and the 
  like only if he buys the naked Advantage so that 
  it’s powerful enough to cover the whole attack, 
  including damage from additive factors like Martial 
  Maneuvers, it can.
  Example:  A character has an HKA 2d6 sword 
  and 15 STR. So, he normally does HKA 3d6 
  with his sword. If he wants a naked AP Advan-
  tage for the overall 3d6 attack, it costs 22 points 
  ((45 x 1.5) - 45). If he has enough damage he 
  can add from Martial Maneuvers to increase 
  the damage to HKA 4d6, he can’t use his naked 
  Advantage unless he restricts himself to HKA 
  3d6 — it’s not bought to cover a larger attack. If 
  he wants it to cover an HKA 4d6 attack, it has 
  to cost 30 points ((60 x 1.5) - 60).
  (Technically speaking, it should take +6 
  DCs [with a point value of “30”] from a Martial 
  Maneuver to add 3 DCs to this Killing Attack, and 
  thus arguably the “cost” of the attack to which the 
  naked AP Advantage applies is “75 points” (45 + 
  30), so the Advantage should cost 37 points [see 
  UMA 104-05]. However, that’s getting a little too 
  complicated. It’s easier just to buy the ability thusly 
  — Armor Piercing (+½) for up to HKA 4d6 — and 
  not worry about where exactly all four dice of 
  damage are coming from.)
  
  111 
  Hero System Combat Handbook ■ Chapter Four
  Advantages For STR
  If a character has an Advantage for his STR but 
  hasn’t bought the same Advantage for an attack he 
  adds damage to with STR, the Advantage does not 
  apply to the attack at all (not even to the damage 
  dice added by STR), unless the GM rules otherwise. 
  It only applies to the damage done by the charac-
  ter’s STR when he uses STR by itself. For example, 
  a character with 20 STR, Armor Piercing, who 
  uses an Oﬀ ensive Strike (+4d6) or Haymaker (also 
  +4d6) does 8d6 Normal Damage, with no Armor 
  Piercing eﬀ ect.
  Similarly, if a character buys an Advantage 
  for part of his STR that aﬀ ects how his STR does 
  damage (such as Armor Piercing or Penetrating), 
  he may use the Advantage only if he uses no more 
  than the amount of STR he bought the Advantage 
  for. If he uses more than that amount of STR, the 
  Advantage does not apply at all. For example, if a 
  character with STR 75 buys Armore Piercing for up 
  to 50 STR, as long as he uses no more than 50 STR 
  the AP eﬀ ect applies. If he uses 51 or more points 
  of STR, the Advantage has no eﬀ ect at all.
  MOVEMENT
  To determine how many DCs movement 
  adds to an attack with an Advantage, multiply the 
  number used to determine the regular DC bonus 
  for velocity (5 for Move Bys, 3 for Move Th roughs) 
  by the Advantage to determine how many inches 
  of movement it takes to add +1 DC to the attack. 
  (Again, the standard HERO System rounding rules 
  do not apply when determining the amount of 
  velocity required to add damage.) Th en divide the 
  inches of movement by that number to obtain the 
  number of DCs added.
  Example:  A character who can move 20” does 
  a Move Th rough with his spear (HKA 2d6, 
  Armor Piercing). Normally the Move Th rough 
  would add +6 DC (20”/3 = 6 DCs) to the 
  HKA, making it an HKA 4d6. However, since 
  the HKA is Armor Piercing, the character must 
  multiply 3 (the number used to calculate the 
  bonus damage from a Move Th rough’s velocity) 
  by 1.5, just as if the Advantage were applied. 
  Th is equals 4.5. Dividing 20 by 4.5 yields 4.4, 
  meaning the Move Th rough adds 4 DCs to the 
  attack (raising its damage to HKA 3d6+1).
  OTHER CIRCUMSTANCES
  At the GM’s option, characters may ignore 
  Advantages that don’t directly affect how a target 
  takes damage, such as Reduced Endurance, Range 
  Based On STR, or Charges, when determining 
  how STR and other factors add to an attack with 
  an Advantage.
  
  Hero System 5th Edition
  112 ■ Damage And Its Effects
  Now that you know how to dish out damage, 
  here’s how to take it.
  Basically, there are two types of defenses in the 
  HERO System:  
  —Normal Defenses, which only protect against 
  Normal Damage. Th ey include a character’s natural 
  PD and ED.
  —Resistant Defenses, which protect against both 
  Normal Damage and Killing Damage. Th ey include 
  Armor, Force Fields, and PD and ED for which a 
  character has bought Damage Resistance. In Heroic 
  campaigns, Resistant Defense usually indicates 
  some form of armor.
  Another important distinction is between 
  physical damage (such as punches, bullets, 
  swords, falling, clubs, and the like) and energy 
  damage (such as fire, lasers, Energy Blasts, and 
  the like). Defenses usually only protect against 
  one type of damage or the other — a character’s 
  natural Physical Defense (PD) only works against 
  physical attacks, and his natural Energy Defense 
  (ED) against energy attacks.
  Normal Damage Attacks
  Both Normal Defenses and Resistant Defenses 
  protect a character from Normal Damage. A 
  character’s main form of Normal Defense are his 
  natural PD and ED. Th ese can be supplemented by 
  defenses bought as Powers (for example, Limited 
  forms of PD and ED, or Resistant Defenses like 
  Armor or Force Field).
  PD (and physical Normal and Resistant 
  Defenses) protects against physical Normal 
  Damage; ED (and energy Normal and Resistant 
  Defenses) protects against energy Normal Damage. 
  Subtract the character’s total applicable defense 
  from the total STUN done by the attack, and again 
  from the total BODY done by the attack.
  Example:  A troll hits Chiron with a club; the 
  attack does 6 BODY and 23 STUN. He has 
  4 PD plus leather armor with DEF 3, so he 
  takes 23 - (4 + 3) = 16 STUN and 6 - 7 = -1 
  or 0 BODY.
  Killing Damage Attacks
  Only Resistant Defenses oﬀ er protection against 
  Killing Damage. A character’s natural PD and ED do 
  not normally subtract from Killing Damage (unless 
  made Resistant with Damage Resistance).
  A character may apply his applicable Resis-
  tant Defenses against the BODY done by a Killing 
  Damage attack. Furthermore, if he has any applica-
  ble Resistant Defense, he may also apply his Normal 
  Defenses to reduce the STUN of the attack.
  Example:  A Vegan shoots Andarra with its 
  maser (RKA 2d6) and hits her in a location not 
  covered by her DEF 6 body armor. Th e Vegan 
  rolls 6 BODY and 12 STUN. Since Andarra has 
  no body armor in that area, and thus no appli-
  cable Resistant Defense, she takes all 6 BODY 
  and 12 STUN — her natural ED oﬀ ers no pro-
  tection against the Killing Damage.
  Th e Vegan’s second shot does 8 BODY and 24 
  STUN, but it hits Andarra’s body armor this 
  time. Andarra subtracts her body armor’s DEF 
  6 from the BODY done:  8 - 6 = 2 BODY gets 
  through. Because she has an applicable Resis-
  tant Defense, Andarra may also use her Normal 
  Defenses against the STUN damage; she totals 
  her natural ED of 3 and the body armor’s DEF 
  6 and subtracts the total (9) from the STUN: 24 
  - 9 = 15 STUN gets through.
  If a character has Resistant Damage Reduc-
  tion, but his PD and ED themselves are not Resis-
  tant, he may not apply his PD and ED against the 
  STUN caused by Killing Attacks.
  Minimum Damage 
  From Injuries
  Regardless of whether an attack does Normal 
  Damage or Killing Damage, a character automati-
  cally takes 1 STUN for every 1 point of BODY 
  damage that gets through his defenses. He can 
  Recover this STUN normally; he doesn’t have to 
  heal the BODY damage ﬁ rst.
  Example:  Ogre has a PD of 40, but only 5 of 
  it is Resistant. He gets shot by a .44 Magnum 
  revolver and takes 10 BODY, 30 STUN. Aft er 
  applying his defenses, he would normally take 
  5 BODY, 0 STUN. Because he took BODY 
  damage, he takes a minimum of 1 STUN per 
  point of BODY taken, so he takes 5 STUN 
  regardless of his defenses.
  TAKING 
  DAMAGE
  
  113 
  Hero System Combat Handbook ■ Chapter Four
  Other than this automatic (and usually tem-
  porary) loss of STUN, the loss of BODY does not 
  aﬀ ect a character’s STUN. A character can have 
  0 BODY or negative BODY and still have lots of 
  STUN — he’s dying, but awake and active.
  Attack Modiﬁ ers
  Some Power Advantages enable attacks to 
  ignore (partially or fully) a character’s defenses. 
  Th ese Advantages include Armor Piercing, Attack 
  Versus Limited Defenses, No Normal Defense, Pen-
  etrating, and so forth. Similarly, there are a number 
  of Power Limitations (such as Reduced Penetration) 
  which aﬀ ect the amount of damage an attack does. 
  For a full description of how these Modiﬁ ers work, 
  see Power Modiﬁ ers.
  EFFECTS OF DAMAGE
  Th ere are four major eﬀ ects of damage. In 
  order of severity, they are Stunning, Knockout, 
  Injury, and Death.
  Stunning
  If the STUN done to a character (aft er sub-
  tracting defenses) is less than or equal to his Con-
  stitution (CON), there’s no eﬀ ect other than the 
  loss of STUN. If the STUN done to a character by 
  a single attack (aft er subtracting defenses) exceeds 
  his CON, he’s Stunned.
  A Stunned character’s DCV instantly drops 
  to ½ (as do the modifiers for making Placed 
  Shots against him). At the end of the Segment, 
  any of his Powers that aren’t Persistent, and any 
  Skill Levels of any type, turn off. The charac-
  ter remains Stunned and can take no Action 
  until his next Phase (he cannot even Abort to a 
  defensive Action). A character who is Stunned 
  or recovering from being Stunned can take no 
  Actions, take no Recoveries (except his free Post-
  Segment 12 Recovery), cannot move, and cannot 
  be affected by Presence Attacks. Stunned charac-
  ters typically retain their grip on objects they are 
  holding, but this may depend on the object being 
  held (heavier ones are dropped more often than 
  light ones) and the nature of the attack.
  A character is Stunned by any suﬃ  ciently large 
  loss of STUN, no matter how he loses it. STUN 
  damage from an Energy Blast or Killing Attack, 
  reduction of STUN due to a Drain STUN, loss of 
  STUN due to a Dependence or Susceptibility, and 
  the pain of an Ego Attack, to name just a few, can 
  all Stun a target.
  At no point does a character suﬀ er BODY 
  damage because of the amount of STUN damage 
  he’s taken. STUN is STUN and BODY is BODY, 
  and taking STUN, even in massive amounts, doesn’t 
  cause a character to take BODY damage. (But see 
  page 88 regarding choking a character to death.)
  If a character is Stunned, and takes enough 
  damage to be Stunned again before he gets to 
  recover from being Stunned, he doesn’t have to 
  recover twice — he was already Stunned, so he 
  can’t be “Stunned more.” One recovery from being 
  Stunned takes care of both.
  If a character is Stunned by a Constant attack, 
  he can recover from being Stunned if he has a 
  Phase in a Segment in which his attacker does not 
  (and therefore in which he does not take damage 
  from the Constant attack).
  If a character has been Presence Attacked 
  to the point where he can only take a Half Phase 
  Action, and later in that same Segment, but before 
  he gets to take his Half Phase Action, he’s Stunned, 
  he can recover from being Stunned by using his 
  Half Phase Action. If a character recovers from 
  being Stunned, and someone Presence Attacks him 
  later in that same Segment to the point where he 
  can only take a Half Phase Action, the character 
  only performs a Half Phase in his next full Phase.
  TAKING DAMAGE
  Here’s a summary of the rules on taking damage:
  1.  If the attack does Normal Damage (ﬁ sts, clubs, 
  Energy Blasts):
  a.  Add all applicable forms of Defense — both 
  Normal and Resistant — together to determine the 
  character’s total Defense.
  b.  Subtract the character’s total Defense from the 
  STUN damage done by the attack. Th e remainder is 
  how much STUN damage he suﬀ ers.
  c.  Subtract the character’s total Defense from the 
  BODY damage done by the attack. Th e remainder is 
  how much BODY damage he suﬀ ers.
  2.  If the attack does Killing Damage (claws, blades, guns):
  a.  Determine how much of the character’s Defense 
  is Resistant (meaning it protects against Killing 
  Damage). Armor, Damage Resistance, Force Field, 
  and Force Wall provide Resistant Defense; so does 
  armor the character wears (chainmail or plate 
  armor, for example).
  b.  Subtract the character’s Resistant Defense from 
  the BODY damage done by the attack. Th e remain-
  der is how much BODY damage he suﬀ ers.
  i.  A character’s Normal Defenses, including his 
  PD and ED (unless modiﬁ ed by Damage Resis-
  tance), do not reduce the BODY from Killing 
  Damage, even if he has Resistant Defenses.
  c.  If the character has no Resistant Defenses, he 
  takes all the STUN damage done by the attack.
  d.  If the character has any Resistant Defenses, add 
  all applicable forms of Defense — both Normal and 
  Resistant — together to determine his total Defense. 
  Subtract his total Defense from the STUN damage 
  done by the attack. Th e remainder is how much 
  STUN damage he suﬀ ers.
  3.  If the attack does No Normal Defense (NND) damage:
  a.  If the character has the applicable defense, he 
  takes no damage at all.
  b.  If the character does not have the applicable 
  defense, he takes all the damage.
  Some Advantages, such as Armor Piercing, Penetrating, or 
  Hardened, may aﬀ ect how damage applies to defenses.
  
  Hero System 5th Edition
  114 ■ Damage And Its Effects
  A Stunned (or Knocked Out) character doesn’t 
  necessarily fall down or collapse. It all depends on 
  the “special eﬀ ect” of being Stunned or Knocked 
  Out, so to speak. However, the GM’s well within 
  his awesome powers to rule that a Stunned char-
  acter does fall down — that would certainly be a 
  common sense interpretation of many situations 
  that Stun a character.
  RECOVERING FROM BEING STUNNED
  A Stunned character must take a moment to 
  clear his head and recover from the eﬀ ects. Th is is 
  called recovering from being Stunned.
  Recovering from being Stunned requires a 
  Full Phase, and is the only thing the character can 
  do during that Phase. A character can recover from 
  being Stunned in the Segment in which he was 
  Stunned if he had a Phase in that Segment and his 
  Phase has not yet occurred. If a character becomes 
  Stunned while Holding an Action, he cannot use 
  his Held Action to recover from being Stunned 
  — he simply loses it. A character does not recover 
  from being stunned when he takes a Post-Segment 
  12 Recovery.
  In the character’s next full Phase after 
  becoming Stunned, he recovers from being 
  Stunned when his DEX occurs in the Segment. 
  He regains his full DCV (and Placed Shot modi-
  fiers return to normal), but he still cannot act 
  until his next Phase — recovering from being 
  Stunned is all he can do that Phase. However, 
  after recovering from being Stunned, a character 
  may, if he wishes, Abort to a defensive Action 
  (even in the same Segment in which he recovers 
  from being Stunned).
  Example:  Andarra (DEX 20, SPD 3) is Stunned 
  by an attack on Segment 6. She must use her 
  Phase on Segment 8 to recover; she recovers on 
  DEX 20 (so an enemy attacking her in Segment 
  8 with, say, DEX 15 would have to hit her at 
  her full DCV). Andarra cannot take any other 
  Action until her next Phase on Segment 12, but 
  may Abort her Phase in Segment 12 in Seg-
  ments 8 (aft er her DEX occurs), 9, 10, or 11 if 
  she so desires.
  If Andarra were Stunned in Segment 4 by 
  an opponent who attacked on DEX 24, she 
  would recover from being Stunned on her 
  Phase in Segment 4, since she had not yet 
  acted in that Phase.
  A character may be hit by an attack in the 
  Phase in which he’ll recover from being Stunned 
  before getting to do so (i.e., by another character 
  whose DEX is higher than his). If the character 
  takes no damage from the attack aft er applying his 
  defenses, he may still recover from being Stunned 
  as normal. However, if the character takes any 
  STUN or BODY damage from the attack, he cannot 
  recover from being Stunned that Phase; he must 
  try to do so on his next Phase instead. (At the GM’s 
  option, this also occurs if a character suﬀ ers any 
  similar eﬀ ect, such as losing INT to a Drain INT or 
  taking Knockback.)
  Recovering from being Stunned is not the 
  same thing as taking a Recovery. A character 
  regains no STUN when he recovers from being 
  Stunned, he merely shakes oﬀ  the eﬀ ects of being 
  Stunned (such as having ½ DCV). A character 
  can recover from being Stunned even if he cannot 
  breathe or is holding his breath.
  Th ere is no limit to the number of times a 
  character can be Stunned and recover from being 
  Stunned. Nor is there any limit to how much nega-
  tive STUN a character can accrue, but the GM 
  can establish a reasonable one (such as negative 
  the character’s starting STUN, or some multiple 
  thereof) if appropriate or desireable.
  Knockout
  If a character’s STUN total is reduced to 
  zero or below (whether by one attack or multiple 
  attacks), he is Knocked Out.
  When a character is Knocked Out, he instantly 
  becomes unconscious. His OCV, DCV, and ECV 
  are instantly reduced to zero (Placed Shot modiﬁ ers 
  against him are halved), and any attack that hits him 
  does 2x STUN, just as if he were Surprised while out 
  of combat. (Th e 2x STUN eﬀ ect applies to any Knock-
  back damage the character takes from the attack that 
  Knocked him Out, unless the GM rules otherwise.) At 
  the end of the Segment, any of his powers that aren’t 
  Persistent turn oﬀ , and he drops any held objects.
  If a character is only barely Knocked Out (down 
  to -10 STUN), he’s not completely unconscious — in 
  fact, it’s more like he’s deeply Stunned. Depending 
  upon the character and the nature of the attack, he 
  may even be on his feet, wobbly but still standing, as 
  he tries to shake oﬀ  the eﬀ ects of the attack. He’s dimly 
  aware of what’s going on around him, but is too woozy 
  and dazed to take any action or maintain any power. 
  He can make a PER Roll to perceive something really 
  important, but otherwise he cannot interact with the 
  world; he can’t move, Dodge, take any Actions, or do 
  anything but take Recoveries.
  If the character has been Knocked Out further 
  (below -10 STUN), he’s completely unconscious and 
  has lost contact with the world around him — he’s 
  out cold. He falls down, unable to keep his feet at all. 
  A character in this state of unconsciousness can be 
  killed automatically as a Full Phase Action by any 
  character with the means to do so (a Killing Attack or 
  other powerful attack) who makes a successful Attack 
  Roll against the unconscious character.
  Regardless of how severely the character has 
  been Knocked Out, he cannot do anything except 
  take Recoveries. He can take his ﬁ rst Recovery on 
  his next full Phase (unless he’s deeply unconscious; 
  see below) at the end of the Segment (aft er all other 
  characters who have a Phase that Segment have 
  acted). However, he cannot take a Recovery in the 
  Segment in which he was Knocked Out, even if he 
  had a Phase that Segment which had not yet been 
  used. A character who’s Knocked Out must take 
  Recoveries every Phase (or as oft en as allowed to) 
  until his STUN total is greater than zero. When his 
  STUN total is positive, the character wakes up, and 
  can take whatever Actions he wants to.
  STUNNING AND 
  MOVEMENT
  Technically, a Stunned 
  character immediately 
  stops moving in the 
  hex he was in when 
  attacked. He doesn’t take 
  any damage from this, 
  though depending on 
  the circumstances he 
  may soon (for example, 
  a ﬂ ying character begins 
  to fall). For greater 
  “realism,” have the 
  character tumble along 
  the ground in the direc-
  tion he was moving, 
  decelerating at 5” per 
  hex moved; if he hap-
  pens to hit something, 
  he takes velocity/5 in d6 
  of Normal Damage (to a 
  maximum dice equal to 
  the DEF+BODY of the 
  object he slams into).
  
  115 
  Hero System Combat Handbook ■ Chapter Four
  Th e body of an unconscious character puts 
  its entire energy reserve into waking up. Because 
  of this, when he wakes up, his END equals his cur-
  rent STUN total. (If a character is “awakened” from 
  being Knocked Out due to the addition of STUN 
  from Aid, Healing, or the like, his END equals his 
  STUN total as established by the Aid/Healing or his 
  END total at the time he was Knocked Out, which-
  ever is less.)
  Example:  Andarra was Knocked Out by a 
  plant creature with a stun rod; she was reduced 
  to -4 STUN. She has a REC of 7, so she’ll have 
  3 STUN at the end of her next Phase. Since 
  Andarra was Knocked Out, she awakens with 
  the same END total as STUN, so she wakes up 
  with only 3 END.
  A character who’s both Stunned and Knocked 
  Out by the same attack begins taking Recoveries 
  in his next full Phase; he does not have to spend a 
  Phase recovering from being Stunned (that’s part of 
  waking up from being Knocked Out).
  A character act at full strength or power as 
  soon as he Recovers from being Knocked Out — he 
  doesn’t have to act at partial strength or power for 
  some period of time (though the amount of END 
  he has, as described above, may restrict what he can 
  do). Th e rules don’t limit what a character can do 
  once he’s awake, other than restricting the amount 
  of END he has to spend.
  Taking Recoveries
  A deeply unconscious character may not 
  get a Recovery every Phase. It’s up to the GM to 
  determine what qualiﬁ es as “deeply unconscious” 
  and how long it takes a character in that state to 
  wake up. As a guideline, the GM can consult the 
  Recovery Time Table for suggestions on how oft en 
  a character should Recover.
  A character can Recover one level better on 
  the table if someone helps him by slapping his face, 
  splashing water on him, or oﬀ ering similar aid. 
  Helping someone requires a Full Phase Action, and 
  the unconscious character only gets the Recovery 
  beneﬁ t as long as someone helps.
  Typically, you should only use the guidelines in 
  the Recovery Time Table for PCs, not NPCs. Once 
  an NPC is Knocked Out below the -10 STUN level, 
  even by a little, he should normally remain uncon-
  scious until the ﬁ ght ends (unless it would be dra-
  matically appropriate for him to wake up). Charac-
  ters shouldn’t have to keep hitting an unconscious 
  opponent “just to make sure he won’t wake up”; 
  that’s unheroic and undramatic. Th e GM shouldn’t 
  force them to do this by constantly having NPCs 
  wake up and start ﬁ ghting again.
  RECOVERY TIME TABLE
  STUN Total 
  How Often Character Recovers
  -0 to -10 
  Every Phase and Post-Segment 12
  -11 to -20 
  Post-Segment 12 only
  -21 to -30 
  Once a minute only
  -31 or more 
  GM’s option (a long time)
  
  Hero System 5th Edition
  116 ■ Damage And Its Effects
  Injury
  Characters who take BODY damage suffer 
  injuries — cuts, broken bones, wounds, and other 
  such unpleasantries. While this may entail loss 
  of blood, characters won’t lose more BODY due 
  to bleeding unless they are at or below 0 BODY 
  (see below) or the GM uses the optional Bleeding 
  rules (see page 123).
  The exact nature of an injury depends upon 
  the special effects of the attack that did the 
  damage:  fire causes horrendous burns; fists and 
  clubs crush and smash; swords and knives cut; 
  Energy Blasts inflict burns and disrupt tissue; 
  bullets cause puncture wounds, tissue disruption, 
  and hydrostatic shock. At the GM’s discretion, 
  this may have effects beyond loss of BODY; for 
  example, a burned character might lose some 
  points of Comeliness until healed.
  Ordinarily, the loss of BODY, or dropping into 
  the negative BODY range, doesn’t aﬀ ect a charac-
  ter’s CV, Skill Rolls, or the like. However, the GM 
  may apply any penalties he considers appropriate.
  Breaking Limbs
  Gamemasters may use the following 
  optional rules in place of Impairing and Dis-
  abling rules (see pages 120-21) to determine 
  whether an attack breaks a target’s limbs.
  Generally, a limb can take 1/3 of a character’s 
  starting BODY before being severed or breaking 
  (or becoming so damaged or mangled as to be use-
  less). Th us, it requires 3 BODY to break a normal 
  person’s arm; at the GM’s discretion, 1-2 BODY 
  might cause a minor fracture. If the GM is using 
  the Hit Location Table, the limb must take 3 BODY 
  aft er the BODYx from the Table is applied.
  Usually you cannot do more than 1/3 of a 
  character’s BODY to him by attacking one of his 
  limbs. If, for example, a barbarian PC uses his 
  sword to cut oﬀ  an enemy’s arm, the enemy should 
  take the 3 BODY necessary to cut oﬀ  the arm, 
  not the full BODY done by the attack (though 
  you should calculate the STUN based on the full 
  BODY). Th e injured character may pass out and 
  bleed to death, or die of infection in a few days, but 
  the loss of a limb in and of itself shouldn’t kill him.
  Example:  Sir Gareth uses his broadsword to 
  attack a goblin. He hits his foe in the Arm (the 
  GM is using the Hit Location Table) and does 
  12 BODY (and 24 STUN, per the Hit Loca-
  tion Table). Even aft er the goblin subtracts 
  its 3 points of Resistant Defense and halves 
  the damage due to the location, it still takes 5 
  BODY. Th e GM rules the goblin actually only 
  suﬀ ers 3 BODY because Sir Gareth has hacked 
  oﬀ  its arm; the STUN damage is unaﬀ ected.
  Death
  A character at or below 0 BODY is dying. He 
  loses 1 BODY each Turn (at the end of Segment 
  12). This is usually referred to as “bleeding to 
  death,” though it doesn’t necessarily involve loss 
  of blood.
  Death occurs when, either due to attacks or 
  “bleeding to death,” the character has lost twice his 
  original BODY (i.e., when he reaches a negative 
  BODY score equal to his starting positive BODY).
  Example: If a character who normally has 10 
  BODY reaches -10 BODY, he dies. A character 
  with a lower BODY, say 8, would only have to 
  reach -8 BODY to die. If a character who nor-
  mally has 10 BODY started the game with 6 
  BODY due to a previous injury, he still won’t 
  die until he reaches -10 BODY.
  Th is unpleasant fate is not inevitable. Another 
  character can stabilize a character at 0 or nega-
  tive BODY with a successful Paramedics roll (at 
  -1 for every negative 2 BODY). Th is doesn’t give 
  the wounded character back any BODY, it just 
  stabilizes his condition so he doesn’t lose any more 
  BODY. Th e GM should modify this number for 
  circumstances. With good medical care, good food, 
  rest, and warm and dry conditions, the character’s 
  chances are greatly improved (+1 to +3). Poor con-
  ditions, such as dirt, additional shocks, and extreme 
  cold, would impose a -1 to -3 penalty. See also 
  Recovering BODY, page 142.
  
  117 
  Hero System Combat Handbook ■ Chapter Four
  T
  he rules in this section are all optional. Th ey 
  add “realism” and depth to combat, but at 
  the expense of slowing down the action and 
  requiring more eﬀ ort and time to resolve. It’s 
  a good idea to avoid using these rules if there are a 
  lot of players (more than ﬁ ve or six). If you’re just 
  learning the game, then it’s an even better idea to 
  leave these optional rules for later.
  WOUNDING
  Th is option prevents characters from totally 
  ignoring wounds. A character who takes BODY 
  damage for any reason must make an EGO Roll at 
  -1 for every full 2 BODY the character has taken.
  If the roll succeeds, there’s no eﬀ ect beyond 
  the damage normally done by the injury. If the roll 
  fails, the character can’t take any oﬀ ensive action in 
  his next Phase — he can’t shoot, strike back, or use 
  any oﬀ ensive Combat Maneuver. He may still move 
  to Concealment, Dodge, or use any other neutral 
  or defensive Combat Maneuver. Th is simulates 
  the instinctive response to being wounded (saying 
  “ouch!”, clutching the wound, and perhaps ducking 
  back behind a wall).
  This rule applies more to NPCs than to PCs. 
  Player characters are assumed to be tough. Some-
  times the NPCs don’t have the drive or motiva-
  tion the PCs have.
  Th e GM should take care not to let Wound-
  ing interfere with the game. Wounding tends to 
  come into play much more frequently than Dis-
  abling or Impairing, and therefore has a greater 
  potential to disrupt or slow down the game. It 
  also has a higher “frustration potential”:  most 
  players can understand having to worry about 
  massive wounds that Impair or Disable them, 
  but no player likes to have his character “nickel-
  and-dimed” to death by taking a couple of BODY 
  here, a couple of BODY there. Use the rule with 
  discretion and dramatic sense, and it should work 
  ﬁ ne. Alternately, the GM can change the way the 
  rule works — either just for the PCs (because 
  they’re the heroes, aft er all) or for everyone — to 
  minimize its impact. For example, maybe the PCs 
  only suﬀ er a -1 to the EGO Roll for every 3 BODY 
  damage taken, instead of every 2 BODY.
  Characters can use Resistance to aid their 
  EGO Roll when wounded (or buy an ability like 
  It Doesn’t Hurt That Much on Dark Champions, 
  page 126).
  HIT LOCATION
  You can use the Hit Location optional rule to 
  determine which part of a character’s body is hit by 
  a particular attack or blow. Th ere are two ways to 
  use Hit Location. First, GMs can just use the table 
  to see where an attack hit the target, but not use the 
  location to modify the damage taken. Th us, a blow 
  to the head does the same amount of damage as a 
  blow to the arm, and so forth. Th is gives combat 
  some extra color, but does not actually aﬀ ect it in 
  the least. Th is is the recommended way to use Hit 
  Locations in most Superheroic campaigns. 
  Second, for most Heroic campaigns, the GM 
  might want to use the Hit Location Table to its full 
  eﬀ ect — that is, to help determine both the location of 
  the attack and how much damage the attack does. 
  HIT LOCATIONS AND KILLING DAMAGE
  To use the Hit Location Table for Killing Damage 
  attacks, do the following aft er an attack hits:
  1. Determine where the attack hit:  Roll 3d6 and 
  consult the ﬁ rst two columns of the Hit Location 
  Table to ﬁ nd out where the attack struck the target.
  2. Roll the BODY damage:  Roll the dice to deter-
  mine how much BODY damage the attack does.
  3. Determine STUN damage:  Multiply the BODY 
  rolled by the STUNx for the location hit instead of 
  rolling a STUN Multiplier. Th e result is the amount 
  of STUN done to the target before his defenses are 
  applied. Subtract the target’s appropriate defenses 
  to determine how much STUN he takes.
  4. Determine the BODY damage the target takes:  Sub-
  tract the target’s appropriate Resistant Defense from 
  the BODY of the attack to determine the BODY done. 
  Th en multiply that BODY total by the BODYx to ﬁ nd 
  out how much BODY the target actually takes.
  Example:  Arkelos hits a goblin (ED 5, DEF 3, 
  BODY 15) with his Fire Blast spell (RKA 3d6). 
  He rolls 3d6 to determine Hit Location and gets 
  an 8 — the Arms. He rolls another 3d6 to deter-
  mine the BODY damage for his spell and gets 
  a 13. Consulting the STUNx column, he ﬁ nds 
  that the STUN Multiplier for the Arms is x2, so 
  he does 26 STUN to the target. Th e goblin takes 
  18 of this aft er subtracting his defenses. Th en 
  the GM subtracts the goblin’s 3 DEF from the 
  BODY, leaving 10, which is multiplied by the 
  x½ BODYx for the Arms, so the goblin takes 5 
  BODY (reduced to 3 because it’s a limb wound; 
  see Breaking Limbs, above). What was once an 
  arm is now a charred stump.
  OPTIONAL EFFECTS 
  OF DAMAGE
  
  Hero System 5th Edition
  118 ■ Damage And Its Effects
  HIT LOCATIONS AND NORMAL DAMAGE
  To use the Hit Location Table for Normal 
  Damage attacks, do the following aft er an attack hits:
  1. Determine where the attack hit:  Roll 3d6 and 
  consult the ﬁ rst two columns of the Hit Location 
  Table to ﬁ nd out where the attack struck the target.
  2. Determine the STUN damage the target takes:  
  Roll the dice to determine how much STUN 
  damage the attack does. Th en apply the target’s 
  defenses. Multiply the amount of damage the target 
  takes aft er applying his defenses by the modiﬁ er for 
  that part of the body in the N STUN column.
  3. Determine the BODY damage the target takes:  
  Count the Normal Damage BODY as usual. Sub-
  tract the target’s appropriate defenses from the 
  BODY of the attack to determine how much BODY 
  he takes. Th en multiply that BODY total by the 
  BODYx for that part of the body to ﬁ nd how much 
  BODY the target actually takes.
  “Vitals” is deﬁ ned as any particularly delicate 
  or vulnerable area on the body; this can include the 
  groin, the heart, a large artery, or many other areas. 
  Th e GM should choose whatever eﬀ ect is most 
  appropriate for the attack and the situation. 
  Attacks that have the Area Of Eﬀ ect or Explo-
  sion Advantages, or that otherwise aﬀ ect an entire 
  area, use the standard Hit Location rules — the 
  character rolls a Hit Location, and the GM applies 
  the damage accordingly. Th e roll indicates the part 
  of the target’s body that’s the most directly aﬀ ected 
  by the blast. Alternately, the GM can dispense with 
  the Hit Location rules for Explosions and the like, 
  and just apply the damage generally with a rolled 
  STUN Multiplier.
  HIT LOCATIONS AND BARRIERS
  If the Hit Location rules are in use, and an 
  attacker ﬁ res at a target who’s protected by a Force 
  Wall, an ordinary wall, or some other barrier, here’s 
  how you resolve the damage if the attack penetrates 
  the barrier and aﬀ ects the target.
  For Killing Attacks, do this:
  1.  First, ﬁ nd out if the KA does enough BODY to 
  penetrate the FW. If not, the issue of the STUN is 
  moot.
  2.  If the KA gets through the FW, subtract the FW’s 
  defenses from the BODY done.
  3.  Apply the remaining BODY to the target nor-
  mally using the Hit Location rules, and calculate 
  STUN from it.
  For a Normal Damage attack, subtract the 
  Force Wall’s defenses (and the character’s other 
  defenses) from the STUN rolled, then apply the 
  NSTUN multiplier to the STUN damage the char-
  acter actually takes aft er defenses.
  HIT LOCATIONS AND VULNERABILITY
  Th e Vulnerability Disadvantage interacts with 
  the Hit Location rules as follows:
  For Killing Damage, do the following:
  1.  Roll 3d6 to determine where the attack hit.
  2.  Roll the damage dice to determine how much 
  BODY the attack does.
  3.  Use the STUNx multiplier to determine how 
  much STUN the attack does.
  3a. If the target has a Vulnerability that increases 
  the STUN damage, apply it at this stage, aft er apply-
  ing the STUNx multiplier. Th en subtract the target’s 
  appropriate defenses to determine how much 
  STUN damage he takes.
  3b. If the target has applicable Damage Reduction, 
  it now applies (aft er defenses are applied) to reduce 
  the STUN damage.
  4.  If the target has a Vulnerability that increases the 
  BODY damage, apply it at this stage, before apply-
  ing defenses. Th en subtract the target’s appropriate 
  Resistant Defenses to determine how much BODY 
  damage he takes. Th en apply the Hit Location’s 
  BODYx modiﬁ er to the BODY damage that gets 
  past his defenses (if any).
  4a. If the target has applicable Damage Reduction, 
  it now applies to reduce the BODY damage.
  For Normal Damage, do the following:
  1.  Roll 3d6 to determine where the attack hit.
  2.  Roll the damage dice to determine how much 
  STUN the attack does.
  3.  If the target has a Vulnerability that increases the 
  STUN damage, apply it at this stage, before applying 
  defenses. Th en subtract the target’s appropriate defenses 
  to determine how much STUN damage he takes. 
  Th en apply the Hit Location’s N STUN modiﬁ er to the 
  STUN damage that gets past his defenses (if any).
  3a. If the target has applicable Damage Reduction, 
  it now applies (aft er defenses are applied) to reduce 
  the STUN damage.
  4.  Determine the Normal Damage BODY the 
  attack does by the usual method. If the target has 
  a Vulnerability that increases the BODY damage, 
  apply it at this stage, before applying defenses. Th en 
  subtract the target’s appropriate defenses to deter-
  mine how much BODY damage he takes. Th en 
  apply the Hit Location’s BODYx modiﬁ er to the 
  BODY damage that gets past his defenses (if any).
  4a. If the target has applicable Damage Reduction, 
  it now applies (aft er defenses are applied) to reduce 
  the BODY damage.
  HIT LOCATION TABLE
   
  3d6 Roll 
  Location 
  STUNx 
  N STUN 
  BODYx 
  To Hit
   
  3-5 
  Head 
  x5 
  x2 
  x2 
  -8 OCV
   
  6 
  Hands 
  x1 
  x½ 
  x½ 
  -6 OCV
   
  7-8 
  Arms 
  x2 
  x½ 
  x½ 
  -5 OCV
   
  9 
  Shoulders  
  x3 
  x1 
  x1 
  -5 OCV
   
  10-11 
  Chest 
  x3 
  x1 
  x1 
  -3 OCV
   
  12 
  Stomach 
  x4 
  x1½ 
  x1 
  -7 OCV
   
  13 
  Vitals 
  x4 
  x1½ 
  x2 
  -8 OCV
   
  14 
  Th ighs 
  x2 
  x1 
  x1 
  -4 OCV
   
  15-16 
  Legs 
  x2 
  x½ 
  x½ 
  -6 OCV
   
  17-18 
  Feet 
  x1 
  x½ 
  x½ 
  -8 OCV
  If necessary, roll 1d6 to determine left  or right side (hands, arms, shoulders, thighs, legs, 
  feet). If you roll a 1, 2, or 3, the left  side is hit; if you roll a 4, 5, or 6, the right side is hit.
  
  119 
  Hero System Combat Handbook ■ Chapter Four
  Other Hit Location Rules
  Some GMs may wish to use the following 
  additional rules regarding Hit Locations.
  EXPANDING THE HIT LOCATION CHART
  The accompanying text box lists some 
  optional “new” Hit Locations. These are provided 
  only for targeting purposes; they don’t change 
  the Hit Location chart itself.
  ADJUSTABLE HIT LOCATIONS 
  As an optional rule for campaigns that use the 
  Hit Location rules, the GM can allow characters to 
  adjust the location they rolled by up to 1 point (not 
  one step, one point) up or down the Hit Location 
  chart for each 1 point by which they make their 
  Attack Rolls. In other words, an Attack Roll that 
  succeeds by a large margin has a greater chance to 
  hit a vulnerable spot, thus reﬂ ecting the degree of 
  the character’s success.
  Example:  Renegade shoots at a bank robber. 
  He needs a 13- to hit, and rolls a 10, making 
  the roll by 3. Th en he rolls on the Hit Location 
  Table and gets an 11 — the Chest. Using this 
  optional rule, he can adjust the 11 up or down 
  by up to 1 point for each point he made the roll 
  by (i.e., three points). So, he could take it up the 
  chart to 10 (still the Chest), 9 (Shoulders), or 8 
  (Arms), or down the chart to 12 (Stomach), 13 
  (Vitals), or 14 (Th ighs). He decides to go for the 
  “good shot” and adjusts to 13 (Vitals) for the 
  deadliest possible wound he can inﬂ ict.
  A character cannot adjust to a Hit Location 
  that he can’t perceive with a Targeting Sense or 
  that’s blocked from his line of ﬁ re by Concealment 
  or the like.
  INCREASING KILLING DAMAGE
  Some HERO System GMs are concerned that 
  Killing Damage weapons don’t put victims down 
  with even the spotty regularity of real-world weap-
  ons. Th e HERO System simulates dramatic, heroic 
  action. Th at means characters can take a lot of 
  damage and keep going. You can use the Impairing/
  Disabling rules to get around this, but those rules 
  are a little complicated. Or you could change all the 
  DCs for weapons, which takes time and eﬀ ort.
  As a simpler option for more “realistic” cam-
  paigns, try this instead:  double the BODYx Column 
  of the Hit Location Chart for Killing Damage attacks. 
  With this approach, the Head and Vital locations have 
  a BODYx multiple of x4, instead of x2, with Killing 
  Damage only (Normal Damage would still use x2). 
  Hands, Arms, Legs and Feet would be x1 instead of 
  x½, and Shoulders, Chest, Stomach, and Th ighs would 
  be x2 instead of x1. Th is makes Killing Damage weap-
  ons much more fearsome.
  Th is approach is not recommended for martial 
  arts-oriented campaigns, but it is appropriate for 
  gritty, “realistic” campaigns.
   ADDITIONAL HIT LOCATIONS
  Location 
  STUNx 
  N STUN 
  BODYx 
  To Hit
  Finger 
  x1 
  x½ 
  x¼ 
  -8
  Eye* 
  x5 
  x2 
  x2½ 
  -12
  Knee/Elbow 
  x2 
  x1 
  x½ 
  -7
  Spine† 
  x3 
  x1 
  x1 
  -7
  Neck/Th roat‡ 
  x5 
  x1 
  x2 
  -9
  Notes
  *:  In many cases, even well-protected characters have 
  little or no eye protection.
  †:  A hit to the spine from which the target takes BODY 
  usually results in some sort of paralysis; the extent and 
  duration of the paralysis depends on the wound. A 
  character can only target the spine from behind.
  ‡:  A hit to the throat usually causes loss of voice or similar 
  problems in addition to any other damage it causes.
  
  Hero System 5th Edition
  120 ■ Damage And Its Effects
  Placed Shots
  You can also use the Hit Location Table to 
  determine the OCV modiﬁ er for aiming at a par-
  ticular part of the body. Th is is known as a “Placed 
  Shot,” “Called Shot,” or “targeting.”
  Consult the To Hit column on the Hit Location 
  Table to determine the OCV modiﬁ er for targeting 
  a particular area. If a character makes an Attack 
  Roll aft er applying the OCV modiﬁ er, his attack 
  hits the area listed, doing the BODYx and STUNx 
  listed; if he misses, the attack misses altogether. If 
  applicable, the character can even choose the pre-
  cise number he would have rolled on the Hit Loca-
  tion dice. (Th is can be important if the target has 
  sectional defenses.)
  At the GM’s option, when a Placed Shot hits 
  there may be additional eﬀ ects based upon the spe-
  cial eﬀ ects of the Power being used (for example, 
  hitting someone in the face with a blast of ﬁ re may 
  cause temporary or permanent blindness).
  Examples:  Randall Irons wants to shoot Profes-
  sor Wong in the Arms. He suﬀ ers a -5 on his 
  OCV to hit, plus any other modiﬁ ers for Range, 
  Concealment, and so on.
  Chiron is ﬁ ghting an armored knight. Chiron 
  aims at the knight’s Head, which imposes a -8 
  OCV to Chiron’s OCV. Amazingly, Chiron hits 
  anyway. He can choose whether he hit location 
  3, 4, or 5. Since the knight has armor covering 
  locations 3 and 4, Chiron chooses location 5, 
  thereby avoiding the armor.
  PLACED SHOTS AND SURPRISE
  Whenever a target is Surprised out of 
  combat (see Combat Modifiers), halve the Placed 
  Shot modifiers. For instance, shooting at the 
  head becomes a -4 OCV shot instead of a -8 
  OCV shot. The same applies to Stunned charac-
  ters, and in some other situations (see the DCV 
  Modifiers Table on page 37).
  A character may place a weapon against some 
  speciﬁ c location on a completely immobile body 
  as a Full Phase Action. He doesn’t need to make an 
  Attack Roll to hit the target in the speciﬁ c location, 
  and can hit that location as an Action which takes 
  no time (consider this the equivalent of having the 
  target Covered).
  SPECIAL HIT LOCATIONS
  Sometimes a character may want to take a 
  Placed Shot at a group of areas on the target instead 
  of just one area. Or perhaps the target is partly 
  Concealed, and only certain areas of his body can 
  be hit. In such circumstances, the attacker should 
  use the Special Hit Location Table. Th is table lists 
  the diﬀ erent general locations, the OCV modiﬁ er to 
  hit those locations, and the dice roll to consult the 
  main Hit Location Table.
  Consult the Hit Location table normally. Use 
  the number from the dice roll (indicated in the 
  third column) as the number on the ﬁ rst column of 
  the Hit Location Table.
  Example:  Andarra (OCV 7) is shooting her 
  blaster at some space pirates (DCV 4) who are 
  using a bulkhead for Concealment; she can 
  only see their heads and chests. Preferring not 
  to hit the bulkhead, she opts for a High Shot 
  (-2 OCV). She rolls an 8 and hits! A High Shot 
  requires a 2d6+1 roll on the Hit Location Table, 
  so she rolls a 2 and a 1 and adds 1, for a 4 — 
  Head shot! One space pirate takes a blaster bolt 
  between the eyes and falls dead.
  SECTIONAL DEFENSES
  If the GM uses the Hit Location optional rule, 
  then defenses can be sectional — that is, they can 
  only protect certain Hit Locations. Th is can be used 
  to reﬂ ect a steel cuirass or bullet-proof vest that 
  only protects the Chest, a riot helmet that only pro-
  tects the Head, and so forth. If the campaign allows 
  for sectional defenses, characters should keep track 
  of how much armor they have for each location (if 
  any). Th e defense against an attack depends on the 
  armor covering the location where the attack hit.
  Example: Andarra has bought a vest of reﬂ ective 
  armor which provides 5 points of ED Armor to 
  protect herself against lasers and the like. Th e 
  vest covers the Chest, Stomach, and Vitals, so 
  it protects Locations 10-13 on the table. Th is 
  defense applies against any Energy Attack that 
  strikes these locations; the armor has no eﬀ ect 
  on attacks which hit her in other Locations.
  Sectional defenses are most appropriate for 
  Heroic campaigns. If the GM wants to use this 
  option in a Superheroic campaign, he has two 
  options. First, he can simply use the Power Limita-
  tion Activation Roll; this simulates defenses that 
  don’t always protect their user. Second, if he would 
  like to use the Hit Location rules, then he should 
  use Activation Roll to determine the Limitation for 
  the sectional defense. Refer to the Armor Coverage 
  Table, HERO System 5th Edition, Revised, page 488, 
  for details and examples.
  Impairing
  You can use this optional rule in conjunction 
  with the Hit Location optional rule.
  Whenever the BODY damage done to 
  an area (before or after the BODYx) is more 
  than half the character’s total BODY, that area 
  is Impaired. Consult the Impairment Table to 
  determine the effects of Impairment on different 
  parts of the body, and how long those effects last. 
  The Impairment effect for head and torso areas 
  SPECIAL HIT LOCATIONS
  General Location  
  OCV 
  Dice Roll
  Head Shot (Head-Shoulders) 
  -4 
  1d6+3
  High Shot (Head-Vitals) 
  -2 
  2d6+1
  Body Shot (Hands-Legs) 
  -1 
  2d6+4
  Low Shot (Shoulders-Feet) 
  -2 
  2d6+7*
  Leg Shot (Vitals-Feet) 
  -4 
  1d6+12
  * Count 19 as Feet
  
  121 
  Hero System Combat Handbook ■ Chapter Four
  should only occur if the character fails to make a 
  CON Roll, or at the GM’s discretion.
  Th ese eﬀ ects are optional. Th e GM should use 
  his judgment, with due regard for the nature of the 
  attack that caused the wound and the situation. 
  Sometimes applying these eﬀ ects strictly is not 
  the way to have the most fun. Feel free to alter the 
  eﬀ ects according to speciﬁ c circumstances.
  Each part of the body is listed, and possible 
  eﬀ ects of Impairment are discussed aft er each 
  listing. If a character suﬀ ers multiple Impairing 
  wounds that impose penalties on him, those penal-
  ties are cumulative.
  Disabling
  You can use this optional rule in conjunction 
  with the Hit Location optional rule.
  Whenever the BODY damage done to an 
  area (before or aft er the BODYx) is more than the 
  character’s total BODY, that area is Disabled. Con-
  sult the text below to determine the eﬀ ects of a Dis-
  abling wound on diﬀ erent parts of the body.
  Th e Disabling eﬀ ects should occur at the GM’s 
  discretion. Generally, unimportant ruﬃ  ans and 
  NPCs could be considered dead for the sake of 
  faster game play. Player characters should receive 
  the beneﬁ t of the doubt — aft er all, they’re the 
  focus of the campaign.
  If the character makes a CON Roll, the long 
  term eﬀ ects of a Disabling wound should be less 
  severe, and possibly only temporary in nature (roll 
  on the Impairment Table). A character who fails a 
  CON Roll may have to buy back any lost Charac-
  teristics, movement, or Perception at the regular 
  campaign price, depending on the GM.
  Disabling eﬀ ects can create story ideas. Th e 
  roleplaying possibilities are legion for characters 
  who are suddenly blinded, lose an arm, or become 
  paralyzed. But don’t spoil the players’ fun by apply-
  ing the rules in a rigid manner — it’s not every 
  player who wants to try to roleplay a blinded char-
  acter, aft er all. Technology or magic can oft en ﬁ x 
  any disability a character has. Cybernetic replace-
  IMPAIRING EFFECTS
   
  1d6 
  Time Impairment Lasts
   
  1 
  1 turn
   
  2 
  1 minute
   
  3 
  5 minutes
   
  4 
  1 hour
   
  5 
  5 hours
   
  6 
  1 day
  HEAD:  Th e character may become unconscious (GM’s 
  discretion), and upon waking could suﬀ er from tem-
  porary amnesia, dizziness, double vision, or impaired 
  speech. Th e GM could apply a -1 to -3 penalty on the 
  character’s CV, Perception, and Skill Rolls to reﬂ ect this.
  Th e GM may also decide that an NPC who has taken 
  an Impairing shot to the Head is dead, dying, or at the 
  very least out of the ﬁ ght. Th is is a good tool for get-
  ting unimportant ruﬃ  ans out of the way. Used wisely, 
  this rule can add to the drama of an adventure. Player 
  characters should almost never die from an Impairing 
  blow to the head.
  HANDS, ARMS, AND SHOULDERS:  Th e character loses the 
  ability to perform delicate actions with that hand. He 
  suﬀ ers a -3 OCV for any attacks using that arm, and -3 
  to any Skill Rolls involving that hand or arm. Striking 
  someone with that arm causes the character to take 2d6 
  STUN, no defense.
  CHEST, STOMACH, AND VITALS:  Th e character no longer 
  receives his Post-Segment 12 Recoveries. An Impairing 
  shot to the Vitals may leave an NPC dead or dying, in 
  the GM’s discretion (as for Head wounds).
  THIGHS, LEGS, AND FEET:  Halve the character’s 
  Running. Th e character is -2 DCV because of his 
  reduced mobility.
  DISABLING EFFECTS
  HEAD:  Th e character will probably suﬀ er a long term 
  eﬀ ect such as amnesia, impaired speech, partial paraly-
  sis, hearing loss, or impaired vision. Th e GM may 
  decide to reduce some Characteristics such as INT, 
  EGO, or COM to reﬂ ect this. Roll 1d6 on the Head 
  Disabling Table to determine the type of damage. Th is 
  could be a useful plot twist. Perhaps the character for-
  gets who his enemies are!
  HEAD DISABLING TABLE
   
  1d6 
  Effect
   
  1 
  Lose 1d6 EGO
   
  2 
  Lose 1d6 INT (amnesia, impaired speech)
   
  3 
  Lose 1d6 COM
   
  4 
  -½d6 to Perception Rolls (hearing or vision  
   
   
   loss)
   
  5 
  -½d6 to all Skill Rolls
   
  6 
  Limb paralyzed (see next listing)
  HANDS, ARMS, AND SHOULDERS:  Th e character may 
  have -1d6 STR or DEX in that limb, or it may be totally 
  severed depending upon the nature of the attack and 
  the GM’s judgment. If the GM rules that the limb 
  remains attached, the character may try to make a 
  CON Roll. If he fails the roll, the limb is permanently 
  impaired, with the same eﬀ ects as Impairment. A char-
  acter who makes a CON Roll can retrain the arm to 
  normal with several months of therapy (and possibly 
  paying Character Points).
  CHEST, STOMACH, AND VITALS:  Long term eﬀ ects may 
  include the loss of various Characteristics. Roll on the 
  Chest Disabling Table.
  CHEST DISABLING TABLE
   
  1d6 
  Effect
   
  1 
  Lose 1d6 STR
   
  2 
  Lose 1d6 CON
   
  3 
  Lose ½d6 BODY
   
  4 
  Lose ½d6 REC
   
  5 
  Lose 2d6 END
   
  6 
  Lose 1d6 STUN
  THIGHS, LEGS, AND FEET:  Th e character may have 
  decreased movement and/or a distinctive limp. Th e 
  limb may be totally severed, depending on the nature 
  of the attack and the GM’s judgement. If the limb is 
  considered to be still attached, the character may try to 
  make a CON Roll. If the character fails the roll, the limb 
  will be permanently impaired, with the same eﬀ ects 
  as Impairment. A character who makes a CON Roll 
  can retrain the limb to normal with several months of 
  therapy (and possibly paying Character Points).
  IMPAIRING/
  DISABLING AND 
  INNATE POWERS
  If the campaign uses 
  the Impairing/Disabling 
  rules, then an attack 
  made with an Impaired/
  Disabled arm or hand, 
  whether it’s an innate 
  power or a weapon, 
  suﬀ ers the appropriate 
  penalty, while attacks 
  made with other parts 
  of the body (head, legs, 
  and the like) do not. 
  An attack made with 
  another part of the 
  body — such as energy 
  beams projected from 
  the eyes or the chest 
  — suﬀ ers no Impair-
  ing/Disabling eﬀ ect. 
  On the other hand, if 
  a character with eye-
  beams takes an Impair-
  ing/Disabling wound 
  to the head, that might 
  prevent him from using 
  his power, while a char-
  acter with hand-ﬁ red 
  energy beams could 
  still attack in that situ-
  ation. Th e GM should 
  interpret the situation in 
  light of common sense, 
  dramatic sense, and 
  consideration for game 
  balance.
  
  Hero System 5th Edition
  122 ■ Damage And Its Effects
  ments might be used, or a new body part regrown, 
  depending on the campaign.
  Each part of the body is listed in the accompa-
  nying box with possible Disabling eﬀ ects.
  DISABLING IN “LOW HEALING” CAMPAIGNS
  Unlike the more merciful Impairing rules, the 
  Disabling rules have the potential to be more danger-
  ous in genres where rapid, easy methods of healing or 
  repairing the body are unavailable. Th at means a Dis-
  abling wound can easily become a permanent facet of 
  a character, and this may ruin a player’s fun.
  But there are ways to avoid this unpleasant 
  fate. First, as noted in the rulebook, if a character 
  makes a CON Roll, the Disabling eﬀ ects he suﬀ ers 
  should be less severe, or even temporary (convert 
  them to Impairments instead). Second, the GM 
  could rule that characters with access to immedi-
  ate medical attention (such as another PC who 
  knows Paramedics) who get treatment quickly 
  suﬀ er an Impairment eﬀ ect instead of a Disabling 
  one. Th ird, the GM could grant Disabled characters 
  extra Experience Points they can only use to buy 
  back Characteristics and abilities lost to Disabling 
  wounds. Th e GM should do this gradually, over 
  many game sessions — but eventually, a Disabled 
  PC will be back to full strength.
  If possible, don’t let a character suﬀ er from 
  more than one Disabling wound at a time. Th e GM 
  should let him to heal before severely injuring him 
  again. Aft er all, few players want to play characters 
  who are always walking wounded.
  KNOCKDOWN
  Weapons, especially big ones, can knock 
  people down; so can powerful attacks of just 
  about any kind. This is simulated by Knockdown, 
  an optional rule used with the Hit Location 
  Table. Whenever a character takes an Impairing 
  wound, he must retreat one hex and make a DEX 
  Roll. If he fails the roll, he falls down. Whenever 
  he takes a Disabling wound, he’s automatically 
  Knocked Down, and falls back one hex for every 
  2 BODY rolled on the dice over the character’s 
  starting BODY (i.e., the amount of BODY he has 
  when fully healed, such as 10 BODY for a normal 
  human). A Knocked Down character must use a 
  Half Phase Action to get to his feet (if he was in 
  midair or midwater, he must spend a Half Phase 
  reorienting himself).
  Example:  A gigantic alien with a blaster (RKA 
  3d6) does 14 BODY to Andarra, who only has 
  10 BODY. Andarra is Knocked Down and goes 
  ﬂ ying back two hexes.
  Knockdown is recommended only for use in 
  Heroic campaigns. Superheroic campaigns should 
  use Knockback (see below).
  At the GM’s option, characters might suﬀ er 
  Knockdown not only when they suﬀ er an Impair-
  ing or Disabling wound, but whenever they would 
  ordinarily suﬀ er Knockback (i.e., roll as if rolling 
  for Knockback; if any Knockback results, the char-
  
  123 
  Hero System Combat Handbook ■ Chapter Four
  acter suﬀ ers Knockdown). Also at the GM’s option, 
  characters can convert the Does Knockback (+¼) 
  Advantage into Does Knockdown — any hit from 
  a weapon with this Advantage automatically does 
  Knockdown, even if it inﬂ icts no STUN or BODY 
  damage past the target’s defenses.
  BLEEDING
  When this optional rule is used, characters 
  may continue to take damage from blood loss 
  after they suffer an injury. Among other uses, 
  this rule allows the GM to have NPCs bleed to 
  death if untended (which is sometimes useful for 
  plot purposes). In situations where a character 
  can get immediate medical care, there’s no need 
  to use the Bleeding rules. Generally, you should 
  use Bleeding when a character gets injured, but 
  still wants to keep going.
  Whenever a character loses BODY, he will 
  Bleed, thus losing STUN and occasionally some 
  extra BODY. Th e Bleeding Table lists how much 
  damage characters take from Bleeding. Th e column 
  Number of Dice/Turn is the number of dice of 
  STUN the wounded character takes per Turn. 
  Wounded characters should roll the dice on Seg-
  ment 1 of each Turn. Th e STUN lost from Bleeding 
  may be Recovered normally (see Recovery). When-
  ever the character rolls a six on any of the dice, he 
  loses an additional 1 BODY. Th is may cause the 
  character to Bleed faster. However, the maximum 
  BODY lost from bleeding is 1 BODY per Turn, 
  even if several sixes are rolled.
  Th us, a character who has lost 3 BODY due to 
  a wound would lose 1d6 STUN every Turn.
  Th ere is a chance Bleeding will stop of its own 
  accord. Th e character must be unconscious or rest-
  ing for a full Turn — he cannot engage in any type 
  of combat or perform any Action which takes a 
  Half Phase or Full Phase in any Segment of that 
  Turn. If he meets these conditions, the Bleeding 
  stops if he rolls a number in the range shown in the 
  Stop Bleeding column on his Bleeding dice. Char-
  acters still take the indicated STUN damage in the 
  Turn the Bleeding stops.
  Characters with Paramedics (an Everyman 
  Skill) may attempt to stop Bleeding. Appropriate 
  tools (bandages, pressure packs, antiseptics) can 
  add up to +3 to the roll, as can taking additional 
  time. Extremely poor conditions or medical tech-
  niques (“bleeding’s good for you”) may warrant a 
  penalty (-1 to -3). Th e Bleeding stops if the charac-
  ter succeeds with a Paramedic roll, per the rules in 
  the section Death, above.
  Wounds that have stopped Bleeding may 
  reopen if the character exerts himself. Th e GM 
  should check on Segment 1 if the character used 
  his STR or made a Full Move at any time during 
  the previous Turn. If the GM rolls less than (9 + 
  (number of dice character would Bleed) - (amount 
  Paramedics roll was made by, if Paramedics was 
  used to stop the Bleeding)), the wound reopens and 
  the character begins Bleeding again.
  Example:  Andarra has lost 6 BODY. She 
  will lose 2d6 STUN per Turn from Bleeding. 
  Andarra stops to rest. On Segment 1, she rolls 
  the 2d6 and gets a 2 and a 1, totaling 3 STUN 
  lost. Because she did not exert herself, and 
  rolled within the numbers listed under the Stop 
  Bleeding column, she stops Bleeding.
  Andarra ﬁ nishes resting and runs toward an 
  enemy’s spaceship. To check to see if her wound 
  reopens, she rolls 3d6. She rolls a 13. Since the 
  chance for her wound to reopen was (9 + 2) = 
  11 or less, she does not start Bleeding again.
  Blunt weapons or Normal Damage (from any 
  kind of attack) are less likely to induce Bleeding. Such 
  damage is considered to be -1 level on the Bleeding 
  table. Th us, a character who has taken up to 5 BODY 
  from only Normal Damage will not bleed; at 6-10 
  BODY, he’ll take 1d6 per Phase; and so on.
  Healing Regeneration and similar abilities 
  have no eﬀ ect on Bleeding; characters with those 
  abilities Bleed normally.
  KNOCKBACK 
  In some types of combat, characters deliver 
  such mighty blows that the combatants get knocked 
  all over the battleﬁ eld. To reﬂ ect this, characters can 
  do Knockback (KB). Knockback is most appropriate 
  for Superheroic campaigns; Heroic campaigns gen-
  erally should use Knockdown (see above) instead.
  Of course, not all attacks do Knockback. You 
  should limit Knockback to attacks that do damage 
  by directly striking the target — for example, 
  punches, Energy Blasts, Killing Attacks, and the 
  like. Attacks that don’t damage the target through 
  direct force do not do Knockback. Th is second 
  category typically includes Powers such as Drain, 
  Transfer, Flash, and Transform.
  Since the amount of Knockback a character 
  takes depends upon the BODY damage rolled for 
  an attack that hits him (see below), attacks that 
  don’t inflict BODY damage (such as Ego Attacks 
  and Attack Powers bought with the NND and 
  AVLD Advantages) usually don’t cause Knock-
  back. However, characters can buy them, or any 
  other Power that doesn’t do BODY, with the 
  Advantage Does Knockback. In this case, count 
  the “Normal Damage BODY” the Power would 
  do if it were a Normal Damage attack, and use 
  that to determine the Knockback.
  BLEEDING TABLE
   
  BODY 
  Number of 
  Stop
   
  Lost 
  Dice/Turn 
  Bleeding
   
  1-5 
  1d6 
  1
   
  6-10 
  2d6 
  2-5
   
  11-15 
  3d6 
  3-9
   
  16-20 
  4d6 
  4-13
   
  21-25 
  5d6 
  5-17
   26 or more 
  6d6 
  6-21
  
  Hero System 5th Edition
  124 ■ Damage And Its Effects
  DETERMINING KNOCKBACK
  To determine how much Knockback a charac-
  ter suﬀ ers from being hit, the attacker rolls 2d6 and 
  subtracts the total from the amount of BODY rolled 
  for the attack. Use the total amount of BODY rolled 
  on the attack dice, regardless of the target’s defenses, 
  how much damage the character takes aft er applying 
  defenses, Vulnerabilities, Hit Location modiﬁ ers, or 
  the like. Th e one exception is if the damage has to ﬁ rst 
  penetrate a barrier, such as a wall or Force Wall. In that 
  case, base the Knockback on the BODY damage that 
  gets through the barrier; if none gets through, there’s 
  no Knockback. (If some does get through, the amount 
  that gets through would be doubled for Double 
  Knockback purposes.)
  If the result is negative, no Knockback occurs 
  — the defender remains where he was standing 
  before the attack.
  If the result is 0, the defender is Knocked 
  Down. A character who is Knocked Down must 
  spend a Half Phase in his next Phase getting to his 
  feet (or reorient himself if he were in mid-air or 
  mid-water).
  If the result is positive, the target is Knocked 
  Back that many inches. He ends up lying on the 
  ground (or imbedded in a wall or other object), and 
  must spend a Half Phase to get up (or getting out of 
  whatever he hit).
  If a character is hit by an Autoﬁ re attack that 
  does Knockback, the Knockback equals the highest 
  Knockback rolled for any of the attacks that hit, +1” 
  for each additional attack that hit. (Th e Knockback 
  doesn’t protect the character from being hit by any 
  of the Autoﬁ re hits.) For multiple-power attacks, 
  and Rapid Fire and Sweep used to hit a single target 
  multiple times, roll the Knockback separately for 
  each hit, and use only the highest result.
  If a character has a power that has the Does 
  Knockback Advantage but doesn’t roll damage (such 
  as Darkness), the GM can use whatever method he 
  feels is appropriate and won’t slow the game down to 
  determine the “Normal Damage BODY” for purposes 
  of calculating Knockback. Some possibilities include:  
  rolling 1d6 per 5 or 10 Active Points and counting the 
  “Normal Damage BODY”; using a ﬂ at 1 BODY per 5 
  or 10 Active Points; or using a deﬁ ned number of dice 
  or BODY per increment of the power (such as, say, 2 
  BODY per 1” of Darkness).
  If a single attack affects multiple targets (as 
  with, for example, an Area Of Effect attack or 
  an Explosion), and those targets have different 
  Knockback modifiers, roll Knockback for each 
  target separately.
  Modifying Th e Number Of Knockback Dice
  Certain situations modify the number of d6 
  rolled to determine Knockback. Th e Knockback 
  Modiﬁ ers Table lists the diﬀ erent situations and the 
  modiﬁ er to the 2d6 normally rolled (the modiﬁ ers 
  are cumulative). For instance, if the target were 
  ﬂ ying, the GM would only roll 1d6 to determine 
  Knockback; if he were underwater, the GM would 
  roll 3d6. If the attacker used a Killing Strike (a Kill-
  ing Damage attack and a Martial Maneuver) on an 
  underwater opponent, the attacker would subtract 
  a grand total of 5d6 from his BODY to determine 
  Knockback. Shrinking, Density Increase, Growth, 
  and Knockback Resistance also aﬀ ect the total 
  Knockback a character takes. Th e GM can add 
  other modiﬁ ers as he sees ﬁ t.
  Example:  Howler hits Green Dragon with an 
  Energy Blast, doing 31 STUN and 9 BODY 
  worth of damage. Howler gets a 5 on her 2d6 
  Knockback roll. Green Dragon is Knocked Back 
  away from Howler 9 - 5 = 4” into a wall. He 
  takes 4d6 damage.
  In his next Phase, Green Dragon succeeds with 
  a Breakfall roll and gets to his feet as a Zero 
  Phase Action. He Half Moves to Howler and 
  hits her with a Martial Kick for 29 STUN and 
  8 BODY damage. He rolls a total of 2d6 (2d6 
  -1d6 because Howler is ﬂ ying +1d6 because he 
  used a Martial Maneuver) and gets a 10. Since 
  8 - 10 = -2, Howler isn’t Knocked Back at all.
  Increasing Knockback
  In some types of campaigns, such as Ninja 
  Hero games based on Japanese anime, attacks oft en 
  do tremendous amounts of Knockback — much 
  more than characters normally do with the regular 
  HERO System rules. If the GM wants more free-
  wheeling combat in the campaign, with lots of 
  Knockback, he can do several things. First, he can 
  roll fewer dice — 1d6 instead of the standard 2d6. 
  Second, he can ignore many of the modiﬁ ers that 
  decrease Knockback, such as the +1d6 for using 
  Martial Maneuvers. Th ird, he can encourage char-
  acters to add the Double Knockback Advantage to 
  their attacks by reducing its value, or even allowing 
  characters to buy it for a large group of attacks at 
  once (see page 105 of Th e Ultimate Martial Artist 
  for rules for doing this to Martial Maneuvers)
  Lastly, the GM can work with a player to 
  decide that a particular maneuver always does a 
  set amount of Knockback (no roll necessary). Th is 
  “free Knockback” usually shouldn’t exceed 3-5”, but 
  it’s up to each GM to determine what’s appropriate 
  and balanced for his campaign.
  KNOCKBACK DAMAGE
  Knockback can damage a target. A character 
  who is Knocked Back into a wall (or other upright 
  structure) takes 1d6 Normal Damage for every 1” 
  of Knockback taken (though the durability of the 
  wall may limit how much damage he takes; see 
  below). For instance, a character Knocked Back 6” 
  into a wall takes 6d6 damage. A character Knocked 
  KNOCKBACK MODIFIERS 
   
  Number of dice rolled
  Circumstance 
  for Knockback 
  Target is in the air 
  -1d6
  Target Rolled with the Punch 
  -1d6
  Target is underwater 
  +1d6
  Attack was a Killing Damage attack 
  +1d6
  Attack was a Martial Maneuver 
  +1d6
  Target is using Clinging 
  +1d6
  Target is in zero gravity 
  -1d6
  
  125 
  Hero System Combat Handbook ■ Chapter Four
  Back into another character damages himself and 
  the character he hits; both characters take 1d6 
  damage per 1” of Knockback.
  To determine if a character hits a structure 
  or other large object when he’s Knocked Back, the 
  GM simply needs to know which direction he’s 
  moving (i.e., opposite the direction from which the 
  attack came) and what’s in his way. If the structure 
  or object is big enough, he’ll hit it automatically. If 
  it’s small or narrow (for example, a tree or another 
  character), the character who did the Knockback 
  damage should make an Attack Roll using his base 
  CV (calculated only from DEX, with no CSLs or 
  other modiﬁ ers added) to see if he Knocked the 
  target Back into the object. Use the Target Size rules 
  to determine the structure’s or object’s DCV. Suc-
  cess indicates he did; failure indicates the target 
  misses the object.
  If a character hits a structure or other large 
  object, both he and the structure take damage. 
  Regardless of the amount of Knockback rolled, 
  the most dice of Knockback damage a character 
  can take when he hits a structure equals the DEF 
  + BODY of the structure. If he’s Knocked Back for 
  more inches than the structure has DEF + BODY, 
  he takes DEF + BODY dice of damage, the struc-
  ture (or part thereof) shatters, and he continues 
  through the hole. For every DEF + BODY total 
  worth of structure a character is Knocked Back 
  through, he ﬂ ies back 1” less. (See Breaking Th ings, 
  HERO System 5th Edition, Revised, page 447).
  Example:  Mechanon is Knocked Back 11” by 
  an attack. Two inches behind Mechanon is a 6 
  DEF, 2 BODY wall. Mechanon ﬂ ies back 2” and 
  smashes through the wall (because he’s been 
  Knocked Back further than 8 [the structure’s 
  DEF + BODY]). Mechanon takes 8d6 damage 
  (6 DEF + 2 BODY = 8d6 Knockback damage), 
  blows through the wall, and continues 11-2-8 
  = 1” more.
  Suppose that the wall was 6 DEF, 6 BODY 
  instead. In that case Mechanon would take 
  11d6 damage from hitting it, and would not 
  shatter it and keep moving — its BODY + DEF 
  exceeds the inches of Knockback he took.
  If a character who has been Knocked Back 
  does not impact a structure or other large upright 
  surface, he simply hits the ground. He takes 1d6 
  damage for every 2” he was Knocked Back — half 
  the damage of hitting an object.
  A character may take less Knockback damage 
  if he hits something soft , or more damage if he hits 
  something with jagged edges. If he hits something 
  particularly sharp, the GM can convert the damage 
  to Killing Damage of an equal Damage Class.
  Knockback damage is not limited to the 
  amount of dice or damage rolled for the attack that 
  caused the Knockback. It’s entirely possible for the 
  Knockback from an attack to do more damage than 
  the attack itself does.
  Distance traveled does not reduce Knockback 
  damage. For Knockback purposes, there’s no “decel-
  eration” or the like. A character impacting an object 
  takes his full Knockback damage whether he hits it 
  aft er traveling 1”,  8”, or any other amount.
  
  Hero System 5th Edition
  126 ■ Damage And Its Effects
  Downward Knockback
  An attacker can, if he chooses, Knock an 
  opponent downward into the earth. He can only 
  do this in HTH Combat, or in Ranged Combat 
  if he can get above his target. To use this option, 
  the attacker must declare his intention before 
  he attacks.  He then attacks and rolls Knock-
  back normally. If he rolls any Knockback, the 
  character is knocked prone in his hex. In addi-
  tion, the character takes 1d6 damage for every 
  2” of Knockback rolled (if he’s attacked directly 
  from above, the GM should treat the ground as a 
  “structure” and have the character take 1d6 per 
  1” of Knockback). A character who takes down-
  ward Knockback can use Breakfall to stay on his 
  feet and avoid the Knockback damage.
  Aerial And Upward Knockback
  A character who’s in the air and suﬀ ers Knock-
  back typically takes the Knockback damage (if 
  he hits something), not falling damage. However, 
  the GM may, in the interest of common sense and 
  dramatic sense, apply falling damage instead. Th is 
  makes the most sense when the character falls 
  a long way (particularly if he’s also Stunned or 
  Knocked Out). If the character’s so high up in the 
  air that he hits nothing, either due to Knockback or 
  because he’s able to right himself and ﬂ y under his 
  own power before hitting the ground, he takes no 
  damage at all.
  If a character takes Knockback in an upward 
  direction (perhaps after being uppercutted by 
  an attacker smaller than he), the inches traveled 
  aren’t halved (as they would be for a character 
  using Flight to move straight upward). Calculate 
  the inches traveled using the standard rules. 
  Unless the character happens to hit an object 
  mid-air, he takes no Knockback damage from 
  flying through the air this way, since he doesn’t 
  impact anything (even the ground).
  Other Eﬀ ects
  Being Knocked Back does not aﬀ ect the CV 
  bonuses a character gains from using a particular 
  maneuver. For example, a character using Martial 
  Strike or Dodge retains the DCV bonus he gets 
  from that maneuver even if he’s Knocked Back. Nor 
  does being Knocked Back eliminate the DCV pen-
  alty from maneuvers like Sweep.
  Knockback does not cancel out or reduce 
  velocity per se. However, since the victim of 
  Knockback is “knocked off his feet,” taking 
  Knockback stops him from continuing to move 
  until he gets to his feet again. (If he makes a 
  Breakfall roll to stay on his feet, he continues 
  moving at his current velocity in his next Phase, 
  unless he chooses to slow down or stop using the 
  standard rules for doing so.)
  DIRECTED AND RANDOM KNOCKBACK 
  If a character is Knocked Back through 
  or into a hex where there’s another character, 
  he’s assumed to miss the other character. If the 
  attacking character is trying to hit the other 
  character with the Knockback victim, use the 
  following rules.
  Sometimes a character wants to aim his attack 
  so that the Knockback the attack causes propels 
  the target into a third character, thus causing both 
  of those foes to suﬀ er the Knockback damage. To 
  do this, the character must do Knockback with his 
  attack against the ﬁ rst target — enough Knockback 
  that he could reach, and hit, the second target. If so, 
  the character must make an Attack Roll using only 
  his base OCV (as calculated from DEX, without 
  Combat Skill Levels, maneuver bonuses, or the 
  like) against the second target’s DCV. If that roll 
  succeeds, the ﬁ rst target hits the second target, and 
  they both take 1d6 damage per 1” of Knockback.
  With some types of attacks (for example, a 
  whirlwind created by an air-manipulating charac-
  ter), the direction of the Knockback is random — it 
  doesn’t have any relation to the direction the attack 
  came from. To represent this, a character can take a 
  -0 Limitation, Random Knockback. Alternately, the 
  GM may allow a character to take a -0 Limitation, 
  Variant Knockback, and deﬁ ne an attack as always 
  doing Knockback in a particular direction other 
  than straight away from the character.
  REDUCING KNOCKBACK
  Characters have several ways to reduce or 
  eliminate Knockback (see also page 78 regarding 
  Pulling A Punch).
  Knockback And Mass
  Characters or objects that are lighter or 
  heavier than normal (“normal” being 100 kilo-
  grams) oft en take more or less Knockback.
  For every 2x mass, a character takes -1” 
  Knockback. Th us, a character who weighs 400 
  kilograms takes -2” KB. Th e Density Increase Table 
  and Vehicle Size Table, HERO System 5th Edition, 
  Revised, pages 146 and 463, provide easy references 
  for increased mass.
  For every ½ mass, a character takes +1” of 
  Knockback. Since a character’s weight decreases to 
  1/8 normal for every halving of his height, every 
  level of Shrinking causes a character to take +3” 
  Knockback (see the Shrinking Table, HERO System 
  5th Edition, Revised, page 218).
  Th ese and other modiﬁ ers don’t aﬀ ect the 
  damage done by the Knockback, just the distance 
  (although this might change the likelihood of the 
  character hitting a structure). (On the other hand, 
  the Power Knockback Resistance reduces both the 
  distance and the damage, and the reduction of 
  Knockback gained from Density Increase functions 
  similarly.) For example, if a character who massed 
  800 kg was Knocked Back 10” by an attack, he’d 
  only go back 7”; but if he hit a wall at that point, 
  he’d take 10d6 of damage.
  Knockback And Breakfall
  A character who’s not unconscious or Stunned 
  may attempt a Breakfall roll at -1 per 2” of Knock-
  back to avoid taking damage from Knockback. If 
  the roll succeeds, the character takes no damage. He 
  also lands on his feet, so he doesn’t have to waste 
  a Half Phase Action to re-orient himself. Breakfall 
  doesn’t help a character who hits a wall or other 
  object, however.
  KNOCKBACK 
  DAMAGE SUMMARY
  Th e damage from 
  Knockback depends on 
  two factors:  number 
  of inches of Knock-
  back taken and objects 
  impacted.
  1. If the inches of 
  Knockback taken are 
  greater than the DEF 
  + BODY of the object 
  impacted, the number of 
  dice rolled for Knock-
  back damage equals the 
  DEF + BODY (and the 
  character keeps moving 
  backward as described 
  in the text).
  2. If the inches of 
  Knockback taken are 
  equal to or less than the 
  DEF + BODY of the 
  object impacted, the 
  number of dice rolled 
  for Knockback damage 
  equals the inches taken.
  3. If the character doesn’t 
  hit an object (i.e., he hits 
  the ground when he’s 
  Knocked Back horizon-
  tally), the number of dice 
  rolled for Knockback 
  damage equals half the 
  inches taken.
  
  127 
  Hero System Combat Handbook ■ Chapter Four
  Resisting Knockback
  A character can use his STR or Flight (if he has 
  it) to resist Knockback. In either case, he must declare 
  in advance of an attack that he’s resisting Knockback. 
  Doing so is a Half Phase Action and halves his DCV. 
  A character may Abort to resist Knockback.
  Any character can use his STR to prevent 
  Knockback from a given direction (if he’s hit from 
  an unexpected direction, he takes normal Knock-
  back). Th is requires a reasonably stable ground 
  surface for the character to “dig in.” Each 5 points of 
  STR reduces the Knockback by 1”. 
  A character with Flight may declare that he’s 
  using part of his Flight to root himself to a single 
  spot (or to remain at a speciﬁ c location in mid-air, 
  if he’s already ﬂ ying). For every 1” of Flight used to 
  stabilize him, he takes -1” of Knockback. He must 
  declare which direction he’s bracing against. If he’s 
  hit from an unexpected direction, he takes normal 
  Knockback.
  If a character attempting to resist Knockback 
  takes Knockback despite his eﬀ orts, he takes full 
  Knockback, just as if he’d done nothing.
  Here are some additional rules regarding damage 
  that may be appropriate for some campaigns.
  PUSHBACK  
  Pushback is a character’s ability to shove an opponent 
  away from him. In some cases he does this to put some 
  space between himself and his foe, but sometimes it has 
  other advantages (such as slamming an opponent into 
  a wall or knocking him oﬀ  a roof).
  To use Pushback, a player trades damage for the pos-
  sibility of doing additional Knockback. Th e player 
  declares his desire to have his character make a Push-
  back attack instead of a regular attack. If the attack hits, 
  the player decides how much damage to trade oﬀ . For 
  every 1 DC sacriﬁ ced, the attack does +2 BODY solely 
  for purposes of calculating Knockback. Visually, the 
  character may use an attack to “throw” an opponent 
  away from him, or project ch’i into an enemy to force 
  him away.
  Example:  Two karateka, Maeda and Egami, are 
  ﬁ ghting on a bridge over a deep gorge. Maeda 
  Th rows Egami, injuring him and putting him 
  near the edge of the bridge. Egami decides to fake 
  a serious injury rather than get to his feet and 
  risk being knocked oﬀ  of the bridge by Maeda’s 
  next attack. He makes his Acting roll by 3; Maeda 
  misses his PER Roll and falls into Egami’s trap. 
  Maeda leaps at Egami, planning to knock him 
  oﬀ  the edge. Egami tries a Pushback attack to 
  move Maeda far enough away from him that he 
  can get up and move away from the edge before 
  Maeda’s next attack. He uses his 10d6 side kick 
  and decides to sacriﬁ ce 5 DC for +10 BODY for 
  Knockback purposes. He hits Maeda and rolls 
  5d6 for damage:  17 STUN and 5 BODY. For 
  purposes of Knockback, this means 15 BODY. 
  Th e Knockback roll comes up 9, and Maeda goes 
  ﬂ ying back 6”. Th e GM explains that Egami got 
  his foot in the pit of Maeda’s stomach and shoved 
  him away. Unfortunately for Maeda, the bridge 
  is only 4” wide....
  Gamemasters should only adopt this rule if it’s appro-
  priate and useful in the campaign. In some games it 
  may have the eﬀ ect of making the Shove maneuver and 
  the Double Knockback Advantage eﬀ ectively useless.
  
  Hero System 5th Edition
  128 ■ Damage And Its Effects
  CRITICAL HITS 
  Warning:  These critical hits rules, if added to a 
  campaign, make combat more dangerous and 
  unbalancing. The GM should only add them 
  to his campaign if he wants unpredictable and 
  lethal combats.
  A “critical hit” is a blow so accurate it does 
  maximum damage. One occurs when a character’s 
  roll to hit is less than half of what he needed to hit 
  the target.
  Examples:  An OCV 6 character shoots at a 
  DCV 5 character. He needs a 12 or less to hit. To 
  make a critical hit, he needs less than a (12/2) 6 
  to hit — i.e., he must roll a 5 or below.
  An OCV 7 character attacks a DCV 5 char-
  acter. He needs a 13 or less to hit. To make a 
  critical hit, he needs less than a (13/2) 6.5 to hit 
  — he must roll a 6 or less.
  If a character makes a critical hit, he does max-
  imum damage for the attack. Th erefore, a Killing 
  Attack 2d6 does 12 BODY. An 8d6 Normal Damage 
  attack does 48 STUN, 16 BODY. A 2d6 NND attack 
  does 12 STUN.
  If the campaign uses the Hit Location rules, 
  a Killing Attack uses the normal STUN Multi-
  plier for the location — 12 BODY to the Vitals 
  does 48 STUN, for instance. If those rules are 
  not in use, a Killing Attack does the maximum 
  possible STUN; if the STUN Multiplier is 1d6-1, 
  as with most Killing Attacks, then 12 BODY cor-
  responds to 60 STUN.
  Characters may only do critical hits to living 
  targets. Ignore critical hit results against targets like 
  doors and walls (it would be far too easy to get a 
  critical hit on a DCV 0 door, for instance).
  FUMBLES
  Related to critical hits are fumbles — disas-
  trous occurrences that sometimes afflict combat-
  ants. After all, if characters can score high levels 
  of success with excellent rolls, as a balancing 
  factor they should suffer some problem if they 
  roll very poorly.
  Any roll of 18 on an Attack Roll constitutes 
  a fumble (a fumble should also occur if the 
  character ever gets a 1 on any of his Unluck dice 
  rolled during combat). If you want fumbles to 
  occur more frequently, set a threshold based on 
  how badly the attacker misses. For example, per-
  haps any attack that rolls an 18 or misses by 4 or 
  more results in a fumble.
  Th e GM determines the exact eﬀ ects of a 
  fumble. Some possibilities include:
  —the character suﬀ ers a reduced DCV (maybe 
  even half DCV) until his next Phase
  —the character loses his weapon:  it slips from 
  his grasp and goes ﬂ ying into the street, it jams so 
  badly it needs out-of-combat repairs, it breaks, or 
  the like
  —the character may hit one of his friends; he must 
  make an attack at his base OCV against the friend’s 
  DCV (a Surprised penalty may apply)
  —the character stumbles and falls, suﬀ ering penal-
  ties for being prone until his next Phase
  MYSTERY DAMAGE 
  This is an option which only works for GMs 
  willing to keep track of more details in combat. 
  It’s not recommended for any GM unless he likes 
  being the one to keep track of character damage, 
  or has a special reason in a one-shot game to 
  keep his players off-balance.
  In real life, a person cannot suffer an injury 
  and know “Ah-ha, I’ve taken 4 BODY, it hurts 
  but I’m not in any danger yet.” He just knows 
  he’s hurt, and may have some vague idea of the 
  wound’s severity, but can’t be confident in his 
  ability to shrug it off.
  If you want to simulate this in the game, the 
  GM himself must keep track of all BODY damage 
  done by Killing Attacks; he can let the players keep 
  track of their own STUN damage from Killing 
  Attacks, and of STUN and BODY damage from 
  Normal Damage attacks. He’ll have to know how 
  much BODY the characters start with, and their 
  Resistant Defenses (and what parts of the body 
  they protect). He must make sure the players tell 
  him about any BODY their characters take from 
  Normal Damage attacks, and must record that 
  BODY with the Killing Damage they’re taking.
  MYSTERY DAMAGE WITHOUT HIT 
  LOCATIONS
  Whenever an NPC hits a PC with a Killing 
  Attack, the GM rolls the damage, rolls the STUN 
  Multiplier, and announces something like this: “Ed, 
  he’s stabbed you in the chest, right below the ribs. It 
  hurts a lot:  take 12 STUN.”
  Now, Ed knows only that it “hurts a lot” from 
  the STUN total he took; he doesn’t know how bad 
  the injury is. He doesn’t know if the GM rolled 3 
  BODY and a 4x STUN Multiplier; perhaps it was 
  6 BODY and a 2x STUN Multiplier; maybe it was 
  OTHER DAMAGE 
  EFFECTS
  
  129 
  Hero System Combat Handbook ■ Chapter Four
  2 BODY and a 6x STUN Multiplier (from the 
  Increased STUN Multiplier Advantage) or even 12 
  BODY and a 1x STUN Multiplier.
  To get an idea of how bad the wound is, he 
  must use a Half Phase Action to look at it. At that 
  point, the GM should say nothing more than: “It 
  looks shallow,” or “It looks deep but you’ve had 
  worse,” or “It’s deep and nasty-looking.” Thus, 
  characters won’t know when they’re mortally 
  wounded, though the GM can tell them how 
  they’re bleeding like stuck pigs and swiftly grow-
  ing weaker and weaker.
  MYSTERY DAMAGE WITH HIT LOCATIONS
  When you use Hit Locations in your game, 
  mystery damage becomes a bit more complicated. 
  A character who’s stabbed in the stomach and takes 
  12 STUN automatically knows he took 3 BODY. 
  Th erefore, in campaigns using Hit Locations, you 
  have to do things a little diﬀ erently.
  In this sort of campaign, you don’t just use the 
  STUNx column from the Hit Location chart. You 
  use that column, but also make two quick rolls. 
  First, make a 1d6 roll for subtract/add: a 1-3 means 
  subtract, and a 4-6 means add. Second, roll 2d6 to 
  determine how much STUN to add or subtract to 
  the STUN done by the attack.
  Alternately, the GM can simply keep track of 
  the STUN of the attack, along with the BODY.
  STUN DAMAGE IN 
  HEROIC CAMPAIGNS
  The HERO System rules reflect “dramatic 
  reality” — the “reality” depicted in genre novels, 
  movies, comic books, and television shows. This 
  has many implications for Heroic game play, 
  such as the fact that it’s easier to knock an enemy 
  out than to kill him.
  One of the most important aspects of dra-
  matic reality is this:  heroes don’t die. Th ey may get 
  beaten, battered, bruised, and even crippled, but 
  they don’t die. Th ey’re a hardy bunch — and they’ve 
  got to be, considering the opposition they face and 
  the fact that they’re on “center stage” throughout 
  the entire story. Th e HERO System rules reﬂ ect this 
  by making it relatively diﬃ  cult to kill player char-
  acters. Th ey oft en get Stunned or Knocked Out, but 
  they rarely die.
  But since all characters, player and non, are 
  built using the same rules and procedures, this 
  “hard to kill” eﬀ ect carries over to enemies and vil-
  lains. It’s usually not quite as stark, because the PCs 
  are the heroes and therefore built on more Char-
  acter and Experience Points than many of their 
  adversaries, but it does exist.
  Th e result is that, at the end of a Heroic 
  combat, the PCs oft en face a battleﬁ eld littered with 
  as many unconscious opponents as dead ones. Th is 
  leads to a major dilemma:  what to do with the 
  surviving foes? In some cases the PCs can just walk 
  away, but all too oft en that’s not an option. Player 
  characters who don’t want to burden themselves 
  with lots of prisoners (in other words, almost all 
  PCs) are left  with one unpleasant option — putting 
  a bullet in the head of each unconscious enemy.
  In the darkest campaigns, this is perfectly 
  acceptable behavior:  never leave a living enemy 
  behind, as they say. But in others, particularly 
  more lighthearted genres, having to slaughter a 
  bunch of unconscious people simply for the sake 
  of convenience destroys the mood of the setting 
  and the game. Aft er all, can you imagine Aragorn 
  or James Bond walking around the ﬁ eld of combat 
  aft er every battle and killing oﬀ  all the survivors? 
  Of course not, because it’s completely contrary to 
  the sense of drama and heroism inherent in such 
  stories. Th e author either arranges things so the 
  hero escapes from the ﬁ ght somehow, or he has 
  the enemies conveniently die of the wounds they 
  suﬀ ered in honorable, dramatic combat. Killing an 
  enemy in battle is highly appropriate; having to kill 
  one in cold blood aft er the battle is not.
  Of course, novels and movies aren’t games, and 
  games aren’t novels and movies — although they have 
  many similarities, they function diﬀ erently and you 
  have to approach them in slightly diﬀ erent ways. What 
  works in a novel or movie doesn’t necessarily work in 
  a  game. In a novel, the author can ensure that all the 
  enemies die in battle, thus sparing the hero the need 
  to kill them aft erwards. A roleplaying game can’t do 
  that, because it’s a mutually-craft ed story told by the 
  GM and players together, which means there must be 
  rules to deﬁ ne what characters can do and how events 
  unfold. And unfortunately, rules don’t always quite 
  portray dramatic reality the way you’d like it to — a 
  poor die roll, or the like, cheats you of a dramatically 
  appropriate moment or event.
  However, it’s possible for a GM and players 
  to adapt the rules, or their approach to combat, to 
  make a game a little more like novels and movies 
  by using some or all of the following optional rules. 
  Th ey should only apply to minor or trivial NPCs; 
  major enemies and villains should function in 
  combat just like PCs do.
  Ignore STUN Damage
  The first, and perhaps most drastic, option 
  is to ignore the STUN damage caused by Normal 
  Damage and Killing Damage attacks altogether. 
  STUN would still matter for Drain STUNs, 
  knockout poisons, the Club Weapon Maneu-
  ver, and the like, but not for purposes of typi-
  cal combat attacks. Once a minor enemy hits 0 
  BODY, he falls over dead.
  In addition to eliminating the “coup de grace 
  dilemma,” this optional rule has a useful side 
  Effect: 
  it speeds up combat. It removes the 
  need to count STUN damage or roll a STUN 
  Multiplier. However, it may also make fists and 
  Normal Damage weapons (such as clubs) less 
  effective; if you find this to be the case, consider 
  converting them to Killing Damage attacks with 
  the same number of DCs of damage.
  Stunned = Dead
  With this option, any time a minor NPC 
  becomes Stunned by a Normal Damage or Kill-
  ing Damage attack, he’s not Stunned — he’s dead. 
  Th is may make PCs too powerful, as they dispatch 
  
  Hero System 5th Edition
  130 ■ Damage And Its Effects
  minor NPCs like ﬂ ies (though that would certainly 
  make many combats go quicker). If you ﬁ nd that’s 
  the case, consider changing the rule so that only 
  Knocked Out enemies automatically die.
  One-Hit Wonders
  Gamemasters using this option don’t worry 
  about the exact STUN and BODY a minor enemy 
  has — they simply decide how many hits it takes 
  to kill him. Th e weakest are one-hit wonders:  a 
  single successful Attack Roll against them kills 
  them. Stronger foes require more, or better, hits. For 
  example, a two-hit foe takes two successful Attack 
  Rolls to kill, or only a single Attack Roll that’s made 
  by 2 or more; a three-hit foe needs three hits, or one 
  hit made by 3 or more; and so on. To disguise what 
  he’s doing, the GM should still have the players roll 
  damage dice; if a character gets an especially good 
  roll, the GM may treat that as the equivalent of 
  having made the Attack Roll by 1 or 2 points more.
  Major Wounds
  Sometimes it’s not quantity that counts, but 
  quality. With this optional rule, any time a character 
  inﬂ icts a single wound on a foe that does half or 
  more of the foe’s normal full positive BODY (aft er 
  the foe applies defenses), that foe dies. For example, 
  if Sarge ﬁ ghts a Maﬁ a gunman (BODY 10) and 
  inﬂ icts a single wound that does 5 BODY or more 
  (aft er the Maﬁ osi applies his defenses to reduce 
  the damage), the Maﬁ osi dies. Note that it doesn’t 
  matter if the gunman had already taken 7 BODY 
  damage so that he only had 3 BODY left ; it’s his 
  regular BODY (10) that counts for this rule.
  Altered Bleeding Rules
  A character injured so that his BODY falls 
  below 0 bleeds to death at the rate of 1 BODY at the 
  end of each Turn. A foe with positive BODY never 
  bleeds (unless you use the optional Bleeding rules). 
  Altering the bleeding to death rules may eliminate 
  the coup de grace problem in your game. Some pos-
  sibilities include:
  —Minor characters at 0 BODY or below bleed at 
  the rate of 1 BODY per Segment.
  —Minor characters at 0 BODY or below bleed at 
  the rate of 1 BODY per Turn per wound.
  —Minor characters who are Knocked Out bleed at 
  a rapid rate (1 BODY per Phase or per Segment, for 
  example), even if they still have positive BODY
  —No bleeding to death — any minor character 
  who reaches 0 BODY dies.
  Increased BODY Damage
  Lastly, you can solve this problem by increas-
  ing the BODY damage of weapons relative to the 
  STUN damage. Th at improves the chances a minor 
  NPC dies in battle. For example, maybe you could 
  halve all STUN damage rolls without changing 
  the BODY rolled. Or you could give all weapons 
  another die or two of damage only for BODY, 
  rolled aft er the character determines the STUN and 
  BODY from his “main” damage dice.
  
  131 
  Hero System Combat Handbook ■ Chapter Four
  STUN DAMAGE AND DEFENSES
  One of the reasons the “Stunned, but not dead” 
  problem arises in Heroic games is the comparative 
  level of attacks versus defenses. Most Heroic char-
  acters have relatively low defenses — Normal Char-
  acteristic Maxima caps their natural PD and ED at 
  8 (assuming they buy that much), and the heaviest 
  body armor (which characters oft en don’t have 
  access to) only adds about 13 DEF. Many Heroic 
  characters also have fairly low STUN scores.
  On the other hand, just about everyone does 
  have access to fairly powerful weapons. Between 
  weapons, STR, Combat Skill Levels, Martial 
  Maneuvers, Haymakers, and other options, many 
  characters can get up to the point where they 
  dish out seven or more Damage Classes’ worth of 
  damage without too much trouble. Th e result is 
  large STUN totals applied to comparatively paltry 
  defenses — which leads to lots of characters getting 
  Stunned and Knocked Out.
  If this causes problems in your game, but 
  you don’t want to increase defenses overall 
  (Heroic characters aren’t supposed to be walking 
  tanks, after all), consider applying a “reversed” 
  form of Reduced Penetration to weapons damage 
  (or at least to Normal Damage weapons, which 
  do more STUN damage on the average). When 
  a character is hit, roll the STUN and BODY 
  damage of the attack normally. The charac-
  ter applies his defenses against the full BODY 
  damage of the attack, but splits the STUN in half 
  and applies his defenses separately to each por-
  tion. After he determines how much STUN he 
  takes from each attack, he adds the taken damage 
  together and compares it to his CON to deter-
  mine if he’s Stunned. This keeps BODY damage 
  about the same, but reduces the frequency with 
  which characters become Stunned or Knocked 
  Out. (Naturally, you probably don’t want to apply 
  this rule to minor NPCs, though important 
  NPCs should use it.)
  HEALING AND 
  RECOVERING DAMAGE
  Combat inevitably leads to characters getting 
  injured, or even killed. Th at raises the issue of what 
  they can do to heal the wounds they sustain.
  The Role And 
  Place Of Healing
  Before deciding what optional rules (if any) to 
  adopt for healing (see below), GMs need to decide 
  what role healing plays in the campaign.
  In many Heroic campaigns, healing is rare. It’s 
  restricted to “realistic” methods such as drugs, sur-
  gery, and hospital care. Th ere are no magic spells, 
  wonder technology, or healing potions to patch a 
  character up in just a few seconds or minutes. If 
  a character suﬀ ers BODY damage, particularly in 
  signiﬁ cant amounts, it’s likely to be with him for 
  quite a while.
  Th e GM may need to compensate for the lack 
  of quick-and-easy healing methods in the way he 
  designs and runs scenarios. It’s common, in many 
  Heroic adventures, for the PCs to go through a 
  series of encounters, each more diﬃ  cult or deadly 
  than the last, until they reach the climax of the 
  story (which oft en features a major battle of some 
  sort). If the PCs get “nicked” a little here and there 
  along the way, by the time they reach the big ﬁ nale 
  they’ll be so close to dead that they may have trou-
  ble triumphing. Th e situation gets worse if a few 
  unlucky dice rolls leave the heroes badly injured 
  before the climactic encounter. If the GM wants to 
  avoid this (which he may not, in some highly “real-
  istic” campaigns), he has several possible options.
  First, he can arrange the scenario and its 
  encounters to de-emphasize or eliminate most 
  combats and other potentially injurious encounters 
  in the early stages of a scenario. Instead of battles, 
  he puts the PCs in situations where they have to 
  conduct investigations, engage in diplomacy, foil 
  or avoid security systems, and so on. However, this 
  method may prove diﬃ  cult to use frequently, or 
  make things seem “too easy” for the adventurers.
  Second, he can interpret his dice rolls “cre-
  atively.” As long as he keeps them secret (as most 
  GMs do), he can convert hits into misses, high 
  damage rolls into low damage rolls, and so forth 
  — all in the interest of making the story ﬂ ow in a 
  more appropriately dramatic fashion. If handled 
  properly, this method works very well, though some 
  GMs ﬁ nd it a little distasteful.
  Third, he can find substitutes for injur-
  ing the PCs. For example, if the dice indicate a 
  character’s about to suffer a bad wound, the GM 
  might choose to damage one of the character’s 
  weapons or some of his equipment instead. He 
  might even give the player the choice:  “OK, you 
  can either take a 5 BODY hit, or your assault 
  rifle can be so badly damaged it won’t work until 
  repaired — your decision.”
  
  Hero System 5th Edition
  132 ■ Damage And Its Effects
  Fourth, he can use some of the optional rules 
  described below to let mundane healing methods 
  have more eﬀ ect than they “realistically” ought to. 
  In many adventure stories and movies, oft en all a 
  character needs to get back into ﬁ ghting trim is a 
  little “patching up,” so it’s perfectly appropriate to 
  use the Paramedics Skill and other rules to keep the 
  heroes in relatively good repair. (Alternately, the 
  characters can buy abilities like the Rapid Healing 
  Talent found in several Hero Games genre books.)
  Optional Healing Rules
  Here are some optional rules to help GMs 
  deal with healing issues in their Heroic games. To 
  make use of these methods, players should keep 
  track of their characters’ individual wounds. Rather 
  than simply knowing his character’s lost 6 BODY, 
  a player needs to know his character has suﬀ ered 
  three wounds of 1 BODY, 3 BODY, and 2 BODY.
  Th ese rules tend to make body armor even 
  more valuable to characters, since it increases the 
  likelihood a wound only does low BODY damage. 
  Th e GM should consider them carefully before 
  deciding to implement them, and be prepared to 
  withdraw them from the campaign if they prove 
  too eﬀ ective.
  ENHANCED HEALING
  At the GM’s option, the Paramedics Skill can 
  fix minor wounds completely and make major 
  wounds a little less painful. For each wound a 
  character takes, another character with Paramed-
  ics can make a roll to restore 1 BODY of damage. 
  To do this, the character must make a roll at a 
  penalty of -1 per 2 BODY of the wound; this 
  takes at least 1 Minute per BODY of the wound 
  (and of course requires appropriate doctoring 
  supplies, such as bandages, painkillers, and surgi-
  cal needle and thread). If he succeeds, he heals 
  1 BODY of the damage. If he fails, he restores 
  no BODY; if he fails by 4 or more, he inflicts 
  another 1 BODY of damage.
  A character may only have one character apply 
  Paramedics to each wound in this fashion. Once 
  a wound is treated, further treatment (even by 
  another character with Paramedics) cannot beneﬁ t 
  it any. However, if a character fails his Paramedics 
  roll for a particular wound; another character can 
  try his own Paramedics roll. Generally, a character 
  cannot perform this type of Paramedics on himself, 
  but the GM may allow it for some types of wounds. 
  If so, the character takes double the penalty 
  described above for his roll.
  MINOR WOUNDS
  If the GM chooses to use this optional rule, 
  characters automatically “heal” minor wounds aft er 
  they ﬁ nish a battle. Th is represents the fact that the 
  wounds weren’t as bad as they ﬁ rst seemed — even 
  a little bandaging repairs them just ﬁ ne, the char-
  acter has the willpower to ignore the pain and keep 
  functioning, and so forth. Th e rule doesn’t help a 
  character at all during combat, but it helps keep 
  him going through a series of encounters.
  A “minor wound” is any wound of 1 BODY. If 
  the injured character, or any other character, makes 
  a Paramedics roll to treat the wound (no penalty to 
  the roll, no signiﬁ cant supplies required, and takes 
  1 Turn), then the lost point of BODY is restored to 
  the character in just a few minutes (the GM decides 
  exactly when). Even if the character has no way to 
  use Paramedics on his minor wounds, he automati-
  cally heals up to his REC worth of minor wounds 
  per day. Th e GM may apportion the healing over 
  the course of the day if desired, restore all the lost 
  BODY to the character when he rests for the night, 
  or the like.
  If combined with the enhanced Paramedics 
  rule, the minor wounds rule means any wound 
  of 2 BODY can be treated down to 1 BODY, 
  then healed as a minor wound. (This requires a 
  second Paramedics roll, of course.) Thus, only 
  wounds of 3 BODY or greater have any long-
  term effect on characters.
  Recovery
  Closely related to healing in general is REC 
  and the character’s ability to Recover lost STUN, 
  END, and BODY. Gamemasters who want to run 
  more “realistic” games may ﬁ nd that REC allows 
  characters to keep functioning a little too long 
  — particularly when it comes to Recovering END. 
  To shorten battles a little, GMs may want to restrict 
  characters’ ability to Recover. Some possibilities 
  include eliminating the Post-Segment 12 Recovery, 
  and forbidding characters to take Recoveries in the 
  middle of combat.
  
  chapter ﬁ ve:
  chapter ﬁ ve:
  chapter ﬁ ve:
  OTHER COMBAT RULES
  AND EFFECTS
  
  Hero System 5th Edition
  134 ■ Other Combat Rules And Effects
  Here are a few more situations that sometimes 
  arise in combat.
  Breaking Out Of 
  Entangles And Grabs
  If a character who’s trying to break out of an 
  Entangle (which doesn’t require an Attack Roll) 
  does twice the remaining BODY of the Entangle 
  or more, he’s free and has a Full Phase in which to 
  act (i.e., it takes no time at all to break out of the 
  Entangle). If an attack against an Entangle does 
  the remaining BODY of the Entangle or more (but 
  less than twice the remaining BODY), the charac-
  ter is free and may perform a Half Phase Action. 
  If an attack against an Entangle does less than the 
  remaining BODY of the Entangle, the character 
  is still Entangled and may take no more Actions 
  that Phase. (Th e same applies if a character uses 
  an innate ability, such as an Energy Blast, to try to 
  destroy the Entangle.)
  If a Grabbed character’s attempt to break out 
  of a Grab does twice as much BODY on his STR 
  Roll as the BODY rolled for the Grabber’s STR Roll, 
  the Grabbed character frees himself and has a Full 
  Phase in which to act. If the Grabbed character’s 
  attempt to break free does enough BODY to break 
  free (i.e., more BODY than rolled by the character 
  Grabbing him), but less than twice the BODY on 
  the Grabber’s STR Roll, the Grabbed character is 
  free, but may take no more Actions that Phase.
  At the GM’s option, a character does not have 
  to make a complete escape from a Grab or Entan-
  gle. Instead, he can try to free only one limb, which 
  he can then use as he sees ﬁ t. Th is allows +5 STR 
  on the attempt to escape or break free, since he can 
  concentrate his eﬀ orts on freeing just one limb.
  Casual Strength
  A character’s Casual STR equals half of his 
  normal STR. He may use Casual STR as a Zero 
  Phase Action to push past or smash through 
  obstacles while moving, break free from Entangles 
  and Grabs, and the like. However, Casual STR may 
  never be used to attack another character or cause 
  damage to him.
  Casual STR costs END to use, but a character 
  only has to pay END for his STR once per Phase, 
  no matter how many diﬀ erent things he does with 
  it in that Phase. For example, a character could use 
  Casual STR to break free from an Entangle, use 
  it again to smash through an obstacle, and then 
  punch someone with his full STR, and he only pays 
  END for his STR once.
  Since using Casual Strength is a Zero Phase 
  Action, a character could use it and fail to achieve 
  his objective (such as breaking free from a Grab), 
  then choose to use his full STR for the rest of his 
  Phase to accomplish the same goal.
  Characters As Weapons
  Characters oft en like to pick up an opponent 
  and use him as an impromptu club or missile with 
  which to attack another foe. Th is has the beneﬁ t of 
  hurting both enemies.
  Before a character can use another character 
  as a club/missile, he must Grab the club/missile. If 
  the club/missile is conscious (even Stunned), this 
  requires the normal Attack Roll and imposes the 
  normal penalties to the character’s OCV and DCV. 
  If he’s unconscious, the character still has to make 
  a Grab, but suﬀ ers only the standard -1 OCV and 
  -2 DCV penalties (he doesn’t have the usual halved 
  DCV in general, and halved OCV against other 
  targets, if his Grab succeeds).
  Once the character has successfully Grabbed 
  the club/missile, he may use the victim as a club 
  against any target in HTH Combat range, or as 
  a missile against any target within range of his 
  throw (see the Throwing Table on page 35 of 
  the HERO System 5th Edition, Revised rulebook). 
  To do this, he must make a separate Attack Roll 
  against that target. Unless the GM rules other-
  wise, this is a separate Attack Action, so it cannot 
  be performed in the same Phase when the char-
  acter performs his Grab. The standard CV modi-
  fiers for Grab apply, and the GM may impose 
  other modifiers to reflect the circumstances. If 
  the attack succeeds, both the club/missile and 
  the target take the character’s STR damage. (See 
  pages 63, 90 for rules regarding missed Throws.)
  Using another character as a club entails a 
  Weapon Size/Shape penalty of -2 OCV (if the “club” 
  is unconscious) or -4 OCV (if he’s awake). A char-
  acter used as a missile is neither balanced nor aero-
  dynamic (-4 OCV). Th ese penalties are in addition 
  to any the character suﬀ ers for performing a Grab.
  OTHER COMBAT 
  EFFECTS
  
  135 
  Hero System Combat Handbook ■ Chapter Five
  Crushing Damage
  Sometimes characters get crushed under heavy 
  objects (or enemies using Density Increase). To 
  calculate the eﬀ ects of crushing, determine the STR 
  required to lift  the heavy object. Th en use that STR 
  to apply damage to whatever it’s crushing (to save 
  time, you may want to apply the Standard Eﬀ ect 
  Rule and have the STR do 1 BODY and 3 STUN 
  damage per d6). As always, the GM may modify 
  this rule to prevent abuse, or in the interest of game 
  balance, common sense, and/or dramatic sense.
  Frequency Of Crushing Damage
  If a character does crushing damage (typically 
  because he has Density Increase and stands on top 
  of another character), the crushing damage applies 
  on each of his Phases. Th e character has to take an 
  Attack Action and succeed with an Attack Roll to 
  maintain the crushing each Phase aft er the Phase 
  in which he ﬁ rst crushes the character. If the Attack 
  Roll fails, the victim has somehow resisted being 
  crushed that Segment, but hasn’t gotten out from 
  underneath the character crushing him (the GM 
  may rule that a badly failed Attack Roll does mean 
  the victim wins free).
  Since applying crushing damage this way is an 
  Attack Action, doing it ends the character’s Phase, 
  and if the character decides to attack someone else 
  he cannot make an Attack Roll to crush the victim. 
  If a character wants to be able to crush people 
  and still do other things, he should buy a Damage 
  Shield that does damage equivalent to his crushing 
  damage, with appropriate Limitations.
  If it’s an object or phenomena doing the crush-
  ing (for example, if a landslide covers up a charac-
  ter, or a safe falls on him and pins him), the charac-
  ter takes the crushing damage in the Segment when 
  he’s ﬁ rst crushed, and then every Turn thereaft er. 
  For ease of bookkeeping, the GM can just apply the 
  damage every Segment 12; for greater complication, 
  apply it every Turn in the same Phase when the 
  character was ﬁ rst crushed. (Alternately, the GM 
  could impose crushing damage per Segment, like 
  damage from chemicals, if that seems more appro-
  priate given the circumstances.)
  Dragging
  Characters may sometimes ﬁ nd themselves 
  dragged along the ground behind galloping horses, 
  fast-moving chariots or stagecoaches, motorized 
  vehicles, or the like. In that situation, the dragged 
  character typically takes velocity/3 in d6 of Normal 
  Damage. Th e GM can change some or all of this to 
  Killing Damage if the surface is particularly sharp, 
  abrasive, or the like; he can reduce the damage if 
  the surface is soft . A dragged character can make 
  a Breakfall roll at -1 per 2d6 of damage he’d other-
  wise take to reduce the damage by half.
  Disguising Damage
  Sometimes a character wants to “disguise” the 
  sort of damage he’s doing — usually to keep Kill-
  ing Damage from looking like Killing Damage, so 
  onlookers won’t suspect the level of force he’s using 
  on his opponent. Another possible use is to make a 
  Nerve Strike look like a Normal Damage attack, so 
  observers don’t know the paciﬁ stic attacker is reluc-
  tant to use more damaging maneuvers.
  To do this, the attacker must make his Attack 
  Roll at -1 OCV for every 2 Damage Classes in the 
  attack — thus, an HKA 2d6 would impose a -3 
  penalty. If the Attack Roll succeeds, the target takes 
  the damage in the usual method for that type of 
  damage, but to anyone else observing the attack, it 
  looks like a Normal Damage attack. 
  If the GM allows characters to buy Power 
  Advantages for Martial Maneuvers (see page 105 of 
  Th e Ultimate Martial Artist), you can also achieve 
  this eﬀ ect without the OCV penalty by buying a +¼ 
  Invisible Power Eﬀ ects Advantage for the maneuver 
  you want to disguise. Th e character could take a 
  Requires A DEX Roll (-½) Limitation on the Advan-
  tage if the GM desires.
  The Fastball Special
  A “fastball special” is a special form of Grab 
  By, Move By, or Move Th rough in which a character 
  without signiﬁ cant movement abilities of his own 
  is thrown by a high-STR character (a character, in 
  other words!) at a designated target. It works like 
  a normal Grab By, Move By, or Move Th rough, 
  except that the “fastball’s” velocity depends on the 
  high-STR character’s ability to throw him. Use the 
  Th rowing Table on page 35 of the HERO System 
  5th Edition, Revised to determine how fast and far a 
  character can be thrown. For example, if a character 
  has an extra 25 STR with which to make a Th row, 
  and he makes a Standing Th row as part of a fastball 
  special, the “fastball” has a velocity of 10”.
  To perform a fastball special, have the thrower 
  make a normal Attack Roll against the target; the 
  CV modiﬁ ers for the maneuver the fastball plans 
  to use do not apply to the throw, but the normal 
  -4 OCV for throwing an unbalanced, non-aero-
  dynamic missile do. (Picking up and throwing the 
  fastball counts as an Attack Action that in and of 
  itself doesn’t alter the CVs of the people involved; 
  the thrower doesn’t have to use a Grab and Th row, 
  thereby reducing both his and the fastball’s CVs.) If 
  the throw succeeds (i.e., the thrower put the “fast-
  ball” in a position to make a HTH Combat attack 
  against the target), the “fastball” then makes his 
  own Attack Roll; CV modiﬁ ers for the maneuver 
  he uses do apply to his roll, but he doesn’t suﬀ er a 
  penalty just for being a fastball.
  Example:  Ironclad (STR 60, OCV 7) is going to 
  throw Nighthawk (STR 20, OCV 8) in a “fast-
  ball special” so he can perform a Grab By to 
  snatch a magic amulet out of a villain’s hands. 
  Nighthawk weighs 100 kilograms, so Iron-
  clad has 50 STR more than he needs to lift  his 
  
  Hero System 5th Edition
  136 ■ Other Combat Rules And Effects
  friend. Ironclad’s running throw allows him to 
  toss Nighthawk 40”. Th e villain is DCV 7. Iron-
  clad makes an Attack Roll and rolls an 7, which 
  allows him to hit the villain — the -3 OCV for 
  a Grab By doesn’t apply to his roll, but Night-
  hawk is unbalanced and non-aerodynamic (-
  4 OCV). Th at means Nighthawk is in position 
  to perform his maneuver. Nighthawk has an 
  OCV of 8, +1 Overall Level, for 9, but suﬀ ers 
  the -3 OCV, -4 DCV  penalty for the maneuver. 
  He rolls an 8 and hits! He gets +8 STR for the 
  maneuver, giving him 5½d6 for his attempt to 
  wrest the amulet from the villain.
  The “fastball” character gets a Full Phase in 
  which to act, since another character supplies his 
  movement. Typically he devotes the whole Phase 
  to making the attack. However, before being 
  thrown, or after traveling halfway to his target 
  (i.e., making a “Half Move”), he could use a Zero-
  Phase Action to activate a power. That could be 
  something simple (making his claws grow so 
  he can use them with the attack), or something 
  complicated like activating a Movement Power 
  or Body-Affecting Power (see below).
  At the GM’s option, the “fastball” can use 
  another Combat Maneuver or Martial Maneuver, 
  such as a Grab, Martial Disarm, Martial Strike, or 
  Passing Strike, as part of the attack, but still get 
  the typical velocity bonus to damage (or STR) as 
  if performing a Move By. This can cause game 
  balance problems, but may be appropriate for 
  some situations.
  THE FASTBALL SPECIAL AND MOVEMENT
  Th e basic fastball special rules assume the 
  “fastball” doesn’t have Movement Powers that 
  would allow him to reach the target, or that his 
  Movement Powers aren’t powerful enough to let 
  him get that far and still attack. But that may not 
  always be the case, and a proper combination of 
  throwing velocity and Movement Powers can yield 
  some interesting results.
  A “fastball” with any amount of Flight can 
  use 1” of Flight as a Half-Phase Action to change 
  the direction he’s traveling as a fastball by up to 
  sixty degrees (one hex side) without losing any of 
  his fastball velocity (or adding to it). At the GM’s 
  option, if the character applies one Movement Skill 
  Level, or makes a DEX Roll at -4, he can turn up to 
  120 degrees (two hex sides) without losing any fast-
  ball velocity. Th is is a good way to make a Surprise 
  Move or hurl the fastball around a corner.
  At the GM’s option, if the “fastball” has more 
  inches of Flight than the number of inches he’s 
  been thrown, he can add the excess to the throwing 
  inches, thus increasing both his distance traveled 
  and velocity-based damage. For example, if Iron-
  clad throws Sapphire 10”, and Sapphire has Flight 
  15”, she can add (15-10) 5” to her distance traveled 
  and velocity for damage purposes. Th is counts as a 
  Half Phase Action, regardless of how many inches 
  of movement the fastball adds.
  
  137 
  Hero System Combat Handbook ■ Chapter Five
  Alternately, but also at the GM’s option, if 
  the “fastball” has any number of inches of Flight, 
  he can add those directly to his fastball velocity, 
  “stacking” both of them to achieve a much higher 
  velocity (and thus greater distance traveled and 
  damage done). Using the example above, that 
  would allow Sapphire to travel 25” and do a total 
  of +8d6 damage with a Move Th rough. Th is option 
  can be extremely unbalancing for the game, though, 
  so GMs should consider carefully before allowing 
  characters to use it in the game.
  If for some reason a “fastball” with Flight 
  wants to slow down, he can apply half his inches of 
  Flight to counteract his thrown velocity as a Half 
  Phase Action.
  If the “fastball” has Teleportation, he can make 
  a Half Move with his Teleportation during the 
  throw to either increase the distance he’s thrown 
  (but not the damage from velocity), or to alter his 
  direction of attack and thus possibly gain a Surprise 
  Move bonus (this tactic works best if the fastball 
  has the Position Shift  Adder for his Teleportation).
  THE FASTBALL SPECIAL AND 
  CHANGING FORM
  The fastball special rules assume the “fast-
  ball” keeps the same size, form, and mass he had 
  when thrown. However, Body-Affecting Powers 
  can interact with a fastball special maneuver in 
  various ways. The easiest thing is for the GM to 
  just ignore this entirely, except for purposes of 
  determining the character’s mass (and thus how 
  far he can be thrown). But GMs desiring greater 
  “realism” (and thus complexity) should consider 
  using the following rules.
  Density Increase:  If a character has Density 
  Increase active at the moment he’s thrown, use it 
  to determine his mass. If he activates the power 
  in the middle of the maneuver, re-calculate how 
  far the thrower could have thrown him. If he’s 
  already traveled that far or further, he immedi-
  ately drops to the ground. If he still has some 
  inches left to travel at his higher mass, he travels 
  them, but no further. If a high-mass character 
  falls on a target, use the rules for dropped objects 
  on page 436 of the HERO System 5th Edition, 
  Revised to determine how much damage he does 
  (possibly adding a die or two to account for the 
  velocity from the throw, if appropriate).
  On the other hand, if the character is heavier 
  than normal when thrown, but then deactivates his 
  Density Increase and becomes lighter in mid-ﬂ ight, 
  re-calculate how far the thrower could have thrown 
  him. Add half the extra inches to the character’s 
  inches traveled and velocity for damage purposes.
  Desolidiﬁ cation:  A character has to be solid to be 
  thrown (unless the thrower has STR that can aﬀ ect 
  Desolidiﬁ ed objects, in which case consider the 
  Desolidiﬁ ed character to have his normal mass for 
  purposes of calculating the throw distance). How-
  ever, the character could activate Desolidiﬁ cation 
  aft er making a Half Move, and thus move through 
  solid objects in his path. Th e problem with doing so 
  is that the rules would not normally allow him to 
  turn his Desolidiﬁ cation oﬀ  in time to hit the target 
  and injure him. In this case, the GM can either 
  grant an exception to that rule, or allow an excep-
  tion if the character successfully makes a roll with 
  an appropriate Power Skill or other Skill.
  Duplication:  If a character Duplicates while in mid-
  throw, the Duplicates have his same velocity and 
  trajectory, and hit the target if he would. Th e GM 
  may impose restrictions, based on common sense 
  and dramatic sense, regarding how many “fastball 
  Duplicates” can hit a single target (two or three is 
  usually a good maximum).
  Growth:  Growth functions just like Density 
  Increase regarding the way it increases (or 
  decreases) mass. At the GM’s option, a Growing 
  character can use growth momentum against the 
  target (since the target is sort of “above” him as 
  he travels); this may require the character to suc-
  ceed with a roll with an appropriate Power Skill 
  or other Skill.
  Multiform and Shape Shift:  If a character uses one 
  of these powers to alter his form in a way that 
  increases his mass, apply the rules for Density 
  Increase to determine what happens. If his change 
  of shape alters his balance and/or aerodynamic 
  qualities, apply the worse of the two modiﬁ ers 
  from the Range Modiﬁ ers For Th rown Objects table 
  (HERO System 5th Edition, Revised, page 35) to the 
  thrower’s Attack Roll. For example, if the character 
  starts out neither balanced nor aerodynamic (-4 to 
  thrower’s OCV), but changes shape to a balanced 
  object (-2 OCV), the thrower still suﬀ ers the -4 
  OCV. Similarly, if the character starts out balanced 
  and aerodynamic (-0 OCV), but changes form to be 
  non-aerodynamic (-2 OCV), the thrower suﬀ ers a 
  -2 OCV penalty.
  Beyond that, the GM should use his common 
  sense and dramatic sense to determine the eﬀ ects 
  of changing shape. For example, some shapes may 
  be so broad or ﬂ at that they slow the character 
  down, subtracting inches from his velocity.
  Shrinking:  Fastballs oft en start out Shrunk, since 
  that allows the thrower to toss them a long way 
  (and doesn’t eﬀ ect the STR with which they strike!). 
  If they increase their size in mid-ﬂ ight, apply the 
  rules above for Density Increase to determine how 
  much they slow down. As discussed under Growth, 
  above, they may be able to use growth momentum 
  damage when they hit their target.
  Shrinking in mid-throw has an eﬀ ect oppo-
  site that of Density Increase. When the character 
  Shrinks, determine how far the initial throw would 
  have thrown him at his new mass. Add half the 
  extra inches to the character’s inches traveled and 
  velocity for damage purposes.
  Example:  Shrinker, at regular height and 
  mass, is thrown by someone with 30 extra STR 
  (so she’s traveling 24”). Aft er making a Half 
  Move, she takes a Zero-Phase Action to Shrink 
  down to the point where she weighs .2 kg. At 
  that weight, the thrower has 75 extra STR for 
  throwing purposes (for a distance of 60”). Half 
  the diﬀ erence is (60-24 = 36) 18”, so Shrinker 
  
  Hero System 5th Edition
  138 ■ Other Combat Rules And Effects
  now travels (24+18) 42”, using that velocity to 
  calculate damage if she hits the target.
  Stretching:  If they succeed with a DEX Roll, char-
  acters with Stretching can time their use of the 
  power just right so they can add Stretching velocity 
  damage to the damage they do from being “fast-
  balls.” Stretching may also allow a character who 
  won’t travel quite far enough because of the throw 
  to “add” a few inches onto the end of the maneuver 
  and manage to strike his target. Unusual alterations 
  of form via Stretching should be dealt with as dis-
  cussed under Multiform And Shape Shift , above.
  Inability To Sense 
  An Opponent
  A character who cannot perceive his 
  opponent(s) or target(s) with a Targeting Sense 
  (because he’s been attacked with a Flash, is in a 
  Darkness ﬁ eld, is otherwise “blinded,” or his oppo-
  nent is Invisible) suﬀ ers the following penalties:
  —In HTH Combat, the character is at ½ OCV and 
  ½ DCV. Th is applies both to when he makes attacks 
  in HTH Combat, and is attacked in HTH Combat.
  —In Ranged Combat, the character is at 0 OCV 
  and ½ DCV. This applies both to when he makes 
  attacks in Ranged Combat, and is attacked in 
  Ranged Combat.
  If a character can make a PER Roll with a 
  Nontargeting Sense (a Half Phase Action) to per-
  ceive a particular target, then against that target 
  only he is at -1 DCV, ½ OCV when attacked or 
  attacking in HTH Combat, and full DCV, ½ OCV 
  when attacked from or attacking at Range. Against 
  all other targets he is aﬀ ected by the standard “lack 
  of Targeting Sense” modiﬁ ers described above. Th e 
  beneﬁ ts of making this roll last until the beginning 
  of the character’s next Phase; if he wants them to 
  continue, he has to use another Half Phase Action 
  and succeed with another PER Roll.
  INVISIBILITY IN COMBAT
  At the GM’s option, Invisible characters may 
  get Surprise bonuses when they attack — even 
  if another character knows there’s an invisible 
  enemy skulking about, he’s still going to have a 
  hard time ﬁ guring out exactly where the Invisible 
  character’s attack is coming from or getting out of 
  its way. Since being Invisible already confers certain 
  combat beneﬁ ts (see above), the Surprise bonus 
  should be limited to +1 OCV at most.
  When facing an Invisible opponent in combat, 
  a character can try to make a new PER Roll once per 
  Phase to ﬁ nd the Invisible target until he succeeds. 
  Th is is a Half Phase Action. Once a PER Roll suc-
  ceeds, usually no further rolls are needed — aft er that 
  he knows generally where the Invisible character is. 
  However, if he turns his attention somewhere else or 
  becomes Stunned, he must make a new PER Roll to 
  reacquire the Invisible target when he can next act.
  If an Invisible character makes a visible attack, 
  the target of that attack (and anyone else who suc-
  ceeds with a PER Roll to spot the attack) only suf-
  fers a -1 to his OCV to attack back, even at Range, 
  until the Invisible character moves. Once the Invis-
  ible character moves out of the hex where he was 
  standing when he made the visible attack, his Invis-
  ibility aﬀ ects OCVs as normal.
  As discussed on HERO System 5th Edition, 
  Revised, page 192, a character’s weapons are cov-
  ered by his Invisibility except in the Phases he uses 
  them to make attacks, and there are many ways to 
  negate the beneﬁ ts of Invisibility in combat.
  GRABBING A TARGET
  At the GM’s option, if a character Grabs 
  his opponent, he gets a bonus in HTH Combat 
  to overcome the restrictions of being unable to 
  perceive that opponent with a Targeting Sense. 
  Grabbing the foe automatically gives the attacker 
  a successful PER Roll with a Nontargeting Sense 
  (Touch) against that foe. However, he’s still at 
  ½ DCV against the person he has Grabbed, 
  and other Grab rules apply. In other words, if 
  a blinded character can Grab his foe, he’ll be 
  only at -1 OCV and ½ DCV when fighting his 
  opponent. He’s at 0 OCV against anyone he’s not 
  Grabbing, and is at 0 DCV at range.
  Large Targets
  Normal-sized characters sometimes ﬁ nd 
  themselves ﬁ ghting much larger opponents 
  — giants, enormous dragons, building-sized killer 
  robots, necromantic colossi, and so forth. Th e 
  default rules for the HERO System don’t make any 
  allowance for this in the interest of speedy and 
  simple game play. Th us, even though a swordsman 
  may only be able to reach a giant’s feet and ankles, 
  he can still hack him to death with enough blows. 
  Of course, larger creatures have more BODY than 
  human-sized ones, but in the end enough damage 
  gets the job done. Th at’s certainly ﬁ tting for the 
  “dramatic heroism” the rules favor.
  Gamemasters who ﬁ nd this “unrealistic” 
  should consider implementing an optional rule to 
  ﬁ x the problem. Some possibilities include:
  —Use the Hit Location rules, if you’re not doing so 
  already. If a human-sized character can only attack 
  a larger foe’s feet and lower legs, the Hit Location 
  penalty reduces the damage considerably. Roll all 
  HTH attacks as Low Shots.
  —Reduce the damage that a smaller creature’s 
  attacks do to a larger creature. To some extent, the 
  rules for diﬀ erent weapon sizes take care of this; a 
  sprite’s tiny sword does very little damage to begin 
  with. But for human-sized and larger creatures, you 
  could reduce the damage an attack does by -1 point 
  of BODY per Size/Weight category the target is 
  above the character. (Th us, a human’s attacks would 
  do -3 BODY to Huge creatures.) Alternately, you 
  could rule that for any target creature more than 
  one Size/Weight category larger than the attacker, 
  the Reduced Penetration Limitation automatically 
  applies to the attack.
  
  139 
  Hero System Combat Handbook ■ Chapter Five
  —Give large creatures extra defenses that only 
  apply to attacks made by smaller creatures. One to 
  three points of Resistant Defense per Size/Weight 
  category above “Human-sized” should suﬃ  ce.
  Missed And Random Shots
  If a character misses with a Ranged attack, 
  generally that’s all that happens — the missed 
  attack doesn’t hit another character. If an attack 
  would ricochet oﬀ  some surface or is Missile 
  Deﬂ ected, it’s assumed not to hit any other target.
  At the GM’s option, if a character misses his 
  target with a Ranged attack, and there’s another 
  potential target it could hit (for example, another 
  goblin standing just a few feet behind the goblin he 
  shot an arrow at), there’s a possibility the second, 
  unintended, target gets hit instead. Th e character 
  should make another Attack Roll, using his base 
  OCV at -3 (i.e., no Combat Skill Levels or weapons 
  modiﬁ ers apply). If he succeeds, he hits the unin-
  tended target — not necessarily a good thing, since 
  the unintended target might be a friend.
  Th e GM may, if he chooses, decide that a 
  missed attack ricochets and hits something signiﬁ -
  cant. Generally this should not be another charac-
  ter or target, but instead some feature of the envi-
  ronment that makes the situation more dramatic 
  — a barrel that begins leaking a ﬂ ammable liquid, 
  the safety switch on the nuclear reactor, a ﬁ re 
  alarm, a rope holding up a chandelier, and so forth. 
  Characters cannot Missile Deﬂ ect an attack into 
  a potentially useful “target” this way; that requires 
  Missile Reﬂ ection.
  If a character chooses to ﬁ re 
  randomly into a crowd hoping to hit 
  someone (not any target in particular, 
  just anyone who happens to be in the 
  way), roll his base OCV (no modiﬁ ers) 
  against an appropriate DCV to deter-
  mine if he succeeds. Th e DCV should 
  normally be 3 for a relatively tightly-
  packed crowd; thinner or more spread 
  out crowds should have a higher DCV.
  In some cases NPCs will try to use 
  a crowd as “cover” from a character’s 
  attacks. If a character insists on trying 
  to hit the NPC anyway, use the normal 
  Concealment rules (page 43); a missed 
  shot generally means the person being 
  used as cover, or a random person in 
  the crowd, gets hit instead.
  Shoving
  At the GM’s option, any character can shove 
  another character the same distance he could throw 
  him with a Prone Th row; this is a standard combat 
  action involving STR and doesn’t require the char-
  acter to purchase any maneuver. Th e GM may, if he 
  wishes, allow a character with only 0 Extra STR to 
  still shove someone ½”. Th e general rules for Shove 
  (see page 95) apply to this type of shoving.
  OPTIONAL COMBAT RULES
  Th is section includes some optional rules for 
  combat in unusual situations. Th e GM decides 
  whether they apply in his campaign.
  Groundﬁ ghting
  Sometimes ﬁ ghts end up with two characters 
  struggling on the ground, rather than standing 
  up trading blows. In other cases, a character gets 
  knocked down and has to keep ﬁ ghting from the 
  ground because he doesn’t have the time or oppor-
  tunity to stand up safely. Unfortunately, “ground-
  ﬁ ghting” can be diﬃ  cult.
  First, characters on the ground (i.e., who are 
  “prone” in game terms, even if they’re not lying ﬂ at 
  on their backs) are at half DCV when attacked by 
  non-prone characters. Th ey have their full DCV 
  against attacks from other prone characters.
  Second, attacking from the ground imposes a 
  -2 OCV penalty on both HTH and Ranged attacks, 
  
  Hero System 5th Edition
  140 ■ Other Combat Rules And Effects
  regardless of whether the target is prone or stand-
  ing. Th e GM may decide not to impose this penalty 
  on Ranged attacks, if appropriate.
  Th ird, groundﬁ ghting aﬀ ects the weapons a 
  character can use easily. No weapon suﬀ ers a pen-
  alty against a standing target. Against other prone 
  targets, Small weapons suﬀ er no penalty, Medium 
  weapons suﬀ er a -1 OCV, and Long weapons suﬀ er 
  a -2 OCV (and may not be usable at all if the target 
  is too close; see page 52).
  Fourth, groundﬁ ghting has several eﬀ ects 
  on the use of Martial Maneuvers. First, it restricts 
  the Maneuvers a character can use. Obviously he 
  cannot use many kicks, and all maneuvers which 
  damage a character by causing him to fall are use-
  less; characters are oft en limited to punches, grap-
  pling, and similar maneuvers. Second, a character 
  not trained in groundﬁ ghting suﬀ ers a -2 OCV and 
  ½ DCV penalty.
  At the GM’s option, a character can eliminate 
  groundﬁ ghting penalties as to his groundﬁ ghting 
  opponent if he makes a PS: Groundﬁ ghting roll 
  (or, for Martial Arts, has a special Element, Use Art 
  while Prone). Th e ½ DCV penalty normally applied 
  to prone characters targeted by non-prone charac-
  ters still applies even if the character makes his roll 
  (or has that Element).
  Ignoring Opponents 
  In the HERO System, a character can run right 
  past and ignore an opponent standing in his way, 
  even if that opponent has Held an Action — the 
  character suﬀ ers no penalty at all. But that’s inap-
  propriate for many Fantasy campaigns, where you 
  should use the following optional rule instead:
  If one character moves right past (i.e., 
  through the same or an adjacent hex) a foe using 
  a Held Action to strike at him, the moving char-
  acter has only ½ his DCV against the attack. If 
  the character moves right up to a person wait-
  ing to attack him and stops there, or moves past 
  in a Move Through and attacks him, he has his 
  normal DCV. After moving up to that hex and 
  performing a maneuver (Strike, Block, Dodge, 
  anything) the character can continue on during 
  his next Phase and suffers no DCV penalty... but 
  he must spend at least one Phase in conflict with 
  his enemy or he suffers the penalty.
  Interposing 
  In the HERO System, it’s difficult for one 
  character to defend another. He can attack his 
  friend’s attacker, or use a Block to parry the 
  attacker’s blows. He could even Dive For Cover 
  in front of the attacker’s blow, automatically 
  taking the damage his friend would have suf-
  fered. Players and GMs who want another way 
  to defend other characters can use this optional 
  rule, which only applies to HTH Combat.
  To Interpose himself into a ﬁ ght, a character 
  moves in between the attacker and the person he 
  wants to defend. Th en he tells the GM what sort of a 
  DCV penalty he wants to take. Every -1 he takes to his 
  DCV is a +1 to his OCV if the attacker again attacks 
  the person he’s defending. (He can apply the OCV 
  bonus to Block, if desired.) Th e attacker knows this; 
  he can tell what the character’s doing and the potential 
  consequences. Th e DCV penalty and OCV bonus 
  apply only against that one attacker; against all others, 
  the character has his usual OCV and DCV.
  A character who doesn’t want to be defended 
  can cancel the Interpose attempt by moving 1” in 
  the direction of his attacker or otherwise declaring 
  that he chooses not to be defended. If the Interpos-
  ing character is aware of the decision, the Interpos-
  ing eﬀ ects go away; he gets his full DCV back. If the 
  Interposing character is not aware of the decision, 
  his DCV stays reduced... but he does not get an 
  OCV bonus if the other person attacks the person 
  the character thinks he’s defending.
  A character can Interpose to protect a doorway 
  or window, to keep someone from getting through 
  it. If the attacking character tries to get past him, the 
  interposing character gets his OCV bonus.
  Sucker Attacks
  Sometimes characters want to trick an enemy 
  into attacking them in such a way that the attack 
  misses and accidentally hits one of the attacker’s 
  comrades. Usually this involves tricking one foe 
  into shooting another foe with a gun or blaster, but 
  it may mean sidestepping so that two characters 
  trying to perform a Move Th rough on the same 
  target run into each other instead.
  To make a sucker attack, the character has to 
  have a Held Action available. He waits until the 
  ﬁ rst attacker is just about to attack, then Dodges so 
  the second attacker takes the hit instead. First, he 
  must make a DEX Roll against the ﬁ rst attacker’s 
  DEX Roll to time his Dodge just right — if he 
  fails, the ﬁ rst attacker’s attack goes oﬀ  before he 
  Dodges. Second, the ﬁ rst and second attackers must 
  be properly “lined up” for one to have a chance to 
  hit the other. If so, the ﬁ rst attacker must make an 
  Attack Roll using only his base OCV (as calculated 
  from DEX, without Combat Skill Levels, maneuver 
  bonuses, or the like) against the second attacker’s 
  DCV. If that roll succeeds, the second attacker takes 
  the damage intended for the character.
  Targeting Injured Areas
  Sometimes a character wants to target an 
  opponent’s existing injuries or inﬁ rmities as a way 
  of weakening, disabling, or torturing him. Th is isn’t 
  always very heroic, of course — but then again, not 
  all characters are heroes.
  For purposes of these rules, an injury or 
  wound is defined as any point on the body where 
  a character has taken BODY damage, regardless 
  of the type of attack used to inflict that damage 
  or whether the area is visibly injured. Cuts and 
  stab wounds from swords and knives, claw 
  wounds from animals, bullet wounds, and the 
  like are all “injuries.”  
  INTERPOSING 
  EXAMPLE
  Sir Gareth tries to 
  defend his injured 
  squire, Roderick, from 
  the attacks of an assas-
  sin. He moves between 
  Roderick and the assas-
  sin, Interposing himself. 
  He puts his Skill Levels 
  into DCV and has a base 
  DCV of 8; he opts to 
  reduce it by 5, to 3. Th is 
  tells the assassin he’s 
  going to have to expose 
  himself to Sir Gareth’s 
  attack if he attacks Rod-
  erick — Sir Gareth gets 
  a +5 OCV on attacks 
  against the assassin 
  (which he could use for 
  a Block or an oﬀ ensive 
  attack). His base OCV 
  is 6; it’s 11 versus the 
  assassin only, and only if 
  the assassin attacks Rod-
  erick instead of him.
  
  141 
  Hero System Combat Handbook ■ Chapter Five
  Targeting an existing injury can be easy or 
  diﬃ  cult, depending on the size of the wound. A 
  large wound (for example, a long cut from a sword) 
  imposes a -4 to -5 OCV modiﬁ er. A medium-sized 
  wound (for example, claw wounds from a tiger) 
  imposes a -5 to -7 OCV modiﬁ er. A small wound 
  (for example, a stab wound or a bullet wound) 
  imposes a -7 to -12 OCV modiﬁ er. Th ese modiﬁ ers 
  take the place of the Hit Location modiﬁ ers nor-
  mally used for Placed Shots (in eﬀ ect the wound 
  becomes a separate target).
  Hitting a wound or injured area has several 
  painful effects. The first hit to an existing wound 
  is so painful that negative damage modifiers 
  (such as x½) for STUN and BODY for the loca-
  tion of the wound are ignored. The victim takes 
  full damage, calculated with any positive modi-
  fiers (such as x1½ or x2).
  Th e second hit to an existing injury has the 
  same eﬀ ect as the ﬁ rst hit, plus it Impairs the area 
  (the GM should roll the Impairment Time nor-
  mally). Th e third and any subsequent hits to an 
  existing injury have the same eﬀ ect as the second 
  hit, plus the BODY damage done by the attack is 
  Penetrating. (At the GM’s option, the attack may 
  instead automatically be Disabling.)
  Twisting The Blade
  A favorite trick of many villains (and a few 
  vengeful heroes) is to stick a weapon into an enemy 
  and then twist the blade, causing intense pain and a 
  worse wound. To do this in HERO System combat, 
  the attacking character must declare his inten-
  tion to twist the blade before he makes the initial 
  attack; furthermore, characters can only perform 
  this maneuver with Short or Medium weapons. Th e 
  attack is at -3 OCV (to reﬂ ect both the diﬃ  culty of 
  impaling someone this way and certain game bal-
  ance considerations), and must do BODY damage 
  to the target. If the target takes Knockback (assum-
  ing the campaign uses the Knockback rules) or 
  Knockdown, the attempt automatically fails. If the 
  attack succeeds, does BODY, and does no Knock-
  back/Knockdown, and the target cannot escape 
  (see below), then in his next Phase the attacker 
  may twist the blade in the wound, doing half of the 
  weapon’s base damage (i.e., damage without STR 
  or Damage Classes added to it), against which the 
  target gets no defenses at all. Twisting the blade is 
  a Half Phase Action (but may only be performed 
  once per Phase), so the character can make another 
  attack, if possible.
  Th e victim of this sort of attack can escape 
  having the blade twisted in several ways. First, he 
  can Knock Out, Stun, or kill his attacker with an 
  attack of his own. Because the attacker has to get 
  extremely close to the target to try an attack of 
  this sort, he is at -2 DCV against attacks the target 
  makes against him. Second, he can use a Full Phase 
  Action to try to move oﬀ  of the weapon without 
  injuring himself. Th e target must step away from 
  his attacker and make a DEX Roll at -1 per BODY 
  taken from the initial attack. If the DEX Roll suc-
  ceeds, the target extracts the blade without sustain-
  ing further injury. If the roll fails, the target takes 
  damage just as if the attacker had twisted the blade. 
  If the target cannot move away from his attacker 
  (for example, if he’s been backed against a wall), 
  then he cannot remove the blade in this fashion.
  TARGETING 
  WOUNDS EXAMPLE
  Th e tongs hire Xiu 
  Kwan, the lin kuei assas-
  sin, to kill a prominent 
  shopkeeper who refused 
  to pay them protection 
  money. Th e killing is 
  supposed to be painful 
  to set an example. Xiu 
  ambushes his target 
  during the working day 
  where several custom-
  ers and other merchants 
  can see him. First he 
  throws a volley of 
  shuriken, doing 2 BODY 
  to the victim’s Right Leg, 
  1 BODY to his Chest, 
  and 1 BODY to his Left  
  Arm. Th en he moves 
  in to make his victim 
  suﬀ er. Th e GM rules the 
  leg wound is small and 
  imposes a -8 OCV mod-
  iﬁ er on Xiu. With all of 
  his levels in OCV, Xiu 
  targets the leg wound 
  and hits it, causing full 
  STUN (no x½ modi-
  ﬁ er is applied). Th en, 
  to make sure the shop-
  keeper won’t run away, 
  Xiu hits the leg wound 
  again, causing full 
  STUN and Impairing 
  the leg for 1 hour (GM 
  rolls 4 on the Impair-
  ment Time Table). If he 
  hits it a third time, the 
  BODY damage done is 
  Penetrating.
  TWISTING THE BLADE 
  EXAMPLE
  Isamu (CV 7) and Takeshi (CV 6), two kenjutsuka, hate 
  each other bitterly. Th ey begin to duel with katanas. 
  Isamu decides he will try to hit Takeshi and then twist 
  the blade, to make Takeshi suﬀ er. Isamu uses a Light-
  ning Stroke; his OCV is 7 (base of 7, +2 for the maneu-
  ver, +1 for the weapon, -3 for the attempt to impale). 
  He rolls a 9 and hits. Th e weapon does a base 1½d6 
  HKA, and Isamu is STR 10, so the attack does 2d6+1 
  HKA total. He rolls 8 for damage, penetrating Takeshi’s 
  4 PD Armor and doing 4 BODY. Th e Hit Location Roll 
  says Takeshi was struck in the stomach, so he takes 32 
  STUN against his defenses. Isamu’s katana is now stuck 
  in Takeshi’s body.
  Takeshi decides he’d better get oﬀ  of Isamu’s katana 
  before he’s hurt worse. He decides to try a DEX Roll at 
  -4 (-1 per BODY taken), and fails miserably. Because of 
  his failure, he takes half of the weapon’s base damage, 
  with no defense. Isamu rolls ½d6+1 for damage, for a 
  total of 3 BODY and 12 STUN, which Takeshi takes all 
  of (he gets no defense). In Isamu’s next Phase, he twists 
  the blade, doing 3 more BODY and 12 STUN. Takeshi 
  is unconscious and bleeding to death.
  
  Hero System 5th Edition
  142 ■ Other Combat Rules And Effects
  D
  uring combat, a character may temporar-
  ily lose both STUN and END. To reﬂ ect the 
  body’s recuperative capacity, each character 
  has a Recovery (REC) Characteristic.
  Characters use REC to regain STUN and END. 
  Th is is known as “Recovering” or “taking a Recovery.” 
  When a character Recovers, add his REC to his current 
  STUN and END totals. Characters may Recover STUN 
  and END lost due to injuries, using one’s Powers, being 
  attacked with an Ego Attack, or any other cause (unless 
  the rules indicate otherwise — for example, STUN lost 
  to a Drain STUN returns to the character according to 
  the rules for Drain, it’s not Recovered).
  Characters get to Recover in two situations:  Post-
  Segment 12; and when they choose to do so as a Full 
  Phase Action.
  POSTSEGMENT 12 RECOVERY
  Aft er Segment 12 each Turn, all characters (even 
  Stunned ones) get a free Post-Segment 12 Recovery. 
  Th is Recovery occurs automatically (unless the char-
  acter is holding his breath [see below] or is deeply 
  unconscious). Characters get a Post-Segment 12 
  Recovery even if they’re taking damage from a Con-
  stant attack.
  Other game events that occur in Post-Segment 
  12, such as the fading of an Adjustment Power or the 
  gaining of BODY from Regeneration, take place before 
  the Post-Segment 12 Recovery.
  TAKING A RECOVERY AS AN ACTION
  Second, a character may choose to take a Recov-
  ery as his Action in any of his Phases. Taking a Recov-
  ery is a Full Phase Action and occurs at the end of the 
  Segment (aft er all other characters who have a Phase 
  that Segment have acted). A character who Recovers 
  during a Phase may do nothing else — not even main-
  taining a Constant Power, or Actions that cost no END 
  or take no time (however, a character may take a Zero 
  Phase Action at the beginning of his Phase to turn oﬀ  
  a power). While Recovering, a character is at ½ DCV, 
  and all modiﬁ ers for Placed Shots made to hit him are 
  halved as well. A character who Recovers during Seg-
  ment 12 also gets the Post-Segment 12 Recovery.
  A character cannot Hold his Action (or volun-
  tarily lower his DEX) and then Recover. A character 
  cannot Abort to a Recovery, nor can he “abandon” a 
  declared Recovery to perform any action unless the 
  GM permits him to.
  Being Attacked While Taking A Recovery
  A character may be hit by an attack while taking 
  a Recovery (either as an Action, or because he’s uncon-
  scious and can do nothing else). If he takes no damage 
  from the attack aft er applying his defenses, he may 
  take his Recovery as normal. However, if the character 
  takes any STUN or BODY damage from the attack, his 
  Recovery has been interrupted. He does not get back 
  any END or STUN and may take no Actions — he 
  has just wasted a Phase. (At the GM’s option, this also 
  occurs if a character suﬀ ers any similar eﬀ ect, such as 
  losing INT to a Drain INT or taking Knockback.)
  If a character takes damage in a Segment in which 
  he has a Phase, but prior to his DEX in the initiative 
  order (in other words, before he has had a chance to 
  act or declare an Action), he may declare a Recovery 
  when he gets his Phase. Th e Recovery occurs at the end 
  of the Segment, per the usual rules. If he takes damage 
  aft er declaring his Recovery, the Recovery is spoiled, as 
  described above.
  HOLDING BREATH AND DROWNING
  A character who holds his breath does not get to 
  Recover, even on Post-Segment 12. He also expends a 
  minimum of 1 END per Phase. He may lower his SPD 
  to 2 (see page 16) to reduce the amount of END he 
  uses.
  A character who runs out of END while not 
  breathing expends STUN as END (see page 143). A 
  character who runs out of STUN then loses BODY, 
  drowning at -1 BODY/Phase.
  All characters drown at a minimum SPD of 2; so 
  even a SPD 1 character must expend 2 END per Turn. 
  (Low SPD individuals react more slowly, but they still 
  have to breathe!)
  RECOVERING BODY
  Generally, a character Recovers a number of 
  BODY in one month equal to his REC. Th e GM can 
  apportion this BODY over the course of the month. 
  For instance, Chiron of the preceding example could 
  Recover 5 BODY in a month, or approximately 1 
  BODY every 6 days. Th is rate of healing assumes the 
  character takes it easy.
  If the character moves around, ﬁ ghts, travels, or 
  engages in similar strenuous activity, the healing rate 
  is halved. If the conditions are very poor, unsanitary, 
  overly cold or hot (he’s in jail, perhaps), or otherwise 
  unfavorable for healing, the healing rate is also halved. 
  If a character is suﬀ ering from any Impairing or Dis-
  abling wounds, that may also double the normal heal-
  ing time, at the GM’s discretion.
  On the other hand, hospital care can halve the 
  time needed to heal (thus doubling the amount of 
  BODY a character can Recover in a month). Modern 
  (or even more advanced) medicine may greatly speed 
  up the character’s healing rate. If the campaign is high-
  tech, then the GM may want to adjust the healing rate 
  for characters receiving medical attention. Similarly, in 
  some campaigns healing magic can speed a character’s 
  progression back to full health.
  POST-SEGMENT 12 
  RECOVERY EXAMPLE
  At the end of Segment 
  12, Chiron has only 4 
  END and 13 STUN left . 
  Fortunately, the Turn is 
  over and he gets a Post-
  Segment 12 Recovery. 
  He has a REC of 5, so 
  he regains 5 STUN and 
  5 END, for a total of 13 
  + 5 = 18 STUN and 4 + 
  5 = 9 END. As the next 
  Turn begins, Chiron has 
  18 STUN and 9 END.
  RECOVERY
  
  143 
  Hero System Combat Handbook ■ Chapter Five
  A
  ctions require some energy. The HERO 
  System reflects this by requiring charac-
  ters to use Endurance (END) to perform 
  physical feats. The general rule is that 
  10 Active Points’ worth of a Power or STR cost 1 
  END each Phase to use. Thus, a character using 
  an Energy Blast 2d6 would use 1 END. Charac-
  teristics other than STR do not cost END to use, 
  unless noted otherwise.
  Of course, a character does not have to use 
  all of his STR, or use a Power at full power if he 
  doesn’t want to. Using STR and Powers at partial 
  power is a good way to conserve END.
  Some Maneuvers and other Actions don’t have 
  a listed STR value. In such cases, a character spends 
  1 END (unless the GM rules otherwise). Th is 
  includes Combat Maneuvers such as Block, Dodge, 
  or ﬁ ring a weapon. Martial Maneuvers do not cost 
  END (but see page 85).
  Characters regain at least some of the 
  END they’ve expended when they get a Recovery 
  (see Recovery).
  USING STUN FOR ENDURANCE
  A character who runs out of END — i.e., who 
  reaches 0 END, or is reduced into negative END 
  through a Drain or similar attack — and still wishes 
  to perform Actions may use STUN as END. Th e 
  character takes 1d6 STUN Only damage for every 
  2 “END” (or fraction thereof) used, and no defense 
  is allowed against this damage. Yes, characters can 
  Knock themselves Out using this rule. Isn’t it won-
  derful to be heroic?
  Characters cannot spend END below 0. Once 
  they reach 0 END, they can only spend STUN in 
  place of END, as described above. A Drain or simi-
  lar Power can reduce END below 0, but characters 
  can’t spend END into the negatives.
  SUPERHEROIC AND HEROIC ENDURANCE
  Superheroic Campaigns:  Using 10 Active Points of 
  STR or a Power costs 1 END per Phase.
  Heroic Campaigns:  Using 5 Points of STR costs 1 
  END per Phase; using 10 Active Points of a Power 
  costs 1 END per Phase.
  In Superheroic campaigns, many characters 
  pay END just to maintain their Powers, so END is 
  very important. Superheroes tend to have mighty 
  powers that use up huge quantities of END, and 
  rationing power can be an important consideration 
  in a long battle.
  Although END use is usually less of a factor in 
  Heroic campaigns than in Superheroic campaigns, 
  the importance of END varies greatly from cam-
  paign to campaign. In modern-day or Science Fic-
  tion campaigns, characters use self-powered weap-
  ons and devices, and thus rarely run out of END. 
  But in Swords And Sorcery Fantasy, characters 
  typically engage in more HTH Combat, so END is 
  more important.
  In most Heroic campaigns, END costs are 1 
  END for every 5 Active Points of STR, which simu-
  lates the prevalence of HTH weapons and combat 
  better, but 1 END for every 10 Active Points of 
  Powers (such as magic spells in a Fantasy cam-
  paign). As noted on page 34 of the HERO System 5 
  Edition, Revised rulebook, a character only has to 
  spend END once for his STR in a Phase, no matter 
  how many diﬀ erent ways he uses it; this does not 
  apply to any other abilities or powers.
  Th e GM should feel free to adjust, or even 
  ignore, END costs. He should never require players 
  to keep track of END unless it’s important.
  OPTIONAL LONG TERM ENDURANCE LOSS
  Th is optional rule involves the use of END 
  over long time periods. It reﬂ ects the fact that char-
  acters become more and more fatigued if forced 
  to continuously exert END. Th e Long Term END 
  (LTE) rules are complicated; you should only use 
  them the GM feels they’ll enhance the adventure. 
  Th is rule is particularly useful to keep wizards from 
  casting spells too frequently.
  To calculate LTE loss, the character should 
  compare the amount of END used in a Turn to the 
  character’s REC. If the END used in a Turn is less 
  than half the character’s REC, then the character 
  loses no LTE. If the character uses greater than half 
  his REC, then he begins losing LTE.
  Every point of END lost to LTE means one less 
  point of END for a character to use during combat 
  and other situations. If a character’s LTE reaches 0, 
  he must stop and rest and cannot take further action 
  until he has at least 1 positive END. Characters cannot 
  use STUN for LTE as they can for standard END.
  Example:  Arkelos and his companions are ﬂ ee-
  ing from some nomads across a desert. Each 
  of them is spending half his REC in END per 
  Turn to move as fast as he can through the arid 
  landscape. As a result, each of them is losing 1 
  END to LTE every ﬁ ve minutes. Arkelos nor-
  mally has 40 END when fully rested. Aft er an 
  hour of this pace, he has lost 12 END to LTE, so 
  he only has 28 END to spend when the nomads 
  bring them to bay at an oasis. If Arkelos has to 
  spend more than 28 END, he will have to start 
  using STUN in place of END (although taking 
  Post-Segment 12 Recoveries may delay that 
  unfortunate eventuality for a Turn or two).
  ENDURANCE
  
  Hero System 5th Edition
  144 ■ Other Combat Rules And Effects
  A character does not regain spent LTE with 
  normal Recoveries; Recovering LTE requires longer 
  resting periods. A character recovers his REC in 
  LTE for every ﬁ ve hours of rest; if the character is 
  not resting, he only gets back his REC in LTE once 
  per day. Th e GM can apportion this over the course 
  of the day if he wants.
  Example:  Pulsar (REC 10) tries to blow his 
  way out of his prison cell with his Energy Blast. 
  Since this will take a long time, the GM decides 
  to use the LTE rules. Pulsar’s Energy Blast 12d6 
  costs 6 END to use. Pulsar has a 5 SPD, so he 
  uses 30 END per Turn, assuming he doesn’t use 
  any other Powers. 30 is 3x Pulsar’s 9 REC, so 
  Pulsar loses 2 LTE each Turn. If he stays active, 
  he’ll be able to Recover 10 Long Term END per 
  day, or approximately 1 every 2 hours. If he 
  rests, he can recover 10 LTE every 5 hours, or 
  2 LTE per hour.
  LONG TERM ENDURANCE 
   
  (END in Turn)/REC 
  END lost to Long Term
   
  less than ½ 
  0
   
  ½ 
  1 per 5 Minutes
   
  1 
  1 per Minute
   
  2 
  1 per Turn
   
  3 
  2 per Turn
   
  4 
  4 per Turn
   
  5 
  8 per Turn
  
  145 
  Hero System Combat Handbook ■ Chapter Five
  PUSHING
  Occasionally a character needs to exceed the 
  normal limits of his abilities to perform a noble, 
  heroic, or life-saving action. Th is is called Pushing.
  GENERAL RULES
  Although Pushing diﬀ ers slightly in Heroic 
  and Superheroic campaigns (see below), some gen-
  eral rules apply to both types of campaigns.
  First, a player must declare that his character 
  is Pushing before he makes an Attack Roll (or 
  other appropriate roll). If the Attack Roll misses, 
  the character still must expend the full END cost 
  for Pushing.
  Second, Pushing is very tiring. When a char-
  acter Pushes, he must spend 1 END for every 
  Character Point by which he Pushes his STR or 
  Power, in addition to the normal END cost for 
  the un-Pushed ability. For example, a character 
  who Pushes for 10 points of STR spends the 
  usual 2 END for his STR plus 10 END for Push-
  ing. Generally, characters can only Push Powers 
  that cost END. They cannot Push powers that 
  never cost END, that are bought to 0 END, or 
  that have Charges (but can Push powers bought 
  to ½ END).
  Third, a character cannot more than double 
  a Power’s Active Points by Pushing — he can 
  only add as many Active Points to a Power by 
  Pushing as the Power already has. For example, 
  if a character has Swimming 4” (4 Active Points), 
  he can only add 4” (+4 Active Points) to that 
  Power by Pushing it — he can’t exert himself and 
  suddenly Swim 14” per Phase.
  Fourth, any Advantages on the Pushed abil-
  ity automatically apply to the dice or eﬀ ect gained 
  from Pushing — the character doesn’t have to reduce 
  the Pushing eﬀ ect to account for the Advantages. 
  For example, if a character has an Energy Blast 8d6, 
  Armor Piercing and he Pushes it for 10 Character 
  Points, he ﬁ res an Energy Blast 10d6, Armor Piercing. 
  A character cannot increase the extent of his Push by 
  applying Limitations to it, nor does Pushing have a 
  greater eﬀ ect on a Limited power.
  Fift h, a character normally cannot Push to 
  obtain extra Noncombat Movement or apply an 
  Adder to a Power. However, the GM may, in rare 
  circumstances, allow this.
  Sixth, Pushing is only for heroes and important 
  NPCs. Th e average man — even the best athletes 
  and warriors — can never Push. Pushing is some-
  thing only heroes (including all PCs) and their 
  enemies can usually do. For example, an Olym-
  pic weightlift er cannot Push his STR to lift  more 
  weight and win the gold medal — he’s not a hero, so 
  he can’t Push, even though this is a crucial activity 
  for him. Only in situations requiring true hero-
  ism and sacriﬁ ce can a normal person Push, and 
  only then at the GM’s discretion. For example, a 
  GM might allow a normal person to Push his STR 
  to lift  a burning car oﬀ  of someone who’s trapped 
  beneath it, since that’s a situation where lives are 
  at stake and the character is putting his own life at 
  risk to save others.
  Seventh, characters can only use Pushing for 
  crucial, heroic, or life-saving actions. Characters, 
  even heroes and PCs, cannot Push whenever 
  they want to just to look impressive. Pushing is a 
  last-ditch eﬀ ort to save the day when all else fails, 
  an enemy has to be Knocked Out now, regular-
  strength attacks are not getting the job done, or 
  something terrible will occur if a character doesn’t 
  stop it. Generally, characters should not be allowed 
  to Push every Phase as a matter of course, even if 
  they have the END to do it. Th e GM determines 
  whether a character can Push in a given situation.
  PUSHING IN HEROIC CAMPAIGNS
  A character in a Heroic campaign may push 
  his STR or Powers up to 5 Character Points with a 
  successful EGO Roll, +1 Character Point for every 
  1 point by which he makes the EGO Roll.
  Th e GM may provide a modiﬁ er to the char-
  acter’s EGO Roll based on how important the Push 
  is. If Andarra is trying to pull a lever to save the 
  planet Th eris from being devoured by a giant space 
  amoeba, the GM might give her a bonus to her 
  EGO Roll. Th e GM should discourage more casual 
  uses of Pushing by applying a negative modiﬁ er to 
  the character’s EGO Roll (assuming the GM allows 
  Pushing at all; see above).
  PUSHING IN SUPERHEROIC CAMPAIGNS
  Pushing in Superheroic campaigns is a much 
  more common occurrence. A Superheroic character 
  can Push the limits of his Power by up to 10 Char-
  acter Points. Th is does not require an EGO Roll.
  Example: Defender has to stop a wall from 
  falling down on a helpless old lady. Th e GM 
  determines that his STR of 30 isn’t enough to 
  hold up the wall. Defender Pushes his STR 10 
  Character Points up to 40 STR, enough for him 
  to hold up the wall long enough for the lady to 
  escape. Th e END cost for this heroic feat is 3 for 
  a 30 STR and 10 for Pushing the STR to 40 for 
  a total of 13 END.
  Th e GM may allow Pushes greater than 10 
  Character Points in unusual circumstances, such as 
  saving the universe.
  
  Hero System 5th Edition
  146 ■ Other Combat Rules And Effects
  P
  owerful individuals are impressive. Some 
  can be so overwhelming that they can make 
  others stop and listen, or even obey com-
  mands. Th e HERO System simulates this 
  with Presence Attacks.
  A Presence Attack is an attempt to inﬂ uence 
  the target(s), and can have very useful eﬀ ects. It 
  aﬀ ects everyone who can hear the character per-
  forming it (or sometimes just see him, depending 
  on the Presence Attack), provided it’s intended for 
  them. For example, a Presence Attack made by one 
  of the PCs against Ogre might also aﬀ ect Ogre’s 
  henchmen, but wouldn’t aﬀ ect the other PCs at 
  all. Furthermore, the eﬀ ects of a Presence Attack 
  are reduced by one level when applied to anyone 
  against whom the attack isn’t speciﬁ cally directed.
  Although Presence Attacks are most oft en 
  used in combat (to make an opponent hesitate or 
  surrender), they have plenty of other uses as well. 
  Out of combat, characters can use them to per-
  suade, inspire, or interrogate NPCs. Villains can 
  use them to terrify innocent people or cow victims. 
  Priests and religious characters can use them to 
  proselytize. Th e possibilities are virtually endless.
  To perform a Presence Attack, a character rolls 
  1d6 for every 5 points of PRE he has. Compare the 
  total of the Presence Attack to the defender’s PRE 
  or EGO (whichever is higher), and then check the 
  Presence Attack Table. Th e eﬀ ects of a Presence 
  Attack last as long as the GM deems appropriate.
  GMs should modify this roll heavily, accord-
  ing to the exact circumstances. The Presence 
  Attack Modifiers Table lists some modifiers the 
  GM can apply.
  As the table indicates, a character’s Reputation 
  is extremely important when he makes a Presence 
  Attack. If the target of the Presence Attack knows 
  of the Reputation (determining this may require 
  a roll), it may help or hinder a Presence Attack. If 
  the Reputation supports, or agrees with, the Pres-
  ence Attack, the Reputation adds bonus dice; if 
  the Reputation and the Presence Attack conﬂ ict, 
  it subtracts dice. For example, a character with a 
  Reputation for being Cruel (Disadvantage, 11-) 
  will suﬀ er a -2d6 modiﬁ er to a Presence Attack to 
  “Surrender and you’ll be treated well” — anyone 
  who’s heard of the character isn’t going to trust 
  that promise. Someone with a Reputation for being 
  Honest (Perk, +2d6) is much more likely to succeed 
  with that Presence Attack. Of course, a Reputation 
  doesn’t aﬀ ect Presence Attacks at all if the target of 
  the attack is unaware of the Reputation.
  Example:  Arkelos, surrounded by four giant 
  trolls, shouts “Surrender or die!” and shatters 
  a tree with his Fire Bolt spell. He has a PRE 
  of 15 (15/5 = 3d6). He is exhibiting a violent 
  action (+1d6), but is in combat and at a dis-
  advantage against 4 opponents (-2d6). He has 
  three levels in the Perk Reputation: Powerful 
  Wizard (this adds +3d6), and the trolls know 
  of him. He gets a total of 3 + 1 - 2 + 3 = 5d6 
  for a Presence attack. Arkelos rolls a total of 17. 
  Th e trolls have PREs of 15. Arkelos’s Presence 
  Attack equals their base PRE, so the trolls hesi-
  tate and Arkelos can act ﬁ rst.
  Most Presence Attacks are based on intimi-
  dation or fear (“Surrender or die!” is a perfect 
  example). However, characters can use them to 
  evoke and manipulate emotions other than fear. A 
  character could use a Presence Attack to command 
  respect, impress an onlooker, get a crowd’s atten-
  tion, or persuade someone to help him. A character 
  could also use a Presence Attack to inspire friendly 
  listeners, thereby improving their morale.
  PRESENCE 
  ATTACKS
  PRESENCE ATTACK TABLE
  Presence Attack is 
  Effect of Attack
  Target’s PRE or EGO 
  Target is impressed. He hesitates enough so that the attacker may act before him this 
  Phase, or receives +5 PRE only for purposes of resisting contrary Presence Attacks 
  made that Phase.
  Target’s PRE or EGO +10 
  Target is very impressed. He hesitates as above, and only performs a Half Phase Action 
  during his next Phase. He considers very deeply what the attacker says, and may comply 
  with requests or obey orders which seem worthwhile to him.  He receives +5 PRE only 
  for purposes of resisting contrary Presence Attacks made that Turn.
  Target’s PRE or EGO +20 
  Target is awed. He will not act for 1 Full Phase, is at ½ DCV, and possibly will do as 
  the attacker commands. If he’s friendly, he’s inspired and may follow the character into 
  danger; he will comply with most requests and obey most orders. He receives +10 PRE 
  only for purposes of resisting contrary Presence Attacks made that Turn.
  Target’s PRE or EGO +30 
  Target is cowed. He may surrender, run away, or faint. He is at 0 DCV, and will nearly 
  always follow commands. If he’s friendly, he becomes inﬂ amed, and will follow charac-
  ter into any danger, comply with virtually any request, or obey virtually any order.
  
  147 
  Hero System Combat Handbook ■ Chapter Five
  Example: Howler and her thugs are losing a 
  ﬁ reﬁ ght with some UNTIL agents. Her demor-
  alized henchmen are about to run. Howler, not 
  wanting to face the agents alone, attempts to 
  improve her minions’ morale. “Don’t worry, we 
  can beat them!” she says. She attacks one of the 
  UNTIL agents with a scream, knocking him 
  through a window and into the street.
  Th is is a combat situation (-1d6), and one 
  of the thugs has been hurt (-1d6). However, 
  Howler has a Reputation Powerful Supervil-
  lainess (Perk, one level [+1d6]), and she exhib-
  ited her powers (+1d6) in a violent manner 
  (+1d6). Howler, with her 18 PRE, adds a total 
  of 1d6 to her natural 3½d6 to achieve a 4½d6 
  Presence Attack. Howler rolls a 21. Since this is 
  equal to the thugs’ PRE +10, they are inspired 
  and return to the ﬁ ght.
  Don’t overuse Presence Attacks — repeated 
  ones against the same targets are less eﬀ ective. Each 
  time a character repeats a Presence Attack, he gets 
  -1d6 of eﬀ ect (-1d6 on the second attack, -2d6 on 
  the third attack, and so forth).
  A Presence Attack is an Action which takes no 
  time. However, if the character wishes to perform 
  an Action along with the Presence Attack (like 
  Arkelos blasting the tree, above), that Action takes 
  the amount of time it normally does.
  PRESENCE ATTACK 
  MODIFIERS TABLE
   Modiﬁ er Situation or Character’s Action
   
  -1d6 
  Inappropriate setting
   
  -2d6 
  Very inappropriate setting
   
  -1d6 
  In combat
   
  -1d6 
  At a disadvantage
   
  -3d6 
  Covered
   
   
  Presence Attack conﬂ icts with target’s 
  Psychological Limitation
   
  -1d6 
  Moderate Psychological Limitation
   
  -2d6 
  Strong Psychological Limitation
   
  -3d6 
  Total Psychological Limitation
   
   
  Poor Reputation relevant or contrary to 
  Presence Attack
   
  -1d6 
  8- Reputation
   
  -2d6 
  11- Reputation
   
  -3d6 
  14- Reputation
   
  -4d6 
  Extreme Reputation
   -1 to 3d6  Presence Attack runs against existing moods
  Varies 
  Character has an appropriate Reputation 
  Perk (see page 83)
   
   
  Presence Attack agrees with target’s 
  Psychological Limitation
   
  +1d6 Moderate Psychological Limitation
   
  +2d6 Strong Psychological Limitation
   
  +3d6 Total Psychological Limitation
   
  +1d6 Character makes appropriate Interaction 
  Skill Roll
   
  +2d6 Character makes appropriate Interaction 
  Skill Roll by half or more
   
  +1d6 Target is Surprised
   
  +1d6 Exhibiting a Power or superior technology
   
  +1d6 Violent action
   
  +2d6 Extremely violent action
   
  +3d6 Incredibly violent action
   
  +1d6 Good soliloquy
   
  +2d6 Excellent soliloquy
   
  +3d6 Incredible soliloquy
   
  +1d6 Appropriate setting
   
  +2d6 Very appropriate setting
   
  +2d6 Target is in partial retreat
   
  +4d6 Target is in full retreat/has been captured
   
  +1d6 Need (character appealing for help 
  genuinely seems to need it)
   
  +1d6 Logic (statements are extremely logical 
  and well thought out)
  
  Hero System 5th Edition
  148 ■ Other Combat Rules And Effects
  H
  ere’s an example of the way combat works. 
  It pits Hardpoint, a superhero described 
  on HERO System 5th Edition, Revised, page 
  500, against a supervillain named Mael-
  strom (HERO System 5th Edition, Revised, page 
  502), who has the help of a couple of hired goons 
  (DEX 12, SPD 3) armed with 9mm submachine 
  guns (HERO System 5th Edition, Revised, page 485).
  Th e adventure begins when Hardpoint learns 
  that Maelstrom is robbing the First National Bank. 
  He heads that way immediately, using his Boot-Jets 
  (his Flight) to get there as quickly as possible.
  Approaching from the air, Hardpoint notices 
  the bank has a skylight. He decides that’s the best 
  way to make a dramatic entrance.
  SEGMENT 12
  Th e combat begins on Segment 12, so all the 
  characters have a Phase. Maelstrom is DEX 23, 
  Hardpoint is DEX 25, and the thugs are DEX 12. 
  Th erefore Hardpoint goes ﬁ rst, followed by Mael-
  strom and then the thugs.
  Hardpoint makes a Half Move to ﬂ y through 
  the skylight; the GM decides that qualiﬁ es as a Sur-
  prise Move (page 30). Since that’s pretty impressive, 
  he decides to open with a Presence Attack (page 
  146):  “All right, Maelstrom, you’re busted! You and 
  your boys surrender now and you won’t get hurt.” 
  Hardpoint’s PRE is 20, so he gets a base of 4d6. 
  Th e GM decides to award Hardpoint +1d6 for his 
  violent action. On the other hand, this is a combat 
  situation, so Hardpoint suﬀ ers a -1d6 penalty, for 
  a total of 4 + 1 -1 = 4d6. He rolls the dice and gets 
  an excellent result — 21! Maelstrom has PRE 15, so 
  he’s only aﬀ ected enough for Hardpoint to act ﬁ rst 
  (which he is anyway), but the goons only have PRE 
  10. Th ey hesitate for a Half Phase this Phase, and so 
  can only take a Half Phase Action.
  Since the Presence Attack takes no time 
  (page 18), Hardpoint still has a Half Phase left  and 
  decides to attack. He ﬁ res his Tangler Bombs at 
  Maelstrom. Hardpoint has a base OCV of 8, and +2 
  Combat Skill Levels he can apply. He decides to put 
  them both in OCV, for a ﬁ nal OCV of 10.  Mael-
  strom is 4” away from him, so the Range Modiﬁ er 
  is -0. Maelstrom has DCV 8. Th erefore Hardpoint 
  needs to roll 11 + 10 OCV - 8 DCV = 13 or less to 
  hit. He rolls an 11 and hits! Now he has to roll the 
  6d6 for his Entangle to determine the BODY. He 
  rolls 6, 6, 4, 3, 2, 1, which means a total of 2 + 2 + 1 
  + 1 + 1 + 0 = 7 BODY. Th e Entangle has 7 BODY, 6 
  DEF. Th at concludes Hardpoint’s Phase.
  Now it’s Maelstrom’s Phase. He wants to 
  break free from the Tangler Bombs. Since he’s got 
  innate energy powers, he can use one of his Power 
  Blasts to try to break free. He uses Power Blast I, 
  an Energy Blast 12d6. He doesn’t have to make an 
  Attack Roll to hit the Entangle, so he just rolls his 
  damage:  6, 6, 6, 5, 4, 3, 3, 3, 3, 2, 2, 1. Th e STUN 
  doesn’t matter, but the BODY is 2 + 2 + 2 + 1 + 1 
  + 1 + 1 + 1 + 1 + 1 + 1 + 0 = 13 BODY, a slightly 
  better than average roll. Th e Entangle has 6 DEF 
  + 7 BODY; aft er Maelstrom subtracts the 6 DEF 
  he still does 7 BODY damage, so the Power Blast I 
  destroys the Entangle entirely.
  Now the thugs act. Since Hardpoint impressed 
  them with his Presence Attack, they use their 
  remaining Half Phase to run behind the tellers’ 
  counter and take cover.
  Th at concludes Segment 12. Now everyone 
  gets a Post-Segment 12 Recovery. No one’s taken 
  any STUN, but both Hardpoint and Maelstrom 
  have used END, so they add their REC to their 
  END. Since they both have high REC scores (20 
  and 10, respectively), and each only used 6 END, 
  that puts them back at full END.
  SEGMENTS 2, 3, AND 4
  Now the next Turn begins. Maelstrom has SPD 
  6, so he gets Phases in Segments 2, 4, 6, 8, 10, and 
  12. Hardpoint has SPD 5, so he gets Phases in Seg-
  ments 3, 5, 8, 10, 12. Th e thugs have SPD 3, so they 
  get Phases in Segments 4, 8, and 12. (See the SPD 
  Chart, page 16.)
  In Segment 2, Maelstrom has a Phase. He 
  decides to (a) activate his Force Field (a Zero-Phase 
  Action), and (b) ﬁ re a Power Blast at Hardpoint 
  — his Power Blast I. He has an OCV of 8, with +3 
  Combat Skill Levels that he can add. Hardpoint 
  is 4” away from him, so the Range Modiﬁ er is -
  0. Maelstrom decides to apply all three Levels to 
  OCV, giving him a ﬁ nal OCV of 11. Hardpoint has 
  a DCV of 8. He doesn’t know what Maelstrom’s 
  OCV is (the GM keeps that information secret, of 
  course), but he knows Maelstrom is no pushover 
  and doesn’t want to take the chance of getting hit. 
  He decides to Abort his Phase in Segment 3 so he 
  can Dodge, which will give him +3 DCV, for a ﬁ nal 
  DCV of 11.
  Maelstrom needs to roll 11 + 11 OCV - 11 
  DCV = 11 or less to hit. He makes his Attack Roll 
  and rolls a 13 — a miss. Hardpoint’s Dodge has 
  paid oﬀ !
  In Segment 3, Hardpoint has a Phase. How-
  ever, he Aborted this Phase to Dodge in Segment 2, 
  so he does not get to act. However, he retains the +3 
  DCV bonus from the Dodge until he gets his next 
  Phase (in Segment 5).
  In Segment 4, Maelstrom and the thugs all 
  have a Phase — good thing Hardpoint still has that 
  EXAMPLE 
  OF COMBAT
  
  149 
  Hero System Combat Handbook ■ Chapter Five
  DCV bonus! Maelstrom ﬁ res another Power Blast 
  I, with the same Attack Roll. Th is time he rolls 11 
  and hits. Now he rolls his damage:  6, 6, 5, 5, 4, 3, 3, 
  3, 2, 2, 2, 1. Th at’s 42 STUN, 13 BODY. Hardpoint 
  has a total of 20 ED, so he takes (42-20 =) 22 STUN 
  and (13-22 =) 0 BODY. His CON is 30, so he’s 
  not Stunned (page 113). Now Maelstrom rolls for 
  Knockback (page 123). Ordinarily he would roll 
  2d6, but Hardpoint is ﬂ ying, so he only rolls 1d6. 
  He rolls a 5. 13 BODY - 5 = 8, so Hardpoint gets 
  Knocked Back 8” — right into the wall! Maelstrom 
  rolls 8d6 for Knockback damage, getting 6, 5, 4, 4, 
  3, 3, 1, 1 for 27 STUN, 7 BODY. Hardpoint takes 7 
  STUN and 0 BODY from that, so he’s lost a total of 
  29 STUN this Phase. He has 35 STUN normally, so 
  he’s only got 6 STUN left  before he’s Knocked Out!
  Now it’s the thugs’ turn. Th ey decide to use 
  their submachine guns on full Autoﬁ re (5 shots) 
  against Hardpoint. Th ey have DEX 12, for an OCV 
  of 4. Hardpoint is 16” away from them, for a Range 
  Modiﬁ er of -4, and has DCV 6 at present — his 
  normal DCV 11 is halved because he took Knock-
  back and is “prone.” Th at means each of the thugs 
  needs 11 + 4 - 4 -6 = 5 or less to hit. Th ey roll 11 
  and 12, so both of them miss.
  SEGMENT 5
  In Segment 5, Hardpoint has a Phase. Ordinar-
  ily he would have to spend a Half Phase to “get to 
  his feet,” but the GM rules that since he’s still above 
  ground and can ﬂ y, he can combine that with a Half 
  Move. He ﬂ ies forward 10” (a Half Move), putting 
  him 2” away from Maelstrom and 6” away from the 
  goons. He ﬁ res an Pulson Blast at Maelstrom with 
  OCV 8, putting both his Combat Skill Levels into 
  DCV (since he’s so low on STUN that he doesn’t 
  dare get hit). He needs to roll 11 + 8 - 8 = 11 or less 
  to hit. He rolls a 10 and hits! For damage he rolls 
  6 + 6 + 6 + 5 + 5 + 5+ 4 + 4 + 3 + 3 + 3 + 2 = 52 
  STUN, 15 BODY, an excellent roll. Maelstrom sub-
  tracts his defenses — 17 ED + 10 ED Force Field 
  — for 25 STUN, 0 BODY. Since Maelstrom only has 
  CON 23, taking 25 STUN damage Stuns him (page 
  113). At the end of this Phase, all of his powers 
  which aren’t Persistent (such as his Force Field) will 
  turn oﬀ .
  Hardpoint now rolls for Knockback. He rolls 
  10 on 2d6, so Maelstrom takes 15 - 10 = 5” of 
  Knockback. Th at Knocks him Back into the teller’s 
  counter and he takes 5d6 damage. Hardpoint rolls 
  5 + 4 + 3 + 1 + 1 = 14 STUN, 3 BODY. Maelstrom’s 
  natural PD and Force Field are high enough 
  (total of 23 PD) that he takes no damage from the 
  Knockback.
  At the end of the Segment, Maelstrom’s Force 
  Field turns oﬀ .
  SEGMENT 6
  Th e only character with a Phase in Segment 
  6 is Maelstrom. Unfortunately, he’s Stunned, so he 
  has to spend his entire Phase recovering from being 
  Stunned (page 114). At the end of his Phase, he 
  becomes un-Stunned.
  SEGMENT 8
  In Segment 8, all four characters have a Phase. 
  Hardpoint (DEX 25) goes ﬁ rst. Since Maelstrom’s 
  not yet out, he decides to ﬁ re another Pulson Blast. 
  Hardpoint has OCV 8. Maelstrom’s DCV would 
  normally be 8, but he’s prone (lying on the ground), 
  so it’s halved to 4.
  At this point, Maelstrom does not have his 
  Force Field active — it shut oﬀ  when he became 
  Stunned. He could Abort his Phase in Segment 8 to 
  turn it on, or to Dodge, but he’s got a Psychologi-
  cal Limitation:  Overconﬁ dence. Th e GM decides 
  Maelstrom’s opinion is:  “He can’t hit me... and even 
  if he can, I can take it!”.
  Hardpoint needs to roll 11 + 8 - 4 = 15 or less 
  to hit. He rolls an 11 and hits. He rolls 6 + 5 + 5 
  + 4 + 4 + 4 + 3 + 3 + 3 + 2 + 1 + 1 = 41 STUN, 11 
  BODY. Maelstrom only has his natural ED of 17, 
  so he takes 24 STUN and 0 BODY. He had already 
  taken 25 STUN in Segment 5, so he’s now lost a 
  total of 49 STUN. Unfortunately, he only has 40 
  STUN, so he’s Knocked Out (page 114). As indi-
  cated by the Recovery Time Table (page 115), he’s 
  not badly Knocked Out (-9 STUN), so he gets to 
  take a Recovery every Phase and on Post-Segment 
  12 (he doesn’t get a Recovery this Segment, even 
  though he has a Phase he hasn’t taken yet, because 
  this is the same Segment in which he was Knocked 
  Out; see page 114).
  
  Hero System 5th Edition
  150 ■ Other Combat Rules And Effects
  Now the thugs get to act. They try the same 
  thing they did last Phase — full Autofire with 
  their submachine guns against Hardpoint. This 
  time the Range Modifier is only -2 OCV, since 
  they’re 6” away from him. That means they need 
  11 + 4 - 2 - 10 = 3 or less to hit him. One rolls an 
  11 and misses; the other, to the GM’s astonish-
  ment, rolls a 3! Using the Autofire rules (page 
  41), the GM determines that two of the second 
  thug’s bullets hit Hardpoint.
  The 9mm submachine gun does RKA 1d6+1 
  damage with a 1d6-1 STUN Multiplier. The thug 
  rolls a 4 for BODY damage for the first bullet, 
  so the attack does 5 BODY. Then he rolls the 
  STUN Multiplier and gets a 4, so the attack does 
  15 STUN (5 x 3). But Hardpoint has Armor (15 
  PD) plus 5 PD, so the bullet just bounces off him, 
  doing no damage at all! The thug rolls 2d6 for 
  Knockback (-1d6 because Hardpoint’s flying, but 
  +1d6 because he used a Killing Attack) and gets 
  an 8. 5 - 8 = -3, so the attack does no Knockback. 
  The second bullet doesn’t do any better — 3 
  BODY, 9 STUN, and no Knockback.
  SEGMENT 10
  In Segment 10, Maelstrom and Hardpoint both 
  have an Action. Maelstrom can only take a Recov-
  ery, and that occurs at the very end of the Segment.
  Hardpoint decides to use his Tangler Bombs 
  on one of the thugs. First he takes a Half Phase 
  Action to move closer to the thug, thus eliminat-
  ing the Range Modifier. He needs an 11 + 8 - 4 
  = 15 or less to hit them. He rolls a 10 and hits 
  easily. He rolls 6d6 to determine the BODY of his 
  Entangle:  2 + 1 + 1 + 1 + 1 + 0 = 6 BODY, so the 
  thug is caught in a 6 DEF, 6 BODY Entangle. The 
  thug can’t use his gun while Entangled (since 
  it’s an Obvious, Accessible Focus), and can only 
  hope to do 4 BODY at most with his STR 10, so 
  he’s completely immobilized and will remain that 
  way until someone frees him.
  Maelstrom applies his REC 10 to his STUN. 
  He was at -9 STUN, he now has 1 STUN. Th at 
  means he only has 1 END (page 115).
  SEGMENT 12
  Everyone has a Phase this Segment. Hardpoint 
  attacks the other thug with his Entangle and hits 
  him easily, with results similar to the other thug. 
  Maelstrom’s hired goons are now out of the picture.
  Unfortunately, the same cannot be said of 
  Maelstrom. But he knows he’s weak, so he plays 
  possum and takes another Recovery. He’s now at 11 
  STUN, 11 END.
  Aft er Segment 12, everyone gets a Post-Seg-
  ment 12 Recovery. Th at puts Hardpoint at 26 
  STUN and 80 END (he used 18 END last Turn — 6 
  for using Flight in each of his Phases, and 12 for 
  making two attacks at 6 END each). It puts Mael-
  strom at 21 STUN, 21 END.
  SEGMENT 2
  A new Turn begins. In Segment 2, Maelstrom 
  re-activates his Force Field and ﬂ ees, ﬂ ying away at 
  10”, which is enough to get him outside the bank.
  In Segment 3, Hardpoint pursues him — in fact, 
  he decides to try a Move Th rough with his Flight 20” 
  to tackle Maelstrom and smash him to the ground. 
  He’ll be at -4 OCV (20” movement divided by 5) and 
  -3 DCV, giving him OCV 4, DCV 5. His Combat Skill 
  Levels don’t apply because he’s not using his Multi-
  power, but he can use his Level with HTH Combat. 
  However, the GM rules that this counts as attacking 
  Maelstrom “from behind,” so Maelstrom has only half 
  his DCV (4). Hardpoint needs an 11 + 5 - 4 = 11 or 
  less to hit. He rolls an 11 and hits! He’s going to do 8d6 
  (his STR damage) plus 6d6 (20” divided by 3, which 
  rounds down to 6 because you can’t add part of a 
  Damage Class) = 14d6 damage! He rolls 6 + 6 + 5 + 4 
  + 4 + 4 + 3 + 3 + 3 + 3 + 3 + 1 + 1 + 1 = 47 STUN, 13 
  BODY. Maelstrom subtracts his total Physical Defense 
  of 23 and takes 24 STUN, 0 BODY (Hardpoint takes 
  half damage, or 23 STUN, 0 BODY; he loses 3 STUN 
  aft er applying his defenses). Th at leaves Maelstrom at 
  -3 STUN — he’s Knocked Out again!
  Th e GM rules that the ﬁ ght is over, since Hard-
  point can inﬂ ict more damage or restrain Mael-
  strom before Maelstrom can get back into ﬁ ghting 
  shape. Once again Good triumphs over Evil!
  
  chapter six:
  chapter six:
  chapter six:
  ENVIRONMENTAL
  AND GENRE EFFECTS
  
  Hero System 5th Edition
  152 ■ Environmental And Genre Effects
  A
  dventures in some campaigns — such as 
  Fantasy or superhero games where the 
  characters visit underwater civilizations 
  like Atlantis — involve underwater action. 
  Here are some expanded rules for underwater 
  activity in the HERO System.
  THE UNDERWATER 
  ENVIRONMENT
  Th e underwater environment is very diﬀ erent 
  than the surface environment in ways both obvious 
  and subtle. Characters may ﬁ nd that the biggest 
  danger they face on some underwater missions 
  is not the enemies they ﬁ ght, but the very water 
  around them.
  LIGHT
  Sunlight only penetrates the ocean to certain 
  depths. Th e deepest parts of the ocean are as black 
  as a starless night, with the only light coming from 
  the bioluminescence of creatures adapted to the 
  environment. Additionally, the murkiness of the 
  water inhibits sight. See Perception And Commu-
  nication, below, for rules about making PER Rolls 
  underwater.
  PRESSURE
  The mass of all the water above a swimmer 
  exerts a crushing pressure. This alone can kill 
  characters even if they can breathe normally 
  underwater.
  Earth’s average atmospheric pressure at sea 
  level (one atmosphere, or approximately 1000 mil-
  libars) is the default for game purposes. At 1 atmo-
  sphere or below, a character’s normal PD is enough 
  to resist the eﬀ ects of pressure.
  Heavier pressure, such as from diving deep 
  into the sea, can cause injury and death. As of 2004, 
  the free-diving record for humans is to 171 meters, 
  where the pressure is about 17 atmospheres — but 
  without special protection, they can only remain at 
  such pressures for short periods.
  Calculating Pressure
  As a guideline, on Earth, 10 meters (5”) of 
  depth in the ocean equals 1 atmosphere, and every 
  +10 meters (+5”) (or fraction thereof) thereaft er 
  equals +1 atmosphere. Th us, a character swimming 
  43 meters below the surface experiences 5 atmo-
  spheres of pressure.
  For game purposes, 10 atmospheres of pres-
  sure is the most an unprotected humans can 
  withstand for extended periods without suﬀ ering 
  any negative eﬀ ects. For each +1 atmosphere (or 
  fraction thereof) thereaft er, a character suﬀ ers 1d6 
  Normal Damage, NND Does BODY, per Turn (the 
  damage accrues on Segment 1). For example, at 
  15.5 atmospheres, a character suﬀ ers 6d6 damage 
  per Turn. Th e defense to the damage is Life Support 
  (Safe Environment:  High Pressure).
  In games emphasizing greater “realism,” Safe 
  Environment (High Pressure) only constitutes a 
  total defense to pressure damage up to 30 atmo-
  spheres. Above that, Safe Environment (High Pres-
  sure) alone is not enough. At that point, for each +1 
  atmosphere (or fraction thereof) above 30, a person 
  suﬀ ers the damage indicated above (beginning at 
  1d6, not 21d6) unless he has the proper defense:  
  Safe Environment (High Pressure) and a minimum 
  of 1 Resistant PD for every 3 atmospheres of pres-
  sure. (Normally the defense to an NND shouldn’t 
  vary this way, but in this case it’s a realistic and 
  valid way to represent the increasing eﬀ ects of pres-
  sure.) Th is defense can come from armor, personal 
  force ﬁ elds, or any other source. Th us, at 31 atmo-
  spheres, a character with Safe Environment (High 
  Pressure) and 10 rPD is ﬁ ne; at 32 atmospheres, he 
  starts taking damage, because his rPD is no longer 
  enough to protect him.
  Th e Bends
  Even when the pressure isn’t high enough 
  to cause harm, being in a high-pressure environ-
  ment has other dangers. Nitrogen and other gases 
  dissolve in the bloodstream under pressure. Th e 
  aﬄ  iction known as the bends (or, more formally, 
  decompression sickness) occurs when divers try 
  to ascend from underwater depths too rapidly 
  — when the pressure is reduced quickly, the dis-
  solved gases form bubbles and expand, which can 
  cause debilitating pain and tissue damage. (For a 
  graphic demonstration of this, shake up a bottle of 
  carbonated soda and open the top — then imagine 
  that happening in human blood veins.)
  Th e eﬀ ects of the bends are highly variable. Some 
  deep-sea divers have survived dozens of dives with no 
  permanent eﬀ ects, but others died or were left  para-
  lyzed. Th e only way to avoid the bends is to depres-
  surize slowly, either by gradually ascending through 
  the water or spending time in an artiﬁ cial pressure-
  control chamber. Divers descending this far require 
  specialized equipment (including using alternative gas 
  mixes in their breathing apparatus, since highly-pres-
  surized nitrogen is also a powerful narcotic) and at 
  least ten hours of pressure stabilization.
  In game terms, for any decrease in pressure of 
  greater than 1 atmosphere per minute, a character 
  must make a CON Roll, with a penalty of -1 for 
  each additional atmosphere of pressure. If he suc-
  UNDERWATER
  COMBAT
  
  153 
  Hero System Combat Handbook ■ Chapter Six
  ceeds, he doesn’t suﬀ er from the bends. If he fails, 
  he suﬀ ers RKA 1d6 NND Does BODY damage 
  (the defense is Life Support [Safe Environment:  
  High Pressure]). If he fails the roll badly (by 4 or 
  more), the GM might want to increase the damage 
  to 2d6 (or perhaps by +1 point per point the char-
  acter missed the roll by). He suﬀ ers an additional 
  1 BODY damage per hour until decompressed or 
  returned to the higher pressure.
  At the GM’s discretion, a character suﬀ ering 
  from the bends (i.e., who fail the roll and are sub-
  jected to the NND Killing Damage) is physically 
  incapacitated. To take any physical action, he must 
  make an EGO Roll at -4 to withstand the pain 
  (the Resistance Talent adds to this roll). If he fails, 
  he cannot take the action. Each additional action 
  requires a similar roll. At the same time, they will 
  suﬀ er a loss of 1 BODY per Hour until decom-
  pressed or returned to the higher pressure.
  Nitrogen Narcosis
  Sometimes called “rapture of the deep,” nitro-
  gen narcosis occurs when a diver breathes com-
  pressed air at depths greater than 100 feet (15”). 
  Th e nitrogen in the compressed air can have an 
  adverse eﬀ ect. For every Turn spent below 15”, a 
  character breathing compressed air must make a 
  CON Roll. If the roll succeeds, he experiences no 
  ill eﬀ ects. But if he fails the roll, he starts acting as 
  if he were drunk and suﬀ ers the eﬀ ects of intoxi-
  cation as described on page 47. In most cases he 
  cannot exercise good judgment (at best, he has to 
  succeed with an EGO Roll to do the “sensible” or 
  “right” thing) — instead, he behaves in a wildly 
  erratic manner, possibly becoming reckless or silly. 
  For example, he might become overconﬁ dent in 
  battle, or simply wander away from the ﬁ ghting.
  To “cure” the eﬀ ects of nitrogen narcosis, 
  a character must go to (or be taken to) a lesser 
  depth. Once the hero reaches a depth of 15” or less 
  and takes a Post-Segment 12 Recovery (he lacks 
  the judgment to take a Recovery voluntarily), the 
  eﬀ ects of nitrogen narcosis disappear.
  Th e bends only presents a problem for divers 
  who use regular compressed air. Special alternate gas 
  mixes are available that eliminate the problem entirely. 
  On the other hand, divers who use pure oxygen in 
  their SCUBA gear suﬀ er similar eﬀ ects to nitrogen 
  narcosis regardless of depth. Furthermore, breathing 
  more than 1.6 atmospheres of pure oxygen aﬀ ects the 
  central nervous system. Th is causes the character to 
  suﬀ er convulsions... which means that if someone’s 
  not there to put his regulator back in his mouth, he’ll 
  drown before he can recover.
  Handling nitrogen narcosis in the game is dif-
  ﬁ cult — it’s not just an excuse to act silly, it’s some-
  thing to be roleplayed properly — so some GMs 
  may prefer not to use these rules at all if they don’t 
  think it’s appropriate for their players. One quick 
  and easy way to handle it for some characters is to 
  exaggerate their Psychological Limitations (and any 
  other Disadvantages that represent a character’s 
  mental state, such as some Enrageds and Rivalries). 
  Th is might not work well for Psychological Limita-
  
  Hero System 5th Edition
  154 ■ Environmental And Genre Effects
  tions like Code Versus Killing or Vengeful, but can 
  be a lot of roleplaying fun when a character has a 
  phobia, is in love with another PC, or the like.
  TEMPERATURE
  Water conducts heat away from the body 
  much more efficiently than air, meaning that 
  divers find themselves feeling the effects of cold 
  underwater more rapidly. The waters surround-
  ing Atlantis are extremely cold (Temperature 
  Level -1 or -2, typically) and quickly sap the 
  strength and energy of anyone unused to them. 
  Characters without Life Support (Safe Environ-
  ment: Intense Cold), whether innate or provided 
  by equipment, lose REC and Long-Term END 
  pursuant to the Temperature Level rules (see 
  pages 441-42 of the HERO System 5 Edition, 
  Revised rulebook, but ignore any losses for being 
  in Temperature Level 1). Special insulated diving 
  suits exist that can counteract the cold (add +1 
  Temperature Level for a 3mm insulated suit, +2 
  Levels for a 6mm insulated suit, and +3 Levels 
  for a drysuit).
  BREATHING
  Th e main consideration most characters will 
  have when they contemplate a visit to Atlantis is 
  how they’ll breathe underwater. Some characters 
  may already have the innate ability to breathe 
  underwater, but others will have to rely on outside 
  resources.
  First and foremost, characters can use SCUBA 
  gear or other underwater breathing equipment (see 
  Divers And Diving, below). In a “realistic” game, the 
  amount of oxygen they can carry in a single tank 
  severely hampers their ability to use this method 
  for long adventures. But in a setting that features 
  comic book technology, such as the Champions 
  Universe, it’s possible to have SCUBA-like gear that 
  allows for an unlimited amount of breathing time... 
  but of course, using gear, no matter how sophisti-
  cated, leaves characters vulnerable to losing that 
  gear, having it break or malfunction, and so forth.
  Alternately, characters may be able to use 
  magic to breathe underwater. Atlantean mages 
  know several spells allowing Landers to breathe 
  underwater, though getting to the mages to have 
  them cast those spells may prove diﬃ  cult. In game 
  terms, the GM has two options. Th e ﬁ rst, and easi-
  est, is to consider the “Breathe Water” spell a plot 
  device — since it’s necessary to let the PCs adven-
  ture underwater, just give it to them somehow and 
  don’t worry about the game speciﬁ cs. Second, the 
  GM can create the spell in HERO System terms 
  so that he’ll know its exact game eﬀ ects (see the 
  accompanying sidebar for some examples).
  Characters who ﬁ nd themselves unable to 
  breathe underwater begin to drown (see page 142 
  for rules about drowning).
  PERCEPTION AND 
  COMMUNICATION
  Characters may have diﬃ  culty perceiving while 
  underwater, or communicating with each other.
  SIGHT
  Water blocks out sunlight. For photosynthesis 
  purposes, sunlight reaches to as much as 77-92 
  meters (250-300 feet, or 39-46”), but it starts to lose 
  reds and yellows at about 9 meters (30 feet, or 5”). 
  At 18 meters (60 feet, or 9”) and below, all the light 
  is blue-green. Below the photosynthesis level, all 
  living beings are animals or organisms that subsist 
  on something other than sunlight. Besides the loss 
  of light, the other factor aﬀ ecting visibility under-
  water is murkiness — materials in the water (par-
  ticulate matter, small organisms, algae, and the like).
  In game terms, the GM should require char-
  acters involved in combat underwater to make 
  PER Rolls when they change targets or need to 
  notice events at a distance. Th e accompanying table 
  provides a basic modiﬁ er based on depth (and 
  thus on darkness), with an additional modiﬁ er for 
  murkiness. Atlantis is deep enough to impose the -4 
  penalty for depth; the waters around it are usually 
  Average murkiness.
  Infrared And Ultraviolet Perception; Nightvision
  Heat dissipates quickly in water, so Infrared 
  Perception (usually bought as a form of Sight) is 
  limited. Characters using Infrared Perception suﬀ er 
  an additional -2 per range doubling for using it at 
  a distance (this is cumulative with standard Range 
  Modiﬁ ers).
  Nightvision and Ultraviolet Perception are not 
  aﬀ ected underwater, though Ultraviolet Perception 
  becomes useless below the point where sunlight 
  can penetrate.
  UNDERWATER VISIBILITY
  Depth 
  Sight PER Roll Modiﬁ er
  1-4” 
  -0
  5-8” 
  -1
  9-16” 
  -2
  17-32” 
  -3
  33” or deeper 
  -4
   
  Additional Sight
  Conditions 
   PER Roll Modiﬁ er
  Very murky (muddy river or lake) 
  -3
  Murky (quarry lake, heavy particulates) 
  -2
  Average (typical ocean) 
  -1
  Clear (clear ocean) 
  -0
  Very clear (some Carribean waters) -0
  Characters with Nightvision suﬀ er no penalty due to 
  depth, but do suﬀ er murkiness penalties.
  Th e Range Modiﬁ er for PER Rolls underwater increase 
  to -3 per range doubling instead of the ordinary -2.
  
  155 
  Hero System Combat Handbook ■ Chapter Six
  HEARING
  Sound travels more easily underwater, but 
  frequency dropouts (and surface characters’ 
  unfamiliarity with how water affects sound) can 
  make understanding speech, pinpointing the 
  origin/direction of a sound, and the like more 
  difficult. All Hearing PER Rolls are at -3; this 
  increases to -4 if what the character wants to 
  do is locate the origin or source of a sound, but 
  improve to +1 if all the character needs to do 
  is hear a sound (rather than identify or locate 
  it). Additionally, the GM may require charac-
  ters to make unmodified Hearing PER Rolls to 
  understand speech in languages not designed for 
  underwater use, even though normally charac-
  ters don’t make Hearing PER Rolls just to talk.
  If a character fails a Hearing PER Roll 
  underwater, it doesn’t necessarily mean he didn’t 
  hear the sound (particularly if it’s speech). 
  Instead, it may mean that he heard it, but can’t 
  understand or identify it at all.
  Sonar
  Underwater Hearing PER Roll rules do not apply 
  to sonar. It works better underwater; not only does it 
  not suﬀ er the standard penalties, it actually gets a +2 
  PER Roll bonus. However, sonar used underwater 
  cannot perceive objects above the surface of the water 
  — the surface bounces the sonar signal back to the 
  character, eﬀ ectively “blinding” him as to all things 
  beyond it. And don’t forget that sonar isn’t foolproof 
  — for example, thermal layers in the water can create 
  PER Roll penalties, and sonar may read a group of 
  small objects that are close together (such as a school 
  of ﬁ sh) as one big object.
  RADIO
  Water tends to obstruct radio signals. All 
  Radio Perception and Radio Perception/Transmis-
  sion both suﬀ er a -5 penalty to PER Rolls. HRRP, 
  which covers more bands, suﬀ ers only a -3 penalty. 
  Radar does not work at all underwater.
  SMELL/TASTE
  Characters who can breathe underwater can 
  make PER Rolls for Smell/Taste without penalty; 
  those who can’t are limited to smelling or tasting 
  whatever’s in the air they’re breathing. In either 
  case, shift ing water currents make Tracking by 
  scent quite diﬃ  cult. Unless the water’s still, Track-
  ing Smell/Taste PER Rolls are made at a -2 penalty.
  COMMUNICATION
  Closely related to perceiving things is the ability 
  to communicate with other people. Being underwater 
  oft en makes communication diﬃ  cult. In addition 
  to the perception problems described above, char-
  acters may have trouble speaking because they’ve 
  got SCUBA mouthpieces in their mouths (though 
  special full-face masks with built-in radios that allow 
  communication are available), have trouble seeing 
  hand signals or gestures because of silt or murk, and 
  have diﬃ  culty sending and receiving radio signals 
  (see above). Th e GM should keep the environment 
  in mind and require characters to make PER Rolls or 
  INT Rolls to understand one another, if appropriate.
  MOVING UNDERWATER
  In the water, Swimming becomes the default 
  form of movement in place of Running. Th us, for 
  most characters, that means they won’t be able to 
  move more than 2” per Phase (4” Noncombat). 
  Characters who’ve bought the Usable [As Second 
  Mode Of Movement] Advantage for Running, 
  Flight, or the like so they can use that Movement 
  Power as if it were Swimming (see page 124 of the 
  HERO System 5th Edition, Revised rulebook) can use 
  that power underwater without restriction.
  RUNNING
  Characters can only have Running 1” underwater 
  (2” Noncombat, ½” Half Move). Th is assumes they’re 
  on the ocean ﬂ oor or some other surface they can 
  actually run on; if they’re in mid-water, they can’t run 
  at all. Even then, the surface may be so slippery that 
  the GM requires a character to make DEX Rolls or 
  Breakfall rolls every Phase to keep his feet.
  At the GM’s option, characters with signiﬁ -
  cantly more than the standard Running 6” (such as 
  some speedsters) can Run underwater at one-sixth 
  their normal Combat Movement rate.
  LEAPING
  Characters can only Leap underwater if they 
  have a solid surface to push oﬀ  of (such as bedrock 
  on the ocean ﬂ oor, the side of a submarine, the top 
  of an Atlantean building, or the like).
  A character’s Leaping speed is halved while he’s 
  underwater. Th e GM may wish to reduce this even 
  further if he has poor footing, if the shape of his body 
  would increase drag through the water, or the like.
  For long leaps, due to the problems of perceiv-
  ing underwater (see Perception And Communica-
  tion, above), characters may have a much harder 
  time perceiving the target hex.
  
  Hero System 5th Edition
  156 ■ Environmental And Genre Effects
  FLIGHT
  Unless Flight is bought Usable As Swimming 
  (a.k.a. Usable Underwater), it doesn’t work at full 
  eﬀ ect underwater — it depends on the power’s special 
  eﬀ ects. At best, Flight works at half speed in the water; 
  this would apply to graviton manipulation, telekinetic 
  levitation, and other forms of Flight that don’t involve 
  any physical motion or eﬀ ort on the character’s part. 
  For Flight involving wings or the like, the GM may 
  restrict a character to one-quarter speed. Flight based 
  on projecting ﬂ ame or energy behind the character 
  for a “rocket eﬀ ect” probably won’t work at all. Th e 
  ﬁ nal decision is up to the GM.
  GLIDING
  Gliding doesn’t work at all underwater unless 
  it’s bought Usable As Swimming.
  SWINGING
  Swinging usually doesn’t work at all underwa-
  ter unless it’s bought Usable As Swimming. How-
  ever, the GM might allow a character to Swing 1” in 
  appropriate circumstances, and characters still may 
  be able to use their swinglines to pull themselves 
  up the side of underwater buildings or cliﬀ s, across 
  underwater chasms, and so on.
  TELEPORTATION
  Teleportation with the Must Pass Th rough 
  Intervening Space Limitation suﬀ ers the same 
  restrictions as Running when used underwater. 
  Other forms of Teleportation typically work at full 
  eﬀ ect underwater, but characters and GMs must 
  keep two things in mind. First, due to the problems 
  of perceiving underwater (see Perception And Com-
  munication, above), characters may have a much 
  harder time perceiving the target hex.
  Second, and more importantly, Teleport-
  ing into an area filled with water constitutes 
  “Teleporting into a solid object,” requiring the 
  character to roll on the Teleportation Damage 
  Table as described on page 29. This may effec-
  tively make Teleportation useless underwater 
  for many characters. (If the GM finds this too 
  restrictive, he can either consider Teleporting 
  into water to be the same as Teleporting into 
  air, or only invoke the Teleporting into solid 
  objects rules occasionally [say, on an 11- roll 
  each time the character Teleports].)
  TUNNELING
  Characters cannot Tunnel through the water. 
  However, they can Tunnel normally through the 
  ocean ﬂ oor, the walls of an Atlantean building, or 
  similar underwater structures/objects.
  Divers And Diving
  Characters without Life Support powers or 
  some other way to breathe underwater must rely on 
  SCUBA gear. Th e current depth record for divers 
  using SCUBA gear and exotic gas mixtures is a 
  little over 1,000 feet (about 305 meters, or 152”). 
  However, anything deeper than 40 meters (130 feet, 
  or 20”) is “technical” diving (as opposed to recre-
  ational diving), and typically requires greater expe-
  rience and skill, and/or better equipment.
  SCUBA EQUIPMENT
  Effect: 
  Life Support (Self-Contained 
  Breathing)
  Target/Area Affected: Self
  Duration: 
  Constant
  Range: 
  Self
  Charges: 
  1 Continuing Fuel Charge
  Breakability: 
  2 DEF
  Description:  SCUBA (self-contained underwater 
  breathing apparatus, or simply SCBA for models 
  designed for out-of-water use) equipment allows a 
  swimmer to remain underwater for long periods of 
  time by breathing oxygen supplied by tanks worn 
  on the back. When the user exhales, he creates a 
  trail of bubbles.
  If an oxygen tank is punctured, the remaining 
  oxygen is released all at once, causing the tank to 
  explode. Th is does RKA 1d6, Explosion damage per 
  10 minutes of air left  in the tank.
  Game Information:  Life Support (Self-Con-
  tained Breathing) (10 Active Points); OAF (-1), 
  1 Continuing Fuel Charge (oxygen tanks, Easy 
  to obtain; 1 Hour; -0). Total cost:  5 points.
  Options:
  1)  Rebreather:  A rebreather is an improved form of 
  SCUBA technology, usable by characters who have 
  TF: SCUBA. Unlike SCUBA gear, it does not create 
  a trail of bubbles to give away the swimmer’s posi-
  tion. Instead of releasing the swimmer’s exhaled 
  air, a rebreather recirculates, puriﬁ es, and supple-
  ments it with fresh oxygen, thus allowing the user 
  to breathe it again. Th is has the additional eﬀ ect of 
  extending the time the user can remain underwater, 
  but also tends to limit him to dives of no more than 
  about 30 feet (5”, or up to 7” for no more than about 
  ﬁ ve minutes). Change to:  Life Support (Self-Con-
  tained Breathing), Invisible Power Eﬀ ects (leaves 
  no bubble trail; +¼) (12 Active Points); OAF (-1), 
  1 Continuing Fuel Charge (oxygen tanks, Easy to 
  obtain; 2 Hours; -0). Total cost:  6 points.
  2)  Super-SCUBA Equipment I:  Th is Champions Uni-
  verse version of SCUBA equipment is smaller, slim-
  mer, lighter-weight, and can last for up to a month 
  without needing additional air supply. Change to 
  1 Continuing Fuel Charge (oxygen tanks, Easy to 
  obtain; 1 Month; -0). Total cost:  5 points.
  
  157 
  Hero System Combat Handbook ■ Chapter Six
  3)  Super-SCUBA Equipment II:  Th is form of Super-
  SCUBA gear attaches to the character in such a way 
  that it’s much harder to remove. As Super-SCUBA 
  Equipment I, but change OAF (-1) to OIF (-½). 
  Total cost:  7 points.
  SWIMFINS
  Effect: 
  Swimming +2”
  Target/Area Affected: Self
  Duration: 
  Constant
  Range: 
  Self
  END Cost: 
  1
  Breakability: 
  1 DEF
  Description:  Swimﬁ ns are worn on the feet. Th ey 
  expand the “surface area” of the foot, allowing the 
  character to propel himself through the water more 
  quickly by moving his legs.
  Game Information:  Swimming +2” (2 Active 
  Points); OAF (-1). Total cost:  1 points.
  Options:
  1)  Attached Swimﬁ ns:  Some superheroes have 
  special swimﬁ ns that attach to their costumes in a 
  way that makes them much harder to remove. For 
  example, a powered armor hero might have special 
  swimﬁ ns that fold out from his boots. Change OAF 
  (-1) to OIF (-½). Total cost:  1 point.
  UNDERWATER SCOOTER
  Effect: 
  Swimming 10”
  Target/Area Affected: Self
  Duration: 
  Constant
  Range: 
  Self
  Charges: 
  1 Continuing Fuel Charge
  Breakability: 
  1 DEF
  Description:  Th is handheld device is basically a 
  small propeller in a casing. Th e character holds it 
  and it pulls him through the water at high speed 
  and without tiring him.
  Game Information:  Swimming 10” (10 Active 
  Points); OAF (-1), Does Not Add To Base 
  Swimming 2” (-0), 1 Continuing Fuel Charge 
  (battery, Easy to obtain; 1 Hour; -0). Total cost:  
  5 points.
  GAME ELEMENTS
  Some elements of the HERO System work dif-
  ferently, or don’t work at all, underwater.
  Skills
  Unless noted otherwise below, characters 
  can use Skills normally underwater. As always, 
  the GM may impose modifiers to reflect existing 
  circumstances.
  Characters born and bred in underwater 
  environments (such as Atlanteans) are assumed 
  to have learned “underwater” versions of their 
  Skills, and to use equipment appropriate for the 
  underwater environment. If they try to use their 
  Skills or equipment in the air, they may experi-
  ence difficulties of their own.
  EQUIPMENTORIENTED SKILLS 
  Skills that require equipment, or usually 
  involve equipment, may not work well underwater 
  if the equipment isn’t adapted for underwater use. 
  For example, lockpicks work just as well underwa-
  ter as on the surface, but the makeup and prosthe-
  ses used with Disguise melt away or fall oﬀ  when 
  the character submerses himself in water. Char-
  acters may have to obtain appropriate underwater 
  equipment to use certain Skills (like Disguise) 
  underwater. Conversely, Atlantean characters may 
  need “surface versions” of their typical underwater 
  gear if they venture onto land.
  INTERACTION SKILLS
  If characters cannot easily communicate 
  underwater (see Perception And Communication, 
  above), they may ﬁ nd it harder to use Interaction 
  Skills. Th e GM should impose penalties of -2 to -5, 
  as appropriate.
  PERCEPTIVE SKILLS
  Many Skills require the character to perceive 
  something (e.g., Lipreading), or require the “target” 
  of the Skill to be able to perceive the character (e.g., 
  Acting, Disguise, or Mimicry). If appropriate, the 
  GM may impose the standard underwater PER 
  Roll penalties (see Perception And Communication, 
  above) to such rolls.
  ACROBATICS
  Characters generally can’t use Acrobatics 
  underwater; the water impedes their motion too 
  much. At the GM’s option, a character can succeed 
  with an Acrobatics maneuver if he makes his roll at 
  -5. Th e GM may choose not to apply this penalty if 
  the character has either (a) the Aquatic Movement 
  form of Environmental Movement (see below), 
  or (b) has bought his Running with the Usable As 
  Swimming Advantage.
  Characters who are native-born underwater 
  dwellers (such as Atlanteans) can perform Acrobat-
  ics underwater — Aquabatics, if you will — without 
  penalty, as if they were in air. However, if they try 
  to use their Acrobatics in air, they suﬀ er the same 
  penalties a surface-dweller does underwater, unless 
  
  Hero System 5th Edition
  158 ■ Environmental And Genre Effects
  they buy the Surface Movement form of Environ-
  mental Movement (see below) or some other ability 
  to negate this problem.
  BREAKFALL
  Breakfall is easier to use underwater, because 
  water slows down movement. Characters can use the 
  Skill normally and usually receive a +2 bonus to rolls.
  On the other hand, Atlantean characters have 
  trouble using Breakfall in the air because they’re 
  not used to the way they move in a non-liquid 
  environment. Th ey suﬀ er a -2 penalty to all Break-
  fall rolls unless they buy the Surface Movement 
  form of Environmental Movement (see below) or 
  some other ability to negate this problem.
  CRIMINOLOGY, FORENSIC MEDICINE
  Water quickly washes away or alters trace 
  evidence of a crime. Th erefore these Skills may 
  oft en prove useless... or at the very least, suﬀ er -3 or 
  greater penalties.
  DEMOLITIONS
  If an explosive requires ﬁ re or heat to ignite/
  detonate, it won’t work underwater unless the char-
  acter has some Keto’s Flame or other underwater 
  “ﬁ re.” Water may also prevent electrically-detonated 
  explosives from working.
  FAST DRAW
  It’s tough to move really fast underwater. Th is 
  Skill suﬀ ers a -2 penalty.
  GAMBLING
  Since the Atlanteans don’t have paper, most 
  of their gambling involves dice games (using dice 
  carved of heavy stone and “rolled” by dropping 
  them down a chute) or sports betting; card games 
  are mostly restricted to the nobility, who use cards 
  made of thin metal foil.
  HIGH SOCIETY
  Surface-dwellers who use High Society in 
  Atlantis suﬀ er a -2 penalty due to cultural and 
  physical diﬀ erences (the GM may reduce or elimi-
  nate this penalty aft er the character has time to 
  adapt to Atlantean culture, and should remove it 
  entirely for characters with appropriate KSs). Atlan-
  teans suﬀ er the same penalty in surface society.
  LANGUAGE
  Speaking underwater may require characters to 
  learn a special language. For example, in the Cham-
  pions Universe, the Atlanteans speak their own lan-
  guage, as described on page 16 of Hidden Lands. 
  MARTIAL ARTS
  See Underwater Combat, below, for 
  expanded rules on using Combat and Martial 
  Maneuvers underwater.
  MIMICRY
  Mimicry depends on the ability to commu-
  nicate and to perceive, both of which are diﬃ  cult 
  underwater. At a minimum, Mimicry rolls suﬀ er 
  the standard Hearing PER Roll penalty described 
  above under Perception And Communication. How-
  ever, if a character succeeds with his Mimicry roll, 
  he may be able to take advantage of the fact that 
  surface-dwellers can’t always hear clearly and aren’t 
  aware of exactly how things should sound in the 
  water. If appropriate, the GM may impose an addi-
  tional penalty on the target’s Hearing PER Roll to 
  determine that the mimicked sound is false.
  TRACKING
  Characters cannot use Tracking to follow 
  someone who’s swimming through the water. 
  Tracking only works underwater if the character 
  can follow footprints or other marks on the ocean 
  ﬂ oor, Atlantean ﬂ agstones, or the like. Even then, 
  the motion of the water may quickly obliterate or 
  alter tracks; the GM can impose a -1 to -3 penalty, 
  as appropriate.
  VENTRILOQUISM
  Because sound travels through water more 
  easily than it does through air, characters ﬁ nd this 
  Skill easier to use. Th e distance penalty for Ven-
  triloquism underwater is only -1 per 3” (instead of 
  the usual -1 per 1”).
  Talents
  Characters who spend a lot of time underwa-
  ter oft en buy the Aquatic Movement form of the 
  Environmental Movement Talent to eliminate the 
  combat penalties associated with being underwater 
  (see Underwater Combat, below). Atlantean char-
  acters all get this Talent as part of their Package 
  Deal (in an all-Atlantis campaign, the GM should 
  consider just giving it to them for free, since under-
  water is their default environment).
  Aquatic Movement doesn’t allow surface-
  dwelling characters to move at greater speed 
  underwater — they’re still limited to Running 1”, 
  as described above. However, it does eliminate the 
  penalties for using some Skills, as described above.
  Atlantean characters sometimes suffer pen-
  alties if they try to use some Skills in the air, 
  since they’re not used to that environment. If 
  they want to act on the surface without those 
  Skill penalties, they can buy a different form of 
  Environmental Movement:  Surface Movement. 
  It costs 3 points, and does for undersea dwellers 
  part of what Aquatic Movement does for land-
  folk — eliminates Skill Roll penalties associated 
  with being out of the water.
  
  159 
  Hero System Combat Handbook ■ Chapter Six
  Powers By Special Effect
  Characters with powers based on certain 
  special effects may, at the GM’s option, find that 
  their powers work differently underwater. Here 
  are some recommended changes for certain cat-
  egories of powers.
  Many of the special effects described below 
  become more or less effective in water. This is 
  normally expressed as a percentage (such as 
  “Pulson powers only have 50% effect underwa-
  ter”). For ease of play, just add or subtract the 
  appropriate number of dice, points of defense, or 
  the like — don’t bother recalculating Active/Real 
  Points or anything like that.
  If a power becomes more eﬀ ective underwater, 
  or gains an Advantage it wouldn’t ordinarily have, 
  this does not increase the END cost the character 
  pays to use the power. He pays the standard END 
  cost for it; the extra eﬀ ect or Advantage is “free.”
  ACID
  Most manifestations of acid-based powers 
  are liquid in form and dissipate easily in water. 
  Indeed, many acid attacks are neutralized 
  entirely by contact with water, or may even have 
  a single reaction immediately upon contact. 
  This might be a dangerous surprise to the user, 
  if the effect goes off directly in front of him, or 
  involves acid on his skin! 
  As a general rules, it’s easiest for the GM to 
  assume that water neutralizes and dissipates dan-
  gerous acids. When characters use acid attacks 
  underwater, reduce the attacks to half eﬀ ect. Simi-
  larly, acid-based defenses usually provide only half 
  as much protection as normal. See page 8 of Th e 
  UNTIL Superpowers Database for more rules about 
  acid powers generally.
  AIR AND WIND
  Depending on the exact special eﬀ ect of an air 
  or wind power, it may be completely useless under-
  water. Air or wind powers that involve manipulat-
  ing existing air have little or nothing to work with, 
  and so usually have no eﬀ ect at all. Air or wind 
  powers that involve creating air lose most of their 
  eﬀ ectiveness because they create bubbles that 
  harmlessly dissipate and ﬂ oat to the surface — at 
  most, such powers have half eﬀ ect.
  A hero who can control masses of air may be 
  able to bring a large “bubble” of it underwater with 
  him, allowing him to breathe (at least for a short 
  time) and providing a potential area of safety from 
  water-dwellers.
  DENSITY ALTERATION
  Characters whose powers have the special 
  eﬀ ect of making the character lighter or less dense 
  may ﬁ nd that this aﬀ ects their bouyancy underwa-
  ter (though this won’t be a problem if they become 
  Desolidiﬁ ed, since then the water just passes right 
  through them). Th e GM should assign a STR rating 
  and speed (in inches per Segment) to the water 
  currents in the character’s location. Every Phase, 
  the lighter than normal character has to win a STR 
  Roll Versus STR Roll Contest to remain in place 
  — if he fails, he gets swept in the direction of the 
  current for the current’s inches of “movement” 
  every Segment until he gets another Phase and can 
  try to win another STR Roll Contest. (Of course, 
  
  Hero System 5th Edition
  160 ■ Environmental And Genre Effects
  the GM can use this same method for characters of 
  normal mass, if the current’s strong enough!)
  ELECTRICITY
  Pure water makes a ﬁ ne insulator — but char-
  acters aren’t likely to encounter pure water outside 
  of a laboratory setting. Impure water, such as lake 
  or river water, is an excellent conductor of electric-
  ity, and salt water’s even better. Th is has several 
  eﬀ ects in game terms.
  First, electrical attacks become more powerful. 
  In fresh water, they’re 25% more eﬀ ective; in salt 
  water, they’re 30% more eﬀ ective.
  Second, Ranged electrical attacks (such as 
  Energy Blasts or RKAs deﬁ ned as a “lightning 
  bolt”), or any other attack which involves channel-
  ing or projecting electricity through the water (as 
  opposed to just touching a target with it) acts as if 
  it had the Area Of Eﬀ ect (Line) Advantage. Alter-
  nately, it may act as if it has the Explosion Advan-
  tage; this is most appropriate for attacks that propel 
  something (like a speargun) through the water 
  which then emits electricity when it approaches or 
  contacts the target.
  Th ird, electrical defenses become more power-
  ful, just like attacks:  +25% better in fresh water; 
  +30% in salt water. At the GM’s option, a defense 
  that surrounds a character with an electric ﬁ eld, 
  like many electricity Force Fields, also becomes a 
  Damage Shield (typically doing RKA 1d6 damage) 
  when used underwater.
  Fourth, characters using electricity powers 
  without suﬃ  cient insulation (or Personal Immu-
  nity) may risk taking damage from their own 
  attacks. At the GM’s option, every Phase a character 
  uses an electricity power, the GM rolls 3d6. If he 
  rolls 11-, the character experiences no problems. 
  If he rolls 12 or above, the character gets shocked 
  by his own power — take 25% of the Active Points 
  in the most expensive power and use it to “buy” an 
  RKA, then apply the RKA’s damage to the character 
  with no defense (except defenses bought to apply 
  only against electricity). If the character uses more 
  than one electricity power in a Phase, reduce the 
  roll by 1 for every additional power aft er the ﬁ rst.
  Example:  Th underbolt has electrical powers. 
  In his Phase in Segment 12, he uses two:  his 
  Force Field (15 PD/25 ED) and his Energy 
  Blast 12d6. If he were only using one, the GM 
  would roll 11-, but since it’s two, he rolls 10-. He 
  rolls 13 and fails. Th erefore Th underbolt takes 
  RKA damage equal to 25% of the most expen-
  sive electricity power in use — the EB, with 60 
  Active Points. Th us, he takes (60 x .25 =) 15 
  points’ worth of RKA damage, or 1d6.
  FIRE AND HEAT
  If a character’s ﬁ re powers require oxygen for 
  combustion (as almost all ﬁ re powers do), they 
  cannot function underwater. Fire with other special 
  eﬀ ects — such as mystic ﬂ ames, or some chemical 
  ﬁ res — work normally.
  Even if ﬁ re powers don’t work as intended, 
  a manifestation of intense heat may convert the 
  water in an area to steam. Th is might inﬂ ict burns 
  (see page 248 of Th e UNTIL Superpowers Database 
  for some suggested steam powers) before the steam 
  dissipates into bubbles and rises to the surface.
  Smoke-based powers usually work normally 
  underwater.
  HYPERSENSES
  See Perception And Communication, above, for 
  rules about perceiving underwater. Characters with 
  hypersenses may have a slightly easier time than 
  most characters, but the water plays hob with their 
  senses, too.
  ICE AND COLD
  Ice and cold powers can have some unusual 
  eﬀ ects underwater.
  First, remember that ice, even large masses 
  of it, is buoyant — in other words, it ﬂ oats. When 
  characters create ice for an attack (such as many 
  types of Ice Blast or Ice Darts), a defense (such as 
  an Ice Wall, or Ice Armor), or as a form of move-
  ment (like Ice Slides), the following rules apply:
  —the Range Modiﬁ er for Ranged attacks is dou-
  bled, to represent the fact that the ice starts to bob 
  and rise in the water as soon as it’s created
  —static structures or objects made of ice, such as 
  Ice Walls, rise to the surface at the rate of 3” per 
  Segment beginning in the Segment aft er they’re 
  created unless they’re anchored to something solid 
  (such as the ocean ﬂ oor or an undersea cliﬀ side)
  —a character who protects himself with Ice Armor 
  (i.e., a “suit” of ice that protects him from attacks) 
  will rise just like a static structure unless he has 
  Density Increase or some other way to weigh him-
  self down; the same applies to persons trapped in 
  “block of ice” Entangles or the like
  —characters using Ice Slides (a form of Running) 
  are limited to only 25% of their normal inches of 
  movement, since the slides start to rise and break 
  up as soon as they’re created, forcing the character 
  to devote time and eﬀ ort to keeping them solid 
  enough for him to move on
  Characters whose powers involve creating 
  intense cold may ﬁ nd that activating such powers 
  underwater causes the water to freeze around them. 
  At the GM’s option, every Phase a character uses 
  an ice/cold power underwater, the GM rolls 3d6. If 
  he rolls 11-, the character experiences no problems. 
  If he rolls 12 or above, the character traps himself 
  in an ice Entangle — take 25% of the Active Points 
  in the most expensive power and use it to “buy” an 
  Entangle, then apply the Entangle to the character. 
  If the character uses more than one ice/cold power 
  in a Phase, reduce the roll by 1 for every additional 
  power aft er the ﬁ rst.
  But all is not gloom and doom for ice pro-
  jectors. At the GM’s option, the vast amounts of 
  water available for them to freeze underwater may 
  increase the eﬀ ects of their powers. An attack that 
  involves creating ice oft en gains 1-2 additional 
  Damage Classes — and perhaps more, depending 
  on the nature of the attack (for example, a block of 
  
  161 
  Hero System Combat Handbook ■ Chapter Six
  ice used to Entangle or ram someone gets much 
  bigger and heavier than normal, and so might gain 
  +3-4 DCs). An ice-based defense may gain +1-2 
  points of defense. An ice/cold-based Change Envi-
  ronment eﬀ ect is oft en 25-50% larger than normal. 
  As always, the GM should determine the exact 
  eﬀ ects based on the circumstances, common sense, 
  dramatic sense, and game balance.
  LIGHT
  Water diﬀ uses visible light, so it weakens most 
  powers with a Light special eﬀ ect. Light-based 
  attacks, including laser beams and many Sight 
  Group Flashes, automatically have the Reduced 
  By Range Limitation when used underwater. If 
  the power already has that Limitation, double the 
  number of DCs subtracted at each Range incre-
  ment. If the water’s particularly murky or cloudy, 
  the GM might want to increase the DCs subtracted 
  per Range increment by 1.
  Light-based defense powers, such as a Force 
  Field, usually lose 25% of their eﬀ ectiveness. Th e 
  GM should make a ﬁ nal determination based on 
  the nature of the power.
  Powers involving non-visible light — ultra-
  violet and infrared — work diﬀ erently. Ultraviolet 
  light powers aren’t aﬀ ected by being underwater at 
  all; they work just as well in the water as in the air. 
  Infrared light attacks have a maximum range of 2”, 
  but can’t aﬀ ect targets beyond that at all; infrared 
  light defenses lose 50% of their eﬀ ectiveness.
  At depths below 77-92 meters (250-300 feet, 
  or 39-46”), there’s usually insuﬃ  cient light for 
  powers that require ambient light to work, such as 
  any power with Limitations like Does Not Work In 
  Darkness or Only Works In Sunlight. See Perception 
  And Communication, above, for more information.
  MENTAL AND PSIONIC
  Mental and psionic powers work normally 
  underwater, but characters may have diﬃ  culty 
  establishing Line Of Sight to the target. See Percep-
  tion And Communication, above, for rules about 
  perceiving underwater.
  SONIC
  Since sound travels more easily through 
  water (about 4.5 times faster, in fact), Sonic powers 
  become more eﬀ ective beneath the waves.
  Sonic non-Ranged attacks typically gain as 
  much as 25% additional power. Sonic Ranged 
  attacks usually automatically gain the Advan-
  tage Area Of Effect (Cone) (the attack retains its 
  normal Range). If the character doesn’t want that 
  effect (i.e., he wants to attack more precisely, so 
  he hits only one target), he may make a Power 
  Skill Roll at +2, or if the GM prefers an INT Roll, 
  to control his power and keep it from “spread-
  ing.” Alternately or in addition, the GM might 
  increase the Damage Classes of a Sonic Ranged 
  attack by as much as 25%.
  Sonic defense powers become 20% more eﬀ ec-
  tive. Other Sonic powers may gain as much as 10-
  20% eﬀ ectiveness, at the GM’s option.
  TECHNOLOGY, GADGETS, AND DEVICES
  Many technological devices aren’t intended 
  to work underwater. Unless noted otherwise, 
  assume that any electronic or similar techno-
  logical device does not work underwater. If the 
  device provides Life Support (Expanded Breath-
  ing or Self-Contained Breathing), then it and any 
  other devices that are part of it are considered 
  “watertight” and thus able to function normally 
  underwater. At the GM’s option, a character can 
  declare that his devices are watertight. The GM 
  may want to charge 1 or more Character Points 
  per device for this (as part of the device’s Active 
  Point cost) to keep characters from gratuitously 
  making all their gear watertight.
  Devices are subject to the crushing pressure of 
  the depths (page 152) just like characters. Even if 
  a device is waterproof, taking it too far down may 
  damage or destroy it unless the character buys Life 
  Support (Safe Environment:  High Pressure) for it. 
  Foci that provide that type of Life Support auto-
  matically have it themselves; at the GM’s option, so 
  do Inaccessible Foci carried by a character who has 
  Safe Environment:  High Pressure himself.
  Aquadynamic Devices
  Large devices that aren’t speciﬁ cally designed 
  to be aquadynamic (i.e., to move through the 
  water as easily as possible) may interfere with a 
  character’s ability to swim. Examples include many 
  suits of powered armor, the enormous weapons 
  wielded by some gigantic characters, blaster can-
  nons, and any Focus with the Bulky Limitation. 
  Th e GM should multiply the device’s weight for the 
  purposes of determining Encumbrance’s eﬀ ect on 
  movement to represent the “drag” it creates. If the 
  device provides the character with STR, the GM 
  may not want to count that STR for purposes of 
  determining whether the character’s Encumbered 
  (and if so, how badly).
  A device is automatically considered “aquady-
  namic” if it provides the character with any inches 
  of Swimming. At the GM’s option, a character can 
  declare that his devices are aquadynamic. Th e GM 
  may want to charge 1 or more Character Points per 
  device for this (as part of the device’s Active Point 
  cost) to keep characters from gratuitously making 
  all their gear aquadynamic.
  WATER
  At the very worst, Water powers have their 
  normal eﬀ ect when used underwater. At the GM’s 
  option, using Water powers underwater might 
  make them more powerful — as much as 25% 
  more eﬀ ective. Th e GM may prefer to express this 
  by adding an Advantage, such as Area Of Eﬀ ect 
  (One Hex), Double Knockback, or No Range Modi-
  ﬁ er instead of just adding Damage Classes. Increas-
  ing the eﬀ ectiveness of Water powers is particularly 
  appropriate for powers that draw on ambient water, 
  as opposed to ones where the character somehow 
  generates the water himself.
  
  Hero System 5th Edition
  162 ■ Environmental And Genre Effects
  WEATHER
  Th ere’s no weather to speak of underwater, so 
  characters with weather manipulation abilities may 
  not always have much eﬀ ect beneath the surface 
  — there’s no way to generate a breeze or raise a fog. 
  (In some cases, the character may still be able to 
  aﬀ ect the weather above the body of water he’s in.) 
  However, at the GM’s option, there may be ways for 
  a character to use a reasonable “substitute” ability. 
  Instead of creating a fog to interfere with his ene-
  mies’ vision, maybe he generates a ﬁ eld of bubbles 
  or stirs up water currents.
  Weather powers that have additional special 
  eﬀ ects — such as wind or lightning — follow the 
  rules for those types of abilities, as described above.
  Powers By Category And Type
  Regardless of special eﬀ ect, some powers work 
  diﬀ erently underwater than in the air.
  CONSTANT POWERS
  Don’t forget that characters ordinarily have to 
  maintain Line Of Sight to a Constant Power to keep 
  it in eﬀ ect. Th e underwater environment may make 
  this diﬃ  cult. If appropriate, the GM might require 
  a character to make a PER Roll to determine if he 
  can maintain LOS.
  PERCEPTION POWERS
  Some Powers require that a character be able 
  to perceive the target before he can aﬀ ect him. 
  For example, a character can’t Find Weakness on 
  another character if he has no way to perceive him. 
  Given that being underwater oft en interferes with 
  perception (see Perception And Communication, 
  above), the GM may want to require characters to 
  succeed with a PER Roll with a Targeting Sense to 
  use such powers. Making this roll takes no time.
  CHANGE ENVIRONMENT
  Due to the breadth and ﬂ exibility of Change 
  Environment, it can suﬀ er many diﬀ erent eﬀ ects 
  from being underwater — it all depends on what 
  the CE is built to do, and its special eﬀ ects. Th e 
  GM should adjust how the power manifests to let 
  the character make reasonable use of it whenever 
  possible. For example, creating an intense magnetic 
  ﬁ eld might work with no problem, increasing the 
  temperature might take time (but decreasing it take 
  less time than normal, or work over a greater area), 
  and instead of creating an area of mist and smoke 
  the character might create turbulence. On the other 
  hand, some eﬀ ects (such as altering the weather or 
  creating wind currents) might not work at all.
  CLINGING
  Some special eﬀ ects of Clinging (such as cling-
  grip devices) tend to require dry and/or smooth 
  surfaces — neither of which are common underwa-
  ter — to function properly. If appropriate, the GM 
  can reduce the STR of the Clinging, or forbid its 
  use altogether.
  INVISIBILITY
  Invisibility to the Sight Group is much 
  less effective underwater — the character is a 
  human-shaped “hole” in the water that others can 
  see. In game terms, Invisible to the Sight Group 
  always has the Limitation Bright Fringe under-
  water if it doesn’t have that Limitation already. 
  Invisibility to other Sense Groups works nor-
  mally, unless the GM rules otherwise.
  MIND CONTROL
  Unless the Mind Control has the Telepathic 
  Advantage, communicating orders underwater may 
  be diﬃ  cult. See Perception And Communication, 
  above, for more information.
  Power Advantages
  Most Advantages work normally underwater, 
  but a few special cases exist.
  NEW ADVANTAGE:  POWER WORKS 
  NORMALLY UNDERWATER +¼
  In campaigns that involve frequent underwater 
  adventuring, the GM might want to consider using 
  this new Advantage. When a power has Works Nor-
  mally Underwater, it works underwater just as well 
  as it would if used in the air — it doesn’t suﬀ er any 
  reduction in eﬀ ect, automatically-imposed Limita-
  tions, or the like based upon either its special eﬀ ect 
  and/or the Power(s) and Power Modiﬁ er(s) used to 
  create it. If the power functions better underwater, 
  the character can choose to use the better eﬀ ect... 
  but if so, he must also accept any problems that the 
  power normally suﬀ ers underwater.
  Works Normally Underwater is most appro-
  priate for Sensory Powers and the like, so that 
  characters can freely communicate and perceive 
  underwater. It’s also appropriate for some Move-
  ment Powers. It’s less appropriate for Attack and 
  Defense Powers, but the GM may still wish to 
  allow it. However, as with any other element of the 
  HERO System, special eﬀ ects are key:  if a character 
  can’t provide a reasonable explanation for why his 
  power works normally underwater, he shouldn’t be 
  allowed to buy the Advantage.
  AREA OF EFFECT AND EXPLOSION
  Actual physical explosions — grenades, bombs, 
  sticks of dynamite, and so on — tend to be more 
  eﬀ ective underwater. For every 20 Active Points’ 
  worth of eﬀ ect, add +1 DC to an explosion deﬁ ned 
  using Area Of Eﬀ ect; for explosions deﬁ ned using 
  the Explosion Advantage, increase the drop-oﬀ  rate 
  by 1” for every 20 Active Points.
  INVISIBLE POWER EFFECTS
  Invisible Power Eﬀ ects may be less eﬀ ective — 
  even useless — underwater when bought for Attack 
  Powers to aﬀ ect the Sight Group. Th ings that leave 
  no visible trace in air still create turbulence or other 
  eﬀ ects in water. At worst, Invisible to Sight Group 
  becomes useless; at best, the GM allows onlookers a 
  Sight PER Roll to see the power. Th e GM determines 
  how eﬀ ective IPE is for other types of powers.
  
  163 
  Hero System Combat Handbook ■ Chapter Six
  Power Limitations
  Most Limitations work normally underwater, 
  but a few special cases exist.
  FOCUS
  See Technology, Gadgets, And Devices above 
  for general rules about using Foci underwater. In a 
  game that stresses “realism,” the GM may want to 
  allow few devices to function properly beneath the 
  surface; in a more “four-color” game, just about any 
  super-device may work underwater.
  GESTURES, INCANTATIONS, AND 
  RESTRAINABLE
  Water — particularly turbulent water — may 
  interfere with a character’s ability to make the 
  proper Gestures or use a Restrainable ability. If 
  appropriate, the GM may require the character to 
  succeed with a STR Roll or DEX Roll each Phase to 
  use the power.
  Similarly, speaking Incantations may prove 
  diﬃ  cult or impossible (especially if a character’s got 
  a SCUBA mouthpiece in his mouth!). Th e GM may 
  require a successful INT Roll to allow a character 
  not born to the underwater environment to speak 
  properly. If the character has the Language Atlan-
  tean, he can Incant underwater with no problem, 
  because learning that language entails learning how 
  to speak in the water.
  RANGE BASED ON STRENGTH
  See Th rown And Propelled Attacks, below, 
  for information on how being underwater aﬀ ects 
  throwing things.
  UNDERWATER FIGHTING
  Some aspects of combat work diﬀ erently when 
  the ﬁ ght takes place underwater.
  BASIC UNDERWATER COMBAT RULES
  Characters who ﬁ ght underwater suﬀ er from 
  certain penalties unless they have the Talent Envi-
  ronmental Movement:  Aquatic Movement: 
  —the character is at -2 DCV
  —the character suﬀ ers a -2 DC penalty on all 
  attacks. If the rules earlier in this section state a 
  diﬀ erent rule for reducing or increasing the damage 
  for a particular type of attack, that speciﬁ c rule 
  overrides this general rule.
  At the GM’s option, a character who has an 
  appropriate Skill, like PS: Diver, can reduce these 
  penatlies to -1 each for a Phase if he succeeds with 
  a roll (this takes no time). If a character has TF: 
  SCUBA, he can ignore these penalties altogether for 
  one Phase if he makes a DEX Roll.
  Underwater OCV With Ranged Attacks
  Characters normally suffer no OCV penalty 
  just for being underwater. However, it’s often dif-
  ficult to perceive for long distances underwater, 
  as discussed under Perception And Communica-
  tion, above. In appropriate circumstances, the 
  GM may require a character to succeed with a 
  PER Roll to perceive the target he wants to attack 
  (this takes no time). If the roll fails, the character 
  suffers the standard non-perception penalty (see 
  page 7). Alternately, the GM may simply impose 
  a -1 OCV penalty per point by which the charac-
  ter missed his PER Roll.
  Knockback
  All Knockback Rolls made against targets who 
  are underwater receive a +1d6 modiﬁ er to reﬂ ect 
  the greater resistance of water.
  THROWN AND PROPELLED ATTACKS
  Many attacks involve throwing something, 
  whether it’s a weaponmaster throwing a boomer-
  ang, a martial artist ﬂ ipping a foe to the ground, 
  or a super-strong character throwing another 
  character. Unfortunately, thrown attacks have very 
  little eﬀ ect underwater due to water resistance. All 
  attacks involving throwing something (whether it’s 
  a weapon, a rock, the target of the attack, or what 
  have you) automatically suﬀ er from the Reduced By 
  Range Limitation at double normal eﬀ ect.
  Furthermore, throwing works properly only 
  when the character has a solid, stable surface to 
  brace against, such as the ocean floor, an Atlan-
  tean road, or an underwater rock outcropping. 
  If a character doesn’t have something to “brace” 
  against this way, then divide the distance of the 
  throw between the character and whatever he 
  throws — the thrown object/person goes half the 
  distance forward, the character gets propelled 
  half the distance backward.
  Attacks propelled by some force other than 
  a character’s STR — such as an arrow shot from 
  a bow, a spear ﬁ red from a speargun, or a bullet 
  ﬁ red from a gun — fare a little better. Th ey also 
  automatically have the Reduced By Range Limita-
  tion, but only at regular eﬀ ect. Nor is a solid, stable 
  surface required to use them (though if a weapon 
  has a particularly strong “recoil,” the GM might rule 
  that it spins the character around, requiring him to 
  spend a Half Phase to right himself).
  Th e standard rules about the aerodynamicity 
  (or aquadynamicity, in this case) and balance of a 
  thrown attack (HERO System 5th Edition, Revised, 
  page 35) apply to underwater thrown attacks; the 
  GM may increase the penalty for particularly non-
  aquadynamic objects. Th ese penalties also apply 
  to propelled objects, though most such objects are 
  both balanced and aquadynamic.
  COMBAT MANEUVERS
  In general, Combat and Martial Maneu-
  vers work the same underwater as they do in 
  the air, unless noted otherwise below. The GM 
  may restrict maneuvers characters can use due 
  to water resistance (i.e., the fact that characters 
  can’t move as quickly as normal), lack of a stable 
  surface to stand on in mid-water, and other fac-
  tors. For example, kicks are often harder to per-
  form, or impossible to use.
  
  Hero System 5th Edition
  164 ■ Environmental And Genre Effects
  DIVE FOR COVER
  Due to the diﬃ  culty of moving quickly 
  through the water, the DEX Roll penalty for Diving 
  For Cover is doubled, to -2 per 1” moved.
  GRAB
  Grab itself works normally, but the Th row that 
  sometimes follows a Grab doesn’t. If the character 
  wants to “slam” a character to the ground in his hex or 
  an adjacent hex, the Th row does its regular damage 
  and has its other standard eﬀ ects. If he wants to 
  Th row the Grabbed victim further than that, the rules 
  for Th rown attacks underwater apply (see above).
  SWEEP
  Due to water resistance and slowed movement 
  underwater, Sweep may not be possible, particu-
  larly against multiple targets. If the GM allows it, 
  he may want to increase the OCV penalty to -3 per 
  attack aft er the ﬁ rst.
  THROWS
  Th rows that have the special eﬀ ect of trip-
  ping the target, dashing him to the ground, or the 
  like (which is to say, most Martial Maneuvers with 
  the Th row element) do only half damage. Th row 
  maneuvers which knock the target down through 
  impact or brute force do their full regular damage 
  (though the GM may subtract a DC or two if he 
  thinks that would be appropriate). If a character 
  wants to Th row his target for distance (as described 
  in Th e Ultimate Martial Artist), the rules for 
  Th rown attacks underwater apply (see above).
  WEAPONS
  Many weapons work poorly (or not at all) 
  underwater.
  Melee Weapons
  Moving most slashing, chopping, and smash-
  ing weapons (such as axes, maces, swords, ﬂ ails, 
  picks, and clubs) through the water is diﬃ  cult 
  — water resistance slows the attack down. In game 
  terms:
  —Small weapons like knives, daggers, and hatchets 
  work normally, without an OCV penalty
  —Other Short weapons (see the weapons tables in 
  Fantasy Hero, Th e Ultimate Martial Artist, and sim-
  ilar books for weapon length rules) used to slash, 
  chop, smash, or the like suﬀ er a -1 OCV penalty
  —Medium-length weapons used to slash, shop, 
  smash, or the like suﬀ er a -2 OCV penalty
  —Long-length weapons used to slash, chop, smash, 
  or the like suﬀ er a -3 OCV penalty
  Th e GM may increase or decrease any OCV 
  penalty to better reﬂ ect the shape or nature of a 
  particular weapon. He may also add a Damage 
  Class penalty equal to the OCV penalty to reﬂ ect 
  the reduction in force.
  Th rusting and stabbing weapons 
  — spears, tridents, and the like — suﬀ er 
  no OCV penalty at all. Th e GM may 
  also eliminate the penalty for a slashing 
  weapon if a character uses it to thrust 
  (as he could with some swords).
  Th rown And Propelled Weapons
  See above for rules about throwing 
  and propelling objects underwater.
  Weapons made of wood, leather, 
  and/or strings — such as most bows 
  and crossbows — do not work for very 
  long underwater, since they warp and 
  stretch. For game purposes, assume 30 
  minutes of immersion renders such 
  weapons useless (probably perma-
  nently). Bows and like weapons made 
  from magical or high-tech materials 
  may resist the eﬀ ects of water longer, or 
  all the time.
  Firearms
  For game purposes, assume that 
  ﬁ rearms will not work underwater, unless 
  they use gyrojet ammunition or are spe-
  ciﬁ cally designed for underwater use (like 
  the H&K P-11 pistol). Some ﬁ rearms, 
  particularly older types, won’t even ﬁ re if 
  they get wet. Just making a gun Watertight 
  won’t necessarily allow it to ﬁ re underwa-
  ter, but does let a character carry it under-
  water without damaging it or rendering 
  it incapable of ﬁ ring when taken out of 
  the water. See Dark Champions for more 
  information about ﬁ rearms.
  SPEARGUN
  Divers who want to 
  spearﬁ sh, or who’d like a 
  little protection against 
  marine predators, oft en 
  carry a speargun. Spe-
  arguns use heavy-duty 
  rubber bands or pneu-
  matics to ﬁ re a small, 
  sharp metal spear. Most 
  have eﬀ ective distances 
  of about 9-18 feet.
  RKA 1d6, Armor Pierc-
  ing (+½) (22 Active 
  Points); OAF (-1), 
  Limited Range (4”; -¼), 
  1 Recoverable Charge (-
  1¼). Total cost:  6 points.
  BANGSTICK
  Th is protective weapon 
  consists of a stick with 
  a shotgun shell ﬁ tted to 
  one end. Th e user jabs it 
  into a shark (or similar 
  threatening ﬁ sh) and 
  triggers it, inﬂ icting a 
  severe wound.
  RKA 2d6 (30 Active 
  Points); OAF (-1), No 
  Range (-½), 1 Charge (-
  2). Total cost:  7 points.
  
  165 
  Hero System Combat Handbook ■ Chapter Six
  I
  n most Dark Champions campaigns, and some 
  other types of games, the most common type of 
  combat is the gunﬁ ght — a battle between two 
  (or more) characters (or sides) using pistols, 
  shotguns, assault riﬂ es, and other types of ﬁ rearms. 
  Here are some special rules, options, and variants to 
  help you more enjoyably simulate gunﬁ re in HERO 
  System terms.
  Altering The Range Modiﬁ er
  For most games, the standard Range Modiﬁ er 
  works just ﬁ ne. However, GMs looking for a par-
  ticular “feel” for their games may want to consider 
  changing it.
  If you want a more “cinematic” atmosphere in 
  your game, increase the Range Modiﬁ er to -2 per 
  5”, 6”, or more. Th e larger you make the number, the 
  greater the chance characters can hit distant targets 
  — in eﬀ ect, you’re giving every character a certain 
  number of Range Skill Levels “for free.” Extend the 
  Range Modiﬁ er far enough, and your cinematic 
  spies, soldiers, and vigilantes will be able to reliably 
  shoot their enemies at 100 yards with handguns.
  On the other hand, if you prefer a more “realis-
  tic” or “gritty” feel to your game, decrease the Range 
  Modiﬁ er to 3” (any more than that is probably too 
  restrictive, even for “high realism” games). Th at 
  makes it much tougher to hit distant targets.
  If you’d rather not change the measurement, 
  you can achieve a similar result by altering the pen-
  alty itself. For a cinematic feel, switch to -1 OCV 
  per 4”; for a more realistic game, try -3 OCV per 4”. 
  Or you could even combine the two, thus creating a 
  Range Modiﬁ er of -1 per 3”, -3 per 5”, or the like.
  Point Blank Shooting
  At the GM’s option, gunshots at very close 
  ranges have an easier chance to hit their targets. If 
  the target is within 2” (13 feet) of the shooter, the 
  shooter receives a +1 OCV bonus.
  Blowthrough 
   
  “Blowthrough” is a gun user’s term for the 
  ability of a bullet to penetrate some barriers or 
  targets and keep traveling with relatively little 
  loss of energy.
  Blowthrough Versus Barriers
  In some action films and novels, characters 
  can shoot through a door, wall, table, or even 
  roof to hurt a target on the other side. You can 
  do this easily enough with the standard HERO 
  System rules for damaging objects, but it’s not 
  as effective as in the movies, since the DEF and 
  BODY of the intervening surface reduce the 
  damage done by the attack.
  To make this trick work, use this optional rule:  
  if half of the damage caused by the ﬁ rearm attack 
  equals or exceeds the DEF+BODY of the barrier, 
  the barrier does not reduce the damage the attack 
  causes at all. If the attack has an Advantage that 
  aﬀ ects how it does damage to inanimate objects, 
  such as Armor Piercing, it applies to determine 
  if blowthrough occurs. If the attack doesn’t do 
  enough damage to cause blowthrough, the barrier 
  reduces the attack’s damage as usual.
  Of course, whether blowthrough occurs or 
  not, ﬁ ring through a barrier oft en presents one 
  drawback:  since the character can’t perceive his 
  target with a Targeting Sense, he’s at 0 OCV for 
  attacking at Range (unless he can make a PER Roll 
  with a Nontargeting Sense to reduce the penalty to 
  half OCV). On the other hand, the target may not 
  be expecting an attack, so the shooter could gain a 
  Surprise bonus.
  Example:  Fireﬁ ght  knows his opponent is on 
  the other side of a door. He cannot see his foe, 
  but he makes a PER Roll with Hearing, and so 
  attacks at half OCV; his foe is trying to be still 
  and stealthy and does not see the attack coming, 
  so he is at 0 DCV. Fireﬁ ght’s Attack Roll suc-
  ceeds. His handgun does RKA 2d6 damage. Th e 
  GM rules the door has 2 DEF, 2 BODY. Fire-
  ﬁ ght rolls RKA 1d6 and gets 4 BODY — just 
  enough for blowthrough! Fireﬁ ght’s target takes 
  the full 4 BODY damage (though he still gets to 
  apply his personal defenses, of course).
  If appropriate, the GM can also use the blow-
  through rules even when characters aren’t deliber-
  ately trying to shoot through a barrier. For example, 
  if the PCs are trying to clear a building of terrorists, 
  the knowledge that a stray shot might penetrate a 
  wall and hit a friend or hostage on the other side 
  may restrain their tendencies to shoot wildly.
  Blowthrough Versus Characters
  It’s also possible to do blowthrough damage 
  against living targets — sometimes a bullet pen-
  etrates the body, passes through, and exits out the 
  other side with enough energy left  to injure some-
  one else. To determine this, compare the BODY 
  damage rolled for the attack to the BODY + Resis-
  tant PD of the target. If the BODY damage is less 
  than or equal to this number, then no blowthrough 
  occurs. If it’s greater, the GM rolls 1d6; on a 1-3, 
  blowthrough occurs. When this happens, the bullet 
  can still do ((BODY rolled) - (ﬁ rst target’s BODY 
  GUNFIGHTING
  
  Hero System 5th Edition
  166 ■ Environmental And Genre Effects
  + rPD)) BODY damage to another target. If there’s 
  one in the shooter’s line of ﬁ re (i.e., directly behind 
  the ﬁ rst target along the path the bullet’s traveling), 
  the shooter makes another Attack Roll using just 
  his base OCV (i.e., without any modiﬁ ers from 
  Combat Maneuvers, the weapon used, or the like) 
  against the second target’s DCV. If that roll suc-
  ceeds, the second target gets hit by the bullet and 
  takes damage as described above.
  Close Quarters Combat
  It’s not uncommon for some types of charac-
  ters, such as gun-wielding vigilantes and cops, to 
  ﬁ nd themselves in gunﬁ ghts in cramped building 
  interiors and the like — what’s sometimes referred 
  to as close quarters combat. In some cases, these 
  gunﬁ ghts take place at ranges not much further 
  than hand-to-hand!
  In a close quarters situation, characters 
  using longer, larger, bulkier firearms may find 
  themselves at a disadvantage. It’s harder to move 
  a weapon around and bring it to bear on the 
  target when walls, furniture, fellow combatants, 
  and other obstacles may get in the way. If the GM 
  wants to simulate this (whether for the sake of 
  “realism” or some other reason), he can use the 
  following optional rules:
  In close quarters combat, the longer a weapon 
  is, the “slower” it is — the longer it takes the character 
  to avoid any obstacles and aim at the target properly. 
  Short weapons (e.g., handguns) don’t really have this 
  problem, but using any ﬁ rearm longer than a pistol 
  imposes a penalty to the character’s DEX solely for 
  purposes of determining who acts ﬁ rst in a Segment. 
  In other words, a character using a large gun in close 
  quarters combat gets his Phase a little later in a Seg-
  ment because he’s got to move his gun around. Th e 
  accompanying table lists the suggested DEX penalties 
  for diﬀ erent types of ﬁ rearms.
  Th e GM can ignore or reduce the DEX penalty 
  based on the circumstances. For example, if the 
  character brings his gun to bear on a target, in later 
  Segments he can keep ﬁ ring at that same target 
  without any penalty to initiative (provided the 
  target doesn’t move around).
  Grace Under Fire
  In most action-adventure movies, comics, 
  and novels, an action hero’s ability to think and 
  act clearly and efficiently in extremely dangerous 
  situations (e.g., a gunfight) is more or less taken 
  for granted — after all, that’s one of the things 
  that makes a hero a hero. Thus, the gamers in 
  most campaigns don’t concern themselves with 
  whether characters can get up the nerve to leap 
  onto a moving car or stick their heads and arms 
  out from behind cover to fire back at a numeri-
  cally superior enemy.
  But in more “realistic” games, GMs may 
  want to introduce an element of uncertainty. Can 
  a character really bring himself to jump onto 
  that car? Does a character really dare to expose 
  himself to enemy gunfire? Rather than leaving 
  this matter up to roleplaying, you can use the 
  optional Grace Under Fire rules to determine 
  what characters can and cannot make themselves 
  do in a dangerous situation.
  In a campaign using the Grace Under Fire 
  rules, whenever a character’s going to do something 
  the GM considers “very dangerous,” the character 
  must make a PRE Roll to perform the action. What 
  constitutes a “very dangerous” action varies from 
  campaign to campaign, based upon just how “real-
  istic” the GM wants the game to be. But in most 
  circumstances, anything that poses a risk of death 
  or serious bodily harm should qualify.
  If the character’s PRE Roll succeeds, he can 
  perform his declared Action, and he may even get 
  a bonus if he rolled really well. If the roll failed, 
  the character cannot act, and may suﬀ er other 
  problems. See the accompanying Grace Under Fire 
  Table for speciﬁ cs, including some suggested modi-
  ﬁ ers to the PRE Roll (GMs can add more modiﬁ ers 
  if they wish, or allow an EGO Roll as a Comple-
  mentary Skill Roll).
  Recoil
  Th anks to the physical law of action and reac-
  tion, guns, particularly ones ﬁ red on full automatic, 
  have a tendency to recoil violently and to “ride up” 
  — i.e., jerk upward when ﬁ red, thus throwing oﬀ  
  the shooter’s aim for shots aft er the ﬁ rst. Th e HERO 
  System rules don’t speciﬁ cally account for recoil 
  when guns are ﬁ red. In “realistic” games, the GM 
  may want to do so by adopting the following rules:
  —For Autoﬁ re and Multiﬁ re (see below) against a 
  single target, the attack suﬀ ers a recoil penalty of 
  -1 OCV per shot ﬁ red aft er the ﬁ rst. For example, a 
  ﬁ ve-shot Autoﬁ re burst would suﬀ er a -4 OCV pen-
  alty; three Multiﬁ red shots would suﬀ er a -2 OCV 
  penalty. (If the GM feels this penalty is too harsh, 
  he can reduce it to -1 OCV per two shots aft er the 
  ﬁ rst, or use any other calculation that seems appro-
  priate to him.)
  —For Autoﬁ re against multiple targets, the stan-
  dard -1 OCV per hex ﬁ red into accounts in part for 
  recoil; no further penalty is imposed.
  CLOSE QUARTERS 
  COMBAT TABLE
  Type Of Firearm 
  DEX Penalty*
  Handgun 
  -0
  Submachine gun 
  -1
  Shotgun, short/sawed-oﬀ  
  -1
  Shotgun, regular 
  -2
  Assault riﬂ e 
  -2
  Riﬂ e, regular 
  -2
  Riﬂ e, long/sniper 
  -3
  *:  Th is penalty applies only for purposes of determin-
  ing when a character’s Phase occurs. It does not aﬀ ect 
  his CV, his DEX Rolls, his Agility Skill rolls, or the like.
  
  167 
  Hero System Combat Handbook ■ Chapter Six
  —For Rapid Fire against single or multiple tar-
  gets, the standard -2 OCV penalty per shot after 
  the first accounts in part for recoil; no further 
  penalty is imposed.
  Characters can attach recoil compensators 
  to some guns to reduce the penalties imposed by 
  recoil. Th ese devices aﬀ ect the recoil for Autoﬁ re, 
  Multiﬁ re, or Rapid Fire against a single target, but 
  have no eﬀ ect on the OCV penalty for using Auto-
  ﬁ re or Rapid Fire against multiple targets. See Dark 
  Champions, page 233 for more information.
  Alternate Recoil Rules
  For GMs who prefer not to impose straight-
  forward OCV penalties for recoil, a possible 
  alternative is to have the ﬁ ring of multiple shots 
  temporarily aﬀ ect a ﬁ rearm’s STR Minimum. In 
  eﬀ ect, the gun becomes harder to “control” because 
  the character can’t take the time between shots to 
  bring the gun properly back on target as he could if 
  he were ﬁ ring single shots. Using this rule, for each 
  shot aft er the ﬁ rst, increase the gun’s STR Mini-
  mum by 2. From that the GM can then determine 
  if the character suﬀ ers an OCV penalty using the 
  rules on page 478 of the HERO System 5th Edition, 
  Revised rulebook. Of course, this method only 
  works if the character has to make a separate Attack 
  Roll for each shot.
  Th is rule applies to all three types of multiple 
  ﬁ ring, and regardless of the number of targets.
  Reloading
  Th e HERO System rules assume a character 
  can reload a weapon with clips of Charges (whether 
  the character pays for those Clips by modifying 
  the Charges Limitation, or they’re just standard 
  magazines available to him as equipment in a 
  Heroic campaign) as a Full Phase Action (or a Half 
  Phase Action if he makes a Fast Draw roll). To keep 
  things simple and speed game play, the rules don’t 
  diﬀ erentiate between the type of ammunition or 
  ﬁ rearm involved. In a game emphasizing “realism,” 
  that may not be satisfactory. Th e accompanying box 
  text lists the time required to reload diﬀ erent types 
  GRACE UNDER FIRE TABLE
  PRE Roll 
  Result
  Made it by 4+ 
  Character may perform his declared 
  Action, and gains a bonus of +2 to 
  all rolls involved (including Attack 
  Rolls)
  Made it by 2-3 
  Character may perform his declared 
  Action, and gains a bonus of +1 to 
  all rolls involved (including Attack 
  Rolls)
  Made it 0-1 
  Character may perform his declared 
  Action
  Failed by 1 
  Character may perform his declared 
  Action, but he suﬀ ers a penalty of -1 
  to all rolls involved (including Attack 
  Rolls)
  Failed by 2-3 
  Character hesitates and loses a Half 
  Phase. If it’s still possible for him 
  to perform his declared Action, he 
  may do so, but he suﬀ ers a penalty 
  of -2 (or more) to all rolls involved 
  (including Attack Rolls). If he prefers, 
  he may change to some other Action 
  that he can perform in a Half Phase, 
  provided that other Action is defen-
  sive or otherwise diminishes the 
  danger or anxiety that caused him to 
  hesitate.
  Failed by 4+ 
  Th e character is paralyzed with fear, 
  hesitation, doubt, or the like. He loses 
  a full Phase, may take no Actions, 
  and is at half DCV. Alternately, he 
  may panic, taking action that’s det-
  rimental to himself or his side in 
  the ﬁ ght (e.g., accidentally shoot an 
  ally, block the path of escape, knock 
  something over and start a ﬁ re)
  PRE Roll Modiﬁ er Circumstance
  +1 or more 
  Outcome of Action is crucial (will 
  help save the city, or the like)
  +1 or more 
  Action will help to save/protect 
  character’s loved ones from danger
  +1 to +3 
  Action agrees with one of character’s 
  Psychological Limitations (+1 for 
  Moderate, +2 for Strong, +3 for 
  Total)
  -1 to -3 
  Action contradicts one of character’s 
  Psychological Limitations (-1 for 
  Moderate, -2 for Strong, -3 for Total)
  -1 or more 
  Danger to character is extreme
  RELOADING TABLE
  Type Of Firearm 
  Reloading Time 
  Reloading Time With Fast Draw
  Automatic (belt-fed) 
  Full Phase 
  Half Phase
  Automatic (magazine-fed) 
  Full Phase 
  Half Phase
  Revolver (any type) 
  Extra Phase 
  Full Phase
  Semi-Automatic (any type) 
  Full Phase 
  Half Phase
  Shotgun (break-fed) 
  Extra Phase 
  Full Phase
  Shotgun (pump-action) 
  Extra Phase 
  Full Phase
  Shotgun (semi-automatic) 
  Full Phase 
  Half Phase
  As indicated in the table, a character can halve the reloading time for any 
  ﬁ rearm by succeeding with a Fast Draw (Small Arms) roll.
  
  Hero System 5th Edition
  168 ■ Environmental And Genre Effects
  of ﬁ rearms.
  Rapid Reloading Devices
  Firearms manufacturers and users have cre-
  ated many different devices and techniques to 
  make reloading faster. None of these cost any 
  Character Points.
  A speedloader is a device that allows a char-
  acter to reload all the cylinders in a revolver 
  at once (rather than one at a time, as usual). In 
  game terms, this means reloading the revolver 
  takes only a Full Phase (or a Half Phase with a 
  successful Fast Draw roll).
  Character using assault riﬂ es, submachine 
  guns, and other weapons with long clips can obtain 
  devices that hold two clips together, end-to-end or 
  side-by-side. Th ese provide a +2 bonus to the Fast 
  Draw roll to change clips more quickly. A low-tech 
  way to simulate such devices is simply to tape two 
  clips together end-to-end.
  Slow Firearms
  Th e HERO System rules assume that ﬁ ring a 
  gun — any type of gun — is an Attack Action, and 
  takes the typical amount of time required for an 
  Attack Action. However, not all ﬁ rearms are ﬁ red 
  in the same way. If the GM wants to stress “realism” 
  more than dramatic action, some guns should take 
  slightly longer to ﬁ re. For example:
  —cocking a single-action handgun requires a Half 
  Phase Action. Once it’s cocked, ﬁ ring it requires an 
  Attack Action.
  —pumping a pump-action shotgun to chamber a 
  shell requires a Half Phase Action. Once the shell 
  is chambered, ﬁ ring the shotgun requires an Attack 
  Action.
  —preparing to ﬁ re a bolt-action riﬂ e requires a 
  Half Phase Action. Once a round’s chambered, 
  ﬁ ring the riﬂ e requires an Attack Action.
  At the GM’s option, a character can reduce any 
  of these Half Phase Actions to a Zero-Phase Action 
  if he succeeds with a Fast Draw roll.
  Storm Of Lead
  One of the things that makes many action-
  adventure movies so exciting is the fast-paced 
  combat... which usually features an enormous 
  amount of gunﬁ re. By the end of some cinematic 
  gunﬁ ghts, the ground is litterly covered with spent 
  bullet casings, the air is heavy with cordite-laced 
  smoke, and nothing in the vicinity has been spared 
  the brunt of ﬂ ying lead — except, of course, for the 
  intrepid hero.
  If that’s the sort of action you’re looking 
  for in your combats, here are some optional and 
  expanded rules that can help you achieve it.
  Reworked Rapid Fire
  For the most part, the Rapid Fire Combat 
  Maneuver is the best way to get lots of lead ﬂ ying in 
  your campaign. It lets characters ﬁ re a lot of shots, 
  but maintains game balance by imposing some 
  fairly heavy restrictions on the user. But if Rapid 
  Fire isn’t suﬃ  cient for your needs as-is, here are 
  some ways you can change it to ratchet the gunplay 
  up a notch or three. Th ey’re not exclusive; the GM 
  can choose to allow several or all of them.
  First, consider making Rapid Fire require only 
  a Half Phase Action, like most other Attack 
  Actions (i.e., give everyone in the campaign the 
  Skill Rapid Attack (Ranged) for free).  That way 
  characters can keep moving around the battle-
  field while they fire, which really adds to the cin-
  ematic feel of the gunfight.
  Second, consider reducing the OCV modiﬁ er. -2 
  OCV per shot aft er the ﬁ rst can be a pretty steep 
  penalty in some games, especially those where the 
  GM establishes ceilings on CVs. A penalty of -1 per 
  shot aft er the ﬁ rst, or -2 per shot aft er the ﬁ rst two, 
  goes a long way toward persuading characters to let 
  ﬂ y with lots of shots.
  Th ird, consider reducing the DCV modiﬁ er. Th e 
  halving of DCV is even more likely to make char-
  acters hesitate about using Rapid Fire than the 
  OCV penalty. If you change it to a ﬂ at amount, such 
  as -2 or -3 DCV, Rapid Fire becomes a much more 
  attractive proposition.
  Fourth, to speed game play, consider revising 
  Rapid Fire against a single target so that it works 
  something like Autoﬁ re:  impose a ﬂ at OCV modi-
  ﬁ er (even -0, if you’re so inclined), and then have 
  the attacker make one Attack Roll. If he makes it 
  exactly, he hits with one shot; for every two points 
  beyond that by which his roll succeeds, he hits with 
  another shot. If the GM uses this variant, he should 
  consider capping Rapid Fire at three or four shots, 
  so that characters still have a reason to buy Autoﬁ re 
  weaponry.
  If you incorporate any of these changes into 
  your campaign, make sure to adjust other game 
  elements as needed. For example, if you change the 
  OCV penalty, you may want to reﬁ gure the cost of 
  the Two-Weapon Fighting Skill.
  Reworked Autoﬁ re
  Another possible method for increasing the 
  excitement of the gunﬁ ghts in your game is to 
  revise Autoﬁ re to encourage higher rates of ﬁ re and 
  the like. Th e standard Autoﬁ re rules, like those for 
  Rapid Fire, are designed in part to provide a certain 
  level of game balance. If you’re willing to tilt the 
  playing ﬁ eld less in favor of “game balance” and 
  more in favor of “cinematic action,” Autoﬁ re can 
  really improve the ﬂ avor of your game.
  Th e following suggested rules changes apply 
  only for the use of Autoﬁ re against a single target. 
  When a character tries to Autoﬁ re multiple targets, 
  the standard rules apply. (Characters who want to 
  be better at shooting multiple targets should con-
  sider buying one or more Autoﬁ re Skills [HERO 
  System 5th Edition, Revised, page 50].)
  First, consider providing an OCV bonus for 
  high rates of Autoﬁ re:  the more shots a character 
  
  169 
  Hero System Combat Handbook ■ Chapter Six
  ﬁ res at a single target, the better his chance to hit. 
  For a standard “burst ﬁ re” of 2-3 rounds, there’s no 
  bonus. For a 4-9 shot burst, the character receives 
  a +1 OCV bonus; for a 10-14 shot burst a +2 OCV 
  bonus; for a burst of 15 or more shots, he receives a 
  +3 OCV bonus (the maximum). Th e GM can adjust 
  the shots-ﬁ red-to-OCV-bonus ratio as he sees ﬁ t 
  to strike just the right balance for his campaign. 
  Of course, an Autoﬁ re ﬁ rearm has to be capable of 
  ﬁ ring, for example, 10 shots per use to gain the +2 
  OCV bonus; this option doesn’t give a gun auto-
  matic ﬁ re capabilities it hasn’t paid for. (Alternately, 
  the GM can provide a damage bonus for Autoﬁ re, 
  similar to the one for Multiﬁ re described below.)
  Second, consider changing the way you calculate 
  Autoﬁ re hits to favor characters, thus encouraging 
  them to take more shots. For example, instead of 
  applying one hit if the Attack Roll succeeds exactly, 
  and +1 hit for every 2 points beyond that by which the 
  roll succeeds, maybe you allow +1 hit for every 1 point 
  by which the roll succeeds. Or maybe you allow two 
  hits for a basic success instead of one.
  Multiﬁ re
  Besides making Rapid Fire more attractive, 
  another way to promote high rates of ﬁ re with 
  non-Autoﬁ re weapons (particularly handguns) is 
  Multiﬁ re. Th e GM may want to consider this a new 
  Combat Maneuver for his games, or simply think 
  of it as a combat option available to gun-wielding 
  characters. Using Multiﬁ re requires a Full Phase, 
  unless the character has the Rapid Attack (Ranged) 
  Skill (in which case it requires a Half Phase Action) 
  or the GM rules otherwise.
  Multiﬁ re treats non-Autoﬁ re ﬁ rearms as if 
  they all had Boostable Charges:  a character can ﬁ re 
  multiple shots at a single target in a single round 
  (up to ﬁ ve), and for each shot aft er the ﬁ rst, he 
  increases the damage of the attack by +1 Damage 
  Class if he hits. He only makes one Attack Roll, 
  and he can only hit the target one time; the special 
  eﬀ ect of the extra damage is “he hit him multiple 
  times, or scored one really good hit on a vital spot.”
  If the GM allows Multiﬁ re, he has to choose in 
  what ways, if any, he wants to restrict or penalize its 
  use to balance its utility. If he wants to model the 
  “real world” closely, where two- and three-round 
  bursts of pistol ﬁ re tend to be standard in many 
  ﬁ reﬁ ghts, he may not want to impose any penalties, 
  or at worst minor ones. If he’s more interested in 
  strict game balance, some penalties are deﬁ nitely 
  called for (though they can’t be too onerous, or 
  characters won’t want to use Multiﬁ re much). Some 
  possibilities include:
  —always requiring a Full Phase Action to use Mul-
  tiﬁ re
  —imposing a small OCV penalty on Multiﬁ re (say, 
  -1 or -2 OCV) to represent recoil and other factors 
  (alternately, the GM may only apply a penalty at 
  a certain level of Multiﬁ re, such as three or more 
  shots)
  —invoking the Burnout rule associated with Boost-
  able Charges, so that too much Multiﬁ ring runs the 
  risk of making a gun jam
  Alternately, Multiﬁ re may not increase 
  damage, but instead increase OCV. In that case, for 
  every two shots a character ﬁ res (maximum of six) 
  from a non-Autoﬁ re gun against a single target, 
  the character gets a +1 OCV (maximum of +3). He 
  only makes one Attack Roll, and he can only hit the 
  target one time.
  CINEMATIC GUNFIGHTING 
  TRICKS
  In a lot of action movies, characters can per-
  form some pretty amazing stunts with guns. “Real-
  istically,” most of these actions are at the very least 
  ridiculous, if not utterly counterproductive, but in 
  some “cinematic” campaigns they may ﬁ t right in. 
  Some of the Super-Skills on pages 106-49 of Dark 
  Champions represent cinematic gunﬁ ghting abili-
  ties; here are a few that characters don’t necessarily 
  have to pay Character Points for.
  PISTOL TRICKS
  If a character makes a DEX Roll to “ﬂ ick” his 
  pistol in the direction of his target, his shots do +1 
  point of damage. Aft er all, he’s making the bullet 
  travel faster, isn’t he?
  Another “pistol trick” is to hold the gun side-
  ways while threatening someone, so that the grip 
  is parallel to the ground instead of perpendicular. 
  Th is has no combat eﬀ ect, but gives the character 
  +3 PRE for purposes of making Presence Attacks 
  that Segment.
  (In “realistic” games, ﬂ icking the pistol imposes 
  -2 OCV penalty and has no beneﬁ cial eﬀ ect. Hold-
  ing a handgun sideways gives it a Jamming roll of 
  16-, but the character still gets the PRE bonus.)
  SHOOTING FROM A REFLECTION
  Sometimes a character has to aim at a target 
  based not upon direct line of sight but on a reﬂ ec-
  tion in a mirror, pool of water, or similar object. All 
  such shots suﬀ er a -3 OCV penalty... but if a char-
  acter makes one, he may get a small bonus to any 
  relevant Presence Attacks he makes that Segment 
  against anyone who witnesses his skillful shooting.
  UNCONTROLLED MOVEMENT
  In action movies, it’s not uncommon for 
  characters to ﬁ re guns (usually handguns) while in 
  uncontrolled motion — during a fall, riding on a 
  gurney, sliding down a bannister, or the like. At the 
  GM’s option, a character using uncontrolled move-
  ment during combat suﬀ ers a -1 OCV penalty, but 
  a +1 DCV bonus. Furthermore, because he’s not 
  moving under his own power, uncontrolled move-
  ment allows him to keep moving without using a 
  Half Phase Action.
  A character can initiate uncontrolled move-
  ment in two ways. First, he can make a Half Move 
  — for example, he could run for a Half Move and 
  dive onto a gurney, which keeps rolling along 
  without his having to use his remaining Half Phase 
  Action to move. Even if the character doesn’t actu-
  ally move any inches in the process, he has to use 
  CAVEAT
  Th e rules for increasing 
  the eﬀ ectiveness of gun-
  ﬁ re increase the excite-
  ment of the game, but 
  they can also make the 
  battleﬁ eld a much more 
  dangerous place for the 
  PCs. Th e GM should 
  keep this in mind when 
  deciding whether to 
  adopt them, and if so 
  which ones to adopt. 
  He may even want to 
  arrange the campaign 
  so that only the PCs and 
  their major enemies can 
  use the variant rules; 
  standard enemies and 
  thugs are stuck with the 
  less favorable rules.
  
  Hero System 5th Edition
  170 ■ Environmental And Genre Effects
  a “Half Move” (i.e., a Half Phase Action) to begin 
  uncontrolled movement. Second, he might start 
  uncontrolled movement against his will — for 
  example, when an enemy throws him onto a gurney 
  or out a window.
  In either case, how fast and far a character 
  travels with uncontrolled movement is up to the 
  GM (and possibly on the falling rules). It usually 
  depends on the nature of his uncontrolled move-
  ment and how swiftly the character was moving 
  when it started.
  UNLIMITED AMMO
  In a lot of movies and comic books, characters 
  seem to have an almost inﬁ nite supply of ammuni-
  tion. Despite the fact that they’re using, say, a six-
  shot revolver, or a submachine gun with a 32-shot 
  clip, they can ﬁ re as oft en, and as fast, as they want 
  without ever reloading.
  In game terms, if the GM wants to simulate 
  this, he can simply rule that although all guns 
  are bought with Charges, they never run out of 
  Charges (except, of course, when he wants them 
  to at a dramatically appropriate moment!). Char-
  acters can shoot as much as they want, but they 
  only have to reload when they have the time and 
  opportunity to do so.
  Alternately, the GM can allow this only if 
  characters pay for it. That means they either have 
  to recalculate the cost of a favorite gun to have 
  the Reduced Endurance (0 END) Advantage and 
  no Charges, or they need some sort of ability that 
  lets them apply Reduced Endurance to any fire-
  arm as a naked Advantage.
  OTHER TRICKS AND STUNTS
  Characters oft en want to try crazy stunts in 
  combat to gain some sort of advantage. Since this 
  adds color, drama, and excitement to a cinematic 
  game, the GM should normally allow it — but he 
  may also want to impose an OCV penalty so the 
  PCs don’t get the advantage of the maneuver with-
  out working for it. Th e easiest way to do this is to 
  analogize the stunt to an existing Combat Maneu-
  ver or Modiﬁ er and base the penalty on that.
  Example:  Randall is ﬁ ghting some maﬁ osi in 
  a swank restaurant with lots of chandeliers. He 
  wants to shoot the support beam so the chan-
  deliers will fall and injure three of his enemies 
  (who each happen to be standing beneath a 
  chandelier). Since this stunt is a way for Ran-
  dall to hit multiple opponents in one Phase, just 
  like Rapid Fire, the GM imposes a -2 OCV pen-
  alty per target aft er the ﬁ rst (total of -4), simi-
  lar to the penalty for Rapid Fire. Th is reﬂ ects 
  not the diﬃ  culty of hitting the support beam so 
  much as it does the diﬃ  culty of timing the shot 
  so the chandeliers hit their intended targets.
  
  171 
  Hero System Combat Handbook
  +1 Damage Class ................................96
  Aborting An Action ............................21
  Acceleration ........................................25
  Acid, as special eﬀ ect, underwater ..159
  Acrobatics
   Resisting Th rows with .....................91
   Underwater .....................................157
  Acting ﬁ rst
   Generally .....................................16, 20
   Aft er Block or Th row ........... 58-59, 90
  Actions .................................................17
  Actions Table .......................................24
  Actions which take no time ..............18
  Adding Damage ..........................106-11
  Adjacent hexes ..............................41, 82
  Adjustment Powers, Senses and ........13
  Advantaged attacks, adding 
  damage to ........................................109
  Advantages, Senses and .....................14
  Aerial Mounted Combat ....................32
  Aﬀ ected by EGO +30 Mental 
  Illusion, eﬀ ect on DCV ....................37
  Aﬀ ected by Flash/Darkness/
  Invisibility, eﬀ ect on DCV ...............37
  Aﬀ ected by PRE/EGO +30 Presence 
  Attack, eﬀ ect on DCV ......................37
  Aﬀ ected by PRE/EGO +20 Presence 
  Attack, eﬀ ect on DCV ......................37
  Aﬀ ecting And Using Senses ..............13
  Aid, Senses and ...................................13
  Air, as special eﬀ ect, underwater ....159
  Altering Th e Range Modiﬁ er ..........165
  Ambidexterity .....................................49
  Ammunition, unlimited ..................170
  Aquadynamic devices ......................161
  Area Of Eﬀ ect Attack 
  (Combat Modiﬁ er)
   Generally ...........................................41
   Underwater .....................................162
  Armor ..................................................99
  Atemi strikes .......................................93
  Attack Actions .....................................18
  Attack Modiﬁ ers ...............................113
  Attack Rolls And Combat Value .......35
  Attacked from behind, 
  eﬀ ect on DCV ...................................37
  Autoﬁ re (Combat Modiﬁ er)
   Generally ...........................................41
   Reworking it for gunﬁ ghting ........168
  Bangstick ...........................................164
  Base damage, determining ..............106
  Before Combat .................................. 5-6
  Beginning Combat .............................17
  Bends, the ..........................................152
  Bind (Martial Maneuver) ..................87
  Blazing Away (Optional 
  Combat Maneuver) ..........................74
  Bleeding .............................................123
  Blind, in combat or while moving ......7
  Blind teleporting .................................29
  Block (Combat Maneuver)
   Generally ...........................................58
   Aft er Grab .........................................64
  Blowthrough .....................................165
  BODY, Recovering ............................142
  Bouncing An Attack 
  (Combat Modiﬁ er) ..........................43
  Bound Characters And Martial Arts ...99
  Boxing (Martial Arts style) ................97
  Brace (Combat Maneuver) ................61
  Braced, eﬀ ect on DCV .......................37
  Breakfall
   Resisting Th rows with .....................91
   Underwater .....................................158
  Breaking limbs ..................................116
  Breaking Out Of Entangles 
  And Grabs .......................................134
  Breath, holding ..................................142
  Breathing, underwater .....................154
  Bulky Focus, character is carrying, 
  eﬀ ect on DCV ...................................37
  Calculating OCV And DCV .............36
  Called Shots .......................................120
  Casual STR ..................................99, 134
  Catching thrown objects ....................51
  Change Environment
   Senses and .........................................13
   Underwater .....................................162
  Changing SPD .....................................16
  Characters As Weapons ...................134
  Choke Hold (Martial Maneuver) .....87
  Cinematic Gunﬁ ghting Tricks ........169
  Clairsentience ...............................10, 13
  Climbing, eﬀ ect on CV and combat ....46
  Clinging
   Resisting Th rows with .....................91
   Underwater .....................................162
  Close Quarters Combat ...................166
  Club Weapon (Optional Combat 
  Maneuver) .........................................74
  Cluttered conditions, eﬀ ect on CV 
  and combat .......................................46
  Cold, as special eﬀ ect, underwater .....160
  Collisions .............................................73
  Combat And Noncombat Time ..........6
  Combat Maneuvers
   Generally ..................................... 55-84
   Underwater .....................................163
  Combat Maneuvers Table ..................57
  Combat Modiﬁ ers ..............................40
  Combat Movement ............................24
  Combat Sequence Checklist .............34
  Combat Skill Levels
   Generally ..................................... 37-38
   Adding damage with .............107, 109
   With Rapid Fire/Sweep ...................79
   With Squeeze or Th row ...................62
  Combat Skills ......................................38
  Combat Time ......................................16
  Combat underwater .........................163
  Combat Value
   Generally ..................................... 35-36
   Grab and ...................................... 66-67
   Rapid Fire/Sweep and ......................79
   Underwater .....................................163
  Communication, underwater .........154
  Concealed Weapons And Gadgets ....100
  Concealment (Combat Modiﬁ er).....43
  Constant Powers, underwater .........162
  Control, aft er Grab .............................64
  Coordinated Attacks 
  (Combat Modiﬁ er) ..........................44
  Cover (Optional Combat Maneuver) .75
  Cramped conditions, eﬀ ect on CV 
  and combat .......................................46
  Criminology, underwater ................158
  Critical Hits .......................................128
  Crush (Martial Maneuver) ................88
  Crushing Damage .............................135
  CV
   Generally ..................................... 35-36
   Grab and ...................................... 66-67
   Rapid Fire/Sweep and ......................79
  Damage and its eﬀ ects ...............103-32
  Damage Class ....................................104
  Damage Classes, Extra, for Martial 
  Maneuvers .........................................96
  Damage from Knockback ..........125-26
  Darkness ..............................................13
  DCV
   Generally ..................................... 35-36
   DCV Checklist .................................36
   Grab and ...................................... 66-67
   Rapid Fire/Sweep and ......................79
   Velocity-based ..................................25
  DCV Modiﬁ ers Table .........................37
  Death ..................................................116
  Deceleration ........................................25
  Decreasing Knockback ....................126
  Defense Maneuver ..............................48
  Defensive actions, for Aborting ..21, 23
  Demolitions, underwater .................158
  Density Alteration, as special 
  eﬀ ect, underwater ...........................159
  Density Increase
   Eﬀ ect on Fastball Special ...............137
   Resisting Th rows with .....................91
  Desolidiﬁ cation, eﬀ ect on 
  Fastball Special ...............................137
  Detect ...................................................11
  Determining Damage ......................104
  Devices, OCV penalty to hit .............62
  DEX 1 or less, eﬀ ect on DCV ............37
  Dice to roll for damage ....................104
  Dirty Inﬁ ghting (Martial Arts style) ....97
  Disabling ............................................121
  Disabling Attacks ..............................100
  Disarm (Combat Maneuver) ............61
  Disguising Damage ..........................135
  Dispel, Senses and ..............................13
  Dive For Cover (Optional 
  Combat Maneuver)
   Generally ...........................................75
   Underwater .....................................164
  Divers And Diving ............................156
  Dodge (Combat Maneuver) ..............62
  Doubling Damage ............................106
  Dragging ............................................135
  Drain
   Haymaker and ..................................69
   Senses and .........................................13
  Dramatic combat ................................15
  Drowning ...........................................142
  Drunkeness, eﬀ ect on CV 
  and combat .......................................47
  Duplication, eﬀ ect on 
  Fastball Special ...............................137
  Dynamic nature of combat ...............20
  ECV ......................................................39
  Eﬀ ects Of Damage ............................113
  Ego Combat Value ..............................39
  Electricity, as special eﬀ ect, 
  underwater ......................................160
  Encumbered, eﬀ ect on DCV .............37
  Encumbrance (Combat Modiﬁ er) ....45
  Endurance .........................................143
  Endurance costs ............................23, 41
  Endurance, Recovering ....................142
  Entangle
   Eﬀ ect on DCV ..................................37
   Escaping ..........................................134
   Haymaker and ..................................69
  Entering Combat ................................15
  Environmental and Genre Eﬀ ects ..151
  Environmental Conditions 
  (Combat Modiﬁ er) ..........................46
  Equipment-oriented Skills, 
  underwater ......................................157
  Escaping From Grabs .........................65
  Example Of Combat ........................148
  Explanation Of Combat Modiﬁ ers ..40
  Explosion (Combat Modiﬁ er)
   Generally ...........................................48
   Underwater .....................................162
  Extra Time, Rapid Fire/Sweep and ...79
  Facing ...................................................27
  Falling, eﬀ ect on CV and combat .....47
  Fantasy Hero Optional Combat 
  Maneuvers ...................................83, 87
  Fast Draw, underwater .....................158
  Fastball Special ..................................135
  Fencing (Martial Arts style) ..............97
  Fighting .......................................... 33-34
  Fighting in a cluttered or cramped 
  area, eﬀ ect on DCV ..........................37
  Fire, as special eﬀ ect, underwater ...160
  Firearms
   Haymaker and ..................................69
   Underwater .....................................164
  Flash
   Generally ...........................................13
   Haymaker and ..................................69
  Flight ....................................................28
  Flight
   Resisting Th rows with .....................92
   Underwater .....................................156
  Flying Dodge (Martial Maneuver) ...88
  Flying, eﬀ ect on CV and combat ......47
  Flying Kick (Martial Maneuver) .......89
  Focus, underwater ............................163
  Forensic Medicine, underwater ......158
  Full Move Element ..............................89
  Full Moves .....................................17, 24
  Full Phase Actions ..............................17
  Fumbles ..............................................128
  Gadgets, OCV penalty to hit .............62
  Gambling, underwater .....................158
  Game Elements .................................157
  Game Scale ..........................................15
  Generic Martial Arts 
  (Martial Arts style) ...........................97
  Gestures, underwater .......................163
  Gliding
   Generally ...........................................29
   Underwater .....................................156
  Going ﬁ rst ......................................16, 20
  Grab (Combat Maneuver)
   Generally ..................................... 62-68
   Escaping ....................................65, 134
   Haymaker and ..................................69
   Underwater .....................................164
  Grab By (Combat Maneuver) ...........68
  Grab Weapon ......................................68
  Grabbed by another character, eﬀ ect on 
  DCV ...................................................37
  Grabbing another character, eﬀ ect on 
  DCV ...................................................37
  Grace Under Fire ..............................166
  Grappling Block (Martial Maneuver) 89
  Gravity, eﬀ ect on movement .............25
  Groundﬁ ghting .................................139
  Growth
   Eﬀ ect on Fastball Special ...............137
   Eﬀ ect on Grab ...................................65
   Resisting Th rows with .....................91
  Gunﬁ ghting .................................165-70
  INDEX
  
  172 ■ Index
  Hero System 5th Edition
  Guns
   Haymaker and ..................................69
   Underwater .....................................164
  Half Damage Classes ........................107
  Half Moves ....................................17, 24
  Half Phase Actions .............................17
  Hand-To-Hand Martial Maneuvers 
  Table ...................................................86
  Hard surfaces and Th rows .................91
  Haymaker (Combat Maneuver)
   Generally ...........................................69
   Adding damage with ...............108-09
  Healing And Recovering Damage ..131
  Healing, Senses and ............................13
  Hearing Perception Modiﬁ ers ..........12
  Hearing Sense Group
   Generally .............................................8
   Underwater .....................................155
  Heat, as special eﬀ ect, underwater ..160
  Hex (game scale)
   Generally ...........................................15
   Adjacent hexes ............................41, 82
  High Society, underwater ................158
  Hipshot 
  (Optional Combat Maneuver) .......77
  Hit Location
   Generally .........................................117
   Concealment and .............................43
   Grab and ............................................67
  Holding An Action .............................21
  Holding breath ..................................142
  Horses, in combat ...............................30
  How Many Dice Do I Roll? .............104
  Hurry 
  (Optional Combat Maneuver) .......77
  Huyet (term for vital points) .............93
  Hypersenses, as special eﬀ ect, 
  underwater ......................................160
  Ice, as special eﬀ ect, underwater .....160
  Ignoring Opponents .........................140
  Impairing ...........................................120
  In the water, eﬀ ect on DCV ...............37
  Inability To Sense An Opponent ....138
  Incantations, underwater .................163
  Inch (game scale) ................................15
  Initiative .........................................16, 20
  Injured areas, targeting ....................140
  Injury ..................................................116
  Interaction Skills, underwater .........157
  Interposing ........................................140
  Intoxication, eﬀ ect on CV and 
  combat ...............................................47
  Introduction ..........................................4
  Invisibility, underwater ....................162
  Invisible Power Eﬀ ects, underwater ..162
  Joint Locks And Related Maneuvers 
  (Martial Maneuver) .........................89
  Jujutsu (Martial Arts style) ................97
  Karate (Martial Arts style) .................98
  Keupso (term for vital points) ..........93
  Killing Damage Attacks ...........105, 112
  Killing Strike (Martial Maneuver) ....89
  Killing Th row (Martial Maneuver) ..89
  Kilometers per hour, calculating ......25
  Knockback
   Generally .........................................123
   Grab and ............................................67
   Underwater .....................................163
  Knockback Resistance, resisting 
  Th rows with ......................................92
  Knockdown .......................................122
  Knockout
   Generally .........................................114
   Eﬀ ect on DCV ..................................37
   Grab and ............................................67
  Kuepso (term for vital points) ..........93
  Kung Fu (Martial Arts style) .............98
  Kyusho (term for vital points) ..........93
  Lack of Senses in combat ....................7
  Language, underwater ......................158
  Large Targets .....................................138
  Leaping .................................................28
  Leaping, underwater ........................155
  Legsweep (Martial Maneuver) ..........89
  Length of weapons ........... 46-47, 52-53
  Light, underwater .....................152, 161
  Limbs
   Breaking ..........................................116
   For Grabs ...........................................66
  Long Term Endurance .....................143
  Marman (term for vital points) ........93
  Martial Arts
   Generally .............................38, 85-102
   Styles ..................................................96
   Underwater .....................................158
  Martial Disarm (Martial Maneuver) ...90
  Martial Escape (Martial Maneuver) ....90
  Martial Grab (Martial Maneuver) ....90
  Martial Maneuvers
   Generally ...........................................85
   Adding damage with ...............108-09
  Martial Maneuvers Table ...................86
  Martial Th rows And Other Th rows 
  (Martial Maneuver) .........................90
  Melee, ﬁ ring Ranged attacks into .....44
  Mental Combat ...................................39
  Mental powers
   As special eﬀ ect, underwater ........161
   Haymaker and ..................................69
  Mental Sense Group .......................8, 14
  Methods of adding damage .............107
  Miles per hour, calculating ................25
  Mimicry, underwater .......................158
  Mind Control, underwater ..............162
  Minimum Damage From Injuries ..112
  Missed And Random Shots .............139
  Modiﬁ ers for PER Rolls .....................11
  Modiﬁ ers to CV ..................................36
  Mounted Movement ..........................30
  Mounts, in combat ..............................30
  Move By (Combat Maneuver) ..........70
  Move Th rough 
  (Combat Maneuver) ..................70, 72
  Movement
   Generally ...........................................24
   Adding damage with .............108, 111
   Fastball Special and ........................136
   Grab and ......................................65, 68
   Stunning and ..................................114
   Underwater .....................................155
  Movement Skill Levels .......................32
  Moving objects, stopping ............. 26-27
  Multiﬁ re .............................................169
  Multiform, eﬀ ect on Fastball 
  Special ..............................................137
  Multiple Attackers 
  (Combat Modiﬁ er) ..........................48
  Multiple-Power Attacks
   Generally ...........................................18
   Rapid Fire/Sweep and ......................79
  Mystery Damage ...............................128
  N-Ray Perception ...............................11
  Narrow surfaces, eﬀ ect on CV 
  and combat .......................................47
  Nerve Strike (Martial Maneuver) .....93
  Nitrogen narcosis .............................153
  NND Martial Maneuvers, defenses 
  against ................................................93
  Noncombat Movement ......................24
  Noncombat time ...................................6
  Nontargeting Senses .............................7
  Normal Damage Attacks ..........105, 112
  Normal Movement .............................28
  Objects, OCV penalty to hit ..............62
  Obstacles, movement and ..................27
  OCV
   Generally ..................................... 35-36
   OCV Checklist .................................36
   Grab and ...................................... 66-67
   Rapid Fire/Sweep and ......................79
   Underwater .....................................163
  Oﬀ  Hand (Combat Modiﬁ er) ...........49
  On a narrow surface, eﬀ ect on DCV ...37
  On ice, mud, or other slippery 
  surfaces, eﬀ ect on DCV ...................37
  One hand, Grabbing with ..................66
  Optional Combat Maneuvers ...........74
  Optional Combat Rules ...................139
  Optional Eﬀ ects of Damage ............117
  Optional Fantasy Hero Combat 
  Maneuvers .........................................83
  Optional Healing Rules ...................132
  Optional Time Intervals ....................17
  Other Attacks ......................................74
  Other Damage Eﬀ ects ......................128
  Other Hit Location Rules ................119
  Partial Maneuvers ...............................85
  Passing Disarm (Martial Maneuver) ...94
  Penalty Skill Levels .............................38
  Perception, underwater ....................154
  Perception Powers, underwater ......162
  Perception Roll Modiﬁ ers ..................11
  Perception Rolls ....................................6
  Perceptive Skills, underwater ..........157
  Phases ...................................................16
  Pistol tricks ........................................169
  Placed Shots ......................................120
  Point blank shooting ........................165
  Poor footing, eﬀ ect on CV and 
  combat ...............................................47
  Post-Segment 12 Recovery ..............142
  Power Advantages, used 
  underwater ......................................162
  Power Frameworks, Rapid 
  Fire/Sweep and .................................79
  Power Limitations, used 
  underwater ......................................163
  Powered Movement ...........................28
  Powers By Category And Type, 
  used underwater .............................162
  Powers By Special Eﬀ ect, used 
  underwater ......................................159
  Powers, END cost of ...........................41
  Presence Attacks
   Generally .........................................146
   Haymaker and ..................................69
  Pressure, underwater ........................152
  Prone, eﬀ ect on DCV .........................37
  Propelled attacks, underwater .........163
  Psionic powers, as special eﬀ ect, 
  underwater ......................................161
  Pulling A Punch (Optional Combat 
  Maneuver) ...................................63, 78
  Pushback ............................................127
  Pushing ..............................................145
  Radio Sense Group ...............................9
  Radio, underwater ............................155
  Rahasia (term for vital points) ..........93
  Random shots ...................................143
  Range Based On STR, underwater ....163
  Range Modiﬁ er
   Generally ...........................................37
   Altering, for gun combat ...............165
   For PER Rolls ....................................11
  Range of Senses ....................................6
  Range Skill Levels ...............................38
  Ranged Disarms ..................................61
  Rapid Fire (Optional Combat Maneuver)
   Generally ...........................................78
   Reworking for gunﬁ ghting ...........168
  Realistic combat ..................................15
  Recoil ..................................................166
  Recovering from being Stunned
   Generally .........................................114
   Eﬀ ect on DCV ..................................37
  Recovery
   Generally .........................115, 132, 142
   Eﬀ ect on DCV ..................................37
  Redirect, aft er Grab ............................64
  Reducing Knockback .......................126
  Reﬂ ection, shooting from ................169
  Reloading ...........................................167
  Resisting Knockback
   Generally .........................................127
   Eﬀ ect on DCV ..................................37
  Response Element ...............................94
  Restrainable, underwater .................163
  Roleplaying combat ........................4, 56
  Roll With A Punch 
  (Optional Combat Maneuver) .......80
  Root (Martial Maneuver) ..................94
  Running ...............................................28
  Running, underwater .......................155
  Sacriﬁ ce Th row (Martial Maneuver) ...94
  Scale of the game ................................15
  SCUBA equipment ...........................156
  Sectional defenses .............................120
  Segmented movement .......................27
  Segments ..............................................16
  Sense Groups .........................................8
  Senses In Th e Hero System ..................6
  Senses, lack of, in combat ....................7
  Sequence Attacks ..............................101
  Set (Combat Maneuver) ....................73
  Set Versus Charge (Optional Fantasy 
  Hero Combat Maneuver) ..................83
  Shape of weapons ......................... 52-53
  Shape Shift 
   Eﬀ ect on Fastball Special ...............137
   Resisting Th rows with .....................92
  Shield Wall (Optional Fantasy Hero 
  Combat Maneuver) ..............................83
  Shields ..................................................38
  Shooting from a reﬂ ection ..............169
  Shove (Martial Maneuver) ................94
  Shove, aft er Grab .................................64
  Shoving ..............................................139
  Shrinking
   Eﬀ ect on Fastball Special ...............137
   Eﬀ ect on Grab ...................................65
  Sight Perception Modiﬁ ers ................12
  Sight Sense Group ................................9
  Simulated Sense Group Rule ...............8
  Size of weapons ............................. 52-53
  Skill Modiﬁ ers, for PER Rolls ............11
  Skills for combat .................................38
  Skills, used underwater ....................157
  Sleeping, eﬀ ect on DCV .....................37
  Slippery surfaces, eﬀ ect on CV and 
  combat ...............................................47
  Slow Firearms ....................................168
  Smell Perception Modiﬁ ers ...............12
  Smell/Taste Sense Group .....................9
  Smell, underwater .............................155
  Snap Shot (Optional 
  Combat Maneuver) ..........................80
  Sonar, underwater .............................155
  Sonic, as special eﬀ ect, underwater 161
  Spatial Awareness ...............................11
  Speargun ............................................164
  
  173 
  Hero System Combat Handbook
  Speed Chart .........................................16
  SPEED ..................................................16
  Speeding up combat ...........................54
  Spreading An Attack 
  (Combat Modiﬁ er) ..........................49
  Squeeze, aft er Grab ....................... 62-63
  Standard Maneuvers ..........................58
  Storm Of Lead ...................................168
  STR, 0 or lower, eﬀ ect on DCV .........37
  Strength
   Adding damage with .............108-110
   END cost of ......................................41
   Movement and ..................................26
   Th rows and .................................90, 92
  Stretching
   Eﬀ ect on Fastball Special ...............138
   Eﬀ ect on Grab ...................................65
   Resisting Th rows with .....................92
  Strike (Combat Maneuver) ...............73
  STUN Damage In Heroic 
  Campaigns ......................................129
  STUN
   Recovering ......................................142
   Used as END ...................................143
  Stunned
   Eﬀ ect on DCV ..................................37
   Grab and ............................................67
  Stunning ............................................113
  Subject to Multiple Attackers Bonus, 
  eﬀ ect on DCV ...................................37
  Sucker Attacks ...................................140
  Suﬀ ocating .........................................142
  Suppress, Senses and ..........................13
  Suppression Fire (Optional Combat 
  Maneuver) .........................................80
  Surfaces
   Hardness or evenness of, 
  and Th rows .......................................91
   Narrow or slippery, eﬀ ect on CV 
  and combat .......................................47
  Surprise Move (Combat Modiﬁ er) ...50
  Surprised (Combat Modiﬁ er)
   Generally ...........................................50
   Eﬀ ect on DCV ..................................37
   Placed Shots and ............................120
  Sweep (Optional Combat Maneuver)
   Generally .....................................79, 81
   Underwater .....................................164
  Swimﬁ ns ............................................157
  Swimming
   Generally ...........................................28
   Eﬀ ect on CV and combat ................47
  Swinging
   Generally ...........................................29
   Underwater .....................................156
  Takeaway (Martial Maneuver) ..........95
  Taking a Recovery, eﬀ ect on DCV ....37
  Taking Damage .................................112
  Talents
   Sensory ..............................................11
   Used underwater ............................158
  Target A Hex (Combat Modiﬁ er) .....51
  Target Prone (Combat Modiﬁ er) .....51
  Target Size (Combat Modiﬁ er) .........51
  Targeted shots ...................................120
  Targeting Injured Areas ...................140
  Targeting Senses ...................................7
  Taste, underwater ..............................155
  Technology, as special eﬀ ect, 
  underwater ......................................161
  Telekinesis, Haymaker and ................69
  Teleportation
   Generally ...........................................29
   Eﬀ ect on Grab ...................................65
   Underwater .....................................156
  Temperature, underwater ................154
  Th e Basic Attack Roll .........................35
  Th rows
   Generally ...........................................90
   Aft er Grab ................................... 62-63
   Underwater .....................................164
  Th row Object (Combat Modiﬁ er) ....51
  Th rown attacks, underwater ............163
  Tied up characters and Martial Arts 99
  Time Chart ..........................................17
  Time in combat ............................. 16-17
  Touch Sense Group ..............................9
  Tracking, underwater .......................158
  Transfer, Senses and ...........................13
  Transform, Haymaker and ................69
  Tunneling
   Generally ...........................................30
   Underwater .....................................156
  Turn Mode ...........................................28
  Turns ....................................................16
  Twisting Th e Blade ...........................140
  Two-Weapon Fighting .......................38
  Uncontrolled movement .................169
  Underwater Combat ................152, 163
  Underwater, eﬀ ect on DCV ...............37
  Underwater Environment ...............152
  Underwater scooter ..........................157
  Uneven surfaces and Th rows ............91
  Unfamiliar Weapon 
  (Combat Modiﬁ er) ..........................52
  Unhorse (Optional Fantasy Hero 
  Combat Maneuver) ..........................83
  Unsteady surfaces, eﬀ ect on CV and 
  combat ...............................................47
  Unusual Sense Group .........................10
  Using a Bulky Focus, eﬀ ect on DCV ...37
  Using a Power with Concentration, 
  eﬀ ect on DCV ...................................37
  Using Autoﬁ re Skills, eﬀ ect on DCV ...37
  Using Noncombat Movement, 
  eﬀ ect on DCV ...................................37
  Using Rapid Fire or Sweep, eﬀ ect on 
  DCV ...................................................37
  Vehicle Movement ..............................30
  Velocity/5 Element ..............................95
  Velocity, adding damage with .....108, 111
  Velocity-Based DCV ..........................25
  Ventriloquism, underwater .............158
  Visibility, underwater .......................154
  Vital points, terms for ........................93
  Voice as a “Sense” ................................11
  Water, as special eﬀ ect, underwater ...161
  Water, ﬁ ghting in, eﬀ ect on CV and 
  combat ...............................................47
  Weapon Element ................................95
  Weapon Familiarity ............................38
  Weapon length .................. 46-47, 52-53
  Weapon Size/Shape 
  (Combat Modiﬁ er) ..........................52
  Weapons
   Creating or repairing .......................38
   OCV penalty to hit ..........................62
   Underwater .....................................164
  Weather, as special eﬀ ect, 
  underwater ......................................162
  Who Goes First? .................................20
  Wind, as special eﬀ ect, underwater ...159
  Works Normally Underwater 
  (Advantage) ....................................162
  Wounding ..........................................117
  Wrestling (Martial Arts style) ...........98
  Zero gravity, eﬀ ect on CV and 
  combat ......................................... 47-48
  Zero Phase Actions .............................17
  Zero, reducing CV to .........................36
  
SOURCE: textdata/thevault/Hero System/Hero System - Combat Handbook.pdf