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  A FANTASY ROLE-PLAYING GAME FOR CHILDREN AGED 4 TO 10 
   
  BY 
   
  JUSTIN HALLIDAY 
  
   
   
   
   
  Copyright Notice 
   
  Copyright © 2012 Justin Halliday 
   
  Credits 
   
  Designed and written by Justin Halliday 
   
  Hero and monster art by Eric Quigley 
  www.ericquigley.com 
   
  WebsiteS 
   
  herokidsrpg.blogspot.com 
  heroesagainstdarkness.blogspot.com 
  heroforgegames.blogspot.com 
   
  Version: 1.1 (Build 73) 
   
   
  
   
  Hero Kids – Fantasy RPG 
  Justin Halliday 
  Page 1 
  TABLE OF CONTENTS 
  Introduction 
  2 
  Pint-Sized Heroes 
  3 
  Big-Sized Problems 
  3 
  Heroes of Shapes and Sizes 
  3 
  The Brecken Vale 
  4 
  Materials 
  5 
  Included Stuff 
  5 
  Stuff You Need to Find 
  5 
  Awesome Stuff 
  5 
  Downloadable Extras 
  5 
  Playing the Game 
  6 
  Skirmish 
  6 
  Delve 
  6 
  Exploration 
  6 
  Role-Playing 
  6 
  Rolling For Stuff 
  7 
  Attacking and Defending 
  7 
  Special Attacks and Abilities 
  7 
  Examples, Exschamples… 
  7 
  Hero Cards 
  8 
  Melee Dice Pool 
  8 
  Ranged Dice Pool 
  8 
  Magic Dice Pool 
  8 
  Armor Dice Pool 
  8 
  Health Boxes 
  8 
  Normal Attack 
  9 
  Special Action 
  9 
  Bonus Ability 
  9 
  Inventory 
  9 
  Skills 
  9 
  Health and Damage 
  10 
  Health 
  10 
  Damage 
  10 
  Knocked Out 
  10 
  Healing 
  11 
  Magic 
  11 
  Potions 
  11 
  Resting 
  11 
  Encounter Setup 
  12 
  Encounter Intro 
  12 
  Ability Tests 
  12 
  Map 
  12 
  Encounter Features 
  12 
  Tactics 
  12 
  Monsters 
  12 
  Conclusion 
  12 
  Running Encounters 
  13 
  Preparation 
  13 
  Initiative 
  13 
  Rounds 
  13 
  Turns 
  13 
  Actions 
  13 
  Movement 
  13 
  Resolution 
  13 
  Rewards 
  13 
  Adventuring 
  14 
  Ability Tests 
  14 
  Inventory and Skills 
  15 
  Ability Test Difficulties 
  15 
  Exploration 
  16 
  Choices 
  16 
  Secrets 
  16 
  Gates 
  16 
  Obstacles 
  16 
  Puzzles 
  16 
  Hazards 
  16 
  Traps 
  16 
  Creating Heroes 
  17 
  What Sort of Hero? 
  17 
  Allocating Dice 
  17 
  Normal Attacks 
  17 
  Special Action 
  17 
  Bonus Ability 
  17 
  Inventory and Skills 
  17 
  Considerations 
  18 
  Hints and Tips 
  19 
  Glossary 
  20 
  Heroes! 
  22 
  Monsters! 
  29 
   
  
   
  Hero Kids – Fantasy RPG 
  Justin Halliday 
  Page 2 
  INTRODUCTION 
  From their earliest years, the kids of Rivenshore are 
  trained to survive in a wild and dangerous world. 
   
  While the warriors and sword-maidens of their clan are 
  away from the Brecken Vale protecting it from distant 
  threats, it's up to the kids to deal with any emergencies 
  that arise in the vale. 
   
  Each of the kids specializes in a different area, training 
  and practicing so that they are prepared for the regular 
  calamities that plague the inhabitants of the town.  
   
  Whether they’re exploring the foreboding Darkenwold 
  Woods, rescuing lost miners from the abandoned Mines 
  of Martek, saving their friend from the lair of giant rats, 
  or exploring a minotaur’s maze, the kids of Rivenshore 
  are always ready for action and always the first to 
  volunteer to help a friend who’s in trouble. 
   
  These are Hero Kids! 
   
   
  The Hero Kids fantasy role-playing game contains 
  everything you need to play a fun and interesting 
  game with your kids, including: 
  • Heroes 
  • Monsters 
  • Rules 
  • Adventure ideas 
  Hero Kids comes bundled with an introductory 
  adventure that is a great starting point for your kids.  
  Further adventures and expansions are available, 
  probably from wherever you got this core game. 
   
   
   
  Role-playing games are a unique and fun way of 
  teaching our kids a huge number of skills, such as: 
  • Counting 
  • Math 
  • Probabilities 
  • Teamwork 
  • Problem solving 
  • Imagination 
  • Acting 
  • History 
  Younger kids can start with counting and as they 
  grow up they can work their way through the more 
  complicated skills that RPGs develop. 
  And while the kids are doing all this learning, you can 
  spend time together playing a fun game that offers 
  endless opportunities for excitement and adventure. 
  
   
  Hero Kids – Fantasy RPG 
  Justin Halliday 
  Page 3 
  PINT-SIZED HEROES 
  Hero Kids isn’t your average role-playing game.  In 
  fact, it’s about two feet shorter than your average 
  role-playing game because in this game, the kids are 
  the heroes. 
  Big-Sized Problems 
  Hero Kids is set in the sort of world where grown-ups 
  are constantly getting themselves into trouble, and 
  where the kids are the ones who sort it out. 
  • When several greedy miners get lost in the old 
  mine, it’s the kids who rescue them. 
  • When a horde of goblins raid the village festival 
  and steal the prize pig, the kids are there to fight 
  them off. 
  • When rustlers steal their favorite horses and 
  ponies, the kids set out to get them back. 
  • When the tavern basement is overrun by unusually 
  large and ferocious rats (again!), the kids drive 
  them back out. 
  • When a rare unicorn is seen in the woods, the kids 
  rescue it from a mean witch. 
  • When an urgent message must be sent to a 
  reclusive mage, the kids set out to deliver it. 
  • When ghost pirates attack the village and capture 
  everyone, the kids have to rescue themselves! 
  Heroes of Shapes and Sizes 
  The hero kids include these scamps (and more): 
  Warrior 
  Hunter 
   
   
  • Good melee attack 
  • Good armor 
  • Good ranged attack 
  • Split shot attack 
   
   
  Healer 
  Warlock 
   
   
  • Good magic attack 
  • Healing abilities 
  • Good magic attack 
  • Flame burst attack 
  
   
  Hero Kids – Fantasy RPG 
  Justin Halliday 
  Page 4 
  THE BRECKEN VALE 
  Hero Kids adventures take place in The 
  Brecken Vale, an isolated valley that lies in 
  the cold north of an ancient and dangerous 
  medieval world. 
   
  You live in a small village, Rivenshore, 
  which is nestled in a tight valley beneath a 
  range of towering mountains. 
  Rivenshore would be a beautiful place to 
  live, if it weren’t beset by an endless series of 
  calamities.  
  The village is on the eastern shore of the 
  Camarva River.  The river runs fast and 
  crooked from the mountains, down through 
  the valley, The Brecken Vale, and out into 
  a small bay.  To the east of the village are the 
  dark and wild Darkenwold Woods, which 
  have claimed many foolish travelers. 
  The Brecken Vale is bounded by the 
  Druinhowe Mountains, their snow-covered 
  peaks cloaked in cloud. 
  The vale should be a haven for its civilized 
  inhabitants, but instead it keeps them in 
  close proximity to no end of threats that offer 
  boundless opportunities for adventure. 
   
   
  
   
  Hero Kids – Fantasy RPG 
  Justin Halliday 
  Page 5 
  MATERIALS 
  Hero Kids requires some materials to play; most is 
  included, some you’ll need to find, and there’s some 
  extras you can add to make the game awesome. 
  Included Stuff 
  • Heroes:  Warriors, hunters, and more are included 
  here.  There’s a hero card for the player and a 
  stand-up mini for the map.  Cut and fold them. 
  • Monsters:  Monster cards and stand-up minis are 
  included in this pack.  Cut out these minis too. 
  • Adventure:  The included adventure – Basement 
  O Rats - has instructions for play. 
  • Maps:  Grid maps are used for combat; these are 
  included with all Hero Kids adventures. 
  Stuff You Need to Find 
  • GM:  If you’re reading this, then we can assume 
  that you are the game master (GM). 
  • Players:  You’ll need one or more of these. 
  • Printer:  To print the cards, maps and stand-ups. 
  • Dice:  You’ll need at least one six-sided dice (d6). 
  • Pencils:  To mark off damage and healing potions. 
  • Erasers:  You’ll also need to remove the damage 
  and recover used healing potions. 
  • Scissors:  For cutting out the hero cards and stand-
  up minis, of course.  Watch out for little fingers! 
  Awesome Stuff 
  • More Maps:  Apart from the included maps, you 
  can use your own dungeon tiles, poster maps like 
  the ones from recent D&D adventures, or even the 
  large flip-map from the Pathfinder Beginner Box.  
  For the more adventurous, you can even use Duplo 
  blocks or Lego Heroica sets. 
  • More Dice:  Three d6s is good, but six or more is 
  better for the opposed rolls.  Go raid your kids’ 
  Yahtzee set for a bunch of them, preferably in 
  different colors. 
  • Candy:  One fun way of tracking the health of the 
  heroes and the monsters is to use candy to fill the 
  damage boxes.  When a hero damages a monster, 
  that hero’s player can eat the candy.  But when a 
  monster damages a hero, the GM gets the treat! 
   
   
   
  Downloadable Extras 
  • Extras:  You can expand your Hero Kids 
  experience 
  with 
  additional 
  adventures 
  and 
  supplements from DriveThruRPG: 
  http://rpg.drivethrustuff.com 
   
  
   
  Hero Kids – Fantasy RPG 
  Justin Halliday 
  Page 6 
  PLAYING THE GAME 
  Hero Kids can be played as a quick and simple single-
  encounter skirmish game, a multi-encounter delve, an 
  adventure with combat, exploration, and role-playing 
  or even as a proper campaign with persistent heroes, a 
  plot, and a wider world to explore. 
  Skirmish 
  The simplest way to play Hero Kids is as a single-
  encounter skirmish, where a handful of heroes tackle 
  a group of monsters in a pure tactical challenge.  
  These skirmishes can be quick battles against minions, 
  or more challenging battles against tougher monsters 
  that require good teamwork, strategy, and resource 
  management to overcome. 
  Delve 
  Delves are short combat-oriented adventures that 
  string together a handful of encounters as a quick 
  adventure.  Delves are often structured like this: 
  • Adventure hook 
  • Introductory encounter 
  • Middle encounter 
  • Boss encounter 
  There’s infinite variation in any format or style of 
  adventure, so this structure is not carved in stone and 
  the GM is empowered to color outside the lines. 
  Exploration 
  When the players are ready to branch out beyond just 
  combat encounters, you can progressively introduce 
  the following exploration elements to the game: 
  • Choices 
  • Secrets 
  • Gates 
  • Obstacles 
  • Puzzles 
  • Hazards 
  • Traps 
  The players need to use their brains and their heroes’ 
  capabilities, skills, and possessions to overcome these 
  challenges. 
  You can find more details about these exploration 
  elements in the Exploration section on page 16. 
  Role-Playing 
  The final ingredient for the full experience of role-
  playing 
  games 
  is 
  actual 
  role-playing. 
   
  The 
  incorporation of role-playing into Hero Kids can take 
  a number of forms: 
  • Players using their heroes’ appearance and 
  characteristics to determine how they act or speak. 
  • A simple conversation between our heroes and the 
  quest-giver at the start of an adventure to tease out 
  important information. 
  • A climactic conversation with the adventure’s 
  baddie before, during, or after the final battle! 
  
   
  Hero Kids – Fantasy RPG 
  Justin Halliday 
  Page 7 
  ROLLING FOR STUFF 
  The main thing you’ll roll dice for in Hero Kids is 
  combat.  When in combat, there are three types of 
  attacks; melee, ranged, and magic, as well as armor: 
   
   
   
   
   
   
  Heroes (and monsters) can only use an attack in 
  which they have at least one dice in their pool. 
  Each hero and monster’s strengths and weaknesses 
  are represented by the ‘pool’ of six-sided dice they 
  have in each area, such as these examples: 
     
   
   
   
  Awesome 
     
   
   
  Good 
     
   
  None 
     
   
  Mediocre 
  The example hero card on page 8 shows how all this 
  looks for a real character. 
  Attacking and Defending 
  When attacking, the attacker rolls the dice pool for 
  their chosen attack (melee, ranged, or magic) and the 
  defender rolls their armor dice pool.   
  Compare the attacker’s highest dice to the 
  defender’s highest dice, and the highest roll wins.   
  If they tie, then the attacker wins.   
  Special Attacks and Abilities 
  The number of dice rolled by the attacker and the 
  defender can be modified by their special actions or 
  bonus abilities, such as warriors who gain extra dice to 
  attack an enemy that an ally has recently attacked. 
   
   
   
  Examples, Exschamples… 
  Let’s check out some examples of attack rolls: 
  Attacker 
   
  Defender 
   
   
   
   
  vs. 
   
   
   
  Attacker wins! 
   
   
   
   
   
   
  vs. 
   
   
  Attacker wins! 
   
   
   
   
   
   
  vs. 
   
  Defender wins! 
   
   
   
   
   
  vs. 
   
  Attacker wins! 
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  vs. 
   
  Defender wins! 
  
   
  Hero Kids – Fantasy RPG 
  Justin Halliday 
  Page 8 
  HERO CARDS 
  The heroes and monsters are neatly contained on hero 
  cards, which have everything you need to play: 
   
  Heroes have the following characteristics: 
  • Melee Dice Pool 
  • Ranged Dice Pool 
  • Magic Dice Pool 
  • Armor Dice Pool 
  • Health Boxes 
  • Normal Attack(s) 
  • Special Action 
  • Bonus Ability 
  • Inventory 
  • Skills 
  Melee Dice Pool 
   
  The melee dice pool shows the number of dice 
  the hero or monster uses for melee actions. 
  Ranged Dice Pool 
   
  The ranged dice pool shows the number of dice 
  the hero or monster uses for ranged actions. 
  Magic Dice Pool 
   
  The magic dice pool shows the number of dice 
  the hero or monster uses for magic actions. 
  Armor Dice Pool 
   
  The armor dice pool shows the number of dice 
  the hero or monster uses to defend against 
  attacks. 
  Health Boxes 
   
  These boxes represent how much damage the 
  heroes and monsters can take. 
  You can find more details about the heroes’ health in 
  the Health and Damage section on page 10. 
  
   
  Hero Kids – Fantasy RPG 
  Justin Halliday 
  Page 9 
  Normal Attack 
  Each hero and monster has a normal attack action 
  (and possibly more than one), which is a standard 
  melee, ranged, or magic attack. 
  • Melee Attack: Melee attacks are made against an 
  adjacent target and deal 1 damage. 
  • Ranged Attack:  Ranged attacks are against targets 
  with line of sight up to 6 squares away and deal 1 
  damage.  Ranged attacks against adjacent targets 
  roll 1 fewer dice, so characters with only 1 ranged 
  dice cannot attack adjacent enemies. 
  • Magic Attack: Magic attacks are against targets 
  with line of sight up to 4 squares away and deal 1 
  damage. 
  Special Action 
  In addition to their normal attack, heroes and 
  monsters have a unique special attack or action.   
  These 
  special 
  attacks 
  and 
  actions 
  are 
  more 
  complicated than the normal attacks, so the younger 
  players might need help. 
  Bonus Ability 
  Each hero’s bonus ability is a passive ability that 
  reflects their special training and abilities.  These 
  bonus abilities might offer extra dice for attacks or 
  armor, or allow the hero a special action in specific 
  circumstances. 
  Inventory  
  Heroes can hold a number of items in their 
  inventories, which they can use as an action.  Healing 
  potions are useful in combat, but the other items are 
  useful in exploration and role-playing encounters: 
   
  Healing potions heal heroes to full health and 
  can also be used on a damaged or KO’d ally. 
   
  It’s a rope.  It’s very versatile and useful for 
  overcoming terrain obstacles. 
   
  Food is also very versatile, especially for 
  distracting monsters. 
   
  Gold is useful for distracting intelligent 
  enemies or game characters. 
   Herbs are used to make healing potions. 
  Skills 
  Heroes can have skills to use in exploration, 
  adventuring, and role-playing, such as these: 
   
  The hero is learned and knows about history 
  and lore and stuff. 
   
  The hero knows how to use disguises and to 
  sneak around. 
   The hero can track people or animals. 
   
  The hero is good at talking and can win over 
  hostile characters. 
  
   
  Hero Kids – Fantasy RPG 
  Justin Halliday 
  Page 10 
  HEALTH AND DAMAGE 
  In the course of their battles the heroes deal damage, 
  take damage, and recover health. 
  Health 
  All heroes have three health boxes, which means that 
  they can take two hits without penalty, but the third 
  hit knocks them out: 
  Hero health boxes: 
   
  Weaker monsters have less health, while tougher 
  monsters can have even more health than the heroes: 
  Boss monster: 
   
  Tough monster: 
   
  Normal monster: 
   
  Weak monster: 
   
  Damage 
  Generally speaking, all melee, ranged, and magic 
  attacks deal 1 damage when they are successful.  In 
  certain cases the damage can be increased (or even 
  negated), such as through a hero or a monster’s 
  special action or their bonus ability. 
  Each time a hero or a monster takes damage, their 
  controller marks off one (or more) health boxes, 
  starting with Bruised, then Hurt, then KO.   
  Some heroes and monsters have special abilities that 
  only trigger when they take damage or when they are 
  at a specific health level, such as Hurt. 
  When you mark off the final box, KO, the character is 
  knocked out and out of the fight. 
  Knocked Out 
  When a hero is knocked out (KO’d), he or she has no 
  actions until they are healed by an ally or their allies 
  win the encounter (giving them a chance to rest and 
  remove some damage). 
  OK 
  KO 
   
   
  
   
  Hero Kids – Fantasy RPG 
  Justin Halliday 
  Page 11 
  HEALING 
  The heroes have various methods of healing 
  themselves and their allies during their adventures. 
  Magic 
  Certain heroes – such as Healers – have the ability to 
  magically heal themselves or their allies. 
   
  In combat, this ability is a special action, which means 
  that the character can either heal someone or attack 
  an enemy. 
  Outside of combat, magic healing can return all allies 
  to full health (if this makes sense in the adventure). 
  Potions 
  Heroes start each adventure with potions that are 
  shown on their hero cards, like this: 
   
  Using a potion is an action.   
  It can be taken by the hero who is using it or 
  administered to an adjacent ally, and it returns the 
  hero to full health. 
  The potion is the GM’s best friend (not literally, ‘cos 
  that would be weird).  With potions you can regulate 
  the amount of healing that heroes have available to 
  them.  So if the heroes are having trouble, you can 
  throw them extra potions as treasure after encounters. 
  Resting 
  The final method of healing is for our heroes to take a 
  short rest after an encounter (again, assuming this 
  makes sense in the adventure).  When heroes rest 
  after an encounter in which they’ve been damaged, 
  they can remove 1 damage.   
  So KO’d heroes recover to Hurt, Hurt heroes 
  become Bruised, and Bruised heroes fully recover. 
  
   
  Hero Kids – Fantasy RPG 
  Justin Halliday 
  Page 12 
  ENCOUNTER SETUP 
  Encounters are described with the same details. 
  Encounter Intro 
  Each encounter has a short introduction that you 
  should read out to the players.  It’s in a box like this: 
  You slowly enter the ruins, wary of the ghosts that 
  inhabit them. 
  Map 
  Each combat encounter has a grid map that is used to 
  stage the encounter.  This map shows the terrain and 
  starting positions for the heroes and monsters. 
  Heroes: 
   
  Monsters: 
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  Encounter Features 
  Some encounter areas have unique elements, such as 
  furniture or obstacles, which are described here. 
  Ability Tests 
  Optional ability tests and skills that the heroes can 
  use are detailed here.  Read more about Ability Tests 
  in the Adventuring section on page 14. 
  Monsters 
  This section lists the number and types of monsters in 
  the encounter based on how many heroes there are: 
  1 Hero: 
  1 x King Rat 
  1 x Giant Rat 
   
   
  4 Heroes: 1 x King Rat 
  4 x Giant Rats 
   
   
   
   
   
  The numbers are their starting position on the map. 
  Unique monsters have a monster card and stand-up 
  included on the final pages of the adventure: 
   
  Tactics 
  The monsters’ tactics and goals are detailed here. 
  Conclusion 
  The conclusion section tells you what happens once 
  the heroes have defeated their enemies. 
  
   
  Hero Kids – Fantasy RPG 
  Justin Halliday 
  Page 13 
  RUNNING ENCOUNTERS 
  Combat encounters have multiple parts: 
  • Preparation 
  • Initiative 
  • Rounds 
  • Turns 
  • Actions 
  • Movement 
  • Resolution 
  • Rewards 
  Preparation 
  First set up the map and hero and monster stand-ups. 
  Initiative 
  Once the map is set up, have one of the players roll a 
  d6 for initiative and then you roll a d6 for the 
  monsters.  The side (heroes or monsters) with the 
  highest roll wins and heroes win on a tie. 
  Rounds 
  Combat encounters are divided into rounds, during 
  which each hero and each monster has a turn.   
  Either the monsters or the heroes will have initiative, 
  so run through each group until everyone’s had a turn 
  then switch to the other side.  Keep looping through 
  until one of the groups is knocked out. 
  Turns 
  On each hero and each monster’s turn they can take 
  an action and a move, in any order. 
  Actions 
  Actions include the hero’s normal attack, which is 
  melee, ranged, or magic, their special action, and 
  other actions; such as drinking a potion.  The hero’s 
  action can be swapped for another move so they can 
  take two move actions instead of just one. 
  The possible actions include: 
  • Normal attack (melee, ranged, magic) 
  • Special action (defined on the hero’s card) 
  • Use item (such as a healing potion) 
  Movement 
  All heroes and monsters can move 4 squares with each 
  move action (including diagonally).  Characters can 
  move through their allies, but not through enemies. 
  Walls and other solid objects block movement and 
  line of sight.  Smaller obstacles just block movement 
  and may provide cover (you can add one dice to the 
  target’s armor dice pool). 
  Resolution 
  Combat is over when all of the members of a side are 
  knocked out (hopefully this is the monsters). 
  Rewards 
  If you’re running a longer adventure then you might 
  reward the heroes with some gold or extra potions 
  and allow them to rest and recover some health. 
  
   
  Hero Kids – Fantasy RPG 
  Justin Halliday 
  Page 14 
  ADVENTURING 
  Children’s abilities explode between 4 and 10, so 
  there’s a large gap between the capabilities of the 
  younger and older players of Hero Kids. 
  If you’ve got older players (or well-practiced younger 
  players) and want to challenge them a bit more, you 
  can integrate some adventuring mechanics. 
  Adventuring has a number of elements, which you 
  can pick and choose whether to include: 
  • Ability tests 
  • Inventory and Skills 
   
   
  Ability Tests 
  Once you’ve started integrating exploration (see 
  Exploration on page 16) into your Hero Kids game, 
  you can use ability tests to test whether the heroes’ 
  actions are successful.  Ability tests allow the player 
  to roll dice to determine the outcome of their action. 
  For an ability test, the players roll one dice, plus the 
  dice pool from one of their hero’s characteristics, plus 
  one extra dice if they have a relevant skill or item.   
  If their highest dice roll is equal or higher than the 
  difficulty, then they succeed at the test. 
  The hero’s three main characteristics are used as 
  strength, dexterity, and intelligence, like this: 
   
  • Bash a locked door 
  • Jump a crevasse 
  • Lift something heavy 
   
  • Climb a wall or tree 
  • Hide from or sneak past a monster 
  • Pick a lock 
   
  • Decode a message 
  • Break a magic lock 
  • Know about a location or group 
  While exploration challenges may have an obvious 
  solution (such as using force to open a locked door), 
  alternate solutions are encouraged, including those 
  that utilize one of a hero’s other characteristics or the 
  clever use of an inventory item or a skill. 
  
   
  Hero Kids – Fantasy RPG 
  Justin Halliday 
  Page 15 
  Inventory and Skills 
  While ability tests rely on the hero’s fundamental 
  characteristics 
  (their 
  strength, 
  dexterity, 
  and 
  intelligence), more advanced players are encouraged 
  to look to their hero’s inventory and skills to see if 
  they have anything in those areas to assist with their 
  tasks.  These areas are more important in exploration 
  or full role-playing adventures where the players need 
  to overcome obstacles, puzzles, hazards, and traps.  
  More ideas for integrating these advanced challenges 
  into your games are included in the Exploration 
  section on page 16. 
  When the players identify an inventory item or a skill 
  that can assist them in an ability test, allow them to 
  add an extra dice to their pool. 
  Ability Test Difficulties 
  These difficulty numbers can be used for ability tests: 
   
  Difficulty 
  Easy 
  4 
  Normal 
  5 
  Hard 
  6 
  Keep in mind that each hero usually takes the ability 
  test separately, so there’s more chance of at least one 
  of them making the test when there are more heroes. 
  Ability Test Overview 
  Here are some example ability test dice pools. 
  First, tracking an animal: 
  Intelligence test (Tracking) 
  Base Dice + 
  Characteristic 
  + Inventory/Skills 
   
   
    
   
   
    
   
   
  Alternatively, crossing a broken bridge: 
  Strength or Dexterity test (Rope) 
  Base Dice + 
  Characteristic 
  + Inventory/Skills 
   
   
   or 
    
   
    
    
   
   
  Finally, intimidating a game character: 
  Strength test (Talking) 
  Base Dice + 
  Characteristic 
  + Inventory/Skills 
   
   
    
   
   
   
    
   
  
   
  Hero Kids – Fantasy RPG 
  Justin Halliday 
  Page 16 
  EXPLORATION 
  When your players are ready to tackle adventuring 
  and exploration challenges, try some of these. 
  Choices 
  Choices are the simplest form of exploration and 
  allow players true interaction and agency: 
  • A simple t-intersection 
  • A room with multiple doors 
  • Several cave openings in a rocky cliff 
  • A choice of overland routes 
  Secrets 
  Secrets are bonuses that astute players can discover if 
  they’re paying attention.  As the players won’t know 
  what to look for, they may need to be presented with 
  something unusual or given a hint: 
  • A dead end corridor with a faint breeze 
  • An empty chest with a hidden compartment 
  • A different colored or textured section of wall 
  Gates 
  Gates are blockages that cannot be passed until the 
  players have performed a specific action: 
  • An otherwise impassable locked door 
  • A drawbridge over a chasm with a hidden lever 
  • A character who withholds a vital clue 
  Obstacles 
  Obstacles are simple physical blockages that can be 
  overcome with simple actions: 
  • A doorway or cave entrance high up on a wall 
  • A river with a broken bridge 
  • An open pit in a corridor 
  Puzzles 
  Puzzles are blockages that the players must to solve: 
  • Shaped objects that must be matched to slots 
  • Levers that must be set to a specific pattern 
  • Tiles where only one color/icon can be stepped on 
  Hazards 
  Hazards are obstacles that involve physical danger, 
  but the danger is apparent before it is tackled: 
  • An open pit in a corridor filled with snakes! 
  • A wobbly rope bridge over a deep ravine 
  • A room filling with poisonous gas 
  Traps 
  Traps are the most dangerous form of obstacle 
  because they can trigger a hazard or can even damage 
  the heroes without warning: 
  • A hidden pit trap that is lined with sharp spikes 
  • A chest that shoots a poisoned dart when opened 
  • Treasure that triggers a rolling boulder when taken 
  
   
  Hero Kids – Fantasy RPG 
  Justin Halliday 
  Page 17 
  CREATING HEROES 
  In addition to the pre-made heroes that are included 
  with Hero Kids, your kids can make up heroes of their 
  own using a blank hero card, like this: 
   
  Blank cards are included with the pre-made heroes. 
  What Sort of Hero? 
  The first thing to consider is what sort of character 
  they want; a melee fighter, a skillful archer or knife 
  thrower, a well-armored warrior, a powerful warlock, 
  or even a versatile hero who can use multiple attacks. 
  Allocating Dice 
  Each of the pre-made heroes in Hero Kids is built 
  with a four dice method.   
  When using this method, the heroes are built by 
  allocating the four dice amongst the character’s four 
  abilities; 
  Melee, 
  Ranged, 
  Magic, 
  and 
  Armor.  
  However, the first dice allocated to the Ranged and 
  Magic abilities costs two dice, instead of one dice. 
  Normal Attacks 
  All heroes have normal attacks for each of their 
  Melee, Ranged, and Magic abilities where they have at 
  least one dice: 
  • Melee attack against an adjacent target 
  • Ranged attack against a target up to 6 squares away 
  (1 fewer dice against adjacent targets) 
  • Magic attack against a target up to 4 squares away 
  Special Action 
  Each hero’s special action is a unique attack or 
  alternate action that reflects the hero’s specialization. 
  Bonus Ability 
  The hero’s bonus ability is something that happens 
  automatically, such as added dice to attacks or armor 
  during combat in specific circumstances. 
  Inventory and Skills 
  The last element of the heroes is their inventory and 
  skills.  Again, look to the character’s specialization to 
  think of appropriate items and skills in this area. 
  
   
  Hero Kids – Fantasy RPG 
  Justin Halliday 
  Page 18 
  CONSIDERATIONS 
  When playing Hero Kids you need to carefully 
  consider the sorts of game events that we take for 
  granted with more mature players. 
  Other People’s Children! 
  First, when playing with other people’s children, 
  make sure their parents approve of any content that 
  will be in the game. 
  Violence 
  The core gameplay element of Hero Kids is combat, 
  but this can be presented with more or less described 
  violence, so adjust this for the age of the players.  For 
  example, when playing with younger players have the 
  defeated enemies scamper away at the end of combat. 
   
  Language 
  As with violence, make sure the language you’re using 
  is appropriate for the age of your players. 
  Religion 
  Role-playing games often take place in ancient worlds 
  with polytheistic or pagan religions.  This may be a 
  sensitive area for the parents of some kids. 
  Morality 
  Adult players often explore more grey moral areas in 
  role-playing games, but this game is for heroic kids 
  who fight only for the good of their friends and 
  community. 
  
   
  Hero Kids – Fantasy RPG 
  Justin Halliday 
  Page 19 
  HINTS AND TIPS 
  Here are some hints for playing Hero Kids with real 
  life kids: 
  • Your players are young, so be patient and help 
  them when they’re making decisions. 
  • Get into the fun with funny voices for the 
  monsters, especially the bosses. 
  • Get the kids involved in coming up with scenarios 
  and stories for their heroes’ adventures. 
  • Encourage improvisation so the players can use 
  their actions, movement, and the obstacles and 
  terrain of the encounter in interesting ways. 
  • Make sure all the players get their share of the 
  action and attention. 
  • You might be used to playing 3 or 4-hour sessions 
  with adult players, but keep the kids’ sessions 
  shorter (up to an hour). 
  • The heroes can take their action and move in any 
  order, so the kids may want to make an attack and 
  then move away from a monster. 
  • Remind the kids about their hero’s special action, 
  bonus ability, and healing potions (except for 
  younger players, where you can just ignore their 
  hero’s special action and bonus ability). 
   
  • The players probably don’t know all the clichés 
  and tropes of fantasy role-playing games yet, so 
  feel free to use and abuse them! 
  • Add or remove monsters from the encounters to 
  tune them for your players. 
  • Keep the monsters moving so the fights don’t turn 
  into toe-to-toe slugfests. 
  • Bend the rules if they’re getting in the way of the 
  players’ fun. 
  • Don’t be afraid to skip, add, or change encounters 
  if the game’s running short or long. 
  • The kids are little, so play nice and don’t try too 
  hard to defeat their heroes. 
  
   
  Hero Kids – Fantasy RPG 
  Justin Halliday 
  Page 20 
  GLOSSARY 
  Action:  Actions include normal attacks, special 
  actions, and using healing potions 
  Adjacent:  Characters are adjacent when they occupy 
  squares that touch on an edge or a corner. 
  Adventure:  A series of encounters that are linked 
  together into a continuous story. 
  Ally:  Any character that is fighting on the same side 
  as the current character. 
  Attack:  An action that uses one of the character’s 
  three attack characteristics to damage a target. 
  Bonus Ability:  Each hero and some monsters have a 
  bonus ability that happens automatically and gives 
  them an advantage or an extra triggered action. 
  Boss:  A tough monster with increased stats, often 
  backed up by minions. 
  Bruised:  The first damage state for most monsters 
  and heroes. 
  Character:  Any hero, monster, or game character. 
  Characteristics:  The character’s details, including 
  their dice pools for melee, ranged, magic, and armor. 
  Combatant:  Anyone fighting in a combat encounter. 
  Cover:  A target has cover if there is an obstacle 
  between them and their attacker, but they are not 
  totally obstructed (such as by a solid wall that breaks 
  line of sight).  Targets with cover gain 1 extra dice to 
  their armor pool. 
  Damage:  Attacks that hit enemies deal 1 damage, but 
  abilities or special actions can adjust this. 
  Dice:  All rolls are done with d6s (six-sided dice). 
  Dice, Extra/More:  To add dice to the pool. 
  Dice, Fewer/Less:  To remove dice from the pool. 
  Encounter: A single combat engagement. 
  Enemy:  Any character that is fighting in opposition 
  to the current character. 
  Engaged:  A character is engaged if they have been 
  the target of a melee attack since their last turn. 
  Empty Square:  Empty squares are devoid of 
  characters, obstacles, or solid objects. 
  Equipment:  Items that give heroes extra abilities. 
  Game Character:  A character controlled by the GM. 
  Game Master:  The Game Master (GM) is you. 
  Grazed:  An additional damage state for bosses. 
  Hero:  A character that is controlled by a player. 
  Hero Card:  These cards have all of the hero’s 
  characteristics, actions, abilities, inventory and skills. 
  Healing:  Special actions, potions, and rest after 
  encounters can heal some or all damage that a 
  character has taken. 
  Hit:  An attack where the attacker’s dice roll beats the 
  defender’s armor dice roll (either highest dice in 
  normal play or the sum of all dice for advanced play). 
  Hurt:  The last damage state before the character is 
  knocked out. 
  Inventory:  The items that characters hold. 
  
   
  Hero Kids – Fantasy RPG 
  Justin Halliday 
  Page 21 
  Knocked Out:  A character is knocked out (KO’d) 
  when they take damage that fills their final damage 
  box.  Knocked out characters can take no actions, but 
  can be healed by other characters (through magic or 
  by administering a potion). 
  Line of Sight:  Ranged attacks require line of sight to 
  their targets, which means that the attacker must be 
  able to see their target (or at least part of the target). 
  Map:  Combat encounters take place on game maps, 
  either one that is supplied or one you make yourself. 
  Magic:  Magic attacks against enemies with line of 
  sight up to 4 squares away. 
  Melee:  Physical attacks against adjacent enemies. 
  Minion:  A weak monster. 
  Monster:  Baddies with bad breath and bad attitudes. 
  Move:  Move actions allow characters to move up to 4 
  squares. 
  Normal Attack:  Each hero and monster has one or 
  more normal attacks, which are standard attacks using 
  one of their characteristics and dealing 1 damage. 
  Obstacle:  An object on the map that blocks 
  movement but not line of sight. 
  Player(s):  The real-life people who control the 
  heroes in the game. 
  Pool:  Most actions roll multiple dice, which is known 
  as a dice pool. 
  Potions:  Potions are inventory items that can be used 
  as an action to heal a character to full health. 
  Pull:  Pulling a target moves that target closer to the 
  hero or monster that performed the action. 
  Push:  Pushing a target moves it further from the 
  hero or monster that performed the action. 
  Ranged:  Physical attacks against distant enemies 
  with line of sight up to 6 squares away.  Ranged 
  attacks against adjacent enemies roll 1 fewer dice. 
  Rest:  Resting after encounters removes 1 damage. 
  Round:  Combat encounters are divided into rounds, 
  during which all combatants have a turn. 
  Skills:  The things that characters are good at are 
  skills, and are listed on the hero card. 
  Special Action:  Each hero and most monsters have a 
  special action that they can use instead of their 
  normal attack action. 
  Split:  Splitting the dice pool allows the character to 
  divide the dice in their pool and make multiple 
  attacks.  Each attack must have at least 1 dice from 
  the pool, and this can be subsequently modified by 
  the character’s special ability. 
  Stand-Up:  These printable representations of the 
  heroes and monsters are used on the map. 
  Square:  Maps are divided into squares, each of which 
  is about an inch square. 
  Target(s):  Targets are the characters at which attacks 
  are directed. 
  Turn:  A combatant’s opportunity to act in combat, 
  during which they can take an action and a move. 
   
  
   
  Hero Kids – Fantasy RPG 
   Justin Halliday 
  Page 22 
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  HEROES! 
   
   
   
   
   
   
  
   
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  Hero Kids – Fantasy RPG 
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  MONSTERS! 
   
   
   
   
   
   
  
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  
SOURCE: textdata/thevault/Kid Friendly/Hero Kids/Hero Kids - Fantasy RPG (Printer Friendly).pdf