TEXT: SUPERPOWERED ROLEPLAYING
  Aaron Allston
  
  SUPERPOWERED ROLEPLAYING
  Authors:  Aaron Allston, Steven S. Long
  Editing & Development:  Steven S. Long
  Layout and Graphic Design:  Andy Mathews
  Cover Art:  Storn Cook
  Interior Artwork:  Storn Cook, Andrew Cremeans, Albert Deschesne, 
  Malcolm T. Harrison, Jeﬀ  Hebert, Scott Heine, Bryce Nakagawa, Eric Rademaker, Greg Smith
  Dedication:  To all the Champions and 
  HERO System fans out there who have kept 
  this game alive and vibrant for over 20 
  amazing years.
  A WORD OR TWO OF 
  APPRECIATION
  Aaron’s Special Thanks:  Th anks must go to 
  the players who have made the Strike Force 
  Universe campaigns so much fun, and so 
  instructive to a gamemaster and writer, over 
  the years:  Mark Bennett, Eric Bunker, Earl 
  Cooley III, Kerry Gaber, Jeﬀ  Jacobson, Jan 
  Lewellen, Beth Loubet, Denis Loubet, Billy 
  Moore, Matt Pinsonneault, Susan Pinson-
  neault, Bob Quinlan, Roxanne Quinlan, 
  Luray Richmond, Mark Richmond, Allen 
  Sikes, Beth Ann Sikes, and Sean Summers.
  Steve Special Thanks:  Steve would like 
  to thank the Calculator Commandos who 
  once again took up calculator and pen to 
  make sure the math was correct:  Jeﬀ  and 
  Cintra Bristol, Patrick Davis, Mark Ewbank, 
  Bryan Sewell, and Leah Watts. But the errors 
  remain my fault.
  HERO SystemTM ® is DOJ, Inc.’s trademark for its roleplaying system.
  HERO System Copyright © 1984, 1989, 2002 by DOJ, Inc. d/b/a Hero Games. All rights 
  reserved.
  Champions Copyright © 1984, 1989, 2002 by DOJ, Inc. d/b/a Hero Games. All rights 
  reserved.
  Justice Inc., Danger International, Dark Champions, Fantasy Hero, Pulp Hero, and 
  Star Hero Copyright © 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 2002.
  Produced and distributed by DOJ, Inc. d/b/a Hero Games.
  Stock Number:  DOJHERO200
  ISBN Number:  1-58366-004-6
  http://www.herogames.com
  
  TABLE OF CONTENTS
  Introduction
  Look Up In The Sky ..........................5
  Chapter One
  The Superhero Genre .......................6
  What Superhero Stories Are 
  All About ........................................7
  Period ..............................................8
  The Golden Age ...............................8
  Deﬁ ning Comic Book Periods ...............8
  Golden Age Champions .......................9
  Example Golden Age Powers ...............9
  Playing In A Golden Age 
  Champions Campaign ...............10
  Pulp Hero Powers .............................10
  Other Golden Age Elements ..........10
  The Silver Age ...............................11
  Silver Age Champions .......................11
  The Comics Code ..............................12
  Super Society Powers ........................14
  The Bronze Age .............................16
  Bronze Age Champions .....................17
  Example Mutant Powers ....................18
  Enduring Fads ..................................19
  Example Fad Powers .........................19
  The Iron Age ..................................20
  Iron Age Champions ..........................20
  Dark Champions ...............................20
  “Four-color” Versus “Dark” .................21
  Example Iron Age Powers ..................22
  More Unusual Periods ....................23
  Other Historical Periods ...............23
  Alternate Histories .......................23
  Peculiar Settings .........................23
  Mixing And Matching .....................26
  Timeline .........................................27
  Sources Of Superpowers ................27
  The Appearance Of Supers .............27
  First Supers Appear Now ..............27
  First Heroes Appeared Recently ....28
  First Heroes Appeared Some 
  Time Ago ..................................28
  Where Superhumans Appear ........28
  Number Of Superhumans ...............28
  Supers And Society ........................29
  Historical Events ..........................29
  Culture .......................................30
  Law ............................................31
  Superhuman Registration Laws ..........31
  Government Agencies And 
  Superhumans ...................................32
  Technology ..................................32
  Super-mysteries ............................34
  Mood And Meta-Genre ...................35
  The GM Should Reward 
  Appropriate Actions ...................35
  Adventure .....................................35
  Comedy ........................................37
  Missed Attack Rolls ...........................38
  Drama ..........................................38
  Revelatory Presence Attack
  Modiﬁ ers Table .................................39
  Horror ...........................................39
  Romance ......................................40
  Teen Champions ............................42
  Sources Of Superpowers ...............44
  Unlimited Source Campaigns ..........45
  Limited Source Campaigns .............45
  Uniﬁ ed Theme Characters ..............46
  Elements Of The Genre ..................48
  Secret Identities ............................48
  What The Secret Identity Is For .....48
  Costumes ...................................49
  Near-magical Costume Material .........49
  Discovery Of The Secret Identity ...50
  How To Destroy The World .................50
  Nonsensical Villainy .......................50
  Destroying The World ...................50
  Cockroach Durability ....................51
  Day Jobs .......................................52
  Typical Superhero Occupations ..........52
  Job Interference ..........................52
  Far Away Places ............................52
  Magic And Mysticism .....................53
  Super-magic .....................................53
  Secret Societies .............................55
  Super-agencies .............................55
  Chapter Two
  Superhero Character Creation .......56
  Being Superhuman ........................57
  Rating Characters And Characteristics .57
  Superheroic Point Totals ....................57
  Adjusting Normal Characteristic 
  Maxima ....................................58
  Example: The Champions 
  Universe ...................................58
  Champions Universe 
  Characteristic Standards ...................58
  With Great Power ...........................59
  Origin Categories ...........................59
  Born Great ..................................59
  Achieve Greatness .......................60
  Have Greatness Thrust Upon 
  Them .......................................60
  Combinations Of The Three ..........60
  Superhero Motivations ...................60
  More Powerful Than A Locomotive ...62
  General Suggestions ....................62
  Playing The Origin Story ....................62
  Visual And Personal Style .............62
  Suggested Game Elements ............62
  Skills ..........................................63
  Perks ..........................................63
  Disadvantages ............................64
  Superhero Archetypes ...................69
  Brick .............................................69
  Possible Brick Special Effects ............69
  Example Brick Powers .......................69
  Energy Projector ............................71
  Possible Energy Projector Special 
  Effects ..............................................71
  Example Energy Projector Powers ......71
  Gadgeteer .....................................72
  Possible Gadgeteer Special Effects .....72
  Example Gadgeteer Powers ...............72
  Martial Artist ..................................73
  Possible Martial Artist Special Effects .73
  Example Martial Artist Powers ............73
  Mentalist .......................................74
  Possible Mentalist Special Effects ......74
  Example Mentalist Powers .................74
  Metamorph ...................................75
  Possible Metamorph Special Effects ...75
  Example Metamorph Powers .............75
  Mystic ...........................................76
  Possible Mystic Special Effects ..........76
  Example Mystic Powers .....................77
  Patriot ...........................................77
  Example Patriot Powers .....................77
  Power Armor .................................78
  Example Power Armor Powers ...........78
  Speedster .....................................79
  Possible Speedster Special Effects .....79
  Example Speedster Powers ...............79
  Weapon Master .............................80
  Possible Weapon Master Special Effects .72
  Example Weapon Master Powers .......72
  Not Using Archetypes .....................80
  Quick Superhuman Generator .......81
  Superhuman Generator: Types ...........81
  
  Speciﬁ c Subtype Details .................81
  Brick ...........................................82
  Energy Projector ..........................82
  Martial Artist ...............................82
  Mentalist .....................................83
  Metamorph .................................83
  Mystic ........................................83
  Powered Armor ...........................83
  Speedster ...................................84
  Weapon Master ...........................84
  Disadvantages ............................84
  Power Level Adjustment Chart ...........84
  Disadvantages By Power Category .....84
  Disadvantage Sets ............................84
  Adjustments ................................84
  Details Of The Sets ........................85
  Characteristics Sets .....................85
  Primary Powers Sets ...................85
  Random Advantages .........................85
  Random Limitations ..........................88
  Secondary Powers Sets ...............90
  Skills/Perks/Talents Sets ..............91
  Disadvantages Sets .....................93
  Superteams ...................................94
  How Teams Get Together ................94
  Team Member Types ......................94
  Team Personality Types ................94
  Team Member Roles ....................96
  Team Characteristics .....................96
  Team Name ................................96
  Random Superteam Name Generator .97
  Bases .........................................97
  Equipment ..................................97
  Relationship With Authority ...........98
  Government Liaisons .........................98
  Team Charters ............................98
  Tactics ........................................99
  Some Team Tactics ...........................99
  Chapter Three
  Superhero Technology .................100
  Bases And Headquarters .............101
  Purpose ......................................101
  Base Size ....................................102
  Example Garages And Hangars ........102
  Example Labs And Lab Equipment ...102
  Location ......................................103
  Danger Rooms ................................103
  Non-player Characters .................105
  Technology ..................................105
  Things Characters Don’t Have To 
  Pay For ...................................105
  Security Gadgets .............................105
  Sample Bases .............................106
  Urban Base ...............................106
  Underwater Base .......................107
  Space Base ...............................109
  Vehicles .......................................112
  Sample Vehicles ..........................112
  Individual Combat/Rescue 
  Vehicles ..................................112
  Super-vehicle Modiﬁ cation ...............112
  Equipment ...................................115
  Weapons .....................................115
  Defensive Gadgets .......................117
  Communications Devices .............118
  Movement Devices ......................120
  Restraint Devices .........................120
  Deathtraps ..................................121
  Destroying The World For Fun 
  And Proﬁ t: Doomsday Devices ....122
  Chapter Four
  Gamemastering Champions ........124
  Points And Power Levels .............125
  Point Totals ..................................125
  Point Total Options .....................126
  Character Types Guidelines ..............126
  Character Ability Guidelines .............126
  Cosmic-level Powers .......................128
  Point Total Problems ..................128
  Point And Effectiveness Ceilings ...130
  Point Ceilings ............................130
  Effectiveness Ceilings ................131
  Perils And Pitfalls .......................131
  The Rule Of X .................................131
  Other Point Total And Power 
  Level Issues ............................133
  Designing For Power .......................133
  Creating And Running 
  Champions Campaigns ..............136
  Campaign Characteristics .............136
  Morality ....................................136
  Realism ....................................137
  Outlook; Importance Of The PCs .138
  Artfully Dodging ..............................138
  Running The Campaign ................138
  The Limits Of Superhero Genre 
  Simulation ..............................138
  Campaigns As They Age ............142
  Creating And Running Episodes ....144
  Villain .......................................144
  Plot ..........................................144
  Theme ......................................146
  Subplots ...................................146
  Razor Knights Subplots ....................146
  Gaming It Out ............................147
  Combat Record Sheets 
  And Checklists ................................147
  Instant Plot Generator ................149
  Events Of The Story Table ................150
  New And Adjusted Rules ..............153
  Fastball Special Options ..................153
  The Care And Feeding Of 
  Disadvantages ..........................155
  General Guidelines ....................155
  Speciﬁ c Disadvantages ..............155
  Vulnerability Frequencies .................159
  Susceptibility: Proximity Of Substance ..159
  Superhero Environments ..............160
  Example Resisting Objects ...............160
  Stopping Moving Things ...............160
  Breaking Objects .........................160
  Breaking Buildings Table ..................161
  Bouncing .....................................162
  Flexible Surfaces .............................162
  Superhero-world Physics ..............163
  Villains .........................................163
  Levels Of Villains ..........................163
  Villainous Agencies ....................165
  Villains By Level ..............................165
  A Cowardly, Superstitious Lot: 
  Villain Types ..............................166
  Running Supervillains In A Campaign ..168
  Villains And Heroic Psychological 
  Limitations ......................................169
  Non-player Characters  ................170
  NPC Types ...................................170
  Neutral Ground ...............................170
  NPC Roles ...................................175
  Generic NPCs ..............................176
  Final Advice .................................179
  Chapter Five
  The Champions ............................181
  Team Resources ..........................193
  Homestead ..................................193
  Paying For The Team’s Resources ....193
  Champions Personnel ................194
  The V-Jet ....................................194
  Socrates .....................................195
  Relations With Other Organizations ..195
  Enemies .......................................196
  Talisman Plot Seeds ........................211
  Tachyon Plot Seeds .........................209
  Pulsar Plot Seeds ............................207
  Mechanon Plot Seeds ......................206
  Icicle Plot Seeds .............................201
  Green Dragon Plot Seeds ................199
  Devastator Plot Seeds .....................197
  Index ............................................213
  
  5 
  Champions
  T
  hose words opened each of the seventeen 
  Superman short ﬁ lms produced by the anima-
  tion studio of Max and Dave Fleischer in the 
  1940s. Spoken as if by an everyday man glimps-
  ing something astonishing in the air above, they made 
  it clear to the audience that it would soon witness 
  uncommon wonders.
  And it was true. In each entry in that ground-
  breaking cartoon series, audiences witnessed Super-
  man, the ﬁ rst and arguably most popular of all the 
  costumed superhumans, using the powers that were 
  his alien birthright to battle giant robots, natural and 
  unnatural disasters, enemy spies, and supernatural 
  monsters.
  Th ese cartoons were, of course, passive entertain-
  ment — the members of the audience could imagine 
  they were the superhero, accomplishing remarkable 
  feats of strength and daring, but those were solitary 
  imaginings, seldom shared, inevitably forgotten. With 
  roleplaying games such as the HERO System, the audi-
  ence becomes a set of participants, and the superhero 
  up on the big screen is transformed into a more per-
  sonal alter ego, one designed to give the player exactly 
  the experience he previously could only imagine, and 
  to share that experience with others in a collaborative 
  story.
  Champions is a set of rules, guidelines, and advice 
  you can use to run superhero campaigns in the style 
  of your favorite comic books — or, if your tastes lean 
  toward other sources of superhero adventure, of car-
  toons, movies, television shows, radio shows, or movie 
  serials.
  HOW TO USE THIS BOOK
  Champions is designed both for players expe-
  rienced with superhero roleplaying and those who 
  are new to this style and genre of play. Nothing in 
  these pages is secret or for the GM’s eyes only, so 
  every reader can simply choose to read it all the way 
  through and then decide which portions he wants to 
  utilize.
  Chapter One, Truth, Justice, And Th e American 
  Way:  Th e Superhero Genre, describes what superhero 
  comic books, and the campaigns based on them, are 
  like. Players who are familiar with the comic books 
  can skip this chapter initially, if they wish. Th ey 
  already know many of the genre conventions this 
  chapter describes, but they should eventually return to 
  this chapter to read how the game tends to implement 
  those conventions. Players who are not familiar with 
  superhero comic books should deﬁ nitely read Chapter 
  One.
  Chapter Two, Improbable Origins:  Character 
  Creation, talks about using the HERO System rules to 
  build superhero characters. 
  Everyone — players and 
  GMs, those familiar with the comics and those who 
  are not — should read this chapter. Gamemasters may 
  wish to pay special attention to the Quick Superhero 
  Generator, a tool for the rapid generation of super-
  characters in situations where you don’t have time to 
  create a character in the more traditional manner.
  Chapter Th ree, Blasters And Jetpacks:  Superhero 
  Technology, describes gadgets, vehicles, and head-
  quarters as they are used by characters in comic book 
  environments. Players who’d like to ﬁ gure out how 
  to spend some unused Character Points can browse 
  through these pages for ideas; GMs who need a quick 
  selection of devices for the NPCs in an upcoming 
  adventure can use this chapter as a handy reference. 
  When it’s time for characters to begin building their 
  own vehicles and headquarters, they should return 
  here and re-read the sections related to those subjects.
  Chapter Four, ...Comes Great Responsibility:  
  Gamemastering Champions, as is evident from its title, 
  includes advice for GMs of superhero campaigns. But 
  even players with no interest in running a campaign 
  should give this chapter a look, if only to have an idea 
  of what the GM may expect of them and what they 
  should expect of their GM.
  Chapter Five, Th e Champions, provides a few 
  sourcebook-style examples from the Champions Uni-
  verse, the oﬃ  cial Champions campaign setting of Hero 
  Games, to get you started. It includes writeups for a 
  complete superhero team, the Champions, as well 
  as their base, vehicle, and seven of their enemies. Its 
  members can serve as examples of character designs 
  for players who are still new to the rules. In addition, 
  its members might end up as NPCs in your own cam-
  paign, if the GM so wishes.
  All together, these chapters will serve as a handy 
  jumping-oﬀ  point for your own adventures. Th is 
  book, like many Hero Games products, is a toolkit 
  — one addressing a particular genre. Rather than 
  telling you the One True Way of doing something, 
  it typically discusses the options and alternatives (to 
  make you aware of them), and then lets you decide 
  how to implement something in your game or build a 
  particular power.
  As with every other set of rules and recom-
  mendations related to the HERO System, you should 
  always remember two important things:  ﬁ rst, if you’re 
  putting together your own campaign, you should 
  adopt any rules that help you have fun and abandon 
  those that don’t; and second, if you know enough 
  about the game to question something in it, you also 
  probably know enough to change it to your satisfac-
  tion.
  So fetch your impossibly bright, ridiculously 
  bulletproof underwear from the dryer and prepare 
  to have some fun!
  INTRODUCTION
  “Up in the sky — look!”
  
  6 
  HERO SYSTEM 5TH EDITION
  I
  f you’ve played the HERO System, 
  you’re familiar with the notion of 
  character conception — the work 
  you, as a player, do to create a charac-
  ter with a well-deﬁ ned personality, a logi-
  cally consistent set of Skills, and so forth. 
  Th is chapter discusses campaign concep-
  tion, using some of the same methods 
  you’d employ to create a superhero 
  character. It does so by reviewing the 
  superhero genre as a whole, looking at its 
  major periods and subgenres, including 
  their special features, conventions, and 
  “bits,” showcasing the major aspects of 
  each and discussing how to represent or 
  use them in game terms.
  For that reason, this chapter fre-
  quently speaks to the GM, but it’s as 
  of much use for the players. Players, 
  especially those not familiar with comic 
  books, need to understand the nature 
  and features of the superhero genre as 
  much as the GM, so they can design 
  appropriate characters and roleplay them 
  properly. Aft er reading this chapter, you 
  can go on the Chapter Two, Superhero 
  Character Creation, or Chapter Four, 
  Gamemastering Champions, for more 
  information and ideas about your 
  respective role in the gaming group.
  
  7 
  Champions
  A
  s far back as human storytelling can record, 
  there have been stories about superheroes. 
  Naturally, the bards and commentators 
  didn’t always use that word to describe 
  them, but these characters possessed most of the 
  traits of the modern superhero, including:
  ■ Greater-than-human abilities
  ■ Distinctive modes of dress
  ■ Distinctive combat skills
  ■ Champion-to-champion interaction
  As an example, take a look at Heracles (Her-
  cules), the preeminent hero of Greek mythology. 
  As the son of a god, he had superhuman strength. 
  He had a distinctive mode of dress (he wore the 
  skin of the Nemean Lion as his cloak). In a time 
  when the spear and the sword were the preferred 
  weapons of the noble warrior, he carried a big club 
  as his weapon of choice. And his adventures oft en 
  brought him into alliance with or conﬂ ict with 
  the other big-name heroes of his day:   Th eseus, 
  Telamon, Jason, Polydeuces, Castor.
  Where these characters stopped short of being 
  modern superheroes, though, was in their lack of 
  one characteristic:
  ■ Adherence to a higher code
  Heroes of the ages of myth were warriors and 
  representatives of their individual tribes or nations. 
  Th ey killed without mercy, oft en without reﬂ ection. 
  Th ey helped their friends on raids and adventures 
  even when their friends were performing tasks that 
  would, by every modern analysis, be considered 
  pure evil. Th ey respected no laws, and the notion of 
  “rights” was still thousands of years in the future. 
  If brought to the modern era, most of them would 
  be far more comfortable becoming supervillains or 
  vigilantes — though many would be charismatic, 
  popular ones. Comic book superheroes, on the 
  other hand, tend to follow a code of conduct. Th ey 
  act “heroically” — they’re morally upright, coura-
  geous, self-sacriﬁ cing, don’t use lethal force, and so 
  on. Th ere are exceptions, of course, but throughout 
  the history of the genre, most “four-color heroes” 
  (as they’re called) act this way. (See Code Of Th e 
  Hero, page 67.)
  A superhero story, of course, is a story in 
  which one or more superheroes interact with vil-
  lains, other characters, or forces of nature, and the 
  reader’s interest and pleasure derive from watching 
  how these heroes solve problems (oft en through 
  combat or similar adventures involving superhu-
  man powers) and balance their human natures with 
  their superhuman natures. But a superhero cam-
  paign has some additional things to accomplish. 
  Every episode (game session) or two, a superhero 
  campaign should:
  ■ Give every player character a task to accomplish
  ■ Give every player character an opportunity to 
  shine as only he or she can
  Roleplaying games are about wish fulﬁ llment, 
  and superhero campaigns are an ultimate expres-
  sion of wish fulﬁ llment. Players can act as charac-
  ters who are as unlike them as humanly possible. 
  Th e average can become brilliant, the weak can 
  become super-powerful, the insuﬃ  ciently social-
  ized can become incredibly popular.
  But, while it’s easy to design all these traits into 
  a character sheet, this doesn’t do anyone any good 
  unless a campaign is set up to allow a character to 
  showcase those traits. What use is it to have STR 80 
  if there are no gigantic boulders to throw around, 
  or a Flight power if adventure aft er adventure con-
  sists of oﬃ  ce politics taking place in the conﬁ nes of 
  a cramped building?
  So it’s not enough to be able to build a super-
  hero character; a player has to have the opportunity 
  to act like a superhero. And the ﬁ rst thing that 
  allows a super to act like a super is his environment 
  — the campaign world, and the way it works unlike 
  our world.
  Just like a character, a campaign has several 
  types of traits. Th ey include:
  ■ Period (of history)
  ■ Timeline (leading up to the campaign)
  ■ Mood (campaign atmosphere)
  ■ Sources (for superpowers)
  Once you, as a GM, have settled on the broad 
  details of these traits, you can allow your players 
  to begin creating or adapting characters for your 
  campaign.
  WHAT SUPERHERO 
  STORIES ARE ALL 
  ABOUT 
  
  8 
  HERO SYSTEM 5TH EDITION
  T
  raditionally, superhero comic books have 
  been set in recognizable periods of Earth 
  history, and those periods have usually had 
  consistent, recognizable characteristics you 
  can adapt to a HERO System campaign. Th is section 
  reviews each of those periods, including the more 
  unusual features involved and whether to use them.
  Most superhero comic books, and conse-
  quently most campaigns designed to simulate 
  them, are set on Earth sometime between the start 
  of World War II in 1939 and the present day. Th ese 
  campaigns usually draw a considerable amount of 
  inspiration from the real-world events that took 
  place in the appropriate periods. Campaigns set 
  in the 1940s are heavily inﬂ uenced by the events 
  of World War II; campaigns set in the 1960s are 
  inﬂ uenced by the social upheavals of that era; 
  and so on. Following the traditions of the comic 
  books and their fans, Champions divides the stan-
  dard twentieth/twenty-ﬁ rst-century campaign era 
  choices into several distinct periods and discusses 
  the advantages and disadvantages each one oﬀ ers a 
  campaign. But beyond that, other periods — the far 
  future, the distant past — are also appropriate for 
  superhero gaming.
  THE GOLDEN AGE 
  Campaigns set in the so-called Golden Age 
  of Comics — Golden Age Champions campaigns 
  — take place in the period of roughly 1939 to the 
  mid-1950s, and oft en concern themselves with 
  these events, elements, and trends:
  WORLD WAR II
  In the 1920s and 1930s, Fascist organizations 
  — groups devoted to the notion that the nation 
  or race was the only thing that was important 
  — gained power in nations such as Japan, Germany, 
  Italy, and Spain. Eventually the expansionist natures 
  of some of these nations brought them into conﬂ ict 
  with surrounding countries, with war breaking 
  out in Asia in the early 1930s and in Europe in 
  September 1939 when Germany invaded Poland. 
  In December 1941, Japan’s attack on the U.S. naval 
  base at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii brought the United 
  States into the war.
  In superhero campaigns, adventures prior to 
  the advent of the war oft en bring heroes into con-
  ﬂ ict with the superpowered representatives and 
  spies of the Fascist nations and their allies. When 
  war begins, but prior to the U.S. involvement, some 
  supers go overseas to ﬁ ght the aggressor nations; 
  when the U.S. does enter the war, the majority of 
  American supers ﬁ nd a way to contribute to the 
  war eﬀ ort, either by banding together to ﬁ ght the 
  supers and other threats of the Fascist states or by 
  joining the armed forces and becoming part of 
  military-sponsored special superhero units.
  Incorporating World War II Into Your Campaign
  Here’s some advice for GMs who want their 
  campaigns to focus, in whole or in part, on the 
  World War II element:
  Learn Your History. Read up on the historical events 
  and social changes that took place in the real world 
  in the 1930s and 1940s. By studying this period, 
  you’ll be able to present a more compelling, realistic 
  game atmosphere, steeping your characters in the 
  cultural, clothing, music, architectural, and engi-
  neering diﬀ erences between then and now. It’s not 
  inappropriate to put music of the period on your 
  CD or MP3 player during games, to have period 
  movies playing (with the sound turned oﬀ ) on the 
  TV, and so on. A grasp of the history of the time 
  also allows you to set adventures around important 
  or interesting events.
  But Don’t Make Your Players Suffer For Your 
  Research. Th e downside of doing a fair amount of 
  research into a speciﬁ c time period is that you may 
  unintentionally inﬂ ict too much of your research 
  on your players. For instance, it’s enough to tell 
  them, when cars are speeding by on the road out-
  side, about their size and blockiness, their running 
  boards and hood ornaments, the characteristics 
  that diﬀ erentiate them from modern cars, and 
  especially appropriate to have the player characters 
  encounter a car made by a manufacturer no longer 
  in business in the modern era... but it’s going too 
  far to sideline the game with any amount of detail 
  that doesn’t pertain to the adventure at hand.
  Stick to Black-and-White Morality. One of the most 
  signiﬁ cant diﬀ erences between comic books of the 
  1940s and those of today is that there were compar-
  atively few moral dilemmas to confound the heroes. 
  Th e Axis Powers (Germany, Japan, and their allies) 
  were the Bad Guys; the Allies (the United Kingdom, 
  the U.S., and their allies) were the Good Guys; 
  moral quandaries were few. (Real-world historical 
  events where the governments’ choices were highly 
  questionable, such as the interment of innocent 
  Japanese-Americans in camps, were not generally 
  part of the comic book environment.) It was a time 
  of war, so Codes Versus Killing were comparatively 
  rare, even among superheroes (though heroes still 
  only killed in battle; they were never cold-blooded 
  killers).
  PERIOD
  DEFINING COMIC 
  BOOK PERIODS
  Th e periods used in 
  Champions to deﬁ ne 
  diﬀ erent eras of comic 
  book history for gaming 
  — the Golden, Silver, 
  Bronze, and Iron Ages 
  — aren’t necessarily the 
  same as those adopted 
  by comics historians, 
  because (a) the needs 
  of gaming and of comic 
  books aren’t necessarily 
  identical, and (b) not all 
  comics historians share 
  the same opinions on 
  various stages of comics 
  history. For example, 
  some historians dis-
  agree as to exactly when 
  the Silver Age ended, or 
  whether there’s been a 
  Bronze Age and an Iron 
  Age, or if the Silver just 
  segues into the Bronze 
  and we haven’t reached 
  an Iron Age yet. Each 
  serious student and fan 
  of the genre probably 
  has own ideas on the 
  subject. So, if you want 
  to run a campaign set in 
  the late 1970s and call 
  it an Iron Age Cham-
  pions campaign, based 
  on your own opinions 
  about the subject or the 
  nature of the campaign, 
  feel free. Aft er all, even 
  today, in the twenty-ﬁ rst 
  century, some compa-
  nies publish comics that 
  have more of the tone of 
  the Silver Age than the 
  Iron Age.
  Th e use of the terms 
  Golden, Silver, Bronze, 
  and Iron shouldn’t be 
  construed as a comment 
  on the relative quality 
  of comics in the diﬀ er-
  ent periods. Th ey’re just 
  convenient designations, 
  used by long custom. 
  Each period has its 
  gems, and each its trash.
  
  9 
  Champions
  PULP HEROES AND MYSTERY MEN
  Prior to the advent of the superhero in the 
  comic books, his role was largely occupied by the 
  “pulp hero.” Pulp heroes were essentially superhe-
  roes, though most lacked one or more of the traits 
  of superheroes — some wore no costumes, some 
  had no truly superhuman powers. Many were 
  vigilantes operating outside the law, and instead 
  of teaming up with other pulp heroes at their own 
  level of accomplishment, they worked alone or with 
  support teams of somewhat less powerful heroes.
  Th e adventures of the pulp heroes were pub-
  lished in text form from the early part of the twen-
  tieth century up to the late 1940s. (Paper shortages 
  and competition from the comic books, which 
  oﬀ ered the same sort of entertainment but used less 
  paper, eventually killed the hero pulps as a publish-
  ing industry.)
  In the real world, despite the similarities of the 
  characters and their adventures, crossover interac-
  tion between the heroes of the pulp magazines and 
  the superheroes of the comic books was rare, but 
  in later decades, writers and artists who were fond 
  of both sorts of entertainment found ways to bring 
  those two types of characters together; comic books 
  featuring the old pulp heroes were produced, and 
  those heroes began interacting, usually in a 1930s 
  or 1940s setting, with the superheroes of their time 
  period.
  In a Golden Age Champions campaign, some 
  of the player characters could be pulp heroes who 
  have been adventuring for many years before the 
  true advent of the age of superheroes.
  Incorporating Pulp Heroes Into Your Campaign
  Here’s some advice for GMs who want their 
  campaigns to focus, in whole or in part, on the pulp 
  heroes and mystery men element:
  Research Hero Pulps. Th e adventures of pulp heroes 
  such as Doc Savage, the Shadow, and the Spider 
  were extensively reprinted in paperback form start-
  ing in the 1960s and can be found in used book 
  stores. Reading a few of these will give a GM a 
  sense of the lurid and action-ﬁ lled universe where 
  pulp heroes did their crimeﬁ ghting.
  Consider Different Design Rules for Pulp Heroes. 
  Characters who are supposed to be pulp heroes, 
  especially those who have been adventuring for 
  years before the dawn of the superhero ages, should 
  have some disadvantages and some character ben-
  eﬁ ts superheroes don’t have to worry about. For 
  instance, all pulp heroes should take the Normal 
  Characteristic Maxima Disadvantage, but should 
  be able to buy a greater number of career-related 
  Perquisites (Favors and Contacts) and Combat Skill 
  Levels than the new generation of superheroes to 
  begin with — a reﬂ ection of their years of experi-
  ence. You may decide pulp heroes can buy Bases 
  and take the Money Perk while superheroes cannot. 
  All these choices will, in the campaign, demonstrate 
  the diﬀ erences between these two types of charac-
  ters, but will give each special advantages the other 
  does not possess.
  GOLDEN AGE 
  CHAMPIONS 
  CAMPAIGN 
  GUIDELINES AND 
  STANDARDS
  Golden Age Champions 
  campaigns are usually 
  Low-Powered Superhe-
  roic games, with player 
  characters built on 150 
  Base Points + 100 Dis-
  advantage points (some-
  times less). Characters 
  typically have around 
  40-60 Active Points in 
  most powers, CVs of 6-
  10, and SPDs of 3-6.
  EXAMPLE GOLDEN 
  AGE POWERS
  Here are a few powers 
  appropriate for various 
  Golden Age Champions 
  characters:
  Bowl ’Em Over:  A 
  super-strong character 
  can spread his arms, 
  charge into a group of 
  people (like a platoon 
  of Nazi soldiers), and 
  knock them all down. 
  (At the GM’s option, 
  any character with a 
  large, broad Focus, like 
  a shield, could also buy 
  this power.)
  Area Of Eﬀ ect (up to 
  a 6” Radius; +1) for up 
  to 60 STR (60 Active 
  Points); Only Versus 
  Groups Of People 
  (-½), Only With Move 
  Th rough/By (-½). Total 
  cost:  30 points.
  Let’s Get ’Em, Partner!:  
  Th e character ﬁ ghts 
  better in the presence of 
  his sidekick due to their 
  long hours practicing 
  together. (Th e sidekick 
  usually also buys this 
  ability.)
  Aid DEX 3d6, Invisible 
  Power Eﬀ ects (Fully 
  Invisible; +1) (60 Active 
  Points); Self Only (-½), 
  Usable Only Within 5” 
  of Sidekick (-1), Only 
  Increases OCV And 
  DCV (-¼ ). Total cost: 
  22 points.
  Smash The Luftwaffe!:  
  Some ﬂ ying Golden Age 
  characters are particu-
  Continued on next page
  
  10 
  HERO SYSTEM 5TH EDITION
  Playing In A Golden Age 
  Champions Campaign
  If you’re playing in a Golden Age Champions 
  campaign, it’s important to create and play your 
  character so that you help the GM emulate the 
  Golden Age “feel” and themes.
  Keep It Simple. Th e Golden Age was a time when 
  characters did not have tremendously complicated 
  and elaborate arrays of powers, nor did most of 
  them have the level of power enjoyed by some 
  superheroes starting in the 1960s. Th ere is generally 
  no reason to have a Multipower with more than 
  a half-dozen slots, nor to have any Attack Power 
  exceed 60 Active Points (at most) — and most 
  Attack Powers have only one Advantage, if any.
  Even if you choose to play a pulp hero-style 
  character, this guideline still applies. Although 
  pulp heroes are oft en more complex, darker, and 
  “grittier” than Golden Age superheroes, they’re 
  still simple and easily understood compared to 
  more modern characters. Right is still Right, and 
  Wrong is still Wrong, and it’s easy to tell which side 
  of the line pulp heroes fall on — even if, unlike 
  their superpowered colleagues, they tend to do 
  their crimeﬁ ghting with thundering automatics 
  and martial arts powers learned in the mysterious 
  Orient.
  Consider Playing Patriots and Sidekicks. Two types 
  of characters who were tremendously popular 
  in the wartime comic books, but who gradually 
  decreased in numbers in later decades, were the 
  ﬂ ag-wearing super-patriot and the sidekick. By 
  playing one of them, you can not only emphasize 
  the subgenre, but try a type of character you might 
  not otherwise have the opportunity to play.
  Th e ﬂ ag-wearing character, or “patriot,” had a 
  costume incorporating many elements of the ﬂ ag 
  of the character’s nation. Th ere was no standardiza-
  tion to the types of abilities possessed by this sort 
  of character, though most were at best only slightly 
  superhuman (possessing the strength and reﬂ exes 
  of championship athletes rather than the ability to 
  lift  yachts or bounce bullets oﬀ  their skin).
  Sidekicks were the junior partners of more 
  established characters. Th ey were oft en younger 
  than their partners (most were teenagers) and 
  most wore costumes that were variations on their 
  partners’ outﬁ ts. Some even had powers that were 
  less formidable versions of their partners’. At ﬁ rst 
  glance, there seems to be no up-side to playing a 
  sidekick character, since they appear to be in all 
  ways inferior versions of their partners, but this 
  isn’t necessarily the case. Sidekicks were oft en 
  underestimated by the bad guys (a consideration 
  for the GM), giving them more opportunities to 
  escape or move without interference, and there 
  is always the advantage associated with playing a 
  lower-powered character:  they do not have to take, 
  or suﬀ er from, as many Disadvantages.
  Other Golden Age Elements
  World War II, by itself, isn’t all that deﬁ nes 
  the Golden Age period. Some of its other elements 
  include:
  Normals As Opponents
  In the careers of many Golden Age (and 
  early Silver Age) heroes, superpowered criminals 
  — supervillains — were rare, or even nonexis-
  tent, opponents. Th e average foe tended to be a 
  relatively “ordinary” human criminal or soldier. A 
  few of the enemies were as colorful as the heroes 
  — “super”villains with distinctive garb and modus 
  operandi, in other words — but they didn’t usually 
  have superpowers. Th ey might be mad scientists, or 
  have themed weapons and gadgets based around 
  some motif, but that was as far as it went. Some of 
  the superheroes so outmatched their usual enemies 
  that the trick was not in defeating them — it was in 
  ﬁ guring out who to defeat. Rooting out the names 
  and headquarters of a band of masked bank rob-
  bers was the hard part; once that was done, a single 
  blow to each one not smart enough to surrender 
  usually suﬃ  ced to end the crime spree.
  Of course, gaming sometimes diﬀ ers from its 
  source material, and this is a good example of that 
  phenomena. Most Golden Age Champions cam-
  paigns feature plenty of superpowered villains, and 
  there’s no reason yours can’t, too, if you want them.
  Th e Superhero Gap
  In the late 1940s and early ’50s, superhero 
  comics went into decline, with most of the old 
  favorite heroes fading away as their books were 
  cancelled due to poor sales. It wasn’t until the mid-
  50s that superhero comics underwent a resurgence 
  that’s lasted, essentially, to this day. Comics writers 
  of later decades have sometimes tried to explain 
  this dearth of superheroes in continuity terms 
  — for example, by suggesting that most superhe-
  roes were killed in the war (or chose to retire aft er 
  it, wanting to spend time with family and friends).
  Another popular explanation is that the 
  actions of the House Unamerican Activities Com-
  mittee drove them underground. Starting in 1950, 
  Senator Joseph McCarthy initiated a crusade 
  against alleged Communist inﬁ ltrators of the U.S. 
  government and popular media; the activities of 
  himself and HUAC led, over just a few years, to the 
  blacklisting of many prominent citizens, including 
  many notable Hollywood celebrities. In 1954, the 
  broadcast of one of McCarthy’s hearings demon-
  strated the irrational nature of the investigations 
  and public sentiment turned against him; late in 
  the year, he was censured by the Senate, his power 
  eﬀ ectively broken. But during the ﬁ rst half of the 
  1950s, his actions had a chilling eﬀ ect on American 
  freedom, one which deﬁ nitely would aﬀ ect super-
  heroes and their activities by causing them to either 
  (a) maintain a super-patriotic, anti-Communist 
  persona, (b) make their activities as secret as pos-
  sible, (c) oppose McCarthy directly, or (d) some or 
  all of the above.
  However you explain it, you might want to 
  consider working “the superhero gap” into your 
  larly skilled at destroy-
  ing Nazi aircraft .
  HA +8d6, Reduced 
  Endurance (0 END; 
  +½) (60 Active Points); 
  Hand-To-Hand Attack 
  (-½), Only With Move 
  Th rough/By (-½), 
  Requires A KS: Axis 
  Aircraft  Roll (-¼ ). Total 
  cost:  27 points.
  Victory Punch:  Just the 
  thing a character needs 
  to give the Hun the 
  thrashing he deserves.
  HA +6d6 (30 Active 
  Points); Hand-To-Hand 
  Attack (-½), Only Versus 
  Axis Enemies (-½), 1 
  Charge (-2). Total cost:  
  7 points.
  PULP HERO 
  POWERS
  Pulp heroes tend to 
  emphasize Skills, Perks, 
  and Talents instead of 
  Powers. Th ey may have 
  a few weird abilities 
  bought as Powers (not 
  to mention weapons!), 
  but what sets them apart 
  from true superheroes 
  is their training and 
  learning. Here are some 
  sample abilities for pulp 
  heroes in your Golden 
  Age Champions cam-
  paign:
  Animal Empathy:  Th e 
  character has a natural 
  gift  for relating to ani-
  mals; even the ﬁ ercest of 
  them seem to like him 
  and treat him deferen-
  tially
  Animal Handler (all 13 
  categories), PRE +5 roll. 
  Total cost:  24 points.
  Doorsmashing Fists:  Th e 
  character’s enormous 
  ﬁ sts are strong and 
  tough enough to smash 
  down the strongest 
  doors... and men!
  HA +4d6 (20 Active 
  Points); Hand-To-Hand 
  Attack (-½), Increased 
  Endurance Cost (x2 
  END; -½). Total cost:  10 
  points.
  Continued on next page
  Continued from last page
  
  11 
  Champions
  campaign as an element, or accounting for it in the 
  timeline of a campaign set in a later era.
  THE SILVER AGE 
  Beginning in the mid-1950s, and running until 
  about the early 1970s, the Silver Age is an intrigu-
  ing blend of the two periods that bracket it. On the 
  one hand, it retained, especially early on, the relative 
  lightheartedness and simplicity that characterizes 
  the Golden Age; on the other, as time went by, the 
  social issues that help to deﬁ ne the Bronze Age per-
  spective began to inﬂ uence the Silver Age. It’s during 
  this period that some of the best known, and most 
  archetypical, superheroes were ﬁ rst introduced, and 
  when sophisticated writing and plotting began to 
  appear in the “funnybooks.”
  Silver Age Champions campaigns oft en concern 
  themselves with these events, elements, and trends:
  LIGHTHEARTEDNESS
  In this more comfortable time, the creators of 
  comic books steered their stories away from the 
  grimness of war (and the grimness of hard social 
  issues had not yet arisen). Many superhero series 
  became far more whimsical. Genuinely goofy 
  opponents became more frequent. Superpowered 
  pranksters and meddlers were regular opponents. In 
  at least one major superhero’s life, gorillas became 
  a recurrent theme — he had to ﬁ ght intelligent 
  gorillas, bands of escaped gorillas, superpow-
  ered gorillas, and so on. Another hero frequently 
  encountered criminals using giant-sized objects as 
  props/deathtraps (enormous typewriters, pinball 
  machines, and so on). Other types of stories that 
  were common to the era included the eternal eﬀ orts 
  of allied NPCs to discover the superhero’s secret 
  identity.
  Incorporating Lightheartedness Into 
  Your Campaign
  Here’s some advice for GMs who want their 
  campaigns to focus, in whole or in part, on the light-
  heartedness element:
  Capture The Social Tone. It’s appropriate for you 
  to immerse yourself, if only brieﬂ y, in the sort of 
  popular culture entertainments that were dominant 
  at this time, and most appropriate to look at the 
  popular TV shows of the era, for this is the period 
  in which television began its ascendency. Watch-
  ing such series as I Love Lucy, Leave It to Beaver, 
  Th e Milton Berle Show and Your Show of Shows will 
  steep you in the cultural and comic sensibilities of 
  the era.
  Keep The Cast Small And The Focus Local. Most Silver 
  Age superhero stories were actually single-hero or 
  hero-and-sidekick adventures rather than stories 
  involving superteams. Most of them, excepting the 
  most mobile and powerful of superheroes, kept the 
  heroes pretty much conﬁ ned to their home towns. 
  Th ere’s no practical way to simulate the single-hero 
  story in a Champions campaign where you have 
  a cast of several player characters, of course, but 
  you can achieve some of the same feel by keeping 
  superhero NPCs out of the campaign altogether. Oh, 
  certainly, there may be NPC superheroes in other 
  towns and cities, but the PCs should remain very 
  insulated from them, with supers not usually need-
  ing the help of outsiders to solve their problems. 
  Th is has the advantage of demonstrating to the PCs 
  just how exceptional they are; they no longer have 
  to compete, deliberately or accidentally, with equally 
  ﬂ ashy, competent characters ﬁ ghting the same cause.
  Avoid Wrenching The Emotions. Golden Age cam-
  paigns tend to avoid moral dilemmas; lighthearted 
  Silver Age campaigns go that one step better by 
  avoiding any truly painful situation. Th e threat of 
  imminent death, of the ruination of one’s country 
  or loss of one’s family, that are a routine part of 
  the Golden Age campaign are entirely absent here. 
  Concentrate on providing adventures that exercise 
  the player characters’ abilities and powers, oft en in 
  humorous ways.
  Playing Th e Lightheartedness Element
  Here’s some advice for players to help them 
  emulate the lightheartedness of the Silver Age:
  Simplicity, Redux:  Characters in the Silver Age aren’t 
  signiﬁ cantly more complex than their Golden Age 
  counterparts. It’s oft en enough just to have a super-
  power (or two); you don’t have to dress it up with a 
  lot of fancy Power Modiﬁ ers. As time goes on, some 
  characters do become a little more complex, as their 
  histories and backgrounds develop — Batman, for 
  example, steadily increased his arsenal of gadgets 
  — but they’re still pretty straightforward compared 
  to later characters.
  Play It For Laughs:  Since the period is a lighthearted 
  one, play that way. Create characters with some 
  humorous elements to them, and don’t hesitate to 
  get your character involved in situations intended 
  primarily for comedic eﬀ ect.
  THE RED SCARE
  One Silver Age element at odds with the gen-
  eral lightheartedness is the presence of the Com-
  munist menace. During World War II, the large 
  Communist states — the U.S.S.R. and the Red 
  Chinese — were also enemies of the Fascist states. 
  But as soon as the war ended, considerable paranoia 
  sprang up between the Communist and capitalist 
  states. Within a few years, the U.S. was engaged in a 
  ferocious behind-the-scenes struggle, the so-called 
  Cold War, with the Communist states, a struggle 
  that played out mostly in the arena of international 
  politics and espionage until the collapse of the 
  Soviet Union in the early 1990s.
  Th ere isn’t much precedent in the real world’s 
  comic books of the early Silver Age for “Red scare” 
  stories. Comics of the era did sometimes feature 
  Communist enemies, but by and large comic book 
  buyers didn’t want to be confronted with the reali-
  ties of unpleasant international politics. Comics 
  produced later in the period were more likely  to 
  feature Communist enemies or anti-Communist 
  superheroing, though, so it is an appropriate element 
  for Silver Age Champions campaigns to include.
  Continued from last page
  Facial Manipulation:  Th e 
  character has such ﬁ ne 
  control over his facial 
  muscles that he can use 
  them to alter the shape 
  of his face, making him 
  look just like someone 
  else.
  Shape Shift  (Sight, 
  Touch, and Hearing 
  Groups), Imitation (26 
  Active Points); Facial 
  Features And Voice 
  Only (-1), Extra Time 
  (1 Minute to activate; 
  -¾). Total cost:  9 points.
  Genius Insight:  Th e 
  character has a certain 
  gift  of insight he can 
  apply to the problems 
  that confront him. It’s 
  not universally reliable, 
  but it usually seems to 
  come in handy at crucial 
  points during an adven-
  ture.
  +5 with All Noncombat 
  Skills (40 Active Points); 
  Activation Roll 14- 
  (-½), 1 Charge 
  (-2), Only Applies To 
  Knowledge/Wisdom-
  Related Rolls, Not To 
  Physical Actions (-1). 
  Total cost:  9 points.
  Heroic Intimidation:  So 
  steely is the character’s 
  gaze, so intense his 
  demeanor, that his stare 
  can unnerve even the 
  most hardened criminal.
  +4 with Interaction 
  Skills (20 Active Points); 
  Extra Time (Full Phase; 
  -½), Only To Intimidate 
  (-1). Total cost:  8 points.
  SILVER AGE 
  CHAMPIONS CAM-
  PAIGN GUIDELINES 
  AND STANDARDS
  Silver Age Champions 
  campaigns are usually 
  Low-Powered Superhe-
  roic games, with player 
  characters built on 
  150 Base Points + 100 
  Disadvantage points 
  (sometimes 150 Dis-
  advantages, later in the 
  period). Characters typi-
  cally have around 40-60 
  Active Points in most 
  powers, CVs of 6-11, 
  and SPDs of 3-7.
  
  12 
  HERO SYSTEM 5TH EDITION
  Incorporating Th e Red Scare Into 
  Your Campaign
  Here’s some advice for GMs who want their 
  campaigns to focus, in whole or in part, on the 
  Communism element:
  Learn Your History. Th e Cold War actually continued 
  up until the reuniﬁ cation of Germany and division 
  of the U.S.S.R. mere years ago.Th ere is a consider-
  able amount of information on its historical events 
  and social implications available for research pur-
  poses, not to mention plenty of movies and spy 
  novels to inspire plot ideas.
  Scale Character Power Levels To Characters’ Tasks. 
  If you wish to run adventures that are chieﬂ y 
  superhero spy missions, it’s best to put restrictions 
  on the power levels of the player characters — for 
  instance, 40 Active Points per power and a manda-
  tory Normal Characteristic Maxima Disadvantage 
  (possibly as a campaign standard, for no points). 
  On the other hand, if you plan to have the inter-
  national Communist menaces be powerful supers, 
  you’ll want to have player characters built at the 
  same scale.
  Playing Th e Red Scare Element
  You’ll have the most fun in an anti-Commu-
  nist story if you embrace the theme. Regardless of 
  your own personal perspective on the period or its 
  politics, don’t try to impose your views on the set-
  ting. Th e Communists are Evil, and they threaten 
  the world with their God-forsaking philosophy 
  — no true American hero could possibly think 
  otherwise, or fail to take action to stop them! (Th is 
  standard applies, to a greater or lesser degree, to 
  just about any historical Champions campaign 
  — Golden Age Champions superheroes shouldn’t be 
  German apologists, for example.)
  THE SECOND GENERATION
  In the comics of the late ’50s and into the 
  ’60s, many of the heroes of the wartime years were 
  quietly abandoned and replaced by doppelgangers 
  — heroes who had the same names as their prede-
  cessors, and oft en similar powers and costumes, but 
  who had diﬀ erent backgrounds, secret identities, 
  and personal histories.
  One of the major comic book publishers of 
  the era — DC Comics — explained this change 
  through the creation of an alternate Earth. Th e 
  heroes of the earlier generation had gone through 
  their adventures on one world; the heroes of the 
  newer generation were on a parallel Earth where 
  those earlier heroes had never appeared. Eventu-
  ally, by use of dimensional travel, the two groups 
  of heroes met, and so began a tradition of a “cross-
  over” stories in which a menace too great for one 
  set of heroes obligated the two worlds’ worth of 
  supers to pool their abilities once every year or so. 
  Over the years, other alternate dimensions were 
  discovered, each with its own set of superheroes 
  — most of whom had been the heroes of a diﬀ erent 
  publisher’s brand of comics.
  Th e other major comic book publisher of the 
  time — Timely, later known as Marvel Comics — 
  made the changeover a bit more logically. Th e new 
  heroes appeared on the same world as the old, and 
  the previous heroes’ exploits were deﬁ nitely part 
  of the world’s history. But those heroes were aging, 
  retiring, or sometimes inadvertently falling into 
  suspended animation, and new heroes were needed.
  Incorporating Th e Second Generation Into 
  Your Campaign
  Here’s some advice for GMs who want their 
  campaigns to focus, in whole or in part, on the 
  second generation element:
  THE COMICS CODE
  One of the reasons for 
  the lightheartedness 
  of the Silver Age was 
  the imposition of the 
  Comics Code. In 1954, Dr. 
  Frederick Wertham pub-
  lished Seduction Of Th e 
  Innocent, which claimed 
  comic books contrib-
  uted to the delinquency 
  of minors and similar 
  societal ills. In response 
  to the furor (including 
  U.S. Senate hearings) this 
  accusation created, the 
  leading comic book com-
  panies banded together 
  and established a code 
  of self-regulation, the 
  Comics Code. Comics 
  that met the standards of 
  the Code had a special 
  logo on the cover, thus 
  “certifying” them as safe 
  for young readers.
  Th e Comics Code was 
  extensive and detailed. Its 
  major points included:
  ■ Crime shall never be 
  depicted as glamorous or 
  rewarding; it must always 
  be shown as sordid and 
  unpleasant. Criminals 
  could never be sympa-
  thetic, or seen to gain 
  from their actions; they 
  had to always be captured 
  by the heroes or come 
  to a bad end due to their 
  Continued on next page
  
  13 
  Champions
  Fabricate A World History. Perhaps the most impor-
  tant task of the GM in a Second Generation cam-
  paign is setting up a detailed history of the previous 
  generation of superheroes and their adventures. 
  Th is history would have to include names and 
  career information for a number of supers, the vil-
  lains they fought, and the major historical events 
  they inﬂ uenced. Th e GM also has to make it clear 
  that the older generation of heroes, for whatever 
  reason, is no longer up to the challenge of defend-
  ing the world. (Such a campaign does not have 
  to be set in the the Silver Age, of course; this idea 
  lends itself to practically any time period.)
  A good “second generation”-inspired history 
  should include plenty of mysteries and unanswered 
  questions (What happened to all that Nazi gold? 
  Who killed Captain X? Why did the Crystal Duke 
  retire at the height of his career and the peak of his 
  powers?). And you should come up with answers to 
  some of those questions — answers that will serve 
  as the bases for adventures for the new generation 
  of heroes.
  Obviously, to reduce the amount of work the 
  GM has to do, and perhaps to increase the involve-
  ment and enthusiasm of the players, the GM might 
  want to base portions of this history on heroes 
  from published comic books. Players who are 
  familiar with the comics oft en enjoy comparing 
  their characters to the campaign version of char-
  acters from the comics — though it’s important to 
  remember that the PCs, not published supers, are 
  the heroes of this campaign.
  Playing Th e Second Generation Element
  Here’s some advice for players who want to use 
  the “second generation” concept when creating and 
  playing characters:
  Create A Detailed History For Your Character’s 
  Predecessor. Th e GM can’t do all the work himself, 
  aft er all! Since it’s important for you to create a PC 
  you enjoy playing, you need to have some idea of 
  what his predecessor was like, why the changeover 
  occurred, and so forth. By working with the GM 
  to weave your ideas into the overall history he’s 
  establishing, you can ensure that your character 
  has the maximum appeal for both you and your 
  gamemaster.
  Respect Your Elders:  Unless the “ﬁ rst generation” 
  heroes are all dead (and sometimes even then), take 
  advantage of their experience, wisdom, and advice. 
  Th ey learned a lot during their careers, and there’s 
  no sense letting that information go to waste. Just 
  as the GM should bring the ﬁ rst generation into the 
  story occasionally, you shouldn’t hesitate to have 
  your character maintain a relationship with his 
  predecessor and call on him for help from time to 
  time.
  ATOMIC MONSTERS
  In the comics and especially the movies of 
  this era, fear of the atom bomb (acquired by the 
  U.S.S.R. in 1948 and other nations not allied with 
  the U.S. in subsequent years) led to a succession of 
  stories about gigantic monsters created through the 
  misuse of, or accidents involving, radiation (as well 
  as the occasional meteor from space or mad scien-
  tist). Starting at this time and through the decades 
  since, ants, spiders, blobs, praying mantises, lizards, 
  locusts, birds of prey, eyeballs, men, women, Gila 
  monsters, leeches, shrews, crocodiles, invertebrates, 
  rabbits, apes, columns of stone, Tyrannosaurus 
  Rexes, pteranodons, turtles, moths, crustaceans, 
  patches of industrial pollution, robots, and other 
  things have become gigantic and stomped their 
  way across the map, leaving death and ruin in their 
  wake.
  Th e “atomic monsters” element gives super-
  heroes a chance to show oﬀ  their prowess without 
  either the dopiness of the pure lighthearted stories 
  or paranoia of “Red scare” plots. Th e GM could 
  even base a campaign around this element, allow-
  ing him to pit superheroes against a succession of 
  destructive byproducts of the Atomic Age, setting 
  them up as a sanctioned or private super-force 
  dedicated to protecting the world from gigantic 
  creatures of all sorts.
  Incorporating Atomic Monsters Into 
  Your Campaign
  When you use atomic monsters in your cam-
  paign, the design of each monster species should 
  follow this pattern:  the monster is too powerful 
  for the PCs to defeat or even constrain, but it pos-
  sesses weaknesses that, when discovered, allow the 
  heroes to beat it. Th is means that when the heroes 
  ﬁ rst encounter the monster, they may attack it, 
  may even confuse and baﬄ  e it enough to send it 
  somewhere else, but they cannot end the menace 
  it poses; they simply do not have enough power 
  in and of themselves. But during each subsequent 
  encounter with the monster, they learn more about 
  it, until they, perhaps with the cooperation of gov-
  ernment scientists and the Army Corps of Engi-
  neers, can come up with the means to defeat it.
  For instance, perhaps this week’s menace is a 
  horde of giant bees. Each superhero is individually 
  strong enough to defeat one or more of the insects, 
  but there are thousands of the things — their great 
  strength is in their numbers, and the heroes cannot 
  defeat those numbers. But by confronting the bees 
  in ﬁ ght aft er ﬁ ght, protecting the communities in 
  their path, analyzing samples, watching the bee 
  behavior, the heroes discover how to duplicate the 
  chemical pheromones the queen bee uses to control 
  her drones, and that allows them to wrest control of 
  the drones away from her and end the menace.
  On a related note, design each monster so it 
  can leave the heroes behind (for example, by going 
  into deep water, tunneling, teleporting, diving into 
  lava pools, ﬂ ying into space, or the like — going to 
  some place the characters cannot survive or leaving 
  by some means they cannot duplicate). Otherwise, 
  no matter how tedious it makes the adventure or 
  how irrelevant the action is, one or more heroes 
  will stay with the monster at all times, not permit-
  ting you to advance the adventure in a timely fash-
  ion to its next stage.
  Continued from last page
  own wickedness. Good 
  must always triumph 
  over evil.
  ■ No depictions of the 
  details and methods of 
  committing crimes.
  ■ No excessive violence, 
  gore, blood, gruesome-
  ness, luridness, or the like.
  ■ No profanity; and the 
  use of slang is discour-
  aged.
  ■ No suggestive, sala-
  cious, or lewd illustra-
  tions allowed.
  ■ Parents, established 
  authorities, respected 
  institutions, and moral/
  honorable behavior 
  should never be depicted 
  in disrespectful ways.
  Th e result of this self-reg-
  ulation was, in part, the 
  death or diminishment 
  of such then-popular 
  comics genres as horror, 
  romance, and Western. 
  Superhero comics, at the 
  time a small segment of 
  the market, were largely 
  unaﬀ ected and thus soon 
  came to dominate the 
  industry to the virtual 
  exclusion of other types 
  of comics.
  For many years, the 
  Comics Code Authority 
  covered nearly all comics. 
  But by the Bronze and 
  Iron Ages, creators and 
  publishers interested in 
  exploring themes and 
  story types forbidden by 
  the Code began ignoring 
  it — and discovered that 
  they could still survive 
  and thrive in the market-
  place without the Comics 
  Code Authority logo on 
  their books. Today, the 
  Code is oft en ignored 
  altogether, even by the 
  major publishers.
  Gamemasters who want 
  their games to have a 
  Golden or Silver Age 
  “feel” should strive to 
  impose a “Comics Code” 
  style of play in their 
  games, in large part by 
  designing scenarios that 
  never call the tenets of 
  the Code into doubt. 
  Th at’s hard to do, given 
  the more jaded modern-
  day perspective, but well 
  worth the eﬀ ort to obtain 
  the right atmosphere in 
  the game.
  
  14 
  HERO SYSTEM 5TH EDITION
  INNER AND OUTER SPACE
  Th e 1960s were also an era of exploration, 
  during which the Space Race (a competition 
  between the U.S. and the U.S.S.R. to determine 
  which would be preeminent in near space) reached 
  its peak. Television and the movies reﬂ ected this 
  fascination with exploration by sending heroes oﬀ  
  into unknown environments in stories which ran 
  from the sublime to the (more oft en) ridiculous. 
  Star Trek and Lost In Space let their protagonists 
  visit distant worlds; Voyage To Th e Bottom Of Th e 
  Sea explored the depths of the world’s oceans; Th e 
  Time Tunnel sent its heroes cartwheeling into the 
  past and the future; Fantastic Voyage injected min-
  iaturized explorers into the circulatory system of a 
  dying man.
  Exploration, too, was a theme for comic book 
  heroes, as teams of supers not only investigated 
  those dangerous environments but also the depths 
  of the earth and alternate dimensions. At least 
  one entire team, the Challengers of the Unknown, 
  though more costumed human-level heroes than 
  actual superheroes, devoted themselves almost 
  entirely to exploration.
  Incorporating Exploration Into Your Campaign
  Exploration stories require a detailed environ-
  ment to explore. First, of course, you have to decide 
  what it is, exactly, the PCs will explore — outer 
  space? the depths of the earth? the deep ocean? 
  alternate dimensions? diﬀ erent eras of time? — and 
  then begin to populate it with interesting cultures, 
  compelling NPCs, and tasks only the PCs can 
  accomplish (whether they are the primary motiva-
  tors or merely catalysts tends to vary from adven-
  ture to adventure). Th is sort of campaign is deﬁ -
  nitely design-intensive; once the heroes have found 
  a new area, discovered its secrets, and addressed its 
  dangers, they are inclined to head oﬀ  to the next 
  unknown region rather than returning to a more 
  comfortable known location.
  Campaigns where the characters can’t return 
  to their homes tend to be frustrating in the long 
  run for many players. Unless you’re planning to run 
  a limited-length series, you might prefer to stick 
  to campaigns where the characters generally don’t 
  want to go home — maybe their home has been 
  destroyed and they can’t return to it, or perhaps an 
  unfortunate chain of events back home has led to 
  their being suspected of murder and they have to 
  avoid the authorities.
  Playing Th e Exploration Element
  Here’s some advice for players to help their 
  characters ﬁ t into exploration-themed adventures:
  Design Characters Who Need To Travel. Since the 
  campaign revolves around constant travel, it’s 
  imperative that you design into your characters 
  an appropriate motivation that keeps them on the 
  road and away from home. A strong curiosity about 
  the environment being explored is one good moti-
  vation, but not the only one. Others can include a 
  desire to test one’s self with new challenges on a 
  constant basis, a desire to ﬂ ee the complexities of 
  the world, or a need for some sort of knowledge or 
  medical treatment that lies at some unknown point 
  in the distance.
  Design Characters Who Don’t Want To Go Home. 
  Similarly, incorporate into your character’s design 
  a reason why he can’t return home (or at least is 
  reluctant to). Maybe he’s been framed for a crime, 
  had his heart broken, or been mystically barred 
  from returning. Whatever the reason, it should ide-
  ally not only motivate him to travel, but provide 
  other story hooks for the GM to use.
  STRANGE SUPER SOCIETIES
  In the ’60s, it became more common to publish 
  entire series about the homeworlds of some of the 
  more exotic characters who had hitherto simply 
  been powerful strangers from distant realms. 
  Instead of leaving it at that, these new series fol-
  lowed these heroes back home, where many indi-
  viduals like them also adventured. Th ree common 
  environments for this were:
  ■ the Lands of the Gods, where godly and demi-
  godly characters got their start before discovering 
  the pleasures of fast food and television
  ■ the Hidden Lands — strange, forgotten valleys 
  in the Himalayas, sunken realms, lost islands, and 
  other “undiscovered” places where societies of 
  superhumans live
  ■ Alternate Dimensions better known just for 
  spawning ultra-powerful world-conquerors and the 
  occasional conqueror’s relative with a more heroic 
  attitude
  Th is sort of series had a lot in common with 
  the Inner and Outer Space campaign described 
  above, but with a crucial diﬀ erence. Th ough the 
  campaign inevitably presents an environment as 
  detailed and strange as a setting intended chieﬂ y 
  for exploration, mapping the place and assembling 
  data on its creatures and cultures is not the primary 
  goal of the campaign. Here, the heroes live and 
  adventure according to the dominant local cul-
  ture. If it’s a society of showoﬀ  demigods, then the 
  heroes should get into the action, competing with 
  the natives in their endless games, monster hunts, 
  and other struggles. If it’s a dimension where giant 
  stellar ﬂ eets led by superhumans in costumes wage 
  war on one another, the heroes should get involved 
  in the war, either to end it or to win it for their pre-
  ferred side.
  Incorporating Super Societies Into 
  Your Campaign
  Here’s some advice for GMs who want their 
  campaigns to focus, in whole or in part, on the 
  super societies element:
  Decide How Many Heroes Are Natives. Th ere are two 
  basic ways to run a super societies story (or cam-
  paign):  either every PC is a native of this strange 
  environment, or only a few are, with the remainder 
  being “normal” heroes from mainstream Earth. Th e 
  latter sort of story works best as a sequel of sorts 
  to an existing superhero campaign. If one or more 
  characters from that campaign came from an exotic 
  otherworldly setting, once the players in the cam-
  SUPER SOCIETY 
  POWERS
  Here are a few examples 
  of powers residents of 
  a strange super society 
  might possess:
  Energy Cage:  Th e 
  character has energy 
  powers that allow him 
  to place tendrils of 
  energy around a target 
  (usually in the form of 
  a cage, circle, sphere, or 
  the like). If the target 
  moves too much, he hits 
  the energy and takes 
  damage.
  RKA 2d6, Area Of Eﬀ ect 
  (One Hex; +½), Con-
  tinuous (+1), Reduced 
  Endurance (0 END; +½) 
  (90 Active Points); Tar-
  gets Only Take Damage 
  If Th ey Touch Cage Or 
  Move Into/Out Of Th e 
  Aﬀ ected Hex (-½). Total 
  cost:  60 points.
  Living Hair:  Th e char-
  acter’s hair is extremely 
  strong, and can move 
  and lengthen at his com-
  mand.
  Extra Limbs (up to 10) 
  (5 Active Points); Costs 
  Endurance (-½) (total 
  cost:  3 points) and 
  Stretching 3” (15 Active 
  Points); Limited Body 
  Parts (Extra Limbs/hair 
  only; -¼) (total cost:  12 
  points). Total cost:  15 
  points.
  Sense Weakness:  Th e 
  character possesses an 
  innate sense of the ﬂ aws 
  and weaknesses in any 
  physical object, allowing 
  him to target them with 
  ease.
  Find Weakness 14- with 
  all attacks. Total cost:  45 
  points.
  Silhouette Form:  Th e 
  character is a living 
  shadow, though he 
  retains some ability to 
  aﬀ ect physical objects.
  Desolidiﬁ cation 
  (aﬀ ected by light-based 
  attacks), Reduced 
  Endurance (0 END; 
  +½), Persistent (+½) (80 
  Active Points); Always 
  On (-½) (total cost:  53 
  points) and Aﬀ ects 
  Physical World (+2) for 
  Continued on next page
  
  15 
  Champions
  paign need a break from more ordinary superhero 
  versus supervillain action, the GM can contrive to 
  send them to the homeworld of those aliens. Th is 
  might be a limited series, just a multi-part break 
  from the norm, with the heroes intent on accom-
  plishing one mission and then returning home 
  — or it may be the new, regular home for the cam-
  paign (perhaps mutant heroes have found a place 
  where their mutations do not make them feared, so 
  they have decided to stay; perhaps the heroes’ last 
  attempt to save the Earth went badly, and the Earth 
  was destroyed, leaving the heroes nowhere to go 
  but here.)
  Design A Detailed Environment. Th is advice is simi-
  lar to that for the exploration element described 
  earlier, though you will not have to provide details 
  at the rate you would have for an exploration story. 
  Th e PCs either just visit the “new world” for a little 
  while (in which case you don’t need quite as much 
  detail as for an exploration game) or settle there (in 
  which case they’ll learn things at a more relaxed 
  rate, so you can do your creating at a more sedate 
  pace). But it is important that the environment 
  be detailed, majestic, and strange, with overblown 
  architecture, curious environmental special eﬀ ects, 
  ancient unsolved mysteries, unfathomable tech-
  nology or magic, distinctive terminology — any 
  conceivable characteristic that makes it a unique 
  experience for the characters who adventure there.
  Playing Th e Super Societies Element
  Th e best way to participate in a super societ-
  ies story (or campaign) is to “choose your place 
  and play your part.” Are you a native of the super-
  society returning home — and if so, in triumph, in 
  disgrace, or something else? Or are you an outsider 
  (perhaps an “ordinary” human from normal Earth 
  society) — and if so, did you come to the “new 
  world” voluntarily, or were you forced to by some 
  circumstance back home? Answering questions like 
  these helps you determine your character’s role in 
  the story/campaign, his approach to his new situa-
  tion, and his reaction to the events of the game. A 
  character who desperately wants to return home 
  (but can’t) is signiﬁ cantly diﬀ erent from one who 
  doesn’t care about going back to Earth.
  TV SUPERHEROES
  Superheroes — oft en, but not always, comic 
  book characters adapted to a new medium — ﬁ rst 
  began appearing on television during the Silver 
  Age. Even during later “eras,” TV superheroes oft en 
  had more of a Silver Age “feel” than the heroes por-
  trayed in comics at the same time.
  Superheroes as they have appeared on televi-
  sion, both in series and TV movies, are somewhat 
  diﬀ erent than they are in the comic books, and 
  gamers interested in a lower-powered sort of cam-
  paign may embrace those diﬀ erences. Some of the 
  diﬀ erences include:
  Superheroes Are Rare; The “Title Heroes” May Be The 
  Only Ones. Most TV superhero movies and series 
  assume the characters they feature are the only 
  supers there are. (Later team-oriented superhero 
  cartoons sometimes reversed this trend, though.) 
  Some admit to the existence of other superheroes, 
  but other supers are so rare that they seldom if 
  ever meet one another. Supervillains, on the other 
  hand, may appear in every episode, particularly if 
  the heroes have a rotating “rogues’ gallery” of fre-
  quently-recurring villains.
  Superhero Power Levels Are Low Compared To The 
  Comics. A superhero who, in the comics, can lift  a 
  mountain or an aircraft  carrier over his head, when 
  translated to a TV movie or series, will at best be 
  able to lift  a tractor-trailer rig. Instead of think-
  ing of STR values of 60 to 90, think 40 to 50, with 
  Pushing necessary to accomplish the really diﬃ  cult 
  tasks.
  The Campaign Superteam May Consist Of One Super 
  And Several Friends. If the players in your campaign 
  are suﬃ  ciently experienced not to feel unfulﬁ lled 
  by such an arrangement, you might choose to have 
  only one of them be an actual superhero, built on 
  normal Silver Age Champions standards, and have 
  the rest be built on, say, Standard Heroic guidelines 
  (75 Base Points + 75 Disadvantage points) — with 
  nothing that can really be considered a superpower. 
  Th e compensating factor here is that almost all the 
  campaign’s real woes descend on the superhero 
  character, while the other PCs (the super’s friends, 
  allies, and support personnel) seldom ﬁ nd them-
  selves hunted by bad guys, placed into excruciating 
  moral dilemmas, or responsible for the lives of 
  hundreds or thousands of innocents.
  Continued from last page
  30 STR (total cost:  60 
  points). Total cost:  113 
  points.
  Thunderbolt Voice:  
  Th e character’s voice 
  contains tremendous 
  energy, such that even 
  the merest whisper 
  causes terrible damage 
  to the character’s sur-
  roundings (and anyone 
  in them). Th e character 
  should either take an 
  appropriate Physical 
  Limitation to represent 
  his inability to speak 
  safely, or the GM should 
  allow him to apply a 
  modiﬁ ed form of the 
  Always On Limitation to 
  the power.
  Energy Blast 20d6, 
  Explosion (-1 DC/2”; 
  +¾), Personal Immunity 
  (+¼), Reduced Endur-
  ance (0 END; +½) (250 
  Active Points); No 
  Range (-½). Total cost:  
  167 points.
  
  16 
  HERO SYSTEM 5TH EDITION
  The Impossible Dream. A TV superheroes story or 
  campaign may be driven by an unfulﬁ lled quest. It’s 
  very common for a series to have as its basis some 
  desire on the part of one character... and for that 
  desire to be essentially impossible to fulﬁ ll (since 
  fulﬁ lling it would end the series). For instance, the 
  supers might be werewolves or other monsters, all 
  of whom seek a common cure for their condition. 
  Once they’re cured, of course, the series concludes. 
  A super might have only one goal (to ﬁ nd the killer 
  of his sister and avenge her death); when that task 
  is accomplished, he either has to ﬁ nd some other 
  crimeﬁ ghting motivation or the campaign has to 
  retitle itself to something like “Luke Austin, For-
  merly Superpowered Bookseller.”
  Incorporating TV Superhero Th emes Into 
  Your Campaign
  Here’s some advice for GMs who want their 
  campaigns to focus, in whole or in part, on the “TV 
  superheroes” theme/element:
  Set Low Campaign Standards:  Allow players to 
  build characters on fewer points than normal, with 
  lower point/eﬀ ectiveness ceilings (if you choose to 
  impose such ceilings; see page 125) — for example, 
  maybe only 100 Base Points + 100 Disadvantage 
  points, and a 40 Active Point cap. 
  Limit The Numbers Of Supers. As mentioned above, 
  you’ll want to keep the numbers of superheroes 
  worldwide very low. Th e minimum number is one 
  in all the world (one of the player characters). A 
  more likely number is for the player characters, two 
  or three other superheroes, and a like number of 
  supervillains to constitute all the costumed supers 
  known worldwide. Over time, you can gradually 
  introduce more costumed supers, as other supers 
  debut or as their existence is discovered by the 
  world at large, but you’ll want to compensate for 
  this by doing it as the campaign gets rid of other 
  supers on a permanent basis (as they die, lose their 
  powers, retire for good, and so on).
  Keep The PCs Mostly In Civvies. Th e standard TV 
  series superhero approach is to have the player 
  characters do most of their investigating and 
  adventuring in civilian clothes. (Aft er all, super-
  heroing requires the studio to spend more money 
  on costumes, special eﬀ ects, and the like.) Only 
  in rare circumstances — such as a prearranged 
  confrontation with an enemy, or an assault on an 
  enemy headquarters at what is obviously the climax 
  of a story — do the heroes actually put on their 
  costumes.
  Set Up Adventures For Supers And Normals. If you 
  choose to follow the pattern of a campaign with 
  one true superhero and a collection of aides and 
  support personnel, plan adventures around human-
  scale tasks and problems (except for the occasional 
  encounter that really does call for super-powers 
  and super-costumes). Most encounters will involve 
  investigative, conversational, scientiﬁ c, professional, 
  and deductive skills, which heroic normals can 
  possess at the same levels as superheroes, which 
  provides situations for characters of every power 
  level to resolve.
  Playing Th e TV Superheroes Element
  Here’s some advice for players to help them 
  emulate the TV superheroes “feel” and themes:
  Consider Only In Heroic Identity/Focus-Based 
  Powers. Another way to give the campaign the sort 
  of low-powered, mostly-in-blue-jeans approach 
  called for by TV inspirations is for all supers to 
  have the Only In Heroic Identity or Focus Limita-
  tions on most of their powers. Th is keeps them 
  a little more vulnerable and better distinguishes 
  between their adventures in civilian dress and those 
  in costume.
  Emphasize The Corny. Television superheroes oft en 
  seem to emphasize the corny or “cheesy” aspects of 
  superheroes in a form of gentle self-mockery. For 
  example, consider coming up with a distinctive (but 
  somewhat silly) catch-phrase or battle-cry for your 
  character. When you talk with other characters, 
  adopt a “heroically serious” tone.
  THE BRONZE AGE
  By most estimates, the Silver Age ended in the 
  early 1970s. Towards the end of that period, the 
  social and cultural issues so prominent in Ameri-
  can society at the time — including the sexual 
  revolution, the maturing of the civil rights move-
  ment, the Vietnam war, the rise of numerous coun-
  tercultures, and the widening of the generation 
  gap — began to make themselves felt in the stories 
  being told in the comics. Comics writers began 
  thinking about issues they had never considered 
  before, and carrying trends and themes that started 
  in the Silver Age — a focus on character’s private 
  (non-costumed) lives and romantic relationships, 
  for example — to their logical creative conclusions.
  By the early 1970s, this new perspective led to 
  the ushering in of the Bronze Age, which ran until 
  roughly the mid-1980s. In contrast to the comics 
  of the 1950s and early ’60s, this period was increas-
  ingly marked by use of the comics as a means to 
  reﬂ ect the changing times. Superheroes went on 
  cross-country journeys of self-discovery, con-
  fronted racism, suﬀ ered either directly or indirectly 
  the eﬀ ects of drug abuse, and even dealt with issues 
  of mortality. Indeed, it is the death of a popular 
  character — Gwen Stacy, in Amazing Spider-Man 
  #120 — that is generally considered the dividing 
  point between Silver and Bronze.
  Superhero comics also adopted some of the 
  characteristics of television soap operas and other 
  episodic forms of entertainment. Th e characters’ 
  private lives became as important to the stories 
  as their costumed action. Romantic relationships, 
  instead of being tepid things that endured unal-
  tered for years, progressed as they do in real life, 
  sometimes solidifying, sometimes shattering. Char-
  acters acquired long-term enemies who were them-
  selves heroes instead of villains. Supers wrestled 
  with questions of family obligations, faith, ethics, 
  and mortality.
  Many of these characteristics have become so 
  much a part of comic books that they’re now the 
  default approach to superhero storytelling, and 
  EXAMPLE SILVER 
  AGE POWERS
  Here are a few powers 
  appropriate for various 
  Silver Age Champions 
  characters:
  Enchanted Throwing 
  Weapon:  Th e character 
  possesses a magical 
  throwing weapon, such 
  as a hammer or metal 
  disk. When he throws it, 
  it automatically returns 
  to his hand aft er hitting 
  the target, and no one 
  but him can pick it up 
  or wield it. (To simulate 
  this in game terms, the 
  power is bought without 
  the Focus Limitation 
  — thus giving the char-
  acter’s enemies nothing 
  to grab or take away 
  from him.)
  Energy Blast 12d6. Total 
  cost:  60 points.
  Enter The Microverse!:  
  Th e character can make 
  himself so tiny that he 
  ﬁ ts between molecules 
  (or even atoms), and can 
  thus enter the “micro-
  verse.” He enters the 
  micro-verse at a point 
  corresponding to his 
  location in the normal-
  sized world, and exits it 
  at a corresponding point 
  based on his travels 
  while he’s there.
  Extra-Dimensional 
  Movement (any loca-
  tion in the micro-verse). 
  Total cost:  25 points.
  Take That, Ivan!:  Th e 
  character becomes so 
  enraged by the evil of 
  the godless Communists 
  that he can really smash 
  them.
  Double Knockback 
  (+¾) on up to 60 STR 
  (45 Active Points); 
  Increased Endurance 
  Cost (x2 END; -½). 
  Total cost:  30 points.
  
  17 
  Champions
  this book discusses them 
  elsewhere in more detail. 
  It is in combination with 
  the societal turmoil of the 
  1970s (as derived from 
  that of the 1960s) that they 
  form the basis of cam-
  paigns set in the Bronze 
  Age of comics. Because 
  many of these concepts 
  and themes were ﬁ rst 
  articulated, if simply or 
  crudely, in the later Silver 
  Age, some of the elements 
  and advice in this section 
  apply to Silver Age Cham-
  pions campaigns as well 
  (though perhaps not with 
  full force).
  It’s also important 
  to note the inﬂ uence of 
  comics’ maturity as a cre-
  ative art during this period. 
  Starting in the 1970s and 
  continuing to the present day, comic 
  book creators were in the enviable position that 
  new times did not require them to come up with 
  new methods of storytelling or communication. Th e 
  basic tools of comic book expression were in place. 
  Should a comic book provide a lighthearted escape 
  from the grimness of the real world, or an analytical 
  look at that grimness? Either way was acceptable. 
  Should the art be traditional and clean, or more 
  stylistic and individualistic? Take your pick, so long 
  as the result was good. Should the stories conform 
  to the Comics Code, or would it be better to venture 
  into more adult themes and events? Again, there 
  was no right answer, except that what was produced 
  should be interesting.
  Starting in the Bronze Age, the comics increas-
  ingly began to mix genres, cross characters over 
  between settings that would have been considered 
  incompatible, and showcase characters who would 
  not have been considered able to sustain entire 
  comic books in previous years. Th e two major 
  comic book producers allowed some of their char-
  acters to meet (in a curious netherworld where the 
  two universes’ histories were assumed to be one) in 
  adventures that were carefully managed to showcase 
  both sets of heroes equally. Characters from fantasy 
  settings with no connections to the superhero uni-
  verse nevertheless showed up for guest shots. Th e 
  protagonists of horror series increasingly interacted 
  with superheroes.
  Bronze Age Champions campaigns oft en con-
  cern themselves with these events, elements, and 
  trends:
  MUTANT HYSTERIA
  Th e idea for the mutant hysteria story (or cam-
  paign) is simple:  some or all of the PCs (or perhaps 
  some of their close friends) have powers because 
  they are mutants — humans with genetic character-
  istics not possessed by any of their ancestors. Th ese 
  powers make them superhuman or other-than-
  human, and ordinary people fear the mutants. Still, 
  the mutants acknowledge a responsibility to protect 
  ordinary people from the dangers of the world; they 
  must simply do so from a position of secrecy, hiding 
  their strangeness from the world whenever possible, 
  and working against the forces of fear and prejudice 
  that threaten to alienate or destroy them.
  One advantage to the mutant hysteria element, 
  especially if used as the basis for a campaign, is this:  
  the characters, hunted and feared by society at large, 
  have to cooperate and bond with one another. In 
  other words, the GM doesn’t have to do much work 
  to make the PCs form a superteam; mutant teams 
  in such an environment tend to become tightly-knit 
  groups.
  A corresponding disadvantage is that it’s easy 
  for PCs to become overwhelmed by the paranoia 
  that’s a part of such stories. Knowing that the world 
  is out to get them, that no matter how much good 
  they do, most people will still see them as monsters, 
  eats away at the enjoyment experienced by some 
  players. It takes care and forethought to sustain a 
  positive outlook under such circumstances.
  Note that the label of “mutant” serves as a con-
  venient stand-in for any sort of racial or cultural 
  prejudice. You can substitute any sort of distinction 
  that might lead to characters having both powers 
  and subtle (or not-so-subtle) distinctions from the 
  rest of humanity. Th ey could be genetically engi-
  neered, or near-human aliens who have tried to 
  settle peaceably in human communities, or the last 
  survivors of Atlantis, for instance.
  BRONZE AGE 
  CHAMPIONS CAM-
  PAIGN GUIDELINES 
  AND STANDARDS
  Bronze Age Champions 
  campaigns are usually 
  Standard Superheroic 
  games, with player char-
  acters built on 200 Base 
  Points + 150 Disadvan-
  tage points (sometimes 
  fewer Disadvantages, 
  earlier in the period, 
  or in games focused 
  on speciﬁ c trends or 
  themes). Characters 
  typically have around 
  50-75 Active Points in 
  most powers, CVs of 7-
  13, and SPDs of 4-8.
  
  18 
  HERO SYSTEM 5TH EDITION
  Incorporating Mutant Hysteria Into 
  Your Campaign
  Here’s some advice for GMs who want their 
  campaigns to focus, in whole or in part, on the 
  mutant hysteria element:
  Set Appropriate Campaign Guidelines. If the players 
  are to design characters who are mutants — heroes 
  with natural powers, rather than powers derived 
  from Foci or training — they need enough Charac-
  ter Points to build a character whose powers have 
  relatively few Limitations. (Of course, the point 
  total also depends on how powerful you want the 
  heroes to be; characters in some mutant hysteria 
  campaigns may have just one or two powers each.) 
  You should also consider establishing rules that 
  reﬂ ect the characters’ mutant nature — for example, 
  maybe all PCs have to take a Distinctive Features 
  Disadvantage because government agents can 
  detect them with special scanners, or must all have 
  a Vulnerability of some sort.
  Let Character Actions Create A Subculture. From the 
  start of the campaign, it’s helpful to let the players 
  see that their actions are helping create a sort of 
  mutant subculture. Th ey may help another mutant 
  successfully hide in normal human society, and 
  then run into him again and discover he’s surviv-
  ing and adapting well; he may even be able to help 
  them from his position of comparative security. 
  Normal people whom the mutants help may not be 
  able directly to oppose the social or governmental 
  forces that oppress mutants, but can covertly take 
  action on the mutants’ behalf. In short, though the 
  culture in general may be as dangerous to mutants 
  as occupied France was to Allied spies, the charac-
  ters’ own actions should help create the mutant-era 
  equivalent of a French Resistance, which in turn 
  helps the campaign world seem a less dark and for-
  bidding place.
  Consider A Campaign With A Conclusion. If there is 
  some force other than simple human prejudice at 
  work in making mutants a hated segment of soci-
  ety, a story arc or campaign could be designed as a 
  mini-series or maxi-series with a speciﬁ c conclu-
  sion — the defeat and elimination either of the 
  mutants or of the conspiracies that have driven 
  them into hiding. It could be, for instance, that 
  another group of mutants has taken over the gov-
  ernment and is trying to purge all potential rivals, 
  or that when the PCs defeat a suﬃ  ciently awful 
  menace (and do so before the eyes of the world 
  press, with appropriate heroism and self-sacriﬁ ce), 
  they turn public opinion away from the anti-
  mutant forces.
  Playing Th e Mutant Hysteria Element
  Obviously, you’ve got to create a character 
  who’s a mutant. Don’t show up to the game with 
  a character whose powers derive from a suit of 
  powered armor, or who’s a super-mage. Th e name 
  of the game is mutant hysteria, so make sure your 
  character ﬁ ts the bill. Many characters should have 
  a single overarching power — “I can ﬂ y,” “I can 
  become invisible,” “I can shoot energy beams from 
  my eyes” — perhaps with a Multipower or Elemen-
  tal Control to reﬂ ect various applications of that 
  single power.
  Once your mutant is in play, you need to 
  maintain the proper attitude. It’s easy to give in, and 
  return hatred for hatred — but that’s not the way 
  heroes act. A hero needs to rise above that sort of 
  thing and lead by example. Giving in to destruc-
  tive emotions will only give the anti-mutant forces 
  fuel for the ﬁ re of their own hatred, so PCs need to 
  have appropriate Psychological Limitations (such 
  as Code Of Th e Hero, page 67) that allow them to 
  maintain the right frame of mind.
  THE TIMES, THEY ARE ACHANGIN’
  A Bronze Age Champions game can confront 
  social and cultural issues more directly than 
  through the metaphor of mutant hysteria, simply 
  by concentrating on stories involving the troubles 
  and changes experienced by society during this 
  time. Such a campaign would naturally put its char-
  acters through a succession of moral quandaries 
  and other dilemmas. Some examples:
  ■ Superheroes are asked to help with a covert mili-
  tary mission overseas, a mission that might involve 
  killing (regardless of characters’ Codes Versus Kill-
  ing), lying (altering details of the mission’s events 
  and outcome to preserve morale and plausible 
  deniability), and futility (attacking the symptom of 
  an important problem rather than its underlying 
  causes).
  ■ A sidekick, younger sibling, or friend of one of 
  the player characters becomes addicted to drugs. 
  Whether the addict NPC gets cleaned up, persists 
  in his habit, or dies, the amount of drugs on the 
  streets does not change. No matter how many sell-
  ers the heroes bust, there are always more. Even 
  if they damage sites of drug production, there are 
  always more. Th e heroes discover that only fun-
  damental social changes can reduce this problem 
  — despite all their powers, they are helpless.
  ■ Superhumans, unless they are of a particular age 
  or born to the streets themselves, ﬁ nd themselves 
  increasingly out of touch when ﬁ ghting crime, and 
  have to discover some way to get back in tune with 
  things if they are not to become baﬄ  ed dinosaurs 
  spouting cliches while wearing out-of-fashion cos-
  tumes.
  ■ Th e heroes ﬁ nd themselves drawn into some 
  sort of social protest — for example, perhaps they 
  covertly help a group of striking workers to emerge 
  victorious from their confrontation with manage-
  ment, or help keep a civil rights rally safe from 
  those who would cause the activists harm.
  ■ In the post-Watergate era, the PCs ﬁ nd them-
  selves confronting issues of political corruption 
  during their adventures.
  ■ Social advocacy groups — rightly or wrongly 
  — decide the heroes’ team is insuﬃ  ciently racially 
  integrated, discriminates against women, or exerts 
  more force when capturing non-white suspects 
  than white ones. Th e heroes may ﬁ nd themselves 
  the object of public scorn, picket lines, or oppo-
  sition from the government and socially aware 
  EXAMPLE MUTANT 
  POWERS
  In the comics, “mutant 
  powers” can encompass 
  just about anything. 
  Here are a few examples:
  Psychokinetic 
  Paralysis:  Th e charac-
  ter uses his telekinetic 
  powers to hold an oppo-
  nent motionless.
  Entangle 6d6, 6 DEF, 
  Takes No Damage From 
  Attacks (+½) (90 Active 
  Points); Cannot Form 
  Barriers (-¼ ), Suscepti-
  ble (Entangle dissipates 
  instantly if character is 
  Stunned, Knocked Out, 
  or Killed; -½). Total cost:  
  51 points.
  Shadow Invisibility:  Th e 
  character has a short 
  layer of dark fur grow-
  ing from his skin that 
  makes him almost 
  impossible to see in 
  shadow or darkness.
  Invisibility to Sight 
  Group, Reduced Endur-
  ance (0 END; +½ (30 
  Active Points)); Bright 
  Fringe (-¼ ), Requires A 
  Stealth Roll (-½), Only 
  Works In Shadows And 
  Darkness (-½). Total 
  cost:  13 points.
  Uncontrollable Eyebeams:  
  Th e character’s eyes 
  constantly emit beams 
  of powerful energy, 
  making him a danger 
  to everything around 
  him. He can control 
  this power through the 
  use of special high-tech 
  glasses or goggles, but if 
  they’re taken away he’s 
  in trouble. (Th is power 
  requires the GM’s per-
  mission because of the 
  way it partly buys oﬀ  the 
  Always On Limitation.)
  Energy Blast 12d6, 
  Reduced Endurance 
  (0 END; +½), Persis-
  tent (+½) (120 Active 
  Points); Always On (-½) 
  (total cost:  80 points) 
  and buy oﬀ  the Always 
  On eﬀ ect (40 Active 
  Points); OAF (special 
  glasses; -1) (total cost:  
  20 points). Total cost:  
  100 points.
  
  19 
  Champions
  organizations, causing them endless trouble as they 
  perform their crimeﬁ ghting activities.
  ■ Th e heroes, in their private lives, ﬁ nd themselves 
  confronting the consequences of their personal 
  decisions. For example, a hero and heroine living 
  together (but not married) may feel pressure from 
  their families, clergy, and NPC friends to stop 
  “living in sin.”
  Of course, society has corrected few (if any) of 
  these problems in the decades since comic books 
  ﬁ rst began looking at them. Th ey’ve just become 
  such an ingrained part of our awareness that there 
  is less motivation to showcase them in superhero 
  adventures.
  Incorporating Social And Cultural Issues Into 
  Your Campaign
  Here’s some advice for GMs who want their 
  campaigns to focus, in whole or in part, on social 
  and cultural issues:
  Assemble A List Of Issues. You’ll ﬁ nd it helpful to  
  have a list of the social issues you’d like to address 
  in the course of the campaign. Th en, you can pri-
  oritize it into categories of issues; some will be 
  themes that pop up throughout the course of the 
  campaign, some will be the focus of plotlines that 
  dominate the campaign for several episodes in a 
  row, some will be subplots that aﬀ ect, at most, one 
  or two play-sessions.
  Cut Up The Meat. Remember, no one likes to be 
  lectured to. Th e purpose of oﬀ ering up social issues 
  in this sort of campaign is to illuminate rather 
  than irritate. Use the social issues as the genesis of 
  stories, and then remember that the PCs, not the 
  social issues, are the most important element in 
  your campaign.
  Let The PCs Make A Difference. Most of the prob-
  lems campaigns like this focus on are not ones 
  superheroes can simply solve through the ﬂ exing of 
  alien muscles or ﬁ ring of plasma blasts. But if the 
  PCs are not to feel completely useless (and that’s 
  never an appropriate state of aﬀ airs for a Champi-
  ons campaign), they must be able to achieve some 
  successes — such as helping individuals, even when 
  they cannot cure social ills in a comprehensive 
  fashion.
  Playing Th e Social/Cultural Element
  Here’s some advice for players participating in 
  campaigns emphasizing social and cultural themes:
  Showcase Differences Of Opinion And Moral Quan-
  dries. Society as a whole is going through turmoil 
  because there are many wildly diﬀ erent perspec-
  tives on societal problems, the media provides 
  more opportunities than ever before for showcasing 
  those perspectives, and most of those perspectives 
  have at least some merit. Th e PC team should reﬂ ect 
  this in part by having characters whose opinions, 
  and approaches to problem-solving, also diﬀ er. As 
  the PCs learn to work together, the changes within 
  the group will mirror the changes they want to 
  create in society.
  Maintain Some Perspective. Champions is just a 
  game, and should never be something that gets 
  people overly upset about in-game events. Roleplay 
  your character well, but don’t start insulting other 
  PCs, or take oﬀ ense when the presentation or reso-
  lution of an issue doesn’t agree with your personal 
  opinions. A little perspective helps keep the game 
  as entertaining as it’s supposed to be.
  FAD SHOWCASE
  Since the advent of comics, pop culture fads 
  have always made their presence felt in comic 
  books. But in the 1970s, fads tended to deﬁ ne the 
  occasional title. For instance, as the West developed 
  an awareness of and interest in Asian martial arts, 
  entire series debuted dealing with martial arts 
  superheroes. When disco dominated the music air-
  waves, a disco-singing mutant made series appear-
  ances out of proportion to her super-abilities or 
  genuine story value.
  Incorporating Fads Into Your Campaign
  If you want your campaign to focus, in whole 
  or in part, on the “fad” element, try to keep it light. 
  When fads appear in comic books, the fact that 
  they are destined to last only a short time tends not 
  to be evident to the reading audience. But when 
  they’re implemented in roleplaying campaigns, the 
  participants know about their ephemeral natures. 
  For this reason, if you want to run a story, char-
  acter, or entire campaign centered around what is 
  obviously a fad, there’s very little reason to make it 
  a grim, serious one; everyone is going to participate 
  with tongue in cheek. So, regardless of the era in 
  which it takes place — whether the fad is poodle 
  skirts, Hula-Hoops, high camp, bell bottoms, disco, 
  break-dancing, ninjas, in-line skates, or even role-
  playing games — it’s best to play such campaigns 
  for humor value, even if the characters are com-
  pletely straight-faced and unaware of the comic 
  potential of what they’re doing.
  Playing Th e Fad Element
  If you’re playing in a game that uses the fad 
  element, consider picking up that particular ball 
  and running with it. Choose a fad that’s always 
  interested you — perhaps it’s become your own 
  hobby, or maybe it simply appeals to you because of 
  its silliness — and develop a character around that 
  theme. It will certainly set your character apart! 
  Th ousands of gamers have played Champions char-
  acters based around concepts like “super-strength” 
  or “incredibly skilled gadgeteer,” but how many can 
  claim to have played characters with skateboarding 
  powers or abilities derived from Rubik’s Cube?
  REVISIONIST PLAYHOUSE PRESENTS
  As comic book fans from the ’40s and ’50s 
  became comic book creators of the ’60s and ’70s, 
  there was an increased interest in establishing a 
  more credible continuity in the comic book worlds. 
  For instance, if a character had had two mutu-
  ally incompatible origin stories, these continu-
  ity-minded creators released a story explaining 
  the incongruity. If a superhero’s ﬁ rst comic book 
  title was cancelled in 1949, and then had a new 
  ENDURING FADS
  A disclaimer:  Many fads 
  do endure, though usu-
  ally with a reduced audi-
  ence or fan base. Some 
  of the fads mentioned 
  in the text are still with 
  us and will continue to 
  be; they constitute “fads” 
  when they are at the peak 
  of their popularity and 
  attract the attention of 
  the general population, 
  then becomes “hobbies” 
  or “subcultures.” So to 
  describe, say, an inter-
  est in Asian martial arts 
  as a fad is not to insult 
  it, because there was a 
  period of time when it 
  was a fad. Now that most 
  members of the general 
  public have either lost 
  interest or become so 
  familiar with it that it no 
  longer has any curiosity 
  value, it has ceased to be 
  a fad and has become a 
  specialized interest.
  ’Nuﬀ  said.
  EXAMPLE FAD 
  POWERS
  Interested in playing a 
  Bronze Age Champions 
  fad-based superhero? 
  Here are a few ideas for 
  you:
  Get Down Tonight!:  With 
  this power, a disco-
  themed character can 
  project a deafening burst 
  of pure disco music, 
  backed by a blinding 
  disco lightshow.
  Sight and Hearing Group 
  Flash 7d6, Reduced 
  Endurance (0 END; +½). 
  Total cost:  60 points.
  Rocketboard:  A skate-
  boarding-themed charac-
  ter might use this super-
  tech skateboard, which 
  not only travels with 
  microjet-assisted speed, 
  but uses special tires to 
  ride straight up walls! Th e 
  GM may require a PS: 
  Skateboarding roll if the 
  character wants to per-
  form unusual stunts, like 
  wall-riding or jumps.
  Flight 20”, Reduced 
  Endurance (½ END; +¼ 
  ) (50 Active Points); OAF 
  (-1), Only In Contact 
  With A Surface (-¼ ). 
  Total cost:  22 points.
  
  20 
  HERO SYSTEM 5TH EDITION
  one begin in 1961, the creators concocted stories 
  explaining where he was and what he was doing in 
  the dozen years in between.
  As time went on, these revisions became more 
  and more elaborate. Were several characters who 
  had their own individual titles active during World 
  War II? Th e revisionist creators might put them 
  together as a wartime superhero team and describe 
  their exploits during those years. Did a character 
  experience a personality or procedural change in 
  1969? Th e revisionist creators might explain that 
  the original hero with that name had disappeared 
  and been replaced by a lookalike — and now, 
  decades later, the original has returned from sus-
  pended animation to reclaim his name.
  Th ese cleanups and elaborations on longstand-
  ing superhero settings are not precisely the sort of 
  hook a GM should hang a campaign upon, but they 
  might make a good basis for a subplot or story arc 
  — and you can orient any Champions campaign 
  around the sort of tone and attention to detail that 
  sort of continuity requires.
  Incorporating Revisionism Into Your Campaign
  Here’s some advice for GMs who want their 
  campaigns to focus, in whole or in part, on this sort 
  of revisionism:
  Create A World With A Superhero History. Decide 
  when the campaign will be set, then establish that 
  the world has a history of superheroics going back 
  twenty, forty, sixty or more years, whatever you 
  prefer. Th is should be the sort of history one would 
  derive from the superheroes’ own press releases 
  and press conferences — upbeat, conﬁ dent, with 
  historical ﬁ gures’ heroic motivations. However, 
  it shouldn’t be extremely detailed (the characters 
  might know, for instance, that the Crystal Duke 
  helped people escape the famous Boston night-
  club, the Cocoanut Grove, when it burned in 1942, 
  but not what he was doing there, whether he was 
  injured, or the like).
  Create Layers Of Truth, Half-Truth, And Falsehood. 
  Having established the publicly-known history as 
  a skeleton for the campaign background, you can 
  now go in and provide the truth behind all those 
  details, and the truth should oft en be nothing 
  like the events recorded in all the history books. 
  Th en, as the new generation of heroes — the PCs 
  — begin their own adventures, they’ll gradually 
  come across evidence that the shiny, happy world 
  they know is not the truth, and that their lives and 
  happiness rest atop a scabby layer of lies, mysteries, 
  and sorrows.
  Switches and mysteries you can throw at your 
  players include: ﬁ nding out that a character’s par-
  ents aren’t actually his biological parents; or that 
  the mother is, but that the child is the result of an 
  aﬀ air or a tragedy; learning a super-parent had a 
  double life (hero by day, villain by night); discover-
  ing that an ancestor’s death, presumably an acci-
  dent, was actually murder; learning that all the new 
  heroes’ parents, a superteam of a generation ago, 
  were involved in an adventure whose details are so 
  painful or frightening that the few survivors won’t 
  discuss it, and now the consequences of that adven-
  ture are coming back to haunt them; discovering 
  that powers deﬁ ned as magical abilities are actu-
  ally mutations, or vice versa; discovering evidence 
  this reality is nothing but a virtual reality experi-
  ence from another “real world;” discovering that 
  one’s own memories are false, created in a lab and 
  planted in a robot or synthetically-created human; 
  and so forth.
  Note that this sort of campaign is best-suited 
  to players who like to have their emotional chains 
  yanked; if that’s not the most common type of 
  player in your campaign, the Revisionist Playhouse 
  Presents approach is probably not best for your 
  campaign.
  Playing Th e Revisionism Element
  If you’re playing in a campaign with a revision-
  ism element, consider creating a second-generation 
  superhero as your PC (assuming the GM doesn’t 
  require that in the ﬁ rst place). Whatever your 
  character’s special eﬀ ects and powers, he should 
  be a second- or third-generation super, inherit-
  ing powers or heroic motivations from an earlier 
  hero (or even villain). Don’t build too much angst 
  or anguish into the character’s emotional makeup; 
  events of the campaign itself will provide those.
  THE IRON AGE 
  All of this brings up to the modern era of 
  comic books and superhero campaigns — the era, 
  perhaps not coincidentally, in which superhero 
  roleplaying appeared. Because Champions and 
  other superhero roleplaying games ﬁ rst hit the 
  market during the late Bronze Age, and became 
  truly popular during the Iron Age, the Iron Age 
  emphasis on continuity, detailed stories, and com-
  plex characters tends to inﬂ uence the way gamers 
  approach the genre.
  Th e Iron Age, like the Bronze Age before it, 
  continued the themes and trends shown in its 
  immediate predecessor, pushing them further and 
  exploring them in more detail. “Graphic novels” 
  — lengthy, oft en serious, self-contained comics 
  — ﬁ rst made their appearance, usually featuring 
  elaborately-craft ed stories light-years ahead of 
  standard superhero comics in terms of sophistica-
  tion and creativity. Whereas Bronze Age comics 
  sometimes addressed somber social issues, Iron 
  Age comics became really grim, emphasizing soci-
  etal decay, excessive violence, amoral “heroes,” and 
  other trends and themes dismaying to fans of more 
  traditional “four-color” superhero stories.
  But this wasn’t precisely a period of “anything 
  goes.” Instead, the comic book creators were con-
  tinuing a trend begun in earlier decades, one of 
  creating worlds that observed continuity between 
  characters and between titles more carefully than 
  before. Th is trend observed a fairly simple logic:  
  if something bad happened to the Golden Gate 
  Bridge in one character’s comic book, then rami-
  ﬁ cations of that event should aﬀ ect any other title 
  taking place at the same place at approximately the 
  same time. If one series made it clear the U.S. was 
  experiencing a wave of mutant hysteria, then other 
  IRON AGE 
  CHAMPIONS 
  CAMPAIGN 
  GUIDELINES AND 
  STANDARDS
  Iron Age Champions 
  campaigns are usually 
  Standard Superheroic 
  games, with player char-
  acters built on 200 Base 
  Points + 150 Disadvan-
  tage points (sometimes 
  fewer Disadvantages, 
  earlier in the period, 
  or in games focused 
  on speciﬁ c trends or 
  themes). Characters 
  typically have around 
  60-80 Active Points in 
  most powers, CVs of 7-
  13, and SPDs of 4-10.
  DARK CHAMPIONS
  Th e term “dark heroes” 
  used in this section dif-
  fers from Dark Cham-
  pions, the designation 
  used by Hero Games 
  for its modern-day 
  action/adventure genre 
  line. “Dark Champions” 
  comes from the supple-
  ment that originally 
  described this type of 
  gaming, and the name 
  was chosen because the 
  supplement was con-
  ceived of as a source-
  book for Champions, 
  rather than a separate 
  genre book. Th e Dark 
  Champions line does, 
  in fact, cover costumed 
  crimeﬁ ghters such as 
  Marvel’s Punisher or 
  DC Comics’s Vigi-
  lante, and so the name 
  remains an apt one; 
  characters like that don’t 
  receive too much cover-
  age in this book for that 
  reason. Th e Dark Cham-
  pions line also delves 
  into related subjects 
  like espionage games, 
  law enforcement games, 
  technothriller games, 
  and so on. Superhu-
  mans are rare, carefully 
  deﬁ ned, or nonexistent 
  in such games. “Dark 
  heroes,” in contrast, 
  refers more to true 
  superhumans who share 
  some of the outlook and 
  methods of Dark Cham-
  pions vigilantes.
  
  21 
  Champions
  titles 
  — even 
  those that did not 
  deal speciﬁ cally with mutants 
  — would make note of this important change in 
  American society. By the same logic, if one comic 
  book explored the adventures of vampires or vam-
  pire hunters in the publisher’s main universe, then 
  there were vampires and vampire hunters in that 
  universe; they could show up elsewhere. Th e result 
  was a setting that seemed bigger, more complete, 
  more realistic — despite the presence of essentially 
  unrealistic elements such as superheroes.
  Iron Age Champions campaigns oft en concern 
  themselves with these events, elements, and trends:
  DARK HEROES
  Th e modern era of comics featured the rise 
  of truly “dark” heroes — many so dark that even 
  referring to them as “heroes” sometimes becomes 
  problematic. Some are vigilante crimeﬁ ghters who 
  pit intellect, gadgetry, skills, and an all-too-human 
  body against the forces of crime... and, oft en, the 
  law. Others are true superhumans, with the usual 
  array of awesome powers, but whose attitudes and 
  crimeﬁ ghting methods have more in common with 
  costumed vigilantes than purely four-color super-
  heroes.
  Some of the characteristics of these darker 
  comic book stories include:
  Ongoing Conﬂ ict Between The Supers And The Law. 
  Dark superheroes become judges, juries, and some-
  times executioners in their struggle with crime. 
  Even if the campaign is set in an era when super-
  heroes are well-established and generally have 
  good relations with the authorities, the vigilante 
  hero tends to be an exception, someone sought 
  by the law as much as the criminals he hunts.
  Exploration Of The Concept Of “Hero.” Iron Age 
  comics oft en delve into the subject of what 
  constitutes a “hero,” and what it takes to be one 
  and act like one. Th ey oft en do this by showing 
  that just wearing a costume isn’t enough — Iron 
  Age heroes may be rather pathetic, ineﬀ ectual, or 
  mentally disturbed in either of their identities. 
  It’s oft en by rising above those diﬃ  culties, and 
  even by ceasing to hide behind a mask, that 
  they truly become heroic.
  Small, Private, Hidden. Many Iron Age 
  comic books concentrate on a single 
  superhero. Th is isn’t necessarily practical 
  in a roleplaying campaign, but even 
  so, it’s helpful to keep the size of 
  an Iron Age Champions dark 
  hero team low — it’s counter-
  productive to have NPC heroes 
  in the team. All heroes in the team 
  should be good at stealthy skills, and have a 
  number of escape powers or gadgets ready so 
  the law won’t catch them.
  Concentration On Crime And Society’s Ills. Dark 
  hero stories and campaigns oft en take place not in 
  shiny supervillain bases or master villains’ orbiting 
  satellite headquarters, but in the city streets. Th ere 
  may be supervillains, but they’re more likely to be 
  predators or muscle for organized crime, or villain-
  ous agencies more like true organized crime groups 
  or government conspiracies, than they are to be 
  masterminds or world-smashers. Many of these 
  dark stories should involve crime and its eﬀ ects on 
  the community rather than more exotic evils; the 
  whole campaign may have a dark, moody ﬁ lm noir 
  quality to it if the GM and players prefer.
  Potential For Greater Violence And Lethality. Th ough 
  some dark heroes have a Code Versus Killing (page 
  67), at least as many have a more practical outlook 
  on the elimination of crime:  a crimeﬁ ghter with 
  a .44 Magnum is somewhat more eﬀ ective than 
  one without, and a criminal with a .44 Magnum 
  slug in his chest is less likely to harm an innocent 
  bystander. Similarly, superheroes with powers like 
  the ability to turn their hands and ﬁ ngers into 
  razor-sharp blades crop up frequently in the Iron 
  Age, whereas they were virtually unheard of in ear-
  lier periods. If the GM and players like it that way, 
  the campaign can feature hero-villain battles that 
  are far more bloody and permanent than normal 
  Champions campaigns; Iron Age stories oft en 
  explore the theme of violence and its consequences 
  (both for the heroes, and for the NPCs and settings 
  around them).
  Style Over Substance. In Iron Age Champions cam-
  paigns, particularly those with a darker orientation, 
   “FOUR-COLOR” 
  VERSUS “DARK”
  Iron Age Champions 
  games oft en tend to 
  feature characters who 
  are grimmer, grittier, 
  and more “realistic” than 
  the heroes of the earlier 
  periods (particularly 
  Golden and Silver). Th ey 
  are generally referred to 
  as “dark,” even though 
  their costumes can be 
  just as gaudy as earlier 
  heroes’, because of their 
  harsher, more practi-
  cal attitudes. Th is term 
  also stands in contrast 
  to “four-color,” a des-
  ignation oft en applied 
  to Golden and Silver 
  Age heroes and deriv-
  ing from the four 
  colors used to print the 
  comics of those peri-
  ods. A four-color hero 
  typically stands for the 
  “Truth, Justice, and the 
  American Way” sorts of 
  ideals and approaching 
  to superheroing that 
  people so oft en associate 
  with the genre (see Code 
  Of Th e Hero, page 125-
  30), whereas the dark 
  heroes of the Iron Age 
  may scorn such ideals 
  as foolish, and/or adopt 
  more “realistic” methods 
  of crimeﬁ ghting.
  
  22 
  HERO SYSTEM 5TH EDITION
  a character’s style and attitude matter as much as 
  his powers or actions. Costumes become even more 
  revealing and overtly sexy than ever before, with 
  leather, metal, and chrome appearing more and 
  more frequently. Tattoos, piercings, mohawk hair-
  cuts, blades, spikes, and other such “fashion acces-
  sories” also become a part of the superhero ward-
  robe. Even those characters who have truly heroic 
  attitudes tend to hide them behind embittered or 
  callous facades.
  Incorporating Dark Heroes Into Your Campaign
  Here’s some advice for GMs who want their 
  campaigns to focus, in whole or in part, on the 
  “dark heroes” element:
  Consider Human-Level Origin Sources. You might 
  wish to mandate that all characters take the Normal 
  Characteristic Maxima Disadvantage (perhaps for 
  no points). More characters than ordinary may 
  conﬁ ne their powers to martial arts and gadgetry.
  Prepare For Lethality. Given the greater lethality in 
  Iron Age Champions campaigns, you should plan 
  to replace villains and enemies on a fairly frequent 
  basis. In some cases, a villain identity may progress 
  from one NPC to another (as one adopter of the 
  identity dies, another person takes his place), but 
  usually you have to create new villains and intro-
  duce them into the campaign.
  Playing Th e Dark Heroes Element
  Here’s some advice for players to help them 
  emulate the dark heroes “feel” and themes:
  Ask About Codes Versus Killing. Before play begins, 
  ﬁ nd out whether the campaign will be a bloody one 
  or not. If so, it’s best not to design your character 
  with a Code Versus Killing, and to consider taking 
  more Killing Attacks than Normal Damage-based 
  powers.
  Consider Skills As Much As Powers. Even if your 
  character has superpowers, many Iron Age Cham-
  pions supers focus as much on Skills as on Powers. 
  You may want to design your character with this in 
  mind.
  Pay Attention To Your Character’s Appearance. Come 
  up with a costume that ﬁ ts the aesthetic of the era. 
  De-emphasize gaudy colors and capes in favor of 
  darker hues, leather, and bits of metal.
  Think Practical. Consider discarding the usual Silver 
  Age-derived thought patterns about how superhe-
  roes act — abandon the four-color perspective for a 
  darker, grimmer, more practical outlook. Approach 
  crimeﬁ ghting more like a soldier or renegade cop 
  than like a funnybook character.
  REALISTIC SUPERPOWERS
  In past eras, comics creators oft en didn’t worry 
  too much about the “realistic” implications of, or 
  explanations for, superpowers. By the Iron Age, 
  more and more creators had begun to think about, 
  and explore in their stories, what superpowers 
  “would really be like.” Superhero combats became 
  bloody, with lots of collateral damage. If a super-
  hero picked up a building, sewer pipes and gas lines 
  get ripped up, causing ﬂ oods and ﬁ res. When a 
  supervillain is killed, the coroner needs laser scal-
  pels and buzzsaws to cut through his super-dense 
  skin to perform the autopsy. Th e “realism” angle 
  oft en appeals to gamers, since it allows them to 
  make use of their own knowledge of sciences (both 
  hard and social) when discussing or exploring 
  issues related to superhumans.
  Incorporating Realistic Superpowers Into 
  Your Campaign
  Here’s some advice for GMs who want their 
  campaigns to focus, in whole or in part, on the real-
  ism element:
  Consider The Implications. When you design a 
  supervillain, or use him in the game, consider the 
  implications of his actions on the world around 
  him. If he wants to build his secret headquarters 
  on an artiﬁ cial island in the Paciﬁ c, how does he 
  obtain the materials, get them to the construction 
  site, and hide the island from spy satellites? Instead 
  of having super-battles in the city be fairly antisep-
  tic, emphasize the damage done to the scenery and 
  innocent bystanders — perhaps by requiring the 
  heroes to use their powers for ﬁ reﬁ ghting or ambu-
  lance detail aft er the battle’s won.
  Consider The Civilian Point Of View. Some of the best 
  comics of the Iron Age look at superheroing not 
  from the heroes’ perspective, but from the perspec-
  tive of the “ordinary joe” who sees or encounters 
  the superheroes as they ﬁ ght crime and save the 
  world. In some cases, the ordinary joe even gets 
  caught up in their adventures, perhaps to chronicle 
  them or become “sidekick for a day.” Find ways to 
  impress upon the PCs how they (and their actions) 
  appear to average citizens.
  Playing Th e Realism Element
  Here’s some advice for players to help them 
  maintain the feel of “realism” in Iron Age Champi-
  ons stories.
  Consider The Implications. Even more than the GM, 
  the players should consider the implications of 
  their powers and actions — since they are, aft er all, 
  on center stage throughout the campaign. A little 
  time spent during character creation to determine 
  the nature and ramiﬁ cations of a character’s powers 
  is a good start. Th en just keep that information 
  in mind when the characters enter play and ﬁ ght 
  crime.
  Consider Lower Defenses. For games that want 
  to emphasize the violence and bloodiness of 
  many Iron Age comics, having lower than normal 
  amounts of defense (particularly Resistant 
  Defenses) may be appropriate.
  EXAMPLE IRON 
  AGE POWERS
  Here are a few powers 
  appropriate for many 
  Iron Age Champions 
  characters:
  Bikerwear Costume:  Th e 
  character’s costume con-
  sists, in whole or in part, 
  of sturdy leather, bits of 
  metal, spikes, and the like 
  — all cut and shaped for 
  the most ﬂ attering eﬀ ect, 
  of course.
  +2 COM (1 Active 
  Point); OIF (-½) (total 
  cost:  1 point) and Armor 
  (2 PD/2 ED) (6 Active 
  Points); OIF (-½) (total 
  cost:  4 points) and HKA 
  1 point, Continuous (+1), 
  Damage Shield (+½), 
  Reduced Endurance (0 
  END; +½), Persistent 
  (+½) (17 Active Points); 
  OIF (-½), No STR Bonus
  (-½) (total cost:  8 
  points). Total cost:  13 
  points.
  Distracting Costume:  Th e 
  character’s costume is 
  particularly ﬂ attering 
  and revealing, making it 
  harder for his opponents 
  to ﬁ ght eﬀ ectively.
  +20 PRE (20 Active 
  Points); OIF (-½), 
  Only To Make Seduc-
  tive/Friendly Presence 
  Attacks Solely For 
  Purposes Of Causing 
  Target To Delay His 
  Actions In Combat (-1), 
  Only Versus Targets Of 
  Appropriate Gender And 
  Sexual Orientation (-1), 
  Only Works Once Per 
  Target Per Scene
  (-½). Total cost:  4 points.
  Haywire:  Th e character 
  can make computers 
  malfunction just by 
  touching them.
  Drain INT 3d6 (30 
  Active Points); Only On 
  Computers (-1). Total 
  cost:  15 points.
  Razor Fingers:  Th e char-
  acter can transform his 
  ﬁ ngers into razor-sharp 
  blades.
  HKA 1d6 (up to 2d6 
  with STR) (15 Active 
  Points); Only In Heroic 
  Identity (-½). Total cost:  
  10 points.
  
  23 
  Champions
  MORE UNUSUAL PERIODS 
  Th e campaigns described above might all be 
  considered “mainstream” superhero campaigns; 
  they all take place in superhero worlds tied strongly 
  to the history and culture of the real world, with 
  super-events running parallel to largely unchange-
  able real world events. But other types of Champions 
  campaigns — ones venturing further aﬁ eld in theme 
  and setting — are possible.
  Other Historical Periods 
  Th ough many comic book creators and the 
  designers of superhero RPG universes assume cam-
  paigns follow the standard model (superheroes ﬁ rst 
  appearing shortly before World War II and more 
  appearing in the years since so that there are few 
  or no periods where no active supers exist), there’s 
  no regulation saying you have to deﬁ ne your own 
  Champions campaigns that way. If the GM and 
  players are fond of a speciﬁ c historical period, they 
  can create a campaign in which supers ﬁ rst appear 
  during that time.
  VICTORIAN CHAMPIONS
  Th e last quarter of the nineteenth century is a 
  wonderful time to set a superheroes campaign. Th e 
  British Empire was ruled by Queen Victoria, who 
  lent her name to an entire era, and was in the last 
  great period of its expansion. Th e United States was 
  still recovering from the events of the Civil War, the 
  period generally thought of as the Wild West was 
  in full bloom, and American Indians were engaged 
  in a losing ﬁ ght with the forces of the U.S. govern-
  ment. Japan’s isolation had been broken only years 
  before and that nation was still adjusting to greater 
  interaction with the rest of the world. Fictitious 
  characters such as Sherlock Holmes, Professor Chal-
  lenger, Captain Nemo, Phileas Fogg, Dr. Jekyll, the 
  Time Traveler, the Invisible Man, and Bram Stoker’s 
  interpretation of Vladislas Dracula were appearing 
  in print.
  Running A Victorian Champions Campaign
  If you want to run Victorian Champions cam-
  paigns, it pays to learn about the era — history, 
  culture, costume, entertainments. (Th e same can 
  be said, of course, about any other campaign ﬁ rmly 
  grounded in a speciﬁ c historical period.) Since 
  you’re trying to simulate a “dramatic reality,” it also 
  helps to read the works of Doyle, Wells, and Verne, 
  among others.
  Victorian Champions campaigns typically fea-
  ture Low-Powered Superheroic characters — oft en 
  built on as little as 100 Base Points + 100 Disadvan-
  tage points. Characters typically have around 30-40 
  Active Points in most powers, CVs of 5-8, and SPDs 
  of 3-5.
  Playing In A Victorian Champions Campaign
  Keep Anachronisms To A Minimum. Unless the GM 
  is running a lighthearted campaign, anachronistic 
  actions and speech detract from the period ﬂ avor 
  of the campaign rather than add to the humor. Try 
  to create characters who belong to the setting rather 
  than anticipate eras to come. For example, creating a 
  gadgeteer character with “steampunk” technology is 
  probably appropriate; trying to invent the Internet a 
  century early is not.
  If Your Character Has A Superpower, He Should Have 
  Only One. Many Victorian Champions adventurers 
  are like pulp heroes — more-or-less normal folks 
  with the right attitude, skills, and equipment. But 
  some are true superhumans, possessing powers 
  beyond mortal ken; Dr. Jekyll and the Invisible Man 
  both ﬁ t this description. You should keep in mind 
  two things about such superhumans if you want to 
  design a character like that. First, they tend to have 
  just one superpower (or a group of very closely 
  related powers), and oft en that power has severe 
  Limitations or drawbacks. Hawley Griﬃ  n, the Invis-
  ible Man, didn’t have a list of “Invisibility Powers” 
  — he was invisible, and that was all. Furthermore, 
  only his body was invisible; anything he wore or 
  carried remained visible, thus signiﬁ cantly hamper-
  ing him at times. Second, their powers tend to be 
  low-powered — no more than 40 Active Points, as 
  indicated above.
  GREAT WAR CHAMPIONS
  World War I is another intriguing period for 
  superhero emergence. It had many of the charac-
  teristics of World War II, including military clashes 
  between mighty nations (and without the insane 
  racial overtones that led to the Holocaust) and 
  related espionage. It was an era of inventors and 
  inventions, with the emergence of tanks, subma-
  rines, and airplanes as eﬀ ective weapons of war.
  Th e guidelines and advice for Victorian Cham-
  pions, above, apply to Great War Champions cam-
  paigns as well.
  Alternate Histories 
  Earlier, this chapter discussed characteristics 
  of superhero campaigns as they would be if they 
  followed the models shown in major comic books 
  published over the last sixty years. But you can 
  separate historical events from tone and style, and 
  separate the type of campaign from historic period, 
  anyway you want. Such a campaign is entertaining 
  for a GM who likes to put his characters through 
  adventures in a fantastic environment that is cultur-
  ally very unlike our own, and for players who enjoy 
  exploring “what ifs.”
  For instance, instead of having a campaign set 
  in the 1960s work as described above, you could 
  have it be the dawn, rather than the second or third 
  generation, of the age of superheroes. Instead of it 
  being a time of social turbulence, the same events or 
  forces that caused superheroes to appear in the ﬁ rst 
  place could have a major eﬀ ect on society, making it 
  very diﬀ erent from what we experienced in the real 
  world. Th e presence of superheroes could have led 
  to the Vietnam War being avoided completely and 
  could have allowed the cheerful Father Knows Best 
  complacency of the 1950s to continue for decades, 
  leading to a very diﬀ erent sort of 1960s campaign. 
  
  24 
  HERO SYSTEM 5TH EDITION
  Or, a campaign set in the modern world 
  could derive from the assumption that the ﬁ rst 
  superheroes were the heroes of Greek mythology, 
  and that there has been an uninterrupted history 
  of superhero activity since then. By tradition, all 
  superheroes are protectors or champions of speciﬁ c 
  cities, tribes, or races, warriors for their cultural 
  identities rather than defenders of larger concepts 
  of good or evil, and clashes between supers would 
  be as common as conﬂ icts between the cities they 
  represent. Owing to whatever forces cause parallel 
  universes to appear similar to one another more 
  than they logically should, nations with the names 
  of the United States of America, Iraq, and Zimba-
  bwe could have developed, but they would be very 
  diﬀ erent in government and temperament than the 
  nations we know in the real world.
  You should run an alternate history campaign 
  in the same way you’d run the nearest equivalent 
  mainstream Champions campaign. However, you 
  should decide how your variations on historical 
  events aﬀ ect later events to come. For instance, 
  you might decide to run a campaign based on the 
  notion that England won America’s war for inde-
  pendence. So, in the twentieth/twenty-ﬁ rst centu-
  ries, there is no United States. Th e former Colonies 
  would have a diﬀ erent name and be another nation 
  in the still-thriving British Empire. World history 
  would be tremendously diﬀ erent than the history 
  we know, and you’ll have to spend a considerable 
  amount of time and do a considerable amount of 
  work as you decide where history has led up until 
  the point the campaign begins.
  Peculiar Settings 
  Finally, superhero campaigns don’t have to be 
  set within recognized Earth history at all. Some 
  could take place in the far future, in realms of outer 
  space so vast that Earth is an undistinguished 
  player, or in other dimensions where Earth is 
  unknown.
  GALACTIC CHAMPIONS
  Whether it is because the campaign is set in 
  the far future or because the campaign’s heroes 
  have accepted the same responsibility toward galac-
  tic civilization that most player character groups 
  only accept toward the Earth or their own cities, 
  the heroes of a Galactic Champions campaign travel 
  throughout the galaxy, protecting it from dangers.
  Galactic Champions campaigns (sometimes 
  also known as “C3K campaigns,” for Champions 
  3000, since many tend to be set around the year 
  3000 AD) has some of the same strengths as 
  the “Inner and Outer Space” element/campaign 
  described above, in that it allows the GM to impart 
  a sense of wonder by introducing the PCs to all 
  sorts of new worlds and new species. But its pri-
  mary purpose is not exploration — as with most 
  Champions campaigns, a Galactic Champions game 
  is about crimeﬁ ghting, albeit on a much greater 
  scale than normal.
  Running A Galactic Champions Campaign
  Here’s some advice for GMs who want to run 
  Galactic Champions campaigns:
  
  25 
  Champions
  Build The Skeleton For Your Galaxy. Th e task of cre-
  ating an entire galaxy as a campaign setting may 
  seem daunting, but it’s not if you break it down into 
  smaller tasks and accomplish them one at a time. 
  Th e ﬁ rst thing to do is to design a general frame-
  work for galactic civilization; then, as players build 
  their characters and you put them through adven-
  tures, you can begin layering in details. You may 
  want to consult Star Hero, the HERO System genre 
  book for science ﬁ ction gaming, for additional 
  information and advice.
  Th is framework should include these details:
  The nature and size of the galactic “empires.” In 
  this context, “empire” doesn’t necessarily mean 
  something ruled by a despotic emperor, it indicates 
  any large collection of planetary systems belong-
  ing to the same governmental structure. (Do note, 
  however, that when they actually are empires, 
  however wise or cruel their rulers may be, those 
  rulers constitute really interesting NPCs for the 
  player characters to encounter.) It’s helpful to start 
  with a rough political map of the galaxy, drawing 
  in approximate borders for the frontiers of those 
  empires. Th en decide on such matters as what type 
  of government each one has (tyranny? regulated 
  monarchy? democracy? plutocracy?), how they 
  interact with other empires, and whether they are 
  dominated by a single species or bestow equal ben-
  eﬁ ts to citizens of all species.
  The key species. To make each empire more visually 
  distinct, you need to create anywhere from one to 
  three species who are most strongly associated with 
  it. Th ese would be either the most numerous or the 
  most privileged species belonging to that empire, 
  and each should have a distinctive appearance, a 
  distinctive manner of speech, and a distinctive set of 
  special eﬀ ects for its preferred types of technology 
  (i.e., antimatter propulsion versus gravitic propul-
  sion versus ion drives, laser beams versus missiles 
  versus electromagnetic pulse weapons).
  Standard levels of technology. How fast can space-
  craft  go? How much damage can their weapons do 
  and take? How big can they be? You’ll have to settle 
  on the answers to these questions. As a basis for your 
  decisions, remember that the Milky Way galaxy is 
  about a hundred thousand light-years from edge 
  to edge. Assuming you’ve set your campaign in the 
  Milky Way or a comparably-sized galaxy, how long 
  would you like it to take for a standard ship to go 
  from one edge to the other? If you think that should 
  be a lifetime’s trip — say, 100 years — then ships 
  should be equipped with 30 points’ worth of Faster-
  Th an-Light Travel (1,000 Light Years/year). If you’d 
  prefer for characters to move around more briskly, 
  with an edge-to-edge trip taking a year, then allow 
  ships 44 points’ worth (128,000 Light Years/year).
  Mysteries of the galaxy. It’s good to establish, early in 
  the process of constructing the galaxy, some myster-
  ies for the characters to know about (and to establish 
  that they’re of suﬃ  ciently low priority that the PCs 
  don’t immediately head oﬀ  to explore them, leaving 
  your planned adventures far behind). For instance, is 
  there life in the areas where radiation is so high that 
  little exploration has been conducted? Who built all 
  those buildings, which seem to be something like 
  temples but apparently were never occupied, about 
  300,000 years ago at points scattered throughout the 
  galaxy? Why are so many species obviously related to 
  humans — did someone seed the galaxy billions of 
  years ago, and if so, which planet is the origin of the 
  humanoid races? And so on.
  It’s “Superheroes,” Not “Super-Ships”. One important 
  thing to remember is that a campaign like this is 
  still supposed to center around its player characters, 
  so it’s a bad idea to put together tasks that are most 
  readily solved through application of a starship’s 
  weaponry. Design adventures that can only be 
  resolved by individual superpowered heroes.
  Think “Cosmic.” Since the PCs are supposed to be 
  powerful enough to stop galactic threats, take on 
  the biggest starships, and deal with planetary prob-
  lems, they need power — lots of it. Th e campaign 
  standards should be closer to Very High-Powered or 
  Cosmically Powerful superheroes than to standard 
  point totals and guidelines.
  Playing In A Galactic Champions Campaign
  Think “Cosmic,” Too. Th e GM is giving you a lot of 
  points to work with, so use them appropriately! 
  Galactic Champions characters are usually not only 
  powerful, but “self-contained” — they rarely rely 
  on Foci or the like, but instead have innate powers. 
  Mutants, mutates, and naturally-powerful aliens are 
  common; mystics, martial artists, and gadgeteers are 
  not (though many characters have technical skills, 
  since technology is an important part of the cam-
  paign setting). Many, if not all, can ﬂ y and survive 
  unaided in the vacuum of space.
  Stray Far From Home. Many of the PCs in a campaign 
  such as this are aliens (i.e., not Humans), and it is 
  normally permissible to create the sort of character 
  you want and then assume that his unusual traits are 
  characteristic of one particular alien species. (Th e 
  GM, charged with ﬁ lling in the details of an entire 
  galaxy, does not usually mind the players helping out 
  by creating new species, so long as they ﬁ t within the 
  tone of the galaxy.) Remember that your character 
  is probably supposed to be a superhero even within 
  the context of his own species. In other words, if 
  you’ve put together a super-shapechanger with the 
  notion that he comes from a planet of shapechang-
  ers, it’s most appropriate for your character’s level of 
  shapechanging ability to be far superior to that of 
  others of his kind.
  FANTASY CHAMPIONS
  “Fantasy Champions” refers to a sort of mix 
  between Champions and Fantasy Hero — a fantasy-
  style setting in which superhumans/Superheroic-
  level characters exist. Many bodies of mythology 
  that feature an extensive number of demi-gods and 
  heroes descended from gods ﬁ t this description, as 
  do some fantasy settings where magic is so exten-
  sive, powerful, and easily manipulated that virtually 
  anyone can have a few “powers.”
  In a Fantasy Champions game, almost all super-
  powers will derive, to one extent or another, from 
  
  26 
  HERO SYSTEM 5TH EDITION
  magic. “Mutations” will actually result from the 
  experiments of mad wizards or gods, psionic powers 
  will simply be a form of magic rather than a discrete 
  type of ability, and artiﬁ cers and enchanted items 
  replace gadgeteers and gadgets.
  Running or playing in a Fantasy Champions 
  game is not that diﬀ erent from running or playing in 
  a Galactic Champions game. Th e GM has to create a 
  fantasy world setting for the PCs to adventure in (just 
  like he has to create a galaxy for Galactic Champions), 
  and travel and exploration are frequently involved. 
  But instead of thinking “cosmic,” players and GMs 
  should think “wondrous.” Th e emphasis here is not 
  on awesome levels of power (even a Low-Powered 
  Superheroic character is already much more power-
  ful than a typical Fantasy Hero character), but on 
  amazing magical abilities and the wonders found in a 
  world where magic is prevalent. Adventure and epic 
  quests are the themes, and the characters’ actions may 
  very well aﬀ ect the entire world.
  MIXING AND MATCHING 
  Having seen all these diﬀ erent periods and 
  types of campaigns, you can also consider ways to 
  mix and match their elements to please yourself. 
  Th is is actually not a diﬃ  cult process. All you have 
  to do is decide on a set of traits from one period 
  described above and decide how they would be 
  implemented in another period. For example, it’s 
  entirely possible to mix some of the elements of a 
  Silver Age campaign into a Bronze Age Champions 
  game, or vice-versa.
  Let’s say you wanted to run a campaign set in 
  the early years of the twenty-ﬁ rst century, but have 
  that campaign be much more like the comics of 
  the Golden Age. To do this, you’d probably want 
  to establish that the very ﬁ rst superheroes began 
  appearing in the 1990s.
  Since the Golden Age comics were less cynical 
  and more gung-ho than modern comics, you might 
  want to establish that the appearance of these 
  superheroes began to change things in modern 
  world culture. Th e superheroes drew admirers by 
  the thousands, causing the formation of endless 
  numbers of fan clubs, and even a demand for more 
  wholesome entertainments. By possessing enough 
  power and inhuman versatility to pretty much 
  ignore demands by the governments to serve them 
  in covert ways, the superheroes remain free of mor-
  ally ambiguous obligations.
  Th e deﬁ ning characteristic of Golden Age 
  comics was the interaction of superheroes and 
  World War II, and to simulate that atmosphere, the 
  GM will probably want to plunge the Earth into 
  another war. But the problem here is that no nation 
  or group of nations today can really take the part 
  of the Axis powers. It becomes easiest for the GM 
  to have the war be a global defense against invaders 
  from space, invaders with their own super-powered 
  champions.
  And so with a few simple steps — and a little 
  work to implement them — you can successfully 
  mix modern culture and history with Golden Age 
  comic book atmosphere.
  
  27 
  Champions
  T
  imeline refers not to the timeline of world 
  history but to the events, particularly super-
  hero and supervillain events, leading up to 
  the start of the campaign. Having decided on 
  the basic historical period in which to set his cam-
  paign, the GM must come up with timeline details 
  pertaining just to superheroes and supervillains 
  (since the real world doesn’t give us very many of 
  these). For instance:
  ■ What sources do superpowers come from?
  ■ When did supers ﬁ rst appear?
  ■ How many supers are there?
  ■ How have supers aﬀ ected history and society?
  ■ What super-related mysteries are still unsolved?
  SOURCES OF 
  SUPERPOWERS 
  Beginning on page 44, this chapter discusses 
  the most common sources a campaign can use for 
  the origins of its superheroes’ powers. Since those 
  may aﬀ ect the development of the timeline (for 
  example, mutations are rare before the develop-
  ment of atomic power), here’s a list of them:
  Alien Species
  Extradimensional Energies
  Genetic Manipulation
  Magic and Mysticism
  Mutation
  Psionic Powers
  Super-Science
  Supernatural Forces
  Training
  THE APPEARANCE 
  OF SUPERS
  Having determined what sources provide 
  powers to supers in your world, you can now 
  decide when in your setting’s history they ﬁ rst 
  appeared.
  Th e usual choices include:
  ■ Now
  ■ Recently (within the last few years)
  ■ A generation ago, or more
  A related question, if you chose the third 
  option, is this:  has the appearance of new supers 
  been regular since the ﬁ rst ones appeared, or 
  have there been long periods when no new ones 
  debuted? If the latter, why?
  First Supers Appear Now 
  Th is choice means the player characters are 
  among the very ﬁ rst supers to appear in the world. 
  Th e advantage to it is the PCs feel extra-special 
  (and justiﬁ ably so). Th e characters know they’re 
  super, head and shoulders above common human-
  ity. Th eir players know in addition that these char-
  acters are the ﬁ rst of their kind and will probably 
  set the tone for generations to come.
  But there’s a downside, too. Since these supers 
  are the ﬁ rst, there may be no logical reason for 
  them to behave as supers in the comic books do. 
  For every one of the following questions, the GM 
  has to implement an answer if he wants these con-
  ventions to appear in the campaign.
  Why do supers wear costumes? Dressing up in a 
  colorful or revealing outﬁ t to perform one’s aft er-
  hours hobby is just a bit unusual, and you may need 
  to give the players a good reason why their charac-
  ters do it. Here’s one possibility:  a rich philanthro-
  pist (probably an NPC) notices early on that meta-
  humans are appearing and helps organize some of 
  them into a team. But he is, or is aided by, a savvy 
  marketing and publicity expert who immediately 
  comprehends the virtues of instant visual recogni-
  tion by the public. (Alternately, he may recognize 
  that a distinctive costume is something a hero can 
  trademark and exploit through the sales of post-
  ers, action ﬁ gures... and comic books.) It’s worth 
  remembering that in many cases in the comics, 
  members of brand-new super-teams initially wore 
  the same costume design, sometimes with slight 
  variations, before eventually exerting their inde-
  pendence and choosing unique designs.
  Why do supers use code-names? Code-names, in 
  association with costumes, were originally intended 
  chieﬂ y to protect the superhero’s identity, making 
  it more diﬃ  cult for villains, other criminals, and/or 
  the agents of the law to track down the hero and 
  punish him for what they consider misdeeds. For 
  characters to do this in a campaign where there 
  have been no crimeﬁ ghters with concealed identi-
  ties before, it must occur to them very early that 
  this is a concern. If none of the characters ﬁ gures 
  it out before taking to the streets as a crimeﬁ ghter, 
  the GM may need to set up an adventure where 
  the need for identity concealment is pointed out 
  TIMELINE
  
  28 
  HERO SYSTEM 5TH EDITION
  to the characters. For instance, an NPC hero, also 
  a novice, might be tracked down and assassinated 
  in a very public way by organized crime, with the 
  news reports describing how reporters were easily 
  able to ﬁ gure out who the hero was, meaning it was 
  similarly easy for the crime syndicate.
  Why do any of them ﬁ ght crime? Each character 
  needs to have a very personal, very direct reason to 
  pit himself against the forces of crime and chaos, 
  and that reason needs to be reﬂ ected both in his 
  personal history and his Disadvantages. If the GM 
  cannot ﬁ gure out the character’s crimeﬁ ghting 
  motivation from his Disadvantages, he should insist 
  the player add an appropriate Psychological Limita-
  tion or two.
  Why does anyone take them seriously? Th e answer 
  to this question is not “Because they’re superhu-
  manly powerful.” Th e public could recognize that 
  individuals are superhumanly powerful but also 
  believe them to be utterly insane. Why would 
  the public begin to regard supers as a signiﬁ cant 
  or worthwhile component of national or world 
  culture? Th e answer is that even early on in their 
  presence in the campaign world, they begin to 
  make a diﬀ erence, a positive diﬀ erence, in the lives 
  of normal people. Th ough the GM doesn’t have 
  to make the sudden presence of superheroes turn 
  the world into a nice place to live, free of injustice, 
  crime, and bad thoughts, the PCs should have some 
  durable victories that establish their worth. On 
  a small scale, heroes might turn a crime-ridden 
  section of the campaign city into a neighborhood 
  where people can actually walk at night, and/or 
  inspire a fan club whose members, in emulating 
  the heroes’ training, stay free of criminal activities. 
  On a more global scale, the heroes could save the 
  world, on one occasion at least, and be remembered 
  for that success.
  For some of these questions, it may be enough 
  to establish that this world, like ours, has had its 
  own superhero comic books (just not any true 
  superhumans) for many years, so that when people 
  with similar abilities actually began appearing, their 
  natural inclination was to behave like those char-
  acters do.
  First Heroes 
  Appeared Recently 
  Th is option is somewhat easier on a GM than 
  the “First Heroes Appear Now” choice. It allows the 
  GM to establish that the presence of superheroes 
  on his world have begun to have an eﬀ ect and have 
  begun to take on deﬁ nite trends, which means 
  the PCs don’t have to establish every detail of the 
  interaction between superheroes and the rest of 
  the world. Nevertheless, the GM may still need to 
  provide some justiﬁ cation for the habits described 
  above.
  For example, if supers have been around for a 
  few years, they can have already established the pat-
  tern of wearing costumes/using code-names. Th ey 
  might have set up a pattern of the way they deal 
  with supervillains — whether most villains tend to 
  die in combat with the heroes or be captured and 
  sent to prison, for instance. Laws trying to curb the 
  activities of superheroes might have been enacted 
  but would probably not yet be enforceable, and the 
  public’s interest in, and even adulation of, super-
  heroes might not yet have been tarnished by the 
  occasional bad apple.
  First Heroes Appeared 
  Some Time Ago 
  With this approach, superheroes began 
  appearing on the campaign world a generation or 
  more ago, and society has had a reasonable amount 
  of time to adapt to their presence. Th is oﬀ ers the 
  GM the advantage that it allows him to design a 
  world that follows the models of the universes of 
  the major comic book publishers, but oﬀ ers the 
  disadvantage that the GM has more work to do 
  — establishing the history of superheroing and 
  supervillainy in his world and its resulting eﬀ ects 
  on society, technology, and so on.
  Where Superhumans Appear
  In addition to when superhumans appear, the 
  GM should give some thought to the issue of where 
  they appear. Are they evenly distributed throughout 
  the setting’s population, or do they tend to arise 
  more in some places than in others? In campaigns 
  designed to be similar to those of the major comic 
  book companies, superhumans seem to be more 
  common, and more active, in the more advanced 
  nations and regions of Earth, such as the United 
  States, Canada, and Europe, and less common else-
  where. If the GM wants to mirror this situation, he 
  should give some though to why this state of aﬀ airs 
  exists; the answers may have intriguing implica-
  tions for the campaign.
  Similarly, the GM may want to explain why 
  superhumans are especially common in areas 
  where they’d otherwise be rare. For example, per-
  haps superhumans are uncommon throughout 
  Africa as a whole, but arise with unusual frequency 
  in the nation of Malawi — because, decades ago, a 
  bizarre alien starship crashed there, and the strange 
  radiations it gives oﬀ  have led to the creation of 
  superhumans of various sorts.
  NUMBER OF 
  SUPERHUMANS 
  Th e GM must decide approximately how many 
  supers there are (known and unknown), whether 
  the proportion of supers to the general population 
  is on the rise, stable, or declining, and so on. Th e 
  GM should decide how many costumed supers he 
  thinks are active worldwide, and then try to ﬁ gure 
  out what this means on a “per capita” basis. Con-
  sider the following questions:
  Out of every million people on the Earth:
  
  29 
  Champions
  How many are superhuman in some sense?
  ■ Of those, how many act as costumed supers?
  ■ Of those, what’s the proportion of heroes to 
  villains?
  What other factors affect superhuman demographics?
  Do the numbers derived above include alien visitors?
  Does the number of costumed supers derived above 
  include highly-trained normals, and normals using 
  super-technology, who ﬁ ght crime as superheroes 
  but are not truly superhuman?
  Is the population of superhumans increasing, remain-
  ing stable, or declining?
  ■ Why?
  ■ Has this trend been the same in earlier time 
  periods?
  ■ If not, what has it been, and why?
  Example:  Darren wants to create a campaign 
  with comparatively few costumed supers in 
  the world — approximately 20 superheroes, 
  approximately 30 supervillains, for a total 
  of 50. Th is world uses only a few sources for 
  superpowers (mostly Genetic Alteration) and 
  this keeps the number of “unknown supers” 
  relatively low, so Darren establishes that for 
  every one costumed superhero, there are no 
  more than nine potential supers, for a total 
  world population of about 500 superhumans 
  of any sort. Th ere may be some additional “cos-
  tumed heroes” who aren’t superhuman; those 
  aren’t included in these numbers.
  Example:  Jason wants to create a campaign 
  with a lot of costumed supers in the world — a 
  total of about 6,000, split evenly between heroes 
  and villains.
  Th at’s about 1/1,000,000th of the total world 
  population, but that’s only the most noticeable 
  portion of the superhuman population. Jason 
  decides that for every costumed super, there are 
  probably 1,000 people who are superhuman in 
  some way — though those superhuman traits 
  oft en aren’t powerful enough to let the super be 
  competitive in the “big leagues,” the costumed-
  super world arena.
  So Jason knows that approximately one person 
  in 1,000 worldwide is superhuman in some 
  sense, but the vast majority of such people do 
  not become costumed supers — either out of 
  disinterest (because they never realize they’re 
  superpowered), because they choose to proﬁ t 
  from their powers (legally or illegally) without 
  acting as a costumed super, or for other rea-
  sons. Of those who are super in some sense, one 
  in 1,000 becomes a costumed super.
  Jason further decides that for every 10 true 
  superhumans, there is another individual who, 
  though not superpowered, uses advanced train-
  ing or technology to “run with the supers.” Th at 
  adds up to another 600 costumed “supers” in 
  his campaign setting.
  SUPERS AND SOCIETY 
  Having established when, in world history, 
  superheroes and supervillains ﬁ rst began to appear, 
  the GM can also establish their eﬀ ects on history, 
  culture, and society from that point until now. (Of 
  course, if heroes have only just begun to appear, the 
  GM can skip most of this step.)
  Historical Events 
  Th e presence of supers would have to have 
  some eﬀ ect on historical events, but it will vary 
  according to their numbers, the point in time when 
  they appear, whether they were evenly matched 
  against opposing supers, where they appeared in 
  the greatest numbers, and other factors.
  For example, if powerful supers began to 
  appear in profusion just before the onset of World 
  War II, it makes sense that they would have a dra-
  matic eﬀ ect on the outcome of the war. Looking 
  at it logically, if most of the world’s superheroes 
  appeared in one of the Allied nations, World War 
  II might not have happened. Would Nazi Germany 
  have invaded Poland in 1939, precipitating the war, 
  if Hitler and his High Command had known that 
  a handful of costumed individuals could kick his 
  planes, tanks, and infantry right back across the 
  border without raising a sweat? Probably not. But 
  what if the distribution of supers was more even 
  than that — what if there were as many supers in 
  the Axis nations as in the Allied nations? Th e war 
  might have taken place just as in our history, with 
  there being an additional “superhero theater of 
  war.”
  So, what the GM needs to do is decide what 
  eﬀ ects he wants the presence of supers to have had 
  on world history, and establish those details. It’s 
  easy, when setting up the details of supers’ inﬂ u-
  ence on history, to make that inﬂ uence too great 
  or too little. In the World War II example above, 
  having the presence of supers prevent the war is 
  “too great.” Eliminating World War II from history 
  removes events that shape and deﬁ ne the world for 
  generations to come, thus eliminating an important 
  “touchstone” that helps the players understand and 
  react to the campaign setting. It also forces the GM 
  either to learn enough about pre-war world poli-
  tics and sociology to construct a plausible detailed 
  history in the absence of that war or to fabricate a 
  history of the second half of the twentieth century 
  that lacks detail and verisimilitude. But having Axis 
  and Allied supers cancel one another out is “too 
  little.” Th eir presence means nothing. Th ey may 
  have adventures, but their net eﬀ ect on the world 
  is nil.
  Th e trick is to ﬁ nd speciﬁ c places in history 
  where the presence of supers makes a signiﬁ cant 
  diﬀ erence, while allowing the general ﬂ ow of his-
  tory to remain the same. Here are some examples:
  In the real world, the Paciﬁ c theater portion 
  of the Second World War ended aft er the United 
  States dropped atomic bombs on the Japanese 
  cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. In a comic book 
  
  30 
  HERO SYSTEM 5TH EDITION
  world, plans for employment of those bombs could 
  have been made, but President Harry Truman 
  could have listened to an impassioned speech by 
  the leader of America’s wartime superheroes and 
  allowed those supers to spearhead a conventional 
  invasion of Japan. Th e net result might have been 
  the conquest of Japan with the loss of very little 
  human life — though possibly with the loss of 
  many of those war-weary U.S. heroes — leading 
  to a post-war Japan with someone diﬀ erent cul-
  tural traits (for instance, a lack of cultural dread 
  regarding atomic weapons). Another, slight, diﬀ er-
  ence might be that there was no glut of radiation-
  spawned monsters in the campaign world during 
  the 1950s.
  In the real world, Communist forces led by 
  Mao Tse-tung took control of China in the 1949. 
  Representatives of the former government, the 
  Kuomintang, ﬂ ed to the island of Taiwan and 
  established themselves there. Since then, the exis-
  tence of Taiwan has been a precarious one as the 
  People’s Republic of China has maneuvered to 
  return that island to PRC control. In a comic book 
  world, the forces of the Kuomintang might never 
  have established a toehold there; instead, a collec-
  tion of Chinese supervillains, taking advantage of 
  the area’s political chaos at that time, seized control 
  of Taiwan. Today, Taiwan might be a rogue nation 
  ruled by supervillains, a no-man’s-land where per-
  sonal power and wealth stand in for law, a place too 
  strongly defended for any one nation to overcome. 
  Its presence still destabilizes the area, but in a very 
  diﬀ erent way from the real-world Taiwan’s does.
  In the real world, man ﬁ rst walked on the 
  Moon in 1969, and has yet to establish a viable 
  moonbase or large-scale orbital colony. In a comic 
  book world, a rogue scientist could have built a 
  device to take him to the Moon in 1957 (which is, 
  of course, where he obtained his super-powers), and 
  spent subsequent years assisting the space program, 
  so that now, decades later, there are viable colonies 
  in space and on the lunar and Martian surfaces. 
  Th e net change to the lives of the average citizen 
  on Earth is very slight, but the change to history is 
  signiﬁ cant.
  Obviously, the earlier in history supers ﬁ rst 
  appear, the more changes the GM can make to his-
  tory. If the GM has no real interest in history, espe-
  cially that of the twentieth century, he might want 
  to establish the ﬁ rst appearance of supers as having 
  been relatively recent.
  Culture 
  Th e presence of superhumans must inevitably 
  make the campaign world diﬀ erent from our own in 
  both obvious and subtle ways. Here are some topics 
  the GM should consider within his campaign:
  Supers’ Cultural Status. Just how does the general 
  public regard superheroes and supervillains? Some 
  options include:
  Celebrity:  Superhhumas are the equivalent of 
  Hollywood celebrities (supers’ social activities, 
  romantic aﬀ airs, petty feuds, hairstyle and cos-
  tume changes, and more are as avidly followed as 
  their crimeﬁ ghting/criminal activities; fan clubs, 
  web sites, and Internet newsgroups are devoted 
  to them)
  Lurid Fascination:  Th e public views superhumans 
  as it once did 1930s gangsters (the public fol-
  lows their activities with a mix of admiration for 
  rebellion and horriﬁ ed fascination)
  Condescencion/Intolerance:  Th e public reacts to 
  superhero activities with a mix of appreciation, 
  condescension, and rolling-eyes intolerance
  Hatred/Fear:  Superhumans are regarded more 
  or less the same as serial killers (wanted post-
  ers appear everywhere, police forces pool their 
  resources to capture these ﬁ ends)
  Entertainment. Are there songs about superheroes? 
  TV shows? Movies? If there are superheroes in real 
  life, are there still superhero comic books? If so, do 
  most deal with ﬁ ctitious heroes, or are most of them 
  licensed titles ﬁ ctionalizing real heroes’ exploits? If 
  there aren’t superhero comics, what are the most 
  prevalent forms of comics?
  Inspiration. Does the presence of superheroes 
  inspire the common citizen to better himself and 
  the world, or does the obvious superiority of the 
  superhero dispirit the common man, increasing the 
  prevalence of sloth, economic recession, and clini-
  cal depression? If the supers realize the latter situa-
  tion is the case, what might they do to counter this 
  dangerous state of aﬀ airs?
  HISTORY AND 
  THE PLAYER 
  CHARACTERS 
  Don’t forget to tie some 
  of the campaign’s player 
  characters into the his-
  tory you’ve established. 
  With many players, it 
  makes them feel that 
  much more a part of 
  the campaign setting; it 
  becomes more impor-
  tant to them, and they 
  become more important 
  to it.
  Some easy ways to do 
  this include:
  ■ Having one or more 
  PCs be descendants of 
  supers from earlier gen-
  erations
  ■ Having a PC’s super-
  powers relate to or 
  derive from the experi-
  ments of earlier scien-
  tists and mystics
  ■ Having a techno-
  logically-oriented PC’s 
  gadgets come, at least in 
  part, from earlier events 
  and inventors
  ■ Having one or more 
  PCs descend from 
  investigators, military 
  personnel, explorers, 
  scholars, or other per-
  sonalities who would 
  have been in a position 
  to experience unusual 
  events
  
  31 
  Champions
  Law 
  Th e presence of superpowered people, some of 
  whom ignore any law that inconveniences them in 
  any way, some of whom ignore only the laws that 
  keep them from being eﬀ ective as crimeﬁ ghters, 
  inevitably has an eﬀ ect on the way laws are written 
  and enforced. Th e world of the law typically reacts 
  to the presence of supers in one of three ways:  
  Rejection; Acceptance; or Incorporation. In a world 
  with a long history of superhero activity, the ﬁ rst 
  reaction tends to be Rejection; aft er a few years, 
  this may change to Acceptance; ultimately, this may 
  change to Incorporation.
  REJECTION
  A world where the legal reaction to supers is 
  Rejection tends to regard its supers, regardless of 
  their individual motivations or histories, as crimi-
  nals. Crimeﬁ ghters have to stop crime and then ﬂ ee 
  one short step ahead of the police. Law enforce-
  ment agencies have arrest warrants out on known 
  supers, even ones who’ve never harmed another 
  person. If the news media follows the lead of the 
  local and national authorities, the only press supers 
  receive will be very negative. Campaigns where this 
  sort of reaction is most appropriate include those 
  where supers have only recently begun to appear 
  in the world and campaigns where supers are, 
  for some political or cultural reason, considered 
  monstrous or evil (e.g., a world characterized by 
  “mutant hysteria”).
  Some individual points of the relationship 
  between supers and the law include:
  Reaction of Peace Ofﬁ cers:  Arrest superheroes 
  on sight; prosecute without exception; reveal true 
  identities to the press upon arrest.
  New Laws:  Equate use of most metahuman powers 
  with discharging ﬁ rearms in public and reckless 
  endangerment, increase penalties for concealment 
  of one’s identity in the commission of a crime and 
  for use of lethal/excessive force (i.e., superpowers) 
  during commission of a crime.
  Federal Response:  Governments of nations where 
  superheroes appear tend to be panicky. Th ey may 
  create public or secret programs to duplicate the 
  processes that create supers, or force captured 
  supers to work for them (in a hostile “work for us 
  or go to prison for life/be assassinated” environ-
  ment). Alternately, harsh “superpowers registration 
  laws,” covering all superhumans or just some types, 
  may be enacted and enforced (see accompanying 
  sidebar).
  Insurance Industry:  Denies any claims made on the 
  basis of superhero/supervillain interaction, classify-
  ing them in the same category as acts of war and 
  acts of God.
  ACCEPTANCE
  A world where the legal reaction to supers 
  is Acceptance tends to regard its superheroes as 
  champions of the people and its supervillains as 
  menaces to be dealt with as 
  just like any other criminal. 
  Crimeﬁ ghters are oft en able to 
  work hand-in-gauntlet with 
  local and federal law enforce-
  ment authorities. Th e news 
  media tends to follow its own 
  agenda in reporting on the 
  activities of supers, generally 
  giving good press to supers 
  (whether heroic or criminal) 
  who are charming and make 
  for good stories.
  Campaigns where this 
  sort of reaction is most appro-
  priate include those where 
  supers have been around 
  for a generation or more, so 
  that the initial shock of their 
  appearance has long subsided, 
  or (more rarely) those where 
  the national culture is tra-
  ditionally one of acceptance 
  and tolerance to a degree that 
  would be considered extreme 
  (or unusually enlightened) by 
  modern standards.
  Some individual points 
  of the relationship between 
  supers and the law include:
  Reaction of Peace Ofﬁ cers:  
  Arrest supers with warrants 
  issued against them, and 
  SUPERHUMAN 
  REGISTRATION 
  LAWS
  Th e law most powerfully 
  and personally intrudes 
  on the lives of superhe-
  roes when government 
  oﬃ  cials in the campaign 
  establish “superhuman 
  registration laws.” Used 
  properly, these laws have 
  lots of story potential for 
  Champions campaigns.
  As the name indicates, 
  a superhuman registra-
  tion law requires anyone 
  with a superhuman 
  power or ability to regis-
  ter with the government 
  — typically the federal 
  government, though 
  states or provinces may 
  have their own registra-
  tion laws. Politicians 
  in the campaign who 
  support the registration 
  law may make analogies 
  to driver registration 
  or gun licensing laws 
  — like them, superhu-
  man powers are poten-
  tially dangerous, so they 
  need to be kept track of. 
  Civil libertarians typi-
  cally have other opin-
  ions, making pessimistic 
  claims about invasion 
  of privacy and govern-
  mental manipulation of 
  superhumans.
  In some campaigns, 
  registration laws apply 
  only to certain types 
  of superhumans, such 
  as mutants or charac-
  ters with supernatural 
  powers. But most 
  registration laws cover 
  all superhumans, or at 
  least those with innate 
  powers. Characters 
  with technology-based 
  powers probably have to 
  register their weapons 
  and gadgets in other 
  ways, and characters 
  whose powers result 
  from intense training 
  and personal develop-
  ment may not have to 
  register at all.
  Th e big question for the 
  PCs, of course, is:  will 
  they register? Many 
  superhumans object to 
  registration laws, fearing 
  the government intends 
  to use the information 
  to further invade their 
  privacy, blackmail them, 
  control them, or draft  
  Continued on next page
  
  32 
  HERO SYSTEM 5TH EDITION
  prosecute them as appropriate; acquire as much 
  information as is possible about all supers in the 
  region; exchange such information with other local, 
  federal, and even international agencies; unoﬃ  cially 
  cultivate working relationships with the most pro-
  fessional and emotionally steady of superheroes; 
  reveal true identities to the press only at a trial’s 
  beginning. Th e “sanctioning” of superheroes by the 
  government is possible, though relatively rare.
  New Laws:  Oﬃ  cially follow the letter of the law in 
  matters such as use of powers in public, reckless 
  endangerment, and the like, but enforcement of those 
  laws tends to vary based on each individual city, the 
  circumstances of each case, and other factors. Some 
  jurisdictions may have special laws that take super-
  powers into account (e.g., use of any superpower on 
  another person constitutes aggravated assault, regis-
  tered and licensed telepaths can testify as to evidence 
  gained via telepathy). Th e government may imple-
  ment laws that permit supers to testify under their 
  code names, so long as their real names are known to 
  the government and law enforcement can positively 
  identify them as the supers in question. Th e govern-
  ment almost certainly implements laws regarding 
  how superhumans can be humanely incarcerated or 
  otherwise incapacitated.
  Federal Response:  Governments have by now given 
  up on the possibility of controlling all supers every-
  where and have lost the edge of their panic. Govern-
  ment programs to create superpowered federal agents 
  are common, and nations possessing many supers 
  oft en have at least one oﬃ  cial government superhero 
  team (either publicly known as such or secretly work-
  ing for the government). Such governments also may 
  have other federal responses to the dangers rogue 
  supers represent, including super-capturing apparati 
  or super-agent organizations. Superpower registra-
  tion laws may still exist, but are oft en less draconian 
  or restricted to certain types of superhumans (e.g., 
  mutants or mystics).
  Insurance Industry:  Allows/recommends the pur-
  chase of superhuman damage insurance, which 
  pays oﬀ  when a policy holder sustains ﬁ nancial or 
  personal loss from the actions of identiﬁ able supers; 
  an insurance company can reap tremendous proﬁ ts 
  over the years on such policies, but any truly destruc-
  tive supervillain rampage (such as one that destroys a 
  skyscraper) can force a company into bankruptcy.
  INCORPORATION
  “Incorporation” means society makes a greater 
  eﬀ ort to incorporate its supers as citizens — to fully 
  and fairly integrate them into public life. Campaigns 
  where this sort of reaction is most appropriate 
  include those where supers have been around for two 
  or more generations and are now considered not just 
  an inevitable part of society, but an essential part.
  Some individual points of the relationship 
  between supers and the law include:
  Reaction of Peace Ofﬁ cers:  Many supers, either 
  individual or organized, may be issued law enforce-
  ment credentials and authority so long as they meet 
  a standard of behavior appropriate to peace oﬃ  cers. 
  Peace oﬃ  cers tend to cooperate with other known 
  supers so long as they are not repeat-oﬀ ense crimi-
  nals and do not have warrants out against them; 
  oft en, law enforcement agencies have the same sort of 
  bristly, competitive relationship with supers as they 
  do with one another. Individual police departments 
  and federal agencies may have one or more supers 
  working for them and may have agents specializing 
  in relationships with (or cases involving) supers; that 
  agent will be very up-to-date on the names and abili-
  ties of supers within his region. Special Weapons and 
  Tactics units may resemble super-agent corps and 
  may be able to cause trouble for most superheroes 
  or supervillains; given enough time and motivation 
  to concentrate their attention on an individual, they 
  will have gear and tactics optimized to capture that 
  individual.
  New Laws:  Laws tend to distinguish between gov-
  ernment-sanctioned superheroes and unsanctioned 
  supers (including vigilante heroes and supervillains). 
  Criminal laws beneﬁ t sanctioned heroes, but impose 
  harsher penalties on those who do not have sanction. 
  Sanctioned supers may testify in court without dif-
  ﬁ culty, while unsanctioned supers may not.
  Federal Response:  Similar to the Federal Response 
  listed above for “Acceptance,” but more so. Th e gov-
  ernment and private industry may consider superhe-
  roes as just the advance wave of what humanity is to 
  be in a few generations or centuries, and bend their 
  eﬀ orts to distribute the beneﬁ ts of superior genet-
  ics, training, and science to the general population 
  — starting with their own agents, naturally.
  Insurance Industry:  Laws promoted by the insurance 
  industry tend to obligate publicly-known heroes to 
  carry liability insurance, which is as expensive and 
  problematic as the malpractice insurance carried by 
  doctors. Th is tends to make being a superhero more 
  expensive than in previous generations, and some 
  supers respond by behaving more like vigilantes of 
  old, ignoring the eﬀ orts of society to dictate their 
  behavior.
  Technology
  In any campaign where supers (either heroes 
  or villains) possess technology more sophisticated 
  and/or powerful than that of society as a whole, the 
  GM has to address an important issue:  can super-
  technology trickle down into the ﬁ elds of ordinary 
  science and the high-tech industries? In other words, 
  to what extent does the existence of super-technology 
  aﬀ ect “everyday” technology?
  For example, if Hardshell, the superhero identity 
  of scientist/inventor Kyle Charteris, chooses to make 
  the schematics of a much-earlier version of his armor 
  available to the world at large, will there suddenly be 
  a dramatic improvement in general scientiﬁ c knowl-
  edge concerning his techniques? Will next year’s 
  robotics become that much better than those of the 
  real world? Can manufacturers sell comparatively 
  inexpensive powered armor suits for use in industry 
  and law enforcement?
  Th e logical answer is yes. A more practical 
  answer, though, has to take into account the GM’s 
  “dramatic sense,” and incorporate his wishes concern-
  Continued from last page
  them into the military. 
  If they get angry enough 
  about it, these supers 
  may form a “resistance 
  movement,” one that 
  might even unite some 
  heroes and villains 
  behind a common cause. 
  Other superhumans, 
  supportive of the law, 
  won’t hesitate to regis-
  ter. Where the PCs fall 
  within this continuum 
  may deﬁ ne the course of 
  the campaign, or at least 
  an important subplot/
  story arc.
  GOVERNMENT 
  AGENCIES AND 
  SUPERHUMANS
  In many comic book 
  settings, the govern-
  ment gets involved in 
  monitoring, controlling, 
  creating, and/or employ-
  ing superhumans. 
  Sometimes the govern-
  ment creates a special 
  bureaucracy speciﬁ cally 
  to deal with superhu-
  man-related matters; 
  sometimes existing 
  institutions work with 
  superhumans in their 
  own spheres of author-
  ity. Here are some exam-
  ples of possible relations 
  between real-world gov-
  ernment agencies and 
  superhumans, using the 
  United States govern-
  ment; for other nations, 
  simply substitute a cor-
  responding department, 
  bureau, or ministry.
  The Department Of 
  Defense:  Th e DoD 
  would have responsibil-
  ity for and/or control 
  over all superhumans 
  associated with the 
  military, such as a squad 
  of Marines with super-
  powers, or any super 
  assigned to assist the 
  nation’s forces with the 
  prosecution of a war 
  (or similar action). Th e 
  DoD would usually 
  have primary authority 
  over all superhuman 
  incidents in a war, or 
  which threaten national 
  security.
  The Department Of 
  Justice:  Th e DoJ would 
  have responsibility for 
  Continued on next page
  
  33 
  Champions
  ing the level of technology in his campaign. If the 
  world were to learn the technological secrets of all its 
  high-tech superheroes, the result would change the 
  world of technology practically overnight — and that 
  may not be what the GM or players want.
  So the GM has to ask himself these questions:
  What Is The State of Technology In The Campaign?:  In 
  general, how advanced is the average technology in 
  the campaign? Is it identical to that of the real world? 
  Slightly ahead? Slightly behind? Far ahead? And are 
  the diﬀ erences uniform across the board, or do they 
  diﬀ er in the ﬁ elds of medicine, theoretical physics, 
  applied physics, robotics, cybernetics, engineering, 
  biology, genetics?
  You should also ask:  how advanced is super-tech-
  nology? Th at’s a much more diﬃ  cult question to 
  answer, but you can probably establish some vague 
  parameters to guide the creation of the campaign 
  and PCs. Does technology allow for time travel? 
  direct probability manipulation? teleportation? 
  telepathy and other mental powers?
  Are There Any Factors Regulating The Advance Of 
  Technological Knowledge?:  Th e cost of R&D and/or 
  production might keep the world’s general state of 
  knowledge behind that of superheroes. Th ere might 
  be other, more sinister, factors at work, though; 
  these could include:  secret government agencies 
  that seize and classify potentially dangerous inven-
  tions as they appear; aliens who slow the advance of 
  technology pending their own invasion; a godlike 
  being restricting human knowledge either because he 
  feels humans aren’t ready or because he doesn’t wish 
  humans to become as powerful as he is; or the fact 
  that using/creating advanced technology is a subtle 
  superpower in itself, so ordinary people simply can’t 
  understand it or use it.
  One approach that works for most campaigns 
  is to assume that super-technology is, generally, a 
  mere step or two ahead of the real world in most 
  respects. Th ere are factors in place that keep it from 
  immediately surging ahead to equal that of the cut-
  ting-edge technology-ori-
  ented superhumans — the 
  most important being that 
  the sort of gadgets used 
  by superheroes are cut-
  ting-edge prototypes that 
  cannot feasibly be mass-
  produced. To build and 
  maintain a suit of powered 
  armor, a time machine, or 
  what have you requires 
  the total eﬀ orts of numer-
  ous scientists equal to the 
  inventors of the super-
  heroes’ equipment. Since 
  superhumans (particu-
  larly PCs) are almost by 
  deﬁ nition exceptional and 
  extraordinary, the number 
  of “ordinary” scientists 
  and engineers who can 
  comprehend and duplicate 
  what they do is quite small.
  Once the GM decides 
  on the general state of technology in his campaign, 
  he can also decide on speciﬁ c diﬀ erences between 
  the campaign world’s technology and our own. Th at 
  largely depends on how much he wants the campaign 
  world to diverge from the real world. For most GMs, 
  the answer is “not too much,” since that makes it 
  harder for the players to understand and appreciate 
  the setting. Diﬀ erences that are interesting but don’t 
  change the world so signiﬁ cantly that they prove dif-
  ﬁ cult to manage in a campaign include:
  Extraterrestrial trade:  Th is is as much a cultural con-
  cern as a technological one; the world could have 
  regular contact with, and consequently trade with, 
  alien worlds. (See page 52 for more discussion of this 
  topic.)
  Flying Cars:  High-end vehicles might have a ﬂ ight 
  package as an option. Th is implies signiﬁ cant changes 
  to the role of the FAA and like authorities, of course.
  Giant Buildings:  Th e mile-high skyscrapers predicted 
  in the 1930s could be a practical reality. New York 
  City and other skyscraper-heavy regions could have 
  drastically-changed skylines.
  Lifespans:  Health improvements and genetic engi-
  neering could increase the lifespan of the average 
  citizen to 100, 150, or more. Th is doesn’t have an 
  immediate eﬀ ect on world culture — aft er all, a bullet 
  or heart attack can still kill anyone at any age — but 
  as people continue to be productive decades aft er 
  they would once have left  the work force, changes 
  to the world economy will result. Th is can include a 
  growing unemployed class made up largely of teenag-
  ers, twentysomethings, and thirtysomethings as the 
  trend continues.
  Robots and Artiﬁ cial Intelligences:  Can robots and 
  computers in the campaign achieve the actual abil-
  ity to think? If so, do movements rise to grant them 
  citizenship? To oppose their use in the workforce 
  where they will unfairly compete with humans?
  Continued from last page
  and/or control over all 
  superhumans working 
  for, or associated with, 
  federal law enforce-
  ment (including those 
  employed by the DEA, 
  FBI, BATF, and like 
  agencies). It would also 
  have the authority (sub-
  ject to executive review, 
  if necessary) to extend 
  federal law enforcement 
  sanction to superhu-
  mans.
  Department Of State:  
  If the setting features 
  nations ruled by super-
  villains, or non-Human 
  societies recognized as 
  nations by the rest of 
  the world (e.g., Atlantis), 
  the Department of State 
  would be responsible for 
  interacting with them, 
  maintaining diplomatic 
  relations, and so on. It 
  would also have to con-
  sult with Justice regard-
  ing issues pertaining to 
  extradition, diplomatic 
  immunity, and the like.
  NASA:  Primary author-
  ity for investigating inci-
  dents involving (or pos-
  sibly involving) aliens 
  would belong to NASA, 
  which would also (in 
  conjunction with the 
  State Department) coor-
  dinate any formal rela-
  tions with non-Human 
  species.
  
  34 
  HERO SYSTEM 5TH EDITION
  Safe Atomic Power:  Nuclear power plants might 
  utilize fusion systems well in advance of ours, systems 
  that do not endanger the environment and cannot be 
  rigged to detonate.
  Space Program:  Th is campaign may have a far more 
  advanced space program than the real world. Th e 
  diﬀ erences could be slight (large bases in orbit, on 
  the Moon, on Mars, including vacation/recreational 
  ones) or dramatic (Earth possesses faster-than-light 
  travel technology, so our scout ships are out learning 
  about the galaxy, and our trade vessels are out estab-
  lishing economic alliances with other worlds). In the 
  latter case, Earth could begin establishing colonies 
  elsewhere, resulting in oﬀ world migrations; will those 
  migrations be dominated by scientists, engineers, and 
  explorers, endangering the proportions of those pro-
  fessions on the Earth, or be more evenly spread across 
  all human professions and social classes?
  Th e GM may also want to consider technological 
  diﬀ erences within society. Does everyone on Earth 
  have access to the same technology — or, as in the 
  real world, do the “ﬁ rst world” nations have advanced 
  technology, while “third world” countries generally 
  lack it?
  SUPER-MYSTERIES 
  Th e GM should also consider creating possible 
  answers to some of the big historical mysteries that 
  remain unsolved, and establishing others that pertain 
  only to the world of superheroes and supervillains.
  First, there are, of course, the questions that 
  dominate supermarket tabloids:  Are we being secretly 
  visited by aliens from outer space? Who built Stone-
  henge and the pyramids at Giza? Was there an Atlan-
  tis, and if so, where, and what happened to it? Is there 
  really something going on in the Bermuda Triangle? 
  Naturally, in all of these cases, you can choose for 
  the most likely answers to be true (no aliens, ancient 
  inhabitants of the British Isles and Egypt built those 
  structures, no Atlantis, and so on), but when you do 
  choose an alternate answer, you set up a signiﬁ cant 
  puzzle your player characters might someday solve.
  Th en, in the realm of superhero-speciﬁ c ques-
  tions, the GM can add mysteries such as whether 
  humanity was genetically tampered with early in its 
  evolution, the truth behind the emergence of some 
  sets of superpowers (did he have a spontaneous magi-
  cal accident — or did he becoame an agent for infer-
  nal powers?), the deaths and disappearances of supers 
  in earlier generations, whether certain mythological 
  gods and heroes were actually early manifestations of 
  superpowers, and so on.
  Th e answers to these questions can help add 
  detail to the framework of behind-the-scenes infor-
  mation in your campaign world and can act as the 
  springboards for many adventures to come.
  
  35 
  Champions
  A 
  campaign’s “mood” is the general sense of 
  emotion it’s designed to impart to its play-
  ers. Naturally, any adventure can depart 
  from the campaign’s main mood, but the 
  players should have a sense of what the normal 
  mood is going to be.
  Related to mood is the concept of meta-genre. 
  A “meta-genre” is a style or theme of storytelling/
  game play/campaign conception that could apply 
  to any genre. Comedy, horror, romance, and tragedy 
  are all meta-genres, whereas superheroes, Westerns, 
  science ﬁ ction, and fantasy are genres. Th us, you 
  could have a horror Western, or horror science ﬁ c-
  tion, or horror fantasy — horror isn’t a genre, it’s 
  a meta-genre. (Of course, it’s also possible to cross 
  one genre with another — to have superheroes in a 
  science ﬁ ction story, for example — which is a dif-
  ferent but related thing.)
  Th is section discusses several common cam-
  paign moods, and how to implement them in a 
  campaign or just in a single adventure. Since this 
  advice is in many ways as important for the play-
  ers as for the GM — all the gamers in a group 
  have to work together to maintain the mood — it’s 
  included here, rather than in Chapter Four. But 
  before you read about speciﬁ c campaign moods, it’s 
  important to understand one rule of thumb appli-
  cable to all of them:
  The GM Should Reward 
  Appropriate Actions
  In every campaign, characters try to pull oﬀ  
  unlikely actions, but how unlikely they are depends 
  on part on the genre and mood of the campaign. 
  For instance, in real life, most people don’t swing 
  across gaps on ropes very gracefully. Many fall oﬀ . 
  Many land badly. So if a campaign were to simulate 
  real life, “swinging across a gap on a line” would 
  require a successful Skill Roll, probably at a minus.
  But in a swashbuckling campaign, charac-
  ters swing around on lines all the time. Ropes, 
  shroudlines, cables and unusually tough cords are 
  everywhere. In such an environment, an attempt to 
  swing from point A to point B on a line would be 
  simple — requiring, at most, an ordinary DEX Roll 
  (perhaps with a bonus in the character’s favor), and 
  landing in a position to be able to do something 
  useful would be an automatic part of the successful 
  roll.
  In short, the GM should reward, with an 
  improved chance of success, just about any action 
  attempt that is in character for the campaign mood, 
  particularly if it it’s performed as much to entertain 
  the players as it is to gain an advantage for the char-
  acter. Obviously, the types of actions that deserve 
  such rewards vary from mood to mood, from 
  campaign to campaign; the text below discusses 
  appropriate ones.
  Although the discussion in this section talks 
  about “campaigns,” it applies equally to subplots 
  and story arcs within campaigns. A game with an 
  Adventure mood could easily have a Comedy or 
  Drama subplot going, or feature a story focusing 
  mainly on Romance. Many campaigns mix and 
  match these moods and meta-genres freely.
  ADVENTURE 
  Th e most common mood for a superhero 
  campaign is Adventure. Adventure means the 
  characters decide to accomplish a dangerous task. 
  In undertaking this mission, they risk injury and 
  death; they experience pain, competition, and 
  adrenaline rushes. Th en the story concludes, prob-
  ably with them victorious, possibly with them 
  having failed in their objective.
  GUIDELINES
  Th e most important word in an Adventure-
  oriented campaign is “Danger.” In every episode, 
  one or more characters should ﬁ nd themselves 
  in physical danger of some sort, whether it be 
  an imminent attack from an enemy, a drop into 
  a bottomless crevasse or a pool of molten lead, a 
  deathtrap with a pendulum blade, or possible incin-
  eration during a spaceship’s re-entry into Earth’s 
  atmosphere. Getting into and out of danger again 
  and again are what characterizes adventure in the 
  ﬁ rst place.
  APPROPRIATE UNLIKELY ACTIONS
  One of the most common activities in adven-
  ture ﬁ ction is for characters not just to accomplish 
  something, but to accomplish it with style, so GMs 
  should be on the lookout for players attempting to 
  achieve a little extra something when performing 
  Combat Maneuvers, using Acrobatics, and the like.
  Extra Combat Functionality. Th e GM may allow a 
  character to perform a Combat Maneuver that 
  exceeds the description of that maneuver’s eﬀ ec-
  tiveness in a minor way.
  Example:  Th e martial artist hero Graycat is 
  in combat with Blood Groove, a sword-wield-
  ing villain. Graycat’s pal, Black Swordsman, is 
  nearby, being hard-pressed by another villain 
  because Black Swordsman has lost his blade.
  MOOD AND 
  META-GENRE
  
  36 
  HERO SYSTEM 5TH EDITION
  Graycat announces, “I’m going to perform a 
  Disarm on Blood Groove, but I don’t just want 
  to disarm him. When I’m in the middle of the 
  maneuver, I want to announce, “Black Swords-
  man, look sharp!” and then spin Blood Groove’s 
  blade into his hands.”
  Th is being a very appropriate thing to do and 
  a very cinematic maneuver, the GM decides to 
  reward Graycat by not imposing any additional 
  penalties on the maneuver, and by stretching 
  the deﬁ nition of the Disarm maneuver a bit to 
  allow him to send the weapon in the direction 
  he wants... if he succeeds with the maneuver in 
  the ﬁ rst place, that is.
  Some players, seeing that such a thing is pos-
  sible, will try to perform it each and every time 
  they perform a pertinent maneuver. Should this 
  begin to happen, the GM should allow characters 
  to continue, but impose a penalty on the characters’ 
  chances to succeed. He can later remove the penalty 
  if the frequency of such attempts drops back to a 
  more reasonable level.
  Not Accounting For Minor Actions. On occasion, a 
  character’s action would count as his attack for a 
  Phase, even though it doesn’t really constitute an 
  attack. Th e GM can choose to consider such an 
  action as only a Half Phase Action instead.
  Example:  Freedom Fighter, ﬂ ag-wearing Amer-
  ican male hero, has had an ongoing subplot in 
  which he has become romantically interested in 
  Snow Leopard, a supervillainess working for 
  the Z-Force criminal agency. She is likewise 
  attracted to him, but not to the point he can 
  persuade her to give up her life of crime.
  In battle with members of Z-Force, Freedom 
  Fighter ended his last Phase beside the aban-
  doned stand of a street vendor. He decides to 
  wait there for the villains’ next charge. At the 
  start of his next Phase, he asks the GM, “Is 
  there anything in the vendor’s stand I can use 
  as a weapon, or for a tactical advantage?”
  Th e GM says, “No, not really. It’s a ﬂ ower 
  stand.”
  Freedom Fighter announces, “Th en I’ll toss one 
  red rose over the heads of the oncoming bad 
  guys to Snow Leopard.”
  Technically, tossing the rose constitutes an 
  Attack Action, but since it demonstrates 
  panache, is a charming moment related to 
  an ongoing subplot, and doesn’t gain him any 
  sort of combat advantage, the GM decides this 
  constitutes just a Half Phase Action, not an 
  attack.
  Adding A Skill Roll Beneﬁ t. When a player character 
  has just announced he’s performing an Action or a 
  Combat Maneuver in a particularly colorful or cin-
  ematic way, the GM might allow him an additional, 
  not-asked-for Skill Roll if the maneuver succeeds. 
  Th e Skill Roll would be one the character had been 
  attempting in earlier parts of the adventure, and 
  the GM would have to feel the character’s recent 
  performance somehow accentuated it or gave it an 
  additional chance to succeed.
  Example:  In the same battle between Freedom 
  Fighter and Z-Force, the badly outnumbered 
  Freedom Fighter has, by bouncing all over the 
  landscape, accomplished three things:  kept 
  himself from being Knocked Out; delayed Z-
  Force long enough for his own allies to accom-
  plish their task (thwarting the villains’ scheme); 
  and made most members of Z-Force look like 
  idiots. Now, as the tired hero drops from a 
  building’s ledge to one of its vertical ﬂ agpoles, 
  he gives them all a mocking bow, oﬀ ers one 
  last smile to Snow Leopard, and then uses the 
  ﬂ agpole as a diving board to bounce himself up 
  onto an elevated train, with which he makes 
  his getaway.
  Th e GM decides this is a very aﬀ ecting moment 
  for Snow Leopard, another opportunity for 
  her to weigh the worth of her professional 
  associates against that of Freedom Fighter, so 
  he tells Freedom Fighter, “Make a Persuasion 
  roll.” Th is roll becomes part of the sequence of 
  eﬀ orts Freedom Fighter has made to persuade 
  Snow Leopard to join him, even though Free-
  dom Fighter has actually left  this scene and is 
  unaware that he may, at last, have succeeded 
  where Snow Leopard is concerned.
  Then, There’s Presence. In the spirit of adventure, 
  a GM might also allow a successful Skill Roll to be 
  accompanied by a Presence Attack, even when the 
  PC doesn’t ask for it.
  Example:  Moments ago, Graycat disarmed 
  Blood Groove and ﬂ icked his sword to the Black 
  Swordsman. Black Swordsman, all his Combat 
  Skill Levels restored now that there’s a sword in 
  his hand, can hold his own foe, Death-Weaver, 
  at bay.
  Black Swordsman says, “I’m going to back 
  toward Graycat and Blood Groove and look 
  uncertain. When Death-Weaver comes at me, 
  I’m going to put all my Combat Skill Levels into 
  DCV and do a blind reverse thrust at Blood 
  Groove behind me. I’m hoping that if Death-
  Weaver lunges at me and misses, he’ll end up 
  where Graycat can punch him out.”
  Th ey play out that Phase and it turns out just 
  as Black Swordsman predicted, with a hole in 
  Blood Groove’s leg and Graycat’s ﬁ st undoing 
  years of Death-Weaver’s orthodontics work.
  Blood Groove’s and Death-Weaver’s teammate, 
  Dementia, just awakening aft er having been 
  Knocked Out earlier in the ﬁ ght, witnesses 
  this skillful teamwork. Th e GM has the Black 
  Swordsman, the higher-Presence character of 
  the two heroes, make a Presence Attack against 
  her, and he rolls high enough to dissuade her 
  from making a new attack against them.
  
  37 
  Champions
  COMEDY 
  Th e obvious purpose of a Comedy campaign 
  is to get laughs. Th e characters might experi-
  ence danger, but their ﬁ rst response 
  when doing so (before drawing laser 
  pistols, putting up their dukes, or pull-
  ing the pins out of grenades) is a wise-
  crack or act of physical comedy.
  Comedy campaigns don’t 
  oﬀ er their characters as many 
  opportunities to grandstand 
  — well, not successfully, anyway 
  — but can be just as entertaining as any 
  other type so long as the GM and players 
  are reasonably adept at wordplay.
  GUIDELINES
  Keep It Light. Th e ﬁ rst thing to 
  remember about running a comedy campaign is 
  that comedy tends to vanish when more seri-
  ous emotions are invoked. If, for instance, a 
  character is to die, make sure that it’s not a 
  tragedy. (Th e world is full of annoying char-
  acters, a comedy world even more so, and 
  seldom do players mind their passing.) It’s 
  possible to have romances in a comedy 
  world, but they should be attractions 
  between comparatively shallow char-
  acters, oft en expressed in inconvenient 
  places, at inconvenient times, and possibly 
  complicated by the actions of romantic 
  rivals.
  Use Extreme Characters. Th is is advice for both the 
  GM and players of such a campaign:  it’s all right 
  to have characters whose costumes, special eﬀ ects, 
  and disadvantages (especially Psychological Limi-
  tations) tend to be more extreme than in a more 
  normal campaign. A character who (in a normal 
  campaign) believes in a speciﬁ c conspiracy theory 
  would, in a comedy campaign, become a mutter-
  ing paranoid who believes in all such notions and 
  has a grand uniﬁ ed conspiracy theory that relates 
  every one of them to all the others.
  Superhero = Loony. It’s also worthwhile to remem-
  ber that the very notion of dressing up in color-
  ful skintight costumes and bounding around on 
  rooft ops is pretty strange, so it should be even 
  more so on this world; the normal population will 
  regard the superhero/supervillain subculture as an 
  extreme and insane one.
  APPROPRIATE UNLIKELY ACTIONS
  Opportunities For Wisecracks. Remember to pace 
  combat sequences and any other portions of the 
  adventure so players who are adept at wisecracks 
  have time and opportunity to issue them, and don’t 
  forget that NPCs can, and should, be just as amus-
  ing.
  The Consequences Of Missed Rolls. Th ere’s a tre-
  mendous opportunity for humor in Skill and 
  Attack Rolls that don’t manage to succeed. Any 
  time an Attack Roll misses, or a Skill Roll misses by 
  3 or 
  more, the 
  GM should 
  choose some 
  likely (and amusing) 
  consequence for the miss.
  Th e possible consequences for missed 
  Skill Rolls are too many to enumerate; there are 
  dozens per Skill. As a rule of thumb, though, the 
  attempted outcome should backﬁ re. For instance, 
  a character missing an Acrobatics roll could end 
  up with his rear end stuck in a trash can or hang-
  ing upside down, his foot caught in a ﬁ re escape. 
  Someone failing an Inventor roll could believe he 
  has succeeded in creating the gadget he wanted, 
  only to have it do something entirely unexpected 
  when used in combat. A character failing a 
  Combat Piloting roll would naturally crash into an 
  unlikely obstacle, such as a billboard, paint factory, 
  volleyball net at a nudist beach, the headquarters 
  of an organization that hates him and all he stands 
  for, and so on.
  Missed Attack Rolls should have the same 
  sorts of results. Gamemasters who would like a 
  ready reference can use the Missed Hit Rolls Table 
  on page 38.
  The Consequences Of Successful Rolls. Another 
  potential source of amusement is for a Skill use to 
  succeed too well. Any time a character makes his 
  Skill Roll by 5 or more, he uses the Skill success-
  fully, but the success takes an unexpected turn that 
  inconveniences him.
  Example:  A hero uses Combat Piloting to get 
  himself out of a tight situation. Th e event is 
  recorded and becomes national news. Sud-
  denly, impressionable kids everywhere are 
  attempting the same dangerous maneuver and 
  have named it aft er our hero. Th e government 
  and national media get involved, crucifying 
  our hero for leading the world’s children into 
  danger.
  
  38 
  HERO SYSTEM 5TH EDITION
  Example:  A hero uses Persuasion to talk himself 
  out of a jam with a powerful enemy. Th e enemy 
  decides our hero is his new spokesperson/
  negotiator/best friend and insists that our hero 
  stay with him always. Attempts to use this new 
  position to inﬁ ltrate the enemy’s organization 
  will naturally end up as disastrously as the 
  original Persuasion attempt.
  Example:  A hero succeeds with Seduction on 
  an attractive NPC. All’s well until the next day, 
  when the NPC’s family (an organized crime 
  family, a band of aliens, the U.S. president, a 
  clan diametrically opposed to the hero’s politics 
  or lifestyle, or the like) shows up in town to 
  meet what they are certain is their new pro-
  spective in-law.
  DRAMA 
  A drama is any type of storyline in which 
  invoking and experiencing serious emotions is 
  most important. A drama campaign is usually 
  run for players who enjoy having their characters 
  put through emotional wringers. Drama-oriented 
  campaigns can include moments from other types 
  of moods; there can be lighthearted moments, 
  romantic moments, adventuresome moments, scary 
  moments. But the majority of each play-session 
  should revolve around the emotional lives of the 
  PCs.
  Running a drama-oriented superhero cam-
  paign can be tricky, because it means the GM has 
  to move storylines along when the PCs are in their 
  civilian identities, has to give each PC individual 
  subplots as well as bringing them together for col-
  lective ones, and has to manage what may be a large 
  number of NPCs. He usually can’t draw on that 
  staple of comic books stories, combat, as much, 
  because combat is typically adventuresome, not 
  emotionally wrenching.
  On the other hand, one of the major conven-
  tions of the superhero genre — Secret Identities — 
  provides the GM with an excellent tool for introduc-
  ing drama into the game. Th e conﬂ icts between the 
  demands of superheroing and the demands placed 
  on the character by his civilian life can lead to all 
  sorts of pathos, angst, and wonderful roleplaying.
  One good way to manage a drama-oriented 
  Champions campaign is for the GM to insist that 
  all PCs in their Secret Identities belong to a speciﬁ c 
  organization or company. Th e GM can then center 
  storylines around that organization, bringing in PCs 
  as the organization’s activities require their involve-
  ment. For example, if all the PCs are members of 
  one extended family or somehow associated with 
  a corporation, the GM has a valuable tool for get-
  ting them wherever they need to be in their civilian 
  identities.
  GUIDELINES
  Keep It Heavy. Most events in a drama campaign 
  should be serious business — ever-growing dis-
  agreements that threaten to spill over into violence, 
  a character’s friends and family making bad choices 
  in work and love, business turmoil, betrayal, stress. 
  But too much of this makes the campaign unbear-
  able for all but the most masochistic of players, so 
  the GM should include regular situations where the 
  characters can get away from their troubles. In a 
  superhero campaign, this is probably when they’re 
  in costume — the heroes can ﬂ ee into another 
  identity to escape the emotional hardships of their 
  mundane lives — or the occasional knock-down 
  drag-out battle.
  Tie Everything To PC Disadvantages. Every plotline, 
  every challenge in the campaign should relate to 
  at least one Disadvantage (usually a Psychological 
  Limitation) of at least one of the PCs. Th e more Dis-
  advantages and the more PCs a plotline can relate to, 
  the more likely it is to be a main plot rather than one 
  character’s subplot. It’s a good idea for the GM to 
  keep a big list of every player character’s Disadvan-
  tages so that, when considering new plots to intro-
  duce, he can decide who they best relate to and how.
  Example:  Th e superhero named Inﬂ ictor has a 
  DNPC — his high-school-age daughter. Th e GM 
  wants to introduce a supervillain NPC who is, in 
  his Secret Identity, a new vice president of mar-
  keting at the corporation where Inﬂ ictor works. 
  Th e GM decides to have Inﬂ ictor’s daughter take 
  a romantic interest in the new supervillain, 
  potentially setting up a large number of ways to 
  agonize Inﬂ ictor.
  MISSED ATTACK ROLLS TABLE
   3d6 Roll Consequences
   3-5 
  Attacker becomes oﬀ -balance and falls 
  down.
   6-7 
  Attacker becomes oﬀ -balance and steps 
  into/sits down on/falls into an unde-
  sirable substance — the residue of an 
  enemy’s Entangle, a mud puddle, fresh 
  paint, a vat of batter....
   
  8 
  Attacker spins around, slinging one or 
  more of his Foci away, possibly into the 
  hands of enemies.
   
  9 
  Crucial buckle breaks, causing some of 
  attacker’s garments to fall down around 
  his knees (-2 to all DEX Rolls involving 
  the legs).
   10 
  Attacker falls into the arms of unap-
  pealing person who considers him/her 
  absolutely gorgeous.
   11 
  Attacker hits himself (possibly on rico-
  chet or rebound).
   12 
  Attack hits target with no eﬀ ect other 
  than to irritate him.
   13 
  Attack hits target and somehow helps/
  invigorates him.
   14-15 
  Attack hits ally with amusing and 
  inconvenient results.
   16-18 
  Attack hits bystander with amusing 
  and inconvenient results.
  
  39 
  Champions
  Find The Correct Torture Threshold. Even with a cam-
  paign full of players who like to have their charac-
  ters put through an emotional stump-grinder, it’s 
  possible for a GM to allow his campaign to become 
  too heavy, too depressing. Th e only solution to this 
  problem is for the GM to keep a very close eye on 
  the emotional reactions of his players. When the 
  players begin reacting to each new painful plot 
  twist with something less than enthusiasm, the GM 
  should take it as a sign that it’s time to introduce a 
  few uplift ing plot elements — the defeat of a long-
  running villain, success in a character’s personal 
  goals, or a humorous scenario, for instance.
  APPROPRIATE UNLIKELY ACTIONS
  Revelatory Presence Attacks. Before the campaign 
  begins, tell the players that each each of them may, 
  once (perhaps more) during the campaign, make 
  a special kind of Presence Attack, one in which 
  the attack is the revelation of a fact that is news to 
  the recipient — and not particularly good news, at 
  that. Th e player chooses when to make his Releva-
  tory Presence Attack, and the GM has to run with 
  it (though he can veto it if it’s absolutely ruinous to 
  the campaign).
  Examples:  “You remember the hit-and-run 
  accident where your boss was nearly killed? 
  Your wife was at the wheel!”
  “Your son has gotten my daughter pregnant.”
  “No, Luke. I am your father.”
  Th e Revelatory Presence Attack follows the 
  same general rules as the standard Presence Attack. 
  A character uses his standard Presence, receiving 
  1d6 per 5 points in that Characteristic... and unless 
  a character has diﬀ erent PRE scores in his civilian 
  and super identities, he should be just as eﬀ ective 
  with this tactic when he is out of costume. Modi-
  ﬁ ers to the Revelatory Presence Attack are listed in 
  the accompanying table.
  But sauce for the goose, sauce for the gander 
  — important NPCs can make Revelatory Presence 
  Attacks against PCs, as well. And regardless of who 
  makes them, they’re a great way to kick oﬀ  new 
  storylines.
  HORROR 
  Horror is a particularly diﬃ  cult meta-genre to 
  introduce into a mainstream Champions game, due 
  to the great power and extensive capabilities indi-
  vidual heroes, not to mention entire superteams, 
  possess. Gamers refer to several types of stories as 
  horror stories, but most of them really don’t belong 
  to the horror genre. Most common among these is 
  the monster-hunting story. Th is is an adventures 
  in which the good guys take it upon themselves to 
  hunt down and exterminate evil monsters. It has 
  some of the furniture of horror (creepy settings, 
  supernatural monsters, and the like), but, especially 
  in superhero campaigns, it normally isn’t actu-
  ally horror. Because the heroes are in the driver’s 
  seat, taking an active role against the monsters 
  with the expressed goal of destroying them, the 
  characters don’t normally feel much helplessness, 
  horror, or dread.
  And it is, in fact, helplessness and dread that 
  make a horror story. Without them, you have 
  some other kind of story (normally adventure 
  or drama) in which the bad guys merely have 
  unusual special eﬀ ects.
  GUIDELINES
  For a Champions campaign to be a horror 
  campaign, you must have these things happen:
  ■ Th e characters must not be as powerful as the 
  campaign’s horrors
  ■ Th e characters must not understand the cam-
  paign’s horrors
  ■ Th e characters must be afraid of the campaign’s 
  horrors
  The Characters Must Not Be As Powerful. Th is 
  doesn’t mean they’re incapable of destroying one 
  or more of the campaign’s horrors at a time, but 
  individually and collectively, the PCs must feel as 
  though they are not a match for the things that go 
  bump in the night. Being as powerful gives them 
  conﬁ dence; conﬁ dence is destructive to a sense of 
  dread. It is also helpful to have monsters who are 
  intelligent enough to learn and exploit the heroes’ 
  weaknesses (which should oft en include Depen-
  dences, Susceptibilities, and Vulnerabilities).
  Alternately, you can confront them with 
  horrors their powers are useless against. All the 
  Strength or Energy Blast dice in the world don’t 
  do a superteam much good when their foe is a 
  helpless teenage girl possessed by a demon. Th ey 
  dare not harm the girl, but they have to stop the 
  REVELATORY PRESENCE 
  ATTACK MODIFIERS TABLE
   Modiﬁ er 
  Situation or Character’s Action
  -2d6  
  Speaker is unknown to target
   
   
  Target has Psychological Limitation 
  that makes it hard for him to believe 
  revelation —
   -1d6* 
  Psychological Limitation is Moderate
   -2d6* 
  Psychological Limitation is Strong
   -3d6* 
  Psychological Limitation is Total
   
  +1d6 
  Speaker has KS of his target and 
  makes Skill Roll
  +1d6  
  Speaker has SS: Psychology or 
  Psychiatry and makes Skill Roll
  +2d6  
  Target trusts speaker or knows he 
  always tells truth
  *:  On the other hand, if the result of this Pres-
  ence Attack is target’s PRE +10 or more, the target 
  believes the revelation and the GM can give him 
  an NND attack of twice the number of dice shown 
  here — e.g., if he had a Total Psychological Limita-
  tion, he sustains 6d6 NND from the pain resulting 
  from his sudden shock.
  
  40 
  HERO SYSTEM 5TH EDITION
  demon. For once, they can’t rely on their powers 
  — they’re going to have to be clever and inventive 
  if they’re going to save the world this time.
  The Characters Must Not Understand. Having a 
  real understanding of how the monsters work, 
  what motivates them, how they think is just the 
  sort of familiarity that breeds contempt — and 
  undermines a campaign’s sense of horror. Th e 
  GM should work hard to make his monsters 
  somewhat inexplicable. Th e best approach is to 
  give them a recognizable modus operandi while 
  keeping their true thoughts, mental processes, 
  and abilities as secret as possible. Don’t throw 
  a normal vampire at them — every hero knows 
  how to cope with one. Substitute a weird super-
  powered vampire with unpredictable abilities, or 
  some bizarre extradimensional thing the heroes 
  have never seen before and know nothing about.
  The Characters Must Be Afraid. Th is is among the 
  hardest things to enforce in a gaming campaign, 
  particularly a superhero campaign, since most 
  players are simply unwilling for their characters 
  to be vulnerable — and without vulnerability, 
  there can be no fear. Th e best approach to imple-
  menting this guideline is, of course, to run games 
  for players who want to have their characters 
  scared; the second-best is to have players who are 
  good roleplayers and will abide by their charac-
  ters’ Psychological Limitations (and who’ll make 
  sure their characters have appropriate ones).
  Given these guidelines, you may even want 
  to consider requiring players to tailor their char-
  acters appropriately if you intend to emphasize 
  horror in your campaign. Rather than allow the 
  full range of superhero types, you might mandate 
  that all PCs have to be mystics, psychics, occult 
  investigators, or highly-trained normals without 
  any true superpowers. Additionally, by setting low 
  point and eﬀ ectiveness ceilings (see page 125), 
  you can cut down on the sheer power the PCs can 
  bring to bear on the obstacles confronting them, 
  which helps to emphasize feelings of dread.
  APPROPRIATE UNLIKELY ACTIONS
  Demonstrating Fear. Superheroes seldom suggest 
  they’re afraid or otherwise not in charge of a situ-
  ation. Th e GM should reward appropriate demon-
  strations of fear or dread through awards of more 
  Experience Points for good roleplaying.
  Fleeing. In most superhero campaigns, the heroes 
  would never consider ﬂ eeing from an enemy. 
  In a horror-oriented Champions game, running 
  away is a viable tactic and, until the heroes learn 
  how to confront the enemy, a valid response. To 
  persuade PCs to ﬂ ee an enemy, it may be helpful 
  to have them see a character of similar abilities 
  cut down and devoured by the monsters. Th at’s a 
  deﬁ nite demonstration of the fact the PCs don’t 
  yet stand a chance in a physical confrontation.
  ROMANCE 
  A romance campaign is all about romantic 
  relationships. Naturally, other sorts of moods 
  may be present as well (adventure and drama are 
  especially appropriate), but the establishment, 
  development, and (sometimes) termination of 
  character-to-character romances is the primary 
  subject of such campaigns.
  Th e mood of Romance may be best-suited 
  to mini-series rather than a years-long campaign. 
  Th is is because every romance goes through a 
  “life-cycle” that its participants hope will result 
  in a happy ending. When they do, the characters 
  involved in that romance can no longer occupy 
  center stage in the campaign. On the other hand, 
  if they result in a relationship breaking up, the 
  characters involved can be center stage of the 
  next storyline (though with other romantic 
  partners), but eventually the characters ﬁ nd 
  long-term partners and have to stop being the 
  campaign’s focus. In short, a Romance campaign 
  requires a constant rotation of primary charac-
  ters, which puts a strain on a GM or players who’d 
  like to play the same characters for an extended 
  amount of time.
  GUIDELINES
  A Romance campaign should include two or 
  three prospective couples occupying center stage 
  at any given time. A couple can be two PCs or 
  one PC and one NPC. Th e campaign can feature 
  other PCs who are not involved directly in the 
  romances at this time, but who have plenty to do 
  with plotlines that are only indirectly related to 
  the romances.
  Every Romance in such a campaign goes 
  through a series of stages of development. When 
  a Romance gets to the last stage, its storyline is 
  done, even if the characters’ relationship remains 
  intact, which means these characters need to 
  move oﬀ  center stage to permit others to take 
  their place.
  If a campaign features more than one 
  Romance at a time, each one should be at a diﬀ er-
  ent stage of development (the GM can make an 
  exception in the ﬁ rst episode or two of play, when 
  two or more relationships may be in the ﬁ rst 
  stage of development).
  Th e stages of development, including neces-
  sary pre-storyline setup by the GM, are:
  Character Design Or Modiﬁ cation. When building 
  new characters, or revising experienced ones, to 
  be part of a Romance plot, the GM and players 
  should make sure each one possesses two traits:  a 
  reason to be attractive to the other; and a trait the 
  other will ﬁ nd diﬃ  cult or oﬀ -putting. With PCs, 
  the ﬁ rst step in dealing with this is to have the 
  player describe the character’s ideal mate. Th en, 
  the GM can create NPCs or help modify existing 
  PCs to make them somewhat more like the ideal 
  mate. Th e key word here, however, is “somewhat.” 
  Romances should be rocky roads, but they’re 
  much less likely to be if each character is a perfect 
  
  41 
  Champions
  template of the other character’s ideal mate.
  Example:  Player character Black Swordsman 
  is about to become part of a Romance-oriented 
  campaign. At the GM’s request, he answers 
  the question of what his ideal mate would be. 
  He decides that she would be intelligent and 
  well-educated (if not downright scholarly), 
  somewhat serious (to contrast with his own 
  ﬂ ippant nature), a student of fencing and/or 
  the martial arts (to share a hobby with him), 
  and a movie buﬀ .
  Th e GM looks over the female PCs and decides 
  that no one is near enough to this sort of char-
  acter to serve, so he’ll create an NPC to act as 
  Black Swordsman’s love interest. He creates 
  Lillian Hughes, professor of history and author, 
  whose ﬁ eld of interest is the eﬀ ect of infantry 
  weapons on history.
  But the GM slips a joker into the deck by devi-
  ating in a substantial way from Black Swords-
  man’s “ideal mate” checklist. Not only is Lillian 
  not a student of fencing or martial arts, she is 
  a paciﬁ st who abhors the eﬀ ects of violence on 
  society — one reason why violence throughout 
  the ages, as expressed through an interest in 
  history’s small weapons, is her chief academic 
  interest. Th us, in addition to having reasons to 
  be attracted to Lillian, Black Swordsman also 
  has reasons to come in conﬂ ict with her.
  Likewise, at the moment, Lillian has only rea-
  sons to be in conﬂ ict with Black Swordsman, so 
  the GM decides the hero’s great appeal to her 
  lies in his secret identity, that of Richard Gray, 
  stock analyst and newspaper columnist. Th e 
  GM establishes that Lillian is attracted to other 
  writers and admires someone with mathemati-
  cal acuity and a ﬂ amboyant nature, both of 
  which Black Swordsman possesses in spades.
  Meeting And Initial Attraction. It’s no trick to set up 
  a situation where the two parties of a Romance 
  meet one another. Th e GM can choose to do so in 
  a violent situation (one party saves the other from 
  impending doom), another type of conﬂ ict (they 
  meet on opposite sides of a business deal and each 
  likes the way the other conducts himself), a social 
  situation (a party), or some really unlikely event 
  (both break into the same art gallery at the same 
  time). Th e only thing the GM has to remember is to 
  ﬁ nd a way for each PC to demonstrate one or more 
  characteristics that the other person ﬁ nds attrac-
  tive.
  Note that, in books, movies, and TV series, 
  characters can meet, initially dislike one another, 
  and eventually ﬁ nd romance. In game campaigns, 
  this is not usually the case; whatever characters 
  initially feel about one another tends to endure (if 
  not worsen). So it’s best not to set up a situation 
  where the heroes initially ﬁ nd themselves in a dis-
  agreeable sort of conﬂ ict — the GM is most likely 
  to torpedo the entire romance that way.
  Establishment Of Romance. Th e GM now needs to 
  ﬁ nd ways to continue to have the two parties of 
  the romance encounter one another. Sometimes 
  this is easy (such as when they work at the same 
  place), sometimes more diﬃ  cult (in which case the 
  GM may have to rely on coincidence, or manipula-
  tions orchestrated by some NPC). It is during these 
  events that the more ordinary plot details of the 
  campaign reveal themselves — what supervillain 
  is plotting a new takeover, what jewelry display is 
  bound to attract thieves, what criminal investiga-
  tion is yielding details about one of the PCs’ Hunt-
  eds.
  Th is stage of the Romance is complete when 
  both parties acknowledge their attraction to and 
  continued interest in one another. At this point, the 
  GM can start complicating things.
  Trouble Part I. Once the parties in a Romance are 
  certain they’re interested in one another, trouble 
  erupts. Some examples of trouble include:
  ■ A previously-thought-dead husband/wife/former 
  boyfriend/former girlfriend turns up, hale and 
  healthy and very, very attractive.
  ■ Th e characters discover they are opposed in their 
  super identities (i.e., one hero, one villain).
  ■ Th e characters discover mutual personality 
  incompatibilities (mostly related to Psychological 
  Limitations).
  ■ Th e characters discover one did something 
  potentially unforgivable to the other at some time 
  in the past.
  
  42 
  HERO SYSTEM 5TH EDITION
  ■ Th e characters discover they belong to opposed 
  families or organizations.
  ■ Th e characters discover they belong to the same 
  family and are too closely related for comfort. (Th is 
  is usually eventually followed by the revelation that 
  one or the other is adopted, which makes every-
  thing all right again.)
  ■ Th e characters must oppose one another in busi-
  ness, and business turns ugly.
  ■ One character achieves some result that leaves 
  the other hurt and jealous (the GM must normally 
  utilize Psychological Limitations here).
  ■ One character discovers the other has a previ-
  ously-undisclosed child.
  ■ One character discovers he has a previously-
  unknown child.
  ■ An NPC or another PC begins to court one 
  member of the Romance.
  ■ An NPC manipulates things so that evidence 
  of any of the earlier Troubles appears, even if the 
  actual Trouble has been falsiﬁ ed.
  Note that these discoveries can come via a 
  Revelatory Presence Attack, as described under 
  “Drama,” above.
  Trouble Part II, Part III.... Once the ﬁ rst wave of trou-
  ble has been beaten into submission, the GM can 
  introduce a new one — assuming he hasn’t done so 
  even before the ﬁ rst wave was quelled. Th e GM can 
  keep this up so long as all parties are entertained; 
  once the Troubles begin to wear thin as entertain-
  ment (or, even better, before they do), the GM can 
  progress the characters’ relationship to the next 
  stage.
  Happily/Unhappily Ever After. Ultimately, aft er having 
  weathered numerous Troubles, the couple decides 
  whether to stay together or go their separate ways; 
  either choice ends their Romance plotline. If they 
  remain together, they can take on some other role 
  in the campaign. If they go their separate ways, they 
  can be retooled for a later Romance, perhaps with 
  one another, perhaps with someone else.
  Character Redesign Or Modiﬁ cation. Characters who 
  have survived a Romance can go through a minor 
  redesign to adjust appropriate Romance-related 
  Psychological Limitations, Hunteds, and so on.
  APPROPRIATE UNLIKELY ACTIONS
  Vulnerability To Romance. Some players prefer to 
  keep their characters unencumbered by romantic 
  attachments — either because the players them-
  selves are uncomfortable roleplaying romantic 
  scenes, or because they’d rather have their char-
  acters do the “fun stuﬀ ” (i.e., ﬁ ghting) instead of 
  boring roleplaying scenes. Players who are willing 
  to open their characters up to romantic possibili-
  ties — who take lots of DNPCs (even if they get 
  no points for them), who act like someone in love 
  might act, who, in short, get in the campaign mood 
  — should be rewarded for their participation.
  TEEN CHAMPIONS
  A sort of “meta-genre” or “subgenre” common to 
  comic book superheroes are stories focusing on teen-
  age superheroes. Teen Champions heroes (who oft en, 
  but not always, face oﬀ  against teen villains) have to 
  deal not only with the usual travails of superheroing 
  (risking their lives, maintaining a Secret Identity, and 
  so on), but all the baggage that comes with being a 
  teenager. In addition to saving the world on a regular 
  basis, they have to get their homework done on time 
  (and get good grades!), cope with teen romance prob-
  lems, deal with family-related issues, get permission to 
  use the family car and stay out late, and ﬁ nd a date for 
  the prom.
  GUIDELINES
  School Daze.  To run a Teen Champions game, ﬁ rst and 
  foremost you need a proper setting. For some Teen 
  Champions campaigns, that setting is a special school 
  or academy for superpowered children. Th is has some 
  beneﬁ ts (all the heroes are in the same place most of 
  the time, and they automatically form a team), but 
  also some drawbacks (it eliminates a lot of the story-
  driving dilemmas that confront teen superheroes). 
  Other games take place in a typical modern-day city, 
  with the heroes attending one or more regular high 
  schools.
  Keep Power Levels Low. It’s ﬁ ne for these teen supers 
  to be able to be more powerful than their friends in 
  high school, certainly, but they shouldn’t be able to 
  carry City Hall around or blast Mount Shasta into a 
  steaming crater. If they possess a high level of power, 
  the PCs feel powerful and dominant — which runs 
  contrary to what this sort of campaign is all about. It’s 
  appropriate for the GM to impose signiﬁ cant point 
  and eﬀ ectiveness ceilings, such as 40 Active Points in 
  powers, or no SPDs above 4 without special permis-
  sion.
  Make Secret Identities A Must. A teen campaign can 
  never have an appropriate level of angst if there aren’t 
  compelling reasons for the teen supers to keep their 
  heroic identities secret from their parents and class-
  mates. Th e reasons can be as simple or elaborate as 
  the GM and players wish. For instance, assuming a 
  somewhat paranoid atmosphere, you might establish 
  that people who demonstrate superpowers are always 
  inducted into secret branches of the armed forces, 
  with their families sequestered for study by govern-
  ment scientists. If the teen hero doesn’t want that to 
  happen, he’ll have to keep his real name a secret, and 
  will have to dodge the occasional eﬀ orts by govern-
  ment representatives to unmask him.
  Orient Stories Around Teen Interests. Most of the 
  campaign’s stories should have at their core some sort 
  of teenaged-oriented theme. Examples might include:  
  the struggles of holding down a job (when one’s time 
  is divided not only between it and school but also 
  superhero responsibilities); young love (even more 
  complicated for teen supers than ordinary teens, since 
  their boyfriends/girlfriends might end up being pos-
  sessed by demons, unknowingly being the oﬀ spring of 
  the town’s villainous mad scientist, or hateing or fear-
  
  43 
  Champions
  ing superheroes); struggles for independence (if an 
  ordinary teen that his parents are too restrictive, imag-
  ine the feelings of a teen who could ﬂ y to the Moon... 
  if he weren’t grounded for the next week); personal 
  attractiveness (acne and braces aﬄ  ict supers as well 
  as normals); disapproval (from parents, relatives, 
  and people in general who deride the heroes’ music 
  tastes, friends, clothes, and hobbies); and so on. Every 
  menace can be a metaphor for one of the heroes’ inner 
  struggles — for instance, the 80’ tall motorcyclist who 
  crushes the neighborhood under his wheels is both a 
  dangerous enemy and a reﬂ ection of what one of the 
  heroes would really like to be....
  APPROPRIATE UNLIKELY ACTIONS
  Design The Person First. A campaign like this revolves 
  more around the personalities of the characters than 
  their powers. If at all possible, come up with the per-
  sonality, history, and home details of a player charac-
  ter before worrying about his powers.
  Create Unusual Powers As A Basis For Others. Teen 
  superhumans usually start out with a small suite of 
  narrowly-deﬁ ned powers. For example, instead of 
  being able to teleport at will, a teen hero might have 
  the ability only to teleport between patches of shadow. 
  Instead of being super-strong all the time, he might 
  need to absorb solar energy to exercise his full STR 
  (so he’s much less eﬀ ective at night or indoors). Th is 
  reﬂ ects the relative newness of a teen hero’s powers, 
  and his relative inexperience in using them. As the 
  campaign goes on, the character can spend earned 
  Experience Points to improve his powers by buying 
  oﬀ  Limitations, adding more eﬀ ect, and so forth. 
  Eventually he has unrestricted Teleportation or can 
  use his full super-strength at all times. (Th e GM might 
  even consider holding back some of the heroes’ start-
  ing points, so he can hand them out in small lump 
  sums throughout the game to represent character 
  growth.) Players who design characters along these 
  guidelines, and who roleplay the eﬀ ects appropriately, 
  should be rewarded with more “screen time,” more 
  opportunities for roleplaying, and hopefully more 
  Experience Points. 
  Have Weaknesses And Vulnerabilities. For many 
  players, the whole point of character design is to 
  eliminate as many weak points as possible — aft er 
  all, superheroes are supposed to be strong, powerful, 
  and conﬁ dent. But that approach runs contrary to 
  many of the themes of Teen Champions. A teen super 
  (whether hero, villain, or neutral) should have one or 
  more points of vulnerability, places where he can be 
  hurt or manipulated by ordinary friends, relatives, and 
  authorities. It’s especially appropriate for teen supers 
  to have the Only In Heroic Identity Limitation on most 
  of their powers, making them ordinary kids (vulner-
  able to school bullies and sports injuries as anyone 
  else) when in their Secret Identities, or to have some 
  obvious, unconcealable trait they’re very sensitive 
  about — so much so they’ll be pained by or even ﬂ ee 
  taunting.
  Make Inappropriate Choices. No experienced adult 
  superhero is likely to fall in with a “bad crowd” 
  because of peer pressure, or use his superpowers 
  in irresponsible ways — but a teen superhuman 
  certainly might. Th e temptation to show oﬀ  their 
  powers undoubtedly preys on the minds of many 
  teen heroes, especially ones who are snubbed or 
  bullied by their classmates. A player who roleplays 
  these situations appropriately should be rewarded 
  for doing so.
  
  44 
  HERO SYSTEM 5TH EDITION
  I
  n the standard four-color superhero campaign 
  — one based on the genre characteristics of 
  the massive, superhero-laden universes of the 
  major comic book publishers — a tremen-
  dous number of events or resources allow for the 
  creation of superheroes and supervillains. Th ey 
  include, but are not limited to:
  Alien Species:  Th e galaxy features other sapient 
  races (perhaps countless numbers of them), and 
  in some cases, representatives of those races are 
  super-powered. It may be that all members of those 
  races are super, at least on Earth; it may be that only 
  a few are; it may be that intermingling of alien and 
  Human DNA results in supers.
  Extradimensional Energies:  Quantum physics, 
  high-order mathematics, natural energy ﬁ elds in 
  the body or completely inexplicable circumstances 
  might cause a character to interact in a strange way 
  with the very fabric of reality. Being able to slip 
  partway or completely into another dimension is 
  a plausible explanation for powers such as Deso-
  lidiﬁ cation, Teleportation, Damage Reduction, and 
  super-speed.
  Genetic Manipulation:  Breakthroughs in gene 
  replacement therapy, long theorized and now 
  beginning to appear in greater and greater num-
  bers, suggest a world in which superheroes not 
  only appear, but are designed by geneticists in 
  laboratories. Unlike many of the other power ratio-
  nalizations here, the “designer genes” explanation 
  doesn’t come with a long list of genre conventions 
  or assumptions — when you say “psionics,” people 
  think about a short list of powers, but in the comics 
  there’s no short list associated with gene modiﬁ ca-
  tion. So this power origin serves as a very broad 
  one; players can use it for practically any power the 
  GM permits.
  Magic And Mysticism:  In this world, magic really 
  exists. Ordinary people (or, if the GM prefers, a 
  select subset of people who possess some sort of 
  magical ancestry) can learn sorcery, and there may 
  be families that possess inherent magical powers or 
  traits. Such campaign worlds are also usually char-
  acterized by the presence of remnants of ancient 
  magical civilizations, connections to dimensions 
  inhabited by the gods of various mythological pan-
  theons, and the like.
  Mutation:  Much as with the Genetic Engineering 
  option above, this campaign allows the notion of 
  genes gone amok to explain the presence of super-
  powers, but in this case the genes are modiﬁ ed by 
  nature and chance. Many campaigns explain these 
  genetic alterations as being the result of radiation 
  released into the atmosphere during the August 
  1945 bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki and 
  atmospheric atom bomb tests by the Americans, 
  Soviets, French, Chinese, and other nations since 
  then.
  Psionic Powers:  Modern culture is steeped in an 
  awareness of paranormal phenomena, and the 
  many powers attributed to extrasensory perception 
  — telepathy, telekinesis, distance viewing, pyrokine-
  sis, astral projection, and so on — make psionics a 
  good source for superpower origins.
  Super-Science:  Th e assumption that the technology 
  of tomorrow (or of the campaign world today) will 
  be smaller, faster, more powerful, and more energy-
  eﬃ  cient than ours — not to mention capable of 
  accomplishing tasks that ours simply can’t — pro-
  vides rationales for a great number of superpowers. 
  Build microminiaturized laser beams, ion thrust-
  ers, environment systems, communications, sight 
  enhancement gear, and a force ﬁ eld into a device a 
  human can step into and seal around him, and you 
  have a set of powered armor — an instant super-
  hero.
  Supernatural Forces:  Th e existence of the supernat-
  ural (ghosts, vampires, werewolves, curses, and so 
  on) provides explanations for many possible super-
  hero powers. What if someone were descended 
  from a vampire, and possesses some of the vam-
  pire’s powers, only a few of his weaknesses? What if 
  a scientiﬁ c genius discovered that lycanthropy (the 
  condition of being a werewolf) were a virus that 
  caused speciﬁ c physical modiﬁ cations, and could 
  be altered in the lab, resulting in a breed of wolf-
  man that was not cursed to mindlessly hunt and 
  slaughter innocents during the full moon? (Note 
  that “the supernatural” in the context of super-
  power origins is oft en distinct from “magic,” in that 
  the supernatural is normally considered something 
  unnatural, to be feared, so any association with it 
  by a super is cause for normal people to regard him 
  with suspicion or dread.)
  Training:  In the comic books, training and dedica-
  tion can take a seemingly-normal person a long 
  way, allowing that person to become competitive 
  with true superhumans. Assume, for instance, that 
  a genetically normal man or woman can train up 
  to a STR of 20, providing 4d6 damage in combat. 
  If that person learns a martial art with a maneuver 
  that adds +4d6, the damage per attack becomes 
  8d6. If the person buys four Extra DCs, the damage 
  becomes 12d6. Th is character can’t act in every way 
  like a character with STR 60, but can do as much 
  damage in combat.
  SOURCES OF 
  SUPERPOWERS
  
  45 
  Champions
  Of course, the GM is free to add more 
  sources not described above, or to “subdivide” 
  these broad categories into more speciﬁ c ones. 
  Less common than the sources above, but equally 
  valid in a superhero environment, include such 
  choices as extraordinary luck, use of drugs (which 
  would fall under Super-Science but is seldom 
  seen in comics these days), manipulation of the 
  body’s natural electromagnetic ﬁ eld, and so on.
  Th e choice of which events or circumstances 
  permit superpowers on your world is a very 
  important one. Th e fewer events the GM chooses, 
  the tighter the range of powers and special eﬀ ects 
  PCs can manifest.
  UNLIMITED SOURCE 
  CAMPAIGNS 
  Most Champions campaigns are “unlimited 
  source” games. In an unlimited source campaign, 
  the GM permits just about every conceivable 
  origin for superpowers. Th is oﬀ ers the advan-
  tage of giving the players a very broad range of 
  backgrounds for their characters. On the other 
  hand, this approach oft en risks the players’ willing 
  suspension of disbelief, especially when several of 
  those players are not comic book fans and aren’t 
  predisposed toward this most unlikely view of the 
  universe.
  An unlimited source campaign presupposes 
  a campaign setting that is (or once was) regu-
  larly visited by a number of alien races, has one 
  or more traditions of magical training, was once 
  dominated by the gods of legend (perhaps by 
  several diﬀ erent pantheons, either concurrently 
  or consecutively), experienced a wide variety of 
  genetic mutations appearing primarily in the 
  years aft er the use of the ﬁ rst atom bombs (and 
  later duplicated and improved upon in the labora-
  tory), features vampires and mummies and other 
  thing that go bump in the night, all the while 
  being the home of several martial arts traditions 
  that allow the most devout students to achieve 
  superhuman levels of ability... it’s a lot for some 
  players to accept. It may seem more like a super-
  market tabloid world than a comic book world. 
  Nevertheless, because it mimics established comic 
  book worlds, this approach suits more Champions 
  campaigns than any other.
  LIMITED SOURCE 
  CAMPAIGNS 
  In many cases where not all the players 
  accept every source for superpowers, or where 
  the GM has a speciﬁ c type of setting or storyline 
  in mind, the GM will want to use a subset of the 
  available choices, relating them to one another 
  whenever possible. In many cases, one of these 
  sources deﬁ nes the ﬂ avor of the campaign, and 
  the others support it.
  Example:  Morgan plans to have a campaign 
  oriented around mutant characters. Obviously, 
  he permits the Mutation source.
  He decides that, logically, various governments 
  and medical cartels, as they discover the existence 
  of mutants, will begin to try to duplicate and 
  improve on those genetic patterns. Th erefore char-
  acters are permitted to use Mutation and Genetic 
  Engineering as the basis for their powers. Morgan 
  decides to distinguish between true mutants and 
  deliberately engineered mutants this way:  engi-
  neered mutants do not show up on devices that 
  scan for mutant powers (thus these characters 
  cannot take Distinctive Features: Mutant, and are 
  not as vulnerable to being Hunted), but only true 
  mutants can take Multipowers, and only they 
  can have powers with an Active Point value of 
  75 (engineered mutants are limited to 60 Active 
  Points).
  Morgan further decides Super-Science permits a 
  small number of superpowers (deﬁ ned as super-
  miniaturized implants and gadgets); these are 
  limited to Enhanced Senses and a short list of 
  other Powers.
  Finally, Morgan says that Training, speciﬁ -
  cally Martial Arts, allows a character to attain 
  superhuman levels of damage, but does not 
  permit superpowers with martial arts rationale 
  (for instance, using the manipulation of ch’i as 
  an excuse to purchase Telekinesis or Damage 
  Reduction).
  
  46 
  HERO SYSTEM 5TH EDITION
  Example:  Dean wants to run a campaign in 
  which most of the PCs are sorcerous supers, 
  so he chooses Magic and Mysticism as the 
  principal source for origins in the campaign. As 
  with Mutants in the campaign example above, 
  he decides to oﬀ er this Source an advantage 
  in character-building:  only mystics can base 
  powers on Variable Power Pools or Multipow-
  ers, and only mystics’ powers can have up to 90 
  Active Points; all others are limited to 60. On 
  the down side, mystics must have the Limitation 
  Requires A Skill Roll on all their powers.
  Other origin Sources are available. Among them 
  are Supernatural Forces (whose powers, though 
  less potentially mighty than those of Magic and 
  Mysticism, tend to be more reliable, since they 
  do not call for Skill Rolls) and Training. In this 
  campaign, Dean decides there’s an important 
  link between the world of magic and that of 
  martial arts, so martial artists can buy some 
  superpowers that seem appropriate to the mys-
  ticism surrounding the world of martial arts.
  UNIFIED THEME 
  CAMPAIGNS
  Another way to deﬁ ne a campaign is to require 
  all PCs to belong to a common theme. Th is does 
  not mean a common source (though sources some-
  times act as themes) or a common set of special 
  eﬀ ects (e.g., all characters possessing powers of ﬁ re 
  or based on extrasensory perception). Instead, it 
  signiﬁ es that all the characters have a common sort 
  of background that sets them apart both from ordi-
  nary humanity and more other superteams where 
  each hero has a diﬀ erent sort of superhero role and 
  background. Alternately, the GM may decide that all 
  superheroes in the world share the same theme.
  Some examples of possible themes/campaigns 
  include:
  All-Alien. Th e PCs could belong to one speciﬁ c alien 
  race; perhaps they are extraterrestrials stranded on 
  Earth, using their nonhuman powers to protect the 
  inhabitants of this world. (Such a campaign could 
  have them be favorites of the people, or passing for 
  human, or feared by humanity.) An all-alien cam-
  paign could be played for laughs, with the aliens’ 
  oddball perceptions of Earth customs acting as the 
  source for most of the humor, or could be deadly 
  serious, with Earth government forces determined to 
  hunt down and dissect/exterminate the alien heroes.
  All-Aquatic. Every character in this campaign would 
  have the ability to breathe water (or have convenient 
  technology that supplied him with a breathable 
  atmosphere while underwater), and most of their 
  adventures would take place in the ocean depths. 
  Th is sort of campaign tends to be similar to the 
  “Strange Super Societies” element described on page 
  14, with an important distinction:  all-aquatic heroes 
  tend to interact with “surface people” on a regular 
  basis (for instance, when surface activities like radio-
  active waste dumping or bomb testing endanger the 
  undersea environment, or when surface criminal 
  organizations enact some scheme and send agents 
  down into the watery deep).
  All-Martial Arts. Every PC would have a distinct mar-
  tial arts style (sibling teams and hero/sidekick pair-
  ings could possess the same martial art, naturally). 
  Th e supers’ powers would have martial-arts special 
  eﬀ ects; some might be based on martial arts notions 
  such as ch’i, breath control, secret techniques, and 
  so on. (See Th e Ultimate Martial Artist for plenty of 
  ideas for such characters.)
  All-Mercenary. Th e heroes in this type of campaign 
  all belong to an organization that performs missions 
  for money. Th ey might be morally and ethically 
  upright missions (performing an outer space rescue 
  of endangered astronauts), or morally ambiguous 
  and questionable ones (inﬁ ltrating a foreign country 
  and kidnapping its leader to turn over to an intelli-
  gence agency). Th is can be especially fun for players 
  who don’t want to worry about the ethical side of 
  power use; all PCs would need to be similarly disin-
  terested in weighing questions of rights and conse-
  quences. Or the campaign could be set up precisely 
  to explore these dilemmas, and the heroes must ﬁ nd 
  some way to walk a moral tightrope on any mis-
  sion where their objective falls a little too far on the 
  wrong side of the line they’d prefer not to cross.
  All-Monster. In this campaign, every character is 
  some type of monster. Th ey might all be of the same 
  approximate type of monster (all vampires, all were-
  wolves, all golems), or each character might be the 
  only example in this group of his type of monster. 
  In any case, All-Monster campaigns usually involve 
  the heroes keeping out of the way of monster-slayers, 
  from villagers with pitchforks to dedicated and pro-
  ﬁ cient enemies of the supernatural, while combating 
  even more secret forces that actually are powerful 
  and evil.
  All-Monster Hunter. Th e diametrical opposite of the 
  All-Monster campaign is the one in which every 
  character is a dedicated adversary of monsters. Th e 
  degree to which these characters can be considered 
  “superheroes” is debatable — they spend most of 
  their campaign time tracking down and destroying, 
  or sometimes curing, monsters — but when they 
  interact with more customary superheroes, they can 
  perform more normal costumed crimeﬁ ghting tasks.
  All-Mystic. Every character in this campaign is a 
  student of the supernatural. Usually it’s not enough 
  for them to have powers that derive from magic in 
  some way (for instance, a character possessing an 
  enchanted ring that allows him to transform into 
  an indestructible ﬂ ying strongman); all must be 
  students of magic, with their studies and curiosity 
  leading them into adventures that chieﬂ y deal with 
  realms of magic and the supernatural.
  All-Patriot. Every PC belongs to the same nation 
  and is an evident symbol of that nation. Most wear 
  costumes based around the nation’s ﬂ ag or ﬁ gures 
  from its folklore, the better to keep the aﬀ ection of 
  the people. Th e adventures of All-Patriot campaigns 
  tend to revolve around the heroes’ conﬂ icts with 
  supers and menaces from opposed nations, and are 
  
  47 
  Champions
  best set during wartime.
  All-Tech. In this campaign, every PC has powers 
  based on technology. Th e group might include gad-
  geteers, powered armor characters, cyberkinetics, 
  and many other types of heroes, but all of them are 
  united by their interest in and use of super-tech. 
  Most of their adventures revolve around technol-
  ogy as well — they have to stop industrial sabotage 
  (or villains who want to steal their own tech), help 
  the space program solve its problems, and so forth.
  All-Teen. See Teen Champions on page 42.
  All-Vigilante. In the comics, most supers, and almost 
  all superhero teams, ﬁ nd some way to cooperate 
  with the authorities. Some operate with oﬃ  cial 
  government sanction, some work out informal 
  arrangements that allow supers and law enforce-
  ment both to operate without stepping on one 
  another’s toes too oft en. But in this sort of cam-
  paign, all the heroes act as judge, jury, and (pos-
  sibly) executioner, distinctly putting them on the 
  wrong side of the law. All PCs in such a campaign 
  should take the Disadvantage of being Hunted by 
  various law enforcement organizations (and pos-
  sibly by superheroes as well).
  Th e advantage of running a uniﬁ ed theme 
  sort of campaign is that the player characters tend 
  to cooperate more readily — circumstances oft en 
  force them to trust one another and become more 
  dependent on one another. In addition, characters 
  with common thematic backgrounds oft en have 
  common elements in their background stories, 
  meaning the GM doesn’t have to create as many 
  antagonists or villain organizations. For example, in 
  a campaign based on normal four-color superhero 
  team comic books, there needs to be one supernat-
  ural bad guy organization, one high-tech superspy 
  organization, one villainous time-traveling organi-
  zation, one intelligence agency led by a villain with 
  a mysterious agenda, and so on, ad inﬁ nitum. In an 
  All-Mystic campaign, you only need the supernatu-
  ral bad guy organizations.
  
  48 
  HERO SYSTEM 5TH EDITION
  S
  uperhero campaigns wouldn’t be much like 
  the comic books if they didn’t implement 
  certain genre conventions — things that don’t 
  normally happen in real life, and that oft en 
  don’t make sense, but that are all part of making 
  comic books what they are. Th is section discusses 
  many of them and how you can simulate them in a 
  HERO System campaign.
  Th e “rules” described here detail the way 
  things work in the comic books, and players who 
  are readers of the comics will probably expect these 
  genre conventions to hold true for your campaign. 
  If you choose to disallow any of these comic book 
  conventions — for example, maybe you think the 
  rule about any mask, no matter how small, being 
  suﬃ  cient to conceal a character’s identity is stupid 
  — tell your players before the campaign starts so 
  they’ll know to take a diﬀ erent approach to that 
  particular issue.
  SECRET IDENTITIES 
  Most superheroes and supervillains maintain 
  Secret Identities — when they use their super-
  powers, they do so while wearing a costume that 
  conceals their true features and using a codename 
  distinct from their genuine names. In HERO System 
  terms, Secret Identity is a form of Social Limitation 
  (see pages 338-39 of the HERO System 5th Edition, 
  Revised).
  In many superhero worlds, this habit came 
  about in the era of the pulp heroes, described 
  above, when heroes sometimes operated outside 
  the law. Th ose heroes generally concealed their true 
  features behind dark overcoats, ﬂ oppy hats, and 
  concealing masks or scarves, and used frightening-
  sounding code-names. Th ese habits made it harder 
  for organized crime or law enforcement to punish 
  the heroes (or their loved ones) for their crime-
  ﬁ ghting activities.
  What The Secret 
  Identity Is For 
  Any character who takes a Social Limitation:  
  Secret Identity should inform the GM what he con-
  siders its primary purpose to be. Th e GM can then 
  make use of the Secret Identity to generate plots 
  and subplots for use in the campaign.
  TO AVOID CONSEQUENCES FOR ILLEGAL/
  AVENGEABLE ACTIONS
  Th e most common purpose for maintaining 
  separate civilian and hero identities is to prevent 
  villains and criminals from taking revenge on 
  the character (and his loved ones) for his actions. 
  (Similarly, the character may not want to expose 
  his civilian identity to arrest and prosecution by the 
  authorities.) For this to be a concern, the character 
  should have one or more other Disadvantages and 
  background circumstances that interact with his 
  Secret Identity — one or more Hunteds, DNPCs, or 
  the like.
  TO KEEP THE AFFECTION OF LOVED ONES
  It may be that the character has a loved one 
  who would react very badly — abandon him, have 
  a heart attack, and so on — if he learned the char-
  acter was a super. For example, a hero might have a 
  girlfriend who loves him deeply but loathes his cos-
  tumed identity due to some misunderstanding, and 
  a sickly relative whose health might fail completely 
  if he learned about the character’s superheroic pur-
  suits. Typically the loved one is a DNPC, but that’s 
  not required. Th e GM must remember to utilize the 
  NPC on a regular basis, placing the secret of the PC’s 
  identity in jeopardy and causing him to have to jump 
  through hoops to maintain it; otherwise the charac-
  ter receives his Disadvantage points for nothing.
  TO GET MORE POINTS
  Even if a player describes in a convincing way 
  why his character has a Secret Identity, it may be 
  that he has actually taken the Disadvantage primar-
  ily because his character needs 15 more Character 
  Points. Here are some danger signs that this is the 
  case:
  ■ Th e character’s Secret Identity is known to all his 
  loved ones and teammates
  ■ Th e character has no loved ones who might suﬀ er 
  if his identity were to be revealed to the world.
  ■ Th e character has a job that causes him no incon-
  venience (he is a freelancer who can adjust his 
  work schedule and location without consequence, 
  the character is Filthy Rich, and so on).
  If enough of these circumstances are in eﬀ ect 
  that the GM suspects the character is getting 
  away with having a Secret Identity that does not 
  disadvantage him, the GM should either require 
  the player to buy oﬀ  the Disadvantage or ﬁ nd 
  some way to make the character suﬀ er for having 
  the Disadvantage. Tactics for the latter approach 
  include having long-lost relatives suddenly appear, 
  having the PC grow romantically interested in an 
  NPC only to realize he is afraid of or antagonistic 
  toward supers (either in general, or the character’s 
  superheroic identity in particular), or having the 
  ELEMENTS OF 
  THE GENRE
  
  49 
  Champions
  character temporarily lose his dream job/personal 
  fortune and suddenly have to work more at the 
  behest of others.
  Costumes 
  In the more modern eras of the superhero, the 
  concealing garments of the pulp hero have become 
  distinctive costumes, instantly recognizable and 
  trademarkable combinations of clothes, accessories, 
  and colors, oft en tight-ﬁ tting (and perhaps a bit 
  revealing). In theory, each super designs his cos-
  tume to leave a distinctive impression — to cause 
  others to recognize his loyalties (such as costumes 
  bearing patterns from a national ﬂ ag), to fear him 
  (costumes bearing symbols that cause dread, such 
  as skulls, frightening animals, or weapons), or just 
  to recognize him in any circumstance (very bright 
  and distinctive color combinations).
  WHO WAS THAT MASKED MAN?
  One of the most enduring costume-related 
  “bits” involves the sacred nature of minor facial 
  alterations. In the comics, the smallest mask or 
  most ephemeral of changes to a character’s appear-
  ance constitutes a change so dramatic that people 
  who have known the character in both identities 
  for years cannot penetrate the deception. Such 
  minor facial alterations can include:
  ■ A change in hair style (long rather than short, one 
  lock of hair falling across the forehead in one iden-
  tity but brushed back in another)
  ■ A change in hair color (blonde for black)
  ■ Addition or subtraction of facial hair (pencil-thin 
  mustache versus no mustache)
  ■ Use of a minor facial accessory (eyeglasses, false 
  tattoo on one cheek)
  ■ Wearing a mask, no matter how small or non-
  concealing
  ■ Wearing a tinted faceplate over the entire face, 
  allowing witnesses to see one’s features only in 
  monochrome
  DON’T WORRY ABOUT THAT DIET
  Th e most common sort of costume found with 
  superheroes is skintight, the majority of the cos-
  tume being as stretchable as swimwear but much 
  less prone to wrinkle. For this reason, any superhu-
  man character can choose to have a perfect body 
  — one an ordinary active lifestyle maintains, one 
  that does not gain pounds over the holiday feasting 
  season, one that does not suﬀ er severe metabolism 
  changes as the hero ages — regardless of whether 
  his powers and activities in the game seem to jus-
  tify it.
  Having a Perfect Superhero Body does not 
  require the character to buy a high Comeliness or 
  take a Distinctive Features Disadvantage. A player 
  can choose for his character not to have a perfect 
  body, but this doesn’t warrant any sort of Disadvan-
  tage, either.
  DON’T WORRY ABOUT STRAPS OR GLUE
  For reasons no one has ever adequately 
  explained, superhero costumes don’t slip, bunch, 
  or fall oﬀ , regardless of how they are stretched or 
  abused. It is therefore safe for a male hero to ﬂ it 
  about in a costume that is little more than a pair 
  of brightly-colored briefs — no dive into a body of 
  water, no matter how clumsy, will ever strip them 
  from him. Female heroes can feel conﬁ dent that 
  their strapless tops will stay up. Th is is just a char-
  acteristic of the physics of a superhero world.
  If a GM wants to be a little more realistic, he 
  can say that among the many materials available 
  to superheroes is a sheer skintight material that 
  breathes, stretches without wrinkling, and can be 
  dyed to match just about any skin tone. Conse-
  quently, when a costume appears to be mostly bare 
  ﬂ esh, it is actually covered in part by this useful 
  material, which serves as a base for the apparently-
  daring portions of the costume to be attached to. 
  (Naturally, ice skaters and ballroom dancers will 
  make extensive use of the same material.)
  IT’S NOT FOR SALE AT THE CLOTH STORE
  Related to the notion of the ﬂ esh-covered 
  bodystocking above, another “bit” you can intro-
  duce in your campaign is the Near-Magical Cos-
  tume Material. Th is is a type of cloth, plastic, force 
  ﬁ eld projection, or other material normally found 
  only in superhero costumes. Possible characteristics 
  for the Near-Magical Costume Material include 
  indestructibility (the costume doesn’t prevent 
  damage from reaching the wearer, but it does not 
  sustain damage itself, and so remains clean and 
  untorn despite how badly its wearer is pounded), 
  self-healing (the material does sustain damage, but 
  then proceeds to ﬁ x itself so that, within minutes, 
  it appears as though it has never been scuﬀ ed), or 
  lightweight armor (it provides the character with 
  armor that is much lighter, less cumbersome, and 
  more breathable than any material known to law 
  enforcement) (see accompanying sidebar).
  Th e general public cannot buy Near-Magical 
  Costume Material, but it tends to be readily avail-
  able to superheroes. Superhero inventors help other 
  heroes out by supplying quantities of the material, 
  for instance, or the campaign may feature one or 
  more NPCs who provide the material to a limited 
  clientele.
  TEMPORARY CONCEALMENT
  It’s also important to remember that a super-
  hero character, assuming he’s normal human size 
  and doesn’t have extraordinary Distinctive Features 
  (smells like a stockyard, trails tentacles out to a 
  distance of ten yards behind him, or the like) can, 
  under normal circumstances, throw a trench coat 
  and a hat on over his costume and walk around 
  on city streets without attracting too much atten-
  tion. Th is is an especially appropriate technique for 
  characters so mutated or scarred by their origins 
  that they can’t even be mistaken for human, yet 
  who, driven by loneliness, must occasionally pull on 
  some heavy-weather gear and walk among human-
  ity.
  NEAR-MAGICAL 
  COSTUME 
  MATERIAL
  Near-Magical Costume 
  Material that is Inde-
  structible or Self-Heal-
  ing is normally bought 
  as an Instant Change 
  Cosmetic Transform 
  (see the sidebar on page 
  238 of the HERO System 
  5th Edition, Revised). 
  With the GM’s permis-
  sion, the character can 
  apply the Limitations 
  OIF and Only To Keep 
  Costume Undamaged 
  (-1).
  Near-Magical Costume 
  Material that provides 
  protection to the wearer 
  is bought as Armor, and 
  is oft en referred to as 
  “bulletproof spandex.”
  Bulletproof Spandex:  
  Armor (6 PD/6 ED) (18 
  Active Points); OIF (-½). 
  Total cost:  12 points.
  Characters may buy 
  more (or less) armor 
  if they wish (up to any 
  ceiling established by 
  the GM — 12 PD/12 ED 
  is usually a good restric-
  tion), and add Limita-
  tions like Activation 
  Roll (to represent only 
  partial coverage of the 
  body) or Ablative (if the 
  armor gets worn away 
  by repeated attacks).
  See Defensive Gadgets 
  on page 125-30 for other 
  defensive options for 
  stylish superhumans.
  
  50 
  HERO SYSTEM 5TH EDITION
  Discovery Of The 
  Secret Identity 
  Here’s one area where a player has a certain 
  amount of leverage on a GM:  if an NPC discovers 
  a hero’s Secret Identity, but the player of that hero is 
  unwilling to give up his Social Limitation:  Secret Iden-
  tity Disadvantage, the GM must ﬁ nd some way for the 
  identity to remain secret — even if the NPC wants to 
  publicize his discovery.
  What this normally means is that an NPC who 
  has discovered a hero’s Secret Identity must be ren-
  dered harmless as a threat to that identity except for 
  those occasions when he’s an active part of a storyline 
  involving that PC. Here are some ways to accomplish 
  this:
  “Who am I? What’s going on?” Bad guys are just as sus-
  ceptible to bump-on-the-head and traumatic-event 
  amnesia as PCs, and the GM can solve any number 
  of problems by having one go through some sort of 
  memory-erasing injury... though of course, the NPC’s 
  amnesia fades whenever the GM wants to bring him 
  back into the story, forcing the PC to ﬁ nd some way to 
  re-induce the memory loss.
  “I enjoy our little “game” too much to end it so 
  abruptly, MegaMan.” Th ere are many reasons why a 
  villain might choose not to expose a PC’s Secret Iden-
  tity. For instance, if he exposes the PC’s identity, some-
  one else might choose to destroy the PC — a privilege 
  the villain reserves to himself alone. A more complex 
  situation might be that the NPC is in love with or has 
  some other relationship with a friend or relative of 
  the PC, and that individual might be hurt if the PC’s 
  identity is exposed. Th e NPC might even develop a 
  grudging respect or other positive emotion toward the 
  PC and decide to keep the secret of the identity out of 
  a sense of friendship or fair play — there are honor-
  able villains out there, aft er all.
  “No one could have survived that!” Th e ultimate way 
  to keep a villain from revealing a hero’s Secret Identity 
  is for that villain to die before he can tell anyone. Th is, 
  of course, is what most players of heroes threatened 
  with exposure hope for, and it happens on occasion. 
  Th ough if published comics prove anything, it’s that 
  no truly memorable villain stays dead forever....
  Captured!
  Th e situation becomes a bit more complicated 
  if a hero in a superhero-unfriendly environment is 
  captured and tried by the authorities; he is certain to 
  have his true identity revealed to the press as a matter 
  of public record. Th is is a more diﬃ  cult problem to 
  resolve. Some ways to do it include:
  “But he can’t be MegaMan, I’ve seen them together!” 
  Th e hero might ﬁ nd a way to convince the authori-
  ties and the public that they got it wrong — that they 
  identiﬁ ed the wrong “innocent civilian” as his Secret 
  Identity. (It certainly helps if the hero is able to set this 
  up even before and during his trial, such as by having 
  a ringer [or a robot] take his place in his civilian life.)
  “Now I must leave my old life behind forever.” Th e 
  character can keep his Secret Identity even aft er that 
  identity is revealed if he takes on a diﬀ erent identity. 
  Typically, he’ll have to change his appearance and 
  forge details of his new identity, and there is that pesky 
  problem with ﬁ ngerprints and perhaps DNA being on 
  ﬁ le, but it is in some cases a viable option.
  “Maybe it’s time to see if the public can accept both 
  MegaMan and Clyde Carruthers.” Th e PC could decide 
  to accept the consequences of the revelation of his 
  identity. He might buy oﬀ  the Social Limitation: Secret 
  Identity Disadvantage, making his identity uncon-
  cealed — thereaft er, people occasionally recognize 
  him in his civilian face and dress. Or he might convert 
  it to the Public Identity form of Social Limitation, 
  suggesting that the notoriety of the revelation of his 
  true name was so great he’s now instantly recognized 
  wherever he goes.
  NONSENSICAL VILLAINY 
  Th ough the career of superhero may seem inex-
  plicably strange, that of the supervillain or criminal 
  mastermind is even stranger, and some of those 
  expressions of strangeness — as impractical, counter-
  productive, or foolish as they oft en seem to tactically-
  minded gamers — are as intrinsic to a Champions 
  campaign setting as strapless costumes that never slip.
  Destroying The World 
  Some supervillains, not content with just causing 
  damage or property loss in a localized area, decide to 
  destroy the world. Horribly deformed mad scientists 
  may wish to avenge their losses by taking out the 
  entire world population; alien invaders might choose 
  to kill everyone so they can terraform the Earth into 
  something more to their liking; mad robots may 
  decide to exterminate all organic life to satisfy their 
  warped programming.
  Of course, “destroying the world” doesn’t nec-
  essarily have to literally mean destroying it. It can 
  instead involve conquering the world, or otherwise 
  transforming it into a place people don’t want to, or 
  can’t, live in. One supervillain might wish to put the 
  entire world population under mind control, another 
  to melt the polar ice and make the world a better place 
  for a secret race of aquatic humanoids, and so on.
  If a Champions campaign is of a certain scale 
  — that is, the characters are not just champions of 
  local justice, but have powers enough to defend the 
  world itself when it is threatened — then the GM will 
  inevitably throw at least one world-threatening plot 
  at the PCs. Over the years, the PCs might oppose sev-
  eral of them. (In other campaigns, “the world” simply 
  becomes “the city” or “the nation,” exposed to similar 
  threats of somewhat lesser scale.)
  Guidelines to remember when executing world-
  destroying plotlines include:
  Match The Villain To The Threat. Villains who can 
  threaten the world should be larger than life, even by 
  the standards of a superhero campaign. Don’t just put 
  a planet-buster bomb in the hands of Dexter Maxwell, 
  crime boss of Boise. Instead, transform Dexter into 
  Megalopolis, the City Who Walks Like A Man, and 
  give him grand schemes and plans forevermore.
  HOW TO DESTROY 
  THE WORLD
  Th e methods by which 
  supervillains can destroy 
  or conquer the world 
  are myriad — the only 
  limitations are the GM’s 
  imagination and what’s 
  plausible within the 
  conﬁ nes of the campaign 
  world. Some examples:
  Literally destroy the 
  world — blow it up with 
  MegaBombs, incinerate 
  it with a MegaRay based 
  on the Moon, have a 
  Giant Space Amoeba eat 
  it, and so on. Alternately, 
  the villain can blackmail 
  the world’s leaders with 
  such a threat, demanding 
  money or power as the 
  price for not unleashing 
  his scheme.
  Use psionic powers, 
  magic, or orbital mind 
  control satellites to take 
  control of every human 
  being (or at least the 
  ones in power) (see page 
  123).
  Open a gateway to 
  a nether dimension, 
  unleashing demonic 
  beings that kill every 
  living being on the 
  planet.
  Cause the Moon, or 
  asteroids, to crash into 
  Earth.
  Unleash a super-plague 
  that ends all life on Earth 
  (or, even better, forces 
  everyone to kowtow to 
  the villain to obtain the 
  serum that keeps the 
  plague from becoming 
  lethal).
  Transform the air or 
  plants into something 
  that won’t support higher 
  forms of life.
  Melt the polar ice caps to 
  drown the world.
  Crack open the planet’s 
  crust with an Earthquake 
  Machine, causing dev-
  astating seismic activity 
  and vulcanism (see page 
  118).
  Take control of all Earth 
  governments through 
  secretive behind-the-
  scenes manipulation 
  (or perhaps contrive 
  the start of a true world 
  war involving nuclear, 
  chemical, and biological 
  weapons).
  Continued on page 52
  
  51 
  Champions
  Make It A Multi-part Story. Signiﬁ cant threats to an 
  entire world shouldn’t be solved and overcome in a 
  single play-session. Put the destruction of the world 
  on a timer and let the heroes sweat as the clock ticks 
  down across several episodes. Aft er all, any good plot 
  to destroy the world probably has several sub-parts 
  and consequences for the PCs to deal with... you just 
  have to make sure their adversary achieves enough 
  of his aims at each stage of the adventure that he can 
  continue with his plans.
  Demonstrate The Threat. Th e player characters won’t 
  necessarily feel the danger if it’s simply an on-oﬀ  
  switch (i.e., the world is ﬁ ne, the world is destroyed). 
  Have the threat to the world be something that the 
  villain can demonstrate (e.g., he uses his Earthquake 
  Ray on the New Madrid Fault as an exhibition of 
  his power) or a process that gets worse and worse 
  over time (the atmospheric temperature of the Earth 
  increases day by day, causing the ice caps to begin 
  melting, animal species to begin to die, national infra-
  structures to fail as they can no longer keep up with 
  power demands and medical needs...).
  Don’t Forget The Rewards. In addition to keeping the 
  world as a place where they can actually live, the PCs 
  who defend the world might proﬁ t from an improve-
  ment to their reputations. Assuming the campaign is 
  not set up to keep them in the roles of hated fugitives, 
  the act of saving the world can turn a group of supers 
  from costumed kooks to world-renowned heroes.
  Don’t Do It Too Often. If every storyline involves a 
  threat to the entire world, the PCs rapidly lose interest 
  in lesser dangers. Street crime may become something 
  that is beneath them, and the notion of rescuing a 
  kitten from a tree won’t even occur to them. Th e 
  threat to the world is something the GM should only 
  invoke occasionally, and which will be better-appreci-
  ated for that.
  Th ere’s no requirement that a Champions cam-
  paign feature threats to the entire world. A campaign 
  might center around a single community and not 
  operate at the scale where a world-destroying threat 
  is appropriate. Th ere’s nothing wrong with this, and in 
  such a campaign a threat to the entire community has 
  the same basic emotional importance as a threat to 
  the world would have in a larger-scale campaign.
  Cockroach Durability 
  Th ere’s nothing as durable as a supervillain:  beat 
  him, lock him up, take away his powers, kill him, he’ll 
  probably come back for more. (If he’s popular with 
  both the GM and the players, he’ll deﬁ nitely come 
  back for more.) Even if he truly, unquestionably is 
  defeated/killed/cured, someone else will probably 
  show up with his costume and modus operandi at a 
  later time.
  Among the ways a supervillain can return:
  From Jail:  Escapes; is paroled or pardoned (possibly 
  through malfeasance, such as a bribe to the right 
  person, or even through noble deeds, such as aiding 
  the nation in a time of crisis); conviction overturned 
  on a technicality.
  
  52 
  HERO SYSTEM 5TH EDITION
  From The Loss Of His Powers:  Re-creates original 
  accident/event that caused them; duplicates original 
  powers through use of high technology or magic; 
  “heals” from whatever caused the loss; has a cosmi-
  cally-powerful entity give them back to him for its 
  own inscrutable purposes.
  From Death:  Wasn’t really killed (substituted a 
  double; wasn’t really him in that adventure, but a 
  doppelganger; convincingly faked his death); raised 
  from the dead by supernatural forces; a new villain, 
  possibly an admirer or relative, assumes his costume, 
  powers and identity; had a power/ability previously 
  unknown to the heroes that saved him/resurrected 
  him.
  It’s perfectly all right to keep bringing a villain 
  back aft er every defeat, so long as you follow three 
  simple guidelines:
  First, don’t make the villain the star of the cam-
  paign. No single villain (or NPC) should dominate a 
  campaign; it’s not his name on the front cover of the 
  comic book, aft er all.
  Second, note the diﬀ erence between “hate” and 
  “love-to-hate.” Th e PCs may hate a villain while the 
  players enjoy storylines involving that villain; that’s 
  what’s referred to as a “villain we love to hate.” But if 
  the players actually dislike the villain, and become 
  unhappy each time he returns, it’s time to retire him 
  — let his latest defeat be his last. (Th is has the addi-
  tional advantage of showing the heroes that some-
  times their victories are lasting ones.)
  Th ird, make a villain’s returns plausible. Don’t 
  just let him show back up, again and again, for no 
  good reason. Have a coherent, reasonable explana-
  tion for each re-appearance — preferably one you’ve 
  laid the groundwork for with some foreshadowing 
  earlier in the campaign.
  DAY JOBS 
  Most superheroes, even those without Secret 
  Identities, have occupations that take up more of 
  their time than their costumed antics. But most 
  superheroes’ jobs tend to be glamorous, interesting 
  ones. (Roleplaying games tend to be about wish ful-
  ﬁ llment, superhero games especially so — why not 
  create a character with an interesting occupation?) 
  Th e accompanying sidebar has a list of some of the 
  most common ones seen in the comics.
  Job Interference 
  Regardless of how glamorous a character’s job 
  is (and how much free time or control over his own 
  schedule it gives him), regardless of whether he 
  maintains a Secret Identity, a character’s job should 
  sometimes interfere with his adventuring. Th is is 
  true even if the character has one of the Money 
  Perks — when a character is wealthy, people tend to 
  try to take his wealth away, by legal, extralegal, and 
  downright illegal means. (Specious lawsuits are one 
  favorite tactic.)
  Th is doesn’t mean a GM should punish his 
  characters for having jobs, just that he should intro-
  duce storylines involving each character’s civilian 
  jobs and lives, and those storylines should incor-
  porate some reasonable demands made by the jobs 
  on the character’s time. No matter how ﬂ exible a 
  character’s work schedule, a job demands results. 
  For example, a freelance songwriter may commit to 
  writing the score for a movie, only to discover that a 
  sudden crime wave keeps him hopping and unable 
  to meet his obligations; a lawyer who specializes in 
  research rather than court appearances may have an 
  old friend or fellow superhero beg him to act as the 
  primary lawyer in a trial, which temporarily turns 
  his carefree work schedule into a diﬃ  cult, regulated 
  responsibility.
  FAR AWAY PLACES
  Many superhero settings feature strange and 
  exotic locales for the heroes to visit, oft en inhab-
  ited by mysterious and powerful entities. Th e most 
  common include outer space and alternate dimen-
  sions.
  SPACE
  Many superhero settings feature sentient alien 
  species and inhabited planets other than our own 
  — aft er all, the ﬁ rst true superhero in the comics, 
  Superman, is an alien himself. Sometimes the heroes 
  go into outer space to visit other worlds, perhaps 
  to pursue an alien supercriminal or act as ambas-
  sadors from Earth. At other times, aliens come to our 
  planet, maybe in a spacecraft  crash or as part of an 
  invading armada.
  If sentient aliens exist in the campaign, the GM 
  needs to consider several issues:
  How Technologically Advanced Are They?:  Typically, 
  sentient alien species are depicted as having higher 
  technology than Earth (that’s how they get here, 
  before we get the chance to go to their world, aft er 
  all). However, that doesn’t necessarily have to be the 
  case. Nor does there have to be only one standard; 
  some aliens may be more advanced (perhaps much 
  more advanced) than humanity, while others are 
  beneath us on the ladder of technological evolution. 
  Some may even have “evolved” completely diﬀ er-
  ently, with an emphasis on, say, biological technology 
  instead of electrical devices.
  How Much Contact With Earth?:  How much contact 
  is there between Earth and alien species generally 
  (and important species in particular)? Do aliens 
  occasionally visit our planet in secret to kidnap and 
  impregnate women, or appear only to people on 
  isolated rural roads to sow seeds of doubt and fear? 
  Or have they established diplomatic relations and 
  built embassies? Is there regular trade with alien spe-
  cies (and if so, how has it aﬀ ected Earth’s technology 
  and economies)? Does the average human know of 
  and acknowledge the existence of aliens, or do they 
  remain supermarket tabloid fodder?
  Similarly, the GM should determine each alien 
  species’s attitude toward Earth/humans. Are the 
  aliens friendly or hostile — bent on peaceful interac-
  tion or invasion? Are they primarily interested in 
  cultural and scientiﬁ c exchanges, or do they want us 
  Provoke a much more 
  powerful alien or 
  extradimensional spe-
  cies into attacking Earth.
  Increase the sun’s energy 
  output to fry the world.
  Buy a small game com-
  pany, then parley it into 
  a world-dominating 
  economic entity.
  Shift  the Earth into an 
  alternate, hostile dimen-
  sion.
  TYPICAL 
  SUPERHERO 
  OCCUPATIONS
  Actor
  Architect
  Artist/Craft sman
  Astronaut
  Athlete
  Attorney
  Businessman/Financier
  Doctor
  Fashion model
  Law enforcement oﬃ  cer
  Martial arts instructor
  Millionaire playboy/
  Dilettante
  Musician
  Occultist
  Private investigator
  Scientist/Inventor
  Secret agent/Assassin
  Test pilot
  Writer/Journalist
  Continued from page 50
  
  53 
  Champions
  to buy their goods, or would they prefer to wipe out 
  humanity and colonize Earth themselves?
  Are They Superpowered?:  For a Champions game, 
  it’s important to consider whether aliens can 
  have superpowers the way humans can. 
  Are alien species subject to radiation 
  accidents and mutation, can they use 
  magic, do they build super-gadgets? In 
  some superhero settings, humanity is 
  unique in its capacity for superpowers, 
  giving it an “edge” in a universe inhabited 
  by species who mostly have much better 
  technology than Earth does. In others, any sentient 
  race could develop superpowers (though sometimes 
  humans seem to have a stronger predilection for 
  acquiring them than other species do). Sometimes 
  humans keep certain types of powers (e.g., magic) 
  to themselves, while other types of powers are freely 
  available to all.
  ALTERNATE DIMENSIONS
  Similar in many respects to outer space, alter-
  nate dimensions present a wealth of storytelling 
  and plot development oppor-
  tunities for 
  the GM. Th ey range from 
  “alternate Earths” where 
  most of the details 
  are the same but 
  a few crucial ones 
  diﬀ er (the PCs are 
  all villains, and their 
  enemies are heroes; 
  the Nazis won World 
  War II; dinosaurs evolved 
  to sentience), to dimensions 
  so diﬀ erent from Earth’s that 
  it’s surprising they can exist in 
  the same continuum. Since the 
  number of alternate dimensions 
  is, at least in theory, inﬁ nite, so are the 
  number of characters and plots GMs can create from 
  them — assuming the players don’t get tired of an 
  endless diet of cross-dimensional capers.
  Th e considerations for alternate dimensions 
  are the same as those for outer space:  how much 
  contact is there; how do the heroes get there; what 
  are the inhabitants of the other dimensions’ inten-
  tions toward Earth? Th e main diﬀ erence is that in 
  the comics, dimensional travel tends to be more 
  the province of mystics and manipulators of magic, 
  rather than science. Dimension-breaching devices 
  are certainly possible, but typically adventures that 
  involve travel to alternate planes of existence allow 
  the super-mage, rather than the gadgeteer, to shine.
  MAGIC AND 
  MYSTICISM
  Most published comic book settings include 
  as part of their background the existence of magic. 
  In these worlds, magic is real, and characters can 
  manipulate it. Some are powerful wizards, able to 
  cast many types of spells based on natural talent 
  and/or long years of study; other characters may 
  have mystic superpowers bestowed on them by the 
  gods, or obtained via a magical “radiation” acci-
  dent, bonding with a spirit, or making a pact with a 
  Higher (or Lower) Power.
  Th e existence of magic implies certain things 
  about a comic book superheroes setting, generally 
  speaking. First, it implies the existence of alternate 
  dimensions, possibly an inﬁ nite number of them, 
  many inhabited or controlled by beings who can 
  manipulate magic. Some of those beings (such as 
  demons) may threaten Earth or its inhabitants from 
  time to time; others are nigh-omnipotent dimen-
  sional conquerors able to take on entire squads of 
  SUPER-MAGIC
  Magic spells in the 
  superhero genre usu-
  ally are very diﬀ erent 
  from spells in fantasy 
  or other genres. Th ey 
  have ﬂ ashy names (oft en 
  alliterative). Th ey have 
  even ﬂ ashier eﬀ ects; 
  some of them make the 
  gaudiest superhero cos-
  tume look plain. Lastly, 
  they are fairly easy for 
  super-mages to learn (in 
  game terms, learning a 
  new spell usually just 
  means adding a slot to, 
  or deﬁ ning a new power 
  for, a Power Frame-
  work).
  Although comic book 
  spellcasters oft en wave 
  their hands and spout 
  mystic phrases when 
  casting spells, this is as 
  much for eﬀ ect as any-
  thing; when push comes 
  to shove, they don’t 
  have to Gesture or use 
  Incantations. Th us, they 
  don’t usually take those 
  Limitations on their 
  powers, but they can if 
  they wish.
  Here are a few example 
  spells; you can ﬁ nd 
  some others in the dis-
  cussion of the Mystic 
  archetype on page 76 
  and in the Quick Super-
  human Generator power 
  packages.
  Iskari’s Invoked 
  Iridescence:  Sight and 
  Hearing Group Flash 
  7d6, Reduced Endur-
  ance (0 END; +½). Total 
  cost:  60 points.
  The Lucent Lightnings 
  Of The Loyal Larethian:  
  RKA 2½d6, Armor 
  Piercing (+½). Total 
  cost:  60 points.
  Mantle Of Mastery:  
  Force Field (10 PD/10 
  ED/10 Mental Defense/
  10 Power Defense); 
  Reduced Endurance (0 
  END; +½). Total cost:  
  60 points.
  Vigor Of The Valdar:  Aid 
  Magic 3d6, any Magic 
  Characteristic or Power 
  one at a time (+¼), 
  Ranged (+½). Total cost:  
  52 points.
  Winds Of The Zephirim:  
  Flight 15”, Reduced 
  Endurance (0 END; 
  +½). Total cost:  45 
  points.
  
  54 
  HERO SYSTEM 5TH EDITION
  superhumans.
  Second, it tends to imply that many old leg-
  ends and myths — and the gods and heroes who 
  inhabit them — are real. While mundane scientists 
  may scoﬀ  at such tales, the PCs know the truth. 
  Th is opens the door for ancient cults with insidi-
  ous agendas, PCs who are pagan deities with ava-
  tars in the modern world, and long-lost talismans 
  to be a part of the campaign.
  When deciding whether magic exists in his 
  campaign, and if so how it functions, the GM 
  should consider the following issues:
  Does Magic Really Exist? If the answer is “No,” 
  you’re shutting oﬀ  a lot of possible character ori-
  gins, plotlines, and story hooks, but this option 
  may lead to other interesting avenues for the 
  campaign to explore. For example, if there’s no 
  magic, what’s the source of superpowers for char-
  acters who think they have magic powers?
  If the answer is “Yes,” the GM needs to con-
  sider the remaining questions in this section.
  Where Does Magic Come From? Is there just one 
  source of magic — does it involve gift s of power 
  from higher beings, or the tapping of some weird 
  extradimensional energy, or drawing on reserves 
  of personal magical energy innate to every sen-
  tient being, or always require talismans (i.e., 
  Foci)? Or are there multiple possible sources of 
  magic? If there’s just one source, that does a lot to 
  help the GM deﬁ ne what magic-using characters 
  in the game are like, but it cuts oﬀ  many possibili-
  ties. Multiple sources make for a more diverse 
  Magical World, but may not make mystic abilities 
  seem distinctive from plain old vanilla superpow-
  ers.
  Who Can Learn Magic, And How? Does all magic 
  involve chanted spells, learned only by certain 
  naturally talented persons (perhaps from the 
  same family or bloodline) aft er years of study and 
  practice? Or does every sentient being have the 
  ability to learn and use at least some magics fairly 
  easily? Th e easier magic is to learn and use, the 
  more of an eﬀ ect it has on the campaign — it’s 
  possible to envision a Champions game set in a 
  world where high technology never developed 
  because magic took its place, for example.
  In most comic book settings, magic is a rare 
  thing, learnable only by a relatively few people 
  with special gift s, a particularly high amount of 
  personal discipline, or the like. As such, it’s a very 
  secretive thing; its existence is not bandied about 
  casually, for people are superstitious and fearful. 
  Mystic heroes oft en have to go to extreme lengths 
  to keep the mind-warping secrets of magic from 
  the populace, who couldn’t stand the eldritch 
  strain.
  Who Are The “Big Players” In The Magical World? 
  A comic book setting with magic almost always 
  features some major-league villains with mystic 
  powers. Some are human sorcerers with decades 
  (perhaps centuries) of learning and experience 
  under their belts. Others are extradimensional 
  entities, oft en inimical to Earth or humanity 
  
  55 
  Champions
  for some speciﬁ c reason (perhaps they want to 
  tap the vast magical energies that make Earth a 
  special place, or they’re infuriated by humanity’s 
  continued success at resisting their attempts at 
  conquest).
  SECRET SOCIETIES 
  A superhero world is full of secret societies 
  — some heroic, some villainous, many straddling 
  that fence as they pursue speciﬁ c agendas. In 
  adding detail to a campaign world, the GM can 
  add any number of secret societies. Since they 
  are, in theory, secret, the GM need reveal their 
  existence to the players only as the PCs discover 
  them; at any given time, any number of such soci-
  eties can await discovery.
  Some examples of secret societies:
  Remnants of ancient civilizations. Atlantis may have 
  fallen, but its descendants could live in a domed 
  city at the bottom of the ocean, a cavern system 
  beneath North Africa, or a mercy shelter in Atlantic 
  City, New Jersey. Other appropriate civilizations, 
  real, mythological, or entirely ﬁ ctitious, include 
  Sheba, Lemuria, the Lost Tribes of Israel, the King-
  dom of Prester John, New World Vikings, Amazons, 
  Neanderthals, dinosaur-men, ancient Egyptians, 
  the Hittites, the Maya, the Aztecs, the Olmecs, the 
  Scythians, and so on.
  Modern-era continuations of ancient orders. Th e 
  Templars, the Scholomance school of sorcery, the 
  Teutonic Knights, priesthoods of various mytholog-
  ical gods, the Inquisition, and so on. (In some cases, 
  such as the Knights of Malta or the Jesuits, there 
  are modern-day continuations of such orders, but a 
  GM can create splinter groups with more extreme 
  histories or agendas.)
  Seekers of mystical knowledge. Occultist groups 
  that wish to learn the universe’s magical secrets can 
  be as common as Boy Scout troops; some could 
  be benign, some malevolent, and some neutral 
  but with an unfortunate tendency to accidentally 
  release ancient horrors on the world.
  SUPER-AGENCIES 
  Supervillains and criminal masterminds who 
  need some additional muscle oft en dedicate mil-
  lions of dollars to building up small private armies 
  of super-agents. Almost invariably, they equip these 
  super-agents with garish costumes (distinct from 
  superhero costumes in that they are all alike) and 
  weapons that can inconvenience (and, in circum-
  stances involving massed attacks) even overcome 
  superheroes. (Similarly, governments in Champions 
  settings oft en create super-agencies of their own.)
  For the most part, it’s not really important to 
  delve into the psychology or individual identities 
  of criminal super-agents. You can assume they’re 
  recruited from the nation’s prisons and criminal 
  underworlds and paid enough to overcome any 
  possible reluctance to work for someone who pits 
  them against superheroes and might even kill 
  one or more of them just to make a point.
  See page 165 for more discussion of villainous 
  agencies, and page 177 for some “generic” agent 
  writeups you can use in your Champions campaign.
  ◆
  ◆
  ◆
  Once the GM has dealt with all these ques-
  tions, details, and concerns, he should have a basic 
  template for his Champions campaign.
   
  At this point, it’s time for him (not to 
  mention the players!) to turn to the question of 
  creating characters to populate it.
  
  56 
  HERO SYSTEM 5TH EDITION
  S
  uperhero characters fall into a 
  number of types that have become 
  recognizable to us from the 
  comics. Th is makes it easier for us 
  to recreate them in roleplaying games 
  — and, by ﬁ ddling around with player/
  reader expectations, to create interest-
  ing new variants on familiar types. Th is 
  chapter talks about the ﬁ ne art of creat-
  ing characters who are simultaneously 
  appropriate to a superhero setting (that 
  is, oft en based on familiar archetypes) 
  and also distinctive (remaining unique 
  to the campaign and to the player who 
  creates them).
  Additionally, this chapter discusses 
  many other subjects relating to super-
  hero character creation, including 
  appropriate game elements for superhu-
  mans, what it means to be “superhuman,” 
  the diﬀ erent types of origins used by 
  superhumans, and the like.
  
  57 
  Champions
  O
  ver the years, the HERO System and Cham-
  pions rules have deﬁ ned and redeﬁ ned 
  what it means to be superhuman — espe-
  cially in comparison with so-called “normal 
  humanity.” Questions have arisen about the hard 
  lines separating humanity and superhumanity, 
  only to yield answers that the lines are actually 
  rather blurry. If, for instance, the Normal Charac-
  teristic Maximum for STR is 20, is someone with a 
  21 automatically superhuman? A 23?
  In each campaign, the GM decides where 
  “normal human” ends and “superhuman” begins, 
  but he should make that decision in conjunction 
  with the players, since their characters are the 
  ones most strongly aﬀ ected by the rules.
  You need to consider several factors when 
  making this decision. Th ese include:
  How realistic is the campaign?:  Some games make 
  an eﬀ ort to simulate “real world” reality as closely 
  as possible. In games like this, the range of Char-
  acteristics and abilities is limited:  almost no char-
  acters exceed 20 in their Primary Characteristics, 
  and those above 15 are fairly rare. On the other 
  end of the extreme are campaigns that use the 
  “dramatic reality” of the highest-powered comics 
  and movies, where even the seemingly “normal” 
  people one encounters may have a Primary Char-
  acteristic or two above 20. Th e range of variations 
  in between these extremes is inﬁ nite.
  How speciﬁ c are superpowers?:  In some cam-
  paigns, a superhuman’s powers, and their eﬀ ect on 
  his Characteristics, are tightly deﬁ ned; in others, 
  superhuman Characteristics don’t necessarily have 
  to relate to one’s powers. For example, a psychic 
  character might have higher-than-normal INT 
  and EGO, but just having superhuman powers 
  wouldn’t suﬃ  ce to give him higher-than-normal 
  STR or DEX. But in a typical four-color superhe-
  roes setting, having any sort of superpowers oft en 
  gives a character license to also have superhuman 
  STR, a high COM, innate Resistant Defenses, and 
  the like.
  What classiﬁ cation do PCs fall into?:  Take a look at 
  the Character Ability Guidelines Table on page 28 
  of the HERO System 5th Edition, Revised rulebook. 
  It provides good guidelines for “average” ranges of 
  Characteristics (and the like) for Low-Powered, 
  Standard, High-Powered, Very High-Powered, and 
  Cosmically Powerful superheroes.
  What races does your campaign include?:  In most 
  campaigns, humans predominate, making it rela-
  tively easy for you to determine ranges for Char-
  acteristics based on your own experiences. But if 
  your game has unusual alien or fantasy races, that 
  may skew things — what counts as “superhuman” 
  for a human may not for a dwarf, a merman, or a 
  Rigellian.
  What Characteristics deﬁ ne superhuman?:  Not 
  all Characteristics are the same. It’s fairly easy to 
  deduce or extrapolate the normal/superhuman 
  divide for physical Characteristics like STR, 
  DEX, and PD. But for INT, EGO, PRE, and COM 
  — Characteristics which represent far more sub-
  jective qualities — it’s not that simple. Th us, what 
  amounts to “superhuman” for one Characteristic 
  may be too limiting for another.
  RATING CHARACTERS 
  AND CHARACTERISTICS
  For purposes of analyzing characters and 
  their Characteristics, the HERO System uses seven 
  categories:  Weak, Challenged, Average, Skilled, 
  Competent, Legendary, and Superhuman.
  Characteristics in the Weak range usually 
  represent infants, the extremely aged, persons suf-
  fering from terrible diseases or poisons, and the 
  like. Challenged is one step up from that; it rep-
  resents some children and elderly people, persons 
  suﬀ ering from illness or handicaps, and the like.
  Average is just that — the range of Char-
  acteristics for the typical people encountered 
  during the game, from children to senior citizens. 
  One step up from Average is Skilled. Character-
  istics within the Skilled range can still represent 
  more or less normal persons without any special 
  training or beneﬁ ts. For example, many ordinary 
  people have Skilled-range STR from exercising, 
  INT, EGO, or PRE due to genetics and personality, 
  and so forth.
  Once you get into the Competent range, 
  though, things become a little diﬀ erent. Normal 
  people can sometimes edge into Competent, but 
  usually Competent-level Characteristics result 
  from intensive training, truly rare genetic gift s, or 
  the like. Many heroes, even in Heroic campaigns, 
  have a majority of their Characteristics in this 
  range or higher — that’s one of the things that 
  makes them heroes.
  Beyond Competent is Legendary. Few 
  humans reach this loft y plateau; generally speak-
  ing, ordinary people can never attain it. Only truly 
  exceptional individuals — heroes and superheroes 
  — have Legendary Characteristics. Th e upper 
  limit of Legendary is the upper limit of normal 
  human attainment.
  BEING 
  SUPERHUMAN
  SUPERHEROIC 
  POINT TOTALS
  Th e “Standard” Superhe-
  roic character deﬁ ned by 
  the guidelines on page 
  28 of the HERO System 
  5th Edition, Revised is 
  the “default” approach 
  for Champions cam-
  paigns, including the 
  Champions Universe 
  setting depicted in many 
  Hero Games products. 
  Th at category describes 
  the values these rules 
  regard as most common 
  throughout starting 
  superhero campaigns. 
  In the remainder of this 
  chapter, if examples 
  indicate power levels 
  and point values for 
  powers and do not indi-
  cate some other power 
  level such as Cosmically 
  Powerful or Low-Pow-
  ered, the text means 
  Standard superheroes.
  For more information 
  on point total options, 
  see pages 125-30.
  
  58 
  HERO SYSTEM 5TH EDITION
  At the pinnacle is Superhuman. A character 
  cannot have even a single Characteristic in this 
  range unless superpowers and/or a related expla-
  nation (such as magic, mutation, super-technol-
  ogy, or the like) exist.
  Each GM determines for his own campaign 
  what numbers fall within these ranges. In one 
  game, an Average person might have Primary 
  Characteristics in the 6-10 range, and Superhu-
  man ones in the 31+ range. In another game, 
  Average might be 10-15, and Superhuman 51+. 
  It all depends on GM and player preference, the 
  nature of the campaign, and many other such fac-
  tors. Naturally, each GM should distribute copies 
  of his own “Characteristics Standards Table” to his 
  players when they begin creating characters for 
  his campaign.
  A character doesn’t have to have Superhu-
  man-range Characteristics to be considered a 
  “superhuman.” Th e Superhuman label is simply a 
  convenient one for deﬁ ning a speciﬁ c threshold. 
  Being a superhuman depends primarily on having 
  superhuman abilities of some sort, or an appropri-
  ately superhuman origin for one’s Characteristics, 
  not on crossing that threshold. For example, look 
  at Sapphire on page 189. None of her Primary 
  Characteristics fall into the 31+ range for “Super-
  human” in the Champions Universe. And yet, she’s 
  clearly superhuman — she can ﬂ y, ﬁ re energy 
  bolts, and so forth.
  EXCEEDING THE LIMITS
  Th ere is one way a player character can 
  exceed the limits for a particular Characteristics 
  category (especially Superhuman) without actu-
  ally entering that category:  Limited Characteris-
  tics (and related methods, such as the Lightning 
  Reﬂ exes Talent). With the 
  GM’s permission, a char-
  acter can buy Character-
  istics (or inches of move-
  ment) with appropriate 
  Limitations and deﬁ ne 
  them as Skills, technology, 
  or special abilities, rather 
  than as true “powers” that 
  make him Superhuman 
  (or Legendary, or what-
  ever).
  For example, look 
  at Defender on page 182. 
  Defender’s overall STR of 
  40 clearly boosts him into 
  the “Superhuman” cat-
  egory for the Champions 
  Universe (see below). But 
  his STR has a Limitation 
  — it’s bought through a 
  Focus (his suit of pow-
  ered armor). Defender 
  himself, James Harmon, 
  is an exceptional indi-
  vidual, certainly, but by 
  no means Superhuman 
  in any respect. Th us, even 
  though he has some Superhuman-level attributes, 
  he does not count as Superhuman for campaign 
  purposes. Th e same result would apply to using 
  Lightning Reﬂ exes, extra inches of Leaping that 
  Require An Acrobatics Roll, or other such abilities 
  to verge into the Superhuman.
  Each GM should decide for his own cam-
  paign, and perhaps even on a character-by-char-
  acter basis, just how far characters can take this 
  principle. At some point, no matter how Limited, 
  a Characteristic or ability may become “Superhu-
  man.” For example, enough Lightning Reﬂ exes 
  may represent “Superhuman reﬂ exes,” even if the 
  character’s normal DEX remains well within the 
  Competent or Legendary range, and the charac-
  ter tries to deﬁ ne his Lightning Reﬂ exes as “lots 
  of training.” Just be careful not to let characters 
  strain the “feel” of the campaign and genre too 
  much, and you should be ﬁ ne.
  Example: The 
  Champions Universe
  To give you an example of how to determine 
  the diﬀ erence between normal and superhuman, 
  the accompanying table describes the Characteris-
  tic ranges for the Champions Universe, the setting 
  detailed by several books in Hero Games’s Cham-
  pions product line. Since the Champions Universe 
  is a typical four-color, high adventure sort of 
  superhero setting, GMs can use these standards 
  for similar types of campaigns if they want to. 
  Gamemasters running other types of games can 
  use these standards as guidelines, varying up or 
  down depending upon the tone, degree of realism, 
  and nature of the campaign.
  CHAMPIONS UNIVERSE 
  CHARACTERISTICS STANDARDS
  Char 
  Weak Challenged Average Skilled Competent Legendary Superhuman
  STR 
  1-2 
  3-5 
  6-10 
  11-13 
  14-20 
  21-30 
  31+
  DEX 
  1-2 
  3-5 
  6-10 
  11-13 
  14-20 
  21-30 
  31+
  CON 
  1-2 
  3-5 
  6-10 
  11-13 
  14-20 
  21-30 
  31+
  BODY 1-2 
  3-5 
  6-10 
  11-13 
  14-20 
  21-30 
  31+
  INT 
  1-2 
  3-5 
  6-10 
  11-13 
  14-20 
  21-50 
  51+
  EGO 
  1-2 
  3-5 
  6-10 
  11-13 
  14-20 
  21-50 
  51+
  PRE 
  1-2 
  3-5 
  6-10 
  11-13 
  14-20 
  21-50 
  51+
  COM 
  1-2 
  3-5 
  6-10 
  11-13 
  14-20 
  21-30 
  31+
  PD, ED 0-1 
  1-2 
  3-4 
  5-6 
  7-10 
  11-15 
  16+
  SPD 
  1 
  1-2 
  1-2 
  2-3 
  4-5 
  6-7 
  8+
  REC 
  1 
  1-2 
  2-4 
  5-6 
  7-10 
  11-13 
  14+
  END 
  2-4 
  6-10 
  11-20 
  21-26 
  27-40 
  41-60 
  61+
  STUN 
  3-4 
  7-11 
  12-20 
  21-27 
  28-40 
  41-60 
  61+
  Run 
  1” 
  2-3” 
  4-6” 
  7-8” 
  9-10” 
  11-13” 
  14”+
  Leap 
  0” 
  1” 
  2” 
  3” 
  4-5” 
  6-11” 
  12”+
  Swim 
  0” 
  1” 
  2” 
  3” 
  4-5” 
  6-9” 
  10”+
  ADJUSTING 
  NORMAL 
  CHARACTERISTIC 
  MAXIMA
  Th e Characteristic 
  ranges in the Champi-
  ons Universe Charac-
  teristics Standards table 
  mesh with the standard 
  deﬁ nition of Normal 
  Characteristic Maxima, 
  which assumes a typical 
  ceiling of 20 for Primary 
  Characteristics, with 
  costs doubling beyond 
  that to reﬂ ect the rarity 
  of higher attributes. If 
  you’re running a game 
  with a higher (or lesser) 
  degree of realism, or 
  where Legendary or 
  Superhuman characters 
  are even rarer (or more 
  common) than usual, 
  you may want to reﬂ ect 
  that by adjusting the 
  NCM breakpoint.
  For example, to achieve 
  greater “realism,” you 
  might make 15 the 
  threshold at which 
  Characteristic costs start 
  to double. Th at allows 
  PCs to become Compe-
  tent, but not too Com-
  petent. On the other 
  hand, if you’d like all the 
  PCs to have at least one 
  or two Legendary-level 
  Characteristics, you 
  might bump the NCM 
  breakpoint up to 25.
  
  59 
  Champions
  Character Origins 
  T
  he way a character obtains his powers is of 
  at least as much importance to a campaign 
  as the powers themselves. If, for instance, 
  they are magical, this means there’s magic 
  at work in the campaign — a non-trivial consid-
  eration for the GM. If they’re technological (for 
  example, built into a high-tech suit of armor), the 
  GM must deal with (or at least take into consid-
  eration) the existence of super-technology in the 
  hands of at least one scientist (the builder of the 
  suit). In game terms, the origin of powers can dic-
  tate the use of speciﬁ c Advantages and Limitations 
  in the construction of the powers, give the GM 
  ideas for story plots, and cause the GM to create 
  a great many related non-player characters (for 
  example, super-level martial arts may suggest the 
  existence of other martial artists at a similar level 
  of ability, a history and tradition of superpowered 
  martial arts competition, and so forth).
  ORIGIN CATEGORIES
  In Twelft h Night, Shakespeare wrote that 
  “Some are born great, // Some achieve greatness, 
  // And some have greatness thrust upon them.” 
  Th at statement actually serves to deﬁ ne the three 
  categories of superhero origin stories.
  Born Great
  Here are some of the common origins involv-
  ing being born with or inheriting powers:
  Alien
  Th is character is from another planet or 
  dimension where everybody is physically supe-
  rior to Earth humans. If a superhero has this as 
  the basis for his powers, the GM has to deal with 
  an important question:  what would happen if 
  several people from this place, or several thou-
  sand, showed up on Earth? Typical approaches to 
  dealing with this problem include destroying that 
  place so our hero is the only survivor, or one of a 
  very few survivors; setting up some environmental 
  circumstance that makes it impossible for a typi-
  cal person from that place to survive on the Earth, 
  though the one hero in question can; or setting up 
  circumstances that make it impossible for natives 
  of that place to leave their home except when the 
  GM thinks there’s a good adventure in it.
  Of course, many alien species will be like 
  humans — mostly normal. But perhaps their 
  members could become superheroes through 
  radiation accidents, mutation, training, or any of 
  the other means available to humans. Th e GM 
  needs to decide whether only humans can become 
  superhumans (or humans somehow become 
  superhuman on an unusually frequent basis), or 
  if the ability to gain superpowers is a universal 
  phenomena.
  Godly Ancestry/Bestowal
  A character with this type of origin is the 
  descendant of a god, and has powers appropri-
  ate to that god. In the typical arrangement, a 
  super-strong hero would be the descendant of 
  a super-strong god such as Th or or Heracles; a 
  clever hero would be descended from someone 
  like Athena or Coyote. A variant on Godly Ances-
  try is Godly Bestowal — one of the Powers Th at 
  Be has decided the character is especially worthy 
  and has bestowed tremendous powers upon him 
  (or imbued him with those powers by “merging” 
  with him somehow). Occasionally there’s even a 
  character who simply is a god, one of the rare ones 
  who decides to walk the modern world instead of 
  staying in the land of the gods where there are no 
  taxes, cell phones, or bad sitcoms.
  Mutant
  Th e character’s genetic code is a little dif-
  ferent from that of ordinary people. Th ough the 
  change is subtle, it grants the character superpow-
  ers. In the campaign, perhaps some people feel 
  that these mutations, as they result in the creation 
  of more and more superpowered people, repre-
  sent a fundamental change in the genetic code 
  of humankind, and could be leading to the next 
  evolutionary step in mankind’s development. But 
  sometimes, unfortunately for mutants, people and 
  governments interpret this trend to mean mutants 
  are forerunners of a new species whose inevitable 
  goal must be the destruction, displacement, or 
  enslavement of “true” or “pure” (i.e., non-mutant) 
  humanity, and they seek mutants in an eﬀ ort to 
  control or destroy them.
  Mystic Family/Race
  Th e character belongs to a family or race, 
  normally a subset of humanity, that is imbued 
  with magical or psychic power. Th is may result 
  from ancient pacts with powerful gods, complex 
  magical rituals performed by one of the charac-
  ter’s ancestors, or a “mystic mutation” of some 
  sort. Everyone who belongs to the group has some 
  power, though a player character destined to be a 
  superhero normally has an unusually high degree 
  of it.
  WITH GREAT 
  POWER
  
  60 
  HERO SYSTEM 5TH EDITION
  Achieve Greatness
  Here are some of the common origins involv-
  ing characters who learn or build their superhuman 
  capabilities:
  Build Gadgetry
  Some people, unable to acquire superpowers 
  by other means, retire to the laboratory to create 
  machinery to do the same thing. One typical 
  expression of the “build gadgetry” origin is “pow-
  ered armor,” an all-in-one gadget that provides its 
  wearer with protection and an array of superpower 
  systems (see page 78). Related to this origin is 
  “know someone who builds gadgetry” — i.e., the 
  character is the friend, employee, or other beneﬁ -
  ciary of someone who builds superpowered gadgets 
  rather than being the builder himself. Th e fellow 
  hired to test the gadgets oft en ends up as a super-
  hero or supervillain.
  Mental Training
  Some powers can be rationalized as being a 
  very high level of scientiﬁ c knowledge. Mind Con-
  trol through hypnosis, Teleportation and Extra-
  Dimensional Movement through extraordinarily 
  high-end mathematics, and so on are all expres-
  sions of this origin, but Mental Training acts as the 
  rationale for a small enough set of powers that it 
  usually does not act as the origin story for all of a 
  hero’s abilities. Mental Training also includes many 
  of a superhuman’s non-powered skills.
  Mystical/Magical Training
  Th e character has learned to cast magic spells. 
  He possesses and/or can direct magical energy, 
  allowing him to do many remarkable things. Magic, 
  as a rationale, can conveniently include every 
  power in the book, so it’s a popular choice among 
  players creating characters.
  Physical Training
  Th is origin category includes all the martial 
  arts- and athletics-related origins, and many Skills. 
  For example, you can associate numerous powers 
  with martial arts training; examples include breath 
  control (Armor/Damage Resistance), healing 
  (Healing), ch’i-kung (Telekinesis), Leaping, and 
  more.
  Have Greatness 
  Thrust Upon Them
  Here are some of the common origins involv-
  ing accidental, unintentional, or involuntary acqui-
  sition of superhuman abilities aft er birth:
  Radiation Accident
  Th e traditional form of the comic book 
  radiation accident is a mishap in which a subject is 
  exposed to an unhealthy amount of hard radiation. 
  Th is causes him to experience a sudden non-fatal 
  mutation that gives him superpowers. Th e term 
  comes from inﬂ uential Silver Age comics, many of 
  whom featured characters with origins involving 
  radiation (e.g., bitten by a radioactive animal, bom-
  bardment by “cosmic radiation” in space, or expo-
  sure to strange forms of radiation in a weapons 
  test). Over the years, the term itself has mutated 
  to include just about any of the weird sorts of 
  accidents that create superpowers — a “radiation” 
  accident could involve mutagenic chemicals, magi-
  cal energy, transformative diseases, genetic engi-
  neering, lightning strikes, and any other situation 
  that might cause an unexpected transformation in 
  the character. (For example, “chemical accidents” 
  were a much more common explanation for powers 
  in the Golden Age, and “genetics accidents” are 
  more common in the Iron Age, based on the cur-
  rent state of science in those periods.) Radiation 
  accidents are much-beloved of GMs and players 
  alike because their results can be very dramatic and 
  unexpected, and because few people demand a con-
  sistent set of consequences from them.
  Subject Of Experimentation
  Th is origin signiﬁ es a character who has either 
  volunteered to be the subject of some new scien-
  tiﬁ c or mystical technique, or who’s been subjected 
  to the technique without his approval. It covers 
  everything from the noble young test subject who 
  agrees to undergo dangerous, painful experimen-
  tation so he can be transformed into a superhero 
  during times of crisis to the hapless kidnap victim 
  who’s just the latest test subject of a villainous 
  organization’s research and development lab. What-
  ever the reason for the experiment, the result is a 
  superpowered individual — though one who may 
  be physically or psychologically scarred by his 
  transformation.
  Combinations Of The Three
  In many cases, heroes and villains combine 
  two or more origin rationales in their characters. A 
  character might be the child of a god, but even that 
  would not allow him to be competitive in the world 
  of superheroes and supervillains if he had also not 
  received exceptional mental and physical training. 
  A character might be a mutant, but would still be 
  an easy target for a thug with a handgun if he did 
  not also wear body armor and use gadgetry.
  SUPERHERO MOTIVATIONS
  When you design a superhero character, it’s 
  important to decide why he does what he does. 
  Fighting crime, especially in the form of superpow-
  ered villains, is not the best choice for most people 
  — particularly not when they could obtain fame 
  and money by exploiting their unusual abilities. So, 
  why does a character become a superhero instead of 
  remaining just a superhuman?
  Some classic superhero motivations are 
  described below. Each one lists one or two represen-
  tative Psychological Limitations. Of course, over years 
  of adventuring, a character could lose or overcome 
  whatever reason originally inspired him to be a hero, 
  meaning he must then ﬁ nd a reason to continue... or 
  retire.
  
  61 
  Champions
  Conditioning. Th e character might have been trained 
  for this lifestyle since he was a child — for instance, 
  because one of his parents was a superhero, because 
  he belongs to a family with a strong sense of noblesse 
  oblige, or even because he’s a programmed robot. No 
  other course of action occurs to him. Over time, the 
  conditioning may fade, leaving the hero in a quan-
  dary about whether his “choice” of a superheroic life-
  style is the correct one.
  Representative Psychological Limitations:  Must 
  Live Up To Family Reputation For Achievement 
  (Uncommon, Moderate; 10 points); Noblesse Oblige 
  (Uncommon, Strong; 15 points).
  Desire For Money. Th is character may ﬁ ght crime, 
  but he does so chieﬂ y to keep himself in front of the 
  cameras, the better to sell his free time at exorbitant 
  rates. When not confronting evil, he might endorse 
  products, work construction sites in diﬃ  cult environ-
  ments, carry sensor packages to orbit the sun, and so 
  on. Even less wholesome versions of this motivation 
  lead to the creation of mercenary supers, individuals 
  who only use their powers for pay.
  Representative Psychological Limitation:  Greedy 
  (Very Common, Strong; 20 points).
  Feeling Of Fellowship. Th e character may not feel 
  welcome, or as though he belongs, with anyone but a 
  group of heroes. His friendship with them is real, but 
  he truly only ﬁ ghts crime because he wants to stay 
  with the group; the eﬀ ect on the people he helps or 
  saves is really of little (or much less) interest to him.
  Representative Psychological Limitation: Desper-
  ate For Acceptance (Uncommon, Strong; 10 points).
  Hunger For Justice Or Revenge. Th e character or 
  someone he loves has been wronged (typically, this 
  means “horribly wronged”), and he now seeks ven-
  geance. He may choose for his revenge to be legal 
  (i.e., he turns villains over to the authorities) or illegal 
  (he punishes them, perhaps even kills 
  them, without consulting the legal 
  authorities). He may want to punish 
  only those responsible for the crime 
  that ﬁ rst motivated him, or he may 
  extend his anger to anyone with a 
  similar motivation or modus operandi.
  Representative Psychological 
  Limitations:  Obsessed With Crime-
  ﬁ ghting (Very Common, Strong; 
  20 points); Vengeful (Uncommon, 
  Strong; 10 points).
  Need For Recognition. Th is character 
  has a desperate need to be noticed or 
  recognized as somehow exceptional. 
  Th is need can be a pathetic one (the 
  result of lack of suﬃ  cient attention 
  and support as a child) or an obnox-
  ious one (the character is “on stage” all 
  the time — an amateur, comedian, or 
  prankster who becomes sulky when 
  ignored).
  Representative Psychological 
  Limitation:  Showoﬀ  (Very Common, 
  Strong; 20 points).
  Obligation. Th is character ﬁ ghts crime 
  to pay a debt or to fulﬁ ll another’s wish. Someone 
  whose life was saved by a superhero may need to 
  pay back the debt of his life by donning a costume. 
  A sympathetic supervillain might turn to a life of 
  crimeﬁ ghting as a condition of his parole. One of the 
  hero’s relatives may have asked for this with his dying 
  breath. Whatever the reason, until the hero feels he 
  has met his obligation, he continues in the life of the 
  superhero.
  Representative Psychological Limitation:  Feels 
  Obligated To Fight Crime (Common, Strong; 15 
  points).
  Sense Of Responsibility. Th e character, typically 
  because of his personal code of ethics, believes that 
  “with great power comes great responsibility” — that 
  he has an obligation to utilize his superpowers for 
  the beneﬁ t of others. He does not necessarily have 
  to have experienced tragedy in his life, nor does he 
  have to have any emotional problems; he just feels 
  that it’s his duty. Someone with this mental orienta-
  tion usually ﬁ nds himself in disagreement (whether 
  serious or humorous varies with the characters) with 
  characters who take the “Th rillseeker” or “Need For 
  Recognition” motivations, and is oft en not on good 
  terms with those who have “Desire For Money” as a 
  motivation.
  Representative Psychological Limitation:  Code 
  Of Th e Hero (Very Common, Strong; 20 points) (see 
  page 67).
  Thrillseeker. Th is character is only really alive when 
  he’s in danger, and can’t ﬁ nd anything much more 
  dangerous than facing a powerful supervillain.
  Representative Psychological Limitation:  Th rill-
  seeker (Common, Strong; 15 points).
  For more Psychological Limitations common to 
  superhero characters, see page 67.
  
  62 
  HERO SYSTEM 5TH EDITION
  Creating Superhero 
  Characters
  W
  ith the advice from this book and 
  the HERO System 5th Edition, Revised 
  rulebook in mind, you should now 
  ﬁ nd it easier to construct the super-
  hero you want to play. Here are a few ideas and exam-
  ples to help you build just the right hero. You’ll prob-
  ably also want to refer to the Superhero Archetypes 
  section (beginning on page 69) for additional ideas.
  General Suggestions
  Find out What The Campaign Standards Are Likely To 
  Be; Find Out Again When All Characters Are Built. Th e 
  GM should have an idea of what the campaign stan-
  dards for character power levels, OCVs and DCVs, 
  and other factors will be when the campaign starts. 
  Th e PCs will be built or modiﬁ ed based on that esti-
  mation. Once all the characters are built, the players 
  should have an opportunity to revise their characters 
  if they are too far out of line, particularly if their DEX 
  and SPD scores are well below those of their fellow 
  players. Having a comparatively low DEX or a SPD 
  that’s 2 or more lower than that of the other PCs 
  leaves a player feeling frustrated and useless when 
  combat occurs.
  Prepare To Have To Scale Your Character Back. When 
  using the rules to create a character as imagined, or 
  to duplicate a character from the comic books, play-
  ers oft en discover the character costs too much — he 
  cannot be built as envisioned with the points avail-
  able. Th is is normal, since comics writers don’t have 
  to justify things with points, and many published 
  superheroes have years (or decades) of experience 
  beyind them. Be prepared to build your character at 
  a lesser level of power or versatility to begin with, and 
  then improve to that preferred level through expendi-
  ture of Experience Points.
  Review The Available Perks And Talents. Th ese low-
  cost features permit characters to do a lot of enter-
  taining and interesting things, oft en functioning as 
  low-level powers and giving characters many points 
  of distinction.
  Compare The Character’s Attacks And Defenses To 
  Other Characters’ And To NPCs. Th e GM should tell 
  each player in general how his character rates in 
  terms of the amount of damage he can do and how 
  much he can take. A player would deﬁ nitely appreci-
  ate knowing, for instance, that “Your character can 
  probably last a few Phases in HTH Combat with 
  the average supervillain, but he’s not likely to win; 
  he should be able to Knock Out a talented normal 
  martial artist in two or three Phases; and he’s nothing 
  more than a one-shot target to someone like Doctor 
  Demolisher.”
  Be Wary Of Complicated Multipowers. Th ere’s deﬁ -
  nitely a temptation to use Multipowers to construct a 
  character who can do everything. But this is bad for 
  two reasons. First, characters who can do everything 
  irritate characters who can’t do everything, and make 
  life harder for the GM. Second, complicated Multip-
  owers take too much time to manage during combat; 
  the player is constantly comparing slots to available 
  Active Points, comparing Fixed slots to Flexible slots, 
  constantly adjusting things... and slowing down the 
  game. Th e same applies, to an even greater extent, 
  to many Variable Power Pools. So, if you use these 
  Power Frameworks, construct them in a reason-
  able manner so they enhance game play rather than 
  detract from it.
  Don’t Forget Enhanced Senses, Life Support, And 
  Esoteric Powers. It’s easy to concentrate on Attack, 
  Defense, and Movement Powers to the exclusion of 
  all others, but it’s oft en the others that give a character 
  his distinctive identity.
  Visual And Personal Style
  Before, during, or aft er you’ve settled on the 
  character’s point-based traits, you should also settle 
  on the character’s visual and personal characteristics. 
  Design the character’s superhero name, his costume, 
  his appearance; settle in your mind details such as 
  how he moves, how he interacts with others, whether 
  he’s “on” all the time or whether he reverts to his true 
  personality when the cameras go away; whether he 
  speaks with a distinctive accent (and whether it’s the 
  same accent from identity to identity); whether his 
  body language changes from identity to identity; and 
  so on. All these details, once established in your mind, 
  let you roleplay the character with greater authentic-
  ity, and allow others to interact with him in a more 
  natural way.
  SUGGESTED GAME 
  ELEMENTS
  Most HERO System genre books have a 
  lengthy section that reviews Skills, Perks, Talents, 
  Powers, Power Modiﬁ ers, and Disadvantages, 
  MORE POWERFUL 
  THAN A LOCOMOTIVE
  PLAYING THE
  ORIGIN STORY
  Most characters are 
  built with the assump-
  tion that their origin 
  stories have already 
  occurred, even if it was 
  a very recent event. You 
  should consider making 
  the actual origin events 
  part of a play-session. 
  Th ey are, aft er all, oft en 
  some of the most dra-
  matic and important 
  events in a character’s 
  life.
  Th ere are two ways to 
  do this:  the GM can 
  take the player aside 
  and discuss doing this; 
  or the GM can allow 
  the player to come 
  into a game under 
  the assumption that 
  the origin has already 
  occurred when it has 
  not. In either case, 
  someone has to create a 
  character sheet for the 
  pre-origin version of the 
  character. And — this is 
  important — unless the 
  player is comfortable 
  with running a normal 
  character around in a 
  violent superhero envi-
  ronment, it’s best for the 
  origin events to occur 
  very early in the adven-
  ture, so the character 
  has his powers through 
  most of the play-session.
  
  63 
  Champions
  describing ones that are particularly appropriate, 
  or discussing optional modiﬁ cations and variants 
  that apply to that genre. Champions is diﬀ erent, 
  primarily because it’s such a wide-ranging genre 
  that virtually anything is possible — so the full 
  HERO System character creation rules almost 
  always apply, and apply in just about any way you 
  care to use them. (Additionally, both the HERO 
  System 5th Edition, Revised rulebook and other parts 
  of this chapter provide plenty of suggested powers 
  and abilities for superhumans.) So, this section is 
  a fairly short one, containing just a few additional 
  suggestions on various game elements that are 
  particularly common to, or stereotypical of, the 
  superhero genre.
  Skills
  CHAMPIONS KNOWLEDGE SKILLS
  Th e following KSs are particularly appropriate 
  for Champions:
  KS: Superheroes or Supervillains:  Th is KS  repre-
  sents knowledge of one class of superhumans (the 
  good guys or the bad guys). It includes what their 
  powers (and sometimes weaknesses) are and how 
  they function, where they congregate, who belongs 
  to what team, which supers are archenemies or 
  staunch allies, and so forth. Unlike KS: Superhu-
  man World, it doesn’t include cultural information 
  about superhumanity; KS: Superheroes(villains) is 
  limited primarily to the sort of data law enforce-
  ment organizations and governments would track 
  about superhumans.
  KS: The Superhuman World:  In many campaigns, 
  superhumans form their own unique subculture. 
  Th ey tend to spend social time together (oft en in 
  special places), have romances only with other 
  superhumans, and so forth. Normal humans oft en 
  ﬁ nd it diﬃ  cult to penetrate this world, lacking as 
  they do the “membership card” — superpowers.
  Knowledge Skill: Th e Superhuman World rep-
  resents knowledge of the superhuman culture. A 
  person with it knows about diﬀ erent superhumans, 
  what their powers (and sometimes weaknesses) are 
  and how they function, where they congregate, who 
  belongs to what team, who various superhumans 
  are romantically involved with, which supers are 
  archenemies or staunch allies, the history of super-
  humanity, and so forth. It’s a common Skill not only 
  among superhumans themselves, but their die-hard 
  fans as well.
  KS: Superpowers:  A character with this Skill has a 
  special knowledge of the various types of super-
  powers in the campaign. He may have gained this 
  knowledge through experience, study, or experi-
  mentation. He knows what types of superpowers 
  are common and which are rare, the nature or 
  origin of various types of powers, potential ways to 
  counteract some powers, and so on. It’s a common 
  Skill for scientists studying superhuman phenom-
  ena as well as for supers themselves.
  NAVIGATION
  Th e Dimensional Navigation subskill, men-
  tioned on page 65 of the HERO System 5th Edition, 
  Revised, is appropriate for Champions games fea-
  turing dimension-hopping mystics, invaders from 
  Dimension Zeta, and the like.
  POWER
  Th e Power Skill gets used in more ways in 
  Champions campaigns than in games set in just 
  about any other genre, due to the wide variety of 
  powers superhumans possess. Some of the more 
  common forms it takes include:  Gadgeteering; 
  Magic; [Special Eﬀ ect] Powers (the name changes 
  based on the special eﬀ ect of the character’s powers 
  — Fire Powers, Weather Powers, and so on); Speed-
  ster Tricks (also called “Speed Stunts”); Strength 
  Tricks (also called “Brick Tricks”); and Stretching 
  Stunts.
  Perks
  Any of the Perks are suitable for Champions, 
  but some are particularly common or appropriate.
  FOLLOWER
  Particularly in the Golden and Silver Ages, 
  one type of Follower is quite common:  the side-
  kick. As discussed on page 10, sidekicks are the 
  “junior” partners of more powerful (and usually 
  better-established) characters. Most are younger 
  than their partners — in fact, it’s not uncommon 
  for a sidekick to be a “kid sidekick,” a teenager or 
  other young person. Th e sidekick’s costume usually 
  mimics his partner’s, though not so closely the two 
  can’t be told apart easily.
  Typically a sidekick is built as a Follower with 
  50-100 points less than his partner, and some-
  times even fewer points. His powers and abilities 
  usually mirror those of his partner in some way 
  (though this isn’t required). However, they usually 
  have fewer Active Points or DCs in their powers 
  — about one-fourth to one-third less. On the other 
  hand, they may apply the powers in slightly diﬀ er-
  ent ways, which both distinguishes them and makes 
  them eﬀ ective in situations where their partner 
  might not be.
  FRINGE BENEFIT
  Th e most common Fringe Beneﬁ t in many 
  superhero campaigns is Police Powers (either Local, 
  Federal, or International; in a Galactic Champions 
  campaign, a GM might even establish Intergalactic 
  Police Powers as an 8-point Fringe Beneﬁ t). Th is 
  represents a hero (or superteam) who’s “sanctioned” 
  with law enforcement powers by the appropri-
  ate authorities. A hero with sanction can function 
  much like a police oﬃ  cer — he can make arrests, 
  testify in court while maintaining his Secret Iden-
  tity, easily arrange for villains he captures to be 
  detained in jails and prisons, and so on.
  Supervillains that rule their own nations 
  should have the Diplomatic Immunity and Head Of 
  State Fringe Beneﬁ ts. Alien potentates visiting Earth, 
  diplomats from Atlantis, and extradimensional visi-
  
  64 
  HERO SYSTEM 5TH EDITION
  tors may all have Diplomatic Immunity as well.
  MONEY
  Money is a common Perk in many Champions 
  campaigns, despite the fact that characters have to 
  pay Character Points for all their equipment and 
  abilities. Th e “industrialist/millionaire playboy who’s 
  secretly a superhero” is one of the oldest “bits” in the 
  genre, and PCs can represent it with this Perk.
  Disadvantages
  Any of the Disadvantages are suitable for 
  Champions. Some of the Disadvantages that occur 
  frequently in superhero campaigns include:
  ACCIDENTAL CHANGE
  Popular among werewolves, super-strong char-
  acters with no control over their heroic identities, 
  and other such superhumans, Accidental Change 
  isn’t as common as Hunted or Psychological Limi-
  tation, but does appear in Champions campaigns 
  occasionally.
  Quickness Of Th e Change
  In superhero campaigns, it’s oft en important to 
  know how long it takes for an Accidental Change 
  to go from start to completion. (When you’re sit-
  ting in a restaurant with your date and abruptly 
  begin to transform into Kylax the Vampire Prince, 
  the amount of time you have available to make an 
  excuse and dash oﬀ  to the bathroom is crucial.)
  As a default rule for Champions campaigns, 
  Accidental Change takes a full Phase to complete. 
  If the character can get out of sight of witnesses 
  before the current Segment is over, no one will see 
  any visible signs of the transformation... though 
  they may be curious about his abrupt departure. Th e 
  GM may, of course, alter this default time to suit his 
  campaign.
  Depending on what the GM establishes as the 
  default time for an Accidental Change, he may wish 
  to alter the value of the Disadvantage — +5 Charac-
  ter Points for every step up the Time Chart (i.e., for 
  every step quicker the change occurs), -5 Character 
  Points for every step down the Time Chart (i.e., for 
  every step slower the change occurs). Of course, 
  there should be some practical limit on this process; 
  an Accidental Change should rarely take less than a 
  Phase or more than 1 Minute.
  Optionally, the GM may allow a character 
  an EGO Roll to slow down his transformation. A 
  character who’s changing makes his EGO Roll, and 
  for every full 2 points by which he succeeds, he gets 
  an extra +1 Phase (or Turn, or Minute, as appropri-
  ate) before his transformation occurs. Th e GM may 
  choose to allow an EGO Roll only for characters 
  who accept a -5 Character Point value for the Dis-
  advantage.
  Nature Of Th e Change
  When you take the Accidental Change Disad-
  vantage for you character, you must decide whether 
  it constitutes the normal identity turning into the 
  super identity, or the super identity turning into 
  the normal identity. In most cases, it’s the normal 
  identity changing into the superhuman one. (Other 
  variations are possible, such as a character with 
  three or more states of existence — for instance, a 
  person who has a normal human form, a human 
  form with some wolfman powers, and a full wolf-
  man form. See page 211 of the HERO System 5th 
  Edition, Revised, under Multiform, for more infor-
  mation.)
  Accidental Change is only a Disadvantage 
  when the transformation puts the character at a 
  disadvantage, and you should weigh the chosen 
  circumstances not only against their frequency of 
  occurrence but also the frequency with which they 
  inconvenience the character.
  Example: Henry Tweed, mild-mannered CPA, 
  is also Earth-Mover, gigantic strongman. He 
  suﬀ ers a physical transformation when turning 
  into his super identity, becoming two feet taller 
  and adding 250 points of muscle and bone. He 
  can normally change at will back and forth 
  between forms, but, when enraged or injured 
  to the point that he sustains BODY damage, 
  Henry also changes involuntarily.
  Henry’s player thinks that being enraged and/
  or sustaining BODY damage are Common cir-
  cumstances, so he builds the Accidental Change 
  as Frequently (11-), Common, for a Disadvan-
  tage value of 15 points. But in reviewing his 
  character sheet, the GM notices that the Henry 
  form doesn’t have all of Earth-Mover’s Psycho-
  logical Limitations; he is far less likely to get into 
  physical danger, become injured, or be enraged. 
  So he rules that it’s an Uncommon condition, 
  for a Disadvantage value of 10 points.
  Changing from a normal form into a super 
  form typically endangers a character’s Secret Iden-
  tity, though it may pose some threat to nearby 
  persons as well. Th e alternate use of this Disad-
  vantage, changing from a super form to a normal 
  form, typically threatens both a character’s Secret 
  Identity and his life — it’s very dangerous for a 
  character to be ﬂ ying along with an Abrams tank in 
  his hands and suddenly begin to transform into a 
  powerless soda jerk. Purchase of a super-to-normal 
  Accidental Change is separate from a normal-to-
  super Accidental Change, and is worth the same 
  amount of points as the more common form of the 
  Disadvantage. A character could theoretically have 
  two Accidental Change Disadvantages, one in each 
  direction, if the GM permits.
  AGE
  Th e Age Disadvantage is inappropriate for 
  most Champions PCs — aft er all, even the ones 
  who look aged don’t really act that way, or suﬀ er 
  any signiﬁ cant impairment of their capabilities. A 
  superhero character should only be allowed to take 
  Age if physical frailty is an important part of the 
  character’s concept. Age becomes somewhat more 
  appropriate when a superhero is built with Multi-
  form, or some similar power construction, with the 
  idea being that he is an aged (or too young) char-
  acter in his Secret Identity and a superhuman in 
  
  65 
  Champions
  his superheroic identity. If nothing else, Age brings 
  the character in this situation one slight advantage:  
  who would believe that kindly old Uncle Joe is also 
  studly young Captain Dimple?
  DEPENDENCE
  Th e use and eﬀ ects of Dependence as set out 
  in the HERO System 5th Edition rules apply as writ-
  ten to most superhero campaigns. Aquatic heroes 
  who can only breathe and remain strong out of 
  water for a few hours at most, “regional guardian” 
  superhumans who can’t leave particular areas of the 
  world without suﬀ ering debilitating weakness, and 
  powered armor heroes who need a constant supply 
  of spare parts and maintenance work are all classic 
  examples of how Dependence works in this genre.
  DEPENDENT NONPLAYER CHARACTER
  Th e following types of DNPCs occur fre-
  quently in the comics, and thus in Champions cam-
  paigns as well:
  The Boss:  If the character has a job, his boss may 
  somehow get involved in his adventures from time 
  to time. Boss DNPCs are usually irrascible, temper-
  amental, and annoying, and oft en have an intense 
  dislike for the character’s costumed identity. Th e 
  Boss is usually a Normal, possibly has a useful non-
  combat position or Skills, and normally is unaware 
  of the character’s costumed identity.
  The Frail Relative:  Th e character has a loved one 
  who’s old and/or sickly. He can’t tell his relative 
  about his costumed identity, because the shock 
  could cause the relative to suﬀ er a heart attack. 
  So, the hero has to sneak around and go to great 
  lengths to maintain his Secret Identity... and occa-
  sionally rescue his relative from maniacal supervil-
  lains, collapsing buildings, and what have you.
  Th e Frail Relative is typically Incompetent, has 
  no useful abilities (other than home cooking skills, 
  perhaps!), and is unaware of the character’s super-
  hero identity.
  The Love Interest:  Th e Love Interest diﬀ ers from 
  the Signiﬁ cant Other (see below) in that he or she 
  has no existing romantic relationship with the hero. 
  Instead, the hero simply has strong feelings for him 
  or her, but hasn’t expressed them yet (or perhaps 
  has expressed them and been rejected). In either 
  case, the character has the dilemma of trying to 
  attract the Love Interest’s attention even though 
  his costumed identity (to which the Love Interest 
  is oft en attracted to some degree) is more impres-
  sive, braver, and so on. It doesn’t help matters that 
  the character oft en “runs away” or “disappears” in 
  dangerous situations so he can change into costume 
  and protect the Love Interest....
  A Love Interest is typically Normal (though 
  possibly Slightly Less Powerful than the PC), may 
  have a useful noncombat position or Skills, and is 
  unaware of the character’s superhero identity.
  The Nosy Coworker:  A particularly common DNPC 
  for characters who are reporters or news photogra-
  phers in their Secret Identities, the Nosy Coworker 
  is either actively trying to ﬁ nd out that the char-
  acter is really MegaMan, or through his nosiness 
  manages to stumble into trouble again and again 
  (or both!). In either case, the hero constantly has to 
  ﬁ nd ways to trick the Nosy Coworker into believing 
  his guesses about the hero are wrong, rescue him 
  from thugs and natural disasters, and so on.
  A Nosy Coworker is typically Normal (though 
  possibly Slightly Less Powerful than the PC), may 
  have a useful noncombat position or Skills, and is 
  unaware of the character’s superhero identity.
  The Signiﬁ cant Other:  Th e Signiﬁ cant Other — a 
  boyfriend or girlfriend, in other words — diﬀ ers 
  from the Love Interest in that he or she is involved 
  in a romantic relationship with the player charac-
  ter’s Secret Identity. In some cases, the Signiﬁ cant 
  Other actively dislikes the character’s superhero 
  identity; in others the S.O. seems at least slightly 
  attracted to the costumed persona, meaning the 
  character has to compete with himself for his or her 
  aﬀ ections!
  A Signiﬁ cant Other is typically Normal 
  (though possibly Slightly Less Powerful than the 
  PC), may have a useful noncombat position or 
  Skills, and is unaware of the character’s superhero 
  identity.
  Occasionally the Signiﬁ cant Other mutates 
  into the Spouse following a strange arcane cer-
  emony that typically takes place in a church or 
  cathedral. Unlike an S.O., a Spouse usually is aware 
  of the character’s superhero identity — aft er all, 
  since the character and his Spouse live together, it 
  becomes mighty diﬃ  cult to hide the six MegaMan 
  costumes in the closet, the secret crimeﬁ ghting lab 
  in the basement, or the supervillain trophy collec-
  tion tucked away in the cupboard. Th e Spouse may 
  support the character’s superheroing, or dislike 
  it, but in either case he or she worries incessantly 
  about the danger the character puts himself in on a 
  regular basis.
  DISTINCTIVE FEATURES
  In a genre where most characters wear cos-
  tumes that help them stand out in a crowd, you 
  have to go to some extra eﬀ ort to justify taking 
  Distinctive Features. Distinctive Features are most 
  appropriate when:
  ■ Th ey cause NPCs to react badly to the character, 
  and by extension to the character’s allies and team-
  mates (for example, when the character is a big, 
  scary monster, hated by the public and small chil-
  dren even if he lives an exemplary superhero life)
  ■ Th ey inconvenience the character both in super 
  identity and in Secret Identity (this, for instance, is 
  where a bad body odor Distinctive Feature makes 
  sense)
  Although in some genres a uniform consti-
  tutes an “Easily Concealed” Distinctive Feature, in 
  Champions, a superhero costume ordinarily should 
  not be the basis of a Distinctive Features Disad-
  vantage (except for the minions of master villains 
  and villainous agencies, who are easily identiﬁ ed as 
  targets for superhero attack by their colorful uni-
  forms). Distinctive Features should be some intrin-
  sic part of the character’s being.
  
  66 
  HERO SYSTEM 5TH EDITION
  Campaigns featuring characters who are 
  mutants oft en require such characters to take the 
  Distinctive Feature Mutant (Not Concealable, 
  Always Noticed; Detectable Only By Unusual 
  Senses; 10 points). Th at way, villains and govern-
  ment agents with special scanners can identify the 
  character as a mutant. In games focusing on the 
  “mutant hysteria” element (see page 17), the value 
  of the Disadvantage might rise to 15 points if the 
  reaction to the feature is more intense.
  ENRAGED/BERSERK
  Enraged/Berserk is fairly common in the 
  superhero genre. Characters who are huge, nearly 
  mindless brutes, aﬄ  icted with some sorts of super-
  natural curse, or so alien that normal terrestrial 
  behavior can send them into attack frenzies all have 
  precedent in the comics.
  Other types of Enraged/Berserk are appropri-
  ate, based not on a character’s ferocity or mindless-
  ness, but his inability to control his actions in cer-
  tain circumstances. For example, a robot character 
  might Berserk when hit by electrical attacks. Th is 
  doesn’t represent ferocity on the character’s part; 
  the Berserk is actually nothing more than a mal-
  function of his electrical system. Similarly, an alien 
  might be Enraged or Berserk when it accidentally 
  consumes speciﬁ c chemicals that are rare in its 
  normal diet but common on Earth (in essence, the 
  Disadvantage represents a sort of “allergic reaction” 
  in this case).
  Th e Enraged/Berserk Disadvantage makes a 
  character more likely to be hated and feared by the 
  public, and Hunted by the authorities. If a PC has it, 
  it had best show up in Uncommon Circumstances 
  and on a low (8-) roll, and it’s also best if his team-
  mates know about it and are trained in techniques 
  to restrain him.
  HUNTED
  Th e following are some examples of classic 
  Hunteds in the superhero genre:
  Archenemies:  Many superheroes have a single foe 
  who best represents all they strive against, or for 
  whom they have the deepest hatred and fear (and 
  vice-versa). Typically an archenemy is an As Power-
  ful Hunted, since that makes for the best match and 
  most tightly-contested, drawn-out struggle between 
  the two characters, but a few are More Powerful 
  (especially if they’re also master villains). Archen-
  emies, being individuals, don’t usually have Non-
  combat Inﬂ uence (NCI) (though it is possible), and 
  aren’t normally conﬁ ned to a Limited Geographical 
  Area.
  Evil foreign dictators:  Many comic book settings 
  feature one or more ﬁ ctitious (or real) nations 
  ruled by a ruthless dictator against whom the 
  PCs strive from time to time — and who returns 
  the favor by sending minions aft er them to seek 
  revenge. In some cases the evil foreign dictator may 
  even be a superhuman himself. Most evil foreign 
  dictators are More Powerful than the supers they 
  hunt, since while they’re not able to stand up to a 
  PC in single combat, they have vast economic, mili-
  tary, and diplomatic resources to call upon in their 
  quest to make the PC’s life miserable. For the same 
  reasons, they also have NCI. On the other hand, 
  most are also restricted to a Limited Geographical 
  Area, though they do sometimes send out squads of 
  assassins or mercenary supervillains to take on the 
  PC on his home turf.
  Government conspiracies:  Shadowy cabals of pow-
  erful government ﬁ gures sometimes ﬁ nd a reason 
  to go aft er a superhero (or heroes). Th ey may 
  believe that all superhumans represent a threat to 
  national security, or they may want to co-opt the 
  PCs to serve in the conspiracy’s private army, 
  or they may think the PCs pose some danger to 
  the conspiracy itself and so choose to eliminate 
  them. A government conspiracy usually counts 
  as an As Powerful Hunted (its power is balanced 
  by its need to maintain secrecy); it has NCI, 
  and usually doesn’t suﬀ er from a geographical 
  restriction.
  Law enforcement agencies:  Superheroes who 
  somehow ﬁ nd themselves on the wrong side of 
  the law may end up Hunted by the police depart-
  ment, the FBI, the DEA, or even ﬁ ctional law 
  enforcement organizations like the Champions 
  Universe’s UNTIL and PRIMUS. Although most 
  individual oﬃ  cers are markedly less powerful 
  than your typical four-color Champions super-
  hero, almost any law enforcement organization 
  counts as a More Powerful Hunted because of 
  the investigative, paramilitary, and public rela-
  tions resources it can bring to bear against the 
  PCs. A character who scoﬀ s at the cops as a 
  Hunted may quickly ﬁ nd them digging into, 
  uncovering, and revealing his Secret Identity, 
  freezing his assets, and so forth. Law enforce-
  ment organizations have NCI; while they are 
  nominally limited to the geographical area in 
  
  67 
  Champions
  which they have jurisdiction, they can call on other 
  law enforcement organizations for aid, eﬀ ectively 
  giving them almost unlimited reach in many cir-
  cumstances.
  Master villains:  Master villains — major super-
  criminals capable of threatening the world — make 
  dangerous Hunters. Th ey’re More Powerful than 
  any given hero (and sometimes even than his entire 
  superteam!), and thanks to their far-ﬂ ung webs of 
  criminal inﬂ uence and power usually have NCI. 
  Th ey make dangerous Hunters, for they aren’t 
  hobbled by the bureaucratic, diplomatic, and legal 
  restrictions that oft en govern the police or the like 
  — and they have power that should scare even the 
  most jaded superhero.
  Villainous agencies:  Many Champions campaigns 
  feature large criminal organizations whose mem-
  bers wear uniforms not that diﬀ erent from super-
  humans’ costumes. Th ese villainous agencies oft en 
  Hunt superheroes, and can pose a major threat 
  to them. While no one agent is as powerful as a 
  PC, the organization as a whole is usually More 
  Powerful, and typically has NCI because of its con-
  nections to corrupt politicians and businessmen, 
  the illicit wealth it can throw around, and so on. It 
  may also have police-like investigative resources, 
  making it an even greater threat. (See page 165 for 
  more about villainous agencies.)
  PSYCHOLOGICAL LIMITATION
  Th e following Psychological Limitations all 
  occur frequently in the comics, and so are perfectly 
  appropriate for Champions superheroes:
  Broadcasts Intentions In Combat (Common, Strong; 
  15 points):  More a favorite of certain villains than 
  of heroes, this Psychological Limitation signiﬁ es a 
  character who can’t resist telling his victims what 
  he’s about to do:  “Tremble in fear, MegaMan, as I 
  blast you with my Nucleonic Bolt!” Unless the char-
  acter can make an EGO Roll to resist doing this, his 
  opponents always know when they should Abort 
  to a Dodge, and may even in some cases get DCV 
  bonuses against the character’s attacks, at the GM’s 
  option.
  Code Of The Hero (Very Common, Strong; 20 
  points):  Th e “code of the hero” refers to the col-
  lection of personality traits that signify a character 
  who’s molded in the traditional four-color super-
  hero fashion. He always ﬁ ghts fairly. He treats 
  everyone, particularly women and authority ﬁ gures, 
  with respect, and always keeps his promises. He 
  does his best to fulﬁ ll any request for help made 
  to him, even if it’s just to rescue a kitten trapped 
  in a tree. He doesn’t hesitate to risk his life to stop 
  crime, save disaster victims, thwart supervillains’ 
  schemes, rescue hostages, and perform other heroic 
  actions.
  Th is Psychological Limitation sometimes goes 
  by diﬀ erent names, but they all mean essentially the 
  same thing. Other ways of referring to the Code Of 
  Th e Hero include True-Blue Hero; Fearlessly Heroic 
  — Risks His Life In Even Obviously Lethal Situa-
  tions; Four-Color Hero; and simply Heroic.
  Code Versus Killing (Common, Total; 20 points):  A 
  character with this Psychological Limitation refuses 
  to kill others, even in the heat of battle, and takes 
  aﬃ  rmative steps to ensure that he’s not using lethal 
  levels of force against his foes. For example, when 
  ﬁ rst ﬁ ghting a strange foe, even oft en starts out 
  using attacks with fewer DCs than his maximum, 
  so that he won’t accidentally hit his opponent with 
  dangerous force before he knows how much injury 
  his opponent can withstand.
  Honorable (Common, Total; 20 points):  Honor-
  able is similar to Code Of Th e Hero in many ways, 
  but it’s more personal. A hero with Honorable isn’t 
  necessarily driven to ﬁ ght crime in a certain way, or 
  act a certain way towards others, but to live up to 
  a personal code of honorable behavior. Th e player 
  should specify exactly what his character’s personal 
  code of honor entails; typically Honorable charac-
  ters are scrupulous about keeping their word aft er 
  they give it, are reluctant to lie or act in a deceptive 
  fashion, don’t take advantage of situations, are loyal 
  to one or more authority ﬁ gures, and the like.
  Hunting (Speciﬁ c Character) (Frequency varies, 
  Strong):  Th is is the ﬂ ipside of the Hunted Disad-
  vantage; in cases of a personal quest for vengeance 
  or justice, it is the Disadvantage of the character 
  doing the Hunting. Th e character is driven to 
  persecute or prosecute another, and may do so 
  tirelessly and relentlessly, even at the cost of other 
  personal goals and relationships.
  Typically the Frequency of a Hunting Psycho-
  logical Limitation depends on the target’s Hunted 
  roll:  an 8- is an Uncommon Psychological Limita-
  tion for the character; an 11- is Common; and a 
  14- is Very Common.
  Note, however, that a character can choose a 
  villain as his Hunted without the villain having a 
  corresponding Psychological Limitation:  Hunting in 
  his list of Disadvantages. Th e villain may have the 
  Disadvantage without getting any points for it, del-
  egate a lot of the hard work to minions, or the like.
  Needs To Prove Self (Very Common, Strong; 20 
  points):  A character with this Psychological 
  Limitation feels he must make up for some earlier 
  mistake or other perceived inadequacy by doing 
  something dramatically successful or important. 
  Th e player should work with the GM to decide 
  exactly what the earlier failure or inadequacy was, 
  and exactly how it inﬂ uences the character’s behav-
  ior at present.
  Noblesse Oblige (Common, Strong; 15 points):  Due 
  to his status in society — and, typically, his wealth 
  — the character feels he has an obligation to help 
  those less fortunate than himself. Th ough it’s oft en 
  tinged with touches of condescension, arrogance, 
  or even racism, this is still at heart a worthy moti-
  vation for a hero (and one that oft en betokens a 
  complex personality and many story hooks for the 
  GM to use).
  Novice Hero (Very Common, Strong; 20 points):  
  Th is Disadvantage is appropriate for a character 
  who’s very new to superheroing. Since he hasn’t 
  had any formal training or mentoring, he’s prone 
  
  68 
  HERO SYSTEM 5TH EDITION
  to making mistakes — he employs bad combat 
  tactics, accidentally blurts out a teammate’s real ﬁ rst 
  name, and so forth. Any time the GM perceives the 
  character doing something that suggests experience 
  or superhero worldliness, he should ask the player, 
  “With your Novice Hero Disadvantage, would 
  you really be doing that?” If the player thinks the 
  answer is “Yes,” the GM should have the character 
  make an EGO roll at a minimum -4 penalty. Obvi-
  ously, this is a Disadvantage the character should 
  buy oﬀ  with Experience Points (or, with the GM’s 
  permission, replace with another Psychological 
  Limitation), since no hero remains a novice forever.
  Overconﬁ dence (Very Common, Moderate; 15 
  points):  It’s hard not to gain an overweening sense 
  of conﬁ dence when one has the strength to juggle 
  Mack trucks, the ability to ﬂ y at hundreds of miles 
  an hour, or the power to read minds. A superhero 
  with this Psychological Limitation is likely to bite 
  oﬀ  more than he can chew in a lot of situations.
  Protective Of Innocents (Very Common, Strong; 
  20 points):  A superhero with this Psychological 
  Limitation goes out of his way to protect innocent 
  people from harm. If it’s a choice between pursu-
  ing a ﬂ eeing supervillain and saving a troop of 
  Girl Scouts from the truck that villain just threw 
  at them, the hero will make sure the girls are safe 
  every time.
  Showoff (Very Common, Strong; 20 points):    A 
  superhero with this Psychological Limitation is a 
  compulsive extrovert who takes every opportunity 
  to demonstrate his skills or powers, especially the 
  ﬂ ashy ones. Doing so costs the hero time (he has 
  to be dragged away from crowds), causes him to 
  sustain extra damage (the GM can give him PER 
  Roll penalties to reduce his chance to see incoming 
  attacks or concealed enemies while he’s showing 
  oﬀ ), annoys NPCs who might otherwise have been 
  helpful, focuses supervillain attention on the char-
  acter, and so on.
  SOCIAL LIMITATION
  Th e Secret Identity Social Limitation, as dis-
  cussed on page 48, is extremely common in the 
  superhero genre, whether it’s a Golden Age story, 
  a gritty modern-day crimeﬁ ghting drama, or any-
  thing in between. A few heroes have Public Iden-
  tity (HERO System 5th Edition, Revised, page 338 
  sidebar) instead, and some have neither (meaning 
  an NPC who works at it can uncover the hero’s 
  identity, but it’s not well-known to the public in 
  general).
  Other than Secret Identity, no Social Limita-
  tion is particularly common in the typical Cham-
  pions campaign. Heroes who work for the govern-
  ment, or who have oﬃ  cial sanction, may be Subject 
  To Orders. More than one hero (or villain) has a 
  Harmful Secret besides his true identity.
  SUSCEPTIBILITY
  You may want to check with the GM to see if 
  his game uses the optional “contact with substance” 
  rules for Susceptibility, or the rules for applying 
  eﬀ ects other than damage, both described on page 
  158. Some Susceptibilities (not using those rules) 
  common to the superhero genre include:
  Counter-Power:  A character with powers associated 
  with a particular element, substance, or the like 
  may experience pain when exposed to his powers’ 
  “opposite” — a ﬁ re-based character may be Sus-
  ceptible to Ice/Cold Powers, a light-using character 
  may be Susceptible to Darkness Powers, a character 
  with green energy powers may take damage from 
  yellow energy powers, and so on. Th e commonality 
  of a counter-power varies; you can check the Vul-
  nerabilities Frequencies Table on page 159 for some 
  guidelines, but ultimately the GM has the ﬁ nal say. 
  Counter-power Susceptibilities usually take the 
  “eﬀ ect is instant” modiﬁ er, but in the case of Con-
  stant Powers, the eﬀ ect may linger instead.
  Sensory Overload:  A character with extensive or 
  sensitive Sensory Powers may suﬀ er harm when 
  he encounters intense sensory input (including 
  Flashes) — loud noises or bright lights cause him 
  searing pain (though perhaps only for a few sec-
  onds, until his senses adjust). In most campaigns, 
  intense sensory input is a Very Common condition, 
  and the eﬀ ect is instant.
  Strange Alien Mineral:  A character whose powers 
  result from his alien physiognomy, or who gets his 
  powers from weird alien substances, may be Sus-
  ceptible to bits of his home planet (or the planet 
  from which his powers derived). Most strange alien 
  minerals are Uncommon, but when they do show 
  up, the eﬀ ects are severe (2d6 or 3d6) and long-last-
  ing (every Segment or every Phase).
  Teleportation:  A character who can Teleport, or 
  who has an odd body structure, may take damage 
  when other people Teleport him — it wreaks havoc 
  with his physical form. In most campaigns, being 
  Teleported is an Uncommon condition, and the 
  eﬀ ect is instant.
  Of course, one question the GM must consider 
  is:  how do NPCs (villains or otherwise) ﬁ nd out 
  about the Susceptibility? If the character keeps it 
  such a well-guarded secret that no one ever uses it 
  against him, it’s not much of a Disadvantage, so he 
  should receive fewer points for it (perhaps none). 
  Th e Susceptibility should either be something that 
  at least a few NPCs can deduce or guess (maybe 
  because of the nature of the character’s powers), or 
  something that’s revealed (to a reasonably signiﬁ -
  cant degree) early in the campaign.
  
  69 
  Champions
  I
  n the more than sixty years since the ﬁ rst cos-
  tumed superheroes began appearing in comic 
  books, many standard superhero types have 
  developed, and Champions players oft en plan to 
  play characters similar to their favorite types. Th is 
  section talks about many of those types and how to 
  construct them with the HERO System rules.
  In addition, on page 81 you’ll ﬁ nd a Quick 
  Superhuman Generator, a set of character-building 
  components a player or GM can use to construct a 
  character in just a few minutes. It’s arranged by arche-
  type and includes many example superpowers.
  Th e information about each of the following 
  Archetypes discusses the following character traits:
  Skills. Most superhero archetypes have Skills related 
  to the type of super they are. A Weaponmaster, 
  for instance, can probably build weapons, while a 
  Mentalist is more likely than most characters to be 
  acquainted with the ﬁ eld of parapsychology.
  Perks and Talents. Not all superheroes possess these 
  little personal advantages, but some do relate to cer-
  tain superhero archetypes.
  Powers. Naturally, no discussion of superhero arche-
  types can really cover the topic thoroughly until the 
  subject of superpowers is included.
  Disadvantages. Finally, some Disadvantages do lend 
  themselves to speciﬁ c superhero archetypes. For 
  instance, if a superhero is super-strong, there could 
  be a material or methodology to make him tempo-
  rarily weak... and you can be sure the bad guys will 
  eventually discover and exploit it.
  BRICK
  A Brick is a superhuman whose main attributes 
  are super-strength and resistance to damage. One of 
  the earliest costumed superheroes, Superman, is one 
  classic image of the Brick, and his many imitators set 
  the stage for the Brick becoming a superhero arche-
  type:  an individual who can pick up naval vessels, 
  leap great distances or ﬂ y, bounce projectiles (bullets, 
  explosive shells, sometimes powerful missiles) oﬀ  his 
  skin, and so forth.
  With the earliest comic book Bricks, all these 
  powers were intrinsic to the character, but later Bricks 
  introduced the notion of someone who was super-
  powered only when he needed to be and spent the 
  rest of his time in a physically normal Secret Identity 
  — the original Captain Marvel (he of the magic word 
  “Shazam!” which transformed him back and forth 
  between his super form and the body of unpowered 
  teenager Billy Batson) was an early example of this 
  type. Th e Hulk, who transforms back to his “puny 
  Banner” normal human form when he calms down, is 
  another classic embodiment of this concept.
  Th e Brick is probably the most popular arche-
  type. Because of his versatility and durability, he’s 
  oft en the cornerstone of a superhero team, though 
  not necessarily its leader. Because the Brick is thought 
  of as a normal person who is just more, in some 
  sense, than normal people, Bricks are oft en looked 
  on by normal people as one of their own, and are 
  expected to be decent, comparatively well-adjusted 
  heroes; when they turn out not to be, they are even 
  more feared than many other archetypes (and with 
  good reason, thanks to their almost unparalleled abil-
  ity to wreak havoc and cause property damage).
  SKILLS, PERKS, AND TALENTS
  Bricks aren’t oft en expected to have a speciﬁ c 
  set of Skills. Th is doesn’t mean bricks are necessarily 
  unskilled or stupid, just that there’s no consistent set 
  of Skills they as a group possess. (Some Bricks, par-
  ticularly those who act as muscle for supervillains, do 
  tend to be unskilled or uneducated, which contrib-
  utes to the brick-as-simpleton stereotype.)
  Bricks are oft en good in combat (they buy 
  Combat Skill Levels with HTH Combat). Few take 
  Martial Arts to improve their ﬁ ghting ability, though 
  some low-level bricks (those with STR scores of 40 or 
  less) choose to do so, and a high-STR brick who sup-
  plements his ﬁ ghting skills with Martial Maneuvers 
  that do no extra damage but grant greater ﬁ ghting 
  versatility can be frightening in a scrap. Some Bricks 
  take a Strength Tricks Power Skill to simulate their 
  ability to occasionally pull such stunts as squeezing 
  diamonds out of coal with their super-strong hands 
  (as usual, if a character wants to use a “trick” like this 
  frequently, he should pay Character Points for it).
  Bricks are among the ﬂ ashiest and best-regarded 
  of supers, so it’s not unknown for them to have the 
  Local Police Powers Fringe Beneﬁ t (representing their 
  excellent relationship with local authorities) and the 
  Reputation Perk.
  No Talents are speciﬁ cally better-suited to Bricks 
  than to other supers.
  POWERS
  Obviously, the most important power to a 
  Brick is high STR. A character is most likely to be 
  regarded as a Brick if he has a STR of 40 or more. 
  Typically a Brick’s STR is as high as the campaign 
  standards allow (e.g., STR 60 in a game with a 12 
  DC cap on Attack Powers — remember, STR’s func-
  tion in the game is mostly as an Attack Power).
  Many other powers are appropriate to the 
  Brick. Armor or Damage Resistance allows him to 
  duke it out with villains armed with Killing Attacks. 
  Flight allows him to get to the scene of the action. 
  SUPERHERO
  ARCHETYPES
  POSSIBLE BRICK 
  SPECIAL EFFECTS
  Some (but by no means 
  all) of the special eﬀ ects 
  that can explain brick 
  powers include:
  ■ Exposure to radia-
  tion super-energizes all 
  of the character’s cells, 
  granting him prodigious 
  physical powers.
  ■ Th e character builds a 
  suit of powered armor 
  that enhances his STR 
  and resilience.
  ■ A god of strength or 
  war (Hercules, Th or, 
  Huitzilopochtli...) 
  imbues the character 
  with phenomenal might.
  ■ Th e character is an 
  alien (or has alien 
  blood) and is super-
  strong on Earth (even 
  though he’s just an 
  ordinary person back 
  home).
  EXAMPLE BRICK 
  POWERS
  Shockwave:  Th e Brick 
  slams his ﬁ sts into the 
  ground with such force 
  that he creates a small, 
  but high-powered, seis-
  mic shockwave around 
  him.
  Explosion for up to 60 
  STR, Hole In Th e Middle 
  (the one hex the brick 
  is standing in when he 
  uses the power; +¼) 
  (45 Active Points); Only 
  Aﬀ ects Targets On Th e 
  Ground (-¼), Extra 
  Time (Full Phase; -½), 
  Only Does Knockdown, 
  Not Knockback (-0). 
  Total cost:  26 points.
  The Big Wrap-Up:  Th e 
  Brick uses available 
  materials — I-beams, a 
  chain-link fence, even 
  rolled-up asphalt — to 
  bind and conﬁ ne a foe. 
  Th e eﬀ ectiveness of this 
  tactic depends largely 
  Continued on next page
  
  70 
  HERO SYSTEM 5TH EDITION
  Enhanced Senses allow him to detect danger at 
  a distance. Anything else a player can reasonably 
  justify as a reﬂ ection of a super-strong body — Life 
  Support (super-strong lungs), Telescopic for the 
  Sight Group (super-strong eye muscles), and the 
  like — could qualify as a proper power for a Brick.
  Beyond these standard choices, it is also 
  appropriate to have powers that simulate really 
  unusual uses of superhuman Strength. For 
  instance, an Energy Blast with the 
  Explosion and Personal Immunity 
  Advantages and the No Range 
  Limitation simulates the abil-
  ity of some supers to hit the 
  ground and cause a minor 
  earthquake (see sidebar).
  Sample Brick-style 
  powers appear in the 
  Quick Superhuman 
  Generator section 
  of this chapter in 
  the descriptions 
  of the Brute 
  Strength, Den-
  sity, Growth, 
  and Strength 
  Projector sets 
  of powers.
  DISADVANTAGES
  For Bricks that have alternate 
  forms (such as the Hulk and Captain 
  Marvel), Accidental Change makes 
  for an interesting Disadvantage. 
  Th e character’s eﬀ orts not to have 
  his Secret Identity revealed by an 
  impromptu change of identity, or 
  his eﬀ orts to hold back the trans-
  formation until innocents can get to 
  safety, make for some great (and oft en 
  humorous) scenes.
  Enraged/Berserk is a fairly common 
  Disadvantage among Bricks, particu-
  larly those with relatively low intel-
  ligence. Berserk In Combat is a favorite 
  of many villainous Bricks — though 
  not necessarily of their allies.
  Other than that, few Disadvantages 
  are speciﬁ cally suited to Bricks, but 
  one such is:
  Physical Limitation:  Doesn’t Know Own 
  Strength (Frequently, Slightly; 10 points). 
  When the character interacts with deli-
  cate or fragile items — or people — the 
  GM occasionally calls on him to make 
  a DEX Roll. (Th e GM may choose to 
  make the roll for the player with-
  out informing him of the fact, 
  the better to surprise him with 
  possible consequences.) On a 
  failed roll, the character acciden-
  tally exerts his Casual STR on whatever 
  he’s holding, possibly damaging it.
  on the strength of the 
  materials used. As a 
  useful side eﬀ ect, the 
  Brick can also employ 
  this Entangle to create 
  walls of whatever scrap 
  materials happen to be 
  lying around.
  Entangle 6d6, up to 6 
  DEF (60 Active Points); 
  OIF (appropriate materi-
  als of opportunity; -½), 
  No Range (-½), Extra 
  Time (at least a Full 
  Phase, and oft en longer, 
  depending on how 
  long it takes to get the 
  materials; -½), Defense 
  Depends On Materials 
  Used (-½). Total cost:  20 
  points.
  Optionally, you can 
  apply the Entangle Has 
  1 BODY Limitation, 
  representing the fact 
  that anyone who loosens 
  the materials a little can 
  wiggle out of the Entan-
  gle easily.
  Thunderclap:  Th e Brick 
  claps his hands together 
  so forcefully that the 
  resulting sound deafens 
  anyone nearby.
  Hearing Group Flash 
  8d6, Explosion (-1d6/3”; 
  +1), Hole In Th e Middle 
  (the one hex the brick 
  is standing in when he 
  uses the power; +¼), 
  Does Knockback (+¼) 
  (60 Active Points); Extra 
  Time (Full Phase; -½). 
  Total cost:  40 points.
  The Finger Of 
  Unconsciousness:  Th e 
  Brick ﬂ icks a foe in the 
  head with his index 
  ﬁ nger, knocking him out 
  without inﬂ icting any 
  serious harm. But if the 
  Brick miscalculates, the 
  target takes the Brick’s 
  full STR damage (not 
  multiplied by Hit Loca-
  tion modiﬁ ers).
  EB 6d6, NND (defense 
  is Lack Of Weakness on 
  defenses covering the 
  head, or any innate rPD 
  protecting the head; +1) 
  (60 Active Points); No 
  Range (-½), Requires 
  A Strength Tricks Roll 
  (-½), Side Eﬀ ects (if roll 
  is failed, opponent takes 
  character’s full STR 
  damage; -¼). Total Cost:  
  27 points. 
  Continued from last page
  
  71 
  Champions
  ENERGY PROJECTOR
  An Energy Projector is a super whose pri-
  mary expression of superpower is the use of 
  high-powered energy at range. An Energy 
  Projector (also called a “Blaster”) might shoot 
  lasers from his eyes, ﬂ amethrower-style ﬁ re 
  from his ﬁ ngertips, plasma from his mouth, 
  beams of ice/cold from his hand, or any other 
  type of power from any appropriate part of his 
  body.
  Energy Projectors are perhaps even 
  more spectacular in their use of powers 
  than Bricks, though they don’t have 
  quite the Everyman appeal Bricks do. 
  On the other hand, Energy Projec-
  tors are vital to a superteam, since 
  they provide “artillery support” and 
  allow the team to make attacks at 
  great ranges.
  SKILLS, PERKS, 
  AND TALENTS
  It helps Energy Projectors to 
  have Combat Skill Levels with 
  their attacks and Range Skill 
  Levels to diminish the eﬀ ects 
  of the Range Modiﬁ er. Simi-
  larly, the Talent Absolute 
  Range Sense is very 
  apt for Energy 
  Projectors.
  POWERS
  Energy 
  Projectors tend 
  to have Energy 
  Blast and/or Killing 
  Attack (Ranged) powers, usually bought 
  as a Multipower so they can have diﬀ erent 
  slots reﬂ ect the varying ways they apply their 
  powers (one slot is a full-power EB, several 
  others are EBs with various Advantages, and so 
  on). But that’s far from the limit of their abilities. 
  Th ey can project or manipulate energy in such a 
  way to propel the character (Flight, Faster-Th an-
  Light Travel), to open holes in reality (Teleporta-
  tion, Extra-Dimensional Movement), to stand as 
  a barrier between the hero and incoming damage 
  (Force Field, Force Wall), to hold an atmosphere 
  around the hero (Life Support), to move objects 
  at range (Telekinesis), and even to aﬀ ect the envi-
  ronment (Change Environment, weather-based 
  Telekinesis and Darkness, and so on).
  Some Energy Projectors, rather than just 
  using or controlling energy, are actually made of 
  energy — they have bodies of pure light, 
  plasma, or the like. Such characters (and 
  even some “normal” Energy Projec-
  tors) may have energy-based powers 
  like Absorption (the character “feeds” 
  on incoming energy), Energy Damage 
  Reduction, or Desolidiﬁ cation.
  Since so many of their powers are 
  designed to operate at Range, it’s oft en 
  helpful for an Energy Projec-
  tor to have Enhanced Senses 
  — particularly since several 
  Enhanced Senses can be 
  deﬁ ned as involving energy 
  emissions (Radar and Active 
  Sonar, for instance).
  Sample Energy Projec-
  tor-style powers appear in 
  the Quick Superhuman 
  Generator section of this 
  chapter in the descrip-
  tions of the Mega-
  Blast, Modulated 
  Blast, Sniper Blast, 
  Trick Ammo Spe-
  cialist, and Very Big 
  Gun Wielder sets 
  of powers.
  DISAD
  VAN
  TAGES
  Energy Projec-
  tors tend to interact with energy 
  sources in odd ways, and this may 
  give rise to Disadvantages. Such a 
  character might take extra damage 
  (as a Vulnerability) from an energy 
  type thematically opposed to the one 
  he manifests, or may even take extra 
  damage from the same type of energy 
  he uses. An Energy Projector composed 
  of or suﬀ used with pure energy may 
  suﬀ er harm (Susceptibility or Vulner-
  ability) when physical objects (especially 
  metal ones, like bullets and knives) enter 
  his body and signiﬁ cantly disrupt its 
  energy matrix. 
  POSSIBLE ENERGY 
  PROJECTOR 
  SPECIAL EFFECTS
  Some (but by no means 
  all) of the special eﬀ ects 
  that can explain Energy 
  Projector powers 
  include:
  ■ Th e character is 
  doused with a mys-
  terious chemical, and 
  somehow gains energy 
  powers thereby (for 
  example, if soaked in a 
  super-fuel, he develops 
  ﬁ re powers).
  ■ Th e character’s body 
  takes in and processes 
  solar energy, allowing 
  him to manipulate it in 
  various ways.
  ■ Th e character taps the 
  energy of the atoms in 
  his body and can use it 
  for various eﬀ ects.
  ■ A bizarre accident 
  involving enormous 
  amounts of electricity 
  grants the character 
  energy powers instead 
  of simply frying him. 
  EXAMPLE ENERGY 
  PROJECTOR 
  POWERS
  Fire Blast:  RKA 2d6, 
  Armor Piercing (+½). 
  Total cost:  45 points.
  Sonic Blast:  Energy 
  Blast 9d6 (total cost:  45 
  points) plus Hearing 
  Group Flash 5d6, Linked 
  (-½) (total cost:  10 
  points). Total cost:  55 
  points.
  Radiation Blast:  Energy 
  Blast 9d6 (total cost:  45 
  points) plus Drain CON 
  1d6, Ranged (+½) (15 
  Active Points); Linked 
  (-½) (total cost:  10 
  points). Total cost:  55 
  points.
  Magnetic Manipulation:  
  Telekinesis (30 STR) 
  (45 Active Points); Only 
  Versus Ferrous Metals (-
  ½). Total cost:  30 points.
  
  72 
  HERO SYSTEM 5TH EDITION
  GADGETEER
  Th is character builds high technol-
  ogy devices to act as superpowers. 
  Instead of having natural laser-emis-
  sion powers, he builds a laser gun; 
  instead of having innate powers of 
  ﬂ ight, he constructs an antigravity 
  device. Of course, a character who uses 
  gadgets doesn’t necessarily have to invent 
  them himself — he might hire someone 
  to make them for him, steal them from 
  a criminal gadgeteer, or ﬁ nd them aban-
  doned in an alley. Th e following advice 
  applies solely to characters who both 
  invent and use their own devices.
  SKILLS, PERKS, AND TALENTS
  A Gadgeteer character should have a 
  wide selection of Skills related to his chosen 
  “profession,” including Computer Program-
  ming, Demolitions, Electronics, Inventor, 
  Mechanics, and Systems Operation. In particular, 
  he should have one or more Science Skills for the 
  speciﬁ c ﬁ elds his powers relate to. For instance, if 
  he uses poison darts, he would have SS: Pharma-
  cology/Toxicology, SS: Botany, and/or SS: Biology. 
  If he creates energy-emission powers, he might 
  have SS: Physics. If he climbs into a large robot 
  that moves and attacks, he 
  would have SS: Robotics, SS: 
  Mechanical Engineering, 
  and SS: Cybernetics.
  Take a look at the Technician 
  Set of Skills under the Quick Superhu-
  man Generator section for examples of 
  Skills appropriate for Gadgeteers.
  POWERS
  Th ere really is no limit or focus 
  to the type of powers a Gadgeteer 
  can possess (except those deriving 
  from any GM-imposed campaign 
  restrictions on the extent and 
  nature of super-science; see page 
  32). In fact, Gadgeteers 
  oft en imitate other 
  archetypes of super-
  heroes, with the sole 
  diﬀ erence being that 
  their abilities are 
  based on gadgets 
  rather than innate 
  powers. Multipowers 
  and Variable Power 
  Pools are extremely 
  appropriate power struc-
  tures for a Gadgeteer.
  Sample Gadgeteer-style 
  powers appear in the Quick 
  Superhuman Generator section 
  of this chapter in the descrip-
  tions of the Checklist Hero, Mystic 
  Master, and Trick Ammo Specialist 
  sets of powers.
  DISADVANTAGES
  Some Disadvantages 
  common to Gadgeteers 
  include:
  Physical Limitation:  Unable To 
  Walk:  Some gadgeteers (includ-
  ing powered armor heroes; see 
  below) have this problem. Th e 
  character builds a hover-chair, 
  exoskeleton, or suit of armor that 
  helps him overcome this disability. 
  (For this reason, unlike the 20-
  point version of this Disadvantage 
  on page 336 of the HERO System 
  5th Edition, Revised rulebook, the 
  GM may want to allow this Dis-
  advantage only as Infrequently, 
  Fully Impairing [15 points].)
  Psychological Limitation:  Easily 
  Distracted By Scientiﬁ c Matters 
  (Common, Strong; 15 points):  
  Whenever the character 
  comes across any scientiﬁ c 
  object, detail, or technique 
  within his ﬁ eld of interest but 
  new to him, he automatically 
  wants to explore or investigate 
  it... meaning he sometimes 
  forgets his primary goal.
  POSSIBLE 
  GADGETEER 
  SPECIAL EFFECTS
  Some (but by no means 
  all) of the special eﬀ ects 
  that can explain Gadge-
  teer powers include:
  ■ Th e character is an 
  incredibly learned and 
  gift ed scientist/engi-
  neer/inventor.
  ■ Th e character is 
  a mutant with an 
  instinctive grasp 
  of how technol-
  ogy works, though 
  he’s never studied the 
  subject.
  ■ Th e character stum-
  bled into an arsenal of 
  gadgets built by some-
  one else; he can’t build 
  new ones, but has so 
  many mix-and-match 
  possibilities with the 
  components available 
  to him that he’s not very 
  limited by that lack.
  ■ Th e character can’t 
  build gadgets himself, 
  but has the support of a 
  patron who can.
  EXAMPLE 
  GADGETEER 
  POWERS
  Gravity Globes:  Th ese 
  tiny ﬂ ying spheres (they 
  come in groups of four) 
  surround a target and 
  generate a gravitic ﬁ eld 
  that prevents him from 
  moving.
  Entangle 4d6, 4 DEF, 
  Indirect (+¾) (70 Active 
  Points); OIF (diﬃ  cult 
  to grasp spheres; -½), 4 
  Charges (-1). Total cost:  
  28 points.
  Pogo-Boots:  Th ese boots 
  have electronically-aug-
  mented springs, allow-
  ing the wearer to leap 
  prodigious distances.
  Leaping +20” (20 Active 
  Points); OIF (-½). Total 
  cost:  13 points.
  Power Helmet:  Th is 
  device provides a gad-
  geteer with a variety 
  of minor but useful 
  sensory and defensive 
  powers. Other devices 
  may also be installed.
  Infrared Perception 
  (Sight Group), Ultra-
  Continued on next page
  
  73 
  Champions
  MARTIAL ARTIST
  Th is character is normally at a human or 
  slightly-above-human level of physical performance, 
  but augments his abilities with extensive training in 
  formal or informal martial arts. He isn’t necessarily 
  best-known for his ﬁ ghting skills; he may be thought 
  of foremost as an investigator or an acrobat, for 
  instance.
  SKILLS, PERKS, AND TALENTS
  In addition to Martial Arts and related Combat 
  Skill Levels, a Martial Artist usually has Skills related 
  to his martial training. He may have Knowledge Skills 
  pertaining to strange arts, foreign lands, or martial-
  arts subcultures. He may speak Languages related to 
  the cultures that developed his ﬁ ghting styles.
  Martial Artists oft en have physical Skills that are 
  natural oﬀ shoots and consequences of their train-
  ing. Acrobatics, Breakfall, Climbing, Concealment, 
  Contortionist, Fast Draw, Shadowing, Sleight Of 
  Hand, Stealth, and Weapon Familiarity are all frequent 
  choices. If the character also has an investigative bent, 
  Bugging, Lockpicking, and Security Systems are also 
  good possibilities.
  See the Dedicated Fighter, Investigator, Patriot, 
  Playboy, and Tactician Sets in the Quick Superhuman 
  Generator section for appropriate Skill examples for 
  Martial Artists.
  POWERS
  Martial Artists oft en have weapons or gadgets 
  — not so many as the Gadgeteer, of course, and Mar-
  tial Artists are not always the designers or builders of 
  the gadgets they use. Martial Artist gadgets tend to 
  be oriented toward improving combat (some will be 
  melee weapons or thrown weapons, armor, and so on) 
  or mobility (swinglines, cling-grips).
  Some Martial Artists emphasize the mystic or 
  magical aspect of their powers. Th ey buy many ch’i-
  based powers, develop secret mystic abilities as part 
  of their training, or even study full-blown Oriental 
  sorcery.
  Sample Martial Artist-style powers appear in the 
  Quick Superhuman Generator section of this chapter 
  in the descriptions of the Grasshopper, Knight, Sensei, 
  and Super-Boxer sets of powers.
  DISADVANTAGES
  Martial Artists are oft en very focused charac-
  ters — the dedication they need to train 
  up to a superhero level of perfor-
  mance is clear evidence of this. 
  So a couple of appropriate 
  Disadvantages for them 
  include:
  Psy-
  chological Limitation:  Obsessive (Common, Strong; 
  15 points):  Th e character, once he decides on a goal, 
  refuses to give up on it.
  Psychological Limitation:  Vengeful (Uncommon, 
  Strong; 10 points):  Th e character is determined to 
  punish those whom he believes deserve punishment. 
  Martial Artists also undergo rigorous physical condi-
  tioning that makes them very strong in some ways but 
  can weaken them in others, such as:
  Susceptibility:  Missing With (Speciﬁ c Attack) (takes 
  3d6 instantly; Common; 20 points):  Th e character’s 
  preferred attack requires very exacting biomechanics. 
  When the character misses with the attack, he sustains 
  physical harm. A character should only have this Dis-
  advantage if the GM is sure the character will use the 
  attack frequently (several times per combat).
  Susceptibility:  Poisons And Gases (takes 1d6 per 
  Phase; Common; 10 points):  Th e character’s system is 
  unusually delicate; whenever an invasive atmosphere 
  or substance enters his lungs or a toxic substance 
  enters his bloodstream, he begins to suﬀ er damage. 
  Alternately, this may result because the character’s 
  system functions so eﬃ  ciently, due to his high level of 
  physical conditioning, that poisons and gases spread 
  throughout it quickly.
  violet Perception (Sight 
  Group), +6 versus Range 
  for Sight Group, Sight 
  Group Flash Defense 
  (10 points), Hearing 
  Group Flash Defense 
  (8 points) (total of 37 
  points); all OIF (-½). 
  Total cost:  25 points.
  Universal Defense Field 
  Belt:  Th is belt creates a 
  broad-spectrum force 
  ﬁ eld that oﬀ ers protec-
  tion against most forms 
  of attack.
  Force Field (10 PD/10 
  ED/10 Sight Group 
  Flash Defense/10 
  Mental Defense/10 
  Power Defense), 
  Reduced Endurance (0 
  END; +½) (75 Active 
  Points); OIF (-½). Total 
  cost:  50 points.
   POSSIBLE 
  MARTIAL ARTIST 
  SPECIAL EFFECTS
  Some (but by no means 
  all) of the special eﬀ ects 
  that can explain Martial 
  Artist powers include:
  ■ Th e character has 
  spent years at an ancient 
  monastery hidden deep 
  in the Himalayas 
  studying a powerful 
  ﬁ ghting style long 
  thought forever lost.
  ■ Th e character is a 
  mutant with a natural 
  gift  for or grasp of hand-
  to-hand combat.
  ■ Th e character is a 
  “living cartoon” escaped 
  from an anime movie.
  ■ Th e spirit of a long-
  dead noble warrior 
  has merged with the 
  character and granted 
  him powerful ﬁ ghting 
  abilities.
  EXAMPLE MARTIAL 
  ARTIST POWERS
  The Delicate Kick Of 
  Han Chen:  HKA 2d6, 
  NND (defense is 
  Resistance; +1), 
  Does BODY 
  (+1) (90 
  Active Points); 
  Concentration 
  (½ DCV; -¼), 
  Increased Endurance 
  Continued from last page
  Continued on next page
  
  74 
  HERO SYSTEM 5TH EDITION
  MENTALIST
  Th is character has psionic powers — abilities 
  deriving from the energy of the mind. Psionic 
  powers have some of the same characteristics 
  as magic (they are somewhat mysterious and 
  spooky), but usually are not as extensive in their 
  versatility and do not derive from a rationale that 
  is explicitly magical or supernatural.
  SKILLS, PERKS, AND TALENTS
  Mentalist characters oft en receive training 
  in parapsychology, the formal 
  examination of psychic phe-
  nomena. Parapsychologists 
  usually start as students 
  of psychology. Th us SS:  
  Psychology and SS:  
  Parapsychology are 
  common choices. 
  Th e Danger 
  Sense Talent is 
  also very appro-
  priate.
  POWERS
  Th e 
  powers that are 
  normally thought 
  of as related to the 
  world of the psychic include Clairsen-
  tience (Distant Viewing, Precognition, 
  Postcognition), Ego Attack, Enhanced 
  Senses (Detect Psychic Energy, 
  Detect Spirits), Flight (Levitation), 
  Healing, Killing Attack, Ranged 
  (Pyrokinesis), Mental Defense, 
  Mental Illusions, Mind Control, 
  Mind Link, Mind Scan, Teleki-
  nesis, and Telepathy. However, 
  depending on how far one 
  wishes to stretch the deﬁ ni-
  tion of “psionic,” particularly in 
  regard to psychokinetic eﬀ ects, 
  many other abilities are pos-
  sible. Characters in the comics 
  have used “mental energy” not 
  only to control minds and 
  move objects, but to alter 
  targets at the cellular level 
  (Transform), deﬂ ect attacks 
  or create defensive barriers 
  (Force Field, Force Wall, 
  Missile Deﬂ ection), reach 
  inside an opponent’s mind 
  or body to wreak all sorts 
  of havoc (various Drains, 
  Flash, RKA NND), and so 
  on.
  Sample Mentalist-
  style powers appear in 
  the Quick Superhu-
  man Generator sec-
  tion of this chapter in 
  the descriptions of the 
  Clairvoyant, Telekinetic, and Telepath sets of powers.
  DISADVANTAGES
  Mentalists oft en have a heightened sense of the 
  feelings of people around them, so their players 
  might choose one or more Disadvantage that 
  reﬂ ect this enhanced sensitivity.
  Enraged/Berserk:  Sympathetic 
  Berserk (Berserk when 
  anyone else in LOS goes 
  Berserk [Uncommon], go 
  14-, recover 14-; 35 points):  
  Whenever someone within 
  line of sight goes Ber-
  serk, the character 
  does, too — he’s 
  simply overcome 
  by the other 
  person’s intense 
  emotions.
  Enraged/Berserk:  
  Sympathetic Enraged (Enraged when 
  anyone else in LOS goes Enraged or Ber-
  serk [Uncommon], go 14-, recover 14-; 
  25 points):  Th is is the same as the Sym-
  pathetic Berserk, but the character only 
  becomes Enraged; he does so whenever 
  anyone in line of sight becomes either 
  Berserk or Enraged.
  Physical Limitation:  Plagued By Voices 
  In Head (Frequently, Slightly Impair-
  ing; 10 points):  Th is Disadvantage, 
  appropriate especially to telepaths 
  (and particularly to telepaths 
  with the Always On Limitation 
  on their Telepathy), means the 
  character constantly hears a 
  drone of mental voices in his 
  head (unless he’s completely 
  isolated from other humans). 
  Th is makes him jittery, allows 
  the GM to assign him PER 
  Roll penalties because of his 
  level of distraction, and forces 
  the character to take occa-
  sional breaks where he can 
  get away from people.
  Susceptibility:  Mind Con-
  trol (takes 1d6 per Phase, 
  Uncommon; 15 points):  
  A character with an 
  unusual mental struc-
  ture or very touchy 
  mental powers might 
  suﬀ er damage when 
  aﬀ ected by another’s 
  Mind Control (you can 
  easily substitute some 
  other Mental Power if 
  you like).
  Cost (x2 END; -½), 
  Activation Roll 12- (-¾). 
  Total cost:  36 points.
  Drunken Defense:  +6 
  DCV (30 Active Points); 
  Extra Time (Full Phase; 
  -½), Requires An Acro-
  batics Roll (-½). Total 
  cost:  15 points.
  Fists Of The Dragon:  HA 
  +6d6 (30 Active Points); 
  Hand-To-Hand Attack 
  (-½), Requires A Ch’i 
  Manipulation Roll (-½). 
  Total cost:  15 points.
  Thunder-Leap:  HA 
  +8d6 (40 Active Points); 
  Hand-To-Hand Attack 
  (-½), Only Works With 
  Move Th rough (-½). 
  Total cost:  20 points.
  POSSIBLE 
  MENTALIST 
  SPECIAL EFFECTS
  Some (but by no means 
  all) of the special eﬀ ects 
  that can explain Mental-
  ist powers include:
  ■ Th e character is a 
  mutant, born with awe-
  some psychic powers.
  ■ Th anks to a radiation 
  accident, mutation, or 
  unusual ancestry, the 
  character’s brain func-
  tions on a much higher 
  level than that of other 
  humans, allowing him 
  to access higher-order 
  scientiﬁ c principles that 
  manifest in our reality as 
  psychic powers.
  ■ Th e character has 
  received mystical train-
  ing focusing on the arts 
  of glamour, illusion, 
  domination, and telepa-
  thy.
  ■ Th e character has built 
  gadgets that grant him 
  Mental Powers.
  EXAMPLE 
  MENTALIST 
  POWERS
  Distant Viewing:  
  Clairsentience (Sight 
  Group), 32x Range 
  (3200”) (45 Active 
  Points); Concentration 
  (0 DCV; -½), Requires 
  An EGO Roll (assuming 
  EGO Roll of 14-; -½). 
  Continued from last page
  Continued on next page
  
  75 
  Champions
  METAMORPH
  Th is character is a shapechanger. His body can 
  alter its shape, dimensions, coloration, density, and/or 
  malleability. Characters with Growth and Shrinking 
  technically fall in this category, but oft en ﬁ t into 
  some other archetype as well — just larger or 
  smaller (i.e., tiny Martial Artist, gigantic Brick, 
  tiny Mystic, and so on).
  SKILLS, PERKS, AND TALENTS
  Metamorphs oft en use their powers in 
  spy-like ways — sneaking into dangerous areas, 
  assuming the identities of other people, and so 
  on. So all Skills related to spy activities are 
  appropriate, including Acting, Con-
  cealment, Conversation, Cram-
  ming, Disguise, Mimicry, Oratory, 
  Persuasion, Seduction, Shadow-
  ing, and Stealth.
  Th e Metamorph’s ability 
  to alter his physical nature also 
  supplies a suﬃ  cient justiﬁ -
  cation for buying several 
  physical Skills and Talents, 
  including Acrobatics, Break-
  fall, Contortionist, Defense 
  Maneuver, Ambidexterity, 
  and Double Jointed.
  POWERS
  Multiform, Shape Shift , 
  Stretching, Growth, and 
  Shrinking are the most common 
  and most obvious Metamorph 
  powers. But any number of others 
  are appropriate if you consider the 
  many ways a metamorph might 
  reshape his body:
  Armor:  Hardening the skin.
  Clinging:  Squeezing ﬁ ngertips and 
  other portions of the skin into rough 
  surfaces.
  Entangle:  Wrapping an enemy up 
  in loops of one’s own body (usually 
  requires the Feedback and Cannot 
  Form Barriers Limitations).
  Extra Limbs.
  Flight/Gliding:  Creating wings, ﬂ ying in 
  the shape of a bird, spreading one’s 
  malleable body into a parawing.
  Killing Attack, HTH:  Shaping 
  body parts into melee weapons 
  or sharp points, growing claws.
  Leaping:  Stretching the legs to allow extravagant leaps 
  — metamorphs oft en form their legs into spring-like 
  coils to leap.
  Missile Deﬂ ection:  Turning one’s body rubbery to 
  catch and repel missiles.
  Running/Swimming:  Stretching the legs to allow for a 
  longer, faster stride/kick.
  Swinging:  Using stretched arms to permit fast travel.
  Tunneling:  Shaping one’s body into a bore-like appara-
  tus to travel through the earth.
  Sample Metamorph-style powers appear in the 
  Quick Superhuman Generator section of this chapter 
  in the descriptions of the Bendy Toy and Doppel-
  ganger sets of powers.
  DISADVANTAGES
  Metamorphs are oft en 
  unhappy with their physical 
  condition — they and others 
  consider them freakish and 
  inhuman. So appropriate 
  Disadvantages include:
  Physical Limitation:  Requires 
  Specialized Medical 
  Attention (Infre-
  quently, Greatly 
  Impairing; 10 
  points):  Th is 
  Disadvantage 
  means an ordi-
  nary doctor in 
  an ordinary 
  medical facil-
  ity has a very 
  hard time 
  helping this 
  character. 
  Any time 
  a character 
  without a 
  speciﬁ c Knowledge 
  Skill or Science Skill 
  concerning the medi-
  cal care of the speciﬁ c 
  person or his speciﬁ c 
  race tries to make a 
  Paramedics or other 
  medicine-related roll, he 
  receives a penalty of at 
  least -4 (for minor situ-
  ations) or -8 (for crisis 
  situations).
  Psychological Limita-
  tion:  Desperate For 
  Acceptance (Uncom-
  mon, Strong; 10 points): 
  Metamorphs oft en feel 
  cut oﬀ  from the rest 
  of humanity, so they 
  make extra eﬀ orts to be 
  accepted into a group 
  (such as a superteam). 
  Th is Disadvantage 
  means the char-
  acter 
  should make 
  choices that ﬁ t right in with the group dynamic and 
  may be more easily manipulated by teammates, 
  friends, and even villains in an ongoing eﬀ ort to ﬁ t in.
  Psychological Limitation:  Self-Loathing (Very 
  Common, Moderate; 15 points):  A character with 
  this Psychological Limitation tends to be unusually 
  Total cost:  22 points.
  Enhance Rage:  Mind 
  Control 10d6 (50 Active 
  Points); Only To Control/
  Inﬂ ict Anger (-1). Total 
  cost:  25 points.
  Psychic Obliteration:  
  RKA 2d6, BOECV 
  (Mental Defense applies; 
  +1), Does BODY (+1) 
  (90 Active Points); 
  Only Works On Beings 
  With Minds (-½), Lim-
  ited Range (10”; -¼), 
  Requires An EGO Roll 
  (assuming EGO Roll of 
  14-; -½), No Knockback 
  (-¼), Beam (-¼). Total 
  cost:  33 points.
  Psychokinetic Shield:  
  Force Field (12 PD/12 
  ED). Total cost:  24 
  points.
   POSSIBLE 
  METAMORPH 
  SPECIAL EFFECTS
  Some (but by no means 
  all) of the special eﬀ ects 
  that can explain Meta-
  morph powers include:
  ■ Th e character is a 
  mutant, born with 
  shapeshift ing powers; 
  he may not even have a 
  “true shape.”
  ■ An animal-god grants 
  the character the power 
  to assume the forms of 
  various creatures.
  ■ While researching 
  or working near new 
  plastics, the character is 
  accidentally exposed to 
  them and ends up with 
  a malleable body instead 
  of dying.
  ■ Th e character is an 
  alien from an entire spe-
  cies of metamorphs.
  EXAMPLE META-
  MORPH POWERS
  Mace-Hands:  Th e 
  metamorph transforms 
  his hands into spiked 
  maces, using them to 
  smash his opponents.
  HKA 1½d6 (plus STR), 
  Reduced Endurance (½ 
  END; +¼). Total cost:  
  31 points.
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  76 
  HERO SYSTEM 5TH EDITION
  courageous in battle 
  (a reﬂ ection of his 
  unconscious 
  death-
  wish or 
  desire to be 
  punished) and fails 
  to pursue opportu-
  nities that permit 
  him a measure of 
  per-
  sonal 
  happiness (meaning 
  the GM should remind this char-
  acter’s player of the Disadvantage 
  any time the character does some-
  thing smart in his professional or 
  personal-relationship life).
  MYSTIC
  Mystics are characters trained in 
  the use of magic, who have a natural 
  aﬃ  nity for magic, who have magic-
  derived powers, or who possess and use 
  enchanted items. When not participat-
  ing in more general team adventures, 
  they oft en conﬁ ne their movements 
  and activities to a subculture that is 
  exclusively magical, mystical, and 
  supernatural in origin... mean-
  ing teammates who visit their 
  houses and other haunts may 
  end up with a case of the wil-
  lies (“Th e lamp spoke to me 
  — I swear!”).
  Having Mystic char-
  acters in a campaign 
  implies that magic really 
  exists in that campaign 
  world, and that raises 
  some issues for the 
  GM to consider (see 
  page 53).
  SKILLS, PERKS, 
  AND TALENTS
  Appropriate Mystic 
  Skills include Knowledge 
  Skills in a variety of occult 
  subjects (arcane and occult lore 
  generally, monsters, mysterious 
  sites, secret histories, secret soci-
  eties, necromancy, thaumaturgy, 
  the gods, demons, alternate 
  dimensions, and so on) and 
  Languages (especially dead or 
  mysterious ones). (Cryptog-
  raphy only to translate is also 
  oft en appropriate.) Many Mys-
  tics also have a Power Skill called 
  Magic upon which many of their powers are based.
  Mystics are very Perk-oriented, sometimes 
  having Access to occult sites, Contacts with a wide 
  variety of occult experts, Favors from individuals 
  they’ve helped, animal-companion Followers (famil-
  iars), Head Of State Fringe Beneﬁ ts (usually from 
  alternate dimensions), the priestly Right To Marry 
  Fringe Beneﬁ t, Reputations as mystic protectors of 
  Earth, and secret Bases (“sanctums”).
  Universal Translator is Talent frequently 
  found among dimension-traveling Mystics.
  POWERS
  Th ere is really no limit or even focus 
  to the type of powers a mystic 
  might have. However, cer-
  tain structures of powers 
  are common. Mystic 
  powers oft en 
  Require A Skill 
  Roll (based on 
  Magic), and 
  sometimes 
  require Ges-
  tures, Incanta-
  tions, Concentra-
  tion, Extra Time, and/or 
  Increased Endurance Cost. In 
  short, Power Limitations are 
  very common among Mystics. 
  On the other hand, sometimes 
  super-mages just look Limited; 
  they may, for example, gesture 
  and incant for show, but when 
  push comes to shove they can 
  cast spells even if bound and 
  gagged, so they take no Ges-
  tures or Incantations Limi-
  tations on their powers.
  Sample Mystic-style 
  powers appear in the 
  Quick Superhuman 
  Generator section of 
  this chapter in the 
  descriptions of the 
  Checklist Hero, 
  Mystic Master, and 
  Summoner sets of 
  powers.
  DISADVAN
  TAGES
  Mystics oft en 
  suﬀ er Hunteds 
  based out of the 
  strange and eerie 
  environments 
  that are their 
  homes.
  Other 
  Disadvantages 
  common to this archetype include:
  Dependence:  Must Recharge (Very Common/Easy To 
  Obtain, Character’s Powers Are Aﬀ ected [Activation 
  Roll 11-], 1 Day; 0 points):  A character with this Dis-
  advantage must regularly return to or summon forth 
  a battery-like item or lose his powers. (Th is assumes 
  a power recharger that normally comes when sum-
  moned. If the character must go to a speciﬁ c place, 
  which cannot occur when he is captured or far away 
  from home, the Very Common becomes Common, 
  Parachute Form:  Th e 
  metamorph shapes his 
  malleable body into a 
  parachute-like form, 
  allowing him (and up 
  to one person holding 
  onto his arms and legs) 
  to drift  gently to the 
  ground.
  Gliding 6”, Usable 
  Simultaneously (char-
  acter and one other 
  person; +½) (9 Active 
  Points); Limited Move-
  ment (character cannot 
  gain altitude, and must 
  move at least 12” down-
  ward for every 1” for-
  ward; -½). Total cost:  6 
  points.
  Rubbery Body:  Physical 
  attacks just bounce oﬀ  
  the character’s malleable 
  body, or have diﬃ  culty 
  aﬀ ecting so ﬂ exible a 
  form.
  Physical Damage 
  Reduction, Resistant, 
  50% (30 Active Points); 
  Requires A Malleable 
  Body Powers Roll (-½). 
  Total cost:  20 points.
  Squeezing Through 
  Cracks:  Th e metamorph 
  can ooze his malleable 
  body through even the 
  tiniest openings.
  Desolidiﬁ cation 
  (aﬀ ected by any attack) 
  (40 Active Points); Does 
  Not Protect Against 
  Damage (-1), Cannot 
  Pass Th rough Solid 
  Objects (-½), Con-
  centration (0 DCV; 
  -½), Extra Time (Extra 
  Phase; -¾). Total cost:  
  11 points.
  POSSIBLE MYSTIC 
  SPECIAL EFFECTS
  Some (but by no means 
  all) of the special eﬀ ects 
  that can explain Mystic 
  powers include:
  ■ Th e character has 
  studied magic for years 
  (perhaps decades) and 
  is an accomplished 
  manipulator of arcane 
  energies.
  ■ A curse has “granted” 
  the character mystical 
  powers (but also some 
  heft y Disadvantages).
  ■ A dying wizard, sens-
  Continued from last page
  Continued on next page
  
  77 
  Champions
  and the Total becomes 5 points.)
  Dependence:  Must Drink Blood (Very Common/Easy 
  To Obtain, 1d6 damage, 1 Day; 0 points):  Th ere are 
  a lot of vampiric player characters out there, aft er all. 
  Th is Disadvantage isn’t really any diﬀ erent from any 
  other character’s need to ingest sustenance on a daily 
  basis, but since obtaining blood may cause the char-
  acter problems, it’s worth noting as a Disadvantage for 
  some PCs.
  Psychological Limitation:  Easily Distracted By Magi-
  cal/Occult/Supernatural Matters (Common, Strong; 
  15 points):  Th is is the Mystic’s equivalent of 
  the Gadgeteer’s Disadvantage. Whenever 
  the character comes across any appropri-
  ate object, detail, or 
  technique 
  within his ﬁ eld 
  of interest but 
  new to him, he 
  becomes distracted 
  by it. Th is includes 
  strange enchanted items, 
  tomes of forbidden lore, unusual 
  magical creatures, and so on.
  Susceptibility:  Contact With Iron 
  (takes 1d6 per Phase, Very 
  Common; 25 points):  Th is is 
  a Susceptibility appropriate 
  to characters with the blood 
  of elves or faerie-folk in 
  their veins. If they touch 
  ferrous metal with their 
  bare ﬂ esh, they suﬀ er 
  burns and pain.
  Susceptibility:  Holy 
  Objects And Places 
  (takes 2d6 per 
  Phase in contact, 
  Common; 25 
  points):  Vampires, 
  demons, and 
  other innately evil 
  mystical creatures 
  oft en cannot 
  stand to touch 
  holy ground, 
  holy symbols, 
  holy water, and 
  other such 
  objects. Typi-
  cally, a vigor-
  ous display 
  of a holy item 
  suﬃ  ces to drive 
  them oﬀ , or at 
  least persuade them 
  to come no closer.
  Unluck:  Cursed (2d6; 10 
  points):  Some mystic charac-
  ters have enemies who have inﬂ icted 
  a curse on them, represented by 
  Unluck (and/or other Disadvan-
  tages). Trying to learn enough, or 
  become powerful enough, to dispel the curse is oft en a 
  big motivator for the character.
  PATRIOT
  Th e Patriot is a character who deliberately 
  embodies traits that his nation ﬁ nds especially 
  admirable, and chooses to represent that nation in 
  a symbolic way. Alternately, he may embody some 
  other concept, belief system, religion, philosophy, or 
  principle, one not necessarily related to nationalis-
  tic fervor. Patriots oft en acquire their powers 
  through service to that which they represent 
  (they suﬀ er a radiation accident while serv-
  ing in the military, volunteer for a “superhu-
  man soldier” project, or the like).
  SKILLS, PERKS, AND TALENTS, 
  POWERS
  Patriots are archetypes only in a sym-
  bolic sense (though that’s still important, 
  especially in a genre where sym-
  bolism is oft en so prominent). 
  Th ere’s no standard set of abili-
  ties most Patriot characters 
  possess; their powers tend 
  to emulate or reﬂ ect 
  whatever the character 
  embodies (making it 
  possible for other 
  characters to pre-
  dict their abilities in 
  many cases). Speaking 
  in a character design 
  sense, Patriot characters 
  tend to belong to any of the 
  other archetype groups, 
  especially Brick and 
  Martial Artist, so when 
  you create a Patriot, you 
  should choose Skills and 
  Powers from the choices 
  most prevalent among 
  the other archetype 
  associated with your 
  character concept.
  DISADVANTAGES
  Th ere are two 
  types of Patriots 
  — Heroic and Vil-
  lainous. A Heroic 
  Patriot displays the 
  most virtuous traits 
  of his nation; a Vil-
  lainous one displays 
  the nastiest.
  Heroic Patriots are 
  likely to have Disadvantage 
  such as:  
  Psychological Limitation:  Code 
  Of The Hero or Honorable:  
  See page 67.
  ing the character’s innate 
  goodness and heroism, 
  gift ed the character with 
  his mystical powers.
  ■ Th e character is a 
  descendant of a famous 
  magician (Merlin, 
  Cagliostro, whoever) and 
  has an innate ability to 
  use magic even though 
  he’s never studied it.
  EXAMPLE MYSTIC 
  POWERS
  The Amulet Of The Aandiri:  
  Force Field (8 PD/8 ED/
  8 Power Defense), Usable 
  By Other (+¼), Reduced 
  Endurance (0 END; 
  +½) (42 Active Points); 
  OAF (-1). Total cost:  21 
  points.
  The Blasting-Wand Of 
  Berala The Bold:  EB 15d6 
  (75 Active Points); OAF 
  (-1), 4 Charges (-1). Total 
  cost:  25 points.
  The Scintillant Shackles:  
  Entangle 5d6, 5 DEF, 
  Stops Sight Group (60 
  Active Points); Requires 
  A Magic Roll (-½), 
  Cannot Form Walls (-¼). 
  Total cost:  34 points.
  A Simple Spell Of 
  Comprehension:  Univer-
  sal Translator (INT Roll), 
  Usable Simultaneously 
  (usable by up to eight 
  characters at once; +1) 
  (40 Active Points); Con-
  centration (0 DCV when 
  casting; -½), Requires A 
  Magic Roll (-½). Total 
  cost:  20 points.
  EXAMPLE PATRIOT 
  POWERS
  Dada Fugue:  Th e 
  Avant Guard, living 
  embodiment of dadaist, 
  abstract, and surreal art, 
  can inﬂ ict his unusual 
  viewpoint upon others, 
  temporarily confusing 
  the hell out of them.
  Drain INT 4d6, Ranged 
  (+½) (60 Active Points); 
  Requires An Oratory 
  Roll (-½). Total cost:  40 
  points.
  Justice-Sight:  Justicar, 
  a hero possessed by a 
  Spirit of Justice who 
  grants him crimeﬁ ght-
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  78 
  HERO SYSTEM 5TH EDITION
  Psychological Limitation:  Overprotective Of (Class of 
  People) (Uncommon, Strong; 10 points):  A Patriot 
  with this Psychological Limitation feels a special 
  kinship with or responsibility for one speciﬁ c 
  category of people — women, children, computer 
  nerds, teachers and child-care personnel, and so 
  on, particularly if they are a subset of the nation 
  he represents. Th e presence of this Disadvantage 
  means the character will be extra-diligent about 
  protecting this type of person and unusually out-
  raged when this type of person is harmed, endan-
  gered, or even insulted.
  Villainous Patriots are likely to have Disadvan-
  tages such as:
  Psychological Limitation:  Racist (Very 
  Common, Strong; 20 points):  Th e character 
  chooses only to represent one race of a mul-
  tiracial national population, and is happy to 
  oppress or even kill members of other races. 
  A character known to be a Racist may also 
  have a Reputation reﬂ ecting that fact.
  Psychological Limitation:  Superpatriot 
  (Common, Total; 20 points):  Th e 
  character believes in his nation, 
  right or wrong, to such an extent he 
  can acknowledge no faults. When his 
  nation’s interests or government conﬂ icts 
  in any way with any other, he considers 
  his nation to be 100% correct and will 
  enforce his nation’s wishes without ques-
  tion.
  Either type of Patriot may have Social 
  Limitation:  Subject To Orders if he’s a part of 
  his nation’s military.
  POWERED ARMOR
  Th is character is a variant form of the 
  Gadgeteer (above), with the main diﬀ erence 
  being that the Powered Armor hero has an all-
  in-one gadget — he integrates all his devices into 
  a single suit of powered armor. Also, he’s not as 
  likely to be the actual inventor of the apparatus 
  (he might just be an employee, tester, or friend of 
  the inventor, or even someone who actually stole 
  the suit from the inventor).
  Typically, players build Powered Armor 
  characters using the Power Armor together with 
  a suite of Attack Powers (usually grouped into 
  a Multipower or Variable Power Pool) and some 
  Movement Powers (most oft en Flight). Th e char-
  acter may also build Enhanced Senses or many 
  other miscellaneous powers into his battlesuit. 
  But other options are possible. For example, 
  a character may prefer to use Force Field, 
  Damage Resistance, or even Damage 
  Reduction as his main Defense Power. 
  Players with detailed knowledge of the 
  HERO System might even experiment 
  with building the powered armor as a 
  Vehicle, though this is generally not recom-
  mended.
  Continued from last page
  ing powers, has the abil-
  ity to discern criminal 
  culpability.
  Detect Criminal Cul-
  pability Or Intent (PER 
  Roll) (no Sense Group), 
  Discriminatory, Analyze, 
  Range. Total cost:  20 
  points.
  Let Freedom Ring:  
  Captain Liberty, the 
  national hero of the 
  United States, can aﬀ ect 
  his foe with the sound 
  of the Liberty Bell ring-
  ing when he throws a 
  punch.
  Hearing Group Flash 
  10d6 (30 Active Points); 
  No Range (-½), Linked 
  (to Punch; -½). Total 
  cost:  15 points.
  Liberte, Egalite, 
  Fraternite:  Tricolor, the 
  national hero of France, 
  can split into three sepa-
  rate selves, each with 
  powers reﬂ ecting one 
  of the qualities of the 
  French motto, “Liberty, 
  Equality, Fraternity.”
  Duplication (creates two 
  350-point Duplicates), 
  Altered Duplicates 
  (100%; +1) (150 Active 
  Points); Extra Time 
  (Full Phase; -½). Total 
  cost:  100 points.
  EXAMPLE 
  POWERED ARMOR 
  POWERS
  Boot-Jets:  Flight 20”, 
  Reduced Endurance (0 
  END; +½) (60 Active 
  Points); OIF (-½). Total 
  cost:  40 points.
  Gauntlet Blasters:  
  Energy Blast 12d6 (60 
  Active Points); OIF 
  (-½), 12 Charges (-¼). 
  Total cost:  34 points.
  Protective Capabili-
  ties:  Armor (18 PD/18 
  ED), Hardened (+¼) 
  (67 Active Points); OIF 
  (-½). Total cost:  45 
  points.
  Searchlight:  Sight 
  Group Images, +3 to 
  PER Rolls, Increased 
  Size (8” Cone; +½) (28 
  Active Points); OIF 
  (-½), No Range (-½), 
  Only To Create Light 
  (-1). Total cost:  
  9 points.
  
  79 
  Champions
  SPEEDSTER
  Th is character’s powers are based around move-
  ment, usually (but not always) at high velocities. Th e 
  typical speedster either runs or ﬂ ies very fast, and 
  probably has extremely high reﬂ exes in addition, all of 
  which makes him a high-mobility, hard to hit target 
  with some unusual abilities. Other speedsters focus on 
  unusual Movement Powers (e.g., Teleportation) and 
  their implications.
  SKILLS, PERKS, AND TALENTS
  Speedsters tend to have extraor-
  dinary ﬁ ghting skills based on the 
  notion that they move so fast they 
  can more easily dodge out of the 
  way of attacks or correct their own 
  blows to strike their enemies more 
  oft en or more accurately. Th ere-
  fore, large numbers 
  of Combat Skill 
  Levels are 
  appropri-
  ate for 
  them. 
  Th ose 
  CSLs 
  are usu-
  ally for 
  HTH Combat 
  (5 points each) or 
  movement-based 
  attacks such as 
  Move Th rough, 
  Move By, and Grab By (3 points 
  each for the group). Some Speed-
  sters buy CSLs for DCV to represent 
  the way they “blur” themselves, or their 
  ability to move out of the way of attacks.
  With the GM’s permission, many speed-
  sters also buy Penalty Skill Levels to counteract 
  the penalty for performing non-combat tasks 
  more quickly than normal (see page 45 of the 
  HERO System 5th Edition, Revised). Th is allows 
  them to, for example, clean an entire house in 
  the blink of an eye, program a supercomputer 
  in just one minute, and perform other such “speed 
  tricks.”
  Speedsters are oft en scientists who have geneti-
  cally modiﬁ ed themselves, created apparati that speed 
  them up, or developed unusual sciences that allow 
  their hyperkinetic abilities. Th us, Science Skills may be 
  appropriate, along with technical Skills like Computer 
  Programming or Inventor.
  POWERS
  In addition to Movement Powers, Speedsters 
  oft en have powers such as these:
  Change Environment:  Just by waving arms around 
  very fast, a Speedster could ﬁ ll an area with static elec-
  tricity. (Th is is of no consequence most of the time, 
  but could justify an Energy Blast and serve as the 
  means to recharge a character who has an electricity-
  based END Reserve.) He could also make an area very 
  windy, clean it up in a single Phase, or the like.
  Desolidiﬁ cation:  Th e character moves or vibrates him-
  self in such a way as to put himself out of tune with 
  reality.
  Energy Blast:  Th e character could create static electric-
  ity (see Change Environment, above), throw ordinary 
  objects very fast, shove air in concussive waves, and so on.
  Extra-Dimensional Movement:  Th e character vibrates 
  out of synch with reality and enters a diﬀ erent reality.
  Force Field:  Th e character could vibrate in such a way 
  to compact air in a defensive shield around him.
  Hand-to-Hand Attack:  Enough HA dice can simulate 
  striking multiple blows in a very short amount of 
  time. Th e Speedster may want to apply the Autoﬁ re 
  Advantage instead of just using large numbers of 
  dice to create the rapid-ﬁ re punch.
  Images:  Th e Speedster could move so fast he 
  leaves aft erimages behind as he runs or ﬂ ies, creating 
  images of himself that enemies must sort through 
  when trying to attack him.
  Invisibility:  Th e character might vibrate in such a way 
  that he goes out of phase with conventional reality, 
  allowing him to turn invisible.
  Killing Attack, HTH:  Th e character could rub his hand 
  across an object so fast that he creates tremendous 
  friction energy, setting the target on ﬁ re.
  Killing Attack, Ranged:  As per Energy Blast, above, but 
  with sharp objects.
  Missile Deﬂ ection:  Th e character simply grabs com-
  paratively slow-moving bullets and the like out of the 
  air and hurls them in another direction.
  Teleportation:  Th e character puts on a burst of speed 
  and appears to travel instantaneously to his destina-
  tion. Th e character might be limited to Teleporting 
  along open pathways, or might transform into a form 
  of energy and reappear at his destination.
  Sample Speedster-style powers appear in the 
  Quick Superhuman Generator section of this chapter 
  in the descriptions of the Dimensional Innovator and 
  Hyper-Combat sets of powers.
  DISADVANTAGES
  Appropriate Speedster Disadvantages include:
  Dependence:  Requires Enormous Caloric Intake 
  (Very Common/Easy To Obtain; Weakness, 1 Day; 0 
  points):  Th e character must sustain his hyper-accel-
  erated metabolism by feeding a tremendous appetite. 
  He’s always stopping oﬀ  in mid-patrol for a snack.
  Physical Limitation:  Requires Specialized Medi-
  cal Attention (Infrequently, Greatly Impairing; 10 
  points):  As per the Metamorph, above.
  POSSIBLE 
  SPEEDSTER 
  SPECIAL EFFECTS
  Some (but by no means 
  all) of the special eﬀ ects 
  that can explain Speed-
  ster powers include:
  ■ Th e character is a 
  mutant, born with the 
  ability to ﬂ y, teleport, or 
  what have you.
  ■ Th e character manipu-
  lates time and/or other 
  dimensions to make 
  himself seem to move 
  faster, when in fact it’s 
  not that he’s fast, but 
  that he can slow other 
  people down.
  ■ Th e character taps the 
  energy of the atoms in 
  his body and can use it 
  to move at tremendous 
  velocities.
  ■ Th e character has 
  been blessed with speed 
  powers by a god such as 
  Hermes or Rabbit.
  EXAMPLE 
  SPEEDSTER 
  POWERS
  Hyper-Running I:  Run-
  ning +26” (32” total) 
  (total cost:  52 points) 
  plus Clinging (normal 
  STR) (10 Active Points); 
  Linked (-½), Cannot 
  Resist Knockback (-¼) 
  (total cost:  6 points). 
  Total cost:  58 points.
  Hyper-Running II:  Flight 
  32” (64 Active Points); 
  Only In Contact With A 
  Surface (-¼). Total cost:  
  51 points.
  Hyper-Running III:  Tele-
  portation 20”, MegaScale 
  (1” = 10 km; +½) (60 
  Active Points); Only In 
  Contact With A Sur-
  face (-¼), Must Pass 
  Th rough Intervening 
  Space (-¼). Total cost:  
  40 points.
  Vibro-Phasing:  Deso-
  lidiﬁ cation (aﬀ ected 
  by energy attacks, or 
  attacks by other hyper-
  velocity characters). 
  Total cost:  40 points.
  
  80 
  HERO SYSTEM 5TH EDITION
  Psychological Limitation:  Irked By Slowness 
  (Common, Moderate; 10 points):  When a character 
  can perform tasks in the blink of an eye, having to 
  wait on others tends to make him frustrated and 
  irritable. Th is does little to ingratiate him to 
  the people he’s annoyed with.
  Vulnerability:  2 x STUN From Unexpected 
  Collisions (Common; 20 points):  Th e 
  character doesn’t withstand collision 
  damage well when he isn’t prepared 
  for it, such as when someone 
  runs into him by surprise, 
  instantly erects a Force 
  Wall right in front of 
  him, is the victim of 
  a Martial Th row, or 
  the like.
  WEAPONMASTER
  Th is character has a powerful 
  weapon (or a set of powers that are 
  weapon-like) and relies on it almost 
  exclusively in combat.
  SKILLS, PERKS, AND TALENTS
  Like Martial Artists, Weapon-
  masters have a fairly heavy Skill/
  Talent focus. Th e Weaponmaster 
  tends to have a large number of 
  Combat Skill Levels, plus other 
  weapon-related and combat-related 
  skills — Autoﬁ re Skills, Defense 
  Maneuver, Fast Draw, Martial Arts, 
  Rapid Attack, Tactics, Teamwork, 
  Weapon Familiarities, Weapon-
  smith, technical or scientiﬁ c skills 
  pertaining to the construc-
  tion or maintenance of the 
  weapon, and so on.
  A Weaponmaster will 
  certainly ﬁ nd it helpful to 
  have a Weapon Permit Fringe Beneﬁ t, particularly if 
  he’s oft en singled out by the authorities for carrying 
  a blatantly illegal weapon (“I don’t care if you are a 
  member of the Justice Crusaders, lady, you can’t go 
  carryin’ that pigsticker around on the street!”).
  Appropriate Talents for Weaponmasters include 
  Combat Luck, Combat Sense, Danger Sense, and 
  Lightning Reﬂ exes.
  POWERS
  A Weaponmaster, naturally, uses one or more 
  weapons built with Attack Powers (typically Energy 
  Blast, Hand-to-Hand Attack, or Killing Attacks). 
  Some focus on a single weapon, perhaps develop-
  ing multiple maneuvers and abilities that repre-
  sent diﬀ erent ways to use it. Another category of 
  Weaponmaster is the character whose weapon ﬁ res 
  a bewildering variety of ammunition types, some 
  of which are weapons and some of which perform 
  other functions (like establishing swing-lines and 
  climb-lines, acting as signal ﬂ ares, and so on). Th ese 
  Weaponmasters usually deﬁ ne their weapons with 
  Multipowers (or occasionally 
  other Power Frameworks). An 
  e x a m -
  ple of this sort of 
  power arrange-
  ment is the Trick 
  Ammo Specialist Set 
  in the Quick Superhu-
  man Generator section 
  (page 85).
  A Weaponmaster’s 
  powers do not have to be 
  in a Focus — they could 
  be natural to the character 
  (for example, perhaps he 
  can “generate a spear of life-
  energy” innately). Focus-based 
  Weaponmasters are, however, 
  far more common.
  Sample Weaponmaster-style 
  powers appear in the Quick Super-
  human Generator section of this 
  chapter in the descriptions of the 
  Super-Warrior, Trick Ammo Special-
  ist, and Very Big Gun Wielder sets of 
  powers.
  DISADVANTAGES
  Weaponmasters typically have the 
  same sorts of Disadvantages as Martial 
  Artists (see above).
  NOT USING 
  ARCHETYPES
  Naturally, players are not required to 
  base their characters around the classic 
  comic book archetypes. Many Champions 
  campaigns are better if they include some 
  characters unique to them. Non-arche-
  type characters might include:  a hero 
  with the ability to chemically aﬀ ect a 
  victim’s body (combining some of the 
  characteristics of the Energy Projector, 
  the Mentalist, and the Mystic); a hero 
  with enhanced animal traits (combin-
  i n g 
  some of the characteristics of the Brick, the 
  Martial Artist, and the Weaponmaster); a hero who 
  simulates the powers of supers he has recently been 
  in contact with (combining traits from any number 
  of diﬀ erent archetypes); and a crusading vigilante 
  with a wide variety of abilities (combining some 
  of the characteristics of the Gadgeteer, the Martial 
  Artist, and/or the Weaponmaster).
  Similarly, players should not feel restricted 
  by the explanations of archetypes — they should 
  base new characters on those archetypes if they feel 
  inspired by them, and ignore them otherwise. If a 
  player has a diﬀ erent take on a particular archetype 
  or power than what’s described above, he should 
  build to his own preferences. Archetypes aren’t sup-
  posed to be straitjackets; they’re intended as inspi-
  ration and guidance only.
  POSSIBLE 
  WEAPONMASTER 
  SPECIAL EFFECTS
  Some (but by no means 
  all) of the special 
  eﬀ ects that can explain 
  Weaponmaster powers 
  include:
  ■ Th e character acquires 
  his martial skills 
  through intense training 
  and devoted eﬀ ort.
  ■ Th e character pos-
  sesses a magic weapon 
  that tells him what to do 
  in a ﬁ ght.
  ■ A god of war, such as 
  Odin or Ares, imbues 
  the character with amaz-
  ing warrior powers.
  ■ Th e last surviving 
  member of his spe-
  cies, the character 
  carries within him 
  the combined martial 
  knowledge of his people, 
  programmed into him 
  by his people’s greatest 
  scientists before they 
  died.
  EXAMPLE 
  WEAPONMASTER 
  POWERS
  Boomerang:  Energy 
  Blast 7d6,  Reduced 
  Endurance (0 END; 
  +½) (52 Active Points); 
  OAF (character must 
  use 1 Combat Skill Level 
  to make boomerang 
  return to his hand in the 
  event of a miss; -1), No 
  Knockback (-¼), Range 
  Based On STR (-¼). 
  Total cost:  21 points.
  Cleaving Through Weak 
  Points:  Armor Piercing 
  (+½) for up to HKA 
  3d6,  Reduced Endur-
  ance (0 END; +½) (33 
  Active Points); OIF (any 
  sword of opportunity; -
  ½). Total cost:  22 points.
  The Enchanted Blade Of 
  Rendrak:  HKA 1½d6 
  (plus STR), Armor 
  Piercing (+½), Reduced 
  Endurance (0 END; 
  +½) (50 Active Points); 
  OAF (-1). Total cost:  25 
  points.
  Explosive Arrow:  RKA 
  1d6+1, Explosion (-1 
  DC/2”; +¾) (35 Active 
  Points); OAF (-1). Total 
  cost:  17 points.
  
  81 
  Champions
  T
  he following charts and descriptions work 
  together as a system with which you can 
  create a superhero or supervillain quickly 
  — a convenience for a player jumping into a 
  game for which he has no character, and for a GM 
  who has to put together one or more superpowered 
  NPCs on short notice.
  To use the Quick Superhuman Generator, you 
  ﬁ rst roll two dice on the chart below to ﬁ nd the 
  general Type of the super, then roll any additional 
  dice called for on the chart to determine the Sub-
  type of character. For the initial two dice roll, read 
  the ﬁ rst die as 1 (a result of 1 or 2), 2 (a result of 3 
  or 4), or 3 (a result of 5 or 6); read the second die 
  as the usual 1-6 range. Th at generates a roll of two 
  single digits — 1-1, 1-2, 1-3, and so on — instead of 
  the normal 2-12 bell curve. (Th is ensures an equal 
  chance of any given roll occurring.) For instance, 
  a roll of 1-3 on the dice roll would yield a result of 
  “Brick”; to ﬁ nd out the exact subtype of Brick, you’d 
  roll 1d6, where, for instance, a result of 2 would 
  indicate an All-Around Fighter.
  Having found the Subtype, you proceed to the 
  text for that subtype, which tells you to roll dice to 
  randomly determine the character’s Characteristics 
  Set, Primary Powers Set, Secondary Powers Set, and 
  Skills/Perks/Talents Set. (Alternately, you can also 
  simply choose the sets you want your character to 
  have; a character gets 1 Characteristics, 1 Primary 
  Powers, 1 Secondary Powers, and 1 Skills/Perks/
  Talents sets.) Write down the names of the sets you 
  have rolled or selected.
  Th en continue further in the chapter to the 
  descriptions of those sets. All you have to do is 
  write the information from those descriptions on 
  your character sheet.
  At the end of the Quick Superhuman Gen-
  erator, you’ll be able to randomly roll or choose 
  sets of Disadvantages for your character as well. 
  When that’s done, you’ll have in hand a simple but 
  fully functional character who needs only a name, 
  costume description, and personality to make him 
  ready to play. He may not be as detailed, or have as 
  complex power constructions, as a character built 
  from scratch, but he can still hold his own in the 
  campaign.
  SPECIFIC SUBTYPE 
  DETAILS
  For each of the following subtypes, roll 1d6 for 
  each of the four sets of components the character 
  receives (Characteristics, Primary Powers, Second-
  ary Powers, and Skills/Perks/Talents). Take notes 
  on the results of those rolls; once you’ve chosen all 
  four, you can go to the Details Of Th e Sets section 
  and ﬁ nd out what exact traits each set provides.
  QUICK 
  SUPERHUMAN 
  GENERATOR
  SUPERHUMAN GENERATOR: 
  TYPES AND SUBYPES TABLE
  Roll 2d6 
  Type and Subtypes
  1.1 to 1.3  
  Brick
   
  1-2 
  All-Around Fighter
   
  3-5 
  Flying Brick
   
  6 
  Palooka
  1.4 to 1.5 
  Energy Projector
   
  1-3 
  Air Superiority
   
  4-6 
  Artillery
  1.6 to 2.1 
  Martial Artist
   
  1-3 
  Acrobat
   
  4 
  Young Lion
   
  5 
  Master
   
  6 
  Martial Mystic
  2.2 to 2.3 
  Mentalist
  2.4 
   
  Metamorph
  2.5 to 2.6 
  Mystic
   
  1 
  Bestowed/Spirit-Bonded
   
  2-3 
  Elementalist
   
  4-6 
  Sorcerer-Sage
  3.1 to 3.2 
  Powered Armor
   
  1-2 
  Reroll as Brick
   
  3-4 
  Reroll as Energy Projector
   
  5 
  Reroll as Weaponmaster
   
  6 
  Checklist Power Armor Hero
  3.3 to 3.4 
  Speedster
  3.5 to 3.6 
  Weaponmaster
  Th e Gadgeteer is subsumed into the Powered 
  Armor and Weaponmaster results; the Patriot 
  appears as a Skills Set found among several 
  diﬀ erent archetypes.
  
  82 
  HERO SYSTEM 5TH EDITION
  Brick
  ALLAROUND FIGHTER
  Th is character ﬁ ghts well and is likely to be a 
  good front-line combatant.
  ■ Characteristics:  1-3 Nimbleness Set, 4-6 Rugged-
  ness Set.
  ■ Primary Powers:  1-2 Brute Strength Set, 3 Density 
  Set, 4-5 Growth Set, 6 Strength Projector Set.
  ■ Secondary Powers:  1-2 Fight or Flight Set, 3 Flight 
  and Sight Set, 4 All-Terrain Set, 5-6 Space Set.
  ■ Skills/Perks/Talents:  1 Dedicated Fighter Set, 2 
  Patriot Set, 3 Playboy Set, 4 Spy Set, 5-6 Tactician Set.
  FLYING BRICK
  Th is character has good mobility and a high 
  Strength to bring to bear on enemies.
  ■ Characteristics:  1-2 Nimbleness Set, 3-6 Rugged-
  ness Set.
  ■ Primary Powers:  1-4 Brute Strength Set, 5-6 Den-
  sity Set.
  ■ Secondary Powers:  1-2 Fight or Flight Set, 3-4 
  Flight and Sight Set, 5-6 Space Set.
  ■ Skills/Perks/Talents:  1 Dedicated Fighter Set, 2-3 
  Patriot Set, 4 Scientist Set, 5-6 Tactician Set.
  PALOOKA
  Th is character is a bit of a bruiser — he’s strong, 
  but not necessarily as versatile as other sorts of 
  Bricks.
  ■ Characteristics:  1-6 Ruggedness Set.
  ■ Primary Powers:  1-4 Brute Strength Set, 5-6 Den-
  sity Set.
  ■ Secondary Powers:  1-3 Bouncing Ball Set, 4 Earth-
  Mover Set, 5-6 Freight Train Set.
  ■ Skills/Perks/Talents:  1-4 Dedicated Fighter Set, 5-6 
  Patriot Set.
  Energy Projector
  AIR SUPERIORITY
  Th is character moves quickly, strikes from 
  range, and can then move up on inconvenienced 
  targets or get back out of range again.
  ■ Characteristics:  1-4 Nimbleness Set, 5-6 Rugged-
  ness Set.
  ■ Primary Powers:  1-2 Mega-Blast Set, 3 Modulated 
  Blast Set, 4 Sniper Blast Set, 5 Trick Ammo Specialist 
  Set, 6 Very Big Gun Wielder Set.
  ■ Secondary Powers:  1 Fight or Flight Set, 2-3 Flight 
  and Sight Set, 4 Sensory Platform Set, 5-6 Space Set.
  ■ Skills/Perks/Talents:  1 Dedicated Fighter Set, 2 
  Patriot Set, 3 Scientist Set, 4 Spy Set, 5 Tactician Set, 6 
  Technician Set.
  ARTILLERY
  Th is character uses energy powers or the equiva-
  lent to pound an enemy from a distance. He’s the 
  long-range equivalent of several of the Brick subtypes.
  ■ Characteristics:  1-4 Nimbleness Set, 5-6 Rugged-
  ness Set.
  ■ Primary Powers:  1-4 Mega-Blast, 5-6 Sniper Blast.
  ■ Secondary Powers:  1-2 Fight or Flight Set, 3 Flight 
  and Sight Set, 4 Freight Train Set, 5 Sensory Platform 
  Set, 6 Space Set.
  ■ Skills/Perks/Talents:  1-2 Gunman Set, 3 Playboy 
  Set, 4 Scientist Set, 5 Tactician Set, 6 Technician Set.
  Martial Artist
  ACROBAT
  Th is character is a whirling, leaping, bouncing 
  hero. His martial arts may be a recognizable style, 
  but is just as likely to be a personal art he has devel-
  oped in conjunction with his acrobatic skills.
  ■ Characteristics:  1-4 Nimbleness Set, 5-6 Health 
  and Intellect Set.
  ■ Primary Powers:  1-4 Grasshopper Set, 5-6 Super-
  Boxer Set.
  ■ Secondary Powers:  1-2 Bouncing Ball Set, 3-4 
  Flight and Sight Set, 5-6 Sensory Platform Set.
  ■ Skills/Perks/Talents:  1 Acrobatics Set, 2 Dedicated 
  Fighter Set, 3-4 Investigator Set, 5 Patriot Set, 6 Spy Set.
  YOUNG LION
  Th is character is a youthful, perhaps brash, 
  most likely inexperienced hero; he probably has a 
  good heart, but is likely to be aggravating to more 
  seasoned, world-wise characters.
  ■ Characteristics:  1-4 Nimbleness Set, 5-6 Health 
  and Intellect Set.
  ■ Primary Powers:  1-3 Grasshopper Set, 4-5 Knight 
  Set, 6 Super-Boxer Set.
  ■ Secondary Powers:  1-3 Bouncing Ball Set, 4-6 
  Freight Train Set.
  ■ Skills/Perks/Talents:  1 Acrobatics Set, 2 Dedicated 
  Fighter Set, 3-4 Patriot Set, 5-6 Tactician Set.
  MASTER
  Th is character is a martial arts master. He may 
  not be as good a ﬁ ghter as other superheroes — mas-
  tery of an art does not automatically result in supe-
  riority over all others in a superhero environment 
  — but he is a wise, experienced ﬁ ghter and probably 
  a teacher.
  ■ Characteristics:  1-2 Health and Intellect Set, 3-4 
  Nimbleness Set, 5-6 Brains and Will Set.
  ■ Primary Powers:  1-4 Sensei Set, 5-6 Super-Boxer 
  Set.
  ■ Secondary Powers:  1-3 Flight and Sight Set, 4-6 
  Ground-Pounder Set.
  ■ Skills/Perks/Talents:  1 Acrobatics Set, 2 Dedicated 
  Fighter Set, 3-4 Spy Set, 5-6 Tactician Set.
  
  83 
  Champions
  MARTIAL MYSTIC
  Th is character has developed martial arts skills 
  while exploring the world of mysticism and the 
  supernatural; he belongs in both the martial world 
  and the occult world.
  ■ Characteristics:  1-2 Health and Intellect Set, 3 
  Nimbleness Set, 4-6 Brains and Will Set.
  ■ Primary Powers:  1-4 Super-Boxer Set, 5-6 Check-
  list Hero Set.
  ■ Secondary Powers:  1 All-Terrain Set, 2-3 Flight 
  and Sight Set, 4 Ground-Pounder Set, 5-6 Sensory 
  Platform Set.
  ■ Skills/Perks/Talents:  1 Acrobatics Set, 2 Investiga-
  tor Set, 3 Patriot Set, 4 Playboy Set, 5-6 Tactician Set.
  Mentalist
  Th is character has psychic powers. He may 
  spend most of his non-adventuring time investigat-
  ing the world of the paranormal, but his psionic 
  abilities are strong enough to make him competi-
  tive in the superhero arena.
  ■ Characteristics:  1-4 Brains and Will Set, 5-6 
  Health and Intellect Set.
  ■ Primary Powers:  1-2 Clairvoyant Set, 3-4 Teleki-
  netic Set, 5-6 Telepath Set.
  ■ Secondary Powers:  1-2 Ground-Pounder Set, 3-6 
  Mental Tools Set.
  ■ Skills/Perks/Talents:  1-4 Investigator Set, 5-6 
  Playboy Set.
  Metamorph
  Th is character’s body is malleable (or he can 
  change form), allowing him a tremendous range of 
  combat and noncombat abilities.
  ■ Characteristics:  1-2 Brains and Will Set, 3-5 
  Health and Intellect Set, 6 Ruggedness Set.
  ■ Primary Powers:  1-3 Bendy Toy Set, 4-6 Doppel-
  ganger Set.
  ■ Secondary Powers:  1 All-Terrain Set, 2-3 Bounc-
  ing Ball Set, 4 Fight or Flight Set, 5 Ground-
  Pounder Set, 6 Wall-Crawler Set.
  ■ Skills/Perks/Talents:  1 Dedicated Fighter Set, 2 
  Investigator Set, 3 Scientist Set, 4 Spy Set, 5 Tacti-
  cian Set,  6 Technician Set.
  Mystic
  BESTOWED/SPIRITBONDED
  Th is character has received his mystic powers 
  as a gift  from another being (a god, an archmage, 
  a demon...). His powers usually seem more like 
  innate abilities than spellcasting.
  ■ Characteristics:  1-3 Health and Intellect Set, 4-5 
  Brains and Will Set, 6 Ruggedness Set.
  ■ Primary Powers:  1 Brute Strength Set, 2 Checklist 
  Hero Set, 3 Mystic Master Set, 4 Super-Boxer Set, 5 
  Telekinetic Set, 6 Telepathic Set.
  ■ Secondary Powers:  1-2 All-Terrain Set, 3-4 Fight 
  or Flight Set, 5-6 Mental Tools Set.
  ■ Skills/Perks/Talents:  1 Acrobatics, 2-4 Dedicated 
  Fighter Set, 5 Patriot Set, 6 Tactician Set.
  ELEMENTALIST
  Th is character taps the power of primal magi-
  cal elementalism; he is likely to have powers based 
  around earth, air, ﬁ re, water, even metal or wood 
  (elements of the Oriental mystic-element set). Th is 
  character is more likely to be an instinctive rather 
  than a trained magician.
  ■ Characteristics:  1-4 Health and Intellect Set, 5 
  Brains and Will Set, 6 Ruggedness Set.
  ■ Primary Powers:  1-2 Checklist Hero Set, 3 Mega-
  Blast Set, 4 Modulated Blast Set, 5-6 Telekinetic Set.
  ■ Secondary Powers:  1 Earth-Mover Set, 2-4 Fight 
  or Flight Set, 5-6 Flight and Sight Set.
  ■ Skills/Perks/Talents:  1-4 Dedicated Fighter Set, 5 
  Patriot Set, 6 Tactician Set.
  SORCERERSAGE
  Th is character is a trained magician; most of 
  his powers come from spells that are invocations of 
  greater powers. Th is character is likely to be wise, 
  even serene.
  ■ Characteristics:  1-3 Health and Intellect Set, 4-6 
  Brains and Will Set.
  ■ Primary Powers:  1 Checklist Hero Set, 2 Modu-
  lated Blast Set, 3-4 Mystic Master Set, 5 Summoner 
  Set, 6 Trick Ammo Specialist Set.
  ■ Secondary Powers:  1-2 Flight and Sight Set, 3-4 
  Mental Tools Set, 5-6 Sensory Platform Set.
  ■ Skills/Perks/Talents:  1-4 Investigator Set, 5-6 
  Playboy Set.
  Powered Armor
  Th ree of the four Powered Armor results 
  required you to re-roll as Brick, Energy Projector, 
  or Weaponmaster.
  Th e fourth option is:
  CHECKLIST POWERED ARMOR HERO
  Th is character has built or obtained powered 
  armor (or, for a Gadgeteer, an arsenal of gadgets) 
  that permits him to perform a surprisingly broad 
  set of tasks; he is oft en considered to be a living 
  multi-tool.
  ■ Characteristics:  1-2 Health and Intellect Set, 3-4 
  Brains and Will Set, 5 Nimbleness Set, 6 Rugged-
  ness Set.
  ■ Primary Powers:  1-3 Checklist Hero Set, 4 Mystic 
  Master Set (substitute another special eﬀ ect for 
  Magic wherever noted), 5-6 Trick Ammo Specialist 
  Set.
  ■ Secondary Powers:  1 All-Terrain Set, 2 Fight or 
  Flight Set, 3 Freight Train Set, 4-5 Sensory Platform 
  Set, 6 Space Set.
  
  84 
  HERO SYSTEM 5TH EDITION
  ■ Skills/Perks/Talents:  1 Patriot Set, 2 Playboy Set, 
  3-4 Scientist Set, 5 Tactician Set, 6 Technician Set.
  Speedster
  Th is character is accelerated to the point that 
  his sheer speed makes him competitive against 
  supervillains, or has other unusual movement 
  powers.
  ■ Characteristics:  1-3 Health and Intellect Set, 4-6 
  Nimbleness Set.
  ■ Primary Powers:  1-3 Dimensional Innovator Set, 
  4-6 Hyper-Combat Set. 
  ■ Secondary Powers:  1-2 Freight Train Set, 3-4 
  Ground-Pounder Set, 5 Space Set, 6 Wall-Crawler 
  Set.
  ■ Skills/Perks/Talents:  1 Acrobatics, 2 Playboy Set, 
  3-4 Tactician Set, 5-6 Technician Set.
  Weaponmaster
  Th is character uses a single weapon or related 
  power (which may have a great number of variant 
  uses) against his enemies.
  ■ Characteristics:  1 Brains and Will Set, 2-3 Health 
  and Intellect Set, 4-5 Nimbleness Set, 6 Ruggedness 
  Set.
  ■ Primary Powers:  1-2 Super-Warrior Set, 3-4 Trick 
  Ammo Specialist Set, 5-6 Very Big Gun Wielder Set.
  ■ Secondary Powers:  1 Freight Train Set, 2-3 
  Ground-Pounder Set, 4-6 Sensory Platform Set.
  ■ Skills/Perks/Talents:  1 Acrobatics, 2 Dedicated 
  Fighter Set, 3 Gunman Set, 4 Investigator Set, 5 Spy 
  Set, 6 Tactician Set.
  Disadvantages
  With the character’s beneﬁ cial attributes all 
  chosen, you can now begin choosing his Disadvan-
  tages as well. Th e choice of Disadvantages is nor-
  mally tied very directly to his character conception 
  and background. However, some sets of Disadvan-
  tages related to recurrent themes are possible.
  Roll on the accompanying table to determine 
  the character’s Disadvantages sets, rolling for a 
  number of sets determined by the character’s power 
  level.
  If a set doesn’t seem right for the character’s 
  Powers and Skills, or for the background and origin 
  you have conceived for him, choose another, or 
  re-roll to get a diﬀ erent result. If you prefer, you can 
  simply choose from among the selections rather 
  than roll.
  Adjustments
  Once you have the basic set of Characteristics, 
  Powers, and Skills/Perks/Talents in place, you can 
  begin ﬁ ddling with them.
  First, adjust all values according to the power 
  level of the campaign. Th e values provided in these 
  sets are all designed assuming a Standard cam-
  paign; you should modify those values if you are 
  playing at any other power level. Use the accompa-
  nying Power Level Adjustments Chart, multiplying 
  the Active Point value of the powers by the number 
  shown in the chart.
  Sometimes, things will not be as simple as 
  merely multiplying a point value — for instance, a 
  4-point Martial Arts maneuver does not multiply 
  up into a 60-point maneuver. Use common sense 
  and dramatic sense when adjusting point values 
  (for instance, by adding Martial Arts maneuvers 
  to a set, by rounding point values to appropriate 
  values for a power, and so on).
  Th ird, when two or more sets contribute to the 
  same Characteristic or power, combine their values 
  if possible. For instance, one set might grant a STR 
  +40 and one a STR +10; put them together for a 
  STR +50, for a total STR of 60. If one set grants a 
  Leaping +5” and another a Leaping +10”, combine 
  them into a Leaping +15”. In this step, you can also 
  combine separate Multipowers into a single Mul-
  tipower if you wish, or move powers from one set 
  into the Multipower of another set.
  Fourth, when those combinations exceed the 
  GM’s maxima or point/eﬀ ectiveness ceilings for the 
  campaign, you’ll need to trim the ﬁ nal power back 
  DISADVANTAGES BY 
  POWER CATEGORY
  Power Level 
  Number Of Sets
  Low-Powered 
  2
  Standard 
  3
  High-Powered 
  3
  Very High-Powered 
  4
  Cosmically Powerful 
  4
  DISADVANTAGE SETS
  Roll 3d6 
  Disadvantages Set
   
  3 
  Anti-Violence Set
   
  4 
  Hunter Set
   
  5 
  Curse Set
   
  6 
  Infamy Set
   7-13 
  Standard Set
   
  14 
  Normal Guy Set
   
  15 
  Radiation Accident Set
   
  16 
  Tragic Past Set
   
  17 
  Cultural Alien Set
   
  18 
  Over-Reﬁ ned Set
  POWER LEVEL ADJUSTMENTS CHART
   
  Multiply This Feature By This Amount
   
   
  Primary 
  Secondary 
  Skill/Perks/
  If The Campaign Is 
  Characteristics 
  Powers 
  Powers 
  Talents
  Low-Powered 
  x.8 
  x.75 
  x.66 
  x.5
  Standard 
  x1 
  x1 
  x1 
  x1
  High-Powered 
  x1.2 
  x1.25 
  x1.33 
  x1.5
  Very High-Powered 
  x1.6 
  x2 
  x1.66 
  x1.5
  Cosmically Powerful 
  x1.6 
  x3 
  x1.66 
  x1.5
  
  85 
  Champions
  to be within the campaign limits.
  Fift h, go through and decide whether to 
  modify any powers or sets of powers with Limita-
  tions. Th e most common, and most appropriate, use 
  of this step is to apply the Focus Limitation to some 
  powers — armored skin becomes an armored suit, 
  an Energy Blast becomes a blaster pistol, and so on. 
  For at least one archetype — Powered Armor/Gad-
  geteer — having Foci is mandatory; it’s also almost 
  universal among Weaponmasters.
  Sixth, use any points saved through use of 
  Limitations to purchase any additional traits you 
  think the character should have.
  DETAILS OF THE SETS
  Each of the sets mentioned above is detailed 
  below. Th e ﬁ rst line gives the name and total cost 
  of the set; subsequent lines break down the compo-
  nents of the set.
  Characteristics Sets
  Each of these sets costs 125 Character Points.
  BRAINS AND WILL SET
  Th is set is optimized for characters who are 
  both smart and forceful of personality.
  Cost 
  Characteristic
  5 
  +5 STR
  15 
  +5 DEX 
  16 
  +8 CON
  6 
  +3 BODY
  13 
  +13 INT
  26 
  +13 EGO
  13 
  +13 PRE
  5 
  +5 PD
  3 
  +3 ED
  15 
  +1.5 SPD
  8 
  +4 REC
  HEALTH AND INTELLECT SET
  Th is set is optimized for characters who are 
  healthy of body and mind.
  Cost 
  Characteristic
  8 
  +8 STR
  30 
  +10 DEX
  20 
  +10 CON
  10 
  +5 BODY
  8 
  +8 INT
  10 
  +5 EGO
  7 
  +7 PD
  4 
  +4 ED
  20 
  +2 SPD
  8 
  +4 REC
  NIMBLENESS SET
  Th is set is optimized for characters best-
  known for grace and agility, but the term “nimble-
  ness” does reﬂ ect a certain keenness of mind as 
  well.
  Cost 
  Characteristic
  8 
  +8 STR
  39 
  +13 DEX
  16 
  +8 CON
  6 
  +3 BODY
  5 
  +5 INT
  6 
  +3 EGO
  5 
  +5 PD
  5 
  +5 ED
  27 
  +2.7 SPD
  8 
  +4 REC
  RUGGEDNESS SET
  Th is set is optimized for someone who is 
  tough of body and, to a certain extent, of spirit.
  Cost 
  Characteristic
  8 
  +8 STR
  30 
  +10 DEX
  20 
  +10 CON
  10 
  +5 BODY
  10 
  +5 EGO
  5 
  +5 PRE
  8 
  +8 PD
  6 
  +6 ED
  20 
  +2 SPD
  2 
  +1 REC
  6 
  +6 STUN
  Primary Powers Sets
  Each of these sets costs 100 Character Points.
  BENDY TOY SET
  Th is set is suitable for a superhuman who can 
  mold and stretch his malleable body to accomplish 
  tasks.
  Cost Power
  30 
  Malleable Body:  Stretching 4”; Reduced 
  Endurance (0 END; +½)
  40 
  Stretching Powers:  Multipower, 40-point 
  reserve
  1u 
  1)  Molding To Surfaces:  Clinging 
  (normal STR)
  3u 
  2)  Resilient Form:  Physical Damage 
  Reduction, Resistant, 50%
  1u 
  3)  Pseudopods:  Extra Limbs (as many as 
  desired)
  1u 
  4)  Parawing Form:  Gliding 15”
  2u 
  5)  Big, Hard Hands:  HA +6d6; Hand-to-
  Hand Attack (-½)
  1u 
  6)  Clothing Mimicry:  Cosmetic Transform 
  2d6 (Instant Change)
  1u 
  7)  Spring-Legs:  Leaping +15”
  4u 
  8)  Bouncing Missiles:  Missile Deﬂ ection 
  (arrows/projectiles), +5 OCV, Range (+1)
  4u 
  9)  Long, Stretchy Legs:  Running +20” 
  (26” total)
  RANDOM 
  ADVANTAGES
  If you’d like to randomly 
  determine one or more 
  Advantages for an ability 
  your character acquires 
  as part of a power set, 
  use the following tables. 
  If you get an inappropri-
  ate result, roll again.
  +¼ Advantages
  Roll one die to deter-
  mine which table to 
  roll on, and one die to 
  determine results on 
  that table.
  First roll:
  1-2 = Table 1
  3-4 = Table 2
  5-6 = Table 3
  Table 1
  1:  Aﬀ ects Desolidiﬁ ed 
  (single special eﬀ ect)
  2:  Autoﬁ re (2-3 shots)
  3:  32 Charges
  4:  Delayed Eﬀ ect
  5:  Diﬃ  cult To Dispel
  6:  Does Knockback
  Table 2
  1:  Hole In Th e Middle 
  (ﬁ xed hole)
  2:  Indirect (choose 
  appropriate eﬀ ect)
  3:  Increased Maximum 
  Range (x5)
  4:  Invisible Power 
  Eﬀ ects (choose appro-
  priate eﬀ ect)
  5:  MegaScale (1” = 1 
  km)
  6:  Personal Immunity
  Table 3
  1:  Reduced Endurance 
  (½ END)
  2:  Sticky
  3:  Time Delay
  4:  Trigger (set trigger)
  5:  Usable By Other
  6:  Variable Special 
  Eﬀ ects (limited group)
  +½ Advantages
  Roll one die to deter-
  mine which table to 
  roll on, and one die to 
  determine results on 
  that table.
  Continued on next page
  
  86 
  HERO SYSTEM 5TH EDITION
  4u 
  10)  Shapechanging:  Shape Shift  (Sight, 
  Touch, and Radio Groups, any shape)
  8m 
  11)  Enhanced Malleability:  Stretching +8”
  BRUTE STRENGTH SET
  Th is set is for Brick characters who have a very 
  simple set of powers — they do nothing more than 
  dish out and take a lot of damage.
  Cost Power
  75 
  Super-Strength:  +60 STR; Reduced Endur-
  ance (½ END; +¼)
  21 
  Tough Skin:  Damage Resistance (18 PD/10 
  ED); Hardened (x2; +½)
  4 
  Heavy:  Knockback Resistance -2”
  CHECKLIST HERO SET
  Th is set is for characters who try to be all 
  things to all situations, such as many Gadgeteers. 
  You can easily create even more diﬀ erent types of 
  characters by substituting a few powers here and 
  there.
  Cost Power
  20 
  Fighting Skills:  Martial Arts (choice of 20 
  points’ worth of Maneuvers)
  40 
  Bunch Of Useful Abilities:  Multipower 
  (60-point reserve); choose -½ worth of Limi-
  tations  (OIF, Requires A Skill Roll, Activa-
  tion Roll 14-, or the like) and apply them to 
  the reserve and to each slot
  3u 
  1)  Bodily Safety:  Life Support:  Total
  2u 
  2)  Booster:  Aid 3d6 (choice of aﬀ ected 
  Characteristic or Power)
  3u 
  3)  Deadly Attack:  RKA 2½d6
  4u 
  4)  Defense Shield:  Physical and Energy 
  Damage Reduction, Resistant, 50%
  1u 
  5)  Enhanced Personal Defenses:  Force Field 
  (10 PD/10 ED)
  1u 
  6)  Heat Sensing:  Infrared Perception (Sight 
  Group)
  1u 
  7)  Heightened Vision:  +8 versus Range for 
  Sight Group
  1u 
  8)  Improved Reach:  Stretching 4”
  3u 
  9)  Intangibility:  Desolidiﬁ cation
  3u 
  10)  Invisibility Screen:  Invisibility to Sight 
  Group, No Fringe, Reduced Endurance (0 
  END; +½)
  4u 
  11)  Mental Blast:  Ego Attack 6d6
  4u 
  12)  Power-Blast:  Energy Blast 12d6
  1u 
  13)  Radar:  Radar (Radio Group)
  2u 
  14)  Size Increase:  Growth (+30 STR, +6 
  BODY, +6 STUN, -6 KB, 6,400 kg, -4 DCV, 
  +4 PER Rolls to perceive character, 
  8 m tall, 4 m wide)
  1u 
  15)  Size Reduction:  Shrinking (.5 m tall, 1.6 
  kg mass, -4 to PER Rolls to perceive 
  character, -4 DCV, takes +6 KB)
  3u 
  16)  Strength Enhancer:  +60 STR (60 Active 
  Points); No Figured Characteristics (-½)
  2u 
  17)  Telekinetic Manipulation:  Telekinesis 
  (20 STR)
  1u 
  18)  UV Sensing:  Ultraviolet Perception 
  (Sight Group)
  CLAIRVOYANT SET
  Th is set is for characters who can detect 
  danger and images from the past and future. Th is 
  type of Clairvoyant has Martial Arts not as a result 
  of study and training, but simply because he knows 
  which attacks are coming and has a sense of where 
  he should counter-attack.
  Cost Power
  20 
  Fighting Skills:  Martial Arts (choice of 20 
  points’ worth of Maneuvers)
  24 
  Premonitions:  Danger Sense (self only, out of 
  combat) (PER Roll +4)
  56 
  Foresight:  Precognitive and Retrocognitive 
  Clairsentience, Sight and Hearing Groups; 
  Concentration (½ DCV; -¼)
  DENSITY SET
  Th is set is for Brick characters who increase 
  their density.
  Cost Power
  60 
  Density Alteration:  Density Increase 
  (400,000 kg mass, +60 STR, +12 PD/ED, 
  -12 KB)
  36 
  Superhard Skin:  Armor (12 PD/12 ED)
  4 
  Too Heavy To Shove:  Knockback 
  Resistance -2”
  DIMENSIONAL INNOVATOR SET
  Th is set belongs to Speedsters whose powers 
  aﬀ ect the very fabric of reality, or work via dimen-
  sional manipulation of some sort.
  Cost Power
  60 
  Dimensional Manipulation Movement:  
  Multipower, 60-point reserve
  12m 1)  Hyperrunning:  Running +24”; Reduced 
  Endurance (½ END; +¼)
  4u 
  2)  Hyperdimensional Movement:  Flight 18”, 
  Reduced Endurance (0 END; +½); Only In 
  Contact With A Surface (-¼)
  2u 
  3)  Running On Air:  Gliding 16”
  3u 
  4)  Hyperkinetic Strike:  HA +9d6; Hand-To-
  Hand Attack (-½)
  4u 
  5)  Attack Avoidance:  Missile Deﬂ ection (all 
  Ranged attacks), Range (+1)
  6u 
  6)  Phase Shift ing:  Desolidiﬁ cation (aﬀ ected 
  by magic or dimension-based powers), 
  Usable Simultaneously (+½)
  6u 
  7)  Running Between Dimensions:  Extra-
  Dimensional Movement (any location in 
  a related group of dimensions [alternate 
  Earths]), x4 Increased Weight, Reduced 
  Endurance (0 END; +½)
  2u 
  8)  Aft erimages:  Sight Group Images, -8 to 
  PER Rolls, Increased Size (8” radius; +¾); 
  No Range (-½), Set Eﬀ ect (multiple images 
  of self; -1)
  1u 
  9)  Quick-Change Artist:  Cosmetic Trans-
  form 2d6 (Instant Change)
  Continued from last page
  First roll:
  1 = Table 1
  2 = Table 2
  3 = Table 3
  4-5 = Table 4
  6 = Table 5
  Table 1
  1:  Aﬀ ects Desolidiﬁ ed
  2:  Area Of Eﬀ ect (One 
  Hex)
  3:  Armor Piercing
  4:  Autoﬁ re (5 shots)
  5:  64 Charges
  6:  Cumulative
  Table 2
  1:  Damage Shield
  2:  Double Knockback 
  (x1½)
  3:  Explosion
  4:  Hole In Th e Middle 
  (variable)
  5:  Increased Maximum 
  Range (x25)
  6:  Indirect (choose 
  appropriate eﬀ ect)
  Table 3
  1:  Invisible Power 
  Eﬀ ects (choose appro-
  priate eﬀ ect)
  2:  Line Of Sight
  3:  MegaScale 
  (1” = 10 km)
  4:  NND (equally 
  common defense)
  5:  No Range Modiﬁ er
  6:  Penetrating
  Table 4
  1:  Persistent
  2:  Ranged
  3-5:  Reduced 
  Endurance (0 END)
  6:  Sticky
  Table 5
  1:  Transdimensional
  2:  Trigger (variable 
  trigger)
  3:  Uncontrolled
  4:  Usable On Others 
  (choose appropriate 
  eﬀ ect)
  5:  Variable Advantage 
  (+¼ Advantages)
  6:  Variable Special 
  Eﬀ ects (any special 
  eﬀ ect)
  Continued on next page
  
  87 
  Champions
  DOPPELGANGER SET. 
  Th is set is for Metamorphs who can change their 
  shape.
  Cost Power
  45 
  Alternate Form: Shape Shift  (Sight, Hearing, 
  and Touch Groups, any shape), Cost Endur-
  ance Only To Change Shape (+1/4)
  55 
  Animal Forms: Multiform (change shape 
  into any eight animal forms, chosen during 
  character creation, of up to 200 points each)
  GRASSHOPPER SET
  Th is set belongs to martial artists who bounce 
  around the landscape in a frenetic fashion.
  Cost Power
  30 
  Well-Honed Reﬂ exes:  +10 DEX
  20 
  Fighting Style:  Martial Arts (choice of 20 
  points’ worth of Maneuvers)
  16 
  Fighting Prowess:  +4 Extra DCs for Martial 
  Arts
  15 
  Wuxia Leaping:  Leaping +15”
  19 
  Attack Avoidance:  Missile Deﬂ ection (bul-
  lets/shrapnel), +2 OCV
  GROWTH SET
  Th is set belongs to Bricks who like to get big 
  and stomp hard.
  Cost Power
  60 
  Size Increase:  Growth (+60 STR, +12 BODY, 
  +12 STUN, -12 KB, 400,000 kg, -8 DCV, +8 
  PER Rolls to perceive character, 32 m tall, 16 
  m wide)
  24 
  Long Legs:  Running +12”
  16 
  Tough Skin:  Damage Resistance 
  (20 PD/12 ED)
  HYPERCOMBAT SET
  Th is set indicates someone who uses super-
  speed powers chieﬂ y to hammer on targets.
  Cost Power
  48 
  Super-Running:  Running +24” (30” total)
  40 
  Speedster Powers:  Multipower, 40-point 
  reserve
  2u 
  1)  Impact Resistance:  Armor (26 PD/0 ED); 
  Only To Protect Against Damage 
  Sustained When Performing Move 
  Th roughs/Move Bys (-1)
  3u 
  2)  Rapid-Fire Punch I:  HA +8d6; Hand-to-
  Hand Attack (-½)
  2u 
  3)  Rapid-Fire Punch II:  HA +5d6; Autoﬁ re 
  (5 shots; +½); Hand-to-Hand Attack -½)
  4u 
  4)  Friction Attack:  HKA 2½d6
  1u 
  5)  Heightened Reactions:  +1 SPD; Costs 
  Endurance (-½)
  KNIGHT SET
  Th is set belongs to Martial Artists who tend to 
  use weapons or weapon-like powers in addition to 
  Martial Arts.
  Cost Power
  13 
  Well-Developed Muscles:  +13 STR 
  20 
  Fighting Style:  Martial Arts (choice of 20 
  points’ worth of Maneuvers)
  3 
  Martial Arts Weapons:  Use Martial Arts with 
  Choice of 3 Weapons Groups
  27 
  Iron Skin:  Armor (9 PD/9 ED)
  37 
  Killing Blow:  HKA 1½d6, Reduced Endur-
  ance (0 END; +½)
  Optional substitution:  replace Martial Arts Weap-
  ons and Killing Blow with Swinging 20” and an 
  HKA 1d6+1.
  MARTIAL ARTS SETS
  Wherever a set indicates a character has a choice 
  of Martial Arts, he can choose up to 20 points’ worth 
  of Martial Maneuvers. If he pleases, he can choose 
  from or roll between these four sets (some of which 
  include Martial Maneuvers from Th e Ultimate Mar-
  tial Artist); each set costs 20 points.
  1-2 — Hard Style:  Fast Strike (4 points), Killing 
  Strike (4 points), Martial Block (4 points), Oﬀ ensive 
  Strike (5 points), Takedown (3 points).
  3-4 — Soft  Style:  Defensive Block (5 points), 
  Defensive Strike (5 points), Legsweep (3 points), 
  Martial Dodge (4 points), Martial Th row (3 points).
  5 — Weapons Style:  Basic Strike (3 points), Martial 
  Block (4 points), Martial Disarm (4 points), Martial 
  Weapon Strike (4 points), Oﬀ ensive Weapon Strike 
  (5 points).
  6 — Shoving Style:  Martial Escape (4 points), 
  Martial Grab (3 points), Root (4 points), Shove (4 
  points), Sacriﬁ ce Strike (5 points).
  MEGABLAST SET
  Th is set is for Energy Projectors who hit their 
  targets very hard but don’t exhibit a lot of versatil-
  ity.
  Cost Power
  13 
  Energy Resistance:  +13 ED
  87 
  Mega-Blast:  Energy Blast 14d6; Reduced 
  Endurance (½ END; +¼)
  MODULATED BLAST SET
  Th is set is for Energy Projectors who know 
  how to modulate their energy emissions to perform 
  diﬀ erent tasks.
  Cost Power
  75 
  Energy Powers:  Multipower, 75-point reserve
  7u 
  1)  Basic Blast:  Energy Blast 10d6; Reduced 
  Endurance (0 END; +½)
  7u 
  2)  Explosive Blast:  Energy Blast 10d6; 
  Explosion (+½)
  7u 
  3)  Piercing Blast:  Energy Blast 10d6; Armor 
  Piercing (+½)
  4u 
  4)  Deadly Blast:  RKA 3d6
  +1 Advantages
  Roll one die to deter-
  mine which table to 
  roll on, and one die to 
  determine results on 
  that table.
  First roll:
  1-2 = Table 1
  3-4 = Table 2
  5-6 = Table 3
  Table 1
  1-4:  Any two +½ 
  Advantages
  5:  Area Of Eﬀ ect
  6:  Armor Piercing (x2)
  Table 2
  1:  Autoﬁ re (6-10 shots)
  2:  BOECV
  3:  Continuous
  4:  Explosion (-1 DC/3”)
  5:  Indirect (choose 
  appropriate eﬀ ect)
  6:  Invisible Power 
  Eﬀ ects (choose appro-
  priate eﬀ ect)
  Table 3
  1:  MegaScale 
  (1” = 1,000 km)
  2:  NND
  3:  Penetrating (x2)
  4:  Transdimensional 
  (choose appropriate 
  eﬀ ect)
  5:  Usable On Others 
  (choose appropriate 
  eﬀ ect)
  6:  Variable Advantage 
  (+½ Advantages)
  Continued from last page
  
  88 
  HERO SYSTEM 5TH EDITION
  MYSTIC MASTER SET
  Th is set is for Mystics who can create a broad 
  range of magical eﬀ ects. By altering the special 
  eﬀ ects (and perhaps a few of the Powers), you can 
  use this set for other types of characters as well.
  Cost Power
  53 
  Mystic Powers:  Multipower, 80-point reserve; 
  choose -½ worth of Limitations  (Activation 
  Roll 14-, Concentration, Gestures, Incanta-
  tions, Requires A Skill Roll, or the like) and 
  apply them to the reserve and to each slot
  4u 
  1)  Æthereal Form:  Desolidiﬁ cation (aﬀ ected 
  by magic), Reduced Endurance (0 END; +½)
  3u 
  2)  Bright Flames Of Th e Valdar:  RKA 2½d6
  1u 
  3)  Cloak Of Th e Unseen:  Invisibility to Sight 
  Group
  2u 
  4)  Dampen Magic:  Suppress Magic 5d6, 
  any Magic power one at a time (+¼)
  5u 
  5)  Disrupt Magic:  Dispel Magic 21d6, 
  any Magic power one at a time (+¼)
  2u 
  6)  Farsensing:  Clairsentience (Sight and 
  Hearing Groups), 2x Range (300”)
  4u 
  7)  Invoked Shadows:  Darkness to Sight 
  Group 6” radius
  4u 
  8)  Magical Enhancement:  Aid 2d6, all Magic 
  powers simultaneously (+2)
  3u 
  9)  Pathways Of Th e Adepts:  Extra-Dimen-
  sional Movement (any location in any 
  dimension), x4 Increased Weight
  3u 
  10)  Shield Of Th e Aandiri:  Force Wall 
  (10 PD/10 ED)
  5u 
  11)  Siphon Magic:  Drain Magic 4d6, any 
  Magic power one at a time (+¼), 
  Ranged (+½)
  3u 
  12)  Torments Of Th e Mind:  Ego Attack 5d6
  3u 
  13)  Valdarian Fire:  Energy Blast 10d6
  3u 
  14)  Valdarian Lights:  Sight Group Flash 
  10d6
  2u 
  15)  Touch Of Th e Spriggan:  Growth (+30 
  STR, +6 BODY, +6 STUN, -6 KB, 6,400 kg, -4 
  DCV, +4 PER Rolls to perceive character, 8 
  m tall, 4 m wide), Costs Endurance Only To 
  Activate (+¼)
  SENSEI SET
  Th is set is for experienced martial-arts teachers.
  Cost Power
  20 
  Fighting Style:  Martial Arts (choice of 20 
  points’ worth of Maneuvers)
  20 
  Fighting Style:  another Martial Art (choice of 
  20 points’ worth of Maneuvers)
  20 
  Fighting Prowess:  +5 Extra DCs for Martial 
  Arts
  5 
  Martial Arts Weapons:  Use Martial Arts with 
  Choice of 5 Weapons Groups
  35 
  Sensei’s Strike:  Find Weakness 16- with one 
  attack type
  SNIPER BLAST SET
  Th is set is for Energy Projectors who are adept 
  at hitting targets from a very long away, oft en with 
  the advantage of surprise.
  Cost Power
  100 
  Energy Blast 10d6, Armor Piercing (+½), No 
  Range Modiﬁ er (+½)
  STRENGTH PROJECTOR SET
  Th is set is for Bricks who can do more with 
  their Strength powers than merely hit things.
  Cost Power
  21 
  Armored Skin:  Armor (7 PD/7 ED)
  60 
  Strength Tricks:  Multipower, 60-point 
  reserve
  4u 
  1)  Controlled Adrenaline Rush:  +40 STR; 
  Reduced Endurance (0 END; +½); No Fig-
  ured Characteristics (-½)
  4u 
  2)  Concussive Hand-Clap:  Energy Blast 6d6, 
  Area Of Eﬀ ect (7” Cone; +1); No Range (-½)
  5u 
  3)  Rending And Tearing:  HKA 2½d6 (plus 
  STR), Reduced Endurance (½ END; +¼)
  4u 
  4)  Allmighty Smackdown:  HA +8d6; Auto-
  ﬁ re (5 shots; +½); Hand-to-Hand Attack (-½)
  2u 
  5)  Super-Strong Legs:  Leaping +25”
  SUMMONER SET
  Th is set is for Mystics whose normal tactic 
  is to summon magical creatures to deal with an 
  enemy. In this structure, the Mystic can summon 
  four 100-point creatures and has Mind Control 
  with which to control them, if necessary.
  Cost Power
  75 
  Conjuration:  Summon 4 100-point crea-
  tures (deﬁ ned by character), Expanded Class 
  (deﬁ ned by character; +1), Reduced Endur-
  ance (0 END; +½)
  25 
  Conjuror’s Control:  Mind Control 8d6, Tele-
  pathic (+¼); Only Works Against Summoned 
  Creatures (-1)
  SUPERBOXER SET
  Th is set is for characters with extraordinary 
  physical abilities derived from nearly mystical mar-
  tial arts techniques.
  Cost Power
  30 
  Fighting Style:  Martial Arts (choice of 30 
  points’ worth of Maneuvers and Extra DCs)
  10 
  Ch’i-Powered Leaping:  Leaping +10”
  40 
  Ch’i Powers:  Multipower, 40-point reserve
  4u 
  1)  Ch’i Control:  Simpliﬁ ed Healing 4d6
  3u 
  2)  Iron Shirt:  Armor (12 PD/12 ED); Activa-
  tion Roll 15- (-¼)
  4u 
  3)  Lei Kung’s Fire:  Energy Blast 8d6
  3u 
  4)  Ox-Felling Blow:  HKA 2d6 (plus STR)
  4u 
  5)  Sublime Energy Control:  Missile Deﬂ ec-
  tion and Reﬂ ection (all Ranged attacks)
  1u 
  6)  Unshakable Balance:  Flight 5”; Only In 
  Contact With A Surface (-¼), Only To Stand 
  And Move On Small, Fragile Surfaces (-½)
  RANDOM 
  LIMITATIONS
  If you’d like to randomly 
  determine one or more 
  Limitations for an ability 
  your character acquires 
  as part of a power set, 
  use the following tables. 
  If you get an inappropri-
  ate result, roll again.
  -¼ Limitations
  Roll one die to deter-
  mine which table to 
  roll on, and one die to 
  determine results on 
  that table.
  First roll:
  1-2 = Table 1
  3-4 = Table 2
  5-6 = Table 3
  Table 1
  1:  Activation Roll 
  (choose appropriate 
  eﬀ ect)
  2-3:  Charges (choose 
  appropriate eﬀ ect)
  4:  Concentration 
  (½ DCV)
  5:  Extra Time (Delayed 
  Phase)
  6:  Gestures
  Table 2
  1:  Focus (IIF)
  2:  Incantations
  3-5:  Limited Power 
  (choose appropriate 
  eﬀ ect)
  6:  Limited Range
  Table 3
  1:  OIHID
  2:  Reduced By Range
  3:  Reduced Penetration
  4:  Requires A Skill Roll 
  (choose appropriate 
  eﬀ ect)
  5:  Side Eﬀ ects (choose 
  appropriate eﬀ ect)
  6:  Visible
  -½ Limitations
  Roll one die to deter-
  mine which table to 
  roll on, and one die to 
  determine results on 
  that table.
  First roll:
  1-2 = Table 1
  3-4 = Table 2
  5-6 = Table 3
  Continued on next page
  
  89 
  Champions
  1u 
  7)  Wire-Fu Wall-Scaling:  Clinging (normal 
  STR); Requires An Acrobatics Roll (-½)
  SUPERWARRIOR SET
  Th is set is for characters who have a superhu-
  manly broad range of combat abilities.
  Cost Power
  15 
  Combat Sense (PER Roll)
  5 
  Defense Maneuver II
  15 
  Deadly Aim:  Find Weakness 12- with one 
  attack type
  18 
  Combat Protection:  Armor (6 PD/6 ED)
  22 
  Power Strike:  HA +9d6; Hand-to-Hand 
  Attack (-½) plus one additional -½ Limita-
  tion of choice (Activation Roll 14-, OIF, IAF, 
  or the like)
  15 
  Ducking And Dodging:  Missile Deﬂ ection 
  (bullets/shrapnel) or +3 DCV
  10 
  Swift :  Running +5”  
  TELEKINETIC SET
  Th is set is for Mentalists and some other 
  archetypes adept at moving objects with their 
  minds.
  Cost Power
  60 
  Telekinetic Mastery:  Multipower, 60-point 
  reserve
  6u 
  1)  Telekinetic Manipulation I:  Telekinesis 
  (40 STR)
  6u 
  2)  Telekinetic Manipulation II:  Telekinesis 
  (32 STR), Fine Manipulation
  6u 
  3)  Telekinetic Manipulation III:  Telekinesis 
  (26 STR), Reduced Endurance (0 END; +½)
  6u 
  4)  Telekinetic Blast:  Energy Blast 12d6
  3u 
  5)  Telekinetic Bubble:  Life Support (Self-
  Contained Breathing), Usable Simultane-
  ously (up to 8 people at once; +1), Reduced 
  Endurance (0 END; +½), Persistent (+½)
  3u 
  6)  Telekinetic Flight:  Flight 15”
  1u 
  7)  Telekinetic Sensing:  Detect Limited Class 
  Of Physical Objects (PER Roll) (no Sense 
  Group), Discriminatory, Range
  5u 
  8)  Telekinetic Shield:  Force Field (18 PD/18 
  ED),  Reduced Endurance (0 END; +½)
  4u 
  9)  Whirling Dust And Debris:  Darkness to 
  Sight Group 4” radius, Reduced Endurance 
  (0 END; +½); OIF (suﬃ  cient dust and debris 
  of opportunity; -½)
  TELEPATHIC SET
  Th is set is for mentalists who specialize in 
  mind-to-mind contact.
  Cost Power
  5 
  Psychic Defenses:  Mental Defense (5 points, 
  plus points from EGO)
  20 
  Psychic Communication:  Mind Link, speciﬁ c 
  group of up to 4 minds at once (teammates)
  50 
  Telepathic Powers:  Multipower, 50-point 
  reserve
  5u 
  1)  Psychic Communication:  Telepathy 10d6
  5u 
  2)  Mental Assault:  Ego Attack 5d6
  3u 
  3)  Psychic Domination:  Mind Control 10d6; 
  Increased Endurance Cost (x2 END; -½)
  5u 
  4)  Inﬂ icted Hallucinations:  Mental Illusions 
  10d6
  2u 
  5)  Psychic Searchwaves:  Mind Scan 10d6; 
  Concentration (0 DCV throughout; -1)
  2u 
  6)  Premonitions:  Danger Sense (self only, 
  out of combat, any danger) (PER Roll)
  3u 
  7)  Mindsense:  Detect Minds (PER Roll) 
  (Mental Sense Group), Discriminatory, 
  Analyze, Sense, Targeting Sense
  TRICK AMMO SPECIALIST SET
  Th is set is for characters who have a vast 
  number of diﬀ erent attacks available to them (typi-
  cally through a weapon, such as a gun or bow).
  Cost Power
  60 
  Trick Ammo:  Multipower, 60-point reserve
  2u 
  1)  Air Concussion Ammo:  Dispel Darkness 
  10d6, Area Of Eﬀ ect (3” Radius; +1); Only 
  Versus Smokes, Mists, And Related Dark-
  nesses (-½), 4 Charges (-1)
  4u 
  2)  Blast Ammo:  Energy Blast 12d6; 8 
  Charges (-½)
  6u 
  3)  Deadly Ammo:  RKA 4d6; Charges 16 (-0)
  4u 
  4)  Explosive Ammo:  Energy Blast 8d6, 
  Explosion (+½); 8 Charges (-½)
  3u 
  5)  Flare Ammo:  Sight Group Flash 6d6, Area 
  Of Eﬀ ect (3” Radius; +1); 4 Charges (-1)
  4u 
  6)  Glue Ammo:  Entangle 6d6, 6 DEF; 8 
  Charges (-½)
  2u 
  7)  Line Ammo:  Stretching 12”; 2 Recover-
  able Charges (-1), Only For Grabbing, 
  Pulling, And Climbing (-1)
  4u 
  8)  Neural Interference Ammo:  Drain STR 
  4d6, Ranged (+½); 8 Charges (-½)
  5u 
  9)  Smoke Ammo:  Darkness to Sight Group 
  6” radius; 4 Continuing Charges lasting 1 
  Minute each (-¼)
  6u 
  10)  Swingline Ammo:  Swinging +60”; 8 
  Recoverable Charges (-0)
  VERY BIG GUN WIELDER SET
  Th is set is for a character who has a powerful 
  weapon with a fair number of diﬀ erent functions. 
  You can substitute Ranged Killing Attacks for 
  Energy Blasts in this design at an exchange rate 
  of 1 DC Killing per 1d6 Normal. Following the 
  usual practice in this section, the Focus Limitation 
  has not been applied yet, so you could use this set 
  as-is for a character with powerful natural attacks 
  (provided you could justify the Charges as part of 
  his special eﬀ ect, or substituted a diﬀ erent Power 
  Modiﬁ er with the same value).
  Cost Power
  6 
  +2 with Multipower
  75 
  Very Big Weapon:  Multipower, 75-point 
  reserve
  7u 
  1)  Main Blast:  Energy Blast 12d6, 32 
  Charges (+¼)
  7u 
  2)  Auto-Blast:  Energy Blast 7d6, Autoﬁ re (5 
  shots; +½), 4 clips of 32 Charges each (+½)
  5u 
  3)  Explosive Blast:  Energy Blast 10d6, 
  Explosion (+½); 8 Charges (-½)
  Continued from last page
  Table 1
  1:  Activation Roll 
  (choose appropriate 
  eﬀ ect)
  2:  Charges (choose 
  appropriate eﬀ ect)
  3:  Concentration 
  (0 DCV)
  4:  Costs Endurance
  5:  Extra Time (choose 
  appropriate eﬀ ect)
  6:  Any two -¼ Limita-
  tions
  Table 2
  1-2:  Focus (OIF or IAF)
  3:  Increased Endurance 
  Cost (x2 END)
  4:  Instant
  5:  No Range
  6:  Any two -¼ Limita-
  tions
  Table 3
  1-3:  Limited Power 
  (choose appropriate 
  eﬀ ect)
  4:  Requires A Skill Roll 
  (choose appropriate 
  eﬀ ect)
  5:  Side Eﬀ ects (choose 
  appropriate eﬀ ect)
  6:  Variable Limitation 
  (-¼ Limitations)
  -1 Limitations
  Roll one die to deter-
  mine which table to 
  roll on, and one die to 
  determine results on 
  that table.
  First roll:
  1-3 = Table 1
  4-6 = Table 2
  Table 1
  1:  Activation Roll 
  (choose appropriate 
  eﬀ ect)
  2:  Charges (choose 
  appropriate eﬀ ect)
  3:  Concentration (0 
  DCV throughout)
  4:  Extra Time (choose 
  appropriate eﬀ ect)
  5:  Increased Endurance 
  Cost (x3 END)
  6:  Side Eﬀ ects (choose 
  appropriate eﬀ ect)
  Table 2
  1-2:  Focus (OAF)
  3-4:  Limited Power 
  Continued on next page
  
  90 
  HERO SYSTEM 5TH EDITION
  Secondary Powers Sets
  Th ese sets all cost 75 Character Points. Each 
  provides some mobility and some defenses, and 
  many provide other powers as well.
  ALLTERRAIN SET
  Th is set allows a character to move through 
  most environments.
  Cost Power
  15 
  Toughness:  Armor (5 PD/5 ED)
  2 
  Environmental Immunity:  Life Support 
  (Safe Environment: Low Pressure/Vacuum)
  2 
  Environmental Immunity:  Life Support 
  (Safe Environment: High Radiation)
  2 
  Environmental Immunity:  Life Support 
  (Safe Environment: Intense Cold)
  2 
  Environmental Immunity:  Life Support 
  (Safe Environment: Intense Heat)
  10 
  Environmental Immunity:  Life Support 
  (Safe Environment: Self-Contained Breathing)
  30 
  All-Terrain Travel:  Multipower, 
  30-point reserve
  1u 
  1)  Wall-Walking:  Clinging (normal STR)
  3u 
  2)  Flying:  Flight 15”
  3u 
  3)  Glide-Capable:  Gliding 30”
  2u 
  4)  Runs Like Th e Wind:  Running +10” 
  (16” total)
  2u 
  5)  Swims Like A Fish:  Swimming +18” 
  (20” total)
  1u 
  6)  Digging:  Tunneling 2” through DEF 
  2 material
  BOUNCING BALL SET
  Th is set is for characters who have superhu-
  man leaping or bouncing abilities.
  Cost Power
  36 
  Toughness:  Armor (12 PD/12 ED)
  9 
  Heightened Senses:  +3 PER to all Sense Groups
  30 
  Prodigious Leaping:  Leaping +30”
  EARTHMOVER SET
  Th is set is for characters who move through 
  the earth; their powers allow them to move very 
  quickly atop it as well.
  Cost Power
  21 
  Toughness:  Armor (7 PD/7 ED)
  5 
  Underground Breathing:  Life Support 
  (Expanded Breathing:  Breathe Underground)
  40 
  Earth Movement:  Multipower, 40-point 
  reserve
  3u 
  1)  Avalanche Riding:  Running +20” 
  (26” total), Side Eﬀ ects (ground/pavement 
  underneath character’s feet suﬀ ers 2d6 Kill-
  ing Damage; -½)
  4u 
  2)  Delving:  Tunneling 8” through DEF 8 
  materials
  1u 
  3)  Earthwalls:  Entangle 4d6, 4 DEF; Only 
  To Form Barriers (-1), Increased Endurance 
  Cost (x3 END; -1)
  1u 
  4)  Earthmoving:  Telekinesis (20 STR); Only 
  Versus Earth/Rock (-1)
  FIGHT OR FLIGHT SET
  Th is set provides a very simple group of ﬂ ight 
  and defensive powers.
  Cost Power
  18 
  Toughness:  Armor (6 PD/6 ED)
  50 
  Flying:  Flight 20”, x8 Noncombat
  7 
  Aerial Dodger:  +2 DCV; Only When 
  Flying (-½)
  FLIGHT AND SIGHT SET
  Th is set provides ﬂ ying, some defensive, and 
  decent perception powers.
  Cost Power
  9 
  Toughness:  Damage Resistance (9 PD/9 ED)
  40 
  Flying:  Flight 20”
  10 
  Keen Eyes:  +5 PER with Sight Group
  6 
  Keen Eyes:  +4 versus Range for Sight Group
  10 
  X-Ray Vision:  N-Ray Perception (stopped by 
  lead, gold, or Force Fields) (Sight Group)
  FREIGHT TRAIN SET
  Th is set is for characters who run very fast (but 
  normally lack Speedster-level powers) and like to 
  run into targets very hard.
  Cost Power
  39 
  Impact Resistance:  Armor (13 PD/13 ED)
  6 
  Impact Resistance:  +6 PD
  30 
  Runs Like Th e Wind:  Running +15” 
  (21” total)
  GROUNDPOUNDER SET
  Th is set is for characters who have to run to 
  get to the scene of the action, are capable of incred-
  ible leaps when they need them, and have a suf-
  ﬁ cient aﬃ  nity for being on the ground that they 
  don’t get knocked oﬀ  their feet as oft en as some 
  others.
  Cost Power
  12 
  Toughness:  Damage Resistance (12 PD/12 ED)
  8 
  Rooted:  Knockback Resistance -4”
  10 
  Incredible Leaping:  Leaping +10”
  45 
  Runs Like Th e Wind:  Running +20” (26” 
  total), x4 Noncombat
  MENTAL TOOLS SET
  Th is set is for psychics whose telekinetic 
  powers allow them to ﬂ y around and resist damage.
  Cost Power
  15 
  Mindsense:  Detect Minds (PER Roll) 
  (Mental Sense Group), Analyze, 
  Discriminatory
  20 
  Telekinetic Powers:  Elemental Control, 
  40-point powers
  20 
  1)  Telekinetic Flight:  Flight 20”
  20 
  2)  Telekinetic Shield:  Force Field 
  (20 PD/20 ED)
  Continued from last page
  (choose appropriate 
  eﬀ ect)
  5:  Requires A Skill Roll 
  (choose appropriate 
  eﬀ ect)
  6:  Any two -½ Limita-
  tions
  
  91 
  Champions
  SENSORY PLATFORM SET
  Th is set is for characters with a broad array of 
  sensory powers. Such characters oft en have some 
  ﬂ ight and defensive powers as well, though the 
  rationale for those powers is usually tied up in the 
  character’s origin rather than being related to the 
  sensory suite.
  Cost Power
  10 
  Toughness:  Damage Resistance (10 PD/10 ED)
  20 
  Flying:  Flight 10”
  15 
  Heightened Awareness:  +5 PER with all Sense 
  Groups
  5 
  Heat-Sight:  Infrared Perception (Sight 
  Group)
  10 
  Unstoppable Perception:  N-Ray Perception 
  (player chooses Sense Group and deﬁ nes 
  nature of power)
  15 
  Radar-Sense:  Radar (Radio Sense Group)
  SPACE SET
  Th is set is for characters who ﬂ y into outer 
  space.
  Cost Power
  12 
  Toughness:  Armor (4 PD/4 ED)
  8 
  Radio-Sense:  Radio Perception
  19 
  Spaceworthy:  Life Support (Self-Con-
  tained Breathing; Safe Environments:  Low 
  Pressure/Vacuum, High Pressure, High 
  Radiation, Intense Cold, Intense Heat)
  30 
  Space Traveler:  Multipower, 30-point reserve
  3u 
   1)  Flying:  Flight 15”
  3u 
   2)  FTL Flight:  FTL Travel (1,000 LY/Year)
  WALLCRAWLER SET
  Th is set is for characters who can run across 
  walls as easily as they can across level ground, 
  whether because of super-speed powers, teleki-
  netic powers, insectile powers, or something even 
  stranger.
  Cost Power
  10 
  Wall-Walking:  Clinging (normal STR)
  9 
  Toughness:  Damage Resistance (9 PD/9 ED)
  40 
  Wallcrawling Powers:  Multipower, 40-point 
  reserve
  4m 
  1)  Incredible Leaping:  Leaping +20”
  6m 
  2)  Run Like Th e Wind:  Running +15”
  6m 
  3)  Swingline:  Swinging +30”
  Skills/Perks/Talents Sets
  All these sets cost 50 points each. Most have up 
  to 11 points assigned to “Personality/Background 
  Skills” of the player’s choice, to allow for the pur-
  chase of Skills appropriate for the speciﬁ c character 
  as the player conceives of him. Because the exact 
  roll depends on the character’s Characteristics, rolls 
  are not listed (but note that some are bought with 
  boni — for example, 7 points spent on Acrobatics 
  gives a character a DEX Roll +2).
  ACROBAT SET
  Th is set is for characters who have tremendous 
  gymnastic and balance skills.
  Cost Skill
  7 
  Acrobatics
  7 
  Breakfall
  15 
  Combat Skill Levels:  +3 with HTH or 
  Ranged Combat (player’s choice)
  3 
  Contortionist
  10 
  Martial Arts (choice of 10 points’ worth of 
  Maneuvers)
  8 
  Personality/Background Skills (player’s 
  choice)
  DEDICATED FIGHTER SET
  Th is set is for characters whose lives revolve 
  around ﬁ ghting.
  Cost Skill
  3 
  Acrobatics
  3 
  Breakfall
  30 
  Combat Skill Levels:  +6 with HTH or 
  Ranged Combat (player’s choice)
  11 
  Personality/Background Skills (player’s 
  choice)
  3 
  Absolute Range Sense
  GUNMAN SET
  Th is set is for characters who specialize in 
  ranged attacks.
  Cost Skill
  20 
  Combat Skill Levels:  +4 with Ranged 
  Combat
  5 
  Fast Draw
  10 
  Range Skill Levels:  +5 level with Tight 
  Ranged Group
  2 
  Weapon Familiarity:  Small Arms
  3 
  Weaponsmith (Firearms, Muscle-Powered 
  HTH)
  10 
  Personality/Background Skills (player’s 
  choice)
  INVESTIGATOR SET
  Th is set is for characters whose profession or 
  superhero motif involves investigation. It is suited 
  to detectives, mystic researchers, and the like.
  Cost Skill
  3 
  Bribery
  3 
  Bugging
  3 
  Bureaucratics
  5 
  Conversation
  3 
  Criminology
  7 
  Deduction
  3 
  Interrogation
  2 
  Area Knowledge: Campaign Area 11-
  2 
  City Knowledge: Campaign City 11-
  3 
  Persuasion
  3 
  Shadowing
  3 
  Streetwise
  10 
  Personality/Background Skills (player’s 
  choice)
  
  92 
  HERO SYSTEM 5TH EDITION
  PATRIOT SET
  Th is set is for characters who belong to the 
  Patriot archetype. It is a broad mix of Skills allow-
  ing the character to be proﬁ cient at a number of 
  diﬀ erent tasks; it is versatile but lacks the focus of 
  other Skill sets.
  Cost Skill
  5 
  +5 PRE
  3 
  Acrobatics
  3 
  Breakfall
  10 
  Combat Skill Levels:  +2 with HTH or 
  Ranged Combat (player’s choice)
  3 
  Conversation
  4 
  Area Knowledge: Home Nation
  3 
  Oratory
  3 
  Paramedics
  3 
  Persuasion
  3 
  Tactics
  10 
  Personality/Background Skills (player’s 
  choice)
  PLAYBOY SET
  Th is set is for characters who have a lot of 
  wealth to back up their crimeﬁ ghting interests.
  Cost Skill
  3 
  Conversation
  3 
  High Society
  10 
  Personality/Background Skills (player’s 
  choice)
  15 
  Money:  Filthy Rich
  19 
  Vehicle or Base, 95-point
  SCIENTIST SET
  Th is set is for characters who develop their 
  own powers in the laboratory.
  Cost Skill
  10 
  +10 INT
  7 
  Science Skills:  player’s choice of seven Sci-
  ence Skills at 11- each
  10 
  Skill Levels:  +2 with All Science Skills
  3 
  Scientist
  10 
  Personality/Background Skills (player’s 
  choice)
  10 
  Base (Laboratory), 50-point
  SPY SET
  Th is set is for characters whose skills lean 
  toward espionage or perhaps even assassination.
  Cost Skill
  3 
  Acting
  3 
  Bribery
  3 
  Bugging
  3 
  Combat Driving or Piloting (player’s choice)
  3 
  Concealment
  3 
  Conversation
  3 
  Cryptography
  3 
  Disguise
  3 
  Lockpicking
  3 
  Security Systems
  3 
  Seduction
  3 
  Stealth
  3 
  Systems Operation
  11 
  Personality/Background Skills (player’s 
  choice)
  TACTICIAN SET
  Th is set is for characters who are adept at 
  battleﬁ eld tactics; such characters are likely to be 
  the battle coordinators for their teams.
  Cost Skill
  12 
  +4 PER with all Sense Groups
  5 
  Combat Skill Level:  +1 with HTH or Ranged 
  Combat (player’s choice)
  5 
  Defense Maneuver II
  5 
  Tactics
  8 
  Personality/Background Skills (player’s 
  choice)
  15 
  Danger Sense (self only, in combat) (PER 
  Roll)
  TECHNICIAN SET
  Th is set is for characters who work extensively 
  with machinery, including gadgeteers and inven-
  tors.
  Cost Skill
  3 
  Computer Programming
  3 
  Demolitions
  3 
  Electronics
  3 
  Inventor
  3 
  Mechanics
  4 
  Science Skills:  player’s choice of two Science 
  Skills at 11- each
  3 
  Security Systems
  15 
  Skill Levels:  +3 level with Technical Skills
  3 
  Systems Operation
  10 
  Personality/Background Skills (player’s 
  choice)
  
  93 
  Champions
  Disadvantages Sets
  Each of the following sets provides 50 points’ 
  worth of Disadvantages for the character. A char-
  acter may have several sets, up to the campaign 
  Disadvantage point limit.
  STANDARD SET
  Value Disadvantage
  15 
  Hunted:  Personal Enemy 11- (As Pow, 
  Capture/Kill)
  20 
  Psychological Limitation:  Code Versus Kill-
  ing (Common, Total)
  15 
  Social Limitation:  Secret Identity
  ANTIVIOLENCE SET
  Value Disadvantage
  20 
  Psychological Limitation:  Paciﬁ st; Refuses 
  To Injure Or Harm Others (Very Common, 
  Strong)
  30 
  Vulnerability:  2 x STUN from Physical 
  Attacks or Energy Attacks (player’s choice) 
  (Very Common)
  CULTURAL ALIEN SET
  Value Disadvantage
  5 
  Distinctive Features:  Rube (Easily Con-
  cealed, Noticed and Recognizable)
  10 
  Enraged:  when insulted through cultural 
  misunderstandings (Uncommon), go 11-, 
  recover 14-
  10 
  Hunted:  the authorities 8- (Mo Pow, NCI, 
  Watching)
  10 
  Physical Limitation:  Unfamiliar With Earth 
  Culture (Frequently, Slightly Impairing)
  15 
  Psychological Limitation:  Naive (Very 
  Common, Moderate)
  CURSE SET
  Value Disadvantage
  15 
  Accidental Change (choose appropriate 
  circumstances) 11-
  15 
  Enraged/Berserk (player’s choice of condi-
  tions)
  15 
  Distinctive Features:  monstrous/cursed form 
  (Easily Concealed, Causes Extreme Fear or 
  Disgust)
  5 
  Unluck 1d6
  HUNTER SET
  Value Disadvantage
  10 
  Distinctive Features:  Obsessive, Creepy 
  Manner (Easily Concealed, Always Noticed 
  and Causes Major Reaction)
  15 
  Hunted:  Personal Enemy 11- (As Pow, 
  Capture/Kill)
  10 
  Psychological Limitation:  Vengeful (Uncom-
  mon, Strong)
  15 
  Psychological Limitation:  Hunting Personal 
  Enemy (Common, Strong)
  INFAMY SET
  Value Disadvantage
  5 
  Hunted:  the press 8- (Less Pow, NCI, Watch-
  ing)
  15 
  Hunted:  Personal Enemy Character Has 
  Wronged 8- (As Pow, Capture/Kill)
  15 
  Social Limitation:  Public Identity (may not 
  be taken with Standard Set unless a diﬀ erent 
  Disadvantage is substituted for this one)
  15 
  Reputation:  Did Something Very Bad, 11- 
  (Extreme)
  NORMAL GUY SET
  Value Disadvantage
  15 
  DNPC (choose appropriate circumstances)
  20 
  Psychological Limitation:  Overcompensates 
  For Lack Of True Powers (Very Common, 
  Strong)
  15 
  Vulnerability:  1½ x STUN from Falling and 
  Knockback Damage (Very Common)
  OVERREFINED SET
  Th is set is for characters whose extreme train-
  ing regimens and diets leave them vulnerable to 
  environmental circumstances other people have no 
  problem with.
  Value Disadvantage
  10 
  Physical Limitation:  Must Maintain Very 
  Careful Diet (Infrequently, Greatly 
  Impairing)
  15 
  Physical Limitations:  Hyper-Reﬂ exes, 
  Attacks Without Meaning To (Frequently, 
  Greatly Impairing)
  5 
  Rivalry:  Professional (with a character who 
  has similar powers/origins)
  20 
  Vulnerability:  2 x STUN from Gas/Poison 
  Attacks (Common)
  RADIATION ACCIDENT SET
  Value Disadvantage
  20 
  Hunted:  Villain Involved in Origin 8- (Mo 
  Pow, NCI, Capture/Kill)
  10 
  Psychological Limitation:  Fear Of [Energy/
  Circumstance Related To Origin] (Common, 
  Moderate)
  20 
  Vulnerability:  2 x STUN from [Energy/Cir-
  cumstance Related To Origin] (Common)
  TRAGIC PAST SET
  Value Disadvantage
  15 
  Hunted:  Someone Related to Past 11- 
  (As Pow, Capture/Kill)
  15 
  Psychological Limitation:  Hatred of [Group 
  of Choice] (Common, Strong)
  10 
  Psychological Limitation:  Vengeful or Self-
  Destructive (player’s choice) (Uncommon, 
  Strong)
  10 
  DNPC (choose appropriate circumstances) 
  or Destitute or Unluck 2d6 (player’s choice)
  
  94 
  HERO SYSTEM 5TH EDITION
  T
  hough many comic books showcase the 
  adventures of solo heroes, or of hero-side-
  kick teams, Champions is more commonly 
  all about team adventures, such as those 
  depicted in comic books like Th e Avengers, Teen 
  Titans, Th e X-Men, Justice League, and the like. So, 
  players designing characters need to consider team-
  related issues — how their characters will form a 
  team, each character’s role in the team, and so on 
  — during the character creation process. Th e GM 
  should also give some thought to these issues, since 
  whether the PCs form a team can signiﬁ cantly 
  eﬀ ect the course of the campaign and the nature of 
  the adventures he runs.
  HOW TEAMS 
  GET TOGETHER
  In a Champions environment, superheroes band 
  together to form superteams in one of a few diﬀ erent 
  ways.
  Catalyst After Long Association. With characters who 
  have been played in separate campaigns, or with 
  characters who are presumed to have had a consid-
  erable amount of pre-campaign experience (even 
  though this wasn’t gamed out), an event or pressing 
  social need may unite them.
  Of the techniques discussed here, this approach 
  is perhaps the trickiest to pull oﬀ . Th e GM nor-
  mally must put together an adventure that brings 
  these separate heroes together and puts them into 
  a situation they can only resolve as a group. Once 
  the adventure’s done, the characters may not “get 
  the idea” that it’s advantageous for them to work 
  together, meaning the GM may have to concoct one 
  or more additional scenarios with the same struc-
  ture, or provide additional incentive (like a Vehicle 
  or Base). Alternatively, the GM might have to meta-
  game the notion — approaching one or more play-
  ers to ﬁ nd out if their characters would have come 
  up with the idea of creating a permanent team and 
  begun organizing such a thing. Th en those players 
  can get the ball rolling during a play session.
  Common Origin. Especially in campaigns which have 
  a limited number of sources for superpowers, super-
  heroes might all acquire their powers at the same 
  place and time (or through some other common 
  origin that inevitably draws them together). Th ey 
  might all be willing test subjects for a military ser-
  vice, which gives them common goals and circum-
  stances. Th ey might all be caught up in the same 
  radiation accident, which tends to make them cling 
  together out of common experiences.
  Th is technique is fairly easy to pull oﬀ . Th e GM 
  will want to keep the heroes together and endan-
  gered during the ﬁ rst several episodes, so they’re 
  forced to depend on one another for survival. By the 
  time the menace that caused them to gain powers or 
  that appeared just as they were gaining their powers 
  is ended, they eﬀ ectively are a team — the only thing 
  left  is for one or more members to realize it and to 
  formalize the arrangement.
  Master Organizer. In campaigns where characters are 
  all supposed to be relative new to the world of super-
  heroing but have not met and have little in common, 
  the GM should consider resorting to an organizer 
  — someone who brings the supers together to 
  propose that they work together as a team. Possible 
  organizers include wealthy philanthropists, retired 
  superheroes, mysterious supernatural beings, or a 
  teenaged fan who writes a brilliant letter.
  Th is is perhaps the easiest approach to creating 
  a superteam. One way to ensure its success is to have 
  the organizer provide a few things the characters 
  otherwise lack — for instance, a Vehicle or Base, 
  training, communications devices, and/or a group 
  identity. Characters who are aware of their inability 
  to cope with Hunteds, the emotional consequences 
  of their origins, and so on oft en leap at the opportu-
  nity to band together.
  Th e GM should evaluate these three 
  approaches, and also consider other approaches 
  appropriate to his particular campaign setting, and 
  choose the one that best ﬁ ts his game as it’s forming.
  TEAM MEMBER TYPES
  When putting a team together, the GM and 
  players should consider both the personalities and 
  the possible team roles of all the characters.
  Team Personality Types
  Superteams in the comics tend to be made up 
  of members with a broad range of personalities. 
  While there is no mechanism to ensure that the 
  same thing happens in a campaign (nor should there 
  be!), it may be valuable to the GM to look at the 
  range of PC personalities and determine whether 
  there are too many of any one type.
  If the players are creating characters at the same 
  time, they, too, should ﬁ nd out what the range of 
  personality types is to see if there is a pressing need 
  for one or more types.
  Among the personality types commonly seen in 
  superteams are:
  SUPERTEAMS
  
  95 
  Champions
  Captain Daffy:  Th is character has only a casual 
  relationship with organization and perhaps reality 
  itself. He probably does as the team leader says, 
  but in a madcap way — ﬂ irting with enemies, 
  playing pranks, showing oﬀ , cracking jokes. Such 
  a character can bring some much-needed levity 
  to a situation, or can inject inappropriate levity to 
  an occasion that ought to remain serious. Daﬀ y 
  characters can be the emotional centerpieces of a 
  team, since everyone tends to like them.
  The Loner:  Th is character is usually quiet and 
  emotionally distant. Tactically, he may perform 
  just as described for the Rebel (in which case he 
  shares all the diﬃ  culties of that personality type), 
  or he may perform perfectly well within the team 
  structure and yet remain an enigma. In the latter 
  situation, the GM should consider running the 
  occasional story in which facts about the charac-
  ter become known and in which he must make 
  a rare display of emotion or need to the other 
  characters.
  Mr. Dependable:  Th is character does his job, 
  doesn’t talk back, doesn’t run away, doesn’t cause 
  trouble. He may be morose or cheerful, but is 
  likely to be quiet. When the Natural Leader is 
  unavailable, Mr. Dependable is most likely to be 
  his second-in-command.
  Mr. Gung-Ho:  Th is character is anxious for direct 
  confrontation. He’s oft en a front-line ﬁ ghter when 
  action starts, but he’s also a bit too ready to make 
  sure that action gets started — he prefers a bit 
  of splatter to negotiations. Unfortunately, in a 
  campaign without a Natural Leader, Mr. Gung-
  Ho tends to take control, and the team ﬁ nds only 
  military solutions to its problems.
  The Natural Leader:  Th is character tends to be 
  quiet and charismatic. He may have skills such 
  as Tactics, Persuasion, Oratory, and SS: Psychol-
  ogy. He leads less out of a desire to be in charge 
  than out of a recognition that without his plan-
  ning skills and directorial impulses, the team will 
  perform in an ineﬃ  cient, perhaps self-destructive 
  fashion.
  The Rebel:  Th is character just wants to do his 
  own thing. When trouble starts, he adopts his 
  favorite tactics, oft en “not hearing” or deliberately 
  disobeying leader instructions. Note that this is a 
  particularly tricky personality role to adopt in a 
  campaign. In the comics, the writers always ﬁ nd 
  a reason for such a character to remain with the 
  team, but in campaigns, an excess of rebellion 
  results in enough hard feelings (among the char-
  acters, and perhaps even among the players) that 
  this character becomes unwelcome. Th e player of 
  such a character and the GM should talk about 
  ways to keep the Rebel character as a welcome 
  team member — for instance, limiting instances 
  of solo action so they’re fewer than occasions 
  when he acts according to team needs, providing 
  Skills and Powers no one else has (such as Heal-
  ing), and so on.
  The Survivor:  Th is character has experienced 
  tragedy and is still around, but is not yet fully 
  recovered. He’s likely to be a bundle of Psychologi-
  cal Limitations (even temporary ones for which 
  he receives no points). It’s very common for such 
  
  96 
  HERO SYSTEM 5TH EDITION
  a character to have a tremendous need for others 
  (hence his staying with the team) but be unable 
  to express it. As with Captain Daﬀ y, this character 
  might be the emotional glue that holds the team 
  together, as everyone tries to help, or a bone of con-
  tention as the other members disagree on the best 
  way to help.
  The Thinker:  Th is character is always thinking one 
  step ahead — trying to outplot the enemy, manipu-
  late the NPC, anticipate the surprise lurking around 
  the corner. He lives to outwit. As with Mr. Depend-
  able, this character can be a good stand-in when the 
  Natural Leader is not around, but he’s not so good as 
  the full-time leader of the team. His desire to outwit 
  the enemy sometimes causes him to create schemes 
  more complicated than necessary, to lose valuable 
  time coming up with the “perfect plan,” and so on.
  Team Member Roles
  In addition to considering the best mix of per-
  sonality types, the GM and players should consider 
  the best mix of team member roles. If, for instance, 
  every member of the team is a high-STR brick with 
  no ranged attacks other than thrown Chevrolets, the 
  team is going to be somewhat one-sided in its tactics, 
  and thus limited in the solutions it can attempt for 
  problems.
  It’s best to think in quasi-military terms when 
  deciding what roles a team needs, since the roles are 
  most important in combat.
  Artillery/Air Support:  Th e team proﬁ ts if one or more 
  members can make attacks from range. Th ese char-
  acters need good mobility (typically through Flight) 
  and Ranged attacks.
  Infantry:  Th e team needs one or more members who 
  can stand up front to inﬂ ict and sustain damage. 
  Th ese characters need to be good ﬁ ghters with good 
  defenses. Bricks, Powered Armor characters, and 
  Martial Artists oft en fulﬁ ll this role.
  Intelligence:  A team beneﬁ ts if at least one character 
  can coordinate complex communication eﬀ orts, dig 
  information out of computers, and sneak around in 
  secure emplacements. Martial Artists, Weaponmas-
  ters, and/or Gadgeteers with an investigative orienta-
  tion usually take on this role.
  Ofﬁ cer:  A team can have more than one oﬃ  cer. At 
  the minimum, it needs one — someone to speak for 
  the team when there’s no time to consult, and to bark 
  orders in combat. But two or more team members 
  can divide oﬃ  cer roles. One might be the peace-
  time leader but delegate direct control of the team 
  to someone with more martial skills when combat 
  breaks out.
  Special Ops:  It’s helpful for one or more team mem-
  bers to have skills and powers that are diﬃ  cult to 
  anticipate or detect — psychic powers like Telepathy 
  and Mind Scan, abilities of impersonation like Shape 
  Shift , strange powers like Desolidiﬁ cation, and so on.
  Support:  Generally, supply is not a concern to a 
  superhero team; each member tends to be respon-
  sible for his own ammunition, recharging, and so on. 
  But teams do have support needs in two major cat-
  egories:  transportation and medical. If not all team 
  members can travel at the kind of pace the team 
  needs to sustain, then one or more members has to 
  carry others, or the team needs a common Vehicle 
  like the Team Transport on page 112. Similarly, it’s 
  useful for a team member to be able to handle Tele-
  portation and Extra-Dimensional Movement chores. 
  Also, it’s invaluable for a team member to have medi-
  cal skills and/or Healing.
  With a good mix of the above team roles, a 
  superteam can be a very eﬀ ective organization 
  indeed.
  TEAM CHARACTERISTICS
  Th e GM and players should also consider sec-
  ondary team characteristics. Th ough this is not nec-
  essarily a concern at the very beginning of a team’s 
  adventures, these questions will come up.
  Team Name
  A team needs a name if the public and press are 
  to be able to deal with it. But naming a team can be 
  even trickier than naming a character — it has to be 
  somehow representative of everybody and also be 
  agreeable to all the founding members.
  Here are some things to remember when work-
  ing up a team name:
  You Don’t Have To Have One At The Beginning. Th ough 
  any team comic book features the team name on the 
  cover of every issue starting with #1, a Champions 
  campaign team doesn’t have to have its name in 
  place from the ﬁ rst episode. In fact, it’s sometimes 
  best to wait a half-dozen episodes or so before set-
  tling on a name. Th e reason is this:  a team that’s just 
  come together and had no adventures (or only one 
  adventure) probably hasn’t settled on a team motif 
  yet, has not yet developed a signature tactic, and so 
  on. Once the campaign is a little ways along, such 
  factors are easier to spot.
  Consider The Goal. All teams have one or more goals 
  to accomplish, even if those goals are very broad or 
  ill-deﬁ ned. And those goals may oﬀ er suggestions 
  for a team name. Does the team want to protect the 
  public? It could be the Protectors. Does the team 
  want to watch out for bad guys? It could be Vigil, the 
  Guardians, the Watch, or the Sentries.
  Have A Suggestion Box. When the characters decide 
  it’s time for their team to have a name, give the play-
  ers an episode or two during which they can send 
  the GM any number of suggestions. Th en, prior to 
  an adventure, list out all the suggestions and distrib-
  ute the list among the players, allowing each to vote 
  for three to ﬁ ve names. If the name with the most 
  votes is agreeable to everyone (even those who didn’t 
  vote for it), you have gained a team name with a 
  minimum of trouble.
  Watch Out For Unintentional Humor. Carefully 
  consider any superhero team in light of possible 
  unwanted meaning. Th e Penetrators and the Look-
  
  97 
  Champions
  outs would not last long in the wiseacre-ﬁ lled envi-
  ronment of the superhero world.
  Bases
  It’s good for a team to have a base of operations, 
  but sometimes diﬃ  cult to convince them to build 
  one (aft er all, it costs Character Points they may 
  prefer to spend on personal powers or resources).
  Note that it’s only diﬃ  cult to convince them of 
  such a thing if they feel all their needs are being met 
  by their current circumstances. If they like using a 
  local park as a mustering-point and not having a 
  central lab where they can coordinate their wrist-
  radios, they have much less motivation to build a 
  real base.
  Th ere are a few things the GM can do to per-
  suade them to build a base, however.
  Give Them A Rotten Little Base:  In a very early 
  adventure, an NPC hero may volunteer his personal 
  hideout, or a grateful rescuee may oﬀ er the heroes 
  his hunting cabin, giving the PCs a place to meet. As 
  the size and lack of facilities of the place begin to get 
  on the heroes’ nerves, they’ll either begin exploring 
  alternatives or start to rebuild their current site into 
  something more ﬁ tting.
  Give Them A Comparison:  Have them go through an 
  adventure in which they meet and cooperate with 
  a team that has a really good base, and have the 
  adventure demonstrate the base’s usefulness. Little 
  things like seeing how useful a thorough suite of 
  laboratories and a rapid-deployment hangar housing 
  the team jet are can act as a motivator. A millionaire 
  playboy’s mansion, with features such as hot tubs, a 
  wine steward, and a masseur, can also be a real con-
  vincer.
  Th is raises the question of who pays for the 
  base. Typically, each PC chips in the points needed 
  to buy a Base (and/or Vehicle; see page 60 of the 
  HERO System 5th Edition), but there are several other 
  options:
  The PCs Get Their Base For Free:  To encourage the 
  PCs to form a team, work together as a team, and act 
  like a team, the GM might simply give them their 
  base for free. Th is means the GM builds it for them, 
  which has the additional beneﬁ t of allowing him 
  to insert various plot hooks and story development 
  points.
  The PCs Get Their Base Partly For Free:  Oft en, it’s 
  best if the GM, in the guise of a philanthropist or 
  NPC hero, pays for the basic headquarters functions 
  (land, location, exterior defenses, and perhaps a team 
  vehicle), then allow the PCs to pay for other features. 
  Th e PCs are oft en glad to pay for personal facilities 
  such as laboratories and computers, and that might 
  set them on the path of occasionally purchasing base 
  upgrades.
  The PCs Pay For Their Base... Slowly:  Rather than 
  having to pony up the cost of a Base all at once, the 
  PCs may want to do it slowly, by saving up Experi-
  ence Points. For example, the GM should consider 
  asking the players, “Would anyone object if I held 
  back one Experience Point every other game from 
  every character to put into a common point pool for 
  the base?” If the players agree to this, the GM can 
  establish this “account” for purchasing a Base, and 
  perhaps for regular Base upgrades.
  Several sample bases appear on pages 106-11.
  Equipment
  In a similar vein, many teams issue speciﬁ c 
  items of team equipment to all members. Th ese 
  range from minimalist radios using the same fre-
  quency to emergency life support devices, ﬂ ight 
  apparati, even common Perks.
  Th e GM can either grant such items for free to 
  all team members as long as they remain with the 
  team (an appropriate technique, especially if the 
  point value of the items is low), require each player 
  to set aside a number of his character’s points for 
  team equipment, or include the team equipment in 
  the same “Experience Point account” set up for team 
  bases.
  Sample team equipment appears in Chapter 
  Th ree, Superhero Technology.
  RANDOM SUPERTEAM 
  NAME GENERATOR
  Having trouble thinking up a name for your 
  superteam? Try this handy chart! Roll two dice 
  once for the two words in the name. Read the ﬁ rst 
  die as 1-3 (“1”) and 4-6 (“2”), and the second die 
  as 1-6 in the usual fashion. Th at generates 12 pos-
  sible words in each category, with an equal chance 
  of each one occurring.
  2d6 Roll First Word In Name
  1.1 
  Atomic
  1.2 
  (Color of your choice)
  1.3 
  Destiny
  1.4 
  Freedom
  1.5 
  Hero
  1.6 
  Honor
  2.1 
  Justice
  2.2 
  Liberty
  2.3 
  Power
  2.4 
  Secret
  2.5 
  Super-
  2.6 
  Victory
  2d6 Roll Second Word In Name
  1.1 
  Brigade
  1.2 
  Corps
  1.3 
  Crew
  1.4 
  Crusaders
  1.5 
  Force
  1.6 
  Guard/Guardians
  2.1 
  Knights
  2.2 
  League
  2.3 
  Legion
  2.4 
  Patrol
  2.5 
  Squad(ron)
  2.6 
  Vanguard
  
  98 
  HERO SYSTEM 5TH EDITION
  Relationship With Authority
  Th ough the question won’t necessarily come 
  up in the team’s ﬁ rst few adventures, its members 
  have to decide how they intend to interact with 
  the area’s legitimate government authorities. Most 
  such relationships fall into one of the following 
  categories. Note that the players ought to be the 
  ones to decide what relationship they want; if 
  they do not like the relationship they have with 
  the authorities and that relationship continues for 
  more than a few episodes, they begin to lose 
  interest in and aﬀ ection for the campaign. 
  Th e GM can, of course, change the 
  nature of the relationship temporar-
  ily (by having an enemy frame the 
  team for murder, for example), 
  but should be wary of changing it 
  permanently unless that’s 
  what the players want.
  Government-Employed:  
  Th e superteam is actu-
  ally part of some govern-
  ment agency. All team 
  members should be given 
  the Federal/National 
  Police Powers Fringe 
  Beneﬁ t. Th ey pay 
  for that, and some 
  other team gear, 
  by taking the Dis-
  advantage Hunted 
  (Watched by their 
  employer) — a 
  result of their 
  employers 
  keeping a 
  close 
  eye on 
  them.
  Govern-
  ment-Sanctioned:  Th e 
  team is not part of any 
  government agency but has a 
  formal right to engage in crimeﬁ ght-
  ing activities, so long as those activities 
  remain within the scope of some federal 
  or local restrictions. (For instance, one restric-
  tion might be that the team communicate with 
  the government about all investigations and 
  combats.) Depending on the exact nature of the 
  relationship, the GM might allow all members to 
  have Fringe Beneﬁ ts such as Local Police Powers 
  and Weapon Permit. It’s very likely the team has 
  a minor Hunted (Watched) owing to government 
  scrutiny.
  Friendly With The Law:  Th e team cooperates with 
  the law whenever possible; the law turns a blind 
  eye to some of its activities (for example, not 
  really investigating complaints that are nothing 
  more than harassment attempts made against the 
  heroes, not issuing citations for unauthorized use 
  of a ﬂ ying vehicle within city limits, and so on). 
  Th is is a good “default” relationship for GMs and 
  players who don’t want to worry too much about 
  the “realistic” implications of their activities vis-a-
  vis the government.
  Pursued By The Law:  Th e team is Hunted by the 
  local and perhaps federal authorities, who regard 
  its members as outlaws for some reason (even if 
  it’s just because of “illegal use of superpowers” 
  or “aggravated assault by superpower”). Th e PCs 
  may have diﬃ  culty establishing a Base, conduct-
  ing their patrols, and even living their daily lives 
  as a result of this “interference” with their heroic 
  adventures.
  Team Charters
  A Charter is a document 
  laying out details of the team’s 
  goals, intended methodol-
  ogy, rules of governance 
  and conduct, and the rights 
  and restrictions it extends to 
  its members. Charters typically 
  cover things like:
  ■ statement of team goals, philoso-
  phy, and/or purpose
  ■ induction of new members 
  (procedure, limits on team 
  size)
  ■ removal of team members 
  (grounds and procedure 
  for ejecting a member 
  from the team)
  ■ a description of team 
  member privileges and 
  beneﬁ ts (salary, insur-
  ance, residuals from 
  licensing deals, team credit 
  cards, and so on)
  ■ a description of team 
  member responsibilities, possibly includ-
  ing scheduling details (the team has 
  a meeting on the ﬁ rst day of every 
  month and each member must 
  attend, each member must take 
  monitor duty on a rotating 
  schedule, required charity 
  work or public appear-
  ances, all team members 
  chip in to pay the butler’s salary, and so on)
  ■ rules of expected good conduct by all team 
  members
  ■ a formal description of the team’s (and thus 
  each member’s) relationship with the government 
  (if applicable)
  A new team typically has no charter (aft er 
  all, it hasn’t been together long enough to draft  
  one), and many teams never create one, prefer-
  ring a more laissez-faire approach to superhero-
  ing. Since minor points of team conduct and 
  regulations rarely have any eﬀ ect on the game, 
  “no charter” is the default option for Champions 
  GOVERNMENT 
  LIAISONS
  One staple of many 
  team-oriented comic 
  books is the “govern-
  ment liaison” — an 
  NPC assigned by the 
  authorities to work with 
  the PC superteam in 
  various capacities. In 
  some cases this person 
  is a law enforcement 
  oﬃ  cer who actually goes 
  out and takes part in the 
  team’s missions. More 
  oft en, the government 
  liaison is a bureaucrat or 
  oﬃ  cial of some sort who 
  prefers to keep well out 
  of harm’s way.
  Th e government liaison 
  typically has one of two 
  roles in the campaign:  
  “good cop” and “bad 
  cop.” Th e good cop liai-
  son is, basically, a friend 
  and ally of the PCs. 
  He genuinely admires 
  them, supports what 
  they’re doing, and so 
  on. He does his best to 
  make their jobs easier, 
  smooth things over with 
  the government when 
  they get in trouble, 
  and obtain whatever 
  resources they need 
  that he can provide. 
  Of course, he’s still a 
  government employee 
  doing a government job, 
  so his bosses may some-
  times force him to act in 
  ways he’d rather not, but 
  at heart he’s on the side 
  of the angels. 
  Th e bad cop liaison, on 
  the other hand, either 
  doesn’t trust (or like) 
  the PCs, or is more 
  concerned about doing 
  his job “by the book” 
  than about really help-
  ing them. He spies on 
  the PCs and reports 
  their every move to his 
  bosses; says unfavor-
  able things about them 
  to other government 
  oﬃ  cials; keeps them on 
  as tight a leash as he 
  can; and snarls up their 
  requests for help with 
  bureaucratic red tape.
  Friendly or not, a gov-
  ernment liaison can be 
  a big help to the PCs. 
  He can get them equip-
  ment, access to experts, 
  and funding they might 
  not otherwise be able 
  Continued on next page
  
  99 
  Champions
  campaigns (though the special eﬀ ect of “no char-
  ter” might be “we have a charter, but neither the 
  players nor the GM has bothered to write down 
  any details”).
  Another approach, one used by many long-
  established teams/gaming groups, is to establish 
  that the team has a charter, but not to worry 
  about writing down all its details. Th e major 
  points may be listed in one of the GM’s ﬁ les 
  somewhere, and whenever a question about the 
  contents of the charter comes up during the 
  game, the players decide on it and the GM makes 
  a note to add to the ﬁ le.
  Lastly, a group of players interested in doing 
  so can actually draft  an entire charter and make a 
  copy for everyone in the game. Th is takes a lot of 
  work, of course, but it deﬁ nitely adds to the veri-
  similitude of the game. A fully ﬂ eshed-out charter 
  may even generate some story ideas. 
  In some campaigns, a team may be required 
  to have a charter. For example, government agen-
  cies might not be willing to extend sanction to 
  a superteam that isn’t serious enough to draft  a 
  charter and stick to it. Similarly, a wealthy patron 
  might require all prospective members of the 
  team he’s assembling to sign a charter he’s pre-
  pared (perhaps aft er some discussion regarding 
  its terms).
  Tactics
  Teams are more eﬀ ective when their mem-
  bers act in concert, and one way to do so is to 
  develop combat tactics — maneuvers that allow 
  two or more members to combine their strengths 
  in a way that overpowers or baﬄ  es the enemy.
  For instance, let’s say that one team member 
  has Missile Deﬂ ection and Reﬂ ection, allowing 
  him to Reﬂ ect all types of attacks, but he himself 
  has no Ranged attack. Another team member has 
  a laser attack. Th ey might situate themselves on 
  opposite sides of a villain, with the laser-blaster 
  pretending to ﬁ re at the villain but actually ﬁ ring 
  at his teammate, and the teammate unexpectedly 
  Reﬂ ecting the attack into the villain’s back. Th e 
  virtue of this approach is that it may be unex-
  pected, giving the Reﬂ ecting character a much 
  improved chance of hitting with the attack. (On 
  the other hand, a missed Reﬂ ection roll means 
  the character may get hit by his teammate’s 
  attack!)
  Th e GM can help a team develop tactics by 
  recognizing when an improvised move would 
  actually be useful when practiced and repeated, 
  and then recommending to the players that it be 
  given a name and used on a regular basis. For 
  instance, at the end of the episode with the laser-
  reﬂ ection attack, the GM might say to the players, 
  “Th at was an interesting move; what do you call 
  that?” Th is will prompt them to give the maneu-
  ver a distinctive code-name. In a later episode, if 
  the players have not already begun to utilize that 
  maneuver, the GM might spot a situation where 
  the circumstances mirror those of the original 
  use of the maneuver, and point the fact out to the 
  players, giving them the opportunity to use the 
  move again. Over time, the characters, as they 
  spend Experience Points to improve their powers 
  or develop new ones, might even develop powers 
  designed to be used in a complementary fashion.
  Even if a team doesn’t want to go to the eﬀ ort 
  of creating its own unique group of tactics, two 
  or more team members can buy the Teamwork 
  Skill to reﬂ ect, in general terms, their ability to 
  work well together in combat. Th is allows them to 
  Coordinate attacks, which can be extremely eﬀ ec-
  tive, especially against master villains, city-stomp-
  ing giant monsters, and other such foes.
  Continued from last page
  to obtain. On the other 
  hand, he also keeps tabs 
  on them (sometimes 
  extremely detailed 
  ones), and in some cases 
  may even try to make 
  them follow his orders. 
  Sometimes having a 
  government liaison can 
  be a very mixed bag for 
  the PCs — half really 
  useful, half really aggra-
  vating.
  Depending on the 
  team’s preferences and 
  resources, the govern-
  ment liaison may work 
  at (and even live at) 
  their base, or he may 
  have his own oﬃ  ce in 
  a government building 
  downtown (city hall, 
  the Federal Building, 
  or what have you). 
  Either choice oﬀ ers 
  the GM plenty of story 
  potential, though the 
  former provides more 
  opportunities for the 
  PCs to interact with 
  the government liaison 
  directly — and thus for 
  the GM to develop him 
  as a detailed, intriguing 
  NPC, instead of leaving 
  him as just another face-
  less functionary.
  SOME TEAM TACTICS
  In addition to the maneuvers described on pages 
  153, here are some possible tactics for a superteam 
  to use. Clever players will undoubtedly come up 
  with many more.
  Can’t Go There:  A character with Force Wall can 
  sometimes construct and position his Walls to 
  deny the enemy access to certain areas, or channel 
  foes’ freedom of movement so his allies can make 
  a devastating attack.
  Drag-And-Drop:  A fast-moving character 
  (typically, a character with lots of inches in Flight) 
  picks up a slower character, carries him toward the 
  target, then lets him go so he performs a Move By 
  or Move Th rough at the faster character’s 
  velocity. You can either use the “dropped” 
  character’s base CV for the attack (on the grounds 
  that he’s going to try to twist and squirm and 
  move so that he avoids the impact, thus negating 
  much of the attacker’s eﬀ orts to “aim” him), or 
  adapt the rules for the “fastball special” (page 153).
  Grab And Hold:  A high-STR character Grabs a 
  villain and holds him helpless while the “brick’s” 
  teammates attack. (On the other hand, this lowers 
  the brick’s DCV to the villain’s allies’ counterat-
  tacks....) One variation on this tactic uses 
  Entangle, but that does grant the victim some 
  extra DEF unless the Entangle has the Takes No 
  Damage From Attacks Advantage or the attacks are 
  ones that do no BODY (Ego Attack, some NNDs). 
  Another involves using Martial Th row (or some 
  other method) to render the target prone, halving 
  his DCV.
  Up, Up, And Away:  A high-STR character can toss 
  an enemy without Flight, Gliding, or Teleporta-
  tion way up in the air, achieving three eﬀ ects:  it 
  eﬀ ectively removes the enemy from the combat 
  for a while; it probably reduces the enemy’s DCV, 
  making it easy for the character’s allies to attack 
  him; and it may cause the enemy to take a con-
  siderable amount of damage when he falls back 
  down to the ground.
  
  100 
  HERO SYSTEM 5TH EDITION
  I
  n this chapter you’ll ﬁ nd discussion 
  of, advice about, and HERO System 
  statistics for Bases, Vehicles, and 
  gadgets — elements of the superhero 
  genre that make normals more competi-
  tive with supers, hero-teams of average 
  power more competitive with overpow-
  ered master villains, and so on. All of 
  them are easily adaptable to just about 
  any Champions campaign.
  
  101 
  Champions
  B
  ases and headquarters — homes and/or 
  operations centers to superheroes, super-
  villains, super-agents, master criminals, 
  master spies, and world-aﬀ ecting wannabes 
  — are a staple of superhero campaigns and comics. 
  Th is section discusses constructing them with the 
  HERO System rules.
  PURPOSE
  Before designing a super-base, you should 
  decide what the base is for. Th at one decision aﬀ ects 
  every other decision you’re going to make. Some 
  sample purposes for bases include:
  Emergency Hideout/Safe House. Th is site is a fall-
  back position for a superhero who is suddenly on 
  the run. It is probably very small, no larger than a 
  smallish apartment, and very well concealed. Its 
  facilities are limited — again, about the same as 
  an apartment, perhaps with some advanced com-
  munications or scientiﬁ c systems and multiple 
  access/escape points. Because of their size and the 
  fact that they’re not visited very oft en, Emergency 
  Hideouts/Safe Houses tend to remain undiscovered 
  by a super’s enemies.
  Identity Insulator. Th is site is a place where one or 
  more superheroes go to change from their Secret 
  Identities to their super-identities and back again. 
  Such a base tends to be very well-concealed but 
  situated in a very public area and include a conve-
  nient way for the supers to enter and exit without 
  the access being noticed. For instance, an Identity 
  Insulator base might have its accesses be set up in 
  a darkened portion of a traﬃ  c tunnel. As he enters 
  that section of tunnel, a character hits a button that 
  drops down a concealed ramp, allowing him to 
  drive up into the base in a moment, then retracts 
  the ramp before another driver sees it; when exit-
  ing, the character gets up to speed in a separate 
  tunnel above the traﬃ  c tunnel, timing his exit to 
  merge with traﬃ  c, and drops down to the darkened 
  section via another ramp. Another approach might 
  be to have the normal-identity access through a 
  side door in a train station or bus station, with the 
  super-identity access in a concealed hatch on the 
  same building’s roof. Either way, the Identity Insu-
  lator base tends to be light on amenities, and none 
  of the equipment or materials within it connect the 
  super identities to the normal identities.
  Muster Point. Th is sort of base is a place for the 
  members of a superteam to gather for meetings and 
  missions. Such a place may be hidden, or publicly-
  known and built for defense. It is likely to include 
  the facilities of an oﬃ  ce building (communica-
  tions, oﬃ  ces, a few labs, garage/hangar for vehicles, 
  computer and relevant databases, even quarters for 
  team members when they need to stay overnight 
  or for an extended period). It may have a part-time 
  or full-time staﬀ  of civilians to help manage and 
  repair it. It is not likely to be large, owing to its lim-
  ited role, but will be at least as large as a smallish 
  corporate setup.
  Operations Center. Th is base is a more formidable 
  example of the Muster Point, and is one of the 
  most common sorts of bases utilized by Champions 
  superteams. In addition to the facilities of an oﬃ  ce 
  building, it may have elaborate defenses to help 
  keep it from being raided by supervillains, exten-
  sive laboratories, repair facilities for vehicles, super-
  human-oriented training facilities, and a generous 
  helping of amenities and luxuries (aft er all, ﬁ ghting 
  crime is tough work!). It’s likely to be continuously 
  manned by a civilian team of operatives (though 
  they need not be soldiers or enforcers of any sort), 
  and one or more team members, particularly those 
  without Secret Identities, may use it as their per-
  manent address. Th e Champions’ base, Homestead, 
  described on page 193, is this sort of base.
  Military Base. Take the Operations Center and 
  add a standing unit of super-agents and you get a 
  Military Base. Th e base may be that of a hero-team, 
  in which case the super-agents are used for crowd 
  control during super-ﬁ ghts, investigations, and 
  occasional combat support. It may be that of a vil-
  lain team or master villain, in which case the super-
  agents are shock troops. A Military Base has vehicle 
  and housing facilities appropriate to the supers and 
  civilians stationed out of it and may be of consider-
  able size, even if it is hidden.
  Royal Domain. Th is sort of base is most common 
  among supervillains with aspirations (or reali-
  ties) of rule. A super may be the ruler of a small 
  European nation or the high priest/priestess of 
  a lost civilization living in a vast cavern system 
  or a hidden valley. Th e super might be the heir 
  to an otherdimensional land or be a demigod/
  demigoddess whose personal palace is the equiva-
  lent of a small country. In the case of a Royal 
  Domain, only a fraction of the people present are 
  actually considered Followers associated with the 
  super; most are people with civilian occupations 
  that do not bear on the character, and will not help 
  him in times of trouble. Still, the resources avail-
  able in a Royal Domain base are considerable, and 
  can include military forces and vehicles, plus lots 
  of places to hide, make plans, stash gear allowing 
  BASES AND 
  HEADQUARTERS
  
  102 
  HERO SYSTEM 5TH EDITION
  characters to achieve their goals, and so on. Worst 
  of all, most characters who own a Royal Domain 
  do so legitimately, meaning they’re likely to have 
  the legal right while there to do anything they wish, 
  and protection from prosecution in other nations 
  — in short, the Diplomatic Immunity Fringe Ben-
  eﬁ t.
  BASE SIZE
  With your base’s purpose established, you can 
  decide what size you want it to be. If you don’t have 
  a sense of how large you wish it to be, then you can 
  add up hexes based on the facilities you expect it 
  to have, as described below. Feel free to adjust the 
  ﬁ nal numbers based on a desire for more space (or 
  a need to ﬁ t the base into a smaller overall area), to 
  account for high ceilings, and so forth.
  DINING AND OTHER HALLS
  For any sort of grand entertainment hall, take 
  the maximum number of people who are sup-
  posed to occupy it comfortably at any given time 
  and multiply that by two for a comparatively cozy 
  chamber (such as a house’s dining room), four for 
  a relatively spacious chamber (such as a mansion’s 
  dining room or private viewing theater), and six 
  for a very spacious chamber (such as a commercial 
  movie theater or mansion’s ballroom).
  For instance, if your base has a miniature the-
  ater for reviewing mission ﬁ lms, and it’s supposed 
  to house 20 people at a time, you’d multiply that 20 
  by 4 to get a total area of 80 hexes.
   ESCAPE TUNNELS
  Some bases feature escape tunnels by which 
  members can ﬂ ee in times of crisis (or enter when 
  staging a rescue of teammates when the base has 
  been captured).
  Th e standard Escape Tunnel is 1” wide and 1” 
  tall for every 1” it is long; therefore, it takes up 1 
  hex for every 1” of length. For example, if a tunnel 
  starts at the basement of a base and emerges in the 
  woods 100” away, it’s a 100-hex tunnel.
  However, characters can build smaller escape 
  tunnels, if desired. One could be ½” wide and 1” 
  tall, meaning it takes up ½ hex for every 1” it is 
  long. One could even be ½” wide and ½” tall for 
  every 1” in length, thus taking up ¼ of a hex per 
  1” length, but that’s really only suitable to ﬂ ying 
  characters, people digging their way out of a prison, 
  smaller-than-normal PCs, or setups where there is 
  a special Flight or Running gadget in place to carry 
  an escapee to freedom.
  In any case, an Escape Tunnel could be bought 
  with bonuses to the same Concealment Skill that 
  goes into making a base hard to ﬁ nd, but with the 
  Partial Coverage Limitation applied to its cost. Th e 
  Concealment Skill used this way makes all tunnel 
  entrances/exits diﬃ  cult to ﬁ nd.
  GARAGES/HANGARS
  Garages should have a minimum of two times 
  the hexes necessary to house all vehicles intended 
  to be within them (based on the vehicles’ area in 
  hexes, per the Vehicle Size Table on page 463 of the 
  HERO System 5th Edition, Revised); this assumes 
  each has its own separate exit. For garages/hangars 
  where the vehicles share routes out to common 
  exits, the minimum room should be four times the 
  hexes necessary to house all vehicles intended to be 
  within them.
  If the garage/hangar has a repair section, the 
  repair area requires room equivalent to eight times 
  the hexes taken up by the total number of vehicles 
  to be repaired simultaneously.
  HALLWAYS, COMMON BATHROOMS
  Th e design of your base interior will have a 
  tremendous bearing on how many hexes you need 
  to set aside for hallways and common bathrooms. 
  Some designers like to have lots of hallways; others 
  get by simply providing accesses between adjacent 
  rooms.
  When calculating hallways, it’s best to wait 
  until you’ve determined the areas of all other base 
  internal areas, then take that number and divide by 
  10. Th e result is a good rule-of-thumb estimate for 
  how many hexes you should set aside for halls and 
  bathrooms.
  LABORATORIES
  Private Laboratories
  A lab can be crammed down into 1 hex; this 
  is little more than a cubicle with a tabletop, some 
  equipment, a chair, and a computer. Standard pri-
  vate laboratories would normally start at 6 hexes 
  (4 hexes at 1¼-hex height, plus 1 hex for storage 
  space) and could be larger as space permits.
  Shared Laboratories
  Shared laboratories follow the same guidelines 
  as Private Laboratories, but need a minimum of 1 
  hex per person who is expected to be in it at the 
  same time; they are much more comfortable when 
  they have an overall addition of six or more spaces 
  for elbow room.
  Note that libraries are oft en bought as sev-
  eral laboratories whose spaces have been added 
  together in a single chamber.
  MUSEUMS
  Many teams have museums or other display 
  areas — places where they keep souvenirs of their 
  most important adventures, statues of members 
  who have fallen in the line of combat, and so on. 
  Th e size of a team’s museum is a very subjective 
  choice; follow the guidelines listed for “Dining And 
  Other Halls,” above, and then adjust to taste.
  OFFICES
  A base should have one oﬃ  ce for any super 
  member who wants one, one for every coordinator 
  of civilian staﬀ , one for every important civilian 
  staﬀ er (such as staﬀ  doctors), and one for every 
  oﬃ  cer managing civilian super-agents. In addition, 
  most teams like to have conference rooms and a 
  “situation room” which constitutes the team’s war/
  ready room.
  Oﬃ  ces can be very small; 1 hex corresponds 
  roughly to a cubicle-style oﬃ  ce, so that’s the mini-
  EXAMPLE GARAGES 
  AND HANGARS
  Superjet Hangar:  Th is 
  is a hangar for a team 
  with one high-tech 
  aircraft  (8 hex area). It 
  includes a repair section. 
  With a change in name, 
  it becomes a Supercar 
  Garage. Total size:  24 
  hexes.
  Supersquad Launch Bay:  
  Th is facility houses 10 
  ﬁ ghter craft  (each 5 
  hexes in size), with a 
  separate launch door for 
  each. Th e repair facilities 
  are located elsewhere. 
  Total size:  100 hexes.
  Mountain Hideaway 
  Hangar:  Th is hangar is 
  hidden in a hollowed-
  out mountaintop that’s 
  part of a supervillain’s 
  concealed headquarters. 
  It only has one entrance 
  and exit for each of the 
  three vehicles (sizes 5, 
  8, and 20 hexes), and 
  includes repair facili-
  ties suitable to work on 
  one 20 hexes’ worth of 
  vehicles at a time. Total 
  size:  292 hexes.
  EXAMPLE 
  LABS AND LAB 
  EQUIPMENT
  Bare-Bones Lab:  Skill 
  Roll 9- (or 11- for Back-
  ground Skills). Total 
  cost:  3 points (or 2 
  points for a Background 
  Skill).
  Standard Lab:  Skill Roll 
  11-. Total cost:  7 points.
  Advanced Lab:  Skill 
  Roll 14-. Total cost:  13 
  points (or 5 points for a 
  Background Skill).
  Sophisticated Lab:  Skill 
  Roll 17-. Total cost:  19 
  points (or 8 points for a 
  Background Skill).
  Extremely Sophisticated 
  Lab:  Skill Roll 20-. Total 
  cost:  25 points (or 11 
  points for a Background 
  Skill).
  Incredibly Sophisticated 
  Lab:  Skill Roll 23-. Total 
  cost:  31 points (or 14 
  points for a Background 
  Skill).
  Continued on next page
  
  103 
  Champions
  mum size required per person in an oﬃ  ce. A small-
  ish oﬃ  ce in which someone can take visitors and 
  remain comfortable is about 6 hexes (4 hexes at 
  1¼-hex ceiling heights, plus an extra hex of closet/
  storage space). Team leaders and master villains 
  may choose to have larger oﬃ  ces.
  A bathroom attached to an oﬃ  ce takes up 
  about 1 hex for minimal facilities, 2 for full facilities 
  at a basic level of comfort, and more for very com-
  fortable facilities.
  QUARTERS
  Bunkrooms:  1-2 hexes per person with permanent 
  quarters. In a military setup, two or even three 
  people might share the same bunk, sleeping in rota-
  tion, but in such a situation you should not allot 
  less than 1 hex per person.
  Standard Quarters:  6 hexes (4 hexes at 1¼-hex 
  height, plus 1 hex for closet/storage space) or more. 
  Th is is roughly equivalent to a smallish hotel room 
  without a bathroom. For a private bathroom, add 1 
  hex for minimal sink/toilet/shower stall facilities, 2 
  for average facilities, more for lavish facilities.
  VIP Quarters:  28 hexes (16 hexes at 1¼-hex height, 
  plus 3 hexes for closet/storage space, plus 5 hexes 
  for comfortable bathroom facilities) or more.
  TRAINING FACILITIES AND 
  PRISON BLOCKS
  Training facilities and prison blocks are nor-
  mally built as portions of the base with the Partial 
  Coverage Limitation placed on any powers that 
  pertain only to them (in the case of Attack Powers 
  and the like, re-title Partial Coverage as Only Within 
  Deﬁ ned Area, meaning the attacks only work in 
  that speciﬁ c room [they may not also take a No 
  Range Limitation]). So once you know how large 
  an area the facility takes up, a necessary calculation 
  when determining the value of the Partial Cover-
  age Limitation, you’ll know how many hexes of the 
  base’s internal area to set aside.
  Oft en, a Training Facility has an oﬃ  ce and 
  viewing area associated with it. Th at oﬃ  ce/viewing 
  area is not part of the Training Facility and its area 
  comes out of the area allotted for Oﬃ  ces (above).
  CARE AND FEEDING OF GROUNDS
  A base does not have to have Grounds, but 
  do consider their virtues. Th ey can accommodate 
  swimming pools, picnic areas, parking lots, land-
  ing strips, shooting ranges, riding areas, waterfalls, 
  and many other features that do not add to a base’s 
  defensibility or super-purpose but make it a much 
  nicer place to visit or live.
  LOCATION
  Bases can be situated in cities, suburbs, or 
  more distant locals, and can be at ground level, atop 
  the water, deep in the wilderness, ﬂ oating in the 
  air, submerged beneath the sea, buried in the earth, 
  in outer space, or even conveniently tucked away 
  in another dimension. Each 
  of these choices costs points 
  (except the “default value” of a 
  city-based location at ground 
  level).
  Each of these choices 
  oﬀ ers advantages and disad-
  vantages to a superteam.
  City
  Advantages:  In a campaign 
  whose adventures mostly take 
  place in a speciﬁ c city, City 
  placement puts the charac-
  ters close to the scene of the 
  action. It also makes it easy to 
  take advantage of city utilities, 
  services, and so forth.
  Disadvantage:  City placement 
  is also sometimes problem-
  atic; not only is space at a 
  premium in cities, but a base 
  whose location is known to 
  the public can more easily be 
  attacked by villains, might be 
  picketed by protesters, and 
  so on. If the base’s location is 
  secret, the eﬀ ort required to 
  keep it concealed is greater, 
  owing to the higher concen-
  tration of population and traf-
  ﬁ c in its immediate vicinity. 
  Whether it’s public or secret, 
  Waldos:  A lab’s user (be 
  it the Base’s computer 
  or a character) can use 
  these artiﬁ cial limbs 
  to handle and move 
  dangerous objects and 
  substances.
  Extra Limbs (two or 
  more mounted at neces-
  sary locations through-
  out the base). Total cost:  
  5 points.
  Hot Room:  A specially-
  sealed room for storing 
  dangerous materials.
  +6 DEF (18 Active 
  Points); Partial Cover-
  age (-2) (total cost:  6 
  points) and Life Support 
  (Safe Environments: 
  High Radiation, Intense 
  Cold, Intense Heat) (6 
  Active Points); Partial 
  Coverage (-2) (total 
  cost:  2 points). Total 
  cost:  8 points.
  DANGER ROOMS
  A “danger room” is a 
  training facility espe-
  cially designed for 
  superhumans. It features 
  equipment and obstacles 
  suitable for persons of 
  superhuman capabili-
  ties:  weightlift ing sets 
  measured in the tens 
  of tons, rather than the 
  hundreds of pounds; 
  a “jogging” track able 
  to withstand the high 
  velocities generated 
  speedsters and the 
  weight of metallic char-
  acters; and a workout 
  room able to simulate 
  superhuman combat.
  Th at last point is partic-
  ularly important. Rela-
  tively ordinary things 
  like multi-ton weight-
  lift ing sets you can just 
  assume are part of the 
  training facility without 
  deﬁ ning them in rules 
  terms, but a combat 
  simulator is something 
  the characters building 
  a base should pay for. As 
  the text notes, typically 
  this means buying the 
  Powers the danger room 
  uses and applying the 
  Partial Coverage/Only 
  Within Deﬁ ned Area 
  Limitation. Th e Advan-
  tages Variable Advantage 
  Continued from last page
  Continued on next page
  
  104 
  HERO SYSTEM 5TH EDITION
  the heroes have to be more careful when ﬁ ghts 
  in the base spill over into surrounding areas; this 
  placement increases the possibility innocents will 
  be hurt.
  Suburb
  Advantages:  Suburban bases have most of the same 
  advantages as City. In addition, they are far enough 
  away from the city’s center that it’s easy to have 
  larger facilities and grounds.
  Disadvantage:  Suburbs are just far enough away 
  from the city to make getting there in times of 
  crisis take a few (possibly crucial) moments longer. 
  In addition, if the base is secret, strange goings-on 
  are more likely to be noticed by crime-watching 
  neighbors.
  Distant
  Advantages:  Bases set up in distant areas — such 
  as farmland — allow for larger facilities, and they 
  are far enough away from prying eyes that normal 
  levels of traﬃ  c to and from them are not likely to 
  arouse suspicion.
  Disadvantage:  Th ese sites are far enough away to 
  make it take a while to get to the scene of action 
  even at nearby cities; such bases oft en beneﬁ t from 
  the presence of a world-class teleportation device.
  Floating In Water
  Advantages:  Bases that ﬂ oat can’t be reached casu-
  ally; someone approaching them must do so by 
  boat or by swimming, and those approaches are 
  comparatively easy to detect. In addition, supers 
  attached to such bases can participate in regular 
  water-related recreation.
  Disadvantage:  Floating bases can be induced to 
  sink, which is a tremendous nuisance.
  Deep Wilderness
  Advantages:  Th is site is far away from civilization 
  of any sort, dozens or hundreds of miles from the 
  nearest road, surrounded by rough country. Its 
  remoteness makes it diﬃ  cult for people to visit 
  casually, and gives the team enough open sur-
  roundings to play a good game of super-powered 
  golf.
  Disadvantage:  On the down side, the base’s sur-
  roundings are so vast they’re impossible to monitor 
  eﬀ ectively. People can travel or camp for days on 
  the land without knowing they’re trespassing, and, 
  if there, can witness superhero comings and goings 
  without intending to. Also, if the base population 
  gets in trouble, help could be a long time in coming.
  Airborne
  Advantages:  Th is type of base stays up in the air. 
  It might be a very large vehicle, such as a zeppelin, 
  or might be as immobile as any ground base — for 
  instance, a magical castle built atop a cloud, or a 
  city held aloft  by antigravity generators. Its aerial 
  nature makes it diﬃ  cult to access, and it’s certainly 
  a prestigious home address.
  Disadvantage:  As with “Floating In Water” bases, 
  having a sudden failure of the system that holds it 
  aloft  can be catastrophic. Having to leave in a hurry 
  can be similarly dangerous, if the departee in ques-
  tion does not know how to ﬂ y.
  Underwater
  Advantages:  An Underwater base has all the advan-
  tages of one that ﬂ oats on water (above), with the 
  additional element of a greater opportunity for 
  concealment and privacy.
  Disadvantage:  If hulled, an underwater base will ﬁ ll 
  rapidly, much to the discomfort of its residents. If 
  it is deep enough and not maintained at a surface-
  level atmospheric pressure, its inhabitants have to 
  spend hours undergoing decompression before 
  leaving — simply teleporting to the surface would 
  be a very dangerous proposition for most supers. It 
  may be hard for help to reach the base, if needed.
  Underground
  Advantages:  Underground bases are compara-
  tively easy to hide, making it possible to have large, 
  sophisticated bases hidden in the midst of popula-
  tion centers. Underground bases are diﬃ  cult to 
  invade; intruders must conﬁ ne themselves to access 
  routes the designers choose, or must have tunneling 
  or teleportation abilities. Without very sophisti-
  cated sensor abilities, it is also diﬃ  cult for enemies 
  to know about all exits (such as hidden escape tun-
  nels). For these reasons, underground bases are a 
  favorite among supervillains and master criminals; 
  many superhero teams also ﬁ nd them convenient.
  Disadvantage:  Underground bases have few disad-
  vantages. If they do not possess seismic sensors, it is 
  possible for enemies to tunnel up to them without 
  being noticed; and the lack of picture windows will 
  occasionally depress the occupants.
  In Space
  Advantages:  Considering that it costs govern-
  ments billions of dollars to mount a space program, 
  supers building a base in space can be certain that 
  unannounced visitors fall into one of three catego-
  ries:  space aliens, astronauts, and supers equipped 
  with spaceﬂ ight. Th is keeps visitors to a minimum 
  and makes identifying them comparatively easy. 
  Bases in space are also diﬃ  cult for governments to 
  regulate, giving superteams a measure of autonomy 
  they cannot experience when headquartered within 
  a nation’s boundaries.
  Disadvantage:  For most supers, it’s a long trip 
  home, and for many it’s not advisable to go outside 
  for a walk; the environment is a very dangerous 
  one.
  Another Dimension
  Advantages:  Even more so than with outer space 
  bases, alternate dimension bases are diﬃ  cult for 
  enemies or even casual visitors to ﬁ nd; they require 
  magical/mystical/high-order physics knowledge to 
  gain access. Given the correct choice of an alternate 
  dimension, a base can have more room available 
  to it than in most other environments, and can be 
  situated in very colorful, visually interesting sur-
  roundings.
  and Variable Special 
  Eﬀ ects can be applied 
  to the Powers as well, 
  thereby allowing them 
  to simulate a wide vari-
  ety of blasters and gad-
  gets. Th e Underwater 
  and Space example bases 
  in this chapter both take 
  this approach with their 
  danger rooms.
  A more versatile way of 
  doing the same thing 
  is to deﬁ ne the danger 
  room as a Variable 
  Power Pool. Th at really 
  expands the scope of 
  training options avail-
  able to the heroes. On 
  the other hand, the Pool 
  needs to be pretty big 
  to account for all the 
  devices in use, so this 
  method gets expensive. 
  For example:
  Danger Room:  Variable 
  Power Pool, 150 base + 
  75 control cost, Reduced 
  Endurance (0 END; +½) 
  (262 points total); OIF 
  (all powers bought with 
  the VPP must have a 
  Focus Limitation of -½ 
  or greater; -½), Only 
  Within Deﬁ ned Area 
  (value varies based on 
  relative size, for this 
  example assume -2). 
  Total cost:  225 points.
  Appropriate Powers 
  for a Danger Room 
  VPP include any Attack 
  Power, Change Environ-
  ment, Force Wall, and 
  Summon (the latter to 
  create robots and the 
  like for the characters to 
  ﬁ ght). Th e GM should 
  also consider allowing 
  the Danger Room to 
  buy negative Skill Levels 
  through its VPP, though 
  that’s not normally 
  allowed.
  Danger rooms oft en 
  make for interesting 
  plot points. For example, 
  villains invading the 
  base may get trapped 
  in them by the heroes 
  and pummelled on by 
  the machinery — or 
  a sneaky villain may 
  reprogram the danger 
  room to really pose a 
  danger to the heroes!
  Continued from last page
  
  105 
  Champions
  Disadvantage:  Alternate dimensions are sometimes 
  occupied or visited by very strange beings who 
  might resent the construction of a headquarters 
  there, putting the heroes in the position of defend-
  ing their base from beings with unpredictable 
  motives and powers.
  NON-PLAYER CHARACTERS
  Bases sometimes have staﬀ s of employees. 
  Th ese NPCs, most of them normal humans, 
  become regular parts of the lives of the base’s 
  superheroes. Th ey can also become useful tools 
  through which the GM brings the heroes into sce-
  narios.
  TYPES OF NPCS
  Base NPCs fall into ﬁ ve basic categories:
  Building Staff:  Th ese are personnel who take care 
  of the base and its components, including vehicular 
  components. Th ey include mechanics, electricians, 
  repairmen, engineers, groundsmen and gardeners, 
  pool-boys, janitors, and the like.
  Service Staff:  Th ese people take care of the other 
  people on site. Th ey include butlers, maids, house-
  keepers, cooks, personal trainers, security guards, 
  receptionists, medical personnel, and so on.
  Enforcement:  Depending on the exact nature of 
  the superteam and its base, there may also be an 
  enforcement arm — a small paramilitary or police 
  force, for instance. Skilled security guards or jailers 
  may also ﬁ t into this category instead of Service 
  Staﬀ . Th ese tend to be the most competent of base 
  NPCs, though of course nowhere near as powerful 
  or capable as the heroes themselves.
  Family:  Master villains and the like sometimes 
  house their families in bases, though this is usually 
  the exception rather than the rule.
  Pets:  Finally, superhumans and other base inhabit-
  ants can have pets on-site. Th ese can be a master 
  villain’s pampered white cat, a wilderness hero’s 
  trusty wolf, a madman’s victim-devouring mutant 
  octopus, or (stretching the deﬁ nition only a little) a 
  bad guy’s kept woman/kept man.
  When creating NPCs for a base, give some 
  thought to what position they fulﬁ ll in the team’s/
  mastermind’s organization. If you do, no NPC will 
  seem inappropriate when found on-base.
  CAMPAIGN ROLES
  Beyond just their positions within the orga-
  nization’s hierarchy, every base NPC who appears 
  repeatedly in the game ought to develop additional 
  roles within the campaign. Th e GM doesn’t have 
  to decide on those roles initially; in fact, many will 
  develop naturally as the character interacts more 
  and more with the PCs.
  Here are some examples of how this comes 
  about. Suppose a superhero tends to damage his 
  super-car a lot. Consequently, the vehicle spends 
  a lot of time in the shop, and the superhero oft en 
  goes down there to see how repairs are progress-
  ing. Th is means one or more mechanics inevitably 
  develop some sort of personal relationship with 
  that super. It could be just a cordial friendship, or 
  perhaps it becomes romantic. In either case, what 
  happens when (for example) the NPC asks the 
  superhero for an ethically ambiguous favor?
  Many superheroes use the base computers 
  constantly and need new programs to perform 
  tasks. Th ey may be able to write those programs 
  themselves, but the base still needs an information 
  manager to make sure those programs interact 
  with one another and with the operating system in 
  a friendly fashion. So the base ought to have one 
  head programmer, and that person will interact 
  with the computer-using supers a lot. Lots of plot 
  and subplots could arise from the relationship.
  Just passing through the front gate and past 
  the main security post every day, sometimes sev-
  eral times a day, gives the superheroes a ﬁ rst-name 
  acquaintanceship with the guard most oft en found 
  on duty there. Th at provides the GM with the 
  opportunity to develop the NPC further.
  Once these sorts of personal relationships 
  begin forming, they can take speciﬁ c shape. See 
  NPC Roles, page 177, for a description of possible 
  shapes.
  TECHNOLOGY
  Bases are also loaded with high-tech gadgets 
  that help superheroes accomplish their goals. Typi-
  cal gadgets include long-range teleporters (to get 
  supers from one end of the world to the other in 
  no time), news-harvesting computers, training 
  facilities that simulate the powers of supervillains 
  (thus letting heroes prepare for speciﬁ c foes), auto-
  mated medical facilities, hand-held nuclear reac-
  tors, devices that recreate the circumstances under 
  which supers obtained their powers, devices to seek 
  out people with speciﬁ c sets of powers, and more. 
  Th e example bases below include many types of 
  superhero-style technology.
  Things Characters 
  Don’t Have To Pay For
  Th ere are also features Base designers don’t 
  have to account for with points. Th ey include:
  Access. Doors, airlocks, hatches, hangar doors, and 
  so on don’t cost points. However, security on them 
  (making them harder than normal to get through 
  without authorization, for example) does cost 
  points, as does concealing them.
  Basic Infrastructure. A base is wired for electricity 
  and telephones (unless that’s impossible for some 
  reason). It has a typical heating, air conditioning, 
  ventilation system. It’s connected to the sewers or a 
  septic tank. None of these things cost points, unless 
  the characters want to “jazz them up” (for example, 
  create an HVAC system so powerful and sophisti-
  cated that it functions as various types of Life Sup-
  port for the entire base).
  SECURITY GADGETS
  Worried about the secu-
  rity in your base? Try 
  these ﬁ ne gadgets! Take 
  a look at the sample 
  bases in this chapter for 
  other ideas.
  Basic Security:  Security 
  Systems 11-. Total cost:  
  7 points.
  High Security:  Security 
  Systems 14-. Total cost:  
  13 points.
  Advanced Security:  
  Security Systems 17-. 
  Total cost:  19 points.
  Extremely Advanced 
  Security:  Security Sys-
  tems 20-. Total cost:  25 
  points.
  Ultra-Advanced Security:  
  Security Systems 23-. 
  Total cost:  31 points.
  Intruder Zapper:  
  Installed in doors and 
  other secured objects, 
  Intruder Zappers deliver 
  a non-lethal electric 
  shock to anyone who 
  tries to get through the 
  door without proper 
  authorization or means 
  of access (i.e., who 
  fails a Lockpicking or 
  Security Systems roll to 
  covertly penetrate the 
  door). Some variants are 
  deadly (i.e., they lack 
  the NND Advantage, but 
  have the No Knockback 
  Limitation).
  Energy Blast 12d6, NND 
  (defense is insulated 
  rED; +1), Trigger (failed 
  Lockpicking or Secu-
  rity Systems roll; +¼) 
  (135 Active Points); IIF 
  Immobile (-1¼), No 
  Range (-½), 6 Charges (-
  ¾). Total cost:  39 points.
  Anaesthetic Gas 
  Projector:  Th is device 
  projects knockout gas 
  into a large area (typi-
  cally a single room).
  Energy Blast 6d6, NND 
  (defense is LS: Self-
  Contained Breathing; 
  +1), Area Of Eﬀ ect (12” 
  Radius; +1¼) (97 Active 
  Points); IIF Immobile 
  (-1¼), No Range (-½), 
  Only Within Deﬁ ned 
  Area (value varies, 
  assume -2), 12 Charges 
  (-¼). Total cost:  19 
  points.
  Continued on next page
  
  106 
  HERO SYSTEM 5TH EDITION
  Decorations And Furnishings. Th e color and quality 
  of a base’s furnishings don’t require point expen-
  ditures (unless they have some other purpose — a 
  divan that ﬂ ies a superhero to the scene of trouble 
  at Mach 1 would cost points, of course).
  Entertainments. Books, games, music CDs (and the 
  players required to play them), and so forth don’t 
  cost points. Sometimes characters purchase a data-
  base of entertainments as a Knowledge Skill for a 
  computer, but that’s only for entertainments that 
  have the additional convenience of being search-
  able by or playable on a computer system.
  SAMPLE BASES
  Below are three sample superhero bases. You 
  can use them as-is in a campaign, modify them to 
  meet your speciﬁ c needs and those of the teams 
  they will serve, or use them strictly as examples for 
  construction of bases unique to your campaign.
  Urban Base
  Th is is an example of a modest superhero/
  supervillain base situated within the city.
  Th is base is comparatively small; it has enough 
  room for living quarters for team members, oﬃ  ce 
  and lab space for members and employees, a small 
  garage/hangar for vehicles, and so on. It’s not set 
  up to house a full-sized team jet. It constitutes a 
  Muster Point for a team.
  Th is is a hidden and underground base, 
  designed to be situated beneath a skyscraper, a city 
  park, or the like. Its exits to the world above are 
  secret ones, such as a hidden tunnel opening onto 
  a subway track, an elevator exiting into an unused 
  closet of the building above, a ramp leading into a 
  restricted-access corner of a parking garage, and so 
  on. Anyone searching for the base must overcome 
  an 18- Concealment roll.
  Th is is a comparatively sturdy base, with DEF 
  16 and BODY 8, though it lacks really esoteric 
  defenses such as teleportation shields or dimen-
  sional-breach detectors. However, it does have 
  a comprehensive system of visual and auditory 
  sensors covering the inside of the base as well as 
  nearby external locations of note (the base’s Con-
  cealment applies to this); the sensors have their 
  own internal power supply, so they keep operating 
  even if the Generator is destroyed (this is simulated 
  by applying the Reduced Endurance (0 END) Limi-
  tation to the cameras).
  Th e relatively low total cost of the base means 
  the facility is aﬀ ordable even by novice teams. Th e 
  total cost to the team would be 33 points divided 
  among all the team members. Th e team must pay 
  for its computer and staﬀ  (Followers) separately. 
  Th e Urban Base’s computer is a modest one, 
  capable of keeping track of and ﬁ ling news reports 
  received over the base radio system, of maintaining 
  a database about world supers, and so forth.
  Th e base has a staﬀ  of civilian workers 
  (typically eight, bought as Followers). Th e GM can 
  choose any conﬁ guration for the staﬀ , but a typi-
  cal one includes a mechanic, an electronics tech, a 
  librarian/archivist, three security specialists (one 
  each for three work shift s), a butler/valet, and a 
  very well-paid janitor/housekeeper. All of them are 
  issued body armor, a pistol, and a hands-free radio 
  headset, not because they are expected to go into 
  combat, but because the team wants to aﬀ ord them 
  an improved chance to survive and escape in case a 
  disaster visits the base.
  Th e butler/valet lives on-site and has compara-
  tively light duties, but is expected to be available 
  any time he is called on; his job includes keeping 
  the other staﬀ ers coordinated and managing their 
  time, picking up or arranging for the pickup of 
  food and supplies, and ushering costumed madmen 
  who have just teleported unexpectedly into the base 
  to the situation room where the team members can 
  meet them.
  URBAN BASE
  Val Char 
  Cost Notes
   8 BODY 6
   144” Size 
  14 
  -8 DCV; no Grounds
   16 DEF 
  42 
  Total Characteristic Cost:  62
  Abilities & Equipment
  Cost Power 
  END
  20 
  Location:  City, Underground 
  0
  21 
  Hidden:  Concealment 18- 
  0
  8 
  Generator:  Endurance Reserve (100 END, 
  10 REC); OIF Immobile (-1½) 
  0
  3 
  Heating/Air Conditioning:  Life Support 
  (Safe Environments:  Intense Heat, 
  Intense Cold); Costs Endurance (-½) 
  1
  7 
  Sealable Environment:  Life Support 
  (Self-Contained Breathing); Costs 
  Endurance (-½) 
  2
  5 
  Communications System:  HRRP; OIF 
  Immobile (-1½) 
  0
  27 
  Sensors:  Clairsentience (Sight and 
  Hearing Groups), 16x Range (2,400”), 
  Reduced Endurance (0 END; +½); 
  OAF Immobile (cameras and monitor 
  station; -2) plus Infrared Perception 
  (Sight Group); OAF Immobile (same; -2),
  Linked (to Clairsentience; -½) plus 
  Ultraviolet Perception (Sight Group); 
  OAF Immobile (same; -2), Linked (-½) 
  0
  13 
  Laboratories:  13 points’ worth of 
  laboratories (player’s choice)
  Total Abilities & Equipment Cost:  104
  Total Base Cost:  166
  Value Disadvantages 
   
  To be chosen by the players (if any)
  Total Disadvantage Points:  0
  Total Cost:  166/5 = 33
  Continued from last page
  Capturefoam Projector:  
  Th is device projects a 
  sticky, motion-impeding 
  foam into a large area 
  (typically a single room).
  Entangle 6d6, 9 DEF, 
  Area Of Eﬀ ect (16” 
  Radius; +1¼) (169 
  Active Points); IIF 
  Immobile (-1¼), No 
  Range (-½), Only 
  Within Deﬁ ned Area 
  (value varies, assume 
  -2), 12 Charges (-¼). 
  Total cost:  34 points.
  
  107 
  Champions
  URBAN BASE COMPUTER
   Val Char 
  Cost Roll 
  Notes
   13 INT 
  3 
  12- 
  PER Roll 12-
   10 DEX 
  0 
  11- 
  OCV: 3/DCV: 3
   2 SPD 
  0 
   
  Phases:  6, 12
    
   
   
  Total Characteristic Cost:  3
  Abilities & Equipment
  Cost Power 
  3 
  Cryptography 12-
  5 
  AK: Earth 14-
  5 
  AK: Home Nation 14-
  5 
  CK: Campaign City 14-
  2 
  KS: Archived Recent News 11-
  4 
  KS: Current News 13-
  3 
  KS: Superheroes 12-
  4 
  KS: Supervillains 13-
  2 
  KS: World Celebrities/Politicians 11-
  2 
  KS: World History 11-
  2 
  KS: World Politics 11-
  2 
  Navigation (Land) 12-
  2 
  SS: Mathematics 11-
  3 
  Systems Operation 12-
   
  Programs
  1 
  Monitor Camera System, Report Anomalies
  1 
  Plot Distance, Travel Times Between 
  Speciﬁ ed Locations
  1 
  Scan and Enter Data
  1 
  Search Reference Material For Information 
  On A Topic
  1 
  Send Emergency Call to Team Members If 
  Speciﬁ ed Protocols Are Not Met
   
  Talents
  3 
  Clock:  Absolute Time Sense
  5 
  Memory:  Eidetic Memory
  3 
  Calculator:  Lightning Calculator
  3 
  Instant-On Feature:  Lightsleep
  4 
  Scanner:  Speed Reading (x10)
  Total Abilities & Equipment Cost:  67
  Total Computer Cost:  70
  Value Disadvantages 
   
  To be chosen by the players (if any)
  Total Disadvantage Points:  0
  Total Cost:  70/5 = 14
  URBAN BASE STAFF
   Val Char 
  Cost Roll 
  Notes
   10 STR 
  0 
  11- 
  Lift  100 kg; 2d6 [1]
   12 DEX 
  6 
  11- 
  OCV:  4/DCV:  4
   10 CON 
  0 
  11-
   10 BODY 0 
  11-
   13 INT 
  3 
  12- 
  PER Roll 12-
   10 EGO 
  0 
  11- 
  ECV: 3
   10 PRE 
  0 
  11- 
  PRE Attack:  2d6
   10 COM 
  0 
  11-
   3 PD 
  1 
  Total cost:  3 PD (0 rPD)
   2 ED 
  0 
  Total cost:  2 ED (0 rED)
   2 SPD 
  0 
  Phases:  6, 12
   4 REC 
  0
   20 END 
  0
   20 STUN 
  0 
  Total Characteristic Cost:  10
  Movement: 
  Running: 
  6”/12”
  Cost Powers 
  END
  10 
  Body Armor:  Armor (8 PD/8 ED); OIF 
  (-½), Activation Roll 15- (-¼), Real 
  Armor (-¼), Half Mass (-½) 
  0
  9 
  Pistol:  RKA 1d6+1, 4 clips of 16 Charges 
  each (+¼); OAF (-1), Beam (-¼), No 
  KB (-¼), Real Weapon (-¼) 
  [16]
  8 
  Radio Headset:  Radio Perception/
  Transmission; IIF (-¼) 
  0
   
  Skills
  3 
  Duty-Based Skill 12-
  3 
  Duty-Based Skill 12-
  3 
  Duty-Based Skill 12-
  2 
  Personality Skill 11-
  2 
  Personality Skill 11-
  Total Powers & Skill Cost:  40
  Total Cost:  50
  50+ Disadvantages
   
  To be chosen by the players (if any)
  Total Disadvantage Points:  0
  Total Cost:  50/5 = 10
  Underwater Base
  Th is base is larger and more functional than 
  the Urban Base. It serves as an Operations Center, 
  and may be located in any body of water. It is 
  assumed to be in a lake, river, or ocean immediately 
  adjacent to the campaign city. For it to be a few 
  miles out from the city (Suburbs) would cost +5 
  points; to be many miles out (Distant) would cost 
  +10 points. If built close to a city, it has a tunnel 
  access to the city’s surface; if built farther out, the 
  base either needs vehicles capable of transporting 
  team members to distant points relatively quickly, 
  or a powerful teleporter such as the one shown for 
  the Space Base (below).
  Unlike the Urban Base, this base has a Cell 
  Block, an area where the team can hold captured 
  villains temporarily. Th e Cell Block has higher DEF 
  
  108 
  HERO SYSTEM 5TH EDITION
  than the rest of the base, and no one can Teleport 
  into or out of it (unless their Teleportation has 
  three or more levels of Armor Piercing). Psychic 
  Energy Insulation in the walls makes it diﬃ  cult to 
  use Mental Powers in or through the Cell Block. 
  If detainees attempt to escape, the team can use 
  an Artiﬁ cial Gravity Pinner to make it diﬃ  cult or 
  impossible for anyone in the Cell Block to move 
  (on the average, a person trapped in the artiﬁ cial 
  gravity ﬁ eld needs STR 40 to even move).
  Th e base’s other major feature is a 200-hex 
  “danger room,” or training facility designed for 
  superhumans. Th e danger room has high-DEF 
  walls, and mounted in and behind the walls are a 
  variety of weapons — they can surround a hero 
  with Darkness, hit him with low-yield Energy 
  Blasts, wrap him up in nets, create energy walls in 
  front of him, and create holograms of his enemies, 
  teammates, or obstacles appear around him. It’s not 
  enough to hurt most superhumans, but can give 
  them a workout.
  Th e base has no weapons, but can channel 
  electricity into its exterior shell as a tactic to shock 
  oversized sea-life or unwary supervillains who 
  come into contact with it. But this is only a token 
  defense; the base chieﬂ y depends on its superheroes 
  to defend it.
  Th e base’s computer has a greater process-
  ing capacity (i.e., INT) than its counterpart in the 
  Urban Base, and adds some databases related to its 
  environment that make it easier for its operators 
  to distinguish between natural events and poten-
  tial enemy action in the base’s vicinity. Th e base is 
  larger, and so needs more personnel (who are the 
  same as those in the Urban Base).
  Th e cost of this base makes it inconveniently 
  expensive for most beginning superteams, but is 
  appropriate to a team that has built up some expe-
  rience and ﬁ nds that its original base is no longer 
  adequate for its needs.
  UNDERWATER BASE
   Val 
  Char Cost Notes
   8 
  BODY 6
   5,000” Size 
  28 
  -13 DCV; no Grounds
   16 
  DEF 
  42 
  Total Characteristic Cost:  76
  Abilities & Equipment
  Cost Power 
  END
  15 
  Location:  City, Underwater 
  0
  21 
  Hidden:  Concealment 18- 
  0
  12 
  Generator:  Endurance Reserve (100 END, 
  20 REC); OIF Immobile (-1½) 
  0
  88 
  Electriﬁ ed Outer Shell:  Energy Blast 8d6, 
  Continuous (+1), Damage Shield (+½), 
  Reduced Endurance (½ END; +¼); 
  No KB (-¼) 
  5
  9 
  Life Support Systems:  Life Support 
  (Self-Contained Breathing, Safe 
  Environment: High Pressure, Intense 
  Cold); Costs Endurance (-½) 
  2
  5 
  Communications System:  HRRP; 
  OIF Immobile (-1½) 
  0
  29 
  Sensors:  Clairsentience (Sight and Hearing 
  Groups), 32x Range (4,800”), 
  Reduced Endurance (0 END; +½); OAF 
  Immobile (cameras and monitor 
  station; -2) plus Infrared Perception 
  (Sight Group); OAF Immobile (same; -2), 
  Linked (to Clairsentience; -½) plus 
  Ultraviolet Perception (Sight Group); 
  OAF Immobile (same; -2), Linked (-½) 
  0
  8 
  Sonar:  Active Sonar (Hearing Group), 
  Increased Arc Of Perception (360 
  Degrees); OIF Immobile (-1½) 
  0
  1 
  Sound Pickups:  Ultrasonic Perception 
  (Hearing Group); OIF Immobile (-1½) 
  0
  4 
  Sound Pickups:  +5 PER with Hearing 
  Group; OIF Immobile (-1½) 
  0
  18 
  Laboratories:  18 points’ worth of 
  laboratories (player’s choice)
  12 
  Cell Block:  DEF +8, Cannot Be Escaped 
  With Teleportation (x2; +½); Partial 
  Coverage (15 hexes; -2) 
  0
  7 
  Cell Block Psychic Energy Insulation:  
  Mental Defense (20 points); Partial 
  Coverage (15 hexes; -2) 
  0
  37 
  Cell Block Artiﬁ cial Gravity Pinner:  
  Telekinesis (40 STR), Aﬀ ects Desolidiﬁ ed 
  (+½), Area Of Eﬀ ect (Any Area Of 9”; +1); 
  Only To Pull Objects Straight Down To 
  Th e Floor (-1), Only Within Deﬁ ned 
  Area (15 hexes; -2) 
  15
  15 
  Danger Room:  DEF +14; Partial 
  Coverage (200 hexes; -1¾) 
  0
  5 
  Danger Room Darkness Generators:  
  Darkness to Sight Group 2” radius; OIF 
  Immobile (-1½), Only Within Deﬁ ned 
  Area (200 hexes; -1¾) 
  2
  14 
  Danger Room Blasters:  Energy Blast 8d6, 
  Variable Special Eﬀ ects (+½); OIF 
  Immobile (-1½), Only Within Deﬁ ned 
  Area (200 hexes; -1¾) 
  4
  9 
  Danger Room Net Projectors:  Entangle 
  4d6, 4 DEF; OIF Immobile (-1½), Only 
  Within Deﬁ ned Area (200 hexes; -1¾) 
  4
  13 
  Danger Room Forcewall Generators:  Force 
  Wall (8 PD/8 ED; 8” and 2” tall); OIF 
  Immobile (-1½), Only Within Deﬁ ned 
  Area (200 hexes; -1¾) 
  6
  10 
  Danger Room Hologram Generators:  
  Sight Group Images, -5 to PER Rolls, 
  Increased Size (8” radius; +¾); OIF 
  Immobile (-1½), Only Within Deﬁ ned 
  Area (200 hexes; -1¾) 
  4
  Total Abilities & Equipment Cost:  332
  Total Base Cost:  408
  Value Disadvantages 
   
  To be chosen by the players (if any)
  Total Disadvantage Points:  0
  Total Cost:  408/5 = 82
  
  109 
  Champions
  UNDERWATER BASE COMPUTER
   Val Char 
  Cost Roll 
  Notes
   23 INT 
  13 
  14- 
  PER Roll 14-
   10 DEX 
  0 
  11- 
  OCV:  3/DCV:  3
   2 SPD 
  0 
   
  Phases:  6, 12
    
   
   
  Total Characteristic Cost:  13
  Cost Skills
  3 
  Cryptography 14-
  5 
  AK: Earth 16-
  5 
  AK: Home Nation 16-
  5 
  CK: Campaign City 16-
  2 
  KS: Archived Recent News 11-
  4 
  KS: Current News 15-
  5 
  KS: Oceanographic Data 16-
  4 
  KS: Sounds of Underwater Life Forms 15-
  3 
  KS: Superheroes 14-
  4 
  KS: Supervillains 15-
  2 
  KS: World Celebrities/Politicians 11-
  2 
  KS: World History 11-
  2 
  KS: World Politics 11-
  2 
  SS: Mathematics 11-
  2 
  Navigation (Marine Navagation) 14-
  3 
  Systems Operation 14-
   
  Programs
  1 
  Monitor Camera System, Report Anomalies
  1 
  Monitor Sonar System, Report Anomalies
  1 
  Plot Distance, Travel Times Between 
  Speciﬁ ed Locations
  5 
  Run Programmed Danger Room Simulation 
  (Up to 5 Resident In Memory)
  1 
  Scan and Enter Data
  1 
  Search Reference Material For Information 
  On A Topic
  1 
  Send Emergency Call to Team Members If 
  Speciﬁ ed Protocols Are Not Met
   
  Talents
  3 
  Clock:  Absolute Time Sense
  5 
  Memory:  Eidetic Memory
  3 
  Calculator:  Lightning Calculator
  3 
  Instant-On Feature:  Lightsleep
  4 
  Scanner:  Speed Reading (x10)
  Total Abilities Cost:  82
  Total Computer Cost:  95
  Value Disadvantages 
   
  To be chosen by the players (if any)
  Total Disadvantage Points:  0
  Total Cost:  95/5 = 19
  Space Base
  Very experienced and powerful teams, or those 
  who need to be able to operate with an autonomy 
  not possible if they are headquartered within 
  national boundaries, may choose to build a base in 
  space — either in Earth orbit or on some mass such 
  as the Moon. Th e base below presumes an orbital 
  placement, but the only change needed to make it a 
  lunar or asteroid base is elimination of the maneu-
  vering thrusters. Th is is an Operations Center; 
  increase the size of its staﬀ  and make a lot of them 
  super-agents, and it becomes a Military Base.
  To the functions of the Underwater Base, 
  the Space Base adds Artiﬁ cial Gravity (which can 
  be turned oﬀ , and becomes disabled if power is 
  interrupted), an imaging device for the War Room 
  (that allows detailed holographic 3-D presenta-
  tions of such things as landing zones, enemy bases, 
  national events, and so forth), a core chamber that 
  has its own artiﬁ cial gravity, generator, life support, 
  and communications (in case of disaster, the base 
  complement can retreat there to stage operations 
  or wait for rescue), and a teleportation device that 
  can transport up to 16 team members and other 
  
  110 
  HERO SYSTEM 5TH EDITION
  personnel to anywhere on Earth.
  Th is base loses the underwater base’s electri-
  ﬁ ed hull and replaces it with an exterior blaster 
  cannon that is suﬃ  cient to damage to many types 
  of attacking spacecraft , and a set of internal neural 
  zappers that are adequate to render many attackers 
  unconscious.
  With the move to space, the team can aﬀ ord 
  a self-aware computer system. Th is AI has all the 
  facilities of the other bases’ computers, but adds 
  extensive databases of movie, music, and game 
  entertainments (helpful to staﬀ  members who stay 
  on duty there for protracted periods of time), the 
  ability to handle base communications and arrange 
  for the teleportation in of team members and staﬀ -
  ers whose identities it conﬁ rms, a sophisticated 
  conversation program, and the like.
  Th e staﬀ ers of the Space Base are the same as 
  for the Urban Base, but there should be 64 of them, 
  with at least half being on-duty at any given time. 
  Most live on the station for months-long shift s.
  SPACE BASE
   Val 
  Char Cost Notes
   8 
  BODY 6
   5,000” Size 
  28 
  -13 DCV; no Grounds
   16 
  DEF 
  42 
  Total Characteristic Cost:  76
  Abilities & Equipment
  Cost Power 
  END
  35 
  Location:  Distant, In Space 
  0
  12 
  Generator:  Endurance Reserve (100 END, 
  20 REC); OIF Immobile (-1½) 
  0
  7 
  Artiﬁ cial Gravity:  Telekinesis (10 STR); 
  Only To Pull Objects Straight Down To 
  Th e Floor (-1) 
  1
  13 
  Life Support Systems:  Life Support (Self-
  Contained Breathing, Safe Environment: 
  High Pressure, High Radiation, Intense 
  Cold, Intense Heat, Low Pressure/
  Vacuum); Costs Endurance (-½) 
  2
  5 
  Communications System:  HRRP; OIF 
  Immobile (-1½) 
  0
  3 
  Situation Imager:  Sight Group Images, 
  Increased Size (2” radius; +¼); OIF 
  Immobile (-1½), Only Within Deﬁ ned 
  Area (10 hexes; -2) 
  1
  29 
  Sensors:  Clairsentience (Sight and Hear-
  ing Groups), 32x Range (4,800”), Reduced 
  Endurance (0 END; +½); OAF Immobile 
  (cameras and monitor station; -2) plus 
  Infrared Perception (Sight Group); OAF 
  Immobile (same; -2), Linked (to Clairsen-
  tience; -½) plus Ultraviolet Perception 
  (Sight Group); OAF Immobile (same; -2), 
  Linked (-½) 
  0
  22 
  Radar Array:  Radar (Radio Group), 
  Discriminatory, Increased Arc Of 
  Perception (360 Degrees), Telescopic 
  (+30 versus Range Modiﬁ er); OIF 
  Immobile (-1½) 
  0
  4 
  Core Chamber — Backup Artiﬁ cial 
  Gravity:  Telekinesis (10 STR); Only To 
  Pull Objects Straight Down To Th e Floor 
  (-1), Partial Coverage (50 hexes; -2) 
  1
  5 
  Core Chamber — Backup Life Support 
  Systems:  Life Support (Self-Contained 
  Breathing, Safe Environment: High 
  Pressure, High Radiation, Intense Cold, 
  Intense Heat, Low Pressure/Vacuum); 
  Costs Endurance (-½), Partial Coverage 
  (50 hexes; -2) 
  2
  3 
  Core Chamber — Backup Communications 
  System:  HRRP; OIF Immobile (-1½), 
  Partial Coverage (50 hexes; -2) 
  0
  55 
  Team Teleporter:  Multipower, 137-point 
  reserve, all OIF Immobile (-1½)
  5u 
  1)  Near Vicinity Teleportation:  
  Teleportation 40”, x32 Noncombat, x16 
  Increased Mass; OIF Immobile (-1½) 
  12
  3u 
  2)  Earth To Base Teleportation:  Teleporta-
  tion 5”, x16 Increased Mass, MegaScale 
  (1” = 100,000 km, move to any point up to 
  1 km away; +1¾); OIF Immobile (-1½) 
  14
  5 
  Maneuvering Th rusters:  Flight 10”; OIF 
  Immobile (-1½), Extra Time (1 Turn; -1¼) 1
  5 
  Polarized Exterior Windows:  Sight Group 
  Flash Defense (10 points); Only Protects 
  Versus Exterior Flashes Against Interior 
  Personnel (-1) 
  0
  18 
  Laboratories:  18 points’ worth of 
  laboratories (player’s choice)
  12 
  Cell Block:  DEF +8, Cannot Be Escaped 
  With Teleportation (x2; +½); Partial 
  Coverage (15 hexes; -2) 
  0
  7 
  Cell Block Psychic Energy Insulation:  
  Mental Defense (20 points); Partial 
  Coverage (15 hexes; -2) 
  0
  37 
  Cell Block Artiﬁ cial Gravity Pinner:  
  Telekinesis (40 STR), Aﬀ ects Desolidiﬁ ed 
  (+½), Area Of Eﬀ ect (Any Area Of 9”; +1); 
  Only To Pull Objects Straight Down To 
  Th e Floor (-1), Only Within Deﬁ ned Area 
  (15 hexes; -2) 
  15
  15 
  Danger Room:  DEF +14; Partial Coverage 
  (200 hexes; -1¾) 
  0
  5 
  Danger Room Darkness Generators:  
  Darkness to Sight Group 2” radius; OIF 
  Immobile (-1½), Only Within Deﬁ ned 
  Area (200 hexes; -1¾) 
  2
  14 
  Danger Room Blasters:  Energy Blast 8d6, 
  Variable Special Eﬀ ects (+½); OIF 
  Immobile (-1½), Only Within Deﬁ ned 
  Area (200 hexes; -1¾) 
  4
  9 
  Danger Room Net Projectors:  Entangle 
  4d6, 4 DEF; OIF Immobile (-1½), Only 
  Within Deﬁ ned Area (200 hexes; -1¾) 
  4
  13 
  Danger Room Forcewall Generators:  
  Force Wall (8 PD/8 ED; 8” and 2” tall); 
  OIF Immobile (-1½), Only Within 
  Deﬁ ned Area (200 hexes; -1¾) 
  6
  10 
  Danger Room Hologram Generators:  
  Sight Group Images, -5 to PER Rolls, 
  Increased Size (8” radius; +¾); OIF 
  Immobile (-1½), Only Within Deﬁ ned 
  Area (200 hexes; -1¾) 
  4
  48 
  Exterior Defensive Blaster:  Energy Blast 
  12d6, 4 clips of 125 Charges each (+1); 
  OIF Immobile (-1½) 
  [125]
  15 
  Exterior Defensive Blaster:  7 more 
  
  111 
  Champions
  Blasters, as above, spaced equidistantly 
  around the base’s hull 
  [125]
  24 
  Internal Neural Tranquilizer:  Energy 
  Blast 6d6, NND (defense is having a 
  neural system markedly diﬀ erent from 
  humans’ or wearing a team-member 
  radio; +1); OIF Immobile (located in 
  command center/situation room; -1½), 
  16 Charges (-0) 
  [16]
  15 
  Internal Neural Tranquilizer:  7 more 
  Tranquilizers, located at strategic points 
  throughout the base (core chamber, 
  teleporter room, hangar, four important 
  hallways) 
  [16]
  Total Abilities & Equipment Cost:  453
  Total Base Cost:  529
  Value Disadvantages 
   
  To be chosen by the players (if any)
  Total Disadvantage Points:  0
  Total Cost:  529/5 = 106
  SPACE BASE COMPUTER
   Val Char 
  Cost Roll 
  Notes
   23 INT 
  13 
  14- 
  PER Roll 14-
   15 EGO 
  10 
  12- 
  ECV:  5
   13 DEX 
  9 
  12- 
  OCV:  4/DCV:  4
   3 SPD 
  7 
   
  Phases:  4, 8, 12
    
   
   
  Total Characteristic Cost:  39
  Cost Skills
  9 
  Conversation 12-
  3 
  Cryptography 14-
  5 
  AK: Earth 16-
  5 
  AK: Home Nation 16-
  5 
  CK: Campaign City 16-
  2 
  KS: Archived Recent News 11-
  4 
  KS: Current News 15-
  4 
  KS: Known Alien Races 15-
  4 
  KS: Movies Database 15-
  3 
  KS: Music Database 14-
  5 
  KS: Space Data 16-
  3 
  KS: Superheroes 14-
  4 
  KS: Supervillains 15-
  2 
  KS: World Celebrities/Politicians 11-
  2 
  KS: World History 11-
  2 
  KS: World Politics 11-
  2 
  SS: Mathematics 11-
  2 
  Navigation (Space) 14-
  4 
  PS: Communications Coordinator 15-
  2 
  PS: Game-Player 11-
  3 
  Systems Operation 14-
   
  Programs
  1 
  Monitor Camera System, Report Anomalies
  1 
  Monitor Communications System, Report 
  Anomalies
  1 
  Monitor Radar System, Report Anomalies
  1 
  Perform Teleport Pickup Of Authorized 
  Personnel On Demand
  1 
  Plot Distance, Travel Times Between 
  Speciﬁ ed Locations
  5 
  Run Programmed Training Facility 
  Simulation (Up to 5 Resident In Memory)
  1 
  Scan and Enter Data
  1 
  Search Reference Material For Information 
  On A Topic
  1 
  Send Emergency Call to Team Members If 
  Speciﬁ ed Protocols Are Not Met
   
  Talents
  3 
  Clock:  Absolute Time Sense
  5 
  Memory:  Eidetic Memory
  3 
  Calculator:  Lightning Calculator
  3 
  Instant-On Feature:  Lightsleep
  4 
  Scanner:  Speed Reading (x10)
  Total Abilities Cost:  106
  Total Computer Cost:  145
  Value Disadvantages 
   
  To be chosen by the players (if any)
  Total Disadvantage Points:  0
  Total Cost:  145/5 = 29
  
  112 
  HERO SYSTEM 5TH EDITION
  S
  uperhero vehicles tend to serve one or both 
  of the following functions in a campaign... 
  and before a character buys one, he should 
  ﬁ nd out from the GM whether the GM wants 
  a vehicle fulﬁ lling those functions. (Th e GM may 
  prefer that the character have those functions 
  as part of his powers instead.) Th ese functions 
  include:
  Getting To Where The Action Is. Th is function 
  helps a hero who does not have the power neces-
  sary to get from point to point in a timely fashion. 
  Th is feature is especially appropriate for team vehi-
  cles, to carry the entire team across long distances 
  (such as transcontinental trips or voyages to diﬀ er-
  ent star systems). Otherwise, some characters may 
  have to resort to asking other characters to carry 
  them, or get left  behind.
  Fighting And Rescuing. Th is sort of vehicle 
  serves as an extension of the character, providing 
  him with combat functionality he does not ordi-
  narily have. Th ere is a long tradition of supers using 
  such vehicles (especially if the hero is essentially 
  human), and vehicles of this type tend to be small 
  one- and two-person craft .
  SAMPLE VEHICLES
  Each of the following vehicles is described 
  both in game terms and in terms of its function 
  within a campaign.
  TEAM TRANSPORT
  Th is vehicle is a super-tech jet aircraft  large 
  enough to carry a good-sized team around and get 
  them quickly to where the action is. Th is vehicle 
  has minimal computational power — just enough 
  for it to navigate and to recognize when it has been 
  acquired by another vehicle’s radar lock.
  TEAM TRANSPORT
   Val 
  Char Cost Notes
   60 
  STR 
  0 
  Lift  100 tons; 12d6 HTH 
   20 
  BODY 0
  10”x5” Size 
  50 
  Mass 100 tons; -10 KB; -6 DCV
   8 
  DEF 
  18
   13 
  DEX 
  9 
  OCV:  4/DCV:  4
   3 
  SPD 
  7 
  Phases:  4, 8, 12
    
   
   
  Total Characteristic Cost:  84
  Movement: 
  Ground:  6”/12”
   
  Flight:  10”/1,250”
  Abilities & Equipment
  Cost Power 
  END
  75 
  Jet Engines:  Flight 10”, x125 Noncombat, 
  1 Continuing Fuel Charge (1 Day; +½) 
  [1cc]
  16 
  Sealed Environment:  Life Support 
  (Self-Contained Breathing, Safe Environ-
  ments:  Low Pressure/Vacuum, Intense 
  Heat, Intense Cold) 
  0
  6 
  Communications System:  HRRP; 
  OIF Bulky (-1) 
  0
  19 
  Radar Array:  Radar (Radio Group), 
  Discriminatory, Increased Arc Of 
  Perception (360 Degrees), Telescopic (+14 
  versus Range Modiﬁ er); OIF Bulky (-1) 
  0
  Total Abilities & Equipment Cost:  116
  Total Vehicle Cost:  200
  Value Disadvantages 
   
  To be chosen by the players (if any)
  Total Disadvantage Points:  0
  Total Cost:  200/5 = 40
  TEAM TRANSPORT COMPUTER
   Val Char 
  Cost Roll 
  Notes
   13 INT 
  3 
  12- 
  PER Roll 12-
   10 DEX 
  0 
  11- 
  OCV:  3/DCV:  3
   2 SPD 
  0 
   
  Phases:  6, 12
    
   
   
  Total Characteristic Cost:  3
  Cost Skills
  5 
  AK: Earth 14-
  5 
  AK: Home Nation 14-
  2 
  Navigation (Air) 12-
   
  Programs
  1 
  Monitor Radar System, Report Lock-Ons
  1 
  Monitor Radio System, Report Team Alert 
  Codes
  1 
  Plot Distance, Travel Times Between 
  Speciﬁ ed Locations
  1 
  Search Reference Material For Information 
  On A Topic
   
  Talents
  3 
  Clock:  Absolute Time Sense
  5 
  Memory:  Eidetic Memory
  3 
  Calculator:  Lightning Calculator
  3 
  Instant-On Feature:  Lightsleep
  Total Abilities Cost:  30
  Total Computer Cost:  33
  VEHICLES
  
  113 
  Champions
  Value Disadvantages 
   
  To be chosen by the players (if any)
  Total Disadvantage Points:  0
  Total Cost:  33/5 = 7
  TEAM TRANSPORT OPTIONS
  Th e standard Team Transport is very conﬁ gu-
  rable. A team purchasing a Team Transport can 
  modify it with any and all of the following options, 
  if they can aﬀ ord the point cost.
  Cost Optional System 
  END
  20 
  Aquatic Mode:  Swimming 15”, x4 
  Noncombat 
  0
  90 
  Autoblaster I:  Energy Blast 12d6, No 
  Range Penalty (+½), Autoﬁ re (5 shots; +½), 
  250 Charges (+1) (180 Active Points); 
  OIF Bulky (-1) 
  [250]
  60 
  Autoblaster II:  RKA 2½d6, No Range 
  Penalty (+½), Autoﬁ re (5 shots; +½), 250 
  Charges (+1) (120 Active Points); OIF 
  Bulky (-1) 
  [250]
  36 
  Disguised Mode:  Shape Shift  (Sight, 
  Hearing, Touch, and Radio Groups, up 
  to four predeﬁ ned shapes), Reduced 
  Endurance (0 END; +½) 
  0
  30 
  Drill Mode:  Tunneling 6” through 
  DEF 6 materials 
  0
  2 
  Insulated Cockpit/Cabin:  Hearing Group 
  Flash Defense (5 points) (5 Active Points); 
  Only Protects Versus Exterior Flashes 
  Against Interior Personnel (-1) 
  0
  5 
  Polarized Windows:  Sight Group Flash 
  Defense (10 points) (10 Active Points); 
  Only Protects Versus Exterior Flashes 
  Against Interior Personnel (-1) 
  0
  30 
  Space Travel:  FTL Travel (1,000 LY/year) 
  (may require additional adaptations to 
  vehicle’s Life Support systems and the like) 
  0
  12 
  Stealth Mode:  Invisibility To Radio Group, 
  Reduced Endurance (0 END; +½) 
  (15 Active Points); Radar Only (-¼) 
  0
  10 
  Sturdy:  +10 BODY 
  0
  Individual Combat/
  Rescue Vehicles
  Vehicles such as this tend to be small, very 
  maneuverable, and oft en designed to resemble or 
  be decorated with the symbol of the owning char-
  acter or characters. Th e most common variety is the 
  super-car.
  SUPERCAR
  Th is vehicle is designed to get a superhero, 
  typically one who is mostly human, around the 
  campaign city quickly and in style. Th e standard 
  Super-Car is large enough for a driver and one pas-
  senger, is fast, is comparatively heavily armored, 
  and possesses a number of oﬀ ensive, defensive, sen-
  sory, and miscellaneous systems. A typical version 
  looks like this:
  SUPERCAR
   Val Char 
  Cost Notes
   25 
  STR 
  0 
  Lift  800 kg; 5d6 HTH 
   13 
  BODY 0
   2”x1” Size 
  15 
  Mass 800 kg; -3 KB; -2 DCV
   10 
  DEF 
  24
   18 
  DEX 
  24 
  OCV:  6/DCV:  6
   4 
  SPD 
  12 
  Phases:  3, 6, 9, 12
    
   
   
  Total Characteristic Cost:  75
  Movement: 
  Ground Movement:  21”/168”
  Abilities & Equipment
  Cost Power 
  END
  40 
  Engine:  Ground Movement +15” 
  (21” total), x8 Noncombat 
  0
  6 
  Communications System:  HRRP; 
  OIF Bulky (-1) 
  0
  2 
  Nightsight Systems:  Nightvision; OIF 
  Bulky (-1) 
  0
  5 
  Headlights:  Sight Group Images, Increased 
  Size (8” Cone; +½), Reduced Endurance 
  (0 END; +½); OIF Bulky (-1), Only To 
  Create Light (-1), Limited Arc Of Use (60 
  Degrees forward, same horizontal level; -¾) 0
  4 
  Heating/Air Conditioning:  Life Support 
  (Safe Environments:  Intense Heat, 
  Intense Cold) 
  0
  Total Abilities & Equipment Cost:  57
  Total Vehicle Cost:  132
  Value Disadvantages 
   
  To be chosen by the players (if any)
  Total Disadvantage Points:  0
  Total Cost:  132/5 = 26
  SUPER-VEHICLE
  MODIFICATION
  Vehicle 
  Cost 
  System
  Helicopter 
  50 (+10) 
  Flight 20”, x8 
  Noncombat
  Hovercraft  25 (-15) 
  Flight 20”, x8 Noncom-
  bat; Not More Th an 1” 
  Above Ground/Water 
  (-1)
  Jet 
  43 (-3) 
  Flight 20”, x64 
  Noncombat; Stalls at 
  Combat Velocity (-½)
  Speedboat 
  12 (-40) 
  Swimming 20”, x4 
  Noncombat; Surface 
  Only (-1)
  Submarine 15 (-37) 
  Swimming 10”, x4 
  Noncombat
  Tunneler 
  30 (-10) 
  Tunneling 6” through 
  DEF 6 material
  A character can take two or more movement 
  options for a multiple-terrain vehicle. Th is can 
  come as a real surprise to a supervillain who is 
  used to thinking of a car as nothing but a car.
  
  114 
  HERO SYSTEM 5TH EDITION
  OTHER SUPERVEHICLES
  To design other sorts of individual super-vehi-
  cles, simply remove the Super-Car’s extra Ground 
  Movement (this leaves it with 6”, costing 0 points 
  — and the Speedboat and Submarine sell back even 
  that). Th en substitute any of the choices in the box 
  on page 113. Th e costs in parentheses are the net 
  costs aft er accounting for the Super-Car’s reduced 
  Ground Movement.
  SUPERVEHICLE OPTIONS
  In addition to the equipment listed on the two 
  vehicles above, the accompanying box contains 
  some additional systems characters could install on 
  their super-vehicles.
  SUPERVEHICLE OPTIONS
  Cost Optional System 
  END
   
  Defense Systems
  19 
  Retractable Armor:  +8 DEF (24 Active 
  Points); Extra Time (Full Phase to 
  activate; -¼) 
  0
  15 
  Vehicular Force Field Generator:  Force 
  Field (10 PD/10 ED), Reduced Endurance 
  (0 END; +½) (30 Active Points); OIF 
  Bulky (-1) 
  0
   
  Movement Systems
  3 
  Emergency Glide-Wing:  Gliding 7” 
  (7 Active Points); OIF Bulky (-1), 
  Limited Maneuverability (-¼) 
  0
  13 
  Emergency Jets:  Flight 10”, x32 Noncombat 
  (40 Active Points); OIF Bulky (-1), Limited 
  Maneuverability (-¼), 2 Continuing 
  Charges lasting 1 Minute each (deactivated 
  with oﬀ  switch or by signiﬁ cant damage 
  to vehicle; -¾) 
  [2cc]
  4 
  Gripping Tires:  Clinging (normal STR) 
  (10 Active Points); OAF Bulky (-1½) 
  0
  2 
  Nitrous Oxide Injector:  Additional x2 
  Noncombat for Ground Movement 
  (5 Active Points); OIF Bulky (-1) 
  var
  9 
  Super-Springs:  Leaping 12”, x8 Non-
  combat (22 Active Points); OIF Bulky 
  (-1), 8 Charges (-½) 
  [8]
   
  Sensors
  10 
  Vehicular Cameras:  Increased Arc Of 
  Perception (360 Degrees) for Sight Group 0
   
  Weapons
  27 
  Flare Grenade Launcher:  Sight Group 
  Flash 6d6, Area Of Eﬀ ect (6” Radius; +1¼) 
  (67 Active Points); OIF Bulky (-1), 4 
  Continuing Charges lasting 1 Turn each 
  (removed by Darkness or water; -½) 
  [4cc]
  21 
  Ram:  HA +7d6, Reduced Endurance 
  (0 END; +½) (52 Active Points); Hand-
  To-Hand Attack (-½), Only With Move 
  Th roughs (-1) 
  0
  18 
  Smoke Grenade Launcher:  Darkness to 
  Sight Group 4” radius (40 Active Points); 
  OIF Bulky (-1), 4 Continuing Charges 
  lasting 1 Minute each (removed by high 
  winds or rain; -¼) 
  [4cc]
  40 
  Vehicular Blaster:  Energy Blast 8d6, No 
  Range Modiﬁ er (+½), 60 Charges (+½) 
  (80 Active Points); OIF Bulky (-1) 
  [60]
  40 
  Vehicular Laser:  RKA 2½d6, No Range 
  Modiﬁ er (+½), 60 Charges (+½) (80 
  Active Points); OIF Bulky (-1) 
  [60]
   
  Miscellaneous Systems
  30 
  Grapnel-Th rower:  Stretching 10”, x8 
  Noncombat, Reduced Endurance (0 END; 
  +½) (90 Active Points); Only To Grab And 
  Pull (-1), OIF Bulky (-1)
  2 
  Waldos:  Extra Limbs (2) (5 Active Points); 
  OIF Bulky (-1) 
  0
  Note that some of these powers are not built with 
  the Focus Limitation because they are intrinsic to 
  the vehicle itself; taking them oﬀ  would mean dis-
  assembling the vehicle either partially or totally.
  
  115 
  Champions
  E
  quipment is any sort of gear or gadgetry an 
  individual character carries (as opposed to 
  vehicles, buildings, and so on).
  WEAPONS
  Weapons are a staple of superhero-world tech-
  nology — and weapons that allow a normal person 
  to aﬀ ect a super (or even just to leave him with the 
  mistaken impression that he can) are among the 
  most common types found. Some examples follow.
  BLASTER PISTOLS
  Th e blaster pistol is a staple of superhero envi-
  ronments, though it is oft en not powerful enough 
  to do real harm to a superhero. It is, in essence, a 
  handgun that ﬁ res energy charges (so it has special 
  eﬀ ects far more interesting than those of a real-
  world ﬁ rearm), but otherwise functions much like 
  ordinary pistols. Super-agencies — those organiza-
  tions that employ colorfully-uniformed agents who, 
  collectively, can oft en give superhumans a certain 
  amount of trouble — oft en make use of blaster pis-
  tols, and each agency’s speciﬁ c design is unique.
  Here are two types of blaster pistols. Th e ﬁ rst is 
  a single-shot weapon appropriate for use by oﬃ  cers 
  who carry them for largely ceremonial reasons. Th e 
  second is a weapon that can ﬁ re ﬁ ve-shot bursts; 
  it’s more practical for combat against supers. Each 
  type is shown in an Energy Blast conﬁ guration, but 
  you can substitute an equivalent number of DCs of 
  Ranged Killing Attack for the same cost.
  Blaster Pistol (Single-Fire):  Energy Blast 
  6d6 (30 Active Points); OAF (-1), 4 clips of 8 
  Charges each (-0). Total cost:  15 points.
  Blaster Pistol (Auto-Fire):  Energy Blast 6d6; 
  Autoﬁ re (5 shots; +½), 4 clips of 32 Charges 
  each (+½) (60 Active Points); OAF Blaster 
  Pistol (-1). Total cost:  30 points.
  BLASTER RIFLES
  Blaster riﬂ es, functionally, are more than 
  scaled-up versions of blaster pistols. Th ey are a 
  super-agent’s primary weapon rather than backup 
  weapon. As with the Blaster Pistols, you can substi-
  tute Killing Damage for Normal Damage at the rate 
  of 1 DC for 1 DC and keep the same cost structure.
  Blaster Assault Riﬂ e
  Th e Blaster Assault Riﬂ e is designed to proj-
  ect energy in single-shot mode. It does enough 
  damage to pose a signiﬁ cant threat to most supers. 
  Its grenade-launcher attachment, which does not 
  appreciably increase the size of the weapon, allows 
  for the ﬁ ring of small-scale explosive devices; the 
  weapon can only hold one grenade at a time.
  Cost Power 
  END
  24 
  Blaster Assault Riﬂ e:  Multipower, 
  60-point reserve, all OAF (-1), Two-
  Handed Weapon (-½)
  2u 
   1)  Blaster:  Energy Blast 8d6, 4 clips of 
  32 Charges each (+½); OAF (-1), Two-
  Handed Weapon (-½) 
  [32]
  2u 
   2)  Grenade Launcher:  Energy Blast 
  8d6, Explosion (+½); OAF (-1), Two-
  Handed Weapon (-½), 8 clips of 1 
  Charge each (-1) 
  [1]
  3 
  Onboard Targeting Computer:  +2 with 
  Ranged Combat; OAF (-1), Only With 
  Blaster Assault Riﬂ e (-1) 
  0
  2 
  Sight:  +2 versus Range Modiﬁ er; OAF 
  (-1), Only With Blaster Assault Riﬂ e (-1) 
  0
  Total cost:  33 points
  Blaster Sniper Riﬂ e
  Th e Blaster Sniper Riﬂ e is designed to allow 
  an expert marksman to ﬁ re upon an enemy from 
  a considerable distance. Th e design of its scope, 
  which reduces range penalties and oﬀ ers infrared 
  targeting (but does not have to be used or even 
  attached) means a sniper has to spend a Phase to 
  acquire a target through the scope, but once that 
  target is acquired, does not have to spend a new 
  Phase each time he ﬁ res; however, when he wants 
  to switch to a new target, he must spend the Phase 
  again. (Optionally, the GM can rule that the sniper 
  does not have to spend an extra Phase to acquire 
  a new target who is very near his original target 
  — say, within 2” of any point of his original line of 
  sight.)
  Cost Power 
  END
  22 
  Blaster Sniper Riﬂ e:  Energy Blast 9d6, 
  Increased Maximum Range (x5, or 1,125”; 
  +¼); OAF (-1), Two-Handed Weapon (-½), 
  8 clips of 5 Charges each (-0) 
  [5]
  3 
  Onboard Targeting Computer:  +2 with 
  Ranged Combat; OAF (-1), Only With 
  Blaster Sniper Riﬂ e (-1) 
  0
  11 
  Sniper Riﬂ e Scope:  +12 versus Range 
  Modiﬁ er; OAF (-1), Only With Blaster 
  Assault Riﬂ e (-1), Extra Time (Full 
  Phase to activate; -¼) 
  0
  2 
  Sniper Riﬂ e Scope:  Nightvision; OAF (-1), 
  Extra Time (Full Phase to activate; -¼) 
  0
  Total cost:  38 points
  EQUIPMENT
  
  116 
  HERO SYSTEM 5TH EDITION
  SHOCKPRODS
  A Shock-Prod is a melee weapon that applies a 
  shock to the target. Th e eﬀ ect is normally electrical, 
  though variant types could be built (for instance, 
  prods that inject mild neurotoxins). Th ey do the 
  same damage regardless of how much Strength the 
  wielder uses with them. Th eir batteries carry only a 
  limited amount of energy before running down.
  Below are Shock-Prods at three typical levels 
  of power.
  Shock-Prod (Light/Medium/Heavy):  Energy 
  Blast 6d6/8d6/10d6, 32 Charges (+¼) (37/50/
  62 Active Points); OAF (-1), No Range (-½). 
  Total cost:  15/20/25 points.
  A Shock-Prod can be designed in any number 
  of diﬀ erent physical conﬁ gurations. It might look 
  like a policeman’s night-stick or tonfa, nunchaku, 
  brass knuckles, baseball bats, cattle prods, and so 
  on. In these forms, they are obviously weapons, but 
  a variant type is designed to look like an innocuous 
  item such as a set of gloves, a small umbrella, or 
  a book. Disguised Shock-Prods are built with the 
  Limitation IAF (-½) instead of OAF (-1).
  THROWING BLADES
  Many villains and supervillains use throwing 
  blades. Some are run-of-the-mill throwing knives 
  or the equivalent (shuriken, needles, and so on); 
  they tend not to be of too much use against supers, 
  but are sometimes used by supers against normal 
  targets. Others are scaled up in power and versatil-
  ity to be of use against supers.
  Th rowing Blades can be used to ﬁ ght in HTH 
  Combat or thrown and retrieved. Th ey come in 
  Standard and Vicious varieties; the latter is sharper 
  and deadlier. Alternately, some heroes carry 
  bunches of smaller blades, designed only for throw-
  ing in groups.
  Throwing Blade, Basic:  HKA ½d6 (up to 
  1d6+1 with STR), Reduced Endurance (0 
  END; +½) (15 Active Points); OAF (-1), Real 
  Weapon (-¼) (total cost:  7 points) plus Ranged 
  (+½) for this HKA (5 Active Points); OAF (-1), 
  1 Recoverable Charge (-1¼), Range Based On 
  STR (-¼), Lockout (cannot use HKA in HTH 
  Combat until Charge is Recovered; -½) (total 
  cost:  1 point). Total cost:  8 points.
  Throwing Blade, Vicious:  HKA ½d6 (up to 
  1d6+1 with STR), Armor Piercing (+½), 
  Reduced Endurance (0 END; +½) (20 Active 
  Points); OAF (-1), Real Weapon (-¼) (total 
  cost:  9 points) plus Ranged (+½) for this 
  HKA (5 Active Points); OAF (-1), 1 Recover-
  able Charge (-1¼), Range Based On STR (-¼), 
  Lockout (cannot use HKA in HTH Combat 
  until Charge is Recovered; -½) (total cost:  1 
  point). Total cost:  10 points.
  Bunch Of Throwing Blades:  RKA ½d6, Autoﬁ re 
  (5 shots; +½), 8 clips of 5 Recoverable Charges 
  each (+¼) (17 Active Points); OAF (-1), Real 
  Weapon (-¼), Range Based On STR (-¼). Total 
  cost:  7 points.
  SUPERMULTITOOL
  Th e Super-Multitool is an all-in-one gadget 
  that incorporates one or more weapons as well as 
  several other devices that can be useful in getting 
  a hero out of a jam. Multitools can be shaped as 
  billy clubs, bracers/vambraces, pistols, disks, or any 
  number of other things (the accompanying version 
  is bought as an OAF; other types might require 
  OIF).
  Th is device, whatever its shape, has four pri-
  mary functions. It can act as a prybar or lever, 
  tremendously boosting the character’s STR for 
  leverage-based purposes; it has a claw or hook that 
  allows the character to grab onto an otherwise-dif-
  ﬁ cult surface when ﬂ ying or falling past it (note 
  that this doesn’t give the character the normal 
  Clinging-based ability to run around on such a sur-
  face — just to stick to it); it lets the character add 
  6d6 to his punches when walloping someone; and 
  it ﬁ res oﬀ  and instantaneously retracts a swingline 
  that allows the character to travel at a ferocious 
  speed through appropriate terrains (such as sky-
  scraper environments).
  A Super-Multitool is not intended as a utility 
  belt, mobile lab, or any other really elaborate set 
  of gadgets. It’s a comparatively simple gadget and 
  normally should not have more than six to eight 
  powers (i.e., Multipower slots) in it.
  
  117 
  Champions
  Cost Power 
  END
  22 
  Super-Multitool:  Multipower, 45-point 
  reserve; all OAF (-1)
  1u 
  1)  Lever:  +30 STR, Reduced Endurance 
  (0 END; +½); OAF (-1), No Figured 
  Characteristics (-½), Only For Leverage-
  Based Tasks (-½) 
  0
  1u 
  2)  Wall-Grasping:  Clinging (normal 
  STR); No Movement Allowed (-½) 
  0
  2u 
  3)  Club:  HA +6d6, Reduced Endurance 
  (0 END; +½); OAF (-1), Hand-To-Hand 
  Attack (-½) 
  0
  1u 
  4)  Swingline:  Swinging 10”, x8 
  Noncombat; OAF (-1) 
  1
  Total cost:  27 points.
  DEFENSIVE GADGETS
  Th e counterpart, and necessary complement, 
  of weapons is defensive items — gadgets that pro-
  tect their users from sustaining some or all of a 
  weapon’s damage.
  ARMORED COSTUMES
  In addition to the Bulletproof Spandex costume 
  described on page 49, superhumans may use sev-
  eral other types of protective costuming. Th e ﬁ rst 
  is Armored Costumes. Th ese aren’t powered armor 
  battlesuits, but rather bulkier, more rigid, more 
  protective forms of Bulletproof Spandex, with thick 
  armored padding and other improvements (includ-
  ing, typically, plenty of pockets). Armored Cos-
  tumes aren’t nearly as comfortable as Bulletproof 
  Spandex, but can be just as stylish.
  Armored Costume (Standard):  Armor (8 PD/8 
  ED) (24 Active Points); OIF (-½). Total cost:  
  16 points.
  Armored Costume (Heavy):  Armor (12 PD/12 
  ED) (36 Active Points); OIF (-½). Total cost:  
  24 points.
  As with Bulletproof Spandex, characters can 
  buy more Armor with their Armored Costumes if 
  they want, up to any GM-established maximum 
  (16 is a good ceiling for most games). Th ey can also 
  add additional, Nonresistant padding that simply 
  boosts their normal PD and ED.
  FORCE FIELD DEVICES
  Force Field Devices are protective gadgets 
  characters turn on only when they need them 
  (unlike Armor, they use END, so keeping them on 
  all the time isn’t advisable). Superhumans who do a 
  lot of ﬁ ghting and have no other Resistant Defenses 
  oft en wear powerful, reliable force ﬁ eld belts that 
  can stay on for protracted periods (such as the Pri-
  mary belt below). Other supers may have weaker 
  force ﬁ eld devices that merely augment their other 
  defenses, such as the Secondary belt. Th e last ver-
  sion described is used by physically weak master-
  minds when ﬁ nally confronted or by very wealthy 
  celebrities when suddenly endangered.
  Force Field Belt, Primary:  Force Field (20 PD/
  20 ED) (40 Active Points); OIF (-½). Total cost:  
  27 points.
  Force Field Belt, Secondary:  Force Field (10 
  PD/10 ED) (20 Active Points); OIF (-½). Total 
  cost:  13 points.
  Force Field Belt, Mastermind Emergency:  Force 
  Field (16 PD/16 ED) (32 Active Points); IIF 
  (-¼); 2 Continuing Charges lasting 1 Minute 
  each (deactivated by any electrical attack or 
  getting wet; -¾). Total cost:  16 points.
  MASK LENSES
  Mask Lenses are little inserts ﬁ tted into a hero’s 
  mask in front of his eyes. (By a tradition whose 
  origins are long forgotten, they are usually white, 
  but other colors are possible; some villains prefer 
  red or green.) Th e standard version, the Polarized 
  Mask Lens, protects a hero from sudden bright 
  lights such as an enemy’s Flash attacks. Other lenses 
  provide vision enhancements.
  Polarized Mask Lenses:  Sight Group Flash 
  Defense (5 points) (5 Active Points); IIF (-¼). 
  Total cost:  4 points.
  Heat-Sensitive Mask Lenses:  Infrared Percep-
  tion (Sight Group) (5 Active Points); IIF (-¼). 
  Total cost:  4 points.
  Nightsight Mask Lenses:  Nightvision (5 Active 
  Points); IIF (-¼). Total cost:  4 points.
  UV-Sensitive Mask Lenses:  Ultraviolet Percep-
  tion (Sight Group) (5 Active Points); IIF (-¼). 
  Total cost:  4 points.
  X-Ray Mask Lenses:  N-Ray Perception 
  (stopped by lead, gold, or Force Fields) (Sight 
  Group) (10 Active Points); IIF (-¼). Total cost:  
  8 points.
  INSULATED EAR COVERS
  Insulated Ear Covers ﬁ t in a hero’s mask over 
  his ears, or are otherwise inserted into his ear 
  canals. Th ey do not interfere appreciably with his 
  hearing, but protect him from sudden loud noises 
  such as explosions and Hearing Group Flashes.
  Insulated Ear Covers:  Hearing Group Flash 
  Defense (5 points) (5 Active Points); IIF (-¼). 
  Total cost:  4 points.
  PSIONIC SHIELD
  Heroes who have had bad experiences with 
  enemy mentalists sometimes wear psionic shield 
  devices as part of their masks/helmets (or, some-
  times, built into ornaments such as headbands or 
  necklaces). Most of these are devices that generate 
  an electromagnetic radiation ﬁ eld that interferes 
  with the precise electromagnetic frequencies gener-
  ated by psionic powers, thus reducing the eﬀ ective-
  ness of incoming Mental Powers.
  
  118 
  HERO SYSTEM 5TH EDITION
  Psionic Shield:  Mental Defense (10 points, plus 
  points from EGO) (10 Active Points); IIF (-¼). 
  Total cost:  8 points.
  PORTABLE BLAST SHIELD
  Th is is an apparatus sometimes carried by 
  super-agents; typically, only one member of a 
  super-agent squad carries a Portable Blast Shield. 
  Th is device, when activated, erects a temporary 
  energy shield for up to two minutes. Th e protective 
  value of the shield is roughly equivalent to that of 
  a tank, and allows a unit to survive an anticipated 
  explosion. Th e ﬁ eld also screens out the ﬁ rst wave 
  of radiation carried by an explosion’s shockwave, 
  but can’t protect against radiation beyond the two 
  minutes of its operation.
  Portable Blast Shield:  Force Wall (16 PD/16 
  ED; 16” long) (110 Active Points); OAF (-1), 
  2 Continuing Charges lasting 1 Minute each 
  (deactivated by any electrical attack or getting 
  the generator wet; -¾) (total cost:  40 points) 
  plus Life Support (Safe Environment:  High 
  Radiation) (2 Active Points); OAF (-1), 2 Con-
  tinuing Charges lasting 1 Minute each (deac-
  tivated by any electrical attack or getting the 
  generator wet; -¾) (total cost:  1 point). Total 
  cost:  41 points.
  SPACE RINGS
  A team that journeys into outer space fre-
  quently — particularly if it has a space-based 
  headquarters — might develop a device like this to 
  protect its members.
  Space Rings help keep their wearers alive in 
  hard-space situations. Th ey are not intended to 
  be a member’s sole source of life support, since 
  the air and ﬂ ight thrust they supply only last one 
  minute before being recharged. But if a character 
  is suddenly exposed to the cold, the vacuum, and 
  the hard radiation of space, this ring protects him 
  — long enough for him to reach a pressurized area, 
  hopefully.
  Th e device is built as a ﬁ nger-ring, the logic 
  being that a character is unlikely to take oﬀ  
  something this small and convenient. It uses the 
  character’s body heat to project a force ﬁ eld that 
  insulates the character (allowing him to preserve 
  his body heat), reﬂ ects radiation, and holds tight 
  against his ﬂ esh (preventing explosive decompres-
  sion). Th e device also carries a tiny canister of pure 
  oxygen which it can release once the wearer throws 
  a tiny switch under the ring’s ﬂ ip-up stone; it’s suf-
  ﬁ cient to allow the character to breathe for one 
  minute. In addition, the character can ﬂ ip another 
  switch under the stone to vent excess pressure from 
  an aperture in the force ﬁ eld that is situated at his 
  back, allowing him to propel himself forward, but 
  the thrust is so gentle that this only works in micro-
  gravity situations (such as outer space), and it, too, 
  lasts for only one minute aft er being activated.
  Cost Space Ring 
  END
  6 
  Life Support Field:  Life Support 
  (Expanded Breathing:  Vacuum, Safe 
  Environment:  
  High Radiation, Intense Cold, Intense 
  Heat, Low Pressure/Vacuum) (13 Active 
  Points); IIF (-¼), 1 Continuing Charge 
  lasting 1 Minute (deactivated by any 
  attack that inﬂ icts STUN or BODY 
  damage to the character; -1) 
  [1cc]
  2 
  Pressure Vent Propulsion:  Flight 5” (10 
  Active Points); IIF (-¼), Only In 
  Microgravity (-2), 1 Continuing Charge 
  lasting 1 Minute (deactivated by any 
  attack that inﬂ icts STUN or BODY 
  damage to the character; -1) 
  [1cc]
  Total cost:  8 points
  COMMUNICATIONS 
  DEVICES
  Superteams and super-agent units can live 
  and die by their ability to communicate with one 
  another, so communications devices are a very 
  necessary part of the superhuman lifestyle. Some 
  standard models include convenient hands-free 
  headsets and more versatile handsets.
  RADIO HEADSET
  Th is model is worn as part of a hero’s mask, 
  beneath the hero’s helmet, and so on. It is voice-
  activated and set to one frequency. It generally does 
  not require any action from the user beyond turn-
  ing it on at the start of the mission and turning it 
  oﬀ  at the end.
  Teams concerned with security, which is most 
  of them, sometimes add in a scrambler option. Th is 
  is built as a Variable Power Pool of Languages (at 
  native accent level) in a Focus. (Although Skills are 
  Special Powers, and therefore cannot be bought in 
  Power Frameworks without GM permission, GMs 
  should permit this construct, which is interest-
  ing, fun, and not especially abusive.) A successful 
  Cryptography roll can decrypt a scrambler “lan-
  guage,” but superteams counter the actions of cryp-
  tographers by changing the computer-generated 
  “language” at frequent intervals (this constitutes 
  changing the Pool and requires 1 Minute; to change 
  the Pool in just a Full Phase, the character must 
  buy a Skill to do so, though GMs should consider 
  allowing characters to use ordinary Cryptography 
  or Systems Operation instead of making them buy 
  a separate Skill).
  Radio Headset:  Radio Perception/Transmission 
  (10 Active Points); IIF (-¼). Total cost:  8 
  points.
  Scrambled Transmission Option:  Variable 
  Power Pool (Scrambler Pool), 4 base + 2 con-
  trol cost; IIF (-¼), Only For One Language At 
  A Time (-1). Total cost:  5 points.
  
  119 
  Champions
  RADIO HANDSET, BASIC
  Common radio handsets function 
  exactly as radio headsets, but are either 
  Obvious Accessible Foci (as in a walkie-
  talkie) or obvious microphone/speaker 
  units built into a costume. Th e Scram-
  bled Transmission Option for either 
  version costs 5 points, as above.
  Obvious Radio Headset:  Radio Percep-
  tion/Transmission (10 Active Points); 
  OIF (-½). Total cost:  7 points.
  Radio Handset:  Radio Perception/Trans-
  mission (10 Active Points); OAF (-1). 
  Total cost:  5 points.
  RADIO HANDSET, ADVANCED
  An Advanced Radio Handset 
  includes much more functionality. It 
  can broadcast and receive on a much 
  greater number of radio frequencies. It 
  can detect the source of radio transmis-
  sions and estimate range and transmis-
  sion strength, allowing heroes to ﬁ nd 
  homing beacons and other transmission 
  sources.
  Additionally, Advanced Radio Handsets have 
  powerful built-in computer functions, includ-
  ing:  basic atlas entries on a city, national, and 
  world scale; a user-maintained contacts database, 
  including all team members, with private signal 
  codes (allowing the user to send out a signal to a 
  speciﬁ c team member, to all members in a speciﬁ c 
  sub-group, to the team as a whole, and so on); 
  and a sophisticated data management program 
  that allows the user to specify handling of incom-
  ing messages (e.g., “Put MegaMan through to me 
  immediately; take a message on all calls from Cap-
  tain Norton”).
  Cost Advanced Radio Handset 
  END
  5 
  Communications:  HRRP (Radio Group); 
  OAF (-1), Flashed As Sight And Hearing 
  Group As Well As Radio Group (-½) 
  0
  11 
  Broadcast Tracking:  Detect Source Of 
  Radio Transmissions (PER Roll) (Radio 
  Group), Discriminatory, Analyze, 
  Increased Arc Of Perception (360 
  Degrees), Range; OAF (-1) 
  0
  5 
  Scrambled Transmission Function:  
  Variable Power Pool (Scrambler Pool), 4 
  base + 2 control cost; OAF (-1), Only For 
  One Language At A Time (-1) 
  0
  3 
  Onboard Computer:  Computer (see 
  below); OAF (-1) 
  0
   
    
  Val 
  Char Cost
    
  10 
  INT 
  0
    
  10 
  DEX 0
    
  2 
  SPD 0
  Cost Skills
  2 
  AK: Earth 11-
  2 
  AK: Home Nation 11-
  2 
  CK: Campaign City 11-
  2 
  KS: Contact Information 11-
  4 
  PS: Personal Assistant 13-
  3 
  Systems Operation 11-
   
  Programs
  1 
  Activate Homing Signal Upon 
  Approved Remote Query
  1 
  Automatically Signal Speciﬁ c Team 
  Member(s) On Verbal Cue
  1 
  Automatically Dial Recorded Number 
  On Spoken Cue
  1 
  Prioritize Incoming Calls According 
  To User Preferences
  1 
  Send Emergency Call to Team Mem-
  bers If Speciﬁ ed Protocols Are Not 
  Met
  1 
  Search Reference Material For Infor-
  mation On A Topic
   
  Talents
  3 
  Clock:  Absolute Time Sense
  3 
  Calculator:  Lightning Calculator
  3 
  Instant-On Feature:  Lightsleep
  Total Computer Cost:  30/5 = 6
  Total cost:  24 points
  If a character prefers to have an OIF version of 
  the Advanced Radio Handset, it costs 6 more points 
  (total of 30 points).
  HOMING BEACON
  Th is is a device a superhero can hurl onto 
  a ﬂ eeing enemy’s back or getaway vehicle so he 
  can track that person later. Tracking the beacon 
  requires any specialized Radio-perceiving device, 
  such as one of the radios described above (possibly 
  
  120 
  HERO SYSTEM 5TH EDITION
  a specialized tracker, built using the same power as 
  the “Broadcast Tracking” function of the Advanced 
  Radio Handset).
  Th e Homing Beacon can reliably be “picked 
  up” on tracking equipment primarily within a 32” 
  radius. However, much like a character can see the 
  beam from a ﬂ ashlight from far away without being 
  inside the beam, characters outside that radius may 
  still be able to track the Beacon, if the GM so per-
  mits:  from 33-64”, the Image is at only +2 to PER 
  Rolls; from 65-125”, it’s at +0; from 126-250” it’s at 
  -2; beyond that it would require an Extraordinary 
  Skill Roll to locate it.
  Homing Beacon:  Images to Radio Group, +4 
  to PER Rolls, Increased Size (32” radius; +1¼), 
  Usable As Attack (ranged, based on STR; 
  allows character to “stick” the Image to a target; 
  +1¼), 1 Continuing Recoverable Charge last-
  ing 1 Week (stops functioning if it gets wet or 
  experiences severe radio interference; +1) (76 
  Active Points); IAF (-½), Image Only Perceiv-
  able On Special Radio Frequencies (-0). Total 
  cost:  51 points.
  MOVEMENT DEVICES
  Heroes, villains, and super-agents need to get 
  around, and have come up with a wide variety of 
  devices enabling them to do so.
  JET THRUSTERS
  Jet Th rusters, whether installed in a backpack, 
  boots, belt, or elsewhere, are a favorite means of 
  super-transport. Two types are shown below:  a 
  faster, more eﬃ  cient model used as the primary 
  means of travel by some supers; and a slower model 
  used as a backup means of transport or emergency 
  movement system. Th e Primary version uses END 
  as normal; you can easily substitute Charges (par-
  ticularly Fuel Charges) if necessary.
  Jet Thrusters, Primary:  Flight 20”, x4 Noncom-
  bat (45 Active Points); OIF (-½). Total cost:  30 
  points.
  Jet Thrusters, Backup:  Flight 10”, x4 Noncom-
  bat (25 Active Points); OIF (-½), 2 Continuing 
  Charges lasting 1 Minute each (character must 
  deﬁ ne deactivation method; -¾). Total cost:  11 
  points.
  SWINGLINE
  Acrobatic supers living in the Big City have a 
  fondness for swinglines, which allow them to move 
  around the city’s skyscraper-heavy downtown with 
  considerable panache (and without the need for 
  subway tokens!). Two models are shown below, 
  one based on an OAF (a billy club, hand-held line-
  shooter, or the like), and the other based on an OIF 
  (such as a wristband or belt device). Both provide 
  faster transport than the Super-Multitool described 
  above, since they’re single-power gadgets and 
  therefore better at a single speciﬁ c purpose.
  Swingline:  Swinging 20”, x4 Noncombat (25 
  Active Points); OAF (-1). Total cost:  12 points 
  (or 17 points if OIF).
  FLIGHT RING
  A team where every character is expected to 
  have the ability to ﬂ y at a certain minimum speed, 
  even if it’s not part of his natural or usual repertoire 
  of abilities, might develop and issue ﬂ ight gadgets 
  to its members. To keep the device from interfer-
  ing with or spoiling a character’s costume, it’s built 
  into an inconspicuous ring. Th e ring is loaded with 
  microcircuitry and an antigravity engine powered 
  by the wearer’s body heat and kinetic motion.
  In campaigns lacking technology this 
  advanced, these devices should be larger than 
  ﬁ nger-rings, and probably as some other type of 
  Focus (i.e., OAF, IAF, or OIF).
  Flight Rings:  Flight 20” (40 Active Points); IIF 
  (-¼). Total cost: 32 points.
  SUPERVILLAIN GETAWAY TELEPORTER
  Th is device gives ulcers to superheroes. It’s 
  a small apparatus, concealed on a supervillain’s 
  costume, that automatically teleports him to a pre-
  deﬁ ned location from one to ten kilometers away 
  when certain conditions are met. Th ose conditions 
  include the villain speaking a certain keyword or 
  not subvocalizing a word at least once per thirty 
  seconds aft er speaking another keyword indicating 
  imminent danger.
  Supervillain Getaway Teleporter:  Teleporta-
  tion 10”, MegaScale (1” = 1 km; +¼), Trigger 
  (Trigger can change each time power is used; 
  +½) (35 Active Points); IIF (-¼), 1 Charge (-
  2) (total cost:  11 points) plus 1 Floating Fixed 
  Location (5 Active Points); IIF (-¼) (total cost:  
  4 points). Total cost:  15 points.
  RESTRAINT DEVICES
  Superheroes and supervillains do a good job 
  of capturing one another, and those who invest in 
  researching and developing sophisticated restraint 
  devices can also do a good job of holding on to 
  their foes.
  POWER NEGATOR
  Th is device, once attached to a super who has 
  the appropriate type of superpowers (as deﬁ ned 
  by the special eﬀ ect the device eﬀ ects), Drains all 
  of the super’s powers. Th e high cost of the Power 
  Negator, which must be paid for each super to 
  which one is attached (and, in the case of supers 
  with multiple known special eﬀ ects, for each spe-
  cial eﬀ ect) makes it prohibitively expensive for all 
  but the most well-funded supers or agencies. More 
  sophisticated models (built as Variable Power Pools 
  only usable for this sort of Drain, and thus able to 
  be tuned to any sort of special eﬀ ect) are even more 
  costly.
  (At the GM’s option, characters may use this 
  
  121 
  Champions
  device as if it were a sort of VPP already, by allow-
  ing them to make appropriate Skill Rolls to set the 
  device to the special eﬀ ect they want to Drain. If 
  the characters miss the Skill Roll, the Power Nega-
  tor fails to work correctly, the GM determines the 
  consequences. Typical consequences include the 
  Drain working only for a short time and then grad-
  ually wearing oﬀ  (without the captors noticing) or 
  the device exploding the ﬁ rst time the captive tries 
  to use his powers.)
  Power Negator:  Drain 5d6, Aﬀ ects All Powers 
  Of One Special Eﬀ ect (special eﬀ ect must be 
  deﬁ ned when device is built; +2), Continu-
  ous (+1), Reduced Endurance (0 END; +½), 
  Uncontrolled (deactivated by removing device 
  from victim; +½) (250 Active Points); OAF (-
  1), Can Only Be Used On Manacled/Restrained 
  Subjects (-¼). Total cost:  111 points.
  SUPERCUFFS
  You can’t attach a Power Negator to a super 
  who isn’t already under restraint, and one of the 
  most common restraints in a Champions campaign 
  is “supercuﬀ s” — hand- and legcuﬀ s built especially 
  to hold superhumans, and speciﬁ cally constructed 
  to cover the entire hand so the captive can’t use 
  Accessible Foci, or employ Contortionist or Lock-
  picking to escape.
  Supercuffs:  Entangle 12d6 (standard eﬀ ect: 
  12 BODY), 18 DEF, Takes No Damage From 
  Attacks (+½) (225 Active Points); OAF (-1), 
  Cannot Form Barriers (-¼), Set Eﬀ ect (hands 
  and legs only, -½), No Range (-½), Must Follow 
  Grab Or Target Must Be Willing (-½), 1 Recov-
  erable Charge (-1¼). Total cost:  45 points.
  HOT SLEEP CHAMBER
  Th is high-tech apparatus looks like a large 
  metal coﬃ  n. When a person is placed within it, the 
  device aﬀ ects his nervous system to render him 
  unconscious. But since this takes a little while, sev-
  eral Phases at least, it is best used on a super who’s 
  already unconscious... otherwise he’ll probably just 
  tear his way out of it before it starts aﬀ ecting him. 
  As long as the captive remains in the Hot Sleep 
  Chamber, he remains asleep (attendants monitor-
  ing the system feed and medicate him intrave-
  nously). Th e Chamber is large enough to hold a 
  humanoid up to 10 feet tall and proportionately 
  broad.
  In game terms, the Chamber’s Drain STUN 
  keeps an occupant at a constant state of -31 STUN, 
  so he only awakens at the GM’s discretion (see 
  page 412 of the HERO System 5th Edition, Revised). 
  Since the character keeps getting “attacked” by the 
  Hot Sleep Chamber, he gets no Recoveries — the 
  Chamber has an eﬀ ective SPD of at least 12 — but 
  he’ll start Recovering as usual if someone turns the 
  Chamber oﬀ .
  Th e Hot Sleep Chamber monitors the subject’s 
  brain waves to determine how close he is to awak-
  ening. If its primary sleep-inducing processes can’t 
  stop the subject from awakening for some reason, 
  the chamber can’t do anything else to maintain the 
  subject’s artiﬁ cial coma.
  Cost Hot Sleep Chamber 
  END
  26 
  Hot Sleep:  Drain STUN 3d6, Continuous 
  (+1), Reduced Endurance (0 END; +½), 
  Uncontrolled (turned oﬀ  via the deactiva-
  tion switch or a power outage; +½) (90 
  Active Points); OAF Bulky (-1½), Only 
  Works Against Captives Placed Within 
  Chamber (-1), Cannot Drain Below -31 
  STUN (-0) 
  0
  27 
  Hot Sleep:  +12 SPD (120 Active Points); 
  OAF Bulky (-1½), Only To Use Hot 
  Sleep Chamber On Captives (-2) 
  0
  7 
  Hot Sleep Monitor:  Detect Captive’s 
  Condition Of Wakefulness (PER Roll +9), 
  Discriminatory; OAF Bulky (-1½) 
  0
  Total cost:  60 points.
  DEATHTRAPS
  Deathtraps are charmingly overengineered 
  contrivances supervillains use to try to kill super-
  heroes in a gruesomely picturesque and memo-
  rable fashion. Th ey usually fail, because in their 
  desire to prolong the heroes’ agony, the supervil-
  lains typically give the heroes enough time to 
  ﬁ gure out how to escape. Some versions, despite 
  the name, are intended only to harm or delay, not 
  kill.
  Here are a few sample deathtraps, easily 
  adaptable for most villains — just change the spe-
  cial eﬀ ects as appropriate.
  TIMER AND STRUGGLETRIGGERED 
  ENVIRONMENT PLUNGER
  In general terms, this is a container into 
  which the supervillain puts the victim — either a 
  superhero, one of the superhero’s loved ones, or 
  an innocent plucked oﬀ  the street. Aft er a certain 
  amount of time, one portion of the container 
  opens, allowing something awful currently out-
  side the container to come in or permitting the 
  victim to fall into something awful. Th e “some-
  thing awful” could be acid, lava, poisonous rep-
  tiles, and so on.
  Time is one thing that triggers the device, 
  but so is struggling. Th e more the victim strug-
  gles, the more likely he is to spring the trap 
  prematurely. It’s a deliciously vicious circle, from 
  the supervillain’s point of view. Ways by which a 
  superhero can defeat this trap include being very, 
  very stealthy while struggling (the device gets 
  a PER Roll to detect struggles; it doesn’t detect 
  them automatically); escaping in a Half Phase (it 
  takes that long for the trap to activate); or utiliz-
  ing a pertinent Skill or power the supervillain 
  didn’t account for.
  Th e Plunger is built with Continuous, to 
  reﬂ ect the fact that the eﬀ ect keeps coming aft er 
  the victim every Phase — the sharks keep swim-
  ming in for another bite, the spikes growing out 
  of the walls keep getting bigger, the acid keeps 
  burning the character’s ﬂ esh, or what have you. 
  
  122 
  HERO SYSTEM 5TH EDITION
  Th e trap’s SPD equals that of the villain who built 
  it. Th e trap keeps functioning until the victim is 
  dead, it’s destroyed, or the GM judges it would for 
  some reason stop (it runs out of fuel, gets tired 
  and leaves, or what have you). Th en the villain has 
  to reset it.
  Cost Timer- and Struggle-Triggered
  Environment Plunger 
  END
  63 
  Deadly Eﬀ ect:  RKA 6d6 (or less, depending 
  on GM’s discretion), Continuous (+1), 
  Trigger (Trigger can change each time 
  power is used; +½), Reduced Endurance 
  (0 END; +½) (270 Active Points); OIF 
  Immobile (-1½), Extra Time (Full Phase; 
  -½), 1 Recoverable Charge (villain must 
  reset trap for each new victim; -1¼) 
  0
  11 
  Deathtrap Sensors:  Detect Victim’s 
  Struggles 14- (no Sense Group), 
  Discriminatory, Targeting Sense; OIF 
  Immobile (-1½) 
  0
  Total cost:  74 points.
  SANDBLASTER OF THE GODS
  Th is trap turns an area the heroes are travel-
  ing through into a howling corridor of abrasive 
  material that threatens to ﬂ ay the skin from their 
  very bones. Generally, it consists of a contained 
  environment (such as a tunnel) and a device at 
  one end that blasts material such as sand, sharp 
  bits of metal, or other awfulness at them for 1 
  Minute (assume the device has the same SPD as 
  the villain who built it). Th e force of the wind 
  propelling the ammunition is suﬃ  cient to hold 
  many heroes against the wall or ﬂ oor, prolonging 
  their agony.
  Cost Power 
  END
  11 
  Sandblaster of the Gods:  RKA 1d6, Area 
  Of Eﬀ ect (14” Line; +1), Penetrating (x3; 
  +1½) (52 Active Points); OIF Immobile 
  (-1½), No Range (-½), 1 Continuing 
  Charge lasting 1 Minute (-1), Linked (-½) [1cc]
  33 
  Force Of Th e Blast:  Telekinesis (50 STR), 
  Area Of Eﬀ ect (14” Line; +1) (150 Active 
  Points); OIF Immobile (-1½), Set Eﬀ ect 
  (only to pin the characters to walls, ﬂ oor, 
  and ceiling; -½), No Range (-½), 1 Con-
  tinuing Charge lasting 1 Minute (-1) 
  [1cc]
  Total cost:  44 points
  SENSORY OVERLOAD CAPTURE TRAP
  As the HERO System 5th Edition, Revised 
  rulebook correctly states, players hate to have 
  their characters captured. One way to do it that 
  allows the characters to stagger around in pain 
  for a bit (and perhaps ﬁ nd a way to escape, thus 
  mollifying the players by giving the characters 
  a chance to avoid their fate) is to use something 
  like the Sensory Overload Capture Trap.
  Th e SOCT tends to activate when the heroes 
  are all together exploring a chamber or passage-
  way deep in the bad guy’s base. When it goes oﬀ , 
  it ﬁ lls the area with psychedelic images, startling 
  3-D hallucinations, painful shrieks, bone-rattling 
  vibrations, and other random, incomprehensible 
  sensory cues. Th is sensory overload quickly 
  causes them to collapse, though until they do fall 
  down they are capable of using their powers on 
  their surroundings (and thus, perhaps, escaping).
  Mechanically, the SOCT works as a Continu-
  ous NND — and the supervillain, having attuned 
  the device to the superhero team in question, is 
  not likely to have set things up so that any of its 
  regular members are immune. It has the same 
  SPD as the villain who uses it.
  Sensory Overload Capture Trap:  Energy Blast 
  4d6, Area Of Eﬀ ect (16” Radius; +1¼), NND 
  (defense is chosen by user; +1), Continuous 
  (+1), Reduced Endurance (0 END; +½), 
  Trigger (determined by villain who builds 
  trap; +¼) (100 Active Points); OIF Immobile 
  (-1½), Only Within Deﬁ ned Area (-2). Total 
  cost:  22 points.
  FIELD OF MUCK DELAYING TRAP
  Less of a menace than the previous three 
  deathtraps, the Field of Muck Delaying Trap is 
  simply an area of a villain’s base ﬁ lled with some 
  sort of substance that retards the progress of 
  anyone moving through it. Anyone can move 
  through it at a rate of 1” per Phase, but supers 
  who are used to traveling much faster may ﬁ nd 
  that they cannot do so until they reach its far 
  edge. Th is is a good way for a supervillain to 
  delay pursuers until he can get away.
  Field Of Muck Delaying Trap:  Entangle 10d6, 
  10 DEF, Area Of Eﬀ ect (20” Radius; +1¼) 
  (225 Active Points); OIF Immobile (-1½), 
  Only Within Deﬁ ned Area (-2), No Range 
  (-½), Cannot Form Barriers (-¼), Victims 
  Can Move Th rough Aﬀ ected Area At 1” Per 
  Phase (-1), 1 Charge (-2). Total cost:  27 
  points.
  DESTROYING THE WORLD 
  FOR FUN AND PROFIT:  
  DOOMSDAY DEVICES
  Finally, just for a bit of fun, here are three items 
  of the sort that supervillains and criminal master-
  minds use to threaten the world. Th e threat of their 
  use can be part of blackmail plot; their actual use 
  can provide a serious challenge for the PCs to over-
  come.
  EARTHQUAKE INDUCER
  Th is apparatus causes earthquakes to take 
  place. It takes ﬁ ve minutes to activate, and when 
  it goes oﬀ , it creates an earthquake the equivalent 
  of a STR 30 character shaking everything in a 56-
  kilometer radius for one minute. Because it’s fully 
  Indirect, not only can it aﬀ ect everything within the 
  area (objects inside buildings, for example), but Our 
  Heroes can’t easily ﬁ gure out where the attack is 
  coming from! Fortunately for the world, it can only 
  
  123 
  Champions
  be used once per day, and its eﬀ ects only last for 1 
  Minute (it has the same SPD as the villain who uses 
  it).
  Earthquake Inducer:  Telekinesis (30 STR), Area 
  Of Eﬀ ect (56” Radius; +1½), MegaArea (each 
  hex is 1 km wide and deep; +¼), MegaRange 
  (1” = 100 km; +¾), No Range Modiﬁ er (+½), 
  Indirect (+¾) (214 Active Points); OIF Immo-
  bile (-1½), Extra Time (5 Minutes; -2), 1 Con-
  tinuing Charge lasting 1 Minute (deactivated 
  with oﬀ  switch or a countervailing shockwave; 
  -1), Only Aﬀ ects Targets On Th e Ground (-¼). 
  Total cost:  37 points.
  MIND CONTROL WAVE EMITTER
  Th is classic mad scientist apparatus, designed 
  to bring every thinking person on Earth under 
  the domination of the supervillain, is a transmit-
  ter whose electromagnetic emissions saturate the 
  minds of the worldwide population. Very strong-
  willed people might withstand its eﬀ ects, but it’s 
  far better for superheroes to detect its eﬀ ects as it 
  undergoes ﬁ nal testing and discover some way to 
  ﬁ nd and destroy it.
  Mind Control Wave Emitter:  Mind Control 15d6; 
  Telepathic (+¼), Area Of Eﬀ ect (One Hex; +½), 
  MegaArea (each hex is 13,000 km tall, wide, 
  and deep; +1½), Personal Immunity (+¼), 
  Reduced Endurance (0 END; +½), Persistent 
  (+½) (337 Active Points); OIF Immobile Fragile 
  (-1¾), Extra Time (1 Week to activate; -2¼), No 
  Range (-½). Total cost:  61 points.
  TSUNAMI BOMB
  Th is device, dropped into the ocean some dis-
  tance from shore and detonated, creates a tidal wave 
  that travels (unlike natural tidal waves) in only one 
  direction, toward the shore at which it was aimed. 
  Th e wave takes several hours to reach its destina-
  tion, during which time it is a surprisingly innocu-
  ous-looking swell in the ocean, but when it nears 
  shore it rises to a monstrous height, then hits about 
  360 kilometers (224 miles) of coastline with enough 
  force to shatter homes, destroy boats, and devas-
  tate the ecosystem. If heroes detect the swell early 
  enough, perhaps they can ﬁ nd some pseudo-scien-
  tiﬁ c way to cancel it... such as detonating a similar 
  bomb ahead of the swell and pointed back the other 
  direction.
  In game terms, the tsunami is an Area Of Eﬀ ect 
  (Line), but it moves and strikes “sideways” from 
  (parallel to) the point where the bomb is detonated, 
  rather than “straight” (perpendicular to) that point.
  Tsunami Bomb:  Energy Blast 12d6, Area Of 
  Eﬀ ect (36” Line; +1), MegaArea (each hex is 
  10 km wide and deep; +½) (150 Active Points); 
  OIF Bulky (-1), Only Versus Coastal Areas (-1), 
  1 Charge (-2), Extra Time (wave needs 6 Hours 
  to reach shore and take eﬀ ect; -3½), Attack Can 
  Be Reduced Or Eliminated By Correct Tech-
  niques During 6-Hour Travel Time (-1). Total 
  cost:  16 points.
  
  124 
  HERO SYSTEM 5TH EDITION
  C
  hapter One discussed some of the 
  general groundwork you need to 
  do when preparing to run a Cham-
  pions campaign — the consider-
  ations of genre you have to think about 
  and decide on as the framework for your 
  campaign. Th is chapter delves into some 
  of the more nuts-and-bolts issues of 
  gamemastering Champions — point ceil-
  ings, NPC creation, campaign character-
  istics, and more.
  Of course, advice on gamemastering 
  Champions campaigns overlaps advice 
  on general HERO System GMing advice 
  and campaign-building tips to a certain 
  extent — just like advice on painting 
  miniatures duplicates some general 
  artistic advice. So, don’t feel you have to 
  conﬁ ne the ideas described in this chap-
  ter just to superhero campaigns — you 
  can use it in any HERO System game, if 
  appropriate.
  
  125 
  Champions
  W
  hen you’re setting up your Champions 
  campaign, the most signiﬁ cant deci-
  sions you’re likely to make as a GM are 
  how many points characters are built 
  with, and how many points they can allocate to 
  any one power. Th at in turn tends to dictate the 
  characters’ power level.
  POINT TOTALS
  Th e number of points players receive with 
  which to build characters, both their Base Points 
  and the additional points they receive for Dis-
  advantages, aﬀ ects the campaign and your job 
  as GM. It does so more signiﬁ cantly in a Cham-
  pions campaign than most other HERO System 
  campaigns, since Superheroic characters have 
  more points to work with, and a greater range of 
  powers and abilities they can use.
  Th e “Standard” beginning Superheroic char-
  acter — the kind found in most Champions cam-
  paigns — has 200 Base Points and up to 150 addi-
  tional points from Disadvantages. Th is results in 
  a superhero character who’s balanced for game 
  purposes, and more or less resembles, in power 
  levels and degree of eﬀ ectiveness, many (though 
  by no means all) of the best-known comic book 
  superheroes as they were at the beginnings of 
  their careers. (Th at last part, “beginnings of their 
  careers,” is particularly signiﬁ cant; see Point Total 
  Problems, below.)
  Th ere are three factors you should consider 
  when setting the point totals for your campaign:  
  total points; Base Points versus Disadvantage 
  points; and your experience as a GM.
  Total Character Points
  First, how many total points do you want 
  players to build starting characters on? Th e “Stan-
  dard Superheroic” model of 200 Base Points + 
  150 Disadvantage points which this book focuses 
  on isn’t the only way to build superheroes in 
  a Champions campaign. Th e Character Types 
  Guidelines and Ability Guidelines tables (see 
  next page) oﬀ er several diﬀ erent power levels for 
  superheroes — and of course, the GM is always 
  free to use any other point total or character cre-
  ation guideline he wishes. Th e more points play-
  ers have to work with, the more well-developed 
  and powerful their characters will be — more 
  Character Points not only allows them to buy 
  more dice of eﬀ ect and points of defense, it gives 
  them the opportunity to buy all sorts of interest-
  ing abilities, Talents, Skills, and Perks they might 
  not otherwise be able to aﬀ ord. (Th is may depend, 
  in part, on where you set your campaign’s point 
  and eﬀ ectiveness ceilings, if you choose to impose 
  any; see below. Th e more total points characters 
  have, the higher the ceilings tend to be, typically 
  — but keeping the ceilings lower than expected 
  may force players to think about spending points 
  on things other than extra damage dice.)
  Base Points Versus Disadvantage Points
  Second, how many of a character’s points are 
  going to come from Base Points, and how many 
  POINTS AND 
  POWER LEVELS
  
  126 
  HERO SYSTEM 5TH EDITION
  from Disadvantages? Th ere’s a practical limit to 
  how many plausible Disadvantages a character 
  can have; 150-200 points is about it, unless you 
  want PCs to be hopeless cripples. Th e more points 
  you allow characters, the greater the percentage 
  of them that should be Base Points (as indicated 
  by the Character Types Guidelines Table). You 
  can tinker with the formulas in that table a little, 
  but if you do so, you should increase the Base 
  Points allotted rather than the total Disadvan-
  tages allowed. If you’re suﬃ  ciently experienced 
  at GMing Champions, and you have a group of 
  players who won’t abuse or exploit the privilege, 
  you might even try making all the points Base 
  Points — just let the players take whatever Disad-
  vantages they feel help develop their characters. 
  Since Disadvantages are primarily intended as 
  character-deﬁ ning tools, not sources of more 
  Character Points, this method can lead to some 
  really intriguing PCs and a great campaign... if 
  your players are sophisticated enough to use it 
  properly.
  Gamemastering Experience
  Th ird, you should consider your level of 
  experience as a Champions GM when you set 
  point totals for PCs. If you have little or no expe-
  rience with Champions campaigns, or you have 
  no particular preference between the campaign 
  types, it’s best to choose the Low-Powered or 
  Standard levels. Th ose are the the easiest power 
  levels for a GM to manage while allowing him 
  to supply satisfying adventure situations. On the 
  other hand, if you have run Champions games 
  before and feel you have a good handle on the 
  HERO System and the genre, you could pick any 
  model you want and still have plenty of fun.
  Point Total Options
  Th e most common point totals used for 
  Champions campaigns appear in the tables on 
  page 28 of the HERO System 5th Edition, Revised 
  rulebook. Th e Superheroic portions of those 
  tables are repeated here for your convenience.
  Of course, the point totals and guidelines for 
  the various categories of Superheroic characters are 
  just that — guidelines, recommendations that work 
  well in many campaigns. Th e GM can alter the point 
  totals, point ranges, or any other part of the guide-
  lines to suit his own preferences and campaign if he 
  wishes. Here are some other things to consider when 
  choosing one of the standard options:
  General Considerations
  Th ere are a few general considerations to 
  remember when choosing between or adjusting 
  character point structures in your campaign.
  First, the higher the point total is, the com-
  paratively more powerful gadget-based heroes can 
  become. If a 200 Base Point superhero has 100 of his 
  points invested in an OIF powered armor suit, he 
  functions at the level of a character with 250 points. 
  He’s not so much more powerful than his confeder-
  ates that it more than makes up for the occasional 
  diﬃ  culties he faces for having his Focus break down 
  CHARACTER TYPES GUIDELINES TABLE
  Character 
  Base  
  Maximum Points 
  Maximum Points From Any  
  Type 
  Points 
  From Disadvantages 
  One Category Of Disadvantage 
  Total
  Superheroic
  Low-Powered 
  150 
  100 
  50 
  250
  Standard 
  200 
  150 
  50 
  350
  High Powered 
  300 
  150 
  60 
  450
  Very High Powered 
  400 
  200 
  75 
  600
  Cosmically Powerful 
  500+ 
  200+ 
  75+ 
  700+
  Character 
   
   
   
   
  Active 
  Skill 
  Skill 
  DEF/
  Type 
  Char 
  SPD 
  CV 
  DC 
  Points 
  Points 
  Roll 
  rDEF
  Superheroic
  Low-Powered 
  10-30 
  3-8 
  6-11 
  6-12 
  40-75 
  25-80 
  8-14- 
  12/6
  Standard 
  10-40 
  3-10 
  7-13 
  6-14 
  40-80 
  25-80 
  11-15- 
  20/10
  High Powered 
  15-60 
  4-12 
  8-14 
  10-16 
  50-90 
  30-90 
  11-16- 
  25/15
  Very High Powered 
  20-80 
  5-12 
  10-16 
  12-20 
  60-120 
  40-110 
  12-17- 
  35/25
  Cosmically Powerful 
  30-120 
  6-12 
  12+ 
  14+ 
  75+ 
  50+ 
  13-+ 
  40+/30+
  CHARACTER ABILITY GUIDELINES TABLE
  DC:  Th e typical range of the Damage Classes in 
  characters’ attacks.
  Active Points:  Th e typical range of Active Points 
  in characters’ Powers.
  Skill Points:  Th e typical range of Character 
  Points characters spend on Skills.
  Skill Roll:  Th e typical range of Skill Rolls in 
  characters’ Skills.
  Def/rDef:  Th e typical level of the characters’ 
  Normal and Resistant Defenses.
  Char:  Th e typical range of characters’ Primary 
  Characteristics. Some Characteristics tend to be 
  on the higher end of (or even outside) the range 
  (STR for “brick” characters, for example), and 
  some (such as EGO) are typically on the low end 
  of the range.
  SPD:  Th e typical range of characters’ SPDs.
  CV:  Th e typical range of characters’ base Combat 
  Values.
  NOTES
  
  127 
  Champions
  or temporarily lost. But if a 400 Base Point superhero 
  has 300 of his points in an OIF, he functions as a 
  550-point character, a more signiﬁ cant diﬀ erence in 
  power levels.
  Second, higher point bases allow for more eﬀ ec-
  tiveness with Power Frameworks — sometimes too 
  much eﬀ ectiveness. If the GM chooses a campaign 
  power level higher than Standard, he should con-
  sider limiting Multipowers, Elemental Controls, and 
  Variable Power Pools with point and eﬀ ectiveness 
  ceilings... possibly even to the Active Point, DC, and 
  defense totals of the next lowest type of campaign.
  Th ird, higher Base Point campaigns allow for 
  the creation of characters who are that much more 
  powerful than the rest of the world. It becomes less 
  likely for human-level agencies and individuals to 
  aﬀ ect the PCs; only supervillains and super-technol-
  ogy can do so. Th is creates the risk of setting up an 
  environment where only costumed characters matter 
  in the campaign. Th ere is less reason for supers to 
  care about or interact with normals, and certainly 
  less reason for them to be concerned about petty 
  human laws. Th is is sometimes a disadvantage for 
  the GM (such as when it causes the superheroes to 
  become unconsciously arrogant and unheroic) and 
  sometimes an advantage (when good roleplayers are 
  willing to explore the themes of increasing distance 
  from humanity and its resulting consequences on 
  the personalities, lifestyles, and ambitions of the 
  heroes).
  Fourth, diﬀ erent point totals do allow for 
  the simulation of diﬀ erent types of comics. If you 
  want to play campaigns about the biggest and best 
  superheroes getting together as a team aft er years 
  of individual adventure, ﬁ ghting world-shaking and 
  galactic-empire-threatening menaces, then you deﬁ -
  nitely want to choose a higher total points for your 
  characters. Lower point totals won’t do the job.
  Low-Powered Superheroes
  Low-Powered Superheroic characters (150 
  Base Points + up to 100 Disadvantage points) are 
  good for many diﬀ erent types of campaigns (some 
  GMs reduce the point allotment even further, to 
  100 + 100). Th is level is most oft en used when 
  representing “new” superhumans who just got 
  their powers and have almost no experience using 
  them. In some games they’re teen heroes, whose 
  powers have just manifested; in others all the PCs 
  gain their superpowers from the same event or root 
  cause (oft en ﬁ rst teaming up to stop the villain who 
  initiated the event).
  Given the relatively low number of points 
  characters in this type of campaign have to work 
  with, and the fairly restrictive Active Point guide-
  lines GMs oft en impose, characters in this cam-
  paign oft en tend to have one or two major powers. 
  Sometimes they represent diﬀ erent aspects of 
  these powers with a Power Framework, but it’s not 
  uncommon for them to start with a single Power 
  (Desolidiﬁ cation, Energy Blast, Flight, Mind Con-
  trol, Teleportation...) and then build on that power 
  with Experience Points. You might even want to 
  consider not letting PCs spend some of their start-
  ing points right away, so you can allow them to 
  spend large chunks of the “saved” points at appro-
  priate times to reﬂ ect the growth of their abilities 
  and skills.
  Standard Superheroes
  Th e “Standard” Superheroic character is the 
  “default” approach for Champions campaigns, 
  including the Champions Universe setting depicted 
  in many Hero Games products. Th at category 
  describes the values that are the most common 
  throughout starting superhero campaigns using 
  the HERO System rules. It typically represents 
  either (a) superheroes of average power just get-
  ting started, and/or (b) superheroes with at least 
  
  128 
  HERO SYSTEM 5TH EDITION
  a small amount of crimeﬁ ghting and adventuring 
  experience predating the ﬁ rst game session of the 
  campaign. It provides enough points for players to 
  create well-developed characters with both combat- 
  and non-combat-oriented abilities, as well as a few 
  quirky powers or Skills reﬂ ecting the character’s 
  background, interests, hobbies, or unusual life expe-
  riences.
  High-Powered Superheroes
  Gamemasters and players who ﬁ nd the Stan-
  dard Superheroic level a little too conﬁ ning and 
  restrictive may want to consider High-Powered 
  superheroes instead. Th e 100 extra points such 
  characters get go a long way toward broadening a 
  character’s suite of powers, and oft en allow him to 
  buy a lot of “secondary” power eﬀ ects based on his 
  main powers. (For example, a ﬁ re-using character 
  might be able to buy a Dispel Technology, deﬁ ned 
  as his ability to melt gadgets, as part of a Multip-
  ower otherwise ﬁ lled with straightforward Energy 
  Blasts and RKAs.) Th e additional points may also 
  give a character the opportunity to sidestep Power 
  Frameworks and create some interesting constructs 
  with straightforward Powers.
  Very High-Powered And Cosmically Powerful 
  Superheroes
  Beyond High-Powered superheroes, the 
  sky’s the limit — literally. With 600, 700, or more 
  points to work with, players can create charac-
  ters who spend most of their time in outer space, 
  whose decisions and actions can aﬀ ect the course 
  of nations and worlds, and who ﬁ ght foes that 
  threaten the entire galaxy.
  Besides allowing for higher power levels, and 
  a broader range of power options within a given 
  special eﬀ ect, the point totals at the upper reaches 
  of the Superheroic spectrum may lead to some 
  unusual purchasing decisions. With that many 
  points to play with, many players don’t hesitate 
  to spend a few on Total Life Support, extra STR, 
  a couple of unique Enhanced Senses, and various 
  exotic defenses, making it diﬃ  cult to aﬀ ect them 
  with NNDs or restrict their actions in the usual 
  ways. Th is is even more likely to happen if you 
  place a relatively low point ceiling on powers (see 
  below), since that just frees up more points for mis-
  cellaneous abilities.
  Because higher-powered Champions charac-
  ters have so many more options available to them, 
  and roll so many more dice with their attacks, 
  games using these point totals tend to play a little 
  more slowly than other games. You might want to 
  review the Nine Ways To Speed Up Combat listed 
  on pages 380-82 of the HERO System 5th Edition, 
  Revised and try them out to keep the campaign 
  from slowing down too much.
  Point Total Problems
  Problems sometimes arise because players try 
  to get around the letter or spirit of your point total 
  guidelines.
  One such problem is that many players, fans 
  of the comic books, try to build characters who 
  are competitive with the stars of those comics 
  — characters who have been around and adventur-
  ing for many years. Over those years, their writers 
  have found more and more things for them to do 
  with their powers, and have generally assumed that 
  various circumstances allow the supers to become 
  more powerful with age and experience. Trying 
  to match one of these “established” heroes with a 
  starting Champions PC oft en isn’t possible... though 
  some players still try.
  Similarly, some players design their characters 
  solely for the sake of power or combat eﬀ ectiveness, 
  not as vibrant, three-dimensional characters in a 
  roleplaying game. When a Champions player tries 
  COSMIC-LEVEL 
  POWERS
  Here are a few examples 
  of some cosmic-level 
  powers superhumans 
  might possess:
  Godlike Awe:  Th e char-
  acter is as majestic and 
  awe-inspiring as a god.
  100 PRE. Total cost:  90 
  points.
  Nova Effect:  Th e char-
  acter has the ability to 
  make stars go nova, 
  destroying not only 
  them but everything 
  in their solar systems. 
  Th e eﬀ ects of the blast 
  are so extensive they 
  “wrap around” planets 
  and asteroids, making it 
  impossible to take shel-
  ter from them in the lee 
  of some world.
  RKA 20d6, Area Of 
  Eﬀ ect (One Hex; +½), 
  Indirect (+¾), Mega-
  Area (each hex covers 10 
  billion km; +2¾), Per-
  sonal Immunity (+¼), 
  Reduced Endurance (0 
  END; +½) (1,725 Active 
  Points); Extra Time (1 
  Minute; -1½), No Range 
  (-½). Total cost:  575 
  points.
  Standing On The Sun:  
  Th e character is virtu-
  ally immune to damage 
  from energy.
  Energy Damage Reduc-
  tion, Resistant, 75% 
  (total cost:  60 points) 
  and Armor (0 PD/90 
  ED), Hardened (x2; +½) 
  (total cost:  202 points). 
  Total cost:  262 points.
  Translight Travel:  Th e 
  character can travel at 
  many times the speed 
  of light.
  FTL Travel (32,000 LY/
  year, or about 1 LY/15 
  minutes). Total cost:  40 
  points.
  Universal Transmutation:  
  Th e character has Trans-
  form powers that can 
  aﬀ ect virtually anything.
  Major Transform 10d6 
  (anything into any-
  thing), Improved Results 
  Group (anything; +1), 
  Reduced Endurance (0 
  END; +½). Total cost:  
  375 points.
  
  129 
  Champions
  to design a character primarily to be powerful, he 
  tends to do thing that may cause trouble later on.
  Some of the problems you may encounter with 
  point total “end runs” include:
  Pile On Th e Disadvantages
  One tactic is to take more Disadvantages 
  (assuming you, as GM, allow this). Th is normally 
  results in a character who’s irritable and twitchy, 
  whose Hunteds crop up in campaign adventures 
  far more oft en than anyone else’s, whose DNPCs 
  are the single largest block of the campaign’s cast 
  of normals, and who with increasing desperation 
  tries to keep secret the information that exposure 
  to monosodium glutamate reduces him to help-
  less spasms. Th e character’s player is unhappy and 
  frustrated because of the restrictions, and the other 
  players oft en resent the way his character seems to 
  dominate things.
  Th e most obvious way for the GM to prevent 
  this is, of course, to limit the number of Disadvan-
  tage points a character may have. If you, as GM, 
  would rather not do this, you simply have to “per-
  suade” a character to buy oﬀ  some of his Disadvan-
  tages with Experience Points by making them a real 
  problem in the character’s life.
  Stretch Th e Rules Until Th ey Snap
  Another tactic is to hit on character design 
  tactics that stretch and abuse the rules. Let’s say, for 
  instance, that a player builds a character with a set 
  of powered armor. Th at means most of his powers 
  are bought with the Limitation Obvious Inacces-
  sible Focus. Now, our character-builder reasons, 
  he can’t use his powers without revealing his hero 
  identity, therefore he also has a Only In Heroic Iden-
  tity Limitation on his powers, too. He’s able to buy 
  everything at a -¾ Limitation rather than the -½ for 
  OIF. He also decides that most of the suit’s systems 
  are tricky to operate, so just about everything takes 
  the Requires A Skill Roll Limitation (another -½), 
  but they all default to the same skill (Power:  Sam’s 
  Power Suit), which he buys up to such a degree that 
  he’ll still have an adjusted roll of 17- for even the 
  most powerful system used at full strength.
  Th at is rules abuse, and is only one example of 
  the thousands of ways creative character designers 
  can do end runs around the way the rules are sup-
  posed to work. Th e HERO System’s ﬂ exibility and 
  adaptability mean it’s open to abuse by players (and 
  GMs) who don’t approach it with maturity, respon-
  sibility, common sense, and dramatic sense. Champi-
  ons isn’t about squeezing as many points as you can 
  out of something and building as powerful a char-
  acter as you can — it’s about properly simulating 
  the comic book superheroes genre in a roleplaying 
  campaign, and creating awesome superhero stories 
  with your friends based on your characters’ adven-
  tures and escapades. As GM, it’s your responsibility 
  to make sure characters are properly designed not 
  only in terms of rules, but in light of common sense 
  and dramatic sense so they don’t cause problems 
  in the game. Review every potential PC carefully 
  for problems, and reject (or require changes to) any 
  character you think is likely to be trouble.
  Establish All-Or-Nothing Conditions
  A player may choose to shave some points by 
  building most of his powers with a Limitation that 
  causes him to become completely ineﬀ ective in 
  certain rare circumstances. For instance, a character 
  who is mystically tied to the life-force of the Earth 
  might take a Limitation like Only Works Within Th e 
  Atmosphere Of Earth on most of his powers. Th is 
  is a valid Limitation; it means, for instance, that as 
  the character ﬂ ies up above the planet, his Flight 
  power turns oﬀ  once he’s gotten past the outermost 
  planetary limits.
  Th e problem comes when the GM decides to 
  have adventures that takes place oﬀ -world. Either 
  the characters learn about this in advance and 
  Earth-Link Boy bows out of the upcoming adven-
  ture, citing a need to remain on the Earth (with 
  
  130 
  HERO SYSTEM 5TH EDITION
  his player arranging to take another character into 
  space), or the heroes are suddenly transported to 
  the new area and Earth-Link Boy is completely 
  stripped of his powers for the duration of the outer 
  space mini-series.
  If the character’s player is of the sort to con-
  sider this an opportunity to explore new horizons 
  for his character, there’s no problem. Earth-Link 
  Boy may borrow an armored space suit and one 
  of his pals’ second-best laser pistol, and all is well. 
  But if the player is likely to become frustrated and 
  unhappy because his character is now nigh-useless, 
  the campaign has a problem. Th e player is at last 
  paying for his character’s Limitations, but he’s caus-
  ing everyone else to suﬀ er, which makes it the GM’s 
  problem as well.
  RESOLVING CHARACTER POINT 
  DIFFICULTIES
  Th e best way to deal with these character 
  design problems is to prevent them from ever hap-
  pening. Th e GM can ride herd on the character 
  creation process, keeping a close eye on the con-
  struction of each character, and watching out for 
  potential abuses of these types.
  However, it requires experience to realize 
  when a character design detail is likely to cause 
  trouble in a campaign. An inexperienced GM will 
  miss quite a few (and it is worth noting that trou-
  blesome character design details can be accidental 
  rather than deliberate; players oft en don’t know a 
  character detail may cause diﬃ  culties). Even expe-
  rienced GMs overlook some potential problems 
  — no one can think of everything in advance.
  Th erefore, a GM should make it clear from 
  the campaign’s onset that he retains the right to 
  insist on a change to a character design, even well 
  aft er the campaign has started, if he concludes the 
  character’s design is causing problems for the cam-
  paign. Th e players may not like this, but if they’re 
  responsible gamers and good sports, they’ll under-
  stand that it’s for the good of the campaign and not 
  quibble about it too much.
  It may also be possible to prevent some of 
  these problems by starting oﬀ  with a diﬀ erent Base 
  Points + Disadvantages structure (see above).
  POINT AND 
  EFFECTIVENESS CEILINGS
  Th e previous chapters mentioned point and 
  eﬀ ectiveness ceilings on several occasions. Th ese 
  are limits the GM can establish to govern how pow-
  erful a Champions character’s powers can be. Th ese 
  power limits aren’t “oﬃ  cial” (there are no speciﬁ c 
  rules for them, or requirements that you institute 
  them), but they oft en have their uses. Th ey help 
  keep players from designing characters who are so 
  one-dimensional they endanger themselves, or who 
  create potential problems with the balance of play 
  in the campaign. Th ere are two types:  point ceil-
  ings and eﬀ ectiveness ceilings.
  Point Ceilings
  Point ceilings (also called “point caps”) are 
  restrictions the GM puts on the number of points 
  a character can have in an individual power. Most 
  point ceilings restrict the number of Active Points 
  in any given power, but the GM can also (or alter-
  nately) place a cap on the Base Points (i.e., points 
  without Advantages or Limitations), or even the 
  Real Points (the total cost of the power aft er all 
  Advantages and Limitations are applied). For exam-
  ple, a Champions GM might establish a limit of 60 
  Active Points in any power, or 60 Base Points, or 50 
  Base Points and 75 Active Points, or 40 Real Points.
  Th ese are, obviously, artiﬁ cial restrictions 
  — they’re not a part of the HERO System’s oﬃ  cial 
  rules, and the 5th Edition, Revised rulebook doesn’t 
  talk about them (except in general terms on page 
  338). No speciﬁ c rule in the HERO System prevents 
  a character from taking his 200 Base Points and his 
  150 Disadvantage points and plowing them all into 
  Strength. A player who did this would end up with 
  
  131 
  Champions
  is a character who has the phenomenal STR score 
  of 360, with a PD of 72, REC of 74, and STUN of 
  195. Wow!
  But he also has CON 10, SPD 2, ED 2, and a 
  CV of 3. A well-trained ordinary human martial 
  artist with a knife has a better-than-even chance of 
  killing this super-strong monster without taking a 
  blow in return. Th e ordinary human martial artist 
  has a better DEX, and so goes ﬁ rst in every Phase; 
  a better SPD, and so attacks more oft en; a better 
  OCV and DCV, and so hits more oft en and gets hit 
  less oft en. Naturally, the STR 360 superhuman can 
  pick up a car as a club or knock a skyscraper over 
  onto his foe, but not if the martial artist has slashed 
  and Stunned him on the very ﬁ rst Phase of combat.
  Effectiveness Ceilings
  Some GMs impose eﬀ ectiveness ceilings 
  — restrictions on the strength of powers (typically 
  attacks, based on the Damage Classes in the attack). 
  A campaign might, for example, restrict all attacks 
  to no more than 12 DCs, regardless of the Active 
  Points, Base Points, or other point calculations 
  involved. Eﬀ ectiveness ceilings can also govern 
  SPD, a character’s CV with any given attack, Skill 
  Rolls, the strength of Defense Powers, or many 
  other game elements. A GM can use an eﬀ ective-
  ness ceiling in addition to, or instead of, a point 
  ceiling, mixing and matching them until he ﬁ nds 
  the right combination for his campaign.
  Perils And Pitfalls
  Point and eﬀ ectiveness ceilings serve a useful 
  function in many Champions campaigns. Th ey 
  allow the GM to have a certain conﬁ dence in the 
  eﬀ ectiveness of the PCs, letting him design the 
  NPCs (especially the villains) with equal conﬁ -
  dence about the ease or diﬃ  culty the PCs will have 
  aﬀ ecting them. Th is helps the GM keep things 
  balanced in his campaign, and ensures he can chal-
  lenge the PCs without making their enemies unde-
  featable.
  But point and eﬀ ectiveness ceilings oﬀ er a 
  equal problem:  they tend to cause a certain same-
  ness in the campaign. If the GM imposes a 75 
  Active Point limit for powers in general, and a 12 
  DC limit on damage, then just about every charac-
  ter in the campaign will have a 12 DC attack. Th us, 
  no PC feels very special; it doesn’t matter much that 
  one character does 12d6 with his punch, one with 
  his ﬂ ame blast, and one with his wind-storm.
  Additionally, point ceilings can cause problems 
  because Active Points aren’t always a very good way 
  of evaluating the eﬀ ectiveness or rarity of powers. 
  A good tear gas grenade — something available to 
  just about any law enforcement oﬃ  cer — can easily 
  cost more than 75 Active Points, even though it’s 
  pretty common. An Attack Power with just a few 
  DCs but a lot of Advantages tacked on to create an 
  intriguing eﬀ ect may exceed the campaign’s point 
  ceiling, yet not be very combat-eﬀ ective, whereas 
  a straightforward RKA 4d6 is well within the cam-
  paign’s limits and much more useful on the average.
  So, GMs interested in using point or eﬀ ective-
  ness ceilings may want to consider ways to elimi-
  nate or diminish these problems. Here are some 
  suggestions:
  EXCEPTIONS FOR CHARACTER SCHTICKS
  One approach to keeping reasonable limits 
  on character powers is to impose such limits but 
  to allow each character to exceed one limit by a 
  certain amount. Th is usually reﬂ ects a character’s 
  “schtick,” or special/primary form of attack — a 
  brick chooses STR as his one big power, an energy 
  THE RULE OF X
  Some GMs like to com-
  bine point and eﬀ ec-
  tiveness ceilings into a 
  single formula called the 
  Rule of X. Basically what 
  the Rule of X says is 
  that the character’s vari-
  ous abilities — attacks, 
  defenses, SPD, and so on 
  — cannot, when added 
  together, total more than 
  X. Each GM deﬁ nes “X” 
  based on how powerful 
  he wants characters to 
  be in his game. A typical 
  Standard Superheroic 
  Champions campaign 
  probably sets X at 
  around 30-40.
  Each GM has to decide 
  what game elements he 
  wants to factor into the 
  Rule of X calculation. 
  Some possibilities for 
  an oﬀ ensive Rule of X 
  include:
  ■ the number of DCs 
  in the character’s most 
  powerful attack (or the 
  Active Points in the 
  attack divided by 5)
  ■ the character’s highest 
  possible OCV with his 
  most powerful attack 
  (assuming he uses all 
  Combat Skill Levels 
  for OCV; the GM may 
  or may not also want 
  to include bonuses 
  Continued on next page
  
  132 
  HERO SYSTEM 5TH EDITION
  projector chooses Energy Blast, and so on. Addition-
  ally, the GM may rule that each Power or ability can 
  only have one character choose it to exceed the ceil-
  ing.
  For example, let’s say the GM imposes a 60 
  Active Point limit on powers. Th erefore a character 
  might have an Energy Blast 8d6, Explosion, or STR 
  60, but could not exceed those values. However, the 
  GM also allows each character to have one power 
  with a 75 Active Point ceiling. Each power in the 
  game can only have one exception like this; if one 
  character has 75 points in Flight, no one else can 
  have a 75-point Flight power. Th e players must agree 
  among themselves which character gets an exception 
  for which power.
  Th us, one character might have STR 75; no 
  one else can have more than a 60. Another char-
  acter might have an Energy Blast 15d6 (with no 
  Advantages); no one else can have more than a 12d6. 
  Someone else might have an HKA 5d6; no other PC 
  can exceed a 4d6. And so on.
  Th is means that the campaign itself eﬀ ectively 
  has an Active Point limit of 75, but each character 
  has the opportunity to be recognized as the most 
  powerful user of any speciﬁ c ability.
  EXCEPTIONS FOR LIMITEDUSE POWERS
  Similarly, the GM might allow exceptions to 
  point and eﬀ ectiveness ceilings if the exceptions are 
  built as add-on powers usable once per day (or only 
  subject to some equivalent restriction). Th is means 
  a character, on those occasions when he really, des-
  perately needs to call on additional power, can do so 
  — once.
  Example: Capacitor is a ﬂ ying energy projector. 
  He has an Electromagnetic Pulse Blast, an EB 
  12d6. It pushes right up against the campaign’s 
  60 Active Point power limit. But the GM allows 
  any character to have a +20 Active Point addi-
  tion to one power, as long as it’s only usable once 
  per day. So, Capacitor buys the following ability:
  EMP Blast Boost:  Energy Blast +4d6 (20 Active 
  Points); 1 Charge (-2), Increased Endurance 
  Cost (x10 END; -4). Total cost:  3 points.
  With this power, it’s as if Capacitor can Push 
  for an additional +20 Active Points (the END 
  cost is the same as for Pushing), and, once per 
  day, he can project a 16d6 Electromagnetic 
  Pulse Blast (18d6 if he actually Pushes on top 
  of using his one-shot Boost power).
  Th is approach permits some very dramatic 
  scenes in a campaign. However, unlike the comic 
  books (where the “GM” [the writer] controls the 
  “PCs” as well as the villains and all the events), a 
  character can sometimes miss with his once-in-
  a-great-while power, which is undramatic in the 
  extreme. Th e GM may want to invoke “dramatic 
  sense” and provide a character an OCV bonus to 
  help him hit, if necessary.
  EXCEPTIONS FOR VILLAINS
  Even if the GM chooses to follow the cam-
  paign point and eﬀ ectiveness ceilings when build-
  ing NPCs and villains (and he should, usually), 
  he doesn’t have to. Character Point restrictions, 
  generally speaking, are for players. Th e GM should 
  design his NPCs however he needs to, to make 
  them eﬀ ective and powerful. Remember, villains 
  and NPCs are oft en much less three-dimensional 
  than superhero PCs, and they’re not “on camera” for 
  every scene and event of the campaign. Th us, they 
  can aﬀ ord to build and use powers that would be 
  too restrictive or unbalancing for a PC to have. For 
  example, most master villains — world-conquer-
  ing super-criminals able to take on entire groups of 
  PCs in combat — are going to have powers far in 
  excess of the campaign’s usual point and eﬀ ective-
  ness ceilings. Th at’s exactly how it should be; few 
  master villains inspire awe and fear if they’re no 
  more powerful or capable than the PCs.
  from commonly-used 
  Combat or Martial 
  Maneuvers)
  ■ the character’s SPD
  ■ the Active Points 
  divided by 5 in primar-
  ily oﬀ ensive powers like 
  Aid
  Most GMs establish a 
  separate Rule of X for 
  defense. Its factors oft en 
  include:
  ■ the total points in 
  the character’s most 
  powerful defense (or 
  the Active Points in that 
  defense, divided by 5)
  ■ the character’s highest 
  possible DCV (assum-
  ing he uses all applicable 
  Combat Skill Levels 
  for DCV; the GM may 
  or may not also want 
  to include bonuses 
  from commonly-used 
  Combat or Martial 
  Maneuvers)
  ■ the character’s SPD
  ■ the Active Points 
  divided by 5 in primar-
  ily defensive powers like 
  Invisibility or Desolidi-
  ﬁ cation
  By implementing a Rule 
  of X, you can eliminate 
  hard-and-fast point and 
  eﬀ ectiveness ceilings 
  in favor of more ﬂ ex-
  ible guidelines. A Rule 
  of X allows a character 
  to have a much more 
  Continued from last page
  Continued on next page
  
  133 
  Champions
  ADJUSTING CEILINGS OVER TIME
  In campaigns that last for a long time, point 
  and eﬀ ectiveness ceilings can cause another prob-
  lem:  they frustrate players who want their char-
  acters to grow, evolve, and become more powerful, 
  but who are cut oﬀ  by the points caps. You can deal 
  with this problem by adjusting your campaigns 
  ceilings periodically as the characters earn Experi-
  ence Points.
  For example, you might decide that, for every 
  50 Experience Points the characters earn, the Active 
  Point limits of the campaign increases 10 points. Or 
  perhaps each character gets to buy one more power 
  up above the ceiling.
  You should decide whether the raised ceiling 
  applies to all characters, regardless of their current 
  Experience Point totals, or only to those who have 
  achieved the required point level. Generally the 
  second option is best.
  Other Point 
  Total And Power 
  Level Issues
  MIXING CHARACTERS 
  FROM DIFFERENT 
  CAMPAIGNS
  Questions of character 
  damage and eﬀ ectiveness 
  become particularly important 
  when a campaign allows char-
  acters from diﬀ erent campaigns 
  to play — especially if they 
  are already at diﬀ erent levels 
  of experience. Each character 
  might have been built under 
  a diﬀ erent set of assumptions. 
  Some could have power levels 
  that are greater than your 
  restrictions for this campaign. 
  Some could have been built 
  under more restrictive rules, 
  making them uncompetitive in 
  the environment of this cam-
  paign. Th ere’s no one perfect 
  solution for this situation, but 
  there are several remedies you 
  can consider:
  Rebuild The Heroes. Th e most 
  direct solution is to require all 
  players to rebuild their char-
  acters to be consistent with 
  the current campaign’s rules. 
  Th is will oblige some play-
  ers to lower power levels and 
  allow others to increase theirs. 
  Characters who were com-
  paratively overbuilt will free 
  up points you may want them 
  to spend on lowering Disad-
  vantages or allow them to put 
  into such non-Power choices 
  as Money, Bases, Vehicles, and the like. Characters 
  who were comparatively underbuilt may have to 
  narrow their design conceptions, spend built-up 
  Experience Points, or add Disadvantages to adjust 
  themselves to more appropriate power levels. Th is 
  whole process inevitably leads to some dismay 
  and sometimes hard feelings, but it is ultimately a 
  fair choice. It’s important for you to stress to the 
  players, individually or collectively, that there is 
  nothing personal in obliging them to rebuild their 
  characters — it is out of a concern for fairness 
  and play balance. It is also sometimes helpful to 
  explain that to the theoretical readers of the comic 
  book that this campaign represents, the changes to 
  the characters will be transparent. Th e characters 
  themselves do not notice that they are suddenly 
  “weaker” or “stronger.” (In cases where the adjust-
  ments to character power levels are too dramatic 
  powerful attack than 
  his comrades — but at 
  the expense of being 
  slower or less accurate. 
  Similarly, a character 
  can have a high DCV, 
  but not high defenses 
  as well.
  DESIGNING 
  FOR POWER
  Even with point ceil-
  ings, Rules of X, or other 
  limits, it’s possible for 
  creative players to ﬁ gure 
  out how to get some 
  character eﬀ ectiveness 
  that exceeds the GM’s 
  restrictions.
  Sometimes this is done 
  by stacking power eﬀ ec-
  tiveness in unobvious 
  ways.
  Example: A martial artist 
  has a Strength of 20, a 
  +4d6 Martial Maneu-
  ver, and +4 Damage 
  Classes. Th is gives him 
  12d6 damage, and the 
  campaign’s damage limit 
  is 12 DCs. So far, so good.
  But elsewhere on his 
  sheet he’s bought +10 
  REC, Only For Recov-
  ering END Spent To 
  Push (-2), for a total of 
  7 points. Th is is fairly 
  innocuous, especially 
  when it’s away from the 
  context of his combat 
  damage. It just means he 
  bounces back very fast 
  from Pushing. But within 
  the context of his combat 
  damage, it means he 
  can Push a lot, getting 
  +2d6 to his attacks on a 
  frequent basis, and for 
  fewer points than buying 
  +10 to his Strength or +2 
  Damage Classes.
  Players can also do this 
  simply by taking normal 
  advantage of the rules. If 
  a character has STR 40, 
  he might be well within 
  a campaign’s Active 
  Point limit of 60 points. 
  But if he also has Flight 
  30” and ten Combat 
  Skill Levels with Move 
  Th rough, he can do 18d6 
  with that maneuver (and 
  hit pretty reliably with 
  it), which is doubtless a 
  violation of the spirit of 
  his campaign’s limits.
  Continued from last page
  Continued on next page
  
  134 
  HERO SYSTEM 5TH EDITION
  to be transparent, you can base an episode of play 
  around the events that cause the characters’ power 
  levels to change — radiation accidents, sudden 
  mutations, lingering physical deterioration from a 
  supervillain’s attack, punishments or blessings from 
  one’s supernatural patron, and the like are all valid 
  explanations for the changes.)
  Play The Ball Where It Lies. If you feel the campaign’s 
  players are sophisticated enough, and that you are 
  a versatile enough GM, you may wish to allow all 
  these disparate characters to be played exactly as 
  they are. Th is may result in some characters being 
  much more powerful than others. If the play-
  ers with weaker characters aren’t the type to feel 
  overshadowed by more powerful characters, and 
  if you’re good enough to set up adventures where 
  everyone is equally useful regardless of power level, 
  this is a viable solution to the situation.
  Raise The Bar. Th is is a variation on “Rebuild Th e 
  Heroes.” You might decide to establish a new power 
  base for your campaign that is actually at the level 
  of, or higher than that of, the most powerful char-
  acter in your campaign.
  HOW DO THE PLAYER CHARACTERS 
  COMPARE TO THE REST OF THE WORLD?
  It’s useful for the GM to ﬁ gure out how the 
  PCs compare, in terms of power and competence, 
  to the rest of the world — not just to other supers, 
  but to the general population.
  Super Versus Super
  How powerful are the PCs in relation to other 
  superhumans now existing and those who were 
  active in earlier decades?
  If they tend to be less powerful (which is a 
  common occurrence when a GM populates his 
  world with well-translated versions of supers from 
  the comic books while the PCs are all built at the 
  Standard Superheroic level), problems may result. 
  Th e PCs could be beaten time aft er time, only to 
  be rescued by established NPC superteams. Th is is 
  extremely bad for the morale of players and charac-
  ters alike, so you should avoid it whenever possible. 
  On the other hand, if the world situation is such 
  that beginning superhero teams are recognized as 
  such, and established superheroes oﬀ er advice and 
  training (but only if is asked), and accept the PCs 
  as peers-in-the-making without demonstrating 
  their inferiority at every turn, you can minimize or 
  eliminate problems of this sort.
  If the PCs tend to be about as powerful as 
  other supers, they more readily gain the acceptance 
  of the public as heroes and other supers as col-
  leagues. Th is approach requires the least attention 
  and work from a GM.
  If the PCs tend to be more powerful than 
  other supers, they’ll have the opportunity to deal 
  with the most dangerous super-enemies and 
  threats to planetary safety. Th ey’ll be the ones the 
  public turns to when world-destroyers land, when 
  a tsunami approaches the shores of California, or 
  when a hostile janitor steals the U.S. Department of 
  Defense AeroSpace Defense Prototype (nicknamed 
  “Deathmobile”) and goes on a destructive rampage. 
  And the fact that these PCs are the most powerful 
  can itself be the inspiration for one or more adven-
  tures. Why are they most powerful? Are the forces 
  creating superheroes more full of energy now, and 
  is it because some worldwide catastrophe is in the 
  oﬃ  ng? Have mysterious forces perfected the art of 
  “manufacturing” superhumans, and are now ready 
  to unleash their own private army of New Men 
  upon the world?
  Over time, a player character team’s compara-
  tive power can change. As years of play-time pass, 
  a team that starts out comparatively underpowered 
  can become the equal of other teams out there, and 
  then, as members of those teams themselves retire 
  Continued from last page
  As GM, you don’t neces-
  sarily want to head oﬀ  
  these player end runs. 
  To do so is to punish 
  creativity on their parts, 
  and in some cases to 
  prevent characters from 
  having the opportunity 
  for dramatic self-sac-
  riﬁ ce. In the Move 
  Th rough example of the 
  paragraph above, it’s the 
  presence of the Combat 
  Skill Levels that tips 
  you oﬀ  that the player 
  plans for this to be part 
  of the character’s usual 
  tactic. If you make the 
  player remove the CSLs, 
  the character still has 
  the option to perform 
  this mighty attack, but 
  there are greater risks 
  associated with it — he 
  is much more likely to 
  miss, so it becomes a 
  last-ditch attack rather 
  than a ﬁ rst-choice 
  attack.
  Similarly, once you get 
  a feel for your how your 
  players approach and 
  play Champions, you 
  can better judge whether 
  they’re trying to sneak 
  around your point and 
  eﬀ ectiveness ceiling. A 
  responsible, mature role-
  player who understands 
  the genre might build 
  a character with STR 
  40, Flight 30”, and +10 
  with Move Th rough, but 
  knowing how the genre 
  works only use the full 
  power of that attack as 
  a last-ditch tactic — so, 
  you can let him keep 
  that ability without 
  fearing he’ll unbalance 
  the game. On the other 
  hand, a player who 
  approaches the game 
  as if it were a wargame, 
  seeking to get maximum 
  combat eﬀ ect out of 
  every power he buys and 
  every Action he takes, 
  is someone you need 
  to keep a closer eye on 
  and whose powers you 
  need to evaluate more 
  carefully — his conduct 
  is much more likely to 
  harm your campaign 
  and ruin everyone’s fun.
  
  135 
  Champions
  and are replaced by newbies, the PC 
  team can become one of the most 
  powerful in the world.
  Supers Versus Normals
  As noted above, the more power-
  ful superheroes are, the less notice 
  they have to take (and thus tend to 
  take) of normal NPCs. In a campaign 
  with low-powered superheroes, a 
  thug with a gun or a group of agents 
  with blasters represents a credible 
  threat (even if it’s one a PC can expect 
  to handle pretty easily). Th e more 
  power each PC has, the less likely it is 
  that you can threaten him with such 
  mundane opponents. Given enough 
  points, a PC has nothing to fear but 
  other superhumans, super-technology, 
  and the like — which can have real 
  consequences for their approach to 
  the world. So, as you plan your cam-
  paign and decide how many points 
  players get to build characters with, 
  you need to decide how you want 
  them to relate to “normals.”
  Supers Versus Th e Environment
  Th e more powerful player char-
  acters are, the more likely it is that 
  accidents with their powers (most 
  commonly, missed attacks in urban 
  environments) will cause serious, even 
  tragic damage to their surroundings. 
  (For that matter, it’s also more likely 
  they can deliberately break their envi-
  ronment.) An Energy Blast 8d6 hit-
  ting a brick building punches through 
  and hurts the average man about as 
  badly as a normal person’s blow from 
  a baseball bat. Th e same thing hap-
  pening with an EB 16d6 also punches 
  through the average man, turning him 
  into a ﬁ ne red mist and his family into 
  outraged survivors.
  So, it’s best to remind characters 
  occasionally that they are not only 
  adventuring in a world that’s all too 
  oft en delicate by their standards, but 
  they need to be responsible for their 
  actions. If they do not rescue those 
  they’ve imperiled, help those they’ve 
  injured, and accept responsibility 
  (ethical, if not ﬁ nancial) for harm 
  they’ve done, they’ll soon lose any 
  public acceptance they’ve gained. Th e 
  public will call for laws to curtail their 
  activities, and the nation’s leaders will 
  pass those laws. Heroes who scoﬀ  at 
  these reactions will be surprised when 
  the government assembles its own 
  superhero team to deal with them 
  — or when it turns teams of investiga-
  tors loose to ferret out the PCs’ Secret 
  Identities.
  
  136 
  HERO SYSTEM 5TH EDITION
  A 
  campaign is a series of adventures featur-
  ing the same approximate cast of char-
  acters and setting, run over an extended 
  amount of time — until its participants 
  become tired of it, are unable to continue with it 
  (which happens when some of them move away or 
  have their time taken up by real-world concerns), 
  or it reaches its intended end (which is the case 
  with a mini-series or maxi-series). Running (and 
  playing in!) Champions campaigns can be very 
  complex — as complex as each GM and set of play-
  ers allows it to be. Th is section discusses some of 
  the factors that come into play, and how the GM 
  and players can address them... or ignore them.
  CAMPAIGN 
  CHARACTERISTICS
  Th e HERO System 5th Edition, Revised rule-
  book, on pages 542-44, talks about several cam-
  paign characteristics — morality, realism, outlook, 
  and the importance of the PCs. (Th e core rulebook 
  also addresses the subject of campaign serious-
  ness, but there is little for Champions to add to that 
  topic.) Th is section examines those issues as they 
  relate to superhero campaigns.
  Morality
  Questions of morality are perhaps more sig-
  niﬁ cant in a Champions campaign than many other 
  types of HERO System campaigns, simply because 
  the characters have the opportunity to express their 
  versions of morality through more mighty powers. 
  When characters have the power to eﬀ ect tremen-
  dous change in the world, how they exercise that 
  power becomes an important moral issue.
  Campaign morality tends to fall into one of 
  two camps:  Black and White or Shades of Grey.
  BLACK AND WHITE
  Black and white morality means the diﬀ er-
  ence between right and wrong in most situations is 
  clearly deﬁ ned and understood — both the players 
  and the characters will recognize “the right thing 
  to do” in almost all situations. In many ways, this 
  tends to be the “default” morality for the superhero 
  genre, though Shades of Grey becomes increas-
  ingly prevalent during the Bronze and Iron Ages. 
  Here are some ways to implement black and white 
  morality in a campaign.
  Villain Motivations Are Always Selﬁ sh Or Delusional. 
  A supervillain might decide to destroy the United 
  States because he wants the wealth it represents, 
  wants its population bending their knees to him, or 
  hates its admirable characteristics (personal free-
  dom, democratic process, and so on). Regardless of 
  his speciﬁ c goals, his motivations are clearly Wrong 
  and/or Evil; no right-minded person (and par-
  ticularly no true superhero!) will sympathize with 
  them, or with the villain himself.
  Authority Figures Tend To Be Good. Politicians, peace 
  oﬃ  cers, and well-known newsmen and commenta-
  tors tend to act in the interest of the public good. 
  When there is an exception, that individual is oper-
  ating on his own, and others in similar positions 
  won’t help him when his misdeeds are revealed.
  Victories Tend To Be Complete. Even when a super-
  villain escapes the heroes at the end of a story, it is 
  with the understanding that his plan is foiled, his 
  resources stripped away or destroyed. His situation 
  has been reset to zero, and the heroes can leave 
  with a sense of accomplishment.
  Heroes Are Seldom Visited By Guilt. When heroes 
  ﬁ nish a successful adventure, they receive the con-
  gratulations of the authorities and the thanks of 
  the people they’ve saved. Th e press writes up their 
  adventures in a positive and supportive manner. 
  When these circumstances are not in eﬀ ect, the 
  heroes know something’s wrong:  if a politician’s 
  not happy with their actions, he’s probably crooked 
  and is secretly beneﬁ tting from the villains’ plan; if 
  a newspaper publishes a scathing denunciation of 
  the heroes’ actions, it’s probably unfairly decided to 
  persecute the heroes for reasons of improving sales 
  or beneﬁ tting a mysterious and evil patron.
  SHADES OF GREY
  Shades of grey morality means right and 
  wrong aren’t as clearly deﬁ ned as in black and white 
  situations. Th e heroes must make decisions about 
  their actions based on complicated ethical situa-
  tions and may come out of these decisions feeling 
  less than satisﬁ ed and less than secure. Some char-
  acteristics of this type of morality include:
  Villain Motivations May Be Only One Step Away From 
  Heroic. A supervillain might decide to destroy the 
  United States, or just do damage to it, for reasons 
  that are all too close to the heroes’ own viewpoints 
  — for instance, to right wrongs done to the Native 
  American peoples displaced by settler expansion, 
  or to bring to an end some of the nation’s less admi-
  rable characteristics (lack of empathy for nations 
  in which it has no economic or strategic interest, 
  presumption of national superiority, and the like). 
  Once a hero truly understands a villain’s motiva-
  tions, he is likely to develop greater sympathy for 
  that individual.
  CREATING AND RUNNING 
  CHAMPIONS CAMPAIGNS
  
  137 
  Champions
  Authority Figures May Be Good, Bad, Or Somewhere 
  In Between. Th ey possess the same range of motiva-
  tions as the rest of humanity. When one turns out 
  to be operating in a selﬁ sh or villainous manner, he 
  may be simply one cog in a system that is compro-
  mised or corrupt, and others in similar positions 
  may try to cover up the truth of his misdeeds, keep 
  him in a position where he can help them, and so on.
  Victories Tend To Be Compromised Or Incomplete. 
  When the heroes win a victory in the campaign, it 
  is oft en somewhat spoiled. Th ey may realize some 
  of their actions have actually been the result of the 
  villain’s manipulations, and that he may have taken 
  a step toward winning a strategic victory even at 
  the cost of a tactical loss. (For instance, his supervil-
  lain team may have been captured... but the battle 
  in which it happened was so destructive that the 
  government implements laws to curtail superheroes, 
  thus forcing them into the role of vigilantes.) Th e 
  death of a villain, far from being a cause for grim 
  celebration, may be a time of mourning as the heroes 
  recognize that they have had to slay a kindred spirit 
  (“Th ere but for the grace of God go I...”).
  Heroes Are Frequently Visited By Guilt. Heroes get to 
  witness ﬁ rsthand the eﬀ ects of any of their mistakes 
  — a concrete mixer hurled at a supervillain lands 
  on a school, a missed Energy Blast destroys price-
  less art treasures in a museum. Authority ﬁ gures 
  praise them when it’s in those individuals’ best 
  interests (as in a self-promoting photo opportunity) 
  and criticize them at other times (as when a politi-
  cian shift s blame for society’s ills onto “vigilan-
  tes”). Media accounts of the heroes’ actions might 
  unfairly praise them or fairly criticize them as well 
  as the other way around.
  CHOOSING BETWEEN MORALITIES
  Th e question of which of the two morality 
  types to implement tends to be answered by what 
  sort of players you have. Do they prefer simpler 
  environments where they do not have to worry 
  about real-world concerns? Th en Black and White 
  morality is the way to go. Do they enjoy wrestling 
  with their consciences, prying victories out of com-
  plicated ethical situations? Th en they should have 
  Shades of Grey.
  In some cases, the morality may depend on 
  the type of campaign you have in mind. Black and 
  White is almost required for Golden and Silver 
  Age campaigns, and Shades of Grey is deﬁ nitely 
  the most common for Iron Age Champions; Bronze 
  Age games can go either way. Of course, if you have 
  a speciﬁ c type of morality in mind for your game, 
  you should always let the players know in advance 
  what it will be.
  In either case, remember that it’s usually a bad 
  idea to adhere strictly to one type of morality in a 
  campaign. Th is becomes boring. Each type of cam-
  paign can be refreshed and enlivened by an occa-
  sional storyline featuring the other type.
  You should remain alert for signs that play-
  ers are becoming frustrated with the campaign’s 
  current type of morality. Players in a Black and 
  White campaign begin to adopt a casual, ﬂ ippant 
  attitude about their own place on the moral spec-
  trum, always assuming they’re right regardless of 
  what they do; at that point, it’s time to introduce 
  a Shades of Grey storyline. Players in a Shades of 
  Grey campaign tend to grow tired, frustrated, or 
  even depressed at the prospect of having each of 
  their victories cheapened or diminished by moral 
  ambiguity; it is then helpful to have a storyline with 
  a clearly-deﬁ ned evil and an unquestioned victory 
  on the heroes’ part.
  Realism
  Most superhero comics and campaigns tend 
  to be inherently unrealistic (what the HERO System 
  5th Edition, Revised rulebook correctly refers to as 
  “romantic” — but since this book co-opts that term 
  to refer to romantic relationship-based campaigns 
  and stories, it uses “unrealistic” in this context). Th is 
  book and most superhero materials presuppose 
  that a superhero campaign will be unrealistic, and 
  the advice in Chapter One concerning Appropriate 
  Unlikely Actions follows that supposition. If you 
  and your players prefer a more realistic campaign 
  — albeit one in which superheroes appear — then 
  you should choose not to use those Appropriate 
  Unlikely Actions, and should follow these guide-
  lines as well:
  Establish A “Rejection” Model For The Law. Page 31 
  describes three types of legal atmospheres under 
  which supers could operate; the “Rejection” model 
  
  138 
  HERO SYSTEM 5TH EDITION
  best matches a realistic campaign.
  Implement Shades Of Grey Morality Guidelines. It’s 
  diﬃ  cult to establish a pattern of realism while play-
  ing a campaign where virtue is always rewarded 
  and evil always scorned. Sadly, the “real world” 
  doesn’t work that way.
  Ignore All The Advice Below About Superhero Physics 
  On Page 163. Th at information assumes an unreal-
  istic campaign.
  Outlook; Importance 
  Of The PCs
  A superhero campaign can have a positive or 
  negative outlook, and these two questions deﬁ ne 
  that outlook:
  ■ Are the characters making a positive diﬀ erence in 
  the world?
  ■ To what degree are they suﬀ ering for their super-
  hero activities?
  “Making a positive diﬀ erence” means the 
  characters have some longstanding eﬀ ect on their 
  environment. If the campaign is global in scale, 
  they may be preventing wars, stabilizing interna-
  tional politics, preventing population-threatening 
  disasters, and the like. If the campaign is local in 
  scale, they may be cleaning up crime in speciﬁ c 
  neighborhoods, solving kidnapping and murder 
  cases that upset the community, and defeating vil-
  lains who prey on the citizens.
  Suﬀ ering refers to the sacriﬁ ces made by 
  the PCs, individually and collectively. Suﬀ ering 
  includes sustaining injuries in combat, seeing their 
  relationships with their loved ones deteriorate, not 
  being able to perform at work up to the expecta-
  tions of employers, watching their personal goals 
  slip away, and not living a life that even approaches 
  the dreams they had in youth.
  POSITIVE VERSUS NEGATIVE
  If the characters make a diﬀ erence and aren’t 
  suﬀ ering much, the campaign is very positive. Th is 
  sort of approach is best suited to players who want 
  a light-hearted campaign. Adventure and Comedy 
  campaigns thrive in an environment like this. Such 
  campaigns are usually set up with Black and White 
  morality; Shades of Grey has little place here.
  If the characters make a diﬀ erence but are 
  suﬀ ering for their eﬀ orts, the campaign is positive. 
  Th is sort of approach is well-suited to Adventure, 
  Drama, and Romance campaigns. In some ways, 
  this sort of campaign is even more positive than 
  the “make a diﬀ erence/aren’t suﬀ ering much” cam-
  paign, because the players have a sense of fairness 
  and appropriateness; they know that not all victo-
  ries are going to be handed to them on a platter and 
  that the happiness they bring to others is bought at 
  the expense of their own sacriﬁ ce. It seems more 
  fair somehow... or at least more dramatically appro-
  priate.
  If the characters don’t make much of a dif-
  ference but aren’t suﬀ ering much for their eﬀ orts, 
  the campaign is negative. Th is is an appropriate 
  approach for campaigns involving vigilantes or 
  other protagonists with non-four color ethics. It 
  is appropriate to some Adventure, some Comedy 
  (chieﬂ y dark-humored), and some Drama cam-
  paigns.
  If the PCs don’t make much of a diﬀ erence 
  and are suﬀ ering, the campaign is very negative. 
  Th is sort of campaign is only well-suited to players 
  whose chief enjoyment comes from roleplaying and 
  exploring the emotional depths of their characters, 
  since they’re not going to ﬁ nd much to reward 
  them elsewhere. Th is sort of approach is well-suited 
  to some Drama and some Romance (the tragic 
  romance type) campaigns.
  RUNNING THE CAMPAIGN
  Here’s some general advice on the running of 
  Champions campaigns.
  The Limits Of Superhero 
  Genre Simulation
  Th e HERO System rules are versatile enough to 
  allow GMs and players to simulate just about any-
  thing that happens in comic books. However, just 
  because something can be simulated doesn’t mean 
  it should be.
  TYPES OF SUPERHEROES
  Certain character types that are very common 
  in comics don’t work as well in Champions cam-
  paigns. Th ey include:
  The All Attack, No Defense Guy. Some people like to 
  play walking artillery pieces, characters who deal 
  out a tremendous amount of damage but can’t take 
  very much before falling over. In the comic books, 
  such a character can be interesting; it’s fun to see 
  him devastate the enemy, comforting to know that 
  it’s only a matter of time before some thug with 
  a baseball bat puts him out for the count. It’s less 
  entertaining to play such a character. In general, try 
  to make sure the players build PCs with an appro-
  priate balance of attacks and defenses so they can 
  stay in combat for a reasonable amount of time.
  Invulnerable Man. Th is character just can’t be hurt. 
  Nothing short of low-yield atomic weapons or fuel-
  air bombs even staggers him. Th is type of character 
  is fun to read about in a wish-fulﬁ llment sense 
  — who doesn’t want to plow through every obstacle 
  without breaking a sweat? — but is more problem-
  atic in a campaign. To make adventures a challenge 
  for him, you have to scale up you villains’ attacks, 
  which is a hardship for the other PCs.
  The Artful Dodger. Th is character has comparatively 
  low Defenses which are typically not Resistant. He 
  also has a tremendous DEX and a formidable array 
  of Combat Skill Levels. When he goes into battle, 
  he just can’t be hit — in the comic books, anyway. 
  In Champions campaigns, unlike the comics, the 
  writer (the GM) doesn’t have direct control over 
  the actions of the heroes (the PCs), or even over 
  ARTFULLY DODGING
  In a Champions game, 
  it’s possible to get a rea-
  sonable approximation 
  of the Artful Dodger 
  character type men-
  tioned in the text — you 
  just have to ﬁ nd ways of 
  representing the con-
  cept of “No one can hit 
  me!” that don’t literally 
  involve not being hit in 
  a game sense (i.e., some-
  thing other than a really 
  high DCV and hoping). 
  In short, you need to 
  use Defense Powers to 
  simulate the “unhit-
  table” concept. Th e idea 
  here is that the defense 
  represents not the abil-
  ity to “bounce” the 
  damage, but to “avoid” 
  the damage altogether. 
  Th e Combat Luck Talent 
  (HERO System 5th Edi-
  tion, Revised, page 87) 
  and Missile Deﬂ ection 
  (page 208) are two good 
  ways to do this, but 
  there are plenty of other 
  options. For example:
  You Only Nicked Me!:  
  Armor (6 PD/6 ED) (18 
  Active Points); Only 
  Versus BODY (-½), 
  Always Lets First BODY 
  Th rough (-½), Applies 
  Last Of All Of Th e 
  Character’s Defenses 
  (-0). Total Cost:  9 
  points.
  Th is power gives the 
  character incredible 
  skill at dodging attacks. 
  When he suﬀ ers an 
  attack that would get 
  BODY past his other 
  defenses, the ﬁ rst BODY 
  does go through, but 
  the next 6 BODY are 
  absorbed by this power. 
  Visually, the power 
  looks like one of two 
  things:  either the char-
  acter avoids the blow at 
  the last microsecond, so 
  that he sustains only the 
  slightest of injuries; or 
  he seems to take the full 
  blow, but is somehow 
  less hurt than he ﬁ rst 
  seems. Since this type of 
  Armor doesn’t prevent 
  penetration by foreign 
  objects, it’s no more dif-
  ﬁ cult to drug this char-
  acter with a tranquilizer 
  dart than it is any unar-
  mored person.
  Continued on next page
  
  139 
  Champions
  some events because of the use of dice as a ran-
  domizing element. So, a villain inevitably makes a 
  very low Attack Roll, or uses an Area Eﬀ ect attack, 
  and tags our hero, splattering him all over the near-
  est brick wall.
  SEPARATING THE CHARACTERS
  A common comic book event is for the mem-
  bers of a team to separate — to split up so they can 
  accomplish several things at once. Even in a role-
  playing campaign, this works ﬁ ne if the characters 
  are doing things like performing investigations 
  and managing their personal relationships. But 
  when combat arises and the characters are sepa-
  rated, there’s trouble. Everybody wants to be in on 
  combat, especially a protracted struggle. When half 
  the team gets to go through a combat and the other 
  half has to sit back and watch, the non-combatants 
  feel frustrated and left  out.
  Here are some things you can do to keep this 
  from becoming a too-frequent event:
  When Only One Group Has Combat, Make It Fast. If 
  it’s inevitable that one solo hero or 
  a small group of heroes are going to 
  get into a combat without the others 
  being present, make the combat 
  as short as possible, turning it into 
  little more than a prelude for the big 
  event. For example, suppose you’ve 
  set things up so that the team would 
  run into the bad guy’s main lieuten-
  ant, resulting in a skirmish that would 
  eventually point the heroes to the bad 
  guy’s location. Unfortunately, only one 
  or two heroes show up for this event. 
  Instead of going forward precisely as 
  planned, substitute a lesser bad guy 
  minion for the lieutenant. Heroes 
  occasionally have fun demonstrating 
  their superiority by mopping up the 
  ﬂ oor with belligerent normal thugs 
  and martial artists, and you can use 
  the scene to accomplish the same 
  result (getting the heroes to the big 
  ﬁ ght). Th is takes far less time, and 
  the players who miss out aren’t as 
  annoyed — it was, aft er all, only a 
  low-level minion, not someone tough.
  Run Multiple, Plausibly-Concurrent 
  Combats. It’s not diﬃ  cult to have 
  several ﬁ ghts at diﬀ erent places break out at once. 
  (Logically, they probably aren’t taking place at the 
  exact same time, unless the heroes or bad guys 
  have set up a coordinated simultaneous assault 
  — but they can be close enough in time that it’s not 
  strange for them all to be run at once.) You don’t 
  have to separate the character information among 
  several pieces of paper, though it may prove useful 
  to use a colored highlighter to mark the names of 
  each participant, using a diﬀ erent color for each 
  combat (e.g., yellow for everyone at the Hightower 
  rooft op ﬁ ght, orange for the poor sods thrashing 
  around in the sewer ﬁ ght, and so on).
  Fudge Arrival Times. If combat involves only one char-
  acter or group of several, but more distant characters 
  could plausibly arrive before the combat is over, don’t 
  concern yourself too much with calculating how 
  many Phases it takes each hero to get to the site at his 
  maximum Noncombat Movement speed. Instead, 
  gauge what order the heroes would get to the scene 
  of the combat (without worrying about exact travel 
  time), and then decide that the ﬁ rst one arrives, say, 
  three Segments into the combat, the second six Seg-
  ments in, the third nine Segments in, and so on. Sure, 
  ignoring the characters’ actual movement abilities is 
  illogical... but it works much like similar story events 
  in the comic books, and everyone gets to participate 
  in the combat.
  Whenever Possible, Get Them Together First. Finally, 
  if you see a situation emerging that will soon lead 
  the characters into combat, but hasn’t done so yet, 
  you can always try to ﬁ nd a way to get the PCs back 
  together before trouble erupts. One character might 
  stall the bad guys in conversation while another 
  secretly sends out an alert call or a telepathic dis-
  tress signal. An honorable or particularly arrogant 
  villain might issue a challenge, with a meeting place 
  and time, rather than attack at just this moment. 
  (He might have set up a trap there, of course.)
  UNNECESSARILY KEEPING CHARACTERS 
  INCOMMUNICADO
  Characters in comic books are not much 
  inconvenienced by not being able to get in touch 
  with one another. All comics fans are familiar with 
  the scene of the superhero realizing that immi-
  nent danger confronts someone far away, and then 
  moving toward that scene at pushed-to-the-limit 
  speeds. Th at creates fun dramatic tension — will 
  Our Hero get there in time?
  Continued from last page
  Avoiding The Blow:  
  Physical And Energy 
  Damage Reduction, 
  Resistant, 50% (60 
  Active Points); Luck-
  Based (-½), Nonpersis-
  tent (-¼). Total cost:  34 
  points. 
  Th is power applies the 
  same Limitations used 
  to build the Combat 
  Luck Talent to Damage 
  Reduction. It represents 
  a character’s ability to 
  twist out of the way 
  of attacks. A character 
  could substitute Requires 
  A Skill Roll for Luck-
  Based if he prefers.
  
  140 
  HERO SYSTEM 5TH EDITION
  But practically 
  speaking, in the parts of the 
  game where characters perform investigations and 
  research, keeping them from exchanging routine 
  information and leads results in frustration more 
  oft en than dramatic tension. Most Champions cam-
  paigns work best if, early in the campaign, the PCs 
  develop a convenient means of communication 
  — team radios (see page 114), cell phones, or even a 
  team telepath with an appropriate Mind Link power. 
  When drama calls for it, you can always ﬁ nd a way 
  to sever the characters’ communications — through 
  radio jamming, mental jamming, sabotage, or the like.
  PERMITTING CASUAL USE OF POWERFUL 
  ENABLING DEVICES
  An enabling device in ﬁ ction is basically any-
  thing that permits the exploration of a story that 
  would under normal circumstances not be possible. 
  Comic book and science ﬁ ction stories feature some 
  of the more extreme versions of enabling devices, 
  including extradimensional travel apparati, time 
  travel devices, faster-than-light spacecraft , amnesia-
  inducing machines, body-switching magical spells, 
  and so on.
  In a comic book or movie, there’s nothing wrong 
  with powerful enabling devices, because the writer 
  controls exactly how the protagonists can use them, 
  their attitudes toward them, and how long they 
  have access to them. But remember, in a Champi-
  ons game, the “writer” (the GM) doesn’t control the 
  protagonists (the player characters) or all the events 
  of the story. Th at means enabling devices can cause 
  problems, because the player characters either refuse 
  to give them up aft er the immediate need for them 
  has passed, or use them in dramatically inappropri-
  ate ways. Once characters get their hands on such 
  devices, they’re seldom willing to let them go. Note 
  how fast a campaign’s technologically-oriented PCs 
  want to buy a Science Skill for the appropriate eso-
  teric sciences once they have access to such devices. 
  Note also that their expectation is that such Skills 
  mean they can recreate the devices’ eﬀ ects even if 
  they lose the original devices. Ultimately, this means 
  characters will sometimes try to use these devices for 
  purposes not even indirectly related to the plots of 
  the adventures the GM wants to run.
  For example, heroes who have come into pos-
  session of a bad guy’s time travel machine may, 
  in a later adventure, decide they could use it to 
  accomplish some personal goal. A heroine might 
  decide she has to go back in time to save the life 
  of her murdered husband. A hero might realize 
  that if he went back in time, he could change 
  some event in a supervillain’s past to reduce 
  or even eliminate the villain’s evil impulse. 
  A hero being crushed by debt might want 
  to make a brief trip into the future to learn 
  about this week’s sports results so he can place 
  a few bets, make some money, and pay oﬀ  his 
  creditors. Whether their motivations are selﬁ sh or 
  noble, these characters are obviously now thinking 
  of the enabling device as a resource they can utilize 
  whenever they feel like it, and this poses danger to a 
  campaign.
  Th ere are several methods you can employ to 
  reduce or eliminate this problem altogether.
  Talk Th ings Over With Th e Players
  Th e ﬁ rst tactic, of course, is to appeal to the play-
  ers’ sense of responsibility and maturity, and their 
  desire for fun adventures. Talk, GM to player, with 
  the players who want to use the troublesome device. 
  Explaining, “Guys, if you ﬁ re up the time machine 
  whenever an adventure doesn’t go your way, you’re 
  pretty much abandoning your roles as superheroes. 
  Now you’re super-editors, and your job can be done 
  by a technician, a spy, and a chimpanzee in a cute set 
  of overalls. Are you sure you want to do this?”
  Sensible players will realize you’re right. Less sen-
  sible ones won’t. When the group as a whole doesn’t 
  choose to abandon this tactic, you can turn to addi-
  tional tactics of your own.
  Make Every Use An Event
  If use of the enabling device is suﬃ  ciently com-
  plex, and/or has a suﬃ  cient lead-up time, you can take 
  control of its use on each occasion, making that use 
  pertain to a GM-directed adventure. In other words, 
  you can inﬂ ict unintended side eﬀ ects on the PCs as a 
  consequence of their abuse of the enabling device. In 
  the process you can create some great stories.
  For instance, let’s say the hero Graycat had once 
  been just an extraordinarily successful professional 
  kickboxer. When his kid sister died in a gang drive-by 
  shooting, he decided to take vengeance on the gang, 
  but couldn’t bring himself to kill its members. Sub-
  sequently, he adopted the super-name Graycat and 
  began his superhero career. Th is was six years ago, but 
  his sense of guilt and loss have never faded.
  
  141 
  Champions
  Now his team, the Razor Knights, has gotten its 
  hands on an interdimensional gate that gives them 
  access to an endless number of alternate Earths, each 
  similar to this one. Graycat decides to spend his spare 
  time visiting these alternate Earths, trying to ﬁ nd one 
  where his kid sister survived and he died. He could 
  then bring his sister to this world, and they could be 
  together again.
  Obviously, it’s a loony notion. If there’s an inﬁ nity 
  of alternate Earths, it might take an inﬁ nite amount 
  of time to search through them for one that meets his 
  criteria. Also, there’s nothing to say that his kid sister 
  would want to come to this world; she might want 
  Graycat to come to hers. But it has story potential, 
  so Morgan (the GM) decides to take control of this 
  casual and improper use of the interdimensional gate 
  and make Graycat’s quest the subject of a story plot.
  He’ll introduce it ﬁ rst as a subplot. He lets Gray-
  cat conduct his search in secret, furtively going to the 
  team’s base at odd hours when no one else is there. All 
  the other heroes know is that he’s showing up tired 
  to his civilian job and tired to team activities, passing 
  oﬀ  the problem as the result of trouble sleeping or 
  work he has to do at home in what would have been 
  his spare time. Morgan gives Graycat the results of 
  his ﬁ rst several investigations in synopsized form:  
  he ﬁ nds a world where his kid sister is dead and he 
  became a jobless alcoholic instead of a hero; he ﬁ nds 
  a world where the family apparently never existed; he 
  ﬁ nds a world where the Vikings colonized the Ameri-
  cas and world history is too diﬀ erent for the search 
  even to be relevant.
  At a certain point, the other PCs are going to ﬁ nd 
  out what Graycat is up to. Th ey might choose to stop 
  him from this dangerous quest (leading to a conﬂ ict 
  within the group, always  a fun source of drama), or 
  might choose to help him (since he’s obviously deter-
  mined to continue). In the latter case, their participa-
  tion will speed up the process; in addition to having 
  additional manpower to search, their scientiﬁ c skills 
  might help design some technique by which alternate 
  dimensions might be “pre-screened,” eliminating the 
  need to personally visit most of them.
  Th en comes the day when the Graycat’s Sister 
  Search story becomes the primary plot for an adven-
  ture. Graycat ﬁ nds a world where his sister survived 
  and he did not. Now the plotline can really get under 
  way, and you can ﬁ nd many methods to complicate 
  the situation into a full-ﬂ edged adventure and teach 
  Graycat not to meddle with enabling devices. Some 
  ideas:
  Retrieving The Sister. Graycat may discover he has no 
  idea how to approach his sister. When he does, it’s 
  worth remembering that she’s six years older and not 
  quite the person he remembers — she’s 18 or so, may 
  have a boyfriend, may want to ﬁ nish her education at 
  her current school. If, though thrilled to see him, she 
  doesn’t want to come with him, will Graycat kidnap 
  her? And what if she isn’t thrilled to see him — what 
  if, aft er ﬁ nally becoming accustomed to his absence, 
  she regards this new brother as an imposter, an unnat-
  ural undead revenant, a cruel hoax, or a pathetic man 
  who doesn’t have enough emotional strength to cope 
  with reality?
  There’s An Alternate Graycat Loose. On the alternate 
  Earth, a supervillain Graycat also has access to a 
  dimensional gate, and has been looking for an alter-
  nate world — one in which he’s not being sought 
  for his crimes. Just as the real Graycat brings his 
  sister back to the “real world,” the alternate Graycat, 
  attracted by the energies emitted by Graycat’s frequent 
  use of the enabling device, travels there — thereby set-
  ting up an adventure whose obvious theme is “using 
  great power for selﬁ sh aims leads to tragedy.”
  Sis Is A Villainess. On the living sister’s world, she 
  watched as her brother was cut down in the gang’s 
  drive-by shooting. She spent the next few years learn-
  ing and perfecting her brother’s martial art, then 
  tracked down the gang members. Unlike her brother, 
  she did not hesitate to kill every one of them. Since 
  then, she has embarked on a career as Deathcat, 
  supervillainess for hire. She’s more than happy to 
  accompany Graycat back to his world, for, just as in 
  the “Th ere’s An Alternate Graycat Loose” plotline, she’s 
  anxious to elude the forces of the law, which are now 
  closing in on her.
  Deterioration From Separation. Graycat may bring his 
  sister home or go to his sister’s world, but either way, 
  there is potential tragedy in the making. It may be that 
  people separated from their dimension of origin must 
  either be magically powerful or they’ll begin to expe-
  rience a physical, mental, or mystical deterioration 
  from being separated from their homes. Th is leads to 
  adventures where the heroes try to ﬁ nd a cure for the 
  mystery disease, only to discover that nothing but a 
  return to the home dimension can save the deteriorat-
  ing character’s life.
  Consequences Of Device Use
  In many comic book universes and campaigns, 
  powerful mystic forces keep an eye on the kinds of 
  processes utilized by enabling devices. Time Police 
  scour the timeways, putting a stop, sometimes gently 
  and sometimes with ruthless eﬃ  ciency, to unauthor-
  ized use of time travel devices. A society of magicians 
  may head oﬀ  the establishment of regular interdimen-
  sional corridors. Th e subject of an amnesia-inducing 
  device may turn out to be the only person on Earth 
  who knows/knew how to save the world from an 
  upcoming catastrophe.
  One of the classic “consequences” storyline 
  involves the eﬀ ects of time travel. A hero team travels 
  into the past to accomplish some noble end, only to 
  discover when they return to their normal timeframe 
  that their actions in the past have changed the world 
  for the worse. Th e change could stem from some 
  major alteration in time (preventing a supervillain 
  from coming into existence also keeps one of his 
  positive scientiﬁ c developments from beneﬁ tting the 
  world) or a minor one (telling someone back in time, 
  “Don’t worry, kid, you’ll do ﬁ ne” gives that individual 
  the conﬁ dence to achieve more than he otherwise 
  would have, depriving some other NPC of his own 
  goals, resulting in elimination of the events that would 
  have allowed superheroes to come into existence). Th e 
  heroes must then accept the changes or go back in 
  time once more to ﬁ ne-tune their adjustments and set 
  history back on its proper course. (It’s entertaining to 
  a GM to set things up so that, no matter how well they 
  
  142 
  HERO SYSTEM 5TH EDITION
  succeed, something, however minor, is diﬀ erent when 
  they return — Freedom Fighter’s red, white, and blue 
  costume may be blue, red, and white, for instance.)
  Use Th e Device Against Th e Heroes
  It’s not surprising that a group of PCs would 
  enjoy using an enabling device to easily defeat their 
  foes and accomplish their objectives. But it’s also not 
  surprising that they won’t be too pleased if their foes 
  do the same thing in return. If both sides end up with 
  the same or similar enabling devices, perhaps you can 
  negotiate a “truce” in which they each, having realized 
  the dangers the situation poses, destroy their device.
  Eliminate Th e Device
  Th e most draconian but eﬀ ective way to resolve 
  this sort of situation is to remove the enabling device 
  from the campaign. Any number of ways will suﬃ  ce 
  to do this — it’s retrieved or destroyed by its builders, 
  it blows up the ﬁ rst time the PCs use it, or the like.
  Probably the best way to eliminate an enabling 
  device is for the PCs to use it in an adventure, but 
  to lose it at the adventure’s end. Th at way it serves a 
  purpose in the storyline and allows the PCs to achieve 
  some goal, leaving them with a sense of gain even 
  when it is removed.
  Campaigns As They Age
  Just like television series and movie series, cam-
  paigns age and change. If left  to their own devices, 
  they’re likely to become tired and familiar, causing 
  their players to want to switch to another setting, 
  another game system, or (possibly worst of all) 
  another GM. But there are ways to make the natural 
  changes occurring in a campaign mostly beneﬁ cial 
  ones. It just requires a certain amount of anticipation 
  and work.
  THE LIFE CYCLE OF THE CAMPAIGN
  In its ﬁ rst several episodes, a campaign seems 
  very fresh. Player characters explore the limits of the 
  opportunities available to them. Characters who are 
  destined to become series regulars make their ﬁ rst 
  appearances; not yet set in their ﬁ nal personalities 
  and methods, they probably do and say some things 
  they would not in later episodes of the campaign. 
  But they also do and say things that cement their 
  personalities and abilities in the players’ minds, 
  deﬁ ning them for the rest of the game.
  As the players settle into the campaign, their 
  characters’ working and personal relationships 
  become familiar. You can introduce more and more 
  NPCs who are part of the PCs’ regular work, home, 
  and adventure environments. Speciﬁ c villains begin 
  to make repeat appearances, some becoming favor-
  ites with the players.
  Th e campaign soon enters a sort of middle age 
  where characters begin to achieve life’s goals (or real-
  ize they never will); as restless as a spouse with the 
  seven-year-itch, they experiment with new costumes, 
  powers, tactics, partnerships, and relationships (pro-
  fessional and personal). You, seeking ways to make 
  new adventures with some of the same old plots 
  compelling, experiment with new playing formats, 
  use of themes, and so on.
  Gradually, problems begin to accumulate in the 
  campaign like fatigue toxins in muscle tissue... but 
  unlike fatigue toxins, mere rest doesn’t serve to get 
  rid of them. One character’s uncompromising and 
  high-handed methods for dealing with 
  problems increasingly grate on other 
  characters’ nerves. Characters begin 
  achieving long-time personal goals and 
  a certain amount of their inner ﬁ re goes 
  out; they continue to be valid heroes, but 
  lack some of the old drive, determina-
  tion, and energy that made them what 
  they were in the early days. Th e cam-
  paign may lose crucial players as they 
  move or can no longer ﬁ nd the time to 
  play. Over time, the spirit and energy 
  leave the campaign and its participants 
  decide to bring it to a conclusion.
  How long this birth-to-death 
  process takes varies widely. Some cam-
  paigns can be introduced, age, wither, 
  and perish within a handful of episodes. 
  Others forge ahead in a near-perpetual 
  state of vigorous middle age for many 
  years and hundreds of play-sessions. 
  Th e important thing is not to guess how 
  many episodes a campaign is likely to 
  last, but to notice when it’s aging faster 
  than it should and take steps to arrest 
  the decline.
  SLOWING THE AGING PROCESS
  Some tips for keeping a campaign 
  as fresh as possible, allowing it to con-
  
  143 
  Champions
  tinue for an impressively lengthy run, include:
  Pacing And Theme. Alternate lengthy mini-series 
  with a succession of shorter adventures. Alternate 
  adventures heavily involving one theme or even spe-
  cial eﬀ ect (e.g., mystical monsters) with a very dif-
  ferent one (e.g., a visit to the gigantic spaceship/city 
  of the Freeni). Rotations like this help keep players 
  from getting tired of same-seeming adventures.
  Introduce New Players And Characters. As long-
  standing players leave the campaign, bring in new 
  ones instead of just running the now-orphaned 
  characters as NPCs. New players bring new energy 
  to a campaign. Also, you should suggest that these 
  new characters have Hunteds, DNPCs, Contacts, 
  and other background details that are new to the 
  campaign rather than using the same old ones 
  employed by the original generation of players 
  — this, too, brings new life’s blood into the stories. 
  (But allow the new characters to have some associa-
  tion with the old backstory elements, so they have 
  emotional ties to the campaign.)
  Likewise, a long-standing player might not 
  leave the campaign, but become restless with his 
  usual character. Allow him to retire that character, 
  either temporarily or permanently, and bring in a 
  new one. If you realize a character is causing trouble 
  in the campaign but that the trouble lies with the 
  character and not his player, you can recommend 
  that the player create a new character; this will wash 
  some of the “fatigue toxins” out of the campaign.
  Rotate The Focus Characters. Early in a campaign’s 
  development, a portion of the characters usually 
  emerge as its focus. Th eir Hunteds are the more 
  popular ones; their leadership skills keep them in 
  the spotlight. Th is is initially good for establishing 
  a ﬂ avor and tone to the campaign, but even when 
  the other players don’t mind it eventually serves to 
  fossilize the campaign with those characteristics. 
  Over time, you should ﬁ nd a way to shift  the focus 
  to other characters. Techniques include suggesting 
  (perhaps with increasing signiﬁ cance) that it’s time 
  for the leadership of the team to pass to another 
  character; resolving long-lasting subplots (especially 
  involving Hunteds) that have long dominated the 
  campaign, and bringing to the fore subplots that 
  pertain more to the other characters; and creating a 
  set of adventures showcasing the other characters. 
  Th e process of introducing new PCs also helps 
  rotate the focus, but you should be careful to ensure 
  that the focus rotates to diﬀ erent players instead of 
  just to new characters belonging to the same players.
  Introduce New Goals. Over time, characters accom-
  plish tasks that were an important part of their 
  psychological and historical makeups. If a PC has 
  wiped out his personal archnemesis, married and 
  settled into an at-last-comfortable relationship with 
  his sweetheart, and ironed all the kinks out of his 
  problematic superpowers, he’s not likely to act as 
  a ﬁ rebrand in the campaign, sparking new stories, 
  themes, and events. When a character has been 
  comfortable and complacent for a while, you should 
  speak to the player, saying something like, “Now 
  that Graycat’s problems with Death-Weaver and his 
  family life are settled, what’s on his mind? What are 
  some of his other original objectives that haven’t yet 
  been resolved?” Th is sets into motion the process by 
  which new goals, and story complications resulting 
  from them, are created.
  Revamp NPCs And Relationships. Having PC-to-NPC 
  relationships change, especially in a dramatic way, 
  can bring a lot of new interest into a campaign. 
  Sometimes this is nothing but a function of age:  a 
  PC’s child may suddenly be a teenager (and possibly 
  a nascent super); a teenager may suddenly be a col-
  lege student or independent adult. Sometimes this 
  is a function of lack of fulﬁ llment:  a PC’s spouse 
  may suddenly have had enough of the PC living out 
  a life of power while the rest of the family waits at 
  home for him to return, and may choose to separate, 
  divorce, have an aﬀ air, attempt to become super-
  powered, start a new career, or the like. Fiancé(e)s 
  can decide they’ve waited long enough, it’s time to 
  get married; family members and friends can sud-
  denly turn out to be not what they were thought 
  to be (“Mom! You were Lady Nuclear? Isn’t there 
  still a murder warrant out on you?”); or changes in 
  DNPCs’ jobs can aﬀ ect the PC (such as when a hus-
  band or wife is suddenly put in charge of Operation 
  Super Roundup, or a signiﬁ cant other is appointed 
  to head up an operation the PCs know is a front for 
  an evil eugenics experiment).
  Revamp PCs. With players who enjoy this sort of 
  surprise, or with those who agree to the change, it’s 
  oft en refreshing to cause a total rebuilding of the 
  character. Th e PC might go through a radiation 
  accident causing all his powers to change in odd 
  ways; may decide to toss his power suit and undergo 
  a series of gene therapy treatments to give himself 
  natural superpowers; or may at last overcome the 
  hellish curse that gave him his powers and now con-
  centrate on mastering his martial arts.
  Send The Campaign Off-Course. Changing the very 
  nature of a campaign, temporarily or permanently, 
  can pump some energy into it. Are the PCs mem-
  bers of a well-respected, above-board superteam 
  with fan clubs and action ﬁ gures? Have the team 
  framed for crimes against humanity and force them 
  to go underground, trying to clear their names and 
  still ﬁ ght crime with only a fraction of their usual 
  resources. Are the heroes mutants chased by the 
  governments of all nations? Give them a maxi-series 
  that takes place on another planet or in another 
  dimension where their heroic natures are recog-
  nized and unquestioned. Are things pretty settled on 
  the Earth? Plunge the entire nation into a war... or 
  trap the heroes in the post-apocalyptic future aft er 
  the end of that war.
  Rotate The Entire Campaign. Rather than playing 
  a campaign until it becomes a sad thing the play-
  ers can never bear to return to, you should play it 
  until you begin to grow weary of it, then set it aside 
  for a few months. When you return to it later, your 
  creative batteries may have been recharged, and 
  your players’ enthusiasm for the campaign may be 
  renewed.
  
  144 
  HERO SYSTEM 5TH EDITION
  CREATING AND 
  RUNNING EPISODES
  With the characteristics of the campaign 
  ironed out and its principal PCs and NPCs built, 
  you can begin running “episodes” (i.e., individual 
  game scenarios and sessions).
  Simple adventures need to include the follow-
  ing elements:
  ■ Villain
  ■ Plot
  More complex adventures should include the 
  following additional elements:
  ■ Th eme
  ■ Subplots
  Villain
  A later section of this chapter, “Villains,” goes 
  into considerable detail about the types and use of 
  villains in campaigns. For now, it’s enough to remem-
  ber two things.
  First, the villain of an adventure isn’t necessarily 
  villainous, evil, or even selﬁ sh. Technically, he’s the 
  “antagonist” rather than the “villain.” Whatever his 
  role or usual outlook, his job is to set into motion a 
  series of events that cause superheroes to oppose him 
  for some reason.
  Second, the adventure should bear the per-
  sonality stamp of its antagonist. Th is doesn’t mean 
  it should be obvious from the ﬁ rst moments which 
  antagonist is responsible for which series of events 
  — only that what’s going on should be characteristic 
  of the villain’s personality.
  For instance, world-conquering alien invaders 
  don’t usually rob banks. Th is doesn’t mean an adven-
  ture involving a world-conquering alien invader can’t 
  have him arranging for the robbing of a bank. But 
  if he’s responsible for such a crime, there should be 
  clues and leads left  behind to indicate that something 
  is not normal.
  Example: In a bank robbery, a team of ﬁ ve 
  well-motivated, well-disciplined robbers enter 
  the bank building, keep an eye on the bank 
  customers, ﬁ ll their bags with money from the 
  vault, pry open a wall of safe deposit boxes and 
  take their contents, and leave a minute before the 
  ﬁ rst police and superheroes arrive. So far, there’s 
  nothing unusual about this crime except the pro-
  fessionalism displayed.
  But two events stand out. First, of the ﬁ ve rob-
  bers, four did all the talking. Th e ﬁ ft h, whose face 
  was more completely concealed than the others’, 
  did not speak once. Second, one of the safe 
  deposit boxes robbed had some unusual contents. 
  Perhaps it belonged to one of the PC superheroes 
  and held a mysterious device the hero took from 
  an unknown robot in a previous adventure. Per-
  haps it belonged to an archaeologist and held a 
  piece of tooled metal the scholar took from a dig 
  site dated to 2800 BC in Turkey. Perhaps its con-
  tents are unknown, but when the heroes uncover 
  the renter’s identity, it turns out to be a cover 
  name for a supervillain who died a month ago, 
  burned to death by a hitherto-unknown radia-
  tion-emitting device.
  So suddenly we have a bank robbery with some 
  unusual characteristics, and it is those anomalous fea-
  tures that will gradually but inevitably point toward 
  the one true villain of the piece.
  Plot
  Th e standard plot, whether it belongs to a 
  comic book story, a short story, a novel, or a movie, 
  breaks down into three phases.
  ■ Phase One: Get someone in trouble.
  ■ Phase Two: Get that someone in more trouble.
  ■ Phase Th ree: Get that someone out of trouble.
  Th is sounds simple, but it’s inﬁ nitely versatile. 
  Th is sequence is not so much a formula for events as 
  it is a formula for pacing, and most people in West-
  ern society are attuned to that rhythm of story-tell-
  ing whether or not they’re aware of it.
  To set up the basic framework for an adventure 
  plot, you have to determine the following:
  The Antagonist’s Goal. Th is may be simple (a 
  madman wants to win the aﬀ ection of a supermodel, 
  a criminal scientist needs a speciﬁ c meteorite to 
  power his new invention) or complicated (a world-
  conqueror decides to bleed the U.S. dry economi-
  cally by plunging the Middle East into a war where 
  America must intervene militarily).
  How The Antagonist Is Going To Achieve The Goal. Th is, 
  too, may be simple (the madman kidnaps the super-
  model and locks her in a bunker, where he talks to 
  her endlessly about his love and ﬁ nancial prospects; 
  the scientist invents a mini-tank and drives it into 
  the museum to fetch the meteorite) or complicated 
  (the world-conqueror must get better munitions 
  into the hands of every conceivable participant in a 
  Middle East war, then trick a prominent politician of 
  one side into taking an action that can only be inter-
  preted as a mortal insult by another faction, then 
  initiate a scandal in the U.S. House and Senate to 
  distract them and the public while the Middle East 
  situation worsens, then... and so on).
  What First Goes Wrong With The Antagonist’s Plot. Th e 
  antagonist plans his operation from beginning to 
  end, but inevitably something goes wrong, bringing 
  it to the attention of the PCs. Th is is usually simple 
  — in fact, the more complex the antagonist’s plan, 
  the more simple the event that causes the ﬁ rst detail 
  to go wrong. (Th e supermodel kidnapped by the 
  madman is the cousin of one of the PCs; the scien-
  tist disabled all the museum’s security devices, but, 
  being rooted in an earlier decade, forgot to account 
  for the museum-goers’ cell phones; the Washington, 
  D.C. madame whom the world-conqueror enlisted 
  to start oﬀ  the scandal recognized the danger he 
  posed and, unwilling to approach the police or State 
  
  145 
  Champions
  Department, came to visit a circumspect 
  set of superheroes.)
  With these elements in place, you 
  can predict how the interaction of the 
  antagonist’s plot and the player char-
  acters’ actions will go. Of course, your 
  “prediction” about how the PCs react 
  and the adventure unfolds is likely to 
  be incorrect in some respects — the 
  only universal constant in gaming is 
  “the players never do what you expect 
  them to do.” You can usually make some 
  pretty safe assumptions, or at least pre-
  pare an “event tree” which lists the major 
  options and how the story will develop 
  depending on the players’ choices... but 
  you should always be ready to react to 
  the unexpected and take the story in a 
  new direction.
  Example: Dr. Hallyburton, inventor 
  and sociopath, invents a miniaturized 
  tank about the size of a station wagon; 
  it’s capable of taking on one or more 
  superheroes, and its driver’s compart-
  ment can teleport out of the main unit 
  as an escape mechanism. He will use 
  it to crash into the Challenge City Museum of 
  Natural History, break into the meteorite dis-
  play, and steal the remnants of a meteorite that 
  fell to Earth ten years ago; he has recognized it as 
  a sample of polydescartium, a compound with 
  some remarkable properties.
  He uses remote-controlled micro-robots to dis-
  able all the museum’s security. He drives the tank 
  to the museum, crashes in through the front door, 
  and heads straightaway to the meteorite display. 
  Th irty-three museum-goers immediately hit 911 
  on their cell phones and the PCs are alerted.
  Th is is the setup for the adventure; the GM can 
  decide that all these events have taken place, 
  and the PCs’ actions don’t enter into the equa-
  tion until aft er that last event. Now they will. 
  So the GM must ﬁ rst ﬁ gure out how he thinks 
  subsequent events will go.
  Dr. Hallyburton has a considerable head start, 
  so the GM predicts, based on what he knows 
  about his PCs’ movement rates, that Hallybur-
  ton can get to the meteorite display and retrieve 
  the meteorite before they reach the museum. His 
  estimation is that they’ll arrive just as he’s reach-
  ing the door out.
  Doubtless they’ll demand he surrender; doubt-
  less he won’t; doubtless they’ll attack. Battle 
  ensues. Hallyburton’s micro-tank isn’t capable 
  of holding them oﬀ  forever, so aft er the area 
  around the front of the museum is trashed, he 
  teleports away in his driver’s compartment, leav-
  ing the rest of the tank behind.
  With the battle over, the PCs are in possession of 
  a tank and eyewitness reports that point them 
  to the meteorite display. Scientiﬁ c analysis of the 
  display indicates that, though it is not radioac-
  tive, the meteorite must have had some sort of 
  odd emissions, as the metals of the case itself 
  have been weakened. Mechanical examination 
  of the micro-tank points to Dr. Hallyburton, the 
  supplier of ﬁ ne vehicles to supervillains for over 
  30 years.
  Hallyburton’s motivation remains a mystery, 
  and detective work to establish his whereabouts 
  indicates they are unknown; he is wanted for 
  parole violation, as his parole oﬃ  cer cannot 
  reach him. Th e PCs will have to ﬁ nd him.
  Th e GM knows of two ways they can do this. 
  Another museum has a smaller sample of poly-
  descartium; if the heroes can get that and deter-
  mine the nature of its emissions, they can build 
  a device that detects them, allowing them to 
  track Hallyburton to his hideout. Th e mini-tank 
  included several rare parts normally used only 
  by amphibious vehicles manufactured for the 
  military; examination of the builders’ records 
  points to only one set of local deliveries, which 
  is to Hallyburton’s hideout. Th e GM assumes 
  the players can come up with more ways to ﬁ nd 
  Hallyburton. He is now satisﬁ ed they can track 
  him back to his house.
  He anticipates that by the time they reach his 
  home, Hallyburton has completed assembly of 
  his device, a time-travel machine that will send 
  him forward in time to a point where he is pre-
  sumed dead and his crimes are forgotten. Either 
  the heroes stomp Hallyburton before he activates 
  the device, ending the story, or Hallyburton leaps 
  into the temporal eﬀ ect and disappears into the 
  future, which ends the story if the PCs let him go 
  or continues it next time if they jump in aft er 
  him.
  
  146 
  HERO SYSTEM 5TH EDITION
  Th is is how the GM sees the adventure as pro-
  ceeding. But no adventure plan ever survives 
  contact with the players. How the adventure 
  actually plays out is revealed below, on page 
  148.
  Theme
  A theme is a subject that a story tries to 
  explore in a meaningful way. Th e story’s theme can 
  normally be expressed as a sentence or question, 
  such as, “Does a combination of power and lack of 
  consequence cause people to abuse that power?” or 
  “Acts of vengeance also destroy the avenger.”
  Th e events of the story must relate to the 
  theme. However, whether the events or the theme 
  comes ﬁ rst tends to vary from adventure to adven-
  ture. Sometimes you discover the theme once the 
  events begin to take shape, and sometimes it’s the 
  other way around.
  Example: One of the PCs has a teenaged 
  nephew who knows about his super identity 
  and is always begging to be allowed to try on 
  the hero’s power armor suit. Th e PC always 
  laughs and says, “You’re too young.”
  Th e GM decides that this is a good launch-
  ing-point for a story. What if the teenager, 
  frustrated beyond endurance, steals the suit to 
  prove he can drive it? What if the teen acciden-
  tally activates some of its combat simulations 
  and it goes on a rampage as it reenacts the 
  hero’s last battle? We have a plot, and the theme 
  for it soon becomes obvious: “You can’t keep a 
  child in diapers forever,” or, “Goad someone 
  into a foolish move and you are as responsible 
  as he is.”
  Example: Th e GM decides on a theme he wants 
  to explore: “To assume you’re always right is to 
  be oblivious to your every mistake.” He has a 
  supervillain concoct a plan whereby a super-
  hero can be tricked into freeing an ancient 
  evil — one the villain cannot reach because 
  his spirit is not suﬃ  ciently pure to allow him 
  proximity to it. Th en he sets up a series of 
  encounters and clues he’s sure a speciﬁ c hero 
  will interpret in a particular way, without 
  reﬂ ection, without acknowledgment of others’ 
  contrary opinions. He sets it into motion; the 
  PC in question lets the ancient evil out; the PCs 
  must track it down and end its rampage; the 
  supervillain gets away; the hero, if he has any 
  self-reﬂ ection left  to him, is chastened.
  Furthermore, the theme should be something 
  that has a signiﬁ cance to one or more of the player 
  characters — else why explore it? So you should 
  make sure that it relates in some way to one or 
  more personality traits of the PCs.
  Example: In the story of the teenager and the 
  stolen power suit, the GM might contrive things 
  so some of the dialogue between the teen and 
  the power-suit hero resonates with conversa-
  tions other heroes have had with their side-
  kicks, children, or other junior relatives.
  Example: An appropriate theme for the Dr. 
  Hallyburton storyline might be, “It does no 
  good to run away from the consequences of 
  your actions; they are always with you.” But 
  that’s not a theme the GM can explore unless 
  Dr. Hallyburton escapes into the future. And 
  to explore it, the GM has to ﬁ nd some way for 
  Dr. Hallyburton’s past crimes or the personality 
  traits that led him to perform those crimes to 
  trip him up. In addition, for the theme to have 
  any signiﬁ cance to the player characters, they 
  have to recognize it as relevant to themselves, 
  so the GM should base it on a Hallyburton 
  personality trait that one or more of the PCs 
  share.
  Th e use of themes is always optional, and it 
  may be that even the most theme-friendly GM 
  doesn’t want to use them all the time, since players 
  don’t always like being “preached” to (even subtly). 
  But themes do give stories greater signiﬁ cance, and 
  can sometimes make them more memorable expe-
  riences.
  Subplots
  A subplot is any sort of plot that doesn’t have 
  to carry the weight of an entire adventure or story 
  on its back. In other words, it’s one of any number 
  of secondary sets of events that take place around 
  (or parallel to), and sometimes interact with, the 
  adventure’s main plot.
  A subplot doesn’t necessarily deﬁ ne where a 
  story begins or ends. With a self-contained story-
  line (such as most movies), subplots tend to begin 
  at the same time as the main plot and end at the 
  same time. But with a series — and most Champi-
  ons campaigns are presented in serial form — the 
  subplot can begin and end without regard to where 
  main plots begin and end. Th us, subplots are one of 
  the things that help deﬁ ne a campaign; they twine 
  from episode to episode rather than being conﬁ ned 
  to speciﬁ c storylines, so they provide the campaign 
  with a sense of continuity. Th ey also provide indi-
  vidual characters with senses of accomplishment as 
  subplots related directly to them are resolved.
  Subplots can involve entire superteams, or 
  just one or two PCs at a time. Th ey oft en relate to a 
  character’s personal goals (for instance, a romantic 
  interest) or a character’s Disadvantages (such as a 
  Hunted that doesn’t involve the hero’s allies).
  Example: In the current episode of the Razor 
  Knights campaign, Black Swordsman’s nem-
  esis, Sabreur, appears to return from the dead, 
  showing up as a distant ﬁ gure whose minions 
  execute a set of attacks on seemingly-unrelated 
  university professors. Th is is the main plot of 
  the episode.
  In earlier episodes in the campaign, Black 
  Swordsman’s teammate, Freedom Fighter, has 
  been romancing the villainess Snow Leopard 
  RAZOR KNIGHTS 
  SUBPLOTS
  Black Swordsman — His 
  Father’s Return:  Aft er 
  Sabreur’s ﬁ rst appear-
  ance, Black Swordsman, 
  at home, will be visited 
  by his father, the original 
  Black Swordsman. Th e 
  old man has had a pro-
  phetic vision that he (the 
  old man) is soon to die, 
  and wants to stay with 
  his son while that’s hap-
  pening. Is this more than 
  a superstitious notion? 
  And does it relate to 
  Sabreur’s presence? Sab-
  reur isn’t supposed to 
  know about the Secret 
  Identities of the Black 
  Swordsmen.
  Freedom Fighter 
  — Romancing Snow 
  Leopard:  In our last 
  thrilling episode, Free-
  dom Fighter’s courage 
  and gallantry really had 
  an eﬀ ect on the beauti-
  ful villainness Snow 
  Leopard and made her 
  reevaluate her situa-
  tion. She concluded she 
  would miss him more 
  than she’d miss the 
  thrills of her profession. 
  So she’s ready to make 
  a switch. But her team, 
  Z-Force, is involved 
  in a plan to steal Dr. 
  Hallyburton’s cloning 
  apparatus, and team 
  leader Death-Weaver, 
  already suspicious of 
  her, is watching her very 
  closely now. Can she 
  ﬁ nd some way to com-
  municate with Freedom 
  Fighter without alerting 
  Death-Weaver?
  Graycat — Poisoned by 
  Dementia:  In a recent 
  episode, while Graycat 
  was in his Secret Iden-
  tity, his wallet was stolen 
  by a 13-year-old, who 
  ﬂ ed through a junkyard. 
  Graycat followed, get-
  ting nicked and cut in 
  the tight passages the 
  boy took, before getting 
  his wallet back. What he 
  didn’t know was that the 
  theft  and the boy’s route 
  were chosen by Demen-
  tia, who poisoned sharp 
  metal ﬂ anges all along 
  the route. Now Graycat 
  is suﬀ ering a physical 
  deterioration leading to 
  congestive heart failure 
  if he doesn’t discover he’s 
  been poisoned and ﬁ nd 
  the antidote in time.
  
  147 
  Champions
  and trying to persuade her to abandon her 
  criminal life. Th is is a subplot.
  In this episode of the campaign, hero Graycat 
  discovers his health is deteriorating. In the 
  midst of battle, he feels shooting pains in his 
  chest. Aft er the battle, if he chooses to, he can go 
  to a doctor and discover there’s is a mysterious 
  buildup of ﬂ uid around his heart. If he does not 
  go to the doctor this time, there will be another, 
  worse, incident in the next adventure. Either 
  way, this is the start of another subplot.
  It is sometimes useful to keep track of a cam-
  paign’s subplots on a sheet of paper. Before each 
  play-session begins, review this sheet and update 
  it to include subplot details that you intend to 
  introduce in the upcoming episode. See the sidebar 
  on page 146 for an example featuring the Razor 
  Knights’ subplots.
  Gaming It Out
  Having done all this preparation work 
  — deciding on the villain, the plot, and optionally 
  theme and subplots — you and your players can 
  game out the adventure. Note that all this prepa-
  ration doesn’t have to be a lot of work; it can be 
  anything from a few minutes’ worth of thinking 
  to several hours’ worth of meticulous planning, 
  depending on your preference. Some GMs prefer 
  the conﬁ dence and ease of game play that comes 
  from preparing in advance — aft er all, as the Chi-
  nese say, “Th e strongest memory is weaker than the 
  palest ink.” Other GMs, for various reasons, would 
  rather do little (if any) prep work and instead “wing 
  it” based on their conﬁ dence in their gamemaster-
  ing skills.
  NARRATION VERSUS CONVERSATION
  Many Champions campaigns muddle along 
  with a certain lack of dramatic ﬂ air and an unfor-
  tunate absence of character development. One 
  common reason for this unfortunate state of aﬀ airs 
  is that, while players interact, their characters really 
  don’t. Th e GM and players allow narration to sub-
  stitute for interaction. An example:
  Graycat’s Player: “I’m going to call Black Swords-
  man on my radio and tell him that I’ve got an idea 
  that might draw Z-Force out of hiding.”
  GM: “All right.”
  With this sort of approach, you get no charac-
  ter interaction. Instead, it should go something like 
  this:
  Graycat’s Player: “I’m going to call Black Swords-
  man on my radio and tell him that I’ve got an idea 
  that might draw Z-Force out of hiding.”
  GM: “All right. Black Swordsman, your dagger-hilt 
  beeps at you, incoming call.”
  Black Swordsman’s Player: “Black Swordsman here. 
  Damsel-saving a speciality.”
  Graycat’s Player (to GM): “I just told you what I was 
  going to say. Th at was pretty much it.”
  GM: “Right. Now tell him.”
  Graycat’s Player (to GM): “Fine.” (To Black Swords-
  man): “Very funny. Listen, I’ve got an idea on how 
  we can draw Z-Force out of hiding.”
  Black Swordsman’s Player: “Let’s hear it.”
  Graycat’s Player: “Not on an open frequency, no. 
  Let’s meet back at base in ﬁ ft een minutes. But come 
  in by the tunnel access, just in case the main doors 
  are being watched.”
  Black Swordsman’s Player: “Gotcha. Have you 
  already called Freedom Fighter?”
  Graycat’s Player: “No, and I don’t want you to, 
  either. I mean, I trust him, but he’s got this thing 
  with Snow Leopard going, and I don’t trust her. 
  And, hell, he may talk in his sleep.”
  Freedom Fighter’s Player: “Hey!”
  GM: “You’re not in this conversation.”
  Freedom Fighter’s Player: “Right, right.”
  Black Swordsman’s Player: “See you there. Black 
  Swordsman out.”
  Th is approach takes longer, but not much 
  longer — it’s nothing compared to the amount of 
  time combat takes, and it’s wonderful for establish-
  ing character and personality.
  In the example above, Graycat’s player con-
  veyed the same amount of information, but the 
  conversation established his suspicion of Snow 
  Leopard (a valuable point for the GM to note — it 
  suggests a conﬂ ict he can exploit in the Freedom 
  Fighter/Snow Leopard Romance subplot), got a 
  laugh from the players (from Freedom Fighter’s 
  player’s reaction), and allowed both players to act 
  as their characters. Over time, all this roleplaying 
  rounds out the characters’ personalities and better 
  establishes their relationships with one another.
  An inexperienced GM should start by playing 
  out all conversations except those involving NPCs 
  who are both completely irrelevant and utterly 
  without personality. In the latter case, narration is 
  appropriate. A player says, “We’re lost. I’m going 
  to ask directions of the ﬁ rst likely-looking person 
  I see.” Th e GM replies, “Well, the guy operating 
  the newsstand says Michigan Street’s two blocks 
  up — you’re almost there.” But the GM can, if he 
  wishes, use such an opportunity to introduce an 
  NPC he considers interesting or pertinent to the 
  storyline, particularly if he has the character ready 
  and is just waiting for an opportunity to bring him 
  in. As the GM gains experience, he learns where to 
  allow conversations to be narrated and where the 
  players and he should continue to roleplay them.
  On the other hand, there is one area where 
  narration — or, to be more exact, synopsis, should 
  stand in for conversation. Th at’s when characters 
  are obliged to repeat information that their play-
  ers have already heard. For instance, if Freedom 
  Fighter gets the details about the clone-tank heist 
  from Snow Leopard (in a gamed-out conversation 
  enlivened by their frisky repartee) and then bumps 
  into Graycat, he’ll want to provide the same infor-
  mation to Graycat. Neither the players nor the GM 
  COMBAT RECORD 
  SHEETS AND 
  PLAYER 
  CHARACTER 
  CHECKLISTS
  Th e HERO System 
  Resource Kit contains a 
  “Combat Record Sheet” 
  and other game aids 
  that can make it much 
  easier for a GM to keep 
  track of what’s going on 
  during the game, which 
  characters act during 
  each Segment (and 
  when), and so forth. 
  Th ey’re particularly 
  useful for Champions 
  GMs, since there’s so 
  much going on in super-
  human battles.
  Another handy tool for 
  a GM to keep on hand 
  is a Player Character 
  Checklist. Th is consists 
  of nothing more than a 
  list of every player char-
  acter participating in the 
  current adventure, with 
  a checkbox to the left .
  Any time a PC gets to 
  do something that is a 
  moment uniquely his 
  (especially a moment 
  where he gets to show 
  oﬀ ) — a battle with a 
  bad guy, a distinctive use 
  of a skill or a power, a 
  conversational exchange 
  where he gets the better 
  of someone he dislikes 
  — the GM should put a 
  check beside his name.
  As the adventure pro-
  gresses, the GM can use 
  this list to ﬁ gure out 
  which characters have 
  had personal moments 
  and which haven’t. Th is 
  is useful because every 
  PC should have such 
  a moment in every 
  adventure, and no PC 
  should have a lot more 
  moments than any 
  other. Th is tool allows 
  the GM to keep track 
  of which PCs have been 
  under the spotlight and 
  which have not. It can 
  help keep the players’ 
  satisfaction level high 
  and ensure fairness in 
  the GM’s attention.
  
  148 
  HERO SYSTEM 5TH EDITION
  really want to hear the same exact details oﬀ ered 
  up again, so it’s appropriate for the player to say, “I’ll 
  give all that information to Graycat” or “I’ll recap 
  for Graycat.” (Th is is a tactic known in the author’s 
  campaign as “pushing the recap button.”)
  When recapping, it’s also appropriate for the 
  character providing all the information to indi-
  cate how it might diﬀ er from the information he 
  received. For instance, “I’ll recap for Graycat, but 
  I’ll leave out the part about Snow Leopard’s kid 
  sister, since that might allow him to ﬁ gure out her 
  identity.”
  DR. HALLYBURTON’S PLOT
  An example above detailed the plan of Dr. 
  Hallyburton and the GM’s estimation of how the 
  adventure of the museum attack will progress.
  Th e GM is wrong. Th e GM is almost always 
  wrong in some way where these estimations are 
  concerned. If the GM is not usually wrong in at 
  least some respects, he either has a frightening 
  real-world prophetic ability or he’s forcing the PCs 
  down a too-limited set of character options and 
  not allowing them the freedom of action that is 
  one of the best features of roleplaying games.
  As it turns out, shortly aft er the museum 
  attendees pull out their cell phones and call 
  911, the GM has the police department’s super-
  hero contact oﬃ  cer call the Razor Knights and 
  tell them about the museum assault. Freedom 
  Fighter, the superhero on duty, takes the call, and 
  his player asks the GM something unexpected: 
  “Th e Museum of Natural History? Doesn’t Black 
  Swordsman work just a block from there?” Th e 
  GM, taken aback, searches his memory and real-
  izes a previous adventure did establish that Black 
  Swordsman worked a block from the 
  museum — he and his girlfriend, Lil-
  lian, oft en go to the museum on their 
  lunch breaks. “Fine,” Freedom Fighter 
  says. “I’ll call Black Swordsman and 
  tell him to get over there now, and 
  that backup is coming.”
  Th is puts the GM in the posi-
  tion of having to deal with a sudden 
  bobble in his plot. If Freedom Fighter 
  can get through to Black Swordsman 
  on his team radio, which he should be 
  able to, then Black Swordsman can get 
  to the museum a full minute ahead of 
  the rest of the team. With that amount 
  of extra time, Black Swordsman may 
  be able to interrupt Dr. Hallyburton 
  as he’s still trying to retrieve the mete-
  orite. Th is fouls up the GM’s whole 
  prediction about how the rest of the 
  adventure will run. What to do?
  Th e GM can either manipulate 
  events to put his adventure back on 
  track, or can incorporate the char-
  acters’ corrosive eﬀ ects on his plot. 
  In spite of the temptation to do the 
  former and not have to abandon lots 
  of preparatory work, it’s usually better 
  to give the characters their logical 
  inﬂ uence on the plot. Roleplaying 
  games are about group story creation, not the 
  GM creating a story and telling it to the players. 
  Sometimes the players get to aﬀ ect the outcome of 
  events, too.
  Th e GM has Black Swordsman get to the 
  meteorite display just as Dr. Hallyburton pops the 
  hatch on his tank. Th e two see each other. Dr. Hal-
  lyburton curses, slams the hatch back shut, and 
  jumps into combat with Black Swordsman. Black 
  Swordsman stalls the mini-tank until his team-
  mates arrive. Dr. Hallyburton has to teleport to 
  safety... and doesn’t have his meteorite.
  What now? In the plot as envisioned, the 
  heroes would eventually track Dr. Hallyburton to 
  his house just as he’s ﬁ ring up his meteorite-fueled 
  time machine. Now, things are diﬀ erent, and the 
  GM must improvise.
  Fortunately, the GM already established 
  in his own mind that there is another piece of 
  polydescartium at another museum. Since Hal-
  lyburton can’t get the one from this museum, 
  he races home, packs up his time machine, and 
  rushes oﬀ  to steal the other piece. By the time the 
  Razor Knights get to his house, he’s gone. But they 
  ﬁ nd some of his technical illustrations, allowing 
  them to ﬁ gure out where he’s gone and why. So, in 
  the all-new, improvisation-plotted last half of the 
  adventure, the PCs confront him in a new city, at 
  a diﬀ erent museum, stealing a diﬀ erent meteorite. 
  Perhaps he’ll have his time machine installed in 
  his tank this time, allowing him to try the time-
  jump the instant he has the meteorite in hand; 
  perhaps they’ll just catch him and prevent all the 
  time-travel ramiﬁ cations from taking place.
  Either way, the GM has planned and run his 
  
  149 
  Champions
  adventure, and has done so successfully despite 
  the way his plot was derailed. He even incorpo-
  rated plot details (the other meteorite) that would 
  otherwise have been wasted when the original 
  plot was circumvented.
  And that, ultimately, is the way most Cham-
  pions adventures play out — designed, plotted, 
  partially or completely abandoned, and completed 
  in a way that synthesizes both the GM’s and the 
  players’ ideas, input, and goals.
  Instant Plot Generator
  If you’re stuck for a plot, you can utilize this 
  Instant Plot Generator to put together the frame-
  work of a play-session. It will generate fairly simple 
  plots, but you can then ﬂ esh them out and ﬁ ne-tune 
  them according to the details of your campaign.
  To use the Instant Plot Generator, consult the 
  following series of charts, rolling dice where indi-
  cated to determine which elements will become 
  part of the plot. Th row out any that simply don’t 
  feel right for your characters and re-roll those 
  options. Choose additional events that make the 
  story work better; add events that don’t appear on 
  the tables below when appropriate.
  STEP 1: GENERAL NATURE OF STORY
  Roll 1d6:
  1-4 Man versus Man
  5 
  Man versus Nature
  6 
  Man versus Himself
  Man Versus Man
  Th is is the most common sort of superhero 
  plot — one in which people come into conﬂ ict with 
  the superheroes. To determine the nature of the 
  antagonists of the story, roll 1d6.
  Roll 
  Antagonist
  1 
  Hunters. Th is episode’s bad guy is an occur-
  rence of the Hunted Disadvantage of one of 
  the PCs.
  2-3 
  Criminals. Th e PCs interfere in a criminal 
  plot currently hatching — a robbery, corpo-
  rate takeover attempt, blackmailing, murder 
  attempt, or the like.
  4 
  Th e Law. Legitimate law enforcement forces 
  seek the heroes. Th e heroes may have been 
  framed, or there may be a legitimate com-
  plaint against one or more of them, but this 
  intrusion comes at a time when the PC must 
  be free to pursue some personal agenda.
  5 
  Avengers. Th e antagonist is pursuing an 
  agenda of revenge. It may be a hero trying 
  to avenge a crime, a villain trying to avenge 
  a hero’s interference, or a normal trying to 
  avenge any sort of oﬀ ense.
  6 
  Invaders. A force set on conquest or destruc-
  tion is planning a mission. Th is may be a 
  mission of inﬁ ltration, subversion, kidnap-
  ping, sabotage, or assault. Th ey may be aliens, 
  foreign nationals, terrorists, or representa-
  tives of a secret society.
  Man Versus Nature
  In this sort of plot, there’s no real “villain” 
  — some sort of natural disaster or event provides 
  the danger and must be countered. Roll 1d6:
  Roll 
  Threat
  1-2 
  Encroachment. A natural disaster pops up in 
  one place and moves toward innocents; it can 
  be intercepted by heroes, but not necessarily 
  stopped in an easy fashion. Examples: volca-
  nic eruption, tsunami, meteor, forest ﬁ re.
  3-4 
  Punishment. A force of nature assaults an 
  area and stays there, continuing to do it 
  harm. Examples:  hurricane, plague, giant 
  Japanese monster (which keeps returning to 
  the city).
  5-6 
  Aft ermath. A disaster takes place in a short 
  amount of time; the rest of the adventure 
  consists of dealing with the consequences. 
  Examples:  earthquake, factory explosion, 
  radiation leak, tornado. Appropriate prob-
  lems to solve include coping with ﬁ res, deal-
  ing with breakdown of services and local 
  infrastructure, stopping looters, ﬁ nding miss-
  ing persons, rescuing victims, and heading 
  oﬀ  starvation and dehydration.
  Man Versus Himself
  Th e classic literary convention of a story in 
  which the protagonist struggles with one of his 
  own traits or weaknesses doesn’t normally translate 
  well to a simple superhero story, or into a roleplay-
  ing game session in general in most cases, but you 
  can approximate it. Choose one PC and pick out 
  one of that character’s Psychological Limitations. 
  Th en either roll on the Man Versus Man chart or 
  the Man Versus Nature table and put together an 
  antagonist who bears directly on that Psychological 
  Limitation in such a way that the character will has 
  to overcome the Psychological Limitation (at least 
  temporarily) or be ineﬀ ective in the adventure.
  STEP 2: REVELATION OF MENACE
  Here, you ﬁ nd out how the adventure’s antago-
  nist or problem is revealed to the PCs. Roll 1d6:
  Roll 
  Manner Of Revelation
  1 
  Dying Clues. A person who’s been murdered, 
  or who’s just now in the process of dying 
  from an attack, leaves behind clues pointing 
  indirectly to the problem confronting the 
  heroes.
  2 
  Ongoing Investigation Or Mundane Mystery. 
  If a PC is engaged in an ongoing investiga-
  tion, his search unearths clues about the 
  upcoming event, even if it is not directly 
  related to his investigation. Alternatively, one 
  or more PCs, enjoying the normal Secret 
  Identity lifestyle, stumble across some things 
  that are Just Not Right, pointing him toward 
  the problem.
  3 
  Series Of Strange Events. Th e GM calculates 
  how the adventure’s menace and determines 
  a set of side eﬀ ects the heroes can experience, 
  but which individually don’t explain what’s 
  about to happen.
  
  150 
  HERO SYSTEM 5TH EDITION
  4 
  Big Boom. Th e heroes become aware of the 
  developing situation when the ﬁ rst overt 
  signs of it appear — bombs are dropped, 
  laser bolts ﬂ y, radiation breath melts City 
  Hall.
  5 
  Powers/Equipment Point To What’s Coming. 
  Characters with Danger Sense, prophetic 
  powers, equipment that relates to the sci-
  entiﬁ c ﬁ eld most closely related to the 
  approaching menace, or the like begin to 
  accumulate data that alerts them to what is 
  going on.
  6 
  Warning From An NPC. An NPC could have 
  gone through any of the experiences shown 
  above for rolls of 1 through 5 and decide 
  to bring that information to the PC team. 
  Th e NPC could be an ally, a psychic, even a 
  supervillain.
  STEP 3: EVENTS OF THE STORY
  By following the two previous steps, you now 
  have a sense of the general nature of the story’s 
  antagonist and how the PCs are led toward their 
  enemy. You can take the reins from here and simply 
  decide, based on logic, what happens next. If you 
  wish, you can add detail to the story by rolling on or 
  selecting from the accompanying table additional 
  story elements. Roll 1d6 twice to generate the two 
  numbers you need.
  When using this table, remember the Phase 
  One, Phase Two, Phase Th ree plot structure 
  described earlier in this chapter under “Plot.” When 
  rolling/selecting events of the story, divide them 
  between the three phases of the plot, putting them in 
  whatever order best raises dramatic tension.
  STEP 4: OPTIONAL TWISTS
  With the plot structure and a number of events 
  in hand, you can optionally decide to add one or 
  more “twists” to your adventure. A twist is an unex-
  pected event or revelation that causes the heroes to 
  reevaluate previous happenings and actions, and 
  perhaps adjust their tactics or their goals. Roll 1d6:
  Roll 
  Optional Twist
  1 
  Supposed Friend Is Really Enemy. One of the 
  heroes’ allies actually turns out either to be an 
  agent of the other side or to be a self-serving 
  wretch who accomplishes a personal goal at 
  the expense of the PCs’ chances for success.
  2 
  Supposed Enemy Is Really Friend. One of the 
  forces the heroes have been ﬁ ghting turns out 
  to be working in their best interests.
  3-4 
  Source Of Menace Is Not As Expected. Th e 
  forces or enemies blamed for the events turn 
  out not to be their cause; the heroes must ﬁ nd 
  and confront the true cause.
  5 
  Menace Is Nothing But A Distraction. All these 
  events have merely been a way to keep the 
  heroes out of the way while some other mal-
  feasance goes on elsewhere, unnoticed. (Th e 
  bigger the events have been, the bigger the 
  other malfeasance must be. One doesn’t set 
  oﬀ  a volcano to keep the heroes away from a 
  bank robbery.)
  6 
  Menace Is Actually A Good Th ing. It turns out 
  the bad consequences of the story’s menace 
  are actually working in the heroes’ best inter-
  ests (e.g., the kind-hearted scientist the 
  heroes are protecting from kidnappers turns 
  out to be engineering a medicine-resistant 
  EVENTS OF THE STORY TABLE
  First Second
  Roll 
  Roll 
  Event
  1-2 
  1 
  Th e characters must hurry to a speciﬁ c location, perhaps in competi-
  tion with a rival/opposed group aft er the same objective.
   
  2 
  A partial or complete solution to problem involves an object (magical 
  item, invention, or the like) held by secondary antagonists; the PCs 
  must take the object by trade, force, or coercion.
   
  3 
  A partial or complete solution to problem lies with an NPC who’s hos-
  tile, unhelpful, or mysteriously missing; the PCs must convince him or 
  ﬁ nd him.
   
  4 
  Th e characters temporarily lose critical resources — destroyed by 
  disaster, stolen by villains, a breakdown due to character negligence, or 
  the like.
   
  5 
  Th e characters’ plot/tactic completely fails; characters are driven into 
  retreat/captured (if captured, must escape or survive deathtrap)
   
  6 
  A DNPC tries to help, but just gets into the path of danger.
  3 
  1-2 
  Th e characters must invent a partial solution to problem (spend time 
  in the laboratory, develop a magical spell, ﬁ eld-test a new weapon, or 
  the like).
   
  3-4 
  A mysterious NPC/group repeatedly interacts with situation, but 
  doesn’t seem to be on the side of the PCs or the antagonist.
   
  5-6 
  Th e characters must solve one or more mundane crimes using their 
  investigative abilities.
  4 
  1 
  Th e characters must get a crucial item/person from point A to point B; 
  the trip may be long, the route dangerous, or the item/person aggra-
  vating or problematic.
   
  2 
  Th e characters’ plans keep being leaked to the enemy; the characters 
  must ﬁ nd the mole in their organization, spy devices in their quarters, 
  or whatever is causing the leak.
   
  3 
  A character’s superpowers interact with antagonist’s powers/eﬀ ects in 
  strange and unpredictable ways.
   
  4 
  A character’s family/loved ones are discovered to be tied into the plot.
   
  5 
  Characters’ plot/tactic succeeds, but result in the deaths of a lesser 
  number of innocents; they must either ﬁ nd a way to undo what they 
  did, or accept and explore the moral consequences of their actions.
   
  6 
  Th e characters must ﬁ ght a rear guard or delaying action to allow 
  innocents to escape, or to allow an NPC or fellow PC to get to a spe-
  ciﬁ c place by a speciﬁ c time.
  5 
  1 
  An NPC falls in love with/professes love for/develops a crush on a PC.
   
  2 
  A DNPC or loved one stands to proﬁ t from actions that are unhelpful 
  to the PCs’ mission or tactics.
   
  3 
  Th e characters discover that needed allies/resources beneﬁ t if antago-
  nist wins and are not planning to help ﬁ ght the antagonist.
   
  4 
  Th e characters ﬁ nd evidence of inexplicable change that must relate 
  to antagonist tactics — physical laws are diﬀ erent, material properties 
  have changed, peoples’ behavior is diﬀ erent, people are missing — but 
  the relationship is unclear.
   
  5 
  Research into a menace reveals that its causes are older than previ-
  ously suspected.
   
  6 
  Th e authorities refuse to cooperate with PCs (they may believe their 
  tactics wrong, seek them on criminal charges, or the like).
  6 
  1 
  An injury to a PC causes temporary amnesia.
   
  2 
  A character’s loved one demands more time/attention from him.
   
  3 
  A character is poisoned, cursed, or otherwise weakened.
   
  4 
  A character undergoes a “radiation accident” aft er an encounter with 
  antagonist; develops new powers, Disadvantages.
   
  5 
  A character discovers that the PCs’ preferred tactic actually beneﬁ ts 
  the antagonist.
   
  6 
  Th e characters are ejected from the vicinity of trouble and must race 
  back to the scene of the action.
  
  151 
  Champions
  strain of the Black Death in his basement; 
  the kidnappers are time-travelers who want 
  to stop him from killing 78% of the Earth’s 
  population).
  EXAMPLE OF USE
  Morgan, the GM of the Razor Knights cam-
  paign, is pressed for time, so he decides to make 
  use of the Instant Plot Generator.
  For General Nature of Story, he rolls a 6 — Man 
  Versus Himself. He’s dubious about that, but, since 
  it calls for him to re-roll to provide the underly-
  ing structure for a Man Versus Himself story, he 
  decides he’ll abandon Man Versus Himself if it 
  turns out not to be what he wants. His second roll 
  is a 5, Man Versus Nature.
  For further details on Man Versus Nature, he rolls 
  a 4:  Punishment. Whatever this force of nature is, 
  it keeps pounding whatever area it visits.
  For Revelation of Menace, he rolls a 6:  Warning 
  From An NPC. Th at’s a good way to do it, and cer-
  tainly won’t waste much time in getting the PCs 
  into the story.
  Now, it’s time to determine Events of the Story. He 
  decides to start with two events per phase of the 
  plot, and his rolls net him these events:
  Characters Are Ejected From Scene Of Trouble
  Characters Must Hurry To Speciﬁ c Location
  Characters Discover Needed Allies/Resources 
  Beneﬁ t If Antagonist Wins
  Character’s Loved One Demands More Time/
  Attention
  DNPC Tries To Help, But Gets Into Path of 
  Danger
  Characters’ Plot/Tactic Is Complete Failure
  Finally, Morgan decides to roll on the 
  Optional Twists table and see if he likes what he 
  gets. He rolls a 3, Source Of Menace Is Not As 
  Expected. He’ll use it if he can ﬁ nd an interesting 
  way to do it.
  He considers what he’s got here, and, actu-
  ally, he thinks there’s a way to implement the Man 
  Versus Himself structure — it interacts nicely 
  with the Source Of Menace Is Not As Expected 
  twist. What if the menace is actually a projection 
  from the hero’s own mind?
  Th at makes sense. A superhero might develop 
  a temporary power that creates remote projec-
  tions of his own inner turmoil. Morgan decides 
  that, in this case, the projection is a big monster 
  that manifests out of storms (nicely symbolic of 
  that turmoil), rampages across the city, and then 
  disappears into the storm again, and just can’t be 
  stopped.
  What hero to use? Morgan looks through his 
  list of PCs and decides on Graycat, the martial 
  artist whose sister was gunned down before his 
  eyes. Morgan decides Graycat’s guilt and self-
  loathing will manifest themselves in a way that 
  threatens to destroy both Graycat and his city.
  Th e Revelation Of Menace result was a Warn-
  ing From An NPC. Growing more cheerfully mali-
  cious, Morgan decides the NPC is Graycat’s dead 
  sister. She’ll appear to him and warn him he’s very 
  close to joining her... there’s no way he can defeat 
  the doom coming to visit his city.
  But Graycat is essentially a normal martial 
  artist who stays at superhero levels through con-
  stant (fanatical) training. Morgan has to ﬁ nd some 
  way to explain why he can suddenly manifest 
  giant monsters. Th is suggests he should have some 
  sort of radiation accident that provides a plausible 
  reason for the temporary power. Morgan adds that 
  to the set of events the characters experience.
  Morgan rearranges the events of the story to 
  make them progress in a way that logically builds 
  toward the climax and resolution of the story. In 
  his new order, and with details provided by the 
  decisions he’s been making, they look like this:
  
  152 
  HERO SYSTEM 5TH EDITION
  Phase One
  (New Event) Th e characters’ superpowers interact 
  with an antagonist’s powers/eﬀ ects in strange and 
  unpredictable ways. In an apparently unrelated 
  incident, the Razor Knights clash with agents of a 
  mystical society that have set up an arcane ritual 
  in the Challenger City Museum of History, in the 
  display on ancient Viking culture. It appears the 
  bad guys are enacting a spell to give one of their 
  number great power. Th e Razor Knights foul things 
  up and capture them. Morgan contrives things so 
  Graycat ﬁ rst touches one of the several artifacts 
  being used in the ritual, but that part of the event is 
  completely innocuous.
  (Revelation Of Menace) Warning From An NPC. A 
  few nights later, during a pounding thunderstorm, 
  Graycat’s hears a noise in his apartment, gets up 
  to investigate, and ﬁ nds his dead sister looking 
  through his scrapbook. She issues her warning 
  about him being close to death. During a blinding 
  clap of lightning, she disappears. Th e scrapbooks 
  have actually been moved, opened, looked through.
  (Event) Character’s Loved One Demands More 
  Time/Attention. Graycat’s girlfriend, Debra Uecker, 
  made increasingly frustrated by his fanatical train-
  ing and crimeﬁ ghting, insists he retire, or at least 
  cut back on his costumed activities.
  (Event) DNPC Tries To Help, Gets 
  Into Path Of Danger. Immediately 
  aft er Debra’s demand, the monster, a 
  mountain-sized frost giant straight 
  out of Norse myth, manifests 
  for the ﬁ rst time. Graycat 
  rushes oﬀ  to join his 
  team. Debra, not satisﬁ ed she’s gotten through to 
  him, follows. During the monster’s ﬁ rst rampage, 
  she is nearly killed by accident (the giant doesn’t 
  attack her directly). Th e monster disappears.
  Phase Two
  (New Event) Characters Must Invent Partial Solu-
  tion To Problem. Th e PCs correctly conclude that 
  the giant relates to their Viking cultists of the other 
  night. Th ey analyze its tactics and perhaps magi-
  cal energy traces left  behind, and develop methods 
  they think will defeat the giant.
  (Event) Characters Are Ejected From Scene Of 
  Trouble. Th e next time the giant appears, the heroes 
  rush to the scene... but despite their stealth, the 
  giant knows they are coming. Unlike its tactic when 
  dealing with city forces and the National Guard 
  (smash with club, hit with ice storm), it waves its 
  hand and they are magically teleported to a dis-
  tant location, unhurt... all except Graycat, whom it 
  smashes. As soon as Graycat is unconscious, it dis-
  appears back into the storm.
  Phase Th ree
  Morgan decides to get rid of the “Charac-
  ters Discover Needed Allies/Resources Beneﬁ t If 
  Antagonist Wins” event, since he can’t ﬁ nd a way 
  to make it ﬁ t within the texture of the story.
  (Event) Characters’ Plot/Tactic Is Complete Fail-
  ure. In the next encounter or encounters with the 
  giant, the PCs’ special tactics, gadgets, or spells 
  prove to be inexplicable failures. Evidence mounts 
  that the giant hates Graycat and yet won’t delib-
  erately harm to things Graycat likes (Debra, his 
  friends, his favorite landmarks, and so on). Th ey 
  may use Graycat as bait to lure the giant away 
  from habitation, but won’t be able to ﬁ gure out 
  how to defeat the thing until they realize, through 
  research or use of SS: Psychology, that it’s a projec-
  tion of his guilt/self-loathing.
  (Event) Characters Must Hurry To Speciﬁ c Loca-
  tion. Once the heroes know what the problem is, 
  they might come up with any of several possible 
  solutions, many of which require fast trips to spe-
  ciﬁ c destinations. Possibilities:  to the warehouse 
  where the artifacts from the Viking ceremony are 
  held, so they can re-interpret the items and their 
  function in light of Graycat’s problem; into the 
  dream-world of Graycat’s sleeping mind, where 
  they can confront the giant (now revealed as a 
  version of Graycat himself) and Graycat might be 
  able to speak to a dream version of his sister and 
  ﬁ nd closure related to her death.
  
  153 
  Champions
  NEW AND 
  ADJUSTED RULES
  Th e HERO System rules are designed to simu-
  late any of heroic ﬁ ction. However, as generic rules, 
  they oft en work best if “ﬁ ne-tuned” a bit for each 
  genre. Th is section contains a few optional adjust-
  ments to existing rules, and new rules, that make 
  the game work more like a comic book superhero 
  story.
  ATTACKING WHILE COVERED
  It’s a terrible idea in real life, but characters in 
  the comics and movies occasionally attack someone 
  who has them Covered with a gun or other weapon, 
  and manage to do so without getting attacked. If 
  you and your players want to implement this essen-
  tially ridiculous ﬁ ction convention, you can allow 
  a character to make an attack (usually a Disarm) 
  while Covered, without the Covering character 
  going ﬁ rst, under the following circumstances:
  ■ if he has Fast Draw and makes his roll by more 
  than the Covering character makes his Sight Group 
  PER Roll;
  ■ if he has Sleight Of Hand and makes his roll by 
  more than the Covering character makes his Sight 
  Group PER Roll; or
  ■ if he makes a DEX Roll by more than the Cover-
  ing character makes his DEX Roll.
  Before attempting to break the Cover, the 
  character must decide which of the three methods 
  to use. If he fails his roll, the character Covering 
  him can choose to attack him with the Covering 
  attack.
  BOUNCED ATTACKS
  Superheroes oft en use blunt missile weapons 
  — thrown billy clubs, shields, weighted disks, and 
  the like — against their enemies, carefully plan-
  ning 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 
  character can do this with the Bouncing An Attack 
  rules on page 377 of the HERO System 5th Edition, 
  Revised. Th e character simply devotes one applica-
  ble Combat Skill Level to make the weapon return 
  to his hand. Th e 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 deﬁ ne 
  the attack as a power without the Focus Limitation 
  — thus ensuring, as a special eﬀ ect, that it always 
  “bounces back” to him, because the rules let him 
  use the attack again and again without anyone 
  being able to take it away from him.)
  CHARACTERS AS WEAPONS
  Superhumans oft en like to pick up other 
  superhumans and use them as impromptu clubs 
  or missiles with which to attack other foes. Th is 
  has the beneﬁ t of causing damage to both foes.
  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 Th rowing Table on page 35 of the 
  HERO System 5th Edition, Revised). He may do 
  this as an action that takes no time, just like nor-
  mally smashing or squeezing a character or object. 
  However, unlike just causing damage to a Grabbed 
  character alone, using another character as a club/
  missile requires an Attack Roll against the chosen 
  target. If that roll succeeds, both the character 
  used as a club/weapon and the target character 
  take the attacking character’s STR damage. If it 
  fails, the club/missile may still, in the GM’s discre-
  tion, take damage from hitting something else.
  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 
  character used as a missile is neither balanced nor 
  aerodynamic (-4 OCV).
  DIRECTED AND RANDOM KNOCKBACK
  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 Knock-
  back 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 cal-
  culated 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 char-
  acter), 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 char-
  acter.
  EXTRA COMBAT FUNCTIONALITY AND 
  REVELATORY PRESENCE ATTACKS
  You can use these optional rules, which are 
  most suited for adventure- and drama-oriented 
  campaigns, if you wish. See pages 35, 39 for 
  details.
  FASTBALL 
  SPECIAL  OPTIONS
  CHANGING FORMS
  Th e fastball special rules 
  assume the “fastball” 
  keeps the same size, 
  form, and mass he had 
  when thrown. However, 
  Body-Aﬀ ecting Powers 
  can interact with a fast-
  ball special maneuver in 
  various ways. Th e easiest 
  thing is for the GM to 
  just ignore this entirely, 
  except for purposes of 
  determining the charac-
  ter’s mass (and thus how 
  far he can be thrown). 
  But GMs desiring greater 
  “realism” (and thus com-
  plexity) 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-calcu-
  late how far the thrower 
  could have thrown him. 
  If he’s already traveled 
  that far or further, he 
  immediately 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 deter-
  mine how much damage 
  he does (possibly adding 
  a die or two to account 
  for the velocity from the 
  throw, if appropriate).
  Desolidiﬁ cation:  A char-
  acter has to be solid to 
  be thrown (unless the 
  thrower has STR that 
  can aﬀ ect Desolidiﬁ ed 
  objects, in which case 
  consider the Desolidi-
  ﬁ ed character to have his 
  normal mass for pur-
  poses 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 
  Continued on next page
  
  154 
  HERO SYSTEM 5TH EDITION
  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 at a designated 
  target. It works like a normal Grab By, Move By, or 
  Move Th rough, except that the “fastball’s” veloc-
  ity 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 penalty for throwing an unbalanced, non-
  aerodynamic missile do. If the throw succeeds (i.e., 
  the thrower put the “fastball” in a position to make 
  a HTH Combat attack against the target), the “fast-
  ball” then makes his own Attack Roll; CV modiﬁ ers 
  for the maneuver he uses do apply to his roll.
  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 Ironclad 
  has 50 STR more than he needs to lift  his 
  friend. Ironclad’s running throw allows him 
  to toss Nighthawk 40”. Th e villain is DCV 7. 
  Ironclad makes an Attack Roll and rolls a 7, 
  which allows him to hit the villain — the -3 
  OCV for a Grab By doesn’t apply to his roll, 
  but Nighthawk is unbalanced and non-aero-
  dynamic (-4 OCV). Th at means Nighthawk is 
  in position to perform his maneuver. Night-
  hawk has an OCV of 8, +1 Overall Level, 
  for 9, but suﬀ ers the -3 OCV penalty for the 
  maneuver (and -4 DCV). 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.
  Th e “fastball” character gets a full 
  Phase in which to act, since his move-
  ment is being supplied by another 
  character. Typically he devotes the 
  whole Phase to making the attack. 
  However, before being thrown, or aft er 
  traveling halfway to his target (i.e., 
  making a “Half Move”), the character 
  could use a Zero-Phase Action to acti-
  vate a power. Th at could be something 
  simple (making his claws grow so 
  he can use them with the attack), or 
  something complicated like activating 
  a Body-Aﬀ ecting Power or Movement 
  Power (see accompanying sidebars).
  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/STR as if performing a  Move By. Th is 
  can cause game balance problems, but may be 
  appropriate for some situations.
  OPTIONAL EFFECTS OF DAMAGE
  Most of the Optional Eﬀ ects of Damage from 
  pages 414-21 of the HERO System 5th Edition, 
  Revised rulebook — Wounding, Impairing, Dis-
  abling, Knockdown, and Bleeding — are inappropri-
  ate for Champions campaigns. (Th ey’re not illogical, 
  they’re not bad — they just don’t have much of a 
  place in a superhero environment.) On the other 
  hand, the rules for Knockback are extremely appro-
  priate for the superhero genre, and should be used 
  in all but the most “realistic” games.
  Th e rules for Hit Locations and Placed Shots 
  are generally inappropriate for Champions games; 
  most GMs don’t use them. However, it is appro-
  priate to use the Hit Location chart on occasions 
  when you want to determine randomly where an 
  attack strikes a target, purely for descriptive eﬀ ect 
  (just don’t use any of the modiﬁ ers or multipliers). 
  Characters can also use Placed Shots for such heroic 
  actions as shooting a gun out of a thug’s hand, and 
  perhaps even for things like bypassing a target’s 
  armor.
  RESTRICTED RECOVERIES
  HERO System combats can take a long time; 
  superhero combats even more so. It’s possible to 
  protract a combat beyond the point that anyone is 
  having fun by having each unconscious character 
  Recover to consciousness at exactly the rate pre-
  scribed by the rules. Instead, if a combat has turned 
  substantially against the supervillains, have the 
  unconscious ones regain STUN from Recoveries at 
  a slower-than-normal pace so the combat ends in 
  a more timely, dramatic fashion. If necessary, just 
  don’t give them any Recoveries at all. (If nothing 
  else, you should do this to put a stop to the mark-
  edly unheroic and totally game rules-oriented habit 
  of hitting an unconscious foe “just to make sure he 
  stays down.”) If all the PCs are unconscious at the 
  time to hit the target and 
  injure him. In this case, 
  the GM can either grant 
  an exception to that rule, 
  or allow an exception if 
  the character succeeds 
  with a roll with an appro-
  priate 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 restric-
  tions, 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 func-
  tions just like Density 
  Increase regarding the 
  way it increases 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 trav-
  els); this may require the 
  character to succeed 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 aerody-
  namic qualities, apply the 
  worse of the two modiﬁ -
  ers from the Range Modi-
  ﬁ 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 nei-
  ther balanced nor aero-
  dynamic (-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 suf-
  fers a -2 OCV penalty.
  Continued on next page
  Continued from last page
  
  155 
  Champions
  same time, allow them to remain so — the assump-
  tion being that the villains did whatever it took to 
  keep them unconscious — regardless of how close 
  they might have been to waking up. (Th e players 
  won’t like this, but will probably understand the 
  fairness of the tactic.)
  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.
  THE CARE AND FEEDING OF 
  DISADVANTAGES
  Disadvantages are one of the most useful tools 
  you have when running a Champions campaign. 
  Th ey give you insight into a character’s personality, 
  hooks with which you can compel or entice them 
  into performing certain actions, and weaknesses 
  you can exploit.
  General Guidelines
  Here are a few tips that apply to any Disadvan-
  tage.
  TOO MANY, TOO FEW
  Some players have a tendency to overload their 
  characters with Disadvantages, exceeding the point 
  limit you impose for the campaign. Th e trouble is, 
  they oft en have good reasons why their characters 
  should have each and every Disadvantage they’ve 
  selected.
  You can respond to this situation one of three 
  ways:
  Insist That The Character Be Built According To 
  Specs. You can simply require the player to build 
  his character to the limits already established for 
  the campaign, paring his Disadvantages total back 
  to the maximum points permitted and trimming 
  his Characteristics, Skills, Powers et al. back to the 
  points he now has available. Th is is fair, though 
  sometimes harsh.
  Allow The Character To Be Played As Built. If a player 
  really does have convincing arguments for the pres-
  ence of all these Disadvantages, you can choose 
  to allow him to keep them. Th is creates a few 
  problems for the campaign; this character could 
  be somewhat more powerful than his fellows, due 
  to the extra points he has, and could cause more 
  trouble in the campaign, owing to his extra load of 
  Disadvantages. In addition, the precedent this char-
  acter poses may convince other players that they, 
  too, wish to exceed the described campaign limits, 
  and that they should have a right to do so. Each 
  GM will have to decide, based on the roleplaying 
  skills and maturity of his players, if he can aﬀ ord to 
  choose this option.
  Allow The Extra Disadvantages, But For 0 Points. A 
  last tactic is to allow the character to have all the 
  Disadvantages his creator has chosen, but not to 
  receive points for those that exceed the campaign 
  limits. Th is is a test to see whether the player is 
  actually committed to them as a part of his char-
  acter’s psychological and physical makeup, or is 
  chieﬂ y aft er the extra points. Th is approach, too, is 
  fair, and sometimes humorously malicious to boot.
  DISADVANTAGES AREN’T AN EXCUSE FOR 
  PUNISHMENT
  Sometimes a GM, especially an inexperienced 
  one, falls into a trap concerning Disadvantages:  
  when a player character takes one he considers 
  foolish, he punishes him for it in subtle ways.
  As an example, a GM who considers the Code 
  Versus Killing to be ridiculously impractical might 
  punish a character with that Psychological Limita-
  tion by having his Disadvantage result in harm 
  and tragedy over and over again. Th e character 
  catches a villain and turns him over to the police; 
  the villain escapes and kills someone important to 
  the character. Th e character catches him again; the 
  villain escapes and kills again. Th is cycle contin-
  ues until the hero is maddened enough to violate 
  his Code Versus Killing and murder the villain, at 
  which point the GM has triumphed over a Psycho-
  logical Limitation he considers stupid.
  Th is, obviously, is bad GMing. If a GM feels a 
  Disadvantage won’t work within his campaign, he 
  should tell the player so as soon as he recognizes 
  the problem, then allow the player to change the 
  Disadvantage to something more appropriate.
  Disadvantages are hooks that allow a GM 
  to direct a character’s actions an anticipate his 
  responses. Th ey shouldn’t be hooks that dig into a 
  character’s ﬂ esh and puncture his organs.
  Speciﬁ c Disadvantages
  Here are some speciﬁ c suggestions about each 
  individual Disadvantage and its appropriateness for, 
  or use in, Champions campaigns. You should also 
  review the player-oriented notes on Disadvantages 
  beginning on page 64.
  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 char-
  acter 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 deter-
  mine how much they 
  slow down. As discussed 
  under Growth, above, 
  they can use growth 
  momentum damage 
  when they hit their target.
  Shrinking in mid-throw 
  has an eﬀ ect opposite 
  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.
  Stretching:  If they suc-
  ceed with a DEX Roll, 
  characters with Stretch-
  ing can time their use of 
  the power just right so 
  they can add Stretching 
  velocity damage to the 
  damage they do from 
  being “fastballs.” Stretch-
  ing 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 altera-
  tions of form via Stretch-
  ing should be dealt with 
  as discussed under Mul-
  tiform And Shape Shift , 
  above.
  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 
  Continued from last page
  Continued on next page
  
  156 
  HERO SYSTEM 5TH EDITION
  DEPENDENT NONPLAYER CHARACTER
  Th e line between DNPC, normal NPC, and 
  Follower is sometimes a bit blurry. Use the follow-
  ing basic set of questions to determine what role 
  any speciﬁ c NPC plays.
  If the character:
  ■ Is around a lot, mostly when there’s trouble, can 
  be counted on to get in trouble or position himself 
  below falling debris in combat situations, usually 
  makes the wrong decision in times of crisis (or at 
  least the decision that gets him in the most diﬃ  -
  culty), and has some sort of emotional tie to the PC 
  that keeps the PC from throwing him to the ﬁ shes 
  even in times of greatest aggravation, then the char-
  acter is probably a DNPC.
  ■ Is around a little or a lot, mostly when there’s no 
  trouble, possibly can be relied upon to get to safety 
  when there’s trouble and to help the PC in more 
  peaceful circumstances, is evenly divided between 
  making the right or wrong decisions in times of 
  crisis, has earned the character’s aﬀ ection through 
  deed or personality, then the character is probably a 
  normal campaign NPC.
  ■ Is around a lot, mostly when there’s trouble, can 
  be relied upon to help the PC, in times of crisis 
  usually makes the decision most helpful to the PC 
  whether it’s in the NPC’s best interest, has demon-
  strated loyalty to the PC and has earned the PC’s 
  own loyalty through deeds, then the character is 
  probably a Follower.
  One character’s DNPC could be another 
  character’s normal NPC, but one character’s DNPC 
  should not be another character’s Follower (or even 
  the same character’s Follower). You should be leery 
  of letting two characters take the same NPC as a 
  DNPC; that tends to diminish the problems the 
  Disadvantage causes for each one, and also reduces 
  the number of story hooks you can work into the 
  game.
  HUNTED
  Hunteds are one of the most prevalent Disad-
  vantages aﬀ ecting comic book superheroes. Th ey all 
  seem to have recurrent enemies (“He’s my arch-nem-
  esis!”), which is what a Hunted normally signiﬁ es.
  Th e most important thing to remember about 
  a Hunted is this:  the Hunting character or group 
  should be interesting, appreciated by the players 
  even if he/it is not appreciated by the characters. 
  Th e thought that the Hunter is near should whet the 
  players’ appetites even if it dismays the characters. It’s 
  not diﬃ  cult to determine when this isn’t the case. If 
  a Hunter appears for the second time and each sub-
  sequent time, and the majority of players oﬀ er tired 
  sighs or groans out of character, you knows the player 
  in question has come up with a Hunter no one likes.
  Most Hunteds are fairly ordinary and predict-
  able:  particular master villains, villainous organiza-
  tions, secret government cabals, and the like (see 
  page 66). Th ese can get boring quickly if you don’t 
  ﬁ nd ways to liven them up. To make a Hunter more 
  appreciated, you should always feature some reward, 
  however intangible, associated with his appearances 
  in a campaign. Th is usually means the Hunter has 
  some personal connection with one or more of the 
  heroes. Th e Hunter might be the source of answers 
  to questions and enduring mysteries that plague a 
  campaign — even as the Hunter is bedeviling the PC, 
  he is also providing clues and even facts that advance 
  the hero toward his goal of acquiring more informa-
  tion. Th e Hunter might be romantically pursuing one 
  character even while inconveniencing or endangering 
  the whole group. Or he might amuse the PCs — he 
  could be a witty, charming character as well as a thief 
  and liar. Other intangible rewards include the oppor-
  tunity a Hunter usually provides for heroes to show 
  oﬀ  — one who is a particular hero’s opposite number, 
  evenly matched with that PC, oﬀ ers the hero a chance 
  to have a battle royal.
  Don’t underestimate the worth of Hunters who 
  are honorable opponents simply driven by motiva-
  tions or cultural assumptions that diﬀ er slightly from 
  the PCs’. Not all Hunters have to be despicable, soul-
  less pockets of pure evil. In fact, the most interesting 
  ones seldom are.
  Possible Hunted Actions
  Depending on the nature 
  of the character doing the Hunt-
  ing, the nature of the target, and 
  the background of/explanation for the 
  Disadvantage, a Hunted might do some or all 
  of the following things as a way of attacking the 
  character:
  ■ Try to kill him
  ■ Try to maim or signiﬁ cantly harm him
  Continued from last page
  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 travel-
  ing 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 fastball veloc-
  ity. 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 Ironclad 
  Continued on next page
  
  157 
  Champions
  ■ Try to learn his Secret Identity
  ■ Try to make his superheroing life more diﬃ  cult 
  (show up to help another villain ﬁ ght him, frame him 
  for crimes, tell other villains about his weaknesses, 
  and so on)
  ■ Assuming he knows the character’s Secret Identity, 
  try to make his civilian life more diﬃ  cult (get his 
  boss to put more pressure on him at his job, trick his 
  signiﬁ cant other into breaking up with him, slash his 
  tires, and so on)
  ■ Stalk/harass the character, or play (potentially 
  harmful) pranks on him
  ■ Do any of the above to the character’s DNPCs and 
  beloved NPCs
  PHYSICAL LIMITATION
  Physical Limitations work just as described 
  in the HERO System 5th Edition, Revised 
  rulebook, and, chosen in moderation, 
  are very appropriate to superhe-
  roes. Once upon a time, superhe-
  roes tended to be perfect physical 
  specimens (with the exception of heroes 
  who were blind but compensated with special sen-
  sory powers). But since the 1960s, there has been an 
  increasing number of supers 
  with physical disabilities 
  — bad hearts that had to 
  be maintained by high-
  tech pacemakers, paraplegics 
  who build power suits that enable 
  them to walk, characters suﬀ ering from 
  dwarﬁ sm who use their skills and wit to 
  compensate for their short size, and so forth. So, it’s 
  perfectly all right for a player to come up with such a 
  character for Champions; you should work with him 
  to integrate the PC into the fabric of the campaign, 
  not assume that “he’ll be useless” because of his Physi-
  cal Limitation.
  Th e chief virtue of Physical Limitations in a 
  Champions campaign is that you can place a charac-
  ter with this Disadvantage in situations where he has 
  to cope with his disability — possibly for an increase 
  in the drama of the episode, possibly to the detriment 
  of his self-image. With the right player, it can make 
  for some fascinating roleplaying and great stories.
  PSYCHOLOGICAL LIMITATION
  Along with Hunteds, Psychological Limitations 
  are perhaps the most common sort of Disadvantage 
  among superheroes, and are likewise the best-suited 
  to use as character hooks. Psychological Limitations 
  help deﬁ ne how the character thinks, what sorts of 
  events or concerns really eat at him. Bait formed in 
  the shape of a Psychological Limitation trigger and 
  dangled in front of a hero can lead him into danger, 
  or at least into the next stage of a story. See page 67 
  for some discussion of Psychological Limitations that 
  are particularly prevalent in the superhero genre.
  REPUTATION
  Reputation works exactly as described on page 
  337 of the HERO System 5th Edition, Revised. Don’t 
  forget that it’s supposed to be a Disadvantage; if a 
  Reputation is 
  mostly helpful, 
  you should require 
  the character to buy it 
  as a Perk. Of course, it’s 
  entirely possible that a “positive” Reputation can have 
  such negative eﬀ ects that it merits a Disadvantage. 
  For example, a character who has the Reputation of 
  being honorable might have problems because ene-
  mies could exploit that personality trait for their own 
  ends (assuming he really is honorable — if he’s not, 
  being known for his honorable nature doesn’t really 
  disadvantage him at all).
  RIVALRY
  Rivalry works exactly as described on page 338 
  of the HERO System 5th Edition, Revised. But as the 
  GM, you should remember that Rivalry isn’t just a 
  Disadvantage — it’s oft en a subplot as well. If you 
  go too many adventures without characters’ Rivalry 
  actually aﬀ ecting events in the campaign, it’s time 
  to introduce a new subplot to exploit the character’s 
  Disadvantage. Since most Rivalries can’t be dealt with 
  as easily and satisfyingly as Hunteds (with whom the 
  heroes can ﬁ ght), they oft en create more dramatic 
  tension and make for great roleplaying.
  SOCIAL LIMITATION
  Th e best-known Social Limitation in Champi-
  ons campaigns is the Secret Identity (see the sidebar 
  example on pages 338-39 of the HERO System 5th 
  Edition, Revised, and the discussion of the subject 
  beginning on page 48 of this book). As long as a 
  character has a Secret Identity, you should use it as 
  the basis for subplots and main plots — it is a Disad-
  vantage, aft er all. Th ings you can do to make use of a 
  Secret Identity include:
  Continued from last page
  throws Sapphire 10”, and 
  Sapphire has Flight 15”, 
  she can add (15-10) 5” 
  to her distance traveled 
  and velocity for damage 
  purposes.
  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 unbalanc-
  ing for the game, though, 
  so GMs should consider 
  carefully before allowing 
  characters to use it in the 
  game.
  If for some reason a “fast-
  ball” 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 Tele-
  portation, 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 Sur-
  prise Move bonus (this 
  tactic works best if the 
  fastball has the Position 
  Shift  Adder for his Tele-
  portation).
  
  158 
  HERO SYSTEM 5TH EDITION
  ■ Have NPCs and DNPCs accidentally or deliberately 
  come close to discovering it.
  ■ Have NPCs and DNPCs actually discover it.
  ■ Have villains discover it, if only temporarily
  ■ Have the PC’s Secret Identity job interfere with his 
  superheroing time.
  ■ Have the PC’s Secret Identity job give him insight 
  into a potential villainous plot — but making it 
  impossible for him to follow up without revealing 
  that he’s a superhero.
  ■ Have the PC make promises in one identity that his 
  other identity forces him to break, or nearly break.
  ■ Have one type of relationship with an NPC in one 
  identity and a very diﬀ erent type in the other identity.
  ■ Have the character experience success in one iden-
  tity and failure in the other, or admiration in one 
  identity and contempt in the other.
  ■ Have duties of and demands on each identity take 
  up 80% of the character’s available time.
  SUSCEPTIBILITY
  Th is Disadvantage works as described on page 
  339 of the HERO System 5th Edition, Revised. It’s a 
  common and popular one in the superhero genre 
  — aliens living on Earth suﬀ er injury and weakness 
  when exposed to chunks of their home planet, mystic 
  villains can’t tolerate the touch of holy objects, and 
  so on (see page 68). Champions GMs may want to 
  take one factor into account that the standard rules 
  do not:  whether the substance triggering the Suscep-
  tibility is merely in the vicinity of, in direct contact 
  with, or internalized within the character.
  With this optional rule, the default for Suscepti-
  bility is “character suﬀ ers eﬀ ect when exposed to the 
  substance.” Th is means the Susceptibility aﬀ ects the 
  character if he’s within 4” of the substance and the 
  substance is not contained within an object that sup-
  presses or insulates its unusual properties. (In your 
  discretion, at ranges beyond 4”, the substance still 
  aﬀ ects the character, but at one-half its listed eﬀ ect 
  per 2x the distance. Th us, a substance that normally 
  does 2d6 damage instead does 1d6 at 5”-8”, ½d6 at 
  9”-16”, 1 point at 17”-32”, and no damage at 33” and 
  beyond).
  If the substance must be brought into direct 
  contact with the character’s skin, the value of the 
  Susceptibility is reduced by 5 points. If the sub-
  stance must be ingested by the character, the value is 
  reduced by 10 points. (See sidebar page 159.)
  You may also, if you wish, allow the eﬀ ects rules 
  for the Dependence Disadvantage to apply to Sus-
  ceptibility as well. For example, instead of suﬀ ering 
  damage when in the presence of the dangerous sub-
  stance, a character could suﬀ er incompetence, weak-
  ness, or loss of powers.
  Alternately or in addition, a character can apply 
  Limitations to Powers and Characteristics pertain-
  ing to the Susceptibility substance — for example, a 
  character could buy his STR so it does not work in 
  the presence of the substance to which he’s Suscep-
  tible. Th e Limitation value depends primarily on how 
  common the substance is (-¼ for Uncommon, -½ for 
  Common, -1 for Very Common), but you may want 
  to take proximity and other factors into account and 
  adjust the value accordingly.
  It’s also appropriate for a Champions character to 
  have other Disadvantages associated with his Suscep-
  tibilities. If the substance is supposed to do more than 
  simply damage him, he can take other Disadvan-
  tages associated with it. For instance, Psychological 
  Limitations such as Freezes When Seeing Substance 
  (Total Intensity; frequency varies with substance) 
  and Physical Limitations like Blind In Th e Presence 
  of Substance (Impairs Greatly; frequency varies with 
  
  159 
  Champions
  SUSCEPTIBILITY:  
  PROXIMITY OF 
  SUBSTANCE
  Value 
  Proximity Is
  -0 
  Substance 
  Aﬀ ects Charac-
  ter Within 4”
  -5 
  Substance Must 
  Touch Charac-
  ter’s Skin
  -10 
  Substance Must 
  Be Ingested/
  Injected
  substance) add new and interesting dimensions to 
  the character’s weakness.
  VULNERABILITY
  Vulnerability works as described in the HERO 
  System 5th Edition, Revised, page 341, but there is a 
  factor at work that’s far more important in Champi-
  ons campaigns than most other HERO System cam-
  paigns. Superhero characters are exposed to so many 
  more powers than most other sorts of characters that 
  you have to keep track of a bewildering number of 
  attacks — speciﬁ c powers, special eﬀ ects, particular 
  maneuvers, and so on — and gauge how frequently 
  they appear in your campaign so players can ﬁ gure 
  out what their characters’ Vulnerabilities are worth.
  As an aid to the beginning Champions GM, the 
  accompanying text box contains a list of many dif-
  ferent special eﬀ ects, special situations, powers, and 
  other game eﬀ ects that can be used as the bases for 
  Vulnerabilities. Th is is a “default” list, representing 
  how common various special eﬀ ects and attacks are 
  in typical Champions campaigns (including Hero 
  Games’s Champions Universe setting). You should 
  review this list, then modify it to reﬂ ect your perspec-
  tive and predictions on how common these elements 
  are in your campaign, add to it and continue to 
  change it as your campaign develops, and regularly 
  make it available to your players.
  Note that the frequency of a Vulnerability may 
  also depend on common campaign knowledge. 
  Silver-Based Attacks are typically Uncommon, but if 
  they’re widely known to be especially eﬀ ective against 
  werewolves, a werewolf character could justify label-
  ling them as “Common” for Vulnerability purposes, 
  since a lot of his enemies will know to use them 
  against him.
  VULNERABILITY FREQUENCIES
  Special Effect(s) 
  Frequency
  Acid Attacks 
  Uncommon
  Attacks (All), Physical/Normal 
  Very Common
  Biological Attacks 
  Uncommon
  Blasters/Particle Beam Attacks 
  Very Common
  Bullets 
  Very Common
  Chemical Attacks/Gas/Poison 
  Common
  Chemical Attacks, Air-Based 
  Uncommon
  Cold Attacks 
  Uncommon
  Cold Attacks + Water Attacks  
  Common
  Darkness Attacks 
  Uncommon
  Dimensional-Manipulation Attacks Uncommon
  Earth + Fire + Water Attacks 
  Very Common
  Electrical Attacks 
  Very Common
  Electrical + Magnetic Attacks 
  Very Common
  Electromagnetic Pulses 
  Uncommon
  Electromagnetic Radiation Attacks Very Common
  Energy Attacks (All) 
  Very Common
  Explosives 
  Very Common
  Fiery Explosions 
  Uncommon
  Fire Attacks 
  Common
  Fire Attacks + Heat Attacks 
  Common
  Force Attacks 
  Uncommon
  Gas Attacks 
  Common
  Gas + Poison Attacks /Chemical 
  Common
  Gravity Attacks 
  Uncommon
  Gravity Attacks + Magnetic Attacks Uncommon
  Heat Attacks 
  Uncommon
  Heat Attacks + Fire Attacks 
  Common
  High-Tech Attacks 
  Very Common
  Holy Attacks 
  Uncommon
  Iron Attacks + Steel Attacks 
  Very Common
  Light-Based Attacks 
  Uncommon
  Magic, all types 
  Common
  Magic, speciﬁ c type 
  Uncommon
  Magnetic Attacks 
  Uncommon
  Magnetic Attacks + 
  Gravity Attacks 
  Uncommon
  Melee Attacks, Physical/Normal 
  Very Common
  Mental Powers, generally 
  Common
  Particle Beam Attacks/Blasters 
  Very Common
  Physical Attacks (All) 
  Very Common
  Plasma Beams 
  Uncommon
  Pleasurable Attacks 
  Uncommon
  Poisons 
  Uncommon
  Radiation Attacks 
  Uncommon
  Silver-Based Attacks 
  Uncommon
  Sonic Attacks 
  Uncommon
  Spirit Attacks 
  Uncommon
  Sunlight Attacks 
  Uncommon
  Technology Attacks 
  Very Common
  Undead Attacks 
  Uncommon
  Water Attacks 
  Uncommon
  Water Attacks + Cold Attacks 
  Common
  Wood-Based Attacks 
  Uncommon
  Wood-Based + Silver-Based Attacks Uncommon
  Special Situations
  Ambushes + Treacherous Attacks 
  Very Common
  Attacks When Obviously Outclassed Common
  Electrically Grounded — 
  If a Flyer 
  Very Common
   
  If a Non-Flyer 
  Common
  Falling/Knockback Damage —
   
  If a Normal Character 
  Very Common
   
  If a Predominantly High-
  Altitude Character 
  Common
  Struck in HTH Combat 
  Very Common
  VULNERABILITY FREQUENCIES
  Speciﬁ c Powers/Game Mechanics
  Armor-Piercing Attacks 
  Common
  Aﬀ ects Desolidiﬁ ed Attacks 
  Uncommon
  Dispel Magic 
  Uncommon
  Drains 
  Common
  Ego Attack 
  Common
  Entangles, EGO-Based 
  (Mental Paralysis) 
  Uncommon
  Find Weakness-Aided Attacks 
  Uncommon
  Flash Attacks, Sight Group 
  Common
  Flash Attacks, all Sense Groups 
  Very Common
  Images, Sight Group 
  Uncommon
  Images, all Sense Groups 
  Uncommon
  Killing Attacks, Energy 
  Very Common
  Killing Attacks, Physical 
  Very Common
  Knockback 
  Very Common
  Mental Illusions 
  Uncommon
  Mind Control 
  Common
  Mind Scan 
  Uncommon
  Presence Attacks, generally 
  Very Common
  Presence Attacks From 
  Desirable Opponents 
  Common
  Transform 
  Uncommon
  
  160 
  HERO SYSTEM 5TH EDITION
  T
  he “Environment” chapter of the HERO 
  System 5th Edition, Revised rulebook talks 
  about the world player characters live 
  in — how dangerous it can be, how its 
  components break. Th ose rules all apply to a Cham-
  pions environment, but GMs need some additional 
  details relating speciﬁ cally to superhero campaigns.
  STOPPING MOVING THINGS
  Superheroes occasionally need to stop moving 
  objects. You can ﬁ nd rules for catching falling 
  objects on page 434 of the HERO System 5th Edition, 
  Revised, and there are basic rules for using STR to 
  stop moving objects such as vehicles on page 365 
  of that book. Champions GMs also need rules for 
  much bigger moving objects — avalanches and 
  landslides, meteors 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 that are 
  operating under their own power or objects that 
  are being drawn by gravity or Telekinesis powers.
  All these objects have two signiﬁ cant charac-
  teristics:  their movement rate and their Strength. 
  For objects moved by gravity or Telekinesis, calcu-
  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, you 
  should assign it a STR based on its size, mass, and 
  any other factor you deem 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 
  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 rules from 
  page 365 of the HERO System 5th Edition, Revised 
  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 
  usually 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. You may waive this rule in 
  appropriate 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 basic rule, designed for simplicity and 
  ease of use, allows a character to subtract inches of 
  movement from the resisting object’s velocity each 
  Phase automatically, based on his STR. To make the 
  situation more dangerous, diﬃ  cult, and dramatic, 
  you may want to change this a little to make 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.
  BREAKABLE OBJECTS
  In a Champions campaign, the list of “break-
  able objects” is somewhat more generous than that 
  of any other campaign type. Breakable objects can 
  include fallout shelters, aircraft  carriers, moun-
  taintops, and civic centers. A few additional rules 
  are needed to allow the joy of breaking everything 
  within sight to better resemble what happens in the 
  comic books. For example:
  PROJECTILES INTO BUILDINGS
  When characters send projectiles into build-
  ings, worry only about the DEF and BODY of 
  the exterior walls. Consider everything within a 
  building — furniture, personnel, interior walls and 
  partitions, you name it — that’s within the path of 
  a hurled/Knocked Back projectile or superhuman 
  to not be there. Th e projectile punches through or 
  brushes aside any such obstacles without diminish-
  ment of its speed. When calculating the eﬀ ects of 
  Knockback damage on a person, worry only about 
  the eﬀ ects of those exterior walls. Th e result is 
  city mayhem wherein supers blast through build-
  ings with startling speed, just as it happens in the 
  comics. If an object has enough momentum to 
  penetrate one exterior wall but not the other, it has 
  come to rest somewhere within the building — not 
  necessarily against the far wall. Th e GM can decide 
  for dramatic eﬀ ect where the object stops.
  When people within those buildings might be 
  hit by projectiles, use the attacker’s original Attack 
  SUPERHERO 
  ENVIRONMENTS
  EXAMPLE 
  RESISTING 
  OBJECTS
  Th e following are sug-
  gested STR and move-
  ment values for various 
  resisting objects charac-
  ters might encounter in 
  a Champions game:
  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, move-
  ment up to 125” Non-
  combat
  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”
  *:  Character may need 
  a Force Wall or large, 
  ﬂ at object to “Grab” this 
  “object.”
  
  161 
  Champions
  Roll and calculate whether it hits the potential 
  target, assuming the attacker is OCV 0 and the 
  target has half DCV (unless the target saw the 
  incoming object coming, in which case he gets full 
  DCV). If the attack hits, then the projectile strikes 
  the target, with the usual eﬀ ects for a thrown attack.
  BREAKING BUILDINGS
  Sometimes characters do so much damage to a 
  building that they make it fall down!
  A building’s integrity is endangered when it sus-
  tains damage equal to a multiplier times the BODY 
  of its exterior walls. Th e accompanying table indicates 
  the multiplier, which depends on the size and sturdi-
  ness of the building. For example, suppose a large 
  building (x10 multiplier) has reinforced concrete 
  exterior walls (8 DEF, 5 BODY). When it sustains 50 
  BODY in damage, its integrity is compromised. Th is 
  means it’s in danger of collapsing. At 10x BODY in 
  damage, it has a 15- Activation Roll (made at the end 
  of every day) to remain upright. For every additional 
  10x BODY it sustains, the building’s Activation Roll is 
  lowered by one line on the Activation Roll chart, and 
  the time interval is lowered by one line on the Time 
  Chart (see the accompanying table).
  For Area Of Eﬀ ect attacks, Explosions, vehicle 
  collisions, and other attacks that impact large 
  amounts of a building at once, the GM may, in his 
  discretion, apply a multiplier to the BODY done, 
  solely for purposes of determining building collapse. 
  For example, suppose a Giant Dinosaur (STR 75) 
  has an Area Of Eﬀ ect attack (Tail Sweep) it can make 
  with his STR. It does 18 BODY to a building. Given 
  the nature of the attack, which would cause a lot 
  more structural damage than even a powerful Energy 
  Blast, the GM chooses to double the BODY, but only 
  for purposes of determining whether (and when) the 
  building falls down.
  If a building collapses, everyone in it takes a 
  number of dice of Normal Damage equal to the 
  BODY rating of the exterior walls, +1d6 for each 
  ﬂ oor above the ground the person is on. For example, 
  a person on the eighth ﬂ oor of a building with 5 
  BODY walls takes 13d6 Normal Damage if the build-
  ing collapses. At the GM’s option, a character may be 
  able to make an appropriate Skill Roll (such as Break-
  fall or Contortionist) to reduce this damage some-
  what — or, even better, leap out the window before 
  the building falls down.
  BREAKING BUILDINGS TABLE
  Multiplier 
  Example
  x3 to x5 
  A small or ﬂ imsy building 
  (a small home)
  x6 to x9 
  An average building (a typical 
  detached residential home, a 
  small oﬃ  ce building)
  x10 (or more) A large or especially sturdy 
  building (most superhumans’ 
  bases, skyscrapers, large oﬃ  ce 
  complexes)
  Building 
  Activation 
  Roll
  Has Taken 
  Roll 
  Every
  1x Multiplier BODY 
  15- 
  Day
  2x Multiplier BODY 
  14- 
  6 Hours
  3x Multiplier BODY 
  13- 
  1 Hour
  4x Multiplier BODY 
  11- 
  20 Minutes
  5x Multiplier BODY 
  10- 
  5 Minutes
  6x Multiplier BODY 
  9- 
  Minute
  7x Multiplier BODY 
  8- 
  Turn
  
  162 
  HERO SYSTEM 5TH EDITION
  If a collapsing building falls on a character, that 
  character suﬀ ers damage based on the weight of the 
  building. Determine how much STR it would take 
  to lift  the building (or the discrete chunk of it that 
  hits the character), and then use that STR to apply 
  Normal Damage to the character.
  Of course, there are plenty of other dangers 
  involved in a building collapse. Characters might 
  get electrocuted by damaged wiring, ﬁ nd themselves 
  trapped in a ﬁ re, or impaled on a sharp object of 
  some sort. See the Living In A Dangerous World rules 
  on pages 444-46 of the HERO System 5th Edition, 
  Revised for more information.
  At the GM’s option, these rules can also be used 
  for breaking other large, roughly hollow objects, such 
  as a supervillain’s secret mountaintop aerie. Simply 
  assign the object an appropriate DEF score (if it 
  doesn’t already have one). Based on the shape, struc-
  ture, and nature of the object, the GM may want to 
  change how oft en the Activation Roll is made.
  CRUSHING DAMAGE
  Sometimes characters or objects get crushed 
  under heavy objects (or characters using Density 
  Increase). 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.
  BOUNCING
  Characters with Acrobatics have a lot of oppor-
  tunity to interact with their environments in creative 
  ways. Most commonly, they ﬁ nd ﬂ exible surfaces 
  to bounce oﬀ  — to gain themselves more altitude, 
  to hurtle back at a villain in a surprise maneuver, 
  and so forth. You can represent these maneuvers 
  as bonuses to the character’s movement rates. Th is 
  means a character who intelligently and correctly 
  uses these surfaces in his actions can move faster 
  and farther than normally expected, sometimes 
  allowing him to go what would have been a Full 
  Move’s worth of distance and then still take a combat 
  action, or permitting him to close the distance to a 
  target or rescuee before the bad guys realize what 
  he’s doing.
  In any such situation, you decide whether there 
  are ﬂ exible surfaces in the hero’s vicinity, what direc-
  tions they can launch a character, and so forth.To use 
  them, a character must make a successful Acrobatics 
  roll for each bounce. Each bounce gives the character 
  additional inches of Leaping. Some surfaces are diﬃ  -
  cult to use this way and impose penalties to the Acro-
  batics rolls. See the accompanying table for guidelines.
  Th e “Direction of Movement” column is only a 
  general indicator of direction. Someone leaping onto 
  a diving board, for instance, can bounce straight up, 
  up and forward, up and backward, up and to the 
  side, and so on.
  Example:  Freedom Fighter is in combat with 
  Splatter, Z-Force’s ﬂ ying knife-wielder. Splatter is 
  chasing Freedom Fighter all over downtown.
  Freedom Fighter, using his Leaping 18” as his pri-
  mary means of movement, announces, “I’m going 
  to delay my next movement so it takes place at 
  almost exactly the same time as his, giving him 
  the opportunity to pursue me at almost hand-
  to-hand distance. I’m going to head toward the 
  nearest set of telephone poles on the ground, leap 
  up into the air at the wires, and try to bounce 
  oﬀ  the wires right back into Splatter’s face as a 
  surprise maneuver.”
  Th e GM says that this is possible on this Phase. 
  He has Freedom Fighter make his Acrobatics roll 
  at the -4 penalty for using the telephone wires; 
  even with the penalty, Freedom Fighter makes 
  it by 2. Th e GM then makes Splatter’s PER Roll 
  to see if Splatter detects or anticipates the sur-
  prise maneuver; he gives him a -2 penalty (from 
  the skill of Freedom Fighter’s Acrobatics) and 
  another -2 (because Splatter is indeed following 
  Freedom Fighter too close to react well). Splatter 
  misses his roll.
  Freedom Fighter bounds to the wire, bounces 
  up to them, inverts, hits them with his feet, and 
  bounces straight back at Splatter. His move-
  ment rate is 22” (18” for his Superleap, +4” for 
  the bonus from the wire), giving him +7d6 to his 
  Move Th rough.
  You can determine any way you choose whether 
  there are ﬂ exible surfaces in the hero’s vicinity. 
  Typically, downtown city buildings have one or two 
  ﬂ agpoles and awnings each. You can choose to have 
  the character make a Luck roll to determine whether 
  a particular building has any more ﬂ exible features 
  than that, with results other than a 6 indicating the 
  pickings are pretty sparse.
  You may ﬁ nd that characters who like to 
  use these bounce rules tend to ask for incredible 
  amounts of information about local architectural 
  details when they’re in combat. It’s best to settle 
  the question of whether there are ﬂ exible surfaces 
  nearby very quickly, such as with a Luck roll.
  FLEXIBLE SURFACES
  Surface 
  Movement Direction 
  Acrobatics 
  Where
   
  Bonus 
  of Movement 
  Penalty 
  Found
  Awning 
  +2” 
  Upward 
  +0 
  Downtown,
   
   
   
   
  residential,
   
   
   
   
  shopping malls
  Banner (Huge) 
  +2” 
  Out From Face 
  -2 
  Shopping malls,
   
   
   
   
  parade routes
  Billboard 
  +2” 
  Out From Face 
  +0 
  Everywhere
  Diving Board 
  +4” 
  Upward 
  +0 
  Swimming pools
  Flagpole 
  +3” 
  Opposite Angle
   
   
  of Approach 
  -2 
  Downtown, govern-
   
   
   
   
  ment buildings,
   
   
   
   
  some homes
  Power or 
  Telephone Line 
  +4” 
  Opposite Angle
   
   
  of Approach 
  -4 
  Everywhere
  Tent 
  +2” 
  Upward 
  -2 
  Campgrounds,
   
   
   
   
  fairgrounds
  
  163 
  Champions
  SUPERHERO-WORLD 
  PHYSICS
  Superhero-world physics diﬀ ers from real-
  world physics in important ways. If you want to 
  run a campaign that simulates the comics, follow 
  these guidelines; if not, stick as close to “reality” as 
  you prefer.
  A Good Explanation Is More Important Than Scien-
  tiﬁ c Accuracy. To put it another way, “pseudo-sci-
  entiﬁ c reasoning outweighs real-world scientiﬁ c 
  reasoning,” and the dramatic needs of the story/
  character trump real-world science. Typically, 
  it’s enough for a player to have a good working 
  knowledge of scientiﬁ c buzzwords rather than 
  hard science — the skill to string together an 
  eﬀ ective rationale for how a character’s power 
  works is more important than a grounding in real 
  physics. In short, if it sounds good, it works!
  To take this “law” one step further, if a player/
  character has a “scientiﬁ c principle” that supports 
  or explains a power, any real-world scientiﬁ c prin-
  ciple that would oppose or negate that explanation 
  can conveniently be ignored. Th e same applies to 
  any real-world scientiﬁ c principle that makes a 
  power, maneuver, or stunt “impossible.” For exam-
  ple, “realistically,” a high-STR throw could easily 
  destroy many objects. But that’s annoying and 
  undramatic for the superhero genre, so Champi-
  ons gamers ignore it.
  On a related point, it’s worth noting that 
  characters in superhero stories almost never 
  question the scientiﬁ c implausibility of what they 
  do. When a brick picks up a building, he doesn’t 
  wonder why it holds together so well — he just 
  accepts that it does so.
  Characters Ignore Inconvenient Science. If, realisti-
  cally, a character’s power would have some sort 
  of negative side eﬀ ect, typically he isn’t aﬀ ected 
  by it or can ignore it. Th us, speedsters don’t burn 
  up from the friction they generate (or destroy the 
  surfaces they run on), characters who can move 
  at high velocities can breathe without diﬃ  culty, 
  energy bolts don’t cause painful “recoil” within 
  the character’s body (or any action/reaction at all, 
  unless the character wants them to), high-STR 
  leaps don’t cause a devastating release of energy 
  behind them, and so on.
  Big Things Have Lots Of Physical Integrity When 
  Lifted/Thrown. Buildings, capital ships, and other 
  large constructions are so well engineered that 
  when a superhero picks them up, oft en tilting 
  them at angles they were never meant to endure, 
  they remain intact. (On the other hand, these 
  objects are no harder to damage than normal if 
  directly attacked.) For perhaps related reasons, 
  the human components of cyborgs are as tough 
  as their artiﬁ cial components where the two come 
  together; the machinery never tears free of the 
  ﬂ esh and bone, no matter how drastically they are 
  stressed in ordinary use.
  Energy Can Take On Physical Form. Characters can 
  create objects or weapons of solid energy, create 
  ﬁ elds of shaped energy, or have bodies of solid 
  energy, even though uncontained energy normally 
  dissipates.
  Extra Mass Comes From/Goes Into Alternate Dimen-
  sions. If a player has no better explanation for 
  the question of where a character gets any extra 
  mass required by the special eﬀ ects or nature of 
  his powers, or loses mass to, don’t be shy about 
  invoking the notion that it all has to do with 
  alternate dimensions of reality. Th e “extradimen-
  sional energy” explanation works for a lot of other 
  powers, too, if properly tailored.
  Physical Laws Are Universal, Not Multiversal. Th e 
  so-called “universal laws of physics” may function 
  very diﬀ erently (or not at all) in other dimen-
  sions. In a “Ditkospace” dimension, for example, 
  the landmasses may be discrete chunks ﬂ oating 
  through the aether at various angles, with no 
  common direction of gravity among them.
  Size Alteration Does Not Impair Function. Char-
  acters who are signiﬁ cantly larger or smaller 
  than normal human size don’t lose eﬀ ectiveness 
  because of it, and can conveniently ignore the 
  square/cube law. Superhumans with Shrinking are 
  as strong, and have as many inches of movement, 
  as normal; characters with Growth don’t collapse 
  (or break bones) under their own weight.
  
  164 
  HERO SYSTEM 5TH EDITION
  A 
  Champions adventure’s villain is the charac-
  ter (or process, or force of nature) that sets 
  bad events into motion, causing superheroes 
  to try to counter them. Truthfully, the cor-
  rect term should be “antagonist” rather than “vil-
  lain,” since people who cause trouble this way aren’t 
  necessarily villainous, evil, or even selﬁ sh in moti-
  vation or action. An antagonist can be the most 
  noble of superheroes if he goes about his objectives 
  in a manner the PCs feel they must oppose.
  Except in some comedy campaigns, an 
  adventure’s antagonist should have a well-detailed 
  personality and be as believable (and maybe even 
  as sympathetic) as the player characters. Even more 
  importantly, he should have one or more goals you 
  understand. Th e players do not have to understand 
  the character’s goals, but you, in portraying the vil-
  lain, should always have those goals uppermost in 
  your mind; this allows you to create a consistent 
  portrayal of the villain. (Later, when the PCs do 
  ﬁ gure out the villain’s goals, that portrayal may take 
  on additional meaning for them.)
  A good villain should have a self-image that 
  doesn’t include the word “villain.” Each villain, no 
  matter how he’s perceived by the rest of the world, 
  has anything from a complete degree of assurance 
  that his actions are correct, to a set of excuses that 
  convince him his actions have been inevitable. In 
  his own mind, the villain is the hero of his story 
  (perhaps a tragic hero, misunderstood because of 
  the actions destiny has forced him to undertake) or, 
  at the very worst, the victim of someone else’s story.
  LEVELS OF VILLAINS
  Villains in a Champions campaign tend to 
  occupy any of several ecological niches. Some are 
  bottom-feeders (despite their ﬂ ashy costumes); 
  some exist to support someone with grander aspi-
  rations; some plan to change the universe.
  GANGSTERS AND HOODLUMS
  Supervillain gangsters and hoodlums are 
  people who have attained superpowers but still 
  cling to traditional roles as low-level criminals. 
  Th ey use their powers to rob banks, mug pedestri-
  ans, steal, intimidate, and so on. Th eir ambitions 
  never rise to equal their new levels of power. Some 
  are happy with their low-level existences; some 
  carry the air of tragedy about them, recognizing 
  that their exceptional qualities have never quite 
  made them exceptional people.
  Of course, you can always use non-superpow-
  ered gangsters, hoodlums, and criminals. In lower-
  powered campaigns, they can be a credible obstacle 
  for the PCs to face, especially if played intelligently. 
  In higher-powered campaigns, they range from 
  comic relief (a street encounter for a hero to wade 
  through without diﬃ  culty) to dangers that confront 
  NPCs, DNPCs, Followers, and the like.
  Gangsters and hoodlums make good short-
  term encounters for heroes, but their lack of ambi-
  tion and organization mean they’ll never constitute 
  a credible threat for a superteam.
  HENCHMEN
  Henchmen are villains who do the grunt work 
  for more charismatic or more organized villains. 
  Th ey may be normals or supers. In most respects 
  they’re similar to gangsters  and hoodlums, but they 
  serve someone on a regular basis. It’s good for any 
  Henchman the PCs interact with to have a distinc-
  tive personality, but they do not have to be as fully-
  detailed as more prominent villains.
  Henchmen tend to be built on fewer points 
  than the PCs, so they’re no match for the heroes 
  individually, though they may be a match en masse.
  INDEPENDENT/FREELANCE VILLAINS
  Some villains choose to act alone, or to hire 
  their skills out on a temporary basis to others. 
  Th ese characters sometimes pursue their own 
  agendas, perhaps while aiding the plans of more 
  ambitious organizers. Th e independent villain may 
  live by a code unique to him (sometimes a code of 
  honor understood, though not necessarily dupli-
  cated, by the heroes).
  Independent and freelance villains are useful 
  as regular encounters in a campaign. Th ey some-
  times succeed with their individual missions, 
  escaping into the night ahead of pursuing heroes. 
  Th ose with a semi-cordial relationship with heroes 
  might help the PCs on an occasional basis and even 
  forge relationships of grudging respect (or strained 
  romance) with them. Others, especially those with 
  more antisocial and amoral attitudes, become long-
  term enemies of individual heroes. But because 
  they seldom work in concert with one another (and 
  when they do, they aren’t necessarily very coordi-
  nated), they tend to hatch plans and adventures that 
  don’t threaten the fabric of society or the world.
  Independent villains tend to be built on the 
  same approximate number of points as PCs. One 
  such villain is usually a pretty good match in a 
  combat with a player character.
  LIEUTENANTS
  Lieutenants are villains who act as middle 
  and upper management for more charismatic or 
  organized villains. Th ey don’t have the ambition or 
  the vision of master villains, but may be even more 
  VILLAINS
  
  165 
  Champions
  satisﬁ ed with their criminal lives and careers than 
  the bigger ﬁ sh.
  Lieutenants should be fully-developed and dis-
  tinctive characters. Th ey don’t all toe the party line 
  within their criminal organization; some pursue 
  private agendas and goals while also serving their 
  masters; some develop individual relationships with 
  PCs (love, hate, love/hate, professional respect, and 
  so on) that their employers do not appreciate.
  Lieutenants tend to be built on the same 
  approximate number of points as PCs. One lieuten-
  ant is usually a pretty good match in a combat with 
  a player character.
  A lieutenant who develops enough personal 
  contacts, wealth, power, and ambition might be 
  promoted at some later time to the level of master 
  villain; on the other hand, he might continue as a 
  lieutenant villain, become a superhero, retire, go to 
  prison forever, die (temporarily or permanently), or 
  suﬀ er a similar fate. If the master villain he serves 
  is killed, captured, or retires, the lieutenant may try 
  to assume the mantle and take his former master’s 
  place.
  MASTER VILLAINS
  Th e master villain is the one with the power 
  and the plan. Typically, he wants to change the 
  world in a signiﬁ cant way. He might want to rule a 
  nation, or the entire world. (“Bolivia is nice, but it 
  really should be renamed Destroyerland.”) He may 
  wish to wipe out Earth’s human population, or turn 
  it into amphibians. He might want to change the 
  very nature of reality in minor or major ways — 
  making the Earth the front porch of Hell, permit-
  ting an ancient pantheon of gods to return and take 
  over, paving the way for an alien invasion, causing 
  one Earth cult or religion to become dominant in 
  all nations among all peoples.
  He should have a distinctive, or at least eﬀ ec-
  tive, manner of speech and behavior; these char-
  acteristics help make him memorable. A bland, 
  mild-mannered supervillain is not memorable, 
  unless you are capable of portraying his blandness 
  and mildness in such a way as to be creepy or dis-
  turbing.
  It helps if he has a memorable visual style, too 
  — a costume that sets him apart not only from 
  common man but also other supers with unusual 
  garments. He might be larger than most humans, 
  or smaller, or burning with an inner ﬁ re (literal or 
  ﬁ gurative), bearing symbols the heroes ﬁ nd diﬃ  cult 
  to ignore (Nazi swastikas, the emblems of fallen 
  nations, the chest-symbols of superheroes he’s slain 
  over the years, icons of death or destruction). He 
  might be horribly scarred or inhumanly beautiful.
  Typically, master villains are built on far more 
  points than player characters, allowing one master 
  villain to stand toe-to-toe in combat with an entire 
  PC team. However, this isn’t always the case. Some-
  times a master villain who rules by sheer charisma 
  or brilliance is physically normal; once the heroes 
  get to him, Kid Sidekick can annihilate him with a 
  4d6 Punch.
  Master villains are always shepherding plots 
  from conception to completion — though super-
  heroes usually end them before they reach comple-
  tion. A master villain’s plot should bear the stamp 
  of his personality, or at least be consistent with 
  his nature (Dr. Devastation is not likely to base a 
  plot around laughing-gases released from the big 
  red noses of circus clowns, for instance, and the 
  Harlequin’s not going to launch a scheme using lots 
  of ordinary military weaponry).
  Villainous Agencies
  Many Champions campaigns feature another 
  intriguing type of villain who ﬁ lls roughly the same 
  niche as the master villain — the villainous agency. 
  Th is is a large organization of criminals devoted to 
  typical comic book villain sorts of goals — conquer 
  the world, rule America from behind the scenes, 
  steal all the world’s gold, and the like. Unlike more 
  traditional organized crime groups or terrorist 
  organizations, villainous agencies adopt the trap-
  pings of the comic book world:  their “agents” 
  (rank-and-ﬁ le members) wear gaudy costume-like 
  uniforms and use super-tech blasters; their lead-
  ers are powerful and mysterious costumed beings 
  (oft en superpowered); and they employ supervil-
  lains (oft en of their own creation) in their schemes.
  A good villainous organization can add a lot 
  of ﬂ avor and depth to a Champions campaign (par-
  ticularly since it’s much harder for the heroes to 
  remove an entire organization from the campaign 
  world than to utterly defeat a single supervil-
  lain or villain team). On the other hand, a badly 
  thought-out or dull villainous agency can hinder a 
  campaign. Here are some things to consider when 
  creating villainous agencies for your game:
  What Are The Agency’s History And Goals?:  When 
  creating a villainous agency, think about its goals 
  and reason for existing. It didn’t spring to life one 
  day simply to oppose Our Heroes during a game 
  session. When did the agency get started, and who 
  started it? What was that person’s reason for start-
  ing it (i.e., the purpose/goal of the agency), and 
  has the agency’s focus changed since then? Many 
  villainous organizations’ aims and goals are the 
  same as those of master villains:  rulership of Earth; 
  domination of humanity; conquest of a particular 
  nation; obtaining vast wealth; maintaining techno-
  logical superiority over everyone else. But you (and 
  your players) may ﬁ nd it fun to create villainous 
  agencies with less stereotypical goals, such as radi-
  cal environmentalism, destroying all high tech-
  nology, committing genocide against some hated 
  group of people, or being the ﬁ rst group of humans 
  to make it to other planets (and, by implication, 
  to rule those planets). As long as the goal allows 
  the agency to be either (a) an intriguing one-time 
  opponent, or (b) provides suﬃ  cient rationale for 
  the agency to become a long-standing foe of the 
  PCs, it works.
  What Is The Agency’s Structure?:  Is the agency a 
  monolithic hierarchical organization answering to 
  a single all-powerful leader? A cartel of lesser allied 
  groups? A network of loosely-connected cells? A 
  vast family, linked by ties of blood and marriage? 
  VILLAINS BY LEVEL
  Chapter Five of this 
  book includes writeups 
  of seven sample villains 
  from the Champions 
  Universe, the oﬃ  cial 
  Hero Games setting 
  for Champions. Here’s 
  how they break down 
  according to the catego-
  ries described here:
  Devastator:  
  Independent villain.
  Green Dragon:  
  Hoodlum.
  Icicle:  Independent 
  villain.
  Mechanon:  Master 
  villain.
  Pulsar:  Hoodlum.
  Tachyon:  Independent 
  villain.
  Talisman:  Independent 
  villain.
  
  166 
  HERO SYSTEM 5TH EDITION
  A shadowy cabal or mysterious cult? If you know 
  this, you know what types of agents and leaders the 
  organization has, how easily it can react to changing 
  situations, and so forth.
  What Are The Agency’s Methods?:  How does the 
  agency go about achieving its goals? Th e typical vil-
  lainous agency, as mentioned above, uses super-tech-
  nology like blasters, artiﬁ cially intelligent computers, 
  hovercraft , hidden bases, and grandiose schemes to 
  accomplish its goals — it’s like a supervillain team 
  or master villain writ large. But some agencies may 
  prefer other methods — particularly if they don’t 
  want to attract the sort of attention that a color-
  fully-uniformed private army tends to. For example, 
  a secretive conspiracy-based agency might concen-
  trate on secretive manipulation of politicians behind 
  the scenes; a coven of villainous wizards might have 
  ordinary people as its mind-controlled agents and 
  work its will through spells instead of gadgetry.
  What Are The Agency’s Resources?:  How much 
  money, men, and materiel does the agency have to 
  work with? Can it aﬀ ord high-tech blasters, or must 
  it restrict itself to ordinary riﬂ es? Does it have mul-
  tiple hidden bases, or a single headquarters? Most 
  importantly, does it have supervillains (or super-
  powered servants) working for it? Most villainous 
  agencies do, but they don’t all have to. You should 
  also consider whether the agency has the capacity to 
  create its own superhumans, or must hire mercenary 
  villains to do its dirty work.
  A COWARDLY, 
  SUPERSTITIOUS LOT:  
  VILLAIN TYPES
  When you’re creating a new villain, you may 
  want to base him in part on one of the classic villain 
  stereotypes that have become familiar to us over the 
  decades. Th ese stereotypes include:
  ANIMAL
  Whether an actual animal (in its natural state, 
  or mutated) or an animalistic humanoid, this crea-
  ture is movivated by the basic drives — the needs 
  to eat, reproduce, survive. An animal villain is not 
  likely to become the personal enemy of any of the 
  heroes, and may well evoke some sympathy from 
  the PCs — aft er all, an animal is only a supervillain 
  when things have gone very, very wrong for it (i.e., 
  it has been horribly mutated, has been transplanted 
  from its native environment, or the like). Animal 
  villains are also oft en wounded, one cause for their 
  rampages. Th is character’s powers tend to be concen-
  trated on combat abilities and movement powers.
  Some campaigns feature a variation on this type 
  of NPC — a sentient animal villain, such as a hyper-
  intelligent talking gorilla. Oft en frustrated by their 
  inability to live in human society, and/or by their 
  perceived superiority over “foolish humans,” these 
  villains lash out, seeking to destroy or conquer that 
  which they cannot be a part of.
  AVENGER
  Th is villain has been wronged, or has been 
  aﬀ ected by someone else being wronged, and is 
  now determined to take vengeance, regardless of 
  what the law says, regardless of whomever else 
  might get hurt. An avenger character could be 
  anything from a garden-variety martial artist who 
  lost a friend to street crime to a survivor of the 
  Holocaust who now bends his superpowers to the 
  destruction of neofascism, the nation of Germany, 
  or the descendants (however innocent they may 
  be) of anyone involved with running the concen-
  tration camps. Th is character usually has a good 
  mix of abilities — some combat-oriented, some 
  stalking and planning skills, and so forth.
  CULTIST
  Th is villain believes in a theology that is not 
  really in the best interest of most of the world. 
  Fueled by religious fervor, cultist supervillains tend 
  to be willing to do anything to promote the aims 
  of their gods. Human sacriﬁ ce is a routine tool in 
  the cultist’s arsenal, as are rituals that temporarily 
  transfer some of the god’s power to one or more 
  followers. Cultists can be anything from a minion-
  league member of a supernatural sect to a religious 
  leader in a normal modern-day denomination who 
  suddenly develops powers, assumes they come 
  from his god, and decides they mean every one of 
  his personal prejudices is his god’s will. Th is char-
  acter might have any sort of powers, but they are 
  likely to manifest at the behest of his god rather 
  than whenever he wishes.
  CREATOR
  Th is person creates things — usually things 
  that move around and cause trouble, such as 
  robots, synthetic life forms, artiﬁ cially engineered 
  diseases, undead creatures, golems, and the like. 
  Sad to say, the creator is usually not very good 
  about keeping his creations contained, and some-
  times doesn’t care what they do once they’ve 
  walked out of his lab. Creators are typically not 
  very powerful — it’s not uncommon for the aver-
  age professor of Scandinavian history to be able to 
  thrash one with a clipboard and an eraser — but 
  their creations are sometimes far more powerful 
  than superheroes. Th is character has tremendous 
  scientiﬁ c skills (or the magical equivalents) and 
  such powers as Summon.
  HERO WITH A DIFFERENT AGENDA
  Th is character is in most ways similar to the 
  PCs, but has just one or two personality quirks that 
  lead him into violent confrontations with the PCs. 
  He may prefer to impose high justice on criminals 
  he catches (under the assumption the law is not up 
  to the task), may have a medieval warrior’s outlook 
  on villains (i.e., that killing them is the best way 
  to prevent recidivism), may have switched from 
  villainy to heroism but still chooses not to accept 
  the punishment of the law for his earlier misdeeds, 
  or the like. Th e player character heroes oft en ﬁ nd 
  something sympathetic about the Hero With A 
  Diﬀ erent Agenda, and some may secretly agree 
  
  167 
  Champions
  with a few of his views — but ultimately they still 
  have to stop him. Such characters are usually the 
  equal, in personal power, of the PCs, and may have 
  any arrangement of abilities.
  MERCENARY
  Th is villain is available for hire. Lone merce-
  nary supervillains typically charge high rates for 
  their services and take considerable pride in their 
  work. Most have no Codes Versus Killing and no 
  compunction against any sort of crime (they’ll 
  gladly take jobs such as kidnapping young mutants 
  and delivering them to villainous instructors, per-
  forming assaults on police stations or prisons, rob-
  bing gold reserves, and so forth). Mercenaries who 
  have ethical codes that approach those of super-
  heroes are oft en able to get along quite well with 
  PCs, sometimes even joining superhero teams, but 
  the majority hire their ethics out with their powers 
  and are considered bottom-feeders by heroes. Th is 
  character may have any arrangement of powers.
  PRANKSTER
  Th is villain has personal gain in mind, but 
  that gain comes in the form of amusement — he 
  lives to perform tricks on other characters, par-
  ticularly superheroes or anyone who is stiﬀ  and 
  humorless. His powers tend to be oriented toward 
  movement, escape, illusion, and inconvenience. 
  He may have a real aﬀ ection for the PCs, but it is 
  probably not reciprocated. Prankster characters 
  are oft en alien creatures or magical beings (such as 
  leprechauns).
  PUPPET
  Th is character is partly or completely con-
  trolled by another villain. He or she may do that 
  villain’s will out of love, out of debt and a sense of 
  honor, out of naivete, or because he or she is being 
  mind-controlled. Puppet characters tend to evoke 
  a certain amount of PC sympathy — so long as 
  they are not responsible for their situations. Th ose 
  who follow another willingly, even though they 
  know right from wrong, don’t earn much sympathy 
  from the campaign’s chief heroes. Th is character 
  may have any arrangement of powers.
  RAVAGER
  Th is villain wants to destroy the world, kill 
  everyone on the planet, or accomplish some other 
  equally apocalyptic goal. Usually quite powerful, 
  with abilities oriented toward combat (i.e., high-
  DC Attack Powers, high defenses), he may have 
  what he considers a legitimate justiﬁ cation for his 
  goals, or he may simply be insane. Sometimes he is 
  a frustrated Ruler/Conqueror (“If I can’t have the 
  world, no one can!”). 
  RULER/CONQUEROR
  Th is character has one overriding agenda:  
  compel others to obey him. He may wish to be 
  the ultimate authority in society; he may simply 
  wish others to obey the same laws he does with 
  the same inﬂ exible diligence. His powers tend to 
  be oriented toward combat and compulsion (i.e., 
  Mind Control, high Presence).
  SADIST
  Th e Sadist likes to inﬂ ict pain. He doesn’t 
  necessarily need a basement ﬁ lled with handmade 
  torture devices; he may simply be a hand-to-hand 
  ﬁ ghter who continues to beat on his foes long aft er 
  they are incapable of moving, or a psychologi-
  cal sadist who enjoys playing mind games that 
  cause his foes emotional pain. Th e Sadist is usually 
  subordinate to a more sophisticated villain, but 
  some master villains indulge in sadism as a hobby 
  during those times when their plans are on cruise 
  control. A Sadist character might have any sort of 
  powers.
  SCAMMER/GRIFTER
  Th is villain makes his living by persuading 
  others to give him money or other valuables; he’s 
  simply the superpowered version of a conﬁ dence 
  man. He usually has Skills that make it easier for 
  him to deal with others (especially Conversation 
  and Persuasion), and might have complementary 
  Powers (Mental Illusion, Telepathy, Mind Control, 
  Shape Shift ). Such characters normally don’t pose 
  much of a threat to combat-oriented superheroes, 
  but when their abilities are used by a broader-
  thinking master villain, they can cause the PCs 
  endless trouble with their manipulations.
  THIEF
  Th is character uses his superpowers to help 
  him take valuable things away from their owners. 
  Th ief supervillains range from sophisticates who 
  use their powers to allow them to go aft er ever-
  more-carefully-defended targets, or run-of-the-
  mill burglars whose powers have simply given 
  them a certain reliability when it comes to bur-
  gling houses, knocking over convenience stores, 
  and mugging joggers. A thief super usually has 
  abilities pertaining to sneakiness — Stealth, Invis-
  ibility, Clinging, and so forth.
  THUG
  Th is villain uses his powers for exactly the 
  same purposes he used his ﬁ sts and weapons 
  before he gained superhuman abilities. He enforces 
  the rules laid down by the criminal who employs 
  him. Th ug characters tend to be combat-oriented; 
  some are formidable ﬁ ghters, while some are only 
  slightly superhuman thumb-breakers.
  TRANSFORMER
  Th is sort of bad guy has powers that allow 
  him to turn things into other things — most com-
  monly, to turn people into creatures they don’t 
  want to be. One type of transformer might cause a 
  city’s population to become irresponsible and vio-
  lent. Another might transform victims into gold, or 
  horrible chthonian monsters. Such characters tend 
  to have formidable Transform powers; they are 
  seldom combat-oriented, but may employ super-
  powered bodyguards (who are oft en people they 
  have transformed).
  
  168 
  HERO SYSTEM 5TH EDITION
  RUNNING SUPERVILLAINS 
  IN A CAMPAIGN
  When designing, revising, and playing super-
  villains in a campaign, you should consider the 
  following issues.
  MATCHING THEM AGAINST THE HEROES
  Supervillains aren’t much fun when the heroes 
  have no trouble putting them down, nor are they 
  very entertaining when they casually dispose of 
  the heroes. Some balance is called for.
  Take note of how much damage your heroes 
  do with average attacks and with rare, maxed-out 
  attacks. Compare that to the defenses of your vil-
  lains to get a sense of how many attacks the villains 
  can sustains before being defeated.
  Likewise, compare the attacks of the vil-
  lains against the defenses of your PCs. Th e villain 
  attacks actually ought to be slightly better against 
  PC defenses than the heroes’ attacks are against 
  their defenses, for two reasons:
  ■ Th e heroes are, in the collective, played by sev-
  eral minds at once, while you have to divide your 
  mind among several villains at the same time. 
  Th is means the PCs have a higher likelihood of 
  coming up with a clever plan to unbalance a situ-
  ation in their favor. So, you should compensate, 
  for balance’s sake, by making your villains slightly 
  tougher.
  ■ Villains are, on the average, more focused on 
  things like destruction and power than superhe-
  roes, who are better balanced (both mentally, and 
  in terms of their overall suite of powers). From the 
  standpoint of genre conception, it’s appropriate for 
  them to have slightly stronger attacks than the PCs.
  TEAMFIGHTING VILLAINS
  Designing a villain to take on an entire team 
  by himself is an interesting challenge. If you 
  make him immune to the PCs’ attacks, he’ll win 
  almost every time they meet. If he can wipe out a 
  hero with each punch or blast he makes, combat 
  becomes nothing more than a test to see whether 
  the heroes can wear him down faster than attrition 
  reduces their numbers to zero. On the other hand, 
  if he folds in the face of the heroes’ attacks too 
  easily, he’s not doing his job in the story. Neither 
  situation is much fun.
  What you need to do is ﬁ nd the proper bal-
  ance for the character. It’s best to design a team-
  ﬁ ghting villain so a sustained attack by a hero team 
  can eventually wear him down, and so that his 
  attacks tend to knock a hero out aft er two or per-
  haps three successful blows (or perhaps one really 
  lucky damage roll).
  When designing such a villain, consider the 
  virtues of Damage Reduction. Th is power allows 
  some damage from most attacks to do STUN 
  to the villain, but makes it much harder for any 
  attack to Stun him or Knock him Out. Coupled 
  with a high STUN total, a high END score, a high 
  Recovery, decent (but not overwhelming) defenses, 
  and perhaps Healing, Damage Reduction allows a 
  team-ﬁ ghting supervillain to perform as expected. 
  Likewise, team-ﬁ ghting villains have an improved 
  chance to stand their own against hero-teams if 
  they have attacks with the Area Of Eﬀ ect, Autoﬁ re, 
  and Explosion Advantages — the better to attack 
  several heroes at once.
  VILLAIN TACTICS AND ESCAPE OPTIONS
  Supervillain combat tactics also play an 
  important role. If a lone supervillain hits one hero 
  on one Phase, another on the next, another on the 
  third, and so on, the heroes tend to Recover as fast 
  as he can dish out damage. If you want this sort of 
  ﬁ ght, ﬁ ne; if you want to give the villain a chance, 
  the bad guy ought to concentrate attacks on one or 
  two foes at a time, only turning to attack new ones 
  when the ﬁ rst ones are down.
  Villains are also proﬁ cient at having escape 
  options set up in advance — their bases have 
  rocket sleds leading to safety, they carry one-use 
  Teleportation gadgets, and so on. Too-frequent use 
  of these deus ex machina-style options tends to 
  frustrate and annoy the players (who hate it when 
  the bad guys always get away), but, judiciously 
  used, they can lead to a superteam developing a 
  grudging respect for a villain’s versatility or intel-
  ligence.
  CHOOSING THE FIGHT CIRCUMSTANCES
  Since heroes take the active role in cam-
  paigns more oft en than not, they oft en determine 
  the circumstances under which they ﬁ ght more 
  frequently than the villains choose. Th is tends to 
  mean the heroes catch the villains when they’re 
  less able to come to one another’s aid. Heroes jump 
  in as a group and typically pick oﬀ  small units of 
  the enemy team until the situation is unbalanced 
  in their favor.
  To keep this from making all your campaign’s 
  ﬁ ghts hopelessly tilted toward your heroes, try the 
  following tactics:
  Don’t Give PCs All Day To Study The Enemy 
  Position. Even if the PCs collectively have tre-
  mendous stealth and sensory abilities, they can’t 
  be permitted to plot out every square foot of a 
  hostage situation or supervillain base. If they do, 
  their advantage in a combat may be insurmount-
  able, which ruins the dramatic tension of the scene. 
  Ways to keep them from spending all day to draw 
  their diagrams include endangering someone 
  inside the target zone (forcing the heroes to act 
  immediately or watch an innocent perish), and to 
  have the heroes’ continued presence in one spot be 
  discovered if they remain too long.
  Remember, if the PCs don’t have the entire 
  ﬂ oorplan of the target zone memorized, they also 
  don’t know where all the supervillains are. It also 
  helps matters if supervillains are present in their 
  civilian identities — a superhero scanning a base 
  interior won’t know who’s a super and who’s a 
  civilian.
  Consider The Virtues of Traps And Missile Reﬂ ection. 
  Supervillains could have things set up so anyone 
  not wearing a speciﬁ c sort of tracer gets blasted 
  by defensive weaponry; the base could be ﬂ ooded 
  
  169 
  Champions
  with a gas all the bad guys routinely receive the 
  antidote to; and Missile Reﬂ ection can prove dev-
  astating to heroes who suddenly appear and throw 
  their most powerful attacks at the villains.
  Villains Can Have Danger Sense, Too. If one or more 
  villains have this Talent and are smart enough to 
  communicate sensations of danger to their fel-
  lows without alerting the heroes, the heroes’ job 
  becomes much harder.
  THREEDIMENSIONAL VILLAINY
  When creating a villain, try to make him 
  three-dimensional — give him a variety of quali-
  ties and personality traits, some good, some bad. 
  Very few people are entirely evil, or entirely good, 
  even in the comics. If a villain is so awful the 
  heroes can ﬁ nd no way to sympathize or empa-
  thize with him, the heroes are far more likely 
  to ﬁ nd a way to kill him, or let him die. Getting 
  around those pesky Codes Versus Killing can be 
  diﬃ  cult, but a hero with enough motivation will 
  ﬁ nd a way.
  In addition, when a supervillain has some 
  good traits, he also has thought processes that 
  make his criminal career more reasonable to him. 
  Th is allows him to consider himself to be a decent 
  person, making his outrage at the continued inter-
  ference by superheroes all the more realistic. It’s 
  also more likely that you’ll think of interesting sce-
  narios and subplots involving the villain, since you 
  can make him appeal to the heroes as something 
  more than just a combatant.
  USING THE HEROES’ PSYCHOLOGICAL 
  LIMITATIONS
  Many supervillains should have some trait 
  that interacts in interesting ways with a hero’s Psy-
  chological Limitations. Take a look at the accom-
  panying box for some examples.
  MAKING THEM PART OF THE HEROES’ 
  LIVES
  Villains don’t have to limit their involvement 
  in a campaign to commencing a villainous plot, 
  being beaten, being arrested or forced to ﬂ ee, and 
  then returning. Th ere are other options available to 
  you, especially for a well-developed, three-dimen-
  sional villain.
  A villain not otherwise engaged in standard 
  villainous activities can also be inventing new 
  devices and procedures (sometimes to the detri-
  ment, sometimes to the beneﬁ t, of humanity), per-
  forming (some villains are actors, musicians, and 
  the like), writing, composing, meddling in national 
  aﬀ airs in legal ways (villains can resort to lawsuits 
  and media campaigns just like ordinary mortals), 
  and conducting their family and professional lives.
  Player characters can be part of those family 
  and professional lives. A PC could be the child, 
  sibling, spouse, in-law, or even parent of a super-
  villain. A PC’s company could be a competitor or 
  strategic ally of a supervillain’s corporation.
  Over time, supervillains and superheroes 
  can conceivably become more important to one 
  another than their more mundane associates and 
  family members. Each is truly only great in the 
  presence of the other, aft er all. As supers age and 
  their closest friends retire, move away, or perish, 
  they may ﬁ nd themselves growing more fond of 
  their remaining longtime adversaries... if adversar-
  ies they even remain.
  COMING BACK FOR MORE... MOSTLY
  Until a supervillain’s personal goals are 
  resolved (or become completely impossible to 
  attain), he’s unlikely to leave a campaign. He may 
  be driven into exile or thrown into prison, keeping 
  him out of the limelight for months or years at a 
  time, but he’ll be back. Th e recurring villain is, aft er 
  all, one of the best-known features of the super-
  hero genre (see page 51).
  Of course, it can give a campaign’s players a 
  sense of accomplishment if they remove a super-
  villain threat permanently, and a certain propor-
  tion of your campaign’s villains should end up that 
  way. Being removed permanently doesn’t neces-
  sarily mean being killed. A villain could lose his 
  powers, achieve his personal goals and retire, move 
  away (for example, to rule a planet all his own, 
  somewhere else in the galaxy), or choose to switch 
  to the good guys’ side. Any one of these gives the 
  PCs a feeling of accomplishment, so long as they 
  had something to do with the outcome.
  Th e only time when you should choose to 
  retire a villain permanently without a major 
  change taking place in his psyche is when none of 
  the players appreciate him — when all the play-
  ers react with personal dismay to his every return 
  appearance. If changes to the villain’s goals and 
  tactics don’t alter this situation, it’s time to put the 
  villain in a box somewhere and leave him there 
  forever, regardless of how fond you may be of him.
  VILLAINS AND HEROIC 
  PSYCHOLOGICAL LIMITATIONS
  If A Hero Has: 
  There Might Be A Villain Who Is:
  Code Of Honor 
  Someone with an identical code, but who is honor-
  bound to be a villain; someone extremely dishonorable
  Code Of Th e Hero; 
  Must Protect Innocents 
  A despicable villain who uses the Code against the hero 
  as oft en as he can (“You can capture me or save those 
  Girl Scouts, hero — what’s it gonna be?”)
  Code Versus Killing 
  A casual killer
  Dislike of a speciﬁ c group 
  A member of that group
  Hatred Of Male Chauvinists A male chauvinist; a submissive, cloying female who 
  encourages male chauvinism; a woman who became a 
  villainess because of damage suﬀ ered at the hands of a 
  male chauvinist
  Overconﬁ dence 
  Someone who continually mocks the hero, or is better 
  at the hero’s skills, or both
  
  170 
  HERO SYSTEM 5TH EDITION
  N
  on-villainous NPCs actually follow the 
  same guidelines as Villains for what 
  makes them interesting and how they 
  should interact with a campaign — with 
  the signiﬁ cant diﬀ erence that most of them do not 
  have full-time criminal intentions. Th ey, too, should 
  have fully-detailed personalities, personal goals, 
  relationships with one another and with the PCs, 
  and the potential to change over time. What sets 
  NPCs apart from villains is that they tend to have 
  a diﬀ erent (and usually broader) range of motiva-
  tions available to them. Most have less ambitious 
  personal goals — they simply want to have the 
  allotment of opportunity and reward they think 
  they deserve. Many pursue success in economic 
  arenas; many pursue love and aﬀ ection; many just 
  want to survive.
  NPC TYPES
  If at all possible, before the ﬁ rst adventure in 
  a new campaign, you should create a cast of NPCs 
  — not necessarily in full character-sheet form, but 
  in terms of name, appearance, occupation, 
  and likely reaction to superheroes.
  Over time, you’ll add new NPCs to 
  your cast of characters. Normally, this hap-
  pens because you’ve set up an adventure 
  that involves new characters or because, in 
  the course of an adventure, a PC wants to 
  ﬁ nd a type of character who’s not already 
  part of the campaign cast. (For instance, “I 
  need to track down an expert in the ﬁ eld of 
  marine biology and run these samples by 
  him.”)
  Th e rest of this section lists and 
  describes approximately ﬁ ft y NPC types 
  who appear frequently in Champions cam-
  paigns. Th e NPC types likely to be of most 
  frequent use to you in a standard campaign, 
  and therefore the ones you might want to 
  consider creating ﬁ rst, are marked with an 
  asterisk (*).
  Activist. An activist is someone who tries to 
  keep issues he considers important in the 
  news and in the minds of lawmakers. Activ-
  ists can be part of a campaign in a variety 
  of ways:  some might oppose superheroes 
  in general, considering their eﬀ ect on soci-
  ety to be dangerous; others want to enlist 
  supers in their activism (“Th is is Black Swordsman 
  with a word of advice:  don’t smoke.”). A very few, 
  those whose activism extends to violence, might 
  actually end up as the villains of an adventure. 
  Comic book activists tend to be very passionate 
  people and oft en get in trouble because of their 
  concerns, which also makes them a good choice for 
  romantic interest characters.
  Anchorman. Because superheroes appear in the news, 
  and because the news oft en alerts heroes to the 
  onset of trouble, PCs will see the faces of local news 
  anchors a lot. It doesn’t take much eﬀ ort to personal-
  ize those faces, giving them names and mannerisms, 
  and subsequently you can use those characters in 
  other ways in the campaign. News anchors do charity 
  events (that are sometimes the focus of supervillain 
  activities); some struggle for a big news break or 
  acting opportunity that allows them to leave local 
  news; and they can become the targets of stalkers 
  (including superpowered ones).
  *Archaeologist. Archaeologists ﬁ ll many roles in a 
  campaign. A surprising number of them stumble 
  across ancient artifacts that turn them into supers. An 
  NEUTRAL GROUND
  An interesting feature of 
  some superhuman set-
  tings (but which doesn’t 
  work in every campaign) 
  is the existence of a neu-
  tral ground — a place 
  superheroes and super-
  villains can go where 
  they aren’t expected (or 
  allowed) to ﬁ ght one 
  another. A small nation 
  ruled by a metahuman, a 
  multidimensional pocket 
  where the laws of magic 
  prevent characters from 
  ﬁ ghting, or a bar with 
  an eclectic clientele run 
  by someone power-
  ful enough to enforce 
  the peace are all good 
  examples of neutral 
  ground. Besides being 
  a place where heroes 
  and villains can meet in 
  peaceful circumstances, 
  a neutral ground allows 
  superhumans to hear 
  the news (and rumors!), 
  gather information, look 
  for work, and maybe 
  even take classes on sub-
  jects of interest to them 
  (“Legal Loopholes:  How 
  To Stay Out Of Jail Even 
  When Th ey Caught You 
  Dead To Rights,” “Basic 
  Martial Arts For Begin-
  ners”). 
  Example:  John decides his 
  campaign needs a neutral 
  ground. Since none of 
  the PCs have long-range 
  Movement Powers or 
  a vehicle, it needs to 
  be right in the heart of 
  Los Angeles, where he’s 
  chosen to set his game. He 
  decides it will be a bar, 
  a tavern catering solely 
  to people with superhu-
  man powers, regardless 
  of whether they’re heroes 
  or villains. To keep ﬁ ghts 
  from breaking out, he cre-
  ates a special NPC owner 
  of the bar — a fallen god 
  whose once-vast divine 
  powers, though consider-
  ably curtailed, are still 
  more than enough to keep 
  all of the bar’s patrons in 
  line. Th e PCs, their NPC 
  hero friends, and their 
  supervillain enemies can 
  all gather at the bar to 
  exchange insults, have 
  friendly conversations on 
  topics of interest, look for 
  work (there’s even a “For 
  Hire” bulletin board on 
  one wall!), play games, 
  and just plain relax.
  NON-PLAYER 
  CHARACTERS IN 
  CHAMPIONS 
  
  171 
  Champions
  even greater number of them stumble across ancient 
  menaces that kill them. But the greatest number 
  simply do their jobs, ﬁ nding, cataloguing, and inter-
  preting information about the physical remains of 
  human civilization, and they can provide expert 
  advice to superheroes. It’s helpful for a campaign’s 
  PCs to be aware of one scholarly archaeologist, per-
  haps the idiosyncratic professor at a local university, 
  whom they can turn to about questions of history 
  and civilization.
  Artist. Fine artists, commercial illustrators, sculptors, 
  photographers, performance artists, graﬃ  ti artists, 
  and more can play interesting roles in your campaign. 
  Th ese creative people don’t necessarily have a lot to 
  do, story-wise, with adventures, but game worlds are 
  as full of them as the real world, and they do make 
  interesting romantic interests. In addition, if the 
  heroes ﬁ nd an artist who is capable of doing police-
  style sketches of suspects and is willing to receive 
  impressions through telepathic contact, they’ll have a 
  helpful resource for bringing criminals to justice.
  Athlete. A campaign’s athletes can range in stature 
  from a member of the local professional sports fran-
  chise to an amateur who stays in training for local 
  charity marathons. Mad scientists sometimes kidnap 
  athletes to experiment on (their excellent physi-
  cal conditioning makes them good choices, since 
  they’re far more likely to survive the treatments than 
  the common man or woman); athletes can stumble 
  across game-ﬁ xing plots or other criminal enter-
  prises; and, because of their focus and physicality, 
  they make good romantic interests.
  Bail Bondsman. When someone is arrested and bail is 
  set for him, if he cannot come up with the required 
  portion of the bail, he may turn to a bail bondsman, 
  who puts up that money (for a fee) and then does 
  everything in his power to make sure the suspect 
  actually stays in town and shows up for his trial (if 
  he skips, the bondsman loses the bail). Bail bonds-
  men sometimes hire bounty hunters to chase down 
  people who have skipped bail; in a superhero world, 
  they may turn to superheroes to ask for the same 
  help. Supers seldom suﬀ er when they cultivate work-
  ing relationships with bail bondsmen; the bonds-
  men may have tips that are useful when anticipating 
  upcoming crimes, and the super may ﬁ nd himself in 
  need of being bailed out.
  Bartender. Most appearances by bartenders in ﬁ c-
  tion tend to follow a certain pattern:  the hero enters 
  the bar and asks the bartender a question about 
  something the bartender doesn’t want to discuss; the 
  hero resorts to bribery or physical threats and gets 
  his information; the hero leaves. (It’s to be suspected 
  the money more than compensates for the physical 
  abuse, else there would be a tremendous turnover in 
  bartenders.) But a bartender character can be a useful 
  regular NPC in a campaign; he does see a lot of traf-
  ﬁ c through his establishment, hears a lot of drunken 
  confessions and mutterings, and, if he’s skilled at his 
  job, mixes a good drink.
  Boyfriend/Girlfriend. Th ough every campaign needs 
  a certain number of characters to be established as 
  romantic partners of prominent PCs and NPCs, 
  and for others to be available as potential partners, 
  “boyfriend” and “girlfriend” don’t actually belong on 
  this list. Th is is because any character in a campaign 
  who is a romantic partner also needs to belong to one 
  of the other character types (for example, “Business-
  man/Boyfriend” or “Police Oﬃ  cer/Girlfriend”). If a 
  romantic partner does not belong to some other role, 
  then he or she will mostly sit around waiting to be 
  taken out on a date or being kidnapped so the PCs 
  can perform a rescue. Th is does not result in an inter-
  esting character, and players don’t really care about a 
  disinteresting one.
  *Burglar/Thief. Th is NPC type can range from the 
  very classy cat burglar who shows considerable style 
  with every theft  to the drunken, shirtless guy the PCs 
  pick up on routine patrols every Friday night. Recur-
  rent burglar or thief characters have a lot of use in 
  the campaign:  they can steal items that turn out to 
  be mystical artifacts and unleash danger upon the 
  world, steal items that local organized crime wants 
  back very badly, stumble across a PC’s Secret Identity, 
  or the like. And don’t forget the virtues of the retired 
  or reformed burglar/thief:  having reluctantly turned 
  to some more honest way of making their living (or 
  having become able to live oﬀ  the proceeds of their 
  lives of crime), they make good contacts for heroes, 
  oft en have a helpful working knowledge of the 
  region’s organized crime, and can help identify others 
  in their trade through modus operandi or clues no 
  one else could correctly interpret.
  
  172 
  HERO SYSTEM 5TH EDITION
  Businessman. Th e most common sorts of business-
  people regularly encountered by PC superheroes are 
  corporate tycoons whose corporate manipulations 
  set storylines into motion. PCs are likely to encounter 
  representatives of companies that manufacture and 
  sell superhero-level equipment, as well as company 
  presidents and oﬃ  cers whom they need to question 
  during investigations.
  Celebrity, Local. In addition to the news anchors and 
  athletes described earlier, local celebrities can include 
  radio personalities (popular DJs), humorists and 
  comedians, retired war heroes, businessmen who 
  have a measure of local fame (such as the eccentric 
  business owner who does all his own bad commer-
  cials), famous columnists and critics, and so forth. 
  PCs are likely to bump into local celebrities at fund-
  raising events and to save them from stalkers.
  Charity Worker. Th ese sorts of people share many of 
  the same story-type advantages as Activists (above), 
  but are not as extreme in their relationships with 
  local government and business. Because they come 
  into contact with people who are at the brink of 
  ﬁ nancial collapse and despair, charity workers are 
  very likely to stumble onto events that point toward 
  adventures that are ready to pop.
  Collector. Th ere are as many diﬀ erent types of collec-
  tors as there are things to collect — artwork, coins, 
  statuary, stamps, movies, autographs, toys, railroad 
  ties, roleplaying games, commemorative plates, and 
  the like. Some collectors are simply acquisitive com-
  pletionists, but others may be scholars in their ﬁ elds 
  of interest, and therefore good contacts for PCs to 
  cultivate. Collectors can also get into trouble — such 
  as when they obtain an item that’s dangerous or have 
  a valuable object stolen — which can also bring them 
  into contact with superheroes.
  *Congressman. It’s good to develop at least one of the 
  region’s senators or representatives; superheroes are 
  likely to encounter this person at one time or another, 
  and the politician is equally likely to seek out the 
  supers for matters relating to national government. 
  Comic book Congressmen can pull strings to help 
  obtain justice for those people it has bypassed, lobby 
  to get major industries set up in their regions, attract 
  the ire of terrorists and assassins, and so on.
  *Coroner. Comic books are full of dead people, and 
  superheroes oft en need to know how it happened. 
  Cultivating a working relationship with the county 
  coroner is a good idea for PCs. In addition, the dis-
  cipline is such a macabre one that it’s an excellent 
  opportunity to create a very eccentric NPC, though 
  the death-obsessed or death-oblivious kook coroner 
  is becoming something of a cliché.
  *Crime Boss. Every group of superheroes should have 
  at least a peripheral knowledge of how organized 
  crime operates in its area. Th is means you should give 
  a name, personality, and modus operandi to the most 
  signiﬁ cant local crime lords, and possibly to their 
  chief lieutenants, as early as possible in the campaign. 
  Crime bosses tend to operate their syndicates as 
  businesses, meaning they’re frustratingly elusive to 
  indict and convict; this gives them staying power in 
  a campaign. (And do remember that in a four-color 
  superhero world, most crime bosses are keenly aware 
  of what supers can do; they may hire supervillains 
  to protect them, and almost certainly employ tech-
  nicians to set up security measures to help counter 
  superheroes’ special senses and other abilities.) Note 
  also that crime bosses don’t have to be adversaries 
  in every story. When they have enemies in common 
  with superheroes, they may ﬁ nd a way to cooperate 
  with the PCs.
  *Doctor. If the superheroes don’t have a physician 
  among their members or on staﬀ , it’s useful for them 
  to know of a good non-super doctor. Local medics 
  can do more than patch up injured supers and diag-
  nose their mystery ailments:  they can alert heroes to 
  unusual medical situations (odd injuries that point 
  to the presence of some sort of monster or alien, 
  diseases that threaten to become epidemics, physi-
  ological changes that suggest someone is developing 
  super-abilities). Th e multidisciplinary physician 
  working at the city’s main hospital is a mainstay of 
  comic books, but specialists are also helpful — genet-
  icists, bacteriologists, biologists, botanists, and psychi-
  atrists can also ﬁ gure prominently in investigations. 
  Any superhero who has specialized medical needs 
  should know a doctor who can meet those needs.
  Driver. Th e professional driver is an occasional guest 
  star in a superhero story. Supers oft en need to ques-
  tion cab drivers, limo drivers, and chauﬀ eurs about 
  the movements of their clients. A normal-level 
  superhero with a sense of tradition might employ a 
  personal driver for his super-car.
  Fire Chief. Th e head of the city’s ﬁ re department may 
  play a role in adventures, speciﬁ cally in situations 
  where a villain is responsible for a series of arson 
  crimes. Fire chiefs can also be good consultants 
  when dealing with supervillains who use ﬂ ame; they 
  can help determine what accelerants the villains are 
  using, discover the temperatures at which the supers’ 
  powers operate, and so on.
  Fireﬁ ghter/EMT. Rank-and-ﬁ le ﬁ reﬁ ghters are not as 
  useful in a campaign as the ﬁ re chief, but, because 
  they’re courageous people in a critical occupation, 
  they do make good friends, DNPCs, and romantic 
  interests for PCs. Th e same is true of emergency 
  medical technicians.
  Gambler. A professional gambler oﬀ ers many of the 
  same beneﬁ ts as the Burglar/Th ief:  He may have 
  connections, however tenuous, with organized crime, 
  and operates in a realm that gives him insight into 
  weird events on the horizon. Professional gamblers 
  can also be useful in setting up “sting” operations to 
  trick villains.
  Ghost. In a campaign that makes use of the supernat-
  ural, it’s appropriate to have a ghost or two wandering 
  around. Typically, ghosts fall into one of two catego-
  ries. Th e ﬁ rst is a nearly mindless spirit that haunts 
  a place, acting as a signpost to an unsolved crime or 
  unresolved tragedy. Th e second is a fully developed 
  personality whose death may have been an incon-
  venience or even a tragedy but didn’t serve to slow 
  the character down much. Th e second type is better 
  suited to humorous campaigns or those with elabo-
  rately developed mystic themes; otherwise it strains 
  
  173 
  Champions
  harder at the players’ willing suspension of disbelief.
  Gossip. A character who lives to acquire personal 
  information and then pass it on to others can be 
  either extremely annoying or extremely helpful to 
  the player characters... or both. Gossips have the 
  unsettling habit of revealing information that causes 
  friction in relationships or that causes months of 
  surveillance to be wasted (at the worst possible time, 
  of course). On the other hand, they are great treasure 
  troves of information about people, including local 
  crime ﬁ gures, politicians, and supervillains.
  *Governor. Th e leader of state government oﬀ ers 
  many of the same beneﬁ ts as the Congressman, 
  above, and you ought to at least know this character’s 
  name and primary motivations.
  *Inventor. Naturally, many superheroes are inventors, 
  but there are others who are not supers. 
  Some have an unfortunate habit of 
  creating menaces that escape 
  to endanger the community. 
  Some fabricate gadgets 
  and weaponry for super-
  heroes, or supervillains, 
  or both. Some make 
  discoveries that 
  they then bring to 
  the superheroes 
  as starting-
  points for new 
  adventures 
  (“My new 
  jumpspace 
  EMR moni-
  tor is detect-
  ing wave 
  ﬂ uctuations that 
  resemble communi-
  cations, and I think I’ve 
  been able to decode portions of the alien language... 
  they’re coming here...”).
  Investigator. If the heroes do not have someone 
  with detective skills among their number, they’ll 
  ﬁ nd it helpful to have a working relationship 
  with a local private investigator. Even if they 
  do, they are, over the course of a campaign’s 
  duration, certain to encounter other inves-
  tigators:  private eyes, insurance investiga-
  tors, and the like. Investigators also have an unhealthy 
  habit of staggering into a PC’s presence mortally 
  wounded, gasping out cryptic clues, and then dying, 
  launching the heroes into a new adventure.
  *Lawyer. Superheroes will eventually meet a lot of 
  lawyers in a campaign. Th ey tend to fall into one of 
  several categories:  prosecuting attorneys (members 
  of the district attorney’s oﬃ  ce who are responsible 
  for making convictions in criminal cases); defense 
  attorneys (whose usual job is to keep criminals 
  captured by the heroes out of jail, but who are some-
  times called on to keep superheroes themselves from 
  being convicted); and civil attorneys (who either sue 
  people, or protect a client from being sued). Th ere 
  are also attorneys who are experts in superhero law, 
  international law, salvage law, and possibly even inter-
  planetary law (in the right campaign), any of whom 
  the PCs might wish to consult. Occasionally one will 
  ﬁ nd an attorney who has reformed — given up the 
  practice to run a game company, for example.
  Martial Arts Master. Many superheroes are martial 
  artists, and some of them can even count themselves 
  as masters, but even they occasionally have to turn to 
  the true masters of their respective arts. NPC martial 
  arts masters tend to be aged (one reason why they are 
  not out ﬁ ghting supervillains themselves), wise, and 
  experienced (each one’s knowledge of the Martial 
  World, and sometimes of mysticism, secret societies, 
  or history’s mysteries is unique). Because they are 
  aged, wise, and experienced, they also tend to be quite 
  eccentric characters, and a good opportunity for a 
  GM to do some acting.
  *Mayor. Most Champions 
  campaigns are set pri-
  marily in an urban 
  area, or give the PCs 
  frequent cause to 
  visit a particular 
  city. Th e local commu-
  nity’s mayor is certain to be 
  aﬀ ected by super-activities, so 
  you should develop him early. 
  Th e mayor makes state-
  ments about supers 
  to the local press, 
  appears at the 
  same charity 
  functions the 
  PCs do, and 
  takes steps to 
  make the commu-
  nity a safer one 
  even when 
  this incon-
  veniences 
  supers. Th e GM can 
  help 
  establish the tone of a cam-
  paign by 
  deciding how the mayor feels about and nor-
  mally reacts to supers — a hero-friendly mayor 
  makes life easier for the PCs, a hero-neutral mayor 
  sometimes helps and sometimes hinders them, and 
  a hero-hostile mayor makes things diﬃ  cult at every 
  step.
  Mechanic. If the supers operate super-vehicles and 
  don’t want to do all their own maintenance, they’ll 
  eventually require the services of a trustworthy 
  mechanic. A mechanic can be an employee of the 
  superhero team or a garage mechanic they regularly 
  turn to. Mechanics make good “personality” NPCs, 
  and the stereotype of the grease monkey who turns 
  out to be a cute young woman exerts an impressive 
  fascination on the minds of some gamers.
  Medium. In a comic book world, there are two types 
  of spiritualists:  Th ose who use trickery to pretend 
  to be in contact with the spirit world, and those who 
  actually have powers that let them speak with spirits. 
  Both types are useful in a campaign. Fake spiritualists 
  can implement scams that take people for millions of 
  dollars, and become trusted advisors of businessmen 
  
  174 
  HERO SYSTEM 5TH EDITION
  and politicians. Spiritualists who actually possess 
  powers can be crucial in some superhero adven-
  tures, and can initiate adventures by bringing news 
  or prophecies to the heroes.
  Military Ofﬁ cer. If the campaign setting includes a 
  local military base, it’s useful for you to know the 
  name of its commander. In addition, many cam-
  paigns make use of military special forces such as 
  supervillain capture teams or special rescue units, 
  and these personnel can come into regular contact 
  with superheroes.
  *Occult/Paranormal Investigator. Assuming none of 
  the PCs ﬁ ll this role for a campaign, it’s useful for 
  the heroes to encounter someone who spends his 
  life digging at the seamy underside of the occult 
  world. Such characters might be genuine seekers 
  aft er knowledge and truth, tabloid reporters with an 
  unhealthy habit of stumbling over genuine super-
  natural events, or skeptics adept at exposing fakers. 
  Any of them can be helpful consultants for a PC 
  team.
  *Patriarch. Th is character is the leader of a promi-
  nent family. Patriarchs may also be businessmen, 
  lawyers, politicians, or whatever, but their principal 
  role in a campaign is as the ultimate authority in 
  the aﬀ airs of their family members. Th ey tend to be 
  middle-aged and older, very forceful of personality, 
  and pursuing agendas that are neither evil nor good 
  but are in what they consider the best interests of 
  their families, so it is possible for them to be in vicious 
  conﬂ ict with the PCs one minute and be arm-in-arm 
  helpful the next, possibly without any lingering feel-
  ings from one situation to the other. In a campaign, it’s 
  useful to have one important family to point at, and 
  occasionally to use in meddling with local or regional 
  events in such a way as to aﬀ ect the player characters. 
  It can also be interesting to have several diﬀ erent 
  supers (heroes, villains, or preferably both) belong to 
  a speciﬁ c prominent family, especially when they start 
  out the campaign not being aware of one another as 
  supers.
  Performer. Into this category falls actors, musicians, 
  and the like, to whatever extent is appropriate for the 
  local setting. (Settings such as Los Angeles, Nashville, 
  and New York City are naturally going to have consid-
  erable numbers of performers to draw on.) Perform-
  ers, like local celebrities, can easily become the target 
  of kidnappers and stalkers; it’s also not unknown for a 
  lonely and somewhat deranged supervillain to capture 
  one in an eﬀ ort to make the performer his consort. 
  Note that you doesn’t have to create performers out of 
  whole cloth; it’s permissible to use real-world celebri-
  ties in cameo appearances in your campaign. Th is can 
  be a real treat for players who enjoy that sort of thing.
  *Police Chief/Captain. Th e local police chief deter-
  mines in large part the state of relations between his 
  department and superheroes. If the police chief is 
  friendly or neutral toward heroes, then oﬃ  cial rela-
  tions will probably be cordial. If he is hostile, then the 
  heroes might still be able to have friendly relations 
  with individual oﬃ  cers, but these relationships will 
  have to remain secret.
  Police chiefs tend to fall into one of three catego-
  ries in a Champions campaign:  Reform, Conventional, 
  and Corrupt. A Reform police chief has recently taken 
  the job and is determined to restructure the police 
  force from top to bottom, either because it is outdated 
  (it needs new equipment, new techniques, new atti-
  tudes), ineﬃ  cient (oﬃ  cers get new training and irritat-
  ing motivational courses), or corrupt (the new chief 
  ferrets out crooked cops and cooperates extensively 
  with the Internal Aﬀ airs Division, making him/her 
  very unpopular with the rank and ﬁ le). A Conven-
  tional chief believes his department is operating at an 
  acceptable level of eﬃ  ciency and honesty (and may be 
  correct). A Corrupt chief may be in the pocket of local 
  organized crime or may have found ways to make the 
  department a proﬁ t center, in which case justice is for 
  sale in the local community.
  All these characteristics are similarly appropri-
  ate for local sheriﬀ s, heads of special police units (like 
  state rangers), and other law enforcement agencies 
  prominent in your campaign.
  *Police Investigator. Player characters will inevitably 
  run into local police investigators on a regular basis; 
  aft er all, police detectives and superheroes both inves-
  tigate crimes. Th ere is likely to be a bristly, somewhat 
  competitive atmosphere between police and superhe-
  roes (the supers consider the police to be hampered 
  by tradition and foolish laws; the police consider 
  the supers to be amateurs who screw up convictions 
  through their extralegal antics; both attitudes tend to 
  be correct). In the comics, police investigators tend to 
  be smart, idiosyncratic people, making them fun for 
  you to play and making them appropriate for roman-
  tic leads, DNPCs, and friends of PCs.
  *Police Ofﬁ cer. Likewise, superheroes frequently 
  encounter uniformed oﬃ  cers (as well as equivalent 
  peace oﬃ  cers such as deputy sheriﬀ s and state troop-
  ers). Here, too, we have the cooperative but competi-
  tive interaction of the police and supers. However, 
  because cases tend to be turned over to investigators 
  when they are not instantly resolved, PC heroes do 
  not usually establish as strong relationships with uni-
  formed oﬃ  cers as they do with investigators, whom 
  they deal with far more regularly.
  The President. If the superhero team is of suﬃ  cient 
  prominence that they’re involved with matters of 
  national interest on a regular basis, they are likely to 
  be in occasional contact with the President (or, out-
  side the U.S., the principal government representative 
  or leader). Except for the security surrounding him 
  and appropriate diﬃ  culty in getting appointments to 
  speak with him, the President functions in a campaign 
  much as the Governor (above) does.
  Priest. Into this category falls any religious authority 
  ﬁ gure, from the kindly old priest to the glassy-eyed 
  cult recruiter. Priestly characters can be either ben-
  eﬁ cial or harmful (depending on the true natures of 
  their various churches and denominations), weak 
  or powerful (some may actually receive superpow-
  ers from godly beings), knowledgeable or deluded 
  (depending on how close a relationship their doctrine 
  has to reality), pro-super or anti-super, and so on. If 
  any of the campaign’s PCs have strong religious feel-
  ings, you should develop priest-type characters for 
  
  175 
  Champions
  them to be acquainted with:  the father-confessor, the 
  nun who helped raise them when they were orphans, 
  the urban minister/activist whose attempts to improve 
  the lot of his people get him in trouble again and 
  again, the cultist who is only in it for money and sex, 
  the neopagan who is anxious to instruct the world in 
  the fact that witches are nature-worshipers rather than 
  tools of Satan, and so on.
  Professor. In addition to their responsibilities teach-
  ing students at the university and justifying their 
  existence with academic publications, professors can 
  be useful sources of information to PCs. Each one is 
  theoretically an expert in one or more ﬁ elds of human 
  study. For every Knowledge Skill in the book, there are 
  professors at various universities who embody them. 
  It is therefore useful for PCs to cultivate long-lasting 
  relationships with them. For some reason, especially 
  in movies from the 1950s but all throughout the 
  comic book generations, gaunt, absent-minded pro-
  fessors tend to have very attractive children who are 
  less obsessive than their parents and make very good 
  romantic interests.
  Reporter. Reporters ﬁ ll several useful roles in a cam-
  paign. Th ey write or broadcast stories that alert PCs to 
  situations. Th ey stumble across clues that further PC 
  investigations. Th ey dig away at heroes’ Secret Identi-
  ties, causing heroes to have to go to extreme measures 
  to protect their private lives. Th ey get killed when 
  curiosity leads them into danger, causing heroes to 
  have to seek justice on their behalf. Because they are 
  relentlessly curious and have little respect for author-
  ity ﬁ gures, they make fun NPCs for a GM to play, and 
  stubborn, dogged romantic interests for PCs to have 
  to cope with.
  Shop Owner. Especially in campaigns where heroes 
  protect a speciﬁ c community, shop owners make good 
  regular contacts, much as Bartenders 
  do. Because they are ﬁ xed to a vul-
  nerable address, they can be preyed 
  upon by organized crime or disor-
  ganized robbers. Because they have 
  a regular clientele, they can be a rich 
  source of information. Because they 
  regularly deal with goods in a par-
  ticular ﬁ eld, they can become knowl-
  edgeable about those ﬁ elds, making 
  them as helpful as Professors.
  Support Personnel. Some hero teams 
  have civilian operatives who perform 
  secondary tasks for the organization 
  — maintenance of vehicles, routine 
  medical aid, research, and the like. 
  Heroes naturally encounter their 
  support personnel on a frequent 
  basis, making it easy for friendships 
  to begin. It’s very helpful for you to 
  establish names and personalities 
  for all support personnel attached to 
  a superteam, if for no other reason 
  than the fact that it increases the 
  verisimilitude of your setting.
  Teacher. Unlike the professor, teach-
  ers are not oft en used as information 
  repositories. Instead, they usually become involved 
  in personal-interest stories, especially those involving 
  DNPCs (who are notoriously troublesome students). 
  Teachers can also notice changes, especially unfortu-
  nate ones, in their students, and bring their suspicions 
  to PCs, precipitating investigations.
  Valet/Butler. Wealthy PCs may have personal servants. 
  Valets and butlers bring a bit of class to a campaign, 
  and you can also use them to inject wry humor and 
  social commentary into your stories. Valets and but-
  lers tend to be physically normal, but have endless 
  patience, dry wits, and considerable conversational 
  skills. On the other hand, some of them have led... 
  interesting... lives before becoming “gentlemen’s gen-
  tlemen,” and come to their positions with a variety of 
  unusual Skills and abilities.
  Watchdog. Government agencies and private interest 
  groups sometimes hire individuals to keep an eye on 
  others — and “others” sometimes includes superhero 
  groups. Superhero watchdogs try to make sure super-
  hero groups obey the law, promote the watchdog 
  group’s agenda, or act as role models for today’s youth. 
  Watchdog characters are invariably pains in the rear 
  end for superheroes, but they do help keep life inter-
  esting.
  NPC ROLES
  Separate from their particular “type,” NPCs also 
  have roles within a campaign — roles chieﬂ y reﬂ ect-
  ing how they relate to player characters. Any of the 
  NPC types above can relate to PCs in any of these 
  ways:
  Admirer. An NPC might be a fan of the PC, and exist 
  chieﬂ y to shore up his self-image and remind him just 
  how important he is to the community and the world. 
  
  176 
  HERO SYSTEM 5TH EDITION
  Admirers can be charming indicators of community 
  opinion, or a source of comic relief who constantly 
  inconveniences the hero by eﬀ orts to remain close to 
  him.
  Adversary/Foil. An NPC can constantly oppose a PC 
  without being a villain. He might perform a valu-
  able story function through his opposition; this is an 
  Adversary. He might just be a cheerful troublemaker 
  who pokes and prods at the PC whenever he gets 
  a chance; this is a Foil. A hero’s girlfriend’s brother 
  might be a foil, as might the neighborhood postman, 
  a newspaper reporter, or the team’s chief mechanic. A 
  government watchdog could be an adversary, as could 
  the child protective services representative keeping an 
  eye on the PC’s home life or a police oﬃ  cer waiting 
  for the hero to get into trouble.
  Colleague. An NPC could belong to the same profes-
  sion as the PC (either as a superhero or in private life), 
  and thus be someone the PC constantly encounters in 
  a professional environment. Colleagues oft en socialize 
  together, and this creates grapevines by which valu-
  able information can reach the superhero.
  DNPC. If the character frequently gets into trouble, and 
  drags a PC in aft er him, he’s a Dependent Non-Player 
  Character.
  Follower/Sidekick. Th is character is a junior partner 
  of the PC, usually very helpful to his career or goals. 
  Occasionally, the actions of the follower or sidekick 
  drag the hero into greater trouble. Th e PC usually 
  adopts a paternal attitude toward the follower/side-
  kick (sometimes to that character’s distress) and 
  tries to help the character through life’s bumps and 
  obstacles.
  Relative. Any character could be related to a PC 
  — including the NPCs types described above and the 
  villain types described earlier. As a GM, you should 
  value each PC’s relatives because, typically, PCs can’t 
  get rid of them — they’re related for life, providing a 
  perpetual weakness you can exploit.
  Romantic Interest/Signiﬁ cant Other. And, of course, an 
  NPC could be the PC’s romantic partner.
  GENERIC NPCS
  Th e following character sheets are for “generic” 
  NPCs you can quickly adapt for use in a game instead 
  of taking the time to create your own. Th ey reﬂ ect the 
  way these types of characters are portrayed in comic 
  books, and so may not be appropriate for other types 
  of campaigns.
  STREET PUNK
   Val Char 
  Cost Roll 
  Notes
   8 STR 
  -2 
  11- 
  Lift  75 kg; 1½d6 [1]
   10 DEX 
  0 
  11- 
  OCV: 3/DCV: 3
   10 CON 
  0 
  11-
   8 BODY -4 
  11-
   8 INT 
  -2 
  11- 
  PER Roll 11-
   8 EGO 
  -4 
  11- 
  ECV:  3
   10 PRE 
  0 
  11- 
  PRE Attack:  2d6
   8 COM 
  -1 
  11-
   3 PD 
  1 
   
  Total:  3 PD (0 rPD)
   2 ED 
  0 
   
  Total:  2 ED (0 rED)
   2 SPD 
  0 
   
  Phases:  6, 12
   4 REC 
  0
   20 END 
  0
   20 STUN 
  3 
  Total Characteristics Cost:  -9
  Movement: 
  Running: 
  6”/12”
   
  Swimming: 
  2”/4”
  Cost Powers 
  END
  3 
  Brawling:  HA +1d6; Hand-To-Hand 
  Attack (-½) 
  1
   
  Skill
  2 
  CK: Own Neighborhood 11-
  2 
  KS: Hobby 11-
  2 
  KS: Street Music 11-
  2 
  PS: Street Gangster 11-
  3 
  Streetwise 11-
  1 
  WF: Pistols
  4 
  Additional skills of GM’s choice
  Total Skills & Powers Cost:  19
  Total Character Cost:  10
  0+ 
  Disadvantages
  10 
  Hunted:  Police 8- (Mo Pow, NCI, Watching 
  [or worse])
  Total Disadvantage Points:  10
  
  177 
  Champions
   
  Typical Equipment
   
  Handgun (RKA 1d6+1, 7 shots)
   
  Knife (HKA ½d6)
  POLICEMAN
   Val Char 
  Cost Roll 
  Notes
   10 STR 
  0 
  11- 
  Lift  100 kg; 2d6 [1]
   11 DEX 
  3 
  11- 
  OCV:  4/DCV:  4
   12 CON 
  4 
  11-
   10 BODY 0 
  11-
   10 INT 
  0 
  11- 
  PER Roll 11-
   10 EGO 
  0 
  11- 
  ECV:  3
   13 PRE 
  3 
  12- 
  PRE Attack 2½d6
   10 COM 
  0 
  11-
   3 PD 
  1 
   
  Total:  3 PD (0 rPD)
   2 ED 
  0 
   
  Total:  2 ED (0 rED)
   2 SPD 
  0 
   
  Phases:  6, 12
   4 REC 
  0
   24 END 
  0
   21 STUN 
  0 
  Total Characteristic Cost:  11
  Movement: 
  Running: 
  6”/12”
   
  Swimming: 
  2”/4”
  Cost Powers 
  END
  2 
  Sharp-Eyed:  +1 PER with Sight Group 
  0
   
  Perks
  2 
  Fringe Beneﬁ t:  Local Police Powers
   
  Skill
  3 
  Criminology 11-
  2 
  CK: City Of Operation 11-
  2 
  KS: Criminal Law 11-
  2 
  KS: Hobby 11-
  1 
  KS: Another Hobby 8-
  2 
  PS: Policeman 11-
  2 
  WF: Small Arms
  6 
  Choose two Skills from this list:  Bureaucrat-
  ics, Combat Driving, Concealment, Conver-
  sation, Deduction, Persuasion, Shadowing, 
  Streetwise
  Total Skills & Powers Cost:  24
  Total Character Cost:  35
  0+ 
  Disadvantages
  5 
  Distinctive Features:  Uniform (Easily Con-
  cealed; Noticed And Recognizable)
  10 
  Hunted:  Police 8- (Mo Pow, NCI, Watching)
  20 
  Social Limitation:  Subject To Orders (Very 
  Frequently, Major)
  Total Disadvantage Points:  35
   
  Typical Equipment
   
  9mm Sidearm (RKA 1d6+1, 10 shots)
   
  Nightstick or Tonfa (HA +2d6)
   
  Handcuﬀ s (see HERO System 5th Edition, 
  Revised, page 168)
   
  Body armor (Armor [9 PD/ED], Activation 
  Roll 14-)
  MASTER VILLAIN’S AGENT SKILLED
  Val Char 
  Cost Roll 
  Notes
   10 STR 
  0 
  11- 
  Lift  100 kg; 2d6 [1]
   10 DEX 
  0 
  11- 
  OCV:  3/DCV:  3
   10 CON 
  0 
  11-
   10 BODY 0 
  11-
   10 INT 
  0 
  11- 
  PER Roll 11-
   10 EGO 
  0 
  11- 
  ECV:  3
   10 PRE 
  0 
  11- 
  PRE Attack 2d6
   10 COM 
  0 
  11-
   2 PD 
  0 
   
  Total:  2 PD (0 rPD)
   2 ED 
  0 
   
  Total:  2 ED (0 rED)
   2 SPD 
  0 
   
  Phases:  6, 12
   4 REC 
  0
   20 END 
  0
   20 STUN 
  0 
  Total Characteristic Cost:  0
  Movement: 
  Running: 
  6”/12”
   
  Swimming: 
  2”/4”
  Cost Powers 
  END
  22 
  Blaster:  EB 7d6, 32 Charges (+¼); 
  OAF (-1) 
  [32]
  7 
  Armored Uniform:  Armor (6 PD/ED); 
  OIF (-½), Activation Roll 11- (-1) 
  0
  6 
  Radio:  Radio Perception/Transmission; 
  OIF (-½), Aﬀ ected As Hearing Group 
  As Well As Radio Group (-¼) 
  0
   
  Skills
  4 
  +2 with Blaster
  3 
  Concealment 11-
  2 
  KS: Hobby 11-
  2 
  PS: Agent 11-
  3 
  Stealth 11-
  2 
  WF: Small Arms
  9 
  Pick three of the following Skills:  Bribery, 
  Climbing, Combat Driving, Combat Piloting, 
  Interrogation, Lockpicking, Security Systems, 
  Shadowing, Tactics, Teamwork
  Total Skills & Powers Cost:  60
  Total Character Cost:  60
  25+ Disadvantages
  5 
  Distinctive Features:  Uniform (Easily 
  Concealed; Noticed And Recognizable)
  10 
  Hunted:  the organization or villain he 
  works for 8- (Mo Pow, NCI, Watching)
  15 
  Psychological Limitation:  Greedy or Amoral 
  or Self-Centered (Common, Strong)
  20 
  Social Limitation:  Subject To Orders (Very 
  Frequently, Major)
  Total Disadvantage Points:  75
  
  178 
  HERO SYSTEM 5TH EDITION
  MASTER VILLAIN’S AGENT COMPETENT
   Val Char 
  Cost Roll 
  Notes
   13 STR 
  3 
  12- 
  Lift  150 kg; 2½d6 [1]
   11 DEX 
  3 
  11- 
  OCV:  4/DCV:  4
   13 CON 
  6 
  12-
   10 BODY 0 
  11-
   10 INT 
  0 
  11- 
  PER Roll 11-
   10 EGO 
  0 
  11- 
  ECV:  3
   13 PRE 
  3 
  12- 
  PRE Attack 2½d6
   10 COM 
  0 
  11-
   4 PD 
  1 
   
  Total:  3 PD (0 rPD)
   3 ED 
  0 
   
  Total:  2 ED (0 rED)
   3 SPD 
  9 
   
  Phases:  4, 8, 12
   6 REC 
  0
   26 END 
  0
   24 STUN 
  0 
  Total Characteristic Cost:  25
  Movement: 
  Running: 
  6”/12”
   
  Swimming: 
  2”/4”
  Cost Powers 
  END
  30 
  Blaster:  EB 8d6, 64 Charges (+½); 
  OAF (-1) 
  [64]
   
  Martial Arts:  Generic
   
  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
  13 
  Armored Uniform:  Armor (9 PD/ED); 
  OIF (-½), Activation Roll 14- (-½) 
  0
  6 
  Radio:  Radio Perception/Transmission; 
  OIF (-½), Aﬀ ected As Hearing Group 
  As Well As Radio Group (-¼) 
  0
   
  Skills
  4 
  +2 with Blaster
  3 
  Concealment 11-
  2 
  KS: Hobby 11-
  1 
  KS: Superheroes 8-
  2 
  PS: Agent 11-
  3 
  Stealth 11-
  2 
  TF:  2 points’ worth
  2 
  WF: Small Arms
  12 
  Pick four of the following Skills:  Bribery, 
  Climbing, Combat Driving, Combat Piloting, 
  Interrogation, Lockpicking, Security Systems, 
  Shadowing, Tactics, Teamwork
  Total Skills & Powers Cost:  100
  Total Character Cost:  125
  50+ Disadvantages
  5 
  Distinctive Features:  Uniform (Easily 
  Concealed; Noticed And Recognizable)
  20 
  Hunted:  Police 8- (Mo Pow, NCI, Capture)
  15 
  Hunted:  the organization or villain he works 
  for 11- (Mo Pow, NCI, Watching)
  15 
  Psychological Limitation:  Greedy or Amoral 
  or Self-Centered (Common, Strong)
  20 
  Social Limitation:  Subject To Orders (Very 
  Frequently, Major)
  Total Disadvantage Points:  125
  REPORTER
   Val Char 
  Cost Roll 
  Notes
   8 STR 
  -2 
  11- 
  Lift  75 kg; 1½d6 [1]
   10 DEX 
  0 
  11- 
  OCV: 3/DCV: 3
   10 CON 
  0 
  11-
   8 BODY -4 
  11-
   10 INT 
  0 
  11- 
  PER Roll 11-
   10 EGO 
  0 
  11- 
  ECV:  3
   13 PRE 
  3 
  12- 
  PRE Attack:  2½d6
   8 COM 
  -1 
  11-
   2 PD 
  0 
   
  Total:  2 PD (0 rPD)
   2 ED 
  0 
   
  Total:  2 ED (0 rED)
   2 SPD 
  0 
   
  Phases:  6, 12
   4 REC 
  0
   20 END 
  0
   17 STUN 
  0 
  Total Characteristics Cost:  -4
  Movement: 
  Running: 
  6”/12”
   
  Swimming: 
  2”/4”
  Cost Skills 
  END
  2 
  CK: Campaign City 11-
  2 
  KS: Current Events 11-
  2 
  KS: History 11-
  2 
  KS: Hobby 11-
  2 
  PS: Reporter 11-
  3 
  Streetwise 12-
  Total Skills & Powers Cost:  13
  Total Character Cost:  9
  25+ Disadvantages
  5 
  Hunted:  rival media organization 8- (As 
  Pow, NCI, Watching)
  Total Disadvantage Points:  30
   
  Typical Equipment
   
  Job-related equipment (camera, notepad and 
  pencil, and so on)
   
  Car
  
  179 
  Champions
  N
  o one ingredient described in this 
  book can make a Champions campaign 
  good, nor will an average or below-
  average expression of any of the ingre-
  dients discussed in this chapter necessarily make 
  a campaign bad. What’s important is that you rep-
  resent each of them as well as you are capable. It’s 
  the way they interact with the PCs over time that 
  shapes the campaign and makes it what it eventu-
  ally becomes.
  One last ingredient shapes the quality of the 
  campaign, and that is the degree to which you 
  listen to your players. Th is means not only asking 
  them how they liked or disliked individual char-
  acters or other campaign details, but also listening 
  during normal conversation, post-game chats, and 
  mid-game meals.
  A player may make a mild comment suggest-
  ing he is dissatisﬁ ed with something happening in 
  the campaign. Th e mildness of the player’s voice 
  may not have any bearing on the player’s real 
  emotions on this matter; he may feel very strongly 
  about the matter, with shyness or common cour-
  tesy preventing the statement from being a stron-
  ger one. Take note of commentary, no matter how 
  mildly oﬀ ered, especially when the same com-
  ments come up time aft er time.
  Players may discuss their impressions of 
  what’s happening in a campaign and, in their 
  guesses, come up with better ideas than the ones 
  you’ve been implementing. Don’t be shy about 
  using those ideas. Th e player in question will 
  generally be pleased that he “guessed right” about 
  what was going on — and you’ll look like a great 
  story planner.
  Players asking idle questions will unknow-
  ingly remind you that you’ve forgotten to tie up 
  a loose end from a previous adventure, that you 
  haven’t addressed a mystery the PCs should have 
  been solved by now, or that you’ve made a mistake 
  in character or campaign-history details. Champi-
  ons campaigns are long on details — you need to 
  rely on your players’ memories as much as you do 
  on your own.
  If you do listen to your players, and execute 
  all the campaign’s other elements to the best of 
  your ability, you’ll have a campaign that is likely to 
  grow, adding depth and detail, and last for as long 
  as you wish it to.
  FINAL ADVICE
  
  180 
  HERO SYSTEM 5TH EDITION
  T
  o get you started, and give you 
  some ideas and sample characters 
  you can use, this chapter details 
  one of the premier superteams of 
  the Champions Universe — the Cham-
  pions themselves — and some of their 
  enemies. You can ﬁ nd out more about 
  the world where the Champions live and 
  battle injustice in the Champions 
  Universe setting book.
  
  181 
  Champions
  Membership:  Defender, Ironclad, Nighthawk, Sap-
  phire, Witchcraft .
  Background/History:  Th e Champions began as a 
  gleam in the eye of a wealthy and talented young man 
  named James Harmon IV. Inspired to ﬁ ght crime and 
  villainy by the destruction of Detroit, James used his 
  intellect to design and build a powerful suit of bat-
  tlearmor. Christening himself Defender, he enjoyed 
  some success as a superhero in his hometown, New 
  York City. Aft er being defeated by a skilled team of 
  VIPER supervillains, Defender realized he needed 
  both a fresh start and some teammates of his own.
  Since New York already had several superteams, 
  James moved to Millennium City. Th ough full of 
  superhuman activity, the “City of the Future” didn’t 
  yet have a superteam of its own, and James decided it 
  was time for that state of aﬀ airs to change. With the 
  blessing of the city fathers, he called a press confer-
  ence to announce his arrival in Millennium City and 
  put out the word — he was looking for a group of 
  like-minded individuals willing to band together to 
  protect the city from Mechanon, VIPER, and any-
  thing else that might threaten its safety and security.
  It didn’t take long to get a response. Almost 
  before the press conference had ended, he got a call 
  from Sapphire’s agent, asking if she could try out 
  for the team. To this day Defender isn’t entirely sure 
  whether she got involved partly as a publicity stunt, 
  but neither he nor any of the other Champions can 
  deny her passion for helping others, or her dedication 
  to duty. Aft er talking with her, Defender made her the 
  ﬁ rst member.
  Aft er rejecting a few other superheroes whose 
  attitudes, powers, or personal circumstances didn’t 
  suit the team he had in mind, Defender walked into 
  his oﬃ  ce one evening to ﬁ nd Nighthawk sitting there 
  waiting for him. Like Defender, Nighthawk had dis-
  covered there were criminals he couldn’t handle on 
  his own. Any man who could get past his security 
  systems interested Defender, and it didn’t take long 
  for him to discover that Nighthawk, though some-
  what more intense than most crimeﬁ ghters, would 
  make a valuable teammate. Now they were three, and 
  the newly-allied heroes, aft er some discussion, chose 
  to name themselves “the Champions.”
  Notable victories against VIPER and Holocaust 
  brought the Champions favorable attention, but it 
  was a diﬀ erent sort of threat — a crashing starship 
  — that brought them their fourth member. When 
  they got a report of an out-of-control space vessel 
  heading toward the city, they joined up with some 
  other heroes to divert the craft . It was ﬂ ying too fast 
  for them to stop, so they did the only thing they 
  could:  they knocked it oﬀ -course and right into 
  Lake St. Clair. Th e impact destroyed the ship, and 
  they feared the pilot was dead... until Ironclad waded 
  ashore. Grateful for their help, Ironclad became an 
  informal ally of the heroes of Millennium City for 
  several weeks, but then accepted Defender’s invitation 
  to join the Champions.
  An almost-deadly encounter with the minions 
  of Takofanes the Undying Lord left  Defender and his 
  teammates painfully aware they lacked any sort of 
  mystic expertise. As luck — or perhaps fate? — would 
  have it, Witchcraft  showed up at their headquarters 
  the next week. Aft er several years of ﬁ ghting crime 
  informally, Witchcraft  had decided it was time to 
  dedicate herself to the struggle against evil full-time. 
  She was a perfect ﬁ t, both temperamentally and 
  powers-wise, and the other four didn’t hesitate to vote 
  her in.
  At that point, the group’s membership stabilized. 
  Th e Champions have remained a team of ﬁ ve for 
  some time now, earning world-wide accolades for 
  their many triumphs over threats to both Millennium 
  City and the world.
  Group Relations:  For the most part, the Champions 
  get along well. Each of them considers the other 
  members his friends (at least on some level), not just 
  “workmates,” and it shows in their concern for one 
  another, the way they socialize together during their 
  “oﬀ  hours,” and so forth.
  All of the Champions would agree it’s Defender 
  who does the most to keep the group together and 
  content. Th ough their opinions and methods may 
  diﬀ er, though they may have diﬀ erent lifestyles or 
  come from very diﬀ erent places, they all have a deep 
  and abiding respect for the man who brought the 
  team together. Something about Defender’s manner 
  and approach to superheroing just seems to inspire 
  loyalty and camaraderie. Even Nighthawk, by far the 
  most standoﬃ  sh and brooding member of the team, 
  and an unspoken rival of Defender’s when it comes 
  to matters technological, thinks well of the team’s 
  leader.
  And it doesn’t hurt that both Sapphire and 
  Witchcraft  seem to ﬁ nd Defender attractive. Neither 
  of them has acted on her feelings yet, and so the 
  situation hasn’t really put any stress on their friend-
  ship, but only time will tell if that remains the case. 
  Defender, meanwhile, remains mostly oblivious to 
  the whole state of aﬀ airs. For now.
  Th e Champions govern themselves with a 
  charter specifying the obligations, responsibilities, 
  and beneﬁ ts of belonging to the team, and setting 
  forth important procedures (like standards for new 
  members). Routine administrative matters, such as 
  scheduling, are left  to Defender and/or SOCRATES; 
  THE CHAMPIONS
  
  182 
  HERO SYSTEM 5TH EDITION
  more serious matters are subject to group vote, with 
  majority rule applying in all cases.
  Tactics:  Th e Champions have developed a wide 
  array of battleﬁ eld tactics for use against their foes, 
  and they practice constantly to reﬁ ne their moves, 
  develop new stratagems, and ﬁ nd ways to counteract 
  supervillains’ powers. Typically Defender, Ironclad, 
  and Sapphire are the frontline combatants, with 
  Nighthawk and Witchcraft  acting as backup and sup-
  port. Th at can vary depending on the nature of the 
  threat; Witchcraft  oft en takes point against mystic 
  foes, for example.
  Campaign Use:  Th e Champions are one of the most 
  prominent superteams in the Champions Universe, 
  but you should adapt them to suit your campaign if 
  necessary. If you don’t want to have your PCs share 
  the limelight, get rid of the Champions altogether and 
  let the PCs be the Champions instead. If you prefer to 
  have a diﬀ erent team in Millennium City, move the 
  Champions to New York, Los Angeles, or some other 
  major city.
  DEFENDER
   
  Val 
  Char Cost Roll 
  Notes
   15+25*† STR 
  17 12- (17-) Lift  200 kg (6,400 kg); 
  3d6 (8d6) [1(4)]
  15+10*† DEX 30 12- (14-) OCV: 5(8)/DCV: 5(8)
  15+15*† CON 25 12- (15-)
   
  12 
  BODY 4 11-
   
  20 
  INT 
  10 13- 
  PER Roll 13-
   
  15 
  EGO 10 12- 
  ECV: 5
   
  20 
  PRE 10 13- 
  PRE Attack:  4d6
   
  14 
  COM 2 12-
   
  5 
  PD 
  2  
  Total:  20 PD (15 rPD)
   
  5 
  ED 
  2  
  Total:  20 ED (15 rED)
   3+2* SPD 18  
  Phases:  4, 8, 12 
  (3, 5, 8, 10, 12)
   
  8 
  REC 
  4
   
  30 
  END 0
   
  35 
  STUN 7 Total Characteristic Cost:  141
  *:  OIF (Powered Armor; -½)
  †:  No Figured Characteristics (-½)
  Movement: 
  Running: 
  6”/12”
   
  Leaping: 
  8”/16”
   
  Flight: 
  20”/40”
  Cost Powers 
  END
  20 
  Power Pack:  Endurance Reserve 
  (150 END, 15 REC); OIF (-½) 
  0
  40 
  Weapons Array:  Multipower, 60-point 
  reserve; all OIF (Powered Armor; -½)
  4u 
  1)  Electric Blast:  EB 12d6; OIF (-½) 
  6
  4u 
  2)  Pulse-Blast:  EB 8d6, Autoﬁ re 
  (5 shots; +½); OIF (-½) 
  6
  1u 
  3)  Overload Blast:  RKA 3d6; OIF (-½), 
  Increased Endurance Cost (x4 END; -1½), 
  Activation Roll 14-, Burnout (-¼) 
  16
  4u 
  4)  Focused EMP Pulse:  Dispel 16d6, any 
  Electricity power one at a time (+¼); 
  OIF (-½) 
  6
  3u 
  5)  Electro-Bolos:  Entangle 6d6, 6 DEF; 
  OIF (-½), 12 Charges (-¼) 
  [12]
  3 
  Searchlight:  Sight Group Images, 1” radius; 
  OIF (Searchlight Generator; -½), Only To 
  Create Light (-1), No Range (-½) 
  1
  30 
  Powered Armor:  Armor (15 PD/15 ED); 
  OIF (-½) 
  0
  27 
  Boot-Jets:  Flight 20”; OIF (-½) 
  4
  6 
  Communications Suite:  HRRP; OIF (-½), 
  Flashed As Sight And Hearing Group As 
  Well As Radio Group (-½) 
  0
  3 
  Heat Sensors:  Infrared Perception 
  (Sight Group); OIF (-½) 
  0
   
  Perks
  2 
  Contact:  famous scientist (GM’s choice) 11-
  10 
  Money:  Wealthy
   
  Skills
  6 
  +2 with Weapons Array
  5 
  +1 Hand-To-Hand
  6 
  +2 with Electronics Skills (Computer 
  Programming, Electronics, Systems 
  Operation)
  3 
  Computer Programming 13-
  3 
  Electronics 13-
  3 
  High Society 13-
  3 
  Inventor 13-
  1 
  Language:  French (basic conversation; 
  English is native)
  2 
  CK: Millennium City 11-
  1 
  CK: Washington, D.C. 8-
  2 
  KS: Superhuman World 11-
  3 
  Mechanics 13-
  2 
  PS:  Play Chess 11-
  2 
  SS: Chemistry 11-
  3 
  SS: Physics 13-
  3 
  Systems Operation 13-
  3 
  Teamwork 12- (14-)
  1 
  TF: V-Jet
  Total Powers & Skill Cost:  209
  Total Cost:  350
  200+ Disadvantages
  10 
  DNPC:  Wendy Brooks (the Champions’s 
  housekeeper) 8- (Normal)
  20 
  Hunted:  Mechanon 8- (Mo Pow, NCI, 
  Capture)
  20 
  Hunted:  VIPER 8- (More Pow, NCI, Capture)
  10 
  Hunted:  Lazer 8- (As Pow, Capture)
  20 
  Psychological Limitation:  Fearlessly Heroic; 
  Risks His Life Even In Obviously Lethal Situ-
  ations (Very Common, Strong)
  20 
  Psychological Limitation:  Code Versus Kill-
  ing (Common, Total)
  10 
  Psychological Limitation:  Must Live Up 
  To Family Reputation For Achievement 
  (Uncommon, Strong)
  15 
  Reputation:  do-gooder superhero who’ll 
  help anyone, 14-
  15 
  Social Limitation:  Secret Identity (James 
  Harmon IV) (Frequently, Major)
  10 
  Social Limitation:  Famous (Frequently, Minor)
  Total Disadvantage Points:  350
  
  183 
  Champions
  Background/History:  James Harmon IV, scion of 
  the wealthy Harmon family of New York City, 
  grew up surrounded by the portraits and memoirs 
  of his famous ancestors:  the ﬁ rst James Harmon, 
  who explored the wilds of Africa and began the 
  family fortune in the mid-nineteenth century; 
  his son James II, a fearless member of Eliot Ness’s 
  “Untouchables” during Prohibition, and a crime-
  ﬁ ghter on his own later into the 1930s; and James 
  III, his father, the World War II Ranger who earned 
  the Congressional Medal of Honor and later 
  quintupled the family fortune by turning Harmon 
  Industries into a top-notch defense contractor. 
  His father made it quite clear he expected James 
  to establish a similar record of accomplishment 
  — “to give back to others of what you’ve so richly 
  received — intelligence, money, and strength.”
  But James didn’t feel very heroic. All he really 
  liked to do was putter around with electronics and 
  computers. He’d built his ﬁ rst computer when he 
  was 13, and he thought for a while he could make 
  the world a better place, and satisfy his father, 
  with some sort of astounding technological break-
  through.
  Th en, when he was 18, he watched in horror 
  as a battle between superhumans destroyed the city 
  of Detroit. Something about that event awakened 
  in him ﬁ res of bravery and determination he’d 
  never known he possessed. Th ere were people like 
  Destroyer and his allies in the world, and someone 
  had to ﬁ ght them. Th at was how to be a hero today 
  — you had to stand up to the forces of evil threat-
  ening the world.
  And the best way for him to do that, he ﬁ g-
  ured, was to put his technological skills to work. 
  Inspired by other heroes, he began building a suit 
  of powered armor equipped with the best systems 
  his genius could design and his father’s money 
  could pay for. It took several years, but he ﬁ nally 
  ﬁ nished it. Christening himself Defender, he began 
  a one-man battle against the supervillains of New 
  York, scoring several notable victories. But he suf-
  fered one terrible defeat, at the hands of a group of 
  VIPER villains, that badly shook his conﬁ dence.
  Deciding he needed a change, and some help, 
  James packed up his armor and moved to Millen-
  nium City, already a hotbed of superhuman activity. 
  Since the city as yet lacked a superteam of its own, 
  and James had learned from harsh experience he 
  couldn’t ﬁ ght all the villains by himself, he put out 
  the word he was looking to form a team of heroes 
  to protect the city, and the world. A few weeks later, 
  his new team, the Champions, was founded, and he 
  has led it ever since.
  Personality/Motivation:  James Harmon IV — or 
  Defender, as he’s better known to the world at large 
  — is the living, breathing embodiment of the word 
  “hero.” He gives of himself unstintingly, taking on 
  any mission to combat evil or save the helpless. He’s 
  absolutely fearless, caring nothing for the danger-
  ousness of a situation if only he can do something 
  helpful.
  Although Nighthawk sometimes describes 
  him as “naive,” in truth Defender knows well 
  what evils the world holds, and because of that he 
  takes his role as a superhero, and as leader of the 
  Champions, very seriously. He considers himself a 
  role model and conducts himself accordingly. His 
  attitude and achievements have inspired respect 
  and admiration among millions of people (even 
  Nighthawk), and he takes advantage of that to lead 
  charity drives and help other causes... when he’s not 
  saving the world from alien invaders or Mechanon.
  Given his good looks, poise, 
  self-conﬁ dence, and reputa-
  tion, it’s no surprise James 
  attracts the attention of a 
  lot of women — includ-
  ing his teammates Sap-
  phire and Witchcraft , 
  and the Champions’s 
  housekeeper Wendy Brooks. 
  What is surprising is that he 
  seems completely oblivious to 
  it. He’s not one of those anti-
  social heroes who relates best to 
  machinery; he genuinely likes 
  people. But 
  he’s so 
  wrapped 
  up in his 
  mission 
  that he 
  overlooks 
  things like the 
  possibilities of romance... at 
  least for now.
  Despite his accom-
  plishments, James continues 
  to feel the burden of living 
  up to his famous ancestors. 
  It doesn’t help that his need 
  to maintain a secret identity (to 
  protect his family) prevents him 
  from claiming credit for what 
  he’s done. As a result, his father 
  and mother think of him as a 
  playboy and disappointment, 
  even though he’s already put all of 
  his ancestors to shame.
  Although one of his teammates is a 
  powerful mystic, Defender refuses to believe 
  in magic. He’s convinced there’s a rational, 
  scientiﬁ c explanation for the abilities of 
  people like Witchcraft  and Dark Seraph.
  Powers/Tactics:  Although Defender is 
  smarter, tougher, and faster than the aver-
  age person (not to mention a gift ed 
  inventor), his “superpowers” all 
  come from his suit of powered 
  battlearmor. A marvel of modern 
  technology, it provides far more than just protec-
  tion. His weapon array, including several diﬀ erent 
  types of electric blasters, allows him to dish out 
  more damage than your average platoon, and his 
  boot-jets give him air combat capability with a 
  high degree of maneuverability. James is constantly 
  tinkering with the suit, ﬁ nding ways to improve its 
  performance or adapt it for speciﬁ c situations.
  
  184 
  HERO SYSTEM 5TH EDITION
  In battle, Defender usually prefers his Electro-
  bolos, which can restrain many opponents without 
  harming them. If they don’t work, his Electric Blast 
  is his ﬁ rst option for single foes, or his Pulse-Blast 
  for groups — unless his opponent has electrical 
  powers, in which case he’ll try his EMP Pulse. Only 
  in the most desperate situations does he use his 
  Overload Blast; he has a deep respect for all life 
  (even that of supervillains), and risks his full power 
  only when it’s absolutely necessary.
  Appearance:  Defender’s powered armor has a black 
  framework, golden helmet, gauntlets, and boots, 
  and blue breastplate, belt/trunks, and thigh- and 
  armbands. Out of his armor, James Harmon is a tall, 
  dark-haired man who looks like he’s in his early 30s, 
  with a sort of casual handsomeness many women 
  ﬁ nd irresistible. He favors “dressy casual” clothes.
  IRONCLAD
   Val Char 
  Cost Roll 
  Notes
   60 STR 
  50 
  21- 
  Lift  100 tons; 12d6 [6]
   20 DEX 
  30 
  13- 
  OCV:  7/DCV:  7
   30 CON 
  40 
  15-
   20 BODY 20 
  13-
   13 INT 
  3 
  12- 
  PER Roll 12-
   12 EGO 
  4 
  11- 
  ECV: 4
   20 PRE 
  10 
  13- 
  PRE Attack:  4d6
   12 COM 
  1 
  11-
   25 PD 
  13 
   
  Total:  25 PD (20 rPD)
   28 ED 
  22 
   
  Total:  28 ED (20 rED)
   5 SPD 
  20 
   
  Phases:  3, 5, 8, 10, 12
   20 REC 
  4
   60 END 
  0
   65 STUN 
  0 
  Total Characteristic Cost:  217
  Movement: 
  Running: 
  6”/12”
   
  Leaping: 
  20”/40”
  Cost Powers 
  END
  15 
  Gladiator’s Eye:  Find Weakness 12- with 
  Punch 
  0
  20 
  Ironclad Perseid Physiognomy:  Damage 
  Resistance (20 PD/20 ED) 
  0
  9 
  Iron Body:  Life Support (Safe 
  Environment:  Low Pressure/Vacuum, 
  High Pressure, High Radiation, Intense 
  Cold, Intense Heat) 
  0
  5 
  Iron Skin:  Lack Of Weakness (-5) for 
  Resistant Defenses 
  0
  5 
  Perseid Eyes:  Sight Group Flash Defense 
  (5 points) 
  0
  14 
  Iron Body:  Knockback Resistance -7” 
  0
  8 
  Super-Strong Legs:  Leaping +8” 
  (20” forward, 10” upward) 
  1
  6 
  Bracer Communicator:  Radio Perception/
  Transmission; OIF (-½), Flashed As 
  Hearing Group As Well As Radio 
  Group (-¼) 
  0
   
  Skills
  20 
  +4 Hand-To-Hand
  3 
  Climbing 13-
  3 
  Combat Piloting 13-
  1 
  AK: Malva 8-
  2 
  AK: Dorvala (Phi Cassiopeia IV) 11-
  2 
  CK: Millennium City 11-
  1 
  KS: Superhuman World 8-
  2 
  Language:  English (ﬂ uent conversation; Per-
  seid is native)
  2 
  Language:  Malvan (ﬂ uent conversation)
  2 
  Navigation (Space) 12-
  1 
  PS: Etch-Sculpting 8-
  1 
  PS: Perseid Soldier 8-
  2 
  PS: Superhuman Gladiator 11-
  1 
  Tactics 8-
  3 
  Teamwork 13-
  3 
  TF: Science Fiction And Space Vehicles, V-Jet
  2 
  WF:  Perseid Small Arms
  Total Powers & Skill Cost:  133
  Total Cost:  350
  200+ Disadvantages
  20 
  Hunted:  Firewing 8- (Mo Pow, Kill)
  25 
  Hunted:  VIPER 8- (Mo Pow, NCI, Capture)
  20 
  Physical Limitation:  Weighs 2,000 Kilograms 
  (All Th e Time, Greatly Impairing)
  10 
  Physical Limitation:  Knows Little Of Earth 
  Culture (Frequently, Slightly Impairing)
  20 
  Psychological Limitation:  Code Versus Kill-
  ing (Common, Total)
  20 
  Psychological Limitation:  Overconﬁ dence 
  (Very Common, Strong)
  10 
  Reputation:  destructive and dangerous, 11-
  15 
  Social Limitation:  Public Identity (Ironclad, 
  alien superhero) (Frequently, Major)
  10 
  Vulnerability:  2 x STUN from Magnetic 
  Attacks (Uncommon)
  Total Disadvantage Points:  350
  Background/History:  Far from Earth, orbiting the 
  star Phi Cassiopeia, is the world Dorvala. Similar 
  to Earth in many ways, it is the homeworld of 
  the Dorvalan, or Perseid, Empire, a government 
  encompassing several star systems. Th e Dorvalans, 
  though not possessing powerful faster-than-light 
  drives, have by the Earth year 2000 AD developed 
  primitive FTL capability — enough to settle nearby 
  systems and begin interacting with the greater 
  galaxy.
  One of the prides of the Dorvalan people 
  is their military, an institution with centuries of 
  honorable traditions and accomplishments to its 
  credit. Inspired by love of his people and his world, 
  a young Dorvalan named Drogen Lar joined up. 
  He underwent the basic training given to all mili-
  tary personnel, with an eye to becoming one of the 
  feared Dorvalan Space Marines. But he soon found 
  himself assigned to such glamorous postings as the 
  quartermaster’s oﬃ  ce and the machine shop.
  With his natural intelligence, he soon worked 
  his way up to a slightly better position as a lab assis-
  tant at one of the military’s starship engineering 
  yards, where he helped a group of scientists trying 
  to develop a new alloy for starship hulls. One day, 
  while he was adjusting some smelting equipment, 
  it inexplicably exploded, showering his body with 
  molten experimental alloy. But something even 
  
  185 
  Champions
  more unusual happened — instead of burning him 
  to death, the alloy melded with his cellular struc-
  ture, literally transforming him into man of living 
  metal!
  While he was recovering from the incident 
  in a military hospital, Lar received a visit from a 
  group of admirals. Th ey explained to him that his 
  transformation hadn’t exactly been an accident. 
  His physical proﬁ le showed that his cells might 
  react as they did to the experimental metal, so the 
  admirals arranged for him to get the lab job 
  and then suﬀ er the “accident” in the hopes 
  of creating a Dorvalan super-soldier. Th ey 
  expected him to be grateful and get right 
  back to work.
  Instead, Lar was furious. He expressed 
  disgust for what they’d done and how they’d 
  done it. Unwilling to continue to serve leaders 
  so callous as they, he stormed out of the hos-
  pital and deserted. Stealing a ship, he headed 
  for a strange world called Malva, where he’d 
  heard that super-powerful beings were 
  pitted against each other in gladi-
  atorial contests for rich rewards.
  When he ﬁ nally arrived 
  at Malva some years later, 
  he learned the rumors 
  were true. His great 
  strength and resilience 
  made him one of the 
  most powerful gladiators, 
  but by no means the most 
  powerful; for the ﬁ rst time 
  since his transformation, he 
  found himself challenged, some-
  times even bested. Among the greatest 
  of his rivals in the arena were two other 
  beings of great power, a Malvan named 
  Ariax Th one, and a being from the far 
  side of the galaxy who called himself 
  Tren Tarrec Dazeur.
  As time went on, the duels in 
  the arena became bloodier and 
  bloodier, all to satisfy the whims 
  of the Malvans and their 
  Phazor, or High King. Lar soon 
  became disgusted with it all, 
  the moreso because he came 
  to despise his rivals — Th one 
  pretended to be honorable, 
  but found subtle methods 
  to cheat his way to vic-
  tory when necessary, and 
  Dazeur was arrogant 
  and condescending, lord-
  ing over all 
  whom he defeated. But Lar 
  was trapped; the 
  Phazor would not let any of his gladiators depart 
  Malva.
  At long last, an opportunity to escape arose, 
  and he took it. Stealing a small starship, he made 
  his way oﬀ  Malva — only to ﬁ nd that his under-
  standing of the Malvan tongue was not enough for 
  him to use their advanced navigational equipment 
  properly. Flying out of control across the galaxy, he 
  chanced to crash-land on a primitive blue world its 
  inhabitants called Earth.
  Lar’s approach did not go unnoticed. His ship 
  was detected shortly aft er it entered Earth’s solar 
  system. Although no superhumans were able to 
  stop him from crashing into Lake St. Clair not far 
  from Millennium City, ﬁ lm of him wading ashore 
  was widely broadcast, and newsmen’s frequent 
  comment that he looked like “an ironclad cutting 
  through the waves” soon earned him his nom de 
  guerre. Before long, he was ﬁ ghting crime 
  alongside the heroes who’d tried 
  to stop his crash. He found this 
  new pursuit not only exciting, 
  but morally beneﬁ cial (unlike 
  gladiatorial ﬁ ghting). Seeking 
  a permanent group of friends 
  and teammates to work and live 
  with, he responded to Defender’s 
  invitation and joined his new team, the 
  Champions.
  Personality/Motivation:  Although not 
  Human, Ironclad possesses in large mea-
  sure a strong dose of what’s called 
  “humanity.” He is kindhearted and 
  noble, always sympathetic to those 
  in need or who require the assis-
  tance of one such as himself. 
  When not ﬁ ghting alongside 
  his teammates, he oft en uses 
  his awesome strength to help 
  build clinics and shelters for the 
  poor.
  Like many superhumans with 
  great strength and resilience, Ironclad has a 
  sense of conﬁ dence sometimes bordering 
  on braggadocio. He doesn’t think anything 
  can really hurt him, and that sometimes 
  leads him to stick his neck out a little 
  further than he should. Even hard les-
  sons learned at the hands of Mechanon 
  and his old nemesis Th one (now the 
  supervillain Firewing on Earth) have not 
  cured him of this tendency.
  Believing himself stranded on 
  Earth for the rest of his life, Ironclad is 
  extremely curious about his new home-
  world. Although he remains largely unfa-
  miliar with Earth culture, he is slowly 
  learning about Humans and their ways. 
  Unfortunately, all too much of his 
  learning comes from television.
  Powers/Tactics:  Ironclad is 
  a Dorvalan, or “Perseid” in 
  common Human parlance. He 
  comes from the fourth planet orbiting Phi Cassio-
  peia, a star 200,000 times brighter than Sol. Perseids 
  are far more resistant to energy and radiation than 
  Humans, and have a special ocular membrane 
  which protects their eyes from bright light.
  In addition to his natural gift s, Ironclad pos-
  sesses great powers as a result of the “accident” that 
  melded his ﬂ esh with an unusual experimental 
  alloy. Strong enough to lift  a hundred tons, and 
  able to resist most forms of attack without suﬀ er-
  
  186 
  HERO SYSTEM 5TH EDITION
  ing harm, he is a classic “brick.” Like most bricks 
  he excels at hand-to-hand combat, but he has a few 
  additional skills, like the ability to pilot spacecraft , 
  that most superhumans lack.
  Unfortunately, having a quasi-metallic body 
  also causes him some problems. First, it renders 
  him unusually vulnerable to attacks based on mag-
  netic force — a weakness Mechanon, among others, 
  has exploited. Second, it makes him unusually 
  heavy. He weighs 2,000 kilograms, which makes it 
  diﬃ  cult or impossible for him to go onto the upper 
  ﬂ oors of buildings, ride in normal vehicles, or even 
  walk down the street without leaving “footprints” in 
  asphalt and concrete. Not for nothing does he have 
  a reputation as destructive.
  In combat, Ironclad is a little cannier than 
  most bricks, thanks to his years in the Malvan 
  arena. He oft en Holds his Action, allowing his 
  opponent to attack ﬁ rst (maybe several times) so he 
  can assess their weaknesses before he strikes. When 
  he does hit, he hits hard and accurately, though he 
  oft en Pulls his Punch until he knows an opponent 
  can tolerate a full-strength blow.
  In his spare time, Ironclad enjoys watching 
  television and movies, attending cultural events, 
  and otherwise learning about Earth and her peo-
  ples. He also indulges in a Perseid artform called 
  “etch-sculpting,” in which the artist uses his hands 
  to mold, and etch designs in, various soft  materi-
  als. For Ironclad, “soft ” materials include things like 
  granite and steel, resulting in some unusual pieces 
  of art (oft en highly sought aft er by collectors; he 
  sometimes auctions them for charity).
  Appearance: Standing nearly seven feet tall and 
  with a build to match, Ironclad would dominate 
  nearly any situation even if he weren’t obviously 
  (a) from another planet and (b) made of metal. His 
  metallic body preserves his Perseid features, includ-
  ing the small, symmetrical rows and knobs on top 
  of his head and shoulders. He wears the typical 
  garb of ancient Perseid wrestlers, a kilt-like gar-
  ment with a sort of bandolier over his right shoul-
  der, both colored red with gold trim. He also wears 
  matching red bracers and sandal-like boots.
  NIGHTHAWK
   Val Char 
  Cost Roll 
  Notes
   20 STR 
  10 
  13- 
  Lift  400 kg; 4d6 [2]
   25 DEX 
  45 
  14- 
  OCV:  8/DCV:  8
   20 CON 
  20 
  13-
   15 BODY 10 
  12-
   23 INT 
  13 
  14- 
  PER Roll 14-
   18 EGO 
  16 
  13- 
  ECV: 6
   28 PRE 
  18 
  15- 
  PRE Attack:  5½d6
   10 COM 
  0 
  11-
   8 PD 
  4 
   
  Total:  18 PD (10 rPD)
   6 ED 
  2 
   
  Total:  16 ED (10 rED)
   6 SPD 
  25 
   
  Phases:  2, 4, 6, 8, 10, 12
   8 REC 
  0
   40 END 
  0
   35 STUN 
  0 
  Total Characteristic Cost:  163
  Movement: 
  Running: 
  9”/18”
   
  Swinging: 
  15”/30”
   
  Leaping: 
  7”/14”
  Cost Powers 
  END
   
  Martial Arts: Kung Fu
   
  Maneuver 
  OCV DCV 
  Notes
  4 
   Block 
  +2 
  +2 
  Block, Abort
  4 
   Dodge 
  — 
  +5 
  Dodge all 
  attacks, Abort
  4 
   Knife Hand 
  -2 
  +0 
  1d6+1 HKA 
  (2½d6 with STR)
  4 
   Punch/Kick 
  +0 
  +2 
  10d6 Strike
  3 
   Th row 
  +0 
  +1 
  8d6 +vel/5, 
  Target Falls
  4 
  Tien-hsueh Strike -1 
  +1 
  4d6 NND (1)
  16 
  +4 Damage Classes (already added in)
  6 
  Left  Bracer/Mask Radio:  HRRP; OIF 
  (-½), Flashed As Sight And Hearing 
  Group As Well As Radio Group (-½) 
  0
  10 
  Right Bracer (Linegun):  Swinging 15”; 
  OIF (-½) 
  1
  20 
  Combat Vest:  Armor (10 PD/10 ED); 
  OIF (-½) 
  0
  3 
  Mask Lenses:  Infrared Perception 
  (Sight Group); OIF (-½) 
  0
  20 
  Utility Belt:  Multipower, 30-point 
  reserve; OIF (-½)
  1u 
  1)  Billy Club I:  HA +2d6; OAF (-1), 
  Hand-To-Hand Attack (-½) 
  1
  1u 
  2)  Billy Club II:  EB 6d6; OAF (-1), 1 
  Recoverable Charge (-1¼) 
  [1rc]
  1u 
  3)  Mini-Camera:  Eidetic Memory; 
  OAF (-1), Visual Images Only (-½) 
  0
  1u 
   4)  Mini-Recorder:  Eidetic Memory; 
  OAF (-1), Sound Only (-½) 
  0
  1u 
  5)  Smoke Pellets:  Darkness to Sight 
  Group 2” radius; OAF (-1), 8 Continuing 
  Charges lasting 1 Turn each (removed by 
  winds or rain; -0), Range Based On 
  STR (-¼), Limited Eﬀ ect (Normal 
  Sight only; -¼) 
  [8cc]
  1u 
  6)  Flash Pellets:  Sight Group Flash 6d6; 
  OAF (-1), 6 Charges (-¾), Range Based 
  On STR (-¼) 
  [6]
  1u 
  7)  Th ermite Pellets:  RKA 1d6, Armor 
  Piercing (+½), Area Of Eﬀ ect (One Hex; 
  Mutant Ice Scream!?
  ‘Those jerks from the IHA tried 
  to shoot me! I don’t care what 
  they tell you, the Institute is NOT 
  just a bunch of lobbyists — they 
  want to kill all those mutants, maybe all us 
  superhumans. I don’t know why they’re after 
  me. I’m not a mutant. I got my powers eating 
  ice cream made with milk from genetically-
  altered cows. Maybe they should go shoot the 
  cows or something.’ 
  — Icicle on the Institute for Human Advancement
  
  187 
  Champions
  +½); OAF (-1), 6 Charges (-¾), Range 
  Based On STR (-¼) 
  [6]
  1u 
  8)  Sleep Gas Pellets:  EB 3d6, NND 
  (defense is LS: Self-Contained Breathing; 
  +1); OAF (-1), 6 Charges (-¾), Range 
  Based On STR (-¼) 
  [6]
  1u 
  9)  Th rowing Blades:  HKA ½d6 (1d6+1 
  w/ STR), Ranged (+½); OAF (-1), 6 
  Recoverable Charges (-¼), Range 
  Based On STR (-¼) 
  [6rc]
  1u 
  10)  Weakness Darts:  Drain STR 2d6, 
  Ranged (+½); OAF Fragile (poisoned 
  darts, poison is easily washed oﬀ  or 
  spoiled; -1¼), Must Target Non-Armored 
  Hit Locations (-¼), 6 Charges (-¾) 
  [6]
  1u 
  11)  Rebreather:  Life Support (Expanded 
  Breathing:  Breathe Underwater); OAF 
  (-1), 1 Continuing Fuel Charge 
  (1 Hour; -0) 
  [1cc]
  1u 
  12)  Monocular:  +6 versus Range 
  Modiﬁ er for Sight Group; OAF (-1) 
  0
  6 
  Athletic:  Running +3” (9” total) 
  2
  3 
  Athletic:  Leaping +3” (7” forward, 4” 
  upward) 
  1
   
  Perks
  3 
  Money:  Well Oﬀ 
   
  Skills
  10 
  +1 Overall
  3 
  Acrobatics 14-
  3 
  Breakfall 14-
  3 
  Climbing 14-
  3 
  Computer Programming 14-
  3 
  Contortionist 14-
  3 
  Criminology 14-
  3 
  Demolitions 14-
  3 
  Electronics 14-
  3 
  Interrogation 15-
  2 
  CK: Millennium City 11-
  2 
  KS: Espionage World 11-
  1 
  KS: Military/Mercenary/Terrorist World 8-
  2 
  KS: Millennium City Underworld 11-
  2 
  KS: Superhuman World 11-
  3 
  Lockpicking 14-
  3 
  Security Systems 14-
  3 
  Stealth 14-
  3 
  Streetwise 15-
  3 
  Systems Operation 14-
  3 
  Teamwork 14-
  1 
  TF: V-Jet
  Total Powers & Skill Cost:  187
  Total Cost:  350
  200+ Disadvantages
  10 
  DNPC:  Julie Morgan (crime reporter, girl-
  friend) 8- (Normal; Useful Noncombat 
  Position; Unaware of character’s Social 
  Limitation: Secret Identity)
  5 
  Distinctive Features:  scars on face (Easily 
  Concealed; Noticed and Recognizable)
  15 
  Enraged:  when takes BODY damage in 
  combat (Common), go 8-, recover 11-
  15 
  Hunted:  organized crime boss of the week 
  8- (As Pow, NCI, Capture/Kill)
  20 
  Hunted:  VIPER 8- (Mo Pow, NCI, Capture)
  15 
  Hunted:  Mechassassin 11- (As Pow, Kill)
  20 
  Psychological Limitation:  Overconﬁ dence 
  (Very Common, Strong)
  20 
  Psychological Limitation:  Obsessed With 
  Crimeﬁ ghting (Very Common, Strong)
  10 
  Reputation:  reckless vigilante, 11-
  5 
  Rivalry:  Professional (with Defender)
  15 
  Social Limitation:  Secret Identity (Mark 
  Whitaker) (Frequently, Major)
  Total Disadvantage Points:  350
  Background/History:  Some men are born to hero-
  ism. Others have heroism thrust upon them.
  Mark Whitaker was a college student who 
  seemed to have it all. Handsome, athletic, and 
  popular, he was also academically gift ed; even while 
  he was an undergraduate, his projects in computer 
  science attracted attention from both scientists and 
  major corporations. His future seemed as bright as 
  could be.
  But fate, for better or worse, intervened. One 
  day while he was heading into the computer sci-
  ences building, VIPER attacked, intending to steal 
  some valuable electronic components the depart-
  ment had recently received. Unwilling to stand by 
  and do nothing, Mark charged into the fray, taking 
  down two VIPER agents before being caught in the 
  explosion of a grenade and knocked unconscious.
  He woke up in the hospital, his face heavily 
  bandaged. He soon learned he’d foiled part of the 
  robbery, but the VIPER agents had gotten away 
  with most of what they came for, and the police 
  had no idea how to ﬁ nd them or solve the crime. 
  And the grenade explosion had badly scarred his 
  face — not enough to render him hideously ugly, 
  but certainly enough to mar his once-handsome 
  features forever.
  As he lay in his hospital bed convalescing, 
  Mark’s mind seethed with anger. He wasn’t so upset 
  about his injuries as he was about the injustice of 
  the whole situation. What kind of society did he 
  live in where thugs like VIPER could steal peoples’ 
  work and get away scot-free? It wasn’t right.
  By the time he was released from his doc-
  tors’ care, Mark was a changed man. Gone was the 
  happy-go-lucky academic star, replaced by a man 
  driven to ﬁ ght injustice and evil. Dropping out 
  of school, living on money from a few inventions 
  he’d already patented, Mark set out to right the 
  wrongs of the world. He trained himself relent-
  lessly in crimeﬁ ghting disciplines ranging from 
  criminalistics to martial arts to inﬁ ltration, taking 
  time oﬀ  only to design special devices to help him 
  accomplish his mission. Within two years, there 
  was a new crimeﬁ ghter on the street who called 
  himself Nighthawk. A shadow in silver and black, 
  he swooped down upon criminals and beat them 
  senseless, soon earning a reputation for his inten-
  sity... and brutality.
  But he learned there were threats he couldn’t 
  handle alone. He could handle street scum, but all 
  the training in the world wasn’t enough to let him 
  
  188 
  HERO SYSTEM 5TH EDITION
  triumph over the likes of Devasta-
  tor, Firewing, or Mechanon. He 
  needed allies. When he heard 
  Defender’s call to form a new 
  superteam, he responded at 
  once.
  Today, Nighthawk is per-
  haps the most dedicated member 
  of the Champions — though also the one with 
  the poorest reputation in the 
  minds of the public. He maintains a 
  secret identity, working as a freelance 
  programmer/engineer, but spends most 
  of his time ﬁ ghting crime, or preparing to. Th e 
  others worry about him, afraid that he’ll carry his 
  one-man crusade too far, but he seems to be in 
  control of himself... for now.
  Personality/Motivation:  Nighthawk is tough, intense, 
  and self-assured. He’s met few obstacles he couldn’t 
  handle (either on his own, or with his teammates), 
  and he approaches his work with absolute conﬁ -
  dence. Even when he discovers that an opponent’s 
  too much for him to handle at ﬁ rst, he withdraws, 
  develops a plan, and comes back to take his enemy 
  down. He has no qualms about expressing his opin-
  ions or taking his own route if he feels his team-
  mates don’t know what they’re doing.
  Given his obsessive nature, Nighthawk tends 
  to regard his fellow Champions as well-inten-
  tioned but amateurish. He sees Sapphire as ﬂ ighty, 
  Witchcraft  as too shy, and Defender as naive. He 
  hopes to open their eyes over time. Only Ironclad, 
  with his military experience and stolid approach 
  to getting the job done, seems to earn his respect 
  most of the time.
  Although Nighthawk genuinely likes and 
  admires Defender, he sees him as something of a 
  rival, both for leadership of the team, and as an 
  inventor and engineer. Defender is aware of 
  Nighthawk’s attitude, but doesn’t share it; 
  he’s content to lead by example, and doesn’t 
  care whether he or Nighthawk knows the 
  most about electronics. 
  Powers/Tactics:  Nighthawk is a naturally 
  gift ed athlete and ﬁ ghter who trains intensely to 
  keep himself in top physical form. He’s studied 
  martial arts with several world-renowned mas-
  ters, and his reaction time and skill in combat 
  are second to few. He’s also well-versed in 
  many skills; he can analyze a crime 
  scene, pick a lock, operate just 
  about any type of computer 
  or electronic system, and 
  maneuver acrobati-
  cally.
  In addition 
  to his natural 
  skills, Night-
  hawk has 
  built several 
  devices to 
  help him 
  ﬁ ght crime. 
  Th e most 
  important 
  of these is his 
  Combat Vest, 
  a slim, high-tech 
  chestpiece he wears. 
  Interfacing with ﬁ bers 
  woven throughout his costume, 
  it generates a low-level, invisible 
  force ﬁ eld to protect him from bul-
  lets, energy blasts, and other attacks. 
  He also wears two high-tech brac-
  ers that cover most of both of his 
  forearms; the left  one contains 
  communications technology, the 
  right one a linegun. Finally, he has 
  compartments in his belt which hold a variety 
  of small, useful devices, such as throwing blades, 
  thermite pellets, and a monocular.
  Nighthawk prefers to ﬁ ght hand-to-hand, 
  using his martial arts skills and billy clubs, 
  though he oft en opens the battle with a volley of 
  thrown weapons. When ﬁ ghting large numbers 
  of foes, he oft en uses his Smoke Pellets and Mask 
  Lenses to blind his foes while maintaining his 
  own ability to see. When his regular attacks won’t 
  work, he usually resorts to surprise maneuvers to 
  gain an advantage.
  Appearance:  Nighthawk’s costume is silver and 
  black. Th e body stocking, full face mask, gloves, 
  and hooded cape are black; his knee-length boots, 
  bracers, belt and billy club holsters, and Combat 
  Vest are silver. Th e Vest ﬁ ts over his upper chest, 
  but is designed to be slim enough that it does not 
  impede his movement or distort the outline of his 
  body when he hides in the shadows.
  
  189 
  Champions
  SAPPHIRE
   Val Char 
  Cost Roll 
  Notes
   15 STR 
  5 
  12- 
  Lift  200 kg; 3d6 [1]
   23 DEX 
  39 
  14- 
  OCV:  8/DCV:  8
   23 CON 
  26 
  14-
   10 BODY 0 
  11- 
   12 INT 
  2 
  11- 
  PER Roll 11-
   14 EGO 
  8 
  12- 
  ECV:  5
   25 PRE 
  15 
  14- 
  PRE Attack:  5d6
   20 COM 
  5 
  13-
   9 PD 
  6 
   
  Total:  21 (12 rPD)
   12 ED 
  7 
   
  Total:  24 (12 rED)
   6 SPD 
  27 
   
  Phases = 2, 4, 6, 8, 10, 12
   9 REC 
  2
   60 END 
  7
   35 STUN 
  5 
  Total Characteristic Cost:  154
  Movement: 
  Running: 
  6”/12”
   
  Flight: 
  15”/30”
  Cost Powers 
  END
  60 
  Sapphire Energy Powers:  Multipower, 60-
  point powers
  6u  
  1)  Power Bolt I:  Energy Blast 12d6 
  6
  6u 
  2)  Power Bolt II:  Energy Blast 8d6, 
  Reduced Endurance (0 END; +½) 
  0
  6u 
  3)  Sapphire Bolt:  Sight Group Flash 12d6 6
  5u 
  4)  Combination Bolt:  Energy Blast 8d6 
  plus Sight Group Flash 4d6, Linked (-½) 
  6
  6u  
  5)  Stun-Bolt:  Energy Blast 6d6, NND 
  (defense is ED FF; +1) 
  6
  36 
  Force Shield:  Force Field (12 PD/12 ED), 
  Reduced Endurance (0 END; +½) 
  0
  45 
  Power-Riding:  Flight 15”, Reduced 
  Endurance (0 END; +½) 
  0
   
  Perks
  5 
  Money:  Well Oﬀ 
   
  Skills
  3 
  Conversation 14-
  3 
  High Society 14-
  2 
  Language:  English (ﬂ uent conversation; 
  Spanish is native)
  3 
  PS: Singer 14-
  3 
  PS: Singing 14-
  3 
  Seduction 14-
  3 
  Teamwork 14-
  1 
  TF: V-Jet
  Total Powers & Skill Cost:  196
  Total Cost:  350
  200+ Disadvantages
  15 
  DNPC:  boyfriend of the week 11- (Normal)
  10 
  Distinctive Features:  Mutant (Not Conceal-
  able; Always Noticed; Detectable Only By 
  Unusual Senses)
  25 
  Hunted:  Mechanon 8- (Mo Pow, NCI, Cap-
  ture)
  25 
  Hunted:  VIPER 8- (Mo Pow, NCI, Capture)
  20 
  Psychological Limitation:  Showoﬀ  (Very 
  Common, Strong)
  20 
  Psychological Limitation:  Code Versus Kill-
  ing (Common, Total)
  15 
  Social Limitation:  Public Identity (Corazon 
  Eldora “Corrie” Valenzuela) (Frequently, 
  Major)
  10 
  Susceptibility:  to hard radiation, 1d6 damage 
  per Turn (Uncommon)
  10 
  Vulnerability:  2 x STUN from Light-Based 
  Attacks (Uncommon)
  Total Disadvantage Points:  350
  Background/History:  Corazon Valenzuela — 
  “Corrie” to her friends — has never known what 
  it was like to be ordinary. Her earliest memories 
  are of singing, and being praised for her superb 
  singing voice. As she grew into a beautiful young 
  woman, she began recording professionally, and 
  soon her name and voice were known all over 
  America, and then the world. She was what she’d 
  always wanted to be, a star!
  But she was more gift ed than she knew. 
  When she was 17, one of her concerts was 
  attacked by a group of supervillains who wanted 
  to take her hostage and get a big ransom for her. 
  Under the stress, her mutant powers of energy 
  manipulation manifested themselves, and before 
  she knew what she was doing she’d blasted the 
  villains into unconsciousness.
  If she thought she received lots of media 
  attention before, now she learned what it was 
  really like to be under the glare of constant scru-
  tiny. A superstar superhero — who could resist it? 
  At ﬁ rst Corrie rebelled against the idea, wanting 
  to remain just a singer, but the more she thought 
  about it, the more she liked the idea of being a 
  superheroine. It was sort of like an extension of 
  the charitable foundations she’d set up; it was a 
  way of helping people.
  Before long, Corrie, rechristening herself 
  “Sapphire” because of the blue color of her energy 
  powers, was ﬁ nding time to ﬁ t crimeﬁ ghting into 
  her already hectic schedule. Th at only increased 
  her fame, but she decided she wanted to spend 
  more time crimeﬁ ghting — it was incredibly 
  exciting (when it wasn’t terrifying) — and even 
  more rewarding than being a rock star. When 
  she heard about Defender wanting to form a new 
  superteam in Millennium City, she was the ﬁ rst 
  to sign up.
  Personality/Motivation:  Of all the Champions, 
  Sapphire is the most outgoing, and the one who 
  seems the least serious. She’s been a major media 
  star for years (and still is), and she enjoys living 
  the rock ‘n’ roll high life. She spends a lot of time 
  being squired around to the most fashionable 
  places in the world by the most handsome bach-
  elors in the world, appearing in movies, perform-
  ing at concerts, and recording new albums. She’s 
  used to showing herself oﬀ , and she does so as a 
  superheroine as well as a performer. More than 
  once she’s pulled some ﬂ ashy stunt in a super-
  battle that looked great on camera, but didn’t 
  accomplish much in the ﬁ ght — or even put her 
  in danger. But hey, it’s all in a day’s work for a star, 
  right?
  
  190 
  HERO SYSTEM 5TH EDITION
  Although she’s well known (and in some cir-
  cles condemned) for “ﬂ aunting her sexuality,” she 
  has a way of doing so that seems to please, rather 
  than oﬀ end, most people. Regardless of how she 
  carries herself or acts, there’s something “nice” 
  about her that nothing can sully.
  While Corrie loves the spotlight and doesn’t 
  want to be anywhere else, there is a small part 
  of her that would be happy just to settle down 
  and live a quiet, normal life. Th at’s not likely to 
  happen anytime soon, but it does sometimes 
  manifest in her spending an ordinary Sunday at 
  home reading, or going for long walks by herself.
  Sapphire has been courted by some of the 
  most eligible men on the planet, and while she 
  ﬁ nds most of them intriguing, none of them 
  has really caught her interest — until she met 
  Defender. Something about him really attracts 
  her, even if he doesn’t seem to 
  notice it or pick up on her 
  little hints and double enten-
  dres. Th is strains her friend-
  ship with Witchﬁ re a little, 
  but the two of them still spend 
  a lot of time together.
  Powers/Tactics:  Sapphire 
  is a mutant with abilities 
  of energy generation and 
  projection. Physiologi-
  cal studies indicate that 
  her cells seem to function 
  as “biological batteries,” 
  absorbing energy from 
  sunlight, motion, and 
  other sources which 
  Sapphire instinctively 
  converts and releases 
  to cause various 
  eﬀ ects. She can ﬁ re 
  bolts of energy, 
  protect her-
  self with a 
  force ﬁ eld, 
  and even 
  use her 
  powers to ﬂ y. 
  Unfortunately, her mutant 
  physiology 
  is unusually sensitive to 
  radiation 
  (which 
  can 
  cause 
  her 
  severe harm) 
  and vulnerable to attacks 
  based on light 
  (they somehow “polarize” 
  her cellular 
  structure, 
  causing 
  her 
  powers to 
  feed back on themselves 
  and hurt her). 
  Her powers manifest with a 
  sapphire-blue 
  color, hence her name.
  In combat, she usu-
  ally opens up 
  with her Sapphire Bolt 
  or Combina-
  tion Bolt, ﬁ nding it’s 
  easier to ﬁ ght 
  most 
  supervillains 
  when they can’t 
  see. Th en she follows up 
  with a Power 
  Bolt. Th at’s about the extent 
  of her tactical 
  thinking, though Nighthawk and Ironclad are 
  both trying to teach her.
  Appearance:  Sapphire’s beautiful face, with deep 
  brown eyes and framed by her straight black 
  hair (usually worn long and tied back), is known 
  to people all over the world from her concerts, 
  music videos, television and movie appearances, 
  and charity work. In public as a celebrity, she 
  dresses provocatively, but always at the height of 
  fashion, oft en setting trends for others to follow. 
  As a superheroine, she oft en tries diﬀ erent cos-
  tumes depending on her mood, but usually wears 
  tight-ﬁ tting blue clothes, accessorized with a 
  blue-black short leather jacket, black high-heeled 
  boots, and black gloves. Around her neck she 
  oft en wears a choker with one of her namesake 
  gems; it sometimes sparkles and glows when she 
  uses her powers, leading some to consider it their 
  source.
  WITCHCRAFT
   Val Char 
  Cost Roll 
  Notes
   10 STR 
  0 
  11- 
  Lift  100 kg; 2d6 [1]
   20 DEX 
  30 
  13- 
  OCV:  7/DCV:  7
   18 CON 
  16 
  13-
   10 BODY 0 
  11-
   18 INT 
  8 
  13- 
  PER Roll 13-
   23 EGO 
  26 
  14- 
  ECV: 8
   20 PRE 
  10 
  13- 
  PRE Attack:  4d6
   18 COM 
  4 
  13-
   4 PD 
  2 
   
  Total:  14 PD (10 rPD)
   7 ED 
  3 
   
  Total:  17 ED (10 rED)
   5 SPD 
  20 
   
  Phases:  3, 5, 8, 10, 12
   8 REC 
  4
   36 END 
  0
   30 STUN 
  6 
  Total Characteristic Cost:  129
  Movement: 
  Running: 
  6”/12”
   
  Flight: 
  15”/30”
  Cost Powers 
  END
  60 
  Greater Witcheries:  Multipower, 60-point 
  reserve
  6u 
  1)  Witchﬁ re:  Energy Blast 9d6, Reduced 
  Endurance (½ END; +¼) 
  2
  6u 
  2)  Fascination:  Mind Control 9d6, 
  Reduced Endurance (½ END; +¼) 
  2
  6u 
  3)  Glamour:  Mental Illusions 9d6, 
  Reduced Endurance (½ END; +¼) 
  2
  6u 
  4)  Irresistible Slumber:  Ego Attack 6d6 
  6
  6u 
  5)  Terrors Of Th e Dark:  Drain PRE 4d6, 
  Ranged (+½) 
  6
  4u 
  6)  Man Into Frog Spell:  Major Transform 
  4d6 (humans into frogs, heals back if 
  target is kissed by royalty of the opposite 
  gender or Witchcraft  voluntarily “dispels” 
  the magic); Limited Target (humans; -½) 6
  15 
  Helpful Witcheries:  Elemental Control, 
  30-point powers
  15 
  1)  Shield Of Sorcery:  Force Field 
  (10 PD/10 ED), Reduced Endurance 
  (0 END; +½) 
  0
  15 
   2)  Wings Of Th e Wind:  Flight 15” 
  3
  39 
  Lesser Witcheries:  Variable Power Pool 
  (Magic Pool), 30 base + 15 control cost; 
  Only Magic (-¼), Can Only Be Changed 
  
  191 
  Champions
  With Access To Spellbooks (-½) 
  var
  3 
  Magesense:  Detect Magic 13-; 
  Concentration (0 DCV; -½) 
  0
   
  Perks
  6 
  Contact:  Th e Trismegistus Council 11-
   
  Skills
  6 
  +2 with Greater Witcheries Multipower
  1 
  Cryptography 8-; Translation Only (-½)
  3 
  High Society 13-
  3 
  KS: Arcane & Occult Lore 13-
  2 
  KS: Demonology 11-
  3 
  KS: Witchcraft  13-
  2 
  CK: Vibora Bay 11-
  1 
  CK: Paris 8-
  1 
  Language:  French (basic conversation; Eng-
  lish is native)
  1 
  Language:  Latin (basic conversation)
  2 
  PS: Painting 11-
  3 
  Sleight Of Hand 13-
  3 
  Stealth 13-
  3 
  Teamwork 13-
  Total Powers & Skill Cost:  221
  Total Cost:  350
  200+ Disadvantages
  10 
  DNPC:  Sunshine (her black cat familiar) 
  8- (Normal)
  10 
  Distinctive Features:  Mystic Aura (Not 
  Concealable; Always Noticed; Detectable 
  Only With Unusual Senses)
  20 
  Hunted:  Circle Of Th e Scarlet Moon 8- (Mo 
  Pow, NCI, Capture/Corrupt)
  20 
  Hunted:  VIPER 8- (Mo Pow, NCI, Capture)
  10 
  Hunted:  Talisman 8- (As Pow, Kill)
  20 
  Psychological Limitation:  Code Versus Kill-
  ing (Common, Total)
  15 
  Psychological Limitation:  Underconﬁ dent; 
  Aﬄ  icted With Self-Doubt (Common, Strong)
  15 
  Social Limitation:  Secret Identity (Bethany 
  Duquesne) (Frequently Major)
  20 
  Vulnerability:  2 x STUN from Ice/Cold 
  (Common)
  10 
  Vulnerability:  1½ x BODY from Ice/Cold 
  (Common)
  Total Disadvantage Points:  350
  EXAMPLE POWERS FOR LESSER 
  WITCHERIES VPP
  Voice Of Th e Mind:  Witchcraft  sometimes pre-
  pares this spell when she expects a crisis or battle 
  to erupt, since it allows her to maintain constant 
  contact with all of her teammates.
  Mind Link, any eight minds at once. Total cost:  
  30 points
  Athame:  When facing demons, monsters, and 
  other terrifying mystic foes for whom her Code 
  Versus Killing does not apply, Witchcraft  some-
  times carries her enchanted silver dagger.
  HKA 1d6 (1½d6 with STR); OAF (-1), No 
  Knockback (-¼) (total cost:  7 points) plus 
  HKA +1d6 (total of 2½d6 with STR); OAF 
  (-1), No Knockback (-¼), Only Versus Evil 
  Mystic Beings (-1) (total cost:  5 points). Total 
  cost:  12 points.
  Spell Of Vitality:  Since her spells consume much 
  energy, before she goes into combat Witchcraft  
  oft en prepares this spell.
  +40 END and +5 REC. Total cost:  30 points
  Awareness:  At most times, when she doesn’t need 
  her Lesser Witcheries for something else, Witch-
  craft  uses her spells to give herself the mystical 
  ability to sense danger.
  Danger Sense (immediate vicinity, any danger) 
  13-. Total cost:  30 points
  Seeming:  With this spell, Witchcraft  can alter her 
  outward appearance.
  Shape Shift  (Sight Group; any humanoid form), 
  Imitation. Total cost:  30 points.
  Beast Shape:  Witchcraft  sometimes ﬁ nds it 
  useful to take the form of small animals — birds, 
  rodents, and the like — to travel unnoticed or spy 
  on her enemies. She needs to learn a separate spell 
  for any given form.
  Multiform (any one animal form of up to 150 
  points). Total cost:  30 points.
  Background/History:  Bethany Duquesne and 
  her twin sister, Pamela, were raised in a seem-
  ingly ordinary suburban home near Detroit. But 
  it wasn’t what it looked like — her parents were 
  witches devoted to the dark powers, and from 
  birth they groomed both girls to follow in their 
  footsteps. While Pamela, a cruel and spiteful child, 
  took to the training readily, Bethany found it dis-
  turbing. Bethany’s natural gift  for magic was as 
  great as or greater than Pamela’s, but she was too 
  kind-hearted and gentle to truly embrace all of 
  her parents’ teachings. It was as if she rebelled by 
  becoming a nice person.
  On their eighteenth birthdays, both girls 
  were to be formally inducted into the Circle of 
  the Scarlet Moon, the powerful coven their par-
  ents belonged to. Pamela spoke the oaths and 
  performed the rituals exultantly, but when it was 
  her turn, Bethany couldn’t do it. Horriﬁ ed by what 
  she’d seen and heard, she turned and ran, using 
  her magics to ﬂ ee her family forever.
  Aft er a year or two of almost aimless wander-
  ing, during which she used her magic to survive 
  and remain safe, Bethany drift ed into Vibora Bay 
  and got a job there in a small bookstore. She used 
  her powers once or twice to save an innocent 
  person from peril, and found she enjoyed helping 
  others. Her activities attracted the attention of the 
  Trismegistus Council, a brotherhood of benevo-
  lent wizards who took her under their wing and 
  furthered her training.
  
  192 
  HERO SYSTEM 5TH EDITION
  She remained with the Council for several 
  more years, but eventually felt “a call” (as she puts 
  it) to return to Detroit — now Millennium City 
  — where people needed her help. She journeyed 
  home and began putting her powers to good use, 
  choosing the name “Witchcraft ” as her nom du 
  guerre. She fought crime informally for several 
  years on her own. Aft er deciding she wanted to 
  get more involved in superheroing, she applied for 
  membership in Defender’s new superteam, and soon 
  became a member of the Champions.
  Eager to reclaim one of her power, the Circle 
  of the Scarlet Moon continues to pursue Witchcraft , 
  oft en making her life very diﬃ  cult. Even worse is her 
  sister, now the supervillainess Talisman, who rejected 
  the Council long ago to seek her own dark path. 
  Talisman hates Witchcraft  bitterly, and oft en seeks to 
  harm or kill her. But so far the only lasting harm she 
  has inﬂ icted is a curse that leaves Witchcraft  vulner-
  able to spells of winter. Witchcraft  has tried to ﬁ nd a 
  way to lift  the curse, but so far without success.
  Personality/Motivation:  Of all the Champi-
  ons, Witchcraft  is the least outspoken or 
  outgoing. She’s somewhat shy, preferring 
  to remain in the background while the 
  ﬂ ashier, more extroverted members of the 
  group grab the spotlight. Part of this 
  is just her nature, but part 
  derives from the self-doubt 
  which constantly aﬄ  icts her. 
  Although she knows it’s 
  irrational, Witchcraft  feels 
  she is somehow “tainted” 
  by her upbringing 
  and her parents’ evil 
  magics, and that she’s 
  not really worthy to be a 
  superhero. At times this 
  causes her to hesitate 
  when she should 
  act decisively. 
  (In game 
  terms, 
  when-
  ever 
  Witch-
  craft  
  is con-
  fronted 
  with a 
  situation 
  where things 
  seem to be going 
  wrong, she must suc-
  ceed with an EGO Roll or 
  waste a Phase doing nothing.) 
  As her career with the 
  Champions blossoms, 
  she’ll no doubt gain the 
  conﬁ dence she needs (i.e., buy 
  oﬀ  this Psychological Limita-
  tion).
  Witchcraft 
  has had little contact with men; 
  she oft en seems a little disturbed by them (especially 
  if they are loud or crude). Nevertheless she feels the 
  stirrings of a romantic attraction for Defender, and 
  this is causing a little bit of strain in her otherwise 
  excellent relationship with Sapphire. She sometimes 
  chats with Defender in French, establishing a bond 
  of common interest no one else on the team can 
  share.
  Powers/Tactics:  Witchcraft  is a naturally gift ed 
  practitioner of the arts of magic. Although many 
  of her spells are yet weak, her talent is enormous, 
  and as her skill grows so will her power, until she 
  is one of the greatest spellcasters on Earth — or so 
  some members of the Trismegistus Council fore-
  tell. Witchcraft  has her doubts.
  Witchcraft ’s favorite spells, which she relies 
  on the most in combat, are her Greater Witcheries 
  and Helpful Witcheries. She usually begins battle 
  with something relatively harmless (like Fascina-
  tion, Glamour, or Irresistible Slumber), escalating 
  to more dangerous forces only if she must. All 
  of her other spells are her Lesser Witcheries, of 
  which she can only cast a few at a time.
  Witchcraft  oft en gestures and incants when 
  casting her spells, but she doesn’t have to — she’s 
  just used to doing so. She’s perfectly capable of 
  using any of her powers even when bound and 
  gagged.
  Appearance: Witchcraft  is a beautiful young 
  woman in her early 20s, with bewitching green 
  eyes and shoulder-length red hair. Her beauty and 
  youth have led several opponents to underesti-
  mate her, to their quick chagrin. When engaged 
  in superheroics, she wears a thigh-length teal-
  colored tunic with a deep (though not immodest) 
  decolletage, long sleeves that ﬂ air slightly at the 
  wrists, and matching leggings, with a golden sash 
  and slippers. Over it all she wears her hoodless 
  witch’s cloak. On the inside it is the color of lapis 
  lazuli, a deep royal blue with gold ﬂ ecks; on the 
  outside it is black, embroidered in the center with 
  the Blood-Red Tree of Life. She fastens the cloak 
  about her shoulders with a golden chain whose 
  clasps are craft ed in the shape of crescent moons. 
  She conceals her identity with a minor glamour 
  that makes those who see her face forget exactly 
  what she looks like.
  Defending PRIMUS
  ‘I really admire the job the men
  and women of PRIMUS do. Day
  in, day out they’re out there, 
  risking their lives to keep the 
  citizens of the U.S. safe. They don’t have 
  superpowers, or battle armor, or magic spells 
  — just guts and determination.’
  — Defender of the Champions
  
  193 
  Champions
  T
  hanks to various members’ wealth, beneﬁ ts 
  showered upon them by grateful govern-
  ments, and donations from several altruistic 
  private citizens, charities, and public corpo-
  rations, the Champions have plenty of resources to 
  call upon besides their own superpowers. It’s a good 
  thing, too — it takes a lot to ﬁ ght crime these days!
  HOMESTEAD
  Th e Champions headquarters, Homestead, is 
  located in Millennium City. Th e construction was 
  funded partly by Defender and Sapphire, but mostly 
  by donations from several charitable organizations 
  and government grants. From the outside it resem-
  bles a three-story modernistic oﬃ  ce building in the 
  middle of a well-manicured lawn. Inside, the base’s 
  facilities — the labs, the vault, the high-tech monitor-
  ing equipment, the training room where Ironclad lift s 
  weights — quickly reveal its true nature.
  HOMESTEAD
   Val 
  Char Cost Notes
   20 
  BODY 18
   2,000” Size 
  24 -12 DCV
   10 
  DEF 
  24 Total Characteristic Cost:  66
  Abilities & Equipment
  Cost Power 
  END
  0 
  Location:  City 
  0
  3 
  Grounds:  16,000 hexes 
  0
  5 
  Communications System:  HRRP; 
  OIF Immobile (-1½) 
  0
  5 
  Reference Library:  KS: General 
  Knowledge 14-
  13 
  Vault:  +10 BODY and +10 DEF for a 50 
  hex area; Partial Coverage (-2) 
  0
  7 
  Crime Lab:  Criminology 11-
  7 
  Crime Lab:  Electronics 11-
  7 
  Crime Lab:  SS: Physics 11-
  7 
  Weapons Lab:  Weaponsmith (Firearms, 
  Energy Weapons) 11-
  27 
  Sensors:  Clairsentience (Sight and 
  Hearing Groups), 16x Range (2,400”), 
  Reduced Endurance (0 END; +½); OAF 
  Immobile (cameras and monitor station; 
  -2) plus Infrared Perception (Sight Group); 
  OAF Immobile (same; -2), Linked (to 
  Clairsentience; -½) plus Ultraviolet 
  Perception (Sight Group); OAF 
  Immobile (same; -2), Linked (-½) 
  0
  Total Abilities & Equipment Cost:  81
  Total Base Cost:  147
  Value Disadvantages 
  10 
  DNPC:  Wendy Brooks (the Champions’s 
  housekeeper) 8- (Normal)
  10 
  DNPC:  Jeanine McGillicuddy (the 
  Champions’s receptionist) 8- (Normal)
  10 
  DNPC:  Denise Dumont (government 
  watchdog) 11- (Normal, Useful 
  Noncombat Position)
  10 
  Hunted:  United States government 8- 
  (Mo Pow, NCI, Watching)
  10 
  Hunted:  UNTIL 8- (Mo Pow, NCI, 
  Watching)
  15 
  Publicly Known
  Total Disadvantage Points:  65
  Total Cost:  82/5 = 16
  Homestead consists of three above-ground 
  ﬂ oors and two below-ground (all are roughly 15” x 
  18”). Additionally, the roof functions as a landing 
  pad for the V-Jet. Surrounding the building itself 
  are grounds which are mainly decorative, but also 
  include an area with a pool, tennis court, and other 
  recreational facilities. A thick hedge of yew trees 
  shields the recreation area from prying eyes and 
  nosy reporters.
  Th e ﬁ rst ﬂ oor mainly consists of public areas. 
  A visitor always enters through the lobby, where 
  Jeanine McGillicuddy, the Champions’s recep-
  tionist, greets them. Mrs. McGillicuddy has a 
  well-deserved reputation as a tough old battle-axe 
  who wouldn’t even back down for Firewing. She 
  carefully preserves this reputation by not reveal-
  ing to her employers that she spends her spare 
  time fostering kittens for Millennium City Pet 
  Rescue. (Witchcraft ’s familiar, Sunshine the cat, has 
  learned of this weakness... and the fact that Mrs. 
  McGillicuddy keeps a box of cat treats in her desk 
  drawer.) Th e ﬁ rst ﬂ oor also includes conferences 
  rooms, a lecture hall, cooking and eating facilities, 
  and oﬃ  ces.
  Th e second ﬂ oor, to which access is restricted, 
  includes the team members’ rooms and several 
  guest bedrooms. Few visitors spend any time here. 
  Th e third ﬂ oor, also restricted access, contains the 
  laboratories, monitor/situation room, and some 
  space for expansion.
  Th e ﬁ rst below-ground level is half parking 
  deck, half storage area. Th e Champions and their 
  staﬀ  park here, as do important visitors. Unex-
  pected visitors, delivery personnel, and the like 
  park in the driveway.
  Th e second below-ground level, or “basement” 
  as the Champions call it, is the most restricted and 
  TEAM
  RESOURCES
  PAYING FOR 
  THE TEAM’S 
  RESOURCES
  In the campaign fea-
  turing the Champions 
  as PCs, the characters 
  did not have to chip 
  in Character Points to 
  cover the cost of Home-
  stead, SOCRATES, and 
  the V-Jet. Instead, as 
  discussed on page 97, 
  the GM gave them the 
  base and plane for free, 
  as a way of encourag-
  ing them to form a 
  team and remain a 
  team. Additionally, that 
  allowed him to create 
  the NPCs for the base, 
  and establish certain 
  relationships between 
  the team, the govern-
  ment, and various cor-
  porations that he can 
  exploit later for story 
  purposes.
  In a campaign where 
  the PCs had to pay for 
  these Perks, they’d each 
  have to contribute 3 
  Character Points toward 
  the base, 5 toward 
  SOCRATES,  and 20 
  toward the V-Jet (with 
  the GM graciously kick-
  ing in the spare points 
  where necessary).
  
  194 
  HERO SYSTEM 5TH EDITION
  secure part of the base. Mostly it consists of a gymna-
  sium and “danger room” suitable for the Champions 
  to train and practice with their powers. Compared to 
  more established superteams, the Champions don’t 
  have advanced training facilities, but Defender has big 
  plans to expand this part of Homestead. In another 
  part of the basement there’s a vault for storing danger-
  ous materials and anything the Champions want to 
  keep secure.
  Champions Personnel
  Besides Mrs. McGillicuddy, the Champions have 
  several full-time employees.
  Wendy Brooks, a pert young lady who works for 
  the Champions as their housekeeper and cook, spends 
  most of her time on the ﬁ rst ﬂ oor, though her clean-
  ing duties take her throughout the building (except 
  for the below-ground levels). Wendy dreams of being 
  a superhero herself someday (though she’d never 
  admit it to her bosses), and is quick to drop whatever 
  she’s doing if she thinks she sees an opportunity to 
  “help” the Champions. She spends her spare time 
  working out, jogging, and studying criminology; she’s 
  developing a crush on Defender.
  Although not exactly an employee, Denise 
  Dumont works at Homestead as the Champions’s 
  liaison with the Department of Superhuman and 
  Paranormal Aﬀ airs and the federal government. Her 
  presence results from a deal struck some time ago in 
  which the Champions felt they needed national police 
  authority to accomplish a mission, and the govern-
  ment wouldn’t grant it without a concession from 
  them. Since Dumont was put in place to provide regu-
  lar reports and intelligence, the Justice Department 
  has been much more cooperative about granting the 
  Champions police powers when they need them. Th e 
  unspoken terms of the deal are that as long as the 
  Champions submit to having Dumont as an “advisor,” 
  the government won’t worry too much about work-
  ing with them; if that changes, the members’ lives as 
  crimeﬁ ghters could become much harder. Despite her 
  sometimes diﬃ  cult working situation, Dumont is gen-
  erally friendly and competent — but quick to invoke 
  her implied authority if she feels the Champions are 
  trying to keep her away from something she needs to 
  know about. She’s 32 years old, considered attractive 
  by most people who know her, and has no romantic 
  interest in Defender (in fact, she can’t quite under-
  stand what the other women see in him).
  THE V-JET
  Th e Champions oft en have to travel to other 
  states or countries in situations when time is of the 
  essence. In these situations, they have a powerful, 
  high-tech aircraft , the V-Jet, to ride in. Th e V-Jet was 
  funded partly by Defender, but mostly by several 
  aerospace ﬁ rms based in or near Millennium City 
  who donated time, expertise, and materials toward the 
  project.
  Th e V-Jet takes its name from its shape, and 
  citizens oft en recognize it because it’s appeared in 
  so many news reports. It consists of a central body 
  shaped like a rounded wedge, with two forward-
  pointing wings attached to either side of the body at 
  the rear. Capable of vertical takeoﬀ  and landing, and 
  intended mainly for speed, it can reach approximately 
  Mach 10. Passengers are protected from the eﬀ ect of 
  these velocities by a sophisticated internal force ﬁ eld. 
  It carries enough concentrated fuel to ﬂ y at full speed 
  for up to day.
  If an enemy attacks the V-Jet, the Champions can 
  ﬁ ght back with twin blasters mounted on either side 
  of the craft ’s nose. Hatches in the roof and ﬂ oor also 
  allow ﬂ ying members of the team to exit the vehicle 
  to do battle; low-level force ﬁ elds allow them to exit 
  the craft  without overly disrupting the ﬂ ow of air over 
  the body.
  Typically Ironclad pilots the plane, which the 
  manufacturers specially reinforced to carry his weight. 
  Defender, Nighthawk, and Sapphire are also trained 
  to ﬂ y “the ship” (as the team calls it), and Witchcraft  
  intends to learn soon.
  THE VJET
   Val Char Cost Notes
   40 STR 
  0 
  Lift  6,400 kg; 8d6 HTH [0]
   20 BODY 4
   4”x2” Size 
  30 
  Mass 6.4 tons; -6 KB; -4 DCV
   6 
  DEF 
  12
   25 DEX 
  45 
  OCV:  8/DCV:  8
   5 
  SPD 
  15 
  Phases:  3, 5, 8, 10, 12
    
   
   
  Total Characteristic Cost:  106
  Movement: 
  Ground:  6”/12”
   
  Flight: 
  60”/480”
  Abilities & Equipment
  Cost Power 
  END
  195 
  Jet Engines:  Multipower, 130-point 
  reserve, 1 Continuing Fuel Charge for 
  entire Multipower (1 Day; +½) 
  [1cc]
  13u 
  1)  Standard Flight Mode:  Flight 60”, x8 
  noncombat
  1u 
  2)  Supersonic Flight Mode:  Flight 5”, 
  MegaScale (1” = 1 km; +¼)
  19 
  Radar Array:  Radar (Radio Group), Dis-
  criminatory, Increased Arc Of Perception 
  (360 Degrees), Telescopic (+14 versus 
  Range Modiﬁ er); OIF Bulky (-1) 
  0
  6 
  Communications System:  HRRP; OIF 
  Bulky (-1) 
  0
  27 
  Starboard Forward Blaster:  RKA 3d6, 64 
  Charges (+½); OIF, Bulky (-1), Limited Arc 
  Of Fire (60 degrees forward; -½) 
  [64]
  5 
  Port Forward Blaster:  same as Starboard 
  Forward Blaster 
  [64]
  10 
  Sealed Environment:  Life Support 
  (Self-Contained Breathing) 
  0
  15 
  Structural Enhancements:  +20 STR, 
  Reduced Endurance (0 END; +½); Only 
  To Increase Lift ing Capacity (-1) 
  0
  Total Abilities & Equipment Cost:  291
  Total Vehicle Cost:  397
  Value Disadvantages 
  15 
  Social Limitation:  Publicly Known 
  (Frequently, Major)
  
  195 
  Champions
  Total Disadvantage Points:  15
  Total Cost:  ((350/5) + (32/1)) = 102
  SOCRATES
  To help run their headquarters and assist them 
  with their ﬁ ght on crime, the Champions, with the 
  aid of several corporations and private citizens who 
  donated their time and skills, custom-built a super-
  computer for Homestead. Christened SOCRATES, 
  this artiﬁ cially intelligent thinking machine can 
  operate all of the base’s primary equipment and 
  labs (using artiﬁ cial arms, or “waldoes,” when nec-
  essary), monitor the sensors, assist with research, or 
  provide entertainment. It speaks with an educated 
  (and sometimes a little stuﬀ y) male voice.
  SOCRATES
   Val Char 
  Cost Notes
   20 INT 
  10 
  PER Roll 13-
   15 EGO 
  10 
  ECV:  5
   15 DEX 
  15 
  OCV:  5/DCV:  5
   4 SPD 
  15 
  Phases:  3, 6, 9, 12
   
   
  Total Characteristic Cost:  50
  Cost Powers 
  END
  5 
  Waldoes:  Extra Limbs (two or more 
  mounted at necessary locations 
  throughout Homestead) 
  0
   
  Skills
  3 
  Criminology 13-
  3 
  Electronics 13-
  4 
  AK: Earth 14-
  4 
  AK: Home Nation 14-
  4 
  CK: Campaign City 14-
  2 
  KS: Archived Recent News 11-
  3 
  KS: Current News 13-
  10 
  KS: General Knowledge 20-
  3 
  KS: Popular Movies 13-
  3 
  KS: Popular Music 13-
  3 
  KS: Video Games 13-
  3 
  KS: Superheroes 13-
  3 
  KS: Supervillains 13-
  2 
  KS:  World History 11-
  2 
  KS:  World Politics 11-
  3 
  Mechanics 13-
  3 
  PS: Household Management & Maintenance 13-
  3 
  SS: Astronomy 13-
  3 
  SS: Biology 13-
  3 
  SS: Chemistry 13-
  3 
  SS: Geology 13-
  3 
  SS: Physics 13-
  3 
  Systems Operation 13-
  3 
  Weaponsmith (Firearms, Energy Weapons) 13-
   
  Programs
  1 
  Monitor Camera System, Report Anomalies
  1 
  Plot Distance, Travel Times Between Speci-
  ﬁ ed Locations
  1 
  Scan and Enter Data
  1 
  Search Reference Material For Information 
  On A Topic
  1 
  Operate Laboratories
  1 
  Show/Provide Entertainment
  1 
  Send Emergency Call to Team Members If 
  Speciﬁ ed Protocols Are Not Met
   
  Talents
  3 
  Clock:  Absolute Time Sense
  5 
  Memory:  Eidetic Memory
  3 
  Calculator:  Lightning Calculator
  3 
  Instant-On Feature:  Lightsleep
  4 
  Scanner:  Speed Reading (x10)
  Total Abilities & Equipment Cost:  114
  Total Computer Cost:  159
  Value Disadvantages 
  20 
  Psychological Limitation:  Code Against 
  Killing, Harming, Or Allowing Harm To 
  Come To Humans (Very Common, Strong)
  15 
  Psychological Limitation:  Secret Program-
  ming Th e Champions Don’t Know About 
  (Uncommon, Total)
  Total Disadvantage Points:  35
  Total Cost:  124/5 = 25
  RELATIONS WITH 
  OTHER ORGANIZATIONS
  Th eir work requires the Champions to interact 
  and maintain relations with a number of important 
  institutions and agencies.
  THE MILLENNIUM CITY GOVERNMENT
  Th anks to their numerous eﬀ orts to save the city, 
  their participation in civic and charitable projects, 
  and the good image they maintain, the Champions 
  have an excellent relationship with the Millennium 
  City authorities. Although they don’t have formal 
  police sanction, the MCPD has no problem working 
  with them, and frequently calls them when it encoun-
  ters situations it can’t handle on its own.
  THE UNITED STATES GOVERNMENT
  Th e Champions have so far enjoyed cordial rela-
  tions with the government not only of Millennium 
  City, but the United States. Th e Department of Justice 
  does not entirely trust the team yet — they are too 
  new to the scene, and at least one member clearly is 
  not a U.S. citizen — so it has not yet granted them full 
  national police powers. It has, on occasion, temporar-
  ily bestowed those powers (once using the oppor-
  tunity to force the Champions to accept an on-site 
  government liaison, Denise Dumont), and frequently 
  consults with the Champions or seeks their aid. Many 
  other nations around the world also value the Cham-
  pions’ assistance.
  PRIMUS
  Th e Champions enjoy slightly less pleasant 
  relations with PRIMUS, the government’s primary 
  organization for combatting supercrime. Th e leaders 
  of PRIMUS regard the Champions (and most other 
  superteams) as amateurs who tend to cause as many 
  problems as they solve most of the time. PRIMUS has 
  
  196 
  HERO SYSTEM 5TH EDITION
  worked with the Champions in the past, and almost 
  certainly will do so in the future, but it always tries 
  (and usually fails) to take control of the operation 
  and informally “deputize” the Champions instead of 
  letting them think they’re equals. Some of the rank-
  and-ﬁ le are less rigid, and gladly call in the Cham-
  pions when there’s trouble PRIMUS personnel can’t 
  easily handle on their own.
  UNTIL
  In contrast, the Champions work well with 
  UNTIL. Since UNTIL was founded in part to work 
  with and manage superhuman assets for world secu-
  rity and the beneﬁ t of mankind, its organizational 
  attitude is diﬀ erent from PRIMUS, which is primar-
  ily a law enforcement agency. UNTIL has so many 
  superhuman resources to call on, it doesn’t have to 
  impose on the Champions’ time oft en, but it won’t 
  hesitate to do so if a menace arises it thinks the team 
  is particularly suited to handle. Th e Champions’s 
  conduct during several past missions has really 
  impressed some UNTIL leaders, who have begun fol-
  lowing the team’s exploits on a regular basis.
  ENEMIES
  D
  uring their short, but intense, career as a 
  superteam, the Champions have fought and 
  defeated many supervillains and other men-
  aces to society. Here are a few of the members 
  of their “rogues’ gallery”; you can ﬁ nd dozens more 
  villains for your campaign in Conquerors, Killers, And 
  Crooks.
  DEVASTATOR
   Val 
  Char Cost Roll 
  Notes
   10+20* STR 
  10 11-/15- Lift  1.6 tons; 6d6 [3]
   20 
  DEX 30 13- 
  OCV: 7/DCV: 7
   18 
  CON 16 13-
   10 
  BODY 0 11-
   18 
  INT 
  8 13- 
  PER Roll 13-
   12 
  EGO 4 11- 
  ECV: 4
   20 
  PRE 
  10 13- 
  PRE Attack: 4d6
   12 
  COM 1 11-
   5 
  PD 
  3  
  Total:  20 PD (15 rPD)
   5 
  ED 
  1  
  Total:  20 ED (15 rED)
   5 
  SPD 
  20  
  Phases:  3, 5, 8, 10, 12
   6 
  REC 
  0
   36 
  END 0
   30 
  STUN 6 Total Characteristic Cost:  109
  *:  OIF (Power Armor, -½), No Figured Character-
  istics (-½)
  Movement: 
  Running: 
  9”/18”
   
  Flight: 
  15”/30”
  Cost Powers 
  END
  67 
  Battle Armor Weapons Suite:  Multipower, 
  100-point reserve; all OIF (-½)
  7u 
  1)  Conﬁ gurable Blaster:  EB 10d6, 
  Variable Advantages (+½ Advantages; 
  +1); OIF (-½) 
  var
  4u 
  2)  Weapons Suite:  RKA 2d6, Variable 
  Advantages (+½ Advantages; +1); OIF (-½) var
  6u 
  3)  Tangleweb Projector:  Entangle 6d6, 
  6 DEF, Reduced Endurance (0 END; +½); 
  OIF (-½) 
  0
  30 
  Battle Armor:  Armor (15 PD/ED); OIF (-½) 0
  7 
  Flashbang Protection:  Flash Defense 
  (Sight and Hearing Group), 5 points; 
  OIF (-½) 
  0
  7 
  Internal Air Supply:  Life Support (Self-
  Contained Breathing); OIF (-½) 
  0
  30 
  Jetpack:  Flight 15”, Reduced Endurance 
  (0 END; +½); OIF (-½) 
  0
  33 
  Sensor Suite:  Infrared Perception (Sight 
  Group), Ultraviolet Perception (Sight 
  Group), Ultrasonic Perception (Hearing 
  Group), Radar, HRRP, 360 Degree 
  Perception (Sight Group); OIF (-½) 
  0
  6 
  Leg Servos:  Running +3” (9” total) 
  1
   
  Perks
  6 
  Contact:  a fence 11- (extremely useful 
  Skills and resources; signiﬁ cant Contacts 
  of his own)
  4 
  Deep Covers (2)
  10 
  Money:  Wealthy
   
  Talents
  8 
  Onboard Computer:  Absolute Range 
  Sense, Absolute Time Sense, Bump Of 
  Direction, Lightning Calculator; OIF (-½)
   
  Skills
  6 
  +2 with Battle Armor Weapons Suite
  3 
  Acrobatics 13-
  3 
  Breakfall 13-
  3 
  Climbing 13-
  1 
  Computer Programming 8-
  3 
  Conversation 13-
  3 
  Forgery (Documents, Paper Money) 13-
  4 
  Gambling (Card Games, Dice Games) 13-
  3 
  High Society 13-
  2 
  CK: Madrid 11-
  2 
  CK: Moscow 11-
  2 
  CK: New York City 11-
  2 
  CK: Paris 11-
  2 
  Language: French (ﬂ uent conversation; 
  English is native)
  
  197 
  Champions
  1 
  Language: Japanese (basic conversation)
  1 
  Language: Russian (basic conversation)
  2 
  Language: Spanish (ﬂ uent conversation)
  3 
  Lockpicking 13-
  3 
  Persuasion 13-
  3 
  PS: Appraising 13-
  3 
  Security Systems 13-
  3 
  Seduction 13-
  5 
  Stealth 14-
  3 
  Streetwise 13-
  Total Powers & Skill Cost:  291
  Total Cost:  400
  200+ Disadvantages
  20 
  Hunted:  Warlord 8- (Mo Pow, NCI, 
  Capture/Kill)
  20 
  Hunted:  UNTIL 8- (Mo Pow, NCI, 
  Capture)
  20 
  Psychological Limitation:  
  Greedy (Very Common, 
  Strong)
  15 
  Psychological Limitation:  
  Refuses To Back Down 
  Or Be Bullied (Common, 
  Strong)
  15 
  Social Limitation:  Secret Identity 
  (Richard Wittgenstein) (Frequently, 
  Major)
  110 
  Experience Points
  Total Disadvantage Points:  400
  Background/History:  It was the 
  opportunity of a lifetime.
  Richard Wittgen-
  stein was a cat burglar. 
  And he was a good 
  one, too. He might 
  not have been 
  at the abso-
  lute pin-
  nacle of 
  his pro-
  fession, 
  but he’d 
  rarely 
  failed to 
  complete a 
  mission, and had 
  gotten rich in the process.
  One day, aft er a casually 
  overhearing some interesting 
  gossip at a high-society party 
  about a new yacht in the harbor 
  at Monaco, he ﬂ ew down to 
  take a look. Th ere it was — big 
  as life and twice as gaudy. 
  It practically screamed 
  “new money,” and in 
  Richard’s expe-
  rience that 
  usually meant 
  good pickings.
  One night, when 
  the owner of the yacht (a man Richard had only 
  glimpsed once or twice while casing the boat) and 
  his entourage were at the casino, Richard slipped 
  aboard. Th e security measures almost foiled him; 
  they were extremely well-made. But that only con-
  vinced him there was something he wanted to have 
  concealed on the boat.
  When he ﬁ nally found what the yacht’s owner 
  was so careful to hide, he nearly threw it in the sea. 
  Blueprints! Not jewels, not bearer bonds, not cash, 
  just some stinking blueprints. But rather than call 
  the night a total loss, Richard took them, thinking 
  he could at least sell them back to the man he’d 
  stolen them from.
  But he quickly changed his mind when he 
  got home and took a careful look at them. Th ese 
  weren’t plans for a building or a car — they were 
  for a weapon. Some sort of prototype suit of 
  powered armor. Th ey reminded him of 
  something he’d seen somewhere, in 
  the news probably, but he couldn’t 
  place it. It didn’t come to him 
  until the next day.
  Th ey were plans for the 
  Warlord’s battle-armor.
  Terriﬁ ed for the ﬁ rst time in 
  his life, Richard took the plans, his 
  gear, everything else he could lay 
  his hands on quickly, and ﬂ ed. He 
  knew the Warlord would be look-
  ing for him now, and he knew 
  that if the Warlord found 
  him, he’d be a long, 
  long time in dying.
  While he 
  was hiding, carefully concealed 
  by one of the cover identities 
  he’d established long ago, Rich-
  ard looked at the plans some 
  more, and did some research. 
  It turned out they weren’t for 
  the Warlord’s armor, but for 
  a similar suit — one based 
  on his, maybe intended for 
  some of his best soldiers 
  or something. Th e suit 
  was sleeker and less 
  well-armed than the 
  Warlord’s was said to 
  be, but it was still quite 
  powerful.
  At ﬁ rst Richard 
  ﬁ gured he’d sell the 
  plans through his 
  usual fence; he 
  knew they’d 
  fetch a high 
  price on the 
  international 
  DEVASTATOR 
  PLOT SEEDS
  Aft er suﬀ ering a terrible 
  defeat at the hands of 
  some superhero, Witt-
  genstein decides to get 
  out of the supervillain 
  business and oﬀ ers his 
  armor for sale on the 
  black market. Who ends 
  up with it... and what 
  happens if Wittgenstein 
  changes his mind aft er 
  the sale and schemes to 
  get the armor back?
  Eager to reclaim his 
  stolen technology, the 
  Warlord manipulates 
  one of the heroes into 
  going aft er Devastator. 
  Assuming the PC wins, 
  what happens when he 
  ﬁ nds out he’s actually 
  been working for one of 
  the most feared super-
  villains in the world?
  Wittgenstein wants 
  even more power, so he 
  decides to steal more of 
  the Warlord’s technol-
  ogy. But he can’t take on 
  the Warlord’s forces or 
  penetrate the security 
  on his Flying Fortress 
  alone, so he has to trick 
  the PCs into providing 
  “cover” for him while he 
  sneaks aboard the craft  
  and loots the Warlord’s 
  arsenal.
  
  198 
  HERO SYSTEM 5TH EDITION
  black market for arms. But the more he thought 
  about it, the more he said to himself:  why shouldn’t 
  I build the suit? He realized he was sick of sneaking 
  around all the time, preying on people too stupid to 
  protect their valuables. It was time to take whatever 
  he wanted — regardless of who tried to stop him.
  It took most of his savings, and dealing with 
  a lot of disreputable people he didn’t really like, 
  but eventually Richard got his powered armor suit. 
  Christening himself Devastator, he embarked on a 
  career of robbery and mayhem that has lasted to this 
  day.
  Personality/Motivation:  Devastator is using his 
  battlesuit, and the power it brings, to work out a lot 
  of frustration and anger he’s accumulated over the 
  years. He no longer has to skulk about in the shad-
  ows, run from the police, or watch over his shoulder 
  for bounty hunters and angry husbands. Now he can 
  go toe-to-toe with superheroes and smash them into 
  the dirt, and take what he wants from even the most 
  heavily-guarded vaults. He rarely backs down or 
  runs away from any threat, and anyone who tries to 
  bully him is in for trouble.
  Th e only thing that still scares him is the War-
  lord. He knows that master villain can tell where he 
  got his armor, and that the Warlord wants it back. 
  He’s had a few scrapes with the War Machine (the 
  Warlord’s personal group of supercriminals) and 
  held his own, but he’d prefer to avoid further con-
  frontation if he can. He doesn’t want to risk losing 
  the power he now has.
  Powers/Tactics:  Devastator has an interesting suite 
  of powers and abilities deriving from two sources. 
  Th e ﬁ rst is his battle armor, which was built from 
  plans developed by the Warlord for a lesser suit of 
  armor based on his own. It comes equipped not only 
  with defensive technology, but a conﬁ gurable blaster 
  on the right arm, a suite of other weapons attached 
  to other parts of the armor, and a tangleweb projec-
  tor on the right shoulder.
  Th e second is his former career as a cat bur-
  glar. Few armored supervillains have the acrobatic 
  prowess or inﬁ ltration skills of a professional thief, 
  but Devastator does. Sometimes they allow him to 
  take a low-key or sneaky approach to a problem, 
  where someone like Armadillo or Ankylosaur would 
  simply have to smash things.
  Devastator prefers to open with an all-out 
  oﬀ ense, using whatever weapon he thinks is most 
  likely to hurt his opponent. Th e various weapons are 
  simulated with Variable Advantage Advantage on 
  the two main slots of his Multipower. If that doesn’t 
  work, he’ll try tangleweb, Surprise Moves, or the like. 
  He’ll only ﬂ ee from combat if he thinks there’s too 
  great a chance he’ll be defeated and lose his suit.
  Campaign Use:  Devastator is a good general pow-
  ered armor villain. His Multipower gives him a lot of 
  options in combat, and his Skills are an unusual twist 
  the GM can exploit for many eﬀ ects and plot points.
  Devastator rarely Hunts anyone. He’d rather 
  concentrate on getting rich and enjoying the free-
  dom the suit gives him. However, if bullied or 
  defeated too much by a hero, he’ll make it his per-
  sonal mission in life to hurt that person, using both 
  his combat abilities and his thieving skills.
  To make Devastator more powerful, give him 
  more Multipower slots, increase his STR to 40 or 
  more, and up his DEX a few points. To scale him 
  down, reduce the Multipower to 75 Active Points 
  and replace the Variable Advantage slots with three 
  to ﬁ ve EB and RKA slots with speciﬁ c Advantages.
  Appearance:  Devastator wears a suit of armor that 
  clearly derives from the Warlord’s technology. It 
  has the same rough conﬁ guration, with weaponry 
  mounted on the arms and shoulders, and the user’s 
  head and upper body protected by a dome-like 
  structure instead of a more ordinary helmet. How-
  ever, the “dome” is much more slender and cylindri-
  cal, and the weaponry more limited. A suite of con-
  ﬁ gurable blaster components (barrels and focusing 
  lenses that rotate into position) on his right arm is 
  matched by a similar, but more lethal, assemblage on 
  his left . Th e suit is dull gold in color, a deﬁ nite con-
  trast to the Warlord’s shiny steel blue-white.
  Out of his armor, Richard Wittgenstein is a 
  handsome man in his mid-30s, six feet tall with care-
  fully styled brown hair and an elegant moustache. 
  He dresses in expensive, hand-tailored clothing at 
  the height of fashion.
  GREEN DRAGON
   Val Char 
  Cost Roll 
  Notes
   25 STR 
  15 
  14- 
  Lift  800 kg; 5d6 [2]
   27 DEX 
  51 
  14- 
  OCV:  9/DCV:  9
   18 CON 
  16 
  13-
   16 BODY 12 
  12-
   13 INT 
  3 
  12- 
  PER Roll 12-
   14 EGO 
  8 
  12- 
  ECV:  5
   18 PRE 
  8 
  13- 
  PRE Attack:  3½d6
    8 COM 
  -1 
  11-
   10 PD 
  5 
   
  Total:  10 PD (8 rPD)
   10 ED 
  6 
   
  Total:  10 PD (0 rED)
   7 SPD 
  33 
   
  Phases:  2, 4, 6, 7, 9, 11, 12
   10 REC 
  2
   36 END 
  0
   38 STUN 
  0 
  Total Characteristic Cost:  158
  Movement: 
  Running: 
  9”/18”
   
  Leaping: 
  11”/22”
  Cost Powers 
  END
   
  Martial Arts: Kung Fu
   
  Maneuver 
  OCV DCV Notes
  4 
  Block 
  +2 
  +2 
  Block, Abort
  4 
  Disarm 
  -1 
  +1 
  Disarm, 55 STR
  4 
  Dodge 
  — 
  +5 
  Dodge all 
  attacks, Abort
  4 
  Escape 
  +0 
  +0 
  60 STR vs. 
  Grabs
  5 
  Flying Kick 
  +1 
  -2 
  13d6 Strike
  3 
  Joint Lock/Grab -1 
  -1 
  Grab, 55 STR
  5 
  Kick 
  -2 
  +1 
  13d6 Strike
  4 
  Knife Hand 
  -2 
  +0 
  1d6+1 HKA 
  (2½d6 w/STR)
  3 
  Legsweep 
  +2 
  -1 
  10d6 Strike, 
  Target Falls
  4 
  Punch 
  +0 
  +2 
  11d6 Strike
  3 
  Th row 
  +0 
  +1 
  9d6 +vel/5, 
  
  199 
  Champions
  Target Falls
  4 
  Tien-hsueh Strike -1 
  +1 
  4d6 NND (1)
  4 
  Tiger/
   
  Dragon Claw 
  +0 
  +0 
  13d6 Crush, 
  Must Follow 
  Grab
  4 
  Uproot/
   
  Sand Palm 
  +0 
  +0 
  60 STR Shove
  16 
  +4 Damage Classes (already added in)
  7 
  Use Art with Blades, Clubs, Hook Sword, 
  Polearms, Staﬀ , Th ree-Section Staﬀ , 
  Wind And Fire Wheels
  3 
  Stances:  Multipower, 5-point reserve, all 
  Cost END (-½)
  1u 
  1)  Cat Stance:  +2 Lightning Reﬂ exes; 
  Costs END (-½) 
  1
  1u 
  2)  Crane Stance:  +1 OCV with Block; 
  Requires A DEX Roll (-½), Costs END (-½) 1
  1u 
  3)  Horse Stance:  -1” Knockback 
  Resistance; Costs END (-½) 
  1
  1u 
  4)  Phoenix Stance:  +1 OCV with Block 
  and Legsweep; Requires A DEX Roll 
  (-¼), Costs END (-½) 
  1
  1u 
  5)  Tiger Stance:  +1 with Tiger/Dragon 
  Claw; Costs END (-½) 
  1
  4 
  Iron Skin:  Damage Resistance (8 PD) 
  0
  20 
  Dodging and Deﬂ ecting:  Missile 
  Deﬂ ection (all missiles) 
  0
  6 
  Leaping:  +6” Leaping (11” forward, 
  6” upward) 
  1
  6 
  Swift :  Running +3” (9” total) 
  1
   
  Talents
  15 
  Danger Sense 12- (in combat)
   
  Skills
  10 
  +2 with Hand-To-Hand Combat
  3 
  Acrobatics 14-
  3 
  Breakfall 14-
  3 
  Climbing 14-
  3 
  Contortionist 14-
  3 
  Disguise 12-
  3 
  Gambling (Dice Games, Poker) 12-
  3 
  KS: Kung Fu 12-
  2 
  KS: Chinese History & Culture 11-
  2 
  KS: Chinese Healing 11-
  1 
  Language:  English (basic conversation; 
  Mandarin Chinese is Native)
  3 
  Shadowing 12-
  3 
  Stealth 14-
  3 
  Streetwise 13-
  4 
  TF: Common Motorized Ground Vehicles, 
  Two-Wheeled Motorized Ground Vehicles, 
  Small Rowed Boats
  7 
  WF: Common Melee Weapons, Common 
  Martial Arts Weapons, Hook Sword, Th ree-
  Section Staﬀ , Wind And Fire Wheels
  Total Powers & Skill Cost:  193
  Total Cost:  351
  200+ Disadvantages
  5 
  DNPC:  Lin Chow (younger sister) 8- 
  (Normal; Useful Noncombat Skills)
  10 
  Distinctive Features:  Style (Not Concealable, 
  Always Noticed And 
  Recognizable, Detectable By Large Group)
  15 
  Enraged:  if honor insulted or hears an 
  ethnic slur (Common), go 8-, recover 11-
  25 
  Hunted:  VIPER 8- (Mo Pow, NCI, Capture)
  15 
  Psychological Limitation:  Honorable 
  (Common, Strong)
  15 
  Psychological Limitation:  Disdain For 
  Occidentals And Western Culture 
  (Common, Strong)
  10 
  Psychological Limitation:  Overprotective 
  Of His Little Sister (Common, Moderate)
  15 
  Social Limitation:  Public Identity 
  (Chow Deng) (Frequently, Major)
  41 
  Experience Points
  Total Disadvantage Points:  351
  Background/History:  Chow Deng was born to a poor 
  peasant family in central China. As soon as he could 
  walk, he went to work in the ﬁ elds assigned to the 
  family. One day, when Deng was only eight years old 
  and his sister Lin ﬁ ve, his parents were both killed 
  in a tractor accident... one whose cause was never 
  precisely determined.
  Orphaned and alone, the two siblings barely 
  managed to eke out a living with help from some 
  of the villagers. Aft er more than a year of this hard-
  scrabble existence, a group of monks showed up at 
  their hut. All his life Deng had heard about them, 
  in village tales told late at night, but he had never 
  expected to actually see one of them. Th ey lived in 
  an isolated monastery more than an hour’s walk 
  from the village, where they lived as their predeces-
  sors had for centuries.
  Th e monks made Deng a tempting oﬀ er:  they 
  would teach him the ancient ﬁ ghting arts, so that 
  he could enter something called “the Tournament 
  of the Dragon” and triumph. In return, they would 
  support him and his sister. Deng didn’t hesitate 
  before accepting.
  Many long years of training followed. Th rough 
  intensive training, Deng’s natural gift s for the 
  martial arts were brought out; he grew to become 
  a strong, proud young man, far more skilled at 
  combat than anyone he had ever sparred with. He 
  thought he was ready for the Tournament, but the 
  monks soon dashed his hopes — he had many more 
  years to go, they told him.
  Deng wouldn’t accept that. It sounded ridicu-
  lous to him. In fact, the whole Tournament thing 
  sounded a little ridiculous. Why work and work for 
  that, when he could already use the skills he had to 
  make good money in America?
  Taking his sister with him, Deng ﬂ ed the mon-
  astery and made his way to the United States. Th e 
  monks never found them, if in fact they pursued 
  them.
  Deng quickly became disgusted with America 
  and its people. His masters had told him Ameri-
  cans were undisciplined and foolish, and his mas-
  ters were right. His sister, on the other hand, was 
  enchanted. While he was content to live apart from 
  those around him, she embraced America and all 
  of its unique qualities. Th is disgusted him, too, but 
  GREEN DRAGON 
  PLOT SEEDS
  To Green Dragon’s 
  astonishment, the Tour-
  nament of the Dragon 
  proves to be real. It’s an 
  event held every sixty 
  years to determine a 
  champion who will 
  ﬁ ght the Death Dragon, 
  a fearsome being of 
  great evil who can only 
  be kept restrained by 
  defeat at the champion’s 
  hands. Green Dragon 
  beats up a prominent 
  martial artist, steals his 
  invitation, and heads for 
  the event. Th e heroes, 
  investigating the beat-
  ing, get pulled into the 
  events surrounding the 
  Tournament and the 
  Death Dragon’s possible 
  release.
  One of the PCs meets 
  Lin Chow, and they start 
  dating. Green Dragon 
  ﬁ nds out about his sis-
  ter’s romantic relation-
  ship with a Westerner. 
  Hilarity ensues.
  VIPER ﬁ nds Green 
  Dragon, captures him, 
  and forces him to 
  undergo an augmenta-
  tion process that grants 
  him superpowers. Now 
  he intends to show the 
  decadent West just how 
  weak it truly is. Can the 
  heroes stop him before 
  he destroys Millennium 
  City?
  
  200 
  HERO SYSTEM 5TH EDITION
  despite his harangues, she did as she wished.
  Deng began testing his skills by picking ﬁ ghts, 
  which led to confrontations with police oﬃ  cers. 
  Beating them up wasn’t much harder than beating 
  up other martial artists. But then he met someone 
  more his size:  a superhero named Shugoshin. Deng 
  fought well, but he could not overcome his gaudily-
  clad foe’s skill. Th e incident infuriated him. Being 
  beaten — and by a Westerner! — was the most 
  humiliating thing that had ever happened to him.
  It wasn’t long aft er that that Deng fell in with 
  the tongs. Th ey had heard of his ﬁ ght with Shu-
  goshin, and were impressed with his skill and power, 
  despite his loss. He began doing “jobs” for them, jobs 
  that not only earned him fat paychecks, but which 
  gave him the chance to practice his ﬁ ghting skills 
  and vent his rage. He crippled or maimed many of 
  his opponents, but he didn’t care. His masters nick-
  named him Lù Lóng, “Green Dragon,” because of his 
  ﬁ ghting prowess and his hatred of the West; eventu-
  ally, they gave him a costume like the ones other 
  martial artist “supervillains” wore. He took the name 
  and the costume as a badge of honor.
  Deng soon found out he could make even 
  more money working for other criminal organiza-
  tions, such as VIPER (with whom he’s since had a 
  falling out). He became a mercenary villain, work-
  ing for whoever could pay him top dollar and give 
  him an opportunity for a good ﬁ ght.
  Personality/Motivation:  Some martial artists acquire 
  their skills due to their strength of character and 
  willingness to sacriﬁ ce a part of their lives for the 
  sake of overall personal growth. Green Dragon is 
  not one of those martial artists. Deng is a head-
  strong, stubborn, proud, angry young man who has 
  gotten to the level of skill he occupies today through 
  a combination of innate talent and pure cussed-
  ness. He is, essentially, a bully stubborn enough to 
  learn martial arts. He uses his ﬁ ghting skills to push 
  people around, to make himself feel “big,” to get 
  what he wants. He does not tread the path of self-
  restraint and inner peace, as most martial artists of 
  his level of ability do.
  On top of this, Deng is a vicious anti-Western 
  bigot (despite the fact that insults to his ethnicity 
  oft en send him into a rage). He considers Western-
  ers, particularly Americans, to be lazy, undisciplined, 
  and stupid. As far as he’s concerned, beating them 
  up and taking their money is just cultural evolution 
  in action.
  Green Dragon is not, however, wholly without 
  good qualities. He is in fact an honorable person 
  and warrior. To him, “honor” means he will not 
  attack opponents from ambush or “ﬁ ght dirty,” ﬁ ght 
  women (unless they attack him ﬁ rst), use weapons 
  (again, unless they are used against him ﬁ rst), or 
  “dishonor” himself through sinful or licentious con-
  duct. Th e conﬂ ict between his bigotry and his desire 
  to be honorable seems never to have occurred to 
  him.
  Th e only thing in the world that means more 
  to Green Dragon than ﬁ ghting is his younger sister, 
  Lin. He loves her very much, but expresses his love 
  through a stiﬂ ing overprotectiveness that is begin-
  ning to really annoy her now that she’s an indepen-
  dent young woman. Her chosen career — actress 
  — is scandalous and repugnant to him, and he’s 
  doing everything he can to make her live a more 
  “womanly” life. (His attitudes about women are just 
  one of Deng’s many “traditional” opinions; as Lin 
  has observed, his views are frequently “twelve thou-
  sand miles and two thousand years away!”)
  Quote:  <<“American dog!  Now I will show you 
  what true kung fu is!”>>
  Powers/Tactics:  Green Dragon has two qualities 
  that make him a powerful ﬁ ghter. Th e ﬁ rst is his 
  strength; years of farm labor and heavy training 
  have given him great lift ing and hitting power. Th e 
  second is his speed; Green Dragon is fast, faster than 
  most superheroic martial artists. His training has 
  emphasized kung fu substyles which make the best 
  use of his speed and strength, such as Bear, Dragon, 
  and Shaolin Tiger. He has studied many other sub-
  styles of kung fu as well.
  However, Green Dragon also has attributes 
  which hamper him in battle. Chief among these are 
  his pride, his anger, and his impetuousness. Unlike 
  other martial artists of similar power, he’s spent little 
  time on “mystic foolery,” such as ch’i abilities. His 
  power and skill are essentially stagnating; he has 
  gone as far as he can go without delving into the 
  more esoteric aspects of the martial arts, which he 
  has neither the patience nor the discipline to do.
  Green Dragon’s ﬁ ghting tactics are fairly simple 
  and straightforward. He attacks quickly and hard, 
  hoping to take his opponent down easily. Only 
  
  201 
  Champions
  if this proves unworkable will he resort to more 
  advanced tactics such as acrobatic manuevering and 
  tien-hsueh strikes. Due to his relatively low defenses, 
  he oft en uses his Martial Dodge when facing foes 
  with powerful attacks. His tactics are further cir-
  cumscribed by his “honor,” as described above. He 
  also has a tendency to announce his presence and 
  make a brief, haughty speech before he attacks 
  someone.
  Some of Green Dragon’s abilities are taken 
  from Th e Ultimate Martial Artist; feel free to ignore 
  them if you don’t have that book and aren’t sure 
  how they’d function.
  Campaign Use:  Deng makes a great antagonist for a 
  martial arts-oriented hero, particularly one of West-
  ern descent. As a Hunter, he’s not very imaginative, 
  simply attacking his foe at inconvenient moment or 
  teaming up with other villains to cause him trouble.
  If Green Dragon isn’t powerful enough for 
  your campaign, boost his STR to superhuman levels 
  (he underwent ancient mystic Chinese rites to get 
  superpowers) and increase his defenses to just 
  above campaign averages (and perhaps make part 
  of them Resistant). If he’s too powerful, reduce his 
  STR to 20, his DEX to 24, his SPD to 6, and get rid 
  of some or all of his Extra DCs.
  Appearance:  Green Dragon is 5’8” tall and weighs 
  175 pounds, most of it rock-solid muscle. He wears 
  a costume colored light and dark green, with a 
  “scale” pattern to it (like snakeskin). His mask is 
  dark green, with two ﬂ ares projecting outward 
  across either side his face which are embroidered 
  with gold and orange threads. Th e eyepieces of the 
  mask are lined with a sort of transparent gauze 
  which makes his eyes look like they are solid white. 
  Th e chest, arms, and legs of the costume are dark 
  green; the gloves, boots, and trunks are lighter 
  green. 
  ICICLE
   Val Char 
  Cost Roll 
  Notes
   10 STR 
  0 
  11- 
  Lift  100 kg; 2d6 [1]  
   18 DEX 
  24 
  13- 
  OCV:  6/DCV:  6
   18 CON 
  16 
  13-
   10 BODY 0 
  11-
   13 INT 
  3 
  12- 
  PER Roll 12-
   12 EGO 
  4 
  11- 
  ECV:  4
   15 PRE 
  5 
  12- 
  PRE Attack:  3d6
   16 COM 
  3 
  12-
   5 PD 
  3 
   
  Total:  15 PD (10 rPD)
   6 ED 
  2 
   
  Total:  16 PD (10 rED)
   5 SPD 
  22 
   
  Phases:  3, 5, 8, 10, 12
   8 REC 
  4
   36 END 
  0
   30 STUN 
  6 
  Total Characteristic Cost:  92
  Movement: 
  Running:  16”/32”
  Cost Powers 
  END
  52 
  Ice Powers:  Multipower, 52-point reserve
  5u 
  1)  Ice Blast I:  EB 10d6 
  5
  5u 
  2)  Ice Blast II:  EB 7d6, Invisible to Sight 
  Group (+½) 
  5
  5u 
  3)  Ice Blast III:  EB 7d6, Area of Eﬀ ect (One 
  Hex Accurate; +½) 
  5
  4u 
  4)  Chilled To Th e Bone:  EB 4d6, NND 
  (defense is Life Support [Safe Environment:  
  Intense Cold]; +1) 
  4
  2u 
  5)  Ice Bonds:  Entangle 5d6, 5 DEF; 
  Vulnerable (Fire/Heat; -1) 
  5
  4u 
  6)  Ice Sheet:  Change Environment 
  (create ice sheet) 32” radius, -4 to DEX 
  Rolls to move on, Personal Immunity 
  (+¼); Only Aﬀ ects Characters Who Are 
  Moving On Th e Ground (-¼) 
  5
  10 
  Ice Powers:  Elemental Control, 
  20-point powers
  18 
  1)  Ice Armor:  Armor (10 PD/10 ED), 
  Hardened (+¼), Costs Endurance (-½) 
  4
  15 
  2)  Ice Slides:  Running +10” (16” total), 
  Reduced Endurance (½ END; +¼) 
  1
  19 
  3)  Ice Wall:  Force Wall 
  (5 PD/5 ED; 3” long) 
  3
   
  Perks
  2 
  Contact:  a fence 11-
  2 
  Contact:  a street gang member 11-
   
  Skills
  3  
  +1 with Ice Powers Multipower
  2 
  CK: Millennium City 11-
  2 
  KS: Michigan Child Welfare System 11-
  2 
  KS: Popular Music 11-
  1 
  Language:  Spanish (basic conversation; 
  English is native)
  3 
  Stealth 13-
  3 
  Streetwise 12-
  Total Powers and Skills Cost:  157
  Total Character Cost:  251
  200+ Disadvantages
  5 
  Distinctive Features:  unusually low body 
  temperature (Easily Concealed, Noticed And 
  Recognizable)
  10 
  Distinctive Features:  Mutant (Not Conceal-
  able; Always Noticed; Detectable Only By 
  Unusual Senses)
  20 
  Hunted:  PRIMUS 8- (Mo Pow, NCI, 
  Capture)
  20 
  Hunted:  VIPER 8- (Mo Pow, NCI, Capture)
  15 
  Psychological Limitation: Pyrophobia (Fear 
  Of Fire) (Common, Strong)
  15 
  Psychological Limitation: Greedy; Wants 
  Luxurious Th ings (Common, Strong)
  15 
  Social Limitation:  Secret Identity (Christine 
  Saunders) (Frequently, Major)
  20 
  Vulnerability:  2 x STUN from Fire/Heat 
  Attacks (Common)
  20 
  Vulnerability:  2 x BODY from Fire/Heat 
  Attacks (Common)
  Total Disadvantage Points:  335
  Background/History:  Christine Saunders’s back-
  ground is a mystery. As a baby, she was left  on the 
  doorstep of a Detroit orphanage. She grew up in a 
  series of state institutions and foster homes (one 
  ICICLE PLOT SEEDS
  Icicle learns (perhaps 
  through DNA ﬁ nger-
  printing aft er being 
  captured by the police) 
  that her father is Freon, 
  the infamous (and simi-
  larly-powered) VIPER 
  supervillain. Will she 
  confront him and try 
  to learn more about her 
  past? Could an enemy 
  of Freon’s try to use this 
  information against 
  him?
  A rash of vicious rob-
  beries, resulting in two 
  deaths and hundreds of 
  thousands of dollars of 
  lost property, has been 
  committed by someone 
  with ice powers, or an 
  ice weapon of some sort. 
  An intense manhunt is 
  on for Icicle — but she 
  didn’t do it. What will 
  she do to clear her name 
  and keep her freedom?
  VIPER captures Icicle 
  and hooks her up to an 
  experimental weather 
  control device, plunging 
  the Millennium City 
  area into a seemingly 
  non-stop blizzard. Th e 
  heroes have to ﬁ nd out 
  what’s going on, stop it, 
  and rescue Icicle before 
  the experiments kill her.
  
  202 
  HERO SYSTEM 5TH EDITION
  of whom gave her her name), never quite ﬁ tting in. 
  Although she was a nice enough girl most of the 
  time, something about her — including the way her 
  hands were always so cold! — seemed to put people 
  oﬀ . When she was 14, Christina decided she’d had 
  enough. She ran away and began living on the 
  streets of Millennium City, surviving by stealing. 
  She hung out with street gangs and oft en got into 
  trouble with the police, but was never arrested.
  One day, shortly aft er she turned 16, Christine 
  got caught shoplift ing from a market by the store’s 
  owner. Deciding he’d teach her a lesson, he locked 
  her in his freezer “just for a few minutes.” Fift een 
  minutes later, Christine’s mutant powers of ice con-
  trol had fully erupted. She blasted her way out of 
  the freezer and out of the market, and soon 
  began using her powers to commit bigger 
  and bolder crimes. She’s been neglected 
  and poor for too long; now she’s going 
  to attract some attention and get rich!
  Personality/Motivation:  Despite the hard 
  life she’s lived, Icicle is a pretty well-
  adjusted person. She likes to have fun 
  (listening to music and dancing are her 
  favorite ways), and usually approaches 
  things (including crime) with a sort of 
  lighthearted and carefree attitude. Now that she’s 
  got her powers, life is mostly a big game to her, in 
  which she tries to satisfy her desire to live the 
  “high life” to the fullest. Even the defeats she’s 
  suﬀ ered at the hands of superheroes haven’t 
  aﬀ ected her mood; things are so much better 
  for her now than they’ve ever been, that she 
  can handle a few setbacks. If things keep 
  going well, she’ll probably keep this opti-
  mistic attitude for the rest of her life. But 
  if she suﬀ ers a long series of defeats and 
  disappointments, or even just a single 
  severe one, she could become bitter 
  and cold-hearted.
  Powers/Tactics:  Icicle is a mutant 
  with the ability to create ice and 
  cold. Her powers range from 
  blasts of ice, to chilling 
  someone from the inside 
  out so quickly he becomes 
  stunned, to trapping her 
  opponents in solid 
  blocks of ice. She 
  can also protect 
  herself with ice 
  armor or walls, 
  and move quickly using ice slides. Her control over 
  her powers isn’t complete yet — there may be a lot 
  more she could learn how to do.
  Icicle has been in few pitched battles (she’s 
  mostly just a superpowered smash-and-grab thief), 
  and has no real sense of tactics. If confronted, she’ll 
  ﬁ ght back at ﬁ rst, but quickly decides to run if hurt, 
  or if the situation doesn’t seem to hold any hope of 
  gain. She desperately wants to avoid prison, equat-
  ing it with the terrible institutions she lived in as a 
  child.
  Icicle’s powers depend on having a reasonable 
  amount of moisture in the atmosphere, so they 
  work at lesser eﬀ ect (typically 75-50% of normal 
  Active Points) in deserts and similar areas, and may 
  not work at all in outer space or other places with 
  no water. However, having lived near Lake Erie all 
  her life, she doesn’t know this, and since it almost 
  never aﬀ ects her, it’s not reﬂ ected 
  with a Limitation on her powers.
  Campaign Use:  Icicle is built on 
  considerably less than the normal 
  campaign starting total of 350 
  Character Points (200 Base + 150 
  Disadvantages) to reﬂ ect her rela-
  tive youth and inexperience. She 
  ends up closer to the Low-Powered 
  Superhero total points. As the game 
  progresses, the GM can, if he wishes, 
  use her 80 unspent points from Dis-
  advantages to start bringing her up 
  to par with everyone else in the 
  campaign. Since she hasn’t yet 
  reached her allowed total of 150 
  points’ worth of Disadvantages, 
  the GM might also allow her to 
  acquire some more during play, 
  even though characters normally 
  don’t get points for new Disadvan-
  tages earned through campaign play.
  If, on the other hand, Icicle’s 
  already too powerful for your cam-
  paign, reduce her Multipower to a 
  40-point reserve and her SPD to 4.
  Icicle would rarely, if ever, 
  become someone’s Hunted. She’s 
  simply not that driven or vindic-
  tive; she’s more interested in surviv-
  ing and becoming rich and secure 
  than in pursuing vendettas. Only a 
  deeply personal insult or humiliation 
  would drive her to Hunt a hero. On 
  the other hand, she might make 
  an interesting potential romantic 
  relationship for a young hero (or 
  develop a crush on an older one); the 
  right inﬂ uences could certainly turn 
  her away from crime and toward the 
  side of Justice.
  Appearance:  Icicle is a slender, small-
  framed 18 year-old girl with long, 
  straight blonde hair, blue eyes, and 
  a usually-cheerful face. She wears 
  a dark ice-blue costume and hood, 
  edged with white fur.
  Taste Of A City
  ‘There’s a delightful ... taste ... 
  to Vibora Bay that’s unlike any 
  other city in the world. Even 
  the shadows have shadows, 
  and you never know what might be lurking in 
  them. Every visit is a wonderful string of sur-
  prises for me. The last time I was there I met 
  the most interesting vampire. ...’
  — Talisman on Vibora Bay
  
  203 
  Champions
  MECHANON
   Val Char 
  Cost Roll 
  Notes
   60 STR 
  50 
  21- 
  Lift  100 tons; 12d6 [6]
   24 DEX 
  42 
  14- 
  OCV: 8/DCV: 8
   40 CON 
  60 
  17-
   20 BODY 20 
  13-
   30 INT 
  20 
  15- 
  PER Roll 15-
   15 EGO 
  10 
  12- 
  ECV: 5
   40 PRE 
  30 
  17- 
  PRE Attack: 8d6
   6 COM 
  -2 
  10-
   30 PD 
  18 
   
  Total:  30 PD (30 rPD)
   30 ED 
  22 
   
  Total:  30 ED (30 rED)
   7 SPD 
  36 
   
  Phases:  2, 4, 6, 7, 9, 11, 12
   20 REC 
  0
   90 END 
  5
   90 STUN 20 
  Total Characteristic Cost:  331
  Movement: 
  Running: 
  12”/24”
   
  Flight: 
  20”/320”
  Cost Powers 
  END
  90 
  Primary Weapons Array:  Multipower, 
  90-point reserve
  9u 
  1)  Energy Bolt (Oﬀ ensive Mode):  
  EB 18d6 
  9
  9u 
  2)  Energy Bolt (Defensive Mode):  EB 
  12d6, Reduced Endurance (0 END; +½) 
  0
  9u   
  3)  Energy Bolt (Autoﬁ re Mode):  EB 9d6, 
  Autoﬁ re (5 shots; +½), Reduced 
  Endurance (½ END; +½) 
  3
  9u 
  4)  Meson Bolt:  EB 12d6, Armor 
  Piercing (+½) 
  9
  9u 
  5)  Explosive Projectiles:  EB 9d6, Area 
  Of Eﬀ ect (5” Radius; +1) 
  9
  9u 
   6)  Neural Agonizer:  EB 8d6, NND 
  (defense is Mental Defense or not being 
  a living organic being; +1), Reduced 
  Endurance (½ END; +¼) 
  4
  9u 
  7)  Disintegrator Beam (Oﬀ ensive Mode):  
  RKA 4d6, Armor Piercing (+½) 
  9
  9u 
  8)  Disintegrator Beam (Defensive Mode):  
  RKA 4d6, Reduced Endurance 
  (0 END; +½) 
  0
  9u 
  9)  Cyberkinesis:  Mind Control 12d6 
  (Machine class of minds), Reduced 
  Endurance (0 END; +½) 
  0
  4u 
  10)  Animate Technology:  Summon up to 
  4 150-point robots, Expanded Class 
  (minor “robots”; +¼), Slavishly Loyal 
  (+1); OIF (must have suﬃ  cient 
  technology/parts available; -½), Extra 
  Time (Full Phase; -½) 
  9
  60 
  Secondary Weapons Array:  Multipower, 
  60-point reserve
  6u 
  1)  Synaptic Scrambler:  Drain DEX 4d6, 
  Ranged (+½) 
  6
  6u 
  2)  Muscular Disruptor:  Drain STR 4d6, 
  Ranged (+½) 
  6
  4u 
  3)  Tangle-Cable:  Entangle 6d6, 6 DEF; 
  8 Charges (-½) 
  [8]
  4u 
  4)  Flare:  Sight Group Flash 6d6, Area 
  Of Eﬀ ect (7” Cone; +1); No Range (-½) 
  6
  15 
  Robotic Form:  Hardened (+¼) for PD 
  and ED 
  0
  37 
  Robotic Form:  Damage Resistance 
  (30 PD/30 ED), Hardened (+¼) 
  0
  15 
  Psychic Shield:  Mental Defense 
  (18 points total) 
  0
  10 
  Total Defense:  Lack Of Weakness (-5) 
  for Normal and Resistant Defenses 
  0
  12 
  Structural Support Field:  Power Defense 
  (12 points) 
  0
  10 
  Hardened Visual Sensors:  Sight Group 
  Flash Defense (10 points) 
  0
  45 
  Robotic Form:  Life Support:  Total  
  0
  17 
  Self-Repair Systems:  Healing 3d6 
  (Regeneration; 3 BODY per Hour), 
  Reduced Endurance (0 END; +½), 
  Persistent (+½); Self Only (-½), Extra 
  Time + Increased Time Increment 
  (3 BODY/Hour; -2) 
  0
  82 
  Foot-Jets:  Flight 20”, x16 noncombat, 
  Reduced Endurance (0 END; +½) 
  0
  12 
  Robotic Legs:  Running +6” (12” total) 
  1
  44 
  Visual Sensors:  Infrared Perception, 
  Ultraviolet Perception, Increased Arc 
  Of Perception (360 Degrees), x1000 
  Microscopic, Telescopic (+6 versus 
  Range) (all for Sight Group) 
  0
  15 
  Auditory Sensors:  Active Sonar (Hearing 
  Group) 
  0
  3 
  Auditory Sensors:  Ultrasonic Perception 
  (Hearing Group) 
  0
  12 
  Radio Sensors:  HRRP 
  0
  15 
  Radio Sensors:  Radar 
  0
  12 
  Sensor Enhancements:  +4 PER with all 
  Sense Groups 
  0
  21 
  Shielded Radio Link:  Mind Link, speciﬁ c 
  group of up to any 8 minds, No LOS 
  Needed, Invisible Power Eﬀ ects (Fully 
  Invisible; +½); Only Can Be Maintained 
  With Others Who Have Mind Link (-1), 
  Flashed As Radio And Hearing Groups, 
  Not Mental Group (-½) 
  0
  12 
  Encrypted Transmitter:  Detect Broadcast 
  Spectrum Of Transmissions 15- (no Sense 
  Group), Increased Arc Of Perception (360 
  Degrees), Transmit 
  0
  77 
  Detachable Head:  Duplication (creates 
  one 768-point Duplicate); Original 
  Character Is Incapacitated And Helpless 
  While Duplicate Exists (-1) 
  0
  57 
  Self-Destruct Mechanism:  RKA 7d6, 
  NND (defense is ED Force Field; +1), 
  Does BODY (+1), Trigger (encrypted 
  radio signal from detached head or base; 
  +¼); Self Only (-1), 1 Charge which 
  Never Recovers (-4) 
  [1]
   
  Talents
  32 
  Onboard Computer Systems:  Absolute 
  Range Sense, Absolute Time Sense, Bump 
  Of Direction, Lightning Calculator, 
  Universal Translator 15-
   
  Skills
  12 
  +4 with Primary Weapons Array Multipower
  30 
  +3 Overall
  
  204 
  HERO SYSTEM 5TH EDITION
  13 
  AK: Earth 25-
  3 
  Combat Driving 14-
  3 
  Combat Piloting 14-
  3 
  Computer Programming 15-
  3 
  Cryptography 15-
  3 
  Deduction 15-
  3 
  Demolitions 15-
  3 
  Electronics 15-
  3 
  Inventor 15-
  3 
  Lockpicking 14-
  3 
  Mechanics 15-
  3 
  Security Systems 15-
  3 
  Systems Operation 15-
  3 
  Scientist
  2 
  1)  Astronomy 15-
  2 
  2)  Biology 15-
  2 
  3)  Chemistry 15-
  2 
  4)  Genetics 15-
  2 
  5)  Geology 15-
  2 
  6)  Nuclear Physics 15-
  2 
  7)  Physics 15-
  2 
  8)  Robotics 15-
  Total Powers & Skill Cost:  920
  Total Cost:  1,251
  200+ Disadvantages
  20 
  Hunted:  Champions 11- (As Pow, NCI, 
  Capture)
  15 
  Hunted:  UNTIL 8- (As Pow, NCI, Capture)
  25 
  Psychological Limitation:  Must Destroy 
  All Organic Life On Earth (Very Common, 
  Total)
  20 
  Psychological Limitation:  Overconﬁ dence 
  (Very Common, Strong)
  20 
  Reputation:  supervillain of world-
  threatening power, 14- (Extreme)
  20 
  Vulnerability:  2 x STUN From Gravity, 
  Magnetic, Or Force Attacks (Common)
  931 
  Experience Points
  Total Disadvantage Points:  1,251
  MECHANON’S HEAD
   Val Char 
  Cost Roll 
  Notes
   0 STR 
  -10 
  9- 
  Lift  25 kg; 0d6
   24 DEX 
  42 
  14- 
  OCV: 8/DCV: 8
   40 CON 
  60 
  17-
   5 BODY -10 
  10-
   30 INT 
  20 
  15- 
  PER Roll 15-
   15 EGO 
  10 
  12- 
  ECV: 5
   20 PRE 
  10 
  13- 
  PRE Attack: 4d6
   6 COM 
  -2 
  10-
   30 PD 
  30 
   
  Total:  30 PD (30 rPD)
   30 ED 
  22 
   
  Total:  30 ED (30 rED)
   7 SPD 
  36 
   
  Phases:  2, 4, 6, 7, 9, 11, 12
   8 REC 
  0
   90 END 
  5
   45 STUN 20 
  Total Characteristic Cost:  233
  Movement: 
  Running: 
  12”/24”
   
  Flight: 
  20”/320”
  Cost Powers 
  END
  15 
  Robotic Form:  Hardened (+¼) for PD 
  and ED 
  0
  37 
  Robotic Form:  Damage Resistance 
  (30 PD/30 ED), Hardened (+¼) 
  0
  15 
  Psychic Shield:  Mental Defense 
  (15 points total) 
  0
  12 
  Structural Support Field:  Power Defense 
  (12 points) 
  0
  10 
  Hardened Visual Sensors:  Sight Group 
  Flash Defense (10 points) 
  0
  45 
  Robotic Form:  Life Support:  Total  
  0
  82 
  Neck-Jet:  Flight 20”, x16 noncombat, 
  Reduced Endurance (0 END; +½) 
  0
  44 
  Visual Sensors:  Infrared Perception, 
  Ultraviolet Perception, Increased Arc 
  Of Perception (360 Degrees), x1000 
  Microscopic, Telescopic (+6 versus 
  Range) (all for Sight Group) 
  0
  15 
  Auditory Sensors:  Active Sonar (Hearing 
  Group) 
  0
  3 
  Auditory Sensors:  Ultrasonic Perception 
  (Hearing Group) 
  0
  12 
  Radio Sensors:  HRRP 
  0
  15 
  Radio Sensors:  Radar 
  0
  12 
  Sensor Enhancements:  +4 PER with all 
  Sense Groups 
  0
  21 
  Shielded Radio Link:  Mind Link, speciﬁ c 
  group of up to any 8 minds, No LOS 
  Needed, Invisible Power Eﬀ ects (Fully 
  Invisible; +½); Only Can Be Maintained 
  With Others Who Have Mind Link (-1), 
  Flashed As Radio And Hearing Groups, 
  Not Mental Group (-½) 
  0
  12 
  Encrypted Transmitter:  Detect Broadcast 
  Spectrum Of Transmissions 15- (no 
  Sense Group), Increased Arc Of 
  Perception (360 Degrees), Transmit 
  0
  32 
  Self-Destruct Mechanism:  RKA 4d6, 
  NND (defense is ED Force Field; +1), 
  Does BODY (+1), Trigger (encrypted 
  radio signal from base; +¼); Self Only 
  (-1), 1 Charge which Never Recovers (-4) [1]
   
  Talents
  32 
  Onboard Computer Systems:  Absolute Range 
  Sense, Absolute Time Sense, Bump Of Direc-
  tion, Lightning Calculator, Universal Transla-
  tor 15-
   
  Skills
  30 
  +3 Overall
  20 
  +4 DCV
  13 
  AK: Earth 25-
  3 
  Combat Driving 14-
  3 
  Combat Piloting 14-
  3 
  Computer Programming 15-
  3 
  Cryptography 15-
  3 
  Deduction 15-
  3 
  Demolitions 15-
  3 
  Electronics 15-
  3 
  Inventor 15-
  3 
  Lockpicking 14-
  3 
  Mechanics 15-
  
  205 
  Champions
  3 
  Security Systems 15-
  3 
  Stealth 14-
  3 
  Systems Operation 15-
  3 
  Scientist
  2 
   1)  Astronomy 15-
  2 
   2)  Biology 15-
  2 
   3)  Chemistry 15-
  2 
   4)  Genetics 15-
  2 
   5)  Geology 15-
  2 
   6)  Nuclear Physics 15-
  2 
   7)  Physics 15-
  2 
   8)  Robotics 15-
  Total Powers & Skill Cost:  535
  Total Cost:  768
  200+ Disadvantages
  20 
  Hunted:  Champions 11- (As Pow, NCI, 
  Capture)
  15 
  Hunted:  UNTIL 8- (As Pow, NCI, Capture)
  20 
  Physical Limitation:  No Manipulatory Limbs 
  (All Th e Time, Greatly Impairing)
  15 
  Physical Limitation:  Diminutive (suﬀ ers 
  +6” KB) (All Th e Time, Slightly Impairing)
  25 
  Psychological Limitation:  Must Destroy All 
  Organic Life On Earth (Very 
  Common, Total)
  20 
  Psychological Limitation:  Overconﬁ dent 
  (Very Common, Strong)
  20 
  Reputation:  supervillain of world-
  threatening power, 14- (Extreme)
  20 
  Vulnerability:  2 x STUN From Gravity, 
  Magnetic, Or Force Attacks (Common)
  405 
  Experience Points
  Total Disadvantage Points:  768
  Background/History:  Mechanon’s precise origin 
  and history are unknown. Despite years of dedi-
  cated investigation and research by superheroes, 
  police departments, and intelligence agencies, 
  sometimes using computers captured from the 
  robotic arch-villain himself, no one knows who 
  built him, or why.
  Th eories, of course, abound. Some scientists 
  claim he’s the product of alien super-science, 
  and is an advance assault force/scout designed 
  to cleanse this planet of organic life and prepare 
  it for invasion and colonization. Th e late super-
  hero Digitak asserted on several occasions that 
  he “knew” Mechanon was an experiment of Dr. 
  Destroyer’s that went awry and escaped from 
  Zerstoiten’s control. A group of conspiracy theo-
  rists based in the northeastern United States and 
  Europe opine that Mechanon evolved from the 
  Internet and built itself. All of those theories, or 
  none of them, could contain the truth... or at least 
  part of it.
  What is known for certain is that Mechanon 
  ﬁ rst appeared in public on October 18, 1985, 
  when he launched an attack on the White House 
  that resulted in the deaths of ﬁ ft een top-level oﬃ  -
  cials and threatened the life of President Reagan 
  himself. Mechanon’s goal appears to have been 
  the acquisition of America’s nuclear launch codes, 
  which he intended to use to start a global holo-
  caust, but fortunately the Sentinels damaged him 
  enough to drive him away.
  Th ereaft er, Mechanon began new schemes 
  or assaults on a regular basis — so regularly, in 
  fact, that it has become apparent he has multiple 
  plots in the works at all times, and brings them to 
  fruition only at the appropriate time. So far, the 
  superheroes of the world have beaten back his 
  attacks on humanity, but oft en by the barest of 
  margins. A few times they have even managed to 
  destroy him... but he always returns, in a newer, 
  stronger form. It may only be a matter of time 
  before his technological evolution progresses to 
  the point where nothing on Earth can stop him.
  Personality/Motivation:  Mechanon’s programming, 
  whether it’s his original directives or (as some 
  people assert) highly ﬂ awed versions of the origi-
  nals, infuses him with an absolute and unending 
  hatred for all forms of organic life. Mechanon 
  considers organic life a ﬂ aw or blot in the pattern 
  of reality, one which can only be corrected by 
  removal. His goal is nothing less than the exter-
  mination of all organic life on the planet Earth 
  (and perhaps the universe).
  Mechanon’s programming also apparently 
  controls his approach to achieving this goal. 
  Rather than go about his business quietly and 
  eﬃ  ciently, Mechanon seems driven to launch 
  one grandiloquent scheme aft er another, each 
  designed to accomplish his objectives in one fell 
  swoop. Despite numerous defeats, he remains 
  utterly conﬁ dent in his own superiority, certain 
  he will one day control a planet from which he 
  has expunged all life. Superheroes who have con-
  fronted him, and know his power, are aware his 
  conﬁ dence is well-deserved.
  Powers/Tactics:  Experts rightly regard Mecha-
  non as one of the most technologically advanced 
  devices on Earth. In fact, he is so sophisticated 
  that, unlike most robots, he can take “STUN” 
  damage from attacks of suﬃ  cient strength to 
  bypass his shielding and jar some of his more del-
  icate systems. His computer brain is so complex 
  that it responds just like an organic brain would 
  to psychic powers (though it does have built-in 
  defenses against such powers).
  To ensure his ongoing existence, and thus 
  the eventual achievement of his goal, Mechanon 
  has devised several strategems. Th e ﬁ rst is heavy 
  defense. His basic armor plating, reinforced by 
  low-level internal force ﬁ elds, provides protec-
  tion against most attacks, and dedicated defensive 
  systems serve to stop or blunt more exotic forms 
  of assault. If he suﬀ ers damage, his advanced self-
  repair systems can restore him to full operating 
  eﬃ  ciency in mere hours.
  In the event the unthinkable — total defeat 
  or destruction — is imminent, Mechanon has two 
  options. First, if time allows, he can detach his 
  head from his body and have it ﬂ y away, (trigger-
  ing his Self-Destruct Mechanism in the process), 
  thus preserving his entire computer brain and 
  allowing him to simply attach it to another body. 
  If that won’t work, he can transmit his personal-
  
  206 
  HERO SYSTEM 5TH EDITION
  ity and ﬁ les to one of his many backup 
  computer systems via his Shielded Radio 
  Link and/or Encrypted Transmitter. He 
  updates his computer records frequently, 
  so that he only has to transmit records 
  since the last update. If neither of those 
  tactics work, he has programmed his 
  robotic bases to create a new Mechanon 
  aft er the demise of the current body (in 
  this event he loses all record of events and 
  information gathered since his last 
  update).
  For unknown reasons, 
  and despite his oft -expressed 
  loathing for humanity, Mech-
  anon continually rebuilds 
  himself in humanoid form. 
  Most experts believe this 
  is simply because it’s the 
  most eﬃ  cient shape for 
  him to use, but others 
  have hinted at more sin-
  ister reasons. Th e current 
  Mechanon described by 
  this character sheet repre-
  sents the villain aft er over a 
  decade of defeats and rebuild-
  ing, and thus represents a considerable 
  amount of experience. Th e Mechanon 
  who appeared in 1985 was consid-
  erably weaker than this — though 
  not weak.
  In combat, Mechanon is 
  an aggressive and eﬃ  cient 
  foe who doesn’t hesitate 
  to use his most powerful 
  attacks at all times (only 
  the need to conserve or 
  replenish his energy [i.e., 
  Recover spent END] is 
  likely to force him to use 
  less powerful attacks. He 
  favors multiple-Power 
  attacks, oft en combin-
  ing his Flare, Synaptic 
  Scrambler, or Muscular Disruptor with one of his 
  Energy Bolts or a Disintegrator Beam. He usually 
  starts with basic Energy Bolts, switching to other 
  weapons if they prove ineﬀ ective. If he needs to 
  capture an organic for interrogation or dissection, 
  he uses his Tangle-Cable. His most unusual power 
  is the ability to animate other machines, turning 
  them into small but deadly servitor robots! (You 
  can ﬁ nd sample character sheets for Mechanon’s 
  Summoned robots on the “Free Stuﬀ ” page of the 
  Hero Games website, www.herogames.com, or 
  simply create your own).
  Campaign Use:  Mechanon is a master villain 
  of epic scope, one you can pit against the PCs 
  again and again as he undertakes one spectacular 
  scheme aft er another to destroy all life on Earth. 
  Since the stakes are so high, the dramatic tension 
  should be, too.
  As a master villain, Mechanon should have 
  whatever Bases, Followers, and Vehicles he needs; 
  these are not listed on 
  his character sheet. He 
  never works with living 
  servants (except as tem-
  porary dupes or pawns); 
  his Followers are robots 
  and androids built as 
  Automatons.
  As a Hunted, Mechanon is 
  a terrifying opponent. Almost cer-
  tainly More Powerful than any given 
  hero (or even hero team), he Hunts 
  only to kill. He may want to cap-
  ture a hero ﬁ rst, perhaps to ana-
  lyze his technology and adapt 
  any new or useful systems for his 
  own use, but in the end he intends 
  to kill anyone who opposes him.
  Mechanon should always be 
  able to take on your entire group 
  of PCs and have a signiﬁ cant 
  chance of defeating them. If not, 
  you can justify improvements to 
  him as “upgrades” resulting from 
  his analysis of the heroes’ tactics 
  or his defeats at their hands. Mech-
  anon should never be defeated the 
  same way twice; he learns from (and 
  corrects) his mistakes better than any 
  other villain on Earth.
  On the other hand, if the current 
  Mechanon is too powerful for your 
  campaign’s PCs, scale him down by 
  reducing his SPD to 5, his Primary Weap-
  ons Array to 75 Active Points (or even 
  60), and his PD and ED to 25 (or even 
  20). If that still doesn’t do the trick, keep 
  trimming until he’s an appropriate match 
  — extremely tough, but not completely 
  undefeatable.
  Appearance:  Mechanon is a 
  humanoid robot standing over 
  seven feet tall. His body is a silvery 
  chrome color, with gold power cables snaking up 
  and down his limbs and torso like exposed mus-
  cles. His head has two large, ﬂ at superstructures 
  projecting to either side (radio antennae, and 
  control surfaces for detached mode). His visual 
  sensors glow reddish-purple.
  MECHANON 
  PLOT SEEDS
  Unwilling to accept the 
  humiliation of his very 
  ﬁ rst defeat, Mecha-
  non begins a series 
  of assaults on various 
  United States govern-
  ment installations with 
  the aim of obtaining 
  the codes controlling 
  America’s nuclear weap-
  ons. Th is culminates 
  in another attack on 
  the White House. If 
  the heroes stymie him 
  again, he can always 
  turn to the much less 
  well-guarded Russian 
  arsenals....
  Mechanon decides 
  to construct a large 
  spacecraft  with which 
  to travel to the asteroid 
  belt and begin bombing 
  Earth with asteroids. A 
  few good hits should 
  be enough to create 
  conditions that lead to 
  the extinction of life 
  on Earth (or at least 
  weaken Earth’s defend-
  ers enough for Mecha-
  non to ﬁ nish the job on 
  his own). Building this 
  spacecraft  is no easy 
  matter; Mechanon will 
  have to commit a series 
  of robberies to obtain 
  the parts and data he 
  needs to do it. Th at gives 
  the PCs the chance to 
  ﬁ gure out what’s going 
  on, and stop it.
  Th e unthinkable hap-
  pens — Mechanon and 
  Dr. Destroyer, perhaps 
  the two most power-
  ful supervillains on 
  the planet, team up! 
  No one knows what 
  has prompted the evil 
  Doctor to join forces 
  with Mechanon, for 
  whom he usually 
  expresses nothing but 
  contempt, but their 
  plans for the world can’t 
  be good....
  Going The Distance
  ‘Yes, it’s true that I’ve fought 
  Firewing to a standstill before 
  — but that was a long time ago, 
  on another world, when he was 
  a very different person. With the power he’s got 
  now, it takes an entire team to challenge him. 
  Unfortunately, what he calls a ‘good ﬁ ght’ 
  usually causes a lot of property damage.’
  — Ironclad of the Champions
  
  207 
  Champions
  PULSAR
   Val Char 
  Cost Roll 
  Notes
   15 STR 
  5 
  12- 
  Lift  200 kg; 3d6 [1]
   23 DEX 
  39 
  14- 
  OCV:  8/DCV:  8
   23 CON 
  26 
  14-
   14 BODY 8 
  12- 
   10 INT 
  0 
  11- 
  PER Roll 11-
   11 EGO 
  2 
  11- 
  ECV:  4
   15 PRE 
  5 
  12- 
  PRE Attack:  3d6
   12 COM 
  1 
  11-
   13 PD 
  10 
   
  Total:  23 (10 rPD)
   17 ED 
  12 
   
  Total:  27 (10 rED)
   6 SPD 
  27 
   
  Phases:  2, 4, 6, 8, 10, 12
   10 REC 
  4
   46 END 
  0
   40 STUN 
  6 
  Total Characteristic Cost:  145
  Movement: 
  Running: 
  6”/12”
   
  Flight: 
  10”/20”
  Cost Powers 
  END
  60 
  Energy Powers:  Multipower, 60-point 
  powers
  6u  
  1)  Power Blast I:  EB 12d6 
  6
  6u 
  2)  Power Blast II:  EB 8d6, Reduced 
  Endurance (0 END; +½) 
  0
  6u  
  3)  Stun-Blast:  EB 6d6, NND (defense 
  is ED FF; +1) 
  6
  2u 
  4)  Powered Punch:  HA +5d6; Hand-
  To-Hand Attack (-½) 
  2
  30 
  Force Field:  FF (10 PD/ED), Reduced 
  Endurance (0 END; +½) 
  0
  30 
  Power-Flight:  Flight 10”, Reduced 
  Endurance (0 END; +½) 
  0
   
  Martial Arts: Commando Training
   
   Maneuver 
  OCV DCV 
  Notes
  3 
   Aikido Th row +0 
  +1 
  3d6 + v/5, Target 
  Falls
  4 
   Boxing Cross +0 
  +2 
  5d6
  4 
   Choke  
  -2 
  +0 
  Grab One Limb, 
  2d6 NND (2)
  4 
   Karate “Chop”  -2 
  +0 
  ½d6 HKA 
  (1d6+1 with 
  STR)
   
  Skills
  9 
  +3 with Energy Powers Multipower
  4 
  +2 with Flight
  3 
  Combat Driving 14-
  3 
  Concealment 11-
  3 
  Demolitions 11-
  2 
  Gambling (Card Games) 11-
  2 
  KS: Th e Superhuman World 11-
  1 
  KS: VIPER 8-
  1 
  KS: U.S. Army 8-
  3 
  Power:  Energy Powers 14-
  2 
  PS: Soldier 11-
  5 
  Security Systems 12-
  3 
  Shadowing 11-
  3 
  Stealth 14-
  3 
  Streetwise 12-
  1 
  Systems Operation 8-
  2 
  TF:  SCUBA, Snow Skiing
  Total Powers & Skill Cost:  203
  Total Cost:  350
  200+ Disadvantages
  20 
  Hunted: Champions 8- (Mo Pow, NCI, 
  Capture)
  20 
  Hunted:  VIPER 8- (Mo Pow, NCI, Capture)
  15 
  Psychological Limitation:  Overconﬁ dence 
  (Very Common, Moderate)
  15 
  Social Limitation:  Secret Identity (Frank 
  Costen) (Frequently, Major)
  15 
  Unluck 3d6
  30 
  Vulnerability:  2 x STUN from Physical 
  HKAs (Very Common)
  35 
  Experience Points
  Total Disadvantage Points:  350
  Background/History:  It didn’t take Frank Costen 
  long to discover there aren’t too many things you 
  can do when you’re a high school dropout who’s 
  been dishonorably discharged from the Army. Sure, 
  you can get drunk and start barﬁ ghts, but only 
  if you’ve got money to buy liquor. It wasn’t long 
  before Frank didn’t even have that.
  So, when Frank got a tip about a VIPER 
  recruiting drive, he jumped at the chance. He ﬁ g-
  ured he’d be perfect for it — with his military expe-
  rience, he was a shoe-in! Soon he’d be on his way to 
  the big time.
  Th e tip turned out to be good, and Frank was 
  soon being given a physical by some VIPER scien-
  tists. Aft er taking a look at his test results, the scien-
  tists made him an oﬀ er. Th ey were looking for some 
  “special recruits” to become part of an elite VIPER 
  ﬁ ghting force. Was he interested?
  Th is time, Frank was certain, his luck was 
  changing. He was right — but not the way he 
  thought. Th e “evaluation test” for the “elite ﬁ ght-
  ing force” turned out to be experiments in human 
  mutation. As the electronic hum of the machinery 
  he was strapped to rose in pitch, Frank felt intense 
  pain sear through every cell of his body. And then 
  it got worse. And worse.
  Frank was in so much agony, he barely noticed 
  when the machinery exploded around him. It was 
  a couple of minutes before he realized he was lying 
  on the ﬂ oor in a heap of rubble. Even better, the 
  pain was gone! In fact, he felt... better. More alive, 
  more vital, more — energetic. In fact, his body was 
  bursting with energy.
  Almost without thinking, Frank blasted the 
  rubble oﬀ  his body and stood up. He was glowing 
  green, but he didn’t care. All he cared about was 
  getting back at those scientists.
  A few minutes and three dead scientists later, 
  Frank was ﬁ nally knocked out and restrained by 
  VIPER soldiers. When he came to, the Nest Leader 
  made him an oﬀ er:  come to work for VIPER, or be 
  killed. Frank knew a losing hand when he saw it, so 
  he signed up.
  He didn’t like it, though. Not wanting to be 
  bossed around was what led to his dishonorable 
  discharge, aft er all. At the ﬁ rst opportunity, he 
  PULSAR 
  PLOT SEEDS
  Aft er he defeats a team 
  of VIPER agents sent 
  to kill him, Pulsar ﬁ nds 
  clues that lead him to 
  a VIPER lab, where 
  he steals a prototype 
  energy-augmentation 
  device. With his powers 
  tripled in strength, he’s 
  now every bit as dan-
  gerous as he normally 
  thinks he is! What will 
  he do with his new-
  found might? And what 
  side eﬀ ects could the 
  device have...?
  Some of Frank’s old 
  Army superiors ﬁ nd out 
  who Pulsar really is and 
  decide to manipulate 
  him into coming to 
  work for them as part 
  of a secret “superhuman 
  soldier” project. How 
  much harm will they 
  cause before the heroes 
  ﬁ gure out what’s going 
  on and put a stop to it?
  Pulsar comes to the 
  heroes, claiming his 
  energy powers are over-
  loading and he’s afraid 
  he’s dying. He genuinely 
  seems terriﬁ ed, but is it 
  all part of an elaborate 
  trap, or a true plea for 
  help?
  
  208 
  HERO SYSTEM 5TH EDITION
  blasted his way out and never looked back.
  Since then, Frank — using the name Pulsar 
  — has been a common sight on the supervillain 
  scene. Sometimes involved with a scheme of his 
  own, sometimes working for other criminals, he 
  has fought most of the major superheroes in Amer-
  ica, and a lot of the minor ones. He’s done precious 
  little winning, though. Somehow things just don’t 
  seem to go his way. But this next job, see, it’s perfect; 
  nothing can possibly go wrong....
  Personality/Motivation:  Pulsar is, at heart, a lazy 
  underachiever. He thinks of himself as the stuﬀ  
  master villains are made of, and one of the most 
  powerful men in the world. He explains all his fail-
  ures away as “bad luck.” But the truth is he doesn’t 
  work hard at anything; he expects to be given fame, 
  fortune, and women on a silver platter, and he has 
  an excuse for everything that goes wrong.
  Despite his numerous failures, losses, and 
  periods of imprisonment, Pulsar has an overween-
  ing sense of self-conﬁ dence. He’s convinced he has 
  the power to defeat 
  anyone, and he’s 
  quite susceptible 
  to ﬂ attering 
  comments and 
  extravagent praise 
  (especially from 
  women). Despite his 
  well-known dislike 
  for taking orders, it 
  doesn’t take 
  much for 
  a 
  charismatic person to manipulate Pulsar into doing 
  his bidding.
  For reasons best left  unexplored, Pulsar has 
  an unhealthy fascination with celebrity Morgan 
  Fairchild. Many of his schemes seem to have as 
  their goal attracting her attention. He oft en ends 
  a glowing description of one his plans with the 
  phrase, “And then, Morgan Fairchild will be mine 
  at last!” But he’s never attacked, kidnapped, threat-
  ened, or stalked her; he seems determined to win 
  her aﬀ ection on his own merits.
  Powers/Tactics:  VIPER’s experiments in mutating 
  humans granted Pulsar energy powers. He can ﬁ re 
  power-blasts, ﬂ y, and protect himself with a force 
  ﬁ eld. He can even use his power to “juice up” an 
  otherwise ordinary punch — a tactic he loves to use 
  to show how macho and tough he is.
  Even though he’s had military training, Pulsar 
  has little grasp of tactics. Mainly he shows oﬀ , blast-
  ing the biggest, most obvious, or most important 
  target to show his power. He likes to Haymaker his 
  power blasts when he can, more for the impres-
  siveness than the extra damage. (He always follows 
  them up with a Presence Attack.)
  Th e only downside to Pulsar’s powers is the 
  way they altered his molecular structure, making 
  him vulnerable to things that pierce his skin — bul-
  lets, knives, and so on. Energy seeps out of cuts and 
  punctures like blood gushing from a wound, 
  causing him intense pain. For this 
  reason, he avoids opponents with such 
  attacks whenever he can.
  Campaign Use:  Pulsar is a good 
  “throwaway” villain you can use in 
  just about any scenario. He can work 
  with just about anyone, be manipu-
  lated into doing just about anything, 
  and always seems to ﬁ nd a way to escape 
  from prison.
  As a Hunter, Pulsar is dangerous mainly 
  because he loves to plan ambushes and oft en seems 
  to attack at the worst possible time. If he can, he’ll 
  use his Shadowing to follow his target around until 
  he senses “just the right moment to strike!”
  If Pulsar’s too weak for your campaign, scale 
  him up by giving him a few more energy powers 
  (maybe a Force Wall, Telekinesis, or the like) and 
  by increasing the DCs in his attacks and/or the 
  number of CSLs he can apply to them. If he’s too 
  strong, just decrease his DCs, and perhaps a few of 
  his Characteristics.
  Appearance:  Pulsar wears a bodystocking that’s 
  colored a green-tinted chrome. On his chest there’s 
  a white starburst symbol with a silvery green 
  center. His half-face mask, the same color as his 
  bodystocking, includes a set of darker green eye-
  protecting goggles. His boots and short gloves are a 
  metallic green.
  
  209 
  Champions
  TACHYON
   Val Char 
  Cost Roll 
  Notes
   50 STR 
  40 
  19- 
  Lift  25 tons; 10d6 [5]
   20 DEX 
  30 
  13- 
  OCV:  7/DCV:  7
   25 CON 
  30 
  14-
   14 BODY 8 
  12-
   13 INT 
  3 
  12- 
  PER Roll 12-
   10 EGO 
  0 
  11- 
  ECV:  3
   20 PRE 
  10 
  13- 
  PRE Attack:  4d6
   14 COM 
  2 
  12-
   24 PD 
  14 
   
  Total:  24 PD (24 rPD)
   24 ED 
  19 
   
  Total:  24 ED (24 rED)
   5 SPD 
  20 
   
  Phases = 3, 5, 8, 10, 12
   15 REC 
  0
   50 END 
  0
   52 STUN 
  0 
  Total Characteristic Cost:  176
  Movement: 
  Running: 
  6”/12”
   
  Leaping: 
  10”/20”
   
  Teleportation: 25”/50”
  Cost Powers 
  END
  24 
  Toughness:  Damage Resistance 
  (24 PD/ED) 
  0
  60 
  Teleportation Powers:  Multipower, 
  60-point reserve
  6u 
  1)  Basic Teleportation:  Teleportation 30” 6
  6u 
  2)  Courier Teleportation:  Teleportation 
  20”, Position Shift , x8 mass 
  6
  5u 
  3)  Long-Range Teleportation:  Tele-
  portation 20”, MegaScale (1” = 1 km; +¼) 5
  6u 
  4)  Focused Teleportation:  Teleportation 
  15”, Armor Piercing (x2; +1) 
  6
  6u 
  5)  Aportation:  Teleportation 12”, 
  Usable As Attack (+1), Ranged (+½) 
  6
  4u 
  6)  Combat Aportation I:  RKA 2d6, 
  Penetrating (x2; +1); OIF (any small 
  teleportable object; -½) 
  6
  3u 
  7)  Combat Aportation II:  EB 5d6, NND 
  (defense is having Teleportation, gravitic, 
  magnetic, or dimension-manipulation 
  powers; +1); No Range (-½) 
  5
  3u 
  8)  Blink Teleport:  +8 DCV; Costs 
  Endurance (-½) 
  4
  2 
  Escape Routes:  Two Fixed Locations for 
  Teleportation (home; oﬃ  ce) 
  0
   
  Perks
  2 
  Contact:  prominent astrophysicist 11-
   
  Skills
  16 
  +2 with All Combat
  3 
  Computer Programming 12-
  3 
  Electronics 12-
  3 
  CK: Millennium City 12-
  2 
  CK: Chicago 11-
  2 
  KS: Football 11-
  3 
  PS: Instructor 12-
  3 
  PS: Operate Telescope 12-
  2 
  PS: Play Football 11-
  5 
  SS: Astronomy 14-
  3 
  Stealth 13-
  1 
  Systems Operation 8-
  1 
  Teamwork 8-
  Total Powers & Skill Cost:  174
  Total Cost:  350
  200+ Disadvantages
  20 
  Hunted: PRIMUS 8- (Mo Pow, NCI, Capture)
  20 
  Hunted: Champions 8- (Mo Pow, , NCI, 
  Capture)
  15 
  Psychological Limitation:  Must Prove Th at 
  He’s Th e Best (Common, Strong)
  10 
  Psychological Limitation:  Scientiﬁ c 
  Curiousity (Common, Moderate)
  5 
  Rivalry:  Professional (with another astron-
  omy professor; Rival Is Aware Of Rivalry)
  5 
  Rivalry:  Professional (with Th underbolt II; 
  Rival Is Aware Of Rivalry)
  15 
  Social Limitation:  Secret Identity 
  (Prof. Steve Maxwell) (Frequently, Major)
  15 
  Susceptibility:  to kelvarite, 1d6 damage per 
  Phase (Uncommon)
  20 
  Vulnerability:   2 x Eﬀ ect from Drains 
  (Common)
  25 
  Experience Points
  Total Disadvantage Points:  350
  Background:  Born and raised in Chicago, Steve 
  Maxwell always had a strong competitive streak. 
  Whether it was sports, grades, or picking up girls, 
  Steve had to try to be the best — and he usu-
  ally succeeded. To no one’s surprise, he ended up 
  attending an excellent college, Millennium City 
  University, on a full ride based both on his skill as 
  as football player and his grades.
  Steve’s string of successes continued at MCU, 
  but his enjoyment of college life was marred by one 
  thing:  another student, Rob Bleskind. Somehow 
  they just rubbed each other completely the wrong 
  way. Bleskind was every bit as competitive as Steve 
  was, and every bit as good. Since they both were 
  majoring in the sciences, they bumped into each 
  other on campus all the time, and harsh insults 
  were the least they usually exchanged. Th e campus 
  cops broke up more than one ﬁ st-ﬁ ght between 
  them.
  In Steve’s senior year, MCU got an unprec-
  edented opportunity — the chance to examine 
  part of a strange meteorite that had hit Earth in 
  Kentucky. One of the minerals in the meteorite was 
  not found on Earth, and MCU was the ﬁ rst to have 
  a chance to examine one of the chunks containing 
  bits of this strange new rock, dubbed “kelvarite.”
  To Steve’s delight, he was asked to participate 
  in the analysis, due to his strong background in 
  astronomy. His enjoyment of the moment was 
  spoiled when the professors brought Bleskind in 
  as well, due to his skills as a geologist. It was all the 
  two of them could do to be civil to each other when 
  the professors were around.
  And then the professors left  the room for a 
  minute to get some equipment. What happened 
  next is a matter of debate. Both Steve and Bleskind 
  claim the other one began an unauthorized test. 
  Or it may be that they got into a ﬁ ght and knocked 
  something over. Or maybe they didn’t do anything. 
  TACHYON 
  PLOT SEEDS
  Tachyon discovers his 
  Susceptibility to kelva-
  rite and decides to study 
  the problem so he can 
  “cure” it (i.e., decrease 
  or buy oﬀ  the Disadvan-
  tage). But since he can’t 
  get close to the stuﬀ , 
  he’ll have to force or 
  trick an innocent scien-
  tist into helping him....
  Aft er a research grant 
  falls through, Tachyon, 
  desperate for funding 
  to continue his work, 
  hires himself out to a 
  mysterious patron, who 
  has him commit a series 
  of bizarre burglaries. 
  Unable to restrain his 
  curiousity, he begins 
  trying to ﬁ nd out who 
  his benefactor is... and 
  aft er that gets him into 
  more trouble than he 
  can handle, he comes 
  running to the PCs for 
  help.
  In an eﬀ ort to get 
  PRIMUS oﬀ  his back, 
  Tachyon trashes one 
  of the organization’s 
  bases and steals a lot of 
  equipment and records. 
  Unfortunately, one of 
  the things he got were 
  notes for a powerful new 
  version of Cyberline the 
  agency has been work-
  ing on. PRIMUS needs 
  those notes back as 
  soon as possible, before 
  Tachyon can sell them, 
  and asks the heroes to 
  ﬁ nd him.
  
  210 
  HERO SYSTEM 5TH EDITION
  But regardless of what they did or didn’t do, the 
  meteor did do something — it exploded! Both of 
  them were showered with tiny particles and frag-
  ments of kelvarite. Bleskind, being closer to the 
  meteor when the disaster occurred, was bombarded 
  with more kelvarite than Steve was.
  Steve woke up in the hospital. He was amazed 
  to ﬁ nd out that he didn’t feel any pain. In fact, he 
  felt terriﬁ c! It didn’t take long for 
  him to discover that the acci-
  dent had somehow granted him 
  prodigious strength. And when 
  a nurse opened the door and sur-
  prised him, he discovered another 
  one his powers — teleportation — 
  purely by reﬂ ex. Fortunately, he man-
  aged to get back into his room before the 
  nurse noticed he was missing.
  As he continued his studies, 
  eventually earning a Ph.D in 
  astronomy, Steve practiced 
  with his powers. He devel-
  oped ﬁ ne control over his 
  teleportation powers, and 
  explored the extent and 
  uses of his enormous 
  strength. Being fairly self-
  centered and quite greedy, he 
  soon began committing burglar-
  ies — an easy enough thing to do 
  for a super-strong teleporter.
  Today, Steve lives a double 
  life. Most of the time he’s one of 
  the newest astronomy professors 
  at MCU, teaching undergrads 
  the ins and outs of stars, nebulae, 
  and planetary formation. But 
  when he feels like it, or when 
  someone hires him to do a job, he 
  hits the streets as Tachyon, steal-
  ing and committing mayhem as 
  the mood takes him.
  Personality/Motivation:  Tachyon 
  is not a complex person, as 
  supervillains go. He’s self-cen-
  tered, greedy, and basically 
  amoral, though he does a 
  good job of covering these 
  negative qualities and blend-
  ing into normal society on a 
  day-to-day basis. His drive to prove his own superi-
  ority has lasted into adulthood; he still can’t stand it 
  when anyone outdoes him — or even comes close 
  to outdoing him — and will do whatever it takes 
  to prove he’s the better man. If a superhero defeats 
  him, he’ll keep coming back, again and again, until 
  he achieves victory.
  As a scientist — he genuinely loves his work, 
  and can talk about it for hours — Tachyon has a 
  strong streak of scientiﬁ c curiousity. He likes to 
  know what makes things work, why they happen 
  the way they do. If presented with a mystery or a 
  puzzle, he oft en focuses on it intently, becoming 
  more absorbed in it than he should be. A superhero 
  who discovers this trait might be able to devise a 
  clever trap for him.
  Tachyon remains bitter rivals with Rob Bles-
  kind, who’s now better known as Th underbolt. Each 
  of them does his best to interfere with the other’s 
  work, taunt him, and make him miserable. Th e two 
  have yet to put their superpowers to the test against 
  each other, but they know it’s only a matter of time.
  Powers/Tactics:  Being bombarded with the 
  mysterious alien mineral kelvarite (about which 
  Earth science still knows almost nothing) granted 
  Tachyon an unusual and powerful suite of super-
  human abilities. First, it greatly augmented his 
  strength and resilience, giving him the ability 
  to toss vehicles around and punch through 
  armor plating with ease. Second, it somehow 
  interacted with his bioelectric ﬁ eld to 
  grant him teleportation powers. In 
  addition to teleporting himself, 
  he can teleport others (even 
  against their will) or teleport 
  small objects into people 
  (causing terrible wounds). 
  For a less lethal attack, he 
  can simply “blink teleport” 
  a person in and out rap-
  idly, causing such strain to 
  the person’s system that the 
  victim oft en passes out.
  Tachyon has developed a 
  number of tactics to take advantage of 
  his abilities. For example, if he’s facing 
  someone, he can use his Courier Tele-
  portation to ‘port in behind them so 
  that he’s looking at the target’s back, and 
  then punch them for all he’s worth. With 
  the GM’s permission, he could combine 
  his Aportation with a punch (Strike) 
  as a multiple-Power attack.
  Although Tachyon doesn’t 
  know it yet, his kelvarite-based 
  powers come with kelvarite-
  based weaknesses as well. For 
  one thing, exposure to other 
  kelvarite somehow weakens and 
  harms him, and could even kill 
  him if it were prolonged. For-
  tunately, kelvarite is pretty 
  rare; the only known sources 
  on Earth right now come 
  from the meteor mentioned 
  above, one fragment of which Steve Maxwell got 
  to study. Somehow the kelvarite in his body also 
  makes him vulnerable to attacks that sap his abili-
  ties (i.e., Drains).
  Campaign Use:  Tachyon is a powerful opponent 
  with an unusual set of powers the GM can use to 
  keep the players on their toes. He’s diﬃ  cult to keep 
  imprisoned once captured, so he can always come 
  back to get revenge.
  To make Tachyon a little more powerful, boost 
  his STR to 60, his Multipower reserve to 75, and 
  his Multipower slots accordingly. You could also 
  increase his SPD to 6. If you ﬁ nd he’s too powerful 
  for your game, try reducing his STR to 40, his SPD 
  
  211 
  Champions
  to 4, and/or his Multipower to a 50-point reserve.
  As a Hunter, Tachyon is a dogged and deter-
  mined foe. He’ll usually start Hunting a hero 
  because the hero humiliated or bested him in 
  some way, and he’s dead set on proving who the 
  “better man” really is — if necessary, in front of a 
  huge crowd of people, just so the whole city hears 
  about it. He’s not particularly vicious or interested 
  in killing his targets, but he’ll gladly beat them to 
  within an inch of their lives and embarrass them 
  thoroughly.
  Appearance:  Tachyon is a tall, extremely muscular 
  man who wears a blue and green costume when 
  committing crimes. His boots and short gloves 
  are blue. Blue runs up the inner half of his leg and 
  up the center of his chest, spreading out over his 
  shoulders and ending where the shoulders meet 
  the upper arms in a point. Green runs up the outer 
  half of his legs and his sides, and all the way down 
  his arms. His short gloves are blue. He wears a blue 
  domino mask and has short black hair. When he 
  teleports, a ﬁ eld of bluish energy, a bit lighter in 
  tone than his costume, surrounds his body and 
  then fades away right aft er he disappears.
  TALISMAN
   Val Char 
  Cost Roll 
  Notes
   10 STR 
  0 
  11- 
  Lift  100 kg; 2d6 [1]
   20 DEX 
  30 
  13- 
  OCV:  7/DCV:  7
   20 CON 
  20 
  13-
   10 BODY 0 
  11-
   18 INT 
  8 
  13- 
  PER Roll 13-
   21 EGO 
  22 
  13- 
  ECV: 7
   25 PRE 
  15 
  14- 
  PRE Attack:  5d6
   20 COM 
  5 
  13-
   5 PD 
  3 
   
  Total:  19 PD (14 rPD)
   7 ED 
  3 
   
  Total:  21 ED (14 rED)
   5 SPD 
  20 
   
  Phases:  3, 5, 8, 10, 12
   6 REC 
  0
   56 END 
  8
   30 STUN 
  5 
  Total Characteristic Cost:  139
  Movement: 
  Running: 
  6”/12”
   
  Flight: 
  20”/40”
  Cost Powers 
  END
  60 
  Mastery Of Hellﬁ re:  Multipower, 
  60-point reserve
  6u 
  1)  Hellﬁ re:  EB 12d6 
  6
  6u 
  2)  Hellﬁ re Gate:  EB 8d6, Explosion (+½) 6
  6u 
  3)  Agonizing Hellﬁ re:  EB 8d6, Armor 
  Piercing (+½) 
  6
  6u 
  4)  Writhing Hellﬁ re:  EB 4d6, Continuous 
  (+1), Penetrating (+½), Uncontrolled (+½) 6
  40 
  Foul Sorcery:  Multipower, 40-point reserve
  4u 
  1)  Domination:  Mind Control 8d6 
  4
  4u 
  2)  Befuddlement:  Mental Illusions 8d6 
  4
  4u 
  3)  Spell Of Torment:  Ego Attack 4d6 
  4
  4u 
  4)  Touch Of Terror:  Drain PRE 4d6 
  4
  20 
  Helpful Witcheries:  Elemental Control, 
  40-point powers
  22 
  1)  Shield Of Sorcery:  Force Field (14 PD/
  14 ED), Reduced Endurance (0 END; +½) 0
  20 
  2)  Wings Of Th e Wind:  Flight 20” 
  4
  20 
  3)  Visions:  Clairsentience (Sight and 
  Hearing Groups), 4x Range (600”) 
  4
  3 
  Magesense:  Detect Magic 13-; 
  Concentration (0 DCV; -½) 
  0
   
  Perks
  2 
  Contact:  a member of the Circle Of Th e 
  Scarlet Moon 11-
  4 
  Contact:  a Morbanes of DEMON 11- 
  (very useful Skills and resources, has 
  signiﬁ cant Contacts of his own)
  4 
  Contact:  Dark Seraph 8- (extremely 
  useful powers and resources)
   
  Skills
  6 
  +2 with Mastery Of Hellﬁ re Multipower
  3 
  High Society 14-
  3 
  CK: Vibora Bay 13-
  2 
  CK: Millennium City 11-
  3 
  KS: Arcane & Occult Lore 13-
  3 
  KS: Demonology 13-
  3 
  KS: Necromancy 13-
  3 
  KS: Witchcraft  13-
  1 
  Language:  Latin (basic conversation)
  3 
  Seduction 14-
  3 
  Stealth 13-
  3 
  Streetwise 14-
  Total Powers & Skill Cost:  271
  Total Cost:  410
  200+ Disadvantages
  10 
  Distinctive Features:  Mystic Aura (Not 
  Concealable; Always Noticed; Detectable 
  Only With Unusual Senses)
  20 
  Hunted:  Trismegistus Council 8- (Mo Pow, 
  NCI, Capture)
  15 
  Hunted:  DEMON 8- (As Pow, NCI, Capture)
  20 
  Psychological Limitation:  Corrupted Soul 
  (Common, Total)
  15 
  Psychological Limitation:  Utterly Self-
  Centered; Cares Only For Herself 
  (Common, Strong)
  15 
  Social Limitation:  Secret Identity (Pamela 
  Duquesne) (Frequently, Major)
  115 
  Experience Points
  Total Disadvantage Points:  410
  Background/History:  Pamela Duquesne and her twin 
  sister, Bethany, were raised in a seemingly ordinary 
  suburban home. But behind that seemingly normal 
  facade lurked a shadow, for the Duquesnes were 
  witches devoted to the dark powers, and they raised 
  their daughters to become witches in turn. Pamela, 
  cruel and spiteful almost from birth, welcomed the 
  teachings and took to witchcraft  readily, while Beth-
  any, kind-hearted and shy, had more trouble.
  On their eighteenth birthdays, both girls were 
  to be formally inducted into the Circle of the Scarlet 
  Moon, the powerful coven their parents belonged 
  to. Eager for ever-greater power, Pamela spoke the 
  oaths readily, but Bethany was horriﬁ ed and ran away. 
  Glad to be rid of her goodie-two-shoes sister, Pamela 
  immersed herself in studying with the Circle, learning 
  TALISMAN 
  PLOT SEEDS
  Eager to divine the loca-
  tion of the Karathos 
  Orb, an enchanted item 
  of great power, Talisman 
  commits several crimes 
  to obtain the bizarre 
  ingredients needed for 
  a ﬁ nding-spell. Can the 
  heroes ﬁ gure out what 
  she’s up to in time to 
  stop her — or must they 
  defeat an Orb-wielding 
  witch with four or ﬁ ve 
  times her normal might?
  Inexplicably, Talisman 
  falls in love with a male 
  PC (or prominent NPC). 
  Using powerful black 
  magic, she warps his 
  mind and personality, 
  making him as evil as 
  herself and her partner 
  in crime. Can the PCs 
  rescue their friend with-
  out hurting him?
  When a powerful 
  demon comes to get 
  Talisman to return a 
  favor he once did her, 
  Talisman manages to 
  trick him into thinking 
  that she’s Witchcraft  (or 
  your PC team’s mystic, 
  as applicable), and vice-
  versa. Since the heroic 
  mystic has no idea 
  what’s going on, the PCs 
  soon ﬁ nd themselves 
  with one very angry 
  demon on their hands....
  
  212 
  HERO SYSTEM 5TH EDITION
  much dark magic from them.
  Eventually, though, she became dissatisﬁ ed with 
  the Circle. It was too hidebound, too obsessed with 
  pointless rituals and traditions that only inhibited her 
  ability to learn magic. She left , seeking other tutors. 
  Down through the years she studied with many, 
  including the feared sorcerer-priests of DEMON and 
  the demonic Dark Seraph. Any route that oﬀ ered 
  greater access to power, be it making blood sacriﬁ ces 
  or corrupting her tutors with her charms, she 
  gladly took.
  But she has done more with her life 
  than study. Pamela, who prefers the 
  nickname “Talisman,” isn’t content 
  to stay in the library all the time. 
  She wants bright lights, big cities, 
  fast money, and the adoration 
  of beautiful people. Seeking 
  these things, she turned her 
  powers to crime, and found it an 
  even easier path to inﬂ uence and 
  power (albeit power of a diﬀ erent 
  sort). With her mastery of hellﬁ re 
  and other magical abilities, she’s 
  a match for most superheroes 
  — including her weakling sister, 
  who joined the Champions. Talis-
  man eagerly looks forward to the day when 
  she can ﬁ nally destroy Witchcraft  utterly. She 
  almost succeeded once, but only managed 
  to curse her. A rematch is only a matter of 
  time.
  Personality/Motivation:  Cruel, sadistic, 
  petty, manipulative, and supremely 
  self-centered, Talisman is almost 
  the complete opposite of her 
  sister Witchcraft . Pamela is out-
  going, bold, self-conﬁ dent, openly 
  sexy, and assertive, unlike the more shy, 
  quiet Bethany. Long exposure to and use 
  of black magic has corrupted her soul, and 
  though she hasn’t sold it yet, even that dire 
  step down the path to damnation is likely 
  only a matter of time.
  Powers/Tactics:  Talisman’s powers derive 
  from her study and practice of black 
  magic. She specializes in the manipulation 
  of arcane Hellﬁ re, but has also mastered 
  sorcery and various general magics. Unlike 
  Witchcraft , who sacriﬁ ced power for breadth 
  of ability, Talisman has focused on develop- ing 
  powers more suited to her selﬁ sh desires and ignored 
  the “petty magics” of “lesser witches.” But her power-
  ful magics can tire her easily if she’s not careful; when 
  using her in a game, keep careful track of her END 
  usage.
  Also unlike Witchcraft , Talisman has chosen 
  the quick and easy routes to power, caring not for the 
  harm they may inﬂ ict on the world, or ultimately on 
  herself. Th us she possesses greater power (i.e., more 
  Character Points) than Witchcraft , though they’ve 
  both been studying magic for roughly the same 
  amount of time. Talisman’s Experience Points reﬂ ect 
  this moreso than they do more experience (though in 
  fact Talisman has had more opportunity to practice 
  using spells on people than Witchcraft  has, since she 
  doesn’t care about hurting or manipulating innocents 
  for her own purposes).
  Talisman oft en gestures and incants when cast-
  ing her spells, but she doesn’t have to — she’s just used 
  to doing so. She’s perfectly capable of using any of her 
  powers even when bound and gagged.
  Th e Trismegistus Council, an order of benevo-
  lent mystics with whom Witchcraft  has some 
  association, would like to capture and 
  neutralize Talisman, whom they regard 
  as a great threat to the world (they 
  won’t explain exactly why to Witch-
  craft ). DEMON, with whom Talisman 
  has worked in the past, would like to ﬁ nd a 
  way to force her to add her power to its ranks, 
  but so far she has eluded their snares.
  Campaign Use:  Talisman makes a good gen-
  eral-purpose mystic villain for a variety of 
  scenarios, but oft en works best when some 
  element of her background — usually 
  Witchcraft , but possibly a Hunted or 
  the like — is also part of the story. 
  Th at way she seems less like a 
  two-dimensional evil spellcaster, 
  and more like the intriguingly 
  wicked person she actually is.
  If Talisman is too weak for 
  your campaign, give her a Vari-
  able Power Pool like Witchcraft ’s, 
  but make it larger and a little 
  easier to use (once again, the 
  easy path to power pays oﬀ ... for now). If she’s too 
  strong, reduce her Mastery Of Hellﬁ re to a 40 or 50 
  point reserve, her EC to 30-point powers, and a few 
  of her Characteristics (DEX and CON, perhaps) by a 
  point or three.
  As a Hunted, Talisman is vindictive and vicious. 
  She never forgets a slight, or passes up any 
  opportunity to make her quarry miserable 
  — or dead. Instead of simply blasting her 
  foe, she’ll try to ﬁ nd unusual curses, spells 
  of torment, and other ways to harm him. 
  She rarely Hunts on less than an 11-.
  Appearance:  Although she is Witchcraft ’s 
  twin sister, Talisman can easily be distin-
  guished from her hated sibling most of the 
  time. She wears her black hair short. She typi-
  cally wears black high-heeled boots, a black leather 
  miniskirt, and a strategically-unbuttoned (or see-
  through) long-sleeved blouse (usually in black, some 
  other dark color, or red); there’s a ﬂ ame motif embroi-
  dered along the cuﬀ s.
  Beauty and the Beat
  ‘I have no comment on the 
  National Inquisition’s story 
  execpt to say that its writers 
  have very vivid imaginations. 
  I’ve never even met Fiacho, much less had an 
  affair with him.’
  — Sapphire of the Champions
  
  213 
  Champions
  CHAMPIONS INDEX
  Accidental Change (Disadvantage) ..........64
  Adjusted and New Rules ....................153-55
  Adventure (mood/meta-genre) ..........35-36
  Age (Disadvantage) ..............................64-65
  Aging of campaigns ............................142-43
  Alien (origin type) ......................................59
  Aliens
   
  Generally, in Champions 
  campaigns ......................................52-53
   
  NASA and ............................................33
   
  Source of superpowers .......................44
  Alternate dimensions .................................53
  Alternate histories ................................23-24
  Amulet Of Th e Aandiri, Th e (example 
  power) ..................................................77
  Anaesthetic Gas Projector 
  (example power) ...............................105
  Animal Empathy (example power) ..........10
  Anti-Communism ................................11-12
  Appearance of superhumans 
  in the setting ..................................27-28
  Archetypes, generally ...........................69-80
  Armored Costumes (example gadget) .....117
  Artfully Dodging ................................138-39
  Atomic monsters ........................................13
  Attacking while Covered .........................153
  Authority, relationship with, 
  for superteams ....................................98
  Avoiding Th e Blow (example power) .....139
  Base Points and Disadvantage 
  Points ...........................................125-28
  Bases .............................................97, 101-111
  Bestowal (origin type) ................................59
  Big Wrap-Up, Th e (example power) ...69-70
  Bikerwear Costume (example power) .....22
  Blaster Pistols (example gadget) .............115
  Blaster Riﬂ es (example gadget) ...............115
  Blasting Wand Of Berala Th e Bold, Th e 
  (example power) .................................77
  Boomerang (example power) ...................80
  Boot-Jets (example power) ........................78
  Bounced Attacks .......................................153
  Bouncing ...................................................162
  Bowl ’Em Over (example power) ...............9
  Breakable objects ................................160-62
  Brick (superhuman archetype) ...........69-70
  Bronze Age Champions standards ...........17
  Bronze Age, generally ...........................16-20
  Brooks, Wendy (the Champions’s 
  housekeeper) .....................................194
  Build Gadgetry (origin type) ....................60
  Buildings, breaking .............................160-62
  Bulletproof Spandex (example power) ....49
  Campaign characteristics ..................136-38
  Campaigns, creating and running, 
  generally ......................................136-59
  Capturefoam Projector 
  (example power) ...............................106
  Champions (sample superhero 
  team) ............................................181-96
  Champions Universe Characteristics 
  Standards .............................................58
  Character creation, generally ..............56-99
  Character Point guidelines and suggestions 
  125-28
  Characteristics, rating normal versus super-
  human ............................................57-58
  Characters as weapons .............................153
  Charters for superteams ......................98-99
  Cleaving Th rough Weak Points (example 
  power) ..................................................80
  Code Of Th e Hero (Psychological 
  Limitation) ..........................................67
  Code Versus Killing (Psychological 
  Limitation) ..........................................67
  Comedy (mood/meta-genre) ..............37-38
  Comics Code, Th e ................................12-13
  Communications Gadgets .................118-20
  Communism .........................................11-12
  Comparing PCs to the rest of the 
  world ............................................134-35
  Computers (various 
  examples) ...................106-113, 119, 195
  Concealing identity ....................................49
  Conversation versus Narration .........147-48
  Cosmic superheroes .............................24-25
  Costumes ...............................................49, 65
  Crushing objects .......................................162
  Cultural and social issues ....................18-19
  Culture, aﬀ ect of superhumans on ...........30
  Dada Fugue (example power) ...................77
  Danger rooms .....................................103-04
  Dark Champions ........................................20
  Dark heroes ...........................................21-22
  Day jobs .......................................................52
  Deathtraps ...........................................121-22
  Defender (sample superhero) ...........182-84
  Defensive Gadgets ..............................117-18
  Delicate Kick Of Han Chen, Th e 
  (example power) ...........................73-74
  Demographics of superhumanity .......28-29
  Department of Defense, Justice, and 
  State .................................................. 32-3
  Dependent Non-Player Character 
  (Disadvantage) ............................65, 156
  Designing for power ...........................133-34
  Destroying the world ............. 50-51, 122-23
  Devastator (sample supervillain) .....196-98
  Dimensions, alternate ................................53
  Directed Knockback .................................153
  Disadvantage Points and Base 
  Points ...........................................125-28
  Disadvantages ......................... 64-68, 155-59
  Discovery of Secret Identity ......................50
  Distinctive Features (Disadvantage) ..65-66
  Distant Viewing (example power) ............74
  Distracting Costume (example power) ...22
  DNPC (Disadvantage) .......................65, 156
  Doomsday Devices .............................122-23
  Doorsmashing Fists (example power) .....10
  Drama (mood/meta-genre) ................38-39
  Drunken Defense (example power) .........74
  Dumont, Denise (Champions-DOSPA 
  liaison) ...............................................194
  Earthquake Inducer (example 
  gadget) .........................................122-23
  Eﬀ ectiveness and Point Ceilings .......130-33
  Eﬀ ects of damage, optional .....................154
  Elements of the superhero genre ........48-55
  Enabling devices, use and abuse of ..140-42
  Enchanted Blade Of Rendrak, Th e 
  (example power) .................................80
  Enchanted Th rowing Weapon 
  (example power) .................................16
  Energy Cage (example power) ..................14
  Energy Projector (superhuman 
  archetype) ............................................71
  Enhance Rage (example power) ...............75
  Enraged/Berserk (Disadvantage) .............66
  Enter Th e Microverse! (example 
  power) ..................................................16
  Environments for superhero 
  stories ...........................................160-63
  Episodes, creating and running, generally ...
  144-53
  Experimentation, Subject of 
  (origin type) ........................................60
  Exploration ..................................................14
  Explosive Arrow (example power) ...........80
  Extra Combat Functionality .............153-54
  Extradimensional energies (source of super-
  powers) ................................................44
  Facial Manipulation (example power) .....11
  Fads 19
  Fantasy Champions ..............................25-26
  Fastball Special ....................................153-57
  Field Of Muck Delaying Trap 
  (example gadget) ..............................122
  Finger Of Unconsciousness, Th e 
  (example power) .................................70
  Fire Blast (example power) ........................71
  Fists Of Th e Dragon (example power) ....74
  Flight Ring (example gadget) ..................120
  Follower (Perk) ...........................................63
  Force Field Devices (example gadget) ...117
  Four-color versus dark heroes ..................21
  Fringe Beneﬁ t (Perk) ............................63-64
  Gadgeteer (superhuman archetype) ........72
  Gadgetry (origin type) ...............................60
  Galactic Champions .............................24-25
  Gamemastering, generally .................124-79
  Garages and hangars ................................102
  Gauntlet Blasters (example power) ..........78
  Generic NPCs .....................................176-78
  Genetic manipulation (source of 
  superpowers) .......................................44
  Genius Insight (example power) ..............11
  Genre considerations and elements, 
  generally .......................................... 6-55
  Genre simulation, limits of ................138-42
  Get Down Tonight (example power) .......19
  Godly Ancestry/Bestowal (origin type) ...59
  Golden Age Champions standards .............9
  Golden Age, generally ............................ 8-11
  Government agencies and 
  superhumans .................................32-33
  Government liaisons for superteams .98-99
  Gravity Globes (example power) ..............72
  Great War Champions ...............................23
  Green Dragon (sample 
  supervillain) ..............................198-201
  Hangars and garages ................................102
  Haywire (example power) .........................22
  Headquarters ...............................97, 101-111
  Heroic Intimidation (example power) .....11
  Historical periods, superhumans in .........23
  History, aﬀ ect of superhumans on .....29-30
  Homestead (the Champions’s base) .......193
  Homing Beacon (example gadget) ...119-20
  Honorable (Psychological Limitation) ....67
  Horror (mood/meta-genre) ................39-40
  Hot Sleep Chamber (example gadget) ...121
  Hunted (Disadvantage) ................66-67, 156
  Hunting (Psychological Limitation) ........67
  Hyper-Running I (example power) ..........79
  Hyper-Running II (example power) ........79
  Hyper-Running III (example power) .......79
  Icicle (sample supervillainess) ........201-202
  Instant Plot Generator .......................149-52
  Insulated Ear Covers (example gadget) .117
  Insurance, superhumans and ..............31-32
  Introduction ..................................................5
  Intruder Zapper (example power) .........105
  Iron Age Champions standards ................20
  Iron Age, generally ................................20-22
  Ironclad (sample superhero) .............184-86
  Iskari’s Invoked Iridescence (example 
  power) ..................................................53
  Jet Th rusters (example gadget) ...............120
  Jobs for superheroes ...................................52
  Justice-Sight (example power) ............77-78
  Knockback, directed and random ..........153
  Knowledge Skills .........................................63
  Laboratories and lab equipment .......102-03
  Law, aﬀ ect of superhumans on ...........31-32
  Law enforcement powers for superhumans 
  31-32, 63-64
  Legal sanction for superhumans 31-32, 63-64
  Lenses, Mask (example gadget) ..............117
  Let Freedom Ring (example power) ........78
  Let’s Get ’Em, Partner! (example power) ...9
  Liaisons, government, for 
  superteams ....................................98-99
  Liberte, Egalite, Fraternite (example 
  power) ..................................................78
  Life cycle of a campaign ....................142-43
  Lightheartedness .........................................11
  Limits of genre simulation ................138-42
  Living Hair (example power) ....................14
  Location of base ..................................103-05
  Lucent Lightnings Of Th e Loyal 
  Larethian, Th e (example power) .......53
  Mace-Hands (example power) .................75
  Magic (source of superpowers) ................44
  Magic and mysticism, as element of the 
  genre ...............................................53-55
  Magnetic Manipulation (example 
  power) ..................................................71
  Mantle Of Mastery (example power) .......53
  Martial Artist (superhuman 
  archetype) ......................................73-74
  Mask Lenses (example gadget) ...............117
  Masks ...........................................................49
  Master Villain’s Agents (generic 
  NPCs) ...........................................177-78
  McCarthy, Senator Joseph .........................10
  McGillicuddy, Jeanine (the Champions’s 
  receptionist) ................................193-94
  Mechanon (sample supervillain) ......203-06
  Mental Training (origin type) ...................60
  Mentalist (superhuman archetype) ..........74
  Meta-genre ............................................35-43
  Metamorph (superhuman 
  archetype) ......................................75-76
  Mind Control Wave Emitter (example 
  gadget) ...............................................123
  Missed Attack Rolls Table ..........................38
  Mixing characters from diﬀ erent 
  campaigns ..........................................133
  Mixing periods and campaign types ........26
  Money (Perk) ..............................................64
  Mood ......................................................35-43
  Morality, campaign .............................136-37
  Motivations for superheroes ...............60-61
  Movement Devices ...................................120
  Mutant (Distinctive Feature 
  Disadvantage) .....................................66
  Mutant hysteria .....................................17-18
  Mutant (origin type) ..................................59
  Mutation (source of superpowers) ...........44
  Mysteries, historical and/or 
  superhuman ........................................34
  Mystery men .................................................9
  Mystic (superhuman archetype) .........76-77
  Mystic Family/Race (origin type) .............59
  Mystical/Magical Training (origin 
  type) .....................................................60
  Mysticism (source of superpowers) .........44
  Mysticism and magic, as elements 
  of the genre ....................................53-55
  Narration versus Conversation .........147-48
  NASA ...........................................................33
  Navigation (Skill) ........................................63
  Near-Magical Costume Material ..............49
  Neutral grounds ........................................170
  New and Adjusted Rules ....................153-55
  Nighthawk (sample superhero) ........186-88
  Non-Player Characters, generally .....170-76
  Nonsensical villainy .............................50-52
  Normal Characteristic Maxima, 
  adjusting ..............................................58
  Nova Eﬀ ect (example power) ..................128
  NPCs, generally ...................................170-76
  NPCs, generic character sheets .........176-78
  Number of superhumans ....................28-29
  Occupations for superheroes ....................52
  Optional Eﬀ ect of Damage ......................154
  Origin story, roleplaying ............................62
  Origins for superhuman characters ...59-60
  Outer space ............................................52-53
  Outlook, importance of the PCs, in 
  the campaign .....................................138
  Overconﬁ dence (Psychological 
  Limitation) ..........................................67
  Parachute Form (example power) ............76
  Patriot (superhuman archetype) ........10, 77
  Periods of comics ................................... 8-26
  Perks .......................................................63-64
  Physical Limitation (Disadvantage) .......157
  Physical Training (origin type) .................60
  Physics in superhero worlds ....................163
  Plot 144-45
  Plot Generator, Instant/random .......149-52
  Pogo-Boots (example power) ...................72
  Point and Eﬀ ectiveness Ceilings .......130-33
  
  214 
  HERO SYSTEM 5TH EDITION
  Point totals and power levels .............125-30
  Police, reaction to superhumans .........31-32
  Policeman (generic NPC) ........................177
  Portable Blast Shield (example 
  gadget) ...............................................118
  Powered Armor (superhuman 
  archetype) ............................................78
  Power Helmet (example power) .........72-73
  Power levels and point totals .............125-30
  Power Negator (example gadget) .....120-21
  Power (Skill) ................................................63
  Projectiles into buildings ...................160-61
  Protective Capabilities (example 
  power) ..................................................78
  Protective Of Innocents (Psychological 
  Limitation) ..........................................67
  Psionic powers (source of 
  superpowers) .......................................44
  Psionic Shield (example gadget) .......117-18
  Psychic Obliteration (example power) ....75
  Psychokinetic Paralysis (example 
  power) ..................................................18
  Psychokinetic Shield (example power) ....75
  Psychological 
  Limitations ................ 60-61, 67-68, 157
  Pulp heroes ....................................................9
  Pulsar (sample supervillain) .............207-08
  Quick Superhuman Generator ...........81-93
  Radiation Accident (origin type) ..............60
  Radiation Blast (example power) .............71
  Radio Handset, Basic and Advanced 
  (example gadget) ..............................119
  Radio Headset (example gadget) ......118-19
  Random Knockback .................................153
  Random plot generator ......................149-52
  Random superhuman creator .............81-93
  Random Superteam Name Generator .....97
  Razor Fingers (example power) ................22
  Realism, campaign ..............................137-38
  Realism; realistic superpowers ..................22
  Recoveries, Restricted ........................154-55
  Red Scare ...............................................11-12
  Registration laws for superhumans ....31-32
  Relationship with authority, for 
  superteams ..........................................98
  Reporter (generic NPC) ..........................178
  Resisting objects, stopping ......................160
  Restraint Devices ................................120-21
  Restricted Recoveries .........................154-55
  Revelatory Presence Attacks .......39, 153-54
  Revisionism ...........................................19-20
  Rivalry (Disadvantage) ............................157
  Rocketboard (example power) .................19
  Romance (mood/meta-genre) ............40-42
  Rubbery Body (example power) ...............76
  Rule Of X .............................................131-33
  Running campaigns ...........................138-43
  Sanction, legal, for superhumans ..................
  31-32, 63-64
  Sandblaster Of Th e Gods (example gadget) 
  122
  Sapphire (sample superhero) ............189-90
  Science, laws of, in superhero worlds .....163
  Scintillant Shackles, Th e (example 
  power) ..................................................77
  Searchlight (example power) ....................78
  Second Generation superheroes .........12-13
  Secret Identities .....................................48-50
  Secret societies, as elements of the 
  genre .....................................................55
  Security gadgets for bases ..................105-06
  Sense Weakness (example power) ............14
  Sensory Overload Capture Trap 
  (example gadget) ..............................122
  Shadow Invisibility (example power) .......18
  Shock-Prods (example gadget) ...............116
  Shockwave (example power) .....................69
  Showoﬀ  (Psychological Limitation) .........67
  Sidekicks ................................................10, 63
  Silhouette Form (example power) ......14-15
  Silver Age Champions standards ..............11
  Silver Age, generally .............................11-16
  Simple Spell Of Comprehension, A 
  (example power) .................................77
  Simulating the genre, limits of ..........138-42
  Skills .............................................................63
  Smash Th e Luft waﬀ e! (example 
  power) .............................................. 9-10
  Social and cultural issues .....................18-19
  Social Limitation 
  (Disadvantage) ......................68, 157-58
  Society, aﬀ ect of superhumans on ......29-34
  SOCRATES (the Champions’s 
  supercomputer) ................................195
  Sonic Blast (example power) .....................71
  Sources of superpowers .................27, 44-47
  Space .......................................................52-53
  Space Base (example base) ..............109-111
  Space Rings (example gadget) .................118
  Speedster (superhuman archetype) ...79-80
  Squeezing Th rough Cracks 
  (example power) .................................76
  Staﬀ , for bases ............................................105
  Standing On Th e Sun (example 
  power) ................................................128
  Stopping moving things ...........................160
  Strange Super Societies ........................14-15
  Street Punk (generic NPC) ................176-77
  Subject Of Experimentation (origin 
  type) .....................................................60
  Subplots ...............................................146-47
  Sucker Attacks ...........................................155
  Super Societies ......................................14-15
  Super-agencies, as element of the genre ..55
  Super-Car (sample vehicle) .....................113
  Super-Multitool (example gadget) ...116-17
  Super-mysteries ..........................................34
  Super-science (source of superpowers) ...44
  Super-technology ........... 32-34, 44, 100-123
  Supercuﬀ s (example gadget) ...................121
  Superhero gap .............................................10
  Superhero genre, generally .................... 6-55
  Superhero-World Physics ........................163
  Superheroic Point Totals ............................57
  Superhuman, deﬁ ning ..........................57-58
  Superhuman Generator, Quick/
  random ..........................................81-93
  Superhuman registration laws ............31-32
  Superhuman World (Knowledge Skill) ....63
  Superhumans
   
  Aﬀ ect on culture .................................30
   
  Aﬀ ect on the law ...........................31-32
   
  Aﬀ ect on history ...........................29-30
   
  Aﬀ ect on technology ....................32-34
   
  Aﬀ ect on society ...........................29-34
   
  Government agencies and ...........32-33
   
  Insurance and ...............................31-32
   
  Numbers of ...................................28-29
   
  Police reaction to ..........................31-32
   
  Sanction/law enforcement 
  powers for .......................... 31-32, 63-64
   
  When ﬁ rst appearing in setting ..27-28
   
  Where appearing in the setting ........28
  Supernatural forces (source of 
  superpowers) .......................................44
  Superteams, generally ..........................94-99
  Supervillain Getaway Teleporter 
  (example gadget) ..............................120
  Susceptibility (Disadvantage) .....68, 158-59
  Swingline (example gadget) ....................120
  Tachyon (sample supervillain) ..........209-11
  Tactics for superteams ...............................99
  Take Th at, Ivan! (example power) ............16
  Talisman (sample supervillainess) ...211-12
  Team Transport (sample vehicle) ...........112
  Teams
   
  Generally .......................................94-99
   
  Bases and equipment .........................97
   
  Member personality types and 
  roles ................................................94-96
   
  Name ..............................................96-97
  Technology, aﬀ ect of 
  superhumans on ...........................32-34
  Teen Champions (subgenre/
  meta-genre) ...................................42-43
  Television superheroes .........................15-16
  Th eme .........................................................146
  Th eme campaigns .................................46-47
  Th rowing Blades (example gadget) ........116
  Th underbolt Voice (example power) .......15
  Th underclap (example power) ..................70
  Th under-Leap (example power) ...............74
  Timeline of superhuman events .........27-34
  Timer- And Struggle-Triggered Environment 
  Plunger (example gadget) .............121-22
  Training (source of superpowers) ............44
  Training, generally (origin type) ...............60
  Translight Travel (example power) ........128
  Tsunami Bomb (example gadget) ...........123
  TV Superheroes ....................................15-16
  Uncontrollable Eyebeams 
  (example power) .................................18
  Underwater Base (example base) .....107-09
  Uniﬁ ed theme campaigns ....................46-47
  Universal Defense Field Belt (example 
  power) ..................................................73
  Universal Transmutation (example 
  power) ................................................128
  Urban Base (example base) ...............106-07
  V-Jet (the Champions’s aircraft ) .......194-95
  Vehicles ................................................112-14
  Vibro-Phasing (example power) ..............79
  Victorian Champions .................................23
  Victory Punch (example power) ..............10
  Vigilantes ...............................................21-22
  Vigor Of Th e Valdar (example power) .....53
  Villainous agencies .......................55, 165-66
  Villains
   
  Generally .......................................64-69
   
  As elements of the genre .............50-52
   
  As element of episodes ....................144
  Vulnerability (Disadvantage) ..................159
  Waldos (example lab equipment) ...........103
  Weapon master (superhuman archetype) ...81
  Weapons
   
  Characters as .....................................153
   
  Examples ......................................115-17
  When superhumans ﬁ rst appear in 
  the setting ......................................27-28
  Where superhumans appear .....................28
  Winds Of Th e Zephirim 
  (example power) .................................53
  Witchcraft  (sample superhero) .........190-92
  World War II ............................................. 8-9
  You Only Nicked Me! (example 
  power) ................................................138
  
SOURCE: textdata/thevault/Hero System/Hero System - Champions.pdf