TEXT: Steven S. Long
  
  A Genre Book for the Hero System
  Author: Steven S. Long
  Editing & Development:  Allen Th omas
  Layout & Graphic Design:  Andy “We’ve both thought 
  of ways of cuttin’ people up” Mathews, Ben Seeman, Allen 
  Th omas
  Cover Illustration:  Storn Cook
  Interior Illustration:  Nate Barnes, Warren Beckford, 
  Storn Cook, Robert Cram,  Andrew Cremeans, Keith 
  Curtis, Eric Lofgren, Roberto Marchesi, Eric Radamaker, 
  Scott Ruggles, Dan Smith, Greg Smith, Chris Stevens, 
  Derrick Th omas, Erich Von Haus, Dean Yuen
  SPECIAL THANKS
  First and foremost, over the past ten years the following people oﬀ ered 
  suggestions, comments, or ideas for my use in the Dark Champions 
  books, for which I am very grateful:  Chris Avellone, Brad Barrett, Tim 
  Binford, Brannon Boren, Chris Caldwell, Ed Carmien, Cliﬀ  Christian-
  sen, Amy Crittenden, Sean Fannon, Th om Foster, Will Geiger, Tom 
  Gerken, Bob Greenwade, Eric Livengood, John Losey, Andy Mathews, 
  Riley McLaughlin, Gary Mitchel, Scott Sigler, Mike Sims, Tomas 
  Skucas, Greg Smith, Jason Walters, and Doug Young.
  Second, thanks to Jason Walters and Tomas Skucas for providing 
  some useful avenues and resources for research.
  Th ird, my thanks to everyone who ever played in one of my “Special 
  Violence Task Force” games at DunDraCon and GenCon. Rarely 
  have I had so much fun or laughed so much during a campaign.
  Fourth, as always, thanks to the Digital Hero playtesters and tes-
  treaders who reviewed the manuscript for this book and oﬀ ered 
  their suggestions for how to improve it, found math errors and 
  typos, and otherwise helped us make Dark Champions as good as 
  possible. Th ey deﬁ nitely deserve a 21-gun salute!
  DEDICATION
  To my good friend John Grigni, the Mad GM, who put up with 
  my early eﬀ orts to explore the vigilante side of Champions and 
  made them as fun as possible.
  Hero SystemTM ® is DOJ, Inc.’s trademark for its roleplaying system.
  Hero System © 1984, 1989, 2002 by DOJ, Inc. d/b/a Hero Games. All rights reserved.
  Champions © 1984, 1989, 2002 by DOJ, Inc. d/b/a Hero Games. All rights reserved.
  Fantasy Hero © 2003 by DOJ, Inc. d/b/a Hero Games. All rights reserved.
  Dark Champions © 2004 by DOJ, Inc. d/b/a Hero Games. All rights reserved.
  Star Hero, Justice Inc., Danger International, Dark Champions, Pulp Hero, 
  Western Hero © 2002 by DOJ, Inc. d/b/a Hero Games. All rights reserved.
  No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, 
  electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or computerization, or by 
  any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the 
  Publisher:  DOJ, Inc., 1 Haight Street, Suite A, San Francisco, California 94102.
  Printed in the U.S.A. First printing August 2004
  Produced and distributed by DOJ, Inc. d/b/a Hero Games.
  Stock Number:  DOJHERO600 • ISBN Number:  1-58366-036-4
  http://www.herogames.com
  
    TABLE OF CONTENTS
  INTRODUCTION ................................5
  CHAPTER ONE:  THE DARK 
  CHAMPIONS GENRE
  WHAT IS DARK CHAMPIONS? ...........8
  DARK CHAMPIONS SUBGENRES ......9
  VIGILANTE CRIMEFIGHTING ..............9
  CAPER ..........................................10
  DARK CHAMPIONS:  THE ANIMATED 
  SERIES .......................................11
  ESPIONAGE ...................................12
  LAW ENFORCEMENT .....................13
  MONSTER HUNTERS ......................14
  SPECIAL OPS/MILITARY ACTION .....14
  TECHNOTHRILLER .........................16
  WEIRD CONSPIRACY ......................16
  MIXING GENRES .............................17
  META-GENRES ..............................17
  Comedy ......................................17
  Horror .........................................18
  Mystery ......................................18
  Romance ....................................19
  Tragedy ......................................19
  OTHER GENRES .............................19
  Champions .................................19
  Fantasy Hero ...............................21
  Ninja Hero ...................................21
  Pulp Hero ....................................22
  Star Hero ....................................22
  Victorian Hero .............................22
  Western Hero ..............................22
  DARK CHAMPIONS ELEMENTS .......23
  CHAPTER TWO:  
  CHARACTER CREATION
  CHARACTER BASICS ......................26
  DARK CHAMPIONS BACKGROUNDS 26
  DARK CHAMPIONS PERSONALITIES 28
  DARK CHAMPIONS ARCHETYPES ...31
  PACKAGE DEALS ............................34
  CRIMINAL PACKAGE DEALS ...........34
  ESPIONAGE PACKAGE DEALS .........38
  Intelligence Agencies Of The World 41
  LAW ENFORCEMENT 
  PACKAGE DEALS .........................45
  MILITARY PACKAGE DEALS ............51
  MISCELLANEOUS PACKAGE DEALS 56
  CHARACTERISTICS .........................58
  Normal Characteristic Maxima ......58
  Characteristic Ranges ..................58
  SKILLS ...........................................61
  Skill Modiﬁ ers .............................61
  Skills And Equipment ...................62
  Skill Descriptions .........................63
  SKILL ENHANCERS ........................84
  PERKS ..........................................84
  Contacts .....................................84
  False Identity ...............................85
  Fringe Beneﬁ t ..............................85
  Improved Equipment Availability ....88
  Reputation ..................................89
  Vehicles And Bases .....................89
  TALENTS ........................................90
  EXISTING TALENTS ........................90
  NEW TALENTS ...............................90
  POWERS .........................................93
  POWER ADVANTAGES .....................97
  POWER LIMITATIONS ......................99
  DISADVANTAGES ..........................101
  SUPER-SKILLS .............................106
  OFFENSIVE ABILITIES ...................107
  DEFENSIVE ABILITIES ...................124
  MOVEMENT ABILITIES ..................130
  SENSORY ABILITIES .....................133
  MISCELLANEOUS ABILITIES ..........139
  RESOURCE POINTS ......................150
  RESOURCE POINTS BASICS ..........150
  RESOURCE POINT POOLS ............153
  CHAPTER THREE:  
  FORENSICS
  CRIMINALISTICS ...........................156
  Archaeology ..............................156
  Arson And Explosions ................156
  Blood ........................................157
  Computer Forensics ..................158
  DNA “Fingerprinting” .................158
  Documents ...............................159
  Drug Identiﬁ cation .....................160
  Fibers And Hairs ........................160
  Fingernail Scrapings ..................161
  Fingerprints ...............................161
  Firearms And Bullets ..................162
  Glass ........................................164
  Oil And Gasoline ........................164
  Paint  ........................................164
  Photographs And Videos ............165
  Prints, Impressions, And
   Toolmarks ...............................166
  Soil (Forensic Geology) ...............166
  Tape .........................................166
  CONTENTS OF A 
  CRIME LABORATORY .................166
  FORENSIC PATHOLOGY .................168
  IDENTIFYING A BODY ...................168
  Dental Records 
  (Forensic Odontology) ..............168
  Forensic Anthropology ...............168
  TIME OF DEATH ...........................168
  CAUSES OF DEATH ......................170
  Asphyxiation ..............................170
  Blunt Trauma .............................171
  Burns .......................................172
  Drowning ..................................173
  Electrocution .............................173
  Falling Deaths ...........................173
  Poison ......................................173
  Sharp Trauma ............................174
  Torture ......................................174
  CHAPTER FOUR:  COMBAT 
  AND ADVENTURING
  DARK CHAMPIONS COMBAT .........176
  ENTERING COMBAT .....................176
  COMBAT MODIFIERS ...................177
  COMBAT MANEUVERS .................180
  DAMAGE .......................................185
  OPTIONAL EFFECTS OF DAMAGE .185
  OTHER DAMAGE EFFECTS ...........187
  Critical Hits ...............................187
  Mystery Damage .......................187
  STUN Damage In
  Dark Champions ........................188
  HEALING AND RECOVERING 
  DAMAGE ...................................190
  The Role And Place Of Healing ...190
  Optional Healing Rules ...............190
  Recovery ...................................191
  GUNFIGHTING ...............................192
  Altering The Range Modiﬁ er .......192
  Blowthrough ..............................192
  Close Quarters Combat ..............193
  Grace Under Fire .......................193
  Recoil .......................................194
  Reloading .................................194
  Slow Firearms ...........................195
  Storm Of Lead ...........................195
  CINEMATIC GUNFIGHTING TRICKS 197
  CHAPTER FIVE:  WEAPONS
  FIREARMS ....................................200
  FIREARMS BASICS .......................200
  AMMUNITION ..............................201
  
  Standard Firearms Ammunition ..201
  Shotgun Ammunition .................210
  FIREARMS COST/UPGRADE
   TABLES .....................................214
  FIREARMS ACCESSORIES .............232
  Standard Firearm Accessories ....232
  Shotgun Accessories .................238
  FIREARMS MODIFICATIONS 
  AND CUSTOMIZATION ...............238
  Disguised Weapons And
  Gadgets ....................................240
  FIREARMS TABLES .......................241
  OTHER WEAPONS .........................256
  HAND-TO-HAND COMBAT
  WEAPONS ...................................256
  EXPLOSIVES ................................256
  Incendiaries ..............................260
  RESTRAINTS AND NON-LETHAL 
  WEAPONS ................................261
  CHAPTER SIX:  
  EQUIPMENT
  ACQUIRING EQUIPMENT ...............264
  Obtaining Equipment In The
  Campaign World ........................264
  Obtaining Equipment In 
  Game Terms ...........................265
  DEFENSIVE EQUIPMENT ...............269
  BODY ARMOR .............................269
  COMBAT WEAR ...........................272
  Headgear ..................................272
  Holsters ....................................272
  Tactical Vests And Clothing .........272
  SENSORY EQUIPMENT .................274
  COMMUNICATIONS GEAR .............274
  SIGHT ENHANCEMENT GEAR ........276
  BUGS AND BUG DETECTORS ........278
  MISCELLANEOUS SENSORY 
  DEVICES ...................................280
  MISCELLANEOUS EQUIPMENT .....282
  COSTUMED VIGILANTE
  GADGETS ....................................282
  SECURITY DEVICES ......................285
  SPY GADGETS .............................286
  Real-World Spy Gadgets ............286
  Cinematic Spy Gadgets ..............287
  UNDERWATER EQUIPMENT ..........288
  CHAPTER SEVEN:  DARK 
  CHAMPIONS ADVERSARIES
  ORGANIZED CRIME .......................290
  THE MAFIA ..................................290
  CHINESE ORGANIZED CRIME ........292
  HISPANIC ORGANIZED CRIME .......294
  RUSSIAN ORGANIZED CRIME .......295
  STREET GANGS ...........................297
  THE YAKUZA ................................299
  MISCELLANEOUS ORGANIZED 
  CRIME GROUPS .........................300
  OTHER CRIMINALS .......................303
  CINEMATIC MASTERMINDS ..........303
  COSTUMED CRIMINALS ...............304
  ROBBERY CREWS ........................305
  SERIAL KILLERS ..........................305
  TERRORISM .................................307
  ACTIVE TERRORIST GROUPS ........307
  CHAPTER EIGHT:  THE
  DARK CHAMPIONS GM
  CREATING A CAMPAIGN ................312
  CHARACTER GUIDELINES .............312
  Paranormal Abilities In 
  Dark Champions .....................314
  CAMPAIGN TONE .........................316
  CAMPAIGN THEME .......................318
  CAMPAIGN TYPES ........................318
  Subgenre ..................................318
  Campaign Subject .....................320
  RUNNING THE GAME ....................321
  ADVENTURE STRUCTURE .............321
  Plotting .....................................322
  DEALING WITH DISCONNECTS ......325
  DISADVANTAGES AND HOW TO 
  USE THEM ................................327
  VILLAINS AND NPCs .....................329
  VILLAINS .....................................329
  Villain Qualities ..........................329
  Villain Archetypes ......................330
  NON-PLAYER CHARACTERS .........333
  CHAPTER NINE:  LIBRA
  LIBRA ...........................................336
  Sarge ..........................................337
  Blade ..........................................340
  Hammer ......................................342
  Knockout .....................................344
  Shadow .......................................346
  VILLAINS ......................................350
  Abaddon .....................................350
  Caliber ........................................352
  Crossbow ....................................354
  Fenris .........................................357
  Triggerhappy ...............................359
  REFERENCE SOURCES
  BIBLIOGRAPHY ............................362
  SOURCE MATERIAL ......................364
  INDEX ...........................................365
  
  5 
  Dark Champions
  A
  ction-adventure has always been one of 
  the most popular genres for ﬁ ction, comic 
  books, and movies. Th e writings of Ian 
  Fleming and Tom Clancy, the exploits of 
  heroes like Batman and the Punisher, and countless 
  action movies transport the reader (or viewer) to 
  a world that’s just like the real world... only more 
  exciting, more ﬁ lled with danger and glamor, and 
  more in need of heroes — men and women willing 
  to ﬁ ght the good ﬁ ght to protect society from the 
  predators ever eager to exploit and harm it.
  Naturally, gamers who enjoy this sort of genre 
  ﬁ ction want to emulate it in roleplaying games. 
  Th ey can envision all sorts of characters they want 
  to play — from comic book vigilantes, to spies, to 
  elite soldiers, and more — and adventures they 
  want to have. Th at’s where this book, Dark Cham-
  pions, comes in. It provides all the resources you 
  need to use the HERO System to create modern-day 
  action-adventure characters and scenarios every bit 
  as exciting as those you read or watch.
  Chapter One, Action And Adventure:  Th e Dark 
  Champions Genre, reviews the genre as a whole, 
  including its subgenres (such as espionage and 
  technothriller), general character creation guide-
  lines, and how it interacts with other genres and 
  metagenres. If you don’t know much about the 
  genre, or you’re looking for some inspiration for a 
  character or campaign, this is the place to start.
  Chapter Two, Vigilantes, Spies, And Special Forces:  
  Character Creation, covers the broad topic of creat-
  ing characters for Dark Champions games. It has four 
  sections. Th e ﬁ rst includes an extensive selection 
  of Package Deals from law enforcement, espionage, 
  the military, and other sources appropriate for the 
  genre. Th e second reviews the HERO System’s game 
  elements — Skills, Powers, and the like. It explains 
  how they function in Dark Champions campaigns, 
  and provides optional, variant, or expanded rules for 
  them to better simulate the genre. Th e third section 
  provides over 100 “super-skills” — special abilities 
  oft en possessed by characters in the Dark Champi-
  ons genre. Th e fourth section introduces a new rule, 
  Resource Points, to help players and GMs better 
  manage the amount and type of equipment and other 
  resources characters have. 
  Chapter Th ree, Traces Of Crime:  Forensics, is a basic 
  but fact-ﬁ lled discussion of the subjects of crimi-
  nalistics and forensic pathology. Trace evidence of 
  crime, determining the cause of death, and other 
  forensic matters factor into many diﬀ erent types of 
  Dark Champions adventures, and this chapter pro-
  vides players and GMs with enough information to 
  introduce those elements into their games.
  Chapter Four, Fireﬁ ghts And Fists:  Combat And 
  Adventuring, expands the HERO System combat 
  rules to help players and GMs run the most excit-
  ing gunﬁ ghts and action encounters possible.
  Chapter Five, Th e Arsenal:  Weapons, lets you equip 
  your character to ﬁ ght his battles. It has rules for 
  creating ﬁ rearms, ammunition, and gun accessories 
  in the HERO System, plus information about creat-
  ing other types of weapons. It also includes exten-
  sive lists of real-world weapons in HERO System 
  terms so you can pick the gun your character needs 
  to get the job done.
  If your character needs something other than 
  weapons, check out Chapter Six, Field Gear. It 
  includes body armor, communications and recon-
  naissance gear, spy gadgets, and many other types 
  of equipment for modern-day adventurers.
  Chapter Seven, Th e Enemy, describes the adversar-
  ies who confront Dark Champions characters. It 
  covers organized crime, terrorist groups, and other 
  opponents your heroes have to ﬁ ght and defeat.
  Chapter Eight, Running Th e Gauntlet:  Gamemas-
  tering Dark Champions, is for the GM’s eyes only. It 
  provides general guidelines and advice for running 
  modern-day action-adventure games, ranging from 
  campaign style and tone to how best to use villains 
  and NPCs.
  Chapter Nine provides some sample characters to 
  inspire the players and give GMs some resources 
  to work with. It includes ﬁ ve heroes — members of 
  LIBRA, a secret army devoted to taking back the 
  streets from the criminals — and ﬁ ve villains. Play-
  ers are free to read the sample PCs, but should not 
  read the villains unless they have permission to do 
  so from their GM.
  AUTHOR’S NOTE:  WHAT HAS GONE 
  BEFORE
  Writing this book really makes me feel like 
  I’ve come full circle in the gaming industry. Dark 
  Champions was what got me started as a game 
  designer and writer.
  Way back in the misty depths of time — 1986, 
  to be precise — I was becoming vaguely dissatisﬁ ed 
  with the usual Champions four-color approach to 
  crimeﬁ ghting in my group’s games. As a “Builder” 
  (someone who likes to make positive, lasting 
  changes to the campaign setting), I found the whole 
  “ﬁ ght them, lock them up, they escape, ﬁ ght them 
  again” cycle frustrating. Intrigued by characters 
  with a darker, harder, more “practical” edge — DC 
  Comics’s Batman and the Vigilante, Marvel Com-
  ics’s the Punisher and the Scourge of the Under-
  world, and others like them — I set out to create 
  INTRODUCTION
  
  6 
  Hero System 5th Edition
  such a character. Th e result was a PC I named the 
  Harbinger of Justice.
  I played Harbinger for years, under several 
  GMs, no doubt driving some of them crazy as I 
  ruthlessly whittled down their rogues’ galleries of 
  carefully-prepared villains. I loved every minute 
  of it. Not only was I scratching my itch to have a 
  positive impact on the campaign world, the char-
  acter was like a morality play in miniature:  every-
  thing he did had to be evaluated according to his 
  precise and rigid standards, with the least mistake 
  likely to lead to disaster. It was a fascinating explo-
  ration of the topics of Justice, heroism, and civic 
  duty. As I played him, I accumulated a lot of ideas, 
  information, and potential rules variants for play-
  ing “vigilante” characters. I also had a front-row 
  seat to observe how several diﬀ erent GMs, all 
  highly talented, reacted to having such a character 
  in their games.
  In the early 1990s, several hundred Experi-
  ence Points into playing Harbinger, I did a little bit 
  of writing for Hero Games. With that under my 
  belt, I decided, “Hey, I could write a whole book!”. 
  Th e subject that naturally suggested itself to me 
  was a sourcebook for “dark heroes”:  vigilantes like 
  the Harbinger, whom it seemed to me had gotten 
  short shrift  in the existing Champions product 
  line. Furthermore, as far as I knew, no one had 
  ever written about the subject for any roleplaying 
  game before — and the timing was perfect, given 
  the increasing popularity of such heroes in comics 
  and other media.
  I sent Hero Games a proposal for a book I 
  called Heroes Of Vengeance. As I envisioned it, it 
  was more like what today I’d call a “genre book”:  it 
  related to Champions, but was intended as much 
  as anything to let people run various types of 
  modern-day campaigns and characters, including 
  campaigns that might not involve superhumans. 
  Th e proposal was accepted, but with one change:  
  the company wanted it to speciﬁ cally relate to 
  and be for Champions — a sort of subgenre book, 
  similar to current books like Galactic Champions 
  and Th e Mystic World which take an in-depth look 
  at a speciﬁ c type of superheroing. Th at’s why they 
  eventually called it Dark Champions, retaining 
  my original title as a subtitle. With that in mind, I 
  got to work. Six months’ worth of writing on the 
  evenings and weekends later, I had a ﬁ nished book, 
  which I submitted to the company. Hero published 
  it in 1993.
  It quickly became apparent that the book was 
  a hit. It sold extremely well, and the fans really 
  seemed to enjoy it. Before too long, gamers were 
  talking about running or playing in “Dark Cham-
  pions campaigns.” While many of these were just 
  variations on the Champions theme, what inter-
  ested me the most were people who created games 
  and characters with no real connection to superhu-
  mans or comic books. I heard things like “I’m run-
  ning this Dark Champions campaign where all the 
  players are cops” or “I’m using Dark Champions to 
  revive my old Danger International campaign.” In 
  eﬀ ect, I’d accomplished what I’d set out to — write 
  a book that stood on its own as a sort of genre book 
  — despite the inclusion of “Champions” in the title. 
  Th e term “Dark Champions” came to stand for a 
  lot more than just characters like Batman or the 
  Punisher; it encompassed the whole modern-day 
  action-adventure genre, even though the book 
  wasn’t written that way.
  So, thanks ultimately to my having created 
  and played the Harbinger, I was now an established 
  author. I wrote two more Dark Champions-related 
  books, and then several books on other topics, for 
  Hero Games. Dark Champions got noticed by other 
  gaming companies, some of which oﬀ ered me writ-
  ing work. Within a few years I had a thriving side 
  career as a game writer — and by 1997, I was able 
  to quit my job as an attorney to become a full-time 
  game designer. Eventually that led to salaried jobs 
  with various gaming companies... and, in 2001, to 
  my being in a position to join together with several 
  partners, buy the Hero Games assets, and take the 
  job I’d always wanted in gaming:  HERO System 
  Line Developer. Sometimes it’s hard to believe it all 
  grew out of that game back in 1986 where I ner-
  vously tried to ﬁ gure out how I could maneuver my 
  cool new vigilante character into position to shoot 
  a couple of crimelords without the other PCs being 
  able to stop me.
  And now I get to delve back into the genre that 
  brought me to game writing, with a dozen years of 
  experience and the authority and resources to do 
  the book the way I want to. Man, I have a great job.
  —Steven S. Long
  July, 2004
   OTHER RESOURCES
  In addition to Dark 
  Champions, Hero 
  Games publishes many 
  other books gamers 
  playing in or running 
  modern-day action-
  adventure campaigns 
  may ﬁ nd useful. Th ese 
  include:
  Th e HERO System Bes-
  tiary, which includes 
  many real-world ani-
  mals that will provide 
  any GM with plenty of 
  adversaries for the PCs 
  (guard dogs, sharks, 
  scorpions...).
  Th e Ultimate Martial 
  Artist, which not only 
  contains dozens of 
  real-world martial arts 
  styles suitable for Dark 
  Champions games, but a 
  long list of Asian melee 
  weapons.
  Th e Ultimate Vehicle, 
  which has expanded 
  rules for creating 
  and using Vehicles 
  in the HERO System. 
  It includes dozens of 
  sample vehicles, many 
  suitable for modern-day 
  games. Its companion 
  volume, Th e HERO 
  System Vehicle Source-
  book, contains over 140 
  vehicles, most of them 
  from the modern day.
  Gadgets And Gear, 
  which is intended for 
  Champions characters 
  but includes many 
  weapons and devices 
  that would be appro-
  priate for certain types 
  of Dark Champions 
  characters.
  
  chapter one:
  chapter one:
  chapter one:
  ACTION AND ADVENTURE
  THE DARK CHAMPIONS GENRE
  
  8 ■ The Dark Champions Genre
  Hero System 5th Edition
  B
  efore you can think about modern-day 
  action-adventure games and characters, 
  you have to deﬁ ne what “modern-day 
  action-adventure” is, or else the breadth 
  of the overall genre terms may make it diﬃ  cult to 
  focus on what you’re doing. Generally speaking, 
  three elements deﬁ ne the genre as a whole:  the 
  “real world” setting; the modern-day time period; 
  and the action element in the stories told.
  The Real World
  Dark Champions games are set in the “real 
  world,” or at least something very close to it. Th e 
  nations, technology, customs, and other aspects of 
  the setting are all identical (or nearly so) to those of 
  the real world.
  Similarly, most Dark Champions games make 
  some eﬀ ort to be “realistic” — though realism 
  must, as in any adventure story, give way to drama 
  at some times (see pages 176, 200, and 317). For 
  example, there are no miracle cures or healing 
  powers; if characters get hurt, it probably takes 
  them a long time to heal up fully. If they break the 
  law, the police and other law enforcement agencies 
  pursue them. If they’ve got a car, it requires fuel and 
  regular maintenance to run; there are no super-tech 
  engines that operate forever without the need for 
  refueling.
  However, the genre’s emphasis on the “real 
  world” and “realism” doesn’t prevent the GM from 
  altering things slightly in the interest of improving 
  his game, provided he ﬁ ts his changes into the over-
  all “real world framework” in a plausible manner. 
  For example, it’s perfectly reasonable for the GM 
  to create a ﬁ ctitious city or country as a setting 
  for a campaign or an adventure — but it should 
  resemble and function like a real city or country. 
  It shouldn’t be a city of mole people deep beneath 
  the Earth, or a nation of African tribesmen who’ve 
  used their new-found mystic powers to carve out a 
  country for themselves. Th at harms the verisimili-
  tude of the setting.
  Depending on the subgenre (see below), some 
  Dark Champions games may even involve weird 
  powers, mysticism, enigmatic aliens, or the like 
  — things that don’t exist in the real world (or, at 
  the very least, whose existence can’t be scientiﬁ cally 
  proven and whose powers aren’t nearly as eﬀ ective 
  as they’re depicted in a gaming context). Again, 
  this can work quite well, as long as the GM makes 
  some eﬀ ort to ﬁ t them into the “realistic” campaign 
  framework. Unless the GM wants a really unusual 
  setting, weird powers and the like have to be rare, 
  unknown to most people (and doubted by most 
  who have heard of them), and unable to have the 
  sort of earth-shaking eﬀ ects that true superpowers 
  or Fantasy-style magic can. (See page 314 for more 
  information.)
  The Modern Day
  Dark Champions games take place in the 
  “modern world.” Th ey involve modern technol-
  ogy, modern culture, and modern events. But 
  “modern” in this context doesn’t mean just 
  the late twentieth/early twenty-ﬁ rst centuries. 
  Depending on the subgenre and style of the 
  campaign, “modern” could mean just about any 
  time from the end of World War II until the mid-
  twenty-ﬁ rst century. For example, an espionage 
  campaign might focus on the heart of the Cold 
  War period in the 1950s and ’60s.
  If the GM chooses to set his campaign in an 
  unusual time period, he should adjust the technol-
  ogy and other resources available to suit the setting. 
  Most of the equipment in this book is primarily for 
  the late twentieth/early twenty-ﬁ rst centuries (since 
  that’s the time period most campaigns use). A 
  game set in the 1960s would have diﬀ erent lists of 
  weapons, vehicles, and gear for characters to choose 
  from. For games set a decade or more in the future, 
  the GM may have to deﬁ ne all the technology him-
  self aft er examining modern technological trends 
  and guesstimating what things will be like then.
  Action
  Last but not least, Dark Champions stories and 
  adventures feature action and excitement — every-
  thing from gunﬁ ghts, to car chases, daring stunts, 
  battles, and more. While some subgenres, such as 
  the mystery/private investigator subgenre, may 
  focus a little more on suspense, inevitably there’s 
  some fast-paced action involved at some point 
  during the adventure.
  One aspect of this element is that Dark Cham-
  pions worlds tend to be more violent and conﬂ ict-
  prone than the “real world.” Special ops organiza-
  tions and mercenary units can thrive because 
  there are always half a dozen brush wars (or worse 
  conﬂ icts) going on throughout the world. An elite, 
  shadowy subculture of professional freelance assas-
  sins exists, because assassination is a much more 
  prevalent “tool” of statecraft  and business than in 
  the real world.
  WHAT IS DARK 
  CHAMPIONS?
  
  9 
  Dark Champions ■ Chapter One
  L
  ike Fantasy, Science Fiction, or any other 
  major genre, the modern-day action-adven-
  ture genre isn’t just one monolithic type of 
  storytelling. It has many “subgenres,” each 
  sharing the common features of the overall genre 
  (see above) but approaching them from a unique 
  perspective.
  Included with each of the subgenres below are 
  suggestions about Character Point totals and other 
  guidelines for character creation. But the suggested 
  starting Character Point totals are just that — sug-
  gestions, nothing more. What matters for Dark 
  Champions purposes is what the characters spend 
  their points on, not how many they have to spend. 
  If you want to, you can easily create Dark Champi-
  ons characters built on 500, 800, or 1,200 Character 
  Points — as long as they only spend those points 
  on abilities and equipment appropriate for Dark 
  Champions characters.
  VIGILANTE CRIMEFIGHTING
  Th e purest form of the modern-day action-
  adventure genre is vigilante crimeﬁ ghting, which 
  draws from and mingles together aspects of all the 
  other Dark Champions subgenres. Some elements 
  of this subgenre, such as the enemies fought, oft en 
  owe as much to comic books as to the “real world.”
  VIGILANTE CRIMEFIGHTING ELEMENTS
  Th e following conventions tend to deﬁ ne the 
  Vigilante Crimeﬁ ghting subgenre:
  Like, And Yet Unlike:  Many Vigilante Crimeﬁ ghting 
  characters owe their look and modus operandi to 
  comic book inﬂ uences — they’re not just vigilantes, 
  they’re “costumed vigilantes.”  Comic book char-
  acters like Batman and the Punisher inspire the 
  creation of many Dark Champions campaigns and 
  characters. For example, Vigilante Crimeﬁ ghting 
  characters may wear costumes like those of tradi-
  tional superheroes (though usually not as brightly-
  colored!), have secret headquarters, and possess 
  other familiar comic book trappings.
  But at the same time, even those Vigilante 
  Crimeﬁ ghting characters most strongly inﬂ uenced 
  by comic book conventions are unlike four-color 
  superheroes (such as the ones depicted in most 
  Champions sourcebooks and supplements). Some 
  of the main diﬀ erences include:
  1. Traditional superheroes have superhuman 
  powers — they can ﬂ y, walk through walls, shoot 
  beams of energy, teleport across the world in the 
  blink of an eye, read minds, create ﬁ re or ice out 
  of thin air, pick up and throw tanks, and so forth. 
  Some of them do this naturally; others use super-
  technology that deﬁ es the laws of science and 
  engineering. But costumed vigilantes are more-or-
  less “normal” people using skills, knowledge, and 
  weapons to defeat their enemies. Th ey may have 
  some unusual skills or talents, and in some settings 
  perhaps even an odd “power” or two (such as psy-
  chic “ﬂ ashes” that help them track down missing 
  people), but for the most part they’re just normal 
  (albeit highly-trained and well-equipped) people.
  2.  Traditional superheroes tend to be bright, 
  ﬂ ashy, and larger than life (as implied by the term 
  “four-color” that’s oft en used to describe them). 
  Costumed vigilantes favor more somber and omi-
  nous tones for their costumes (since they’re con-
  cerned about camouﬂ age, stealth, and protection) 
  and usually try to keep a relatively low proﬁ le. In 
  many cases they act as much like elite soldiers or 
  spies as superheroes.
  3. Traditional superheroes oft en (though not 
  always) have distinctive motivations and psychol-
  ogy. Th ey’re “true-blue heroes” in the grand comic 
  book fashion:  they wouldn’t think of killing their 
  adversaries (even when those adversaries clearly 
  deserve it); won’t take advantage of their enemies’ 
  weaknesses; obey the proper civilian authorities 
  as much as possible; and so forth. Most Vigilante 
  Crimeﬁ ghting characters take a more practical, 
  hard-nosed approach. While they’re not all killers, 
  they’re not necessarily unwilling to use lethal force 
  when it’s called for, and oft en employ weapons 
  that four-color heroes abhor. Th ey ﬁ ght ruthlessly, 
  knowing their enemies will kill them if they fail to 
  get the upper hand. Th ey tend to distrust author-
  ity, believing their own opinions about Justice (and 
  methods of obtaining it) are superior to bureau-
  cratic procedures and moral relativism.
  4. Traditional superheroes oft en form teams, with 
  their own team headquarters, signal rings, code 
  words, and membership cards. Costumed vigi-
  lantes rarely do any of these things in the source 
  material, though the nature of most gaming cam-
  paigns means they probably will in a Dark Cham-
  pions game.
  5. Traditional superheroes ﬁ ght costumed oppo-
  nents who possess superpowers much like their 
  own. Costumed vigilantes face diﬀ erent, but no 
  less deadly and sinister, foes. While some of their 
  enemies are their opposite number — costumed 
  criminals, if you will — others are the “villains” you 
  can see on the six o’clock news, making them all 
  the more frightening for being so real:  thirteen-
  year-old street gang members who settle arguments 
  DARK CHAMPIONS 
  SUBGENRES
  
  10 ■ The Dark Champions Genre
  Hero System 5th Edition
  with submachine gun ﬁ re; mob assassins who cal-
  lously murder other human beings for money; and 
  sociopathic serial killers who brutally assault and 
  murder young women.
  6. Traditional superheroes oft en ﬁ ght battles 
  in strange and wondrous places:  the glittering, 
  high-tech conﬁ nes of a master villain’s hidden 
  base; exotic foreign cities; lost lands hidden from 
  mankind for centuries or millennia; outer space or 
  other dimensions; deep beneath the surface of the 
  Earth. Costumed vigilantes, on the other hand, typ-
  ically ﬁ ght their battles on the streets, alleys, docks, 
  and oﬃ  ces of a modern urban metropolis (such 
  as New York or Hudson City). Similarly, while a 
  typical Champions battle features superpowers and 
  super-technology, and results in the heroes carting 
  the defeated villains oﬀ  to jail, Vigilante Crime-
  ﬁ ghting battles usually involve guns and other 
  realistic weapons, and defeated enemies (or fallen 
  heroes) are as likely to be taken to the hospital or 
  the morgue as to jail. 
  Mostly Black-And-White Morality:  While very few 
  modern-day action-adventure campaigns are com-
  pletely black and white in moral tone, compared 
  to some subgenres Vigilante Crimeﬁ ghting has 
  relatively stark moral parameters. Th e heroes may 
  sometimes have diﬃ  culty determining who’s a bad 
  guy and who’s not, but they’re generally certain that 
  they’re on the side of righteousness and Justice, and 
  that their enemies are criminals and thugs who 
  deserve to die (or suﬀ er punishment).
  Inclusiveness:  Vigilante Crimeﬁ ghting mixes 
  together elements from all the other modern-day 
  action-adventure subgenres in glorious profusion. 
  In a single group of characters you could have 
  one who has Special Forces training, one who’s an 
  espionage agent, one who hunts monsters and has 
  minor mystic powers, one who’s an ex-cop, and one 
  who’s a costumed vigilante. Or they could all be 
  costumed vigilantes, but each with a diﬀ erent type 
  of training. Any element or aspect from another 
  subgenre can show up in a Vigilante Crimeﬁ ghting 
  game without much trouble.
  VIGILANTE CRIMEFIGHTING CAMPAIGNS
  In most cases, Vigilante Crimeﬁ ghting char-
  acters are Powerful Heroic characters, with 100 
  Base Points plus up to 100 Character Points from 
  Disadvantages. Vigilante Crimeﬁ ghting PCs tend 
  to be highly competent, and this starting point 
  level reﬂ ects that. Some GMs prefer even higher 
  point totals (such as the 125 + 125 of Very Power-
  ful Heroics), while others want a grimmer or more 
  “realistic” game with less powerful PCs (typically 75 
  + 75 Standard Heroic characters).
  Regardless of the starting point total, Vigi-
  lante Crimeﬁ ghting characters usually must follow 
  Normal Characteristic Guidelines as a campaign 
  ground rule (i.e., they don’t get any Disadvantage 
  points because of this). Th ey get their equipment 
  (or at least standard equipment) for “free,” without 
  paying Character Points for it (though the GM may 
  use the Resource Points rules on page 150 to keep 
  characters from abusing this rule). If they want a 
  unique piece of equipment, one that’s particularly 
  powerful, or one that’s not so easy to take away from 
  them, they may have to pay Character Points for it.
  CAPER
  Caper campaigns turn the tables on standard 
  Dark Champions games a little:  instead of playing 
  vigilantes, cops, or other heroes trying to uphold 
  the law and Justice, the players create characters 
  who are thieves. Th eir adventures involve locating 
  targets for daring, high-tech robberies, planning the 
  crimes, and then pulling them oﬀ  and getting away 
  with the loot.
  CAPER ELEMENTS
  Th e following conventions tend to deﬁ ne the 
  “Caper Hero” subgenre:
  Likeable Thieves:  Despite the fact that they’re 
  criminals, the PCs in a “Caper Hero” campaign 
  are likeable — thieves with hearts of gold, if you 
  will. Th ey tend to be nonviolent; in fact, many (if 
  not all) of them have the Psychological Limitation 
  Code Versus Killing. Th ey’re highly-trained, highly-
  competent professionals who get the job done with 
  cleverness and skill; they’re not muggers or kill-
  ers. Sometimes they’re not really even criminals:  
  their adventures might involve getting revenge on 
  someone who richly deserves it (such as a vicious 
  criminal who betrays and kills one of their friends); 
  correcting a problem they caused through greed or 
  a momentary lapse of judgment or skill; or work-
  ing for an employer who turns out to be one of the 
  Good Guys.
  Of course, not every group that pulls a caper 
  has to be criminals. Sometimes spies, vigilantes, 
  or other characters get involved in caper-like 
  adventures.
  Team Effort:  Unlike many Dark Champions sub-
  genres, Caper Hero lends itself well to team play. 
  Pulling oﬀ  a caper requires a group of skilled 
  professional thieves, each with his own specialty. 
  For example, maybe one character’s an expert at 
  defeating security systems, one is the team’s best 
  safecracker, a third is an ace getaway driver, and so 
  on (see page 305).
  Hey, Big Spender:  Despite the fact that they pull 
  oﬀ  crimes that may net them millions of dol-
  lars, Caper Hero characters always seem to be 
  in need of money. Some of this is ordinary busi-
  ness expenses:  planning and executing a caper 
  requires a large investment of money (for equip-
  ment, bribes, gathering information, and so on). 
  But beyond that, the PCs oft en seem strapped for 
  cash. Th e in-game reasons for this vary:  one PC 
  may be a compulsive gambler; one may give a lot 
  of money away to charity (or set up a big trust 
  fund for a dead partner’s kids); one may have a 
  really extravagent lifestyle. Th e meta-reason for it 
  is that it gives the characters a reason to keep pull-
  ing capers — if they ever got so much money they 
  could retire, they probably would.
  
  11 
  Dark Champions ■ Chapter One
  CAPER CAMPAIGNS
  In most cases, Caper Hero characters are Stan-
  dard Heroic characters, with 75 Base Points plus up 
  to 75 Character Points from Disadvantages. Th is 
  gives players enough points to build characters 
  who are pretty good at one or two aspects of thiev-
  ing, but not enough to become criminal polymaths 
  (which reduces their need to work with other char-
  acters). Gamemasters who want their Caper Hero 
  PCs to be even more competent and skilled can 
  upgrade to 100 + 100 Powerful Heroic characters.
  Regardless of the starting point total, Caper 
  Hero characters usually must follow Normal 
  Characteristic Guidelines as a campaign ground 
  rule (i.e., they don’t get any Disadvantage points 
  because of this). Th ey get their equipment (or at 
  least standard equipment) for “free,” without paying 
  Character Points for it (though the GM may use 
  the Resource Points rules on page 150 to keep 
  characters from abusing this rule). If they want a 
  unique piece of equipment, one that’s particularly 
  powerful, or one that’s not so easy to take away 
  from them, they may have to pay Character Points 
  for it. Because getting just the right gear for a par-
  ticular crime is a feature of Caper Hero stories, the 
  GM may require characters to obtain some types of 
  equipment in-game.
  DARK CHAMPIONS:  
  THE ANIMATED SERIES
  Th e Dark Champions:  Th e Animated Series 
  (“DC:TAS”) subgenre is a sort of cross between a 
  standard Vigilante Crimeﬁ ghting game and tradi-
  tional four-color Champions. Th e characters are 
  costumed vigilantes, but ones whose attitudes tend 
  to resemble traditional superheroes, and who may 
  have minor superpowers. Th e name of the subgenre 
  comes from the way that Dark Champions-style 
  costumed vigilantes are oft en depicted in modern 
  animated television shows.
  DC:TAS ELEMENTS
  Th e following conventions tend to deﬁ ne the 
  DC:TAS subgenre:
  Dark Champions M.O., Champions Attitude:  While 
  they look, ﬁ ght, and sometimes even act like typi-
  cal Dark Champions costumed vigilantes, DC:TAS 
  characters usually don’t share all their attitudes and 
  beliefs. In particular, they’re much more inclined to 
  subscribe to traditional comic book morality:  they 
  don’t kill their opponents (even those who deserve 
  it); believe they have to act “better” than their foes 
  as a way of setting an example; and so forth. Th ey 
  also tend to act more like traditional superheroes, 
  with a penchant for bombastic speeches and gran-
  diloquent gestures.
  Black And White:  Even moreso than standard Vigi-
  lante Crimeﬁ ghting campaigns, DC:TAS games 
  have a black and white moral tone. Th e PCs (and 
  their allies) are obviously the heroes, the villains are 
  obviously the villains, and no one has any trouble 
  telling the two apart (except for the inevitable “my 
  enemy frames me by putting on my costume and 
  committing crimes” story).
  Variations On A Theme:  DC:TAS characters oft en 
  develop codenames, costumes, and gadgets based 
  around a theme or concept of some sort. For exam-
  ple, the crimeﬁ ghter DarkAngel has an “angelic” 
  theme to her costume and weapons — her throw-
  ing darts are shaped like tiny ﬂ aming swords, her 
  blunt throwing weapon like an angel’s golden halo, 
  and so on. Her adversary Serpentine has an ophid-
  ian motif to his costume and weapons.
  In the case of the villains, who tend to embody 
  the “theme” element more strongly than heroes, the 
  concept or theme also inﬂ uences the crimes they 
  commit. Th e supervillainess Anagram uses word-
  play and puzzles as part of her crimes, oft en delib-
  erately leaving clues for the police and crimeﬁ ght-
  ers... if only they can unravel them. Her sometime 
  comrade-in-crime Rhapsody not only uses music 
  in her crimes, she tends to steal things related to 
  music:  Stradivarius instruments; rare antique sheet 
  music; the box oﬃ  ce receipts from concerts; all the 
  members of the rock group Firebreak.
  Superpowers And Supertechnology:  Unlike standard 
  Vigilante Crimeﬁ ghting costumed characters, who 
  are usually limited to more or less “realistic” abili-
  ties and technology, DC:TAS characters sometimes 
  verge into the superhuman. Th is is much more 
  common for villains than for heroes, but it’s not 
  necessarily forbidden for PCs. For example, Rhap-
  sody might have musical instruments that emit 
  “brain-altering waves” when played so she can take 
  over peoples’ minds or make them fall asleep; a 
  character with insect-themed powers might have 
  the ability to walk on walls (Clinging) or to call and 
  control insects (Summon). However, even in cam-
  paigns that allow this sort of thing, the superpow-
  ers and technology tend to be relatively low-key; 
  characters still don’t ﬂ y, walk through walls, or ﬁ re 
  beams of energy from their eyes.
  DC:TAS CAMPAIGNS
  In most cases, DC:TAS characters are usually 
  Low-Powered Superheroic characters, with 150 
  Base Points plus up to 100 Character Points from 
  Disadvantages. Some GMs prefer lower point totals 
  (such as the 125 + 125 of Very Powerful Heroics, or 
  even the 100 + 100 of Powerful Heroics) so that the 
  PCs have to be more like typical Vigilante Crime-
  ﬁ ghting characters and can’t aﬀ ord much in the way 
  of superpowers or supertechnology.
  Regardless of the starting point total, DC:TAS 
  characters usually must follow Normal Character-
  istic Guidelines as a campaign ground rule (i.e., 
  they don’t get any Disadvantage points because of 
  this). Th ey get their equipment (or at least standard 
  equipment) for “free,” without paying Character 
  Points for it (though the GM may use the Resource 
  Points rules on page 150 to keep characters from 
  abusing this rule). If they want an item of super-
  technology, or some other piece of equipment that’s 
  unique or unusually powerful, they may have to 
  pay Character Points for it.
  
  12 ■ The Dark Champions Genre
  Hero System 5th Edition
  ESPIONAGE
  Espionage campaigns (sometimes referred 
  to as “Danger International” games) focus on the 
  “Great Game” of intelligence gathering, double 
  agents, assassination, political intrigue, and govern-
  ment secrets. Of all the types of Dark Champions 
  campaigns, they’re the ones most likely to take 
  place in a time period other than the late twentieth/
  early twenty-ﬁ rst century, since the Cold War of the 
  mid-twentieth century oﬀ ers countless opportuni-
  ties for Espionage adventure. But the uncertain 
  world of the 1990s and early 2000s also makes for 
  great Espionage campaigns.
  Th e level of “realism” can vary tremendously 
  from one Espionage campaign to another. Most 
  GMs and players favor a style of play inﬂ uenced as 
  much by James Bond and other ﬁ ctional spies from 
  novels and movies as by real-life intelligence agents. 
  In these games characters use lots of high-tech gad-
  getry, visit exotic locations, and ﬁ ght villains who 
  are oft en as much like comic book villains as spies 
  (see Cinematic Masterminds on page 303). Gamers 
  preferring greater “realism” run lower-powered 
  characters and adventures drawn more from his-
  torical accounts of intelligence-gathering activities 
  than from adventure ﬁ ction.
  ESPIONAGE ELEMENTS
  Th e following conventions tend to deﬁ ne the 
  Espionage subgenre:
  Exotic Locations, Exotic Activities:  In many Espio-
  nage games, particularly those in the James Bond 
  style, characters travel around the world, visiting 
  all sorts of thrilling locales. Th ese range from the 
  relatively mundane (glittering cities like Paris, 
  Monaco, or Hong Kong), to luxury resorts, to the 
  truly unusual (a villain’s hidden headquarters 
  behind Victoria Falls, an experimental space sta-
  tion, or a drug dealer’s private Caribbean island). 
  While in these places, they participate in equally 
  glamorous activities — casino gambling, skiing, 
  attending lavish parties — as a way of drawing their 
  quarry out of hiding or ﬁ nding out what they need 
  to know.
  High Stakes:  Many Dark Champions characters 
  work on a relatively small scale:  they’re trying to 
  protect a city from crime, or to accomplish speciﬁ c 
  mission goals set forth by their commanders. Espi-
  onage agents, on the other hand, oft en play for very 
  high stakes (particularly in more “cinematic” cam-
  paigns, where the villain of the piece may threaten 
  the world with his latest super-weapon). At the very 
  least, the outcome of their activities may save (or 
  take) hundreds of lives — and sometimes what they 
  do in the shadows can determine the fate of entire 
  countries or regions of the world.
  High Tech:  Espionage adventures tend to involve 
  the latest technology — the newest weapon or 
  vehicle designs, the most advanced computer chips 
  currently available, and so on. Th e race for world 
  supremacy (or at least predominancy) depends on 
  technology, so stealing and protecting technological 
  secrets is one of a spy’s most important activities.
  
  13 
  Dark Champions ■ Chapter One
  Similarly, spies tend to use high-tech weapons 
  and gadgets in their work. Even in the real world, 
  spies oft en have unusual “tools of the trade”:  cam-
  eras concealed in tie-tacks; guns hidden in pens 
  or canes; hollowed-out coins for carrying micro-
  ﬁ lm. In a James Bond-style Espionage campaign, 
  these gadgets verge almost into supertechnology:  
  watches that ﬁ re laser beams; hand-held X-ray 
  viewers; wrist-mounted mini-dart launchers; and 
  more. See page 286 for some examples of spy-tech.
  Shades Of Grey:  It’s oft en hard to tell who’s a 
  friend, and who’s a foe, in an Espionage game 
  — and the more realistic the game, the harder it 
  becomes. Trusted, long-time friends turn out to be 
  double agents, loyal operatives betray the agency 
  when oﬀ ered enough money by the enemy, and an 
  agent’s own government may lie to or manipulate 
  him to accomplish its goals. An Espionage PC’s 
  life oft en becomes a complex web of conspiracy, 
  lies, and doubt.
  ESPIONAGE CAMPAIGNS
  Th e amount of points used to build Espionage 
  characters typically depends on how “realistic” the 
  GM wants the game to be. For a more “realistic” 
  style campaign, characters are probably built on no 
  more than 75 Base Points plus up to 75 Character 
  Points from Disadvantages — and it’s entirely pos-
  sible that they’ll be built as Competent Normals (50 
  + 50) or even Skilled Normals (25 + 25) instead.
  On the other hand, for a James Bond-style 
  campaign, you need characters who are extremely 
  skilled and competent, with lots of personal 
  resources to call on. In these games, Standard 
  Heroic characters (75 Base Points plus up to 75 
  Character Points from Disadvantages) are usu-
  ally the minimum — and Powerful (100 + 100) or 
  Very Powerful (125 + 125) Heroic characters aren’t 
  beyond the pale.
  Regardless of the starting point total, Espio-
  nage characters usually must follow Normal 
  Characteristic Guidelines as a campaign ground 
  rule (i.e., they don’t get any Disadvantage points 
  because of this). Th ey get their equipment (or at 
  least standard equipment) for “free,” without paying 
  Character Points for it. However, they may have 
  to go through the agency they work for to get any 
  unusual equipment or spy-tech gadgets, giving the 
  GM a way to control their access to gear (he can 
  also use the Resource Points rules on page 150). 
  As always, they have the option of paying Charac-
  ter Points for a piece of equipment to ensure they 
  always have access to it, or because it’s unique or 
  diﬃ  cult to take away from them permanently.
  LAW ENFORCEMENT
  In some Dark Champions campaigns, the 
  heroes ﬁ ght crime — but not as costumed vigilan-
  tes. Instead, they’re part of the “thin blue line” of 
  police oﬃ  cers (and/or national law enforcement 
  oﬃ  cers) who help to keep society safe from the 
  criminals who prey upon it. Th ese games are some-
  times known as “Cop Hero,” “SWAT Hero,” “FBI 
  Hero,” or the like, depending on the nature of the 
  campaign and who the PCs work for.
  LAW ENFORCEMENT ELEMENTS
  Th e following conventions tend to deﬁ ne the 
  Law Enforcement subgenre:
  Police Procedural:  Since the characters are cops, 
  they have to act like cops. Unless they work for a 
  national law enforcement agency (like the FBI), 
  they can only work within a deﬁ ned jurisdiction 
  (such as a particular city or county) — and national 
  agencies usually only have jurisdiction over certain 
  types of crimes. When they deal with suspects and 
  crime scenes, they have to follow departmental reg-
  ulations and the law. For example, they have to read 
  arrestees their rights, limit themselves to reasonable 
  use of force, and so on.
  Renegade Cops:  Despite the above, one staple 
  of “police ﬁ ction” is the renegade cop — the oﬃ  -
  cer who’s not so good at obeying the regs. He 
  thinks results matter more than procedure, so 
  he’s something of a maverick within the depart-
  ment (and oft en holds a much lower rank than 
  his accomplishments merit). Only the fact that he 
  gets those results, and possibly the tolerance of an 
  understanding superior oﬃ  cer, keep him from get-
  ting thrown oﬀ  the force. A team of “Cop Hero” 
  PCs might all be renegade cops, grouped together 
  because no one else wants to work with them.
  Red Tape And Intolerant Commanders:  A Cop Hero 
  PC’s most persistent enemies aren’t necessarily 
  drug dealers or thieves — they’re departmental 
  bureaucrats. In his eﬀ orts to get his job done and 
  keep the streets safe, the heroic cop runs afoul of 
  Internal Aﬀ airs, equipment oﬃ  cers who want him 
  to sign for everything he takes from the equipment 
  locker, and so on. His worst adversary is the Uptight 
  Commander — a by-the-book superior oﬃ  cer who 
  thinks the hero’s renegade ways are nothing but 
  trouble, and who’s looking for any excuse to ﬁ re him. 
  Usually the character’s immediate superior (a lieu-
  tenant or captain), who understands how he works, 
  has to run interference and put his own career on 
  the line to keep “the brass” oﬀ  the character’s back.
  Unusual Criminals:  Cop Hero characters don’t usu-
  ally spend their time dealing with ordinary street 
  crime or run-of-the-mill investigations. Th ey usu-
  ally belong to a special squad — SWAT, Robbery-
  Homicide, Special Crimes Unit, Violent Crimes 
  Unit, or the like — and that means they go aft er 
  special criminals. Th ey pursue, ﬁ ght, and capture 
  highly-skilled robbery crews, terrorists, serial kill-
  ers, organized crime groups, or other adversaries 
  worthy of their time.
  
  14 ■ The Dark Champions Genre
  Hero System 5th Edition
  LAW ENFORCEMENT CAMPAIGNS
  In most Law Enforcement campaigns, player 
  characters are Standard Heroic characters, with 75 
  Base Points plus up to 75 Character Points from Dis-
  advantages. Th at’s enough to make a “Cop Hero” PC 
  stand out from the rest of the force, without making 
  him unrealistically skilled and powerful.  For more 
  over-the-top games, the GM may prefer for charac-
  ters to be Powerful Heroics, built on 100 + 100 points.
  Regardless of the starting point total, Law 
  Enforcement campaign characters usually must 
  follow Normal Characteristic Guidelines as a 
  campaign ground rule (i.e., they don’t get any Dis-
  advantage points because of this). Th ey get their 
  equipment (or at least standard equipment) for 
  “free,” without paying Character Points for it. How-
  ever, they may have to go through the department 
  to get some types of unusual equipment, giving the 
  GM a way to control their access to gear (he can 
  also use the Resource Points rules on page 150). 
  As always, they have the option of paying Charac-
  ter Points for a piece of equipment to ensure they 
  always have access to it, or because it’s unique or 
  diﬃ  cult to take away from them permanently.
  MONSTER HUNTERS
  Technically a cross between Dark Champions 
  and the “Urban Fantasy” subgenre of Fantasy, a 
  Monster Hunter campaign (sometimes known as 
  an “Occult Investigators” game) pits the PCs against 
  various sorts of mystic threats:  vampires; were-
  wolves; evil sorcerers; demons; curses run amok; 
  and more. Th e heroes ﬁ ght to protect society from 
  a menace most people don’t even believe in, and 
  oft en the only thanks they get is to be shunned by 
  an ignorant populace.
  MONSTER HUNTERS ELEMENTS
  In addition to the central theme of “ﬁ ghting a 
  shadow war against malign mysticism,” the follow-
  ing conventions tend to deﬁ ne the Monster Hunt-
  ers subgenre:
  Not Your Run-Of-The-Mill Action Heroes:  While in 
  many Monster Hunter games the PCs are just ordi-
  nary (albeit well-trained and -equipped) characters 
  ﬁ ghting decidedly extraordinary menaces, in some 
  campaigns the PCs tend to be as unusual as the 
  beings they ﬁ ght. One or more of them may be a 
  “chosen one” fated to fulﬁ ll some important destiny, 
  the descendant of an ancient line of monster hunt-
  ers, a person who has sorcerous powers of his own 
  that he uses for Good instead of Evil, or the like. 
  Th is may allow PCs to buy abilities (such as Danger 
  Sense) an “ordinary” human wouldn’t have.
  Prophecy:  Prophecies of various sorts crop up fre-
  quently in Monster Hunter campaigns. Th e PCs are 
  fated to protect the world from a speciﬁ c menace. A 
  few lines in an ancient tome foretell the coming of the 
  latest threat the PCs have to defeat. Sensitive mystics 
  vaguely warn the PCs of dangers to come later in the 
  scenario. Many of these prophecies seem nonsensical 
  or contradictory at ﬁ rst; it’s only as the story unfolds 
  that the PCs can understand their full signiﬁ cance.
  MONSTER HUNTERS CAMPAIGNS
  In most cases, Monster Hunter characters are 
  Standard Heroic characters, with 75 Base Points 
  plus up to 75 Character Points from Disadvantages. 
  In campaigns where the GM wants the PCs them-
  selves to have mystic powers (or the like), he may 
  prefer to start them as Powerful or Very Powerful 
  Heroic characters (100 + 100 and 125 + 125 points, 
  respectively), or even as Superheroic characters.
  Regardless of the starting point total, Monster 
  Hunter characters usually must follow Normal 
  Characteristic Guidelines as a campaign ground 
  rule (i.e., they don’t get any Disadvantage points 
  because of this). Th ey get their equipment (or at 
  least standard equipment) for “free,” without paying 
  Character Points for it (though the GM may use 
  the Resource Points rules on page 150 to keep 
  characters from abusing this rule). If they want a 
  unique piece of equipment — such as an enchanted 
  weapon of some sort — they may have to pay 
  Character Points for it.
  SPECIAL OPS/
  MILITARY ACTION
  It’s not uncommon for Dark Champions char-
  acters in many subgenres to have military back-
  grounds. In this particular subgenre, all the char-
  acters have military training — and in most cases 
  they’re still active duty members of their nation’s 
  military forces. As the subgenre’s name indicates, 
  this type of campaign most commonly takes the 
  form of a “special ops” game in which the PCs all 
  belong to some elite military unit, such as the U.S. 
  Army’s Green Berets or the U.S. Navy’s SEALs. As a 
  squad of “best of the best” soldiers, the PCs get sent 
  on missions no one else can perform... oft en with 
  the fate of the nation (or the world) resting on their 
  shoulders.
  “Elite soldiers” isn’t the only option for a Mili-
  tary Action campaign. Some other possibilities 
  include:
  ■ Regular Joes:  the PCs are a unit of regular sol-
  diers involved in a war (either a real one researched 
  by the GM, or a ﬁ ctitious one created for the cam-
  paign).
  ■ Swords For Hire:  the PCs are a group of elite mer-
  cenaries who hire out to ﬁ ght in various conﬂ icts 
  around the world.
  ■ The Wild Blue Yonder:  the PCs are all elite ﬁ ghter 
  pilots who ﬂ y missions together.
  SPECIAL OPS/MILITARY ACTION ELEMENTS
  Th e following conventions tend to deﬁ ne the 
  Military Action subgenre:
  Counterterrorism:  Special Ops characters oft en ﬁ nd 
  themselves pitted against terrorists and similar 
  threats to world peace and security. It may be intel-
  ligence agents who gather and analyze the data on 
  terrorists, but once they’ve got concrete informa-
  tion it’s the Special Ops troops who go in and cap-
  ture or kill the enemy.
  
  15 
  Dark Champions ■ Chapter One
  Globetrotting Action:  While many Dark Champi-
  ons campaigns focus on a single city or country, 
  Special Ops campaigns almost never do. Th e 
  characters could ﬁ nd themselves in just about any 
  location — even the remote wilderness — as they 
  pursue the enemy. In fact, one of the things Spe-
  cial Ops characters train for is conducting mili-
  tary operations in unusual environments; they’re 
  more likely than other Dark Champions charac-
  ters to buy Skills like Animal Handler, Riding, 
  Survival, and Tracking.
  Military Hardware:  When they need it, Special 
  Ops characters can get their hands on better 
  equipment than most Dark Champions characters 
  have access to. In addition to the best personal 
  weapons and body armor, they may have artillery, 
  state-of-the-art combat helicopters, military-
  grade computers and soft ware, third-generation 
  nightvision goggles, shoulder-ﬁ red weapons 
  like Stinger missiles, and the like. Special Ops 
  games are more likely than any other type of 
  Dark Champions campaign to fall into the “Tech-
  nothriller” meta-subgenre (see below).
  SPECIAL OPS/MILITARY ACTION 
  CAMPAIGNS
  In most cases, Special Ops characters are Pow-
  erful Heroic characters, with 100 Base Points plus 
  up to 100 Character Points from Disadvantages. 
  Special Ops PCs tend to be highly competent, and 
  this starting point level reﬂ ects that. Some GMs 
  prefer even higher point totals (such as the 125 + 
  125 of Very Powerful Heroics), while others want a 
  grimmer or more “realistic” game with less power-
  ful PCs (typically 75 + 75 Standard Heroic charac-
  ters) — though note that the high cost of the Elite 
  Forces Package Deals (pages 52-55) sets a “starting 
  points ﬂ oor” for most Special Ops games.
  Regardless of the starting point total, Military 
  Action characters usually must follow Normal 
  Characteristic Guidelines as a campaign ground 
  rule (i.e., they don’t get any Disadvantage points 
  because of this). Th ey get their equipment (or at 
  least standard equipment) for “free,” without paying 
  Character Points for it. However, the GM may 
  restrict what they can take based on operational 
  parameters, their military’s budget, and other fac-
  tors — aft er all, it’s not much fun if the PCs can 
  simply go down to the quartermaster’s building, 
  pick up a truckful of heavy ordnance, and blow the 
  scenario to smithereens with a few well-placed mis-
  siles or artillery shells. (Th e GM can also use the 
  Resource Points rules on page 150 to restrict char-
  acters’ equipment.) If a PC wants a unique piece of 
  equipment, one that’s particularly powerful, or one 
  that’s not so easy to take away from him, he may 
  have to pay Character Points for it.
  
  16 ■ The Dark Champions Genre
  Hero System 5th Edition
  TECHNOTHRILLER
  Technothrillers are modern-day action-adven-
  ture stories that focus on speciﬁ c technologies or 
  devices (particularly military ones, such as subma-
  rines or new weapons systems), or which involve 
  the impact of modern technology (such as the 
  Internet) on the protagonists. Th e novels of Larry 
  Bond and Tom Clancy are perfect examples of this 
  subgenre. Actually, it’s really a meta-subgenre rather 
  than a true subgenre, since any of the Dark Cham-
  pions subgenres could also be technothrillers:  you 
  could have a Technothriller game with costumed 
  vigilantes, Espionage agents, or the like. Most 
  Technothriller campaigns are Special Ops/Military 
  Action, with Espionage a close second.
  Technothriller campaigns are sometimes dif-
  ﬁ cult to run and play in. To really emulate the feel 
  of the inspirational source material, the GM needs a 
  wealth of technological background detail, and the 
  players have to understand the implications of the 
  technologies they’re using/encountering and what to 
  do about them (or at least, their characters have to 
  be able to gather such information via Skill Rolls and 
  the like). Since that’s more eﬀ ort than most gaming 
  groups want to go to (or have the capacity to go to), 
  Technothriller games usually simplify things by just 
  having the characters go aft er technological targets. 
  If they’re elite soldiers, they have to blow up new 
  weapons in the hands of the enemy, steal a prototype 
  combat helicopter from a rival nation, or ﬁ eld-test 
  their military’s new weaponry. If they’re spies, they 
  have to get the blueprints for new technologies being 
  developed by the enemy (and keep him from doing 
  the same to their nation), or gather information so 
  that their own nation can respond to new techno-
  logical challenges.
  WEIRD CONSPIRACY
  Another “meta-subgenre” found in Dark 
  Champions games is weird conspiracy — games that 
  focus on investigating and/or ﬁ ghting conspiracies 
  related to all sorts of unusual (even paranormal) 
  subjects. Most Weird Conspiracy games are Law 
  Enforcement or Espionage games to begin with, but 
  soon the characters ﬁ nd themselves enmeshed in a 
  web of eerie events whose full outlines they can, at 
  best, glimpse brieﬂ y.
  In a Weird Conspiracy game, characters 
  become involved with subjects such as UFOs/
  aliens, cryptozoology, secret societies at the highest 
  reaches of government, bizarre military research 
  projects, parapsychology, and so forth. Th ey may 
  even verge a bit into the Monster Hunter subgenre, 
  encountering foes like vampires and lycanthropes 
  (or perhaps just beings who seem to be vampires 
  and lycanthropes...). Th eir foes aren’t run-of-the-
  mill criminals — instead, they’re serial killers who 
  have visions of the future (or past), cultists mutated 
  by strange alien viri, and the like. But by the end 
  of the scenario, the loose ends have been wrapped 
  up (one way or another...) and the characters don’t 
  have any deﬁ nitive proof of the paranormal events 
  they witnessed or beings the encountered.
  As mentioned below, Weird Conspiracy some-
  times means mingling elements of Fantasy Hero or 
  Horror Hero into a Dark Champions game — but 
  there’s nothing wrong with that. As long as the 
  GM and players are having fun, get as weird as you 
  want!
  
  17 
  Dark Champions ■ Chapter One
  D
  ark Champions comes in many ﬂ avors, 
  as described above. But beyond “pure” 
  expressions of the modern-day action-
  adventure genre there are many types of 
  stories (and game campaigns) involving the use 
  of meta-genres, or which combine Dark Champi-
  ons and some other genre.
  META-GENRES
  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 Dark 
  Champions, Fantasy, Science Fiction, and Westerns 
  are genres. Th us, you could have a horror Western, 
  or horror Dark Champions, or horror Fantasy 
  — horror isn’t a genre, it’s a meta-genre. A meta-
  genre can apply to an entire campaign, or just to 
  speciﬁ c adventures or story arcs within an other-
  wise normal Dark Champions game.
  In most cases, a campaign’s or scenario’s meta-
  genre evokes (or is intended to evoke) a particular 
  mood in the characters:  dread, compassion, sus-
  pense, or what have you. Th e GM should do his 
  best to enhance the mood by encouraging players 
  to have their characters engage in dramatically 
  appropriate actions — such as deliberately putting 
  them in situations where they’ll look ridiculous in a 
  Comedic Action campaign. In some cases, this may 
  involve granting Skill Roll bonuses (or the like) for 
  actions which ﬁ t or improve the mood; in others 
  it may mean giving the players advance warning 
  about what’s expected and letting them concoct a 
  proper response on their own.
  Comedy
  Comedy and whimsy deﬁ nitely have their 
  place in the realm of Dark Champions, provided 
  you treat them with caution. Many of the subjects 
  covered in modern-day action adventures are 
  extremely serious ones, and joking about them 
  may seem insensitive or cruel. Murder, crime, drug 
  abuse, terrorism, serial killers, and the like generally 
  aren’t humorous subjects. However, when you treat 
  the Comedy element carefully, oft en by spooﬁ ng 
  or parodying character types, it can add a lot to the 
  game. Aft er all, a touch of humor sometimes helps 
  to relieve the tension, keep the characters focused, 
  and build bonds between the PCs.
  Comedic Dark Champions works best in sub-
  genres where the morality is relatively black-and-
  white, such as in a DC:TAS campaign or some Law 
  Enforcement games. Otherwise, it becomes diﬃ  cult 
  for players to get into a humorous mood, since 
  they’re always going to be wary for the double-cross 
  and the moral dilemma (neither of which are ever 
  very funny).
  Example:  Bruce convinces Steve to run a Law 
  Enforcement campaign premised, in part, on 
  the “Lethal Weapon” movies:  police action 
  with a heavy touch of humorous banter and 
  odd situations. Steve decides the PCs all belong 
  to the Special Violence Task Force — a group 
  of renegade Hudson City cops so dangerous, 
  unpredictable, and violent that the brass has 
  organized them into one unit it can easily 
  keep its eye on. Th e players create appropriate 
  characters, including a unit commander who 
  dislikes guns and doesn’t know how to drive, a 
  sergeant who thinks explosives are the solution 
  for just about any law enforcement problem, a 
  constantly-on-suspension detective who moon-
  lights as a cab driver, and a tough-as-nails DEA 
  liaison who serves as the straight man for some 
  of the jokes. Th e players run their characters 
  as much for laughs as anything else, willfully 
  “misinterpreting” orders and getting themselves 
  in over their heads... but in the end, they always 
  manage to catch the bad guy somehow.
  In a gaming context, the GM can oft en rely on 
  the help of the players to establish a comedic (or 
  at least whimsical) mood. Players rarely do quite 
  what the GM expects them to, and if placed in a 
  ridiculous or absurd situation, frequently just dig 
  themselves in deeper, with hilarious results. Th e 
  trick to this is not to always use the PCs as fall guys, 
  patsies, or the butt of jokes; no one likes to be made 
  fun of all the time. Instead, put them in the driver’s 
  seat sometimes, letting them take advantage of the 
  other guy’s pratfalls.
  Just about any type of character works for 
  Comedic Dark Champions, though such charac-
  ters should rarely, if ever, be powerful or compe-
  tent. Examples include a cop who drops his gun 
  every time he draws it, a costumed crimeﬁ ghter 
  who approaches every task (no matter how trivial) 
  with deadly seriousness and deadpan dialogue, a 
  gun-toting vigilante who’s allergic to gunpowder, 
  and so on.
  MIXING
  GENRES
   OTHER SOURCES 
  OF INSPIRATION
  Pages 35-43 of Cham-
  pions contain advice on 
  applying meta-genres to 
  superhero campaigns. 
  Much of that advice 
  is general, and could 
  certainly work in Dark 
  Champions campaigns 
  as well. Similarly, you 
  might want to look at 
  pages 17-19 of Star 
  Hero, pages 17-19 of 
  Ninja Hero, and pages 
  19-22 of Fantasy Hero.
  
  18 ■ The Dark Champions Genre
  Hero System 5th Edition
  Horror
  Horror and Dark Champions can relate closely 
  to one another (as the television show Th e X-Files 
  so oft en shows). Th e elements of fear and suspense 
  factors into both genres, though they’re less promi-
  nent in Dark Champions.
  Horror stories take place in the “real world,” 
  but oft en involve dark secrets, hidden terrors, and 
  lurking evils the average person knows nothing of. 
  In most of them, ordinary, and usually sympathetic, 
  protagonists begin investigating some strange situa-
  tion, only to discover the true horror behind it. One 
  by one, the main characters die, go insane, become 
  corrupt, lose loved ones and possessions, and suﬀ er 
  other disasters and terrors as the story wends its 
  way to a conclusion (usually, but not always, a 
  happy or hopeful ending, as the heroes stop the 
  threat and restore normalcy).
  Th e primary “disconnect” between Horror and 
  Dark Champions is that Dark Champions characters 
  tend to be tough, skilled, and proactive. Th ey’re not 
  likely to sit meekly and wait for their fate to come 
  upon them; they take up weapons and go out to 
  confront it. Th e GM has to arrange the situation so 
  the players think they’re making progress oppos-
  ing the “enemy” at ﬁ rst... only to discover that their 
  eﬀ orts have been in vain, and they’ve got to ﬁ nd the 
  right approach or they’re all doomed.
  Most Horror stories use one or more of several 
  mechanisms to create suspense, fear, and dread in 
  the characters (and thus, in the readers/players as 
  well). Th e ﬁ rst is isolation. If characters can radio 
  for help, or escape, that lessens their feelings of 
  terror. A proper Horror story traps them some-
  where — a deserted island, an isolated mansion 
  during a driving thunderstorm, a prison — and 
  keeps them there until they resolve the situation. 
  Th e second is ignorance. People tend to fear the 
  unknown, so Horror stories oft en place characters 
  in situations where they’re unaware of the true 
  facts. As the story unfolds, the characters slowly 
  learn what’s going on... oft en to their own detri-
  ment. Th e third is powerlessness. Characters who 
  have the ability to cope with adversity oft en also 
  have the conﬁ dence to confront that which scares 
  them. It creates a better Horror eﬀ ect if they have to 
  struggle against the lurking terrors instead of just 
  attacking them as if they were any other adversary.
  It’s diﬃ  cult to achieve Horror eﬀ ects in a 
  gaming context, with the lights on and plenty of 
  snacks at hand, but it is possible. Even the tough-
  est of Dark Champions character becomes less 
  cocksure when stripped of his weapons and put in 
  a deadly situation he cannot control. Just about any 
  type of character is appropriate, though the char-
  acters should never have the power to confront the 
  lurking horrors eﬀ ectively (at least, not at ﬁ rst).
  Mystery
  Mystery is one of the most suitable meta-
  genres for Dark Champions. In many of the sub-
  genres, characters spend a large amount of their 
  time investigating serious crimes and trying to 
  ﬁ gure out who committed them. Th e forensics 
  information and rules in Chapter Th ree are used 
  primarily in mystery-solving.
  It’s even possible to run a mystery-oriented 
  Dark Champions campaign. In this sort of game, 
  the PCs are all investigators (possibly “private eyes,” 
  possibly detectives on the police force) confronted 
  with a new mystery every scenario. Th is sort of 
  campaign tends to require a lot of work on the part 
  of the GM. First, he has to concoct a new, plausible 
  mystery for each game, and that can be diﬃ  cult 
  — despite the plethora of mystery novels on book-
  store shelves, good, solid mysteries that work as 
  gaming adventures aren’t easy to come by. Among 
  the things the GM needs to know (and be prepared 
  to reveal to the PCs at the appropriate time) are:
  ■ the identity of the criminal, and his motives for 
  committing the crime
  ■ the identities of other suspects, and their possible 
  motives
  ■ the identity of the victim (and any other relevant 
  details about him, such as his personal history, job, 
  family, and the like)
  ■ how and when the crime occurred
  ■ what happened when the criminal committed the 
  crime, and what (if anything) he did aft erwards
  ■ other events that might aﬀ ect the characters’ abil-
  ity to gather and correctly analyze the clues
  Second, unlike a novelist, who can have a 
  character suddenly realize the signiﬁ cance of a 
  clue, the GM doesn’t control the protagonists in 
  his game (the PCs). Th is may lead to situations 
  where (a) all of the players overlook a clue, or the 
  signiﬁ cance of a clue, (b) the GM has to make a 
  clue so obvious that there’s no suspense, and/or (c) 
  the players end up using a lot of die rolls to gather 
  and analyze information, rather than solving the 
  mystery on their own (oft en with the entirely fair, 
  but game-wrecking, excuse that “my character is 
  better at these things than I would be”). Th e GM 
  has to deft ly manage the release of information, 
  dropping (sometimes blatant) hints to the players 
  (“What Bob just suggested really seems to make 
  sense to you”), the use of die rolls, and the pacing 
  of the story to keep the suspense alive and prevent 
  the players from reaching the right conclusion too 
  early or too late.
   DUNITS
  Basically speaking, mys-
  teries can be organized 
  into three types:
  Howdunits, in which all 
  of the suspects had a 
  motive, but it appears 
  impossible that any 
  of them (or possibly 
  anyone else) could have 
  committed the crime 
  (this includes the classic 
  “locked room” mystery). 
  Solving the mystery 
  involves ﬁ guring out 
  how the crime was com-
  mitted; this in turn tells 
  the investigator who 
  did it.
  Whodunits, in which 
  all the suspects had a 
  motive, and the method 
  of committing the crime 
  is obvious. Solving the 
  mystery involves ﬁ gur-
  ing out who committed 
  the crime. Th is is the 
  most common type of 
  mystery.
  Whydunits, in which 
  none of the suspects 
  seems to have had a 
  motive, and the method 
  of committing the crime 
  is obvious. Solving the 
  mystery involves ﬁ gur-
  ing out why someone 
  would commit the 
  crime; once the inves-
  tigator knows that, he 
  knows who’s guilty.
  Of course, some myster-
  ies combine features of 
  two or all three types. 
  For example, a whydunit 
  might reveal that more 
  than one suspect had 
  motive; at that point the 
  mystery converts into a 
  whodunit.
  
  19 
  Dark Champions ■ Chapter One
  Romance
  Romance as a meta-genre refers to campaigns 
  or storylines involving, or focusing on, the romantic 
  attachments, entanglements, and relationships of the 
  main characters. Most Dark Champions campaigns 
  are “romantic” in the broad, dramatic sense of that 
  term — they’re ﬁ lled with adventure, excitement, 
  and appropriate but unlikely actions — but that’s not 
  quite the same thing.
  Romantic Dark Champions campaigns gener-
  ally require two things. First, the characters have to 
  stay put in one location. If they’re in an Espionage 
  or Special Ops campaign that features a lot of travel, 
  creating good, long-lasting Romance subplots may 
  prove diﬃ  cult, if not impossible. If the GM wants to 
  emphasize Romance, he should base the campaign 
  in a single city (or other static location). Of course, 
  the GM can always introduce a minor romantic 
  sub-plot or two without making the whole campaign 
  revolve around Romance, and that even works in 
  campaigns featuring lots of travel.
  Second, and more importantly, the characters 
  must have potential romantic partners to choose 
  from (and perhaps ﬁ ght over). A Romance campaign 
  won’t go far without enough “ﬁ sh in the sea” for 
  the characters to take an interest in. Th e GM has to 
  design intriguing NPCs who attract one or more PCs 
  through some qualities, and yet have other qualities 
  the PC(s) ﬁ nd troublesome or oﬀ -putting. For exam-
  ple, perhaps DarkAngel, a female NPC costumed 
  vigilante, ﬁ nds one of the PCs, Shadow, attractive 
  — but they don’t see eye-to-eye on all aspects of 
  their “jobs,” creating strain between them. Aft er all, 
  what fun is a Romance story if the romances are 
  smooth sailing all the way?
  Romance works well in conjunction with the 
  Comedy meta-genre. What makes people look more 
  foolish, or more likely to do things they ordinarily 
  wouldn’t, than love? 
  Tragedy
  Traditionally, a Tragedy tells the story of a 
  hero or heroes, doomed by some personal ﬂ aw or 
  circumstance to loss, diminishment, or death. Most 
  action-adventure stories, modern-day or otherwise, 
  feature happy endings that aren’t compatible with 
  Tragedy — at most, they contain a minor note of 
  Tragedy related to the death of a beloved character 
  or the passing of a way of life.
  In a gaming context, Tragedy works even less 
  well as a campaign theme, since most people want 
  to have fun when playing a game. However, a GM 
  can easily introduce a few tragic elements or sub-
  plots by using a character’s Disadvantages against 
  him. Choose a Disadvantage — Psychological Limi-
  tations such as Proud, Greedy, or Overconﬁ dence; an 
  undeserved Reputation the character cannot over-
  come — and bring about the character’s downfall 
  by exploiting it. For example, perhaps a character 
  who’s Proud comes to a tragic end because he can’t 
  walk away from a situation where his enemies bait 
  him into a trap by insulting him. In short, have the 
  character’s ﬂ aws lead to the tragic ending.
  OTHER GENRES
  Th e tropes, themes, and character types of 
  modern-day action-adventure are easily mingled 
  with those of other genres. Doing so can create fas-
  cinating campaigns and stories.
  Champions
  Dark Champions obviously relates closely to, 
  and mingles easily with, the traditional superheroic 
  action of Champions. Many Dark Champions char-
  acters, particularly costumed vigilantes and DC:TAS 
  heroes, are largely just superheroes in an unusual 
  setting or viewed from a diﬀ erent perspective.
  Mixing the two genres usually leads to one of 
  three results. Th e ﬁ rst is the Dark Champions:  Th e 
  Animated Series subgenre discussed on page 11. 
  Its deﬁ ning element is the addition of traditional 
  superhero attitudes (and sometimes powers) to 
  costumed vigilante-type characters.
  Iron Age Champions
  Th e second is the opposite of DC:TAS:  Iron Age 
  Champions, which could in many ways be described 
  as the addition of Dark Champions attitudes (and 
  sometimes methods) to true superpowered charac-
  ters. Iron Age heroes oft en scoﬀ  at the “truth, Justice, 
  and the American Way” philosophy of earlier super-
  heroes; they live in a darker, deadlier, more cynical 
  world, and oft entimes they ﬁ ght ﬁ re with ﬁ re when it 
  comes to the use of deadly force.
  In addition to that, the deﬁ ning elements of 
  most Iron Age Champions stories include:
  “Realism”:  If a Champions game or story addresses, 
  refers to, or otherwise involves the “realistic” impli-
  cations of having superpowers, using superpow-
  ers, or the existence of superpowered beings, it’s 
  probably an Iron Age Champions game (or at least 
  Bronze Age Champions). Golden and Silver Age 
  Champions characters don’t think about issues like 
  “How does VIPER build all these secret bases with-
  out being seen on satellite photos?” or “What would 
  really happen if someone with super-strength hit 
  an ordinary person?” Similarly, superhero stories 
  dealing with “realistic” (or “dark”) issues, such as 
  drug abuse or date rape, usually fall into the Iron or 
  Bronze Ages.
  The Deconstructed Hero:  Another aspect of “real-
  ism” is to challenge the entire concept of the Super-
  hero. If a Champions campaign tries to change 
  heroes to make them more “realistic,” to show that 
  they’re not really all that heroic, to demonstrate 
  that they have lots of all-too-human ﬂ aws, or the 
  like, it’s deﬁ nitely getting into Iron Age territory. 
  In short, Iron Age Champions oft en takes a cynical 
  worldview of superheroes. Compared to Golden 
  and Silver Age audiences, Iron Age audiences don’t 
  really have many heroes anymore — the modern 
  mass media has made modern people all too will-
  ing to think the worst of heroes and leaders, and 
  this leads to the idea of “re-examining” superheroes 
  and making them seem as dirty, corrupt, or ﬂ awed 
  as “everyone else.”
  
  20 ■ The Dark Champions Genre
  Hero System 5th Edition
  Street-Level Champions
  Th ird, mingling Champions and Dark Cham-
  pions can lead to “street-level superheroes” games 
  where the PCs are low-powered superheroes who 
  use their powers more to ﬁ ght street crime and 
  low-powered supervillains than to take on the 
  world-threatening menaces fought by more power-
  ful superheroes. Characters such as Marvel Com-
  ics’s Spider-Man (in various times/incarnations) 
  and Daredevil provide excellent examples of this 
  sort of campaign.
  In most cases, the PCs in Street-Level Cham-
  pions campaigns don’t show the full range of super-
  powers “typical” superheroes do. Th ey’re less likely to 
  have ﬂ ashy powers like Energy Blast and Teleporta-
  tion, and more likely to have “personal” powers such 
  as Enhanced Senses, augmented DEX, Clinging, low-
  level Healing Regeneration, minor super-Strength, 
  and the like. Th ey’re unquestionably superhuman, but 
  their powers aren’t so overwhelming or impressive 
  that they can ignore the attacks of ordinary human 
  opponents. In particular, Street-Level Champions 
  PCs shouldn’t have so much Resistant Defense that 
  they can ignore gunﬁ re; otherwise they won’t regard 
  street thugs as a threat.
  In most Street-Level Champions campaigns, 
  the PCs are built as Low-Powered Superheroic 
  characters, with 150 Base Points and up to 100 
  Character Points from Disadvantages. Th e Normal 
  Characteristic Maxima rules do not apply, but most 
  characters will have few, if any, Primary Character-
  istics above 25 (STR is sometimes an exception). 
  Characters do not receive equipment for free; they 
  have to pay Character Points for any equipment 
  they want to have and use regularly.
  MIXING DARK CHAMPIONS AND 
  CHAMPIONS CHARACTERS
  Some GMs may prefer to use street-level ele-
  ments in their regular campaign rather than run-
  ning a full-blown Dark Champions campaign, or 
  they may want to have characters from a costumed 
  vigilante campaign “cross paths” with traditional 
  superheroes. Th is isn’t diﬃ  cult, but the GM should 
  consider several things.
  Potential Problems
  Several potential problems can arise when you 
  include Dark Champions and “four-color” Cham-
  pions characters in the same campaign. Th e ﬁ rst is 
  personality. Unless your  Dark Champions characters 
  are all of the DC:TAS variety, their viewpoints and 
  methods of crimeﬁ ghting probably diﬀ er from those 
  of the four-color superheroes. Th is can easily create 
  conﬂ icts between the characters, which may even go 
  as far as outright ﬁ ghting if the superheroes attempt 
  to capture the Dark Champions vigilantes. Th is sort of 
  inter-character conﬂ ict upsets some gamers, and oft en 
  results in bruised egos on one side or the other. Some 
  gaming groups can roleplay this sort of conﬂ ict with-
  out having it aﬀ ect real-world relationships between 
  the players, and they enjoy it; but others can’t and hate 
  it. Unless the GM and players can deal with this sort 
  of conﬂ ict maturely and responsibly, it’s best avoided. 
  However, it does have its rewards — opportunities 
  for roleplaying and exciting scenes — so don’t be too 
  quick to dismiss its possibilities.
  One way to deal with this sort of clash of 
  personalities, if the GM is up to it, is to “separate” 
  the group. Th is means the GM shift s back and 
  forth from the Champions superheroes to the Dark 
  
  21 
  Dark Champions ■ Chapter One
  Champions action heroes, as each group (or char-
  acter) attempts to deal with whatever happens in 
  the scenario in its (or his) own way. However, this 
  requires the GM to do a lot of extra work when run-
  ning the scenario. Another possible solution is to 
  give each group something the other needs or wants 
  (such as crucial clues), thus forcing them to work 
  together even if they despise each other.
  A second problem with integrating Dark Cham-
  pions and Champions campaigns is power levels. Even 
  if all the characters are built on the same amount of 
  Character Points (which is unlikely), four-color super-
  heroes will probably be more eﬀ ective at some things 
  (such as combat) because of the way they spend 
  their points. Th e GM can deal with this in two ways. 
  First, he can direct his eﬀ orts at the lowest common 
  denominator. Th at means he must devise ways to limit 
  the superheroes so they can be challenged by NPCs 
  who are already a challenge to Dark Champions char-
  acters. Th e second, and perhaps better, way to balance 
  power levels is the “smorgasbord” approach — some-
  thing for everybody. Th is means the GM has to tailor 
  the scenario so each type of character has something 
  meaningful to do (especially in combat, because many 
  players will be upset if their character fails to “keep 
  pace” with the other PCs in a battle). For example, 
  maybe the Champions PCs take on the superpowered 
  guardians of a secret military installation, while the 
  Dark Champions vigilantes sneak inside, disable the 
  guards, and ﬁ nd the information needed to defeat the 
  master villain and save the day.
  Potential Beneﬁ ts
  Th ere are two major beneﬁ ts to mixing Dark 
  Champions and four-color Champions characters. 
  Th e ﬁ rst is character development. By seeing the way 
  “the other half” lives, both types of characters can 
  learn how their characters react to diﬀ erent situa-
  tions, and perhaps alter their characters’ personalities 
  to take these new experiences into account. Super-
  heroes might learn something from being brought 
  “back down to earth” for a while; Dark Champions 
  characters could learn new ways to ﬁ ght crime, or 
  might “soft en” harsh and sometimes irrational atti-
  tudes. Similarly, each group of characters will prob-
  ably have the opportunity to learn new Skills and 
  abilities from the other.
  A second beneﬁ t is the roleplaying opportuni-
  ties presented. Th e clash between Dark Champions 
  and four-color points of view provides some of the 
  best opportunities that exist for complex, in-depth 
  roleplaying. Elements of both debate and diplomacy 
  combine as both types of characters try to “convert” 
  the other without provoking a major fracas. Sure, 
  your character knows what to say to Dr. Destroyer 
  when he begins yet another world-conquering 
  scheme, but could he talk the Harbinger of Justice 
  out of killing some anonymous gangbanger? Would 
  he be willing to risk his life, and the punk’s, to try 
  to capture Harbinger at the same time? How would 
  he defend his views on crimeﬁ ghting against Har-
  binger’s? Does he even have a deﬁ ned philosophy 
  of crimeﬁ ghting? Why not? Th ese are the sorts of 
  things you can learn about your character when the 
  two genres are properly mixed.
  Fantasy Hero
  Modern-day action-adventure mixes well 
  with the “Urban Fantasy” subgenre of Fantasy. 
  In fact, the Monster Hunters subgenre described 
  above is essentially that — a form of Urban Fan-
  tasy with a generous helping of Dark Champions 
  elements. Other possibilities abound. For example, 
  a group of vigilante PCs might use their mystic 
  powers (be they spellcasting, vampiric or lycan-
  thropic abilities, or enchanted talismans) to ﬁ ght 
  traditional crime. If you make the PCs a group of 
  government agents investigating mystic events, 
  you’ve got a game something like the television 
  show Th e X-Files. If they’re espionage agents 
  or military personnel using mystic powers and 
  recruiting Fantasy-type beings for use in covert 
  operations, your game becomes something like 
  Brian Lumley’s book Necroscope or the Tim 
  Powers novel Declare. 
  For a slightly diﬀ erent spin on the two genres, 
  create a vigilante crimeﬁ ghting campaign set in a 
  Fantasy world. Th e characters, armed with the best 
  weapons and magic they can obtain, take on the 
  Th ieves’ Guild, assassins, renegade wizards, and 
  corrupt government oﬃ  cials in a Fantasy city like 
  Lankhmar or Minas Tirith. If you make the setting 
  a Low Fantasy “swashbuckling” sort of place, you 
  can use Th e Scarlet Pimpernel and Zorro as inspira-
  tion for your game.
  Another possibility is to focus on the Espionage 
  subgenre as it would exist in Fantasy settings. Spies, 
  codes, and assassination were a fact of political and 
  military life for millennia before James Bond, and 
  an espionage-oriented Fantasy Hero campaign has a 
  lot of potential. When you add magic into the mix to 
  take the place of Bondian gadgets like laser watches 
  and sportscar-mounted concealed rockets, the heroes’ 
  adventures can become really wild!
  Ninja Hero
  Dark Champions campaigns frequently feature 
  martial arts and martial artists — everyone from 
  costumed vigilantes, to spies, to special ops soldiers 
  receives training in the combat arts. By emphasiz-
  ing that element over others, the GM can create a 
  hybrid Dark Champions-Ninja Hero campaign that 
  mixes action-adventure with martial arts mayhem! 
  When they’re not ﬁ ghting crime, gathering intelli-
  gence, or ﬁ ghting their nation’s enemies, the heroes 
  participate in martial arts competitions and help 
  keep the streets of Chinatown safe.
  Even if the GM doesn’t want to go that far, he 
  can easily incorporate Ninja Hero elements into 
  most Dark Champions campaigns. For example, any 
  setting including Asian organized crime (such as 
  the yakuza) will certainly feature characters with 
  expertise in the martial arts. Th e GM can add a 
  great deal of color and depth to such groups with a 
  judicious application of certain genre elements. Vir-
  tually all of the classic Ninja Hero genre bits adapt 
  well to Dark Champions settings (except perhaps 
  for those involving the supernatural and/or over-
  the-top cinematic abilities).
  
  22 ■ The Dark Champions Genre
  Hero System 5th Edition
  One Dark Champions subgenre — Espionage 
  — meshes with martial arts particularly well. Realistic 
  and Cinematic martial arts campaigns oft en have 
  heavy Espionage ties, and dashing spies usually receive 
  some hand-to-hand combat training. On a team of 
  PC spies, one may serve as the “martial arts expert,” 
  using both his ﬁ ghting skills and knowledge of Asian 
  cultures to help the group complete missions.
  Pulp Hero
  On the surface, at least, Pulp adventures 
  and modern-day action adventures have a lot in 
  common. Th ey both feature fast-paced action, 
  gunﬁ ghts, car chases, travel to exotic locations, and 
  so on. Some subgenres of Dark Champions, such 
  as Espionage and Vigilante Crimeﬁ ghting, are alive 
  and well during the Pulp era.
  On the other hand, the two genres have some 
  signiﬁ cant diﬀ erences. At its heart Dark Champions 
  tends to be relatively grim, gritty, and “realistic.” Pulp 
  Hero is more lighthearted and fantastic. Where Dark 
  Champions characters tend to distrust the govern-
  ment and authority ﬁ gures, Pulp characters regard 
  them much more favorably. Even the darkest Pulp 
  campaign tends to seem bright and open compared 
  to most Dark Champions games — the morality is 
  starkly black and white, with few (if any) shades of 
  grey. And while many Pulp heroes ruthlessly gun 
  down the evil foes they face, others prefer merci-
  ful attacks or other methods to capture and reform 
  criminals. Th us, while the two genres can inﬂ uence 
  and inform each other to some degree, in the end 
  their dissimilarities typically prevent them from fully 
  mixing together.
  It’s possible to have a sort of Pulp-style Dark 
  Champions campaign featuring the sort of serial-
  ized adventures and over-the-top heroes common 
  to the pulps — just with a Dark Champions tinge. 
  For example, serial adventure novels such as those 
  about Mack Bolan the Executioner, Phoenix Force, 
  and their ilk are, essentially, “modern-day pulp 
  adventures.” But in this case, the heroes of those 
  adventures are Dark Champions vigilantes.
  Star Hero
  Th e stereotypical Dark Champions grim vigi-
  lante may not have much place in most Science 
  Fiction settings, but the Espionage subgenre is deﬁ -
  nitely an appropriate one to cross with SF. Call it 
  Danger Interstellar.
  Spy stories and Science Fiction blend seam-
  lessly into one another. Oft en the distinction between 
  an Espionage “technothriller” and near-future or 
  cyberpunk SF is nothing more than a matter of mar-
  keting. Certainly James Bond has spent an awful lot of 
  his career facing villains with secret bases and super-
  weapons straight out of Science Fiction. Th e crossover 
  goes the other way, too:  Poul Anderson’s Ensign Flan-
  dry, Harry Harrison’s Slippery Jim DiGriz, and Robert 
  Heinlein’s Friday accomplish feats of espionage and 
  deception Mr. Bond would surely have approved of.
  Crossing Star Hero with Danger International 
  can simply be a matter of setting the campaign a few 
  decades in the future. Th is lets the GM rearrange 
  international politics without worrying about next 
  week’s headlines, and allows the agents to visit Earth 
  orbit or even Mars. Most of the weapons and gadgets 
  are present-day tech, but a few next-generation pro-
  totypes like chemical laser riﬂ es or remotely piloted 
  combat vehicles can liven things up.
  On the other hand, the GM can take things a 
  step further, setting his “Great Game” of spycraft  
  and assassination in the distant future. Th is pres-
  ents some of the same problems as SF crimeﬁ ght-
  ing — high-tech gadgetry may make some forms 
  of spying too easy, or too diﬃ  cult, which spoils 
  the fun. Th e campaign may need to fall back on 
  the Human (alien?) element, with scenarios which 
  focus on the characters’ ability to gather informa-
  tion on their own, without spy-tech.
  Star Hero also mixes well with Special Ops/
  Military Action games — there’s a long and proud 
  tradition of “military SF.” Th e characters might be 
  a special force of “space marines” (as in the movie 
  Aliens), the crew of a warship assigned to patrol a 
  dangerous border, or the like.
  Victorian Hero
  Victorian Hero and Dark Champions tend to 
  mingle in the same ways, and to the same degree, 
  as Pulp Hero and Dark Champions — there are 
  plenty of similarities, but just as many diﬀ erences. 
  Once again, Espionage is a good crossing point. 
  “Danger Intercolonial” characters could be Kip-
  lingesque spies trying to ferret out the secrets of 
  rival Great Powers. For a more military bent to 
  things, maybe the characters are soldiers posted 
  to a restless colony and instructed to maintain the 
  peace by any means necessary. A “Victorian Vigi-
  lantes” game might take place on the foggy streets 
  of London and pit the PCs against eerie criminals 
  like Jack the Ripper.
  Western Hero
  Combining Western Hero with Dark Champions 
  leads to a campaign not all that diﬀ erent from many 
  Western movies and novels:  the heroes are the town 
  marshal/county sheriﬀ /U.S. Marshal and his deputies, 
  and it’s their job to track down and capture (or kill) 
  notorious outlaws and gunslingers like Jesse James 
  and Butch Cassidy. For a game that hews a little more 
  toward typical Dark Champions urban crimeﬁ ght-
  ing, make the PCs Pinkerton detectives in Chicago or 
  New York.
  Another possibility for campaigns set a little 
  earlier than the classical Western period would be 
  an Espionage campaign set during the Civil War. 
  Both sides had plenty of spies — ranging from griz-
  zled frontier scouts who watched troop movements, 
  to society matrons who used their social skills 
  and feminine wiles to wheedle information out of 
  enemy oﬃ  cers, to the ﬁ rst “electronic warriors” who 
  tapped into telegraph lines — and the whole situa-
  tion is rife with scenario possibilities.
  
  23 
  Dark Champions ■ Chapter One
  N
  o matter what the subgenre, certain ele-
  ments and features — or “bits,” in gamer 
  parlance — occur from setting to setting 
  in Dark Champions campaigns. Here’s a 
  brief review of some of the most important ones.
  AMAZING ESCAPES
  Action movies and novels oft en feature a 
  daring escape as a story element. Typically the 
  escape is performed by a captured or incarcerated 
  criminal and involves ruthless violence, exquisite 
  timing, great skill, and/or the Devil’s own luck. 
  Occasionally it’s the hero who has to escape from 
  unjust imprisonment or the clutches of a villain.
  CAR CHASES
  Just about every major Dark Champions story 
  seems to feature a car chase, if not two or three. Car 
  chases combine the excitement of speed, danger, 
  and oft en the most advanced automotive technol-
  ogy in one sleek adventure package. Sometimes you 
  can vary the scene by including unusual vehicles 
  (tanks, dump trucks, buses...), or by moving it to 
  the water and making it a speedboat chase.
  In HERO System terms, you can run car chases 
  using the basic vehicle combat rules on pages 471-72 
  of the HERO System 5th Edition, Revised rulebook, 
  or the more detailed rules on pages 168-216 of Th e 
  Ultimate Vehicle. Th e Ultimate Vehicle rules include a 
  system of tables for randomly rolling the events and 
  obstacles of a car chase, Hit Location tables for cars 
  and other vehicles, and a lot of other information that 
  will make your car chases even more exciting.
  CAR GO BOOM
  In more cinematic Dark Champions subgenres 
  and campaigns, cars and similar vehicles explode 
  with a distressing regularity. In some cases, the 
  slightest amount of damage to a car, even if it’s 
  nowhere near the gas tank, can cause it to detonate 
  like a large bomb.
  CONSPIRACIES
  Some subgenres of Dark Champions, particu-
  larly Espionage, are rife with conspiracies and con-
  spirators. Sometimes it seems as if the only thing the 
  character can rely on is that nothing is as it seems! 
  Just when he thinks he’s got a particular scheme ﬁ g-
  ured out, he discovers there’s even more to the vast 
  web of crime and treachery than he thought.
  From a gaming perspective, the wonderful 
  thing about conspiracies is all the roleplaying and 
  scenario creation opportunities they provide. What 
  the characters ﬁ rst think is a relatively straight-
  forward crime or event turns out to be connected 
  to another one... and then to a person who seems 
  completely innocent... who apparently belongs to a 
  strange fraternal organization... that has ties to an 
  unscrupulous corporation... whose CEO used to be 
  a highly-placed Department Of Defense oﬃ  cial.... 
  A clever GM can turn that one conspiracy into half 
  a dozen adventures of various sorts. As the PCs 
  negotiate this morass of shadowy relationships and 
  secretive conduct, they come into contact with a lot 
  of people, many of whom are very close-mouthed. 
  Getting information out of them requires both tac-
  tical planning and skilled roleplaying.
  CONTACTS
  No matter what the subgenre, it seems like 
  every Dark Champions character knows a lot of 
  important, skilled, and/or generally useful people 
  — Contacts, in game terms. In some settings and 
  stories, no matter how unusual the location or 
  bizarre the circumstances, at least one protagonist 
  “knows someone” who can help out.
  Although they’re helpful for the PCs, Contacts 
  are really tools for the GM, not the heroes. Th ey 
  give him a way to provide information to the char-
  acters when he needs them to have it... or not give 
  it, if he doesn’t want the PCs to know it. Th e hero’s 
  relationship with the Contact is a hook the GM 
  can use to draw the PC into an adventure — and of 
  course the Contact has his own background, per-
  sonality, and relationships, and these might gener-
  ate stories as well.
  For games in which the GM wants charac-
  ters to have wide circles of Contacts, but they 
  can’t aﬀ ord to buy them individually, he can use 
  Follower/Contact Points. See page 154 for more 
  information.
  CRISIS MANAGEMENT
  Many Dark Champions scenarios begin when 
  the characters ﬁ nd themselves in the wrong place 
  at the wrong time, and then have to cope with the 
  situation. Th e Die Hard movies are classic examples 
  of this sort of adventure.
  From the GM’s perspective, the beneﬁ t to this 
  sort of scenario is that it’s largely self-contained:  
  the PCs can’t surprise him by going someplace 
  unusual or calling in reinforcements because 
  they’re in a situation where they can’t escape or 
  get word to the outside. Even better, it’s probably 
  a situation where they didn’t go in heavily armed. 
  For example, they might be vacationing on a cruise 
  ship when terrorists take it over, trapped in a shop-
  ping mall when a costumed criminal locks it down 
  and threatens to kill everyone inside, or someplace 
  DARK CHAMPIONS 
  ELEMENTS
  
  24 ■ The Dark Champions Genre
  Hero System 5th Edition
  similar. All the GM needs is some detailed maps of 
  the location, a way to keep the PCs from leaving, 
  and some opponents for them to ﬁ ght, and he’s got 
  a tense and intriguing scenario ready to go.
  Similarly, some Dark Champions scenarios 
  draw in the characters by establishing that they’re 
  the only ones who can get to the scene of the action 
  in time. For example, a group of special ops PCs 
  training in jungle warfare in Honduras may sud-
  denly get sent to deal with a crisis in Managua 
  because there are no other forces who can reach the 
  city before deadly events unfold.
  DEAD RELATIVES
  Action heroes’ wives, children, signiﬁ cant 
  others, and parents oft en seem to die with a dis-
  tressing regularity. From a dramatic perspective, 
  this serves two purposes. First, it motivates the 
  character — he’s determined to get revenge on 
  whoever killed his loved ones, or perhaps on the 
  general class of people who killed them. Second, 
  it cuts his ties to the “civilized world,” freeing him 
  to act without restraint when he has to (and to 
  develop a romantic relationship with an NPC 
  during the course of the story).
  GUNS
  Firearms are a staple of the Dark Champions 
  genre, regardless of subgenre, time period, or set-
  ting. From the easily-concealed pistols carried by 
  spies in the ﬁ eld, to the precisely-manufactured 
  riﬂ es used by snipers, to the assault riﬂ es issued 
  to soldiers and the silenced weapons employed by 
  assassins, guns are omnipresent in the genre. See 
  Chapters Four and Five for extensive information 
  about building and using guns in the HERO System.
  HE’S NOT DEAD YET
  Th e adversaries in action-adventure stories 
  oft en take a lot of killing. Th ey can survive falls, 
  gunshot wounds, and other injuries that would 
  easily put any normal man in his grave. And just 
  when the hero thinks they’re dead, they stir to life 
  for one last attempt to kill him... or to make their 
  escape so they can return for a sequel.
  In game terms, you can simulate this in several 
  ways. Th e easiest is to give the main bad guy a lot of 
  BODY, PD, and REC so he can withstand all sorts 
  of grievous injuries. Another possibility is to pro-
  vide him with a “dramatic healing” ability deﬁ ned 
  as Regeneration (such as the Rapid Healing Talent 
  on page 91). Last but not least, the GM should be 
  willing to ignore the damage and Recovery rules 
  when necessary for the antagonist to make a ﬁ nal, 
  dying attack against the hero.
  HIGH TECHNOLOGY
  While the Technothriller subgenre emphasizes 
  cutting-edge technology, other Dark Champions 
  subgenres also make use of it. Gun-toting vigilan-
  tes want the latest ﬁ rearms tech to improve their 
  pistols and riﬂ es, spies need all sorts of gadgets to 
  accomplish their missions, and cops have to stop 
  high-tech theft s.
  In addition to making the game more fun to 
  play (who doesn’t like to have his character tricked 
  out with the latest gear?), technology is a major 
  plot hook for the GM to use. Possible technology-
  related adventures include:
  ■ obtain a piece of technology the characters need 
  for another mission
  ■ recover a piece of technology (or plans for it) that 
  was stolen from the characters’ government or boss
  ■ ﬁ eld-test a new type of equipment
  ■ steal a new technology (or plans for it) that the 
  enemy has developed
  ■ destroy a technological item
  Much of the technology that factors into Dark 
  Champions scenarios falls under the rubric of 
  “militaria.” Th is deﬁ nitely includes guns and mili-
  tary vehicles, but it can also include less obvious 
  military systems:  soft ware to run missile guidance 
  devices; formulae and processes for improving the 
  strength of tank armor; high-eﬃ  ciency batteries for 
  various devices; and so forth.
  HYPERCOMPETENCE
  Regardless of subgenre, Dark Champions 
  characters tend to be highly skilled and competent 
  at their chosen adventuring professions. It’s not 
  uncommon to ﬁ nd a somewhat clumsy or unskilled 
  character in Fantasy or Science Fiction (as comic 
  relief if nothing else), but such characters are 
  mostly unheard of among the ranks of Dark Cham-
  pions protagonists. In some subgenres, this extends 
  to ﬁ ghting prowess as well; many a Dark Champi-
  ons vigilante or soldier is a deadly combatant no 
  matter what the circumstances.
  Th is high level of skill presents unusual chal-
  lenges for the GM. Stopping Dark Champions 
  characters with obstacles to their abilities — Skill 
  Roll penalties, in other words — oft en fails to work 
  unless the penalties are severe. Establishing realis-
  tic severe penalties involves carefully tailoring the 
  circumstances of a scene to do things like force the 
  PCs to perform Skills more quickly than normal, 
  deprive them of their equipment (or its beneﬁ ts), 
  injure or inconvenience them, and so forth.
  REVENGE
  Th e primary motivating factor for many Dark 
  Champions scenarios and characters is revenge:  
  someone’s done a PC or NPC wrong, and now that 
  character wants vengeance. Th e typical wrongs 
  include the murder of a friend or loved one, the 
  humiliation of themselves or someone close to 
  them, or the theft  of something valuable (even if 
  the value’s only sentimental).
  Of course, the PCs aren’t the only people seek-
  ing revenge. Villains may be out for vengeance as 
  well, typically against one of the PCs or someone 
  they have to protect.
  
  chapter two:
  chapter two:
  chapter two:
  VIGILANTES, SPIES & SOLDIERS
  CHARACTER CREATION
  
  26 ■ Character Creation
  Hero System 5th Edition
  B
  efore you dive into the nuts and bolts of 
  creating your Dark Champions character 
  — the buying of Skills and abilities, the 
  selection of weapons and equipment, and 
  so forth — it’s important to give some thought to 
  the (sub)genre you’re playing that character in, and 
  to the character’s background concept and motiva-
  tions — which are far more important, in the long 
  run, than what type of gun he carries or what he 
  can do. Th e heart of any Dark Champions game is 
  why the characters do what they do, not how they 
  do it; once you establish that, you can build a richer, 
  fuller, more enjoyable character.
  DARK CHAMPIONS 
  BACKGROUNDS
  One of the ﬁ rst things you should consider 
  when designing a Dark Champions character is 
  his background — his “origin,” if you will. While 
  this does involve ﬁ guring out things like where he 
  was born and raised, for character design purposes 
  oft en the most important thing is to decide how 
  (and if necessary, where and by whom) he was 
  trained in the skills and abilities he’ll use in the 
  game. Here are some of the most common back-
  grounds for Dark Champions characters, but this is 
  a non-exhaustive list of suggestions — feel free to 
  change them, mix them, or come up with your own.
  INTELLIGENCE TRAINING
  Th e character received his training from an 
  intelligence agency or intelligence operative. Typi-
  cally this means the agency recruited him as a spy 
  and sent him to an appropriate training school. He 
  probably has one of the Espionage Package Deals 
  from pages 38-41. However, he might be the child 
  of an espionage agent who learned his skills at his 
  parent’s feet. Or he could be a talented civilian who 
  somehow got involved in an intelligence operation 
  and received some quick training (or even “on the 
  job” training) to supplement his natural abilities.
  LAW ENFORCEMENT TRAINING
  Th e character is, or was, a member of some law 
  enforcement organization, and that organization 
  trained him. He took classes at a police academy 
  (or the FBI’s academy at Quantico, or the like), 
  practiced on the shooting range with other trainees, 
  and developed his skills through drills and simula-
  tion exercises. Eventually he made it onto the force 
  and got some actual street experience using his new 
  abilities. He probably has one of the Law Enforce-
  ment Package Deals from pages 45-50.
  MARTIAL ARTS TRAINING
  Th e character doesn’t have any formal training 
  at crimeﬁ ghting, tradecraft , or the like... but what 
  he lacks in such sophistication, he makes up for in 
  hand-to-hand ﬁ ghting skills. He’s spent years study-
  ing the martial arts (either a speciﬁ c ﬁ ghting style, 
  or multiple styles), and he’s learned his lessons well. 
  Along the way he may have picked up other useful 
  skills — an intimate familiarity with the streets and 
  people of Chinatown, KSs pertaining to Asian orga-
  nized crime, various Asian languages, and so forth.
  Th ere’s no speciﬁ c Package Deal that repre-
  sents martial arts training; the character simply 
  buys a selection of Martial Arts maneuvers and any 
  related Skills he wants. If appropriate for the cam-
  paign, he might buy one of the Package Deals from 
  Ninja Hero (and/or special martial artist abilities 
  from that book or Th e Ultimate Martial Artist).
  MILITARY TRAINING
  Th is popular background represents a char-
  acter who served in some branch of his nation’s 
  military before becoming an adventurer (or, in a 
  Special Ops/Military Action campaign, during his 
  career as an adventurer). Depending on character 
  conception, he may have done a regular tour of 
  duty as an ordinary soldier, or he may have been 
  a highly-trained member of an elite force such as 
  the U.S. Navy SEALs or the Special Air Service of 
  the United Kingdom. Th e Military Package Deals 
  (pages 51-55) are set up so that a character can take 
  as many as he needs to represent the extent of his 
  military training.
  In the genre source material, characters who 
  once served in the military oft en go on to civilian 
  careers in law enforcement, the intelligence ser-
  vices, or security work. Th us, it’s perfectly appropri-
  ate for a character to take both a Military Package 
  Deal and a second Package Deal reﬂ ecting his civil-
  ian career.
  REFORMED CRIMINAL
  Th e character was once a criminal, but some 
  experience — going to prison, having a (poten-
  tial) victim save his life, the death of a loved one, 
  an encounter with a charismatic hero, or the like 
  — inspired him to change his ways and use his 
  skills for a higher purpose. He could be a grift er 
  or hacker who learned the tricks of the trade from 
  veterans in the ﬁ eld but has gotten tired of taking 
  money from suckers, a terrorist who’s seen the light, 
  a former freelance assassin who no longer wants to 
  kill, a street punk who’s grown up and wised up, or 
  any of dozens of others.
  Of course, in a Caper Hero campaign or the like, 
  the character may not actually be a reformed criminal 
  CHARACTER
  BASICS
  
  27 
  Dark Champions ■ Chapter Two
  — he might still make his living from crime. Alter-
  nately, he may have “reformed,” but only because he’s 
  forced to, which makes for some interesting group 
  dynamics among the PCs. For example, the cops 
  might blackmail a skilled thief into becoming a “hero” 
  with threats of revealing his doings to underworld 
  compatriots whom he’s cheated, or sending him to 
  jail. In that case the character goes along as much as 
  he has to, but he might still commit crimes on the 
  side, and he’s almost certainly looking for a way out 
  of the dilemma... until, perhaps, he realizes he kind of 
  likes doing good deeds.
  SELFTRAINED
  Th e character has no formal training — he 
  taught himself using books, the Internet, and any 
  other source of information he could get his hands 
  on. As a result, his skills and information may be 
  sketchy at best (he probably has a lot more Famil-
  iarities than most characters), and eclectic when 
  compared to the focused training of someone who’s 
  attended a spy school or belonged to the military. 
  He probably doesn’t have any Package Deals; 
  instead, he buys his Skills and abilities individually.
  STUDENT
  Th e character didn’t just have one trainer — he 
  had a lot of trainers. For whatever reason, he’s spent 
  time training with all sorts of experts. Usually this 
  means he had the time and money to devote him-
  self to such training (i.e., he’s got 10 or more points’ 
  worth of the Money Perk), but it’s possible he found 
  a way to trade his services for training, or had a 
  wide array of skilled individuals who owed him (or 
  his family) a favor.
  Like the Self-Trained character, a Student 
  probably doesn’t have any Package Deals (unless 
  maybe a general one, such as Vigilante [page 57]). 
  He either buys his abilities separately, or he buys 
  bits and pieces of the Package Deals possessed by 
  the people who trained him. For example, if his 
  teachers included a former Green Beret, a con 
  artist, an ex-Stasi assassin, and a CIA ﬁ eld opera-
  tive, he might buy one or two Skills each from the 
  Green Berets, Grift er, Assassin, and Field Agent 
  Package Deals.
  SURVIVOR
  One of the few Dark Champions backgrounds 
  that doesn’t focus on training, the Survivor is a 
  character whose enemies left  him for dead, but 
  who survived, retrained and regrouped, and is now 
  ready to get revenge and correct injustices. Typi-
  cally he also has some other background, such as 
  Military Training or Intelligence Training — it was 
  the skill and perseverance with which he did his job 
  as a spy, cop, or the like that attracted the attention 
  of the enemies who tried to kill him.
  
  28 ■ Character Creation
  Hero System 5th Edition
  DARK CHAMPIONS 
  PERSONALITIES
  Just as Dark Champions characters oft en have 
  archetypal backgrounds, gamers oft en associate 
  certain personalities with them. Listed below are 
  some of the most common, with suggested Disad-
  vantages appropriate to each one; see the Disadvan-
  tages section (beginning on page 101) for further 
  discussion of some of the suggested Disadvantages.
  THE AVENGER
  Th e Avenger seeks vengeance for some wrong 
  done to him or to others. For a costumed vigilante, 
  this typically means the character saw his loved ones 
  gunned down before his very eyes, and the experience 
  has driven him to try to prevent the same thing from 
  happening to anyone else. For a soldier, it may mean 
  a desire to kill as many of the enemy who killed his 
  buddy or destroyed his homeland as possible.
  You should ask two questions about an 
  Avenger. First, does he seek vengeance on one man 
  (for example, the assassin whose bullet conﬁ ned him 
  to a wheelchair for life), or on an entire group (such 
  as the yakuza)?  Th is has a big eﬀ ect on how you play 
  the character. If the target’s just one man (or a small 
  group), the Avenger can be more focused and more 
  reckless. If he’s aft er an entire organization, he has to 
  take a long-term view, racking up one small victory 
  aft er another rather than trying to destroy the entire 
  organization in one fell swoop. 
  Second, what does the Avenger plan to do to the 
  target once he ﬁ nds him? Kill him quickly? Make him 
  suﬀ er? Make him confess his crime and go to jail for 
  it? Let him go, in a ﬁ t of self-pity at the way he (the 
  Avenger) has totally warped his own life? Deal with 
  him and move on to other targets? Th ere are many 
  possibilities, and the answer usually determines how 
  long an Avenger is part of the campaign. If all he 
  wants to do is eliminate one man (or organization), 
  aft er he succeeds he may retire, dropping out of the 
  “adventuring scene” altogether; the player has to create 
  a new character if he wants to continue playing in 
  the campaign. If the Avenger decides to maintain his 
  war on crime, he may need to buy oﬀ  or change one 
  or more Psychological Limitations. Completing his 
  “quest” may have other eﬀ ects on his personality and 
  his life, but this will vary from character to character.
  Typical Disadvantages for an Avenger include:
  Enraged:  when confronting the people against 
  whom he seeks vengeance (Common), go 14-, 
  recover 11-:  25 Character Points
  Psychological Limitation:  Hunting [deﬁ ned person 
  or group] (Common, Strong):  15 Character Points
  Psychological Limitation:  Must Protect [persons 
  speciﬁ cally like the loved ones he lost] (Common, 
  Total):  20 Character Points
  Psychological Limitation:  Obsessed With Obtain-
  ing Vengeance Against [deﬁ ned person or group] 
  (Common, Total):  20 Character Points
  Psychological Limitation:  Vengeful (Uncommon, 
  Strong):  10 Character Points
  THE COMPANY MAN
  Th e Company Man is a loyal employee of, 
  member of, or operative for, a speciﬁ c organization, 
  such as the CIA, the NSA, or the IRA. He faithfully 
  does whatever he’s told (even if it means risking 
  his own life) and wouldn’t think of betraying the 
  organization (though he might have personality or 
  power conﬂ icts with other members of the group). 
  While the name suggests powerful, legitimate orga-
  nizations, members of gangs and organized crime 
  groups oft en fall into this personality type.
  Typical Disadvantages for a Company Man 
  include:
  Psychological Limitation:  Loyalty To [organization] 
  (Common, Strong):  15 Character Points
  Psychological Limitation:  Fanatically Loyal To 
  [organization] (Common, Total):  20 Character 
  Points
  Social Limitation:  Subject To Orders (Very Fre-
  quently, Major):  20 Character Points
  THE GUN NUT
  Th e Gun Nut has a strong interest in (perhaps 
  even an unhealthy obsession with) ﬁ rearms (and 
  possibly other military hardware). He knows all 
  about them, has a large collection of them, and 
  loves to use them. He can have long, detailed con-
  versations with other experts about the subject 
  — and will, every chance he gets. Despite the name, 
  he’s not necessarily mentally unbalanced... but he 
  might be, and since he’s got all those guns, why take 
  chances?
  Typical Disadvantages for a Gun Nut include:
  Psychological Limitation:  Fascinated By Firearms 
  (Uncommon, Moderate):  5 Character Points
  Psychological Limitation:  Triggerhappy (Common, 
  Strong):  15 Character Points
  THE IDEALIST
  Th is character (who’s most commonly found 
  in costumed vigilante or DC:TAS campaigns) lives 
  by a higher standard that he’s set for himself. He 
  thinks that to ﬁ ght crime, oppose the enemy, or 
  confront evil, one has to be better than one’s enemy. 
  He rejects the “ends justify the means” and “ﬁ ght 
  ﬁ re with ﬁ re” mentality adopted by his more ruth-
  less or murderous compatriots. Th is isn’t to say that 
  he might not be a skilled and vicious ﬁ ghter, just 
  that he won’t use lethal force. Th e upside to this 
  is that he usually has a better reputation with the 
  authorities and the public, giving him a resource to 
  draw upon that his comrades may lack.
  Typical Disadvantages for an Idealist include:
  Psychological Limitation:  Code Versus Killing 
  (Common, Total):  20 Character Points
  Psychological Limitation:  Hatred Of Killing Attacks 
  (Common, Strong):  15 Character Points
  Reputation:  soft -hearted, 11- (Limited Group [the 
  underworld]):  5 Character Points
  
  29 
  Dark Champions ■ Chapter Two
  THE MAVERICK
  Th e Maverick belongs to an organization, 
  such as a police department or military unit, but 
  he’s not a quietly eﬃ  cient, loyal member like the 
  Company Man. Instead, he’s a troublemaker and 
  rabble-rouser. He doesn’t care much for proce-
  dure, protocol, or the chain of command — he’s 
  concerned with results, and if that means he has 
  to step on a few toes while he does his job, so be 
  it. His attitude may make it a little diﬃ  cult for 
  him to work with his teammates, since they’re 
  concerned his reckless ways will get them in 
  trouble (or killed).
  Usually the Maverick is found in the presence 
  of several supporting characters. First, there’s his 
  partner (if anyone else can stand to work with him 
  at all), who usually tries to get him to calm down 
  and take it easy. Th en there’s his immediate supe-
  rior, who constantly chews him out but secretly 
  admires him and the results he achieves, and who 
  defends him to the higher-ups. Lastly, there are the 
  high-level commanders who can’t stand him, con-
  sider him a bad example of how people in his posi-
  tion should act, and try to punish him or get him 
  thrown out of the organization.
  In Law Enforcement campaigns, the Maverick 
  usually works in Homicide (or a related branch, 
  such as Robbery-Homicide), Narcotics, SWAT, or a 
  special task force of some kind. In a Military Action 
  story, he’s most oft en a member of some elite unit 
  or a hotshot ﬁ ghter pilot. In an Espionage game, 
  he’s a ﬁ eld operative with a reputation for risk-
  taking and bold moves.
  Despite his attitude, the Maverick is ﬁ rmly 
  a part of “the system,” even if he oft en pushes the 
  system to its breaking point. On the other hand, 
  vigilantes, cops gone “bad,” and the like no longer 
  believe in the system and have started working 
  outside it.
  Typical Disadvantages for a Maverick include:
  Psychological Limitation:  Th inks Results Are More 
  Important Th an Procedure (Common, Strong):  15 
  Character Points
  Psychological Limitation:  Likes To Mock/Fool/
  Annoy Th e Brass (Common, Moderate):  10 Char-
  acter Points
  Reputation:  maverick, 11- (Limited Group [charac-
  ter’s organization]):  5 Character Points
  Social Limitation:  Subject To Orders (Very Fre-
  quently, Major):  20 Character Points
  THE MERCENARY
  Th e Mercenary’s in it for the money. Usually 
  he’s a soldier who sells his services to the high-
  est bidder, but he might also be a freelance spy or 
  assassin, a vigilante who steals from the crooks and 
  gives to himself, a thief, a corrupt cop, or the like.
  In the Dark Champions genre, Mercenaries 
  usually fall into one of two categories:  honorable 
  and dishonorable. Th e honorable mercenary sticks 
  to his contracts once he takes them; he doesn’t 
  entertain competing oﬀ ers, and can’t be bought oﬀ  
  with more money (in game terms, he has the Code 
  Of Th e Mercenary Psychological Limitation). Th e 
  dishonorable Merc is just plain greedy. He’ll sell out 
  his employer if he thinks he can get a better deal 
  from the other side. He may pretend to follow the 
  mercenaries’ code, but he doesn’t if he can get away 
  with breaking it.
  
  30 ■ Character Creation
  Hero System 5th Edition
  Typical Disadvantages for a Mercenary 
  include:
  Psychological Limitation:  Casual Killer (Very 
  Common, Strong):  20 Character Points
  Psychological Limitation:  Code Of Th e Mercenary 
  (Common, Strong):  15 Character Points
  Psychological Limitation:  Greedy (Common, 
  Strong):  15 Character Points
  Psychological Limitation:  Looks Out For Number 
  One (Common, Strong):  15 Character Points
  Social Limitation:  Subject To Orders (Very Fre-
  quently, Major):  20 Character Points
  THE PATRIOT
  Th e Patriot is a believer — oft en an ardent one 
  — in the purposes, cause, and/or supremacy of a 
  particular nation. (Taking the term more broadly, 
  it might also signify loyalty to any sort of organiza-
  tion or cause, such as the goals of a band of terror-
  ists or the tenets of a religion.) For the most part, 
  this doesn’t inconvenience the character too much; 
  at most it may dictate his choice of employment 
  (for example, he might join the military or intel-
  ligence agency of his country) and other activities 
  (like ﬂ ying the ﬂ ag outside his house). But on occa-
  sion it causes problems, such as when someone 
  makes an unﬂ attering comment about his nation 
  and the Patriot starts a brawl.
  Typical Disadvantages for a Patriot include:
  Psychological Limitation:  [Nation] Patriot (Uncom-
  mon, Strong):  10 Character Points
  Psychological Limitation:  Fanatic [Nation] Patriot 
  (Uncommon, Total):  15 Character Points
  THE PROFESSIONAL
  Th e Professional is all business. He’s got a job to 
  do, and he’s going to use all his skills and resources to 
  get it done. He shrugs oﬀ  sentiment and distractions 
  that sidetrack other characters so he can concentrate 
  on doing his duty. He may get upset with characters 
  who aren’t as dedicated as he is.
  Typical Disadvantages for a Professional 
  include:
  Psychological Limitation:  All Business (Common, 
  Strong):  15 Character Points
  Social Limitation:  Poor Social Skills (-1 on all Inter-
  action Skill Rolls) (Occasionally, Minor):  5 Char-
  acter Points
  Social Limitation:  Subject To Orders (Very Fre-
  quently, Major):  20 Character Points
  THE SOCIOPATH
  Th e Sociopath (also referred to as a psycho-
  path) has a mental condition known as antisocial 
  personality disorder. Roughly speaking, this dulls 
  his ability to experience emotions (thus forcing him 
  to engage in extreme behavior to obtain emotional 
  fulﬁ llment), prevents him from feeling guilt, and 
  makes it diﬃ  cult for him to associate consequences 
  with actions (i.e., to relate punishment to bad 
  behavior). Serial killers suﬀ er from this disorder 
  (see page 305 for more information).
  Typical Disadvantages for a Sociopath include:
  Psychological Limitation:  Casual Killer (Very 
  Common, Strong):  20 Character Points
  Psychological Limitation:  Antisocial Personality 
  Disorder (Very Common, Strong or Total):  20-25 
  Character Points
  THE THRILLSEEKER
  Th e Th rillseeker is an adrenaline junkie. He 
  may like helping people, performing important 
  missions for his country, or the like — but what he 
  really enjoys about adventure is the danger and the 
  thrills. He’s a risk-taker, and that may make him 
  unpopular with his comrades.
  Typical Disadvantages for a Th rillseeker 
  include:
  Psychological Limitation:  Th rillseeker (Common, 
  Strong):  15 Character Points
  Psychological Limitation:  Takes Unnecessary Risks 
  (Common, Strong):  15 Character Points
  THE VIGILANTE
  A common personality type in costumed 
  vigilante and DC:TAS campaigns, the Vigilante is a 
  person who’s set himself up as judge, jury, and pos-
  sibly executioner. He believes the authorities can’t 
  or won’t control the crime problem, and so it’s up to 
  him (and other right-minded individuals) to do the 
  job. Ordinary citizens and law enforcement oﬃ  cers 
  consider him a murderer, a serial killer, a psycho-
  path, or all of the above. He considers himself to be 
  a man doing a job the way it’s supposed to be done 
  — no more mercy for the criminal scum.   
  Many Dark Champions PCs can be considered 
  vigilantes in the broad sense of the word — some-
  one who takes the law into his own hands — and 
  many action heroes are willing to kill criminals 
  if need be. What sets the Vigilante personality 
  type apart is his outright desire to hurt and kill 
  criminals. Th e Vigilante doesn’t just ﬁ ght crime, 
  he deliberately hunts criminals down and forces 
  them to answer for their misdeeds. Besides their 
  lethal tendencies, most Vigilantes will break the law 
  in other ways that aid their war on crime — they 
  burglarize criminals’ houses, assault street punks, 
  and so forth. Some Vigilantes go even further and 
  do things like kidnapping enemies’ DNPCs to put 
  pressure on them.
  Typical Disadvantages for a Vigilante include:
  Psychological Limitation:  Devoted To Justice 
  (Common, Strong):  15 Character Points
  Psychological Limitation:  Obsessed With Crimeﬁ ght-
  ing (Very Common, Strong):  20 Character Points
  Psychological Limitation:  Vigilante Mentality (Very 
  Common, Strong):  20 Character Points
  
  31 
  Dark Champions ■ Chapter Two
  DARK CHAMPIONS 
  ARCHETYPES
  Among the various Dark Champions sub-
  genres, certain archetypical characters stand out. 
  Some could appear in many diﬀ erent types of 
  campaigns, while others really only ﬁ t into one. 
  But they’re all classic characters, and a lot of fun to 
  play... or to play against type, if you prefer.
  Don’t think of these archetypes as written in 
  stone. Th e HERO System is all about character design 
  ﬂ exibility, so there’s no need to stick to a stereotype 
  unless you want to — feel free to modify the arche-
  types to suit yourself and the campaign you’re in.
  As you’ll see below, a Dark Champions 
  character’s background oft en relates closely to his 
  archetype:  Cops Gone “Bad” and Renegade Cops 
  have the Law Enforcement Training background, 
  for example. But again, don’t think of these descrip-
  tions as a straitjacket — it can be fun to go against 
  type and create, for example, a cop character who 
  got his training in the military (where he served as 
  a military policeman).
  Th is character believes a whole host of wild 
  theories about what’s really going on in the world. 
  He thinks that what people believe about society 
  is a sham — a false front maintained by the people 
  who have real power and use it to manipulate 
  events behind the scenes. He comes across like a nut 
  — largely because he is a nut — but every now and 
  then he gets something right. More importantly, as 
  part of his crusade to expose “Th em” and document 
  his beliefs, he’s learned a whole lot of trivia (which 
  sometimes comes in handy) and some useful skills. 
  For example, his KS: Conspiracies And Conspiracy 
  Th eories covers (albeit sporadically and superﬁ cially) 
  a wide range of historical and social information, his 
  PS: Photography can help the PCs gather and ana-
  lyze evidence, and his wide circle of Contacts among 
  like-minded individuals may oﬀ er some unorthodox 
  sources of assistance from time to time.
  Th is character is an adventurer or vigilante in 
  policeman’s clothing. He’s gotten fed up with the 
  way “the system” treats criminals and has decided 
  to take the law into his own hands. He could be a 
  cop by day and a vigilante by night, or he may try 
  to combine the two roles and dispense a little “curb-
  side justice” when he feels he can get away with it. 
  He may even have quit the force to pursue his vigi-
  lante goals. If he’s still on the force, the Cop Gone 
  “Bad” spends a lot of time and eﬀ ort concealing 
  his “double identity” — if he were caught, it would 
  mean the end of his career as well as a lengthy jail 
  sentence.
  Th e Cop Gone “Bad” doesn’t necessarily have 
  to be a policeman. He can be any member of the 
  justice system — a district attorney, a judge, the 
  police department’s ﬁ ling clerk, you name it. Th e 
  primary feature of this archetype is his dual role 
  as a member of “the system” and as someone who 
  has become a crimeﬁ ghter because he feels that the 
  system isn’t doing the job properly. 
  Th is character, typically a former soldier from 
  an elite or “special forces” unit, has just moved 
  “back home” or to the big city. He’s become dis-
  gusted with the state of society (or run afoul of the 
  criminal element) and has set out to put things to 
  rights. Alternately, he may be a former mercenary 
  who had a change of heart, developed altruistic 
  motives, and became an adventurer. Maybe his 
  conscience ﬁ nally kicked into overdrive aft er he 
  almost killed a little girl. Perhaps he wants to settle 
  down but discovers that the underworld or his 
  old enemies have other ideas. Whatever his back-
  ground, he’s still a well-trained killer who can be 
  brutal at times — but at least now he’s on the side 
  of the angels.
  Th e Disgusted Vet brings a lot of combat skills 
  and other useful abilities to his war on crime. He 
  may also have a lot of heavy weaponry left  over 
  from his earlier career, and the skill to build still 
  more guns. Last but not least, mercenary activities 
  may have left  him a wealthy man, capable of ﬁ nanc-
  ing an entire team of like-minded adventurers.
  Th e Ex-Spy is an espionage agent who’s come 
  in from the cold and decided to put his skills to use 
  on the streets. Like the Disgusted Vet, he may have 
  retired, only to ﬁ nd out that society went downhill 
  while he was ﬁ ghting the Cold War. Or he may have 
  come to town to set up shop and discovered some 
  problems he can use his skills to deal with. In a less 
  vigilante-esque vein, he may ﬁ nd out his savings 
  weren’t what he thought they were, so now he puts 
  his skills to work to make some money.
  Either way, the Ex-Spy is well-equipped for life 
  as a vigilante or adventurer. His skills at sneaking, 
  subterfuge, and inﬁ ltration work as well against the 
  Conspiracy Theorist
  ‘I’m telling you, there are gators 
  in the sewers! — cops use ’em 
  to dispose of bodies of suspects 
  who die “resisting arrest”.’
   — Thomas Foster, Freetown Gazetter
  The Cop Gone ‘Bad’
  ‘I tried it their way for years. 
  Now let’s try the right way.’
   — Rene Carter, Hudson City Police
  The Disgusted Vet
  ‘Same war, different battleﬁ eld.’
   — Sgt. Roscoe Jackson, USMC (ret.)
  The Ex-Spy
  ‘I ran into a situation like this in 
  Moscow in 1981....’ 
  — Spencer MacBryde, CIA (ret.)
  
  32 ■ Character Creation
  Hero System 5th Edition
  Maﬁ a or a corporate target as they did against enemy 
  governments. His friends back at the Agency can feed 
  him information and maybe even supply him with 
  equipment from time to time. His self-conﬁ dence 
  and aplomb are assets anywhere he goes.
  Th is character is mad as hell about crime, and 
  just isn’t gonna take it anymore. He’s got himself a 
  gun, and he thinks he knows what he’s doing, so the 
  criminals had better watch out!
  Th e Fed-Up Normal is an ordinary guy, such 
  as a storekeeper, who’s seen too much crime to sit 
  by quietly anymore. Perhaps he or his loved ones 
  were victims of crime, or his store was robbed one 
  too many times. Since the cops aren’t doing the job, 
  he’s decided to take the law into his own hands.
  Th is character may or may not have any real 
  crimeﬁ ghting skills. He may have learned a few 
  things during time spent in the military or as a cop, 
  but he’s just as likely to have little or no training. If 
  this is the case, the player should consider saving 
  a large portion of his beginning points to spend 
  when the Fed-Up Normal has a chance to learn 
  some useful Skills. He should also take Disadvan-
  tages such as Psychological Limitation: Naive that 
  the character can buy oﬀ  later on, if he survives his 
  baptism by ﬁ re.
  Th is character is the intellectual of the action-
  adventure set. He prefers to think his way through 
  a scenario instead of ﬁ ghting his way through it. 
  Th is may be something he can’t help (for example, 
  an old war injury may keep him from being a good 
  combatant), or it may simply be a matter of per-
  sonal preference. An Investigator doesn’t necessar-
  ily have to be the stereotypical hard-boiled private 
  eye; he could just as well be a police detective who’s 
  “gone bad” (see above), or a nosy little old lady 
  who knows a lot about crime. He sometimes tends 
  to “look down” on characters who aren’t “in the 
  know” like he is; he realizes information is the best 
  weapon on the streets, even if they don’t.
  An Investigator character may also think he 
  knows a lot about combat. He may be right... or not. 
  Just because he knows how to shoot a gun doesn’t 
  make him a gunﬁ ghter.
  The Investigator
  ‘He’s Yat Sing, crime-lord 
  of Chinatown, that’s who 
  — don’t you read the FBI Law 
  Enforcement Bulletin?’
  — Stephen S. Long, Author/LMD
  The Fed-Up Normal
  ‘I’m not a vigilante. I’m just sick 
  of being a victim all the time. 
  The decent people of this city 
  need to be protected!’
  — Mr. McG, Hudson City Teacher
  
  33 
  Dark Champions ■ Chapter Two
  In DC:TAS campaigns and other games that 
  don’t attempt to emulate “realism” strictly, it’s pos-
  sible that magic, or at least mystic powers, exist. If 
  so, heroes might have and use them to ﬁ ght crime. 
  Examples of this type of character include:  an 
  ordinary person with an interest in the occult; a 
  vampire trying to do good instead of evil; a man 
  who has a contract with Satan to provide evil 
  souls to keep Hell “stocked;” a person possessed 
  by a “spirit of Justice” which gives him special 
  powers; or even a demon with severe personal-
  ity problems (for a demon, that is). Alternately, 
  the character might just think that he’s got arcane 
  powers, which could certainly lead to some inter-
  esting dilemmas... especially when true mystic 
  threats come gunning for him.
  Crimeﬁ ghting isn’t the only thing a mystic 
  action hero could do with his abilities. A Law 
  Enforcement campaign could focus on weird and 
  eerie events and crimes, or a GM could craft  an 
  Espionage campaign around a “mystic Cold War” 
  going on between various occult factions. And of 
  course the Monster Hunters subgenre tends to 
  assume a certain level of mysticism in the world, 
  making Mystic Heroes a deﬁ nite possibility.
  Similar to the Disgusted Vet in some ways, the 
  Reluctant Warrior is a former soldier or spy who 
  retired for some reason, but has now been called 
  back to duty by his superiors or his conscience. 
  Part of him doesn’t really want to go back into the 
  ﬁ eld, to all the blood and death and danger, but part 
  of him knows he has to — it’s his responsibility to 
  use his abilities to protect people who can’t protect 
  themselves.
  Th e Reluctant Warrior brings a lot of skills 
  and experience to the table, and probably a gener-
  ous helping of Contacts as well. Depending on the 
  nature of the adventures he gets involved with, 
  he may seem a little like a ﬁ sh out of water at ﬁ rst 
  — he needs time to adapt his training to a new situ-
  ation and new type of missions.
  Th is character employs high-tech skills and 
  gadgets in his adventuring career. He may be a 
  wealthy dilettante who’s developed his skills on his 
  own, a reformed computer hacker, or a (former) 
  military “information warfare” expert. He oft en 
  eschews the physical skills developed by other 
  adventurers for technical skills and devices. For 
  example, rather than training to become extremely 
  accurate with guns, the Techspert builds an aiming 
  system that has the same eﬀ ect; rather than learn-
  ing how to “Jimmy Valentine” a lock, he relies on 
  electronic lockpicks and viewing devices. However, 
  if using his equipment requires a physical skill 
  (such as Combat Driving with his high-tech car), 
  he’ll have that Skill.
  In game terms, the Techspert usually car-
  ries a lot of equipment, including some special 
  devices he paid Character Points for. If the cam-
  paign uses the optional Resource Points rules, 
  he almost certainly buys extra Equipment Points 
  with his Character Points.
  The Mystic Hero
  ‘There are scarier things on the 
  streets than drugged-out punks 
  with Uzis. Believe me.’
  — KL George, Talisman Dealer
  The Reluctant Warrior
  ‘All right. I guess I don’t really 
  have a choice.’
  — Eric LeGood, Living Bodhisattva
  The Techspert
  ‘If I run a computer analysis of 
  Card Shark’s recent crimes, we 
  should be able to get some idea 
  of where he’ll strike next.’
  — Online, Hudson City Vigilante
  
  34 ■ Character Creation
  Hero System 5th Edition
  T
  he following Package Deals, organized into 
  ﬁ ve broad categories (Criminal, Espionage, 
  Law Enforcement, Military, and Miscel-
  laneous) represent common professions, 
  occupations, or careers for Dark Champions char-
  acters. In addition to the listed Skills and abilities, 
  each Package Deal includes suggestions on several 
  related subjects:  the goals and motivations of char-
  acters who belong to that profession; Characteris-
  tics and other abilities members of that profession 
  might have; Disadvantages appropriate to the pro-
  fession; and how the character might advance and 
  progress during the campaign. But these are just 
  suggestions — ignore them and choose something 
  else if that suits the character you have in mind.
  Professional Package Deals are just organiza-
  tional tools. Th ey group together Characteristics, 
  Skills, and abilities commonly associated with a 
  given organization or type of training to make the 
  creation process quicker, easier, and more realistic. 
  Unless the GM requires them, you don’t have to use 
  one. You can instead buy all of a character’s abili-
  ties separately, or “customize” the Package Deal by 
  taking only the parts of it you want and discarding 
  the rest. Package Deals should enhance your cre-
  ativity, not stiﬂ e it.
  REALISM AND DRAMA
  Many of these Package Deals represent, in 
  HERO System terms, the training and abilities pos-
  sessed by members of real-world organizations, 
  such as the FBI or the U.S. Army Rangers. While 
  these are based on research and make every eﬀ ort 
  to accurately portray the agencies involved, where 
  necessary decisions have been made from the 
  perspective of dramatic action — which is what 
  Dark Champions and other HERO System roleplay-
  ing campaigns are all about! If you’re interested 
  in learning more about these organizations and 
  perhaps adapting the Package Deals to your own 
  preferred style of Dark Champions campaigning, 
  the Bibliography has several good reference sources 
  to get you started.
  CRIMINAL PACKAGE DEALS
  While Dark Champions is not about playing 
  criminals or villains (generally speaking), it features 
  a lot of characters who are criminals, have training 
  as criminals, are regarded as criminals, or use the 
  methods of criminals against them. Th ese Package 
  Deals represent a few common criminal archetypes 
  that might give rise to interesting PCs or NPCs in 
  your game.
  CAT BURGLAR PACKAGE DEAL
  Perhaps the most skilled member of the 
  criminal pantheon, the Cat Burglar specializes in 
  daring robberies, oft en against targets that seem 
  impossible:  second story (or far higher) resi-
  dences and oﬃ  ces; well-guarded mansions; mili-
  tary or intelligence facilities. Between his consum-
  mate skill and high-tech equipment, he can steal 
  just about anything.
  Typical Goals And Motivations:  For most Cat Bur-
  glars, the motivation is greed, pure and simple. 
  Other people have beautiful, valuable things, and 
  the Cat Burglar (or the Cat Burglar’s employer) 
  wants them. However, in addition to that many Cat 
  Burglars are thrillseekers who enjoy not only the 
  danger of their chosen career, but the challenge of 
  matching their wits and skill against those of law 
  enforcement and security professionals.
  Typical Abilities:  DEX, ﬁ rst and foremost, is the Cat 
  Burglar’s most important Characteristic — it’s the 
  basis for most of the Skills he relies on (Climbing, 
  Lockpicking, Stealth, and the like). He also needs 
  a decent INT (which also helps with some Skills, 
  not to mention PER Rolls), and given the physical 
  nature of many of his activities a few extra points of 
  STR would be appropriate.
  In addition to the Skills listed above, Security 
  Systems and Streetwise are musts — without them, 
  the Cat Burglar can’t defeat security devices, prop-
  erly fence his loot, and the like. Many others are 
  appropriate, but not crucial:  Acrobatics, Breakfall, 
  and Contortionist to assist with getting into places; 
  Concealment to ﬁ nd hidden valuables; Electron-
  ics and Mechanics so the Cat Burglar can build his 
  own thieving equipment; and so forth.
  Suggested Disadvantages:  Psychological Limita-
  tions reﬂ ecting the character’s greed, desire to prove 
  himself cleverer or more skilled than anyone else, 
  or the like are nearly mandatory. A Cat Burglar 
  with the latter Psychological Limitation might also 
  have a Rival — another Cat Burglar whom he con-
  PACKAGE
  DEALS
  CHARACTERISTICS 
  AND PACKAGE 
  DEALS
  Some of these Package 
  Deals include additions 
  to Characteristics. Th is 
  reﬂ ects common levels 
  of STR or other Char-
  acteristics found among 
  members of those pro-
  fessions. However, with 
  the GM’s permission, 
  a player may change 
  or eliminate that part 
  of the Package Deal 
  if he has an idea for a 
  character who deﬁ es or 
  transcends the general 
  stereotype.
  If the campaign uses the 
  Normal Characteristic 
  Maxima rules, those 
  rules apply to Charac-
  teristics gained from 
  Package Deals. Th is 
  may in some instances 
  require a character to 
  spend additional points 
  to buy a Characteristic 
  aﬀ ected by the Pack-
  age Deal up to a proper 
  level. For example, 
  imagine a Package 
  Deal that provides +15 
  CON, for 30 points. Th e 
  ﬁ rst 20 points of eﬀ ect 
  increase the character’s 
  CON to 20. Aft er that 
  the Normal Character-
  istic Maxima doubling 
  applies, so the next 10 
  points only add 2.5 
  points’ worth of CON. 
  Since a character can’t 
  have a 22.5 CON, the 
  character has to spend 2 
  more Character Points 
  to increase his CON 
  to 23. Alternately, with 
  the GM’s permission a 
  character can reduce the 
  points a Package Deal 
  adds to a Characteristic 
  to avoid this problem.
  
  35 
  Dark Champions ■ Chapter Two
  stantly strives to out-do. Hunteds by various law 
  enforcement agencies or crimeﬁ ghters would also 
  make sense. If the character’s been arrested before, 
  he might have a criminal record you could repre-
  sent with a Social Limitation.
  Progression:  Cat Burglars primarily spend their 
  Experience Points improving their existing Skills 
  and buying new ones. But there’s only so far they 
  can go with that career before becoming bored or 
  running the risk of unbalancing the game. At that 
  point, they may branch out by improving their 
  combat abilities, or emphasizing the social/con 
  artist aspect of their abilities.
  GANGSTER PACKAGE DEAL
  A “gangster” is any criminal who belongs to a 
  gang, syndicate, mob, organized crime group, or the 
  like. He could be a street-smart kid from Compton, 
  a legbreaker for the Maﬁ a or yakuza, an “agent” in 
  a master villain’s private army, or any of a hundred 
  other types of criminal. All that matters is that he’s 
  part of a larger whole that’s devoted to lawbreaking 
  in some way.
  Typical Goals And Motivations:  Th e motivations of 
  Gangsters vary incredibly. Many simply want all the 
  money, drugs, cars, women, and power they can get 
  their hands on. Others have a more long-term per-
  spective, seeing their group as a road to inﬂ uence 
  and power in society. Virtually all of them want the 
  respect, even deference, of others — “disrespecting” 
  a Gangster may quickly lead to a ﬁ ght or retribu-
  tion.
  Typical Abilities:  Besides certain basic Skills — the 
  ability to ﬁ re a gun, a knowledge of the streets, and 
  so on — Gangsters don’t have much in common 
  Skill-wise. Th ey range from thugs who rob conve-
  nience stores at gunpoint to sophisticated crooks 
  able to mingle with the cream of society. In some 
  cases, one of the reasons to join a group of criminals 
  is to take advantage of the fact that the group has 
  abilities the new member doesn’t (and vice-versa).
  Suggested Disadvantages:  Most criminals have 
  at least one Psychological Limitation relating to 
  their “profession” — anything from Casual Killer, 
  to Greedy, to Loyal To Th e Gang, and beyond. A 
  member with a criminal record may have a Social 
  Limitation; whether he’s a convicted felon or not, the 
  police may Hunt him (even if only to Watch him).
  Progression:  A Gangster who starts out as a rela-
  tively crude and unsophisticated criminal may 
  learn more advanced larcenous arts by spending 
  time with more experienced criminals. If he falls in 
  with a group of adventurers, he could broaden his 
  Skill set and knowledge base so he can more easily 
  ﬁ t in with them and their world.
  CAT BURGLAR PACKAGE DEAL
  Abilities
   Cost 
  Ability
   
  2 
  +2 STR
   12 
  +4 DEX
   
  3 
  +3 INT
   
  3 
  Climbing
   
  3 
  Concealment
   
  3 
  Lockpicking
   
  3 
  Security Systems
   
  3 
  Stealth
   
  3 
  Streetwise
   
  9 
  9 points’ worth of Skills from the following 
  list:  Acrobatics, Breakfall, Bribery, Com-
  puter Programming, Contortionist, Demoli-
  tions, Disguise, Electronics, Fast Draw, Forg-
  ery, Gambling, High Society, Martial Arts, 
  Mechanics, Persuasion, Skill Levels, Sleight 
  Of Hand, Trading, Weapon Familiarity, any 
  Background Skill
  Total Cost Of Package Abilities:  44
  Disadvantages
   Value 
  Disadvantage
   None
  Total Value Of Package Disadvantages:  0
  Options
   Value 
  Ability
   var 
  Hunted (by law enforcement or a crime-
  ﬁ ghter)
   -15 
  Psychological Limitation:  Greedy 
  (Common, Strong)
   -15 
  Psychological Limitation:  Must Prove Th at 
  He Is Th e Best (Common, Strong)
   -15 
  Psychological Limitation:  Th rillseeker 
  (Common, Strong)
   -5 
  Rivalry:  Professional (with another Cat 
  Burglar)
  GANGSTER PACKAGE DEAL
  Abilities
   Cost 
  Ability
   
  3 
  Streetwise
   
  2 
  WF: Small Arms
   
  1 
  Fringe Beneﬁ t:  Criminal rank (member in 
  gang, organized crime group, or the like)
   12 
  12 points’ worth of Skills from the following 
  list:  Bribery, Combat Skill Levels, Conceal-
  ment, Demolitions, Disguise, Fast Draw, 
  Forgery, Gambling, High Society, Language, 
  Martial Arts, Mechanics, Persuasion, Skill 
  Levels, Sleight Of Hand, Stealth, Weapon 
  Familiarity, any Background Skill, Contacts
  Total Cost Of Package Abilities:  18
  Disadvantages
   Value 
  Disadvantage
   None
  Total Value Of Package Disadvantages:  0
  
  36 ■ Character Creation
  Hero System 5th Edition
  GRIFTER PACKAGE DEAL
  A grift er is a con artist — a criminal who steals 
  money through fraud, subterfuge, clever scams, 
  and perhaps a little sleight of hand. He’s a master 
  of misdirection, trickery, and playing on the hopes 
  and fears of innocent people.
  Typical Goals And Motivations:  As with many other 
  criminal types, greed is the Grift er’s motivating 
  factor — he wants money, and he’s smart enough 
  to get it illegitimately instead of having to hold 
  an honest job. In his eyes, suckers don’t deserve to 
  keep their money; it’s his right to take it. Many are 
  proud of their skills and can’t resist a challenge... or 
  the chance to put one over on a rival or enemy.
  Typical Abilities:  PRE, INT, and DEX are the key Char-
  acteristics for a Grift er. He has to be able to present 
  himself well, think fast on his feet, and convince his 
  victims he’s on the up-and-up. Acting is almost man-
  datory for Grift ers; depending on the types of scams 
  he likes to pull, an individual Grift er may also use 
  Disguise, High Society, Gambling, Sleight Of Hand, or 
  various Interaction Skills to get what he’s aft er.
  Suggested Disadvantages:  Most Grift ers have 
  Psychological Limitations reﬂ ecting their crimi-
  nal nature and preferred modus operandi, such as 
  Greedy, Coward, or Must Prove Himself To Be Th e 
  Smartest. Th ose who are known criminals might 
  be Hunted by the police (at least to Watch them) or 
  have a Social Limitation.
  Progression:  Most Grift ers spend years honing 
  their Skills. In game terms that means they can 
  spend a lot of Experience Points buying up the rolls 
  on their Skills, or buying new Skills as they expand 
  their ability to scam others. If they decide to get 
  out of “the game,” they might focus on gambling, 
  cat burglary, or similar careers; they rarely switch 
  to more dangerous or combat-oriented activities. 
  On the other hand, some would make ideal spies, 
  assuming the nation or organization they work for 
  could ﬁ nd a way to overcome their inherently self-
  ish natures.
  HACKER PACKAGE DEAL
  A “hacker” is a person who uses his skills with 
  computers and programming to commit vari-
  ous computer-oriented crimes, such as creating 
  and unleashing viri, electronic theft , and so on. 
  (Strictly speaking, the more accurate term would 
  be “cracker,” for someone who “cracks into” secured 
  ﬁ les and the like, but most people use the better-
  known term “hacker.”) 
  Typical Goals And Motivations:  Many, if not most, 
  Hackers are motivated as much by the desire to show 
  oﬀ  their own cleverness and skills as they are by greed 
  or maliciousness. Th ey want to prove they can pen-
  etrate computer systems no one else has, go where 
  the authorities say no one can go, and obtain data no 
  one else has access to. But the money they can obtain 
  — either through electronic theft , or by hiring their 
  services out — isn’t something they ignore, either, 
  especially since keeping up with the “bleeding edge” of 
  computer technology costs a lot of money.
  Typical Abilities:  Most of the Hacker’s Skills focus 
  on technology. A high Computer Programming 
  roll is a must, of course, but the sort of hackers who 
  become PCs (or PCs’ adversaries) usually have even 
  broader Skill sets.
  Most Hackers are sedentary and not in very 
  good shape. However, some action-adventure 
  stories feature Hackers who are also into biking, 
  extreme sports, or other activities that keep them in 
  ﬁ ne physical form.
  Suggested Disadvantages:  Since a Hacker is a crim-
  inal, he could easily be Hunted by the FBI, local 
  cops, or any other law enforcement authority whose 
  attention he’s attracted (and/or he could have a 
  criminal record). If he’s penetrated sensitive gov-
  ernment systems, he might have the CIA, the Army, 
  or the like aft er him instead (or as well). Given their 
  competitiveness, many Hackers develop Rivalries 
  with other Hackers (some of these may turn into 
  Hunteds as well).
  Progression:  A Hacker has to constantly practice 
  his Skills and learn the latest advances in computer 
  tech, so buying up his standard Skills is a common 
  practice. Hackers who become adventurers usually 
  try to broaden the scope of their abilities by learn-
  ing how to ﬁ re guns (WFs), inﬁ ltrate areas (buy oﬀ  
  the Limitation on their Security Systems), and so 
  on. Given the limited scope of their Package Deal’s 
  abilities, there are plenty of other things Hackers 
  can learn if they want to.
  GRIFTER PACKAGE DEAL
  Abilities
   Cost 
  Ability
   
  9 
  +3 DEX
   
  3 
  +3 INT
   
  5 
  +5 PRE
   
  3 
  Acting
   
  3 
  Persuasion
   
  3 
  Streetwise
   15 
  15 points’ worth of Skills from the following 
  list:  Bribery, Computer Programming, Con-
  cealment, Conversation, Cramming, Deduc-
  tion, Disguise, Forgery, Gambling, High 
  Society, Language, Lipreading, Mimicry, 
  Oratory, Seduction, Shadowing, Skill Levels, 
  Sleight Of Hand, Stealth, Trading, Weapon 
  Familiarity, any Background Skill, Contacts
  Total Cost Of Package Abilities:  41
  Disadvantages
   Value 
  Disadvantage
   None
  Total Value Of Package Disadvantages:  0
  Options
   Value 
  Ability
   var 
  Hunted (by law enforcement or a crime-
  ﬁ ghter)
   -15 
  Psychological Limitation:  Greedy 
  (Common, Strong)
   -15 
  Psychological Limitation:  Never Give A 
  Sucker A Break (Common, Strong)
   -5 
  Rivalry (Professional; with another Grift er)
   -10 
  Social Limitation:  Criminal Record (Occa-
  sionally, Major)
  
  37 
  Dark Champions ■ Chapter Two
  TERRORIST
  A terrorist is a person (usually a member of 
  an organization of like-minded persons) who ille-
  gitimately employs violence and intimidation in 
  an eﬀ ort to promote his opinions or ideology. His 
  goal may be to create something (such as a new 
  nation solely for his people), to stop something 
  (for example, to force a nation or people to leave a 
  particular region or to change its policies), or some 
  combination of the two. (For information on ter-
  rorist groups; see page 307.)
  With a few adjustments, you can also use this 
  Package Deal for guerrillas, insurgents, and similar 
  informally-trained but highly-motivated soldiers.
  Typical Goals And Motivations:  By deﬁ nition, a ter-
  rorist is an ardent believer in his cause, whatever it 
  happens to be. Typically his beliefs are so strong, so 
  central to his self- or world-view, that he’s willing to 
  die for them. Everything else — family, friends, the 
  lives of innocent people — becomes unimportant 
  compared to “the cause.”
  Typical Abilities:  While terrorists come in many 
  varieties and levels of training, this Package Deal 
  represents one who’s well-trained in various mili-
  tary and paramilitary skills and doctrines. Th ey 
  don’t favor any particular Characteristic; depend-
  ing on the terrorist’s preferred methods, INT, DEX, 
  PRE, or STR may be the most important to him.
  Suggested Disadvantages:  All terrorists have Psy-
  chological Limitations representing their devo-
  tion to the cause. Beyond that, they’re probably 
  Hunted by at least one law enforcement or mili-
  tary organization (and possibly more). In some 
  terrorist groups, they may have Rivals, or even 
  intra-group Hunteds. A terrorist who’s hiding 
  among ordinary people waiting for orders or the 
  opportunity to strike may have a Social Limita-
  tion:  Secret Identity.
  Progression:  Terrorists typically devote their Expe-
  rience Points to improving their ability to support 
  the cause — they buy more Skills from the optional 
  list, increase their rolls with the Skills they already 
  know, and buy up their Characteristics (within 
  reason). As time goes on, they may broaden their 
  abilities by adding relevant Talents (such as Light-
  ning Reﬂ exes) or the like. If their cause succeeds 
  (or at least remains active), they may end up going 
  into the military or politics and developing appro-
  priate Skills for those careers.
  HACKER PACKAGE DEAL
  Abilities
   Cost 
  Ability
   
  7 
  Computer Programming +2
   
  3 
  Electronics
   
  3 
  Inventor
   
  3 
  SS: Computer Sciences 11-
   
  2 
  Security Systems (INT Roll); Only Versus 
  Computer Security Systems (-½)
   
  3 
  Systems Operation
  Total Cost Of Package Abilities:  21
  Disadvantages
   Value 
  Disadvantage
   None
  Total Value Of Package Disadvantages:  0
  Options
   Value 
  Ability
   30 
  What A Cool Laptop:  Computer built on 
  150 Character Points
   -10 
  Social Limitation:  Criminal Record (Occa-
  sionally, Major)
  TERRORIST PACKAGE DEAL
  Abilities
   Cost 
  Ability
   
  2 
  +2 STR
   
  6 
  +2 DEX
   
  3 
  KS: Th e Cause And Its History (INT Roll)
   
  1 
  KS: Th e Military/Mercenary/Terrorist 
  World 8-
   
  3 
  Tactics
   
  2 
  WF: Small Arms
   
  9 
  9 points’ worth of Skills from the following 
  list:  Bribery, Combat Skill Levels, Conceal-
  ment, Demolitions, Disguise, Fast Draw, 
  Forgery, Language, Martial Arts, Mechanics, 
  Stealth, Weapon Familiarity, any Back-
  ground Skill, Contacts
  Total Cost Of Package Abilities:  26
  Disadvantages
   Value 
  Disadvantage
   20 
  Psychological Limitation:  Fanatic Belief In 
  “Th e Cause” (Common, Total)
   20 
  Hunted (GM’s choice)
  Total Value Of Package Disadvantages:  40
  Options
   Value 
  Ability
   +18 
  Elite Terrorist:  Increase STR to +5, DEX to 
  +5, and Skill choices to 15 points’ worth
   +4 
  Guerrilla:  Replace KS: Th e Military/
  Mercenary/Terrorist World with AK: Area 
  Of Conﬂ ict (INT Roll), add Survival (one 
  environment category), and add Tracking to 
  the optional list
   -15 
  Deep Cover Terrorist:  Social Limitation:  
  Secret Identity (Frequently, Major)
   -10 
  Social Limitation:  Criminal Record 
  (Occasionally, Minor)
  
  38 ■ Character Creation
  Hero System 5th Edition
  ESPIONAGE 
  PACKAGE DEALS
  Th ese Package Deals are for characters who 
  work(ed) with or for intelligence agencies such 
  as the CIA or MI6. Th e text following the Pack-
  age Deals themselves brieﬂ y describes some of the 
  world’s major espionage agencies.
  CINEMATIC SPY PACKAGE DEAL
  Th is Package Deal represents the classic “spy” 
  seen in movies, adventure ﬁ ction, and the like. 
  Suave, daring, deadly, and highly skilled in a vari-
  ety of ﬁ elds, he’s actually very little like real-world 
  spies:  he’s too ﬂ ashy, too much of a liability to his 
  side. But he may be the perfect character for many 
  Dark Champions campaigns.
  Typical Goals And Motivations:  For all of his urbane 
  sophistication and cosmopolitan airs, the Cin-
  ematic Spy is usually a patriot — one so devoted 
  to the cause of his nation that he risks his life, day 
  aft er day, in its service. But occasionally a Cin-
  ematic Spy is in the job less for love of country than 
  for the thrills and excitement the job oﬀ ers.
  Typical Abilities:  Cinematic Spies have a wide 
  range of Skills and abilities — one of the attri-
  butes that sets them apart from “realistic spies” is 
  how good they are at so many things. Practically 
  the entire range of Dark Champions-style abili-
  ties is open to them. In addition to the ones listed 
  in the Package Deal, some of the most common 
  Skills favored by Cinematic Spies include:  
  Combat Driving; Conversation; Persuasion; 
  Seduction; and Transport Familiarity.
  Male Cinematic Spies are usually portrayed 
  as handsome, dashing men of great conﬁ dence 
  and ability, whether they’re inﬁ ltrating an enemy 
  base, gambling the night away, or seducing infor-
  mation out of a female enemy agent. Female spies 
  are oft en mysterious and seductive, but this out-
  ward demeanor masks a woman of iron will and 
  ruthless intent.
  Suggested Disadvantages:  Almost by deﬁ ni-
  tion, the Cinematic Spy is, like most other spies, 
  Hunted by the enemy and Watched by his own 
  side. He may also have other Hunteds — other 
  enemies he’s made during his career. Psychologi-
  cal Limitations like Womanizer or Skirtchaser are 
  also appropriate; many (if not most) Cinematic 
  Spies seem to spend a lot of time associating with 
  and/or pursuing members of the fairer sex (who 
  oft en turn out to be enemy spies, or in the employ 
  of enemy spies).
  Progression:  Just buying most of the Skills listed 
  in the optional list for Cinematic Spies may take 
  a character dozens of games’ worth of Experience 
  Points, so there’s not much need to look beyond the 
  standard “spy skills” for ideas. A spy who gets out 
  of the “Great Game” and into full-time adventuring 
  may want to broaden his Skill set with military-ori-
  ented abilities or the like.
  CINEMATIC SPY 
  PACKAGE DEAL
  Abilities
   Cost 
  Ability
   
  2 
  Gambling (choose one category of games)
   
  3 
  High Society
   
  3 
  KS: Th e Espionage World (INT Roll)
   
  2 
  KS: Th e Military/Mercenary/Terrorist 
  World 11-
   
  3 
  PS: Tradecraft  (INT Roll)
   
  3 
  Stealth
   
  2 
  WF: Small Arms
   
  3 
  Fringe Beneﬁ t:  Espionage Rank
   
  3 
  Fringe Beneﬁ t:  Security Clearance
   15 
  15 points’ worth of Skills from the following 
  list:  Acting, Bribery, Bureaucratics, Climb-
  ing, Combat Driving, Combat Piloting, 
  Combat Skill Levels, Computer Program-
  ming, Concealment, Conversation, Cram-
  ming, Cryptography, Deduction, Disguise, 
  Forgery, Lipreading, Lockpicking, Martial 
  Arts, Mimicry, Navigation, Persuasion, Secu-
  rity Systems, Seduction, Shadowing, Skill 
  Levels, Sleight Of Hand, Streetwise, Track-
  ing, Weapon Familiarity, any Background 
  Skill, Contacts, Deep Cover
  Total Cost Of Package Abilities:  39
  Disadvantages
   Value 
  Disadvantage
   20 
  Hunted:  enemy nation or espionage agency 
  8- (Mo Pow, NCI, Capture/Kill)
   10 
  Hunted:  his own nation or espionage 
  agency 8- (Mo Pow, NCI, Watching)
  Total Value Of Package Disadvantages:  30
  Options
   Value 
  Ability
   10 
  Trusted Agent:  Add Fringe Beneﬁ t: License 
  To Kill
   
  0 
  Undercover Spy:  Choose as optional abilities 
  Acting, Disguise, Deep Cover(s), and a selec-
  tion of appropriate Background Skills for his 
  Deep Cover(s)
   -15 
  Psychological Limitation:  Patriot 
  (Common, Strong)
   -15 
  Psychological Limitation:  Womanizer; Can’t 
  Resist A Pretty Face (Common, Strong)
   -15 
  Psychological Limitation:  Th rillseeker 
  (Common, Strong)
   -5 
  Rivalry (Professional, with another spy in 
  his agency)
  
  39 
  Dark Champions ■ Chapter Two
  ANALYST PACKAGE DEAL
  In the “real world,” the average spy isn’t any-
  thing like spies in most movies and novels. He’s a 
  scholar and researcher who compiles and analyzes 
  data, looking for patterns and other vital informa-
  tion. Compared to the Cinematic Spy (or even the 
  Field Agent), his isn’t a glamorous job, but it’s an 
  absolutely vital one in the intelligence community.
  Typical Goals And Motivations:  For the most part, the 
  Analyst is a civilian employee who just wants to do 
  his job and do it well. However, he may be motivated 
  by a love of country, a desire to protect his loved 
  ones from external threats, or other noble feelings 
  that go beyond the simple earning of a paycheck.
  Typical Abilities:  Th e Analyst’s abilities primarily relate 
  to gathering and analyzing information. He’s a skilled 
  researcher, able to pore through mountains of data, 
  condense it down to its essential points, and then 
  determine what those essential points signify. Most 
  Analysts have one or more areas of specialization 
  (such as “HAMAS” or “African Politics”) which they 
  represent with their choices of KSs and optional Skills.
  Suggested Disadvantages:  Analysts as a group 
  don’t have any particular Disadvantages, other than 
  being Watched by the organization they work for. 
  Each may have his own personal foibles, of course, 
  though these don’t necessarily rise to the level of 
  Disadvantages. If an Analyst has any personal prob-
  lems (addictions, money diﬃ  culties, or the like), 
  he’s susceptible to recruitment or blackmail by an 
  enemy agency.
  Progression:  Over time, Analysts tend to become 
  better and better at their jobs — in game terms, 
  they spend Experience Points to improve their 
  Skill Rolls and buy more KSs. In a Dark Champions 
  campaign, it’s likely that an Analyst who becomes 
  an adventurer will want to buy Skills and abilities 
  that make him more eﬀ ective in the ﬁ eld:  combat 
  Skills; inﬁ ltration Skills; and the like.
  ASSASSIN PACKAGE DEAL
  An assassin is a killer for hire, skilled at per-
  forming “wet work.” While assassins can be free-
  lancers, this Package Deal is included under the 
  Espionage category because intelligence agencies 
  oft en employ (or oppose) assassins — in adventure 
  ﬁ ction and movies, at least, if not in the “real world” 
  as well.
  Th is Package Deal is slightly “cinematic,” in 
  that it represents an assassin who’s broadly com-
  petent in his ﬁ eld. For a more “realistic” assassin, 
  reduce the Characteristic purchases and focus the 
  character on one preferred method of killing his 
  targets — usually something relatively mundane, 
  such as sniping or explosives, rather than making 
  him an expert poisoner, knife-thrower, or the like.
  Typical Goals And Motivations:  Assassins’ motiva-
  tions vary. Some are skilled professionals just 
  doing a job. Th ey may not even like what they do, 
  in which case they’re probably looking for a way 
  out but can’t ﬁ nd a safe one (aft er all, how likely is 
  it their employer will just let them walk away and 
  retire peacefully?). Others are sociopathic butchers 
  who’ve found a socially acceptable outlet for their 
  murderous impulses.
  Typical Abilities:  Assassins have a wide variety of 
  Skills that help them with the (unpleasant) task of 
  killing hard-to-reach people. Th ey’re strong, fast, 
  smart, and determined. Th ey know how to use 
  a wide variety of weapons with great skill... but 
  they’re dangerous ﬁ ghters even when unarmed. 
  Beyond that, they usually have a generous selection 
  of typical “spy Skills,” since they need to use many 
  of the same wiles to get close to their targets as a 
  spy does to gather information and make contacts.
  Suggested Disadvantages:  Like other espionage 
  agents, Assassins are Watched by the organization 
  they work for and Hunted by at least one enemy 
  organization. Th ey could also be Hunted by a rela-
  tive of one of their victims who seeks revenge. 
  Cinematic Assassins oft en “compete” with other 
  assassins for the title of world’s greatest killer, or to 
  see who can get to a speciﬁ ed victim ﬁ rst.
  Progression:  Like Cinematic Spies, Assassins have 
  so many Skills in their optional lists that they can 
  ANALYST PACKAGE DEAL
   Abilities
   Cost 
  Ability
   
  3 
  +3 INT
   
  3 
  Bureaucratics
   
  3 
  Deduction
   
  3 
  KS: Th e Espionage World (INT Roll)
   
  3 
  KS: Th e Military/Mercenary/Terrorist World 
  (INT Roll)
   12 
  12 more points’ worth of KSs
   
  3 
  PS: Researcher (INT Roll)
   
  3 
  Fringe Beneﬁ t:  Espionage Rank
   
  3 
  Fringe Beneﬁ t:  Security Clearance
   
  6 
  6 points’ worth of Skills from the following 
  list:  Acting, Bribery, Computer Program-
  ming, Conversation, Cramming, Cryptog-
  raphy, Lipreading, Martial Arts, Persuasion, 
  Skill Levels, Weapon Familiarity, any Back-
  ground Skill (particularly Languages), Con-
  tacts
  Total Cost Of Package Abilities:  42
  Disadvantages
   Value 
  Disadvantage
   10 
  Hunted:  his own nation or espionage 
  agency 8- (Mo Pow, NCI, Watching)
  Total Value Of Package Disadvantages:  10
  Options
   Value 
  Ability
   -20 
  Hunted:  enemy nation or espionage agency 
  8- (Mo Pow, NCI, Recruit/Obtain Informa-
  tion From)
   -15 
  Psychological Limitation:  Patriot 
  (Common, Strong)
   -5 
  Blackmailed Agent:  Social Limitation:  
  Harmful Secret (Occasionally, Minor) (char-
  acter may also need to take one or more 
  other Disadvantages representing what he’s 
  being blackmailed about)
   +4 
  High-Ranking Spy:  Increase Security 
  Clearance
  
  40 ■ Character Creation
  Hero System 5th Edition
  spend most of their careers buying and honing 
  them. An Assassin who wants to get out of “the 
  business” may train himself to assume another 
  career; one who spends time with Dark Champions 
  adventurers may pick up some of their Skills.
  FIELD AGENT PACKAGE DEAL
  Th is Package Deal represents a typical “real-
  world” spy who actually spends time in the ﬁ eld 
  — the “realistic” equivalent of the Cinematic Spy, if 
  you will.
  Typical Goals And Motivations:  Th e motivations of 
  those who spy are sometimes summarized with the 
  acronym MICE:  Money; Ideology; Compromise; and 
  Ego. Many of these factors apply primarily to per-
  sons who betray their own country (such as Aldrich 
  Ames or Kim Philby), but they could also apply to 
  the typical Field Agent PC. For them, ideology (love 
  of country or the like) is probably the most common 
  motivator, but not necessarily the only one.
  ASSASSIN PACKAGE DEAL
  Abilities
   Cost 
  Ability
   
  5 
  +5 STR
   15 
  +5 DEX
   
  3 
  +3 INT
   
  5 
  +5 PRE
   
  8 
  +1 with All Combat
   
  3 
  Demolitions
   
  3 
  KS: Th e Espionage World (INT Roll)
   
  3 
  KS: Th e Military/Mercenary/Terrorist World 
  (INT Roll)
   10 
  Martial Arts (10 points’ worth)
   
  3 
  SS: Pharmacology/Toxicology (INT Roll)
   
  3 
  Stealth
   
  3 
  Streetwise
   
  4 
  WF: Small Arms plus two more points’ 
  worth of WFs
   
  3 
  Fringe Beneﬁ t:  Espionage Rank
   
  3 
  Fringe Beneﬁ t:  Security Clearance
   
  9 
  9 points’ worth of Skills from the follow-
  ing list:  Acting, Bribery, Climbing, Combat 
  Driving, Combat Piloting, Combat Skill 
  Levels, Computer Programming, Conceal-
  ment, Conversation, Cramming, Cryp-
  tography, Deduction, Disguise, Forgery, 
  Lockpicking, Martial Arts, Mimicry, Penalty 
  Skill Levels, Persuasion, Security Systems, 
  Seduction, Shadowing, Skill Levels, Sleight 
  Of Hand, Streetwise, Tracking, Weapon 
  Familiarity, any Background Skill, Contacts, 
  Deep Cover, Deadly Blow
  Total Cost Of Package Abilities:  83
  Disadvantages
   Value 
  Disadvantage
   20 
  Hunted:  enemy nation or espionage agency 
  8- (Mo Pow, NCI, Capture/Kill)
   10 
  Hunted:  his own nation or espionage 
  agency 8- (Mo Pow, NCI, Watching)
  Total Value Of Package Disadvantages:  30
  Options
   Value 
  Ability
   
  0 
  Undercover Killer:  Choose as optional abili-
  ties Acting, Disguise, Deep Cover(s), and a 
  selection of appropriate Background Skills 
  for his Deep Cover(s)
   -20 
  Psychological Limitation:  Casual Killer 
  (Very Common, Strong)
   -5 
  Rivalry (Professional, with another assassin)
  FIELD AGENT PACKAGE DEAL
  Abilities
   Cost 
  Ability
   
  3 
  KS: Th e Espionage World (INT Roll)
   
  2 
  KS: Th e Military/Mercenary/Terrorist 
  World 11-
   
  6 
  6 more points’ worth of KSs pertaining to 
  the character’s area of expertise
   
  3 
  PS: Tradecraft  (INT Roll)
   
  2 
  WF: Small Arms
   
  3 
  Fringe Beneﬁ t:  Espionage Rank
   
  3 
  Fringe Beneﬁ t:  Security Clearance
   
  9 
  9 points’ worth of Skills from the following 
  list:  Acting, Bribery, Bureaucratics, Climb-
  ing, Combat Driving, Combat Skill Levels, 
  Computer Programming, Concealment, 
  Conversation, Cramming, Cryptography, 
  Deduction, Disguise, Forgery, Gambling, 
  High Society, Lipreading, Lockpicking, 
  Martial Arts, Persuasion, Security Systems, 
  Seduction, Shadowing, Skill Levels, Sleight 
  Of Hand, Stealth, Streetwise, Weapon Famil-
  iarity, any Background Skill (particularly 
  Languages), Contacts, Deep Cover
  Total Cost Of Package Abilities:  31
  Disadvantages
   Value 
  Disadvantage
   20 
  Hunted:  enemy nation or espionage agency 
  8- (Mo Pow, NCI, Capture/Kill)
   10 
  Hunted:  his own nation or espionage 
  agency 8- (Mo Pow, NCI, Watching)
  Total Value Of Package Disadvantages:  30
  Options
   Value 
  Ability
   
  0 
  Undercover Spy:  Choose as optional abilities 
  Acting, Disguise, Deep Cover(s), and a selec-
  tion of appropriate Background Skills for his 
  Deep Cover(s)
   -15 
  Psychological Limitation:  Patriot 
  (Common, Strong)
   -5 
  Rivalry (Professional, with another spy in 
  his agency)
   -5 
  Double Agent:  Social Limitation:  Harm-
  ful Secret (Occasionally, Minor) (character 
  may also need to take one or more other 
  Disadvantages representing what led him to 
  betray his country or made him susceptible 
  to blackmail, such as Psychological Limita-
  tion: Compulsive Gambler for a spy who 
  needs money to pay his gambling debts)
  
  41 
  Dark Champions ■ Chapter Two
  Typical Abilities:  Unlike the widely-skilled Cin-
  ematic Spy, the Field Agent has a much more 
  restricted set of Skills and abilities. In addition to 
  some general espionage training, he usually has 
  Skills (primarily KSs, Languages, and the like) per-
  taining to a particular area of expertise. For exam-
  ple, a Field Agent who’s assigned to Africa probably 
  has AK: Africa, CKs of various cities in Africa, 
  KS: African Politics, various Languages spoken in 
  the parts of Africa he frequents, Contacts among 
  prominent or useful Africans, and the like. 
  Suggested Disadvantages:  Th e Field Agent is, of 
  course, Hunted by the enemy and Watched by his 
  own side. If he’s been recruited by another agency 
  as a double agent, he has a Social Limitation and 
  probably another Disadvantage reﬂ ecting the 
  “hook” with which he was recruited.
  Progression:  As with other spies, the Field Agent 
  can just keep buying Skills from his Package Deal’s 
  optional list if he wants. If he becomes a full-time 
  adventurer, he may want to broaden his Skills a 
  little.; many Field Agents focus pretty narrowly on 
  their area of specialization, and that doesn’t always 
  make for good adventuring.
  Intelligence Agencies 
  Of The World
  Here’s a brief description of some existing 
  intelligence agencies, as well as some from the 
  recent past that may factor into games set in the 
  latter half of the twentieth century (or whose 
  members may now be “freelancers” opposing 
  the PCs). Gamers who are interested in knowing 
  more should consult the references listed in the 
  Bibliography.
  BULGARIA
  During the Cold War, Bulgaria’s espionage and 
  secret police service was known as the DS (Durzha-
  vana Sigurnost, or “State Security”). It conducted 
  many operations on behalf of the KGB, which pre-
  ferred to distance itself from certain missions (such 
  as some assassinations) that the DS was willing to 
  carry out. Its other activities included gathering 
  military and strategic intelligence and domestic 
  counterintelligence operations. Modern Bulgaria’s 
  intelligence agency is the National Intelligence 
  Service.
  CHINA
  China has a large and active intelligence com-
  munity, one which has sadly proven adept at steal-
  ing American technological and military secrets. 
  Th e large Chinese community in the United States 
  (and other nations) provides excellent cover for its 
  operations.
  Th e primary intelligence agency in China is 
  the Ministry of State Security (MSS). It’s organized 
  into numbered bureaus — First, Second, Th ird, and 
  
  42 ■ Character Creation
  Hero System 5th Edition
  so on. Th e Second Bureau is responsible for foreign 
  intelligence gathering and operations; the First for 
  recruiting and certain domestic intelligence activi-
  ties; the Th ird for operations in Hong Kong, Macao, 
  and Taiwan. Th e Ministry of Public Security, the 
  primary police force in China, also has some espio-
  nage-related responsibilities.
  CUBA
  Cuba’s espionage agency is the DGI (Direc-
  ción General de Inteligencia, or General Intelli-
  gence Directorate), a branch of the Ministry of the 
  Interior. Traditionally associated with the Soviet 
  and Russian intelligence services, it’s said to main-
  tain close ties to them today. It’s responsible for 
  gathering foreign intelligence; the DCM (Military 
  Counterintelligence Department) of the Ministry 
  of Revolutionary Armed Forces handles domestic 
  intelligence/counterintelligence operations.
  Th e DGI has two large divisions, Operational 
  and Support, each containing three smaller divi-
  sions. For example, Operational Division includes 
  the Political/Economic Intelligence Division (which 
  subdivides into geographic sections) and the Mili-
  tary Intelligence Division.
  It’s thought that the DGI is especially active in 
  Miami and around Guantanamo Bay (the United 
  States naval base in Cuba). In addition to gathering 
  foreign intelligence, it also trains revolutionaries 
  and guerrilla warriors in other Th ird World coun-
  tries, and participates in the international drug 
  trade. Some American oﬃ  cials allege that over half 
  the members of the Cuban delegation to the United 
  Nations are DGI spies.
  FRANCE
  France has several espionage agencies of note. 
  Th e foremost of them is the Direction Générale 
  de la Sécurité Extérieure (DGSE, or Directorate 
  of External Security), which collects intelligence 
  data and conducts counterintelligence and covert 
  operations. It also has some role in combating drug 
  traﬃ  cking. It has ﬁ ve main internal directorates:  
  Strategic; Intelligence; Operations; Administration; 
  and Technical.
  Next is the DRM, or Direction du Renseigne-
  ment Militaire (Directorate of Military Intelligence). 
  Created to resolve intelligence problems experienced 
  during the Gulf War, it was formed from several 
  existing agencies, including the Deuxième Bureau 
  (“Second Bureau”). Its initial brief was to “plan[], 
  coordinat[e], and lead[] investigations and the use 
  of military intelligence.” In the ensuing decade it has 
  evolved from a pure military intelligence organiza-
  tion to one that also works with political and stra-
  tegic intelligence, like the DGSE. It has no internal 
  security role and no operations branch; it’s an intel-
  ligence analysis and evaluation organization.
  Other French intelligence agencies include 
  the Direction de la Protection et de la Securite de la 
  Defense (DPSD, the Directorate for Defense Protec-
  tion and Security) and the Brigade de Renseigne-
  ment et de Guerre Electronique (BRGE, the Intel-
  ligence and Electronic Warfare Brigade).
  GERMANY
  Th e primary German intelligence agency is 
  known as BND (Bundesnachrichtendienst, or Federal 
  Intelligence Service). It gathers intelligence internally 
  (against suspect groups such as Islamic extremists) 
  and abroad. Large and well-funded, it monitors activ-
  ities and broadcasts of interest around the world, and 
  has a large staﬀ  of ﬁ eld operatives. It cooperates with 
  Russian intelligence to combat nuclear smuggling; it 
  also engages in operations to combat drug smuggling 
  and money laundering.
  Th e BND has six primary departments:  Opera-
  tional Procurement; Technical Surveillance; Interpre-
  tation; Administration; Security And Defense; and 
  Central Tasks. Administration maintains the Central 
  File For Persons (PEZD), a valuable database which 
  includes all records regarding persons who come into 
  contact with the intelligence services.
  Th e Stasi
  Before East and West Germany merged, the 
  East had its own intelligence agencies. Chief among 
  these was Stasi, the dreaded East German secret 
  police. Th e Stasi reportedly attempted to keep a ﬁ le 
  on every East German, and its intelligence network 
  is said to have included as many as half of the citi-
  zens. Since reuniﬁ cation, the government has abol-
  ished the Stasi, but presumably many of its former 
  agents are still working somewhere, whether for 
  other nations or for themselves.
  INDIA
  As one of the largest, most populous nations 
  in the world, with one of the world’s largest mili-
  taries, India likewise has an extensive intelligence 
  community. Among the most important of its intel-
  ligence agencies are:
  ■ the Research and Analysis Wing (RAW), which 
  gathers foreign intelligence. It works directly for the 
  Prime Minister and does not report to Parliament. 
  It’s had great success in operations against Pakistan 
  and other neighboring nations.
  ■ the Intelligence Bureau (IB), said by some to be 
  the world’s oldest intelligence agency. It’s respon-
  sible for domestic intelligence. By law its activities 
  cannot be investigated or audited, so determining 
  exactly what it does and how it performs its mis-
  sion is diﬃ  cult.
  ■ the Joint Intelligence Committee (JIC), which 
  analyzes and evaluates the intelligence gathered by 
  the RAW and the IB.
  IRAN
  Th e main Iranian intelligence agency is the 
  Ministry of Intelligence and Security (MOIS), or 
  VEVAK, the successor to the SAVAK (see below). Its 
  functions remain obscure, though it seems to engage 
  in both domestic and foreign intelligence operations. 
  It includes some lower-ranking SAVAK members 
  whose knowledge or experience were regarded as 
  particularly valuable. Its foreign agents are thought 
  to be mostly consular personnel, “employees” of Iran 
  Air, and students. Experts believe it has ﬁ nanced and 
  otherwise supported terrorist activities abroad.
  
  43 
  Dark Champions ■ Chapter Two
  Th e Joint Committee for Special Operations, a 
  body whose members include the president and the 
  nation’s top religious oﬃ  cial, coordinates Iranian 
  intelligence operations. It also monitors the activi-
  ties of the Iranian exile community.
  Th e SAVAK
  Th e SAVAK, or Ministry of Security, was 
  formed by the Shah of Iran in 1957. Initially 
  founded for limited purposes, it quickly grew into 
  a large, powerful intelligence-gathering agency and 
  secret police organization. During the Shah’s reign 
  it developed a well-deserved reputation for abuse 
  of power, cruelty, and the use of torture on prison-
  ers — among other things, it had the authority to 
  arrest anyone in Iran and hold them indeﬁ nitely 
  without reason. Th e Ayatollah Khomeini dissolved 
  the SAVAK when he came to power in 1979 (many 
  of its leaders and members were executed at that 
  time), but the PCs in a Dark Champions campaign 
  could easily run into veterans of the agency who’ve 
  been “freelancing” since then.
  ISRAEL
  As a small state surrounded by many enemies, 
  Israel places great value on intelligence-gathering. It 
  has several intelligence agencies, including:
  Th e Mossad
  Th e chief Israeli intelligence organization is 
  the Mossad (Institute for Intelligence and Special 
  Tasks), a small agency regarded as eﬃ  cient and 
  sometimes cruel. It’s said to be able to call on a 
  worldwide network of Jews for assistance in its for-
  eign intelligence operations, which mainly focus on 
  Arab states and nationals.
  Th e Mossad has eight departments. Th e largest 
  is Collections, which is responsible for various espi-
  onage operations. Special Operations, or Metsada, 
  performs dangerous and highly sensitive missions 
  such as sabotage, assassination, paramilitary opera-
  tions, and psychological warfare. Research analyzes 
  and manages the data gathered by the organization, 
  and Technology develops the devices and weapons 
  needed to support Mossad activities.
  Shabak
  Also known as Shin Bet, Shabak (the Israel 
  Security Service, formerly the General Security 
  Service) is the Israeli domestic security and coun-
  terintelligence agency. It’s responsible for helping 
  to maintain the security of the people and the 
  state. It has three operational departments:  Arab 
  Aﬀ airs (which mainly monitors Arab terrorists 
  and tries to prevent terrorist activities); Non-
  Arab Aﬀ airs; and Protective Security (which pro-
  tects government buildings, vital defense and sci-
  entiﬁ c installations, and El Al). While it’s regarded 
  as a highly proﬁ cient organization, it has been 
  accused of numerous human rights and Geneva 
  Convention violations.
  Aman
  Aman is the Israeli military intelligence ser-
  vice (also known as the Modi’in). It performs the 
  usual military intelligence duties:  preparing briefs 
  and reports regarding security threats; conducting 
  target studies of potential enemies; and the like. It’s 
  an independent service, equal in prominence to the 
  army, navy, and air force (all of whom have intel-
  ligence units that function as semi-autonomous 
  sections of Aman).
  
  44 ■ Character Creation
  Hero System 5th Edition
  JAPAN
  Japan’s main intelligence agency is the Koan-
  cho (Public Security Investigation Agency). It’s a 
  comparatively small organization responsible for 
  both internal and external security matters, with a 
  focus on counter-espionage activities.
  RUSSIA
  Russia has a long history of powerful, well-
  funded, and eﬀ ective intelligence agencies. In a 
  Cold War-era Dark Champions campaign, Russian 
  agents are likely to be the primary adversaries of 
  spy PCs.
  Th e KGB
  Th e best-known Soviet intelligence agency was 
  the infamous KGB (Komitet Gosudarstvennoi Bezo-
  pasnosti, Committee for State Security). Besides its 
  world-wide functions as an espionage agency, the 
  KGB was in charge of Soviet internal security and 
  acted as a feared secret police. 
  Th e KGB’s fearsome reputation was due in part 
  to its extreme caution and willingness to play for 
  long-term goals. Its operations included not only 
  standard intelligence-gathering and analysis, but 
  the sponsorship of terrorism, subversion of ene-
  mies of the Soviet state, and outright assassination 
  of enemies (oft en with the help of the DS, GRU, or 
  SMERSH). It employed about half a million people 
  throughout the world.
  Th e organization and hierarchy of the KGB 
  was complex and detailed, but basically it had ﬁ ve 
  major internal directorates and several other minor 
  ones. Th e First Directorate was responsible for all 
  foreign intelligence gathering and operations. It 
  included ﬁ eld operatives, technicians, analysts, and 
  even a special Spetznaz (special forces) unit. Th e 
  Second Directorate was responsible for internal 
  security and control. Th e Th ird Directorate dealt 
  with military counterintelligence and political 
  surveillance of the Soviet military.  Th e Eighth 
  Directorate was in charge of communications and 
  cryptography.
  Th e SVR
  Th e KGB collapsed along with the Soviet 
  Union in 1991-92, but its assets, activities, and per-
  sonnel simply became part of other, newly-formed 
  organizations. One of these was the SVR (Sluzhba 
  Vneshney Razvedki, or Foreign Intelligence Ser-
  vice). It took over the resources and duties of the 
  KGB’s First Directorate (i.e., foreign intelligence). 
  Like the First Directorate, it probably has three 
  internal directorates (S, T, and K) and three services 
  (I, A, and R), each responsible for one facet of its 
  overall mission. It also controls a Spetznaz counter-
  terrorist unit, Vympel (“Banner”).
  Th e FSB
  Th e Federal’naya Sluzhba Bezopasnosti, or 
  Federal Security Service, is also a successor to the 
  KGB. Its duties involve Russian internal security, 
  counterespionage, and combatting organized crime; 
  they were once the purview of the Second, Th ird, 
  Fift h, and Seventh Directorates of the KGB. It was 
  initially known as the Federal Counterintelligence 
  Service (Federal’naya Sluzhba Kontr-razvedky, or 
  FSK), but subsequently redesignated the FSB. It has 
  approximately 75,000 employees.
  Th e GRU
  Another important Soviet agency was the 
  Glavnoye Razvedyvatelnoye Upravlenie (Chief Intel-
  ligence Directorate of the Soviet General Staﬀ ), or 
  GRU. Agents of the GRU, who were ﬁ erce rivals 
  of the KGB, were considered to be vicious, brutal 
  men who preferred direct action over the KGB’s 
  stealth and maneuvering. GRU activities included 
  industrial espionage and aiding guerrilla warfare in 
  enemy countries, but its primary focus was gather-
  ing military intelligence.
  Unlike the KGB, the GRU survived the col-
  lapse of the Soviet Union and continues to function 
  as a military intelligence agency (some believe it 
  has more resources for gathering foreign intel-
  ligence than the SVR). Its structure has remained 
  largely the same as well, with a system of director-
  ates, directions, and sections, each devoted to a par-
  ticular subject and/or geographic region.
  SMERSH
  SMERSH, Smert Shpionen or Shpionam 
  (“Death to Spies”), was the Soviet agency in charge 
  of counterespionage, assassination, kidnapping, and 
  similar activities. Its agents were considered cold, 
  cruel professionals; they used many exotic devices. 
  In the 1980s it merged with the KGB, its functions 
  taken over by that agency’s Th ird Directorate.
  THE UNITED KINGDOM
  Th e primary British intelligence agencies, MI-
  5 and MI-6 (Military Intelligence 5 and 6), are well 
  known in ﬁ ctionalized form to fans of the “James 
  Bond” movie series. Th ese agencies have a long tra-
  dition of excellent service and were the models for 
  the intelligence agencies of many other nations.
  MI-5, the Security Service, is responsible for 
  counterespionage, counterterrorism, and national 
  security. It has ﬁ ve internal branches, each headed 
  by a Director:  two have duties pertaining to intel-
  ligence collection, information management, and 
  administrative matters; three analyze and evaluate 
  collected intelligence and advise the government. It 
  has about 1,900 employees.
  MI-6, the Secret Intelligence Service (SIS; 
  motto:  Semper Occultus, “Always Secret”), conducts 
  foreign espionage operations. Known in Espionage 
  World slang as “the Firm” (or, to other agencies, “the 
  Friends”), it’s an extremely secretive agency thought 
  to have about 2,300 employees.
  THE UNITED STATES
  Th e American government has numerous 
  intelligence agencies, almost all of them well-
  equipped and well-funded by Espionage World 
  standards. Some of the most important include:
  Th e CIA
  Th e Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) is head-
  quartered at Langley, Virginia. It is an executive 
  branch agency with approximately 20,000 to 30,000 
  employees, making it one of the largest intelligence 
  agencies in the world.
  TYPES OF 
  INTELLIGENCE
  Intelligence agencies 
  typically organize intel-
  ligence into seven cat-
  egories:
  COMINT: Communi-
  cations Intelligence, 
  information derived by 
  intercepting communi-
  cations. 
  ELINT:  Electronic Intel-
  ligence, technical and 
  intelligence information 
  gathered from electro-
  magnetic transmissions 
  which are not commu-
  nications.
  HUMINT:  Human Intel-
  ligence, information 
  gathered from human 
  sources (such as friendly 
  agents, informants, 
  double agents, and 
  unsuspecting dupes) 
  through various covert 
  and overt techniques. 
  IMINT:  Imagery Intel-
  ligence, information 
  gathered from satellite 
  photographs and other 
  images.
  MASINT:  Measurement 
  and Signature Intel-
  ligence, information 
  about technical matters, 
  such as acoustic, materi-
  als science, nuclear, opti-
  cal, radiofrequency, and 
  seismic data.
  OPEN SOURCE:  Infor-
  mation in the public 
  domain (e.g., in the 
  newspaper, on the news, 
  on the Internet).
  SIGINT:  Signals Intel-
  ligence, information 
  gathered by intercepting 
  signals, including all 
  COMINT, ELINT, and 
  MASINT.
  
  45 
  Dark Champions ■ Chapter Two
  Central Intelligence is responsible for gath-
  ering all sorts of foreign intelligence and for 
  domestic counterespionage (it shares the latter 
  responsibility with the FBI). United States law 
  forbids it to commit assassinations or engage in 
  domestic spying.
  Th e CIA has four Directorates — Adminis-
  tration, Intelligence, Operations, and Science and 
  Technology — each headed by a Deputy Direc-
  tor. Th e Directorates are further divided by the 
  geographic region they are responsible for. Th e 
  Directorate of the most immediate interest to 
  Dark Champions GMs and players is Operations, 
  which conducts classical espionage activities, covert 
  operations, counterintelligence, and counterterror-
  ism. Th e information Operations obtains through 
  traditional spying, and that Science and Technology 
  gets through signals intelligence and like sources, 
  is analyzed and turned into “ﬁ nished intelligence 
  product” by Intelligence.
  Th e DIA
  Headquartered at the Pentagon, the Defense 
  Intelligence Agency (DIA) is the United States’s 
  main military intelligence  agency. It describes itself 
  as a “combat support agency.” It has subordinate 
  branches in each of the American military services, 
  and also assigns military attachés to American 
  embassies.
  Th e DIA has six Directorates, including 
  Analysis, Intelligence Joint Staﬀ , Human Intel-
  ligence, and MASINT and Technical Collection. It 
  also operates the Joint Military Intelligence Col-
  lege, a center for educating civilian and military 
  intelligence professionals.
  Th e NSA
  Th e National Security Agency (NSA), head-
  quartered at Fort Meade, Maryland, is probably 
  the United States’s most secret intelligence agency 
  (it used to be said that the initials stood for “No 
  Such Agency”). Its primary responsibilities are to 
  gather and analyze electronic intelligence and com-
  munications, evaluate intelligence data, make and 
  break codes, protect sensitive and classiﬁ ed U.S. 
  government information, and help other agencies 
  plan missions. Its computer resources, information 
  network, and technical capabilities are among the 
  best in the world.
  LAW ENFORCEMENT 
  PACKAGE DEALS
  Th ese Package Deals cover various careers in 
  American law enforcement — an excellent form of 
  training for costumed vigilantes and many other 
  Dark Champions characters. If you want to create a 
  cop from another country, you can easily adapt the 
  most appropriate Package Deal by changing a few 
  Skills and so on.
  POLICE OFFICER PACKAGE DEAL
  Th is Package Deal is for local and state law 
  enforcement oﬃ  cers — city cops on the beat, 
  homicide detectives, county sheriﬀ ’s deputies, State 
  Highway Patrolmen, and so forth. Police training 
  varies from jurisdiction to jurisdiction, so GMs 
  who are willing to do a little extra research can cus-
  tomize this Package to ﬁ t particular cities or locales.
  Typical Goals And Motivations:  Th e attitudes and 
  goals of law enforcement personnel can vary 
  greatly from oﬃ  cer to oﬃ  cer. Many want to do 
  the best job they can, while others are corrupt and 
  only interested in getting rich by exploiting their 
  position. Some are caring and compassionate indi-
  viduals who genuinely want to help people, but a 
  few are macho swaggerers who get a big kick out of 
  wearing a gun and pushing people around.
  One motivation most oﬃ  cers share is caution, 
  suspicion, “paranoia,” and being on the lookout 
  for danger. Because their lives are always on the 
  line, and everything they do is subject to scrutiny 
  by a hostile media and other special interests, this 
  “circling of the wagons” attitude is oft en under-
  standable. But it may lead to a department “closing 
  ranks” to hinder investigations of alleged police 
  corruption, brutality, or the like.
  Th e nature of law enforcement work demands 
  that oﬃ  cers and agents be assertive, self-conﬁ dent 
  individuals. You should reﬂ ect this when you role-
  play a cop.
  Typical Abilities:  Policemen are generally ﬁ t and 
  physically capable individuals (in game terms, they 
  oft en have at least some Primary Characteristics 
  above 8). Because they have to confront people 
  frequently, and have seen so many terrible things, 
  they’re hard to intimidate or impress (high PRE).
  Many cops have some form of martial arts train-
  ing (for example, Commando Training as a collection 
  of self-defense techniques, or maneuvers that repre-
  sent their skill using a nightstick or tonfa). Th ey’re 
  observant and have good memories, because their 
  job requires them to pay a lot more attention to their 
  surroundings than most people do.
  Th e Membership Fringe Beneﬁ t in this Package 
  Deal assumes a relatively low-ranking oﬃ  cer. You 
  can pay more Character Points to increase it if you 
  want to create a higher-ranking character.
  Cops carry a lot of equipment, either on their 
  persons or in their squad cars. Th is includes a ﬁ re-
  arm (and possibly a hidden backup pistol) with 
  extra clips of ammunition, pepper spray, a night-
  stick or tonfa, handcuﬀ s (and a handcuﬀ  key), a 
  
  46 ■ Character Creation
  Hero System 5th Edition
  walkie-talkie (or similar radio communicator), and 
  a ﬂ ashlight that can also be used as a club.
  Suggested Disadvantages:  In addition to wear-
  ing an obvious uniform, being monitored by their 
  own department, and being subject to the orders 
  of their commanders, cops can have many other 
  Disadvantages. Th e media may Hunt (Watch) an 
  oﬃ  cer, particularly if he’s developed a Reputation 
  (as, say, a brutal cop, a racist, or a corrupt cop). A 
  criminal the cop once arrested may seek revenge on 
  him (Hunted). Th e pressures of the job may drive 
  a cop to drinking or drugs (Dependence [Addic-
  tion form]). In grand action movie tradition, a cop’s 
  enemies may go aft er his family (DNPCs) when he 
  becomes too much of a threat. And of course, many 
  Psychological Limitations (such as Paranoid, Pro-
  tective Of Innocents, or Triggerhappy) may apply.
  Progression:  While the Skill choice list in the 
  Package Deal provides a lot of room for a Police 
  Oﬃ  cer to grow and improve, some cops tend not to 
  broaden the scope of their abilities. Th ey increase 
  the ones they have a little, maybe, but otherwise 
  spend their Experience Points on buying Contacts, 
  KSs, and the like. Of course, a cop who becomes an 
  adventurer may have a lot more incentive to learn 
  new things.
  BUREAU OF ALCOHOL, TOBACCO, AND 
  FIREARMS AGENT PACKAGE DEAL
  Th e BATF is a federal law enforcement agency 
  that’s part of the Department of the Treasury. It 
  focuses on violators of (you guessed it) federal 
  alcohol, tobacco, and ﬁ rearms laws. Its special 
  agents enforce the relevant federal laws, while its 
  inspectors investigate possible violations of those 
  laws and related matters.
  A Director appointed by the President leads 
  the BATF. Th e agency has twenty-three ﬁ eld divi-
  sions, with oﬃ  ces in every state and all major cities, 
  and two criminalistics laboratories. Its duties range 
  from the mundane (checking ﬁ rearm serial num-
  bers, ensuring ﬁ rearms industry compliance with 
  federal regulations) to the dangerous (seizing guns 
  and explosives from criminals). 
  Typical Goals And Motivations:  As with ordinary 
  cops, most BATF agents just want to do their 
  jobs well and help keep people safe from heav-
  ily-armed criminals and the other dangers which 
  fall within their jurisdiction. A few, however, get 
  swept up in the power of their position, and may 
  abuse it.
  Typical Abilities:  Th is Package Deal represents a 
  general BATF special agent of broad competence 
  and ability (just like you’d expect from an action 
  hero). Although the Package Deal doesn’t have any 
  Characteristics in it, most special agents are at least 
  a little stronger, tougher, and more conﬁ dent than 
  the average person.
  Suggested Disadvantages:  For the most part, BATF 
  agents’ Disadvantages are like those of police oﬃ  -
  cers. Due to the negative attention the BATF has 
  received in recent years from the media, it’s pos-
  sible a well-known agent might be Watched by a 
  reporter, who might saddle him with a Reputation 
  (deserved or undeserved).
  POLICE OFFICER 
  PACKAGE DEAL
  Abilities
   Cost 
  Ability
   
  2 
  Observant:  +1 PER with Sight Group
   
  1 
  Combat Driving 8-
   
  3 
  Criminology
   
  2 
  AK or CK appropriate to job or 
  jurisdiction, 11-
   
  2 
  KS: Criminal Law And Procedure 11-
   
  2 
  KS: Th e Law Enforcement World 11-
   
  2 
  PS: Police Oﬃ  cer (or the like), 11-
   
  3 
  Streetwise
   
  2 
  WF: Small Arms
   
  4 
  Contacts (4 points’ worth)
   
  2 
  Fringe Beneﬁ t:  Local Police Powers
   
  1 
  Fringe Beneﬁ t:  Law Enforcement Rank
   
  1 
  Fringe Beneﬁ t:  Weapon Permit
   
  6 
  6 points’ worth of Skills from the following 
  list:  Acting, Animal Handler (Canines or 
  Equines), Bribery, Bugging, Bureaucratics, 
  Climbing, Combat Driving, Combat Skill 
  Levels, Computer Programming, Conceal-
  ment, Conversation, Deduction, Demoli-
  tions, Disguise, Electronics, Fast Draw, 
  Forensic Medicine, Gambling, Interrogation, 
  Lockpicking, Martial Arts, Paramedics, Per-
  suasion, Security Systems, Shadowing, Skill 
  Levels, Stealth, Tactics, Weapon Familiarity, 
  Weaponsmith, any Background Skill, Con-
  tacts, Deep Cover
  Total Cost Of Package Abilities:  33
  Disadvantages
   Value 
  Disadvantage
   
  5 
  Distinctive Features:  Uniform and/or Badge 
  (Easily Concealed)
   10 
  Hunted:  department he works for 8- (Mo 
  Pow, NCI, Watching)
   20 
  Social Limitation:  Subject To Orders (Very 
  Frequently, Major)
  Total Value Of Package Disadvantages:  35
  Options
   Value 
  Ability
   
  0 
  Bomb Squad:  Skill choices must include 
  Demolitions
   
  0 
  Criminalistics Oﬃ  cer:  Choose Forensic 
  Medicine and Skill Levels (with Criminalis-
  tics, Forensic Medicine, and one related Skill 
  of the player’s choice)
   +1 
  Detective:  Choose Deduction and Shadow-
  ing, increase Law Enforcement Rank by 1 
   
  0 
  SWAT:  Choose Combat Skill Levels and 
  Weapon Familiarity (in whatever combina-
  tion or arrangement desired)
   
  0 
  Undercover Cop:  Choose Acting and 
  Disguise
   15 
  Something’s Wrong Here...:  Danger Sense 
  (self only, out of combat, intuitional) (INT 
  Roll)
   -5 
  Corrupt Cop:  Add Social Limitation:  Harm-
  ful Secret (Occasionally, Minor)
  
  47 
  Dark Champions ■ Chapter Two
  Progression:  BATF agents practice constantly and 
  do their best to keep abreast of developments in 
  their ﬁ elds, so they can always spend Experience 
  Points to increase their Skills or buy new ones from 
  the choice list. If they start to specialize in a par-
  ticular type of mission, they’ll need to focus on the 
  Skills pertinent to that job. And as adventurers, they 
  may have the chance to learn other Skills or abili-
  ties not related to their BATF training.
  DRUG ENFORCEMENT ADMINISTRATION 
  AGENT PACKAGE DEAL
  Th e DEA, an agency of the Department of 
  Justice, is the federal government department with 
  primary responsibility for enforcing federal drug 
  traﬃ  cking laws. Its mission includes the interdic-
  tion of drug shipments, prevention of drug sales, 
  drug awareness education, and the monitoring of 
  legal transactions in dangerous drugs. 
  Th e DEA began as the Bureau of Narcotics 
  under the Treasury in 1930. In 1968 the Bureau 
  was transferred to Justice and merged with the 
  Bureau of Drug Abuse Control to form the Bureau 
  of Narcotics and Dangerous Drugs. In 1973, it was 
  renamed the DEA.
  Th e DEA is run by an Administrator, who’s 
  appointed by the President and who reports to the 
  Director of the FBI. As of 2004, it has 237 oﬃ  ces in 
  the United States and eighty foreign oﬃ  ces in 58 
  BATF AGENT PACKAGE DEAL
  Abilities
   Cost 
  Ability
   
  3 
  Criminology
   
  2 
  KS: Alcohol, Tobacco, And Firearms 
  Laws 11-
   
  2 
  KS: Federal Criminal Law And Procedure 
  11-
   
  2 
  KS: Th e Law Enforcement World 11-
   
  2 
  PS: BATF Agent 11-
   
  3 
  Streetwise
   
  2 
  WF: Small Arms
   
  1 
  Weaponsmith (Firearms) 8-
   
  4 
  Contacts (4 points’ worth)
   
  3 
  Fringe Beneﬁ t:  Federal/National Police 
  Powers
   
  2 
  Fringe Beneﬁ t:  Law Enforcement Rank
   
  1 
  Fringe Beneﬁ t:  Weapon Permit
   
  6 
  6 points’ worth of Skills from the following 
  list:  Acting, Animal Handler (Canines), 
  Bribery, Bugging, Bureaucratics, Climb-
  ing, Combat Driving, Combat Skill Levels, 
  Computer Programming, Concealment, 
  Conversation, Deduction, Demolitions, Dis-
  guise, Electronics, Fast Draw, Interrogation, 
  Martial Arts, Paramedics, Persuasion, Skill 
  Levels, Stealth, Tactics, Weapon Familiarity, 
  Weaponsmith, any Background Skill, Con-
  tacts, Deep Cover
  Total Cost Of Package Abilities:  33
  Disadvantages
   Value 
  Disadvantage
   
  5 
  Distinctive Features:  Uniform and/or Badge 
  (Easily Concealed)
   10 
  Hunted:  BATF 8- (Mo Pow, NCI, Watching)
   20 
  Social Limitation:  Subject To Orders (Very 
  Frequently, Major)
  Total Value Of Package Disadvantages:  35
  Options
   Value 
  Ability
   
  0 
  Arson/Explosion Investigator:  Choose 
  Demolitions and SS: Arson/Explosion Inves-
  tigation
   
  0 
  Inspector:  Choose Deduction and Back-
  ground Skills relating to speciﬁ c types of 
  inspection or investigation (such as SS: 
  Forensic Accounting or KS: Federal Tax 
  Law).
   
  0 
  Undercover Agent:  Choose Acting and Dis-
  guise
   -5 
  Corrupt Agent:  Add Social Limitation:  
  Harmful Secret (Occasionally, Minor)
  DEA AGENT PACKAGE DEAL
  Abilities
   Cost 
  Ability
   
  3 
  Concealment
   
  3 
  Criminology
   
  2 
  KS: Drug Traﬃ  cking 11-
   
  2 
  KS: Federal Criminal Law And 
  Procedure 11-
   
  2 
  KS: Th e Law Enforcement World 11-
   
  2 
  KS: Narcotics Laws 11-
   
  2 
  PS: DEA Agent 11-
   
  3 
  Streetwise
   
  2 
  WF: Small Arms
   
  4 
  Contacts (4 points’ worth)
   
  3 
  Fringe Beneﬁ t:  Federal/National Police 
  Powers
   
  3 
  Fringe Beneﬁ t:  Law Enforcement Rank
   
  1 
  Fringe Beneﬁ t:  Weapon Permit
   
  6 
  6 points’ worth of Skills from the following 
  list:  Acting, Animal Handler (Canines), 
  Bribery, Bugging, Bureaucratics, Combat 
  Driving, Combat Skill Levels, Computer 
  Programming, Conversation, Deduction, 
  Disguise, Fast Draw, Interrogation, Lock-
  picking, Martial Arts, Paramedics, Persua-
  sion, Security Systems, Shadowing, Skill 
  Levels, Stealth, Survival, Tactics, Weapon 
  Familiarity, any Background Skill (particu-
  larly Language: Spanish), Contacts, Deep 
  Cover
  Total Cost Of Package Abilities:  38
  Disadvantages
   Value 
  Disadvantage
   
  5 
  Distinctive Features:  Uniform and/or Badge 
  (Easily Concealed)
   10 
  Hunted:  DEA 8- (Mo Pow, NCI, Watching)
   20 
  Social Limitation:  Subject To Orders (Very 
  Frequently, Major)
  Total Value Of Package Disadvantages:  35
  Options
   Value 
  Ability
   
  0 
  Undercover Agent:  Choose Acting and 
  Disguise
   -5 
  Corrupt Agent:  Add Social Limitation:  
  Harmful Secret (Occasionally, Minor)
  
  48 ■ Character Creation
  Hero System 5th Edition
  other nations. Th e domestic oﬃ  ces are organized 
  into twenty divisions, its foreign oﬃ  ces into ﬁ ve 
  geographic groupings. Its ﬁ eld personnel are known 
  as “special agents.”
  Th e DEA maintains several databases and 
  intelligence programs which contain information 
  about and monitor the drug traﬃ  cking trade. Th e 
  most important of these are NADDIS (the Narcot-
  ics And Dangerous Drugs Information System); 
  STRIDE II (System To Retrieve Information from 
  Drug Evidence); and EPIC (the El Paso Intelligence 
  Center, which collects information about drug traf-
  ﬁ ckers and traﬃ  cking from all over the world and 
  disseminates it to federal and state agencies). 
  Typical Goals And Motivations:  Most DEA agents 
  are dedicated law enforcers who want to make the 
  United States and its citizens safe from illegal drugs 
  and those who use them. Th ey put in long hours, 
  oft en in uncomfortable or dangerous conditions, 
  to confront smugglers, ﬁ nd illegal drugs, and edu-
  cate the public. A few, lured by the vast amounts of 
  money in drug traﬃ  cking, become corrupt, giving a 
  black eye to the entire organization.
  Typical Abilities:  Naturally, DEA agents’ training 
  focuses on knowledge of controlled substances and 
  the laws pertaining to them. Th ey also know how 
  drug traﬃ  ckers work, and how to ﬁ nd the drugs 
  they’ve concealed in trucks, planes, on their per-
  sons, and the like.
  Suggested Disadvantages:  Most DEA agents have 
  the Disadvantages typical to all law enforcement 
  personnel. Beyond that, they might secretly be cor-
  rupt or have an Addiction to the drugs they’re sup-
  posed to stop people from using.
  Progression:  Experienced DEA agents usually 
  develop some of their basic Skills (such as Conceal-
  ment and Streetwise) to higher levels, thus reﬂ ecting 
  learning on the job. Area and City Knowledges of the 
  places they’ve worked in are also appropriate. Even-
  tually a ﬁ eld oﬃ  cer may move into administration 
  and acquire the Skills needed for that position.
  FEDERAL BUREAU OF INVESTIGATION 
  SPECIAL AGENT PACKAGE DEAL
  Th e FBI, the premier federal law enforcement 
  agency, is a part of the Department of Justice. Its 
  mission is to enforce federal law and investigate 
  alleged federal crimes that are not the province 
  of some other agency (these include, but are not 
  limited to, drug traﬃ  cking [the FBI and DEA 
  share jurisdiction over such crimes], bank robbery, 
  auto theft  and carjacking, racketeering, terrorism, 
  espionage and treason against the United States, 
  and mail and wire fraud [which are a part of most 
  white-collar crimes]). Altogether, the FBI has juris-
  diction over more than 200 federal crimes.
  Th e FBI began in 1908 as the Bureau of Inves-
  tigation, which was known as an ineﬃ  cient and 
  oft en corrupt organization. Th is changed with the 
  appointment of J. Edgar Hoover as Director in 
  1924. Hoover established rigorous requirements 
  and standards for his men (for example, special 
  agents had to have a college degree, and all appoint-
  ments were on the basis of merit). In succeeding 
  years his standards gave the Bureau (which was 
  renamed the FBI in 1935) a reputation for excel-
  lence... though also, at times, as one that seemed to 
  favor appearance over function. Hoover led the FBI 
  until his death in 1972.
  Headquartered in Washington, D.C., the FBI 
  is headed by a Director appointed by the President 
  for a term not to exceed ten years. As of 2004, the 
  FBI has 57 ﬁ eld oﬃ  ces, most headed by a Special 
  Agent in Charge (SAC), as well as over thirty for-
  eign liaison posts.
  Th e FBI divides its functions among 
  three main divisions:  Administration; 
  Counterterrorism/Counterintelligence; and Law 
  Enforcement Services. Each division has subdivi-
  sions within it. For example, Law Enforcement 
  Services includes among its subsections the Criti-
  cal Incidents Response Group, Criminal Justice 
  Information Services, Investigative Technology, 
  Laboratory, and Training and Development. 
  Laboratory, one of the largest and most compre-
  hensive criminalistics laboratories in the world, 
  oﬀ ers its services free of charge to all American 
  law enforcement agencies (and oft en assists 
  foreign law enforcement as well). Training and 
  Development runs the FBI Academy at Quantico, 
  Virginia, and also gives seminars and conferences 
  for state and local law enforcement oﬃ  cers.
  Within the FBI there are specialists in all law 
  enforcement ﬁ elds. For example, part of the FBI 
  Academy is the National Center for the Analysis 
  of Violent Crime (NCAVC), which runs the Vio-
  lent Criminal Apprehension Program (VICAP) 
  and the Behavioral Sciences Unit. Th e special 
  agents in this department are experts in the ﬁ eld 
  of criminal psychology, criminal proﬁ ling, and 
  violent crime (including serial killers and rapists), 
  and their assistance is oft en invaluable in appre-
  hending such criminals. Other special “depart-
  ments” of the FBI deal with organized crime, ter-
  rorism, spying, cybercrime, ﬁ nancial crime, and 
  so forth. Th e FBI even has its own anti-terrorist 
  squad, the Hostage Rescue Team (HRT).
  
  49 
  Dark Champions ■ Chapter Two
  Two of the FBI’s most important functions 
  are to maintain databases on crime and criminals, 
  and to assist state and local police forces when 
  necessary. Th e best example of this is the FBI’s 
  National Crime Information Center (NCIC), a 
  nationwide computer database containing informa-
  tion on criminals and their records, stolen ﬁ rearms, 
  vehicles, and other items, and wanted persons. Any 
  police department can access the NCIC and take 
  advantage of its copious information.
  FBI agents are referred to as “special agents.” 
  Many of them bring skills in law, accounting, lan-
  guages, or other ﬁ elds to their job. 
  Typical Goals And Motivations:  FBI agents are oft en 
  considered “the best of the best” in the American 
  law enforcement community, and many of them try 
  to live up to this reputation. Th ey work long, hard 
  hours investigating crimes and pursuing and appre-
  hending felons. But like any other law enforcement 
  oﬃ  cers, they’re only human, and may fall subject to 
  personal or professional failings.
  Typical Abilities:  Special agents receive a general 
  grounding in law enforcement skills at Quantico, 
  plus physical ﬁ tness training so they have the 
  strength and stamina for their oft en-demand-
  ing jobs. But before they get there, they have oft en 
  undergone special training that makes them attrac-
  tive as FBI recruits. Th e Bureau oft en focuses on 
  law school graduates, persons who studied certain 
  foreign languages (such as Arabic, Chinese, and Rus-
  sian) in college (or who learned them some other 
  way), and the like. You can represent this “pre-train-
  ing” with the appropriate Background Skills.
  Suggested Disadvantages:  In addition to standard 
  law enforcement Disadvantages, in action movies 
  and other inspirational source material FBI agents 
  oft en seem to acquire Hunteds — criminals who 
  ﬁ xate on them for some reason and make their 
  lives diﬃ  cult. (Alternately, they may be Hunting 
  a particularly vicious criminal who’s gotten away 
  from them.) Th ey may also have Rivals within the 
  Bureau, or in other law enforcement organizations.
  Progression:  FBI agents’ progression is similar to 
  that of other law enforcement oﬃ  cers:  they usu-
  ally focus on improving their existing Skills, buying 
  other ones only as needed or their experiences 
  dictate. As adventurers they may try to improve 
  their combat abilities or other Skill sets that aren’t 
  immediately necessary for their day-to-day law 
  enforcement activities.
  INTERPOL
  Interpol, the International Criminal Police 
  Association, is not an actual law enforcement agency 
  per se. Rather, it’s a world association of national 
  police forces who work together to exchange infor-
  mation about crime and criminals for their mutual 
  beneﬁ t. Interpol has no agents or oﬃ  cers; cannot 
  investigate crimes, make arrests, or seize evidence; 
  and must act within the bounds of each member 
  nation’s laws when in that nation. As of 2004, more 
  than 180 nations around the world belong to Inter-
  pol... though their degree of cooperation and inter-
  action with it oft en vary considerably.
  Founded in 1923 by the Second International 
  Police Congress, Interpol maintains its headquarters 
  in France. It’s not aﬃ  liated with the United Nations 
  or based on any treaty; it has its own constitution 
  and operates through the cooperation of its member 
  states. Th e General Assembly, a governing body which 
  makes all major policy decisions, leads it. Th e Execu-
  tive Committee, a group of thirteen members whose 
  seats are divided among the diﬀ erent continents in 
  a roughly equal fashion, implements the General 
  Assembly’s decisions. Th e General Secretariat handles 
  day-to-day decisionmaking and administrative 
  matters; it’s is split up into divisions (such as Police 
  FBI SPECIAL AGENT 
  PACKAGE DEAL
  Abilities
   Cost 
  Ability
   
  3 
  Criminology
   
  3 
  Deduction
   
  2 
  KS: Federal Criminal Law And 
  Procedure 11-
   
  2 
  KS: Th e Law Enforcement World 11-
   
  2 
  PS: FBI Agent 11-
   
  3 
  Streetwise
   
  2 
  WF: Small Arms
   
  4 
  Contacts (4 points’ worth)
   
  3 
  Fringe Beneﬁ t:  Federal/National Police 
  Powers
   
  3 
  Fringe Beneﬁ t:  Law Enforcement Rank
   
  1 
  Fringe Beneﬁ t:  Weapon Permit
   
  6 
  6 points’ worth of Skills from the following 
  list:  Acting, Animal Handler (Canines), 
  Bribery, Bugging, Bureaucratics, Combat 
  Driving, Combat Skill Levels, Computer 
  Programming, Concealment, Conversation, 
  Disguise, Fast Draw, Forensic Medicine, 
  Interrogation, Lockpicking, Martial Arts, 
  Paramedics, Persuasion, Security Systems, 
  Shadowing, Skill Levels, Stealth, Tactics, 
  Weapon Familiarity, any Background Skill, 
  Contacts, Deep Cover
  Total Cost Of Package Abilities:  34
  Disadvantages
   Value 
  Disadvantage
   
  5 
  Distinctive Features:  Uniform and/or Badge 
  (Easily Concealed)
   10 
  Hunted:  FBI 8- (Mo Pow, NCI, Watching)
   20 
  Social Limitation:  Subject To Orders (Very 
  Frequently, Major)
  Total Value Of Package Disadvantages:  35
  Options
   Value 
  Ability
   
  0 
  Behavioral Sciences Agent:  Choose SS: Psy-
  chology, SS: Criminal Psychology, and/or 
  KS: Serial Killers And Serial Murder
   
  0 
  Forensic Accountant:  Choose PS: Accounting
   
  0 
  Hostage Rescue Team:  Choose Combat Skill 
  Levels and Weapon Familiarity (in whatever 
  combination or arrangement desired)
   
  0 
  Undercover Agent:  Choose Acting and 
  Disguise
   -5 
  Corrupt Agent:  Add Social Limitation:  
  Harmful Secret (Occasionally, Minor)
  
  50 ■ Character Creation
  Hero System 5th Edition
  Division, which is in charge of the databases about 
  criminals). Other divisions provide legal and technical 
  reference services, ﬁ nancial services, and so forth.
  Interpol’s primary function is to collect and 
  disseminate data about crime and criminals, and 
  to arrange for the law enforcement oﬃ  cers of one 
  member nation to conduct investigations in other 
  member nations. Th is is done through a system of 
  National Central Bureaus (NCBs). In the United 
  States, the USNCB is part of the Department of Jus-
  tice; it spreads information to federal and state law 
  enforcement agencies via NLETS, the National Law 
  Enforcement Telecommunications System. Interpol 
  also transmits notices about wanted criminals and 
  certain stolen items, holds seminars and conferences, 
  and conducts research on criminological subjects. 
  However, in the interest of being fair to all member 
  nations, Interpol does not work on any crime which 
  involves political, military, religious, or racial concerns. 
  Because Interpol has no “agents,” just research-
  ers and administrators, it has no Package Deal. 
  Characters who are Hunted by Interpol are actu-
  ally the subject of intense investigation by Interpol, 
  which passes information on to local law enforce-
  ment agencies wherever the character is.
  SECRET SERVICE AGENT PACKAGE DEAL
  Th e United States Secret Service is an agency 
  of the Department of the Treasury (and, in part, the 
  Department of Homeland Security). It is composed 
  of two “branches.” Th e ﬁ rst, the uniformed branch, 
  protects the White House and some other federal 
  buildings, such as embassies. Th e second consists of 
  special agents who are bodyguards for the president, 
  vice-president, past presidents, major presidential can-
  didates, all of these persons’ families, and certain other 
  individuals. More importantly for character creation 
  purposes, the second branch of the Secret Service also 
  has jurisdiction over counterfeiting, forgery of United 
  States currency, and ﬁ nancial crimes. 
  Th e USSS is headquartered in Washington, 
  D.C. It’s led by a Director, and has ﬁ eld oﬃ  ces in 
  major cities throughout the United States and in 
  many foreign countries.
  Typical Goals And Motivations:  An agent in the uni-
  formed branch of the Secret Service has the same 
  motivations as any other law enforcement oﬃ  cer:  
  to do his job well; stop people from violating the 
  law; and catch those who do. Bodyguard division 
  members naturally want to excel at their job. But 
  even beyond that, they’re trained to do anything 
  they have to — even unhesitatingly give their lives 
  — to protect the President (or whomever else 
  they’re assigned to protect).
  Typical Abilities:  Secret Service agents receive law 
  enforcement training similar to that of other federal 
  agents, but with an emphasis on ﬁ nancial crimes and 
  counterfeiting. Many of them become experts on 
  these subjects, spending additional Character Points 
  to buy more KSs and related Skills. Th ose who protect 
  the President oft en develop a “sixth sense” for poten-
  tial threats (based on experience and constant, even 
  subconscious, observation of their surroundings), 
  and may buy Lightning Reﬂ exes or other abilities that 
  allow them to react to threats as quickly as possible.
  Suggested Disadvantages:  For the most part, Secret 
  Service agents have standard law enforcement 
  Disadvantages. Bodyguard agents are fanatically 
  devoted to keeping their protectees safe from harm.
  Progression:  Compared to many Law Enforcement 
  Package Deals, Secret Service agents have a fairly 
  narrow focus on speciﬁ c types of crime. As the 
  campaign progresses, they may want to broaden 
  their abilities, learning Skills more appropriate to 
  other branches of law enforcement.
  SECRET SERVICE AGENT 
  PACKAGE DEAL
  Abilities
   Cost 
  Ability
   
  2 
  Observant:  +1 PER with Sight Group
   
  3 
  Criminology
   
  3 
  Deduction
   
  1 
  Forgery (Money) 8-
   
  2 
  KS: Counterfeiting 11-
   
  2 
  KS: Federal Criminal Law And Procedure 11-
   
  2 
  KS: Financial Crimes And Frauds 11-
   
  2 
  KS: Th e Law Enforcement World 11-
   
  2 
  PS: Bodyguard 11-
   
  2 
  PS: USSS Agent 11-
   
  3 
  Streetwise
   
  2 
  WF: Small Arms
   
  4 
  Contacts (4 points’ worth)
   
  3 
  Fringe Beneﬁ t:  Federal/National Police 
  Powers
   
  3 
  Fringe Beneﬁ t:  Law Enforcement Rank
   
  1 
  Fringe Beneﬁ t:  Weapon Permit
   
  6 
  6 points’ worth of Skills from the following 
  list:  Acting, Bureaucratics, Combat Driving, 
  Combat Skill Levels, Computer Program-
  ming, Concealment, Conversation, Disguise, 
  Fast Draw, Forgery, Interrogation, Martial 
  Arts, Paramedics, Persuasion, Shadowing, 
  Skill Levels, Stealth, Tactics, Weapon Famil-
  iarity, any Background Skill, Contacts, Deep 
  Cover
  Total Cost Of Package Abilities:  43
  Disadvantages
   Value 
  Disadvantage
   
  5 
  Distinctive Features:  Uniform and/or Badge 
  (Easily Concealed)
   10 
  Hunted:  Secret Service 8- (Mo Pow, NCI, 
  Watching)
   20 
  Social Limitation:  Subject To Orders (Very 
  Frequently, Major)
  Total Value Of Package Disadvantages:  35
  Options
   Value 
  Ability
   -25 
  Presidential Bodyguard:  Devoted To 
  Defending Protectee (Very Common, Total)
   20 
  Bodyguard’s Sixth Sense:  Danger Sense 
  (immediate vicinity, out of combat, intu-
  itional) (INT Roll)
   
  0 
  Humorous Distinctive Features:  Change 
  “Uniform and/or Badge” to “Serious-Look-
  ing Person In A Nice Suit And Sunglasses 
  With A Radio Wire In His Ear Who’s 
  Standing Oﬀ  To Th e Side Trying To Look 
  Inconspicuous”
  
  51 
  Dark Champions ■ Chapter Two
  MILITARY PACKAGE DEALS
  Th is selection of Package Deals is for charac-
  ters whose background or origin includes service 
  in the United States military, whether regular forces 
  or an elite force of some sort. If you want to create a 
  character who belongs (or once belonged) to some 
  other armed force, you can adapt these Package 
  Deals by making a few changes in the listed Skills.
  Th e Military Package Deals include a Military 
  Rank Perk, a Distinctive Features (the uniform 
  worn), and so forth. If the character has left  the 
  military for good, these may no longer apply, and 
  he can remove them from the Package Deal. Simi-
  larly, if a character has to take two or more Package 
  Deals, and some of the elements of a Package Deal 
  duplicate or are superﬂ uous, he can omit them.
  Basic Military Training 
  Package Deal
  From a character creation perspective, all mili-
  tary forces are more or less identical:  the character 
  ﬁ rst undergoes “basic training,” which is intended to 
  instill discipline, make him physically ﬁ t (i.e., brings 
  his Primary Characteristics up to at least 10, if not 
  higher), and teach him basic military skills such as 
  simple tactics, the use of ﬁ rearms, and so forth.
  Aft er completing basic training, military per-
  sonnel go on to advanced training:  Advanced Indi-
  vidual Training (AIT) in the Army, or “A-School” in 
  the Navy and Marines. Here the character learns his 
  Military Occupational Speciality (MOS). Th is could 
  be virtually any chosen ﬁ eld, such as computer sci-
  ence, aircraft  mechanics, the medical corps, and the 
  like. Characters who show special aptitude may be 
  able to undertake even more advanced training as 
  members of a “special force” or elite unit (see below).
  Since each branch of the military oﬀ ers the 
  opportunity to learn approximately the same skills, 
  this Package Deal is “generic,” intended for all four 
  branches of the American military. Players need 
  only tailor the options to conform to the training 
  they feel their character would have received in the 
  branch he joined.
  Th e Basic Military Training Package Deal is 
  a prerequisite for taking any of the other Package 
  Deals below. A character can’t simply sign up to 
  become a Green Beret; he has to go through the 
  standard military training ﬁ rst.
  Typical Goals And Motivations:  Th e goals and motiva-
  tions of the average soldier are usually not too dif-
  ferent from those of the average civilian. However, 
  there are several “stock” goals frequently seen in 
  military characters in adventure ﬁ ction and movies. 
  For example, some military personnel are extremely 
  patriotic, willing to do anything for the good of the 
  United States. Others are lazy, wanting only to serve 
  their term and get out, so they’re always gooﬁ ng oﬀ  
  (and remaining alert for their commanding oﬃ  cer so 
  they don’t get caught doing it). A few soldiers have an 
  almost sociopathic love of violence, destruction, and 
  danger (they usually end up as villains).
  Typical Abilities:  Because military training is stan-
  dardized, members of the same force (for example, 
  the U.S. Army) should all have the same basic skills 
  and abilities, as described below. However, within 
  reason the military lets its members learn as many 
  skills as they want, so a motivated character could 
  have picked up a wide variety of knowledge and 
  skills while serving his “hitch.”
  Suggested Disadvantages:  Soldiers come from 
  all walks of life, so many diﬀ erent Disadvantages 
  are appropriate for them:  Age (for older oﬃ  cers); 
  DNPCs (family and friends); Hunted or Watched 
  by enemies of the United States; Physical Limita-
  tions or Vulnerabilities (caused by old injuries); 
  Psychological Limitations reﬂ ecting their goals and 
  motivations (for example, “Patriotic”); Rivalries 
  with other branches of the military.
  BASIC MILITARY TRAINING 
  PACKAGE DEAL
  Abilities
   Cost 
  Ability
   
  2 
  Running +1”
   
  2 
  KS: Th e Military/Mercenary/Terrorist 
  World 11-
   
  2 
  KS: [Military Force] History And 
  Customs 11-
   
  2 
  PS: [member of military; e.g., “Sailor”] 11-
   
  3 
  Tactics
   
  3 
  WF: Small Arms, Knives
   
  4 
  Contacts (4 points’ worth)
   
  0 
  Fringe Beneﬁ t:  Military Rank
   
  6 
  6 points’ worth of Skills from the following 
  list:  Autoﬁ re Skills, Bureaucratics, Climb-
  ing, Combat Driving, Combat Piloting, 
  Combat Skill Levels, Computer Program-
  ming, Concealment, Cryptography, Demoli-
  tions, Electronics, Fast Draw, Interrogation, 
  Martial Arts, Mechanics, Navigation, Para-
  medics, Persuasion, Security Systems, Skill 
  Levels, Stealth, Survival, Systems Operation, 
  Weapon Familiarity, Weaponsmith, any 
  Background Skill, Contacts
  Total Cost Of Package Abilities:  24
  Disadvantages
   Value 
  Disadvantage
   
  5 
  Distinctive Features:  Uniform (Easily 
  Concealed)
   10 
  Hunted:  military force character belongs to 
  8- (Mo Pow, NCI, Watching)
   20 
  Social Limitation:  Subject To Orders (Very 
  Frequently, Major)
  Total Value Of Package Disadvantages:  35
  Options
   Value 
  Ability
   
  0 
  Combat Engineer:  Choose SS: Civil Engi-
  neering and at least one other engineering-
  oriented Skill
   
  0 
  Information Warfare Specialist:  Choose 
  Computer Programming and Systems 
  Operation
   
  0 
  Pilot:  Choose Combat Piloting
   
  0 
  Tank Driver:  Choose TF: Tracked Military 
  Vehicles
  
  52 ■ Character Creation
  Hero System 5th Edition
  Progression:  Some personnel ﬁ nd a niche they like 
  in the military and stick with it for decades, but 
  that’s unusual for PCs and prominent NPCs. Th ey 
  usually go one of two routes:  up or out. Going up 
  means promotions (an increase in the cost of the 
  Membership Perk), with the attendant authorities 
  and responsibility — which means the need to 
  learn new Skills in most cases. “Out” means leaving 
  the military for a civilian or paramilitary career, 
  and that could lead to the character learning just 
  about any sort of Skill or ability.
  Elite Forces Package Deals
  A few talented soldiers get to join the elite 
  units of the military, the so-called “special forces.” 
  Th ese highly trained and extremely skilled ﬁ ght-
  ers perform some of the most dangerous and dirty 
  missions the military has:  unconventional warfare; 
  anti-terrorist activities; reconnaissance; strategic 
  strikes and “inﬁ ltrate and rescue” missions; para-
  military operations; and counterinsurgency train-
  ing, just to name a few. 
  Each branch of the military has its own special 
  force or forces, described below. A character cannot 
  buy any of these Package Deals without ﬁ rst buying 
  the Basic Military Training Package Deal (plus any 
  other prerequisites listed in the descriptions of the 
  individual elite forces Package Deals). You can also 
  use these Package Deals for the special forces of 
  other nations, such as the SAS of the United King-
  dom or the Spetznaz of Russia.
  Typical Goals And Motivations:  Because candidates 
  for the United States’s elite forces undergo psycho-
  logical testing to prove they’re ﬁ t for the job, they 
  usually have certain psychological characteristics 
  in common. Th ey tend to be very patriotic, dis-
  ciplined, loyal, and adaptable. Th ey’re extremely 
  devoted to the completion of their mission and to 
  the protection of American civilians. In adventure 
  ﬁ ction and movies some elite soldiers are “maver-
  icks” — tough, overconﬁ dent men who prefer their 
  own method of doing things to their commanding 
  oﬃ  cer’s orders (and they’re usually right). A few 
  become too erratic or violence-prone to remain in 
  the military; they usually leave (or get discharged) 
  and end up becoming mercenaries or villains.
  Typical Abilities:  Th e members of all special forces 
  have certain abilities in common. For one, they’re 
  in extremely good physical condition (e.g., STR 
  and CON of at least 13-15). For another, they’re 
  quick-witted, strong-willed, conﬁ dent, and cou-
  rageous (INT and EGO of at least 10, and oft en 
  higher; PRE of 15 or more). Beyond that, since 
  special forces members can take many diﬀ erent 
  “specialized” study courses aft er they complete 
  their training, they can buy just about any Skill a 
  player wants.
  Suggested Disadvantages:  In addition to the stan-
  dard military Disadvantages (which they get from 
  their Basic Military Training Package Deal), an elite 
  soldier could suﬀ er from many diﬀ erent hindrances 
  or diﬃ  culties:  Hunted or Watched by enemies of 
  
  53 
  Dark Champions ■ Chapter Two
  the United States (or Watched by a superior oﬃ  cer 
  who “has it in” for the character); a Reputation 
  (perhaps as a coward, a risk-taker, or a maverick); 
  Rivalry with other special forces or with someone 
  in their unit.
  Progression:  Elite soldiers usually go on practicing 
  their Skills and learning new ones throughout their 
  careers, so they have plenty of ways to spend their 
  Experience Points. Once they get out of the mili-
  tary, they can broaden the scope of their abilities 
  by studying other subjects or learning from their 
  fellow adventurers.
  DELTA FORCE PACKAGE DEAL
  Th e First Special Forces Operational Detach-
  ment (SFOD) Delta (“Delta Force” or simply 
  “Delta”) is an elite unit whose existence is not for-
  mally acknowledged by the U.S. Special Operations 
  Command (USSOCOM). Based at “the Stockade” 
  at Fort Bragg, North Carolina, it’s a counterterrorist 
  unit formed in 1977 to combat hijackings, hos-
  tage takings, and similar terrorist activities. In the 
  wake of the 9/11 attacks, its role has become more 
  important than ever.
  Delta Force does not take volunteers — it con-
  tacts personnel whom it’s interested in having take 
  its qualiﬁ cations course. Any active Army, Army 
  Reserve, or Army National Guard male personnel 
  are eligible for this “recruitment.” Th e qualiﬁ cations 
  course is incredibly grueling, and made harder by 
  the fact that the evaluators don’t oﬀ er candidates 
  any feedback, and even keep failed candidates 
  involved to further confuse the participants. 
  Intense psychological testing is also part of the pro-
  cess. In the end, Delta Force accepts only about ten 
  percent of the personnel who take the course.
  Accepted recruits undergo a period of train-
  ing lasting two years that concentrates on inﬁ ltra-
  tion, assault, close-quarters combat, undercover 
  operations, and related subjects. Among the many 
  subjects, marksmanship is emphasized, with 
  trainees expected to score a 100% success rating 
  hitting targets 900 yards (411”) away and to per-
  form similarly on related tests (including close-
  quarters combat accuracy).
  Due the the stringency of the whole Delta 
  Force testing and training process, most Delta 
  members come from the Special Forces (Green 
  Berets) or Rangers. In game terms, the Delta Force 
  Package Deal adds to either the Ranger or Green 
  Beret Package Deal — either the character was a 
  member of one of those forces going into Delta 
  training, or the Delta Force regimen brings him up 
  to their standard. In other words, to buy the Delta 
  Force Package Deal, a character must ﬁ rst buy 
  the Basic Military Training Package Deal and the 
  Ranger Package Deal; if he desires he can also buy 
  the Green Beret Package Deal.
  You can also use this Package Deal as the basis 
  for other anti-terrorist teams, or design your own. 
  Most major nations in the modern world have a 
  special squad of soldiers speciﬁ cally trained to deal 
  with terrorists and hostage situations. For example, 
  Germany has GSG-9, and Spain its Unidad Especial 
  de Intervencion.
  RANGER PACKAGE DEAL
  Th e Rangers (or, more accurately, the 75th 
  Ranger Regiment, consisting of three Ranger Bat-
  talions) are the U.S. Army’s premiere light infantry 
  force. Th ey’re tasked with ambush, reconnaissance, 
  and raiding missions in support of conventional 
  forces, and large-scale counterterrorism and coun-
  terguerrilla activities, in any environment or condi-
  DELTA FORCE PACKAGE DEAL
  Abilities
   Cost 
  Ability
   
  2 
  +2 STR
   
  4 
  +2 CON
   
  2 
  Running +1”
   
  4 
  +2 OCV with ﬁ rearm of choice
   12 
  +6 versus Range Modiﬁ er with Firearms
   
  3 
  Acting
   
  2 
  +2 to KS: Th e Military/Mercenary/Terrorist 
  World
   
  2 
  KS: Delta Force History And Traditions 11-
   
  3 
  Lockpicking
   
  3 
  Paramedics
   
  2 
  PS: Delta Force Operative 11-
   
  4 
  TF: SCUBA, Snow Skiing, Two-Wheeled 
  Motorized Ground Vehicles, one more 1-
  point TF of choice
   
  5 
  Fringe Beneﬁ t:  Military Rank
   
  5 
  Fringe Beneﬁ t:  Security Clearance
   
  3 
  3 points’ worth of Skills from the choice list 
  for the Basic Military Training Package Deal
  Total Cost Of Additional Abilities:  +56
  RANGER PACKAGE DEAL
  Abilities
   Cost 
  Ability
   
  3 
  +3 STR
   15 
  +5 DEX
   10 
  +5 CON
   
  3 
  +3 INT
   
  5 
  +5 PRE
   
  2 
  Running +1”
   
  1 
  Swimming +1”
   
  4 
  +2 OCV with ﬁ rearm of choice
   
  3 
  Climbing
   
  2 
  KS: Ranger History And Traditions 11-
   10 
  Martial Arts (10 points’ worth — usually 
  Commando Training, but the character can 
  choose another style if preferred)
   
  2 
  Navigation (Land)
   
  2 
  PS: Ranger 11-
   
  3 
  Stealth
   
  8 
  Survival (Desert, Mountains, Temperate/
  Subtropical, Tropical)
   
  3 
  Tracking
   
  2 
  TF: Basic Parachuting, Advanced 
  Parachuting
   
  3 
  WF: Grenade Launchers, General Purpose/
  Heavy Machine Guns, Shoulder-Fired 
  Weapons
   
  3 
  Fringe Beneﬁ t:  Military Rank
   
  5 
  Fringe Beneﬁ t:  Security Clearance
   
  3 
  3 points’ worth of Skills from the choice list 
  for the Basic Military Training Package Deal
  Total Cost Of Additional Abilities:  +92
  
  54 ■ Character Creation
  Hero System 5th Edition
  tions. Th ey’re particularly skilled at seizing airﬁ elds 
  and holding them until the arrival of larger conven-
  tional forces.
  Volunteers for the Rangers have all received 
  infantryman training and must meet rigorous 
  physical standards to even qualify to attend Ranger 
  School. Th e Ranger School program takes place in 
  three phases and exposes the candidates to extreme 
  physical and mental stress. Fewer than thirty per-
  cent of the students at Ranger School complete the 
  program. Even aft er that, a Ranger must undergo 
  additional training to become eligible to join one of 
  the Ranger Battalions.
  To buy the Ranger Package Deal, characters 
  must ﬁ rst buy the Basic Military Training Pack-
  age Deal.
  RECONNAISSANCE UNITS RECON 
  PACKAGE DEAL
  Although the Marines as a whole are some-
  times considered to be a special force (though 
  they’re not a part of USSOCOM), the Corps has its 
  own elite force:  Recon. Prior to 1998, the Marines 
  had two reconnaissance units — Recon, which 
  scouted and gathered intelligence out to ten miles 
  past the “forward edge of battle area ”; and Force 
  Recon units responsible for intelligence gathering 
  further out than that. Th e two groups were merged 
  into one; diﬀ erent companies within a Recon Bat-
  tallion are trained for missions analogous to the old 
  Recon/Force Recon ones.
  Th e training, skills, and missions of Recon are 
  roughly the same as those for the US Navy SEALs. 
  However, unlike other elite units it’s possible for a 
  recruit to enlist directly into Recon (though he still 
  has to pass the training courses...).
  U.S. NAVY SEALS PACKAGE DEAL
  Th e SEALs (SEa-Air-Land forces) are the 
  Navy’s special force. Th e requirements for admis-
  sion to SEAL training are similar to those for the 
  Rangers and Green Berets, but with more empha-
  sis on underwater and boating skills. SEAL teams 
  conduct deep penetration, sabotage, reconnais-
  sance, unconventional warfare, and counterter-
  rorism missions.
  Th e BUD/S (Basic Underwater Demolitions/
  SEAL) testing program is so diﬃ  cult that injuries, 
  and even the death of candidates, sometimes result. 
  In fact, the program doesn’t begin until candidates 
  undergo seven weeks of preliminary training and 
  preconditioning! It includes the infamous “Hell 
  RECON PACKAGE DEAL
  Abilities
   Cost 
  Ability
   
  5 
  +5 STR
   15 
  +5 DEX
   10 
  +5 CON
   
  3 
  +3 INT
   
  5 
  +5 PRE
   
  4 
  Running +2”
   
  2 
  Swimming +2”
   
  4 
  +2 OCV with ﬁ rearm of choice
   
  6 
  +2 with any three Package Deal Skills
   
  3 
  Climbing
   
  3 
  Combat Driving
   
  3 
  Demolitions
   
  2 
  KS: Recon History And Traditions 11-
   10 
  Martial Arts (10 points’ worth — usually 
  Commando Training, but the character can 
  choose another style if preferred)
   
  3 
  Navigation (Land, Marine)
   
  3 
  Paramedics
   
  2 
  PS: Recon Marine 11-
   
  2 
  SS: Hydrography 11-
   
  3 
  Stealth
   10 
  Survival (Desert, Marine, Mountains, 
  Temperate/Subtropical, Tropical)
   
  3 
  Systems Operation
   
  3 
  Tracking
   
  5 
  TF: Basic Parachuting, Advanced Parachut-
  ing, SCUBA, Small Rowed Boats, Small 
  Motorized Boats
   
  3 
  WF: Grenade Launchers, General Purpose/
  Heavy Machine Guns, Shoulder-Fired 
  Weapons
   
  3 
  Fringe Beneﬁ t:  Military Rank
   
  5 
  Fringe Beneﬁ t:  Security Clearance
   
  3 
  3 points’ worth of Skills from the choice list 
  for the Basic Military Training Package Deal
  Total Cost Of Additional Abilities:  +123
  U.S. NAVY SEALS 
  PACKAGE DEAL
  Abilities
   Cost 
  Ability
   
  5 
  +5 STR
   18 
  +6 DEX
   12 
  +6 CON
   
  3 
  +3 INT
   
  5 
  +5 PRE
   
  4 
  Running +2”
   
  2 
  Swimming +2”
   
  6 
  +3 OCV with ﬁ rearm of choice
   
  6 
  +2 with any three Package Deal Skills
   
  3 
  Climbing
   
  7 
  Demolitions +2
   
  2 
  KS: SEAL History And Traditions 11-
   10 
  Martial Arts (10 points’ worth — usually 
  Commando Training, but the character can 
  choose another style if preferred)
   
  3 
  Navigation (Land, Marine)
   
  3 
  Paramedics
   
  2 
  PS: SEAL 11-
   
  2 
  SS: Hydrography 11-
   
  3 
  Stealth
   10 
  Survival (Desert, Marine, Mountains, 
  Temperate/Subtropical, Tropical)
   
  3 
  Systems Operation
   
  3 
  Tracking
   
  5 
  TF: Basic Parachuting, Advanced Parachut-
  ing, SCUBA, Small Rowed Boats, Small 
  Motorized Boats
   
  3 
  WF: Grenade Launchers, General Purpose/
  Heavy Machine Guns, Shoulder-Fired 
  Weapons
   
  4 
  Fringe Beneﬁ t:  Military Rank
   
  5 
  Fringe Beneﬁ t:  Security Clearance
   
  3 
  3 points’ worth of Skills from the choice list 
  for the Basic Military Training Package Deal
  Total Cost Of Additional Abilities:  +132
  
  55 
  Dark Champions ■ Chapter Two
  Week,” when candidates only get to sleep about 30 
  minutes a day while undergoing some of the most 
  rigorous physical training imaginable.
  A SEAL Team theoretically consists of ten pla-
  toons of SEALS, but in practice typically has thirty 
  oﬃ  cers and 200 enlisted men. Th e 16-man platoon 
  (two oﬃ  cers, 14 men) is the basic unit; it divides 
  into two squads (one oﬃ  cer and seven men in each), 
  which subdivide into two four-man ﬁ re teams.
  Perhaps the most elite unit within the SEALs 
  is the Naval Special Warfare Development Group 
  (NAVSPECWARDEVGRU, or DEVGRU), a.k.a. 
  SEAL Team 6. It conducts various counterterrorism 
  operations. It consists of six teams:  Red, Gold, and 
  Blue (all assault); Black (reconnaissance and sur-
  veillance); Gray (transportation); and Green (new 
  personnel still in training). 
  To buy the SEAL Package Deal, characters 
  must ﬁ rst buy the Basic Military Training Pack-
  age Deal.
  SPECIAL FORCES GREEN BERETS 
  PACKAGE DEAL
  Th e Special Forces — or, as its members are 
  better known, the Green Berets, from their trade-
  mark headwear — is an elite Army unit based 
  at Fort Bragg, North Carolina. It’s a clandestine 
  warfare force intended to inﬁ ltrate enemy-held ter-
  ritory, organize and assist resistance movements, 
  and conduct unconventional warfare operations 
  and special reconnaissance missions. It’s the largest 
  special operations force in the world.
  Only a small percentage of military personnel 
  have the qualiﬁ cations the Army looks for in poten-
  tial Green Berets (ﬁ tness, intelligence, and certain 
  types of training). Since Green Berets oft en have to 
  blend into their environment and work with local 
  peoples, they tend to be older and more mature 
  than average for the Army. Th ey must already have 
  attained the rank of sergeant (for enlisted person-
  nel) or ﬁ rst lieutenant (for oﬃ  cers), have (or earn) a 
  college degree, and have good “people skills.” Most 
  have previously served in the infantry; most have 
  Airborne training or are Rangers. Th e Special Forc-
  es’s other admission and “basic training” require-
  ments are among the toughest in the world.
  Assuming they meet these criteria, then they 
  have to succeed at the Assessment and Selec-
  tion course, which tests both physical and mental 
  skills and endurance. Th ose who pass the test go 
  on to the Qualiﬁ cation Course. As part of the Q 
  course, each candidate trains in one of six spe-
  cialty ﬁ elds:  oﬃ  cer training; weapons training; 
  medical training; engineering; communications; or 
  operations/intelligence. In the end, fewer than three 
  in 100 candidates completes Q course and gradu-
  ates — but even then, he’s not done learning. Aft er 
  passing Q course, a candidate attends the Defense 
  Language Insitute (DLI) to learn a foreign language 
  appropriate to the region where he’ll be posted, 
  and then attends Survival, Evasion, Resistance, and 
  Escape School.
  During their careers, most Green Berets cross-
  train in at least one additional specialty. In game 
  terms, they spend Experience Points to buy another 
  Q Course Specialty Training set of Skills. Th ey also 
  have the opportunity to attend many other training 
  schools, providing even more outlets for the expen-
  diture of Experience Points.
  For game purposes, the Green Beret Package 
  Deal adds to the Ranger Package Deal — either 
  the character was a Ranger going into Green Beret 
  training, or the Special Forces regimen brings him 
  up to the Ranger standard. In other words, to buy 
  the Green Beret Package Deal, a character must 
  ﬁ rst buy the Basic Military Training Package Deal 
  and the Ranger Package Deal.
  SPECIAL FORCES (GREEN 
  BERETS) PACKAGE DEAL
  Abilities
   Cost 
  Ability
   
  2 
  Running +1”
   
  1 
  Swimming +1”
   
  6 
  +2 with any three Ranger Package Deal 
  Skills
   
  2 
  KS: Green Beret History And Traditions 11-
   
  2 
  Language (ﬂ uent conversation; character’s 
  choice)
   
  5 
  Martial Arts (+5 points’ worth)
   
  2 
  PS: Green Beret 11-
   
  2 
  PS: Instructor 11-
   
  2 
  TF: Basic Parachuting, Advanced Parachuting
   
  1 
  WF:  choose one additional 1-point WF
   
  3 
  Q Course Specialty Training:  choose one of 
  the options listed below
   
  3 
  3 points’ worth of Skills from the choice list 
  for the Basic Military Training Package Deal
   
  4 
  Fringe Beneﬁ t:  Military Rank
   
  5 
  Fringe Beneﬁ t:  Security Clearance
   
  3 
  Resistance (3 points)
  Total Cost Of Additional Abilities:  +43
  Q Course Specialty Training
   Value 
  Ability
   +6 
  Communications:  Computer Programming, 
  Cryptography, and Systems Operation
   +2 
  Engineering:  Demolitions, PS: Construction 
  Work 11-
   
  0 
  Oﬃ  cer Training:  PS: Mission Planning And 
  Logistics (INT Roll)
   
  0 
  Operations/Intelligence:  PS: Mission Plan-
  ning And Logistics (INT Roll)
   
  0 
  Medical Training:  Paramedics
   
  0 
  Weapons Training:  Weaponsmith 
  (Firearms), WF: Mortars
  OTHER SPECIAL 
  FORCES
  While the Military 
  Package Deals focus on 
  the special forces of the 
  United States, you can 
  easily adapt them for 
  use in creating charac-
  ters who’ve trained with 
  similar organization in 
  other national militar-
  ies. Some other special 
  forces include:
  Australia:  the Special Air 
  Service (SAS)
  Canada:  Joint Task 
  Force 2
  France:  the Legion 
  Étrangère (French For-
  eign Legion); the GIGN
  Germany:  GSG-9
  Israel:  Sayeret Duvde-
  van; Sayeret Mat’kal; 
  Sayeret Tzanhanin
  Russia:  Spetznaz
  Spain:  UEI
  United Kingdom:  the 
  Gurkhas; the Special Air 
  Service (SAS); the Spe-
  cial Boat Service (SBS)
  
  56 ■ Character Creation
  Hero System 5th Edition
  MISCELLANEOUS 
  PACKAGE DEALS
  Here are a few more Package Deals appropri-
  ate to the modern-day action-adventure genre, but 
  which don’t ﬁ t into any of the above categories.
  BOUNTY HUNTER PACKAGE DEAL
  A bounty hunter is a person who tracks down 
  wanted fugitives, suspects on bail or parole who’ve 
  “skipped out,” and so on.
  Typical Goals And Motivations:  A bounty hunter 
  doesn’t care too much about “Justice” or saving 
  the innocent from the evil. Mostly he’s in it for the 
  money (though he could certainly have “a heart of 
  gold” if you want to play him that way). He cap-
  tures (or kills) criminals because they have a price 
  on their heads (or because a bail bondsman hired 
  him), not because of their inherent badness. How-
  ever, some bounty hunters may secretly yearn for a 
  more noble calling, and might get into adventuring 
  because of that desire.
  Typical Abilities:  Characters who are more nobly 
  inclined may loathe the Bounty Hunter’s callous-
  ness and greed, but still ﬁ nd him a useful ally 
  because of his knowledge of the underworld, the 
  justice system, and the city. To make money as a 
  bounty hunter, a character has to know the city 
  (possibly several cities) really well, and stay on 
  top of doings in the underworld. Bounty hunters 
  know a lot about criminals, not only those in the 
  campaign city but all over the country. Th ey have 
  to, since they make their money by knowing who’s 
  wanted, what he’s like, and where he might be 
  found. Many bounty hunters also tend to have a lot 
  of Skills with relatively low rolls, since they learn a 
  little here and there as they earn their living.
  Suggested Disadvantages:  A bounty hunter 
  might be Watched by the police, who consider 
  him a nuisance or potential danger. He might be 
  Hunting a high-bounty fugitive whom he’s never 
  managed to catch, or be Hunted by a criminal he’s 
  clashed with before. Since he competes with other 
  bounty hunters, he could easily develop a Rivalry 
  with one or more.
  Progression:  A bounty hunter who gets involved in 
  adventuring is probably going to want to expand 
  the scope of his knowledge and abilities a little. 
  He’s not really suited for paramilitary operations or 
  anything like that — take him out of his little pond, 
  and he’s not so big a ﬁ sh anymore... but some Expe-
  rience Points properly invested can change that.
  PRIVATE INVESTIGATOR PACKAGE DEAL
  Even though most of a “real world” private 
  investigator’s jobs are relatively dull work, the PI is 
  forever enshrined in American thought as an adven-
  turesome rogue who’s constantly getting himself into 
  trouble and has to get himself out again using his 
  deductive skills, wits, and ability to shoot quickly and 
  accurately. “Private eyes” may be portrayed as grim or 
  unlucky, but rarely as truly bad ﬁ gures; they’re always 
  capable of self-redemption and heroism if the cause 
  is true (and the money is good).
  Private eyes oft en seem to come in two 
  varieties:  the good-looking man-of-danger type, 
  oft en a military veteran (this type is especially 
  common in television detective shows) and the 
  scruﬀ y, down-on-his-luck street investigator. 
  Other traits or interests can be added as desired 
  to create a fairly well-rounded character with a 
  surprise here and there.
  Typical Goals And Motivations:  Private investigators 
  from the 1930s onward tend to have certain moti-
  vations and outlooks in common. Th ey of course 
  want to solve mysteries and ensure that murderers 
  and crooks get their just desserts (and that their 
  client goes free, or gets whatever it is he wants). 
  Th ere’s usually a woman whose heart they’re trying 
  to win. And last but not least, they’re always in need 
  of money and looking for (mostly) honest ways to 
  get more. In other words:  get the bad guy, get the 
  girl, and get the money.
  Typical Abilities:  Private eyes are usually an intrigu-
  ing mix of smarts and physical prowess. Th eir 
  ability to ﬁ gure out mysteries is oft en astonishing, 
  and they’re generally quick-witted, clever, and per-
  ceptive. Th ey’re also pretty good in a ﬁ ght and are 
  accurate shots. Th ey may have Knowledge Skills 
  and Contacts from earlier careers (such as the mili-
  tary or an intelligence agency).
  Suggested Disadvantages:  Private eyes seem to have a 
  lot of “stock” Disadvantages. In addition to the DNPC 
  (the PI’s girlfriend, latest client, or both), they might 
  be Watched by the police or Hunted by a criminal 
  BOUNTY HUNTER 
  PACKAGE DEAL
  Abilities
   Cost 
  Ability
   
  3 
  One AK or CK of character’s choice (INT 
  Roll)
   
  2 
  KS: Th e Justice System 11-
   
  2 
  KS: Wanted Criminals 11-
   
  3 
  Lockpicking
   
  3 
  Shadowing
   
  5 
  Streetwise +1
   
  2 
  WF: Small Arms
   
  4 
  Contacts (4 points’ worth)
   
  1 
  Fringe Beneﬁ t:  License (bounty hunter)
   
  1 
  Fringe Beneﬁ t:  Weapon Permit
   
  6 
  6 points’ worth of Skills from the follow-
  ing list:  Bribery, Bureaucratics, Climbing, 
  Combat Driving, Combat Skill Levels, Com-
  puter Programming, Concealment, Deduc-
  tion, Fast Draw, Gambling, Martial Arts, 
  Paramedics, Persuasion, Security Systems, 
  Skill Levels, Stealth, Weapon Familiarity, 
  Weaponsmith, any Background Skill, Con-
  tacts
  Total Cost Of Package Abilities:  32
  Disadvantages
   Value 
  Disadvantage
   None
  Total Value Of Package Disadvantages:  0
  
  57 
  Dark Champions ■ Chapter Two
  with whom they’ve matched wits previously. Compe-
  tition with other PIs may spark Rivalries. Last but not 
  least, they usually have at least one or two signiﬁ cant 
  Psychological Limitations such as Can’t Resist A Mys-
  tery, Sucker For A Pretty Face (or For A Sob Story), 
  Greedy, Skirtchaser, Wisecracker, or Must Do Th e Right 
  Th ing No Matter How Much It Hurts.
  Progression:  Most PIs have a pretty useful group 
  of Skills to begin with, though they can always get 
  better at them (particularly in the modern world, 
  where the ability to use computers and other tech-
  nology may be more important than traditional 
  detective Skills). Once they step into the full-blown 
  world of adventuring or vigilante crimeﬁ ghting, 
  they may ﬁ nd themselves needing Skills that were 
  never required when they were just following 
  cheating spouses or trying to get someone cleared 
  of a murder charge.
  VIGILANTE PACKAGE DEAL
  Th is Package Deal represents a general suite 
  of Skills and other abilities appropriate to vigilante 
  crimeﬁ ghters (costumed or otherwise).
  Typical Goals And Motivations:  First and foremost, the 
  vigilante’s goal is to end crime and protect innocent 
  citizens from criminals. Th e Psychological Limita-
  tion that’s a part of the Package Deal reﬂ ects this; it’s 
  a deﬁ ning element of the character type, though the 
  exact expression of the motivation may vary from 
  character to character. Th e character may have sec-
  ondary motivations and goals that aﬀ ect his vigilan-
  tism, such as a drive to get revenge on an organized 
  crime group, a desire to protect a particular neigh-
  borhood or district in particular, or the like.
  Typical Abilities:  Beyond certain very basic Skills, 
  no two vigilantes are quite alike — each one 
  approaches crimeﬁ ghting in his own unique way. 
  Some are militaristic, prone to jumping into the 
  middle of things with guns blazing and ﬁ sts ﬂ ying. 
  Some favor stealth and inﬁ ltration so they can 
  attack from surprise, while still others are investiga-
  tors more than anything.
  Suggested Disadvantages:  Besides their Psychologi-
  cal Limitation(s), vigilantes can have a wide range 
  of Disadvantages. Th e most common is Hunted 
  — being Hunted by the police (and/or other law 
  enforcement agencies) is pratically a prerequisite 
  for being a vigilante in many Dark Champions cam-
  paigns, and vigilantes are also oft en Hunted by the 
  criminals they pursue. A vigilante might even Hunt 
  a particular criminal or criminal group himself.
  Progression:  Th e abilities that might come in handy 
  when ﬁ ghting crime on the streets (or elsewhere) 
  are practically numberless, so a vigilante shouldn’t 
  lack for places to spend his Experience Points. In 
  addition to buying Skills from the optional list 
  in the Package Deal, he might learn some of the 
  “Super-Skills” on pages 106-49, develop military 
  Skills under the tutelage of a fellow PC with mili-
  tary experience, or the like.
  PRIVATE INVESTIGATOR 
  PACKAGE DEAL
  Abilities
   Cost 
  Ability
   
  3 
  Concealment
   
  3 
  Criminology
   
  5 
  Deduction +1
   
  2 
  CK: one city of character’s choice 11-
   
  2 
  KS: Th e Law Enforcement World 11-
   
  5 
  Shadowing +1
   
  3 
  Stealth
   
  3 
  Streetwise
   
  2 
  WF: Small Arms
   
  6 
  Contacts (6 points’ worth)
   
  2 
  Fringe Beneﬁ t:  Private Investigator License
   
  1 
  Fringe Beneﬁ t:  Weapon Permit
   
  9 
  9 points’ worth of Skills from the following 
  list:  Acting, Bribery, Bugging, Bureaucratics, 
  Combat Driving, Combat Skill Levels, Com-
  puter Programming, Conversation, Disguise, 
  Fast Draw, Gambling, High Society, Inter-
  rogation, Lockpicking, Mimicry, Paramedics, 
  Persuasion, Security Systems, Seduction, 
  Skill Levels, Weapon Familiarity, Weapon-
  smith, any Background Skill, Contacts
  Total Cost Of Package Abilities:  46
  Disadvantages
   Value 
  Disadvantage
   None
  Total Value Of Package Disadvantages:  0
  Options
   Value 
  Ability
   10 
  Two-Fisted:  Martial Arts (10 points’ worth 
  of maneuvers from Fisticuﬀ s or Cinematic 
  Brawling)
  VIGILANTE PACKAGE DEAL
  Abilities
   Cost 
  Ability
   
  5 
  +5 PRE
   
  3 
  Criminology
   
  6 
  KSs (6 points’ worth, relating to the cam 
  paign city, its underworld, and the like)
   
  3 
  Stealth
   
  5 
  Streetwise +1
   
  2 
  WF: 2 points’ worth of the character’s choice
   
  4 
  Contacts (4 points’ worth)
   15 
  15 points’ worth of Skills from the follow-
  ing list:  Acting, Bribery, Bugging, Climbing, 
  Combat Driving, Combat Skill Levels, Com-
  puter Programming, Concealment, Conver-
  sation, Deduction, Demolitions, Disguise, 
  Electronics, Fast Draw, Forensic Medicine, 
  Gambling, Interrogation, Lockpicking, Mar-
  tial Arts, Paramedics, Persuasion, Security 
  Systems, Shadowing, Skill Levels, Sleight Of 
  Hand, Weapon Familiarity, Weaponsmith, 
  any Background Skill, Contacts
  Total Cost Of Package Abilities:  43
  Disadvantages
   Value 
  Disadvantage
   15 
  Appropriate Psychological Limitation (such 
  as Must Protect Innocents From Crime, 
  Devoted To Justice, or Vigilante Mentality)
  Total Value Of Package Disadvantages:  15
  
  58 ■ Character Creation
  Hero System 5th Edition
  M
  ost HERO System gamers start designing 
  their characters by purchasing Char-
  acteristics. Several Characteristics, and 
  related issues, have important implica-
  tions for Dark Champions games.
  Normal Characteristic 
  Maxima
  Dark Champions campaigns typically impose 
  Normal Characteristic Maxima as a default for 
  the campaign; characters must abide by the NCM 
  restrictions without getting any Disadvantage 
  points for doing so. But in some cases the GM may 
  want to reconsider that decision. For games that 
  verge more toward the Superheroic — street-level 
  superheroes, or James Bond- or John Woo-style 
  games with lots of fantastic stunts and gunplay 
  — the Normal Characteristic Maxima rules may 
  not make much sense, and may even inhibit the 
  “feel” the GM wants to create.
  Characteristic Ranges
  Dark Champions is a Heroic genre, and there-
  fore most characters have most of their Primary 
  Characteristics in the 10-20 range. Th is can cause 
  problems of uniformity. In some campaigns, it’s 
  rare to see a combat-oriented character with STR 
  and/or DEX of less than 20, a character who spe-
  cializes in technology with an INT less than 20, 
  or any character with a low PRE. Furthermore, 
  because some Characteristics cost relatively few 
  points to increase, it’s not uncommon to see char-
  acters with unusually high ratings in Characteris-
  tics not associated with that character type — such 
  as hackers with STR 15-20.
  Th is potential uniformity is an important fea-
  ture of the HERO System, one that allows players 
  to build whatever characters they want. But it may 
  cause problems in some campaigns, particularly 
  those where GMs and players want to emphasize 
  the diﬀ erences between the various major arche-
  typical characters. If “Characteristic uniformity” 
  causes a problem in your game, here are some pos-
  sible solutions:
  ■ Lower the Normal Characteristic Maxima break-
  point. If characters have to start paying double at 
  15 instead of 20, Characteristics in the 18-20 range 
  become rarer. However, PCs may end up with fewer 
  points to spend on Skills and abilities, which causes 
  problems of its own.
  ■ Lower the Normal Characteristic Maxima break-
  point selectively by character type. Choose one 
  Characteristic that’s important for each character 
  archetype (for example, STR for brawlers, DEX for 
  sneaky or agile characters, INT for technicians). 
  Th at archetype can buy that Characteristic up to 20 
  for the normal cost, but must pay double at a lower 
  breakpoint (such as 15) for all other Characteristics. 
  For example, maybe the GM lets each character 
  pick one Primary Characteristic he can buy up to 
  20 for the normal cost, but the character has to pay 
  double for each point of any other Primary Char-
  acteristic above 15. Th is heightens each archetype’s 
  natural strengths, but may cause diﬃ  culties when 
  you try to build some character concepts.
  ■ Sever the relationship between a Primary Charac-
  teristic and one or more of the Figured Character-
  istics it aﬀ ects. If characters only get ED and REC 
  from CON, and not END or STUN, they may be 
  more likely to keep CON at a lower level than they 
  otherwise would so they can put points into END 
  and STUN. Again, this may lead to characters spend-
  ing too many of their points on Characteristics.
  ■ Assign a useful bonus to a Characteristic that 
  makes characters want to buy it in unusual 
  amounts, instead of amounts ending in 0, 3, 5, and 
  8. For example, suppose you establish a house rule 
  saying that if two characters have the same DEX (a 
  not uncommon occurrence in a Dark Champions 
  campaign), the character with the highest INT gets 
  to act ﬁ rst in a Phase. Th is prompts at least some 
  characters to spend a little more on INT, since an 
  INT 16 is better than INT 15 even though they 
  both generate the same INT Roll and PER Roll. 
  Proceed with caution, however; most such changes 
  indirectly beneﬁ t some character type more, and 
  you may accidentally create a game balance prob-
  lem. Similarly, you could rule that in Skill Versus 
  Skill Contests involving Skills based on the same 
  Characteristic, ties go to the character with the 
  highest Characteristic.
  ■ Forbid some archetypes to buy Characteristics 
  beyond a deﬁ ned maximum (or at least, not with-
  out special permission). For example, maybe the 
  GM decides technology-oriented characters cannot 
  buy STR above 15, and characters who specialize in 
  physical combat can’t buy INT above 15. Th is may 
  signiﬁ cantly inhibit the creative freedom that is a 
  hallmark of the HERO System, but it can really dis-
  tinguish the archetypes from each other.
  CHARACTERISTICS
  
  59 
  Dark Champions ■ Chapter Two
  Primary Characteristics
  STRENGTH
  Strength suﬀ ers from the potential prob-
  lems of Characteristic uniformity and balance 
  described above to a greater degree than any 
  other Primary Characteristic. Given STR’s rela-
  tively inexpensive cost, a character can easily 
  spend a few points to increase it, which nets him 
  extra points for several Figured Characteristics, 
  improved carrying capacity, and an enhanced 
  ability to inﬂ ict damage with ﬁ sts or weapons. 
  Th erefore, GMs may want to examine characters’ 
  STR scores closely and require them to scale back 
  if they seem to have high STR for no good reason 
  other than “rules beneﬁ ts.” Remember, STR 10 
  makes a character extremely ﬁ t and strong in “real 
  world” terms, and STR 15 is roughly equivalent to 
  a world-class weightlift er.
  DEXTERITY
  DEX is a popular Characteristic for any type 
  of character, since it dictates the character’s base 
  CV and rolls with several important Skills. It’s not 
  uncommon to see a group of Dark Champions 
  characters who all have DEXs clustered in the 15-
  20 range, making it diﬃ  cult for characters who 
  should be noteworthy for their agility and adroit-
  ness to truly stand out from the crowd.
  Given this concern, DEX is a prime candi-
  date for the “Characteristic uniformity” solutions 
  described above, because characters can com-
  pensate for the lack of pure DEX in other ways. 
  Combat Skill Levels and Martial Arts can improve 
  a character’s CV without inﬂ ating his DEX, and 
  Lightning Reﬂ exes keeps his initiative rating 
  high. Th e GM could even let some characters buy 
  DEX with a -1 Limitation, Only For DEX Rolls, 
  to improve their ability to perform Skills without 
  becoming hyper-accurate combat monsters.
  CONSTITUTION AND BODY
  In a genre where Killing Attacks are the 
  norm, and combat occurs frequently, most heroes 
  can justify at least a few extra points of CON and 
  BODY to keep themselves from dying like ﬂ ies. 
  Since high CON and BODY tend to encourage 
  “heroic” actions by characters, Characteristic uni-
  formity causes far fewer (if any) problems com-
  pared to STR or DEX.
  INTELLIGENCE
  Although high INT is perhaps most associ-
  ated with characters who work with technology, 
  since it represents the ability to process and react 
  to information a high INT would be appropriate 
  for virtually any type of Dark Champions adven-
  turer. Characters who hit the Normal Charac-
  teristic Maxima for INT, or who shouldn’t have 
  an overall high INT, should consider Enhanced 
  Perception, or 5-point Skill Levels with Intellect 
  Skills. Th e latter, which also apply to PER Rolls, 
  substitute for INT eﬀ ectively for characters with 
  lots of Intellect Skills.
  EGO
  At least a few points of EGO are appropriate 
  for almost any Dark Champions characters. Heroes 
  should have great willpower, and EGO reﬂ ects that. 
  To encourage characters to buy it, the GM could 
  
  60 ■ Character Creation
  Hero System 5th Edition
  even reduce its cost to 1 Character Point per point. 
  Since most Dark Champions games don’t involve 
  powers targeted with ECV, decreasing the cost of 
  EGO won’t make mentalist characters unbalanc-
  ingly eﬀ ective.
  PRESENCE
  Force of personality, courage, and general 
  impressiveness are a key element in many Dark 
  Champions character conceptions (particularly the 
  “terror of the underworld” costumed vigilante). 
  It’s not uncommon to ﬁ nd that every character in 
  a Dark Champions campaign has a PRE of 15 or 
  higher, but fortunately this usually just contributes 
  to the fun of the game rather than causing prob-
  lems. Characters who don’t necessarily want to be 
  impressive themselves, but who are fearless, jaded, 
  or blasé, can buy some extra PRE with the -1 Limi-
  tation, Only To Protect Against Presence Attacks. 
  Conversely, character who want to be particularly 
  impressive in some speciﬁ c way can buy the Repu-
  tation Perk, or extra PRE with Limitations like Only 
  For Fear-/Intimidation-Based Presence Attacks (-1).
  In Dark Champions, one of the best ways for a 
  character to make a Presence Attack is in conjunc-
  tion with a weapon of some sort. Having a gun 
  shoved in his face makes almost any NPC more 
  willing to talk or surrender. Th e accompanying 
  table lists suggested Presence Attack modiﬁ ers for 
  various gun-related threats.
  Figured Characteristics
  PHYSICAL DEFENSE AND ENERGY DEFENSE
  Given the “realistic” feel of most Dark Cham-
  pions campaigns, high PDs and EDs are relatively 
  uncommon. Characters who want a little more 
  protection can wear body armor, or buy Talents like 
  Combat Luck (or abilities like the defensive Super-
  Skills on pages 124-29). But GMs should carefully 
  evaluate a character’s defenses to make sure he’s 
  not too well protected. Th e Dark Champions genre 
  features a lot of gunﬁ ghts and other combat, and if 
  characters aren’t at least a little concerned about the 
  possibility of getting injured, the game loses a lot of 
  its verisimilitude.
  SPEED
  Characteristic uniformity occurs frequently 
  with SPD. Most Dark Champions characters have 
  SPD 3 or 4; a few pay the extra cost for SPD 5 to be 
  really fast. Because SPDs tend to cluster at the low 
  end of the scale, even a single extra point of SPD 
  can oﬀ er a character a signiﬁ cant advantage. It not 
  only allows him to take more actions in combat, 
  but it increases his overall movement speed and 
  ability to Recover from injuries and END use. 
  Gamemasters should examine any character with 
  an unusually high SPD (above 4) to make sure he 
  won’t unbalance the campaign.
  ENDURANCE
  As a Heroic genre, Dark Champions uses the 
  rule that STR costs 1 END per 5 points (not 10), 
  while Powers and the like still cost 1 END per 10 
  Active Points. Even allowing for that, and for the 
  END cost of Encumbrance (HERO System 5th Edi-
  tion, Revised, page 379), many characters have far 
  more END than they generally need. Th is makes it 
  easy for them to Push (when appropriate), which 
  may cause problems during the game. If neces-
  sary, the GM should consider using the Long-Term 
  Endurance rules (HERO System 5th Edition, Revised, 
  page 425) as a balancing factor.
  GUN THREATS
  Action 
  Presence Attack Bonus
  Pointing a gun at target 
  +1d6
  Pulling back the hammer 
  of a gun pointed at target 
  +2d6*
  Pumping a pump-action shotgun 
  +2d6
  Placing a laser sight “red dot” on target +2d6
  *:  Th is replaces the “pointing a gun” bonus; the two 
  don’t add together.
  
  61 
  Dark Champions ■ Chapter Two
  S
  kills are probably the most important 
  aspect of a Dark Champions character; the 
  genre’s all about highly-skilled characters 
  and the way they get things done. Some 
  Skills are especially appropriate for, or have unique 
  applications in, the Dark Champions genre, and it’s 
  those Skills which are discussed below.
  Skill Modiﬁ ers
  Gamemasters may want to incorporate the fol-
  lowing optional rules and guidelines for Skill modi-
  ﬁ ers into their Dark Champions campaigns.
  COMBAT CONDITIONS
  In some cases, trying to use a Skill in combat 
  conditions, or other high-stress crisis situations, 
  imposes a -1 to -3 penalty on the Skill Roll.
  Th e following Skills are intended for use in 
  combat conditions, and therefore characters receive 
  no negative modiﬁ ers for using them in combat:  
  Accurate Sprayﬁ re, Acrobatics, Analyzes related to 
  combat situations (Analyze Style, Analyze Combat 
  Technique, and the like), Breakfall, Combat Driv-
  ing, Combat Piloting, Concentrated Sprayﬁ re, 
  Rapid Attack, Rapid Autoﬁ re, Skipover Sprayﬁ re, 
  Stealth, Tactics, Two-Weapon Fighting, and 
  Weapon Familiarity. All other Skills are not suited 
  for combat conditions — even Skills oft en associ-
  ated with combat situations, such as Demolitions, 
  typically aren’t intended for use when the character 
  is under attack. Characters using those Skills in 
  combat suﬀ er a negative modiﬁ er determined by 
  the GM. Characters may buy the Talent Combat-
  Ready (see page 90) for a Skill to eliminate any 
  combat conditions penalties.
  DAMAGE TO SUBJECT
  If the object a character is using his Skill on or 
  with — a lock he’s trying to open with Lockpick-
  ing, and engine he’s trying to ﬁ x with Mechanics, a 
  broken radio he’s trying to make a last-ditch Systems 
  Operation roll with — is broken or damaged, it may 
  be harder (if not impossible) for him to succeed. Th e 
  accompanying table lists the standard modiﬁ ers in 
  this situation.
  “Signiﬁ cant” damage is damage to a speciﬁ c 
  part of the subject, or a speciﬁ c type of damage, that 
  the GM deems particularly signiﬁ cant or necessary 
  for the Skill used or task attempted. For example, if a 
  character has to pick a lock, and parts of the lock have 
  been fused together by ﬁ re damage, the GM might 
  consider that “signiﬁ cant” damage and tack on an 
  additional -2 penalty to the roll. Signiﬁ cant damage 
  penalties are cumulative with other damage modiﬁ ers.
  At the GM’s option, damage to the subject may 
  not aﬀ ect some Skills or Skill uses. For example, 
  damage to parts of a radio might not penalize 
  a character who wants to use that radio to jam 
  another radio’s signal.
  EQUIPMENT
  Many Skills, like Lockpicking and Demoli-
  tions, almost always require some type of equip-
  ment to perform. With the right type of equipment, 
  a character may ﬁ nd his task easier; on the other 
  hand, poor-quality, improvised, or damaged equip-
  ment will probably make his job tougher, if not 
  impossible. Th e accompanying table has suggested 
  modiﬁ ers for equipment quality.
  “Improvised” equipment includes makeshift , 
  jury-rigged, and other less-than-perfect forms of 
  equipment used when nothing better is available. 
  Determining which types of equipment are Poor, 
  Very Good, and so forth is left  to the GM’s discre-
  tion — unless, of course, the character has paid 
  Character Points for better-than-average equip-
  ment, in which case he’s entitled to the bonuses 
  he paid for. You can use the guidelines in this 
  table when deciding how to build quality equip-
  ment; if a character wants “very good” lockpicks, 
  he should buy them as a +4 (or greater) bonus to 
  Lockpicking.
  SKILLS
  DAMAGE TO SUBJECT 
  MODIFIERS
  Damage 
  Modiﬁ er
  Up to ⅓ BODY 
  -0
  ⅓ to ⅔ BODY 
  -2
  More than ⅔ BODY 
  -4
  Signiﬁ cant damage 
  Additional -1 to -3
   EQUIPMENT MODIFIERS
  Type Of Equipment 
  Modiﬁ er
  None  
  Cannot perform Skill
  Very Poor 
  -4 to -6 or more
  Very Damaged 
  -4 to -6 or more
  Poor and Improvised 
  -4 to -6 or more
  Poor, Improvised, or Damaged 
  -1 to -3
  Average 
  +0
  Good  
  +1to +3
  Very Good  
  +4 to +6
  Extremely Good  
  +7 or more
  
  62 ■ Character Creation
  Hero System 5th Edition
  INJURY
  As an optional rule, it’s harder for a character 
  to use most Skills when he’s hurt. Th e penalties in 
  the accompanying table reﬂ ect this.
  A “signiﬁ cant” injury is one to any part of the 
  body which the GM deems particularly necessary 
  for the Skill used or task attempted. For example, 
  a character who has received an injury to his 
  hand may suﬀ er additional penalties to Skills 
  such as Lockpicking and Sleight Of Hand. Signiﬁ -
  cant injury penalties are cumulative with other 
  injury modiﬁ ers.
  At the GM’s option, injuries may not aﬀ ect 
  some Skills. For example, Knowledge Skills and 
  uses of other Skills which simply reﬂ ect knowing 
  something oft en ignore injury penalties (unless the 
  injury is to the head).
  MOVEMENT
  Characters in motion — who move during the 
  same Segment when they want to use a Skill — 
  have a more diﬃ  cult time performing many Skills, 
  whether they’re moving under their own power 
  or are in a moving vehicle, as indicated by the 
  accompanying table. Generally this only applies to 
  Skills that require rolls; it doesn’t aﬀ ect a character’s 
  ability to allocate his Combat Skill Levels, Penalty 
  Skill Levels, or Skill Levels, shout a command in 
  a learned Language, to use Rapid Attack or Two-
  Weapon Fighting, or the like.
  STEALTHY SKILL USE
  Characters have trouble performing some Skills 
  if they try to be stealthy while doing so. Characters 
  may not be able to use some Skills in a stealthy fash-
  ion at all; the GM determines this on a case-by-case 
  basis. If stealthy use is possible, the character must 
  make a Stealth roll at -2 (or worse, at the GM’s dis-
  cretion) to perform the task stealthfully. If he fails 
  the roll he can still attempt to use the Skill, but others 
  can perceive him doing so as usual.
  Skills And Equipment
  As stated in the rulebook, if a character pays 
  Character Points for a piece of equipment (such 
  as a weapon or a Vehicle), he doesn’t have to buy a 
  Skill to use it — he automatically knows how. How-
  ever, that only means he knows how to use that one 
  piece of equipment; it doesn’t give him a Skill for 
  free. Paying Character Points for a gun doesn’t let 
  him have WF: Small Arms for free; paying Charac-
  ter Points for a motorcycle doesn’t give a character 
  TF: Two-Wheeled Motorized Ground Vehicles.
  Buying a piece of equipment with Equipment 
  Points (page 153) does not count as paying Charac-
  ter Points for it. A character must have a Skill to use 
  such gear, or suﬀ er the appropriate penalties.
  Some Skills, such as Lockpicking, generally 
  assume a character has to have equipment (the 
  appropriate tools or devices) to use them. Unless 
  stated otherwise in the Skill’s writeup, it’s not neces-
  sarily assumed the character gets the needed equip-
  ment for “free,” because he may have to pay money 
  for it in-game or the like. But he doesn’t have to pay 
  a separate Character Point cost for it.
  Skill Descriptions
  ANALYZE
  Dark Champions characters could have many 
  diﬀ erent forms of Analyze. For example, a character 
  who’s a trained martial artist might have Analyze 
  Style (see Th e Ultimate Martial Artist, pages 112-
  13), while one who’s an expert at demolitions might 
  have Analyze Construction so he can ﬁ gure out the 
  best way to collapse a building with minimal risk to 
  nearby structures.
  Another form of Analyze common to modern-
  day action-adventure heroes is Analyze Combat 
  Technique. Th is is similar to Analyze Style, but 
  applies to ﬁ ghting skills, combat tactics, and related 
  abilities that don’t rise to the level of a “formal” 
  ﬁ ghting art like Kung Fu or Aikido. Analyze 
  Combat Technique can be a Complementary Skill 
  to Tactics in some situations (and vice-versa).
  Th e accompanying table describes the sort of 
  information characters typically gain from an Analyze 
  Combat Technique roll, though the ﬁ nal results are up 
  to the GM. Th ese results follow the general pattern for 
  the Skill as described on page 49 of the HERO System 
  5th Edition, Revised rulebook, and unlike Analyze Style 
  are not in addition to those results.
  A character cannot make successive Analyze 
  MOVEMENT MODIFIERS
  Degree Of Injury 
  Modiﬁ er
  Up to ⅓ BODY 
  -0
  ⅓ to ⅔ BODY 
  -2
  More than ⅔ BODY 
  -4
  Signiﬁ cant injury 
  Additional -1 to -3
  Movement This Phase 
  Modiﬁ er
  Half Move (under own power) 
  -2
  Full Move (under own power) 
  Cannot perform 
   
  any Skills unless 
   
  permitted by GM
  In smooth-riding vehicle/mount 
  -1 to -2
  In rough-riding vehicle/mount 
  -2 to -5
  In campaigns that stress “realism,” the GM may want to 
  signiﬁ cantly increase these penalties (say, by another -2 
  to -4 each).
  INJURY MODIFIERS
  Degree Of Injury 
  Modiﬁ er
  Up to ⅓ BODY 
  -0
  ⅓ to ⅔ BODY 
  -2
  More than ⅔ BODY 
  -4
  Signiﬁ cant injury 
  Additional -1 to -3
  
  63 
  Dark Champions ■ Chapter Two
  Combat Technique rolls against the same opponent 
  in the same ﬁ ght — he gets one try only. Knowledge 
  and combat bonuses gained through use of Analyze 
  Combat Technique last for that combat only; they 
  do not “carry over” to future attacks. However, if 
  the character made a previous Analyze Combat 
  Technique roll against a speciﬁ c opponent by two 
  or more, he gets a +1 bonus to his next attempt to 
  Analyze Combat Technique on that foe.
  AUTOFIRE SKILLS
  All of the Autoﬁ re Skills are highly appropri-
  ate for Dark Champions games, since modern-day 
  action heroes are likely to carry automatic ﬁ rearms. 
  If a character has an Autoﬁ re Skill, it typically 
  applies to all the Autoﬁ re attacks he has or uses. 
  If he commonly uses multiple types of Autoﬁ re 
  attacks, but an Autoﬁ re Skill only applies to one of 
  those attacks, at the GM’s option he may be able to 
  take a Limitation (-0 to -½) on the Skill.
  If the GM wants to encourage lots of gunﬁ re 
  and fast-paced gunplay in the campaign, one way to 
  do that is to reduce the cost of the Autoﬁ re Skills. If 
  they cost, say, 3 Character Points apiece instead of 
  5, more characters would buy and use them.
  BRIBERY
  If a Dark Champions character needs to 
  smuggle something through Customs, get infor-
  mation from a reluctant oﬃ  cial, or obtain special 
  treatment in some societies, he may have to bribe 
  someone. A character with the Bribery Skill knows 
  what to bribe someone with, how to approach that 
  person, and how much to oﬀ er. Any character can 
  try to bribe someone, but unless he has this Skill 
  he’s probably so clumsy about it that he’s unlikely to 
  succeed (give him about a 6- chance in most cases).
  Many diﬀ erent circumstances can modify a 
  Bribery roll, usually negatively. Th ese include:
  Illegality:  trying to get someone to overlook or 
  cover up a minor illegal act (like a speeding ticket) 
  ANALYZE COMBAT TECHNIQUE
  Makes Roll By 
  Information Gained
  0 (exactly) 
  Character has general idea of how good his opponent is in relation to himself (“He’s fair/good/
  excellent,” “He’s better/worse then me,” “I can’t beat him unless I get lucky”)
  1 or 2 
  Where/how opponent was trained (has been in the Green Berets; has had marksman or sharp-
  shooter training; or the like). If the foe has not had any recognizable training, the character cannot 
  ﬁ nd anything out about him this way.
  3 or 4 
  Character can discover distinctive mannerisms about the opponent which allow the character +1 
  DCV against that foe’s attacks (foe tends to ﬁ re to the left ; foe has a hard time hitting targets more 
  than 10” away, or the like)
  Half or Better 
  Character can ﬁ gure out so much about the opponent’s ﬁ ghting tactics that he gets a +2 CV 
  against the foe. Th is +2 is equivalent to two 8-point Combat Skill Levels, and can apply to OCV or 
  DCV, at the character’s option.
  
  64 ■ Character Creation
  Hero System 5th Edition
  may involve no penalty to the roll, or at most a -1. 
  Th e more serious or dangerous the illegal act, the 
  higher the modiﬁ er becomes, up to a maximum of 
  -4 in most cases.
  Psychological Limitation:  If the potential bribee has 
  a relevant Psychological Limitation (such as Greedy 
  or Incorruptible), depending on whether the Disad-
  vantage favors or disfavors bribery the roll receives 
  a modiﬁ er of +1/-1 for a Moderate Psychological 
  Limitation, +2/-2 for a Strong, and +3/-3 for a Total.
  Type Of Bribe:  If the briber oﬀ ers exactly what the 
  bribee wants (usually money), he gets a +0 bonus. 
  If what he oﬀ ers isn’t quite what the bribee wants, 
  he may suﬀ er a penalty of -1 to -4. (If appropriate, 
  the GM can allow the character to make a sepa-
  rate Bribery roll to gauge what the target wants 
  before he makes the roll to actually complete the 
  transaction.)
  Amount Of Bribe:  A bribe that’s too small or too 
  large may cause problems. Th e GM should deter-
  mine the ideal amount of a bribe, given the situ-
  ation and the target. (If appropriate, the GM can 
  allow the character to make a separate Bribery 
  roll to gauge how much the target wants before he 
  makes the roll to actually complete the transac-
  tion.) A bribe that equals the target amount gives 
  a +2 bonus to the roll. One that’s a little over (no 
  more than 39% more) can increase the bonus 
  to up to +4. One that’s 40% or more too much 
  makes the target nervous, changing the bonus to 
  a -2 or larger penalty. One that’s too little incurs a 
  penalty of -2 to -8.
  Typically, a failed Bribery attempt results in a 
  refusal to take the bribe, perhaps accompanied by a 
  pointed question (“Are you trying to bribe me, sir?”). 
  If the Bribery attempt fails badly — by 4 or more — 
  or if the character attempts to bribe an incorruptible 
  target, the potential bribee may call his superior or 
  the police, arrest the character, or threaten him with 
  a weapon. Also, just because a character has bribed 
  someone doesn’t mean he’ll stay bribed....
  BUGGING
  Bugging is one of the most useful informa-
  tion-gathering Skills in the Dark Champions genre 
  — and one that oﬀ ers the additional excitement 
  and plot potential of the character having to inﬁ l-
  trate an area to plant a bug. Generally, Bugging 
  allows a character to do the following:
  ■ plant bugs for best reception and transmission
  ■ operate bugs for maximum eﬀ ect and eﬃ  ciency, 
  using them to watch or listen to someone (or some 
  place) from a distance
  ■ operate listening or tracking devices designed 
  to be worn by a person and/or placed in or on a 
  moving object (such as a car)  
  ■ “sweep” (search physically or with detectors) for 
  bugs other persons have planted
  ■ disable or counteract bugs planted and used by 
  other persons
  ■ create bugs (assuming the character has the 
  proper equipment and supplies to do so)
  If the GM uses the expanded “surveillance” 
  form of Shadowing, then the operation of devices 
  such as parabolic microphones should fall under 
  that Skill instead. Otherwise, it’s a part of Bugging, 
  as described in the rulebook.
  See pages 278-80 for some HERO System writ-
  eups of common Bugging equipment.
  Planting Standard Bugs
  Th e most common use of Bugging is to plant a 
  bug. To do this, a character needs access to the loca-
  tion where the bug is to be planted. Th is may require 
  some breaking and entering work on the character’s 
  part, or the use of wits, forged documents, or other 
  forms of subterfuge. Th is can be an adventure in and 
  of itself!
  Once in the proper location, the character makes 
  a Bugging roll to determine the best place to put the 
  bug; the GM applies a modiﬁ er from the Bugging 
  Table to reﬂ ect the ease or diﬃ  culty of the task. Th e 
  modiﬁ er reﬂ ects the general conditions of the loca-
  tion; some are good for Bugging because they have 
  lots of places to conceal bugs, good acoustics, and the 
  like, while others are diﬃ  cult to bug because they have 
  the opposite qualities.
  Th e Bugging roll takes into account ﬁ nding the 
  best places to get sound and/or video reception for the 
  bug, determining the best places for the bug to trans-
  mit what it “sees,” and placing the bug so that it’s not 
  readily apparent to persons in the room (but not truly 
  hiding it; see below). If the roll succeeds, the character 
  has chosen the optimum location for the bug, given 
  the prevailing circumstances; the bug functions eﬀ ec-
  tively and provides clear sound and/or pictures.
  If the roll to place a bug fails, the character 
  placed the bug poorly. Th is may have one or more 
  negative implications, such as:
  ■ poor pickup:  the bug isn’t positioned to get the 
  best “view” of the location (or whatever it is the 
  character wants to see or hear). Th e user of the 
  bugging equipment must make PER Rolls each 
  Phase (or some other time interval) to determine 
  what’s being seen or heard. If the roll fails by 4 or 
  more, it may mean the bug fails to pick anything up 
  (either it’s malfunctioned, or it’s horribly placed).
  ■ poor transmission:  the bug isn’t positioned well 
  for transmitting; something interferes with its abil-
  ity to send information. Th e results are the same as 
  for poor pickup.
  ■ easily found:  anyone searching for the bug 
  receives a +2 (or greater) bonus to locate it.
  Properly placing a bug doesn’t necessarily 
  mean hiding the bug. Bugging by itself doesn’t allow 
  characters to hide bugs; that requires Concealment, 
  with Bugging serving as a Complementary Skill. (Of 
  course, the GM can simply describe the location and 
  let the characters roleplay where they hide the bug, 
  thus dispensing with rolls in favor of roleplaying.) 
  A bug placed with a successful Bugging roll but not 
  Concealment isn’t readily apparent — the average 
  person in the location won’t ever notice it — but it 
  can quickly be found with a search, and it’s possible 
  for someone to accidentally stumble across it.
  
  65 
  Dark Champions ■ Chapter Two
  Planting Wiretaps
  Characters with Bugging also know how to 
  plant wiretaps. A skilled Bugging expert can some-
  times tap into a phone line without going to the 
  precise location where the phone to be tapped is 
  located. Instead, he can ﬁ nd the right line outside 
  the building, nearby, or sometimes even blocks 
  away at a junction point or bridging box (a “down-
  line tap”). Th e Bugging Modiﬁ ers Table lists the 
  penalties for trying to wiretap from a long distance 
  away, but the GM may in some cases rule that it’s 
  impossible without inside information from the 
  telephone company about which wires are the ones 
  the character needs to tap. Tapping some types of 
  cable (such as ﬁ ber optic) is more diﬃ  cult.
  Sweeping For Bugs
  Another common Bugging task is to “sweep” 
  a room — search for bugs other people have 
  planted. Usually a character does this so he can 
  remove, disable, or destroy the bugs, but some-
  times he just wants to know where the bugs are 
  so he can feed false (or tailored) information to 
  whoever’s operating them.
  Th ere are two ways to ﬁ nd a bug:  without 
  equipment, and with. A character searching for bugs 
  with his hands and eyes must make a Concealment 
  roll with the modiﬁ ers listed in the Bugging Table; 
  Bugging serves as a Complementary Skill. Disguised 
  bugs, which are either hidden in a generally inacces-
  sible location (such as inside a chair arm or a radio) 
  or are made to look like ordinary objects, may be 
  particularly diﬃ  cult to ﬁ nd. An easier way to locate 
  bugs is with equipment speciﬁ cally designed to ﬁ nd 
  them by tracking the radio waves they emit. Th is may 
  overcome the penalties for disguised bugs, but won’t 
  ﬁ nd bugs that don’t broadcast radio waves (i.e., which 
  record what they “see” for later retrieval, or which 
  transmit via a wire) ( other types of devices can 
  detect such bugs).
  BUREAUCRATICS
  Given the size, complexity, and resources avail-
  able to modern bureaucratic organizations, the 
  Bureaucratics Skill can be one of an investigator’s 
  most valuable tools. As an Interaction Skill, it works 
  best when the GM and player roleplay the course 
  of events. However, many factors can aﬀ ect the roll, 
  based on what the character tries to accomplish 
  and the nature of the oﬃ  cial or organization he’s 
  using the Skill against (see accompanying table). 
  Some possible modiﬁ ers include:
  Complexity of the organization:  Th e larger and/or 
  more complex the organization is, the harder it 
  tends to be to manipulate. For some rolls, such as 
  hiding information, the complexity modiﬁ er may 
  change from negative to positive.
  Difﬁ culty of the task:  Th e more diﬃ  cult, time-
  consuming, or irregular the request the character 
  makes, the less likely it is he’ll get what he wants 
  (requests for information have diﬀ erent modiﬁ ers, 
  based on the type of information the character 
  wants to learn; see the Bureaucratic Information 
  Table on page 66).
  Speed:  Getting an organization to act quickly is 
  diﬃ  cult, if not impossible. Assume that 1 Hour 
  is the minimum for any request that involves a 
  Bureaucratics roll, but depending on circumstances 
  the GM may set an actual time of hours, days, or 
  even weeks. If the character makes his roll at the 
  indicated penalty, he can get quicker action.
  Membership:  For many requests, such as arrang-
  ing an appointment, manipulating a particular 
  bureaucrat, and the like, the target’s power within 
  the organization inﬂ uences Bureaucratics rolls. Th e 
  more powerful he is (i.e., the more points he’s spent 
  on the Membership Fringe Beneﬁ t, or any like Perk 
  such as Governmental Rank), the harder he can be 
  to work with.
  BUGGING TABLE
  Planting Bugs 
  Modiﬁ er
  Excellent location 
  +2
  Good location 
  +1
  Average location 
  +0
  Poor location 
  -1
  Very poor location 
  -2
  Planting Wiretaps
  Planting wiretap in...
  Telephone set, or room where set is located 
  +2
  Line in same building 
  +0
  Line outside but within 1 city block of building 
  -2
  Line 1-3 city blocks away 
  -4
  Line over 3 city blocks away 
  -6
  Fiber optic cable 
  -2 to -5
  Sweeping For Bugs
  Amount/quality of hiding places
  Exceptional capacity for hiding bugs 
  -4
  Good capacity for hiding bugs 
  -2
  Average capacity for hiding bugs 
  -0
  Poor capacity for hiding bugs 
  +2
  Very poor capacity for hiding bugs 
  +4
  Disguised bug 
  -2 to -5
   BUREAUCRATICS TABLE
  Size/Complexity Of Organization 
  Modiﬁ er
  Small and/or Simple 
  -0
  Large and/or Complex 
  -1
  Very Large and/or Very Complex 
  -2
  Extremely Large and/or Extremely Complex -4
  Difﬁ culty Of Request/Task 
  Modiﬁ er
  Very Simple 
  +2
  Simple 
  +1
  Average 
  -0
  Diﬃ  cult 
  -2
  Very Diﬃ  cult 
  -4
  Immediacy Of Request/Task 
  Modiﬁ er
  Each step up Time Chart 
  -3 per step
  Membership 
  -1 per point  
   
  target spent 
   
  on Membership
  
  66 ■ Character Creation
  Hero System 5th Edition
  CLIMBING
  Dark Champions characters frequently ﬁ nd 
  themselves scaling mountainsides, the walls 
  of buildings, fences, and similar obstacles. Th e 
  accompanying table has modiﬁ ers for Climbing 
  based on the surface involved. Characters can 
  obtain positive modiﬁ ers by using appropriate 
  climbing equipment.
  COMBAT DRIVING, COMBAT PILOTING
  As noted in the HERO System 5th Edition, 
  Revised, Combat Driving applies to Vehicles that 
  move in two dimensions (such as ground vehicles 
  and ships), and Combat Piloting to Vehicles that 
  move in three dimensions (aircraft  and subma-
  rines). In campaigns that feature a lot of Vehicles 
  and vehicle combat, GMs may want to divide 
  these Skills up a little more, or create new ones 
  appropriate to the game. Combat Sailing might 
  replace Combat Driving for surface watercraft , 
  while Combat Submarining becomes the Skill 
  for submarines, leaving Combat Piloting just for 
  aircraft . For even greater precision, the GM could 
  divide Combat Piloting into Combat Aircraft  
  Piloting and Combat Helicopter Piloting.
  See Th e Ultimate Vehicle for extensive rules about 
  operating and using vehicles in the HERO System.
  COMBAT SKILL LEVELS
  Th e Dark Champions genre sees as much ﬁ ght-
  ing as any other gaming genre, and many Dark 
  Champions characters buy some Combat Skill 
  Levels to help them win their battles. In addition to 
  straightforward CSLs, characters can buy CSLs as 
  Powers, with Limitations reﬂ ecting particular abili-
  ties the character possesses (see the “Super-Skills” 
  section for plenty of examples).
  Combat Skill Levels And Drawn Weapons
  Th e GM decides whether characters must have 
  their weapons drawn to apply Combat Skill Levels 
  bought with those weapons. In most cases, it makes 
  sense for the GM to rule that a character can’t use 
  his CSLs with a weapon unless he has that weapon 
  out and ready to ﬁ ght with. However, in some cases 
  it may be appropriate to allow a character to use 
  weapon CSLs for some purposes (DCV, primar-
  ily) even if he has not yet drawn the weapon — for 
  example, if he’s expecting trouble but doesn’t want 
  to provoke anyone (or perhaps reveal his position) 
  by unholstering his pistol ﬁ rst.
  2-Point Combat Skill Levels With Weapons
  A 2-point Combat Skill Level with a single 
  type of weapon (such as M1911A Pistols or Knives) 
  applies to increase the character’s OCV whenever 
  the character uses the weapon, regardless of what 
  Combat Maneuver he uses. For example, a 2-point 
  CSL with Steyr AUG Assault Riﬂ es could apply if 
  the character makes a Strike with his Steyr, per-
  forms a Disarm (see page 181), or Rapid Fires it at 
  several enemies.
  Th e GM may, at his option, exempt some 
  Combat Maneuvers, such as Rapid Fire or Sup-
  pression Fire, from this rule. Th e usual grounds for 
  this decision is that those Maneuvers constitute 
  “separate” forms of attack, rather than a variation/
  extension of a Strike with that weapon.
  At the GM’s option, characters can buy 
  a Combat Skill Level that only works with a single 
  Combat Maneuver and a single type of weapon 
  (such as only Strikes with Desert Eagle .50 Pistols, 
  or only Disarms with Th rown Knives) for 1 Char-
  acter Point each. Characters can only use these 
  Levels for OCV. Also at the GM’s option, 1-point 
  CSLs could apply to any attack made with a single 
  weapon (such as the Desert Eagle .50 the character 
  received as a gift  from his father, not with any DE 
  .50 in the world).
  2-Point Combat Skill Levels With Maneuvers
  A 2-point Combat Skill Level with a single 
  Maneuver other than Strike (such as Move Th rough 
  or Grab) applies to increase the character’s OCV 
  whenever the character uses that Maneuver, regard-
  less of what weapon or mechanism he uses to per-
  form the Maneuver.
  Some types of Combat Maneuvers incorpo-
  rate other Maneuvers or attacks. For example, a 
  character can Haymaker with a weapon, a punch, 
  or possibly some paranormal abilities; a character 
  can perform a Sweep with many other Combat 
  Maneuvers. A character may buy a 2-point Combat 
  Skill Level that increases his OCV with a single 
  BUREAUCRATIC INFORMATION
  Type Of Information Modiﬁ er Examples/Notes
  Public 
  +2 
  Deeds, non-sealed court ﬁ lings, public records, adults’ 
  criminal records
  Non-Public 
  -0 
  Sealed court records, juvenile criminal records
  Conﬁ dential/Sensitive -2 
  Building security plans, personnel ﬁ les, medical records
  Classiﬁ ed 
  -4 
  Security Clearance (1+) required
  Secret 
  -6 
  Security Clearance (5+) required
  Top Secret 
  -8 
  Security Clearance (7+) required
  CLIMBING TABLE
  Nature of Surface 
  Modiﬁ er 
  Example
  Inclination
  45-60 degree incline 
  -0 
  Steep hill, average mountainside
  61-75 degree incline 
  -1 
  Steep mountainside
  76-90 degree incline 
  -2 
  Tree, building, very steep mountainside
  91-105 degree incline 
  -4 
  106-120 degree incline 
  -6
  121 or greater degree incline 
  -8*
  Slipperiness
  Slippery surface 
  -2 
  Wet rocks
  Very slippery surface 
  -4 
  Ice-covered rocks
  Extremely slippery surface 
  -6 
  Smooth stone wall
  Incredibly slippery surface 
  -8 
  Wet or icy smooth stone wall
  Handholds
  Numerous handholds 
  +4 
  Tree with lots of branches
  Many handholds 
  +2 
  Average handholds 
  -0 
  Tree with a few branches
  Few handholds 
  -2
  No/Almost no handholds 
  -4 
  Flagpole
  * If climbable at all
  
  67 
  Dark Champions ■ Chapter Two
  such Maneuver regardless of what power or attack 
  he uses that Maneuver with. For example, he could 
  buy a 2-point CSL that applied to Sweep regardless 
  of whether the character Sweep Punches, Sweep 
  Grabs, Sweep knife-strikes, or the like.
  Combat Skill Levels With Strike
  If a character buys a 2-point Combat Skill 
  Level with Strike, he must deﬁ ne the type of 
  Strike — Punch, Knife Slash, or the like. If he 
  could apply it to any form of Strike, it would be 
  unbalancingly eﬀ ective. (Th e same applies to a 
  3-point CSL bought to apply to Strike and two 
  other Maneuvers.)
  At the GM’s option, if a character buys a 3-
  point CSL solely for Strike, he could apply it to 
  increase OCV with either “all HTH Strikes” or “all 
  Ranged Strikes”; he must choose one or the other 
  when he buys the Level. (Th ese Levels would only 
  apply with straightforward Strikes, not with, for 
  example, Haymakers or Sweeps involving Strike.) 
  Since this type of CSL may be extremely similar to 
  5-point CSLs for HTH Combat or Ranged Combat, 
  the GM may require characters to buy 5-point 
  CSLs instead.
  Combat Skill Levels With Martial Arts
  A Combat Skill Level with a character’s Mar-
  tial Maneuvers is a 3-point CSL, regardless of how 
  many Maneuvers he knows. If the character has a 
  Weapon Element allowing him to use a weapon 
  with that style, he can apply the CSLs to increase 
  the damage done when he attacks with the weapon 
  using a Martial Maneuver.
  Limited Combat Skill Levels
  Because the rules don’t allow characters to put 
  Limitations on Combat Skill Levels costing less 
  than 5 points apiece, a character may ﬁ nd himself 
  in a situation where it costs more to buy Limited 
  CSLs with a particular attack than it would if he 
  just bought less expensive CSLs — even though the 
  cheaper CSLs are less restricted. In that case, the 
  GM may, at his option, allow the character to buy 
  the less expensive CSLs and treat them as if they 
  were Limited, without actually applying the Limita-
  tion to them.
  COMPUTER PROGRAMMING
  Given the prevalence of computers in modern 
  life, Computer Programming is an important 
  Skill in virtually all Dark Champions campaigns. 
  Characters can use it for many purposes, including 
  searching for information and penetrating secured 
  or restricted computer systems.
  Because computer technology advances and 
  changes so swift ly, the accompanying rules are writ-
  ten “generically” — they don’t refer to any speciﬁ c 
  type of computer system, soft ware, or standards. If 
  they did, they’d run the risk of becoming obsolete. 
  Instead, they require the GM to describe a com-
  puter system or database with generic terms which 
  establish modiﬁ ers for working with that system. 
  Th e intent is to allow for “dramatic” or “cinematic” 
  computer use, not to provide “realistic” rules for 
  how computer systems are built and used. Game-
  masters who consider themselves knowledgeable 
  
  68 ■ Character Creation
  Hero System 5th Edition
  in the subject can easily devise more complex rules 
  using technologies available as of game time. 
  Searching For Information
  Perhaps the most common use of Computer 
  Programming is to search for information within 
  a computer system or database. In the case of 
  publicly-available information, such as anything 
  posted on the Internet or World Wide Web, char-
  acters probably don’t even need to make Computer 
  Programming rolls — in that situation, a PS like 
  Research serves them better.
  On the other hand, getting information kept in 
  a secured database or otherwise considered “secret,” 
  typically requires Computer Programming. Before 
  a character can search for such information, he may 
  have to use Computer Programming to penetrate 
  (“hack into”) the system where the information’s 
  kept (see below). Once a character has access to the 
  system, he can make a Computer Programming 
  roll, using the modiﬁ ers from the accompanying 
  table. Skills such as PS: Research or PS: Information 
  Sciences may serve as Complementary Skills.
  Searching for information may require only a 
  few Phases, or it may take hours — it all depends 
  on how diﬃ  cult it is to ﬁ nd the information, how 
  much of it there is, the quality of the computer the 
  character uses, and so forth. Th e GM should set a 
  time to perform the task based on the Time Chart. 
  For each full 3 points by which the character makes 
  his roll (e.g., rolling an 8 when the character has an 
  11- Skill Roll), reduce the time required by one step 
  up the Time Chart.
  Penetrating Computer 
  Systems
  Penetrating 
  secured, restricted, or 
  otherwise non-public 
  computer systems and 
  databases — “hacking,” 
  in popular parlance 
  (though a more accu-
  rate current term would 
  be “cracking”) — is one 
  of characters’ most valu-
  able uses for Computer 
  Programming. With it 
  they can gain access to 
  their enemies’ comput-
  ers, search classiﬁ ed 
  government computers 
  for valuable data, or 
  even engage in informa-
  tion theft  if they’re lar-
  cenously inclined.
  In game terms, 
  hacking typically 
  involves either a Com-
  puter Programming roll 
  made by the character 
  at a penalty, or a Skill 
  Versus Skill roll pitting 
  the character’s Computer 
  Progamming against 
  the Computer Program-
  ming roll of the person 
  or system he’s trying to 
  defeat. (In either case, Security Systems may func-
  tion as a Complementary Skill, at the GM’s option; 
  this is particularly appropriate if the character takes 
  the Only Versus Computer Security Systems version 
  of that Skill [see page 78]). Th e accompanying table 
  lists the penalty, and the corresponding roll if you 
  prefer that method, for computer systems with vari-
  ous levels of security.
  Typically, attempting to penetrate computer 
  security requires at least 1 Hour, and may in fact 
  take days or weeks of laborious checking of pos-
  sible passwords, eﬀ orts to bypass preliminary secu-
  rity soft ware or ﬁ nd “back doors” into the system, 
  and so forth. Th e GM should set a time to perform 
  the task based on the Time Chart. For each full 3 
  points by which the character makes his roll (e.g., 
  rolling an 8 when the character has an 11- Skill 
  Roll), reduce the time required by one step up the 
  Time Chart. For dramatic purposes, the GM can 
  condense the time further as he sees ﬁ t.
  In most cases, characters can access computer 
  systems remotely, since the systems are hooked up 
  to the Internet in some way. One way of increasing 
  the security of a computer is not to connect it to 
  any other system at all — to make it a “standalone.” 
  Th at means the character has to gain physical 
  access to the computer before he can try to crack its 
  security and ﬁ nd the data he needs... and just get-
  ting to it may be an adventure!
  COMPUTER PROGRAMMING MODIFIERS
  Searching For Information
  Type Of Information 
  Modiﬁ er
  Not hidden 
  +2
  Poorly hidden 
  +1
  Hidden 
  +0
  Well hidden 
  -2
  Very well hidden 
  -4
  Penetrating Computer Systems
  Type Of System 
  Modiﬁ er 
  Skill Roll 
  Example
  Unsecured 
  +2 or better 
  None 
  Typical home computer
  Poorly secured 
  +1 
  8- 
  Typical business computer
  Secured 
  +0 
  9- to 11- 
  Low-end government, law enforce-
  ment, and corporate computers
  Well secured 
  -1 to -3 
  12- to 14- 
  Average government, law enforcement, 
  and corporate computers
  Very well secured 
  -4 to -6 
  15- to 17- 
  High-end government, law enforce-
  ment, and corporate computers
  Extremely well secured -7 to -9 
  18- or better Military computers
  Other Circumstances 
  Modiﬁ er
  Character has some information or clues regarding system passwords +0 or better
  Character has found exploitable ﬂ aws in the same or similar soft ware +0 or better
  Computer system is...
  Much less advanced than what the character’s used to 
  +6 or better
  Less advanced than what the character’s used to 
  +1 to +5
  More advanced than what the character’s used to 
  -1 to -5
  Much more advanced than what the character’s used to 
  -6 or worse
  “Other Circumstances” penalties are cumulative with 
  Type Of System penalties, but in most cases the maximum 
  penalty the GM should impose is -10.
  EXPANDED 
  COMPUTER 
  PROGRAMMING
  Personal Computers
  Handheld Computers
  Portable Computers 
  (laptops and such)
  Desktop Computers
  Computer Networks
  Local Networks
  Th e Internet
  Mainframe Computers 
  And Supercomputers
  Hacking And Computer 
  Security
  Inﬁ ltration/Penetration
  Defense
  Military And
  Government Computers
  Government Computers
  Law Enforcement Com-
  puters
  Military Computers
  Artiﬁ cial Intelligence 
  (if appropriate to the 
  campaign)
  In a technology-ori-
  ented game, the GM 
  may reﬁ ne the cat-
  egories even more, to 
  speciﬁ c manufacturers 
  and years. For example, 
  programming an IBM 
  computer running a 
  Microsoft  operating 
  system in 1994 is diﬀ er-
  ent from doing the same 
  thing in 2004.
  
  69 
  Dark Champions ■ Chapter Two
  Expanded Computer Programming
  In a Dark Champions game that emphasizes 
  information warfare and the like, having a single 
  Computer Programming Skill may not work — GMs 
  and players may want to take technical diﬀ erences 
  into account. One of the easiest ways to do this 
  (besides the Skill Roll penalties suggested in the 
  Computer Programming Modiﬁ ers Table) is to split 
  Computer Programming up into various categories 
  (just like Gambling and Survival). Th e sidebar on 
  page 68 has a sample list of subcategories, but the 
  GM can change or add to it as he sees ﬁ t. Char-
  acters can learn any one category for 2 Character 
  Points for a (9 + (INT/5)) roll; each additional cat-
  egory costs +2 Character Points, or each additional 
  subcategory +1 Character Point; improving the roll 
  for all categories and subcategories known costs +2 
  Character Points for each +1 to the roll.
  CONCEALMENT
  In most situations, characters should use Con-
  cealment to hide themselves for a long time (more 
  than a Turn). For shorter periods of time, a charac-
  ter can hide himself using either Concealment or 
  Stealth (his choice), and with the GM’s permission 
  he can use the other Skill (if he has it) as Comple-
  mentary.
  CONTORTIONIST
  In Dark Champions campaigns, the most 
  common use for Contortionist is to escape from 
  handcuﬀ s, ropes, and other restraints. Th e accom-
  panying table lists some suggested modiﬁ ers for 
  Contortionist rolls, based on the type of restraint 
  and other factors.
  CRAMMING
  Cramming can add a dimension of believ-
  ability to a disguise. Th e character can choose a 
  subject the disguise identity should know about 
  and Cram that subject so he can make conversa-
  tion about it if someone questions him. Th is is 
  particularly useful when the character is attempt-
  ing to imitate some real person so he can inﬁ ltrate 
  an organization or base.
  CRIMINOLOGY, FORENSIC MEDICINE
  Criminology is one of the most useful Skills in 
  most Dark Champions campaigns — it’s one of two 
  basic Skills which allow PCs to gather information 
  about crimes and criminals (the other is Street-
  wise). You can ﬁ nd information about what char-
  acters can do with this Skill (and its companion, 
  Forensic Medicine), and what sort of things they 
  can ﬁ nd out by using them, in Chapter Th ree. Play-
  ers should have the GM’s permission to read that 
  section, because it contains information he may 
  wish to keep secret.
  CRYPTOGRAPHY
  Once of interest only to spies, military person-
  nel, and hobbyists, Cryptography has become an 
  important subject for many people in the modern 
  world due to the need to protect computer data 
  and the like. While ancient methods of creating 
  and using codes and ciphers, not to mention early 
  encoding devices such as the Enigma machine, 
  remain viable in Dark Champions campaigns, in 
  most cases Dark Champions characters can’t make 
  or break codes without using a computer. Com-
  puter Programming serves as a Complementary 
  Skill in most cases.
  Modern computer encryption depends on two 
  concepts. Th e ﬁ rst is the asymmetric key cipher, a 
  method of encoding a message in which the key 
  for enciphering it diﬀ ers from the key to decipher 
  it. Prior to the 1970s, all ciphers were symmetric, 
  meaning the keys had to be the same, but the rise 
  of computers made asymmetric encoding possible. 
  Th e second is public key cryptography, which uses 
  a system in which one person publicly distributes 
  the key to encrypt messages sent to him, but keeps 
  secret the asymmetric key that decrypts them. Th e 
  values of the numbers chosen for the keys are so 
  high as to make the encryption eﬀ ectively unbreak-
  able. Th e best-known form of public key cryptogra-
  phy is PGP (Pretty Good Privacy), a free computer 
  CONTORTIONIST 
  MODIFIERS TABLE
  Type Of Restraint 
  Modiﬁ er
  Chains
  Strong/thick 
  -4
  Weak/thin 
  -3
  Handcuffs
  Flexible 
  -4
  Rigid 
  -5
  Hand restraint systems 
  -7
  Legcuﬀ s  
  -4
  Plasticuﬀ s 
  -5
  Rope
  Th in cord or plastic 
  -1
  Normal 
  -0
  Straitjacket 
  -4
  Th umbcuﬀ s 
  -4
  Wire 
  -3
  Other Circumstances 
  Modiﬁ er
  Using lubricant (oil, soap, butter, blood) 
  +1 to +3
  Puﬃ  ng up the chest 
  +1 to +2
  Dislocating limbs* (requires EGO Roll) 
  +3
  Injuries from previous attempts 
  -1 to -2
  *:  Deliberately dislocating a limb (or in some cases a 
  ﬁ nger) requires a successful EGO Roll (if the GM per-
  mits it at all, and he may impose penalties as desired), 
  followed by a successful Contortionist roll. If the rolls 
  succeed, the character takes 2d6 STUN (no defense), 
  but receives a +3 bonus to all Contortionist rolls involv-
  ing that limb (or hand) until he relocates the joint. If 
  either of the rolls fail, the joint is not dislocated, and the 
  character takes no STUN and receives no Contortionist 
  bonuses; further attempts to dislocate that same joint 
  are at -2 to both rolls per failed attempt. Relocating the 
  joint requires an EGO Roll and causes another 2d6 
  STUN to the character. Until the character relocates 
  the joint, he cannot use that limb or appendage in any 
  way (or, at the GM’s option, must make a DEX Roll at 
  -4 each Phase to do so). Attacks which strike the dislo-
  cated joint or limb cause an extra +1 STUN Modiﬁ er 
  (or +2d6 STUN for Normal damage attacks).
  
  70 ■ Character Creation
  Hero System 5th Edition
  program. According to one authority, even if every 
  personal computer in the world were put to the 
  task of trying to crack a single message encrypted 
  with PGP, it would take approximately 12 times the 
  age of the universe to succeed.
  Computer Cryptography Rules
  In game terms, you can resolve attempts to 
  encrypt and decrypt messages protected by com-
  puterized cryptography using the two computers’ 
  Cryptography rolls (with their operators’ rolls as 
  Complementary, if appropriate) in a Skill Versus 
  Skill Contest. But the truly important factor here 
  is the power and sophistication of the computer’s 
  cryptography soft ware.
  Th e strength of computer encryption depends 
  on the key length, or number of bits in the keys 
  used to encipher and decipher a message — 16 
  bits, 32 bits, 64 bits, and so on. Th e number of bits 
  equals a negative modiﬁ er to attempts to decrypt 
  the message without a key. For example, trying to 
  crack a message encrypted with 256 bit encryption 
  entails a -256 penalty! Th e accompanying table 
  provides suggested guidelines for the strength of 
  a computer’s cryptographic soft ware, based on its 
  Cryptography roll.
  Cryptographic soft ware also provides a bonus 
  for decrypting messages; the bonus equals half of 
  its encryption penalty. For example, a computer 
  with Cryptography 16- can encrypt messages so 
  well that attempts to break them incur a -128 pen-
  alty; if it tries to decrypt a message without the key, 
  it receives a +64 bonus. As a result, in most cases a 
  character has no hope of breaking a cipher encoded 
  by computers as powerful or more powerful than 
  the ones he has access to, but some chance to break 
  encryption created by weaker or less sophisticated 
  computers.
  Th e bonuses and penalties for computerized 
  Cryptography apply only to ciphers created by 
  computers. When used to crack a cipher gener-
  ated by hand, the computer uses its standard 
  Cryptography roll. However, the GM may, in his 
  discretion, allow characters to apply some or all of a 
  computer’s Cryptography bonus to non-computer-
  ized codes — for example, perhaps they could enter 
  a handwritten substitution cipher into a computer 
  and use the computer’s power to break the code in 
  just a few seconds by running through all possible 
  substitutions. As always, common sense, dramatic 
  sense, and considerations of game balance should 
  be the deciding factors.
  Of course, it’s entirely possible someone will 
  come up with a way to easily break computerized 
  cryptography (this was the central plot device driv-
  ing the movie Sneakers, for example). Th e code-
  breakers having caught up to the codemakers, the 
  race will start again with further attempts to create 
  inviolable codes... followed by attempts to decrypt 
  them.
  DEMOLITIONS
  Demolitions is a Skill that no team of Dark 
  Champions PCs should be without. Sooner or later, 
  the team’s going to encounter a bomb, or need 
  to plant one, and that’s when the character with 
  Demolitions has to step up and save the day. Th e 
  accompanying table lists the modiﬁ ers for work-
  ing with various types of explosives; you can ﬁ nd 
  descriptions of the explosives themselves beginning 
  on page 256.
  One common use of Demolitions is to disarm 
  bombs and other explosive devices. At the GM’s 
  option, a character may (or may have to) make his 
  COMPUTERIZED CRYPTOGRAPHY
  Cryptography Roll 
  Bits Of Encryption 
  Bonus To Decrypt
  8- 
  8 (-8 penalty to decrypt) 
  +4
  9- to 11- 
  16 (-16 penalty to decrypt) 
  +8
  12-, 13- 
  32 (-32 penalty to decrypt) 
  +16
  14-, 15- 
  64 (-64 penalty to decrypt) 
  +32
  16-, 17- 
  128 (-128 penalty to decrypt) 
  +64
  18- to 20- 
  256 (-256 penalty to decrypt) 
  +128
  21- to 25- 
  512 (-512 penalty to decrypt) 
  +256
  26- to 30- 
  1,024 (-1,024 penalty to decrypt) 
  +512
  31- to 35- 
  2,048 (-2,048 penalty to decrypt) 
  +1,024
  ...and so on
  If you use these optional expanded rules, a roll of 3 on 3d6 does not always succeed 
  when a character makes a Cryptography roll. In some cases automatic success on a 3 is 
  possible — maybe a character has a ﬂ ash of insight and instantly knows how to break 
  the code — but in the case of cryptanalysis in the age of computers, that rule deﬁ es both 
  common and dramatic sense.
   DEMOLITIONS MODIFIERS
  Explosive 
  Modiﬁ er
  Black powder 
  +1 to +3
  Ammonium picrate 
  -0
  ANFO 
  -0
  Dynamite 
  +1 to +2
  Foam explosive 
  -0
  HMX 
   
   
   
  +1 to +2
  Initiator
     Blasting cap 
  -3
     Detonating cord 
  +1
  Lead azide 
  -0
  Mercury fulminate 
  -2
  Nitroglycerin 
  -3
  PETN 
  -1
  RDX 
  +1 to +2
     Plastique 
  +1 to +2
  TNT 
  +1 to +2
     Amatol 
  +1 to +2
     Cyclotol 
  +1 to +2
     Pentolite 
  +1 to +2
     Picrotol 
  +1 to +2
     Tetrytol 
  +1 to +2
     Torpex 
  +1 to +2
  Incendiary 
  Modiﬁ er
  Fire bottle/Molotov cocktail 
  No roll required
  Gelled gasoline 
  -1
  Incendiary brick 
  -0
  Magnesium 
  -0
  Napalm 
  -0
  Paraﬃ  n-Sawdust 
  -0
  Th ermite 
  -0
     Th ermate 
  -0
  White Phosphorus 
  -2
  Other Circumstances 
  Modiﬁ er
  Simple fuse 
  +1
  Complex fuse 
  -1 to -4
  
  71 
  Dark Champions ■ Chapter Two
  Demolitions roll based on DEX rather than INT 
  when it comes to doing things like snipping the 
  right wire or manipulating the bomb’s inner work-
  ings without setting it oﬀ .
  In some circumstances, a character who makes 
  his Demolitions roll can improve the performance 
  of the explosives he uses. For example, the GM 
  might rule that for every point the character makes 
  the roll by, he can add 1 Damage Class to the force 
  of the explosion. If the character makes a particu-
  larly good roll, say by 5 or more, the bomb might 
  become Armor Piercing. Th e GM decides whether 
  to allow such bonuses, and if so how they’re 
  obtained and how they work.
  DISGUISE
  Many Dark Champions PCs take the Disguise 
  Skill because it’s useful for undercover work, stake-
  outs, and inﬁ ltrating criminal or enemy organi-
  zations. Of course, Acting and Mimicry are also 
  helpful, and the character may need Forgery and/or 
  Computer Programming to create an “identity 
  trail” for the disguise (or he can simply buy a Deep 
  Cover, if appropriate). For example, a disguise as 
  an FBI agent won’t last very long unless there are 
  records of the “disguise identity” in the FBI’s com-
  puters. Th e accompanying table lists some general 
  modiﬁ ers for Disguise.
  INTERROGATION
  In Champions or Dark Champions: Th e Ani-
  mated Series campaigns, heroes do not oft en have 
  Interrogation because of its unsavory connotations. 
  Other Dark Champions characters are much more 
  likely to have it and use it; some go so far as to use 
  psychological manipulation or outright torture to 
  obtain the information they seek. Depending on 
  what methods the character uses, Conversation, 
  Persuasion, SS: Pharmacology/Toxicology, SS: Psy-
  chology, and similar Skills might act as Comple-
  mentary Skills to Interrogation. A character’s Repu-
  tation Perk can also enhance his chance to success-
  fully Interrogate someone.
  KNOWLEDGE SKILLS
  Knowledge and information are perhaps the 
  most important tools available for Dark Champions 
  characters in their adversaries. Information skills 
  are arguably more important than combat skills:  it 
  doesn’t matter how good a shot a PC is if he can’t 
  ﬁ nd out who he should shoot at and where the 
  target is. Here are just a few examples of Knowledge 
  Skills that Dark Champions characters could take.
  AK: [Campaign City] Underground Systems
  Characters with this KS know all about the 
  world beneath the streets of the city:  the sewers, 
  the subway tunnels, and so forth. Assuming he’s 
  willing to brave their dangers and discomforts (the 
  stench, the rats, the albino mutant alligators...), he 
  can use them to travel around the city unnoticed 
  (albeit slowly, compared to driving), and sometimes 
  even to gain access to buildings through their waste 
  disposal systems.
  CK: [Campaign City]
  Dark Champions characters oft en have a 
  matchless knowledge of the city in which they live 
  and adventure. Th ey spend their days and nights 
  on the street, so they know those streets intimately. 
  Th ey can ﬁ nd shortcuts other people would over-
  look, locate underworld bars that have no signs 
  or posted addresses, and know the best place for 
  cheese danish.
  KS: [Campaign City] Underworld
  Th is Knowledge Skill tells the character who’s 
  who in the underworld in the campaign city, from 
  the lowest thug or street gang member to the most 
  powerful mob boss. Th is KS is oft en a Complemen-
  tary Skill for Streetwise.
  Characters could also take a more detailed 
  Knowledge Skill about speciﬁ c types of criminals, 
  such as KS: Burglars or KS: Serial Killers. Some of 
  these skills may cover criminals of that type from all 
  over the country, not just from the campaign city.
  KS: [Dark Champions Subculture]
  A Subculture KS is similar to the Streetwise 
  Skill, but deals only with the world of a particular 
  subculture or isolated/secretive group of people. 
  Streetwise doesn’t always work well among some 
  groups of people because those who belong to such 
  a subculture are rather insular and closed-mouthed 
  about it when talking to outsiders.
  A successful Subculture KS roll allows a hero 
  to know about the subculture, including its prac-
  tices and practitioners, places where members of 
  the subculture congregate, the subculture’s bodies 
  of lore, who’s on top in any competitions unique 
  to the subculture, current aﬀ airs among members 
  of the subculture, and so forth. Additionally, he 
  can use the subculture’s grapevine to hear about 
  unusual events and happenings in that subculture, 
  and to send messages to other people in that sub-
  culture. For example, if a hero hears that an assas-
  sin used an interesting but little-known poison to 
  kill a politician, a successful KS: Th e Espionage 
  World roll might let him ﬁ gure out who can reveal 
  the culprit’s identity to him (or, simply, who the 
  culprit is).
  DISGUISE MODIFIERS TABLE
  Circumstance 
  Modiﬁ er
  Character disguises self as diﬀ erent gender -2 or worse
  Disguise identity is...
     Smaller than character 
  -2
     Larger than character 
  -1
     Signiﬁ cantly heavier than character 
  -2
     Signiﬁ cantly lighter weight than character 
  -4
  Disguise identity is...
     1-2 decades older/younger than character 
  -2
     3-4 decades older/younger than character 
  -5
     5+ decades older/younger than character 
  -9
  Character must maintain disguise for...
     Several days 
  -1
     1 Week to 1 Month 
  -2
     Over 1 Month 
  -3 (or worse)
  Character disguises self as speciﬁ c 
  other person 
  -1 to -3* 
  * Or worse when encountering people who know the 
  person character is impersonating
  
  72 ■ Character Creation
  Hero System 5th Edition
  A Subculture Knowledge can act as a Comple-
  mentary Skill to Disguise or Bureaucratics rolls 
  related to that subculture. However, based on the 
  character’s origin, his knowledge of some aspects 
  of a subculture may be limited, imposing penalties 
  on the roll. For example, a character with KS: Law 
  Enforcement World based on his former job as a 
  New York cop might know very little about how 
  policemen in the United Kingdom act.
  Here are some subcultures Dark Champions 
  PCs might have knowledge of:
  KS: The Espionage World:  A character with this KS 
  knows a lot about spies, spying, and intelligence 
  agencies worldwide. He can identify distinctive 
  assassination and tradecraft  styles, knows about 
  diﬀ erent types of espionage gadgets (such as tie-
  tack cameras and ballpoint pen guns; see page 
  286), and knows who’s important in the various 
  intelligence agencies (and what those agencies are 
  up to, roughly speaking). Depending on how much 
  he makes the roll by, he may know drop points for 
  secret information, that a particular person is an 
  agent on a mission, what certain code-words mean, 
  or other sensitive intelligence data.
  KS: The Law Enforcement World:  A character with 
  this KS knows how lawmen and law enforcement 
  agencies work. Th e skill covers local police depart-
  ments, the FBI, the DEA, and other such agencies. 
  Th e character knows where cops hang out when 
  they’re oﬀ -duty, what police signals and codes 
  mean, and maybe even when a big arrest is coming 
  down. He also knows about the organization and 
  structure of law enforcement agencies, and their 
  respective jurisdictions.
  KS: The Military/Mercenary/Terrorist World:  Char-
  acters with this KS know all about the military 
  culture and how to get by in it. Furthermore, they 
  have contact with the worldwide mercenary net-
  work and the world of terrorism. Th is Skill allows 
  a character to identify a NPC’s military rank, ﬁ nd 
  out which mercenaries are currently in the coun-
  try, and know which terrorists have enough skill 
  with Demolitions to build the type of bomb that 
  exploded at the airport last month. Characters can, 
  if they wish, buy more specialized versions of this 
  KS (such as just KS: Th e Military World).
  KS: The Vice World:  A character with this KS knows all 
  about the seamiest side of the city — the drug and sex 
  trades. He know all about illegal drugs and how they 
  are manufactured, distributed, concealed, and sold 
  (though he doesn’t know any of the science behind it 
  all; that requires Pharmacology/Toxicology). He also 
  knows where the sex trade is plied in the city, who the 
  big players are, and how it functions.
  KS: Electrical Systems
  Characters with this KS know how buildings, 
  vehicles, and the like are wired for power. Th ey 
  cannot install wiring or electronic systems (that 
  requires PS: Electrician), or design such systems 
  (that requires SS: Electronic Engineering), but they 
  know how to tap into a building’s power, disrupt 
  that power, and so forth. KS: Electrical Systems can 
  act as a Complementary Skill for Electronics and 
  Security Systems in some situations.
  
  73 
  Dark Champions ■ Chapter Two
  KS:  Illegal Arms Market
  Characters with this KS, which may be a Com-
  plementary Skill to Streetwise, know all about the 
  underground arms market:  how to ﬁ nd it, who’s 
  involved in it, what’s available for sale, and what 
  black market arms cost.
  KS: Military Science
  Characters with this KS know how military 
  organizations are structured, operated, maintained, 
  and act; how military activities are conducted; 
  the composition of the world’s military forces; 
  and the resources possessed by and weapons and 
  equipment used by those forces. It may act as a 
  Complementary Skill for Tactics or KS: Military/
  Mercenary/Terrorist World.
  KS: [Organized Crime Group]
  Th is Knowledge Skill will give the character 
  in-depth knowledge of a particular organized 
  crime group:  the Maﬁ a, the yakuza, criminal 
  motorcycle gangs, or whichever group the character 
  prefers (see pages 290-302 for some possibilities). 
  Th e character knows who belongs to that group; 
  the group’s organizational structure, culture, and 
  customs; what sort of crimes the group commits; 
  and how to contact the group. KS: [Organized 
  Crime Group] is oft en a Complementary Skill for 
  Streetwise in circumstances involving that particu-
  lar group.
  KS: Scents
  Some Dark Champions characters have spent 
  a lot of time memorizing the distinctive odors of 
  poisons, perfumes, and other substances. Th is sort 
  of information can come in handy for solving mys-
  teries and tracking down criminals. Characters who 
  want to have this ability should buy KS: Scents with 
  a roll that matches the character’s Smell PER Roll 
  (for which he may buy Enhanced Sense, since he’s 
  trained his olfactory senses so exquisitely).
  KS: Telephone And Utilities Systems
  A character with this KS knows all about the 
  telephone, power, and related systems in the cam-
  paign city (and oft en by extension how they work 
  in other cities). He knows how to shut oﬀ  power 
  to portions of the city, where the major telephone 
  trunk lines are, and so forth. Th is KS is oft en a 
  Complementary Skill for Bugging when the char-
  acter places a wiretap. Characters can purchase 
  more specialized forms of this Skill, such as KS: 
  Telephone Systems.
  KS: World Criminals
  Th is KS is similar to KS: [Campaign City] 
  Underworld, but it covers criminals all over the 
  world. Th e more obscure a criminal is, the less the 
  character is likely to know of him (i.e., the GM 
  should assess penalties to the roll if a character 
  wants to know about little-known criminals from 
  far-ﬂ ung locales). Th is Skill can be particularly 
  useful if foreign criminals decide to set up shop 
  in America, when dealing with Interpol, when the 
  character wants to inﬁ ltrate a worldwide criminal 
  organization, and so forth.
  LANGUAGES
  Spies and Green Berets oft en ﬁ nd themselves 
  in foreign lands where knowing the language makes 
  it easier for them to complete their missions. Street 
  vigilantes may need to know Italian, Russian, or the 
  like to eavesdrop on the conversations of ethnic 
  organized crime ﬁ gures (or to inﬁ ltrate such groups 
  in disguise), and street gang slang is oft en virtually 
  imcomprehensible to speakers of normal English.
  Characters can purchase any one type of gang 
  slang for 1 point. Th ese “languages” are so simple 
  that 1 point is enough to buy Idiomatic ﬂ uency, 
  but characters must purchase each diﬀ erent type of 
  gang slang separately.
  Clever PCs (or criminals) might even create 
  their own battle-language or coded commands so 
  they can coordinate maneuvers and attacks. If each 
  member of a group of characters spends 1 or 2 
  Character Points each for a battle-code, the group 
  can have an almost foolproof secret communica-
  tions system. Th is language can be as elaborate as 
  the characters desire (i.e., they could get by with a 
  simple 1-point code, or could invent a complex 3-
  point language).
  LOCKPICKING
  Dark Champions PCs oft en need to sneak into 
  someone’s business, compound, home, oﬃ  ce, car, or 
  safe to look for evidence and gather useful informa-
  tion. Th e Lockpicking Skill is crucial to this sort of 
  breaking-and-entering activity (so is Security Sys-
  tems; see below).
  Th ese situations also oﬀ er the GM an oppor-
  tunity for a little roleplaying... and a chance to 
  make the players sweat a little. Rather than just 
  telling the players that there’s a lock to be picked, 
  the GM can describe the type of lock(s). Th en, the 
  heroes have to ﬁ gure out how best to approach the 
  problem before they can make their Skill Rolls. Th e 
  accompanying table lists suggested modiﬁ ers for 
  various types of locks, but the GM can change them 
  LIBRARIES AND 
  DATABASES
  Characters who can’t 
  aﬀ ord to buy a true Base, 
  complete with labs and 
  libraries to help them 
  ﬁ gure things out, can 
  still own a good library 
  or database by buying 
  bonuses to KSs, PSs, 
  and similar Skills with 
  the -1 Limitation Must 
  Have Access To Library 
  [or Database] And 
  Time To Do Research.  
  Th is is a good way for 
  a character to simu-
  late possession of, for 
  example, an extensive 
  library on Criminol-
  ogy:  he can buy +5 to 
  his Criminology Skill 
  for only 5 points, but he 
  has to have access to the 
  library to get the bonus. 
  A character should buy 
  this bonus separately 
  for each KS, SS, or other 
  Skill he wants to use it 
  for; to obtain general 
  bonuses to any of a 
  group of Skills he should 
  buy Skill Levels (see 
  page 80).
  KNOWLEDGE 
  SKILL PENALTIES
  As a rough guideline for the eﬀ ects of the “scale” in a 
  Dark Champions campaign, GMs can use the following 
  ranking of magnitudes of knowledge. Figure out which 
  category the character’s KS falls into, then what cat-
  egory the fact he wants to know is most appropriate for. 
  For each step up or down the list, the character suﬀ ers 
  a -5 penalty to know the fact. Th e GM may alter this 
  penalty for facts he feels are particularly noteworthy or 
  obscure. Th us, if a character has KS: World History, he 
  suﬀ ers a -20 penalty for trying to remember an average 
  fact about an event that took place in some town.
  World
  Continent/Region
  Nation/Country
  Province/State/City
  Town/Village/Locality
  Gamemasters may not want to use this system, or may 
  want to signiﬁ cantly reduce the penalties, in campaigns 
  with a more “cinematic” feel.
  
  74 ■ Character Creation
  Hero System 5th Edition
  as desired (for example, he could make the penalty 
  worse for a particularly high-quality version of a 
  given type of lock).
  MARTIAL ARTS
  Martial Arts is a common Skill among virtu-
  ally all types of Dark Champions characters. Special 
  forces soldiers learn Commando Training, while 
  spies, costumed vigilantes, and their ilk may study 
  any of hundreds of styles, or create their own.
  Since ﬁ rearms play an important role in the 
  genre, characters sometimes use the Ranged Mar-
  tial Arts rules from Th e Ultimate Martial Artist to 
  create gun-based martial arts. For example:
  Zen Riﬂ ery
  Th is ﬁ ghting style is best referred to as “the art 
  of the gun.” Its tongue-in-cheek name is a joking 
  reference to Kyujutsu/Kyudo (“Zen archery”). 
  Some practitioners call it Gun Fu or Woojutsu. It’s 
  a modern-day reﬁ nement on several more or less 
  extinct Japanese arts, including Jukenjutsu (the art 
  of the bayonet), Hojutsu (the art of the arquebus), 
  and Kajutsu (the art of ﬁ rearms and explosives, also 
  known as Kayakujutsu and Teppojutsu).
  Zen Riﬂ ery cannot take the Style Distinctive 
  Feature.
  LOCKPICKING MODIFIERS TABLE
  Type Of Lock 
  Modiﬁ er  Examples
  Combination Locks
  Electronic key lock 
  -4 
  Some bank doors
  Keypad/pushbutton locks 
  -3 
  Highly secured doors
  Magnetic lock/card lock 
  -3 
  Highly secured doors
  Tumbler Locks
  Disk tumbler lock 
  -7 
  Safes and vaults
  Double-sided disk tumbler 
  -2 
  Showcases, some vending machines
  Keyed disk tumbler lock 
  -3 
  General purposes, gaming machines
  Multiple row pin tumbler 
  -3 
  Some burglar alarms, slot machines
  Mushroom/spool pin tumbler 
  -2 
  Some bank doors, some padlocks
  Pin tumbler lock (basic) 
  -0 
  House doors, some padlocks
  Side-bar wafer lock 
  -0 
  Most cars
  Twisting pin tumbler lock 
  -2 
  House doors, some padlocks
  Wafer tumbler lock 
  -0 
  File cabinets, garage doors, desks
  Handcuffs
  Single-locked 
  -2
  Double-locked 
  -3
  Alternately, the GM can ignore the type of lock, and simply base the penalty (or, if 
  preferred, the opposing roll for a Skill Versus Skill Constest) on the quality of the lock, 
  described generically:
  Type Of Lock 
  Modiﬁ er 
  Roll
  Poor quality 
  +1 
  8-
  Average quality 
  -0 to -3 
  11-
  Above Average quality 
  -4 to -5 
  14-
  High quality 
  -6 to -7 
  17-
  Very high quality 
  -8 to -9 
  20-
  Superb quality 
  -10 
  23-
  ZEN RIFLERY
  Usable with Clubs Weapons Group; Clubs Weapon 
  Element is Free
  Maneuver 
  Phs Cost OCV DCV Notes
  Block 
  ½ 
  4 
  +2 
  +2 Block, Abort
  Dodge 
  ½ 
  4 
  — 
  +5 Dodge All 
  Attacks, Abort
  Smash/Th rust 
  ½ 
  4 
  +0 
  +2 Weapon +2 DC 
  Strike
  Takeway 
  ½ 
  5 
  +0 
  +0 Grab Weapon, 
  +10 STR to take 
  weapon away
  Usable with Pistols Weapons Group; Pistols Weapon 
  Element is Free
  Maneuvers 
  Phs Cost OCV DCV Rng Damage/Effect
  Accurate Shot ½ 
  4 
  +2  -2 +2 Weapon Strike
  Basic Shot 
  ½ 
  4 
  +0 +0 +2 Weapon +2 
  DC Strike
  Defensive Shot ½ 
  3 
   -1 +2 +0 Weapon Strike
  Distance Shot ½ 
  5 
  +0  -2 +6 Weapon Strike, 
  +1 Segment
  Diving Shot 
  ½ 
  3 
  +0 +2 +1 Weapon Strike, 
  Half Move 
  Required, You 
  Fall
  Far Shot 
  ½ 
  5 
  +1  -1 +4 Weapon Strike
  Leg Shot 
  ½ 
  3 
  +0  -1 +0 Weapon +2 
  DC Strike, 
  Th row
  Oﬀ ensive Shot ½ 
  4 
   -1  -1 +0 Weapon +4 
  DC Strike
  Quick Shot 
  ½ 
  4 
  +1 +0 +0 Weapon +2 
  DC Strike
  Ranged Disarm ½ 
  4 
  +0 +0 +0 Disarm, +15 
  STR to roll
  Trained Shot 
  ½ 
  4 
  +2 +0 +0 Weapon Strike
  Skills
  Combat Skill Levels
  Demolitions*
  KS: Gun Accessories
  KS: Zen Riﬂ ery
  Missile Deﬂ ection (dodging bullets)
  PS: Gunsmith
  PS: Create Ammunition
  TF: Parachuting
  WF: Pole Arms (for Bayonet)
  WF: Small Arms*
  WF: other modern weapons
  Weaponsmith
  Elements
  Weapons:  
  +1 Use Art with Bayonet
  Barehanded 
  +1 Use Takeaway maneuver Barehanded
  Th e “Club” referred to above is the gun itself, used as a 
  hand-to-hand weapon. In some cases this can damage 
  the gun. Practitioners can also learn special techniques 
  for using the bayonet on a riﬂ e (they may also study 
  true Jukenjutsu if they wish; see page 32 of Th e Ulti-
  mate Martial Artist).
  Optional Rules:  Th e Smash/Th rust takes a 2d6+1 Hit 
  Location roll. Th e Leg Shot takes a 2d6+7 hit location 
  roll. All other oﬀ ensive maneuvers take a 3d6 Hit Loca-
  tion roll.
  Special Abilities:  Gun Fu practitioners have developed a 
  wide variety of abilities to simulate their skill with ﬁ re-
  arms. See pages 107-23 for plenty of examples.
  
  75 
  Dark Champions ■ Chapter Two
  PARACHUTING
  Parachuting is a new Skill for use in Military 
  Action campaigns and other games where charac-
  ters may frequently need to jump out of perfectly 
  good airplanes. If used, it replaces the two TFs 
  pertaining to parachuting (though the GM might 
  retain TF: Basic Parachuting for characters who just 
  want some familiarity with the activity). If the GM 
  would rather not have Parachuting function as its 
  own Skill, he can use this information for charac-
  ters who have TF: Advanced Parachuting, letting 
  them make DEX Rolls as appropriate.
  Parachuting is an Agility Skill; it costs 3 Char-
  acter Points for a 9 + (DEX/5) or less roll, +1 to the 
  roll for each +2 Character Points. A character with 
  Parachuting knows about the diﬀ erent methods of 
  parachuting and how to perform them safely, how 
  to prepare and use parachuting equipment, and 
  so forth. Th e Parachuting Table lists some general 
  modiﬁ ers for Parachuting rolls in addition to those 
  mentioned in the text for speciﬁ c types of jumps; 
  Encumbrance penalties also apply if the character 
  carries too much gear.
  Basic Parachuting
  Most civilian or sport parachute dives take 
  place from no higher than about 12,000 feet 
  (3,658”), with the jumper carrying little to no extra 
  equipment or gear. Th e character only needs to 
  make a standard roll to ensure that his chute opens 
  safely and he lands without incident (for routine 
  jumps, the GM may not even require a roll). If this 
  roll fails, disastrous consequences could result. Th e 
  worst is that the chute fails to open; in this case, 
  allow another roll to see if the reserve parachute 
  opens. If it does, the character is ﬁ ne, but suﬀ ers a 
  -4 on rolls to steer (if the GM allows steering at all). 
  If the reserve chute fails to open (or the char-
  acter doesn’t have one), he may take an all too 
  quick and deadly trip to the ground (in which 
  case, the falling rules apply). But a chute failing 
  to open isn’t necessarily the only result of a failed 
  Parachuting roll. Other possible consequences for 
  a failed roll include:  the character hurts himself 
  when he lands; the character lands in an awkward 
  or uncomfortable place (stuck in a tree, in a bog, 
  or the like); the character gets snarled in his chute 
  when he lands and has to spend 2d6 Phases free-
  ing himself; or the character really misses his target 
  landing area. A badly failed roll — by 4 or more 
  — should deﬁ nitely mean a very unpleasant result 
  for the character, up to and including death due to 
  “sudden deceleration trauma.”
  Assuming the character’s parachute opens 
  properly, he can steer toward his target “drop zone” 
  (designated landing area). Parachutes aren’t highly 
  steerable, though modern ones (from the mid-
  1960s and aft er) are much better in this regard than 
  versions used earlier in the century. A character can 
  make a Parachuting roll to land in his drop zone; 
  he suﬀ ers a basic -2 penalty, with another -1 (or 
  worse) if the winds are particularly strong or ﬁ erce. 
  Success means he’s in the drop zone (and the better 
  the success, the closer he is to dead center); failure 
  means he misses (and the greater the failure, the 
  further away he is).
  Advanced Parachuting
  Advanced parachuting techniques are used by 
  the military for various insertion missions.
  MAMO:  Th e basic parachute jump associated with 
  most military operations is a MAMO, or middle 
  altitude, middle opening. Th e jump takes place 
  from 500 to 1200 feet (152” to 366”); a static line 
  opens the chute almost immediately. Complet-
  ing a MAMO properly requires a Parachuting roll 
  with no modiﬁ ers. Due to the short fall distance, 
  the parachutist has relatively little ability to steer 
  toward the “drop zone” (designated landing area); 
  any rolls made to steer suﬀ er a -2 in addition to 
  other penalties.
  LALO:  A LALO (low altitude, low opening) jump 
  takes place from 300 to 500 feet (91” to 152”). 
  Despite the fact that the parachute is pulled 
  instantly by the static line, the jumper is likely to 
  suﬀ er a rough landing... and if the main chute fails, 
  there’s no time to pull the reserve. Oﬀ setting these 
  risks is the fact that the aircraft  and jumpers evade 
  radar by ﬂ ying so close to the surface. Completing 
  a LALO successfully requires a Parachuting roll 
  at -4 (this is in addition to the standard roll to see 
  if the parachute opens, and so forth). For every 
  point by which the character fails the roll, he takes 
  2d6 Normal Damage (rolled as a Low Shot for Hit 
  Location purposes, if desired).
  HALO:  A HALO (high altitude, low opening) jump 
  begins at 25,000 to 30,000 feet (7,620” to 9,144”), 
  but the jumper doesn’t open his chute until 2,000 
  feet (607”) or below. HALO allows the aircraft  to ﬂ y 
  above the range of surface-to-air missiles and the 
  like. Furthermore, the jumper has no radar proﬁ le 
  (making him very diﬃ  cult, at best, for anyone on 
  the ground to detect), and by making a Parachut-
  ing roll the jumper can “track” — steer himself to 
  a drop zone up to about 36 miles from where he 
  jumped (thus helping to disguise his ultimate des-
  tination). But the jumper must have special breath-
  ing and heating equipment to survive the velocity 
  and frigid air, and if he loses his aerodynamic sta-
  bility (not an unheard-of thing for someone falling 
  at 120 miles per hour), he’ll probably never be able 
  to open his parachute and will fall to his death. Per-
  forming a HALO successfully requires a Parachut-
  PARACHUTING TABLE
  Condition 
  Modiﬁ er
  Airborne maneuvering (to get into 
  formation or the like) 
  -2 or more
  Difﬁ cult drop zone
  Very Small (less than 4” radius) 
  -4
  Small (4-8” radius) 
  -2
  Hard to reach/surrounded by obstacles 
  -2 or more
  Nighttime jump 
  -2
  Weather, adverse (rain, etc.) 
  -2 or more
  Winds
  High winds 
  -2
  Very high winds 
  -4
  
  76 ■ Character Creation
  Hero System 5th Edition
  ing roll at -4 (this is in addition to the standard roll 
  to see if the parachute opens, and so forth). Steering 
  to the proper location requires a Parachuting roll 
  with a penalty of -1 per three miles “tracked.” For 
  every point by which the character fails the roll, he 
  takes 2d6 Normal Damage (rolled as a Low Shot for 
  Hit Location purposes, if desired).
  HAHO:  A HAHO (high altitude, high opening) jump 
  begins at 25,000 to 30,000 feet (7,620” to 9,144”), 
  with the jumper opening his parachute almost 
  immediately (if it’s not opened by static line). Th e 
  chute is specially designed to function something 
  like a hang-glider; it allows for maximum steering 
  ability (this eliminates the standard -2 penalty on 
  Parachuting rolls to steer), and allows the jumper 
  to travel up to several dozen miles from where he 
  jumped. (Th is makes it possible to, for example, 
  jump in friendly territory but then drift  into enemy 
  territory.) Steering to the proper location requires a 
  Parachuting roll with a penalty of -1 per ﬁ ve miles 
  “tracked.” Th e jumper requires the same equipment 
  has HALO, and exposes himself to many of the same 
  risks. Performing a HAHO successfully requires a 
  Parachuting roll at -2 (this is in addition to the stan-
  dard roll to see if the parachute opens, and so forth). 
  For every point by which the character fails the roll, 
  he takes 2d6 Normal Damage (rolled as a Low Shot 
  for Hit Location purposes, if desired).
  A character making a high-altitude jump 
  without oxygen or heating gear exposes himself to 
  oxygen deprivation (see the rules for drowning on 
  page 424 of the HERO System 5th Edition, Revised) 
  and to temperatures of approximately -35 to -65 
  Celsius (this inﬂ icts 2d6 NND damage on Segments 
  3, 6, 9, and 12). Given falling speed and temperature, 
  it’s not unknown for a jumper’s goggles to freeze 
  and shatter, and his eyes to freeze shut (if he has 
  no goggles, his eyes almost certainly freeze shut). A 
  blinded parachutist suﬀ ers a -3 penalty on all rolls, 
  and must make a roll at -6 just to land safely.
  PARACHUTE
  Effect: 
  Gliding 6”; Limited Movement
  Target/Area Affected: Self
  Duration: 
  Constant
  Range: 
  Self
  Charges:   
  1 Recoverable Continuing 
  Charge
  Breakability:   
  1 DEF
  Description:  Th is is the standard modern parachute 
  used with the Parachuting Skill.
  Game Information:  Gliding 6” (6 Active 
  Points); OAF (-1), Limited Movement (char-
  acter cannot gain altitude, and must move at 
  least 12” downward for every 1” forward; -½), 
  1 Recoverable Continuing Charge (lasts until 
  character hits the ground or ’chute is fouled; 
  -¾). Total cost:  2 points.
  Options:
  1)  Parawing:  Th is is the chute referenced above 
  under HAHO; it’s designed to function something 
  like a hang-glider and allows for maximum steering 
  ability. Add +2 to Parachuting (4 Active Points); Only 
  To Counteract Th e Standard -2 Steering Penalty (-1). 
  Total cost:  2 points; total cost of gadget 4 points.
  PARAMEDICS
  In a genre which makes heavy use of Killing 
  Attacks and has no magical or superhuman meth-
  ods of healing, Paramedics is an extremely useful 
  Skill. It can also help the GM keep his scenarios 
  running smoothly by allowing characters to use 
  it to heal minor amounts of BODY damage they 
  suﬀ er (see page 190).
  PENALTY SKILL LEVELS
  Penalty Skill Levels are an excellent way to 
  represent a character’s skill with guns (or other 
  attacks) without simply increasing his overall OCV 
  (which may have game balance consequences). A 
  few Targeting Skill Levels, Range Skill Levels, or 
  other PSLs can add distinctiveness and ﬂ avor to a 
  character’s combat style as well — though the GM 
  should be wary of letting a character buy too many 
  of them (especially Targeting Skill Levels), lest they 
  make the character unbalancingly eﬀ ective.
  Th e standard HERO System rules limit Pen-
  alty Skill Levels to applying only to OCV penalties 
  (such as the Range Modiﬁ er). With the GM’s per-
  mission, a character could buy PSLs to counter sim-
  ilar penalties for Skills — for example, PSLs with 
  Paramedics to counteract the penalties imposed by 
  the size of the wound being treated. Th e player and 
  GM should work together to determine which cost 
  category for PSLs is most appropriate for such an 
  ability. Also with the GM’s permission, characters 
  might be allowed to buy 3-point PSLs to counteract 
  some types of DCV penalties, but this should be 
  rare and the GM should make sure “defensive PSLs” 
  don’t unbalance the campaign. (Th e Environmental 
  Movement Talent is built this way.)
  Characters cannot buy Penalty Skill Levels to 
  counteract the standard OCV penalty imposed by a 
  Combat Maneuver, such as the -3 OCV for a Grab 
  By. If a character wants to buy PSLs with an attack, 
  he must deﬁ ne some form of negative OCV modi-
  ﬁ er they counteract — such as the Range Modiﬁ er 
  or Hit Location modiﬁ ers. If he wants to counteract 
  the OCV penalty associated with a Combat Maneu-
  ver, he should buy 2-point Combat Skill Levels with 
  that Maneuver.
  If a character buys Targeting Skill Levels, they 
  apply to any and all Hit Location penalties. At the 
  GM’s option, they might also apply to counteract 
  (or at least reduce) the OCV penalty for attacking 
  targets smaller than human size (HERO System 5th 
  Edition, Revised, pages 375, 382).
  Characters cannot buy Penalty Skill Levels to 
  counteract the “Unfamiliar Weapon” penalty (which 
  would eﬀ ectively give them Weapon Familiarity 
  with all weapons for only 9 Character Points).
  Recoil Skill Levels
  In campaigns using the Recoil rules (page 
  194), characters can buy Penalty Skill Levels to 
  counteract the Recoil penalty. Recoil Skill Levels 
  help to counteract the OCV penalty for Autoﬁ re, 
  Rapid Fire, or Multiﬁ re against a single target (they 
  
  77 
  Dark Champions ■ Chapter Two
  have no eﬀ ect when the character makes shots 
  against multiple targets). Because they’re PSLs, 
  Recoil Skill Levels don’t improve the character’s 
  OCV until aft er his ﬁ rst shot against a single target 
  — all they can do is counteract some or all of the 
  OCV penalty for Recoil.
  Limited Penalty Skill Levels
  Because the rules don’t allow characters to 
  put Limitations on Penalty Skill Levels costing less 
  than 3 points apiece, a character may ﬁ nd himself 
  in a situation where it costs more to buy Limited 
  PSLs with a particular attack than it would if he 
  just bought less expensive PSLs — even though the 
  cheaper PSLs are less restricted. In that case, the 
  GM may, at his option, allow the character to buy 
  the less expensive PSLs and treat them as if they 
  were Limited, without actually applying the Limita-
  tion to them.
  POWER
  Many of the Super-Skills on pages 106-49 use 
  a form of the Power Skill called Shooting Tricks 
  (sometimes also known as Gunﬁ re Tricks, Trick 
  Shooting, or the like). Th is represents a character’s 
  skill at making diﬃ  cult shots; it’s based on DEX. 
  Characters who specialize in other types of Ranged 
  attacks (such as archery or thrown knives) can 
  change the name of the Skill to better reﬂ ect their 
  preferred method of combat.
  PROFESSIONAL SKILLS
  Professional Skills can be as important to Dark 
  Champions characters as KSs. Here are a few that 
  commonly occur in the genre:
  Appraise
  A character with this PS knows how to evalu-
  ate the worth and quality of items of value, such 
  as artwork, jewelry, gemstones, electronic goods, 
  weapons, and the like (in short, the sorts of things 
  that tend to be stolen, pawned, or traded on the 
  black market). If the character makes his roll 
  exactly, he estimates the value within 3d6% (the 
  GM decides whether the estimate is too low or too 
  high). If he makes it by 1, he’s within 2d6%; if by 2, 
  within 1d6%; if by 3 or more, he knows the exact 
  value. If he misses the roll, he wildly mis-estimates 
  the item’s value, to his detriment.
  Tradecraft 
  “Tradecraft ” is an espionage term for the gen-
  eral skills of a ﬁ eld agent. In a “realistic” campaign, 
  it governs things like knowing how to ﬁ nd and use 
  information drops, how to communicate surrepti-
  tiously with one’s handlers, how to write reports in 
  the agency’s preferred style and lingo, how to scan a 
  crowd to spot potential enemies, the best place to sit 
  in a room for safety and/or observation, and so forth 
  — relatively mundane, but nevertheless important, 
  tasks. In “cinematic” games, it has a much broader 
  scope and vaguer restrictions; it could encompass 
  low-level uses of many Skills (Demolitions, Forgery, 
  Lockpicking, Shadowing, and more).
  If desired, the GM could let PCs take similar 
  PSs for other professions:  PS: Vigilante; PS: Investi-
  gator; PS: Policecraft ; PS: Soldier; and so on.
  Professional Skills As Skill Combinations
  Professional Skills are a good way for charac-
  ters built on relatively small numbers of Character 
  Points to obtain a wide variety of Skills cheaply 
  if the GM is willing to, in eﬀ ect, combine several 
  Skills into one PS. For example, instead of spending 
  a lot of points on Cryptography, Forgery, Lockpick-
  ing, Security Systems, and other espionage related 
  Skills, a character could simply buy PS: Spy with an 
  extremely high roll — at least 20-, possibly more. 
  Th en he uses the Extraordinary Skill Rolls rules 
  to govern rolls with the Skill. Even though the 
  character probably suﬀ ers signiﬁ cant penalties for 
  using such a broad PS for some of the precision 
  work normally done with Skills like Lockpicking, 
  with such a high roll the odds are the character will 
  oft en make the roll.
  RAPID ATTACK
  Th is is an excellent Skill for many Dark Cham-
  pions games, particularly those that emphasize 
  fast-paced, “cinematic” combat. If the GM wants to 
  encourage that sort of behavior, he might even con-
  sider reducing the cost of this Skill to 3 Character 
  Points.
  SCIENCE SKILLS
  Dark Champions characters can use scientiﬁ c 
  methods and knowledge in their war on crime. In 
  addition to the many forensics-oriented SSs men-
  tioned in Chapter Th ree, here are some an action 
  hero might consider buying:  
  SS: Accounting
  Remember Al Capone? He wasn’t convicted 
  of murder, robbery, or bootlegging — he was sent 
  to prison for tax evasion. Th e FBI and other law 
  enforcement agencies have continued to use this 
  sort of tactic in ﬁ ghting crime. A skilled accountant 
  can examine a suspected crime ﬁ gure’s books to see 
  if he’s been hiding or laundering funds. Accounting 
  can also help provide clues as to how large a crimi-
  nal organization is and what “subsidiaries” it has.
  SS: Criminology
  Criminology is the sociological study of 
  crime (unlike the Skill Criminology, which has 
  more to do with criminalistics, forensics, and 
  investigative procedures). SS: Criminology tells 
  the character what causes people to become 
  criminals, how criminals act, what criminal orga-
  nizations are like, and what the crime patterns in 
  a particular city or country are. Dark Champions 
  PCs may be able to use SS: Criminology to predict 
  crime trends, where a killer will strike next, and so 
  forth. However, SS: Criminology is neither infal-
  lible, nor a crystal ball — it cannot provide a lot 
  of detail, and a failed roll oft en leads the character 
  down the wrong trail. 
  SS: Graphology
  Graphology is the science of determining 
  a person’s personality and mental state from his 
  handwriting. It’s useful for analyzing ransom and 
  suicide notes, serial killers’ letters to the newspaper, 
  a master criminal’s journal, and so forth. Th e GM 
  may allow characters to use appropriate forms of 
  
  78 ■ Character Creation
  Hero System 5th Edition
  the Forgery Skill this way (at -3 to the roll), or he 
  may require them to buy this ability as an SS.
  SS: Pharmacology/Toxicology
  Pharmacology is the study of drugs and their 
  eﬀ ect on the human body; Toxicology is a branch 
  of pharmacology dealing speciﬁ cally with poisons 
  and toxins. Characters who want to be master 
  poisoners, to analyze and cure drug and poison-
  ing victims, or to know all about how illegal drugs 
  are synthesized and function should buy this SS. 
  In some circumstances, SS: Human Biology would 
  be a Complementary Skill for Pharmacology/
  Toxicology rolls. (Characters who only wish to 
  know about illegal drug manufacturing and traf-
  ﬁ cking can buy KS: Th e Vice World instead.)
  SS: Psychology(/Criminal Psychology)
  Characters with SS: Psychology understand 
  something of the workings of the human personal-
  ity. To a limited extent, they can predict how people 
  will act, what makes them act the way they do, and 
  so forth. Dark Champions PCs will primarily be 
  concerned with Psychology for the insight it can 
  give them on the criminal mind. If they desire, they 
  can specialize in criminal psychology by buying 
  this Skill as SS: Psychology/Criminal Psychology. 
  Th is should give them a slight bonus to ﬁ guring out 
  the criminal mind, but a slight minus to their roll in 
  other cases.
  SECURITY SYSTEMS
  Security Systems is as important for inﬁ ltra-
  tion, burglary, and similar activities as Lockpick-
  ing — sometimes more important. Getting into a 
  secured facility may be pointless if the characters 
  can’t do it without tripping alarms.
  Locating Security Devices
  Th e ﬁ rst use of Security Systems in most 
  situations is to ﬁ nd security devices — aft er all, 
  a character can’t disarm or avoid a device he’s 
  unaware of! In many cases, the GM should allow 
  characters to locate security devices without a 
  roll, because they’re prominently placed as a way 
  of discouraging intruders.
  However, sometimes a device’s designer 
  wants to hide it — either he doesn’t want intrud-
  ers to know they’ve tripped an alarm, or the 
  device is intended to harm anyone who tries to 
  enter an area, open a locked object, or the like. In 
  this case, the character has to make a Conceal-
  ment roll to ﬁ nd the device; Security Systems 
  serves as a Complementary Skill.
  Th e GM may impose penalties on a roll to 
  locate a security device based on the skill with which 
  it was installed. In this case the installer’s Security 
  System roll to properly install the device becomes 
  the target for the character to beat in a Skill Versus 
  Skill Contest. Alternately, the GM can assign a pen-
  alty to ﬁ nding a device to represent the skill with 
  which it was installed, or the nature of the device.
  SECURITY SYSTEMS 
  MODIFIERS TABLE
  Type Of System 
  Modiﬁ er
  Camera 
  -2
  Electric eyebeam, single 
  -0 to -2
  Electric eyebeam, multiple 
  -1 to -3
  Fingerprint analyzer
     Standard 
  -5
     Vitaprint analyzer 
  -5
     Palmprint analyzer 
  -5
  Infrared sensor 
  -5
  Magnetic switch 
  -0
  Motion detector 
  -5
  Plunger switch 
  -0
  Pressure plate 
  -3
  Proximity sensor 
  N/A (not defeatable remotely)
  Retina scanner 
  -6
  Seismic detector 
  -5
  Vibration sensor 
  -4
  Voiceprint analyzer 
  -4
  Window foil 
  +1
  Alternately, the GM can ignore the type of system, and 
  simply base the penalty (or, if preferred, the opposing 
  roll for a Skill Versus Skill Constest) on the quality of 
  the device, described generically:
  Security Systems 
  Security Systems
  Type Of Lock 
  Modiﬁ er 
  Roll 
  Poor quality 
  +1 
  8-
  Average quality 
  -0 to -3 
  11-
  Above Average quality 
  -4 to -5 
  14-
  High quality 
  -6 to -7 
  17-
  Very high quality 
  -8 to -9 
  20-
  Superb quality 
  -10 
  23-
  
  79 
  Dark Champions ■ Chapter Two
  Disabling/Avoiding Security Devices
  Aft er a character ﬁ nds a security device, he 
  can attempt to bypass, disable, or avoid it with a 
  Security Systems roll (this is separate from the 
  roll to ﬁ nd the device). For ease of reference, the 
  term “disable” refers to any means of using the 
  Security Systems Skill to avoid the eﬀ ects of a secu-
  rity device, even if the character doesn’t literally 
  cause the device to not function or malfunction. 
  Th e Security Systems Modiﬁ ers Table lists a wide 
  variety of security devices and the penalties for 
  each, but the GM can change them as desired (for 
  example, he could make the penalty worse for a 
  particularly high-quality version of a given secu-
  rity device). (For details on a few of these devices, 
  see page 285.) Complementary Skills for disabling 
  security devices include Computer Programming, 
  Electronics, and/or Mechanics, depending on the 
  type of device.
  Computer Security
  Some characters, such as hackers, only want 
  to buy Security Systems to represent their knowl-
  edge of, and ability to bypass or defeat, the security 
  soft ware in computers. In short, they want Security 
  Systems only to use it as a Complementary Skill 
  with Computer Programming. Th ey can buy Secu-
  rity Systems with the Limitation Only Versus Com-
  puter Security Systems (-½).
  SHADOWING
  Many Dark Champions characters, particularly 
  vigilantes, investigators/detectives, and spies, use 
  Shadowing to gather information about people:  
  where they go; who they meet with; and so forth. 
  Terrorists and assassins use it to determine a 
  target’s regular patterns of movement so they can 
  ambush him.
  Th e accompanying table lists some general 
  modiﬁ ers both for following people, and for trying 
  to spot or lose a tail. Th e “anti-tailing precautions” 
  referred to in the table are active measures designed 
  to reveal or lose a tail, such as entering a store from 
  the front and exiting from the back, making a U-
  turn and walking back the way one came, loitering, 
  and so forth. “Multiple-tail techniques” refer to 
  Shadowing someone with a group of two or more 
  persons, making it easier to hide each individual’s 
  involvement in the tail.
  Depending on the situation, an appropriate 
  Area Knowledge, City Knowledge, or other Knowl-
  edge Skill may act as a Complementary Skill Roll 
  for Shadowing.
  Static Surveillance
  As mentioned on page 70 of the HERO System 
  5th Edition, Revised rulebook, and above under Bug-
  ging, characters can also use Shadowing to establish 
  and maintain static surveillance of a particular 
  location — in other words, to conduct a “stakeout.” 
  Th is aspect of Shadowing also allows a character 
  to use direct, long-range surveillance devices such 
  as parabolic microphones; anything more compli-
  cated (such as bugs, wiretaps, or advanced radios) 
  requires Bugging or Systems Operation.
  Th e modiﬁ ers listed for standard Shadowing 
  generally don’t apply to static surveillance, since 
  the shadower has more opportunity to ﬁ nd the 
  best location to observe from and remain there as 
  inconspicuously as possible. If he stands out in the 
  neighborhood (he’s of an unusual race, dresses in a 
  noticeably diﬀ erent way, or the like), persons trying 
  to spot him get a +1 to +3 bonus on their Shadow-
  ing or PER Rolls; if he blends into the setting, the 
  subject may suﬀ er a -1 to -3 penalty.
  Failed Shadowing Rolls
  Generally speaking, a failed Shadowing roll 
  means one (or more) of three things:
  1. Th e character lost the subject (the subject delib-
  erately or accidentally did something that allowed 
  him to “get away from” the character; the character 
  has to go to the bathroom or looks away, and the 
  subject is gone when he returns; or the like).
  2. Th e character revealed himself to, or was oth-
  erwise somehow “spotted” by, the subject. (In this 
  case, the subject may engage in countersurveillance, 
  or he may simply take steps to make the character’s 
  eﬀ orts useless.)
  3. Th e character Shadowed the subject properly, 
  but nevertheless failed to gather the information he 
  sought (for example, maybe he wanted the subject 
  SHADOWING 
  MODIFIERS TABLE
  Following A Subject
  General Modiﬁ ers 
  Modiﬁ er
  Subject takes “anti-tailing precautions”  
  -2 to -7
  Shadower can easily hide from subject’s view +1 to +3
  Shadowing On Foot 
  Modiﬁ er
  Lots of people to “blend in” with 
  +1 to +3
  Few or no other people around; character 
  may “stand out” 
  -1 to -5
  Vehicular/Mounted Shadowing 
  Modiﬁ er
  Lots of traﬃ  c to “blend in” with 
  +1 to +3
  Little to no traﬃ  c; following vehicle may 
  “stand out” 
  -1 to -5
  Multiple-Tail Techniques 
  Modiﬁ er
  Having 3-4 shadowers 
  +1
  Having 5-8 shadowers 
  +2
  Having 9+ shadowers 
  +3
  Spotting And Losing A Tail
  Circumstance 
  Modiﬁ er*
  Taking “anti-tailing precautions”  
  +2 to +7
  Tailing character is conspicuous 
  Modiﬁ er
  Noteworthy appearance (unusually tall or 
  heavy, COM 6 or less or 13+, and so on) 
  +1 to +2
  Has relevant Distinctive Features 
  +2 to +5
  Tailing vehicle is conspicuous (unusual make 
  or color, and so on) 
  +2 to +3
  Proximity 
  Modiﬁ er
  Tailing character has to stick close to the 
  subject 
  +1 to +2
  Tailing character can maintain his distance 
  +0 to -1
  Tailing character can inconspicuously alter 
  his appearance during the tail 
  -1 to -3
  *:  Th ese modiﬁ ers are to the subject’s Shadowing or 
  PER Roll to detect, conﬁ rm, or lose the tail.
  
  80 ■ Character Creation
  Hero System 5th Edition
  to lead him to a crimelord’s headquarters, but the 
  subject didn’t go there).
  In most cases, if the character fails the roll by 
  1-3, only one of the failure results applies. If he fails 
  it by 4 or more, two or three of them could apply. 
  Th e GM decides how many apply, and which ones. 
  For the sake of drama, “lost the subject” is oft en the 
  best choice (since it gives the characters the chance 
  to try again), but “subject spots the character” can 
  lead to exciting chase scenes (or even combat).
  If the GM rules that a failed roll means the 
  subject detected the Shadower, then the tail may 
  continue, but all further Shadowing rolls must be 
  made at a penalty equal to the amount by which the 
  character failed the initial roll. Th is represents the 
  subject’s becoming suspicious, taking precautions, 
  and the like. For example, suppose Blade fails his 
  Shadowing roll to follow Pokerface by 3. Th e GM 
  decides this means Pokerface has spotted Blade and 
  become suspicious that he’s being tailed. All fur-
  ther rolls by Blade and/or his teammates to follow 
  Pokerface are at a -3 penalty (in addition to any 
  other modiﬁ ers).
  If the character used Shadowing to try to spot 
  or lose a tail, a missed roll means he failed to do so. 
  His actions may alert the tail that the tail has been 
  detected (or that the character suspects a tail).
  SKILL LEVELS
  Characters cannot buy 5-point Skill Levels 
  with “all Background Skills.” Instead, they must 
  apply a 5-point Level to one type of Background 
  Skill:  KSs, PSs, or SSs.
  Limited Skill Levels
  Because the rules don’t allow characters to 
  put Limitations on Skill Levels costing less than 
  3 points apiece, a character may ﬁ nd himself in a 
  situation where it costs more to buy Limited Skill 
  Levels with a particular ability than it would if 
  he just bought less expensive Skill Levels — even 
  though the cheaper Skill Levels are less restricted. 
  In that case, the GM may, at his option, allow the 
  character to buy the less expensive Skill Levels and 
  treat them as if they were Limited, without actually 
  applying the Limitation to them.
  STEALTH
  Stealth is the action hero’s friend. With it he 
  can sneak up on a guard unobserved so he’s in 
  position to knock the guard out before he can raise 
  the alarm, creep quietly through a master criminal’s 
  secret fortress to reach the control room without 
  being detected, or blend into the shadows to hide 
  from his enemies.
  Some costumed vigilantes and similar char-
  acters are said to have a “unique knowledge of the 
  city” (i.e., very high City Knowledge rolls). With the 
  GM’s permission, characters like this can, in some 
  situations, use their CK roll as a Complementary 
  Skill for Stealth. If the character is trying to escape 
  pursuers by hiding in the city environment, a CK 
  roll tells him the best place to hide in the area, and 
  can thus improve his Stealth roll. 
  
  81 
  Dark Champions ■ Chapter Two
  In most situations, characters should use 
  Concealment, not Stealth, to hide themselves for a 
  long time (more than a Turn). For shorter periods 
  of time, a character can hide himself using either 
  Concealment or Stealth (his choice), and with the 
  GM’s permission he can use the other Skill (if he 
  has it) as Complementary.
  Stealth And Sense Groups
  Stealth most commonly aﬀ ects the Sight 
  and Hearing Sense Groups. However, technically 
  it applies to all Senses, including unusual ones 
  such as Combat Sense and Danger Sense, unless 
  the GM rules otherwise based on considerations 
  of game balance, common sense, and dramatic 
  sense. For example, an ordinary human prob-
  ably couldn’t use Stealth to avoid the Smell/Taste 
  Group Senses of a dog, since there’s no real way to 
  “hide” body scent. However, the GM might allow 
  it if the character could, for example, rub himself 
  with something to disguise or conceal his normal 
  body scent. Similarly, hiding from Unusual Senses 
  or Senses deﬁ ned as belonging to no ordinary 
  Sense Group, like Combat Sense and Danger 
  Sense, can pose game balance problems. Even a 
  hidden danger may constitute a danger, allowing a 
  Danger Sense roll — which would become a Skill 
  Versus Skill Contest against the Stealth, if the GM 
  felt that was appropriate.
  STREETWISE
  Streetwise is a vital Skill for many Dark Cham-
  pions characters. In fact, in some campaigns (such 
  as costumed vigilantes or law enforcement), it’s 
  so important GMs should consider making it an 
  Everyman Skill for the PCs.
  Streetwise has four main uses in Dark Champi-
  ons games:  ﬁ nding information on the street; ﬁ nd-
  ing people on the street; understanding street slang; 
  and locating and interacting with the black market.
  Finding Information Or People
  Th e most common uses for Streetwise are to 
  dig up information (who killed Johnny G.? who’s 
  selling heroin in Irishtown? which Freetown gangs 
  are the toughest?) and to ﬁ nd people who are in 
  hiding (or otherwise diﬃ  cult to locate). Th e GM 
  should assign a “target” of Streetwise to one of the 
  categories in the accompanying table and use that 
  to determine an appropriate Skill Roll modiﬁ er. 
  Alternately, the GM can let the character roll, and 
  aft er seeing how much the character makes the roll 
  by determine what he’s learned (which may net the 
  PC some information, just not necessarily what he 
  was looking for).
  As noted in the rulebook, some cultures may 
  be so closed or diﬃ  cult to penetrate that characters 
  using Streetwise to ﬁ nd out about them suﬀ er a -1 
  to -3 penalty (possibly more). Th is applies to almost 
  all gangs, organized crime groups, and the like. A 
  character who has an appropriate Knowledge Skill 
  (such as KS: Th e Maﬁ a or KS: Colombian Drug 
  Cartels) does not suﬀ er this penalty due to his 
  advanced knowledge of the subculture in question. 
  Th ose sort of KSs also serve as Complementary 
  Skills when the character uses Streetwise to identify 
  prominent mob members, diﬀ erent gang symbols 
  and colors, and the like.
  Street Slang
  At the GM’s option, a character who hasn’t 
  purchased a particular form of street or criminal 
  slang as a Language may be able to understand it 
  (and even speak it) by making a Streetwise roll at a 
  -1 to -3 penalty. He has to make a roll every Phase, 
  though, so his comprehension may be sporadic.
  Black Marketeering
  Characters oft en use Streetwise to obtain spe-
  cial equipment (and other items) from the black 
  market. See page 268 for more information.
  SURVIVAL
  In Dark Champions, Survival is most common 
  among soldiers and other characters who’ve been 
  trained to live oﬀ  the land, survive in the wilderness 
  for weeks without supply drops, and so forth. How-
  ever, the Urban category of Survival environments 
  is also popular in some Dark Champions subgenres. 
  It’s commonly possessed by the homeless and other 
  characters who scrounge for a living on the mean 
  streets. It lets them know where and how to ﬁ nd food 
  in the city when they have no money, the best places 
  to sleep unmolested, where to go when they get sick, 
  how to keep warm in the winter, and similar informa-
  tion. Streetwise may serve as a Complementary Skill.
  Th e rules for Survival generally assume the char-
  acter is only trying to keep himself alive and healthy. 
  But sometimes a character has to forage for or protect 
  a group of people (such as his adventuring comrades, 
  or a group of rescued campers). Th e more people 
  he tries to help with his Survival abilities, the harder 
  it becomes:  two people is a -1; 3-4 people is -2; 5-8 
  people is -3, 9-16 people is -4; and so on.
  SYSTEMS OPERATION
  Systems Operation is the Skill which allows a 
  character to operate electronic equipment — from 
  advanced weapons systems, to satellites, to air traf-
  ﬁ c control technology. In some Dark Champions 
  campaigns, particularly those which emphasize 
  high technology, it may be too “broad,” in that it 
  allows characters to know and do too much for too 
  few points. Th e optional version of Systems Opera-
  tion in the accompanying text box makes it less 
  universally useful by dividing the devices it applies 
  to into categories and subcategories. Th e accom-
  panying box has a sample list of subcategories, but 
  STREETWISE 
  MODIFIERS TABLE
  Information/Person Is... 
  Modiﬁ er
  Extremely Secret/Well Hidden 
  -6 to -8
  Very Secret/Well Hidden 
  -3 to -5
  Secret/Well Hidden 
  -1 to -2
  Average Secret/Hidden 
  +0
  Known/Poorly Hidden 
  +1
  Widely Known/Very Poorly Hidden 
  +2
  Circumstances 
  Modiﬁ er
  Closed subculture (see text) 
  -1 to -3
  
  82 ■ Character Creation
  Hero System 5th Edition
  the GM can change or add to it as he sees ﬁ t. Char-
  acters can learn any one category for 2 Character 
  Points for a (9 + (INT/5)) roll; each additional cat-
  egory costs +2 Character Points, or each additional 
  subcategory +1 Character Point; improving the roll 
  for all categories and subcategories known costs +2 
  Character Points for each +1 to the roll.
  TRACKING
  Characters with Tracking may use it as a 
  Complementary Skill when trying to analyze 
  certain types of print and impression evidence 
  involving prints in the ground, such as from shoes 
  or tires. Tracking cannot help a character analyze 
  tool marks or similar impressions. (See page 166 for 
  more information.)
   TRANSPORT FAMILIARITY
  If a character has a Vehicle that has multiple 
  modes of movement and/or can operate in mul-
  tiple environments — for example, a cinematic 
  spy’s car that converts into a mini-sub or a mini-
  copter — the GM may allow him to simply buy a 
  1-point “just this one vehicle” TF. However, some 
  GMs may consider that abusive, and require the 
  character to buy multiple TFs (one appropriate to 
  each mode/environment).
  If a character has multiple Vehicles (or access 
  to multiple Vehicles due to his membership as part 
  of a team or the like), the GM may allow him to 
  buy a single 2-point TF with “all my Vehicles” or “all 
  Vehicles my team uses.” Other GMs may consider 
  that abusive, and require the character to buy an 
  individual TF for any type of Vehicle he wants to 
  operate. At the very least, a character who’s allowed 
  to buy the single 2-point TF should have a reason-
  able explanation for why he can drive the team’s car 
  or motorcycle, but not any other car or motorcycle.
  TWOWEAPON FIGHTING
  Many Dark Champions characters favor this 
  Skill as a way of increasing their combat eﬀ ective-
  ness — and besides, being able to ﬁ re two guns or 
  wield two knives at once creates great visuals! How-
  ever, in campaigns which permit the use of Sweep, 
  the 10-point cost may seem a poor investment 
  compared to buying two 2-point Combat Skill 
  Levels with Sweep and deﬁ ning their special eﬀ ect 
  as “ﬁ ghting with a weapon in each hand.” If your 
  campaign uses Sweep, then Two-Weapon Fighting 
  should confer one, or both, of the following beneﬁ ts 
  (the GM chooses which one):
  ■ the character only suﬀ ers a -2 DCV, instead of the 
  standard halving of DCV, when using Two-Weapon 
  Fighting. (Th ey can also buy WF: Oﬀ  Hand for 
  another +1 DCV, of course.) If a -2 DCV penalty 
  would constitute halving the character’s DCV (or 
  close to it), the GM may consider reducing the pen-
  alty to -1 DCV.
  ■ the character can Hold one of his attacks, use one 
  to Block, or Abort one to Block (the latter two only 
  apply to HTH Two-Weapon Fighting). Because 
  Two-Weapon Fighting derives from and uses the 
  rules mechanic for Rapid Fire/Sweep, it constitutes 
  a single maneuver. Th erefore, a character ordinarily 
  can’t Hold one of his attacks with it (any more than 
  he could, for example, Hold half a Haymaker or 
  half a Disarm). Similarly, he can’t Abort one part of 
  it, nor can he choose to perform a defensive action 
  like Block — Rapid Fire/Sweep involves attacks, not 
  defenses. But if the GM chooses this option, char-
  acters can do these things.
  Characters can combine Two-Weapon Fight-
  ing with Rapid Attack to get the two-weapon attack 
  as a Half Phase Action.
  WEAPON FAMILIARITY
  Characters with WF can perform basic main-
  tenance on the weapons they know how to use — 
  things like keeping them clean, sharpening them, and 
  the like. Th ey cannot repair broken weapons, modify 
  or customize the weapon, perform major mainte-
  nance, or the like; that requires Weaponsmith.
  Many Dark Champions characters use tasers 
  (a.k.a. “stun guns”) against their foes. Th e type of 
  taser that ﬁ res small metal darts and wires at the 
  target requires WF: Small Arms; the type a charac-
  ter touches to the target requires WF: Fist-Loads.
  EXPANDED SYSTEMS OPERATION
  Communications Systems (must be purchased separately)
     Telephone Communications (installing and using the phone system)
     Cellular & Digital Communications (cellular phones, pagers, and so forth)
     Radio (standard radio systems, CB radio, ham radio, military radios)
     Broadcast Communications (television or broadcast radio equipment)
     Satellite Communications (use of satellites and satellite networks to transmit signals, 
  GPS systems)
     Communications Jamming Equipment (equipment specially designed to jam 
  transmissions)
  Computer Systems (may be purchased as a group) (Characters with the Computer 
  Programming Skill automatically have knowledge of this group, but may purchase 
  Systems Operation with it for use as a Complementary Skill.)
     Basic Computers (basic desktop and laptop systems, PCs, Macs)
     Networks
     Mainframes (UNIX- and VAX-based systems, large corporate networks/intranets)
     Cyberspace Systems (BBSes, the Internet, commercial online services, cyberspace)
     Military Computers
  Sensor Systems (must be purchased separately)
     Air Traﬃ  c Control Systems (other than radar and radio)
     Medical Sensors (x-ray equipment, MRI equipment, and so forth) 
     Metal Detectors
     Radar
     Sonar (passive and active arrays, towed arrays)
     Sensor Jamming Equipment (equipment speciﬁ cally designed to jam sensors)
  Weapons Systems (must be purchased separately):  Advanced weapons such as mis-
  siles do not use Weapon Familiarities; rather, they are launched with the Systems 
  Operation Skill. Each type of advanced weapon has its own Weapon System subgroup 
  — Patriot missiles, ICBMs, Mark 48 ADCAP torpedoes, and so forth.
  
  83 
  Dark Champions ■ Chapter Two
  WEAPONSMITH
  Th is is a popular Skill in many Dark Cham-
  pions games, since it not only allows characters to 
  modify and repair weapons, it lets them create new 
  weapons, which may save them a lot of time and 
  trouble compared to trying to ﬁ nd and buy unusual 
  guns and ammunition. Th e Gunsmithing Table 
  lists the typical modiﬁ ers for various gunsmithing 
  tasks, and the time required to perform them. (See 
  Firearms Modiﬁ cations And Customization, page 
  238, for information on the game eﬀ ects of many of 
  these modiﬁ cations.)
  Th e modiﬁ ers and times required listed in 
  the Gunsmithing Table assume the character has 
  proper tools (lathes, mills, probes, and the like) and 
  supplies of parts. If the character doesn’t have these 
  things, the GM should extend the time required 
  and/or increase the modiﬁ er, as appropriate.
  If a Weaponsmith roll fails by 1-3, the 
  attempted action or installation fails (this is usu-
  ally obvious upon inspection, test ﬁ ring, or the 
  like). If it fails by 4 or more, either the weapon itself 
  has been irreparably damaged, or the failure of 
  the installation doesn’t become apparent until the 
  character uses the gun in crisis or combat condi-
  tions (i.e., it fails to work just when he needs it the 
  most!).
  Expanding Th e Weaponsmith Categories
  For campaigns that involve a lot of gunplay, 
  having a single Firearms subcategory for Weapon-
  smith may make it too easy for characters to do all 
  their own gunsmithing. For a more detailed Dark 
  Champions version of Weaponsmith, use these 
  categories instead (the character still gets one for 
  free when he buys the Skill; additional ones cost 1 
  Character Point apiece):
  Assault Riﬂ es
  Machine Guns
  Revolvers
  Riﬂ es
  Semi-Automatic Handguns
  Shotguns
  Submachine Guns
  Vehicle-Mounted Guns
  GUNSMITHING TABLE
  Task 
  Modiﬁ er 
  Time Required
  General maintenance and testing 
  -0 
  1d6 x 20 Minutes
  Ammunition
  Reload empty shell casings
  Standard rounds/shells 
  -0 
  1 hour per 20 rounds
  Exotic rounds/shells 
  -3 
  1 hour per 2 rounds
  Create new type of ammo 
  -6 
  2d6 weeks, or more
  Build a ﬁ rearm from scratch 
  -4 
  1d6 weeks, or more
  Magazines
  Expand/extend magazine 
  -3 
  1d6 hours
  Alter magazine to ﬁ t in diﬀ erent gun 
  -2 
  ½d6 hours
  Modify or customize ﬁ rearm
  Accessory rail 
  -2 
  ½d6 hours
  Ambidextrous Conversion 
  -2 
  ½d6 hours
  Barrel Coating 
  -2 
  1d6 hours
  Barrel Fluting 
  -0 
  1d6 x 20 Minutes
  Cryotreatment 
  -1 
  1d6 hours
  Customizing stock 
  -2 
  3d6 hours
  Electronic Trigger 
  -3 
  1d6 hours
  Fine Tuning I 
  -4 
  2d6 hours
  Fine Tuning II 
  -6 
  4d6 hours
  Hair Trigger 
  -3 
  1d6 hours
  Hammer bobbing 
  -0 
  1d6 x 20 Minutes
  Improved Bedding 
  -2 
  ½d6 hours
  Improved Firing Pin 
  -3 
  ½d6 hours
  Improved Range I 
  -4 
  3d6 hours
  Improved Range II 
  -6 
  1d6 days
  Improved Trigger 
  -2 
  1d6 hours
  Personalization 
  -1 
  ½d6 hours
  Pistol Stock 
  -1 
  ½d6 hours
  Polygonal Riﬂ ing 
  -3 
  1d6 hours
  Rechamber for diﬀ erent caliber 
  -2 
  1d6 hours
  Recoil compensator 
  -3 
  1d6 hours
  Replace barrel 
  -1 
  ½d6 hours
  Saw oﬀ  shotgun barrel 
  N/A 
  2d6 Minutes (no roll required)
  Silencer, integral 
  -4 
  3d6 hours
  Size Reduction I 
  -2 
  1d6 hours
  Size Reduction II 
  -4 
  2d6 hours
  Streamlining 
  -2 
  1d6 hours
  Watertight 
  -3 
  1d6 hours
  Weight Reduction 
  -1 
  1d6 hours
  
  84 ■ Character Creation
  Hero System 5th Edition
  SKILL ENHANCERS
  Because Background Skills are so important to 
  so many Dark Champions characters, Skill Enhanc-
  ers tend to be equally important. While they’re not 
  suitable for every character — they’re best used to 
  represent someone with an innate talent for the 
  subject, not just as a way to save Character Points 
  — they ﬁ t many character conceptions very well.
  Skill Enhancers are particularly useful in com-
  bination with Disguise, because they help make the 
  character’s disguise more believable. A character 
  who can speak a lot of languages, knows enough to 
  converse about many subjects intelligently, or can 
  do a lot of things has an easier time passing himself 
  oﬀ  as another person and performing undercover 
  missions.
  EXPERT 
  At the GM’s option, Dark Champions charac-
  ters can buy a new type of Skill Enhancer, Expert. 
  Whereas the other Skill Enhancers are all restricted 
  by the type of Skill(s) characters can buy through 
  them, Expert is restricted by subject. A charac-
  ter can buy any Language, KS, PS, or SS through 
  Expert, provide they all relate to a subject about 
  which he is an expert or for which he has an innate 
  talent. Examples might include Russia (Language: 
  Russian, KS: Russian History And Culture, AK: 
  Russia, KS: Russian Art And Literature), Serial 
  Killers (KS: Serial Killers And Serial Killing, SS: 
  Psychology/Criminal Psychology, PS: Criminal 
  Proﬁ ling), or Electrician (KS: Electrical Systems, PS: 
  Electrician, SS: Electrical Engineering).
  Expert costs 3 Character Points and has the 
  same eﬀ ect as other Skill Enhancers:  it reduces 
  the cost of all Skills bought through it by -1 
  Character Point (minimum cost of 1 point, as 
  always). However, to prevent abuse, the GM may 
  want to require characters to buy a minimum of 
  three Skills through Expert; with fewer than that, 
  it’s diﬃ  cult for a character to argue that he has a 
  thorough, “expert” grasp of all the facets and com-
  plexities of a subject.
  Th e GM should examine any purchase of 
  Expert carefully to make sure it ﬁ ts the charac-
  ter, is properly deﬁ ned, and won’t unbalance the 
  game. Characters should use it to deﬁ ne relatively 
  narrow subjects in which they’re extremely well-
  versed, not treat it as an excuse to save points on 
  any Background Skill they want to have and can 
  loosely link together.
  PERKS
  All of the Perks are appropriate for Dark 
  Champions characters. Here are a few notes and 
  expanded rules for some of the most useful or 
  important ones.
  Typically, if a character loses a Perk, he get the 
  points back, unless the rules speciﬁ cally say oth-
  erwise (as they do for Deep Cover, for example). 
  But the ﬁ nal decision is up to the GM, since it 
  may depend on the situation, the special eﬀ ects 
  involved, common sense, dramatic sense, and other 
  factors that can’t really be quantiﬁ ed with rules. 
  For example, if a character has Access into the local 
  penitentiary, and the guards discover his secret 
  entrance during an adventure, he’ll lose that Access, 
  and the GM would be within his authority to rule 
  that the character didn’t get the points back... or 
  at least that he could only spend them on another 
  Access to the prison (which would take months or 
  years to develop).
  Contacts
  Contacts is one of the most common and 
  important Perks in Dark Champions. Sometimes it 
  seems as if every modern-day action hero has at least 
  a handful of “old friends” who can help him out from 
  time to time. (You can even use the optional Resource 
  Points rules, page 154, to simulate this.)
  Many of the Contacts Dark Champions 
  characters buy are Organization Contacts, repre-
  senting their broad familiarity with groups like 
  the CIA or the Maﬁ a. In this case, the character 
  should apply all Contact cost modiﬁ ers that add 
  or subtract points before applying the Organiza-
  tion x3 multiplier. Aft er the multiplier is applied, 
  the character places the Contact in his Well-Con-
  nected Skill Enhancer (if he has one) and deducts 
  the 1-point savings for doing so. Th e minimum 
  cost for a Contact, as for anything else in the 
  system, is 1 Character Point.
  Characters may apply 10-point Overall Skill 
  Levels to their Contact rolls. No other Skill Levels 
  of any sort apply to Contact rolls.
  At the GM’s option, if a Contact is particularly 
  diﬃ  cult to reach or communicate with even when 
  the character succeeds with his roll — for example, 
  it takes hours to exchange messages with him due 
  to his remote location or elaborate security pro-
  cedures — the character can deduct -1 Character 
  Point from the cost of the Contact.
  Frequently-Encountered Contacts
  Some types of Contacts which appear fre-
  quently in Dark Champions adventures include:
  The Armorer/Technician:  Th is Contact is a supplier 
  and technical aide for a PC who has little or no skill 
  with technology. He’s an expert at weaponsmithing, 
  computers, vehicle design, or whatever other tech-
  nical ﬁ eld the PC needs help in. He provides the PC 
  with his expertise because the PC once saved his 
  life, is an old friend, or did him some tremendous 
  favor... or maybe just because the PC pays him. Th e 
  Armorer himself has KSs and/or signiﬁ cant Con-
  
  85 
  Dark Champions ■ Chapter Two
  tacts that enable him to get his hands on the latest 
  guns, bullets, body armor, and computer systems 
  so the PC can have a technological edge on his 
  enemies.
  Alternately, the Armorer may be the Supplier 
  — a person who doesn’t necessarily have any tech-
  nical skills himself, but who’s a black market arms 
  dealer. Whatever sort of equipment the character 
  needs, the Supplier can provide... for a price.
  The Friend On The Force:  Th is Contact is a member 
  of some law enforcement agency. He assists the 
  character by tipping him oﬀ  when the cops are 
  aft er him, and by giving him access to the agency’s 
  information. Th e Friend’s motives for subverting 
  his own employer vary. He may think the police 
  aren’t dealing with the crime problem properly (i.e., 
  the way the PC and other vigilantes deal with it), 
  acknowledge that the PC can handle criminals the 
  force would have diﬃ  culty with, admire the charac-
  ter for some other reason (perhaps the PC rescued 
  his daughter from kidnappers), or the like. Alter-
  nately, perhaps the PC is blackmailing the “Friend” 
  with some dark secret from his (the Friend’s) past.
  Th e Friend is not necessarily a patrol oﬃ  cer. 
  He might be a ﬁ le clerk or clerical worker with easy 
  access to the agency’s ﬁ les, for example. High-rank-
  ing police oﬃ  cers (captains or commissioners, for 
  example) are also common Contacts.
  The Old Friend:  Th is Contact is a good friend of 
  the PC’s from days gone by. Th ey may have served 
  in the armed forces together, worked for the same 
  intelligence agency, or patrolled the same beat 
  as cops. Whatever the connection, the bonds of 
  friendship remain strong, and the PC can call on 
  his buddy for assistance from time to time. Th e Old 
  Friend typically holds some position which is of 
  beneﬁ t to the character (police captain, reporter, 
  politician). Unlike the two Contacts described 
  above, the Old Friend oft en does not know about 
  the PC’s crimeﬁ ghting activities, so the character 
  has to be sure to guard his secret well. 
  False Identity
  Th is new Perk costs 1 Character Point. It’s 
  like Deep Cover, but much “shallower.” Th e PC has 
  well-made false identiﬁ cation papers that “prove” 
  he’s someone other than who he really is. A quick 
  search of standard databases will probably conﬁ rm 
  his identity. But any sort of detailed or in-depth 
  investigation (even just a few minutes’ searching in 
  restricted-access databases) reveals that the identity 
  is false (so will 1d6 x 10 Minutes’ examination of 
  his papers by someone who succeeds with a Forg-
  ery (Documents) roll).
  If a PC’s False Identity is “blown,” with the 
  GM’s permission he can get the Character Point 
  back and spend it on another False Identity (or 
  possibly something else). Developing the new False 
  Identity should take some time — probably at least 
  a week, if not a month or more.
  Fringe Beneﬁ t
  Th e Fringe Beneﬁ t Perk manifests in the 
  Dark Champions genre in many ways — includ-
  ing some that are speciﬁ c to the genre, which 
  are described below. For the most part these are 
  forms of the Membership Fringe Beneﬁ t, but 
  where appropriate have their own names and 
  expanded cost structures.
  BUSINESS RANK
  At the GM’s option, characters who are 
  employed at a high level by corporations and other 
  signiﬁ cant business institutions may have to buy a 
  BUSINESS RANK TABLE
   Value 
  Position
   
  0 
  Corporate employee
   
  1 
  Low-level executive of a minor business entity
   
  2 
  Mid-level executive of a minor business entity
   
  3 
  High-level executive of a minor business 
  entity; low-level executive of a major business 
  entity
   
  4 
  CEO, CFO, Chairman of BoD, or like position 
  in a minor business entity; mid-level executive 
  of a major business entity
   
  5 
  High-level executive of a major business entity
   
  6 
  CEO, CFO, Chairman of BoD, or like position 
  in a major business entity
  
  86 ■ Character Creation
  Hero System 5th Edition
  Fringe Beneﬁ t to represent the beneﬁ ts that come 
  from having access to the business’s resources, 
  inﬂ uence, and the like. Low-level employees and 
  persons who own or work for small businesses 
  don’t need to buy this Perk, since they don’t have 
  the same opportunities to take advantage of their 
  position, but they can buy it if they want to and the 
  GM permits it. For example, a character who owns 
  a small but highly inﬂ uential “think tank” that con-
  sults for government agencies might have Business 
  Rank even though he only employs a few people.
  Most people who buy this Perk also have the 
  Money Perk.
  CRIMINAL RANK
  Although they’re not always as formal as busi-
  nesses, governments, or militaries, criminal organi-
  zations have their own hierarchies. Th e accompa-
  nying table lists suggested Perk values for various 
  positions in organized crime groups.
  ESPIONAGE RANK
  Th e accompanying table lists suggested 
  Perk values for various positions in an espionage 
  agency. For ease of reference, the positions listed 
  are for the Central Intelligence Agency, but you 
  can easily adapt the structure to other intelligence 
  organizations.
  GOVERNMENT RANK
  Th e accompanying text box lists suggested 
  Perk values for various positions in the various 
  types and levels of governments, with examples 
  drawn from the United States (you can adapt it for 
  other nations by changing the names of the posi-
  tions). For national government positions, many 
  high-ranking personnel will also have the Security 
  Clearance Fringe Beneﬁ t (see page 87).
  Th is table does not include ranks in the 
  military, espionage agencies, or law enforcement 
  agencies. For those, see elsewhere in this section 
  of the book.
  LAW ENFORCEMENT RANK
  Th e accompanying text box lists suggested 
  Perk values for various positions in the various 
  types of law enforcement organizations. For ease 
  of reference, the positions listed are for the FBI, 
  but you can easily adapt the structure to other law 
  enforcement agencies. Th is Perk is in addition to 
  the Police Powers Fringe Beneﬁ t; for national police 
  forces, many high-ranking personnel will also have 
  the Security Clearance Fringe Beneﬁ t (see below).
  CRIMINAL RANK TABLE
   Value 
  Position
   
  1 
  Gang/organized crime group member 
  (e.g., Maﬁ a associate)
   
  2 
  Gang/organized crime group member of 
  prominence or importance (e.g., the Red Pole 
  of a Triad gang; a made member of the Maﬁ a; 
  leader of a small gang)
   
  3 
  Mid-level organized crime leader (e.g., 
  leader of a large street gang or outlaw motor-
  cycle gang, mid-level yakuza oyabun; Maﬁ a 
  caporegima)
   
  4 
  Mid- to high-level organized crime leader 
  (e.g., Maﬁ a sottocapo or consiglieri; Incense 
  Master for a Triad gang)
   
  5 
  Organized crime group overall leader (e.g., 
  Maﬁ a capo; yakuza clan oyabun; Dragon Head 
  of a Triad)
  ESPIONAGE RANK TABLE
   Value 
  Position
   1-4 
  CIA employee
   5-7 
  Deputy/associate director/administrator of a 
  department in a CIA directorate
   8-9 
  Director/administrator of a department in a 
  CIA directorate
   10 
  Associate Deputy Director of a CIA director-
  ate (e.g., Operations)
   12 
  Deputy Director of a CIA directorate
   14 
  Deputy Director of Central Intelligence 
  (DDCI)
   15 
  Director of Central Intelligence (DCI)
  Where the value is variable, it depends on the respon-
  sibilities, inﬂ uence, and authority of the position or 
  individual.
  GOVERNMENT RANK TABLE
   Value 
  Position
   
  1 
  Important local government oﬃ  cial (e.g., 
  Clerk of Court, ward representative, City 
  Council member)
   
  2 
  Local government leadership position (e.g., 
  Mayor, City Comptroller, County Commis-
  sioner, City Council chairman)
   
  3 
  Important state government oﬃ  cial (e.g., state 
  representative or senator, State Secretary of 
  Corrections, lower state court judge)
   
  4 
  Top Man (see page 88)
   
  5 
  State government leadership position (e.g., 
  Governor, justice of a state Supreme Court, 
  some powerful state senators or department 
  heads)
   
  5 
  Diplomatic Immunity
   
  6 
  National goverment departmental employee 
  of minor power
   
  7 
  Judge on a lower federal court
   
  8 
  Member of U.S. House of Representatives of 
  minor power; national goverment departmen-
  tal employee of major power
   
  9 
  Member of U.S. House of Representatives of 
  major power
   10 
  Head of state of very minor nation; member 
  of U.S. Senate of minor power; Director/
  Administrator of minor national govern-
  ment agency (e.g., FEMA); Deputy Director/
  Administrator of major national government 
  agency; Associate Justice, national Supreme 
  Court
   12 
  Chief Justice, national States Supreme Court
   15 
  Head of state of minor nation; member of 
  U.S. Senate of major power; Director of major 
  national government agency (e.g., the FDA)
   20 
  Head of state of average nation; Director/
  leader of governmental department or branch 
  (e.g., U.S. Cabinet Secretary)
   25 
  Leader of a major nation (e.g., President of the 
  United States)
  
  87 
  Dark Champions ■ Chapter Two
  MILITARY RANK
  Th e accompanying text box lists suggested 
  Perk values for the various ranks of various 
  branches of the United States military (you can 
  adapt it for other nations’ militaries by changing 
  the names of the ranks). For enlisted personnel, 
  multiple ranks are sometimes condensed into one 
  point value to keep the oﬃ  cer ranks from becom-
  ing too expensive; in this case a character won’t 
  always have to pay another Character Point to 
  upgrade his Military Rank Perk when he receives a 
  promotion. (In Dark Champions campaigns focus-
  ing on the military, the GM may wish to expand 
  the chart so that each rank has its own cost, and to 
  include warrant ranks.)
  In addition to the values listed in the Military 
  Rank Table, the GM may want to charge a sepa-
  rate Perk value for military personnel who belong 
  to special or elite units (see pages 52-55), or who 
  have particularly important or inﬂ uential positions 
  regardless of rank.
  OTHER FRINGE BENEFITS
  Here are a few more Fringe Beneﬁ ts of par-
  ticular interest to Dark Champions characters.
  Heavy Weapon Permit (2 Character Points)
  A character with this Fringe Beneﬁ t has a 
  permit to own a heavy weapon, such as a machine 
  gun. Th at doesn’t necessarily give him the right to 
  carry it around in public.
  Security Clearance
  Here’s how the various levels of Security 
  Clearance relate to the standard U.S. government 
  system for classifying, declassifying, and safe-
  guarding national security information. You can 
  easily adapt this system for other nations or orga-
  nizations as required.
  Unclassiﬁ ed (no Security Clearance required):  Stan-
  dard, non-classiﬁ ed information. Th e vast majority 
  of the information and documents generated by the 
  government fall into this category.
  Conﬁ dential (Security Clearance 1 or higher):  
  “Conﬁ dential” information is information that, if 
  disclosed without proper authorization, could rea-
  sonably be expected to cause damage to national 
  security. Examples include data on most weapons 
  or other military systems, information on troop 
  LAW ENFORCEMENT 
  RANK TABLE
   Value 
  Position
   
  1 
  Police oﬃ  cer (i.e., typical low-ranking 
  street cop)
   
  2 
  Police sergeant, police detective
   
  3 
  Police lieutenant, police inspector, FBI 
  Special Agent
   
  4 
  Police captain, deputy commander of police 
  for a town or small city
   
  5 
  Commander of police for a town or small city
   
  6 
  Deputy commander of police for a large city
   
  7 
  Commander of police for a large city (e.g., 
  Commissioner of the NYPD), Special Agent 
  in Charge (SAC) of an FBI oﬃ  ce
   10 
  Assistant Director of an FBI division
   12 
  Executive Assistant Director of an FBI division
   14 
  Deputy Director of the FBI
   15 
  Director of the FBI
  MILITARY RANK TABLE
   Value 
  Army Rank 
  Navy Rank 
  Air Force Rank 
  Marines Rank
   
  0 
  Private (PV1/PV2) 
  Seaman Recruit 
  Airman Basic 
  Private
   
   
  Private First Class 
  Seaman Apprentice 
  Airman 
  Private First Class
   
   
   
  Seaman 
  Airman First Class 
  Lance Corporal
   
  1 
  Corporal/Specialist 
  Petty Oﬃ  cer Th ird Class 
  Senior Airman 
  Corporal
   
  2 
  Sergeant 
  Petty Oﬃ  cer Second Class 
  Staﬀ  Sergeant 
  Sergeant
   
   
  Staﬀ  Sergeant 
  Petty Oﬃ  cer First Class 
  Technical Sergeant 
  Staﬀ  Sergeant
   
   
  Sergeant First Class 
  Chief Petty Oﬃ  cer 
  Master Sergeant 
  Gunnery Sergeant
   
  3 
  Master Sergeant 
  Senior Chief Petty Oﬃ  cer 
  Senior Master Sergeant 
  Master Sergeant
   
   
  First Sergeant 
  Master Chief Petty Oﬃ  cer 
  Chief Master Sergeant 
  First Sergeant
   
   
  Sergeant Major 
  Master Chief Petty  
  Command Chief  
  Master Gunnery 
   
   
  Command Sergeant Major   Oﬃ  cer of the Navy 
    Master Sergeant 
    Sergeant
   
   
  Sergeant Major of the Army  
  Chief Master Sergeant  
  Sergeant Major
   
   
   
   
    of the Air Force 
  Sergeant Major 
   
   
   
   
   
    of the Marine Corps
   
  4 
  Second Lieutenant 
  Ensign 
  Second Lieutenant 
  Second Lieutenant
   
   
  First Lieutenant 
  Lieutenant Junior Grade 
  First Lieutenant 
  First Lieutenant
   
  5 
  Captain 
  Lieutenant 
  Captain 
  Captain
   
  6 
  Major 
  Lieutenant Commander 
  Major 
  Major
   
  7 
  Lieutenant Colonel 
  Commander 
  Lieutenant Colonel 
  Lieutenant Colonel
   
  8 
  Colonel 
  Captain 
  Colonel 
  Colonel
   
  9 
  Brigadier General (1 star) Rear Admiral Lower Half 
  Brigadier General 
  Brigadier General
   10 
  Major General (2 stars) 
  Rear Admiral Upper Half 
  Major General 
  Major General
   11 
  Lieutenant General  
  Vice Admiral 
  Lieutenant General 
  Lieutenant General
   
   
    (3 stars) 
   12 
  General (4 stars) 
  Admiral 
  General 
  General
  OTHER 
  DISTRIBUTION 
  CONTROLS
  In addition to the 
  Classiﬁ ed/Secret/Top 
  Secret system, the U.S. 
  government uses some 
  other designations to 
  control the release and 
  distribution of infor-
  mation. Th ese do not 
  require the Security 
  Clearance Fringe Ben-
  eﬁ t, but may restrict 
  a character’s ability to 
  obtain certain docu-
  ments.
  ACCM (Alternative or 
  Compensatory Control 
  Measures):  classi-
  ﬁ ed information that 
  requires special security 
  measures.
  CNWDI (Critical Nuclear 
  Weapons Design Infor-
  mation):  information 
  pertaining to the design 
  or operation of nuclear 
  weapons.
  COMSEC (Communica-
  tions Security):  infor-
  mation pertaining to 
  telecommunications 
  methods or technolo-
  gies, including encryp-
  tion and decryption 
  systems and methods.
  CRYPTO (Cryptographic 
  Materials):  information 
  that must be handled 
  through special cryp-
  tographic channels or 
  methods.
  LIMDIS (Limited Dis-
  semination):  informa-
  tion only for distribu-
  tion to certain persons.
  NATO:  information that 
  can be released to mem-
  bers of the North Atlan-
  tic Treaty Organization.
  NOCONTRACT (Not 
  Releasable to Contrac-
  tors):  information that 
  may not be released to 
  contractors or consul-
  tants.
  NOFORN (Not Releas-
  able to Foreign Nation-
  als):  information that 
  may not be released to 
  foreign nationals (even 
  from allied nations).
  Continued on next page
  
  88 ■ Character Creation
  Hero System 5th Edition
  training methods, and the like.
  Secret (Security Clearance 5 or higher):  “Secret” 
  information is information that, if disclosed without 
  proper authorization, could reasonably be expected 
  to cause serious damage to national security. 
  Examples include many espionage operations, key 
  defense technological data, information about troop 
  deployment and force composition, and most things 
  that would harm or strain foreign relations. In most 
  campaigns, this is the highest level of information 
  PC spies or special forces soldiers will receive.
  Top Secret (Security Clearance 7 or higher):  “Top 
  Secret” information is information that, if disclosed 
  without proper authorization, could reasonably 
  be expected to cause exceptionally grave damage 
  to national security. Examples include the keys to 
  most cryptological systems, much wartime data, 
  and anything that might cause a war with a foreign 
  power if revealed.
  Top Secret — Special Compartmentalized Intel-
  ligence (SCI) (Security Clearance 9 or higher):  “TS-
  SCI” information is “above top secret” information 
  that’s strictly controlled by its originator. It’s usually 
  divided into categories based on the type of infor-
  mation and the agency(ies) involved. Examples 
  include SI (Special Intelligence, which deals with 
  communications and signals intelligence) and TK 
  (Talent-Keyhole, which deals with information 
  obtained via satellite or aerial reconnaissance). 
  Technically, SCI can fall within any of the three 
  standard conﬁ dentiality categories, but regardless 
  of what category it’s assigned to it’s protected with 
  greater security than Top Secret information.
  When the government reveals SCI informa-
  tion to a character, he gains access to (or becomes 
  part of) a Special Access Program (SAP). Each SAP 
  has a code name that does not relate to its purpose 
  or nature, such as “Project THUNDERCLAP.”
  Just because a character has an appropriate 
  Security Clearance doesn’t mean he has access to 
  any and all information that falls within that cat-
  egory. He still has to have a “need to know” before 
  information will be revealed to him.
  Top Man (4 Character Points)
  “Who do you have analyzing the latest data on 
  the Mexican drug cartels, Mr. Secretary?”
  “Top men, Senator.”
  “Who?”
  “Top men, sir. Don’t worry, it’s all being taken 
  care of.”
  A character with the Top Man Fringe Beneﬁ t 
  is one of the “top men” so oft en referred to in the 
  highest government circles. In short, he’s an expert 
  kept on retainer by the government (or a govern-
  ment agency) as a consultant and “problem solver.” 
  Unlike Security Clearance, this Perk does not give 
  the character access to any information. Instead, 
  it means he’s on call and may be asked to help 
  with a particular problem — the GM controls the 
  character’s access to information. However, a Top 
  Man might be asked to look at data that exceeds his 
  Security Clearance (if any), since desperate times 
  may call for desperate measures.
  Before the GM allows a character to buy Top 
  Man, he should satisfy himself that the character 
  has the qualiﬁ cations necessary to be a top man 
  — plenty of relevant KSs, SSs, and so forth.
  Improved Equipment 
  Availability 
  (3-10 Character Points)
  Characters with this Perk have access to better 
  forms of weapons, equipment, and gear that they 
  purchase with their Equipment Points and
  Vehicle/Base Points (see Resource Points, page 150, 
  for more information). All characters have access 
  to Standard equipment for free. For 3 Character 
  Points, the character has access to Street-Level 
  equipment; for 5 Character Points, he has access to 
  Military equipment; and for 10 Character Points, he 
  can obtain Advanced Military equipment.
  Continued from last page
  ORCON (Dissemination 
  and Extraction Con-
  trolled by Originator):  
  information whose 
  release and distribu-
  tion is controlled by the 
  person who originated 
  it — “for your eyes only” 
  information, in other 
  words.
  RD (Restricted Data):  
  information related to 
  atomic energy.
  REL TO (REL____) 
  (Authorized for Release 
  To):  information that 
  can be released to the 
  designated foreign gov-
  ernments or organiza-
  tions (such as RELCA-
  NUKAUS, which can be 
  released to Canada, the 
  U.K., and Australia).
  SCI (Sensitive Compart-
  mented Information):  
  information and intel-
  ligence sources subject 
  to an access control 
  system established by 
  the Director of Central 
  Intelligence; special per-
  mission is required for 
  access to SCI data.
  WNINTEL (Warning 
  Notice — Intelligence 
  Sources or Methods 
  Involved):  information 
  containing references 
  to sensitive intelligence 
  sources (the names of 
  agents or intelligence 
  sources, for example). 
  WNINTEL has been 
  discontinued, but still 
  appears on older docu-
  ments.
  
  89 
  Dark Champions ■ Chapter Two
  Reputation
  Reputation is a popular Perk for Dark Cham-
  pions characters — aft er all, it’s not only fun to 
  be well-known, anything that makes a character’s 
  Presence Attacks more eﬀ ective is a big help in 
  the game.
  It’s not possible for a character to pay zero 
  Character Points, or negative points, for Reputa-
  tion. Th e minimum cost is 1 point per level of 
  Reputation.
  In some cases, characters may want to have 
  a Reputation that only applies to one of a char-
  acter’s identities. Th is is allowed, but the cost for 
  Reputation remains the same. However, depend-
  ing on circumstances, a Reputation that only 
  applies to one of a character’s identities might 
  aﬀ ect how widely known the Reputation is, which 
  could change the cost.
  Vehicles And Bases
  Vehicles are a very common Perk in Dark 
  Champions games. Whether they’re standard cars 
  and motorcycles that are a little bit “souped up” for 
  better street performance, a cinematic spy’s gadget-
  laden sportscar, a heavily-armed combat helicopter, 
  or something even stranger, they add a lot to the 
  game — aft er all, what’s an action-adventure cam-
  paign without a car chase every now and then? See 
  Th e Ultimate Vehicle and Th e HERO System Vehicle 
  Sourcebook for approximately 200 sample vehicles, 
  most of which are appropriate to modern-day 
  games.
  Characters can buy Vehicles with Character 
  Points, or with their Resource Points if the GM uses 
  that optional rule (see page 154). In either case, 
  the GM may ﬁ nd that the cost of Vehicles becomes 
  prohibitive in a Dark Champions campaign, since 
  Vehicles can quickly become expensive compared 
  to the Heroic characters played in the genre. In that 
  case, the GM may want to reduce the cost of the 
  Vehicle Perk to 1 Character Point per 10 points in 
  the Vehicle (or 20 points, or some other divisor). 
  Alternately, he might waive the rule that increases 
  the cost of a Vehicle once it’s built on more points 
  than the character who buys it.
  Th e same considerations apply to Bases. 
  Characters can buy them with Character Points or 
  Resource Points, and the GM may want to consider 
  reducing the cost by changing the divisor. Alter-
  nately or in addition, the GM might permit char-
  acters to buy small, simple, “safehouse” bases for 1 
  Character Point per safehouse. Th is would entitle 
  the character to an apartment-sized base equipped 
  with some furniture, a few appliances, and perhaps 
  a personal computer or a small laboratory of some 
  sort. Safehouses function as hideouts and storage 
  depots, but don’t really provide a character with any 
  other resources.
  
  90 ■ Character Creation
  Hero System 5th Edition
  A
  lmost all of the Talents are appropriate for 
  any street-level campaign. Some Talents 
  have special applications or implications in 
  Dark Champions campaigns.
  EXISTING TALENTS
  COMBAT LUCK
  Th is Talent works well for any Heroic genre. By 
  providing a way for characters to have some innate 
  Resistant Defense, it keeps them from dying too 
  quickly during ambushes, assassination attempts, 
  and other situations when they might not wear 
  body armor.
  Th e defense provided by Combat Luck adds 
  to other types of defense, such as PD or the DEF 
  of body armor. Because of this, the GM may want 
  to restrict characters’ ability to buy this Talent — it 
  could make them too tough. If only characters who 
  wear no armor, or light body armor, can buy it, the 
  game may have a better defensive “balance.”
  COMBAT SENSE
  Combat Sense does not require a character to 
  wait for someone to attack him before he can strike. 
  He can make his roll (which requires a Half Phase) 
  to proactively attempt to locate targets for HTH 
  Combat. However, he can only ﬁ nd targets within 
  HTH range (i.e., in his hex or an adjacent hex), even 
  if he has a long weapon or some other means of 
  extending his reach.
  RESISTANCE
  Besides using Resistance to withstand Inter-
  rogation, characters can use it to pass lie detec-
  tor tests. Each point of Resistance imposes a -1 
  penalty on the lie detector operator’s PS: Operate 
  Polygraph roll.
  Because it helps a character withstand pain, 
  Resistance can also add to a character’s EGO 
  Rolls when Wounded (if the GM chooses to use 
  the Wounding rules; see page 186). Every point 
  of Resistance a character has adds 1 point to the 
  character’s base EGO Roll when Wounded.
  SIMULATE DEATH
  Simulate Death is even better than Resistance 
  for fooling lie detectors. Characters with this Talent 
  who make their roll at +2 can completely fool any 
  polygraph, regardless of how skilled the operator is.
  When a character Simulates Death, no non-
  Persistent powers function, and he cannot spend 
  END on anything. He cannot make PER Rolls of 
  any sort; he has no awareness of his surroundings 
  (except insofar as his predeﬁ ned “wake-up” condi-
  tion implies a speciﬁ c need to “perceive” things). 
  He does not gain any of the beneﬁ ts of Life Support 
  of any type, unless the GM chooses to give them 
  to him in the interest of dramatic sense (though 
  you should consider him to be “sleeping,” so there’s 
  no need for Diminished Sleeping). Even if the 
  GM chooses to allow some Diminished Eating or 
  Extended Breathing, he probably shouldn’t allow 
  Longevity. If the character wants those eﬀ ects, he 
  can buy them Linked to his Simulate Death.
  NEW TALENTS
  Here are some new Talents appropriate to 
  many Dark Champions campaigns and characters. 
  See also the Super-Skills section beginning on 
  page 106; many of those abilities could easily be 
  designed as Talents, and vice-versa.
  COMBAT SHOOTING
  A character with this Talent is an expert at 
  ﬁ ring guns into melee — he can do so with much 
  less risk of accidentally hitting a friend or ally.
  In game terms, this Talent provides +5 OCV 
  with Firearms that only serves to prevent the 
  character from accidentally hitting non-enemies 
  when ﬁ ring into a melee. If he ﬁ res into a melee 
  and misses, but misses by 5 or less, he does not 
  hit his intended target, but he does not hit any 
  friends either (he could still hit another enemy, as 
  described by the rules on page 179). If he misses by 
  6 or more, he still accidentally hits someone other 
  than his intended target.
  At the GM’s option, characters can buy this 
  Talent for other types of attacks than shooting — 
  Combat Knife Th rowing, for example — by redeﬁ n-
  ing what the Combat Skill Levels apply to.
  ■ Combat Shooting Cost:  8 Character Points (bought 
  as +5 OCV with Firearms, Only To Prevent Hitting 
  Non-Enemies When Firing Into Melees (-2))
  COMBATREADY
  As noted on page 61, sometimes trying to use 
  certain Skills in combat conditions, or other high-
  stress crisis situations, imposes a -1 to -3 penalty 
  on the Skill Roll. A character with this Talent does 
  not suﬀ er that diﬃ  culty; he knows how to keep his 
  head and focus on the job at hand regardless of 
  distractions. Characters must buy this Talent per 
  Skill, unless the GM rules otherwise.
  ■ Combat-Ready Cost:  3 Character Points (bought 
  as three 3-point Skill Levels with Noncombat Skills, 
  Only To Counteract Th e Combat Conditions Pen-
  alty With A Speciﬁ c Skill (-2)).
  TALENTS
  
  91 
  Dark Champions ■ Chapter Two
  CRIPPLING BLOW
  A character with this Talent knows how to 
  strike blows that cripple his targts, or inﬂ ict other 
  long-lasting injuries. By hamstringing an enemy, he 
  can reduce that enemy’s ability to walk or run. By 
  striking a blow to the arm, he can reduce a target’s 
  manual dexterity and ability to attack accurately. A 
  thrust to the right vital organ can reduce a target’s 
  health and hardiness. However, healing methods 
  can reduce the eﬀ ects of this attack.
  In game terms, this Talent allows a character 
  to use various Drains against a target — Drain 
  Running, Drain DEX, and Drain CON, in the 
  above three examples. Th e character must have a 
  bladed weapon to do this, and the attack does not 
  also inﬂ ict BODY damage (it just causes a Drain). 
  Th e GM decides what types of Drains he will and 
  will not allow a character to make with this Talent. 
  Additionally, the victim can heal the injury more 
  quickly via medical treatments or the like:  every 
  point of BODY obtained by applying Paramedics 
  or Healing to the injury removes 2 points of the 
  Drain eﬀ ect.
  Crippling Blow costs the character 3 END to use.
  ■ Crippling Blow Cost:  16 Character Points (bought 
  as Drain 1d6, any physical body-based power one 
  at a time (+¼), Delayed Recovery Rate (character 
  heals the damage as if Recovering BODY; +2); 
  OIF (bladed weapons of opportunity; -½), Healing 
  BODY Heals Eﬀ ect (see text; -½))
  DEADLY BLOW 
  Th e character’s combat skill allows him to 
  strike highly accurate and deadly blows, though 
  usually only in limited circumstances (such as only 
  with a speciﬁ c type of weapon, or only when the 
  target is Surprised). Characters oft en rename this 
  Talent to represent exactly what targets it works 
  against (see examples below).
  Deadly Blow adds +1d6 to appropriate Kill-
  ing Attacks involving weapons. Th e character must 
  decide when buying the Talent whether it applies 
  to HKAs or RKAs; to apply it to both, he must buy 
  it twice. Characters may buy Deadly Blow multiple 
  times, thus increasing its damage to +2d6, +3d6, 
  and so forth.
  Th e damage added by Deadly Blow counts as 
  base damage. Th at means it not only increases the 
  damage a character’s weapon does, it improves his 
  ability to increase the weapon’s damage further via 
  STR, Combat Skill Levels, Combat Maneuvers, and 
  the like.
  Deadly Blow comes in three forms. Th e ﬁ rst 
  form applies only in very limited circumstances, as 
  deﬁ ned by the character when he buys the Talent. 
  Th is form costs 4 Character Points. Typical exam-
  ples include:
  Blademaster:  only works with knives
  Expert Sniper:  only works with riﬂ es
  Pistol-Fighter:  only works with handguns
  Th e second form applies only in limited cir-
  cumstances, as deﬁ ned by the character when he 
  buys the Talent. Th is form costs 7 Character Points. 
  Typical examples include:
  Assassin’s Touch:  only works against humans
  Expert Hunter:  only works against animals
  Expert Shooter:  only works with ﬁ rearms
  Sneak Attack:  only works with blows struck from 
  behind or against Surprised targets
  Th e third form works in any circumstance, 
  with any HTH attack the characters uses (or 
  Ranged attacks, if he so deﬁ nes the Talent). Th is 
  form costs 10 Character Points.
  Each die of Deadly Blow costs a character 1 
  END to use.
  ■ Deadly Blow Cost:  4, 7, or 10 Character Points 
  (bought as KA +1d6; OIF (weapons of opportunity; 
  -½), -2, -½, or -0 Limitation based on circum-
  stances in which bonus die applies)
  Deadly Blow Variant
  Some GMs may be more comfortable allowing 
  characters to buy the Deadly Blow Talent if it has 
  a chance of failing — in other words, if it Requires 
  A Skill Roll. Th is means the Talent represents a 
  learned skill that might not always work.
  If you apply Requires A DEX Roll (-¾, assum-
  ing a DEX Roll of 12- or 13-) to Deadly Blow, the 
  costs for the three forms become 3, 5, and 7 points, 
  respectively.
  EVASIVE
  Th e character has a special knack for dodging 
  blows, deadly traps, and sometimes even gunﬁ re at 
  the last second.
  In game terms, this Talent functions as Deso-
  lidiﬁ cation that only serves to protect the character 
  from damage — and only when he Aborts and 
  makes a DEX Roll at -6. Th e special eﬀ ect is that 
  the character ducks, dodges, or otherwise avoids 
  the attack. If that’s not possible (as with some area-
  aﬀ ecting attacks), this Talent won’t work.
  At the GM’s option, a character can buy this 
  Talent as requiring a normal DEX Roll (with no 
  penalty) for +4 Character Points.
  ■ Evasive Cost:  18 Character Points (bought as 
  Desolidiﬁ cation (aﬀ ected by any attack if Skill Roll 
  fails, and by some area-aﬀ ecting attacks), Reduced 
  Endurance (0 END; +½); Only To Protect Against 
  Attacks (-½), Character Must Abort To Use (-1), 
  Requires A DEX Roll (assumes a DEX Roll of 12- 
  or 13-; -¾))
  
  92 ■ Character Creation
  Hero System 5th Edition
  HOTSHOT PILOT
  Th is Talent represents a character who’s a 
  naturally gift ed or highly-trained pilot. Th is has two 
  eﬀ ects. First, he receives a +2 bonus for all Combat 
  Piloting rolls. Second, when piloting an aircraft  no 
  heavier than 50 tons in aerial combat, his piloting 
  skills make the vehicle harder to hit (granting it +2 
  DCV).
  ■ Hotshot Pilot Cost:  16 Character Points (+2 to 
  Combat Piloting plus +2 DCV, Usable By Other 
  [any aircraft  of up to 50 tons; +2½]; Only For An 
  Aircraft  Character Is Piloting [-2])
  RAPID HEALING
  Th e character recovers from the eﬀ ects of 
  wounds quickly. For every full hour he rests, he 
  regains 1 BODY. He may still look injured, but a 
  short period of rest is all he needs to return to 
  ﬁ ghting trim despite his appearance.
  For purposes of this Talent, the GM deﬁ nes 
  what constitutes “rest.” Sitting and relaxing in even 
  slightly comfortable surroundings (in a cave, beside 
  a campﬁ re, in bed, while riding in a car) should 
  qualify. In some cases a GM may even allow a char-
  acter to “rest” when walking or riding easily. Any 
  signiﬁ cant exertion, including running or a bumpy 
  car ride, prevents the character from regaining 1 
  BODY that hour.
  ■ Rapid Healing Cost:  5 Character Points (bought 
  as Healing BODY 1d6 (Regeneration; 1 BODY 
  per Hour), Reduced Endurance (0 END; +½), 
  Persistent (+½); Self Only (-½), Extra Time + 
  Increased Time Increment (1 BODY/Hour; -2¼), 
  Character Must Rest For Th e Entire Hour To 
  Regain 1 BODY (-½))
  Rapid Healing Variant
  For really cinematic forms of Rapid Healing 
  — the kind where the character recovers in full 
  from one scene to another, despite the fact that 
  you can still see the blood from the cut on his skin 
  — reduce the time increment to once per Minute. 
  Th is increases the cost to 6 Character Points.
  SKILL MASTER
  Th e character has developed a high level of 
  proﬁ ciency with a single Characteristic-based Skill, 
  such as Climbing, Deduction, Navigation, or Stealth. 
  He chooses one Skill when he buys this Talent, and 
  receives a +3 bonus for all uses of that Skill.
  Some characters have even greater mastery 
  of Skills. Th ey can apply the same +3 bonus to all 
  Skills based on a single Characteristic.
  ■ Skill Master Cost:  6 Character Points (bought as 
  +3 with one Skill) or 15 Character Points (bought 
  as +3 with all Skills based on DEX, INT, or PRE 
  [choose one])
  
  93 
  Dark Champions ■ Chapter Two
  I
  n most Dark Champions campaigns, Powers 
  are used in much more restrictive ways than 
  in Champions or Fantasy Hero campaigns. In 
  most games, characters use them primarily to 
  create weapons, equipment, and the like. In some 
  campaigns, characters can also buy Powers to rep-
  resent enhanced physical abilities (like Running), 
  or in more cinematic games to create “super-skills” 
  that represent Skill-like abilities but which are more 
  eﬀ ective than Skills usually are (see pages 106-49 
  for dozens of Super-Skills). Only in some Dark 
  Champions: Th e Animated Series games, or games 
  featuring “weird” abilities, paranormal powers, and 
  mysticism, are Powers used in the more traditional 
  manner implied by the name.
  DEFENSE POWERS
  In most Dark Champions campaigns, Armor 
  is the preferred Defense Power for creating protec-
  tive equipment and defensive abilities/Super-Skills. 
  Damage Reduction crops up occasionally, but the 
  other Defense Powers are rarely used (if at all).
  AID; CHARACTERISTICS
  Aid and the Characteristics Power both have a 
  wide variety of uses in Dark Champions games to 
  simulate abilities or devices that temporarily boost 
  a character’s innate attributes. Aid (usually with 
  the Limitation Self Only) works best when a degree 
  of unpredictability or variation is appropriate; 
  Characteristics work better when the ability should 
  aﬀ ect the character’s attributes the same way every 
  time. Th e Super-Skills section has several examples; 
  here’s another one:
  Enhancement Drugs:  Th e character has some pills 
  or shots that he can use to boost his strength tem-
  porarily — a “super-steroid,” if you will. (For dra-
  matic purposes, this drug works much faster and 
  more eﬀ ectively than “realistic” drugs would.)
  Enhancement Pill:  Aid STR 2d6 (20 Active 
  Points); OAF (-1), Gradual Eﬀ ect (1d6 per 
  Turn for two Turns; -¼), 6 Charges (-¾). Total 
  cost:  7 points.
  Enhancement Injection:  Aid STR 2d6 (20 
  Active Points); OAF Fragile (-1¼), Extra Time 
  (Full Phase; -½), Gradual Eﬀ ect (1d6 per Turn 
  for two Turns; -¼), 4 Charges (-1). Total cost:  
  5 points.
  CHANGE ENVIRONMENT
  Cinematic Dark Champions characters can 
  use this Power to create eerie “special eﬀ ects” that 
  accompany them and disquiet their enemies:  feel-
  ings of unease and gloom that aﬀ ect everyone near 
  the character; a fog which seems to follow the char-
  acter everywhere he goes; and strange sound eﬀ ects 
  and eerie voices are just a few of the many ways 
  to use Change Environment in this fashion. Th ese 
  abilities don’t have powerful combat eﬀ ects, but in 
  combination with other abilities or Skills they can 
  not only help a character, they make him more fun 
  to play. Disquieting Aura on page 109 is an example.
  Characters can also use Change Environment 
  for any eﬀ ect that involves worsening another char-
  acter’s chance to perform a Skill. For personal abili-
  ties, this means taking the Limitations No Range 
  and Self Only, meaning the ability only aﬀ ects 
  characters who try to use a particular Skill against 
  the character himself. For example, some forms 
  of “super-stealth” could be bought as penalties to 
  onlookers’ PER Rolls.
  CLAIRSENTIENCE
  Dark Champions characters most oft en use 
  Clairsentience to create surveillance scopes, shot-
  gun microphones, and other devices that allow 
  them to perceive things at a distance or through 
  walls. However, the Power also has several Super-
  Skill uses to represent a character’s preternatural 
  ability to reconstruct the events of a crime in his 
  mind, anticipate danger, or the like. In campaigns 
  featuring paranormal powers, a psychic character 
  might have innate Clairsentience or Precognition 
  powers, albeit unreliable and heavily Limited ones.
  DAMAGE REDUCTION
  Characters can use Damage Reduction at 
  low levels (no more than 50%) to represent their 
  ability to take a lot of punishment and still keep 
  ﬁ ghting, resist the eﬀ ects of drugs, or the like. 
  Can Take A Punch, page 124, is a good example of 
  this sort of ability.
  DARKNESS
  Darkness is perfect for building many diﬀ erent 
  weapons like radio jammers and “screamer gre-
  andes” that have an absolute sense-blocking eﬀ ect 
  (weapons that simply interfere with a character’s 
  senses, but don’t necessarily make it impossible to 
  use them, are bought with Change Environment).
  DRAIN
  Dark Champions characters can simulate a 
  wide variety of attacks and abilities with Drain, pri-
  marily poisons and drugs. For example:
  POWERS
  
  94 ■ Character Creation
  Hero System 5th Edition
  Blade Knockout Poison:  Th is poison, designed to be 
  smeared on a blade so that it aﬀ ects anyone who’s 
  cut with that blade, makes the victim sleepy. Once 
  all the Charges are used up, the character has to 
  obtain more poison and coat the blade again (in 
  the GM’s judgment, leaving the poison on the blade 
  too long may dilute it, and eventually cause it to 
  become ineﬀ ective).
  Drain STUN 4d6, Delayed Recovery Rate 
  (points return at the rate of 5 per 5 Minutes; 
  +½) (60 Active Points); OAF Fragile (-1¼), 
  HKA Must Do BODY (-½), 4 Charges (-1). 
  Total cost:  16 points.
  Interrogation Serum:  Th is drug soft ens up the victim, 
  reducing his willpower and making it easier for the 
  interrogator to force information out of him.
  Drain EGO and PRE 4d6, two Characteristics 
  at once (+½), Delayed Recovery Rate (points 
  return at the rate of 5 per 20 Minutes; +¾) (90 
  Active Points); OAF Fragile (-1¼), 1 Charge
  (-2). Total cost:  21 points
  Weakness Drug Darts:  If these darts penetrate the 
  character’s skin, the drug on them causes his mus-
  cles to weaken.
  RKA 1 point (5 Active Points); OAF (-1), Range 
  Based On STR (-¼), 4 Recoverable Charges
  (-½) (total cost:  2 points) plus Drain STR 2d6, 
  Delayed Return Rate (points return at the rate 
  of 5 per Minute; +¼), Range Based On STR 
  (+¼) (30 Active Points); OAF (-1), RKA Must 
  Do BODY (-½), Linked (-¼), 4 Charges (-1) 
  (total cost:  8 points). Total cost:  10 points.
  ENERGY BLAST
  Energy Blast is a much less common Power in 
  Dark Champions campaigns than it is in Champions 
  campaigns — Killing Attacks are the standard Attack 
  Power on the streets. But it is used to create blunt 
  ranged attacks (rubber bullets, blunt arrows, and the 
  like), some types of grenades and other explosives, 
  and “throwing master” abilities (see page 123).
  ENHANCED SENSES
  Th e character who can perceive his foe before 
  his foe perceives him has an enormous tactical 
  advantage, so sensory devices — nightsight scopes, 
  thermalvision goggles, riﬂ e scopes, binoculars, 
  sonar and radar, and the like — are commonplace 
  in most Dark Champions campaigns. See page 276 
  for several examples. Characters sometimes buy a 
  small amount of Enhanced Perception, Telescopic, 
  or other Enhanced Senses to reﬂ ect their observa-
  tional skills.
  FLASH 
  Flash is used in Dark Champions games much 
  the same way Darkness is, but for eﬀ ects that don’t 
  last for a long period of time or require mainte-
  nance. Th e most common example is the Flash 
  Pellet, a small thrown weapon that creates a burst 
  of blindingly bright light (Sight Group Flash 6d6 
  (30 Active Points); OAF (-1), Range Based On 
  STR (-¼), 6 Charges (-¾); total cost:  10 points). 
  Other possibilities include thrown pepper or sand, 
  “ﬂ ashbang” grenades that both blind and deafen, 
  powdered spice used to Flash a guard dog’s sense of 
  Smell, and so forth.
  Some disabling or harassing weapons, such as 
  tear gas and pepper spray, are bought a Sight Group 
  Flashes. However, realistically the eﬀ ects of such 
  weapons last longer than even a high-dice Flash — 
  a few minutes, at the very least. At the GM’s option, 
  characters can build such weapons by applying the 
  Advantage Delayed Recovery (+2) to Flash. For a 
  Flash with this Advantage, each “Normal Damage 
  BODY” rolled on the Flash dice represents 1 Turn 
  of sensory deprivation, rather than 1 Segment. Th e 
  GM may adjust the recovery rate based upon cura-
  tive measures the characters take, for the sake of 
  drama, or for any other appropriate reason — aft er 
  all, it’s not always conducive to enjoyable game play 
  to have PCs and NPCs incapacitated for long peri-
  ods of time.
  HANDTOHAND ATTACK
  Hand-To-Hand Attack is extremely useful for 
  building all sorts of oﬀ ensive abilities. If a character 
  wants to be a little better than normal at unarmed 
  HTH Combat, but not as good as a trained mar-
  tial artist, one or two dice of HA, perhaps with a 
  Combat Skill Level or two, can represent his ﬁ ght-
  ing prowess nicely. Th e Brawler (page 107) and Kick 
  (page 115) abilities are good examples of this.
  Damage added to STR by an HA counts as 
  “base damage done by STR” for purposes of the 
  “doubling damage” rule. However, characters in 
  Heroic campaigns (such as most Dark Champions 
  games) with weapons deﬁ ned as HAs still cannot 
  more than double the weapon’s damage by apply-
  ing STR.
  IMAGES
  As one of the most ﬂ exible Powers, Images 
  has lots of uses in just about any genre, including 
  Dark Champions. Th e most obvious is to create 
  ﬂ ashlights and other sources of light. Other possi-
  bilities include advanced ventriloquism (page 149), 
  and in high-tech campaigns perhaps even limited 
  holography.
  A character can use Sight and Sound 
  Images to create “props” — fake guns, ﬁ reworks 
  which sound like gunﬁ re, dummies that bear an 
  uncanny resemblance to the PC, and the like — to 
  distract enemies, lose pursuers, and throw investi-
  gators oﬀ  the trail of his Social Limitation:  Secret 
  Identity (“Jack Clauson can’t be the Scarecrow 
  — I’ve seen the two of them together!”). Char-
  acters with this sort of Images power can only 
  carry one or two props at a time, which they have 
  to deﬁ ne at the beginning of the adventure (or 
  whenever they last leave their source of supply, 
  such as their Base or car). Th ey can only switch 
  to a diﬀ erent Image by returning to their source 
  of supply. It may require a little time to dismantle 
  one prop and set up another; the amount of time 
  depends on how complex the props are.
  
  95 
  Dark Champions ■ Chapter Two
  Tactical Props:  Sight and Hearing Group Images, -4 
  to PER Roll (27 Active Points); IIF (various props, 
  -¼), Extra Time (requires a Full Phase, and pos-
  sibly much longer, to set up Image; -½), No Range 
  (character has to place the Image by hand before 
  activating it; -½), Set Eﬀ ect Until Changed (-½). 
  Total cost:  10 points.
  INVISIBILITY
  Invisibility is the basis for many Super-Skills 
  representing the character’s ability to hide or be 
  stealthy. See Blend With Shadows and Can Hide 
  Anything, pages 139 and 140, for some examples. 
  It’s also used to create some forms of “stealth tech-
  nology” for Vehicles; in a high-tech campaign, a 
  character might even have a “stealth suit” that pro-
  vided similar protection for him. (For less absolute 
  “stealth eﬀ ects,” use Change Environment.)
  KILLING ATTACK, HTH AND RANGED
  Killing Attacks are the most common Attack 
  Powers in many Dark Champions campaigns, since 
  they’re used to build guns, knives, and most other 
  weapons. To provide greater variation, you can 
  adjust the cost of the “-1” Damage Class level of 
  Killing Attack, as indicated in the accompanying 
  table; these values were used when creating the 
  weapons in this book.
  LACK OF WEAKNESS
  Find Weakness doesn’t work if an attacker 
  can’t perceive a character’s defenses — what cannot 
  be perceived, cannot be analyzed for weaknesses. 
  Th us, any character wearing an overcoat (a staple of 
  costuming for mystery men everywhere) over his 
  body armor could deﬁ ne the overcoat as Lack Of 
  Weakness on an OAF (since the coat could easily 
  be ripped away).
  LIFE SUPPORT
  Life Support occurs most frequently in Dark 
  Champions games as the Power used to build gas 
  masks, SCUBA gear, and similar forms of equip-
  ment. However, characters can also use it to buy 
  some innate abilities. A character who exposes 
  himself to tiny doses of a drug or poison might 
  build up an Immunity to it. A strong-willed charac-
  ter might train himself to hold his breath for a long 
  time (Extended Breathing) or to go without sleep 
  for long periods of time (1 point of Diminished 
  Sleep, usually deﬁ ned as “only has to sleep eight 
  hours every three days” or the like).
  Extended Breathing only alters the rate at 
  which a character spends END to hold his breath 
  — it lets him drown more slowly, in other words. 
  It does not allow him to take any Recoveries (he’s 
  still holding his breath, aft er all), nor does it change 
  the rate at which the character spends END for any 
  actions he takes.
  MISSILE DEFLECTION AND REFLECTION
  Missile Deﬂ ection is a good defensive ability 
  for Dark Champions characters when deﬁ ned as 
  either “block incoming attacks” or “dodging incom-
  ing attacks.” Th e former usually requires a Focus 
  of some kind (a shield, a billy club, or the like) but 
  tends to be limited to physical projectiles only; on 
  the other hand, the character can protect persons in 
  adjacent hexes as well as himself. Th e latter covers 
  all Ranged attacks, but only applies to the character.
  Reﬂ ection is also appropriate for Dark Cham-
  pions PCs, but only up to the level of thrown weap-
  ons such as shuriken. Reﬂ ecting bullets, arrows, or 
  other such attacks is not appropriate for the genre.
  Billy Club Blocking:  Missile Deﬂ ection (any 
  physical projectile), Range (adjacent hexes; 
  +½) (22 Active Points); OAF (billy club; -1), 
  Costs Endurance (-½), Will Not Work Against 
  Heavy Missiles (-¼). Total cost:  8 points.
  Advanced Dodging:  Missile Deﬂ ection (all 
  Ranged Attacks). Total cost:  20 points.
  Catch And Throw Back:  Missile Deﬂ ection 
  (thrown missiles), Reﬂ ection (back at attacker 
  only) (25 Active Points); Requires A DEX Roll 
  (assumes a DEX Roll of 12- or 13-; -¾). Total 
  cost:  14 points.
  MULTIFORM
  Classic Multiform powers, where the character 
  changes his shape into creatures like a wolf, a dino-
  saur, or a bird, are not appropriate for Dark Champi-
  ons campaigns (except perhaps for occult-oriented 
  campaigns featuring werewolves and vampires). 
  However, a character who maintains two distinct 
  heroic identities, each with its own equipment or 
  the like, might (with the GM’s permission) use Mul-
  tiform (with appropriate Limitations) to represent 
  his “second identity.” In some cases you might use 
  Multiform to build a character with severe multiple 
  personality disorder (or the like) where each of the 
  character’s “identities” have diﬀ erent opinions, mem-
  ories, or Psychological Limitations.
  KILLING DAMAGE COST
   
  Dice 
  Base Cost
   
  1 point 
  5 points
   
  ½d6 
  10 points
   
  1d6-1 
  12 points
   
  1d6 
  15 points
   
  1d6+1 
  20 points
   
  1½d6 
  25 points
   
  2d6-1 
  27 points
   
  2d6 
  30 points
   
  2d6+1 
  35 points
   
  2½d6 
  40 points
   
  3d6-1 
  42 points
   
  3d6 
  45 points
   
  3d6+1 
  50 points
   
  3½d6 
  55 points
   
  4d6-1 
  57 points
   
  4d6 
  60 points
   
  ...and so on
  
  96 ■ Character Creation
  Hero System 5th Edition
  PIERCING  
  Piercing is a new optional Power which Dark 
  Champions characters can use to more precisely 
  diﬀ erentiate attacks. It is an Attack Power and a 
  Special Power. Its Duration, Range, and Target 
  depend on the Power for which Piercing points 
  are bought (e.g., they’re Instant and aﬀ ect a single 
  target if applied to an Energy Blast, Constant and 
  cover an area if bought for Change Environment). 
  Piercing costs END to use (in other words, the 
  END cost of a Power with Piercing points is calcu-
  lated from the power’s Active Points plus the Active 
  Points of the Piercing points).
  Th e cost for Piercing depends on the type 
  of defenses the attack reduces, as indicated in the 
  accompanying table.
  To use Piercing, a character must buy points 
  of it for use with a speciﬁ c attack or weapon; Pierc-
  ing does not function on its own, and cannot be 
  bought to aﬀ ect more than one attack or weapon. 
  Th e number of Piercing points purchased directly 
  reduce the total applicable defense on a one-for-one 
  basis. For example, if a gun ﬁ res a bullet bought with 
  two Piercing points, the total Resistant PD applied 
  against it is reduced by 2. A Piercing point aﬀ ects 
  both Physical and Energy defenses, if appropriate.
  If an attack that has Piercing points is also 
  Armor Piercing or Semi-Armor Piercing, subtract 
  the Piercing points ﬁ rst, before the reduction of 
  defenses caused by those Advantages.
  Because Piercing is bought for a speciﬁ c attack 
  or weapon, the Advantages and Limitations taken 
  for that attack or weapon apply to Piercing as well. 
  Th e Piercing points increase the cost of the base 
  power before Advantages are applied.
  Example:  Fireﬁ ght is building a new gun exclu-
  sively for ﬁ ring a special type of APHC (armor 
  piercing hardcore) ammunition. He decides he 
  wants an RKA 2d6 with 1 point of Piercing 
  (Resistant). Th at gives him a base cost of 33 
  points, to which he applies the Armor Pierc-
  ing Advantage and various Limitations. Here’s 
  what he ends up with:
  RKA 2d6, 1 point of Piercing (Resistant), 
  Armor Piercing (+½) (49 Active Points); OAF 
  (-1), Beam (-¼), Real Weapon (-¼), STR Mini-
  mum (11; Minimum Doesn’t Add Damage; -1), 
  12 Charges (-0). Total cost:  14 points.
  If this Power didn’t have Charges, it would cost 
  Fireﬁ ght 5 END per shot to use (as opposed to 4 
  END for an RKA 2d6, Armor Piercing without 
  any Piercing points).
  SKILLS
  Th ere are many possibilities for building Skills 
  as Powers in Dark Champions game, primarily in 
  the form of gadgets that provide a character with 
  a Skill, or which help him perform a Skill. For 
  example:
  Improved Lockpicks:  +2 to Lockpicking (4 
  Active Points); OAF (-1). Total cost:  2 points.
  Line-Gun:  Climbing 14- (13 Active Points); 
  OAF (-1). Total cost:  6 points.
  Loaded Dice:  +2 to Gambling (Dice) (4 Active 
  Points); OAF (-1). Total cost:  2 points.
  If a Skill normally provides a character with 
  another Skill or ability for free (such as Combat 
  Driving, which provides a free TF), in most cases 
  the Skill does so even if bought as a Power. How-
  ever, the GM should evaluate each proposed power 
  in light of common sense and dramatic sense; there 
  may be some instances where it wouldn’t be appro-
  priate for a Skill-as-Power to provide a free ability.
  Characters sometimes want to buy Back-
  ground Skills as Powers — through Foci, primarily. 
  Such Skills get the normal 11- roll for 2 Character 
  Points even if bought through a Focus. However, 
  Background Skills bought as Powers do not get any 
  bonus or cost savings for any relevant Skill Enhanc-
  ers the character has.
  Skills bought as Powers do not cost END 
  unless the Skill itself ordinarily costs END (which 
  almost none of them do — the primary exception 
  is Negative (Combat) Skill Levels).
  PIERCING POINTS
  Defense Pierced 
  Cost
  Normal Defenses 2 Character Points per point of defense removed
  Resistant Defenses 3 Character Points per point of defense removed
  Mental Defense 
  3 Character Points per point of defense removed
  Power Defense 
  3 Character Points per point of defense removed
  Flash Defense 
  3 Character Points per point of defense removed
  
  97 
  Dark Champions ■ Chapter Two
  A
  dvantages are most oft en used in Dark 
  Champions when constructing weapons. 
  Grenades and bombs need Explosion, 
  armor-piercing bullets need Armor Pierc-
  ing, and tasers and knockout gas need NND. Th is 
  section provides a few notes and options for some 
  of the more common Dark Champions Advantages.
  AREA OF EFFECT
  Area Of Eﬀ ect is used in Dark Champions 
  mainly to create weapons like ﬂ amethrowers, 
  explosives, and so forth. (See below under Explo-
  sion for some general rules.)
  Accurate
  Dark Champions characters sometimes use 
  the Accurate form of Area Of Eﬀ ect (One Hex) to 
  create weapons that rarely miss, or hyper-accu-
  racy abilities.
  As noted in the rulebook, the target of an 
  Accurate attack can Dodge it. Th e bonuses from the 
  Dodge (or Martial Dodge) add to the base DCV 
  of 3, and the character can apply relevant Combat 
  Skill Levels to increase his DCV if he wants. He 
  may not apply defensive CSLs unless he Dodges or 
  takes some other defensive action; similarly, if he 
  wants to obtain any bonuses from Concealment 
  or the like, he has to Dodge or take other active 
  steps to obtain them. (However, the Range Modiﬁ er 
  applies to Accurate attacks as normal, regardless of 
  what the target does.)
  With the GM’s permission, a character may 
  target a speciﬁ c Hit Location with an Accurate 
  attack. Th e normal Hit Location OCV modiﬁ er 
  applies to the base DCV of 3, eﬀ ectively negating 
  much of the beneﬁ t of Accurate.
  ARMOR PIERCING
  In many Dark Champions campaigns, char-
  acters have relatively low defenses. Th is may make 
  Armor Piercing an unbalancingly eﬀ ective Advan-
  tage. If necessary, the GM can increase its value to 
  +¾ or +1 to remedy this situation.
  Semi-Armor Piercing (+¼)
  Sometimes characters don’t want the full 
  halving of defenses that AP provides. Th ey can 
  use this +¼ Advantage to create attacks which 
  penetrate armor more easily than regular attacks, 
  but not as well as Armor Piercing attacks. Semi-
  Armor Piercing subtracts one-fourth of the target’s 
  defenses or 3 points of defense (whichever is less) 
  before damage is applied. Th e Hardened Advantage 
  negates the Semi-Armor Piercing eﬀ ect. Characters 
  cannot buy this Advantage multiple times.
  AUTOFIRE
  Autoﬁ re is one of the most popular Advan-
  tages in Dark Champions, since it’s necessary 
  to build submachine guns and various “gunﬁ re 
  tricks.” See page 177 for expanded rules for using 
  Autoﬁ re attacks.
  As explained in the text of the Autoﬁ re Advan-
  tage, several types of attacks (any area-eﬀ ecting 
  attack, NNDs, Mental Powers, and so on) increase 
  the cost of Autoﬁ re by +1. Th is is an increase in the 
  cost of Autoﬁ re, not the other Advantage. If a char-
  acter buys a power with several of the Advantages 
  that add the +1 “surcharge” to Autoﬁ re, he only has 
  to pay for it once (not once per Advantage).
  EXPLOSION
  If a character wants to use Combat Skill Levels 
  to increase the damage of an Explosion attack, 
  the CSLs increase the damage done by the highest 
  die. Th at means they only aﬀ ect targets in the very 
  center of the Explosion, since the highest die is the 
  ﬁ rst one removed as the Explosion decreases in 
  eﬀ ectiveness.
  A character can deﬁ ne an Explosion (or Area 
  Of Eﬀ ect) as covering a smaller part of its deﬁ ned 
  area (say, only half the area the Advantage would 
  normally provide). However, he must still pay the 
  full cost of the Advantage.
  Neither an Explosion nor an Area Of Eﬀ ect 
  attack can be Spread, or take the Beam Limitation.
  Calculating Explosion Damage
  Determining the damage done by an Explo-
  sion is a little trickier for attacks that don’t cost 5 
  Character Points for 1 Damage Class.
  For Killing Attacks, where each die of damage 
  is three DCs, two possible solutions exist. Th e ﬁ rst 
  is to subtract one die, starting with the highest die, 
  for every 3” of expansion (full dice for 3”, -1 die for 
  the next 3”, and so on). Th e second is to subtract 2 
  points of damage for every 1” of expansion. Alter-
  nately, you could try to calculate DCs by subtract-
  ing pips and half-dice, but that could become more 
  troublesome and time-consuming than it’s worth.
  For Entangles, the easiest method is to remove 
  1 BODY and 1 DEF from the Entangle each hex. 
  If you’re willing to do a little more work, you can 
  subtract 1 BODY or 1 DEF, alternating, from the 
  Entangle for each hex (thus approximating a loss of 
  1 DC per hex).
  For a Flash, the attack loses 1d6 of eﬀ ect per 
  hex, regardless of the cost per die.
  For Explosions with other Advantages, the 
  standard rule applies — each hex out from the 
  center subtracts one Damage Class. Page 404 of the 
  POWER
  ADVANTAGES
  
  98 ■ Character Creation
  Hero System 5th Edition
  HERO System 5th Edition, Revised have rules regard-
  ing how to calculate DCs for an Advantaged power. 
  For an NND, for example, each DC amounts to 
  ½d6, so you’d subtract ½d6 for each hex out from 
  the center of the Explosion.
  INDIRECT
  Characters use Indirect at the +¼ level to rep-
  resent artillery and similar types of attacks, which 
  can arc over hills and other intervening obstacles.
  Characters can use Indirect at the +½ level to 
  simulate certain armor-piercing weapons. Some 
  powerful weapons are designed to penetrate a wall 
  or heavy armor before exploding or hitting the 
  target. A special bullet designed to penetrate most 
  forms of cover while still retaining enough energy 
  to seriously injure someone could be bought this 
  way as well. 
  Example:  Renegade wants to buy a special 
  form of tear gas grenade for use in hostage 
  crises. Th e grenades have a special steel tip to 
  enable them to penetrate walls before releasing 
  the tear gas. He buys this as follows:
  Sight Group Flash 6d6, Area Of Eﬀ ect (5” 
  radius, +1), Indirect (+½) (75 Active Points); 
  OAF (-1), 4 Charges (-1). Total cost:  25 points.
  PENETRATING
  Since few targets in Dark Champions games 
  have Hardened defenses, Penetrating attacks are oft en 
  quite deadly. Th e GM should carefully monitor the 
  use of Penetrating attacks in his campaign to make 
  sure they don’t become the dominant form of attack. 
  Penetrating should indicate something especially 
  deadly about a particular gun or attack. If Penetrating 
  becomes too common, it loses some of its mystique, 
  characters start dropping too quickly, and the game 
  suﬀ ers. Keeping a proper grip on the problem lets 
  the characters have fun with Penetrating attacks but 
  keeps them from ruining the campaign.
  RANGED
  Characters creating throwing weapons can 
  use a variant of this Advantage, Range Based On 
  Strength (+¼). It functions the same as the Limita-
  tion of the same name, but for powers that aren’t 
  inherently Ranged (such as Drain). Similarly, char-
  acters may take Limited Range as a +¼ Advantage 
  for powers they want to have Range, but less Range 
  than the standard 5” times Active Points.
  VARIABLE ADVANTAGE
  A gun can be bought with Variable Advantage 
  (+½ Advantages) to reﬂ ect a character’s ability to 
  shift  between diﬀ erent clips of bullets:  AP bullets 
  one Phase (Armor Piercing); Penetrating Frangible 
  bullets the next time (Penetrating); and so forth. 
  Th is sort of gun/attack should take the -¼ Limita-
  tion Extra Time (requires a Full Phase to change 
  Advantages; -¼). See Chapter Five for information 
  on diﬀ erent types of ammunition.
  
  99 
  Dark Champions ■ Chapter Two
  M
  ost of the Limitations in the HERO 
  System 5th Edition, Revised are appropri-
  ate for Dark Champions campaigns in 
  at least some respects. Some, such as 
  Focus, Charges, and Requires A Skill Roll, appear 
  frequently; others are rare.
  ACTIVATION ROLL
  Characters sometimes use the Jammed variant 
  of this Limitation when building guns (especially 
  experimental ones). At the GM’s option, a character 
  can “unjam” a Jammed gun for re-use in 2 Phases, 
  or 1 Phase if the character has Weaponsmith (Fire-
  arms) (no roll is required).
  At the GM’s option, a Jammed Autoﬁ re 
  weapons may “runaway”:  ﬁ re all of its bullets 
  in one or two Segments. Th e bullets are simply 
  wasted — the character cannot point the weapon 
  at his enemies and make use of a runaway, unless 
  he makes a Luck roll (and even then, he should 
  roll to hit as if Blazing Away).
  Activations And Defensive Powers 
  Th e HERO System 5th Edition, Revised rule-
  book notes that Activation Roll is useful to repre-
  sent defensive powers which only protect part of 
  the body (such as body armor), or which only work 
  if the character can use them in time (such as a 
  shield). Since these types of defenses are common 
  in Dark Champions campaigns, GMs need to keep a 
  few facts about them in mind.
  First, a character can avoid body armor that 
  only covers part of the body by targeting uncovered 
  areas (standard Hit Location penalties apply). If 
  a character wears that sort of body armor, and an 
  attacker successfully hits an uncovered area, the 
  character does not get to make his Activation Roll; 
  the body armor automatically fails to protect him. 
  Use the Armor Coverage Table (page 334 of the 
  main rulebook) to determine the coverage of body 
  armor with an Activation Roll.
  As for shields and other defenses where the 
  Activation Roll simulates the character’s skill at 
  “getting the defense in the way” of the attack, the 
  character must be able to sense and/or react to the 
  attack to make the Activation Roll. If the character 
  cannot sense the attack, he cannot make the Acti-
  vation Roll or apply the defense (or, at the GM’s 
  option, must make it by half to apply the defense). 
  Likewise, if he cannot move his defense into posi-
  tion (for example, he’s Entangled or Grabbed), he 
  doesn’t get to make the Activation Roll. At the GM’s 
  option, to reﬂ ect the greater drawbacks to this sort 
  of Activation Roll, characters can take an additional 
  -¼ Limitation for it.
  CHARGES
  It takes a Full Phase for a character to change 
  Clips (unless he has Fast Draw). If a character 
  wants reloading to take longer than that, he can 
  increase the value of the Charges Limitation as 
  indicated in the Increased Reloading Time table.
  CREWSERVED
  Some weapons require more than one person 
  to operate properly. Such weapons take the Limi-
  tation Crew-Served. Th e value of the Limitation 
  depends on the size of the crew needed to ﬁ re the 
  weapon without penalty, as indicated by the accom-
  panying table.
  If more than a single character, but fewer than 
  the required number of characters, attempts to 
  ﬁ re a weapon, reduce the penalty by the number 
  of characters beyond one (though the minimum 
  penalty remains -1 regardless of how many char-
  acters participate). For example, if four characters 
  try to ﬁ re a weapon needing a crew of 8, the normal 
  -9 penalty becomes -6 (-9, reduced by 3 for each 
  person beyond the ﬁ rst).
  To determine the OCV of a Crew-Served 
  weapon, use the chief operator’s OCV, or at the 
  GM’s option take the average OCV of the crew. If a 
  Crew-Served weapon requires a Weapon Familiar-
  ity, at least half of the crew must have that WF, or 
  the crew suﬀ ers the standard Unfamiliar Weapon 
  penalty (-3 OCV).
  If a Crew-Served weapon costs END, all mem-
  bers of the crew must pay that END cost.
  POWER
  LIMITATIONS
  INCREASED RELOADING TIME
  Value 
  Increased Reloading Time
  Additional ¼ Limitation 
  2 Full Phases
  Additional ½ Limitation 
  1 Turn
  Additional ¾ Limitation 
  1 Minute
  Additional 1 Limitation 
  5 Minutes
  ...and so on.
  A character with Fast Draw can reduce the increased 
  reloading time by half with a successful roll.
  CREW-SERVED
   
   
   
  Penalty for Single 
   Value 
  Required Crew Character To Operate
   -¼ 
  2 
  -3
   -½ 
  3-4 
  -6
   -¾ 
  5-8 
  -9
   -1 
  9-16 
  Not possible
  ...and so on
  
  100 ■ Character Creation
  Hero System 5th Edition
  Weapons with this Limitation should also 
  take the Focus Limitation with the additional 
  Bulky or Immobile Limitations. Th ey usually take 
  the Extra Time Limitation as well. Generally they 
  do not take the STR Minimum or Required Hands 
  Limitations, since they’re mounted on bipods, 
  tripods, or vehicles.
  GESTURES
  While normal guns do not require Gestures to 
  use, some advanced weaponry might. For example, 
  a man-portable rocket launcher might need to 
  have several rangeﬁ nders set and a few electronic 
  switches turned on before the rocket would be 
  primed to ﬁ re (“Step One:  Extend ﬁ ring tube. Step 
  Two:  Deﬁ lerate the framistat; then enter activator 
  code. Step Th ree: .....”). Characters could represent 
  this with Gestures (and possibly also Extra Time; 
  in some cases a special WF might be required for a 
  complex weapon).
  INCANTATIONS
  Some high-tech weapons might only work 
  when they “hear” a special verbal command. For 
  example, perhaps a new, advanced chaingun can 
  only be activated by hearing a designated opera-
  tor say “Fire at [target].” Such a phrase is loud and 
  out of the ordinary — everything needed for an 
  Incantation. If another character is good enough 
  at Mimicry, he may be able to get a voice-activated 
  weapon that’s keyed to a speciﬁ c voice to work with 
  a successful Skill Roll.
  LIMITED POWER
  Some examples of this Limitation that occur in 
  Dark Champions games include:
  Autoﬁ re Only (-0):  Some weapons with automatic 
  ﬁ re capability can only ﬁ re in automatic mode; 
  characters can’t take single shots with them. When 
  a character uses a weapon with this Limitation, he 
  has to ﬁ re a minimum of three shots for every 5 
  shots’ worth of Autoﬁ re purchased (for example, six 
  shots for an Autoﬁ re (10 shots; +1) weapon). Th e 
  GM can vary this as he deems appropriate, and can 
  set an appropriate rate for weapons whose maxi-
  mum rate of Autoﬁ re is less than 5 shots.
  Minimum Range (-¼):  Some ranged weapons — 
  rockets, missiles, and the like — don’t work unless 
  they can travel a certain distance. Th at gives them 
  time to arm themselves, acquire the target, prepare 
  to detonate, and so on. Th ey do not work against 
  targets who aren’t this minimum distance from the 
  location they’re ﬁ red from, or further.
  RANGE LIMITATIONS:  
  REDUCED BY RANGE
  Th e standard rules for Reduced By Range 
  specify that you should subtract Damage Classes 
  for every doubling of Range beyond 4”. Rather than 
  re-rolling the damage with fewer dice, you may ﬁ nd 
  it easier to take the damage rolled and reduce it by 
  a percentage for each doubling of Range: 
  -25% from 5-8”; -50% from 9-16”; -75% from 17-
  32”; and -90% for targets from 33” to the attack’s 
  maximum Range away from the attacker.
  POWER 
  FRAMEWORKS
  Power Frameworks are 
  generally allowed in 
  Dark Champions games. 
  Elemental Controls and 
  Variable Power Pools 
  tend to be rare. On the 
  other hand, Multipow-
  ers are quite common, 
  usually in the form of 
  “one-weapon Multipow-
  ers” (a single weapon 
  with multiple settings, 
  uses, or attachments) or 
  a Multipower containing 
  several unique weapons 
  the character carries.
  
  101 
  Dark Champions ■ Chapter Two
  M
  ost Disadvantages work in the normal 
  fashion in Dark Champions campaigns. 
  Here are a few notes on non-standard 
  applications. Gamemasters should also 
  refer to page 327 for information on using Disad-
  vantages in the campaign.
  DEPENDENCE
  Traditional comic book Dependencies, such 
  as characters who can’t stay out of the water for 
  more than an hour, have little (if any) place in Dark 
  Champions. In the modern-day action-adventure 
  genre, the most common form of Dependence is an 
  Addiction, as described on page 331 of the HERO 
  System 5th Edition, Revised rulebook.
  Th e “Addiction” modiﬁ er is bought in place 
  of the standard Time Increment for dependence, 
  using the speciﬁ c rules from page 214 of the rule-
  book. It’s helpful if the character deﬁ nes a “Time 
  Increment” for his Addiction, but he doesn’t get 
  any points for it, and falls back on the default time 
  period (roughly one day at ﬁ rst, getting shorter as 
  time goes by) if he doesn’t specify something else. 
  If a character takes the “weakness” option for 
  his Dependence, he loses 3 points from his Charac-
  teristics (not 3 Character Points’ worth). For exam-
  ple, if a character has DEX 20 and suﬀ ers weakness, 
  he drops to DEX 17. Th e GM can decide whether to 
  apply the weakness to all Characteristics, or only a 
  few, based on the nature of the Dependence.
  DEPENDENT NPC
  Many Dark Champions characters steer away 
  from this Disadvantage. For example, one stan-
  dard “origin” for a vigilante character is seeing 
  his loved ones slain by criminals. Th is drives him 
  both to ﬁ ght crime and to avoid “entanglements” 
  which might interfere with his crusade. But players 
  should turn this stereotype on its ear if they want 
  to. Maybe a character has taken up crimeﬁ ghting 
  because the street is no longer safe for his kids. 
  Or the man driven to vigilantism when he saw his 
  daughter gunned down before his eyes may still 
  have to care for a wife driven slightly insane by the 
  same sight. Th e conﬂ ict between a gentle DNPC’s 
  beliefs and the player character’s vigilante attitudes 
  can make for interesting roleplaying.
  At the GM’s option, characters can apply the 
  “Floating” concept described below for Hunted to 
  DNPCs. Th us, a character could deﬁ ne his DNPC 
  as “girlfriend of the week” or “a girl in every port,” 
  rather than having to list a speciﬁ c person as his 
  DNPC.
  DISTINCTIVE FEATURES
  Th is Disadvantage is common in Dark Cham-
  pions campaigns, though most of the Features in 
  question are Easily Concealed:  uniforms; scars; 
  tattoos; yakuza members’ ritual mutilation of their 
  hands; and so forth. Among other reasons, these 
  qualify as Distinctive Features because they make 
  it easier to identify the character if (when) he’s 
  wanted by the law. Similarly, even if a character’s 
  not wanted by the law, his enemies can use his Dis-
  tinctive Features to ﬁ nd him, put assassins on his 
  trail, and so forth.
  HUNTED
  Hunted occurs frequently in the Dark Champi-
  ons genre — action-adventure heroes seem to make 
  a lot of enemies, though the prevalence of lethal 
  force makes it much less likely for a foe to return 
  again and again as they villains in traditional comic 
  books.
  Th e most common Hunteds for many Dark 
  Champions PCs are the police and organized crime 
  groups. Th e police are discussed below. Organized 
  crime groups vary. Th e largest and toughest are 
  usually More Powerful and have NCI. Smaller 
  criminal groups and gangs may only be As Power-
  ful (or even Less Powerful), probably lack NCI 
  (unless the campaign takes place in a very small 
  area), and may even have Limited Geographical 
  Area (since they don’t dare pursue a PC to another 
  city or into another gang’s “turf”).
  Floating Hunteds
  At the GM’s option, a Dark Champions char-
  acter can buy a “ﬂ oating Hunted” (also known as 
  a “generic Hunted”). Th is is a Hunted which isn’t 
  deﬁ ned as a precise person or group, but rather as a 
  type of person or group:
  Example:  Floating Hunted:  any organized 
  crime group 11- (Mo Pow, NCI):  25 points.
  Example:  Floating Hunted:  an assassin 8- (As 
  Pow):  10 points. 
  Th is sort of undeﬁ ned Hunted allows the GM 
  to tailor the Disadvantage to ﬁ t the scenario. If the 
  GM wants to run a game featuring the Maﬁ a, the 
  character’s Hunted by the Maﬁ a for a while. When 
  the focus of the campaign shift s to the yakuza, so 
  does the Hunted. Th is is helpful in Dark Champi-
  ons campaigns because Dark Champions enemies 
  don’t necessarily have the longevity of enemies in 
  other genres — they’re all too likely to fall victim 
  to a fatal case of lead poisoning. If PCs have to buy 
  oﬀ  Hunteds every time they go out to ﬁ ght crime, 
  they’ll never get to spend their Experience Points 
  DISADVANTAGES
  DISADVANTAGE 
  POINTS
  Most Dark Champions 
  campaigns are Standard 
  or Powerful Heroic 
  campaigns. Th e rules 
  typically limit charac-
  ters in such campaigns 
  to no more than 25 
  points’ worth of Disad-
  vantages from any one 
  type of Disadvantage 
  — up to 25 points’ 
  worth of Hunteds, 25 
  points’ worth of Psy-
  chological Limitations, 
  and so forth.
  Th is may cause some 
  problems, since char-
  acters in Heroic cam-
  paigns usually don’t 
  have access to as many 
  Disadvantages as Super-
  heroic characters do. 
  Disadvantages like Acci-
  dental Change, Enraged/
  Berserk, Susceptibility, 
  and Vulnerability don’t 
  occur nearly as oft en 
  in Heroic games. Dark 
  Champions characters 
  may run into trouble 
  trying to come up with 
  75 or more points’ worth 
  of Disadvantages from 
  the ones they can, realis-
  tically, take.
  Gamemasters con-
  cerned about this 
  problem have several 
  options. First, they 
  can waive the 25 point 
  limit — either get rid 
  of it altogether, or 
  increase it to, say, 30 
  or 40 points. Second, 
  they can increase the 
  characters’ Base Points, 
  thus diminishing the 
  number of points they 
  have to acquire via Dis-
  advantages.
  
  102 ■ Character Creation
  Hero System 5th Edition
  on anything else. Floating Hunteds let them keep 
  their Disadvantage points when they kill a Hunted 
  because they’ll soon acquire another. 
  Being Hunted By Th e Police
  Many costumed vigilantes and other Dark 
  Champions characters are Hunted by the police 
  or other law enforcement agencies (whether they 
  actually take it as a Disadvantage or not). Law 
  enforcement agencies take a dim view of killing 
  and crimeﬁ ghting, even if the victims are criminals.
  Th e police have extensive non-combat inﬂ u-
  ence (NCI). Most local law enforcement agencies 
  only have jurisdiction within a particular city or 
  county, so Limited Geographical Area is deﬁ nitely 
  a possibility. However, since one police depart-
  ment can easily alert another to the presence of a 
  criminal or fugitive and enlist its help, or even call 
  on national agencies such as the FBI for assistance, 
  characters can usually forego Limited Geographical 
  Area if they prefer.
  Th e police should almost always be taken as 
  a More Powerful group. Certainly the police force 
  in a large city is going to be more powerful than a 
  200-point Heroic character... but the police should 
  also be considered more powerful than most 
  250+-point Superheroic characters as well. Bul-
  lets may bounce oﬀ  of superhumans in battle, but 
  there’s more to life than just combat. Compared 
  to most characters, the police have an enormous 
  resources to call on. Th ey have access to manpower, 
  money, special equipment, massive amounts of 
  crimeﬁ ghting data (and other information), other 
  governmental agencies, and public opinion. Th e 
  police also have a squad of detectives — and even 
  a 25-point detective NPC can make a lot of prog-
  ress toward cracking Secret Identities and ﬁ nding 
  characters. If the police decide to focus all these 
  resources on a particular character, that character 
  is in a lot of trouble, despite his superpowers or 
  vigilante skills. And this analysis assumes a police 
  agency like those in the “real world” — in some 
  campaigns, the police may have NPCs as skilled 
  and powerful as the PCs working for or with them. 
  Th ere might even be a special police combat unit 
  whose job is to handle characters like the PCs. Any 
  character who thinks he’s tougher and more pow-
  erful than the police department is in for a rude 
  awakening sooner or later.
  Th e police normally Hunt a character to 
  capture him; they only Hunt to kill if the target is 
  considered too dangerous to take alive. Th ey only 
  Watch a character if they just suspect him of being 
  involved in crime and can properly monitor him.
  If the police Hunt a character on an 8-, he’s 
  just one of many persons they’re aft er. He may be 
  the “pet project” of one or two devoted cops, but 
  the force as a whole isn’t really looking for him, 
  just keeping their eyes open in case they run across 
  him. Th e police are unlikely to come aft er the char-
  acter with any special equipment, or otherwise give 
  him any special attention above and beyond what 
  other dangerous wanted criminals get.
  If the police Hunt a character on an 11-, he 
  gets some special attention the average wanted 
  person does not. Th e department may assign 
  several oﬃ  cers to the character’s “case,” at least 
  part-time, and the PC is those oﬃ  cers’ chief prior-
  ity. Depending on why the cops are Hunting the 
  character, there may even be a task force speciﬁ cally 
  devoted to capturing him. At the very least, the 
  character is one of several whose case is assigned 
  to a “Vigilante Squad” (or some other special unit). 
  Th e police probably have a thick ﬁ le on the PC, and 
  may even know things he wishes they didn’t (Vul-
  nerabilities, forensic data, habits, and so forth). Th e 
  police will try to develop special tactics for dealing 
  with the character.
  If the police Hunt a character on a 14-, he’s a 
  major priority for the organization. Th ere’s a task 
  force or special squad whose sole purpose is to ﬁ nd 
  the character and deal with him. Th is task force has 
  as much information on the character as it can pos-
  sibly ﬁ nd, as well as special equipment and tactics 
  to help it capture him.
  Of course, the guidelines above should not 
  be taken to mean that the police are going to be 
  a constant problem for any PC they are Hunting. 
  Many Dark Champions characters seem to be pretty 
  talented at avoiding the police, so don’t make the 
  cops too much of a factor in your game. Keep the 
  wanted characters on their toes, but don’t make 
  them paranoid.
  Th ese guidelines generally apply to any gov-
  ernment agency or like organization. Instead of the 
  local police department, characters could choose 
  to be Hunted by the State Bureau of Investigation, 
  the FBI, agencies such as the CIA or DIA, or many 
  similar groups. Th ey have just as many resources 
  and as much inﬂ uence as the local police, if not 
  more, even if they use them in diﬀ erent ways.
  PSYCHOLOGICAL LIMITATION
  A Dark Champions character’s Psychological 
  Limitations are perhaps the most important Disad-
  vantages he takes. Th ey do more than anything to 
  help deﬁ ne him, his approach to his “job,” and why 
  he does what he does. Becoming a vigilante (or spy, 
  or elite soldier...) isn’t something someone does on 
  the spur of the moment; it typically requires years 
  of intense training, and that in turn requires an 
  equally intense drive and discipline. It’s that drive 
  and its implications which the character’s Psycho-
  logical Limitations represent.
  Some of the Psychological Limitations 
  common to the modern-day action-adventure 
  genre are listed below, with suggestions as to value. 
  (See also the Dark Champions Personalities section 
  on page 28 for other Psychological Limitations.)
  Casual Killer (Very Common, Strong; 20 points):  
  Th is Limitation is most oft en taken by criminals 
  and villains; it’s not really appropriate for most 
  PCs. It signiﬁ es a person who has no compunc-
  tions about killing, and who’s prone to using lethal 
  force to resolve problems. He can kill quickly and 
  unhesitatingly, without a second thought — and 
  he oft en does so, even when it would be better to 
  leave someone alive (for example, to avoid arous-
  ing suspicion, or for interrogation). While his other 
  Psychological Limitations may dictate who he kills, 
  
  103 
  Dark Champions ■ Chapter Two
  a Casual Killer feels no remorse when he kills those 
  targets.
  Code Of The Mercenary (Common, Strong; 15 points):  
  Most commonly used for certain criminals and 
  villains, this Limitation (and its counterpart, Code 
  Of Th e Assassin) signiﬁ es a character who main-
  tains a professional code of honor. If someone hires 
  him to do a job, he becomes absolutely loyal to that 
  employer. He does his best to ﬁ nish the job, won’t 
  betray his employer (either then or aft er the job), 
  and can’t be “bought oﬀ .” Convincing someone with 
  Code Of Th e Mercenary to back oﬀ  and leave a job 
  unﬁ nished usually means having to prove to him 
  that ﬁ nishing the job would somehow be a worse 
  violation of the Code, or that his employer has 
  betrayed or abandoned him.
  Devoted To Justice (Common, Total; 20 points):  A 
  character who’s Devoted To Justice puts the ideals 
  of Justice (or his conception of them) above every-
  thing else. Most of the character’s actions in life, 
  and certainly all of his actions as a crimeﬁ ghter, are 
  taken with a view towards increasing the “amount” 
  of Justice in the world, or doing the “just” thing. But 
  this doesn’t necessarily mean the character is doing 
  the just thing — he may be mistaken, confused, or 
  have odd ideas about what constitutes Justice (pos-
  sibly bringing him into conﬂ ict with the authorities 
  or other PCs).
  A similar Psychological Limitation is Devoted 
  To Talion. Th e law of talion, sometimes known as 
  the Mosaic law, is summed up by the phrase “An eye 
  for an eye, a tooth for a tooth.” A character with this 
  Psychological Limitation believes the evil a man does 
  should be done to him in return. For example, if a 
  street gang member stabs a robbery victim in the 
  stomach with a knife, a character who’s Devoted To 
  Talion would stab the gang member in the stomach.
  Ego Signature (Uncommon, Strong; 10 points):  Th e 
  character has a distinctive emblem or modus ope-
  randi and usually can’t resist using it, even though 
  doing so reveals his participation in a criminal act, 
  exposes him to possible capture, and/or makes it 
  easier for “copycats” to imitate him or frame him. 
  For example, the twisted costumed criminal Ana-
  gram can’t resist leaving puzzles at the scenes of 
  her crimes which, if solved, reveal clues to her next 
  crime or her hideout; the vigilante Black Scorpion 
  stamps the forehead of each criminal he defeats or 
  kills with his distinctive black scorpion logo.
  Hatred Of Killing Attacks (Common, Strong; 15 
  points):  A character with this Psychological Limita-
  tion despises the use of lethal force and the weapons 
  that allow people to inﬂ ict it. If he sees a character 
  using lethal force, he’ll try to stop him (and/or save 
  the target), even if the target deserves to die. If he 
  discovers someone’s carrying a gun or a knife with-
  out authorization, he’ll do his best to take it away.
  Most characters with Hatred Of Killing 
  Attacks also have a strong Code Versus Killing (see 
  below).
  Hunting (frequency varies, Strong; see text):  For 
  whatever reason — hatred, a desire for revenge, 
  a need to capture or kill him — the character is 
  Hunting another character, or even an entire orga-
  nization (such as the KGB or the Maﬁ a). He feels 
  compelled to try to track his quarry down and 
  confront him in some fashion, and does so even 
  though his singleminded pursuit may expose him 
  to danger, cause problems in other aspects of his 
  life, or the like.
  In game terms, if the character is Hunt-
  ing somone on an 8- (i.e., the target would note 
  the character as an 8- Hunted under his Disad-
  vantages), that’s an Uncommon Psychological 
  Limitation. An 11- is Common, and a 14- is Very 
  Common. Th e GM should roll the character’s 
  Hunting each adventure, and if the roll succeeds, 
  work an event or scene into the scenario that 
  focuses on the character’s quest (usually to his det-
  riment in some way).
  Loner (Common, Strong; 15 points):  Characters 
  with “Loner” (or its near relatives Mysterious And 
  Enigmatic and Secretive) want to work by them-
  selves, without help from others. Maybe the char-
  acter believes other heroes, not understanding his 
  motivations, will get in his way or try to stop him. 
  Maybe he’s afraid his objectives are so dangerous 
  that he doesn’t dare risk the lives of others in pur-
  suit of his own goals. Much like a character with 
  Overconﬁ dence, he oft en takes on challenges he’s 
  not equipped to handle.
  Characters who are Mysterious And Enigmatic 
  have a somewhat diﬀ erent outlook on things. While 
  they may work with others, they never reveal any 
  secrets to them — they always keep their identities, 
  information sources, and abilities as secret as pos-
  sible, and if necessary concoct elaborate schemes to 
  maintain these secrets. Th ey also like to “appear out 
  of nowhere” with crucial information. In short, they 
  spend a lot of time protecting their secrets when 
  they could be doing other, oft en more productive, 
  things. It oft en requires good roleplaying and fast 
  thinking to pull this Psychological Limitation oﬀ ; 
  a player should only take it for his character if he’s 
  willing to develop the character’s background (and 
  thus secrets) in detail.
  Players who want to take one of these Psy-
  chological Limitations for their characters should 
  make sure the GM agrees to it. Having a Loner in a 
  campaign oft en proves disruptive and frustrating, 
  largely for the GM but also for the other players.
  Obsessed With Crimeﬁ ghting (Common, Strong; 15 
  points):  Th is Psychological Limitation signiﬁ es a 
  character who lives and breathes crimeﬁ ghting. 
  He regards crimeﬁ ghting, the foiling of criminal 
  plans and the defeat of criminals, as the best pos-
  sible thing he can do (and possibly also the most 
  enjoyable). He feels that if he stops or falters, he’ll 
  be responsible for the people who get hurt or killed 
  because he didn’t do everything he could to protect 
  them. He may push himself to go without sleep 
  for days at a time, ignore normal human activities 
  (such as bathing or eating), or do other unhealthy 
  things in pursuit of his goals.
  Of course, crimeﬁ ghting isn’t the only thing 
  a character could become obsessed with. A spy or 
  soldier might be Obsessed With Completing Cur-
  
  104 ■ Character Creation
  Hero System 5th Edition
  rent Mission, for example. In Disadvantage terms, 
  the subject of the obsession is less important than 
  how it negatively aﬀ ects the character’s life and 
  relations with others.
  Thrillseeker (Common, Strong; 15 points):  Char-
  acters who are Th rillseekers are action-adventure 
  heroes at least in part because of the danger and 
  excitement involved. (Sometimes Th rillseekers have 
  some deeper, subconscious motivation for their 
  behavior:  a death wish; insecurity with their role 
  as a hero; a fear they’re masking.) Th ey take risks 
  most characters would never even dream of just for 
  the “rush” of putting themselves in danger and then 
  overcoming it. If confronted with a dangerous situ-
  ation, the character has to make an EGO Roll not to 
  get involved.
  Triggerhappy (Common, Moderate; 10 points):  A 
  Triggerhappy character thinks guns are fun! — and 
  he’s always on the lookout for a chance to shoot 
  them. He regards gunﬁ re as a good way to solve 
  most problems. Shoot ﬁ rst, ask the remains ques-
  tions later; that’s his motto. Triggerhappy characters 
  are oft en poor choices for inﬁ ltration missions and 
  other activities that require stealth, circumspec-
  tion, and tact, but they’re great for combat missions 
  (aft er all, they probably have more guns than the 
  rest of the PCs combined).
  Triggerhappy also carries some of the impli-
  cations of being “hair-triggered”:  a Triggerhappy 
  character oft en goes oﬀ  half-cocked, ready to ﬁ ght 
  over some imagined insult. Th is makes a Trigger-
  happy character dangerous to be around in some 
  instances. If a Triggerhappy character is strong-
  willed (i.e., has a high EGO), other characters may 
  have problems calming him down, convincing him 
  not to shoot, and keeping him from starting ﬁ ghts 
  at inopportune moments.
  Vengeful or Wants Revenge Against X (frequency 
  varies, Total):  Th ese Psychological Limitations 
  apply to a character who’s out to get someone else. 
  A Vengeful character tends to be revenge-minded; 
  he wants to wreak vengeance on any NPC who 
  oﬀ ends him, shoots at him, or gets on his nerves. 
  His Psychological Limitation is usually Common 
  or Very Common, depending on just how easily 
  oﬀ ended he is.
  A character who Wants Revenge is seeking 
  revenge against a speciﬁ c target (either an indi-
  vidual, or a group). If and when he gets his revenge, 
  he has to ﬁ nd some other outlet for his rage (a great 
  opportunity for roleplaying and character develop-
  ment) or buy oﬀ  the Disadvantage.
  Both types of characters sometimes take other 
  Psychological Limitation such as Hunting or Trig-
  gerhappy. However, the GM should not let a charac-
  ter take more than one of these  Limitations unless 
  they’re distinct enough that they each limit the 
  character in diﬀ erent ways.
  Vigilante Mentality (Common, Total; 20 points):  A 
  character with this Psychological Limitation has 
  set himself up as judge, jury, and executioner. He 
  has a set of standards by which he judges people, 
  and he harshly (or fatally) punishes those who fail 
  to live up to these standards. His standards may be 
  well-known (the laws on the books, the Ten Com-
  mandments), or they may be completely personal 
  to him. He justiﬁ es his actions on various grounds 
  — deterring crime; punishing evildoers; “doing the 
  work the cops can’t do.” Unlike many crimeﬁ ght-
  ers, who simply ﬁ ght crime when they encounter 
  it, characters with Vigilante Mentality actively seek 
  out crime, deal with it, then look for more.
  It’s not uncommon for characters with 
  Vigilante Mentality to try to kill those they deem 
  deserving of death. In some ways, this Psychologi-
  cal Limitation is like a focused version of Casual 
  Killer, though it implies a more philosophical, well-
  thought-out justiﬁ cation for the character’s deadly 
  deeds.
  Code Versus Killing
  In some Dark Champions campaigns, including 
  Dark Champions: Th e Animated Series games, it’s 
  not uncommon for characters to eschew the deadly 
  ways of other action-adventure heroes, and even to 
  refuse to use lethal force — in short, they have the 
  Psychological Limitation Code Versus Killing. 
  Th e typical Code Versus Killing (CVK) is 
  Common, Total, for a value of 20 points. But there’s 
  more than one type of CVK — not every character 
  has to be completely idealistic about deadly force, 
  or a cold-blooded killer (in fact, most Dark Cham-
  pions PCs fall between these two extremes). Some 
  characters are less opposed to killing than others, 
  just as some are more inclined to kill than others. 
  Characters can buy diﬀ erent Codes Versus Killing 
  this way:
  20 points (Common, Total):  Th is is the standard 
  CVK in four-color Champions campaigns. A char-
  acter with this Code will never kill, and to the 
  extent he can will try to prevent other characters, 
  be they PCs or NPCs, from killing as well. He 
  doesn’t insist that any character with a gun or a 
  knife get rid of it, but monitors the use of Killing 
  Attacks closely. If a 20-point CVK character acci-
  dentally kills someone, he feels pangs of guilt so 
  strong they may change his life — he might give up 
  adventuring, rededicate himself to his ideals with 
  renewed vigor (i.e., temporarily have a Hatred Of 
  Killing Attacks), or experience any other appropri-
  ate reaction.
  15 points (Common, Strong):  A 15-point CVK is 
  like a 20-pointer, only less so. A character with 
  this CVK would never kill anyone himself, but he 
  might tolerate other characters who killed on rare 
  occasions and with good reason. A 15-point CVK 
  character feels terribly guilty if he accidentally kills 
  someone, and may even make major changes in his 
  life, but won’t be totally changed by the experience 
  the way a 20-point CVK character would.   
  10 points (Common, Moderate):  A character with a 
  10-point CVK generally opposes the use of lethal 
  force by anyone. However, he’s willing to consider 
  killing in certain extreme situations — when an 
  enemy triggers his Psychological Limitation or 
  Enraged, his DNPC or loved one is threatened, or 
  similar circumstances. He feels remorseful if he 
  
  105 
  Dark Champions ■ Chapter Two
  kills someone, of course, but his guilt won’t debili-
  tate him for a long period of time. Furthermore, a 
  character with a 10-point CVK is usually willing 
  to work with characters of more vigilante-like phi-
  losophies — they’re not his methods, and he doesn’t 
  approve of them, but it’s not his place to dictate to 
  another hero how to do his job. Persuasion and 
  example are more likely to win his comrades over 
  than forcefully confronting them would be.
  5 points (Uncommon, Moderate):  Th is CVK is so 
  feeble it almost doesn’t exist. It represents a char-
  acter who’s a “warrior with morals.” He prefers not 
  to kill in most situations (the average battle, for 
  example). But if he feels killing is called for (he’s 
  outnumbered in battle, he’s seriously injured, he’s 
  ﬁ ghting an extremely evil opponent, his opponent 
  hurt one of his DNPCs or a PC friend), a 5-point 
  CVK character will strongly consider using lethal 
  force, and may decide to use it in some cases (i.e., 
  if he makes an EGO Roll at +5). If other char-
  acters want to use deadly force in combat, that’s 
  their business — but any character with a CVK, 
  no matter how many points he gets for it, despises 
  (and tries to stop) outright assassination and cold-
  blooded killing.
  REPUTATION
  Many Dark Champions characters have nega-
  tive Reputations. (Even more have ones that help 
  them, bought as the Reputation Perk.) Some Repu-
  tations commonly found in the Dark Champions 
  genre include:
  Criminal:  A character with this Reputation is widely 
  believed to be a criminal, even if he hasn’t been 
  convicted of a crime, or even arrested for one. Th is 
  can negatively eﬀ ect how other people react to him 
  and treat him. If appropriate, the character can 
  rename the Reputation to more accurately reﬂ ect 
  what he’s thought to have done:  Organized Crime 
  Figure; Insurance Swindler; Sexual Predator; or the 
  like. Th is is usually an Extreme Reputation.  
  Racist:  Th e media and many citizens will quickly 
  slap this negative Reputation on any hero who 
  appears to be prejudiced toward one or more 
  minority groups — maybe for no other reason than 
  that he seems to focus his activities on minority 
  criminals. Whether the character is actually a racist 
  is up to the player (he usually isn’t, of course, but 
  who said a Reputation had to be deserved?). Th is is 
  an Extreme Reputation.
  Renegade Cop:  Th is Reputation is taken by the 
  classic “maverick cop” who’s known for his uncon-
  ventional attitudes and crimeﬁ ghting methods. 
  While some people consider him a hero, many 
  more (including most other cops) see him as too 
  unpredictable, dangerous, and bad for the depart-
  ment’s image.
  By renaming this Reputation, you can use it 
  for Renegade Soldiers, spies, and the like. It may or 
  may not be an Extreme Reputation.
  Ruthless Vigilante:  Sometimes phrased as Cold-
  Blooded Killer, Murderous Vigilante, or the like, 
  this Reputation represents a crimeﬁ ghter who’s 
  not trusted by people because he’s perceived as too 
  violent, dangerous, and deadly. Civilians won’t help 
  him, the cops pursue him, and so forth. Th is Repu-
  tation may or may not be Extreme.
  SOCIAL LIMITATION
  Many diﬀ erent Social Limitations are appro-
  priate for Dark Champions. Soldiers, law enforce-
  ment oﬃ  cers, and spies are all Subject To Orders. 
  Costumed crimeﬁ ghters may maintain Secret 
  Identities, and many action heroes have Harm-
  ful Secrets. A character who’s a convicted felon 
  has a criminal record, making it easier to ﬁ nd out 
  information about him (and automatically making 
  the cops suspicious of him); he may also have lost 
  many of his civil rights, such as the right to vote 
  (Occasionally, Major; 10 points).
  VULNERABILITY
  Dark Champions characters can take Vulner-
  abilities to forms of attack used in the genre. Th ey 
  can’t take 2 x STUN from Cold Attacks or 1½ x 
  BODY from Magic, but many other possibilities 
  exist. For example, a character who was shell-
  shocked during the Gulf War might be Vulnerable 
  to Explosions (Common, 1½ x STUN, 10 points) or 
  to Hearing Group Flash Attacks (Uncommon, 1½ 
  x eﬀ ect, 5 points). A character whose eyesight has 
  been weakened by a strong dose of tear gas might 
  be Vulnerable to Sight Flash Attacks (Common, 2 
  x eﬀ ect, 20 points). A character who once took a 
  wound in the arm that healed badly might be Vul-
  nerable to attacks which hit Locations 7-8, because 
  of the extra pain they cause him (Uncommon, 1½ 
  x STUN, 5 points; if an Arm Hit Location is rolled, 
  the bad arm will be the one hit on a roll of 1-3 on 
  a d6). Dark Champions Vulnerabilities should be 
  limited to STUN only in most cases.
  
  106 ■ Character Creation
  Hero System 5th Edition
  A
  lso known as Skill Tricks, Action Stunts, 
  or the like, Super-Skills represent various 
  abilities Dark Champions characters might 
  have to reﬂ ect their superior level of skill, 
  ﬁ ghting ability, or cleverness.
  Some Super-Skills are built as naked Advan-
  tages to apply to various weapons, or the like. At 
  the GM’s option, characters can place these powers 
  in a Multipower or other Power Framework, even 
  though that’s normally not allowed.
  See the text elsewhere in this chapter, and Th e 
  Ultimate Martial Artist, Ninja Hero, and Th e Ulti-
  mate Vehicle for other abilities appropriate for Dark 
  Champions characters.
  THE SUPERSKILL TEMPLATE
  Th is section describes each ability with a stan-
  dard template. Th e information provided applies only 
  to the standard ability; the options may have diﬀ erent 
  areas of eﬀ ect, ranges, END costs, and so forth.
  Name indicates the name of the ability. Of 
  course, you can rename it to suit your own charac-
  ter if you prefer.
  Eﬀ ect lists the basic game eﬀ ect of the ability in 
  simple terms:  Energy Blast 8d6, Explosion; Desolidi-
  ﬁ cation; Autoﬁ re for any gun built on up to 90 Active 
  Points. Th is tells you quickly what an ability can do so 
  you don’t have to delve into the full game write-up.
  Target/Area Aﬀ ected describes who or what 
  the ability aﬀ ects. An Attack Power usually indi-
  cates “One character” or the area covered due to 
  the Area Of Eﬀ ect or Explosion Advantages. (Of 
  course, sometimes even a “one character” ability 
  can be Spread, or used with Rapid Fire or Sweep to 
  aﬀ ect more than one target; an ability’s shorthand 
  description doesn’t override the rules.)  “Self” indi-
  cates the ability only works on the character using 
  it (though it may still “aﬀ ect” other characters; for 
  example, other characters can perceive the eﬀ ects of 
  Shape Shift , even though it’s a “Self” ability.)
  Duration lists the ability’s duration, typically 
  Instant, Constant, Persistent, or Inherent (see the 
  HERO System 5th Edition, Revised, page 98).
  Range lists the range for the ability. Ranged 
  abilities usually have a range in inches (Active 
  Points x 5” in most cases), but may have “LOS” 
  (Line Of Sight) range. “No Range” indicates that 
  the ability has No Range; “Self” that the ability 
  only aﬀ ects the character using it; “Touch” that the 
  ability involves having to touch another character 
  (which usually requires an Attack Roll).
  END Cost lists the ability’s Endurance cost.
  Skill Roll Penalty indicates the penalty for 
  using a Skill Roll to use the ability, either because 
  the ability has the Requires A Skill Roll Limita-
  tion or for times when the GM permits the char-
  acter to use the ability as an impromptu “action 
  hero trick” based on a Skill Roll. It’s calculated 
  by dividing the Active Point cost of the ability by 
  10 (the options list other possibilities). As usual, 
  a character shouldn’t use a Skill to perform one 
  of these abilities repeatedly; if he wants to use a 
  Super-Skill frequently, he should pay Character 
  Points for it. “N/A” indicates that characters can’t 
  activate that ability with a Skill Roll — it’s not a 
  “trick” so much as it is an innate ability a hero 
  might possess.
  Description provides a (usually brief) tex-
  tual description of the ability. Th is section notes 
  any special rules or rules applications relevant 
  to the ability.
  Game Information is a full write-up of the 
  ability in game terms, including Active Point 
  and Real Point costs. (If only one point total 
  is listed, that means the Active and Real Point 
  costs are the same.)
  Lastly, many abilities have Options listed 
  below the game information. Th ese describe 
  various ways to alter the ability to create a 
  slightly diﬀ erent ability.
  SUPER-SKILLS
  
  107 
  Dark Champions ■ Chapter Two
  OFFENSIVE ABILITIES
  ACCURATE
  Effect: 
  Targeting Skill Levels:  +4 OCV 
  versus Hit Location Modiﬁ ers 
  with Firearms
  Target/Area Affected: Self
  Duration: 
  Persistent
  Range: 
  Self
  END Cost: 
  0
  Skill Roll Penalty: 
  N/A
  Description:  Th e character is an extremely accurate 
  shot, able to hit speciﬁ c parts of targets (such as 
  the parts not protected by Concealment or body 
  armor) with relative ease.
  Game Information:  Targeting Skill Levels:  +4 
  OCV versus Hit Location Modiﬁ ers with Fire-
  arms. Total cost:  8 points.
  Options:
  1)  Strong Accuracy:  Increase to +8 OCV. Total cost:  
  16 points.
  2)  Can Shoot The Wings Off A Fly:  Increase to +12 
  OCV. Total cost:  24 points.
  3)  Weak Accuracy:  Decrease to +2 OCV. Total cost:  
  4 points.
  4)  Universally Accurate:  Increase to with All 
  Attacks. Total cost:  12 points.
  AWEINSPIRING
  Effect: 
  +20 PRE, Only To Make 
  Presence Attacks
  Target/Area Affected: Special
  Duration: 
  Persistent
  Range: 
  Self
  END Cost: 
  0
  Skill Roll Penalty: 
  N/A
  Description:  Th e character has such presence 
  — such self-conﬁ dence, force of personality, and 
  bravura — that he can easily impress others and 
  persuade them to do what he wants.
  Game Information:  +20 PRE (20 Active Points); 
  Only To Make Presence Attacks (-½). Total 
  cost:  13 points.
  Options:
  1)  Strong Super-Skill:  Increase to +30 PRE. Total 
  cost:  20 points.
  2)  Weak Super-Skill:  Decrease to +10 PRE. Total 
  cost:  7 points.
  3)  Tough Super-Skill:  Add Requires A Presence Roll 
  (assumes a PRE Roll of 12- or 13-; -¾). Total cost:  
  9 points.
  4)  Fear-Inspiring:  Th e only emotion the character 
  can inspire is fear. Change to Only To Make Fear-
  /Intimidation-Based Presence Attacks (-1). Total 
  cost:  Standard:  10 points;  Strong:  15 points; 
  Weak:  5 points.
  BRAWLER
  Effect: 
  HA +4d6
  Target/Area Affected: One character
  Duration: 
  Instant
  Range: 
  Touch
  END Cost: 
  2
  Skill Roll Penalty: 
  N/A
  Description:  Th e character is a rough, tough scrap-
  per who can dish out a much more powerful punch 
  than the average person.
  Game Information:  HA +4d6 (20 Active 
  Points); Hand-To-Hand Attack (-½). Total 
  cost:  13 points.
  Options:
  1)  Strong Brawler:  Increase to HA +6d6. 30 Active 
  Points; total cost:  20 points.
  2)  Weak Brawler:  Decrease to HA +2d6. 10 Active 
  Points; total cost:  7 points.
  3)  Skilled Brawler I:  Th e character’s also a more 
  skilled ﬁ ghter than the average person. Character 
  also buys +2 OCV with HA. Total cost 4 points; 
  total cost of ability 17 points.
  4)  Skilled Brawler II:  Th e character’s so good at 
  ﬁ ghting that he’s also tougher to hit. Character also 
  buys +2 with HA (can be applied to OCV or DCV). 
  Total cost 6 points; total cost 19 points.
  COMBAT INTUITION
  Effect: 
  +2 with All Combat, Requires 
  An INT Roll
  Target/Area Affected: Self
  Duration: 
  Constant
  Range: 
  Self
  END Cost: 
  0
  Skill Roll Penalty: 
  -2
  Description:  Th e character is so experienced a com-
  batant that he has an uncanny knack for predict-
  ing what his opponent’s going to do, and reacting 
  accordingly.
  Game Information:  +2 with All Combat (16 
  Active Points); Requires An INT Roll (assumes 
  a INT Roll of 12- or 13-; -¾). Total cost:  9 
  points.
  Options:
  1)  Strong Intuition:  Increase to +3 with All Combat. 
  24 Active Points; total cost 14 points.
  2)  Weak Intuition:  Decrease to +1 with All Combat. 
  8 Active Points; total cost 5 points.
  3)  Easier Intuition:  Change to Requires An INT Roll 
  (-1 per 20 Active Points; -½). Total cost:  11 points.
  4)  Tougher Intuition:  Change to Requires An INT Roll 
  (-1 per 5 Active Points; -1¼). Total cost:  7 points.
  5)  Master’s Intuition:  Remove Requires An INT 
  Roll (-¾). Total cost:  16 points.
  
  108 ■ Character Creation
  Hero System 5th Edition
  CORRIDOR OF DEATH
  Effect: 
  Area of Effect (Line, x2 length; 
  +1¼) for any Autoﬁ re ﬁ rearm 
  built on up to 90 Active Points
  Target/Area Affected: Area of Effect (Line, x2 length)
  Duration: 
  Instant
  Range: 
  No Range (see text)
  END Cost: 
  11
  Skill Roll Penalty: 
  -3
  Description:  Th e character can use an Autoﬁ re 
  attack to ﬁ ll a hall, corridor, or similar conﬁ ned 
  space with a hail of lead.
  Game Information:  Area of Eﬀ ect (Line, x2 
  length; +1¼) for any Autoﬁ re ﬁ rearm built on 
  up to 90 Active Points (112 Active Points); OIF 
  (any Autoﬁ re ﬁ rearm of opportunity; -½), Does 
  Not Work With Hit Location Chart Or Target-
  ing Skill Levels (-¼), Must Use Maximum 
  Number Of Autoﬁ re Shots And Can Only Hit 
  One Target Per Shot (-¼), No Range (Line 
  begins in hex immediately in front of character; 
  -½), Only Works In A Hall Or Similar Conﬁ ned 
  Space (-¼), Requires A Shooting Tricks Roll (-1 
  per 20 Active Points; -¼). Total cost:  37 points.
  Options:
  1)  Strong Super-Skill I:  Increase to any Autoﬁ re 
  ﬁ rearm built on up to 120 Active Points. 150 Active 
  Points; total cost 50 points.
  2)  Strong Super-Skill II:  Increase to x4 length Line 
  (+1½). 135 Active Points; total cost 45 points.
  3)  Weak Super-Skill I:  Decrease to any Autoﬁ re 
  ﬁ rearm built on up to 75 Active Points. 94 Active 
  Points; total cost 31 points.
  4)  Weak Super-Skill II:  Decrease to x1 Line (+1). 90 
  Active Points; total cost 30 points.
  5)  Tougher Super-Skill:  Change to Requires A 
  Shooting Tricks Roll (-1 per 10 Active Points; -½). 
  Total cost:  34 points.
  7)  Toughest Super-Skill:  Change to Requires A 
  Shooting Tricks Roll (-1 per 5 Active Points; -1). 
  Total cost:  30 points.
  8)  Master’s Super-Skill:  Remove Requires A hoot-
  ing Tricks Roll (-¼). Total cost:  41 points.
  COVERING FIRE
  Effect: 
  +5 OCV, Only Versus Suppres-
  sion Fire Penalties
  Target/Area Affected: Self
  Duration: 
  Constant
  Range: 
  Self
  END Cost: 
  0
  Skill Roll Penalty: 
  N/A
  Description:  Th e character is an expert at using 
  Suppression Fire to provide cover for his friends.
  Game Information: +5 OCV (25 Active Points); 
  Only With Autoﬁ re (-1), Only To Counteract 
  Suppression Fire OCV Penalties (-1). Total cost:  
  8 points.
  Options:
  1)  Strong Covering Fire:  Increase to +7 OCV. 35 
  Active Points; total cost 12 points.
  2)  Weak Covering Fire:  Decrease to +3 OCV. 15 
  Active Points; total cost 5 points.
  3)  Tough Covering Fire:  Add Requires A Shooting 
  Tricks Roll (-1 per 20 Active Points; -¼). Total cost:  
  8 points.
  4)  Tougher Covering Fire:  Add Requires A Shooting 
  Tricks Roll (-½). Total cost:  7 points.
  5)  Toughest Covering Fire:  Add Requires A Shoot-
  ing Tricks Roll (-1 per 5 Active Points; -1). Total 
  cost:  6 points.
  CRIPPLING SHOT
  Effect: 
  Drain DEX and Running 2d6, 
  Uses Firearm Charge
  Target/Area Affected: One character
  Duration: 
  Instant
  Range: 
  10”
  END Cost: 
  0 (uses a ﬁ rearm’s Charges; 
  see text)
  Skill Roll Penalty: 
  -7
  Description:  Th e character’s such a skilled shooter he 
  can shoot someone in the leg or arm just to wound 
  them badly, causing such pain and injury that the 
  victim becomes less able to move. (If the character 
  shoots the victim in the arm, he simply doesn’t use 
  the Drain Running part of the ability.) Th is ability 
  uses Charges, but those Charges come from the ﬁ re-
  arm used (in other words, each use of Crippling Shot 
  requires the character to ﬁ re one bullet from a gun). 
  Every point of BODY obtained from Healing BODY 
  (or the like) removes two points of the Drain eﬀ ect 
  from both DEX and Running.
  Game Information:  Drain DEX and Running 
  2d6, two Powers at once (+½), Limited Range 
  (10”; +¼), Delayed Return Rate (character 
  heals the damage as if Recovering BODY; +2) 
  (75 Active Points); OIF (any ﬁ rearm of oppor-
  tunity; -½), Requires A Shooting Tricks Roll
  (-½), Uses 1 Charge From A Firearm RKA
  (-¼), Healing BODY Heals Eﬀ ect (see text; -½). 
  Total cost:  27 points.
  
  109 
  Dark Champions ■ Chapter Two
  Options:
  1)  Strong Crippling Shot:  Increase to Drain 3d6. 112 
  Active Points; total cost 41 points.
  2)  Weak Crippling Shot:  Decrease to Drain 1d6. 37 
  Active Points; total cost 13 points.
  3)  Easier Crippling Shot:  Change to Requires A 
  Shooting Tricks Roll (-1 per 20 Active Points; -¼). 
  Total cost:  30 points.
  4)  Tougher Crippling Shot:  Change to Requires A 
  Shooting Tricks Roll (-1 per 5 Active Points; -1). 
  Total cost:  23 points.
  5)  Master’s Crippling Shot:  Remove Requires A 
  Shooting Tricks Roll (-½). Total cost:  33 points.
  DEADLY SHOOTER
  Effect: 
  Deadly Blow (RKA +2d6 with 
  Firearms)
  Target/Area Affected: One character
  Duration: 
  Instant
  Range: 
  Self
  END Cost: 
  0
  Skill Roll Penalty: 
  N/A
  Description:  Th e character is deadly accurate when 
  ﬁ ring any type of gun.
  Game Information:  Deadly Blow (RKA +2d6 
  with Firearms). Total cost:  14 points.
  Options:
  1)  Even Deadlier Shooter:  Increase to Deadly Blow 
  (RKA +3d6 with Firearms). Total cost:  21 points.
  2)  Less Deadly Shooter:  Decrease to Deadly Blow 
  (RKA +1d6 with Firearms). Total cost:  7 points.
  3)  Tough Deadly Shooting:  Add Requires A Shoot-
  ing Tricks Roll (-1 per 20 Active Points; -¼). 14 
  Active Points; total cost 11 points.
  4)  Tougher Deadly Shooting:  Add Requires A 
  Shooting Tricks Roll (-1 per 10 Active Points; -½). 
  14 Active Points; total cost 9 points.
  5)  Toughest Deadly Shooting:  Add Requires A 
  Shooting Tricks Roll (-1 per 5 Active Points; -1). 14 
  Active Points; total cost 7 points.
  DISQUIETING AURA
  Effect: 
  Change Environment, -4 PRE
  Target/Area Affected: 8” Radius
  Duration: 
  Constant
  Range: 
  No Range
  END Cost: 
  3
  Skill Roll Penalty: 
  -3
  Description:  When the character wants, he can be 
  pretty eerie and frightening — just being near him 
  is enough to disturb and unnerve people.
  Game Information: Change Environment 
  8” radius, -4 PRE for purposes of resist-
  ing character’s Presence Attacks (35 Active 
  Points); No Range (-½), Requires A PRE Roll 
  (assumes a PRE Roll of 12- or 13-; -¾). Total 
  cost:  15 points.
  Options:
  1)  Strong Super-Skill I:  Increase to -6 PRE. 45 
  Active Points; total cost 20 points.
  2)  Strong Super-Skill II:  Add Reduced Endurance 
  (0 END; +½). 52 Active Points; total cost 23 points.
  3)  Weak Super-Skill:  Decrease to -3 PRE. 30 Active 
  Points; total cost 13 points.
  4)  Easier Super-Skill:  Change to Requires A PRE Roll 
  (-1 per 20 Active Points; -½). Total cost:  17 points.
  5)  Tougher Super-Skill:  Change to Requires A 
  PRE Roll (-1 per 5 Active Points; -1¼). Total cost:  
  13 points.
  6)  Master’s Super-Skill:  Remove Requires A PRE 
  Roll (-¾). Total cost:  23 points.
  7)  Eerie Laugh:  When people hear the character’s 
  chilling laughter, they tremble in fear! Add Incanta-
  tions (-¼). Total cost:  14 points.
  8)  Other Disquieting Effects:  Th e fear a character 
  inspires could have plenty of other eﬀ ects besides 
  just making his enemies more susceptible to his 
  Presence Attacks. Here are some other possibili-
  ties, which a character could buy separately, or as 
  one Change Environment power with the Multiple 
  Combat Eﬀ ects and/or Variable Combat Eﬀ ects 
  Adders:
  -4 EGO for purposes of resisting the charac-
  ter’s Interrogation rolls
  -4 OCV because his enemies are too afraid to 
  attack him eﬀ ectively
  -4 DCV because his enemies are paralyzed 
  with fear
  -4 STR as his enemies become weak with fear
  Here’s an example of how you might create 
  such a power:  Change Environment 8” 
  radius (inspire fear in the character’s ene-
  mies), -4 PRE for purposes of resisting char-
  acter’s Presence Attacks, Multiple Combat 
  Eﬀ ects, Variable Combat Eﬀ ects (50 Active 
  Points); No Range (-½), Requires A PRE Roll 
  (assumes a PRE Roll of 12- or 13-; -¾). Total 
  cost:  22 points.
  
  110 ■ Character Creation
  Hero System 5th Edition
  DOUBLE TAP
  Effect: 
  Autoﬁ re (2 shots; +¼) for RKA 
  built on up to 60 Active Points
  Target/Area Affected: One character
  Duration: 
  Instant
  Range: 
  Self
  END Cost: 
  1
  Skill Roll Penalty: 
  -1
  Description:  Th e character is skilled at ﬁ ring guns 
  (primarily handguns) two times in rapid succession 
  at a single target, increasing his chances of inﬂ ict-
  ing a lethal injury.
  Even though the cost of this Super-Skill 
  depends on the Active Points in the attack, the GM 
  should consider letting the character apply it even 
  to ﬁ rearms that exceed the Active Point total. Some 
  types of bullets signiﬁ cantly increase the Active 
  Point cost of a gun, though they don’t alter it in any 
  way, so it may make common sense and dramatic 
  sense to let the character use this ability with them.
  Game Information:  Autoﬁ re (2 shots; +¼) for 
  any non-Autoﬁ re RKA built on up to 60 Active 
  Points (15 Active Points); OIF (non-Autoﬁ re 
  ﬁ rearm of opportunity; -½), Both Shots Must 
  Be At Th e Same Target (-0), Requires A Shoot-
  ing Tricks Roll (-½). Total cost:  7 points.
  Options:
  1)  Strong Double Tap:  Increase to any non-Auto-
  ﬁ re RKA built on up to 90 Active Points. 22 Active 
  Points; total cost 11 points.
  2)  Weak Double Tap:  Decrease to any non-Autoﬁ re 
  RKA built on up to 45 Active Points. 11 Active 
  Points; total cost 5 points.
  3)  Easier Double Tap:  Change to Requires A Shoot-
  ing Tricks Roll (-1 per 20 Active Points; -¼). Total 
  cost:  9 points.
  4)  Tougher Double Tap:  Change to Requires A 
  Shooting Tricks Roll (-1 per 5 Active Points; -1). 
  Total cost:  6 points.
  5)  Master’s Double Tap:  Remove Requires A Shoot-
  ing Tricks Roll (-½). Total cost:  10 points.
  6)  Accurate Double Tap:  Th e character’s also more 
  likely to hit the target with at least one shot (if not 
  both). Character also buys +2 OCV with Double Tap. 
  Total cost 4 points; total cost of ability 11 points.
  7)  Variant Double Tap:  Th is version of Double Tap 
  relies solely upon Combat Skill Levels. Change to +2 
  OCV with Non-Autoﬁ re Firearms (10 Active Points); 
  Requires A Shooting Tricks Roll (-½), Requires 2 
  Charges Per Use (-¼). Total cost:  6 points.
  DRAWING A BEAD
  Effect: 
  +3 OCV, Only Versus Dodging
  Target/Area Affected: Self
  Duration: 
  Instant
  Range: 
  Self
  END Cost: 
  1
  Skill Roll Penalty: 
  -1
  Description:  Th e character knows how to track 
  opponents with ranged attacks and hit them even 
  when they’re doing their best to get out of his line 
  of ﬁ re. In game terms he has three Combat Skill 
  Levels he can only assign to OCV to counteract 
  the DCV bonus a target gets from Dodge, Martial 
  Dodge, or any other Martial Maneuver with the 
  Dodge Element. He can only apply as many Levels 
  as the DCV bonus provided by the Maneuver, or 
  three, whichever is fewer.
  Game Information:  +3 OCV (15 Active Points); 
  Only To Counteract Dodge DCV Bonuses (-½), 
  Requires A Shooting Tricks Roll (-½). Total 
  cost:  7 points.
  Options:
  1)  Strong Drawing:  Increase to +5 OCV. 25 Active 
  Points; total cost 12 points.
  2)  Weak Drawing:  Decrease to +2 OCV. 10 Active 
  Points; total cost 5 points.
  3)  Easier Drawing:  Change to Requires A Shooting 
  Tricks Roll (-1 per 20 Active Points; -¼). Total cost:  
  9 points.
  4)  Tougher Drawing:  Change to Requires A Shoot-
  ing Tricks Roll (-1 per 5 Active Points; -1). Total 
  cost:  6 points.
  5)  Master’s Drawing:  Remove Requires A Shooting 
  Tricks Roll (-½). Total cost:  10 points.
  EXTENDED PUSH
  Effect: 
  +5 STR, Only When Pushing
  Target/Area Affected: Self
  Duration: 
  Constant
  Range: 
  Self
  END Cost: 
  5
  Skill Roll Penalty: 
  -1
  Description:  When the character really needs the 
  strength to lift  something heavy or punch someone 
  as hard as he can, he has the willpower to call on 
  normally-untapped reserves of muscular power.
  Game Information:  +5 STR (5 Active Points); 
  Increased Endurance Cost (x5 END; -2), 
  Nonpersistent (-¼), Only When Pushing (-1), 
  Requires An EGO Roll (assumes an EGO Roll 
  of 12- or 13-; -¾). Total cost:  1 point.
  
  111 
  Dark Champions ■ Chapter Two
  EYE POKE
  Effect: 
  Sight Group Flash 6d6, NND 
  (solid eye coverings)
  Target/Area Affected: One character
  Duration: 
  Instant
  Range: 
  No Range
  END Cost: 
  4
  Skill Roll Penalty: 
  N/A
  Description:  Th e character can hit someone in the 
  eyes hard enough to temporarily blind him, but 
  not hard enough to inﬂ ict permanent damage. Th e 
  attack doesn’t work if the target wears any sort of 
  hard covering over his eyes — sunglasses, goggles, a 
  helmet with faceplate, or the like.
  Game Information:  Sight Group Flash 6d6, 
  NND (the defense is solid coverings over the 
  eyes; +½) (45 Active Points); No Range (-½). 
  Total cost:  30 points.
  Options:
  1)  Strong Poke:  Increase to Sight Group Flash 8d6. 
  60 Active Points; total cost 40 points.
  2)  Weak Poke:  Decrease to Sight Group Flash 4d6. 
  30 Active Points; total cost 20 points.
  3)  Tough Poke:  Add Requires A DEX Roll (assumes a 
  DEX Roll of 12- or 13-; -¾). Total cost:  20 points.
  4)  Eye Gouge:  Th e character can hit an opponent’s 
  eyes hard enough to damage them permanently. 
  Change to Major Transform 6d6 (sighted being to 
  blind being, heals back through eye transplant or 
  the like), NND (the defense is solid coverings over 
  the eyes; +½) (135 Active Points); All Or Nothing
  (-½), Limited Target (sighted beings with eyes 
  placed within a handspan of each other; -½), No 
  Range (-½). Total cost:  54 points.
  FAVORITE GUN
  Effect: 
  Lightning Reﬂ exes (+2 to act 
  ﬁ rst with a single type and 
  model of ﬁ rearm) plus +2 OCV 
  with a single type and model of 
  ﬁ rearm
  Target/Area Affected: Self
  Duration: 
  Persistent/Constant
  Range: 
  Self
  END Cost: 
  0
  Skill Roll Penalty: 
  N/A
  Description:  Some characters seem to have an 
  innate ability to use a particular type of pistol well. 
  One might ﬁ nd that a Colt M1911A performs in an 
  average way for him, but a Glock 17 somehow “ﬁ ts 
  him” so well that he’s a much faster, more accurate 
  shot. Another one might be lukewarm toward the 
  Glock, but prefer the Colt.
  Game Information:  Lightning Reﬂ exes (+2 
  DEX to act ﬁ rst with a single type and model 
  ﬁ rearm) (total cost:  2 points) plus +2 OCV 
  with a single type and model of ﬁ rearm (total 
  cost:  4 points). Total cost:  6 points.
  Options:
  1)  More Favorite Gun:  Increase to +3 DEX and +3 
  OCV. Total cost:  9 points.
  2)  Less Favorite Gun:  Decrease to +1 DEX and +1 
  OCV. Total cost:  3 points.
  FEARFUL OBEDIENCE
  Effect: 
  Mind Control 10d6, Requires A 
  Reputation Roll
  Target/Area Affected: One character
  Duration: 
  Instant
  Range: 
  No Range
  END Cost: 
  0
  Skill Roll Penalty: 
  -0
  Description:  Th e character has so fearsome a repu-
  tation among members of the underworld that he 
  can compel obedience from them, on pain of death 
  or other dire fates if they disobey. Of course, the 
  longer they’re away from him, the more likely they 
  are to shake oﬀ  the eﬀ ects....
  Game Information:  Mind Control 10d6, 
  Reduced Endurance (0 END; +½) (75 Active 
  Points); Cannot Pay END To Prevent Dete-
  rioration Of Breakout Roll (-¼), Does Not 
  Provide Mental Awareness (-¼), No Range 
  (-½), Only Versus Criminals (-½), Requires 
  A Reputation Roll (no Skill Roll penalty; -0). 
  Total cost:  30 points.
  Options:
  1)  Strong Obedience:  Increase to Mind Control 
  12d6. 90 Active Points; total cost 36 points.
  2)  Weak Obedience:  Decrease to Mind Control 
  8d6. 60 Active Points; total cost 24 points.
  3)  Tough Obedience:  Change to Requires A Reputa-
  tion Roll (-1 per 20 Active Points; -¼). Total cost:  
  27 points.
  
  112 ■ Character Creation
  Hero System 5th Edition
  4)  Tougher Obedience:  Change to Requires A Repu-
  tation Roll (-1 per 10 Active Points; -½). Total cost: 
  25 points.
  5)  Toughest Obedience:  Change to Requires A 
  Reputation Roll (-1 per 5 Active Points; -1). Total 
  cost:  21 points.
  GUN MUSCLE
  Effect: 
  +10 STR, Only To Meet STR 
  Modiﬁ er For Using Firearms
  Target/Area Affected: Self
  Duration: 
  Persistent
  Range: 
  Self
  END Cost: 
  1
  Skill Roll Penalty: 
  N/A
  Description:  Th e character’s trained himself to pick 
  up and ﬁ re accurately weapons that are far larger 
  and heavier than he could otherwise use. (Th is does 
  not allow him to use crew-served weapons by him-
  self without penalty.)
  Game Information:  +10 STR (10 Active Points); 
  Only To Meet STR Modiﬁ er For Using Firearms 
  (-2). Total cost:  3 points.
  Options:
  1)  Strong Muscles:  Increase to +15 STR. 15 Active 
  Points; total cost 5 points.
  2)  Weak Muscles:  Decrease to +5 STR. 5 Active 
  Points; total cost 2 points.
  HEADBUTT
  Effect: 
  HA +2d6 plus +2 OCV with 
  Headbutt
  Target/Area Affected: One character
  Duration: 
  Instant
  Range: 
  Touch
  END Cost: 
  1
  Skill Roll Penalty: 
  N/A
  Description:  A favorite maneuver of brawlers in 
  action movies, the headbutt rarely misses because 
  it’s quick, unexpected, and takes place at extremely 
  close range.
  Game Information:  HA +2d6 (10 Active 
  Points); Hand-To-Hand Attack (-½) (total cost:  
  7 points) plus +2 OCV with Headbutt (total 
  cost:  4 points). Total cost:  11 points.
  HIPSHOOTER
  Effect: 
  +1 OCV with Hipshot
  Target/Area Affected: Self
  Duration: 
  Constant
  Range: 
  Self
  END Cost: 
  0
  Skill Roll Penalty: 
  N/A
  Description:  Th e character’s exceptionally skilled at 
  hipshooting. He can ﬁ re quickly (usually from the 
  hip aft er he’s just drawn his gun) without taking 
  time to properly aim but still have just as good a 
  chance to hit as he normally would. In eﬀ ect, this 
  allows him to use the Hipshot Optional Combat 
  Maneuver every Phase he’s not using some other 
  Combat Maneuver and thus gain +1 DEX to act 
  ﬁ rst without losing -1 OCV.
  Game Information:  +1 OCV with Hipshot. 
  Total cost:  2 points.
  Options:
  1)  Strong Hipshooter:  Th is form of Hipshooter 
  works with the Optional Combat Maneuver Hurry 
  instead. In eﬀ ect, it lets the character use Hurry 
  every Phase he’s not using some other Combat 
  Maneuver and thus gain +1d6 DEX to act ﬁ rst 
  without losing -2 CV. He still suﬀ ers Skill and 
  Characteristic Roll penalties, however. Change 
  to:  +2 OCV with Hurry (total cost:  4 Character 
  Points) plus +2 DCV (10 Active Points); Only To 
  Counteract Hurry DCV Penalty (-2) (total cost:  3 
  points). Total cost:  7 points.
  HOLD HER STEADY
  Effect: 
  Recoil Skill Levels (+2 OCV 
  versus the Recoil modiﬁ er with 
  All Firearms)
  Target/Area Affected: Self
  Duration: 
  Constant
  Range: 
  Self
  END Cost: 
  0
  Skill Roll Penalty: 
  N/A
  Description:  In campaigns using the Recoil rules 
  (page 194), some characters are particularly skilled 
  at not letting recoil throw oﬀ  their aim. Th is may be 
  due to their great strength, their experience ﬁ ring 
  multiple-shot weapons, their general accuracy, or 
  some other reason, but the net eﬀ ect is that their 
  aim doesn’t suﬀ er as much from recoil as other 
  characters’ does.
  Game Information:  Recoil Skill Levels (+2 OCV 
  versus the Recoil modiﬁ er with All Firearms). 
  Total cost:  4 points.
  Options:
  1)  Strong Steadiness:  Increase to +3 OCV versus 
  the Recoil modiﬁ er. Total cost:  6 points.
  2)  Weak Steadiness:  Decrease to +1 OCV versus 
  the Recoil modiﬁ er. Total cost:  2 points.
  3)  Tougher Steadiness:  Add Requires A Shooting 
  Tricks Roll (-½). 6 Active Points; total cost 4 points.
  
  113 
  Dark Champions ■ Chapter Two
  HYPNOSIS
  Effect: 
  Mind Control 7d6, OIF, Hypnosis 
  Only
  Target/Area Affected: One character
  Duration: 
  Instant
  Range: 
  No Range (eye contact)
  END Cost: 
  3
  Skill Roll Penalty: 
  -3
  Description:  Th e character has mastered the art of 
  mesmerism. In proper conditions — calm, relax-
  ing ones — he can use any small, shiny object to 
  focus the subject’s thoughts and hypnotize him. 
  Although built with Mind Control, this ability 
  does not allow the full range of Mind Control 
  eﬀ ects — generally the best result he can obtain is 
  EGO +20, and the GM may impose other restric-
  tions in the interest of “realism.”
  Game Information:  Mind Control 7d6 (35 
  Active Points); OIF (any watch, pen, or other 
  object for the subject to focus on; -½), Hypno-
  sis Only (cannot achieve full range of Mind 
  Control eﬀ ects, see text; -½), Concentration 
  (0 DCV throughout activation; -1), Extra 
  Time (1 Minute; -1½), Eye Contact Required 
  (-½), Gestures (must wave focusing object in 
  front of subject’s eyes throughout activation; 
  -½), Incantations (“You are getting sleepy...”, 
  throughout activation; -½), No Range (-½), 
  Requires A PS: Hypnotist Roll (-¼). Total cost:  
  5 points.
  Options:
  1)  Strong Hypnosis:  Increase to Mind Control 
  10d6. 50 Active Points; total cost 7 points.
  2)  Weak Hypnosis:  Decrease to Mind Control 5d6. 
  25 Active Points; total cost 4 points.
  3)  Easier Hypnosis:  Change to Requires A PS: Hyp-
  notist Roll (-1 per 20 Active Points; -0). Total cost:  
  5 points.
  4)  Tougher Hypnosis:  Change to Requires A PS: Hyp-
  notistRoll (-1 per 5 Active Points; -¾). Total cost:  5 
  points.
  5)  Master’s Hypnosis:  Remove Requires A PS: Hyp-
  notistRoll (-¼). Total cost:  5 points.
  6)  Cinematic Hypnosis:  Th is form of Hypnosis 
  is much easier and quicker to use. Mind Control 
  8d6 (40 Active Points); Hypnosis Only (cannot 
  achieve full range of Mind Control eﬀ ects; -½), 
  Concentrate (0 DCV throughout activation; -1), 
  Extra Time (1 Turn; -1¼), No Range (-½). Total 
  cost:  9 points.
  I KNOW HOW HE FIGHTS
  Effect: 
  +4 with All Combat, Requires 
  An Analyze Combat Technique 
  Roll
  Target/Area Affected: Self
  Duration: 
  Constant
  Range: 
  Self
  END Cost: 
  0
  Skill Roll Penalty: 
  -3
  Description:  Th e character’s skilled at predicting 
  how other people ﬁ ght and react in combat, and 
  thus knows the best way to counter an enemy’s 
  actions. At the GM’s option, the character may 
  receive a bonus to his roll if he’s fought that par-
  ticular person before.
  Game Information:  +4 with All Combat (32 
  Active Points); Requires An Analyze Combat 
  Technique Roll (-½), Only Applies Versus Tar-
  gets Against Whom Character Has Made An 
  Analyze Combat Technique Roll (-½). Total 
  cost:  16 points.
  Options:
  1)  Strong Knowledge:  Increase to +6 with All 
  Combat. 48 Active Points; total cost 24 points.
  2)  Weak Knowledge:  Decrease to +2 with All 
  Combat. 16 Active Points; total cost 8 points.
  3)  Easier Knowledge:  Change to Requires An 
  Analyze Combat Technique Roll (-1 per 20 Active 
  Points; -¼). Total cost:  18 points.
  4)  Tougher Knowledge:  Change to Requires An 
  Analyze Combat Technique Roll (-1 per 5 Active 
  Points; -1). Total cost:  13 points.
  5)  Master’s Knowledge:  Remove Requires An 
  Analyze Combat Technique Roll (-½). Total cost:  
  21 points.
  
  114 ■ Character Creation
  Hero System 5th Edition
  I NEVER MISS TYPE I
  Effect: 
  Area Of Effect (One Hex Accu-
  rate; +½) for ﬁ rearms
  Target/Area Affected: One character
  Duration: 
  Instant
  Range: 
  Self
  END Cost: 
  3
  Skill Roll Penalty: 
  -3
  Description:  Th e character’s an incredibly accurate 
  shot. In game terms, he can apply the One Hex 
  Accurate Advantage to any ﬁ rearm built on up to 
  60 Active Points. Standard rules for that Advan-
  tage apply (e.g., the target can Dodge the attack, as 
  described on page 97).
  Even though the cost of this Super-Skill 
  depends on the Active Points in the attack, the GM 
  should consider letting the character apply it even 
  to ﬁ rearms that exceed the Active Point total. Some 
  types of bullets signiﬁ cantly increase the Active 
  Point cost of a gun, though they don’t alter it in any 
  way, so it may make common sense and dramatic 
  sense to let the character use this ability with them.
  Game Information:  Area Of Eﬀ ect (One Hex 
  Accurate; +½) for any ﬁ rearm built on up to 60 
  Active Points (30 Active Points); OIF (ﬁ rearms 
  of opportunity; -½), Requires A Shooting Tricks 
  Roll (-½). Total cost:  15 points.
  Options:
  1)  More Accurate I:  Increase to for any ﬁ rearm built 
  on up to 90 Active Points. 45 Active Points; total 
  cost 22 points.
  2)  More Accurate II:  Th e character is so accurate 
  that targets cannot even Dodge his shots (though 
  they can try to Dive For Cover). In game terms, this 
  is bought as a normal Area Of Eﬀ ect that can apply 
  to any ﬁ rearm, but the character can only aﬀ ect 
  one person in the Area Of Eﬀ ect at a time. Th e cost 
  of the Radius is determined as if the base attack 
  had 10 Active Points. Change to Area Of Eﬀ ect 
  (8” Radius; +1¾) for any ﬁ rearm built on up to 60 
  Active Points (105 Active Points); OIF (ﬁ rearms of 
  opportunity; -½), Can Only Aﬀ ect One Target In 
  Th e Radius (-½), Requires A Shooting Tricks Roll 
  (-½). Total cost:  42 points.
  3)  Less Accurate:   Decrease to for any ﬁ rearm built 
  on up to 45 Active Points. 22 Active Points; total 
  cost 11 points.
  4)  Easier Accuracy:  Change to Requires A Shooting 
  Tricks Roll (-1 per 20 Active Points; -¼). Total cost:  
  17 points.
  5)  Tougher Accuracy:  Change to Requires A Shoot-
  ing Tricks Roll (-1 per 5 Active Points; -1). Total 
  cost:  12 points.
  6)  Master’s Accuracy:  Remove Requires A Shooting 
  Tricks Roll (-½). Total cost:  20 points.
  I NEVER MISS TYPE II
  Effect: 
  Line Of Sight (+½) for ﬁ rearms
  Target/Area Affected: One character
  Duration: 
  Instant
  Range: 
  Self
  END Cost: 
  3
  Skill Roll Penalty: 
  -3
  Description:  Th e character can shoot extremely 
  accurately at range — so much so that he doesn’t 
  suﬀ er the standard Range Modiﬁ er. On the other 
  hand, if he can’t see the target, he can’t shoot it.
  Even though the cost of this Super-Skill 
  depends on the Active Points in the attack, the GM 
  should consider letting the character apply it even 
  to ﬁ rearms that exceed the Active Point total. Some 
  types of bullets signiﬁ cantly increase the Active 
  Point cost of a gun, though they don’t alter it in any 
  way, so it may make common sense and dramatic 
  sense to let the character use this ability with them.
  Game Information:  Line Of Sight (+½) for any 
  ﬁ rearm built on up to 60 Active Points (30 
  Active Points); OIF (ﬁ rearms of opportunity;
  -½), Requires A Shooting Tricks Roll (-½). 
  Total cost:  15 points.
  Options:
  1)  More Accurate:  Increase to for any ﬁ rearm built 
  on up to 90 Active Points. 45 Active Points; total 
  cost 22 points.
  2)  Less Accurate:   Decrease to for any ﬁ rearm built 
  on up to 45 Active Points. 22 Active Points; total 
  cost 11 points.
  3)  Easier Accuracy:  Change to Requires A Shooting 
  Tricks Roll (-1 per 20 Active Points; -¼). Total cost:  
  17 points.
  4)  Tougher Accuracy:  Change to Requires A Shoot-
  ing Tricks Roll (-1 per 5 Active Points; -1). Total 
  cost:  12 points.
  5)  Master’s Accuracy:  Remove Requires A Shooting 
  Tricks Roll (-½). Total cost:  20 points.
  
  115 
  Dark Champions ■ Chapter Two
  I’VE GOT YOU COVERED
  Effect: 
  Invisible Power Effects (+1), 
  Only For Covering
  Target/Area Affected: Self
  Duration: 
  Persistent
  Range: 
  Self
  END Cost: 
  6
  Skill Roll Penalty: 
  N/A
  Description:  Th e Cover Combat Maneuver has one 
  big drawback:  the Covered character can automati-
  cally tell that the person Covering him has hostile 
  intentions towards him. A character with this abil-
  ity doesn’t have to worry about that. He has a sort 
  of “quick-draw” ability — he can “Cover” an enemy 
  without actually seeming to do anything, but when 
  the ﬁ ght begins, he immediately whips out his 
  weapon and attacks as an Action that takes no time 
  (this occurs before the Covered character’s action, 
  as usual with the Maneuver).
  In game terms, this ability is bought as Invis-
  ible Power Eﬀ ects for the character’s DEX. If neces-
  sary, recalculate the cost to reﬂ ect the character’s 
  exact DEX.
  Game Information:  Invisible Power Eﬀ ects 
  (fully invisible; +1) for up to DEX 20 (60 
  Active Points); Only For Covering (-1). Total 
  cost:  30 points.
  Options:
  1)  Strong Super-Skill:  Increase to DEX 25. 75 
  Active Points; total cost 37 points.
  2)  Weak Super-Skill:  Decrease to DEX 15. 45 Active 
  Points; total cost 22 points.
  3)  Tough Super-Skill:  Change to Requires A Fast 
  Draw Roll (-1 per 20 Active Points; -¼). Total cost:  
  27 points.
  4)  Tougher Super-Skill:  Change to Requires A Fast 
  Draw Roll (-1 per 10 Active Points; -½). Total cost:  
  24 points.
  5)  Toughest Super-Skill:  Change to Requires A Fast 
  Draw Roll (-1 per 5 Active Points; -1). Total cost:  
  20 points.
  KICK
  Effect: 
  HA +4d6, Extra Time (Full 
  Phase)
  Target/Area Affected: One character
  Duration: 
  Instant
  Range: 
  Touch
  END Cost: 
  2
  Skill Roll Penalty: 
  N/A
  Description:  Th e character can launch a devastating 
  kick in HTH Combat.
  Game Information:  HA +4d6 (20 Active 
  Points); Extra Time (Full Phase; -½), Hand-
  To-Hand Attack (-½). Total cost:  10 points.
  Options:
  1)  Strong Kick:  Increase to HA +6d6. 30 Active 
  Points; total cost:  15 points.
  2)  Weak Kick:  Decrease to HA +2d6. 10 Active 
  Points; total cost:  5 points.
  3)  Skilled Kicker I:  Th e character’s also a more 
  skilled kicker than the average skilled ﬁ ghter. 
  Character also buys +2 OCV with HA. Total cost 4 
  points; total cost of ability 14 points.
  4)  Skilled Kicker II:  Th e character’s so good at ﬁ ght-
  ing that he’s also tougher to hit. Character also buys 
  +2 with HA (can be applied to OCV or DCV). 
  Total cost 6 points; total cost 16 points.
  LAST MAN STANDING
  Effect: 
  +2 Overall, Only When Charac-
  ter Is The Last Man Standing
  Target/Area Affected: Self
  Duration: 
  Constant
  Range: 
  Self
  END Cost: 
  2
  Skill Roll Penalty: 
  N/A
  Description:  Th is ability represents the burst of 
  adrenaline and desperate skill that come when 
  the character realizes he’s the last man on his side 
  standing against the foe. It only works if the char-
  acter is on a “side” of some sort (an army, a group 
  of adventurers, or the like) that’s opposing another 
  “side”; if he’s by himself to begin with, this power 
  doesn’t work.
  Game Information:  +2 Overall (20 Active 
  Points); Only When Character Is Th e Last Man 
  Standing (-2). Total cost:  7 points.
  Options:
  1)  Strong Last Stand:  Increase to +3 Overall. 30 
  Active Points; total cost 10 points.
  2)  Weak Last Stand:  Decrease to +1 Overall. 10 
  Active Points; total cost 3 points.
  
  116 ■ Character Creation
  Hero System 5th Edition
  LETHAL ACCURACY I
  Effect: 
  Find Weakness 11- with all 
  Firearms
  Target/Area Affected: Self
  Duration: 
  Persistent
  Range: 
  Self
  END Cost: 
  0
  Skill Roll Penalty: 
  N/A
  Description:  Th e character has an uncanny knack 
  for ﬁ nding the weakest or most vulnerable spot on 
  his target when he shoots.
  Game Information:  Find Weakness 11- with all 
  Firearms. Total cost:  20 points.
  Options:
  1)  Strong Super-Skill:  Increase to Find Weakness 
  14-. Total cost:  35 points.
  2)  Weak Super-Skill:  Decrease to with a single ﬁ rearm 
  (e.g., with the Colt M1911A). Total cost:  10 points.
  LETHAL ACCURACY II
  Effect: 
  Penetrating (+½) for ﬁ rearms
  Target/Area Affected: Self
  Duration: 
  Instant
  Range: 
  Self
  END Cost: 
  3
  Skill Roll Penalty: 
  -3
  Description:  Th e character’s shots may not always 
  hit... but when they do hit, they’re almost certain to 
  hit a vulnerable spot and draw blood.
  Even though the cost of this Super-Skill 
  depends on the Active Points in the attack, the GM 
  should consider letting the character apply it even 
  to ﬁ rearms that exceed the Active Point total. Some 
  types of bullets signiﬁ cantly increase the Active 
  Point cost of a gun, though they don’t alter it in any 
  way, so it may make common sense and dramatic 
  sense to let the character use this ability with them.
  Game Information:  Penetrating (+½) for any 
  ﬁ rearm built on up to 60 Active Points (30 
  Active Points); OIF (ﬁ rearms of opportunity;
  -½), Requires A Shooting Tricks Roll (-½). 
  Total cost:  15 points.
  Options:
  1)  More Accurate:  Increase to for any ﬁ rearm built 
  on up to 90 Active Points. 45 Active Points; total 
  cost 22 points.
  2)  Less Accurate:   Decrease to for any ﬁ rearm built 
  on up to 45 Active Points. 22 Active Points; total 
  cost 11 points.
  3)  Easier Accuracy:  Change to Requires A Shooting 
  Tricks Roll (-1 per 20 Active Points; -¼). Total cost:  
  17 points.
  
  117 
  Dark Champions ■ Chapter Two
  4)  Tougher Accuracy:  Change to Requires A Shoot-
  ing Tricks Roll (-1 per 5 Active Points; -1). Total 
  cost:  12 points.
  5)  Master’s Accuracy:  Remove Requires A Shooting 
  Tricks Roll (-½). Total cost:  20 points.
  LIGHTNINGSWIFT WARRIOR
  Effect: 
  +2 SPD
  Target/Area Affected: Self
  Duration: 
  Constant
  Range: 
  Self
  END Cost: 
  2
  Skill Roll Penalty: 
  N/A
  Description:  Th e character is such a well-trained 
  combatant that he moves with blistering speed 
  compared to even other skilled ﬁ ghting men. When 
  he lets loose, almost no one can hope to keep up 
  with him.
  In game terms, this ability is bought as +2 SPD, 
  but the character can only use the extra Phases to 
  attack. He cannot take defensive actions, move, take 
  Recoveries, use a non-combat Skill, or do anything 
  other than assault his foes. Since this may cause 
  game balance or game play problems, characters 
  should get the GM’s permission before buying it.
  Game Information:  +2 SPD (20 Active Points); 
  Costs Endurance (-½), Only To Attack (-0). 
  Total cost:  13 points.
  Options:
  1)  Strong Swiftness:  Increase to +3 SPD. 30 Active 
  Points; total cost 20 points.
  2)  Weak Swiftness:  Decrease to +1 SPD. 10 Active 
  Points; total cost 7 points.
  3)  Tough Swiftness:  Add to Requires A DEX Roll 
  (assumes a DEX Roll of 12- or 13-; -¾). Total cost:  
  9 points.
  4)  Untiring Swiftness:  Remove Costs Endurance 
  (-½). Total cost:  20 points.
  MACHINE GUNNER FROM HELL
  Effect: 
  +4 OCV with Autoﬁ re Firearms 
  against a single target
  Target/Area Affected: Self
  Duration: 
  Constant
  Range: 
  Self
  END Cost: 
  0
  Skill Roll Penalty: 
  N/A
  Description:  Th e character is extremely accurate 
  when using Autoﬁ re attacks against a single foe.
  Game Information:  +4 OCV with Autoﬁ re 
  Firearms (20 Active Points); Only Apply When 
  Character Uses Autoﬁ re Against A Single 
  Target (-¼), Must Use Maximum Number Of 
  Autoﬁ re Shots (-¼), Not While Targeting (-½). 
  Total cost:  10 points.
  Options:
  1)  Strong Machine Gunnery:  Increase to +6 OCV. 
  30 Active Points; total cost 15 points.
  2)  Weak Machine Gunnery:  Decrease to +2 OCV. 10 
  Active Points; total cost 5 points.
  MOWING ’ EM DOWN
  Effect: 
  Area Of Effect (8” Radius; +1½) 
  and Selective (+¼) for any 
  Autoﬁ re ﬁ rearm built on up to 
  90 Active Points
  Target/Area Affected: 8” Radius
  Duration: 
  Instant
  Range: 
  Self
  END Cost: 
  0
  Skill Roll Penalty: 
  N/A
  Description:  Th e character is skilled with Autoﬁ re 
  attacks, able to cut down numerous foes without 
  suﬀ ering CV penalties. In game terms, it’s bought as 
  a naked Area Of Eﬀ ect Advantage (the cost for the 
  Radius assumes a base power of 20 Active Points).
  Game Information:  Area Of Eﬀ ect (8” Radius; 
  +1½) and Selective (+¼) for any Autoﬁ re ﬁ re-
  arm built on up to 90 Active Points (157 Active 
  Points); OIF (any Autoﬁ re ﬁ rearm; -½), Must 
  Use Maximum Number Of Autoﬁ re Shots And 
  Can Only Hit One Target Per Shot (-¼), Not 
  While Targeting (-½). Total cost:  70 points.
  Options:
  1)  Strong Machine Gunnery I:  Increase to Area Of 
  Eﬀ ect (16” Radius; +1¾). 180 Active Points; total 
  cost 80 points.
  2)  Strong Machine Gunnery II:  Increase to any Auto-
  ﬁ re ﬁ rearm built on up to 120 Active Points. 210 
  Active Points; total cost 93 points.
  3)  Weak Machine Gunnery I:  Decrease to Area Of 
  Eﬀ ect (4” Radius; +1¼). 135 Active Points; total 
  cost 60 points.
  4)  Weak Machine Gunnery II:  Decrease to any Auto-
  ﬁ re ﬁ rearm built on up to 60 Active Points. 105 
  Active Points; total cost 47 points.
  
  118 ■ Character Creation
  Hero System 5th Edition
  5)  Tough Machine Gunnery:  Add Requires A Shoot-
  ing Tricks Roll (-1 per 20 Active Points; -¼). Total 
  cost:  63 points.
  NECKSNAPPER
  Effect: 
  HKA 2d6, NND, Does BODY, 
  Must Follow Grab, Must Target 
  The Head
  Target/Area Affected: One character
  Duration: 
  Instant
  Range: 
  Touch
  END Cost: 
  9
  Skill Roll Penalty: 
  -0
  Description:  Th e character has been trained in how 
  to quickly and cleanly kill a person by breaking that 
  person’s neck. To do this, he must ﬁ rst Grab the 
  victim, and in a later Phase target the Head with 
  this attack, taking the usual -8 OCV penalty (but 
  getting the standard damage bonuses if he suc-
  ceeds). Th e attack won’t work on anyone who has 
  the proper neck protection, who’s in a position that 
  won’t allow the character to twist his neck the right 
  way, and so forth. At the GM’s option, a victim who 
  has 20 or more points of STR than the character, or 
  who defeats the character in a STR Roll Versus STR 
  Roll Contest by 4 or more, is likewise immune to 
  the attack (at least for the time being... things may 
  turn out diﬀ erently in a later encounter).
  Game Information:  HKA 2d6, NND (defense 
  is rigid rPD on the neck, or anything else that 
  prevents the neck/head from being turned and 
  twisted the right way; +1), Does BODY (+1) 
  (90 Active Points); Must Follow Grab (-½), 
  Must Target Th e Head (-1), No STR Bonus
  (-½), Requires A STR Roll (assumes a STR Roll 
  of 12- or 13-, no Active Point penalty; -¼). 
  Total cost:  28 points.
  Options:
  1)  Strong Necksnapper:  Increase to HKA 3d6. 135 
  Active Points; total cost 41 points.
  2)  Weak Necksnapper:  Decrease to HKA 1d6. 45 
  Active Points; total cost 14 points.
  3)  Tough Necksnapper:  Change to Requires A STR 
  Roll (-1 per 20 Active Points; -½). Total cost:  26 
  points.
  4)  Tougher Necksnapper:  Change to Requires A 
  STR Roll (-1 per 10 Active Points; -¾). Total cost:  
  24 points.
  5)  Toughest Necksnapper:  Change to Requires A 
  STR Roll (-1 per 5 Active Points; -1¼). Total cost:  
  21 points.
  6)  Master’s Necksnapper:  Remove Requires A STR 
  Roll (-¼). Total cost:  30 points.
  PAINFUL SHOT
  Effect: 
  Increased STUN Multiplier (+½) 
  for ﬁ rearms
  Target/Area Affected: Self
  Duration: 
  Instant
  Range: 
  Self
  END Cost: 
  3
  Skill Roll Penalty: 
  -3
  Description:  Th e character has the ability to place 
  his shots so that even if they don’t kill the target, 
  they cause as much pain as possible.
  Even though the cost of this Super-Skill 
  depends on the Active Points in the attack, the GM 
  should consider letting the character apply it even 
  to ﬁ rearms that exceed the Active Point total. Some 
  types of bullets signiﬁ cantly increase the Active 
  Point cost of a gun, though they don’t alter it in any 
  way, so it may make common sense and dramatic 
  sense to let the character use this ability with them.
  Game Information:  +2 Increased STUN Mul-
  tiplier (+½) for any ﬁ rearm built on up to 60 
  Active Points (30 Active Points); OIF (ﬁ rearms 
  of opportunity; -½), Requires A Shooting Tricks 
  Roll (-½). Total cost:  15 points.
  Options:
  1)  More Painful:  Increase to for any ﬁ rearm built 
  on up to 90 Active Points. 45 Active Points; total 
  cost 22 points.
  2)  Less Painful:   Decrease to for any ﬁ rearm built 
  on up to 45 Active Points. 22 Active Points; total 
  cost 11 points.
  3)  Easier Painful Shot:  Change to Requires A 
  Shooting Tricks Roll (-1 per 20 Active Points; -¼). 
  Total cost:  17 points.
  4)  Tougher Painful Shot:  Change to Requires A 
  Shooting Tricks Roll (-1 per 5 Active Points; -1). 
  Total cost:  12 points.
  5)  Master’s Painful Shot:  Remove Requires A 
  Shooting Tricks Roll (-½). Total cost:  20 points.
  
  119 
  Dark Champions ■ Chapter Two
  PERFECT TIMING
  Effect: 
  Precognition, Only To Perfectly 
  Time Attacks
  Target/Area Affected: Self
  Duration: 
  Instant
  Range: 
  No Range
  END Cost: 
  0
  Skill Roll Penalty: 
  -6
  Description:  Some action heroes have a knack for 
  timing things perfectly. If they set a bomb on a 
  timer, inevitably the timing works out so that the 
  bomb detonates just when an enemy is nearby, or at 
  the moment that causes the best eﬀ ect for the char-
  acter’s purposes. If they lead an ambush, somehow 
  they always time things so that the attack creates 
  the maximum possible havoc among the enemy, or 
  hits just when an important oﬃ  cer arrives. Perfect 
  Timing simulates this sort of gift . Since the ability 
  represents a skilled or luck-based ability to time 
  attacks, it provides the character with no actual 
  information — he doesn’t literally “see” what time 
  his target walks past the bomb or when the enemy 
  oﬃ  cer arrives at camp. It just lets him prepare his 
  attacks with precision.
  Th e GM determines what constitutes an 
  “attack” for the purposes of this power.
  Game Information:  Clairsentience (Sight 
  Group), Precognition, Reduced Endurance (0 
  END; +½) (60 Active Points); Instant (-½), 
  Only To Perfectly Time Attacks (-1), No Range 
  (-½), Precognition Only (-1), Requires An INT 
  Roll (assumes an INT Roll of 12- or 13-; -¾), 
  Time Modiﬁ ers (-½). Total cost:  11 points.
  Options:
  1)  Easier Super-Skill:  Change to Requires An 
  INT Roll (-1 per 20 Active Points; -½). Total cost:  
  12 points.
  2)  Tougher Super-Skill:  Change to Requires An 
  INT Roll (-1 per 5 Active Points; -1¼). Total cost:  
  10 points.
  3)  Master’s Super-Skill:  Remove Requires An INT 
  Roll (-½). Total cost:  13 points.
  PISTOLERO
  Effect: 
  Range Skill Levels:  +4 versus 
  the Range Modiﬁ er with Hand-
  guns
  Target/Area Affected: Self
  Duration: 
  Constant
  Range: 
  Self
  END Cost: 
  0
  Skill Roll Penalty: 
  N/A
  Description:  Th e character is so skilled a pistol shot 
  that he can hit distant targets as easily as he can 
  close ones. When shooting at targets up to 35 yards 
  (16”) away, he suﬀ ers no Range Modiﬁ er penalty.
  Game Information:  Range Skill Levels:  +4 
  versus the Range Modiﬁ er with Handguns. 
  Total cost:  8 points.
  Options:
  1)  Strong Pistolero:  Th e character can make shots 
  out to nearly 70 yards (32”) without diﬃ  culty. 
  Increase to +6 versus the Range Modiﬁ er. Total 
  cost:  12 points.
  2)  Weak Pistolero:  Decrease to +2 versus the Range 
  Modiﬁ er. Total cost:  4 points.
  QUICK DRAW ARTIST
  Effect: 
  Lightning Reﬂ exes:  +4 DEX to 
  act ﬁ rst with Firearms
  Target/Area Affected: Self
  Duration: 
  Persistent
  Range: 
  Self
  END Cost: 
  0
  Skill Roll Penalty: 
  N/A
  Description:  A character with this ability is one of 
  the fastest draws (and shots) in the West... or any-
  where else.
  Game Information:  Lightning Reﬂ exes:  +4 
  DEX to act ﬁ rst with Firearms. Total cost:  4 
  points.
  Options:
  1)  Really Quick Draw:  Increase to +6 DEX. Total 
  cost:  6 points.
  2)  Slower Quick Draw:  Decrease to +2 DEX. Total 
  cost:  2 points.
  3)  Slap Leather:  Just to make sure no one else will 
  outdraw him, the character also buys Fast Draw 
  (Small Arms). Total cost 3 points; total cost of 
  ability 7 points.
  
  120 ■ Character Creation
  Hero System 5th Edition
  QUICK FIRE I
  Effect: 
  Autoﬁ re (up to 5 shots; +½) for 
  any non-Autoﬁ re ﬁ rearm built 
  on up to 60 Active Points
  Target/Area Affected: Self
  Duration: 
  Instant
  Range: 
  Self
  END Cost: 
  0
  Skill Roll Penalty: 
  -3
  Description:  Th e character can attack in a manner 
  like the Rapid Fire Optional Combat Maneuver, but 
  he’s so nimble he suﬀ ers no DCV penalties when 
  doing so. On the other hand, he suﬀ ers the usual 
  penalties associated with Autoﬁ re if he does not 
  buy Skills such as Accurate Sprayﬁ re and Concen-
  trated Sprayﬁ re.
  Even though the cost of this Super-Skill 
  depends on the Active Points in the attack, the GM 
  should consider letting the character apply it even 
  to ﬁ rearms that exceed the Active Point total. Some 
  types of bullets signiﬁ cantly increase the Active 
  Point cost of a gun, though they don’t alter it in any 
  way, so it may make common sense and dramatic 
  sense to let the character use this ability with them.
  Game Information:  Autoﬁ re (up to 5 shots; +½) 
  for any non-Autoﬁ re ﬁ rearm built on up to 60 
  Active Points (30 Active Points); OIF (any non-
  Autoﬁ re ﬁ rearm of opportunity; -½), Requires 
  A Shooting Tricks Roll (-½), Not While Target-
  ing (-½). Total cost:  12 points.
  Options:
  1)  Improved Quick Firing:  Increase to any non-
  Autoﬁ re ﬁ rearm built on up to 90 Active Points. 45 
  Active Points; total cost 18 points.
  2)  Weak Quick Firing:  Decrease to any non-Autoﬁ re 
  ﬁ rearm built on up to 45 Active Points. 22 Active 
  Points; total cost 9 points.
  3)  Easier Quick Firing:  Change to Requires A 
  Shooting Tricks Roll (-1 per 20 Active Points; -¼). 
  Total cost:  13 points.
  4)  Tougher Quick Firing:  Change to Requires A 
  Shooting Tricks Roll (-1 per 5 Active Points; -1). 
  Total cost:  10 points.
  5)  Master’s Quick Firing:  Remove Requires A 
  Shooting Tricks Roll (-½). Total cost:  15 points.
  6)  Quicker Firing:  Increase to Autoﬁ re (up to 10 
  shots; +1). 60 Active Points; total cost 24 points.
  QUICK FIRE II
  Effect: 
  Area Of Effect (8” Radius; +1½) 
  and Selective (+¼) for any 
  Autoﬁ re ﬁ rearm built on up to 
  60 Active Points
  Target/Area Affected: 8” Radius
  Duration: 
  Instant
  Range: 
  No Range
  END Cost: 
  0
  Skill Roll Penalty: 
  -10
  Description:  Th is ability is similar to Quick Fire I, 
  but uses Area Of Eﬀ ect Selective instead of Auto-
  ﬁ re. Th e Radius has No Range, meaning it centers 
  on the character, and thus only allows him to shoot 
  nearby targets. Th e cost of the Radius assumes a 
  base power of 20 Active Points.
  Even though the cost of this Super-Skill 
  depends on the Active Points in the attack, the GM 
  should consider letting the character apply it even 
  to ﬁ rearms that exceed the Active Point total. Some 
  types of bullets signiﬁ cantly increase the Active 
  Point cost of a gun, though they don’t alter it in any 
  way, so it may make common sense and dramatic 
  sense to let the character use this ability with them.
  Game Information:  Area Of Eﬀ ect (8” Radius; 
  +1½) and Selective (+¼) for any non-Autoﬁ re 
  ﬁ rearm built on up to 60 Active Points (105 
  Active Points); OIF (any non-Autoﬁ re ﬁ rearm 
  of opportunity; -½), Not While Targeting (-½), 
  No Range (-½), Requires A Shooting Tricks Roll 
  (-½), Must Use 1 Charge Per Target Fired At 
  (-¼). Total cost:  32 points.
  Options:
  1)  Improved Quick Firing I:  Increase to any Autoﬁ re 
  ﬁ rearm built on up to 90 Active Points. 157 Active 
  Points; total cost 48 points.
  2)  Improved Quick Firing II:  Increase to Area Of 
  Eﬀ ect (16” Radius; +1¾). 120 Active Points; total 
  cost 37 points.
  3)  Weak Quick Firing:  Decrease to any Autoﬁ re 
  ﬁ rearm built on up to 45 Active Points. 79 Active 
  Points; total cost 24 points.
  4)  Easier Quick Firing:  Change to Requires A Shoot-
  ing Tricks Roll (-1 per 20 Active Points; -¼). Total 
  cost:  35 points.
  5)  Tougher Quick Firing:  Change to Requires A 
  Shooting Tricks Roll (-1 per 5 Active Points; -1). 
  Total cost:  28 points.
  6)  Master’s Quick Firing:  Remove Requires A 
  Shooting Tricks Roll (-½). Total cost:  38 points.
  
  121 
  Dark Champions ■ Chapter Two
  QUICK FIRE III
  Effect: 
  +4 OCV with Rapid Fire plus 
  Rapid Attack (Ranged)
  Target/Area Affected: Self
  Duration: 
  Constant/Persistent
  Range: 
  Self
  END Cost: 
  0
  Skill Roll Penalty: 
  N/A
  Description:  Th is ability is similar to Quick Fire I, 
  but uses Combat Skill Levels with Rapid Fire and 
  the Rapid Attack Skill to simulate the character’s 
  ability to shoot quickly and accurately. He still suf-
  fers from the halving of his DCV, though.
  Game Information:  +4 OCV with Rapid 
  Fire (total cost:  8 points) plus Rapid Attack 
  (Ranged) (total cost:  5 points). Total cost:  13 
  points.
  Options:
  1)  Improved Quick Firing I:  Increase to +6 OCV 
  with Rapid Fire. Total cost 12 + 5 = 17 points.
  2)  Improved Quick Firing II:  Th is form of Quick Fire 
  III also compensates for Rapid Fire’s eﬀ ect on the 
  character’s DCV. Th e character must buy a number 
  of DCV Levels equal to his DCV, thus eﬀ ectively 
  giving himself his “normal full DCV” when Rapid 
  Firing. Th is example assumes a character with DCV 
  7. Character also buys +7 DCV (35 Active Points); 
  Only When Rapid Firing (-1). Total cost 17 points; 
  total cost of ability 30 points.
  3)  Weak Quick Firing:  Decrease to +2 OCV with 
  Rapid Fire. Total cost 4 + 5 = 9 points.
  SCENERY WEAPONS
  Effect: 
  HA +4d6, OIF (objects of 
  opportunity)
  Target/Area Affected: One character
  Duration: 
  Instant
  Range: 
  Touch
  END Cost: 
  2
  Skill Roll Penalty: 
  N/A
  Description:  Th e character is skilled at using every-
  day objects — chairs, ﬁ re extinguishers, vases, and 
  so forth — as weapons. He knows how to strike 
  with them for maximum eﬀ ect, and which ones 
  work best in which situations. Although he’s limited 
  to what’s available in the local environment, it’s 
  usually not too diﬃ  cult for him to ﬁ nd something 
  he can work with.
  Game Information:  HA +4d6 (20 Active 
  Points); OIF (appropriate objects of opportu-
  nity; -½), Hand-To-Hand Attack (-½). Total 
  cost:  10 points.
  Options:
  1)  Strong Super-Skill:  Increase to HA +5d6. 25 
  Active Points; total cost 12 points.
  2)  Weak Super-Skill:  Decrease to HA +3d6. 15 
  Active Points; total cost 7 points.
  SHOOTING DOWN THE BARREL
  Effect: 
  Dispel RKA 20d6, Firearms 
  Only
  Target/Area Affected: One character
  Duration: 
  Instant
  Range: 
  15”
  END Cost: 
  0 (uses a ﬁ rearm’s Charges; 
  see text)
  Skill Roll Penalty: 
  -6
  Description:  A common trick of expert shooters, 
  whether with gun, bow, or crossbow, is to ruin an 
  enemy’s gun by shooting down its barrel.
  Game Information:  Dispel RKA 20d6 (60 Active 
  Points); OIF (ﬁ rearm [or other weapon of choice] 
  of opportunity; -½), Limited Range (15”; -¼), 
  Limited Special Eﬀ ect (Firearms RKAs only;
  -½), Requires A Shooting Tricks Roll (-½), Uses 1 
  Charge From Th e RKA Used To Shoot Down Th e 
  Barrel (-¼). Total cost:  20 points.
  Options:
  1)  Strong Shooting:  Increase to Dispel RKA 25d6. 
  75 Active Points; total cost 25 points.
  2)  Weak Shooting:  Decrease to Dispel RKA 15d6. 
  45 Active Points; total cost 15 points.
  3)  Easier Shooting:  Change to Requires A Shooting 
  Tricks Roll (-1 per 20 Active Points; -¼). Total cost:  
  22 points.
  4)  Tougher Shooting:  Change to Requires A Shoot-
  ing Tricks Roll (-1 per 5 Active Points; -1). Total 
  cost:  17 points.
  5)  Master’s Shooting:  Remove Requires A Shooting 
  Tricks Roll (-½). Total cost:  24 points.
  SNIPER’S EYE
  Effect: 
  Range Skill Levels:  +8 versus 
  the Range Modiﬁ er with Riﬂ es
  Target/Area Affected: Self
  Duration: 
  Constant
  Range: 
  Self
  END Cost: 
  0
  Skill Roll Penalty: 
  N/A
  Description:  Th e character is an expert sniper, able 
  to make shots out to about 140 yards (64”) without 
  diﬃ  culty.
  Game Information:  Range Skill Levels:  +8 
  versus the Range Modiﬁ er with Riﬂ es (16 
  Active Points); Only When Shooter Braces 
  And/Or Sets (-1). Total cost:  8 points.
  Options:
  1)  Strong Sniper’s Eye I:  Th e character can make 
  shots out to nearly 300 yards (128”) without diﬃ  -
  culty. Increase to +10 versus the Range Modiﬁ er. 20 
  Active Points; total cost 10 points.
  2)  Strong Sniper’s Eye II:  Th e character can make 
  shots out to about 1,000 yards (512”) without dif-
  ﬁ culty. Increase to +14 versus Range Modiﬁ er. 28 
  Active Points; total cost 14 points.
  3)  Weak Sniper’s Eye:  Decrease to +6 versus the 
  Range Modiﬁ er. 18 Active Points; total cost 9 points.
  
  122 ■ Character Creation
  Hero System 5th Edition
  SON OF A BITCH MUST PAY
  Effect: 
  +3 Overall, Only Versus Oppo-
  nents Who Defeated Character 
  In Their Last Encounter
  Target/Area Affected: Self
  Duration: 
  Constant
  Range: 
  Self
  END Cost: 
  0
  Skill Roll Penalty: 
  N/A
  Description:  Th is ability gives a vengeance-minded 
  character the chance to score a decisive victory 
  against an opponent who defeated him in their last 
  encounter. Th e GM determines whether the char-
  acter was “defeated”; usually this should be obvious, 
  and it does not include ﬁ ghts that end in a draw or 
  from which the character ﬂ ees to avoid true defeat. 
  Th e Levels only apply to the two characters’ very 
  next encounter; if that encounter ends indecisively, 
  the character has lost his opportunity and won’t 
  have the Levels when next the two enemies meet.
  Game Information:  +3 Overall (30 Active 
  Points); Only Versus Opponents Who Defeated 
  Character In Th eir Last Encounter (-1). Total 
  cost:  15 points.
  Options:
  1)  Strong Vengeance:  Increase to +4 Overall. 40 
  Active Points; total cost 20 points.
  2)  Weak Vengeance:  Decrease to +2 Overall. 20 
  Active Points; total cost 10 points.
  SUPREME SNIPER
  Effect: 
  No Range Modiﬁ er (+½) for 
  ﬁ rearms
  Target/Area Affected: Self
  Duration: 
  Instant
  Range: 
  Self
  END Cost: 
  3
  Skill Roll Penalty: 
  -3
  Description:  Th e character can shoot with incred-
  ible skill at range. Whether his target’s right next to 
  him or 600 yards away, he’s equally accurate.
  Even though the cost of this Super-Skill 
  depends on the Active Points in the attack, the GM 
  should consider letting the character apply it even 
  to ﬁ rearms that exceed the Active Point total. Some 
  types of bullets signiﬁ cantly increase the Active 
  Point cost of a gun, though they don’t alter it in any 
  way, so it may make common sense and dramatic 
  sense to let the character use this ability with them.
  Game Information:  No Range Modiﬁ er (+½) 
  for any ﬁ rearm built on up to 60 Active Points 
  (30 Active Points); OIF (ﬁ rearms of opportu-
  nity; -½), Requires A Shooting Tricks Roll (-½). 
  Total cost:  15 points.
  Options:
  1)  More Accurate:  Increase to for any ﬁ rearm built 
  on up to 90 Active Points. 45 Active Points; total 
  cost 22 points.
  2)  Less Accurate:   Decrease to for any ﬁ rearm built 
  on up to 45 Active Points. 22 Active Points; total 
  cost 11 points.
  3)  Easier Accuracy:  Change to Requires A Shooting 
  Tricks Roll (-1 per 20 Active Points; -¼). Total cost:  
  17 points.
  4)  Tougher Accuracy:  Change to Requires A Shoot-
  ing Tricks Roll (-1 per 5 Active Points; -1). Total 
  cost:  12 points.
  5)  Master’s Accuracy:  Remove Requires A Shooting 
  Tricks Roll (-½). Total cost:  20 points.
  TTARGET SHOOTING
  Effect: 
  Targeting Skill Levels:  +2 
  versus Hit Locations
  Target/Area Affected: Self
  Duration: 
  Constant
  Range: 
  Self
  END Cost: 
  0
  Skill Roll Penalty: 
  N/A
  Description:  Some soldiers and police oﬃ  cers are 
  trained to ﬁ re at the “T” formed by a human’s shoul-
  ders and torso, thus improving their chances of get-
  ting an incapacitating hit in the body or head. Th is 
  ability simulates that training, in that it allows char-
  acters to make High Shots without OCV penalty.
  Game Information:  Targeting Skill Levels:  +2 
  versus Hit Locations with Firearms. Total cost:  
  4 points.
  TERROR OF THE UNDERWORLD
  Effect: 
  +20 PRE, Only To Make Fear-
  /Intimidation-Based Presence 
  Attacks Against Criminals, 
  Requires A Reputation Roll
  Target/Area Affected: Self
  Duration: 
  Persistent
  Range: 
  Self
  END Cost: 
  0
  Skill Roll Penalty: 
  -0
  Description:  Th e character has such a fearsome 
  reputation among members of the underworld that 
  they’re more susceptible than usual to his fearsome 
  Presence Attacks... assuming, of course, they recog-
  nize him for who he is.
  Game Information:  +20 PRE (20 Active Points); 
  Only To Make Fear-/Intimidation-Based Pres-
  ence Attacks Against Criminals (-1½), Requires 
  A Reputation Roll (no Skill Roll penalty; -0). 
  Total cost:  8 points.
  Options:
  1)  Strong Terror:  Increase to +30 PRE. 30 Active 
  Points; total cost 12 points.
  2)  Weak Terror:  Decrease to +10 PRE. 10 Active 
  Points; total cost 4 points.
  
  123 
  Dark Champions ■ Chapter Two
  3)  Tough Terror:  Change to Requires A Reputation 
  Roll (-1 per 20 Active Points; -¼). Total cost:  7 
  points.
  4)  Tougher Terror:  Change to Requires A Reputa-
  tion Roll (-1 per 10 Active Points; -½). Total cost:  7 
  points.
  5)  Toughest Terror:  Change to Requires A Repu-
  tation Roll (-1 per 5 Active Points; -1). Total cost:  
  6 points.
  THROWING MASTER I
  Effect: 
  Throwing Skill Levels:  
  +4 versus unbalanced/non-
  aerodynamic penalties
  Target/Area Affected: Self
  Duration: 
  Constant
  Range: 
  Self
  END Cost: 
  0
  Skill Roll Penalty: 
  N/A
  Description:  Th e character’s so skilled at throwing 
  things that he experiences few or no problems hurl-
  ing unbalanced or non-aerodynamic objects.
  Game Information:  Th rowing Skill Levels:  
  +4 versus the OCV penalty for throwing 
  unbalanced/non-aerodynamic objects. Total 
  cost:  8 points.
  Options:
  1)  Strong Throwing Master:  Increase to +6 versus 
  unbalanced/non-aerodynamic penalties. Total cost:  
  12 points.
  2)  Weak Throwing Master:  Decrease to +2 versus 
  unbalanced/non-aerodynamic penalties. Total cost:  
  4 points.
  THROWING MASTER II
  Effect: 
  Energy Blast 5-6d6, RKA 
  1½-2d6
  Target/Area Affected: One character
  Duration: 
  Instant
  Range: 
  RBS
  END Cost: 
  0
  Skill Roll Penalty: 
  -3
  Description:  Th e character is a highly-skilled 
  thrown weapon expert — he can turn any small 
  object into a missile weapon! Blunt objects (vases, 
  ﬁ gurines, telephones...) do Normal Damage; sharp 
  or pointed objects (nails, piece of broken glass, 
  ballpoint pens...) do Killing Damage. He can throw 
  multiple objects at a time if he has them to throw. 
  To use this ability, he needs a form of the Power 
  Skill called Th rowing Master.
  Game Information:
  Cost Power
  14 
  Th rowing Master:  Multipower, 31-point 
  reserve; all OIF (appropriate objects of 
  opportunity; -½), Range Based On STR (-¼), 
  Requires A Th rowing Master Roll (-½)
  1u 
  1)  Blunt Objects:  Energy Blast 6d6; OIF 
  (appropriate objects of opportunity; -½), 
  Range Based On STR (-¼), Requires A 
  Th rowing Master Roll (-½)
  1u 
  2)  Sharp Objects:  RKA 2d6; OIF (appropri-
  ate objects of opportunity; -½), Range Based 
  On STR (-¼), Requires A Th rowing Master 
  Roll (-½)
  1u 
  3)  Many Blunt Objects:  Energy Blast 5d6, 
  Autoﬁ re (up to 3 shots; +¼); OIF (appropri-
  ate objects of opportunity; -½), Range Based 
  On STR (-¼), Requires A Th rowing Master 
  Roll (-½)
  1u 
  4)  Many Sharp Objects:  RKA 1½d6, Autoﬁ re 
  (up to 3 shots; +¼); OIF (appropriate objects 
  of opportunity; -½), Range Based On STR 
  (-¼), Requires A Th rowing Master Roll (-½)
  Total cost:  18 points.
  Options:
  1)  Strong Throwing Master:  Increase Multipower 
  reserve to 40 points, Slot 1 to Energy Blast 8d6, Slot 
  2 to RKA 2½d6, Slot 3 to Energy Blast 6d6, and Slot 
  4 to RKA 2d6. Total cost:  26 points.
  2)  Weak Throwing Master:  Decrease Multipower 
  reserve to 20 points, Slot 1 to Energy Blast 4d6, Slot 
  2 to RKA 1d6+1, Slot 3 to Energy Blast 3d6, and 
  Slot 4 to RKA 1d6. Total cost:  13 points.
  3)  Easier Throwing Master:  Change to Requires A 
  Th rowing Master Roll (-1 per 20 Active Points; -¼). 
  Total cost:  19 points.
  4)  Tougher Throwing Master:  Change to Requires A 
  Th rowing Master Roll (-1 per 5 Active Points; -1). 
  Total cost:  15 points.
  5)  Master’s Throwing Master:  Remove Requires A 
  Th rowing Master Roll (-½). Total cost:  26 points.
  TWOGUN KID
  Effect: 
  Two-Weapon Fighting (Ranged) 
  + Rapid Attack (Ranged)
  Target/Area Affected: Self
  Duration: 
  Persistent
  Range: 
  Self
  END Cost: 
  0
  Skill Roll Penalty: 
  N/A
  Description:  Th e character can shoot accurately 
  with a gun in each hand.
  Game Information:  Two-Weapon Fighting 
  (Ranged) plus Rapid Attack (Ranged). Total 
  cost:  15 points.
  Options:
  1)  Woo Dive:  If the character’s willing to dive to 
  the side while ﬁ ring two pistols at his target, he 
  becomes even more accurate. At the GM’s option, 
  the character receives an additional bonus if he 
  does this in a church while some doves ﬂ y through 
  the scene to add a touch of symbolism. Charac-
  ter also buys +4 OCV with Rapid Fire (20 Active 
  Points); Only When Using Two-Weapon Fighting 
  And Rapid Attack (-0), Must Make A Half Move 
  (-½), Requires A Shooting Tricks Roll (-½), Side 
  Eﬀ ects (character ends up prone in the hex where 
  he stops moving, always occurs; -½). Total cost 8 
  points; total cost of ability 23 points.
  
  124 ■ Character Creation
  Hero System 5th Edition
  DEFENSIVE ABILITIES
  ACTIVE DEFENSE
  Effect: 
  +4 DCV
  Target/Area Affected: Self
  Duration: 
  Constant
  Range: 
  Self
  END Cost: 
  2
  Skill Roll Penalty: 
  N/A
  Description:  Th e character knows how to keep 
  moving and keep alert in combat so others have a 
  hard time drawing a bead on him.
  Game Information:  +4 DCV (20 Active Points); 
  Costs Endurance (-½). Total cost:  13 points.
  Options:
  1)  Strong Defense:  Increase to +6 DCV. 30 Active 
  Points; total cost 20 points.
  2)  Weak Defense:  Decrease to +2 DCV. 10 Active 
  Points; total cost 7 points.
  3)  Tough Defense:  Add Requires A DEX Roll 
  (assumes a DEX Roll of 12- or 13-, -1 per 20 Active 
  Points; -½). Total cost:  10 points.
  4)  Tougher Defense:  Add Requires A DEX Roll 
  (assumes a DEX Roll of 12- or 13-, -1 per 10 Active 
  Points; -¾). Total cost:  9 points.
  5)  Toughest Defense:  Add Requires A DEX Roll 
  (assumes a DEX Roll of 12- or 13-, -1 per 5 Active 
  Points; -1¼). Total cost:  7 points.
  6)  Enhanced Active Defense:  Character also buys 
  Defense Maneuver (as many levels as desired). Total 
  cost 3-10 points; total cost of ability 16-23 points.
  BATTLEFIELD DODGING
  Effect: 
  Desolidiﬁ cation, Only To Avoid 
  Suppression Fire, Requires A 
  DEX Roll
  Target/Area Affected: Self
  Duration: 
  Constant
  Range: 
  Self
  END Cost: 
  4
  Skill Roll Penalty: 
  -4
  Description:  Th e character’s so good at broken-ﬁ eld 
  running, dodging, and the like that he can run 
  through areas covered by Suppression Fire without 
  getting hit.
  Game Information:  Desolidiﬁ cation (aﬀ ected 
  by any attack other than Suppression Fire) 
  (40 Active Points); Cannot Pass Th rough Solid 
  Objects (-½), Only To Avoid Damage From 
  Suppression Fire (-2), Requires A DEX Roll 
  (assumes a DEX Roll of 12- or 13-; -¾). Total 
  cost:  9 points.
  Options:
  1)  Easier Super-Skill:  Change to Requires A DEX Roll 
  (-1 per 20 Active Points; -½). Total cost:  10 points.
  2)  Tougher Super-Skill:  Change to Requires A DEX 
  Roll (-1 per 5 Active Points; -1¼). Total cost:  8 points.
  3)  Master’s Super-Skill:  Remove Requires A DEX 
  Roll (-¾). Total cost:  11 points.
  CAN TAKE A PUNCH
  Effect: 
  Physical Damage Reduction, 
  Resistant, 50%, Requires A 
  CON Roll, Character Must Be 
  Aware Of Attack
  Target/Area Affected: Self
  Duration: 
  Persistent
  Range: 
  Self
  END Cost: 
  0
  Skill Roll Penalty: 
  -3
  Description:  Also known by such names as Tough, 
  Shrug It Oﬀ , or Chin Block, this power represents a 
  character’s general resilience and toughness. If he’s 
  aware of a punch (or any other physical attack) and 
  can prepare himself for it, he usually takes much 
  less damage from it. Th is ability explains how a 
  hero can get bruised up in so many ﬁ ghts during a 
  scenario but always keep struggling and stay on his 
  feet until he wins.
  Game Information:  Physical Damage Reduc-
  tion, Resistant, 50% (30 Active Points); 
  Requires A CON Roll (assumes CON Roll of 
  12- or 13-; -¾), Character Must Be Aware Of 
  Attack (-¼). Total cost:  15 points.
  Options:
  1)  Strong Toughness:  Remove Requires A CON 
  Roll (-¾). Total cost:  24 points.
  2)  Weak Toughness:  Decrease to Physical Damage 
  Reduction, Resistant, 25%. 15 Active Points; total 
  cost 7 points.
  3)  Restricted Toughness:  Th e character can’t reduce 
  the BODY damage he takes, only the STUN. Add 
  STUN Damage Deﬁ ned As Pain/Shock Only (-½). 
  Total cost:  12 points.
  CINEMATIC SAFETY
  Effect: 
  Physical and Energy Damage 
  Reduction, Resistant, 50%, 
  Only Applies To Damage From 
  Taking Cinematic Risks
  Target/Area Affected: Self
  Duration: 
  Persistent
  Range: 
  Self
  END Cost: 
  0
  Skill Roll Penalty: 
  N/A
  Description:  In campaigns where the GM wants 
  a “cinematic” feeling to the games, characters can 
  buy this ability. It allows a character to jump onto 
  speeding cars, get in a ﬁ stﬁ ght with someone three 
  times his size, or take any other dangerous and 
  unusual risk without fear of being quickly Knocked 
  Out or killed. “Normal” risks, like ﬁ reﬁ ghts with an 
  evenly-matched enemy force, would not be “cin-
  ematic” enough for the Damage Reduction to apply. 
  Th e GM decides whether the defense applies to any 
  given attack.
  
  125 
  Dark Champions ■ Chapter Two
  Game Information:  Physical and Energy 
  Damage Reduction, Resistant, 50% (60 Active 
  Points), Only Applies To Damage From Taking 
  Cinematic Risks (-½). Total cost:  40 points.
  Options:
  1)  Strong Safety:  Increase to Physical and Energy 
  Damage Reduction, Resistant, 75%. 120 Active 
  Points; total cost 80 points.
  2)  Weak Safety:  Decrease to Physical and Energy 
  Damage Reduction, Resistant, 25%. 30 Active 
  Points; total cost 20 points.
  3)  Tough Safety:  Add Requires A Luck Roll (1 level 
  of Luck required; -1). Total cost:  24 points.
  4)  Tougher Safety:  Add Requires A Luck Roll (2 
  levels of Luck required; -1½). Total cost:  20 points.
  5)  Toughest Safety:  Add Requires A Luck Roll (3 
  levels of Luck required; -2). Total cost:  18 points.
  DRUG TOLERANCE
  Effect: 
  Poison Damage Reduction, 
  50%
  Target/Area Affected: Self
  Duration: 
  Persistent
  Range: 
  Self
  END Cost: 
  0
  Skill Roll Penalty: 
  N/A
  Description:  Due to his heightened metabolism, 
  immense willpower, and/or extensive exposure to 
  such substances, the character is unusually resistant 
  to the eﬀ ects of poisons, drugs, and gases. He suf-
  fers only half eﬀ ect against such attacks, whether 
  they’re physical or energy, Normal or Killing 
  Damage.
  Game Information:  Poison Damage Reduction, 
  50%. Total cost:  30 points.
  Options:
  1)  Strong Tolerance:  Increase to Poison Damage 
  Reduction, 75%. Total cost:  60 points.
  2)  Weak Tolerance:  Decrease to Poison Damage 
  Reduction, 25%. Total cost:  15 points.
  3)  Tough Defense:  Add Requires A CON Roll 
  (assumes a CON Roll of 12- or 13-, -1 per 20 Active 
  Points; -½). 30 Active Points; total cost 20 points.
  4)  Tougher Defense:  Add Requires A CON Roll 
  (assumes a CON Roll of 12- or 13-, -1 per 10 Active 
  Points; -¾). 30 Active Points; total cost 17 points.
  5)  Toughest Defense:  Add Requires A CON Roll 
  (assumes a CON Roll of 12- or 13-, -1 per 5 Active 
  Points; -1¼). 30 Active Points; total cost 13 points.
  
  126 ■ Character Creation
  Hero System 5th Edition
  GOT A LUNGFUL OF AIR
  Effect: 
  Life Support:  Self-Contained 
  Breathing
  Target/Area Affected: Self
  Duration: 
  Uncontrolled
  Range: 
  Self
  END Cost: 
  0
  Skill Roll Penalty: 
  N/A
  Description:  Th e character has an uncanny knack 
  for taking in a lungful of air right before he gets 
  hit with a gas attack, someone attempts to strangle 
  him, or the like.
  Th is power requires the GM’s permission, 
  since it uses Uncontrolled in an unusual way. Th e 
  value of the Advantage is reduced to -0 because it’s 
  applied to deﬁ ne a maximum duration for an abil-
  ity built with a Power that’s normally Persistent.
  Game Information:  Life Support:  Self-Con-
  tained Breathing, Uncontrolled (lasts for 1 
  Minute maximum; +0) (10 Active Points); 
  Activation Roll 14- (-½). Total cost:  7 points.
  I’M NOT OUT OF THIS FIGHT YET 
  Effect: 
  Aid CON 3d6 to prevent being 
  Stunned
  Target/Area Affected: Self
  Duration: 
  Instant
  Range: 
  Self
  END Cost: 
  0
  Skill Roll Penalty: 
  -4
  Description:  Many Dark Champions characters use 
  their sheer willpower to keep themselves on their 
  feet and ﬁ ghting when lesser men would fall. If the 
  character takes enough STUN damage to Stun him, 
  he makes his EGO Roll to determine whether his 
  extra CON kicks in and (hopefully) prevents him 
  from becoming Stunned.
  Game Information:  Aid CON 3d6, Trigger 
  (when character suﬀ ers enough STUN damage 
  to be Stunned; +¼) (37 Active Points); Only To 
  Prevent Character From Being Stunned (-¼), 
  Requires An EGO Roll (assumes an EGO Roll 
  of 12- or 13-; -¾), Self Only (-½). Total cost:  
  15 points.
  Options:
  1)  Strong Toughness:  Increase to Aid CON 4d6. 50 
  Active Points; total cost 20 points.
  2)  Weak Toughness:  Decrease to Aid CON 2d6. 25 
  Active Points; total cost 10 points.
  3)  Easier Toughness:  Change to Requires An EGO 
  Roll (-1 per 20 Active Points; -½). Total cost:  16 
  points.
  4)  Tougher Toughness:  Change to Requires An 
  EGO Roll (-1 per 5 Active Points; -1¼). Total cost:  
  12 points.
  5)  Master’s Toughness:  Remove Requires An EGO 
  Roll (-¾). Total cost:  21 points.
  IT DOESN’T HURT THAT MUCH
  Effect: 
  +4 to EGO Rolls, Only For 
  Wounding Rolls
  Target/Area Affected: Self
  Duration: 
  Constant
  Range: 
  Self
  END Cost: 
  0
  Skill Roll Penalty: 
  N/A
  Description:  Th e character’s got a real tolerance for 
  pain. When he has to make EGO Rolls to resist the 
  eﬀ ects of Wounding (see page 186), he’s much more 
  likely to succeed than other characters.
  Game Information:  +4 to EGO Rolls (12 Active 
  Points), Only For Wounding Rolls (-2). Total 
  cost:  4 points.
  Options:
  1)  Strong Tolerance:  Increase to +6 to EGO Rolls. 
  18 Active Points; total cost 6 points.
  2)  Weak Tolerance:  Decrease to +2 to EGO Rolls. 6 
  Active Points; total cost 2 points.
  IT LOOKS WORSE THAN IT IS
  Effect: 
  Armor (8 PD/8 ED)
  Target/Area Affected: Self
  Duration: 
  Persistent
  Range: 
  Self
  END Cost: 
  0
  Skill Roll Penalty: 
  N/A
  Description:  Th e character has an uncanny knack 
  for emerging from combat, car crashes, and other 
  potentially deadly situations virtually unscathed. 
  Oh, sure, he might look like he’s been badly injured, 
  but once you examine him closely and wipe away 
  the blood, you discover it’s just a ﬂ esh wound... or 
  maybe someone else’s blood.
  Game Information:  Armor (8 PD/8 ED). Total 
  cost:  24 points.
  Options:
  1)  Strong Toughness:  Increase to Armor (10 PD/10 
  ED). Total cost:  30 points.
  2)  Weak Toughness:  Decrease to Armor (6 PD/6 
  ED). Total cost:  18 points.
  3)  Tough Toughness:  Add Requires A CON Roll 
  (assumes a CON Roll of 12- or 13-, -1 per 20 Active 
  Points; -½). 24 Active Points; total cost 16 points.
  4)  Tougher Toughness:  Add Requires A CON Roll 
  (assumes a CON Roll of 12- or 13-, -1 per 10 Active 
  Points; -¾). 24 Active Points; total cost 14 points.
  5)  Toughest Toughness:  Add Requires A CON Roll 
  (assumes a CON Roll of 12- or 13-, -1 per 5 Active 
  Points; -1¼). 24 Active Points; total cost 11 points.
  6)  Lucky Toughness I:  Add Requires A Luck Roll (1 
  level of Luck required; -1). 24 Active Points; total 
  cost 12 points.
  7)  Lucky Toughness II:  Add Requires A Luck Roll (2 
  levels of Luck required; -1½). 24 Active Points; total 
  cost 10 points.
  
  127 
  Dark Champions ■ Chapter Two
  8)  Lucky Toughness III:  Add Requires A Luck Roll 
  (3 levels of Luck required; -2). 24 Active Points; 
  total cost 8 points.
  MOVING DEFENSE
  Effect: 
  +4 DCV, Only If Character 
  Makes A Half Move
  Target/Area Affected: Self
  Duration: 
  Constant
  Range: 
  Self
  END Cost: 
  2
  Skill Roll Penalty: 
  N/A
  Description:  Th e character moves around so much 
  in combat that it’s hard to draw a bead on him. If 
  he makes at least a Half Move during his Phase, 
  he gains a +4 DCV bonus (though of course the 
  Combat Skill Levels don’t come into eﬀ ect until he 
  actually moves, so he may be out of luck against 
  characters whose Phases occur in the Segment 
  before his does).
  Game Information:  +4 DCV (20 Active Points); 
  Costs Endurance (-½), Only If Character 
  Makes A Half Move Or Full Move (-1). Total 
  cost:  8 points.
  Options:
  1)  Strong Defense:  Increase to +5 DCV. 25 Active 
  Points; total cost 10 points.
  2)  Weak Defense:  Decrease to +3 DCV. 15 Active 
  Points; total cost 6 points.
  3)  Tough Defense:  Add Requires A DEX Roll 
  (assumes a DEX Roll of 12- or 13-; -¾). Total cost:  
  6 points.
  PAIN TOLERANCE
  Effect: 
  Physical and Energy Damage 
  Reduction, Resistant, 50%, 
  Requires A CON Roll, STUN 
  Only, Character Must Be Aware 
  Of Attack
  Target/Area Affected: Self
  Duration: 
  Persistent
  Range: 
  Self
  END Cost: 
  0
  Skill Roll Penalty: 
  -6
  Description:  Th e character’s so tough that he can 
  shrug oﬀ  the pain caused by attacks. Th e Damage 
  Reduction only applies to STUN that represents 
  pain or shock; it wouldn’t aﬀ ect, for example, a drug 
  that makes the character sleepy (a special eﬀ ect of 
  Drain STUN).
  Game Information:  Physical and Energy 
  Damage Reduction, Resistant, 50% (60 Active 
  Points); Requires A CON Roll (assumes a CON 
  Roll of 12- or 13-; -¾), Only Works Against 
  STUN Damage Deﬁ ned As Pain/Shock
  (-½), Character Must Be Aware Of Attack (-¼). 
  Total cost:  24 points.
  Options:
  1)  Strong Tolerance:  Increase to Physical and 
  Energy Damage Reduction, Resistant, 75%. 120 
  Active Points; total cost 48 points.
  2)  Weak Tolerance:  Decrease to Physical and 
  Energy Damage Reduction, Resistant, 25%. 30 
  Active Points; total cost 12 points.
  3)  Enhanced Tolerance:  Th e character is so tough 
  he doesn’t have to be aware of an attack to resist the 
  pain. Remove Character Must Be Aware Of Attack 
  (-¼). Total cost:  26 points.
  4)  Will To Toughness:  Change Requires A CON Roll 
  to Requires An EGO Roll. Total cost:  24 points.
  PANIC DEFENSE
  Effect: 
  +3 DCV, Only Versus Criminals, 
  Requires A Reputation Roll
  Target/Area Affected: Self
  Duration: 
  Constant
  Range: 
  Self
  END Cost: 
  0
  Skill Roll Penalty: 
  -1
  Description:  Th e character so terriﬁ es members of 
  the underworld that they panic when they confront 
  him, making it harder for them to attack him suc-
  cessfully. Of course, this only works if the criminals 
  he confronts recognize him and know who he is.
  With the GM’s permission, a character could 
  deﬁ ne this power as working against some group 
  other than criminals, such as “enemy soldiers.”
  Game Information:  +3 DCV (15 Active Points); 
  Only Versus Criminals (-½), Requires A Repu-
  tation Roll (-½). Total cost:  7 points.
  Options:
  1)  Strong Panic:  Increase to +4 DCV. 20 Active 
  Points; total cost 10 points.
  2)  Weak Panic:  Decrease to +2 DCV. 10 Active 
  Points; total cost 5 points.
  3)  Tougher Panic:  Change to Requires A Reputa-
  tion Roll (-1 per 5 Active Points; -1). Total cost:  6 
  points.
  POISON EXPOSURE
  Effect: 
  Life Support:  Immunity to one 
  type of poison
  Target/Area Affected: Self
  Duration: 
  Persistent
  Range: 
  Self
  END Cost: 
  0
  Skill Roll Penalty: 
  N/A
  Description:  By repeatedly exposing himself to 
  small doses of a particular poison or venom, the 
  character has rendered himself immune to its 
  eﬀ ects.
  Game Information:  Life Support:  Immunity to 
  one type of poison (chosen by character when 
  he buys the power). Total cost:  1-3 points 
  (depending on commonality of poison).
  
  128 ■ Character Creation
  Hero System 5th Edition
  RAPID SNAP SHOT
  Effect: 
  +4 DCV, Only When Using Snap 
  Shot
  Target/Area Affected: Self
  Duration: 
  Constant
  Range: 
  Self
  END Cost: 
  0
  Skill Roll Penalty: 
  N/A
  Description:  Ordinarily, a character using the Snap 
  Shot Combat Maneuver has to expose himself 
  to return ﬁ re for a second — he steps out from 
  behind Concealment, makes his attack, then gets 
  back behind Concealment in the next Segment. A 
  character with this ability has extra DCV during 
  that second when he’s not behind Concealment. 
  Th e special eﬀ ect is that he ducked back behind the 
  Concealment, or otherwise used it to shield himself, 
  immediately aft er taking his Snap Shot. For each 
  point of OCV penalty his attacker suﬀ ers due to 
  Concealment (i.e., each -1 OCV penalty for target-
  ing the Hit Location the attacker has to shoot at), 
  he may use one DCV Level.
  Game Information:  +4 DCV (20 Active Points); 
  Only When Using Snap Shot (-1), Proportional 
  Use (see text; -0). Total cost:  10 points.
  Options:
  1)  Strong Snap Shot:  Increase to +6 DCV. 30 Active 
  Points; total cost 15 points.
  2)  Weak Snap Shot:  Decrease to +2 DCV. 10 Active 
  Points; total cost 5 points.
  SKILLED BAILOUT
  Effect: 
  +15 PD, Only Versus Damage 
  For Leaping Out Of Moving 
  Vehicles
  Target/Area Affected: Self
  Duration: 
  Persistent
  Range: 
  Self
  END Cost: 
  0
  Skill Roll Penalty: 
  N/A
  Description:  Th e character knows just how to dive 
  from, leap from, or otherwise exit a moving vehicle 
  to minimize the chances of injury.
  Game Information:  +15 PD (15 Active Points); 
  Only Works Against Limited Type Of Attack 
  (damage for leaping from, diving from, or 
  otherwise exiting moving vehicles; -2). Total 
  cost:  5 points.
  Options:
  1)  Strong Bailout:  Increase to +20 PD. 20 Active 
  Points; total cost 7 points.
  2)  Weak Bailout:  Decrease to +10 PD. 10 Active 
  Points; total cost 3 points.
  3)  Tougher Bailout:  Add Requires A DEX Roll 
  (assumes a DEX Roll of 12- or 13-; -¾). Total cost:  
  4 points.
  TAKE COVER
  Effect: 
  +4 DCV, Only When Using Con-
  cealment
  Target/Area Affected: Self
  Duration: 
  Constant
  Range: 
  Self
  END Cost: 
  0
  Skill Roll Penalty: 
  N/A
  Description:  Th e character really knows how to 
  make the maximum use of cover. Whenever he takes 
  cover behind something (i.e., uses the Concealment 
  Combat Modiﬁ er on page 377 of the HERO System 
  5th Edition, Revised), he gains bonuses to his DCV 
  (which are in addition to the OCV penalties his 
  attacker suﬀ ers). For each point of OCV penalty 
  his attacker suﬀ ers from Concealment (i.e.,  each 
  -1 OCV penalty for targeting the Hit Location the 
  attacker has to shoot at), he may use one DCV Level.
  Game Information:  +4 DCV (20 Active Points); 
  Only When Using Concealment (-1), Propor-
  tional Use (see text; -0). Total cost:  10 points.
  Options:
  1)  Strong Cover:  Increase to +6 DCV. 30 Active 
  Points; total cost 15 points.
  2)  Weak Cover:  Decrease to +2 DCV. 10 Active 
  Points; total cost 5 points.
  
  129 
  Dark Champions ■ Chapter Two
  UNBREAKABLE WILL
  Effect: 
  Mental Defense (10 points 
  + EGO/5), Only Versus Mind-
  Affecting Drugs
  Target/Area Affected: Self
  Duration: 
  Persistent
  Range: 
  Self
  END Cost: 
  0
  Skill Roll Penalty: 
  N/A
  Description:  Th e character has such a strong will 
  that drugs designed to aﬀ ect his mind — truth 
  serums, mind control drugs, and so forth — are 
  much less eﬀ ective against him (if they’re eﬀ ective 
  at all).
  In game terms, this power provides Mental 
  Defense that works against drugs deﬁ ned as Mental 
  Powers with the Based On CON Limitation. Even 
  though such powers are normally resisted with the 
  appropriate physical or energy defenses, in this case 
  the GM should also apply the Mental Defense from 
  this power.
  Game Information:  Mental Defense (10 points + 
  EGO/5) (10 Active Points); Only Versus Mind-
  Aﬀ ecting Drugs (-1). Total cost:  5 points.
  Options:
  1)  Strong Willpower:  Increase to Mental Defense 
  (15 points + EGO/5). 15 Active Points; total cost 
  7 points.
  2)  Weak Willpower:  Decrease to Mental Defense (5 
  points + EGO/5). 5 Active Points; total cost 2 points.
  3)  Tough Willpower:  Add Requires An EGO Roll 
  (assumes a EGO Roll of 12- or 13-, -1 per 10 Active 
  Points; -¾). 10 Active Points; total cost 4 points.
  4)  Tougher Willpower:  Add Requires An EGO Roll 
  (assumes a EGO Roll of 12- or 13-, -1 per 5 Active 
  Points; -1¼). 10 Active Points; total cost 3 points.
  UNIMPRESSED
  Effect: 
  +20 PRE, Only To Protect 
  Against Presence Attacks
  Target/Area Affected: Self
  Duration: 
  Persistent
  Range: 
  Self
  END Cost: 
  0
  Skill Roll Penalty: 
  N/A
  Description:  Th e character’s so strong-willed, jaded, 
  or blasé that it’s diﬃ  cult to frighten, impress, or 
  overawe him.
  Game Information:  +20 PRE (20 Active Points); 
  Only To Protect Against Presence Attacks (-1). 
  Total cost:  10 points.
  Options:
  1)  Strong Unimpressed:  Increase to +30 PRE. 30 
  Active Points; total cost 15 points.
  2)  Weak Unimpressed:  Decrease to +10 PRE. 10 
  Active Points; total cost 5 points.
  UNPREDICTABLE TACTICS
  Effect: 
  Lack Of Weakness (-5) for Ana-
  lyze Combat Technique
  Target/Area Affected: Self
  Duration: 
  Persistent
  Range: 
  Self
  END Cost: 
  0
  Skill Roll Penalty: 
  N/A
  Description:  Th e character is such a tactical genius, 
  so skilled a ﬁ ghter, and/or so generally unpredict-
  able that it’s hard for others to ﬁ gure out what he’s 
  going to do in battle.
  Game Information:  Lack Of Weakness (-5) 
  for Analyze Combat Technique. Total cost:  5 
  points.
  Options:
  1)  Really Unpredictable:  Increase to Lack Of Weak-
  ness (-8). Total cost:  8 points.
  2)  Less Unpredictable:  Decrease to Lack Of Weak-
  ness (-3). Total cost:  3 points.
  
  130 ■ Character Creation
  Hero System 5th Edition
  MOVEMENT ABILITIES
  COMBAT RUNNING
  Effect: 
  Running +9”, Only To Make 
  Half Moves In Combat
  Target/Area Affected: Self
  Duration: 
  Constant
  Range: 
  Self
  END Cost: 
  2
  Skill Roll Penalty: 
  N/A
  Description:  A character with this ability is particu-
  larly swift  and skilled at moving in combat condi-
  tions — he stays on the move frequently, using his 
  greater speed to tactical advantage.
  In game terms, this ability doubles a charac-
  ter’s Running, but only for purposes of making Half 
  Moves in combat. Th e net eﬀ ect is that the char-
  acter’s Half Move equals his Full Move in normal 
  conditions, thus making it possible for him to “run 
  and gun” at a pace others can’t match. Th e example 
  is built for a character with Running 9”, and the 
  options list other possibilities, but each character 
  should adjust the power to match his own standard 
  Running speed.
  Characters may, with the GM’s permission, 
  buy this ability for other Movement Powers, such as 
  Leaping, Swimming, or Swinging.
  Game Information:  Running +9” (18 Active 
  Points); Only To Make Half Moves In Combat 
  (-1). Total cost:  9 points.
  Options:
  1)  Fast Combat Running:  Increase to Running +10”. 
  20 Active Points; total cost 10 points.
  2)  Slow Combat Running I:  Decrease to Running 
  +7”. 14 Active Points; total cost 7 points.
  3)  Slow Combat Running II:  Decrease to Running 
  +6”. 12 Active Points; total cost 6 points.
  4)  Tough Combat Running:  Add Requires A DEX 
  Roll (assumes a DEX Roll of 12- or 13-, -1 per 10 
  Active Points; -¾). Total cost:  6 points.
  5)  Tougher Combat Running:  Add Requires A DEX 
  Roll (assumes a DEX Roll of 12- or 13-, -1 per 5 
  Active Points; -1¼). Total cost:  5 points.
  DISAPPEARING ACT
  Effect: 
  Teleportation 9”, Only To 
  “Vanish” When No One Is 
  Looking
  Target/Area Affected: Self
  Duration: 
  Instant
  Range: 
  Self
  END Cost: 
  2
  Skill Roll Penalty: 
  -2
  Description:  Some mysterious characters have the 
  ability to “vanish” when no one is looking at them. 
  As long as no one can see them — for example, 
  when they’re in the midst of a cloud of smoke or 
  ﬂ ee around a corner to escape pursuers — they can 
  Teleport to any place they could normally reach 
  with their standard Movement Powers (typically 
  Running). (Th e example power assumes a char-
  acter with Running 9”, and the options list other 
  possibilities, but each character should adjust the 
  power to match his own standard Running speed, 
  or the speed of another frequently-used Move-
  ment Power.) Th e special eﬀ ect is that the character 
  moves so swift ly, skillfully, and silently that he can 
  reach places a normal person never could in that 
  short a time.
  Disappearing Act requires a Stealth roll, so it 
  makes no noise. Depending on where the character 
  wants to move to, the GM may require other Skill 
  Rolls, possibly at a penalty to either or both rolls (as 
  in the locked door example below).
  A character cannot use Disappearing Act to 
  Teleport further than his normal movement rate 
  (the base rate, without Pushing or Noncombat 
  multiples), nor can he Teleport into areas he could 
  not normally reach. For example, a character with 
  Lockpicking could “Teleport” through a locked 
  door (if he made his Stealth and Lockpicking rolls 
  at, say, -3), but a character who did not have Lock-
  picking could not. Characters using Disappearing 
  Act cannot carry extra mass. Most importantly, 
  they must pass through the intervening space 
  physically — in other words, they don’t literally 
  “disappear” and “re-appear” the way superhuman 
  characters with Teleportation do. Th e Teleportation 
  simply simulates how swift ly they move.
  Th e GM should carefully monitor the use of 
  this power. Characters should not be allowed to 
  use it any time they’re alone and want to bypass a 
  locked door; that’s not what it’s for. Disappearing 
  Act is designed to give characters the ability to dis-
  appear mysteriously and then re-appear in a place 
  that no “normal” human being could have reached 
  so quickly. It should heighten the roleplaying in the 
  campaign as much as aid the character. If the GM 
  believes there’s absolutely no way a character can 
  move from Point A to Point B without being seen, he 
  should not let that character use Disappearing Act.
  Game Information:  Teleportation 9” (18 Active 
  Points); Can Only Teleport To Places Character 
  Could Normally Go (-½), Must Cross Interven-
  ing Space (-¼), No Noncombat Multiple (-¼), 
  Only To “Vanish” When No One Is Looking 
  (-½), Requires A Stealth Roll (-½). Total cost:  
  6 points.
  
  131 
  Dark Champions ■ Chapter Two
  Options:
  1)  Strong Disappearing:  Increase to Teleportation 
  11”. 22 Active Points; total cost 7 points.
  2)  Weak Disappearing I:  Decrease to Teleportation 
  7”. 14 Active Points; total cost 5 points.
  3)  Weak Disappearing II:  Decrease to Teleportation 
  6”. 12 Active Points; total cost 4 points.
  4)  Easier Disappearing:  Change to Requires A Stealth 
  Roll (-1 per 20 Active Points; -¼). Total cost:  6 points.
  5)  Tougher Disappearing:  Change to Requires A 
  Stealth Roll (-1 per 5 Active Points; -1). Total cost:  5 
  points.
  6)  Master’s Disappearing:  Remove Requires A 
  Stealth Roll (-½). Total cost:  7 points.
  SKYHIGH
  Effect: 
  Leaping +3”
  Target/Area Affected: Self
  Duration: 
  Constant
  Range: 
  Self
  END Cost: 
  1
  Skill Roll Penalty: 
  N/A
  Description:  Th e character can leap great distances. 
  (For reference purposes, as of 2004 the world 
  records for leaping are 2.45 meters (1.2”) for the 
  high jump, and 8.95 meters (4.5”) for the running 
  long jump. Characters who can leap signiﬁ cantly 
  greater distances than that may begin to strain the 
  verisimilitude of the campaign.)
  Game Information:  Leaping +3”. Total cost:  
  3 points. (In campaigns using the Normal 
  Character Maxima rules, this cost may change 
  depending on how far the character can 
  already Leap.)
  Options:
  1)  Strong Leaping:  Increase to Leaping +4”. Total 
  cost:  4 points.
  2)  Weak Leaping:  Decrease to Leaping +2”. Total 
  cost:  2 points.
  3)  Acrobatic Leaping:  Th e character’s acrobatic 
  prowess enables him to leap much further than 
  untrained people can. Change to Leaping +5” (5 
  Active Points); Requires An Acrobatics Roll (-½). 
  Total cost:  3 points.
  
  132 ■ Character Creation
  Hero System 5th Edition
  SPRINTER
  Effect: 
  Running +3”
  Target/Area Affected: Self
  Duration: 
  Constant
  Range: 
  Self
  END Cost: 
  1
  Skill Roll Penalty: 
  N/A
  Description:  Th e character can run much faster 
  than most people.
  Game Information:  Running +3” (9” total). 
  Total cost:  6 points. (In campaigns using the 
  Normal Character Maxima rules, this cost may 
  change depending on how far the character can 
  already Run.)
  Options:
  1)  Strong Running:  Increase to Running +4” (10” 
  total). Total cost:  8 points.
  2)  Weak Running:  Decrease to Running +1” (7” 
  total). Total cost:  2 points.
  STRONG SWIMMER
  Effect: 
  Swimming +1”
  Target/Area Affected: Self
  Duration: 
  Constant
  Range: 
  Self
  END Cost: 
  1
  Skill Roll Penalty: 
  N/A
  Description:  Th e character can swim much faster 
  than most people.
  Game Information:  Swimming +1”. Total 
  cost:  1 point. (In campaigns using the Normal 
  Character Maxima rules, this cost may change 
  depending on how far the character can 
  already Swim.)
  Options:
  1)  Strong Swimming:  Increase to Swimming +2”. 
  Total cost:  2 points.
  ULTIMATE CLIMBING
  Effect: 
  Clinging (normal STR), 
  Requires A Climbing Roll
  Target/Area Affected: Self
  Duration: 
  Constant
  Range: 
  Self
  END Cost: 
  0
  Skill Roll Penalty: 
  -1
  Description:  Th e character is a superbly skilled 
  climber. Even if he has no equipment, he can scale 
  the sheerest, slipperiest surfaces with ease.
  Game Information:  Clinging (normal STR) (10 
  Active Points); Requires A Climbing Roll (-½), 
  Cannot Cling To Ceilings Or Surfaces Of More 
  Th an 120o Angle (-¼), Cannot Resist Knock-
  back (-¼). Total cost:  5 points.
  Options:
  1)  Strong Super-Skill:  Increase to Clinging (normal 
  STR +9 STR). 13 Active Points; total cost 6 points.
  2)  Tougher Super-Skill:  Change to Requires A 
  Climbing Roll (-1 per 5 Active Points; -1). Total 
  cost:  4 points.
  3)  Master’s Super-Skill:  Remove Requires A Climb-
  ing Roll (-½). Total cost:  7 points.
  4)  Perching:  Th e character can stand on tiny 
  ledges, balance on doorframes, wedge himself into 
  ceiling corners, and the like without fear of falling. 
  While doing this, he cannot move; the Clinging 
  only allows him to hold himself in place once he 
  gets to his chosen position. Change to Cling-
  ing (normal STR) (10 Active Points); Requires A 
  Climbing Roll (-½), Only To “Perch” (-½), Cannot 
  Resist Knockback (-¼). Total cost:  4 points.
  
  133 
  Dark Champions ■ Chapter Two
  SENSORY ABILITIES
  DEDUCTIVE OBSERVATION
  Effect: 
  Telepathy 8d6, Requires Obser-
  vation Of Subject
  Target/Area Affected: One character
  Duration: 
  Instant
  Range: 
  5”
  END Cost: 
  0
  Skill Roll Penalty: 
  -10
  Description:  Some Dark Champions characters, par-
  ticularly skilled investigators, display an uncanny 
  knack for being able to tell what others are think-
  ing. By observing someone for a little while and 
  knowing a little basic psychology, they can make 
  astounding deductions as to what that person is 
  thinking. If the Skill Roll, Attack Roll, or Eﬀ ect Roll 
  fails, the character gets an incorrect idea of what 
  the subject is thinking. Th e GM may rule that there 
  are situations in which there’s no possibility of 
  “reading” someone’s mind this way.
  Game Information:  Telepathy 8d6, Reduced 
  Endurance (0 END; +½) (60 Active Points); 
  Concentration (0 DCV throughout; -1), Does 
  Not Provide Mental Awareness (-¼), Extra 
  Time (5 Minutes; -2), Character Must Closely 
  Observe Subject, Including Facial Expressions, 
  During Activation Period (-½), Can Only Read 
  Surface Th oughts (-½), Instant (-½), Limited 
  Normal Range (5”; -½), Requires A Deduction 
  Roll (-½) (total cost:  9 points) plus Telepathy 
  +6d6, Reduced Endurance (0 END; +½) (45 
  Active Points); same Limitations as above, plus 
  Only To Achieve +20 “Target Cannot Detect 
  Telepathy” Modiﬁ er (-½) (total cost:  6 points). 
  Total cost:  15 points.
  Options:
  1)  Strong Observation:  Increase to Telepathy 
  10d6. 75 + 45 = 120 Active Points; total cost 11 + 
  6 = 17 points.
  2)  Weak Observation:  Decrease to Telepathy 6d6. 45 
  + 45 = 90 Active Points; total cost 7 + 6 = 13 points.
  3)  Easier Observation:  Change to Requires A 
  Deduction Roll (-1 per 20 Active Points; -¼). Total 
  cost:  9 + 6 = 15 points.
  4)  Tougher Observation:  Change to Requires A 
  Deduction Roll (-1 per 5 Active Points; -1). Total 
  cost:  8 + 6 = 14 points.
  5)  Master’s Observation:  Remove Requires A 
  Deduction Roll (-½). Total cost:  10 + 7 = 17 points.
  DON’T TOUCH THAT
  Effect: 
  Detect Security Devices
  Target/Area Affected: Self
  Duration: 
  Persistent
  Range: 
  Self
  END Cost: 
  0
  Skill Roll Penalty: 
  N/A
  Description:  Th e character’s experience with and 
  knowledge of security devices (such as the ones on 
  page 285) allows him to detect such devices even 
  when they’re hidden or disguised.
  Game Information:  Detect Security Devices (INT 
  +5) (Sight Group), Discriminatory (15 Active 
  Points); Limited Range (must be within 4” of a 
  device to perceive it; -¼). Total cost:  12 points.
  Options:
  1)  Strong Perception I:  Increase to INT +8. 18 
  Active Points; total cost 14 points.
  2)  Strong Perception II:  Add Analyze. 20 Active 
  Points; total cost 16 points.
  3)  Weak Perception:  Decrease to INT +2. 12 Active 
  Points; total cost 10 points.
  EYES IN THE BACK OF HIS HEAD
  Effect: 
  Increased Arc of Perception 
  (360 Degrees) for Normal Sight
  Target/Area Affected: Self
  Duration: 
  Persistent
  Range: 
  Self
  END Cost: 
  0
  Skill Roll Penalty: 
  -1
  Description:  Th e character has an uncanny knack 
  for observing his surroundings and knowing what’s 
  going on around him. Somehow he can just “sense it” 
  when an enemy’s sneaking up on him, or knows who 
  just walked into his oﬃ  ce and what they’ve brought 
  with them even though he’s staring out the window.
  Game Information:  Increased Arc of Percep-
  tion (360 Degrees) for Normal Sight (5 Active 
  Points); Requires An INT Roll (assumes an INT 
  Roll of 12- or 13-; -¾). Total cost:  3 points.
  Options:
  1)  Master’s Super-Skill:  Remove Requires An INT 
  Roll (-¾). Total cost:  5 points.
  
  134 ■ Character Creation
  Hero System 5th Edition
  FOUND IT!
  Effect: 
  +4 with Skills related to ﬁ nd-
  ing things
  Target/Area Affected: Self
  Duration: 
  Constant
  Range: 
  Self
  END Cost: 
  0
  Skill Roll Penalty: 
  N/A
  Description:  Th e character has an uncanny knack 
  for ﬁ nding hidden or concealed things. In game 
  terms, he has a +4 bonus for all Skill Rolls that per-
  tain to ﬁ nding things. Th is includes most uses of 
  Concealment, Criminology as it pertains to ﬁ nding 
  trace evidence, and so forth.
  Game Information:  +4 with Skills related to 
  ﬁ nding things (see text). Total cost:  20 points.
  Options:
  1)  Strong Finding:  Increase to +5 with Skills related 
  to ﬁ nding things. Total cost:  25 points.
  2)  Weak Finding:  Decrease to +3 with Skills related 
  to ﬁ nding things. Total cost:  15 points.
  HE’S PACKING
  Effect: 
  Detect Concealed Weapons
  Target/Area Affected: Self
  Duration: 
  Persistent
  Range: 
  Self
  END Cost: 
  0
  Skill Roll Penalty: 
  N/A
  Description:  Th e character’s experience with and 
  knowledge of carrying and using concealed weap-
  ons allows him to easily determine when someone 
  else has a concealed weapon on his person. He can 
  tell where the weapon is hidden, but not necessarily 
  what type of weapon it is (though the location may 
  make that reasonably obvious).
  Game Information:  Detect Concealed Weapons 
  (INT +5) (Sight Group), Discriminatory (15 
  Active Points); Limited Range (must be within 
  5” of a person carrying a concealed weapon to 
  perceive it; -¼). Total cost:  12 points.
  Options:
  1)  Strong Perception I:  Increase to INT +8. 18 
  Active Points; total cost 14 points.
  2)  Strong Perception II:  Th e character not only 
  knows where the weapon’s hidden, he knows what 
  type of weapon it is. Add Analyze. 20 Active Points; 
  total cost 16 points.
  3)  Weak Perception:  Decrease to INT +2. 12 Active 
  Points; total cost 10 points.
  HE’S PROBABLY AT...
  Effect: 
  Mind Scan 8d6, Only To Locate 
  Criminals, Requires A Street-
  wise Roll plus +5 OECV with 
  Mind Scan
  Target/Area Affected: One character
  Duration: 
  Instant
  Range: 
  Special
  END Cost: 
  0
  Skill Roll Penalty: 
  -6
  Description:  Th e character’s knowledge of the 
  underworld, and its members’ habits, is so compre-
  hensive that he has a pretty good chance to guess 
  where any given criminal is going to be at any given 
  time. He has to think about it for a while, then go 
  there to see if his insight was right.
  In game terms, this ability uses Mind Scan with 
  Extra Time and a Required Streetwise Roll. Th e 
  Extra Time represents the time it takes the character 
  to ﬁ gure out where the target would be and then go 
  there. If the character fails the Skill Roll, Attack Roll, 
  or Eﬀ ect Roll, the GM should give the character an 
  incorrect location. Because the power is Instant, the 
  character can’t maintain a “lock-on” to the target’s 
  mind — it’s entirely possible that even if he correctly 
  deduces where the target is when he activates the 
  power, the target will have left  that location by the 
  time the character gets there.
  Game Information:  Mind Scan 8d6, Reduced 
  Endurance (0 END; +½) (60 Active Points); 
  Can Only Be Used To Locate Criminals (-¼), 
  Does Not Allow Character To Use Any Other 
  Mental Powers Or Maintain A Lock-On (-¼), 
  Does Not Provide Mental Awareness (-¼), 
  Extra Time (minimum of 20 Minutes, and 
  possibly longer; -2½), Instant (-½), Requires 
  A Streetwise Roll (-½) (total cost:  11 points) 
  plus Mind Scan +6d6, Reduced Endurance (0 
  END; +½) (45 Active Points); same Limitations 
  as above, plus Only To Achieve +20 “Target 
  Cannot Detect Mind Scan” Modiﬁ er (-½) (total 
  cost:  8 points) plus +5 OECV with Mind Scan 
  (total cost:  10 points). Total cost:  29 points.
  Options:
  1)  Strong Insight I:  Increase to Mind Scan 10d6. 75 
  + 45 + 10 = 95 Active Points; total cost 14 + 8 + 10 
  = 32 points.
  2)  Strong Insight II:  Increase to +10 OECV with 
  Mind Scan. 60 + 45 + 20 = 80 Active Points; total 
  cost 11 + 8 + 20 = 39 points.
  3)  Weak Insight I:  Decrease to Mind Scan 6d6. 45 + 
  45 + 10 = 100 Active Points; total cost 9 +  8 + 10 = 
  27 points.
  4)  Weak Insight II:  Decrease to +3 OECV with 
  Mind Scan. 60 + 45 + 6 = 111 Active Points; total 
  cost 11 + 8 + 6 = 25 points.
  5)  Easier Insight:  Change to Requires A Streetwise 
  Roll (-1 per 20 Active Points; -¼). Total cost:  12 + 8 
  + 10 = 30 points.
  
  135 
  Dark Champions ■ Chapter Two
  6)  Tougher Insight:  Change to Requires A Street-
  wise Roll (-1 per 5 Active Points; -1). Total cost:  10 
  + 7 + 10 = 27 points.
  7)  Master’s Insight:  Remove Requires A Streetwise 
  Roll (-½). Total cost:  13 + 9 + 10 = 32 points.
  8)  No One Can Hide From Me For Long:  Th e charac-
  ter has to ask a lot of people and bust a few heads 
  (in the process getting roughed up a little himself), 
  but it’s virtually impossible for anyone to hide from 
  him. Increase to Mind Scan 14d6 and add to that 
  power Side Eﬀ ects (character takes 1d6 BODY 
  damage, always occurs; -½). 105 + 45 + 10 = 160 
  Active Points; total cost 18 + 8 + 10 = 36 points.
  HE’S STANDING RIGHT THERE...
  Effect: 
  N-Ray Perception, Only To 
  Locate A Target On The Other 
  Side Of An Obstruction
  Target/Area Affected: Self
  Duration: 
  Persistent
  Range: 
  Self
  END Cost: 
  0
  Skill Roll Penalty: 
  N/A
  Description:  Th e character has an uncanny knack 
  for perceiving targets who are on the other side of 
  obstructions from him (typically, on the other side 
  of a wall). He knows just where to shoot to hit the 
  target (assuming his bullets can penetrate the wall, 
  of course!).
  Game Information:  N-Ray Perception (stopped 
  by any obstruction too thick or durable to shoot 
  through) (Sight Group) (10 Active Points); 
  Only To Locate A Target On Th e Other Side Of 
  An Obstruction (-2). Total cost:  3 points.
  Options:
  1)  Tougher Insight:  Add Requires An INT Roll 
  (assumes an INT Roll of 12- or 13-; -¾). Total cost:  
  3points.
  I’D’VE PUT IT HERE...
  Effect: 
  Detect Bugs
  Target/Area Affected: Self
  Duration: 
  Persistent
  Range: 
  Self
  END Cost: 
  0
  Skill Roll Penalty: 
  N/A
  Description:  Th e character’s experience with and 
  knowledge of concealed sensing devices — “bugs,” 
  whether they’re listening or video devices — allows 
  him to easily determine if there are any such 
  devices hidden in a room, and what general type 
  they are.
  Game Information:  Detect Bugs (INT +5) 
  (Sight Group), Discriminatory (15 Active 
  Points); Limited Range (must be within 4” of a 
  bug to perceive it; -¼). Total cost:  12 points.
  Options:
  1)  Strong Perception I:  Increase to INT +8. 18 
  Active Points; total cost 14 points.
  2)  Strong Perception II:  Th e character knows the 
  exact type of bug being used (possibly even down 
  to the model number). Add Analyze. 20 Active 
  Points; total cost 16 points.
  3)  Weak Perception:  Decrease to INT +2. 12 Active 
  Points; total cost 10 points.
  IT’S SOMEWHERE IN THESE FILES...
  Effect: 
  Speed Reading (x10,000), Only 
  To Find The Right Piece Of 
  Paper Among Many
  Target/Area Affected: Self
  Duration: 
  Persistent
  Range: 
  Self
  END Cost: 
  0
  Skill Roll Penalty: 
  N/A
  Description:  Th e character has an uncanny knack 
  for ﬁ nding just the right piece of paper or ﬁ le he 
  wants among thousands. While other investigators 
  have to spend hundreds or thousands of man-
  hours poring through a master criminal’s ﬁ les to 
  ﬁ nd the incriminating evidence, the character only 
  needs a couple hours... or maybe just a few minutes.
  Game Information:  Speed Reading (x10,000) 
  (10 Active Points); Only To Find Th e Right 
  Piece Of Paper Among Many (-½). Total cost:  
  7 points.
  Options:
  1)  Strong Finding:  Increase to Speed Reading 
  (x100,000). 12 Active Points; total cost 8 points.
  2)  Weak Finding:  Decrease to Speed Reading 
  (x1,000). 8 Active Points; total cost 5 points.
  3)  Tough Finding:  Add Requires A Deduction Roll 
  (-1 per 20 Active Points; -¼). Total cost:  6 points.
  4)  Tougher Finding:  Add Requires A Deduction Roll 
  (-1 per 10 Active Points; -½). Total cost:  5 points.
  5)  Toughest Finding:  Add Requires A Deduction Roll 
  (-1 per 5 Active Points; -1). Total cost:  4 points.
  
  136 ■ Character Creation
  Hero System 5th Edition
  6)  Lucky Finding I:  Add Requires A Luck Roll (1 
  level of Luck required; -1). 10 Active Points; total 
  cost 4 points.
  7)  Lucky Finding II:  Add Requires A Luck Roll (2 
  levels of Luck required; -1½). 10 Active Points; total 
  cost 3 points.
  8)  Lucky Finding III:  Add Requires A Luck Roll (3 
  levels of Luck required; -2). 10 Active Points; total 
  cost 3 points.
  LET’S TALK
  Effect: 
  Telepathy 8d6, Requires A Con-
  versation Roll
  Target/Area Affected: One character
  Duration: 
  Instant
  Range: 
  No Range
  END Cost: 
  0
  Skill Roll Penalty: 
  -10
  Description:  “Suave, sophisticated, and scintillat-
  ing” is a perfect description of some Dark Cham-
  pions characters who’ve learned how to use their 
  personal magnetism to pry secrets out of others 
  without their hapless victims even knowing about 
  it. All the character has to do is talk to the victim 
  for ﬁ ve minutes, and he can learn one fact he wants 
  to know which would be in the target’s surface 
  thoughts. If the Skill Roll, Attack Roll, or Eﬀ ect Roll 
  fails, the character either learns nothing, or he gets 
  an incorrect idea of what the subject is thinking.
  Game Information:  Telepathy 8d6, Reduced 
  Endurance (0 END; +½) (60 Active Points); 
  Does Not Provide Mental Awareness (-¼), 
  Extra Time (5 Minutes; -2), Can Only Read 
  Surface Th oughts (-½), Instant (-½), No Range 
  (-½), Requires A Conversation Roll (-½) (total 
  cost:  11 points) plus Telepathy +6d6, Reduced 
  Endurance (0 END; +½) (45 Active Points); 
  same Limitations as above, plus Only To 
  Achieve +20 “Target Cannot Detect Telepathy” 
  Modiﬁ er (-½) (total cost:  8 points). Total cost:  
  19 points.
  Options:
  1)  Strong Observation:  Increase to Telepathy 10d6. 75 
  + 45 = 120 Active Points; total cost 14 + 8 = 22 points.
  2)  Weak Observation:  Decrease to Telepathy 6d6. 45 
  + 45 = 90 Active Points; total cost 9 + 8 = 17 points.
  3)  Easier Observation:  Change to Requires A Con-
  versation Roll (-1 per 20 Active Points; -¼). Total 
  cost:  12 + 9 = 21 points.
  4)  Tougher Observation:  Change to Requires A 
  Conversation Roll (-1 per 5 Active Points; -1). Total 
  cost:  10 + 7 = 17 points.
  OBSERVANT
  Effect: 
  +2 PER with Sight Group
  Target/Area Affected: Self
  Duration: 
  Persistent
  Range: 
  Self
  END Cost: 
  0
  Skill Roll Penalty: 
  N/A
  Description:  Th e character has trained himself to 
  be much more observant of his surroundings than 
  most people are.
  Game Information:  +2 PER with Sight Group. 
  Total cost:  4 points.
  Options:
  1)  Strong Super-Skill:  Increase to +3 PER with 
  Sight Group. Total cost:  6 points.
  2)  Weak Super-Skill:  Decrease to +1 PER with Sight 
  Group. Total cost:  2 points.
  PRETERNATURAL SMELL
  Effect: 
  +2 PER with Smell/Taste Group
  Target/Area Affected: Self
  Duration: 
  Persistent
  Range: 
  Self
  END Cost: 
  0
  Skill Roll Penalty: 
  N/A
  Description:  Whether he was raised by wolves, 
  spends a lot of time analyzing odors, or has simply 
  trained himself to use senses other than sight with 
  greater perceptiveness, the character has an unusu-
  ally acute sense of smell.
  Game Information:  +2 PER with Smell/Taste 
  Group. Total cost:  4 points.
  Options:
  1)  Strong Super-Skill:  Increase to +3 PER with 
  Smell/Taste Group. Total cost:  6 points.
  2)  Weak Super-Skill:  Decrease to +1 PER with 
  Smell/Taste Group. Total cost:  2 points.
  
  137 
  Dark Champions ■ Chapter Two
  SO THAT’S WHAT’S GOING ON
  Effect: 
  Precognition, Requires A 
  Deduction Roll, Time Modiﬁ ers
  Target/Area Affected: Self
  Duration: 
  Constant
  Range: 
  No Range
  END Cost: 
  0
  Skill Roll Penalty: 
  -6
  Description:  Th e character is so perceptive, and has 
  such deductive faculties, that in some instances he’s 
  virtually precognitive. He has an uncanny knack for 
  predicting what people are going to do, though the 
  more long-term their plans the harder it is for him 
  to make accurate predictions. Th e ability has No 
  Range, so it only works when the character is in the 
  presence of a person or signiﬁ cant object involved 
  in, or other source of information about, the events 
  he “predicts.”
  Game Information:  Clairsentience (Sight 
  Group), Precognition, Reduced Endurance (0 
  END; +½) (60 Active Points); Precognition 
  Only (-1), Extra Time (5 Minutes; -2), No 
  Range (-½), Time Modiﬁ ers (-½), Requires A 
  Deduction Roll (-½). Total cost:  11 points.
  Options:
  1)  Strong Prediction:  Remove Time Modiﬁ ers (-½). 
  Total cost:  12 points.
  2)  Weak Prediction:  Add Vague And Unclear (-½). 
  Total cost:  10 points.
  3)  Easier Prediction:  Change to Requires A Deduc-
  tion Roll (-1 per 20 Active Points; -¼). Total cost:  
  11 points.
  4)  Tougher Prediction:  Change to Requires A 
  Deduction Roll (-1 per 5 Active Points; -1). Total 
  cost:  10 points.
  5)  Unpredictable Prediction:  Th e character can’t 
  control when his ﬂ ashes of deductive insight come 
  upon him. Remove Extra Time (-2) and add No 
  Conscious Control (-2). Total cost:  11 points.
  SOMETHING’S NOT RIGHT HERE...
  Effect: 
  Danger Sense (immediate 
  vicinity, out of combat, intu-
  itional)
  Target/Area Affected: Immediate vicinity
  Duration: 
  Persistent
  Range: 
  Self
  END Cost: 
  0
  Skill Roll Penalty: 
  N/A
  Description:  Th e character has an uncanny knack 
  for sensing when something’s wrong and perceiving 
  dangers that aren’t apparent to others. Th e charac-
  ter usually has a better chance to perceive dangers 
  he’s familiar with or has encountered before.
  Game Information:  Danger Sense (immediate 
  vicinity, out of combat, intuitional) (INT Roll). 
  Total cost:  20 points.
  Options:
  1)  Strong Intuition:  Increase to INT Roll +3. Total 
  cost:  23 points.
  2)  Weak Intuition:  Change to self only. Total cost:  
  15 points.
  TELL ME WHAT I WANT TO KNOW
  Effect: 
  Telepathy 8d6, Requires An 
  Interrogation Roll
  Target/Area Affected: One character
  Duration: 
  Instant
  Range: 
  No Range
  END Cost: 
  0
  Skill Roll Penalty: 
  -6
  Description:  Th e character is a master interrogator, 
  able to force or trick an interrogee into telling him 
  what he wants to know. All the character has to do 
  is interrogate the victim for ﬁ ve minutes, and he 
  can learn one fact he wants to know which would 
  be in the target’s surface thoughts. If the Skill Roll, 
  Attack Roll, or Eﬀ ect Roll fails, the character either 
  learns nothing, or he gets an incorrect idea of what 
  the subject is thinking.
  Game Information:  Telepathy 8d6, Reduced 
  Endurance (0 END; +½) (60 Active Points); 
  Does Not Provide Mental Awareness (-¼), 
  Extra Time (5 Minutes; -2), Can Only Read 
  Surface Th oughts (-½), Instant (-½), No Range 
  (-½), Requires An Interrogation Roll (-½). 
  Total cost:  11 points.
  Options:
  1)  Strong Observation:  Increase to Telepathy 10d6. 
  75 Active Points; total cost 14 points.
  2)  Weak Observation:  Decrease to Telepathy 6d6. 45 
  Active Points; total cost 9 points.
  3)  Easier Observation:  Change to Requires An 
  Interrogation Roll (-1 per 20 Active Points; -¼). 
  Total cost:  12 points.
  4)  Tougher Observation:  Change to Requires An 
  Interrogation Roll (-1 per 5 Active Points; -1). Total 
  cost:  10 points.
  
  138 ■ Character Creation
  Hero System 5th Edition
  THROUGH THE KILLER’S EYES
  Effect: 
  Retrocognition, Requires A 
  Criminology Roll, Time Modi-
  ﬁ ers
  Target/Area Affected: Self
  Duration: 
  Constant
  Range: 
  No Range
  END Cost: 
  0
  Skill Roll Penalty: 
  -6
  Description:  Th e character is so perceptive, and has 
  such skill with criminalistics, criminal psychology, 
  and deduction, that he has an uncanny knack for 
  reconstructing crime scenes. In some cases he may 
  even receive “visions” of the crime taking place. Th e 
  ability has No Range, so it only works when the 
  character is at the crime scene or in the presence of a 
  person or signiﬁ cant object involved with the crime.
  Game Information:  Clairsentience (Sight 
  Group), Retrocognition, Reduced Endurance 
  (0 END; +½) (60 Active Points); Retrocogni-
  tion Only (-1), Extra Time (5 Minutes; -2), No 
  Range (-½), Time Modiﬁ ers (-½), Requires A 
  Criminology Roll (-½). Total cost:  11 points.
  Options:
  1)  Strong Prediction:  Remove Time Modiﬁ ers (-½). 
  Total cost:  12 points.
  2)  Weak Prediction:  Add Vague And Unclear (-½). 
  Total cost:  10 points.
  3)  Easier Prediction:  Change to Requires A Crimi-
  nology Roll (-1 per 20 Active Points; -¼). Total cost:  
  11 points.
  4)  Tougher Prediction:  Change to Requires A 
  Criminology Roll (-1 per 5 Active Points; -1). Total 
  cost:  10 points.
  5)  I Can Still See Him Suffering:  Th e crimes the 
  character re-imagines or envisions prey upon his 
  mind, tiring him out, giving him nightmares, and 
  generally distracting him. Add Side Eﬀ ects (Drain 
  EGO and END 1d6+1, points return at the rate of 5 
  per 6 Hours, always occurs; -1). Total cost:  9 points.
  6)  I Know What He Was Thinking:  Th e character’s 
  ability to envision the crime scene and the per-
  petrator is so strong that he can even deduce the 
  attacker’s motivation. Character also buys:  Telepa-
  thy 8d6, Indirect (+½), Transdimensional (back 
  in time to when the crime was committed; +½), 
  Reduced Endurance (0 END; +½) (100 Active 
  Points); Does Not Provide Mental Awareness (-¼), 
  Extra Time (5 Minutes; -2), Can Only Read Sur-
  face Th oughts (-½), Instant (-½), No Range (-½), 
  Requires A Criminology Roll (-½) (total cost:  19 
  points) plus Telepathy +6d6, Indirect (+½), Trans-
  dimensional (back in time to when the crime was 
  committed; +½), Reduced Endurance (0 END; 
  +½) (75 Active Points); same Limitations as above, 
  plus Only To Achieve +20 “Target Cannot Detect 
  Telepathy” Modiﬁ er (-½) (total cost:  13 points). 
  Total cost:  32 points.
  7)  Unpredictable Prediction:  Th e character can’t 
  control when his ﬂ ashes of deductive insight come 
  upon him. Remove Extra Time (-2) and add No 
  Conscious Control (-2). Total cost:  11 points.
  ULTIMATE LIPREADING
  Effect: 
  Telepathy 8d6,  Character Must 
  Closely Observe Subject’s Lips
  Target/Area Affected: One character
  Duration: 
  Instant
  Range: 
  10”
  END Cost: 
  0
  Skill Roll Penalty: 
  -10
  Description:  Th e character is an expert lipreader, 
  able to determine what people are saying from the 
  movement of their mouths despite intervening 
  obstacles such as beards, unusual speech patterns, 
  or the like. If the Skill Roll, Attack Roll, or Eﬀ ect 
  Roll fails, the character gets an incorrect idea of 
  what the subject says.
  Game Information:  Telepathy 8d6, Reduced 
  Endurance (0 END; +½) (60 Active Points); 
  Concentration (0 DCV throughout; -1), Does 
  Not Provide Mental Awareness (-¼), Charac-
  ter Must Closely Observe Subject’s Lips As He 
  Speaks (-½), Can Only Read Surface Th oughts 
  (-½), Limited Normal Range (10”; -½) (total 
  cost:  16 points) plus Telepathy +6d6, Reduced 
  Endurance (0 END; +½) (45 Active Points); 
  same Limitations as above, plus Only To 
  Achieve +20 “Target Cannot Detect Telepathy” 
  Modiﬁ er (-½) (total cost:  11 points). Total cost:  
  27 points.
  Options:
  1)  Strong Observation:  Increase to Telepathy 
  10d6. 75 + 45 = 120 Active Points; total cost 20 + 
  11 = 31 points.
  2)  Weak Observation:  Decrease to Telepathy 6d6. 45 + 
  45 = 90 Active Points; total cost 12 + 11 = 23 points.
  
  139 
  Dark Champions ■ Chapter Two
  MISCELLANEOUS
  ABILITIES
  ACTION HERO’S LUCK
  Effect: 
  Luck 6d6
  Target/Area Affected: Self
  Duration: 
  Persistent
  Range: 
  Self
  END Cost: 
  0
  Skill Roll Penalty: 
  N/A
  Description:  Some action heroes are preternatu-
  rally lucky. No matter what sort of scrapes they 
  get in, somehow things always seem to work out 
  in their favor.
  Game Information:  Luck 6d6. Total cost:  30 
  points.
  Options:
  1)  Strong Super-Skill:  Increase to Luck 8d6. Total 
  cost:  40 points.
  2)  Weak Super-Skill:  Decrease to Luck 4d6. Total 
  cost:  20 points.
  BLEND WITH SHADOWS
  Effect: 
  Invisibility to Sight Group, 
  Only In Darkness/Shadows, 
  Requires A Stealth Roll
  Target/Area Affected: Self
  Duration: 
  Constant
  Range: 
  Self
  END Cost: 
  0
  Skill Roll Penalty: 
  -3
  Description:  Th e character is so stealthy and good 
  at hiding himself that he seems to practically merge 
  with the shadows. As long as there’s a patch of 
  shadow or darkness large enough to cover his form, 
  he can stand in it and eﬀ ectively become invisible.
  Game Information:  Invisibility to Sight Group, 
  Reduced Endurance (0 END; +½) (30 Active 
  Points); Chameleon (-½), Only When In 
  Darkness/Shadows (-½), Requires A Stealth 
  Roll (-½). Total cost:  12 points.
  Options:
  1)  Strong Blending:  Add No Fringe. 45 Active 
  Points; total cost 18 points.
  2)  Weak Blending:  Add Bright Fringe (-¼). Total 
  cost:  11 points.
  3)  Easier Blending:  Change to Requires A Stealth Roll 
  (-1 per 20 Active Points; -¼). Total cost:  13 points.
  4)  Tougher Blending:  Change to Requires A Stealth 
  Roll (-1 per 5 Active Points; -1). Total cost:  10 points.
  5)  Master’s Blending:  Remove Requires A Stealth 
  Roll (-½). Total cost:  15 points.
  6)  Challengeable Blending:  Add “is subject to Skill 
  Versus Skill Contests” to Requires A Stealth Roll 
  (-¼). Total cost:  11 points.
  BORN WINNER
  Effect: 
  Telepathy 8d6, Only To Read 
  Surface Thoughts Pertaining 
  To Gambling and Telekinesis (4 
  STR), Fully Invisible
  Target/Area Affected: One character
  Duration: 
  Instant/Constant
  Range: 
  3”
  END Cost: 
  0
  Skill Roll Penalty: 
  -10/-1
  Description:  Th e character is an extremely skilled 
  gambler. No matter who he’s playing against, he 
  has an uncanny ability to “read” the opposition and 
  determine the best play. And when he’s playing 
  games like craps or roulette, things just seem to fall 
  his way.
  Game Information:
  Cost Power
  19 
  Reading Th e Opposition:  Telepathy 8d6, 
  Reduced Endurance (0 END; +½) (60 Active 
  Points); Does Not Provide Mental Awareness 
  (-¼), Extra Time (5 Minutes; -2), Can Only 
  Read Surface Th oughts (-½), Instant (-½), 
  Limited Normal Range (3”; -½), Requires A 
  Gambling Roll (-½) (total cost:  11 points) 
  plus Telepathy +6d6, Reduced Endurance (0 
  END; +½) (45 Active Points); same Limita-
  tions as above, plus Only To Achieve +20 
  “Target Cannot Detect Telepathy” Modiﬁ er 
  (-½) (total cost:  8 points)
  9 
  Manipulating Th e Works:  Telekinesis (4 
  STR), Fully Invisible (+1), Reduced Endur-
  ance (0 END; +½) (15 Active Points); Lim-
  ited Range (3”; -¼), Requires A Gambling 
  Roll (-½)
  Total cost:  28 points.
  Options:
  1)  Strong Gambling:  Increase to Telepathy 10d6. 
  75 + 45 = 120 Active Points; total cost 14 + 8 = 22 
  points; total cost of ability 31 points.
  2)  Weak Gambling:  Decrease to Telepathy 6d6. 45 
  + 45 = 90 Active Points; total cost 9 + 8 = 17 points; 
  total cost of ability 26 points.
  3)  Easier Gambling:  Change to Requires A Gam-
  bling Roll (-1 per 20 Active Points; -¼) in both 
  powers. Total cost:  12 + 8 + 10 = 30 points.
  4)  Tougher Gambling:  Change to Requires A 
  Gambling Roll (-1 per 5 Active Points; -1) in both 
  powers. Total cost:  10 + 7 + 7 = 24 points.
  5)  Master’s Gambling:  Remove Requires A Gam-
  bling Roll (-½) from both powers. Total cost:  13 + 
  9 + 12 = 34 points.
  6)  Challengeable Gambling:  Add “is subject to Skill 
  Versus Skill Contests” to Requires A Gambling Roll (-
  ¼) in both powers. Total cost:  11 + 7 + 7 = 25 points.
  
  140 ■ Character Creation
  Hero System 5th Edition
  CAN FIND FOOD ANYWHERE
  Effect: 
  Life Support (Diminished 
  Eating:  need only eat once per 
  week), Requires A Survival Roll
  Target/Area Affected: Special
  Duration: 
  Special
  Range: 
  Self
  END Cost: 
  1 Continuing Fuel Charge last-
  ing 1 Week
  Skill Roll Penalty: 
  -1
  Description:  Th e character is a born survivalist 
  with a real knack for ﬁ nding food in the wild. Even 
  in the most barren places he can usually turn up 
  enough food to survive for a week at least. If neces-
  sary, he can apportion this seven man-days of food 
  among multiple people (thus allowing him to feed 
  seven people for a day, fourteen for half a day, and 
  so on). Th e GM may rule that some areas are so 
  barren that the character’s roll suﬀ ers standard Sur-
  vival penalties (see page 81), despite the fact that 
  Required Skill Rolls normally don’t.
  Game Information:  Life Support (Diminished 
  Eating:  need only eat once per week) (1 Active 
  Point); Requires A Survival Roll (-½), 1 Con-
  tinuing Fuel Charge lasting 1 Week (-0). Total 
  cost:  1 point.
  Options:
  1)  Easier Super-Skill:  Change to Requires A Sur-
  vival Roll (-1 per 20 Active Points; -¼). Total cost:  
  1 point.
  2)  Tougher Super-Skill:  Change to Requires A Sur-
  vival Roll (-1 per 5 Active Points; -1). Total cost:  1 
  point.
  3)  Master’s Super-Skill:  Remove Requires A Sur-
  vival Roll (-½). Total cost:  1 point.
  CAN HIDE ANYTHING
  Effect: 
  Invisibility, Usable As Attack, 
  Only To Hide Small Objects
  Target/Area Affected: One object
  Duration: 
  Uncontrolled
  Range: 
  No Range
  END Cost: 
  0
  Skill Roll Penalty: 
  -9
  Description:  A character with this ability has a skill 
  that most smugglers would love to possess. He’s 
  got an uncanny knack for ﬁ nding the best place 
  to hide small objects... and once he hides some-
  thing, it stays hidden. Th e best way to ﬁ nd it is to 
  feel the distinctive bulge it makes in the clothes of 
  the person carrying it, the space it occupies in its 
  hiding spot, and so on (i.e., it’s not Invisible to the 
  Touch Group).
  Game Information:  Invisibility to Sight Group, 
  No Fringe, Usable As Attack (does not work on 
  objects which are larger than 10 kg in weight 
  and/or 10 cubic centimeters in size; +1), 
  Uncontrolled (lasts until found by someone; 
  +½), Reduced Endurance (0 END; +½) (90 
  Active Points); Requires A Concealment Roll 
  (-½), Extra Time (at least 1 Minute, possibly 
  longer; -1½). Total cost:  30 points.
  Options:
  1)  Strong Hiding:  When the character hides some-
  thing, it doesn’t even create an unsightly (and possi-
  bly revealing) bulge. Add Touch Group. 105 Active 
  Points; total cost 35 points.
  2)  Weak Hiding:  Someone who gets close enough to 
  the hidden object has a chance to spot it. Remove 
  No Fringe. 75 Active Points; total cost 25 points.
  3)  Easier Hiding:  Change to Requires A Conceal-
  ment Roll (-1 per 20 Active Points; -¼). Total cost:  
  33 points.
  4)  Tougher Hiding:  Change to Requires A Conceal-
  ment Roll (-1 per 5 Active Points; -1). Total cost:  26 
  points.
  5)  Master’s Hiding:  Remove Requires A Conceal-
  ment Roll (-½). Total cost:  36 points.
  6)  Challengeable Hiding:  Add “is subject to Skill 
  Versus Skill Contests” to Requires A Concealment 
  Roll (-¼). Total cost:  28 points.
  
  141 
  Dark Champions ■ Chapter Two
  CINEMATIC FLIRTING
  Effect: 
  Mind Control 8d6, Requires A 
  Seduction Roll
  Target/Area Affected: One character
  Duration: 
  Instant
  Range: 
  3”
  END Cost: 
  0
  Skill Roll Penalty: 
  -10
  Description:  Th e character has a nigh-mystical abil-
  ity to sweep members of the opposite sex oﬀ  their 
  feet. One so smitten will do practically anything 
  asked of him/her.
  Game Information:  Mind Control 8d6, Reduced 
  Endurance (0 END; +½) (60 Active Points); 
  Cannot Pay END To Prevent Deterioration Of 
  Breakout Roll (-¼), Does Not Provide Mental 
  Awareness (-¼), Extra Time (5 Minutes; -2), 
  Cannot Achieve EGO +30 Results (-¼), Lim-
  ited Normal Range (3”; -½), Requires A Seduc-
  tion Roll (-½) (total cost:  13 points) plus Mind 
  Control +6d6, Reduced Endurance (0 END; 
  +½) (45 Active Points); same Limitations 
  as above, plus Only To Achieve +20 “Target 
  Cannot Detect Mind Control” Modiﬁ er (-½) 
  (total cost:  9 points). Total cost:  22 points.
  Options:
  1)  Strong Flirting:  Increase to Mind Control 10d6. 
  75 + 45 = 120 Active Points; total cost 16 + 9 = 25 
  points.
  2)  Weak Flirting:  Decrease to Mind Control 6d6. 45 
  + 45 = 90 Active Points; total cost 9 + 9 = 18 points.
  3)  Easier Flirting:  Change to Requires A Seduction 
  Roll (-1 per 20 Active Points; -¼). Total cost:  12 + 
  9 = 21 points.
  4)  Tougher Flirting:  Change to Requires A Seduc-
  tion Roll (-1 per 5 Active Points; -1). Total cost:  11 
  + 8 = 19 points.
  5)  Master’s Flirting:  Remove Requires A Seduction 
  Roll (-½). Total cost:  14 + 9 = 23 points.
  6)  Challengeable Flirting:  Add “is subject to Skill 
  Versus Skill Contests” to Requires A Seduction Roll 
  (-¼). Total cost:  12 + 8 = 20 points.
  CONTORTIONIST’S FEET
  Effect: 
  Extra Limbs (feet usable as 
  hands)
  Target/Area Affected: Self
  Duration: 
  Inherent
  Range: 
  Self
  END Cost: 
  0
  Skill Roll Penalty: 
  N/A
  Description:  Th e character is so skilled a contor-
  tionist that he can use his feet just as well as if they 
  were hands.
  Game Information:  Extra Limbs (feet usable as 
  hands), Inherent (+¼). Total cost:  6 points.
  DEDICATED STAMINA
  Effect: 
  Endurance Reserve (50 END, 5 
  REC)
  Target/Area Affected: Self
  Duration: 
  Persistent
  Range: 
  Self
  END Cost: 
  0
  Skill Roll Penalty: 
  N/A
  Description:  Some characters have had special 
  training in some particularly strenuous endeavor. 
  For example, a character who runs marathons 
  might have extra reserves of energy — END, in 
  game terms — for his Running. To represent this, 
  a character can buy an Endurance Reserve with 
  the Personal REC (-½) Limitation on the Recovery 
  (which typically should not exceed his personal 
  REC). Most powers that would use Dedicated 
  Stamina should have the Power Can Draw END 
  From Character Or Endurance Reserve (+¼) 
  Advantage.
  Game Information:  Endurance Reserve (50 
  END) (total cost:  5 points) plus Endurance 
  Reserve (5 REC) (5 Active Points); Personal 
  REC (-½) (total cost:  3 points). Total cost:  8 
  points.
  Options:
  1)  More Stamina:  Increase to 60 END and 6 REC. 6 
  + 6 = 12 Active Points; total cost 6 + 4 = 10 points.
  2)  Less Stamina:  Decrease to 40 END and 4 REC. 4 
  + 4 = 8 Active Points; total cost 4 + 3 = 7 points.
  
  142 ■ Character Creation
  Hero System 5th Edition
  DISLOCATABLE JOINTS
  Effect: 
  +3 to Contortionist rolls involv-
  ing a speciﬁ c limb
  Target/Area Affected: Self
  Duration: 
  Constant
  Range: 
  Self
  END Cost: 
  0
  Skill Roll Penalty: 
  N/A
  Description:  Instead of having to use the standard 
  rules for dislocating a joint (see page 69), the char-
  acter can do it automatically as a Full-Phase Action. 
  It’s still painful, but sometimes the pain is worth it 
  to escape from restraints. Th e character must deﬁ ne 
  which joint he can dislocate (typically one shoulder 
  or one thumb) when he buys this ability.
  Game Information:  +3 to Contortionist (6 
  Active Points); Extra Time (Full Phase to 
  activate; -¼), Only For Rolls Involving A Spe-
  ciﬁ c Joint (-1), Side Eﬀ ect (see page 69, always 
  occurs; -1). Total cost:  2 points.
  Options:
  1)  Easier Dislocation:  Th e character’s used to dislo-
  cating the joint, so he suﬀ ers no pain from doing so. 
  Remove Side Eﬀ ects (-1). Total cost:  3 points.
  EXPERT LOCKPICKER
  Effect: 
  Clairsentience (Touch Group), 
  Only To Open Mechanical 
  Locks, Requires A Lockpicking 
  Roll
  Target/Area Affected: Self
  Duration: 
  Constant
  Range: 
  No Range
  END Cost: 
  2
  Skill Roll Penalty: 
  -2
  Description:  Th e character is a superbly skilled picker 
  of locks — even the most advanced locking system 
  poses little obstacle to him. He has to be next to the 
  lock to open it, and doing so requires at least a Full 
  Phase (possibly longer, for complex locks). In game 
  terms, the character has Clairsentience for his Touch 
  Group, allowing him to reach “into” or “through” a 
  mechanical lock and open it as if he had a key; the 
  special eﬀ ect is “highly skilled lockpicking.”
  Game Information:  Clairsentience (Touch 
  Group) (20 Active Points); Extra Time (a Full 
  Phase, if not longer; -½), No Range (-½), Only 
  To Open Mechanical Locks (-½), Requires A 
  Lockpicking Roll (-½). Total cost:  7 points.
  Options:
  1)  Strong Lockpicking:  Character also buys 
  Enhanced Perception (+3 PER with Touch Group). 
  Total cost 6 points; total cost of ability 13 points.
  2)  Easier Lockpicking:  Change to Requires A Lock-
  picking Roll (-1 per 20 Active Points; -¼). Total 
  cost:  7 points.
  3)  Tougher Lockpicking:  Change to Requires A 
  Lockpicking Roll (-1 per 5 Active Points; -1). Total 
  cost:  6 points.
  4)  Master’s Lockpicking:  Remove Requires A Lock-
  picking Roll (-½). Total cost:  8 points.
  5)  Challengeable Lockpicking:  Add “is subject to 
  Skill Versus Skill Contests” to Requires A Lockpick-
  ing Roll (-¼). Total cost:  6 points.
  6)  Variant Expert Lockpicker:  Th is form of the abil-
  ity uses Desolidiﬁ cation. Th e game eﬀ ect is that 
  the character “reaches through” the lock and opens 
  it; the special eﬀ ect is that he’s a highly skilled 
  lockpicker. Change to Desolidiﬁ cation (aﬀ ected 
  by any attack) (40 Active Points); Cannot Pass 
  Th rough Solid Objects (-½), Does Not Protect 
  Against Damage (-1), Extra Time (a Full Phase, if 
  not longer; -½), Only To Open Mechanical Locks 
  (-½), Requires A Lockpicking Roll (-½) (total cost:  
  10 points) plus Aﬀ ects Physical World (+2) for 5 
  STR (10 Active Points); Only To Open Mechani-
  cal Locks (-½), Requires A Lockpicking Roll (-½) 
  (total cost:  5 points). Total cost:  15 points.
  7)  Ultimate Burglar:  Th is variant of Expert Lock-
  picker also uses Desolidiﬁ cation, but it assumes 
  the character is a loner — he only needs to get 
  through locked doors and windows himself, he 
  doesn’t have to open them for other people. Th is 
  power is great for creating “locked room mys-
  teries.” Change to Desolidiﬁ cation (aﬀ ected by 
  any attack) (40 Active Points); Can Only Pass 
  Th rough Locked Doors/Windows (-¼), Does Not 
  Protect Against Damage (-1), Extra Time (a Full 
  Phase, if not longer; -½), Requires A Lockpicking 
  Roll (-½). Total cost:  12 points.
  FLEXIBILITY
  Effect: 
  Stretching 1”, Requires A Con-
  tortionist Roll
  Target/Area Affected: Self
  Duration: 
  Constant
  Range: 
  Self
  END Cost: 
  0
  Skill Roll Penalty: 
  -1
  Description:  Keeping a character with this abil-
  ity tied up, handcuﬀ ed, or otherwise restrained 
  is virtually impossible. He can contort his body 
  so adroitly that he can escape from almost any 
  form of conﬁ nement. In game terms, he has 1” of 
  Stretching, but this only applies to releasing himself 
  from restraints; his body doesn’t literally stretch or 
  change shape.
  Game Information:  Stretching 1” (5 Active 
  Points); Cannot Do Damage (-½), No Non-
  combat Stretching (-¼), Only To Escape From 
  Restraints/Conﬁ nement (-½), Requires A Con-
  tortionist Roll (-½). Total cost:  2 points.
  Options:
  1)  Master’s Flexibility:  Remove Requires A Contor-
  tionist Roll (-½). Total cost:  2 points.
  2)  Challengeable Flexibility:  Add “is subject to Skill 
  Versus Skill Contests” to Requires A Contortionist 
  Roll (-¼). Total cost:  2 points.
  
  143 
  Dark Champions ■ Chapter Two
  I KNOW SOMEONE WHO CAN HELP
  Effect: 
  Summon Helpful Person, 
  Requires A Persuasion Roll
  Target/Area Affected: One person
  Duration: 
  Instant
  Range: 
  No Range
  END Cost: 
  0
  Skill Roll Penalty: 
  -8
  Description:  Th e character just happens to know 
  someone who might be able to help with whatever 
  problem he’s currently confronting... and he has the 
  ability to make that character show up so he can 
  help. (Th e GM decides exactly how the character 
  does this — though the ability uses a Persuasion 
  roll, perhaps the character has some form of inﬂ u-
  ence over the person, or can blackmail him into 
  showing up.) Once the person gets there, the char-
  acter has to convince him to help; he’s not obligated 
  to, or necessarily even likely to.
  Game Information:  Summon Person built on 
  up to 200 Character Points, Expanded Class 
  (any human; +½), Reduced Endurance (0 
  END; +½) (80 Active Points); Arrives Under 
  Own Power (-½), Requires A Persuasion Roll 
  (-½). Total cost:  40 points.
  Options:
  1)  Better Helpers:  Increase to built on up to 250 Char-
  acter Points. 100 Active Points; total cost 50 points.
  2)  Weaker Helpers:  Decrease to built on up to 100 
  Character Points. 40 Active Points; total cost 20 
  points.
  3)  Easier Helpers:  Change to Requires A Persua-
  sion Roll (-1 per 20 Active Points; -¼). Total cost:  
  46 points.
  4)  Tougher Helpers:  Change to Requires A Persua-
  sion Roll (-1 per 5 Active Points; -1). Total cost:  32 
  points.
  5)  Master’s Helpers:  Remove Requires A Persua-
  sion Roll (-½). Total cost:  53 points.
  6)  Challengeable Helpers:  Add “is subject to Skill 
  Versus Skill Contests” to Requires A Persuasion 
  Roll (-¼). Total cost:  35 points.
  7)  I’ve Got A Friend Who Can Help:  Th e helpful per-
  sons the character can call upon are friends of his, 
  and thus much more likely to help him. Add Loyal 
  (+½). 100 Active Points; total cost 50 points.
  I’LL BE THERE IN FIVE MINUTES
  Effect: 
  Teleportation 5”, MegaScale 
  (1” = 1 km), Extra Time (5 Min-
  utes)
  Target/Area Affected: Self
  Duration: 
  Instant
  Range: 
  Self
  END Cost: 
  5
  Skill Roll Penalty: 
  -5
  Description:  Th e character is such a skilled driver 
  that he can cross an entire traﬃ  c-choked city in a 
  mere ﬁ ve minutes! All he needs is an appropriate 
  vehicle, and a drive that would take anyone else 
  at least 30 minutes (or more, at rush hour) he can 
  complete in ﬁ ve... and with virtually no risk of 
  being stopped for speeding. However, signiﬁ cant 
  physical obstacles (like a collapsed bridge) may 
  thwart him. When the character uses this power, he 
  can move up to 6,400 kilograms — in other words, 
  the vehicle he’s driving in, plus possibly a few pas-
  sengers and some cargo.
  Game Information:  Teleportation 5”, x64 
  Increased Mass, MegaScale (1” = 1 km; +¼) 
  (50 Active Points); OIF (appropriate cars and 
  similar vehicles of opportunity; -½), Extra 
  Time (5 Minutes; -2), Must Cross Intervening 
  Space (-¼), Requires A Combat Driving Roll 
  (-½). Total cost:  12 points.
  Options:
  1)  Better Driving:  Increase to Teleportation 7”. 55 
  Active Points; total cost 13 points.
  2)  Worse Driving:  Decrease to Teleportation 3”. 45 
  Active Points; total cost 11 points.
  3)  Easier Driving:  Change to Requires A Combat 
  Driving Roll (-1 per 20 Active Points; -¼). Total 
  cost:  12 points.
  4)  Tougher Driving:  Change to Requires A Combat 
  Driving Roll (-1 per 5 Active Points; -1). Total cost:  
  10 points.
  5)  Master’s Driving:  Remove Requires A Combat 
  Driving Roll (-½). Total cost:  13 points.
  6)  Challengeable Driving:  Add “is subject to Skill 
  Versus Skill Contests” to Requires A Combat Driv-
  ing Roll (-¼). Total cost:  11 points.
  
  144 ■ Character Creation
  Hero System 5th Edition
  I’VE GOT JUST THE THING
  Effect: 
  Gadget Pool
  Target/Area Affected: Varies
  Duration: 
  Varies
  Range: 
  Varies
  Charges:   
  2
  Skill Roll Penalty: 
  N/A
  Description:  Somehow, the character oft en seems to 
  have just the right gadget for the problem at hand.
  In game terms, this ability is represented as 
  a Variable Power Pool with 2 Charges (though 
  using the gadget in question may cost the character 
  END). Th e Charges prevent the character from 
  unfairly (and unrealistically) aﬀ ecting the cam-
  paign by always having an appropriate gadget; he 
  can only use the ability a couple of times per day at 
  the most. Th e GM may rule that the character can’t 
  use the ability due to the circumstances, or that the 
  gadget the character wants to “create” via the Power 
  Pool is too unbalancing, uncommon, or ridiculous 
  to allow.
  Th e standard rules for VPPs apply to this 
  Gadget Pool — if the character wants to be able to 
  change the Pool in combat, he needs an appropri-
  ate Skill. However, for the sake of dramatic sense, 
  the GM can waive this requirement and assume 
  the character prepared the gadget “in advance,” 
  since the Pool represents the character’s luckiness 
  at having chosen to carry “just the right gadget” 
  instead of his ability to gadgeteer on the ﬂ y.
  Game Information:  Variable Power Pool 
  (Gadget Pool), 30 base + 15 control cost; Focus 
  (all powers built with the VPP must have this 
  Limitation at the -¼ level or better; -¼), 2 
  Charges (-1½). Total cost:  35 points.
  Options:
  1)  Better Gadgeteering:  Increase to 40 base + 20 
  control cost. Total cost:  47 points.
  2)  Worse Gadgeteering:  Decrease to 20 base + 10 
  control cost. Total cost:  24 points.
  JUST WHAT I WAS LOOKING FOR
  Effect: 
  Luck 12d6, Only To Find 
  Desired Noncombat Non-Valu-
  able Object
  Target/Area Affected: Self
  Duration: 
  Persistent
  Range: 
  Self
  END Cost: 
  0
  Skill Roll Penalty: 
  N/A
  Description:  When the character needs a particular 
  object or thing — a ﬁ re extinguisher, a screwdriver, 
  some margarita mix, a coil of rope — he’s usu-
  ally able to ﬁ nd it somewhere nearby. He can’t use 
  this ability to ﬁ nd weapons, ammunition, or any 
  other object designed primarily for use in combat 
  (though he could use it to ﬁ nd a sturdy object to hit 
  someone with). Similarly, he can’t ﬁ nd gems, rare 
  works of art, or any other thing that’s particularly 
  valuable or expensive; he can only ﬁ nd ordinary 
  objects.
  Game Information:  Luck 12d6 (60 Active 
  Points); Extra Time (at least a Full Phase, 
  and possibly longer; -½), Only To Find Desired 
  Noncombat Non-Valuable Object (-1). Total 
  cost:  24 points.
  Options:
  1)  Strong Luck:  Increase to Luck 15d6. 75 Active 
  Points; total cost 30 points.
  2)  Weak Luck:  Decrease to Luck 9d6. 45 Active 
  Points; total cost 18 points.
  3)  Combat Scrounging:  Th e character can use this 
  ability to ﬁ nd weapons, ammunition, or like objects, 
  not just mundane ones. Th e GM should monitor the 
  use of this ability carefully so that it doesn’t unbal-
  ance the game, and should impose some restrictions 
  of “realism” on it. No matter how lucky a character is, 
  many types of weapons and ammunition are rare (at 
  best), and won’t just “pop up” anywhere a character 
  decides to look. Change to Only To Find Desired 
  Object (-½). Total cost:  30 points.
  4) Restricted Use:  To keep this ability from making 
  life too easy for the character, the GM may rule that 
  it has to be bought with Charges. Add 4 Charges 
  (-1). Total cost:  17 points.
  
  145 
  Dark Champions ■ Chapter Two
  MASTER OF DISGUISE
  Effect: 
  Shape Shift (Sight Group, any 
  human form, Imitation), Extra 
  Time (1 Hour)
  Target/Area Affected: Self
  Duration: 
  Persistent
  Range: 
  Self
  END Cost: 
  0
  Skill Roll Penalty: 
  -6
  Description:  A character with this ability is a master 
  of disguise. Give him an hour and the right sup-
  plies, and he can make himself look like anyone of 
  roughly the same height and weight. Th e disguise 
  remains in eﬀ ect even if he’s Knocked Out or goes 
  to sleep (i.e., it’s Persistent), but can be damaged by 
  punches to the face (or similar impacts), and will 
  start to fall apart aft er a few days (at the latest) if 
  the character can’t “touch it up” periodically.
  Game Information:  Shape Shift  (Sight Group, 
  any human form), Imitation, Reduced Endur-
  ance (0 END; +½), Persistent (+½) (60 Active 
  Points); OIF (disguise supplies of opportunity; 
  -½), Extra Time (1 Hour; -3), Requires A Dis-
  guise Roll (-½). Total cost:  12 points.
  Options:
  1)  Strong Disguise:  Change to Extra Time (20 Min-
  utes; -2½). Total cost:  13 points.
  2)  Weak Disguise:  Change to Extra Time (6 Hours; 
  -3½). Total cost:  11 points.
  3)  Easier Disguise:  Change to Requires A Dis-
  guise Roll (-1 per 20 Active Points; -¼). Total 
  cost:  13 points.
  4)  Tougher Disguise:  Change to Requires A Disguise 
  Roll (-1 per 5 Active Points; -1). Total cost:  11 points.
  5)  Master’s Disguise:  Remove Requires A Disguise 
  Roll (-½). Total cost:  13 points.
  6)  Challengeable Disguise:  Add “is subject to Skill 
  Versus Skill Contests” to Requires A Disguise Roll 
  (-¼). Total cost:  11 points.
  MASTER OF MIMICRY
  Effect: 
  Shape Shift (Hearing Group, 
  any human voice, Imitation
  Target/Area Affected: Self
  Duration: 
  Constant
  Range: 
  Self
  END Cost: 
  0
  Skill Roll Penalty: 
  -6
  Description:  A character with this ability has an 
  amazingly — sometimes frighteningly — accurate 
  ability to imitate the voices of others. While he prob-
  ably can’t fool a voiceprint analyzer or other techno-
  logical device, to any other human ear his voice is an 
  exact duplicate of the one he’s imitating. Th e charac-
  ter must have heard a voice before (either in person 
  or on tape) to imitate it, but he can change his voice 
  so it’s not recognizable as his any time.
  Game Information:  Shape Shift  (Hearing Group, 
  any human voice), Imitation, Reduced Endur-
  ance (0 END; +½) (37 Active Points); Requires 
  A Mimicry Roll (-½). Total cost:  25 points.
  Options:
  1)  Strong Mimicry:  Th e character can not only imi-
  tate human voices, he can mimic other sounds — 
  bird calls, sirens, and so forth — as long as they’re 
  within the decibel and octave range of the human 
  voice. Change to any sound. 52 Active Points; total 
  cost 35 points.
  2)  Weak Mimicry:  Th e character can disguise 
  his own voice, but lacks the skill to imitate other 
  voices. Remove Imitation. 22 Active Points; total 
  cost 15 points.
  3)  Easier Mimicry:  Change to Requires A Mim-
  icry Roll (-1 per 20 Active Points; -¼). Total cost:  
  30 points.
  4)  Tougher Mimicry:  Change to Requires A Mimicry 
  Roll (-1 per 5 Active Points; -1). Total cost:  18 points.
  5)  Master’s Mimicry:  Remove Requires A Mimicry 
  Roll (-½). Total cost:  37 points.
  6)  Challengeable Mimicry:  Add “is subject to Skill 
  Versus Skill Contests” to Requires A Mimicry Roll 
  (-¼). Total cost:  21 points.
  
  146 ■ Character Creation
  Hero System 5th Edition
  OBLITERATE EVIDENCE
  Effect: 
  Minor Transform 3d6 (trace 
  evidence into ruined/
  obliterated/tainted trace evi-
  dence), Requires A Criminology 
  Roll
  Target/Area Affected: 5” Radius
  Duration: 
  Instant
  Range: 
  No Range
  END Cost: 
  0
  Skill Roll Penalty: 
  -7
  Description:  A knowledgeable character knows how 
  to scan a room or area for possible trace evidence 
  and similar clues (whether left  by himself or some-
  one else). By spending a few minutes wiping away 
  ﬁ ngerprints, cleaning up or tainting bloodstains, 
  and otherwise removing or obliterating that evi-
  dence, he can eﬀ ectively making a crime untrace-
  able. Since trace evidence is fragile (having, at most, 
  1 DEF, 1 BODY, and usually not even that), it’s easy 
  to Transform.
  Game Information:  Minor Transform 3d6 
  (trace evidence into ruined/obliterated/tainted 
  trace evidence, heals back through another 
  application of this power), Area Of Eﬀ ect (5” 
  Radius; +1), Reduced Endurance (0 END; +½) 
  (75 Active Points); Concentration (0 DCV 
  throughout; -1), Extra Time (at least 5 Min-
  utes, if not longer; -2), Limited Target (trace 
  evidence; -½), No Range (-½), Requires A 
  Criminology Roll (-½). Total cost:  14 points.
  Options:
  1)  Strong Obliteration:  Increase to Minor Trans-
  form 4d6. 100 Active Points; total cost 18 points.
  2)  Weak Obliteration:  Decrease to Minor Transform 
  2d6. 50 Active Points; total cost 9 points.
  3)  Easier Obliteration:  Change to Requires A Crimi-
  nology Roll (-1 per 20 Active Points; -¼). Total cost:  
  14 points.
  4)  Tougher Obliteration:  Change to Requires A Crimi-
  nology Roll (-1 per 5 Active Points; -1). Total cost:  12 
  points.
  5)  Master’s Obliteration:  Remove Requires A Crim-
  inology Roll (-½). Total cost:  15 points.
  6)  Challengeable Obliteration:  Add “is subject to 
  Skill Versus Skill Contests” to Requires A Criminol-
  ogy Roll (-¼). Total cost:  13 points.
  QUICKCHANGE ARTIST
  Effect: 
  Cosmetic Transform 2d6 (one 
  set of clothing into another), 
  Requires A Sleight Of Hand Roll
  Target/Area Affected: Self
  Duration: 
  Instant
  Range: 
  Self
  END Cost: 
  0
  Skill Roll Penalty: 
  -1
  Description:  Th e character has the ability to quickly 
  change one set of clothing he’s wearing for another 
  — a highly useful skill for impersonating people, 
  disguising his eﬀ orts to tail someone, and so forth. 
  Typically he can only change from the set of cloth-
  ing he’s wearing into another set that he has pre-
  pared (this is deﬁ ned with 1 Recoverable Charge 
  — recovering the Charge requires him to prepare 
  another set of clothing). In some situations, the GM 
  might allow the character to change into any one of 
  several sets of clothing that are available.
  Game Information:  Cosmetic Transform 2d6 
  (one set of clothing into another) (10 Active 
  Points); Extra Time (Full Phase; -½), No Range 
  (-½), Requires A Sleight Of Hand Roll (-½), 
  Self Only (-½), 1 Recoverable Charge (see text; 
  -1¼). Total cost:  2 points.
  Options:
  1)  Strong Change:  Increase to Cosmetic Transform 
  3d6. 15 Active Points; total cost 3 points.
  2)  Weak Change:  Decrease to Cosmetic Transform 
  1d6. 5 Active Points; total cost 1 point.
  3)  Tougher Change:  Change to Requires A Sleight 
  Of Hand Roll (-1 per 5 Active Points; -1). Total 
  cost:  2 points.
  4)  Master’s Change:  Remove Requires A Sleight Of 
  Hand Roll (-½). Total cost:  3 points.
  5)  Challengeable Change:  Add “is subject to Skill 
  Versus Skill Contests” to Requires A Sleight Of 
  Hand Roll (-¼). Total cost:  2 points.
  
  147 
  Dark Champions ■ Chapter Two
  SECURITY GHOST
  Effect: 
  Invisibility and Desolidiﬁ cation, 
  Only To Not Be Perceived By 
  Security Devices, Requires A 
  Security Systems Roll
  Target/Area Affected: Self
  Duration: 
  Constant
  Range: 
  Self
  END Cost: 
  0
  Skill Roll Penalty: 
  -3/-6
  Description:  Th e character has an uncanny knack 
  for slipping past security systems without set-
  ting them oﬀ . Unfortunately, he can only do this 
  himself; it doesn’t help him get a group of people 
  through.
  Game Information:
  Cost Power
  7 
  Security Ghost:  Invisibility to Sight Group, 
  Reduced Endurance (0 END; +½) (30 Active 
  Points); Extra Time (at least 1 Minute, and 
  oft en more; -1½), Only To Not Be Perceived 
  By Security Devices (-1), Requires A Security 
  Systems Roll (-½)
  11 
  Security Ghost:  Desolidiﬁ cation (aﬀ ected 
  by any attack), Reduced Endurance (0 END; 
  +½) (60 Active Points); Cannot Pass Th rough 
  Solid Objects (-½), Does Not Protect Against 
  Damage (-1), Extra Time (at least 1 Minute, 
  and oft en more; -1½), Only To Not Be Per-
  ceived By/Pass Th rough Security Devices 
  (-1), Requires A Security Systems Roll (-½)
  Total cost:  18 points.
  Options:
  1)  Strong Security Ghost:  Add Hearing and Smell/
  Taste Groups to Invisibility. 45 Active Points; total 
  cost 11 points; total cost of ability 22 points.
  2)  Weak Security Ghost:  Add Bright Fringe (-¼) to 
  Invisibility. Total cost 7 points; total cost of ability 
  18 points.
  3)  Easier Security Ghost:  Change to Requires A 
  Security Systems Roll (-1 per 20 Active Points; -¼) 
  for both powers. Total cost:  8 + 11 = 19 points.
  4)  Tougher Security Ghost:  Change to Requires A 
  Security Systems Roll (-1 per 5 Active Points; -1) 
  for both powers. Total cost:  7 + 10 = 17 points.
  5)  Master’s Security Ghost:  Remove Requires A 
  Security Systems Roll (-½) for both powers. Total 
  cost:  9 + 12 = 21 points.
  6)  Challengeable Security Ghost:  Add “is subject to 
  Skill Versus Skill Contests” to Requires A Security 
  Systems Roll (-¼) for both powers. Total cost:  7 + 10 
  = 17 points.
  7)  Group Security Ghost:  Th e character can get 
  others through with him. Add Usable Simultane-
  ously (up to eight people at once; +1) and Recipi-
  ents Must Remain Within 3” Of Character (-½) to 
  each power.  50 and 100 Active Points, respectively; 
  total cost 11 + 17 = 28 points.
  8)  Variant Security Ghost:  Th is form of the power 
  uses Change Environment to impose penalties 
  on several Sense Groups (including the “Security 
  Devices Sense Group,” deﬁ ned as those special 
  Senses used to build various security devices which 
  aren’t assigned to any particular Sense Group; 
  see pages 285-86 for some examples). Change 
  to:  Change Environment 1” radius, -5 to Sight, 
  Hearing, Smell/Taste, Touch, and Security Devices 
  Sense Group PER Rolls, Multiple Combat Eﬀ ects, 
  Reduced Endurance (0 END; +½) (123 Active 
  Points); Extra Time (at least 1 Minute, and oft en 
  more; -1½), No Range (-½), Only To Not Be Per-
  ceived By Security Devices (-1), Requires A Secu-
  rity Systems Roll (-½), Self Only (-½). Total cost:  
  25 points.
  TEAM EFFORT
  Effect: 
  Mind Link (a speciﬁ c group of 
  up to eight persons at once), 
  Only To Coordinate Assaults 
  And Operations
  Target/Area Affected: Self
  Duration: 
  Persistent
  Range: 
  Special
  END Cost: 
  0
  Skill Roll Penalty: 
  -3
  Description:  A group of characters with this abil-
  ity has an uncanny knack for executing their plans 
  with precise timing and for maximum eﬀ ectiveness. 
  Whether it comes from a superb skill at planning 
  and synchronizing their activities, or just a natu-
  ral ability for doing things “in tandem,” the team 
  members always seem to do things at the right time 
  when working together.
  Game Information:  Mind Link (a speciﬁ c group 
  of up to eight persons at once), No LOS Needed 
  (35 Active Points); Cannot Use Mental Powers 
  Th rough Link (-¼), Does Not Provide Mental 
  Awareness (-¼), Only To Coordinate Assaults 
  And Operations (-1), Only With Others Who 
  Have Mind Link (-1), Requires An INT Roll 
  (assumes an INT Roll of 12- or 13-; -¾). Total 
  cost:  8 points.
  Options:
  1)  Strong Super-Skill:  Increase to 16 persons at 
  once. 40 Active Points; total cost 9 points.
  2)  Weak Super-Skill:  Decrease to 4 persons at once. 
  30 Active Points; total cost 7 points.
  3)  Easier Intuition:  Change to Requires An INT Roll 
  (-1 per 20 Active Points; -½). Total cost:  9 points.
  4)  Tougher Intuition:  Change to Requires An INT Roll 
  (-1 per 5 Active Points; -1¼). Total cost:  7 points.
  5)  Master’s Intuition:  Remove Requires An INT 
  Roll (-¾). Total cost:  10 points.
  6)  Variant Intuition:  Change to Requires A Team-
  work Roll (-½). Total cost:  9 points.
  
  148 ■ Character Creation
  Hero System 5th Edition
  ULTIMATE PICKPOCKETING
  Effect: 
  Teleportation 1”, Fully Invisible, 
  Usable As Attack, Only Versus 
  Small, Pickpocketable Objects, 
  Requires A Sleight Of Hand Roll
  Target/Area Affected: One character
  Duration: 
  Instant
  Range: 
  No Range
  END Cost: 
  0
  Skill Roll Penalty: 
  -1
  Description:  Th e character is such a skilled sleight 
  of hand artist that he can pick pockets and remove 
  other small objects from someone’s person with 
  almost no chance of being detected. Similarly, the 
  character can walk past a small object on a table 
  and palm it without anyone noticing, and perform 
  similar sleight of hand tricks eﬀ ortlessly.
  Game Information:  Teleportation 1”, Fully 
  Invisible (+1), Usable As Attack (won’t work 
  against characters who have this power or 
  Sleight Of Hand at 14- or better; +1), Reduced 
  Endurance (0 END; +½) (7 Active Points); 
  Only Versus Small, Pickpocketable Objects
  (-1), Requires A Sleight Of Hand Roll (-½). 
  Total cost:  3 points.
  Options:
  1)  Tougher Super-Skill:  Change to Requires A 
  Sleight Of Hand Roll (-1 per 5 Active Points; -1). 
  Total cost:  2 points.
  2)  Master’s Super-Skill:  Remove Requires A Sleight 
  Of Hand Roll (-½). Total cost:  3 points.
  3)  Challengeable Super-Skill:  Add “is subject to 
  Skill Versus Skill Contests” to Requires A Sleight Of 
  Hand Roll (-¼). Total cost:  2 points.
  ULTIMATE STEALTH
  Effect: 
  Invisibility to Sight Group, Only 
  When Not Attacking, Requires 
  A Stealth Roll
  Target/Area Affected: Self
  Duration: 
  Constant
  Range: 
  Self
  END Cost: 
  0
  Skill Roll Penalty: 
  -3
  Description:  Th e character is a master of the arts 
  of stealth and hiding. When he doesn’t want to be 
  seen, almost no one can see him — only persons 
  within 1” even have a chance.
  Game Information:  Invisibility to Sight Group, 
  Reduced Endurance (0 END; +½) (30 Active 
  Points); Only When Not Attacking (-½), 
  Requires A Stealth Roll (-½). Total cost:  15 
  points.
  Options:
  1)  Strong Stealth:  Th e character is also virtually 
  impossible to hear. Add Hearing Group. 37 Active 
  Points; total cost 18 points.
  2)  Weak Stealth I:  Add Bright Fringe (-¼). Total 
  cost:  13 points.
  3)  Weak Stealth II:  Th e character’s stealthiness 
  doesn’t aﬀ ect augmented sight, such as nightsight 
  scopes, thermalvision goggles, and the like. Add 
  Limited Eﬀ ect (Normal Sight only; -¼). Total cost:  
  13 points.
  4)  Easier Stealth:  Change to Requires A Stealth Roll 
  (-1 per 20 Active Points; -¼). Total cost:  17 points.
  5)  Tougher Stealth:  Change to Requires A Stealth Roll 
  (-1 per 5 Active Points; -1). Total cost:  12 points.
  6)  Master’s Stealth:  Remove Requires A Stealth 
  Roll (-½). Total cost:  20 points.
  7)  Challengeable Stealth:  Add “is subject to Skill 
  Versus Skill Contests” to Requires A Stealth Roll 
  (-¼). Total cost:  13 points.
  8)  Cat’s Feet:  Th e character doesn’t know how to 
  hide himself from others’ sight, but he moves just 
  as silently as a cat. Change to Invisibility to Hearing 
  Group. 15 Active Points; total cost 7 points.
  9)  Variant Ultimate Stealth:  Th is form of the power 
  uses Change Environment to impose penalties on 
  Sight Group Senses. It’s not as eﬀ ective as Invisibil-
  ity, but may be more appropriate for more “realistic” 
  campaigns. Change to:  Change Environment 1” 
  radius, -8 to Sight Sense Group PER Rolls, Reduced 
  Endurance (0 END; +½) (39 Active Points); No 
  Range (-½), Only When Not Attacking (-½), 
  Requires A Stealth Roll (-½), Self Only (-½). Total 
  cost:  13 points.
  Add Hearing Group and Multiple Combat 
  Eﬀ ects as well:  82 Active Points; total cost 27 
  points.
  Reduce to -5 to Sight Sense Group PER Rolls:  
  25 Active Points; total cost 8 points.
  Change to Normal Sight PER Rolls:  28 
  Active Points; total cost 9 points.
  
  149 
  Dark Champions ■ Chapter Two
  WHO SAID THAT?
  Effect: 
  Images to Hearing Group, -6 
  to PER Rolls, Only To Create 
  False Human Voices At Range, 
  Requires A Ventriloquism Roll 
  (-½)
  Target/Area Affected: 1” Radius
  Duration: 
  Constant
  Range: 
  6”
  END Cost: 
  0
  Skill Roll Penalty: 
  -3
  Description:  Th e character is a master ventriloquist, 
  able to throw his voice up to 40 feet away without 
  moving his lips at all! He can change his voice 
  slightly; if he wants to imitate other people, the GM 
  may allow him to do so if he makes a Mimicry roll.
  Game Information:  Images to Hearing Group, 
  -6 to PER Rolls, Reduced Endurance (0 END; 
  +½) (34 Active Points); Limited Range (6”; -¼), 
  Only To Create False Human Voices At Range 
  (-1), Requires A Ventriloquism Roll (-½). Total 
  cost:  12 points.
  Options:
  1)  Strong Ventriloquism:  Increase to -8 to PER 
  Rolls. 43 Active Points; total cost 16 points.
  2)  Weak Ventriloquism:  Decrease to -4 to PER Rolls. 
  25 Active Points; total cost 9 points.
  3)  Easier Ventriloquism:  Change to Requires A Ven-
  triloquism Roll (-1 per 20 Active Points; -¼). Total 
  cost:  14 points.
  4)  Tougher Ventriloquism:  Change to Requires A 
  Ventriloquism Roll (-1 per 5 Active Points; -1). 
  Total cost:  10 points.
  5)  Master’s Ventriloquism:  Remove Requires A 
  Ventriloquism Roll (-½). Total cost:  15 points.
  6)  Challengeable Ventriloquism:  Add “is subject to 
  Skill Versus Skill Contests” to Requires A Ventrilo-
  quism Roll (-¼). Total cost:  11 points.
  7)  Greater Repertoire:  Th e character can make just 
  about any sound at range, not just human voices 
  (provided the GM believes they’re within the deci-
  bel and octave range of the human voice). Change 
  to Only To Create False Sounds At Range (-½). 
  Total cost:  15 points.
  
  150 ■ Character Creation
  Hero System 5th Edition
  C
  haracters in the movies, novels, television 
  shows, and comic books that inﬂ uence and 
  inspire Dark Champions campaigns oft en 
  go through weapons, equipment, and other 
  resources at a rapid pace. Th ey acquire, use, and 
  lose guns, cars, and other gear within the space of 
  a single story. Th ey come into large amounts of 
  money, then spend or lose it just as quickly. During 
  the course of a mission, they might call on many 
  diﬀ erent Contacts and friends, only to have those 
  characters die during that adventure... or, if they 
  live, never come into the character’s story again.
  Th is sort of give-and-take is diﬃ  cult to simu-
  late in gaming, where characters are used to acquir-
  ing resources and getting to use them whenever 
  they want thereaft er. And in the HERO System, 
  where characters typically pay Character Points for 
  their resources, it can be even trickier, since charac-
  ters rightly expect to receive full and constant value 
  for what they buy.
  Th e rules for equipment in Heroic genres like 
  Dark Champions — that characters don’t pay Char-
  acter Points for equipment, they buy it or otherwise 
  acquire it “for free” in the game — are designed 
  in part to simulate this situation. However, they 
  oft en come with their own diﬃ  culties. When char-
  acters can have more or less whatever they want 
  “for free,” it becomes problematic for many GMs 
  to deny them anything — particularly when they 
  buy the Skills, Perks, and Talents needed to build 
  or acquire the gear on their own. (See page 264 for 
  more information about equipment acquisition.) 
  Furthermore, the equipment rules don’t cover 
  other resources that Dark Champions characters 
  oft en use, such as Contacts; characters still have to 
  pay Character Points for such things, which oft en 
  becomes a frustrating exercise in trying to predict 
  what sort of friends the character will need to call 
  on throughout his adventuring career.
  Th e Resource Point rules are intended to 
  correct (or at least minimize) these problems by 
  creating a distinct pool of “points” that characters 
  can use to “buy” weapons, equipment, Vehicles, 
  Bases, Contacts, and other more or less “fungible” 
  resources that can easily change (i.e., be lost, used 
  up, or used temporarily) during the course of an 
  adventure or campaign. Th at way they don’t have to 
  spend precious Character Points on a resource they 
  may rarely (if ever) use. At the same time, since the 
  GM has some control over the amount of Resource 
  Points the PCs have and how they allocate them, he 
  can prevent them from arming themselves to the 
  teeth and driving around in tanks just because they 
  don’t have to pay Character Points for their gear.
  Th e Resource Points rules are strictly optional. 
  If the GM doesn’t want to use them, he doesn’t have 
  to; if he wants to change them or re-arrange them, 
  he’s welcome to. Th e purpose of Resource Points is 
  to help the GM manage his campaign better while 
  maintaining the players’ freedom to create and play 
  their characters in ways that simulate the Dark 
  Champions genre better — so if they don’t do that for 
  you, rework them until they do, or don’t use them.
  RESOURCE POINTS BASICS
  A character’s Resource Points are divided into 
  four categories:
  Equipment Points
  Vehicle/Base Points
  Follower/Contact Points
  Miscellaneous Points
  Th e text below describes each category and 
  what characters can buy with the Resource Points 
  assigned to it. Characters may not substitute points 
  in one category for points in another; for example, 
  a character cannot choose to spend some (or all ) 
  of his Follower/Contact Points on equipment — he 
  has to spend them on Contacts or Followers, or 
  nothing at all. Characters may not sell back unused 
  Resource Points in any category.
  STARTING RESOURCE POINTS
  Th e GM must decide how many Resource 
  Points he wants characters to start the campaign 
  with. Th e more points he assigns to each category, 
  the more resources the character will have to 
  choose from in that category, and the more he can 
  have “active” at one time.
  Typically characters have more Equipment 
  Points than any other type of Resource Points 
  — that’s the category in which they’re most likely to 
  need to buy expensive things and to carry a lot of 
  that resource at once. Miscellaneous Points tend to 
  be the rarest, since they represent the least common 
  things characters use (and in some ways the things 
  most likely to unbalance the game).
  Th e example characters in Chapter Nine are 
  built with the following starting Resource Points:
  60 Equipment Points
  10 Vehicle/Base Points
  5 Follower/Contact Points
  0 Miscellaneous Points
  RESOURCE
  POINTS
  
  151 
  Dark Champions ■ Chapter Two
  PURCHASING MORE RESOURCE POINTS
  Th e campaign default amount of Resource 
  Points may not be enough for some characters, 
  such as a heavily-armed vigilante, a technician 
  who wants to have lots of gadgets, or an expert 
  driver who needs lots of diﬀ erent cars. Characters 
  may purchase more Equipment, Vehicle/Base, and 
  Follower/Contact Points with Character Points, at 
  the cost indicated in the accompanying table. Char-
  acters may not purchase Miscellaneous Points; they 
  can only get these from the GM.
  Characters may not “trade in” Resource 
  Points for Character Points. Th ey may choose not 
  to use their Resource Points, or any particular 
  category of Resource Points, but they get nothing 
  in exchange. Similarly, they may choose to use 
  only some of the points in a Resource Points cat-
  egory, but that just means the points go to waste 
  (temporarily or permanently).
  As the campaign progresses, characters can 
  get more Resource Points in either or both of two 
  ways. First, they can spend Experience Points to 
  buy them, as described above. Second, the GM can 
  give out Resource Points at the end of an adventure, 
  in place of or in addition to Experience Points. For 
  example, aft er a particularly successful adventure, 
  the GM might grant each character 3 Experience 
  Points, 2 Equipment Points, and 1 Vehicle/Base Point. 
  Th e amount and type of points given out are up to 
  the GM, and may vary from character to charac-
  ter depending upon each character’s performance 
  during the scenario. Th e amount of Resource Points 
  awarded does not depend on the amount of equip-
  ment, Contacts, and other resources the characters 
  acquire during the scenario. Characters may walk 
  away from a game with truckloads of guns but still 
  get only 2 Equipment Points, or they may lose several 
  guns but be awarded 4 Equipment Points for their 
  clever actions.
  Characters generally cannot lose Resource 
  Points. Th e only exception to this rule is if a character 
  spends Resource Points on unique items (see below).
  PURCHASING THINGS WITH RESOURCE 
  POINTS
  Characters use Resource Points to “buy” equip-
  ment, Vehicles, Contacts, and the like for them-
  selves during an adventure. Th e cost of something 
  in Resource Points equals its cost in Real Points. 
  For example, if a character wants a machine gun 
  (90 Active Points, 36 Real Points), that requires 36 
  of his Equipment Points.
  Where appropriate, characters may spend 
  Resource Points using the “5 Character Points 
  doubles the number of items of equipment (or 
  Vehicles, Followers, or the like) that a character 
  has.” For example, if the character described above 
  wanted two machine guns, he’d allocate 36 Equip-
  ment Points for the ﬁ rst machine gun, then 5 more 
  Equipment Points for the second using the “5 
  points doubling” rule, for a total of 41 Equipment 
  Points. Th e GM may, of course, forbid this if he 
  considers it unbalancing or troublesome.
  Kit And Armory
  When a character uses Resource Points (particu-
  larly Equipment Points), he must distinguish between 
  his Kit (the equipment, Followers, Vehicles, and so 
  on that he currently carries, uses, or “has active”) and 
  his Armory (the total amount of equipment, Follow-
  ers, Vehicles, and so on that he has to choose from). 
  Characters usually have more resources than they 
  can carry or use at one time, so they have to choose 
  which ones they want to have available to them 
  during a particular adventure (or part of an adven-
  ture). A character’s Armory is usually much larger 
  than his Kit, since he acquires resources he can use 
  during the course of the campaign. 
  A character’s Kit equals the total amount of 
  Resource Points he has in any given category. For 
  example, if a character has 60 Equipment Points, 
  then his Kit equals 60 points — he can have up to 
  60 Real Points’ worth of weapons and equipment 
  with him (or easily accessible) at any one time. A 
  character keeps his Kit with him during an adven-
  ture (or has it nearby).
  A character’s Armory is the overall amount of 
  a resource the character has to choose from when 
  determining what he takes in his Kit. It’s not nec-
  essarily deﬁ ned by any set point total; depending 
  on what he does during the campaign, a character 
  could acquire an Armory with literally thousands of 
  Resource Points’ worth of resources. A character usu-
  ally stores his Armory in a Base or other safe location.
  Example:  Crimesmasher’s Equipment Points 
  Armory, which he keeps in his secret headquar-
  ters, consists of the following:  100 throwing 
  blades (10 Real Points apiece), three grappling 
  hooks (10 Real Points apiece), ﬁ ve billy clubs 
  (5 Real Points apiece), ten throwing stars (10 
  Real Points apiece), a parabolic microphone (6 
  Real Points), a survival knife (13 Real Points), 
  16 assorted handguns (ranging from 8-28 Real 
  Points apiece), two assault riﬂ es (35 Real Points 
  apiece), several suits of body armor (ranging 
  from 3 to 15 Real Points each), and various 
  other miscellanous pieces of equipment. He 
  only has 60 Equipment Points to spend, giving 
  RESOURCE POINT COSTS
  Type Of Resource Point 
  Cost
  Equipment Points 
  1 Character Point for 5 
  Equipment Points
  Vehicle/Base Points 
  1 Character Point for 2 
  Vehicle/Base Points 
  Follower/Contact Points 
  1 Character Point for 2 
  Follower/Contact Points 
  Miscellaneous Points 
  Not allowed
  
  152 ■ Character Creation
  Hero System 5th Edition
  him a 60-point Kit. Th is of course means he 
  can’t take his entire Armory with him when 
  he goes on patrol — he has to choose 60 Real 
  Points’ worth of equipment to carry. He chooses 
  the parabolic mike (6 Real Points), 16 throwing 
  blades (30 Real Points), the survival knife (13 
  Real Points), and a handgun (11 Real Points).
  A character’s Kit may vary from adventure 
  to adventure. He might even change it during the 
  course of an adventure, if he has the chance to visit 
  his Armory and switch his Resource Points.
  At the beginning of the campaign, each char-
  acter has an Armory in each Resource Points cat-
  egory equal to 1.5 times the number of Resource 
  Points in that category. Characters should deter-
  mine the contents of their Armory (subject to GM 
  permission) before the game begins. Aft er the cam-
  paign begins, there’s no limit on the size of a char-
  acter’s Armory, nor do characters have to maintain 
  a Kit:Armory ratio of 1:1.5. Aft er the game begins, 
  a character can put any equipment, Vehicles, Bases, 
  Followers, or Contacts he acquires into the Armory 
  of the appropriate category of Resource Points, and 
  loses things from his various Armories as they’re 
  destroyed, used up, killed, or stolen. Th us, a char-
  acter’s Armories change during the course of the 
  campaign as he acquires new resources (weapons 
  looted from his defeated enemies, Contacts among 
  new people he meets, Vehicles he builds, and the 
  like) or loses them (his enemies capture him and 
  take away some of his guns, Triggerhappy blows up 
  his armored Cadillac, the KGB murders one of his 
  Contacts, and so forth).
  Th e distinction between Kit and Armory 
  becomes crucial when characters lose items or use 
  up expendable items. If a character puts an assault 
  riﬂ e in his Kit at the start of an adventure, and 
  during the course of the adventure he loses the riﬂ e, 
  he does not lose any Equipment Points, nor are the 
  points in his Kit reduced. However, his Armory 
  has suﬀ ered a loss — he no longer has that assault 
  riﬂ e to choose from when allocating points for his 
  Kit. (His Kit for the current adventure now has a 
  number of “unspent” points that were formerly 
  used to buy the assault riﬂ e, and he can replace the 
  assault riﬂ e with something else obtained from his 
  Armory.)  If the character wants to have an assault 
  riﬂ e available, he has to acquire another one (by 
  looting bodies, theft , purchase, building it himself, 
  or however else the GM allows him to get one). A 
  character’s need or desire to replace the lost con-
  tents of his Armory can provide a lot of opportuni-
  ties for roleplaying, and may suggest many adven-
  tures to the GM.
  Example:  Crimesmasher is a character in a 
  “costumed vigilantes” campaign. Characters 
  in this campaign start with 60 Equipment 
  Points. Before the game begins, Crimes-
  masher may deﬁ ne 90 points’ worth of equip-
  ment (his Armory) that he has to choose from 
  when ﬁ lling his Kit. He chooses a handgun 
  (20 Real Points), an assault riﬂ e (35 Real 
  Points), a suit of body armor (12 Real Points), 
  a survival knife (13 Real Points), a parabolic 
  microphone (6 Real Points), Advanced 
  Lockpicking Tools (2 Real Points), and an 
  Advanced Criminalistics Kit (2 Real Points). 
  His starting Armory is now ﬁ lled.
  During the course of Crimesmasher’s early 
  adventures, he loses his assault riﬂ e and his 
  lockpicking tools when one of his enemies takes 
  them away from him. But he also acquires 
  several pistols and shotguns (taken from street 
  thugs he defeated), a couple sets of handcuﬀ s, 
  two more suits of body armor, an arsenal of 
  throwing blades and knives conﬁ scated from 
  his enemy Razor, a small ﬁ re extinguisher, and 
  a waﬄ  e iron. His Armory is now much larger 
  than it was before, though he can still only 
  choose 60 Real Points’ worth of equipment for 
  his Kit for any particular adventure. He can’t 
  choose the assault riﬂ e or the lockpicking tools 
  anymore (since he lost them), but he has a lot 
  more options now than he did before.
  RESTRICTIONS ON RESOURCE POINTS
  Th e GM must decide what restrictions, if any, 
  he wants to place on the use of Resource Points. 
  For example, he might want to establish a campaign 
  ground rule that a character cannot have a weapon 
  with more Active Points than two times (2x) his 
  number of Equipment Points, or a Vehicle built on 
  more than 250 Character Points.
  
  153 
  Dark Champions ■ Chapter Two
  Kit Size Restrictions
  Another possible restriction is to limit the size 
  of a character’s Kit based on the type of adventure 
  being run. For instance, characters typically can’t 
  take as much equipment when they’re attending a 
  formal ball as they can when they’re assaulting a 
  guerrilla camp in the jungle. Depending on the cir-
  cumstances, the GM can decrease (or increase) the 
  size of the characters’ Kit temporarily.
  Example:  Steve decides to establish three cat-
  egories of “Kit size” for his game. Th e basic size 
  is Standard Gunwear, which is the amount 
  of equipment the characters typically carry 
  on an adventure, when patrolling the streets, 
  and so forth. It equals 1 x Kit. For situations 
  where they’re undercover or can’t carry a lot of 
  gear, they have to use Casual Gunwear — 0.5 
  x Kit, and the Kit cannot include any item with 
  a PER Mod greater than +2 unless he gives 
  special permission. For missions where the PCs 
  know they’re heading into combat (or other 
  dangerous situations), they can have Formal 
  Gunwear:  1.25 x Kit.
  RESOURCE POINT POOLS
  Th ere are four categories of Resource Points:  
  Equipment Points; Vehicle/Base Points; Follower/
  Contact Points; and Miscellaneous Points.
  EQUIPMENT POINTS
  Th e most common, and probably most impor-
  tant, category of Resource Points is Equipment 
  Points, which characters use to purchase weapons, 
  body armor, gadgets, and other devices. A character 
  usually has more points in his Equipment Point pool 
  than in any other category of Resource Points.
  When building equipment for their Equipment 
  Points pools, characters can apply appropriate Limi-
  tations (including Focus, obviously) to reduce the 
  Real Point cost of the items. However, Because char-
  acters who buy “unique” items through their Equip-
  ment Points pools are already subject to losing those 
  points if the item is lost (see below), they may not use 
  the Independent Limitation to build devices on which 
  they spend Equipment Points.
  Types Of Equipment Available
  Th e types of equipment normally available to 
  characters is limited, based on their experience and 
  their adventures. At base level, characters may only 
  allocate Equipment Points for Standard equipment, 
  meaning any items an ordinary, law-abiding citizen 
  could acquire without too much diﬃ  culty. Th is cat-
  egory is still fairly broad — ordinary citizens can 
  obtain powerful hunting riﬂ es, some types of body 
  armor, high-caliber handguns, simple espionage 
  devices, early-generation nightvision equipment, 
  and a lot of other gear — but it prevents a charac-
  ter from purchasing law enforcement or military 
  equipment such as submachine guns, grenades, 
  and advanced body armors.
  If a character wants to be able to allocate 
  Equipment Points to better types of equipment, he 
  must buy the Perk Improved Equipment Availability 
  (see page 88). Here’s what’s available for diﬀ erent 
  Perk values:
  Street-Level Equipment (3 points):  Th is Perk gives the 
  character access to various types of law enforcement 
  equipment and military small arms, such as subma-
  chine guns and assault riﬂ es, and to other low-level 
  military equipment, but not to heavy equipment such 
  as machine guns or anti-tank rockets.
  Military Equipment (5 points):  Th is Perk gives the 
  character some access to heavy weapons, such as 
  machine guns and some types of grenades, and all 
  types of body armor.
  Advanced Military Equipment (10 points):  Th is Perk 
  gives the character access to the full range of military 
  equipment, including anti-tank rockets, ﬂ amethrow-
  ers, any type of grenade, and so forth.
  Th e accompanying Improved Equipment Avail-
  ability Chart oﬀ ers some guidelines regarding what 
  characters can purchase when they buy the Perk. 
  But of course, just having the Perk doesn’t guarantee 
  a character access to such equipment — paying for 
  Advanced Military Equipment doesn’t mean the 
  character can walk right into the local U.S. Army 
  armory and take anything he wants. Characters still 
  have to acquire the weapons and gear for their Equip-
  ment Point pools in the usual ways. Th e Perk is just a 
  game rule that restricts access for game balance pur-
  poses. (See page 88 for more information.)
  Regardless of what level of the Perk a character 
  has (if any), he can always put in his Armory, and 
  allocate Equipment Points to, an item he acquires 
  during game play (such as a machine gun he obtains 
  from a defeated enemy). Th e Equipment Point rules 
  do not prevent a character from using equipment 
  acquired in a game session during that game session 
  only, even if he can’t ﬁ t it into his Kit. However, in 
  later game sessions, if he wants to use such “found 
  equipment,” he has to include it in his Kit.
  Usually characters obtain equipment for their 
  Armories in the usual ways:  purchase it; steal it; take 
  it from defeated enemies; make it using their own 
  Skills; hire a skilled craft sman to make it; and so forth 
  (see page 246). To prevent game balance problems, 
  the GM may want to forbid characters to make their 
  own weapons and gear unless they have not only the 
  appropriate general Skills (such as Weaponsmith, and 
  perhaps Inventor), but one or more appropriate PSs 
  or other Skills related to the speciﬁ c item in question.
  Unique Items
  Generally, a character should not include 
  unique items, such as a one-of-a-kind gun he 
  designed himself, in his Equipment Point Armory 
  or Kit — he should spend Character Points on 
  such items. Similarly, a character may not want 
  buy his “signature” items (such as a distinctive type 
  of throwing blade or other weapon) through his 
  Resource Points; he should spend Character Points 
  on those items, so he can’t permanently lose them. 
  If a character spends Resource Points on a unique 
  item of some sort, and loses or uses up that item, 
  he loses the Resource Points used to buy that item 
  
  154 ■ Character Creation
  Hero System 5th Edition
  permanently. Th e GM deﬁ nes exactly what quali-
  ﬁ es as a “unique” item for purposes of this rule. For 
  example, if a character wants to use a lot of big, 
  fancy guns that he built himself and that look really 
  impressive, but which are no more eﬀ ective (in 
  game terms) than ordinary ﬁ rearms, the guns prob-
  ably aren’t “unique.” But if they do extra damage 
  or have other features not commonly available on 
  guns, the GM might consider them “unique.”
  VEHICLE/BASE POINTS
  Vehicle/Base Points are the second most 
  common type of Resource Points. Because many 
  Vehicles and Bases are more or less “unique,” the rules 
  about losing Resource Points spent on unique equip-
  ment generally don’t apply to Vehicle/Base Points. 
  However, at the GM’s option, a character who builds 
  a truly unique Vehicle or Base still may lose all or 
  some of the points used to buy it if it is destroyed.
  Characters’ ability to purchase military vehicles 
  and/or armed and armored vehicles is restricted by 
  the Improved Equipment Availability Perk.
  FOLLOWER/CONTACT POINTS
  Follower/Contact Points are relatively rare. Most 
  characters will never have a large number of them.
  Many Dark Champions characters seem to have 
  dozens of Contacts who appear for one adventure 
  here or there, functioning as a sort of “plot device” 
  for that particular scenario. Th at Contact may never 
  show up again, but for that one adventure, he’s vital. 
  Follower/Contact Points allow GMs and characters to 
  create this sort of Contact without having to devote 
  Character Points to him permanently. Th ey also allow 
  a character to claim to have a large number of Fol-
  lowers without devoting a substantial portion of his 
  Character Points to purchasing them.
  A character’s Follower/Contact Armory con-
  sists of all the Followers and Contacts he knows 
  and/or controls (in a general sense). His Follower/
  Contact Kit is the Followers or Contacts he wishes 
  to have access to that adventure. A Follower or 
  Contact in the Armory but not the Kit may not be 
  used or encountered in the current scenario — he 
  is, for whatever reason, unavailable.
  Contacts in a character’s Kit are not automati-
  cally available to him — he must still make his 
  Contact Roll to determine whether he can locate 
  the Contact and/or whether the Contact can be of 
  any help to him. If a particular Contact is integral 
  to a particular scenario, the GM may require a 
  character to take that Contact or Follower as part 
  of his Kit for that scenario.
  Because each Follower or Contact is, in 
  essence, “unique,” the rule about losing Equipment 
  Points devoted to unique items does not apply to 
  Follower/Contact Points. If the character loses a 
  Follower or Contact because of his own stupid-
  ity or incompetence, the GM may rule that he 
  loses the Follower/Contact Points devoted to that 
  person permanently. Otherwise, the GM should let 
  the character replace a lost Follower or Contact, 
  though this may take a long time and involve a lot 
  of roleplaying.
  Characters may not buy the Well-Connected 
  Skill Enhancer through their Follower/Contact 
  Points. However, if they buy it with their Character 
  Points, it reduces the cost of all Contacts purchased 
  with Resource Points in the usual fashion.
  MISCELLANEOUS POINTS
  Miscellaneous Points are the rarest form 
  of Resource Points; some characters may never 
  possess any. Characters allocate them to acquire 
  access to Money, certain Fringe Beneﬁ ts, and other 
  unusual Perks and abilities. Th e GM determines 
  whether a particular Perk or ability qualiﬁ es for 
  Miscellaneous Points.
  Th e GM should be especially careful about 
  how characters deﬁ ne their Kit and Armory of 
  Miscellaneous Points. It’s not common for charac-
  ters to suddenly acquire or lose Fringe Beneﬁ ts, for 
  example; instead, characters should generally deﬁ ne 
  their Kit in one particular way, and leave it that 
  way for long periods of time. In some cases (for 
  example, characters who can disguise themselves 
  and forge credential and licenses), quicker switches 
  may be acceptable.
  Category of Perk
  Weapons
  Vehicles
  Body Armor
  Miscellaneous
  Standard
  (free)
  Th ose available to civilians 
  — handguns, hunting riﬂ es 
  and shotguns
  Th ose available to civilians 
  — stock automobiles, motor-
  cycles, helicopters, and the like
  Up to DEF 6          
  Anything easily available to 
  civilians without a license or 
  permit 
  Street Level
  (3 points)
  Military small arms — subma-
  chine guns, assault riﬂ es, and 
  the like
  Minor military vehicles (such 
  as Humvees); highly custom-
  ized civilian vehicles (e.g., Indy 
  cars, armored cars), armored 
  cars. Typically limited to 7 
  DEF.
  Up to DEF 11 
  Anything requiring a license 
  or permit to purchase (e.g., 
  some surveillance equipment 
  and lockpicking equipment)
  Military
  (5 points)
  Military heavy weapons 
  — machine guns, grenades, 
  and the like
  Any vehicle with built-in 
  weapons or gadgetry — James 
  Bond’s cars, Humvees with 
  guns, vigilante cycles. Typically 
  limited to 12 DEF.
  Any type of body armor
  Generation 3 nightvision 
  equipment
  Advanced Military
  (10 points)
  All military weapons — anti-
  tank rockets, missiles, and the 
  like
  Full military vehicles — tanks, 
  Apache helicopters, nuclear 
  submarines, space shuttles, and 
  the like
  IMPROVED EQUIPMENT AVAILABILITY CHART
  
  chapter three:
  chapter three:
  chapter three:
  TRACES OF CRIME
  FORENSICS
  
  156 ■ Forensics
  Hero System 5th Edition
  O
  ne of the most popular aspects of the 
  modern-day action-adventure genre is 
  criminalistics, or forensic science — the use 
  of science to ﬁ nd and analyze clues, and 
  thus catch murderers and other criminals. Entire 
  books, movies, and television shows have focused 
  on the “magic” of seeing a trained scientist take the 
  tiniest traces of evidence, study them, and uncover 
  information that helps the police arrest a killer.
  Criminalistics (and the related ﬁ eld of foren-
  sic pathology) can play just as important a role 
  in your games. Sometimes the only clues a Dark 
  Champions character has to go on are a few drops 
  of blood or a ﬁ ngerprint, so it’s important for 
  players and GMs alike to know, in layman’s terms, 
  what that clue can tell a skilled character. Th is 
  chapter provides a brief introduction to criminal-
  istics, with plenty of suggestions about how to use 
  the appropriate Skills. Readers who want to learn 
  more can consult the books listed in the Bibliog-
  raphy or numerous other sources.
  In game terms, the information in this sec-
  tion pertains to the Skill Criminology. You can read 
  about the use of the closely-related Skill Forensic 
  Medicine in the next section of this chapter.
  Archaeology
  At old crime scenes, sometimes archaeological 
  procedures and techniques are useful to recover 
  and preserve evidence. Forensic archaeological 
  investigations may involve forensic anthropology 
  (see page 168) as well, since bones are oft en the 
  only remains of the victim. SS: Archaeology is a 
  Complementary Skill to Criminology for purposes 
  of ﬁ nding evidence at older crime scenes.
  Arson And Explosions
  Characters may oft en ﬁ nd themselves investi-
  gating suspicious ﬁ res or explosions.
  ARSON
  Criminalists and ﬁ re marshals must some-
  times investigate a ﬁ re to determine its cause and 
  origin — in other words, to discover if someone 
  deliberately set it (usually as a form of insurance 
  fraud, or as an attack on the property’s owner). SS: 
  Arson/Explosion Investigation covers this ﬁ eld and 
  serves as a Complementary Skill to Criminalistics.
  Characters should examine an arson scene as 
  soon as possible aft er the ﬁ re is extinguished. First 
  they must locate the ﬁ re’s point of origin. Fire tends 
  to move upwards, so the investigation usually starts 
  at the lowest point at which there’s evidence of 
  burning. Factors such as the wind and building col-
  lapse can alter the usual pattern of burning. A series 
  of random ﬁ res throughout a building, or evidence 
  of accelerants (substances such as kerosene used 
  to spread a ﬁ re), also known as “streamers,” oft en 
  indicate arson.
  Once the character locates the ﬁ re’s point of 
  origin, he protects it and photographs it. An elec-
  tronic “sniﬀ er” can detect the residue of any accel-
  erants, since such chemicals usually do not burn up 
  completely. Th e character can then use a gas chro-
  matograph to identify the accelerant. Normally, not 
  even intense ﬁ reﬁ ghting eﬀ orts obliterate all useful 
  forensic evidence, but at the GM’s discretion, they 
  could impose a -1 to -3 penalty on a character’s 
  Criminology roll. Similar penalties result if a char-
  acter waits too long to investigate a ﬁ re.
  Inexperienced arsonists oft en burn themselves 
  badly. A quick call to the local emergency rooms 
  may help locate such an arsonist.
  EXPLOSIONS
  Investigating explosions is similar to investi-
  gating arson. Demolitions and SS: Arson/Explosion 
  Investigation are Complementary Skills for investi-
  gating explosions.
  Explosives are classiﬁ ed as “low” or “high” 
  explosives; the distinction depends on the speed at 
  which the substance “decomposes” (i.e., explodes). 
  Black powder and smokeless powder are a low 
  explosives; dynamite, TNT, and RDX (plastic explo-
  sive) are high explosives. Low explosives are usually 
  set oﬀ  by a ﬂ ame; high explosives by a primer (a 
  small, ultrasensitive explosive device) contained in 
  a blasting cap and triggered by an electric charge. 
  (See page 256 for more information on explosives 
  in game terms.)
  Th e investigator should examine the scene 
  of an explosion as soon as possible, before the 
  evidence is obliterated. Bombing investigations 
  generally focus on four separate areas. Th e ﬁ rst 
  is to examine the components of and residues 
  left  by the bomb and try to link them to the 
  person(s) who built the bomb. Explosives almost 
  always leave traceable residues in the crater and 
  surrounding areas. Microscopic examination 
  of materials from the scene lets characters ﬁ nd 
  these unexploded particles, which they can then 
  identify with a chemical color test. Explosions 
  also leave distinctive marks, called pitting and 
  cratering, in metals; the direction and type of soot 
  on the walls is likewise important. Remnants of 
  the materials used to construct the bomb (such 
  CRIMINALISTICS
  THE LATEST DATA
  Th e information in this 
  chapter comes from var-
  ious sources available to 
  the general public as of 
  mid-2004, and is current 
  as of that time. However, 
  the ﬁ eld of criminal-
  istics oft en advances 
  rapidly (as anyone who 
  compares this chapter to 
  the equivalent section in 
  the original Dark Cham-
  pions sourcebook can 
  readily see!), so it’s pos-
  sible that some of this 
  information will become 
  outdated or invalidated 
  as time goes on. Play-
  ers and GMs who are 
  interested in being as 
  accurate as possible are 
  encouraged to do their 
  own research.
  LOCARD’S 
  EXCHANGE 
  PRINCIPLE
  Much of criminalistics is 
  based on a scientiﬁ c law 
  called Locard’s Exchange 
  Principle, which states 
  that “whenever two 
  objects come into con-
  tact, a transfer of materi-
  als occurs.” Th is transfer 
  may be minute, but with 
  proper equipment and 
  training a criminalist 
  can ﬁ nd the transferred 
  materials, analyze them, 
  and derive information 
  from them.
  
  157 
  Dark Champions ■ Chapter Three
  as the metal fragments created by a pipe bomb) 
  are another type of explosion evidence. Also, the 
  faster (stronger) an explosive is, the more damage 
  it does, so the extent of the damage can tell inves-
  tigators what type of explosive was used.
  Second, investigators can compare the bomb-
  er’s “signature” to known signatures. Each bomber 
  tends to have his own particular method or style 
  of making bombs. Even if they know other ways 
  to make bombs, they usually keep using certain 
  techniques that they favor. SS: Psychology/Criminal 
  Psychology can act as a Complementary Skill 
  to Criminology for purposes of determining a 
  bomber’s “signature” and what it might mean. (Of 
  course, a highly-skilled bomber in an adventure 
  story might vary the types of bombs he uses, just to 
  confuse the characters.)
  Th ird, investigators look for evidence of items 
  associated with a bomb, such as the vehicle or pack-
  age it was carried in, and try to link those with the 
  bomber. Th ey also interview witnesses, since the 
  color and shape of an explosion can provide clues.
  Fourth, investigators look into the motive for 
  the bombing. Th ey try to ﬁ nd out who had a reason 
  to set oﬀ  a bomb in this particular place, be it a 
  disgruntled neighbor, a business enemy, a fanatical 
  terrorist, or someone else.
  Blood
  Blood samples and stains can be extremely 
  important clues. Th ey can help identify murderers 
  and show what happened at a murder scene. Th e 
  study of blood (and other body ﬂ uids) is known as 
  Serology. SS: Serology serves as a Complementary 
  Skill to Criminalistics.
  Th e basic steps in a blood investigation are 
  these:
  ■ is it blood?
  ■ if so, is it human blood?
  ■ if so, what are its characteristics (i.e., whose blood 
  is it)?
  Special chemical tests provide the answers to 
  these questions.
  Characters should gather blood samples while 
  the blood remains as fresh and pure as possible. As 
  blood dries and ages, it gradually becomes more 
  and more diﬃ  cult to determine its characteristics, 
  because the red blood cells rupture. Impurities 
  can also occur when blood mixes with other sub-
  stances, such as dirty water. However, in some situ-
  ations the age or purity of blood is less important 
  (for example, the precipitin test, described below).
  Characters can detect “occult” blood stains 
  — those which are hidden, too small to be seen 
  by the naked eye, or have been cleaned up — with 
  chemicals such as luminol and ﬂ uorescein. Luminol 
  reacts to blood by creating a blue-white to yellow-
  ish-green light for about 30 seconds aft er exposure; 
  this light is visible to the naked eye and should be 
  photographed before it fades. Fluorescein works 
  similarly, but is only visible under ultraviolet light. 
  Even well-cleaned crime scenes usually retain 
  microscopic traces of blood which become very 
  visible when treated with these substances — lumi-
  nol, for example, can detect blood in dilutions as 
  small as 1 in ten million.
  IDENTIFYING BLOOD
  Determining that a sample is in fact blood 
  is usually a simple matter — the examiner uses a 
  chemical test, such as a catalytic color test. In game 
  terms, this requires a Criminology roll, usually with 
  a +1 to +3 bonus. Th e GM may reduce the bonus to 
  +0 if the sample is contaminated, aged/putrefying, 
  or otherwise diﬃ  cult to work with.
  Aft er identifying a sample as blood, the exam-
  iner has to conﬁ rm that it’s human blood and not 
  animal blood. Several diﬀ erent tests, including the 
  precipitin test, can provide this information. Unlike 
  the catalytic color test, the precipitin test gener-
  ally isn’t aﬀ ected by the age or purity of the blood 
  sample, so a Criminology roll at +1 to +3 is enough 
  to perform it properly.
  BLOOD CHARACTERISTICS
  Scientists identify blood by its “type.” Th e most 
  common blood typing system is the A-B-O system, 
  but more than 15 others, such as ADA, M-N, and 
  Rh, are also used. Serologists can also identify cer-
  tain enzymes and proteins, known collectively as 
  “genetic markers,” which exist in blood; these are 
  much more reliable than simple blood types. Blood 
  cannot as yet be “ﬁ ngerprinted,” i.e., matched to 
  a speciﬁ c individual, except through DNA typing 
  (see page 158). But by determining a blood sample’s 
  type in each of the classiﬁ cation systems, and iden-
  tifying the genetic markers, a serologist can estab-
  lish what percentage of the population has that 
  speciﬁ c blood type. If a suspect has that type, that 
  fact is of some evidentiary value — the lower the 
  percentage, the greater the likelihood that the sus-
  pect is the perpetrator. (Th eoretically, if all genetic 
  markers were present and could be positively iden-
  tiﬁ ed, the odds of two people having the exact same 
  “proﬁ le” of blood characteristics would be about 
  one in 1.3 billion; however, many characteristics 
  are obscured or destroyed as blood ages and dries 
  out.) Another way to further individualize a blood 
  sample is to analyze the blood enzymes in it; this 
  method can identify the blood by racial type. 
  Sometimes a criminalist won’t have a blood 
  sample, but will have a sample of some other 
  body ﬂ uid (for example, saliva left  on the rim of a 
  glass or in a bite mark on the victim). If a person 
  is a “secretor,” then an analyst can determine his 
  blood type from his other bodily ﬂ uids, such 
  as saliva and semen. Approximately 80% of the 
  populace are secretors. (Th e GM should assume 
  all characters are secretors unless he has reason to 
  rule otherwise.)
  As mentioned above, the fresher and purer 
  a blood sample, the easier it is to work with. Red 
  blood cells rupture as blood dries and ages, making 
  analysis more diﬃ  cult; impurities in a blood sample 
  can also cause problems. In some situations, char-
  acters can use a technique known as electrophore-
  sis on dried blood to separate it into its component 
  
  158 ■ Forensics
  Hero System 5th Edition
  parts (including DNA) for analysis. Additionally, 
  a test called the absorption-elution technique can 
  type blood samples up to eleven years old, but it’s 
  more complicated and diﬃ  cult than standard tests. 
  Depending upon the age and purity of a blood 
  sample and the equipment available to a character, 
  the GM should assign a -1 to -5 penalty to a char-
  acter’s Criminology roll to analyze it.
  Transfusions sometimes obscure blood test 
  results. If a suspect from whom a blood sample 
  is taken has had a blood transfusion within the 
  60-day period prior to the taking of the sample, 
  obtaining a valid sample is not possible. A clever 
  Dark Champions criminal might use this fact to his 
  beneﬁ t.
  BLOOD SPLATTERS
  Besides its capacity to help identify an 
  oﬀ ender, blood can also provide information based 
  on the way it stains and splatters the crime scene. 
  For example, a large pool of blood at the crime 
  scene oft en indicates the victim was alive for some 
  time aft er the wound was inﬂ icted, since aft er death 
  the heart stops pumping blood through the body 
  (and out of the wound). On the other hand, some 
  fatal wounds may cause little or no blood to leak 
  out of the body.
  Th e size and shape of a blood pattern can indi-
  cate which direction the blood came from, what 
  angle it hit the surface at, where the attacker stood 
  and what hand he wielded the weapon with, and 
  other information that helps a criminalist recon-
  struct the events of a crime. Analysis of blood pat-
  terns is an extremely complex process; at his option, 
  the GM should assess Criminology roll penalties of 
  -3 to -6 unless a character has SS: Bloodstain Inter-
  pretation as a Skill (which also serves as a Comple-
  mentary Skill).
  BLOOD TESTS
  In some cases, characters can test a person’s 
  blood to determine if he’s taken drugs or was 
  poisoned. Tests can detect amounts of foreign sub-
  stances as small as one nanogram (one billionth of 
  a gram) per milliliter of blood, depending on the 
  substance and the test used.
  Computer Forensics
  Computer forensics involves obtaining lost, 
  encrypted, or deleted data from intact computer 
  storage media (such as hard drives and CD-ROMs), 
  or retrieving any sort of data from broken or dam-
  aged storage media. It’s a function of the Computer 
  Programming Skill, not Criminology, and requires 
  special computer equipment and soft ware. Th us 
  equipped, a trained technician can recover virtually 
  any data. Obtaining data that’s simply been “deleted” 
  is ludicrously easy (+5 to the Computer Program-
  ming roll). Obtaining data from pieces of broken 
  storage media isn’t much harder (+0 to +2 bonus), 
  though recovering data from badly damaged stor-
  age media (such as a CD-ROM that’s been burned) 
  may be much more diﬃ  cult (+0 to -2). With eﬀ ort, a 
  technician can even recover data from storage media 
  processed with military-grade data erasure proce-
  dures, which involve ﬁ lling the storage media with 
  meaningless data and completely erasing it more 
  than forty times (-3 to -5 penalty). In short, about 
  the only way to guarantee that a computer forensics 
  expert can’t recover data from a storage media is to 
  grind that media into powder.
  DNA “Fingerprinting” 
  DNA, deoxyribonucleic acid, exists in the 
  nuclei of living cells. Even a tiny sample of tissue 
  (for example, a drop of blood, the root of a hair, 
  sweat, saliva left  on the back of a stamp or other 
  object that’s been licked, or even excrement) con-
  tains DNA. Each person’s DNA is unique (unless he 
  has an identical twin) — and unlike blood charac-
  teristics, DNA does not deteriorate with age unless 
  it’s exposed to radiation (such as sunlight). Th is 
  provides forensic scientists with an important tool.
  Modern science has not yet reached the point 
  where it can quickly and easily identify each person’s 
  DNA with absolute accuracy, but it can determine the 
  frequency with which a particular sample of DNA 
  occurs in the population with such accuracy (such as 
  one in one hundred million persons) that it suﬃ  ces 
  for the purposes of forensics. Th e FBI has a database, 
  CODIS (Combined DNA Index System), that lets 
  scientists compare DNA samples from crime scenes 
  to samples from known sex oﬀ enders and other vio-
  lent criminals. Analysis of DNA can also sometimes 
  reveal its general ancestry (e.g., European, Asian, or 
  African-American). Researchers hope to develop 
  systems that can determine hair color, and perhaps 
  even facial characteristics, from DNA.
  Th ere are several major methods of DNA 
  typing. Th e ﬁ rst is restriction fragment length poly-
  morphism (RFLP), which requires a fairly large and 
  fresh sample to analyze. In this process, a technician 
  uses restriction enzymes to cut chromosomes into 
  hundreds of DNA fragments, some of which con-
  tain “tandem repeats” (sections of DNA in which 
  the bases that form DNA repeat many times). He 
  then sorts the fragments through electrophoresis 
  and transfers them onto membranes. Treating the 
  membranes with radioactive “probes” allows him 
  to identify the fragments. By using multiple probes, 
  the technician can reduce the frequency of occur-
  rence of the sample to the point where it occurs 
  in frequencies estimated to range from one in one 
  hundred million people to one in 30 billion people. 
  But while highly accurate, the process can take as 
  much as three to twelve weeks.
  Another major technique is polymerase chain 
  reaction (PCR). PCR works on very small samples 
  (as small as one-billionth of a gram of DNA, such 
  as might be obtained from the saliva on a cigarette 
  butt or envelope), and on samples years (even 
  decades) old. Th e technique makes the small pieces 
  of DNA found as part of crime-scene evidence 
  replicate until they create millions of copies of the 
  original DNA molecule, which a technician can 
  then compare to a sample taken from the suspect. 
  However, this technique produces a frequency of 
  occurrences far greater than that of RFLP; the best 
  NON-SECRETOR
  A character who wants 
  to be a non-secretor 
  regardless of the GM’s 
  general ruling can pay 
  Character Points for the 
  privilege:
  Invisibility to Detect 
  Blood Type, Reduced 
  Endurance (0 END; 
  +½), Persistent (+½), 
  Inherent (+¼) (22 
  Active Points); Always 
  On (-½), Only Applies 
  When Someone Tries To 
  Detect Blood Type From 
  Other Bodily Fluids (-1). 
  Total cost:  9 points.
  
  159 
  Dark Champions ■ Chapter Three
  results obtainable can only narrow the occurrence 
  down to one person in one thousand. But although 
  it’s not as accurate, the PCR technique only requires 
  a few hours to perform.
  Mitochondrial DNA testing (mtDNA), or 
  DNA sequencing, analyzes DNA located outside 
  the nucleus of the cell. Th ese procedures allow 
  scientists to obtain DNA from samples that aren’t 
  necessarily susceptible to genomic DNA testing, 
  such as hair shaft s, bones, teeth, and extremely old 
  tissue. Additionally, because mtDNA is maternally 
  inherited, every person in the same maternal lin-
  eage should have an identical mtDNA sequence. 
  Scientists thus can use it to evaluate the relatedness 
  of two persons, and can gather comparison samples 
  from any of a suspect’s maternal relatives.
  Scientists are working to develop other DNA 
  typing methods and technology. Some anticipate 
  the day when criminalists in the ﬁ eld can use suit-
  case-sized, or even computer chip-sized, DNA test-
  ing equipment to cheaply and easily analyze even 
  the tiniest samples of DNA within minutes and 
  with great accuracy.
  Documents
  Criminalists analyze documents to determine 
  who wrote them, whether they’re authentic or have 
  been altered, and so forth. Characters who have the 
  Skill Forgery (Documents) can use it as a Comple-
  mentary Skill when working with documents, or 
  they can buy SS: Document Analysis.
  With handwritten documents, Criminology 
  allows a character to determine if a particular indi-
  vidual wrote that document, provided he has two suf-
  ﬁ ciently lengthy writing samples available for com-
  parison. He can identify typewriting as coming from 
  a particular typewriter by comparing the wear and 
  tear on the typewriter’s letters with that shown by the 
  typed letter. Text printed out by a computer printer 
  can oft en be identiﬁ ed by printer type, but not neces-
  sarily as coming from a speciﬁ c printer. Examination 
  of photocopies and comparison of them to a particu-
  lar photocopier sometimes allows the examiner to 
  determine if the copy was made on that machine, or 
  on a speciﬁ c model or class of machines.
  Scientists can examine documents which have 
  been altered or erased for microscopic traces of such 
  activity. Two diﬀ erent pens will leave diﬀ erent striae 
  (microscopic uninked lines) on the paper. If a forger 
  uses another type of ink (to alter or blot out part of 
  the document), an analyst can identify and read the 
  diﬀ erent inks via infrared or ultraviolet photography 
  or by determining the chemical composition of the 
  diﬀ erent inks. Infrared photography can sometimes 
  also be used to determine what’s written on burned 
  document fragments, and there are many other 
  techniques criminalists can employ to restore/read 
  crumpled or damaged paper or obliterated inks.
  Depending on the state of examined documents, 
  characters may receive modiﬁ ers to Criminology 
  rolls. Reasonably intact documents may provide 
  bonuses of +0 to +2, while trying to read burned doc-
  ument fragments or restore a badly-damaged piece of 
  paper might entail a -2 to -5 penalty.
  THE PAGE BENEATH
  Forensic scientists have several techniques for 
  determining what was written on a sheet of paper 
  by examining the indentations left  on the piece of 
  
  160 ■ Forensics
  Hero System 5th Edition
  paper below the written-on sheet. Television detec-
  tives usually do this by shading the piece of paper 
  with a pencil, but in the real world this method is 
  more likely to destroy evidence than gather useful 
  information. Proper methods include photograph-
  ing the paper under oblique light or using an 
  electrostatic detection apparatus (ESDA). ESDA 
  can sometimes recover indentations from four or 
  more pages below the page that was written on, 
  but doesn’t work with thick cardboard, paper that’s 
  been soaked with ﬂ uid, or papers examined for ﬁ n-
  gerprints in certain ways.
  In game terms, have a character using ESDA 
  make a Criminology roll at -1 per page below the 
  page written on to recover usable indentations; for 
  oblique-light photography, apply a -2 (or greater) 
  penalty, but this only works for the ﬁ rst page below 
  the page written on. Th e low-tech “shade the piece 
  of paper with a pencil” method requires a Crimi-
  nology roll at -3; it only works on the ﬁ rst page 
  below the page written on, and if the roll fails it’s 
  not possible to recover the indentation evidence 
  using other methods.
  FORENSIC LINGUISTICS 
  AND GRAPHOLOGY
  Two disciplines related to document analysis 
  are forensic linguistics and graphology.
  Forensic linguistics is the science of deter-
  mining information about someone based on the 
  structure and word choice of a written document 
  (such as a ransom note). A trained examiner can 
  oft en determine the writer’s age, gender, race, reli-
  gion, level of education, and nationality this way, 
  and sometimes his profession or other background 
  details (such as whether he has been in the mili-
  tary). SS: Forensic Linguistics serves as a Comple-
  mentary Skill (some GMs may require characters to 
  have this SS before even attempting such a task).
  Graphology, or handwriting analysis, is the sci-
  ence of determining information about someone by 
  interpreting their handwriting. Based on the size, 
  shape, slant, spacing, placement, and other charac-
  teristics of the letters in someone’s handwriting, a 
  graphologist can make determinations about the 
  writer’s personality and mental state. More concrete 
  information, such as age, race, and gender, cannot 
  be determined from handwriting, however. Char-
  acters must buy SS: Graphology if they want to be 
  able to interpret handwriting; Criminology does 
  not provide this ability.
  Drug Identiﬁ cation 
  Criminalists can identify drugs by means 
  of simple chemical color tests (SS: Chemistry or 
  SS: Pharmacology are Complementary Skills). 
  For example, certain chemicals turn purple when 
  exposed to heroin or orange-brown when exposed 
  to amphetamines, turn marijuana purple, or change 
  colors three times when exposed to cocaine. Police 
  oﬃ  cers can perform some of these tests in the ﬁ eld 
  using kits. Scientists can use other techniques, such 
  as microcrystalline tests and chromatography, in 
  the laboratory to conﬁ rm these identiﬁ cations.
  Law enforcement agencies also have access to 
  databases and computer programs that give them 
  the capacity to match the chemical composition of 
  cocaine shipments so they can identify their country 
  of origin and determine that several other batches of 
  cocaine came from the same shipment. For example, 
  this technology could analyze the composition of a 
  kilogram of cocaine seized in Hudson City and deter-
  mine that it matched a kilo of cocaine seized in Chi-
  cago, thus alerting investigators to a common source 
  for both batches of cocaine.
  Fibers And Hairs
  Fiber and hair evidence appears at many crime 
  scenes. Characters who want to be experts at hair and 
  ﬁ ber identiﬁ cation can take SS: Fiber/Hair Analysis 
  for use as a Complementary Skill with Criminology.
  FIBERS
  Investigators oft en ﬁ nd animal, vegetable, 
  mineral, and synthetic ﬁ bers at crime scenes. Th ese 
  include clothing ﬁ bers, carpet ﬁ bers, and the like. 
  Criminalists usually distinguish between natural 
  ﬁ bers (such as wool) and man-made ﬁ bers (such as 
  polyester, dacron, and spandex), and can identify 
  them the same way they identify hairs (see below).
  A criminalist examines man-made ﬁ bers 
  under a microscope to determine such character-
  istics as cross-sectional shape, striations, color and 
  dye composition, chemical composition, environ-
  mental and handling eﬀ ects (fading, wear and tear, 
  and the like), and ﬁ ber type and subtype. Fibers are 
  most useful when an examiner can deﬁ nitely match 
  them with ﬁ bers clearly connected to the criminal; 
  otherwise, a particular batch of a certain ﬁ ber may 
  be so large that connecting it with any one owner 
  may prove impossible. Dye formulas may be par-
  ticularly helpful in this case — since they’re trade 
  secrets, color and dye composition are oft en crucial 
  to identifying the manufacturer of a ﬁ ber.
  HAIR
  Hair is most oft en found at crime scenes when 
  the crime is a violent one like murder or rape. At 
  present, hair is not “ﬁ ngerprintable” — criminalists 
  cannot deﬁ nitely match a particular hair to an indi-
  vidual. Nor can they determine the age or gender 
  of the person who left  the hair. However, hair does 
  contain small amounts of DNA, and if a hair is 
  fresh enough, it can be used for DNA typing. If the 
  root is attached to the hair (such as when it’s been 
  violently pulled out of the scalp), DNA analysis of 
  the root tissue may be possible.
  What criminalists can determine about a hair 
  is the following:
  ■ what part of the body it is from (for example, 
  scalp hair versus beard hair)
  ■ the race (caucasian, mongoloid, negroid) of the 
  person whose hair it is (though it is diﬃ  cult to be 
  certain about any such identiﬁ cation)
  ■ whether the hair fell out, was cut oﬀ , or was 
  pulled out
  ■ whether the hair is human or animal hair
  
  161 
  Dark Champions ■ Chapter Three
  Th e best criminalists can do to match a hair 
  to a particular person is to compare a hair’s color 
  and structure to that of control samples taken from 
  the suspect. As with blood typing, the more com-
  parisons an analyst can ﬁ nd, the smaller the group 
  of potential suspects becomes, and the more likely 
  that hair came from the suspect.
  Another useful trait of hair is that it chemi-
  cally “reﬂ ects” the substances a person has ingested 
  in the past several days. Th is can provide clues 
  regarding a person’s diet or lifestyle. For example, 
  the fact that a person had taken drugs or ingested 
  poison could be told from his hair — traces of most 
  common illegal drugs linger in hair for up to 90 
  days, which for most drugs is months longer than 
  such traces remain in urine.
  Hair and ﬁ bers are usually recovered from a 
  crime scene with special vacuums, or by scraping 
  items or objects and collecting the ﬁ bers that are 
  knocked oﬀ . At the GM’s option, it may require a 
  Criminology roll at +1 to -3 (depending upon the 
  amount and size of the evidence present) to ﬁ nd 
  hair and ﬁ ber evidence.
  Fingernail Scrapings
  Fingernail scrapings or cuttings are commonly 
  referred to in comic books, detective ﬁ ction, and 
  “cop movies” as a source of evidence, particularly in 
  some rape and murder cases where a female victim 
  is thought to have scratched her assailant. Th e 
  theory is that sample’s of the criminal’s skin and/or 
  ﬂ esh will be found underneath the victim’s ﬁ nger-
  nails. Unlike ﬁ ction, in real life ﬁ ngernail scrapings 
  rarely provide useful evidence. Depending upon 
  how realistic the GM wants to be, he could impose 
  penalties of -3 or more to the character’s Criminol-
  ogy roll, or could require the character to make a 
  Luck roll to determine if any evidence is present at 
  all. If present, scrapings evidence can be used for 
  DNA typing of the perpetrator; it may also contain 
  hair or ﬁ bers.
  Fingerprints
  Th e best-known type of evidence analyzed 
  by criminalists is ﬁ ngerprints. Th e study of ﬁ n-
  gerprints, which are formed by the ridges of skin 
  on the tips of the ﬁ ngers, is formally known as 
  dactyloscopy. SS: Fingerprint Analysis (or SS: 
  Dactyloscopy) covers all aspects of the study and 
  examination of ﬁ ngerprints and acts as a Comple-
  mentary Skill; PS: Crime Scene Technician is also a 
  Complementary Skill for purposes of locating and 
  preserving ﬁ ngerprints at crime scenes.
  Fingerprints are extremely useful for identify-
  ing criminals, for two reasons. First, ﬁ ngerprints are 
  completely individualized — every person’s ﬁ nger-
  prints are unique to him (even identical twins have 
  unique prints). Each ﬁ ngerprint has ridge charac-
  teristics (also referred to as minutiae) such as ridge 
  endings, bifurcations, short ridges, ridge crossings, 
  and enclosures. Ridge characteristics form whorls, 
  arches, and loops that are easily identiﬁ able from a 
  suﬃ  ciently clear print. A ﬁ ngerprint’s loops, arches, 
  and whorls provide a basis for classifying the print 
  by type and subtype for analysis and categorization 
  using various systems (such as the Henry system in 
  the United States). Fingerprint records are collected 
  into electronic databases known as AFIS (auto-
  mated ﬁ ngerprint identiﬁ cation systems).
  Second, a person’s ﬁ ngerprints never change 
  during his lifetime. Th ey always remain the same. 
  Some criminals have tried to obliterate or alter 
  their ﬁ ngerprints, without success. It’s possible to 
  wound the ﬁ ngertips so deeply that scars cover the 
  ﬁ ngerprints, but such scars are themselves easily 
  identiﬁ able. Fingerprints can also be obtained from 
  the dermis (the second layer of skin) if the top layer 
  has been burned or destroyed in some other way.
  Fingerprints are only useful for identifying a 
  speciﬁ c individual, however. Th ey do not tell inves-
  tigators the age, gender, health, occupation, or race 
  of the person who left  them. Nor do they bear any 
  correspondence to ﬁ ngerprints of close relatives.
  FINDING FINGERPRINTS
  Complete ﬁ ngerprints are not always available, 
  but sometimes even a partial print is enough for a 
  positive identiﬁ cation. Depending upon how much 
  of a print is present, the GM may impose a  -1 to -3 
  penalty to a character’s Criminology roll; a failed 
  roll means the character cannot recover an identiﬁ -
  able print. Similarly, with visible prints (see below), 
  the substance that makes up the print may have 
  adhered to the ﬁ ngers in unusual ways, or collected 
  in the furrows between the ridges of skin that com-
  prise the ﬁ ngerprint, making collection and identi-
  ﬁ cation of the print harder; a -1 to -2 penalty to the 
  character’s Criminology roll may be appropriate.
  Fingerprints aren’t always easy to see. Visible 
  prints (left  by someone whose ﬁ ngers have been 
  dipped in a visible substance, like blood or oil) and 
  plastic prints (those left  by pressing a ﬁ ngertip into 
  a malleable substance, such as clay) are visible to 
  the naked eye. But latent prints, those made up only 
  of the oils and perspiration of the ﬁ ngertip itself, 
  are usually “invisible.” Criminalists can detect them 
  in several ways; the method varies depending upon 
  the type of surface the print is on. An investigator 
  can dust hard and/or nonabsorbent materials (such 
  as metal or glass) for prints:  he applies a special 
  type of dust, which adheres to the oily deposits left  
  by the ﬁ ngertip and reveals the print. Th e color of 
  the surface dictates the color of powder used (for 
  best contrast); evidence collection specialists can 
  also use magnetic and ﬂ uorescent powders if neces-
  sary. A related method involves spraying the print 
  with a chemical called ninhydrin. Prints on soft  
  and/or porous materials (such a paper or cloth) are 
  treated with chemicals, such as by iodine or cya-
  noacrylate fuming, but are oft en harder to discover 
  (particularly on cloth, since the weave obscures 
  print details and the ﬁ bers absorb the oils that 
  make the print). Criminalists can also use lasers to 
  detect latent ﬁ ngerprints on many types of surfaces.
  Some surfaces are harder to get prints from 
  than others. Human skin, for example, absorbs the 
  oils that create ﬁ ngerprints, making it diﬃ  cult (but 
  ULTRAVIOLET 
  PERCEPTION 
  AND FORENSIC 
  SCIENCE
  Besides helping charac-
  ters see at night, Ultravi-
  olet Perception can also 
  help them in their inves-
  tigative work. Many 
  types of trace evidence 
  are visible under UV 
  light even when they are 
  not visible to the naked 
  eye. For example, Ultra-
  violet Perception can 
  detect tiny metal ﬁ lings, 
  places where blood was 
  spilled but then cleaned 
  up, ﬁ ngerprints, old 
  injuries, footprints and 
  other tracks, and many 
  other types of evidence. 
  In some cases additional 
  chemicals are needed, 
  but characters with 
  Criminology or Forensic 
  Medicine have access to 
  such things.
  Infrared Perception and 
  Microscopic Perception 
  can also be very helpful 
  when examining crime 
  scenes. Remember, how-
  ever, that regardless of 
  the Senses he has (or has 
  access to through equip-
  ment), a character still 
  needs Criminology to 
  correctly interpret what 
  he perceives.
  
  162 ■ Forensics
  Hero System 5th Edition
  not necessarily impossible) to obtain prints from 
  (for example, it’s possible to leave a ﬁ ngerprint 
  on a corpse; the skin stops absorbing ﬁ ngerprint 
  oils aft er death). It’s also harder to get prints oﬀ  of 
  rough surfaces (such as the checkered grip of a gun 
  or a cinderblock). Depending on the surface and 
  the equipment available to the character, the GM 
  might assign a Criminology roll modiﬁ er of +2 to 
  -6 (or worse) to ﬁ nd a usable print.
  Latent print recovery methods are limited by 
  time — the older a print is, the less likely it is that 
  investigators can ﬁ nd it. Prints on porous surfaces 
  last longer, as do those in damp weather or condi-
  tions. Fingerprints on nonglossy paper may last 
  until the paper itself is destroyed — investigators 
  have lift ed ﬁ ngerprints oﬀ  Egyptian papyri thou-
  sands of years old. In addition to older methods 
  involving the use of ﬁ ngerprint powders, new 
  methods using chemicals, lasers, or “alternate 
  light sources” (such as quartz arc or xenon lights) 
  can sometimes detect ﬁ ngerprints which are 15-
  40 years old on some surfaces. (However, prints 
  cannot, by themselves, be dated; nothing in the 
  print indicates how long it’s been there.) Depending 
  upon the age of a ﬁ ngerprint and the equipment 
  available to analyze it, the GM might assign a -1 to 
  -4 penalty to a character’s Criminology roll.
  ANALYZING FINGERPRINTS
  Once a character has a ﬁ ngerprint, he can try 
  to match it to a suspect’s print. Th is is relatively 
  simple if the character has a suspect from which he 
  can get a print sample; typically this only requires a 
  Criminology roll at +1 or better. It’s more diﬃ  cult if 
  the character only has a print and tries to use it to 
  come up with a suspect. Decades ago, this involved 
  manually comparing the print to other prints on 
  record, a time-consuming and tedious task. Today 
  it’s done with computers which oft en make the task 
  quicker and simpler — but even then, a proper 
  identiﬁ cation can take days. In either case, if the 
  print is incomplete or vague, analyzing and com-
  paring it may prove diﬃ  cult; a Criminology roll 
  penalty of -1 to -4 (or worse) may be appropriate.
  Surprisingly, no uniform standards exist for 
  the matching of ﬁ ngerprints. Each police depart-
  ment, law enforcement agency, and/or nation tends 
  to have its own guidelines for how many points of 
  comparison are needed for a “match”; then it’s up 
  to the district attorney to justify the criminalist’s 
  methods and procedures in court when he tries to 
  prove the validity of the ﬁ ngerprint evidence.
  OTHER IDENTIFIERS
  Fingerprints are not the only parts of the body 
  that display unique markings which criminalists 
  can use to identify an individual. Other possibili-
  ties include ear prints and lip prints, though these 
  haven’t yet been accepted in court.
  Firearms And Bullets
  Characters can recover a lot of informa-
  tion from guns, bullet fragments, bulletholes, and 
  powder residue with Criminology. SS: Firearm Bal-
  listics and Weaponsmith (Firearms) are Comple-
  mentary Skills.
  BULLETS
  When someone ﬁ res a gun, the grooves 
  which line the barrel leave markings on the bullet. 
  Th ese markings are sort of the gun’s “ﬁ ngerprint.” 
  If investigators recover enough of the bullet, a 
  technician can test-ﬁ re the gun and compare the 
  two bullets using a comparison microscope. Th is 
  method can positively identify which gun ﬁ red 
  the bullet. (Shotguns, which have no grooves in 
  their barrels, do not leave marks on the projec-
  tiles that are ﬁ red through them.)
  Matching bullets this way isn’t always easy. 
  Riﬂ ing marks do not transfer well to some bul-
  lets (Teﬂ on-coated armor-piercing rounds, for 
  example), and a new barrel that’s been carefully 
  lapped (polished) may not create useful marks on a 
  bullet until it’s become worn through use. Th e gun’s 
  owner may deliberately mar or destroy the inside of 
  the barrel aft er the bullet was ﬁ red (by, for example, 
  scratching it with metal ﬁ les or pouring acid down 
  it) in an eﬀ ort to prevent this sort of identiﬁ cation. 
  Similarly, if the bullet is badly damaged by contact 
  with its target, it may not be possible to compare 
  the markings on it to a test bullet. Th e GM may 
  assign Criminology penalties of -1 to -3 to reﬂ ect 
  these diﬃ  culties, if appropriate.
  Since criminalists have databases of the size, 
  spacing, and direction and angle of twist for the 
  lands and grooves of each commercially-produced 
  weapon, they can oft en determine the type and 
  make of gun that ﬁ red a bullet from the groove 
  marks before the gun is ever recovered. Th e bullet 
  casing may also have markings from the ﬁ ring pin, 
  breechblock, and/or shell extractor which will iden-
  tify the gun (shotgun shells also have these mark-
  ings, but caseless rounds have no case to mark). 
  Revolver shell casings have diﬀ erent markings than 
  shell casings used in semi-automatics.
  Th e chemical composition of bullets varies 
  from manufacturer to manufacturer and batch 
  to batch, so criminalists may be able to “match” a 
  bullet found at a crime scene with unﬁ red bullets 
  still in the perpetrator’s possession by analyzing 
  their chemical content. Similarly, by analyzing the 
  chemical composition of a gunpowder sample, a 
  criminalist can usually identify the type of bullet, 
  and sometimes even the speciﬁ c lot of bullets it 
  came from. (See below for more information on 
  gunpowder residue.)
  In most cases, a criminalist can easily deter-
  mine the caliber of a bullet if the bullet remains in 
  the body, though it may be more diﬃ  cult if impact 
  with the victim’s body has signiﬁ cantly deformed 
  the bullet (a -1 to -2 penalty to Criminology). 
  Bullet caliber is less easily determined solely from 
  the size of the bullet wound, due to the plasticity of 
  ﬂ esh and the fact that bullet wound channels can 
  
  163 
  Dark Champions ■ Chapter Three
  close aft er the bullet passes through them (the GM 
  can apply a -2 to -5 penalty to Forensic Medicine 
  rolls, if appropriate). However, bullet caliber does 
  not always prove what type of gun was used to ﬁ re 
  the bullet — it’s sometimes possible to wrap paper 
  around a smaller bullet to make it ﬁ t into the cham-
  ber of a larger gun, thus fooling the investigator. 
  To assist with the analysis and identiﬁ cation 
  of bullet evidence, characters in law enforcement 
  can use the IBIS (Integrated Ballistics Identiﬁ cation 
  System) database.
  GUNPOWDER RESIDUE
  Gunpowder residue on a victim’s body can also 
  provide important clues. Th e amount of residue left  
  on the victim’s clothing or skin tells the criminalist 
  how far apart the shooter and the victim were — a 
  calculation known as muzzle to ﬁ rst surface distance 
  (MFSD). Basically, the more powder residue, the 
  closer together the shooter and target were:
  ■ If the muzzle of the gun is placed directly on 
  bare skin over bone, in addition to the gunpowder 
  residue there will be a star-shaped rupture of the 
  skin, caused when the gases emitted from the barrel 
  of the gun expand beneath the skin and tear it. A 
  contact gunshot may also leave an abrasion collar 
  or muzzle stamp (the imprint of the barrel caused 
  by pressing it against the skin), and if the shot is 
  through cloth, the heat of the shot will melt bits of 
  cloth and ﬁ ber around the edges of the bullethole. 
  An investigator may ﬁ nd bits of blood, ﬂ esh, or 
  cloth in the barrel of a gun ﬁ red at such close range; 
  this is known as “blowback.”
  ■ At very close ranges (one inch or less) there will 
  be a burn ring around the bullet’s entrance hole 
  caused by the ﬂ ame emitted from the gun barrel.
  ■ At close ranges (usually about one to twelve 
  inches), in addition to the bullet hole there will be 
  traces of smoke and soot. Th ese can be wiped oﬀ . 
  Th e more soot residue there is, the shorter the dis-
  tance between gun and victim.
  ■ At close to intermediate ranges (up to 36 inches for 
  some riﬂ es, or about 24 inches for most handguns), 
  there may be “tattooing” of bare skin  — projected 
  particles of gunpowder that become permanently 
  embedded in the skin. Th ese particles cannot be 
  washed or wiped oﬀ .
  ■ If the shooter and victim are farther apart than 
  three feet or so, the only traces will be a “bullet 
  wipe” (lead, carbon, and lubricant residues) in the 
  edges of the entrance wound.
  Of course, many things can aﬀ ect powder 
  residue — the weather (wind or rain, for example), 
  the temperature, the angle of the shot, barrel length, 
  caliber, bullet type, and so on. Th e GM may assign 
  a penalty of -1 to -3 to a roll to determine the dis-
  tance between shooter and victim to indicate the 
  diﬃ  culty of gaining useful data. 
  Shotgun pellets spread about one inch per 
  yard. Th is gives the investigator some indication of 
  the distance between shooter and target.
  Determining the distance between shooter and 
  victim is a function of the Forensic Medicine Skill, 
  not Criminology.
  
  164 ■ Forensics
  Hero System 5th Edition
  GUNSHOT RESIDUE
  Based on the design and condition of a gun, 
  the length of the barrel, and the type of ammuni-
  tion used, residue of the gunpowder and primer 
  may be blown back to land on the shooter’s hands 
  or face. Th is “gunshot residue” (GSR) shows that 
  a suspect recently ﬁ red a gun, and based on the 
  powder composition used by various bullet manu-
  facturers, may even tell the examiner what type of 
  bullet the suspect shot.
  To detect these traces, a criminalist must use a 
  relatively sensitive test. All the test proves is that the 
  subject recently ﬁ red a gun (the test can’t identify 
  the speciﬁ c gun). However, if the analyst has certain 
  types of spectrometers or energy-dispersive x-ray 
  diﬀ raction equipment available, he can determine 
  the chemical composition of the residue, allowing 
  him to “type” it and thus perhaps to link it to a par-
  ticular type of bullet.
  Unfortunately, GSR does not remain on the 
  hands very long, and can be easily washed oﬀ .
  THE GUN ITSELF
  Examination of a gun sometimes yields useful 
  evidence. First, if a gun is ﬁ red close to the target, 
  the “blowback” (the vacuum created by ﬁ ring the 
  gun) may suck hairs, blood, or bits of ﬂ esh and 
  cloth into the gunbarrel. A criminalist can match 
  this evidence to the victim.
  Second, forensic science can restore obliterated 
  serial numbers. Criminals oft en attempt to remove 
  the serial numbers on guns (and on other items) to 
  prevent them from being identiﬁ ed. If the criminal 
  does a poor job of removing the number, a crimi-
  nalist can apply an etching reagent to bring out the 
  patterns below the surface of the metal where the 
  number was stamped into the gun. If the criminal 
  knows what he’s doing and obliterates all traces of 
  the number, it can’t be restored.
  Characters should not pick up guns by put-
  ting something in the barrel, as this could remove 
  powder deposits or make marks that will hinder 
  ballistics tests (if a gun has been picked up this 
  way, the GM can impose a -1 to -2 penalty on the 
  Criminology roll). Th e best way to pick up the gun 
  is by the trigger guard or by the checkered portion 
  of the grip, since these areas are the least likely to 
  have usable ﬁ ngerprints on them. 
  Glass 
  Glass fragments from the crime scene and the 
  criminal may ﬁ t together like a jigsaw puzzle for a 
  quick identiﬁ cation. In other cases, a piece of glass’s 
  chemical composition, density, and refractive index 
  may help to match it to a particular piece. Aft er the 
  criminalist determines the appropriate characteris-
  tics of a sample, he can compare it to an FBI data-
  base to ﬁ nd out how common that type of glass is. 
  Th is tells him how likely it is the sample came from 
  the crime scene.
  Fractures in broken glass can also provide 
  useful information. For example, bullet holes in 
  glass are always wider on the exit side, indicating 
  which direction a shot came from — but some 
  types of damage, such as that caused by thrown 
  stones, may be indistinguishable from bullet holes. 
  Stress marks on glass also show the direction from 
  which force was applied to the glass — but some 
  types of glass, such as the tempered glass used in 
  the side and rear windows of cars, do not form the 
  proper fracture lines for some types of analysis. 
  Analysis of fracture lines may show which fracture 
  occurred ﬁ rst, since a fracture always terminates 
  when it meets another fracture line.
  Because of glass’s elastic properties, fragments 
  of it will be thrown back in the direction from 
  which a projectile (such as a bullet) came. Th is 
  “blowback” may reach as far as 18 feet (2.75”). Th e 
  small fragments of glass may then become attached 
  to the person who broke the window, where inves-
  tigators can later recover them and match them to 
  the window.
  SS: Glass Analysis is a Complementary Skill 
  for studying glass fragments. Th e GM can apply 
  negative modiﬁ ers of -1 to -3 based on how the 
  glass was broken, the size and amount of fragments 
  available for study, and the type of glass involved.
  Oil And Gasoline
  Aft er being added to an engine, oils become 
  contaminated with various substances, additives 
  may be mixed in with them, and they can otherwise 
  change. Th is sometimes makes it possible to “type” 
  an oil sample to an individual car, provided the car 
  hasn’t been driven too far between the time oil is 
  left  at the crime scene and a test sample is taken 
  from the car itself.
  Because gasoline includes so many additives, 
  and each gasoline producer has a diﬀ erent mix of 
  additives, scientists can type gasoline to the reﬁ n-
  ery that produced it. Th is can assist, among others, 
  arson investigators — though some gasoline addi-
  tives might burn oﬀ  in the ﬁ re started with that 
  gasoline, making identiﬁ cation of the gas more 
  diﬃ  cult (a -1 to -3 penalty to the Criminology roll 
  may be appropriate). Furthermore, oil company 
  practices of selling surplus gasoline to other oil 
  companies may complicate the process of tracking 
  the gasoline back to its source (though it may also 
  create a unique “blend” that a criminalist can easily 
  match to a speciﬁ c gas station or dealer during a 
  speciﬁ c time period).
  Paint 
  Paint residues are important evidence in hit and 
  run automobile accidents, burglaries, and other cases. 
  Th e criminalist compares paint chips under a micro-
  scope, looking at color, color layers, surface texture, 
  and other characteristics to match the two samples. 
  Examiners can also test paint chips with scanning 
  electron microscopes or energy-dispersive x-ray 
  analysis to determine their chemical composition. If 
  the paint chips are large enough, it may be possible to 
  ﬁ t them together and obtain a deﬁ nite match.
  Analyzing the chemicals in a paint can tell a 
  LIE DETECTORS
  While devices designed 
  to detect whether 
  someone’s telling the 
  truth aren’t exactly 
  criminalistic tools, 
  characters might use 
  them to investigate and 
  solve crimes.
  Th e polygraph, or lie 
  detector, has been avail-
  able since the 1920s. 
  It works by measuring 
  emotional responses 
  such as breath rate, 
  heart rate, sweatiness, 
  and blood pressure that 
  tend to indicate the 
  subject is being decep-
  tive. Unfortunately, that 
  means a nervous person 
  who’s telling the truth 
  may register false posi-
  tives, while a cool-as-
  a-cucumber liar could 
  appear honest. Th us, 
  while polygraphs may 
  prove helpful in some 
  cases, their results are 
  not reliable enough to 
  be admitted as evidence 
  in most courts in most 
  situations.
  Scientists have devel-
  oped a technique they 
  think will prove more 
  accurate:  “brain ﬁ nger-
  printing.” Th is devices 
  “reads” the subject’s 
  mind, registering signals 
  that the brain emits 
  when it perceives things 
  it’s familiar with. If a 
  subject’s mind doesn’t 
  indicate familiarity with 
  the circumstances, envi-
  ronment, and objects 
  related to a crime, it’s 
  probable he didn’t 
  commit that crime. Th e 
  results of the device 
  have been admitted in 
  some courts.
  
  165 
  Dark Champions ■ Chapter Three
  criminalist the timeframe in which it was used. Th is 
  may be crucial evidence in, for example, art forgery 
  cases — if the paint used contains materials that 
  did not exist when the painter lived, he could not 
  have painted it.
  Photographs And Videos
  Technicians can use digital imaging to enlarge, 
  magnify, and “correct” photographs and videos, thus 
  eliminating blurs, poorly focused images, and other 
  problems with the ﬁ lm. Not only can this make seem-
  ingly unusable ﬁ lm usable, it can improve small or 
  background images to the point where they, too, can 
  be clearly seen. Th is oft en provides crucial evidence 
  — license plate numbers, a clear photo of a suspect, 
  readable print from books or documents in the back-
  ground of the picture, and the like. Photo and video 
  analysts are also experts at restoring and obtaining 
  images from damaged ﬁ lms, photos, and videos.
  With special equipment, an examiner can 
  use a technique called warping (or “rubber sheet-
  ing”) to change the perspective of a photo and/or 
  eliminate distortion. Th us, for example, a photo 
  which shows a shoeprint in the corner of a room 
  can be “warped” with computer imaging so that an 
  orthographic (viewed from above) picture of the 
  shoeprint is obtained.
  Th rough a technique known as photogramme-
  try, an analyst can determine the height of a person 
  or object in a photograph. Th is requires the exam-
  iner to know the exact size of at least one other 
  object in the photograph. Once a character has that 
  information in hand, a Criminology roll allows him 
  to know the height of anything else in the image 
  within about one inch.
  By analyzing the shadows in some photo-
  graphs, examiners may be able to determine the 
  date and time when the photo was taken. Th is 
  requires SS: Shadow Analysis (a Skill also used by 
  the military to make determinations about objects 
  seen in aerial reconnaissance photos).
  Depending upon the quality of a photo being 
  analyzed, or the amount of damage it has suﬀ ered, 
  the GM may impose penalties of -1 to -5 to the 
  examiner’s Criminology roll to determine useful 
  details and/or obtain usable images. PS: Photogra-
  phy and SS: Photo/Video Analysis act as Comple-
  mentary Skills to Criminology for purposes of 
  analyzing photographs and videos.
   SUPERPOWERS AND 
  FORENSIC SCIENCE
  In games involving superpowered characters, the use 
  of superpowers can leave distinctive forensic traces. 
  Sometimes these traces are obvious, such as the claw 
  marks that would be left  by villains like Scorpia, which 
  would look bestial but probably would have been made 
  in a pattern suggesting a bipedal attacker. But in some 
  cases superpowers’ trace evidence is faint or diﬃ  cult 
  to discover. For example, many types of energy powers 
  might leave identiﬁ able “energy patterns,” but the aver-
  age police department may not have the sophisticated 
  equipment needed to detect them. Superpowered 
  heroes, on the other hand, would likely be prepared 
  for this sort of thing, giving the police and the heroes a 
  good reason to work together. 
  Here are a few examples of possible forensic traces left  
  by superpowers:
  —Th e use of ice- or cold-based powers would probably 
  generate a lot of excess water from condensation or 
  melting. Whether the water causes a ﬂ ooding eﬀ ect or 
  simply soaks into the grounds and disappears depends 
  on the locale. Other types of energy attacks may have 
  their own “side eﬀ ects” (ﬂ ame blasts char and melt 
  things, radiation blasts irradiate the area, sonic or vibra-
  tory blasts may leave microfractures in solid objects in 
  the vicinity, and so forth).
  —Criminalists can detect the use of super-strength by 
  running pressure and stress tests on the aﬀ ected mate-
  rial. Th e amount of pressure generated by a “brick” 
  character’s ﬁ ngertips when he’s ripping the door oﬀ  
  of a vault, picking up a car to smash someone with, 
  or throwing a dumpster is enormous — so enormous 
  that it’s usually a dead giveaway. Patterns of tearing or 
  ripping may also indicate the use of super-strength. SS: 
  Material Science or similar Skills would be Comple-
  mentary to Criminology in this case. 
  —Some types of comic-book weapons might be so 
  well-made or eﬃ  cient that they would leave very few 
  traces, which in itself might be a clue. For example, if 
  a character with a Questionite blade used it to murder 
  someone, the super-hard metal might even cut clean 
  through the bones in a way that would make it obvious 
  no normal cutting weapon was used.
  —Magic in its various forms would probably leave an 
  “energy signature” markedly diﬀ erent from scientiﬁ c 
  energies — one so diﬀ erent that maybe characters 
  would need magical spells to detect it. Some types of 
  attack spells would leave forensic traces resembling the 
  spell’s nearest scientiﬁ c equivalent (i.e., a mystically-
  created lightning bolt would have the same eﬀ ect on 
  a person as a large blast of electricity generated by a 
  high-voltage line).
  
  166 ■ Forensics
  Hero System 5th Edition
  Prints, Impressions, 
  And Toolmarks
  Fingers are not the only things that leave 
  prints. Tools, shoes, tires, teeth, and other things 
  can leave prints, marks, and impressions in or on 
  various substances, and these marks can provide 
  clues to the knowledgeable character.
  Tools can usually be identiﬁ ed by comparing 
  them to the impression and looking for distinc-
  tive nicks, marks, scoring, or other distinguishing 
  features (though most oft en these features are 
  microscopic; at the microscopic level, every tool is 
  distinct). However, an investigator should never “ﬁ t” 
  the tool into the impression in an attempt to match 
  them, since this may alter the mark and ruin the 
  evidence. Depending on the nature of the toolmark, 
  an expert may also be able to determine what sort 
  of tool made the mark. 
  Other impressions or tracks can be made by 
  things like shoes, cloth, and tires. When they appre-
  hend a suspect, investigators can compare the print 
  in question with the object that might have made 
  it (for example, they can compare a footprint to the 
  suspect’s shoes). If a good enough print is obtained, 
  it may also be possible to compare it to a data-
  base of known prints and identify it by type (for 
  example, as a Brand X tire rather than a Brand Y 
  tire). Footprints may also tell a trained investigator 
  whether the subject was walking or running, how 
  tall he is, and similar facts.
  In appropriate instances, Tracking may 
  serve as a Complementary Skill when a character 
  attempts to determine who or what created a print 
  or track on the ground. SS: Print And Impression 
  Identiﬁ cation is also a Complementary Skill.
  Soil (Forensic Geology) 
  Forensic scientists try to identify soil as coming 
  from a particular location, thereby linking soil sam-
  ples found at a crime scene to soil found in another 
  location. Th e more unique a soil sample is, the easier 
  it is to identify it as coming from a particular place. 
  Criminalists examine soil characteristics such as 
  color, mineral content, the size of the soil grains, 
  soil density, and soil components (foreign matter). 
  Th ey can also examine objects manufactured from 
  minerals or soil, such as bricks, plaster, concrete, and 
  some types of insulation. Th e most common test for 
  comparing soil samples is the density-gradient tube 
  technique, but other tests are available and they are all 
  best used in combination.
  Unfortunately, relatively little data is avail-
  able to indicate how likely it would be to ﬁ nd two 
  basically indistinguishable soil samples from dif-
  ferent areas. Some studies indicate that, at least in 
  some areas, soil samples are unique (thus allowing 
  the criminalist to easily identify the area where 
  a sample comes from). Characters who need to 
  make extensive use of soil evidence may want to 
  invest some points in studying a particularly area to 
  determine soil variability (bought as KS: [Area] Soil 
  Variability, for use as a Complementary Skill).
  SS: Geology is a Complementary Skill when 
  analyzing soil. City Knowledge or Area Knowledge 
  may also help identify the origin of soil samples.
  Tape
  Criminals frequently use tape, particularly 
  duct tape, in crimes — to bind victims, to blind-
  fold them, to hold the parts of a bomb together. By 
  comparing tape found at a crime scene to known 
  samples, and by comparing torn or cut tape ends to 
  see if they ﬁ t together, the criminalist can uncover 
  valuable clues. Tape is also a good source of ﬁ nger-
  prints and ﬁ ber evidence.
  CONTENTS OF A CRIME 
  LABORATORY
  A lot of Dark Champions characters will have 
  their own crime labs. Here’s a brief description of 
  some of the equipment a character might have in 
  his criminalistics laboratory. If a character cannot 
  obtain some of the equipment described below, the 
  GM can impose a negative modiﬁ er on Criminol-
  ogy rolls made when using the lab, or can simply 
  rule that the character cannot perform some of the 
  tests described above.
  CHROMATOGRAPH
  A chromatograph separates and identiﬁ es 
  chemical compounds. Th e substance to be identi-
  ﬁ ed is placed in a stationary medium. A moving 
  medium passes over or through the stationary 
  medium, and separates the various substances in 
  the sample. Th e chromatograph cannot by itself 
  identify the tested sample, but when linked with a 
  mass spectrometer it can provide unquestionable 
  identiﬁ cations of thousands of substances.
  Criminalists use both gas and thin-layer chro-
  matographs — the former to identify gases and 
  vaporized materials, the latter to identify liquid 
  mixtures or dissolved solids. A third type, high-per-
  formance liquid chromatography, can be performed 
  at room temperature (the samples do not have to be 
  vaporized or heated), and so is used when charac-
  ters must analyze explosives and other heat-sensi-
  tive substances.
  MICROSCOPES
  No crime laboratory would be complete with-
  out several diﬀ erent types of microscopes. Besides 
  the standard compound microscope, criminal-
  ists also use the comparison microscope (which 
  allows a side-by-side comparison of two objects for 
  identifying marks), the stereoscopic microscope (a 
  low-powered microscope which provides a three-
  dimensional image of the viewed object, good for 
  viewing bulky items), and the scanning electron 
  microscope (which uses electrons to display images 
  of very tiny objects). Microspectrophotometers 
  combine a microscope and a spectrophotometer.
  
  167 
  Dark Champions ■ Chapter Three
  NEUTRON ACTIVATION ANALYSIS
  Another technique for identifying substances 
  is neutron activation analysis. Th is process involves 
  bombarding a sample with neutrons so a scientist 
  can measure the resultant gamma ray radioactivity 
  and identify the sample. Unlike chromatography, 
  this process doesn’t destroy the sample.
  Neutron activation analysis works on minute 
  quantities of a substance. Modern equipment is so 
  sensitive it can identify substances from even the 
  tiniest traces. Some types can identify a substance 
  from only a 100-nanogram sample.
  SPECTROPHOTOMETER
  A spectrophotometer measures the “absorption 
  spectrum” of a substance — the quantity of light 
  it absorbs. Each substance’s absorption spectrum 
  is distinctive and identiﬁ able. Once a readout is 
  obtained, it’s compared to a vast library of known 
  readouts to identify the tested substance. Similarly, 
  characters can use emission spectrographs and 
  atomic absorption spectrophotometers to analyze 
  the light selectively absorbed and emitted by the 
  various elements.  Spectrophotometers can work 
  with ultraviolet, visible, or infrared light. Miniatur-
  ized versions (weighing about 70 pounds) can even 
  be used in the ﬁ eld.
  
  168 ■ Forensics
  Hero System 5th Edition
  S
  ometimes characters have to examine 
  bodies as well as physical evidence. Forensic 
  pathology is the branch of medicine con-
  cerned with establishing the cause of death 
  (many coroners are trained forensic pathologists). 
  Th is section provides a brief look at some causes 
  of death and how Dark Champions GMs might use 
  them to create mysteries and clues.
  In HERO System terms, the Skill Forensic Med-
  icine covers the subject of forensic pathology; it also 
  allows characters to perform autopsies. (Characters 
  with PS: Surgeon can perform autopsies, but with-
  out more specialized knowledge their conclusions 
  will be sketchy and subject to doubt.) If a character 
  fails a Forensic Medicine roll by 1-3, it usually 
  means he didn’t ﬁ nd any useful information; if he 
  fails it by 4 or more, it means he gathers incorrect 
  information (usually because he overlooked some-
  thing when performing the autopsy). Science Skills 
  such as Human Biology, Anatomy, Pharmacology, 
  and Histology (the science of using microscopes 
  to determine cellular changes in tissue) can act as 
  Complementary Skills to Forensic Medicine.
  Characters generally use Forensic Medicine 
  to do one or more of three things:  identify a body; 
  ascertain the time of death; and ascertain the cause 
  of death.
  IDENTIFYING A BODY
  Usually the identity of a murder victim will 
  already be known to a character performing an 
  autopsy — the investigators can establish it through 
  a variety of methods. However, sometimes the vic-
  tim’s identity is a mystery the forensic pathologist 
  can help to resolve.
  Dental Records 
  (Forensic Odontology)
  Besides leaving identiﬁ able impressions (see 
  page 16), teeth may prove useful in and of them-
  selves. Dental records are a good way to identify 
  an otherwise unidentiﬁ able body, if records exist 
  for the decedent. Teeth are extremely diﬃ  cult to 
  destroy, and thus oft en remain intact when other 
  identifying features (such as ﬁ ngerprints) are 
  obliterated. Examination of a person’s teeth can 
  also provide clues about his diet and related habits. 
  Analysis of the interior pulp of teeth can reveal a 
  victim’s age, and also provide cells for DNA typing. 
  SS: Forensic Odontology acts as a Comple-
  mentary Skill to Forensic Medicine for purposes of 
  analyzing teeth.
  Forensic Anthropology
  Forensic anthropology (also known as physical 
  anthropology) is the branch of criminalistics con-
  cerned with the shape and structure of the human 
  skeleton. Depending upon what bones are available 
  and the condition they’re in, a scientist can deter-
  mine a victim’s height, age, gender, and race from 
  his skeleton. Bones may also provide evidence of 
  some of the decedent’s activities in life, and of the 
  cause of death (for example, a knife may leave cuts 
  in the bone). Anomalies in the skeleton may prove 
  an unidentiﬁ ed murder victim’s identity, if x-rays of 
  the victim exist for comparison. Depending upon 
  the condition of the skeleton, a Forensic Medicine 
  roll at -2 to -4 is necessary to accurately make these 
  determinations. SS: Forensic Anthropology acts as a 
  Complementary Skill.
  Facial Reconstruction
  Forensic anthropologists can also reconstruct 
  a person’s facial features from his skull, providing a 
  picture of the victim which the police can distribute 
  in the hope someone can identify him. To do this, a 
  character must know both Forensic Medicine and SS: 
  Forensic Anthropology, and must also have PS: Sculp-
  tor. Depending upon the condition of the skull, the 
  Forensic Medicine roll is at -1 to -4. For every point 
  the character misses the roll by, PER or INT Rolls 
  made by others to identify the victim are at -1. 
  TIME OF DEATH
  Forensic pathologists oft en need to determine 
  when someone died. Th ere are three traditional 
  signs or indicators that provide evidence of what 
  time a person died:  rigor mortis (stiﬀ ness); algor 
  mortis (body temperature); and livor mortis (post-
  mortem coloration).
  Th e ﬁ rst sign is rigor mortis, the “stiﬀ ness of 
  death.” It usually begins about two to four hours 
  aft er death, starting in the eyelids and small 
  muscles of the face, then spreading throughout 
  the body to the larger muscles. (In some rare cases 
  cadaveric spasm, a state similar to rigor mortis, 
  occurs almost instantly aft er death, and normal 
  rigor then sets in.) Rigor lasts for about twelve 
  hours thereaft er. Th e muscles then relax in the same 
  order in which they stiﬀ ened; the body becomes 
  fully relaxed approximately 30-36 hours aft er death. 
  By judging what point a body is at in this process, 
  a medical examiner can estimate the time of death. 
  However, other conditions can aﬀ ect rigor (such as 
  starvation and freezing weather, which delay it, or 
  physical activity right before death, which acceler-
  FORENSIC
  PATHOLOGY
  
  169 
  Dark Champions ■ Chapter Three
  ates it); if appropriate, the GM can impose a penalty 
  of -1 to -3 to the Forensic Medicine roll to judge 
  rigor mortis to represent these factors.
  Th e second sign is algor mortis, or “tempera-
  ture of death.” Body temperature falls at the rate of 
  about one to two degrees per hour. Environmental 
  factors, such as the temperature, can alter this, 
  though. Th e GM may assign a penalty of -1 to -3 
  to a Forensic Medicine roll to judge algor mortis to 
  reﬂ ect adverse environmental conditions.
  Th e third sign is livor mortis, the “color of 
  death” (also known as postmortem lividity, or 
  PML). Aft er the heart stops beating, red blood cells 
  settle into the regions of the body which are nearest 
  to the ground at that time — for example, the back 
  if someone dies while lying face-up on a bed. Th is 
  colors the skin in that area, similar to a bruise. Th e 
  further along this process is, the longer the person 
  has been dead. Th e coloring starts to become visible 
  about 30 minutes to an hour aft er death in fair-
  skinned persons (it may never be visible in heav-
  ily-pigmented skin). Th e settling ends and becomes 
  permanent about four to eight hours aft er death. 
  Livor mortis can also provide evidence of whether  
  someone has moved a corpse, based on the distri-
  bution of the coloring in relation to the position 
  the body is found in.
  Taken together, these three indicators usually 
  provide an estimation of the time of death — but 
  it’s only an estimation. Forensic pathologists cannot 
  necessarily determine the time of death with the 
  precision depicted in TV police dramas. Some 
  circumstances can hasten or slow these processes. 
  Besides the environmental factors mentioned 
  above, the use of drugs, exercising shortly before 
  dying, the victim’s body type, and struggling with 
  the murderer can all sometimes aﬀ ect the rate at 
  which these three processes progress. Th e GM can 
  assign Forensic Medicine modiﬁ ers of from -1 to -5 
  to simulate these factors.
  Other Indicators
  Other indicators may help a forensic pathol-
  ogist estimate the time of death. For example, if 
  the victim is known to have eaten shortly before 
  dying, the amount of food digested can show the 
  time of death, since digestion is a steady, measur-
  able process.
  Th e presence of insects in and around the 
  corpse provides a lot of information (see below).
  Th e corneas of the eye tend to become cloudy 
  six to eight hours aft er death.
  Th e level of potassium in eye ﬂ uid, which 
  increases slowly and measurably aft er death, and 
  is not aﬀ ected by temperature, can be measured 
  to provide time of death information. Further-
  more, eye ﬂ uid also does not decompose, making 
  it useful for detecting the presence of drugs or 
  poison in the body.
  Players and GMs can probably think of other 
  creative ways to ascertain the time of death based 
  on the circumstances in a scenario.
  Decomposition
  Generally, a body begins to decompose about 
  three to ﬁ ve days aft er death. A corpse completely 
  rots, leaving nothing but a skeleton, in approxi-
  mately ﬁ ve to nine weeks if exposed to the ele-
  ments. Th e time required depends on many envi-
  ronmental factors, such as temperature and insect 
  life. For example, in the tropics or other warm 
  
  170 ■ Forensics
  Hero System 5th Edition
  regions a body can skeletonize in just a few weeks, 
  or even as little as about ten days... but in arctic 
  regions, a body may never decompose. Corpses 
  take about twice as long to decompose underwater, 
  and eight times as long when buried, as they do 
  when they are exposed to the elements.
  INSECTS FORENSIC ENTOMOLOGY
  Forensic entomology is the science of deter-
  mining the time of a murder victim’s death based 
  on the presence and activities of insects around a 
  corpse. By knowing enough about the life cycles 
  and behavior patterns of certain insects, patholo-
  gists can make more accurate determinations about 
  the time of death. Characters who just know Foren-
  sic Medicine make rolls to determine facts from 
  insect activity at -2 or more. Characters who also 
  know SS: Forensic Entomology or SS: Entomology 
  may make their rolls normally, and use those SSs as 
  Complementary Skills to Forensic Medicine as well. 
  Th e GM may impose additional penalties based on 
  the state of the corpse, the obscurity of the infor-
  mation, and so forth.
  Diﬀ erent species of insects are attracted to a 
  corpse at diﬀ erent stages of decomposition. Scien-
  tists can use the rate of development of their young 
  to determine the time of death. Th e most common 
  insect found on corpses, the ﬂ y (such as blowﬂ ies and 
  ﬂ eshﬂ ies), provides the best example. Flies arrive as 
  soon as ten minutes aft er death and begin laying thou-
  sands of eggs (or depositing larvae) in the corpse’s 
  mouth, nose, eyes, other body oriﬁ ces, and wounds. 
  Eggs are typically laid during the day, not at night. Th e 
  eggs take twelve hours to two days to hatch aft er being 
  laid. Th e maggots then begin feeding on the corpse. 
  Th ey develop into a pupal stage six to ten days later, 
  and the adults emerge from the pupa in twelve to 24 
  days. Beetles tend to arrive and begin eating dried skin 
  about 24-36 hours aft er death. Spiders, millipedes, 
  and similar life forms arrive approximately 48 hours 
  aft er death to feed on the insects around the corpse. 
  Cheese skippers and other insects which can live on 
  extremely decayed bodies will usually be found three 
  to six months aft er death (depending, of course, on 
  when decomposition begins).
  All of these ﬁ gures vary depending upon the 
  environmental conditions and the particular spe-
  cies of ﬂ y or insect. Insect activity may also be 
  inﬂ uenced by such factors as whether the corpse is 
  outside or indoors, in the sunshine or the shade, or 
  wet or dry. Th e season of the year also plays a part; 
  there is much more insect activity in the spring and 
  summer than the winter, for example. Th e GM may 
  impose modiﬁ ers of -1 to -5 to the Forensic Medi-
  cine roll based on these factors. 
  Insect life can also provide clues as to whether 
  a corpse has been moved. If the insect life in and 
  on the corpse diﬀ ers from that where the corpse is 
  found, someone probably moved the body from the 
  scene of the killing.
  Insects can tell the examiner about the drugs 
  used by (or poisons used on) a victim. Aft er insects 
  feed on a body, their tissue and fecal material shows 
  traces of the drugs or poisons in the victim’s system 
  at the time of his death.
  Lastly, the presence of insects may help track 
  the movement of vehicles, people, and goods, such 
  as cocaine shipments. Th e insects found in or with 
  such objects may provide a biological “map” of the 
  object’s journey across the world.
  Not all insect activity helps the forensic 
  pathologist. Fly eggs laid on corpses may distort 
  or destroy the appearance of a wound, making it 
  harder to determine the weapon used to kill the 
  victim. An inexperienced examiner could mistake 
  postmortem insect bites for antemortem abra-
  sions (a possible -1 to -2 penalty to the Forensic 
  Medicine roll). Insects can confuse blood splatter 
  evidence by walking through the splatters or by 
  consuming the blood and later depositing some of 
  it in their feces or for their young to feed on.
  CAUSES OF DEATH
  Th ere are thousands of causes of death, but Dark 
  Champions GMs and player are primarily concerned 
  with those which involve murder. A clever GM can 
  provide characters clues to the cause of death, then 
  feed them a little more information when they make 
  their Forensic Medicine rolls. Eventually, the players 
  should be able to deduce what happened, perhaps 
  earning an Experience Point or two if they’ve been 
  especially quick-witted. Th e GM could just tell them 
  the cause of death straight out if they make a Foren-
  sic Medicine roll — but if possible, he should give the 
  players a chance to ﬁ gure it out on their own, because 
  that’s more fun for everyone.
  Th is section is by no means complete — that 
  would require a medical textbook (such as some 
  of the ones listed in the Bibliography). It primar-
  ily covers facts which would be useful in planning 
  Dark Champions scenarios. If the GM feels the 
  need to know more, he should do some pre-sce-
  nario research.
  Asphyxiation
  Asphyxiation is death due to the body’s fail-
  ure to receive oxygen. It can occur because of 
  suﬀ ocation/smothering, the breathing of certain 
  gases that block the utilization of oxygen by the 
  body (chemical asphyxiation), or strangulation. 
  It doesn’t take much eﬀ ort to strangle a human 
  being:  11 pounds of pressure is enough to cut 
  oﬀ  the carotid arteries, causing unconsciousness 
  in approximately ten seconds (1 Turn, in HERO 
  System terms), and 66 pounds of pressure cuts oﬀ  
  the vertebral arteries.
  HANGING
  Hanging is a form of strangulation frequently 
  used to commit suicide. It’s rarely seen as a form 
  of murder, and despite still being “on the books” 
  as a law in some states, is no longer used as a form 
  of legal execution. Judicial hangings, which break 
  the neck and cause instant unconsciousness and a 
  rapid death aft er a period of convulsions (assuming 
  they’re performed properly), are not really a form 
  of strangulation.
  
  171 
  Dark Champions ■ Chapter Three
  Hanging involves placing a ligature of some 
  sort (such as a rope or electrical cord) in a noose 
  around the neck so that the body’s weight supplies 
  the pressure needed to cut oﬀ  blood ﬂ ow to the 
  brain. Because this requires so little pressure, it’s 
  possible for someone to hang himself while sit-
  ting, kneeling, or lying down (for example, from a 
  doorknob or bedpost). Th e noose leaves a slanted 
  ligature mark around the neck, and the shape and 
  size of the mark usually indicate what type of mate-
  rial was used. If the ligature material is soft  (such as 
  a towel) or a pad is placed between the noose and 
  the neck, the ligature mark may be less distinct or 
  nonexistent. Generally, the face of a hanging victim 
  is pale, and the tongue protruding and black (from 
  drying). Th ere may be scratch marks around the 
  neck where the victim tried to undo the noose. 
  Blood pools in the victim’s lower extremities, such 
  as arms, hands, and legs. 
  Hanging is rarely used as a form of homicide 
  because it’s diﬃ  cult to hang someone who’s resist-
  ing. Homicidal hanging victims usually display 
  signs of having been beaten, subdued, or drugged.
  It’s possible to hang a corpse and create the 
  same ligature marks that would have resulted if the 
  victim were still alive, provided the hanging takes 
  place within two hours of death.
  LIGATURE AND MANUAL STRANGULATION
  Ligature strangulation is a form of strangula-
  tion involving the tightening of some sort of band 
  by a force other than body weight. Th e classic 
  example is a garrote. Ligature strangulations are 
  almost always murders, and the victims are usually 
  female. Unconsciousness generally occurs within 
  ten to ﬁ ft een seconds.
  A victim of a ligature strangulation looks 
  somewhat diﬀ erent from a hanging victim. First, 
  his face is usually congested, not pale. Second, the 
  appearance of the ligature diﬀ ers — not only is 
  it a horizontal mark, but the mark’s appearance 
  varies depending upon the type of instrument 
  used (the thinner it is, the more prominent the 
  mark), the amount of force used by the strangler, 
  and how much the victim resists. Ligature stran-
  gulation marks are usually well-preserved, even 
  during decomposition. Th ere may also be scratch 
  marks on the victim’s neck where he tried to 
  undo the band. Victims oft en have hair clutched 
  in their hands as well, but this is almost always 
  their own, not their killer’s. 
  Manual strangulation is strangulation by 
  the hands or arms of another. It’s always a form 
  of murder, not suicide or an accident. Manual 
  strangulation oft en leaves abrasions, contusions, 
  or scratches on the neck (which may indicate how 
  the attacker placed his hands); fracturing of the 
  windpipe (trachea) or hyoid bone (which anchors 
  the tongue muscles) is also common. Manual stran-
  gulation also causes internal bleeding into the neck 
  muscles, and pinpoint hemorrhages (petechiae) in 
  the eyeballs when the capillaries in the eyes burst.
  OTHER FORMS OF ASPHYXIATION
  Smothering and suﬀ ocation are also forms 
  of asphyxiation. Th ey generally cause no bruising, 
  and the pinpoint eye hemorrhages may not occur. 
  A form of smothering known as burking may 
  leave no traces — the killer covers the victim’s 
  mouth and nose with the hands while sitting on 
  the victim’s chest. It would be diﬃ  cult for the PCs 
  to catch a murderer who burked his victims and 
  left  no ﬁ ngerprints.
  Cruciﬁ xion is also a form of asphyxiation. 
  It causes death due to shock, dehydration, and 
  asphyxia when the body’s weight cuts oﬀ  the 
  ability to breathe. Although this form of murder 
  is extremely rare in real life, Dark Champions 
  characters may encounter it when they’re dealing 
  with evil religious cults or particularly vicious 
  organized crime groups.
  Blunt Trauma
  Blunt trauma means injuries caused by impact 
  — beatings, collisions, and similar incidents. Th e 
  nature of the injury usually depends on the amount 
  of force used, the area(s) of the body struck, the 
  amount of body surface covered, and the type of 
  weapon used (if any). Beating victims sometimes 
  display blunt trauma “defense wounds” on the arms 
  and hands, indicating they were trying to fend oﬀ  
  the blows.
  Th ere are four types of blunt trauma:  abra-
  sions, contusions, lacerations, and skeletal fractures.
  ABRASIONS
  An abrasion is a skin injury where the skin 
  is scraped away by friction. It’s caused by scraping 
  (such as being dragged by a car) or by some kinds 
  of impact or pressure. Th e shape or outline of the 
  striking object may be reﬂ ected in the abrasion (for 
  example, a person who’s thrown oﬀ  of a building 
  and lands on a sewer grating may have the pattern 
  of the grating impressed onto his body). Abra-
  sions may also indicate the existence of an internal 
  injury. In the case of non-fatal incidents, an exam-
  iner can estimate the age of an abrasion based on 
  how much it’s healed.
  CONTUSIONS
  A contusion, better known as a bruise, results 
  from the rupturing of blood vessels under the skin 
  in response to blunt trauma. Not all blunt trauma 
  causes contusions; it’s possible to hit a person with-
  out bruising him (for example, the abdomen rarely 
  bruises). Contusions most oft en form in fatty areas 
  or areas of thin skin; the victim’s age, gender, or 
  health may also inﬂ uence whether a bruise results.
  A bruise may reﬂ ect the pattern or shape of 
  the object used to strike the victim, but can be dif-
  ferently shaped as well. Bruises oft en change color, 
  but examiners cannot accurately date them by this 
  or any other manner. In some instances they can 
  roughly estimate the age of a bruise based on the 
  healing process at the cellular level. Bruises typi-
  cally intensify and spread aft er death.
  Corpses can be bruised, if the beating is severe 
  
  172 ■ Forensics
  Hero System 5th Edition
  and takes place within a few hours aft er death. 
  Examiners cannot distinguish such contusions 
  from those made while the victim was alive. Bruises 
  blend indistinguishably with livor mortis.
  LACERATIONS
  Lacerations are tears in the tissue caused by 
  the crushing force of a blow. A long, narrow object 
  usually creates a linear laceration, while a ﬂ at object 
  usually creates an irregular or Y-shaped one. Th ey 
  most oft en occur in bony areas of the body, where 
  the skin splits relatively easily.
  Lacerations frequently resemble incisions 
  (a type of sharp trauma, see page 174). However, 
  they display a phenomenon known as “bridging,” 
  where tiny ﬁ bers of tissue “bridge” the wound at its 
  bottom. Incisions do not have bridging.
  Based on the way the force of the blow has 
  moved or abraded the skin at the edges of a lacera-
  tion, a forensic pathologist may be able to deter-
  mine the direction and angle of the blow (this 
  requires a Forensic Medicine roll, typically with a 
  penalty of -1 to -3). Examiners cannot determine 
  the age of lacerations (except possibly by the course 
  of healing, in the case of non-fatal incidents).
  SKELETAL FRACTURES
  Skeletal fractures are injuries to the victim’s 
  bones. Th e type and direction of impact, the 
  amount of force, and the place hit all inﬂ uence 
  whether a fracture occurs and its appearance. Th e 
  nature of an injury to bone may also provide the 
  examiner with other information (for example, 
  whether the damage to the bone took place while 
  the person was alive, or is post-mortem damage to 
  old, dry bones). Some instruments leave distinctive 
  shapes in bone; however, some be misleading — for 
  example, a bullet may shatter bone in such a way 
  that the injury looks like a fracture caused by blunt 
  trauma (a Forensic Medicine roll at -1 to -3 lets a 
  character discern the proper source of damage to a 
  bone; see also Forensic Anthropology, page 168).
  Burns
  Burns are generally caused by three phenom-
  ena:  ﬁ re (the most common cause), chemicals, and 
  electricity (discussed below). 
  Burns from ﬁ re or heat may be caused by direct 
  contact with ﬂ ame, contact with a hot object, heat 
  radiating from a hot object, or scalding. Th ey are 
  ranked by degrees:  ﬁ rst (superﬁ cial, no blisters); 
  second (burns of part of the thickness of the skin, 
  usually with a red, moist, and blistered outer appear-
  ance); third (burns of the full thickness of the skin, 
  with a leathery white outer appearance and no 
  blisters), and fourth (incinerating burns extend-
  ing beneath the skin). For the most part, examiners 
  cannot distinguish between pre-death and post-
  mortem burns. Blistering can occur aft er death.
  It’s extremely diﬃ  cult to burn an entire body 
  — even if the outside is charred, the inner organs 
  are usually undamaged. Severely burned bodies may 
  have split skin (exposing the muscle beneath). Bones 
  exposed to extreme heat display distinctive fractures 
  which show by their pattern whether the skin had 
  ﬂ esh on it when it was burned, and sometimes even 
  what type of bone was burned (diﬀ erent bones frac-
  ture in diﬀ erent ways based on their thickness and 
  shape). Furthermore, unless bones are pulverized 
  aft er being burned (as they are in a crematorium), it’s 
  oft en still possible to determine certain facts about 
  the skeleton (such as its age and gender) from them, 
  despite the damage caused by the ﬂ ames. Teeth are 
  highly resistant to heat, and are oft en used to identify 
  burned bodies (accurate identiﬁ cation can be made 
  with as little as one tooth).
  Victims who die in ﬁ res oft en die not of burns, 
  but of carbon monoxide inhalation. If the victim has 
  no carbon monoxide in his blood (or carbon par-
  ticles in his larynx and lungs), he was probably killed 
  before the ﬁ re (which may have been set in a futile 
  attempt to destroy the body). Carbon monoxide poi-
  soning turns the skin bright red.     
  
  173 
  Dark Champions ■ Chapter Three
  Burns caused by chemicals vary depending 
  upon the type and strength of chemical (such as 
  acid), the amount used, and the duration of contact 
  between the chemicals and the skin. Th ey tend to be 
  second or third degree burns, and the color of the 
  scab that forms over the burn indicates what kind of 
  acid was used:  yellow for nitric acid; black or brown 
  for sulfuric acid; white or grey for hydrochloric acid; 
  and light grey or light brown for phenol.
  Drowning
  Drowning is death caused by a submersion 
  in liquid, which of course prevents breathing. It 
  can occur in as little as six inches of water, and 
  can occur if only a small amount of ﬂ uid enters 
  the lungs. If the victim is alive when placed in the 
  liquid, he inhales it and the examiner will ﬁ nd it 
  in his lungs (and possibly stomach). If a corpse is 
  placed in the water in an attempt to disguise the 
  cause of death, there may be little or no ﬂ uid in the 
  lungs. Drowned bodies ﬂ oat face down, and may 
  suﬀ er post-mortem scrape and scratch injuries 
  from brushing against things as they ﬂ oat. Within 
  three to four hours aft er immersion, the liquid also 
  tends to wash blood out of other injuries, making 
  them appear to be aft er-death injuries when in fact 
  they occurred before death.
  Corpses sink relatively soon aft er drowning. 
  Th ey remain submerged until decomposition-
  created gases make them ﬂ oat to the surface (a 
  “ﬂ oater,” in police parlance). Th e colder the water, 
  the longer the decomposition process takes. During 
  the body’s time in the water, it may be damaged by 
  marine animals or other natural phenomena.
  Th ere are no special forensic tests that prove a 
  victim was murdered by drowning, as opposed to 
  dying in an accidental drowning. Th e determina-
  tion results from the circumstances of the killing 
  (i.e., the fact that the body was found in or near 
  water) and the exclusion of other potential causes 
  of death.
  Electrocution
  Electrocution deaths are usually accidental. 
  Humans are most sensitive to AC current (the 
  most common type). Th irty-nine to 150 cycles per 
  second is the range of greatest lethality. Important 
  factors include amperage (how much electricity 
  enters the body against the resistance of human 
  skin) and the voltage (electromagnetic force). Low 
  voltage (i.e., household current) only kills or injures 
  if it comes into direct contact with the body; it 
  causes death in seconds or tenths of a second due 
  to ventricular ﬁ brillation. High voltage (such as that 
  from high tension electric lines) can kill if it comes 
  within centimeters of someone because an arc of 
  electricity leaps from the source to the victim. It 
  causes almost instantaneous death by burning and 
  cardiac and respiratory arrest.
  High voltage electricity always cause burns, 
  and low voltage causes them about half the time. 
  Th e burns are at the point where the current enters 
  and exits the body; the hand is the most common 
  entry point and the foot is a frequent exit point. 
  Electrical burns are distinctive from other types of 
  burns. High voltage may also cause massive inter-
  nal damage, destroying tissue and organs. 
  Homicide by electrocution is rare, but does 
  occur. Th e most common method is to drop a 
  plugged-in appliance into someone’s bath. Th is 
  does not cause burns, and if the killer removes the 
  appliance from the water, the death appears natural.
  Falling Deaths
  When someone dies aft er a fall, the question is 
  whether it was suicide, an accident, or murder. Th e 
  injuries resulting from a fall are the same regardless 
  of the cause. However, if the fall is an accident, the 
  body is usually near the wall; if the person jumped, 
  was pushed, or was thrown, the corpse is further 
  away from the wall. Lastly, a victim bleeds more if 
  he’s alive on impact.
  Poison
  Th ere are many diﬀ erent varieties of poison, 
  with many diﬀ erent eﬀ ects. Poisons are oft en dif-
  ﬁ cult to detect and can be overlooked in an autopsy 
  unless speciﬁ cally tested for. Th e eﬀ ects of some 
  of the most common are listed below. In addition 
  to the more overt eﬀ ects (including death), the 
  amount of poison in a person’s body can oﬀ er sig-
  niﬁ cant information to an investigator — how long 
  the poison has been in the body, or the length of 
  time the poison has been administered, for exam-
  ple. A character must have SS: Pharmacokinetics to 
  obtain and analyze such data properly, however.
  Arsenic:  A colorless, odorless powder which acts 
  slowly. Four to seven hours aft er being fed arse-
  nic, the victim develops diarrhea and stomach 
  pains — symptoms oft en mistaken for illness. 
  Eventually, arsenic kills by dehydrating the body, 
  causing fatal shock.
  Curare:  An injected poison. It kills by paralyzing 
  the muscles needed to breath. Th e paralyzing eﬀ ects 
  disappear quickly, leaving no traces visible to the 
  naked eye. Doctors use two similar drugs, Pavulon 
  and succinylcholine, as anaesthetics. 
  Cyanide:  Th is poison has become infamous in 
  recent years because deranged individuals have 
  killed people by putting it in Tylenol, Kool-Aid, and 
  other products. Because it works very quickly, it’s 
  also used in “suicide capsules” carried by spies. It 
  even works as a gas (the Bhopal disaster involved a 
  form of cyanide gas). Cyanide has two “distinctive 
  features” which make it easy to ﬁ nd if looked for. 
  First, to some people it smells like almonds:  forty 
  percent of the population has genes that allow them 
  to smell cyanide. Second, cyanide turns the blood 
  and skin a dark scarlet color and corrodes parts of 
  the stomach, eﬀ ects which are easily detected.
  Insulin:  Insulin, a drug given to diabetics, can kill 
  in large doses. Special tests are required to ﬁ nd 
  the traces.
  
  174 ■ Forensics
  Hero System 5th Edition
  Ricin:  A poison derived from the castor oil plant 
  which kills by interfering with the blood’s ability 
  to carry oxygen to the heart and brain. Its eﬀ ects 
  include abdominal pains, nausea, cramps, con-
  vulsions, and dehydration (similar to many ill-
  nesses). Even tiny amounts of it can cause a slow, 
  painful death.
  Strychnine:  A fast-acting poison which kills by dis-
  rupting nerve impulses, causing intensely painful 
  convulsions which prevent breathing. Th e victim is 
  left  with a risus sardonicus, or sardonic rictus grin. 
  However, the muscles soon relax, leaving no trace 
  of the cause of death unless special tests are run.
  Sharp Trauma
  Sharp trauma is injuries caused by sharp or 
  pointed objects, such as knives or icepicks. Victims 
  of stabbings (and other sharp trauma) may have 
  “defense wounds” on their hands and arms if they 
  were able to ﬁ ght back or defend themselves. Th ere 
  are three basic categories of sharp trauma:  stab 
  wounds, incised wounds, and chop wounds.
  STAB WOUNDS
  Stab wounds are sharp trauma where the 
  depth of the wound is greater than the length of the 
  wound. Th e edges of the wound are usually distinct, 
  without abrasions or contusions, although this 
  may vary depending upon how sharp the stabbing 
  object is (but not upon whether the blade’s edge 
  was serrated or jagged — usually this is not appar-
  ent from the wound). 
  Th e shape and size of a stab wound depend 
  upon six factors:  the shape of the weapon; the 
  direction of thrust and withdrawal; movement of 
  the blade; movement of the victim; the relaxation 
  or tension of the skin; and Langer’s lines (ﬁ brous 
  threads of tissue in the skin that can distort the 
  shape of the wound if the cut goes against their 
  “grain”). Th e shape of the cut may indicate what 
  type of blade was used and how the knife was 
  twisted during the attack, but this is not always 
  reliable. For example, multiple icepick wounds may 
  resemble wounds from small shotgun pellets (-1 
  to -2 to the Forensic Medicine roll to distinguish). 
  Odd-shaped weapons, such as screwdrivers or scis-
  sors, oft en create wounds with identiﬁ able shapes.
  If there are several deep stab wounds, a 
  forensic pathologist can usually determine the 
  length of the blade used. Th e fewer wounds there 
  are, the less likely it is that an accurate determina-
  tion can be made. (In game terms, a character has 
  to make a Forensic Medicine roll to determine 
  the length of the blade; he suﬀ ers a -3 penalty if 
  there’s only one wound, a -2 penalty for two to 
  four wounds, and a -1 for ﬁ ve or more wounds). 
  An examiner can also vaguely determine the 
  amount of force used to stab someone if he char-
  acter makes a Forensic Medicine roll.
  Th e amount of bleeding caused by stab 
  wounds depends primarily on where the victim is 
  stabbed and what’s pierced. For example, an attack 
  that punctures an artery causes a large amount of 
  bleeding and a fairly quick death. It’s possible for 
  postmortem wounds to leak substantial quantities 
  of blood, depending upon how the body lies and 
  where it’s stabbed.   
  INCISED AND CHOP WOUNDS
  Incised wounds are cuts and slices from sharp 
  objects. Th e majority of them are not fatal. Th e 
  length and depth of the wound will not normally 
  tell the pathologist anything about the blade used 
  to inﬂ ict it, but a dull or nicked knife may not cut as 
  cleanly. Examiners can distinguish incisions from 
  lacerations (see above) by the absence of “bridging” 
  in the depths of the wound.
  Chop wounds are caused by heavy cutting 
  tools, such as machetes and axes. Th ey usually 
  consist of an incision-like wound and a broken or 
  grooved bone beneath. If the weapon is dull, the 
  wound may also have laceration-like characteris-
  tics. If the weapon cuts bone, the cut may reveal 
  information about the weapon, such as whether 
  it was a thick blade or a thin one (thin blades 
  “chatter,” or move from side to side, when cutting 
  through bone; thick ones do not). Th e weapon 
  may also leave chips of metal in the bone which 
  can be compared to the metal of the weapon if it 
  is recovered (and perhaps even ﬁ tted to the blade 
  where they broke oﬀ ), though this occurs far more 
  frequently in ﬁ ction than in real life.
  INJECTION SITES
  Punctures from hypodermic needles, 
  whether from intravenous drug use or poisoning 
  by injection, tend to heal and fade away within 
  about 48 hours, so they can provide clues only for 
  a short time. However, injections with unsterile 
  needles, such as those used by many drug addicts, 
  produce permanent scar-like marks (“tracks”) 
  that do not fade.
  Torture
  Unfortunately, some murderers, such as some 
  serial killers, derive pleasure from torturing their 
  victims before killing them. Wounds from torture 
  may look just like wounds which were received 
  during a struggle. However, if the victim is still 
  alive for a while aft er the wounds are inﬂ icted, 
  certain blood traces and biochemicals, such as leu-
  cocytes or serotonin, will be found in the edges of 
  the wound and/or in increased levels in the body. 
  Between this and the location and type of wound, a 
  forensic pathologist can determine that the victim 
  was tortured, rather than mutilated aft er death. Lig-
  ature marks (marks left  in the skin by rope when 
  someone has been tied up) may also oﬀ er clues as 
  to the victim’s demise. Th is sort of information, 
  while not pleasant, can be used to give PCs a warn-
  ing about what sort of person they’re dealing with.
  
  chapter four:
  chapter four:
  chapter four:
  COMBAT & ADVENTURING
  
  176 ■ Combat And Adventuring
  Hero System 5th Edition
  C
  ombat is an important part of most role-
  playing campaigns, and Dark Champions 
  games are no exception. Th is chapter covers 
  ways to use the HERO System combat rules 
  in Dark Champions campaigns, including expanded 
  rules for ﬁ rearms combat and related subjects. 
  However, it does not describe the weapons them-
  selves; see Chapter Five for that.
  ENTERING COMBAT
  Gamemasters and players may wish to con-
  sider the following rules and rules options for Dark 
  Champions combat.
  DRAMATIC VERSUS REALISTIC COMBAT
  Th e GM, aft er seeking input from the play-
  ers, should decide whether he wants the combat in 
  his game to emphasize realism or drama. Th e two 
  aren’t mutually exclusive, of course, but they do 
  tend to have some strong diﬀ erences. Some sub-
  genres, such as Dark Champions: Th e Animated 
  Series and “cinematic spies” games, favor drama; 
  others, such as some Military Action, oft en hew 
  more toward “realism.”
  “Realistic” combat pays attention to real-
  istic details about combat and makes an eﬀ ort 
  to simulate them in the game, either to increase 
  verisimilitude or make combat a less attractive 
  option for PCs (sometimes both). Although there’s 
  considerable debate (even among learned scholars) 
  as to what is or is not “realistic” when it comes to 
  simulating gunﬁ re, explosions, and the like, typi-
  cally realistic game combat does at least some or all 
  of the following:  uses all the optional damage rules 
  (such as Bleeding); discourages most fancy “stunts” 
  and maneuvers by imposing harsh CV penalties for 
  performing them; restricts the eﬀ ectiveness of most 
  body armor.
  “Dramatic” combat, on the other hand, tends 
  to take its cues from action movies. Th e emphasis 
  is less on a “realistic” depiction of armed combat 
  than on running an enjoyable battle that maximizes 
  the scope of the characters’ options and the useful-
  ness of their many abilities. Of course, diﬀ erent 
  levels of “dramatic” can exist; one campaign might 
  allow just about any sort of hair-raising, swash-
  buckling stunt, while another simply ignores the 
  more annoying or time-consuming “realistic” rules 
  to speed game play. In contrast to “realistic” games, 
  dramatic games tend to use fewer optional damage 
  rules (sometimes none except for Hit Locations), 
  encourage stunts and clever maneuvers by grant-
  ing bonuses (or at least imposing no penalties), and 
  don’t worry about making all the equipment func-
  tion “realistically.”
  Th e degree to which the GM emphasizes “real-
  ism” or “drama” does a lot to provide ﬂ avor and feel 
  for the campaign, and it inﬂ uences character design 
  as well. In a realistic game, players have to give 
  some thought to how their characters cope with 
  the nature and eﬀ ects of combat, which may mean 
  buying more CON or BODY to withstand injury, or 
  more END so they can ﬁ ght longer. In a dramatic 
  game, players oft en design characters with special 
  ﬁ ghting styles and other unusual abilities to take 
  advantage of the more “free-form” concept of battle.
  Th e HERO System rules already handle the 
  dramatic side of combat pretty well; that’s part of 
  the nature of the system. Many of the optional and 
  additional rules in this chapter lean more toward 
  “realism” than drama.
  MULTIPLEPOWER ATTACKS
  Multiple-power attacks aren’t particularly 
  common in Dark Champions games, but they do 
  have their place. Th ey work well when a character 
  without Two-Weapon Fighting wants to shoot a 
  gun in each hand, or a character wants to do some-
  thing like throw a grenade and shoot his gun at the 
  same time.
  In weapons combat, Martial Arts maneuvers, 
  and the like, maneuvers based on STR count as 
  “separate Powers” for purposes of making multiple-
  Power attacks provided their eﬀ ects are reasonably 
  distinguishable. A Maneuver that causes damage 
  (such as Legsweep) is reasonably distinguishable 
  from one using the Exert basis (such as Martial 
  Disarm) in most instances. Two Maneuvers that 
  simply cause damage (Strike and Martial Strike, 
  for example) generally are not, but the GM should 
  make that call based on the character, the situa-
  tion, and other such factors. If a character wants to 
  hit a single target multiple times with the same, or 
  two similar, damage-causing Maneuvers or attacks 
  (like Martial Strike and Defensive Strike), usu-
  ally he should choose one of the maneuvers and 
  use a Sweep (or Rapid Fire, for Ranged attacks). 
  Multiple-Power attacks work best when characters 
  combine two diﬀ erent forms of attack to generate 
  an interesting eﬀ ect, not when they simply lump 
  two attack abilities together to cause more damage.
  However, at the GM’s option, if a character 
  wants to ﬁ ght with a melee weapon in each hand, 
  he may do so as a multiple-Power attack, even 
  though that involves using two similar (perhaps 
  identical) attacks that both do damage with STR.
  Characters cannot use defensive maneuvers or 
  actions (such as Block or Missile Deﬂ ection) as part 
  DARK CHAMPIONS 
  COMBAT
  
  177 
  Dark Champions ■ Chapter Four
  of a multiple-Power attack. Nor can they make a 
  multiple-Power “attack” that consists of nothing but 
  defensive actions.
  To prevent characters from over-using mul-
  tiple-Power attacks, GMs can impose restrictions 
  similar to those on Rapid Fire and Sweep:  for each 
  power or maneuver added to the combination 
  (including the ﬁ rst one) the character suﬀ ers a -2 
  OCV penalty; multiple-Power attacks take a Full 
  Phase; using one halves the character’s DCV.
  ACTING FIRST
  It’s not uncommon for two Dark Champions 
  characters to have the same DEX, or for situations 
  to come up in combat where the exact timing of 
  Actions in game terms becomes important. In these 
  situations, the general rule on page 360 of the HERO 
  System 5th Edition, Revised normally applies:  the 
  GM resolves the matter with competing DEX Rolls 
  (unless, of course, the character’s Holding a defensive 
  Action or Aborts to a defensive Action; those always 
  go ﬁ rst). Alternately, the GM could dispense with the 
  roll (perhaps as a way of speeding up combat) and 
  allow one of the characters to go ﬁ rst based on their 
  respective abilities. Two possibilities include:
  ■ the character with the highest INT acts ﬁ rst (if 
  their INTs are also tied, use PRE)
  ■ the character with Fast Draw acts ﬁ rst (if both have 
  Fast Draw, the one with the highest roll acts ﬁ rst)
  If two characters have to use DEX Rolls to 
  determine who acts ﬁ rst, the loser of the roll cannot 
  then choose to Abort to a defensive Action — com-
  mitting to the roll means the chance to Abort is lost. 
  Th e character has staked his chances on getting to 
  act ﬁ rst, and having failed to do so, has to live with 
  the consequences. In some cases, the GM may even 
  want the characters to specify what Actions they’re 
  attempting, and what powers or attacks they’re using, 
  before letting them roll. Th e losing character has 
  already stated, in eﬀ ect, (a) that he’s attacking, (b) 
  what attack he’s using, and (c) where he’s aiming. 
  He can’t change just because the winner got lucky, 
  saw it coming, and moved away. However, the losing 
  character can, if hit, declare that he’s Rolling With Th e 
  Punch (if appropriate).
  HOLDING AN ACTION
  By the strict letter of the rules, when a charac-
  ter Holds his Action, he must specify a lower DEX 
  or an event that “triggers” his Held Action — for 
  example, “I’ll shoot him when he comes around the 
  corner,” or “I’ll Dodge if anyone attacks me.” But 
  if the GM wishes, he can let a character Hold his 
  Action “generically,” without declaring any sort of 
  precondition for acting.
  If a character Blocks (or uses some other 
  Combat Maneuver that aﬀ ects his CV) in one 
  Phase, and in the next Phase declares a Held Action, 
  at that point he loses the CV modiﬁ ers from the 
  Maneuver — just because he chooses to delay his 
  Action doesn’t mean his Phase hasn’t occurred, and 
  that ends the eﬀ ect of a Combat Maneuver. How-
  ever, his Combat Skill Levels, if any, remain allo-
  cated as they were until he actively changes them.
  ABORTING AN ACTION
  Typically a character must declare an Abort 
  when an attacker announces he’s attacking that 
  character, but before any rolls are made. A character 
  can’t wait to see whether an Attack Roll misses, and 
  if it hits, then declare an Abort (unless, of course, 
  the GM permits this for the sake of drama).
  Generally, a character cannot Abort to shield 
  his eyes, or otherwise protect himself from, the 
  eﬀ ects of a Flash. Th e rules note that a character has 
  to be “prepared” to do that, and Aborting typically 
  implies a lack of preparation. However, the GM 
  could allow a character to “Abort to cover my eyes” 
  if he wanted to.
  A character can Abort to a power that takes a 
  Full Phase, Delayed Phase, or Extra Segment using 
  the normal rules. He can Abort to a power that 
  takes an Extra Phase, but if so he loses his next two 
  Phases. He cannot Abort to powers that take more 
  Extra Time unless the GM permits him to.
  COMBAT MODIFIERS
  Th e following guidelines, notes, and options 
  apply to Combat Modiﬁ ers in a modern-day 
  action-adventure context. A Modiﬁ er not discussed 
  typically follows the standard rules and/or needs no 
  further description for Dark Champions purposes.
  AREA OF EFFECT; EXPLOSION
  A character can use an Area Of Eﬀ ect or 
  Explosion attack to target a hex in the air, underwa-
  ter, or the like (for example, to attack a parachutist 
  or a submarine). He’s not limited to targeting hexes 
  on the ground, though the rules refer to that for 
  ease of reference.
  AUTOFIRE
  Autoﬁ re is one of the most common Combat 
  Modiﬁ ers in Dark Champions, thanks to the preva-
  lence of submachine guns, machine guns, and other 
  automatic ﬁ rearms. Here are some additional rules 
  clarifying various aspects of Autoﬁ re as it’s used in 
  the game; see page 97 for more information about 
  buying the Autoﬁ re Advantage for attacks.
  Autoﬁ re Damage
  If a character uses a Combat Skill Level to 
  increase the damage done by an Autoﬁ re attack, the 
  increased damage applies to every shot that hits the 
  target. As always, the GM may change this rule if he 
  ﬁ nds it unbalancing.
  Each Autoﬁ re shot counts as a separate attack 
  for purposes of determining Stunning — the indi-
  vidual Autoﬁ re shots do not add together to make a 
  “single attack.” For example, if a character with CON 
  20 takes 18 STUN and 14 STUN (aft er defenses) 
  from two Autoﬁ re hits from the same burst of ﬁ re, 
  he’s not Stunned, since neither hit, by itself, did 21 or 
  more STUN to him. (Of course, even though he’s not 
  Stunned, he may be Knocked Out.)
  If a character with an Autoﬁ re attack Coordi-
  nates with other characters, regardless of whether 
  they do or do not have Autoﬁ re attacks themselves, 
  and he hits the target with two or more shots, add 
  ROLEPLAYING 
  COMBAT
  As you read through 
  this chapter, remember 
  not only the strategic 
  aspects of the rules, but 
  the roleplaying aspects as 
  well. All too oft en players 
  and GMs look at combat 
  solely as an exercise in 
  tactics, strategy, and 
  power-gaming, but in 
  fact it has a lot of role-
  playing potential.
  When running a ﬁ ght, 
  you can best realize this 
  potential if you “talk out” 
  your battles as much 
  as possible. Th is simply 
  means describing what 
  your character does in 
  real-world terms rather 
  than just game terms. “I 
  hit him with my Oﬀ en-
  sive Strike” is a lot less 
  exciting than “I knock his 
  arm out of position with 
  my left  arm, then smash 
  him across the jaw with 
  my roundhouse punch!” 
  Roleplaying combat is 
  fun, adds an important 
  dimension to the battle, 
  and can even result in 
  some tactical bonuses 
  — such as when the 
  GM likes a maneuver’s 
  description so much he 
  awards a Surprise Move 
  bonus to the character.
  When describing attacks 
  this way, you don’t have 
  to use Hit Location pen-
  alties. A player can say, 
  “Okay, I shoot him in the 
  head!” without taking a 
  -8 OCV penalty. So long 
  as the character doesn’t 
  receive the game beneﬁ ts 
  of hitting someone in 
  the Head (x2 BODY, x2 
  NSTUN, and so forth), 
  he doesn’t suﬀ er the pen-
  alties either. A “described 
  shot” to the Head does 
  the ordinary amount 
  of damage, it’s just por-
  trayed that way to make 
  the combat more enjoy-
  able. Of course, if the 
  character wants the extra 
  damage for hitting his 
  opponent in the Head, 
  he can take the -8 OCV 
  penalty for his attack in 
  the usual way.
  
  178 ■ Combat And Adventuring
  Hero System 5th Edition
  only the largest STUN total from any of the shots 
  to his comrades’ attack for purposes of determin-
  ing the eﬀ ects of Coordinating. Th e other shots still 
  hit and cause damage to the target, they’re just not 
  counted for purposes of the Coordination rules.
  If a character has an Autoﬁ re attack that’s also 
  Constant, it continues to aﬀ ect the target with the 
  same number of shots that hit him the ﬁ rst time, 
  unless the GM rules otherwise based on the cir-
  cumstances.
  Area-Eﬀ ecting Autoﬁ re Attacks
  If a character has an attack that lets him Auto-
  ﬁ re an area-eﬀ ecting attack (such as Darkness, or a 
  power with the Area Of Eﬀ ect or Explosion Advan-
  tage), it’s possible he might miss some shots even 
  though he attacks against DCV 3. Here’s how to 
  resolve that.
  For multiple shots against a single target, the 
  Attack Roll determines how many shots hit the target. 
  Th e rest are considered misses and have no eﬀ ect on 
  the target. You can randomly determine the “scatter” 
  for the missed shots, adapting the rules on pages 375-
  76 of the HERO System 5th Edition, Revised, if you 
  want, but the target should not suﬀ er any additional 
  damage. If the GM wants to go to a lot of extra trou-
  ble, he can determine the exact area aﬀ ected by each 
  missed attack, and if any of them overlap the target or 
  another character, apply the damage as appropriate.
  If attack misses entirely, make one calculation 
  for where the shots would scatter to based on the 
  normal rules, then apply the damage from that one 
  attack to the aﬀ ected area. Again, the rest are consid-
  ered misses and have no eﬀ ect on the area hit (which 
  may or may not overlap to hit the target anyway), 
  unless the GM wants to resolve each miss separately.
  In either case, lots of other things may get 
  destroyed in the area from the other “missed shots,” 
  but they shouldn’t have any eﬀ ect in game terms 
  — it’s just a special eﬀ ect — unless the GM wants to 
  take the time and trouble to come up with a more 
  “realistic” result.
  For single shots against multiple targets, deter-
  mine whether each hits, and for any misses deter-
  mine the scatter normally.
  BOUNCING AN ATTACK
  As the HERO System 5th Edition, Revised 
  says, the Bouncing rules are appropriate for some 
  types of Heroic campaigns, and that includes Dark 
  Champions. Characters can use the Bouncing rules 
  in appropriate circumstances with appropriate 
  types of attacks (primarily gunﬁ re). For example, 
  some law enforcement oﬃ  cers are trained to “skip” 
  bullets under cars to hit the legs of criminals hiding 
  behind the car. However, characters can’t properly 
  Bounce certain bullets (such as frangible rounds). 
  Th ey can take a -¼ Limitation, Cannot Be Bounced. 
  Th e GM may reduce this to -0 if Bouncing is 
  uncommon in the campaign; if he allows it, other 
  Ranged attacks (such as arrows or throwing knives) 
  can also take it, if appropriate.
  CONCEALMENT
  Concealment occurs frequently in Dark 
  Champions games; characters like to crouch behind 
  walls and trees, in ditches, and around corners to 
  avoid enemy gunﬁ re. Since Dark Champions games 
  typically use the Hit Location rules, the normal 
  Concealment OCV penalties don’t apply. Instead, 
  
  179 
  Dark Champions ■ Chapter Four
  the attacker simply aims for an un-Concealed part 
  of the target’s body, applies the OCV penalty from 
  the Hit Location Table for that part, and makes his 
  Attack Roll.
  Firing Into Melee
  Gamemasters may, if they wish, use the normal 
  Concealment rules when a character tries to make 
  a Ranged Attack against a character in the middle 
  of a HTH Combat with one or more other persons 
  (“ﬁ ring into melee,” in gaming parlance). In this sit-
  uation, the GM decides how much “cover” the other 
  bodies in the battle provide, based on the number 
  of combatants, how quickly they’re moving around, 
  their relative sizes, and other factors. Th e attacker 
  then makes his Attack Roll against the target’s DCV, 
  including the OCV penalty from Concealment. If 
  the roll misses solely as a result of the Concealment 
  OCV penalty (i.e., it misses by less than or equal to 
  the penalty), then the attacker may have actually hit 
  the cover — one of the other people in the melee. 
  Th e GM decides which combatant is the potential 
  target (either randomly, or based on his evaluation 
  of the ﬁ ghters’ positions when the attacker ﬁ red). 
  Th e attacker must make another Attack Roll against 
  that target, using only his base OCV from DEX (no 
  bonuses from Combat Skill Levels, Combat Maneu-
  vers, or the like apply). If that Attack Roll hits, the 
  attacker’s shot has accidentally hit someone other 
  than his intended target!
  Example:  Lt. Andy Barrett, a skilled sniper, 
  wants to help out the other soldiers in his 
  squad, who have run out of ammunition 
  while assaulting a terrorist training camp and 
  are now involved in a swirling hand-to-hand 
  melee with the terrorists. He decides to shoot 
  the terrorist who’s ﬁ ghting his friend Sgt. Ortiz. 
  Barrett has an OCV of 10, and the terrorist 
  he targets has DCV 6. Th e GM decides that, 
  based on the swirling confusion of the combat, 
  the terrorist has a little more than half cover 
  — ordinarily a -3 OCV penalty for Barrett. 
  However, the GM also thinks that the fact the 
  terrorist’s a little larger than Ortiz helps Bar-
  rett, so he reduces the penalty to -2 OCV, giving 
  Barrett a ﬁ nal OCV of 8.
  Unfortunately, Barrett rolls a 14, so he misses 
  by 1. He missed by less than or equal to the 
  Concealment penalty of 2, so he may hit 
  someone else in the battle. Since there are six 
  other combatants (Ortiz, Private Michaels, 
  and four terrorists), the GM rolls 1d6 (1-2 for 
  Barrett’s friends, 3-6 for the terrorists). He gets 
  a 4 — the potential victim is another terror-
  ist, fortunately! Barrett uses his base OCV of 
  6 to make an Attack Roll against the terrorist’s 
  DCV of 5. He rolls a 10, a hit! At least he didn’t 
  hit his friends....
  ENCUMBRANCE
  Action-adventure heroes sometimes need to 
  carry a lot of equipment — weapons, ammunition, 
  food, camping gear, communications devices, and 
  so on — and thus may become Encumbered. Th e 
  accompanying table provides a quick reference for 
  how much characters can carry at various levels of 
  Encumbrance; see page 379 of the HERO System 
  5th Edition, Revised for additional explanation and 
  rules.
  For purposes of calculating Encumbrance, you 
  should count not just worn/carried items, but items 
  held in the hand as well.
  Because the Encumbrance movement 
  penalties can become severe, GMs may wish 
  to modify the rules slightly for characters who 
  only have the standard 2” of Swimming. For any 
  level of Encumbrance from 50-89%, a character 
  in the water cannot move, but can tread water 
  and keep himself aﬂ oat by paying the END for 
  his Swimming and his Encumbrance. At 90% 
  Encumbrance and above, the character can only 
  tread water by paying double those END costs. At 
  100%+, the character sinks like a stone.
  Characters must pay the END cost for Encum-
  brance in their ﬁ rst Phase of each Turn. As a 
  default, the character pays the entire END cost in 
  his ﬁ rst Phase, but the GM may, if he wishes, divide 
  the END cost equally over the character’s Phases 
  for the Turn. At the GM’s option, characters so 
  Encumbered that they must pay END do not get 
  Post-Segment 12 Recoveries (and possibly not even 
  normal Recoveries) until they get rid of enough 
  weight to remove the penalty, or sit down and do 
  nothing but rest.
  ENVIRONMENTAL CONDITIONS
  All of the listed environmental conditions 
  apply in most Dark Champions games, though 
  some (zero gravity, muddy ground in urban cam-
  paigns) are fairly rare. Characters accustomed to 
  functioning in such environments oft en buy Envi-
  ronmental Movement to counteract the penalties.
  Th e OCV, DCV, and DC penalties for Climb-
  ing and other conditions apply to both HTH and 
  Ranged Combat.
  If a character is swimming, apply the Environ-
  mental Condition penalties for being “underwater.”
  ENCUMBRANCE TABLE
  Encumbrance (Total Weight Carried)
  STR 
  0-10% 
  11-24% 
  25-49% 
  50-74% 
  75-89% 
  90-100%
  5 
  0-5.4 
  5.5-12.4 
  12.5-24.5 
  24.6-37.0 
  37.1-44.5 
  44.6-50.0
  8 
  0-7.5 
  7.6-18.0 
  18.1-36.8 
  36.9-55.5 
  55.6-66.8 
  66.9-75.0
  10 
  0-10.0 
  10.1-24.0 
  24.1-49.0 
  49.1-74.0 
  74.1-89.0 
  89.1-100.0
  13 
  0-15.0 
  15.1-36.0 
  36.1-73.5 
  73.6-111.0 
  111.1-133.5 133.6-150.0
  15 
  0-20.0 
  20.1-48.0 
  48.1-96.0 
  96.1-148.0 
  148.1-178.0 178.1-200.0
  18 
  0-30.0 
  30.1-72.0 
  72.1-147.0 
  147.1-222.0 
  222.1-267.0 267.1-300.0
  20 
  0-40.0 
  40.1-96.0 
  96.1-196.0 
  196.1-296.0 
  296.1-356.0 356.1-400.0
  23 
  0-60.0 
  60.1-144.0 144.1-294.0 294.1-444.0 
  444.1-534.0 534.1-600.0
  25 
  0-80.0 
  80.1-192.0 192.1-392.0 392.1-592.0 
  592.1-712.0 712.1-800.0
  0-10%:  No Encumbrance penalty
  11-24%:  -1 DCV/DEX Rolls
  25-49%:  -2 DCV/DEX Rolls, -1” movement, 1 END per Turn
  50-74%:  -3 DCV/DEX Rolls, -2” movement, 2 END per Turn
  75-89%:  -4 DCV/DEX Rolls, -4” movement, 3 END per Turn
  90-100%:  -5 DCV/DEX Rolls, -8” movement, 4 END per Turn
  Greater than 100%:  Character cannot move or take other actions
  All weights listed are in kilograms (kg).
  
  180 ■ Combat And Adventuring
  Hero System 5th Edition
  MULTIPLE ATTACKERS
  Th e Multiple Attackers penalty to a character’s 
  DCV works well for relatively “realistic” Dark 
  Champions combats, in which masses of weaker 
  foes can easily overwhelm and defeat a single target 
  in HTH Combat, or cut him to ribbons with a fusil-
  lade of gunﬁ re. But it may not be appropriate for 
  more cinematic games, where the heroes can wade 
  through a sea of gunﬁ re, calmly ﬁ ring back without 
  getting hit.
  SPREADING AN ATTACK
  Th is Modiﬁ er rarely applies in Dark Champi-
  ons games. Guns and other common Dark Cham-
  pions missile weapons take the Beam Limitation. 
  Similarly, characters with weapons that inherently 
  aﬀ ect an area (such as ﬂ amethrowers) can’t Spread 
  such attacks. But if the GM allows Spreading, use 
  the standard rules.
  SURPRISED
  Th e Surprised Combat Modiﬁ er crops up fre-
  quently in Dark Champions games. Ninja-trained 
  special forces operatives sneak up behind their 
  foes to slit their throats, and skilled snipers set up 
  ambushes to wreak havoc on enemy forces.
  Th e text of Surprised distinguishes between “in 
  combat” and “out of combat,” but generally assumes 
  the modiﬁ er doesn’t apply to anyone who’s “expect-
  ing an attack.” Gamemasters have to interpret the 
  latter phrase with a little common sense. Obviously, 
  anyone who’s in combat expects to be attacked, 
  so in most cases other attackers entering the fray 
  (even by surprise, as with unexpected reinforce-
  ments arriving) won’t inﬂ ict the Surprised penalty. 
  However, it’s possible for a character in combat to 
  be attacked from so unexpected a quarter, or in so 
  unexpected a way, that the character suﬀ ers a Sur-
  prised penalty. Some possible examples include:
  ■ a clever spy sneaks up behind the character via 
  Stealth and stabs him in the back
  ■ a character who seems like an ordinary soldier 
  suddenly reveals that he has ninja abilities
  ■ a heretofore unrevealed sniper ﬁ res at the character
  On the other hand, if the character has good 
  reason to suspect the presence of a sneaky attacker, a 
  sniper, or the like, Surprised probably wouldn’t apply. 
  And if the character has Defense Maneuver, whether 
  he’s expecting surprise attacks really doesn’t matter; 
  he’s automatically prepared for them.
  THROW OBJECT
  Th is Combat Modiﬁ er is for non-weapon 
  objects; it doesn’t apply to weapons like throwing 
  knives, which are meant for throwing. A character 
  does his STR damage with a thrown object, up to 
  the DEF+BODY of the object. For example, a cos-
  tumed vigilante with STR 20 who throws a coﬀ ee 
  mug (DEF 1, BODY 1) at someone only does 2d6 of 
  damage — even though he can do 4d6 STR damage 
  with a blow, the object’s DEF+BODY equals two, 
  which limits him to 2d6.
  COMBAT MANEUVERS
  Th e following guidelines, notes, and options 
  apply to Combat Maneuvers in a modern-day 
  action-adventure context. A Maneuver not dis-
  cussed typically follows the standard rules and/or 
  needs no further description for Dark Champions 
  purposes. Most Dark Champions campaigns use all 
  of the Optional Combat Maneuvers, many of which 
  are intended primarily for the sort of gunﬁ ghts and 
  other combat normally seen in the modern-day 
  action-adventure genre.
  BLOCK
  Th e rules for Block don’t distinguish between 
  the type of attack being Blocked (armed or 
  unarmed) and how the character performs the 
  Block (armed or unarmed). At the GM’s option, a 
  character performing an unarmed block (i.e., one 
  using just his hands and arms, not a weapon, shield, 
  or the like) against a HTH weapon attack suﬀ ers 
  a -2 OCV penalty, since it’s harder to keep himself 
  from getting hurt.
  BLAZING AWAY
  Blazing Away is a great way for Dark Champions 
  characters to draw attention to themselves, intimidate 
  their enemies, and get Presence Attack bonuses.
  When Blazing Away, a character must specify 
  in advance how many shots he wishes to make. 
  He’s not allowed to make them one-by-one, seeing 
  if each one hits before deciding whether to launch 
  additional shots.
  Using an Area Of Eﬀ ect attack, Explosion, or 
  the like doesn’t change the eﬀ ects of Blazing Away 
  — a character can still only hurt the target if he 
  rolls a 3 on his Attack Roll. Th e missed area-aﬀ ect-
  ing attacks can’t harm his enemy.
  If an attack has the Extra Time Limitation, 
  usually that means a character cannot use it to 
  Blaze Away. However, the GM should consider the 
  nature of the Limitation and the special eﬀ ects 
  involved. If the Limitation only applies to activating 
  the power the ﬁ rst time, but not thereaft er, a char-
  acter might be able to Blaze Away with it aft er it’s 
  been activated.
  BRACE AND SET
  Th ese two Maneuvers, commonly used together, 
  are the stock-in-trade of the sniper and skilled 
  shooter. Th ey’re also handy for characters who have 
  to shoot at ﬂ eeing enemies at long distances.
  Although Brace is a Combat Maneuver, using 
  it does not constitute an Attack Action, and there-
  fore does not end a character’s Phase — as stated 
  in the rules, it’s a Zero-Phase Action. In eﬀ ect, it 
  “tacks on” to another Combat Maneuver, allowing a 
  character to Brace and then make an Attack Action 
  all in the same Phase. Set works diﬀ erently. A char-
  acter who wants to Set must spend a Full Phase 
  aiming, during which he can do nothing else other 
  than Zero-Phase Actions — and that means no 
  attacking. Once he’s spent a Full Phase establishing 
  his Set, he can attack in later Phases with the appro-
  priate bonus as described in the rules.
  
  181 
  Dark Champions ■ Chapter Four
  If a character is Bracing and/or Setting, and 
  he’s Stunned by an attack, he loses the eﬀ ects of 
  either maneuver (or both, if using both).
  Characters cannot use Set in HTH Combat. It’s 
  for Ranged Combat only.
  CLUB WEAPON
  Characters can use ﬁ rearms to perform the 
  Club Weapon Combat Maneuver. However, due 
  to the high Damage Classes in many guns (par-
  ticularly those using exotic ammunition), don’t 
  convert the DCs directly to Normal Damage, as 
  described in the rules. Instead, base the amount of 
  damage done on the type of ﬁ rearm:  a handgun 
  does +1d6 Normal Damage; a submachine gun or 
  carbine +2d6 Normal Damage; and a riﬂ e, shotgun, 
  or assault riﬂ e +3d6 Normal Damage. Th is damage 
  adds to the character’s Normal Damage from STR, 
  as if it were a Hand-To-Hand Attack.
  COVER
  In many action-adventure stories and movies, 
  characters seem to be able to break out of being 
  Covered with considerable ease — doing so doesn’t 
  require a distraction or a momentary lapse on the 
  Covering character’s part. At the GM’s option, in 
  Dark Champions campaigns, a character can make 
  an attack (usually a Disarm) while Covered, with-
  out 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 a Sight Group 
  PER Roll;
  ■ if he has Sleight Of Hand and makes his roll by 
  more than the Covering character makes a 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 char-
  acter 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.
  DISARM
  Dark Champions characters can perform Dis-
  arms (but not Martial Disarms or the like) with 
  ranged weapons — for example, by shooting a gun 
  out of an enemy’s hand. Determining the outcome 
  of the attack is a two-step process.
  First, the character has to make an Attack Roll 
  to hit the weapon. He doesn’t suﬀ er the standard -2 
  OCV penalty for making a HTH Disarm; instead, 
  the OCV penalty depends on the size of the 
  weapon (or other object) he’s trying to shoot out of 
  the target’s hand (see accompanying table).
  Second, if the character hits the object, con-
  vert the Damage Classes of the attack into STR at 
  the rate of 1 DC = 5 STR. Th e GM may rule that 
  some Damage Classes (such as those provided by 
  exotic types of bullets) don’t count for purposes 
  of calculating the “STR” of a shot. Once you know 
  the attack’s “STR,” roll a STR Versus STR Contest 
  in the standard method for the Disarm maneuver. 
  For example, a 1d6+1 RKA bullet has 4 DC, which 
  equals 20 STR for Disarm purposes, and would roll 
  4d6 to determine the “BODY damage” done by his 
  STR for Disarming.
  A Disarmed weapon usually ends up ½d6 
  inches away from its former holder in the direction 
  the Disarming attack travels (Disarming player’s 
  choice, within reason). Th e GM decides whether 
  the Disarmed weapon suﬀ ers damage.
  You can also use this system to determine 
  whether the force of a particular attack is enough 
  to knock over an object. But the GM should apply 
  some standards of “realism” to this sort of action 
  — it isn’t usually possible to tip over cars and other 
  large objects with guns, even if they have the “STR” 
  to do it.
  As an alternative to using the Disarm rules, 
  characters can simply try to wound their enemies 
  in ways that make them drop held objects. A 
  character who takes an Impairing or Disabling 
  wound to the Hand or Arm may drop whatever 
  he’s holding. Th e character makes an EGO Roll 
  at -1 to the roll for each 2 BODY taken; if he suc-
  ceeds, he maintains his grip, if he fails, he drops 
  the held object.
  DIVE FOR COVER
  When the grenades and bombs start to ﬂ y, this 
  Combat Maneuver always comes in handy. Here are 
  some additional rules and guidelines for Diving For 
  Cover.
  Acrobatics And Breakfall
  Characters cannot use Breakfall or Acrobatics 
  to avoid the DCV penalty for Dive For Cover, or to 
  avoid being prone aft er a Dive For Cover. Nor may 
  they use either Skill as a “Complementary Roll” for 
  the DEX Roll to Dive For Cover.
  TARGETING WEAPONS 
  AND GADGETS
  Weapon 
  Attack Roll Penalty
  Assault Riﬂ e 
  -3 to -5
  Bow 
  -4 to -6 (this assumes the char-
  acter is targeting the bow itself; 
  targeting the bowstring would be 
  a -12, but any hit to a bowstring 
  will break it) 
  Crossbow 
  -3 to -6 (most crossbows are large 
  and bulky enough that they’re 
  fairly easy to hit, but pistol cross-
  bows are as diﬃ  cult to target as a 
  handgun)
  Grenade 
  -6 to -7
  Handgun 
  -5 to -8 (especially large hand-
  guns, such as the AMT Automag, 
  would be -5; derringers and other 
  small guns are -7 or -8. Most 
  handguns are -6)
  Knife 
  -5 to -8
  Machine Gun 
  -2 to -5
  Riﬂ e 
  -3 to -4
  Shotgun 
  -3 to -5
  Submachine Gun 
  -4 to -6
  Sword 
  -3 to -5
  
  182 ■ Combat And Adventuring
  Hero System 5th Edition
  Combat Skill Levels
  A character cannot apply Combat Skill 
  Levels to the DEX Roll he makes when Diving 
  For Cover, since CSLs only aﬀ ect CV. Nor can a 
  character buy 2-point Combat Skill Levels with 
  Dive For Cover, since that type of Level only 
  aﬀ ects OCV. However, he can apply 3-point and 
  more expensive CSLs to increase his DCV while 
  Diving For Cover, if appropriate. If a character has 
  Skill Levels that can apply to DEX Rolls, he may use 
  those to improve his DEX Roll when Diving For 
  Cover, provided he has not already allocated them 
  in the Segment when he uses the Maneuver.
  Declaring A Dive For Cover
  In most situations, a character must declare his 
  Dive For Cover before his attacker makes an Attack 
  Roll or announces what type of attack he’s using 
  — when the weapon’s pointed at him but not yet 
  ﬁ red, so to speak. Otherwise, problems may arise 
  if a character declares some other defensive Action 
  (primarily a Dodge or Block), then tries to switch 
  to a Dive For Cover when he discovers his attack-
  er’s using an area-aﬀ ecting attack. While some area-
  aﬀ ecting attacks (such as grenades, ﬂ amethrowers, 
  or area-aﬀ ecting attacks previously encountered) 
  are obvious (and thus alert the character to Dive 
  For Cover instead of Dodging or Blocking), others 
  are not. Th e existence of the Dive For Cover Maneu-
  ver doesn’t grant characters prescient knowledge of 
  the types of attacks used against them.
  Failing Th e DEX Roll
  As noted in the rulebook, failing the DEX Roll 
  to Dive For Cover means the character’s considered 
  to be “in the air” in his starting hex. Th is means he 
  hasn’t automatically avoided the attack, and if it hits 
  him, the GM rolls 1d6 less for calculating Knock-
  back (if the campaign uses the Knockback rules). 
  It doesn’t change his DCV or when he next acts 
  (though if he Aborted to Dive For Cover, that obvi-
  ously factors in).
  Th e “in the air” condition for a failed Dive For 
  Cover applies until the character’s next Phase. Of 
  course, he doesn’t literally remain “in midair” the 
  entire time — all this means is that the penalties 
  and consequences of failing the Dive For Cover 
  roll remain in eﬀ ect until his next Phase. At that 
  point, he “lands” and is “prone;” he must spend a 
  Half Phase to “get up.” If he was hit while in midair, 
  that may aﬀ ect the situation by causing Knockback, 
  Stunning him, or the like, and the GM should deal 
  with that situation normally. If the attack has no 
  signiﬁ cant eﬀ ect on the character other than the 
  loss of some STUN and/or BODY, he still “lands” in 
  his next Phase as described above.
  Movement With Dive For Cover
  Making a Half Move before Diving For 
  Cover doesn’t aﬀ ect how far a character can Dive 
  For Cover with a mode of movement — he’s still 
  restricted to only half his maximum movement. 
  For example, if Lt. Barrett has Running 10”, and he’s 
  already made a Half Move of 5”, then he can only 
  use Running to Dive For Cover a maximum of 5”. 
  He can choose to Dive less than 5” if he wants to, 
  but the rules don’t force him to do so. If a character 
  makes more than a Half Move, that of course con-
  stitutes a Full Move and prevents him from Diving 
  For Cover that Phase.
  A character can Dive For Cover using his 
  Noncombat Movement, unless the GM forbids this 
  for reasons of game balance, dramatic sense, or the 
  like. Th is allows him to Dive for up to half his Non-
  combat Movement distance. But of course, doing 
  this halves his DCV, making it more likely he’ll be 
  hit if the Dive For Cover fails.
  Multiple Dives For Cover
  A character can Dive For Cover two or more 
  times in a row, provided the special eﬀ ects and 
  timing allow for that. For example, a character who 
  Dives For Cover and ends up prone, but is attacked 
  in a later Segment before he’s had a chance to get 
  to his feet, might not be allowed to Dive For Cover 
  again, since he hasn’t had a chance to reorient him-
  self and get into a position that would allow him to 
  move quickly again. But in some Dark Champions 
  campaigns, the GM might let characters who are 
  “prone” Dive For Cover by scrambling, rolling, or 
  crawling out of the way.
  Standard And HTH Attacks
  As noted in the rulebook, a character can use 
  Dive For Cover to avoid attacks that don’t aﬀ ect an 
  area, including HTH Combat attacks. When doing 
  this, a character is not required to literally dive 
  behind cover or the like. All he has to do is travel 
  far enough to get away from the eﬀ ect of the attack. 
  In many cases, moving 1” out of the way does the 
  trick; in other cases, he may have to move further. 
  Th e GM may, of course, establish a minimum dis-
  tance based on the nature of the attack (for exam-
  ple, a character trying to Dive For Cover to avoid 
  an attack by a spear-wielding opponent should 
  have to Dive at least the length of the spear), or 
  specify that the character has to Dive in a particular 
  direction. In any event, a clever opponent may try 
  to take advantage of the character’s ½ DCV if he 
  simply dives a mere 1” away. As always, common 
  sense, dramatic sense, special eﬀ ects, and the GM’s 
  discretion should apply.
  HAYMAKER
  A character could Haymaker a gunshot, unless 
  the GM forbids him to. Th is could represent carefully 
  aiming to hit the most vulnerable part of a target.
  PULLING A PUNCH
  A character can Pull A Punch with a Ranged 
  attack with the GM’s permission.
  RAPID FIRE
  Rapid Fire is a favorite combat maneuver of 
  many gun-wielding characters. It lets them squeeze 
  oﬀ  several shots quickly against one or multiple tar-
  gets, giving them a signiﬁ cant tactical advantage... 
  provided they’re willing to use a Full Phase Action 
  and risk the consequences of halving their DCVs. 
  Here are some additional rules and guidelines 
  about it; see also Storm Of Lead, page 195, for more 
  information on the subject of ﬁ ring guns quickly.
  DROPPING PRONE
  While it’s not necessarily 
  as useful as Dodging or 
  Diving For Cover, some-
  times characters need 
  to drop to the ground 
  — to become prone, in 
  other words. Th is halves 
  a character’s DCV, but 
  it’s oft en the best way to 
  get behind Concealment 
  quickly, avoid being run 
  over by a subway train, 
  or the like.
  Dropping prone 
  requires a Zero-Phase 
  Action; getting back to 
  one’s feet takes a Half-
  Phase Action (unless the 
  character uses Break-
  fall). Neither dropping 
  down nor standing 
  up costs END. Drop-
  ping prone counts as a 
  “defensive action” for 
  purposes of Aborting.
  
  183 
  Dark Champions ■ Chapter Four
  Combat Skill Levels
  A character could buy 2-point CSLs just to 
  improve his OCV with Rapid Fire (or Sweep, for 
  that matter), regardless of what type of weapon or 
  attack he Rapid Fires with. If he buys 3-point CSLs 
  with Rapid Fire (or more expensive CSLs that could 
  apply to Rapid Fire), he can use them to increase 
  his OCV and/or DCV with Rapid Fire (but note 
  the order of application of CV modiﬁ ers in the 
  checklists on page 372-73 of the HERO System 5th 
  Edition, Revised, which in eﬀ ect halves any Levels 
  applied to DCV).
  If a character has 2-point Combat Skill Levels 
  with an attack, can he apply those Levels to his OCV 
  when Rapid Firing (or Sweeping) with that attack.
  If a character uses a Combat Skill Level to 
  increase the damage done by, or his OCV with, a 
  Rapid Fire (or Sweep) attack, the CSL applies to 
  every “shot” that hits the target. He doesn’t have to 
  divide them up among the shots. As always, the GM 
  may change this rule if he ﬁ nds it unbalancing.
  Combat Value
  For Rapid Fire (and Sweep), the attacker deter-
  mines his OCV at the beginning of the sequence, 
  based on the OCV modiﬁ ers from Rapid Fire 
  itself and other factors. Th at OCV should remain 
  unchanged throughout the sequence of shots, unless 
  the GM deems it appropriate to alter the attacker’s 
  OCV for some reason. If the attacks are made against 
  a single target, the target’s DCV remains the same 
  throughout the sequence in most situations. However, 
  if the circumstances of the attack change his DCV 
  in some way (for example, if one attack frees him 
  from an Entangle or Knocks him Out), then his DCV 
  changes for all shots thereaft er. Th e GM may choose 
  to ignore this rule, and maintain the DCV the target 
  had at the start of the sequence, if he prefers to run 
  the attack in a simpler fashion.
  If the attacks are made against multiple targets, 
  with each being attacked once, each has its own 
  DCV, determined by the conditions at the time the 
  sequence began. If some targets are attacked more 
  than once, the rules stated above apply.
  A character using a Rapid Fire (or Sweep) 
  may elect to stop his attack aft er any successful 
  “shot.” However, he cannot, by doing so, retroac-
  tively diminish the OCV and DCV penalties for 
  using the Maneuver.
  Diﬀ ering Weapons
  With the GM’s permission, a character can use 
  Rapid Fire to ﬁ re two diﬀ erent Ranged weapons, 
  one in each hand, the same way he can perform a 
  Sweep with multiple Combat Maneuvers.
  Haymaker
  Characters cannot combine Rapid Fire with 
  Haymaker.
  Time Considerations
  If an attack has the Extra Time Limitation, 
  usually that means a character cannot use it to 
  Rapid Fire. However, the GM should consider the 
  nature of the Limitation and the special eﬀ ects 
  involved. If the Limitation only applies to activat-
  ing the power the ﬁ rst time, but not thereaft er, a 
  character might be able to Rapid Fire with it aft er 
  it’s been activated.
  A character cannot spread his Rapid Fire over 
  multiple Segments (e.g., one shot in Segment 12, 
  
  184 ■ Combat And Adventuring
  Hero System 5th Edition
  one in Segment 1, one in Segment 2, and so forth). 
  All shots are ﬁ red in the Segment in which the 
  character has a Phase and uses the Maneuver.
  ROLL WITH A PUNCH
  A character cannot Roll With A Punch aft er an 
  unsuccessful Block or Dodge, whether he Aborted 
  to the Block or Dodge or not.
  SUPPRESSION FIRE
  Characters use Suppression Fire more in the 
  Dark Champions genre than any other; it’s perfect 
  for laying down “covering ﬁ re” so a friend can reach 
  safety without the enemy ﬁ ring at him or to deny 
  the enemy access to an area. Here are some addi-
  tional rules and guidelines about it.
  Shots Fired And Targets Attacked
  When a character uses Suppression Fire, he 
  must ﬁ re into the deﬁ ned area the maximum number 
  of shots he can ﬁ re with the Autoﬁ re power/weapon 
  being used, unless the GM rules otherwise. Th e shots 
  aren’t equally divided into all the hex lines; they’re 
  considered to be ﬁ red into the deﬁ ned area as a 
  whole. As noted in the rules, the character ﬁ res these 
  shots every Segment — so he may quickly run out of 
  ammunition if he’s not careful. (If he’s using an attack 
  that costs END instead of Charges, the character 
  should declare how many “shots” he’s ﬁ ring, with a 
  minimum of one per hex line.)
  Th e maximum number of hits a character can 
  obtain with Suppression Fire in a Segment equals 
  the number of shots ﬁ red in that Segment. Once 
  he rolls that many successful Attack Rolls against 
  targets moving through the aﬀ ected area, he auto-
  matically cannot hit any more targets. A character 
  using Suppression Fire cannot decline to make an 
  Attack Roll against a target in the area — in each 
  Segment, he must make one roll per hex line every 
  target moves through until he has used up all his 
  hits for that Segment. However, if two targets enter 
  the “Suppression Fire zone” at the same time, the 
  character can choose which one to make his Attack 
  Rolls against ﬁ rst. If any issues of timing arise, the 
  GM determines which targets the character can (or 
  must) attack ﬁ rst.
  A character cannot “overlap” his Suppression 
  Fire so he can attack a target more than once per 
  hex line. Autoﬁ re Skills have no eﬀ ect on Suppres-
  sion Fire.
  Pinning Targets Down
  To be hit by Suppression Fire, a target has to 
  move into, out of, or through the “Suppression Fire 
  zone,” or take some other Action that indicates 
  movement (such as attacking the character who’s 
  using Suppression Fire, or most other targets). If he 
  doesn’t move in any way, the ﬁ re has him “pinned 
  down” — which is oft en the point of the maneuver 
  anyway. Th e GM determines what Actions, if any, 
  a “pinned down” target can take without exposing 
  himself to the Suppression Fire.
  Going Beyond Hex Lines
  Not every area a character wants to cover with 
  Suppression Fire neatly divides into hex lines. If the 
  GM can’t count some reasonable approximation 
  of hex lines, he should come up with a reasonable 
  deﬁ nition for the number of “hex lines” in the area 
  aﬀ ected and use that modiﬁ er. Such “hex lines” for 
  Suppression Fire must be adjacent to each other as 
  much as reasonably possible.
  
  185 
  Dark Champions ■ Chapter Four
  T
  his section contains guidelines, advice, 
  and optional rules pertaining to damage 
  and its effects, and related matters such as 
  healing.
  OPTIONAL EFFECTS 
  OF DAMAGE
  Most Dark Champions campaigns are Heroic-
  level games, and as such oft en use the various 
  optional eﬀ ects of damage:  Wounding, Hit Loca-
  tions, Impairing, Disabling, Knockdown, and 
  Bleeding. Of these, the Hit Location rules are most 
  oft en used; almost all Dark Champions campaigns 
  have them in place.
  Whether the GM chooses to use the other 
  optional rules (or even the Hit Location rules) 
  depends on several factors. First and foremost, 
  how much attention, eﬀ ort, and detail do the GM 
  and players want to put into combat? Th e optional 
  rules provide a lot more information about what 
  goes on in a battle, how characters get hurt, and the 
  eﬀ ects of their injuries. If that level of detail helps 
  you visualize and roleplay combat, the optional 
  rules are worth considering. However, bringing the 
  optional rules into the game tends to slow combat 
  down. Instead of just rolling damage and subtract-
  ing defenses, you now have to account for the 
  part of the body the attack hit, possible impairing 
  eﬀ ects, loss of blood, and so on.
  Second, how “realistic” do you want your Dark 
  Champions campaign to be? Th e optional rules all 
  favor the grim and gritty nature of “reality” instead 
  of the more “dramatic” presentation of the basic 
  rules. Ordinarily characters don’t have to worry 
  about things like laming wounds, bleeding, and 
  infection — either in the game, or in most action-
  adventure comic books and movies. Introducing 
  the optional rules into your game emphasizes the 
  “realistic” feel, which may not be what you want. 
  If it is what you want — if your goal is to make 
  combat an even scarier proposition than it already 
  is — then the Optional Eﬀ ects of Damage rules 
  may be just what you’re looking for.
  HIT LOCATIONS
  As mentioned above, the Hit Location rules 
  are used in almost every Dark Champions cam-
  paign. Here are some suggestions and additional 
  rules on the subject. (See also the rules about 
  “described shots” in the sidebar on page 177.)
  Expanding Th e Hit Location Chart
  Th e accompanying text box lists some optional 
  “new” Hit Locations. Th ese are provided only for 
  targeting purposes; they don’t change the Hit Loca-
  tion chart itself.
  Adjustable Hit Locations 
  As an optional rule for campaigns that use the 
  Hit Location rules, the GM can allow characters to 
  adjust the location they rolled by up to 1 point (not 
  one step, one point) up or down the Hit Location 
  chart for each 1 point by which they make their 
  Attack Rolls. In other words, an Attack Roll that 
  succeeds by a large margin has a greater chance to 
  hit a vulnerable spot, thus reﬂ ecting the degree of 
  the character’s success.
  Example:  Renegade shoots at a bank robber. 
  He needs a 13- to hit, and rolls a 10, making 
  the roll by 3. Th en he rolls on the Hit Location 
  Table and gets an 11 — the Chest. Using this 
  optional rule, he can adjust the 11 up or down 
  by up to 1 point for each point he made the roll 
  by (i.e., three points). So, he could take it up the 
  chart to 10 (still the Chest), 9 (Shoulders), or 8 
  (Arms), or down the chart to 12 (Stomach), 13 
  (Vitals), or 14 (Th ighs). He decides to go for the 
  “good shot” and adjusts to 13 (Vitals) for the 
  deadliest possible wound he can inﬂ ict.
  A character cannot adjust to a Hit Location 
  that he can’t see or that’s blocked from his line of 
  ﬁ re by Concealment or the like.
  DAMAGE
  ADDITIONAL HIT LOCATIONS
  Location 
  STUNx 
  N STUN BODYx 
  To Hit
  Finger 
  x1 
  x½ 
  x¼ 
  -8
  Eye* 
  x5 
  x2 
  x2½ 
  -12
  Knee/Elbow 
  x2 
  x1 
  x½ 
  -7
  Spine† 
  x3 
  x1 
  x1 
  -7
  Neck/Th roat‡ 
  x5 
  x1 
  x2 
  -9
  Notes
  *:  In many cases, even well-protected characters have 
  little or no eye protection.
  †:  A hit to the spine from which the target takes BODY 
  usually results in some sort of paralysis; the extent and 
  duration of the paralysis depends on the wound. A 
  character can only target the spine from behind.
  ‡:  A hit to the throat usually causes loss of voice or 
  similar problems in addition to any other damage it 
  causes.
  
  186 ■ Combat And Adventuring
  Hero System 5th Edition
  Area-Aﬀ ecting Attacks
  Attacks which have the Area Of Eﬀ ect or 
  Explosion Advantages, or which otherwise aﬀ ect 
  an entire area, use the standard Hit Location rules 
  — the character rolls a Hit Location, and the GM 
  applies the damage accordingly. Th e roll indicates 
  the part of the target’s body that’s the most directly 
  aﬀ ected by the blast. Alternately, the GM can dis-
  pense with the Hit Location rules for explosions 
  and the like, and just apply the damage generally 
  with a rolled STUN Multiplier.
  Killing Damage 
  Some HERO System GMs are concerned that 
  Killing Damage weapons don’t put victims down 
  with even the spotty regularity of real-world weap-
  ons. Th e HERO System simulates dramatic, heroic 
  action. Th at means characters can take a lot of 
  damage and keep going. You can use the Impairing/
  Disabling rules to get around this, but those rules 
  are a little complicated. Or you could change all the 
  DCs for weapons, which takes time and eﬀ ort.
  As a simpler option for more “realistic” 
  campaigns, try this instead:  double the BODYx 
  Column of the Hit Location Chart for Killing 
  Damage attacks. With this approach, the Head 
  and Vital locations have a BODYx multiple of x4, 
  instead of x2, with Killing Damage only (Normal 
  Damage would still use x2). Hands, Arms, Legs 
  and Feet would be x1 instead of x½, and Shoulders, 
  Chest, Stomach, and Th ighs would be x2 instead 
  of x1. Th is makes Killing Damage weapons much 
  more fearsome.
  WOUNDING
  Th e GM should take care not to let Wounding 
  interfere with the game. Wounding tends to come 
  into play much more frequently than Disabling or 
  Impairing, and therefore has a greater potential 
  to disrupt or slow down the game. It also has a 
  higher “frustration potential”:  most players can 
  understand having to worry about massive wounds 
  that Impair or Disable them, but no player likes to 
  have his character “nickel-and-dimed” to death by 
  taking a couple of BODY here, a couple of BODY 
  there. Use the rule with discretion and dramatic 
  sense, and it should work ﬁ ne. Alternately, the GM 
  can change the way the rule works — either just for 
  the PCs (because they’re the heroes, aft er all) or for 
  everyone — to minimize its impact. For example, 
  maybe the PCs only suﬀ er a -1 to the EGO Roll for 
  every 3 BODY damage taken, instead of every 2 
  BODY.
  Characters can use Resistance to aid their 
  EGO Roll when wounded (or buy an ability like It 
  Doesn’t Hurt Th at Much on page 126).
  DISABLING
  Unlike the more merciful Impairing rules, 
  the Disabling rules have the potential to be more 
  dangerous in Dark Champions games than in other 
  genres. Unlike Fantasy, superhero, or Cyberpunk 
  characters, modern-day action-adventure heroes 
  don’t usually have access to any sort of advanced 
  healing or “body repair” methods. Th at means a 
  Disabling wound can easily become a permanent 
  facet of a character, and this may ruin a player’s fun.
  But there are ways to avoid this unpleasant 
  fate. First, as noted in the rulebook, if a character 
  makes a CON Roll, the Disabling eﬀ ects he suﬀ ers 
  should be less severe, or even temporary (convert 
  them to Impairments instead). Second, the GM 
  could rule that characters with access to immedi-
  ate medical attention (such as another PC who 
  knows Paramedics) who get treatment quickly 
  suﬀ er an Impairment eﬀ ect instead of a Disabling 
  one. Th ird, the GM could grant Disabled characters 
  extra Experience Points they can only use to buy 
  back Characteristics and abilities lost to Disabling 
  wounds. Th e GM should do this gradually, over 
  many game sessions — but eventually, a Disabled 
  PC will be back to full strength.
  If possible, don’t let a character suﬀ er from 
  more than one Disabling wound at a time. Th e GM 
  should let him to heal before severely injuring him 
  again. Aft er all, few players want to play characters 
  who are always walking wounded.
  KNOCKDOWN
  Almost all Dark Champions games use the 
  Knockdown rules, not Knockback; only the most 
  cinematic action-adventure campaigns allow 
  Knockback. At the GM’s option, characters might 
  suﬀ er Knockdown not only when they suﬀ er an 
  Impairing or Disabling wound, but whenever they 
  would ordinarily suﬀ er Knockback (i.e., roll as if 
  rolling for Knockback; if any Knockback results, 
  the character suﬀ ers Knockdown). Also at the GM’s 
  option, characters can convert the Does Knockback 
  (+¼) Advantage into Does Knockdown — any hit 
  from a weapon with this Advantage automatically 
  does Knockdown, even if it inﬂ icts no STUN or 
  BODY damage past the target’s defenses.
  BLEEDING
  Bleeding is the one optional damage rule Dark 
  Champions GMs should consider ignoring entirely. 
  Although it is realistic, it adds a great deal of book-
  keeping to the game; it can also ruin a player’s day 
  if his character bleeds to death just seconds before 
  completing some vital task. Keep these things in 
  mind before opting to use the Bleeding rules.
  
  187 
  Dark Champions ■ Chapter Four
  OTHER DAMAGE EFFECTS
  Here are some additional rules regarding 
  damage that may be appropriate for some Dark 
  Champions campaigns.
  Critical Hits 
  Warning:  Th ese critical hits rules, if added to a cam-
  paign, make combat more dangerous and unbalanc-
  ing. Th e GM should only add them to his campaign 
  if he wants unpredictable and lethal combats.
  A “critical hit” is a blow so accurate it does 
  maximum damage. One occurs when a character’s 
  roll to hit is less than half of what he needed to hit 
  the target.
  Examples:  An OCV 6 character shoots at a 
  DCV 5 character. He needs a 12 or less to hit. To 
  make a critical hit, he needs less than a (12/2) 6 
  to hit — i.e., he must roll a 5 or below.
  An OCV 7 character attacks a DCV 5 char-
  acter. He needs a 13 or less to hit. To make a 
  critical hit, he needs less than a (13/2) 6.5 to hit 
  — he must roll a 6 or less.
  If a character makes a critical hit, he does max-
  imum damage for the attack. Th erefore, a Killing 
  Attack 2d6 does 12 BODY. An 8d6 Normal Damage 
  attack does 48 STUN, 16 BODY. A 2d6 NND attack 
  does 12 STUN.
  If the campaign uses the Hit Location rules, 
  a Killing Attack uses the normal STUN Multiplier 
  for the location — 12 BODY to the Vitals does 48 
  STUN, for instance. If those rules are not in use, a 
  Killing Attack does the maximum possible STUN; if 
  the STUN Multiplier is 1d6-1, as with most Killing 
  Attacks, then 12 BODY corresponds to 60 STUN.
  Characters may only do critical hits to living 
  targets. Ignore critical hit results against targets like 
  doors and walls (it would be far too easy to get a 
  critical hit on a DCV 0 door, for instance).
  FUMBLES
  Related to critical hits are fumbles — disastrous 
  occurrences that sometimes aﬄ  ict combatants. Aft er 
  all, if characters can score high levels of success with 
  excellent rolls, as a balancing factor they should 
  suﬀ er some problem if they roll very poorly.
  Any roll of 18 on an Attack Roll constitutes a 
  fumble (a fumble should also occur if the charac-
  ter ever gets a 1 on any of his Unluck dice rolled 
  during combat). If you want fumbles to occur more 
  frequently, set a threshold based on how badly the 
  attacker misses. For example, perhaps any attack that 
  rolls an 18 or misses by 4 or more results in a fumble.
  Th e GM determines the exact eﬀ ects of a 
  fumble. Some possibilities include:
  ■ the character suﬀ ers a reduced DCV (maybe even 
  half DCV) until his next Phase
  ■ the character loses his weapon:  it slips from his 
  grasp and goes ﬂ ying into the street, it jams so 
  badly it needs out-of-combat repairs, it breaks, or 
  the like
  ■ the character may hit one of his friends; he must 
  make an attack at his base OCV against the friend’s 
  DCV (a Surprised penalty may apply)
  ■ the character stumbles and falls, suﬀ ering penal-
  ties for being prone until his next Phase
  Mystery Damage 
  Th is is an option which only works for GMs 
  willing to keep track of more details in combat. It’s 
  not recommended for any GM unless he likes being 
  the one to keep track of character damage, or has a 
  special reason in a one-shot game to keep his play-
  ers oﬀ -balance.
  In real life, a person cannot suﬀ er an injury 
  and know “Ah-ha, I’ve taken 4 BODY, it hurts but 
  I’m not in any danger yet.” He just knows he’s hurt, 
  and may have some vague idea of the wound’s 
  severity, but can’t be conﬁ dent in his ability to 
  shrug it oﬀ .
  If you want to simulate this in the game, the 
  GM himself must keep track of all BODY damage 
  done by Killing Attacks; he can let the players keep 
  track of their own STUN damage from Killing 
  Attacks, and of STUN and BODY damage from 
  Normal Damage attacks. He’ll have to know how 
  much BODY the characters start with, and their 
  Resistant Defenses (and what parts of the body 
  they protect). He must make sure the players tell 
  him about any BODY their characters take from 
  Normal Damage attacks, and must record that 
  BODY with the Killing Damage they’re taking.
  Mystery Damage Without Hit Locations
  Whenever an NPC hits a PC with a Killing 
  Attack, the GM rolls the damage, rolls the STUN 
  Multiplier, and announces something like this: “Ed, 
  he’s stabbed you in the chest, right below the ribs. It 
  hurts a lot:  take 12 STUN.”
  Now, Ed knows only that it “hurts a lot” from 
  the STUN total he took; he doesn’t know how bad 
  the injury is. He doesn’t know if the GM rolled 3 
  BODY and a 4x STUN Multiplier; perhaps it was 
  6 BODY and a 2x STUN Multiplier; maybe it was 
  2 BODY and a 6x STUN Multiplier (from the 
  Increased STUN Multiplier Advantage) or even 12 
  BODY and a 1x STUN Multiplier.
  To get an idea of how bad the wound is, he 
  must use a Half Phase Action to look at it. At that 
  point, the GM should say nothing more than: “It 
  looks shallow,” or “It looks deep but you’ve had 
  worse,” or “It’s deep and nasty-looking.” Th us, 
  characters won’t know when they’re mortally 
  wounded, though the GM can tell them how 
  they’re bleeding like stuck pigs and swift ly grow-
  ing weaker and weaker.
  Mystery Damage With Hit Locations
  When you use Hit Locations in your game, 
  mystery damage becomes a bit more complicated. 
  A character who’s stabbed in the stomach and takes 
  12 STUN automatically knows he took 3 BODY. 
  Th erefore, in campaigns using Hit Locations, you 
  have to do things a little diﬀ erently.
  
  188 ■ Combat And Adventuring
  Hero System 5th Edition
  In this sort of campaign, you don’t just use the 
  STUNx column from the Hit Location chart. You 
  use that column, but also make two quick rolls. 
  First, make a 1d6 roll for subtract/add: a 1-3 means 
  subtract, and a 4-6 means add. Second, roll 2d6 to 
  determine how much STUN to add or subtract to 
  the STUN done by the attack.
  Alternately, the GM can simply keep track of 
  the STUN of the attack, along with the BODY.
  STUN Damage 
  In Dark Champions
  Th e HERO System rules reﬂ ect “dramatic 
  reality” — the “reality” depicted in genre novels, 
  movies, comic books, and television shows. Th is has 
  many implications for Dark Champions game play, 
  such as the fact that it’s easier to knock an enemy 
  out than to kill him.
  One of the most important aspects of dramatic 
  reality is this:  heroes don’t die. Th ey may get beaten, 
  battered, bruised, and even crippled, but they don’t 
  die. Th ey’re a hardy bunch — and they’ve got to be, 
  considering the opposition they face and the fact that 
  they’re on “center stage” throughout the entire story. 
  Th e HERO System rules reﬂ ect this by making it rela-
  tively diﬃ  cult to kill player characters. Th ey oft en get 
  Stunned or Knocked Out, but they rarely die.
  But since all characters, player and non, are 
  built using the same rules and procedures, this 
  “hard to kill” eﬀ ect carries over to enemies and vil-
  lains. It’s usually not quite as stark, because the PCs 
  are the heroes and therefore built on more Char-
  acter and Experience Points than many of their 
  adversaries, but it does exist.
  Th e result is that, at the end of a Dark Champi-
  ons combat, the PCs oft en face a battleﬁ eld littered 
  with as many unconscious opponents as dead ones. 
  Th is leads to a major dilemma:  what to do with the 
  surviving foes? In some cases the PCs can just walk 
  away, but all too oft en that’s not an option. Player 
  characters who don’t want to burden themselves 
  with lots of prisoners (in other words, almost all 
  PCs) are left  with one unpleasant option — putting 
  a bullet in the head of each unconscious enemy.
  In the darkest of Dark Champions campaigns, 
  this is perfectly acceptable behavior:  never leave 
  a living enemy behind, as they say. But in others, 
  particularly the more lighthearted genres like Dark 
  Champions: Th e Animated Series and cinematic 
  spies, having to slaughter a bunch of unconscious 
  people simply for the sake of convenience destroys 
  the mood of the setting and the game. Aft er all, can 
  you imagine James Bond walking around the ﬁ eld 
  of combat aft er every battle and killing oﬀ  all the 
  survivors? Of course not, because it’s completely con-
  trary to the sense of drama and heroism inherent in 
  such stories. Th e author either arranges things so the 
  hero escapes from the ﬁ ght somehow, or he has the 
  enemies conveniently die of the wounds they suﬀ ered 
  in honorable, dramatic combat. Killing an enemy in 
  battle is highly appropriate; having to kill one in cold 
  blood aft er the battle is not.
  Of course, novels and movies aren’t games, and 
  games aren’t novels and movies — although they 
  have many similarities, they function diﬀ erently 
  and you have to approach them in slightly diﬀ er-
  ent ways. What works in a novel or movie doesn’t 
  necessarily work in a  game. In a novel, the author 
  can ensure that all the enemies die in battle, thus 
  sparing the hero the need to kill them aft erwards. 
  A roleplaying game can’t do that, because it’s a 
  mutually-craft ed story told by the GM and players 
  together, which means there must be rules to deﬁ ne 
  what characters can do and how events unfold. And 
  unfortunately, rules don’t always quite portray dra-
  matic reality the way you’d like it to — a poor die 
  roll, or the like, cheats you of a dramatically appro-
  priate moment or event.
  However, it’s possible for a GM and players 
  to adapt the rules, or their approach to combat, to 
  make a Dark Champions game a little more like 
  novels and movies by using some or all of the fol-
  lowing optional rules. Th ey should only apply to 
  minor or trivial NPCs; major enemies and villains 
  should function in combat just like PCs do.
  Ignore STUN Damage
  Th e ﬁ rst, and perhaps most drastic, option 
  is to ignore the STUN damage caused by Normal 
  Damage and Killing Damage attacks altogether. 
  STUN would still matter for Drain STUNs, knockout 
  poisons, the Club Weapon Maneuver, and the like, 
  but not for purposes of typical combat attacks. Once 
  a minor enemy hits 0 BODY, he falls over dead.
  In addition to eliminating the “coup de grace 
  dilemma,” this optional rule has a useful side eﬀ ect:  
  it speeds up combat. It removes the need to count 
  STUN damage or roll a STUN Multiplier. However, 
  it may also make ﬁ sts and Normal Damage weapons 
  (such as clubs) less eﬀ ective; if you ﬁ nd this to be the 
  case, consider converting them to Killing Damage 
  attacks with the same number of DCs of damage.
  Stunned = Dead
  With this option, any time a minor NPC 
  becomes Stunned by a Normal Damage or Kill-
  ing Damage attack, he’s not Stunned — he’s dead. 
  Th is may make PCs too powerful, as they dispatch 
  minor NPCs like ﬂ ies (though that would certainly 
  make many combats go quicker). If you ﬁ nd that’s 
  the case, consider changing the rule so that only 
  Knocked Out enemies automatically die.
  One-Hit Wonders
  Gamemasters using this option don’t worry 
  about the exact STUN and BODY a minor enemy 
  has — they simply decide how many hits it takes 
  to kill him. Th e weakest are one-hit wonders:  a 
  single successful Attack Roll against them kills 
  them. Stronger foes require more, or better, hits. For 
  example, a two-hit foe takes two successful Attack 
  Rolls to kill, or only a single Attack Roll that’s made 
  by 2 or more; a three-hit foe needs three hits, or one 
  hit made by 3 or more; and so on. To disguise what 
  he’s doing, the GM should still have the players roll 
  damage dice; if a character gets an especially good 
  roll, the GM may treat that as the equivalent of 
  having made the Attack Roll by 1 or 2 points more.
  
  189 
  Dark Champions ■ Chapter Four
  Major Wounds
  Sometimes it’s not quantity that counts, but 
  quality. With this optional rule, any time a character 
  inﬂ icts a single wound on a foe that does half or 
  more of the foe’s normal full positive BODY (aft er 
  the foe applies defenses), that foe dies. For example, 
  if Sarge ﬁ ghts a Maﬁ a gunman (BODY 10) and 
  inﬂ icts a single wound that does 5 BODY or more 
  (aft er the Maﬁ osi applies his armor to reduce the 
  damage), the Maﬁ osi dies. Note that it doesn’t 
  matter if the gunman had already taken 7 BODY 
  damage so that he only had 3 BODY left ; it’s his 
  regular BODY (10) that counts for this rule.
  Altered Bleeding Rules
  A character injured so that his BODY falls 
  below 0 bleeds to death at the rate of 1 BODY at the 
  end of each Turn. A foe with positive BODY never 
  bleeds (unless you use the optional Bleeding rules). 
  Altering the bleeding to death rules may eliminate 
  the coup de grace problem in your game. Some pos-
  sibilities include:
  ■ Minor characters at 0 BODY or below bleed at 
  the rate of 1 BODY per Segment.
  ■ Minor characters at 0 BODY or below bleed at 
  the rate of 1 BODY per Turn per wound.
  ■ Minor characters who are Knocked Out bleed at 
  a rapid rate (1 BODY per Phase or per Segment, for 
  example), even if they still have positive BODY
  ■ No bleeding to death — any minor character who 
  reaches 0 BODY dies.
  Increased BODY Damage
  Lastly, you can solve this problem by increas-
  ing the BODY damage of weapons relative to the 
  STUN damage. Th at improves the chances a minor 
  NPC dies in battle. For example, maybe you could 
  halve all STUN damage rolls without changing 
  the BODY rolled. Or you could give all weapons 
  another die or two of damage only for BODY, 
  rolled aft er the character determines the STUN and 
  BODY from his “main” damage dice.
  STUN DAMAGE AND DEFENSES
  One of the reasons the “Stunned, but not dead” 
  problem arises in Dark Champions games is the 
  comparative level of attacks versus defenses. Most 
  Dark Champions characters have relatively low 
  defenses — Normal Characteristic Maxima caps 
  their natural PD and ED at 8 (assuming they buy 
  that much), and the heaviest body armor (which 
  characters oft en don’t have access to) only adds 
  about 13 DEF. Most Dark Champions characters 
  also have fairly low STUN scores.
  On the other hand, just about everyone does 
  have access to fairly powerful weapons. Between 
  weapons, STR, Combat Skill Levels, Martial 
  Maneuvers, Haymakers, and other options, many 
  characters can get up to the point where they 
  dish out seven or more Damage Classes’ worth of 
  damage without too much trouble. Th e result is 
  large STUN totals applied to comparatively paltry 
  defenses — which leads to lots of characters getting 
  Stunned and Knocked Out.
  If this causes problems in your game, but 
  you don’t want to increase defenses overall (Dark 
  Champions characters aren’t supposed to be walk-
  ing tanks, aft er all), consider applying a “reversed” 
  form of Reduced Penetration to weapons damage 
  (or at least to Normal Damage weapons, which 
  do more STUN damage on the average). When a 
  character is hit, roll the STUN and BODY damage 
  of the attack normally. Th e character applies his 
  defenses against the full BODY damage of the 
  attack, but splits the STUN in half and applies his 
  defenses separately to each portion. Aft er he deter-
  mines how much STUN he takes from each attack, 
  he adds the taken damage together and compares it 
  to his CON to determine if he’s Stunned. Th is keeps 
  BODY damage about the same, but reduces the fre-
  quency with which characters become Stunned or 
  Knocked Out. (Naturally, you probably don’t want 
  to apply this rule to minor NPCs, though important 
  NPCs should use it.)
  
  190 ■ Combat And Adventuring
  Hero System 5th Edition
  HEALING AND 
  RECOVERING DAMAGE
  Combat inevitably leads to characters getting 
  injured, or even killed. Th at raises the issue of what 
  they can do to heal the wounds they sustain.
  The Role And Place Of Healing
  Before deciding what optional rules (if any) to 
  adopt for healing (see below), GMs need to decide 
  what role healing plays in the campaign.
  In most Dark Champions campaigns, healing 
  is rare. It’s restricted to “realistic” methods such 
  as drugs, surgery, and hospital care. Th ere are no 
  magic spells, wonder technology, or healing potions 
  to patch a character up in just a few seconds or 
  minutes. If a character suﬀ ers BODY damage, par-
  ticularly in signiﬁ cant amounts, it’s likely to be with 
  him for quite a while.
  Th e GM may need to compensate for the lack 
  of quick-and-easy healing methods in the way he 
  designs and runs scenarios. It’s common, in most 
  Dark Champions adventures, for the PCs to go 
  through a series of encounters, each more diﬃ  cult 
  or deadly than the last, until they reach the climax 
  of the story (which oft en features a major battle of 
  some sort). If the PCs get “nicked” a little here and 
  there along the way, by the time they reach the big 
  ﬁ nale they’ll be so close to dead that they may have 
  trouble triumphing. Th e situation gets worse if a 
  few unlucky dice rolls leave the heroes badly injured 
  before the climactic encounter. If the GM wants to 
  avoid this (which he may not, in some highly “realis-
  tic” campaigns), he has several possible options.
  First, he can arrange the scenario and its 
  encounters to de-emphasize or eliminate most 
  combats and other potentially injurious encounters 
  in the early stages of a scenario. Instead of battles, 
  he puts the PCs in situations where they have to 
  conduct investigations, engage in diplomacy, foil 
  or avoid security systems, and so on. However, this 
  method may prove diﬃ  cult to use frequently, or 
  make things seem “too easy” for the adventurers.
  Second, he can interpret his dice rolls “cre-
  atively.” As long as he keeps them secret (as most 
  GMs do), he can convert hits into misses, high 
  damage rolls into low damage rolls, and so forth 
  — all in the interest of making the story ﬂ ow in a 
  more appropriately dramatic fashion. If handled 
  properly, this method works very well, though some 
  GMs ﬁ nd it a little distasteful.
  Th ird, he can ﬁ nd substitutes for injuring the 
  PCs. For example, if the dice indicate a character’s 
  about to suﬀ er a bad wound, the GM might choose 
  to damage one of the character’s weapons or some of 
  his equipment instead. He might even give the player 
  the choice:  “OK, you can either take a 5 BODY hit, 
  or your assault riﬂ e can be so badly damaged it won’t 
  work until repaired — your decision.”
  Fourth, he can use some of the optional rules 
  described below to let mundane healing methods 
  have more eﬀ ect than they “realistically” ought to. 
  In Dark Champions stories and movies, oft en all a 
  character needs to get back into ﬁ ghting trim is a 
  little “patching up,” so it’s perfectly appropriate to 
  use the Paramedics Skill and other rules to keep the 
  heroes in relatively good repair. (Alternately, the 
  characters can buy abilities like the Rapid Healing 
  Talent on page 91).
  Optional Healing Rules
  Here are some optional rules to help GMs deal 
  with healing issues in their Dark Champions games. 
  To make use of these methods, players should keep 
  track of their characters’ individual wounds. Rather 
  than simply knowing his character’s lost 6 BODY, 
  a player needs to know his character has suﬀ ered 
  three wounds of 1 BODY, 3 BODY, and 2 BODY.
  Th ese rules tend to make body armor even 
  more valuable to characters, since it increases the 
  likelihood a wound only does low BODY damage. 
  Th e GM should consider them carefully before 
  deciding to implement them, and be prepared to 
  withdraw them from the campaign if they prove 
  too eﬀ ective.
  ENHANCED HEALING
  At the GM’s option, the Paramedics Skill can ﬁ x 
  minor wounds completely and make major wounds 
  a little less painful. For each wound a character takes, 
  another character with Paramedics can make a roll 
  to restore 1 BODY of damage. To do this, the char-
  acter must make a roll at a penalty of -1 per 2 BODY 
  of the wound; this takes at least 1 Minute per BODY 
  of the wound (and of course requires appropriate 
  doctoring supplies, such as bandages, painkillers, and 
  surgical needle and thread). If he succeeds, he heals 
  1 BODY of the damage. If he fails, he restores no 
  BODY; if he fails by 4 or more, he inﬂ icts another 1 
  BODY of damage.
  A character may only have one character apply 
  Paramedics to each wound in this fashion. Once 
  a wound is treated, further treatment (even by 
  another character with Paramedics) cannot beneﬁ t 
  it any. However, if a character fails his Paramedics 
  roll for a particular wound; another character can 
  try his own Paramedics roll. Generally, a character 
  cannot perform this type of Paramedics on himself, 
  but the GM may allow it for some types of wounds. 
  If so, the character takes double the penalty 
  described above for his roll.
  MINOR WOUNDS
  If the GM chooses to use this optional rule, 
  characters automatically “heal” minor wounds aft er 
  they ﬁ nish a battle. Th is represents the fact that the 
  wounds weren’t as bad as they ﬁ rst seemed — even 
  a little bandaging repairs them just ﬁ ne, the char-
  acter has the willpower to ignore the pain and keep 
  functioning, and so forth. Th e rule doesn’t help a 
  character at all during combat, but it helps keep 
  him going through a series of encounters.
  A “minor wound” is any wound of 1 BODY. If 
  the injured character, or any other character, makes 
  a Paramedics roll to treat the wound (no penalty to 
  the roll, no signiﬁ cant supplies required, and takes 
  1 Turn), then the lost point of BODY is restored to 
  
  191 
  Dark Champions ■ Chapter Four
  the character in just a few minutes (the GM decides 
  exactly when). Even if the character has no way to 
  use Paramedics on his minor wounds, he automati-
  cally heals up to his REC worth of minor wounds 
  per day. Th e GM may apportion the healing over 
  the course of the day if desired, restore all the lost 
  BODY to the character when he rests for the night, 
  or the like.
  If combined with the enhanced Paramedics 
  rule, the minor wounds rule means any wound of 2 
  BODY can be treated down to 1 BODY, then healed 
  as a minor wound. (Th is requires a second Paramed-
  ics roll, of course.) Th us, only wounds of 3 BODY or 
  greater have any long-term eﬀ ect on characters.
  Recovery
  Closely related to healing in general is REC 
  and the character’s ability to Recover lost STUN, 
  END, and BODY. Gamemasters who want to run 
  more “realistic” games may ﬁ nd that REC allows 
  characters to keep functioning a little too long 
  — particularly when it comes to Recovering END. 
  To shorten battles a little, GMs may want to restrict 
  characters’ ability to Recover. Some possibilities 
  include eliminating the Post-Segment 12 Recovery, 
  and forbidding characters to take Recoveries in the 
  middle of combat.
  
  192 ■ Combat And Adventuring
  Hero System 5th Edition
  I
  n most Dark Champions campaigns, the most 
  common type of combat is the gunﬁ ght — a 
  battle between two (or more) characters (or 
  sides) using pistols, shotguns, assault riﬂ es, and 
  other types of ﬁ rearms. Here are some special rules, 
  options, and variants to help you more enjoyably 
  simulate gunﬁ re in HERO System terms.
  Altering The Range Modiﬁ er
  For most Dark Champions games, the standard 
  Range Modiﬁ er works just ﬁ ne. However, GMs 
  looking for a particular “feel” for their games may 
  want to consider changing it.
  If you want a more “cinematic” atmosphere in 
  your game, increase the Range Modiﬁ er to -2 per 
  5”, 6”, or more. Th e larger you make the number, the 
  greater the chance characters can hit distant targets 
  — in eﬀ ect, you’re giving every character a certain 
  number of Range Skill Levels “for free.” Extend the 
  Range Modiﬁ er far enough, and your cinematic 
  spies, soldiers, and vigilantes will be able to reliably 
  shoot their enemies at 100 yards with handguns.
  On the other hand, if you prefer a more “realis-
  tic” or “gritty” feel to your game, decrease the Range 
  Modiﬁ er to 3” (any more than that is probably too 
  restrictive, even for “high realism” games). Th at 
  makes it much tougher to hit distant targets.
  If you’d rather not change the measurement, 
  you can achieve a similar result by altering the pen-
  alty itself. For a cinematic feel, switch to -1 OCV 
  per 4”; for a more realistic game, try -3 OCV per 4”. 
  Or you could even combine the two, thus creating a 
  Range Modiﬁ er of -1 per 3”, -3 per 5”, or the like.
  Point Blank Shooting
  At the GM’s option, gunshots at very close 
  ranges have an easier chance to hit their targets. If 
  the target is within 2” (13 feet) of the shooter, the 
  shooter receives a +1 OCV bonus.
  Blowthrough 
  “Blowthrough” is a gun user’s term for the abil-
  ity of a bullet to penetrate some barriers or targets 
  and keep traveling with relatively little loss of energy.
  Blowthrough Versus Barriers
  In some action ﬁ lms and novels, characters can 
  shoot through a door, wall, table, or even roof to 
  hurt a target on the other side. You can do this easily 
  enough with the standard HERO System rules for 
  damaging objects, but it’s not as eﬀ ective as in the 
  movies, since the DEF and BODY of the intervening 
  surface reduce the damage done by the attack.
  To make this trick work, use this optional rule:  
  if half of the damage caused by the ﬁ rearm attack 
  equals or exceeds the DEF+BODY of the barrier, 
  the barrier does not reduce the damage the attack 
  causes at all. If the attack has an Advantage that 
  aﬀ ects how it does damage to inanimate objects, 
  such as Armor Piercing, it applies to determine 
  if blowthrough occurs. If the attack doesn’t do 
  enough damage to cause blowthrough, the barrier 
  reduces the attack’s damage as usual.
  Of course, whether blowthrough occurs or 
  not, ﬁ ring through a barrier oft en presents one 
  drawback:  since the character can’t perceive his 
  target with a Targeting Sense, he’s at 0 OCV for 
  attacking at Range (unless he can make a PER Roll 
  with a Nontargeting Sense to reduce the penalty to 
  half OCV). On the other hand, the target may not 
  be expecting an attack, so the shooter could gain a 
  Surprise bonus.
  Example:  Fireﬁ ght  knows his opponent is on 
  the other side of a door. He cannot see his foe, 
  but he makes a PER Roll with Hearing, and so 
  attacks at half OCV; his foe is trying to be still 
  and stealthy and does not see the attack coming, 
  so he is at 0 DCV. Fireﬁ ght’s Attack Roll suc-
  ceeds. His handgun does RKA 2d6 damage. Th e 
  GM rules the door has 2 DEF, 2 BODY. Fire-
  ﬁ ght rolls RKA 1d6 and gets 4 BODY — just 
  enough for blowthrough! Fireﬁ ght’s target takes 
  the full 4 BODY damage (though he still gets to 
  apply his personal defenses, of course).
  If appropriate, the GM can also use the blow-
  through rules even when characters aren’t deliber-
  ately trying to shoot through a barrier. For example, 
  if the PCs are trying to clear a building of terrorists, 
  the knowledge that a stray shot might penetrate a 
  wall and hit a friend or hostage on the other side 
  may restrain their tendencies to shoot wildly.
  Blowthrough Versus Characters
  It’s also possible to do blowthrough damage 
  against living targets — sometimes a bullet pen-
  etrates the body, passes through, and exits out the 
  other side with enough energy left  to injure some-
  one else. To determine this, compare the BODY 
  damage rolled for the attack to the BODY + Resis-
  tant PD of the target. If the BODY damage is less 
  than or equal to this number, then no blowthrough 
  occurs. If it’s greater, the GM rolls 1d6; on a 1-3, 
  blowthrough occurs. When this happens, the bullet 
  can still do ((BODY rolled) - (ﬁ rst target’s BODY 
  + rPD)) BODY damage to another target. If there’s 
  one in the shooter’s line of ﬁ re (i.e., directly behind 
  the ﬁ rst target along the path the bullet’s traveling), 
  the shooter makes another Attack Roll using just 
  his base OCV (i.e., without any modiﬁ ers from 
  GUNFIGHTING
   CAVEAT
  Th e rules for increasing 
  the eﬀ ectiveness of gun-
  ﬁ re increase the excite-
  ment of the game, but 
  they can also make the 
  battleﬁ eld a much more 
  dangerous place for the 
  PCs. Th e GM should 
  keep this in mind when 
  deciding whether to 
  adopt them, and if so 
  which ones to adopt. 
  He may even want to 
  arrange the campaign 
  so that only the PCs and 
  their major enemies can 
  use the variant rules; 
  standard enemies and 
  thugs are stuck with the 
  less favorable rules.
  
  193 
  Dark Champions ■ Chapter Four
  Combat Maneuvers, the weapon used, or the like) 
  against the second target’s DCV. If that roll suc-
  ceeds, the second target gets hit by the bullet and 
  takes damage as described above.
  Close Quarters Combat
  It’s not uncommon for some types of Dark 
  Champions characters, such as gun-wielding vigi-
  lantes and cops, to ﬁ nd themselves in gunﬁ ghts in 
  cramped building interiors and the like — what’s 
  sometimes referred to as close quarters combat. In 
  some cases, these gunﬁ ghts take place at ranges not 
  much further than hand-to-hand!
  In a close quarters situation, characters using 
  longer, larger, bulkier ﬁ rearms may ﬁ nd themselves at 
  a disadvantage. It’s harder to move a weapon around 
  and bring it to bear on the target when walls, furni-
  ture, fellow combatants, and other obstacles may get 
  in the way. If the GM wants to simulate this (whether 
  for the sake of “realism” or some other reason), he can 
  use the following optional rules:
  In close quarters combat, the longer a weapon 
  is, the “slower” it is — the longer it takes the character 
  to avoid any obstacles and aim at the target properly. 
  Short weapons (e.g., handguns) don’t really have this 
  problem, but using any ﬁ rearm longer than a pistol 
  imposes a penalty to the character’s DEX solely for 
  purposes of determining who acts ﬁ rst in a Segment. 
  In other words, a character using a large gun in close 
  quarters combat gets his Phase a little later in a Seg-
  ment because he’s got to move his gun around. Th e 
  accompanying table lists the suggested DEX penalties 
  for diﬀ erent types of ﬁ rearms.
  Th e GM can ignore or reduce the DEX penalty 
  based on the circumstances. For example, if the 
  character brings his gun to bear on a target, in later 
  Segments he can keep ﬁ ring at that same target 
  without any penalty to initiative (provided the 
  target doesn’t move around).
  Grace Under Fire
  In most action-adventure movies, comics, 
  and novels, an action hero’s ability to think and 
  act clearly and eﬃ  ciently in extremely dangerous 
  situations (e.g., a gunﬁ ght) is more or less taken 
  for granted — aft er all, that’s one of the things 
  that makes a hero a hero. Th us, the gamers in 
  most Dark Champions campaigns don’t concern 
  themselves with whether characters can get up the 
  nerve to leap onto a moving car or stick their heads 
  and arms out from behind cover to ﬁ re back at a 
  numerically superior enemy.
  But in more “realistic” games, GMs may want 
  to introduce an element of uncertainty. Can a char-
  acter really bring himself to jump onto that car? 
  Does a character really dare to expose himself to 
  CLOSE QUARTERS 
  COMBAT TABLE
  Type Of Firearm 
  DEX Penalty*
  Handgun 
  -0
  Submachine gun 
  -1
  Shotgun, short/sawed-oﬀ  
  -1
  Shotgun, regular 
  -2
  Assault riﬂ e 
  -2
  Riﬂ e, regular 
  -2
  Riﬂ e, long/sniper 
  -3
  *:  Th is penalty applies only for purposes of determin-
  ing when a character’s Phase occurs. It does not aﬀ ect 
  his CV, his DEX Rolls, his Agility Skill rolls, or the like.
  GRACE UNDER FIRE TABLE
  PRE Roll 
  Result
  Made it by 4+ 
  Character may perform his declared 
  Action, and gains a bonus of +2 to 
  all rolls involved (including Attack 
  Rolls)
  Made it by 2-3 
  Character may perform his declared 
  Action, and gains a bonus of +1 to 
  all rolls involved (including Attack 
  Rolls)
  Made it 0-1 
  Character may perform his declared 
  Action
  Failed by 1 
  Character may perform his declared 
  Action, but he suﬀ ers a penalty of -1 
  to all rolls involved (including Attack 
  Rolls)
  Failed by 2-3 
  Character hesitates and loses a Half 
  Phase. If it’s still possible for him 
  to perform his declared Action, he 
  may do so, but he suﬀ ers a penalty 
  of -2 (or more) to all rolls involved 
  (including Attack Rolls). If he prefers, 
  he may change to some other Action 
  that he can perform in a Half Phase, 
  provided that other Action is defen-
  sive or otherwise diminishes the 
  danger or anxiety that caused him to 
  hesitate.
  Failed by 4+ 
  Th e character is paralyzed with fear, 
  hesitation, doubt, or the like. He loses 
  a full Phase, may take no Actions, 
  and is at half DCV. Alternately, he 
  may panic, taking action that’s det-
  rimental to himself or his side in 
  the ﬁ ght (e.g., accidentally shoot an 
  ally, block the path of escape, knock 
  something over and start a ﬁ re)
  PRE Roll Modiﬁ er Circumstance
  +1 or more 
  Outcome of Action is crucial (will 
  help save the city, or the like)
  +1 or more 
  Action will help to save/protect 
  character’s loved ones from danger
  +1 to +3 
  Action agrees with one of character’s 
  Psychological Limitations (+1 for 
  Moderate, +2 for Strong, +3 for 
  Total)
  -1 to -3 
  Action contradicts one of character’s 
  Psychological Limitations (-1 for 
  Moderate, -2 for Strong, -3 for Total)
  -1 or more 
  Danger to character is extreme
  
  194 ■ Combat And Adventuring
  Hero System 5th Edition
  enemy gunﬁ re? Rather than leaving this matter up 
  to roleplaying, you can use the optional Grace Under 
  Fire rules to determine what characters can and 
  cannot make themselves do in a dangerous situation.
  In a campaign using the Grace Under Fire rules, 
  whenever a character’s going to do something the 
  GM considers “very dangerous,” the character must 
  make a PRE Roll to perform the action. What consti-
  tutes a “very dangerous” action varies from campaign 
  to campaign, based upon just how “realistic” the GM 
  wants the game to be. But in most circumstances, 
  anything that poses a risk of death or serious bodily 
  harm should qualify.
  If the character’s PRE Roll succeeds, he can 
  perform his declared Action, and he may even get 
  a bonus if he rolled really well. If the roll failed, the 
  character cannot act, and may suﬀ er other problems. 
  See the accompanying Grace Under Fire Table for 
  speciﬁ cs, including some suggested modiﬁ ers to the 
  PRE Roll (GMs can add more modiﬁ ers if they wish, 
  or allow an EGO Roll as a Complementary Skill Roll).
  Recoil
  Th anks to the physical law of action and reaction, 
  guns, particularly ones ﬁ red on full automatic, have 
  a tendency to recoil violently and to “ride up” — i.e., 
  jerk upward when ﬁ red, thus throwing oﬀ  the shoot-
  er’s aim for shots aft er the ﬁ rst. Th e HERO System 
  rules don’t speciﬁ cally account for recoil when guns 
  are ﬁ red. In “realistic” Dark Champions games, the GM 
  may want to do so by adopting the following rules:
  ■ For Autoﬁ re and Multiﬁ re (see below) against a 
  single target, the attack suﬀ ers a recoil penalty of -1 
  OCV per shot ﬁ red aft er the ﬁ rst. For example, a ﬁ ve-
  shot Autoﬁ re burst would suﬀ er a -4 OCV penalty; 
  three Multiﬁ red shots would suﬀ er a -2 OCV penalty. 
  (If the GM feels this penalty is too harsh, he can 
  reduce it to -1 OCV per two shots aft er the ﬁ rst, or use 
  any other calculation that seems appropriate to him.)
  ■ For Autoﬁ re against multiple targets, the standard -1 
  OCV per hex ﬁ red into accounts in part for recoil; no 
  further penalty is imposed.
  ■ For Rapid Fire against single or multiple targets, 
  the standard -2 OCV penalty per shot aft er the ﬁ rst 
  accounts in part for recoil; no further penalty is 
  imposed.
  Characters can attach recoil compensators 
  to some guns to reduce the penalties imposed by 
  recoil. Th ese devices aﬀ ect the recoil for Autoﬁ re, 
  Multiﬁ re, or Rapid Fire against a single target, but 
  have no eﬀ ect on the OCV penalty for using Auto-
  ﬁ re or Rapid Fire against multiple targets. See page 
  233 for more information.
  Alternate Recoil Rules
  For GMs who prefer not to impose straightfor-
  ward OCV penalties for recoil, a possible alternative 
  is to have the ﬁ ring of multiple shots temporarily 
  aﬀ ect a ﬁ rearm’s STR Minimum. In eﬀ ect, the gun 
  becomes harder to “control” because the character 
  can’t take the time between shots to bring the gun 
  properly back on target as he could if he were ﬁ ring 
  single shots. Using this rule, for each shot aft er the 
  ﬁ rst, increase the gun’s STR Minimum by 2. From 
  that the GM can then determine if the character suf-
  fers an OCV penalty using the rules on page 478 of 
  the HERO System 5th Edition, Revised rulebook. Of 
  course, this method only works if the character has to 
  make a separate Attack Roll for each shot.
  Th is rule applies to all three types of multiple 
  ﬁ ring, and regardless of the number of targets.
  Reloading
  Th e HERO System rules assume a character 
  can reload a weapon with clips of Charges (whether 
  the character pays for those Clips by modifying the 
  Charges Limitation, or they’re just standard maga-
  zines available to him as equipment in a Heroic cam-
  paign) as a Full Phase Action (or a Half Phase Action 
  if he makes a Fast Draw roll). To keep things simple 
  and speed game play, the rules don’t diﬀ erentiate 
  between the type of ammunition or ﬁ rearm involved. 
  In a game emphasizing “realism,” that may not be 
  satisfactory. Th e accompanying box text lists the time 
  required to reload diﬀ erent types of ﬁ rearms.
  Rapid Reloading Devices
  Firearms manufacturers and users have cre-
  ated many diﬀ erent devices and techniques to 
  make reloading faster. None of these cost any 
  Character Points.
  A speedloader is a device that allows a character 
  to reload all the cylinders in a revolver at once (rather 
  than one at a time, as usual). In game terms, this 
  means reloading the revolver takes only a Full Phase 
  (or a Half Phase with a successful Fast Draw roll).
  Character using assault riﬂ es, submachine 
  guns, and other weapons with long clips can 
  obtain devices that 
  hold two clips together, 
  end-to-end or side-by-
  side. Th ese provide a 
  +2 bonus to the Fast 
  Draw roll to change 
  clips more quickly. 
  A low-tech way to 
  simulate such devices is 
  simply to tape two clips 
  together end-to-end.
  RELOADING TABLE
  Type Of Firearm 
  Reloading Time 
  Reloading Time With Fast Draw
  Automatic (belt-fed) 
  Full Phase 
  Half Phase
  Automatic (magazine-fed) 
  Full Phase 
  Half Phase
  Revolver (any type) 
  Extra Phase 
  Full Phase
  Semi-Automatic (any type) 
  Full Phase 
  Half Phase
  Shotgun (break-fed) 
  Extra Phase 
  Full Phase
  Shotgun (pump-action) 
  Extra Phase 
  Full Phase
  Shotgun (semi-automatic) 
  Full Phase 
  Half Phase
  As indicated in the table, a character can halve the reloading time for any 
  ﬁ rearm by succeeding with a Fast Draw (Small Arms) roll.
  
  195 
  Dark Champions ■ Chapter Four
  Slow Firearms
  Th e HERO System rules assume that ﬁ ring a 
  gun — any type of gun — is an Attack Action, and 
  takes the typical amount of time required for an 
  Attack Action. However, not all ﬁ rearms are ﬁ red 
  in the same way. If the GM wants to stress “realism” 
  more than dramatic action, some guns should take 
  slightly longer to ﬁ re. For example:
  ■ cocking a single-action handgun requires a Half 
  Phase Action. Once it’s cocked, ﬁ ring it requires an 
  Attack Action.
  ■ pumping a pump-action shotgun to chamber a 
  shell requires a Half Phase Action. Once the shell 
  is chambered, ﬁ ring the shotgun requires an Attack 
  Action.
  ■ preparing to ﬁ re a bolt-action riﬂ e (i.e., chamber-
  ing a round) requires a Half Phase Action. Once 
  a round is chambered, ﬁ ring the riﬂ e requires an 
  Attack Action.
  At the GM’s option, a character can reduce any 
  of these Half Phase Actions to a Zero-Phase Action 
  if he succeeds with a Fast Draw roll.
  Storm Of Lead
  One of the things that makes many action-
  adventure movies so exciting is the fast-paced 
  combat... which usually features an enormous 
  amount of gunﬁ re. By the end of some cinematic 
  gunﬁ ghts, the ground is litterly covered with spent 
  bullet casings, the air is heavy with cordite-laced 
  smoke, and nothing in the vicinity has been spared 
  the brunt of ﬂ ying lead — except, of course, for the 
  intrepid hero.
  If that’s the sort of action you’re looking for 
  in your Dark Champions combats, here are some 
  optional and expanded rules that can help you 
  achieve it.
  Reworked Rapid Fire
  For the most part, the Rapid Fire Combat 
  Maneuver is the best way to get lots of lead ﬂ ying 
  in your campaign. It lets characters ﬁ re a lot of 
  shots, but maintains game balance by imposing 
  some fairly heavy restrictions on the user. But 
  if Rapid Fire isn’t suﬃ  cient for your needs as-is, 
  here are some ways you can change it to ratchet 
  the gunplay up a notch or three. Th ey’re not 
  exclusive; the GM can choose to allow several or 
  all of them.
  First, consider making Rapid Fire require 
  only a Half Phase Action, like most other Attack 
  Actions (i.e., give everyone in the campaign the 
  Skill Rapid Attack (Ranged) for free).  Th at way 
  characters can keep moving around the battleﬁ eld 
  while they ﬁ re, which really adds to the cinematic 
  feel of the gunﬁ ght.
  
  196 ■ Combat And Adventuring
  Hero System 5th Edition
  Second, consider reducing the OCV modiﬁ er. 
  -2 OCV per shot aft er the ﬁ rst can be a pretty steep 
  penalty in some games, especially those where the 
  GM establishes ceilings on CVs. A penalty of -1 per 
  shot aft er the ﬁ rst, or -2 per shot aft er the ﬁ rst two, 
  goes a long way toward persuading characters to let 
  ﬂ y with lots of shots.
  Th ird, consider reducing the DCV modiﬁ er. 
  Th e halving of DCV is even more likely to make 
  characters hesitate about using Rapid Fire than the 
  OCV penalty. If you change it to a ﬂ at amount, such 
  as -2 or -3 DCV, Rapid Fire becomes a much more 
  attractive proposition.
  Fourth, to speed game play, consider revising 
  Rapid Fire against a single target so that it works 
  something like Autoﬁ re:  impose a ﬂ at OCV modi-
  ﬁ er (even -0, if you’re so inclined), and then have the 
  attacker make one Attack Roll. If he makes it exactly, 
  he hits with one shot; for every two points beyond 
  that by which his roll succeeds, he hits with another 
  shot. If the GM uses this variant, he should consider 
  capping Rapid Fire at three or four shots, so that char-
  acters still have a reason to buy Autoﬁ re weaponry.
  If you incorporate any of these changes into 
  your campaign, make sure to adjust other game 
  elements as needed. For example, if you change the 
  OCV penalty, you may want to reﬁ gure the cost of 
  the Two-Weapon Fighting Skill.
  Reworked Autoﬁ re
  Another possible method for increasing the 
  excitement of the gunﬁ ghts in your game is to revise 
  Autoﬁ re to encourage higher rates of ﬁ re and the like. 
  Th e standard Autoﬁ re rules, like those for Rapid Fire, 
  are designed in part to provide a certain level of game 
  balance. If you’re willing to tilt the playing ﬁ eld less 
  in favor of “game balance” and more in favor of “cin-
  ematic action,” Autoﬁ re can really improve the ﬂ avor 
  of your Dark Champions game.
  Th e following suggested rules changes apply 
  only for the use of Autoﬁ re against a single target. 
  When a character tries to Autoﬁ re multiple targets, 
  the standard rules apply. (Characters who want to 
  be better at shooting multiple targets should con-
  sider buying one or more Autoﬁ re Skills [page 63].)
  First, consider providing an OCV bonus for 
  high rates of Autoﬁ re:  the more shots a character 
  ﬁ res at a single target, the better his chance to hit. 
  For a standard “burst ﬁ re” of 2-3 rounds, there’s no 
  bonus. For a 4-9 shot burst, the character receives 
  a +1 OCV bonus; for a 10-14 shot burst a +2 OCV 
  bonus; for a burst of 15 or more shots, he receives a 
  +3 OCV bonus (the maximum). Th e GM can adjust 
  the shots-ﬁ red-to-OCV-bonus ratio as he sees ﬁ t 
  to strike just the right balance for his campaign. 
  Of course, an Autoﬁ re ﬁ rearm has to be capable of 
  ﬁ ring, for example, 10 shots per use to gain the +2 
  
  197 
  Dark Champions ■ Chapter Four
  OCV bonus; this option doesn’t give a gun auto-
  matic ﬁ re capabilities it hasn’t paid for. (Alternately, 
  the GM can provide a damage bonus for Autoﬁ re, 
  similar to the one for Multiﬁ re described below.)
  Second, consider changing the way you calculate 
  Autoﬁ re hits to favor characters, thus encouraging 
  them to take more shots. For example, instead of 
  applying one hit if the Attack Roll succeeds exactly, 
  and +1 hit for every 2 points beyond that by which 
  the roll succeeds, maybe you allow +1 hit for every 1 
  point by which the roll succeeds. Or maybe you allow 
  two hits for a basic success instead of one.
  Multiﬁ re
  Besides making Rapid Fire more attractive, 
  another way to promote high rates of ﬁ re with 
  non-Autoﬁ re weapons (particularly handguns) is 
  Multiﬁ re. Th e GM may want to consider this a new 
  Combat Maneuver for Dark Champions games, or 
  simply think of it as a combat option available to 
  gun-wielding characters. Using Multiﬁ re requires a 
  Full Phase, unless the character has the Rapid Attack 
  (Ranged) Skill (in which case it requires a Half Phase 
  Action) or the GM rules otherwise.
  Multiﬁ re treats non-Autoﬁ re ﬁ rearms as if 
  they all had Boostable Charges:  a character can ﬁ re 
  multiple shots at a single target in a single round (up 
  to ﬁ ve), and for each shot aft er the ﬁ rst, he increases 
  the damage of the attack by +1 Damage Class if he 
  hits. He only makes one Attack Roll, and he can only 
  hit the target one time; the special eﬀ ect of the extra 
  damage is “he hit him multiple times, or scored one 
  really good hit on a vital spot.”
  If the GM allows Multiﬁ re, he has to choose in 
  what ways, if any, he wants to restrict or penalize its 
  use to balance its utility. If he wants to model the “real 
  world” closely, where two- and three-round bursts 
  of pistol ﬁ re tend to be standard in many ﬁ reﬁ ghts, 
  he may not want to impose any penalties, or at worst 
  minor ones. If he’s more interested in strict game bal-
  ance, some penalties are deﬁ nitely called for (though 
  they can’t be too onerous, or characters won’t want to 
  use Multiﬁ re much). Some possibilities include:
  ■ always requiring a Full Phase Action to use Mul-
  tiﬁ re
  ■ imposing a small OCV penalty on Multiﬁ re (say, 
  -1 or -2 OCV) to represent recoil and other fac-
  tors (alternately, the GM may only apply a penalty 
  at a certain level of Multiﬁ re, such as three or more 
  shots)
  ■ invoking the Burnout rule associated with Boost-
  able Charges, so that too much Multiﬁ ring runs the 
  risk of making a gun jam
  Alternately, Multiﬁ re may not increase damage, 
  but instead increase OCV. In that case, for every two 
  shots a character ﬁ res (maximum of six) from a non-
  Autoﬁ re gun against a single target, the character gets 
  a +1 OCV (maximum of +3). He only makes one 
  Attack Roll, and he can only hit the target one time.
  CINEMATIC 
  GUNFIGHTING TRICKS
  In a lot of action movies, characters can per-
  form some pretty amazing stunts with guns. “Real-
  istically,” most of these actions are at the very least 
  ridiculous, if not utterly counterproductive, but in 
  some “cinematic” campaigns they may ﬁ t right in. 
  Some of the Super-Skills on pages 106-49 represent 
  cinematic gunﬁ ghting abilities; here are a few that 
  characters don’t necessarily have to pay Character 
  Points for.
  PISTOL TRICKS
  If a character makes a DEX Roll to “ﬂ ick” his 
  pistol in the direction of his target, his shots do +1 
  point of damage. Aft er all, he’s making the bullet 
  travel faster, isn’t he?
  Another “pistol trick” is to hold the gun side-
  ways while threatening someone, so that the grip 
  is parallel to the ground instead of perpendicular. 
  Th is has no combat eﬀ ect, but gives the character 
  +3 PRE for purposes of making Presence Attacks 
  that Segment.
  (In “realistic” games, ﬂ icking the pistol imposes 
  -2 OCV penalty and has no beneﬁ cial eﬀ ect. Hold-
  ing a handgun sideways gives it a Jamming roll of 
  16-, but the character still gets the PRE bonus.)
  SHOOTING FROM A REFLECTION
  Sometimes a character has to aim at a target 
  based not upon direct line of sight but on a reﬂ ec-
  tion in a mirror, pool of water, or similar object. All 
  such shots suﬀ er a -3 OCV penalty... but if a char-
  acter makes one, he may get a small bonus to any 
  relevant Presence Attacks he makes that Segment 
  against anyone who witnesses his skillful shooting.
  UNCONTROLLED MOVEMENT
  In action movies, it’s not uncommon for 
  characters to ﬁ re guns (usually handguns) while in 
  uncontrolled motion — during a fall, riding on a 
  gurney, sliding down a bannister, or the like. At the 
  GM’s option, a character using uncontrolled move-
  ment during combat suﬀ ers a -1 OCV penalty, but 
  a +1 DCV bonus. Furthermore, because he’s not 
  moving under his own power, uncontrolled move-
  ment allows him to keep moving without using a 
  Half Phase Action.
  A character can initiate uncontrolled move-
  ment in two ways. First, he can make a Half Move 
  — for example, he could run for a Half Move and 
  dive onto a gurney, which keeps rolling along 
  without his having to use his remaining Half Phase 
  Action to move. Even if the character doesn’t actu-
  ally move any inches in the process, he has to use 
  a “Half Move” (i.e., a Half Phase Action) to begin 
  uncontrolled movement. Second, he might start 
  uncontrolled movement against his will — for 
  example, when an enemy throws him onto a gurney 
  or out a window.
  
  198 ■ Combat And Adventuring
  Hero System 5th Edition
  In either case, how fast and far a character 
  travels with uncontrolled movement is up to the 
  GM (and possibly on the falling rules). It usually 
  depends on the nature of his uncontrolled move-
  ment and how swift ly the character was moving 
  when it started.
  UNLIMITED AMMO
  In a lot of movies and comic books, Dark 
  Champions characters seem to have an almost inﬁ -
  nite supply of ammunition. Despite the fact that 
  they’re using, say, a six-shot revolver, or a subma-
  chine gun with a 32-shot clip, they can ﬁ re as oft en, 
  and as fast, as they want without ever reloading.
  In game terms, if the GM wants to simulate 
  this, he can simply rule that although all guns 
  are bought with Charges, they never run out of 
  Charges (except, of course, when he wants them to 
  at a dramatically appropriate moment!). Characters 
  can shoot as much as they want, but they only have 
  to reload when they have the time and opportunity 
  to do so.
  Alternately, the GM can allow this only if 
  characters pay for it. Th at means they either have 
  to recalculate the cost of a favorite gun to have the 
  Reduced Endurance (0 END) Advantage and no 
  Charges, or they need some sort of ability that lets 
  them apply Reduced Endurance to any ﬁ rearm as a 
  naked Advantage.
  OTHER TRICKS AND STUNTS
  Characters oft en want to try crazy stunts in 
  combat to gain some sort of advantage. Since this 
  adds color, drama, and excitement to a cinematic 
  game, the GM should normally allow it — but he 
  may also want to impose an OCV penalty so the 
  PCs don’t get the advantage of the maneuver with-
  out working for it. Th e easiest way to do this is to 
  analogize the stunt to an existing Combat Maneu-
  ver or Modiﬁ er and base the penalty on that.
  Example:  Randall is ﬁ ghting some maﬁ osi in a 
  swank restaurant with lots of chandeliers. He 
  wants to shoot the support beam so the chan-
  deliers will fall and injure three of his enemies 
  (who each happen to be standing beneath a 
  chandelier). Since this stunt is a way for Ran-
  dall to hit multiple opponents in one Phase, just 
  like Rapid Fire, the GM imposes a -2 OCV pen-
  alty per target aft er the ﬁ rst (total of -4), similar 
  to the penalty for Rapid Fire. Th is reﬂ ects not 
  the diﬃ  culty of hitting the support beam so 
  much as it does the diﬃ  culty of timing the shot 
  so the chandeliers hit their intended targets.
  
  chapter ﬁ ve:
  chapter ﬁ ve:
  chapter ﬁ ve:
  THE ARSENAL
  WEAPONS
  
  200 ■ Weapons
  Hero System 5th Edition
  C
  reating any type of gun using the HERO 
  System rules is a fairly simple matter. Aft er 
  you establish the basics using the Ranged 
  Killing Attack Power and certain Limita-
  tions, you can add other Power Modiﬁ ers and capa-
  bilities with specialized ammunition, gun attach-
  ments, and gun modiﬁ cations.
  Th is book doesn’t discuss most aspects of gun 
  and bullet design — types of actions, rimﬁ re versus 
  centerﬁ re cartridges, blowback versus recoil opera-
  tion, and so forth — because that information has 
  no bearing on game play or on gun design using 
  the HERO System rules. Readers who are interested 
  in learning more about real-world gunsmithing 
  and ﬁ rearms technology should consult reference 
  materials, including some of the books listed in the 
  Bibliography.
  FIREARMS BASICS
  In the HERO System, most ﬁ rearms are built 
  with the following Limitations:
  ■ 
  Focus:  Firearms are OAFs. Th ey’re Universal 
  Foci (anyone can use them) unless they have 
  personalization features (page 240).
  ■ 
  STR Minimum:  Guns have STR Minima. Th e 
  Limitation must include the STR Minimum 
  Cannot Add/Subtract Damage (additional -½) 
  modiﬁ er — the STR Minimum indicates the 
  STR needed to hold, properly aim, and ﬁ re the 
  weapon.
  ■ 
  Beam:  Bullets can’t be Spread, and only make 
  relatively small “punctures” in barriers such as 
  walls and doors.
  ■ 
  Real Weapon:  See below for more information.
  ■ 
  Charges:  Guns ﬁ re bullets, which you repre-
  sent with Charges. Characters don’t necessarily 
  have to wait a day to get back the Charges for 
  (i.e., reload) a ﬁ rearm — they can reload if 
  they have access to more ammunition (such as 
  by going to their heaquarters or the local gun 
  store and picking up another box of bullets).
  ADDITIONAL MODIFIERS
  Long arms such as riﬂ es and shotguns have the 
  Two-Handed Weapon (-½) Limitation. If the cam-
  paign uses the Knockback rules, guns should also 
  have the No Knockback (-¼) Limitation.
  Weapons capable of automatic ﬁ re, such as 
  submachine guns and assault riﬂ es, have the Auto-
  ﬁ re Advantage. Usually they take it at the +½ level, 
  meaning they can ﬁ re up to ﬁ ve shots with a single 
  squeeze of the trigger.
  See below under Shotgun Ammunition for 
  more information about shotguns and how they’re 
  built in HERO System terms.
  REAL WEAPON
  As noted on page 480 of the HERO System 5th 
  Edition, Revised rulebook, the Real Weapon Limi-
  tation signiﬁ es that a gun functions “realistically” 
  — if it’s not cleaned or maintained, it won’t work 
  properly. In game terms, this usually means the 
  weapon becomes subject to the Optional Firearms 
  Malfunction rules on page 331 of the rulebook. 
  Some possible occurrences that may cause the GM 
  to invoke the Malfunction rules include:
  ■ 
  the gun becomes wet (if it’s not designed to 
  resist this; see Watertight, page 240)
  ■ 
  the gun becomes dirty (e.g., the character 
  drops it in mud or sand)
  ■ 
  the character uses the gun for a day without 
  cleaning it
  If one of these circumstances occurs, the GM 
  imposes a temporary Activation Roll on the gun. 
  Typically the Activation Roll starts at 15-, but the 
  GM can set it lower if he feels that’s appropriate to 
  represent the circumstances. Whenever the charac-
  ter ﬁ res the gun aft er that, the GM rolls the Activa-
  tion Roll. If the roll ever fails, the gun experiences a 
  Malfunction. For every day that passes without the 
  character taking the time to thoroughly clean his 
  gun (which requires proper equipment and at least 
  20 Minutes, if not longer), the GM lowers the Acti-
  vation Roll by 1. Th e GM can also lower the roll for 
  any other appropriate reason (such as if the charac-
  ter drops his gun in the mud multiple times, or gets 
  it dirty aft er having not cleaned it for a while).
  At the GM’s option, a character can increase 
  the value of the Real Weapon Limitation if a gun 
  has a lower starting Activation Roll. For each step 
  up the Activation Roll Table (14-, 12-, 11-, and so 
  on), increase the value of Real Weapon by an addi-
  tional ¼ Limitation. Of course, the GM should only 
  allow this if there’s a signiﬁ cant chance that it actu-
  ally restricts the use of the gun. Gun-toting urban 
  vigilantes typically have lots of opportunities to 
  clean their guns, so the GM might not allow them 
  to take this expanded Limitation. On the other 
  hand, soldiers who spend weeks in the ﬁ eld might 
  have trouble keeping their ﬁ rearms clean, and 
  therefore get to take it.
  MODIFIERS TO OCV 
  AND THE RANGE MODIFIER
  Some ﬁ rearms have bonuses to the user’s OCV, 
  either overall or just to counteract the Range Modi-
  FIREARMS
  FIREARMS AND 
  “REALISM”
  Few subjects in gaming 
  cause as much debate 
  and discussion as how 
  to “correctly” or “realisti-
  cally” simulate ﬁ rearms 
  and other weapons in 
  the game. Gamers with 
  an interest in the subject 
  argue endlessly about 
  bullet caliber, muzzle 
  velocity, the relationship 
  of barrel length to accu-
  racy, which rounds have 
  the greatest “stopping 
  power,” and a thousand 
  other topics — and 
  how they all relate to, or 
  “should” work within, a 
  given game system.
  As if this mixture of 
  highly technical and 
  potentially complex 
  topics weren’t enough, 
  gun experts (be they 
  gamers or not) oft en 
  don’t agree on particular 
  facts regarding the use 
  and eﬀ ects of ﬁ rearms. 
  People who carry guns 
  every day in their jobs, 
  and whose lives oft en 
  depend on them, argue 
  vociferously and end-
  lessly about these exact 
  same subjects... and 
  oft en reach very diﬀ er-
  ent conclusions. In the 
  process they keep an 
  entire publishing indus-
  try of gun magazines 
  and books alive and 
  active.
  All of this discussion 
  and debate can be 
  both fascinating and 
  informative, but it’s not 
  appropriate for this 
  genre book, for several 
  reasons. First, this is a 
  gaming supplement, not 
  a technical manual on 
  ﬁ rearms. Th ere’s a limit 
  to how much informa-
  tion a roleplaying game 
  Continued on next page
  
  201 
  Dark Champions ■ Chapter Five
  ﬁ er. Th is represents guns that are inherently more 
  accurate or easy to aim than average, which are 
  designed for long-distance shooting, or the like. On 
  the other hand, some guns suﬀ er an OCV penalty 
  or an increased Range Modiﬁ er; these ﬁ rearms are 
  not as well made, have features that make them dif-
  ﬁ cult to use, and so forth.
  An OCV bonus for a ﬁ rearm is bought as a 
  5-point Combat Skill Level with the Focus, Required 
  Hands, and Real Weapon Limitations.
  A Range Modiﬁ er (RMod) bonus for a ﬁ rearm 
  is bought as a 3-point Penalty Skill Level versus the 
  Range Modiﬁ er with the Focus, Required Hands, 
  and Real Weapon Limitations. An RMod bonus 
  never raises a character’s base OCV, it can only 
  negate Range Modiﬁ er penalties.
  An OCV and/or RMod penalty for a ﬁ rearm is 
  bought as a minor Side Eﬀ ect (automatically occurs; 
  -½) for the weapon. (Th is same value applies until 
  the total penalties on a weapon reach the 30 Active 
  Point level [calculate the cost using negative Combat 
  Skill Levels and Penalty Skill Levels] — something 
  that’s highly unlikely to ever occur.)
  In most cases, OCV and RMod modiﬁ ers for 
  a gun shouldn’t exceed +/-2 in either category (and 
  in fact most guns don’t have more than +/-1). Th e 
  GM has the ﬁ nal say on what combat modiﬁ ers are 
  appropriate for a gun.
  AMMUNITION
  Th e most important factor for determining 
  how much damage a ﬁ rearm can do, and how to 
  represent its eﬀ ects in HERO System terms, is the 
  type of ammunition it ﬁ res.
  Standard Firearms 
  Ammunition
  Standard ﬁ rearms ﬁ re bullets — lead projec-
  tiles contained in a casing (usually made of brass or 
  steel) that also holds an explosive propellant. When 
  a shooter pulls the trigger, the trigger draws back 
  the hammer of the gun and then pulls it forward. 
  When the hammer causes the ﬁ ring pin to strike 
  the primer in the back of the bullet case, it ignites 
  the propellant, which propels the lead projectile 
  down the barrel and toward the target at tremen-
  dous velocity. In an automatic or semi-automatic 
  ﬁ rearm, the force of the shot is then channeled 
  to eject the empty bullet casing and insert a new 
  round into the chamber; in a revolver, the empty 
  casing remains in the cylinder until the cylinder’s 
  emptied by hand.
  In game terms, the amount of damage done by 
  a bullet depends ﬁ rst and foremost on the bullet’s 
  size (deﬁ ned primarily by caliber, or roughly speak-
  ing the bullet’s “width,” and the bullet’s length). 
  Th e Ammunition Damage Table (page 203) lists 
  the damage for various calibers of bullets (some 
  expressed in traditional English measurements, 
  some in metric, and some in both).
  AMMUNITION TYPES
  Here are descriptions of the many types of 
  ammunition available to Dark Champions charac-
  ters. For information on the cost of these rounds, 
  by caliber (and accounting for Charges and other 
  factors), refer to the Firearms Cost/Upgrade Tables, 
  pages 214-31.
  Standard
  Standard ammunition, also known as “ball” 
  ammunition, is the default type of ammuni-
  tion used in guns in HERO System terms. It’s the 
  common plain lead projectile described above, 
  and does the amount of damage indicated in the 
  Ammunition Damage Table.
  In game terms, Standard rounds do straight-
  forward RKA damage — the larger the caliber, the 
  more damage. Large calibers also have +1 Increased 
  STUN Multiplier (this applies to all other rounds, 
  unless their descriptions indicate otherwise).
  AET
  AET (accelerated energy transfer) bullets are 
  high-tech rounds designed to dump as much of 
  their energy into their target as quickly as possible. 
  Standard AET rounds expand very quickly, similar 
  to Hollow Points, but this in turn makes it diﬃ  cult 
  for them to penetrate armor or barriers. An exam-
  ple of an AET round is the Equalloy, a British bullet 
  made of an aluminum alloy with a nylon coating. 
  Th e Equalloy, which is about twice as long as a 
  standard round and is intended primarily for use in 
  revolvers, achieves high velocities but still expands 
  very quickly when it hits a target and remains in 
  the target’s body.
  In game terms, AET rounds do a little extra 
  damage (from +1 point to +1 DC, depending on 
  caliber) and have the Limitations Reduced Penetra-
  tion (-¼) and Cannot Be Bounced (-¼).
  AET Composite
  AET Composite rounds were designed to 
  overcome the penetration problems of the basic 
  AET round. Typically they have a steel pin or other 
  substance pressed into the center of the hollow in 
  the bullet to allow for better penetration without 
  aﬀ ecting the wounding capabilities of the round. 
  An example of an AET Composite round is the 
  Geco BAT, a hollow copper alloy bullet with a plas-
  tic core and cap. Th e plastic parts fall away from 
  the bullet aft er it is ﬁ red, leaving a “hollow” bullet 
  to chew large wound channels through ﬂ esh with-
  out losing penetration capability. (Th e Geco is also 
  designed to tumble, and may be bought as a Tum-
  bler round (q.v.) intead if the character prefers.)
  In game terms, AET Composite rounds do 
  a little extra damage (from +1 point to +1 DC, 
  depending on caliber) and have the Limitation 
  Cannot Be Bounced (-¼).
  Armor Piercing
  Armor Piercing (“AP”) bullets are designed 
  to penetrate armor more easily than conventional 
  rounds. Th e downside to this is that they travel 
  through targets easily, imparting less energy to 
  them (thus possibly causing less damage); this also 
  Continued from last page
  book can and should 
  provide on subjects such 
  as this. Second, and per-
  haps more importantly, 
  the HERO System is 
  about dramatic realism, 
  not true “realism” (what-
  ever that might be). Th e 
  only thing that adhering 
  to some elaborate set of 
  ballistics data is likely to 
  accomplish is diminish-
  ing gamers’ enjoyment 
  of the game. While Dark 
  Champions games have 
  to at least nod in the 
  direction of “realism” to 
  maintain verisimilitude, 
  ultimately they focus on 
  the dramatic realism of 
  action movies, comic 
  books, and spy novels, 
  not the absolute realities 
  (whatever they are) of 
  modern-day combat. 
  Th e information in this 
  chapter is based on 
  extensive research, but 
  where necessary deci-
  sions have been made in 
  the interest of enjoyable 
  game play, not “realism.” 
  Th e text sometimes 
  includes information 
  about more “realistic” or 
  “cinematic” options and 
  alternatives, but the goal 
  of this chapter is not to 
  oﬀ er a précis of ongo-
  ing debates about the 
  performance of ﬁ rearms 
  and related technologies 
  — it’s to provide fun, 
  easily-used source mate-
  rial for Dark Champions 
  campaigns. Readers 
  whose opinions about 
  these topics diﬀ er from 
  what’s presented in this 
  book are welcome to 
  revise the information 
  in this chapter to suit 
  themselves.
  
  202 ■ Weapons
  Hero System 5th Edition
  means they’re more likely to pass through a target 
  and cause collateral damage.
  AP rounds are usually built with a hard core or 
  tip and soft er jacket. Modern AP bullets oft en have 
  steel tips or cores, and are coated with Teﬂ on so the 
  hard metal can travel down the barrel with no loss 
  of energy (or damage to the gun) and thus achieve 
  high velocities.
  In game terms, AP rounds do slightly less damage 
  than Standard bullets (-1 point or -1 DC, depending 
  on caliber) and have the Armor Piercing Advantage. 
  See the variant AP, Improved AP, and Semi-AP rounds 
  listed below for similar types of bullets.
  Armor Piercing Depleted Uranium
  Armor Piercing Depleted Uranium (APDU) 
  are made with depleted (non-radioactive) ura-
  nium instead of other heavy metals. Th ey resemble 
  APHC (see below) in most ways, with one diﬀ er-
  ence:  when they penetrate metal armor (such as 
  on tanks and some automobiles), they strike sparks, 
  and thus can start a ﬁ re.
  Both the United States and Russia have manu-
  factured APDU rounds for small arms, but have not 
  introduced them for general service. Dark Cham-
  pions characters probably need high-level military 
  Contacts, similar resources, or the ability and mate-
  rials to manufacture their own if they want to use 
  APDU ammo.
  In game terms, APDU rounds do slightly less 
  damage than Standard bullets (-1 point or -1 DC, 
  depending on caliber), but have the Armor Pierc-
  ing Advantage and 1 point of Piercing (Resistant 
  Defenses). (If the GM does not use the Piercing rule 
  [page 95], treat APHC ammunition as if it were 
  ordinary AP ammo.) Additionally, they’re bought 
  with the following additional ability:
  RKA 1 point, Continuous (+1), Reduced 
  Endurance (0 END to enable Uncontrolled 
  eﬀ ect; +½), Sticky (only aﬀ ects ﬂ ammables; 
  +¼), Uncontrolled (eﬀ ect ends when it runs 
  out of fuel or oxygen, or someone extinguishes 
  the ﬂ ames; +½) (16 Active Points [the addi-
  tion of other Advantages, such as Charges, 
  may change this]); OAF (-1), Activation Roll 
  13- (-¾), Linked (-½), Only If APDU’s RKA 
  Does BODY Th rough Metal Armor (-1), Real 
  Weapon (-¼), other Limitations vary based on 
  ﬁ rearm. Total cost:  varies.
  Armor Piercing Explosive
  Armor Piercing Explosive (APEX) bullets 
  combine armor piercing features with a small 
  explosive charge, creating a round that penetrates 
  armor well and then causes tremendous damage 
  to the target. Realistically, they’re available only in 
  calibers of 10mm and larger (since smaller rounds 
  can’t pack enough explosive to matter), but in many 
  Dark Champions campaigns it’s possible to make 
  any size round APEX.
  In game terms, APEX rounds do slightly more 
  damage than Standard bullets (from +1 point to 
  +1 DC, depending on caliber) and have the Armor 
  Piercing Advantage and the Limitation Cannot Be 
  Bounced (-¼).
  Armor Piercing Hardcore
  Armor Piercing Hardcore (APHC) rounds are 
  basically the same as AP rounds, but use tungsten 
  (or other heavy metals) as their cores. In game 
  terms, they do slightly less damage than Standard 
  bullets (-1 point or -1 DC, depending on caliber), 
  but have the Armor Piercing Advantage and 1 point 
  of Piercing (Resistant). (If the GM does not use the 
  Piercing rule [page 95], treat APHC ammunition as 
  if it were ordinary AP ammo.)
  Armor Piercing Hardcore Explosive
  Armor Piercing Hardcore Explosive (APHEX) 
  bullets combine the features of APEX and APHC 
  rounds. Realistically, they’re available only in cali-
  bers of 10mm and larger (since smaller rounds 
  can’t pack enough explosive to matter), but in many 
  Dark Champions campaigns it’s possible to make 
  any size round APHEX.
  In game terms, APHEX rounds do slightly more 
  damage than Standard bullets (from +1 point to +1 
  DC, depending on caliber), have 1 point of Piercing 
  (Resistant), and have the Armor Piercing Advantage.
  Armor Piercing Incendiary
  Armor Piercing Incendiary (API) bullets are AP 
  rounds with an incendiary charge. In game terms, 
  they combine the features of AP rounds (slightly less 
  damage and the Armor Piercing Advantage) with 
  those of Incendiary rounds (ﬁ restarting).
  Armor Piercing Saboted
  As mentioned under AP rounds, the harder 
  metal with which AP bullets are made can cause 
  damage to gun barrels (which would also slow the 
  bullet down and decrease its damage). Teﬂ on coating 
  overcomes this problem; and so does putting the AP 
  round in a sabot — a plastic container that falls apart 
  as it exits the gun barrel. Th is means the round is a 
  little smaller than other AP rounds of the same cali-
  ber (since the projectile has to be small enough to 
  ﬁ t into the sabot), but the round’s increased velocity 
  makes it do just as much damage to the target. Th e 
  projectile itself won’t bear any riﬂ ing marks, making 
  it impossible to match to the barrel forensically.
  Because of the sabot, APS rounds can’t be used 
  in combat aircraft  (the bits of plastic pose many 
  hazards). Th e U.S. Army refers to APS rounds as 
  SLAP (Saboted Light Armor Piercing).
  In game terms, APS rounds are like normal AP 
  rounds, but also have the Advantage Invisible Power 
  Eﬀ ects (no riﬂ ing marks on bullet; +¼).
  Cased Telescoped (CTA)
  Cased Telescoped Ammunition, or CTA, 
  rounds don’t have conventional casings. Instead, 
  the bullet is “telescoped” down into a cylindrical 
  case. Th e case allows for a slightly larger bullet and 
  a powerful propellant, resulting in a bullet that does 
  more damage than others of the same caliber. Th e 
  shape of round also makes it less likely to jam or 
  cause similar problems. Depending on the casing, a 
  CTA round may weigh as much as 30% less than a 
  Standard round. However, because CTA rounds are 
  slightly larger, a clip can’t hold as many of them as 
  it can of Standard rounds of the same caliber (and 
  revolvers typically can’t use them at all).
  FIREARMS OF THE 
  FUTURE
  Dark Champions focuses 
  on the modern day 
  — the late twentieth and 
  early twenty-ﬁ rst cen-
  turies. However, some 
  campaigns and charac-
  ters might involve the 
  more advanced ﬁ rearms 
  of the near future. Some 
  possible developments 
  for future personal ﬁ re-
  arms include:
  Liquid Propellants:  Instead 
  of using powder in a 
  bullet casing, guns will 
  mix two inert chemicals 
  in the barrel behind the 
  bullet. When mixed, the 
  two chemicals become 
  a powerful propellant. 
  Th is system allows 
  for larger bullets ﬁ red 
  at a higher, and also 
  steadier-increasing, 
  pressure, resulting in 
  greater damage to the 
  target.
  Electrothermal-Chemical 
  Propellant:  “ETC” propel-
  lant systems use elec-
  tricity to enhance the 
  energy from chemical 
  propellants. Th e electric-
  ity creates a high-den-
  sity plasma that ignites 
  the propellant in a way 
  that controls the release 
  of the chemical energy 
  so the bullet accelerates 
  all the way down the 
  barrel (not just in the 
  ﬁ ring chamber). Th at 
  means the bullet ﬂ ies 
  faster and strikes harder 
  (and thus inﬂ icts greater 
  wounds).
  Rail Guns:  Instead of 
  chemical and/or electri-
  cal energy, a gun could 
  use magnetic energy 
  to propel a steel bullet. 
  Assuming a suﬃ  ciently 
  robust power source, 
  this could result in 
  personal arms with 
  extremely high muzzle 
  velocities (and thus 
  damage potential), vir-
  tually no recoil or noise, 
  and a high rate of ﬁ re. 
  Also known as “gauss 
  guns” or “electromag-
  netic propellant guns.”
  
  203 
  Dark Champions ■ Chapter Five
  AMMUNITION DAMAGE TABLE
  CALIBER, ENGLISH 
  CALIBER, METRIC 
  BASIC DAMAGE
  .177 
   
  ½d6
   
  4.6x30mm 
  2d6
   
  4.73x33mm Caseless 
  2d6
   
  4.85mm 
  1½d6
  .22 
  5.56x29mm 
  1d6-1
   
  5mm 
  2d6
  .22 LR 
  5.7x17mm R, 5.7x28mm 
  1d6
  .221 
   
  1½d6
  .223 Remington 
  5.56x45mm N, 5.45x39mm R 
  2d6         +1 STUN Modiﬁ er
  .25 ACP 
  6.35mm 
  1d6
  .270 
  6.8x43mm 
  2d6
  .30 
  7.62x25mm R, 7.62x33mm 
  1d6+1
  .30-06 
  7.62x63mm 
  2d6+1     +1 STUN Modiﬁ er
  .308 Winchester 
  7.62x51mm N, 7.62x54mm R 
  2d6+1     +1 STUN Modiﬁ er
  .300 Winchester Magnum, .300 Remington SAUM 
  7.62x66mm 
  2½d6       +1 STUN Modiﬁ er
  .310 
  7.62x39mm R, 7.62x36mm 
  2d6          +1 STUN Modiﬁ er
  .32 ACP, .32 S&W 
  7.65x17mm 
  1d6
  .303 British 
  7.7x58mm 
  2½d6      +1 STUN Modiﬁ er
   
  7.92x57mm 
  2½d6       +1 STUN Modiﬁ er
  .350 
   
  1½d6
  .357 Magnum, .350 Magnum 
  9x33mm R 
  1½d6
  .38, .380 Automatic 
  9x17mm, 9x29mm R 
  1d6
   
  9x19mm N P (Luger), 9x18mmR 
  1d6+1
  .40 
  10.11x21.6mm 
  1d6+1
  .41 Magnum, .41 Action Express 
  10.41x32.76mm, 10.41x22mm, 10x25mm 
  1½d6
  .44 Magnum 
  10.97x33mm R 
  2d6         +1 STUN Modiﬁ er
   
  11mm 
  2d6-1       +1 STUN Modiﬁ er
  .45 ACP, .458 
  11.43x23mm, 11.56x33mm 
  2d6-1       +1 STUN Modiﬁ er
  .45 Winchester Magnum 
   
  2d6         +1 STUN Modiﬁ er
  .454 Casull, .475 Linebaugh 
   
  2d6+1     +1 STUN Modiﬁ er
  .50 Action Express 
  12.7x32.64mm 
  2d6+1      +1 STUN Modiﬁ er
  .50 Browning 
  12.7x99mm, 12.7x107mm R 
  3d6          +1 STUN Modiﬁ er
   
  13x64mm 
   
  14.5x114mm 
  3d6+1     +1 STUN Modiﬁ er
  .60  
  15.2mm  
  3½d6       +1 STUN Modiﬁ er
  * 
  20x80mm, 20x99mm, 20x128mm 
  4d6          +1 STUN Modiﬁ er
  * 
  25x184mm 
  4d6+1     +1 STUN Modiﬁ er
  * 
  30x113mm, 30x170mm 
  4½d6      +1 STUN Modiﬁ er
  * 
  35x228mm 
  5d6          +1 STUN Modiﬁ er
  * 
  40mm 
  5d6+1      +1 STUN Modiﬁ er
  * 
  45mm 
  5½d6      +1 STUN Modiﬁ er
  * 
  50x330mm 
  6d6         +1 STUN Modiﬁ er
  * 
  57mm 
  6d6+1      +1 STUN Modiﬁ er
  * 
  60mm, 66mm, 67mm 
  6½d6       +1 STUN Modiﬁ er
  * 
  76mm 
  7d6         +1 STUN Modiﬁ er
  * 
  83mm, 85mm, 88mm, 90mm 
  7d6+1     +1 STUN Modiﬁ er
  * 
  105mm 
  7½d6       +1 STUN Modiﬁ er
  * 
  120mm 
  8d6          +1 STUN Modiﬁ er
  * 
  127mm 
  8d6+1     +1 STUN Modiﬁ er
  * 
  140mm, 155mm 
  9d6         +1 STUN Modiﬁ er
  KEY 
  ACP:  Automatic Colt Pistol 
  P:  Parabellum
   
  LR:  Long Riﬂ e 
  SAUM:  Short Action Ultra Magnum
   
  N:  NATO 
  S&W:  Smith & Wesson
   
  R:  Russian 
  *:  Cannon rounds and larger ammunition; generally cannot be ﬁ red from small arms
  
  204 ■ Weapons
  Hero System 5th Edition
  In game terms, CTA rounds do a little extra 
  damage (from +1 point to +1 DC, depending on 
  caliber). If subjected to the Optional Firearms 
  Malfunction rules, CTA rounds have an Activation 
  Roll 1 point higher than normal, to a maximum 
  of 18- (for example, if a gun would normally have 
  a Malfunction on a 13-, with CTA rounds it Mal-
  functions on a 14-). If characters keep track of the 
  weight of their gear right down to bullets, CTA 
  rounds weigh 70% of Standard rounds. However, 
  characters must reduce the number of Charges of 
  CTA they can ﬁ t into a magazine by 20% (round in 
  the character’s favor, but a minimum of -1 Charge).
  Caseless
  A Caseless round does not have a metal jacket. 
  Instead, its “case” is a block of propellant. Th is 
  allows for a high rate of ﬁ re (since there are no 
  shell casings to be ejected) and decreased chance of 
  malfunction, and reduces the weight of the loaded 
  weapon. As a side beneﬁ t for many vigilantes and 
  criminals, the lack of case eliminates the possibility 
  of shell casings being used as evidence.
  In game terms, Caseless rounds do the same 
  damage as Standard bullets and are bought as the 
  Advantage Invisible Power Eﬀ ects (no shell casings 
  as evidence; +¼). Th ey weigh about 30% less than 
  Standard rounds. If subjected to the Optional Fire-
  arms Malfunction rules, Caseless rounds have an 
  Activation Roll 2 points higher than normal, to a 
  maximum of 18- (for example, if a gun would nor-
  mally have a Malfunction on a 13-, with Caseless 
  rounds it Malfunctions on a 15-). 
  Duplex
  A Duplex bullet looks like a single bullet but 
  contains two smaller, lighter projectiles in one 
  casing. Th e two rounds separate in ﬂ ight. (Some 
  Triplex bullets, with three projectiles, have also 
  been made.)
  In game terms, a Duplex (or Triplex) bullet 
  does slightly increased damage (from +1 point to 
  +1 DC, depending on caliber) and has the Reduced 
  Penetration (-¼) Limitation.
  Electric
  Electric rounds (still experimental as of mid-
  2004) are designed to incapacitate rather than kill. 
  Th ey have a disk of piezoelectric material that 
  releases a 50,000-volt electrical charge on contact 
  — enough to stop nearly anyone.
  Electric rounds can be Standard or Rubber. In 
  game terms, the Electric bullet is an NND attack 
  Linked to the RKA or Energy Blast of the bullet:
  For ﬁ rearms whose base attack is less than 80 
  Active Points:  Energy Blast 8d6, NND (defense 
  is insulated rED; +1) (80 Active Points [the 
  addition of other Advantages, such as Charges, 
  may change this]); OAF (-1), Beam (-¼), 
  Linked (-¼), Real Weapon (-¼), other Limita-
  tions vary based on ﬁ rearm. Total cost:  varies.
  For ﬁ rearms whose base attack is greater 
  than than 80 Active Points:  Energy Blast 8d6, 
  NND (defense is insulated rED; +1) (80 Active 
  Points [the addition of other Advantages, such 
  as Charges, may change this]); OAF (-1), Beam 
  (-¼), Linked (-½), Real Weapon (-¼), other Limi-
  tations vary based on ﬁ rearm. Total cost:  varies.
  Explosive
  Explosive bullets come in two types, each 
  with the same eﬀ ect in game terms. Th e ﬁ rst, more 
  properly referred to as a “liquid-ﬁ lled” bullet, has a 
  hollow tip containing mercury, oil, grease, wax, or 
  some other liquid or semi-liquid substance. Firing 
  the bullet compresses the liquid to the back of the 
  hollow. Upon impact, the substance vaporizes and 
  “explodes” outward, causing large wounds. Th e 
  other type actually contains an explosive substance, 
  such as lead azide, which explodes upon impact 
  (though it may fail to explode; an explosion is more 
  likely if the bullet impacts bone).
  In game terms, Explosive bullets do extra 
  damage (from +1 point to +1 DC, depending on 
  caliber). (For greater “realism,” buy the +1 DC sepa-
  rately with an Activation Roll 11-.)
  Fiberglass/Plastic
  Fiberglass/Plastic bullets do the same damage 
  as normal lead bullets. However, they’re much 
  harder to detect on an x-ray or during an autopsy.
  In game terms, Fiberglass/Plastic rounds are 
  like Standard rounds, but also have the Advantage 
  Invisible Power Eﬀ ects (hide cause of death, imposes 
  a -3 penalty to Forensic Medicine or PS: Read X-
  Rays rolls; +¼).
  Flechette
  Flechettes are small metal darts. While they’re 
  most oft en used in specialized shotgun shells (see 
  below) or grenades, some bullets containing a 
  single ﬂ echette have been manufactured. Typically 
  they’re ﬁ red in sabots which peel away aft er ﬁ ring. 
  Because of its light weight, a ﬂ echette can travel 
  much further than ordinary bullets. Because of its 
  shape, it pierces armor with ease (and aft er impact 
  it oft en bends like a ﬁ shhook, causing the ﬁ ns to hit 
  the target and inﬂ ict another wound). Additionally, 
  Flechettes can easily be Poisoned (see below).
  In game terms, Flechettes do a little extra 
  damage (from +1 point to +1 DC, depending on 
  caliber) and have the Advantages Armor Piercing 
  (+½), Invisible Power Eﬀ ects (no riﬂ ing marks on 
  projectiles; +¼), and Increased Maximum Range (x2 
  normal range; +¼).
  Frangible
  Frangible bullets are bullets that either (a) 
  contain multiple projectiles which are released 
  upon impact, or (b) fragment upon impact with the 
  target. Either variety causes tremendous damage 
  to the target. However, because they “break” upon 
  impact this way, Frangible bullets can easily be 
  deﬂ ected by glass, windshields, wallboard, and 
  many other substances. Th is makes them popular 
  with some law enforcement units because of the 
  low possibility of collateral damage from ricochets.
  FIREARMS AS
  MULTIPOWERS
  Technically speak-
  ing, it would be more 
  “accurate” in game 
  terms to buy ﬁ rearms 
  as Multipowers, with 
  one slot for each type of 
  ammunition the ﬁ rearm 
  could ﬁ re and a Limi-
  tation on the reserve 
  reﬂ ecting the fact that 
  the slots available at any 
  given time are restricted 
  by the type of rounds 
  loaded in the gun. 
  (Another possibility 
  would be giving all guns 
  the Variable Advantage 
  Advantage.) However, 
  that’s also cumbersome 
  in game terms, and 
  usually pointless. Th e 
  approach taken by this 
  book is to buy ﬁ rearms 
  as shooting Standard 
  ammunition (or Stan-
  dard Shot, for shotguns). 
  If a character wants to 
  shoot some other type 
  of ammunition, he 
  may do so regardless of 
  the fact that he hasn’t 
  “paid for it” with the 
  ﬁ rearm as constructed. 
  If you want to know the 
  Character Point cost of 
  having clips of diﬀ erent 
  types of ammunition for 
  the same gun, use the 
  Firearms Cost/Upgrade 
  Table on pages 214-31.
  
  205 
  Dark Champions ■ Chapter Five
  Examples of Frangible bullets include:  the 
  Glaser Blue Safety Slug (containing 300-500 pel-
  lets of No. 12 birdshot); the MagSafe SWAT round; 
  Razor-Ammo (a bullet using both a fragmenting 
  space-age polymer and No. 4 birdshot pellets); 
  the Spartan (which is composed of polymer and 
  lead dust molded into the shape of a bullet); and 
  the Th underzap (a plastic frangible round). Th e 
  Beehive/Core-Shot bullet is a slightly less eﬀ ective 
  Frangible round (subtract 1 DC).
  Frangible bullet statistics can also be used for 
  some ﬂ echette-based pistol rounds, such as bullets 
  which contain multiple semi-stabilized ﬂ echettes that 
  are released from the bullet at the point of impact.
  In game terms, Frangible bullets do extra 
  damage (typically +2 DCs), but take several Limita-
  tions:  Cannot Be Bounced (-¼), Reduced Penetra-
  tion (-¼), and No Eﬀ ect Th rough Barriers (-¼).
  Gyrojet
  Gyrojet rounds are essentially miniature rock-
  ets:  they contain a load of fuel that propels the bullet 
  once ignited. However, a character needs a special 
  gun to ﬁ re Gyrojets; they can’t be used in standard 
  ﬁ rearms. Th e gun ignites the bullet and then recocks 
  itself as the bullet leaves the chamber. Th e entire 
  bullet leaves the gun; there’s no case to be ejected. 
  Gyrojets travel further than standard bullets, and sta-
  bilize ﬁ ring due to the lack of recoil. Because they’re 
  self-contained, they can be ﬁ red underwater.
  In game terms, Gyrojet rounds do standard 
  damage, but have the Advantages Invisible Power 
  Eﬀ ects (no shell casings as evidence; +¼) and 
  Increased Maximum Range (x2 normal range; +¼). 
  If subjected to the Optional Firearms Malfunc-
  tion rules, Gyrojet rounds have an Activation Roll 
  2 points higher than normal, to a maximum of 
  18- (for example, if a gun would normally have a 
  Malfunction on a 13-, with Gyrojet rounds it Mal-
  functions on a 15-). If the GM uses the optional 
  Recoil rules (page 194), Gyrojet guns do not suﬀ er 
  any Recoil penalties for taking multiple shots.
  Hollow Point
  Hollow Point (“HP” or Dum Dum) bullets have 
  the tip of the metal jacket cut away, exposing the lead 
  core beneath. Th is causes the bullet to “mushroom,” 
  or expand quickly, when it hits the target, creating 
  large wounds. Th e lead core inside may be shaped 
  or notched so as to improve the bullet’s expansion. 
  Examples of Hollow Points include the Winchester 
  Silvertip, Federal Hydra-Shok, the Starﬁ re, the Rem-
  ington Golden Saber, and the CCI-Speer Gold Dot.
  An interesting variation on the standard HP is 
  a bullet in which the jacket is also used to injure the 
  target. With these bullets, such as the Winchester 
  Black Talon, the jacket of the Hollow Point bullet 
  is designed to peel back into sharp edges which cut 
  ﬂ esh as the bullet expands. In game terms, these 
  typically function the same as standard HP rounds, 
  but the GM may add +1 pip of damage if desired.
  Characters can make crude HP rounds by cut-
  ting notches in the noses of ordinary bullets. Th ese 
  bullets gain +1 pip of damage (at most) instead of 
  the +1 DC most HPs get.
  In game terms, HP rounds do a little extra 
  damage (from +1 point to +1 DC, depending on 
  caliber) and have a +1 Increased STUN Multiplier 
  (in addition to any from caliber).
  Hybrid Frangible/Hollow Point
  Hybrid Frangible/Hollow Point bullets com-
  bine the best features of the HP and Penetrating 
  
  206 ■ Weapons
  Hero System 5th Edition
  Frangible rounds. As the bullet expands, it breaks 
  apart into deadly fragments, inﬂ icting terrible 
  wounds. Examples include the Triton Quik-Shok 
  (which breaks apart into three large fragments) 
  and the Omega Star (which contains a solid rear 
  core, and a front core composed of Nos. 2 and 4 
  birdshot).
  In game terms, Hybrid Frangible/HP rounds 
  do extra damage (as much as +2 DCs) and have 
  the Advantages Penetrating (+½) and +1 Increased 
  STUN Multiplier (+¼) (in addition to any from cali-
  ber) and the Limitation Cannot Be Bounced (-¼).
  Improved Armor Piercing
  Improved Armor Piercing rounds have even 
  greater armor-penetrating eﬀ ect than normal AP 
  rounds, but this causes them to impart even less energy 
  to their target and hence do less damage as well.
  In game terms, Improved AP rounds do less 
  damage than Standard bullets (as much as -2 DCs, 
  depending on caliber) and have the Armor Piercing 
  (x2; +1) Advantage.
  Incendiary
  Incendiary rounds contain a small incendiary 
  charge that ignites upon impact. Any ﬂ ammable 
  materials struck by the bullet are set on ﬁ re. A 
  living victim may take ﬁ re damage in the Segment 
  aft er being shot (and nothing more aft er that), or 
  he may take no additional damage at all (the GM 
  decides). Flammable objects the victim wears or 
  carries may catch ﬁ re, causing him to take further 
  damage in later Segments.
  In game terms, Incendiary bullets do the same 
  damage as Standard rounds, but have the following 
  additional eﬀ ect:
  RKA 1 point, Continuous (+1), Reduced Endur-
  ance (0 END to enable Uncontrolled eﬀ ect; +½), 
  Sticky (only aﬀ ects ﬂ ammables; +¼), Uncon-
  trolled (eﬀ ect ends when it runs out of fuel or 
  oxygen, or someone extinguishes the ﬂ ames; 
  +½) (16 Active Points [the addition of other 
  Advantages, such as Charges, may change this]); 
  OAF (-1), Activation Roll 13- (-¾), Linked (-½), 
  Real Weapon (-¼), other Limitations vary based 
  on ﬁ rearm. Total cost:  varies.
  Penetrating Frangible
  Penetrating Frangible bullets are designed to 
  overcome the Frangible bullet’s inability to shoot 
  through barriers. Th ey penetrate further into the 
  target before releasing their load or fragmenting. 
  Examples of Penetrating Frangible rounds include:  
  the Glaser Silver Safety Slug (containing No. 6 bird-
  shot); the LeMas Ltd. “Blended Metal Technology” 
  bullet (which supposedly penetrate hard materials 
  like armor easily, but fragment rapidly and very 
  destructively when they hit soft  materials like ﬂ esh 
  or drywall); and the MagSafe Defender and MAX 
  rounds (containing No. 2, 3, or 4 birdshot embed-
  ded in epoxy).
  In game terms, Penetrating Frangible bullets do 
  extra damage (typically +2 DCs) and have the Advan-
  tage Penetrating (+½). Th ey do not take the three 
  Limitations imposed upon standard Frangible rounds.
  Reversed Ogive
  Reversed Ogive bullets (also called THV 
  ammunition) have a special concave cutting edge. 
  Th is not only allows the bullet to achieve very high 
  velocities, it imparts an armor-piercing eﬀ ect and 
  allows the bullet to transfer more of its energy to 
  the target via increased hydrostatic shock.
  In game terms, Reversed Ogive bullets bullets 
  do +2 DCs damage and have the Advantages Armor 
  Piercing (+½) and +1 Increased STUN Multiplier 
  (+¼) (in addition to any from caliber).
  Rubber
  Rubber bullets are non-lethal rounds intended 
  for use against rioters, prisoners, and other targets 
  the shooter wishes to disable but not kill. However, 
  note that the term “non-lethal” does not mean 
  harmless — Rubber bullets can break bones and 
  cause other serious injuries, depending on where 
  they hit.
  In game terms, Rubber bullets do Normal 
  Damage instead of Killing Damage, in DCs equiva-
  lent to the RKA for their caliber.
  Semi-Armor Piercing
  A Semi-AP round is better than Standard 
  ammunition, but worse than true AP rounds, when 
  it comes to penetrating armor. Typically they have 
  a steel insert, or a specially-shaped nose, to achieve 
  the semi-AP eﬀ ect.
  In game terms, Semi-AP rounds do the same 
  damage as Standard rounds and have the Semi-
  Armor Piercing (+¼) Advantage (see page 97).
  Silent
  Th ese unusual bullets have an internal piston 
  that traps the expanding gases from the explod-
  ing propellant and propels the bullet. As a result, 
  noise, muzzle ﬂ ash, and smoke are all consider-
  ably reduced, making it much more diﬃ  cult than 
  normal to perceive the shooter.
  In game terms, Silent bullets do the same 
  damage as Standard, but have the following addi-
  tional power:
  Change Environment 1” radius, -3 to Hearing 
  Group PER Rolls and -1 to Sight Group PER 
  Rolls to perceive, Multiple Combat Eﬀ ects (19 
  Active Points [the addition of other Advantages, 
  such as Charges, may change this]); OAF (-1), 
  Linked (-½), No Range (-½), Real Weapon (-¼), 
  Self Only (-½), other Limitations vary based on 
  ﬁ rearm. Total cost:  varies.
  Spent Uranium
  Spent Uranium bullets are made from depleted 
  (non-radioactive) uranium, which is heavier 
  than lead. As such, the same amount of powder 
  that would be used with a lead bullet makes an 
  SU bullet move more slowly — but it has greater 
  momentum, meaning better armor penetration and 
  more energy transference when it hits the target.
  In game terms, Spent Uranium rounds do 
  the same damage as Standard bullets, but have the 
  Advantages Armor Piercing (+½) and +1 Increased 
  STUN Multiplier (+¼) (in addition to any from 
  caliber).
  FICTIONAL BULLETS
  Don’t feel that you have 
  to limit yourself to real-
  world forms of ammu-
  nition if your campaign 
  welcomes a touch of the 
  fantastic. Some ﬁ ctional 
  bullets that might be 
  appropriate for some 
  Dark Champions games 
  include:
  Anti-Vampire Bullets, 
  which are like liquid-
  ﬁ lled Explosive bullets, 
  except that the liquid 
  is holy water or garlic 
  juice. Th e holy water 
  version’s also good for 
  use against demons and 
  similar entities that can’t 
  stand the touch of holy 
  things.
  Blessed Bullets, bullets 
  specially blessed by a 
  priest so that they have 
  “holy” properties.
  Silver Bullets, just the 
  thing for taking down 
  werewolves or pretend-
  ing to be the Lone 
  Ranger.
  Tranq Bullets, high-tech 
  tranquilizer darts in a 
  sabot so they can be 
  ﬁ red from a regular ﬁ re-
  arm. Th ey could contain 
  poison, various drugs, 
  or the like instead of 
  knockout juice.
  Wooden Bullets, whose 
  projectiles are made 
  from hardened wood 
  instead of lead so that 
  they aﬀ ect vampires just 
  as if they were wooden 
  stakes... provided the 
  character shoots the 
  vampire through the 
  heart, of course.
  
  207 
  Dark Champions ■ Chapter Five
  AMMUNITION SUMMARY TABLE
  Ammunition Type 
   
   
   
  .357 M 
   
   
   
   
   
  .32 
  .40 
  .41 M 
  .45 ACP .44 M 
  .223 
  .50 AE 
   
  .22 
  .38 
  9mm 
  10mm 
  11mm* .45 WM* 5.56mmN* 7.62mmN* Notes 
  Standard 
  1d6-1 
  1d6 
  1d6+1 
  1½d6 
  2d6-1 
  2d6 
  2d6 
  2d6+1
  AET 
  1d6 
  1d6+1 
  1½d6 
  2d6 
  2d6 
  2d6+1 
  2d6+1 
  2½d6 
  RP, CBB
  AET Composite 
  1d6 
  1d6+1 
  1½d6 
  2d6 
  2d6 
  2d6+1 
  2d6+1 
  2½d6 
  CBB
  Armor Piercing 
  ½d6 
  1d6-1 
  1d6 
  1d6+1 
  1½d6 
  2d6-1 
  2d6 
  2d6 
  AP
  Armor Piercing Depleted 
   Uranium 
  ½d6 
  1d6-1 
  1d6 
  1d6+1 
  1½d6 
  2d6-1 
  2d6 
  2d6 
  AP, Piercing 1, ﬁ restarting
  Armor Piercing Explosive 
  1d6 
  1d6+1 
  1½d6 
  2d6 
  2d6 
  2d6+1 
  2d6+1 
  2½d6 
  AP
  Armor Piercing Hardcore 
  ½d6 
  1d6-1 
  1d6 
  1d6+1 
  1½d6 
  2d6-1 
  2d6 
  2d6 
  AP, Piercing 1
  Armor Piercing Hardcore 
   Explosive 
  1d6 
  1d6+1 
  1½d6 
  2d6 
  2d6 
  2d6+1 
  2d6+1 
  2½d6 
  AP, Piercing 1
  Armor Piercing Incendiary 
  ½d6 
  1d6-1 
  1d6 
  1d6+1 
  1½d6 
  2d6-1 
  2d6 
  2d6 
  AP, ﬁ restarting
  Armor Piercing Saboted 
  ½d6 
  1d6-1 
  1d6 
  1d6+1 
  1½d6 
  2d6-1 
  2d6 
  2d6 
  AP, IPE (no riﬂ ing marks)
  Cased Telescoped 
   Ammunition 
  1d6 
  1d6+1 
  1½d6 
  2d6 
  2d6 
  2d6+1 
  2d6+1 
  2½d6 
  Slightly larger than normal
  Caseless 
  1d6-1 
  1d6 
  1d6+1 
  1½d6 
  2d6-1 
  2d6 
  2d6 
  2d6+1 
  IPE (no shell casings)
  Duplex 
  1d6 
  1d6+1 
  1½d6 
  2d6 
  2d6 
  2d6+1 
  2d6+1 
  2½d6 
  RP
  Electric 
  1d6-1 
  1d6 
  1d6+1 
  1½d6 
  2d6-1 
  2d6 
  2d6 
  2d6+1 
  Linked EB 8d6, NND
  Explosive 
  1d6 
  1d6+1 
  1½d6 
  2d6 
  2d6 
  2d6+1 
  2d6+1 
  2½d6
  Fiberglass/Plastic 
  1d6-1 
  1d6 
  1d6+1 
  1½d6 
  2d6-1 
  2d6 
  2d6 
  2d6+1 
  IPE (-3 to Forensic Medicine)
  Flechette 
  1d6 
  1d6+1 
  1½d6 
  2d6 
  2d6 
  2d6+1 
  2d6+1 
  2½d6 
  AP, IPE (no riﬂ ing marks),   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  IMR2
  Frangible 
  1d6+1 
  1½d6 
  2d6 
  2d6+1 
  2d6+1 
  2½d6 
  2½d6 
  3d6 
  RP, CBB, Not Th rough Barriers
  Gyrojet 
  1d6-1 
  1d6 
  1d6+1 
  1½d6 
  2d6-1 
  2d6 
  2d6 
  2d6+1 
  IPE (no shell casings), IMR2
  Hollow Point 
  1d6 
  1d6+1 
  1½d6 
  2d6 
  2d6 
  2d6+1 
  2d6+1 
  2½d6 
  +1 STUN Multiplier
  Hybrid Frangible/Hollow 
   Point 
  1d6+1 
  1½d6 
  2d6 
  2d6+1 
  2d6+1 
  2½d6 
  2½d6 
  3d6 
  +1 STUN Multiplier, Penetrating, CBB
  Improved Armor Piercing 
  ½d6 
  ½d6 
  1d6-1 
  1d6-1 
  1d6 
  1d6 
  1½d6 
  2d6-1 
  AP(x2)
  Improved Propellant 
  1d6+1 
  1d6+1 
  1½d6 
  2d6-1 
  2d6 
  2d6+1 
  2d6+1 
  2½d6
  Incendiary 
  1d6-1 
  1d6 
  1d6+1 
  1½d6 
  2d6-1 
  2d6 
  2d6 
  2d6+1 
  Firestarting
  Match-Grade 
  1d6-1 
  1d6 
  1d6+1 
  1½d6 
  2d6-1 
  2d6 
  2d6 
  2d6+1 
  +1 OCV
  +P, +P+ 
  1d6 
  1d6+1 
  1d6+2 
  1½d6+1 
  2d6 
  2d6+1 
  2d6+1 
  2d6+2
  Penetrating Frangible 
  1d6+1 
  1½d6 
  2d6 
  2d6+1 
  2d6+1 
  2½d6 
  2½d6 
  3d6 
  Penetrating
  Poisoned 
  1d6-1 
  1d6 
  1d6+1 
  1½d6 
  2d6-1 
  2d6 
  2d6 
  2d6+1 
  Carries poison
  Reversed Ogive 
  1d6+1 
  1½d6 
  2d6 
  2d6+1 
  2d6+1 
  2½d6 
  2½d6 
  3d6 
  AP, +1 STUN Multiplier
  Rubber 
  2d6 EB 
  3d6 EB 
  4d6 EB 
  5d6 EB 
  6d6 EB 
  6d6 EB 
  6d6 EB 
  7d6 EB
  Semi-Armor Piercing 
  1d6-1 
  1d6 
  1d6+1 
  1½d6 
  2d6-1 
  2d6 
  2d6 
  2d6+1 
  Semi-AP
  Silent 
  1d6-1 
  1d6 
  1d6+1 
  1½d6 
  2d6-1 
  2d6 
  2d6 
  2d6+1 
  CE (-3 Hearing, -1 Sight)
  Spent Uranium 
  1d6-1 
  1d6 
  1d6+1 
  1½d6 
  2d6-1 
  2d6 
  2d6 
  2d6+1 
  AP, +1 STUN Multiplier
  Subsonic 
  ½d6 
  1d6-1 
  1d6 
  1d6+1 
  1½d6 
  2d6-1 
  2d6 
  2d6 
  Moves at subsonic speeds
  Tracer 
  1d6-1 
  1d6 
  1d6+1 
  1½d6 
  2d6-1 
  2d6 
  2d6 
  2d6+1 
  +1 OCV
  Tumbler 
  1d6-1 
  1d6 
  1d6+1 
  1½d6 
  2d6-1 
  2d6 
  2d6 
  2d6+1 
  RKA +1d6, Act 11-
  Wadcutter 
  1d6 
  1d6+1 
  1d6+2 
  1½d6+1 
  2d6 
  2d6+1 
  2d6+1 
  2d6+2
  Listed damage is Killing Damage unless indicated otherwise
  KEY 
  Act:  Activation Roll 
  N:  NATO
   
  AP: Armor Piercing (the Advantage) 
  NND:  No Normal Defense
   
  CBB:  Cannot Be Bounced 
  Piercing1:  1 point of Piercing (Resistant)
   
  CE:  Change Environment 
  RP:  Reduced Penetration
   
  EB:  Energy Blast 
  Semi-AP:  Semi-Armor Piercing
   
  IMR2:  Increased Maximum Range (x2) 
  WM:  Winchester Magnum
   
  IPE:  Invisible Power Eﬀ ects 
  *:  Rounds in these columns gain a +1 STUN Modiﬁ er from size in addition to other  
   
   
  listed eﬀ ects
   
  M:  Magnum
  
  208 ■ Weapons
  Hero System 5th Edition
  Tumbler
  Unlike other bullets, which are designed to 
  spin along their long axis and hence ﬂ y straight, 
  Tumbler bullets tumble end-over-end towards the 
  target. Th is makes the round tear into the target 
  and ricochet around inside him, causing grievous 
  internal wounds.
  Th e “tumbling” eﬀ ect is most easily achieved 
  with high-velocity Standard rounds (i.e., riﬂ e rounds, 
  not handgun rounds), and is created by decreasing 
  the barrel-twist rate (to, e.g., 1-in-14, meaning one 
  twist to 14 inches of barrel). Th is is a function of gun 
  design, not ammunition design; Tumbler is listed 
  here because it involves changing the ﬂ ight of the 
  bullet and requires a choice of ammunition.
  One drawback to Tumbler rounds is that they’re 
  less accurate than normal bullets, particularly in cold 
  weather (-1 OCV). Th is is a -0 Side Eﬀ ect.
  In game terms, the Tumbler does the same 
  damage as Standard bullets, but with the “Tumbler 
  eﬀ ect” added in:
  RKA +1d6 (15 Active Points [the addition of 
  other Advantages, such as Charges, may change 
  this]); OAF (-1), Activation Roll 11- (-1), Does 
  Not Work If Bullet Is Bounced (-0), Only Applies 
  If Bullet’s Ordinary Damage Does BODY 
  Damage (-½), Real Weapon (-¼), Side Eﬀ ects 
  (-1 OCV in cold weather, always occurs; -0), 
  other Limitations vary based on ﬁ rearm. Total 
  cost:  varies.
  Of course, the target does not get to apply his 
  defenses to this +1d6, since the initial attack has 
  already penetrated his defenses.
  BULLET MODIFICATIONS
  Th ere are several ways to modify existing bul-
  lets. In some cases these modiﬁ cations only work 
  with certain types of bullets; others work with all 
  types. Th e examples given in the Ammunition 
  Summary Table and Firearms Cost/Upgrade Tables 
  assume a Standard round.
  Improved Propellant
  Improved Propellants rounds are bullets 
  made with improved powders. Improving the pow-
  ders and propellants makes a bullet travel faster 
  — sometimes as much as 200-300 fps (feet per 
  second) faster.
  In game terms, bullets with Improved Propel-
  lant add +1 Damage Class of damage to a bullet.
  Magnum
  Magnum is a trademarked name for certain 
  kinds of bullets which contain more gunpowder, and 
  thus have greater pressure and energy than normal 
  rounds. Th is causes them to do more damage than 
  an ordinary bullet of the same size. However, this 
  means the weapons which ﬁ re them have to be 
  heavier, to contain the force they generate when ﬁ red 
  — a magnum gun can ﬁ re ordinary bullets, but an 
  ordinary gun cannot ﬁ re magnum rounds without 
  risk of an explosion or similar problems (decrease 
  the chances for a Malfunction by 1; for example, if 
  the Activation Roll for a Malfunction were normally 
  15-, in this case it becomes 14-).
  In game terms, some of the ammunition listed 
  on the Ammunition Damage Table is Magnum, 
  and this is reﬂ ected in the damage done. Magnum 
  rounds cannot be made +P or +P+.
  Match-Grade
  A character can increase the accuracy of a 
  particular gun through careful experimentation 
  to determine the optimum round (in terms of 
  projectile and propellant mix) for it. Th is requires 
  the Weaponsmith Skill; characters can’t buy Match-
  Grade ammunition “oﬀ  the shelf.”
  In game terms, only Standard rounds and the 
  various forms of Armor Piercing ammunition can 
  be made Match-Grade, which is bought as a +1 
  OCV bonus for a ﬁ rearm.
  +P And +P+
  +P and +P+ rounds are made by increasing 
  the charge and pressure in a bullet while typically 
  making the bullet somewhat smaller than normal. 
  Th is results in a projectile which ﬂ ies faster than 
  normal and hits with greater energy. Furthermore, 
  the lighter projectile stops more quickly when it 
  hits its target, thus transferring more of its energy 
  into the target.
  In game terms, only Standard and Hollow 
  Point rounds can be made +P or +P+. Either adds 
  +1 point of damage to the gun’s RKA. Magnum 
  rounds cannot be made +P or +P+.
  Poisoned
  Poisoned bullets are simply normal bullets 
  coated with cyanide, arsenic, or some other type of 
  poison. Even the smallest bullet can carry enough 
  of a potent poison to kill someone, and even an 
  otherwise trivial ﬂ esh wound is enough to intro-
  duce it into the target’s system.
  Th us, even if they only cause a small wound, 
  the victim can still die. Th ese bullets are pur-
  chased by buying an appropriate poison with the 
  Limitation Bullet’s RKA Must Do BODY (-½). For 
  example:
  Drain CON 4d6, Delayed Return Rate (points 
  return at the rate of 5 per Hour; +1), NND 
  (defense is Life Support [appropriate Immu-
  nity]; +½), Ranged (+½) (120 Active Points); 4 
  Charges (-1), Bullet’s RKA Must Do BODY (-½), 
  Extra Time (onset time begins 1 Minute aft er 
  victim is shot; -1½), Gradual Eﬀ ect (4 Minutes; 
  1d6/1 Minute; -½), Linked (to poison’s RKA;
  -½) (total cost:  24 points) plus RKA 4d6, NND 
  (defense is Life Support [appropriate Immunity]; 
  +1), Does BODY (+1) (180 Active Points); No 
  Range (-½), 4 Charges (-1), Bullet’s RKA Must 
  Do BODY (-½), Extra Time (onset time begins 1 
  Minute aft er victim is shot; -1½), Gradual Eﬀ ect 
  (4 Minutes; 1d6/1 Minute; -½) (total cost:  36 
  points). Total cost:  60 points.
  
  209 
  Dark Champions ■ Chapter Five
  Subsonic
  Subsonic rounds are designed for use in 
  silenced weapons; they are not, by themselves, 
  silent. Th ey travel slower than the speed of sound, 
  so they do not create the distinctive “crack” typical 
  bullets do when they break the sound barrier. Th ey 
  do approximately 75% of the damage of regular 
  bullets of the same type. Th e example given in the 
  chart is a Standard bullet; other types of bullets can 
  also be made Subsonic.
  In game terms, the typical Subsonic bullet 
  does slightly less damage than a Standard round (-1 
  point or -1 DC, depending on caliber). 
  Tracer
  Tracer rounds contain chemicals which ignite 
  when the bullet is ﬁ red, causing the bullet to glow 
  and “trace” a path to the target, making it easier 
  to correct aim to hit that target. Th ey work best 
  at night or in the dark, but are bright enough for 
  daytime use. Similar to the Tracer is the Observa-
  tion bullet, which emits a puﬀ  of smoke and a ﬂ ash 
  when it hits.
  One drawback to Tracers is that they give away 
  the shooter’s position. Two variants correct that 
  problem. Th e ﬁ rst is dark ignition tracers, which 
  don’t “light up” until they’ve traveled a hundred 
  yards or more. Th e second is dim tracers, which 
  glow in infrared and thus are only visible to per-
  sonnel wearing nightvision goggles or the like.
  In game terms, the Tracer eﬀ ect can be com-
  bined with most other bullet types (though not 
  with any type of Frangible round). It’s bought as a 
  +1 OCV bonus with the standard Limitations, plus 
  Cannot Apply To First Shot Against A Target (-½). 
  Th is means the shooter can’t use the Level for his 
  ﬁ rst shot against a given target, or to any subse-
  quent shots that he takes in Phases aft er Phases in 
  which he didn’t ﬁ re at that target (in other words, 
  he has to maintain a continuous “stream” of ﬁ re 
  at the chosen target, ﬁ ring at least once per Phase, 
  to keep using the Level). Th e shooter only gets +1 
  OCV no matter how many bullets he ﬁ res, not +1 
  OCV per bullet.
  Wadcutter
  Wadcutter rounds are regular bullets with ﬂ at 
  noses instead of the usual rounded nose. Th ey tend 
  to cut larger holes in the target. However, the ﬂ at 
  nose may cause feed problems with automatic or 
  semi-automatic guns (reduce Activation Roll to 
  jam by 1).
  In game terms, only Standard, CTA, Caseless, 
  Gyrojet, Incendiary, and Spent Uranium rounds 
  can be Wadcutters; Wadcutter can be combined 
  with Subsonic or Tracer. A Wadcutter round does 
  +1 point of damage. If subjected to the Optional 
  Firearms Malfunction rules, Wadcutter rounds have 
  an Activation Roll 1 point lower than normal (for 
  example, if a gun would normally have a Malfunc-
  tion on a 13-, with Wadcutter rounds it Malfunc-
  tions on a 12-).
  
  210 ■ Weapons
  Hero System 5th Edition
  Shotgun Ammunition
  Shotguns are smoothbore guns — that is, their 
  barrels aren’t riﬂ ed, so the projectiles they ﬁ re don’t 
  spin the way bullets do. Instead of bullets, they ﬁ re 
  shells. Most shells contain shot — lead pellets. Th e 
  size of the pellets varies depending on the gauge 
  of the shotgun (the larger the gauge, the smaller 
  the shot). Shot size is ranked from #1 to #9, #1 
  being the largest. Buckshot, a type of shot which is 
  larger than normal, is ranked from BB to 000. 00 
  (“double-ought”) buckshot in a 12-gauge shell is the 
  most common combat shot round. Other gauges 
  include .410 (actually a caliber measurement), 28, 
  20, 16, 10, and even 4 for some combat shotguns.
  A 12-gauge shotgun loaded with 00 buckshot 
  ﬁ res nine pellets, each with about the same energy 
  as a .32 bullet. Th is blast of multiple projectiles 
  makes the shotgun a devastating combat weapon at 
  close range — the shot inﬂ icts tremendous damage. 
  However, the further one gets from the shotgun, the 
  more the shot spreads (in a roughly circular pattern) 
  and the more energy it loses, making the shotgun 
  a relatively poor weapon at long ranges. By about 
  40 meters (20”) for most shotguns, the pattern has 
  spread so much that the chance of scoring a disabling 
  wound is comparatively slight (especially if the target 
  has cover, wears body armor, or the like).
  Th e spread on shot varies according to barrel 
  length (the shorter the barrel, the faster the spread) 
  and “choke” (the amount of restrictions reducing the 
  barrel’s diameter at its end). Some chokes are “shot 
  diverters” that can cause shot to spread in a more 
  rectangular or oval pattern, or “shot spreaders” that 
  create greater spread. Some chokes are adjustable, 
  allowing the user to vary the spread from one pull 
  of the trigger to another. Some types of shot (such as 
  cubic shot) can also aﬀ ect the spread pattern.
  SHOTGUNS IN THE HERO SYSTEM
  In HERO System terms, a shotgun has most of 
  the standard Limitations described on page 200 for 
  all ﬁ rearms (OAF, STR Minimum, Real Weapon, 
  and Charges), and also has the Advantage +1 
  Increased STUN Multiplier (+¼) and the Limitation 
  Two-Handed (-½). For game purposes, you should 
  design shotguns as being intended to ﬁ re shot, 
  though of course they can ﬁ re slugs or other rounds 
  if necessary. If a character wants to carry and shoot 
  the other type of ammunition, you can use the 
  Firearms Cost/Upgrade Tables on pages 214-31 to 
  determine the cost.
  In addition to the Power Modiﬁ ers listed 
  below for shot and slugs, a shotgun may have other 
  Advantages and Limitations, depending on the type 
  of shot or slug used.
  Double-Barrelled Shotguns
  Some types of shotguns, primarily ones intended 
  for hunting, have two barrels (usually mounted side-
  by-side). Th ey’re typically “break-fed” — they open 
  using a hinge on the bottom of the barrel near the 
  trigger, allowing the shooter to insert one shell into 
  each of the two barrels (in game terms, this would 
  be bought as a clip of 2 Charges). Usually each of the 
  barrels has its own trigger. Th is raises the possibil-
  ity of a character pulling both triggers at once, and 
  thus shooting an enemy with a double blast. In game 
  terms, characters should buy such shotguns with 
  Autoﬁ re (2 shots; +¼) and the Limitation Both Shots 
  Must Be At Th e Same Target (-0). Th at way they don’t 
  have to use both barrels at once, but they can if they 
  feel like it.
  Shotguns And Hit Locations
  Shotguns use the standard Hit Location rules. 
  For shot, this can represent the part of the target’s 
  body that gets hit by the most pellets, or which 
  bears the brunt of the shotgun blast.
  SHOTGUN AMMUNITION TYPES
  Here are descriptions of the many types of 
  shotgun ammunition available to Dark Champions 
  characters. For information on the cost of these 
  shells and slugs, by gauge (and accounting for 
  Charges and other factors), refer to the Firearms 
  Cost/Upgrade Tables, pages 214-31.
  Standard Shot
  Th e basic description of shotguns, above, also 
  describes shot. In game terms, a shotgun that ﬁ res 
  shot does not take the Beam Limitation. However, 
  it does have the Limitations Limited Range (20”; 
  -¼), Reduced By Range (-¼) and Reduced Penetra-
  tion (-¼).
  Shot takes the Advantage Area Of Eﬀ ect 
  (One Hex; +½). Depending on the type of shot 
  and choke used and the distance to the target, the 
  spread pattern ranges from approximately ﬁ ve 
  inches (about 0.06”) to 58 inches (about 0.75”). In 
  game terms, the best way to simulate this is with 
  a One Hex Area Of Eﬀ ect, which reﬂ ects both the 
  spread of the shot and the relative ease of hitting a 
  target at close quarters. At the GM’s option, shots at 
  targets within 10” of the shooter do not get the One 
  Hex; they only aﬀ ect one target and are against his 
  standard DCV instead of DCV 3.
  For game purposes, assume a shotgun ﬁ ring 
  shot has no choke or a cylinder choke (the least 
  restrictive type). For guns with improved, modiﬁ ed, 
  or full chokes (or variable chokes used on those “set-
  tings”), the GM should increase the Limited Range of 
  the shotgun by +1”, +2”, and +3” respectively — but 
  add the same amount to the distance over which the 
  character does not get the beneﬁ t of the One Hex 
  Area Of Eﬀ ect, since the choke inhibits the spread of 
  the pellets. (At the GM’s option, shotguns loaded with 
  buckshot — i.e., virtually all shot-ﬁ ring shotguns 
  Dark Champions characters are likely to use — all 
  function as if the character used a full choke.)
  Th e damage listed for shotguns in this book and 
  other HERO System books assumes the gun is loaded 
  with 00 buckshot. If the shell contains smaller shot, 
  reduce the damage to 50-75% of that listed.
  Standard Slug
  Some shells ﬁ re not shot, but slugs — a single, 
  large, roughly bullet-shaped mass of metal. Slugs do 
  not spread out the way shot does, but their size and 
  SHOTGUN BORES
  Th e method used to 
  determine gauges for 
  shotguns is a traditional 
  system that’s centuries 
  old. Basically, “gauge” 
  means the number of 
  lead balls with a diam-
  eter equal to the bore of 
  the shotgun needed to 
  make one pound of that 
  size ball. For example, a 
  10-gauge shotgun has a 
  bore whose size is such 
  that 10 lead balls of that 
  diameter weigh one 
  pound.
  For reference purposes, 
  here’s the nominal mea-
  surement of the bore 
  of barrels of diﬀ erent 
  gauge shotguns.
  4 gauge = .905 inch
  10 gauge = .775 inch
  12 gauge = .729 inch
  16 gauge = .662 inch
  20 gauge = .615 inch
  24 gauge = .580 inch
  28 gauge = .550 inch
  .410 bore = .410 inch
  
  211 
  Dark Champions ■ Chapter Five
  force make them extremely lethal. However, since 
  they’re not ﬁ red from riﬂ ed barrels, they’re not 
  nearly as accurate as riﬂ es.
  In game terms, slugs have the Beam (-¼) 
  Limitation, but not Reduced By Range or Reduced 
  Penetration. Th ey also have the Limitation Limited 
  Range (50”; -¼).
  Air Bomb
  Air Bomb shells explode in mid-air near the 
  target. Th ey’re designed to stun, injure, and inca-
  pacitate the target more than to kill.
  In game terms, an Air Bomb shell is bought as 
  an Energy Blast (with DCs equivalent to those in a 
  Killing Attack shell of the same size), Area Of Eﬀ ect 
  (One Hex; +½) with the following Linked eﬀ ect:
  Sight and Hearing Group Flash 3d6, Area Of 
  Eﬀ ect (One Hex; +½) (30 Active Points); OAF 
  (-1), Limited Range (20”; -¼), Linked (-½), Real 
  Weapon (-¼), Two-Handed (-½), other Limita-
  tions vary based on ﬁ rearm. Total cost:  varies.
  Armor Piercing Slug
  Armor Piercing Slugs are slugs specially 
  designed to penetrate armor.
  In game terms, Armor Piercing Slugs have the 
  Armor Piercing (+½) Advantage, but do slightly less 
  damage than Standard Slugs (from -1 point to -1 
  DC, depending on gauge).
  Baton/Beanbag
  Baton rounds are solid projectiles made of 
  plastic, rubber, or wood designed to stun a target 
  without inﬂ icting serious harm. Beanbag projectiles 
  are similar, but ﬁ re a small, sturdy beanbag ﬁ lled 
  with metal or rubber shot. Although intended to 
  be non-lethal, these rounds can still cause serious 
  injury or disability; a leg shot might, for example, 
  cause numbness and pain that would prevent the 
  target from walking for as much as a minute.
  In game terms, these rounds are bought as 
  an Energy Blast with DCs equivalent to those in 
  a Killing Attack shell of the same size. Th ey don’t 
  have Reduced By Range and Reduced Penetration, 
  but do take the Beam (-¼) Limitation. Th ey have a 
  Limited Range of 20”.
  BRI Slug
  BRI slugs are more like bullets than standard 
  shotgun slugs. Th is construction is intended to 
  increase their range and accuracy.
  In game terms, BRI Slugs do not have the Lim-
  ited Range (-¼) Limitation.
  Buﬀ ered Shot
  Buﬀ ered shot is designed to spread less than 
  regular shot, which slightly extends the range of shot 
  and makes it likely that more pellets hit the target.
  In game terms, buﬀ ered shot changes a shot-
  gun’s Limited Range from 20” to 30” and removes 
  the Area Of Eﬀ ect (One Hex) Advantage. Th e gun 
  does a little extra damage (from +1 point to +1 DC, 
  depending on gauge).
  Cubic Shot
  Cubic Shot shells ﬁ re pellets that are cube-
  shaped instead of round. Th e cubic shot maximizes 
  the spread of the pellets so that a target is hit. 
  (Some shells achieve the same result by mixing 
  small cards into ordinary shot.)
  In game terms, a shotgun ﬁ ring Cubic Shot 
  has Area Of Eﬀ ect (Cone) instead of One Hex, and 
  replaces the Limited Range (-¼) Limitation with No 
  Range (-½).
  
  212 ■ Weapons
  Hero System 5th Edition
  Explosive Slug
  Explosive slugs explodes upon impact with 
  the target, causing enormous damage. A properly-
  placed Explosive Slug can take out everyone in a 
  small room or a car in one shot.
  In game terms, an Explosive Slug is bought 
  as if it were a slug, but it has the Explosion (+½) 
  Advantage and the Beam (-¼) Limitation is 
  removed. It aﬀ ects ED, not PD.
  Fireball
  Fireball, or Incendiary, shells contain magne-
  sium or some other ﬂ ammable material that bursts 
  into ﬂ ame when it contacts the target, immolating 
  him or it for several seconds.
  In game terms, Fireball shells do the same 
  damage as Standard Shot (though against ED rather 
  than PD), but have the following additional eﬀ ect:
  RKA 1 point, Continuous (+1), Reduced Endur-
  ance (0 END to enable Uncontrolled eﬀ ect; +½), 
  Sticky (only aﬀ ects ﬂ ammables; +¼), Uncon-
  trolled (eﬀ ect ends when it runs out of fuel or 
  oxygen, or someone extinguishes the ﬂ ames; 
  +½) (16 Active Points [the addition of other 
  Advantages, such as Charges, may change this]); 
  OAF (-1), Activation Roll 13- (-¾), Linked (-½), 
  Real Weapon (-¼), other Limitations vary based 
  on ﬁ rearm. Total cost:  varies.
  Flare
  Flare shells are something like Fireball shells, 
  but are intended to blind the target temporarily, not 
  injure him.
  In game terms, a Flare shell is bought as a 
  Sight Group Flash (with dice of eﬀ ect equal to the 
  RKA of the same gauge) with the Advantage Explo-
  sion (+½). It has a Limited Range of 20”.
  Flechette
  Flechette shells are ﬁ lled with tiny metal darts. 
  Th e ﬂ echettes in this shell are bigger and stronger 
  than those in a bullet, and ﬂ y further than stan-
  dard buckshot. At close range Flechette shells are 
  extremely lethal. (Similar rounds replace the metal 
  darts with razor-like blades, circles or tubes of 
  metal with sharpened forward edges, or the like.)
  For game purposes, treat Flechettes as if they 
  were Standard Shot with a Limited Range of 50”, 
  but they do a little extra damage (from +1 point to 
  +1 DC, depending on gauge) and have the Advan-
  tage Armor Piercing.
  Ice
  Ice shells are used by assassins who want to kill 
  without leaving traces. Th e impact of the ice-ﬁ lled 
  shell is still enough to kill, but the ice soon melts, 
  leaving the exact cause of the injuries a mystery. Of 
  course, this only works if the shooter can use the 
  shell very soon aft er removing it from the freezer, 
  or else the ice in the shell melts, making it unusable.
  In game terms, Ice shells are like Standard 
  Shot, but also have the Advantage Invisible Power 
  Eﬀ ects (hide cause of death, imposes a -3 or greater 
  penalty to Forensic Medicine rolls; +¼).
  Linked Shot
  Linked shot uses steel wire to connect the 
  shot, thereby in theory inhibiting the spread 
  and ensuring that more pellets hit their target. 
  However, the greater air resistance slows the shot 
  down, and the wire takes up room in the shell that 
  would otherwise contain more pellets. Buﬀ ered 
  shot accomplishes much the same result without 
  these drawbacks.
  In game terms, Linked shot does slightly less 
  damage (from -1 point to -1 DC, depending on 
  gauge), changes a shotgun’s Limited Range from 
  20” to 30”, and removes the Area Of Eﬀ ect (One 
  Hex) Advantage.
  Lockbreaker
  Lockbreaker rounds, also known as “lock-
  buster” or “Hatton” shells, are ﬁ lled with lead or 
  iron powder. When ﬁ red at a lock, they destroy the 
  lock’s internal workings, allowing the shooter (or 
  his companions) to quickly pull or kick open the 
  door. Its eﬀ ects upon humans are not as great as 
  those of ordinary shotgun shells.
  In game terms, Lockbreaker shells do the same 
  damage as Standard Shot, but take the Limitation 
  Half Eﬀ ect On Targets Other Th an Locks And Hinges 
  (-½). Th is halving of damage takes place before the 
  application of Reduced Penetration, but aft er the 
  application of Reduced By Range.
  Rubber Shot
  Rubber Shot shells were invented for anti-riot 
  purposes. Th ey’re designed to stun the target with 
  several .30 caliber rubber pellets. Although intended 
  to be non-lethal, these rounds can still cause serious 
  injury or disability; a leg shot might, for example, 
  cause numbness and pain that would prevent the 
  target from walking for as much as a minute.
  In game terms, these rounds are bought as 
  Standard Shot, but as an Energy Blast with DCs 
  equivalent to those in a Killing Attack shell of the 
  same size.
  Saboted Slug
  Some slug shells contain the slug in a sabot. 
  Th is means the slug is smaller than it otherwise 
  could be, but it can attain greater velocity. Its shape 
  and speed give it signiﬁ cant penetrating power, and 
  also make it likely to tumble.
  In game terms, a saboted slug functions like a 
  Standard Slug, but with 1 point of Piercing (Resis-
  tant). Characters can also buy the Tumbling eﬀ ect 
  (page 208) for it if desired (the sample rounds 
  listed elsewhere in this book do not have the Tum-
  bling eﬀ ect).
  Semi-Armor Piercing Slug
  Semi-Armor Piercing Slugs are like AP Slugs, 
  but have slightly less penetrating capability.
  In game terms, Semi-Armor Piercing Slugs 
  have the Semi-Armor Piercing (+¼) Advantage.
  Silent
  Silent shells are constructed so that the 
  expanding gases that propel the round (a large 
  metal and plastic ﬂ echette) forward are trapped 
  inside the shell, which acts as a sort of “ram” to 
  
  213 
  Dark Champions ■ Chapter Five
  SHOTGUN AMMUNITION SUMMARY CHART
  Ammunition Type 
  .410 
  28, 24 
  20, 16 
  12 
  10 
  4 
  Notes
  Standard Shot 
  1½d6 
  2d6 
  2d6+1 
  2½d6 
  3d6 
  3d6+1 
  AE1, LR (20”), RR, RP
  Standard Slug 
  1½d6 
  2d6 
  2d6+1 
  2½d6 
  3d6 
  3d6+1 
  Beam, LR (50”)
  Air Bomb 
  5d6 EB 
  6d6 EB 
  7d6 EB 
  8d6 EB 
  9d6 EB 
  10d6 EB 
  AE1, LR (20”), Linked Flash 3d6
  Armor Piercing Slug 
  1d6+1 
  2d6-1 
  2d6 
  2d6+1 
  2½d6 
  3d6 
  AP, Beam, LR (50”)
  Baton/Beanbag 
  5d6 EB 
  6d6 EB 
  7d6 EB 
  8d6 EB 
  9d6 EB 
  10d6 EB 
  Beam, LR (20”)
  BRI Slug 
  1½d6 
  2d6 
  2d6+1 
  2½d6 
  3d6 
  3d6+1 
  Beam
  Buﬀ ered Shot 
  2d6-1 
  2d6+1 
  2½d6 
  3d6-1 
  3d6+1 
  3½d6 
  LR (30”), RR, RP
  Cubic Shot 
  1½d6 
  2d6 
  2d6+1 
  2½d6 
  3d6 
  3d6+1 
  AEC, NR, RR, RP
  Explosive Slug 
  1½d6 
  2d6 
  2d6+1 
  2½d6 
  3d6 
  3d6+1 
  Exp, LR (50”)
  Fireball 
  1½d6 
  2d6 
  2d6+1 
  2½d6 
  3d6 
  3d6+1 
  AE1, LR (20”), RR, RP, ﬁ restarting
  Flare 
  5d6 Flash 
  6d6 Flash 
  7d6 Flash 
  8d6 Flash 
  9d6 Flash 
  10d6 Flash Exp, LR (20”)
  Flechette 
  2d6-1 
  2d6+1 
  2½d6 
  3d6-1 
  3d6+1 
  3½d6 
  AP, LR (50”), RR, RP
  Ice 
  1½d6 
  2d6 
  2d6+1 
  2½d6 
  3d6 
  3d6+1 
  AE1, IPE, LR (20”), RR, RP
  Linked Shot 
  1d6+1 
  2d6-1 
  2d6 
  2d6+1 
  2½d6 
  3d6 
  LR (30”), RR, RP
  Lockbreaker 
  1½d6 
  2d6 
  2d6+1 
  2½d6 
  3d6 
  3d6+1 
  AE1, LR (20”), RR, RP, ½ damage
  Rubber Shot 
  5d6 EB 
  6d6 EB 
  7d6 EB 
  8d6 EB 
  9d6 EB 
  10d6 EB 
  AE1, LR (20”), RR, RP
  Saboted Slug 
  1½d6 
  2d6 
  2d6+1 
  2½d6 
  3d6 
  3d6+1 
  Beam, LR (50”), Piercing1
  Semi-AP Slug 
  1½d6 
  2d6 
  2d6+1 
  2½d6 
  3d6 
  3d6+1 
  Beam, LR (50”), Semi-AP
  Silent 
  1d6+1 
  2d6-1 
  2d6 
  2d6+1 
  2½d6 
  3d6 
  AE1, AP, CE, LR (30”)
  Smoke 
  CE 
  CE 
  CE 
  CE 
  CE 
  CE 
  CE (-3 Sight PER in 4” radius)
  Steel Shot 
  1½d6 
  2d6 
  2d6+1 
  2½d6 
  3d6 
  3d6+1 
  LR (30”), RR, RP
  Tear Gas 
  8d6 Flash 
  8d6 Flash 
  8d6 Flash 
  8d6 Flash 
  8d6 Flash 
  8d6 Flash 
  AE2, Indirect, LR (50”), 1 Turn
  Listed damage is Killing Damage unless indicated otherwise
  All shotgun rounds have a +1 STUN Modiﬁ er.
  KEY 
  1 Turn:  Continuing Charges lasting 1 Turn each 
  IPE:  Invisible Power Eﬀ ects
   
  AE1:  Area Of Eﬀ ect (One Hex) 
  LR:  Limited Range
   
  AE2:  Area Of Eﬀ ect (One Hex Doubled) 
  NND:  No Normal Defense
   
  AEC:  Area Of Eﬀ ect (Cone) 
  NR:  No Range
   
  AP: Armor Piercing (the Advantage) 
  Piercing1:  1 point of Piercing (Resistant)
   
  CE:  Change Environment 
  RP:  Reduced Penetration
   
  EB:  Energy Blast 
  RR:  Reduced By Range
   
  Exp:  Explosion 
  Semi-AP:  Semi-Armor Piercing
  propel the ﬂ echette toward the target. Because 
  the gases cannot escape properly, the shotgun is 
  much quieter. A Silent round has to be relatively 
  low-powered, and therefore (a) does slightly less 
  damage than standard shells, and (b) cannot be 
  ﬁ red in semi-automatic and automatic shotguns 
  because it cannot cycle the action.
  In game terms, Silent shells do slightly less 
  damage (from -1 point to -1 DC, depending on 
  gauge) than Standard Slugs and have less range 
  (30”), but have the Armor Piercing (+½) Advantage. 
  Th ey also have the following additional power:
  Change Environment 1” radius, -3 to Hearing 
  Group PER Rolls and -1 to Sight Group PER Rolls 
  to perceive, Multiple Combat Eﬀ ects (19 Active 
  Points [the addition of other Advantages, such 
  as Charges, may change this]); OAF (-1), Linked
  (-½), No Range (-½), Real Weapon (-¼), Self 
  Only (-½), STR Minimum (varies), other Limita-
  tions vary based on ﬁ rearm. Total cost:  varies.
  Smoke
  Smoke shells are miniature smoke grenades. 
  Instead of injuring the target, they create a large 
  cloud of thick smoke to blind the enemy, create 
  temporary visual cover, or the like.
  In game terms, Smoke shells of any gauge are 
  bought as follows:
  Change Environment 4” radius, -3 to Sight 
  Group PER Rolls (21 Active Points); OAF (-1), 
  Limited Range (20”; -¼), Real Weapon (-¼), 
  STR Minimum (varies), a number of Continu-
  ing Charges lasting 1 Turn each that depends on 
  the type of shotgun used. Total cost:  varies.
  Steel Shot
  Some shot is made from steel instead of lead. 
  Steel shot typically deforms less and spreads less 
  than lead shot, and thus shoots with a denser pat-
  tern.
  In game terms, Steel Shot does the same 
  damage as Standard Shot, but does not have the 
  Area Of Eﬀ ect (One Hex; +½) Advantage, and its 
  Limited Range increases to 30”.
  
  214 ■ Weapons
  Hero System 5th Edition
  Tear Gas
  Tear Gas shells ﬁ re ﬁ nned projectiles that con-
  tain tear gas. Th ey’re used for riot control and other 
  situations where the shooter needs to incapacitate 
  people. Th e shell is speciﬁ cally designed to pen-
  etrate walls and cars (if necessary) before releasing 
  the gas. In game terms, regardless of gauge they’re 
  bought as follows:
  Sight Group Flash 8d6, Area Of Eﬀ ect (One 
  Hex Doubled; +¾), Continuous (+1), Delayed 
  Recovery (+2), Indirect (can penetrate walls 
  and similar barriers within 30” of shooter, as 
  described in text; +¼) (200 Active Points); OAF 
  (-1), Limited Range (50”; -¼), Real Weapon
  (-¼), STR Minimum (varies), Two-Handed
  (-½), a number of Continuing Charges lasting 1 
  Turn each that depends on the type of shotgun 
  used. Total cost:  varies.
  At the GM’s option, if a tear gas round is ﬁ red 
  directly at a target within 5” of the shooter (other 
  than a barrier the shooter intends to shoot through, 
  as described above), the shell strikes as a slug of the 
  same gauge (but with -2 DCs of damage) before 
  releasing the tear gas.
  FIREARMS COST/
  UPGRADE TABLES
  Th e accompanying tables list the Charac-
  ter Point costs for ﬁ rearms using diﬀ erent types 
  of ammunition, based on the number of shots 
  (Charges) the gun has. Th ese charts all assume the 
  gun in question has a STR Min of 6-14.
  Th ese charts have several uses. Th e ﬁ rst and 
  simplest is to determine the cost of a ﬁ rearm 
  intended to ﬁ re a given type of ammunition, based 
  on the number of Charges the gun has. If you 
  want the gun to have multiple Clips, just move one 
  column to the right on the appropriate table for 
  every x2 Clips. Th us, two columns to the the right 
  is the cost of four clips, three is eight clips, and so 
  forth (don’t forget to allow for the doubling that 
  occurs when you go from 13-16 Charges to 17-32 
  Charges, if appropriate).
  Example:  Hammer wants to carry a .45 semi-
  automatic handgun loaded with Hollow Point 
  ammunition. Th e gun has 12 Charges. Consult-
  ing the Hollow Point table, he ﬁ nds out that this 
  gun will cost 12 Character Points. If he wants to 
  have two Clips, it will cost 13 points.
  Second, the tables tell you the cost of upgrad-
  ing a ﬁ rearm to carry more rounds of ammunition. 
  Look at the table to ﬁ nd out the cost of the gun 
  with the number of Charges you want it to have. 
  Subtract the gun’s current cost from that amount, 
  and the remainder is the Character Point cost 
  of upgrading the gun to carry more rounds. (Of 
  course, in a Heroic game, the character doesn’t 
  necessarily have to pay these points — he may get 
  them for free, or now have to allocate more points 
  to the gun from his Equipment Points.)
  
  215 
  Dark Champions ■ Chapter Five
  Example:  Aft er some intense ﬁ reﬁ ghts, Hammer 
  decides he wants to carry 16 rounds in his .45 
  instead of twelve. Looking at the Hollow Point 
  chart, he discovers that his gun would cost 13 
  Character Points with 16 Charges. He subtracts 
  12 (the cost of his gun with 12 Charges) from 13 
  and gets 1 — that’s the cost of upgrading his gun.
  Th ird, you can use these tables to determine 
  the cost of carrying a single clip of a special type 
  of ammunition. A character typically builds a gun 
  with the type of bullets he expects to ﬁ re in it nor-
  mally. However, he might also want to have a clip 
  or two of diﬀ erent types of ammunition. To ﬁ gure 
  out the Character Point cost of a single clip of a 
  given type of ammunition, ﬁ nd the cost of the gun 
  with its regular ammunition (or Standard, if no 
  other type is speciﬁ ed). Th en ﬁ nd the cost of the 
  gun with the exact same caliber of the type of bullet 
  the character wants to have in the single clip (the 
  character can choose whatever size of clip — i.e., 
  how many Charges the clip has). Th en subtract the 
  ﬁ rst number from the second number, and that tells 
  you the cost of the single clip in Character Points. 
  (If the cost is 0 or a negative number, the single clip 
  costs 1 Character Point.)
  Example:  Hammer decides he’d like to have a 
  single clip with 12 rounds of Reversed Ogive 
  ammunition for his .45. Consulting the Reversed 
  Ogive table, he ﬁ nds that his gun with Reversed 
  Ogive ammo would cost 19 Character Points. 
  He subtracts 12 (the cost of his gun with its 
  regular round, Hollow Points) from 19 and gets 
  7 — that’s the cost of his single clip of Reversed 
  Ogive ammo.
  Later Hammer also decides he wants a clip of 
  16 rounds of Armor Piercing ammunition. Con-
  sulting the Armor Piercing table, he ﬁ nds that 
  his gun with 16 Charges of AP ammo would cost 
  13 Character Points. He subtracts 12 (the cost 
  of his gun with 12 Charges of its regular round, 
  Hollow Points) from 13 and gets 1 — that’s the 
  cost of his single clip of Armor Piercing ammo.
  KEY
  Title:  Th e title of the table, and possibly other text 
  on the page, explain what type of ﬁ rearm the table 
  applies to. Th is covers such variables as standard 
  ﬁ rearms or shotguns, the STR Minimum in ques-
  tion, whether the weapon requires one hand or two 
  hands to ﬁ re, and so forth.
  Name:  Th e name of the type of ammunition the 
  table applies to. Other pertinent information, such 
  as relevant Power Modiﬁ ers, are listed here as well.
  Caliber:  Th e size of the bullet, which determines 
  the base damage a gun does. For shotguns, this 
  becomes Gauge.
  DMG:  Th e base damage the gun causes, depending 
  on type and size of ammunition.
  STUN:  Th e STUN Multiplier for the gun. Larger-
  caliber bullets have a +1 STUN Multiplier, as do all 
  shotgun rounds, and the tables reﬂ ect this.
  AcP:  Th e Active Points in the ﬁ rearm. Note 
  that this changes in the columns for 17 or more 
  Charges, since that applies an additional Advantage 
  to the weapon.
  Charges:  Th e numbered columns indicate the 
  number of Charges the ﬁ rearm has. For non-Auto-
  ﬁ re weapons, this ranges from 1 to 65-125. For 
  Autoﬁ re ﬁ rearms, this ranges from 9-12 to 126+.
  1 Turn:  Continuing Charges lasting 1 Turn each
  Act:  Activation Roll
  AE1:  Area Of Eﬀ ect (One Hex)
  AE2:  Area Of Eﬀ ect (One Hex Doubled)
  AEC:  Area Of Eﬀ ect (Cone)
  AP:  Armor Piercing (the Advantage)
  CBB:  Cannot Be Bounced
  CE:  Change Environment
  EB:  Energy Blast
  IMR2:  Increased Maximum Range (x2)
  IPE:  Invisible Power Eﬀ ects
  LR:  Limited Range
  M:  Magnum
  N:  NATO
  NND:  No Normal Defense
  Piercing1:  1 point of Piercing (Resistant)
  RP:  Reduced Penetration
  RR:  Reduced By Range
  Semi-AP:  Semi-Armor Piercing
  Win Mag:  Winchester Magnum
  
  216 ■ Weapons
  Hero System 5th Edition
  STANDARD FIREARMS TABLES
  Th ese tables are for standard ﬁ rearms (i.e., ones ﬁ ring bullets) loaded with Standard ammunition.
  STANDARD AMMUNITION, NON-AUTOFIRE, ONE-HANDED, STR MIN 6-14
  NAME
  CALIBER
  DMG
  STUN
  AcP 
  1
  2
  3
  4
  5-6
  7-8
  9-12
  13-16
  17-32
  33-64
  65-125
  Standard
  STR Min 6-14
  .22
  1d6-1
  1d6-1
  12
  2
  2
  2
  3
  3
  3
  3
  3
  15/4
  18/5
  21/6
  .32, .38
  1d6
  1d6-1
  15
  3
  3
  3
  3
  3
  4
  4
  4
  19/5
  22/6
  26/7
  .40, 9mm
  1d6+1
  1d6-1
  20
  4
  4
  4
  4
  5
  5
  5
  6
  25/7
  30/9
  35/10
  .357 M, .41 M, 10mm
  1½d6
  1d6-1
  25
  4
  5
  5
  5
  6
  6
  7
  7
  31/9
  37/11
  44/13
  .45 ACP, 11mm
  2d6-1
  1d6
  34
  6
  7
  7
  7
  8
  8
  9
  10
  40/11
  47/13
  54/15
  .44 M, .45 Win Mag
  2d6
  1d6
  37
  7
  7
  8
  8
  9
  9
  10
  11
  45/13
  52/15
  60/17
  .223, 5.56mmN
  2d6
  1d6
  37
  7
  7
  8
  8
  9
  9
  10
  11
  45/13
  52/15
  60/17
  .50 AE, 7.62mmN
  2d6+1
  1d6
  44
  8
  9
  9
  10
  10
  11
  12
  13
  52/15
  61/17
  70/20
  STANDARD AMMUNITION, NON-AUTOFIRE, TWO-HANDED, STR MIN 6-14
  NAME
  CALIBER
  DMG
  STUN
  AcP 
  1
  2
  3
  4
  5-6
  7-8
  9-12
  13-16
  17-32
  33-64
  65-125
  Standard
  STR Min 6-14
  .22
  1d6-1
  1d6-1
  12
  2
  2
  2
  2
  2
  3
  3
  3
  15/4
  18/4
  21/5
  .32, .38
  1d6
  1d6-1
  15
  2
  3
  3
  3
  3
  3
  3
  4
  19/5
  22/5
  26/6
  .40, 9mm
  1d6+1
  1d6-1
  20
  3
  4
  4
  4
  4
  4
  5
  5
  25/6
  30/7
  35/9
  .357 M, .41 M, 10mm
  1½d6
  1d6-1
  25
  4
  4
  5
  5
  5
  5
  6
  6
  31/8
  37/9
  44/11
  .45 ACP, 11mm
  2d6-1
  1d6
  34
  6
  6
  6
  7
  7
  7
  8
  8
  40/10
  47/12
  54/13
  .44 M, .45 Win Mag
  2d6
  1d6
  37
  6
  7
  7
  7
  8
  8
  9
  9
  45/11
  52/13
  60/15
  .223, 5.56mmN
  2d6
  1d6
  37
  6
  7
  7
  7
  8
  8
  9
  9
  45/11
  52/13
  60/15
  .50 AE, 7.62mmN
  2d6+1
  1d6
  44
  7
  8
  8
  9
  9
  10
  10
  11
  52/13
  61/15
  70/17
  STANDARD AMMUNITION, NON-AUTOFIRE, TWO-HANDED, STR MIN 15-17
  NAME
  CALIBER
  DMG
  STUN
  AcP 
  1
  2
  3
  4
  5-6
  7-8
  9-12
  13-16
  17-32
  33-64
  65-125
  Standard
  STR Min 15-17
  .22
  1d6-1
  1d6-1
  12
  2
  2
  2
  2
  2
  2
  3
  3
  15/3
  18/4
  21/5
  .32, .38
  1d6
  1d6-1
  15
  2
  3
  3
  3
  3
  3
  3
  3
  19/4
  22/5
  26/6
  .40, 9mm
  1d6+1
  1d6-1
  20
  3
  3
  4
  4
  4
  4
  4
  5
  25/6
  30/7
  35/8
  .357 M, .41 M, 10mm
  1½d6
  1d6-1
  25
  4
  4
  4
  5
  5
  5
  5
  6
  31/7
  37/9
  44/10
  .45 ACP, 11mm
  2d6-1
  1d6
  34
  5
  6
  6
  6
  7
  7
  7
  8
  40/9
  47/11
  54/13
  .44 M, .45 Win Mag
  2d6
  1d6
  37
  6
  6
  7
  7
  7
  8
  8
  9
  45/11
  52/12
  60/14
  .223, 5.56mmN
  2d6
  1d6
  37
  6
  6
  7
  7
  7
  8
  8
  9
  45/11
  52/12
  60/14
  .50 AE, 7.62mmN
  2d6+1
  1d6
  44
  7
  8
  8
  8
  9
  9
  10
  10
  52/12
  61/14
  70/16
  STANDARD AMMUNITION, NON-AUTOFIRE, TWO-HANDED, STR MIN 18+
  NAME
  CALIBER
  DMG
  STUN
  AcP 
  1
  2
  3
  4
  5-6
  7-8
  9-12
  13-16
  17-32
  33-64
  65-125
  Standard
  STR Min 18+
  .22
  1d6-1
  1d6-1
  12
  2
  2
  2
  2
  2
  2
  2
  3
  15/3
  18/4
  21/5
  .32, .38
  1d6
  1d6-1
  15
  2
  2
  3
  3
  3
  3
  3
  3
  19/4
  22/5
  26/6
  .40, 9mm
  1d6+1
  1d6-1
  20
  3
  3
  3
  4
  4
  4
  4
  4
  25/5
  30/7
  35/8
  .357 M, .41 M, 10mm
  1½d6
  1d6-1
  25
  4
  4
  4
  4
  5
  5
  5
  5
  31/7
  37/8
  44/10
  .45 ACP, 11mm
  2d6-1
  1d6
  34
  5
  6
  6
  6
  6
  7
  7
  7
  40/9
  47/10
  54/12
  .44 M, .45 Win Mag
  2d6
  1d6
  37
  6
  6
  6
  7
  7
  7
  8
  8
  45/10
  52/11
  60/13
  .223, 5.56mmN
  2d6
  1d6
  37
  6
  6
  6
  7
  7
  7
  8
  8
  45/10
  52/11
  60/13
  .50 AE, 7.62mmN
  2d6+1
  1d6
  44
  7
  7
  8
  8
  8
  9
  9
  10
  52/11
  61/13
  70/15
  
  217 
  Dark Champions ■ Chapter Five
  Standard Firearms Tables (Continued)
  STANDARD AMMUNITION, AUTOFIRE, ONE-HANDED, STR MIN 6-14
  NAME
  CALIBER
  DMG
  STUN
  AcP 
  9-12
  13-16
  17-32
  33-64
  65-125
  126+
  Standard
  AF5
  STR Min 6-14
  .22
  1d6-1
  1d6-1
  18
  5
  5
  21/6
  24/7
  27/8
  30/9
  .32, .38
  1d6
  1d6-1
  22
  6
  6
  26/7
  30/9
  34/10
  37/10
  .40, 9mm
  1d6+1
  1d6-1
  30
  8
  9
  35/10
  40/11
  45/13
  50/14
  .357 M, .41 M, 10mm
  1½d6
  1d6-1
  37
  10
  11
  44/13
  50/14
  56/16
  62/18
  .45 ACP, 11mm
  2d6-1
  1d6
  47
  12
  13
  54/15
  61/17
  67/19
  74/21
  .44 M, .45 Win Mag
  2d6
  1d6
  52
  14
  15
  60/17
  67/19
  75/21
  82/23
  .223, 5.56mmN
  2d6
  1d6
  52
  14
  15
  60/17
  67/19
  75/21
  82/23
  .50 AE, 7.62mmN
  2d6+1
  1d6
  61
  16
  17
  70/20
  79/23
  87/25
  96/27
  STANDARD AMMUNITION, AUTOFIRE, TWO-HANDED, STR MIN 6-14
  NAME
  CALIBER
  DMG
  STUN
  AcP 
  9-12
  13-16
  17-32
  33-64
  65-125
  126+
  Standard
  AF5
  STR Min 6-14
  .22
  1d6-1
  1d6-1
  18
  4
  4
  21/5
  24/6
  27/7
  30/7
  .32, .38
  1d6
  1d6-1
  22
  5
  5
  26/6
  30/7
  34/8
  37/9
  .40, 9mm
  1d6+1
  1d6-1
  30
  7
  7
  35/9
  40/10
  45/11
  50/12
  .357 M, .41 M, 10mm
  1½d6
  1d6-1
  37
  9
  9
  44/11
  50/12
  56/14
  62/15
  .45 ACP, 11mm
  2d6-1
  1d6
  47
  11
  12
  54/13
  61/15
  67/17
  74/18
  .44 M, .45 Win Mag
  2d6
  1d6
  52
  12
  13
  60/15
  67/17
  75/19
  82/20
  .223, 5.56mmN
  2d6
  1d6
  52
  12
  13
  60/15
  67/17
  75/19
  82/20
  .50 AE, 7.62mmN
  2d6+1
  1d6
  61
  14
  15
  70/17
  79/20
  87/22
  96/24
  STANDARD AMMUNITION, AUTOFIRE, TWO-HANDED, STR MIN 15-17
  NAME
  CALIBER
  DMG
  STUN
  AcP 
  9-12
  13-16
  17-32
  33-64
  65-125
  126+
  Standard
  AF5
  STR Min 15-17
  .22
  1d6-1
  1d6-1
  18
  4
  4
  21/5
  24/6
  27/6
  30/7
  .32, .38
  1d6
  1d6-1
  22
  5
  5
  26/6
  30/7
  34/8
  37/9
  .40, 9mm
  1d6+1
  1d6-1
  30
  7
  7
  35/8
  40/9
  45/11
  50/12
  .357 M, .41 M, 10mm
  1½d6
  1d6-1
  37
  8
  9
  44/10
  50/12
  56/13
  62/14
  .45 ACP, 11mm
  2d6-1
  1d6
  47
  10
  11
  54/13
  61/14
  67/16
  74/17
  .44 M, .45 Win Mag
  2d6
  1d6
  52
  11
  12
  60/14
  67/16
  75/18
  82/19
  .223, 5.56mmN
  2d6
  1d6
  52
  11
  12
  60/14
  67/16
  75/18
  82/19
  .50 AE, 7.62mmN
  2d6+1
  1d6
  61
  13
  14
  70/16
  79/19
  87/20
  96/23
  STANDARD AMMUNITION, AUTOFIRE, TWO-HANDED, STR MIN 18+
  NAME
  CALIBER
  DMG
  STUN
  AcP 
  9-12
  13-16
  17-32
  33-64
  65-125
  126+
  Standard
  AF5
  STR Min 18+
  .22
  1d6-1
  1d6-1
  18
  4
  4
  21/5
  24/5
  27/6
  30/7
  .32, .38
  1d6
  1d6-1
  22
  5
  5
  26/6
  30/7
  34/7
  37/8
  .40, 9mm
  1d6+1
  1d6-1
  30
  6
  7
  35/8
  40/9
  45/10
  50/11
  .357 M, .41 M, 10mm
  1½d6
  1d6-1
  37
  8
  8
  44/10
  50/11
  56/12
  62/14
  .45 ACP, 11mm
  2d6-1
  1d6
  47
  10
  10
  54/12
  61/13
  67/15
  74/16
  .44 M, .45 Win Mag
  2d6
  1d6
  52
  11
  11
  60/13
  67/15
  75/17
  82/18
  .223, 5.56mmN
  2d6
  1d6
  52
  11
  11
  60/13
  67/15
  75/17
  82/18
  .50 AE, 7.62mmN
  2d6+1
  1d6
  61
  13
  13
  70/15
  79/17
  87/19
  96/21
  
  218 ■ Weapons
  Hero System 5th Edition
  EXOTIC AMMUNITION TABLES
  Th ese tables are for standard ﬁ rearms (i.e., ones ﬁ ring bullets) loaded with exotic forms of ammunition, such AET, Frangible, or Sub-
  sonic. All are for one-handed, non-Autoﬁ re weapons with a STR Minimum of 6-14.
  AET AMMUNITION, NON-AUTOFIRE, ONE-HANDED, STR MIN 6-14
  NAME
  CALIBER
  DMG
  STUN
  AcP 
  1
  2
  3
  4
  5-6
  7-8
  9-12
  13-16
  17-32
  33-64
  65-125
  AET
  CBB, RP, 
  STR Min 6-14
  .22
  1d6
  1d6-1
  15
  2
  3
  3
  3
  3
  3
  3
  4
  19/5
  22/5
  26/6
  .32, .38
  1d6+1
  1d6-1
  20
  3
  4
  4
  4
  4
  4
  5
  5
  25/6
  30/7
  35/9
  .40, 9mm
  1½d6
  1d6-1
  25
  4
  4
  5
  5
  5
  5
  6
  6
  31/8
  37/9
  44/11
  .357 M, .41 M, 10mm
  2d6
  1d6-1
  30
  5
  5
  6
  6
  6
  7
  7
  7
  37/9
  45/11
  52/13
  .45 ACP, 11mm
  2d6
  1d6
  37
  6
  7
  7
  7
  8
  8
  9
  9
  45/11
  52/13
  60/15
  .44 M, .45 Win Mag
  2d6+1
  1d6
  44
  7
  8
  8
  9
  9
  10
  10
  11
  52/13
  61/15
  70/17
  .223, 5.56mmN
  2d6+1
  1d6
  44
  7
  8
  8
  9
  9
  10
  10
  11
  52/13
  61/15
  70/17
  .50 AE, 7.62mmN
  2½d6
  1d6
  50
  8
  9
  9
  10
  10
  11
  12
  12
  60/15
  70/17
  80/20
  AET COMPOSITE AMMUNITION, NON-AUTOFIRE, ONE-HANDED, STR MIN 6-14
  NAME
  CALIBER
  DMG
  STUN
  AcP 
  1
  2
  3
  4
  5-6
  7-8
  9-12
  13-16
  17-32
  33-64
  65-125
  AET
  Composite
  CBB,
  STR Min 6-14
  .22
  1d6
  1d6-1
  15
  3
  3
  3
  3
  3
  3
  4
  4
  19/5
  22/6
  26/7
  .32, .38
  1d6+1
  1d6-1
  20
  3
  4
  4
  4
  4
  5
  5
  5
  25/7
  30/8
  35/9
  .40, 9mm
  1½d6
  1d6-1
  25
  4
  5
  5
  5
  5
  6
  6
  7
  31/8
  37/10
  44/12
  .357 M, .41 M, 10mm
  2d6
  1d6-1
  30
  5
  6
  6
  6
  7
  7
  7
  8
  37/10
  45/12
  52/14
  .45 ACP, 11mm
  2d6
  1d6
  37
  6
  7
  7
  8
  8
  9
  9
  10
  45/12
  52/14
  60/15
  .44 M, .45 Win Mag
  2d6+1
  1d6
  44
  8
  8
  9
  9
  10
  10
  11
  12
  52/14
  61/16
  70/19
  .223, 5.56mmN
  2d6+1
  1d6
  44
  8
  8
  9
  9
  10
  10
  11
  12
  52/14
  61/16
  70/19
  .50 AE, 7.62mmN
  2½d6
  1d6
  50
  9
  9
  10
  10
  11
  12
  12
  13
  60/16
  70/19
  80/21
  ARMOR PIERCING AMMUNITION, NON-AUTOFIRE, ONE-HANDED, STR MIN 6-14
  NAME
  CALIBER
  DMG
  STUN
  AcP 
  1
  2
  3
  4
  5-6
  7-8
  9-12
  13-16
  17-32
  33-64
  65-125
  Armor
  Piercing
  AP
  STR Min 6-14
  .22
  ½d6
  1d6-1
  15
  3
  3
  3
  3
  3
  4
  4
  4
  17/5
  20/6
  22/6
  .32, .38
  1d6-1
  1d6-1
  18
  3
  4
  4
  4
  4
  4
  5
  5
  21/6
  24/7
  27/8
  .40, 9mm
  1d6
  1d6-1
  22
  4
  4
  5
  5
  5
  5
  6
  6
  26/7
  30/9
  34/10
  .357 M, .41 M, 10mm
  1d6+1
  1d6-1
  30
  5
  6
  6
  7
  7
  7
  8
  9
  35/10
  40/11
  45/13
  .45 ACP, 11mm
  1½d6
  1d6
  44
  8
  9
  9
  10
  10
  11
  12
  13
  50/14
  56/16
  62/18
  .44 M, .45 Win Mag
  2d6-1
  1d6
  47
  8
  9
  10
  10
  11
  12
  12
  13
  54/15
  61/17
  67/19
  .223, 5.56mmN
  2d6
  1d6
  52
  9
  10
  11
  11
  12
  13
  14
  15
  60/17
  67/19
  75/21
  .50 AE, 7.62mmN
  2d6
  1d6
  52
  9
  10
  11
  11
  12
  13
  14
  15
  60/17
  67/19
  75/21
  AP DEPLETED URANIUM AMMUNITION, NON-AUTOFIRE, ONE-HANDED, STR MIN 6-14
  NAME
  CALIBER
  DMG
  STUN
  AcP 
  1
  2
  3
  4
  5-6
  7-8
  9-12
  13-16
  17-32
  33-64
  65-125
  Armor
  Piercing
  Depleted
  Uranium
  AP, Piercing 1, 
  ﬁ restarting
  STR Min 6-14
  .22
  ½d6
  1d6-1
  35
  5
  7
  7
  7
  7
  8
  8
  8
  39/11
  42/11
  45/12
  .32, .38
  1d6-1
  1d6-1
  38
  6
  7
  8
  8
  8
  8
  9
  9
  42/11
  46/13
  50/14
  .40, 9mm
  1d6
  1d6-1
  43
  7
  8
  9
  9
  9
  20
  10
  11
  47/13
  52/14
  56/15
  .357 M, .41 M, 10mm
  1d6+1
  1d6-1
  50
  8
  10
  10
  10
  11
  11
  12
  13
  56/15
  62/17
  68/19
  .45 ACP, 11mm
  1½d6
  1d6
  65
  11
  13
  13
  14
  14
  15
  16
  17
  73/20
  80/22
  87/24
  .44 M, .45 Win Mag
  2d6-1
  1d6
  68
  11
  13
  14
  14
  15
  16
  17
  18
  77/21
  84/23
  92/25
  .223, 5.56mmN
  2d6
  1d6
  74
  12
  15
  15
  16
  17
  17
  18
  20
  83/23
  91/25
  99/28
  .50 AE, 7.62mmN
  2d6
  1d6
  74
  12
  15
  15
  16
  17
  17
  18
  20
  83/23
  91/25
  99/28
  
  219 
  Dark Champions ■ Chapter Five
  Exotic Ammunition Tables (Continued)
  ARMOR PIERCING EXPLOSIVE AMMUNITION, NON-AUTOFIRE, ONE-HANDED, STR MIN 6-14
  NAME
  CALIBER
  DMG
  STUN
  AcP 
  1
  2
  3
  4
  5-6
  7-8
  9-12
  13-16
  17-32
  33-64
  65-125
  Armor
  Piercing
  Explosive
  AP
  CBB,
  STR Min 6-14
  .22
  1d6
  1d6-1
  22
  4
  4
  4
  5
  5
  5
  5
  6
  26/7
  30/8
  34/9
  .32, .38
  1d6+1
  1d6-1
  30
  5
  6
  6
  6
  7
  7
  7
  8
  35/9
  40/11
  45/12
  .40, 9mm
  1½d6
  1d6-1
  37
  6
  7
  7
  8
  8
  9
  9
  10
  44/12
  50/13
  56/15
  .357 M, .41 M, 10mm
  2d6
  1d6-1
  45
  8
  9
  9
  9
  10
  11
  11
  12
  52/14
  60/16
  67/18
  .45 ACP, 11mm
  2d6
  1d6
  52
  9
  10
  10
  11
  11
  12
  13
  14
  60/16
  67/18
  75/20
  .44 M, .45 Win Mag
  2d6+1
  1d6
  61
  11
  12
  12
  13
  13
  14
  15
  16
  70/16
  79/21
  87/23
  .223, 5.56mmN
  2d6+1
  1d6
  61
  11
  12
  12
  13
  13
  14
  15
  16
  70/19
  79/21
  87/23
  .50 AE, 7.62mmN
  2½d6
  1d6
  70
  12
  13
  14
  15
  15
  16
  17
  19
  80/21
  90/24
  100/27
  ARMOR PIERCING HARDCORE AMMUNITION, NON-AUTOFIRE, ONE-HANDED, STR MIN 6-14
  NAME
  CALIBER
  DMG
  STUN
  AcP 
  1
  2
  3
  4
  5-6
  7-8
  9-12
  13-16
  17-32
  33-64
  65-125
  Armor
  Piercing
  Hardcore
  AP, Piercing1
  STR Min 6-14
  .22
  ½d6
  1d6-1
  19
  3
  4
  4
  4
  4
  5
  5
  5
  23/7
  26/7
  29/8
  .32, .38
  1d6-1
  1d6-1
  22
  4
  4
  5
  5
  5
  5
  6
  6
  26/7
  30/9
  34/10
  .40, 9mm
  1d6
  1d6-1
  27
  5
  5
  6
  6
  6
  7
  7
  8
  31/9
  36/10
  40/11
  .357 M, .41 M, 10mm
  1d6+1
  1d6-1
  34
  6
  7
  7
  7
  8
  8
  9
  10
  40/11
  46/13
  52/15
  .45 ACP, 11mm
  1½d6
  1d6
  49
  9
  10
  10
  11
  11
  12
  13
  14
  56/16
  63/18
  70/20
  .44 M, .45 Win Mag
  2d6-1
  1d6
  52
  9
  10
  11
  11
  12
  13
  14
  15
  60/17
  67/19
  75/21
  .223, 5.56mmN
  2d6
  1d6
  58
  10
  12
  12
  13
  14
  14
  15
  17
  66/19
  74/21
  82/23
  .50 AE, 7.62mmN
  2d6
  1d6
  58
  10
  12
  12
  13
  14
  14
  15
  17
  66/19
  74/21
  82/23
  AP HARDCORE EXPLOSIVE AMMUNITION, NON-AUTOFIRE, ONE-HANDED, STR MIN 6-14
  NAME
  CALIBER
  DMG
  STUN
  AcP 
  1
  2
  3
  4
  5-6
  7-8
  9-12
  13-16
  17-32
  33-64
  65-125
  Armor
  Piercing
  Hardcore
  Explosive
  AP, Piercing1
  STR Min 6-14
  .22
  1d6
  1d6-1
  27
  5
  5
  6
  6
  6
  7
  7
  8
  31/9
  36/10
  40/11
  .32, .38
  1d6+1
  1d6-1
  34
  6
  7
  7
  7
  8
  8
  9
  10
  40/11
  46/13
  52/15
  .40, 9mm
  1½d6
  1d6-1
  42
  8
  8
  9
  9
  10
  10
  11
  12
  49/14
  56/16
  63/18
  .357 M, .41 M, 10mm
  2d6
  1d6-1
  49
  9
  10
  10
  11
  11
  12
  13
  14
  58/17
  66/19
  74/21
  .45 ACP, 11mm
  2d6
  1d6
  58
  10
  12
  12
  13
  14
  14
  15
  17
  66/19
  74/21
  82/23
  .44 M, .45 Win Mag
  2d6+1
  1d6
  66
  12
  13
  14
  15
  15
  16
  18
  19
  76/22
  85/24
  95/27
  .223, 5.56mmN
  2d6+1
  1d6
  66
  12
  13
  14
  15
  15
  16
  18
  19
  76/22
  85/24
  95/27
  .50 AE, 7.62mmN
  2½d6
  1d6
  75
  14
  15
  16
  17
  18
  19
  20
  21
  86/25
  97/28
  107/31
  AP INCENDIARY AMMUNITION, NON-AUTOFIRE, ONE-HANDED, STR MIN 6-14
  NAME
  CALIBER
  DMG
  STUN
  AcP 
  1
  2
  3
  4
  5-6
  7-8
  9-12
  13-16
  17-32
  33-64
  65-125
  Armor
  Piercing
  Incendiary
  AP, ﬁ restarting
  STR Min 6-14
  .22
  ½d6
  1d6-1
  31
  6
  6
  6
  6
  7
  8
  8
  9
  33/10
  36/11
  38/12
  .32, .38
  1d6-1
  1d6-1
  34
  6
  6
  7
  7
  8
  8
  9
  10
  37/11
  40/12
  43/14
  .40, 9mm
  1d6
  1d6-1
  38
  7
  7
  8
  8
  9
  9
  10
  11
  42/12
  46/14
  50/16
  .357 M, .41 M, 10mm
  1d6+1
  1d6-1
  46
  8
  9
  8
  10
  11
  11
  12
  14
  51/15
  56/16
  61/19
  .45 ACP, 11mm
  1½d6
  1d6
  61
  11
  12
  12
  13
  14
  15
  16
  18
  67/19
  73/21
  79/24
  .44 M, .45 Win Mag
  2d6-1
  1d6
  64
  11
  12
  13
  13
  15
  16
  16
  18
  81/20
  78/22
  84/25
  .223, 5.56mmN
  2d6
  1d6
  68
  12
  13
  14
  14
  16
  17
  18
  20
  77/22
  84/24
  92/27
  .50 AE, 7.62mmN
  2d6
  1d6
  68
  12
  13
  14
  14
  16
  17
  18
  20
  77/22
  84/24
  92/27
  
  220 ■ Weapons
  Hero System 5th Edition
  Exotic Ammunition Tables (Continued)
  ARMOR PIERCING SABOTED AMMUNITION, NON-AUTOFIRE, ONE-HANDED, STR MIN 6-14
  NAME
  CALIBER
  DMG
  STUN
  AcP 
  1
  2
  3
  4
  5-6
  7-8
  9-12
  13-16
  17-32
  33-64
  65-125
  Armor
  Piercing
  Saboted
  AP, IPE (no 
  riﬂ ing marks 
  on bullet)
  STR Min 6-14
  .22
  ½d6
  1d6-1
  17
  3
  3
  4
  4
  4
  4
  4
  5
  20/6
  22/6
  25/7
  .32, .38
  1d6-1
  1d6-1
  21
  4
  4
  4
  5
  5
  5
  6
  6
  24/7
  27/8
  30/9
  .40, 9mm
  1d6
  1d6-1
  26
  5
  5
  5
  6
  6
  6
  7
  7
  30/9
  34/10
  37/11
  .357 M, .41 M, 10mm
  1d6+1
  1d6-1
  35
  6
  7
  7
  8
  8
  9
  9
  10
  40/11
  45/13
  50/14
  .45 ACP, 11mm
  1½d6
  1d6
  50
  9
  10
  10
  11
  12
  12
  13
  14
  56/16
  62/18
  69/20
  .44 M, .45 Win Mag
  2d6-1
  1d6
  54
  10
  11
  11
  12
  13
  13
  14
  15
  61/17
  67/19
  74/21
  .223, 5.56mmN
  2d6
  1d6
  60
  11
  12
  13
  13
  14
  15
  16
  17
  67/19
  75/21
  82/23
  .50 AE, 7.62mmN
  2d6
  1d6
  60
  11
  12
  13
  13
  14
  15
  16
  17
  67/19
  75/21
  82/23
  CASED TELESCOPED AMMUNITION, NON-AUTOFIRE, ONE-HANDED, STR MIN 6-14
  NAME
  CALIBER
  DMG
  STUN
  AcP 
  1
  2
  3
  4
  5-6
  7-8
  9-12
  13-16
  17-32
  33-64
  65-125
  Cased
  Telescoped
  STR Min 6-14
  .22
  1d6
  1d6-1
  15
  3
  3
  3
  3
  3
  4
  4
  4
  19/5
  22/6
  26/7
  .32, .38
  1d6+1
  1d6-1
  20
  4
  4
  4
  4
  5
  5
  5
  6
  25/7
  30/9
  35/10
  .40, 9mm
  1½d6
  1d6-1
  25
  4
  5
  5
  5
  6
  6
  7
  7
  31/9
  37/11
  44/13
  .357 M, .41 M, 10mm
  2d6
  1d6-1
  30
  5
  6
  6
  7
  7
  7
  8
  9
  37/11
  45/13
  52/15
  .45 ACP, 11mm
  2d6
  1d6
  37
  7
  7
  8
  8
  9
  9
  10
  11
  45/13
  52/15
  60/17
  .44 M, .45 Win Mag
  2d6+1
  1d6
  44
  8
  9
  9
  10
  10
  11
  12
  13
  52/15
  61/17
  70/20
  .223, 5.56mmN
  2d6+1
  1d6
  44
  8
  9
  9
  10
  10
  11
  12
  13
  52/15
  61/17
  70/20
  .50 AE, 7.62mmN
  2½d6
  1d6
  50
  9
  10
  10
  11
  12
  12
  13
  14
  60/17
  70/20
  80/23
  CASELESS AMMUNITION, NON-AUTOFIRE, ONE-HANDED, STR MIN 6-14
  NAME
  CALIBER
  DMG
  STUN
  AcP 
  1
  2
  3
  4
  5-6
  7-8
  9-12
  13-16
  17-32
  33-64
  65-125
  Caseless
  IPE (leaves no 
  shell casings)
  STR Min 6-14
  .22
  1d6-1
  1d6-1
  15
  3
  3
  3
  3
  3
  4
  4
  4
  18/5
  21/6
  24/7
  .32, .38
  1d6
  1d6-1
  19
  3
  4
  4
  4
  4
  5
  5
  5
  22/6
  26/7
  30/9
  .40, 9mm
  1d6+1
  1d6-1
  25
  4
  5
  5
  5
  6
  6
  7
  7
  30/9
  35/10
  40/11
  .357 M, .41 M, 10mm
  1½d6
  1d6-1
  31
  6
  6
  6
  7
  7
  8
  8
  9
  37/11
  44/13
  50/14
  .45 ACP, 11mm
  2d6-1
  1d6
  40
  7
  8
  8
  9
  9
  10
  11
  11
  47/13
  54/15
  61/17
  .44 M, .45 Win Mag
  2d6
  1d6
  45
  8
  9
  9
  10
  11
  11
  12
  13
  52/15
  60/17
  67/19
  .223, 5.56mmN
  2d6
  1d6
  45
  8
  9
  9
  10
  11
  11
  12
  13
  52/15
  60/17
  67/19
  .50 AE, 7.62mmN
  2d6+1
  1d6
  52
  9
  10
  11
  11
  12
  13
  14
  15
  61/17
  70/20
  79/23
  DUPLEX AMMUNITION, NON-AUTOFIRE, ONE-HANDED, STR MIN 6-14
  NAME
  CALIBER
  DMG
  STUN
  AcP 
  1
  2
  3
  4
  5-6
  7-8
  9-12
  13-16
  17-32
  33-64
  65-125
  Duplex
  RP,
  STR Min 6-14
  .22
  1d6
  1d6-1
  15
  3
  3
  3
  3
  3
  3
  4
  4
  19/5
  22/6
  26/7
  .32, .38
  1d6+1
  1d6-1
  20
  3
  4
  4
  4
  4
  5
  5
  5
  25/7
  30/8
  35/9
  .40, 9mm
  1½d6
  1d6-1
  25
  4
  5
  5
  5
  5
  6
  6
  7
  31/8
  37/10
  44/12
  .357 M, .41 M, 10mm
  2d6
  1d6-1
  30
  5
  6
  6
  6
  7
  7
  7
  8
  37/10
  45/12
  52/14
  .45 ACP, 11mm
  2d6
  1d6
  37
  6
  7
  7
  8
  8
  9
  9
  10
  45/12
  52/14
  60/15
  .44 M, .45 Win Mag
  2d6+1
  1d6
  44
  8
  8
  9
  9
  10
  10
  11
  12
  52/14
  61/16
  70/19
  .223, 5.56mmN
  2d6+1
  1d6
  44
  8
  8
  9
  9
  10
  10
  11
  12
  52/14
  61/16
  70/19
  .50 AE, 7.62mmN
  2½d6
  1d6
  50
  9
  9
  10
  10
  11
  12
  12
  13
  60/16
  70/19
  80/21
  
  221 
  Dark Champions ■ Chapter Five
  Exotic Ammunition Tables (Continued)
  ELECTRIC AMMUNITION, NON-AUTOFIRE, ONE-HANDED, STR MIN 6-14
  NAME
  CALIBER
  DMG
  STUN
  AcP 
  1
  2
  3
  4
  5-6
  7-8
  9-12
  13-16
  17-32
  33-64
  65-125
  Electric
  EB 8d6, NND 
  (defense is 
  rED), Linked
  STR Min 6-14
  .22
  1d6-1
  1d6-1
  92
  19
  21
  22
  24
  26
  28
  30
  32
  105/37
  118/41
  131/46
  .32, .38
  1d6
  1d6-1
  95
  20
  22
  23
  24
  26
  29
  31
  33
  109/38
  122/42
  136/47
  .40, 9mm
  1d6+1
  1d6-1
  100
  21
  23
  24
  25
  28
  30
  32
  35
  115/40
  130/45
  145/50
  .357 M, .41 M, 10mm
  1½d6
  1d6-1
  105
  21
  24
  25
  26
  29
  31
  34
  36
  121/42
  137/47
  154/53
  .45 ACP, 11mm
  2d6-1
  1d6
  114
  23
  26
  27
  28
  31
  33
  26
  39
  130/44
  147/49
  164/55
  .44 M, .45 Win Mag
  2d6
  1d6
  117
  24
  26
  28
  29
  32
  34
  37
  40
  135/46
  152/51
  170/57
  .223, 5.56mmN
  2d6
  1d6
  117
  24
  26
  28
  29
  32
  34
  37
  40
  135/46
  152/51
  170/57
  .50 AE, 7.62mmN
  2d6+1
  1d6
  124
  25
  27
  29
  31
  33
  36
  39
  42
  142/48
  161/53
  180/60
  EXPLOSIVE AMMUNITION, NON-AUTOFIRE, ONE-HANDED, STR MIN 6-14
  NAME
  CALIBER
  DMG
  STUN
  AcP 
  1
  2
  3
  4
  5-6
  7-8
  9-12
  13-16
  17-32
  33-64
  65-125
  Explosive
  STR Min 6-14
  .22
  1d6
  1d6-1
  15
  3
  3
  3
  3
  3
  4
  4
  4
  19/5
  22/6
  26/7
  .32, .38
  1d6+1
  1d6-1
  20
  4
  4
  4
  4
  5
  5
  5
  6
  25/7
  30/9
  35/10
  .40, 9mm
  1½d6
  1d6-1
  25
  4
  5
  5
  5
  6
  6
  7
  7
  31/9
  37/11
  44/13
  .357 M, .41 M, 10mm
  2d6
  1d6-1
  30
  5
  6
  6
  7
  7
  7
  8
  9
  37/11
  45/13
  52/15
  .45 ACP, 11mm
  2d6
  1d6
  37
  7
  7
  8
  8
  9
  9
  10
  11
  45/13
  52/15
  60/17
  .44 M, .45 Win Mag
  2d6+1
  1d6
  44
  8
  9
  9
  10
  10
  11
  12
  13
  52/15
  61/17
  70/20
  .223, 5.56mmN
  2d6+1
  1d6
  44
  8
  9
  9
  10
  10
  11
  12
  13
  52/15
  61/17
  70/20
  .50 AE, 7.62mmN
  2½d6
  1d6
  50
  9
  10
  10
  11
  12
  12
  13
  14
  60/17
  70/20
  80/23
  FIBERGLASS/PLASTIC AMMUNITION, NON-AUTOFIRE, ONE-HANDED, STR MIN 6-14
  NAME
  CALIBER
  DMG
  STUN
  AcP 
  1
  2
  3
  4
  5-6
  7-8
  9-12
  13-16
  17-32
  33-64
  65-125
  Fiberglass/
  Plastic
  IPE (-3 to 
  Forensic Medi-
  cine rolls)
  STR Min 6-14
  .22
  1d6-1
  1d6-1
  15
  3
  3
  3
  3
  3
  4
  4
  4
  18/5
  21/6
  24/7
  .32, .38
  1d6
  1d6-1
  19
  3
  4
  4
  4
  4
  5
  5
  5
  22/6
  26/7
  30/9
  .40, 9mm
  1d6+1
  1d6-1
  25
  4
  5
  5
  5
  6
  6
  7
  7
  30/9
  35/10
  40/11
  .357 M, .41 M, 10mm
  1½d6
  1d6-1
  31
  6
  6
  6
  7
  7
  8
  8
  9
  37/11
  44/13
  50/14
  .45 ACP, 11mm
  2d6-1
  1d6
  40
  7
  8
  8
  9
  9
  10
  11
  11
  47/13
  54/15
  61/17
  .44 M, .45 Win Mag
  2d6
  1d6
  45
  8
  9
  9
  10
  11
  11
  12
  13
  52/15
  60/17
  67/19
  .223, 5.56mmN
  2d6
  1d6
  45
  8
  9
  9
  10
  11
  11
  12
  13
  52/15
  60/17
  67/19
  .50 AE, 7.62mmN
  2d6+1
  1d6
  52
  9
  10
  11
  11
  12
  13
  14
  15
  61/17
  70/20
  79/23
  FLECHETTE AMMUNITION, NON-AUTOFIRE, ONE-HANDED, STR MIN 6-14
  NAME
  CALIBER
  DMG
  STUN
  AcP 
  1
  2
  3
  4
  5-6
  7-8
  9-12
  13-16
  17-32
  33-64
  65-125
  Flechette
  AP, IMR2, 
  IPE (leaves no 
  riﬂ ing marks 
  on ﬂ echette)
  STR Min 6-14
  .22
  1d6
  1d6-1
  30
  5
  6
  6
  7
  7
  7
  8
  9
  34/10
  37/11
  41/12
  .32, .38
  1d6+1
  1d6-1
  40
  7
  8
  8
  9
  9
  10
  11
  11
  45/13
  50/14
  55/16
  .40, 9mm
  1½d6
  1d6-1
  50
  9
  10
  10
  11
  12
  12
  13
  14
  56/16
  62/18
  69/20
  .357 M, .41 M, 10mm
  2d6
  1d6-1
  60
  11
  12
  13
  13
  14
  15
  16
  17
  67/18
  75/21
  82/23
  .45 ACP, 11mm
  2d6
  1d6
  67
  12
  13
  14
  15
  16
  17
  18
  19
  75/21
  82/23
  90/26
  .44 M, .45 Win Mag
  2d6+1
  1d6
  79
  14
  16
  17
  17
  19
  20
  21
  23
  87/25
  96/27
  105/30
  .223, 5.56mmN
  2d6+1
  1d6
  79
  14
  16
  17
  17
  19
  20
  21
  23
  87/25
  96/27
  105/30
  .50 AE, 7.62mmN
  2½d6
  1d6
  90
  16
  18
  19
  20
  21
  22
  24
  26
  100/29
  110/
  120/34
  
  222 ■ Weapons
  Hero System 5th Edition
  Exotic Ammunition Tables (Continued)
  FRANGIBLE AMMUNITION, NON-AUTOFIRE, ONE-HANDED, STR MIN 6-14
  NAME
  CALIBER
  DMG
  STUN
  AcP 
  1
  2
  3
  4
  5-6
  7-8
  9-12
  13-16
  17-32
  33-64
  65-125
  Frangible
  CBB, No Eﬀ ect 
  Th rough
  Barriers, RP, 
  STR Min 6-14
  .22
  1d6+1
  1d6-1
  20
  3
  3
  4
  4
  4
  4
  4
  5
  25/6
  30/7
  35/8
  .32, .38
  1½d6
  1d6-1
  25
  4
  4
  4
  5
  5
  5
  5
  6
  31/7
  37/9
  44/10
  .40, 9mm
  2d6
  1d6-1
  30
  5
  5
  5
  6
  6
  6
  7
  7
  37/9
  45/11
  52/12
  .357 M, .41 M, 10mm
  2d6+1
  1d6-1
  35
  6
  6
  6
  7
  7
  7
  8
  8
  44/10
  52/12
  61/14
  .45 ACP, 11mm
  2d6+1
  1d6
  44
  7
  8
  8
  8
  9
  9
  10
  10
  52/12
  61/14
  70/16
  .44 M, .45 Win Mag
  2½d6
  1d6
  50
  8
  9
  9
  9
  10
  10
  11
  12
  60/14
  70/16
  80/19
  .223, 5.56mmN
  2½d6
  1d6
  50
  8
  9
  9
  9
  10
  10
  11
  12
  60/14
  70/16
  80/19
  .50 AE, 7.62mmN
  3d6
  1d6
  56
  9
  10
  10
  11
  11
  12
  12
  13
  67/16
  79/19
  90/21
  GYROJET AMMUNITION, NON-AUTOFIRE, ONE-HANDED, STR MIN 6-14
  NAME
  CALIBER
  DMG
  STUN
  AcP 
  1
  2
  3
  4
  5-6
  7-8
  9-12
  13-16
  17-32
  33-64
  65-125
  Gyrojet
  IMR2, IPE 
  (leaves no shell 
  casings)
  STR Min 6-14
  .22
  1d6-1
  1d6-1
  18
  3
  4
  4
  4
  4
  4
  5
  5
  21/6
  24/7
  27/8
  .32, .38
  1d6
  1d6-1
  22
  4
  4
  5
  5
  5
  5
  6
  6
  26/7
  30/9
  34/10
  .40, 9mm
  1d6+1
  1d6-1
  30
  5
  6
  6
  7
  7
  7
  8
  9
  35/10
  40/11
  45/13
  .357 M, .41 M, 10mm
  1½d6
  1d6-1
  37
  7
  7
  8
  8
  9
  9
  10
  11
  44/13
  50/14
  56/16
  .45 ACP, 11mm
  2d6-1
  1d6
  47
  8
  9
  10
  10
  11
  12
  12
  13
  54/15
  61/17
  67/19
  .44 M, .45 Win Mag
  2d6
  1d6
  52
  9
  10
  11
  11
  12
  13
  14
  15
  60/17
  67/19
  75/21
  .223, 5.56mmN
  2d6
  1d6
  52
  9
  10
  11
  11
  12
  13
  14
  15
  60/17
  67/19
  75/21
  .50 AE, 7.62mmN
  2d6+1
  1d6
  61
  11
  12
  13
  13
  14
  15
  16
  17
  70/20
  79/23
  87/25
  HOLLOW POINT AMMUNITION, NON-AUTOFIRE, ONE-HANDED, STR MIN 6-14
  NAME
  CALIBER
  DMG
  STUN
  AcP 
  1
  2
  3
  4
  5-6
  7-8
  9-12
  13-16
  17-32
  33-64
  65-125
  Hollow Point
  +1 STUN
  Multiplier
  STR Min 6-14
  .22
  1d6
  1d6
  19
  3
  4
  4
  4
  4
  5
  5
  5
  22/6
  26/7
  30/9
  .32, .38
  1d6+1
  1d6
  25
  4
  5
  5
  5
  6
  6
  7
  7
  30/9
  35/10
  40/11
  .40, 9mm
  1½d6
  1d6
  31
  6
  6
  6
  7
  7
  8
  8
  9
  37/11
  44/13
  50/14
  .357 M, .41 M, 10mm
  2d6
  1d6
  37
  7
  7
  8
  8
  9
  9
  10
  11
  45/13
  52/15
  60/17
  .45 ACP, 11mm
  2d6
  1d6+1
  45
  8
  9
  9
  10
  11
  11
  12
  13
  52/15
  60/17
  67/19
  .44 M, .45 Win Mag
  2d6+1
  1d6+1
  52
  9
  10
  11
  11
  12
  13
  14
  15
  61/17
  70/20
  79/23
  .223, 5.56mmN
  2d6+1
  1d6+1
  52
  9
  10
  11
  11
  12
  13
  14
  15
  61/17
  70/20
  79/23
  .50 AE, 7.62mmN
  2½d6
  1d6+1
  60
  11
  12
  13
  13
  14
  15
  16
  17
  70/20
  80/23
  90/26
  HYBRID FRANGIBLE/HP AMMUNITION, NON-AUTOFIRE, ONE-HANDED, STR MIN 6-14
  NAME
  CALIBER
  DMG
  STUN
  AcP 
  1
  2
  3
  4
  5-6
  7-8
  9-12
  13-16
  17-32
  33-64
  65-125
  Hybrid
  Frangible/
  Hollow Point
  +1 STUN
  Multiplier,
  Penetrating
  CBB,
  STR Min 6-14
  .22
  1d6+1
  1d6
  35
  6
  7
  7
  7
  8
  8
  9
  9
  40/11
  45/12
  50/13
  .32, .38
  1½d6
  1d6
  44
  8
  8
  9
  9
  10
  10
  11
  12
  50/13
  56/15
  62/16
  .40, 9mm
  2d6
  1d6
  52
  9
  10
  10
  11
  11
  12
  13
  14
  60/16
  67/18
  75/20
  .357 M, .41 M, 10mm
  2d6+1
  1d6
  61
  11
  12
  12
  13
  13
  14
  15
  16
  70/19
  79/21
  87/23
  .45 ACP, 11mm
  2d6+1
  1d6+1
  70
  12
  13
  14
  15
  15
  16
  17
  19
  79/21
  87/23
  96/26
  .44 M, .45 Win Mag
  2½d6
  1d6+1
  80
  14
  15
  16
  17
  18
  19
  20
  21
  90/24
  100/27
  110/29
  .223, 5.56mmN
  2½d6
  1d6+1
  80
  14
  15
  16
  17
  18
  19
  20
  21
  90/24
  100/27
  110/29
  .50 AE, 7.62mmN
  3d6
  1d6+1
  90
  16
  17
  18
  19
  20
  21
  22
  24
  101/27
  112/30
  124/33
  
  223 
  Dark Champions ■ Chapter Five
  Exotic Ammunition Tables (Continued)
  IMPROVED ARMOR PIERCING AMMUNITION, NON-AUTOFIRE, ONE-HANDED, STR MIN 6-14
  NAME
  CALIBER
  DMG
  STUN
  AcP 
  1
  2
  3
  4
  5-6
  7-8
  9-12
  13-16
  17-32
  33-64
  65-125
  Improved
  Armor
  Piercing
  AP (x2)
  STR Min 6-14
  .22
  ½d6
  1d6-1
  20
  4
  4
  4
  4
  5
  5
  5
  6
  22/6
  25/7
  27/8
  .32, .38
  ½d6
  1d6-1
  20
  4
  4
  4
  4
  5
  5
  5
  6
  22/6
  25/7
  27/8
  .40, 9mm
  1d6-1
  1d6-1
  24
  4
  5
  5
  5
  6
  6
  6
  7
  27/8
  30/9
  33/9
  .357 M, .41 M, 10mm
  1d6-1
  1d6-1
  24
  4
  5
  5
  5
  6
  6
  6
  7
  27/8
  30/9
  33/9
  .45 ACP, 11mm
  1d6
  1d6
  34
  6
  7
  7
  7
  8
  8
  9
  10
  37/11
  41/12
  45/13
  .44 M, .45 Win Mag
  1d6
  1d6
  34
  6
  7
  7
  7
  8
  8
  9
  10
  37/11
  41/12
  45/13
  .223, 5.56mmN
  1½d6
  1d6
  56
  10
  11
  12
  12
  13
  14
  15
  16
  62/18
  69/20
  75/21
  .50 AE, 7.62mmN
  2d6-1
  1d6
  61
  11
  12
  13
  13
  14
  15
  16
  17
  67/19
  74/21
  81/23
  IMPROVED PROPELLANT AMMUNITION, NON-AUTOFIRE, ONE-HANDED, STR MIN 6-14
  NAME
  CALIBER
  DMG
  STUN
  AcP 
  1
  2
  3
  4
  5-6
  7-8
  9-12
  13-16
  17-32
  33-64
  65-125
  Improved
  Propellant
  STR Min 6-14
  .22
  1d6+1
  1d6-1
  20
  4
  4
  4
  4
  5
  5
  5
  6
  25/7
  30/9
  35/10
  .32, .38
  1d6+1
  1d6-1
  20
  4
  4
  4
  4
  5
  5
  5
  6
  25/7
  30/9
  35/10
  .40, 9mm
  1½d6
  1d6-1
  25
  4
  5
  5
  5
  6
  6
  7
  7
  31/9
  37/11
  44/13
  .357 M, .41 M, 10mm
  2d6-1
  1d6-1
  27
  5
  5
  6
  6
  6
  7
  7
  8
  34/10
  40/11
  47/13
  .45 ACP, 11mm
  2d6
  1d6
  37
  7
  7
  8
  8
  9
  9
  10
  11
  45/13
  52/15
  60/17
  .44 M, .45 Win Mag
  2d6+1
  1d6
  44
  8
  9
  9
  10
  10
  11
  12
  13
  52/15
  61/17
  70/20
  .223, 5.56mmN
  2d6+1
  1d6
  44
  8
  9
  9
  10
  10
  11
  12
  13
  52/15
  61/17
  70/20
  .50 AE, 7.62mmN
  2½d6
  1d6
  50
  9
  10
  10
  11
  12
  12
  13
  14
  60/17
  70/20
  80/23
  INCENDIARY AMMUNITION, NON-AUTOFIRE, ONE-HANDED, STR MIN 6-14
  NAME
  CALIBER
  DMG
  STUN
  AcP 
  1
  2
  3
  4
  5-6
  7-8
  9-12
  13-16
  17-32
  33-64
  65-125
  Incendiary
  Firestarting
  STR Min 6-14
  .22
  1d6-1
  1d6-1
  28
  5
  5
  5
  6
  7
  7
  7
  8
  32/9
  37/10
  41/12
  .32, .38
  1d6
  1d6-1
  31
  6
  6
  6
  6
  7
  8
  8
  9
  36/10
  40/11
  66/13
  .40, 9mm
  1d6+1
  1d6-1
  36
  7
  7
  7
  7
  9
  9
  9
  11
  42/12
  49/14
  55/16
  .357 M, .41 M, 10mm
  1½d6
  1d6-1
  41
  7
  8
  7
  8
  10
  10
  11
  12
  48/14
  56/16
  64/19
  .45 ACP, 11mm
  2d6-1
  1d6
  51
  9
  10
  10
  10
  12
  12
  13
  15
  59/16
  67/17
  74/21
  .44 M, .45 Win Mag
  2d6
  1d6
  54
  10
  10
  11
  11
  13
  13
  14
  16
  64/18
  72/20
  80/23
  .223, 5.56mmN
  2d6
  1d6
  54
  10
  10
  11
  11
  13
  13
  14
  16
  64/18
  72/20
  80/23
  .50 AE, 7.62mmN
  2d6+1
  1d6
  61
  11
  12
  12
  13
  14
  15
  16
  18
  71/20
  81/22
  90/26
  MATCH-GRADE AMMUNITION, NON-AUTOFIRE, ONE-HANDED, STR MIN 6-14
  NAME
  CALIBER
  DMG
  STUN
  AcP 
  1
  2
  3
  4
  5-6
  7-8
  9-12
  13-16
  17-32
  33-64
  65-125
  Match-Grade
  +1 OCV
  STR Min 6-14
  .22
  1d6-1
  1d6-1
  17
  4
  4
  4
  5
  5
  5
  5
  5
  20/6
  23/7
  26/8
  .32, .38
  1d6
  1d6-1
  20
  5
  5
  5
  5
  5
  6
  6
  6
  24/7
  27/8
  31/9
  .40, 9mm
  1d6+1
  1d6-1
  25
  6
  6
  6
  6
  7
  7
  7
  8
  30/9
  35/11
  40/12
  .357 M, .41 M, 10mm
  1½d6
  1d6-1
  30
  6
  7
  7
  7
  8
  8
  9
  9
  36/11
  42/13
  49/15
  .45 ACP, 11mm
  2d6-1
  1d6
  39
  8
  9
  9
  9
  10
  10
  11
  12
  45/13
  52/15
  59/17
  .44 M, .45 Win Mag
  2d6
  1d6
  42
  9
  9
  10
  10
  11
  11
  12
  13
  50/15
  57/17
  65/19
  .223, 5.56mmN
  2d6
  1d6
  42
  9
  9
  10
  10
  11
  11
  12
  13
  50/15
  57/17
  65/19
  .50 AE, 7.62mmN
  2d6+1
  1d6
  49
  10
  11
  11
  12
  12
  13
  14
  15
  57/17
  66/19
  75/22
  
  224 ■ Weapons
  Hero System 5th Edition
  Exotic Ammunition Tables (Continued)
  STANDARD +P AMMUNITION, NON-AUTOFIRE, ONE-HANDED, STR MIN 6-14
  NAME
  CALIBER
  DMG
  STUN
  AcP 
  1
  2
  3
  4
  5-6
  7-8
  9-12
  13-16
  17-32
  33-64
  65-125
  Standard +P
  STR Min 6-14
  .22
  1d6
  1d6-1
  15
  3
  3
  3
  3
  3
  4
  4
  4
  19/5
  22/6
  26/7
  .32, .38
  1d6+1
  1d6-1
  20
  4
  4
  4
  4
  5
  5
  5
  6
  25/7
  30/9
  35/10
  .40, 9mm
  1d6+2
  1d6-1
  23
  4
  5
  5
  5
  5
  6
  6
  7
  29/8
  34/10
  40/11
  .357 M, .41 M, 10mm
  1½+1
  1d6-1
  27
  5
  5
  6
  6
  6
  7
  7
  8
  34/10
  40/11
  47/13
  .45 ACP, 11mm
  2d6
  1d6
  37
  7
  7
  8
  8
  9
  9
  10
  11
  45/13
  52/15
  60/17
  .44 M, .45 Win Mag
  2d6+1
  1d6
  44
  8
  9
  9
  10
  10
  11
  12
  13
  52/15
  61/17
  70/20
  .223, 5.56mmN
  2d6+1
  1d6
  44
  8
  9
  9
  10
  10
  11
  12
  13
  52/15
  61/17
  70/20
  .50 AE, 7.62mmN
  2d6+2
  1d6
  47
  8
  9
  10
  10
  11
  12
  12
  13
  57/16
  66/19
  76/22
  PENETRATING FRANGIBLE AMMUNITION, NON-AUTOFIRE, ONE-HANDED, STR MIN 6-14
  NAME
  CALIBER
  DMG
  STUN
  AcP 
  1
  2
  3
  4
  5-6
  7-8
  9-12
  13-16
  17-32
  33-64
  65-125
  Penetrating 
  Frangible
  Penetrating
  STR Min 6-14
  .22
  1d6+1
  1d6-1
  30
  5
  6
  6
  7
  7
  7
  8
  9
  35/
  40/11
  45/13
  .32, .38
  1½d6
  1d6-1
  37
  7
  7
  8
  8
  9
  9
  10
  11
  44/
  50/14
  56/16
  .40, 9mm
  2d6
  1d6-1
  45
  8
  9
  9
  10
  11
  11
  12
  13
  52/15
  60/17
  67/19
  .357 M, .41 M, 10mm
  2d6+1
  1d6-1
  52
  9
  10
  11
  11
  12
  13
  14
  15
  61/17
  70/20
  79/23
  .45 ACP, 11mm
  2d6+1
  1d6
  61
  11
  12
  13
  13
  14
  15
  16
  17
  70/20
  79/23
  87/25
  .44 M, .45 Win Mag
  2½d6
  1d6
  70
  13
  14
  15
  15
  16
  17
  19
  20
  80/
  90/26
  100/29
  .223, 5.56mmN
  2½d6
  1d6
  70
  13
  14
  15
  15
  16
  17
  19
  20
  80/
  90/26
  100/29
  .50 AE, 7.62mmN
  3d6
  1d6
  79
  14
  16
  17
  17
  19
  20
  21
  23
  90/
  101/29
  112/32
  POISONED AMMUNITION, NON-AUTOFIRE, ONE-HANDED, STR MIN 6-14
  NAME
  CALIBER
  DMG
  STUN
  AcP 
  1
  2
  3
  4
  5-6
  7-8
  9-12
  13-16
  17-32
  33-64
  65-125
  Poisoned
  Carries a 
  poison
  STR Min 6-14
  .22
  1d6-1
  1d6-1
  12
  2
  2
  2
  3
  3
  3
  3
  3
  15/4
  18/5
  21/6
  .32, .38
  1d6
  1d6-1
  15
  3
  3
  3
  3
  3
  4
  4
  4
  19/5
  22/6
  26/7
  .40, 9mm
  1d6+1
  1d6-1
  20
  4
  4
  4
  4
  5
  5
  5
  6
  25/7
  30/9
  35/10
  .357 M, .41 M, 10mm
  1½d6
  1d6-1
  25
  4
  5
  5
  5
  6
  6
  7
  7
  31/9
  37/11
  44/13
  .45 ACP, 11mm
  2d6-1
  1d6
  34
  6
  7
  7
  7
  8
  8
  9
  10
  40/11
  47/13
  54/15
  .44 M, .45 Win Mag
  2d6
  1d6
  37
  7
  7
  8
  8
  9
  9
  10
  11
  45/13
  52/15
  60/17
  .223, 5.56mmN
  2d6
  1d6
  37
  7
  7
  8
  8
  9
  9
  10
  11
  45/13
  52/15
  60/17
  .50 AE, 7.62mmN
  2d6+1
  1d6
  44
  8
  9
  9
  10
  10
  11
  12
  13
  52/15
  61/17
  70/20
  REVERSED OGIVE AMMUNITION, NON-AUTOFIRE, ONE-HANDED, STR MIN 6-14
  NAME
  CALIBER
  DMG
  STUN
  AcP 
  1
  2
  3
  4
  5-6
  7-8
  9-12
  13-16
  17-32
  33-64
  65-125
  Reversed 
  Ogive
  AP, +1 STUN
  Multiplier
  STR Min 6-14
  .22
  1d6+1
  1d6
  35
  6
  7
  7
  8
  8
  9
  9
  10
  40/11
  45/13
  50/14
  .32, .38
  1½d6
  1d6
  44
  8
  9
  9
  10
  10
  11
  12
  13
  50/14
  56/16
  62/18
  .40, 9mm
  2d6
  1d6
  52
  9
  10
  11
  11
  12
  13
  14
  15
  60/17
  67/19
  75/21
  .357 M, .41 M, 10mm
  2d6+1
  1d6
  61
  11
  12
  13
  13
  14
  15
  16
  17
  70/20
  79/23
  87/25
  .45 ACP, 11mm
  2d6+1
  1d6+1
  70
  13
  14
  15
  15
  16
  17
  19
  20
  79/23
  87/25
  96/27
  .44 M, .45 Win Mag
  2½d6
  1d6+1
  80
  14
  16
  17
  18
  19
  20
  21
  23
  90/26
  100/29
  110/31
  .223, 5.56mmN
  2½d6
  1d6+1
  80
  14
  16
  17
  18
  19
  20
  21
  23
  90/26
  100/29
  110/31
  .50 AE, 7.62mmN
  3d6
  1d6+1
  90
  16
  18
  19
  20
  21
  22
  24
  26
  101/29
  112/32
  124/35
  
  225 
  Dark Champions ■ Chapter Five
  Exotic Ammunition Tables (Continued)
  RUBBER AMMUNITION, NON-AUTOFIRE, ONE-HANDED, STR MIN 6-14
  NAME
  CALIBER
  DMG
  AcP 
  1
  2
  3
  4
  5-6
  7-8
  9-12
  13-16
  17-32
  33-64
  65-125
  Rubber
  STR Min 6-14
  .22
  EB 2d6
  10
  2
  2
  2
  2
  2
  2
  3
  3
  12/3
  15/4
  17/5
  .32, .38
  EB 3d6
  15
  3
  3
  3
  3
  3
  4
  4
  4
  19/5
  22/6
  26/7
  .40, 9mm
  EB 4d6
  20
  4
  4
  4
  4
  5
  5
  5
  6
  25/7
  30/9
  35/10
  .357 M, .41 M, 10mm
  EB 5d6
  25
  4
  5
  5
  5
  6
  6
  7
  7
  31/9
  37/11
  44/13
  .45 ACP, 11mm
  EB 6d6
  30
  5
  6
  6
  7
  7
  7
  8
  9
  37/11
  45/13
  52/15
  .44 M, .45 Win Mag
  EB 6d6
  30
  5
  6
  6
  7
  7
  7
  8
  9
  37/11
  45/13
  52/15
  .223, 5.56mmN
  EB 6d6
  30
  5
  6
  6
  7
  7
  7
  8
  9
  37/11
  45/13
  52/15
  .50 AE, 7.62mmN
  EB 7d6
  35
  6
  7
  7
  8
  8
  9
  9
  10
  44/13
  52/15
  61/17
  SEMI-ARMOR PIERCING AMMUNITION, NON-AUTOFIRE, ONE-HANDED, STR MIN 6-14
  NAME
  CALIBER
  DMG
  STUN
  AcP 
  1
  2
  3
  4
  5-6
  7-8
  9-12
  13-16
  17-32
  33-64
  65-125
  Semi-Armor
  Piercing
  Semi-AP
  STR Min 6-14
  .22
  1d6-1
  1d6-1
  15
  3
  3
  3
  3
  3
  4
  4
  4
  18/5
  21/6
  24/7
  .32, .38
  1d6
  1d6-1
  19
  3
  4
  4
  4
  4
  5
  5
  5
  22/6
  26/7
  30/9
  .40, 9mm
  1d6+1
  1d6-1
  25
  4
  5
  5
  5
  6
  6
  7
  7
  30/9
  35/10
  40/11
  .357 M, .41 M, 10mm
  1½d6
  1d6-1
  31
  6
  6
  6
  7
  7
  8
  8
  9
  37/11
  44/13
  50/14
  .45 ACP, 11mm
  2d6-1
  1d6
  40
  7
  8
  8
  9
  9
  10
  11
  11
  47/13
  54/15
  61/17
  .44 M, .45 Win Mag
  2d6
  1d6
  45
  8
  9
  9
  10
  11
  11
  12
  13
  52/15
  60/17
  67/19
  .223, 5.56mmN
  2d6
  1d6
  45
  8
  9
  9
  10
  11
  11
  12
  13
  52/15
  60/17
  67/19
  .50 AE, 7.62mmN
  2d6+1
  1d6
  52
  9
  10
  11
  11
  12
  13
  14
  15
  61/17
  70/20
  79/23
  SILENT AMMUNITION, NON-AUTOFIRE, ONE-HANDED, STR MIN 6-14
  NAME
  CALIBER
  DMG
  STUN
  AcP 
  1
  2
  3
  4
  5-6
  7-8
  9-12
  13-16
  17-32
  33-64
  65-125
  Silent
  CE (-3 to Hear-
  ing Group PER 
  Rolls and -1 to 
  SIght Group 
  PER Rolls)
  STR Min 6-14
  .22
  1d6-1
  1d6-1
  31
  5
  6
  6
  7
  7
  7
  8
  8
  34/10
  37/12
  30/15
  .32, .38
  1d6
  1d6-1
  34
  6
  7
  7
  7
  7
  8
  9
  9
  38/11
  41/13
  45/16
  .40, 9mm
  1d6+1
  1d6-1
  39
  7
  8
  8
  8
  9
  9
  10
  11
  44/13
  49/16
  54/19
  .357 M, .41 M, 10mm
  1½d6
  1d6-1
  44
  7
  9
  9
  9
  10
  10
  12
  12
  50/15
  56/18
  63/22
  .45 ACP, 11mm
  2d6-1
  1d6
  53
  9
  11
  11
  11
  12
  12
  14
  15
  59/17
  66/20
  73/24
  .44 M, .45 Win Mag
  2d6
  1d6
  56
  10
  11
  12
  12
  13
  13
  15
  16
  64/19
  71/22
  79/26
  .223, 5.56mmN
  2d6
  1d6
  56
  10
  11
  12
  12
  13
  13
  15
  16
  64/19
  71/22
  79/26
  .50 AE, 7.62mmN
  2d6+1
  1d6
  63
  11
  13
  13
  14
  14
  15
  17
  18
  71/21
  80/24
  89/29
  SPENT URANIUM AMMUNITION, NON-AUTOFIRE, ONE-HANDED, STR MIN 6-14
  NAME
  CALIBER
  DMG
  STUN
  AcP 
  1
  2
  3
  4
  5-6
  7-8
  9-12
  13-16
  17-32
  33-64
  65-125
  Spent
  Uranium
  AP, +1 STUN
  Multiplier
  STR Min 6-14
  .22
  1d6-1
  1d6
  21
  4
  4
  4
  5
  5
  5
  6
  6
  24/7
  27/8
  30/9
  .32, .38
  1d6
  1d6
  26
  5
  5
  5
  6
  6
  6
  7
  7
  30/9
  34/10
  37/11
  .40, 9mm
  1d6+1
  1d6
  35
  6
  7
  7
  8
  8
  9
  9
  10
  40/11
  45/13
  50/14
  .357 M, .41 M, 10mm
  1½d6
  1d6
  44
  8
  9
  9
  10
  10
  11
  12
  13
  50/14
  56/16
  62/18
  .45 ACP, 11mm
  2d6-1
  1d6+1
  54
  10
  11
  11
  12
  13
  13
  14
  15
  61/17
  67/19
  74/21
  .44 M, .45 Win Mag
  2d6
  1d6+1
  60
  11
  12
  13
  13
  14
  15
  16
  17
  67/19
  75/21
  82/23
  .223, 5.56mmN
  2d6
  1d6+1
  60
  11
  12
  13
  13
  14
  15
  16
  17
  67/19
  75/21
  82/23
  .50 AE, 7.62mmN
  2d6+1
  1d6+1
  70
  13
  14
  15
  15
  16
  17
  19
  20
  79/23
  87/25
  96/27
  
  226 ■ Weapons
  Hero System 5th Edition
  Exotic Ammunition Tables (Continued)
  SUBSONIC AMMUNITION, NON-AUTOFIRE, ONE-HANDED, STR MIN 6-14
  NAME
  CALIBER
  DMG
  STUN
  AcP 
  1
  2
  3
  4
  5-6
  7-8
  9-12
  13-16
  17-32
  33-64
  65-125
  Subsonic
  Moves below 
  the speed of 
  sound, and 
  so creates no 
  “crack”
  STR Min 6-14
  .22
  ½d6
  1d6-1
  10
  2
  2
  2
  2
  2
  2
  3
  3
  12/3
  15/4
  17/5
  .32, .38
  1d6-1
  1d6-1
  12
  2
  2
  2
  3
  3
  3
  3
  3
  15/4
  18/5
  21/6
  .40, 9mm
  1d6
  1d6-1
  15
  3
  3
  3
  3
  3
  4
  4
  4
  19/5
  22/6
  26/7
  .357 M, .41 M, 10mm
  1d6+1
  1d6-1
  20
  4
  4
  4
  4
  5
  5
  5
  6
  25/7
  30/9
  35/10
  .45 ACP, 11mm
  1½d6
  1d6
  25
  4
  5
  5
  5
  6
  6
  7
  7
  31/9
  37/11
  44/13
  .44 M, .45 Win Mag
  2d6-1
  1d6
  27
  5
  5
  6
  6
  6
  7
  7
  8
  34/10
  40/11
  47/13
  .223, 5.56mmN
  2d6
  1d6
  30
  5
  6
  6
  7
  7
  7
  8
  9
  37/11
  45/13
  52/15
  .50 AE, 7.62mmN
  2d6
  1d6
  30
  5
  6
  6
  7
  7
  7
  8
  9
  37/11
  45/13
  52/15
  TRACER AMMUNITION, NON-AUTOFIRE, ONE-HANDED, STR MIN 6-14
  NAME
  CALIBER
  DMG
  STUN
  AcP 
  1
  2
  3
  4
  5-6
  7-8
  9-12
  13-16
  17-32
  33-64
  65-125
  Tracer
  +1 OCV, 
  Cannot Apply 
  To First Shot 
  Against A 
  Target
  STR Min 6-14
  .22
  1d6-1
  1d6-1
  17
  4
  4
  4
  5
  5
  5
  5
  5
  20/6
  23/7
  26/8
  .32, .38
  1d6
  1d6-1
  20
  5
  5
  5
  5
  5
  6
  6
  6
  24/7
  27/8
  31/9
  .40, 9mm
  1d6+1
  1d6-1
  25
  6
  6
  6
  6
  7
  7
  7
  8
  30/9
  35/11
  40/12
  .357 M, .41 M, 10mm
  1½d6
  1d6-1
  30
  6
  7
  7
  7
  8
  8
  9
  9
  36/11
  42/13
  49/15
  .45 ACP, 11mm
  2d6-1
  1d6
  39
  8
  9
  9
  9
  10
  10
  11
  12
  45/13
  52/15
  59/17
  .44 M, .45 Win Mag
  2d6
  1d6
  42
  9
  9
  10
  10
  11
  11
  12
  13
  50/15
  57/17
  65/19
  .223, 5.56mmN
  2d6
  1d6
  42
  9
  9
  10
  10
  11
  11
  12
  13
  50/15
  57/17
  65/19
  .50 AE, 7.62mmN
  2d6+1
  1d6
  49
  10
  11
  11
  12
  12
  13
  14
  15
  57/17
  66/19
  75/22
  TUMBLER AMMUNITION, NON-AUTOFIRE, ONE-HANDED, STR MIN 6-14
  NAME
  CALIBER
  DMG
  STUN
  AcP 
  1
  2
  3
  4
  5-6
  7-8
  9-12
  13-16
  17-32
  33-64
  65-125
  Tumbler
  RKA +1d6, 
  Activation Roll 
  11-, base bullet 
  must do BODY 
  damage
  STR Min 6-14
  .22
  1d6-1
  1d6-1
  27
  5
  5
  5
  6
  6
  6
  7
  7
  34/9
  40/11
  47/13
  .32, .38
  1d6
  1d6-1
  30
  6
  6
  6
  6
  6
  7
  8
  8
  38/10
  44/12
  52/14
  .40, 9mm
  1d6+1
  1d6-1
  35
  7
  7
  7
  7
  8
  8
  9
  10
  44/12
  52/15
  61/17
  .357 M, .41 M, 10mm
  1½d6
  1d6-1
  40
  7
  8
  8
  8
  9
  9
  11
  11
  50/14
  59/17
  70/20
  .45 ACP, 11mm
  2d6-1
  1d6
  53
  9
  11
  11
  11
  12
  11
  14
  15
  62/17
  73/20
  84/23
  .44 M, .45 Win Mag
  2d6
  1d6
  56
  10
  11
  12
  12
  13
  12
  15
  16
  67/19
  78/22
  90/25
  .223, 5.56mmN
  2d6
  1d6
  56
  10
  11
  12
  12
  13
  12
  15
  16
  67/19
  78/22
  90/25
  .50 AE, 7.62mmN
  2d6+1
  1d6
  63
  11
  13
  13
  14
  14
  14
  17
  18
  74/21
  87/24
  100/28
  WADCUTTER AMMUNITION, NON-AUTOFIRE, ONE-HANDED, STR MIN 6-14
  NAME
  CALIBER
  DMG
  STUN
  AcP 
  1
  2
  3
  4
  5-6
  7-8
  9-12
  13-16
  17-32
  33-64
  65-125
  Wadcutter
  STR Min 6-14
  .22
  1d6
  1d6-1
  15
  3
  3
  3
  3
  3
  4
  4
  4
  19/5
  22/6
  26/7
  .32, .38
  1d6+1
  1d6-1
  20
  4
  4
  4
  4
  5
  5
  5
  6
  25/7
  30/9
  35/10
  .40, 9mm
  1d6+2
  1d6-1
  23
  4
  5
  5
  5
  5
  6
  6
  7
  29/8
  34/10
  40/11
  .357 M, .41 M, 10mm
  1½+1
  1d6-1
  27
  5
  5
  6
  6
  6
  7
  7
  8
  34/10
  40/11
  47/13
  .45 ACP, 11mm
  2d6
  1d6
  37
  7
  7
  8
  8
  9
  9
  10
  11
  45/13
  52/15
  60/17
  .44 M, .45 Win Mag
  2d6+1
  1d6
  44
  8
  9
  9
  10
  10
  11
  12
  13
  52/15
  61/17
  70/20
  .223, 5.56mmN
  2d6+1
  1d6
  44
  8
  9
  9
  10
  10
  11
  12
  13
  52/15
  61/17
  70/20
  .50 AE, 7.62mmN
  2d6+2
  1d6
  47
  8
  9
  10
  10
  11
  12
  12
  13
  57/16
  66/19
  76/22
  
  227 
  Dark Champions ■ Chapter Five
  STANDARD SHOTGUN TABLES
  Th ese tables are for shotguns loaded with Standard Shot or Standard Slugs.
  SHOTGUNS, SHOT, NON-AUTOFIRE, TWO-HANDED, STR MIN 6-14
  NAME
  GAUGE
  DMG
  STUN
  AcP 
  1
  2
  3
  4
  5-6
  7-8
  9-12
  13-16
  17-32
  33-64
  65-125
  Standard Shot
  AE1
  LR(20”), RR, 
  RP, STR Min 
  6-14, 2H
  .410
  1½d6
  1d6
  44
  7
  7
  8
  8
  8
  9
  9
  10
  50/11
  56/12
  62/14
  28, 24
  2d6
  1d6
  52
  8
  9
  9
  9
  10
  10
  11
  11
  60/13
  67/15
  75/17
  20, 16  
  2d6+1
  1d6
  61
  9
  10
  11
  11
  12
  12
  13
  13
  70/15
  79/17
  87/19
  12
  2½d6
  1d6
  70
  11
  12
  12
  13
  13
  14
  15
  15
  80/19
  90/20
  100/22
  10
  3d6
  1d6
  79
  12
  13
  14
  14
  15
  16
  17
  17
  90/20
  101/22
  112/25
  4
  3d6+1
  1d6
  87
  13
  14
  15
  16
  17
  17
  18
  19
  100/22
  112/25
  125/28
  SHOTGUNS, SLUGS, NON-AUTOFIRE, TWO-HANDED, STR MIN 6-14
  NAME
  GAUGE
  DMG
  STUN
  AcP 
  1
  2
  3
  4
  5-6
  7-8
  9-12
  13-16
  17-32
  33-64
  65-125
  Standard Slugs
  Beam, LR(50”), 
  STR Min 6-14, 
  2H
  .410
  1½d6
  1d6
  31
  5
  5
  6
  6
  6
  6
  7
  7
  37/9
  44/10
  50/12
  28, 24
  2d6
  1d6
  37
  6
  6
  7
  7
  7
  8
  8
  9
  45/11
  52/12
  60/14
  20, 16  
  2d6+1
  1d6
  44
  7
  8
  8
  8
  9
  9
  10
  10
  52/12
  61/14
  70/16
  12
  2½d6
  1d6
  50
  8
  9
  9
  9
  10
  10
  11
  12
  60/14
  70/16
  80/19
  10
  3d6
  1d6
  56
  9
  10
  10
  11
  11
  12
  12
  13
  67/16
  79/19
  90/21
  4
  3d6+1
  1d6
  62
  10
  11
  11
  12
  12
  13
  14
  15
  75/18
  87/20
  100/23
  SHOTGUNS, SHOT, AUTOFIRE, TWO-HANDED, STR MIN 6-14
  NAME
  GAUGE
  DMG
  STUN
  AcP 
  9-12
  13-16
  17-32
  33-64
  65-125
  126+
  Standard Shot
  AE1, AF5
  LR(20”), RR, 
  RP, STR Min 
  6-14, 2H
  .410
  1½d6
  1d6
  81
  17
  18
  87/19
  94/21
  100/22
  106/23
  28, 24
  2d6
  1d6
  97
  20
  21
  105/23
  112/25
  120/27
  127/28
  20, 16  
  2d6+1
  1d6
  114
  24
  25
  122/27
  131/29
  140/31
  149/33
  12
  2½d6
  1d6
  130
  27
  29
  140/31
  150/33
  160/35
  170/38
  10
  3d6
  1d6
  146
  31
  32
  157/35
  169/37
  180/40
  191/42
  4
  3d6+1
  1d6
  162
  34
  36
  175/39
  187/41
  200/44
  212/47
  SHOTGUNS, SLUGS, AUTOFIRE, TWO-HANDED, STR MIN 6-14
  NAME
  GAUGE
  DMG
  STUN
  AcP 
  9-12
  13-16
  17-32
  33-64
  65-125
  126+
  Standard Slugs
  AF
  Beam, LR(50”), 
  STR Min 6-14, 
  2H
  .410
  1½d6
  1d6
  44
  10
  10
  50/12
  56/13
  62/15
  69/16
  28, 24
  2d6
  1d6
  52
  11
  12
  60/14
  67/16
  75/18
  82/19
  20, 16  
  2d6+1
  1d6
  61
  13
  14
  70/16
  79/19
  87/20
  96/23
  12
  2½d6
  1d6
  70
  15
  16
  80/19
  90/21
  100/23
  110/26
  10
  3d6
  1d6
  79
  17
  19
  90/21
  101/24
  112/26
  124/29
  4
  3d6+1
  1d6
  87
  19
  20
  100/23
  112/26
  125/29
  137/32
  
  228 ■ Weapons
  Hero System 5th Edition
  EXOTIC SHOTGUN AMMUNITION TABLES
  Th ese tables are for shotguns loaded with exotic forms of ammunition, such Air Bomb, Fireball, or Smoke. All are for two-handed, non-
  Autoﬁ re weapons with a STR Minimum of 6-14.
  AIR BOMB SHELL, NON-AUTOFIRE, TWO-HANDED, STR MIN 6-14
  NAME
  GAUGE
  DMG
  AcP 
  1
  2
  3
  4
  5-6
  7-8
  9-12
  13-16
  17-32
  33-64
  65-125
  Air Bomb
  AE1, Sight and 
  Hearing Group 
  Flash 3d6
  LR(20”), STR 
  Min 6-14, 2H
  .410
  EB 5d6
  67
  11
  13
  13
  14
  15
  15
  17
  18
  74/21
  80/23
  86/27
  28, 24
  EB 6d6
  75
  12
  14
  15
  16
  16
  17
  19
  20
  82/23
  90/26
  97/30
  20, 16  
  EB 7d6
  82
  14
  15
  16
  17
  18
  18
  20
  22
  91/25
  100/28
  109/33
  12
  EB 8d6
  90
  15
  17
  17
  19
  20
  20
  22
  24
  100/27
  110/31
  120/35
  10
  EB 9d6
  97
  16
  18
  19
  20
  21
  22
  24
  26
  109/30
  120/33
  131/38
  4
  EB 10d6
  105
  17
  20
  20
  22
  23
  24
  26
  28
  117/32
  130/36
  142/41
  ARMOR PIERCING SLUGS, NON-AUTOFIRE, TWO-HANDED, STR MIN 6-14
  NAME
  GAUGE
  DMG
  STUN
  AcP 
  1
  2
  3
  4
  5-6
  7-8
  9-12
  13-16
  17-32
  33-64
  65-125
  Armor
  Piercing Slugs
  AP
  Beam, LR(50”), 
  STR Min 6-14, 
  2H
  .410
  1d6+1
  1d6
  35
  6
  6
  6
  7
  7
  7
  8
  8
  40/9
  45/11
  50/12
  28, 24
  2d6-1
  1d6
  47
  7
  8
  8
  9
  9
  10
  10
  11
  54/13
  61/14
  67/16
  20, 16  
  2d6
  1d6
  52
  8
  9
  9
  10
  10
  11
  11
  12
  60/14
  67/16
  75/18
  12
  2d6+1
  1d6
  61
  10
  11
  11
  12
  12
  13
  13
  14
  70/16
  79/19
  87/20
  10
  2½d6
  1d6
  70
  11
  12
  13
  13
  14
  15
  15
  16
  80/19
  90/21
  100/23
  4
  3d6
  1d6
  79
  13
  14
  14
  15
  16
  17
  17
  19
  90/21
  101/24
  112/26
  BATON/BEANBAG SHELL, NON-AUTOFIRE, TWO-HANDED, STR MIN 6-14
  NAME
  GAUGE
  DMG
  AcP 
  1
  2
  3
  4
  5-6
  7-8
  9-12
  13-16
  17-32
  33-64
  65-125
  Baton/
  Beanbag
  Beam, LR(20”), 
  STR Min 6-14, 
  2H
  .410
  EB 5d6
  25
  4
  4
  4
  5
  5
  5
  5
  6
  31/7
  37/9
  44/10
  28, 24
  EB 6d6
  30
  5
  5
  5
  6
  6
  6
  7
  7
  37/9
  45/11
  52/12
  20, 16  
  EB 7d6
  35
  6
  6
  6
  7
  7
  7
  8
  8
  44/10
  52/12
  61/14
  12
  EB 8d6
  40
  6
  7
  7
  8
  8
  8
  9
  9
  50/12
  60/14
  70/16
  10
  EB 9d6
  45
  7
  8
  8
  9
  9
  9
  10
  11
  56/13
  67/16
  79/19
  4
  EB 10d6
  50
  8
  9
  9
  9
  10
  10
  11
  12
  62/15
  75/18
  87/20
  BRI SLUGS, NON-AUTOFIRE, TWO-HANDED, STR MIN 6-14
  NAME
  GAUGE
  DMG
  STUN
  AcP 
  1
  2
  3
  4
  5-6
  7-8
  9-12
  13-16
  17-32
  33-64
  65-125
  BRI Slugs
  Beam,
  STR Min 6-14,
  2H
  .410
  1½d6
  1d6
  31
  5
  6
  6
  6
  6
  7
  7
  8
  37/9
  44/11
  50/12
  28, 24
  2d6
  1d6
  37
  6
  7
  7
  7
  8
  8
  9
  9
  45/11
  52/13
  60/15
  20, 16  
  2d6+1
  1d6
  44
  7
  8
  8
  9
  9
  10
  10
  11
  52/13
  61/15
  70/17
  12
  2½d6
  1d6
  50
  8
  9
  9
  10
  10
  11
  12
  12
  60/15
  70/17
  80/20
  10
  3d6
  1d6
  56
  9
  10
  11
  11
  12
  12
  13
  14
  67/17
  79/20
  90/22
  4
  3d6+1
  1d6
  62
  10
  11
  12
  12
  13
  14
  15
  15
  75/19
  87/22
  100/25
  BUFFERED SHOT SHELLS, NON-AUTOFIRE, TWO-HANDED, STR MIN 6-14
  NAME
  GAUGE
  DMG
  STUN
  AcP 
  1
  2
  3
  4
  5-6
  7-8
  9-12
  13-16
  17-32
  33-64
  65-125
  Buﬀ ered Shot
  LR(30”), RR, 
  RP, STR Min 
  6-14, 2H
  .410
  2d6-1
  1d6
  34
  5
  6
  6
  6
  6
  7
  7
  7
  40/9
  47/10
  54/12
  28, 24
  2d6+1
  1d6
  44
  7
  7
  8
  8
  8
  9
  9
  10
  52/11
  61/13
  70/15
  20, 16  
  2½d6
  1d6
  50
  8
  8
  9
  9
  9
  10
  10
  11
  60/13
  70/15
  80/18
  12
  3d6-1
  1d6
  52
  8
  9
  9
  9
  10
  10
  11
  11
  63/14
  73/16
  84/19
  10
  3d6+1
  1d6
  62
  9
  10
  11
  11
  12
  12
  13
  14
  75/17
  87/19
  100/22
  4
  3½d6
  1d6
  69
  11
  11
  12
  12
  13
  14
  14
  15
  82/18
  96/21
  110/24
  
  229 
  Dark Champions ■ Chapter Five
  Exotic Shotgun Ammunition Tables (Continued)
  CUBIC SHOT SHELLS, NON-AUTOFIRE, TWO-HANDED, STR MIN 6-14
  NAME
  GAUGE
  DMG
  STUN
  AcP 
  1
  2
  3
  4
  5-6
  7-8
  9-12
  13-16
  17-32
  33-64
  65-125
  Cubic Shot
  AE: Cone
  NR, RR, RP, 
  STR Min 6-14, 
  2H
  .410
  1½d6
  1d6
  56
  8
  9
  9
  10
  10
  11
  11
  12
  62/13
  69/14
  75/16
  28, 24
  2d6
  1d6
  67
  10
  11
  11
  12
  12
  13
  13
  14
  75/16
  82/17
  90/19
  20, 16  
  2d6+1
  1d6
  79
  12
  13
  13
  14
  14
  15
  16
  17
  87/18
  96/20
  105/22
  12
  2½d6
  1d6
  90
  13
  14
  15
  16
  16
  17
  18
  19
  100/21
  110/23
  120/25
  10
  3d6
  1d6
  101
  15
  16
  17
  18
  18
  19
  20
  21
  112/24
  124/26
  135/28
  4
  3d6+1
  1d6
  112
  17
  18
  19
  19
  20
  21
  22
  24
  125/26
  137/29
  150/32
  EXPLOSIVE SLUGS, NON-AUTOFIRE, TWO-HANDED, STR MIN 6-14
  NAME
  GAUGE
  DMG
  STUN
  AcP 
  1
  2
  3
  4
  5-6
  7-8
  9-12
  13-16
  17-32
  33-64
  65-125
  Explosive 
  Slugs
  Explosion
  LR(50”), STR 
  Min 6-14, 2H
  .410
  1½d6
  1d6
  44
  7
  8
  8
  9
  9
  10
  10
  11
  50/12
  56/14
  62/15
  28, 24
  2d6
  1d6
  52
  9
  9
  10
  10
  11
  11
  12
  13
  60/15
  67/17
  75/19
  20, 16  
  2d6+1
  1d6
  61
  10
  11
  12
  12
  13
  13
  14
  15
  70/17
  79/20
  87/22
  12
  2½d6
  1d6
  70
  12
  13
  13
  14
  15
  15
  16
  17
  80/20
  90/22
  100/25
  10
  3d6
  1d6
  79
  13
  14
  15
  16
  17
  17
  19
  20
  90/22
  101/25
  112/28
  4
  3d6+1
  1d6
  87
  14
  16
  17
  17
  18
  19
  20
  22
  100/25
  112/28
  125/31
  FIREBALL SHELLS, NON-AUTOFIRE, TWO-HANDED, STR MIN 6-14
  NAME
  GAUGE
  DMG
  STUN
  AcP 
  1
  2
  3
  4
  5-6
  7-8
  9-12
  13-16
  17-32
  33-64
  65-125
  Fireball Shells
  AE1, ﬁ restart-
  ing
  LR(20”), RR, 
  RP, STR Min 
  6-14, 2H 
  .410
  1½d6
  1d6
  60
  10
  10
  11
  11
  12
  13
  13
  15
  66/16
  72/17
  78/20
  28, 24
  2d6
  1d6
  68
  11
  12
  12
  12
  14
  14
  15
  16
  76/18
  83/20
  91/23
  20, 16  
  2d6+1
  1d6
  77
  12
  13
  14
  14
  16
  16
  17
  18
  86/20
  95/22
  103/25
  12
  2½d6
  1d6
  86
  14
  15
  15
  16
  17
  18
  19
  20
  96/24
  106/25
  116/28
  10
  3d6
  1d6
  95
  15
  16
  17
  17
  19
  20
  21
  22
  106/25
  117/27
  128/31
  4
  3d6+1
  1d6
  103
  16
  17
  18
  19
  21
  21
  22
  24
  116/27
  128/30
  141/34
  FLARE SHELLS, NON-AUTOFIRE, TWO-HANDED, STR MIN 6-14
  NAME
  GAUGE
  DMG
  AcP 
  1
  2
  3
  4
  5-6
  7-8
  9-12
  13-16
  17-32
  33-64
  65-125
  Flare Shells
  Explosion
  LR(20”), STR 
  Min 6-14, 2H
  .410
  Sight Flash 5d6
  37
  6
  7
  7
  7
  8
  8
  9
  9
  44/11
  50/12
  56/14
  28, 24
  Sight Flash 6d6
  45
  7
  8
  9
  9
  9
  10
  11
  11
  52/13
  60/15
  67/17
  20, 16  
  Sight Flash 7d6
  52
  9
  9
  10
  10
  11
  11
  12
  13
  61/15
  70/17
  79/20
  12
  Sight Flash 8d6
  60
  10
  11
  11
  12
  13
  13
  14
  15
  70/17
  80/20
  90/22
  10
  Sight Flash 9d6
  67
  11
  12
  13
  13
  14
  15
  16
  17
  79/20
  90/22
  101/25
  4
  Sight Flash 10d6
  70
  12
  13
  13
  14
  15
  15
  16
  17
  87/22
  100/25
  110/27
  FLECHETTE SHELLS, NON-AUTOFIRE, TWO-HANDED, STR MIN 6-14
  NAME
  GAUGE
  DMG
  STUN
  AcP 
  1
  2
  3
  4
  5-6
  7-8
  9-12
  13-16
  17-32
  33-64
  65-125
  Flechette Shell
  AE1, AP
  LR(50”), RR, 
  RP, STR Min 
  6-14, 2H
  .410
  2d6-1
  1d6
  61
  9
  10
  11
  11
  12
  12
  13
  13
  67/15
  74/16
  81/18
  28, 24
  2d6+1
  1d6
  79
  12
  13
  14
  14
  15
  16
  17
  17
  87/19
  96/21
  105/23
  20, 16  
  2½d6
  1d6
  90
  14
  15
  16
  16
  17
  18
  19
  20
  100/22
  110/24
  120/27
  12
  3d6-1
  1d6
  94
  14
  16
  16
  17
  18
  19
  20
  21
  105/23
  115/25
  126/28
  10
  3d6+1
  1d6
  112
  17
  19
  19
  20
  21
  22
  24
  25
  125/28
  137/30
  150/33
  4
  3½d6
  1d6
  124
  19
  21
  22
  22
  24
  25
  26
  27
  137/30
  151/33
  165/37
  
  230 ■ Weapons
  Hero System 5th Edition
  Exotic Shotgun Ammunition Tables (Continued)
  ICE SHELLS, NON-AUTOFIRE, TWO-HANDED, STR MIN 6-14
  NAME
  GAUGE
  DMG
  STUN
  AcP 
  1
  2
  3
  4
  5-6
  7-8
  9-12
  13-16
  17-32
  33-64
  65-125
  Ice Shells
  AE1, IPE (hide 
  cause of death)
  LR(20”), RR, 
  RP, STR Min 
  6-14, 2H
  .410
  1½d6
  1d6
  50
  8
  8
  9
  9
  9
  10
  10
  11
  56/12
  62/14
  69/15
  28, 24
  2d6
  1d6
  60
  9
  10
  10
  11
  11
  12
  13
  13
  67/15
  75/17
  82/18
  20, 16  
  2d6+1
  1d6
  70
  11
  12
  12
  13
  13
  14
  15
  15
  79/17
  87/19
  96/21
  12
  2½d6
  1d6
  80
  12
  13
  14
  14
  15
  16
  17
  18
  90/20
  100/22
  110/24
  10
  3d6
  1d6
  90
  14
  15
  16
  16
  17
  18
  19
  20
  101/22
  112/25
  124/27
  4
  3d6+1
  1d6
  100
  15
  17
  17
  18
  19
  20
  21
  22
  112/25
  125/28
  137/30
  LINKED SHOT SHELLS, NON-AUTOFIRE, TWO-HANDED, STR MIN 6-14
  NAME
  GAUGE
  DMG
  STUN
  AcP 
  1
  2
  3
  4
  5-6
  7-8
  9-12
  13-16
  17-32
  33-64
  65-125
  Linked Shot
  LR(30”), RR, 
  RP, STR Min 
  6-14, 2H
  .410
  1d6+1
  1d6
  25
  4
  4
  4
  4
  5
  5
  5
  5
  30/7
  35/8
  40/9
  28, 24
  2d6-1
  1d6
  34
  5
  6
  6
  6
  6
  7
  7
  7
  40/9
  47/10
  54/12
  20, 16  
  2d6
  1d6
  37
  6
  6
  6
  7
  7
  7
  8
  8
  45/10
  52/11
  60/13
  12
  2d6+1
  1d6
  44
  7
  7
  8
  8
  8
  9
  9
  10
  52/11
  61/13
  70/15
  10
  2½d6
  1d6
  50
  8
  8
  9
  9
  9
  10
  10
  11
  60/13
  70/15
  80/18
  4
  3d6
  1d6
  56
  9
  9
  10
  10
  11
  11
  12
  12
  67/15
  79/17
  90/20
  LOCKBREAKER SHOT SHELLS, NON-AUTOFIRE, TWO-HANDED, STR MIN 6-14
  NAME
  GAUGE
  DMG
  STUN
  AcP 
  1
  2
  3
  4
  5-6
  7-8
  9-12
  13-16
  17-32
  33-64
  65-125
  Lockbreaker 
  Shot
  AE1  
  Half Eﬀ ect vs. 
  Non-Doors, 
  LR(20”), RR, 
  RP, 2H
  .410
  1½d6
  1d6
  44
  6
  7
  7
  7
  8
  8
  8
  9
  50/10
  56/11
  62/12
  28, 24
  2d6
  1d6
  52
  7
  8
  8
  9
  9
  9
  10
  10
  60/12
  67/13
  75/15
  20, 16  
  2d6+1
  1d6
  61
  9
  9
  10
  10
  11
  11
  12
  12
  70/14
  79/16
  87/17
  12
  2½d6
  1d6
  70
  10
  11
  11
  12
  12
  13
  13
  14
  80/16
  90/18
  100/20
  10
  3d6
  1d6
  79
  11
  12
  13
  13
  14
  14
  15
  16
  90/18
  101/20
  112/22
  4
  3d6+1
  1d6
  87
  12
  13
  14
  14
  15
  16
  16
  17
  100/20
  112/22
  125/25
  RUBBER SHOT SHELL, NON-AUTOFIRE, TWO-HANDED, STR MIN 6-14
  NAME
  GAUGE
  DMG
  AcP 
  1
  2
  3
  4
  5-6
  7-8
  9-12
  13-16
  17-32
  33-64
  65-125
  Rubber Shot
  AE1
  LR(20”), RR, 
  RP, STR Min 
  6-14, 2H
  .410
  EB 5d6
  37
  6
  6
  6
  7
  7
  7
  8
  8
  44/10
  50/12
  56/12
  28, 24
  EB 6d6
  45
  7
  7
  8
  8
  9
  9
  9
  10
  52/11
  60/13
  67/15
  20, 16  
  EB 7d6
  52
  8
  9
  9
  9
  10
  10
  11
  11
  61/13
  70/15
  79/17
  12
  EB 8d6
  60
  9
  10
  10
  11
  11
  12
  13
  13
  70/15
  80/18
  90/20
  10
  EB 9d6
  67
  10
  11
  12
  12
  13
  13
  14
  15
  79/17
  90/20
  101/22
  4
  EB 10d6
  75
  11
  12
  13
  14
  14
  15
  16
  17
  87/19
  100/
  112/25
  SABOTED SLUGS, NON-AUTOFIRE, TWO-HANDED, STR MIN 6-14
  NAME
  GAUGE
  DMG
  STUN
  AcP 
  1
  2
  3
  4
  5-6
  7-8
  9-12
  13-16
  17-32
  33-64
  65-125
  Saboted Slugs
  Piercing1
  Beam, LR(50”), 
  STR Min 6-14, 
  2H
  .410
  1½d6
  1d6
  35
  6
  6
  6
  7
  7
  7
  8
  8
  37/9
  44/10
  50/12
  28, 24
  2d6
  1d6
  41
  7
  7
  7
  8
  8
  9
  9
  10
  45/11
  52/12
  60/14
  20, 16  
  2d6+1
  1d6
  47
  7
  8
  8
  9
  9
  9
  10
  11
  52/12
  61/14
  70/16
  12
  2½d6
  1d6
  54
  9
  9
  10
  10
  11
  11
  12
  13
  60/14
  70/16
  80/19
  10
  3d6
  1d6
  60
  10
  10
  11
  11
  12
  13
  13
  14
  67/16
  79/19
  90/21
  4
  3d6+1
  1d6
  66
  11
  11
  12
  13
  13
  14
  15
  15
  75/18
  87/20
  100/23
  
  231 
  Dark Champions ■ Chapter Five
  Exotic Shotgun Ammunition Tables (Continued)
  SEMI-ARMOR PIERCING SLUGS, NON-AUTOFIRE, TWO-HANDED, STR MIN 6-14
  NAME
  GAUGE
  DMG
  STUN
  AcP 
  1
  2
  3
  4
  5-6
  7-8
  9-12
  13-16
  17-32
  33-64
  65-125
  Semi-Armor 
  Piercing Slugs
  Semi-AP
  Beam, LR(50”), 
  STR Min 6-14, 
  2H
  .410
  1½d6
  1d6
  37
  6
  6
  7
  7
  7
  8
  8
  9
  44/10
  50/12
  56/13
  28, 24
  2d6
  1d6
  45
  7
  8
  8
  9
  9
  9
  10
  11
  52/12
  60/14
  67/16
  20, 16  
  2d6+1
  1d6
  52
  8
  9
  9
  10
  10
  11
  11
  12
  61/14
  70/16
  79/19
  12
  2½d6
  1d6
  60
  10
  10
  11
  11
  12
  13
  13
  14
  70/16
  80/19
  90/21
  10
  3d6
  1d6
  67
  11
  12
  12
  13
  13
  14
  15
  16
  79/19
  90/21
  101/24
  4
  3d6+1
  1d6
  75
  12
  13
  14
  14
  15
  16
  17
  18
  87/20
  100/23
  112/26
  SILENT SHELLS, NON-AUTOFIRE, TWO-HANDED, STR MIN 6-14
  NAME
  GAUGE
  DMG
  STUN
  AcP 
  1
  2
  3
  4
  5-6
  7-8
  9-12
  13-16
  17-32
  33-64
  65-125
  Silent Shells
  AP,  CE (-3 
  Hearing, -1 
  Sight)
  Beam, LR(30”),  
  2H
  .410
  1d6+1
  1d6
  54
  9
  10
  10
  11
  11
  11
  13
  13
  59/15
  64/18
  69/21
  28, 24
  2d6-1
  1d6
  66
  10
  12
  12
  13
  13
  13
  15
  16
  73/19
  80/21
  86/25
  20, 16  
  2d6
  1d6
  71
  11
  13
  13
  14
  14
  11
  16
  17
  79/20
  86/23
  94/27
  12
  2d6+1
  1d6
  80
  13
  15
  15
  16
  16
  17
  18
  19
  89/22
  98/26
  106/29
  10
  2½d6
  1d6
  89
  14
  16
  17
  17
  18
  19
  20
  21
  99/25
  109/28
  119/32
  4
  3d6
  1d6
  98
  16
  18
  18
  19
  20
  21
  27
  24
  109/27
  120/31
  131/35
  SMOKE SHELLS, NON-AUTOFIRE, TWO-HANDED, STR MIN 6-14
  NAME
  GAUGE
  DMG
  AcP 
  1
  2
  3
  4
  5-6
  7-8
  9-12
  13-16
  17-32
  33-64
  65-125
  Smoke Shells
  CE (-3 Sight 
  Group PER 
  Rolls, 4”)
  LR(20”), STR 
  Min 6-14, 2H
  Any
  Change Envi-
  ronment 4”, -3 
  to Sight Group 
  PER Rolls, 
  Continuing 
  Charges lasting  
  1 Turn each
  21
  4
  4
  4
  4
  5
  5
  26/6
  31/7
  37/9
  42/10
  47/11
  STEEL SHOT SHELLS, NON-AUTOFIRE, TWO-HANDED, STR MIN 6-14
  NAME
  GAUGE
  DMG
  STUN
  AcP 
  1
  2
  3
  4
  5-6
  7-8
  9-12
  13-16
  17-32
  33-64
  65-125
  Steel Shot
  LR(30”), RR, 
  RP, STR Min 
  6-14, 2H
  .410
  1½d6
  1d6
  31
  5
  5
  5
  6
  6
  6
  6
  7
  37/8
  44/10
  50/11
  28, 24
  2d6
  1d6
  37
  6
  6
  6
  7
  7
  7
  8
  8
  45/10
  52/11
  60/13
  20, 16  
  2d6+1
  1d6
  44
  7
  7
  8
  8
  8
  9
  9
  10
  52/11
  61/13
  70/15
  12
  2½d6
  1d6
  50
  8
  8
  9
  9
  9
  10
  10
  11
  60/13
  70/15
  80/18
  10
  3d6
  1d6
  56
  9
  9
  10
  10
  11
  11
  12
  12
  67/15
  79/17
  90/20
  4
  3d6+1
  1d6
  62
  9
  10
  11
  11
  12
  12
  13
  14
  75/17
  87/19
  100/22
  TEAR GAS SHELLS, NON-AUTOFIRE, TWO-HANDED, STR MIN 6-14
  NAME
  GAUGE
  DMG
  AcP 
  1
  2
  3
  4
  5-6
  7-8
  9-12
  13-16
  17-32
  33-64
  65-125
  Tear Gas
  Sight Group 
  Flash 8d6
  AE2, Indirect
  LR(50”), STR 
  Min 6-14, 2H
  Any
  Sight Group 
  Flash 8d6
  AE2, Delayed 
  Recovery, Indi-
  rect, Continu-
  ing Charges 
  lasting 1 Turn 
  each
  200
  38
  40
  42
  44
  47
  50
  210/52
  220/55
  230/57
  240/60
  250/62
  
  232 ■ Weapons
  Hero System 5th Edition
  FIREARMS ACCESSORIES
  Th ere are many accessories Dark Champions 
  characters might wish to buy for their guns. Some 
  are deﬁ ned as Advantages for the gun’s RKA, 
  others as separate Powers. A table at the end of 
  this section gives the Character Point costs for 
  various accessories.
  Some accessories are built to attach to any ﬁ re-
  arm, or any of a group of ﬁ rearms. Others attach to 
  the integral mounting rails built into many modern 
  ﬁ rearms, such as the standardized P-rail used on 
  NATO ﬁ rearms. Some manufacturers make P-rails 
  that attach to guns which don’t have integral ones.
  Standard Firearm 
  Accessories
  Th e following types of accessories are available 
  for standard ﬁ rearms. (At the GM’s option, char-
  acters can mount some of them, such as ﬂ ashlights 
  and some sights, on shotguns as well.)
  BRASS CATCHER
  A character who doesn’t want to leave the 
  shells ejected from an automatic and semi-auto-
  matic ﬁ rearm lying around as evidence can attach 
  a brass catcher to the side of his gun. Th is is a small 
  box or bag that catches and holds the now-empty 
  casings. In game terms this is bought as a naked 
  Advantage, Invisible Power Eﬀ ects (leaves no shell 
  casings; +¼) with OAF (-1), Real Weapon (-¼), and 
  Side Eﬀ ects (increases weapon’s PER Mod by +1, 
  always occurs; -½). (See the Firearms Accessories 
  Table for costs, if necessary; if the table doesn’t list 
  the Active Point cost of a character’s gun, either use 
  the next highest Active Point total listed or recalcu-
  late the cost on your own.)
  CAMERAS
  Some of the latest assault riﬂ es are designed 
  (or are being designed) to include cameras 
  mounted on the weapon. Th e camera transmits 
  a picture back to a lens worn over the user’s eye. 
  Th e shooter uses the camera to see around corners 
  without having to expose any part of his body — he 
  simply pokes the gun around the corner so he can 
  see what the camera sees. Th e camera can also 
  transmit pictures back to a commander or database 
  so that rear-echelon leaders can see what the ﬁ eld 
  soldiers see.
  In game terms, a riﬂ e-mounted camera is No 
  Range Clairsentience (Sight Group) with a battery 
  (Continuing Fuel Charge) that oﬀ ers about three 
  hours of performance.
  FLASHLIGHTS AND SPOTLIGHTS
  Th is device is a small, high-powered ﬂ ashlight 
  that attaches to the gun (usually underneath the 
  front of the barrel, or to the front of the trigger 
  guard). In game terms, it’s bought this way:  Sight 
  Group Images 1” radius, +4 to PER Rolls (22 Active 
  Points); OAF (-1), Limited Range (10”; -¼), Only 
  To Create Light (-1), Real Weapon (-¼), 1 Continu-
  ing Fuel Charge (batteries; easily replaced; 1 Hour; 
  -0) (total cost:  6 points).
  Riﬂ es, assault riﬂ es, and other large weapons 
  can potentially carry much larger spotlights if nec-
  essary; these mount to the top of the weapon. For 
  these, extend the length of the Limited Range. Some 
  spotlights generate infrared or ultraviolet light, but 
  characters need special equipment (such as night-
  sight goggles) to see such beams. For these, change 
  the Only To Create Light (-1) Limitation to Only To 
  Create IR (or UV) Light (-1¼) (total cost:  6 points).
  FLASH SUPPRESSORS
  Flash suppressors hide the muzzle ﬂ ash of 
  a gun from normal sight. Th ey’re usually found 
  only on riﬂ es, but for Dark Champions purposes 
  it’s assumed characters could make or buy ﬂ ash 
  suppressors for handguns if they wished. Flash sup-
  pressors can be combined with silencers, but not 
  with recoil compensators.
  In game terms, a ﬂ ash suppressor is bought 
  as Invisible to Normal Sight (+¼) for ﬁ rearms of 
  various Active Points with the Limitations OAF (-1) 
  and Real Weapon (-¼). (See the Firearms Accesso-
  ries Table for costs, if necessary; if the table doesn’t 
  list the Active Point cost of a character’s gun, either 
  use the next highest Active Point total listed or 
  recalculate the cost on your own.) Th e Invisible 
  Power Eﬀ ects only covers the muzzle ﬂ ash; the 
  character ﬁ ring the gun has to use Stealth or other 
  means to conceal the gun itself.
  Riﬂ e Grenade Launcher
  Most modern ﬂ ash suppressors also act as 
  riﬂ e grenade launchers. Riﬂ e grenades are 22mm 
  grenades ﬁ red from the end of a riﬂ e using special 
  blank cartridges (or ordinary ball ammunition if 
  the grenade is equipped with a “bullet trap”). Char-
  acters who want their ﬂ ash suppressors to have this 
  capability can, with the GM’s permission, buy them 
  as Multipowers (one slot with the naked Invisible 
  Power Eﬀ ects Advantage, one with STR only for 
  throwing grenades, as in the table on page 250). 
  Alternately, the GM can simply allow all ﬂ ash sup-
  pressors to function this way at no cost.
  LANYARDS
  A lanyard is a cord attached to a gun (usually 
  on the bottom of the grip for a revolver or other 
  guns with solid grips, other places for any gun that 
  inserts the magazine into the grip). When looped 
  around the shooter’s wrist, a lanyard makes it 
  impossible for the character to drop his gun (or be 
  disarmed), unless the cord somehow breaks.
  In game terms, a lanyard is deﬁ ned as follows:  
  Telekinesis (4 STR), Reduced Endurance (0 END; 
  +½) (9 Active Points); OAF (-1), No Range (-1), 
  Only To Hold Onto/Recover One Gun (-2), Real 
  Weapon (-¼) (total cost:  2 points). Th e character 
  can use the Telekinesis as a Zero-Phase Action to 
  “reel the gun in” when he’s Disarmed or has to let it 
  go for some reason.
  RANGEFINDERS
  Th ese small but handy devices use a laser to 
  measure the exact distance to the target. Th ey’re 
  
  233 
  Dark Champions ■ Chapter Five
  bought as Absolute Range Sense, OAF (-1), Real 
  Weapon (-¼), Only When Shooter Braces And/Or 
  Sets (-1).
  RECOIL COMPENSATORS
  As discussed on page 194, guns have recoil 
  when ﬁ red, and this recoil can throw oﬀ  a char-
  acter’s aim. Recoil compensators, also known as 
  muzzle brakes, help to reduce recoil by channeling 
  some of the explosive force of a gun’s discharge 
  upward at the end of the barrel. Th ey’re most oft en 
  found on automatic weapons (i.e., weapons with 
  the Autoﬁ re Advantage), but there are recoil com-
  pensators for some handguns.
  Recoil compensators come in two types. Th e 
  ﬁ rst attaches to a gun’s muzzle, thus extending the 
  length of the barrel by an inch or two (usually this 
  has no game eﬀ ect, but the GM might increase the 
  gun’s PER Mod by 1 if appropriate). Th e second 
  involves cutting or drilling holes into the barrel 
  itself, and thus adds no length... but the permanent 
  alteration to the barrel means the gun can never 
  use a silencer or ﬂ ash suppressor.
  In game terms, recoil compensators are 
  bought as Recoil Skill Levels — Penalty Skill 
  Levels that diminish or negate the recoil penalty. 
  Th ey have the Limitations OAF (-1) and Real 
  Weapon (-¼), and Side Eﬀ ects (+1 to ﬁ rearm’s 
  Hearing PER modiﬁ er, always occurs; -½) (see the 
  Firearms Accessories Table for costs, if necessary). 
  Because they’re PSLs, the device doesn’t improve 
  the character’s OCV until aft er his ﬁ rst shot 
  against a single target — all it can do is counteract 
  some or all of the OCV penalty for recoil. Th e 
  device only works when a character uses Autoﬁ re, 
  Multiﬁ re, or Rapid Fire against a single target; it 
  has no eﬀ ect on Autoﬁ re or Rapid Fire penalties 
  when the character attacks multiple targets.
  Handguns should not buy recoil compensa-
  tors that provide more than +1 OCV. Other types 
  of ﬁ rearms can buy any type of recoil compensator, 
  unless the GM rules otherwise.
  Characters cannot use recoil compensators 
  together with a silencer and/or a ﬂ ash suppressor. 
  In fact, a recoil compensator makes a gun louder.
  SIGHTS AND SCOPES
  Characters can buy sights and scopes for 
  almost any kind of gun. Th ey range from simple 
  iron sights to telescopic scopes to laser-based 
  sights. Th ese devices help the shooter to aim better, 
  and thus are bought as Combat (and/or Range) 
  Skill Levels with the OAF (-1) and Real Weapon 
  (-¼) Limitations (and possibly other Limitations, 
  oft en including that they do not work unless the 
  shooter uses the Brace and/or Set Combat Maneu-
  vers (-1)). All guns come with standard iron sights 
  (+0 OCV, +0 RMod) for free.
  Some sights and scopes also include, or are 
  combined with, a Rangeﬁ nder (see above). Typi-
  cally a character only has one type of sight or scope 
  on a gun, but it’s possible to install more than one 
  on some ﬁ rearms. In that case, the GM should 
  require the character to choose which one he’s 
  using for any given shot; characters can’t combine 
  the eﬀ ects of two sights unless the text indicates 
  otherwise or the GM speciﬁ cally permits it.
  Collimating And Reﬂ ex Sights
  Collimating and reﬂ ex sights (a.k.a. red dot 
  sights) have a lens on which the device electroni-
  cally generates a dot (or other marker) that shows 
  
  234 ■ Weapons
  Hero System 5th Edition
  FIREARMS ACCESSORIES TABLE
  Standard Firearms Accessories
  Name 
  A/R Cost 
  OCV 
  RMod 
  Notes
  Brass Catcher
   10 Active Point gun 
  2/1 
  — 
  — 
  IPE (leaves no shell casings) (+¼)
   20 Active Point gun 
  5/2 
  — 
  — 
  IPE (leaves no shell casings) (+¼)
   30 Active Point gun 
  7/2 
  — 
  — 
  IPE (leaves no shell casings) (+¼)
   40 Active Point gun 
  10/4 
  — 
  — 
  IPE (leaves no shell casings) (+¼)
   50 Active Point gun 
  12/4 
  — 
  — 
  IPE (leaves no shell casings) (+¼)
   60 Active Point gun 
  15/5 
  — 
  — 
  IPE (leaves no shell casings) (+¼)
   70 Active Point gun 
  17/6 
  — 
  — 
  IPE (leaves no shell casings) (+¼)
   80 Active Point gun 
  20/7 
  — 
  — 
  IPE (leaves no shell casings) (+¼)
   90 Active Point gun 
  22/8 
  — 
  — 
  IPE (leaves no shell casings) (+¼)
   100 Active Point gun 
  25/9 
  — 
  — 
  IPE (leaves no shell casings) (+¼)
  Camera 
  25/10 
  — 
  — 
  Clairsentience (Sight Group), NR
  Flashlight 
  22/6 
  — 
  — 
  +4 Sight Group PER in darkness, LR (10” or more)
  Flash Suppressor
   10 Active Point gun 
  2/1 
  — 
  — 
  Invisible to Normal Sight (+¼)
   20 Active Point gun 
  5/2 
  — 
  — 
  Invisible to Normal Sight (+¼)
   30 Active Point gun 
  7/3 
  — 
  — 
  Invisible to Normal Sight (+¼)
   40 Active Point gun 
  10/4 
  — 
  — 
  Invisible to Normal Sight (+¼)
   50 Active Point gun 
  12/5 
  — 
  — 
  Invisible to Normal Sight (+¼)
   60 Active Point gun 
  15/7 
  — 
  — 
  Invisible to Normal Sight (+¼)
   70 Active Point gun 
  17/7 
  — 
  — 
  Invisible to Normal Sight (+¼)
   80 Active Point gun 
  20/9 
  — 
  — 
  Invisible to Normal Sight (+¼)
   90 Active Point gun 
  22/10 
  — 
  — 
  Invisible to Normal Sight (+¼)
   100 Active Point gun 
  25/11 
  — 
  — 
  Invisible to Normal Sight (+¼)
  Lanyard 
  9/2 
  — 
  — 
  Telekinesis (4 STR), Only On One Gun
  Rangeﬁ nder 
  3/1 
  — 
  — 
  Absolute Range Sense, OBS
  Recoil Compensator
   Type 1 
  3/1 
  +1 
  — 
  SE (+1 Hearing PER Rolls), Only Versus Recoil Penalties
   Type 2 
  6/2 
  +2 
  — 
  SE (+1 Hearing PER Rolls), Only Versus Recoil Penalties
   Type 3 
  9/3 
  +3 
  — 
  SE (+1 Hearing PER Rolls), Only Versus Recoil Penalties
  Sights and Scopes
  Collimating/Reﬂ ex 
  46/14 
  +2 
  +10 
  LR (125”), OBS; also provides +2 PER versus darkness
  Laser Sight
   Standard, Small 
  34/13 
  +2 
  +8 
  LR (64”), Not In Adverse Conditions
   Infrared, Small 
  34/14 
  +2 
  +8 
  LR (64”), User Must Be Able To Perceive IR Light
   Standard, Long Arm 
  52/21 
  +2 
  +14 
  Not In Adverse Conditions
   Infrared, Long Arm 
  52/23 
  +2 
  +14 
  User Must Be Able To Perceive IR Light
  Micrometer Sight 
  42/14 
  — 
  +14 
  OBS, Extra Phase to aim and shoot
  Nightsight Scope
   Type I 
  9/2 
  — 
  — 
  +2 PER versus darkness, Detect Infrared Light, OBS
   Type II 
  12/3 
  — 
  — 
  +3 PER versus darkness, Detect Infrared Light, OBS
   Type III 
  15/3 
  — 
  — 
  +4 PER versus darkness, Detect Infrared Light, OBS
  Telescopic Sight
   x2 
  20/7 
  — 
  +3 
  +3 vs. RMod for Sight Group, +1 PER vs. darkness, OBS
   x3 
  26/9 
  — 
  +4 
  +4 vs. RMod for Sight Group, +1 PER vs. darkness, OBS
   x4 
  38/11 
  — 
  +6 
  +6 vs. RMod for Sight Group, +1 PER vs. darkness, OBS
   x6 
  56/17 
  — 
  +9 
  +9 vs. RMod for Sight Group, +1 PER vs. darkness, OBS
   x8 
  74/23 
  — 
  +12 
  +12 vs. RMod for Sight Group, +1 PER vs. darkness, OBS
   x10 
  92/29 
  — 
  +15 
  +15 vs. RMod for Sight Group, +1 PER vs. darkness, OBS
  
  235 
  Dark Champions ■ Chapter Five
  Firearms Accessories Table (Continued)
  Name 
  A/R Cost 
  OCV 
  RMod 
  Notes
  Th ermal Sight 
  5/1 
  — 
  — 
  Infrared Perception (Sight Group), OBS
  Targeting Computer 
  70/20 
  +2 
  +10 
  Type III Nightsight, x3 Telescopic Sight, Rangeﬁ nder, OBS
  Silencer, Cinematic
   10 Active Point gun 
  2/1 
  — 
  — 
  Invisible to Hearing Group (+¼)
   20 Active Point gun 
  5/2 
  — 
  — 
  Invisible to Hearing Group (+¼)
   30 Active Point gun 
  7/3 
  — 
  — 
  Invisible to Hearing Group (+¼)
   40 Active Point gun 
  10/4 
  — 
  — 
  Invisible to Hearing Group (+¼)
   50 Active Point gun 
  12/5 
  — 
  — 
  Invisible to Hearing Group (+¼)
   60 Active Point gun 
  15/7 
  — 
  — 
  Invisible to Hearing Group (+¼)
   70 Active Point gun 
  17/7 
  — 
  — 
  Invisible to Hearing Group (+¼)
   80 Active Point gun 
  20/9 
  — 
  — 
  Invisible to Hearing Group (+¼)
   90 Active Point gun 
  22/10 
  — 
  — 
  Invisible to Hearing Group (+¼)
   100 Active Point gun 
  25/11 
  — 
  — 
  Invisible to Hearing Group (+¼)
  Silencer, Realistic
   Small, Poor Quality 
  5/1 
  — 
  — 
  CE (-1 Hearing PER Rolls), Reduces/Eliminates Firing Noise
   Small, Average Quality 
  8/2 
  — 
  — 
  CE (-2 Hearing PER Rolls), Reduces/Eliminates Firing Noise
   Small, High Quality 
  11/3 
  — 
  — 
  CE (-3 Hearing PER Rolls), Reduces/Eliminates Firing Noise
   Large, Poor Quality 
  11/3 
  — 
  — 
  CE (-3 Hearing PER Rolls), Reduces/Eliminates Firing Noise
   Large, Average Quality 
  14/4 
  — 
  — 
  CE (-4 Hearing PER Rolls), Reduces/Eliminates Firing Noise
   Large, High Quality 
  17/5 
  — 
  — 
  CE (-5 Hearing PER Rolls), Reduces/Eliminates Firing Noise
  Slide-Stop 
  7/2 
  — 
  — 
  CE (-1 Hearing PER Rolls), Cancels Out Action’s Noise
  Shotguns Accessories
  Name 
  A/R Cost 
  OCV 
  RMod 
  Notes
  Ropethrower 
  10/3 
  — 
  — 
  Swinging 10”, Extra Time (Extra Phase), Uses 1 Shotgun Charge
  Shell Adapter 
  -/1 
  — 
  — 
  Lets shotgun ﬁ re one type of bullet, 1 Minute to switch
  Shotgun Barrel Flattening 
  var/var 
  — 
  — 
  Increase to AE1 Doubled
  Shot Spreader 
  var/var 
  — 
  — 
  Changes shotgun to AEC and NR
  KEY/NOTES 
  All devices have the Limitations OAF (-1) and Real Weapon (-¼)
   
  A/R Cost:  Th e Active Point/Real Point cost of the accessory.
   
  OCV:  Th e OCV modiﬁ er the accessory provides, if any. See page 200-01 for information on how this is bought, 
  though the Two-Handed (-½) Limitation is not applied since these devices might be attached to handguns or 
  the like.
   
  RMod:  Th e Range Modiﬁ er modiﬁ er the accessory provides, if any. See page 200-01 for information on how 
  this is bought, though the Two-Handed (-½) Limitation is not applied since these devices might be attached to 
  handguns or the like.
   
  Notes:  Pertinent notes and information about the accessory.
   
  AEC:  Area Of Eﬀ ect (Cone)
   
  CE:  Change Environment
   
  IPE:  Invisible Power Eﬀ ects
   
  LR:  Limited Range
   
  NR:  No Range
   
  OBS:  Only When Shooter Braces And/Or Sets (-1)
   
  SE:  Side Eﬀ ects
  
  236 ■ Weapons
  Hero System 5th Edition
  the weapon’s point of aim. All the shooter has to 
  do is adjust where the weapon’s pointing until the 
  dot overlays the target. Unlike with a laser sight, 
  only the shooter can see the “aiming dot.” Th ese 
  devices let the shooter keep both eyes open, and 
  also improve his ability to acquire the target in 
  low-light conditions.
  Collimating and reﬂ ex sights have a range of 
  about 250 meters (125”).
  Laser Sights
  Also known as targeting lasers, laser sights 
  work by placing a “dot” of laser light on the point 
  where the gun is aimed, thus showing the shooter 
  where his shot will hit. Unlike most sights, they 
  don’t require the shooter to Brace and/or Set. 
  (Realistically, the GM might consider imposing 
  that restriction, but dramatically they don’t seem to 
  require that sort of aiming.)
  Laser sights that use standard light do not 
  work well in smoke, mist, or similar conditions, or 
  against brightly-colored backgrounds (and smoke 
  or mist may make the entire beam visible, showing 
  the enemy exactly where the character is). A -¼ 
  Limitation, Does Not Work In Adverse Conditions, 
  reﬂ ects these restrictions. Furthermore, standard 
  laser sights are only useful out to 64” (a -¼ Limi-
  tation). But because the target can see the dot of 
  laser light on him (and thus knows exactly where 
  he’ll get hit by the shot), a standard laser sight can 
  improve some Presence Attacks (see page 60).
  Some laser sights use infrared lasers. Th ese 
  also only work out to a range of 64”, but don’t suﬀ er 
  from the other restrictions of standard laser sights. 
  However, the shooter must have some means of 
  perceiving IR light to use them (a -0 Limitation).
  Th e 64” range restriction for either type of 
  laser assumes a smaller, pistol-mounted laser sight. 
  Larger models — about the size of a conventional 
  ﬂ ashlight — are available for long arms. Th ese 
  have a range of about 8,000 meters (4,000”, or ﬁ ve 
  miles)... though of course that doesn’t mean the 
  weapon can ﬁ re that far. To simulate these, remove 
  the Limited Range (-¼) Limitation.
  In game terms, laser sights provide +2 OCV. 
  Small ones also provide +8 versus the Range Modi-
  ﬁ er (enough to cancel the Range Modiﬁ er at their 
  maximum range of 64”); larger ones increase that 
  to +14. At the GM’s option, only half of the Range 
  Skill Levels apply unless the character Braces
  and/or Sets.
  Some devices combine a ﬂ ashlight (or spot-
  light) and a laser sight.
  Micrometer Sights
  A micrometer sight is a precisely-calibrated 
  sight that can be adjusted in micrometer incre-
  ments for accurate distance shooting. In game 
  terms it provides a signiﬁ cant number of Range 
  Skill Levels, but requires Extra Time to prepare for 
  use (a Full Phase, so all told aiming and shooting 
  with a micrometer sight requires an Extra Phase). 
  Th e character must take the Full Phase to adjust 
  the sight before every shot, unless the last target he 
  shot at is the same distance away from him as his 
  current target.
  Nightsight Scopes
  Nightsight scopes (sometimes referred to as 
  “starlight scopes”) provide passive light enhance-
  ment — rather than generating any light on their 
  own, they amplify the ambient light, thus theoreti-
  cally “turning night into day” for the person looking 
  through them (though the world seen through the 
  scope appears in a monochrome green, not color). 
  Th ey also allow the user to see infrared light. Th ey 
  don’t function in total darkness (since then there’s 
  no light for them to amplify), and they emit ultra-
  sonic sound (which animals, and characters with 
  proper equipment, can hear).
  In game terms, a nightsight scope provides a 
  PER Roll bonus to overcome darkness modiﬁ ers 
  — +2 to +4, depending on the sophistication of the 
  device. Th e Limitations on this are OAF (-1), Real 
  Weapon (-¼), Only To Counteract Darkness Penal-
  ties (-½), Only When Shooter Braces And/Or Sets 
  (-1), Requires Ambient Light (it won’t work in total 
  darkness; -¼), and Side Eﬀ ect (character suﬀ ers 
  a 2 x Eﬀ ect Vulnerability to Sight Group Flashes 
  based on bright light while looking through the 
  scope, and may experience a minor Sight Group 
  Flash from looking at a bright light, always occurs; 
  -½). Th e device also provides Detect Infrared Light 
  (Sight Group) with most of these same Limitations.
  Telescopic Sights
  Telescopic sights, or scopes, are telescope-like 
  devices that mount on top of a ﬁ rearm. Th ey’re 
  rated by how much they magnify the target. For 
  example, a x2.0 scope makes the target seem twice 
  as large, eﬀ ectively halving the range to it in terms 
  of shooting accuracy when the shooter takes the 
  time to aim. Additionally, telescopic sights amplify 
  ambient light slightly, and usually have illuminated 
  reticles, making it a little easier for the user to see 
  at night.
  In game terms, telescopic sights are bought as 
  both Range Skill Levels and the Telescopic Sense 
  Modiﬁ er for the Sight Group, all with the Limita-
  tions OAF (-1), Real Weapon (-¼), and Only When 
  Shooter Braces And/Or Sets (-1). Th ey also provide a 
  minor Sight Group PER Roll bonus that only coun-
  teracts the darkness penalty.
  Th ermal Sights
  Th ermal sights (also referred to as a thermal-
  imaging weapon sights, or TWS) are passive infra-
  red sensors — they perceive patterns of heat, such 
  as the body heat given oﬀ  by a person or animal, 
  or the heat of a vehicle’s engine. Th ey can “see” 
  through light obstacles, such as most foliage, but 
  not heavy ones like walls. Th ey require two minutes 
  to “warm up” when activated, and have a battery life 
  of about four to ﬁ ve hours.
  In game terms, thermal sights are Infrared Per-
  ception (Sight Group) with OAF (-1), Extra Time 
  (2 Minutes to activate; -¾), Real Weapon (-¼), Only 
  When Shooter Braces And/Or Sets (-1), 1 Continu-
  ing Fuel Charge lasting 5 Hours (-0).
  Targeting Computer
  Th e lastest advances in sighting and aiming 
  technology are targeting computers, which can 
  
  237 
  Dark Champions ■ Chapter Five
  only be built into long arms such as assault riﬂ es 
  (though in more cinematic campaigns the GM 
  could waive that restriction if desired). Using its 
  built-in rangeﬁ nder, advanced nightsight device, 
  video imager (equivalent to a telescopic sight), 
  other sensors, and a dedicated ballistics computer, 
  a targeting computer can accurately track the range 
  to a target, improving the shooter’s chance of hit-
  ting the target or placing a launched grenade just 
  where he wants it to be when it explodes. Its battery 
  has about three hours of power.
  In game terms, a targeting computer pro-
  vides various OCV Levels and Range Skill Levels 
  with OAF (-1), Real Weapon (-¼), Only When 
  Shooter Braces And/Or Sets (-1), and 1 Continu-
  ing Fuel Charge lasting 3 Hours (-0). Additionally 
  it incorporates a Rangeﬁ nder, Type III Nightsight 
  Scope, and a video imaging system that’s equiva-
  lent to a x3 Telescopic Sight. Th e cost listed on the 
  Firearms Accessories Table includes all of these 
  devices (the listed RMod bonus includes both the 
  computer’s bonus and the bonus from its “x3 Tele-
  scopic Sight”).
  SILENCERS
  Firearms make a lot of noise when ﬁ red. Th e 
  expanding gases that propel a bullet create a loud 
  “boom” as they leave the barrel, and the bullet 
  itself makes a “crack” as it breaks the sound bar-
  rier. Th e accompanying table lists the standard 
  Hearing PER Roll modiﬁ ers to hear various types 
  of guns being ﬁ red.
  Silencers, more accurately known as sound 
  suppressors, trap the exploding gases given oﬀ  
  when a gun is ﬁ red, thus muﬄ  ing the sound of the 
  explosion which propels the bullet forward. Silenc-
  ers use baﬄ  es and/or absorbent materials to pre-
  vent the gases from escaping.
  Silencers come in two types:  integral and 
  attached. An integral silencer is built into the gun 
  and can’t be detached. An attached silencer can be 
  put on or taken oﬀ  a gun as desired, but the muzzle 
  of the gun has to be specially threaded to accept a 
  silencer. Attaching or detaching this type of silencer 
  takes a Full Phase (or a Half Phase if a character 
  succeeds with a Fast Draw (Small Arms) roll). An 
  attached silencer increases a gun’s PER Mod (+1 
  for handguns, +2 or more for submachine guns and 
  larger arms).
  Most guns can be silenced, though subma-
  chine guns, riﬂ es, and any gun capable of automatic 
  ﬁ re need a silencer larger than those required for 
  semi-automatic handguns (in other words, silencers 
  aren’t universally compatible; treat them as appro-
  priate only for a single type of ﬁ rearm). Revolvers 
  cannot be silenced, because their open cylinder 
  allow so much gas to escape. Shotguns cannot 
  be silenced through conventional means, though 
  Silent shells are available (see page 212).
  Silencers tend to wear out — as more shots 
  are taken, they allow more and more noise to leak 
  through until they’re eﬀ ectively useless. For game 
  purposes most GMs don’t worry about this, but 
  GMs in some high-”realism” games might want to 
  give silencers Charges. Most modern silencers per-
  form reasonably well for several hundred (or even 
  thousand) shots.
  In game terms, you can build silencers one of 
  two ways. To create a “cinematic” silencer — one 
  that functions with the eﬃ  ciency of silencers in 
  movies — apply Invisible to Hearing Group (+¼) 
  to the ﬁ rearm as a naked Advantage, with the Limi-
  tations OAF (-1) and Real Weapon (-¼).
  More “realistic” silencers are built with Change 
  Environment to diminish — but not necessarily 
  entirely eliminate — the Hearing PER Roll modi-
  ﬁ er for various ﬁ rearms. Th e Firearms Accessories 
  Table lists the costs and qualities of various types 
  of “realistic” silencers. Of course, even if a silencer 
  completely negates a gun’s Hearing PER Roll modi-
  ﬁ er, that doesn’t mean a character can’t hear the gun 
  — just that he gets no bonus to do so.
  Some silencers also act as ﬂ ash suppressors; 
  characters could combine both accessories into one 
  device if the GM allows. Silencers are incompatible 
  with recoil compensators.
  Characters can make crude homemade silenc-
  ers if they have appropriate materials and succeed 
  with a Weaponsmith (Firearms) roll at -2. Th ese 
  function as Poor quality silencers, and only work for 
  one shot. A lot of objects can function as “one-time 
  silencers”; for example, ﬁ ring through a pillow, towel, 
  or similar object can eﬀ ectively silence a bullet.
  Other Firearm Sounds
  Silencers only muﬄ  e the sound of the explo-
  sion that launches a bullet; they do not aﬀ ect the 
  sounds of the gun’s parts operating or the “crack” 
  made by bullets as they break the sound barrier.
  To eliminate the supersonic crack, a gun has 
  to ﬁ re Subsonic ammunition (see page 209). Alter-
  nately, some silencers are drilled with small holes to 
  allow enough of the propellant gases to escape so 
  that the bullet does not travel fast enough to break 
  the sound barrier. Other silencers use “wipes” (a 
  type of baﬄ  e) to slow the bullet down to subsonic 
  speeds; these wear out quickly (in game terms, give 
  them 20-32 Charges) and prevent the shooter from 
  using any ammunition that expands on contact 
  with the target (such as Hollow Point or Frangible 
  rounds). Th is “slowing” eﬀ ect reduces the damage 
  caused by the bullet to about 75% of normal; use 
  the damage ﬁ gures for an equivalent Subsonic 
  cartridge. In game terms, you can build these “slow-
  ing silencers” by applying a Side Eﬀ ects Limitation 
  FIREARMS NOISE
  Type Of Firearm 
  Bonus To Hearing PER Rolls
  Assault Riﬂ e 
  +5
  Handgun 
  +3
  Riﬂ e 
  +5
  Shotgun 
  +5
  Submachine Gun 
  +4
  Other Situations 
  Bonus To Hearing PER Rolls
  Cycling of the action 
  +1
  Pulling back a gun’s hammer 
  +1
  Pumping a pump-action shotgun 
  +2
  Reloading a clip 
  +1
  Working a bolt action 
  +2
  
  238 ■ Weapons
  Hero System 5th Edition
  (silencer makes gun do 75% of its regular damage, 
  always occurs; -½).
  To eliminate the sound of the action cycling, a 
  gun needs a slide-stop (see below).
  To eliminate the sound of the trigger being 
  pulled and the hammer falling, a gun needs an elec-
  tronic trigger, which means it has to use Caseless 
  ammunition (see page 204).
  SLIDESTOP
  Silencers cannot aﬀ ect the mechanical action 
  of a gun as the action cycles, which makes a distinct 
  noise (+1 to Hearing PER Rolls to perceive). Semi-
  automatic ﬁ rearms can be ﬁ tted with a slide-stop 
  (also called a slide-lock) to prevent the action from 
  cycling. Th e only mechanical sounds made by guns 
  with this attachment are the trigger being pulled 
  and the hammer falling. However, guns with slide-
  stops can only ﬁ re a single shot at a time; characters 
  cannot use Autoﬁ re, Multiﬁ re, or Rapid Fire with 
  them. Furthermore, the shooter has to cycle the 
  action manually between shots (this requires a Half 
  Phase Action).
  In game terms, a slide-stop is typically bought 
  as follows:  Change Environment 1” radius, -1 to 
  Hearing PER Rolls, Reduced Endurance (0 END; 
  +½) (7 Active Points); OAF (-1), No Range (-½), 
  Real Weapon (-¼), Self Only (only counteracts the 
  noise caused by the gun’s action cycling; -½), Side 
  Eﬀ ects (prevents multiple shots, always occurs, 
  see text; -½) (total cost:  2 points). (For a more 
  cinematic slide-stop, buy the device as Invisible 
  to Hearing Group, using the same cost as for cin-
  ematic silencers.)
  Shotgun Accessories
  Th e following accessories are speciﬁ c to shot-
  guns.
  ROPETHROWER
  Ropethrowers  are an attachment to the barrel 
  of a shotgun that uses the force of a ﬁ red shell to 
  shoot a rope and grapnel. In game terms, characters 
  can buy this as follows:  Swinging 10” (10 Active 
  Points); OAF (-1), Extra Time (Extra Phase; -¾), 
  Uses 1 Charge From A Shotgun RKA (-¼), Real 
  Weapon (-¼) (total cost:  3 points).
  SHELL ADAPTER
  A shell adapter allows a shotgun to ﬁ re normal 
  bullets. Th e caliber of bullet is dictated by the size 
  and type of shell adapter, but regardless of bullet 
  type, using a shell adapter imposes a -1 OCV 
  penalty on the shot. Inserting or removing a shell 
  adapter takes 1 Minute.
  In game terms, the best way to build this 
  device is to have it convert a shotgun into a Multi-
  power — one slot for shotgun rounds, one shot for 
  the standard bullet the character could ﬁ re with the 
  adapter, and Extra Time (1 Minute) on the Reserve 
  to represent the time it would take to switch slots. 
  Characters can build their own individual weapons 
  that way if desired (or if the GM prefers), but build-
  ing a shell adapter as a “generic” shotgun accessory 
  that way would be needlessly complex. Th erefore, 
  the Firearms Accessories Chart simply indicates a 
  cost of 1 Character Point (the GM can change this 
  if necessary).
  SHOTGUN BARREL FLATTENING
  A character can increase the spread pattern of 
  his shotgun by ﬂ attening the barrel slightly. Th is is 
  bought as an additional +¼ Advantage to expand 
  the shotgun’s normal Area Of Eﬀ ect (One Hex) into 
  Area Of Eﬀ ect (One Hex Doubled).
  SHOT SPREADER
  A shot spreader is essentially the opposite of a 
  choke:  it’s a device to increase the spread pattern of 
  shot as it emerges from the shotgun’s muzzle. Th is 
  allows the shooter to hit a lot of close targets with 
  devastating eﬀ ectiveness, but signiﬁ cantly decreases 
  a shotgun’s deadliness at greater ranges. In game 
  terms, a shot spreader changes a shotgun’s Area Of 
  Eﬀ ect (One Hex) to an Area Of Eﬀ ect (Cone), and 
  its Limited Range (20”; -¼) to No Range (-½). A 
  character should recalculate the cost of his shotgun 
  with these alterations.
  FIREARMS MODIFICATIONS 
  AND CUSTOMIZATION
  Characters can modify, customize, or improve 
  their guns in many diﬀ erent ways. Listed below are 
  several examples, for which you can ﬁ nd the costs 
  in the accompanying table (most take the Limita-
  tions OAF (-1) and Real Weapon (-¼)). See Weap-
  onsmith, page 83, for information about the time 
  and skills needed to make these modiﬁ cations.
  Because the HERO System Attack Roll rules 
  make each +1 OCV very eﬀ ective, many of the 
  listed modiﬁ cations provide less than that — a +0.5 
  OCV modiﬁ er. To gain any beneﬁ t from these, a 
  character has to install two diﬀ erent modiﬁ cations 
  that each provide +0.5 OCV (for a total of +1). For 
  these purposes, a +0.5 OCV bonus costs 2 Charac-
  ter Points.
  Some of the modiﬁ cations are listed as costing 
  no points. To discourage PCs from always taking 
  them, the GM may want to change that to 1 Char-
  acter Point.
  Ambidextrous Conversion:  Most guns are made to 
  be shot by right-handed persons. Th is modiﬁ cation 
  makes the gun easily usable by persons of either 
  handedness.
  Barrel Coating:  A special microscopic coating 
  applied to the inside of the barrel. Th is smooths 
  the barrel, reduces fouling, and increases the gun’s 
  accuracy and the speed with which it can be ﬁ red.
  Barrel Fluting:  Fluting involves cutting radiused 
  grooves down the length of a riﬂ e’s barrel. Th is 
  allows the barrel to cool more quickly, thus extend-
  ing its lifespan. In game terms, this has no eﬀ ect, 
  but reduces a riﬂ e’s weight by about 560-700 grams.
  Clear Grips/Magazine:  Semi-automatic guns can be 
  equipped with clear plastic grips and/or magazines 
  
  239 
  Dark Champions ■ Chapter Five
  so that the shooter can see how much ammunition 
  is left  at any time (checking ammo status is a Zero-
  Phase Action).
  Cryotreatment:  Exposing a gun to controlled tem-
  peratures of -300 degrees Fahrenheit strengthens 
  the steel in it. Th is decreases barrel warpage from 
  the heat of shooting and thus improves accuracy.
  Custom Grips/Stock:  A custom grips or stock, spe-
  cially molded to ﬁ t the user’s hand and arm, can 
  improve accuracy. Th is provides a +0.5 OCV bonus, 
  but imposes a -1 OCV penalty whenever anyone 
  else tries to use the gun.
  Electronic Trigger:  It’s possible to replace the 
  mechanical trigger in some guns with an elec-
  tronic trigger, which is noiseless because it has no 
  mechanical action — ﬁ ring the gun is more like 
  pressing a button than pulling a trigger. However, 
  this only works for guns that ﬁ re Caseless ammu-
  nition, since an electronic charge cannot activate 
  Standard ammunition. Th is modiﬁ cation does not 
  work in conjunction with Improved Trigger or 
  Hair Trigger.
  Enlarged Magazine:  Using the Firearms Cost/
  Upgrade Tables (pages 214-31), you can increase 
  the size of a semi-automatic or automatic ﬁ rearm’s 
  magazine. Some modern designs, such as the 
  cylindrical magazine of the Calico M-950 or the 
  C-Mag drum magazine for various assault riﬂ es, 
  pack a surprisingly large number of rounds into a 
  small space — some don’t even change the weap-
  on’s PER Mod.
  Fine Tuning:  General improvements by a gunsmith 
  can make a gun more accurate (+.5 or +1 OCV).
  Hair Trigger:  A hair trigger ﬁ res the gun with 
  only the slightest pressure (most triggers require 
  several pounds of pressure). Th is makes the gun 
  quicker to ﬁ re, which can be useful in a gunﬁ ght... 
  but can also increase the chance of an accidental 
  ﬁ ring. If a character’s Unluck activates or he rolls 
  a fumble (page 187), an accidental shooting is a 
  deﬁ nite possibility. Th is modiﬁ cation does not 
  work in conjunction with Improved Trigger or 
  Electronic Trigger.
  Improved Bedding:  Riﬂ e barrels are “bedded” to 
  prevent excessive barrel movement, which nega-
  tively aﬀ ects aim. An improved bedding makes the 
  barrel even steadier, improving aim beyond that 
  of ordinary riﬂ es. Only riﬂ es can beneﬁ t from this 
  modiﬁ cation.
  Improved Firing Pin:  One of the factors aﬀ ecting 
  accuracy is locktime — the amount of time between 
  when the trigger is squeezed and the bullet is ﬁ red. 
  In this interval, even if it’s measured in microsec-
  onds, a shooter’s aim can wander. An Improved 
  Firing Pin, usually made of titanium, strengthens 
  the spring. Th is decreases locktime and increases 
  accuracy without adding to the weight of the gun.
  Improved Range:  A gunsmith can ﬁ ne-tune a 
  gun to improve its accuracy over long distances. 
  Although this is most commonly done with riﬂ es, 
  the procedure also works with handguns.
  FIREARMS MODIFICATIONS AND CUSTOMIZATION TABLE
  Name 
  A/R Cost 
  OCV 
  RMod 
  Notes
  Ambidextrous Conversion 
  0 
  — 
  —
  Barrel Coating 
  2/1 
  +.5 
  +0
  Barrel Fluting 
  0 
  — 
  — 
  Reduces gun’s weight
  Clear Grips/Magazine 
  0 
  — 
  — 
  Shows how much ammuntion is left 
  Cryotreatment 
  2/1 
  +.5 
  +0
  Custom Grips/Stock 
  2/1 
  +.5 
  +0 
  -1 OCV for other users
  Electronic Trigger 
  7/2 
  — 
  — 
  CE (-1 Hearing PER Rolls), cancels out trigger’s noise, requires
   
   
   
   
  Caseless ammo
  Fine Tuning I 
  2/1 
  +.5 
  +0
  Fine Tuning II 
  5/2 
  +1 
  —
  Hair Trigger 
  1/1 
  — 
  — 
  +1 Lightning Reﬂ exes for shooting the gun
  Improved Bedding 
  2/1 
  +.5 
  +1
  Improved Firing Pin 
  2/1 
  +.5 
  +0
  Improved Range I 
  3/1 
  +0 
  +1 
  +1 PER Mod
  Improved Range II 
  6/2 
  +0 
  +2 
  +2 PER Mod
  Improved Trigger 
  2/1 
  +.5 
  +0
  Personalization 
  0 
  — 
  — 
  Makes gun a Personal Focus
  Pistol Stock 
  3/1 
  —  
  +1 
  +2 PER Mod
  Polygonal Riﬂ ing 
  var/var 
  — 
  — 
  +1 point RKA
  Sawed-Oﬀ  Shotgun 
  var/var 
  — 
  — 
  Changes shotgun to Area Of Eﬀ ect (Cone) and No Range
  Size Reduction I 
  0 
  — 
  — 
  -1 PER Mod
  Size Reduction II 
  0 
  — 
  -1 
  -2 PER Mod
  Streamlining 
  2/1 
  — 
  — 
  +1 to Fast Draw (Small Arms)
  Watertight 
  0 
  — 
  — 
  Makes gun watertight
  Weight Reduction 
  0 
  — 
  — 
  Makes gun weigh up to 25% less
  
  240 ■ Weapons
  Hero System 5th Edition
  Improved Trigger:  Modiﬁ cations to the trigger to 
  make it easier and smoother to use, thus improving 
  accuracy. Th is modiﬁ cation does not work in con-
  junction with Electronic Trigger or Hair Trigger.
  Personalization:  Some “smart” guns only work for 
  their owners, thus making it impossible for an 
  attacker to take the gun away and use it against its 
  owner. A smart gun has devices in its grip which 
  read the signal from a ring worn by the owner and 
  only ﬁ re if the hand holding the gun is wearing 
  the ring. (More technologically-advanced versions 
  might have ﬁ ngerprint or DNA readers built into 
  the grip, or the like.) In HERO System terms, smart 
  guns are Personal Foci instead of Universal Foci.
  Pistol Stock:  Some handguns have detachable, 
  riﬂ e-like stocks that the shooter can attach to sta-
  bilize the gun for long-distance shots. Attaching or 
  detaching the stock requires a Half Phase Action 
  (or a Zero-Phase Action if the character succeeds 
  with a Fast Draw (Small Arms) roll).
  Polygonal Riﬂ ing:  Guns with polygonal riﬂ ing have 
  a better gas seal, which creates the maximum “push” 
  possible on the bullet and decreases barrel friction. 
  Th is causes the bullet to travel faster and do more 
  damage (RKA +1 point).
  Sawed-Off Shotgun:  A sawed-oﬀ  shotgun is one 
  that’s had most of its barrel cut oﬀ  for either or 
  both of two purposes:  to make it easier to conceal 
  or to cause the shot to spread more quickly. In 
  game terms, sawing oﬀ  a shotgun’s barrel changes 
  the shotgun’s Area Of Eﬀ ect (One Hex) to an Area 
  Of Eﬀ ect (Cone), and its Limited Range (20”; -¼) 
  to No Range (-½). Th e character should recalculate 
  the cost of his shotgun with these alterations. Addi-
  tionally, the shotgun’s PER Mod drops from the 
  usual +4 to +6 for most shotguns to +2 to +3.
  Characters can only convert double-barreled 
  shotguns into sawed-oﬀ  shotgun. Sawing oﬀ  a 
  pump-action shotgun would involve sawing oﬀ  the 
  magazine and pump as well.
  Size Reduction:  Removing or trimming away 
  unnecessary metal and parts of a gun can reduce 
  its size (i.e., PER Mod) without signiﬁ cantly aﬀ ect-
  ing its accuracy. In game terms, this changes the 
  weapon’s PER Mod.
  Streamlining:  By trimming and smoothing the 
  edges of a gun, a gunsmith can make it easier to 
  draw because it’s less likely to snag on holster mate-
  rial or clothing.
  Watertight:  A gunsmith can create and seal a gun 
  so that it’s watertight.
  Weight Reduction:  By trimming away unnecessary 
  metal and replacing some parts of the gun with 
  lighter-weight equivalents, a character can make his 
  gun weigh up to 25% less.
    Disguised Weapons 
   And Gadgets 
  Th e Concealment rules from pages 450-51 of 
  the HERO System 5th Edition, Revised rulebook pre-
  sume a character’s concealing Obvious, Accessible 
  Foci. Examples include a stilleto worn in an arm 
  sheath under a character’s sleeve, a small handgun 
  tucked into the back of his pants underneath his 
  sports jacket, or a straight razor hidden in a boot.
  But many of the ﬁ rearms and other weap-
  ons built for Dark Champions characters aren’t 
  just hidden, they’re disguised — in other words, 
  designed not to look like guns. Ever since guns 
  were invented, people have tried to think up clever 
  ways to hide them so they’re available for surprise 
  attacks. In HERO System terms, a disguised gun is 
  an Inobvious Accessible Focus. Th e Inobvious part 
  of the Focus Limitation corresponds to a Conceal-
  ment “Skill” of 13- (11- base roll, +2 for the fact that 
  the weapon is built into an object); extremely well 
  made concealed weapons may merit higher Con-
  cealment “Skills.” (If a character’s building a dis-
  guised weapon with Character Points, he has to pay 
  for this using the Skill Power; otherwise the GM 
  can simply assign the appropriate modiﬁ ers.) When 
  a character tries to spot a disguised object, he 
  makes a PER Roll against the object’s Concealment 
  roll in a Skill Versus Skill Contest. A successful roll 
  only reveals that there’s something unusual in the 
  construction of the item; the perceiving character 
  has to perform a hands-on search in another PER 
  Roll Versus Concealment Roll Contest to open the 
  weapon up or determine what it does.
  Naturally, once a character actually uses a 
  disguised weapon, it’s no longer Inobvious. When 
  a character starts ﬁ ring bullets from his cigarette 
  case, its true function becomes apparent.
  Unless the GM rules otherwise, all disguised 
  guns should have a minimum -1 OCV penalty (and 
  no Range Skill Levels) to reﬂ ect the relative diﬃ  -
  culty of aiming them.
  See the Disguised Guns Table for some guide-
  lines regarding the capacity of disguised guns built 
  into various objects.
  DISGUISED GUNS TABLE
  Object 
  Ammunition Capacity
  Belt Buckle 
  1
  Beverage Can 
  3-8
  Book 
  6+
  Briefcase 
  6+ 
  Calculator 
  2-3
  Camera/Videorecorder 
  3+
  Cane/Crutch/Umbrella 
  10
  Cast (for broken arm) 
  8
  Cigarette 
  1
  Cigarette case 
  2-6
  Flashlight 
  10
  Gloves 
  1
  Knife Handle 
  1-3
  Lighter 
  1-2
  Lipstick 
  1
  Pen 
  1
  
  241 
  Dark Champions ■ Chapter Five
  T
  he accompanying tables list many guns and 
  other weapons that Dark Champions charac-
  ters might use.Th e weapons are listed alpha-
  betically by category, in these categories:
  Revolvers
  Semi-Automatic Pistols
  Submachine Guns
  Riﬂ es
  Assault Riﬂ es
  Machine Guns
  Shotguns
  Grenades
  Heavy Weapons
  Several categories of information are given 
  for these weapons. Some information (caliber, 
  number of shots, weight) derives from real-world 
  data, while some (OCV, damage) depends on the 
  application of the HERO System rules and can be 
  changed to suit individual campaigns and tastes.
  Th e weapons listed were chosen for a variety 
  of reasons:  commonality (either in real life or in 
  action-adventure movies and stories); interesting 
  technology; intriguing appearance; and the like. If 
  you don’t ﬁ nd the gun you’re looking for listed here, 
  you can easily use the listed guns (as well as the 
  Firearms Cost/Upgrades Tables on pages 214-31) as 
  guidelines for creating the one you want.
  Name:  Th e name of the weapon. Th is may include 
  a manufacturer and/or model number. 
  Cal:  Th e weapon’s caliber (for shotguns, this 
  becomes “Ga,” for Gauge). Th is is given in fractions 
  of an inch or in millimeters (mm).
  Many models of guns comes in multiple cali-
  bers, not just the one listed (this is particularly true 
  for semi-automatic handguns), and a gunsmith can 
  oft en rechamber a weapon to accept a diﬀ erent size 
  cartridge. So if you like the look of a gun but not 
  the caliber, feel free to change it to ﬁ re the type of 
  bullet you want. Upgrading a gun to a larger caliber 
  may diminish the number of rounds it can hold in 
  a magazine, while downgrading to a smaller caliber 
  may increase the weapon’s ammo capacity.
  OCV:  Th e weapon’s OCV modiﬁ er, bought as 
  described on page 200-01.
  RMod:  Th e weapon’s Range Modiﬁ er, bought as 
  described on page 200-01.
  Dam:  Th e damage the weapon does (usually 
  derived from the size of the bullet; see the Ammu-
  nition Damage Table on page 203). All ﬁ gures are 
  Killing Damage unless contained within parenthe-
  ses (which indicates Normal Damage).
  STUNx:  Th e STUN Modiﬁ er for the weapon. 1d6-
  1 is a normal STUN Modiﬁ er roll; 1d6 means the 
  weapon has a +1 Increased STUN Modiﬁ er, 1d6+1 
  a +2 Modiﬁ er, and so forth.
  Shots:  Th e number of shots in the gun’s cylinder 
  or magazine (in game terms, how many Charges 
  the gun has). Each gun comes with one “clip” of 
  ammunition unless noted otherwise. If a gun can 
  use more than one size clip, the largest or most 
  common clip is listed. Guns with a “clip” of 1 shot 
  are single-shot guns (oft en for target shooting) that 
  the user must reload aft er each shot.
  Th e listed number of Charges for semi-auto-
  matic ﬁ rearms does not include having one round 
  “in the pipe” (i.e., chambering one round, then 
  removing the magazine and replacing that round, 
  so that the gun carries +1 round).
  STR Min:  Th e STR Min necessary to use the 
  weapon eﬀ ectively. See page 478 of the HERO 
  System 5th Edition, Revised rulebook for more infor-
  mation. Guns have the STR Min Does Not Add/Sub-
  tract Damage modiﬁ er, so a character without suf-
  ﬁ cient STR to ﬁ re a gun doesn’t do any less damage, 
  but does suﬀ er the speciﬁ ed OCV penalty.
  PER Mod:  Th e PER Roll modiﬁ er to perceive the 
  gun when it’s concealed. See page 450 of the HERO 
  System 5th Edition, Revised rulebook for more infor-
  mation.
  A/R Cost:  Th e Active Point/Real Point Cost of the 
  weapon, in Character Points. Th ese costs use the 
  expanded Killing Attack costs on page 95, and 
  include the standard Power Modiﬁ ers for various 
  types of ﬁ rearms (as described on pages 200 and 
  210).
  Mass:  Th e weight of the gun, in kilograms. Typi-
  cally this is the unloaded weight; inserting a clip of 
  ammunition adds a few grams.
  Notes:  Any notes about the weapon. All notes and 
  abbreviations are explained at the end of the tables.
  FIREARMS 
  TABLES
  
  242 ■ Weapons
  Hero System 5th Edition
  REVOLVERS
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  STR PER 
  A/R
  Name 
  Cal 
  OCV RMod 
  Dam 
  STUNx Shots 
  Min Mod 
  Cost 
  Mass Notes
  ADC Derringer 
  10mm 
  -1 
  -2 
  1½d6 
  1d6-1 
  2 
  6 
  +0 
  25/4 
  0.45
  Casull Fieldgrade 
  .454 
  +1 
  +0 
  2d6+1 
  1d6 
  5 
  12 
  +3 
  49/12 
  1.46
  Colt Anaconda 
  .44 M 
  +0 
  +0 
  2d6 
  1d6 
  6 
  11 
  +3 
  37/9 
  1.67
  Colt Detective 
  .38 
  +0 
  +0 
  1d6 
  1d6-1 
  6 
  9 
  +1 
  15/3 
  0.59
  Colt King Cobra 
  .357 M 
  +0 
  +0 
  1½d6 
  1d6-1 
  6 
  10 
  +2 
  25/6 
  1.30
  Colt Police Positive 
  .38 
  +0 
  +0 
  1d6 
  1d6-1 
  6 
  9 
  +1 
  15/3 
  0.45
  Colt Python 
  .357 M 
  +1 
  +0 
  1½d6 
  1d6-1 
  6 
  10 
  +2 
  30/8 
  1.36
  Derringer 
  .38 
  -2 
  -2 
  1d6 
  1d6-1 
  2 
  4 
  +0 
  15/3 
  0.45
  Freedom Arms M83 
  .50 AE 
  +0 
  +0 
  2d6+1 
  1d6 
  6 
  10 
  +2 
  44/10 
  1.53
  Korth Stainless 
  9mm 
  +1 
  +0 
  1d6+1 
  1d6-1 
  6 
  9 
  +3 
  25/7 
  1.24
  Linebaugh 475 
  .475 
  +0 
  +0 
  2d6+1 
  1d6 
  5 
  10 
  +2 
  44/10 
  1.12
  Llama Comanche 
  .38 
  +0 
  +0 
  1d6 
  1d6-1 
  6 
  9 
  +2 
  15/3 
  1.03
  Llama Super Comanche 
  .44 M 
  -1 
  +0 
  2d6 
  1d6 
  6 
  12 
  +3 
  37/8 
  1.42
  Remington XP-100R 
  .350 
  +1 
  +2 
  1½d6 
  1d6-1 
  4 
  11 
  +4 
  36/10 
  2.00
  Rossi M851 
  .38 
  +0 
  +0 
  1d6 
  1d6-1 
  6 
  8 
  +2 
  15/3 
  0.85
  Ruger Redhawk 
  .44 M 
  +0 
  +0 
  2d6 
  1d6 
  6 
  11 
  +3 
  37/9 
  1.49
  Ruger Security Six 
  .357 M 
  +0 
  +0 
  1½d6 
  1d6-1 
  6 
  10 
  +2 
  25/6 
  0.95
  S&W Model 10 
  .38 
  +0 
  +0 
  1d6 
  1d6-1 
  6 
  7 
  +2 
  15/3 
  0.86
  S&W Model 19 
  .357 M 
  +0 
  +0 
  1½d6 
  1d6-1 
  6 
  9 
  +1 
  25/6 
  0.86
  S&W Model 27 
  .357 M 
  +0 
  +0 
  1½d6 
  1d6-1 
  6 
  10 
  +2 
  25/6 
  1.29
  S&W 29 Silhouette 
  .44 M 
  +0 
  +0 
  2d6 
  1d6 
  6 
  10 
  +3 
  37/9 
  1.53
  S&W Model 36 
  .38 
  +0 
  +0 
  1d6 
  1d6-1 
  5 
  7 
  +1 
  15/3 
  0.69
  S&W Model 57 
  .41 M 
  +0 
  +0 
  1½d6 
  1d6-1 
  6 
  10 
  +3 
  25/6 
  1.36
  S&W .500 Magnum 
  .50 S&W M 
  +0 
  +0 
  2d6+1 
  1d6 
  5 
  13 
  +3 
  44/10 
  2.06
  S&W 586/686 
  .357 M 
  +0 
  +0 
  1½d6 
  1d6-1 
  6 
  10 
  +2 
  25/6 
  1.39
  S&W 625 
  .45 ACP 
  +0 
  +0 
  2d6-1 
  1d6 
  6 
  10 
  +2 
  34/8 
  1.28
  S&W Model 640-1 
  .357 M 
  +0 
  +0 
  1½d6 
  1d6-1 
  6 
  10 
  +1 
  25/6 
  0.59
  Taurus 454 
  .454 
  +1 
  +0 
  2d6+1 
  1d6 
  5 
  12 
  +3 
  49/12 
  1.65
  Taurus 669/669VR 
  .357 M 
  +0 
  +0 
  1½d6 
  1d6-1 
  6 
  10 
  +3 
  25/6 
  1.05
  Weatherby Mark V 
  .308 
  +1 
  +2 
  2d6+1 
  1d6 
  1 
  13 
  +4 
  55/13 
  2.00
  Wesson Supermag 
  .357 M 
  +0 
  +0 
  1½d6 
  1d6-1 
  5 
  12 
  +3 
  25/6 
  1.84
  SEMI-AUTOMATIC PISTOLS
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  STR PER 
  A/R
  Name 
  Cal 
  OCV RMod 
  Dam 
  STUNx Shots 
  Min Mod 
  Cost 
  Mass Notes
  AA Arms AP9 
  9mm 
  +0 
  +0 
  1d6+1 
  1d6-1 
  20 
  11 
  +3 
  25/7 
  1.59
  Accu-Tek HC-380 
  .380 
  +0 
  +0 
  1d6 
  1d6-1 
  10 
  7 
  +1 
  15/4 
  0.74
  American C.O.P. 
  .357 M 
  -2 
  -2 
  1½d6 
  1d6-1 
  4 
  6 
  +0 
  25/5   
  0.79
  AMT Automag IV 
  .45 Win Mag +0 
  +1 
  2d6 
  1d6 
  7 
  10 
  +3 
  40/10 
  1.30
  AMT Automag V 
  .50 AE 
  +1 
  +0 
  2d6+1 
  1d6 
  7 
  13 
  +3 
  49/13 
  1.30
  AMT Backup 
  .380 
  +1 
  -1 
  1d6 
  1d6-1 
  5 
  10 
  +1 
  20/5 
  0.51
  AMT Javelina 
  10mm 
  +0 
  +1 
  1½d6 
  1d6-1 
  8 
  12 
  +3 
  28/7 
  1.10
  Australian SAP 
  .223 
  +1 
  +1 
  2d6 
  1d6 
  30 
  10 
  +5 
  53/16 
  1.80
  .44 Automag 
  .44 M 
  +0 
  +0 
  2d6 
  1d6 
  7 
  14 
  +4 
  37/9 
  1.50
  Beretta Model 84F 
  .380 
  +0 
  +0 
  1d6 
  1d6-1 
  13 
  10 
  +2 
  15/4 
  0.69
  Beretta Model 92/92FS 
  9x19mm 
  +0 
  +0 
  1d6+1 
  1d6-1 
  15 
  9 
  +2 
  20/6 
  1.00
  Beretta Model 8000 
  9x19mm 
  +1 
  +0 
  1d6+1 
  1d6-1 
  15 
  9 
  +1 
  25/8 
  0.95
  Bren Ten 
  10mm 
  +1 
  +0 
  1½d6 
  1d6-1 
  11 
  9 
  +1 
  30/9 
  0.94
  Browning BDA 9C 
  9x19mm 
  +1 
  +0 
  1d6+1 
  1d6-1 
  14 
  10 
  +2 
  25/8 
  0.91
  Browning Hi Power 
  9x19mm 
  +0 
  +0 
  1d6+1 
  1d6-1 
  20 
  7 
  +2 
  25/7 
  0.93
  Calico M-110 
  .22 LR 
  +1 
  +0 
  1d6 
  1d6-1 
  100 
  11 
  +3 
  29/9 
  1.70 
  RC1
  Calico M-950/Liberty  III 
  9x19mm 
  +1 
  +0 
  1d6+1 
  1d6-1 
  100 
  12 
  +3 
  43/13 
  2.10 
  RC1
  Claridge Hi-Tec 
  9x19mm 
  +1 
  +1 
  1d6+1 
  1d6-1 
  30 
  10 
  +3 
  33/10 
  1.70
  Colt 2000 
  9x19mm 
  +1 
  +1 
  1d6+1 
  1d6-1 
  15 
  10 
  +2 
  28/9 
  0.81
  
  243 
  Dark Champions ■ Chapter Five
  Semi-Automatic Pistols (Continued)
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  STR PER 
  A/R
  Name 
  Cal 
  OCV RMod 
  Dam 
  STUNx Shots 
  Min Mod 
  Cost 
  Mass Notes
  Colt Double Eagle 
  10mm 
  +1 
  +0 
  1½d6 
  1d6-1 
  8 
  10 
  +2 
  30/8 
  1.09
  Colt Govt. Mk. IV 
  9x19mm 
  +1 
  +0 
  1d6+1 
  1d6-1 
  9 
  9 
  +2 
  28/8 
  1.16 
  RC1
  Colt M1911/M1911A1 
  .45 ACP 
  +1 
  +0 
  2d6-1 
  1d6 
  7 
  9 
  +2 
  39/10 
  1.10
  CZ 75/CZ 85 
  9x19mm 
  +0 
  +0 
  1d6+1 
  1d6-1 
  15 
  9 
  +2 
  20/6 
  0.98
  CZ100 
  .40 
  +1 
  +1 
  1d6+1 
  1d6-1 
  10 
  9 
  +3 
  28/8 
  0.64
  Desert Eagle .41 
  .41 M 
  +1 
  +0 
  1½d6 
  1d6-1 
  9 
  13 
  +3 
  30/9 
  1.90
  Desert Eagle .50 
  .50 AE 
  +1 
  +0 
  2d6+1 
  1d6 
  9 
  13 
  +3 
  49/14 
  1.90
  D Max Model 100P 
  10mm 
  +1 
  +1 
  1½d6 
  1d6-1 
  30 
  11 
  +4 
  39/12 
  2.00
  FN Five SeveN 
  5.7x28mm 
  +1 
  +0 
  1d6 
  1d6-1 
  20 
  8 
  +2 
  24/7 
  0.62
  Glock 17L 
  9x19mm 
  +1 
  +1 
  1d6+2 
  1d6-1 
  19 
  9 
  +2 
  39/12 
  0.66 
  PR
  Glock 20 
  10mm 
  +0 
  +0 
  2d6-1 
  1d6-1 
  15 
  9 
  +1 
  30/8 
  0.64 
  PR
  Glock 21 
  .45 ACP 
  +0 
  +0 
  2d6 
  1d6 
  13 
  9 
  +1 
  39/11 
  0.83 
  PR
  Glock 27 
  .40 
  +1 
  +0 
  1d6+2 
  1d6-1 
  9 
  9 
  +2 
  30/8 
  0.62 
  PR
  Göncz GA-9 
  9x19mm 
  +1 
  +2 
  1d6+1 
  1d6-1 
  30 
  11 
  +4 
  36/12 
  1.80
  Grendel P-12 
  .380 
  +0 
  +0 
  1d6 
  1d6-1 
  11 
  10 
  +1 
  15/4 
  0.71
  Grendel P-31 
  .22 
  +0 
  +0 
  1d6-1 
  1d6-1 
  30 
  10 
  +1 
  15/4 
  1.50
  Gyurza P-9/SR-1 Vektor 
  9x21mm 
  +0 
  +0 
  1d6+1 
  1d6-1 
  18 
  10 
  +2 
  25/7 
  1.18
  Hammerli 232 
  .22 
  +1 
  +1 
  1d6 
  1d6-1 
  6 
  9 
  +3 
  65/23 
  1.15 
  Micr, RC1
  Hammerli 280/SP20 
  .32 
  +1 
  +2 
  1d6 
  1d6-1 
  6 
  9 
  +2 
  7½3 
  1.20 
  Micr, RC1
  H&K HK4 
  .32 ACP 
  +1 
  +1 
  1d6 
  1d6-1 
  8 
  8 
  +2 
  23/7 
  0.48
  H&K MK 23 SOCOM 
  .458 
  +1 
  +1 
  2d6-1 
  1d6 
  12 
  10 
  +2 
  114/39 
  1.20 
  Sil (-3), FS, Laser, PR, 1
  H&K P7K3 
  .380 
  +1 
  +0 
  1d6+1 
  1d6-1 
  13 
  9 
  +2 
  25/7 
  0.75 
  PR
  H&K P7M13 
  9x19mm 
  +1 
  +0 
  1d6+2 
  1d6-1 
  13 
  9 
  +2 
  30/9 
  0.80 
  PR
  H&K P9/P9S 
  9x19mm 
  +1 
  -1 
  1d6+2 
  1d6-1 
  9 
  9 
  +2 
  30/8 
  0.88 
  PR
  H&K P-11 
  7.62x36mm Fle +0 
  +0 
  1½d6 
  1d6-1 
  5 
  8 
  +2 
  68/17 
  1.20 
  AP, IMR2, IPE, LR(15”),
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   Sil(-3), Watertight, 2
  H&K USP Compact 
  .45 
  +1 
  +0 
  2d6 
  1d6 
  8 
  10 
  +2 
  44/11 
  0.79 
  PR
  High  Standard Trophy 
  .22 LR 
  +1 
  +1 
  1d6-1 
  1d6-1 
  10 
  6 
  +2 
  20/6 
  1.25
  Jericho 941 
  .41 
  +1 
  +1 
  1½d6 
  1d6-1 
  11 
  10 
  +2 
  33/10 
  1.00
  Kahr K9 
  9x19mm 
  +1 
  +0 
  1d6+1 
  1d6-1 
  7 
  8 
  +2 
  25/7 
  0.71
  
  244 ■ Weapons
  Hero System 5th Edition
  Semi-Automatic Pistols (Continued)
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  STR PER 
  A/R
  Name 
  Cal 
  OCV RMod 
  Dam 
  STUNx Shots 
  Min Mod 
  Cost 
  Mass Notes
  L.A.R. Grizzly .45 
  .45 Win Mag +1 
  +0 
  2d6 
  1d6 
  7 
  13 
  +3 
  42/11 
  1.49
  L.A.R. Grizzly 10mm 
  10mm 
  +1 
  +0 
  1½d6 
  1d6 
  7 
  12 
  +3 
  30/8 
  1.49
  Lorcin L-25 
  .25 ACP 
  +0 
  +0 
  1d6  
  1d6-1 
  7 
  8 
  +2 
  15/4 
  0.41
  Luger P-08 
  .30 
  +1 
  +0 
  1d6+1 
  1d6-1 
  32 
  8 
  +2 
  30/9 
  0.87
  MBA Gyrojet Pistol 
  13x36mm Gy 
  +2 
  +1 
  2d6-1 
  1d6-1 
  6 
  5 
  +2 
  53/14 
  0.50 
  IMR2, IPE
  Makarov P6 
  9x18mm R 
  +0 
  +0 
  1d6+1 
  1d6-1 
  8 
  10 
  +3 
  28/7 
  0.70 
  Sil (-2)
  Makarov PM 
  9x18mm R 
  +0 
  -1 
  1d6+1 
  1d6-1 
  8 
  6 
  +1 
  20/4 
  0.68
  Norinco Model 77B 
  9x19mm 
  +0 
  +0 
  1d6+1 
  1d6-1 
  9 
  9 
  +2 
  20/5 
  1.00
  O’Dwyer VLe 
  9x19mm Ca +1 
  +1 
  1d6+1 
  1d6-1 
  24 
  8 
  +3 
  51/16 
  0.75 
  NP, AF3, 3
  Para-Ordinance P13/P14 
  .45 ACP 
  +1 
  +0 
  2d6-1 
  1d6 
  13 
  10 
  +2 
  39/12 
  1.07
  Pardini/Fiocchi S&W 
  .32 
  +1 
  +1 
  1d6 
  1d6-1 
  5 
  10 
  +3 
  65/20 
  1.10 
  Micr
  Pardini/Fiocchi SPE 
  .22 LR 
  +1 
  +2 
  1d6 
  1d6-1 
  5 
  10 
  +3 
  23/8 
  1.05 
  Micr
  Ruger Mark II 
  .22 LR 
  +1 
  +1 
  1d6 
  1d6-1 
  10 
  10 
  +3 
  62/20 
  2.1 
  Micr
  Ruger Model P90DC 
  .45 ACP 
  +1 
  +0 
  2d6-1 
  1d6 
  7 
  10 
  +2 
  39/10 
  0.90
  Ruger P94 
  9x19mm 
  +0 
  +0 
  1d6+1 
  1d6-1 
  15 
  8 
  +2 
  54/19 
  0.93 
  Laser
  SIG P210-6 
  7.65x17mm 
  +1 
  -1 
  1d6 
  1d6-1 
  8 
  7 
  +2 
  20/5 
  0.98
  SIG/SAUER P226 
  9x19mm 
  +1 
  +0 
  1d6+1 
  1d6-1 
  15 
  8 
  +2 
  25/11 
  0.70
  SIG/SAUER P229 
  .40 
  +0 
  -1 
  1d6+1 
  1d6-1 
  12 
  8 
  +2 
  20/5 
  0.83
  S&W ASP 
  9x19mm 
  +1 
  +0 
  1d6+1 
  1d6-1 
  7 
  10 
  +2 
  25/7 
  0.62 
  Clear grips/magazine
  S&W Mark 22 Model 0 
  9x19mm 
  +0 
  +0 
  1d6+1 
  1d6-1 
  8 
  10 
  +3 
  28/7 
  0.74 
  Sil (-2), 4
  S&W Model 41 
  .22 LR 
  +1 
  +2 
  1d6 
  1d6-1 
  10 
  8 
  +3 
  23/8 
  1.20
  S&W Model 1006 
  10mm 
  +1 
  +0 
  1½d6 
  1d6-1 
  9 
  8 
  +3 
  30/9 
  0.80
  S&W Model 4506 
  .45 ACP 
  +1 
  +0 
  2d6-1 
  1d6 
  8 
  8 
  +3 
  39/10 
  1.15
  S&W Model 5904/5906 
  9x19mm 
  +1 
  +0 
  1d6+1 
  1d6-1 
  15 
  8 
  +3 
  25/8 
  1.06
  S&W SIGMA 
  .40 
  +1 
  +1 
  1d6+1 
  1d6-1 
  15 
  10 
  +3 
  28/9 
  0.74
  Sphinx AT-2000 
  .40 
  +1 
  +1 
  1d6+1 
  1d6-1 
  10 
  9 
  +3 
  28/8 
  1.03
  Sphinx 3000 
  9x19mm 
  +1 
  +1 
  1d6+1 
  1d6-1 
  16 
  10 
  +3 
  28/9 
  1.04
  Steyr GB 
  9x19mm 
  +1 
  +0 
  1d6+1 
  1d6-1 
  18 
  9 
  +3 
  30/9 
  0.84
  Steyr M40 
  .40 
  +1 
  +0 
  1d6+1 
  1d6-1 
  10 
  9 
  +2 
  25/7 
  0.78
  Steyr SPP 
  9x19mm 
  +1 
  +1 
  1d6+1 
  1d6-1 
  30 
  11 
  +3 
  33/10 
  1.30
  Tokarev TT-33 
  7.62x26mm R +0 
  +0 
  1d6+1 
  1d6-1 
  8 
  9 
  +2 
  20/5 
  0.80
  Walther OSP/GSP 
  .32 
  +1 
  +1 
  1d6 
  1d6-1 
  5 
  10 
  +3 
  23/6 
  1.20
  Walther P5/P38 
  9x19mm 
  +0 
  +0 
  1d6+1 
  1d6-1 
  8 
  8 
  +2 
  20/5 
  0.80
  Walther P99 
  9x19mm 
  +1 
  +0 
  1d6+1 
  1d6-1 
  16 
  10 
  +2 
  25/8 
  0.72
  Walther PPK/S 
  .380 Auto 
  +1 
  -1 
  1d6 
  1d6-1 
  7 
  6 
  +1 
  20/5 
  0.59
  Wildey Magnum 
  .45 Win Mag +0 
  +0 
  2d6 
  1d6 
  7 
  13 
  +3 
  37/9 
  1.98
  SUBMACHINE GUNS
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  STR PER 
  A/R
  Name 
  Cal 
  OCV RMod 
  Dam 
  STUNx Shots 
  Min Mod 
  Cost 
  Mass Notes
  Agram 2000 
  9x19mm 
  +0 
  -1 
  1d6+1 
  1d6-1 
  32 
  12 
  +4 
  35/9 
  1.90 
  AF5
  Ares FMG 
  9x19mm 
  +0 
  +0 
  1d6+1 
  1d6-1 
  32 
  10 +2/+3 35/9 
  2.25 
  AF5, ET(FP), 5
  Baretta Model 93R 
  9x19mm 
  +0 
  +0 
  1d6+1 
  1d6-1 
  20 
  11 
  +2 
  33/10 
  1.12 
  AF3, RC1
  Beretta M12/PM-12S 
  9x19mm 
  +1 
  +0 
  1d6+1 
  1d6-1 
  40 
  10 
  +5 
  45/13 
  3.00 
  AF5
  Bison 
  9x18mm R 
  +0 
  +0 
  1d6+1 
  1d6-1 
  64 
  11 
  +4 
  40/11 
  2.10 
  AF5, clear magazine
  Bushman IDW 
  .41 
  +1 
  +1 
  1½d6 
  1d6-1 
  32 
  10 
  +4 
  44/13 
  3.46 
  AF5
  Bushmaster 
  .223 
  +1 
  +1 
  2d6 
  1d6 
  30 
  12 
  +4 
  68/20 
  2.38 
  AF5
  BXP 
  9x19mm 
  +1 
  +0 
  1d6+1 
  1d6-1 
  32 
  10 
  +5 
  40/12 
  2.50 
  AF5
  Calico 960A 
  9x19mm 
  +0 
  +0 
  1d6+1 
  1d6-1 
  100 
  10 
  +4 
  45/13 
  2.17 
  AF5
  Colt CAR-15 
  9x19mm 
  +0 
  +0 
  1d6+1 
  1d6-1 
  30 
  12 
  +5 
  45/14 
  2.78 
  AF5, FS
  Colt M733 Commando 
  5.56x45mm N +1 
  +0 
  2d6 
  1d6 
  30 
  12 
  +4 
  82/26 
  3.20 
  AF5, FS
  Colt M635 Commando 
  9x19mm 
  +1 
  +0 
  1d6+1 
  1d6-1 
  32 
  12 
  +5 
  50/26 
  2.59 
  AF5, FS
  CZ Model 61 Skorpion 
  .32 Cz 
  +1 
  -1 
  1d6 
  1d6-1 
  20 
  8 
  +2 
  31/8 
  1.59 
  AF5
  FN P90 
  5.7x28mm 
  +1 
  +0 
  2d6 
  1d6-1 
  50 
  10 
  +4 
  65/16 
  2.50 
  AF5, Tum, clear magazine
  Glock 18C 
  9x19mm 
  +1 
  +1 
  1d6+2 
  1d6-1 
  19 
  9 
  +2 
  47/15 
  0.59 
  AF3, PR, RC1
  H&K MP5 or 54 
  9x19mm 
  +1 
  +0 
  1d6+1 
  1d6-1 
  30 
  12 
  +4 
  40/12 
  2.60 
  AF5
  
  245 
  Dark Champions ■ Chapter Five
  Submachine Guns (Continued)
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  STR PER 
  A/R
  Name 
  Cal 
  OCV RMod 
  Dam 
  STUNx Shots 
  Min Mod 
  Cost 
  Mass Notes
  H&K MP5/10A3 
  10mm 
  +1 
  +0 
  1½d6 
  1d6-1 
  30 
  12 
  +4 
  49/15 
  2.67 
  AF5, clear magazine
  H&K MP53 
  5.56x45mm N +1 
  +0 
  2d6 
  1d6 
  25 
  12 
  +4 
  65/19 
  3.05 
  AF5
  H&K MP5K/SP89   
  9x19mm 
  +1 
  +0 
  1d6+1 
  1d6-1 
  30 
  12 
  +4 
  40/12 
  2.00 
  AF5
  H&K MP5K-PDW 
  9x19mm 
  +1 
  +0 
  1d6+1 
  1d6-1 
  15 
  12 
  +4 
  35/11 
  2.79 
  AF5
  H&K MP5SD3 
  9x19mm 
  +1 
  +0 
  1d6   
  1d6-1 
  30 
  12 
  +5 
  52/16 
  2.52 
  AF5, FS, Sil (-4)
  H&K MP7 
  4.6x30mm 
  +1 
  +1 
  2d6 
  1d6-1 
  40 
  12 
  +4 
  75/22 
  1.20 
  AF5
  H&K MP2000 
  9x19mm 
  +1 
  +1 
  1d6+1 
  1d6-1 
  30 
  10 
  +4 
  60/18 
  2.78 
  AF5, Sil (-5)
  H&K UMP 
  .45 ACP 
  +1 
  +1 
  2d6-1 
  1d6 
  25 
  11  
  +6 
  62/18 
  2.08 
  AF5
  H&K VP70 Z 
  9x19mm 
  +0 
  +0 
  1d6+1 
  1d6-1 
  18 
  9 
  +2 
  36/11 
  0.82 
  AF3, RC2
  Ilarco 180 SR/SB 
  .22 M 
  +1 
  +2 
  1d6 
  1d6-1 
  165 
  12 
  +6 
  56/17 
  2.60 
  AF8
  Ingram MAC-10 
  .45 ACP 
  +1 
  +0 
  2d6-1 
  1d6 
  32 
  12 
  +3 
  59/17 
  2.84 
  AF5
  Ingram MAC-11 
  .380 Auto 
  +1 
  +0 
  1d6 
  1d6-1 
  32 
  12 
  +3 
  31/9 
  1.59 
  AF5
  Intratec TEC-9 
  9x19mm 
  +0 
  -1 
  1d6+1 
  1d6-1 
  32 
  12 
  +4 
  35/9 
  1.40 
  AF5
  Intratec TEC-22 
  .22 LR 
  +0 
  +0 
  1d6 
  1d6-1 
  30 
  12 
  +4 
  21/6 
  1.50 
  AF5
  JATI MATIC 
  9x19mm 
  +0 
  +0 
  1d6+1 
  1d6-1 
  40 
  10 
  +5 
  40/11 
  1.65 
  AF5
  KFAMP Assault MP 
  9x19mm 
  +1 
  +0 
  1d6+1 
  1d6-1 
  108 
  12 
  +4 
  50/15 
  2.65 
  AF5
  M3A1 “Grease Gun” 
  .45 ACP 
  +0 
  +0 
  2d6-1 
  1d6 
  30 
  12 
  +4 
  54/15 
  3.47 
  AF5 Only 
  Parker-Hale PDW 
  9x19mm 
  +1 
  +0 
  1d6+1 
  1d6-1 
  32 
  10 
  +4 
  38/12 
  2.10 
  AF3, RC1, 6
  PPsh-41 
  7.62x25mm R +1 
  -1 
  1d6+1 
  1d6-1 
  35 
  8 
  +6 
  45/12 
  3.60 
  AF5
  Ruger MP9 
  9x19mm 
  +1 
  +0 
  1d6+1 
  1d6-1 
  32 
  12 
  +4 
  40/12 
  3.00 
  AF5
  Sidewinder SS-1 
  9x19mm 
  +1 
  +0 
  1d6+1 
  1d6-1 
  45 
  12 
  +4 
  45/13 
  2.49 
  AF5
  SITES Spectre M4 
  9x19mm 
  +1 
  +1 
  1d6+1 
  1d6-1 
  50 
  13 
  +5 
  48/14 
  2.90 
  AF5, 7
  S&W M-76 
  9x19mm 
  +0 
  +1 
  1d6+1 
  1d6-1 
  36 
  12 
  +4 
  43/12 
  3.29 
  AF5
  Stechkin APS 
  9x18mm R 
  +1 
  +0 
  1d6+1 
  1d6-1 
  20 
  12 
  +3 
  40/12 
  0.76 
  AF5
  STEN Mark II 
  9x19mm 
  +1 
  +1 
  1d6+1 
  1d6-1 
  32 
  12 
  +4 
  43/13 
  2.80 
  AF5
  Sterling L2A3 
  9x19mm 
  +2 
  +0 
  1d6+1 
  1d6-1 
  34 
  13 
  +4 
  50/15 
  2.72 
  AF5, 8
  Sterling L34A1 
  9x19mm 
  +2 
  -1 
  1d6 
  1d6-1 
  34 
  10 
  +4 
  61/17 
  3.50 
  AF5, Sil (-3)
  Steyr MPi69/MPi81 
  9x19mm 
  +0 
  +0 
  1d6+1 
  1d6-1 
  32 
  10 
  +4 
  35/10 
  3.10 
  AF5
  Steyr TMP 
  .41 
  +1 
  +0 
  1½d6 
  1d6-1 
  30 
  10 
  +4 
  49/15 
  1.30 
  AF5
  Th ompson M1-A1 
  .45 ACP 
  +0 
  +0 
  2d6-1 
  1d6 
  50 
  13 
  +6 
  61/17 
  4.70 
  AF5 
  
  246 ■ Weapons
  Hero System 5th Edition
  Submachine Guns (Continued)
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  STR PER 
  A/R
  Name 
  Cal 
  OCV RMod 
  Dam 
  STUNx Shots 
  Min Mod 
  Cost 
  Mass Notes
  Th ompson M-1928 
  .45 ACP 
  +0 
  +0 
  2d6-1 
  1d6 
  50 
  14 
  +6 
  61/17 
  4.90 
  AF5, 9
  Uzi 
  9x19mm 
  +1 
  +0 
  1d6+1 
  1d6-1 
  40 
  12 
  +4 
  45/13 
  3.60 
  AF5
  Mini-Uzi 
  9x19mm 
  +0 
  +0 
  1d6+1 
  1d6-1 
  20 
  12 
  +3 
  35/10 
  2.65 
  AF5
  Micro-Uzi 
  9x19mm 
  +0 
  -1 
  1d6+1 
  1d6-1 
  15 
  12 
  +2 
  30/7 
  1.95 
  AF5
  Viking 
  9x19mm 
  +1 
  +0 
  1d6+1 
  1d6-1 
  36 
  12 
  +3 
  45/13 
  2.72 
  AF5
  Walther MPK/MPL 
  9x19mm 
  +1 
  +1 
  1d6+1 
  1d6-1 
  32 
  12 
  +4 
  43/13 
  2.80 
  AF5
  Weaver PKS9 Ultralite 
  9x19mm 
  +1 
  +1 
  1d6+1 
  1d6-1 
  42 
  13 
  +5 
  48/14 
  2.77 
  AF5
  RIFLES
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  STR PER 
  A/R
  Name 
  Cal 
  OCV RMod 
  Dam 
  STUNx Shots 
  Min Mod 
  Cost 
  Mass Notes
  AA Beowulf 
  .50 
  +1 
  +2 
  3d6 
  1d6   
  7 
  15 
  +5 
  67/16 
  4.00 
  2H, RC1
  Anschutz Model 1913 
  .22 LR 
  +1 
  +2 
  1d6 
  1d6-1 
  1 
  10 
  +5 
  23/6  
  7.00 
  2H
  Armalite AR-50 
  .50 B 
  +1 
  +2 
  3d6 
  1d6   
  1 
  16 
  +7 
  73/15 
  15.45 
  2H, RC2
  Barrett Model 82A1 
  .50 B 
  +1 
  +4 
  3d6 
  1d6   
  11 
  15 
  +8 
  79/20 
  12.9 
  2H, RC2
  Barrett M468 
  6.8x43mm 
  +1 
  +2 
  2d6 
  1d6 
  28 
  12 
  +5 
  62/17 
  3.31 
  2H, RC2
  Barrett M99-1 
  .50 B 
  +1 
  +3 
  3d6 
  1d6   
  1 
  14 
  +7 
  76/16 
  9.54 
  2H, RC2
  Calico M-105 
  .22 LR 
  +1 
  +1 
  1d6 
  1d6-1 
  100 
  12 
  +6 
  29/8  
  2.59 
  2H
  Calico M951 Carbine 
  9x19mm 
  +1 
  +1 
  1d6+1 
  1d6-1 
  100 
  12 
  +6 
  46/13 
  2.16 
  2H, RC1
  Colt Sporter HBAR 
  .223 
  +1 
  +2 
  2d6 
  1d6 
  30 
  12 
  +7 
  56/15 
  3.40 
  2H
  Daewoo DR 200 
  .223 
  +1 
  +1 
  2d6 
  1d6 
  20 
  13 
  +6 
  53/14 
  4.10 
  2H
  D Max Carbine 
  10mm 
  +1 
  +0 
  1½d6 
  1d6-1 
  30 
  11 
  +6 
  36/10 
  3.00 
  2H
  DPMS Panther 
  .308 Win 
  +1 
  +0 
  2d6+1 
  1d6 
  10 
  14 
  +6 
  49/12 
  5.45 
  2H
  FN Model 30-11 
  7.62x51mm N +1 
  +2 
  2d6+1 
  1d6 
  10 
  14 
  +5 
  55/14 
  4.85 
  2H
  Galil Sniper 
  7.62x51mm N +1 
  +1 
  2d6+1 
  1d6 
  25 
  13 
  +5 
  60/16 
  6.40 
  2H
  Galil SASR 
  .308 
  +1 
  +1 
  2d6 
  1d6 
  25 
  13 
  +6 
  53/14 
  6.40 
  2H
  Grendel S-16 
  7.62x36mm 
  +1 
  +2 
  2d6-1 
  1d6 
  20 
  14 
  +5 
  73/20 
  4.80 
  2H, Sil (-5)
  H&H African 
  .450 M 
  +0 
  +2 
  2½d6 
  1d6 
  2 
  16 
  +5 
  56/11 
  4.60 
  2H
  H&K G3SG/1 
  7.62x51mm N +1 
  +1 
  2d6+1 
  1d6 
  20 
  10 
  +5 
  75/23 
  5.54 
  2H, FS
  
  247 
  Dark Champions ■ Chapter Five
  Riﬂ es (Continued)
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  STR PER 
  A/R
  Name 
  Cal 
  OCV RMod 
  Dam 
  STUNx Shots 
  Min Mod 
  Cost 
  Mass Notes
  H&K HK94SG1 
  9x19mm 
  +1 
  +1 
  1d6+1 
  1d6-1 
  30 
  14 
  +5 
  33/9 
  3.26 
  2H
  H&K PSG-1 
  7.62x51mm N +1 
  +2 
  2d6+1 
  1d6 
  20 
  15 
  +6 
  63/16 
  8.10 
  2H
  H&K SR-9 
  .308 
  +1 
  +1 
  2d6+1 
  1d6 
  5 
  13 
  +6 
  52/12 
  4.95 
  2H
  L96A1 
  .300 Win Mag +1 
  +2 
  2½d6 
  1d6 
  10 
  15 
  +6 
  61/15 
  6.00 
  2H
  M-1 Garand 
  .30-06 
  +0 
  +1 
  2d6+1 
  1d6 
  8 
  15 
  +7 
  47/10 
  4.40 
  2H
  M21 Sniper 
  7.62x51mm N +1 
  +2 
  2d6+1 
  1d6 
  20 
  15 
  +6 
  63/16 
  5.04 
  2H
  M40A3  
  7.62x51mm N +1 
  +2 
  2d6+1 
  1d6 
  5 
  15 
  +6 
  55/13 
  4.10 
  2H
  MBA Gyrojet Carbine 
  13mm Gy 
  +1 
  +2 
  2d6-1 
  1d6-1 
  6 
  8 
  +4 
  51/12 
  2.50 
  2H, IMR2, IPE
  McMillan M-87 
  .50 B 
  +1 
  +3 
  3d6 
  1d6 
  5 
  17 
  +8 
  70/16 
  9.52 
  2H
  McMillan M-89 
  .308 
  +1 
  +3 
  2d6+1 
  1d6 
  20 
  13 
  +6 
  69/18 
  7.00 
  2H, Sil (-5)
  McMillan M-93 
  12.7x99mm 
  +1 
  +3 
  3d6 
  1d6 
  20 
  15 
  +8 
  87/23 
  9.52 
  2H, RC2
  RAI Model 500 
  12.7x99mm 
  +1 
  +3 
  3d6 
  1d6 
  1 
  15 
  +7 
  70/14 
  15.15 
  2H
  Remington M24 
  7.62x51mm N +1 
  +2 
  2d6+1 
  1d6 
  10 
  13 
  +6 
  55/14 
  4.00 
  2H
  Remington M700 
  7.62x51mm N +1 
  +2 
  2d6+1 
  1d6 
  5 
  10 
  +6 
  55/13 
  3.41 
  2H
  Ruger Mini-14 
  5.56x45mm N +1 
  +1 
  2d6 
  1d6 
  30 
  10 
  +5 
  53/14 
  3.10 
  2H
  SAR-4800 
  .308 
  +1 
  +1 
  2d6+1 
  1d6 
  20 
  12 
  +6 
  60/16 
  4.30 
  2H
  SSG 3000 
  7.62x51mm N +1 
  +2 
  2d6+1 
  1d6 
  5 
  14 
  +7 
  70/19 
  5.40 
  2H, FS, RC1
  SKS Carbine 
  7.62x54mm R +1 
  +2 
  2d6+1 
  1d6 
  10 
  10 
  +7 
  55/14 
  3.90 
  2H
  Springﬁ eld M1903 
  .30-06 
  +1 
  +1 
  2d6+1 
  1d6 
  5 
  13 
  +5 
  52/12 
  3.94 
  2H
  Springﬁ eld SAR-8 
  .308 Win 
  +1 
  +0 
  2d6+1 
  1d6 
  20 
  14 
  +5 
  57/15 
  4.00 
  2H
  Steyr AMR IWS 2000 
  15.2mm Fle 
  +1 
  +3 
  3½d6 
  1d6 
  5 
  20 
  +8 
  141/30 
  18.00 
  2H, AP, IMR2, IPE, RC1
  Steyr SSG-69/69 PII 
  7.62x51mm N +1 
  +3 
  2d6+1 
  1d6 
  10 
  15 
  +6 
  58/15 
  4.37 
  2H
  SVD Dragunov 
  7.62x54mm R +1 
  +2 
  2d6+1 
  1d6 
  10 
  15 
  +8 
  67/19 
  4.30 
  2H, FS
  Technika Destroyer 
  14.5x114mm R +1 
  +2 
  3d6+1 
  1d6 
  5 
  16 
  +8 
  73/16 
  26.00 
  2H
  VSS Silent Sniper 
  9x39mm R 
  +1 
  +1 
  1d6+1 
  1d6-1 
  20 
  13 
  +6 
  57/16 
  2.60 
  2H, AP, Sil (-4)
  Walther WA-2000 
  7.62x66mm 
  +1 
  +4 
  2½d6 
  1d6 
  6 
  13 
  +6 
  88/24 
  7.91 
  2H, FS, RC3
  Winchester Model 70 
  .300 Win Mag +1 
  +2 
  2½d6 
  1d6  
  3 
  12  
  +6 
  61/13 
  3.90 
  2H
  ASSAULT RIFLES
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  STR PER 
  A/R
  Name 
  Cal 
  OCV RMod 
  Dam 
  STUNx Shots 
  Min Mod 
  Cost 
  Mass Notes
  AIWS 
  5x54mm 
  +1 
  +0 
  2d6 
  1d6-1 
  60 
  13 
  +6 
  72/19 
  3.14 
  2H, AF5, NP
  AK-47/AKM-47 
  7.62x39mm R +1 
  +1 
  2d6 
  1d6 
  30 
  14 
  +6 
  68/18 
  4.30 
  2H, AF5
  AK-74/AKS-74 
  5.45x39.5mm R +1 
  +1 
  2d6 
  1d6 
  30 
  14 
  +6 
  71/19 
  3.60 
  2H, AF5, RC1
  AR-18 
  5.56x45m N 
  +0 
  +0 
  2d6 
  1d6 
  40 
  10 
  +6 
  84/24 
  3.17 
  2H, AF5, FS
  Beretta AR 70/223 
  5.56x45mm N +0 
  +0 
  2d6 
  1d6 
  30 
  13 
  +5 
  75/22 
  3.54 
  2H, AF5, FS
  CETME C3 
  7.62x51mm N +1 
  +0 
  2d6+1 
  1d6 
  20 
  12 
  +5 
  75/19 
  4.20 
  2H, AF5
  Colt M4/M4A1 Carbine 
  5.56x45mm N +1 
  +1 
  2d6 
  1d6 
  30 
  12 
  +5 
  71/19 
  2.54 
  2H, AF5, FS
  Colt M16/M16A1 
  5.56x45mm N +1 
  +1 
  2d6 
  1d6 
  30 
  13 
  +6 
  71/19 
  3.18 
  2H, AF5, FS
  Colt M16A2/A4 
  5.56x45mm N +2 
  +1 
  2d6 
  1d6 
  30 
  13 
  +6 
  88/27 
  5.78 
  2H, AF5, FS
  Enﬁ eld L85A1/SA80 
  5.56x45mm N +1 
  +0 
  2d6 
  1d6 
  30 
  13 
  +7 
  68/18 
  4.60 
  2H, AF5, FS
  FA-MAS 
  5.56x45mm N +1 
  +2 
  2d6 
  1d6 
  25 
  10 
  +6 
  74/20 
  3.70 
  2H, AF5, FS
  FN-CAL 
  5.56x45mm N +1 
  +1 
  2d6 
  1d6 
  30 
  15 
  +6 
  83/24 
  3.00 
  2H, AF5, FS
  FN-F2000 
  5.56x45mm N +1 
  +2 
  2d6 
  1d6 
  30 
  15 
  +6 
  86/25 
  3.60 
  2H, AF5, FS
  FN-FAL 
  7.62x51mm N +1 
  +2 
  2d6+1 
  1d6 
  20 
  16 
  +7 
  98/27 
  4.25 
  2H, AF5, FS
  FN-FNC 
  5.56x45mm N +1 
  +1 
  2d6 
  1d6 
  30 
  15 
  +6 
  80/23 
  3.80 
  2H, AF5, FS
  Galil MAR 
  5.56x45mm N +1 
  +1 
  2d6 
  1d6 
  35 
  13 
  +4 
  92/27 
  2.98 
  2H, AF5, FS
  Galil SAR 
  7.62x51mm N +1 
  +2 
  2d6+1 
  1d6 
  25 
  13 
  +5 
  98/28 
  4.30 
  2H, AF5, FS
  H&K 33A2 
  5.56x45mm N +1 
  +1 
  2d6 
  1d6 
  40 
  15 
  +5 
  92/27 
  3.65 
  2H, AF5, FS
  H&K G3 
  7.62x51mm N +1 
  +3 
  2d6+1 
  1d6 
  30 
  15 
  +5 
  84/21 
  4.25 
  2H, AF5
  H&K G11 
  4.73x33mm Ca +2 
  +1 
  2d6 
  1d6-1 
  50 
  15 
  +5 
  71/19 
  3.65 
  2H, AF5, IPE, RC2, NP, 10
  H&K G33E/G41E 
  5.56x45mm N +1 
  +2 
  2d6 
  1d6 
  25 
  15 
  +5 
  86/25 
  3.65 
  2H, AF5, FS
  H&K G36 
  5.56x45mm N +1 
  +1 
  2d6 
  1d6 
  30 
  15 
  +5 
  83/24 
  3.43 
  2H, AF5, FS
  M-2 Carbine 
  .30 
  +0 
  +1 
  1½d6 
  1d6-1 
  30 
  14 
  +6 
  47/12 
  2.36 
  2H, AF5
  M-14/M-14A1 
  7.62x51mm N +1 
  +2 
  2d6+1 
  1d6 
  20 
  12 
  +7 
  8½1 
  4.12 
  2H, AF5
  
  248 ■ Weapons
  Hero System 5th Edition
  Assault Riﬂ es (Continued)
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  STR PER 
  A/R
  Name 
  Cal 
  OCV RMod 
  Dam 
  STUNx Shots 
  Min Mod 
  Cost 
  Mass Notes
  M-19 SPIW 
  Fle 
  +1 
  +0 
  1½d6 
  1d6-1 
  50 
  11 
  +5 
  80/21 
  2.68 
  2H, AF5, AP, IMR2, 
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  IPE, NP
  OICW (M29) 
  5.56x45mm N +3 
  +11 
  2d6 
  1d6 
  30 
  15 
  +6 
  198/64 
  5.50 
  2H, AF5, FS, NP, 11
  Ruger AC556F 
  5.56x45mm N +1 
  +1 
  2d6 
  1d6 
  30 
  12 
  +5 
  83/25 
  3.15 
  2H, AF5, FS
  SATS-G3 
  7.62x51mm N +1 
  +1 
  2d6+1 
  1d6 
  20 
  15 
  +6 
  78/19 
  3.63 
  2H, AF5
  SIG 550/551 
  5.56x45mm N +1 
  +1 
  2d6 
  1d6 
  30 
  13 
  +6 
  83/25 
  4.10 
  2H, AF5, FS, clear 
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  magazine
  SR88A 
  5.56x45mm N +1 
  +1 
  2d6 
  1d6 
  30 
  13 
  +5 
  83/25 
  3.66 
  2H, AF5, FS
  Stoner M22 or M23 
  5.56x45mm N +1 
  +1 
  2d6 
  1d6 
  30 
  12 
  +5 
  68/18 
  3.70 
  2H, AF5
  Steyr ACR 
  Fle 
  +1 
  +2 
  1½d6 
  1d6-1 
  30 
  12 
  +5 
  80/21 
  3.23 
  2H, AF5, AP, IMR2, 
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  IPE, NP
  Steyr AUG 
  5.56x45mm N +1 
  +2 
  2d6 
  1d6 
  30 
  12 
  +5 
  86/25 
  3.60 
  2H, AF5, FS, 12
  Valmet 90 
  7.62x51mm N +1 
  +1 
  2d6+1 
  1d6 
  20 
  14 
  +5 
  95/27 
  3.90 
  2H, AF5, FS
  Vektor CR-21 
  5.56x45mm N +3 
  +11 
  2d6 
  1d6 
  30 
  12 
  +5 
  129/39 
  3.80 
  2H, AF5, FS, Coll
  MACHINE GUNS
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  STR PER 
  A/R
  Name 
  Cal 
  OCV RMod 
  Dam 
  STUNx Shots 
  Min Mod 
  Cost 
  Mass Notes
  Light Machine Guns 
  13
  Ares 5.56 LMG 
  5.56x45mm N +1 
  +1 
  2d6 
  1d6 
  200 
  14 
  +6 
  90/21 
  4.91 
  AF5, Bulky
  H&K Model 13 
  5.56x45mm N +1 
  +1 
  2d6 
  1d6 
  100 
  14 
  +6 
  95/22 
  5.40 
  AF5, Bulky
  H&K Model 21 
  7.62x51mm N +1 
  +2 
  2d6+1 
  1d6 
  250 
  15 
  +7 
  125/28 
  7.30 
  AF10, Bulky
  IMI Negev 
  5.56x45mm N +1 
  +1 
  2d6 
  1d6 
  250 
  14 
  +5 
  105/24 
  7.60 
  AF10, Bulky
  L7A2 
  7.62x51mm N +1 
  +2 
  2d6+1 
  1d6 
  250 
  15 
  +6 
  125/28 
  10.90 
  AF10, Bulky
  M60 
  7.62x51mm N +1 
  +1 
  2d6+1 
  1d6 
  250 
  16 
  +7 
  152/40 
  10.51 
  AF10, Bulky, FS
  M60E3 
  7.62x51mm N +1 
  +2 
  2d6+1 
  1d6 
  250 
  16 
  +7 
  155/41 
  8.60 
  AF10, Bulky, FS
  M249 SAW/FN Minimi 
  5.56x45mm N +1 
  +1 
  2d6 
  1d6 
  200 
  15 
  +7 
  105/23 
  6.85 
  AF10, Bulky
  PK 
  7.62x39mm R +1 
  +2 
  2d6 
  1d6 
  250 
  14 
  +7 
  108/25 
  10.00 
  AF10, Bulky
  RPD 
  7.62x39mm R +1 
  +2 
  2d6 
  1d6 
  100 
  14 
  +7 
  10½4 
  7.10 
  AF10, Bulky
  
  249 
  Dark Champions ■ Chapter Five
  Machine Guns (Continued)
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  STR PER 
  A/R
  Name 
  Cal 
  OCV RMod 
  Dam 
  STUNx Shots 
  Min Mod 
  Cost 
  Mass Notes
  Stoner M207/Mk 23 
  5.56x45mm N +1 
  +1 
  2d6 
  1d6 
  250 
  14 
  +7 
  105/24 
  5.65 
  AF10, Bulky
  Ultimax 100 Mk III 
  5.56x45mm N +1 
  +1 
  2d6 
  1d6 
  100 
  14 
  +6 
  103/29 
  5.50 
  AF5, Bulky, FS
  Heavy Machine Guns 
  13
  EX-34 Chain Gun 
  7.62x51mm N +1 
  +1 
  2d6+1 
  1d6 
  1500 
  18 
  +7 
  122/24 
  13.70 
  AF10, Bulky, Crew3
  FN-MAG/MAG-58 
  7.62x51mm N +1 
  +1 
  2d6+1 
  1d6 
  250 
  16 
  +6 
  122/25 
  11.00 
  AF10, Bulky, Crew3
  GAU 19/A 
  .50 B 
  +1 
  +1 
  3d6 
  1d6 
  1000 
  20 
  +7 
  154/29 
  33.60 
  AF10, Bulky, Crew3
  KPV 
  14.5x114mm +1 
  +4 
  3d6+1 
  1d6 
  1000 
  23 
  +8 
  179/35 
  49.25 
  AF10, Bulky, Crew3
  M2HB Heavy Barrel 
  .50 B 
  +1 
  +4 
  3d6 
  1d6 
  110 
  20 
  +7 
  163/32 
  38.00 
  AF10, Bulky, Crew3
  M134 Minigun 
  7.62x51mm N +1 
  +4 
  2d6+1 
  1d6 
  1500 
  18 
  +8 
  148/30 
  16.30 
  AF20, Bulky, Crew3
  XM-214 Six-Pac Minigun 5.56x45mm N +1 
  +4 
  2d6 
  1d6 
  1000 
  20 
  +7 
  139/26 
  15.00 
  AF20, Bulky, Crew3
  SHOTGUNS
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  STR PER 
  A/R
  Name 
  Gauge 
  OCV RMod 
  Dam 
  STUNx Shots 
  Min Mod 
  Cost 
  Mass Notes
  Generic Shotguns
  .410 Shot 
  .410 
  +0 
  +0 
  1½d6 
  1d6 
  5 
  8 
  +5 
  44/8 
  3.00 
  2H, AE1, LR(20”), RR, 
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  RP
  .410 Shot, DB 
  .410 
  +0 
  +0 
  1½d6 
  1d6 
  2 
  8 
  +5 
  75/12 
  3.00 
  2H, AE1, AF2, 
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  LR(20”), RR, RP
  .410 Shot, Sawed-Oﬀ  
  .410 
  +0 
  +0 
  1½d6 
  1d6 
  2 
  8 
  +3 
  94/15 
  2.25 
  2H, AEC, AF2, NR, 
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  RR, RP
  .410 Slug 
  .410 
  +0 
  +0 
  1½d6 
  1d6 
  5 
  8 
  +5 
  31/6 
  3.00 
  2H, LR(50”)
  28, 24 Shot 
  28, 24 
  +0 
  +0 
  2d6 
  1d6 
  5 
  10 
  +5 
  52/10 
  3.00 
  2H, AE1, LR(20”), RR, 
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  RP
  28, 24 Shot, DB 
  28, 24 
  +0 
  +0 
  2d6 
  1d6 
  2 
  10 
  +5 
  90/15 
  3.00 
  2H, AE1, AF2, 
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  LR(20”), RR, RP
  28, 24 Shot, Sawed-Oﬀ  
  28, 24 
  +0 
  +0 
  2d6 
  1d6 
  2 
  10 
  +3 
  105/17 
  2.25 
  2H, AEC, AF2, NR, 
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  RR, RP
  28, 24 Slug 
  28, 24 
  +0 
  +0 
  2d6 
  1d6 
  5 
  10 
  +5 
  37/6 
  3.00 
  2H, LR(50”)
  20, 16 Shot 
  20, 16 
  +0 
  +0 
  2d6+1 
  1d6 
  5 
  11 
  +5 
  61/12 
  3.00 
  2H, AE1, LR(20”), RR, 
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  RP
  20, 16 Shot, DB 
  20, 16 
  +0 
  +0 
  2d6+1 
  1d6 
  2 
  11 
  +5 
  105/17 
  3.00 
  2H, AE1, AF2, 
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  LR(20”), RR, RP
  20, 16 Shot, Sawed-Oﬀ  
  20, 16 
  +0 
  +0 
  2d6+1 
  1d6 
  2 
  11 
  +3 
  122/19 
  2.25 
  2H, AEC, AF2, NR, 
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  RR, RP
  20, 16 Slug 
  20, 16 
  +0 
  +0 
  2d6+1 
  1d6 
  5 
  11 
  +5 
  44/9 
  3.00 
  2H, LR(50”)
  12 Shot 
  12 
  +0 
  +0 
  2½d6 
  1d6 
  5 
  12 
  +5 
  70/13 
  3.00 
  2H, AE1, LR(20”), RR, 
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  RP
  12 Shot, DB 
  12 
  +0 
  +0 
  2½d6 
  1d6 
  2 
  12 
  +5 
  120/20 
  3.00 
  2H, AE1, AF2, 
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  LR(20”), RR, RP
  12 Shot, Sawed-Oﬀ  
  12 
  +0 
  +0 
  2½d6 
  1d6 
  2 
  12 
  +3 
  140/22 
  2.25 
  2H, AEC, AF2, NR, 
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  RR, RP
  12 Slug 
  12 
  +0 
  +0 
  2½d6 
  1d6 
  5 
  12 
  +5 
  50/10 
  3.00 
  2H, LR(50”)
  10 Shot 
  10 
  +0 
  +0 
  3d6 
  1d6 
  5 
  12 
  +5 
  79/15 
  3.00 
  2H, AE1, LR(20”), RR, 
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  RP
  10 Shot, DB 
  10 
  +0 
  +0 
  3d6 
  1d6 
  2 
  12 
  +5 
  135/22 
  3.00 
  2H, AE1, AF2, 
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  LR(20”), RR, RP
  10 Shot, Sawed-Oﬀ  
  10 
  +0 
  +0 
  3d6 
  1d6 
  2 
  12 
  +3 
  157/25 
  2.25 
  2H, AEC, AF2, NR, 
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  +RR, RP
  10 Slug 
  10 
  +0 
  +0 
  3d6 
  1d6 
  5 
  12 
  +5 
  56/11 
  3.00 
  2H, LR(50”)
  4 Shot 
  4 
  +0 
  +0 
  3d6+1 
  1d6 
  5 
  13 
  +5 
  87/17 
  3.00 
  2H, AE1, LR(20”), RR, 
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  RP
  4 Shot, DB 
  4 
  +0 
  +0 
  3d6+1 
  1d6 
  2 
  13 
  +5 
  150/25 
  3.00 
  2H, AE1, AF2, 
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  LR(20”), RR, RP
  4 Shot, Sawed-Oﬀ  
  4 
  +0 
  +0 
  3d6+1 
  1d6 
  2 
  13 
  +3 
  175/28 
  2.25 
  2H, AEC, AF2, NR, 
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  RR, RP
  
  250 ■ Weapons
  Hero System 5th Edition
  Shotguns (Continued)
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  STR PER 
  A/R
  Name 
  Gauge 
  OCV RMod 
  Dam 
  STUNx Shots 
  Min Mod 
  Cost 
  Mass Notes
  4 Slug 
  4 
  +0 
  +0 
  3d6+1 
  1d6 
  5 
  13 
  +5 
  62/12 
  3.00 
  2H, LR(50”)
  Speciﬁ c Shotguns
  AAI CAWS 
  Fle 
  +1 
  +0 
  3d6 
  1d6 
  12 
  12 
  +5 
  154/34 
  4.08 
  2H, AE1, AF3, IPE, 
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  LR(50”), NP, RC1
  Atchisson Assault 
  12 
  +0 
  +0 
  2½d6 
  1d6 
  20 
  13 
  +6 
  140/31 
  5.20 
  2H, AF5, LR(50”)
  Benelli 121-M1 
  12 
  +1 
  +0 
  2½d6 
  1d6 
  8 
  12 
  +4 
  70/14 
  3.30 
  2H, AE1, LR(20”), RR, 
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  RP
  Benelli M4/M1014 
  12 
  +1 
  +0 
  2½d6 
  1d6 
  6 
  12 
  +4 
  75/15 
  3.80 
  2H, AE1, LR(20”), RR, 
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  RP
  Bernardelli B4 
  12 
  +0 
  +0 
  2½d6 
  1d6 
  8 
  12 
  +5 
  70/14 
  3.45 
  2H, AE1, LR(20”), RR, 
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  RP
  Daewoo USAS-12 
  12 
  +0 
  +0 
  2½d6 
  1d6 
  28 
  13 
  +6 
  80/19 
  5.50 
  2H, AF5, LR(50”)
  Entry Team Striker 
  12 
  +0 
  +0 
  2½d6 
  1d6 
  12 
  10 
  +5 
  120/24 
  4.20 
  2H, AE1, AF3, 
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  LR(20”), RR, RP
  Franchi PA3/215 
  12 
  +0 
  +0 
  2½d6 
  1d6 
  3 
  12 
  +3 
  50/9 
  2.27 
  2H, LR(50”)
  Franchi SPAS-12 
  12 
  +0 
  +0 
  2½d6 
  1d6 
  8 
  12 
  +5 
  70/14 
  4.35 
  2H, AE1, LR(20”), RR, 
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  RP
  Franchi SPAS-15 
  12 
  +0 
  +0 
  2½d6 
  1d6 
  6 
  12 
  +5 
  70/13 
  3.80 
  2H, AE1, LR(20”), RR, 
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  RP, 14
  Ithaca MAG-10 
  10 
  +0 
  +0 
  3d6 
  1d6 
  2 
  12 
  +4 
  56/10 
  4.87 
  2H, LR(50”)
  Ithaca Stakeout 
  20 
  +1 
  +0 
  2d6+1 
  1d6 
  4 
  11 
  +4 
  66/13 
  1.59 
  2H, AE1, LR(20”), RR, 
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  RP
  Jackhammer Mk 3A-2 
  12 
  +0 
  +0 
  2½d6 
  1d6 
  10 
  13 
  +5 
  106/48 
  4.57 
  2H, AF5, LR(50”), NP, 
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  15
  KS-23M 
  4 
  +0 
  +0 
  3d6+1 
  1d6 
  3 
  14 
  +5 
  87/15 
  3.20 
  2H, AE1, LR(20”), RR, 
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  RP
  Mossberg M500 ATP8 
  12 
  +0 
  +0 
  2½d6 
  1d6 
  8 
  12 
  +4 
  70/14 
  3.10 
  2H, AE1, LR(20”), RR, 
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  RP
  Mossberg 590 
  12 
  +0 
  +0 
  2½d6 
  1d6 
  9 
  12 
  +5 
  70/15 
  3.10 
  2H, AE1, LR(20”), RR, 
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  RP
  Olin/H&K CAWS 
  12 
  +1 
  +0 
  2½d6 
  1d6 
  10 
  12 
  +5 
  65/15 
  4.32 
  2H, AF3, LR(50”), NP
  Remington 870 P 
  12 
  +0 
  +0 
  2½d6 
  1d6 
  8 
  12 
  +3 
  70/14 
  3.40 
  2H, AE1, LR(20”), RR, 
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  RP
  Winchester 1300 
  12 
  +0 
  +0 
  2½d6 
  1d6 
  7 
  12 
  +5 
  70/14 
  3.10 
  2H, AE1, LR(20”), RR, 
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  RP
  GRENADES
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  STR PER 
  A/R
  Name 
  Cal 
  OCV RMod 
  Dam 
  STUNx Shots 
  Min Mod 
  Cost 
  Mass Notes
  Grenade Launchers 
  16
  Armscor Multishot GL 
  40mm 
  +0 
  +1 
  130 STR 
  6 
  12 
   
  +7 
  133/20 
  5.30 
  MR(10”)
  Arwen 37 
  37mm 
  +1 
  +1 
  (8d6) 
  — 
  5 
  10 
  +6 
  48/10 
  3.10 
  LR(30”), 17
  BG15 
  40mm 
  +0 
  +0 
  110 STR 
  1 
  8 
   
  +6 
  110/14 
  0.90 
  MR(15”), underslung
  H&K 69A1/79 
  40mm 
  +0 
  +0 
  110 STR 
  1 
  8 
   
  +6 
  110/13 
  1.80 
  MR(7”)
  Mk 19 Model 3 
  40mm 
  +1 
  +1 
  2½d6X 
  1d6 
  100 
  13 
  +8 
  168/38 
  32.90 
  AF5, MGL
  M79 
  40mm 
  +0 
  +1 
  100 STR 
  1 
  8 
   
  +5 
  103/13 
  2.70 
  MR(10”)
  M203/PIM203 
  40mm 
  +0 
  +1 
  110 STR 
  1 
  8 
   
  +6 
  113/14 
  1.40 
  MR(15”), underslung
  MM-1 
  40mm 
  +0 
  +0 
  (8d6X) 
  — 
  12 
  10 
  +6 
  60/13 
  6.00 
  MR(6”)
  Talon 
  40mm 
  +0 
  +1 
  110 STR 
  1 
  8 
   
  +6 
  113/14 
  1.40 
  MR(15”)
  Grenade Rounds
  20/22mm Fragmentation 
  20 or 22mm 
  — 
  — 
  1½d6X 
  1d6 
  1 
  — 
  +2 
  44/10 
  0.40
  24mm Fragmentation 
  24mm 
  — 
  — 
  2d6X 
  1d6 
  1 
  — 
  +2 
  52/12 
  0.40 
  30mm Fragmentation 
  30mm 
  — 
  — 
  2d6+1X 
  1d6 
  1 
  — 
  +2 
  61/14 
  0.40
  40mm Fragmentation 
  40mm 
  — 
  — 
  2½d6X 
  1d6 
  1 
  — 
  +2 
  70/16 
  0.40
  52mm Fragmentation 
  52mm 
  — 
  — 
  3d6X 
  1d6 
  1 
  — 
  +2 
  79/19 
  0.40
  
  251 
  Dark Champions ■ Chapter Five
  Grenades (Continued)
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  STR PER 
  A/R
  Name 
  Cal 
  OCV RMod 
  Dam 
  STUNx Shots 
  Min Mod 
  Cost 
  Mass Notes
  20/22mm Concussive 
  20 or 22mm 
  — 
  — 
  (5d6X) 
  — 
  1 
  — 
  +2 
  37/9 
  0.40
  24mm Concussive 
  24mm 
  — 
  — 
  (6d6X) 
  — 
  1 
  — 
  +2 
  45/11 
  0.40
  30mm Concussive 
  30mm 
  — 
  — 
  (7d6X) 
  — 
  1 
  — 
  +2 
  52/12 
  0.40
  40mm Concussive 
  40mm 
  — 
  — 
  (8d6X) 
  — 
  1 
  — 
  +2 
  60/14 
  0.40
  52mm Concussive 
  52mm 
  — 
  — 
  (9d6X) 
  — 
  1 
  — 
  +2 
  67/16 
  0.40
  FERRET 
  40mm 
  — 
  — 
  Tear gas 
   
  1 
  — 
  +2 
  210/56 
  0.40 
  Indirect, 18
  M397A1 Airburst 
  40mm 
  — 
  — 
  3d6X 
  1d6 
  1 
  — 
  +2 
  79/19 
  0.40 
  19
  M433 HEDP 
  40mm 
  — 
  — 
  2½d6X 
  1d6 
  1 
  — 
  +2 
  90/21 
  0.40 
  AP
  Rubber Impact 
  40mm 
  — 
  — 
  (8d6) 
  — 
  1 
  — 
  +2 
  40/9 
  0.40
  Hand Grenades
  Fragmentation 
  — 
  +0 
  +0 
  1d6X 
  1d6-1 
  1 
  RBS 
  +2 
  22/5 
  0.40  
  Fragmentation 
  — 
  +0 
  +0 
  1d6+1X 1d6-1 
  1 
  RBS 
  +2 
  30/7 
  0.40
  Fragmentation 
  — 
  +0 
  +0 
  1½d6X 1d6-1 
  1 
  RBS 
  +2 
  37/8 
  0.40
  Fragmentation 
  — 
  +0 
  +0 
  2d6X 
  1d6-1 
  1 
  RBS 
  +2 
  45/10 
  0.40
  Concussive 
  — 
  +0 
  +0 
  (5d6X) 
  — 
  1 
  RBS 
  +2 
  22/5 
  0.40
  Concussive 
  — 
  +0 
  +0 
  (6d6X) 
  — 
  1 
  RBS 
  +2 
  30/7 
  0.40
  Concussive 
  — 
  +0 
  +0 
  (7d6X) 
  — 
  1 
  RBS 
  +2 
  37/8 
  0.40
  Concussive 
  — 
  +0 
  +0 
  (8d6X) 
  — 
  1 
  RBS 
  +2 
  45/10 
  0.40
  Smoke 
  — 
  +0 
  +0 
  CE 4” 
  — 
  1 
  RBS 
  +2 
  21/6 
  0.25 
  -3 Sight PER for 3 
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  Turns, 20 
  Stun Grenade 
  — 
  +0 
  +0 
  See text 
  — 
  1 
  RBS 
  +2 
  67/14 
  0.40 
  21
  Tear Gas 
  — 
  +0 
  +0 
  Tear gas 
  — 
  1 
  RBS 
  +2 
  200/53 
  0.25 
  22
  M460/M465 
  — 
  +0 
  +0 
  (6d6) 
  — 
  1 
  — 
  +2 
  45/9 
  0.40 
  AE1, NR, 23
  40 mm
  
  252 ■ Weapons
  Hero System 5th Edition
  HEAVY WEAPONS
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  STR PER 
  A/R
  Name 
  Cal 
  OCV RMod 
  Dam 
  STUNx Shots 
  Min Mod 
  Cost 
  Mass Notes
  Armbrust 300 
  67mm 
  +0 
  +0 
  6½d6 
  1d6 
  1 
  12 
  +6 
  275/30 
  6.30 
  2H, AE2, AP, ET(1T), 
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  IPE, SFW, 24, 25
  ASP 30mm 
  30mm 
  +1 
  +1 
  3d6+1 
  1d6 
  100 
  14 
  +8 
  170/37 
  47.6 
  2H, AF5, AP, Crew2
  FIM-92A Stinger SAM 
  — 
  +2 
  +0 
  5d6X 
  1d6 
  1 
  12 
  +6 
  197/23 
  15.7 
  2H, Crew2, ET(1T), 
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  IMR5, NRM, SFW, 24
  Flamethrower 
  — 
  +0 
  +0 
  See text 
   
  10 
  — 
  +9 
  191/67 
  22.7 
  AE Line or Cone (see 
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  text), 26 
  Kovrov RPG-7V 
  85mm 
  +0 
  +0 
  7d6+1X 
  1d6 
  1 
  12 
  +6 
  192/21 
  9.25 
  2H, ET(EP), MR(5”), 
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  SFW
  M18 Recoilless Riﬂ e 
  57mm 
  -1 
  +3 
  6d6+1 
  1d6 
  1 
  15 
  +8 
  18½9 
  21.0 
  2H, AP, Crew2, 27
  M47 Dragon 
  140mm 
  -1 
  +0 
  9d6 
  1d6 
  1 
  12 
  +5 
  236/22 
  17.0 
  2H, AP, Crew2, ET(1T), 
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  MR(35”), SFW
  M67 Recoilless Riﬂ e 
  90mm 
  +0 
  +1 
  7d6+1 
  1d6 
  1 
  15 
  +7 
  195/22 
  15.9 
  AP, Crew2, 27
  M72A3 LAW Rocket 
  66mm 
  +0 
  +1 
  6½d6X 
  1d6 
  1 
  12 
  +5 
  228/26 
  2.13 
  2H, AP, ET(EP), SFW
  M202A1 Flash 
  66mm 
  +0 
  +0 
  6½d6X 
  1d6 
  4 
  13 
  +6 
  229/41 
  12.1 
  2H, ET(1T), SFW, 28
  MDHC Mk 153 SMAW 
  83mm 
  +0 
  +0 
  7d6+1X 
  1d6 
  1 
  12 
  +6 
  247/25 
  16.6 
  2H, AP, Crew2, 
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  ET(1T), SFW
  Metal Storm Cannon 
  7.62mm 
  +1 
  +1 
  2d6+1 
  1d6 
  540 
  12 
  +10 174/35 
  50.0 
  AF40, AP, Crew5, NP, 
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  29
  SA-7B Grail 
  70mm 
  +1 
  +0 
  7d6X 
  1d6 
  1 
  12 
  +6 
  267/29 
  4.71 
  ET(1T), IMR2, MR(250”), 
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  NRM, SFW, 24
  Wire Guided Missile 
  — 
  +0 
  +0 
  8d6X 
  1d6 
  1 
  12 
  +6 
  420/56 
  64.0 
  AP (x2), Crew4, ET(1T),  
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  IRM5, NRM
  AE1:  Area Of Eﬀ ect (One Hex)
  AE2:  Area Of Eﬀ ect (One Hex Doubled)
  AEC:  Area Of Eﬀ ect (Cone)
  AF:  Autoﬁ re; the number aft er the letters indicates the maximum 
  number of shots
  ACP:  Automatic Colt Pistol
  AP:  Armor Piercing
  Auto:  Automatic
  B:  Browning
  Ca:  Caseless
  CAWS:  Close Assault Weapon System
  Coll:  Collimating/reﬂ ex site
  Crew:  Crew-Served (number indicates standard size of crew)
  Cz:  Czech
  DB:  Double-barrelled
  ET:  Extra Time (1T means 1 Turn; EP means Extra Phase, FP 
  means Full Phase)
  Fle:  Flechette
  FS:  Flash Suppressor
  Gy:  Gyrojet
  FS:  Flash Suppressor
  H&K:  Heckler & Koch, a German gun manufacturer
  IMR:  Increased Maximum Range (the number indicates the mul-
  tiplier)
  IPE:  Invisible Power Eﬀ ects
  Laser:  weapon has a laser sight
  LAW:  Light Anti-tank Weapon
  LR:  Long Riﬂ e
  LR(X”):  Limited Range (number indicates range)
  M:  Magnum
  MGL:  Mounted Grenade Launcher. Th ese must be mounted on 
  a tripod or vehicle to be ﬁ red, and two or three men of ordinary 
  strength are needed to lift  them (i.e., they’re Bulky). 
  micr:  micrometer sights
  mm:  millimeter
  MR:  Minimum Range (a -¼ Limitation indicating the weapon 
  can’t aﬀ ect targets nearer than the indicated distance; see page 
  100)
  N:  NATO round
  NP:  Not produced (a weapon that was or is experimental, was 
  cancelled before it entered production, or the like)
  NR:  No Range
  NRM:  No Range Modiﬁ er
  Only:  Autoﬁ re only, no single shots (a -0 Limitation; see page 100)
  PR:  Polygonal riﬂ ing (the eﬀ ect of this is already listed in the 
  table’s damage ﬁ gure)
  R:  Russian
  RBS:  Range Based On STR
  RC:  Recoil Compensator (1, 2, or 3 indicates type)
  RL:  Russian Long
  RP:  Reduced Penetration
  RR:  Reduced By Range
  SAM:  Surface-to-Air Missile
  SFW:  Shoulder-ﬁ red weapon (characters need WF: Shoulder-
  Fired Weapons to use one of these properly, and they typically 
  have the Bulky and Extra Time Limitations)
  Sil:  Silenced (number in parentheses indicates penalty to Hearing 
  PER Rolls)
  S&W:  Smith & Wesson (an American gun manufacturer)
  Tum:  Tumbler (bullets have the tumbling eﬀ ect; see page 208; the 
  extra die of damage is already listed on the chart)
  Underslung:  A grenade launcher meant to be attached under-
  neath the barrel of an assault riﬂ e or like weapon; it can’t be used 
  if not so attached.
  WinMag:  Winchester Magnum
  X:  Explosion
  Key
  
  253 
  Dark Champions ■ Chapter Five
  NOTES
  1)  Th e H&K MK23 SOCOM (more formally, the 
  Mark 23 Mod 0) was developed by the U.S. Special 
  Operations Command for the American special 
  forces soldiers. It comes with a Small, High-Quality 
  silencer that also functions as a ﬂ ash suppressor, and 
  an underbarrel laser sight. It typically ﬁ res Subsonic 
  ammunition (this is accounted for in its damage).
  2)  Th e H&K P-11 is a ﬁ ve-shot pistol designed spe-
  ciﬁ cally for underwater ﬁ ring. It ﬁ res a silent, case-
  less dart (for which you can use the Flechette and 
  Silent round rules). Th e rounds come pre-loaded in 
  a cylinder that can only be reloaded at the factory. It 
  has an electronic trigger and is waterproofed. Above 
  water its eﬀ ective range is about thirty meters (15”); 
  its eﬀ ective range underwater is about half that.
  3)  Th e O’Dwyer Smartgun is an experimental 
  (as of 2004) creation of the MetalStorm company. 
  (Most attributes of the pistol are speculative.) It uses 
  MetalStorm’s patented technology, which ﬁ ts mul-
  tiple bullets into a barrel and ﬁ res them one at a time 
  with an electrical charge. Since it ﬁ res electronically, 
  it has few moving parts, which minimizes recoil and 
  increases accuracy. (In game terms, it has the equiva-
  lent of a Type 2 recoil compensator and an electronic 
  trigger.) Additionally, the gun only works for its 
  owner (who wears a special ring); others cannot ﬁ re 
  it (i.e., it’s a Personal Focus).
  Th e Smartgun has four barrels arranged in 
  a square pattern, each holding six 9mm bullets. 
  Alternately, the user can ﬁ ll some barrels with other 
  rounds (typically non-lethal ones), then select which 
  barrel to use with a selector switch. (In game terms, 
  you could build this as a Multipower; the gun in the 
  weapon list is assumed to ﬁ re Standard ammunition 
  only.) It can ﬁ re up to three bullets with a single pull 
  of the trigger, propelling them so fast that they all 
  leave the barrel before the recoil has time to throw 
  oﬀ  the shooter’s aim. Th us, all three bullets strike the 
  target in nearly the same spot.
  4)  Th e S&W Mark 22 Model 0 “Hush Puppy” is 
  the standard suppressed pistol for U.S. Navy SEAL 
  teams. With special plugs, the user can carry it 
  underwater without damaging it (in game terms, 
  it’s bought as Waterproofed).
  5)  Th e Ares FMG is a folding submachine gun. Th e 
  weapon folds up into a 26.2 x 8.4 x 3.5 cm box, and 
  the user can unfold and ﬁ re it in less than two sec-
  onds (in game terms, it has the -¼ Limitation Extra 
  Time (Full Phase to activate). When it’s folded, use 
  the smaller PER Modiﬁ er.
  6)  Th e Parker-Hale PDW is built with a low cyclic 
  rate and other features that help to minimize 
  “climb” and make the gun easy to control. In game 
  terms, this makes it function as if equipped with a 
  Type 1 recoil compensator.
  7)  Th e Spectre M-4 commonly comes with a four-
  column clip “ﬁ le system,” thus allowing the ﬁ rer to 
  carry 200 rounds of ammunition. Th is counts as a 
  “rapid reloading” device (see page 194).
  8)  Th ere is special “compact” version of the Sterling 
  L2A3 known as the Sterling Mark 7. In game terms, 
  it’s the same as the L2A3, but has a +3 PER Modiﬁ er.
  9)  Th e Th ompson M1928 is heavy, can jam easily 
  when it gets dirty, and can be noisy when carried. 
  In game terms, reduce all Activation Rolls for Mal-
  function by 1.
  10)  Th e H&K G11 is an experimental riﬂ e using 
  Caseless ammunition and many other advances 
  that keep weight and recoil to a minimum. Its mag-
  azines has clips on the sides so the user can carry 
  two extra magazines attached to the one in the riﬂ e 
  (this counts as a “rapid reloading” device; see page 
  194). Although it attracted great interest in many 
  quarters, the reuniﬁ cation of Germany resulted in 
  its never being manufactured; only about 100 were 
  produced. A squad automatic weapon (SAW) ver-
  sion with 300 rounds was in design when the pro-
  gram was cancelled.
  11)  Th e OICW (Objective Individual Combat 
  Weapon) is a weapons system being developed 
  by the U.S. Army to replace the current M16A2/
  M203 assault riﬂ e/grenade launcher weapon 
  issued to American soldiers. As of 2004, the Army 
  designates this weapon the M29, and expects to 
  place an initial order of approximately 45,000 
  units (costing $10,000-12,000 each, plus $25-$30 
  each for the 20mm grenades) to be ﬁ elded by spe-
  cial units by 2008-09.
  Th e OICW incorporates a 5.56mm assault riﬂ e 
  with an under-mounted launcher for 20mm “smart” 
  grenades. Its enhancements and electronics include 
  a targeting computer, infrared/laser aiming device, 
  laser range ﬁ nder/digital compass/GPS tracking 
  device, and a thermal weapon sight. Th e targeting 
  computer uses the rangeﬁ nder and other electronics 
  to “program” the smart grenades to explode at a pre-
  designated range, signiﬁ cantly increasing the chance 
  of killing the target even if there’s no direct hit. Th e 
  grenades have a minimum range of about 50m (25”) 
  and a maximum range of about 1000m (500”).
  Cost Power
  15 
  OICW:  Multipower, 60-point reserve; all 
  OAF (-1), STR Minimum (15; STR Mini-
  mum Cannot Add/Subtract Damage; -1¼), 
  Real Weapon (-¼), Two-Handed (-½)
  1u 
   1)  5.56x45mm Rounds:  RKA 2d6, +1 Auto-
  ﬁ re (5 shots; +½), Increased STUN Multiplier 
  (+¼), 30 Charges (+¼) (60 Active Points); 
  OAF (-1), STR Minimum (15; STR Mini-
  mum Cannot Add/Subtract Damage; -1¼), 
  Beam (-¼), Real Weapon (-¼), Two-Handed 
  (-½)
  1u 
   2)  20mm “Smart” Grenade Launcher:  RKA 
  1½d6, Explosion (+½), Increased Maximum 
  Range (500”; +¼) (50 Active Points); OAF 
  (-1), Minimum Range (25”; -¼), STR Mini-
  mum (15; STR Minimum Cannot Add/Sub-
  tract Damage; -1¼), Real Weapon (-¼), Two-
  Handed (-½), 6 Charges (-¾)
  2 
  Inherent Accuracy:  +1 OCV (5 Active 
  Points); OAF (-1), Real Weapon (-¼), Two-
  Handed (-½)
  
  254 ■ Weapons
  Hero System 5th Edition
  1 
  Inherent Accuracy:  +1 versus Range Modi-
  ﬁ er (3 Active Points); OAF (-1), Real Weapon 
  (-¼), Two-Handed (-½)
  20 
  Targeting Computer:  See page 236
  7 
  Flash Suppressor:  Invisible to Normal Sight 
  (+¼) for up to a 60 Active Point ﬁ rearm (15 
  Active Points); OAF (-1), Real Weapon (-¼)
  10 
  Camera:  Clairsentience (Sight Group), 1 
  Continuing Fuel Charge (easily recharged, 3 
  Hours; +¼) (25 Active Points); OAF (-1), No 
  Range (-½)
  1 
  Th ermal Sight:  Infrared Perception (Sight 
  Group) (5 Active Points); OAF (-1), Extra 
  Time (2 Minutes to activate; -¾), Real 
  Weapon (-¼), Only When Shooter Braces 
  And/Or Sets (-1), 1 Continuing Fuel Charge 
  lasting 5 Hours (-0)
  5 
  GPS Tracker:  Detect Exact Position On 
  Earth 16- (Radio Group) (10 Active Points); 
  OAF (-1)
  1 
  Compass:  Bump Of Direction (3 Active 
  Points); OAF (-1)
  Total cost:  64
  12)  Th e Steyr AUG can convert into a carbine, 
  riﬂ e, or light machine gun by switching barrels 
  and other attachments. If desired, characters could 
  build this weapon as a Multipower with the Limita-
  tion Extra Time (Full Phase to change slots; -½) on 
  the reserve.
  13)  Machine guns fall into two categories, Light 
  and Heavy. Light machine guns (LMGs) realisti-
  cally usually have a two-man ﬁ ring team, but they 
  don’t necessarily have to, so they don’t get the 
  Crew-Served Limitation. Th ey do, however, qualify 
  as Bulky Foci. Heavy machine guns (HMGs) take 
  the Crew-Served (3 men; -½) Limitation in addi-
  tion to Bulky; they have to be mounted on a tripod 
  or vehicle. Most machine guns are belt-fed, though 
  some LMGs can mount small boxes of about 30 
  rounds if necessary. 
  14)  Th e Franchi SPAS-15 is a semi-automatic mili-
  tary shotgun that ﬁ res an especially powerful 12-
  gauge shell. Th ese shells are too powerful for most 
  shotguns (they will not allow the breech to close if 
  used in them).
  15)  Th e Jackhammer Mark 3A-2, an experimental 
  weapon designed (but never manufactured) by 
  Pancor, has a casing made primarily of ﬁ berglass 
  and plastic, though the inner workings are still 
  steel. It uses a cylindrical magazine that holds 10 
  shells (in this example, it’s ﬁ lled with slugs). If nec-
  essary, the user can detach the magazine and use 
  it as a landmine! Th e magazine casing is designed 
  to withstand the blast so it can be reused. A special 
  silencer, with a life of 10 shots, can be attached to 
  the Jackhammer.
  Cost Power
  42 
  Pancor Jackhammer Mark 3A-2:  Multipower, 
  106 Active Points; all OAF (-1), Real Weapon 
  (-¼), 10 Charges for entire Multipower (-¼)
  2u 
   1)  Shotgun with Slugs:  RKA 2½d6, Autoﬁ re 
  (5 shots; +½), +1 Increased STUN Multiplier; 
  OAF (-1), Beam (-¼), Limited Range (50”; 
  -¼), STR Minimum (13; STR Minimum 
  Cannot Add/Subtract Damage; -1), Real 
  Weapon (-¼), Two-Handed (-½)
  4u 
   2)  Magazine As Landmine:  RKA 5½d6, 
  Trigger (putting suﬃ  cient pressure on it; 
  +¼); OAF (-1), No Range (character must 
  place landmine; -½), Real Weapon (-¼), 
  Requires Multiple Charges (1 Charge for 
  base 2½d6 damage, +1 DC per additional 
  Charge; -0)
  Total cost:  48 points.
  16)  Grenade launchers are devices used to launch 
  grenade rounds. In game terms, most are bought as 
  STR with the Limitations OAF (-1), Real Weapon (-
  ¼), and Only To Make Standing Or Prone Th rows Of 
  Grenades (-2). Charges applies as an Advantage or 
  Limitation, as appropriate. Th e STR does not add to 
  the character’s STR for throwing purposes, it sub-
  stitutes for his STR. A launcher may also provide 
  a RMod bonus or penalty. Some of the multi-shot 
  grenade launchers are described as standard weap-
  ons, with one type of grenade chosen as a default, 
  for ease of presentation.
  Grenade rounds are the grenades ﬁ red from a 
  grenade launcher. Th ey can’t be thrown like hand 
  grenades.
  Hand grenades are hand-thrown explosive 
  weapons; they can’t be launched from grenade 
  launchers. Th e character pulls the pin and throws 
  the grenade, which detonates aft er a short amount 
  of time. In game terms, it’s usually easiest to assume 
  that grenades explode in the Phase in which they’re 
  thrown; in campaigns emphasizing realism, the GM 
  may want to delay the explosion by 1-3 Segments.
  17)  Th e Arwen 37 is a British grenade launcher 
  that ﬁ res diﬀ erent types of 37mm grenades (for 
  game purposes, these have the same eﬀ ect as 40mm 
  grenades). Th e one in the table is loaded with 
  “impact” rounds, but any other grenade type could 
  be substituted.
  18)  Th e FERRET grenade round is a tear gas gre-
  nade, built as follows. It has an armor-piercing 
  capability that allows it to penetrate walls and bar-
  riers before releasing the tear gas.
  Sight Group Flash 8d6, Area Of Eﬀ ect (4”; 
  +1), Continuous (+1), Delayed Recovery (+2), 
  Indirect (can penetrate walls and similar bar-
  riers within 30” of shooter; +¼) (210 Active 
  Points); OAF (-1), Limited Range (50”; -¼), Real 
  Weapon (-¼), 1 Continuing Charge lasting 1 
  Turn (-1¼). Total cost:  56 points.
  19)  Th e M397A1 is an “airburst” grenade. It con-
  tains a miniature fuse that “bounces” the grenade 
  into the air when it hits the ground, causing it to 
  explode at head level rather than at ground level. 
  When it’s used against a standing opponent, all 
  shots with this grenade should be considered High 
  Shots and the Hit Location rolled accordingly.
  20)  Th e smoke grenade is built as follows:
  Change Environment 4” radius, -3 to Sight 
  Group PER Rolls (21 Active Points); OAF (-1), 
  
  255 
  Dark Champions ■ Chapter Five
  Range Based On STR (-¼), Real Weapon (-¼), 
  1 Continuing Charge lasting 3 Turns (-1). Total 
  cost:  6 points.
  21)  Th is is a generic stun grenade, built as follows:
  Energy Blast 3d6, NND (defense is any rPD; +1), 
  Explosion (+½) (37 Active Points); OAF (-1), 
  Range Based On STR (-¼), Real Weapon (-¼), 
  1 Charge (-2) (total cost:  8 points) plus Sight 
  and Hearing Group Flash 3d6, Explosion (+½) 
  (30 Active Points); OAF (-1), Linked (-½), Range 
  Based On STR (-¼), Real Weapon (-¼), 1 Charge 
  (-2) (total cost:  6 points). Total cost:  14 points.
  22)  Here’s the eﬀ ect of the tear gas hand grenade:
  Sight Group Flash 8d6, Area Of Eﬀ ect (6”; +1), 
  Continuous (+1), Delayed Recovery (+2) (200 
  Active Points); OAF (-1), Range Based On STR 
  (-¼), Real Weapon (-¼), 1 Continuing Charge 
  lasting 1 Turn (-1¼). Total cost:  53 points.
  23)  Th e M460 is known as a “Th understrip.” It’s 
  30.5 x 7.6 x 2.5 cm and is made to slip underneath 
  doors or through open windows. Th e M465 is the 
  “Th under Rod,” a cylinder 35.5 cm long with a 1.7 
  cm diameter designed to slip through holes made 
  by a 12-gauge shotgun slug.
  24)  Th ese are one-shot weapons — the rocket tube 
  is discarded aft er the rocket is ﬁ red. Th is is bought 
  as Charges which Never Recover (an additional -2 
  Limitation).
  25)  Th e Armbrust 300 is a one-shot rocket 
  launcher designed to destroy tanks. It is smokeless, 
  ﬂ ashless, virtually noiseless, and uses a counter-
  weight system to eliminate most of the recoil and 
  backblast. Th is is bought as Invisible Power Eﬀ ects 
  (the special eﬀ ects of the power, but not its source, 
  are undetectable; +¼). Th e blast covers a 2” radius.
  26)  Flamethrowers are devices for projecting ﬂ ame. 
  Th ey consist of a bulky, heavy backpack which 
  holds the fuel (either ordinary liquid fuel, thick-
  ened fuel, or various incendiary chemicals). Th ick-
  ened fuels (such as napalm) tend to burn the best 
  and have the greatest range. 
  In HERO System terms, ﬂ amethrowers are 
  bought as Multipowers. Each slot is a Killing Attack. 
  Th e ﬁ rst slot creates a Line of ﬁ re, the second a 
  Cone. Both are Continuous (since the user can 
  simply hold down the trigger and keep ﬁ lling the 
  area with ﬂ ame) and Mobile (since the character 
  can “wave” the area of ﬂ ame back and forth slowly). 
  However, both of these slots also have a -0 Side 
  Eﬀ ect:  if the ﬂ amethrower is ﬁ red at a target which 
  is too close (closer than 3”) or is ﬁ red into the wind, 
  there’s an 11- chance that fuel will splash on the 
  ﬁ rer, inﬂ icting 1½d6 Killing Damage.
  Some ﬂ amethrowers have a third slot — an 
  Area of Eﬀ ect (Any Shape) that simulates the 
  ﬂ amethrower’s capacity to make “cold shots.” A cold 
  shot involves spraying unlit fuel onto an area, then 
  lighting it.
  A ﬂ amethrower has an overall number of 
  Charges indicating how many seconds’ worth of 
  fuel it has. However, the ﬁ res set by the ﬂ ame-
  thrower may continue to burn long aft er the user is 
  out of fuel, and ﬂ ammable objects that come into 
  contact with them may also catch ﬁ re (if the GM 
  prefers, he can charge Character Points for this, 
  using the same eﬀ ect as for Incendiary Ammuni-
  tion on page 206).
  Some sample ﬂ amethrowers include:  the 
  M2A1 and M9A1-7, American models with ten 
  seconds’ worth of fuel; the LPO-50, a Soviet ﬂ ame-
  thrower with nine seconds’ worth of fuel; and the 
  HAFLA-35L, a one-shot German ﬂ amethrower 
  “pistol” with enough fuel to ignite an 8”x2” area. 
  Th e one in the list, and described below, is typical 
  of the American ﬂ amethrowers.
  Cost Powers
  55 
  Flamethrower:  Multipower, 191-point base; 
  all OAF Bulky (-1½), Real Weapon (-¼), 
  Two-Handed (-½), 10 Charges for entire 
  Multipower (-¼)
  5u 
   1)  Firebolt:  RKA 3d6, Area of Eﬀ ect (27” 
  Line; +1), Armor Piercing (+½), Continuous 
  (+1), Mobile (character can move Line 6” per 
  Phase, but starting hex of Line must always 
  remain in the hex immediately in front of 
  him; +¾) (191 Active Points); OAF Bulky (-
  1½), No Range (-½), Real Weapon (-¼), Side 
  Eﬀ ect (see text; -0), Two-Handed (-½)
  5u 
   2)  Wide-Angle Firebolt:  RKA 3d6, Area 
  of Eﬀ ect (15” Cone; +1), Armor Piercing 
  (+½), Continuous (+1), Mobile (character 
  can move Line 6” per Phase, but starting 
  hex of Line must always remain in the hex 
  immediately in front of him; +¾) (191 Active 
  Points); OAF Bulky (-1½), No Range (-½), 
  Real Weapon (-¼), Side Eﬀ ect (see text; -0), 
  Two-Handed (-½)
  2u 
   3)  Cold Shot:  RKA 3d6, Area of Eﬀ ect (5” 
  Any Area; +1), Armor Piercing (+½) (112 
  Active Points); OAF Bulky (-1½), Extra Time 
  (a minimum of an Extra Phase between 
  spraying the fuel and lighting it; -¾), No 
  Range (-½), Real Weapon (-¼), Two-Handed 
  (-½)
  Total cost:  67 points.
  27)  Th e M18 57mm and M67 90mm Recoilless 
  Riﬂ es are single-shot, reloadable weapons ﬁ red 
  from the shoulder or from a tripod (they use WF: 
  Shoulder-Fired Weapons). Th e typical ammunition 
  is an AP round, but high explosive and others are 
  available. Th ey are Bulky Foci, and have the same 
  “backblast” Side Eﬀ ect as the M202A1.
  28)  Th e M202A1 Flash is a four-shot napalm 
  rocket launcher ﬁ ring the M74 napalm rocket. It’s 
  built as follows:
  RKA 6½d6, Explosion (-1 DC/2”; +¾), +1 
  Increased STUN Multiplier (+¼) (200 Active 
  Points); OAF Bulky (-1½), Extra Time (1 Turn; 
  -1¼), Real Weapon (-¼), Side Eﬀ ect (has a back-
  blast of an RKA 1d6, Area Of Eﬀ ect (4” Cone) 
  behind it, always occurs; -0), Two-Handed (-½), 
  4 Charges (-1) (total cost:  36 points) plus RKA 1 
  point, Area Of Eﬀ ect (equal to size of Explosion; 
  
  256 ■ Weapons
  Hero System 5th Edition
  +2½), Continuous (+1), Reduced Endurance (0 
  END to enable Uncontrolled eﬀ ect; +½), Sticky 
  (only aﬀ ects ﬂ ammables; +¼), Uncontrolled 
  (eﬀ ect ends when it runs out of fuel or oxygen, 
  or someone extinguishes the ﬂ ames; +½) (29 
  Active Points); OAF Bulky (-1½), Activation 
  Roll 13- (-¾), Linked (-½), Real Weapon (-¼), 
  Two-Handed (-½), 4 Charges (-1) (total cost:  5 
  points). Total cost:  41 points.
  29)  Th e MetalStorm Cannon is a putative heavy 
  weapon that would take full advantage of the Met-
  alStorm ﬁ ring technology described above for the 
  O’Dwyer VLe “smart gun.” In theory the Metal-
  Storm system of stacking bullets in the barrel of a 
  gun and then ﬁ ring the bullets electronically could 
  allow for a cyclic rate of ﬁ re (i.e., an ideal, theoreti-
  cal maximum assuming no need to reload or other 
  problems) of a million rounds per minute, given a 
  gun with about 36 barrels.
  OTHER 
  WEAPONS
  G
  uns aren’t the only weapons Dark Cham-
  pions characters use (or have used against 
  them). Th ey’ll come into contact with 
  many other implements of destruction 
  during their adventuring careers.
  HAND-TO-HAND 
  COMBAT WEAPONS
  Sometimes characters can’t ﬁ ght their 
  enemies at range with guns — they have to get in 
  close and use their ﬁ sts and any weapons designed 
  for such ﬁ ghting.
  CLUBS
  A “club” is any object a character can use 
  to do do Normal Damage to another character 
  in combat. Clubs that characters pay Character 
  Points (or Resource Points) for are built with the 
  Power Hand-To-Hand Attack and usually have the 
  Advantage Reduced Endurance (0 END; +½) and 
  the Limitations OAF (-1), Real Weapon (-¼), and 
  Hand-To-Hand Attack (-½). Th e accompanying 
  table lists several, ranging from actual weapons 
  to “weapons of opportunity” characters might lay 
  their hands on during a ﬁ ght. Characters can also 
  throw some of these objects, doing the maximum 
  of their STR damage or the object’s DEF+BODY, 
  whichever is less.
  KNIVES
  Knives and similar bladed weapons — prison 
  “shanks,” bayonets, perhaps even the occasional 
  sword — are common in Dark Champions games. 
  Th ey’re built as HKAs with the Advantage Reduced 
  Endurance (0 END; +½) and the  the Limitations 
  OAF (-1) and Real Weapon (-¼).
  Some knives are made to be thrown. Th ese 
  have the Advantage Range Based On STR (+¼) (or, 
  more elaborately, are built as a Multipower, with 
  one HKA slot, and one slot with HKA, Range Based 
  On STR, 1 Recoverable Charge, and Lockout). At 
  the GM’s option, characters can throw knives with-
  out RBS, but at a -2 OCV penalty (characters can 
  eliminate this penalty by buying the WF Th rown 
  Standard Knives).
  Th e accompanying table lists several bladed 
  weapons common to the modern-day action-adven-
  ture genre, and their Active and Real Point costs.
  EXPLOSIVES
  An explosive is a substance which rapidly cre-
  ates tremendous heat and pressure when properly 
  activated. Explosives are generally divided into 
  “low” and “high” types, as explained below. In the 
  HERO System, working with explosives is a func-
  tion of the Skill Demolitions. 
  Th e accompanying table lists suggested 
  damage ratings for explosives. However, because 
  determining a particular bomb’s power depends 
  upon how it’s constructed and other variables, these 
  ﬁ gures should be considered guidelines the GM 
  can alter or adapt as he sees ﬁ t.
  LOW EXPLOSIVES
  Low explosives, also known as deﬂ agrating 
  explosives, do not really explode — they burn very, 
  very quickly. Th ey create relatively low pressure and 
  more of an eﬀ ect of “heaving” than of shattering (or 
  “brisance”). However, using a suﬃ  cient quantity of 
  low explosive causes a detonating eﬀ ect similar to 
  high explosives (see below).
  Th e low explosive most commonly used today 
  is black powder (and its modern improvement, 
  smokeless powder), a mixture of carbon (char-
  coal, 15%), sulfur (10%), and potassium nitrate 
  (saltpetre, 75%). It’s basically insensitive to impact 
  and friction, requiring a ﬂ ame and/or heat to ini-
  tiate the explosion. For bullets, an impact-sensi-
  tive explosive charge ignites the powder; for pipe 
  bombs and other improvised munitions, a fuse of 
  some sort is required. Working with black powder 
  is easy; the GM should add +1 to +3 to a character’s 
  Demolitions roll in appropriate circumstances.
  HIGH EXPLOSIVES
  High, or detonating, explosives have such a 
  rapid chemical reaction when activated that they 
  
  257 
  Dark Champions ■ Chapter Five
  produce immense pressure and shattering force 
  (brisance). Detonation waves from high explosives 
  oft en exceed 20,000 feet per second. 
  High explosives can be further divided into 
  two types. Th e ﬁ rst is primary or initiating explosives. 
  Fire/heat, impact, or friction can readily detonate 
  these substances. Because of this sensitivity, they’re 
  rarely used for actual demolitions — instead, they’re 
  used in initiating devices (such as blasting caps) to 
  set oﬀ  safer explosives. Primary explosives include 
  diazodinitrophenol (DDNP), fulminate-chlorate 
  mixtures, lead azide, lead styphnate, mercury fulmi-
  nate, silver azide, and silver fulminate.
  Th e second type of high explosive is the sec-
  ondary (or noninitiating) explosive. Th ese are mixed 
  together to produce the right combination of sen-
  sitivity, brisance, and stability for particular jobs. 
  Th e most important secondary explosives include 
  ammonium picrate, cyclonite (RDX and HMX), 
  dynamite, and TNT.
  DETONATION METHODS
  Th ere are ﬁ ve main types of fuses, or meth-
  ods of detonating the primer charge that sets oﬀ  a 
  bomb:
  ■ 
  ﬂ ame fuses
  ■ 
  chemical fuses
  ■ 
  electric fuses (including radio-controlled 
  fuses)
  DARK CHAMPIONS HAND-TO-HAND WEAPONS TABLE
  Weapon 
  OCV 
  Damage STUNx STR Min BODY 
  DEF 
  Mass 
  A/R Cost 
  Notes
  Clubs
  Blackjack 
  0 
  2d6 N 
  — 
  5 
  2 
  3 
  0.50 
  15/5
  Bottle 
  0 
  1d6 N 
  — 
  3 
  1 
  1 
  1.0 
  N/A 
  Aft er the ﬁ rst hit, a bottle no longer functions 
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  as an HA, but rather as an HKA ½d6.
  Brass Knuckles 
  0 
  2d6 N 
  — 
  5 
  2 
  3 
  0.5 
  15/5
  Brick 
  0 
  2d6 N 
  — 
  8 
  2 
  5 
  2.0 
  N/A
  Chain 
  0 
  3d6 N 
  — 
  8 
  3-4 
  5 
  2.0 
  N/A
  Chair/stool 
  0 
  2-4d6 N 
  — 
  10 
  3-5 
  3-5 
  5.0 
  N/A
  Claw hammer 
  0 
  3d6 N 
  — 
  5 
  2 
  3 
  0.9  
  N/A 
  Th e hammer’s claw is an HKA 1 point.
  Lead Pipe 
  0 
  3d6 N 
  — 
  8 
  2 
  5 
  0.5 
  N/A
  Nightstick/Billy club 0 
  3d6 N 
  — 
  8 
  3 
  3 
  0.9 
  22/8
  Pistol butt 
  0 
  2d6 N 
  — 
  8 
  2 
  3 
  Var 
  15/5
  Riﬂ e butt 
  0 
  3d6 N 
  — 
  10 
  3 
  3 
  Var 
  22/8
  Roll of coins in ﬁ st 0 
  1d6 N 
  — 
  3 
  1 
  2 
  0.02 
  N/A
  Shot gloves 
  0 
  2d6 N 
  — 
  8 
  2 
  3 
  1.50 
  15/5 
  Gloves with pockets on the outside of the 
  ﬁ ngers ﬁ lled with lead shot. Th ey impose a 
  -2 penalty on all DEX Rolls and Agility Skill 
  Rolls involving the hands, and a -2 OCV pen-
  alty on attacks which require the hand to grip 
  or use a weapon (a Side Eﬀ ect [-½]).
  Tire iron 
  0 
  3d6 N 
  — 
  8 
  3 
  5 
   
  N/A
  Tonfa 
  0 
  3d6 N 
  — 
  8 
  3 
  3 
   
  22/8
  Two-by-Four 
  0 
  3d6 N 
  — 
  8 
  2 
  3 
   
  N/A
  Knives And Bladed Weapons
  Bayonet 
  0 
  1d6-1 
  0 
  6 
  3 
  5 
  0.8 
  18/8
  Combat knife# 
  0 
  1d6-1 
  0 
  6 
  3 
  5 
  0.8 
  21/8 
  Can Be Th rown
  Fiberglass knife* 
  0 
  ½d6 
  0 
  4 
  2 
  5 
  0.4 
  20/9 
  Can Be Th rown, IPE (metal detectors)
  Machete 
  0 
  1d6 
  0 
  10 
  5 
  5 
  1.1 
  22/8
  Punch dagger 
  0 
  ½d6 
  0 
  4 
  2 
  5 
  0.3 
  15/7
  Shank, shiv# 
  0 
  ½d6 
  0 
  4 
  2 
  5 
  0.4 
  17/7 
  Can Be Th rown
  Stiletto& 
  0 
  ½d6 AP 
  0 
  5 
  3 
  5 
  0.7 
  22/9 
  Can Be Th rown
  Survival knife# 
  0 
  1d6-1 
  0 
  6 
  3 
  5 
  0.8 
  21/8 
  Can Be Th rown
  Switchblade# 
  0 
  ½d6 
  0 
  4 
  2 
  5 
  0.3 
  17/7 
  Can Be Th rown
  Trenchknife# 
  0 
  1d6/2d6 N 
  0 
  6 
  3 
  5 
  1.0 
  21/10 
  HKA Can Be Th rown
  Adding Damage:
   #:  Add +1 DC of damage per full +6.25 points of STR used above the STR Minimum.
  *:  Add +1 DC of damage per full +7.5 points of STR used above the STR Minimum.
  &:  Add +1 DC of damage per full +8.75 points of STR used above the STR Minimum.
  See the Key and Notes for the Firearms Tables on page 252 for an explanation of abbreviations and terms. Th e “N” in the damage column 
  stands for “Normal Damage.”
  
  258 ■ Weapons
  Hero System 5th Edition
  ■ 
  mechanical fuses (including impact fuses and 
  “tremblers” that trigger a bomb if it’s moved)
  ■ 
  pressure fuses (which go oﬀ  when a certain 
  amount of pressure is applied, whether by foot 
  [as with land mines] or by reaching a certain 
  barometric pressure [as with some terrorist 
  bombs placed on airplanes]).
  Th e type of fuse chosen depends on the explo-
  sive used and the type of bomb. Flame works for 
  black powder, for example, but not for plastique. An 
  elaborate radio-controlled electrical fuse or a pres-
  sure fuse isn’t needed for a kamikaze bombing run 
  with a truckful of dynamite, but would be ideal for 
  many types of terrorist bombings.
  Simple fuses impose no penalty to Demoli-
  tions rolls to disarm the explosive. Complex electri-
  cal, chemical, mechanical, or pressure fuses could 
  impose a -1 to -4 penalty to Demolitions.
  TYPES OF EXPLOSIVES
  Here are some of the common types of explo-
  sives used in the modern world for various indus-
  trial, military, criminal, and terrorist activities.
  Ammonium Picrate
  Ammonium picrate (or explosive D) is made 
  of picric acid and ammonium. It’s used in situations 
  calling for an explosive that’s particularly resistant 
  to impact. For example, ammonium picrate is 
  sometimes used in anti-tank shells because of its 
  ability to pierce armor without exploding — tests 
  have shown it can be ﬁ red through twelve inches of 
  armor and detonate on the other side! Picric acid 
  itself is explosive, but is no longer used militarily 
  because of its sensitivity. Th ere is no modiﬁ er to 
  Demolitions for working with ammonium picrate. 
  ANFO
  ANFO, a combination of ammonium nitrate 
  and fuel oil, is a favorite of terrorists because its 
  ingredients are all legally available — the Okla-
  homa City bombing, for example, involved an 
  ANFO bomb. ANFO’s legitimately used in mining, 
  construction, and other industries. Th ere is no 
  modiﬁ er to Demolitions for working with ANFO.
  Ammonoium nitrate absorbs water easily. If 
  it’s not stored in a watertight container or environ-
  ment, it may not detonate as well (reduce damage 
  by 25-50%).
  Dynamite
  Invented by Alfred Nobel in 1867, dynamite 
  is a combination of nitroglycerin and various 
  substances which absorb large amounts of the 
  nitroglycerin, making it relatively safe to handle 
  (it’s still sensitive to ﬁ re/heat and extreme impact, 
  and if it gets wet tends to break down and becomes 
  as volatile as nitroglycerine). Th e manufacturing 
  process incorporates antacids and other stabilizers 
  to make dynamite even safer to use. Today, demoli-
  tions experts use various mixtures of explosives 
  and bases to achieve diﬀ erent results. For example, 
  there’s gelatin dynamite which has great water resis-
  tance and more blasting power than comparable 
  dynamites, and can be molded into crude shapes. 
  Another development is low-freezing dynamite, 
  which works well in extremely cold conditions. 
  Using dynamite adds +1 or +2 to a character’s 
  Demolition roll in appropriate circumstances.
  Dynamite has many commercial uses (such as 
  the construction industry). Th at means it’s widely 
  available (though it usually requires a license or 
  other authorization to purchase); it’s generally sold 
  in sticks.
  Foam Explosive
  Foam explosive is an explosive substance 
  with the appearance and consistency of shaving 
  cream or the like. Designed primarily for detonat-
  ing landmines, it can stick to objects and delivers a 
  low-powered blast — but one that’s strong enough 
  to make a mine go oﬀ , or open a door. Compared 
  to other explosives, it makes very little noise, so it’s 
  ideal for some of the covert missions characters 
  perform. Working with it entails no Demolitions 
  penalty.
  Initiators
  Initiators are explosive devices used to start 
  larger explosions. Th ey include blasting caps and 
  detonating cord.
  Blasting caps, both basic and electric, but 
  instead are small cylindrical devices used to initiate 
  explosions. Th ey consist of a base charge (usually 
  RDX or PETN), a priming charge (usually lead 
  azide or silver azide), and a ﬂ ash charge (usually 
  lead styphnate), all contained in an aluminum 
  or copper shell. Mercury fulminate used to be an 
  important blasting cap ingredient, but is no longer 
  commonly used. A basic blasting cap is set oﬀ  by 
  a fuse, whereas an electrical blasting cap has two 
  wires running through it that let the demolition-
  ist detonate it with electricity (allowing for precise 
  timing of an explosion). Working with blasting caps 
  (e.g., crimping them onto a timing fuse and deto-
  nating cord) can be quite dangerous, imposing a -2 
  to the Demolitions roll. 
  Detonating cord (detcord, also called pri-
  macord) is a cord made with a core of sensitive 
  explosive (such as PETN or RDX) surrounded by a 
  plastic or cloth covering. It’s usually used together 
  with blasting caps, and enables the demolitionist to 
  time explosions precisely. Working with it entails 
  no Demolitions penalty.
  Lead Azide
  Lead azide (Pb(N3)2) is a primary explosive 
  used in a variety of military explosives and in ini-
  tiators. It tends to be more stable than many other 
  primary explosives, particularly at higher tem-
  peratures, so a cover charge of lead styphnate (or 
  another more sensitive explosive) is oft en added to 
  ensure detonation. A related chemical, silver azide, 
  is more powerful and is used similarly, but is more 
  sensitive to heat. Th ere’s no modiﬁ er to Demoli-
  tions for working with lead azide. 
  Mercury Fulminate
  Mercury fulminate (mercuric cyanate, 
  HgC2N2O2) is a grey-white powder that explodes at 
  320o F. It’s both a primary and a secondary explo-
  sive, and is sensitive to electricity, ﬁ re/heat, impact, 
  SHAPED CHARGES
  A shaped charge allows 
  the force of an explosion 
  to be aimed, roughly. 
  Pressure waves are emit-
  ted by an explosion 
  at right angles to the 
  explosive, so by shaping 
  the explosive, a bomber 
  can provide some direc-
  tion to the force of the 
  explosion. A shaped 
  charge typically uses a 
  cone of metal or glass 
  surrounded by a high-
  strength explosive (such 
  as TNT or RDX). Th e 
  detonation vaporizes the 
  cone and projects it in 
  the desired direction as 
  an immensely hot and 
  powerful “jet” of par-
  ticles. Th is jet strikes the 
  target and literally forces 
  it to “ﬂ ow” away from 
  the point of impact. 
  However, a shaped 
  charge only uses a small 
  percentage of the force 
  of the explosion (about 
  15%), so the explosion is 
  not totally contained or 
  channeled.
  Setting up a shaped 
  charge requires a Demo-
  litions roll at -0 to -3, 
  depending upon the 
  circumstances and the 
  materials available.
  
  259 
  Dark Champions ■ Chapter Five
  EXPLOSIVES AND INCENDIARIES
  Name 
  Suggested Effect 
  Scaling
  Explosives
  Ammonium Picrate (1 liter) 
  EB 9d6 Explosion 
  +1d6 per +1 liter
  ANFO 
  (0.45 kg) 
  EB 10d6 Explosion +1d6 per +0.45
  Black powder (0.45 kg) 
  EB 2d6 Explosion 
  +1d6 per +0.45 kg
  Dynamite (one .25 kg stick) 
  EB 5d6 Explosion 
  +1d6 per +1 stick
  Foam explosive (one .25 kg can) 
  EB 4d6 Explosion per quarter-can used 
  +1d6 per +quarter can
  HMX (0.45 kg) 
  EB 13d6 Explosion 
  +2d6 per +0.45 kg
  Initiator 
   
   Blasting cap 
  RKA 1 point 
  +1 point per +1 cap
   Detonating cord (.3 m) 
  RKA ½d6 
  +½d6 per +.3 meter
  Lead azide (0.45 kg) 
  EB 12d6 Explosion 
  +2d6 per +0.45 kg
  Mercury fulminate (0.45 kg) 
  EB 9d6 Explosion 
  +1d6 per +0.45 kg
  Nitroglycerin (1 liter) 
  EB 12d6 Explosion 
  +2d6 per +1 liter
  PETN (1 liter) 
  EB 13d6 Explosion 
  +2d6 per +1 liter
  RDX (0.45 kg) 
  EB 12d6 Explosion 
  +2d6 per +0.45 kg
   Plastique (one 0.56 kg block) 
  EB 15d6 Explosion 
  +5d6 per +1 block
  TNT (0.45 kg) 
  EB 12d6 Explosion 
  +1d6 per +0.45 kg
   Amatol (0.45 kg) 
  EB 12d6 Explosion 
  +1d6 per +0.45 kg
   Cyclotol (0.45 kg) 
  EB 14d6 Explosion 
  +1d6 per +0.45 kg
   Pentolite (0.45 kg) 
  EB 14d6 Explosion 
  +1d6 per +0.45 kg
   Tetrytol (0.45 kg) 
  EB 13d6 Explosion 
  +1d6 per +0.45 kg
   Torpex (0.45 kg) 
  EB 10d6 Explosion 
  +1d6 per +0.45 kg
  Incendiaries 
   
  Fire bottle/Molotov cocktail 
  RKA 1-2d6, 1 Hex, 1 Turn/Charge 
  N/A
  Gelled gasoline (1 liter) 
  RKA 3d6, Explosion, 1 Turn/Charge 
  Increase size of Explosion by a +¼ Advan-
  tage for each +2 liters
  Incendiary brick 
  RKA 1d6, 1 Turn/Charge 
  N/A
  Magnesium (0.25 kg) 
  RKA ½d6, 1 Turn/Charge 
  RKA +1 point per +.25 kg, to a maximum 
  of +10 points
  Napalm (1 liter) 
  RKA 2d6, Explosion, 1 Turn/Charge 
  Increase size of Explosion by a +¼ Advan-
  tage for each +1 liter
  Paraﬃ  n-Sawdust 
  RKA 1½d6, 1 Turn/Charge 
  Th ermite (one 0.10 kg pellet) 
  RKA 2d6, Armor Piercing, 1 Hex, 1 Turn/Charge 
  RKA +1 point per +.10 kg, to a maximum 
  of +10 points
   Th ermate (one 0.10 kg pellet) 
  RKA 2½d6, Armor Piercing, 1 Hex, 1 Turn/Charge 
  RKA +1 point per +.10 kg, to a maximum 
  of +10 points
  White Phosphorus (0.25 liter) 
  RKA 3d6, Armor Piercing; Trigger (on contact with 
  RKA +1 point per +0.25 liter, to a 
   
   air), 1 Turn/Charge; plus Change Environment 2”  
  maximum of +10 points
   
  radius (smoke cloud), -3 to Sight Group PER Rolls, 
   
  1 Turn/Charge 
   
  For explosives, the GM may substitute the equivalent DCs in Killing Damage, if preferred.
  Incendiary devices, and many explosives, set ﬂ ammable objects on ﬁ re (sometimes their heat alone ignites nearby objects). Th e GM can 
  apply the incendiary eﬀ ect from Incendiary bullets (page 206) if desired.
  
  260 ■ Weapons
  Hero System 5th Edition
  and friction (-2 to Demolitions rolls in appropri-
  ate circumstances). It was discovered in the late 
  1600s, and was used for many years in initiators 
  and commercial explosives. Because cheaper and 
  better replacements were found, it fell out of use in 
  the 1970s, but Dark Champions characters may still 
  chance across some here and there, or even dis-
  cover an illegal lab manufacturing it for terrorists.       
  Nitroglycerin
  Th is explosive oil or liquid was discovered by 
  Ascanio Sobrero in 1846. It’s one of the principal 
  ingredients in dynamite. By itself, nitroglycerin is 
  extremely sensitive and very dangerous to handle 
  (-3 or more to Demolitions rolls), so it’s rarely used 
  without stabilizers. 
  PETN
  PETN (pentaerythritol tetranitrate) was 
  invented in 1891. It’s cheaply and easily produced, 
  and is as strong as nitroglycerin but safer to handle. 
  Because it’s almost insoluble, it’s commonly used 
  for underwater demolitions work. Th ere’s a -1 mod-
  iﬁ er to Demolitions for working with PETN.
  RDX And HMX
  RDX (cyclonite) is one of the most common 
  military explosives in use today. HMX is similar, but 
  denser and with a higher melting point and explo-
  sion temperature. Both are white crystalline solids 
  that are extremely stable. Th ey’re usually mixed with 
  TNT to desensitize them. RDX is as powerful as 
  nitroglycerin, HMX is slightly more powerful.
  RDX is used to produce plastique, or plastic 
  explosive (PE), of which Semtex (a combination of 
  RDX and PETN, in varying ratios) is one variety. 
  PEs are about 80% RDX and 20% oils, waxes, and 
  plastics. Th ey’re very stable, requiring both heat and 
  impact to detonate — a blasting cap or other initia-
  tor will do it, but by itself an electrical charge, ﬁ re, 
  or impact won’t set plastique oﬀ . Plastique can be 
  safely molded into an inﬁ nite number of forms, and 
  is extremely powerful, even in small amounts — a 
  single block (0.56 kg) can create a 30 cm square hole 
  in 10mm thick steel plate! Th us, PEs are a favorite of 
  the military, terrorists, and criminals. Th e American 
  military uses four types designated C1 through C4, 
  each of which is useful in a diﬀ erent temperature 
  range. C4, for example, remains plastic down to -70o 
  F, and does not leak up to 170o F.
  RDX is also the primary ingredient in many 
  military composite explosives, such as Composite 
  A3 and Composition B4.
  Working with RDX, HMX, plastique, or other 
  composite explosives including RDX or HMX  adds 
  +1 to +2 to Demolitions rolls in appropriate cir-
  cumstances.  
  TNT
  TNT (trinitrotoluene), which diﬀ ers from 
  dynamite, is one of the principal military explo-
  sives. Made from toluene and nitric acid, it’s stable 
  and insensitive to impact, friction, and electricity 
  (+1 to +2 to Demolitions rolls). It does not read-
  ily absorb water, and may be stored indeﬁ nitely in 
  temperate areas.
  TNT is usually melted and used to ﬁ ll bombs, 
  either by itself or in combination with other sub-
  stances (binary explosives):  ammonium nitrate 
  (amatol); ammonium picrate (picratol); HMX 
  (octol); PETN (pentolite); RDX (cyclotol); RDX 
  and ammonium (torpex); tetryl (tetrytol); and so 
  forth. TNT binary explosives can be very powerful 
  — for example, cyclotol and pentolite have deto-
  nation pressures as high as 4,000,000 pounds per 
  square inch.
  Incendiaries
  Incendiaries are chemicals designed to start 
  ﬁ res and/or burn people. Th ey’re usually used in 
  ﬁ rebombs and ﬂ amethrowers, but Dark Champi-
  ons characters may also want to build incendiary 
  grenades, pellets, and other weapons. Working with 
  incendiaries is a function of the Demolitions Skill.
  Fire Bottle/Molotov Cocktail
  A ﬁ re bottle is a primitive incendiary grenade 
  — a bottle ﬁ lled with gasoline and sulfuric acid, then 
  wrapped in a rag or piece of paper. Just prior to use, 
  the wrapper is soaked with a sugar-potassium chlo-
  rate mixture (which is very sensitive). Upon impact, 
  the chemicals mix and the reaction ignites the gaso-
  line. Th e Molotov cocktail, a bottle ﬁ lled with some 
  ﬂ ammable liquid and with a rag stuﬀ ed in the top 
  and lit, counts as a crude ﬁ re bottle. 
  Gelled Gasoline
  Gelled gasoline is ordinary gasoline which 
  has been gelled by the use of chemicals or impro-
  vised substances (such as soap powder, lye, wax, or 
  animal blood). Charcoal may be added to increase 
  the mixture’s ﬂ ammability. Essentially, gelled gaso-
  line is a primitive form of napalm (see below), and 
  like napalm it sticks to surfaces. Working with it 
  imposes a -1 penalty to Demolitions rolls.
  Incendiary Brick
  Th is object looks like an ordinary brick, but 
  is made of potassium chlorate, sulfur, sugar, iron 
  ﬁ lings, and wax. It burns relatively slowly and is 
  normally used to set ﬁ re to buildings and other 
  ﬂ ammable objects. Creating or using one imposes 
  no Demolitions penalty.
  Magnesium
  Th e metallic element magnesium is an incen-
  diary substance which burns at very high tempera-
  tures and is easily manufactured and handled. It 
  can get hot enough to melt mild steels, and oft en 
  scatters molten bits of metal about, increasing the 
  chances of setting secondary ﬁ res. Even worse, 
  using water to try to put out a magnesium ﬁ re may 
  create an explosive mix of hydrogen and some 
  other gases. Working with magnesium imposes no 
  Demolitions penalty.
  Napalm
  Modern napalm is made of gasoline, ben-
  zene, and polystyrene thickener. Earlier forms of 
  napalm were advanced forms of gelled gasoline, but 
  modern napalm is a liquid. It’s used by militaries 
  for many diﬀ erent kinds of weapons. By varying 
  the amount of thickener and the additives, a demo-
  
  261 
  Dark Champions ■ Chapter Five
  litionist can impart diﬀ erent properties to it (such 
  as increased burning time, increased ﬂ uidity, and 
  so forth). Napalm sticks to surfaces (even vertical 
  ones), so the victim cannot simply wipe it oﬀ .
  Napalm is not self-igniting — it requires some 
  sort of initiating heat (such as from an electric 
  spark or another incendiary substance) to set oﬀ . 
  Working with it imposes no Demolitions penalty. 
  Paraﬃ  n-Sawdust
  Th is incendiary is a simple mix of paraﬃ  n wax 
  or beeswax and sawdust. It burns slowly and is used 
  to set ﬁ re to ﬂ ammable objects and buildings. It can 
  be carried and stored safely; working with it pro-
  vides a +2 Demolitions bonus.
  Th ermite
  Th ermite is made of powdered ferric oxide 
  and powdered or granular aluminum. When lit it 
  creates molten iron aluminum oxide, and can pro-
  duce temperatures as high as 2,400o C under proper 
  conditions. It has many commercial uses (such as 
  welding) in addition to its military applications.
  Th ermite requires strong heat to ignite it (more 
  than a match), so igniter materials (such as magne-
  sium, white phosphorus, or depleted uranium ﬂ akes) 
  are added when it’s used for military purposes. (In 
  game terms, working with it involves no Demoli-
  tions penalty.) However, its stability also means char-
  acters can safely carry and store it, and that it burns 
  strongly once lit. It’s easy to use in cold and windy 
  situations, and can burn through metal containers to 
  ignite any ﬂ ammable objects they hold.
  Demolitionists can mix thermite with pyro-
  technic agents to form a more volatile compound 
  called thermate. Neither thermite and thermate can 
  be doused with water.
  White Phosphorus
  White phosphorus (WP, or “Willie Pete”) is 
  most oft en used to ignite other incendiaries, but 
  can be used on its own. It is pyrophoric (self-ignit-
  ing) — it burns on contact with air. It’s stored 
  underwater. Working with it entails a -2 Demoli-
  tions penalty.
  A WP incendiary consists of white phosphorus 
  dissolved in carbon disulﬁ de (or some other solvent 
  to keep it away from air). To use it, a demolition-
  ist pours it on the item he wants to burn. Once the 
  solvent evaporates, the WP bursts into ﬂ ame, creat-
  ing large clouds of dense white smoke. For military 
  purposes, sometimes plastic white phosphorus 
  (PWP) is used; this is a rubbery solution that binds 
  the WP together so it cannot disperse freely. WP 
  cannot be doused with water.
  RESTRAINTS AND 
  NON-LETHAL WEAPONS
  Not every weapon needs to kill or injure the 
  target. Sometimes it’s suﬃ  cient — even desirable 
  — to simply incapacitate an enemy.
  BLINDING LASER
   Although portable laser weapons able to deliver 
  enough energy to kill a target are not (yet) techno-
  logically feasible, military engineers have developed 
  laser weapons intended to blind an opponent or 
  visual sensor (either temporarily or permanently). 
  Th ere are two models:  a small model which mounts 
  underneath the barrel of an assault riﬂ e; and a larger 
  model with much greater range and power.
  Underbarrel Blinding Laser:  Sight Group Flash 
  4d6 (20 Active Points); OAF (-1), Real Weapon 
  (-¼), 12 Charges (-¼). Total cost:  8 points.
  Blinding Laser
  Cost Power
  48 
  Blinding Laser:  Multipower, 105-point base, 
  32 Charges for entire Multipower (+¼); all 
  OAF Bulky (-1½), Real Weapon (-¼)
  1u 
   1)  Dazzling Setting:  Sight Group Flash 6d6, 
  Increased Maximum Range (525”; +¼); OAF 
  Bulky (-1½), Real Weapon (-¼)
  3u 
   2)  Blindness Setting:  Major Transform 7d6 
  (sighted person or sensor to blind person or 
  sensor); OAF Bulky (-1½), All Or Nothing 
  (-½), Limited Target (sighted beings/objects; 
  -¼), Real Weapon (-¼)
  Total cost:  52 points.
  HANDCUFFS
  Handcuﬀ s and various related restraints (such 
  as thumbcuﬀ s, legcuﬀ s, and ﬂ exible plastic-strip 
  restraints) are bought as Entangles with several 
  Limitations. See Contortionist, page 69, and Lock-
  picking, page 73, for rules on escaping from them.
  Handcuffs:  Entangle 3d6 (standard eﬀ ect: 3 
  BODY), 6 DEF, Takes No Damage From Attacks 
  (+½) (67 Active Points); OAF (-1), Cannot 
  Form Barriers (-¼), Set Eﬀ ect (hands only; -1), 
  Does Not Prevent Use Of Accessible Foci (-1), No 
  Range (-½), Must Follow Grab Or Target Must 
  Be Willing (-½), 1 Recoverable Charge (-1¼), 
  Can Be Escaped Automatically With Modiﬁ ed 
  Lockpicking Or Contortionist Roll (-½). Total 
  cost:  9 points.
  MACE/PEPPER SPRAY
  Mace and pepper spray are chemical agents 
  designed to blind an attacker (and in the process 
  cause some discomfort and pain). Th ey come in 
  small spray canisters, and are oft en carried by 
  women and corrections oﬃ  cers. Th e spray may be 
  liquid, or it may be a foam. In either case, it can get 
  around glasses and other forms of eye protection 
  that do not oﬀ er total protection; only solid eye 
  coverings, such as goggles or a sealed helmet, oﬀ er 
  a defense against this weapon.
  Mace/Pepper Spray:  Sight Group Flash 5d6, 
  NND (defense is solid eye covering; +1), Delayed 
  Recovery (+2) (100 Active Points); OAF (-1), No 
  Range (-½), Real Weapon (-¼), 12 Charges (-¼) 
  (total cost:  33 points) plus Energy Blast 3d6, 
  NND (defense is solid eye covering; +1) (30 
  Active Points); OAF (-1), No Range (-½), Real 
  Weapon (-¼), 12 Charges (-¼) (total cost:  10 
  points). Total cost:  43 points.
  
  262 ■ Weapons
  Hero System 5th Edition
  PNUEGUN
  Th e PnueGun is a small tube which uses com-
  pressed carbon dioxide to ﬁ re a small, hard beanbag 
  up to 150 feet. Th e force of the impact is enough to 
  stun a man and knock him down.
  PnueGun:  Energy Blast 6d6 (30 Active Points); 
  OAF (-1), Limited Range (22”; -¼), Real Weapon 
  (-¼), 1 Charge (-2). Total cost:   7 points.
  SHOCKBATON
  Th is riot control baton contains a small bat-
  tery capable of providing a localized high-volt-
  age shock. It also emits a loud crackling noise to 
  frighten oﬀ  attackers.
  Cost Power
  2 
  Schockbaton — Baton:  HA +2d6 (10 Active 
  Points); OAF (-1), Hand-To-Hand Attack 
  (-½), Real Weapon (-¼)
  27 
  Shockbaton — Incapacitating Touch:  Energy 
  Blast 8d6 NND (defense is insulated ED; +1) 
  (80 Active Points); OAF (-1), No Range (-½), 
  Real Weapon (-¼), 12 Charges (-¼)
  Total cost:  29 points.
  SLICKNESS SPRAY
  Th is is a chemical spray or foam, such as the 
  product Riotril, which coats hard surfaces (stairs, 
  roads, ﬂ oors, and the like) so that they become too 
  slick to stand on. Criminals and rioters can’t keep 
  their feet, and cars that drive across slicked-up 
  roads lose traction and control. Aft er the substance 
  dries, it can be peeled up easily.
  Slickspray:  Change Environment 16” radius 
  (normal hard surfaces to extremely slippery 
  hard surfaces), -4 to DEX Rolls to move on (34 
  Active Points); OAF (sprayer; -1), Only Aﬀ ects 
  Characters Who Are Moving On Th e Ground 
  (-¼), Real Weapon (-¼), 1 Continuing Charge 
  lasting 5 Minutes (-¾). Total cost:  11 points.
  SONIC AND ACOUSTIC WEAPONS
  Th e military has experimented with sonic 
  weapons and riot-control devices for many years. 
  High-pitched, high-decibel sound can cause head-
  aches, feelings of nausea, confusion, vertigo, and 
  similar symptoms with no visible cause. Sound 
  below the pitch of human hearing is also danger-
  ous — it can shake buildings and rupture internal 
  organs in some cases. Sonic (or acoustic) weapons 
  could be set for low-intensity or high-intensity (in 
  other words, nonlethal or lethal eﬀ ects). Th ey can 
  be used oﬀ ensively, or defensively (for example, 
  to set up a “barrier” which would eﬀ ect anyone 
  walking into it). Sonic weapons can even penetrate 
  buildings to aﬀ ect the occupants (in HERO System 
  terms, they’re Indirect).
  Cost Power
  20 
  Sonic Cannon:  Multipower, 32-point base, 
  100 Charges for entire reserve (+¾);  all OAF 
  Bulky (-1½), Real Weapon (-¼)
  1u 
   1)  Nonlethal Pain Eﬀ ect:  Energy Blast 2d6, 
  NND (defense is Hearing Flash Defense, ear-
  plugs, or solid coverings over the ears; +1), 
  Continuous (+1), Indirect (+¼); OAF Bulky 
  (-1½), Limited Range (20”; -¼), Real Weapon 
  (-¼)
  1u 
   2)  Lethal Eﬀ ect:  RKA ½d6, Continuous 
  (+1), Indirect (+¼); OAF Bulky (-1½), Lim-
  ited Range (20”; -¼), Real Weapon (-¼)
  1u 
   3)  Vertigo Eﬀ ect:  DEX Drain 1d6, Limited 
  Range (20”; +¼), Continuous (+1), Indirect 
  (+¼); OAF Bulky (-1½), Real Weapon (-¼)
  Total cost:  23 points.
  Sonic Barrier Generator:  Energy Blast 4d6, NND 
  (defense is Hearing Flash Defense, earplugs, or 
  solid coverings over the ears; +1), Area Of Eﬀ ect 
  (24” Line; +1¼), Continuous (+1), Indirect (+¼) 
  (90 Active Points); OAF Bulky (-1½), No Range 
  (device generates the line directly from itself;
  -½), Real Weapon (-¼). Total cost:  28 points.
  STICKY FOAM
  Sticky foam, or sprayfoam, is a rapid-hardening 
  foam used to restrain prisoners, rioters, and similar 
  targets. Th e dispenser is a ﬂ amethrower-like back-
  pack tank with a spraygun that attaches to the tank 
  via a hose. Th e foam is so sticky and quick-setting 
  that it can instantly trap targets; it’s virtually impos-
  sible to remove without a special liquid solvent.  Th e 
  U.S. Marines used this technology in Somalia in 
  1995. Potential problems arise include the fact that 
  the solvent is potentially toxic, the spray can be lethal 
  if sprayed directly into the target’s face (he suﬀ o-
  cates), and the weapon has a very short range and 
  aﬀ ects an entire area indiscriminately.
  Sprayfoam:  Entangle 3d6, 3 DEF, Area Of Eﬀ ect 
  (One Hex Doubled; +¾) (52 Active Points); 
  OAF Bulky (-1½), Cannot Form Barriers (-¼), 
  Limited Range (5”; -¼), Side Eﬀ ect (victim can 
  suﬀ ocate if sprayed directly in the face; -0), Sus-
  ceptible (to special solvent; -¼), 16 Charges (-0). 
  Total cost:  16 points.
  TASERS
  Tasers shock the victim with 2,000 or more 
  volts of electricity — enough to knock him out, but 
  not kill him (though a character could create a taser 
  with lethal levels of voltage). Th ey come in two 
  varieties. Th e ﬁ rst works over a short range. It proj-
  ects a small metal dart into the victim; the dart’s 
  attached to the weapon via a wire down which the 
  electricity travels. Characters need WF: Small Arms 
  to use this type of taser. Th e other type, used with 
  WF: Fist-Loads, requires the character to touch the 
  target with the device.
  Taser (Ranged): Energy Blast 8d6, NND (defense 
  is insulated ED; +1) (80 Active Points); OAF 
  (-1); Limited Range (4”; -¼), 1 Recoverable 
  Charge (-1¼). Total cost:  23 points.
  Taser (Non-Ranged):  Energy Blast 8d6, NND 
  (defense is insulated ED; +1) (80 Active Points); 
  OAF (-1); No Range (-½), 12 Charges (-¼). Total 
  cost:  29 points.
  
  chapter six:
  chapter six:
  chapter six:
  FIELD KIT
  DARK CHAMPIONS GEAR
  
  264 ■ Equipment
  Hero System 5th Edition
  G
  uns and knives aren’t the only types of gear 
  Dark Champions characters need.  Th ere’s a 
  whole array of other equipment, from body 
  armor to nightsight devices to microelec-
  tronic “bugs” to all kinds of vehicles, that help them 
  with their war on crime.  Th is chapter describes 
  some of that gear.
  But before they can use gear, characters have 
  to obtain it (the same goes for weapons). How they 
  obtain it depends on both setting considerations 
  and game rules considerations. For these purposes, 
  equipment is divided into four types:
  Standard:  Equipment is Standard if an ordinary, 
  law-abiding citizen could acquire it without too 
  much diﬃ  culty or the need to obtain a special 
  license (or other form of permission). Th is includes 
  a lot of equipment — many types of ﬁ rearms, some 
  types of body armor and surveillance devices, and 
  so on — but not most law enforcement/military 
  equipment such as submachine guns, grenades, and 
  advanced body armors.
  Street-Level Equipment:  Equipment is Street-Level 
  if it is low-level industrial, law enforcement, or 
  military equipment not commonly available to law-
  abiding citizens. Th is includes submachine guns 
  and assault riﬂ es, many types of explosives, many 
  types of body armor, and the like (but not heavy 
  equipment such as machine guns or anti-tank rock-
  ets). It also includes equipment which characters 
  need a license (or other form of permission) to buy, 
  such as some security and surveillance devices.
  In games using the Resource Point rules, the 
  ability to buy Street-Level equipment with Equip-
  ment Points is a 3-point Perk.
  Military Equipment:  Equipment is Military if it is 
  mid-level industrial, law enforcement, or military 
  equipment not commonly available to law-abiding 
  citizens. Th is includes some heavy weapons (such 
  as machine guns and most types of grenades) and 
  some types of body armor, but not really heavy 
  weapons (such as ﬂ amethrowers, anti-tank missiles, 
  or the like).
  In games using the Resource Point rules, the 
  ability to buy Military equipment with Equipment 
  Points is a 5-point Perk.
  Advanced Military Equipment:  Equipment is 
  Advanced Military if it’s too dangerous, large, rare, 
  expensive, or restricted to qualify as Military. Th is 
  includes any type of military vehicle or heavy 
  weapon.
  In games using the Resource Point rules, the 
  ability to buy Advanced Military equipment with 
  Equipment Points is a 10-point Perk.
  Obtaining Equipment 
  In The Campaign World
  In the campaign setting, typically characters 
  can acquire equipment in four ways:  buy it; steal it; 
  requisition it; or create it.
  BUY IT
  Th e most common method of obtaining 
  equipment is to buy it. Standard equipment tends 
  to be readily and easily available this way, and may 
  not even be that expensive.
  For Street-Level, Military, and Advanced 
  Military equipment, things aren’t necessarily that 
  simple. Th e character may need a license, permis-
  sion from an administrative governmental agency, 
  or the like just to buy the equipment (assuming 
  he can aﬀ ord it). Many types of equipment won’t 
  be available at all; they’ll be restricted to only cer-
  tain military or government users. Th at forces the 
  character to go to the black market (or at least grey 
  market) to do his shopping, and what he’s looking 
  for may or may not be available. See below for rules 
  for buying restricted items.
  STEAL IT
  Characters can also obtain equipment by steal-
  ing it (or in similar ways, such as taking gear from 
  defeated foes). Standard goods are pretty easy to 
  steal; characters may not even need any special 
  Skills to do so. Th e more advanced and dangerous 
  types of gear are protected by increasingly tight 
  security — everything from locks and alarms to 
  guards and advanced protective technology. And 
  this assumes, of course, that a character can ﬁ nd 
  what he wants available for theft . Locating a “target” 
  for theft  may prove more diﬃ  cult than actually 
  stealing it.
  REQUISITION IT
  In campaigns where the PCs belong to a large 
  organization — such as the military or an intel-
  ligence agency — characters may have the ability to 
  requisition gear.
  Characters can generally requisition any type 
  of Standard equipment, assuming their organiza-
  tion has what they want (or can obtain it), their 
  demands are not excessive, and they’re not having 
  any diﬃ  culties with the organization or their 
  superior oﬃ  cers. Usually Standard gear is available 
  when it’s requested, or within one hour at most.
  Requisitioning Street-Level equipment is more 
  diﬃ  cult. Unless he has explicit permission from 
  an authorized oﬃ  cial to requisition a particular 
  item, a character has to make a Bureaucratics roll 
  ACQUIRING 
  EQUIPMENT
  
  265 
  Dark Champions ■ Chapter Six
  at -3 to requisition Street-Level gear. Military and 
  Advanced Military gear are even tougher — they 
  require Bureaucratics rolls at -6 and -9, respectively. 
  Of course, even if a character successfully puts in a 
  requisition request, he may not get the gear imme-
  diately. If it’s not in stock, he may have to wait days 
  or weeks until what he wants is available.
  Th e ability to requisition equipment comes 
  from the Membership Perk (or the like) that a char-
  acter pays for when he joins an organization. But 
  it’s not a free pass to get any weapon or gadget the 
  character wants — if characters abuse it that way, 
  or the GM treats their requisition requests leniently, 
  the campaign may quickly become unbalanced. Th e 
  GM can control characters’ ability to requisition 
  gear in two ways. First, he can rule that some types 
  of equipment are only available to characters if they 
  have permission from an authorized superior oﬃ  cer 
  — and since the superior oﬃ  cer is an NPC, the GM 
  can have him grant or deny permission as desired. 
  Second, he can rule that the requested item simply 
  isn’t available for some reason (aft er all, not even the 
  largest organization has unlimited resources).
  Regardless of how they obtain it, characters 
  who requisition gear are responsible for it. If it’s 
  a durable good of some sort (such as a riﬂ e or a 
  car), they’re expected to keep it in good condition, 
  use it responsibly, and return it intact at the end of 
  the mission for which they requisitioned it. If it’s 
  a usable good, such as ammunition, they probably 
  have to ﬁ le reports indicating how they used it, and 
  return any unused portions. A character who fails 
  to return requisitioned equipment, who returns 
  requisitioned equipment in damaged condition, or 
  fails to ﬁ le the proper reports may soon ﬁ nd that 
  he’s not allowed to requisition equipment anymore.
  CREATE IT
  Lastly, characters with the appropriate Skills 
  can create the equipment they want. In some ways 
  this poses the most problems for the GM, since it’s 
  largely unrestricted — the GM can’t reasonably tell 
  a character who’s bought Weaponsmith that he can’t 
  build a gun, since that’s what the Skill is for. How-
  ever, a responsible GM can control the process in 
  legitimate ways if the PCs start to abuse their ability 
  to build gear.
  First, he can strictly follow rules concerning 
  how long such projects take. As noted on page 83, 
  building a new gun from scratch takes 1d6 weeks, 
  possibly more. Given the busy life of a Dark Cham-
  pions adventurer, it may take characters a lot more 
  than 1-6 calendar weeks to get the work done.
  Second, just because characters have the Skills 
  they need doesn’t mean they have the resources 
  required. Creating equipment requires tools (oft en 
  highly specialized ones), a workspace, and most of 
  all the right raw materials. Finding and buying the 
  raw materials and tools may be as expensive, dif-
  ﬁ cult, and dangerous a process as buying the item 
  the character wants to build.
  Th ird, for some highly specialized or cutting-
  edge technological developments, the GM may 
  require characters to buy one or more Background 
  Skills to represent their knowledge of the subject. 
  For example, a character who wants to design a 
  new type of “armor piercing frangible” ammunition 
  might have to buy SS: Ballistics and/or KS: Fran-
  gible Ammunition.
  Obtaining Equipment 
  In Game Terms
  In game terms, there are three ways characters 
  can obtain equipment:  Character Points; Resource 
  Points; and Money.
  CHARACTER POINTS
  If a character’s willing to spend Character 
  Points on a piece of equipment, he doesn’t have to 
  justify where he got it or jump through any other 
  hoops — he can provide whatever explanation he 
  wants. However, the GM still has to approve the 
  gear; just because a character has the Character 
  Points to buy an H&K G11 doesn’t mean the GM 
  will let him have it.
  Th e 5-Point Doubling Rule
  Dark Champions characters oft en use the “+5 
  Character Points doubles the number of items of 
  equipment purchased” rule from page 456 of the 
  HERO System 5th Edition, Revised when buying equip-
  ment (they can even use this rule with Resource 
  Points; see page 150). Here are some additional rules 
  and clariﬁ cations regarding the “5 point doubling” rule.
  Th e 5 point doubling purchase is a separate cost, 
  not a part of the gadget being purchased. Th erefore it 
  doesn’t aﬀ ect the purchased gadget’s Active Points or 
  the like. If a character applies the “+5 points doubles 
  the number of items of equipment you have” rule to 
  a gadget built with Limitations, those Limitations do 
  not apply to the +5 points. Th e +5 points aren’t sub-
  ject to Power Modiﬁ ers.
  If a character wants to buy multiple items of 
  equipment that cost less than 5 points, he can buy 
  the items individually or using the 5-point rule, 
  whichever is cheaper. For example, some of the 
  Vehicles in Th e Ultimate Vehicle only cost 1 point, 
  so a character could buy 8 of them for 1 point 
  apiece. Even then, though, the character may reach 
  a point where the 5-point method is cheaper. For 
  example, if he’s buying two 4-point gadgets, it’s 
  cheaper to buy them individually; if he wants eight 
  such devices, the 5-point method is cheaper.
  Items of equipment bought with the 5 point dou-
  bling rule are considered “separate” from the original 
  gadget. Th ey’re distinct from one another, each with 
  its own identity and uses even if they’re deﬁ ned iden-
  tically in HERO System rules terms. Th us, a character 
  could use two of them for Two-Weapon Fighting, or 
  a multiple-power attack, or the like. In the interest of 
  game balance, common sense, or dramatic sense, the 
  GM may forbid any uses of double-bought equipment 
  which he deems inappropriate.
  If a character uses the 5 point doubling rule to 
  buy multiple weapons or gadgets, each of them has 
  to be identical. However, if he uses this rule (or a 
  corresponding rule) to buy extra Computers, Vehi-
  cles, or Bases, the various items can diﬀ er — they 
  just all have to be built on that same point total or 
  
  266 ■ Equipment
  Hero System 5th Edition
  PRICES TABLE
  Weapons 
  Equipment Category 
  Price Range
  Assault riﬂ e 
  Military 
  $3,000-20,000
  Grenades (any type, per grenade)
   20/22mm 
  Military 
  $20-25
   24mm 
  Military 
  $20-25
   30mm 
  Military 
  $25-30
   40mm 
  Military 
  $10-14
   52mm 
  Military 
  $12-16
  Handgun 
  Standard 
  $50-2,000
  Knife 
  Standard 
  $20-100
  Machine gun 
  Advanced Military 
  $4,000-30,000
  Riﬂ e, hunting 
  Standard 
  $500-3,000
  Riﬂ e, military 
  Military 
  $500-5,000
  Shotgun, hunting 
  Standard 
  $500-2,000
  Shotgun, military 
  Military 
  $800-4,000
  Submachine gun 
  Street-Level 
  $1,000-5,000
  Ammunition*
  .22 
  Standard 
  $5-8
  .32, .38 
  Standard 
  $5-8
  .40, 9mm 
  Standard 
  $5-8
  .357 M, .41 M, 10mm 
  Standard 
  $8-12
  .45 ACP, 11mm 
  Standard 
  $5-8
  .44 M, .45 Win Mag 
  Standard 
  $8-12
  .223, 5.56mmN 
  Standard 
  $10-15
  .50 AE, 7.62mmN 
  Standard 
  $10-15
  .410 gauge shot or slugs 
  Standard 
  $10-15
  28, 24 gauge shot or slugs 
  Standard 
  $10-15
  20, 16 gauge shot or slugs 
  Standard 
  $10-15
  12 gauge shot or slugs 
  Standard 
  $12-18
  10 gauge shot or slugs 
  Standard 
  $12-18
  4 gauge shot or slugs 
  Standard 
  $15-20
  Firearms Accessories
  Brass Catcher 
  Standard 
  $40-120
  Camera 
  Military 
  $2,000-5,000
  Flashlight 
  Standard 
  $100-250
  Flash Suppressor 
  Standard 
  $150-300
  Lanyard 
  Standard 
  $20-30
  Rangeﬁ nder 
  Standard 
  $150-300
  Recoil Compensator
   Type 1 
  Standard 
  $80-150
   Type 2 
  Standard 
  $100-200
   Type 3 
  Standard 
  $150-300
  Sights and Scopes
  Collimating/Reﬂ ex 
  Standard 
  $250-2,000
  Laser Sight
   Standard, Small 
  Standard 
  $300-500
   Infrared, Small 
  Military 
  $400-600
   Standard, Long Arm 
  Standard 
  $450-900
   Infrared, Long Arm 
  Military 
  $500-1,000
  Micrometer Sight 
  Standard 
  $50-300
  Nightsight Scope
   Type I 
  Standard 
  $1,000-2,500
   Type II 
  Standard 
  $2,000-4,000
   Type III 
  Street-Level 
  $4,000-8,000
  Telescopic Sight
   x2 
  Standard 
  $100-200
   x3 
  Standard 
  $150-300
   x4 
  Standard 
  $250-600
   x6 
  Standard 
  $400-800
   x8 
  Standard 
  $500-1,100
   x10 
  Standard 
  $800-1,700
  
  267 
  Dark Champions ■ Chapter Six
  Sights and Scopes (Cont.) 
  Equipment Category 
  Price Range
  Targeting Computer 
  Advanced Military 
  $12,000-20,000
  Th ermal Sight 
  Military 
  $4,000-10,000
  Silencer
  Small, Poor Quality 
  Street-Level 
  $150-300
  Small, Average Quality 
  Street-Level 
  $200-400
  Small, High Quality 
  Street-Level 
  $500-1,000
  Large, Poor Quality 
  Street-Level 
  $500-1,000
  Large, Average Quality 
  Street-Level 
  $600-900
  Large, High Quality 
  Street-Level 
  $750-1,200
  Slide-Stop 
  Street-Level 
  $250-500
  Gear 
  Equipment Category 
  Price Range
  Body Armor†
  Level I 
  Standard 
  $200-300
  Level II-A 
  Standard 
  $250-500
  Level II 
  Standard 
  $300-700
  Level III-A 
  Standard 
  $350-1,100
  Level III plates
   Metal 
  Street-Level 
  $100-150
   Ceramic 
  Street-Level 
  $150-250
   Polyethylene 
  Street-Level 
  $300-400
  Level IV plates
   Metal 
  Street-Level 
  $125-175
   Ceramic 
  Street-Level 
  $200-300
   Polyethylene 
  Street-Level 
  $350-600
  Anti-IR Coating 
  Military 
  $250
  Combat Wear
  Ballistic Face Shield 
  Street-Level 
  $45-80
  Camouﬂ age Clothing 
  Standard 
  $30-120
  Combat Vest 
  Street-Level 
  $350-500
  Gas Mask 
  Standard 
  $75-200
  Helmet 
  Standard 
  $120-300
  Holsters 
  Standard 
  $20-50
  Security Devices
  Motion Detector 
  Standard 
  $25-100
  Pressure Plate 
  Standard 
  $25-100
  Sensory Equipment
  Bomb Detector 
  Standard 
  $100-200
  Bugging equipment
   Bugs, various 
  Street-Level 
  $100-500
   Bug detector 
  Standard 
  $150-300
  Drug Detector 
  Standard 
  $150-300
  Nightsight Goggles
   Generation 1 
  Standard 
  $200-400
   Generation 2 
  Street-Level 
  $400-800
   Generation 3 
  Military 
  $1,200-4,000
  Radios, standard 
  Standard-Military 
  $50-1,000
  Radios, encrypted 
  Military-Advanced Military 
  $200-1,200  
  Satellite Link 
  Advanced Military 
  $100,000 or more
  Surveillance Scopes 
  Street-Level 
  $250-350
  TEMPEST Gear 
  Street-Level 
  $1,000-4,000
  Th ermalvision Devices 
  Street-Level 
  $1,200-4,000
  Wolf’s Ears  
  Street-Level 
  $800-2,000
  Underwater Equipment
  SCUBA Equipment 
  Standard 
  $850-6,000
  SCBA Equipment 
  Standard 
  $1,000-8,000
  *:  Ammunition prices are for a 20-round box, and assume Standard ammunition, shot, or slugs. For exotic rounds, the 
  GM should multiply the price in proportion to the usefulness; additionally, many exotic rounds count as Street-Level or 
  Military equipment.
  †:  Prices listed for soft  body armor are for 11- coverage. For 14- coverage, multiply the price by 30-60%.
  
  268 ■ Equipment
  Hero System 5th Edition
  less. For example, a character could buy four 200-
  point Vehicles, deﬁ ning them as a car, a motorcycle, 
  a boat, and a mini-copter.
  Characters may not apply the 5 point doubling 
  rule to innate powers or abilities.
  RESOURCE POINTS
  In campaigns using the optional Resource 
  Points rules (page 150), characters use their Equip-
  ment Points to “buy” equipment. But that doesn’t 
  free them of the obligation to explain where they 
  got the gear — they can’t simply allot their Equip-
  ment Points to any item they feel like and claim 
  they have it. Before a character can allocate Equip-
  ment Points to have an item in his Kit, that item 
  has to be in his Armory, and that means he has to 
  obtain it in the game somehow (buy, steal, build, 
  or the like). Additionally, for equipment more 
  advanced than Standard, he has to have the appro-
  priate Perk (page 88). (Th ough as stated on page 
  153, a character can always include in his Armory 
  equipment he’s obtained during actual game play, 
  such as by taking it from defeated enemies, regard-
  less of whether he has the necessary Perk.)
  MONEY
  In campaigns that don’t use the Resource Points 
  rules, characters typically get their equipment by 
  buying it (and if Resource Points are used, they can 
  buy equipment for their Armories). Th is is where the 
  Money Perk can have a signiﬁ cant aﬀ ect on play, and 
  possibly even unbalance the campaign if the charac-
  ters have too much money combined with too much 
  access to sources of powerful equipment.
  However, just because characters have money 
  doesn’t mean they can automatically obtain any 
  equipment they want just by paying the market 
  price. As mentioned above, many factors can com-
  plicate the process. Buying equipment is a three-
  stage process. First the characters have to ﬁ nd what 
  they want. Th en they have to negotiate a price. 
  Finally, the transfer of goods must take place. Each 
  of these stages is fraught with potential diﬃ  culties 
  and adventure possibilities.
  Finding Th e Goods
  Th e ﬁ rst step in buying equipment is ﬁ nding 
  what the character wants for sale. In the case of Stan-
  dard equipment, this is usually no problem — all 
  the character has to do is consult the proper catalog/
  sales ﬂ yer/website/salesperson and place his order. 
  If the item isn’t available immediately, he’ll probably 
  receive it within a week, or at most two.
  Street-Level equipment isn’t so readily acces-
  sible. It may be for sale, but usually not to just 
  anyone who asks. In game terms, the character 
  has to either (a) have access to a legal source for 
  the item, and the proper license/permission to 
  purchase that item, or (b) succeed with a Street-
  wise roll at -3 to ﬁ nd someone who’s willing to 
  sell to him on the black market (or perhaps grey 
  market). Th e character may need to falsify licenses 
  or other documentation with Forgery as part of 
  this process, conceal his identity with Disguise, 
  or the like. Locating the right seller and obtaining 
  the goods typically takes a minimum of a day, and 
  may involve a week or more of legwork, phone 
  calls, and shadowy meetings.
  For Military equipment, the process is similar, 
  though the black market is almost certainly the char-
  acter’s only resource. He has to succeed with a Street-
  wise roll at -6 to ﬁ nd someone who’s willing to sell to 
  him, and this takes a minimum of a week, and pos-
  sibly as much as a month. During this time he may 
  have to meet with several prospective sellers and try 
  to convince them of his trustworthiness — an excel-
  lent opportunity for some roleplaying... and if things 
  go wrong, maybe a close-quarters gunﬁ ght!
  Advanced Military equipment is even more 
  diﬃ  cult to obtain, requiring success on a Streetwise 
  roll at -9 and a minimum of two weeks’ time to 
  locate. Due to the blatant illegality of buying and 
  selling such equipment, the persons involved are 
  likely to be very dangerous... and very suspicious 
  of any irregularities or problems. If things don’t go 
  as planned, they’re inclined to shoot ﬁ rst and ask 
  questions later (assuming they didn’t plan to kill 
  the characters and take their money regardless).
  Negotiating A Price
  In many cases, there’s no ﬁ xed price for the 
  sort of equipment Dark Champions characters 
  want. Standard gear has clearly-established prices, 
  and some Street-Level equipment might as well. 
  But most Street-Level and better gear, has a black 
  market price that can ﬂ uctuate wildly based on 
  demand, quality/scarcity of the goods, the relation-
  ship between buyer and seller, the seller’s percep-
  tion of the buyer’s desperation, and other factors. 
  Th e Prices Table on pages 266-67 lists some sug-
  gested price ranges for various types of weapons 
  and gear, but these are only guidelines — the GM 
  should alter or adapt them as he sees ﬁ t.
  Th e prices listed in the Prices Table are legal 
  prices — what a character who’s legally entitled to 
  buy the item would pay in a fair market transac-
  tion. For a grey market transaction, multiply the 
  listed price by x2 to x5. For a black market transac-
  tion, multiply the listed price by x3 to x10.
  If the GM wants to roleplay the negotiation 
  of the price, characters can use their Trading Skills 
  to dicker. (If a character doesn’t have Trading, 
  he can use Persuasion at -2; if he has Persuasion, 
  Seduction, or some other relevant Skill in addi-
  tion to Trading, he can use it as Complementary to 
  Trading.) Aft er a period of appropriate roleplay-
  ing (oﬀ er, counter-oﬀ er, veiled threats, bluﬃ  ng...), 
  both parties make their role in a Skill Versus Skill 
  Contest, modiﬁ ed by the GM to reﬂ ect the quality 
  of the roleplaying and other factors. If the seller 
  wins, the price goes up ﬁ ve percent (5%) per point 
  by which his roll exceeded the buyer’s roll from 
  the base price the GM sets; if the buyer wins, the 
  price goes down ﬁ ve percent (5%) per point. In any 
  event, either party can choose to walk away from 
  the deal at any time; no one has to accept a deal he’s 
  not happy with.
  Transfer Of Goods
  Aft er buyer and seller reach an agreement, 
  they have to physically exchange the money for the 
  goods. Th e speciﬁ cs of this process depend on the 
  
  269 
  Dark Champions ■ Chapter Six
  goods being bought and the currency used. In most 
  cases, the deal is a relatively simple one involving 
  the physical exchange of the purchased good for 
  cash. (Cinematically, characters seem able to ﬁ t a 
  million dollars or more in a briefcase; realistically, a 
  million dollars in United States currency is far too 
  large to ﬁ t in any briefcase.) It’s at this point that a 
  double-cross is most likely to occur — one side or 
  the other may try to get away with goods and cash 
  alike. Th e GM should play the situation for maxi-
  mum tension and excitement, if appropriate.
  Of course, alternate arrangements are pos-
  sible. Characters might conduct the entire transac-
  tion remotely, negotiating with a trusted seller via 
  phone or Internet and paying by electronic transfer. 
  Th e seller may want something other than cash 
  — diamonds, bearer bonds, other weapons, the 
  performance of some service. Th e possibilities for 
  adventure are practically endless.
  Once the characters have the goods, they may 
  have to ﬁ gure out how to transport them. If they’re 
  just buying a few guns, that’s probably no prob-
  lem. If they bought missiles, a tank, or ﬁ ft y pallets 
  of 5.56mm ammunition, hopefully they planned 
  ahead. Given the value of their cargo, they’d best 
  beware hijackers and other such problems.
  Contacts
  Other than Money, the Perk that tends to be 
  the most useful when it comes to buying and sell-
  ing equipment is Contacts. Many a Dark Cham-
  pions character has a Contact who’s a fence, an 
  underworld armorer, or a black market arms dealer. 
  Finding such a Contact and establishing a busi-
  ness relationship with him, or explaining the his-
  tory between the two characters as part of a PC’s 
  background, can add an enjoyable dimension to the 
  campaign.
  A Contact who can provide characters with 
  signiﬁ cant help when it comes to acquiring equip-
  ment almost always counts as having “extremely 
  useful Skills or resources” and “signiﬁ cant Contacts 
  of his own.” It’s not uncommon for him to have 
  “access to major institutions” as well.
  DEFENSIVE 
  EQUIPMENT
  W
  ith all the bullets, knives, clubs, explo-
  sives, and other dangers they’re likely 
  to encounter, characters want gear to 
  defend themselves with almost as much 
  as they want weapons.
  BODY ARMOR
  Modern science oﬀ ers soldiers and law 
  enforcement oﬃ  cers high-tech body armor which 
  is as eﬀ ective as any suit of metal armor worn by 
  the knights of old. Th e Body Armor Table lists 
  some sample armors for characters to use.
  Body armor is typically bought as PD and ED 
  Armor with the following Limitations:  OIF (-½), 
  Activation Roll (roll and value vary), Half Mass 
  (-½), and Real Armor (-¼). Th e diﬀ erent entries 
  for Activation Roll (which represent how much of 
  the body the armor protects; see page 488 of the 
  HERO System 5th Edition, Revised) reﬂ ect varying 
  levels of realism/cinematic action. Generally, a 
  Mass of Normal Mass is a good approximation of 
  “realistic,” if you prefer that.
  Th e Real Armor Limitation signiﬁ es that the 
  armor is oft en uncomfortable, needs maintenance to 
  continue to function properly, and may impede the 
  character. At the GM’s option, if the armor has an 
  Activation Roll higher than 11-, the character suﬀ ers 
  a -1 penalty on appropriate DEX Rolls and Agility 
  Skill rolls for each point above 11- (for example, an 
  Activation Roll 13- means a -2 penalty).
  Characters can make soft  body armor conceal-
  able (under suﬃ  ciently bulky clothes) by convert-
  ing it from an OIF to an IIF (-¼). Hard body armor 
  cannot realistically be made concealable.
  BODY ARMOR TYPES
  Roughly speaking, body armor comes in two 
  types:  soft  and hard. Soft  body armor is made of 
  Kevlar or other substances (see below) that are 
  tightly woven so they spread the impact of the bullet 
  and prevent it from penetrating. Hard body armor is 
  made of plates of ceramic, metal, or other substances, 
  usually contained in pockets in soft  armor.
  BODY ARMOR SUBSTANCES
  Typical soft  body armor is made from Kevlar, 
  a name trademarked by DuPont for products made 
  with aramid ﬁ bers. Kevlar 29, the form most oft en 
  used in body armor, is ﬁ ve times as strong as steel 
  and does not burn (though it carbonizes at tem-
  peratures about 800o Fahrenheit). Although Kevlar 
  body armor is less eﬀ ective against bladed weapons 
  than against bullets, it is still approximately 98% 
  eﬀ ective against such attacks (in game terms, its 
  PD does not take any sort of Limitation). Kevlar 
  deteriorates over time from exposure to ultraviolet 
  light or human sweat. It’s also less eﬀ ective when 
  wet (-1 DEF) unless waterproofed. It can be woven 
  with ﬁ berglass, graphite ﬁ bers, or metal ﬁ bers to 
  increase its strength, or chemically treatened to 
  make it tougher.
  Spectra, an ultradense plastic, is another mate-
  rial currently used to make body armor. It’s about 
  ten times as strong as steel, or approximately twice 
  as strong as Kevlar.
   REALISM AND 
  BODY ARMOR
  Th e HERO System rules 
  aren’t design to precisely 
  model how body armor 
  works “realistically” – as 
  always, the rules err on 
  the side of dramatic 
  action. If you want body 
  armor to function a 
  little more “realistically,” 
  consider all handgun 
  rounds to have the 
  Reduced Penetration 
  Limitation when used 
  against body armor. 
  Th at way heavy riﬂ e 
  rounds still have a good 
  chance to get through 
  the lighter armors, but 
  less powerful handgun 
  rounds do not.
  
  270 ■ Equipment
  Hero System 5th Edition
  As of 2004, several other substances are being 
  developed for potential use in soft  body armor; 
  they’re listed on the Body Armor Table for GMs 
  interested in running “near future” games, or games 
  in which the PCs have technology more advanced 
  than standard. Vectran is an artiﬁ cial ﬁ ber that’s 
  ﬁ ve to ten times as strong as steel, or up to twice as 
  strong as Kevlar. Biosteel is a spider silk ﬁ ber that’s 
  genetically produced using goats; it’s up to 20 times 
  as strong as steel (or as much as four times as strong 
  as Kevlar). A third possibility is carbon nanotube 
  ﬁ bers, which are even stronger than biosteel.
  Hard body armors protect the wearer with 
  plates made of steel, ceramic, or polyethylene. Steel 
  loses its protective ability less quickly aft er multiple 
  hits, and is cheaper. But ceramics and polyethylene 
  provide better protection for only a third to half the 
  weight of steel. Th e plates are typically inserted into 
  pockets in soft  body armor, and thus are deﬁ ned 
  in game terms as adding DEF to the DEF of soft  
  armor. (If a character wears a plate by itself, con-
  sider it to provide DEF equal to 8 + its bonus over 
  Hit Locations 10-11.)
  Body armor can be treated to reduce the wear-
  er’s heat signature, making him harder to see with 
  thermal scopes (i.e., with Infrared Perception).
  BODY ARMOR RATINGS
  Th e Body Armor Table uses a system devel-
  oped by the National Institute of Justice for ranking 
  body armor. Here are the ratings and some of the 
  types of bullets they’re supposed to stop:
  Rating 
  Resists These Rounds
  Level I 
  .22 LR, .32, .38
  Level II-A 
  .45 ACP, low-velocity .357 
  Magnum, low-velocity 
  9mm, 12 gauge buckshot
  Level II 
  High-velocity .357 
  Magnum, low-velocity .44 
  Magnum, 10mm
  Level III-A 
  High-velocity 9mm, high-
  velocity .44 Magnum, .308 
  Win
  Level III 
  12 gauge slugs, 7.62mm, 
  .308 Win, .30 carbine
  Level IV 
  .30-06 AP
  Levels I to III-A are soft  body armor; levels III-
  IV are hard body armor.
  Th ese ratings are used to determine the DEF 
  the armor provides based on the average damage 
  of the major rounds in question — not the 
  maximum damage, since sometimes body armor 
  doesn’t work as well as expected (and sometimes it 
  works better). Body armor’s eﬀ ectiveness depends 
  on many factors.
  Th e accompanying Body Armor Table lists the 
  following for each type of body armor:  the DEF 
  (the PD/ED Armor it provides), A/R Cost (the 
  armor’s cost in Active and Real Points), Mass (the 
  armor’s weight in kilograms, using the rules on 
  page 487 of the HERO System 5th Edition, Revised), 
  and any other pertinent information.
  Characters may wear sectional body armor. 
  For example, a character might have a suit of Level 
  II body armor protecting most of his person (Acti-
  vation Roll 14-), but Level IV ceramic plates around 
  his torso (Hit Locations 10-13, Activation Roll 10-). 
  Standard rules for sectional defenses apply.
  
  271 
  Dark Champions ■ Chapter Six
  BODY ARMOR TABLE
   
   
  Activation
  Type Of Armor 
  DEF 
  Roll 
  A/R Cost 
  Mass 
  Notes
  Soft Body Armor
  Kevlar (normal)
   Level I 
  3 
  14- 
  9/3 
  3.0
   Level I 
  3 
  11- 
  9/3 
  2.2
   Level II-A 
  6 
  14- 
  18/6 
  8.75
   Level II-A 
  6 
  11- 
  18/5 
  6.25
   Level II 
  7 
  14- 
  21/8 
  12.25
   Level II 
  7 
  11- 
  21/6 
  8.75
   Level III-A 
  8 
  14- 
  24/9 
  17.5
   Level III-A 
  8 
  11- 
  24/7 
  12.5
  Kevlar (enhanced), Spectra, Vectran
   Level I 
  4 
  14- 
  12/4 
  4.4
   Level I 
  4 
  11- 
  12/4 
  3.15
   Level II-A 
  7 
  14- 
  21/8 
  12.25
   Level II-A 
  7 
  11- 
  21/6 
  8.75
   Level II 
  8 
  14- 
  24/9 
  17.5
   Level II 
  8 
  11- 
  24/7 
  12.5
   Level III-A 
  9 
  14- 
  27/10 
  24.5
   Level III-A 
  9 
  11- 
  27/8 
  17.5
  Biosteel, carbon nanotubes
   Level I 
  5 
  14- 
  15/5 
  6.15
   Level I 
  5 
  11- 
  15/5 
  4.4
   Level II-A 
  8 
  14- 
  24/9 
  17.5
   Level II-A 
  8 
  11- 
  24/7 
  12.5
   Level II 
  9 
  14- 
  27/10 
  24.5
   Level II 
  9 
  11- 
  27/8 
  17.5
   Level III-A 
  10 
  14- 
  30/11 
  35.0
   Level III-A 
  10 
  11- 
  30/9 
  25.0
  Hard Body Armor
  Ceramic or polyethylene plates
  Level III
   Chest and back 
  +3 
  9- 
  9/2 
  1.3 
  Hit Locations 10-11
   Chest, sides, back 
  +3 
  10- 
  9/3 
  1.75 
  Hit Locations 10-11, including sides
  Level IV
   Chest and back 
  +3 
  9- 
  11/3 
  1.3 
  Hardened (+¼),  Hit Locations 10-11
   Chest, sides, back 
  +3 
  10- 
  11/3 
  1.75 
  Hardened (+¼),  Hit Locations 10-
  11, including sides
  Metal plates
  Level III
   Chest and back 
  +2 
  9- 
  6/2 
  0.95 
  Hit Locations 10-11
   Chest, sides, back 
  +2 
  10- 
  6/2 
  1.25 
  Hit Locations 10-11, including sides
  Level IV
   Chest and back 
  +2 
  9- 
  7/2 
  0.95 
  Hardened (+¼),  Hit Locations 10-11
   Chest, sides, back 
  +2 
  10- 
  7/2 
  1.25 
  Hardened (+¼),  Hit Locations 10-
  11, including sides
  Other Options
  Anti-IR Coating 
  — 
  — 
  14/6 
  — 
  Change Environment (-2 to Infrared 
  Perception PER Rolls), 0 END, Per-
  sistent; No Range, Self Only
  Armored Clothing 
  2 
  14- 
  6/2 
  2.0
  
  272 ■ Equipment
  Hero System 5th Edition
  COMBAT WEAR
  Uniforms and body armor aren’t the only 
  things that characters might wear into combat.
  Headgear
  A variety of protective gear is available to 
  cover a character’s head and/or face.
  GAS MASK
  Effect: 
  Life Support: Self-Contained 
  Breathing plus Sight Group 
  Flash Defense, Only Protects 
  Against Tear Gas-Type Flashes
  Target/Area Affected: Self
  Duration: 
  Constant/Persistent
  Range: 
  Self
  Charges: 
  1 Continuing Fuel Charge/0 
  END
  Breakability: 
  4 DEF
  Description:  A gas mask covers the entire head and 
  either screens out harmful gases or gives the wearer 
  his own self-contained air supply for a short time. 
  Th is protection extends to tear gas.
  Game Information:  Life Support: Self-Contained 
  Breathing (10 Active Points); OIF (-½), 1 Con-
  tinuing Fuel Charge (easy to replenish, 1 Hour; -0) 
  (total cost:  costs 7 points) plus Sight Group Flash 
  Defense (10 points) (10 Active Points); OIF (-½), 
  Only Protects Against Tear Gas-Type Flashes (-1) 
  (total cost:  4 points). Total cost:  11 points.
  HELMETS AND FACE SHIELDS
  Effect: 
  Armor (8 PD/8 ED) on the head
  Target/Area Affected: Self
  Duration: 
  Persistent
  Range: 
  SelfS
  END Cost: 
  0
  Breakability: 
  8 DEF
  Description:  None of the suits of body armor 
  described above protect the head; for that, a char-
  acter needs to wear a helmet. Th e PASGT helmet, 
  the standard headgear of the modern U.S. military, 
  is made of polyethylene or improved aramid ﬁ bers, 
  making it more protective than the older steel 
  helmets but lighter in weight. Some versions are 
  shaped to allow the wearer to easily mount a night-
  vision device or communications equipment.
  Game Information:  Armor (8 PD/ED) (24 Active 
  Points); OIF (-½), Activation Roll (protects Loca-
  tions 3-4; -2), Half Mass (-½), Real Armor (-¼). 
  Total cost:  6 points.
  Options:
  1)  Face Shields:  Some soldiers and police oﬃ  cers 
  also wear ballistic face shields — large plates of trans-
  parent protective material designed to protect the 
  wearer’s face. Th ey oﬀ er relatively little resistance to 
  bullets; their main purpose is to keep thrown rocks 
  and debris from hitting the wearer in front (this 
  also counts as a defense against NND Sight Group 
  Flashes deﬁ ned as thrown mud, powder, or the like). 
  Some model face shields are worn on their own, 
  others attach to a helmet. Character also, or alter-
  nately, buys:  Armor (3 PD/3 ED) (9 Active Points); 
  OIF (-½), Activation Roll (protects Location 4 when 
  attacked from the front; -2), Half Mass (-½), Real 
  Armor (-¼). Total cost:  2 points.
  Holsters
  Most holsters just do what the typical holster 
  is designed to:  carry a gun safely. But some types 
  provide other beneﬁ ts.
  CONCEALMENT HOLSTER
  Effect: 
  +1 to Concealment for a par-
  ticular handgun
  Target/Area Affected: Self
  Duration: 
  Constant
  Range: 
  Self
  END Cost: 
  0
  Breakability: 
  1 DEF
  Description:  A Concealment holster is specially 
  designed to help a character conceal a particular 
  type of handgun.
  Game Information:  +1 to Concealment (2 Active 
  Points); IIF (-¼), Only For Hiding A Particular 
  Handgun (-2). Total cost:  1 point.
  FAST DRAW HOLSTER
  Effect: 
  +1 to Fast Draw
  Target/Area Affected: Self
  Duration: 
  Constant
  Range: 
  Self
  END Cost: 
  0
  Breakability: 
  1 DEF
  Description:  Th is type of holster is specially 
  designed to allow the shooter to draw his gun 
  quickly. (A variant on this is the springsleeve hol-
  ster, which keeps a small gun hidden up a charac-
  ter’s sleeve and uses a spring to thrust it into his 
  hand when he ﬂ exes his arm properly.)
  Game Information:  +1 to Fast Draw (Small Arms) 
  (2 Active Points); OIF (-½). Total cost:  1 point.
  
  273 
  Dark Champions ■ Chapter Six
  Tactical Vests And Clothing
  CAMOUFLAGE CLOTHING
  Effect: 
  +1 to Stealth in appropriate 
  settings
  Target/Area Affected: Self
  Duration: 
  Constant
  Range: 
  Self
  END Cost: 
  0
  Breakability: 
  1 DEF
  Description:  Th e military has camouﬂ age uniforms 
  for all sorts of environments (for example, arctic, 
  desert, forest/jungle, mountains, and urban), and 
  Dark Champions characters can certainly use this 
  sort of clothing. Th e GM determines when camo 
  clothing oﬀ ers a bonus to its wearer.
  Game Information:  +1 to Stealth (2 Active Points); 
  OIF (-½), Only Works In Appropriate Settings
  (-1). Total cost:   1 point.
  COMBAT VEST
  Effect: 
  Armor (4 PD/4 ED) plus various 
  weapons
  Target/Area Affected: Self/Varies
  Duration: 
  Persistent/varies
  Range: 
  Self/varies
  END Cost: 
  0/varies
  Breakability: 
  4 DEF
  Description:  Th is vest not only provides the wearer 
  with protection in the torso region, it allows him to 
  carry several weapons and gadgets easily. Charac-
  ters can design their own vests with individualized 
  selections of equipment.
  Game Information:
  Cost Power
  4 
  Armored Vest:  Armor (4 PD/4 ED); OIF
  (-½), Activation Roll 11- (-1), Half Mass
  (-½), Real Armor (-¼)
  17 
  Combat Vest Weapons:  Multipower:  25-
  point reserve; all OIF (multiple OAFs, -½)
  1u 
   1) .41 Handgun:  RKA 1½d6; OAF (-1), 
  Beam (-¼), Real Weapon (-¼), STR Mini-
  mum (10, STR Minimum Doesn’t Add/Sub-
  tract Damage; -1), 2 clips of 12 Charges each 
  (-0)
  1u 
   2)  Combat Knife:  HKA 1d6 (up to 2d6 with 
  STR); OAF (-1), Real Weapon (-¼)
  1u 
   3)  Smoke Grenades:  Change Environ-
  ment 4” radius, -3 to Sight Group PER Rolls; 
  OAF (-1), Range Based On STR (-¼), Real 
  Weapon (-¼), 4 Continuing Charges lasting 
  1 Turn each (-½)
  1u 
   4)  Flashlight:  Sight Group Images 1” radius, 
  +3 to PER Rolls; OAF (-1), Only To Create 
  Light (-1), 1 Continuing Fuel Charge lasting 
  1 Hour (-0)
  Total cost:  25 points.
  POLICEMAN’S BELT
  Effect: 
  Various weapons and useful 
  tools
  Target/Area Affected: Varies
  Duration: 
  Varies
  Range: 
  Varies
  END Cost: 
  Varies
  Breakability: 
  1 DEF
  Description:  Th is is a slight variation on the tradi-
  tional “Sam Browne” belt worn by police oﬃ  cers. 
  Characters can also design their own belts with 
  individualized selections of equipment.
  Game Information:
  Cost Powers
  53 
  Policeman’s Belt:  Multipower, 80-point 
  reserve; all OIF (-½)
  1u 
   1)   .41 Handgun:  RKA 1½d6; OAF
  (-1), Beam (-¼), Real Weapon (-¼), STR 
  Minimum (10, STR Minimum Doesn’t Add/
  Subtract Damage; -1), 2 clips of 12 Charges 
  each (-0)
  1u 
   2)  Handcuﬀ s:  Entangle 3d6 (standard eﬀ ect: 
  3 BODY), 6 DEF, Takes No Damage From 
  Attacks (+½) (67 Active Points); OAF (-1), 
  Cannot Form Barriers (-¼), Set Eﬀ ect (hands 
  only; -1), Does Not Prevent Use Of Acces-
  sible Foci (-1), No Range (-½), Must Follow 
  Grab Or Target Must Be Willing (-½), 1 
  Recoverable Charge (-1¼), Can Be Escaped 
  Automatically With Modiﬁ ed Lockpicking 
  Or Contortionist Roll (-½)
  1u 
   3)  Tonfa:  HA +3d6, Reduced Endurance (0 
  END; +½); OAF (-1), Hand-To-Hand Attack 
  (-½), Real Weapon (-¼)
  3u 
   4)  Pepper Foam Spray:  Sight Group Flash 
  5d6, NND (defense is solid eye covering; +1); 
  OAF (-1), No Range (-½), Real Weapon (-¼), 
  12 Charges (-¼) plus Energy Blast 3d6, NND 
  (defense is solid eye covering; +1); OAF 
  (-1), No Range (-½), Real Weapon (-¼), 12 
  Charges (-¼)
  1u 
   5)  Flashlight:  Sight Group Images 1” radius, 
  +3 to PER Rolls; OAF (-1), Only To Create 
  Light (-1), 1 Continuing Fuel Charge lasting 
  1 Hour (-0)
  1u 
   6)  Walkie-Talkie:  Radio Listen and Trans-
  mit (Radio Group); OAF (-1), Aﬀ ected As 
  Hearing Group As Well As Radio Group (-¼)
  Total cost:  61 points
  
  274 ■ Equipment
  Hero System 5th Edition
  S
  ometimes he who perceives the enemy 
  ﬁ rst lives longest. Th ese devices help char-
  acters perform reconnaissance, communi-
  cate with each other, detect enemies and 
  other threats, and in general perceive the world 
  around themselves.
  COMMUNICATIONS GEAR
  A group of Dark Champions characters — 
  such as a team of PC heroes — needs a way to stay 
  in touch with each other. Proper battleﬁ eld com-
  munications oft en contributes more to winning 
  battles and ensuring the success of a mission than 
  heavy ﬁ repower or the best body armor.
  RADIOS
  Effect: 
  Radio Perception/Transmission
  Target/Area Affected: Self
  Duration: 
  Persistent 
  Range: 
   Self
  END Cost: 
  0
  Breakability: 
  2 DEF
  Description:  Th e typical communications gear for 
  the modern era is the radio, which characters can 
  buy in several diﬀ erent forms, as described below.
  Game Information:
  Radio Handset:  Radio Perception/Transmission 
  (Radio Group) (10 Active Points); OAF (-1), 
  Aﬀ ected As Hearing Group As Well As Radio 
  Group (-¼), 1 Continuing Fuel Charge (battery, 
  Easy to obtain; 6 Hours; -0). Total cost:  4 points.
  Radio Headset:  Radio Perception/Transmission 
  (Radio Group) (10 Active Points); OIF (-½), 
  Aﬀ ected As Hearing Group As Well As Radio 
  Group (-¼), 1 Continuing Fuel Charge (battery, 
  Easy to obtain; 6 Hours; -0). Total cost:  6 points.
  Concealed Radio Headset:  Radio Perception/
  Transmission (Radio Group) (10 Active Points); 
  IIF (-¼), Aﬀ ected As Hearing Group As Well As 
  Radio Group (-¼), 1 Continuing Fuel Charge 
  (battery, Easy to obtain; 6 Hours; -0). Total cost:  
  7 points.
  Options:
  1)  Advanced Radios:  In campaigns focusing on 
  advanced technology, the GM might allow charac-
  ters to substitute High-Range Radio Perception for 
  Radio Perception/Transmission:
  HRRP Handset:  HRRP (Radio Group) (12 Active 
  Points); OAF (-1), Aﬀ ected As Hearing Group 
  As Well As Radio Group (-¼), 1 Continuing 
  Fuel Charge (battery, Easy to obtain; 6 Hours; 
  -0). Total cost:  5 points.
  HRRP Headset:  HRRP (Radio Group) (12 Active 
  Points); OIF (-½), Aﬀ ected As Hearing Group As 
  Well As Radio Group (-¼), 1 Continuing Fuel 
  Charge (battery, Easy to obtain; 6 Hours; -0). 
  Total cost:  7 points.
  Concealed HRRP Headset:  HRRP (Radio 
  Group) (12 Active Points); IIF (-¼), Aﬀ ected As 
  Hearing Group As Well As Radio Group (-¼), 1 
  Continuing Fuel Charge (battery, Easy to obtain; 
  6 Hours; -0). Total cost:  8 points.
  2)  Cell Phones:  Alternately, in a game that takes 
  place in an urban area, characters may rely on cel-
  lular phones instead of radios. Many modern cell 
  phones allow characters to send images as well as 
  sound.
  Cellular Phone:  HRRP (Radio Group) (12 Active 
  Points); OAF (-1), Aﬀ ected As Sight And Hear-
  ing Group As Well As Radio Group (-½), Cel-
  lular Phone-Band Communications Only (-1), 1 
  Continuing Fuel Charge (battery, Easy to obtain; 
  6 Hours; -0). Total cost:  3 points.
  ENCRYPTED COMMUNICATIONS
  Sometimes the ability to communicate doesn’t 
  do characters much good if they can’t conceal what 
  they’re saying. In the HERO System, there are sev-
  eral ways to represent encrypting and decrypting 
  transmissions:
  Concealed
  Th e ﬁ rst is to apply the Concealed Sense Modi-
  ﬁ er to the Sense doing the transmitting. In this case 
  the special eﬀ ect of the Sense Modiﬁ er could be 
  one of two things:  either “the transmission cannot 
  be detected” (which is what Concealed is normally 
  used for); or “even if detected, the transmission 
  cannot be understood.” Th e end result is the same 
  — the enemy doesn’t have a transmission he can 
  comprehend (though in the latter case, intercepting 
  the transmission may be enough for the enemy to 
  determine the point of transmission). Decrypting 
  this sort of encryption requires decoding equip-
  ment built with an Enhanced Sense that can “per-
  ceive” through the encryption. If a character buys a 
  set of radios (or the like) which all have Concealed, 
  it’s safe to assume each of them can understand 
  (decrypt) the transmissions of the others — the 
  SENSORY 
  EQUIPMENT
  
  275 
  Dark Champions ■ Chapter Six
  encryption/decryption process is programmed or 
  hardwired into the devices.
  Encrypted Radio Handsets:  Radio Perception/
  Transmission (Radio Group), Concealed (-5 
  to Radio Group PER Rolls), Usable Simultane-
  ously (up to eight persons at once; +1) (30 Active 
  Points); OAF (-1), Aﬀ ected As Hearing Group 
  As Well As Radio Group (-¼), 1 Continuing 
  Fuel Charge (battery, Easy to obtain; 6 Hours; 
  -0). Total cost:  13 points.
  Improved Encrypted Radio Handsets:  Radio 
  Perception/Transmission (Radio Group), Con-
  cealed (-10 to Radio Group PER Rolls), Usable 
  Simultaneously (up to eight persons at once; 
  +1) (40 Active Points); OAF (-1), Aﬀ ected As 
  Hearing Group As Well As Radio Group (-¼), 
  1 Continuing Fuel Charge (battery, Easy to 
  obtain; 6 Hours; -0). Total cost:  18 points.
  Alternately, instead of relying on the fallible 
  (but more “realistic”) Concealed, characters can 
  buy Invisible Power Eﬀ ects (invisible to tracing) 
  for their radios. Th at way, no matter how good a 
  Systems Operation roll an enemy makes, he won’t 
  be able to perceive the transmission (he may not 
  receive it at all, or at best it sounds like meaningless 
  static from which he can determine nothing).
  Ultimate Encrypted Radio Handsets:  Radio 
  Perception/Transmission (Radio Group), Invis-
  ible To Tracing (+¼), Usable Simultaneously (up 
  to eight persons at once; +1) (22 Active Points); 
  OAF (-1), Aﬀ ected As Hearing Group As Well 
  As Radio Group (-¼), 1 Continuing Fuel Charge 
  (battery, Easy to obtain; 6 Hours; -0). Total cost:  
  10 points.
  Language Variable Power Pool
  Another way to scramble transmissions is a 
  Variable Power Pool for Languages. Only a person 
  with another radio device, programmed with the 
  same “language,” can understand what’s being sent. 
  Th is method requires the GM’s permission, since 
  characters can’t buy Skills in Power Frameworks 
  without the GM’s approval — but since this is an 
  intriguing, fun, and not especially abusive con-
  struct, most GMs allow it.
  To encrypt a transmission, the characters 
  simply agree on which Language their radios will 
  use. Th ey don’t necessarily have to be real languages; 
  the characters can simply call them Language A, 
  Language B, and so on. Identifying the language 
  precisely doesn’t matter; the Languages are just a 
  way to represent the special eﬀ ect of “encrypted 
  communications” in HERO System terms.
  Th e Language VPP method is cheap and easy, 
  but it has some drawbacks. A successful Cryptog-
  raphy roll can decrypt a scrambler “language,” but 
  the users can counter the cryptographer by chang-
  ing the computer-generated “language” at frequent 
  intervals. Th is 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 could let characters use Cryptography 
  or Systems Operation instead of making them buy 
  a separate Skill.
  Radio Handset with Scrambled Transmission 
  Option:  Radio Perception/Transmission (Radio 
  Group) (10 Active Points); OAF (-1), Aﬀ ected As 
  Hearing Group As Well As Radio Group (-¼), 1 
  Continuing Fuel Charge (battery, Easy to obtain; 
  6 Hours; -0) (total cost:  4 points) plus Variable 
  Power Pool (Scrambler Pool), 4 base + 2 control 
  cost; OAF (-1), Only For One Language At A 
  Time (-1), 1 Continuing Fuel Charge (battery, 
  Easy to obtain; 6 Hours; -0) (total cost:  5 points). 
  Total cost:  9 points.
  Th is sort of scrambling is also vulnerable to 
  certain types of decryption equipment. In game 
  terms, you can represent that equipment with Uni-
  versal Translator that Requires A Systems Opera-
  tion Roll.
  Mind Link
  Another way to create a closed, untappable 
  communications system is Mind Link. Th e char-
  acter deﬁ nes the number of radios he has, and that 
  tells him how many people he can communicate 
  with at once. (Alternately, he can buy Mind Link 
  to Link with one other person who has bought the 
  same power.) For true privacy/encryption, leave the 
  Mind Link as a Mental Power, meaning that only 
  other characters with appropriate Mental Powers, 
  or decryption devices built with those Mental 
  Powers, can penetrate the communications net. 
  More realistically, characters should apply the Limi-
  tation Aﬀ ected As Radio And Hearing Groups, Not 
  Mental Group (-½) — that way things like Darkness 
  to the Radio Group can block their transmissions.
  Closed Radio Link (Type 1):  Mind Link, speciﬁ c 
  group of up to any 8 minds, No LOS Needed (35 
  Active Points); OAF (-1), Aﬀ ected As Radio And 
  Hearing Groups, Not Mental Group (-½), Does 
  Not Provide Mental Awareness (-¼), 1 Con-
  tinuing Fuel Charge (battery, Easy to obtain; 6 
  Hours; -0). Total cost:  13 points.
  Closed Radio Link (Type 2):  Mind Link, any one 
  mind, No LOS Needed (25 Active Points); OAF 
  (-1), Only Can Be Maintained With Others 
  Who Have Mind Link (-1), Aﬀ ected As Radio 
  And Hearing Groups, Not Mental Group (-½), 
  Does Not Provide Mental Awareness (-¼), 1 
  Continuing Fuel Charge (battery, Easy to obtain; 
  6 Hours; -0). Total cost:  7 points.
  Cryptography
  Th e fourth method is to give the radio equip-
  ment its own Cryptography Skill to represent its 
  ability to encrypt its transmissions (and to decrypt 
  those it receives, though as long as two users agree 
  on the form of encryption the decryption is auto-
  matic). Decrypting this sort of encryption requires 
  decoding equipment built with its own Cryptog-
  raphy Skill to crack the code in a Skill Versus Skill 
  Contest; Systems Operation may serve as a Com-
  plementary Skill.
  BATTLE CODES
  Another way for char-
  acters to keep their 
  communications secret 
  is to develop their own 
  unique language — a 
  “battle code,” if you will. 
  When used with an 
  encryption system, a 
  unique language (or a 
  very rare real-world one, 
  such as Navajo) provides 
  a double layer of secu-
  rity. However, it may be 
  vulnerable to characters 
  or equipment with the 
  Universal Translator 
  Talent.
  
  276 ■ Equipment
  Hero System 5th Edition
  Radio Handset with Encryption System:  Radio 
  Perception/Transmission (Radio Group) (10 
  Active Points); OAF (-1), Aﬀ ected As Hearing 
  Group As Well As Radio Group (-¼), 1 Continu-
  ing Fuel Charge (battery, Easy to obtain; 6 Hours; 
  -0) (total cost:  4 points) plus Cryptography 20- 
  (25 Active Points); OAF (-1), Only To Encrypt/
  Decrypt Its Own Transmissions (-1), 1 Continu-
  ing Fuel Charge (battery, Easy to obtain; 6 Hours; 
  -0) (total cost:  8 points). Total cost:  12 points.
  Systems Operation
  Similarly, a radio could be built with its own 
  Systems Operation Skill. Th e character trying to 
  send an encrypted transmission makes a Systems 
  Operation roll to reﬂ ect his ability to hide/encrypt 
  the transmission; a character trying to intercept 
  the transmission makes a competing roll to locate/
  decrypt it. In either case, Computer Programming, 
  Cryptography, and/or Electronics may act as Com-
  plementary Skills.
  Radio Handset with Encryption System:  Radio 
  Perception/Transmission (Radio Group) (10 
  Active Points); OAF (-1), 1 Continuing Fuel 
  Charge (battery, Easy to obtain; 6 Hours; -0) 
  (total cost:  4 points) plus Systems Operation 20- 
  (25 Active Points); OAF (-1), Only To Encrypt/
  Decrypt Its Own Transmissions (-1), 1 Continu-
  ing Fuel Charge (battery, Easy to obtain; 6 Hours; 
  -0) (total cost:  8 points). Total cost:  12 points.
  SIGHT ENHANCEMENT 
  GEAR
  Mankind has long sought for ways to improve 
  peoples’ ability to see. Here are some modern 
  devices that do just that.
  BINOCULARS
  Effect: 
  +6 versus the Range Modiﬁ er 
  for Sight Group
  Target/Area Affected: Self
  Duration: 
  Constant
  Range: 
  Self
  END Cost: 
  0
  Breakability: 
  2 DEF
  Description:  Binoculars increase a character’s abil-
  ity to see over a distance by magnifying the subject 
  viewed. Th ey range from small versions (including 
  monoculars) that provide only slight ampliﬁ cation, 
  to larger military and hunting models that also 
  have electronic readouts on distance, direction, and 
  the like.
  Game Information:  +6 versus the Range Modi-
  ﬁ er for Sight Group (9 Active Points); OAF (-1). 
  Total cost:  4 points.
  Options:
  1)  Large Binoculars:  Increase to +10 versus the 
  Range Modiﬁ er for Sight Group (15 Active Points); 
  OAF (-1) (total cost:  7 points) plus Absolute Range 
  Sense (3 Active Points); OAF (-1) (total cost:  1 
  point) plus Bump Of Direction (3 Active Points); 
  OAF (-1) (total cost:  1 point). Total cost:  9 points.
  NIGHTSIGHT DEVICES
  Effect: 
  +2 to +4 to Sight Group PER 
  Rolls, Only To Counteract Dark-
  ness Penalties
  Target/Area Affected: Self
  Duration: 
  Constant
  Range: 
  Self
  Charges: 
  1 Continuing Fuel Charge
  Breakability: 
  2 DEF
  Description:  Nightsight devices, sometimes known as 
  night vision devices (NVDs), allow a character to see 
  at night by amplifying ambient light (such as star-
  light). Th e user, who suﬀ ers from a slightly decreased 
  ﬁ eld of vision, sees the world in a monochrome 
  green, but he can see much more clearly in darkened 
  conditions than someone without such enhance-
  ment. A nightsight device also allows the user to 
  see infrared light (not heat patterns; that requires a 
  thermal vision device [see below]), and may have a 
  short-range infrared “ﬂ ashlight” attached to improve 
  visibility, allow him to read maps, and so forth. 
  However, an NVD won’t  function in total darkness 
  (it needs light to amplify). Nightsight devices emit 
  ultrasonic sound (which animals, and characters 
  with proper equipment, can hear).
  Nightsight devices come in three “generations,” 
  and the higher the generation, the more sophis-
  ticated (and expensive) the device. In campaigns 
  featuring more advanced (perhaps ﬁ ctionally 
  advanced) technology, it may be possible to shrink 
  these oft en bulky devices down to much smaller 
  sizes — perhaps even to lenses that would ﬁ t in the 
  eyeholes of a mask.
  Game Information:
  Nightsight Goggles (Generation 1):  +2 to Sight 
  Group PER Rolls (4 Active Points); OAF (-1), 
  Only To Counteract Darkness Penalties (-½), 
  Requires Ambient Light (it won’t work in total 
  darkness; -¼), Side Eﬀ ect (character suﬀ ers a 2 x 
  Eﬀ ect Vulnerability to Sight Group Flashes based 
  on bright light while looking through the scope, 
  and may experience a minor Sight Group Flash 
  from looking at a bright light, always occurs; -
  ½), 1 Continuing Fuel Charge (battery, Easy to 
  obtain; 3 Hours; -0) (total cost:  1 point) plus 
  Detect Infrared Light (Sight Group) (3 Active 
  Points); OAF (-1), Linked (-½), 1 Continuing 
  Fuel Charge (battery, Easy to obtain; 3 Hours; 
  -0) (total cost:  1 point). Total cost:  2 points.
  Nightsight Goggles (Generation 2):  As above, but 
  +3 to Sight Group PER Rolls (6 Active Points 
  for the ﬁ rst power). 9 Active Points; total cost 3 
  points.
  Nightsight Goggles (Generation 3):  As above, but 
  +4 to Sight Group PER Rolls (8 Active Points 
  for the ﬁ rst power). 11 Active Points; total cost 
  3 points.
  THE RANGE OF 
  TRANSMIT
  Usually it’s not neces-
  sary to establish an 
  exact range over which 
  a Sense with the Trans-
  mit Sense Modiﬁ er can 
  “broadcast” — the GM 
  can simply establish 
  ranges for Transmit on 
  a case-by-case basis, 
  depending on special 
  eﬀ ects, the technology 
  used in the campaign, 
  common sense, and 
  dramatic sense. In situa-
  tions where knowing the 
  exact range is important, 
  GMs can use one of two 
  methods.
  For strict precision, give 
  any Sense with Transmit 
  a broadcast range of 1 
  kilometer per Active 
  Point. To increase this 
  range, apply the MegaS-
  cale Advantage, with the 
  +¼ level increasing it to 
  10 km per Active Point, 
  and so on up the Mega-
  Scale Table from there. 
  Characters may need 
  to apply MegaScale as a 
  naked Advantage, or put 
  Senses in a Multipower 
  (one slot MegaScaled, 
  one not), to create both 
  short-range and long-
  range communications 
  systems.
  For more “dramatic” 
  results, assume a trans-
  mission can reach any-
  where within an area 
  deﬁ ned by the GM (one 
  city, one nation, one 
  planet, one solar system, 
  or the like). For each +5 
  Character Points, the 
  character can increase 
  the range of transmis-
  sion by one step down 
  the MegaScale Table.
  
  277 
  Dark Champions ■ Chapter Six
  Infrared “Flashlight”:  Sight Group Images, +3 to 
  PER Rolls (19 Active Points); OAF (-1), Limited 
  Range (2”; -¼), Only To Create Infrared Light
  (-1½), 1 Continuing Fuel Charge (easily refu-
  eled, 1 Hour; -0). Total cost:  5 points.
  SURVEILLANCE SCOPE
  Effect: 
  Clairsentience (Sight Group)
  Target/Area Affected: Self
  Duration: 
  Constant
  Range: 
  No Range
  Charges: 
  1 Continuing Fuel Charge
  Breakability: 
  4 DEF
  Description:  A surveillance scope is a viewing 
  device consisting of a ﬂ exible ﬁ ber optic cable with 
  a miniaturized camera on one end. Th e other end 
  connects to a viewing system (a device similar in 
  size and shape to a laptop computer or portable 
  television set; some scopes have much smaller 
  viewing systems for easy portability). Th e user 
  can insert the cable under doors, through holes in 
  walls, around corners, or the like to see into other 
  areas without exposing himself to attack (or, in 
  some cases, letting the persons being viewed know 
  they’re under surveillance). A similar device, the 
  borescope, can be drilled through a wall or door to 
  look beyond it (characters can also use borescopes 
  to look inside locked briefcases and other closed 
  objects without having to open them). Th e user 
  can make a Stealth roll to keep the people under 
  surveillance from detecting the scope’s presence, if 
  appropriate.
  Game Information:  Clairsentience (Sight Group) 
  (20 Active Points); OAF (-1), Limited Perspec-
  tive (character has a limited range of vision 
  when using scope; -¼), No Range (-½), 1 Con-
  tinuing Fuel Charge (battery, Easy to obtain; 1 
  Hour; -0). Total cost:  7 points.
  Options:
  1)  Nightsight Surveillance Scope:  Add Generation 
  1 nightsight device. 24 Active Points; total cost 9 
  points.
  THERMALVISION DEVICE
  Effect: 
  Infrared Perception (Sight 
  Group) 
  Target/Area Affected: Self
  Duration: 
  Constant
  Range: 
  Self
  Charges: 
  1 Continuing Fuel Charge
  Breakability: 
  1 DEF
  Description:  Th ermalvision devices allow a character 
  to see heat patterns and traces, making it possible to 
  see people (and many objects) in the dark based on 
  their body heat. Th ey have many mundane applica-
  tions, such as detecting overheating components in 
  electronic or mechanical equipment.
  Game Information:  Infrared Perception (Sight 
  Group) (5 Active Points); OAF (-1), 1 Con-
  tinuing Fuel Charge (battery, Easy to obtain; 2 
  Hours; -0). Total cost:  2 points.
  
  278 ■ Equipment
  Hero System 5th Edition
  BUGS AND BUG 
  DETECTORS
  Bugs are electronic tracking and/or listening 
  devices. Th ere are two basic kinds:  those that emit 
  a simple radio signal which can be traced (such as 
  a character might put in an enemy’s car so he could 
  ﬁ nd the car anywhere in the city); and those that are 
  actually miniature microphones and/or cameras, 
  allowing a listener to hear or view what occurs in the 
  vicinity of the bug. Either type of bug needs to be 
  properly placed so that it’s hidden but works as well 
  as possible. Th is oft en involves sneaking into some-
  one’s oﬃ  ce or home to plant the bug, and requires 
  the Bugging and Concealment Skills for best results. 
  Of course, where there are bugs, there are devices 
  to detect and neutralize them as well, even if they’re 
  hidden inside walls or phone systems.
  STANDARD VISUAL BUG
  Effect: 
  Clairsentience (Sight Group)
  Target/Area Affected: Special
  Duration: 
  Constant
  Range: 
  800”
  Charges: 
  1 Continuing Fuel Charge
  Breakability: 
  7 DEF
  Description:  Th is is the typical sort of device used 
  for visual electronic surveillance of a ﬁ xed location. 
  It broadcasts what it “sees” over a range of one mile. 
  Unless there’s a direct wire connection between 
  the bug and the reception equipment (which is 
  unlikely), anything that interferes with radio trans-
  missions can disrupt the bug’s transmission tem-
  porarily or permanently. Because it’s an Obvious 
  Focus, a character has to use his Concealment Skill 
  (with Bugging as a Complementary Skill) to hide it.
  Th is bug has an internal battery able to power 
  it for up to one week. Th e longer the bug’s range, 
  the larger its batteries have to be... but the easier it 
  is to detect. Some visual bugs are extremely small 
  (for example, pinhole lenses about 1/8 inch across), 
  but most are at least a little larger than that.
  Game Information:  Clairsentience (Sight Group), 
  8x Range (800”, or 1 mile) (61 Active Points); 
  OAF (-1), No Range (character must place bug at 
  perception point before he can use the power; -½), 
  Aﬀ ected As Radio Group As Well As Sight Group 
  (-¼), 1 Continuing Fuel Charge (battery, Easy to 
  obtain; 1 Week; -¾). Total cost:  22 points.
  Options:
  1)  High-Powered Bug:  Increase to 16x Range 
  (1,600”). 70 Active Points; total cost 25 points.
  2)  Low-Powered Bug:  Decrease to 2x Range (200”). 
  44 Active Points; total cost 16 points.
  3)  Standard Audio Bug:  Th is is the same sort of bug, 
  but it picks up and transmits sound rather than 
  visual images. Some of them are as small as pencil 
  erasers. Change to Clairsentience (Hearing Group). 
  61 Active Points; total cost 22 points.
  4)  Standard Visual And Audio Bug:  Th is bug picks 
  up and transmits both visual images and sound. 
  Change to Clairsentience (Sight and Hearing 
  Groups). 79 Active Points; total cost 29 points.
  5)  Landline Connection:  Th is bug has a direct, wired 
  connection between itself and the unit that receives 
  the image it transmits, making it much more dif-
  ﬁ cult to disrupt the transmission. Remove Aﬀ ected 
  As Radio Group As Well As Sight Group (-¼). Total 
  cost:  24 points.
  6)  Disguised Bug:  Th is form of the Standard Bug 
  is built into, or made to look like, an everyday 
  object — a radio, a clock, a smoke detector, or just 
  about anything else you can think of. Someone 
  who examines the bug closely or takes it apart will 
  soon realize what it is (or at least that it’s not what it 
  looks like). Change OAF (-1) to IAF (-½):
  Standard Visual:  Total cost 27 points
  Standard Audio:  Total cost 27 points
  Standard Visual And Audio:  Total cost 35 points.
  7)  Hard-To-Find Bug:  Th is bug’s transmissions are 
  particularly diﬃ  cult to ﬁ nd with bug detectors for 
  some reason. Usually bugs like these are a little 
  larger than normal, and thus harder to hide and 
  easier to ﬁ nd than a normal bug. Add Concealed 
  (-6 to PER Rolls with Detect Bugs).
  Standard Visual:  72 Active Points; total cost 26 
  points.
  Standard Audio:  72 Active Points; total cost 26 
  points.
  Standard Visual And Audio:  89 Active Points; 
  total cost 32 points.
  Disguised Standard Visual:  72 Active Points; 
  total cost 32 points.
  Disguised Standard Audio:  72 Active Points; 
  total cost 32 points.
  Disguised Standard Visual And Audio:  89 Active 
  Points; total cost 39 points.
  8)  Undercover Agent Audio Bug:  Th is “bug” is a lis-
  tening device worn by an undercover police oﬃ  cer 
  (or the like). Concealed under the clothes, it trans-
  mits voices and noises in the wearer’s vicinity to a 
  nearby receiver. To the Standard Audio Bug, add 
  Mobile Perception Point. 70 Active Points; total cost 
  25 points (for an OAF version) or 31 points (for 
  an IAF version disguised as a a pen, a calculator, a 
  watch, or the like).
  TRACKING BUG
  Effect: 
  Images to Radio Group, +4 to 
  PER Rolls
  Target/Area Affected: 32” Radius
  Duration: 
  Constant
  Range: 
  RBS
  Charges: 
  1 Continuing Recoverable 
  Charge lasting 1 Week
  Breakability: 
  1 DEF
  Description:  Th is is a device which characters can 
  attach to cars and other moving objects to follow 
  them. It emits a distinctive radio signal which 
  
  279 
  Dark Champions ■ Chapter Six
  identiﬁ es the bug’s location. Tracking the beacon 
  requires any specialized radio-perceiving device 
  (one such device is assumed to come with the 
  Tracking Bug when the character buys it, but he 
  could also use other radio equipment if necessary).
  Th e Tracking Bug 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 the 32” radius 
  may still be able to track the Tracer, if the GM so 
  permits:  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 Extraordi-
  nary Skill Roll to locate it.
  Game Information:  Images to Radio Group, +4 
  to PER Rolls, Increased Size (32” radius; +1¼), 
  Usable As Attack (allows character to “stick” the 
  Image to a target; +1), Range Based On STR 
  (+¼),1 Continuing Recoverable Charge lasting 
  1 Week (stops functioning if it gets wet or expe-
  riences severe radio interference; +1) (76 Active 
  Points); IAF Fragile (-¾), Set Eﬀ ect (detectable 
  signal; -1), Image Only Perceivable On Special 
  Radio Frequencies (-0). Total cost:  28 points.
  Options:
  1)  Strong Bug:  Increase to +6 to PER Rolls. 103 
  Active Points; total cost 37 points.
  2)  Weak Bug:  Decrease to +2 to PER Rolls. 49 
  Active Points; total cost 18 points.
  3)  Broad-Signal Bug:  Increase to Increased Size (125” 
  radius; +1¾). 85 Active Points; total cost 31 points.
  WIRETAP
  Effect: 
  Clairsentience (Hearing Group), 
  Only For Deﬁ ned Phones
  Target/Area Affected: Deﬁ ned phone(s)
  Duration: 
  Constant
  Range: 
  800” (see text)
  Charges: 
  1 Continuing Fuel Charge
  Breakability: 
  7 DEF
  Description:  Th is bug is installed in a telephone (or, 
  in some cases, on a telephone trunk line leading to 
  an entire oﬃ  ce, entire building, or the like). It picks 
  up and transmits all conversation that takes place 
  over that phone, but doesn’t hear other sounds.
  Game Information:  Clairsentience (Hearing 
  Group), 8x Range (800”, or 1 mile), 1 Continu-
  ing Fuel Charge (battery, Easy to obtain; 1 Week; 
  +¾) (61 Active Points); OAF (-1), No Range 
  (character must place bug at perception point 
  before he can use the power; -½), Can Only Hear 
  Sound From Speciﬁ c Telephone(s) (-1), Aﬀ ected 
  As Radio Group As Well As Sight Group (-¼). 
  Total cost:  16 points.
  Options:
  1)  Strong Wiretap:  Increase to 16x Range (1,600”). 
  70 Active Points; total cost 19 points.
  2)  Weak Wiretap:  Decrease to 2x Range (200”). 44 
  Active Points; total cost 12 points.
  3)  Fax Tap:  Similar devices exist to monitor and 
  capture information coming through fax machine 
  phone lines. Change to Clairsentience (Radio 
  Group). Total cost:  16 points.
  
  280 ■ Equipment
  Hero System 5th Edition
  BUG DETECTOR
  Effect: 
  Detect Bugs 16-
  Target/Area Affected: Self
  Duration: 
  Constant
  Range: 
  10”
  Charges: 
  1 Continuing Charge
  Breakability: 
  4 DEF
  Description:  Th is devices detects bugs by perceiving 
  the radio waves they generate. Th is means it only 
  detects “active” bugs — bugs which are transmit-
  ting while the Detector is in use. It cannot detect 
  bugs which are turned oﬀ  or inactive (and some 
  types of bugs are harder to detect than others), nor 
  bugs using infrared light or other media than radio 
  waves. Its batteries provide enough power for a 
  total of one hour of operation.
  Game Information:  Detect Active Bugs 16- 
  (Radio Group), Increased Arc Of Perception 
  (360 Degrees) (17 Active Points); OAF (-1), 
  Aﬀ ected As Sight Group As Well As Radio Group 
  (-½), Limited Range (10”; -¼), 1 Continuing 
  Fuel Charge (Easy to replace batteries, 1 Hour; 
  -0). Total cost:  6 points.
  Options:
  1)  Strong Bug Detector:  Increase to Detect Active 
  Bugs 20-. 21 Active Points; total cost 8 points.
  2)  Weak Bug Detector:  Decrease to Detect Active 
  Bugs 13-. 14 Active Points; total cost 5 points.
  MISCELLANEOUS 
  SENSORY DEVICES
  BOMB DETECTOR
  Effect: 
  Detect Explosives 16-
  Target/Area Affected: Self
  Duration: 
  Constant
  Range: 
  Self
  END Cost: 
  0
  Breakability: 
  2 DEF
  Description:  Th is device detects nearby explosive 
  substances by identifying the chemical vapors 
  they give oﬀ . It needs to be near the explosives for 
  approximately two seconds to detect them.
  Game Information:  Detect Explosives 16- (Smell/
  Taste Group) (12 Active Points); OAF (-1), Extra 
  Time (Extra Phase; -¾). Total cost:  4 points.
  DRUG DETECTOR
  Effect: 
  Detect Illegal Drugs 14-
  Target/Area Affected: Self
  Duration: 
  Constant
  Range: 
  Self
  END Cost: 
  0
  Breakability: 
  2 DEF
  Description:  A Drug Detector senses the chemical 
  vapors given oﬀ  by illegal drugs. It can usually “sniﬀ  
  out” drugs even if they’re hidden inside objects or 
  their odor is “masked” by other substances. It does 
  not indicate which drugs are present, and must be 
  reasonably close to the drugs to detect them.
  Game Information:  Detect Illegal Drugs 14- 
  (Smell/Taste Group) (10 Active Points); OAF (-1). 
  Total cost:   5 points.
  SATELLITE LINK
  Effect: 
  Various viewing abilities
  Target/Area Affected: Self
  Duration: 
  Constant
  Range: 
  Self
  END Cost: 
  Varies
  Breakability: 
  9 DEF
  Description:  Th is gadget uses the world-spanning 
  satellite network to give the user a view of anything 
  seen by satellite! Th e character uses the link to tap 
  into the network and obtain a “feed” from it showing 
  whatever can be seen in the target area at that time. 
  Th ere may not always be a satellite available that’s 
  watching what a character wants to see; in game 
  terms, if the Activation Roll fails, the character’s 
  objective is in a “blind zone” (either because no satel-
  lite is “on target” or because weather blocks his view).
  If there’s a satellite in position, the character 
  can see a lot — given the powerful IR and UV 
  capabilities of many satellites, a link might be able 
  to read the heat patterns of a building to determine 
  its layout, how many people are in it (and where 
  they are), and so forth.
  A typical Satellite Link requires a large system 
  of computer banks and monitors that must be kept 
  in a Base.
  At the GM’s option, in a high-tech campaign it 
  might be possible for characters to have a Satellite 
  Link that only requires a laptop computer, or even a 
  viewing device mounted on a bracer or large wrist-
  watch-like device. For a laptop, change OAF Immo-
  bile (-2) to OAF (-1) (total cost:  20 points); for a 
  bracer, change it to OIF (-½) (total cost:  26 points).
  Game Information:
  Cost Power
  9 
  Satellite Link (Worldwide Viewing):  Clairsen-
  tience (Sight Group), MegaScale (1” = 1,000 
  km, can scale down to 1” = 1 km; +1¼); OAF 
  Immobile (-2), Activation Roll 11- (can only 
  see target area if satellites are available; -1), 
  Requires A System Operations Roll (-½), 
  Limited Vision (can only see what a satellite 
  could see; -½)
  1 
  Satellite Link (IR Capability):  Infrared Per-
  ception (Sight Group); OAF Immobile (-2), 
  Linked (-½)
  1 
  Satellite Link (UV Capability):  Ultraviolet 
  Perception (Sight Group); OAF Immobile 
  (-2), Linked (-½)
  3 
  Satellite Link (Penetrating IR Capability):  N-
  Ray Perception (stopped by anything that 
  would block powerful IR sensors) (Sight 
  Group); OAF Immobile (-2), Linked (-½)
  Total cost:  14 points.
  
  281 
  Dark Champions ■ Chapter Six
  TEMPEST EQUIPMENT
  Effect: 
  Detect Computer Radio Emis-
  sions 14-
  Target/Area Affected: Self
  Duration: 
  Constant
  Range: 
  Self
  Charges: 
  1 Continuing Fuel Charge
  Breakability: 
  3 DEF
  Description:  TEMPEST stands for “Transient Elec-
  tromagnetic Pulse Emanation Standard.” It refers to 
  the amount of electromagnetic radiation given oﬀ  
  by various types of computer equipment (monitors, 
  cables, motherboards, and so forth). Using what’s 
  known as van Eck technology, TEMPEST gear 
  monitors and records everything that passes across 
  a computer’s screen by perceiving and “reading” 
  the electromagnetic radiation. Th is won’t necessar-
  ily work over long distances (the normal rules for 
  applying the Range Modiﬁ er to PER Rolls applies), 
  and anything that provides the computer with 
  Power Defense automatically blocks TEMPEST 
  reading (as will placing a sheet of metal between 
  the computer and the TEMPEST gear).
  Game Information:  Detect Computer Radio 
  Emissions 14- (Radio Group) (10 Active Points); 
  OAF (-1), Blocked By Power Defense (-½), 1 
  Continuing Fuel Charge (batteries, Easy to 
  obtain; 10 Hours; -0). Total cost:  4 points.
  WOLF’S EARS
  Effect: 
  +4 PER for Hearing Group plus 
  Hearing Group Flash Defense 
  (10 points)
  Target/Area Affected: Self
  Duration: 
  Constant
  Range: 
  Self
  Charges: 
  1 Continuing Fuel Charge
  Breakability: 
  2 DEF
  Description:  Th is device serves two purposes. First, 
  it enhances the user’s hearing. Second, it screens 
  out all sounds above a certain level, preventing the 
  wearer from being deafened by explosions or gun-
  shots.
  Game Information:
  Cost Power
  5 
  Wolf’s Ears (Hearing Enhancement):  +4 PER 
  for Hearing Group; OIF (-½), 1 Continuing 
  Fuel Charge (battery, Easy to obtain; 6 Hours; 
  -0)
  7 
  Wolf’s Ears (Hearing Protection):  Hearing 
  Group Flash Defense (10 points); OIF (-½), 
  1 Continuing Fuel Charge (battery, Easy to 
  obtain; 6 Hours; -0)
  Total cost:  12 points.
  
  282 ■ Equipment
  Hero System 5th Edition
  H
  ere are a few more pieces of equipment 
  that don’t belong in the categories above, or 
  which are only appropriate for certain types 
  of characters or campaigns. As always, char-
  acters should get the GM’s approval before introduc-
  ing any unusual devices into the game.
  COSTUMED VIGILANTE 
  GADGETS
  Here are a few gadgets that costumed vigilan-
  tes might use. Th ey’re not particularly “realistic” (or 
  at least, not entirely), but they’re perfectly appropri-
  ate for many campaigns.
  BILLY CLUB 
  Effect: 
  HA +3d6, Energy Blast 6d6, 
  Swinging 10”, Clinging
  Target/Area Affected: Varies
  Duration: 
  Varies
  Range: 
  Varies
  END Cost: 
  Varies
  Breakability: 
  6 DEF
  Description:  A popular multi-purpose weapon and 
  tool among martial artists and costumed vigilantes, 
  the billy club looks like an ordinary stick-like club 
  about a foot long and an inch or so in diameter, but 
  it has several other uses and built-in devices. First, 
  in addition to hitting people with it, the character 
  can throw it at his foes; he must get it back (oft en 
  by devoting a single Combat Skill Level to making 
  it bounce back to him) before he can use the club 
  for any purpose again. Second, the club can project 
  a high-strength line and hook, allowing the user to 
  swing (but if he does so, he can’t use the club for 
  anything else that Phase while the line retracts). 
  Th ird, the club can extend just the hook, allowing 
  the user to hold onto the club and hang from any 
  projection or niche on a wall or slippery surface.
  Game Information:
  Cost Powers
  15 
  Billy Club:  Multipower, 30-point reserve; all 
  OAF (-1)
  1u 
   1)  Club:  HA +3d6; OAF (-1), Hand-To-
  Hand Attack (-½)
  1u 
   2)  Hurled Club:  Energy Blast 6d6; OAF (-1), 
  Range Based On STR (-¼), 1 Recoverable 
  Charge (-1¼), Lockout (cannot use any slot 
  in Multipower until Charge is recovered; -½)
  1u 
   3)  Swingline:  Swinging 10”; OAF (-1), Lock-
  out (cannot use any other slot in same Phase 
  in which Swinging is used; -½)
  1u 
   4)  Hanging Onto Projections:  Clinging 
  (normal STR); OAF (-1), Requires A STR 
  Roll (-½), Cannot Resist Knockback (-¼), No 
  Movement Allowed (-½)
  Total cost:  19 points.
  Options:
  1)  Strong Billy Club:  Increase reserve to 40 points, 
  and HA to +5d6, Energy Blast to 8d6, and Swinging 
  to 20”. Total cost:  24 points.
  2)  Simple Billy Club:  Th is form of Billy Club lacks all 
  the bells and whistles; it’s just intended for use as a 
  weapon. Remove Slots 3 and 4. Total cost:  17 points.
  GLIDER CAPE
  Effect: 
  Gliding 12”
  Target/Area Affected: Self
  Duration: 
  Constant
  Range: 
  Self
  END Cost:  
  1
  Breakability: 
  2 DEF
  Description:  Th e character’s cape is designed with a 
  special aerodynamic shape, and is cleverly reinforced, 
  so he can glide through the air while wearing it.
  Game Information:  Gliding 12” (12 Active 
  Points); OAF (-1), Costs Endurance (-½). Total 
  cost:  5 points.
  Options:
  1)  Faster Glider Cape:  Increase to Gliding 15”. 15 
  Active Points; total cost 6 points.
  2)  Slower Glider Cape:  Decrease to Gliding 8”. 8 
  Active Points; total cost 3 points.
  3)  Realistic Glider Cape:  Th e character’s ability to 
  glide depends on his holding his body a certain 
  way; if he moves the wrong way or tries to perform 
  other actions than just gliding, he falls to earth. Add 
  Requires A PS: Use Glider Cape Roll (-¼) and Ges-
  tures (throughout; -½). Total cost:  4 points.
  4)  Parachute Cape:  Th e character cannot actually 
  glide, but his cape can act as a parachute to keep 
  him from hurting himself in falls. Add Limited 
  Movement (character cannot gain altitude, and 
  must move at least 12” downward for every 1” for-
  ward; -½). Total cost:  4 points.
  5)  Concealable Hangglider:  Th e character’s cape 
  doesn’t normally allow him to glide, but it (or his 
  costume) conceals a hangglider-like device that lets 
  him glide once it’s activated. Change OAF (-1) to 
  IAF (-½) and add Extra Time (Full Phase to acti-
  vate; -¼). Total cost:  5 points.
  MISCELLANEOUS 
  EQUIPMENT
  FAST CARS
  Dark Champions 
  characters oft en use 
  or encounter vehicles 
  in their adventures 
  — everything from sleek 
  sportscars, to powerful 
  combat helicopters and 
  jetﬁ ghters, to mighty 
  tanks. For nearly 200 
  sample vehicles, most 
  of them appropriate to 
  the modern-day action-
  adventure genre, see Th e 
  Ultimate Vehicle and Th e 
  HERO System Vehicle 
  Sourcebook.
  
  283 
  Dark Champions ■ Chapter Six
  MULTIBRACER
  Effect: 
  Swinging 12” and various 
  Attack Powers
  Target/Area Affected: Varies
  Duration: 
  Varies
  Range: 
  Varies
  Charges/END Cost: 
  Varies
  Breakability: 
  10 DEF
  Description:  Much like the Billy Club, the Multi-
  Bracer is a combination weapon/tool popular with 
  martial artists and costumed vigilantes. Th e bracer 
  has ﬁ ve sections, each with a speciﬁ c device built 
  into it:  a blaster; a swingline; a knockout gas pellet 
  projector; a tangleweb pellet projector; and a ﬂ ash 
  pellet projector.
  Game Information:
  Cost Power
  33 
  Multi-Bracer:  Multipower, 50-point reserve; 
  all OIF (-½)
  1u 
   1)  Swingline:  Swinging 12”; OIF (-½)
  2u 
   2)  Blaster:  RKA 2½d6 OIF (-½), 8 Charges 
  (-½)
  2u 
   3)  Knockout Gas Pellets:  Energy Blast 4d6, 
  NND (defense is Life Support [Self-Con-
  tained Breathing or appropriate Immunity]; 
  +1), Explosion (+½); OIF (-½), 8 Charges 
  (-½)
  2u 
   4)  Mini-Bolos:  Entangle 5d6, 5 DEF; OIF 
  (-½), 8 Charges (-½)
  2u 
   5)  Flash Pellets:  Sight Group Flash 6d6, 
  Explosion (+½); OIF (-½), 8 Charges (-½)
  Total cost:  42 points.
  Options:
  1)  Strong Bracer:  Increase reserve to 60 points, 
  Slot 1 to Swinging 20”, Slot 2 to RKA 2½d6 Armor 
  Piercing, Slot 3 to Explosion (-1 DC/3”; +1), Slot 
  4 to Entangle 6d6, 6 DEF, and Slot 5 to Flash 8d6. 
  Total cost:  53 points.
  2)  Weak Bracer:  Decrease reserve to 40 points, Slot 
  1 to Swinging 10”, Slot 2 to RKA 1d6, Slot 3 to EB 
  3d6, Slot 4 to Entangle 4d6, 4 DEF, and Slot 5 to 
  Flash 5d6. Total cost:  35 points.
  3)  Multi-Pistol:  Th is form of the weapon is a 
  pistol, not a bracer. Change OIF (-½) to OAF (-1) 
  throughout. Total cost:  34 points.
  UTILITY BELT
  Effect: 
  Various
  Target/Area Affected: Varies
  Duration: 
  Varies
  Range: 
  Varies
  END Cost: 
  Varies
  Breakability: 
  6 DEF
  Description:  A utility belt is a way to carry numer-
  ous small devices a character may ﬁ nd useful in 
  crimeﬁ ghting or combat situations. If a belt is not 
  to the character’s taste, other possibilities include a 
  vest, a harness or bandolier with cartridge belt-like 
  pockets, or the like.
  Th e Utility Belt listed below carries an enor-
  mous number of gadgets, and creative players can 
  undoubtedly think of many more. A character 
  may buy any or all of these gadgets, as desired. Th e 
  GM may prefer to have a character pick a limited 
  number of them — say, 15 or 20 at most — to keep 
  things from getting out of hand.
  
  284 ■ Equipment
  Hero System 5th Edition
  Game Information:
  Cost Power
  20 
  Utility Belt:  Multipower, 30-point reserve; 
  OIF (-½)
  1u 
   1)  Advanced Lockpick Set:  +2 to Lockpick-
  ing; OAF (-1)
  1u 
   2)  Billy Club:  HA +3d6, Reduced Endur-
  ance (0 END; +½); OAF (-1), Hand-To-Hand 
  Attack (-½)
  1u 
   3)  Bomb Defusing Kit:  +2 to Demolitions; 
  OAF (-1), Only To Defuse Bombs (-¼)
  1u 
   4)  Boomerang:  Energy Blast 4d6, Reduced 
  Endurance (0 END; +½); OAF (-1)
  1u 
   5)  Calculator:  Lightning Calculator; OAF 
  (-1)
  1u 
   6)  Crime Scene Kit:  +2 to Criminology; 
  OAF (-1), 8 Charges (-½) 
  1u 
   7)  Fake Bomb:  Sight and Hearing Group 
  Images 1” radius, -5 to PER Rolls; OAF (-1), 1 
  Charge (-2), Set Eﬀ ect (fake bomb; -1)
  1u 
   8)  Fear Darts:  Drain PRE 2d6, Range Based 
  On STR (+¼); OAF (-1), Must Target Non-
  Armored Hit Locations (-¼), 6 Charges (-¾)
  1u 
   9)  Flashlight:  Sight Group Images 1” radius, 
  +4 PER Rolls; OAF (-1), Only To Create 
  Light (-1), Limited Range (10”; -¼), 1 Con-
  tinuing Fuel Charge (refueled by recharging, 
  easy to obtain; 1 Hour; -0)
  1u 
  10)  Flash Pellets:  Sight Group Flash 2d6; 
  OAF (-1), 6 Charges (-¾), Range Based On 
  STR (-¼)
  1u 
  11)  Freeze Gas:  Minor Transform 3d6 
  (normal object to frozen stiﬀ  object, “heal” 
  by thawing out at normal rate); OAF (-1), 4 
  Charges (-1), Limited Target ( Freeze Gas is 
  for use against the working parts of an alarm, 
  a bomb, and so forth, not against living crea-
  tures; -½)
  1u 
  12)  Laser Torch:  RKA 1 point, Penetrating 
  (x2; +1); OAF (-1), No Range (-½), 1 Con-
  tinuing Fuel Charge lasting 5 Minutes (bat-
  tery, easy to replace;  -½)
  1u   
  13)  Medkit:  +2 to Paramedics; OAF (-1), 4 
  Charges (-1) 
  1u 
  14)  Miniature Climbing Rig:  +2 to Climbing; 
  OAF (-1)
  1u 
  15)  Mini-bolos:  Entangle 3d6, 3 DEF; OAF 
  (-1), 3 Charges (-1¼)
  1u 
  16)  Mini-camera:  Eidetic Memory; OAF 
  (-1), Visual Images Only (-½)
  1u 
  17)  Mini-Console:  HRRP (Radio Group); 
  OAF (-1)
  1u 
  18)  Mini-radios:  Mind Link, up to 4 minds 
  at once; OAF (-1), Aﬀ ected As Hearing And 
  Radio Groups, Not Mental Group (-¼), 
  Only Works With Others Who Have Same 
  Mind Link (-1)
  1u 
  19)  Mini-recorder:  Eidetic Memory; OAF 
  (-1), Sound Only (-½)
  1u 
  20)  Nightsight Monocular:  Infrared Percep-
  tion (Sight Group) and +6 versus Range 
  Modiﬁ er for Sight Group; OAF (-1)
  1u 
  21)  Painkillers:  Physical and Energy 
  Damage Reduction, Resistant, 25%; OAF 
  (-1), 2 Continuing Charges lasting 1 Hour 
  each (-0)
  1u 
  22)  Paint Tag Bomb:  Cosmetic Transform 
  4d6 (normal person to person painted bright 
  red, heal by washing with vinegar), Partial 
  Transform (+½); OAF (-1), 4 Charges (-1), 
  Range Based On STR (-¼)
  1u 
  23)  Parabolic Mini-Mike:  +6 versus Range 
  Modiﬁ er for Hearing Group; OAF (-1)
  1u 
  24)  Rebreather:  Life Support (Expanded 
  Breathing:  Breathe Underwater); OAF (-1), 
  1 Continuing Fuel Charge (refueled through 
  recharging system, easy to obtain; 1 Hour; -0)
  1u 
  25)  Security Systems Analyzer:  +2 to Secu-
  rity Systems; OAF (-1)
  1u 
  26)  Sleep Gas Pellets:  Energy Blast 3d6, 
  NND (defense is Life Support [Self-Con-
  tained Breathing or appropriate Immunity]; 
  +1); OAF (-1), 6 Charges (-¾), Range Based 
  On STR (-¼)
  1u 
  27)  Smoke Pellets:  Darkness to Sight Group 
  3” radius; OAF (-1), 8 Continuing Charges 
  lasting 1 Turn each (removed by high winds 
  or rain; -0), Range Based On STR (-¼)
  1u 
  28)  Swingline:  Swinging 10”, Reduced 
  Endurance (0 END; +½); OAF (-1)
  1u 
  29)  Th ermite Pellets I:  RKA 1d6, Armor 
  Piercing (+½), Explosion (+½); OAF (-1), 6 
  Charges (-¾), Range Based On STR (-¼)
  1u 
  30)  Th ermite Pellets II:  RKA 1d6, Continuous 
  (+1); OAF (-1), 6 Continuing Charges lasting 
  1 Turn each (-¼), Range Based On STR (-¼)
  1u 
  31)  Th rowing Blades:  HKA ½d6 (up to 
  1d6+1 w/ STR), Armor Piercing (+½), Auto-
  ﬁ re (3 shots; +¼), Range Based On STR 
  (+¼); OAF (-1), 6 Recoverable Charges (-¼)
  1u 
  32)  Vertigo Darts:  Drain DEX 2d6, Range 
  Based On STR (+¼); OAF (-1), Must Target 
  Non-Armored Hit Locations (-¼), 6 Charges 
  (-¾)
  1u 
  33)  Weakness Darts:  Drain STR 2d6, Range 
  Based On STR (+¼); OAF (-1), Must Target 
  Non-Armored Hit Locations (-¼), 6 Charges 
  (-¾)
  Total cost:  53 points (assuming character buys 
  all slots)
  
  285 
  Dark Champions ■ Chapter Six
  SECURITY DEVICES
  Here are a few examples of devices used to 
  secure areas. Characters who want to inﬁ ltrate 
  those areas covertly have to use Security Systems to 
  bypass or defeat them.
  MOTION DETECTOR
  Effect: 
  Detect Moving Persons/Objects 
  15-
  Target/Area Affected: Self (8” protected area)
  Duration: 
  Persistent
  Range: 
  Self (8” protected area)
  END Cost: 
  0
  Breakability: 
  8 DEF
  Description:  Motion detectors use ultrasonic sound 
  (or sometimes microwaves or other forms of energy) 
  to detect whether anything is moving in their ﬁ eld 
  of “vision” (which extends for about 50 feet in front 
  of them). When someone moves into the protected 
  area, he disturbs the “ﬁ eld,” and the device registers 
  this and activates the alarm. Th ey’re best used in 
  high-security areas with hard surfaces where no 
  movement is expected (i.e., where guards don’t 
  patrol, there are no pets or cuckoo clocks, and so 
  on). Rooms with soft  or absorbent surfaces (such as 
  thick carpet or heavy drapes) absorb more sound, so 
  ultrasonic motion detectors don’t work well in them 
  (reduce the device’s PER Roll by -2 or more).
  Ultrasonic versions of this alarm can only 
  cover a single enclosed area (since the sound waves 
  bounce oﬀ  walls and other solid surfaces). However, 
  a single microwave-based motion sensor may cover 
  multiple rooms (because microwaves reﬂ ect oﬀ  
  metal, but not oﬀ  glass, wallboard, wood, and the 
  like). Because microwave-based motion detectors 
  perceive through solid objects, they can be hidden 
  behind a piece of furniture, a cover, or the like. On 
  the other hand, this means a microwave-based 
  motion detector might be triggered by innocu-
  ous movement outside the building it’s installed 
  in (such as a passing bird or car), and ﬂ uorescent 
  lights and radio transmissions can sometimes cause 
  false alarms.
  Some poor-quality motion detectors won’t 
  register objects moving slowly. In game terms, this 
  usually means moving at no greater speed than 
  1” per Turn. Th is requires a Stealth roll (in addi-
  tion, the GM may require characters to make EGO 
  Rolls to force themselves to move that slowly). If 
  the character succeeds with his Stealth roll exactly, 
  the sensor suﬀ ers a -1 penalty to its PER Roll; each 
  point by which the Stealth roll is made beyond that 
  increases the penalty by another -1. Better models 
  can’t be fooled by slow movement, and will even 
  detect the presence of immobile objects that aren’t 
  normally in the area they cover.
  Defeating motion sensors is diﬃ  cult, at best. 
  Th e easiest thing to do is avoid them, but if that’s 
  not possible, sometimes characters can overload or 
  jam them with devices designed to broadcast the 
  same frequency of sound (in game terms, such a 
  device is a Change Environment that reduces the 
  motion detector’s PER Roll). Another possibility 
  would be to wear garments made of sound-absor-
  bent material (even thick cloth or fur might do); 
  this, too, would be deﬁ ned as a Change Environ-
  ment that diminished the device’s PER Roll. If 
  characters can get to the device’s receiver without 
  triggering it, covering up the receiver (say, with 
  tape) may render it “blind” (or at least signiﬁ cantly 
  reduce its PER Roll), though newer models have 
  “anti-masking” features that trigger an alarm if any 
  object is placed too close to them.
  Game Information:
  Cost Power
  4 
  Motion Detector:  Detect Moving Persons/
  Objects 15- (Radio Group) (11 Active 
  Points); OIF Immobile (-1½), Limited Range 
  (8”; -¼)
  13 
  Secured System:  Change Environment 1” 
  radius, -6 on Security Systems rolls, Reduced 
  Endurance (0 END; -½), Persistent (-½) (40 
  Active Points); OIF Immobile (-1½), Self 
  Only (only aﬀ ects attempts to ﬁ nd or neu-
  tralize the system itself; -½)
  Total cost:  17 points.
  Options:
  1)  High-Quality System:  Increase to Detect Moving 
  Persons/Objects 17-. 13 Active Points (total cost 5 
  points); total cost of device 18 points.
  2)  Poor-Quality System:  Decrease to Detect Moving 
  Persons/Objects 13-. 9 Active Points (total cost 3 
  points); total cost of device 16 points.
  3)  Disguised System:  Change OIF Immobile (-1½) 
  to IIF Immobile (-1¼). Total cost:
  Standard:  17 points.
  High-Quality:  18 points.
  Poor-Quality:  17 points.
  4)  More Secure Device:  Th is type of motion detec-
  tor is harder to bypass or defeat. Change to -8 on 
  Security Systems rolls. 52 Active Points (total cost 
  17 points); total cost of device 21 points.
  5)  Less Secure Device:  Th is type of motion detec-
  tor is easier to bypass or defeat. Change to -3 on 
  Security Systems rolls. 22 Active Points (total cost 7 
  points); total cost of device 11 points.
  
  286 ■ Equipment
  Hero System 5th Edition
  PRESSURE PLATES, MATS, AND SWITCHES
  Effect: 
  Detect Sufﬁ cient Weight/
  Pressure 16-
  Target/Area Affected: Self
  Duration: 
  Persistent
  Range: 
  Self
  END Cost: 
  0
  Breakability: 
  4 DEF
  Description:  Placed under carpets, entry mats, and 
  the like, pressure plates (also known as switch mats) 
  trigger an alarm if any weight is placed on them. (If 
  necessary, they can be programmed to ignore small 
  weights, like the weight of a guard dog.) Advanced 
  ones are too sensitive to fool, but poorer-quality 
  ones can be defeated by characters who distribute 
  their weight — for example, by placing a sheet of 
  plywood or thick plastic over the plate before step-
  ping on it. Other ways to defeat a pressure plate are 
  to short it out, to cut the power to it (or its feed to 
  the alarm system), or to avoid stepping on it (by 
  climbing along the walls or ceiling, for example).
  Pressure plates can also be used in the oppo-
  site way:  they’re placed underneath an object (such 
  as an antique in a display case), and if the object 
  is removed (i.e., the pressure is lift ed), they trig-
  ger an alarm. In this case they’re oft en known as 
  pressure switches. Characters can defeat a pressure 
  switch in a variety of ways, including in some cases 
  a simultaneous replacement of the removed object 
  with one of equal weight (this requires a Sleight Of 
  Hand roll at the same penalty for Security Systems 
  rolls). More sensitive models — pressure transduc-
  ers — register any change of pressure (increased or 
  decreased) and are much harder to defeat (increase 
  the penalty for defeating them by -2).
  Game Information:
  Cost Power
  4 
  Pressure Plate:  Detect Suﬃ  cient Weight/
  Pressure 16- (Touch Group) (10 Active 
  Points); OIF Immobile (-1½)
  7 
  Secured System:  Change Environment 1” 
  radius, -3 on Security Systems rolls, Reduced 
  Endurance (0 END; +½), Persistent (+½) 
  (22 Active Points); OIF Immobile (-1½), Self 
  Only (only aﬀ ects attempts to ﬁ nd or neu-
  tralize the system itself; -½)
  Total cost:  11 points.
  Options:
  1)  High-Quality System:  Increase to Detect Suf-
  ﬁ cient Weight/Pressure 18-. 12 Active Points (total 
  cost 5 points); total cost of device 12 points.
  2)  Poor-Quality System:  Decrease to Detect Suf-
  ﬁ cient Weight/Pressure 14-. 8 Active Points (total 
  cost 3 points); total cost of device 10 points.
  3)  Disguised System:  Change OIF Immobile (-1½) 
  to IIF Immobile (-1¼). Total cost:
  Standard:  12 points.
  High-Quality:  13 points.
  Poor-Quality:  11 points.
  4)  More Secure Device:  Th is type of pressure plate 
  is harder to bypass or defeat. Change to -4 on 
  Security Systems rolls. 28 Active Points (total cost 9 
  points); total cost of device 13 points.
  5)  Less Secure Device:  Th is type of pressure plate 
  is easier to bypass or defeat. Change to -2 on Secu-
  rity Systems rolls. 16 Active Points (total cost 5 
  points); total cost of device 9 points.
  SPY GADGETS
  Spies, both real and cinematic, are known for 
  the many clever devices they use to perform their 
  clandestine tasks. Here are a few examples:
  Real-World Spy Gadgets
  Th e following gadgets are all examples of 
  espionage gadgets actually built and used.
  .22 BALLPOINT PEN GUN
  Effect: 
  RKA 1d6-1
  Target/Area Affected: One character
  Duration: 
  Instant
  Range: 
  60”
  Charges: 
  1 Charge
  Breakability: 
  2 DEF
  Description:  Th is single-shot gun looks like an ordi-
  nary fountain pen. By pulling back and releasing 
  the “cap,” the user ﬁ res it... though it’s not very accu-
  rate, so he’d better be close to his target.
  Game Information:  RKA 1d6-1 (12 Active 
  Points); IAF (-½), Beam (-¼), Inaccurate 
  (character is half OCV, and the Range Modiﬁ er 
  accrues in 3” increments; -¼), Real Weapon
  (-¼), 1 Charge (-2). Total cost:  3 points.
  CONCEALED LOCKPICKS
  Effect: 
  Concealment 16-, Only To Hide 
  Lockpick Set 
  Target/Area Affected: Self
  Duration: 
  Constant
  Range: 
  Self
  END Cost: 
  0
  Breakability: 
  1 DEF
  Description:  A character may need to carry a set of 
  lockpicks into a location without anyone detecting 
  them. Th is set is specially concealed inside a pen 
  or like object. Since characters don’t normally pay 
  Character Points for ordinary tools, it’s bought as 
  a highly-Limited form of Concealment; for tools 
  characters pay points for (such as lockpicks good 
  enough to provide a Skill Roll bonus), you can 
  simply buy them as IAFs instead of OAFs.
  Game Information:  Concealment 16- (17 Active 
  Points); IAF (-½), Only To Hide Lockpick Set (-2). 
  Total cost:  5 points.
  
  287 
  Dark Champions ■ Chapter Six
  TIE CAMERA
  Effect: 
  Eidetic Memory, Visual Images 
  Only
  Target/Area Affected: Self
  Duration: 
  Constant
  Range: 
  Self
  Charges:  
  1 Continuing Fuel Charge
  Breakability: 
  1 DEF
  Description:  Th is miniature camera takes pictures 
  through a special tie-tack that keeps the agent’s 
  necktie in place. It’s triggered by an activator con-
  cealed in the agent’s pants pocket, and has enough 
  ﬁ lm for 50 shots.
  Game Information:  Eidetic Memory (5 Active 
  Points); IAF (-½), Visual Images Only (-1), 1 
  Continuing Fuel Charge (ﬁ lm, easily replaced, 
  50 Seconds; -¾). Total cost:  1 point.
  Cinematic Spy Gadgets
  And here are a few spy gadgets that you’ll only 
  ﬁ nd in spy movies, comic books, and the like.
  AUTOMOBILE ACCESSOR
  Effect: 
  Security Systems and Elec-
  tronics 20-, Only Work On 
  Automobiles
  Target/Area Affected: Self
  Duration: 
  Constant
  Range: 
  Self
  END Cost: 
  0
  Breakability: 
  5 DEF
  Description:  Th is devices uses radio and ultrasonic 
  broadcasts to (a) disarm any automobile security 
  devices, and (b) start any automobile without 
  the key. It’s small enough to carry concealed in a 
  pocket, but is obviously something unusual.
  Game Information:
  Cost Power
  8 
  Automobile Accessor (Defeat Security):  Secu-
  rity Systems 20- (25 Active Points); OAF (-1), 
  Only Works On Automobile Security Devices 
  (-1)
  8 
  Automobile Accessor (Start Automobiles):  
  Electronics 20- (25 Active Points); OAF (-1), 
  Only To “Hotwire” Motor Automobiles (-1)
  Total cost:  16 points.
  LASER WATCH
  Effect: 
  RKA 1 point, Penetrating plus 
  other abilities
  Target/Area Affected:  One character/Self
  Duration: 
  Instant/Constant
  Range: 
  No Range/Self
  Charges: 
  16 Charges/0 END
  Breakability: 
  2 DEF
  Description:  In addition to being a top-notch chro-
  nometer, this watch functions as a compass, GPS 
  tracking unit, and miniature laser torch.
  
  288 ■ Equipment
  Hero System 5th Edition
  Game Information:
  Cost Power
  1 
  Laser Watch (Chronometer):  Absolute Time 
  Sense (3 Active Points); OAF (-1)
  2 
  Laser Watch (Concealed Compass):  Bump Of 
  Direction (3 Active Points); IAF (-½)
  5 
  Laser Watch (GPS Tracker):  Detect Exact 
  Position On Earth 14- (Radio Group) (8 
  Active Points); IAF (-½)
  3 
  Laser Watch (Laser Torch):  RKA 1 point, 
  Penetrating (+½) (7 Active Points); IAF (-½), 
  No Range (-½), 16 Charges (-0)
  Total cost:  11 points.
  XRAY CAMERA
  Effect: 
  N-Ray Perception and Eidetic 
  Memory
  Target/Area Affected: Self
  Duration: 
  Constant
  Range: 
  Self
  Charges: 
  1 Continuing Fuel Charge
  Breakability: 
  2 DEF
  Description:  Th is seemingly ordinary camera can 
  be tuned to emit x-rays that let the character see 
  through solid objects (and, if desired, take pictures 
  of what he sees).
  Game Information:
  Cost Power
  5 
  X-Ray Camera (X-Ray Viewing):  N-Ray 
  Perception (Sight Group) (blocked by lead or 
  gold) (10 Active Points); IAF (-½), Concen-
  tration (½ DCV throughout use; -½), 1 Con-
  tinuing Fuel Charge (battery, easily replaced, 
  1 Hour; -0)
  1 
  X-Ray Camera (Photography):  Eidetic 
  Memory (5 Active Points); OAF (-1), Visual 
  Images Only (-1), 1 Continuing Fuel Charge 
  (ﬁ lm, easily replaced, 50 Seconds; -¾)
  Total cost:  6 points.
  UNDERWATER EQUIPMENT
  Here’s some gear characters need for underwa-
  ter missions.
  SCUBA EQUIPMENT
  Effect: 
  Life Support (Self-Contained 
  Breathing)
  Target/Area Affected: Self
  Duration: 
  Constant
  Range: 
  Self
  Charges: 
  1 Continuing Fuel Charge
  Breakability: 
  2 DEF
  Description:  SCUBA (self-contained underwater 
  breathing apparatus, or simply SCBA for models 
  designed for out-of-water use) equipment allows a 
  swimmer to remain underwater for long periods of 
  time by breathing oxygen supplied by tanks worn 
  on the back. When the user exhales, he creates a 
  trail of bubbles.
  Game Information:  Life Support (Self-Contained 
  Breathing) (10 Active Points); OAF (-1), 1 
  Continuing Fuel Charge (oxygen tanks, Easy to 
  obtain; 1 Hour; -0). Total cost:  5 points.
  Options:
  1)  Rebreather:  A rebreather is an improved form of 
  SCUBA technology, usable by characters who have 
  TF: SCUBA. Unlike SCUBA gear, it does not create 
  a trail of bubbles to give away the swimmer’s posi-
  tion. Instead of releasing the swimmer’s exhaled 
  air, a rebreather recirculates, puriﬁ es, and supple-
  ments it with fresh oxygen, thus allowing the user 
  to breathe it again. Th is has the additional eﬀ ect of 
  extending the time the user can remain underwater, 
  but also tends to limit him to dives of no more than 
  about 30 feet (5”, or up to 7” for no more than about 
  ﬁ ve minutes). Change to:  Life Support (Self-Con-
  tained Breathing), Invisible Power Eﬀ ects (leaves 
  no bubble trail; +¼) (12 Active Points); OAF (-1), 
  1 Continuing Fuel Charge (oxygen tanks, Easy to 
  obtain; 2 Hours; -0). Total cost:  6 points.
  
  chapter seven:
  chapter seven:
  chapter seven:
  THE ENEMY
  DARK CHAMPIONS 
  ADVERSARIES
  
  290 ■ Dark Champions Adversaries
  Hero System 5th Edition
  A
  n action hero needs enemies to ﬁ ght 
  — without them, he’s just a would-be hero 
  waiting for an emergency he can respond 
  to. Th e type and nature of the enemies 
  a Dark Champions character has depends on the 
  subgenre and campaign he belongs to, of course, 
  but certain types of adversaries appear in many 
  subgenres or with greater than normal frequency. 
  Th is chapter reviews those enemies brieﬂ y;  for 
  more information, see other Dark Champions pub-
  lications from Hero Games, the books listed in the 
  Bibliography, and other reference sources.
  Roughly speaking, “organized crime” refers to 
  groups of criminals, working together as part of a 
  larger whole, and subject to a more-or-less formal 
  hierarchy or “chain of command.” By joining together, 
  the members of an organized crime group become 
  more powerful than they would be individually, can 
  protect themselves against competitors better, and 
  can use their greater wealth and inﬂ uence to accom-
  plish things few (if any) members could individually. 
  Many organized crime groups become extremely 
  powerful, eﬀ ectively displacing the government in 
  many neighborhoods (or even entire cities).
  THE MAFIA
  Th e most well-known form of organized crime 
  in America today is the Maﬁ a, also known as La 
  Cosa Nostra (“this thing of ours,” abbreviated LCN). 
  When most Americans refer to “organized crime,” 
  what they really mean is “the Maﬁ a.”
  Th e precise origins of the Maﬁ a are shrouded 
  in mystery. Th e American Maﬁ a can probably trace 
  its beginnings to the Sicilian Maﬁ a, which was 
  “brought over” to this country by Italian immi-
  grants. Initially the Maﬁ a was a relatively minor 
  organized crime group preying on Italian commu-
  nities, but in the 1920s and ’30s Prohibition made 
  it much wealthier and more powerful, and encour-
  aged the formation of larger, more formally-orga-
  nized Maﬁ a “families.”
  Even aft er Prohibition, the Maﬁ a continued to 
  thrive. Despite such setbacks as the Kefauver com-
  mittee hearings of the early 1950s, the discovery 
  of the Apalachin conference in 1957, and Attorney 
  General Robert Kennedy’s war on organized crime 
  in the 1960s, the Maﬁ a remained powerful and 
  rich. However, beginning in the 1980s, the FBI and 
  Department of Justice began to score major suc-
  cesses against the Maﬁ a using new federal criminal 
  laws. As of the early twenty-ﬁ rst century, the Maﬁ a 
  is not nearly as powerful as it once was... but it’s still 
  a force to be reckoned with.
  ORGANIZATION AND STRUCTURE
  Th e basic unit of the Maﬁ a is the borgata, or 
  “family.” A family is usually not actually a true 
  family at all, though the leadership and/or some of 
  the members may be related by blood or marriage. 
  Most scholars believe there are approximately 24 
  families in the United States; estimates of the total 
  core membership range from about 1,700 to as high 
  as 5,000 or so (making the Maﬁ a small compared 
  to many other organized crime groups). However, 
  many thousands of other criminals who aren’t 
  members of the Maﬁ a associate and work with it.
  Capo (Boss)
  Most Maﬁ a families have a relatively simple 
  structure. A capo, or “boss” (sometimes known as a 
  “godfather” or a “don”) rules the family, though he 
  remains aloof from the everyday activities of his 
  underlings. He maintains order within the family 
  and works to maximize proﬁ ts. His authority is 
  absolute (unless the Commission [see below] over-
  rules him), and anyone who disobeys him, or who 
  fails to pay him his “cut” (portion of all money 
  earned by any family member), suﬀ ers severe pun-
  ishment. Bosses sometimes ﬁ ght for the nigh-leg-
  endary position of “capo di tutti capi” (“boss of all 
  the bosses”) for the whole country, but supposedly 
  no one has claimed the title since Salvatore Maran-
  zano in 1931 (and he was killed ﬁ ve months later).
  Sottocapo (Underboss) And Consiglieri
  Th e boss’s second in command is the sot-
  tocapo, or “underboss,” who advises and assists him, 
  gathers information for him, gives orders on his 
  behalf, and ﬁ lls in for him when necessary. In some 
  cases, the underboss is the boss’s protegé — the 
  man being groomed to take over when the boss 
  dies or retires (though other family members may 
  make their own bids for power). Some families may 
  have two or three underbosses.
  Advising the boss, but outside the regular 
  chain of command, is the consiglieri, or “counselor,” 
  who gives the boss advice on family matters. He 
  may be an older, “retired” family member, or it may 
  be someone such as the family’s chief attorney. A 
  family only has one “oﬃ  cial” consiglieri, though a 
  boss can always ask other members for advice too.
  Lower Ranks
  Below the underboss, caporegimas (“captains” 
  or “lieutenants”) supervise the day-to-day criminal 
  operations and moneymaking activities of the family 
  and serve as middlemen between the family’s lead-
  ers and rank-and-ﬁ le members. Th eir number varies 
  from family to family, depending on family size and 
  activities. A caporegima attains his rank by being an 
  ORGANIZED 
  CRIME
  THE FIVE FAMILIES
  About half of the 
  Maﬁ a’s membership 
  is concentrated in the 
  northeastern portions 
  of the United States. Th e 
  so-called “Five Fami-
  lies” of New York City 
  — Bonanno, Colombo, 
  Gambino, Genovese, 
  and Lucchese — domi-
  nate the region. (Th ese 
  names may change 
  slightly, depending on 
  the point in time you 
  look at and the source 
  consulted.) Th e Maﬁ a 
  tends to be more orga-
  nized, entrenched, and 
  powerful in the North-
  east; families in the 
  West are not as formally 
  organized or as strong. 
  According to many 
  sources, the authority of 
  the New York families 
  extends up and down 
  the eastern seaboard 
  and as far west as Chi-
  cago. Th e Chicago Maﬁ a 
  families control Chi-
  cago, St. Louis, Kansas 
  City, and most of the 
  rest of the Midwest and 
  West.
  
  291 
  Dark Champions ■ Chapter Seven
  “earner” — someone who makes a lot of money for 
  the family. Captains oft en own businesses or other 
  ventures and get income from them in addition to 
  the money earned by their soldiers.
  Each caporegima commands a “crew” of soldatos 
  (“soldiers,” also called  “wiseguys,” “button men,” or 
  “made men”) — the lowest-ranking oﬃ  cial members 
  of the family. A soldier usually supervises a speciﬁ c 
  criminal operation (such as the numbers bank on 
  Canal Street), either for a share of the earnings or on 
  a “pay a cut for the right to own and operate” basis. 
  Soldiers oft en form partnerships with other soldiers 
  and/or with higher-ups to perform crimes.
  Below the soldiers are associates — workers who 
  do the tasks needed to keep the Maﬁ a in business, 
  such as running numbers, selling drugs, or working 
  in legitimate businesses owned by family members. 
  Unlike true members, they don’t have to be Italian, 
  but they don’t receive the family’s protection. Th e 
  Maﬁ a also has protectors:  corrupt lawyers, policemen, 
  accountants, public oﬃ  cials, and others who use their 
  skills, learning, power, or inﬂ uence on the Maﬁ a’s 
  behalf, usually because they’re on the take.
  Th e Commission
  Maﬁ a families sometimes work together 
  — and at other times are bitter enemies as they 
  compete for power, money, and “turf.” Maﬁ a lead-
  ers long ago recognized the need for traditions 
  and procedures to resolve disputes peacefully. 
  One of these is arguimendo, or “arbitration,” when 
  two families meet to settle their diﬀ erences. A 
  more important inter-family institution is the 
  Commission.
  Founded in 1931 by Charles “Lucky” Luciano, 
  the Commission is a body intended to regulate dis-
  putes over territory, rules, or policies which aﬀ ect 
  all of the families, and to help coordinate inter-
  family enterprises and deals. Traditionally, it con-
  sists of the bosses of the Five Families of New York 
  City, plus the bosses of some of the more important 
  families from around the country (such as the Buf-
  falo, Detroit, Chicago, and Philadelphia families). 
  Th e Commission mainly concerns itself only with 
  things that aﬀ ect the Maﬁ a overall (such as inter-
  family wars), preferring to, at most, oﬀ er “advice” on 
  local matters and intra-family disputes.
  MAFIA ACTIVITIES
  Th e Maﬁ a participates in just about every 
  form of criminal activity:  hijacking and theft ; drug 
  smuggling (despite the myth that the Maﬁ a doesn’t 
  get involved with narcotics dealing); intimidation 
  and assassination; loansharking (at rates of up to 
  150% per week); prostitution; fraud; extortion; and 
  much, much more. Two activities it’s closely associ-
  ated with are gambling and labor racketeering.
  Gambling
  According to some scholars, illegal gambling is 
  the Maﬁ a’s biggest money-making enterprise. Esti-
  mates of the annual intake nationwide range from 
  $7-50 billion.
  Maﬁ a gambling interests take several forms. 
  First, the authorities believe the LCN has inﬂ u-
  ence over, or even control of, legitimate gambling 
  in places like Las Vegas and Atlantic City. Second, 
  in places that lack legal casinos, the Maﬁ a runs (or 
  takes a cut of) illegal “underground” casinos and 
  other gambling events. Th ird, the Maﬁ a participates 
  in bookmaking, or illegal sports betting. Bookies 
  associated with (or beholden to) the Maﬁ a take 
  bets by phone, using the Las Vegas “line” (the points 
  spread, legally calculated in Las Vegas) and other 
  methods to try to ensure that they make the maxi-
  mum “vigorish” (proﬁ t).
  Lastly, the Maﬁ a is involved in numbers run-
  ning, also called “policy” (though it’s not necessarily 
  the only group that runs numbers in a city). Th is 
  popular form of gambling allows players to place 
  bets as small as a dime on a number from 000-999. 
  Th e daily number comes from some publicly-
  veriﬁ able source, such as the last three digits of 
  the number of stocks that advance, decline, or are 
  traded on the New York Stock Exchange. Winners 
  earn a payoﬀ  that varies from 6-to-1 to 600-to-1, 
  depending on various factors and type of bets. An 
  elaborate system of runners (people who take bets 
  and distribute winnings, such as bartenders or 
  newsstand operators), collectors, and banks (the 
  ﬁ nancier who puts up the money to run the opera-
  tion) keeps the whole system operating smoothly.
  Labor Racketeering
  Th e Maﬁ a has a long history of involvement 
  with organized labor. Inﬁ ltration and control of 
  labor unions allows the Maﬁ a to establish a sort of 
  “monopoly” in a particular industry by controlling its 
  labor supply (thus providing the Maﬁ a with opportu-
  nities to extort money from that industry). Th e Maﬁ a 
  can also force non-union businesses to pay “bribes” to 
  keep from being unionized. Control of unions allows 
  the LCN to skim money from union funds, and 
  control of union workers facilitates other mob activi-
  ties (such as hijacking, gambling, and loansharking). 
  Th e trucking, longshoreman’s, and hotel and restau-
  rant workers’ unions are particularly thought to be 
  Maﬁ a-dominated; so are the construction and waste 
  disposal industries in some places. Dark Champions 
  characters who own businesses might ﬁ nd them-
  selves confronting the Maﬁ a as part of their “day jobs” 
  because of this activity.
  BECOMING 
  A MADE MAN
  To become a “made 
  man” — a true member 
  of the Maﬁ a, and not 
  just an associate or 
  hanger-on — a criminal 
  must be a male of Ital-
  ian ancestry. He must 
  have a long career of 
  crime behind him, pri-
  marily service to the 
  family as an associate. 
  Family members ask 
  the potential member 
  to help them with 
  some crimes, perhaps 
  including a murder to 
  prove the candidate’s 
  ruthlessness and loyalty 
  (sometimes known as 
  “making your bones”). 
  Th e next step is to circu-
  late the candidate’s name 
  around the family, and 
  sometimes around other 
  families or corrupt law 
  enforcement oﬃ  cers, to 
  see what people know 
  or think about him. And 
  of course, to be made, a 
  potential member needs 
  a “sponsor.” If the new 
  member turns out “sour” 
  (no good, worthless, or a 
  traitor), the sponsor may 
  also pay the penalty, so 
  sponsorship is a serious 
  relationship.
  If the prospective 
  member performs ﬂ aw-
  lessly on his “tests” and 
  the family learns noth-
  ing bad about him, they 
  make him a member. 
  A small “initiation cer-
  emony” may take place. 
  Th e new member vows 
  to keep the family as 
  the foremost thing in 
  his life, and swears to 
  die rather than reveal 
  its secrets. When speak-
  ing among themselves, 
  other family members 
  now refer to their new 
  brother as “a friend of 
  ours” (rather than “a 
  friend of mine”). Th e 
  number of made men in 
  the United States is esti-
  mated at between 1,700 
  and 5,000.
  
  292 ■ Dark Champions Adversaries
  Hero System 5th Edition
  OTHER ITALIAN ORGANIZED CRIME
  While the Maﬁ a is the best-known form of 
  Italian organized crime (particularly in the United 
  States), it’s not the only type.
  Th e Sicilian Maﬁ a, from which the American 
  Maﬁ a sprang, remains alive and active to this day, 
  despite numerous eﬀ orts by the Italian govern-
  ment to stamp it out. In recent decades Sicilian 
  Maﬁ osi have become widely involved in smuggling 
  drugs and weapons, money laundering, and related 
  crimes, oft en forming alliances with Russian or 
  Colombian mobsters (not to mention their Ameri-
  can cousins). It’s thought to have about 180 families 
  with approximately 5,000 members.
  Th e Camorra, an organization based in Naples, 
  supposedly arose during Spanish occupation of 
  that area in the early 1800s. It’s thought to be well-
  organized and ﬁ lled with highly disciplined men. 
  Historically it divided Naples (and other nearby 
  regions) into twelve sections, each with its own 
  capo in testa (section chief). Capo’ntrini (gang 
  leaders) control the picciutto, or lowest-ranking 
  members, and report to their capo in testa. Today it 
  has branched out to cover more territory in Europe, 
  and the extent to which the traditional forms of 
  organization still hold true remains unclear. Th e 
  Camorra participates in many diﬀ erent criminal 
  activities, ranging from burglary and street theft  
  to counterfeiting and wide-scale drug smuggling; 
  it also launders money for other Italian organized 
  crime groups, and has formed ties to Russian syn-
  dicates. Camorra members tend to dress and act 
  more ﬂ amboyantly than Sicilian Maﬁ osi.
  Th e ’Ndrangheta, or Calabrian maﬁ a, is a vio-
  lent organized crime group based in the south of 
  Italy. It’s thought to be similar to the Sicilian Maﬁ a 
  in most respects, though it consists of families 
  closely related by blood, marriage, or godparent-
  hood. It’s thought to have approximately 140 clans 
  and around 5,000 total members.
  A fourth group, the Sacra Corona Unita 
  (“United Sacred Crown”) formed in the 1970s or 
  early 1980s in Puglia. Using money from kidnap-
  ping and extortion, it got involved in the inter-
  national drug trade and quickly became a power 
  in the underworld. It has a pyramidal structure 
  similar to that of the Maﬁ a; scholars believe it 
  consists of about 20 families with approximately 
  1,000-1,400 members.
  CHINESE ORGANIZED 
  CRIME
  Although few Americans realize it, the Chinese 
  Triads are one of the largest, most powerful, and 
  most ruthless organized crime groups in the world. 
  Some experts estimate that in Hong Kong, there 
  are at least ﬁ ft y Triads, with as many as 300,000 
  members. Th eir American equivalent, the tongs, 
  add thousands more members to the overall army 
  of Chinese organized crime. 
  Th e modern-day Triads formed in the late 
  1600s not as criminal organizations, but as secret 
  political organizations devoted to the overthrow 
  of the ruling Manchu dynasty. Th ey took their 
  name from a symbol for three important con-
  cepts in Chinese thought — Heaven, Earth, and 
  Man. Later they opposed the inﬂ uence of Western 
  powers in China. But gradually, for various rea-
  sons, the Triads verged into criminal activities, 
  eventually abandoning any true political aspira-
  tions for illegal power and proﬁ t.
  Th e Tongs
  Th e Manchu crackdown in the mid-1800s sent 
  thousands of Triad members ﬂ eeing not only to 
  Hong Kong, but to the United States as well. Rather 
  than establish the Triads here, they set up tongs. 
  “Tong” is Chinese for “town hall,” “assembly hall,” or 
  “clan association.” Like the Triads in China, the tongs 
  THE MAFIA CODE 
  OF HONOR
  In the movies, at least, 
  Maﬁ osi follow a strin-
  gent code of conduct. 
  In real life, respect for 
  the old traditions has 
  faded signiﬁ cantly since 
  the early twentieth cen-
  tury, but some codes of 
  behavior may still apply 
  (at least in some places). 
  At the GM’s option, 
  Maﬁ osi characters may 
  represent the following 
  behavior with a Psycho-
  logical Limitation, Maﬁ a 
  Code Of Honor.
  Th e Maﬁ a code has two 
  components. Th e ﬁ rst 
  is omerta, translated as 
  “silence” or “manliness.” 
  Omerta means members 
  remain silent when ques-
  tioned by the police, and 
  do not go to the police 
  or become informers. A 
  person who squeals or 
  informs violates omerta, 
  and must be punished 
  (oft en with death). How-
  ever, omerta does not 
  always apply to a family’s 
  higher-ups, who may 
  inform the police about 
  another family or “feed” 
  the police lower-level 
  members of their own 
  organization if necessary.
  Th e second part of the 
  Maﬁ a code is rispetto, or 
  “respect.” Respect means 
  lower-echelon Maﬁ osi 
  remain totally loyal to 
  their commanders and 
  their boss. Th ey show 
  respect through obedi-
  ence, speaking only 
  when spoken to, and 
  by turning over a por-
  tion of their proﬁ ts to 
  their boss. Anyone who 
  fails to pay the proper 
  respect risks punish-
  ment, up to and includ-
  ing death. Some bosses 
  care more about the 
  little rituals of respect, 
  such as having the door 
  held open for them by 
  their underlings, than 
  others; the GM should 
  decide what each capo in 
  his campaign demands 
  of his men.
  
  293 
  Dark Champions ■ Chapter Seven
  oft en served as sort of a “benevolent association,” 
  helping the Chinese populace get by in a country of 
  white men. In many ways, the tongs acted as a gov-
  ernment, police force, and welfare agency; they did 
  many good things for they Chinese community. But 
  the tongs also controlled crime in Chinatown, espe-
  cially the vice and opium trades. Th ese enterprises 
  attracted whites as well as Chinese, giving the China-
  towns reputations as little more than enormous vice 
  dens. Th is control of crime was highly proﬁ table for 
  the tongs. Today, a handful of tongs control most of 
  the Chinese crime in the United States. Every major 
  Chinese criminal is a member of a tong, even though 
  many tong members are not criminals at all. Many 
  tongs have strong ties to Triads in China, creating a 
  worldwide network of Chinese organized crime.
  Th ere are no accurate numbers available for 
  tong membership in the United States, but it can 
  be assumed to be substantial. Chinese organized 
  crime is one of the most diﬃ  cult forms of orga-
  nized crime to inﬁ ltrate and gain information on, 
  for several reasons. Informants in the Chinese 
  community — hon chews, “bananas,” so called 
  because they are “yellow on the outside, white on 
  the inside” — are rare. Law enforcement oﬃ  cers 
  who can speak Chinese and work their way into 
  the world of the tongs are few and far between, 
  even in cities with large Chinese populations. Last 
  but not least, Chinese organized crime groups 
  tend to be very cohesive and loyal.
  ORGANIZATION AND STRUCTURE
  Although similar in most ways, Triads and 
  tongs tend to use slightly diﬀ erent forms of orga-
  nization.
  Triad Structure
  Triads generally have a hierarchical structure, 
  with one supreme leader overseeing the activities of 
  lieutenants and underlings. Each type of member 
  has a special number and/or name; all of these num-
  bers begin with “4”, and they are usually divisible by 
  three, to satisfy ancient Chinese superstitions. Th e 
  leader is a 489, and is sometimes known as a “Hill 
  Chief” or a “Dragon Head.” Next, there are second-
  rank leaders, underbosses and lieutenants, each of 
  whom is assigned a speciﬁ c function. For example, 
  there is the 432 (messenger or liaison), and the 438 
  (recruiter or incense master). Below the second rank 
  is the 426, or “Red Pole,” who serves as both enforcer 
  and organizer. Red Poles are brutal men who main-
  tain Triad discipline and secrecy, oft en by violent or 
  lethal means. Close in rank to the enforcer is the 415, 
  an expert on such matters as ﬁ nance, money laun-
  dering, and administration of the Triad. Lastly, there 
  are 49s — the ordinary, “street-level” members.
  Tong Structure
  Some tongs organize themselves similarly to 
  a Triad, but others do things diﬀ erently, favoring a 
  structure that’s more like a Maﬁ a family (and some 
  are even more loosely “organized” than that). Th e 
  leader of this type of tong is known as a chairman 
  or a “Dragon Head.” His “underboss” is usually 
  called a vice-chairman. Th e third position on the 
  chain of command is occupied by the two types 
  of tong secretaries. One is the “English secretary,” 
  who speaks English well, helps run tong businesses, 
  and fulﬁ lls duties similar to those of a consiglieri 
  in the LCN. Th e other is the “street secretary,” a 
  sort of lieutenant or caporegima. A street secretary 
  controls a group of tong men. Below him are “ﬁ rst 
  grade” tong members, and below them are the 
  “look-sees,” or soldiers of the organization.
  Additionally, most Chinese tongs have an aﬃ  li-
  ated street gang which helps them run their criminal 
  enterprises and does the tong’s “dirty work.” Th ese 
  aren’t necessarily youth gangs — though most mem-
  bers are young men, some (particularly the lead-
  ers) are oft en older. As long as the gangs fulﬁ ll their 
  proper roles for the tong — running criminal opera-
  tions and enforcing orders — they can have their 
  own “businesses” (such as gambling, black marketeer-
  ing, and robbery). Th is may lead to intense rivalries 
  between some of the gangs; in some cases, enemy 
  gangs have “shoot on sight” policies.
  Some evidence suggests the tongs have a 
  national “ruling council,” similar to the Commis-
  sion of the Maﬁ a. Law enforcement experts know 
  little about it, but hypothesize that it functions 
  similarly to the Commission.
  Despite the presence of criminals in tongs, 
  many tong members are not criminals. Th ey’re 
  simply ordinary Chinese people who belong to a 
  seemingly benevolent social organization devoted 
  to improving the lot of Chinese people in America.
  CHINESE ORGANIZED CRIME ACTIVITIES
  Compared to some organized crime groups, 
  tong and Triad activities may seem limited. First 
  and foremost they manufacture, smuggle, and sell 
  heroin. Th e Triads and tongs control almost all 
  of the heroin produced in the so-called “Golden 
  Triangle” region of Asia, an area roughly composed 
  of Th ailand, Burma, and Laos. Th ey process the 
  raw heroin there in makeshift  labs, then transship 
  it through Hong Kong and on to America and 
  Europe. Asian heroin, a highly-reﬁ ned form known 
  as “China White,” derives its name from its sellers. 
  Second, Chinese criminals smuggle humans. 
  Chinese people eager to escape Communist China 
  and make a better life for themselves in America 
  or Europe pay tens of thousands of dollars to be 
  snuck out of China by “snakeheads” (professional 
  smugglers). Th ey travel under deplorable condi-
  tions, crammed together in the holds of ships and 
  the like — and many, unable to aﬀ ord the fee, have 
  to indenture themselves to their smugglers (typically 
  as prostitutes or laborers) once they make it to their 
  new home.
  Th ird, tongs and Triads run illegal gambling 
  operations. Th e Chinese people have a great love 
  of gambling. Some Chinese start the day out with a 
  game of chance the same way an American might 
  consult his horoscope. Favored games among the 
  Chinese include mah-jongg, fan-tan (a card game), 
  and paigow (a dominoes game).
  Fourth, Chinese criminals are adept at money 
  laundering. Th ey use their connections in Hong 
  Kong’s ﬁ nancial sectors to make themselves appear 
  to be legitimate businessmen.
  HANGING THE 
  BLUE LANTERN
  Joining a tong is no 
  easy matter. A prospec-
  tive member must be 
  sponsored by an exist-
  ing member. Th en, the 
  prospective member’s 
  name is posted in the 
  tong headquarters. If 
  no member objects 
  within three weeks, 
  the new member is 
  inducted. (Triads 
  similarly “vet” potential 
  members.)
  Both Triads and tongs 
  have elaborate initia-
  tion ceremonies. The 
  Triad ritual, known 
  as “hanging the blue 
  lantern,” derives from 
  rituals developed cen-
  turies ago and contains 
  elements of Buddhism, 
  Taoism, and Confu-
  cianism. However, the 
  modern ritual is much 
  shorter, to avoid detec-
  tion by the police — it 
  used to last three days, 
  but today takes no 
  more than one day, and 
  may only take an hour 
  or so.
  Th e older ritual 
  involved elaborate cos-
  tumes, altars, swords, 
  ﬂ ags, and other sump-
  tuous trappings; the 
  modern ritual has been 
  boiled down to just a 
  few of the older ele-
  ments. First, initiates 
  swear 36 blood oaths 
  of loyalty, brotherhood, 
  and secrecy. Usually the 
  oaths invoke some hor-
  rible fate if the speaker 
  harms the Triad (for 
  example, “May I be 
  struck by lightning a 
  thousand times if I 
  betray the Triad”). Th en 
  a rooster is beheaded, 
  to signify the fate of 
  those who betray the 
  Triad. Next, initiates 
  prick their ﬁ ngers with 
  a needle and mix their 
  blood into a bowl of 
  water or wine; mem-
  bers may also add their 
  blood to the mixture. 
  Initiates then drink 
  Continued on next page
  
  294 ■ Dark Champions Adversaries
  Hero System 5th Edition
  While these are the major activities of Chinese 
  organized crime, they’re not the only ones. Like 
  the Maﬁ a or yakuza, Chinese criminals are willing 
  to use violence, intimidation, and murder to get 
  what they want, drive away their enemies, or make 
  money. Tongs mostly conﬁ ne these (and other) 
  criminals activities to Chinese communities.
  HISPANIC 
  ORGANIZED CRIME
  While Hispanic evildoers have traditionally 
  lagged behind Italian and Chinese criminals when 
  it comes to organizing, their activities in recent 
  years have more than made up for their late start. 
  Th ree main groups exist:  Colombian cartels; Mexi-
  can cartels; and the so-called Mexican Maﬁ a.
  COLOMBIAN CARTELS
  Th e infamous Colombian drug cartels arose to 
  prominence beginning in the 1970s as cocaine use 
  in America grew. By the mid-1980s, they eﬀ ectively 
  controlled large areas of Colombia and neighboring 
  nations — the only place in the world where coca 
  plants (the source of cocaine) grow — and continue 
  to do so to this day. At most times there have beene 
  approximately 20 Colombian cartels, of which ﬁ ve 
  or so have dominated the cocaine trade. As of 2004, 
  the most prominent of these is the Norte del Valle 
  cartel, which displaced the infamous Medellín and 
  Cali cartels in the 1990s. Some estimates claim 
  Norte del Valle controls approximately 60% of the 
  cocaine distributed in the United States, though 
  recent inﬁ ghting among cartel leaders may weaken 
  the group. FARC (page 310) is also involved in the 
  cocaine trade.
  Organization And Structure
  A Colombian cartel is built around a “family” 
  — an actual extended family based on blood, mar-
  riage, and godparenthood which forms the its 
  core. A single member, usually the eldest or most 
  powerful man, despotically rules the family. Allied 
  with the family are a number of semi-independent 
  Colombian drug dealers. Th is allows the cartel to 
  coordinate its entire cocaine manufacturing and 
  distribution eﬀ ort, resulting in a more eﬃ  cient, 
  and thus more proﬁ table, operation. Over its entire 
  network of cocaine processing and distribution, a 
  cartel can have thousands of members.
  A member’s relationship with and duty to the 
  family is that member’s main priority in life. Mem-
  bers of the cartels perform many diﬀ erent jobs:  
  growers, processors, smugglers, bankers, lawyers, 
  chemists, sellers, enforcers, assassins, corrupters 
  (members whose job is to corrupt oﬃ  cials all over the 
  Western Hemisphere, to ensure that the cartels can 
  continue to operate with as little interference as pos-
  sible), and more. Th e cartels have a concept, dignidad 
  or “dignity,” which resembles the Maﬁ a’s rispetto and 
  dictates how members relate to one another. 
  Colombian Cartel Activities
  Th e Colombian drug cartels are an organized 
  crime group focused on a single activity:  the grow-
  ing and distribution of cocaine. (In recent years 
  many have branched out into heroin production 
  and distribution as well.) Th ey sell millions of 
  dollars of it each year in the United States, earn-
  ing money so quickly they cannot even spend 
  it all. Th ey have established alliances with other 
  organized crime groups in Europe and America to 
  facilitate the distribution of drugs and the launder-
  ing of money.
  Th e major cartels have warred with one 
  another since the late 1970s. Th is doesn’t slow down 
  their smuggling, but leads to a great deal of vio-
  lence throughout their sphere of operations. Th ey 
  enforce their will not only by torturing and killing 
  those who oﬀ end or betray them, but those peoples’ 
  wives and children as well. Nor do they scruple to 
  kill judges and high political oﬃ  cials who move too 
  strongly against them.
  MEXICAN CARTELS
  When United States federal law enforce-
  ment made it diﬃ  cult for the Colombian cartels 
  to smuggle drugs into America via the Caribbean 
  and Florida, the Colombians turned to longer 
  but safer routes through Mexico. Th is brought 
  increasing prestige and proﬁ ts to the Mexican 
  drug cartels, which got started as marijuana and 
  heroin manufacturers/smugglers but in many ways 
  eclipsed the Colombian cartels in the 1990s. Inter-
  cartel warfare and crackdowns by the authorities 
  have weakened, but not destroyed, the Mexican 
  cartels since then.
  Organization And Structure
  Th e dozen or more major Mexican drug car-
  tels don’t seem to have any speciﬁ c type of struc-
  ture. Most are led by a single man, or group of men 
  (such as two or more brothers), with varying chains 
  of underlings, lieutenants, soldiers, workers, and so 
  on. Th e major cartels, each named aft er its home 
  territory, include Tijuana, Sinaloa, Juárez, Gulf, 
  Guadalajara, and Sonora.
  In recent years, shakeups among the highest 
  ranks of the cartels (such as the death or arrest of 
  two of the three Arrellano Felix brothers who ran 
  the Tijuana Cartel in 2002, and the arrest and jail-
  ing of Gulf Cartel mastermind Juan Garcia Abrego 
  in 1996) have forced the cartels to behave more 
  professionally. Th ey’ve become quieter, more subtle, 
  and more in favor of alliances and cooperation.
  Mexican Cartel Activities
  Th e Mexican cartels exist to manufacture 
  drugs and smuggle them into the United States. On 
  their own they produce and smuggle marijuana, 
  Mexican heroin, and methamphetamines, but 
  what made them vastly wealthy and powerful was 
  becoming transshippers for Colombian cocaine. 
  It’s estimated that at times, upward of 70 percent of 
  the cocaine entering the United States came in via 
  Mexico.
  To ensure the success of their large-scale 
  operations, the Mexican cartels engage in massive 
  Continued on next page
  from the bowl, signify-
  ing blood brotherhood. 
  Th e tong ritual derives 
  from that of the Triads. 
  Generally, initiates 
  kneel before an altar 
  and, while holding two 
  crossed swords, take the 
  thirty-six oaths of loy-
  alty. Sometimes blood-
  drinking is involved. 
  Again, because of pres-
  sure from modern law-
  enforcement agencies, 
  the tong ritual is much 
  shorter than it was in 
  the past.
  
  295 
  Dark Champions ■ Chapter Seven
  campaigns of corruption, paying oﬀ  Mexican (and 
  sometimes American) oﬃ  cials at the rate of up to 
  $15 million per month at times. When money won’t 
  do the trick, they turn to violence. American DEA 
  agents, Roman Catholic cardinals, high-ranking 
  Mexican oﬃ  cials, and thousands of other people 
  have paid the ultimate price for defying the Mexi-
  can cartels... and sometimes that violence spills 
  over into American cities via the cartels’ distribu-
  tion networks.
  THE MEXICAN MAFIA
  Th e Mexican Maﬁ a got its start in 1957 in the 
  prisons of California as a way for Mexican inmates 
  to protect themselves. Gradually, their group became 
  more and more powerful in the prison system, con-
  trolling the ﬂ ow of illegal weapons and drugs to pris-
  oners. Th ey began to call themselves the “Mexican 
  Maﬁ a” (or later simply La EME, the Spanish word for 
  M) out of admiration for La Cosa Nostra. Eventually, 
  as members got out of prison and continued their 
  illegal activities, the group developed a presence on 
  the outside. Soon La EME formed alliances with 
  criminal groups in Mexico to facilitate the group’s 
  main function, the smuggling and sale of drugs. Th ey 
  continue in this activity today, competing with the 
  Chinese tongs, the Maﬁ a, and other groups for their 
  share of the drug market.
  Th e Mexican Maﬁ a remains a powerful force in 
  many prison systems as well, where it oft en competes 
  with another Hispanic gang, La Nuestra Familia. 
  Ironically, the Mexican Maﬁ a’s ally in this struggle is 
  the white supremacist, neo-Nazi prison gang called 
  the Aryan Brotherhood, which also has links to 
  American outlaw motorcycle gangs (see page 301). 
  La Nuestra Familia in turn allies with the Black Guer-
  rilla Family, a Maoist-oriented prison gang for blacks.
  Organization And Structure
  Most members join the Mexican Maﬁ a while 
  they’re in prison, based on sponsorship by an exist-
  ing member and a vote of approval by the rest of 
  the gang members at that prison. Members must 
  kill on command without hesitation.
  Th e Mexican Maﬁ a has very simple structure. 
  Th ere’s a “general” in overall control, with several 
  “godfathers” as underlings. Th ese men control 
  lower-rank members known, in descending order 
  of importance, as captains, lieutenants, and soldados 
  (soldiers). Individual gangs, and indeed the whole 
  organization, may by now answer to one or more of 
  the powerful and sophisticated Mexican cartels.
  Mexican Maﬁ a Activities
  Th e Mexican Maﬁ a mainly conﬁ nes itself to a 
  single activity:  drug smuggling and sales. La EME 
  is one of the ways by which the Mexican cartels 
  sell their marijuana, heroin, cocaine, and metham-
  phetamine in the United States. In the prisons, the 
  Mexican Maﬁ a also controls illicit activities such as 
  gambling, homosexual prostitution, and making and 
  selling illegal weapons. In or out of prison, La EME 
  has a penchant for extreme violence:  its members 
  are well-known and highly feared for their willing-
  ness to maim and kill at the slightest provocation.
  OTHER HISPANIC ORGANIZED CRIME
  Th e Colombians and the Mexicans are the 
  most prominent Hispanic organized criminals, but 
  not the only ones. Cuban gangs have a strong pres-
  ence in the southeastern United States, where they 
  distribute cocaine and have large illegal gambling 
  operations. Some of the people involved are mili-
  tary veterans (such as participants in the infamous 
  Bay of Pigs invasion), and the gangs have become 
  powerful enough that there’s some evidence of 
  them receiving a “cut” from Maﬁ a activities!
  Dominican gangs control much of the drug 
  distribution in the northeastern United States, 
  largely because the Colombian cartels deal with 
  them almost exclusively. Th e Dominicans have also 
  branched out into gambling, loansharking, and 
  other crimes. Combatting them has proven very 
  diﬃ  cult, since most Dominican “gangs” aren’t really 
  organized at all — countless Dominicans have 
  the Colombian connections they need to get into 
  the business, so if one gang gets arrested, another 
  almost immediately takes its place. Th ey use heav-
  ily-fortiﬁ ed apartments and electronic security 
  devices to hinder police raids.
  RUSSIAN ORGANIZED 
  CRIME
  One of the newest organized crime threats 
  facing the United States and the world is the Orga-
  nizatsiya (“the organization”), more commonly 
  known as the Russian Maﬁ a. Although it was origi-
  nally made up of Russian thugs and criminals of 
  various sorts, since the collapse of the Soviet Union 
  and the rise of the Commonwealth of Independent 
  States (CIS) many former KGB agents and Soviet 
  military oﬃ  cers have become involved with the 
  Russian gangsters, swelling their ranks and bring-
  ing dangerous knowledge with them.
  Th e Russian Maﬁ a probably gained its foot-
  hold in the United States in the mid-1970s, when 
  Soviet oﬃ  cials began to let Russian Jews emigrate 
  to America. As part of this wave of immigration, 
  the KGB and Russian penal authorities released 
  many of their most dangerous criminals and sent 
  them to the United States as “Jewish immigrants.” 
  Th ey also used the new immigration regulations as 
  a way to slip KGB agents into this country unno-
  ticed. Once free in the United States, these Russian 
  criminals went back to their “careers.” Since the 
  Russian immigrant community tends to be very 
  close-knit and suspicious of authority, and few law 
  enforcement oﬃ  cers speak Russian, stopping or 
  inﬁ ltrating the gangs has proven diﬃ  cult at best.
  ORGANIZATION AND STRUCTURE
  While several “maﬁ oski,” such as Evsei Agron 
  and Marat Balagula, have at one time or another 
  been major powers within the Organizatsiya, none 
  of them have ever controlled the gangs in America 
  (or anywhere else), because the Russian Maﬁ a is in 
  many ways very poorly organized. Individual gangs, 
  led by a pakhany or “leader,” generally keep to 
  themselves and do not acknowledge anyone as the 
  MEXICAN HEROIN
  Mexican heroin is 
  known as “Mexican 
  brown” or “Mexican 
  mud,” because of its 
  dark color (as compared 
  to the “China White” 
  heroin grown in the 
  Golden Triangle of Asia 
  and sold by the Chinese 
  Triads and tongs). It’s 
  generally less pure than 
  China White, though 
  there’s a variety of 
  Mexican heroin known 
  as “black tar” which is 
  exceptionally pure.
  Mexican farmers grow 
  opium poppies (the 
  source of heroin) primar-
  ily in the wild, mountain-
  ous Mexican states of 
  Sinaloa, Durango, and 
  Chihuahua. Some heroin 
  also grows in Oaxaca, 
  Michoacan, Jalisco, 
  Nuevo Leon, and Vera-
  cruz. Th e harvest takes 
  place twice a year, from 
  September to November 
  and March to April. Aft er 
  harvesting their crop, the 
  Mexican cartels process 
  it in hidden labs in the 
  states of Sinaloa, Jalisco, 
  and Guerrero. Th e pro-
  cessing of poppy sap into 
  heroin generally takes 
  from one to three days.
  
  296 ■ Dark Champions Adversaries
  Hero System 5th Edition
  overall leader or commander of the Organizatsiya. 
  Th e gangs tend not to divide areas into “turf,” so 
  two or more gangs may run scams or commit rob-
  beries in the same territory. Alliances between dif-
  ferent gangs can shift  from day to day, and rarely 
  solidfy into any sort of advanced hierarchical struc-
  ture like that of the Maﬁ a or yakuza.
  Russian organized crime in Russia itself is 
  somewhat diﬀ erent from the American gangs. For 
  one thing, in a society so riddled with corruption, 
  it has much more power. Second, the gangs tend to 
  segregate themselves along national lines and “spe-
  cialize” in certain crimes. For example, Azeri gangs 
  are said to be the drug dealers, Georgian gangs 
  run casinos, and so forth. However, native Russian 
  gangs maintain strong ties with American gangs; 
  they oft en assist each other or establish criminal 
  “joint ventures.”
  Th e Russian Maﬁ a has established itself not 
  only in New York City but Baltimore, Boston, Buf-
  falo, Chicago, Cleveland, Dallas, Detroit, Los Ange-
  les, Miami, Philadelphia, Portland, San Francisco, 
  Seattle, and many other cities. In some areas the 
  FBI believes the Russian gangsters take over terri-
  tory when key Maﬁ a ﬁ gures are sent to jail. Because 
  of their viciousness and seemingly endless supply 
  of compatriots and allies in Russia, law enforce-
  ment oﬃ  cials worldwide fear the Russian gangs 
  may soon become an even greater criminal threat. 
  Th ey’re considered one of the fastest growing crim-
  inal organizations in the world.
  Th e Vory v Zakone
  One group of Russian criminals that may or 
  may not play a prominent part in the world of 
  Russian organized crime is the vory v zakone, or 
  “thieves-in-law.” Th e vory were an “elite” group 
  of criminals in the Soviet Union (and its prison 
  system), with signiﬁ cant restrictions on who could 
  join. According to some reports, they mark them-
  selves with a distinctive eight-pointed star tattoo.
  Some authorities believe many vory now head 
  Organizatsiya gangs. Others claim that younger, 
  more aggressive, less tradition-bound Russian 
  gangsters have snubbed and bypassed the aging 
  thieves-in-law. Certainly most of the modern gang-
  sters do not follow one of the tenets of the code by 
  which the vory supposedly live — a rejection of 
  materialism and luxury.
  RUSSIAN ORGANIZED CRIME ACTIVITIES
  Th e Russian Maﬁ a gangs got their start mainly 
  with protection rackets and petty theft , but they’ve 
  become powerful enough to attempt even worse 
  crimes. Some of their major activities include gaso-
  line bootlegging, tax fraud, insurance fraud, extortion, 
  large-scale robberies, forgery and counterfeiting (of 
  money, jewelry, and other valuables), contract theft , 
  fencing, gambling, smuggling (to and from Russia, 
  of everything from liquor to kidnapped women), 
  illegal weapons traﬃ  cking (including the smug-
  gling of stolen nuclear materials), credit card fraud, 
  money laundering, and contract murder. Th ey’ve 
  
  297 
  Dark Champions ■ Chapter Seven
  gotten involved with the drug trade as well — Golden 
  Crescent heroin producers ship some of their goods 
  to Russian criminals who send them to their Ameri-
  can counterparts. Farmers in some parts of Russia 
  may now be growing heroin (marijuana has grown 
  wild there for centuries). Th e Russian gangs have 
  established extensive ties with Italian and Colombian 
  organized crime to make their operations even more 
  eﬃ  cient and proﬁ table.
  Th e Russian Maﬁ a is particularly noted for the 
  brutality of its crimes. Maﬁ oski torture and beat 
  people who fail to pay their debts, and kill anyone 
  who crosses them. If necessary they mutilate bodies 
  to prevent identiﬁ cation — they cut oﬀ  ﬁ ngers, dig 
  out bullets, and so on. Many Russian Maﬁ a killers 
  ﬂ y in from Russia for one job, then immediately ﬂ y 
  back out to foil law enforcement.
  Russian criminals have little fear of American 
  law enforcement. Most Organizatsiya members have 
  experienced Soviet police and prisons (not to men-
  tion the KGB) in the past, and consider the American 
  judicial and penological systems a joke. Some law 
  enforcement authorities have also noted that because 
  of Russian compulsory secondary education, Russian 
  Maﬁ oski tend to have better educations than their 
  American counterparts, which contributes to the 
  cleverness and audacity of some of their scams.
  STREET GANGS
  As American inner-city life has become 
  more and more desperate, impoverished, and 
  dangerous, even the children who live in these 
  areas have become involved in crime. Today 
  in all major American cities there are dozens, 
  sometimes hundreds, of street gangs, made up of 
  youths from pre-teen ages to their early twenties. 
  Most of these gangs, which usually have distinc-
  tive names and identifying colors, are 
  black or Hispanic.
  In many ways Los Angeles seems 
  to have the worst — or at least most 
  distinctive — street gang problem. Its 
  literally tens of thousands of gang-
  sters oft en belong to one of two large-
  scale gangs (the Crips and the Bloods; 
  see below). Many gangs in other cities 
  try to imitate them, or form when 
  Crips or Bloods travel there to escape 
  the L.A. law.
  Th e popular conception of street 
  gangs is that they have only male mem-
  bers, but this isn’t necessarily so. Mostly 
  male gangs use females in a variety of 
  roles (renting cars, establishing crack-
  houses and safehouses, carrying drugs, 
  and managing the gang’s ﬁ nances, and 
  so forth). Most large cities also have all-
  female gangs, every bit as vicious and 
  competitive as their male counterparts.
  ORGANIZATION AND STRUCTURE
  Street gangs generally lack any sort of rigid or 
  formal organization; they’re very organic groups. 
  One or more gang members may be (or claim to 
  be) the gang’s leader at any point in time, and they 
  do not normally have “sub-oﬃ  cers.” Wealth, gang 
  occupation (such as drug dealer), and reputation 
  do more to earn a gangster respect than some title. 
  But some gangs “rank” members by age. Th us, in 
  some Los Angeles gangs, members go from being 
  “baby homies” to “little homies” to “TGs” (tiny 
  gangsters) to “OGs” (original gangsters).
  In Los Angeles, the black gangs typically ally 
  with either of two loosely-knit “coalitions” of gangs:  
  the Crips (whose color is blue), or the Bloods 
  (whose color is red). Th us, a gang might call itself 
  the Grape Street Crips or the Ujima Village Bloods. 
  A gang that’s part of one of these larger groups is 
  a “set.” Sets (and other gangs) frequently take their 
  names from their territory (“turf”), their home 
  street, or some distinctive landmark in their turf. 
  Gangs mark their turf with graﬃ  ti.
  Th e Bloods
  Th e Bloods are said to have been founded by 
  two men, Sylvester Scott and Vincent Owen, as a 
  way to protect themselves from attacks by the Crips 
  gang (see below). As a result, the Bloods and Crips 
  have been (and continue to be) deadly enemies, 
  although in recent years there have been some 
  reports of cooperation between the two.
  As their name suggests, the Bloods’ color is 
  red, taken from the school colors of Centennial 
  High School in Compton, California. Bloods always 
  wear red articles of clothing, known as “rags.” 
  Th ey’re also known as “Pirus” or “C/K” (Crip-killer). 
  Each set may be known by its “sign,” a hand signal 
  members “throw,” or display, to other gangbangers.
  
  298 ■ Dark Champions Adversaries
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  Th e Crips
  Th e Crips gang is thought to have been 
  founded by one Raymond Washington in the early 
  1980s. Its name probably comes from the “Tales 
  from the Crypt” comic book or television show, 
  and its color, blue, is taken from Washington High 
  School in south-central Los Angeles. Crips always 
  wear some article of blue clothing, oft en a head-
  band or bandanna. Th ey’re also known as “Cuz,” 
  “B/K” (Blood-killer), or “P/K” (Piru-killer). Unlike 
  Blood sets, which usually work together, most Crips 
  sets are as willing to ﬁ ght each other as they are to 
  ﬁ ght Bloods.
  El Rukns
  Th e El Rukns are a black gang founded in Chi-
  cago by one Jeﬀ  Fort in the 1980s. Originally the 
  gang was based in a large building on South Drexel 
  Street known as “the Fort.” Th e El Rukns became 
  incredibly wealthy and powerful selling crack 
  cocaine, and soon branched out into other crimes 
  — for example, some organized crime ﬁ gures hired 
  El Rukns to commit murders. Even worse, Jeﬀ  Fort 
  conspired with the Libyan government to commit 
  acts of terrorism in the United States. Fortunately, 
  in 1989 several dozen leading ﬁ gures in the El 
  Rukns, including Fort, were indicted by the federal 
  government and subsequently went to prison, and 
  “the Fort” was torn down. Fort’s sons ran parts of 
  the gang for a time, but some have been murdered 
  or arrested. However, the gang remains large and 
  powerful.
  STREET GANG ACTIVITIES
  Because street gangs are so diverse and varied, 
  it’s impossible to associate all of them with one 
  type of crime, or group of crimes. However, most 
  gangs involve themselves in certain types of crimes. 
  Foremost among these is drug dealing. Street gangs 
  in Los Angeles, for example, receive cocaine from 
  Colombian and Mexican cartels. Th e gangs set 
  up their own crackhouses, which they guard with 
  armored doors, sophisticated communications and 
  security technology, and armed guards. A desire for 
  increased proﬁ ts and “turf” may bring them into 
  conﬂ ict with other gangs, or other groups such as 
  the Jamaican posses.
  Most gangs are also involved in property 
  crimes (theft ) and violent crime (such as robbery 
  and murder). Street gangs have a well-earned repu-
  tation for violence, and rightly so. Even the young-
  est members are oft en armed to the teeth, and will-
  ing to ﬁ ght for just about any reason — an insult, 
  a girl, being looked at challengingly, and so on. 
  Th e weapons of choice range from semiautomatic 
  pistols to assault riﬂ es, depending on resources and 
  circumstances. Gangsters frequently try to take out 
  their targets with drive-by shootings, but just as 
  oft en end up hurting or killing innocent bystanders 
  as hitting their intended victims.
  
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  THE YAKUZA
  In Japan, the main organized crime group is 
  the yakuza (pronounced “YA-ku-za,” not “ya-KU-
  za”). According to the best estimates, the 2,500 or 
  so yakuza gangs have a total membership of 85,000 
  to 110,000. Approximately 26,000 yakuza mem-
  bers live in the United States (mainly on the West 
  Coast), and their activities in America are sure to 
  increase over time.
  Th e historical origins of the yakuza are unclear. 
  While some members like to trace their roots to 
  townspeople who gathered together to protect their 
  homes from gangs of criminal samurai, scholars 
  point to bands of traveling peddlers, merchants, and 
  gamblers in the mid-1700s. By the late nineteenth 
  century, the yakuza gangs were powerful enough to 
  become involved in far right-wing politics. World 
  War II destroyed many of these gangsters and their 
  nationalistic dreams, but from the ashes of the Japa-
  nese empire arose a new yakuza, one generally less 
  concerned with politics and more interested in proﬁ t 
  and power. Today the yakuza wields enormous inﬂ u-
  ence within Japanese society.
  Recognizing yakuza members usually isn’t 
  diﬃ  cult. Some gangs have publicly-known oﬃ  ces, 
  newsletters, magazines, ﬂ ags, and group songs. 
  Gang members sometimes wear pins or other iden-
  tifying symbols, and dress and style their hair in 
  distinctive ways. Th ey oft en sport beautiful, elabo-
  rate tattoos, though they oft en stop short of tat-
  tooing any area they can’t easily cover with clothes 
  (such as the hand or face). Gangsters who fail their 
  bosses may have to atone through yubitsume, the 
  ritual cutting oﬀ  of a portion of one ﬁ nger (the 
  greater the infraction, the more they have to cut).
  ORGANIZATION AND STRUCTURE
  Th e foundation of all yakuza groups is the 
  oyabun-kobun relationship, which literally means 
  “father-role — child-role” relationship. An oyabun 
  acts as the sponsor, supporter, and mentor for the 
  kobun (oft en a younger man), and in many ways 
  compares to a Maﬁ a caporegima (or sometimes to 
  a Maﬁ a capo, depending on the circumstances). 
  Each oyabun has immense power and inﬂ uence 
  within his nawabari (“roped-oﬀ  area”), or territory. 
  Th e nawabari of an oyabun who is the absolute 
  leader of an entire yakuza family is of course quite 
  extensive. In exchange for the oyabun’s support and 
  protection, the kobun serves him unhesitatingly 
  and faithfully.
  Th e yakuza, like the Maﬁ a, organizes itself 
  into large gangs known as ikka, or “families.” Th ese 
  families are not related by blood, but by “adoption” 
  and sponsorship. Members of a family are miuchi, 
  or “members of the same body.”
  Gumi
  Yakuza families typically have one of two basic 
  types of structures. Th e ﬁ rst is the gumi (“associa-
  tion,” “company,” or “gang”), which is exempliﬁ ed 
  by the largest of the yakuza gangs, the Yamaguchi-
  gumi. A gumi has a hierarchical structure, with 
  one chief oyabun (known as a  kumicho [“supreme 
  chief”] or the kaicho [“chairman”]) in total control 
  of the gang. Immediately below the chief are twelve 
  leading bosses (with various titles and roles) and a 
  group of sanro-kai (advisors similar to the consigl-
  ieri of a Maﬁ a family). Below the twelve bosses are 
  lesser bosses who command other underlings, and 
  eventually groups of kobun (“children”) or kumi-in 
  (“enlisted men”) — the street-level members of the 
  organization. All of these relationships and ranks are 
  based on the oyabun-kobun system. A person’s rank 
  within a gumi is usually dependent upon his earning 
  power and upon how many men owe him loyalty.
  Rengo
  Th e second type of yakuza gang structure 
  is the rengo, or “federation” of gangs. A rengo is a 
  “league” of yakuza gangs, with several powerful 
  oyabuns as “partners.” A rengo is much more decen-
  tralized than a gumi, giving members much greater 
  autonomy and power than gumi gangsters have. 
  Each oyabun still has absolute power in his own 
  individual gang, so if the entire rengo is to act in 
  concert, the bosses must agree on what to do. Th us, 
  this sort of gang moves much more slowly than 
  does a gumi, but retains an individual ﬂ exibility 
  and independence which a gumi lacks.
  Gang Structure
  Th ere are three types of yakuza gangsters:   
  tekiya (who are involved in crimes like drug deal-
  ing, extortion, protection rackets, labor racketeer-
  ing, and so on); bakuto (gambling and vice crimes); 
  and gurentai (“hoodlums,” who commit violent 
  crimes). Th e street-level gangs centered around 
  each type of gangster have their own distinctive 
  structures and cultures, though in the modern day 
  these distinctions (and the types of crimes the gang 
  commits) tend to blur.
  YAKUZA ACTIVITIES
  Th e yakuza engages in a wide range of criminal 
  activities:  extortion; gambling; drug and gun smug-
  gling; murder; loansharking; theft ; fraud; and so on. 
  Some of the more distinctive yakuza crimes include:
  Vice Crimes
  In addition to tobaku (gambling), which is 
  thought to account for about one-fourth of the 
  yakuza’s income, Japanese gangs also get involved 
  in the illegal sex industry. Th ey smuggle pornogra-
  phy, act as pimps, and so forth.
  And sometimes the yakuza actually brings the 
  women themselves to Japan. Yakuza involvement 
  in white slavery (“selling spring,” in yakuza slang), 
  oft en depicted in ﬁ ction, does in fact occur. Th ough 
  the white slave trade from other Asian countries is 
  more extensive, the greatest demand is for Western 
  women, whom Japanese men regard as “exotic.” Th e 
  usual yakuza scam is to work through a bogus “talent 
  agency” which recruits aspiring American female 
  performers for jobs in Japan. Once they arrive in 
  Japan, they ﬁ nd out that the real job involves enter-
  tainment of a diﬀ erent sort. Th ese hapless women, 
  alone in a strange culture and unable to speak the 
  language, oft en end up as slaves, forced to obey the 
  whims of their yakuza captors.
  JOINING THE 
  YAKUZA
  Any Japanese male 
  could become a yakuza, 
  but most members come 
  from certain groups. 
  Th e ﬁ rst is the bosozoku, 
  or hot-rod gangs 
  — roughly speaking, the 
  Japanese equivalent of 
  street gangs and motor-
  cycle gangs. Th ey pro-
  vide about one-third of 
  yakuza recruits, though 
  many yakuza members 
  look down on them. 
  Another steady source 
  of yakuza recruits are 
  classes discriminated 
  against in Japan:  for-
  eigners (such as Koreans 
  and Chinese); the bura-
  kumin (Japan’s tradi-
  tional caste of “untouch-
  ables”); and so on. In 
  some gangs, a majority 
  of the members come 
  from these groups.
  Yakuza recruits usu-
  ally spend six months 
  to a year (or more) in 
  “training.” Th is involves 
  performing menial tasks 
  for the boss and is oft en 
  boring, but the recruit 
  also learns about the 
  gang’s criminal activi-
  ties. Recruits who dis-
  play the proper attitude 
  and aptitude move up 
  the hierarchy of house-
  hold tasks, and eventu-
  ally make their way into 
  a criminal enterprise 
  (such as a gambling 
  ring). Others quit or fail.
  
  300 ■ Dark Champions Adversaries
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  Sokaiya
  In addition to other ﬁ nancial crimes such as 
  loansharking and fraud, the yakuza is known for 
  a special type of corporate extortion. Th e sokaiya 
  (“shareholder’s meeting man”) are combination 
  corporate extortionists and ﬁ nancial strong-arm 
  men. Th ey earn money by exploiting Japanese busi-
  ness’ desire for a staid image and eﬃ  cient opera-
  tions. Typically, a sokaiya buys a few shares of a 
  corporation’s stock; this entitles him to attend the 
  annual shareholder’s meeting. Th en he contacts the 
  corporation’s oﬃ  cers and threatens to disrupt the 
  meeting and make trouble unless the company pays 
  him oﬀ  — which it does, to avoid the trouble and 
  embarrassment. Alternately, a sokaiya may uncover 
  blackmail information about corporate oﬃ  cers or 
  corporate activities, then force the corporation to 
  pay to keep the information secret.
  Sometimes the sokaiya work for the corpora-
  tion. For a price, groups of sokaiya show up at the 
  shareholder’s meeting to quell any dissent or unde-
  sirable proposals by threatening or harassing stock-
  holders. In other words, a corporation might deal 
  with one group of sokaiya by hiring another group 
  of sokaiya to take care of it.
  MISCELLANEOUS 
  ORGANIZED 
  CRIME GROUPS
  Here are a few more organized crime groups 
  that Dark Champions characters might encounter.
  JAMAICAN POSSES
  In the 1980s, a new organized crime group 
  emerged on the American crime scene:  Jamaican 
  posses, which take their name from the members’ 
  love of Western movies. Individual posses usu-
  ally take their names from the neighborhoods in 
  Jamaica where they began; some of them include:  
  Banton; the Gulleymen; Rankers (or Southies); 
  Shower; Spangler; Super; Tel-Aviv; Waterhouse 
  Riverton City. As of 1991, authorities estimated that 
  there were approximately 40 posses with 20,000 
  members in the United States. Since then, it’s 
  thought that many posses have fragmented, slowed 
  down, or merged with other black gangs.
  Posse members oft en sport distinctive “dread-
  lock” hairdos and Caribbean accents, though some 
  deliberately avoid these features (as best they can). 
  While there’s no ﬁ rm evidence of speciﬁ c connec-
  tions between the posses and the Rastafarian reli-
  gious movement, some posse members use Rasta-
  farian slang to confuse the police. Examples include 
  “baldhead” (an undesirable outsider) and “beast” 
  (the police). Similarly, there’s no known connection 
  between Jamaican posses and voodoo or voodoo-
  like religions, but action movies and stories oft en 
  mix the two, and GMs can do the same to create 
  “voodoo posses.”
  Organization And Structure
  Most posses have three “levels” of member-
  ship. At the top are one or more leaders, sometimes 
  called “generals,” who control the posse but don’t 
  get involved in street-level operations. Sometimes 
  two or more members share leadership, or the top 
  position shift s from one person to another. Th e 
  second level consists of lieutenants who transport 
  drugs, weapons, and proﬁ ts to (and from) the 
  leader(s). Occupying the lowest level are the street-
  level drug dealers, who also commit the bulk of the 
  posse’s violent crimes. Within a posse there may 
  also be several factions.
  Posses are close-knit and disciplined, and 
  thus diﬃ  cult to inﬁ ltrate or gather intelligence on. 
  Many consist of members who all come from the 
  same neighborhood in Jamaica and/or are related 
  by blood or marriage. If necessary, gang leaders 
  can threaten to harm loved ones back in Jamaica to 
  keep a member in line. However, the posses don’t 
  seem to demand much in the way of gang loyalty. If 
  a member wants to, he can switch from one posse 
  to another with no consequences.
  Posse Activities
  Th ough the posses involve themselves in a 
  number of criminal activities, by far their chief 
  activity is drug smuggling. Th ey smuggle cocaine 
  and marijuana into this country and sell it for 
  great proﬁ t. Th ey’re well-known for their high-
  grade “sinsemilla” marijuana, and for selling crack 
  cocaine. Th eir close ties to the Colombian cartels 
  allow them to “vertically integrate” their operations 
  — rather than working with middlemen, a posse 
  acquires its cocaine directly from the source and 
  controls it all the way to street-level sales. Posses 
  usually sell drugs from crackhouses (sometimes 
  called “gatehouses”) — old, extensively-fortiﬁ ed 
  buildings with solid steel doors, heavily armed 
  guards, guard dogs, and the like. It’s not uncommon 
  for a posse to sell high-quality drugs for extremely 
  low prices to drive away competition; if that doesn’t 
  work, a posse won’t hesitate to resort to violence 
  and murder.
  Unlike other organized crime groups, posses 
  collect their drug proﬁ ts aft er the street-level deal-
  ers make sales — a sort of “drugs on consignment” 
  system. Th e lower ranks channel the proﬁ ts back up 
  to the leader, who distributes the money to mem-
  bers as he sees ﬁ t. Th is system has caused conﬂ icts 
  within some posses.
  Posses don’t seem to be as involved in money 
  laundering as other drug dealing groups. Th ey keep 
  their proﬁ ts in cash, and use their money to buy 
  personal property, land, weapons, and businesses.
  Besides drug distribution, posses are also par-
  ticipate in ﬁ rearms smuggling, forgery, auto theft , 
  kidnappings, robberies, insurance fraud, and “home 
  invasions” (a combination violent robbery and party 
  in which the invaders terrorize the homeowners, and 
  sometimes torture and/or murder them).
  All of these activities have earned the posses 
  a well-deserved reputation for incredibly violent, 
  murderous behavior. Th ere’s nothing a posse 
  member loves so much as a good gun; they favor 
  THE YAKUZA IN THE 
  UNITED STATES
  Despite its Japanese 
  origins, the yakuza is 
  no stranger to Ameri-
  can shores. America 
  provides a marketplace 
  for yakuza drugs, and a 
  source of guns and por-
  nography.
  Currently, most of the 
  yakuza in the United 
  States are in Hawaii and 
  on the West Coast. For 
  example, the 200,000 
  Japanese in Los Ange-
  les’s Little Tokyo oﬀ ers 
  the yakuza criminal 
  opportunities similar to 
  those in Japan. However, 
  some evidence exists 
  of links between the 
  yakuza and the Maﬁ a in 
  New York City and else-
  where. Th e “agents” of 
  the two groups can meet 
  in Hawaii or Las Vegas 
  to make deals and form 
  alliances. Th e two orga-
  nizations have worked 
  together to set up illegal 
  gambling operations 
  and international theft  
  networks.
  
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  Dark Champions ■ Chapter Seven
  powerful handguns, the “mini” submachineguns, 
  and assault riﬂ es, and don’t hesitate to use them. 
  Some evidence suggests individual posses actually 
  train for combat; some authorities have described 
  them as “lusting aft er” violence and guns.
  OUTLAW MOTORCYCLE GANGS
  In the United States today, there are an esti-
  mated 800-900 criminal motorcycle gangs, some 
  quite small but others extremely large (with world-
  wide membership in some cases). Th e four major 
  gangs — the Hell’s Angels, the Outlaws, the Bandi-
  dos, and the Pagans — are wide-ranging, full-time 
  organized criminal groups, despite their attempts to 
  maintain a facade of innocent activity. According to 
  DEA estimates, these four have a combined mem-
  bership of over 3,000, possibly with as many as ten 
  non-member “associates” per member.
  Besides his motorcycle, a biker gang member’s 
  most prized possession is his “colors” — a sleeveless 
  leather jacket distinctively decorated with patches, 
  gang logos, and sometimes the name of the owner’s 
  home chapter or town. (In HERO System terms, 
  wearing colors is a Distinctive Feature.) Reports 
  describe some motorcycle gangs as abandoning 
  their bikes and colors in an eﬀ ort to become more 
  like “mainstream” organized criminals.
  Organization And Structure
  Despite their reputation as rowdy, almost 
  anarchistic, rebels, outlaw motorcycle gangs actu-
  ally have sophisticated, organized structures. In 
  most cases, the overall gang divides into “chapters” 
  which belong to “regional” groups as well as the 
  national organization. A “mother club” leads the 
  entire national gang; usually it’s either the gang’s 
  very ﬁ rst chapter, or a national body in which each 
  member oversees a portion of the gang’s chapters. 
  Th e national president isn’t always an actual leader, 
  though — he may just be the gang’s spokesman.
  Th e leadership of an individual gang chapter 
  consists of a president, vice-president, secretary-
  treasurer, and sergeant-at-arms. Th e gang ﬁ lls each 
  position through an election for a set term. Addi-
  tionally, a gang may have informal “leaders” who 
  in fact wields more power and inﬂ uence than the 
  elected leadership.
  Most chapters have a “clubhouse” that serves 
  as the gang’s headquarters. Many clubhouses are 
  actually armed fortresses, complete with elaborate 
  security systems.
  Joining an outlaw motorcycle gang is no easy 
  task. First, an established member has to introduce 
  the prospective member to the chapter. Next, the 
  chapter checks the prospect’s background (oft en 
  with the help of gang women who work in govern-
  ment oﬃ  ces). A prospect who comes up “clean” 
  goes through a probationary period in which the 
  chapter tests his loyalty and willingness to commit 
  crimes. Only men can join; biker gangs treat women 
  as property that’s less important than a member’s 
  motorcycle — almost as slaves, in other words.
  Biker Gang Activities
  Outlaw motorcycle gangs are involved in just 
  about every sort of criminal activity, including 
  arson and bombings, assault, auto theft , drug traf-
  ﬁ cking, extortion, murder for hire, kidnapping, 
  rape, receiving stolen goods, and robbery. Some of 
  the gangs also produce methamphetamines, includ-
  ing the designer drug “ice,” which sometimes brings 
  them into competition with the yakuza for markets. 
  A chapter’s mobility makes it diﬃ  cult to investigate 
  and apprehend.
  Some criminal motorcycle gangs, particularly 
  the Hell’s Angels, are known to have links to the 
  Maﬁ a. Th e Maﬁ a uses motorcycle gang members 
  for contract murders, drug distribution, and the 
  intimidation of witnesses in criminal trials.
  Th e diﬀ erent criminal motorcycle gangs some-
  times compete for criminal territory, and this can 
  lead to bloody wars. In particular, the Hell’s Angels 
  and the Outlaws have a deep and abiding hatred for 
  one another, and engage in ambushes, bombings, and 
  outright combat in an attempt to destroy each other.
  VIETNAMESE STREET GANGS
  When the Communist forces in Vietnam 
  won the war there in the early 1970s, hundreds of 
  thousands of non-communist Vietnamese ﬂ ed for 
  their lives. Many of them ended up in the United 
  States. Among those thousands were many who 
  became involved in criminal activities against 
  their own people.
  Adult Vietnamese Gangs
  Vietnamese crime gangs can be divided 
  into two types:  adult gangs and youth gangs. 
  Th e adult gangs consist of older men, oft en all 
  of whom belonged to the same South Vietnam-
  ese combat unit (which means they have lots of 
  combat-related Skills).
  Adult Vietnamese gangs engage in such illegal 
  activities as gambling, murder, arson, fraud, and 
  extortion (they threaten to label a Vietnamese-
  American as pro-communist unless he pays them 
  a substantial sum of money). Th e adult gangs, 
  because of their training and attitudes, are capable 
  of extremely violent and brutal behavior.
  Vietnames Youth Gangs
  Th e youth gangs are generally small, with from 
  ﬁ ft een to thirty members. Th ey diﬀ er from other 
  street gangs in some ways. First, they usually don’t 
  claim a set territory, preferring to remain mobile. 
  Sometimes they travel great distances to commit 
  crimes (or entire crime sprees). Second, gang mem-
  bers sometimes change aﬃ  liation quickly, since 
  there’s no initiation ritual, nor a penalty for leaving 
  the gang. In fact, the membership can change daily 
  as the gang travels.
  Second, Vietnamese youth gangs don’t always 
  have a name. Early gangs didn’t choose names or 
  colors for themselves. Th is has changed in some 
  cities, and a few gangs (Born To Kill, the Black 
  Eagles, the Pink Knights, and the Th under Tigers, 
  among others) are known nationwide.
  Other than this, though, Vietnamese gangs 
  tend to be a lot like other youth gangs. Th ey totally 
  
  302 ■ Dark Champions Adversaries
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  exclude females (some all-female Vietnamese youth 
  gangs exist), though they may use girls as money 
  managers or the like. Th e leader of a Vietnamese 
  youth gang is usually one of the older members; he 
  directs the gang’s criminal operations, disposes of 
  stolen goods, and obtains drugs for his followers.
  Vietnamese Gang Activities
  Vietnamese youth gangs mainly commit 
  property crimes such as theft , burglary, protection 
  rackets, and extortion; they favor other Vietnamese 
  and Chinese people as their targets. Some gangs 
  specialize in stealing cars and car stereos, disposing 
  of the stolen vehicles through sophisticated “chop 
  shop” operations. Th e sophistication and precision 
  of some Vietnamese gangs’ operations suggests the 
  possibility of outside control, such as by an adult 
  gang or Chinese tong.
  Th e Vietnamese gangs are infamous for their 
  so-called “home invasions,” a particularly violent 
  form of robbery. First, they gather “intelligence” 
  about a particular family. At the right time (oft en 
  during a party, wedding, or similar event), the 
  gang bursts in and begins terrorizing and robbing 
  everyone present. Vandalism, sexual assaults, and 
  murders oft en occur. Aft erwards, the gang’s money 
  manager divides the loot among the members in 
  proper proportion.
  Vietnamese youth gangs are known for their 
  incredible viciousness and violent tendencies. Th ey 
  favor high-caliber handguns, and aren’t afraid of 
  armed confrontations with the police.
  
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  Dark Champions ■ Chapter Seven
  W
  hile organized criminals are the most 
  likely foes for Dark Champions charac-
  ters in many circumstances, they’re not 
  the only denizens of the underworld 
  that action heroes might encounter.
  CINEMATIC MASTERMINDS
  In James Bond-style espionage campaigns and 
  other “cinematic” games, the hero (or heroes) oft en 
  ﬁ nd themselves opposed by a “mastermind” villain 
  — the sort of criminal genius common to comic 
  books and adventure stories despite the fact that he 
  has no real-world equivalent. Most cinematic mas-
  terminds have several traits in common:
  Wealth:  Cinematic masterminds are fabulously 
  wealthy. Most of them tend to be industrialists, 
  or at least to have vast industrial holdings; others 
  might be arms dealers, media moguls, former mili-
  tary or espionage operatives, or perhaps even orga-
  nized crime leaders with aspirations of world rule.
  Grandiloquent Schemes:  Because they’re rich, cin-
  ematic masterminds don’t commit their crimes for 
  money. What they want is power. Typically they 
  intend to rule the world, or at least a large part of it 
  (much like many comic book supervillains); other 
  possible goals include control of the oceans, outer 
  space, the media, or some valuable resource (such 
  as gold).
  Independence:  Cinematic masterminds usually 
  don’t belong to organizations or groups. Th ey lead 
  their own organizations, of course, but they don’t 
  have partners or allies — aft er all, they don’t need 
  them.
  Powerful Lieutenants:  Few cinematic masterminds 
  have any signiﬁ cant skill at combat. Th ey’re think-
  ers and schemers, not ﬁ ghters. Instead, they have 
  one (or several) bodyguards and/or lieutenants 
  who possess all the brawn and combat ability they 
  lack. A lieutenant might even possess mildly “super-
  human” abilities or unique weapons thanks to the 
  mastermind’s scientiﬁ c prowess.
  Pets:  Masterminds love pets. Oft en these are 
  particularly vicious or dangerous beasts (tigers, 
  sharks, schools of piranha, trained guard dogs), but 
  more than one mastermind has had a penchant for 
  elegantly-groomed, long-haired cats.
  RESOURCES
  Masterminds use their wealth and inﬂ u-
  ence to obtain the extensive resources they need 
  to make their plans succeed. Some of the most 
  common include:
  Secret Headquarters
  Most masterminds have a secret headquar-
  ters where they hide their super-weapons and 
  private armies (see below) until the time is ripe 
  to reveal them to the world. Typically a secret 
  headquarters is located in a picturesque, oft en 
  diﬃ  cult-to-reach location:  outer space; the ocean 
  ﬂ oor; high in the Himalayas; behind an enormous 
  waterfall; a remote island.
  Naturally, a secret headquarters is well-
  defended. In addition to standard security devices 
  (oft en tuned to have lethal eﬀ ects) and guards from 
  the mastermind’s private army, a secret headquar-
  ter’s security may include things like deadly lasers, 
  poison gas traps, and the like.
  Most masterminds don’t spend all their time 
  at their secret headquarters — aft er all, before they 
  spring their schemes, they appear to be nothing 
  more than fabulously wealthy (if perhaps aloof 
  and eccentric) men of society. Mansions, villas, and 
  penthouses in the glittering cities and luxurious 
  resort locales of the world are practically required 
  for such a lifestyle, as are private jets and yachts to 
  get from one house to another.
  Private Army
  Since a cinematic mastermind can’t be every-
  where at once, he usually has a secret army to help 
  him conquer the world. His soldiers usually have 
  their own uniforms, and wield the best weaponry 
  he can buy or build. Part of the army is a corps of 
  skilled scientists, engineers, and technicians who 
  develop and maintain the mastermind’s superweap-
  ons. Th e army also includes espionage agents who 
  investigate and oppose the heroes while the master-
  mind is still developing his scheme.
  Super-Weapons
  Since you can’t conquer the world with 
  mere threats and bluster, the cinematic master-
  mind needs an ultra-weapon powerful enough to 
  threaten entire governments (if not the world). 
  Sometimes the weapon is designed not for direct 
  attack, but to trick the world’s powers into attack-
  ing each other — for example, the mastermind 
  might use a high-tech plane to kidnap diplomatic 
  delegations from the United States and China in 
  the hopes of precipitating a war between those two 
  nations. Others are true weapons:  orbital lasers; 
  special intercontinental missiles; plague bombs; 
  tsunami generators.
  OTHER 
  CRIMINALS
  
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  COSTUMED CRIMINALS
  In the vigilante crimeﬁ ghting, Dark Champi-
  ons: Th e Animated Series, and possibly even law 
  enforcement subgenres, the heroes aren’t necessar-
  ily the only ones who wear costumes. Th eir adver-
  saries, be they mundane criminals or “villains” with 
  superhuman powers, may also adopt outlandish 
  garb as a way of distinguishing themselves from 
  ordinary members of the underworld.
  In some subgenres, particularly DC:TAS, cos-
  tumed criminals tend to have “themes.” If they have 
  powers, those powers derive from some phenom-
  enon or object that inﬂ uences the villain’s thinking 
  and crimes. If they don’t have powers, the costume, 
  associated gadgets, and crimes the character com-
  mits revolve around some subject he obsesses over.
  Example:  Exposure to a biological weapon 
  derived from serpent venom gave Karl Has-
  feld strange powers — the ability to “see” heat 
  patterns, immunity to virtually any form of 
  poison, swift ness greater than human normal 
  — and also aﬀ ected his mind, making him 
  twisted and cruel. He became the costumed 
  criminal Serpentine, using his powers to steal 
  and commit mayhem. Many (but not all) of his 
  crimes involve serpents; for example, he might 
  use a plague of rattlesnakes to clear out a bank 
  so he can rob it, or steal a jeweled cobra from 
  the Egyptian display at a museum.
  Example:  Aft er his career as an inventor failed 
  to take oﬀ , William Starkey’s mind went over 
  the edge. He became obsessed with astrology, a 
  subject that had long interested him. Using his 
  technical skills to create a weapon he called his 
  Star-Staﬀ , he adopted the identity of the Astrol-
  oger and began committing robberies and other 
  crimes. Most of his theft s are of objects associ-
  ated with the stars, space, and fortunetelling 
  (such as moon rocks, star sapphires, or antique 
  tarot decks).
  While they’re unquestionably criminals, not 
  all costumed criminals are quite as despicable as 
  the average street crook. Some may have noble 
  motivations or follow codes of honor; others go out 
  of their way to eschew violence and avoid killing. 
  But plenty of them are as cruel and ruthless as any 
  other member of the underworld.
  Costumed criminals aren’t always skilled 
  combatants. Some have few, if any, ﬁ ghting skills, 
  instead using hired thugs or high-tech weapons to 
  oppose the PCs. Once the heroes make it through 
  these obstacles to reach the costumed criminal, one 
  punch is usually all it takes to knock him out.
  
  305 
  Dark Champions ■ Chapter Seven
  ROBBERY CREWS
  Action movies and novels oft en feature 
  “crews” of highly-skilled robbers who pull oﬀ  
  major heists. Th ese are basically the same as the 
  PC groups in a Caper Hero campaign, but they’re 
  entirely criminal. As part of their professionalism, 
  many of them are absolutely ruthless — they’ll 
  kill victims or witnesses the instant it becomes 
  expedient to do so, and perhaps even as a way of 
  setting up their crimes.
  What sets a robbery crew apart from the usual 
  band of thugs and killers is their intelligence and 
  high-tech savvy. Th ese aren’t just smash-and-grab 
  gangs, they’re groups of professional thieves who 
  plan their jobs exquisitely. Th e scores they go aft er 
  are worth at least several hundred thousand dol-
  lars, and targets worth tens of millions aren’t out of 
  the question. Th anks to the high proﬁ ts they make 
  from these jobs, they can aﬀ ord the best equipment 
  for the next job — everything they need to make a 
  robbery go without a hitch and deal with any oppo-
  sition that arises.
  Most robbery crews include some or all of 
  the following members. Sometimes one member 
  takes on two or more roles to minimize the risk of 
  exposure (or, in game terms, to keep the crew from 
  becoming so large it could overwhelm the PCs).
  The Leader:  Th is is the guy in charge of the opera-
  tion. He’s got a well-rounded set of skills, coupled 
  with intelligence, conﬁ dence, and a cool head 
  in a crisis. He does most of the planning for the 
  crew’s jobs, negotiates with fences and prospective 
  employers, and so forth.
  The Burglar:  Th e Burglar is the team’s inﬁ ltration 
  specialist — an expert at getting into places where 
  he’s not supposed to be. Athletic, and oft en hand-
  some, he possesses Skills such as Climbing, Lock-
  picking, and Security Systems.
  The Computer Expert:  Some robbery crews need a 
  person who can work with computer systems, or 
  even a full-blown hacker. He gets them information 
  on potential targets, uncovers weaknesses in secu-
  rity nets, and so forth. If the team needs to work 
  with a computer on-site to open a time-locked 
  vault or get some valuable data from a hard drive, 
  the Computer Expert is essential.
  The Demolitionist:  A robbery crew oft en needs an 
  explosives expert. Depending on the job, the Dem-
  olitionist may have to blow open a safe or a door, 
  destroy an overpass to stop pursuers, or the like.
  The Driver:  When a fast getaway is essential, the 
  Driver takes over. Skilled at operating just about 
  any type of land vehicle, he can drive with a speed 
  and precision that leaves most cops in the dust. In 
  some stories, he’s an all-vehicle expert, able to ﬂ y 
  aircraft  as well.
  The Face Man:  In crews that rely more on subterfuge 
  and deception, the Face Man is a key player. An expert 
  at disguises, impersonation, and conﬁ dence games, he 
  distracts the target while his confederates learn what 
  they need to know or steal what they came to get.
  The Safecracker:  No lock can foil the Safecracker 
  for long. Whether it’s an ordinary door, a vault door, 
  or something in between, given enough time and 
  the right tools he can ﬁ nd a way to open it. In crews 
  without a Burglar, he may in eﬀ ect fulﬁ ll that role 
  as well.
  The Seductress:  While most crews are all-male, 
  some include a woman — a beautiful one who uses 
  her feminine wiles to get close to the target and 
  learn valuable information. She sometimes doubles 
  as the Computer Expert, Driver, or Face Man.
  The Weapons Man:  Crew that are willing to resort 
  to violence usually have at least one weapons 
  expert on the team. You can identify him from his 
  heavier body armor and larger (and more numer-
  ous) weapons. He also tends to be the biggest, most 
  muscular member of the team.
  SERIAL KILLERS
  For years, serial killers have been the subject 
  of a sort of morbid fascination on the public’s part. 
  Novels, movies, and television shows such as Red 
  Dragon, Th e Silence Of Th e Lambs, and Proﬁ ler have 
  fed this interest, so it’s not surprising that serial kill-
  ers oft en appear in Dark Champions scenarios.
  Serial killers suﬀ er from a condition known as 
  antisocial personality disorder (or less formally as 
  sociopathy or psychopathy; see below). Th ey feel 
  little emotion, view others as objects, don’t experi-
  ence guilt or remorse, and can rarely be dissuaded 
  by the possibility of punishment. Th eir murders, 
  committed in part because they allow the killer 
  to experience emotional/sexual feelings he rarely 
  can, are horriﬁ c, involving sexual assault, torture, 
  and mutilation. Th ey murder again and again until 
  caught, their crimes becoming more and more 
  depraved and violent.
  Most serial killers are white males in their 20s 
  and 30s.
  TYPES OF SERIAL KILLERS
  Th e FBI divides serial killers into two groups 
  — organized and disorganized — though like any 
  other classiﬁ cation scheme, this one has its gaps and 
  imperfections (for example, some serial killers are 
  “mixed,” displaying traits of both categories). Orga-
  nized serial killers are usually intelligent, seemingly 
  normal men whose crimes derive from depraved, 
  sadistic fantasies that sometimes have a twisted logic 
  (for example, a particular killer’s victims may all part 
  their hair a certain way). Th is “logic” may provide 
  clues or other information to help the police (or PCs!) 
  catch the killer. Organized serial killers plan their 
  murders with care, bringing weapons and needed 
  “equipment” (such as rope) with them. Th ey pick vic-
  tims by staking out or patrolling areas to ﬁ nd the type 
  of woman they want, then get close to the victim and 
  gain control of her with their verbal skills or ruses. 
  Aft er the murder, an organized killer hides the body 
  and removes evidence (for example, by dismember-
  ing the corpse, making identiﬁ cation of it diﬃ  cult). 
  He may take “trophies,” such as jewelry or clothing, 
  from the victim. Th e more killings an organized serial 
  
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  killer commits, the better he becomes at covering his 
  tracks... but he may become overconﬁ dent as well.
  A disorganized serial killer is motivated not 
  so much by perverse sexual fantasies as by a deep-
  seated mental illness or delusion (such as believing 
  he must drink others’ blood to sustain his own life). 
  Extremely introverted, disorganized serial killers 
  are so disturbed they cannot function normally in 
  society. For example, they may be unable to drive, 
  and their homes and personal eﬀ ects are slovenly 
  and in bad condition. Th ey do not choose victims 
  safely and logically; they’re more prone to take 
  high-risk victims in quick attacks. Th e crime scenes 
  they leave behind are chaotic, with no attempt to 
  hide evidence; the victims are oft en mutilated, and 
  in many cases the killer covers the victim’s face (to 
  “depersonalize” her). If the killer takes a “trophy,” it’s 
  usually some hair or a body part.
  ANTISOCIAL PERSONALITY DISORDER
  More commonly known as sociopathy or psy-
  chopathy, antisocial personality disorder has been 
  described as the “prime criminogenic personality 
  trait.” Th ree percent of American men and one 
  percent of American women are thought to have 
  sociopathic personalities.
  Th e following traits characterize sociopaths:
  1)  Th ey have average or even above-average intel-
  ligence. Th ey do not usually suﬀ er from delusions 
  or similar irrational thought patterns.
  2)  Th ey exhibit a great deal of superﬁ cial charm and 
  friendliness, and oft en use this charm to get close to 
  their victims and lull their suspicions. However, this 
  outward aﬀ ability masks several undesirable traits:  a 
  complete lack of deep and lasting emotion, includ-
  ing gratitude, sympathy, and compassion for others; 
  manipulativeness; untruthfulness and insincerity; 
  and a “pathological egocentricity” and completely 
  self-centered viewpoint that prevents them from 
  seeing themselves as others see them.
  3)  Th ey suﬀ er from a deﬁ cient sense of emotions 
  and arousal. In short, they feel much less, emotion-
  ally, than normal people do. Th ey have a “hunger” 
  for stimuli that oft en turns them into thrillseek-
  ers, makes them get frustrated or bored easily, and 
  causes them to do extreme things to achieve emo-
  tional arousal (for example, to kill for pleasure).
  4)  Th ey feel no guilt or remorse for their deeds, 
  nor any sense of shame. Th is prevents them from 
  having any real conception of moral values or 
  ethics. Even if they pursue what would be consid-
  ered a “responsible” goal, they do so unethically. 
  Th ey also feel little anxiety, and can act coolly and 
  calmly in situations where others would panic (in 
  game terms, they have a higher than average PRE).
  5)  Th ey cannot be conditioned or appreciate the 
  long-term consequences of their actions. Th ey live 
  entirely for the moment and the stimulus it brings 
  them, and are particularly prone to discount future 
  events which may be bad or threatening. Th us, it’s 
  almost impossible to deter them from crime with 
  the threat of punishment, and even if they’re pun-
  ished, they won’t learn anything from it or cease 
  their behavior aft erwards. Sociopaths reject author-
  ity and seem not to realize that rules apply to them. 
  Th ey also cannot take on responsibilities or exercise 
  good judgment.
  Th ese traits combine to make psychopaths 
  extremely prone to criminal behavior. Some 
  become actively hostile and vicious, acting out their 
  fantasies and impulses with senseless violence and 
  depravity. However, they usually are not legally 
  insane. Th ey understand what they’re doing, and 
  realize it may have bad consequences — they just 
  don’t care. Th ey value their own actions more than 
  they fear punishment, and in many ways might 
  simply be described as “evil.”
  In game terms, you can represent antisocial 
  personality disorder with any one of several Psy-
  chological Limitations, depending on exactly how 
  you view the character in question. Antisocial 
  Personality Disorder (Very Common, Strong or 
  Total; 20-25 points) works ﬁ ne, but others, includ-
  ing Casual Killer, Loves To Kill, or the like may 
  also indicate a sociopath. Disorganized-type serial 
  killers may have additional severe Psychological 
  Limitations.
  CAUSES OF 
  SOCIOPATHY
  Experts have long spec-
  ulated on the causes of 
  sociopathy. Some causal 
  factors may be biologi-
  cal, such as a “malfunc-
  tion” of parts of the cen-
  tral nervous system that 
  might otherwise inhibit 
  the sociopath’s behavior. 
  Others relate to family 
  life — situations where 
  a child suﬀ ers from 
  emotional deprivation, 
  parental rejection, and/
  or inconsistent punish-
  ment may contribute 
  to the development of 
  antisocial personalities. 
  Sociocultural factors 
  also seem to play a part 
  (sociopathy is more 
  common in lower socio-
  economic groups, for 
  example, and in areas 
  where society’s values 
  have broken down).
  
  307 
  Dark Champions ■ Chapter Seven
  T
  errorists and their actions are a part of 
  nearly every Dark Champions subgenre. In 
  the wake of the September 11 attacks, ter-
  rorism has become an even more important, 
  and emotional, topic in many campaigns.
  Th e concept of “terrorism” is oft en considered 
  diﬃ  cult to deﬁ ne. For Dark Champions purposes, 
  this deﬁ nition suﬃ  ces:  a terrorist group is a non-
  governmental organization that illegitimately uses 
  violence and intimidation (oft en directed at inno-
  cent civilians) in an eﬀ ort to establish its opinions 
  or ideology as dominant in a given society. Of 
  course, it’s possible to debate just about every con-
  cept and word used in this deﬁ nition, but for most 
  campaigns it covers the subject properly.
  ACTIVE TERRORIST 
  GROUPS
  Th e following terrorists groups are considered 
  in existence and active as of 2004.
  ABU NIDAL ORGANIZATION ANO
  Th is several hundred members-large group is 
  known by the name of its ruthless leader (which 
  means “father of the struggle;” his real name is 
  Sabri al-Banna). He died in August 2002 (whether 
  his death was suicide or an assassination remains 
  unclear). An extreme Palestinian organization, 
  it violently opposes the more moderate PLO (in 
  the past it has assassinated PLO oﬃ  cers, and has 
  issued a death warrant for Yasir Arafat). It wishes to 
  destroy Israel and establish a Palestinian state.
  Th e ANO is one of the bloodiest and most suc-
  cessful terrorist organizations in existence. Its best 
  known attacks are the September 1983 bombing of 
  a Boeing jetliner (111 people killed), the December 
  1985 massacres at the Rome and Vienna airports, 
  and the attempted bombing of the Heathrow Air-
  port El Al counter in 1986. It may also have some 
  connection to the Lockerbie airplane bombing. Th e 
  group has been supported by Libya, Syria, and Iraq.
  ALAQSA MARTYRS’ BRIGADE
  An oﬀ shoot of the Fatah organization founded 
  in September, 2000 aft er the start of the second 
  Intifada, the al-Aqsa Martyrs’ Brigade wants to 
  create a Palestinian state in the West Bank and 
  expel all Israelis. It has not speciﬁ cally called for the 
  destruction of Israel, but by 2002 had shift ed from 
  attacking only soldiers and settlers to acts against 
  civilians in Israel. It has actually performed more 
  attacks than either HAMAS or Palestinian Islamic 
  Jihad, and has refused to abide by cease-ﬁ res those 
  groups have agreed to. Israel believes it has evi-
  dence that the PLO funds al-Aqsa, but the PLO 
  denies this. Estimates place the group’s membership 
  at a few hundred.
  THE ANIMAL LIBERATION FRONT ALF
  Started in Great Britain in the 1970s, this eco-
  terrorist group has spread to many other nations, 
  including the United States. It commits criminal 
  acts designed to protect, or further the “rights” of, 
  animals. Primarily these include breaking into, van-
  dalizing, and stealing from facilities that use animal 
  testing procedures in the development of products 
  for people, freeing “imprisoned” animals, and so 
  forth. Th e authorities have also connected it to the 
  ﬁ rebombing of a circus trailer in New Jersey in 1999. 
  According to some ﬁ gures, ALF has caused as much 
  as $45 million in damage over the past ten years.
  ARMED ISLAMIC GROUP GIA
  Th is loosely-organized terrorist group seeks 
  to replace the secular government of Algeria with a 
  fundamentalist Islamic one. It attacks both govern-
  ment oﬃ  cials and soldiers, and innocent civilians; 
  in December, 1997, the GIA reportedly massacred 
  400 Algerians in a small town in just a few hours. 
  Crackdowns by the authorities have weakened it, 
  allowing a similar organization, the Salaﬁ st Group 
  for Call and Combat (GSPC) to become more 
  prominent. Both groups are thought to have ties to 
  Al Qaeda.
  ARYAN NATION AN
  Th is racist, anti-Semitic, right-wing American 
  organization was founded by Richard Butler in 
  the mid-1970s, and is also known as the Church 
  of Jesus Christ Christian. Its general goal is the 
  creation of a “racially cleansed,” all-white America. 
  According to some reports, it once met with the 
  Nation of Islam, a militant black organization led 
  by Louis Farrakhan, to “divide up” the United States. 
  Th e AN is also connected with the Aryan Brother-
  hood, a like-minded prison gang. It holds a conven-
  tion every summer in Hayden Lake, Idaho.
  In 2000, a jury gave a multimillion dollar 
  award to a woman and her son who were attacked 
  by Aryan Nation members outside the group’s 
  Idaho headquarters. As a part of this award, the 
  group’s compound and intellectual properties 
  (including its name) were sold to the two plaintiﬀ s 
  aft er Butler ﬁ led for bankruptcy. Today, Ray Red-
  faeirn is the group’s leader.
  TERRORISM
  
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  AUM SHINRIKYO
  Th e ﬁ rst terrorist organization known to have 
  used weapons of mass destruction, the Aum Shinri-
  kyo cult came to world attention in 1994 and 1995 
  when it used sarin gas to kill a total of 19 people 
  and injure thousands more. Japanese authorities 
  arrested many Aum followers, including founder 
  Shoko Asahara. Th e group has since renamed itself 
  Aleph, apologized for the attack, and promised to 
  pay reparations, but Japanese oﬃ  cials still consider 
  it as dangerous as ever.
  Aum Shinrikyo has an estimated 1,500 to 
  2,000 followers (down from a peak of about 
  60,000), most in Japan and Russia. Its attacks have 
  so far been conﬁ ned to Japan. Many of its members 
  are highly technically and/or scientiﬁ cally proﬁ -
  cient; its assets reportedly total about $14 billion.
  THE EARTH LIBERATION FRONT ELF
  Founded in Brighton, England in 1992 by 
  members of the Earth First! organization who 
  refused to abandon ecoterrorism, this extremist 
  environmentalist organization has spread to many 
  other countries. Th e best-known of its ecoterror-
  ist acts is the July, 1998 ﬁ re at a Vail, Colorado ski 
  resort that caused $12 million in damages.
  ETA
  ETA — Euzkadi ta Askatasuna, or Basque 
  Fatherland and Liberty — is a terrorist organiza-
  tion in Spain with several hundred members. Its 
  goal is the establishment of an independent Basque 
  homeland in northern Spain. Since its founding in 
  1959, it has killed more than 800 persons in a mul-
  titude of attacks. In recent years, pressure from the 
  Spanish government, a lack of support among the 
  Basque populace, the IRA cease-ﬁ re, and restric-
  tions placed upon its ﬁ nancial assets have hindered 
  it signiﬁ cantly.
  HAMAS
  HAMAS, whose name is an acronym for an 
  Arabic phrase that means Islamic Resistance Move-
  ments, has become one of the world’s most infa-
  mous terrorist organizations in recent decades. It 
  wants to expel the Israelis from Palestine and estab-
  lish a separate Palestinian state. In recent years, 
  some indications suggest HAMAS would accept 
  an Israeli-Palestinian agreement it found accept-
  able. It has signiﬁ cant funding and many contacts 
  throughout the world.
  HAMAS’s exact numbers are unknown, 
  though some experts believe it has tens of thou-
  sands of supporters (in part because of its network 
  of social services for Palestinians). It favors bomb-
  ings, and has carried them out throughout Israel; 
  in response, Israeli oﬃ  cials have assassinated many 
  key HAMAS personnel.
  HEZBOLLAH
  Hezbollah (also spelled Hizballah, mean-
  ing “Army of God”) is an Islamic fundamentalist 
  organization whose goals include the destruction 
  of Israel, the “liberation” of Jerusalem, and the 
  establishment of an Islamic state in Lebanon. It has 
  strong ties to Iran, from whom it receives money 
  and resources, and to Syria. Established in 1982, it’s 
  based in Beirut and is a party in Lebanese politics.
  Hezbollah’s attacks have killed hundreds of 
  people. Some of the most infamous include the 
  1983 bombing of the American Embassy in Beirut 
  and the 1985 bombing of the U.S. Marines barracks 
  in Beirut.
  THE JAPANESE RED ARMY JRA
  Th is violent Communist terrorist organization 
  wants to overthrow the Japanese government and 
  foment a world Communist revolution. It acts as 
  a terroristic mercenary group, performing terror-
  ist acts for various nations and terrorists (such as 
  Libya, North Korea, and the PFLP). It was respon-
  sible for, among other attacks, the May 1972 Lod 
  Airport attack, the April 1988 bombing of a United 
  States servicemen’s club in Naples (at which time 
  a JRA operative was arrested in New Jersey while 
  carrying explosives), and a July 1988 attack on the 
  U.S. Embassy in Madrid which involved rockets.
  Th e JRA’s founder and leader, Fusako Shig-
  enobu, was arrested in 2000. As of mid-2004 the 
  authorities estimate that no more than about six 
  members of the organization remain at large.
  THE KU KLUX KLAN KKK
  Th e KKK is a far right-wing American white 
  supremacist organization. It has many branches 
  and factions, some of which commit terroristic acts 
  against black communities or individuals.
  KURDISTAN WORKERS’ PARTY PKK
  Th e PKK is a secular, left -wing organization 
  dedicated to the creation of an independent Kurd-
  ish nation in lands now belonging to Turkey, Iraq, 
  Iran, and Syria. Founded in 1974, it’s best known for 
  its 1984 guerrilla war against Turkey that resulted 
  in approximately 35,000 deaths. Pressure from 
  Turkish authorities transformed the PKK from a 
  rural insurgent organization to an urban terrorist 
  group in the early 1990s. Aft er Turkish authorities 
  captured the group’s leader, Abdullah Ocalan, in 
  1999, the PKK halted its attacks and declared its 
  intention to pursue its goals peacefully. It renamed 
  itself KADEK, and then KONGRA-GEL. However, 
  it has not disarmed, and most oﬃ  cials still regard it 
  as a dangerous terrorist organization.
  THE LIBERATION TIGERS OF TAMIL ELAM 
  LTTE
  Th e LTTE is a Sri Lankan organization dedi-
  cated to the establishment of an independent Tamil 
  state on the island. Founded in the 1970s, in 1983 
  the LTTE launched a twenty year-long war of sepa-
  ratism that resulted in approximately 64,000 deaths 
  and the displacement of as many as 1.6 million per-
  sons. As of 2004, the group controls parts of north-
  ern and eastern Sri Lanka, has its own army and 
  navy (with a total of about 10,000 personnel), and 
  possesses a signiﬁ cant arsenal that includes artillery 
  and anti-aircraft  weapons. It even has an elite force, 
  the Black Tigers, whose 500 members carry out sui-
  cide attacks. In addition to its military operations, 
  it’s directed terrorist acts and assassination attempts 
  TERRORIST GROUPS 
  OF THE PAST
  Th e following groups 
  are no longer in exis-
  tence and/or active, 
  but were at some point 
  during the latter half of 
  the twentieth century. 
  It’s possible some of 
  them might come back 
  to life — either in the 
  real world, or as part of 
  your Dark Champions 
  campaign.
  ACTION DIRECTE (AD)
  Known in English as 
  Direct Action, this 
  ultra-left  wing French 
  organization was 
  founded in 1979 and 
  had as its stated goal 
  the replacement of the 
  French government with 
  a Marxist-Leninist one. 
  (Some members seem 
  to have held anarchist 
  views as well.) Its acts 
  have included all major 
  forms of terrorism, such 
  as assassination, bomb-
  ing, and hostage-taking. 
  Since 1987, most of its 
  two to four dozen key 
  members have been in 
  prison, though they still 
  have some supporters 
  on the outside.
  THE ORDER
  Also known as the Broth-
  erhood or the Brother-
  hood of Silence, this 
  right-wing anti-Semitic 
  organization planned to 
  overthrow the United 
  States government and 
  establish an all-white 
  state. Its members are in 
  jail or dead (including 
  founder Robert Mat-
  thews, killed by federal 
  law enforcement agents 
  during a December, 1984 
  shootout).
  PUERTO RICAN
  INDEPENDENCE 
  ORGANIZATIONS
  Two terrorist organiza-
  tions were associated 
  with a movement for 
  Puerto Rican indepen-
  dence during the 1970s 
  and early 1980s. Th e 
  ﬁ rst, the Armed Forces 
  Continued from last page
  
  309 
  Dark Champions ■ Chapter Seven
  against Sri Lankan citizens and oﬃ  cials.
  Since September 11, the LTTE’s funding has 
  decreased considerably, and it has entered into a 
  cease-ﬁ re and peace talks with the Sri Lankan gov-
  ernment. It seems to have soft ened its stance and 
  indicated a willingness to consider an autonomous 
  region within the Sri Lankan state. As of 2004, the 
  outcome of the peace process remains uncertain.
  PALESTINIAN ISLAMIC JIHAD PIJ
  Founded in 1979 by Islamic radicals, the Pal-
  estinian Islamic Jihad (oft en referred to simply as 
  Islamic Jihad) wants to destroy Israel and estab-
  lish a Palestinian state. Its numbers are unknown, 
  but suspected to be no more than approximately 
  250. Since the beginning of the second Intifada in 
  September, 2000, its suicide bombings and other 
  attacks have murdered more than 100 persons.
  PALESTINE LIBERATION FRONT PLF
  Th e Palestine Liberation Front has the same 
  goal as the PIJ:  the elimination of Israel and estab-
  lishment of a Palestinian state. Since its founding 
  in 1959, the PLF has gone through a long series of 
  mergers and splits, the most important of which 
  was a three-way splintering in the 1980s. Th e most 
  important of the resulting factions was the pro-
  PLO one led by Abu Abbas, and it’s this group’s 
  actions with which most Americans are familiar.
  In 1985, four PLF terrorists hijacked the cruise 
  ship Achille Lauro, in the process killing an Ameri-
  can citizen and securing the release of Abu Abbas 
  from an Italian prison. Th e PLF was quiet through-
  out the 1990s, but became active again during the 
  intifadas, using hanggliders, hot air balloons, and 
  even seaborne assaults to attack Israel. In 2003, 
  American forces captured Abu Abbas in Baghdad; 
  how this will aﬀ ect the PLF remains to be seen.
  Th e PLF has close ties to the PLO, but no known 
  relationship with Al Qaeda (whose attacks it has 
  condemned). It has approximately 300-500 members. 
  It formerly received most of its funding from Iraq; 
  where it will get its money since the toppling of the 
  Saddam Hussein regime remains unknown.
  PALESTINIAN LIBERATION 
  ORGANIZATION PLO
  Th is well-known terrorist alliance is dedi-
  cated to the establishment of a Palestinian state in 
  the Middle East and the destruction of Israel. It is 
  led by Yasir (or Yassir) Arafat and is a coalition of 
  Palestinian groups rather than a single organiza-
  tion. Arafat’s primary command is the subgroup Al 
  Fatah. In the past, the PLO received support from 
  the Soviet Union, various Arab nations, and the 
  People’s Republic of China.
  Despite splintering into numerous organiza-
  tions in the 1980s and 1990s, the PLO remains 
  powerful and inﬂ uential; Arafat eﬀ ectively domi-
  nates the aﬀ airs of the Palestinian Authority, which 
  helps the Israeli government control the West 
  Bank and Gaza Strip. In December, 1998, Arafat 
  renounced terrorism for all PLO organizations, 
  though it remains to be seen how long the renun-
  ciation will last or how eﬀ ective it will be.
  POPULAR FRONT FOR THE LIBERATION OF 
  PALESTINE PFLP
  Founded in 1967 by Dr. George Habash, the 
  left ist PFLP wants to destroy Israel, replace it with a 
  socialist Palestinian state, and end American inﬂ u-
  ence in the Middle East. Headquartered in Syria, it 
  was extremely active in the 1970s, participating in 
  airplane hijackings and instigating the 1972 attack 
  on Lod Airport by four members of the Japanese 
  Red Army.
  In 2000, Habash handed leadership of the 
  organization, which currently has approximately 
  800-1,000 members, to Abu Ali Mustafa. Mustafa 
  was killed by Israeli rockets in 2001 in retaliation 
  for PFLP car bombings and other attacks. Ahmed 
  Saadat succeeded him, but was captured by the 
  Palestinian Authority in 2002. Th e PFLP has threat-
  ened more attacks if the PA does not release him.
  A PLFP splinter group, the PFLP-General 
  Command, is even more violent; it split from the 
  PFLP in 1968 due to what it perceived as the PFLP’s 
  willingness to negotiate with Israel. According 
  to some sources, members of the PLFP-GC were 
  responsible for the bombing of Pan Am Flight 103 
  in December, 1988.
  AL QAEDA
  Th e most infamous terrorist group in the 
  world due to its attacks on the World Trade Center 
  and Pentagon on September 11, 2001 and a Span-
  ish train station in 2004, Al Qaeda is actually a sort 
  of “umbrella” organization that both carries out its 
  own attacks and provides support and training to 
  like-minded groups. Its goal is the establishment of 
  a worldwide Islamic regime, and it sees the United 
  States as the greatest obtacle to achievement of that 
  goal. It attacks not only American and Western 
  targets, but the governments of Muslim countries it 
  deems “non-Islamic.”
  Th e leader of Al Qaeda, Osama bin Laden, 
  became involved in the struggle against “the inﬁ del” 
  during the Afghan resistance to the Soviet invasion 
  in the 1980s. Th ere he paid for the transportation 
  and training of as many as 60,000 guerrillas. In 
  1988 he broke from his Afghan allies, whom he 
  believed had “limited vision,” to found Al Qaeda 
  and carry on the ﬁ ght against non-Muslims on a 
  worldwide scale. Aft er a brief return to his native 
  Saudi Arabia, he moved to Sudan, but moved back 
  to Afghanistan in 1996 at the behest of the Suda-
  nese government. Th ere he allied with the Taliban 
  and established terrorist training camps and other 
  support structures that ultimately led to the 1998 
  bombings of U.S. embassies in Kenya and Tanzania, 
  the 2000 attack on the U.S.S. Cole in Yemen, and 
  the September 11 attacks. Since then the American 
  military presence in Afghanistan has destroyed Al 
  Qaeda’s presence there, forcing it to become more 
  decentralized and mission-driven; as of mid-2004, 
  bin Laden himself remains at large. Attacks around 
  the world have been linked to Al Qaeda, and it 
  remains a signiﬁ cant threat to the United States and 
  Western civilization.
  Th e exact size of Al Qaeda and extent of its 
  resources remains unknown. It probably has at least 
  Continued from last page
  Of National Liberation 
  (FALN), was responsible 
  for the bombing of ﬁ ve 
  New York City banks in 
  October 1974. It’s also 
  known for its unsuc-
  cessful attempt to use 
  helicopter gunships to 
  break its leaders out of 
  Leavenworth prison in 
  June, 1986. Th e second, 
  the Ejercito Popular 
  Boricua, was more 
  popularly known as the 
  Macheteros. Th is violent 
  organization mainly 
  attacked American per-
  sonnel in Puerto Rico, 
  and in 1981 blew up 11 
  planes at a Puerto Rican 
  Air National Guard 
  base. Th e capture of 
  members of both groups 
  in the 1980s has virtu-
  ally ended their terrorist 
  activities.
  THE RED BRIGADES 
  (BRIGATE ROSSE)
  A left -wing Italian 
  organization founded in 
  1969 and with roots in 
  the Italian Communist 
  Party, the Red Brigades 
  was once a powerful 
  organization, with as 
  many as 500 full-time 
  members and possibly 
  thousands of support-
  ers throughout Italy. Its 
  most infamous acts were 
  the 1978 kidnapping 
  and murder of former 
  Italian prime minister 
  Aldo Moro and the 
  kidnapping of Brigadier 
  General James Dozier. 
  Arrests in the late 1980s 
  seem to have crippled 
  the organization; at 
  present it’s estimated 
  to have no more than 
  about 50 members, and 
  has not been involved 
  in any terrorist activities 
  in years.
  THE REVOLUTIONARY 
  ARMED TASK FORCE 
  (RATF)
  Th is American group 
  was said to be the mili-
  tary branch of the May 
  19 Communist Orga-
  nization (an American 
  Communist terrorist 
  group with links to 
  Continued on next page
  
  310 ■ Dark Champions Adversaries
  Hero System 5th Edition
  a few thousand members, plus thousands more 
  associated personnel. It has connections to many 
  other terrorist organizations all over the world, 
  and maintains numerous business fronts and other 
  sources of income.
  REAL IRISH REPUBLICAN ARMY RIRA
  Founded in 1997-98 by hardliners within the 
  Irish Republican Army (IRA) who objected to the 
  IRA’s cease-ﬁ re and engagement in a peace process 
  with Great Britain, the RIRA remains an active ter-
  rorist organization dedicated to derailing the peace 
  process and expelling the British from Northern 
  Ireland. In 2001, British authorities captured the 
  RIRA’s leader, Michael McKevitt, and in 2002 
  McKevitt and forty other imprisoned RIRA person-
  nel declared that the group was dissolved. Not all 
  members obeyed, however, and RIRA attacks have 
  continued since then. Estimates place the group’s 
  strength at 100-200 members.
  According to some sources, the RIRA has 
  received some support from American sympathiz-
  ers. It may have bought advanced military weapons 
  in the Balkans and engaged in drug traﬃ  cking to 
  fund its “crusade.”
  Prior to 1997, the IRA itself was a well-known 
  terrorist organization whose goal was the same as 
  that of the RIRA. Based in Dublin, it restricted its 
  activities, such as bombings and attacks on British 
  soldiers, to Ireland itself (primarily in Northern 
  Ireland, particularly Belfast). One of its factions or 
  oﬀ shoots, the Provisional IRA (PIRA) or “Provos,” 
  engaged in terrorist acts in Britain and Europe as 
  well as Ireland. Th e PIRA was generally the more 
  violent of the two factions. Some reports indicated 
  that the IRA/PIRA, which received a lot of support 
  from Irish-Americans, was involved in gunrunning 
  and drug traﬃ  cking in the United States as a way of 
  raising money.
  THE RED ARMY FACTION RAF
  Th is German Communist group, a successor 
  to or also known as the Baader-Meinhoﬀ  Gang, is 
  small, with only about 10–20 members. However, 
  it’s extremely violent and dedicated to bringing 
  about a Marxist-Leninist revolution, and has sur-
  vived the arrests of many of its leaders. Th e Soviet 
  Union and various Eastern Bloc states, as well as 
  Libya, have supported it, and it has extensive ties to 
  other European terrorist organizations. It mainly 
  targets American interests in Europe, and it plans 
  its bombings and other attacks to cause maximum 
  deaths and injuries.
  THE REVOLUTIONARY ARMED FORCES OF 
  COLOMBIA FARC
  Formed in 1964, the Fuerzas Armadas Revolu-
  cionarias de Colombia is a Marxist terrorist organi-
  zation dedicated to establishing a Communist state 
  in Colombia. Funded largely by sales of cocaine, it 
  has as many as 18,000 armed soldiers and controls 
  as much as forty percent of Colombian territory. It 
  has committed numerous terrorist acts in Colom-
  bian cities it does not control, and has been known 
  to target United States citizens as well. While FARC 
  does not seem to have any ties to foreign govern-
  ments, it has links to the IRA, which may have pro-
  vided it with explosives training.
  SENDERO LUMINOSO
  “Th e Shining Path” is an extremely violent 
  Maoist group based in Perú and dedicated to 
  founding a Maoist regime there and ending foreign 
  inﬂ uence in the country. Since its founding in the 
  late 1960s, it has been responsible for 30,000 mur-
  ders, if not more. Like FARC, it gets much of its 
  funding from narcotics traﬃ  cking.
  Th e Peruvian government captured Sendero 
  Luminoso’s founder and leader, Abimael Guzman, 
  in September, 1992. Guzman’s call for a cease-ﬁ re 
  was only obeyed by one faction of SL. While the 
  organization was relatively quiet throughout the 
  1990s, recent years have seen something of a resur-
  gence in its activities. As of 2004, the best estimates 
  place its membership in the 400-500 range.
  Continued from last page
  other Communist ter-
  rorists). It was formed 
  by various members 
  of the Black Panthers, 
  WUO, Black Liberation 
  Army, and other Ameri-
  can left -wing terrorist 
  organizations with 
  the goal of foment-
  ing left ist/Communist 
  revolution in the United 
  States. It was supposedly 
  destroyed by the man-
  hunt following its Octo-
  ber 1981 armored car 
  robbery in New York.
  THE WEATHER UNDER-
  GROUND ORGANIZATION 
  (WUO)
  Also known as the 
  Weathermen, this group 
  was primarily active 
  from the late 1960s until 
  1979; its goal was more 
  or less the same as the 
  RATF’s. Th at year sev-
  eral members, includ-
  ing leader Bernardine 
  Dohrn, turned them-
  selves in to the authori-
  ties, while other mem-
  bers opted to remain 
  terrorists and helped 
  found the RATF.
  
  chapter eight:
  chapter eight:
  chapter eight:
  RUNNING THE GAUNTLET
  GAMEMASTERING
  DARK CHAMPIONS
  
  312 ■ Gamemastering Dark Champions
  Hero System 5th Edition
  C
  hapter One reviewed the major Dark 
  Champions subgenres, discussing how 
  to establish Dark Champions campaigns 
  to emulate them and how to introduce 
  the elements and features of the genre into your 
  games. Th is chapter delves into more detail on the 
  subject of GMing Dark Champions — everything 
  from how to set up and manage a campaign to 
  how to create enjoyable and memorable adversar-
  ies and NPCs. Gamemasters interested in further 
  advice about GMing in general can also consult 
  the GMing sections of the HERO System 5th Edi-
  tion, Revised, Champions, and other HERO System 
  genre books, and plenty of generic references on 
  the art and science of GMing roleplaying games. 
  Even though those sources aren’t speciﬁ c to Dark 
  Champions, many of the suggestions and ideas they 
  contain apply to any HERO System campaign.
  CHARACTER GUIDELINES
  Th e ﬁ rst thing to consider, usually even before 
  you set pen to paper to create your Dark Champi-
  ons world, is the nature and power of the PCs. As 
  the protagonists of the campaign, the characters 
  who occupy center stage all the time, the PCs have 
  a greater eﬀ ect on the game than any other factor.
  Th e player characters’ level of power, and thus 
  the type of characters you can expect players to 
  create, depends largely on how many Character 
  Points the players build them on. A game where 
  you allow players to build 200- or 250-point char-
  acters provides you with a wider range of PC types 
  and abilities than one with 100- or 150-point char-
  acters — but it’s also likely to increase any problems 
  you may have challenging the PCs and maintaining 
  game balance. When deciding how many points 
  PCs can start with, you should consider the follow-
  ing issues:
  SUBGENRE
  First, what subgenre(s) does your campaign 
  emulate? Some of them (“realistic” spies or sol-
  diers, for example) work best with low-powered 
  characters, while others (many “cinematic” games) 
  need higher-powered PCs to get the right “feel” for 
  the campaign. Th ese are just guidelines, though 
  — there’s no reason you can’t have high-powered 
  PCs in an otherwise “realistic” campaign.
  HEROES VERSUS THE WORLD
  How do you want the PCs to compare to the 
  world around them? Low-powered heroes may 
  have trouble dealing with street thugs, security 
  guards, and similar adversaries. On the opposite 
  end of the spectrum, some powerful heroes may be 
  able to aﬀ ect the course of entire nations or regions. 
  If the PCs can easily dispense with everyday oppo-
  sition, that colors their perception of the world and 
  inﬂ uences their role within it.
  Th ink about the types of adventures you want 
  to run and what you expect the PCs to do over 
  the course of the campaign. Th at tells you a lot 
  about the type of PCs that best ﬁ t your game. For 
  example; if you plan for a mostly urban-based vigi-
  lante campaign that focuses on organized crime, 
  corruption in city government, and the like, you 
  want your PCs to regard the average street criminal 
  as a threat — if the heroes are signiﬁ cantly more 
  powerful than that, your scenarios won’t pose much 
  of a challenge to them. While any one PC should 
  be more powerful and skilled than any one typical 
  thug (they are the heroes of the story, aft er all!), 
  two or three thugs should probably be a match for 
  a PC. On the other hand, a campaign of more epic 
  scope or globetrotting adventure may require PCs 
  of greater competence and ability.
  POWER LEVELS AND EFFECTIVENESS 
  CEILINGS
  You should decide whether you want to 
  impose restrictions on the amount of power, CV, 
  Skills, and the like that characters can have. Char-
  acters built on large numbers of points may not 
  be nearly as powerful as those points imply if you 
  limit what they can spend points on. As mentioned 
  on page 9, what matters for a Dark Champions 
  campaign is not the amount of points involved, but 
  what characters can buy with them.
  In a Dark Champions context, point ceilings 
  — restrictions on how many Active Points a power 
  or ability can have — usually aren’t appropriate. 
  While it’s possible to restrict the Active Points in 
  weapons or characters’ super-skills, in most cases 
  that’s neither necessary nor “realistic.” Powerful 
  weapons are readily available to most Dark Cham-
  pions PCs because they exist in the real world and 
  gamers know they exist, so imposing artiﬁ cial 
  restrictions on the “power” of weapons usually 
  harms the campaign’s “feel.” A better solution is to 
  ﬁ nd plausible in-game reasons to restrict charac-
  ters’ access to equipment (see page 264). Similarly, 
  many super-skills and like abilities, while powerful, 
  also tend to be heavily Limited, making them less 
  CREATING A 
  CAMPAIGN
  
  313 
  Dark Champions ■ Chapter Eight
  problematic than their Active Points might other-
  wise indicate.
  Eﬀ ectiveness ceilings — restrictions on char-
  acters’ CVs, DEXs, Skill rolls, Combat Skill Levels, 
  DCs, or the like — are more common in Dark 
  Champions games than point ceilings. An eﬀ ective-
  ness ceiling helps you control the PCs’ overall power, 
  making it easy for you to know what can challenge 
  them and what can’t. It also encourages characters 
  to broaden and diversify their abilities, since the 
  ceiling stops them from spending all their Experi-
  ence Points on the same things game aft er game. But 
  eﬀ ectiveness ceilings can lead to problems of their 
  own. First, they may restrict the types of weapons 
  characters can use (since simulating some weapons 
  properly requires a lot of DCs), and that may not 
  make sense, “realistically.” Second, over the course 
  of a long campaign, you may soon wind up with a 
  lot of characters who look identical to each other, 
  or who try to ﬁ nd ways around the eﬀ ectiveness 
  ceiling even when those ways make no sense given 
  their character concepts. You may need to increase 
  the ceiling slowly over the course of the campaign, 
  at least in one or two areas for each character type 
  (for example, maybe you allow martial artists to buy 
  more DEX and SPD than other characters can, and 
  gun experts more Range Skill Levels).
  Normal Characteristic Maxima
  Intertwined with the concept of eﬀ ectiveness 
  ceilings are the Normal Characteristic Maxima 
  rules, which impose a sort of ceiling on how many 
  points characters can spend on Characteristics. 
  See page 58 for further discussion of the eﬀ ect of 
  Normal Characteristic Maxima and how you can 
  vary it to achieve the appropriate level of power for 
  PCs in your campaign.
  Th e Arms Race
  Weapons and ﬁ ghting skills are a prominent 
  part of the Dark Champions genre. It’s not uncom-
  mon for an “arms race” to develop in the campaign 
  sooner or later. Th e players start trying to get more 
  and bigger weapons for their characters, and they cry 
  foul when the GM doesn’t reward them with “trea-
  sure” in the form of sniper riﬂ es, grenades, combat 
  helicopters, and so on. Some of them even go to the 
  trouble of buying extensive contacts in the black 
  market for arms and military equipment just to give 
  them a source for all the neat toys they want to buy.
  Th ere isn’t necessarily anything wrong with 
  this — aft er all, the “toys” are one of the fun aspects 
  of the Dark Champions genre. But the arms race 
  becomes a problem when the PCs acquire so much 
  military hardware that they have little diﬃ  culty 
  defeating their opposition. All good stories involve 
  a challenge of some kind that the main characters 
  have to overcome. If your Dark Champions PCs can 
  cut through legions of thugs and criminals with-
  out breaking a sweat because they’ve got a minor 
  arsenal’s worth of weaponry, there’s no challenge 
  for them, and therefore everyone has less fun. Deal-
  ing with this conﬂ ict — wanting to give the char-
  acters more “toys,” but not so many that they wreck 
  the game — is one of the hardest things for Dark 
  Champions GMs to do.
  Some suggestions to help you reduce or elimi-
  nate this problem:
  Give the characters “toys” with limited uses:  Giving 
  the characters an unlimited supply of grenades can 
  easily unbalance a campaign. Giving them half a 
  dozen grenades that they have to save for only the 
  most crucial situations is fun.
  Give the characters “toys,” but minimize their oppor-
  tunities to use them:  In comic books and action 
  movies, sometimes the most powerful characters 
  are trapped in situations where they can’t use their 
  full power — so they have to think their way out. In 
  a Dark Champions setting, you can give the charac-
  ters new and powerful weapons, but then limit their 
  chances to use them. For example, you might let the 
  PCs get their hands on a high-powered sniper riﬂ e, 
  but decrease their chances to make sniping attacks 
  on their enemies.
  Give them “toys,” but don’t let them use them for 
  very long:  By incorporating the Resource Points 
  rules into the game, you can give characters major 
  weaponry for a while, then take it away from 
  them — someone steals it or destroys it. Since the 
  characters don’t lose the Resource Points (just the 
  weapon), they can create or ﬁ nd other equipment 
  to make up for the loss.
  Substitute equipment damage for character damage:  
  When a character takes major damage from an 
  enemy’s attack, have that attack damage or destroy 
  a weapon or other piece of equipment, rather than 
  the character. You might even give the player a 
  choice between character damage and equipment 
  damage — a player who doesn’t want to give up his 
  character’s gear can always opt to have his charac-
  ter take the actual damage. Similarly, you can have 
  NPC attackers target the PCs’ weapons.
  Limit the characters’ ability to build or acquire weap-
  ons and gadgets:  If the PC group includes one or 
  more characters who are skilled weaponsmiths, or 
  who have extensive contacts in the arms market, 
  you may have a harder time controlling the arms 
  race. Limiting or forbidding these sorts of abilities, 
  while sometimes an extreme solution, helps to keep 
  a lid on the problem.
  And don’t forget — the bad guys can have 
  powerful “toys,” too. Anything the PCs use against 
  their enemies, their enemies can use against them 
  (though this also gives the PCs an opportunity to 
  get those weapons by defeating their foes). Pointing 
  this out to the PCs may cause them to rein them-
  selves in voluntarily.
  EXPERIENCE POINTS AND CHARACTER 
  GROWTH
  You should also consider how, and how fast, 
  you want the characters to grow in competence and 
  power. If you’re planning a long-term campaign 
  with frequent game sessions and generous Experi-
  ence Point awards, building PCs with a relatively 
  small amount of Character Points doesn’t cause as 
  many problems, since the players know their char-
  acters will become more powerful at a fairly steady 
  
  314 ■ Gamemastering Dark Champions
  Hero System 5th Edition
  pace. On the other hand, if you can’t run game 
  sessions on a regular basis, or you prefer to control 
  character growth by minimizing the number of 
  Experience Points you award, it may work better if 
  the PCs start out fairly powerful. Otherwise they’re 
  likely to become aggravated when they constantly 
  run up against situations their characters should 
  be able to cope with, but can’t because they don’t 
  yet have the points to buy all the Knowledge Skills, 
  Talents, and abilities they should have based on 
  character conception.
  Generally speaking, a Dark Champions char-
  acter built on, say, 150 Character Points plus 150 
  Experience Points tends to be better developed 
  than a starting character built on 300 Character 
  Points. Th e latter character probably has a larger 
  attack, or more attacks, but the experienced charac-
  ter is more well-rounded as a person. Th e gradual 
  acquisition of Experience Points leads to diﬀ erent 
  spending patterns than giving a player a large lump 
  of Character Points to spend all at once. Starting at 
  relatively lower power levels, but building over the 
  course of the campaign, may be the best approach 
  for many Dark Champions games.
  Paranormal Abilities 
  In Dark Champions
  One of the principal diﬀ erences between 
  Dark Champions and Champions is what types of 
  paranormal and superhuman powers and phenom-
  ena exist. In a Champions game, virtually any sort 
  of power is available — characters can ﬂ y, shoot 
  beams of energy from their eyes, read and control 
  minds, teleport, walk through walls, you name it. 
  Aliens, medieval wizards, and beings from other 
  dimensions frequently cross paths.
  But Dark Champions games are diﬀ erent. 
  Grounded, at least theoretically, in a game world 
  which is not greatly diﬀ erent from the “real world,” 
  they usually don’t feature the powers and ultra-high 
  technology that Champions games do. In all but a 
  few subgenres (primarily Dark Champions:  Th e 
  Animated Series), allowing Dark Champions char-
  acters to purchase “pure” superpowers destroys the 
  ambience of the genre — the “feel” you expect the 
  game to have. 
  But it’s possible to envision some paranor-
  mal abilities and phenomena in Dark Champions 
  games. Many gamers don’t want to play in an 
  entirely “realistic” world where nothing out of the 
  ordinary exists or occurs. As the GM, your task is 
  to deﬁ ne what paranormal abilities are appropriate 
  for your campaign. Some — self-powered Flight or 
  Desolidiﬁ cation, for example — are clearly out of 
  bounds. Others — slightly enhanced senses, a few 
  extra inches of Leaping — may not cause problems. 
  But there’s a large middle ground where the issue 
  becomes murkier. Some GMs might allow certain 
  superpowers, some might not, depending on their 
  conception of “Dark Champions” and their indi-
  vidual campaigns.
  Th e Evil Th at Men do
  Paranormal powers are generally more 
  appropriate for villains and NPCs than for player 
  characters. Th e PCs are the central ﬁ gures in any 
  campaign — all of the action revolves around them. 
  If you let them have superhuman powers, those 
  powers become a major part of the campaign, and 
  aﬀ ect many aspects of it that would ordinarily 
  remain untouched.
  Villains and NPCs, on the other hand, are 
  transient aspects of a campaign. Th ey appear 
  brieﬂ y, then get killed, go to prison, or simply fade 
  into the background until they have another plot 
  ready to spring on the unsuspecting city. Giving an 
  adversary a paranormal ability or two doesn’t have 
  nearly as great an aﬀ ect on the campaign setting as 
  the same power would in the hands of a PC. And a 
  person with a paranormal ability makes an interest-
  ing change of pace and a tough opponent for non-
  superpowered PCs.
  Plausible Deniability
  Powers work better in Dark Champions games 
  when you can plausibly explain them as “normal” 
  phenomena, or when there’s no tangible evidence 
  of their existence. Th e television show Th e X-Files 
  demonstrates just how far you can go with this 
  sort of thing. Even though the main characters 
  encounter something unusual or paranormal in 
  nearly every episode, they never obtain any con-
  crete proof:  their witnesses die or become insane; 
  physical evidence is destroyed, lost, or conﬁ scated 
  by superior oﬃ  cers and never seen again; various 
  scientiﬁ c explanations (diseases, mental problems, 
  marsh gas, odd chemicals) are oﬀ ered to cover up 
  the true nature of a paranormal event; or some-
  thing that seems paranormal turns out to be per-
  fectly mundane (morbid or horrifying, to be sure, 
  but still non-paranormal).
  Th e same rule applies to gaming campaigns. 
  If no one can prove that paranormal powers and 
  phenomena exist, you can throw them at the 
  players without doing much damage to the “feel” 
  of the genre and the average NPC’s view of the 
  world. Maybe magic works, and certain people are 
  powerful wizards — but if only the PCs know this 
  for sure, and scientists can explain any “odd” inci-
  dents as mass hallucinations or biological warfare 
  accidents, “reality” doesn’t warp too much. Th is 
  is another reason why you generally shouldn’t let 
  PCs have paranormal abilities — if they have them, 
  they’ll use them, and the more they’re used, the 
  harder it becomes to hide them or explain them 
  away.
  TYPES OF PARANORMAL ABILITIES
  Here’s a general classiﬁ cation of the types of 
  paranormal powers and how you can use them in 
  Dark Champions games.
  Ch’i Powers
  Ch’i powers — amazing abilities displayed by 
  martial artists — are discussed at length in Th e 
  Ultimate Martial Artist and Ninja Hero. Leaving 
  aside the wondrous and utterly implausible abili-
  ties seen in the wilder martial arts ﬁ lms, many ch’i 
  
  315 
  Dark Champions ■ Chapter Eight
  powers are acceptable in Dark Champions cam-
  paigns. In fact, many of them have been demon-
  strated on ﬁ lm or “live” by martial artists in the real 
  world. If they exist in the real world, they certainly 
  exist in the world of Dark Champions.
  Magic
  Magic and mystical powers of the sort 
  depicted in most comic books and Fantasy novels 
  and games — ﬂ ashy, powerful, quickly-cast spells 
  — are entirely inappropriate for Dark Champions 
  campaigns. But not all magic works like that. Some 
  magic is dark, brooding, mysterious, and deadly 
  — perfect for Dark Champions, especially if you’re 
  running a Monster Hunters campaign or the like.
  Here’s how magic should work in Dark 
  Champions:
  It should be complex and difﬁ cult to use:  Rather 
  than just shouting out a few words, the Dark Cham-
  pions mystic has to spend hours meditating, or 
  must engage in elaborate preparations — in other 
  words, bringing his abilities to bear takes eﬀ ort. 
  Oft en it also requires a lot of time, and the assis-
  tance of others (i.e., it’s “ritual magic”). For exam-
  ple, performing a human sacriﬁ ce is a classic type 
  of preparation required for spells of black magic.
  It should be unreliable and dangerous:  Dark Cham-
  pions magic is not foolproof; it oft en fails to work. 
  In HERO System terms, you can represent this with 
  Limitations like Activation Roll, Concentration, and 
  Requires A Skill Roll. Furthermore, Dark Champions 
  magic is oft en as dangerous to the user as to his 
  target — magical backlashes may occur, summoned 
  demons may turn on their summoners, and so 
  forth. Limitations such as Side Eﬀ ects represent this. 
  Be creative with Side Eﬀ ects and other problems 
  associated with magic; a tricky, long-lasting curse 
  of some sort is a lot more fun than a simple Drain 
  STUN.
  It should be mysterious:  Very few people can suc-
  cessfully practice magic; for every true wizard 
  there are dozens of charlatans or people who think 
  they’re wizards, but actually have very little idea 
  what they’re doing (or about the consequences of 
  their actions!).
  It should be dark and evil:  Th e “good guys” rarely 
  use magic. It’s a tool of evil men, those who scheme 
  and plot in the shadows instead of facing their 
  opponents in a “fair” ﬁ ght. Even PCs who study 
  magic and mysticism should recognize that using 
  it puts one’s soul in peril, and that it’s a tool they 
  should turn to with the greatest reluctance.
  You should impose similar standards on 
  innately magical creatures, such as werewolves and 
  vampire characters (if you allow them to exist at 
  all). Th ese types of characters ﬁ t into many Dark 
  Champions games very well — they’re dark, moody, 
  mysterious creatures of the shadows, and usu-
  ally quite dangerous. Th ey’re especially eﬀ ective if 
  experts have developed quasi-scientiﬁ c, pseudo-
  realistic rationales for their abilities.
  Psychic Powers
  Comic book- style mental powers have no 
  place in Dark Champions; they ruin the feel of the 
  campaign. But just like magic, in small doses and 
  with “dark” eﬀ ects and feel, psychic abilities may be 
  appropriate for modern-day action-adventure sto-
  ries. Here are some guidelines:
  They should be low-powered and/or of limited use:  
  Except in rare instances, psionic abilities should be 
  low-powered (usually no more than 30-40 Active 
  Points) and heavily Limited; Activation Roll, Con-
  centration, Extra Time, Gradual Eﬀ ect, Increased 
  Endurance Cost, Requires A Skill Roll, and Side 
  Eﬀ ects are all good restrictions. You might grant 
  exceptions for high-powered abilities that are even 
  more Limited (such as mind transference).
  They should rarely, if ever, be usable in combat:  
  Dark Champions mental powers are not the sort 
  of “battle psionics” common to comics and sci-
  ence ﬁ ction. Rather, they should remain in the 
  “background,” ready for out of combat uses (such 
  as interrogating  a suspect), or should be so slow-
  acting and subtle that they’re of no use in combat. 
  Th ey may have minor combat uses, but by and 
  large, they’re not intended for ﬁ ghting.
  They should be dark and dangerous:  Dark Cham-
  pions mental powers should have a negative eﬀ ect 
  not only on the character’s targets, but on the 
  characters themselves. People with mental powers 
  oft en become insane (even sociopathic), or suﬀ er 
  from delusions or similar problems. Th e victims of 
  mental powers may also experience minor long-
  term eﬀ ects.
  Superpowers
  “Pure” superpowers — the innate, easily-used, 
  high-powered superhuman abilities displayed by 
  the typical Champions character or described in 
  Th e UNTIL Superpowers Database — are com-
  pletely inappropriate for Dark Champions.
  Technology
  Obviously, any technological item available 
  in the real world is available to Dark Champions 
  characters. You may want to take this principle one 
  step further — anything that could be built in the 
  real world (assuming the resources and motivation 
  existed) is acceptable in the world of Dark Cham-
  pions, regardless of whether it currently actually 
  exists in the real world. In some instances this may 
  even extend to devices which are slightly beyond 
  the true cutting edge (for example, the technol-
  ogy to create “super-soldiers” via sera and armor 
  implantation). Th e line of demarcation depends 
  on your preferences and the “feel” you’re trying to 
  create for your campaign.
  Generally, comic-book supertechnology 
  — laser pistols, teleportation devices, skintight 
  non-motion-impeding bullet-resistant impact-
  absorbing body armor, personal jetpacks, powered 
  armor, and so on — is totally inappropriate for 
  Dark Champions games. Modern technology can 
  do some amazing things, but not that amazing. 
  Some subgenres, such as Dark Champions:  Th e 
  Animated Series, may relax this restriction a little.
  
  316 ■ Gamemastering Dark Champions
  Hero System 5th Edition
  CAMPAIGN TONE
  A campaign’s tone refers to its morality, real-
  ism, and outlook, and the importance of the player 
  characters.
  MORALITY
  Establishing the proper moral tone for your 
  Dark Champions campaign may be the single most 
  important thing you can do to deﬁ ne the game for 
  your players. Because they so oft en deal with mat-
  ters of life and death, action heroes need to know 
  exactly where they (and the campaign world) stand, 
  ethically speaking.
  Most Dark Champions campaigns tend to 
  favor a “shades of grey” approach to moral tone. 
  Even if the PCs are usually sure about who’s a good 
  guy and who’s not, they can’t always be certain. Th e 
  possibility exists that a best friend could actually 
  be an enemy agent, that the criminal they’re stalk-
  ing is an undercover cop, or that their superiors 
  lied to them to justify a morally questionable mis-
  sion. In some campaigns, such as highly “realistic” 
  espionage games, the PCs may feel they can’t trust 
  anyone — not even each other!
  On the other hand, a more “black and white” 
  approach is appropriate for some campaigns and 
  subgenres. Aft er all, not every GM or player wants 
  to deal with moral issues at the gaming table 
  — some are just looking for action and excitement! 
  In these games, telling the good guys from the bad 
  guys usually poses no problem whatsoever. Most 
  Dark Champions:  Th e Animated Series campaigns, 
  and many vigilante crimeﬁ ghter games, adopt this 
  style of play.
  Of course, you can shift  between types of 
  morality if you want to. Even the lightest-hearted 
  campaign may feature a traitor or NPC of dubious 
  morality from time to time, and sometimes in even 
  the darkest games the moral questions have crystal-
  clear answers.
  Hope In Th e Face Of Despair
  One of the central themes of Dark Champions 
  is brave men attempting to hold back the darkness 
  — to prevent evil and corruption from overcoming 
  that which is good and innocent in society. In other 
  words, the PCs should be a force for hope, standing 
  ﬁ rm in the face of despair and evil. Th ey shouldn’t 
  be gloriﬁ ed thugs with greater ﬁ repower, crushing 
  anyone who gets in the way of their “fun.”
  It’s not always easy to convey this feeling to 
  the players. As they participate in adventure aft er 
  adventure, they may start to wonder if they’re 
  making any sort of a diﬀ erence. Aft er all, won’t 
  a new crimelord replace the one they just took 
  down, or a new enemy threaten the security of their 
  nation? Th e betrayals and setbacks and double-
  crosses they experience may lead them to believe 
  that they can’t save anyone, regardless of how hard 
  they try. In short, the bitterness and despair of the 
  world may rub oﬀ  on them. Th e ones who start 
  their careers angry and cynical may even like that.
  You should make sure the PCs realize they 
  can and do make a diﬀ erence. Th ey need to have 
  
  317 
  Dark Champions ■ Chapter Eight
  long-lasting or permanent triumphs, both with 
  individuals and with organizations (and/or society 
  as a whole) to validate their existence as heroes. Not 
  every game will involve a permanent solution to 
  some problem, but at least some games should. Dark 
  Champions games shouldn’t descend into simple 
  struggles for survival, where morality is meaningless 
  and there’s no real purpose to the characters’ actions 
  beyond self-gratiﬁ cation and proﬁ t.
  A Spark Of Heroism
  Similarly, you should make sure all PCs, no 
  matter how dark the campaign, have some redeem-
  ing features and spark of heroism. Th ere are plenty 
  of cruel, selﬁ sh bastards running around in the 
  world, but few (if any) of them become heroes. 
  Being a hero means looking beyond one’s self to 
  see and solve problems in the world at large. Even 
  in a dark game, the PCs should be better than the 
  average person, and that doesn’t just mean in terms 
  of their strength or ability to aim a gun — it means 
  morally as well.
  A character’s morality is the key to motivating 
  him and getting him involved in what’s going on in 
  the campaign. Completely introspective characters, 
  or ones motivated only by money, desire to relieve 
  ennui, or hunger for power can be almost impos-
  sible to weave into the tapestry of a campaign. A 
  character who won’t risk his life to save the little 
  old lady who wandered out into the street in front 
  of a speeding bus is a character you don’t want in 
  your campaign — working him into the game will 
  be like pulling eyeteeth. Characters who can’t see 
  beyond themselves, beyond their own thoughts and 
  desires, are death to any vibrant, active Dark Cham-
  pions campaign.
  What a GM really needs, even in a dark cam-
  paign, is PCs who leap to meet a challenge, do a 
  good deed, or accomplish something worthwhile 
  — heroes, in other words. Even if the PCs go about 
  this in dark ways (like shooting gang punks or a 
  dictatorial government’s goons), they’re still taking 
  part in something worth doing.
  While every PC should have a moral code, 
  they don’t all have to have the same moral code. In 
  fact, moral conﬂ ict is a staple of the genre. Charac-
  ters may want to accomplish the same things, but 
  they may have very diﬀ erent reasons for wanting 
  this, and very diﬀ erent means of accomplishing it. 
  For example, think of two vigilantes, both equally 
  interested in stopping crime. One will be brutal 
  and vicious if he must, but has sworn he will never 
  knowingly or deliberately take a life. Th e other car-
  ries more guns than your average battalion of sol-
  diers and thinks nothing of shooting criminals in 
  cold blood. Both of these characters are motivated 
  by a distinct morality, and both ﬁ t well into a Dark 
  Champions campaign — but will they see eye to eye 
  on everything?  Don’t bet on it. And it’s that sort of 
  conﬂ ict that makes Dark Champions so interesting.
  REALISM
  Th e issue of how “realistic” a Dark Cham-
  pions campaign should be is one of the trickiest 
  you’ll grapple with as a GM. On the one hand, the 
  modern-day action-adventure genre takes place 
  more or less in the “real world” — not in a Fan-
  tasy realm, on some distant planet, or in a world 
  where superhumans are commonplace. Th at cre-
  ates certain expectations of “realism” that you 
  have to maintain. Guns and gear have to behave 
  like we expect them to behave. Criminals stick to 
  relatively plausible schemes. Anti-gravity technol-
  ogy doesn’t exist.
  But at the same time, the action-adventure 
  genre is oft en “romantic” in the dramatic sense of 
  the term:  unrealistic, given to the outrageous and 
  improbable in the name of storytelling, excitement, 
  and fun. Some types of Dark Champions games 
  — cinematic spies or Hong Kong movie-style cops, 
  for example — don’t worry so much about how 
  many bullets a gun has or whether a criminal mas-
  termind can build an orbital headquarters. But even 
  in these games there are limits; characters don’t 
  have hovercraft , magic wands, or laser pistols.
  Th e Limits Of “Realism”
  Regardless of what level of “romantic action” 
  you choose, do your best to avoid the perils of letting 
  “realism” dominate the game. Nothing’s more likely 
  to bring a game session to a screeching halt than a 
  debate over whether the HERO System rules “realisti-
  cally” or “properly” simulate how a particular type of 
  gun or ammunition works, or just how powerful a 
  Los Angeles-class submarine should be in game terms. 
  Remember, roleplaying games are about simulating 
  dramatic realism, not true “realism,” so don’t let con-
  cerns about being “realistic” derail your fun.
  OUTLOOK
  What sort of overall perspective does your 
  campaign have — optimistic or pessimistic? In 
  the former, the PCs can generally expect things to 
  turn out right, and they know there’s always some 
  hope for victory or success even when things seem 
  darkest. In the latter, the PCs have to face up to the 
  cold, hard realities of life:  things don’t always go 
  their way, they can’t always overcome the odds, and 
  whether they succeed or fail is entirely up to them 
  (and, perhaps, luck).
  In Dark Champions, a campaign’s outlook 
  usually depends on its subgenre — the more “cin-
  ematic” the game, the brighter the outlook for the 
  PCs. In some ultra-“realistic” espionage and mili-
  tary campaigns, PCs can rarely expect things to 
  go their way 100%, but in cinematic games usually 
  everything turns out all right in the end — and the 
  hero gets the girl to boot!
  IMPORTANCE OF THE HEROES
  Last, but perhaps most crucially, how important 
  are the PCs? Obviously in any campaign the char-
  acters are the focus of the story, but how important 
  are they within the campaign world? Can they aﬀ ect 
  the outcome of major events, such as wars (be they 
  cold or hot)? Does the fate of the world rest on their 
  shoulders? In part, this may relate to the subgenre 
  of the campaign, or the characters’ level of power or 
  backgrounds — a highly-trained elite soldier or spy 
  is more likely to ﬁ nd himself in a position to save the 
  world than an urban vigilante.
  
  318 ■ Gamemastering Dark Champions
  Hero System 5th Edition
  CAMPAIGN THEME
  Th e theme of a campaign is the underlying 
  subject or focus of all the adventures. It isn’t strictly 
  necessary to have one, but a campaign without a 
  theme may seem disconnected and unfocused. For 
  example, a vigilante crimeﬁ ghters campaign may 
  focus on the theme of “Justice.” Over the course 
  of the campaign, the PCs may encounter many 
  diﬀ erent characters and situations, triumph over 
  adversity, suﬀ er setbacks. But regardless of the type 
  of adventures they or the outcome of those adven-
  tures, the underlying theme remains the same:  the 
  heroes have to keep striving to serve Justice, and 
  part of that service is deﬁ ning what Justice is.
  It’s possible to have more than one theme in a 
  campaign. Adventures can cycle among a couple of 
  diﬀ erent underlying subjects — the adventures of 
  a group of Special Forces soldiers could alternate 
  between preserving the good and the ramiﬁ cations 
  of power. You shouldn’t get carried away with mul-
  tiple themes, though, since having too many isn’t 
  much better than having none at all.
  Be careful not to confuse theme with message. 
  “Th e eﬀ ects of guns on society” is a theme; “guns 
  are bad” is a message. You can return to a theme, 
  look at it from various angles, and develop it in 
  depth. But once you’ve stated a message, the only 
  thing to do is state it again.
  Common themes in Dark Champions include:
  JUSTICE AND LAW
  Th e fundamental question at the heart of 
  many vigilante crimeﬁ ghting and law enforcement 
  campaigns is this:  what is Justice? Trying to decide 
  what’s just, and what’s unjust, and how the char-
  acters’ actions serve the goal of promoting Justice, 
  can be inﬁ nitely fascinating. And the corollaries 
  — How far should one go to serve Justice? Does 
  the law represent Justice? Do the ends really justify 
  the means? Does a person have the right to take the 
  law into his own hands? Can imperfect Man know 
  perfect Justice? — are equally intriguing.
  MONEY
  In some Dark Champions campaigns, it’s all 
  about the bucks. Th e characters’ role in life is to 
  accumulate as much lucre as they can, however 
  they can, and oft en without worrying about the 
  morality or implications of their actions. Th is is 
  a common theme for Caper Hero campaigns, but 
  it may also be the focus of mercenary-oriented 
  Military Action games and the like. And of course, 
  even in a high-toned crimeﬁ ghting or espionage 
  campaign, the characters may sometimes need a 
  suitcase full of c-notes to ﬁ nance their missions.
  PATRIOTISM
  What the theme of Justice is to vigilante 
  crimeﬁ ghting, Patriotism is to many Military 
  Action and Espionage games. Characters in these 
  games usually serve a particular government, 
  nation, or similar cause. How far should they go in 
  its service? Can a character serve and uphold the 
  ideals of a nation by violating those ideals to pro-
  tect it? What happens to a character who loses the 
  faith, or discovers the nation he has served so well 
  and so long has betrayed him or left  him to die?
  POWER
  Th e theme of power raises the issue of what 
  types of power exist, and how people use them (or 
  should use them). In most Dark Champions cam-
  paigns, this refers to governmental power, or law 
  enforcement power. Th is theme potentially raises 
  all kinds of juicy questions. What forms of power 
  exist? What are the proper uses of power? Who 
  should wield power? What should people do when 
  someone uses power improperly? Does power cor-
  rupt? Caveat:  Plato asked these same questions 
  thousands of years ago in Th e Republic, and no one 
  has ever deﬁ nitively answered them.
  PRESERVE THE GOOD
  In many Dark Champions campaigns, the 
  dominant theme is:  how can the characters pre-
  serve that which is good and worthy, and what 
  sacriﬁ ces must they make to do so? Of course, this 
  requires you to deﬁ ne for the players (or for them 
  to decide for themselves) what is “good,” and thus 
  worth preserving, but usually that’s not diﬃ  cult. 
  Th e threat to the good is usually obvious — a 
  crimelord, a Communist or Nazi regime, a tyranni-
  cal dictator, or the like. Th is theme only works well 
  in games with “black and white” morality; it’s hard 
  to preserve the good if the characters don’t know 
  what “the good” is.
  CAMPAIGN TYPES
  Aft er, or at the same time as, choosing a theme, 
  you need to decide on the type of campaign you 
  want to run. Oft en one decision leads to another; 
  an Espionage game probably focuses on themes of 
  Patriotism, Power, and/or Preserving Th e Good, not 
  on Justice or Money.
  Subgenre
  Chapter One describes the various Dark 
  Champions subgenres. Each subgenre has beneﬁ ts 
  and drawbacks from a gaming perspective; keeping 
  these in mind as you create a campaign should let 
  you maximize the former, and minimize the latter.
  VIGILANTE CRIMEFIGHTING
  Vigilante crimeﬁ ghting lies at the heart of 
  the Dark Champions genre, since it can incorpo-
  rate virtually any sort of character or adventure 
  from the genre as a whole. In much the same 
  way that Champions can feature characters with 
  Fantasy or Science Fiction backgrounds (even 
  though Fantasy and SF don’t feature superhe-
  roes), a group of vigilante crimeﬁ ghters could 
  include a costumed vigilante, an ex-Green Beret, 
  a former (or current!) ﬁ eld agent for the CIA, and 
  a (reformed?) cat burglar. Th is gives you unpar-
  alleled ﬂ exibility when it comes to designing 
  adventures and adversaries for the PCs.
  
  319 
  Dark Champions ■ Chapter Eight
  On the downside, crimeﬁ ghting campaigns 
  tend to be more limited in scope than many other 
  Dark Champions subgenres. Characters usually 
  stick to a single urban setting, and may not have 
  any easy way to visit other places. If you consider 
  this a problem and want to avoid it, make sure 
  at least one character has an accessible means of 
  transportation (such as a private jet), then pit the 
  characters against international criminals and 
  crime groups as much as against local crooks.
  CAPER
  Caper campaigns oﬀ er an interesting change 
  of pace from the usual Dark Champions approach 
  — instead of being the “good guys,” the characters 
  are criminals (albeit kind-hearted, nonviolent 
  ones). Some gaming groups ﬁ nd this refreshing and 
  fun. However, Caper Hero doesn’t always make for 
  a good long-term campaign, since every adventure 
  tends to be the same:  ﬁ nd a target; study the target; 
  take down the target. Instead, Caper Hero may work 
  better as a short-term campaign (one spanning a 
  few game sessions at most), or as an interesting 
  interlude for another type of Dark Champions cam-
  paign. For example, maybe a team of PC spies has 
  to pull a caper to obtain stolen blueprints from an 
  enemy intelligence agency.
  DARK CHAMPIONS:  
  THE ANIMATED SERIES
  For many gaming groups, DC:TAS is the per-
  fect mix of Dark Champions elements. Th e PCs 
  don’t have superpowers (or at best only possess 
  minor paranormal abilities), but they ﬁ ght crime 
  in a world where some of the villains might, and 
  where the technology isn’t necessarily restricted to 
  what exists in the real world. Furthermore, they get 
  to act like hardnosed vigilantes, but don’t have to 
  worry about the messy ethics of killing criminals.
  On the other hand, this mix of elements and 
  attitude may make your job as GM a little more dif-
  ﬁ cult. Your villains have to act more or less like real 
  criminals, but they can’t get too violent and vicious 
  or you’ll ruin the game’s Silver Age-y patina. In a 
  genre that at least pays “lip service” to the concept 
  of “realism,” this may not seem “realistic” at all. If 
  you can cope with (or even prefer) this sort of dis-
  connect, DC:TAS may be the perfect subgenre for 
  you to run.
  ESPIONAGE
  Espionage is the favorite Dark Champions 
  subgenre for many gaming groups. It allows for the 
  widest possible scope of adventure — a spy might 
  have to go just about anywhere or do just about 
  anything on his missions (and the fact that the 
  locales he most oft en adventures in are glamorous 
  ones doesn’t hurt). If the group wants a little more 
  “realism” or darkness, you can hew more toward 
  gritty John Le Carré-style stories; if they prefer 
  drama and over-the-top action, take James Bond as 
  your model.
  On the other hand, the potential breadth of 
  an Espionage game may create more work for you. 
  Instead of focusing your campaign creation eﬀ orts 
  on a single city, you have to know about the world as 
  a whole. What nations exist, and what are they cur-
  rently up to? Are there any wars going on (and if so, 
  between who and over what)? Which intelligence 
  agencies are the main players in the Great Game, 
  and what alliances and rivalries exist between them? 
  In short, an Espionage game may require a lot more 
  “prep work” than other types of Dark Champions 
  games. Depending on how you plan your campaign, 
  you may be able to do the work piecemeal, preparing 
  only what you need for a given scenario and gradu-
  ally weaving it into a whole.
  LAW ENFORCEMENT
  Law enforcement games are oft en like Vigi-
  lante Crimeﬁ ghting campaigns, but with an impor-
  tant twist:  the characters ﬁ ght crime within the law, 
  instead of outside it. Th is adds entire dimensions 
  to the story that Vigilante Crimeﬁ ghting lacks. For 
  example, take the issue of police procedure. How 
  closely do the characters follow procedure in their 
  adventures? If they’re willing to violate procedure 
  to make an important “bust,” are they likely to get 
  in trouble for it (and if so, what are the conse-
  quences)? Similarly, because the PCs are part of an 
  organization rather than a group of vigilantes, they 
  have to deal with departmental politics, bother-
  some superiors, corruption in the force, and so on.
  Th e potential drawback to Law Enforcement 
  campaigns is their relatively narrow focus. Cops 
  have just one job — protecting the public — and 
  can only do it within a limited jurisdiction. Rarely, 
  if ever, can they travel to other places in pursuit 
  of a suspect or to track down a clue. Unless the 
  campaign is completely cinematic, they have to 
  make some eﬀ ort to follow procedure, and that 
  may become tiresome. One possible solution to 
  these problems is to make the group of PCs some 
  sort of “interdepartmental task force” so that (a) 
  the characters can come from just about any law 
  enforcement organization, not just one, and (b) the 
  group as a whole has much broader jurisdiction 
  and freedom to act than a group of ordinary cops 
  or FBI agents.
  MONSTER HUNTERS
  In most respects, a Monster Hunters campaign 
  resembles a DC:TAS game. Th e characters are 
  (or usually are) relatively restricted (they’re typi-
  cally more or less normal humans with weapons 
  and gear), but their foes are not. Th e introduction 
  of monsters, mysticism, and ancient prophecies 
  can provide an element of “spice” that a campaign 
  involving purely mundane foes lacks.
  But this also requires you to do more work to 
  deﬁ ne the background and history of your setting. 
  Why is it that monsters and magic exist? Have they 
  always existed? Who else knows about them? You 
  also have to create the monsters the heroes hunt 
  and slay, though Th e HERO System Bestiary and 
  Monsters, Minions, And Marauders can take some 
  of that burden oﬀ  your shoulders.
  
  320 ■ Gamemastering Dark Champions
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  SPECIAL OPS/MILITARY ACTION
  A Special Ops/Military Action campaign 
  oﬀ ers many of the same beneﬁ ts and drawbacks 
  Espionage games do:  characters can go just about 
  anywhere and perform many diﬀ erent kinds of 
  missions, but that means you have to prepare for 
  that breadth and depth.
  Similarly, Military campaigns, like Espionage 
  and Law Enforcement, make the characters a part 
  of a larger organization. You can use this to keep 
  the PCs in line, make them go where you want to 
  go, and prevent them from having equipment you 
  don’t want them to have:  their commanding oﬃ  -
  cers give them orders, and they have to obey them; 
  and sometimes the budget won’t let the organiza-
  tion buy the world’s best sniper riﬂ e just because 
  the PCs want one. But once again, you may have to 
  do some advance work to ﬂ esh out the organization 
  so it remains consistent and logical throughout the 
  campaign.
  TECHNOTHRILLER AND WEIRD 
  CONSPIRACY
  Th e good and bad points of a technothriller 
  game or weird conspiracy campaign depend on 
  the basic subgenre on which you overlay those ele-
  ments. If it’s a Military Action game, it functions 
  like one; if it’s an Espionage campaign, the charac-
  ters have to cope with the potential pitfalls of being 
  spies as well as the problems of advanced technol-
  ogy or UFOs.
  Campaign Subject
  In most cases, the subgenre of a Dark Cham-
  pions campaign describes the subject of that 
  campaign:  vigilante crimeﬁ ghters ﬁ ght crime; 
  spies gather intelligence; soldiers conduct combat 
  missions against the enemy. Here are a few more 
  subjects that might inﬂ uence more than one type of 
  campaign.
  POLITICS
  Not all Dark Champions adventures have to 
  involve excitement and intrigue of the physical 
  sort. Instead, the characters might ﬁ nd themselves 
  embroiled in diplomatic or political situations. Th is 
  occurs most frequently in Espionage games where 
  characters oft en mingle in diplomatic circles, but it 
  could aﬀ ect many other types of characters — the 
  actions of soldiers or law enforcement agents oft en 
  have signiﬁ cant political ramiﬁ cations. You might 
  even want to make politics a central feature of the 
  campaign. For example, maybe the PCs are an elite 
  search-and-rescue team that answers directly to the 
  Joint Chiefs of Staﬀ , the Secretary of Defense, or 
  the President. For a more unusual type of “political 
  intrigue” campaign, maybe the PCs are the Joint 
  Chiefs of Staﬀ , or the President and his staﬀ .
  REBELLION
  One possible focus for a Military Action cam-
  paign is to make the PCs rebels against an unjust 
  government. Rather than ﬁ ghting on behalf of a 
  recognized regime, they’re outcasts struggling to 
  free their nation from oppression and injustice. 
  Th is allows you to control the PCs in the same way 
  you would if they were Navy SEALs or the like, 
  but also restricts the type of equipment they have 
  available (since guerrilla warriors rarely have the 
  budget for, or access to, the latest military systems). 
  It also raises questions of Justice and Patriotism:  
  what actions can the characters legitimately take 
  to triumph without descending into terrorism or 
  oppression themselves?
  WAR
  Another option for a Military Action game is 
  all-out war. Rather than going on special ops mis-
  sions and the like, the PCs are soldiers who some-
  times ﬁ ght pitched battles. Th ey might be the 
  crew of a tank, a squad of infantrymen trapped 
  behind enemy lines, a specialized commando 
  unit, or any other similar group of ﬁ ghting men. 
  Countless war movies and novels oﬀ er plenty of 
  inspiration and ideas.
  Military campaigns have several advantages 
  for Dark Champions. Th e heroes go where they’re 
  ordered, and can only have the equipment issued 
  to them... but they know the adventure begins 
  when they get to the mission zone. However, the 
  players may start wishing for variety (which you 
  can provide with “R&R” trips or temporary assign-
  ments), and the emphasis on combat means players 
  who like wargaming have fun and those who don’t 
  loathe this kind of campaign.
   
  
  321 
  Dark Champions ■ Chapter Eight
  Y
  our job as GM doesn’t end when you create 
  your campaign and develops the setting. 
  Quite the reverse:  now you have to actu-
  ally run the games while your players enjoy 
  what you’ve created... and help you ﬂ esh out your 
  quasi-ﬁ ctional universe.
  ADVENTURE STRUCTURE
  Th ere are two main approaches to adventure 
  design:  plotted and unplotted. In a plotted adven-
  ture, you have a speciﬁ c story in mind, which the 
  PCs follow to the climax. In an unplotted adven-
  ture, there is no plot, merely a situation; what hap-
  pens depends entirely on the PCs’ actions. Each 
  method has its advantages and disadvantages.
  PLOTTED ADVENTURES
  Plotted adventures have the great advantage of 
  a satisfying story structure. Th e action builds from 
  the hook to the climax, encounters exist to provide 
  tension or move the story along, and the heroes are 
  at the center of events. You can use all the tricks 
  developed by writers over the past three millennia:  
  foreshadowing, suspense, conﬂ ict, jump cutting, 
  catharsis. You can borrow plots and plot ideas from 
  a vast array of sources, from Shakespeare to Larry 
  Bond. You can tailor the opposition to the charac-
  ters’ power level and personalities.
  On the downside, plotted adventures can 
  become too rigid in structure — you know where 
  you want the story to go, so you force the heroes to 
  go there. Players may feel you’re railroading them, 
  or that their actions don’t really have an eﬀ ect. If 
  they suspect you’ll let them succeed regardless of 
  what they do (because story progression requires 
  it), the story loses all suspense and drama — the 
  players start to use “metagame thinking” to deduce 
  the plot and ﬁ gure out what their characters should 
  do, rather than acting as their characters would 
  behave in that situation.
  To avoid the problem of “railroading,” plan 
  out several possible resolutions for the adventure 
  (and for each major scene within the adventure) 
  depending on what the characters do. If the story 
  involves discovering a plot to assassinate the Presi-
  dent, the climax might consist of a battle with the 
  killers or impersonating the President. But no 
  matter how many options you prepare, be ready 
  to abandon all of them when the players think up 
  something you didn’t. Th e most profound truth in 
  gaming is “the players never do what you expect.”
  UNPLOTTED ADVENTURES
  Unplotted adventures, by contrast, have no 
  set storyline. You merely establish a situation and 
  let the players determine the action. Th e situation 
  can be dynamic or passive. In a dynamic situation, 
  things happen and it’s up to the players to cope 
  with them — the enemy is attacking, counterintel-
  ligence agents are closing in on the PCs, or the like. 
  A passive situation is one in which things are stable 
  (at least until the PCs show up) — the Soviets are 
  encroaching in Afghanistan, a robbery crew is 
  taking down scores on the south side of town. In 
  either case, if there are villains, they follow what-
  ever motives you wish to give them, rather than 
  ﬁ lling the role of Antagonist in a story. Th e World 
  exists, running along on its own, and the PCs must 
  make their own decisions about what to do and 
  how to do it.
  Unplotted adventures have the advantage of 
  feeling realistic — aft er all, the real world doesn’t 
  neatly follow classical dramatic structure, and 
  every person is an NPC to other people. Th ey 
  give the players a great deal of inﬂ uence over 
  the course of the adventure, and let them choose 
  to do what they enjoy. If you’ve prepared your 
  campaign well, unplotted adventures are a good 
  way to show oﬀ  the scope and depth of your Dark 
  Champions setting.
  But unplotted adventures have their own dis-
  advantages. Oft en the action becomes just a series 
  of combats or short-term missions. In a dynamic 
  situation, the players may ﬁ nd it frustrating to be 
  at the mercy of events. Th e need to either create 
  new encounters on the ﬂ y or prepare a vast amount 
  of background and NPCs which you may never 
  use might overwhelm you. Finally, the structure of 
  unplotted adventures can be unsatisfying — the 
  heroes may overcome the main opposition early 
  and spend the rest of their time mopping up under-
  lings, or they fail to acquire crucial information or 
  gear and end up outclassed at the climax.
  Plotted and unplotted adventures aren’t com-
  pletely incompatible. Characters may start out in a 
  seemingly unplotted situation, but encounter vari-
  ous hooks for stories. Depending on which ones 
  they follow up, they can get involved in plotted 
  stories. In the course of going through those story 
  plots, they exist in an unplotted environment, so if 
  they diverge from the story they don’t wander oﬀ  
  into “blank hexes.”
  RUNNING 
  THE GAME
  
  322 ■ Gamemastering Dark Champions
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  Plotting
  Th e most dependable basis for an adven-
  ture plot is the tried and true three-act structure, 
  familiar from classic plays, comic books, ﬁ lms, and 
  almost every other type of story. Th e ﬁ rst act is 
  the adventure hook, in which the heroes become 
  involved in the story and encounter initial obsta-
  cles. Th e second act presents more obstacles for the 
  heroes to overcome (oft en with an intriguing twist 
  or turn of events), and the third act is the climax 
  and resolution of the story.
  THE FIRST ACT:  ADVENTURE HOOK
  Adventure hooks come in various forms. Th e 
  simplest is to have an NPC hire or order the heroes 
  to do something — “Aft er you arrive for the meet-
  ing, the Colonel shows up and explains the mission 
  to you.” Th at’s a standard hook for all sorts of Dark 
  Champions stories; it’s quick and gets the story 
  moving. Alternately, someone can beg the heroes 
  for help — if they’re properly heroic, how can they 
  resist? And of course, the actions of an enemy can 
  draw the heroes into an adventure. Many James 
  Bond movies begin this way — a cinematic mas-
  termind launches Stage 1 of his plot, and away the 
  story goes.
  Some adventure hooks are situational; almost 
  any circumstance the PCs ﬁ nd themselves in can 
  draw them into an adventure. Being out of money 
  means the heroes need to ﬁ nd a way to earn some 
  cash, so they respond to a mysterious rumor of 
  “help wanted.” Th e heroes are caught in the cross-
  ﬁ re when two rival street gangs battle for “turf.” 
  Ready, set, go!
  Finally, objects oft en serve as adventure hooks. 
  A cryptic clue or message can draw the heroes into 
  danger; Alfred Hitchcock loved that method in 
  his ﬁ lms. Another useful Hitchcock hook is “Th e 
  MacGuﬃ  n.” A MacGuﬃ  n is an object of value or 
  importance to someone. If the heroes have the 
  MacGuﬃ  n (or if someone thinks they have it), then 
  all sorts of trouble results from other people trying 
  to buy, steal, or destroy it. Th e Red October subma-
  rine in Th e Hunt For Red October serves as a sort of 
  MacGuﬃ  n.
  Sometimes the adventure hook is not the 
  same as the ultimate goal of the adventure itself. 
  Many times the heroes get involved because they 
  think they understand what’s going on, and then 
  learn better and must change their goals as a result 
  of events in the story. As an example, suppose the 
  CIA hires a party of mercenaries to run a search-
  and-rescue op to recover some diplomats lost in 
  the jungle when their plane crashes. Th e hook is 
  their mercenary contract. But before they get to the 
  diplomats, a mole in the agency betrays them to the 
  enemy. Suddenly, the goal is no longer accomplish-
  ing the contract, but escaping from jail and getting 
  revenge. When they ﬁ nd the mole, they learn he 
  was working for a mysterious patron of his own, 
  so now they have to ﬁ nd that person and discover 
  what’s really going on.
  THE SECOND ACT:  OBSTACLES
  Th e second act of an adventure focuses on 
  obstacles the heroes must overcome. Obstacles are 
  many and various, but fall into three main categories.
  Foes
  Th e ﬁ rst are actual foes — people or things 
  speciﬁ cally trying to make the heroes fail, or do 
  them harm. If the foe wants to kill the heroes or 
  stop them from accomplishing their goal, he’s a 
  villain. If he just wants to beat them to the goal, or 
  surpass their accomplishments, he’s a rival. Finally, 
  there are adversaries — people whose goals are 
  opposed to the PCs’ plans even if they aren’t aware 
  of them. (In this context, HERO System Hunteds 
  can qualify as either adversaries or villains, but 
  Rivals are usually rivals.) For example, suppose 
  the heroes in a Caper Hero game have to steal a 
  valuable artifact from a museum. Villains include 
  people who want to stop the PCs from succeeding 
  (the museum’s ruthless and arrogant head of secu-
  rity, for example), rivals include people who want 
  to steal the artifact ﬁ rst, and adversaries include the 
  cops who don’t know about the current scheme but 
  want to arrest the PCs for other crimes
  At times friends can be foes, if they don’t agree 
  with the goal the heroes are pursuing, or have been 
  duped into believing the heroes are a danger. A 
  friend may even betray the PCs. Sometimes friends 
  are correct, and it’s the heroes who’ve been duped.
  Features Of Th e Setting
  Th e second type of obstacles the heroes must 
  face are features of the setting which would exist 
  regardless of the heroes’ actions, such as natural 
  obstacles and mysteries.
  Natural obstacles include hostile weather, 
  sheer distance, dangerous terrain, hungry animals, 
  deadly security devices, and the like. Society’s 
  impediments — laws, regulations, restrictions, 
  social customs, prejudices, and the like — also qual-
  ify as natural obstacles. Obviously, natural obstacles 
  arise primarily in uncivilized areas, while social 
  barriers come into play in populated settings.
  A mystery is either something the heroes must 
  solve to continue toward the goal, or the key to the 
  goal itself. Sometimes mysteries (or puzzles) are 
  features of the setting, and sometimes they’re the 
  work of the party’s opponents, but they all have a 
  common feature:  the characters must solve them 
  by thinking rather than force (although sometimes 
  the solution involves a particular use of force). In 
  situations with changing goals, solving a mystery 
  may ﬁ nally point the heroes at their ultimate objec-
  tive. Regardless of the type of puzzle, you should 
  make it fair and logical, since the players have to 
  solve it. An unfair puzzle just makes them angry.
  Internal Obstacles
  A ﬁ nal kind of obstacle lies within the heroes 
  themselves — internal obstacles. Overcoming per-
  sonal ﬂ aws, sacriﬁ cing something for the greater 
  good, or learning a lesson are all obstacles, oft en 
  more diﬃ  cult to surmount than any street gang or 
  enemy platoon. In game terms, Disadvantages such 
  as Dependence, DNPC, Enraged/Berserk, Psycho-
  
  323 
  Dark Champions ■ Chapter Eight
  logical Limitation, and perhaps Rivalry oft en rep-
  resent internal obstacles. An honorable man who 
  must break his word to achieve his goal faces an 
  internal obstacle; so does a devious one who has to 
  trust others to succeed. You should tailor the inter-
  nal obstacles to the players:  some players routinely 
  sidestep their characters’ Psychological Limitations 
  if they can manage an EGO Roll, while others want 
  to remain true to the characters they create.
  THE THIRD ACT:  CLIMAX 
  AND CONCLUSION
  Once the characters have surpassed or neu-
  tralized all the obstacles, the story proceeds to its 
  climax, in which the heroes confront the main vil-
  lain or surmount the ultimate barrier to reach their 
  goal and win the reward. Th e goal may not be the 
  one they originally signed up to accomplish, but it’s 
  the one that concludes this particular adventure.
  Climaxes should be, well, climactic. Th is is 
  the time for you to “blow the budget” and strive to 
  make everything as tense and impressive as pos-
  sible. If the heroes must foil the villain’s plans, put a 
  time limit on them and create all kinds of distrac-
  tions. If they ﬁ ght the villain directly, set the battle 
  in an exotic or impressive location — a skyscraper 
  rooft op, a cinematic mastermind’s lair, or the like. 
  Since this is a roleplaying game, an exciting setting 
  is no more expensive or diﬃ  cult to arrange than a 
  boring one.
  Even if it isn’t full of physical action, try to 
  make the climax tense and dramatic. If the heroes 
  have to prevent a war or persuade someone, set 
  the scene right on the edge of disaster — the 
  rebel army is only minutes away from attacking 
  the heroes’ camp, and they have to convince the 
  rebel commander right now that they aren’t the 
  ones who’ve been trapping and slaughtering rebel 
  soldiers. If a judge is sentencing the PCs, crucial 
  evidence should arrive aft er the opposition has pre-
  sented seemingly iron-clad arguments against the 
  heroes... and just in time to save them from prison.
  CLASSIC DARK CHAMPIONS PLOTS
  Here are capsule descriptions of several dif-
  ferent types of plots which occur frequently in 
  modern-day action-adventure stories:
  Crisis Management
  Th is plot starts the character oﬀ  at “ground 
  zero” when some emergency or disaster (usually 
  a crime or terrorist incident) occurs. Th e basic 
  feature of this plot is that the character was in the 
  wrong place at the wrong time (at least as far as 
  the criminals/terrorists are concerned), and there’s 
  no way out except through the bad guys. He must 
  defeat the criminals/terrorists, rescue hostages or 
  other innocent victims, and get to safety.
  Th e best feature of this type of scenario is that 
  the character rarely has his weapons and equip-
  ment with him — he has to “improvise” and fall 
  back on his Skills rather than just gunning down all 
  the bad guys and walking away. For Crisis Manage-
  ment adventures, you need a relatively small area 
  thoroughly mapped out (such as a skyscraper or a 
  Boeing 747), several enemies fully written up and 
  properly armed, and a relatively detailed plotline or 
  timeline of events.
  
  324 ■ Gamemastering Dark Champions
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  Gang War
  Two major underworld entities — typically 
  two gangs or organized crime groups — have 
  gotten involved in an underworld war, and the PCs 
  have to stop it (or maybe just want to take advan-
  tage of it). Th e trick to this scenario (or, more oft en, 
  story arc within the campaign) is that you have 
  to give the PCs some reason to become directly 
  involved (such as innocents who may be caught in 
  the crossﬁ re) — otherwise, they’ll probably sit back 
  and let the bad guys kill each other oﬀ . You also 
  need to keep careful track of the events in the “war” 
  so you can determine what each side does next, 
  how many men and resources the combatants have 
  left , and so forth.
  Hunting Trip
  Th is plot involves someone hunting for or 
  attempting to assassinate someone else. Th e PCs 
  may be the hunters, the hunteds, or a third party 
  trying to protect the hunted and stop the hunter. 
  Typically the hunter’s goal is to kill or destroy 
  the target, but it might be slightly diﬀ erent — to 
  kidnap the target or recover some object, for 
  example. Hunting Trip works well in conjunction 
  with Revenge!.
  Hunting Trip plots are easy for you to run 
  — all you really need is a complete write-up of the 
  hunter or hunted (depending on the PCs’ role in 
  the scenario) and some sort of idea of where and 
  in what sequence the two enemies encounter each 
  other. You can easily recycle some locations from 
  other scenarios instead of creating all-new ones, if 
  you want.
  Inﬁ ltration
  Th e PCs have to get into a highly-guarded area, 
  usually to obtain something or kill someone. Th ey 
  must wade through security devices and hordes of 
  lesser foes before reaching their goal, then survive 
  one last battle with the main enemy before they 
  achieve their end. Alternately, they have to get in, do 
  the job, and get out without being detected or leaving 
  any traces. Th is is the standard scenario for Caper 
  Hero games, but the characters’ motivations may not 
  be theft  — they might want revenge on someone, or 
  maybe an old friend has recruited them to help him 
  get inside for some reason.
  Preparing for an Inﬁ ltration adventure takes 
  some time. You need to map the location to be inﬁ l-
  trated thoroughly, and make extensive notes about 
  security devices and procedures. You should also 
  prepare character sheets for signiﬁ cant enemies.
  Th e Mission
  In campaigns where the PCs belong to a larger 
  organization, such as Espionage, Law Enforcement, 
  and Military Action, the easiest way to hook the 
  PCs into an adventure is for their superior oﬃ  cers 
  to order them to go on a particular mission. Th eir 
  commander can also restrict the methods they can 
  use, the type of equipment they carry on the mis-
  sion, and so forth.
  RANDOM PLOT GENERATOR
  Sometimes you need a plot in a hurry, or maybe just some way to generate ideas to kick-
  start your imagination. For those times, here’s a Dark Champions Random Plot Generator. 
  Start by rolling a Hook, then determine the Goal and the Obstacles standing in the way. 
  For more complex plots, roll for multiple Goals:  the ﬁ rst is what the PCs think they’re 
  doing, and then they discover their real goal later.
  HOOK ROLL 1D6:  
   
  1  
  Client (NPC who asks or begs the party to do something)
   
  2 
  Clue (message or information which inspires the party to act)
   
  3 
  Enemy (NPC or other threat which menaces the party)
   
  4 
  MacGuﬃ  n (PCs acquire an object of great importance to someone)
   
  5 
  Patron (NPC who hires or orders the party to do something)
   
  6 
  Situation (Some event happens which requires the party to react)
  GOAL ROLL 2D6
   First Second
   Die 
  Die 
  Result 
  Suggestions
   1-3 
  1 
  Acquire Something 
  Military prototype, blueprints, microﬁ lm
   1-3 
  2 
  Capture Someone 
  Enemy commander, enemy spy
   1-3 
  3 
  Defeat an Enemy 
  Enemy army, an assassin
   1-3 
  4 
  Destroy Something 
  Weapon of mass destruction, organized 
  crime group
   1-3 
  5 
  Escape from a Place 
  Prison, behind enemy lines
   1-3 
  6 
  Learn a Secret 
  A mole in the agency, a criminal’s 
  Secret Identity
   4-6 
  1 
  Prevent a Disaster 
  Dissemination of Top Secret information, 
  terrorist act
   4-6 
  2 
  Rescue a Captive 
  Hostage, unjustly-imprisoned man
   4-6 
  3 
  Solve a Mystery 
  Murder, theft , conspiracy
   4-6 
  4 
  Survive the Environment Desert, jungle, mountains
   4-6 
  5 
  Travel to a Place 
  Meeting point behind enemy lines, bad side 
  of town
   4-6 
  6 
  Win a Battle 
  Versus an enemy army, a legal battle, a turf war
  OBSTACLES ROLL 1D6 FOR THE NUMBER OF OBSTACLES, 
  THEN 1D6 TO DETERMINE THE NATURE OF EACH:
   
  1 
  Adversary (someone whose goals bring him into conﬂ ict with the PCs)
   
  2 
  Friend (a DNPC or someone normally friendly, opposed to the party for some 
  reason)
   
  3 
  Nature (hostile features of the setting, creatures, and so forth)
   
  4 
  Rival (an existing rival or someone who wants to achieve the same goal ahead 
  of the party)
   
  5 
  Society (the authorities, the culture, laws, infrastructure, and so forth)
   
  6 
  Villain (someone who speciﬁ cally opposes the PCs)
  Example:  Steve needs a plot idea for a Dark Champions adventure for his Special 
  Ops campaign. He starts by rolling the Hook, and gets a 2:  a Clue. For the Goal he 
  decides to roll twice, and gets 6, 5:  Travel to a Place, and 6, 6:  Win a Battle. He rolls 
  for the number of Obstacles and gets 3; the speciﬁ c ones are 5:  Society, 1:  Adversary, 
  and 2:  Friend. 
  Now Steve has to put these pieces together. Two of the Obstacles — Adversary and 
  Friend — ﬁ t together well, so he decides to discard the Society element. By combining 
  those two Obstacles with the two Goals (Travel and Battle), he quickly conceives of 
  a basic plot:  the PC team is assigned to guard a CIA ﬁ eld agent who’s going to lead 
  them to an enemy encampment, where they have to ﬁ ght a battle against the enemy 
  force and seize their information and weapons. However, the agent has his own 
  agenda — while he has nothing against most of the team, he carries a bitter grudge 
  against one member (for some reason Steve will choose for best dramatic impact) 
  and wants to arrange things so that PC dies during the ﬁ ght. (Alternately, Steve 
  might make the agent a double agent working for a third party — a group of merce-
  naries that wants to steal the data the enemy has before the PCs get their hands on it 
  — but that may make the agent too much of a Villain rather than a Friend.)
  
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  Dark Champions ■ Chapter Eight
  Th e New Kid In Town
  Th is sort of plot is a staple of stories involv-
  ing vigilantes or “renegade cops.” Th e PCs stumble 
  across a major crime ﬁ gure or criminal operation 
  that’s just come to the campaign city (or which has 
  secretly operated under the characters’ noses for 
  some time). Th e PCs have to investigate this new 
  threat, then deal with it. Contacts and new-found 
  friends provide assistance and information to the 
  characters, but some of them may be injured or 
  killed along the way. You need to have the main 
  villain and his organization written up in enough 
  detail that you can answer the players’ questions 
  about them, plus a good explanation for why the 
  PCs have never stumbled across this man or his 
  organization before.
  Revenge!
  Most GMs combine this plot with another 
  plot, but you don’t necessarily have to. It begins 
  when something disastrous happens to a PC:  his 
  family is killed before his eyes; a crimelord captures 
  his partner and tortures the partner to death; and 
  so forth. Th e characters make it their mission in life 
  to get appropriate revenge.
  Th is plot works better if the target is a single 
  person or a small group; if it’s a large group, such as 
  the Maﬁ a, it makes a better element of a character’s 
  background (or perhaps a campaign-deﬁ ning story 
  arc). To run it, you need detailed descriptions of the 
  target of revenge so you know how he reacts, what 
  resources he can call upon to oppose the PCs, and 
  so forth.
  DEALING WITH 
  DISCONNECTS
  Many ideas that work perfectly well in ﬁ ction 
  are less successful in roleplaying games. A game is 
  not a movie or a book, so diﬀ erent dramatic rules 
  apply. Dark Champions stories and settings come 
  with a complete set of booby-traps and pitfalls 
  waiting to snare unsuspecting GMs.
  CAUTIOUS COMBATANTS
  In action movies and books, heroes are daring 
  — they take chances, they risk death to end a ﬁ ght 
  quickly so they can get to their ultimate goal. Th ey 
  don’t take foolish gambles, but they’re not cau-
  tious by “realistic” standards. In a Dark Champions 
  campaign, characters oft en act in the opposite way:  
  they proceed with great caution, looking for every 
  possible piece of cover or other advantage, and they 
  don’t use Combat Maneuvers that impose too many 
  penalties.
  If that’s not to your taste — if you want faster-
  paced combats and daring action — you need to 
  convince the players you won’t severely penalize 
  their characters for taking “dramatically appropri-
  ate” actions. Chapter Four has many suggestions for 
  alternate or additional rules to make your gunﬁ ghts 
  and battles more exciting.
  DEDUCTION
  In mystery stories and suspense thrillers, the 
  characters always ﬁ gure out the mystery eventu-
  ally; some characters, such as Sherlock Holmes, are 
  known primarily for their deductive abilities. In 
  game terms, the Deduction Skill simulates this — but 
  since it’s not much fun to have a character roll dice 
  and then tell him the answer if he succeeds, many 
  GMs prefer that the players deduce the solutions 
  to mysteries themselves. However, unlike ﬁ ctional 
  detectives, players aren’t necessarily skilled at solving 
  mysteries — they buy Deduction for their characters 
  speciﬁ cally because they want to play a character 
  who’s better at solving mysteries than they are.
  Th e key to resolving this problem is to com-
  bine the two methods. Allow some Deduction rolls, 
  but instead of giving out fully-formed answers, just 
  provide snippets of information or suggestions. 
  Th at way the players can reach the correct conclu-
  sion themselves. And if one of the players happens 
  to suggest the right answer but no one realizes he’s 
  right, you can point out to the players that “Tom’s 
  answer sounds pretty good to you” or the like. Aft er 
  all, ﬁ ctional characters instinctively seem to realize 
  when they’ve hit upon the right answer, so game 
  characters should, too.
  KILLING THE ENEMY
  Four-color Champions campaigns feature vil-
  lains who always escape, either from the PCs or 
  from jail, to return another day for a crack at Our 
  Heroes. Sometimes even villains long thought dead 
  “come back to life”! Th is happens in Dark Cham-
  pions games much less frequently, because Dark 
  Champions characters routinely use deadly force. 
  Th is may put a lot of strain on you, forcing you to 
  create new villains frequently and making it dif-
  ﬁ cult (at best) to develop any long-standing adver-
  sarial relationships in the campaign. But you can’t 
  just stop the PCs from killing their foes; that’s one 
  of the features of the genre.
  Many GMs don’t worry about this, since they 
  enjoy creating new villains. If it causes you prob-
  lems, try to create enemies who are just collections 
  of equipment and/or skills that many people could 
  use and learn. Th e heroes may kill or imprison 
  Caliber, but then someone else can take up the guns 
  and the name and become Caliber II.
  KILLING THE HERO
  Enemies aren’t necessarily the only char-
  acters who get killed in Dark Champions cam-
  paigns. Given the amount of lethal force used in 
  most games, and the lack of any “instant healing” 
  resources in the modern-day action-adventure 
  genre, sometimes PCs ﬁ nd themselves on the 
  wrong end of a gun and wind up dead.
  Th e threat of dying has to be a part of the cam-
  paign — without it, the heroes will think they’re 
  invincible, and the verisimilitude suﬀ ers. Instead, 
  you have to manage your combats properly so 
  death is a possible consequence, but not a likely one. 
  Know how much Resistant Defense your PCs have, 
  and be prepared to change die rolls or take other 
  steps to keep the game from becoming too lethal.
  
  326 ■ Gamemastering Dark Champions
  Hero System 5th Edition
  SEND IN THE MARINES!
  In games where the PCs belong to a larger 
  organization (i.e., most Espionage, Law Enforce-
  ment, and Military campaigns), the question 
  oft en arises:  if things are so desperate, why not 
  bring in the Army (or the SWAT team, or the 
  like)? Why rely on a small group of characters, 
  however highly-trained they may be, when the 
  government can call in massive amounts of “rein-
  forcements”? Unlike in Fantasy, where characters 
  can be “fated by prophecy” to resolve some crisis 
  on their own, typically one Dark Champions char-
  acter is as good as another...
  ...at least in theory. In reality, there are lots 
  of reasons you can devise why a small PC team 
  makes more sense than massive military force. 
  Th ey include:
  Time pressure:  Mobilizing even a small military 
  force takes time — and the larger the force, the 
  more time that’s needed. Th en the force has to get 
  to the location of the crisis. In short, there isn’t 
  always time to call in the Marines. Sending in a 
  small, highly mobile, highly skilled force oft en 
  makes more sense than waiting for a large-scale 
  attack — sometimes a larger group can’t get the job 
  done in time.
  Financial pressure:  Th e more people the govern-
  ment sends to deal with a crisis, the costlier it gets. 
  Sometimes the organization may not have enough 
  money to launch a full-scale assault.
  Secrecy:  For many missions, it’s important that 
  neither the target nor the public know what’s going 
  on (at least not until the mission is completed, and 
  possibly not ever). A small group can operate in 
  secrecy or near-secrecy. Mobilizing a large force isn’t 
  something that can be hidden in this day of satellite 
  reconnaissance and 24-hour news channels.
  Politics:  Sending in a large military or police force 
  has political ramiﬁ cations. For example, it may be 
  tantamount to declaring war, or it may make the 
  mayor look like a reactionary or a racist. Rather 
  than risk political damage, the person in charge 
  uses a smaller, less politically sensitive force to get 
  the job done.
  Send In Th e Sniper Riﬂ es!
  A related problem that arises in organization-
  oriented games is this oft en-heard question:  “If this 
  mission is so important, why won’t they give us all 
  the equipment we want? Th ey want us to have the 
  best chance to succeed, don’t they?”
  Again, this sounds good in the abstract. All 
  other things being equal, a government would 
  equip its special operatives with anything and 
  everything they needed for a mission, ranging 
  from cutting-edge prototype weapons to the best 
  medicines available. But in reality, there are lots of 
  reasons why this might not happen in the game 
  (besides the meta-game reason of preserving game 
  balance):
  Expense:  Th e better and more sophisticated the 
  gear, the more it costs. Most large organizations 
  have budgets and strict limits on what they can 
  spend. Shelling out $5,000 for a Walther WA-2000 
  sniper riﬂ e isn’t a good decision in most adminis-
  trators’ eyes when there’s a “nearly as good” model 
  available for only $1,000.
  Availability/time pressure:  In many missions, time 
  is of the essence. Most organizations don’t keep one 
  (or more) copies of every possible piece of equip-
  ment available; they only have what they com-
  monly need on hand. Th e PCs may not have the 
  time to wait for the quartermaster to ship them the 
  items they want.
  Weight:  On some missions, the PCs can only take 
  what they can carry themselves. Some commanders 
  prefer for their forces to travel light.
  Logistics:  Sometimes it’s not possible to get the 
  gear the characters need to where they need it. 
  Sneaking military-grade weapons through Customs 
  is diﬃ  cult (at best). Furthermore, sometimes prob-
  lems arise during transport — gear (or the vehicle 
  carrying it) can be lost or damaged, for example.
  Departmental regulations:  Th e organization’s rules 
  may forbid characters to take certain types of equip-
  ment on certain types of missions. “Th is is a standard 
  Class C stakeout, so you’ll only be issued handguns. 
  No, Kozlowski, you can’t take an assault riﬂ e.”
  SOLO HEROES
  Many action-adventure movies and stories 
  feature a single hero. Gaming, on the other hand, 
  is a social activity that usually involves a group of 
  heroes. Unless you want to run the campaign as a 
  series of solo missions, you need to ﬁ nd a way to 
  integrate teams of heroes into the framework of the 
  Dark Champions stories you want to tell.
  Fortunately, this is easy — while many action 
  heroes are solos, there’s plenty of precedent for 
  groups of Dark Champions PCs to work together. 
  If the characters work for an organization (such 
  as the military, an intelligence agency, or a police 
  department), grouping them into a squad or mis-
  sion team is practically a requirement. If they’re 
  freelancers, their employer might bring them 
  together, or they may have a shared past or run a 
  business as a group.
  SPLITTING THE PARTY
  A situation common to all roleplaying is when 
  the PC group has two things to do and the players 
  decide to split up. In ﬁ lms and ﬁ ction it’s easy to cut 
  back and forth between two groups of characters, 
  because ﬁ ctional characters don’t get bored wait-
  ing for their turn to do something. In roleplaying, 
  the characters have players who get ﬁ dgety when 
  they’re “oﬀ  camera.” Th is is especially problematic 
  when you have to keep one group’s actions secret 
  from the rest of the party, so you and some players 
  go oﬀ  to another room or pass notes.
  Th e best way to deal with a split party situation 
  is not to let it happen. If that’s not possible, keep the 
  separation as brief as you can. If one group’s activi-
  ties don’t involve any conﬂ ict or roleplaying, sum-
  marize it brieﬂ y and keep the focus on the more 
  interesting events encountered by the others. You 
  can put aside secret exchanges that only involve 
  RUNNING SOLO 
  ADVENTURES
  Solo games have a lot 
  to recommend them-
  selves as an adjunct 
  to an ordinary Dark 
  Champions campaign. 
  Th ey have enormous 
  potential for in-depth 
  character development. 
  Th e PC has your undi-
  vided attention, so he 
  can do things that he 
  could never do with a 
  group (such as tackle 
  an old nemesis or go 
  undercover for a long 
  time). Th is also gives 
  you the opportunity 
  to design an adventure 
  tailored to that one 
  character’s strengths and 
  weaknesses, rather than 
  having to account for all 
  the members of a group. 
  For example, running a 
  group scenario where 
  an assassin tries to kill 
  one PC is diﬃ  cult, since 
  a lone assassin rarely 
  poses a problem for sev-
  eral trained heroes. But 
  that would make a great 
  solo adventure.
  On the other hand, since 
  there’s only one player 
  involved, you have to 
  create an adventure that 
  appeals to him. If he 
  likes combat-oriented 
  missions, give him one; 
  don’t try to force him to 
  think his way through 
  an investigation-based 
  scenario. Moreover, 
  remember that you and 
  the player will focus 
  entirely on each other. If 
  the player’s uncertain of 
  what to do, he can’t turn 
  to the other players for 
  advice or assistance; if 
  you’re not prepared to 
  deal with detailed ques-
  tions, the game breaks 
  down immediately.
  You’ve also got to pre-
  pare yourself to deal 
  with unexpected turns 
  of events. What if the 
  hero gets Stunned 
  or Knocked Out? He 
  doesn’t have any friends 
  to get him to safety, but 
  you don’t want to just 
  Continued on next page
  
  327 
  Dark Champions ■ Chapter Eight
  a few players for later — unless the events would 
  have an immediate eﬀ ect, you and the players 
  involved can resolve it aft er the others go home, or 
  by e-mail. If you can’t avoid a prolonged separation, 
  let the players of “oﬀ  stage” characters control NPCs 
  or villains.
  DISADVANTAGES AND 
  HOW TO USE THEM
  Stories are about characters, and roleplaying 
  game adventures are no exception. Characters, of 
  course, have personalities — ﬂ aws and quirks and 
  personal goals. In the HERO System, you represent 
  these with characters’ Disadvantages, particularly 
  Psychological Limitations, Rivalries, and Hunteds. 
  You can use the Disadvantages of your PCs to 
  enrich the game in a number of ways. Th ey provide 
  plot hooks, distractions, sources of conﬂ ict, and 
  ways to link the party together. And of course, all 
  the motivations below may apply to villains just as 
  well as heroes.
  DEPENDENCE
  If even one PC in the campaign has a Depen-
  dence (almost certainly an Addiction), that gives 
  you an ideal hook to drag him (and thus his 
  friends) into adventures — no character wants to 
  suﬀ er through the pain, humiliation, and loss of 
  abilities that withdrawal entails. Th e character’s 
  struggle against his Addiction could become a 
  tense and dramatic subplot, as he slowly but surely, 
  an Experience Point or three at a time, buys the 
  Disadvantage oﬀ .
  DEPENDENT NPC
  DNPCs are always reliable plot hooks, either 
  because they get into trouble or danger, or because 
  someone asks them for help in a diﬃ  cult situation. 
  However, the lethal nature of many Dark Champi-
  ons campaigns may result in higher-than-normal 
  rates of DNPC deaths, which may make keep play-
  ers from wanting to take this Disadvantage. Since 
  it’s so useful and fun, you may want to consider 
  some sort of “gentleman’s agreement” with the 
  players, in which you promise not to kill or seri-
  ously injure DNPCs (or at least, unless the injury is 
  somehow directly the PC’s fault).
  Of course, for some campaigns, DNPC may 
  not be an appropriate Disadvantage at all. If the 
  PCs are soldiers or spies who travel around the 
  world constantly, a DNPC may not hinder them 
  enough to qualify as a Disadvantage. Alternately, 
  you might require them to apply the -5 “limited to a 
  certain geographical area” modiﬁ er from Hunted to 
  the value of the DNPC. You could even increase the 
  value of the modiﬁ er to -10 (or more), if necessary.
  HUNTED
  Th e saga of a man on the run has a long his-
  tory in ﬁ ction and makes a natural plot hook (or 
  even campaign theme, if the PCs are all bounty 
  hunters). It also works in the other direction:  the 
  heroes can track a wily foe who continually evades 
  them. Th e best Dark Champions Hunter-Hunted 
  situation allows for frequent ﬂ ight and escape, 
  which requires proper design of both the PC and 
  the Hunter. Both parties need the ability to travel 
  without restriction; if the campaign takes place 
  entirely in one city, the PCs can’t just uproot their 
  lives to pursue their old enemy General Vezchenko. 
  On the other hand, if the campaign involves a lot 
  of traveling, don’t let the PCs choose Hunters tied 
  to a particular location unless the events of the 
  story bring the heroes back to that place frequently. 
  (Alternately, the “Floating Hunted” rules on page 
  101 may let you overcome this problem.)
  Even when the Hunters are not close on the 
  heroes’ trail, the simple fact of having to keep 
  moving and keep hidden provides a continuing 
  distraction and source of conﬂ ict. Non-Hunted PCs 
  may resent having to live the life of fugitives to help 
  a friend, and may even have genuine conﬂ icts of 
  loyalty between the desire to obey the law and the 
  desire to help a comrade unjustly accused.
  As the old adage has it, “the enemy of my enemy 
  is my friend,” and being chased by the same people 
  is a good way to link the characters in a campaign. 
  Th ey may not like each other, and they may dis-
  agree frequently... but they know they have to work 
  together to stay ahead of their common foe.
  PHYSICAL LIMITATION
  Physical Limitations aren’t common in Dark 
  Champions, where most characters tend to be ath-
  letic and physically competent, but they crop up 
  occasionally:  soldiers who’ve lost an eye or limb 
  in battle; a computer hacker who’s conﬁ ned to a 
  wheelchair; and so forth. Physical Limitation works 
  best as a story hook if the character’s motivated to 
  seek out a cure (assuming a cure is possible) or to 
  get revenge against whoever caused the injury (see 
  Moby Dick for a non-Dark Champions example).
  Within an adventure, the heroes’ Physical 
  Limitations can cause interesting problems to 
  overcome. On the other hand, while in ﬁ ction a 
  character’s Physical Limitations provide a fertile 
  source of dramatic conﬂ ict, this doesn’t hold 
  true in roleplaying games. Since the player who 
  designed the character wants him to have that 
  Physical Limitation, the character lacks resent-
  ment or anger over his handicap (unless the 
  player is very good at roleplaying).
  PSYCHOLOGICAL LIMITATION
  “Psychological Limitation” really just means 
  “motivation.” To turn a Psychological Limitation 
  into a plot hook, simply put the character into a 
  situation in which achieving his goal comes into 
  conﬂ ict with his personality traits. Th is is, by the 
  way, the quick and easy formula for most ﬁ ction of 
  the past thousand years. Hamlet’s goal is revenge. 
  His Psychological Limitation is Needs To Be Sure 
  He’s Doing Th e Right Th ing. Th e result is a pile of 
  bodies on the stage at the end of the play.
  Th ings become even more interesting when 
  one character has two Psychological Limitations 
  that conﬂ ict. For example, suppose a soldier is a 
  Patriot, but is also Devoted To His Friends. What 
  Continued from last page
  kill him, either. As you 
  design your scenario, try 
  to anticipate as many of 
  these problems as pos-
  sible and have a solu-
  tion ready (such as the 
  enemy wanting to take 
  the character hostage 
  instead of killing him).
  
  328 ■ Gamemastering Dark Champions
  Hero System 5th Edition
  happens when his friends need help, but helping 
  them is contrary to the interests of his country? He 
  has to decide what’s most important to him... or 
  perhaps ﬁ nd a clever way out of the dilemma.
  If an enemy knows the heroes well enough, 
  he can turn their Psychological Limitations against 
  them. If greed grips their hearts, he may simply 
  bribe them to look the other way while he contin-
  ues his criminal enterprises. If one of the PCs fears 
  rats, his captors can torture him by locking him in a 
  rat-infested cell.
  Even if overcoming the heroes’ Psychologi-
  cal Limitations isn’t the main plot engine of the 
  adventure, character traits can still distract PCs 
  and create subplots. Again, simply create situations 
  which set oﬀ  the heroes’ Psychological Limita-
  tions and enjoy the fun. Will the lecherous good 
  guy interrupt the adventure to go on a date? Can a 
  Casual Killer refrain from using lethal force when 
  it’s necessary to capture prisoners to interrogate?
  Heroes with conﬂ icting Psychological Limita-
  tions can create lots of juicy roleplaying opportu-
  nities, although at times this may go over the line 
  into “constant intra-party bickering.” A scenario 
  that challenges the heroes to ﬁ nd a solution all of 
  them can accept is entertaining; a scenario in which 
  someone’s character has to violate his beliefs leaves 
  at least one player unhappy.
  Naturally, people with similar desires or beliefs 
  work together well. Groups of terrorists share the 
  same fanatical belief; a team of heroes might come 
  together out of love of country or devotion to a 
  common patron.
  REPUTATION
  Reputations are a natural source of distrac-
  tions during adventures. Just as the heroes are clos-
  ing in on their quarry undercover, someone recog-
  nizes one of the PCs and the whole op is blown... 
  or at least suﬀ ers a signiﬁ cant setback. Reputation 
  serves as a source of character conﬂ ict when an 
  individual’s Reputation doesn’t match his real 
  personality or abilities. What if a character who’s 
  known as a “hotshot pilot” doesn’t know that much 
  about ﬂ ying, and can’t save his friends when they’re 
  counting on him to ﬂ y them to safety?
  RIVALRY
  Rivalries serve as a perennial source of distrac-
  tion during adventures as characters compete with 
  each other to have the most romantic conquests, 
  pass tests by the widest margins, or score the ﬁ rst 
  kill on a mission. Th is kind of distraction becomes 
  a plot element if the heroes spend so much time 
  sabotaging or one-upping each other that their 
  enemy gets away.
  Building an adventure on a Rivalry usually 
  means coming up with a plan the Rival has to 
  embarrass or harm the heroes, and then letting them 
  either counter it or get themselves out of trouble. 
  More subtly, a Rival’s plot could involve the heroes in 
  something bigger, something the Rival didn’t know 
  about, so the two sides have to suspend their feud for 
  a while until they defeat the greater menace. For an 
  interesting change of pace, maybe two NPCs’ Rivalry 
  creates a situation the PCs have to deal with — or get 
  themselves out of the middle of.
  
  329 
  Dark Champions ■ Chapter Eight
  O
  ne of the most important aspects of any 
  scenario is the villain(s) — the adversar-
  ies and enemies the characters encounter 
  or pursue during the course of the game. 
  Closely related to the villain are the NPCs:  other 
  characters the PCs encounter who may be helpful, 
  hostile, or annoying. A good villain or NPC can 
  make a lackluster scenario enjoyable, and a poor 
  one can diminish the impact of an otherwise won-
  derful adventure.
  VILLAINS
  When you think of Dark Champions, oft en 
  you think of the villains as much as you do the 
  heroes — characters like the Joker, Hannibal Lecter, 
  Ernst Stavro Blofeld, Hans Gruber, and their ilk. A 
  good villain makes a good story. Th e reader may 
  not care much about the heroes, but everybody 
  loves to root against a good villain. Th is isn’t limited 
  to Dark Champions:  Lucifer in Milton’s Paradise 
  Lost is by far the most striking character in the 
  whole epic poem.
  In a Dark Champions game, the PCs’ adversary 
  oft en drives the plot, and consequently should be 
  more than just some game stats on a sheet. What 
  makes a good villain? What makes a good Dark 
  Champions villain?
  Villain Qualities
  In Dark Champions (and other genres, for that 
  matter), good villains have certain qualities that set 
  them apart.
  COMPETENCE
  Th e best villains in ﬁ ction are competent, oft en 
  extraordinary in their abilities. Th ey are powerful, 
  clever, and subtle; overcoming them is a worthwhile 
  challenge for the good guys. A villain who isn’t 
  competent or powerful isn’t very interesting. But 
  of course, “power” doesn’t necessarily mean sheer 
  muscle or available ﬁ repower. A weak but clever 
  opponent who can maneuver the heroes into a situ-
  ation where they can’t use their superior abilities 
  is just as powerful as one who can bat them aside 
  with casual ease.
  Exactly how powerful the villain is depends 
  on the campaign’s scale and tone, the abilities of the 
  PCs, and the role you intend for the villain. Role is 
  perhaps most important. What part will the villain 
  play in the campaign? Is he the Big Bad Guy behind 
  all the heroes’ problems? In that case he must be 
  powerful indeed, with underlings and henchmen 
  who can each serve as the main villain of adven-
  tures themselves. If he’s one of those henchmen, 
  then the villain should be only slightly more pow-
  erful than the heroes. If he’s only a one-shot oppo-
  nent in a casual encounter, he can be the same level 
  or even weaker than the PCs.
  MENACE
  Just being powerful doesn’t make a good vil-
  lain. Blue whales are immensely powerful animals, 
  but nobody’s afraid of them because they’re shy 
  and don’t harm humans. A villain requires credible 
  menace:  the heroes must believe he’s not only able, 
  but willing, to cause harm.
  Th e best way to create this sense of menace 
  is to give the villain the chance to demonstrate his 
  power without directly harming the PCs. Th is may 
  involve nothing more than a visible demonstration of 
  the villain’s power — such as giving the characters a 
  glimpse of his private army — or you could have him 
  take action against someone other than the PCs. For 
  example, he could harm a character’s DNPC, kill a 
  favorite NPC, or reveal information to the characters 
  that makes it plain he could attack them at any time.
  SYMPATHY
  Th e best villains have a streak of humanity 
  — or at least some admirable traits. Th ey may be 
  people the heroes might have been friends with 
  in other circumstances, or at least enemies they 
  can maintain a grudging respect for. Otherwise, 
  they’re just cardboard cutouts; it’s not hard to hate, 
  or oppose, someone who’s unlikeable and villain-
  ous in all aspects. For example, the DC Comics 
  villain Two-Face, who’s constantly struggling with 
  his good and evil natures and oﬀ ers some hope of 
  possible redemption, has more depth and is more 
  interesting than the one-dimensional Joker.
  MOTIVATION
  Hardly anyone gets up in the morning and 
  says “How can I be evil today?” Even the worst vil-
  lains justify their own actions to themselves. Th e 
  motives of villains are the same as those of most 
  people:  they want things (desire); they fear things 
  (fear); and they believe things (conviction).
  Wanting something is easy to understand. 
  Everyone wants something. Villains may be moti-
  vated by a desire for wealth, lust for the opposite 
  sex, a simple urge to survive, or even love for 
  another person or being. Sometimes a villain’s 
  desires aren’t quite normal — twisted sexual urges, 
  mad plans to conquer the world, or the obsessive 
  VILLAINS
  AND NPCS
  
  330 ■ Gamemastering Dark Champions
  Hero System 5th Edition
  pursuit of some object. But other villains can have 
  quite prosaic desires, such as revenge.
  Fear is another powerful motive. Most living 
  things fear death, most humans fear poverty and 
  hardship, a ruler might fear losing power, a bigot 
  fears and hates members of another race, an oﬃ  -
  cial in a tyrannical regime might fear the conse-
  quences of failure. Even the most powerful villain 
  can still have fears:  the Soviet Premier com-
  mands mighty armies, but still fears the actions 
  and power of the United States (and vice-versa!). 
  Oft en people (not just villains) take great risks to 
  avoid or overcome the things they fear; as long as 
  the consequences are not as bad (in their opin-
  ion) as the thing they fear, it’s a rational choice.
  Finally, most humans have beliefs about right 
  and wrong. Even villains do, although their beliefs 
  may not match everyone else’s. People oft en 
  endure great danger and make tremendous sacri-
  ﬁ ces in the name of what they believe in; villains 
  may do the same.
  Th ese three motives can feed on and 
  strengthen one another. A villain who’s greedy 
  for wealth may also fear losing his property and 
  sources of income, and may believe he’s doing the 
  right thing by stimulating economic growth and 
  providing employment.
  Th e motives for villains are not necessarily dif-
  ferent from those of heroes. What separates heroes 
  from villains is how they try to achieve their goals. 
  Bringing unity and peace to the world is a noble 
  goal. Exterminating all other races is not a heroic 
  way to accomplish it.
  In some campaigns, the distinction between 
  the heroes’ motives and those of the villains is all 
  but invisible. Caper Hero characters are criminals; 
  so, in the eyes of the law, are vigilante crimeﬁ ghters.
  Villain Archetypes
  Chapter Seven covers some of the major ene-
  mies that Dark Champions characters face. Here are 
  a few more examples of archetypical adversaries.
  THE AMORAL MERCENARY
  It’s not uncommon for Dark Champions 
  characters to ﬁ ght mercenaries, or even to be mer-
  cenaries. What sets this type of merc apart is his 
  completely amoral nature. He has no scruples about 
  breaking his contract if he gets a better oﬀ er, tor-
  turing and raping civilians, and using unnecessary 
  levels of force. Rather than hunt down a target and 
  dispatch him in a professional manner, the Amoral 
  Mercenary simply ﬁ rebombs the whole town, 
  caring nothing for the innocents he sacriﬁ ces to 
  serve his own purposes.
  Useful Features:  Provided he’s low-key enough to 
  hide his evil nature at ﬁ rst, the Amoral Mercenary 
  may be someone the characters can initially iden-
  tify with — a soldier like themselves, trying to get 
  by — which lets you lull them into a false sense 
  of security. An Amoral Mercenary with highly 
  marketable skills could wind up serving diﬀ erent 
  commanders, turning up against the heroes when 
  they least expect him. If necessary, the characters 
  may be able to buy the Amoral Mercenary oﬀ , and 
  dire events might motivate him to join forces with 
  the PCs against some menace which threatens the 
  free enjoyment of their wealth. An Amoral Merce-
  nary usually cuts and runs when the situation looks 
  hopeless, which may give you the opportunity to 
  use him again.
  Potential Problems:  Th e major diﬃ  culty with a 
  mercenary villain is that suﬃ  ciently wealthy heroes 
  can just buy him oﬀ ; GMs who don’t like this 
  should beware (or change the Amoral Mercenary 
  slightly so that the one thing he won’t do is break 
  a contract). Unless the Amoral Mercenary is pow-
  erful, or protected by a heavy helping of Combat 
  Luck or GM’s ﬁ at, keeping him alive to bedevil the 
  PCs again and again may prove diﬃ  cult.
  Variations:  By leaving out the “Amoral” part, you 
  can create a Mercenary who’s somewhat more 
  likeable — or perhaps even serves some noble 
  purpose. To really surprise the PCs, have the 
  Amoral Mercenary become devoted to a cause 
  (such as a Tyrant) so that they can’t buy him oﬀ ... 
  but keep his sadistic streak.
  THE ASSASSIN
  Th is character is a killer for hire, or sometimes 
  for a political cause. He doesn’t commit other 
  crimes (except as incidental to his “hunts”); he’s a 
  trained murderer, not a saboteur or thief.
  Assassins come in many varieties. Some are 
  skilled professionals, others little more than mas-
  ochistic thugs with a veneer of sophistication. Some 
  prefer weapons, others like to use their bare hands. 
  Some are vain, leaving an “ego signature” of some 
  sort to identify their kills, while others prefer to 
  leave as few traces as possible.
  Th e deadliest assassin is usually the trained 
  professional killer. He may be an ex-espionage 
  agent, a member of a secret organization devoted 
  solely to committing assassinations, or an indi-
  vidual trained in the arts of death. But regardless of 
  where or how he got his training, his skill and ruth-
  lessness should not be underestimated.
  Professional assassins tend to have lots of 
  Combat Skill Levels with weapons and other 
  attacks, useful Skills like Stealth and Bribery, and 
  other abilities related to their chosen profession of 
  killing. (Th ey rely on other criminals for services 
  such as preparing forged documents.) Cruder 
  assassins usually have several Skill Levels in one or 
  two attacks of choice, and few if any Complemen-
  tary Skills. 
  Useful Features:  Assassins make wonderfully stark 
  opponents — it’s kill or be killed, with little chance 
  of a less extreme outcome. Since they usually oper-
  ate by themselves, locating them may not be pos-
  sible, so the characters can’t interrupt their plans in 
  advance:  it all comes down to that one chance to 
  stop the assassination from taking place.
  Potential Problems:  An assassin may be too good 
  at his chosen profession, making it diﬃ  cult for the 
  PCs to oppose him without suﬀ ering severe casual-
  ties. On the other hand, as a single person facing 
  
  331 
  Dark Champions ■ Chapter Eight
  a team of action heroes, the assassin may not be 
  opposition enough — he may have to hire merce-
  naries or other helpers to distract the PCs so he can 
  do his job.
  Variations:  Some assassins serve a particular cause 
  (such as driving invaders from their homeland, or 
  supporting a political belief), which makes them 
  more fanatical (but possibly also easier to catch, since 
  fanaticism is a weakness as much as a strength).
  THE CORRUPT COP
  Although he’s sworn to protect the citizenry, 
  in reality the Corrupt Cop is in it for himself. He 
  takes advantage of his position to extort bribes and 
  freebies from businessmen, to make money by col-
  luding with drug dealers and other criminals, and 
  to push people around. If he has a run-in with the 
  PCs, he’ll probably take an instant dislike to them 
  because of their moral superiority and do his best 
  to make their lives hell.
  Useful Features:  Th e Corrupt Cop makes an inter-
  esting foil for many PCs, particularly vigilantes, 
  because he’s their diametric opposite:  he represents 
  the law but doesn’t uphold it; they break the letter 
  of the law to uphold its spirit. And since he has the 
  resources of the force behind him, he’s not easily 
  disposed of. In a long-term campaign, it’s possible 
  the PCs can ﬁ nd a way to reform the Corrupt Cop, 
  which makes for great roleplaying.
  Potential Problems:  Since a Corrupt Cop can’t cloak 
  himself in the protection of the police department 
  24 hours a day, he may be too vulnerable a target 
  for some PCs. All they have to do is wait until he 
  gets home and attack him when he’s not ready 
  for trouble. To compensate for this, try to arrange 
  his home so that it’s diﬃ  cult to sneak in on him 
  — even giving him a loud dog might do the trick.
  Variations:  Some cops are corrupt for speciﬁ c, 
  understandable reasons — such as the need to pay 
  for a loved one’s surgery. Other sympathetic Cor-
  rupt Cops may have gotten in over their heads early 
  in their careers and now desperately want a way to 
  get back on the straight and narrow. In campaigns 
  that don’t feature many cops, you can replace the 
  Corrupt Cop with the Corrupt Soldier, or the like.
  THE GANG BOSS
  A Gang Boss leads an organized crime group 
  of some sort. Maﬁ a capos, yakuza oyabuns, the 
  leaders of Chinese tongs, and the heads of street 
  gangs all fall into this category.
  Gang Bosses generally fall into one of two 
  categories. Th e ﬁ rst is the Boss who’s old, weak, or 
  cowardly, and thus not ﬁ t to ﬁ ght. Th is type of Boss 
  leads his organization through respect, cunning, 
  contacts, and personal power rather than his abil-
  ity to physically destroy his rivals. Although not a 
  direct danger, this type of Boss has plenty of guards 
  and lots of inﬂ uence in both the underworld and 
  regular society, making him as dangerous as any 
  warrior. Th e non-ﬁ ghting Boss usually has Skills 
  and Perks like High Society, Knowledge Skills, Con-
  tacts, and lots of Money.
  Th e second type of Boss is just the opposite. 
  A skilled combatant of some sort (or maybe just 
  an extremely brutal and vicious ﬁ ghter), he leads 
  his organization not only through respect and wit 
  but his ability to personally enforce his orders. 
  Th is sort of Boss usually sacriﬁ ces some of the 
  Perks and Skills the other type of Boss has in 
  favor of Skills like Martial Arts, Weapon Famil-
  iarities, Stealth, and so on.
  Useful Features:  Either type of Gang Boss rep-
  resents one of the ultimate opponents in a Dark 
  Champions game — an adversary the PCs face only 
  aft er neutralizing his copious resources and defeat-
  ing his underlings. Given his power, he may be able 
  to avoid prison, or ﬁ nd ways to take vengeance on 
  the PCs by proxy even if they kill him.
  Potential Problems:  Th e ﬁ rst type of Boss may seem 
  too weak to some PCs, while the second type may 
  be too tough for all but the most experienced char-
  acters to combat. Th e death of the Gang Boss may 
  cause ripples throughout the campaign underworld 
  that have unintended consequences... particularly if 
  the PCs deliberately try to exploit the chaos.
  Variations:  Instead of leading an organized crime 
  group, the Gang Boss may head some other type 
  of organization. He might be an illegal arms dealer 
  with a cadre of salesmen and guards serving him, 
  or a spymaster with a network of informants span-
  ning the globe.
  THE GANG LIEUTENANT
  Th e Gang Lieutenant is the Gang Boss’s right 
  hand man, chief underling., or the like His actual 
  title — captain, underboss, consiglieri, vice-chair-
  man — varies from organization to organization.
  Like Gang Bosses, there are two main types 
  of Gang Lieutenants. Th e ﬁ rst is the “bookkeeper.” 
  He has no combat Skills to speak of, but is a master 
  administrator who runs the organization in a 
  smooth, eﬃ  cient manner. He can obtain or arrange 
  anything. Bookkeeper Lieutenants have Skills like 
  PS: Administrator or SS: Accounting, dozens of 
  Contacts in the underworld and normal society, 
  Streetwise, Knowledge Skills of the underworld, 
  and so forth. Th is type of Lieutenant could work for 
  either type of Boss. 
  Th e second type of Lieutenant is the “enforcer.” 
  He usually works for the ﬁ rst type of Boss; his pres-
  ence and combat Skills (Martial Arts, Combat Skill 
  Levels, and so on) make up for the Boss’s lack of 
  combat prowess. Depending on the organization, 
  this type of Lieutenant might just be a fairly skilled 
  ﬁ ghter (someone capable of winning your average 
  barﬁ ght or gun battle), or he might have enough 
  skill to take on the entire group of PCs.
  Useful Features:  Th e Gang Lieutenant makes an 
  excellent second-tier opponent. Defeating him is a 
  good intermediate goal for a PC team trying to take 
  down an entire organization; it’s a test of the heroes’ 
  mettle and a sign that they’re getting close to the 
  group’s leader. If the heroes defeat the Gang Boss 
  but leave the Lieutenant alive, the Lieutenant can 
  become the new Gang Boss.
  
  332 ■ Gamemastering Dark Champions
  Hero System 5th Edition
  Potential Problems:  Th e PCs may try to do an end 
  run around the Gang Lieutenant to get to his Boss 
  quickly. If possible, prevent this through proper 
  planning and scenario manipulation — it’s not 
  very dramatic. If you can’t stop it, have the Lieu-
  tenant hit the PCs “from behind” at the worst 
  moment for them.
  Variations:  Instead of a Lieutenant, you could make 
  this character any sort of secondary ﬁ gure in an 
  organized crime group — a Red Pole enforcer for a 
  Triad, the don’s favorite up-and-coming made man 
  in a Maﬁ a family, and so forth.
  THE THIEF
  Also known as the Cat Burglar, this character 
  specializes in “impossible” theft s and burglaries. His 
  skill at getting into guarded, locked areas, bypassing 
  security devices, and then vanishing without a trace 
  is legendary. If there’s a fabulous treasure under 
  lock and key somewhere in the campaign city, rest 
  assured the Th ief probably has plans to obtain it.
  Some Th ieves are ﬂ amboyant and ﬂ ashy, will-
  ing to attempt the impossible and leaving an ego 
  signature to prove they did it. Other, less showy 
  Th ieves carefully plan all the details of their theft s 
  and go to great lengths to conceal their involve-
  ment with the whole aﬀ air.
  Crucial Skills for a Th ief include Acrobatics, 
  Breakfall, Climbing, Lockpicking, and Security Sys-
  tems. Others, such as High Society and Gambling, 
  are useful but not necessary.
  Useful Features:  Th e Th ief may prove to be an 
  excellent ally of the PCs... for a time. If they need 
  someone whose inﬁ ltration skills are unmatched, 
  they can hire him to do the job. Th e odds are, 
  though, that he’s on the lookout for a chance to 
  betray them and take all the loot.
  Potential Problems:  Most Th ieves have few, if any, 
  combat skills, so they’re not a match for even a 
  single PC, much less a team. Th e challenge lies in 
  defeating them through skill and wit, which may 
  not appeal to some gamers.
  Variations:  Rather than stealing through agility, the 
  Grift er uses his personal charm and wits to steal 
  through deception and misdirection. Whether he’s 
  a street hustler or a long con operator aiming at the 
  “big score,” he’s an intriguing adversary for the PCs.
  THE TYRANT
  A Tyrant is, of course, a powerful government 
  leader who uses his position to oppress his subjects, 
  victimize the weak, and enrich himself. From Papa 
  Doc Duvalier, to Idi Amin, to Saddam Hussein, 
  modern history is replete with such ﬁ gures, and 
  turning them into villains in a Dark Champions 
  campaign of international scope is child’s play.
  Tyrants command vast armies and ﬂ eets, but 
  tend to remain in well-protected areas until the 
  ﬁ nal battle with the heroes. Th e PCs may have to 
  ﬁ ght through numerous obstacles and encounters 
  before coming face-to-face with the Tyrant.
  Useful Features:  Giving evil a face and a name 
  solves the problem of how to defeat an entire 
  nation or army — cut oﬀ  the head and the body 
  dies. A colorful Tyrant can be whimsical, or 
  motivated by love or revenge. If the heroes learn 
  something about the Tyrant’s personality and blind 
  spots, they may be able to fool or outmaneuver him.
  
  333 
  Dark Champions ■ Chapter Eight
  Potential Problems:  A Tyrant who’s too villainous 
  risks becoming implausible. If President-for-Life 
  Mobesu casually kills underlings who fail him, why 
  haven’t his underlings conspired to overthrow him? 
  If he slaughters all of his subjects, he won’t have 
  much to rule over.
  Variations:  An hereditary government might have a 
  whole family of Tyrants, all busily scheming against 
  each other for the throne and thus oﬀ ering plenty 
  of opportunities for wily heroes to divide and 
  conquer. A more sympathetic Tyrant (for example, 
  one who genuinely wants to help his impover-
  ished, beleaguered people) may become a foe the 
  heroes can respect, albeit grudgingly. Sometimes 
  the Tyrant turns out to be nothing but a puppet of 
  some even bigger and badder opponent. For a more 
  scaled-down Tyrant, you could use the “Napoleon 
  on Elba” option of a former ruler scheming to 
  regain power.
  THE WARPED VIGILANTE
  Th is character is a vigilante who doesn’t ﬁ ght 
  for Justice. Usually, this means he’s gone over the 
  edge and decided that anyone who stands in the way 
  of his war on crime (i.e., the police, the PCs, and 
  so forth) is a “criminal” who deserves nothing but 
  death. Other types of Warped Vigilantes might be 
  true vigilantes who’ve been drugged, brainwashed, or 
  tricked into acting improperly, a vigilante who ﬁ ghts 
  crime indiscriminately (for example, who blows 
  up an entire bus to get one criminal), or a vigilante 
  who targets non-criminals (such as homosexuals or 
  members of a particular race).
  Useful Features:  Because the Warped Vigilante 
  is like the PCs (at least a little), he may be able to 
  identify with them, making him a cleverer, more 
  dangerous foe. By holding him up to the PCs as 
  a dark mirror of themselves, you may be able to 
  make them consider their motivations and behav-
  ior more carefully.
  Potential Problems:  Th e Warped Vigilante regularly 
  uses lethal force, and probably won’t hesitate to 
  employ deadly weapons against the PCs, possibly 
  resulting in PC fatalities. As a single character (in 
  most cases), he doesn’t pose much of a threat to a 
  team of heroes; the challenge lies more in ﬁ nding 
  him than ﬁ ghting him.
  Variations:  In a campaign with a more “four-color” 
  outlook, such as some Dark Champions:  Th e Ani-
  mated Series games, any vigilante may be seen as a 
  “warped” vigilante who must be captured and con-
  ﬁ ned. Vigilantes have a lot of potential as villains 
  for these campaigns. First, they’re diﬀ erent from 
  the usual world-conquering master villains the PCs 
  so oft en encounter. Even though the vigilante is a 
  crimeﬁ ghter like the PCs, his methods of crime-
  ﬁ ghting are so repulsive to them that they’ll have 
  no qualms about going aft er him.
  Second, using vigilantes as villains oﬀ ers the 
  GM a way to introduce issues of morality and meth-
  odology into the game. Maybe the vigilante can 
  sway some of the PCs to his way of thinking, at least 
  temporarily. At the very least, he should make the 
  PCs think about what they do, and why they do it. 
  Th is is especially eﬀ ective if you force the PCs and 
  the vigilante to work together (typically because the 
  vigilante has information or other resources the PCs 
  need, and refuses to provide any help unless he can 
  take part in the mission). Naturally, while they’re 
  working together, the PCs are probably planning to 
  catch the vigilante when the mission ends, while the 
  vigilante’s setting up his escape....
  NON-PLAYER CHARACTERS
  Th e world isn’t divided evenly into heroes 
  and villains. Most people in a campaign setting are 
  simply non-player characters — NPCs.
  In most cases what you need for a good, enjoy-
  able NPC is a realistic, well-developed character. 
  But that isn’t always true. Realistic, well-developed 
  NPCs tend to take over the story, leaving the heroes 
  as spectators. It’s actually more eﬀ ective to keep 
  many of your NPCs one-dimensional, but make 
  them into memorable one-dimensional characters. 
  Give them a distinctive habit or a manner of speak-
  ing for the heroes to remember. Players oft en forget 
  NPC names, but they recall “the guy with the Irish 
  accent” or “the man with the purple backpack.”
  Nonplayer characters have the same motiva-
  tions as villains — desires, fears, and beliefs — and 
  these motives provide a good way to give them a 
  little personality. Th e PCs can bribe a greedy secu-
  rity guard, but one who’s scrupulously honest reacts 
  poorly (to say the least) to bribe oﬀ ers. Obviously, 
  not every NPC needs to be this well-developed, but 
  it’s worth coming up with one or two motivations 
  for any NPC the heroes directly interact with.
  Important NPCs need as much care and feed-
  ing as villains — a hero’s DNPC, Rival, or Hunter 
  should have some independent goals and a rec-
  ognizable identity. Dependent NPCs usually are 
  nice people (though one can have a good deal of 
  fun with a hero who feels protective of a cranky or 
  irritating NPC). Rivals should have a mix of good 
  and bad traits, and above all should be competent 
  enough for the Rivalry to mean something — if the 
  hero always wins, it’s scarcely a Rivalry.
  If a hero is Hunted, the GM should give some 
  thought to the motives of the Hunters. Th is is true 
  even if it’s a large organization. Why is the CIA 
  watching the character? What do they want to ﬁ nd 
  out? Even when the Hunter is a group, it’s useful to 
  give that group a face in the form of a “case oﬃ  cer” 
  or some other member of the group who is the one 
  the heroes have the most dealings with. For exam-
  ple, every time the enemy soldiers confront the 
  heroes, they’re led by a scar-faced old vet named 
  Major Rodriguez. Other soldiers may track the PCs, 
  ambush them, or attack them, but it’s Rodriguez 
  who leads the attacks, who tries to capture the PCs 
  and interrogate them, and so on.
  
  334 ■ Gamemastering Dark Champions
  Hero System 5th Edition
  NPC Archetypes
  Th ese are some standard character types who 
  turn up again and again in Dark Champions stories. 
  You can use them as-is, or play against the stereo-
  type by creating NPCs very diﬀ erent from these.
  THE BUREAUCRAT
  Since Dark Champions PCs oft en have to 
  deal with large organizations and governments, it 
  doesn’t take long for them to run into the Bureau-
  crat — a government oﬃ  cial who wields some 
  sort of administrative authority. In most Dark 
  Champions stories, Bureaucrats fall into two camps:  
  corrupt and incorruptible. Th e former take bribes, 
  skim tax money for themselves, and otherwise 
  work the system for their own beneﬁ t; the latter 
  have nothing to do with any untoward activity and 
  would report corruption to their superiors if they 
  discovered it. More Bureaucrats tend to fall into the 
  “corrupt” category, since they make for better sto-
  ries, but by no means all do.
  Variations:  Guards and sentinels oft en fall into 
  Bureaucrat-like roles, especially in large cities. 
  Th ey’re responsible for inspecting cargoes, deciding 
  who to admit into the building without a search, 
  and so forth. Th ey’re just as likely to take bribes 
  as true Bureaucrats — perhaps moreso due to the 
  conditions they have to tolerate on the job.
  THE LIKEABLE CROOK
  Most criminals are detestable scum, but 
  occasionally one comes along with style. Try as 
  they might, the PCs can’t entirely hate him, even 
  when he robs them blind — something about his 
  manner and the way he conducts himself elicits 
  at least a little admiration. He may be a highly-
  skilled cat burglar, a suave con man, or a deft  pick-
  pocket, but regardless of how he steals, he does so 
  with panache.
  Variations:  Instead of a Likeable Crook, the party 
  may encounter a Likeable Assassin. Th ough it’s 
  harder to create a ruthless killer the PCs can also 
  respect, he may have a code of professionalism they 
  can identify with, or even work solely for causes 
  they support (such as a particular government). 
  Th e Likeable Spy may be even more fun, since he 
  can drag the PCs into all sorts of adventures.
  THE UNDERWORLD ARMORER
  When the PCs need just the right weapons and 
  gear, but don’t have the time to build it or acquire 
  it on their own, they turn to the Underworld 
  Armorer. A black market arms dealer (and pos-
  sibly weapons engineer), he can provide them with 
  whatever they need... for a price. Since he deals in 
  such valuable items, and usually has lots of cash 
  around, the Underworld Armorer protects himself 
  very well with guards and security systems.
  Variations:  Instead of being an arms dealer, the 
  Underworld Armorer may be an Underworld 
  Weaponsmith instead — all he can do is build 
  new weapons and gear for the PCs, he can’t obtain 
  illegal weapons for them. Alternately, he may be an 
  Underworld Arms Dealer, with lots of sales con-
  tacts but no engineering skills.
  THE UPTIGHT COMMANDER
  Th e bane of renegade cops and wisecrack-
  ing soldiers everywhere, the Uptight Commander 
  lives to see that everyone does things “by the book” 
  and with the utmost eﬃ  ciency. He can’t stand free-
  thinking, freewheeling characters (i.e., most PCs), 
  and does his best to make their lives miserable. 
  He writes them up for every single rules violation, 
  busts them down the ranks, and gives them the 
  worst assignments.
  Variations:  Instead of being Uptight, the com-
  mander may be Corrupt. He sees the PCs as an 
  obstacle to his plans, so he wants to dispose of them 
  or drive them away as quickly as possible.
  
  chapter nine:
  chapter nine:
  chapter nine:
  LIBRA
  
  336 ■ LIBRA
  Hero System 5th Edition
  Membership:  Sarge, Blade, Hammer, Knockout, 
  Shadow
  Background/History:  Battered and bleeding from 
  a gunshot wound to the leg, he stumbled through 
  the door of his Riverside safehouse. Patching up the 
  wound was a painful chore, but he got it done as he 
  had so many times before. All part of the job.
  But what about next time? he thought as he lay 
  in bed, waiting to drift  oﬀ  to sleep under the relax-
  ing eﬀ ects of the painkillers. Body armor’s not per-
  fect. Sooner or later, one of those shots is going to hit 
  something that can’t be ﬁ xed. Who’ll protect Hudson 
  City then? Not soft hearted heroes like DarkAngel, 
  that’s for certain.
  When he woke up the next morning, he real-
  ized what he needed:  a corps of soldiers, trained 
  and indoctrinated by him personally, to carry on 
  the ﬁ ght when his time was past. He didn’t like the 
  idea of working with others, but his preferences 
  had to give way before the need to ﬁ ght crime and 
  defend Hudson City from evil men — everything 
  else was secondary. Slowly but surely, he began 
  looking for men and women with the perceptions 
  and drive he needed.
  Tom McCarthy served his country well and 
  truly as a Special Forces soldier... only to return 
  home and ﬁ nd out there were just as many evil, 
  dangerous people on the streets of his hometown 
  as there were in any of the hellholes he’d fought 
  in around the world. Not one to sit idly by when 
  he could do something to stop it, he was about 
  to begin a career as a solo vigilante when he was 
  recruited into LIBRA.
  Roberto Morenos grew up in the Hispanic 
  slums of Hudson City, running with gangs and 
  selling drugs. A chance encounter with an old man 
  opened his eyes to the evil he was doing, put him 
  on the path of  righteousness, and made him deter-
  mined to save society from people like the gangster 
  he used to be.
  Charles Jackson wanted to go to college, 
  but his family couldn’t aﬀ ord it, so he joined the 
  Marines instead. He served a tour of duty as an 
  EOD specialist, then left  the military to join the 
  HCPD bomb squad. Th e corruption he saw on the 
  force disgusted him, and his quest to ﬁ nd better 
  ways to protect the people of Hudson City from 
  crime eventually led him to LIBRA.
  Barbara Cox’s career as a fashion model was 
  violently cut short at the hands of a stalker who 
  beat her and crippled her sister. Abandoning her 
  former profession, she threw herself into the study 
  of forensics, determined to become a medical 
  examiner, FBI agent, or someone else who could 
  make a diﬀ erence. She soon found herself ﬁ ght-
  ing crime just like she’d wanted to... but in a totally 
  unexpected way.
  Jerry Manowitz was a highly-decorated cop 
  with a reputation for ignoring procedure in his 
  quest to do his job the way he thought it should 
  be done. Eventually he went too far in the eyes of 
  the department, and was let go aft er an “excessive 
  force” incident. Soon he was oﬀ ered an opportu-
  nity to put his crimeﬁ ghting skills to work in less 
  conventional ways.
  One by one, the Harbinger gathered these 
  people, and others, to him. Trained in his twin dis-
  ciplines of forensic combat and forensic philosophy, 
  they became the core of the new army of Justice he 
  envisioned, codenamed LIBRA.
  Group Relations:  Th e ﬁ ve main members of LIBRA 
  generally get along together well; they have a cama-
  raderie born of intensive training and ﬁ ghting 
  together against some of the most vicious criminals 
  in Hudson City. Where rift s exist between them, 
  they’re the result of the Harbinger’s eﬀ orts to bend 
  them to his way of thinking. While all of them want 
  to ﬁ ght crime and protect the innocent — that’s 
  what being a vigilante is about, aft er all — each of 
  them approaches the subject from his or her own 
  perspective... but Harbinger wants them to adopt 
  his perspective. Some of them have (to one degree 
  or another), while others haven’t, and the resulting 
  diﬀ erences of opinion sometimes cause tension or 
  disputes.
  Tactics:  Th e members of LIBRA have trained 
  extensively in the tactics of investigating and ﬁ ght-
  ing criminals in the modern urban environment 
  — what they call “forensic combat.” Each member 
  of the group is well-versed in a variety of weapons, 
  investigative procedures, and the like; between 
  them, the ﬁ ve possess most of the skills and abilities 
  they need to conduct their missions. Th ey “double 
  up” on crucial skills as much as possible in case one 
  of them can’t do his job due to injuries or death. 
  Most of them also have other Skills learned during 
  military tours of duty, their careers on the police 
  force, or the like.
  Team Equipment:  All members of LIBRA carry 
  certain standard equipment in addition to their 
  favored weapons and gear. Th ey have grey uniforms 
  they wear underneath dark grey body armor made 
  of a special ﬁ ber called DefTex. Th ey also have spe-
  cial communications headsets (deﬁ ned as HRRP 
  with Concealed -3, though for some missions they 
  forego the viewscreen and restrict themselves to 
  audio communication only).
  LIBRA
  
  337 
  Dark Champions ■ Chapter Nine
  Campaign Use:  How you use LIBRA depends 
  mainly on your PCs’ attitudes toward, and approach 
  to, crimeﬁ ghting. If they share the general LIBRA 
  vigilante philosophy, the team can become a valu-
  able ally in the war on crime. While LIBRA won’t 
  reveal its secrets (including the location of its train-
  ing camp outside Hudson City), it oﬀ ers all the 
  assistance it reasonably can. In turn, it will call on 
  the PCs if it encounters a situation it can’t handle 
  by itself.
  On the other hand, if the PCs don’t share 
  LIBRA’s outlook — for example, if they’re DC:
  TAS characters with Codes Versus Killing — then 
  LIBRA becomes an antagonist. It’s a “noble” oppo-
  nent in many ways, since ultimately the two groups 
  share the goal of protecting the innocent, but 
  an enemy nevertheless because the members of 
  LIBRA kill criminals. While they won’t use lethal 
  force against costumed heroes or innocents, they’ll 
  do everything else they can to keep from being 
  captured.
  Neither the public nor the underworld is 
  aware of LIBRA’s connection to the Harbinger... yet. 
  He wants the team to develop a reputation on its 
  own, not piggyback onto his (for better or worse).
  SARGE
   Val Char 
  Cost Roll 
  Notes
   15 STR 
  5 
  12- 
  Lift  200 kg; 3d6 [3]
   15 DEX 
  15 
  12- 
  OCV:  5/DCV:  5
   16 CON 
  12 
  12-
   12 BODY 4 
  11-
   18 INT 
  8 
  13- 
  PER Roll 13-
   10 EGO 
  0 
  11- 
  ECV:  3
   20 PRE 
  10 
  13- 
  PRE Attack:  4d6
   10 COM 
  0 
  11-
   6 PD 
  3 
   
  Total:  14 PD (8 rPD)
   4 ED 
  1 
   
  Total:  12 ED (8 rED)
   4 SPD 
  15 
   
  Phases:  3, 6, 9, 12
   6 REC 
  0
   32 END 
  0
   30 STUN 
  2 
  Total Characteristics Cost:  75
  Movement: 
  Running:  9”/18”
   
  Swimming:  4”/8”
  Cost Powers 
  END
   
  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 Strike
  4 
  Karate “Chop”  -2 
  +0 
  HKA ½d6 
  (1d6+1 with 
  STR)
  4 
  Kung Fu Block +2 
  +2 
  Block, Abort
  6 
  Strong Runner:  Running +3” (9” total) 
  1
  2 
  Strong Swimmer:  Swimming +2” 
  (4” total) 
  1
   
  Perks
  4 
  Contacts:  4 points’ worth, in the Special 
  Forces
  4 
  Fringe Beneﬁ t:  Military Rank
  5 
  Fringe Beneﬁ t:  Security Clearance
  5 
  Improved Equipment Availability:  
  Military equipment
   
  Talents
  3 
  Resistance (3 points)
   
  Skills
  4 
  +2 OCV with Colt M16A2
  3 
  +1 with Commando Training
  6 
  +2 with Climbing, Stealth, and Tracking
  3 
  Climbing 12-
  3 
  Combat Driving 12-
  2 
  CK: Hudson City 11-
  2 
  KS: Green Beret History And 
  Traditions 11-
  2 
  KS: Th e Hudson City Underworld 11-
  2 
  KS: Th e Military/Mercenary/Terrorist 
  World 11-
  2 
  KS: U.S. Army History And Customs 11-
  2 
  Language: Spanish (ﬂ uent conversation)
  2 
  Navigation (Land) 13-
  3 
  Paramedics 13-
  2 
  PS: Green Beret 11-
  2 
  PS: Instructor 11-
  3 
  PS: Mission Planning And Logistics 13-
  2 
  PS: Soldier 11-
  
  3 
  Stealth 12-
  8 
  Survival (Desert, Mountains, Temperate/
  Subtropical, Tropical) 13-
  3 
  Systems Operation 13-
  3 
  Tactics 13-
  3 
  Tracking 13-
  2 
  TF: Basic Parachuting, Advanced 
  Parachuting
  7 
  WF: Small Arms, Bows, Grenade Launch-
  ers, General Purpose/Heavy Machine Guns, 
  Knives, Shoulder-Fired Weapons
   
  Resource Points
  7 
  Equipment Points:  95
  0 
  Vehicle/Base Points:  10
  0 
  Follower/Contact Points:  5
  0 
  Miscellaneous Points:  0
  Total Powers & Skills Cost:  125
  Total Cost:  200
  100+ Disadvantages
  20 
  DNPC:  Bob and Linda McCarthy (parents) 
  8- (Normal, Unaware of character’s Social 
  Limitation:  Secret Identity)
  20 
  Hunted:  Card Shark 8- (Mo Pow, NCI, Kill)
  10 
  Hunted:  HCPD 8- (Mo Pow, NCI, Watching)
  10 
  Hunted:  US Army 8- (Mo Pow, NCI, 
  Watching)
  20 
  Psychological Limitation:  Vigilante Mental-
  ity (Common, Total)
  5 
  Psychological Limitation:  Meticulous Plan-
  ner; Reacts Poorly To Unplanned Situations 
  (see text) (Uncommon, Moderate)
  15 
  Social Limitation:  Secret Identity (Tom 
  McCarthy) (Frequently, Major)
  Total Disadvantage Points:  200
  Background/History:  Strong, tall, and smart, Tom 
  McCarthy could have attended just about any col-
  lege he wanted to aft er high school, but he felt a 
  higher calling and decided to serve his country by 
  joining the U.S. Army. His intelligence and skill 
  made him stand out from the crowd, and he even-
  tually underwent Ranger and Green Beret training. 
  He spent several years with the Special Forces, suc-
  cessfully performing missions around the world in 
  places like South America, Somalia, Afghanistan, 
  and Central Asia.
  Eventually he decided it was time to go home 
  again and start a career — defense consulting or 
  teaching at the War College, maybe. But when he 
  got back to Hudson City, he was shocked at what he 
  saw. It hadn’t been the nicest place in the world to 
  grow up, nor the worst. But in the decade since he’d 
  been away, it had gone downhill further than ever. 
  Even in his relatively quite Guilford neighborhood, 
  no one walked alone at night, and his parents had 
  been mugged or held up three times. Angered by 
  the situation, but ﬁ guring he had to leave things to 
  the cops, he did nothing.
  Th en his younger cousin Bobby was beaten 
  and murdered by a gang. Unable to sit idly by while 
  his family grieved and the cops professed their 
  inability to ﬁ nd the kids who did it, Tom took to 
  the streets. Th rough careful observation and a few 
  well-placed payoﬀ s, he found the killers — a group 
  of gangbangers who’d been making trouble in the 
  neighborhood for years. With grim determination, 
  he sought them out and killed them one by one, 
  feeling no more remorse than he had when taking 
  out terrorists and insurgents.
  For the ﬁ rst time in a long time, Tom felt like 
  he had a purpose. Ridding the neighborhood of 
  those killers resonated with him; he knew it was the 
  right thing to do. He wanted to keep doing it, but 
  he knew he lacked the skills — he was no detective. 
  He decided to to go ahead anyway, hoping he could 
  learn enough on the job to keep himself alive and 
  out of prison. Th en he got the oﬀ er to join LIBRA, 
  and jumped at the chance.
  Personality/Motivation:  McCarthy — or “Sarge,” 
  as the others have codenamed him, since he’s in 
  command of most of their missions — is a tough, 
  no-nonsense guy with years of combat experi-
  ence. He’s a meticulous planner and analyst who 
  spends hours poring over mission brieﬁ ngs and 
  planning assaults. While he’s aware that no plan 
  fully survives contact with the enemy, he does his 
  best to prepare for every contingency. He doesn’t 
  always react well when a situation doesn’t go as 
  he expected — if an unforeseen turn of events 
  occurs, he has to make an EGO Roll or spend 
  one Phase studying the situation before he reacts. 
  (Th e GM can waive this requirement in situa-
  tions where Sarge has to act immediately to save 
  someone’s life, including his own.)
  Sarge agrees pretty strongly with the Harbin-
  ger’s methods and philosophy. At heart he’s a mili-
  tary man who sizes up a situation, judges the right 
  and wrong of it, and takes swift , decisive action to 
  correct the wrongs. Th is sometimes causes friction 
  with Knockout and Blade, who aren’t quite so ruth-
  SUGGESTED EQUIPMENT
  Weapon 
   
  OCV 
  RMod 
  Dam 
  STUN 
  Shots 
  STR Min 
  Notes
  Linebaugh 475 
  +0 
  +0 
  2d6+1 
  1d6 
  5 
  10
  Colt M16A2 
  +2 
  +1 
  2d6 
  1d6 
  30 
  13 
  2H, AF5, FS
  Frag grenades 
  0 
  0 
  2½d6 
  0 
  2 
  RBS 
  Explosion
  Concussion grenades 
  0 
  0 
  (8d6) 
  — 
  2 
  RBS 
  Explosion
  Combat knife# 
  0 
  — 
  1d6-1 
  0 
  — 
  6 
  Can Be Th rown
  Armor: DefTex body armor (DEF 8 on a 14- Activation Roll, plus polyethylene plates providing +3 DEF on Hit Locations 
  10-11 [including the sides])
  Gear:  LIBRA communicator, gas mask, nightsight goggles (Gen 2)
  Clothing:  LIBRA uniform
  338 ■ LIBRA
  Hero System 5th Edition
  
  less. He’s also had some diﬃ  culties getting the team 
  to obey his orders with the military precision he 
  expects.
  Quote:  “OK, squad, let’s do this one by the num-
  bers!”
  Powers/Tactics:  Sarge brings to the LIBRA team 
  his extensive military training as a Ranger and 
  Green Beret. He’s the team’s wilderness survival and 
  operations expert, skilled at tracking, climbing, ori-
  enteering, and living oﬀ  the land. He’s equally adept 
  at small-unit tactics. On the downside, he hasn’t yet 
  learned the equivalent skills for surviving the city 
  streets (i.e., Streetwise). He still has to rely on his 
  teammates and mission brieﬁ ngs for that sort of 
  information... though he’s working hard to break 
  that dependency.
  Sarge favors large-caliber revolvers, which 
  he feels give him more control over his shots, and 
  reliable assault riﬂ es such as the Colt M16A2 or 
  Steyr AUG. In combat he prefers to remain back a 
  little from the main action so he can observe and 
  give orders to maximize his 
  teammates’ eﬀ ectiveness. He 
  usually hugs cover and uses 
  his assault riﬂ e to lay down 
  Suppression Fire or pick oﬀ  
  targets of opportunity.
  Campaign Use:  As the leader 
  of the LIBRA team, Sarge 
  is most responsible for the 
  team’s actions, and his attitude 
  usually controls how the team 
  reacts to the PCs. If he likes 
  the heroes, everything’s ﬁ ne; 
  if he doesn’t, or he’s suspicious 
  of them for some reason, ten-
  sions rise.
  Sarge has maintained his 
  connections with the military, 
  and could even be re-acti-
  vated for a special assignment 
  of some sort (probably one 
  related to a mission he per-
  formed as a Green Beret). Th is 
  might entangle the team in an 
  adventure away from Hudson 
  City.
  Sarge is pretty tough 
  already, but if you want to 
  make him tougher, expand 
  his Skills so that he’s already 
  acclimated to the street. You 
  could also give 
  him more Martial Maneuvers 
  (or Extra Damage Classes), 
  and/or improve his Combat Skill Levels so they 
  apply to more attacks.
  Sarge won’t Hunt speciﬁ c criminals or other 
  characters unless ordered to do so.
  Sarge has no criminal record, though his ﬁ n-
  gerprints and DNA are on ﬁ le with the Army. Th e 
  police suspect him of involvement in the execu-
  tions of the gangbangers who killed his cousin, 
  but they have no proof and the investigation’s at a 
  standstill (though a couple of detectives still keep 
  an eye on him).
  Appearance:  Sarge is a white male about six feet tall 
  with short blond hair and a hatchet nose. He’s got 
  a sort of no-nonsense look about him most of the 
  time, revealing how seriously he takes his work. He 
  usually wears his grey LIBRA uniform with dark 
  grey body armor, kneepads, and the like, covering it 
  all with a tan trenchcoat.
  339 
  Dark Champions ■ Chapter Nine
  
  340 ■ LIBRA
  Hero System 5th Edition
  BLADE
   Val Char 
  Cost Roll 
  Notes
   10 STR 
  0 
  11- 
  Lift  100 kg; 2d6 [2]
   20 DEX 
  30 
  13- 
  OCV:  7/DCV:  7
   14 CON 
  8 
  12-
   13 BODY 6 
  12-
   13 INT 
  3 
  12- 
  PER Roll 12-
   10 EGO 
  0 
  11- 
  ECV:  3
   15 PRE 
  5 
  12- 
  PRE Attack:  3d6
   12 COM 
  1 
  11-
   5 PD 
  3 
   
  Total:  9 PD (4 rPD)
   5 ED 
  2 
   
  Total:  9 ED (4 rED)
   4 SPD 
  10 
   
  Phases:  3, 6, 9, 12
   7 REC 
  4
   28 END 
  0
   25 STUN 
  0 
  Total Characteristics Cost:  72
  Movement: 
  Running:  9”/18”
  Cost Powers 
  END
  Martial Arts:  Dirty Inﬁ ghting
   
  Maneuver 
  OCV DCV 
  Damage/Effect
  4 
  Block 
  +2 
  +2 
  Block, Abort
  4 
  Disarm 
  -1 
  +1 
  Disarm, 20 
  STR to 
  Disarm roll
  4 
  Eye Gouge 
  -1 
  -1 
  Sight Group 
  Flash 4d6
  4 
  Kidney Blow 
  -2 
  +0 
  HKA ½d6 
  (1d6 with 
  STR)
  4 
  Low Blow 
  -1 
  +1 
  2d6 NND(3)
  4 
  Punch 
  +0 
  +2 
  4d6 Strike
  1 
  Use Art with Short Blades
  6 
  Strong Runner:  Running +3” (9” total) 
  1
   
  Perks
  10 
  Contacts:  10 points’ worth, among 
  Hispanic street gangs
  5 
  Improved Equipment Availability:  
  Military equipment
   
  Talents
  4 
  Blademaster:  HKA +1d6 with Short 
  Blades (HTH)
  16 
  Crippling Blow
  4 
  Knifethrower:  HKA +1d6 with Th rown 
  Blades
   
   
  Skills
  9 
  +3 with Short Blades HTH
  8 
  Targeting Skill Levels:  +4 OCV versus 
  Hit Location Modiﬁ ers with Th rown 
  Blades
  3 
  Climbing 13-
  3 
  Combat Driving 13-
  3 
  Fast Draw (Blades) 13-
  2 
  CK: Hudson City 11-
  3 
  KS: Th e Hudson City Gang World 12-
  2 
  Language:  English (ﬂ uent conversation; 
  Spanish is Native)
  1 
  Lockpicking 8-
  3 
  Persuasion 13-
  2 
  PS: Gangbanger 11-
  1 
  Security Systems 8-
  3 
  Stealth 13-
  3 
  Streetwise 12-
  3 
  WF: Small Arms, Blades
   
  Resource Points
  9 
  Equipment Points:  105
  0 
  Vehicle/Base Points:  10
  0 
  Follower/Contact Points:  5
  0 
  Miscellaneous Points:  0
  Total Powers & Skills Cost:  128
  Total Cost:  200
  100+ Disadvantages
  15 
  DNPC:  Juanita Hernandez (girlfriend) 8- 
  (Normal, Unaware of character’s Social Limi-
  tation:  Secret Identity)
  20 
  Hunted:  Card Shark 8- (Mo Pow, NCI, Kill)
  10 
  Hunted:  Latino Lords 8- (As Pow, Kill)
  15 
  Psychological Limitation:  Vigilante Mental-
  ity (Common, Strong)
  15 
  Psychological Limitation:  Wants To Save 
  Gangbangers From Th e Streets (Common, 
  Strong)
  15 
  Social Limitation:  Secret Identity (Roberto 
  Morenos) (Frequently, Major)
  10 
  Social Limitation:  Criminal Record (Occa-
  sionally, Major)
  Total Disadvantage Points:  200
  Background/History:  Roberto Morenos grew up in 
  the Hispanic slums on the south side of Hudson 
  City. He got involved with street gangs at an early 
  age, and it wasn’t long before he was a full-ﬂ edged 
  SUGGESTED EQUIPMENT
  Weapon 
  OCV 
  RMod 
  Dam 
  STUN 
  Shots STR Min Notes
  Combat machete 
  0 
  — 
  1d6+1 
  0 
  — 
  8
  Combat knife# 
  0 
  — 
  1d6-1 
  0 
  — 
  6 
  Can Be Th rown
  Th rowing knives 
  0 
  0 
  1d6-1 
  0 
  6 
  RBS 
  AF3 
  Th rowing stars 
  0 
  0 
  ½d6 
  0 
  20 
  RBS 
  AF5
  Colt 2000 
  +1 
  +1 
  1d6+1 
  1d6-1 
  15 
  10 
  Silencer (-3)
  Armor: DefTex body armor (DEF 4 on a 14- Activation Roll, plus polyethylene plates providing +3 DEF on Hit Locations 
  10-11)
  Gear:  LIBRA communicator, gas mask
  Clothing:  LIBRA uniform
  
  341 
  Dark Champions ■ Chapter Nine
  gang member, making money by selling drugs 
  and committing robberies. Skilled with knives, he 
  earned the nickname “Blade.”
  One day he and some other gangbangers con-
  fronted an old man on the sidewalk, planning to 
  steal his wallet and rough him up a little. Rather than 
  cower in fear like most of their victims, the old man 
  stood up to them, even hitting one of them with his 
  cane. Without warning, one of Roberto’s friends shot 
  the old man, and the gangbangers ﬂ ed... all except 
  Roberto. Something about the man’s deﬁ ance had 
  impressed him. He got the injured man to a hospital; 
  in exchange, the old man didn’t tell the cops Roberto 
  was part of the gang.
  Aft er the old man got out of the hospital, 
  Roberto began helping him out around his apartment 
  until he was fully healed. Th e old man taught him 
  about literature, and the history of his people, and how 
  destructive gangs were. It all awakened something in 
  Roberto. He realized he’d been a fool — that he ought 
  to be helping people, not victimizing them.
  To his own surprise, Roberto began volunteering 
  with a gang outreach program, trying to help other 
  gangbangers leave the street behind the way he had. 
  Before long he had a full-time job with the program 
  and was feeling pretty good about things... but it 
  wasn’t enough. Persuading gangbangers to give up the 
  life wasn’t going to solve the gang problem — he was 
  also going to have to do something to stop gangs from 
  hurting other people.
  He began spending his nights on the streets, using 
  his skills and smarts to stop gang trouble before it arose. 
  Eventually this brought him to the Harbinger’s atten-
  tion, and that in turn led to an oﬀ er to join LIBRA.
  Personality/Motivation:  Blade has gone from being 
  an amoral, self-serving “gangsta” to someone 
  who’s dedicated to improving his community and 
  saving other people from the streets — or from 
  the dangers of the streets, as the case may be. He 
  approaches his job with enthusiasm and conﬁ -
  dence, though he’s had as many failures as suc-
  cesses. Th at just makes the successes all the sweeter.
  Blade is less ruthless than most members of 
  LIBRA. He’s willing to kill when he has to — he 
  knows sometimes there’s no other way, and he’s 
  fully aware of just how much some people deserve 
  to die — but he’d rather ﬁ nd a “better” solution. 
  Aft er all, he’s living proof that people can walk 
  away from crime and reform, and when possible he 
  wants to give others the same chance he got.
  Quote:  “Don’t make me turn you into a pincushion. 
  Put down the gun and walk away from this. Don’t 
  throw your life away over a few bucks.”
  Powers/Tactics:  Unlike the other members of 
  LIBRA, who prefer guns or similar weapons, Blade 
  favors knives, daggers, and throwing stars. His main 
  weapons are two “combat machetes” he developed 
  himself, but he carries a couple of ﬁ ghting daggers 
  and over two dozen throwing knives and stars. Th e 
  latter he can throw in groups of three to ﬁ ve if nec-
  essary. As a backup weapon he’s got a silenced 9mm 
  semiautomatic.
  Whenever possible, Blade prefers to rely on 
  his stealth and speed in combat, taking advantage 
  of cover in the process. If he thinks the person he’s 
  ﬁ ghting is “salvageable,” he’ll try to disarm them or 
  go for incapacitating shots to the arms, shoulders, 
  and legs.
  Campaign Use:  Blade, like Knockout, provides a 
  minor note of dissension within the LIBRA ranks. 
  He favors non-lethal solutions in many situations, 
  which may conﬂ ict with Sarge’s plans or Hammer’s 
  and Shadow’s methods.
  To make Blade a more dangerous combatant, 
  give him more knife-related Combat Skill Levels or 
  abilities (such as Two-Weapon Fighting), or per-
  haps increase the damage of his blades by 1 DC. To 
  weaken him, remove his Targeting Skill Levels and 
  reduce his DEX to 17.
  Blade won’t Hunt speciﬁ c criminals or other 
  characters unless ordered to do so.
  Blade has an extensive juvenile criminal record 
  for drug dealing, assault, attempted murder, bur-
  glarly, and armed robbery (though the most recent 
  of the charges is several years old). His ﬁ ngerprints 
  and DNA are on ﬁ le with the HCPD.
  Appearance:  Blade is a young Hispanic man about 
  5’9” tall, with a toned, athletic build. In addition to 
  a veritable arsenal of throwing blades, he carries 
  several ﬁ ghting daggers and two “combat machetes” 
  (as he calls them). He wears less body armor than 
  the rest of the team, prefering to remain unencum-
  bered and mobile.
  
  342 ■ LIBRA
  Hero System 5th Edition
  HAMMER
   Val Char 
  Cost Roll 
  Notes
   18 STR 
  8 
  13- 
  Lift  300 kg; 3½d6 [4]
   16 DEX 
  18 
  12- 
  OCV:  5/DCV:  5
   20 CON 
  20 
  13-
   16 BODY 12 
  12-
   14 INT 
  4 
  12- 
  PER Roll 12-
   10 EGO 
  0 
  11- 
  ECV:  3
   20 PRE 
  10 
  13- 
  PRE Attack:  4d6
   10 COM 
  0 
  11-
   8 PD 
  4 
   
  Total:  17 PD (9 rPD)
   6 ED 
  2 
   
  Total:  11 ED (9 rED)
   3 SPD 
  4 
   
  Phases:  4, 8, 12
   8 REC 
  0
   40 END 
  0
   35 STUN 
  0 
  Total Characteristics Cost:  82
  Movement: 
  Running:  7”/14”
  Cost Powers 
  END
  10 
  Brawler:  HA +3d6; Hand-To-Hand
   Attack (-½) 
  1
  15 
  Shrug It Oﬀ :  Physical Damage 
  Reduction, Resistant, 50%; Requires A 
  CON Roll (-¾), Character Must Be 
  Aware Of Attack (-¼) 
  0
  2 
  Strong Runner:  Running +1” (7” total) 
  1
   
  Perks
  4 
  Contacts:  4 points’ worth, in the 
  Marines
  5 
  Improved Equipment Availability: 
  Military equipment
   
  Skills
  10 
  +2 with Ranged Combat
  1 
  Combat Driving 8-
  1 
  Criminology 8-
  7 
  Demolitions 14-
  3 
  Electronics 12-
  3 
  Interrogation 13-
  2 
  CK: Hudson City 11-
  2 
  KS: Criminal Law And Procedure 11-
  2 
  KS: Th e Law Enforcement World 11-
  2 
  KS: Th e Military/Mercenary/Terrorist 
  World 11-
  2 
  KS: U.S. Marines History And 
  Customs 11-
  1 
  Lockpicking 8-
  2 
  PS: EOD Oﬃ  cer 11-
  2 
  PS: Marine 11-
  1 
  Security Systems 8-
  3 
  Stealth 12-
  3 
  Streetwise 13-
  3 
  Tactics 12-
  6 
  WF: Small Arms, Grenade Launchers, Gen-
  eral Purpose/Heavy Machine Guns, Knives, 
  Shoulder-Fired Weapons
   
  Resource Points
  21 
  Equipment Points:  165
  5 
  Vehicle/Base Points:  20
  0 
  Follower/Contact Points:  5
  0 
  Miscellaneous Points:  0
  Total Powers & Skills Cost:  118
  Total Cost:  200
  100+ Disadvantages
  15 
  DNPC:  Daniqua Gregson (girlfriend) 8- 
  (Normal, Unaware of character’s Social Limi-
  tation:  Secret Identity)
  20 
  Hunted:  BATF 8- (Mo Pow, NCI, Capture)
  20 
  Hunted:  Card Shark 8- (Mo Pow, NCI, Kill)
  20 
  Psychological Limitation:  Vigilante Mental-
  ity (Common, Total)
  10 
  Psychological Limitation:  Prefers Th e “Mili-
  tary Solution” (Common, Moderate)
  15 
  Social Limitation:  Secret Identity (Charles 
  Jackson) (Frequently, Major)
  Total Disadvantage Points:  200
  Background/History:  Charles Jackson grew up in 
  one of Hudson City’s poorer neighborhoods, but 
  thanks to his stern and loving parents, he avoided 
  the gang scene and stayed out of trouble. He 
  graduated high school with excellent grades and 
  wanted to attend college, but his family couldn’t 
  aﬀ ord it. He joined the Marines instead, plan-
  ning to go to school with GI money aft er his tour 
  was up. But it turned out he enjoyed military life 
  and stayed in much longer than he expected. He 
  proved to have a talent for demolitions work and 
  heavy weapons.
  Aft er he left  the Marines, Jackson came 
  back home and joined the Hudson City Police 
  Department’s bomb squad. He liked the work, but 
  soon became disgusted with the corruption and 
  incompetence he saw throughout the department. 
  Th ere’ve got to be better ways to protect folks, he 
  thought.
  SUGGESTED EQUIPMENT
  Weapon 
  OCV 
  RMod 
  Dam 
  STUN 
  Shots STR Min Notes
  Desert Eagle 
  +1 
  +0 
  2d6+1 
  1d6 
  9 
  13 
  Colt M16A2 
  +2 
  +1 
  2d6 
  1d6 
  30 
  13 
  2H, AF5, FS
  USAS-12 
  +0 
  +0 
  2½d6 
  1d6 
  28 
  13 
  2H, AF5, LR(50”)
  Grenade Gun 
  +0 
  +0 
  2½d6 
  1d6 
  40 
  16 
  AF3, Explosion
  Combat knife# 
  0 
  — 
  1d6-1 
  0 
  — 
  6 
  Can Be Th rown
  Armor:  DefTex body armor (DEF 9 on a 14- Activation Roll, plus polyethylene plates providing +3 DEF on Hit Loca-
  tions 10-11 [including the sides])
  Ballistic face shield (DEF 3, only protects Location 4 from the front)
  Gear:  LIBRA communicator, gas mask, nightsight goggles (Gen 2), one block of plastique, demolitions kit
  Clothing:  LIBRA uniform
  
  343 
  Dark Champions ■ Chapter Nine
  One day he witnessed a mugging while he was 
  oﬀ  duty. He chased down the perpetrator, caught 
  him, and returned the victim’s purse to her. Sud-
  denly it hit him:  I can do this all the time — that’s a 
  better way to protect people. Since the cops weren’t 
  getting the job done, he’d “help out” on the side.
  For several months Jackson labored to clean 
  up the streets, but he soon realized the task was 
  beyond him — he lacked the training, weapons, 
  and resources he needed. And that’s when he was 
  approached about joining LIBRA.
  Personality/Motivation:  Jackson — or Hammer, as 
  his teammates call him — is a pretty simple and 
  straightforward guy. Th e way he sees it, there’s 
  Good and Evil, right and wrong, and it’s an honest 
  man’s job to support what’s Good and right, and 
  ﬁ ght what’s Evil and wrong. Th e depths of the Har-
  binger’s “forensic philosophy” are lost on him, but 
  the basics of the message speak to him profoundly.
  Hammer has a reputation for being quick to 
  use force, and it’s true he usually prefers the “mili-
  tary solution” (as he puts it) to anything else. A 
  few times he’s blown up the group’s target when it 
  would have been better to keep the victim alive for 
  interrogation.
  Quote:  “One helping of cover ﬁ re, comin’ up!”
  Powers/Tactics:  Hammer is the biggest, strongest 
  member of LIBRA; he wears the heaviest armor 
  and carries the heaviest weapons. His preferred 
  weapon is his Grenade Gun, which he and Sarge 
  developed. It’s a man-portable automatic grenade 
  launcher that ﬁ res 40mm grenades from a 40-
  round belt (or a 10-round magazine). He prefers 
  fragmentation grenades, but can substitute any 
  other type of 40mm grenade if necessary. When 
  grenades aren’t appropriate, he falls back on his 
  assault riﬂ e or automatic shotgun (which he loads 
  with slugs).
  In battle, Hammer takes point, using his heavy 
  weapons to wreak havoc among the enemy, blast 
  holes in walls, and so forth. Out of combat, he’s the 
  team’s demolitions expert, and can set or defuse just 
  about any type of bomb. 
  Campaign Use:  Hammer is the “brick” of LIBRA 
  — the strongman who can brawl with the best of 
  them and carry the big guns. Th is makes some of his 
  opponents underestimate his intelligence, but he’s as 
  smart and quick-witted as any of his teammates.
  If you want to make Hammer tougher, 
  emphasize his “brickness” — increase his STR and 
  defenses, and perhaps give him some appropriate 
  super-skills or Heroic-level “brick tricks.” To tone 
  him down a bit, replace the Grenade Gun with a 
  normal one-shot grenade launcher, and reduce his 
  Characteristics slightly.
  Hammer won’t Hunt speciﬁ c criminals or 
  other characters unless ordered to do so.
  Hammer has no criminal record, but his ﬁ n-
  gerprints and DNA are on ﬁ le with the Marines and 
  the HCPD.
  Appearance:  Hammer is a large, muscular black 
  man about 6’2” tall. He carries his unique Grenade 
  Gun and a wide variety of 40mm grenades; for 
  his backup weapon he favors an assault riﬂ e or a 
  combat shotgun... or both. He wears the standard 
  LIBRA grey uniform and dark grey body armor.
  
  344 ■ LIBRA
  Hero System 5th Edition
  KNOCKOUT
   Val Char 
  Cost Roll 
  Notes
   10 STR 
  0 
  11- 
  Lift  100 kg; 2d6 [2]
   14 DEX 
  12 
  12- 
  OCV:  5/DCV:  5
   13 CON 
  6 
  12-
   10 BODY 0 
  11-
   20 INT 
  10 
  13- 
  PER Roll 13-
   10 EGO 
  0 
  11- 
  ECV:  3
   15 PRE 
  5 
  12- 
  PRE Attack:  3d6
   16 COM 
  3 
  12-
   4 PD 
  2 
   
  Total:  12 PD (8 rPD)
   4 ED 
  1 
   
  Total:  12 ED (8 rED)
   3 SPD 
  6 
   
  Phases:  4, 8, 12
   5 REC 
  0
   26 END 
  0
   25 STUN 
  3 
  Total Characteristics Cost:  48
  Movement: 
  Running:  6”/12”
  Cost Powers 
  END
   
  Martial Arts:  Aikido
    
  Maneuver 
  OCV DCV 
  Notes
  4 
  Dodge 
  — 
  +5 
  Dodge all 
  attacks, 
  Abort
  4 
  Escape 
  +0 
  +0 
  +15 STR vs. 
  Grabs
  3 
  Hold 
  -1 
  -1 
  Grab Two 
  Limbs, 
  +10 STR for 
  holding on
  4 
  Joint Lock/Th row +1 
  +0 
  Grab 
  One Limb; 
  1d6 NND(1); 
  Target Falls
  5 
  Redirect 
  +1 
  +3 
  Block, Abort
  3 
  Takedown 
  +1 
  +1 
  STR Strike; 
  Target Falls
  3 
  Th row 
  +0 
  +1 
  STR + v/5; 
  Target Falls
   
  Perks
  6 
  Contacts:  6 points’ worth, in the modeling/
  entertainment industry
  5 
  Improved Equipment Availability:  Military 
  equipment
  5 
  Money:  Well Oﬀ 
   
  Skills
  6 
  +2 with Criminology, Deduction, and 
  Forensic Medicine
  3 
  Acting 12-
  3 
  Computer Programming 13-
  3 
  Concealment 13-
  7 
  Criminology 15-
  3 
  Deduction 13-
  3 
  Disguise 12-
  1 
  Electronics 8-
  7 
  Forensic Medicine 15-
  4 
  Forgery (Documents, Money) 13-
  3 
  High Society 12-
  1 
  Interrogation 8-
  2 
  CK: Hudson City 11-
  2 
  KS: Card Shark 11-
  3 
  KS: Th e Hudson City Underworld 13-
  3 
  KS: Organized Crime 13-
  1 
  Lockpicking 8-
  3 
  Persuasion 12-
  1 
  Security Systems 8-
  3 
  Seduction 12-
  3 
  Stealth 12-
  3 
  Streetwise 12-
  4 
  WF: Small Arms, Knives, Grenade 
  Launchers
  3 
  Scientist
  1 
  1) SS: Arson/Explosion Investigation 11-
  1 
  2) SS: Bloodstain Interpretation 11-
  2 
  3) SS: Chemistry 12-
  1 
  3) SS: Fiber/Hair Analysis 11-
  1 
  4) SS: Firearm Ballistics 11-
  1 
  5) SS: Serology 11-
   
  Resource Points
  28 
  Equipment Points:  200
  0 
  Vehicle/Base Points:  10
  0 
  Follower/Contact Points:  5
  0 
  Miscellaneous Points:  0
  Total Powers & Skills Cost:  152
  Total Cost:  200
  100+ Disadvantages
  20 
  DNPC:  Morena Cox (younger sister) 8- 
  (Incompetent, Unaware of character’s Social 
  Limitation:  Secret Identity)
  20 
  Hunted:  Card Shark 8- (Mo Pow, NCI, Kill)
  10 
  Hunted:  HCPD 8- (Mo Pow, NCI, Watching)
  15 
  Psychological Limitation:  Vigilante Mental-
  ity (Common, Strong)
  20 
  Psychological Limitation:  Protective Of 
  Innocents (Common, Total)
  15 
  Social Limitation:  Secret Identity (Barbara 
  Cox) (Frequently, Major)
  Total Disadvantage Points:  200
  SUGGESTED EQUIPMENT
  Weapon 
   
  OCV 
  RMod 
  Dam 
  STUN 
  Shots 
  STR Min 
  Notes
  H&K P7M13 
  +1 
  +0 
  1d6+2 
  1d6-1 
  13 
  9 
  PR
  Mossberg 590 
  +0 
  +0 
  2½d6 
  1d6 
  9 
  12 
  2H, AE1, LR(20”), RR, RP
  Grenade Launcher 
  0 
  0 
  110 STR 
  1 
  8
  Armor: DefTex body armor (DEF 8 on a 14- Activation Roll, plus polyethylene plates providing +3 DEF on Hit Locations 
  10-11 [including the sides])
  Gear:  LIBRA communicator, gas mask, criminalistics kit (+2 to roll)
  Clothing:  LIBRA uniform
  
  345 
  Dark Champions ■ Chapter Nine
  Background/History:  Th ere was a time when Bar-
  bara Cox had it all — beauty, money, fame. She 
  was an up-and-coming fashion model and actress 
  who’d achieved notable success in the industry at 
  an early age. She was poised to break into the really 
  big time... but unfortunately, one person took too 
  much notice of her too early. She attracted the 
  attention of a particularly depraved stalker — one 
  who was too smart to do anything so extreme that 
  she could get a restraining order against him. She 
  began taking self-defense and ﬁ rearms courses, just 
  in case — but to no avail. Th e stalker kidnapped her 
  and her sister Morena. Aft er shooting Morena, he 
  began to beat Barbara to death with his bare hands. 
  Fortunately, someone heard her screams in time to 
  summon the police, who killed the stalker and took 
  the two women to the hospital.
  Morena survived, though she suﬀ ered severe 
  impairment as the result of her brain injury. Bar-
  bara wasn’t in danger of death, but her good looks 
  — and career — were ruined. Th e plastic surgeons 
  performed a miracle, restoring as much of her 
  beauty as they could, but between the change in 
  her appearance and the post-traumatic stress she 
  suﬀ ered, working in the public eye was out of the 
  question.
  Seeing her former life for the vapid waste it 
  was, Barbara decided to do something to prevent 
  people from becoming crime victims — or at least 
  to help catch the victimizers. Discovering an inter-
  est in criminalistics and forensic science, she threw 
  herself into studying. She thought maybe she could 
  become an FBI agent or a medical examiner.
  Unbeknownst to Barbara, her aptitude for 
  forensic matters attracted the attention of the Har-
  binger of Justice. When he began to form LIBRA, 
  Barbara was one of his ﬁ rst recruits — her combi-
  nation of drive, scientiﬁ c acumen, and social skills 
  made her perfect for the group. Adopting a false 
  identity, “Jesse,” she served as his point woman for 
  recruiting still more vigilantes-in-training. She’s 
  considered the second-in-command of the team 
  aft er Sarge.
  Personality/Motivation:  Compared to most mem-
  bers of LIBRA, Knockout is a gentle, merciful 
  person. She’s as dedicated to the idea of ﬁ ghting 
  crime as her teammates, but comes at it from a 
  more defensive perspective. Her goal is to protect 
  innocent people, and to stop criminals with mini-
  mal force. She’ll kill if she has to, but if possible pre-
  fers to rely on her non-lethal weapons. Th is some-
  times causes tension with Sarge and Shadow, who 
  continue to try to sway her to their point of view.
  Quote:  “Hold on — I can resolve this without any 
  gunplay.”
  Powers/Tactics:  Knockout’s main weapon is a mod-
  iﬁ ed grenade launcher that ﬁ res 40mm grenades. 
  She can ﬁ re any of the standard 40mm grenades 
  listed on page 250-51 (including specialized rounds 
  such as Smoke and Tear Gas), but her specialty is a 
  knockout gas grenade:
  Energy Blast 4d6, Area Of Eﬀ ect (6” Radius; 
  +1), Continuous (+1), NND (defense is Life 
  Support [Self-Contained Breathing or appro-
  priate Immunity]; +1) (80 Active Points); OAF 
  (-1), Range Based On STR (-¼), 1 Continuing 
  Charge lasting 1 Turn (-1¼). Total cost:  23 
  points.
  On most combat missions, her typical grenade 
  load is four fragmentation, four smoke, and eight 
  knockout gas. She tailors the load for speciﬁ c mis-
  sion parameters.
  Knockout’s tactical role varies. She prefers to 
  remain in the background, oft en near Sarge, ﬁ ring 
  her grenades wherever they can have the best eﬀ ect. 
  But sometimes the team needs her to lead the charge, 
  opening up on the enemy with a few well-placed 
  explosions before the other characters start shooting.
  Campaign Use:  To an even greater extent than 
  Blade, Knockout is a voice of moderation within 
  the LIBRA team. It’s possible she might eventually 
  “go solo” if the group’s conduct becomes too much 
  for her to handle — but she’d never betray the team.
  Knockout’s appearance today is signiﬁ cantly 
  diﬀ erent from the look that made her famous 
  — she’s still beautiful, but most people would have 
  a diﬃ  cult time associating her with the model and 
  actress she used to be. Still, it’s possible someone 
  might ﬁ gure out who she is.
  To make Knockout a tougher opponent, 
  increase her combat abilities — give her some 
  Combat Skill Levels with her weapons (and/or 
  
  346 ■ LIBRA
  Hero System 5th Edition
  some DCV Levels), increase several of her Charac-
  teristics, and so forth. To weaken her, get rid of her 
  Aikido.
  Knockout won’t Hunt speciﬁ c criminals or 
  other characters unless ordered to do so.
  Knockout has no criminal record. Th e police 
  have begun to keep an eye on her because they’ve 
  seen her near several crime scenes, but as yet they 
  don’t suspect anything.
  Appearance:  Knockout is a beautiful woman in 
  her late 20s, about 5’6” tall with short blonde hair. 
  In the ﬁ eld she wears LIBRA grey and a gas mask. 
  When not dressed for combat, she looks a bit like 
  Uma Th urman, though slightly broader-shouldered 
  and more muscular.
  SHADOW
   Val Char 
  Cost Roll 
  Notes
   15 STR 
  5 
  12- 
  Lift  200 kg; 3d6 [3]
   18 DEX 
  24 
  13- 
  OCV:  6/DCV:  6
   18 CON 
  16 
  13-
   13 BODY 6 
  12-
   15 INT 
  5 
  12- 
  PER Roll 12-
   10 EGO 
  0 
  11- 
  ECV:  3
   20 PRE 
  10 
  13- 
  PRE Attack:  4d6
   10 COM 
  0 
  11-
   6 PD 
  3 
   
  Total:  14 PD (8 rPD)
   5 ED 
  1 
   
  Total:  13 ED (8 rED)
   4 SPD 
  12 
   
  Phases:  3, 6, 9, 12
   7 REC 
  0
   36 END 
  0
   30 STUN 
  0 
  Total Characteristics Cost:  82
  Movement: 
  Running:  6”/12”
  Cost Powers 
  END
  2 
  Observant:  +1 PER with Sight Group
   
  Perks
  10 
  Contacts:  10 points’ worth, in the HCPD and 
  Hudson City criminal justice system
  1 
  Fringe Beneﬁ t:  Weapon Permit
  2 
  Fringe Beneﬁ t:  Concealed Weapon Permit
  5 
  Improved Equipment Availability:  Military 
  equipment
   
  Skills
  12 
  +4 with Pistols
  3 
  Climbing 13-
  1 
  Combat Driving 8-
  3 
  Concealment 13-
  5 
  Bugging 13-
  3 
  Bureaucratics 13-
  3 
  Criminology 12-
  3 
  Deduction 12-
  1 
  Demolitions 8-
  1 
  Electronics 8-
  1 
  Forensic Medicine 8-
  3 
  Interrogation 13-
  3 
  CK:  Hudson City 13-
  2 
  KS: Criminal Law And Procedure 11-
  2 
  KS: Th e Law Enforcement World 11-
  7 
  Lockpicking 15-
  2 
  PS: Police Oﬃ  cer 11-
  7 
  Security Systems 14-
  3 
  Shadowing 12-
  3 
  Stealth 13-
  3 
  Streetwise 13-
  10 
  Two-Weapon Fighting (Ranged)
  2 
  WF: Small Arms
  2 
  Weaponsmith (Firearms) 13-
   
  Resource Points
  13 
  Equipment Points:  125
  0 
  Vehicle/Base Points:  10
  0 
  Follower/Contact Points:  5
  0 
  Miscellaneous Points:  0
  Total Powers & Skills Cost:  118
  Total Cost:  200
  
  347 
  Dark Champions ■ Chapter Nine
  100+ Disadvantages
  5 
  Distinctive Features:  scar on lower right jaw 
  (Easily Concealed; Noticed And Recogniz-
  able)
  20 
  Hunted:  Card Shark 8- (Mo Pow, NCI, Kill)
  10 
  Hunted:  HCPD 8- (Mo Pow, NCI, Watching)
  20 
  Psychological Limitation:  Vigilante Mental-
  ity (Common, Total)
  15 
  Psychological Limitation:  Hot-Tempered 
  (Common, Strong)
  15 
  Reputation:  brutal, racist cop, 11- (Extreme)
  15 
  Social Limitation:  Secret Identity (Jerry 
  Manowitz) (Frequently, Major)
  Total Disadvantage Points:  200
  Background/History:  He was able to keep his anger 
  bottled up until he got home. Th en he really let 
  loose. Th e noise made the neighbors call the cops 
  — just the sort of irony he didn’t need.
  He still could barely believe they’d actually 
  ﬁ red him. Part of the settlement package, the Cap-
  tain said. Th e guy you beat up gets an “undisclosed 
  sum” of cash and you lose your job. At least he had 
  the decency to hide his smirk until he thought 
  Manowitz couldn’t see him. Ten years in law 
  enforcement, down the tubes forever.
  “Excessive force.” What a load of crap! Th e guy 
  was a known violent felon and drug user, a ﬁ ve-
  time loser who by all rights should have been six 
  feet under. He was selling drugs to kids, for God’s 
  sake, ten- and twelve-year-olds. So what if he’d hit 
  the guy a few extra times when he arrested him? 
  Okay, a few dozen, but the point remained that he 
  ought to be in jail or dead, not out living high on 
  the hog with taxpayers’ money in his pocket while 
  Manowitz was out of a job. Hell, he thought, they 
  oughtta give me another medal for it!
  He tried hanging out at his favorite cop bars, 
  but it just wasn’t the same. Everyone said they were 
  glad to see him, but somehow there was a distance 
  there, a gulf that hadn’t existed before. He was just 
  a civilian now. Pretty soon he found other bars to 
  drink at. Eventually he settled on Jersey Jake’s, oﬀ  of 
  South Lincoln. It wasn’t too far from his apartment, it 
  wasn’t a meeting place for singles, it didn’t have loud 
  music, the jerk quotient was low. Most of the patrons 
  just kept to themselves, and that suited Manowitz 
  ﬁ ne. He could sit there and drink and watch the TV, 
  maybe read the City News or the Star-Gazette if he 
  felt like it, and nobody would bother him as long as 
  he had a drink in front of him.
  At that rate he was going to go through his 
  severance pay fast, and he knew it even as he tried 
  to forget his troubles with beer and old TV shows. 
  But there wasn’t any work he could do. Th ere 
  weren’t any cop jobs, not for him. He thought about 
  moving, but it wouldn’t be any better anywhere else. 
  Besides, he’d been in Hudson City ever since he was 
  born, and he liked it. He snorted with disgust and 
  turned his attention away from the television and 
  back to his newspaper.
  A couple minutes later, he realized someone 
  was staring at him. He looked over and saw this 
  woman, a brunette. She wasn’t bad-looking. She had 
  on jeans and a red blouse, and was wearing glasses.
  “Hey,” he said by way of introduction. “Do I 
  know you?”
  Th e woman sat down next to him, placing her 
  purse on the bar near her left  hand, and her drink 
  nearer to him. “No, I don’t think so. But I know you. 
  Jerry Manowitz, right?”
  Manowitz scowled. She must’ve recognized 
  him from the pictures in the paper. “Yeah, that’s 
  me,” he said resignedly.
  “Th ought so. Good.” She motioned to the bar-
  tender to get him another beer.
  “What’s your name?” he asked.
  “Jesse,” she said. “I remember reading about 
  you in the paper a while back.”
  “Yeah, well, we all get our ﬁ ft een minutes. 
  Th anks for the beer.”
  “No problem.”
  Th ey sat there for a few minutes, not talking.
  “So, what’re you doing now?” she ﬁ nally asked.
  “Drinking.”
  “No, I mean, where are you working? Papers 
  said the HCPD let you go.”
  “What do you care, lady? You think buying me 
  a beer gives you the right to ask personal questions? 
  You a reporter or something?”
  “No, nothing like that. I know some people 
  who could use a guy like you, that’s all. Just wanted 
  to see if you’re interested.”
  SUGGESTED EQUIPMENT
  Weapon 
  OCV 
  RMod 
  Dam 
  STUN 
  Shots STR Min Notes
  Colt Anaconda 
  +0 
  +0 
  2½d6 
  1d6 
  6 
  11 
  Frangible ammo
  Colt M1911 
  +1 
  +0 
  2d6-1 
  1d6 
  7 
  9 
  Laser sight
  Glock 21 
  +0 
  +0 
  2d6+1 
  1d6+1 
  13 
  9 
  HP ammo, PR
  SIG/SAUER P226 
  +1 
  +0 
  1d6 
  1d6-1 
  15 
  8 
  AP ammo
  Frag grenades 
  0 
  0 
  2½d6 
  0 
  2 
  RBS 
  Explosion
  Concussion grenades 
  0 
  0 
  (8d6) 
  — 
  2 
  RBS 
  Explosion
  Combat knife# 
  0 
  — 
  1d6-1 
  0 
  — 
  6 
  Can Be Th rown
  Armor: DefTex body armor (DEF 8 on a 14- Activation Roll, plus polyethylene plates providing +3 DEF on Hit Locations 
  10-11 [including the sides])
  Ballistic face shield (DEF 3, only protects Location 4 from the front; also provides Sight Group Flash Defense [5 points])
  Gear:  LIBRA communicator, gas mask, high-quality lockpicks (+2 to rolls), Security Systems tools, bugs and bugging 
  equipment
  Clothing:  LIBRA uniform
  
  348 ■ LIBRA
  Hero System 5th Edition
  “Depends on what kind of work.”
  “Well, that’s a little diﬃ  cult to describe,” she 
  said coyly as she rummaged around in her purse. 
  “Th ey call it forensic combat.”
  “Forensic combat? Never heard of it — martial 
  arts?”
  “Not exactly. Here, take a look at this,” she said 
  as she handed him a book she’d gotten out of her 
  purse. It was a small, slim volume, hardbound in 
  featureless black leather. On the spine there was a 
  title stamped in gold: A Manifesto Of Justice. No 
  author. He opened up the book and looked at the 
  ﬁ rst couple of pages. Still no author.
  “Who’s it by?” he asked.
  “Th e people I work for. It talks about the kind 
  of work they do. Tell you what, you read it and tell 
  me whether the job would interest you at all. I’ll be 
  here one week from tonight, okay?”
  “Sure,” he said, ﬁ guring he had nothing to lose.
  “See you in a week, then,” she said, then got up 
  and left .
  It wasn’t martial arts, that was for sure. Th e 
  Manifesto was some kind of philosophy book. It 
  talked about Justice and just actions, evil men and 
  just men, and the “ability to perceive Justice.” And 
  at the end, it talked about vigilantism. Manowitz 
  ﬁ gured the author must be one of the city’s vigi-
  lantes, and now he was sure. One of them — the 
  Harbinger, DarkAngel, Renegade, one of the minor 
  ones — had written this book to explain and justify 
  his actions. And now it seemed they wanted him to 
  become a vigilante, too.
  Manowitz didn’t care much for the idea at ﬁ rst, 
  and he found some of the book’s reasoning — that 
  some people have a more correct perception of 
  Justice than others, and therefore have a duty to 
  preserve and uphold Justice — simpleminded. He’d 
  always taken pride in working within the law, as a 
  cop, to “uphold Justice.” Th at was the right way to 
  do things. But he couldn’t be a cop anymore.
  And why not? Because society had reached the 
  point where the “rights” of criminals outweighed 
  the rights of innocent citizens and those who had 
  sworn to protect them. Where thugs and kill-
  ers went in and out of prison like birds because 
  society lacked the will to build enough prisons to 
  keep them all locked up and punished. Where the 
  most obvious ways of dealing with these problems 
  were constantly criticized by well-meaning idiots 
  who’d come to have greater sway over society than 
  straightforward common sense.
  Th e more he thought about the book, the more 
  what it said made sense to him. If he couldn’t be a 
  cop anymore, there were other ways “to serve and 
  protect.”
  He went back to Jersey Jake’s when the week 
  was up. Jesse was sitting in a booth near the back. 
  She didn’t say anything as he sat down.
  “What’d you think?” she ﬁ nally asked aft er he’d 
  ordered a drink.
  “Interesting stuﬀ . Made sense, if I understood it.”
  “What didn’t you understand?”
  “I think I understood everything, but if you 
  follow what the book says, if I’m not a “just man,” I 
  might not be perceiving things correctly, so maybe 
  I’d misunderstand.”
  “Do you think you’re a just man?”
  Manowitz thought for a second. “Yeah. Yeah, 
  I do.”
  “Why?”
  “Th at was what was getting me in trouble on 
  the force all the time — what got me ﬁ red. I get so 
  sick of seeing the way society handles crime these 
  days. I think most of the answers are pretty obvi-
  ous, but no one’s got the guts to do what needs 
  doing. I have the guts, but all they got me in the end 
  was ﬁ red.”
  She didn’t say anything, as if she was hoping to 
  shake his conviction by not agreeing with him.
  “You work for the people who wrote this?” he 
  asked.
  She nodded.
  “What do you do?”
  “Th at’s not really the important question,” she 
  said, leaning in closely so she could lower her voice. 
  “Th e question is, what would you do for them?”
  “What do you mean?”
  “I mean this. You’re obviously interested in 
  them, or you wouldn’t be here. You know what’s 
  involved. Would you risk your life to accomplish 
  the sort of objectives they have?”
  “I did it every day for ten years. Got the scars 
  to prove it.”
  “Would you kill for them?”
  “I’ve shot criminals before. Th ree times. Killed 
  two of them.”
  “Th at was in a gunﬁ ght. Lots of people could 
  do that. I mean, if you had to, could you deliber-
  ately stalk another person, an evil man, and then 
  kill him in cold blood when the opportunity pre-
  sented itself?”
  He thought for a while. “Yes,” he said at last, 
  “I could do that. But only if I were convinced he 
  deserved it.” But even as he said it, he thought to 
  himself, Could I?
  She smiled. Th e smile changed her whole face; 
  it made her beautiful. For a second she looked 
  familiar, as if he’d seen her somewhere, but then she 
  stopped smiling and the spark of recognition faded 
  away without catching ﬂ ame. “Good. Are you inter-
  ested in coming to work for them, then?”
  “Maybe. I don’t mind working for a cause, but 
  I’ve got to eat, too. What’s in it for me?”
  “Beginning salary of $90,000 a year, deposited 
  without taxes into an oﬀ shore account in your 
  name; company apartment; company car; expense 
  account. Sound good?”
  “Vacations?”
  “None. You’re on duty 24-7, 365 days a year. 
  But a little time oﬀ  can be arranged sometimes.”
  He considered the oﬀ er for a while. It would be 
  great to get back into “law enforcement,” one way or 
  the other. He ﬁ nally said yes, knowing he’d already 
  said it when he showed up at Jake’s.
  “Excellent.”
  “What happens now?”
  “Now you go away for a while so you can 
  learn a few things. You’ll be gone about six months, 
  give or take. I’ll give you a week to get your aﬀ airs 
  
  349 
  Dark Champions ■ Chapter Nine
  in order and say your goodbyes. Meet me at the 
  QuickCorner at the Duvall exit onto Holden 
  Avenue one week from tomorrow at 7:00 a.m. Take 
  the bus or the subway, not a cab.”
  “What should I bring?”
  “A few changes of clothes, any weapons you’re 
  comfortable with, anything else you might like to 
  have while you’re away.”
  “Anything else I should know?”
  “For now, that’s it. See you a week from tomor-
  row.” She slid out of the booth and walked away 
  from him.
  Eight days later he was in the QuickCorner 
  parking lot. Parked over by one side of the building 
  was a bread delivery truck. Th e driver was standing 
  outside the cab drinking a cup of coﬀ ee. Th en Jesse 
  walked around from the back of the van and waved 
  at him. He went over to her.
  “Hi,” he said.
  “Hi. Any trouble getting here? Notice anything 
  odd?”
  “No — should I have?”
  “Not if everyone’s done his job,” she said with 
  a smile. Again her features jumped out at him for 
  a minute, as if he’d seen her somewhere before, but 
  he couldn’t place it. “C’mon and get in the back of 
  the van, it’s time to get going.”
  Th e back doors of the van had no windows. 
  When she opened them, he could see why — there 
  were no bread racks, so if anyone saw inside it 
  would blow the cover. Instead there were two rows 
  of seats and some racks of gear — medical equip-
  ment, mostly, but also some weapons, submachine 
  guns and pistols. A metal wall with a door in it 
  separated the driver’s compartment from the back. 
  He climbed in; she followed and shut the doors.
  “Have a seat,” Jesse said. “Anywhere you like; 
  you’re the only passenger today.”
  “Do you usually have a full load?”
  “Almost never.”
  He took a seat and fastened his seatbelt while 
  she looked around the equipment racks. Finally she 
  pulled out a hood. “I’ve got to blindfold you and 
  insert some earplugs,” she said.
  “Why? It’s not like I can see out the window or 
  anything.”
  “Sorry, procedure,” she said. He didn’t like it, 
  but ﬁ gured it couldn’t hurt. He couldn’t see a thing 
  inside the hood, or hear the sound of the engine 
  starting, but he felt the van begin to move. Th e 
  hood smelled funny, like perfume. He had only the 
  briefest of realizations that he was being drugged as 
  he drift ed oﬀ  to sleep.
  When he woke up, he wasn’t in Hudson City 
  anymore — he was at what he soon learned was the 
  LIBRA training camp. He spent the next several 
  months there with his teammates as they honed 
  their existing skills and developed ones they’d 
  never had before. He concentrated on inﬁ ltration, 
  becoming a top-notch B&E man. Now he’s a linch-
  pin of the LIBRA team — the man who’s got more 
  street experience than any of them.
  Personality/Motivation:  Shadow has become as 
  thoroughly dedicated to the vigilante lifestyle and 
  mentality as the Harbinger could hope for. Th e 
  only thing that’s really holding him back is his 
  temper. He’s got a tendency to ﬂ y oﬀ  the handle, 
  particularly when he’s frustrated or annoyed — and 
  he has a really low tolerance for frustration. More 
  than once he’s shot people the team wanted to take 
  prisoner because he lost his temper, or launched an 
  op too soon because he couldn’t stand by and watch 
  anymore. If that ﬂ aw can ever be hammered out of 
  him, he’ll be a well-tempered sword.
  Quote:  “Not so big and powerful now, are you, 
  punk? Lie there and bleed while I take care of your 
  little friends.”
  Powers/Tactics:  Although he earned his reputation 
  on the force (such as it is) by beating a perpetrator, 
  Shadow prefers to avoid HTH Combat if he can. 
  He’s better with his guns. He favors pistols, usually 
  carrying at least three semi-automatics and one 
  revolver (each loaded with diﬀ erent ammunition). 
  He thinks the best defense is a good oﬀ ense, so he’s 
  usually in the thick of the ﬁ ght, blazing away with a 
  gun in each hand.
  Out of combat, Shadow is the team’s surveil-
  lance expert, skilled at breaking, entering, bugging, 
  and tailing. He spends a lot of time on stakeouts or 
  planning his inﬁ ltration missions — Sarge insists, 
  as always, on precise preparation.
  Campaign Use:  Shadow is a good choice as a pre-
  generated PC for a player who doesn’t want to 
  create a character for the game — he’s got a good 
  set of highly-playable skills, and plenty of ﬁ repower.
  If you need to make Shadow more power-
  ful, give him some HTH Combat abilities (such as 
  Commando Training deﬁ ned as “Police Combat 
  Training”), up his DEX a little, and/or give him 
  more Combat Skill Levels. To weaken him, reduce 
  his DEX and other Primary Characteristics a little, 
  and cut his CSLs in half.
  Shadow won’t Hunt speciﬁ c criminals or other 
  characters unless ordered to do so.
  Shadow has no criminal record, though his 
  ﬁ ngerprints are on ﬁ le with the HCPD.
  Appearance:  Shadow wears the LIBRA grey uni-
  form and dark grey body armor; he conceals his 
  face with a hockey mask-like face plate with red 
  lenses that minimize glare. He carries multiple 
  pistols in shoulder and hip holsters, usually with 
  plenty of extra clips.
  
  350 ■ LIBRA
  Hero System 5th Edition
  ABADDON
   Val Char 
  Cost Roll 
  Notes
   20 STR 
  10 
  13- 
  Lift  400 kg; 4d6 [4]
   19 DEX 
  27 
  13- 
  OCV:  6/DCV:  6
   20 CON 
  20 
  13-
   15 BODY 10 
  12-
   15 INT 
  5 
  12- 
  PER Roll 12-
   12 EGO 
  4 
  11- 
  ECV:  4
   15 PRE 
  5 
  12- 
  PRE Attack:  3d6
   10 COM 
  0 
  11-
   8 PD 
  4 
   
  Total:  13 PD (5 rPD)
   6 ED 
  2 
   
  Total:  11 ED (5 rED)
   4 SPD 
  11 
   
  Phases:  3, 6, 9, 12
   10 REC 
  4
   40 END 
  0
   35 STUN 
  0 
  Total Characteristics Cost:  102
  Movement: 
  Running:  7”/14”
  Cost Powers 
  END
   
  Martial Arts:  Knifeﬁ ghting
   
  Maneuver 
  OCV DCV 
  Damage/Effect
  4 
  Block 
  +2 
  +2 
  Block, Abort
  4 
  Dodge 
  — 
  +5 
  Dodge, 
  Aﬀ ects All 
  Attacks, 
  Abort
  4 
  Foist 
  +2 
  +0 
  Weapon +4
  DC Strike
  4 
  Slashes 
  +0 
  +2 
  Weapon +4
  DC Strike
  5 
  Stabs 
  -2 
  +1 
  Weapon +6 
  DC Strike
  5 
  Th rusts 
  +1 
  +3 
  Weapon +2 
  DC Strike
  8 
  +2 Extra DCs (already added in)
  2 
  Swift  Runner:  Running +1” (7” total) 
  1
   
  Perks
  20 
  Contacts:  20 points’ worth, among 
  Middle Eastern terrorists
   
  Talents
  4 
  Blademaster:  HKA +1d6 with Short 
  Blades (HTH)
  6 
  Combat Luck (3 PD/3 ED)
  15 
  Combat Sense 12-
   
  Skills
  25 
  +5 with Short Blades (HTH and 
  Ranged)
  3 
  Acrobatics 13-
  3 
  Breakfall 13-
  3 
  Climbing 13-
  1 
  Demolitions 8-
  3 
  Interrogation 12-
  2 
  AK: Afghanistan 11-
  2 
  AK: Th e Middle East 11-
  2 
  AK: Palestine 11-
  1 
  CK: Jerusalem 8-
  1 
  KS: Th e Espionage World 8-
  3 
  KS: Th e Military/Mercenary/Terrorist 
  World 12-
  1 
  Language:  English (basic conversation; 
  Arabic is Native)
  2 
  Language:  Hebrew (ﬂ uent conversation)
  2 
  Language:  Persian (ﬂ uent conversation)
  1 
  SS: Pharmacology/Toxicology 8-
  3 
  Paramedics 12-
  5 
  Rapid Attack (HTH)
  3 
  Shadowing 12-
  1 
  Sleight Of Hand 8-
  3 
  Stealth 13-
  3 
  Streetwise 12-
  2 
  Survival (Desert) 12-
  3 
  TF: Common Motorized Ground 
  Vehicles, Two-Wheeled Motorized 
  Ground Vehicles
  10 
  Two-Weapon Fighting (HTH)
  3 
  WF: Small Arms, Knives
   
  Resource Points
  28 
  Equipment Points:  200
  0 
  Vehicle/Base Points:  10
  0 
  Follower/Contact Points:  5
  0 
  Miscellaneous Points:  0
  Total Powers & Skills Cost:  200
  Total Cost:  302
  100+ Disadvantages
  10 
  Distinctive Features:  Style (Not Concealable, 
  Noticed And Recognizable, Detectable By 
  Large Group)
  20 
  Hunted:  Mossad 8- (Mo Pow, NCI, Kill)
  15 
  Hunted:  PLRL 8- (Mo Pow, Kill)
  20 
  Psychological Limitation:  Casual Killer 
  (Very Common, Strong)
  20 
  Psychological Limitation:  Pathological 
  Hatred Of Israel, America, And Th eir Citi-
  zens (Common, Total)
  10 
  Reputation:  sadistic Muslim assassin, 11- 
  (Extreme; Limited Group [Espionage and 
  Military/Mercenary/Terrorist Worlds])
  10 
  Social Limitation:  Criminal Record (Occa-
  sionally, Major)
  97 
  Experience Points
  Total Disadvantage Points:  302
  ABADDON 
  PLOT SEEDS
  A series of seemingly 
  unrelated victims have 
  been found knifed to 
  death throughout the 
  city. What’s the connec-
  tion between them, and 
  is Abaddon the one to 
  blame for their deaths? 
  If so, who hired him?
  Th e PLRL secretly con-
  tacts the PCs with an 
  oﬀ er:  it will provide 
  them information about 
  Abaddon’s whereabouts, 
  provided they turn 
  the assassin over to its 
  agents when they cap-
  ture him. Will the heroes 
  make a deal with one 
  devil to catch another?
  During an unrelated 
  mission, the PCs stum-
  ble upon some infor-
  mation that indicates 
  Abaddon was trained 
  by the Mossad, not any 
  Palestinian terrorist 
  group. Is it true — and 
  if so, what’s the Mossad 
  up to?
  VILLAINS
  
  351 
  Dark Champions ■ Chapter Nine
  Background/History:  Yusef al-Behraz is the son of a 
  member of the Palestinian League for Retribution 
  and Liberation (PLRL), a terrorist group whose 
  stated purpose is the destruction of the state of 
  Israel and the establishment of a Palestinian state in 
  its place. His parents raised Yusef to violently hate 
  both Israel and its ally, the United States. As soon 
  as he was old enough, his father trained him in the 
  arts of combat and destruction. However, Yusef’s 
  talents lay in a slightly diﬀ erent area. One day, 
  as his father watched, Yusef casually tossed 
  three daggers into the bullseye of a wooden 
  target, one aft er the other. Th en he watched 
  him do it again while throwing all three 
  daggers at once. Th e PLRL soon took 
  Yusef away for training as an assassin. 
  Gradually, Yusef’s training made 
  him forget about home, and replaced 
  any gentle thoughts he had with the 
  cold desire to kill. As soon as he was 
  ready, the PLRL sent him into the ﬁ eld 
  to kill key Israeli personnel. Yusef 
  worked for the PLRL for nearly ten 
  years. He was so feared that the Israe-
  lis gave him the name Abaddon, aft er 
  the devil of evil war.
  In time another emotion came 
  to equal Abaddon’s hatred of the 
  Israelis:  selﬁ shness. He decided he was 
  wasting his talents in the desert when 
  governments and private individuals 
  would pay top dollar for his services. 
  He arranged to have the PLRL send 
  him on a mission to Europe, then 
  defected and went to work as a free-
  lance assassin. Since then he’s worked 
  for employers on three continents, 
  continually proving that he deserves 
  his nom de guerre.
  Personality/Motivation:  Although 
  he was a good-natured child, any kindly emotions 
  Yusef al-Behraz might once have felt have been 
  totally replaced by the cold, cruel killing machine 
  that is Abaddon. Whoever hires him hires the best 
  sort of assassin — one with absolutely no feelings 
  of remorse or sympathy. Abaddon’s one fault as an 
  assassin (as some would see it) is his strong sense 
  of self-perservation. He runs at the ﬁ rst sign of 
  trouble rather than trying to complete the mission, 
  and if captured talks freely to avoid torture. He 
  insists upon high fees, and woe unto any employer 
  who fails to pay him his full fee when speciﬁ ed. But 
  despite his lack of “assassin’s honor,” Abaddon still 
  gets hired for high fees because he rarely fails.
  Quote:  “Do not try to run, it is pointless. I am here, 
  and so you are doomed to die.”
  Powers/Tactics:  Abaddon’s weapons of choice 
  are knives and daggers. He typically carries four 
  combat daggers and a dozen throwing knives. In 
  most cases he ﬁ ghts with one dagger in each hand, 
  and can throw one of them if necessary (this might 
  qualify for a Surprise Move bonus the ﬁ rst time he 
  tries it against a character). One of his favorite 
  tricks is to throw a knife at a foe so the knife’s hilt 
  hits a wall in back of the target, causing the knife 
  to bounce back and strike the target from behind. 
  His Blademaster Talent, Martial Maneuvers, 
  Combat Skill Levels, and the like allow him 
  to do as much as HKA 4d6 with a knife.
  Abaddon performs his missions 
  like a hunter:  he sits and waits in his 
  victim’s path and then leaps to the 
  attack when the victim arrives. He has 
  to get fairly close to his victim before 
  he attacks; if he can’t do this, he leaves 
  and tries another time. Everyone lets 
  down his guard sooner or later.
  Campaign Use:  Abaddon is an assassin 
  with a twist. When they think “assassin,” 
  many PCs think “sniper” or “poisoner.” 
  Abaddon’s skill with such an “old-fash-
  ioned” weapon may surprise them, giving 
  him the crucial Phase he needs to complete 
  his mission.
  As a Hunter, Abaddon is patient and 
  persistent. He won’t take foolish chances 
  or let his passions overrule his common 
  sense — he knows that waiting for just 
  the right moment to strike only makes 
  his victory all the sweeter.
  If you want to make Abaddon 
  tougher, increase his defenses. He 
  favors light defenses so he doesn’t 
  encumber himself and can move 
  swift ly, but if he’s facing two or more 
  PCs at once he could beneﬁ t from some extra PD. 
  To weaken him, get rid of his Blademaster Talent 
  and reduce his Characteristics slightly.
  Abaddon is wanted on three continents for 
  eight murders.
  Appearance:  Abaddon is a man of Middle Eastern 
  descent; he’s got a muscular build and stands about 
  six feet tall. His hair is black and cut very short 
  in military style; he’s got a thick, black moustache 
  but no beard. He has no set uniform or costume, 
  instead wearing any one of several diﬀ erent ﬁ eld 
  uniforms. As an expert knife-ﬁ ghter, he carries 
  many diﬀ erent knives and throwing knives, and has 
  other throwing blades concealed on his person.
  SUGGESTED EQUIPMENT
  Weapon 
  OCV 
  RMod 
  Dam 
  STUN 
  Shots STR Min Notes
  Combat knife# 
  0 
  — 
  1d6 
  0 
  — 
  7 
  Can Be Th rown
  Th rowing knives 
  0 
  0 
  1d6-1 
  0 
  6 
  RBS 
  AF3 
  Armor:  Armored Clothing (DEF 2, Activation Roll 14-)
  Gear:  As appropriate for his current mission
  Clothing:  When on a mission, his Armored Clothing; at other times, as appropriate for the circumstances
  
  352 ■ LIBRA
  Hero System 5th Edition
  CALIBER
   Val Char 
  Cost Roll 
  Notes
   15 STR 
  5 
  12- 
  Lift  200 kg; 3d6 [3]
   21 DEX 
  36 
  13- 
  OCV:  7/DCV:  7
   18 CON 
  16 
  13-
   14 BODY 8 
  12-
   13 INT 
  3 
  12- 
  PER Roll 12-
   12 EGO 
  4 
  11- 
  ECV:  4
   20 PRE 
  10 
  13- 
  PRE Attack:  4d6
   10 COM 
  0 
  11-
   10 PD 
  9 
   
  Total:  17 PD (7 rPD)
   6 ED 
  2 
   
  Total:  13 ED (7 rED)
   4 SPD 
  9 
   
  Phases:  3, 6, 9, 12
   7 REC 
  0
   36 END 
  0
   40 STUN 
  9 
  Total Characteristics Cost:  111
  Movement: 
  Running:  6”/12”
  Cost Powers 
  END
  49 
  Guns, Guns, Guns!:  Multipower, 99-point 
  reserve; OIF (multiple OAFs; -½), all 
  Beam (-¼), Real Weapon (-¼)
  3u 
  1) Assassination/Sniper Pistol (ASP):  
  RKA 2d6, +1 STUN Multiplier (+¼); 
  OAF (-1), Beam (-¼), Real Weapon (-¼), 
  STR Minimum (12; STR Minimum 
  Cannot Add/Subtract Damage; -1), 2 clips 
  of 4 Charges each (-¾) plus collimating 
  sight (+2 OCV, +10 versus Range Modiﬁ er, 
  +2 PER versus darkness modiﬁ ers; Limited 
  Range [125”], Only When Shooter Braces 
  And/Or Sets (-1) plus Change Environ-
  ment1” radius, -3 to Hearing Group PER 
  Rolls, Reduced Endurance (0 END; +½); 
  OAF (-1), No Range (-½), Real 
  Weapon (-¼), Self Only (-½)
  2u 
  2)  Modular Firearm:  RKA 1d6+1, 
  Variable Advantage (+1 Advantages; +2), 
  Variable Special Eﬀ ects (anything that 
  can be represented with gun parts or 
  ammunition and which doesn’t contradict 
  the Limitations; +¼); OAF (-1), 
  Beam (-¼), Real Weapon (-¼), STR 
  Minimum (13; STR Minimum Cannot 
  Add/Subtract Damage; -1)
   
  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 
  Escape 
  +0 
  +0 
  30 STR vs. 
  Grabs
  4 
  Hold 
  -1 
  -1 
  Grab Th ree 
  Limbs, 25 STR
  4 
  Judo Disarm 
  -1 
  +1 
  Disarm, 25 
  STR
  4 
  Karate “Chop”  -2 
  +0 
  HKA ½d6 
  (1d6+1 with 
  STR)
  4 
  Kung Fu Block +2 
  +2 
  Block, Abort
   
  Perks
  10 
  Contacts:  10 points’ worth, throughout the 
  underworld
  5 
  Improved Equipment Availability:  Military 
  equipment
   
  Talents
  6 
  Combat Luck (3 PD/3 ED)
   
  Skills
  16 
  +2 with All Combat
  6 
  +2 with Firearms
  4 
  +2 OCV with ASP
  3 
  Climbing 13-
  3 
  Combat Driving 13-
  3 
  Demolitions 12-
  1 
  AK: Central America 8-
  1 
  AK: Th e Middle East 8-
  1 
  AK: Southeast Asia 8-
  1 
  CK: Beirut 8-
  2 
  KS: Th e Espionage World 11-
  2 
  KS: Th e Hudson City Underworld 11-
  2 
  KS: Th e Military/Mercenary/Terrorist 
  World 11-
  3 
  Shadowing 12-
  3 
  Stealth 13-
  5 
  Streetwise 13-
  3 
  Tactics 12-
  4 
  TF: Common Motorized Ground 
  Vehicles, Helicopters, Two-Wheeled 
  Motorized Ground Vehicles
  6 
  WF: Small Arms, Knives, Grenade 
  Launchers, General Purpose/Heavy 
  Machine Guns, Shoulder-Fired Weapons
  2 
  Weaponsmith (Firearms) 12-
   
  Resource Points
  15 
  Equipment Points:  135
  10 
  Vehicle/Base Points:  30
  5 
  Follower/Contact Points:  15
  0 
  Miscellaneous Points:  0
  Total Powers & Skills Cost:  207
  Total Cost:  318
  100+ Disadvantages
  20 
  Hunted:  HCPD 8- (Mo Pow, NCI, Imprison)
  20 
  Hunted:  FBI 8- (Mo Pow, NCI, Imprison)
  15 
  Psychological Limitation:  Greedy (Common, 
  Strong)
  15 
  Psychological Limitation:  Brutal And 
  Sadistic; Loves To Toy With His Victims 
  (Common, Strong)
  10 
  Reputation:  brutal killer/robber, 11- 
  (Extreme; Limited Group [Espionage and 
  Military/Mercenary/Terrorist Worlds])
  5 
  Rivalry:  Professional (with Triggerhappy)
  15 
  Social Limitation:  Secret Identity (Allen 
  Striker) (Frequently, Major)
  10 
  Social Limitation:  Criminal Record (Occa-
  sionally, Major)
  108 
  Experience Points
  Total Disadvantage Points:  318
  
  353 
  Dark Champions ■ Chapter Nine
  Background/History:  Allen, Daniel, and Richard 
  Striker are triplets. Th ey nearly killed their mother 
  during childbirth, and they didn’t make things 
  any easier on their parents aft er that. By the time 
  they were 16, they were so uncontrollable 
  and brutal their parent kicked them out of 
  the house. Th ey drift ed into the underworld, 
  where they got involved in mercenary work. 
  Soon, they were split up for the ﬁ rst 
  time, as their various assignments 
  took them all over the world to ﬁ ght, 
  murder, and pillage. To this day, 
  they do their best to remain in 
  contact, but the circumstances of 
  their lives oft en makes this dif-
  ﬁ cult.
  Several years ago, Allen got 
  tired of the typical mercenary 
  lifestyle and decided to break 
  into the high-powered, high-
  proﬁ t world of costumed crime. 
  To give himself an edge, he 
  designed two unique weapons:  his 
  ASP, a pistol that’s almost as good as a 
  sniper riﬂ e for long-distance shooting; 
  and his Modular Firearm, which he can 
  reconﬁ gure into various types of guns 
  to suit his current needs. With these two 
  powerful weapons, he established the 
  identity of Caliber and became an assas-
  sin and enforcer. He works mostly for 
  organized crime groups, but has pulled a 
  few robberies on his own or with skilled 
  crews (one of these involved Trig-
  gerhappy, who botched the job and 
  has since become a serious rival of 
  Caliber’s). Th ings are going so well for 
  him he wonders if maybe he shouldn’t 
  get his brothers to join him.
  Personality/Motivation:  Caliber is a powerful man 
  with sadistic tendencies. He comes across as a bully 
  who can, and will, back up his threats — and who’ll 
  use lethal force if he feels like it. He likes nothing 
  better than to toy with his victims, making them 
  suﬀ er for a little while before killing them... though 
  this sometimes gives them the chance to get away 
  from him.
  Quote:  “Th is little piggy gets broken <CRACK>. 
  Th is little piggy is also gonna get broken unless you 
  tell me where I can ﬁ nd Dominic Marcelli, you little 
  !$#@%!!*....”
  Powers/Tactics:  Beﬁ tting a man with his 
  nom du crime, Caliber carries a lot of ﬁ re-
  power. His mundane guns include two AMT 
  Automags and a Walther PPK as a “hold-
  out” piece. But his best guns are the 
  two special ones he designed, the 
  ASP and Moduler Firearm. Th e ASP, 
  which uses .45 WinMag ammunition 
  so its rounds are interchangeable 
  with the Automags, is a long-bar-
  relled pistol with integral aiming 
  accessories to make distance shots 
  feasible. Th e Modular Firearm is 
  essentially a set of custom-made 
  gun components and clips of dif-
  ferent ammunition that he can ﬁ t 
  together in diﬀ erent combination to 
  create just the right gun for the job 
  at hand. It could be an assault riﬂ e 
  ﬁ ring incendiary bullets one Phase, a 
  powerful pistol loaded with AP ammo 
  a few seconds later, and so forth.
  In combat, Caliber is bold and 
  daring, usually preferring to take the 
  oﬀ ensive. He moves around a lot so his 
  opponents can’t draw a bead on him. He 
  usually relies on his Modular Firearm 
  and Automags, reserving his ASP 
  for the long-distance shooting it’s 
  designed for.
  Campaign Use:  Caliber makes an 
  excellent all-around gunﬁ ghting 
  adversary for Dark Champions PCs in many sub-
  genres, but his background gives him some depth 
  you can exploit. He could recruit his brothers to 
  join him (as the costumed criminals Salvo and 
  Fusillade), or you could hold them in reserve to 
  take his place aft er the PCs kill him. Since the 
  heroes don’t know he’s a triplet, they’ll be surprised 
  when he “comes back from the dead”!
  Caliber’s conduct as a Hunter is the opposite 
  of his combat style. He’s calm and cool, favoring 
  long-range shots with his ASP. He’ll wait for hours, 
     SUGGESTED EQUIPMENT
  Weapon 
   
  OCV 
  RMod 
  Dam 
  STUN 
  Shots 
  STR Min 
  Notes
  AMT Automag IV 
  +0 
  +1 
  2d6 
  1d6 
  7 
  10 
  Has two of these
  Walther PPK 
  +1 
  -1 
  1d6 
  1d6-1 
  7 
  6
  Flare Grenade  
  +0 
  +0 
  Flash 4d6 
  —  
  2 
  RBS
  Combat knife# 
  0 
  — 
  1d6-1 
  0 
  — 
  6 
  Can Be Th rown
  Body Armor: Armored Clothing (DEF 2, Activation Roll 14-), Armored Jacket (DEF +2, covers Hit Locations 7-13, Sun-
  glasses (Sight Group Flash Defense [5 points])
  Gear:  Radio headset, climbing gear (+2 to Climbing rolls)
  Clothing:  In combat, his Armored Clothing (see Appearance); out of combat, as appropriate for the situation
  
  354 ■ LIBRA
  Hero System 5th Edition
  if necessary, to get just the right shot. He tries to 
  have at least two escape routes planned; he has 
  no intention of going to prison just to satisfy his 
  employers.
  To make Caliber tougher, give him more body 
  armor and beef up his Skill list a bit. To weaken 
  him, get rid of his Modular Firearm, remove some 
  Martial Maneuvers, and/or reduce his Characteris-
  tics a little.
  Allen Striker has a lengthy juvenile record of 
  oﬀ enses both petty and serious, and a much shorter 
  adult record for burglary and assault. As Caliber, 
  Striker’s wanted for numerous murders and robber-
  ies in multiple jurisdictions, though he has so far 
  evaded capture.
  Appearance:  Caliber is a broad-shouldered white 
  male, muscular but not too muscular, standing 6’2” 
  tall. He wears a black leather combat jacket, black 
  combat boots, black gloves, and dark grey pants 
  and shirt, with a two-gun emblem in white on the 
  shirt. His belt has numerous pouches for his gun 
  parts and ammo clips, as well as holsters for his 
  ASP and Modular Gun; there are also pockets along 
  the thighs of his pants and the upper arms of his 
  jacket to hold ammo clips. He carries his two AMT 
  Automags in shoulder holsters underneath his 
  jacket, and has a knife sheathed in one of his boots. 
  He doesn’t wear a mask, preferring to “conceal” his 
  face with expensive sunglasses.
  Caliber’s ASP is a custom-designed semi-auto-
  matic pistol with an unusually long barrel and a 
  high-tech integral sight.
  CROSSBOW
  Val Char 
  Cost Roll 
  Notes
   20 STR 
  10 
  13- 
  Lift  400 kg; 4d6 [4]
   20 DEX 
  30 
  13- 
  OCV:  7/DCV:  7
   20 CON 
  20 
  13-
   15 BODY 10 
  12-
   15 INT 
  5 
  12- 
  PER Roll 12-
   10 EGO 
  0 
  11- 
  ECV:  3
   20 PRE 
  10 
  13- 
  PRE Attack:  4d6
   12 COM 
  1 
  11-
   8 PD 
  4 
   
  Total:  11 PD (3 rPD)
   8 ED 
  4 
   
  Total:  11 ED (3 rED)
   4 SPD 
  10 
   
  Phases:  3, 6, 9, 12
   8 REC 
  0
   40 END 
  0
   40 STUN 
  5 
  Total Characteristics Cost:  109
  Movement: 
  Running:   
  9”/18”
   
  Swimming:   
  4”/8”
   
  Leaping: 
  6”/12”
  Cost Powers 
  END
  13 
  Custom Crossbow:  Multipower, 30-point 
  reserve; all OAF (-1), Real Weapon (-¼)
  1u 
  1)  Bladed Bolts:  RKA 2d6; OAF (-1), 
  Extra Time (Full Phase to load and ﬁ re 
  weapon; -½), Real Weapon (-¼), STR 
  Minimum (14; STR Minimum Cannot 
  Add/Subtract Damage; -1), Two-
  Handed (-½), 16 Charges (-0) 
  [16]
  1u 
  2)  Grapnel-Bolt:  Swinging 15”; 
  OAF (-1), Extra Time (Full Phase to
  load, ﬁ re, and Swing, regardless of 
  distance Swung; -½), Real Weapon (-¼), 
  1 Recoverable Charge (-1¼) 
  [1rc]
  15 
  Shrug It Oﬀ :  Physical Damage 
  Reduction, Resistant, 50%; Requires A 
  CON Roll (-¾), Character Must Be 
  Aware Of Attack (-¼) 
  0
  6 
  Animal Swift ness:  Running +3” 
  (9” total) 
  1
  2 
  Animal Swift ness:  Swimming +2” 
  (4” total) 
  1
  2 
  Animal Agility:  Leaping +2” (6” 
  forward, 3” upward) 
  1
  6 
  Hunter’s Senses:  +2 PER with all Sense 
  Groups 
  0
  15 
  Hunter’s Luck:  Luck 3d6 
  0
   
  Perks
  55 
  Animal Companions:  8 Followers built 
  on up to 200 base points each
   
  Talents
  3 
  Bump of Direction
  6 
  Combat Luck (3 PD/3 ED)
  3 
  Lightsleep
  3 
  Resistance (3 points)
  CALIBER 
  PLOT SEEDS
  Caliber brings his broth-
  ers to Hudson City and 
  they team up to commit 
  a series of daring, high-
  tech robberies — and 
  they don’t hesitate to kill 
  anyone who gets in their 
  way. Th e PCs have to 
  ﬁ nd them and stop them 
  before they try to take 
  down any more scores.
  Aft er the PCs capture 
  some criminals, one 
  of them claims to have 
  information on Caliber 
  — but he’ll only talk 
  if the PCs agree to let 
  him come along on the 
  attack, since he wants 
  revenge on the assassin 
  (who left  him to take 
  the fall for a job a couple 
  years ago). Will the 
  heroes go for it? Is this a 
  legitimate oﬀ er, or is the 
  stool pigeon working for 
  someone?
  Th e PCs ﬁ nd Caliber 
  in an alley. He doesn’t 
  have any of his weapons, 
  his clothes are torn, he’s 
  deathly pale, and he’s 
  curled up in a fetal posi-
  tion muttering unintel-
  ligibly to himself. What’s 
  going on?
  
  355 
  Dark Champions ■ Chapter Nine
   
  Skills
  8 
  +4 OCV with Crossbow RKA
  24 
  Range Skill Levels:  +8 versus Range 
  Modiﬁ er for All Attacks
  3 
  Acrobatics 13-
  9 
  Animal Handler (Canines, Equines, 
  Felines, Raptors, Reptiles & Amphibians, 
  Ursines) 14-
  3 
  Breakfall 13-
  3 
  Climbing 13-
  7 
  AK: Africa 16-
  3 
  AK: Amazon Rainforest 12-
  3 
  AK: Louisiana Swamps 12-
  3 
  AK: Rocky Mountains 12-
  3 
  Fast Draw (Crossbows) 13-
  5 
  KS:  Hunting 14-
  3 
  Paramedics 12-
  5 
  PS:  Hunter 14-
  3 
  Riding 13-
  7 
  Shadowing 14-  
  3 
  Stealth 13-
  12 
  Survival (Desert, Mountains, Temperate/
  Subtropical, Tropical) 14-
  7 
  Tracking 14-
  4 
  TF: Common Motorized Ground 
  Vehicles, Helicopters, Two-Wheeled 
  Motorized Ground Vehicles
  6 
  WF:  Common Melee Weapons, Common 
  Missile Weapons, Small Arms
  3 
  Weaponsmith (Muscle-Powered HTH 
  and Ranged) 12-
   
  Resource Points
  0 
  Equipment Points:  60
  0 
  Vehicle/Base Points:  10
  0 
  Follower/Contact Points:  5
  0 
  Miscellaneous Points:  0
  Total Powers & Skills Cost:  258
  Total Cost:  367
  100+ Disadvantages
  20 
  Hunted:  FBI 8- (Mo Pow, NCI, Imprison)
  20 
  Psychological Limitation:  Hunter’s Mentality, 
  Lives For Th e Th rill Of Th e Hunt (Common, 
  Total)
  15 
  Psychological Limitation:  Code of Honor:  
  Everyone Deserves A “Fair” Chance To Win 
  (Common, Strong)
  10 
  Psychological Limitation:  Protective Of Th e 
  Environment (Common, Moderate)
  15 
  Social Limitation:  Secret Identity (William 
  Nairata) (Frequently, Major)
  187 
  Experience Points
  Total Disadvantage Points:  367
  Background/History:  William Nairata (born Wil-
  liam Walters) grew up in Louisiana, where he 
  learned to hunt and ﬁ sh. Hunting became his favor-
  ite pastime — in fact, his sole preoccupation. When 
  hunting with a riﬂ e became too easy, he switched 
  to bowhunting, which he felt was more of a chal-
  lenge and a true display of his skill. When he was 
  17, he decided he’d experienced enough of Louisi-
  ana and went to Africa to hunt big game. Th ere he 
  befriended many tribesmen and learned their hunt-
  ing secrets. On occasion, he traveled to other parts 
  of the world to hunt and study hunting techniques.
  Aft er twelve years, he became bored again, 
  because normal hunting didn’t challenge him 
  anymore; he could outwit the ﬁ ercest, most cun-
  ning animals on the planet. He realized the only 
  real challenge left  was to hunt people. Ordinary 
  people wouldn’t do, of course — he’d have to hunt 
  cops, soldiers, vigilantes, anyone who’d have a 
  chance against him. He faked his death in Africa 
  and emerged two years later in the United States 
  as Crossbow, hunter of men. Sometimes he works 
  as an assassin, bounty hunter, or even vigilante... 
  but just as oft en he picks a good target, hero or 
  criminal, sends him a warning note, and begins 
  the chase.
  Personality/Motivation:  Crossbow has a hunter’s 
  mentality. He only enjoys himself when he’s stalk-
  ing and killing his quarry — and it has to be a 
  quarry worthy of his attention. His desire to experi-
  ence the thrill of the hunt has completely overrid-
  den his moral sense; he sees people as game, not 
  as fellow human beings. If someone could ﬁ nd a 
  better way to challenge him, he’d take it.
  To make the hunt as thrilling as possible, 
  Crossbow always makes sure his opponents have 
  a “fair chance” to beat him... but his deﬁ nition of 
  “fair” is a little shaky. Usually “fair” mean nothing 
  more than sending his target a warning note — if 
  he can’t look out for himself, that’s his problem. 
  Similarly, an ambush is fair, provided Crossbow 
  leaves his victim some tiny sign that would allow 
  him to avoid the trap if the victim has enough 
  skill to notice the clue. If Crossbow gets involved 
  in open combat (which he tries to avoid), his 
  sense of “fairness” means he won’t shoot anyone 
  from surprise.
  Crossbow is justiﬁ ably proud of the skills he’s 
  worked so long to hone; to show them oﬀ , he some-
  times pulls ﬂ ashy robberies for hire or performs 
  assassinations that meet his criteria for “a good 
  hunt.” However, his hunter’s caution and patience 
  temper his self-conﬁ dence, and that combination 
  makes him a deadly opponent.
  While he’s no environmentalist — he’d hap-
  pily hunt an endangered species if he thinks it 
  presents enough of a challenge — Crossbow 
  generally wants to preserve wilderness areas and 
  game stocks so hunting remains a popular and 
  enjoyable pasttime. He feels nothing but loathing 
  for poachers, industries that exploit the environ-
  ment, and similar people, and won’t hesitate to 
  turn his skills against them.
   CROSSBOW 
  PLOT SEEDS
  Crossbow uses the 
  proﬁ ts from several jobs 
  to buy his own private 
  tropical island, then kid-
  naps the PCs so he can 
  recreate “Th e Most Dan-
  gerous Game” (all except 
  the ending, of course!), 
  with the PCs in the role 
  of Rainsford.
  Crossbow stumbles 
  across a poaching ring 
  too big and tough for 
  him to handle. Will the 
  PCs believe him when 
  he oﬀ ers a truce and 
  asks for their help to 
  stop the poachers?
  Crossbow oﬀ ers to team 
  up with the PCs to hunt 
  down Triggerhappy. Is 
  he on the up-and-up, 
  or is he subtly giving 
  the PCs “fair warning” 
  that they’re his real tar-
  gets? If he’s genuinely 
  aft er Triggerhappy, did 
  someone hire him to go 
  aft er the indiscriminate 
  mercenary?
  
  356 ■ LIBRA
  Hero System 5th Edition
  Quote:  “I wonder what the prey feels like when it 
  realizes it’s being stalked?”
  Powers/Tactics:  While Crossbow could use his 
  powers to become a skilled assassin/sniper, his 
  hunter’s mentality drives him to the stalk and chase. 
  If a hunt goes poorly, he may ﬁ re “warning shots” 
  to liven up the prey, but in general he acts like a 
  hunter would. If forced into an open combat he 
  feels he can’t handle, he ﬂ ees.
  Crossbow’s favored weapon is a custom-
  designed crossbow made of modern high-tech 
  materials so it’s lightweight, yet ﬁ res bolts with 
  incredible power. In addition to his regular hunt-
  ing bolts, he’s designed a grapnel-bolt he can use to 
  launch a swingline. He can use other weapons if he 
  has to, though. Additionally, he’s a skilled animal 
  handler and oft en uses trained animals (typically 
  large carnivores, such as bears and hunting cats) to 
  harry his target. He considers these beasts his “pets” 
  and companions, and will take gruesome revenge 
  on anyone who hurts them.
  Campaign Use:  Crossbow presents an interesting 
  change of pace from the usual assassin. He’s not in 
  it for the money, but for the challenge — and that 
  means he’ll only confront the PCs in certain ways. 
  In some circumstances, he might even become 
  their ally; criminals make as good prey as heroes, 
  aft er all.
  Crossbow is an ideal Hunter. He stalks and 
  kills his “prey” in classic fashion, not worrying 
  about secondary assaults (such as hurting DNPCs 
  or ruining a character’s credit rating). Since he gives 
  his quarry a “fair chance” to beat him, the pursuit 
  can make for a fascinating back-and-forth between 
  him and the PC (particularly in a solo game).
  To make Crossbow a tougher opponent, you 
  should adapt him so he’s a better open combat-
  ant — remove the Extra Time from his crossbow, 
  increase his defenses, maybe give him +1 SPD or 
  some Martial Arts. To weaken him, remove some 
  of his Skills (or decrease their rolls), and reduce his 
  main Primary Characteristics from 20s to 15-18s.
  Th e authorities have never captured Cross-
  bow, so he has no record. He’s a suspect in thir-
  teen murders.
  Appearance:  Crossbow is a white man of average 
  height. He wears a tunic and pants of dark green, 
  with a black vest, boots, belt, and gloves. He wears 
  no mask, but oft en paints his face to camouﬂ age it. 
  He ties his dark brown hair back in a ponytail.
  As his nom du crime suggests, his primary 
  weapon is a traditional crossbow (albeit one made 
  with modern materials and technology). He car-
  ries it in his hand, with a quiver of bolts hung on 
  his right hip. He’s oft en accompanied by one of his 
  trained animals, be it a falcon, tiger, or something 
  even more exotic.
  SUGGESTED EQUIPMENT
  Weapon 
  OCV 
  RMod 
  Dam 
  STUN 
  Shots STR Min Notes
  Combat knife# 
  0 
  — 
  1d6-1 
  0 
  — 
  6 
  Can Be Th rown
  Armor: None
  Gear:  Hunting and outdoor survival gear
  Clothing:  When on a mission, as described under Appearance; at other times, as appropriate for the situation (he favors 
  camouﬂ age clothing when hunting game, for example)
  
  357 
  Dark Champions ■ Chapter Nine
  FENRIS
   Val Char 
  Cost Roll 
  Notes
   20 STR 
  10 
  13- 
  Lift  400 kg; 4d6 [4]
   18 DEX 
  24 
  13- 
  OCV:  6/DCV:  6
   20 CON 
  20 
  13-
   18 BODY 16 
  13-
   20 INT 
  10 
  13- 
  PER Roll 13-
   12 EGO 
  4 
  11- 
  ECV:  4
   20 PRE 
  10 
  13- 
  PRE Attack:  4d6
   10 COM 
  0 
  11-
   8 PD 
  4 
   
  Total:  8 PD (0 rPD)
   6 ED 
  2 
   
  Total:  6 ED (0 rED)
   4 SPD 
  12 
   
  Phases:  3, 6, 9, 12
   10 REC 
  4
   40 END 
  0
   38 STUN 
  0 
  Total Characteristics Cost:  116
  Movement: 
  Running:  6”/12”
  Cost Powers 
  END
   
  Martial Arts:  Karate
   
  Maneuver 
  OCV DCV 
  Notes
  4 
  Atemi Strike 
  -1 
  +1 
  3d6 NND(1)
  4 
  Block 
  +2 
  +2 
  Block, Abort
  4 
  Disarm 
  -1 
  +1 
  Disarm, 40 
  STR
  4 
  Dodge 
  +0 
  +5 
  Dodge all 
  attacks, Abort
  3 
  Legsweep 
  +2 
  -1 
  7d6; Target 
  Falls
  4 
  Knifehand Strike -2 
  +0 
  HKA 1d6
  (2d6 with 
  STR)
  4 
  Punch/Snap Kick +0 
  +2 
  8d6 Strike
  5 
  Side/Spin Kick -2 
  +1 
  10d6 Strike
  8 
  +2 DCs (already added in)
  3 
  Use Art with Blades, Clubs, and Staﬀ s
   
  Perks
  30 
  Contacts:  30 points’ worth among the 
  Military/Mercenary/Terrorist World, 
  South American governments, and FARC
  3 
  Criminal Rank:  leader of medium-sized 
  drug cartel
  10 
  Money:  Wealthy
  5 
  Improved Equipment Availability:  
  Military equipment
   
  Talents
  3 
  Resistance (3 points)
   
  Skills
  16 
  +2 with All Combat
  3 
  Bribery 13-
  3 
  Bureaucratics 13-
  3 
  Combat Driving 13-
  3 
  Combat Pilot 13-
  3 
  KS:  Th e Espionage World 13-
  3 
  KS:  Th e Military/Mercenary/Terrorist 
  World 13-
  1 
  Language:  Spanish (basic conversation; 
  English is Native)
  2 
  PS:  Drug Lord 11-
  2 
  PS:  Mercenary 11-
  3 
  Stealth 13-
  4 
  Survival (Temperate/Subtropical, 
  Tropical) 13-
  3 
  Tactics 13-
  3 
  Tracking 13-
  4 
  TF:  Common Motorized Ground 
  Vehicles, Helicopters, Small Planes
  7 
  WF:  Common Melee Weapons, Small 
  Arms, Grenade Launchers, Shoulder-
  Fired Weapons, Staﬀ s
  3 
  Traveler
  1 
   1)  AK:  Afghanistan 11-
  1 
   2)  AK:  Africa 11-
  2 
   3)  AK:  Central America 13-
  1 
   4)  AK:  Europe 11-
  1 
   5)  AK:  Th e Middle East 11-
  3 
   6)  AK:  South America 14-
  Resource Points
  12 
  Equipment Points:  120
  20 
  Vehicle/Base Points:  50
  45 
  Follower/Contact Points:  95
  0 
  Miscellaneous Points:  0
  Total Powers & Skills Cost:  246
  Total Cost:  362
  100+ Disadvantages
  10 
  DNPC:  Amada (ﬁ ancee) 8- (Normal)
  25 
  Hunted:  DEA 11- (Mo Pow, NCI, Capture)
  15 
  Hunted:  a rival drug lord 8- (As Pow, NCI, 
  Kill)
  5 
  Hunted:  former mercenary comrades 8- 
  (Less Pow, Kill)
  15 
  Psychological Limitation:  Overconﬁ dence 
  (Very Common, Moderate)
  15 
  Social Limitation:  Public Identity (Franklin 
  Lynaugh) (Frequently, Major)
  10 
  Social Limitation:  Criminal Record (Occa-
  sionally, Major)
  167 
  Experience Points
  Total Disadvantage Points:  362
  Background/History:  Franklin Lynaugh used to 
  be a mercenary, and a good one, with the profes-
  sional name Fenris. He was part of a crack team 
  that hired out for jobs all over the world and never 
  failed to complete a contract. He wanted to lead the 
  team, but the other mercs preferred the leader they 
  already had. As time went by, he quarrelled more 
  and more with the others, and the arguments oft en 
  ended in bloody ﬁ stﬁ ghts. Finally, matters came to 
  a head and Fenris got into a gunﬁ ght with his erst-
  while comrades in downtown Madrid. Only luck, 
  skill, and the timely passing-by of a tractor-trailer 
  truck allowed him to escape with his life.
  Fenris kicked around the world for a few 
  months, working as a mercenary and guard. Th en 
  he contracted with the DEA to inﬁ ltrate and destroy 
  the headquarters of the Carillo-Mendoza drug cartel. 
  But when he got to Colombia, Fenris decided to take 
  over the cartel instead of destroying it. He changed 
  careers and went from mercenary to druglord. He’s 
  spent the past few years leading the cartel, making 
  money and confounding his many enemies.
  FENRIS PLOT 
  SEEDS
  What if Amada isn’t the 
  innocent young woman 
  she appears to be? She 
  could be an agent for 
  the DEA, a European 
  police agency, or the like 
  — or maybe a spy for 
  FARC or one of Fenris’s 
  rivals. If so, when will 
  she spring her trap on 
  him, and how will he 
  react?
  Fenris’s former merce-
  nary comrades contact 
  the PCs and oﬀ er to 
  help them take him 
  down permanently. Is 
  this a serious oﬀ er, or 
  are the mercenaries 
  playing some sort of 
  angle and planning to 
  use the heroes?
  A new gang of drug 
  dealers — ones supplied 
  by Fenris — has become 
  active in the city and is 
  moving in on the turf of 
  established groups, lead-
  ing to bloodshed in the 
  streets and the deaths of 
  innocents caught in the 
  crossﬁ re. Th e PCs have 
  to solve the problem by 
  cutting oﬀ  the source of 
  supply.
  
  358 ■ LIBRA
  Hero System 5th Edition
  Personality/Motivation:  Fenris has adapted well to 
  his role as leader of the Carillo-Mendoza cartel. 
  His attitudes are much like those of his competi-
  tors — greed, ambition, and hunger for power rule 
  his thoughts. However, Fenris’s success as a drug 
  dealer has led him to become somewhat overconﬁ -
  dent and complacent, which may one day allow his 
  enemies to get close enough to hurt him.
  Fenris retains a bitter hatred of the mercenar-
  ies he used to work with. He’s spent millions of 
  dollars trying to kill them, with no success so far. 
  Th e only emotion he feels more strongly is love for 
  his ﬁ ancee, Amada. His advisors have warned him 
  against such an “entanglement,” but he refuses to 
  listen. If anyone harms or threatens her, he’ll stop at 
  nothing to kill that person.
  Quote:  “You may try to interfere with me if you 
  wish. I will be sure to send ﬂ owers to your widow.”
  Powers/Tactics:  Fenris doesn’t get into many gun-
  ﬁ ghts anymore, so he’s usually not heavily armed. 
  Most of the time he carries only an H&K P7M13 
  handgun and a poisoned knife. If he expects trou-
  ble he’ll get an H&K MP5 submachine gun and put 
  on some body armor.
  Fenris’s natural self-conﬁ dence tends to make 
  him bold and daring, willing to take great risks to 
  accomplish his objectives. Th is daring, when com-
  bined with his skill at warfare, makes him a foe to 
  be wary of. But years of hunting and being hunted 
  by his enemies has made Fenris cautious as well. 
  He carefully considers each move before he makes 
  it, never sticks his neck out without good reason 
  (except to protect Amada), and always has an 
  escape route available.
  Campaign Use:  Fenris is a useful combination of 
  combat skills and crimelord resources — he can 
  stand up to the PCs if he has to, but can rely on his 
  underlings to do his dirty work if he prefers. Since 
  he doesn’t come to America much anymore, he also 
  represents a chance for the PCs to travel a little.
  As a Hunter, Fenris is tenacious, but he 
  chooses his moments with care. He’ll use his money 
  and resources to hire the best assassins and merce-
  naries available and send them aft er the PCs when-
  ever they have other things to deal with; he won’t 
  attack them himself (though he might hire mercs to 
  bring the PCs to them so he can have the pleasure 
  of putting a bullet in their brains).
  To make Fenris tougher, give him a few “super-
  skills” or increase his SPD to 5. To weaken him, 
  reduce his Characteristics a little and get rid of sev-
  eral Martial Maneuvers.
  Fenris is wanted for drug traﬃ  cking, assault, 
  kidnapping, and murder in America, Europe, and 
  parts of Africa. However, his political inﬂ uence in 
  Colombia prevents the government from trying to 
  extradite him, so for now he’s unconcerned about 
  the warrants outstanding against him.
  Appearance:  Fenris is a tall, broad-shouldered 
  white man with a rawboned, wind-burned face 
  and a strong, square jaw. When in the ﬁ eld, going 
  to a ﬁ ght, or helping his men out on a drug run, he 
  wears camouﬂ age clothing and carries an assault 
  riﬂ e — usually a Steyr AUG. Th e rest of the time he 
  favors light-colored, expensive, hand-tailored men’s 
  suits and sunglasses, and goes lightly armed.
  SUGGESTED EQUIPMENT
  Weapon 
  OCV 
  RMod 
  Dam 
  STUN 
  Shots STR Min Notes
  H&K P7M13 
  +1 
  +0 
  1d6+2 
  1d6-1 
  13 
  9 
  PR
  H&K MP5 
  +1 
  +0 
  1d6+1 
  1d6-1 
  30 
  12 
  AF5
  Combat knife# 
  0 
  — 
  1d6-1 
  0 
  — 
  6 
  Can Be Th rown, is poisoned
  Armor:  None normally, though he may put on Armored Clothing or standard body armor if the situation warrants it
  Gear:  Whatever he needs, within reason
  Clothing:  Finely-tailored men’s suits, or clothing of equal quality appropriate to the situation
  
  359 
  Dark Champions ■ Chapter Nine
  TRIGGERHAPPY
   Val Char 
  Cost Roll 
  Notes
   25 STR 
  20 
  14- 
  Lift  800 kg; 5d6 [5]
   18 DEX 
  24 
  13- 
  OCV:  6/DCV:  6
   22 CON 
  28 
  13-
   18 BODY 16 
  13-
   13 INT 
  3 
  12- 
  PER Roll 12-
   10 EGO 
  0 
  11- 
  ECV:  3
   15 PRE 
  5 
  12- 
  PRE Attack:  3d6
   10 COM 
  0 
  11-
   10 PD 
  7 
   
  Total:  15 PD (5 rPD)
   7 ED 
  3 
   
  Total:  12 ED (5 rED)
   4 SPD 
  12 
   
  Phases:  3, 6, 9, 12
   10 REC 
  2
   44 END 
  0
   42 STUN 
  0 
  Total Characteristics Cost:  120
  Movement: 
  Running:  6”/12”
  Cost Powers 
  END
  Martial Arts: Commando Training
   
  Maneuver 
  OCV DCV 
  Notes
  3 
  Aikido Th row +0 
  +1 
  5d6 + v/5, 
  Target Falls
  4 
  Boxing Cross 
  +0 
  +2 
  7d6
  4 
  Choke  
  -2 
  +0 
  Grab One 
  Limb, 2d6 
  NND (2)
  4 
  Escape 
  +0 
  +0 
  40 STR vs. 
  Grabs
  4 
  Hold 
  -1 
  -1 
  Grab Th ree 
  Limbs, 35 
  STR
  4 
  Judo Disarm 
  -1 
  +1 
  Disarm, 35 
  STR
  4 
  Karate “Chop”  -2 
  +0 
  HKA ½d6 
  (1d6+1 with 
  STR)
  4 
   Kung Fu Block +2 
  +2 
  Block, Abort
  15 
  Tough Guy:  Physical Damage Reduction, 
  Resistant, 50%; Requires A CON 
  Roll (-¾), Character Must Be Aware Of 
  Attack (-¼) 
  0
  3 
  Advanced Helmet (Protection):  Armor
  (+3 PD/+3 ED); OIF (-½), Activation Roll 
  8- (only protects Hit Locations 3-5; -2) 
  0
  6 
  Advanced Helmet (Communications Suite):  
  HRRP (Radio Group); OIF (-½), Aﬀ ected 
  As Sight And Hearing Group As Well As 
  Radio Group (-½) 
  0
  3 
  Advanced Helmet (Nightsight):  +4 to Sight 
  Group PER Rolls (4 Active Points); 
  OAF (-1), Only To Counteract Darkness 
  Penalties (-½), Requires Ambient Light 
  (it won’t work in total darkness; -¼), Side 
  Eﬀ ect (character suﬀ ers a 2 x Eﬀ ect 
  Vulnerability to Sight Group Flashes 
  based on bright light while looking 
  through the scope, and may experience a 
  minor Sight Group Flash from looking at 
  a bright light, always occurs; -½), 1 
  Continuing Fuel Charge (battery, Easy to 
  obtain; 3 Hours; -0) plus Detect Infrared 
  Light (Sight Group) (3 Active Points); 
  OAF (-1), Linked (-½), 1 Continuing 
  Fuel Charge (battery, Easy to obtain; 
  3 Hours; -0) 
  [1cc]
  10 
  Lucky Bastard:  Luck 2d6 
  0
   
  Perks
  5 
  Money:  Well Oﬀ 
  10 
  Improved Equipment Availability:  
  Advanced Military equipment
   
  Talents
  6 
  Combat Luck (3 PD/3 ED)
  3 
  Lightsleep
   
  Skills
  10 
  +5 OCV with M60
  16 
  +2 with All Combat
  3 
  Climbing 13-
  7 
  Combat Piloting 15-
  1 
  Computer Programming 8-
  3 
  Demolitions 12-
  2 
  Gambling (Card Games) 12-
  3 
  Interrogation 12-
  1 
  KS: Th e Espionage World 8-
  2 
  KS: Th e Military/Mercenary/Terrorist 
  World 11-
  3 
  Mechanics 12-
  2 
  Navigation (Air) 12-
  1 
  Paramedics 8-
  3 
  Stealth 13-
  2 
  Survival (Temperate/Subtropical) 12-
  4 
  TF:  Common Motorized Ground Vehicles, 
  Helicopters, Two-Wheeled Common Motor-
  ized Ground Vehicles
  6 
  WF:  Small Arms, Blades, General Purpose/
  Heavy Machine Guns, Grenade Launchers, 
  Shoulder-Fired Weapons, Vehicle-Mounted 
  Weapons for his helicopter
   
  Resource Points
  16 
  Equipment Points:  140
  70 
  Vehicle/Base Points:  150
  5 
  Follower/Contact Points:  15
  0 
  Miscellaneous Points:  0
  Total Powers & Skills Cost:  252
  Total Cost:  372
  100+ Disadvantages
  20 
  Hunted:  FBI 8- (Mo Pow, NCI, Imprison)
  20 
  Hunted:  GIGN 8- (Mo Pow, NCI, Imprison)
  20 
  Psychological Limitation:  Casual Killer 
  (Very Common, Strong)
  15 
  Psychological Limitation:  Misogynist 
  (Common, Strong)
  15 
  Psychological Limitation:  Code Of Th e Mer-
  cenary (Common, Strong)
  10 
  Reputation:  ruthless killer and terrorist, 8- 
  (Extreme)
  5 
  Rivalry:  Professional (with Caliber)
  15 
  Social Limitation:  Secret Identity (Jack 
  Bustamonte) (Frequently, Major)
  10 
  Social Limitation:  Criminal Record (Occa-
  sionally, Major)
  142 
  Experience Points
  Total Disadvantage Points:  372
  
  360 ■ LIBRA
  Hero System 5th Edition
  Background/History:  The mercenary and killer 
  known as Triggerhappy is actually the second 
  man to go by that name. The first was a homi-
  cidal maniac who died in a shootout with the 
  HCPD. A few weeks after that, Jack Bustamonte, 
  a mercenary and terrorist-for-hire, came to 
  Hudson City with the GIGN (the French anti-
  terrorist agency) on his tail because of his partic-
  ipation in the bombing of a French airplane. To 
  cover his tracks, Jack adopted the Triggerhappy 
  identity — after all, the first Triggerhappy’s 
  weapon of choice, the M60 machine gun, was his 
  as well. Soon, a “new” enforcer and mercenary 
  was available for work. Since then, he’s worked 
  mainly for terrorist organizations, robbery crews, 
  and a few organized crime groups (one of these 
  missions involved Caliber, who botched the job 
  and has since become a serious 
  rival of Triggerhappy’s).
  Personality/Motivation:  Per-
  sonality-wise, the two Trig-
  gerhappys couldn’t be further 
  apart. The first was a homi-
  cidal maniac, virtually uncon-
  trollable, whose lack of caution 
  brought about his death. Jack 
  Bustamonte, on the other 
  hand, is a ruthless killer 
  who’s very careful to 
  look after himself. As 
  an experienced merc 
  and terrorist-for-hire, 
  he knows how to 
  deal with dangerous 
  situations.
  To ensure he 
  receives the respect — and 
  pay! — he considers his due, 
  Triggerhappy lives by the so-called 
  “code of the mercenary,” which mandates 
  utter loyalty to one’s employer and a willingness 
  to use any means to complete the job. Trigger-
  happy is perfectly willing to, for example, blow 
  up an entire planeload of people just to kill one 
  person.
  For reasons unknown to police psychologists, 
  Triggerhappy seems to dislike women intensely. 
  He always chooses women as his hostages and/or 
  victims if he can, and will go out of his way to 
  humiliate and embarrass any female PCs.
  Quote:  “An ounce of overkill is always worth it.”
  Powers/Tactics:  Triggerhappy is as big, strong, 
  and tough as they come — enough to carry 
  around an M60 as his personal weapon. Admit-
  tedly, it’s a modified M60, slightly cut down in 
  size and using plastics where possible to reduce 
  the weight, but it’s still an M60. Since it’s a Bulky 
  Focus (and thus halves his DCV), he uses cover 
  as much as possible, and if necessary abandons 
  the gun for a lighter weapon (such as his Desert 
  Eagle pistol, or an assault rifle) so he can move 
  around more easily.
  Triggerhappy’s other main combat resource 
  is his combat helicopter. It’s similar to an 
  AH-64 Apache Longbow (see The Ulti-
  mate Vehicle, page 79), but has only 
  two 30mm chain guns for weapons 
  (one on each side, pointed for-
  ward) and fewer electronics 
  (get rid of both jammers). It’s 
  got a sophisticated autopilot 
  computer he can link to using 
  the radio in his helmet (his 
  HRRP). He’ll outfit the 
  chopper with more 
  weapons if the gets 
  the chance.
  As described 
  under Personality/
  Motivation, Trigger-
  happy goes for the overkill 
  approach. He’ll keep pour-
  SUGGESTED EQUIPMENT
  Weapon 
  OCV 
  RMod 
  Dam 
  STUN 
  Shots STR Min Notes
  M60E3 
  +1 
  +2 
  2d6+1 
  1d6 
  250 
  16 
  AF10, Bulky, FS
  Desert Eagle 
  +1 
  +0 
  2d6+1 
  1d6 
  9 
  13 
  Combat knife# 
  0 
  — 
  1d6-1 
  0 
  — 
  6 
  Can Be Th rown
  Armor:  Armored Clothing (DEF 2, Activation Roll 14-), Heavier body armor if necessary
  Gear:  Just about anything he needs for a mission, within reason
  Clothing:  Military-style outﬁ ts made of armored cloth
  TRIGGERHAPPY 
  PLOT SEEDS
  In an eﬀ ort to disrupt 
  the Hudson City econ-
  omy and kill dozens of 
  inﬁ dels, the PLRL hires 
  Triggerhappy to blow 
  up one of the bridges 
  over the Stewart River 
  at rush hour. Can the 
  PCs discover the plot 
  and track Triggerhappy 
  down in time to defuse 
  the bombs?
  In an eﬀ ort to get the 
  French oﬀ  his back, 
  Triggerhappy plants 
  information with a 
  snitch that a GIGN team 
  in town to track him 
  down is really a robbery 
  crew. Unless the PCs 
  discover the truth in 
  time (and team up with 
  the French to take Trig-
  gerhappy out), they’re 
  likely to end up in a 
  gunﬁ ght with the good 
  guys.
  A series of explosions 
  rocks the city — and it 
  looks like Triggerhappy’s 
  handiwork. When the 
  PCs catch up to him, he 
  professes his innocence. 
  Is he telling the truth... 
  and if so, who framed 
  him?
  
  361 
  Dark Champions ■ Chapter Nine
  ing on the firepower until he knows his target is 
  dead or he brings an entire building down the 
  poor guy, whichever comes first. If he gets the 
  chance, he’ll trick out the battlefield in advance 
  with mines and other booby traps he can trigger 
  with his radio — nothing like a few explosions to 
  liven things up!
  Triggerhappy has no desire to go to prison 
  — he’ll do anything he must to get away if the 
  situation turns sour. This includes taking hos-
  tages, wounding innocent bystanders, and more.
  Campaign Use:  Triggerhappy is just the sort of 
  merc characters love to hate — amoral, destruc-
  tive, ruthless. He’s a great addition to a team of 
  adversaries that needs a little extra firepower.
  Triggerhappy doesn’t need to be much 
  tougher, but you could up his defenses if neces-
  sary by giving him better body armor. To weaken 
  him, reduce his Characteristics (particularly STR 
  and CON).
  Triggerhappy doesn’t have the subtlety to 
  make a good Hunter. He simply swoops in with 
  his helicopter and starts blasting away. To him, 
  a “low-key” approach involves planting a large 
  bomb in the target’s car.
  Triggerhappy has a long record of murder, 
  assault, arson, and bombings; he’s committed 
  crimes in Hudson City, other American cities, in 
  Europe, and in Asia. Numerous police and anti-
  terrorism agencies, including the FBI and GIGN, 
  would like to get their hands on him.
  Appearance:  Triggerhappy is a white male of 
  average looks; he seems to have a perpetual 
  five o’clock shadow. He’s extremely muscular 
  and toned, as befits a man who uses a custom-
  ized M60 machine gun as his primary personal 
  weapon (he has a Desert Eagle handgun in a 
  holster on his belt, along with clips of ammo and 
  such). He has no set uniform, preferring a variety 
  of military-style outfits made of armored cloth. 
  When on a mission, he always wears a helmet 
  with advanced communications equipment and 
  nightsight capabilities.
  Here’s a guide to the reference sources used 
  in writing this book, as well as inspirational 
  source material.
  
  362 
  Hero System 5th Edition
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  Soldier, Spy
  Powers, Tim. Declare
  Vachss, Andrew. Th e “Burke” novels, including 
  Flood, Strega, and Blue Belle, and related ﬁ ction
  GAME PRODUCTS
  Chameleon Eclectic Games. Th e Millenium’s End line
  Detwiler, Dennis, Adam Scott Glancy, and John Tynes. 
  Delta Green and related titles
  Dockery, Kevin. Th e Armory
  —Edge Of Th e Sword, Vol. I:  Th e Compendium Of 
  Modern Firearms
  
  364 
  Hero System 5th Edition
  FASA, Inc. Th e Shadowrun game (various products, 
  including Underworld Sourcebook)
  Hogshead Publishing. Th e “Crime Scene” series of 
  sourcebooks, such as Th e Mob
  Holistic Design, Inc. Various “D20 Modern” source-
  books, such as Somalia
  Iron Crown Enterprises. Weapon Law:  Firearms
  Porter, Greg. Guns!  Guns!  Guns!
  —More Guns!
  Siembieda, M. Th e Compendium of Contemporary 
  Weapons
  Steve Jackson Games. Relevant titles in the GURPS 
  line, such as GURPS Cops, GURPS Covert Ops, 
  GURPS Espionage, GURPS Modern Firepower, 
  GURPS Special Ops, GURPS SWAT, and the like
  TSR, Inc. Th e Top Secret game (various products)
  Victory Games. Th e James Bond 007 line, including 
  Th rilling Locations and Q Manual
  White Wolf Game Studios. Destiny’s Price
  SOURCE MATERIAL
  You might draw some inspiration for Dark 
  Champions characters or games from some of the 
  following, which represent favorites of the author’s 
  and which thus inﬂ uenced this book to some 
  extent. Some of them verge into science ﬁ ction 
  or four-color superheroing, but all of them have 
  strong “action” elements as well.
   COMIC BOOKS
  Characters (who appear in various comics)
  Batman (DC Comics)
  Captain America (Marvel Comics)
  Daredevil (Marvel Comics)
  Deathstroke the Terminator (DC Comics)
  Green Arrow (DC Comics)
  Moon Knight (Marvel Comics)
  Th e Punisher (Marvel Comics)
  Th e Question (DC Comics)
  Th e Scourge of the Underworld (Marvel Comics)
  Vigilante (DC Comics)
  Comics Series
  100 Bullets (DC Comics)
  Sin City (Dark Horse Comics)
  Th e Watchmen (DC Comics)
  MOVIES
  8MM
  Air Force One
  Assassins
  Bad Lieutenant
  Batman
  Blackhawk Down
  Th e Bourne Identity
  Commando
  Con Air
  Crimson Tide
  Death Wish I, II, III, and IV
  Desperado
  Die Hard I, II, and III
  Th e “Dirty Harry” movies
  Drop Zone
  Equilibrium
  Eraser
  Executive Decision
  An Eye For An Eye
  Face/Oﬀ 
  Th e Fugitive
  Get Shorty
  Th e Godfather I, II, and III
  Goodfellas
  Grosse Pointe Blank
  La Femme Nikita
  Hard Boiled
  Heartbreak Ridge
  Heat
  Th e Hidden
  Th e Hunt For Red October
  Th e Italian Job
  Th e Jackal
  Jackie Brown
  Th e “James Bond” movies
  Kill Bill, Vols. 1-2
  Th e Killer
  Lethal Weapon I, II, III, and IV
  Lock, Stock, And Two Smoking Barrels
  Th e Long Kiss Goodnight
  Mission Impossible
  New Jack City
  Ocean’s Eleven
  Th e Park Is Mine
  Th e Peacemaker
  Predator I and II
  Th e Professional
  Pulp Fiction
  Red Dragon
  Reservoir Dogs
  Rising Sun
  Robocop
  Th e Rock
  Ronin
  Seven
  Th e Silence Of Th e Lambs
  Sneakers
  Sniper
  Spartan
  Speed
  Spy Game
  Th e Star Chamber
  Th e Substitute
  SWAT
  Swordﬁ sh
  Tango And Cash
  Terminator I and II
  Th e Transporter
  True Lies
  Unbreakable
  Under Siege
  Th e Usual Suspects
  U.S. Marshals
  Th e Yakuza
  SOURCE MATERIAL:
  TELEVISION SHOWS
  American Justice
  Th e A-Team
  Th e Avengers
  Cold Case Files
  Dark Justice
  Hill Street Blues
  Karen Cisco
  Law & Order
  Mission Impossible
  Th e Prisoner
  Spies
  Th e X-Files
  Various crime-related 
  shows on A&E, 
  Discovery, TLC, and the 
  History Channel
  
  365 
  Dark Champions
  .22 Ballpoint Pen Gun ..........286
  ’Ndrangheta ...........................292
  +P, +P+ (ammunition type) ...208
  5-point doubling rule ...........265
  A-School ..................................51
  Abaddon ................................350
  Aborting .................................177
  Abrasions ...............................171
  Abu Nidal Organization 
  (terrorist organization) ......307
  Accessories for ﬁ rearms .......232
  ACCM (distribution control) ..87
  Accounting (Science Skill) ....77
  Accurate (Advantage) ............97
  Accurate (Super-Skill) ..........107
  Acoustic weapons .................262
  Acquiring Equipment ..........264
  Acting ﬁ rst .............................177
  Action, as element in genre .....8
  Action Directe 
  (terrorist organization) ......308
  Action Hero’s Luck 
  (Super-Skill) ........................139
  Action-adventure genre ...........7
  Activation Roll (Limitation) ....99
  Active Defense (Super-Skill) ..124
  Advanced Dodging 
  (example power) ...................95
  Advanced Individual 
  Training ......................................51
  Adventure Structure .............321
  Adventuring ..........................175
  Adversaries ............................289
  AET (ammunition type) ......201
  AET Composite 
  (ammunition type) .............201
  AFIS ........................................161
  Aid (Power) .............................93
  Air Bomb (type of shotgun 
  ammunition) .......................211
  AIT ...........................................51
  Al Qaeda 
  (terrorist organization) ......309
  Al-Aqsa Martyrs’ Brigade 
  (terrorist organization) ......307
  Algor mortist .........................169
  Altering the Range Modiﬁ er ..192
  Aman (Israeli intelligence 
  agency) ...................................43
  Amatol (explosive) ...............260
  Amazing escapes 
  (genre element) .....................23
  Ambidextrous Conversion 
  (ﬁ rearm modiﬁ cation) .......238
  Ammonium picrate 
  (explosive) ...........................258
  Ammunition
   Generally .............................201
   Creating/representing in 
  the HERO System ................201
   Shotguns ..............................210
  Ammunition Damage Table ..203
  Ammunition Summary 
  Table .....................................207
  Amoral Mercenary 
  (villain archetype) ..............330
  Analyst Package Deal .............39
  Analyze (Skill) .........................62
  ANFO (explosive) ................258
  Animal Liberation Front 
  (terrorist organization) ......307
  Animated Series (subgenre) .....11
  Anthropology, forensic ........168
  Antisocial personality 
  disorder ................................306
  APDU (ammunition type) ..202
  APEX (ammunition type) ...202
  APHC (ammunition type) ..202
  APHEX (ammunition type) 202
  API (ammunition type) .......202
  Appraise (Professional Skill) ....77
  Archaeology ..........................156
  Archetypes for characters ......31
  Area Of Eﬀ ect (Advantage) ...97
  Area Of Eﬀ ect (Combat 
  Modiﬁ er) ..............................177
  Armed Islamic Group 
  (terrorist organization) ......307
  Armor Piercing (Advantage) ...97
  Armor Piercing 
  (ammunition type) .............201
  Armor Piercing Depleted Uranium 
  (ammunition type) ................202
  Armor Piercing Explosive 
  (ammunition type) .............202
  Armor Piercing Hardcore 
  (ammunition type) .............202
  Armor Piercing Hardcore Explo-
  sive (ammunition type) ........202
  Armor Piercing Incendiary 
  (ammunition type) .............202
  Armor Piercing Saboted 
  (ammunition type) .............202
  Armor Piercing Slug (type of 
  shotgun ammunition) ........211
  Armorer/Technician (Contact) 84
  Armory (for Resource Points) 151
  Arms race, among Dark Champi-
  ons characters ......................313
  Arsenic ...................................173
  Arson ......................................156
  Arson and Explosions ..........156
  Aryan Brotherhood ......295, 307
  Aryan Nation 
  (terrorist organization) ......307
  Asphyxiation .........................170
  Assassin (villain archetype) ....330
  Assassin Package Deal ...........39
  Assault Riﬂ es Table ...............247
  Associates, Maﬁ a ...................291
  Aum Shinrikyo 
  (terrorist organization) ......308
  Autoﬁ re (Advantage) .............97
  Autoﬁ re (Combat Modiﬁ er) ..177
  Autoﬁ re Only (Limitation) ..100
  Autoﬁ re, optional rules ........196
  Autoﬁ re Skills (Skill) ..............63
  Automobile Accessor ...........287
  Avenger 
  (character personality) .........28
  Awe-Inspiring (Super-Skill) ...107
  Backgrounds for characters ...26
  Bakuto ....................................299
  Bandidos ................................301
  Barrel Coating (ﬁ rearm 
  modiﬁ cation) ......................238
  Barrel Flattening 
  (shotgun accessory) ............238
  Barrel Fluting 
  (ﬁ rearm modiﬁ cation) .......238
  BATF Agent Package Deal .....46
  Baton/Beanbag (type of 
  shotgun ammunition) ........211
  Battle codes ............................275
  Battleﬁ eld Dodging 
  (Super-Skill) ........................124
  Behavioral Sciences Unit .......48
  Bibliography ..........................362
  Biker gangs ............................301
  Billy Club ...............................282
  Billy Club Blocking (example 
  power) ....................................95
  Binoculars ..............................276
  Biosteel ...................................270
  Black Eagles ...........................301
  Black Guerrilla Family .........295
  Black marketeering 
  with Streetwise ..............81, 268
  Black powder (explosive) ....256
  Blade .......................................340
  Blade Knockout Poison 
  (example power) ...................94
  Blasting cap (explosive) .......258
  Blazing Away 
  (Combat Maneuver) ..........180
  Bleeding .................................186
  Blend With Shadows 
  (Super-Skill) ........................139
  Blinding laser ........................261
  Block (Combat Maneuver) ..180
  Blood, as evidence ................157
  Bloods, the .............................297
  Blowback .........................163-64
  Blowthrough .........................192
  Blunt Trauma ........................171
  BND (German intelligence 
  agency) ...................................42
  Body (BODY) 
  (Characteristic) .....................59
  Body Armor ..........................269
  Bomb detector ......................280
  Bonanno (Maﬁ a family) ......290
  Bookmaking ..........................291
  Borgata ...................................290
  Born To Kill ...........................301
  Born Winner (Super-Skill) .....139
  Bosozoku ...............................299
  Boss ........................................290
  Bouncing An Attack 
  (Combat Modiﬁ er) .............178
  Bounty Hunter Package Deal ..56
  Brace (Combat Maneuver) ....180
  Brass catcher 
  (ﬁ rearm accessory) .............232
  Brawler (Super-Skill) ............107
  BRGE (French intelligence 
  agency) ...................................42
  BRI Slug (type of shotgun 
  ammunition) .......................211
  Bribery (Skill) ..........................63
  Bruising ..................................171
  Buﬀ ered Shot (type of 
  shotgun ammunition) ........211
  Bug detector ..........................280
  Bugging (Skill) ........................64
  Bugs (viewing/listening devices) 
  Bug Detectors .........................278
  Building equipment, 
  rules for ................................265
  Bulgaria, intelligence 
  agencies of .............................41
  Bullets
   As evidence .........................162
   Creating/representing in the 
  HERO System ......................201
  Burakumin ............................299
  Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, 
  And Firearms Agent Package 
  Deal ........................................46
  Bureaucrat (NPC archetype) .334
  Bureaucratics (Skill) ...............65
  Burking ..................................171
  Burns ......................................172
  Business Rank 
  (Fringe Beneﬁ t) .....................85
  Buying equipment, 
  rules for ..........................264-69
  DARK CHAMPIONS INDEX
  
  366 ■ Index
  Hero System 5th Edition
  Cadaveric spasm ...................168
  Cali cartel ...............................294
  Caliber ....................................352
  Caliber of bullets ..................201
  Camera (ﬁ rearm accessory) ...232
  Camorra .................................292
  Camouﬂ age clothing ............272
  Campaign outlook ................317
  Campaign Subject .................320
  Campaign Th eme .................318
  Campaign Tone .....................316
  Campaign Types ...................318
  Can Find Food Anywhere 
  (Super-Skill) ........................140
  Can Hide Anything 
  (Super-Skill) ........................140
  Can Take A Punch 
  (Super-Skill) ........................124
  Cannot Be Bounced 
  (Limitation) .........................178
  Caper (subgenre) ............10, 319
  Capo .......................................290
  Caporegima ...........................290
  Car chases (genre element) ...23
  Car explosions 
  (genre element) .....................23
  Carbon nanotubes ................270
  Cars ........................................282
  Cased Telescoped 
  (ammunition type) .............202
  Caseless (ammunition type) ..204
  Casual Killer (Psychological 
  Limitation) ..........................102
  Cat Burglar Package Deal ......34
  Catch And Th row Back 
  (example power) ...................95
  Causes of death .....................170
  Cautious combatants, 
  dealing with .........................325
  Ch’i powers in 
  Dark Champions .................314
  Champions ...............................19
  Change Environment 
  (Power) ..................................93
  Character Basics .....................26
  Character Creation .................25
  Character growth ..................313
  Character Guidelines ...........312
  Characteristic Ranges ............58
  Characteristics
   Generally ...............................58
   In Package Deals ...................34
  Characteristics (Power) .........93
  Charges (Limitation) ................9
  Chin Block (Super-Skill) .....124
  China, intelligence 
  agencies of .............................41
  Chinese Organized Crime ...292
  Chokes, for shotguns ............210
  Chop wounds ........................174
  Chromatograph ....................166
  CIA (United States intelligence 
  agency) ...................................44
  Cinematic Flirting 
  (Super-Skill) ........................141
  Cinematic Gunﬁ ghting 
  Tricks ....................................197
  Cinematic Masterminds ......303
  Cinematic Safety 
  (Super-Skill) ........................124
  Cinematic Spy Package Deal ....38
  Clairsentience (Power) ..........93
  Classiﬁ ed 
  (security clearance) ..............87
  Clear Grips/Magazine 
  (ﬁ rearm modiﬁ cation) .......238
  Climbing (Skill) ......................66
  Close quarters combat .........193
  Club Weapon 
  (Combat Maneuver) ..........181
  Clubs ......................................256
  CNWDI 
  (distribution control) ...........87
  Cocaine ..................................294
  Code Of Th e Mercenary 
  (Psychological Limitation) ...103
  Code Versus Killing 
  (Psychological Limitation) ...104
  Collimating sight 
  (ﬁ rearm accessory) .............233
  Colombian cartels .................294
  Colombo (Maﬁ a family) ......290
  Colors, biker gang .................301
  Combat ..................................175
  Combat conditions 
  (Skill Modiﬁ er) .....................61
  Combat Driving (Skill) ..........66
  Combat Intuition 
  (Super-Skill) ........................107
  Combat Luck (Talent) ............90
  Combat Maneuvers ..............180
  Combat Modiﬁ ers ................177
  Combat Piloting (Skill) ..........66
  Combat Running 
  (Super-Skill) ........................130
  Combat Sense (Talent) ...........90
  Combat Shooting (Talent) .....90
  Combat Skill Levels (Skill) ....66
  Combat vest ...........................273
  Combat Wear ........................272
  Combat-Ready (Talent) .........90
  Comedy (meta-genre) ............17
  COMINT .................................44
  Commission, the ...................291
  Communications Gear ........274
  Company Man (character 
  personality) ...........................28
  Competence
   As a quality of villains ........329
   Genre element .......................24
  Computer forensics ..............158
  Computer Programming 
  (Skill) ......................................67
  COMSEC 
  (distribution control) ...........87
  Concealed Lockpicks ...........286
  Concealment 
  (Combat Modiﬁ er) .............178
  Concealment (Skill) ...............69
  Concealment holster ............272
  Consiglieri .............................290
  Conspiracies (genre element) ..23
  Conspiracy Th eorist 
  (character archetype)  ..........31
  Constitution (CON) 
  (Characteristic) .....................59
  Contacts (genre element) ......23
  Contacts (Perk) .......................84
  Contents of a 
  Crime Laboratory ...............166
  Contents of a 
  Crime Laboratory ...............166
  Contortionist (Skill) ...............69
  Contortionist’s Feet 
  (Super-Skill) ........................141
  Contusions ............................171
  Cop Gone “Bad” 
  (character archetype)  ..........31
  Corridor Of Death 
  (Super-Skill) ........................108
  Corrupt Cop 
  (villain archetype) ..............331
  Cost of equipment ................266
  Cost Tables for ﬁ rearms .......214
  Costumed crimeﬁ ghting ..........9
  Costumed Criminals ............304
  Costumed Vigilante Gadgets .282
  Cover (Combat Maneuver) ....181
  Covering Fire (Super-Skill) ....108
  Cramming (Skill) ....................69
  Creating a Campaign ...........312
  Creating equipment, 
  rules for ................................265
  Crew-Served (Limitation) .....99
  Crime laboratory contents ..166
  Crimeﬁ ghting (subgenre) ........9
  Criminal 
  (character background) .......26
  Criminal Package Deals .........34
  Criminal Psychology 
  (Science Skill) ........................78
  Criminal Rank 
  (Fringe Beneﬁ t) .....................86
  Criminalistics ........................156
  Criminology (Science Skill) .....77
  Criminology (Skill) ................69
  Crippling Blow (Talent) .........91
  Crippling Shot (Super-Skill) ..108
  Crips, the ................................298
  Crisis management 
  (genre element) .....................23
  Crisis Management (classic 
  Dark Champions plot) ........323
  Critical Hits ...........................187
  Crossbow ...............................354
  Cruciﬁ xion ............................171
  Cryotreatment 
  (ﬁ rearm modiﬁ cation) .......239
  CRYPTO 
  (distribution control) ...........87
  Cryptography (Skill) ..............69
  CTA (ammunition type) ......202
  Cuba, intelligence agencies of ..42
  Cuban gangs ..........................295
  Cubic Shot (type of shotgun 
  ammunition) .......................211
  Curare ....................................173
  Custom Grips/Stock 
  (ﬁ rearm modiﬁ cation) .......239
  Customizing ﬁ rearms ...........238
  CVK ........................................104
  Cyanide ..................................173
  Cyclotol (explosive) ..............260
  Dactyloscopy .........................161
  Damage ..................................185
  Damage (Skill Modiﬁ er) ........61
  Damage Reduction (Power) ....93
  Danger International ..............12
  Dark Champions Combat ......176
  Dark Champions Subgenres ......9
  Dark Champions:  the Animated 
  Series (subgenre) ..............11, 319
  Darkness (Power) ...................93
  Databases .................................73
  DC:TAS ....................................11
  DEA Agent Package Deal ......47
  Dead relatives 
  (genre element) .....................24
  Deadly Blow (Talent) .............91
  Deadly Shooter 
  (Super-Skill) ........................109
  Dealing with Disconnects ...325
  Decomposition of bodies ....169
  Dedicated Stamina 
  (Super-Skill) ........................141
  Deduction, dealing with ......325
  Deductive Observation 
  (Super-Skill) ........................133
  Defense Powers .......................93
  Defensive Equipment ...........269
  Defensive Super-Skills .........124
  Delta Force Package Deal ......53
  Demolitions (Skill) .................70
  Dental records .......................168
  
  367 
  Dark Champions
  Dependence 
  (Disadvantage) ............101, 327
  Dependent NPC 
  (Disadvantage) ............101, 327
  Detonating cord (explosive) ...258
  Detonating explosives ..........257
  Devoted To Justice 
  (Psychological Limitation) ...103
  Dexterity (DEX) 
  (Characteristic) .....................59
  DGI 
  (Cuban intelligence agency) ..42
  DGSE 
  (French intelligence agency) ..42
  DIA (United States 
  intelligence agency) ..............45
  Dignidad ................................294
  Disabling ................................186
  Disadvantages
   Generally .............................101
   GMing them ........................327
  Disappearing Act 
  (Super-Skill) ........................130
  Disarm (Combat Maneuver) .181
  Disconnects, dealing with ....325
  Disgruntled Vet 
  (character archetype)  ..........31
  Disguise (Skill) ........................71
  Disguised weapons and 
  gadgets .................................240
  Dislocatable Joints 
  (Super-Skill) ........................142
  Disquieting Aura 
  (Super-Skill) ........................109
  Distinctive Features 
  (Disadvantage) ....................101
  Distribution controls for 
  documents .............................87
  Dive For Cover 
  (Combat Maneuver) ..........181
  DNA “ﬁ ngerprinting” ...........158
  Documents ............................159
  Documents, as evidence ......159
  Dominican gangs ..................295
  Don’t Touch Th at 
  (Super-Skill) ........................133
  Double-Barrelled Shotguns ....210
  Double-Tap (Super-Skill) ....110
  Doubling equipment rule ....265
  DPSD (French intelligence 
  agency) ...................................42
  Dragon Head .........................293
  Drain (Power) .........................93
  Drama, Package Deals and ....34
  Dramatic combat ..................176
  Drawing A Bead 
  (Super-Skill) ........................110
  DRM (French intelligence 
  agency) ...................................42
  Drowning ...............................173
  Drug detector ........................280
  Drug Enforcement 
  Administration Agent 
  Package Deal .........................47
  Drug identiﬁ cation ...............160
  Drug Tolerance (Super-Skill) .125
  DS (Bulgarian 
  intelligence agency) ..............41
  Dunits ......................................18
  Duplex (ammunition type) ....204
  Dynamite (explosive) ...........258
  Earth Liberation Front 
  (terrorist organization) ......308
  Eerie Laugh (Super-Skill) ....109
  Eﬀ ectiveness ceilings ............312
  Ego (EGO) (Characteristic) .....59
  Ego Signature (Psychological 
  Limitation) ..........................103
  El Rukns, the .........................298
  Electric (ammunition type) ...204
  Electrocution .........................173
  Electronic Trigger (ﬁ rearm 
  modiﬁ cation) ......................239
  Electrothermal-chemical 
  propellant ............................202
  Elements of the genre ............23
  ELINT ......................................44
  EME, La .................................295
  Encrypted communications ..274
  Encumbrance 
  (Combat Modiﬁ er) .............179
  Endurance (END) 
  (Characteristic) .....................60
  Enemies ..........................289, 322
  Energy Blast (Power) ..............94
  Energy Defense (ED) 
  (Characteristic) .....................60
  English Secretary ..................293
  Enhanced Senses (Power) .....94
  Enhancement Drugs 
  (example power) ...................93
  Enlarged Magazine 
  (ﬁ rearm modiﬁ cation) .......239
  Entering Combat ..................176
  Entomology, forensic ............170
  Environment, as an obstacle ..322
  Environmental Conditions 
  (Combat Modiﬁ er) .............179
  EPIC .........................................48
  Equipment
   Generally .......................264-69
   Acquiring .......................264-69
   As a PC tool, dealing with ....326
   Black market .......................268
   Classiﬁ cations of .................264
   Controlling the “arms race” 313
   Skill Modiﬁ er ........................61
  Equipment Points (type of 
  Resource Points) .................153
  Escapes, amazing 
  (genre element) .....................23
  ESDA ......................................160
  Espionage (subgenre) .....12, 319
  Espionage agencies .................41
  Espionage Package Deals .......38
  Espionage Rank 
  (Fringe Beneﬁ t) .....................86
  ETA (terrorist organization) ..308
  Evasive (Talent) .......................91
  Ex-Spy (character archetype)  ..31
  Existing Talents .......................90
  Experience Points .................313
  Expert (new optional Skill 
  Enhancer) ..............................84
  Expert Lockpicker 
  (Super-Skill) ........................142
  Exploding cars 
  (genre element) .....................23
  Explosion (Advantage) ..........97
  Explosion 
  (Combat Modiﬁ er) .............177
  Explosions, investigating .....156
  Explosive 
  (ammunition type) .............204
  Explosive Slug (type of 
  shotgun ammunition) ........212
  Explosives ..............................256
  Extended Push (Super-Skill) ..110
  Eye Poke (Super-Skill) .........111
  Eyes In Th e Back Of His 
  Head (Super-Skill) ..............133
  Face shields ............................272
  Facial reconstruction ...........168
  Falling Deaths .......................173
  False Identity (Perk) ...............85
  Fantasy Hero ............................21
  Fantasy, mixing genres ...........21
  FARC 
  (terrorist organization) ......310
  Fast draw holster ...................272
  Favorite Gun (Super-Skill) ......1
  FBI Special Agent 
  Package Deal .........................48
  Fearful Obedience 
  (Super-Skill) ........................111
  Features of the environment, 
  as an obstacle .......................322
  Fed-Up Normal 
  (character archetype)  ..........32
  Federal Bureau Of Investigation 
  Special Agent Package Deal ...48
  Fenris ......................................357
  Fiberglass 
  (ammunition type) .............204
  Fibers ......................................160
  Fictional bullets ....................206
  Field Agent Package Deal ......40
  Fine Tuning (ﬁ rearm 
  modiﬁ cation) ......................239
  Fingernail scrapings .............161
  Fingerprints ...........................161
  Fire bottle (incendiary) ........260
  Firearms .................................200
  Firearms
   As evidence .........................162
   Customizing and 
  modifying ............................238
   Presence Attack 
  modiﬁ ers for ..........................60
  Firearms Accessories ............232
  Firearms Cost/Upgrade 
  Tables .............................214-31
  Firearms Modiﬁ cations and 
  Customization .....................238
  Firearms Tables .....................241
  Fireball (type of shotgun 
  ammunition) .......................212
  Firing into melee ..................179
  Five Families ..........................290
  Flamethrowers ..............252, 255
  Flare (type of shotgun 
  ammunition) .......................212
  Flash (Power) ..........................94
  Flash suppressor (ﬁ rearm 
  accessory) ............................232
  Flashbang grenades ..............255
  Flashlight 
  (ﬁ rearm accessory) .............232
  Flechette 
  (ammunition type) .............204
  Flechette (type of shotgun 
  ammunition) .......................212
  Flexibility (Super-Skill) ........142
  Floating Hunteds ..................101
  Foam explosive (explosive) .258
  Foes, as an obstacle ...............322
  Follower/Contact Points 
  (type of Resource Points) ..154
  Footprints, as evidence .........166
  Forensic Anthropology ........168
  Forensic Medicine (Skill) .......69
  Forensic Odontology ............168
  Forensic Pathology ...............168
  Forensics ................................155
  Found It! (Super-Skill) .........134
  Fractures ................................172
  France, intelligence 
  agencies of .............................42
  Frangible 
  (ammunition type) .............204
  Friend On Th e Force 
  (Contact) ...............................85
  Fringe Beneﬁ t (Perk) ..............85
  FSB (Russian 
  intelligence agency) ..............44
  
  368 ■ Index
  Hero System 5th Edition
  Fumbles ..................................187
  Gadgets ..................................240
  Gambino (Maﬁ a family) ......290
  Gambling (organized crime 
  activity) ..........................291-99
  Gamemastering .....................311
  Gang Boss 
  (villain archetype) ..............331
  Gang Lieutenant 
  (villain archetype) ..............331
  Gang War (classic 
  Dark Champions plot) ........324
  Gangster Package Deal ..........35
  Gas masks ..............................272
  Gasoline, as evidence ...........164
  Gauge, for shotguns ..............210
  Gauss guns .............................202
  Gear ........................................263
  Gelled gasoline 
  (incendiary) .........................260
  Genovese (Maﬁ a family) .....290
  Genre ..........................................7
  Genres, mixing ........................17
  Geology, forensic ..................166
  Germany, intelligence 
  agencies of .............................42
  Gestures (Limitation) ...........100
  GIGN ........................................55
  Glass, as evidence .................164
  Glider Cape ...........................282
  Got A Lungful Of Air 
  (Super-Skill) ........................126
  Government Rank 
  (Fringe Beneﬁ t) .....................86
  Grace under ﬁ re ....................193
  Graphology ............................160
  Graphology (Science Skill) ....78
  Green Beret Package Deal .....55
  Grenades Table ......................250
  Grift er Package Deal ..............36
  GRU (Russian intelligence 
  agency) ...................................44
  GSG-9 ......................................55
  GSR .........................................164
  Gumi ......................................299
  Gun Muscle (Super-Skill) ....112
  Gun Nut 
  (character personality) .........28
  Gunﬁ ghting ...........................192
  Gunpowder residue ..............163
  Guns
   Creating in the 
  HERO System ......................200
   Genre element .......................24
   Presence Attack 
  modiﬁ ers for ..........................60
  Gunshot residue ....................164
  Gunsmithing ...........................83
  Gurentai .................................299
  Gurkhas ...................................55
  Gyrojet (ammunition type) .205
  Hacker Package Deal ..............36
  Hacking .............................. 67-68
  HAHO, HALO 
  parachuting ..................... 75-76
  Hair, as evidence ...................160
  Hair Trigger 
  (ﬁ rearm modiﬁ cation) .......239
  HAMAS 
  (terrorist organization) ......308
  Hammer .................................342
  Hand-to-hand 
  Combat Weapons ...............256
  Hand-To-Hand Attack 
  (Power) ..................................94
  Handcuﬀ s ..............................261
  Hanging .................................170
  Hard-to-kill villains 
  (genre element) .....................24
  Hatred Of Killing Attacks 
  (Psychological Limitation) ...103
  Haymaker 
  (Combat Maneuver) ..........182
  He’s Packing (Super-Skill) ...134
  He’s Probably At... 
  (Super-Skill) ........................134
  He’s Standing Right Th ere... 
  (Super-Skill) ........................135
  Headbutt (Super-Skill) .........112
  Headgear ................................272
  Healing ...................................190
  Hearing PER bonuses for 
  ﬁ rearm noises ......................237
  Heavy Weapon Permit 
  (Fringe Beneﬁ t) .....................87
  Heavy Weapons Table ..........252
  Hell’s Angels ..........................301
  Helmets ..................................272
  Heroin, Chinese and 
  Mexican .......................293, 295
  Hezbollah 
  (terrorist organization) ......308
  High technology 
  (genre element) .....................24
  Hill Chief ...............................293
  Hispanic Organized Crime ....294
  Hit Locations .........................185
  HMX (explosive) ..................260
  Hold Her Steady 
  (Super-Skill) ........................112
  Holding an Action ................177
  Hollow Point 
  (ammunition type) .............205
  Holsters ..................................272
  Horror (meta-genre) ..............18
  Hostage Rescue Team ............48
  Hotshot Pilot (Talent) ............92
  HRT ..........................................48
  HTH Combat weapons  .......256
  HUMINT .................................44
  Hunted (Disadvantage) .. 101, 327
  Hunting 
  (Psychological Limitation) ...103
  Hunting Trip (classic Dark 
  Champions plot) .................324
  Hybrid Frangible/Hollow Point 
  (ammunition type) .............205
  Hyper-competence 
  (genre element) .....................24
  Hypnosis (Super-Skill) .........113
  I Know How He Fights 
  (Super-Skill) ........................113
  I Know Someone Who 
  Can Help (Super-Skill) ......143
  I Know What He Was 
  Th inking (Super-Skill) .......138
  I Never Miss (Type I) 
  (Super-Skill) ........................114
  I Never Miss (Type II) 
  (Super-Skill) ........................114
  I’d’ve Put It Here... (Super-Skill) 
  135
  I’ll Be Th ere In Five Minutes 
  (Super-Skill) ........................143
  I’m Not Out Of Th is Fight Yet 
  (Super-Skill) ........................126
  I’ve Got A Friend Who Can Help 
  (Super-Skill) ........................143
  I’ve Got Just Th e Th ing 
  (Super-Skill) ........................144
  I’ve Got You Covered 
  (Super-Skill) ........................115
  IB (Indian 
  intelligence agency) ..............42
  IBIS .........................................163
  Ice (type of 
  shotgun ammunition) ........212
  Idealist 
  (character personality) .........28
  Identifying bodies .................168
  Ikka .........................................299
  Images (Power) .......................94
  IMINT ......................................44
  Impressions, as evidence ......166
  Improved Armor Piercing 
  (ammunition type) .............206
  Improved Bedding (ﬁ rearm 
  modiﬁ cation) ......................239
  Improved Equipment 
  Availability .............................88
  Improved Firing Pin (ﬁ rearm 
  modiﬁ cation) ......................239
  Improved Lockpicks 
  (example power) ...................96
  Improved Propellant 
  (ammunition type) .............208
  Improved Range 
  (ﬁ rearm modiﬁ cation) .......239
  Improved Trigger 
  (ﬁ rearm modiﬁ cation) .......240
  Incantations (Limitation) ....100
  Incendiaries ...........................260
  Incendiary 
  (ammunition type) .............206
  Incendiary brick 
  (incendiary) .........................260
  Incense Master ......................293
  Incised wounds .....................174
  India, intelligence agencies of ..42
  Indirect (Advantage) ..............98
  Inﬁ ltration (classic 
  Dark Champions plot) ........324
  Infrared ﬂ ashlight .................277
  Initiators (explosive) ............258
  Injection sites ........................174
  Injury (Skill Modiﬁ er) ............62
  Insects, indicators of time 
  of death ................................170
  Insulin ....................................173
  Intelligence (INT) 
  (Characteristic) .....................59
  Intelligence Agencies of 
  the World .............................. 41
  Intelligence training 
  (character background) .......26
  Internal obstacles ..................322
  Interpol ....................................49
  Interrogation (Skill) ...............71
  Interrogation Serum 
  (example power) ...................94
  Introduction ..............................5
  Investigator 
  (character archetype)  ..........32
  Invisibility (Power) .................94
  Iran, intelligence agencies of ....42
  Irish Republican Army 
  (terrorist organization) ......310
  Iron Age Champions ..............19
  Israel, intelligence agencies of ..43
  It Doesn’t Hurt Th at Much 
  (Super-Skill) ........................126
  It Looks Worse Th an It Is 
  (Super-Skill) ........................126
  It’s Somewhere In Th ese Files 
  (Super-Skill) ........................135
  Jamaican posses ....................300
  Japan, intelligence 
  agencies of .............................44
  Japanese Red Army 
  (terrorist organization) ......308
  JIC (Indian 
  intelligence agency) ..............42
  Joint Committee for Special 
  Operations (Iranian 
  intelligence agency) ..............43
  
  369 
  Dark Champions
  Joint Task Force 2 ...................55
  Just What I Was Looking 
  For (Super-Skill) .................144
  Justice and law 
  (campaign theme) ..............318
  Kaicho ....................................299
  Kevlar .....................................269
  KGB (former Russian 
  intelligence agency) ..............44
  Kick (Super-Skill) .................115
  Killing Attack, HTH and 
  Ranged (Powers) ...................95
  Killing PCs, dealing with .....325
  Killing villains, dealing with ...326
  Kit (for Resource Points) .....151
  Knives .....................................256
  Knockback .............................186
  Knockdown ...........................186
  Knockout ...............................344
  Knowledge Skills (Skill) .........71
  Koancho (Japanese 
  intelligence agency) ..............44
  Kobun .....................................299
  Ku Klux Klan (terrorist 
  organization) .......................308
  Kurdistan Workers’ Party 
  (terrorist organization) ......308
  La Cosa Nostra .....................290
  La EME ..................................295
  La Nuestra Familia ...............295
  Labor racketeering ...............291
  Lacerations ............................172
  Lack Of Weakness (Power) ...95
  LALO parachuting .................75
  Languages (Skill) ....................73
  Lanyard (ﬁ rearm accessory) ..232
  Laser sight 
  (ﬁ rearm accessory) .............236
  Laser Watch ...........................287
  Last Man Standing 
  (Super-Skill) ........................115
  Law and justice 
  (campaign theme) ..............318
  Law enforcement, being 
  Hunted by ............................102
  Law Enforcement Package 
  Deals .......................................45
  Law Enforcement 
  (subgenre) ......................13, 319
  Law enforcement training 
  (character background) .......26
  Law Enforcement Rank 
  (Fringe Beneﬁ t) .....................86
  Lead azide (explosive) ..........258
  Legcuﬀ s ..................................261
  Legion Étrangère 
  (French Foreign Legion) ......55
  Let’s Talk (Super-Skill) .........136
  Lethal Accuracy I 
  (Super-Skill) ........................116
  Lethal Accuracy II 
  (Super-Skill) ........................116
  Liberation Tigers of Tamil Elam 
  (terrorist organization) ......308
  LIBRA ....................................336
  Libraries ...................................73
  Lie detectors ..........................164
  Life Support (Power) ..............95
  Ligature marks ......................171
  Lightning-Swift  Warrior 
  (Super-Skill) ........................117
  Likeable Crook 
  (NPC archetype) .................334
  LIMDIS 
  (distribution control) ...........87
  Limited Power (Limitation) ...100
  Line-Gun (example power) ...96
  Linguistics, forensic ..............160
  Linked Shot (type of shotgun 
  ammunition) .......................212
  Liquid propellant ..................202
  Livor mortis ...........................169
  Loaded Dice 
  (example power) ...................96
  Locard’s Exchange Principle ..156
  Lockbreaker (type of shotgun 
  ammunition) .......................212
  Lockpicking (Skill) .................73
  Locktime ................................239
  Loner 
  (Psychological Limitation) 103
  Lucchese (Maﬁ a family) ......290
  Mace .......................................261
  Machine Gunner From Hell 
  (Super-Skill) ........................117
  Machine Guns Table ............248
  Made men ..............................291
  Maﬁ a ......................................290
  Magic in Dark Champions ...315
  Magnesium (incendiary) .....260
  Magnum 
  (ammunition type) .............208
  MAMO parachuting ..............75
  Martial arts, mixing genres ....21
  Martial arts training 
  (character background) .......26
  Martial Arts (Skill) .................74
  MASINT ..................................44
  Master Of Disguise 
  (Super-Skill) ........................145
  Master Of Mimicry 
  (Super-Skill) ........................145
  Match-Grade 
  (ammunition type) .............208
  Maverick 
  (character personality) .........29
  Medellín cartel ......................294
  Melee weapons  .....................256
  Menace, as a quality 
  of villains .............................329
  Mercenary 
  (character personality) .........29
  Mercury fulminate 
  (explosive) ...........................258
  Meta-genres .............................17
  Metsada 
  (Mossad department) ..........43
  Mexican cartels .....................294
  Mexican Maﬁ a ......................295
  MFSD .....................................163
  MI-5 and -6 (British  
  intelligence agencies) ...........44
  Microscope ............................166
  Military Action 
  (subgenre) ......................14, 319
  Military force as 
  alternative to PC 
  involvement, dealing with ....326
  Military Occupational 
  Specialty (MOS) ....................51
  Military Package Deals ..........51
  Military Rank 
  (Fringe Beneﬁ t) .....................87
  Military training 
  (character background) .......26
  Mind Link, for radios ...........275
  Minimum Range 
  (Limitation) .........................100
  Ministry of Public Security 
  (Chinese intelligence agency) 42
  Ministry of State Security 
  (Chinese intelligence agency) 41
  Miscellaneous Organized 
  Crime Groups .....................300
  Miscellaneous Package Deals ..56
  Miscellaneous Points (type 
  of Resource Points) ............154
  Miscellaneous Super-Skills .....139
  Missile Deﬂ ection and 
  Reﬂ ection (Power) ................95
  Mission, the (classic 
  Dark Champions plot) ........324
  Miuchi ....................................299
  Mixing Genres ........................17
  Modern-day action-
  adventure genre ......................7
  Modern day, as element 
  in genre ....................................8
  Modi’in (Israeli intelligence 
  agency) ...................................43
  Modifying ﬁ rearms ..............238
  MOIS (Iranian intelligence 
  agency) ...................................42
  Molotov cocktail 
  (incendiary) .........................260
  Money (campaign theme) ...318
  Money, equipment and ........268
  Monster Hunters 
  (subgenre) ......................14, 319
  Morality of the campaign ....316
  MOS .........................................51
  Mossad (Israeli intelligence 
  agency) ...................................43
  Mother chapter .....................301
  Motion Detector ...................285
  Motivation, as a quality 
  of villains .............................329
  Motorcycle gangs ..................301
  Movement (Skill Modiﬁ er) ....62
  Movement Super-Skills ........130
  Moving Defense 
  (Super-Skill) ........................127
  Mowing ’Em Down 
  (Super-Skill) ........................117
  mtDNA ..................................159
  Multi-Bracer ..........................283
  Multiﬁ re .................................197
  Multiform (Power) .................95
  Multiple Attackers (Combat 
  Modiﬁ er) ..............................180
  Multiple-power attacks ........176
  Muzzle brake 
  (ﬁ rearm accessory) .............233
  Muzzle to ﬁ rst surface 
  distance ................................163
  Mystery (meta-genre) ............18
  Mystery Damage ...................187
  Mystic Hero (character 
  archetype)  .............................33
  NADDIS ..................................48
  Napalm (incendiary) ............260
  National Central Bureaus ......50
  National Intelligence Service 
  (Bulgarian intelligence 
  agency) ...................................41
  NATO (distribution control) ...87
  Nawabari ................................299
  NCAVC ....................................48
  NCIC ........................................49
  Necksnapper (Super-Skill) .....118
  Neutron activation analysis ....167
  New Kid In Town, the (classic 
  Dark Champions plot) ........325
  Nightsight devices ................276
  Nightsight scope 
  (ﬁ rearm accessory) .............236
  Ninja Hero ...............................21
  Nitroglycerin (explosive) .....260
  No One Can Hide From Me 
  For Long (Super-Skill) .......135
  NOCONTRACT 
  (distribution control) ...........87
  NOFORN 
  (distribution control) ...........87
  Noises made by ﬁ rearms ......237
  
  370 ■ Index
  Hero System 5th Edition
  Non-Player Characters 
  (NPCs) .................................333
  Normal Characteristic 
  Maxima ..........................58, 313
  Norte del Valle cartel ............294
  NSA (United States 
  intelligence agency) ..............45
  Numbers running .................291
  NVDs .....................................276
  Obliterate Evidence 
  (Super-Skill) ........................146
  Observant (Super-Skill) .......136
  Obsessed With Crimeﬁ ghting 
  (Psychological Limitation) ...103
  Odontology, forensic ............168
  Oﬀ ensive Super-Skills ..........107
  Oil, as evidence .....................164
  Old Friend (Contact) .............85
  Omerta ...................................292
  Open Source intelligence .......44
  Optional Eﬀ ects of Damage ...185
  Optional Healing Rules .......190
  ORCON 
  (distribution control) ...........88
  Order, the 
  (terrorist organization) ......308
  Organizatsiya ........................295
  Organized Crime ..................290
  Outlaw motorcycle gangs ....301
  Outlaws ..................................301
  Outlook of the campaign .....317
  Oyabun ..................................299
  Package Deals .................... 34-57
  Pagans ....................................301
  Pain Tolerance (Super-Skill) ..127
  Painful Shot (Super-Skill) ....118
  Paint, as evidence ..................164
  Pakhany .................................296
  Palestinian Islamic Jihad 
  (terrorist organization) ......309
  Palestinian Liberation Front 
  (terrorist organization) ......309
  Palestinian Liberation 
  Organization (terrorist 
  organization) .......................309
  Panic Defense (Super-Skill) ...127
  Parachute (gear) ......................76
  Parachuting (Skill) ..................75
  Paraﬃ  n-Sawdust 
  (incendiary) .........................261
  Paramedics (Skill) ...................76
  Paranormal Abilities in Dark 
  Champions ...........................314
  Pathology, forensic ................168
  Patriot 
  (character personality) .........30
  Patriotism 
  (campaign theme) ..............318
  PCR ........................................158
  Penalty Skill Levels (Skill) .....76
  Penetrating (Advantage) ........98
  Penetrating Frangible 
  (ammunition type) .............206
  Pentolite (explosive) .............260
  Pepper Spray .........................261
  PER bonuses for 
  ﬁ rearm noises ......................237
  Perching (Super-Skill) ..........132
  Perfect Timing (Super-Skill) ..119
  Perks .........................................84
  Personalities for characters ...28
  Personalization 
  (ﬁ rearm modiﬁ cation) .......240
  PETN (explosive) .................260
  Photographs, as evidence .....165
  Physical Defense (PD) 
  (Characteristic) .....................60
  Physical Limitation 
  (Disadvantage) ....................327
  Picrotol (explosive) ..............260
  Piercing 
  (new optional Power) ...........96
  Pink Knights ..........................301
  Pistol Stock (ﬁ rearm 
  modiﬁ cation) ......................240
  Pistol tricks ............................197
  Pistolero (Super-Skill) ..........119
  Plastic (ammunition type) ...204
  Plastique (explosive) ............260
  Plausible deniability, regarding 
  paranormal abilities ...........314
  Player characters, compared to 
  the rest of the world ...........312
  Plot Generator, Random ......324
  Plotted adventures ................321
  Plotting ...................................322
  PML ........................................169
  Pnuegun .................................262
  Point ceilings .........................312
  Point-blank shooting ...........192
  Poison .....................................173
  Poison Exposure 
  (Super-Skill) ........................127
  Poisoned 
  (ammunition type) .............208
  Police, being Hunted by .......102
  Police Oﬃ  cer Package Deal ...45
  Policeman’s belt .....................273
  Politics (campaign subject) .320
  Polygonal Riﬂ ing 
  (ﬁ rearm modiﬁ cation) .......240
  Polygraphs .............................164
  Polymerace chain reaction .....158
  Popular Front for the 
  Liberation of Palestine 
  (terrorist organization) ......309
  Posses, Jamaican ...................300
  Post-mortem lividity ............169
  Power (campaign theme) ....318
  Power (Skill) ............................77
  Power Advantages ...................97
  Power Frameworks ...............100
  Power levels of PCs ..............312
  Power Limitations ..................99
  Powers ......................................93
  Presence (PRE) 
  (Characteristic) .....................60
  Presence Attack modiﬁ ers for 
  ﬁ rearms ..................................60
  Preserve the good 
  (campaign theme) ..............318
  Pressure Plates .......................286
  Preternatural Smell 
  (Super-Skill) ........................136
  Prices for equipment ............266
  Prints, generally, as evidence ..166
  Private Investigator 
  Package Deal .........................56
  Professional 
  (character personality) .........30
  Professional Skills (Skill) .......77
  Prone, dropping ....................182
  Protectors, Maﬁ a ...................291
  Psychic powers in 
  Dark Champions .................315
  Psychological Limitation 
  (Disadvantage) ............102, 327
  Psychology (Science Skill) .....78
  Psychopaths ...........................306
  Puerto Rican terrorism 
  (terrorist organization) ......308
  Pulling A Punch (Combat 
  Maneuver) ...........................182
  Pulp Hero .................................22
  Quick Draw Artist 
  (Super-Skill) ........................119
  Quick Fire I (Super-Skill) ....120
  Quick Fire II (Super-Skill) ...120
  Quick Fire III (Super-Skill) ....121
  Quick-Change Artist 
  (Super-Skill) ........................146
  Radios ....................................274
  Rail guns ................................202
  Random Plot Generator ......324
  Range Limitations 
  (Limitation) .........................100
  Range Modiﬁ er, altering ......192
  Ranged (Advantage) ...............98
  Rangeﬁ nder 
  (ﬁ rearm accessory) .............232
  Ranger Package Deal ..............53
  Rapid Attack (Skill) ................77
  Rapid Fire (Combat Maneuver) 
  182, 195 
  Rapid Healing (Talent) ..........92
  Rapid reloading devices .......194
  Rapid Snap Shot 
  (Super-Skill) ........................128
  RAW (Indian 
  intelligence agency) ..............42
  RD (distribution control) ......88
  RDX (explosive) ....................260
  Real Irish Republican Army 
  (terrorist organization) ......310
  Real Weapon (Limitation) ...200
  Real world ..................................8
  Realism ........8, 34, 176, 200, 317
  Rebellion 
  (campaign subject) .............320
  Rebreather .............................288
  Recoil ......................................194
  Recoil compensator 
  (ﬁ rearm accessory) .............233
  Recoil Skill Levels (Skill) .......76
  Reconnaissance Units 
  (Recon) Package Deal ..........54
  Recovery ................................191
  Red Army Faction 
  (terrorist organization) ......310
  Red Brigades 
  (terrorist organization) ......309
  Red Pole .................................293
  Reduced By Range 
  (Limitation) .........................100
  Reference Sources .................362
  Reﬂ ection, shooting from ....197
  Reﬂ ex sight 
  (ﬁ rearm accessory) .............233
  Reformed criminal 
  (character background) .......26
  REL TO 
  (distribution control) ..............88
  Reloading ...............................194
  Reluctant Warrior 
  (character archetype)  ..........33
  Rengo .....................................299
  Reputation 
  (Disadvantage) ............105, 328
  Reputation (Perk) ...................89
  Requisitioning equipment, 
  rules for ................................264
  Resistance (Talent) .................90
  Resource Points .....................150
  Restraints and Non-lethal 
  Weapons ..............................261
  Restriction fragment length 
  polymorphism ....................158
  Revenge (genre element) .......24
  Revenge! (classic 
  Dark Champions plot) ........325
  Reversed Ogive 
  (ammunition type) .............206
  Revolutionary Armed Forces 
  of Colombia (terrorist 
  organization) .......................310
  
  371 
  Dark Champions
  Revolutionary Armed Task Force 
  (terrorist organization) ......309
  Revolvers Table .....................242
  RFLP .......................................158
  Ricin .......................................174
  Riﬂ e grenade launcher 
  (ﬁ rearm accessory) .............232
  Riﬂ es Table ............................246
  Rigor mortis ..........................168
  Rispetto ..................................292
  Rivalry (Disadvantage) ........328
  Robbery Crews .....................305
  Roleplaying combat ..............177
  Roll With A Punch 
  (Combat Maneuver) ..........184
  Romance (meta-genre) ..........19
  Ropethrower 
  (shotgun accessory) ............238
  Rubber (ammunition type) ....206
  Rubber Shot (type of shotgun 
  ammunition) .......................212
  Running the Game ...............321
  Russia, intelligence 
  agencies of .............................44
  Russian Organized Crime ...295
  Saboted Slug (type of 
  shotgun ammunition) ........212
  Sacra Corona Unita ..............292
  Sanro-kai ................................299
  Sarge .......................................337
  Satellite link ...........................280
  SAVAK (former Iranian 
  intelligence agency) ..............43
  Sawed-Oﬀ  Shotgun 
  (ﬁ rearm modiﬁ cation) .......240
  Sayeret Duvdevan ...................55
  Sayeret Mat’kal ........................55
  Sayeret Tzanhanin ..................55
  Scenery Weapons 
  (Super-Skill) ........................121
  SCI (distribution control) ......88
  Science ﬁ ction, 
  mixing genres ........................22
  Science Skills (Skill) ...............77
  Scopes (ﬁ rearm accessory) ..233
  SCUBA equipment ...............288
  SEALs Package Deal ...............54
  Secret (security clearance) .....87
  Secret Service Agent 
  Package Deal .........................50
  Secretors ..........................157-58
  Security Clearance 
  (Fringe Beneﬁ t) .....................87
  Security Devices ...................285
  Security Ghost (Super-Skill) ..147
  Security Systems (Skill) .........78
  Self-trained (character 
  background) ..........................27
  Semi-AP Slug (type of 
  shotgun ammunition) ........212
  Semi-Armor Piercing 
  (Advantage) ...........................97
  Semi-Armor Piercing 
  (ammunition type) .............206
  Semi-Automatic 
  Pistols Table .........................242
  Semtex (explosive) ................260
  Sendero Luminoso (terrorist 
  organization) .......................310
  Sensory Equipment ..............274
  Sensory Super-Skills .............133
  Serial killers ...........................305
  Serial numbers on ﬁ rearms .164
  Serology .................................157
  Set (Combat Maneuver) ......180
  Shabak (Israeli intelligence 
  agency) ...................................43
  Shadow ...................................346
  Shadowing (Skill) ...................79
  Shaped charge (explosive) ...258
  Sharp trauma .........................174
  Shell adapter 
  (shotgun accessory) ............238
  Shells for shotguns ................210
  Shin Bet (Israeli intelligence 
  agency) ...................................43
  Shockbaton ............................262
  Shooting Down Th e Barrel 
  (Super-Skill) ........................121
  Shooting from a reﬂ ection .....197
  Shooting Tricks (Skill) ...........77
  Shooting weapons out of 
  targets’ hands .......................181
  Shot spreader 
  (shotgun accessory) ............238
  Shotgun Accessories .............238
  Shotgun Ammunition ..........210
  Shotgun Ammunition 
  Summary Chart 213
  Shotguns ................................210
  Shotguns Table ......................249
  Shrug It Oﬀ  (Super-Skill) ....124
  Sicilian Maﬁ a .........................292
  Sight Enhancement Gear .....276
  Sights (ﬁ rearm accessory) ...233
  SIGINT ....................................44
  Silencer (ﬁ rearm accessory) ...237
  Silent (ammunition type) ....206
  Silent (type of shotgun 
  ammunition) .......................212
  Simulate Death (Talent) .........90
  Size Reduction 
  (ﬁ rearm modiﬁ cation) .......240
  Skeletal fractures ...................172
  Skill Descriptions ....................63
  Skill Enhancers .......................84
  Skill Levels (Skill) ...................80
  Skill Master (Talent) ...............92
  Skill Modiﬁ ers .........................61
  Skilled Bailout (Super-Skill) ...128
  Skills .........................................61
  Skills (Power) ..........................96
  Sky-High (Super-Skill) .........131
  Slang, knowing via 
  Streetwise (Skill) ...................81
  Slickness Spray ......................262
  Slide-Stop 
  (ﬁ rearm accessory) .............238
  Slow ﬁ rearms .........................195
  Slug, Standard (type of 
  shotgun ammunition) ........211
  SMERSH (former Russian 
  intelligence agency) ..............44
  Smoke (type of shotgun 
  ammunition) .......................213
  Smothering ............................171
  Sniper’s Eye (Super-Skill) ....121
  So Th at’s What’s Going On 
  (Super-Skill) ........................137
  Social Limitation 
  (Disadvantage) ....................105
  Sociopath 
  (character personality) .........30
  Sociopaths .............................306
  Soil, as evidence ....................166
  Sokaiya ...................................300
  Soldado ..................................295
  Soldato ...................................291
  Solo adventures .....................326
  Solo heroes, dealing with .....326
  Something’s Not Right Here... 
  (Super-Skill) ........................137
  Son Of A Bitch Must Pay 
  (Super-Skill) ........................122
  Sonic weapons .......................262
  Sottocapo ...............................290
  Sound suppressor 
  (ﬁ rearm accessory) .............237
  Source Material .....................364
  Special Air Service (SAS) .......55
  Special Boat Service (SBS) .....55
  Special forces Package Deals ....52
  Special Forces (Green Berets) 
  Package Deal .........................55
  Special Ops (subgenre) .....14, 319
  Spectra ...................................269
  Spectrophotometer ...............167
  Speed (SPD) (Characteristic) ...60
  Spent Uranium 
  (ammunition type) .............206
  Spetznaz ...................................55
  Splitting the party, dealing 
  with .......................................326
  Spotlight 
  (ﬁ rearm accessory) .............232
  Spreading An Attack 
  (Combat Modiﬁ er) .............180
  Sprinter (Super-Skill) ...........132
  Spy agencies .............................41
  Spy Gadgets ...........................286
  Stab wounds ..........................174
  Standard (ammunition type) .201
  Standard Firearm 
  Accessories ..........................232
  Standard Firearms 
  Ammunition .......................201
  Standard Shot (type of 
  shotgun ammunition) ........210
  Standard Slug (type of 
  shotgun ammunition) ........210
  Star Hero ..................................22
  Stasi (East German 
  intelligence agency) ..............42
  Stealth (Skill) ...........................80
  Stealthiness (Skill Modiﬁ er) ..62
  Steel Shot (type of shotgun 
  ammunition) .......................213
  Sticky Foam ...........................262
  Storm of lead .........................195
  Strangulation .........................171
  Streamlining (ﬁ rearm 
  modiﬁ cation) ......................240
  Street gangs ............................297
  Street Secretary .....................293
  Street-level Champions ..........20
  Streetwise (Skill) .....................81
  Strength (STR) 
  (Characteristic) .....................59
  STRIDE II ................................48
  Strong Swimmer 
  (Super-Skill) ........................132
  Strychnine .............................174
  Student 
  (character background) .......27
  Stun Damage .........................188
  Stun grenades ........................255
  Subculture KSs ........................71
  Subgenres ...........................9, 318
  Subject of the campaign ......320
  Submachine Guns Table ......244
  Subsonic 
  (ammunition type) .............209
  Suﬀ ocation .............................171
  Super-Skills ............................106
  Superheroes
   Diﬀ erences from vigilante 
  crimeﬁ ghters ...........................9
   Mixing genres .......................19
  Superhuman powers
   Forensics and ......................165
   In Dark Champions ............315
  Suppression Fire (Combat 
  Maneuver) ...........................184
  
  372 ■ Index
  Hero System 5th Edition
  Supreme Sniper 
  (Super-Skill) ........................122
  Surprised 
  (Combat Modiﬁ er) .............180
  Surveillance scope ................277
  Surveillance, with 
  Shadowing .............................79
  Survival (Skill) ........................81
  Survivor 
  (character background) .......27
  SVR (Russian intelligence 
  agency) ...................................44
  Sympathy, as a quality 
  of villains .............................329
  Systems Operation (Skill) ......81
  Tactical Props 
  (example power) ...................95
  Tactical Vests and Clothing ....272
  Take Cover (Super-Skill) .....128
  Talents ......................................90
  Tape, as evidence ...................166
  Target Shooting 
  (Super-Skill) ........................122
  Targeting computer 
  (ﬁ rearm accessory) .............236
  Tasers ......................................262
  Team Eﬀ ort (Super-Skill) ....147
  Tear gas ..................................255
  Tear Gas (type of 
  shotgun ammunition) ........214
  Technology (genre element) .24
  Technology in 
  Dark Champions .................315
  Technothriller (subgenre) .16, 320
  Techspert 
  (character archetype)  ..........33
  Tekiya .....................................299
  Telescopic sight 
  (ﬁ rearm accessory) .............236
  Tell Me What I Want To 
  Know (Super-Skill) .............137
  TEMPEST equipment ..........281
  Terror Of Th e Underworld 
  (Super-Skill) ........................122
  Terrorism ...............................307
  Terrorist Package Deal ...........37
  Tetrytol (explosive) ..............260
  Th eme of the campaign .......318
  Th eme villains and heroes .....11
  Th ermal sight 
  (ﬁ rearm accessory) .............236
  Th ermalvision device ...........277
  Th ermate (incendiary) .........261
  Th ermite (incendiary) ..........261
  Th ief (villain archetype) ......332
  Th rillseeker (character 
  personality) ...........................30
  Th rillseeker (Psychological 
  Limitation) ..........................104
  Th rough Th e Killer’s Eyes 
  (Super-Skill) ........................138
  Th row Object 
  (Combat Modiﬁ er) .............180
  Th rowing Master I 
  (Super-Skill) ........................123
  Th rowing Master II 
  (Super-Skill) ........................123
  Th umbcuﬀ s ...........................261
  Th under Tigers .....................301
  THV (ammunition type) .....206
  Tie Camera ............................287
  Time of death, establishing .168
  TNT (explosive) ....................260
  Tobaku ...................................299
  Tone of the campaign ...........316
  Tongs (Chinese 
  organized crime) ................292
  Toolmarks ..............................166
  Top Man (Fringe Beneﬁ t) ......88
  Top Secret 
  (security clearance) ..............87
  Torpex (explosive) ................260
  Torture ...................................174
  Tough (Super-Skill) ..............124
  Toxicology (Science Skill) .....78
  Tracer (ammunition type) ...209
  Tracking (Skill) .......................82
  Tracking bugs ........................278
  Tradecraft  
  (Professional Skill) ...............77
  Tragedy (meta-genre) ............19
  Transmit, range of ................276
  Transport Familiarity (Skill) .82
  Triads (Chinese 
  organized crime) ................292
  Triggerhappy 
  (NPC criminal) ...................359
  Triggerhappy (Psychological 
  Limitation) ..........................104
  Tumbler 
  (ammunition type) .............208
  Two-Gun Kid 
  (Super-Skill) ........................123
  Two-Weapon Fighting (Skill) ..82
  TWS .......................................236
  Types of campaign ................318
  Tyrant (villain archetype) ....332
  U.S. Navy SEALs Package 
  Deal ........................................54
  UEI ...........................................55
  Ultimate Climbing 
  (Super-Skill) ........................132
  Ultimate Lipreading 
  (Super-Skill) ........................138
  Ultimate Pickpocketing 
  (Super-Skill) ........................148
  Ultimate Stealth 
  (Super-Skill) ........................148
  Ultraviolet Perception, 
  forensics and .......................161
  Unbreakable Will 
  (Super-Skill) ........................129
  Unclassiﬁ ed 
  (security clearance) ..............87
  Uncontrolled movement .....197
  Underboss ..............................290
  Underwater Equipment .......288
  Underworld Armorer 
  (NPC archetype) .................334
  Unimpressed (Super-Skill) .....129
  United Kingdom, intelligence 
  agencies of .............................44
  United States, intelligence 
  agencies of .............................44
  Unlimited ammo ..................198
  Unplotted adventures ...........321
  Unpredictable Tactics 
  (Super-Skill) ........................129
  Upgrade Tables for ﬁ rearms ...214
  Uptight Commander (NPC 
  archetype) ............................334
  USSS .........................................50
  Utility Belt .............................283
  Variable Advantage 
  (Advantage) ...........................98
  Vectran ...................................270
  Vehicle/Base Points (type 
  of Resource Points) ............154
  Vehicles and Bases ..........89, 282
  Vengeful (Psychological 
  Limitation) ..........................104
  VEVAK (Iranian intelligence 
  agency) ...................................42
  VICAP ......................................48
  Victorian Hero .........................22
  Videos, as evidence ...............165
  Vietnamese gangs .................301
  Vigilante 
  (character personality) .........30
  Vigilante crimeﬁ ghting 
  (subgenre) ........................9, 318
  Vigilante Mentality 
  (Psychological Limitation) ...104
  Vigilante Package Deal ..........57
  Vigorish ..................................291
  Villain Archetypes ................330
  Villain Qualities ....................329
  Villains ...................289, 329, 350
  Vory v Zakone .......................296
  Vulnerability 
  (Disadvantage) ....................105
  Vympel (Spetznaz unit) .........44
  Wadcutter 
  (ammunition type) .............209
  War (campaign subject) .......320
  Warped Vigilante 
  (villain archetype) ..............333
  Watertight 
  (ﬁ rearm modiﬁ cation) .......240
  Weakness Drug Darts 
  (example power) ...................94
  Weapon Familiarity (Skill) ....82
  Weapons
   Generally .............................199
   Presence Attack 
  modiﬁ ers for ..........................60
  Weaponsmith (Skill) ..............83
  Weather Underground 
  Organization (terrorist 
  organization) .......................310
  Weight Reduction 
  (ﬁ rearm modiﬁ cation) .......240
  Weird Conspiracy 
  (subgenre) ......................16, 320
  Western Hero ...........................22
  Western Hero ..........................22
  White Phosphorus 
  (incendiary) .........................261
  White slavery ........................299
  Who Said Th at? 
  (Super-Skill) ........................149
  Wiretaps ...........................65, 279
  Wiseguys ................................291
  WNINTEL 
  (distribution control) ...........88
  Wolf’s Ears .............................281
  Wounding ..............................186
  X-Ray Camera .......................288
  Yakuza ....................................299
  Yubitsume ..............................299
  Zen Riﬂ ery (Martial Art) .......74
  
SOURCE: textdata/thevault/Hero System/Hero System - Dark Champions.pdf