HRELOowo* nd FAEROES =. THE SUPERHERO AND VILLAIN ROLEPLAYING GAME SSPE CIA L ne ee oe oe © ee |Blood of Heroes Role-Playing Game Special Edition ©2000 Pulsar Games, Inc. Alll Rights Reserved. Published by Pulsar Games, Inc. ‘Special Edition Rules Revisions: Tony Oliveira, Ray Hedman, Joshua Marquart, and Christopher Tatro ‘Special Edition Character Revisions: Jonathan Cassie, Joshua Marquart, Tony Olivera,Christopher Tatro, and Joseph Wott Original Game Design: Greg Gorden, Sam Lewis, Brian Reid, Ray Winninger, Thomas Cook, Jery A. Novick, Daniel Greenburg, Jack A.Barker, and Bryan Nystul ‘Game System Developed by Mayfair Games. Game System Property of Janet Bromley Chief Editor: June Hedman Chief Rules Editor: Josh Marquart Editors: Jonathan Cassia, Ray Hedman, Christopher Tato, Tony Oliveira, and Josh Potter Graphic Design: Ray Hedman, Tony Oliveira, Josh Potter Layout: Ray Hedman, Tony Oliveira, Josh Potter Front Cover Art: Dave Dorman Back Cover Art: Doug Cenko and lay Hedman Interior Art: Joseph “Twisted” Atkins, Toren Atkinson, Doug Cenko, Gary Clowers, Todd Coe, Ray Hedman, Chris Keefe, David Kennedy, Josh Lakes, Michael J. Spagnola, and Steve Tuytschaevers Cover Design: Ray Hedman ‘Art Director: Ray Hedman Asst. Art Directors: Gary Clowers and Todd Coe ‘Character Concepts and Design: Jerrod "Jerry" Anderson, Jonathan "AJ" Bolte, Jonathan Cassie, Josh Clark, Geoffrey C. Dickens, Wil "Warmongor” Etheredge, Mark Golden, Ray Hedman, Keith Klee, Joshua Marquart, Corey Oliveira, Tony Oliveira, Simon Pawiik, Dan Seib, David Soruco, Michelle Soruco, Christopher Taro, Tom Thomen, Joseph Wolf, and Aaron “Stimpy* Zemelko Playtesters: Mike Berz, Geoff Christy, iam Hanley, John Kinney, Joshua Marquart, Corey Oliveira, Tony Oliveira, Sheryt ‘Swinson, Angie Ridge, Shawn Wagoner, and Sholom J. West ‘Sidekick Sourcebook Contributors (Alphabetical Order): Sebastion Andrvet, Mark A. Ayen, Lafe Bagley, Gary Barber, Kynn Bartlett, Robert J. Becker, Bryant Berggren, Dmytro Bojaniwskyj, Mark A. Brinkman, Keith Bisset, J. Kevin Carrier, Henry O.. ‘Chen, Scott A. Christensen, John Colagioia, Paul: Ewande, Kevin Fletcher, Fred Furtado, Timothy Gilbertson, Patrick Good, ‘Chris Gordon, Nathan Harwell, Steven O. Howard, Alex Hunter, Christan “Frenzy Johnson, John M. Kahane, Christopher Keenon, Greg Kemer, Charlie Luce, Sean MacDonald, Bryan J. Maloney, Joshua Marquart, Michael Mattei, Byron D. Molx, Paul ‘Monday, Kevin J. Mulder, Roberto Nieves "Soviet", Andy E Nystrom, David Oakes, "Kansas Jim" Ogje, Flavio Athayde Junger de Oliveira, Peter 8. Pispanen, Kevin Fowland, Matthew Smith, Scott F.C. Smith, Jefferson P. Swycaffer, Christopher D. Tato, ‘Carmelo Massimo Tidona, Nick Toomer, Jaissa Paxton, Marcos “Emerald Glow* Mufioz, el Vigilant, James L. Wells "MekDaddy", B.C. Wendel, Kurt Wimmer, Ray Winninger Pulsar Games wishes to thank: Dawn Blosser, Janet and Darwin Bromley, Jonathan Cassie, John Colagioia, Betty Cooper, Joe ‘Cooper, Christopher Hedman, June Hedman (Chief Editor) Keith Klee, Shannon Kiee (Language Consultan), Sean MacDonald, Josh Marquart, Josh Potter, Lou Prosperi, Corey Oliveira, Gayle Olivera, Jeft Oliveira, Angie Ridge, David Soruco (Technical ‘Consultan, Michelle Soruco, Christopher Tatro, Shawn Wagoner, Ray Winninger, Joseph Wolf, our webmaster Wil "Warmonger* Etheredge, Lou Zocchi and GameScience, Stan and everyone at The Wizard's Keep in Muncie IN., Frank Hart at Full Motion ‘Gaming, our paytesters, our distributors, our retailers, all ofthe Sidekick Sourcebook Contributors, Dave Dorman for his fabulous ‘cover at, and our fans and fans of the MEGS game system without whom this book - and this company- would not have been possible.” And a heartfelt thanks to everyone else we missed! The male pronoun (he, his, him) is used in this book as a third-person singular in many instances. This usage is intended {as a neuter term and should be read as “he oF she,” “his or her," or him or her in all instances where it is used to imply a person (of either gender. The use of the male pronoun is not intended to exclude women from this game or to suggest their exclusion No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any means, except forthe inclusion of brief quotations in a review, without permission in writing from the publisher. Permission is granted to the purchaser of this book to copy the maps and histories contained herein for personal use, provided that none ofthe copies are sold or traded. ‘All characters in this book are fictitious. Any resemblance to actual persons, ving or dead, is purely coincidental. All characters, their distinctive likenesses, names, logos, props and all other related indicia are the property of Pulsar Games inc. ‘Copyright © 2000 Pulsar Games Inc. Game system used under license. All Rights Reserved. Manufactured in the United States of America ISBN: 0-9665280-3-4 Pulsar Games Inc. - 101 East 90th Drive - Merrillville, IN 46410 - U.S.A. ‘Shop online at: www.pulsargamesine.com ‘Second PrintingLE OF CONTENTS 1 Read this First 1 6 Chapter One: An Introduction to Blood of Heroes, 14 Anarchy Man's Night on the Town 18 Chapter Two: Character Design 49. Terminology 20 Character Creation 34 Experience and Character Growth 87 Advantages and Drawoacks 55 Bonuses and Limitations 59 Powers 108 Skills 119 Chapter Three:The Rul 420 Idea One: Attrbute Point 121 Idea Two: Attributes 122 Idea Three: Rolling the Dice 423 Idea Four: The Action Table 424 Idea Five:The Result Table 126 Idea Six: Powers, Skil, Advantages, and Drawbacks 426 Idea Seven: Hero Points 127 Idea Eight: Automatic Actions 190 Chapter Four: APs and the World 181 General Fules 131 Movement 192 Throwing Things 193 Breaking Things 196 Chapter Five: Combat 137 Time 187 Actions 187 Keeping Track of Position 487 Combat Sequence 140 The Nuts and Bolts of Combat 141 Damage 142 Recovery 143 Knockback 144 Inative Combat Maneuvers 1144 Offensive Combat Maneuvers 149 Defensive Combat Maneuvers 4160 Special Combat Situations 186 Perception Checks. 187 Example of Combat 160 Pulting It All Together 161 Chapter Six: Character Interaction 162 Types of Character Interaction, 162 Resolving Character Interaction 164 Time 164 The Charisma Skil 164 Interaction Maneuvers 165 Character interaction Against the Player's Characters 165 Role-Playing 166 Chapter Seven: Gadgetry 171 Basie Concepts, 172 Building Gadgets 177 Moding Existing Gadgets 177 Repairing Gadgets 178 Replacing Destroyed Gadgets 178 Omni-Gadgats 179 Mystical Gadgets 179 Gadgets in Combat 180 Real World Gadgats 184 Chapter Eight: Magic 185 Magic Wielders 186 Magical Powres 186 Ritual Magic 188 Memorizing Rituals 188 Occutist Mentoring 4189 Transcribing Rituals 180 Occult Experimentation 191 Ritual Disciplines 192 Occult Premonitions 193 artifacts 194 Chapter Nine: Wealth, 195 Buying tems 195 Charity 195 Purchasing Parts for Gadgetry Attempts 195 Upkeep 196 Bankruptcy 197 Chapter Ton: Gamemastering 196 Being a Gamemaster 200 Running an Adventure 202 Chapter Eleven: Adventuring 203 Creating an Adventure 208 The Elements of an Adventure 206 Standard Awards 208 Distributing Standard Awards 210 Chapter Twelve: Subplots 211 Gamemastering Subplots, 218 Playing Subpiots 218 Subplat Catagories 221 Chapter Thirteen: Game Situations 222 Fundamental Rule 222 Learn to Improvise 222 Skils vs, Powers 222 Powers vs. Powers: 222 Skils vs, Skis, 222 Combining Actions 228 Using the Universal Modifiers Table 228 Energy vs. Kineties 223 Aging) 223 Rolling Infinite Doubles 224 Power and Damage Type Info Table 225 Chapter Fourteen: Genres 226 Genre Rulings 226 Custom Genres 228 Chapter Fifteen: Power Creation 229 Core Powers £229 Factoring Costs 232 Chapter Sixteen: The Blood of Heroes Universe 1238 Characters 346 Animals 351 Charts and Tables 360 Character Sheet‘When you opened this book, you opened a whole new world: a word filed with heroes and exciting adventures, a world Infested by vilains and great dangers, a world whore anything ‘can happen. Welcome to the world of Blood of Heroes. Blood of Heroes is a role-playing game. But even it you've played role-playing games before, you'l find Blood of Heroes different from the rest. For those who have never played. role-playing games, please read the next section. Experienced ‘may skip this and start on page 6 at An Introduction to Blood of Heroes. Those who are familiar with Mayfair's Exponential Game System (MEGS) need only check the System Changes section (below) to familarize themselves with any changes. ‘What is a Role-Playing Game? ‘A role-playing game (RPG) lets you play a role, like an actor does on a stage. But unlike an actor, arole-player does not have a script. Everything a person does affects the outcome of the game, making every time YOU play different and more excit- ing. In the Blood of Heroes Role-Playing Game, each per- ‘son may play the role of a hero. You, the player, can play any one ofthe provided characters or preferably a Character you've made up. Every hero or villain has definite powers andlor Skis; each has a Motivation for acting as a hero, and some have special ‘Advantages, Drawbacks, Vulnerabilties, and Limitations. “The hero or vilain you choose to play, called the Character, interacts withthe other players of the game. This cre- ation is not hard. in fac, it’s lots of fun. Everyone can lear role- playing games. They are straightforward, logical, and easily understandable once you get the hang of them. ‘Most people learn role-playing through experience. Start slowy, take as much time as you need, then stop when it ‘becomes confusing. The more you play the Blood of Heroes. RPG, the more you will understand why cerain rules exist, and how fo use them. “The rules in the Blood of Heroes RPG allow you to ‘make up your own stories about YOUR favorite heroes. Instead of Just reading a comic book featuring your favorite heroes, you will play the role of one of the heroes. You will decide which actions the hero will ake, act as the Character would when meeting ‘other Characters, and pretend as if you were the hero. Your hero will then participate in an adventure which is coordinated by the ‘Gamemaster (GM). ‘One person must be chosen as the Gamemaster. Before playing the GM should be familiar withthe rules ofthe Blood of, Heroes APG. The Gamemaster is like the walter ofthe comic ‘book, unfolding the story and making k work. This person also has the important task of playing the roles of al of the other ‘Characters inthe adventures. Characters who are not boing played by a Player are called Non-Player Characters (NPCs). For example, inthe solo adventure, Anarchy Man's Night on the Town (page14), the GM would play the charactors ‘Samus, Clin, and “Alley folk “The Gamemaster writes down the basic ramowork of the story, drawing out plans for the various locations, assigning Powers and Skis o the vilains, and creating the special plot ‘wists for each story. ‘The Gamemaster must have a good grasp of the rules. of the game since he is the one who conducts play and acts as a Feferee, Much of the material in the Blood of Heroes RPG is ‘devoted to the Gamemaster and gives helpful hints on how to run ‘good game. ‘When your group sits down with the Gamemaster to play, everyone has his assigned rola. As Players, your Characters are all heroes. The Gamemaster runs everything else. ‘The Gamemaster wil then present the beginning of the story to the assembled group but not as a dry summary of the facts. He will try to encourage YOU to imagine yourself in the world of the Blood of Heroes Role Playing Game by describing the gen- ‘eral seting, people, and other important information about the sit- Uation the heroes find themselves in. Like the beginning of a ‘comic book, a role-playing game can start with a bang or build slowly toward an exciting climax. ‘As a Player, you must identify with your chosen heroic Character and place him in that seting. Ask yourself questions ‘about the environment and the Character. HOW would your char- ‘acter actin this place? What would he say or try to do? It's all Fight to ask the Gamemaster questions to help YOU understand what's going on. Four environments should always be kept in mind while you are role playing: 1. The immediate environment includes those things that are closest to your Character: his costume, the chair he is siting the gadgets and equipment included with his costume, etc. 2. The general environment isthe area in which the chair is placed: a room in the characters headquarters, shack with all of its features (doors, windows, etc.) detailed by the Gamemaster. 3. The larger environment is the area beyond: the space ‘outside the windows and doors, the ety in which the headquar. ters is located, the swamp next to the shack, the trees, sky, birds, atc. ‘4, The world environment is usually the world of the Blood of Heroes APG, but it could be a planet tilions of miles {rom Earth, the heart of a supemova, a cave one hundred miles ‘beneath the surface of a planet, or anywhere the Gamemaster takes your Character. (Once the environment and the heroes and other people have been established, the first problem can be presented by the Gamemaster. ‘A problem can be anything that forces you and the other players to become involved withthe story. It could be a mystery ‘Yur Characters must solve, a bank robbery they must fll, or ‘even a full scale attack on their headquarters! ‘At this point you and the others are no longer passive. ‘observers. You must do something. Your decisions affect the out- ‘come of the story, so that the story isnt just being told by one ;person but is being experienced and changed by the whole group. When you act, the Gamemaster vill ask fo information about your Character. Each Character in the Blood of Heroes: RPG has numbers that are used to rate that Characters Abilis and Attributes. ‘Sometimes the Gamemaster wil ask you to rol dice. This isthe method by which Players determine how successful their Character will be in certain actions. Once the dice are rolled, ‘the Gamemaster wil look at his tables and tell you the result of, your actions. ‘Aer the first problem, you and the other Players will probably have to initiate your next action based on what the GM has presented. Your Characters might have to follow up on clues. ‘or fight the bad guys to find more clues with which to keep the story moving. ‘Sometimes, youll hit a dead end, and the Gamemaster ‘must be prepared to start again by presenting a new problem hich fet the action move forward. And so it goes throughout the ‘adveniure; he Players and the Gamemaster are working together to create a totaly unique story, lke those found in the comic books. ‘The rules presented here give you a framework on hich to build the world ofthe Blood of Heroes RPG. They allowyou to create and experience new adventures and to find out [ust how fast, song, or powerful your favorte Character is. Role-playing is fun and challenging. It helps develop the imagination and iets people understand the importance of teamwork and honesty. But most ofall, role-playing lets you live the lives of your favorite heroes and share in their exciting adventures! ‘a combination of Pulsar Games’ previously published materials: Blood of Heroes and Sidekick Sourcebook with various printing and grammatical errors fixed. Placing the two books Lnder one cover allows for easier reference of the rules mater- als. Most of the rules changes that went into effect with the Sidekick Sourcebook have been incorporated into this prnt- ing. Various rulings that were slated for inclusion with the Gamemaster Screen product have instead been placed into this new rules compendium and are summarized (with the ‘most important changes first) as follows: The Hero Point multiplier no longer affects the cost or bonus of Advantages and Drawbacks, but does affect the ‘bonus granted by writing Background. Background (Personal Data, History, Description, and Personality) now totals 60 Hero Points instead of 45 Hero Points Rituals now have a greater Hero Point Cost, detals of which can be found under the Ritual Advantage and in the new Magic chapter. The way Mystic Linking works is different and. the inks of previously Mystical Powers have been altered 10 reflect this change. Occutst Skil has been revised. Alter Ego Drawback has changed. Scholar and Expertise, Creepy and Distinct and Strange Appearances, and Irational Attractions and Hatreds and Fears have been respectively combined. Familiarties are now optional and have been revised. New Drawbacks: Altered Anatomy, Enemy (replacing Arch Enemy), ‘and Power Loss (replacing the now optional Loss/Gradual Loss ‘Vulnerabilty and Power Restriction Limitation). New Bonuses: Mull-Attack and Targeting (formerly AV). New Limitation: CCreativty-Based. New Powers: Electic Being, Emotion Absorption, Laser Beam (a renamed Heat Vision), Mystic Blast, ‘and Probably Control. New Skil Abilties: Traversement Ability of Acrobatics, Photograph Interpretation and Martial Arts Emulation of Anist, Brainwashing Subskil of Medicine, and ‘optional Weapon and Vehicle Specialization. Tesseract Limitation added to Dimension Travel. Swing Line Bonus added to Snare. Strength Bonus added to Magic ‘Sense. Cost of Adaptation and Aura of Fear were changed to keep in line with Mimic and Broadcast Empath respectively. Call Rot, Coma, Dismember, Dispersal, Extra Limb, Fabricate, Fluid Form, Friction Control, interface, invulnerability, Mind over, Matter, Petrification, Scramble, Spit Drain, Stretching, and ‘Superspeed Powers have been textually revised. ‘Cattications of Kinetic and Energy Absorption and hhow they affect Power Reserve have been added including a chart in the Gamemaster section. Martial Amst Subskills have been renamed, revised, and Techniques is now a Subskil Certain Gadget Advantages, including User Linking, hhave been altered. Information regarting Gadget Characters ‘and Computers have been altered. Artfact and Ritual cre ation/use are moved to the Magic chapter. Costs have been ‘added to all Gadgets. Vilain and Anti Heroic Character/Campaign informa- tion has been expanded. Removing Links and Limitations from ‘Abies through Character Experience has changed, and the Power Creation Guidelines have been revised. All of the characters, background, and campaign infor- mation have been rewritten for this edition. ‘What you holdin your hands isthe ulimate compila- tion of MEGS system rules: Blood of Heroes Role Playing ‘Game Special Edition. | am making a solemn promise that there won't be as many changes inthe next edition; that is Unless we change the AP scale, remove all Base Costs, and raise Factor Costs to values greater than 10. Just kidding ‘Truthful, the Systems Changes listed above are not {as extensive as they may look at fist, but Pulsar Games apolo- {izes in advance for any inconvenience they might cause since ‘we fee! that we have already atoned for our sins. Consider this, = cannot count the number of sleepless nights spent dealing With issues such as how a professional dancer might kick ike a kung-fu master - how pathotic is that? Just wait until you see What Pulsar Games has in store rules-wise for the upcoming Blood of Heroes: World's End book. Seriously, please keep in mind that the rules are sim- ply a guideline and should never be set in stone; concentrate fon what makes your game fun rather than what limits your ‘experience. Until Pulsar publishes their granite-bound edition, | Yours tly, hp iy Letter from the President For the most part Maytals Exponential Game System (MEGS) remains intact within the Blood of Heroes Role Playing Game. One of the reasons we went with this system inthe first place was its versatiliy, simplicity, and way the ‘mechanics stand up under game play. | have not encountered ‘a game system without flaws, but in the super hero genre this, fi, without a doubt, one of the best. CObviousiy, i you don't ke a rule or change, ignore it. ‘The game was designed to be fun, not limit your possibilities. ‘We hope you enjoy playing Blood of Heroes as much as we dey f Ore Best wishes, DISCLAIMER: ‘The Blood of Heroes game involves themes that are main stream in comic books today: superheroes running ‘around in spandex outfits saving the word from imminent destruction by a "mad" supervillain. Generally, there are very few themes In the super-herolc genra that may be deemed socially dubious, however the fact that vilains may. be played as characters can bring up certain unpleasant ‘concepts. We at Pulsar Games do not practice or endorse racism, demonalogy, Satanism, oF as Larry Sims once said "Any ISM" with negative connotations, What we DO endorse {is good story teling and fun! We are in the business of wrt ing games and teling good science fiction or fantasy stories in the process, Nothing inthis book was designed to offend ‘of anger. So please enjoy this book!ONT i oo on a | RN SAN SS Bs wa eA INS aaa SS mts‘The rules of the Blood of Heroes Role-Playing Game ‘are like language. It's not necessary to read and memorize ‘every word ofthe rules before playing the game. That would be like leaming to read by memorizing a dictionary Playing the game isthe fun part, so you should start ‘withthe Important rules and terms in this section and then start, playing. You can add more of the rules @s you and your friends feel lke increasing the variety of play. Like a language, the rules of the Blood of Heroes RPG will teach everyone common words and phrases that mean very ‘specific things in the game. These terms will give each player a ‘good idea of what his hero can do, as well as the abilties of the ‘other Players’ heroes, Using the game terms will make it easy to ‘understand how tough the villain is and what i takes to pound im into oblivion. There are eight cifferent ideas that you need to under- stand in the Blood of Heroes RPG. Some of these ideas are ‘easy; some are a litle harder. Take your time. Everything here is ‘explained in many different ways so that if you don't understand it here, you might get a better fee! for itn the solo adventure atthe tend ofthis section. Each idea willbe reviewed in the “The Fuules” section later inthe book. Right now, just concentrate on the folowing: Tr Attibute Points 2. Atributes 3. How to Use the Dice /4.The Action Table S5.The Result Table 6. Powers, Skils, Advantages, Drawbacks 7. Hero Points 8. Automatic Actions ‘Once you have read through these sections, you will be ready to play the solo adventure, Anarchy Man's Night on the ‘Town. Alter you have mastered that, you should be able to play the Blood of Heroes RPG with someone who understands all of the rues. After you've played a few times, read the rest of the ‘book to add variety to the game, ror Attribu ‘Attribute Points (also referred to as APs) are the basic {orm of measurement in the Blood of Heroes RPG. Everything, Including time, distance, and volume, is measured in Attribute Points, Atibute Points are abbreviated APs, You should remem= ber this abbreviation; we use it alot ‘Since Attribute Points measure everything in the Blood of Heroes RPG, itis easy to transfer these Points trom one form ‘of measurement to another. For instance, to find how much a (Character can li, find his Attrbute Points for Strength This is the ‘number of Attribute Points of weight he can lit without stain ‘Atrbute Points are also used to measure how effective ‘a Character’s actions are. So in combat, APS are used to find how much damage a Character inflicts or sustains. In a race, APS ‘re used to find out how fast a Character runs, And 80 on. ‘APs can even measure knowledge or money: 1 AP ‘equals the information in a magazine or $50, 3 APs equals a two- Volume dictionary or $200, and 5 APs equals a ten-volume ency- clopedia or $800. ‘These amounts of damage, speed, information, oF vol ‘ume are related to real world units lke pounds, feet, and sec- fonds. There is a base value for each type of measurement called Effect Units Er ‘These are as follows: Ens ‘s0;pounids! to feet 4 seconds! We rxt $25 4 Paragraph ‘These Effect Unite are each equal to 0 APS. In the Blood of Heroes RPG, 0 has a measurable value. Zero APS of time, or 4 seconds, is referred to as a phase. This term is often used during combat. Each additonal AP of measurement is worth twice as much as the AP before i.Therefore, a Character with a Strength of is twice as strong as a Character with a Strength of 5. There isa table later inthis book (called the Benchmark AP ‘Table) that explains how to quickly convert APs into thet real world equivalents and real world measures into APs, This, howev- er, is not important forthe Players. tis enough to know how many APs something has because all measurements are in ‘APs, not pounds, inches, or cubic feet. Note: Since APs represent a range of values, the fllow- ing numbers fall somewhere in their respective AP ranges and may not be exactly the value listed in the back of the book as a bbenchmark.The numbers listed were chosen to help display the doubling’ effect of increasing AP values. ‘Weight, for instance, goes like this: SEMEL ‘50 Ibs 4100 bs, 200 be! 400 Ibs. 200 bs! r2ton 1.5 tons Distance also works on this scale so that: 40 teat 20 feet 40 foot 80 fost 160 feot 320 feet 640 feet Since all measurements are related, you can use them interchangeably, For instance, a Character with a Strength of 6 ‘APs can lft 6 APs of weight. A Character who has 5 APS of the Flight Power can fly § APS of distance in a single phase (0 APS. 0 4 seconds) of ime. ‘A Character with 6 APs of Flight can fly 6 APs of dis- tance, which is twice as far as § APs, in the same amount of time, This brings up an important point:APs increase very Quickly. An average adult weighs 2 APs, 10 APs of weight is 18 tons, and 20 APs is 15,000 tons. Therefore, you have a sim ‘chance of defeating someone in an arm wrestling contest if he has 4 APs more strength than you do. 6‘The difference between a Strength of 2 (Average Human) and a Strength of 23 (Kline) is much larger than it might, seem at fist.This leads us to our next idea: Attributes. Idea T ‘Attributes are natural ablties that every Character in the Blood of Heroes univarse possesses. Il you look at a CCharacter’s description (see Chapter 17, p. 241), you will notice a Series of abbreviations and numbers. This section will explain what those words and numbers mean and how they are used in the Blood of Heroes RPG. Most of the terms inthis section are familiar. Nine of these terms refer to Abilities of your Character. These are his ‘Attributes. The other seven terms refer to the two ways the nine Attributes are grouped.This may seem lke a ft of terms, but to ‘make it easier, we will use the character Shadow Master as an ‘example of how these terms are interrelated. ‘Attributes are measured in APs, 60 they are rotated to the Attribute Points from Idea One. Attributes are grouped into three different areas of human characteristics: physical, mental, ‘and mystical.These Attributes are: zy mr Physical Aibutes = Daxteriy, Strength + Body + Inteligence Will = Ming ‘Influence Aura + Spit Mental Attributes: Mystical Atibites: Each Attribute has a specific meaning that is discussed in the following section. Abbreviations for each Attribute are in Parentheses following the Attribute. 7 Body: 7 Mind: 6 5 Spirit: 5 Initiative: _ 24 Hero Points: 23 Physical Attributes Dexterity (Dex) is your Character’s skill in using his hhands and body, the degree of control he has over his physical sl, or his ably to deflect a Physical Attack. Shadow Master's Dexterity of 7 is equal to that of an Olympic gymnast He is many times more accurate and agile than the average person, whose Dexterity is 2. In combat, this Dexterity Is used to determine it ‘Shadow Master lands a punch or dodges a blow, depending on ‘whether he attacks someone or is defending himself. ‘Strength (Str) is your Characto’s physical power, the ‘amount of physical force he can bring to bear on an object ‘Shadow Master's Strength of 7 is super human; he is twice as strong as the best weight Ifters. Shadow Master's Strength is Used to find out how much damage he gives when he lands a punch. Body (Body) is more than just your Character’s physical ‘soll. It is his resistance to physical damage. When he sustains ‘damage from a Physical Attack (like @ punch), the number repre- sonting his APs of Body is lowered. his lowered number, howev- er, is only your Characters Current Body Condition; his Body ‘Attribute always remains constant when defending against an ‘opponent. ‘When the damage given to a Character's Body brings his Current Body Condition to 0, he will become unconscious. Ia CCharacter's Current Body Condition is ever lowered to a negative value below his original Body APs, he is dead. ‘Shadow Master's Body of 6 is very good. He has con tioned himeelf so well that he can take more damage than almost any other human. I he sustains enough damage in combat to bring his Current Body Condition below 6, he wil de SEEM Mental Attributes Inteligence (Int) is a measure of how easily your ‘Character grasps ideas, the degree of control he has over mental ‘energy, and his ability 1o manipulate information. Shadow Masters intligence of & is well within the realms of a normal human. He is about eight times more perceptive than the average ‘human (whose Intligence is 2). ‘Will (Witt) is your Character’s mental power, the ‘Shadow Master's Wil of 7 APs is a measure of how well he can ‘organize facts and draw conclusions. Shadow Master's Willis his. ‘mental “muscle” ‘Mind (Mind) is your Characters resistance to mental ‘damage in the form of Mental Attacks like Mind Probe. When a Character sustains mental damage, his Current Mind Condition is lowered. If there is enough damage to lower his Current Mind Condition to 0, he will become unconscious. If a Characters Current Mind Condition is ever lowered to a negative value below his original Mind APs, he is dead. Even if some villain were able to strike at Shadow Master's mind, his Mind of 6 APs would make it hard to destroy, his abilty o think. Only a significant Mental Attack would knock him unconscious (by reducing his Current Mind Condition to 0), nd kiling him (by reducing his Current Mind Condition to -6 or lower) would be vary dificult, Boy: 8 Mind: = 8 Spirit: 5 Horo Points: 23 ‘Mystical Attributes Influence (Inf) isthe force of a Characters personality, his abilty o affect the emotions and responses of others, and his, ‘mystical potential. Shadow Master’ Influence of 5 makes him fairly impressive to your average human (Influence: 2). ‘Aura (Aura) is the effectiveness of your Characters per- ‘sonality, his ease at controling a group, and his mystical ‘strength. Shadow Master's Aura of § is wel within the range of average human Auras. Spirit (Spirit) is your Characters ability to resist fear, his ‘control of emotion, and his resistance to Mystical Damage i there is enough damage to lower his Current Spirt Condition to ©, he wil become unconscious. Ifa Character's Current Spirt Condition is ever lowered to a negative value below his original Spirit APS, he is dead. Shadow Master's Spirt of 5 is relatively high for a human, ‘There is another way to group the nine Attributes. Like the first set of categories, which grouped the Attributes into Physical, Mental, and Mystical Attributes, this second set of cate- 7{gories groups them into Acting, Opposing, Effect, and Resistance ‘Atribules. These are the last four terms you need to learn to understand Altributes. Each of the Attributes is grouped under one of these categories: Taingiopposing Atributes: ‘Dexterity + Inteligence ‘Influence Effect Atributes: + Strength will + Aura Resistance Attibutes: a — — 5 Wik 7 Mind: 6 5 Aur; 5 Spi 5 Initiative: _24 Hero Points: 23 Acting/Opposing Attributes are used to determine it {an action is successful These Attributes are not used just for actions in combat; any action can be easily and quickly deter- mined. Actions can include landing a punch, figuring out a clue, Using your Lightning Power to blow a hole in the wall, or painting ‘picture. All actions use the Action Table to figure out the chance of success. ‘The Blood of Heroes RPG has a unique way of finding the chance of success. Every Acting Attribute must be compared to the Opposing Attrbute of the abject or person your Character wants to affect. When a Character uses one of his Attributes, the ‘Acting and Opposing Attributes are the same. For instance, it Shadow Master were going to punch a ‘rook, his Dex (Acting Attribute) would be compared to the Dex (Opposing Attribute) of the crook he wants to hit.The two ‘Attributes are compared on the Action Table, which is explained ‘on pages 9 through 10. Usually, @ Character's Acting/Opposing Attributes are his Dexterity (for physical actions), Inteligence (lor mental actions), and Influence (for mystical actions). There may be other abilities that can be used instead of these Acting/Opposing Attributes. For instance, when a Character uses one of his Powers or Skis, he can often use different Acting and Opposing values. For example, ‘Shadow Master can use the APs of his Martial Artist Skill in place of his Dexterity to determine if he successfully punches the 100k. Body: 8 Mind: = 8 Spint: 5 Horo Points: 23 Effect Attributes are the amounts of power that @ ‘Character can direct at an opponent or object once it has been {determined that his action is successful.This amount can be physical strength, mental strength, or strength of personality. A ‘Characters Effect Attributes are Strength, Wil, and Aura, ‘As with Acting and Opposing Attrbutes, an Attribute of the attacker is compared to an Attribute of the defender. Once it has been determined that an action is successful, this compari- son takes place on the Result Table. The attackers Etfect {Atibute is compared to the detender’s Resistance Attribute (see the folowing description to find a number called the Result APs (RAPS). This number is used for more than just the amount of ‘damage. The Result APs are used to see how large a hole a ‘Character can smash in a wall, hw large an ice block a Character makes with his Ice Production Power, or how many clues a Character finds at the scene of a crime, as well as how ‘much damage a Character receives. EEN Resistance Attributes determine how much damage a (Character can take in physical, mental, and mystical areas. The Fsistance Attributes are Body, Mind, and Spit “The Resistance Attribute is compared on the Result ‘Table to the Effect Attribute ofthe attacker. The number found ‘temporary reduces the APs of the Current Condition. lemember, no matter how seriously a Character is hur, he ‘always defends at the original value of his Resistance Attribute. ‘The Character's Current Body, Mind, or Spit Condition is used to ‘When Linking Abilities, the Player must purchase a number of APS ofthe Abit equal fo the number of APs pos- essed in ts Link Attribute. Instead, Abies may be "Hel? or “Double" Linked. A Players alowed to subiract one (1) fom the Factor Cost of any Half or Double Linked Ability, and al the ‘ules of standard Linking apply vith the following changes. To Hall Link, the APS ofthe Abily must equal one hal {‘ounded up) ofthe APs possessed in ts Link Atrbut. To Double Link he APS ofthe Abity must equal exactly twice the ‘APs possessed ints Link Atibute. Halland Double Linked ‘Abilities must consistently Keep their appropriate AP propor- tions to thee inked Attributes, especialy during Character Grow To denote a Hall or Double Linked Ability on the Character Sheet, place an'H' or aD after the Abiity’s AP ‘amount. fe Elemental Linking la Player chooses three or more Powers which are similar in theme during Character Creation and if he can rationally explain a reason why to the GM, he may Elementally Link these Powers together, A Player s allowed to subtract ‘one (1) from each of the Factor Costs of the Elementally Linked Powers (fo a minimum Factor Cost of 4 for each Power) in order to reduce thelr inital cost. Elementally Linked Powers. {are now linked together with the following restrictions: All ofthe Powers must be purchased at the same AP level. I increasing an Elemental Linked Power through ‘Character Growth, al the other Elemental Linked Powers must ‘be increased as well. Ifthe APs of one Power are reduced (due to Power Drain, Neutralize, etc), APs of all Elemental Linked Powers are reduced as well. if one Powers APS are {emporaily increased, the other Powers are not automaticaly {increased and need not be increased. any Elementally Linked Power is also Linked to an, ‘Atebute, and the Altributa is reduced, the Power (and all rela fed Elomentally Linked Powors) is reduced as well, ust as with a slandard Linking situation. Any other Atributes inked to the feduced Powers are not affected, but if these Altibutes are: ‘reduced, the Powars will be reduced as well. itis not recommended that a GM allow a Character to have more than one group of Elementally Linked Powers, but such a situation arises, a Power in one group of Elementally Linked Powers cannot be in another group of Elementally Linked Powers. The Gamemasior has the final say on which Powers may or may not be Elementally Linked, 25Breit eee “The next step Is lo purchase any Advantages necessary forthe Character. For a complete description of available ‘Advantages, see page 37. Each Advantage has a Hero Point ‘Cost iste in its description; to obtain an Advantage for a Character, the Player must simply pay the Hero Point Cost. ‘Since Pulsar was a street punk, our Player decides to buy him Low Level Street and Police Connections while also ‘ving the hero the Area Knowledge Advantage (Pulsar grew Up on the streets, so he must know a lot about his home city). Low level Connections cost 10 Hero Points apiece, Area Knowledge costs another 20 Hero Points, so Pulsars ‘Advantages are going to cost 40 Hero Points altogether. Pulsar’s running subtotal after purchasing his ‘Advantages now equals 548 Hero Points. Soc “The next aspect of Character Design to consider is a Character's availabe finances and standard of living (measured ‘as Wealth). APs of Wealth are purchased at a Factor Cost of 2. Further information on the Wealth rating and its use in the Blood of Heroes RPG may be found in Chapter Nine, on page 194,The following table provides benchmarks to help deter- mine the purchase of Wealth of APs. Returning to Pulsar, our Player decides to purchase 5 APs of Wealth, giving Pulsar an annual income of approxi- ‘mately $40,000. Since Wealth has a Factor Cost of 2, this will ‘cost 8 Hero Points. Pulsar’s subtotal after purchasing his Wealth rating fe now at 556 Hero Points. ‘Approx. Annual Income $1280 $2500 $5000 $10,000 $20,000 $40,000 $80,000 $180,000 $300,000 $500,000 $1,000,000 $2,000,000 $4,000,000 $8,000,000 816,000,000. $30,000,000. '$50,000,000 $100,000,000 $200,000,000 '$400,000,000 '$800,000,000 '$1,500,000,000 '$3,000,000,000 '$6,000,000,000 $12,000,000,000 SUA eee ‘One important aspect to consider in Character Design is ‘whether of not to fin the Personal Data and create a History, Description, and Personality for the new hero, collectively known, as a Background While each of these four elements is optional, a Player receives an additional 5 Hero Points for the Personal Data {and 15 Hero Points each for History, Description, and Personaity ‘This amount is added to the inital 450 Hero Point allotment for ‘each element designed (erteria of completeness at the GM's dis- Wi measure of a Character's resistance to mental stress." "This Attribute is |APs Benchmarks 1-2: A parson can endure the normal stress of daily, ‘existence, The person's mind is conditioned to withstand ‘stressful conditions similar to those faced by police J5-6; The person's mind is equipped to deal with great siress as a part of dally life. Undercover agents, leaders of nations, and most heroes fi this category. Prometheus, Hard-Ware, and Darkiing. 17-8: The inaivigual has the mental fortitude to continue ‘normal activities even in persistently painful or stressful situations, such as those experienced by hardened soldiers. Hallfire Cyborgs, Chameleon, and Black Bird. ‘The individual wil maintain sel-disciptine and sani- ty even under strenuous torture or pain. Death, Holy Avenger, Mindhammer, and The Husk. 11-12: This person's mental endurance is at the peak of human forttude, Cerberus 13-16: A person with this lovel of Mind is accustomed to dealing with alien or inexplicable phenomena or problems outside any human experience. Individuals can handle the stress equated to “the weight ofthe word” in stride, MAX. 16-18: This person can mentally endure the consistent sirain of a hostile and taxing condition such as war- for centuries. 119-21: Atthis level, the person has god-ke mental stamina Dehumanizer. 122-24: The mind remains whole even in situations where the laws of reality shit, 25-27: The mind can withstand an assault that strikes to the core ofthe individuals existence. 26-208: An individual with mental stan atthe level of @ primordial entity. 26cretion) up to a maximum of 60 additional Hero Points. ‘The additonal Hero Points gained from Background are adjusted based on the Character Multiplier (see ‘Creating More or Less- Powerful Characters", page 36). The following are uidelines toward designing a new Character’s Background. Personal Data ‘To receive the 5 additional Hero Points for creating Player should design an entry for the new (Character that would be similar to those found in a published ‘The individual receives the normal attention accorded any lving creature. This porson has the persuasive ability to hold and draw the attention ofa small audience. Most minor ‘entertainers, Fury. ‘The individual at this level of Influence can hold _and draw the attention ofa large aucience. ‘Mindharomer, and Holy Avenger. [s-6: 17-8 The personality is so unique as to be highly regard- ‘ed by several people across a nation or a state. ‘Anarchy Man, Black Bird, and Taniera, ‘This individual's personality is strong enough to altvact the attention of the leaders and ctizans of ‘many separate nations. ‘Striker, Mystic Lightning, and Darking. ‘The person's presence is powerful enough to have ‘gained the attention of even legendary personages. In some cases their notoriety is so comprehensive Sto be a household word across the word. ‘The Baron, Lord Bane, and Neon Knight. This individual can easy gamer the attention of an Individual rom another species. arash Tared. jo-t0: 1-12: 13-15; 16-18: This person can attract the attention of powerful ‘personages such as Demons without effort MAX. and The Husk. 119-21: This individual receives reactions from people as it the person were a god of goddess without neading ‘any display of power or a reputation. Dehumanizer |22:24: This person has an overwhelming presence and ‘can establish a reputation across the galaxy. [25-27 This person can force a reaction from universal ‘audiences and personages from omnipotent beings of limitless power. }28-80+: The charactor can draw the attention of any inteli- gant being throughout the universe and in other \L__Simensions y ‘A ypical entry consists of the following information: Character Type: Alter Ego: Occupation: Marital Status: Known Relatives Group Afitiatio Base of Operations: ‘A Player should filin each portion with the appropriate Information. Character Nama, Alter Ego ~ the name of his “every= ‘day’ identity, Group Alfliaion - the name of any team he belongs to, Base of Operations — the area or city where he patrols, Height, Weight, Eye and Hair Color should be relatively simple. Starting Weight forall Characters begins at 2 APs and may be adjusted through use of the Density Increase or Shrinking Powers (see individual Power descriptions for details). Age should take into consideration acceptance of the Young or Old ‘Age Drawback (see page 47). ‘The Player should select an Occupation corresponding to his Wealth rating — a Character with only 2 APs of Wealth i ‘ot ikely going to be a doctor or lawyer, while a Character with 20 APS is probably not going to be a janitor. For Marital Status, a Player should only indicate that his Character is married if he plans to select the Dependent ‘Drawback. Known relatives could include other Players’ Characters, heroic Non-Player Characters (subject to GM and ‘other Players’ approval) or could simply be non-heroic Non Player Characters who might occasionally show up in an adver ture (parents, siblings, children, etc.) ‘A.sample Personal Data for Pulsar might read lke this ‘Occupation: Private detective, former street criminal Marital Status: Single Known Relatives: Roger (brother) Group Affiliation: None Base of Operations: New York City Height: 6', Weight: 210 Ibs. Eyes: Blue, Hair: Blond, Age: 32 History History consists of an intricately detailed summary of the events, persons, and locations, which surrounded a hero's inception. A History list forthe Player and GM, information pert ‘nent to how the Character developed his Powers, Skils, and ‘Motivation; it provides an essence to the Character by establish- ing a definitive biography upon which effective role-playing can be based. It should explain why the Character decided to become ‘a hero, which heroes or villains (i any) the Character has. ‘encountered in the past, and other possibly useful information. Details are completely up to the Player as suits the Character. A thorough history entry should provide the GM with many possible plot threads that he could integrate into an adventure or cam- paign. arFor example, suppose a Player explained in his history that Captain Charisma gained his Powers by falling into a vat of irradiated Kodachrome wiile investigating his flancée's disap- pearance. A GM would then have an instant plot thread for a ‘campaign - What really happened to Charisma’s flancée and who abducted her? ‘GMs should approve any History that (1.) makes sense, (2) fis the needs of the adventure or campaign, and (3,) is appropriate within the campaign universe. A Player should not ‘expect the 15 additonal Hero Points for a History reading: "Tho Husk always follows me around because he says, “m important,” fr "I became a hero because | defeated Cerberus while he was robbing a bank, and | was surprised at how easy it was." While all heroes share some common characteristics, ‘each hero will possess a unique biography. Beyond variations in Powers, Skils, and flashy costumes, itis the special personal his- tory of a Character that serves to separate him from the mult tudes of heroes who fly today’s skies and will swing through tomorrow's darkaned strects, ‘A sample History for Pulsar might read like this: Dave Smith grew up a poor orphan in the slums of ‘New York City and joined a local street gang at the age of fourteen. A tough, strong-willed youth, Dave quickly took control of the gang himself until he was noticed by the local ‘syndicate and recruited into its operations. Dave soon grew disillusioned with the syndicate after learning that the mob made its money by bleeding dry the businesses and residents in his old neighborhood through a protection scheme. Yet Dave was quickly promot- ed fo working the protection racket himself. His first assign- ‘ment was to murder the only resident of the area who stood Lup to the mob's strong-arm tactics: Professor Adrian Black, @ Disland Labs scientist who himself had grown up in the slums. When Dave confronted Adrian in the scientist's ‘home, Adrian quickly recognized Dave's misgivings and ‘managed to convince the errant youth to forgo his criminal ties and join the fight against the mob. Adrian convinced Dave to participate in the experimental *Solar-infusion process,” a treatment designed by the scientist to imbue its ‘subject with powers to use against the syndicate. David agreed to the treatment and accompanied ‘Adrian to Disland Labs. However, Adrian's process went ‘awry, as the instant Adrian activated his Solar-infusion process, an eclipse cut off the equipment’s solar power ‘source, causing a dangerous power loss.The accident destroyed the Solar-infusion equipment and nearly Killed Dave Smith; amazingly, Dave emerged from the infusion ‘chamber imbued with powers even more fantastic than ‘Adrian had imagined. Dave created the costumed crime fighting identity of Pulsar and immediately turned his atten- tion to eradicating the mob’s local influence. ‘During the intense battio betwen Pulsar and the ‘mob which followed, Adrian Black was accidentally killed. Pulsar would have died as well had it not been for the timely intervention of Phaser, who saved Dave's life and helped defeat the syndicate. The syndicate defunct, Dave decided to apply his thieving talents and street smarts toward positive ends and ‘became a private detective, continuing to fight crime in his, alter-identity of Pulsar. Description ‘A Description consists of a written account of a ‘Characters physical appearance in both super and non-super identities, Points to consider include:clothing, facial features, hair style, height, weight, build, and any particular mannerisms he might possess (both physical and verbal). ‘When describing a hero, concentrate on the Characters costume, emphasizing specifics such as design, material, and Color. Does it include a mask, cape, or special symbol? If the Player or any member of the group is an artist, the Player could “This Attribute represent: bility to intercede with hisMer personality to affect the actions of others and 30 Indicates his oF her level of magical power.” |APs Benchmarks }1-2: Athi level an individual can leave a basic impres- 'slon on someone. ‘This individual possesses an Aura equivalent to that of a very amiable person, such as an actor or a priest, Holy Avenger, Demise, and Charger I5-6: This person has a presence strong enough to change the emotional status of an auditorium-sized Crowd of people from dead calm to an electiied frenzy, ‘Samus, Wraith, and Scream. 17-8 This ingividual has a mystique capable of affecting the opinions of people across the nation, The pet= ‘son can gain loyally and respect upon appearance. Kine ‘The individual can alter the opinions of various ci. ‘ens actoss the world and is capable of generating ‘a cull following within @ region the size of a ‘county. Death and Nean Knight. 11-12; This individual is capable of generating myths and Jegends that last for several centuries, The Baron, 113-18: This personally can gain the respect of even leg- ‘endary figures, such as King Arthur, and sway the ‘opinions of beings of great mystical power, The Husk, Mystic Lightning, and Narash Tared. 116-18: The individual can reason with and possibly alter strong personaities, such as those of angels and demons. }19-21: When it comes to strength of personaly, this indi vidual can walk amongst the gods as a near-equal. Dehumantzer l22-24; This individual's Aura is powertul enough to make his or her word law across the galaxy l25-27: This personality is powerful enough to etch a leg cendary standing across the universe. The most ower beings nto universe wl Heed tna vidual, 128-30+: The individual's presence stretches beyond the con fines of this universe. 28substitute a sketch of the Character fora written Description and sill receive the 15 adcitional Hero Points. Our Player visualizes what he imagines Pul {ook like and comes up with the following descriptor to In his heroic identity of Pulsar, Dave Smith wears a costume woven of a special material designed by Disland Labs. It appears to be a simple light blue spandex body suit, nti he activates his powers. His powers react with the spe- Spiri “This Attribute represents a Character's ability to withstand) ‘mystical stress and Is also a retlection of the Character's ‘general spiritual resolve,” Benchmarks JAPs 1-2: The individual can withstand average ite experi- ‘ences with two or three major crises, ‘The person's Spirit is equivalent to that ofan ind-- vidual who can weather an assault on his or her core beliefs. l5-6: This person is so secure in his or her belits that fhe or she is wiling to die fr them, 17-8 The individual is capable of enduring several major ctises without loss of resolve. ‘Scream and Black Bird, [9-10: The individual possesses a fortitude that cannot be altered even by the blackes! life experiences. He can withstand the mystical assault of an experi- ‘enced sorcerer. Holy Avenger, Death, Samus, and Eternity. 11-12: This person can easily cope with extraordinary phe- homena ad knows no true fear, White Eagle, M.A.X,, Neon Knight, and Krystal. 113-18: This individual can endure several attacks from a ‘master level sorcerer and traumatic supematural ‘catastrophes routiely. Lord Bane, and The Husk. 16-18: This person's sprtual resilience is equivalent to that of a god-ke mystical being, Dehumanizer. 19-21: A this level the Spirit remains strong even in the ‘ravages of a hostile environment such as Hell l22-24: The Spirit can withstand an extended batte with a ‘major demon. [25-27 The individual can resist the attack of an entity. level mystica force, [28:20+: The person is spirtualy pure, or invulnerable, a cond tion attainable perhaps only in the state of nirvana, a cial fibers in the suit to create a glowing, starlike symbol in the center of his chest: the symbol of Pulsar! To protect his ‘secret identity, Pulsar also wears a mask made of the same ‘material, which adequately hides his facial features. 'n his everyday identity of Dave Smith, our hero tends to favor off-the-rack business sults in order to make ‘himself look the part of a competent private detective. However, his top button Is almost always undone, and hie tle is loosened, giving him a somewhat disheveled look. At six foot one and two hundred ten pounds, Smith's blue eyes ‘and blond hair give him an imposing look, even when he ie ‘not in his costumed identity. During his years as a street thug, Dave learned how to use his looks to hie best advan- tage, developing a scowl that makes even the bravest tremm- ble, Personality This section should describe a Character's physical, ‘mental, and emotional mannerisms, how he deals with other Characters and vice versa. Personality traits are often closely associated with a Character's Motivation (see Step 9). From a ‘role-playing standpoint, creating a unique Personality feature for ‘each Character will increase interest and enjoyment forall Prayers. ‘One of the reasons comic books involving “super-hero teams" are so enjoyable is that each hero is clearly defined and. has some unique facet to his personality. Only truly descriptive Personalities warrant the additional 15 Hero Points. ‘A sample Personality note on Pulsar might reed ike this: Pulsar i a tough-talking, arrogant type who Is new to the super-business.While he genuinely cares about peo- pple and their problems, he can be quite impetuous, often thinking with his fists instead of his head. Something of a hot dog, given a choice in combat, Pulsar will select the tac- tie which best displays his amazing abilities. In his everyday identity of Dave Smith, Pulsar tries to be a bit more low-key, hoping that no one will notice the ‘similarities between his dual identities. Pulsar offers Smith the chance to really cut loose and enjoy his new-found pow- ‘ers, an opportunity he doesn't have in his civilian life. Dave's ‘other major personality trait is his curiosity, which frequent |v gets him involved in matters that others might not have noticed. ‘Since our Player has created all four of the Personal Data, History, Description, and Personality aspects for Pulsar, he receives 50 additional Hero Points to add to the 450 base. Since 556 Hero Points have already been spent on Pulsar, our Player must still come up with 56 Hero Points in Drawbacks (556 ~ (450 + 50) = 56). See Ia Player has purchased Attributes, Powers, Skil, and ‘Advantages and the total cost more than the 450 Hero Points allotied for Character Design, he must now allocate addtional Hero Points to pay forthe Characters creation This is accom- plished by giving Drawbacks to the Character. Drawbacks are the opposite of Advantages. Each Drawback description (see page 37) ists a Hero Point Bonus, Which is the number of addtional Hero Points awarded for select- ing a Drawback. 29In the example, our Player must locate at least 56 Hero Points in Drawbacks to purchase all of Pulsar's charac- teristics. Since Pulsar’s abilities are light-based, our Player decides to give him a Power Loss Drawback which is activat- ‘ed by darkness, specitying that none of Pulsar’s Physical Abilities is ever able to function in complete darkness. ‘Since this Vulnerability is Common and reduces each of Pulsar’s Powers to 0 APs and each Physical [Attribute to 2 APs, selection of the Drawback awards (De 9, Str = 12, Body = 12, Energy Blast = 10, Force Field = 9, Flight = 16) 68 Hero Points. Additionally, Pulsar has the Secret Identity Drawback, which is worth 10 Hero Points. With the inclusion of these Drawbacks to Pulsar’s Character Design, our Player has a "bank" of 22 additional, ‘unspent Hero Points after creating Pulsar (450 + 50 +78 - 556 = 22). ‘By now, the Player should have written his Character's background history and probably has a good idea what this Character is going to be like. Only two steps remain in complet- ing the design of a new Character First, every Character requires ‘a Motivation, which isthe driving purpose behind the Characters ‘decision to be a Hero, Villain, or Anti-hero. Five basic Motivations exist for Heroes in the Blood of Heroes Universe: Upholding the Good, Responsibility of Power, Seeking Justice, Thll of Adventure, and Unwanted Power, Vilains also have five Motivations to choose from: Mercenary, [Niniist, Power Lust, Psychopathic, and Thrill of Adventure. Anti hneroes can choose any Motivation except Nihilist, Psychopath, ‘and Upholding the Good. ‘A beginning Character can possess one (and only one) of these Motivations. Selecting a Motivation neither costs nor ‘awards Hero Points. However, keeping a Character's Motivation firmly in mind during an adventure and campaign wil help a Player to role play, and consistent role-playing can result in receiving additional Standard Awards (see Chapter Nine). Motivations often dramatically affect a Character’s Personality (see Step 7). “The following descriptions provide information on each ‘Motivation and present personal insights from characters repre- sentative of the Blood of Heroes Universe. Read the following ‘descriptions and select the Motivation that best sults the ‘Character. ur Player determines that Seeking Justice, The Husk’s Motivation, fit Pulsar's history and psychological outlook best. Upholding the Good A Character with the Motivation of Upholding the Good believes steadtastly in traditional moral values: compas sion, justice, truthfulness, and a resolute faith in societys laws. ‘A Character Upholding the Good is unrelenting in the pursuit of Good and would never overstep the boundaries of the law, ‘even itt may occasionally seem justice would be better served otherwise. 'A Character with the Motivation of Upholding the Good believes societal laws to be ultimately benign and wit defend those laws at all costs. Power of the Shadow Force possesses the Motivation of Upholding the Good which he explained in this manner: “All people have the privilege and duty fo support the laws of their society. The fact that 'm a powerful alien prince just gives me more of an advantage. | stil have the same responsibilities to uphold society's laws that everyone else does. In order for a society to work, everyone must work toward its ideals." "As members of Shadow Force we use our powers to do good throughout the world. No one is above the law. Though we are considered criminals and vigilantes by some governments, we are only doing what we can to improve life on Earth. Sometimes even | disagree with The Husk’s methods, ‘but he means well." “There will always be evil to fight and good to do throughout the world. Sometimes it takes sacrifice and work, but that’s my job. 1 must learn to see right from wrong if | am ‘ever fo free my people and serve as their sovereign.” Responsibility of Power ‘A Character with the Motivation of Responsibility of Power decides to change as a result of the awesome Powers and ‘Skills which separate him from the rest ofthe world, The Character, no longer ordinary, accepts that with great power ‘comes great responsibly. ‘Such a hero will generally uphold the laws of society, realizing that he is an example to others and that such power ‘demands a more disciplined lifestyle than the hero might other \wise have chosen. However, the course of action this responsibil: ty dictates occasionally strains such a hero's patience. Doc is bound by the Responsi ‘explains his Motivation inthis manner: lity of Power. He "Being a member of Shadow Force is probably the high- ‘est honor anyone could have, but it brings with it one ofthe ‘greatest responsible. My teammates and I cannot falter in the {ace of the public eye, or they may lose fait in their heroes.” "My ability to create amazing devices and machines is also both a git and a responsibilty. Ican accomplish tremen- ‘dous good with my powers, and | have, but i | were to misuse my powers, as | also have in my past, it would be a crime against all humanity. The powers | possess obligate me 10 continue Where others might quit.The responsibilty is tremendous, and often I find myself plagued with doubt, yet it is my duty to cary ‘on and make up for my past sins." ‘Seeking Justice ‘A.Character with the Motivation of Seeking Justice will ‘ignore anything which interferes with a quest.This hero will wi ingly subvert society's laws, especially those he believes help protect criminals. This hero will seek out a criminal at whatever ‘s0cial level the criminal exists and match him deed for deed, vio- lence with violence. Husk’s Motivation is Seeking Justice, which he ‘explains inthis manner: “My power to see the future constantly reminds me of ‘humanities tendency toward violence and bloodshed. Most of Earth's inhabitants are good and honest people. However, there are those few who prey on the weak and destroy all that stand before them. My abilty allows me to see the results oftheir ‘actions before they occur. Most people would not be willing to alter the future, and many would not be wiling to take on the 30responsiilly associated with their actions. 1am not most peo- le.” “Ihave the power to stop these events before they ‘occur. | use this ability wilingly and accept the responsibilty that ‘comes with it. 1 seek out those who will and do commit evi and extinguish them. I strike early because a small flame is easier to ‘extinguish than an infemo. Some would say | have made myself God, that! am both judge and jury. So be i." “Time is fui The future can be changed and is often ‘prevented. Other effects outside my control bend the time stream Toward other outcomes. ! would never harm an innocent, but what does one calla murderer before he murders? It matters it- ie, for in the end only | must deal withthe pressure and the quit. Ifyou had the power to stop Hitler before World War Il, would you have used it? | have that power now... and use it. Thrill of Adventure ‘A.Character with the Motivation of Thril of Adventure takes extreme chances in combat and enjoys every minuto of it ‘Sometimes the hero will overestimate his ables and people will often consider the Character flippant and occasionally ridiculous. Yet, such a hero would never desert a friend or run from a fight. ‘ACCharacter out forthe Theil of Adventure wil not easily accept other people's concepts of justice. Similar to a Character ‘who is Seoking Justice, this is an independent hero who works ‘under a strict code of behavior. This Character enjoys having Powers and Skills and thrives on the fame which comes with ‘being a hero. Such a hero will often use humor during seemingly inappropriate combat or diplomatic situations. Fortune is motivated by the Thrill of Adventure. He describes his Motivation inthis manner: “Love my ite. Not just anyone can run into a hall of bullets and not get hit once? Who else can make the bad guy drop that rockon his foot? Only I can. Sure sometimes things {get realy ugly, especialy when a vilain has got the drop on me. But my luck always preva... ike that time we were fighting the Collective atthe nuclear power plant and Demise was getting ready to squish Frenzy, but before he could react | blew the main ‘power gonerator, tossing him across the power pant. Guess | ‘Shoulda have touched those cute lite red buttons on the main contr panel.” “Unfortunately, Death and Corberus wer blocking the cet. Lucky fr me the catwalk high above, colapsed ontop of them, After atrple back fp across the room, a quick pick up of Frenzy, anda vault of of Death's own head, we were out the oor! i's times ike those that make me love having this job." Unwanted Power ‘A.Character with the Motivation of Unwanted Power is typically created by accident or atthe whim of others, and usually ‘unwilingly This Hero in no way desires such Powers and abilties, the possession of which often brings severe personal conse- quences. This is a reluctant hero, one who would gladly return to his former ife if given the opportunity ‘Such a Character often joins a hero team, seeking an ‘acceptance denied the Character in the normal world. This hero regularly forms extremely close, personal attachments to other heroes and is very loyal tothe team. A hero with Unwanted Power may strongly feel that society owes him a debt and can ‘often be short-tempered. Empath possess Unwanted Power. She explains her ‘Motivation in this manner: "Boing a member of Shadow Force is terribly exciting. They/re the best thing that has happened to me in along time. Before I met Power and the others, my ife was in a shambles. ‘My powers were uncontrollable, making my fea constant strug- (le. Shadow Force gave me a sense of belonging that | ike .. that I need. They taught me how to control my powers. Stil, | wish I never had them." "Do you know what it's ike to hear the thoughts of a ‘hundred people in your head? My mind has power far beyond anything | would have thought possible, but possessing it means | can never feel comfortable around normal people. Despite my hatred of these powers, Shadow Force has shown me that they ‘can be a git.They/ve also shown me that i's my responsibly to Use them for good. Given the choice, 'd get rid of these powers: inn instant, but | can’. So what choice do | have?" Villainous Motivations: ‘Mercenary ‘This Character commits crimes for the money. The ‘money may come from the crime itself or the Vilain may be paid by an outside source to commit the crime. Regardless, this Villain is more of a business person than a psychopathic killer. A Mercenary will ot commit a crime ifthe fee isnot right. In add- tion, most Mercenaries possess their own particular moral code: ‘some will not hesitate to kiln order to complete a crime, but for ‘most Mercenaries, murder necessitates a much higher fee. A Mercenary will regularly negotiate fees; for crime is a business, not a religious caling Cerberus, a vilainous Mercenary, explains his motiva- tion in this form: “Working for the Collective ain't so bad. | could work for ‘others, but they pay the best, he hours are good, and I can usu- ally handle things on my own ... unlike some of those other ‘Collective jokes. My dedication to my job knows no end. Once ‘Tm paid, I ful my duty, no matter what. Need to blow up a building? That's easy. Overthrow the ruler of @ country? 1! over- throw him out the window for you, no problem. Price on some- ‘one's head? Music to my ears, baby! When | look at people, | ‘se@ ‘em in values of dollars and cents, and there ain't nobody ‘beyond my cost. | lke what | do, and my customers is always satisfied.” Nihitist ‘This Character desires, above all els9, completo