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    DC Heroes RPG 3rd Edition PDF Free

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    DC Heroes Role-Playing Game © 1993 DE Comics AILRights Reserved. Published by Mayfair Games Inc. Game Design: Grez Gorden Assistance and Development; Sam Lewis and Brian Reid 2nd Edition Revision Design: Ray Winninger with Thomas Cook 3rd Edition Revision: Bryan Nystul Concepts Contributed By: Jack A. Barker, Bill Fawcett, jim Griffin, Lyle Griegolier, Allen Hammack, Bill Karh, Rob MeLces, Mike Nystul, Louis J. Prosperi and Doug Tabb Editor: Bryan Nystu} Editorial Director: Ray Wintinger Cover Art: Pencils: Kevin Maguire Inks: Mike DeCarlo, Daye Cooper, John Flzhety Color: Bod‘LeRose Interior Art: DC Suff Graphic Design: Roger Coad isa trademark of Mayfair Games Tne Art Director: Mari Paz Cabardo is a trademark of DC Comics ised under license by Mayfair Games Inc Thanks to those DC People who have helped_over the years: Mike Barr, Karen Berger, Bruce Bristow, John Byme, Mike Carlin, Howard Chaykir, Marilyn Drucker, Stcve Englehart, Neil Gaiman, Keith Giffen, Dick Giordano, Robert Greenberger, Mike Gold, Andy Helfer, Dan Jurgens, Bob Kahan, Jenette Kahn, Robert Kanigher, Barbara Randall Kesel, Karl Kesel, Jack Kirby, Todd Klein, Paul Kupperberg, Paul Levitz, Alan-Moore, Denny O'Neil, Joe Orlando, George Perez, Boh Rozakis. Roger Stern, Roy Thomas, Mark Waid, Len Wein. Marv Wolfman, and anyone we've forgotten who deserves Special Thanks. Playtestigg Spd Advice! John Adams, Erich Aldrich, Marc Blumberg, Edward Campbell, Christopher Clark, J. Richard Conrad, Jini Cosker, Gabriel Cotto, Steve Crow: Albert Deschesne, Mark Boy, Jerry Epperson, Mike Fortner, Doug Franks. Mitch Gitelman, Dan, Greenberg, Brian Gustems, Chek Hawtey Suzette Henderson, Puilip Relley, Gerry Klug, Jef R. Leason, Jacke Leeper, Robert W Lyna. Lee Maniloify Christopher Martin, Mike Martin, Leslie-Ann McCormack, Patrick McCullo Carol Mitchell, Kevin Micchell, Arthut Molin, Alicia, Morrison, Lisa Mudano, Craig O’Brien, Jef O'Hare, Richard Pederazani, Brian Peterson, Chuck Polta, Thomas Pritchard, Sean Rhodes, Kurt Russell, Jennifer Santana, Mike Shannon, Joseph Silvermany Mark Simon, Mike Stackpole, Jonathan Sykes, Mark Terilli, Lawrence Trainor, Shawn Wilson, Thomas Wojohowitz, Mike, Joe, and the members of P.1'S.T, ‘The male pronoun (he, his, hitn) is/sed in. this book as a third-person:singulat. in’ many instances. This usage is intended as a neuter term and should be tead as “he or she,” “his or her,” or “him or her” in all instances where it is used to imply a person of either gender. The usc of the male pronoun is not intended to exclude women from this game oF to suggest their exclusion. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any means, except for the inclusion of brief quotations in a review, without permission in writing from: the publisher.,Permission is granted to, the purchaser of this book fo copy the maps and histories contained herein for personal use, provided that none of the copies are sold or ttaded. All. chatacters, thelr distinétive likenesses, names, logos, props and all other related indicia are trademarks of DC Comics Copyright © 1993 DC Comics, Used under license by Mayfair Games Inc. All Rights Reserved. All characters in this book are fictitious. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental, Manufactured in the United States of Amierica’ ISBN: 1-56905-000-7 més Inc. * P.O, Box 48539-*.Niles, IL 60714 * U.S.A. 267 Mayfair DC HEROES THIRD EDITION ABLE OF CONTENT: 101 107 107 108 109 109 109 110 mW Read this First ! Chapter One: An Introduction to DC Heroes + Welcome To Gotham City Solo Adventure Chapter Two: Character Design 1. Terminology I, Character Creation ML Experience and Character Growth IV. Advantages and Drawbacks V. Bonuses and Limitations WA. Powers VIL. Skills Chapter Three: The Rules Idea One: Atribute Points Idea Two: Attributes Idea Three: Rolling the Dice Idea Four: The Action Table Idea Five: The Result Table Idea Six: Powers, Skills, Advantages, and Drawbacks Idea Seven: Hero Points Idea Eight: Automatic Actions Chapter Four: APs and the World * General Rules ‘+ Movement * Throwing Things + Breaking Things Chapter Five: Combat Time M. Actions Keeping Track of Position equence ats and Bolts of Combat Vil. Recovery |. Knockback 1X. Combat Man X. Defensive Combat Maneuvers XI. Initiative Maneuvers XI. Special Combat Situations XI, Perception Checks XIV, Example of Combat XV. Putting It All To Chapter Six: Character Interaction |. Types of Character Interaction Ui, Resolving Character Interaction mi. Time WW. The Charisma Skill m1 m1 Ww m1 nz 12 3 116 7 7 u7 8 18 118 124 126 126 127 128 129 132 135 135 141 Vaz 144 144 149 156 160 169 172 176 176 176 176 WwW 180 183 V; Interaction Maneuvers MA. Character Interaction Against the Players’ Heroes VIL, Role-Playing Chapter Seven: Gadgetry Basic Concepts Building Gadgets I. Modifying Existing Gadgets AV. Repairing Gadgets V. Replacing Destroyed Gadgets ‘Vi. Omni-Gadgets ‘Vil. Mystical Gadgets Vill. Gadgets in Combat IX. Real World Gadgets Chapter Eight: Wealth Chapter Nine: Gamemastering 1. Principles of Being aGM WM. Running the Adventure MW. Don’t Panic IV, Creating an Adventure V. Standard Awards Chapter Ten: Subplots 1. Gamemastering Subplots Playing Subplots ML, Subplot Categories Appendix A. The DC Universe History of the DC Universe Places of Interest in the DC Universe inside the DC Universe IV. Character Roster V. The Death of Superma Appendix B. Animals Appendix C. Genres 1. Genre Types H. Genre Rules Customizing Genres Appendix D. Character Design Summary Charts and Tables Batman (from Who's Who #4) When you opened this book, you opened a whole new world: a world filled with heroes and exciting adventures, a world infested by villains and great dangers, a world where anything can happen. Welcome to the world of DC Herors. DC Herots is a role- playing game. But even if you've played role-playing games before, you'll find DC Herots different from the rest. For those who have never played role-playing games, please read the next section. Experienced role-players may skip this and start on page 6 at An Introduction to DC Heroes. 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, a role-player does not have a script. Everything a person does affects the outcome of the game, making every time you play different and more exciting In the DC Heroes Role-Playing Game, each person may play the role of one hero. You, the player, can play ‘anyone in the DC Universe, including Batman, Superman, Green Arrow, of even a Character you've made up. Each hero has definite Powers and/or Skills, each has a Motivation for acting as a hero, and some have special Advantages, Drawbacks, Vulnerabilities, and Limitations ‘The hero you choose to play, called the Character, is involved in creating an interesting story with the other Players of the game. This creation is not hard. In fact, it's lots of fun, Everyone can learn role-playing games. They are straightforward, logical, and deal with understandable ideas. Most people learn role-playing through exper Start slowly. Take as much time as you need, then stop when it becomes confusing. The more you play the DC Henots RPG, the more you will understand why certain rales exist, and how to use them, The rules in the DC Hekoes RPG allow you to make up your own stories about your favorite heroes. Instead of just reading a comic book featuring Justice League International, you will play the role of one of the heroes. You decide which actions the hero will take, act as the Character would when mecting other Characters, and behave as if you were the hero. Your hero will then nce. participate in an adventure which is coordinated by ‘another person, called the Gamemaster (GM). ‘One person must be chosen as the Gamemaster. Before playing, this person should be familiar with the rules of the DC Herozs RPG. The Gamemiaster is like the writer of a DC comic book, unfolding the story and ‘making it work. This person also has the important task of playing the roles of all of the other Characters in the adventures. Characters who are not being played by a Player are called Non-Player Characters (NPCS). For example, in the solo adventure, Welcome to Gotham City, on page 14, the GM would play the thief, or anyone else that Batman might meet in the story. ‘The Gamemaster writes down the basie framework of the story, drawing out plans for the various locations, assigning Powers and Skills to the villains, and creating the special plot twists 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 referee. Much of the material in the DC Henots RPG is devoted to the Gamemaster, and gives helpful hints on how to run a good game. When your group sits down with the Gamemaster to play, everyone has his assigned role, As Players, your Characters are all heroes. The Gamemaster runs everything else. ‘The Gamemaster will 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 DC world, by describing the general setting, people, and other important information about the situation 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 cl As a Player, you must identify with your chosen heroic Character, and place him in that seiting. Ask yourself questions about the environment and the Character. How would Wonder Woman act in this place? What would she say or try to do? It’s all right 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: aX. 1. The immediate environment includes those ngs that are closest to your Character: his costume, the chair he is sitting in, the gadgets and equipment included with his costume, etc, 2. The general environment is the area in which the chair is placed: a room in the Character’s headquarters, or a shack with all of its features (doors, windows, ete.) detailed by the Gamemaster. 3. The larger environment is the area beyond: the space outside the windows and doors, the city in which the headquarters is located, the swamp next to the shack, the trees, sky, birds, ete 4, The world environment is usually the world of DC Herots, but it could be a planet trillions of miles from Barth, the heart of a supernova, 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 with the story. It could be a clue your Characters must solve, a bank robbery they ‘must foil, 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 outcome of the story, so that the story isn’t just being told by one person, but being experienced and changed by the whole group. When you act, the Gamemaster will ask for information about your Characters. Each Character in the DC Heroes RPG has numbers that are used to rate that Character’s Abilities and Attributes. ‘Sometimes the Gamemaster will ask you to roll dice. This is the method by which Players determine how successful their Character will be in certain actions. Once the dice are rolled, the Gamemaster will look at his and tell you the result of your actions, After the first problem, you and the other Players take control of the game, 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, you'll hit a dead end, and the Gamemaster must be prepared to start again by presenting, a new problem which leis the action move forward. And so it goes throughout the adventure; the Players and the Gamemaster working together to create a totally unique story, like those found in DC comic books. The rules presented here give you a framework on which to build the world of the DC Heroes RPG, They allow you to create and experience new adventures, and to find out just how fast, strong, or powerful your favorite Character is. Role-playing is fun and challenging. It helps develop the imagination, and lets people understand the importance of teamwork and honesty. But most of all role-playing lets you live the lives of your favorite heroes and share in their exciting adventures! the 2nd edition for years, and you might be “Why a 3rd edition? The second edition was | First, we ran out of 2nd edition boxed sets, and she | decision was made to witch toa more convenient (and Ss cosily) softcover format. Since we had to layout rather than simply putting out a reprint in a format, Phe second (less important) reason is that, ouigh the 2nd edition was an exceptional system ‘own right and much improved over the original, it ‘contained a number of minor rules problems, products, I also decided that 1 would not ‘actual game system (still intact from the Ist these guidelines in mind, the task of putting ygether became a bit more difficult, but 1 it was well worth it, All the minor changes that We Kone into the rules are far too numerous to “the Power desctiptions have been expanded i, and some Base Costs and Factor Costs Enjoy! Bryan Nystul DC Hexoes Editor The rules of the DC Herots Role-Playing Game are like a language. It is not necessary to read and memorize every word of the rules before playing the game. That would be like learning to read by memorizing a dictionary Playing the game is the Tun part, so you should start with the important rules and terms in this section and then start playing. You can add more of the rules as you and your friends feel like increasing the variety of play. Like a language, the mules of the DC 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 abilities of the other Players’ heroes. Using the game terms will make it easy to rstand how tough the villain is and what it takes to “leap tall buildings in a single bound. ‘There are cight different ideas that you need to understand in the DC Heroes RPG. Some of these ideas are easy: some are a liwle 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 beiter feel for it in the solo adventure at the end of this section. Each idea will be reviewed in the “The Rules” section later in the book. Right now, just concentrate on the following: T-Attribute Points 2. Attributes 3. How to Use the Dice |The Action Table 5. The Result Table 6, Powers, Skills, Advantages, Drawbacks 7. Hero Points {8 Automatic Actions Once you have read through these sections, you will be ready to play the solo adventure, Welcome to Gotham City, Air you have mastered that, you should be able to play the DC Herocs RPG with someone who understands all of the rules. After you've played a few times, read the rest of the book to add variety to the game. Attribute Points ace the basic form of measurement in the DC Heroes RPG. Everything, including time, distance, and volume, is measured in Attribute Points. Attribute Points are abbreviated APs. You should remember this abbreviation: we use ita fot Since Attribute Points measure everything in the DC Hexots RPG, itis casy to transfer these Points from one form of measurement to another. For instance, to find how much a Character can lif, find his Attribute Points for Strength. This is the number of Attribute Points of weight he can lift without strain, Auribute 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 are used to find out how fast a Character runs. And so on, APs can even measure knowledge or money: | AP equals the information in a magazine or $50, 3 APs equal a two. volume dictionary or $200, and $ APs equal a ten-volume encyclopedia or $800, These amounts of damage, speed, information, or volume are related to real world units like pounds, feet, and seconds, “There is a base value for each type of measurement called Effect Units. These are as follows: Measurement Effect Units Weight 50 pounds Distance 10 feet Tien 4 seconds / Volume xix | Money $25 Tiiformation 1 Paragraph These Effect Units are each equal to 0 APs. In the DC Herots RPG, 0 has a measurable value: Zero APs of time, or 4 seconds, is referred 10 This term is often used during combat Each additional AP of measurement is worth twice as ‘much as the AP before it. Therefore, a Character with a Strength of 6 is twice as strong as a Character with a Strength of 5, ‘There is a table later in this book (called the Benchmark AP Table) that explains how to quickly convert APs into their real world equivalents and real world measures into APs. This, however, is not important for the Players. It is enough to know how many APs something has, because al measurements are in APS, not pounds, inches, or cubic feet. ‘Weight, for instance, goes like this: APs. phase, Real World Weight 50 Ibs, 100 Ths, 200 Ibs. 400 Ibs. 800 Ibs. 1,600 Ibs, 3.200 Ibs. ‘ouneuNES Distance also works on this scale so that: auauns interchangeably. For instance, a Chi APs can lift 6 APs of weight. A Ci Fight Power can fly 5 APs of distance in a single phase (0 APS or seconds) of time ‘ Character with 6 APs of Flight can fly 6 APs of distance, Which is twice as far as 5 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 15 tons, and 20 APS is 15,000 tons, Therefore, you have a slim chance of defeating someone in an arm wrestling contest if he has 4 APs move of strength than you do. ‘The difference between a Strength of 2 (Jimmy Olsen) and 4 Strength of 25 (Superman) is much larger than it might seem at first. This leads us to our next idea: Attributes. Lord Attributes are natural abilities that every Character in the DC world possesses. If you look at a Character’s description (see the Character Roster, p. 160), 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 DC Henoss RPG. Most of the terms in this section are familia, 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 tributes are grouped. This may seem like a lot of terms, but to make it easier, we will use the Batman as an example of how these terms are inerrelaed Atributes are measured in APS, so they are related to the Attribute Points from Idea One. Attributes are grouped into three different areas of human characteristies: physical, mental, and mystical. These Attributes are: Physical Attributes: Mental Attributes: Mystical Attributes: Each Attribute has a specific meaning that is discussed following. Abbreviations for each Attribute are in parentheses following the Attribute. Co Sm: 5 Wut: 12 Aura: 8 Spirit: 35 HERO PoInTs: Booy: ‘Minp: Physical Attributes Dexterity (Dex) is your Character's skill in using his hands and body, the degree of control he has over his physical self, or his ability to deflect a Physical Attack. Batman's Dexterity of 9 is incredible. He is many many times more accurate and agile than the average person, whose Dexterity is 2 In combat, this Dexterity is used to determine if Batman lands & punch or dodges a blow, depending on whether he attacks someone or is defending himself. Strength (Ste) is your Character's physical power, the amount of physical force he can bring to bear on an object. Batman's Strength of 5 is very good, but within human limits, he is as strong as the best weight lifters. Batman's Strength is used to find out how much damage he gives when he lands a punch. Body (Boov) is more than just your Character’s physical self. It is his resistance to physical damage. When he sustains damage from a Physical Attack (like a punch), the number representing his APS of Boor is lowered. This lowered number, however, is only your Character’s Current Booy Condition; his Booy Aitribute always remains constant when defending against n opponent. ‘When the damage given to a Character’s BODY brings his Current Booy Condition to 0, he will become unconscious. If a Character’s Current Booy Condition is ever lowered to a negative value below his original Booy APs, he is dead, ‘The Batman's Booy of 6 is very good. He has conditioned himself so well that he can take more damage than almost any ‘other human, If be sustains enough damage in combat wo bring his Current Booy Condition below -6, he will de. 5 6 Wu: 12 Mino: 10 8 Spine: 10 Hero Poms: 150 Mental Attributes Intelligence (INT) is a measure of how casily your Character grasps ideas, the degree of control he has over mental energy, and his ability to manipulate information. Batman’s Intelligence of 12 is superior. He is a thousand times more perceptive than the average human (whose Intelligence is 2). ‘Will (Wu) is your Character’s mental power, the amount ‘of mental energy and strength he has naturally. Batman's Wa of 12 APs isa measure of how well he can organize facts and draw conclusions. This strength is derived from his rigid self- discipline and proven resolve to fight crime, Batman's Wi is, his mental “muscle.” Mind (Minp) is your Character's resistance to mental

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