D&D 5E Is 5e Heroic, or SUPER-heroic?

[Scott Christian]

Anything beyond normal human is, by definition, superhuman.

? So Hussain Bolt is a superhero? I mean, he is beyond normal human. Khan academy creator is a superhero? He can do math normal people cannot do. That definition refuses to address that a superhero is literally, a hero who is super. Meaning, not just a hero, but far beyond the means of a hero. Geralt, in no circumstances, is far beyond the means of a hero in his world.

 

[Scott Christian]

Usain Bolt was a superhero because of how fast he is.

Sorry, didn't see your reply when I replied. We were thinking of the same example. Ha!

 

[Zubatcarteira]

I don't think any "power-level" can really be used to determine if someone is a hero or a superhero. Say, Superman and Mr. Incredible are both superheroes, but the former is clearly a lot stronger than the latter (in most comic versions, at least). Likewise, there are stories where even the weakest of cannon fodder could easily beat Superman, so he wouldn't be considered very "super" there.

What makes one "super" is rather arbirtrary, imo, so people should just use it in any way they want to. Although if it's just being beyond what a human could achieve, then for D&D it'd probably be beyond level 20, since a "regular" person could theoretically reach that level if they work hard/are lucky enough.

 

[jmartkdr2]

Okay, this is what I feared. Because these comics are written by hundreds of different people over decades, someone comes up with a variation and then acts like it is applicable to everything. So despite the overwhelming number of superheroes being unique, the existence in one replicable super hero in a particular version of a comic/film means it applies to all superheroes. I’m not interested in that kind of logic. I’ll stop before what I say offends a fan of comic books.

If you invert this idea: superheroes aren't defined by any in-fiction element. A superhero isn't "someone who can do X", because you will definitely find an exception to any rule. Superheroes have a feel/tone/something to them that's more about the kinds of stories they're in. And DnD can support that if you want, or do something totally different, if you want. I don't quite know what it is - maybe something about how special they are in the setting, or even plot armor, or the kinds of morality - it's hard to pin down, but we all know it when we see it.

I will say it's gets harder to have 5e DnD feel gritty and grounded after level 13 or so, but it's not impossible.

Edit: sorry, just saw you already answered this.

 

[Micah Sweet]

? A Witcher gets killed all the time. In the books, Geralt was almost killed by farmers. He was knocked unconscious by six warriors. He was beaten by a small handful of elves. And he is the greatest Witcher of all time. He is no where near superhero status.
The Continent is about as low level fantasy/no superhero as you can get. The RPG book doesn't really do it justice in my opinion. But the world is not full of crazy strong people (except Ciri who is an anomoly and hunted by all because of it), only incredibly strong monsters.

Again, Superman is not the only superhero, he's just the traditional peg on the top of the scale. To keep it in DC, Batman can and has been taken down by ordinary thugs in certain stories. Ditto Green Arrow.

 

[jayoungr]

My spouse and I were watching the New Legends of Monkey, a "Journey to the West" inspired action show. It's cheesy but entertaining. Lots of gods and legendary heroes.

I love that show! Was very happy to see that it got a second season.

... and those gods, those legendary heroes? They are like... level 7-9 characters?

How do you figure that? I'm playing a level 9 character in one of my games now (rogue), and I don't feel like we're at the level of the show.

 

[Micah Sweet]

I don't think any "power-level" can really be used to determine if someone is a hero or a superhero. Say, Superman and Mr. Incredible are both superheroes, but the former is clearly a lot stronger than the latter (in most comic versions, at least). Likewise, there are stories where even the weakest of cannon fodder could easily beat Superman, so he wouldn't be considered very "super" there.

What makes one "super" is rather arbirtrary, imo, so people should just use it in any way they want to. Although if it's just being beyond what a human could achieve, then for D&D it'd probably be beyond level 20, since a "regular" person could theoretically reach that level if they work hard/are lucky enough.

Not in 5e. PCs are exceptional.

 

[Zubatcarteira]

Can't NPCs gain XP as well?

 

[Micah Sweet]

Can't NPCs gain XP as well?

I was referring to the oft-repeated idea that PCs are so special, especially after a few levels, that they bear little in common with the people they supposedly came from in their backstories.

 

[Fanaelialae]

Superhero is not one genre. Batman Begins has more in common with The Bourne Identity than Guardians of the Galaxy, which has more in common with Star Wars.

Conan was kept alive by Marvel Comics in the 1970s, and crossed over with other Marvel heroes.

Superhero is a genre, it's just an extremely broad one. Superhero comics have borrowed liberally from sci-fi, fantasy, and even real world events/history. So looked at from a certain perspective, almost anything can be argued as being part of the superhero genre.

However, to me that "definition" is sufficiently broad as to lose all meaning. Superheroes are their own thing. The fellowship of the ring fought off many orcs and other monsters, and even had a magic-user in their company, but I don't think many people would consider them superheroes. They're fantasy heroes, which is its own thing. Much like Harry Potter has supernatural powers that no ordinary person would have, but most people probably wouldn't consider him a superhero. He's just a kid wizard.