Hero
With all due respect to Lorgrom and Dannyalcatraz, the HERO synopses above have some errors. For posterity's and clarity's sake, I wanted to do a comprehensive writeup. Sorry, but I am a HERO fanboy.
[h1]HERO System[/h1]
Originally published as the SHRPG
Champions in 1981, HERO introduced the concepts of point-buy for character creation and a power-based system for building character abilities and game world effects. HERO is currently owned by
Hero Games.
[h2]Chargen[/h2]
PCs in HERO are built using a pool of "character points." These points are spent on Characetristics, Skills, Talents, Perks, and Powers. PCs may take Disadvantages (e.g., a secret identity, a physical handicap, etc.) in exchange for more points to spend. The cost of individual abilities can also be altered by adding Advantages (e.g., "armor-piercing" for an attack) or Limitations (e.g., giving an ability limited uses per day).
The total amount of points that may be spent in chargen is typically limited by the power level of the campiagn. A galactic superhero campaign will allow a larger point total than a gritty survivial horror campiagn.
Also, as Lorgrom mentioned, not every genre requires that PCs pay for everything they can do in character points. In a "Heroic" game (fantasy, SF, pulp, espionage), PCs can use money to acquire equipment and some abilties (e.g., they could buy a magic scroll). In a "Superheroic" game (superheroes, really high-powered fantasy, some flavors of anime), PCs pay for everything with character points.
Characters advance by earning more character points through play, which can then be spent to improve existing abilities or purchase new ones.
[h2]Task Resolution[/h2]
HERO uses d6's exclusively.
Players roll 3d6 and try to get a result equal to less than a target difficulty number. In HERO, you always modify the target number, never the die roll. The target number is typically calculated thusly:
[highlight]9 + (Characteristic/5) + (modifiers purchased during chargen) + (situational modifiers)[/highlight]
Opposed rolls are handled by defining one Skill or Characteristic as the "active" and one as the "passive". E.g., a thief sneaking past a guard would make an active Stealth roll vs. the guard's passive Perception roll. The active roll's degree of success is then applied as a negative modifier to the passive skill. E.g., if the thief made his Stealth roll by 4, the guard would have a -4 penalty to their Perception.
Attack rolls are the one exception to this. In combat, the target number is determined by comparing the Combat Values (CV) of the two opponents:
[highlight]11 + (Attacker's CV) - (Defender's CV) + (situational modifiers)[/highlight]
In either case, a 3 is always a success, and an 18 is always a failure. Target numbers are typically notated with a trailing minus (-), e.g., "11-" means "11 or less".
[h2]Task Results[/h2]
In the case of Skills and Characteristics, the roll usually determines simple success/failure. It is assumed that, given ideal conditions (no penalties to the target number) and no time pressures, a PC will succeed automatically. Otherwise, a roll is required.
In the case of Powers (e.g., weapons, superpowers, spells, etc.), the result is determined by rolling a nubmer of d6's and totalling them. E.g., a punch might do 2d6 damage, or a mind-control power might do 10d6 of effect. The total on the dice is then compared to the relevant abilities on the PCs character sheet. E.g., the damage from the punch would be applied to the PCs defenses to see if he was affected; the total from the mind-control power would likely be compared to the PC's mental Characetristic(s) and any mental defenses.
With damage, it's important to know that HERO has two types: Normal and Killing. Both types of attacks do both STUN and BODY damage; in d20 terms, the former is nonlethal and the latter is lethal.
Normal damage determines STUN by totalling the d6's rolled. BODY damage is determined by counting every 1 rolled as 0 BODY, 2-5 as 1 BODY, and 6 as 2 BODY. Ergo, one roll determines both types of damage, and the BODY is usually equal to the number of dice rolled. As you can see Normal attacks mostly do STUN damage. Being punched with a fist or getting slammed into a wall are examples of Normal damage.
Killing damage determines BODY by totalling the d6's rolled. STUN damage is determined by rolling 1d6-1 (minimum 1) and multiplying the total by its result. Thus, Killing attacks do a lot of BODY, and have the potential of doing a lot of STUN. Being shot with a gun or electrocuted are examples of Killing damage.
Any defenses against damage the PC possesses (e.g., a suit of armor, really thick skin) are subtracted from the damage rolled before it is subtraced from the PC's STUN and BODY reserves (i.e., their "hit points"). PCs become unconscious at 0 STUN or below and dead at 2x BODY (i.e., when they reach a negative amount equal to their starting BODY). PCs have a Recovery stat which determines how much STUN they get back per turn and how much BODY they get back per
month. Yes, BODY damage is nasty.
In the case of other effect dice, such as the mind-control mentioned above, it will depend on the Powers used to build the ability. As stated above, the total on the dice is usually compared to a Characteristic or defensive ability. Usually, the greater the margin by which the defenses were beat, the greater the effect of the power.
[h2]Powers[/h2]
The hallmark of HERO is its Power system. "Powers" in HERO are a set of basic building blocks, purchased with character points as mentioned above, that are used to create any conceivable game world effect or character ability. E.g., a PC doesn't purchase a "lightning bolt spell". They purchase a "Ranged Killing Attack" and then add the "Area Effect (line)" advantage and the "Gestures" and "Incantations" limitations. The more points you spend on a Power, the more powerful it is, i.e., the more dice of effect, the greater the range, etc.
Powers can be used to create anything, not just super-human abilties or magical spells. A hyperdrive engine, a truth serum, a rifle scope, a poisoned apple, a towel, or a coffee mug could all be statted out using HERO's mechanics (though it's not required; statting out towels and coffee mugs is simply an extreme example of what's possible).
The advantages to the system are limitless flexibility, that everything in the game world is built using a known set of mechanics (i.e., they all obey the same laws), and that there is always more than one way to build something. The disadvantage is that it can be daunting to learn, though it's not as hard as it may sound.
