Should PCs Be Exceptional?

[Thomas Shey]

The Shadow had superpowers. That is why I brought it up.

But Batman doesn't, and people lump him together with those that do. (I also must note it depends on what specific incarnation of the Shadow you're looking at, though I believe the pulp-novel version did).

 

[Lord Shark]

But Batman doesn't, and people lump him together with those that do. (I also must note it depends on what specific incarnation of the Shadow you're looking at, though I believe the pulp-novel version did).

The whole "power to cloud men's minds" business was a creation of the radio program. The original pulp Shadow had no superpowers unless you count being able to hypnotize people with his fire-opal ring, but he was easily on Batman's level of strength and stealthiness, and deadly accurate with his guns.

 

[Deset Gled]

The whole "power to cloud men's minds" business was a creation of the radio program. The original pulp Shadow had no superpowers unless you count being able to hypnotize people with his fire-opal ring, but he was easily on Batman's level of strength and stealthiness, and deadly accurate with his guns.

Does this game of Um Actually have a point related to the discussion or are we just doing 1930s adaptation changes that became canon?

Because if it's the latter, I got more. Superman couldn't fly in his original Action Comics (he could only leap whole buildings in a single bound). Flight was seen first in his animated cartoons. And Dorothy's slippers were only made ruby so they'd be more colorful in the movie musical adaptation. In the books and previous adaptations they were silver.

Um, actually, the Fleisher animated Superman short "The Mad Scientist" where he first flies is from 1941, not the 1930s.

 

[Thomas Shey]

The whole "power to cloud men's minds" business was a creation of the radio program. The original pulp Shadow had no superpowers unless you count being able to hypnotize people with his fire-opal ring, but he was easily on Batman's level of strength and stealthiness, and deadly accurate with his guns.

I stand corrected. My knowledge of the Shadow is limited.

 

[aramis erak]

I can only answer this for specific games and even then within various campaigns and stories.

A Twilight:2000 character is not exceptional.

Yes, they are... they survived 1-3 years on a nuclear battlefield... AFTER the nukes fell.

 

[Thomas Shey]

Does this game of Um Actually have a point related to the discussion or are we just doing 1930s adaptation changes that became canon?

It matters a bit if we're talking about who counts as superhuman, and how people conflate them.

 

[aramis erak]

- Not until they've done some serious growth and powered up a lot (Level 15ish). (e.g. D&D 3E, most WEG d6 games)

Most WEG d6 system games have 12d for normies, 18d for PCs, for sum of attributes plus force/psi first die. Not all allow for improvement in attributes, either. This includes the three now at Nocturnal... D6 Space, D6 Adventure, D6 Fantasy.
WEG's 8-att variant are 24d vs 16d, and have a 19d NPC type.
Magnetic's variant of it also starts at 12 for normal NPCs, and 18 for significant NPCs and for PCs... plus several at other totals of attribute+(force/psi) starting dice.

WEG SW 1e page 81 (18d PCs, 6 atts) and 84-85 (2d per attribute for Stormtroopers, normal people, and normal specialists.)
WEG SW 2.0 page 9 (2d per att is average) page 15 (Human PCs have 18D, PCs of other species get 6D extra)
MiB p32 PCs 8 atts, 24d ... p. 94 meaning of att&b skill levels
H&X: 24D PCs, 8 atts. p. P10. p S35 attribute meaning table, GMS Thugs have 19D on the 8 atts.
POTA pages 125 & 206 18d PCs, 6 atts, 12d to 18d NPCs, "foes" being 12d to 14d, beasts up to 24d.

I could go on, but given the attribute meaning table is the same in all of them I've read.

WEG clearly aims for "Exceptional, eventually spectacular"... but actual NPC types range from 2d per att through 3.5d per att...

 

[aramis erak]

But Batman doesn't, and people lump him together with those that do. (I also must note it depends on what specific incarnation of the Shadow you're looking at, though I believe the pulp-novel version did).

Batman has to have at least two... rapid healing and massive pain tolerance. Otherwise, someone would notice that Bats got a broken arm the same time Bruce did...

 

[Micah Sweet]

Batman has to have at least two... rapid healing and massive pain tolerance. Otherwise, someone would notice that Bats got a broken arm the same time Bruce did...

Everyone in a comic book has those powers. It's generally not worth thinking about.

 

[doctorbadwolf]

I know, every campaign is different.

But, broadly speaking and talking about your personal preferences (so don't @ me with "should" nonsense) do you think the player characters should be exceptional in fiction of the game? Maybe that means Chosen By Fate, or maybe that means somehow superhuman, or maybe it means those with rare talents for magic, or olympic level athletes, or Seal Team 9 material, or whatever.
See the poll for specifics.

If I want to play a mutant, I’ll play a supers rpg. PCs are supposed to be people, not some completely different kind of being. An elf PC is an elf, and so should have quite a lot in common with…elfs.

So no, they shouldn’t be exceptional, IMO. They should be people, and do exceptional things and maybe become exceptional.