GENESYS Part III: Game Master's Toolkit 250 Superheroes Get ready for costumed adventurers and superhuman abilities when you use superheroes! With this tone, settings can be transformed to include mad science, posthuman characters, alien allies, secret identities, intelligent robots, urban vigilantes, and more. PCs here can face supervillains and planetary-scale threats in campaigns where this happens all the time. So, put on your mask and don your cape—it’s time to save the world! Why UseSuperheroes? Superheroes can be sources of great fun for players and GMs alike. They can also fit into any setting. Modern adventures with characters who live ordinary lives when not adopting their alter egos are perhaps the most familiar. PCs could also be interstellar heroes who police the stars in space opera, steampunk characters in clanking battlesuits fighting against laser-firing zeppelins, or even weird war super-soldiers as powerful as battleships. The superhero tone inherently brings a grand scale of action as well. Characters capable of leaping over tall buildings or lifting locomotives inherently require suitable challenges, after all. Such adventures are often filled with dramatic tension, where failure could mean a villain conquering the world, meteors devastating cities, or even the end of all reality. Even in games in which highly skilled humans fight crime, the risks should be high, ranging from gunfire injuries to unmasking. From halting volcanoes to halting a mugging, the action is always serious, even if the characters might toss puns as fast as their fists. Themes in Superhero Games Superhero games are a great way to explore many themes, especially those about the nature of individual effort, something important in most roleplaying games. PCs here often have extra-normal powers that make them stand out from the rest of humanity. Even when in groups or acting behind masks, they can be icons to show how everyone can individually make a difference. Identification is another major theme given that many superheroes hide their identity behind a mask or disguise. They might do this to protect themself or loved ones. Some superheroes might believe their costumed persona is their true identity, through which they can act without societal repercussions. Other characters might not even bother with alter egos, whether due to a desire for fame or simply because it is not how their world works. Maintaining a secret identity is a lot of work, but players could find this as rewarding as the actual heroics—after all, there will likely be many eager to learn who is hiding behind those masks. Another important theme is how the players relate to local laws and governments. Are they acting in conjunction with standard law enforcement, perhaps even officially supported? Do they act above the law, or against it should they view it as counter to their own code? Here they might fight against corrupt officials as much as against street-level crime. Given the powers these characters can possess, their own morality might be all that keeps them in check. Thus, conflicting moral codes can be even more powerful. Some characters might refuse to kill or even use guns, while others might have no problem with permanent solutions to their problems. How the PCs resolve situations where lethal force is a tempting solution can make for excellent games. Last are the themes of character motivation. Is it to fight crime, gain vengeance, or punish the wicked? Or is aiding the helpless and guarding humanity what makes them don their mask? Others might do this just for the excitement of it all or a feeling their gifts are wasted unless they use them. Differing motivations in the group means differences in how characters react to situations and act to resolve them, and might even lead to hero vs. hero battles—a common trope for this tone. Running Superhero-Themed Games World-building is perhaps the most important step when using this tone. How did superpowers arise? Have they always been around (perhaps even commonplace), or is this a new, possibly frightening, occurrence? It’s even possible the PCs are the only superheroes in this world and share a common origin story. This could tie into their operation as a superteam, perhaps with their own joint headquarters. Even without They staggered out of the Panopticon’s secret exit into the morning sun, weary but still joking about the battle. It took all night, but the Death Hive was finally contained and safely buried underground in hyperstasis. A request for the Star Patrol to retrieve the alien gestalt, a review of the week’s duty roster, and now they could get back to their daily lives. That was, until Halcyon spotted Doctor Zed’s venomship streaking toward the Moon. Tired or not, this looked like a job for the Ultra Union.
GENESYS Part III: Game Master's Toolkit 251 powers, the characters might decide to join together to more effectively achieve their common goals. While most groups aren’t that concerned over their characters’ clothing, here costumes are a vital element in games. They might be designed to protect the wearer, frighten criminals, stow weaponry (or even be weapons themselves in the case of battlesuits), or loudly identify the superhero’s costumed identity to everyone nearby. Most also act to hide real identities, perhaps their most important function. Make sure all the players firmly establish their costumes (assuming they chose to use them) as part of character creation. Changes to their costumes should be major events, perhaps reflecting a new heroic name or operating style. Even the language of this tone should be a factor in games. How would fellow superheroes address each other, or the public? Would they use real names when in costume, assuming they even know that information? And when they are out of costume, do they talk and act differently to maintain their alter egos? Some might even work to develop their real identity into a radically different persona, to aid in maintaining their life out of costume. Given the nature of this tone, most players will want to start their characters with existing powers. They should work with you, the GM, to identify such abilities. This should be tied to the power level the group has decided is appropriate for the campaign. It could be that no one has actual superpowers—that though they wear costumes and fight crime, they are all just very skilled humans. Alternatively, characters could have godlike strength, sound-barrier-cracking speed, flight, and other classic abilities from comic books. Our super-characteristics rule represents this to some extent, and you can also use the magic rules and rules for constructing new talents to invent new superhuman abilities. New Rules: No Mere Mortal Superhero-themed games assume that the PCs are stronger, faster, and better than average people right from character creation. To represent this, during character creation, increase each PC’s starting XP by 50 (this can be spent on characteristics) and allow them to increase skills to rank 3. In addition, since superheroes traditionally fight with their fists, you should allow PCs and supervillains to deal base damage equal to twice their Brawn when making unarmed attacks. No Mere Mortal: Puny Minions If you want your PCs to feel a cut above regular mortals, you can take the No Mere Mortal rule one step further. When a minion or minion group attacks a PC or supervillain, their attack can inflict a maximum of 1 wound or strain after damage reduction. New Rules: Super-Characteristics Super-characteristics represent your characters having attributes that are more than human. Even superheroes who are nominally "normal" people tend to display superior Cunning, Intellect, or other characteristics in a superhero-themed game, so this applies to any superhero. During character creation, your players should select two of their character’s six characteristics. These are their character’s super-characteristics—super strength, super speed or agility, or super intelligence, for example. You should also do this whenever you create a nemesis NPC that you intend to be a supervillain. When a character makes a check based on one of their super-characteristics, if the check generates a , immediately roll an additional into the pool. If that generates another , then roll an additional into the pool again. The player still gets to resolve all of the as usual. This can lead to some impressive results with lots of , which you should interpret as appropriately "super." Brawl checks punch opponents into the stratosphere, Coordination checks catch civilians falling hundreds of feet, and Perception checks hear what’s going on miles away. You’reOnly asGood asYour Villain The one thing that really makes a superhero adventure work is the archnemesis. No matter the type of campaign, your PCs need to face powerful challenges, and the best have a face behind them. Developing villains to battle your group should be an important part of running a superherothemed game, and grand fun for you, too. First off, try to match villains to your players. A scientific genius or magic-using villain would be a good match for groups strong on raw powers, for example. A powerful corporate conspiracy could bedevil those keen on urban patrols or crimebusting. A good villain is the antitheses to the heroes, after all! Like all antagonists, supervillains should also evolve and grow just like the players. No great villain stays down for long, regardless of the apparently permanent nature of their demise. They should always be ready to show up again, sporting a new bionic arm, costume, superpower, and of course, a renewed desire for vengeance!
GENESYS 252 Index Index A Accurate (quality).................................... 86,,200 action activate an ability ........................................101 perform a combat check............................101 perform a skill check..................................101 actions....................................................... 97,,101 exchange for maneuver..............................101 adversaries..............................................131,,202 fantasy ..........................................................146 modern day .................................................169 science fiction..............................................178 space opera ..................................................187 steampunk ...................................................157 weird war.....................................................163 Adversary (talent)............................................131 Agility..................................................................14 Alchemy (skill)...................................................57 Animal Companion (talent) ............................77 animalistic alien (species) ..............................182 Arcana (skill)......................................................70 archetypes................................................. 35,,192 create an archetype.....................................192 Aristocrat (archetype).......................................39 armor......................................................... 92,,198 assistance .................................................... 26,,98 Astrocartography (skill)....................................57 Athletics (skill)...................................................58 attack .................................................................101 Auto-fire (quality) .............................................86 Average Human (archetype)............................36 B Barrel Roll (talent).............................................77 Basic Military Training (talent).......................75 Berserk (talent)..................................................75 bioroid (species) ..............................................174 Blast (quality)........................................... 86,,200 Bought Info (talent) ..........................................72 Brawl (skill)........................................................67 Brawn..................................................................14 Breach (quality) ....................................... 87,,200 Burn (quality)........................................... 87,,200 C Can’t We Talk About This? (talent).................79 career...................................................................40 character archetype.................................................33,,35 background.............................................33,,34 career...................................................... 34,,40 generation......................................................33 Motivation............................................. 34,,46 species.....................................................33,,35 characteristics ....................................................13 Charm (skill)......................................................54 checks assisted ...........................................................26 combat..........................................................101 competitive....................................................26 opposed..........................................................25 Clever Retort (talent)........................................73 clone (species)..................................................174 Coercion (skill)..................................................55 collisions...........................................................222 combat check....................................................101 Computers (skill)...............................................58 concealment .....................................................110 Concentrate......................................................218 Concussive (quality) ............................... 87,,200 Cool (skill)..........................................................59 Coordinated Assault (talent)............................75 Coordination (skill) ..........................................59 corrosive atmosphere......................................111 Counteroffer (talent).........................................75 Counterspell.....................................................218 cover..................................................................110 Critical Hits............................................. 230, 231 Critical Injuries...............................89,,114,,115 recovery .......................................................117 critical remarks................................................123 Cumbersome (quality)............................ 87,,200 Cunning..............................................................15 cybernetics........................................................177 D damage.................................................... 102,,112 Daring Aviator (talent).....................................75 Deadeye (talent) ................................................79 death..................................................................116 Deception (skill)................................................56 Dedication (talent)............................................81 defense ............................................... 31,,92,,198 melee ..........................................................,105 ranged ........................................................,105 starting ...........................................................46 Defensive Driving (talent)................................80 Defensive (quality).................................. 87,,200 Defensive Stance (talent)..................................75 Defensive Sysops (Improved) (talent) ............76 Defensive Sysops (talent)..................................73 Defensive (talent) ..............................................80 Deflection (quality)................................. 87,,200 Desire (Motivation)...........................................47 Desperate Recovery (talent).............................73 dice Ability...............................................................9 Boost .........................................................9,,20 Challenge.......................................................10 Difficulty........................................................10 percentile .......................................................11 pool......................................................... 13,,19 Proficiency.......................................................9 Setback................................................... 10,,20 ten-sided ........................................................11 difficult terrain.................................................110 difficulty...................................................... 16,,20 Average...........................................................17 Daunting........................................................18 Easy.................................................................17 Formidable ....................................................18 Hard................................................................17 Impossible......................................................18 Simple.............................................................16 Discipline (skill) ................................................60 disoriented................................................ 87,,114 Disorient (quality)................................... 87,,200 Distinctive Style (talent)...................................78 Divine (skill) ......................................................70 Dodge (talent)....................................................78 downgrade..........................................................21 Driving (skill).....................................................60 Druid (career)....................................................43 Dual Wielder (talent)........................................76 Duelist (talent)...................................................73 Durable (talent) .................................................73 dwarf (species).................................................142 E Eagle Eyes (talent).............................................78 elf (species).......................................................142 encounters........................................................239 encumbrance............................................ 84,,198 threshold........................................................85 Enduring (talent)...............................................80 Ensnare (quality)...................................... 87,200 Entertainer (career)...........................................40 experience points.................................30,34 129 spending.........................................................44 Explorer (career)................................................41 F falling ................................................................112 fantasy (setting) ...............................................138 Fan the Hammer (talent)..................................76 fear.....................................................................243 Fear (Motivation) ..............................................48 Field Commander (Improved) (talent)..........80 Field Commander (talent) ...............................78 Fighter Pilot (career).........................................42 fire......................................................................111 Flaw (Motivation)..............................................49 flying..................................................................100 Forager (talent)..................................................73 Forgot to Count? (talent)..................................78 Full Throttle (talent)..........................................78 G Game Master.............................................. 6,,125 gang leader (adversary) ..................................134 gear............................................................ 93,,197 gravity ...............................................................110 Grenadier (talent)..............................................78 Grit (talent) ........................................................73 Guided (quality) ...................................... 87,,200 Gunnery (skill) ..................................................69 H Hacker (career)..................................................42 hacking..............................................................232 actions..........................................................233 Hamstring Shot (talent)....................................73 handling............................................................220 Healer (career)...................................................41 healing...............................................................116 Heightened Awareness (talent)........................76 Heroic Will (talent)...........................................79 Horror (tone)...................................................242 How Convenient! (talent).................................80 hull trauma .......................................................222 hull trauma threshold .....................................222 I immobilized ...................................................,114 impassable terrain ...........................................110 improvised weapons........................................109 Inaccurate (quality)................................. 87,,200 incidentals .................................................. 96,,97 Indomitable (talent)..........................................81 Inferior (quality)................................................88 Initiative.................................................... 95,,129 Inspiring Rhetoric (Improved) (talent)..........78 Inspiring Rhetoric (Supreme) (talent)............80 Inspiring Rhetoric (talent) ...............................76 Intellect ...............................................................15 Intellectual (archetype).....................................38 Intrigue (tone)..................................................245 Inventor (talent).................................................76 items.......................................................... 82,,197 attachments.................................................206 fantasy ..........................................................143 hard points...................................................206 maintenance ..................................................89 modern.........................................................165 qualities................................................ 86,,199 science fiction..............................................175 setting specific...143,,153,,161,,165,,175,,184 space opera ..................................................184
GENESYS 253 Index steampunk ...................................................153 weird war.....................................................161 J Jump Up (talent)................................................73 K Knack for It (talent)...........................................73 Knight (career)...................................................42 Knockdown (quality)........................................88 Knowledge (skill)...............................................66 Know Somebody (talent)..................................74 L Laborer (archetype)...........................................37 Leader (career)...................................................41 Leadership (skill)...............................................56 Let’s Ride (talent)...............................................74 Limited Ammo (quality)........................ 88,,200 Linked (quality)....................................... 88,,200 Lucky Strike (talent)..........................................76 M Mad Inventor (talent) .......................................80 Mad Scientist (career).......................................43 magic.................................................................210 magic implements...........................................218 maneuvers ..........................................................97 aim..................................................................97 assist ...............................................................98 guarded stance ..............................................99 interact with the environment....................99 manage gear...................................................99 mount or dismount......................................99 move.............................................................100 preparation..................................................100 stand or drop prone....................................100 Master (talent) ...................................................81 Mechanics (skill)................................................60 Medicine (skill)..................................................61 melee attack......................................................103 Melee (Heavy) (skill).........................................68 Melee (Light) (skill)...........................................68 Melee (skill)........................................................67 minions.............................................................131 modern day (setting).......................................164 mongrel (species) ............................................152 Motivations...................................... 46,,123,,129 Mystery (tone) .................................................246 N Narrative Dice System.................................6, 130 narrative gameplay ............................................95 Natural (talent)..................................................79 Negotiation (skill)..............................................56 nemeses.............................................................133 extra activations..........................................205 O One with Nature (talent)..................................74 Operating (skill) ................................................62 orc (species)......................................................143 Overcharge (Improved) (talent)......................81 Overcharge (talent)...........................................80 P painkiller (item).................................................94 painkillers................................................. 94,,116 Painkiller Specialization (talent).....................79 Parry (Improved) (talent).................................79 Parry (talent)......................................................74 Perception (skill) ...............................................62 Pierce (quality)......................................... 88,,200 Piloting (skill) ....................................................62 planetary scale..................................................224 Prepare (quality)...................................... 88,,200 Presence ..............................................................15 Priest (career).....................................................43 Primal (skill) ......................................................70 prone .................................................................108 Proper Upbringing (talent)..............................74 psionic (species)...............................................182 Pulp (tone)........................................................247 Q Quick Draw (talent)..........................................74 Quick Strike (talent)..........................................74 R range..................................................................105 bands............................................................105 engaged ........................................................106 extreme ........................................................107 long...............................................................106 medium........................................................106 short .............................................................106 strategic........................................................224 ranged attack........................................... 102, 103 Ranged (Light) (skill)........................................68 Ranged (skill)..............................................68,,69 Rapid Archery (talent)......................................79 Rapid Reaction (talent).....................................74 rarity....................................................................82 Reinforced (quality)..........................................88 Resilience (skill).................................................63 revenant (archtype).........................................152 Riding (skill) ......................................................63 rivals..................................................................132 robot (species)..................................................183 Romance and Drama (tone) ..........................248 Ruinous Repartee (talent) ................................81 Rule Zero ..........................................................125 S sanity .................................................................244 Scathing Tirade (Improved) (talent)...............79 Scathing Tirade (Supreme) (talent) ................81 Scathing Tirade (talent)....................................77 science fiction (setting)...................................170 Scoundrel (career).............................................41 Second Wind (talent)........................................74 Side Step (talent)................................................77 silhouette ................................................109,,222 skills.................................................... 16,,52,,190 combat............................................................67 creating new skills ......................................190 general............................................................57 knowledge......................................................66 magic..............................................................70 social...............................................................54 Skulduggery (skill) ............................................64 Slow-Firing (quality)............................... 88,,200 soak............................................31,,92,,105,,198 starting ...........................................................46 social encounters.............................................118 Socialite (career)................................................41 Soldier (career) ..................................................41 space opera (setting).......................................179 species...............................................................192 create a species............................................192 speed..................................................................221 spellcasters........................................................210 spells..................................................................211 Attack ................................................. 212,,215 Augment ............................................ 212,,215 Barrier................................................ 212,,216 Conjure .............................................. 212,,216 Curse .................................................. 213,,217 Dispel ................................................. 213,,217 Heal .................................................... 214,,217 Utility ...........................................................214 staggered.........................................................,114 Starship Captain (career)..................................43 Stealth (skill) ......................................................64 steampunk (setting) ........................................148 Story Points.............................................. 27,,129 Story pools..........................................................28 strain................................................................,113 strain threshold......................31,,113,,122,,193 starting ...........................................................45 street tough (adversary)..................................134 Streetwise (skill).................................................65 Strength (Motivation).......................................48 structured gameplay..........................................95 Stun Damage (quality)......................................88 Stun (quality) ........................................... 88,,200 suffocation........................................................112 Sunder (quality).................................................88 Superheroes (tones).........................................250 Superior (quality)..............................................88 Surgeon (talent).................................................74 Survival (skill)....................................................65 Swift (talent).......................................................75 swimming.........................................................111 symbols Advantage...............................................11,,23 Despair....................................................13,,24 Failure .....................................................12,,23 Success ....................................................11,,23 Threat ......................................................12,,23 Triumph..................................................12,,24 system strain.....................................................223 system strain threshold...................................223 T talents................................................. 27,,71,,194 activation ............................................. 72,,195 tiers....................................................... 71,,195 tones..................................................................241 Toughened (talent)............................................75 Tractor (quality).................................................89 Tradesperson (career).......................................42 two-weapon combat........................................108 U unarmed combat..............................................108 Unremarkable (talent) ......................................75 Unwieldy (quality)................................... 89,,200 upgrade ...............................................................21 V vacuum..............................................................111 vanguard (species)...........................................183 vehicle actions..................................................227 Additional Vehicle Actions .......................230 Blanket Barrage...........................................228 Concentrated Barrage ................................228 Damage Control .........................................228 Dangerous Driving.....................................227 Gain the Advantage....................................229 Perform a Combat Check..........................230 vehicle maneuvers...........................................226 Accelerate ....................................................226 Brace for Impact .........................................227 Decelerate ....................................................227 Evade ............................................................227 Reposition....................................................227 vehicles..............................................................220 actions..........................................................227 combat..........................................................225 Critical Hits.................................................231 maneuvers....................................................226 Vicious (quality)...................................... 89,,200 Vigilance (skill)..................................................65 W weapons.................................................... 90,,199 weird war (setting) ..........................................158 Willpower...........................................................15 Wizard (career)..................................................43 wounds..............................................................112 wound threshold.............................31,,112,,193 starting ...........................................................45
Permission granted to photocopy for personal use only. © FFG. Character sheet also available for download at www.FantasyFlightGames.com CHAR ACTER WEAPONS CHARACTERISTICS Character Name: CAREER: PLAYER: SKILLS SOAK VALUE AVAILABLE XP BRAWN AGILITY INTELLECT CUNNING WILLPOWER PRESENCE WOUNDS STRAIN DEFENSE THRESHOLD CURRENT THRESHOLD CURRENT RANGED MELEE GENERAL SKILLS SETTING? CAREER? RANK Alchemy (Int) Astrocartogrphy (Int) Athletics (Br) Computers (Int) Cool (Pr) Coordination (Ag) Discipline (Will) Driving (ag) Mechanics (Int) Medicine (Int) Operating (Int) Perception (Cun) Piloting (Ag) Resilience (Br) Riding (Ag) Skulduggery (Cun) Stealth (Ag) Streetwise (Cun) Survival (Cun) Vigilance (Will) MAGIC SKILLS SETTING? CAREER? RANK Arcana (Int) Divine (Will) Primal (Cun) COMBAT SKILLS SETTING? CAREER? RANK Brawl (Br) Gunnery (Ag) Melee (Br) Melee-Heavy (Br) Melee-Light (Br) Ranged (Ag) Ranged-Heavy (Ag) Ranged-Light (Ag) SOCIAL SKILLS SETTING? CAREER? RANK Charm (Pr) Coercion (Will) Deception (Cun) Leadership (Pr) Negotiation (Pr) KNOWLEDGE SKILLS SETTING? CAREER? RANK Knowledge (Int) CUSTOM SKILLS SETTING? CAREER? RANK WEAPON SKILL DAMAGE CRIT RANGE SPECIAL SPECIES/ARCHETYPE: TOTAL XP
MOTIVATIONS Strength: Desire: Flaw: Fear: NOTES EQUIPMENT LOG Weapons & Armor: Personal Gear: Money: TALENTS AND SPECIAL ABILITIES NAME PAGE # ABILITY SUMMARY Permission granted to photocopy for personal use only. © FFG. Character sheet also available for download at www.FantasyFlightGames.com SEVERITY RESULT CRITICAL INJURIES CHARACTER ILLUSTRATION CHARACTER DESCRIPTION GENDER: AGE: HEIGHT: BUILD: HAIR: EYES: NOTABLE FEATURES:
TALENT PYRAMID Permission granted to photocopy for personal use only. © LFL. © FFG. Character sheet also available for download at www.FantasyFlightGames.com PURCHASING TALENTS TIER 1 5XP TIER 3 15XP TIER 5 25XP TIER 2 10XP TIER 4 20XP This sheet tracks the talents that you purchase for your character. When you purchase your character’s first Tier 1 talent, record it in the upper leftmost box in the Tier 1 column. When purchasing talents, your character must have more talents in a tier than they do in the next highest tier. TALENT ACTIVE? PAGE # TALENT ACTIVE? PAGE # TALENT ACTIVE? PAGE # TALENT ACTIVE? PAGE # TALENT ACTIVE? PAGE # TALENT ACTIVE? PAGE # TALENT ACTIVE? PAGE # TALENT ACTIVE? PAGE # TALENT ACTIVE? PAGE # TALENT ACTIVE? PAGE # TALENT ACTIVE? PAGE # TALENT ACTIVE? PAGE # TALENT ACTIVE? PAGE # TALENT ACTIVE? PAGE # TALENT ACTIVE? PAGE # TALENT ACTIVE? PAGE # TALENT ACTIVE? PAGE # TALENT ACTIVE? PAGE # TALENT ACTIVE? PAGE # TALENT ACTIVE? PAGE # TALENT ACTIVE? PAGE # TALENT ACTIVE? PAGE # TALENT ACTIVE? PAGE # TALENT ACTIVE? PAGE # TALENT ACTIVE? PAGE #