Sunday, February 3, 2013

D6 Supers
So in my quest to find a D6 superhero game I like, I have had little straight up success. It actually has
been quite frustrating and disheartening.

First up, if you want to do superheroics in D6 you must look at the D6 Core
System book. This document, as I had stated previously, a revolution is how I saw gaming back in the
late 90's and continues to be a massive influence on me. That said the approach to superheroic gaming
in this book leaves a bit to be desired. It does what I feel is an unforgivable thing for a D6 system, it
breaks out of D6 to cover the cost of superpowers. This is jarring as it breaks the nice and smooth flow of
D6 and forces me to adapt a whole other system, and then come back to D6. It doesn't appeal at all to
me sense of style. Hence when the next game I speak about came out, I had reservations, which
wouldn't be proven out, but a whole other set of issues would come up.

West End Games next foray into the superheroic gaming as the much lamented DC Universe roleplaying
game. At first I was most excited, they even purchased powers using d6s just like the rest of the
system! Slowly but surely though my enthusiasm waned. The game was over complicated, broken on so
many levels that it would take 4 supplements to fix all the issues and ultimately failed to find an
audience. The sad part is that it could have worked, had they not done what it seems EVERYONE does
when making a superhero game. More on that later.
So giving up my dreams of a D6 superheroic roleplaying system, I moved on and started playing other
games and using old FASERIP for my super hero gaming. Eventually I would try BASH (and love it!)
andICONS (not so much), as well as terrible multiple attempts at Mutants & Masterminds (do not want),
but still longed quietly for a D6 superhero game. Then I found D6 Powers, which was not to be my
salvation either.

West End Games did a release run of D6 Fantasy, D6 Adventureand D6 Space. These were given away
for free as PDFs and then I saw D6 Powers! At first I thought it was a legit WEG product, but it turned out
to be 3rd party. So what? Let's dive in... wait what is this? Oh this was based off another game and has
its setting specific rules in it? AND it uses a secondary point system to get my powers? Le sigh... While I
respect what they did and they have had a great deal of success with it, it just isn't what I want in my
superheroics from D6.
So it seemed that my quest had come to an end. A D6 supers system had been made that seemingly
made the fans happy and gave them what they wanted. I didn't, but I accepted that I often go against the
grain, that's just the way I roll.

While surfing the web one day I stumbled across the strangest thing I thought I would ever
see. Someone calling themselves Talon had made a fan version of my beloved FASERIP as a D6 port! I
digested it with great aplomb and while there were some great ideas (Bad Karma as a sort of Darkside
port was just exceptional!), it used the powers system from D6 Adventure, about which the less said the
better. I certainly did love that he used the Marvel SAGA rpg cover for his efforts, as I feel it is one of the
best superhero game covers ever.

When Mini-Six came out, I was very excited to see that someone had picked up the floundering D6 and
created something special, but alas there was just no rules for supers in it. When I posted around and
asked, I hear a lot of people saying "I'm working on it!" or "It's on the way!" but now 3 years later, nothing
has manifested. I did see this one post on rpg.netthat gave me hope, but for the life of me I can't find it
now. Someone had stated up a bunch of published superheroes and it seemed rather simple, which is
something I want to talk more about later in this post. More on this, Mini Six supers thing when I get more
details.

So pretty much having given up on D6 as a superhero game, I wandered around and eventually friends
online told me to check outSUPERS! by Simon Washbourne. First off let me say this, when I found out
Simon was open to selling the rights to this game, I was so impressed I talked my partner in crime Walt
Robillard into joining me in purchasing said rights. As I type this, we are hard at work on a Revised
Edition of the rules for release later this year. It is that good a game. Why do I mention it here? Well it
uses D6s and more so I remember when I was reading it the first time it would work perfectly as a D6
super power add on, with some tweaks of course. It is just simple and focuses on the more comic book
emulation, without being too gimmicky about it. I highly recommend you check it out, not just cause I coown it, but because it is just that good a game!
So why doesn't D6 have a supers system I like? Well I think it has to do with what I call
theChampions influence. Champions was omnipresent and it influenced more than a generation of game
designers and players, it defined what was a based for superhero roleplaying design. Sadly I never got
into it as I found it clunky, fiddly and just ripe for abuse and manipulation by clever character
engineering. That holds no interest for me, and to be honest of than FASERIPs more open powers and
descriptive nature, SUPERS! is the first game that really gets how it works. You have Fire Control. Okay,
how do YOU use it in this scene? By having a more free-form style of using powers, players think
more creatively and if they are comic book fans, they will hopefully think in those ways.
So why not just play SUPERS! and be done with it? Well to be honest there are 2 reasons. The first is
that the system around the powers in SUPERS! is a bit too narrative for me, I want just a little bit more
rules. D6 gives me more structure but doesn't got too far likeSavage

Worlds, GURPS or Unisystem. While those are all great games, proven by their loyal fanbases, they
aren't for me.
The second reason is that I simply LOVE D6.
So what now? Well I have a side project for me and my players that may or may-not see the light of day
here eventually, but I plan to take the D6 system and fuse it with SUPERS! (for the powers mostly) and
get down to kicking some supervillain asses!
If there is interest, I might post bits and pieces of it here, but ultimately it is just for me and is not a
publishing venture.
Either way, wish me luck!

Monday, February 4, 2013

HEROIC: D6 Supers - Part 1 Origins

So for those of you who saw the post about my issues with all D6 superhero versions, I have decided to
give in to my needs and work on a fan version. Hopefully I will achieve my goal of getting this done, since
there are MANY D6/Mini Six superhero projects, but none ever seem to come to fruition. Wish me luck I
guess.
I also need to get that cover finished at some point, but we can fix the barn doors after the horses come
home.
So the first thing I am going to do is use the old D6 System corebook as my primary guideline, followed
by Mini Six and the D6 Legend document. In the end I have decided that I will make this a Legend based
system, since that is the fastest playing, even at higher dice numbers.
Note moving forward that I will be using the following Attributes; Fighting, Agility, Strength, Endurance,
Reason, Intuition and Psyche. More on these in a later post about Attributes. Yes I love the old Marvel
that much.
Moving on.

Origins
The first step to making a character is to chose an Origin. Every hero (and villain) has an origin or source
for their powers. The following list is provided to cover most of them, though if your concept doesnt fit
into one of them feel free to come up with something (along with your Narrator) that fits;

Alien You are an extra-terrestrial, a subterranean or even an extra-dimensional being. Whatever the
case you are a normal example of your species, with all the powers they normally have. If you are not a
normal member of your species, you should choose another category to reflect how you are different from
your people. In some campaigns Aliens are common place and no one bats an eye at their appearance,
in others they are to be feared and mistrusted. Most aliens are either technology specialists or warriors
from beyond the stars and as such Alien characters start with +1D in either Fighting or Reason and a
free combat skill or technology skill at +1D. With Narrator approval you may change the Attribute and
Skill bonus if you Alien is a little different than the standard.
Altered Through either accident or design you are no longer a standard member of the human race (or
other race if not human). You have been given tremendous powers by your origin event and are well
outside the norm. The downside to this is that your powers can be nullified by technology or other powers
designed to do so. The commonness of these things is really up to the individual Narrators so check
before assuming. Altered characters start play with +1D in their Endurance and a free
skill at +1D or +2D in any power, regardless of cost (with Narrator approval of course).
Construct You were made, either through technology, science or magic. You may or may not be a
sentient being (if not you are no more than a robot or golem) and you may or may not be considered
alive in legal, biological and metaphysical terms. In some campaigns you may be seen as an
abomination that is feared and mistrusted by normal people, in others you may be the logical evolution of
technology or even a mix of both. Constructs start play with a +2D in either
their Strength or Intuition but may not have a Psyche higher than 1D unless approved by the
Narrator. Also, they automatically get the Unliving Hindrance for no benefit.
Magical All of your power either comes from magical spells or magical items that you carry. These are
the only characters that use the previous mentioned abilities. Those who were given their powers via
magic are considered Altered and those characters that were made by means of magic are considered
Constructs. Magical characters tend to attract Magical enemies and powers from beyond so choose this
Origin with caution. Magical Origin characters start play with either a +1D in
their Psyche and Spellcraft skill +1D (if they are casters) or 1 free magical item at +1D, regardless of
power Tier (If they are Artifact Users). They also get, for no benefit, either the "Watched" Hindrance to
represent that the Powers-That-Be have knowledge of the character, or "Enemy" to represent a particular
rival.
Mutant You were born with powers that are not the norm for humans (or your race). Depending on the
campaign you are in you may be hated, or even hunted. In another campaign you might be seen as the
saviors of the world or even mystical gods. Best to ask your Narrator how they treat Mutants in their
campaign before picking this origin. Mutants start play with a +1D in any Attribute of their choosing
and +1D in any Power of their choosing, regardless of power Tier. They also must take one Hindrance,
for no benefit, that relates to their status in the campaign setting.
High-Tech Be it a power suit, a cool laser-sighted bow or even a series of ever changing gadgets, you
get your powers from one place only, technology. The upside to this is that you dont set off any power
scanners and nullifiers have no effect on you (on your tech is another question). The downside is that
your gear can get stolen, broken or even lost. High-Tech characters start with a +2D in their Reason and
a related Reason skill at +1D if they designed their own tech. If they are just the user/pilot they instead
get a +1D in theirEndurance, a related Skill at +1D and a +1D power, regardless of Power Tier
costs. All powers they have must have the Equipment Limitation.
Intense Training The very definition of the self-made-man or woman or subterranean volcanic
being whatever the case you have trained your body to perfection, though you never stop pushing for
better. Intense Training origin characters have no true super powers and tend to rely on equipment or
their own bodies. Intense training characters start play with
a+1D in Fighting, Agility, Strength or Endurance and +1D in a related skill. They also get the
Normal Hindrance for no benefit.

Afterthoughts
So it begins. More to come as we move along, but up next will be the Attributes coverage. This looks to
be a long more fun than I thought, so hopefully that will come sooner rather than later.
Oh and one final note, I am NOT fighting for some sort of "balance" that modern gaming
is obsessed with. I am old school in that way and won't even address comments about it, though I AM
happy to discuss anything else.
Cheers!

Wednesday, February 6, 2013

HEROIC: D6 Supers - Part 2 Attributes

The most important part of any D6 game is deciding what attributes to use. I say this, because one of my
favourite parts of the D6 system is the lack of homogeneity between the versions. There is no need for a
"standard" set of attributes, each can have their own version.
So like the D6 MSH fan edit I found, I will use FASERIP as the basis for my stats.
My first decision about these attributes will be that there will not be the normal Human maximum is
4D. Instead there will be a limit based on each individual attribute what is the maximum normal human;
but for the Superhuman the maximum will be 10D. Anything beyond that is qualified as Cosmic and will
require an advantage (Perks, more later) to unlock them for purchase (and of course the Narrator's
approval).
So let's look at each attribute and see what we can see;
FIGHTING
A measure of raw hand-to-hand combat ability; this goes from infants swinging their hands right up to
Martial Artists and highly trained Special Forces in the Human range and up to Gods of War in the
Superhuman range. This attribute is the base for any and all hand-to-hand actions.
Rank
1
2
3
4

Benchmark
No training or ability
Normal Human ability
Minimal Training or natural ability
Some formal training

5
6
7
8
9
10

Regular Formal Training

Superior talent
Superior talent with training
Maximum human potential
Superhuman ability
Superhuman with intensive training

AGILITY
Reactions, speed, manual dexterity, etc all covered by this attribute. One of the largest ranges for
normal humans, it is the default attribute for all ranged combat and is also used for the defense of ranged
attacks. It is also used as part of the Initiative calculation (along with Intuition).
Rank
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10

Benchmark
Physically limited
Clumsy, inaccurate
Normal human reactions
Some training in dexterity and/or accuracy
Intensive training in dexterity and/or accuracy
Olympic Athlete
Olympic Gymnast
Superhuman sense of dexterity or accuracy
Superhuman sense of dexterity and accuracy
Movement and reactions in a flash, rarely misses

STRENGTH
Raw physical power, unless otherwise stated this is the measure of how many dice a hand-to-hand attack
does. It also gives the range of lifting for determining how much a character can lift. Please note there is
a super power called Super Strength that makes modifications to the following chart, but otherwise this is
the base.
Rank
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10

Benchmark
Able to press up to 50lbs
Able to press up to 100lbs
Able to press up to 200lbs
Able to press up to 500lbs
Able to press up to 800lbs, limit of human ability
Able to press up to 1 ton
Able to press up to 10 tons
Able to press up to 100 tons
Able to press up to 1000 tons
Able to press up to 10,000 tons

ENDURANCE
The final physical attribute is the measure of constitution for the hero. How long can he keep going
before exhaustion? Is she able to withstand the poison gas? Can they hold their breath after getting
thrown out of the air lock long enough for their teammates to rescue them?; all a measure of Endurance.
Rank
1
2
3
4
5

Benchmark
Reduced or impaired ability
Minimal ability or exercise
Occasional exercise
Moderate exercise
Regular exercise

6
7
8
9
10

Intensive exercise, limit of human ability

Enhanced ability
Enhanced and trained ability
Rarely tires, great fortitude
Never tires

REASON
Not a measure of how intelligent a character is, but instead a measure of how tech-savvy and
scientifically inclined they are. This attribute is used for making, modify or using technology, or the
sciences involved in various aspects of said technology.
Rank
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10

Benchmark
Grasp of native language and simple machines
Limited exposure to technology, can use complex machines
Operate contemporary technology
Repair contemporary technology
Modify contemporary technology
Understand cutting edge and theoretical concepts
Understand alien technologies
Create ground breaking technologies like star drives or time machines
Improve and modify alien technologies
In effect IS an alien technology

INTUITION
Awareness, perception and general pay attention is covered by Intuition. It is used for noticing clues,
blindside and surprise attacks and even aspects of others behaviour. It is also used as part of the
Initiative calculation (along with Agility).
Rank
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10

Benchmark
Limited or impaired senses
A little slow on the uptake
Normal human awareness
Above average intuition
Fine eye for detail
Detective skills or background
Strong empathic sense, gut feeling
In tune with all surroundings, strong hunches
Senses beyond all normal limitations
In touch with the Universe and cannot be surprised

PSYCHE
Psyche is a measure of the raw spirituality and mental willpower of an individual. Psychics and wizards
alike rely on this attribute to help determine their base power with spells or psionics, it is also used to
resist them.
Rank
1
2
3
4
5
6
7

Benchmark
Easily dominated or programmed
Shy, hampered in sense of will
Normal human willpower/presence
Resist ordinary mesmerism, stand out in a room
Some experience with mental control, leadership and/or mystic forces
Trained in resisting outside will-dominating force, natural born leader
Highly trained, great natural charisma or possessing great strength of will.

8
9
10

Indomitable willpower
Intense training in mental powers, experience in wielding those powers
A closed mind, nigh uncontrollable by outside means

So there you have it, the Attributes section. I will explain later how many Dice you get at this point when I
get around to the "Character Creation" post, but for now the ground work continues.
Up next: Skills

Thursday, February 7, 2013

HEROIC: D6 Supers - Part 3 Skills

Skills
All skills start at the same rank as their parent Attribute, and then dice are added to them during character
creation (they can be improved later). Normally skills are added to the parent Attribute to determine the
dice pool, though in some cases they might be added with a power.
Specializations are purchased at 1D higher than the parent skill, but can never be more than +3D over
the parent.
Any skill with a * attached cannot be used untrained.
The following is the list of what Skill levels mean;
Die Code
1D
2D
3D
4D
5D
6D

Description
Below Average: untrained human average
Novice: below average human level
Average: average level of training for a human
Competent: above average level of expertise
Skilled: professional level of training for a human
Professional: considered among the best in a city or geographic
area
7D
Exceptional: considered among the best in a state, region or
province
8D
Brilliant: considered among the best on a continent
9D
Nationally Renowned: among the best in the world
10D
World Renowned: among the top few individuals possessing this
skill in the world
------------------ Cosmic Beyond 10D**

11D
12D
13D
14D
15D

Master: the worlds best seek advice from this individual

Sector Renowned: among the best in a star system
Galactically Renowned: among the best in several star systems
Legendary: stories of the individuals skill will be passed down
for generations
Mythical: the individual will be known for all time as one of the
greatest in this skill

**Normally Cosmic ranks (11D+) are not available unless the players has taken the Cosmic Perk with
Narrator approval.
FIGHTING SKILLS
Brawling This is the raw untrained skill at fighting. No technique, not style, just bash it until it stops
moving. Specializations would be chosen from the list of Combat Maneuvers found later.
*Martial Arts Formal training that might include everything from Kung-Fu to Boxing to Street
Fighting. For every 2D in this skill a character has, they gain an extra Hand-to-Hand action per
round. This could be an attack or a parry and if they are capable even a dodge (see Master of the Martial
Arts Perk later). This is only given for every full 2D they character has in Martial Arts; someone with 3D
would only gain 2 actions, while 4D would get 2, etc Specializations for this skill are chosen from the
Combat Maneuvers list.
Melee Combat This skill covers all handheld weapons, including improvised ones (such as mail boxes,
cars, and street lights). It represents the ability to both attack and defend with such
weapons. Specializations include specific weapons or even Weapons of Opportunity.
AGILITY SKILLS
Athletics Athletics is a catch-all skill for a lot of different physical abilities, but at its base it covers the
characters base ability to move their body. Possible specializations include specific sports, acrobatics,
gymnastics, etc unless it is covered by an existing skill, if it is physical, Athletics covers it.
Ranged Combat Need to hit that guy over there with a rock, a bullet, an arrow or an energy blast? This
is your go-to skill for such acts. Specializations include specific types of weapons (pistols, rifles, bows),
powers (Self) and hand-eye-coordination (thrown) attacks.
Piloting This is the skill of movement without walking, running or swimming. Aka, driving, riding, flying,
etc Specializations include the previously mentioned as well as boating and self (for fliers).
Slight-of-Hand Now you see it, now you dont. Need to palm that key card? Follow the alien into
thinking you threw the detonator off the roof-top? Here it is. Specializations include palming, juggling,
pick-pocketing, etc
Stealth A hero who wants to move silently, leaves false trails and slips past surveillance devices
undetected uses this skill. Sneak only covers the ability to be stealthy and quiet; its results affect all
senses. Sneak is opposed by Awareness/Notice or Tracking. Specializations include terrain type (jungle,
urban, etc), hiding and even shadowing.
STRENGTH SKILLS
Climbing - The hero knows how to scale a vertical surface. She can move up the surface at her normal
movement rate (barring environmental factors) with this skill; otherwise she moves at half her normal
rate. Specializations include rock climbing, indoor wall climbing, rope climbing, wall-crawling, etc

Feat-of-Strength When a hero has to push themselves or dig down deep and get that burning car off
their teammate, or hold up the crumbling building, etc this is the skill that is used. Note it does not
increase the amount the character can lift, unless they are making a Push roll to increase their Strength
for a specific action, then this skill would be used as well. Specializations are things like carrying, deadlifting and pressing.
Leaping This skill governs leaping over pits, chasms, or other obstacle gaps, as well as jumping up and
grabbing an outcropping. Specializations include things like long jump, high jump and such.
Wrestling The only hand-to-hand style that doesnt use Fighting as its base. Wrestling is used primarily
for grappling attacks (see Combat for more details) and specializations include specific maneuvers.
ENDURANCE SKILLS
Resistance Need to resist the effects of a poison? Need to see if that power nullifying field is stronger
than you? Need to hold out against an alien plague? This is the skill. Specializations are toxins,
diseases and energies.
Running When you need to go a little faster or last a little longer in the race, this is the skill for
you. Specializations include sprinting, marathon and pacing.
Stamina When all else fails and you have pushed yourself to your limits, this is when stamina is called
into question. Specializations are Pushing and Exhaustion.
Swimming This skill helps the hero float as well as move quickly through water. For every round the
hero wants to float or cover some distance, she must make a swimming roll. Specializations include long
distance, short distance, diving and treading.
REASON SKILLS
Computers This skill represents more than just using computers, but in fact programming them as
well. Specializations include programming, specific system types, or hacking.
Engineering A must have for gadgeteers and inventors this skill relates to the heros ability to build new
items and alter existing ones. Combined with sciences and/or medicine skills, the engineering skill allows
the hero to create entirely new items, for buildings to spaceships to new life forms. Specializations for
this skill include mechanical, electrical, theoretical, etc
Knowledge (Type) If there is a type of knowledge or trivia that is not covered by another Reason skill,
this is your catch all. When taking this skill you must select a type. There are no specializations for this
skill. Types include such things as Occult, History of, Area Knowledge of a specific city, nation, etc
cultural knowledge as well are part of this skill.
Language (Type) Other than their native language (which they are assumed to speak at Reason level),
any extra languages are covered by this skill and must be selected when taken. There are no
specializations for this skill, type examples are French, German, Japanese, etc
*Magic All spell-casters and sorcerers require this skill to perform magic castings. Specializations
include such things as summoning, alternation, protection, counter-spell, etc This skill cannot be used
untrained.
*Medicine More than just first aid, this skill represents a working knowledge of medicine and training in
the field. Specializations include first aid, diagnosis, surgery, etc this skill cannot be used untrained.

Repair This skill covers the heros general ability to fix things. The difficulty is based upon the heros
familiarity with the object hes trying to repair. Specializations include electronics, robots, engines and
other technologies.
Sciences This skill covers knowledge and education related to hard science and theoretical
technology. Specializations include specific scientific disciplines and even theoretical ones such as the
metaphysics and other things related to superheroes.
INTUITION SKILLS
Awareness An all purpose noticing things skill, Awareness can be used to test for surprise, finding
hidden things or even noticing personality quirks. Specializations include; Search, Notice, Sense Motive,
etc
Disguise Using disguise allows a hero to alter her features so that she is unrecognizable/recognizable
as else. Heroes can use makeup, wigs, costumes, or whatever they have at hand to make the disguise.
This skill is opposed by Awarness to attempt to see through disguise. Specializations include, costuming,
makeup usage, accents, body movement, etc
Gambling This includes a working knowledge of games-of-chance, odds calculation and how to
manipulate these things. Gambling checks are made mostly when trying to cheat or trying to detect
cheating. Specializations include, Bluff, Cheat, or a specific game.
Streetwise This skill is used to find information, goods, and contacts in an urban environment.
Typically, streetwise is used in large cities where a shadowy underworld element exists. Using streetwise,
a hero can gain information not accessible through more conventional means of
research. Specializations include specific city, specific criminal organization, specific neighbourhood,
etc
Survival A successful survival roll allows the hero to learn about his surroundings and its inherent
dangers. In a situation where the danger is coming from a local source, the hero can roll to see if he
knows how to handle the situation. Specializations include specific terrain types (not that Urban is
handled by Streetwise).
Tracking A hero uses tracking to follow the trail of any person, animal, or alien being. Specializations
include specific terrain types (not that Urban is handled by Streetwise).
PSYCHE SKILLS
Animal Handling This skill measures the heros ability to control common animals, though not to ride
them. It is generally used to make animals perform tricks and follow commands. Specializations include
specific types of animal, or specific types of tricks/training with animals.
Artistic Expression (Type) The artist skill involves all aspects of creating a work of art, from paintings
to sonatas. There are no specializations for this skill. A type must be chosen and can include drawing,
painting, photography, singing, playing a musical instrument, journalism, creating forgeries, etc
Persuasion This is the overall skill for manipulating people through various means. It is a catch-all skill
that mostly benefits from its specializations, which can include seduction, intimidation, fast talking,
command, charm, interrogation, etc
Willpower This skill measures the heros strength of will and determination. It is used to oppose mental
attacks and coercion attempts (that is Psyche-based skills and powers related to Psyche if no appropriate
power is present). It can also be used as a last ditch effort to keep going. A hero may also use this skill
to continue to stand and fight, even after her Wounds have dropped to zero. (Note: Wounds cannot fall
below zero; all extra damage is disregarded.) The hero makes a willpower skill roll during each round

following the one in which she dropped to zero wounds. This roll counts as an extra action for determining
multi-action penalties. If the hero fails her willpower roll, she falls unconscious. Specializations include
the specific kind of coercion to be resisted (bluff, charm, intimidation, interrogation, etc), torture, mental
attacks, pain tolerance, etc
Summary

This is just a first run assortment of skills that I feel are most important for a game. It was cobbled
together from the D6 Legend document. If there are skill missing that you feel are important to be their
own and not just a specialization of an existing skill, feel free to add them to your games.
Up next: Statistics

Thursday, February 7, 2013

HEROIC: D6 Supers - Part 4 - Statistics

Today you get 2 updates!

Statistics
Statistics are a series of calculated qualifiers that are used to determine various aspects of how the
heroes interact with the campaign universe as well as a series of combat abilities.
Passive Defenses
Passive Defenses provide essentially target numbers for attacks against the heroes, with the exception of
Soak. What that means is that if the player does not wish to take an extra action to Actively Defend
against an attack, the Passive Defense is the number of Successes that the attacked must beat to
succeed against the hero.
Each Passive Defense is used against specific types of attack.
Evade
(Fighting + Intuition + Brawling/Martial Arts)/3 round up
Evading is the type of defense used in hand-to-hand fighting. Against unarmed attacks, Evade is the
target number the attacker must beat. If the defender wishes to use an Active Evade, they use their
Brawling or Martial Arts.

Dodge
(Agility + Intuition + Athletics)/3 round up
Used only for ranged attacks, Dodge is the Passive Defense against bullets, arrows, energy blast,
etc If the hero wishes to use an Active Defense, they would use their Athletics skill.
Parry
(Fighting + Agility + Melee Combat)/3 round up
When engaged in melee weapon combat, Parry is the Passive Defense that must be targeted. If the hero
that is being attacked has no weapon, shield or bracer (or other form of armor that can be used) the
armed attacker must go against the Evade of the hero. The Active Defense of this is Melee Combat, but
requires some sort of item with which to parry the incoming attack.
Active Defenses
If the character is hit in combat, Active or Passive Defense not withstanding, they must Soak the incoming
damage. The base Soak of any hero is the average of their 4 physical statistics as dice that are used to
reduce the incoming damage of any attack. This number of dice can be added to by powers or physical
types of armour that help reduce the incoming damage. For more on damage see the combat section of
the Game Rules later in this document.
Soak
(Fighting + Agility + Strength + Endurance)/4 round up
Karma, Hero, & Villain Points
Karma Points are a number of points there hero starts with for use in play. Later in play they will gain
and lose them through play, but at start they receive a total number of Karma equal to the average of their
3 mental attributes. For more on the use of Karma, see the chapter on Karma later in this document.
Karma
(Reason + Intuition + Psyche)/3 round up
Hero Points are used by the character in desperate situations or when all odds are against them. All
characters start with 1 Hero Point at the beginning of play. For more rules on the use and how to gain
Hero Points refer to later in this document.
Villain Points are the evil equivalent of Hero Points. Normally heroes do not start with any, unless they
have specific Hindrances that provide them. For the gaining and consequences of Villain Points, please
refer to later in this document.
Figured Statistics
FAME/INFAMY
Fame is a numerical rating that represents the heros standing with the general populace of the campaign
universe. This rating is used as a guideline to determine how ordinary folks react to your characters
heroic actions. Some heroes are generally feared and distrusted and will have very low popularity ratings
no matter what they do. Other characters, like patriotic ones, are revered as icons of truth and justice and
generally loved by the people of their own nation, though may be seen negatively in other nations.
Characters with a high popularity generally have an easier time of things when it comes to dealing with
the media, police and other representatives of the normal population.
The rating of Fame/Infamy is used as #D to persuade others and can be combined with the Persuasion
skill when appropriate.

Depending on the campaign, this can start higher than 1D, but that is a decision for the Narrator to
make. If he is not starting at a higher base level of Fame/Infamy, then all characters start at 1 and may
increase it by purchasing Perks that increase your starting rank. Otherwise Fame/Infamy can be raised or
lowered through play with cost or benefit.
Heroes can have two different Fame scores, one in costume and one out, unless they have the Public
Identity Hindrance.
Rank
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10

Benchmark
Unknown, recluse
Known to local populace
Known to local media
Known to general public
Known to mass media
Household name
Megastar
Worldwide fame
Living Legend
Icon

RESOURCES
Your characters Resources score represents his general wealth and his ability to purchase equipment he
may need in his heroic activities. To better represent the availability of real-world funds we use an
arbitrary system to represent your characters ability to access funds.
All starting characters are expected to start with a 3 in Resources. They may purchase higher ranks via
Perks. It may also be lowered from 3 by the taking of the Poor or Destitute Hindrances. Though play
events may raise or lower the Resources rank of the character and the Narrator is expected to provide
these changes without cost (for raises) or benefit (for losses) to the character.
See the section on Equipment for more information on the proper use of Resources.
Rank
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10

Benchmark
Unemployed or on social assistance/allowance
Freelancer, poor credit risk, students
Wage slave, lower middle class
Professional employment, middle class
Small inheritance, small business, upper middle class
Large business or chain of businesses, trust fund, lower upper class
Standard Corporation, millionaire, upper class
Large corporation, small nation
Multinational, government branch, major country, billionaire playboy
Super power nation, mega-corporation

Up Next: Powers

Saturday, February 9, 2013

HEROIC: D6 Supers - Part 4a Powers

Hey all.
So as I sit down to look at powers I find myself at a crossroads. 70% (or so) of superhero rpgs use a
"builder" system, where essentially they provide you clear categories and from there you build, like with
Legos, your super powers. Usually this is done via descriptors. The best examples of this are Mutants &
Masterminds and Champions.
The remaining 30% (again or so, this ain't science) use descriptive powers, powers that are already
defined but sometimes via limits and such. They can go from near builders (like BASH) to roll-and-prays
(like V&V), but they tend to be much simpler than the others.
There is a 3rd type of power system though that usually gets very little love. It is a modelling system. In
this system you have a base cost for powers, or a number of powers, and then assign them ranks after
picking off a list, or better yet, defining what those powers do.
For example, the idea in the builder systems is that all power blasts are the same, and as such require
only 1 power with descriptors to define. I say no. I say that Captain Mar-vel's power blast is not the same
as Cyclop's eyebeams which are not the same as Superman's heat vision. While they may all function
the same way, they are not the same.
The thing I hate the most about builders is using a power like "telekinesis" to represent a dozen other
powers. "He can move metallic objects thanks to his magnetic powers? Well that's just telekinesis with a
limit; metallic targets only."
Ugh... how boring! How bland! How smashing through the 4th wall!
So how to fix this problem in a game that requires you do have defined powers to some extent? Well my
solution from back in my FASERIP days was to simply write down the power "Eyebeams" and then assign
a rank, easy peasy. Not going to work exactly in this D6 hack, since you need to pay for everything.
Now I do not want to sit here and write out an endless list of powers, that would bore me to tears and not
be something that really appeals to me.
I could copy and paste the powers list from SUPERS! I would still need to tweak certain things. See what
I love about SUPERS! is that every power is open-ended. There are no power stunts persay as there are
only creative uses of power. I would explain it, but Grubman did a much better job in this You Tube
review.
Now while I love that freedom of powers, I am not as much of a fan of the system built around it. Hence
my adventures into D6, a basic core system I can get around. The problem is how to make the powers
work.
How to charge for powers beyond the 1D = 1D of power exchange, cause you shouldn't pay the same

cost for Super Leaping as you do for Weather Control, no matter how much each can be used creatively.
So what remains is to create Tiers of powers, but to keep it simple, there would only be 3 Tiers of powers,
the First Tier is 1D = 1D in the power (energy blasts, movement powers, armours, etc...), then there
would be Second Tier powers that cost 2D = 1D in the power (Weather Control, Magnetism, Super
Speed, etc...), these are the powers that have more than one obvious built in effect and really open the
door for creative players to use their powers. Lastly we have Third Tier powers, which cost 3D = 1D in
the power, but here we are talking about crazy world changing powers like Omni Power, Wizardy, Reality
Control, etc...
Of course some powers won't have dice in them, beyond what you just having the power (Invulnerability
for example) so those I might make Perks instead.
I will provide the "Limits" and "Enhancements" aspects for power, but nothing too kinky.
This is going to take me a bit to get done, so expect it sometime next week if the writing bug grabs me,
but it will be posted when it is ready.
Cheers!

Wednesday, March 13, 2013

HEROIC: D6 Supers - Attributes Update

So as I sit down to make characters for this playtest, I realize something that I really wanted to change
and forgot to, but am unsure if it would work.
The idea is to fold Strength and Endurance into one stat called Body. This leaves us with Fighting, Agility
and Body as our physical stats.
What this also means is that Super Strength as a power replaces Body for ALL Strength related tasks,
including damage. Now the only issue becomes this, well how much can one person lift if they don't have
Super Strength? Now I don't know about you, but I have never seen a Superhero comic where there was
great drama for a hero lifting anything under a ton. Maybe that comic exists, but I've never seen it. So
that leaves me thinking, we don't really need to know how much a hero can lift, except when they are
either super strong (a power) or super weak (a hindrance), so is a "regular Joe" lifting chart really
needed?
Now I can already see issues that could crop up like, needing to have more dice in Super Strength for it to
be effective in combat, though you could simply rule that for damage purposes you add the two together
(Super Strength + Body) or that if your Super Strength is less than your Body, use Body for hand-to-hand
damage, or even for every 2D in Super Strength you have, you add +1D to Body Damage.

Actually that last one appeals to me the most.

Could also use that for resisting damage as well.
Not a perfect solution but easily one that can be used.
So, now we have our Body entry like this;
BODY
A measure of the raw physicality of the character, including his endurance, his ability to resist damage
and his over all physical fitness. It also determines the base amount of dice used in a hand-to-hand
attack.
Rank
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10

Benchmark
Reduced or impaired ability
Minimal ability or exercise
Occasional exercise
Moderate exercise
Regular exercise
Intensive exercise, limit of human ability
Enhanced ability
Enhanced and trained ability
Rarely tires, great fortitude
Never tires

SUPER STRENGTH

For each 2D you have in Super Strength, add +1D to all Body related calculations regarding Damage
(dealing and taking) and for any Skill that relates directly to raw physical power.
Rank
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10

Benchmark
1 Ton
10 Tons
100 Tons
1000 Tons
5000 Tons
10,000 Tons
50,000 Tons
100,000 Tons
500,000 Tons
1,000,000 Tons

SKILLS

BODY SKILLS
Climbing - The hero knows how to scale a vertical surface. She can move up the surface at her normal
movement rate (barring environmental factors) with this skill; otherwise she moves at half her normal
rate. Specializations include rock climbing, indoor wall climbing, rope climbing, wall-crawling, etc
Feat-of-Strength When a hero has to push themselves or dig down deep and get that burning car off
their teammate, or hold up the crumbling building, etc this is the skill that is used. Note it does not

increase the amount the character can lift. Specializations are things like carrying, dead-lifting and
pressing.
Leaping This skill governs leaping over pits, chasms, or other obstacle gaps, as well as jumping up and
grabbing an outcropping. Specializations include things like long jump, high jump and such.
Resistance Need to resist the effects of a poison? Need to see if that power nullifying field is stronger
than you? Need to hold out against an alien plague? This is the skill. Specializations are toxins,
diseases and energies.
Running When you need to go a little faster or last a little longer in the race, this is the skill for
you. Specializations include sprinting, marathon and pacing.
Stamina When all else fails and you have pushed yourself to your limits, this is when stamina is called
into question. Specializations are Pushing and Exhaustion.
Swimming This skill helps the hero float as well as move quickly through water. For every round the
hero wants to float or cover some distance, she must make a swimming roll. Specializations include long
distance, short distance, diving and treading.
Wrestling The only hand-to-hand style that doesnt use Fighting as its base. Wrestling is used primarily
for grappling attacks (see Combat for more details) and specializations include specific maneuvers.
The change to Body also means the need to change one of the Active Defenses, specifically Soak.
ACTIVE DEFENSE
Soak
(Fighting + Agility + Body)/3 round up
I am now very sleepy, so I will get back to this later, but I think I am on to something here.
More tomorrow, but right now sleep!
Cheers!

Friday, April 5, 2013

HEROIC: D6 Supers - Part 5 - Powers

Hey I heard you missed me, I'm back! Okay and with that I will officially stop paraphrasing Van
Halen. But yes, here I am, back on track and back with colour and vibe! And today I am tackling the
question of what changes to make with SUPERS! to work with my D6 HEROIC.
First up you will need to buy a copy of SUPERS! which can be done easily through RPGNOW. While
there you might also want to check out the free Quick Start rules. No pressure, just saying.
Okay here we go.
The thing you need to know is that there are no "tiers" or "level costs" for powers. All powers cost the
same, 1D for 1D. Why? Because they ALL have the same level of usefulness and the more creative you
are, the more useful a power will be. In the hands of a very creative thinker, Super Leaping would be
more useful than say Gravity Control in the hands of a linear thinker who only flies and blasts people.
Essentially, aside from minor rules/caveats, what your power can do is up to you and your Narrator to
decide... on the fly... in play. No power stunt rules or limitations, only fast paced, exciting super-heroic
comic book action!
I am only going to list the powers that I have had to redefine or tweak for D6, the remaining powers
function exactly as per SUPERS!
Now let's get down to brass tacks.
Armour: Use as a first step Soak roll (unless attack is Armour Piercing, see Power Boosts later) and any
damage not soaked in this way then goes against normal Soak.
Duplicate Self: For every D in this power, the can double the number of duplicates. So at 1D he can
make 1, and 2D make 2, 3D gives 4, 4D gives 8, 5D gives 16, etc... The trick is, for each duplicate past
the first, they others gain a cumulative -1D to EVERYTHING. So if only one Duplicate is made, they have
full stats, but if more than one is made, ALL are reduced by the OVERALL total at -1 per D spent after the
first. So if you have 5D in Duplicate Self you can generate 16 duplicates, but they suffer a -4D to
everything. The more you spread yourself out, the less useful the copies are. Think of it like a photocopy
of a photocopy of a photocopy, etc... The penalty can be bought off as a Boost, at the cost of the
PENALTY, so if you want to remove up to -3D of penalty, it is a +3D boost.
Flight: As per SUPERS! but speed doubles with each +D added. To fly in space requires a Boost called
"Space Flight".
Healing: With this power the character can heal others with a touch. the D in this power is rolled vs. a
target number based on the wound level;
Stunned = Easy (1)
Wounded = Moderate (2)
Severe Wound = Very Difficult (3)
Incapacitated = Heroic (4)
Mortal Wound = Legendary (5)
Any successes beyond the target number reduce the wound an extra level. For example, Devil Dog has
taken a Severe Wound. Faerie is going to use her healing of 5D on him. She needs to get 3 successes
to reduce his Severe Wound to just Wounded. She rolls and get a whopping 5 successes! Devil Dog
heals 3 wounds levels (1 for the TN, and 2 more for the extra successes).
Note this power cannot be used to resurrect the dead.
Mental Blast: This is resisted by a Mental Soak (average of Reason + Intutition + Psyche round down),
but otherwise as per SUPERS!

Mental Shield: Functions not only as Armour for the mind, but can be used to resist ALL mental
powers. As per SUPERS! it gets weakened with each successive use per round.
Mind Control: Resisted with Psyche (Willpower). For each success beyond the initial, add +1 round until
the next attempt to break free. Mind Control must be focused for the duration of the control and if the
controller is attacked, the controlled gets an immediate attempt to break the control.
Power Drain: Resisted by Body (Resistance), for every success 1D is drained from the target and added
to ANY Attribute or Power of the attacker. The bonus lasts until that power/attribute is used, or a number
of rounds equal to the D in Power Drain, which ever comes first. Targets recover drained powers at a
rate of 1D per round after the attack.
Paralysis: Resisted by Body (Resistance), otherwise as per SUPERS!
Regeneration: As per healing but only localized to self. Also to regrow limbs or missing body parts the
target number is Unearthly (8).
Shape Change: There are 2 versions of this power, one is the ability to take on the appearance of
anything and the other is to take on the appearance of specific people.
When changing shape into other forms animal or not, you may gain powers inherent to that form, based
on a distribution of your Shape Change dice into said powers. For each power the new form has, the
difficulty of the Shape Change task is raised by +1.
In the second type of shape changing is being used, then each success creates the target number for
others to detect that their is not the person it appears to be.
If a character wishes to have both types (very powerful) they raise the final cost by +1D.
Referees should be very careful of this power, as it can be abused by players.
Size Change: As per SUPERS! but with the bonus for Growing added to Body and removed from Agility
and vice-versa for Shrinking.
Super Brain: Is added to all Reason tasks, including skills checks. It is possible to go above 10D with this
power.
Super Strength: For each 2D you have in Super Strength, add +1D to all Body related calculations
regarding Damage (dealing and taking) and for any Skill that relates directly to raw physical power.
Rank
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10

Benchmark
1 Ton
10 Tons
100 Tons
1000 Tons
5000 Tons
10,000 Tons
50,000 Tons
100,000 Tons
500,000 Tons
1,000,000 Tons

Vampiric Powers: Same as Power Drain but it targets physical Attributes (Fighting, Agility and Body). If
all these Attributes are reduced to 0D, the character is considered dead.

Webs: Do not cause damage and target Agility.

Wizardy: Functions as per SUPERS! but the Target Number is the amount of D in the final
power/spell. For example, if the Wiccan wanted to cast a flight spell of 4D, she would need 4 successes
on her Wizardy roll. Any extra successes beyond the target number are discarded, as this power is
already very versatile.
That's it for the powers, but there are many powers not covered in SUPERS!, for those I highly
recommend just winging it, unless you need a specific effect or result. The beauty of SUPERS! is the
openness of the powers (for the most part) and the flexibility they allow without forcing an arbitrary Power
Stunt mechanic.
Up next; Power Complications and Power Boosts

Thursday, April 11, 2013

HEROIC: D6 Supers - Attributes Update 2

Hey all.
So I recently took a friend's advice and posted a thread about this project to rpg.net in an effort to get a bit
more input. I was hesitant at first, given my previous experiences with online forums and my
projects/conversations in the past (I should blog about that someday), but I sucked up my hesitations and
made the post and prepared myself for the onlsaught.
I was stunned at how positive the response has been. Mind numbed actually, since my past adventures
in the online rpger community have not been the most positive, but I am digressing and should REALLY
do a post about this at some point.
Back on topic.
So while I do not share or agree a lot of the same ideas as others, and I am writing this for myself, it has
been enlightening seeing how others perceive this little project of mine.
This has lead, through conversation there and here, to be cementing a decision that I was having trouble
with earlier.
Instead of having individual Jump, Running, Climbing and Swimming skills, they get folded into one catchall skill called Athletics and those previously mentioned skills become specializations for this skill.
Now you could continue this though process and start reducing all skills this way, but for me this is about
as far as I go. Yes I have reduced the world of sciences to Science skill, and all ranged attacks as

Ranged Combat, etc... But piloting and driving should remain separate skills to me.
As always your mileage may vary and you should totally do the way you think you would like to see it
done.
Cheers!