I admit this is a rough start. I need to condense some things down because the game isn't supposed to give a single power, but a suite of several "themed" type powers.


Help me fix it:



The system given below is a bit of an odd one, it creates the basic background and type of powers the hero has
but not the individual specifics of a power group. Its aimed at inspiring you or your players and letting you
focus that into an awesome character.


Background Sentence: Choose or Roll one of the starting sentences below.

1   Born with or developed {powers} and {abilities} due to {detail 3}
2-3 During an {event} (name) was {Change} by a/an {Detail 1} which gave them {Powers} and {Abilities}
4-5 (Name) invented/created a/an {Device} which has/gives {Powers} and also gives {Abilities}
6-7 (Name) discovered/was given/stole  a/an {Device} which grants them {Powers} and {Abilities}
8-9 After a {Tragic Event} (name) {detail 2} and now uses {skills} and {abilities} to fight crime
10  Combine two, rolling for powers/skills or abilities only once.


Event (Table 1)
1      Ordinary Day
2-3    Science Experiment/Fair
4-5    Military Test
6-7    Archological Dig  
8-9    Mystic Event
10     Cosmic Confluence


Change (Table 2)
1     Killed and Reborn/RebuilT
2-3   Imbued/Transformed/Empowered
4-5   Bitten/Stung or Attacked
6-7   Empowered/Mutated
8-9   Driven to Discover
10    Power Surge

Detail 1 (Table 3)
1      Alien Being
2-3    Animal/Creature
4-5    Natural Disaster
6-7    Device
8-9    Accident
10     Cosmic Forces

Powers (Table 4)
1    Archetypical  (Roll on Table 6)
2-3  Thematic (Roll on Chart 7)
4-5  Broad (Roll on Chart
6-7  Common (Roll on Chart 9)
8-9  Strange Power
10   Unique Power


Abilities (Table 5)
1    
2-3  Movement Power
4-5  Special Equipment
6-7  Enhanced Attribute
8-9  Enhanced or Unusual Skill    
10   Extra Limbs



Archetypical Powers  (Table 6)
1     Speedster Powers    
2-3   Brick Powers
4-5   Blaster Powers
6-7   Sneaking Powers
8-9   Brain Powers
10    Other Archetype/Iconic Powers


Thematic Powers (Table 7)
1       Aquatic Powers          
2-3     Flora/Fauna Powers
4-5     Energy Powers
6-7     Elemental Powers
8-9     Body Transformation Powers
10      Plant/Fungus Powers


Broad Powers  (Table
1       Magic Powers                                
2-3     Transformation Powers
4-5     Shapechange Powers
6-7     Elemental Powers
8-9     Psychic Powers
10      Fundamental Forces Power

Common Powers (Table 9)
1      Enhanced Attribute  
2-3    Attack Power
4-5    Defense Power
6-7    Movement Power
8-9    Enhanced Senses
10     Life Support

Strange Powers (Table 10)
1     Molecular Alteration Powers          
2-3   Mimicry Powers
4-5   Unusual Physiology
6-7   Adaptation
8-9   Biocontrol
10    Immortality



Device  (Table 11)
1      Vehicle/Construct
2-3    Beam/Ray/Emission
4-5    Armored Suit
6-7    Weapon
8-9    Common Item
10     Other Device

 
Tragic Event  (Table 12)
1       Home Destroyed
2-3     Family Killed/Seriously Injured
4-5     Significant Other Killed/Seriously Injured
6-7     Nearly Killed or Seriously Injured.
8-9     Imprisoned
10      Combine Two of the Tragedies below



Enhanced Attribute (Table 13)

1      Enhanced Willpower        
2-3    Enhanced Might
4-5    Enhanced Agility
6-7   Enhanced toughness
8-9   Enhanced Intellect
10    Enhanced Knowledge

Movement Powers (Table 14)

1      Teleportation  
2-3    Flight
4-5    Leaping
6-7    Swinging
8-9    Superspeed
10     Unusual Movement


Detail 2
1      was trained by aliens
2-3    trained alone
4-5    trained with secret group
6-7    traveled the world
8-9    trained in the military
10     experiment on themselves


Detail 3
1    eugenics
2-3  natural mutation
4-5  genetic enginering
6-7  being exposed to event
8-9  inheriting  it from parents
10   is an alien being

Okay, I have to try this.  (roll roll roll).  Rewording for smoothness due to getting the 'inheriting from parents'.

"Inheriting elemental powers and enhanced agility from his parents..."

Yeah, that works.  Makes me want more, though; or rather, makes me want to finish the origin paragraph.

"Inheriting ice powers and enhanced agility from his parents, who were B-list capes in the 70s, Glacier struggles to live up to his family's heroic legacy; although his potential is great, the mighty Glacier is his own worst enemy - brash, overconfident, and more than a little entitled."

Or whatever.

As I mentioned in G+, I have two thoughts on this whole thing.

1) There's a part of me that would love to see the 'long-form origin paragraph' essentially BE the character sheet.  But that's not H&S, of course, just a random weird thought.

2) You could do a much more involved long-form Mad Libs lifepath like this that generated other character details for quick character generation.  A couple more tables and we might learn that "Our hero Glacier spends his days as a [mundane occupation] in [section of town], always struggling to make time to spend with his [friendly NPC role].  Recently he has been trying to [goal] by [activity], but it has been an uphill battle."

(phlebotomist, SoHo, college bro, lose a little weight, training for a marathon)

One for villains might be keen.  "After the tragic death of his wife, Angrypants vowed revenge upon the multinational NGO that wronged him..."

Quote from: VectorSigma;535599Okay, I have to try this.  (roll roll roll).  Rewording for smoothness due to getting the 'inheriting from parents'.

"Inheriting elemental powers and enhanced agility from his parents..."

Yeah, that works.  Makes me want more, though; or rather, makes me want to finish the origin paragraph.

"Inheriting ice powers and enhanced agility from his parents, who were B-list capes in the 70s, Glacier struggles to live up to his family's heroic legacy; although his potential is great, the mighty Glacier is his own worst enemy - brash, overconfident, and more than a little entitled."

Or whatever.

As I mentioned in G+, I have two thoughts on this whole thing.

1) There's a part of me that would love to see the 'long-form origin paragraph' essentially BE the character sheet.  But that's not H&S, of course, just a random weird thought.

2) You could do a much more involved long-form Mad Libs lifepath like this that generated other character details for quick character generation.  A couple more tables and we might learn that "Our hero Glacier spends his days as a [mundane occupation] in [section of town], always struggling to make time to spend with his [friendly NPC role].  Recently he has been trying to [goal] by [activity], but it has been an uphill battle."

(phlebotomist, SoHo, college bro, lose a little weight, training for a marathon)

Indeed. I like the idea. I wish I had thought of it for 1E. I think someone might manage a hack for Hero Quest for it. Right now my issue is keeping the powers as "sets" broad enough to make your typical superheroes. Rather than treating those things as individual powers.

No one else?

How about doing something like the Gestalt classes from 3.5 D&D where two classes are combined to form a single class, but, obviously, in this case two or more powers could be rolled and synthesized into a single power that has several components?

Quote from: Drohem;537479How about doing something like the Gestalt classes from 3.5 D&D where two classes are combined to form a single class, but, obviously, in this case two or more powers could be rolled and synthesized into a single power that has several components?

Good solid idea. I'm aiming for these "powers" to be so broad that they'd cover that already. Since you still have some choice in this system. Example: A Speedster could fly or run and react at superhuman speeds. A Person who rolls Energy Powers might fly, shoot and defend themselves with energy effects, they might also be able to cause other effects like control machines, or disrupt human consciousness (stun) all based on Electrical energy.