I'm going to have a WHAT?

[Michael Hopcroft]

If you are running a HERO System campaign and you decide that one of the female PCs is going to concieve and go through pregancy, what are the game effects? Is a pregnant woman weaker or less dextrous than normal? How are superhuman abilties affected?

[nexus]

There was actually a thread about this a while ago. It kind of went up in flames though.

Edit: Here's the link http://www.herogames.com/forums/show...nancy+Pregnant

[Karmakaze]

It's going to depend a lot on the tone of the campaign, the woman's powerset, and the baby's powerset.

By and large, in the first trimester, there's a metabolic drain, but nothing too dramatic. In real life, it's perfectly possible for a woman to go the first trimester and not even know she's pregnant.

By the second trimester, there's more of a metabolic drain and the additional weight can shift the center of balance. A brick might still be fine, but a martial artist might start having trouble.

Third trimester varies a lot among individual women. Some women are able to do anything short of active acrobatics right up to birth, some are functionally immobilized.

I always thought it would be fun to run a superheroine going through menopause instead. Given all of the comic books devoted to what the metabolic changes of adolescence do to superpowers...

[lemming]

From my experience, the PC tends to go to another dimension, have the kids, raise them, and then come back.

[Narratio]

What Kamikaze said.

The metaboic changes might be truly wierd for the energy users and psionics. An awful lot of a womans stores of trace elements get depleted with a baby. (That's part of why they get the odd cravings. My mother, a non-smoker, needed cigarette ash for some reason with my sister...) Anyway, energy levels will fluctuate on a daily basis, and even become impossible to control.

Same with psionics. At some point the child and the mother are starting to communicate, get wrapped up in each others existence. Maybe the precognition / astral projection, whatever will just stop, or they'll sink into a mind meld with the child for the duration of the pregnancy?

Childbirth is an arduous process. Will the mother loose control? Will the baby be a multiplier of area effect for abilities? Will every person in the hospital suffer the pain and distress? Either / both mother and childs?

I can't remember the comics handling it much, even the dark graphics.

[phookadude]

In game terms wouldn't it be duplication with a long activation time and a dependant NPC?

[Vorsch]

In game terms wouldn't it be duplication with a long activation time and a dependant NPC?

You mean like summon,

[Black Lotus]

There was actually a thread about this a while ago. It kind of went up in flames though.

Edit: Here's the link http://www.herogames.com/forums/show...nancy+Pregnant

ROFL....

In that thread, as per the usual, everyone and their mother decided to get upset and offended by everyone else. God bless America, if there's one thing we're good at, it's getting pissed and offended.

[Hawksmoor]

In my wife's solo games we have had lots of pregnacies. What is it about female Plumber archetypes that make them want to have the experience of motherhood in games? Wait a sec don't answer that. I already know the answer. I've been her GM for 13 years. Believe me I *know* the answer.

Back on topic. What ever your player is willing to put up with is the answer. If she thinks a Sue Storm "Gee if I have another contraction again the universe will explode!" pregnancy or a Rowena Jaws-of-Death Get of Fenris Ahroun "Oh a pup? Who knew? Ah well more killing to do!" pregnancy is the way to go that is what you as a GM have to do. As Nexus's flame war thread points out people have certain expectations when it comes to pregnancy and childbirth. In the end the player gets the final say on what is acceptable. YMMV.

Hawksmoor

[Markdoc]

ROFL....

In that thread, as per the usual, everyone and their mother decided to get upset and offended by everyone else. God bless America, if there's one thing we're good at, it's getting pissed and offended.

Hey, as an American, you have the constitutional right to be offended any time you damn well feel like it.

cheers, Mark

[Captain Pants]

As an expectant father in 4 months, one thing I'm quite surprised hasn't been addressed is the danger to the fetus. Barring the obvious exception of self-defense, a pregnant superheroine could, conceivably, be brought up on charges of child endangerment, as well be harrassed by children's rights activist groups.

A superheroine may be able to take a lot of damage and put up with only a few minor penalties to DEX, but the fetus is another story. Even a metahuman fetus wouldn't believably have the same defenses as its mother. And even if the mother had a lot of defense, merely the act of taking knockback or falling several feet could conceivably cause a miscarriage.

For those reasons, I think it would be unacceptably reckless for just about any pregnant superheroine to stay on active duty. I'm not saying they need to stay in the kitchen without shoes on, by any means -- it's just that going into combat pregnant would be like playing Dodgeball with your favorite bunny rabbit strapped to your chest. It's just... not a good idea.

- Cap

[Hawksmoor]

Actually the fetus is quite well protected from normal falling and bumping and bruising etc. 12" of Knockback might be another matter entirely. Just do what seems appropriate at the time and realize that the situation will change as the pregnancy continues.

Oh and don't forget about the moodswings! Pregnant women are notorious for moodswings.

Hawksmoor

[yamamura]

If you are running a HERO System campaign and you decide that one of the female PCs is going to concieve and go through pregancy, what are the game effects? Is a pregnant woman weaker or less dextrous than normal? How are superhuman abilties affected?

Well, first I make sure that I have plenty of cover as that PC's player goes berserk that I am doing that to her/his character without consulting them first...

[Captain Pants]

Actually the fetus is quite well protected from normal falling and bumping and bruising etc. 12" of Knockback might be another matter entirely. Just do what seems appropriate at the time and realize that the situation will change as the pregnancy continues.

Oh and don't forget about the moodswings! Pregnant women are notorious for moodswings.

Hawksmoor

Agreed. Most of what I brought up can be addressed in-game. Speaking personally, none of my PCs are ever going to get pregnant. I would feel very bad if one of my PCs had a miscarriage, but if a pregant PC is in combat, it would be totally unrealistic if the possibility of miscarriage didn't exist.

- Cap

[Hugh Neilson]

Well, first I make sure that I have plenty of cover as that PC's player goes berserk that I am doing that to her/his character without consulting them first...

Well, I would hope the PC was consulted before she was impregnated...what kind of campaign are you running?

But seriously, this is a serious change to the character, so I would want to be certain the player was reasonably OK with this development.