Love the System... But...

[ZenStorm]

I'm very new to the Hero system. I've owned the core rulebook for about two weeks now and I've read through it once at a bit more than a light skim.

 

I'm to the point now where I'm starting to examine the pieces-parts more closely and I have a few questions. I really only have time to ask one right now. But, here goes...

 

(Before I say anything more, I want to say that so-far I Love this system. There are just a few things that I find odd and/or confusing.)

 

For one, END costs for powers. In a few places, I just don't understand them.

 

For example: By the book,... an average, starting-level character with 10 pts. in Flight, would be able to fly a mind-boggling 20 sec. long odyssey, at a blinding speed of just over three-and-a-half miles per hour?

 

It's in instances like these that the stated rules for END expenditures seem very odd and cumbersome.

I've probably missed something, somewhere and am wrong about this. I hope I am.

 

Could you please clarify this type of thing for me? Point out what I've missed perhaps?

[Steve Long]

Glad to hear you're enjoying the system!

 

You're interpreting END costs correctly. However, note two things: (a) Recoveries, and ( that the END cost is per Phase, not per second. Assuming a superhero was foolish enough to start the game with only CON 10 (something I, at least, have never, ever seen in nearly 25 years of playing this game), then he would have END 20.

 

The question then becomes, what is his SPD and REC? For purposes of this discussion, I'll assume that he has SPD 5, REC 4 (the former being fairly high, the latter the bare minimum) -- and, as noted, 10 points (5") of Flight.

 

In his first Turn, he uses Flight in all five of his Phases; that means he's expended 5 END this Turn. After Segment 12, he gets a Post-Segment 12 Recovery (5E 285) and regains 4 of the 5 END he spent. He's now at END 19.

 

Next Turn, he uses Flight for all five Phases again. That costs 5 END, so he's at 14 END. Then he gets a Post-Segment 12 Recovery and regains 4 of 'em, so now he's at END 18.

 

Thus, assuming he does nothing but use Flight, and always flies, he can actually fly for over 20 Turns -- 4 minutes -- before he has to stop and rest. If his SPD were 4 or less, he could use Flight indefinitely, Recovering all the END he spends every Turn.

 

The END use rules have been a part of the game since the very beginning. In their current incarnation, they've been in effect since 1989. IOW, they've been tested through the rigors of play very thoroughly, and they work pretty darn well, I think.