Total Newbie Question

[jblittlefield]

I just picked up a copy of the HERO Sidekick rulebook and I must say that I am quite impressed. The price ($9.99) was a definite incentive to take a shot at learning a system with such a "fearsome rep". I was actually surprised at how easy the system is. Within 5 days I was able to read the rulebook and whip up a little scenario. Great fun was had by all ...

 

Oh yeah, the question! How do you handle "unskilled" attempts in HERO? If a character doesn't have an applicable skill I assume you can default to an Characteristic Roll. Is there any sort of "unskilled" penalty that is applied?

[Steve Long]

Re: Total Newbie Question

 

Thanx for the kind words!

 

In general, the rules assume that if a character doesn't have a given Skill, he can't use it at all (though the Everyman Skill rules mean characters have a lot of Skills at 8- that aren't listed on their character sheets). Here's a Rules FAQ question that covers the subject in more detail:

 

Q: If a character wants to attempt an action for which he lacks the Skill (such as bribing a guard when the character doesn’t have the Bribery Skill), how should the GM handle it?

 

A: That’s up to each individual GM. At best, the character should get a very low roll (say, 6-), since anything more unfairly penalizes characters who buy Familiarities. Another possibility would be to use the relevant Characteristic Roll at a significant penalty (say, -8 or more).

 

The Ultimate Skill, if I ever get done writing it, will probably have more information on this subject.