Superheroic fantasy

[Penthau]

I was considering running a superheroic fantasy game and wondered if anyone else had tried this before and had any pointers? I have been "forced" to run 4e D&D too much recently and I was trying to get away from the classic D&D tropes of kill everything you see and take their stuff. After some thought, I decided that superheroic would take away those incentives, but still allow play at the high powered end of the scale. There is no reason to waste time with avoidable fights that offer neither xp or usable treasure. The opponents would be pretty powerful too, so most missions would be epic in scale, fighting demons on their plane, etc.

[NuSoardGraphite]

Re: Superheroic fantasy

 

Plenty of people have run "superheroic fantasy" using Hero. In fact there have been several threads about such in the past. You could search for them.

 

I would suggest that most Epic High Fantasy campaigns flirt with to fully embrace superheroic themes and power levels. I myself have run several campaigns that were of a superheroic bent. I have found over the years that i much prefer the romantic/epic mood/level over the more realistic style of campaigning.

[Christopher]

Re: Superheroic fantasy

 

Several Fantasy Computer/Console Games go that way. They tend to start at least above the standart heroic level (around 225) and go up in the course of the adventure (300 - 500 or more).

 

Thundercats and He-Man pretty much are Superheroic settings with some Fantasy Tones.

Final Fantasy Series, Grandia Series, and other JRPG's go that way heavily and nobody seems to raise an eyebrow about Catpeople or Robots in those "fantasy" settings.

Even D&D 3.x tended to go that direction with epic characters.

[L. Marcus]

Re: Superheroic fantasy

 

The Atlantic Age campaign book for Fifth Edition is pretty super-heroic fantasy. I think it would be easy to track down.

[Lord Liaden]

Re: Superheroic fantasy

 

White Wolf Publishing's Exalted game and setting is geared toward such a campaign, with characters wielding the power of demigods, far beyond the capabilities of normal humans, and undertaking missions affecting the fate of the Universe. Hero Games's own Atlantean Age sourcebook is intended to cover a very-high-powered game style, where PCs may have actual divine blood and command world-shaking magic.

 

Generally speaking, the kind of game it sounds like you want would be best served by gearing your selections from the HERO ruleset more toward the "superheroic" end than the "heroic." For example, use the END cost for STR use and Pushing rules for superheroic campaigns. Let characters buy some of their Characteristics, particularly STR, up to superhuman levels at normal cost in Character Points. Don't put a lot of Limitations on combat-oriented magic -- it should be relatively fast and easy to use. You can help bring the cost down by allowing Power Frameworks, and/or dividing the Real Point cost of magic spells by some factor as suggested in Fantasy HERO. OTOH you may allow some very high Active Point-cost Powers with major Limitations to reflect "plot device" magic, like devastating cities or summoning gods. PCs should pay CP for unique magical items they possess, like superheroes do, but obtain mundane equipment the way heroic characters do.

 

Since you want to discourage a kill-all attitude in your game, I suggest not using the Hit Location, Imparing and Disabling rules. That will significantly reduce the lethality of combat, as well as helping it flow more quickly, since more powerful characters tend to have higher SPD and more options which make combat complicated enough.

 

While games of this nature readily lend themselves to epic campaigning, I would caution you against making the whole campaign plane-romps and god-stomps. Such games tend to dampen the players' identification with their characters on a human level. Be sure to schedule some "down time" for the PCs at wherever their home base is, with interactions with familiar mundance NPCs, to help them reconnect with where they come from and what they're fighting for. I also recommend a healthy leavening of the epic with change-of-pace adventures stressing mystery, diplomacy, comedy, or interpersonal conflicts which can't be solved by smiting them.

 

As is the case with superheroic games, you should consider whether you want your PCs to be the mightiest heroes of their country/empire/planet/plane, or if they have other peers. The former can lend itself to games for extremely high stakes, where the consequences for failure may be massive; but also puts pressure on them to neglect less-urgent activities, and miss out on many roleplaying possibilities thereby. Personally I tend to favor the world having a larger body of elite heroes than just the PCs, so the players can enjoy a range of activities without worrying the world will collapse while they sleep off a hangover. It's easy enough to justify the other heroes being occupied if and when you want your PCs to be the ones to save the day.

[conquerclub]

Re: Superheroic fantasy

 

My favorite super heroic game is Exalted. At the dawn of the First Age, the gods gave power to men that they might slay the gods' Primordial enemies. Anointed by the gods, these beings were thereafter known as the Exalted. The greatest of the Exalted were the Solars, the Chosen of the Unconquered Sun, the mightiest of the gods. So great was their power that, when a Solar died, his power was quickly made manifest in a new individual - a reincarnation of sorts, but into a mature adult rather than a newborn. The Exalted triumphed over the enemies of the gods, and in reward, the gods gave the Exalted dominion over the Earth. For a timeless age, the Exalted ruled justly over Creation, and their kingdom was invincible.

[Manic Typist]

Re: Superheroic fantasy

 

Yeah, I'm sure nothing went wrong with that.....

[Enforcer84]

Re: Superheroic fantasy

 

It was a game based on gardening and idle artistry.

[kahuna's bro]

Re: Superheroic fantasy

 

both the hanna barberra series the arabian knightsand galtar and the golde lance woud be a good campaign

[Laundry Knight]

Re: Superheroic fantasy

 

You get what you reward. When I plan to run a game, the first thing I do is re-think how experience is rewarded. I don't like that most games reward players based upon kill count; so, I re-write the rewards to be split between goal completion and story forwarding. For instance, if the goal is to save the princess from the tower, then you get rewarded for rescuing the princess from the tower. It doesn't matter if you used up most of your resources and lost a couple of party members doing a frontal assault or sneak in through the back door and escape unawares.

 

With story forwarding, I don't like players who make characters who are a complete jerk; so, the player can be a complete jerk and call it roleplaying; so, I define good playing as playing according to the setting and making sure the whole group has fun, and I don't tend to have an issue with players using out of character choices to make sure that happens, and by playing to setting, if I want everyone to play as gallant knights and a player insists on playing a chaotic evil assassin orc, then he had better figure out how to play a chaotic evil assassin orc gallantly or there will be no rewards.

[Zen Archer]

Re: Superheroic fantasy

 

White Wolf Publishing's Exalted game and setting is geared toward such a campaign' date=' with characters wielding the power of demigods, far beyond the capabilities of normal humans, and undertaking missions affecting the fate of the Universe. [/quote']

 

I'm wondering if White Wolf wasn't just geared towards that in general, since the Scarred Lands setting seemed set-up for superheroic styled adventure as well.

[BhelliomRahl]

Re: Superheroic fantasy

 

You get what you reward. When I plan to run a game' date=' the first thing I do is re-think how experience is rewarded. I don't like that most games reward players based upon kill count; so, I re-write the rewards to be split between goal completion and story forwarding. For instance, if the goal is to save the princess from the tower, then you get rewarded for rescuing the princess from the tower. It doesn't matter if you used up most of your resources and lost a couple of party members doing a frontal assault or sneak in through the back door and escape unawares.[/quote']

I agree with you. I always get my players to give me a list of Short and Long Term goals for their characters and the group as a whole. I award experience based on advancing or completing these goals, it usually gets the players away from the monster grinding of D&D.

 

If you are looking to run Superheroic Fantasy I would advise looking at Manga or Anime. The settings are usually designed around characters whose power level is far beyond that of mere mortals. Depending on what sort of fantasy setting you want their is probably a setting which covers it.

[Christopher]

Re: Superheroic fantasy

 

I agree with you. I always get my players to give me a list of Short and Long Term goals for their characters and the group as a whole. I award experience based on advancing or completing these goals' date=' it usually gets the players away from the monster grinding of D&D.[/quote']

Actually, the Rules never indicated that you have to kill them. They clearly state that "overcomming" them is what gives you XP, with overcomming including a rather broad amount of tactics.

 

But also D&D suffered from the usual Classbased System problem of need a way to define what amount of danger (foe) and what amount of experience points are "fair".

[BhelliomRahl]

Re: Superheroic fantasy

 

Actually' date=' the Rules never indicated that you have to kill them. They clearly state that "overcomming" them is what gives you XP, with overcomming including a rather broad amount of tactics.[/quote']

As with most things, whats is said and what are done can be completely different things. Don't get me wrong I enjoyed D&D, I started with AD&D myself but most D&D games I have played in have usually devolved to a HackFest regardless of initial tactics in the style of Knights of the Dinner Table. Could have something to do with the mentality of the average D&D player while playing or that the system itself encourages this mentality and therefore outcome.

[Markdoc]

Re: Superheroic fantasy

 

As with most things' date=' whats is said and what are done can be completely different things. Don't get me wrong I enjoyed D&D, I started with AD&D myself but most D&D games I have played in have usually devolved to a HackFest regardless of initial tactics in the style of Knights of the Dinner Table. Could have something to do with the mentality of the average D&D player while playing or that the system itself encourages this mentality and therefore outcome.[/quote']

 

It's the game system.

I can say this pretty confidently because several times now, I have run FH games, with the same people who play in the D&D games run by another of my players. The exact same people are more bloodthirsty when playing D&D than FH, and I think it's because a) hey! It's D&D! KIll monsters and take their stuff! The game's reputation precedes it and when all is said and done, in D&D your options are heavily weighted towards killing stuff. You can charm creatures and you can entangle them, but (for example) KO'ing them is a PITA, and limited skill points means your options for sneaking are far more limited in D&D (basically, for a whole party, it means significant spell expenditure). My current holy-warrior type in the Forgotten realms D&D campaign is one schneaky guy. But he's the only schneaky guy in the party. Face it: a cleric is never going to be stealthy, no matter what he does. In the Gestalt game, there are no schneaky guys at all. So your options are often pretty much limited to "Take it on the chin".

 

Still, as far as superheroic fantasy, goes Hero system is made to order. I ran a superheroic fantasy game years back, and did it without an overt "Knights in Tights" feel. All the PCs were immortals and they were built on 200-250 points (plus free equipment) in a game world where veteran soldiers run to about 50 points and ordinary guards or soldiers 10 points. So even an immortal not focused on combat could kick butt and take names under ordinary circumstances. They could be (and were) killed, but when killed, just popped up again in another body somewhere else. Their opponents were not ordinary mortals, but other mostly immortals, with occasional input from evils beyond the ken of man, or the odd god-king or semi-divine hero and such.

 

I should pick that game up again some time: it had a very high ratio of moments of awesome to play time.

 

cheers, Mark

[Guest steamteck]

Re: Superheroic fantasy

 

I've run a superheroish fantasy world for decades now as part of my multiverse campaign. Most of the PCs are vaguely highlander style immortals or the sons and daughters of such or 1/2 blood supernatural beings etc. The home base is vaguely steampunky british type empire ruled by an Immortal empress. Bad guys include master sorcerors, demons and the huge underground society of vampires plus the enormous secret society run by the first immortal.

 

The high high adventure epic feel is tons of fun as are the rare crossover character or adventure.

[blogmybrain]

Re: Superheroic fantasy

 

Yes, super heroic game tough to play. I like these game most.

[Nothere]

Re: Superheroic fantasy

 

I did a superheroic fantasy. My suggestion would be firstsimply to equate the modern archtypes to their medievil counterparts.

 

Bricks- demigods- Hercules is a staple of both marvel and dc

 

power armor- My mystic armor

 

combat specialists- well as they tenfd to use ancinet if fancy weapons it's pretty simple. Hawkeye would have no explosive arrows, but fire electric etc

 

Animal types- Spiderman and wolverine were mortals either blessed or cursed by the gods.

 

depending on if your thinking high or low fantasy you need to severlly limit points. Marvels version of Hercules can lift battleships. in a fantasy setting he probably should have to strain to lift the barn asnd forget the castle. Still it can be quite fun.

[Tasha]

Re: Superheroic fantasy

 

You get what you reward. When I plan to run a game, the first thing I do is re-think how experience is rewarded. I don't like that most games reward players based upon kill count; so, I re-write the rewards to be split between goal completion and story forwarding. For instance, if the goal is to save the princess from the tower, then you get rewarded for rescuing the princess from the tower. It doesn't matter if you used up most of your resources and lost a couple of party members doing a frontal assault or sneak in through the back door and escape unawares.

 

With story forwarding, I don't like players who make characters who are a complete jerk; so, the player can be a complete jerk and call it roleplaying; so, I define good playing as playing according to the setting and making sure the whole group has fun, and I don't tend to have an issue with players using out of character choices to make sure that happens, and by playing to setting, if I want everyone to play as gallant knights and a player insists on playing a chaotic evil assassin orc, then he had better figure out how to play a chaotic evil assassin orc gallantly or there will be no rewards.

 

Actually when I run d20games now I award leveling based on when I want to advance the powerlevel. I try to keep it somewhat predictable, but Try to keep combat out of it. I figure that as long as everyone is having fun it's silly to punish people. Now I do put my foot down during char gen to keep the campaign tone where I want it.

[Tasha]

Re: Superheroic fantasy

 

I was considering running a superheroic fantasy game and wondered if anyone else had tried this before and had any pointers? I have been "forced" to run 4e D&D too much recently and I was trying to get away from the classic D&D tropes of kill everything you see and take their stuff. After some thought' date=' I decided that superheroic would take away those incentives, but still allow play at the high powered end of the scale. There is no reason to waste time with avoidable fights that offer neither xp or usable treasure. The opponents would be pretty powerful too, so most missions would be epic in scale, fighting demons on their plane, etc.[/quote']

 

When we turned our 4e gaming into a Fantasy hero game the GM started us out as normalish PC's that were pretty much copies of our PC's in 4e. Later another GM took over with the storyline for that campaign and as we got nearer to the campaign's goal he raised our powerlevels. Eventually we were playing at superheroic powerlevels. It was a ton of fun. I was pretty sad when we finished that storyline and the campaign ended (We did restore the Goddess of Magic to her rightful spot in the Forgotten Realm's Pantheon).

 

The Secret to running it is to figure out what powerlevel you will be playing at and make sure that everyone has enough points to generate characters at that powerlevel. Make sure that they also have enough points to spend on both Combat stuff like powers, but also on Non-Combat skills. You also want to think about how much more powerful the PC's will be compared to Regular people and to "normal" 175pt Adventurers. It's important to make sure that you have Mook level threats that enforce how much more powerful the PC's are over the Regular Adventurers, City Guards, and regular people. Beating up on Epic Demons can get old if they don't have some Cultists that the PC's crush getting to the Epic Encounter.