Superhero Player Tips and Advice

[The Main Man]

Inspired by the Player Tips and Advice thread, I have the idea of starting genre-specific player tips and advice. In this case, let's discuss player tips and advice regarding the Superhero genre that our collective wisdom can impart.

 

1. Establish the Morals, Ethics, and Deadliness of the Campaign and Honor It. If a campaign is not meant to be deadly, don't build a character with powers meant to kill. If a campaign is meant to be morally and/or ethically gray, don't build a rigid black-and-white character. Build characters to fit the agreed upon tone.

[mikesama]

Re: Superhero Player Tips and Advice

 

2. If you are playing in a team game make sure your character can at least grudgingly work with the team. If your character is the loner who always believes in working by himself why is he even a part of a team? Characters do get their ow spotlight time but they have to have some sense of teamwork (even if it is only 'I'll go out and help them fight the invading alien menace')

[The Main Man]

Re: Superhero Player Tips and Advice

 

3. Superheroes Are Power-Based. No way around it - your superhero characters will be primarily defined by their powers. Rather than try to defy it, embrace it and use it as the backbone of your character. Once you know their powers, consider how and why they have them. Consider how your character copes with having their powers day to day as well as why they decided to use them as a superhero. How do they primarily use their powers as a superhero? How does your character's personality affect the use of their powers? How do the powers influence their personality? These questions and many more can stem from your character's primary traits: their superpowers.

[Christopher]

Re: Superhero Player Tips and Advice

 

I have no idea if there is any rule regarding how much one can post, so I just post these three things at once:

 

4. A Limitation or Complication you receive points for is a request to the GM

Taking a Limitation and getting the point cut or taking a Complication and counting it towards Mandatory Complications means that you ask the GM to make it part of the Story! If you don't want that, don't take take that Limitation or take it at -0. If you would not enjoy the trouble of maintaining a Secret Identity, don't take that Complication or take it a 0 value.

The book values are only a guidelines and maybe a maximum. If you want less problems, pick a lesser value.

 

5. Not everything bad that could happen and not every flaw is worth a cost break

Sometimes limitations are so unlikely to affect the character and so minor when they do, that they are not worth a costbreak.

Sometimes complications are so minor and rare that they are not worth any points.

That means they will only surface about once or twice in a given campaign and usually not in a prominent fashion.

 

6. Know what not to pay points for

Sometimes you have the idea for a power that will only come into play once or twice in a given campaign. Or maybe you try to built a homage of a published hero and run into a power he only showed once, then never again. Keep in mind that not every last, single use power has to be written down.

Ask you GM if you can have a power for free, as long as it will not affect gameplay (more than once or twice). But then abide by that descision or pay for it with points later on. Things you get for free are things you cannot rely on.

The Power Skill is a good way for noncombat tricks, like "Pressing Coal to a Diamond". As your GM how much he would allow.