Allandrel

I find the Missile Deflection more satisfying, as (to me) it feels more like Spider-Man's instinctive dodging than Martial Maneuvers and Skill Levels would. Well... they often do. His PRE should definitely increase, but at the time of this writing (that is, Ultimate Spider-Man #21) he tends to hesitate whenever villains try to intimidate him. Each time in the comics that an energy attack hit Spidey, it took him down. His low ED could be seen as a vulnerability to energy attacks. I'm thinking of giving him +8 PRE with the OIHID limitation, or possibly with the Power Restriction "only when ridiculing opponents." Then again, his tremendous success with ridicule usually has more to do with the egos of his victims rather than his own ability. The problem with the boostable charges is that Spider-Man's webshooters don't jam. I suppose one could remove the burnout roll with an extra Advantage of +1/4 to +1/2. Spidey's webs are too strong for him to snap. So far the only character to have successfully snapped his webbing was Doctor Octopus, and he should have no trouble with 10d6. Spidey's costume doesn't have any sort of non-stick treatment. It hasn't been addressed in Ultimate Spider-Man, but Marvel Universe Spider-Man has been stuck in his own webs before. So every step doubles the number of clips? Got it. Got it. I'll probably use the rule wherein each webshooter has half the Multipower's Active Points. I hadn't thought of the Entangle wall that way. It should work just fine. The leaping should probably be Linked to entangle, with the Power Limitation "Only when making a trampoline." A 30" swing sounds pretty appropriate. The range can't really be increased too much, as his webshooters are limited to about 60 feet. I read every Ultimate Title but Ultimate Adventures, and plan on statting up everyone (since my players will eventually meet just about all of them). Not to mention Iron Man's forcefield that protects the entire battle group from the nuke. Patrick J McGraw

5. DISADVANTAGES Dependent Non-Player Characters: One of Spider-Man’s primary concerns is the safety of his loved ones. However, only Mary Jane has been endangered as a result of his adventuring. Mary Jane Watson: DNPC 8-, competent: 10 points. Hunted: As of issue #21, Spider-Man’s enemies are mostly in S.H.I.E.L.D. custody. Hunted by Green Goblin (As powerful, NCI, 8-, enslave): 15 points. Hunted by the Kingpin (Less Powerful, NCI, 8-, kill): 10 points. Watched by S.H.I.E.L.D. (More Powerful, NCI, 11-, watched): 15 points. Psychological Limitations: Plenty of these. Code Versus Killing (Common, Total): 20 points. Novice Hero (Very Common, Strong): 20 points. Protective of Innocents (Very Common, Strong): 20 points. Reputation: Despite Spider-Man’s best efforts, more people have read J. Jonah Jameson’s anti-Spider-Man tirades than have heard of his heroing. Reputation: Menace, 14-: 15 points. Social Limitations: The secret identity, of course. Secret Identity: 15 points. Unluck: Spider-Man has some of the worst luck of any superhero. Unluck 5d6: 25 points. TOTAL VALUE OF DISADVANTAGES: 165 points. Patrick J McGraw

POWERS Here we go. The Power design system is the part of the Hero system that I’m having the most trouble with, so I’d especially welcome commentary here. Wall-Crawling: Spider-Man can cling to any surface, and traverse it as if it were level ground. The Clinging power obviously represents this ability. Given the tendency of objects breaking when Spider-Man is pulled away from them, he has the power at a very high strength rating. Wall-Crawling: Clinging (STR 80). Total cost: 23 points. Healing: Spider-Man has an enhanced healing factor, enabling him to recover from a severe beating or major injury within a day or two. Quick Healer: Healing 1d6 (Regeneration; 1 BODY per 6 hours), Reduced Endurance (0 END, +1/2), Persistent (+1/2) (20 Active Points); Self Only (-1/2), Extra Time (6 hours, -2 ¼). Total Cost: 5 points. Jumping: Spider-Man is capable of prodigious leaps. Leaping: Leaping +5†(13†forward, 9†upward). Total Cost: 4 points. Dodging: Spider-Man is normally hard to hit, but when he focuses on avoiding attacks he becomes nearly impossible to hit. Spastic Dodge: Missile Deflection (all Ranged attacks). Total Cost: 20 points. Running: Spider-Man’s enhanced metabolism enables him to run at high speeds, comparable to those of professional runners. Running: Running +4â€. Total cost: 8 points. Webshooters: Here comes the problematic one. From what I understand of Power Frameworks, Spidey’s webshooters act as a Multipower with the OIF Limitation and Boostable Charges in a clip. I am, however, confused as to how many clips one receives. The rules list a base of “x2 the number of clips,†which I guess means that the character has two clips, each containing the listed number of charges. So how does one get more clips than that? For now, this isn’t too much of a problem, since Spider-Man has yet to build the web cartridge belt that his Marvel Universe counterpart carries, and so apparently carries no extra webbing. So, no clips for the moment. The other problem I’ve run into is uncertainty about how to represent the fact that Spider-Man has two webshooters. This isn’t simply cosmetic, situations have come up where Spidey has had one webshooter lost or destroyed. I can’t find any rules for how to represent having two webshooters. I also can figure out what power to use to represent Spidey’s ability to make web-nets. He uses these to catch himself when falling, and they also act as a trampoline (I know that part is Leaping). Webshooters: Multipower, 100-point reserve, 50 Boostable Charges (+3/4)(175 Active points); all OIF (-1/2). Total reserve cost: 117 points. Webs: Entangle 10d6 (100 Active points); Nonresistant DEF (-1/4), OIF (1/2). Total Cost: 11 points (flexible). Got Web in Your Eyes!: Sight Group Flash 8d6 (40 Active Points); Does Not Work Against Desolidified Characters (-1/4), OIF (-1/2). Total cost: 2 points (fixed). Webswinging: Fairly straightforward Swinging, but…. One problem I see: Swinging cannot be boosted with extra charges, but the modifiers for charges are only applied to the reserve. Should I give the swinging power a -1/4 limitation “cannot be boosted with extra charges,†since that the value of boostable charges? Second problem: Swinging ought to cost END as well as Charges. Should I give it the “Costs END to use†limitation, even though it normally applies only to powers which naturally cost no END? Webswinging: Swinging 15†(15 Active points); (OIF (-1/2). Total cost: 1 point (fixed). TOTAL POWER COST: 191 points I have to leave for work now, so I’ll post back with the Disadvantages and standard-format writeup later tonight. Patrick J McGraw

4. ABILITIES SKILLS The Ultimate Universe is a Modern setting, so Spider-Man gets most of the Everyman skills. Acrobatics: With his superhuman agility, reflexes, and equilibrium, Spider-Man is able to perform unusual tasks without really thinking about it. Acrobatics 16-, costs 3 character points. Acting: Spider-Man has had to lie frequently to maintain his secret identity, but he isn’t very good at it, having only the familiarity of an everyman skill. Breakfall: Spider-Man is highly adept at avoiding damage from falls and landing on his feet – it seems to be almost entirely instinctive, and he uses techniques that are… highly unorthodox. Breakfall 16-, costs 3 character points. Climbing: Spider-Man’s climbing ability is entirely based around his wall-crawling powers, so he only has everyman familiarity with climbing as a skill. Combat Skill Levels: Spider-Man has no real fighting skill (as he observes in Ultimate Marvel Team-Up #15, he fights like a spaz), relying instead on his superhuman agility. He has practiced a great deal with his webshooters, and is able to hit very difficult targets routinely with them. +2 with Webshooters: costs 6 character points. Computer Programming: Spider-Man has a part-time job as a web designer for the Daily Bugle, and it seems like he handles most of their other computer problems as well. He has demonstrated a competent level of computer exopertise. Computer Programming 14-, costs 3 character points. Concealment: For someone who has a secret identity to hide, Spider-Man’s abilities at concealment are more like those of a sitcom character. Everyman familiarity. Contortionist: Spider-Man has superhuman flexibility, but he has yet to practice the ability and test his limits. Contortionist 16-, costs 3 character points. Conversation: Spider-Man is not very socially adept. To put it mildly. Conversation: Sell back everyman skill for 1 character point. Deduction: Despite his need for this skill, Spider-Man hasn’t really exhibited deductive thinking very often. Everyman familiarity. Electronics: Spider-Man has some skill with electronic devices, but it is hardly his primary technological interest. Electronics 14-, costs 3 character points. Inventor: Spider-Man is your basic “kid genius inventor,†designing and building his webshooters from scratch. Inventor 16-, costs 7 character points. Knowledge: Spider-Man has displayed good knowledge of New York City. CK: New York City 11-, costs 2 character points. Paramedics: Spider-Man has exhibited basic knowledge at patching up his frequent injuries, but not much else. Everyman familiarity. Persuasion: See Conversation, above. Heck, beating up Ox and his allies and taking down the Kingpin wasn’t enough to persuade Ox to change his lifestyle. Persuasion: sell back everyman skill for 1 character point. Professional Skill: Peter has some ability as a photographer. Not much, but some. Enough to qualify for the 11- Everyman skill. Science Skills: Lots of these for Spider-Man the science nerd, but he still has a lot to learn before he matches his Marvel Universe counterpart. SS: Biochemistry 14-, costs 3 character points. SS: Biology 11-, costs 1 character point. SS: Biophysics 11-, costs 1 character point. SS: Chemistry 14, costs 3 character points. SS: Inorganic Chemistry 14-, costs 3 character point. SS: Organic Chemistry 14-, costs 3 character point. SS: Physics 14-, costs 3 character points. Shadowing: Spider-Man has proved extremely adept at shadowing people – later on in the series he will successfully shadow Nick Fury for over an hour without being spotted. Shadowing 15-, costs 5 character points. Skill Levels: Spider-Man has a natural aptitude for science along with his phenomenal agility. These bonuses are not included in the skill ratings listed here. +1 with all Agility Skills, costs 5 character points. +1 with all Science Skills, costs 5 character points. Stealth: Spider-Man hasn’t displayed any particular skill at stealth, despite his agility. Everyman familiarity. Transport Familiarity: Spider-Man does not even have a learner’s permit yet. TF: Small Motorized Ground Vehicles, sell back everyman skill for 1 character point. SKILL ENHANCERS Spider-Man clearly has the Scientist Skill Enhancer. Scientist (-1 to cost of Science Skills, minimum cost 1): costs 3 character points, saves 5 character points. PERQUISITES Contacts: Despite the events in Ultimate Marvel Team-Up, at this point Spider-Man doesn’t really have any actual contacts (though that will change shortly). Reputation: Hero +1 (11-), known to the residents of New York City; costs 1 character point. TALENTS Spider-Sense: Spider-Man’s “spider-sense†is still pretty new to him. While he’s learned how it works, he has yet to really develop it or integrate it into his fighting style. Danger Sense (PER Roll 17-, functions as a sense functions out of combat, functions against any danger). Total cost 30 character points. Contortionist: Spider-Man has inhuman flexibility, able to bend his joints in directions they aren’t supposed to go in. Contortionist: costs 4 character points, adds +1 to +3 bonus to Contortionist and Breakfall rolls, depending on the circumstances. TOTAL SKILL, PERK, AND TALENT COST: 92 character points Continued next post… Patrick J McGraw

I'm new to the Hero System (been roleplaying for ten years), and am preparing to run a game set in Marvel's Ultimate Universe. I'm still working on getting a feel for the character creation rules, and I figured that writing up some of the established characters would help out - but I'm very interested in suggestions as to how to go about it. I'll start off by trying out Ultimate Spider-Man. I’m going into a lot of detail with each step, because as I said I’m trying to get a feel for character creation. Commentary is welcome. 1. CHARACTER CONCEPTION A fifteen year-old science nerd who gained spider-like powers from an accident in a genetics lab, Peter Parker took up crimefighting as Spider-Man out of a sense of responsibility fostered by his late Uncle Ben. Despite having a lot of power, his inexperience means that he frequently messes up. This priofile represents Spider-Man at the end of issue #21, following his defeat of Doctor Octopus and Kraven the Hunter. 2. PACKAGE DEALS None. 3. CHARACTERISTICS Spider-Man is a Superheroic character, and so not subject to Normal Characteristic Maxima. None of his Characteristics have Limitations on them. Strength (STR): Spider-Man has superhuman strength, enough to lift several tons. We haven't seen him test the limits of his strength, so we don't have an absolute value to base his rating on (as we do with the Marvel Universe Spider-Man, who can bench press about 9,000 kilograms under optimal conditions). Ultimate Spider-Man hasn't fully developed physically, and hasn't shown quite so much raw power, so let's give him a strength limit of around 7,000 kilograms. 41 STR: costs 31 character points, Roll 17-, lift 7,200 kg, 8d6 damage, base forward leaping distance of 8". Dexterity (DEX): Spider-Man has superhuman dexterity, enabling him to effortlessly enage in acrobatic feats greater than any Olympic gold medalist. He's clearly well above the human maximum, but not so much that he's impossible to hit. 34 DEX: costs 72 character points, Roll 16-, base OCV and DCV 11. Constitution (CON): The tests performed by Osborn's scientists indicate that Spider-Man has a metabolism "somewhat akin to... that of a long distance runner or an Olympic level athlete." In practice, it seems even better than that, but not quite superhuman. 20 CON: costs 20 character points, Roll 13-. Body (BODY): We've seen Spider-Man take beatings that would kill an ordinary human and still walk (or swing) away, but we've also seen a few powerful blows take him down. 16 BODY: costs 12 character points, Roll 12-. Intelligence (INT): Spider-Man is a genius, able to grasp highly advanced concepts with no difficulty, to process ideas far in excess of his education, and to solve problems that have stumped experienced scientists. 23 INT: costs 13 character points, Roll 14-, PER Roll 14-. Ego (EGO): Spider-Man has a strong will, able to push himself to limits that he didn't know he had. However, he can still be flustered by situations, and proved susceptible to mind control in Ultimate Marvel Team-Up #12-13. 13 EGO: costs 6 character points, Roll 12-, ECV 4. Presence (PRE): Spider-Man has a distinct lack of presence. He has difficulty getting people to take him serously (even when displaying superhuman power), and is hardly the most forceful of people. 7 PRE: sell back for 3 character points, Roll 10-, PRE Attack 1d6. COMELINESS (COM): According to Ultimate Spider-Man artist Mark Bagley's daughter, Spider-Man looks "a little nerdy but cute." He doesn't take any steps to accentuate his appearance. 12 COM: costs 1 character point, Roll 11-. Physical Defense (PD): Spider-Man has proven highly resistant to trauma, able to coming out ahead when pitted against a brick wall (which happens more often than he'd like). He's taken blows from Doctor Octopus that would kill normal humans, but seems to have less resistance to deadly attacks like bullets. His STR gives him a base PD of 8. 12 PD: costs 4 character points. Energy Defense (ED): One blast from Electro took Spider-Man out, but only stunned Ox (a normal, if very tough, human). Same thing with Doctor Octopus' taser-arm. So Spidey seems to be lacking in the ED department. His CON gives him a base ED of 4. 4 ED: costs zero character points. Speed (SPD): Spider-Man is extremely fast, able to take on multiple opponents with only some diffuclty. His DEX gives him a base SPD of 4. 6 SPD: costs 16 character points, acts on Phases 2, 4, 6, 8, 10, and 12. Recovery (REC): Spider-Man is able to swing around all night without getting tired, fight crime, and only fall asleep in class once or twice the next day. In addition, he is able to recover from unconsiousness quickly enough to save himself from falling off of a skyscraper. His Characteristics give him a base REC of 9. 12 REC: costs 6 character points. Endurance (END): Spider-Man is able to fight for long periods without getting worn out, making frequent attacks. His CON gives him a base END of 40. 50 END: costs 5 character points. Stun (STUN): It takes a fair bit of damage to knock Spider-Man out, but a concentrated effort can bring him down in just a few Phases. His Characteristics give him a base STUN of 47. 47 STUN: costs zero character points. TOTAL CHARACTERISTIC COST: 183 character points. continued next post... Patrick J McGraw

Thanks for the assist. I'll definitely look for the SK book, and I'll probably work up my own chart comparing vaious fictional characters. Patrick J McGraw

I've been trying to explain this to my friends for over a year now. But they're the sorts who think Alan Moore is only a "decent" writer. Patrick J McGraw

I've been roleplaying for ten years, but I'm new to the Hero System. I think I've got a grasp on how the system works, but one thing that still perplexes me is understanding what the ratings in the various characteristics represent. Strength ratings can be easily understood because they define how much a character can lift, but what about other characteristics? What would the relative DEX ratings be for, say, a professional athlete, Batman, and Spider-Man, respectively? How would you determine such ratings? Most of the RPGs that I've played include guides to understand what each rating in a characteristic represents, but the Hero system lacks such descriptions. Patrick J McGraw

Honor Harrington: Field of Dishonor by David Weber. It's the fourth Honor Harrington novel, sort of military space opera with a female Horatio Hornblower. This fourth book was rather odd, because it doesn't feature a single space battle - the whole thing deals with the aftermath of the previous book and Honor's conflict with another officer. Prettty interesting, though I won't pick up the next book for a couple weeks or thereabouts. Patrick J McGraw