I’m starting this thread to collect ideas and examples of home made Heroic Abilities. Heroic Abilities can easily be dialed up to 11, getting very powerful, and ultimately making superman. So I think it’s important that most Abilities should aim to be of a similar power level to the official Realms of Terrinoth list. If you want to provide a higher power example then please do, but make it clear that’s what it is so you don’t get a litany of “that’s too powerful” comments.

So to get the ball rolling here’s my example I give for Flight:

Simple Flight

Use in Low Power Level Superhero Settings

Whether through technological, magical, supernatural or some other means your character can move much further and faster than others, even to the extent of flying.

Basic: Your character can make large leaps, seemingly floating through the air for much longer than should be possible. You gain the ability to spend a manoeuvre to leap anywhere up to short range, or a single move manoeuvre away (including engaging and disengaging). Whilst the heroic Ability is active you may instead hover using the rules presented on p100 of the Genesys Core Rulebook.

Improved: When your heroic ability is active you may instead fly using the rules presented on p100 of the Genesys Core Rulebook.

Supreme: You permanently gain the ability to fly. Whilst this Heroic Ability is active the you may perform one free move manoeuvre every round as an Incidental.

Advanced Flight

Use in high power Super Hero Settings.

Whether through technological, magical, supernatural or some other means your character can fly. Initially it is at a modest speed, but ultimately you could out fly military aircraft.

Basic: You have the ability to fly (as described on p100 of the Genesys Core Rulebook). Whilst this Ability is active you may perform one free move manoeuvre each round as an Incidental.

Improved: Whilst this Ability is active you instead fly using the vehicle rules beginning on page 220 of the Genesys Core Rulebook. The free manoeuvre you get each round from the basic ability may instead be a Pilot only manoeuvre. For the duration of the Ability treat your Maximum Speed as 2 and handling as 0.

Supreme: You are now always capable of flying with a maximum speed of 2. Your speed when you activate your Heroic Ability is instead equal to your highest characteristic, and when activating the ability you may suffer 2 Strain to accelerate to your maximum speed as a manoeuvre.

I like it.

Edit: Never mind the rest. I re-read it.

This is just spitballing but here goes.

Telekinesis

Whether through technological, magical, or supernatural means you can manipulate objects with your mind.

Basic:

While this ability is active your character gains the ability to spend an action to be able to manipulate a silhouette 0 object at up to short range with nothing but a thought. You can move said object anywhere within range at about a walking pace.

Improved:

Even when you have not activated this ability you can move objects no larger than a book. While your ability is active you may manipulate objects up to silhouette 2 and out to medium range. Your may hurl a silhouette 0 object with enough force to hurt someone.

Supreme:

When active your ability gives you fine control of silhouette 0 objects, allowing you to manipulate them as if you were using your hands. You hurl silhouette 1 objects with force. You can now lift silhouette 3 objects out to long range. You can spend 2 strain to increase the silhouette or the range by one.

The Supreme should perhaps allow Silhouette 1 objects to be used as weapons? And the Improved version could even be the opportunity for Silhouette 0 to always be movable?

Like it. Made the changes.

Teleport

Your character gains the ability to teleport.

Basic:

When activated your character can instantly appear in any place within medium range that they can see. All belongings that are on your person are transported with you.

Improved:

While active, you can now appear anywhere within extreme range that you have seen before even if it is not currently visible. You can also transport other creatures or objects whose total silhouette do not exceed 2.

Supreme:

When you are the target of an attack that generates 2 Threat or a Despair you can instantly teleport to anywhere within range as an out of turn incidental. In addition you may now teleport creatures or objects whose total silhouette do not exceed 4.

Manoeuvre or Action for the basic and Improved Power?

its a good start though

Basic as action, Improved as a maneuver?

Sounds good. What about things like Teleportation to places you can’t see, the Teleportation Rune from RoT uses a Vigilance check, could that be an option? Teleport to anywhere you have been for a minimum Hard Vigilance check, gm can increase/upgrade the difficulty and add Setback as normal?

Or would that be a higher power level game? Perhaps on par with flying at Vehicle scale.

Spanner throwing commencing:

Can all of the Heroic Ability upgrades that we see in Terrinoth be applied your Heroic Ability?

The upgrades are really generic and completely separated from the effects of the main abilities, even the secondary effects.

There is only one requirement for a Heroic Ability, it must always have a benefit for being activated.

Is it just me or the official "Unleashed" heroic ability which automatically kill groups of minions feels a bit op?

Sound like the kind of ability everyone would end up choosing anyway, regardless of class/background orientation. Why select something that gives you a better chance (e.g. paragon or weapon speciality) or talk your way out of dire situations, when you can get something else that kills without a roll. Perhaps i am misinterpreting the rules and spending 2 story points might be balancing it out

Have you guys tried this heroic ability?

I am not a fan of something so costly lasting just a turn so...this is for my campaign

Updated and New Heroic Abilities

The following are modifications to the Realms of Terrinoth Heroic Abilities beginning pg 74:

• All the facts -

  • Improved: change to next roll you make within the same scene related to the information gained... Adding duration to the ability increases the number of checks

• Connected -

  • Improved: change to next social skill roll you make within the same scene... Adding duration to the ability increases the number of checks

  • Supreme: the next enemy to attack you within the same scene…

• Foretelling -

  • Improved: change to next roll you make within the same scene related to the information gained...

  • Supreme: the next NPC to make a skill check…

• Hard to Kill -

  • For a number of rounds equal to your unmodified Brawn…

• Influential - for the duration of the social encounter…

• Miraculous recovery - no change

• Paragon - no change

• Sixth Sense - for the duration of the encounter/scene

• Signature Weapon - no change

• Unbowed - no change

• Unleashed - no change

Beastlord

Through your upbringing, you have developed a bond with the natural beasts of the world and can even reach out to the Emerald Kingdom to call upon them to aid you. You must earn the beasts’ trust before attempting to summon them forth from the Eternal Glade.

Base : When you activate this heroic ability, you may summon forth one of your befriend animals from the Eternal Glades to fight at your side. The creature is considered a friend, and will remain at your side until the end of the scene. As a maneuver, you can command the animal to perform a maneuver and an action. It will continue to perform the last command until it no longer can, then it will return to your side and by default guard you.

As the creature is a magical summons, it cannot be healed outside the glade. Once its wound threshold is exceed it will disappear and that specific creature cannot be summoned for three days while it recovers.

Improved : With your improved beastlord bond, you can either now summon three versions of the same beast with the two extra following your friend as a leader. Alternatively, you my summon your friend beast as a primal “dire” version of the beast where it gains +1 brawn, +1 silhouette, +3 soak, double the wound threshold, and any other abilities the GM thinks is appropriate if a dire version of the creature does not already exist (claws might get pierce, etc).

Supreme : you become the packlord with five of the regular version on the summons. You get the higher of the brawn and agility between you and the form, but the lower of the presence (except for dealing with others of the same species you get the higher). You gain the animal’s soak and the higher of your or the animal’s wound threshold. All attacks are per the animal type. You gain any skills from the animal you do not already possess. You gain +2 boosts on all perception and survival checks.

1 hour ago, Doomgrin75 said:

Hard to Kill -

• For a number of rounds equal to your unmodified Brawn…

Great idea

2 hours ago, Doomgrin75 said:

I am not a fan of something so costly lasting just a turn so...this is for my campaign

Correct me if I'm wrong, but by default they all last two turns, yes?

Assuming you activate it at the start of or during your turn it will last all of the current turn and all of your next turn, so most likely providing its benefits twice. That is of course excluding the effects that are triggered at the start of your turn, those will only benefit you once.

You can always go for the Colonist's signature ability that upgrades career skills.

I updated the Flight HA to be two separate versions, a low power version and a high power, the high starts where the low finished.

Or you could make Advanced Flight with pre-requisite to have the Supreme Version of the Simple Flight.

56 minutes ago, GM Hooly said:

Or you could make Advanced Flight with pre-requisite to have the Supreme Version of the Simple Flight.

That’s a good idea, but by introducing an upgrade that lets you buy a second Heroic Ability you’re opening a massive can of worms.

I guess the Supreme version of Simple flight could be “If your GM permits it you gain the Advanced Flight Heroic Ability”

The limiting factor that I can see with having Powers act like Heroic Abilities as they currently stand in Terrinoth is that they can only be "Upgraded" 9 times, and that is provided that the Heroic Ability allows for that to occur.

Lets use the flight example:

Quote

Simple Flight
Use in Low Power Level Superhero Settings

Whether through technological, magical, supernatural or some other means your character can move much further and faster than others, even to the extent of flying.

Basic: Your character can make large leaps, seemingly floating through the air for much longer than should be possible. You gain the ability to spend a manoeuvre to leap anywhere up to short range, or a single move manoeuvre away (including engaging and disengaging). Whilst the Heroic Ability is active you may instead hover using the rules presented on p100 of the Genesys Core Rulebook.

Improved: When your heroic ability is active you may instead fly using the rules presented on p100 of the Genesys Core Rulebook.

Supreme: You permanently gain the ability to fly. Whilst this Heroic Ability is active the you may perform one free move manoeuvre every round as an Incidental.

So for this, Duration, Frequency and Story cannot be used because they have no where to be applied. This means that you are limited to 6 upgrades (or 300XP earned). Plus, your Superhero can only fly. That's it. How would one do Superman for instance? A way for multiple Powers needs to be added. I do like the additional benefit of Supreme which allows you to take on the Advanced Flight Heroic Ability.

I don't have a solution by the way, and I think the way Heroic Abilities are structured is the answer. The question though is how to apply multiple powers?

Things to consider though:

• Powers in Supers Games consistently have Drawbacks
• Powers are regularly connected to each other.
• Powers should have their own suite of upgrades and/or Talents that add to the powers.
• Some powers are going to be more expensive than others.

Just some random thoughts.

6 minutes ago, GM Hooly said:

So for this, Duration, Frequency and Story cannot be used   because they have  no where to be app  lie  d. 

Why can’t these be applied? It’s a heroic Ability and therefore uses the same rules of 2 Story Point cost, 1 turn Duration, and Once per session that every other power has.

Here are the three effects that happen when the power is activated.

7 minutes ago, GM Hooly said:

Whilst  the Heroic Ability is active you may instead hover using  the rules presented on p100 of the Genesys Core Rulebook.  

7 minutes ago, GM Hooly said:

When  your heroic ability is active you may instead fly using the  rules presented on p100 of the Genesys Core Rulebook.  

7 minutes ago, GM Hooly said:

Whilst  this Heroic Ability is active the you may perform one free move manoeuvre every round as an Incidental.  

For the rest of it I really do agree, Heroic Abilities are right but how to expand them properly?

Drawbacks could be covered the the Flaw and Fear motivations.

These Heroic Powers could potentially come with a list of unique “Secondary Effects” that are only available to that specific power. So Flight May have an initiative boosting secondary, an increased Encumbrance, a Damage modifier (perhaps even adding Linked or Autofire)

I’m now thinking over a Signature Vehicle Heroic Ability, basicly take the Signature Weapon option and turn it into a vehicle. But first I needed a Vehicle Craftsmanship mechanic (sorry about the formatting I did it while cooking dinner, on my phone!);

Vehicle Craftsmanship!

All vehicle attributes have a minimum of 1

Junk Yard Beater:

This vehicle has seen it all, and some! It’s falling to bits, covered in rust and held together with zip ties. At least it was cheap.

-2 Handling, -2 Speed, -Silhouette System Strain (reduce system strain by the Silhouette of the vehicle), -2 Hull Trauma, -1 Hard Points.

Rarity: -3

Price: x0.25

Remove all Weapons systems from this vehicle, including the Hard Points associated with them.

Old Faithful:

This vehicle is nothing special, nothing extraordinary, it’s been around the block a few times but it’s been looked after too:

Attributes: -1 Handling, -1 Speed, -2 System Strain,

Rarity: -1

Price: x0.75

Shiny New:

This vehicle is right off the production line, smell that new smell as all those plastics degas? It’s great isn’t it.

Attributes: No change

Rarity: No change

Price: No change

Modified:

This vehicle has been in the hands of a tuner, it’s optimised for performance, or perhaps for comfort, either way it looks like it’s gonna chop you.

Attributes: Handling +1, Speed +1, System Strain -2

Add 1 automatic Advantage to social checks made within Medium Range of your vehicle.

Rarity: +2

Price: x2

Racer:

This vehicle is built for speed, flat out, unadulterated speed at the compromise of all else.

Attributes: Handling +3, Speed +2, System Strain +Silhouette, Hull Trauma -2, Hard Points -3, Armour -1, Defence -1 all zones

Rarity: +4

Price x4

Military:

Modified or of a specific manufacture, this is a military vehicle. It’s tough, fast, reliable and armoured.

Attributes: Speed +1, System Strain +Silhouette, Hull Trauma +Silhouette, Armour +1, Defence +1 all zones, Hard Points -2,

If this vehicle is normally not armed then select one weapons system to add to the vehicle at no hard point cost, the weapon must only require a single Hard Point, can not have Breach, and must normally be able to be installed on a vehicle of this Silhouette.

Rarity: 10(Restricted)

Price: x8

Honestly the method I would use for this is this:

Quote

Leap

Whether through technological, magical, supernatural or some other means your character can leap tall buildings, bound effortlessly across rooftops, and even appear to fly for brief periods of time.

COST: 1 Power Point

Basic: Your character can make large leaps, seemingly floating through the air for much longer than should be possible. You gain the ability to spend a maneuver to leap anywhere up to short range (including engaging and disengaging). You may remain in the air until the end of your next turn.

Improved: When your heroic ability is active you may instead leap to Medium range.

Supreme: When your heroic ability is active you may instead leap to Long range.

I would then allow characters a certain number of Power Points in character generation based on their Origin.