Talk:Complete Superhero (3.5e Sourcebook)

Superhero Themed Brain Deluge

Hey, want some of my random unfinished concepts flowing through my mind? Use what you will...

First you need to define what a superhero is (because frankly any highest level D&D character fits the definition once they get past level 6, or sooner) and how its different from normal D&D. Or isn't. It might just be a thematic thing, where you're not so much adventurers being murderhobos as you are the special chosen who, though accident, mutation, or whatnot, let you break the level cap of like 4 more commonfolk have.

Now the problem with superheroes is that its a very broad concept. Tony Stark and Superman have wildly different fields, and yet both are considered superheroes. You have robots like Vision, and then you have alien gods like Thor, and then you have Shuma Goroth, and Cable, and who knows what else.

So I was thinking maybe you should take a nod from d20 Modern and go with "generic classes" which were very adaptable. I call it the "X Hero" classes. You get things like Strong Hero, Fast Hero, Energy Hero (for things that shoot beams or the like), Skill Hero (covers both skills and super-but-still-human things like Batman), Tough Hero, and so on and so forth.

And then, have them all technically count as the same class. Say I pick up Eyebeams from Energy Hero, and they do 1d6 per level. Cool cool. Suddenly I start multiclassing into Tough Hero and getting DR, but my eyebeams continue to scale, remaining relevent with my CHARACTER level instead of my class level. Or, at least, with my hero level. Basically all X Hero classes increase your hero level, and all the powers you gain from the classes scale.

For those multiclassing, the reward is a vast amount of powers which are all relevent. For those staying single classed, the reward is some matter of mastery in their chosen field. For example while anyone with a few levels of Energy Hero can shoot eyebeams, only max level Energy Heros can have the eyebeams zigzag around, disintergrate targets, surge in a powerful burst, or them themselves into pure energy. Or something of that sort.

The trick now is finding your categories of Hero. If you wish to run with this idea. Look to psionics and psi-like abilities for things which scale with level, even if they are just a 1st level power. You may also want to look into the Reputation system D&D actually has, it seems appropriate to use in this type of game. The alternative is making a class for every hero type you can think of. Advantages are increased accuracy and focuses. Downsides is that its a lot of classes, and you can't really cover them all. Also some may already be represented well (raging crasher or frenzied berserker is clearly the hulk, artificer is as about Tony Stark as you can get, etc.) Its up to you. -- Eiji-kun (talk) 10:08, 11 January 2014 (UTC)