The previous sections were to get you familiar with the rules for Four-Color Heroes (or rather the rules for Kathanaksaya and how they specifically apply to superheroics). This section will give Narrators (as well as players) some hints and additional rules and options to make the game feel more like a comic book.
Most of these are methods of Using Story Points Without Bidding; each one will refer to the entries in the SP cost table given there. The given SP costs are as much to reflect the vagaries of shifting fan loyalty and comic book sales as they are the superhero's effect on the story. The Artist and Writer Bullpen Specialties usually apply to changes to your superhero, and Editor usually applies to changes to the comic as a whole.
Superheroes change in minor ways all the time. New costume, new look, changes in their Supporting Cast, some significant event makes them change their Motivation or Personality, etc. Such changes are usually Cosmetic, since they only affect the superhero personally (changes in Supporting Cast or major shifts in Motivation might be Minor or subtle, or in rare cases up to Significant or noticeable). Very minor changes (costume or insignia) could even be free. These sorts of changes are usually not opposed or vetoed by the Narrator. Of course, major changes to the character occur as well- superheroes are powered up, de-powered, and have their powers changed all the time. These types of changes can be Significant or noticeable, or even higher.
In the comics, superheroes in dire situations always seem to suddenly discover new uses for their superpowers they never thought they could do, and go on to save the day. The SP cost for this should be Minor or subtle; if the player has a really good pseudo-scientific explanation for it, then the Narrator should drop it to Cosmetic. Also keep in mind that if the player wishes to add the power stunt to his permanent Powers listing (see Regaining Story Points and Character Advancement), it will cost less SP.
The exact capabilities of superheroes are not defined in this game, but the Narrator can judge based on what the hero's
Powers
are. If there is a question, like whether a character who has lifted a truck before could lift a train, then an SP
cost can be assessed. It can revert to bidding if there is an argument- and comic fans are always arguing about whether or
not a superhero can do what a writer has him doing in the latest issue.
In the comics, coincidences, fate, deus ex machina, or just pure dumb luck play a great role. How many times has a hero who couldn't fly been tossed from a plane or the top of a skyscraper, only to spot a conveniently-within-reach flagpole at the last possible second? How often does a gadgeteer superhero lament "If only I had duranium, I could repair the electrogun and stop the rampaging smog beast?!", only to suddenly recall that common smoke detectors in fact use duranium in their circuitry? How many times has the master villain been on the brink of certain capture, only to escape? The answer is, of course, all the time! The SP cost would depend on how outlandish the Narrator thinks the solution or request is (they should rarely if ever go above Significant or noticeable). As usual, if the change is contested, then bidding starts with the player who suggested it, using the assessed SP cost as the minimum bid.
As a comics reader, you may have a suggestion for a possible story line you would like to see, or maybe someone would like to switch characters (effectively altering the superteam roster). If the Narrator approves it, then the player can spend the SP before the change occurs; the SP cost would depend on how drastic the change is or how important the storyline is (proposed storylines would usually be around Minor or subtle, since they haven't yet happened; changing characters would be Significant or noticeable).
Marvel Comics published a comic title called What If?, which were basically alternate histories that would have occured if a pivotal event did or did not happen. DC has a similar group of comics called Elseworlds. Players should be able to spend SP to 'change history'; by spending the SP, they are basically saying it was an alternate timeline or dimension or something. Such changes can range from re-doing a key scene (Minor or subtle or higher) to an entire issue or major event like the death of a key character (Major or drastic or higher). These should only occur during or immediately after the scene or issue in question, however. The process reverts to bidding if there is a disagreement, or the Narrator can veto the changes outright.
Occasionally comic companies will do what comic fans like to call 'retconning', or retroactive continuity. Most comic companies attempt to establish a continuity (keeping a common history among major characters and titles, referring to past events, and trying not to contradict it too much). However, new creative teams sometimes ignore continuity or even alter or contradict it. Sometimes the changes are relegated to an 'alternate dimension' type explanation (see What If?), but most of the time it is never really explained. Sometimes it's simply undoing a previous 'permanent' change, like bringing characters back from the dead. Such changes are never less than Major or drastic.
A Reboot is redoing a superhero or title from scratch, including re-telling origin. This is ALWAYS Extraordinary, and should only be done with the agreement of everyone.
The best way to reflect a comic-book creative team approach would be for the Narrator to act as the editor of the 'comic book', and have a brainstorming session with the players (the writers and artists) to pitch around ideas. This is where SP for items listed under Changes to the Comic would be spent. The Editor Bullpen Specialty would definitely apply here. Players can contribute SP the same as they do for their characters. Of course, if EVERYONE agrees to the change, then NO SP needs to be spent- spending SP is an abstract way to represent things like marketing demands and fan reactions, but it is not absolutely necessary.
'Issue' refers to a single comic book, which tells one story or chapter in the saga of your heroes. An issue is usually a single game session, but it does not have to be. If a story arc lasts several game sessions, then it should be broken into more than one 'issue' to allow for SP replenishment and/or rewards (long story arcs last several issues in the comics all the time).
In comic books, the story unfolds panel by panel. For some conflicts, especially combats, the Narrator can choose to use Panel-based conflict.
At the start of the conflict, each player decides how many Story Points he wishes to commit to the conflict, up to 1/4 his current total (round up). The Narrator then decides how many to take from the villains involved (it must come from their personal SPs), up to 1/4 the current total. These SPs are then set aside. Everyone involved should then figure out 1/4 the Specialty being used (this can be done before the game starts to speed things up).
The conflict then proceeds with the action broken into panels. A single panel's action can be thought of as anything that a comic book artist could illustrate and any dialog a letterer could add to one panel (the Narrator is the final judge on this). The basic idea is that both sides in the conflict are trying to win each panel. For each panel, both sides bid as many SPs as they want and narrate a single panel's worth of action; this is a blind bid- in other words, the players and the Narrator decide how much to commit, then the results are revealed simultaneously. Players can contribute SPs as usual. The winner takes the panel. The catch is that BOTH sides must spend the SPs bid; these SPs are set aside and no longer usable for this conflict (but don't put them with the rest of the SPs just yet).
The conflict keeps going like this until one side or the other runs out of SPs they committed to the conflict. At that point, whoever won the most panels is the victor and gets to decide the fate of the losers. Take one-half of the SPs committed (round down) as spent; each side gets whatever is left added back to their regular SPs (they are available to be spent as usual).
The Narrator should feel free to 'bend the rules' a little from time to time, especially if it makes for a better story, rewards especially creative play, or reinforces the comic book genre. Since the rules of Four-Color Heroes are relatively simple, bending them is usually a matter of creative usage of Story Points. Here are some examples which are classic situations and 'bits' from comics.
Say a wise-cracking superhero is taunting a villain. The barbs he is hurling at the villain are particularly creative, or designed to really irritate the villain in question (this behavior is very much in character for the hero, at any rate). The Narrator can certainly reward this, by letting the hero's bid count as extra SP without spending them, or perhaps the villain's Specialty is cut in half (he is so enraged that he is attacking the hero at full strength, ignoring defensive tactics and subtlety).
Another classic situations in comic books is The Undefeatable Menace. In Four-Color Heroes, that would be a master villain, invading alien armada, or giant monster who is intent on world conquest (or just destroying it). The Undefeatable Menace has such a high Specialty that the entire team of heroes is barely a match for it. In this case, the heroes should use teamwork. Allow them to designate a team leader (usually, but not always, the hero with the highest Specialty). Starting with the leader's Specialty, add a certain value to it for each team member's Specialty (it can be whatever the Narrator wishes- one, one-fourth of the Specialty rating, whatever) to get the final Specialty for the Big Showdown. An easier way to do it is just to give them extra SP for free for teaming up. This also works with two characters who have worked together for some time (comic fans call it The Fastball Special- it involves two members of a famous mutant superteam; the super-strong one throws the other at the target).
Vulnerabilities can be handled by reducing the hero or villain's Gestalt, or perhaps making SP spend against him count for more.
Normal people who inhabit Comic Book World really don't have much of an effect on the story. The Narrator should resolve any actions involving normals using SP from the Narrator Pool, since most of the time they are really only plot devices, present for interesting minor encounters, information, or to be rescued from danger or threatened by supervillains. For the rare times that a normal has a larger effect on the story, the Narrator can give them a minor Specialty (usually no higher than 1-2). Of course, any normal people that are part of a superhero's Supporting Cast will be around a lot, but they are still treated the same way. Supporting Cast can act as a Gimmick on occasion for plots involving them (the superhero cares a great deal about them, after all).
As far as 'goon squads' (hordes of agents or supervillain minions), any Specialties should be higher- just high enough to provide at least some challenge to the heroes. Goon squads can have their own SP if the Narrator wants them to. Villainous super-agencies and master villains have a nasty habit of adapting to superhero tactics and studying their weaknesses over time; sometimes it's simply a new superweapon prototype being tested... Hordes of lesser agents or thugs should not get such a break, because they are there only for the heroes to cut through like wheat to a chaff anyway (and to look good and heroic when doing so, of course).
To REALLY make the game FOUR-COLOR Heroes, Story Points are divided up into four colors (the same colors that are used in the printing of comic books, which is why they were known as 'four-color comics'). Each color represents a different aspect, story element, or type of action they can be used on. This complicates the use of SPs a good deal, as the Narrator has to rule which colors can be spend on which types of actions, so it may not be for everyone.
Each player can choose to divide up his SP total into the four colors any way he chooses, but once allocated it cannot be changed until the next time SP Pools are supposed to refresh. In emergencies, a player can swap SP two for one- so, for example, if you need some red SP but you are fresh out, you can swap two of any of the other three color SPs you have for red SPs. The Narrator may also let players trade SP, at a one for one rate, but in that case she should charge an 'SP tax' of one or more SP for the transaction (each player spends that many SP for the swap and they are lost as if winning a bid).
For simplicity, it is not recommended that the Narrator SP pool or any Narrator characters use the four colors (unless the Narrator wants to keep up with it, that is...)
A simpler way to do this is to have FIVE colors for SP- four as given below, and a neutral color like white. The white SP are the regular or 'default' SP- they can be spent for anything. One can be swapped at any time during the game (except during a bidding session) for 2 SP of any of the other four colors below, in any combination the player wishes. Conversely, two color SP can be swapped for one regular SP. There is no limit how many SP can be swapped back and forth like this.
Red: Mayhem- Deeds, not words; fighting, stopping runaway trains, dispersing hurricanes, web-slinging through the city, superspeed, intimidating thugs, ...
Blue: Wits- Thinking, not doing; research and investigation, science, designing super-gadgets, outwitting opponents, taunting the villains, searching for clues... Note that any mental or mystical powers would fall under Red, not Blue, unless they were of the subtle or perception type as opposed to flashy or overt uses (in other words, mind-controlling a hero into attacking his teammates would be Mayhem, but using your mind to scan for mutants in the area would be Wits)
Yellow: Aura- The long-term influence the hero has on society and events WITHIN THE GAME WORLD. Aura represents a criminal mastermind's incredible wealth and influence as the head of a mega-corporation; an activist or lawyer hero's attempts to lobby against passage of a Mutant Registration Act; a superhero with worldwide popularity having honorary citizenship in every country. Narrators who don't wish to have their game worlds altered too drastically should be careful here; conversely, it does allow the exploration of some themes that are often ignored or glossed over in comics (like, why don't gadgeteer superhero's gadgets become commonplace and permanently alter worldwide technology levels?). Another optional use for Yellow is Dumb Luck- good karma in the form of minor Deus Ex Machina, not permanent changes to the character.
Black: Excelsior! (in honor of Stan 'The Man' Lee)- The PLAYER's affect on the GAME ITSELF. Writer or editorial power, basically. This is explained in more detail under Changes To The Comic. Black SP may refresh at a different rate than the other SPs if the Narrator wishes.
Fanboy Support can be converted to whatever color SP the player wants, but SP spent to raise Fanboy Support must be Black.
Theme and Gestalt Specialties would apply to the use of the first three colors. Artist (and maybe Writer) Bullpen Specialties would apply to Dumb Luck Yellow. Only Editor Bullpen would apply to the use of Black.
When a hero reaches 25 Fanboy Support, he has reached Icon Status. This means that your hero has been elevated to legendary status, along with the greatest heroes in comics. When your hero makes it this far, you can count any Story Points you spend as being double their value. You must choose a nickname or title for him- either an adjective in front of his name (The Bombastic Bugman) or something else people call him (Redforce could be The Crimson Marvel). He only maintains Icon Status for as long as his Fanboy Support is greater than or equal to 25, though.
When a hero and villain are facing off with opposite Gestalts, they cancel each other out. Subtract the lower Gestalt from the higher one- the character with the higher Gestalt has the remainder as his new Gestalt rating (for this conflict). If they are equal, then neither character gets a Gestalt rating. Some Gestalts are obvious opposites, like Light and Darkness, but the Narrator should be creative when applying this rule. This rule can be used for Nemeses, or heroes and villains with opposite Motivations who are not Nemeses as well, but in that case Theme should probably be used (the Theme Specialties cancel each other out).
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