CREATING A HERO

Approaches To Character Creation

Creating an interesting, dynamic superhero character is no different than creating a normal Kathanaksaya character, except perhaps keeping in mind the fact that you are creating a comic book hero.  There are several approaches you can take to creating a Four-Color Hero. 

Name:  Almost all superheroes have a catchy code-name that usually reflects either their powers or their motivations.  Some are short and sharp, some are flashy, and some are ridiculously long and kind of pompous.  Many such long names use titles or military ranks, like Mister/Misses/Miss/Ms., Captain, or Man/Woman (for some strange reason, it's only villains that use General, Doctor, or Professor). 

Superpowers and Abilities:  You may have a certain type of superpower in mind, such as superspeed or incredible strength.  You may also want to model your character after an existing comic book hero.  A good starting point would be an 'elemental control'- in other words, does your hero control a certain type of energy or substance, like light, sound, electricity, plants, matter?  Another good source of inspiration would be the abilities of animals.  Or maybe your hero is just an incredibly well-trained normal person.  It is really better to have a related set of abilities in mind or a unifying theme as opposed to a 'grab-bag' of powers. 

Costume:  Sometimes you have a sketch of a costume, insignia, or a type of character, and that could suggest powers and abilities that would flow naturally from the illustration (of course, a blank piece of paper could suggest invisibility...). 

Adapting Existing Characters:  Of course, there is nothing wrong with using a superhero character you have already created for another superhero role-playing game, either (as a matter of fact, I'm quite sure that Green would be very pleased if you did this!). 

Forging A Hero 

Actually getting your superhero down on paper is just a matter of following a few steps.  You define different Aspects of the hero, and you will receive Story Points (SP) for each one you define.  Story Points measure the amount of influence a hero has over the course of the comic book stories being told.  This starting total will be the amount of SP you have to spend for each issue. 

Defining each Aspect gives you the same number of SP no matter how many items you have.  So, if you say your superhero always has a cigar hanging out of his mouth and has a battle cry he utters every time he fights, both would still only be worth one SP. 

All beginning superheroes have 4 Fanboy Support. 

Aspects 

Name:  You should come up with a good name for your superhero as discussed earlier.  He should also have a 'real' name, either his legal name (or what it was before he became a superhero), or what people call him informally (even if it's just a nickname).  Naming your hero is worth 6 SP. 

Appearance:  This is a description of what your superhero looks like.  What does his insignia look like?  What color is his costume (assuming he has one- some superheroes have been seen around town wearing just tattered purple pants...)?  Does he wear armor or other gadgets?  Is he an alien?  If you are artistically inclined, you can draw a picture of your hero (or you could just point out a similar picture in a comic book).  Defining your hero's Appearance is worth 2 SP. 

Origin:  This is, in some ways, the most important Aspect of a superhero, and is one of the things that separate comic book tales from other storytelling forms.  The Origin is the tale of how and why your superhero became a hero- how he got his amazing abilities, and why he decided to put on tights and fight criminals.  A good Origin will inspire those who read it and give the Narrator a great source for story ideas.  It should also naturally flow into the other Aspects of your superhero and can spark ideas if you are stuck on something.  A good Origin is worth 6 SP.  Keep in mind the Origin of the three most famous superheroes of all time: 

• The last survivor of the doomed planet Krypton... 
• Orphaned as a youth when his parents were killed by common criminals... 
• Accidentally bitten by a dying radioactive spider... 

Powers:  Anything that a superhero uses to fight crime, rescue innocents in danger, and perform heroic acts- superspeed, incredible strength, psychic abilities, controlling flames and fire, ....  Powers don't have to be superhuman abilities, either- they can be gadgets, equipment, or any abilities that go far beyond what even the most highly-trained and brightest normal people are capable of- a hero could be a master detective, a martial arts virtuoso, or a super gadgeteer.  Defining Powers is worth 5 SP.  An exact list of all powers and specific abilities is not necessary; simply take note of what his general powers and rough capabilities are.  For example, your Friendly Neighborhood Wall-Crawler's Powers (at the beginning of his career) might look like this: 

• Has the speed, agility, and proportional strength of a spider 
• Can sense danger 
• Has web-shooters, which allow him to swing around the city and create webs to entangle and block foes 
• Can cling to sheer surfaces and climb walls 

Skills:  This represent a hero's professional career or skills that he uses in everyday life, in his 'secret ID' if you will (if he even has a secret ID).  This should be something that fits a superhero, like police detective, astronaut, fighter pilot, or reporter.  A superhero can of course have more than one item listed under Skills, like chemistry and photography in the case of a certain famous Wall-Crawler.  You are encouraged to also list any minor skills or hobbies that your hero may have picked up in his life; doing so makes him more believable and playable.  Also, please don't worry about exactly what is a Power and what is a Skill- these can and often do overlap.  A certain famous Last Son of Krypton battles villains and prevents natural disasters using his incredible Powers, but he uses his Skills as a reporter to help him find out the villain's whereabouts or alert him to the hurricane approaching the coast.  Defining Skills is worth 3 SP. 

Motivation:  Only a complete lunatic would put on spandex long johns and run around the city playing vigilante and rescuing cats from trees unless they are driven to it for some reason.  Motivation is why your superhero does this, and keeps on doing it.  Answer this question well- Is it because his parents were murdered by thugs?  Is it from guilt?  Is the hero trying to atone for some past perceived sins?  Does the hero do it for a thrill or to show off?  Does the hero feel he must set an example to others, or represent some cause?  Is the hero forced to do this because of some curse, debt, or other obligation?  Motivation is worth 5 SP. 

Personality:  What is your superhero like?  What is his general behavior?  What is his MO?  Does he follow the law to the letter?  Is he obsessive with justice over law?  Does he worry about failure?  Is he a wise-cracking punster?  Does he seek to further the study of science or The Unknown?  Does he strike a heroic pose and stick around for reporters when the villains are defeated, or mysteriously vanish into the shadows and only return when needed?  Creating a Personality is worth 4 SP. 

Complications:  Comic books are very much like superpowered soap-operas.  The most interesting and popular superheroes have complications in their lives, whether it be a sickly aunt, a girlfriend who constantly gets into trouble and needs rescuing, or having a bad reputation with the public or the police.  Some heroes are simply misunderstood monsters who wish to be left alone, but for some reason they are constantly hunted and hounded.  Perhaps the hero is the ruler of a nation and has the needs and desires of his subjects to worry about in addition to his heroic duties.  Having Complications that make your hero's life harder is worth 5 SP.  However, having a secret identity is so prevalent that it doesn't really count as a Complication. 

Vulnerabilities:  This is something that causes the hero more harm than it does other people, or things that hurt him or take his powers away that have no effect on ordinary people.  The most famous example is Kryptonite, but a Vulnerability can be a need to return to the water every hour or so.  A Vulnerability can also be something like a gadget or talisman that causes the superhero to lose his powers when it is taken away.  It can even be something like a crippling phobia or an overpowering addiction- any substance or condition that weakens, damages, or disables the hero in some way, be it physical or mental.  A Vulnerability is worth 3 SP. 

Nemesis:  It often seems that for every hero, there is an equal and opposite villain.  Sometimes this villain has the exact opposite powers as the superhero.  However, all Nemeses have two things in common- they are the antithesis of the hero and all he stands for, and they want to see the hero discredited, humiliated, or destroyed.  Often the Nemesis became so because of something the hero did or did not do (at least from the villain's warped perspective), and can even be part of the superhero's Origin.  A really good Nemesis idea can come from simply reversing the hero's Motivation- Does the hero protect innocents?  Then the Nemesis routinely threatens, maims, or even kills normal people.  Is the hero strict about legal procedure?  Than the Nemesis routinely flaunts the law, and gets out of jail or avoids prosecution on technicalities (or really good lawyers).  Is the hero a patriotic symbol of The American Way?  Then the Nemesis is a virulent anarchist who burns the flag.  Some famous comic-book heroes even have their own "Rogue's Gallery" of many such villains.  One thing to keep in mind- you come up with the Nemesis's general concept, but the Narrator will define his full abilities.  A Nemesis is worth 3 SP. 

Supporting Cast:  Supporting Cast are the 'normal' people who are a recurring part of a superhero's life.  Lovers, spouses, friends, family, co-workers, street informants, trusted manservants, and police commissioners are all part of a Supporting Cast.  Sometimes superheroes can share Supporting Cast, like a butler or government liaison for the superteam.  Supporting Cast is worth 2 SP. 

Quirks:  These are just minor personality traits or idiosyncrasies that your hero has- little things that nonetheless make him more memorable and fun to play.  Does your hero habitually leave a sign everywhere he goes, like a coin with his insignia?  Is he always chomping on a cigar?  Does he have a catchphrase that he uses when he is excited or going into battle?  Defining Quirks is worth 1 SP. 

If you create and detail all these things about your superhero, you can begin with 45 Story Points, which allows your hero to influence the comic book story more than those who are not so well-defined.  The following table sums up the SP received for each Aspect defined: 

What About the Narrator? 

After everyone is done with creating their superheroes, the Narrator gets a pool of Story Points equal to the sum of all the characters’ Story Points.  This is called the Narrator Pool.  Just as the players’ characters have Story Points to represent their volition, the Narrator has a Narrator Pool to represent the forces outside the characters that tend to make life more interesting, be they supervillains, Fate, or even landscapes.  With the Narrator Pool, the Narrator is able to present conflicts that test the characters, be they physical or psychological, and still give them a fair chance at succeeding.  Even at times when it seems the world is out to get the heroes, there is still the possibility of having them take the story in new directions. 

The Narrator Pool is extremely helpful when the characters go in a direction that the Narrator had not anticipated.  For example, the heroes defeat the master villain and take control of his starship.  They decide to hotwire it and take off for Sirius X.  The Narrator had no idea the characters would go there, and she is completely unprepared for this.  The Narrator Pool helps her keep the story moving when conflicts arise in such situations. 

In cases where the Narrator has created her own supervillains and other characters to act as antagonists to the player characters, using the Narrator Pool is not necessary.  As characters in their own right, Narrator characters have their own stories to tell, just like the players’ characters do.  The Story Points for these fully developed characters are completely separate from the Narrator Pool.  The two do not stack in any way whatsoever. 

Specialties

Specialties are a way to help further define a superhero.  A Specialty will lower how many Story Points you need to spend during the game for actions or situations that involve that Specialty (see xxx for more details). 

You can distribute up to 1/2 (round up) of your starting Story Points among Specialties once you define all of your hero's Aspects.  But don't worry, this does not reduce the amount of SP you have to use during the story- it's just a way to regulate the values assigned to those Specialties. 

There are three types of Specialties in Four-Color Heroes:  Theme, Gestalt, and Bullpen. 

Theme expresses the core of a superhero and what he represents, his drives and desires, what motivates him to be a hero.  Theme should be a word or short phrase that sums up the essence of your hero- look to the Aspects you defined, especially Motivation and Personality to define this.  Remember that superheroes are not just heroes, but modern-day myths, so the Theme should reflect that.  Some good Themes would be Responsibility, Redemption, Justice, Adventure, Protection. 

Gestalt is similar to Theme in that it expresses what a hero is, except it sums up what he can do, not what who he is or what he stands for.  Look to the Powers (and perhaps Skills) that you have defined to get an idea.  A Gestalt is not just a hero's superpowers; he should almost be considered the embodiment of the Gestalt.  Again, keep in mind that we are talking about cultural icons akin to Greek gods here- for instance, Hermes was the god of speed; his modern counterpart, a certain Scarlet Speedster, is the very embodiment of Speed.  Some good Gestalts are the elemental forces the superhero controls (Light, Sound, Electricity, Weather, Matter), some physical attribute he possesses at incredible levels (Mind, Intellect, Speed, Strength), any abstract concepts he embodies (Trickery, Illusions, Luck, Chaos), or even normal skills or knowledges far beyond normal (Science, Physical Prowess).  Keep this in mind- if you choose Martial Arts as a Gestalt, then the superhero is not just a black belt; it means that he has probably mastered every unarmed fighting style known to man and is one of the most (if not THE most) formidable martial artists on the planet. 

Bullpen is a (strictly optional) Specialty that belongs more to the PLAYER than the character.  What this Specialty represents is the abilities of the player to make changes to the flow of the comic book story from a metagame level, much as a comics professional contributes to a real comic book.  The specific trappings of the comic book genre and how they are affected by Story Points are discussed later (see Changes to the Comic and Changes to the Hero)- for now, we will just mention the types of Bullpen Specialties and what types of changes they affect.  Here are some suggestions: 

• Editor- Changes to story arcs and the major direction of the comic book.  The Narrator should be VERY careful that Editor Specialty should not get too large, lest the players wrest too much control of the game from her. 
• Writer- Changes to your character that are not 'visual', or plot-oriented, like Supporting Cast, Complications, enemies, personality, etc. 
• Artist- Changes to your character that are 'visual', like Powers, costume, appearance.  This would also cover changes like scenery or conveniently-handy 'props' that were not there before. 

The Narrator should remember that supervillains can get Theme and Gestalt Specialties, but should NEVER have a Bullpen Specialty.  However, the Editor Bullpen Specialty is certainly available for the Narrator's SP Pool.  If you don't already know, The Bullpen is the term Marvel used to refer to their writers and artists. 

Multiple Specialties

There is certainly nothing stopping the Narrator and the players from having more than one of each type of Specialty- Kathanaksaya makes no distinction among types of Specialties, and allows as many as desired.  However, it is VERY unusual for a superhero to have more than one Gestalt; it is not allowed AT ALL to have more than one type of Bullpen Specialty.  If the Narrator plans to allow more than one type of each Specialty, then the players should be allowed to distribute all of their beginning SP among them. 

Gimmicks

Gimmicks are not required to play Four-Color Heroes; it is just an additional tool to help represent some comic-book 'bits' or genre trappings.  A Gimmick is anything that a superhero has that is not really rated like a Specialty, but that gives him some intangible benefits nonetheless.  Some good Gimmicks would be a motorcycle that the hero only uses to zoom to the scene of the action, a sidekick or super-pet, an expansive headquarters, a contact within the government, and so on. 

Gimmicks cost one starting SP per Gimmick; the SP is not lost, but it DOES count toward the total applied to Specialties.  If necessary, a Gimmick can function as a Specialty rated at 1 (or sometimes more, if the Narrator feels it is appropriate). 

Please note that sidekicks or super-pets do NOT get their own SPs or Specialties; the player must spend SPs for them.  However, if you wish to give these companions more effect in the game, just define them as a Specialty.  If you wish to go further, you can even give them their own SP outright- this SP must then come from the character's starting SP total and is 'permanently' lost at that point (in other words, it is not available for him to spend during the game).  The advantage is that the companion CAN spend the SP (under the player's control, unless the Narrator feels he is abusing this); the companion will gain and increase in SP separately (but at a much slower rate) from the main character as if it were a character itself. 

Example Character

Here is a complete example superhero for Four-Color Heroes.  I am adapting an existing superhero character that was played for another game (Champions, if you wish to know; the player was my brother).  The hero is Bugman, who has the incredible speed, strength, and senses of an insect, but he looks like a bug. 

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