Creating ‘Helper’ Characters

Helper Rules

2016-08-30

Sometimes Heroes have helper characters of some kind.   Perhaps the Hero has a robot companion, a friend on the Police force, or a ‘pet’ sentient squirrel.   Perhaps the Hero can summon elemental creatures, a small army of insects, or a magical flying steed.  All of these are a kind of ‘Helper’ and there are various powers scattered throughout the Power Sets that represent the Helpers that a hero has.  That is, in order to have a helper character, it has to come from a power in a Power-Set, and that power will specify the kind of helper and how useful / powerful it can be. Your selected Power may ALSO define other aspects of your Helper, too.  For example, all Helpers created with the Create Robot power are robots.

This set of rules allows players and GMs to create ‘Helper’ characters that are appropriately powerful to the Tier of the Power that the superhero has that defined the specifics type of Helper.

These rules can also be used to create non-humanoid ‘forms’ for a transforming Hero.

The Basics

Each Helper (or Form) is created with Build Points.   The Build Points you have available are defined by the Tier at which you have the applicable Power.  For example, if you have Robot Creation power at Tier 4, you have 4 Build Points with which to build a Robot.

If you have the same power in two different Tiers, you add those Tiers together; the total is the number of Build Points you have available to split between two helpers.

Two more restrictions: 1) You may not have more helpers than you have Powers that allow you to make helpers.  2) No helper can have a Build Point total higher than the highest Tier of the Power used to create them.  That is, if you have taken the Summon Fire Spirit power in the Fire set at Tier 6 and at Tier 9, you have 15 (9+6) build points to split between two Fire Spirits, and the total Build Points for any one Fire Spirit cannot be higher than 9.  (You could split the points 9-6, or 8-7.

You may not combine Build points from more than one Power into the same helper character.  If you have two different powers that each provide Build points to make a helper character, you must make two characters.

A Basic Helper (Build Cost = 5)

A Basic Helper costs 5 Build Points.  A Basic Helper is a humanoid with “1” in each of its eight basic Abilities, and “2” in Movement and Initiative.   It is incapacitated if it takes an amount of Stun/Structure damage = to its total build cost.  A Basic Helper costs 5 Build Points.  When a character has this ‘Basic Helper’ trait, it means that it is part of a Hero’s character and is to be controlled by that Hero’s player.  A Character that is not a ‘Basic Helper’ is an NPC that would be controlled by the Game Master.

Helper characters can be improved with Helper Traits, which increase their Build cost.  They can also have Negative Traits which limit the characters and reduce their total Build cost.

Helper Traits

(Build Cost +1)

  • Assistant – this helper can assist you in some specific way. Add +2 dice when you use a specific power when the helper is assisting you.
  • Autonomous – this helper isn’t in your direct control at all, but is aligned to you. You don’t need to give it commands at all, but it may not always do the smartest thing (Make a Perception Vs 15 roll for it, if it fails, the GM may decide its action.)
  • Communicate By Thought – It is a thought action to communicate with this helper.
  • Helper Ability Increase – Improve three Ability scores (choices include Initiative and Movement) by 1 each. No single ability can gain more than +1 for each time you add this.  It can be repeated.
  • Heroic Endurance – this helper is like a Hero in that it can sustain an unlimited amount of Stun.  Stun still increases the time it takes to perform actions, as normal.
  • Long–range Communication – you can communicate with this helper at long distance (perhaps via cell-phone!)
  • Movement Increase – this helper is built for speed. Add +4 split as you like among Movement and Initiative (each has to get at least +1).
  • Specialist – Add +2 dice to a single action/attack appropriate to the helper.

(Build Cost +N)

  • Defined Meta–Power – this helper has a super-power selected from another list. The power that created the helper may define a power-set or list of appropriate powers.   The N (Build-Point) cost is = to the Tier of the selected power.  You may never select a Meta-Power with another Meta-Power.

Negative Traits

(Build Cost -1)

  • Animal Intellect – While this helper may be very perceptive, it really only understands concepts that an animal would understand.  It cannot understand or communicate complex ideas.
  • Limited Stun (Mook) – the maximum number of Stun / Structure that this helper can sustain is 2, and Stun does not increase the time it takes a Mook to perform an action.
  • No Arms / Hands – this helper must grab or manipulate things with some other, less dexterous part of its body.
  • No Communication – this helper cannot communicate (although can be commanded.)
  • No Legs – this helper is reduced to moving on the ground 1 space as a Full Action.
  • No Movement – this helper cannot move on its own.
  • Non-combatant – this helper will not fight, and may flee if combat begins.
  • Non–human Influence – this helper can only attempt to influence other members of its non-human species.
  • Reduced Ability Score – Reduce an ability score by up to 2.  This cannot be used on an Ability score that has been raised by another Power or Trait.
  • Remote control – this helper must be given orders via a physical action: 5 TU for quick commands, and 10 TU for more complex commands.
  • Single Function – this helper can do exactly one thing – whatever it was designed to do.
  • Single Sense – this helper has just a single sense (usually sight).
  • Slow Arrival – this helper must be called for each scene and arrives 30-3d10 TU after being called.
  • Strong Instincts – you must make an Influence roll at -2 dice when you command this Helper to do something against its nature.
  • Time-Limited – this helper can only assist for a short amount of time.
  • Weak – this helper cannot exert any physical strength.

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