Your super-hero character possesses three Hero Traits – traits that express why your character is a hero! Each Hero Trait can be ‘filled up’ with one Hero Point. Hero Points can be spent for various bonuses (see below).
Hero Traits are meant to be things that define the best qualities of your hero. These are aspects of your hero that are easy to role-play and can be applied to all kinds of situations. As a player, you should be trying to manifest (through role-playing) these traits all the time to ‘refill the well’ of your Hero Points.
Here are some examples in three rough categories. These are only examples, and you are encouraged to come up with your own. If you choose to roll your randomly, remember that these traits describe who your character is at his or her heart! Selecting these randomly can be fun, but make sure you end up with a set of traits for a character you will enjoy playing.
Priorities (Choose or roll 1d10, or define your own)
- Protecting all Life
- Liberty for All
- Exposing / Defeating Injustice or Evil
- Receiving the Accolades of my Fans
- Seeking / Advancing Knowledge
- Promoting a Cause or Institution
- Being a Paragon of (a specific) Moral Value
- Solving the World’s Problems
- Protecting the Weak and Innocent
- Avenging the Victims of Evil
Personalities (Choose or roll 1d10, or define your own)
- Never Gives Up
- Loves Drama and/or Danger
- Optimistic
- Helpful
- Aggressive
- Respectful
- Calm & Patient
- Imaginative
- Forgiving
- Enthusiastic
Quirks (Choose or roll 1d10, or define your own)
- Quippy – makes little jokes all the time.
- Humble or Shy
- Always Hungry – and will eat nearly anything
- Vain – any reflective surface is a good reason to check yourself
- Bouncy – rarely stands still
- Dreamy – keeps head in the clouds
- Smart-alec – Mouths off, especially to authority
- Cynical – sees the worse side of everything
- Laughs inappropriately – especially at bad news
- No sense of humor – growls and scowls when others laugh
Gaining and Spending Hero Points
If the Hero takes an action that exhibits any of his or her Hero Traits, the Hero gains a Hero point. The player should check off a box next to that Trait. A Hero can never have more than 3 Hero Points at any given time: one for each of the Hero Traits.
The player can later spend a Hero Point to either add a die to a roll OR to re-roll the dice. To spend one, erase the check mark. You can re-use that Hero Trait to gain another Hero Point later during the same game. In fact, you are encouraged to earn and spend Hero Points as frequently as you like through a game.
- Characters gain Hero Points by performing actions that satisfy any of their three Hero Traits.
- Each character can only have one Hero Point accumulated for each Trait – three total.
- You can earn another Hero Point as soon as you spend one.
- Hero Points can be spent to:
- Prior to a roll, a Hero Point can be spent to add a die to the roll, OR
- After the roll, a Hero Point can be used to re-roll the lowest die, OR
- Add 3 spaces to your Movement for one Action. (This is called a ‘Dash’)
- Hero Points can be saved from one scenario to the next.
As you play, you should be gaining and spending Hero Points frequently. These are a simple reward for role-playing the Hero Traits that make your character different from the other heroes!