DC Heroes RPG - New Rules - Skills

New Rules File Skills

Compiled, formatted, edited, etc. by Roy Cowan and Sbastien Alexandre Andrivet
Reasons (1): This is a compilations of list discussions about different ways to
adjudicate or conceptualize certain game elements.!These addendums and

clarifications are not official and are only provided as potentially useful house rules
or explanations of particular game mechanics.
Writeups.org & Amazon.com recommend Blood of Heroes RPG and DC Adventures
RPG.

Index
Rough benchmark for Skills
Medicine (Enhancement) Non-Default Subskill
Military Science (Blitz) Non-Default Subskill

Content
Rough benchmark for Skills
Author: Sbastien Andrivet, Roy Cowan, Mike Davies
This is but a rough benchmark based on the official Mayfair stats, it appears that each
Skill practically has its own APs benchmarks, even after correcting for Linking-induced
artefacts.!For instance, APs of Weaponry tend to be one or two AP higher than APs of
Martial Artist to signify the same level of skill, except when everything is DEX-linked for
simplicitys sake (which we dont tend to do on writeups.org).!Another example is that
Mental skills have a wider range of APs when it comes to characters with impossible-byreal-world-standards competence.!Such extreme skills will often be in the 10-to-13
range whereas Physical skills for a similar level of competence would be in the 9-to-10
Range.
Such a Skill-by-Skill benchmark isnt being considered for now - one has to carefully
study the official writeups to develop a sense of scale in any case.
Level

Rough description

Vague knowledge about the skill.!Reliable ability to produce shoddy results.!

Maybe also the level of a lazy/indifferent/casual hobbyist.

2

Amateur with some talent or basic training.!Will not provide professional results
most of the time.

Indifferent professional.!Good enough to make a living, but rarely gets cool

results.!Or skilled amateur/avid hobbyist - good enough to impress most people,
but not professionals in the field.!

Competent professional.!A skilled person youd want to hire.

Expert.!By virtue of superior talent or experience, the character produces results

and has knowledge a step above most professionals.!Level of a typical R&D head,
conductor of major symphonies, etc.

Renowned expert.!The characters name comes up in discussion about the skill ; he

has illustrated himself with newsworthy exploits in his discipline.

Cinematic expert.!The characters can achieve results youre not likely to see in real
life and that make people go wow.

Heroic, world class expert.!A contender among the pantheons of the very best
musicians, doctors, scientists, Formula One drivers, etc. in the world.!Called a
genius by some.

Cinematic genius in that area.!Author of various breakthroughs and impossibly

knowledgeable in the discipline.!This level, or perhaps a 10, would be equivalent to
a Feynman or an Einstein.

10

Comic-book genius in that area.!Will do impossible stuff twice over breakfast.

11

The highest level of Physical Skills before they begin to be considered

superhuman.!The domain of the greatest human practitioners, but only in a comicbook setting or similar over-the-top genre.

12

Physical Skills at this level or higher are usually considered beyond unenhanced
human ability even in a cinematic/comic-book setting.!Mental Skills at this level are
at the tipping point between the greatest human potential and a truly preternatural
level of competence.

13+

Those with Mental Skills in this range are superhuman geniuses.!Can casually make
amazing breakthroughs in several different disciplines simultaneously while working
a problem.

Medicine (Enhancement)
Author: Sbastien Andrivet
Link: As Medicine
Range: None
Type: Dice
Base Cost: 20
Factor Cost: 04
Standard : No. Medicine (Enhancement)is not considered a standard part of the Medicine
package. It is not assumed to be present if a Character has APs of Medicine without
Subskills being mentioned. It cannot be used Unskilled. If a Character adds Medicine

(Enhancement) to their Medicine Skill, the BC and FC are added to those of Medicine.
Medicine (Enhancement) can also be purchased separately if the Character wants to have
different APs in Medicine (Enhancement)than in Medicine.
Description:

Medicine (Enhancement) covers the creation of superpowers and general augmentation

of living beings.!It does not cure ills like the rest of the Medicine Skill does augmentations such as correcting poor sight or replacing a mangled hand by a
prosthetics are part of normal Medicine, not Medicine (Enhancement).!The GM is the
arbiter of which Subskill is applicable to which situation, as borderline cases abound - for
instance Cliff Robotman Steele was mostly a job using straight Gadgetry, ensuring that
Citizen Steel survive and adapt his superhuman powers was probably a Medicine job, but
rebuilding Victor Stone after his accident was likely a Medicine (Enhancement) work.
The APs of Medicine (Enhancement) work exactly like APs of Gadgetry - use the same
Gadget creation procedure.!The main change is the Gadget Bonus - the divisor is
either one (for most applications of the Subskill that create Powers) or two (for those
cybernetics and other augmentations that are best treated as Gadgets rather than as
Powers).!The GM is the arbiter of whether a planned augmentation is best treated as a
Gadget or a Power, and thus the relevant divisor.!This has always been a bit of a
judgement call in DC Heroes - though youll find numerous examples of both approaches
among the writeups.org entries.
Since it uses the same rules as the ones for building Gadgets and Artefacts, Medicine
(Enhancement) is assumed to be used by PCs, for special projects to design comic book
equipment that will never get mass-produced, etc.!In cases where NPCs are the ones
doing the work, the GM is the one who decides on the results.
Military Science (Blitz)
Author: Sbastien Andrivet
Helper(s): Dr. Peter Piispanen, Mark, Adam Fuqua, Roy Cowan
Link: As Military Science
Range: Special
Type: Auto
Base Cost: 10

Factor Cost: 03
Standard : No.!Military Science (Blitz) is not considered a standard part of the Military
Science package.!It is not assumed to be present if a Character has APs of Military

Science without Subskills being mentioned.!It cannot be used Unskilled.!If a Character

adds Military Science (Blitz) to their Military Science Skill, the BC and FC are added to
those of Military Science.!Military Science (Blitz) can also be purchased separately if the
Character wants to have different APs in Military Science (Blitz) than in Military Science.
Description:
A Character with APs of Military Science (Blitz) can increase the Initiative of their
comrades.!Each AP of Military Science (Blitz) can be used to increase the Initiative of a
qualifying Character by one, as if this Character had the Enhanced Initiative Power.!For
instance, a Character with 5 APs of Military Science (Blitz) could increase the Initiative of
an ally by 3, and that of another ally by 2.!How the APs are distributed can change every
Phase.
Using Military Science (Blitz) occurs during the Initiative part of the Phase, like with the
Enhanced Initiative Power.!The Character using Military Science (Blitz) loses an
Automatic Action for that Phase.!Military Science (Blitz) cannot be used to increase the
Initiative of a comrade beyond the Initiative score of the Character using Military Science
(Blitz).
To receive APs of Military Science (Blitz), a Character must share significant combat
experience, or combat training experience, with the Character issuing APs of Military
Science (Blitz).!The GM decides whether a Character qualifies ; shared key words, hand
gestures, immediate action drills and other means to communicate very quickly is an
important component of such shared training.
The Character issuing APs of Military Science (Blitz) must be able to communicate quickly
with the Character receiving them.!They must also have sufficient battlefield awareness
of the Character receiving the APs and the enemy.!Baring superhuman powers,
advanced technology, etc. this usually means that both characters are fighting within ten
or fifteen metres/yards of each other and can see and hear each other and what is going
on.
Designers Notes: Military Science (Blitz) was originally designed for Commander
Shepard of Mass Effect, who is established as an extraordinary small unit leader and has
the in-game power of pausing the action at will to orient, refine tactics, designate
targets, etc.!This makes any small unit under her command markedly deadlier and more
on top of things.
Other formidable leaders who can turn a squad into a lean, mean machine (such as Nick
Fury or Frank Rock) might have a handful of APs in Military Science (Blitz) but this is a

very niche Skill.!Most great Leadership is done with Hero Points - but in Shepards case
she can pause the game whenever she wants, so a sustainable resource was needed.
Costs are chiefly based on Enhanced Initiative w/Useable on Others (+2).!The Link is as
Military Science in case a gaming group house-ruled it.