D20 Superhero! Handbook

Chapter 1: Character Creation and Advancement
Creating a superhero is fun and easy. Just following these steps, with guidance from your
GM about what is and is not appropriate in the campaign.
STEP 1: DEVELOP A CONCEPT
What kind of superhero is your character? What is the nature of his powers? How do they work? These
are important questions to decide upfront, because they shape how you will make your character. Make sure you get
the GM’s approval for your concept first.
STEP 2: DETERMINE ABILITY SCORES
Assign scores to your character’s Strength, Dexterity, Constitution, Intelligence, Wisdom, and Charisma.
There are two methods for determining superhero ability scores. Use whichever method your GM specifies.
High-Powered Superheroes: Roll 5d6 six times, discarding the two lowest dice each time. Arrange among the six
abilities as desired. The player may reroll all abilities if his ability modifiers don’t total at least +4 or if he doesn’t
have at least one score of 16 or better.
Point Buy: All abilities start at 8. Take a number of points (assigned by the GM) to spread out among all abilities.
For ability scores up to 14, you buy them on a 1-for-1 basis. For ability scores above 14, it costs more. This method
allows for maximum customization.
Table: Ability Score Point Costs
Score Cost Score Cost
9 1 14 6
10 2 15 8
11 3 16 10
12 4 17 13
13 5 18 16
Table: Ability Score Points
Type of Campaign Example Buy Points Allowed
Semi-realistic superheroes X-Men 32 points (e.g., 16/14/14/12/12/10)
Semi-fantasy superheroes Spider-Man 40 points (e.g., 18/16/14/12/10/10)
High fantasy superheroes Superman 48 points (e.g., 18/18/14/12/12/10)
STEP 3: CHOOSE A STARTING CLASS
Choose Mighty, Swift, Vital, Mental, Alert, or Charismatic Hero as your starting class at 1st level. The
class you start out in greatly affects your starting hit points and skill points. Most importantly, your starting class
determines the powers to which you have access initially.
STEP 4: CHOOSE A POWER
Choose one starting power from the five available to your starting class. This power normally starts out at
Rank 1. However, if you choose a limitation for that power (see Chapter 6), it starts out at Rank 2.
STEP 5: DECIDE ON ANY DRAWBACKS
Superheroes are not always perfect. Sometimes they have personality failings, real-life conflicts, or serious
problems. These are represented by drawbacks. Your superhero may have up to 3 drawbacks, and you must pick
them during character generation. You cannot add them later, and these problems will always be with your
character through his or her life. Each drawback you choose gives your character one bonus feat (the character still
must meet any prerequisites) from the following list:
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