Hero System 5th Edition [Hardcover]

Steven Long (Author)

Product Details

• Hardcover: 372 pages
• Publisher: Hero Games (2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1583660003
• ISBN-13: 978-1583660003
• Product Dimensions: 11 x 8.6 x 1.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.6 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (15 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #138,416 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

15 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars FREd is your friend, August 7, 2004

By 

Killer Shrike (San Diego, Ca United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Hero System 5th Edition (Hardcover)

The HERO System Fifth Rules Edition (FREd for short) is the definitive edition of a game system with more than 20 years of history behind it.

(Some might know the HERO System as "Champions, the Superheroic Roleplaying Game!")

The HERO System is the king of point based Game Systems. Instead of a class + level structure like D&D and it's many imitators, in the HERO System a player has a certain number of points (varying by genre and power level) with which to buy characteristics, skills, special abilities, and so forth.

It's purpose is to allow a GM to run any genre, any point level, any time period with one set of consistent rules. It's very doable to take a normal fellah from a modern world campaign into a supers or space empire game and vice versa without missing a beat if you wanted to, but more importantly once the GM and players have learned the rules system, then rather than having to learn an entirely different rules system to play some other game, they can just adapt the good bits of the other game and run it in the HERO System instead.

It's point based open framework set up allows this to work. The key to any point based system is balancing abilities costs against their benefits so that one character's x points of y is equivalent in usefulness to another character's x points of z, and the HERO System does an excellent job of this essential internal balancing.

The strength of a point based system is greater flexibility in design; the weakness is that lacking GM oversight unscrupulous and ignorant players alike can come up with some pretty abusive characters. Thus the game takes a little bit of GM monitoring of character desing to work correctly.

Where the HERO System really excels however is that instead of having a lot of prepackaged abilities on a set list, it instead has a mechanic based upon the idea of reasoning from effects and then using a collection of base game mechanics modified to express that concept in game terms.

Thus rather than having umpteen abilities that all do the same general sort of damage the HERO System instead types damage into the broad groups of Energy, Physical, Mental, Flash, and Power damage, (Physical and Energy is also broken down further into "Normal" damage and "Killing" damage), and then provides a single base mechanic for each which is purchased in die amounts, and modified by various advantages and limitations to behave in ways appropriate to a desired effect.

So as an example a crusty mercenary in a gritty space campaign might have several types of guns, a wizard in a fantasy campaign might have several offensive spells, and a fire projector in a superhero game might have super powers all based on the same base power, "Ranged Killing Attack", just modified appropriately to model their respective game effects.

To continue the example the guns of the merc might have a variety of advantages like "Autofire", "Armor Piercing", and "Explosion" as good things, and limitations like "Charges", and "Obvious Accessible Focus: Gun" as downsides. The Wizard might have several attack spells with advantages similar to the merc and limitations like "Incantations", "Gestures", and "Extra Time". The Fire Blaster super might have advantages like "0 END", "Continuous", "Uncontrolled", and "Sticky" to indicate that they light things on fire, they continue to burn after the attack lands, and can light anything that touches them on fire too; it might take limitations like "Restrainable: Hands" and "Not In Space or Underwater" to indicate that if their hands are retrained or they are in a non flammable environment they cant use their power.

As you can see this kind of set up is extremely flexible and "inclusive", allowing the modeling of a lot of effects with the same basic mechanics. It can also get very wordy and complicated, and an oft cited complaint by detractors of the system is that the character generation is complex, and involves some basic math.

While it can take a bit of time to make an HERO System character, depending on how many points are available to a character and how outre a character concept is, but on the plus side once the initial build of the character is done, the character grows slowly over time rather than in repetitive stair stepped plateaus like happens in a class + level game.

The combat system itself is Turn based and breaks everything into 12 second Turns. Each second in a Turn is called a Segment. Every character has a Speed attribute measured from 1 to 12 which indicates how many segments they get actions each 12 seconds, broken down evenly across the Turn. Thus a character with a SPD 4 goes on the 3rd, 6th, 9th, and 12th segments of each Turn. When a character takes an action it is called a Phase, and actions can take anything from a "0 Phase", "1/2 Phase", "Full Phase", or more. Most combat actions take a 1/2 Phase by default.

Characters can hold a 1/2 or Full Phase and act later than their initiative, and characters can "Abort" to defensive actions like blocking or dodging or jumping out of the way even if it's not their initiative. Attacking ends a character's Phase.

Because character's can react to opponents out of initiative order, HERO System combats involve a lot of give and take and have a lot of tactical flexibility.

In addition to using weapons and unusual powers where appropriate to the genre being modeled, there are numerous basic manuevers that any character can use at no cost in character points, and there are better manuevers that can be bought. There are also rules for knockback, and very specific rules for interacting with the environment so things like hurling opponents into walls or hitting them with telephone poles or ramming them with a vehicle are all common occurances in various genres.

Due to the almost limitless variety of effects possible, HERO System combats can be very wild and yet they are also meticulously tracked to the second. On the plus side the action is very clearly defined, cinematic, and makes for great RPG-tales later. On the downside combat can take a while if a GM doesnt take steps to streamline where appropriate.

From a gaming perspective, the HERO System is for those GM's that know what they want and arent afraid of a little extra work to get exactly that, rather than settling for whatever design decisions the developers of other games wrote into their systems. The ability to create precisely what you want in your settings and characters is also an enabler for roleplaying as it allows richly realized character concepts.

The HERO System allows for fun, unique games that are highly memorable even years later. It empowers GM's and Players alike to make the worlds and characters that they want to make rather than having to work with whatever X game company decided to provide in their supplements.

Ive been playing with the system for 14 years now, across a variety of genre and have never had cause to regret it. Two thumbs way way up.

12 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Quite possibly the greatest RPG system... ever..., June 27, 2004

By 

Thomas Davidson (Long Island, NY United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Hero System 5th Edition (Hardcover)

There are some who hate it, and there are some who love it--I am one of those who fall on the "love it" side. The system does have its flaws (for example, having several different task resolution systems), but in my opinion, the system's strengths outweigh its weaknesses hands down.

The Hero System is a multi-genre roleplaying game engine written by Steven Long, based on an original design by Steve Peterson and George McDonald. This is the long-awaited Fifth Edition, and is the most definitive edition of this game yet. One of the criticisms of previous editions of the system (which was purportedly a "Universal" game system like GURPS) was that it looked and felt like a superhero game that was trying to be a universal game system. The Fifth Edition has some changes (mostly in the Skills and Talents sections) that make it more palatable for use in multi-genre gaming. It's now a major contender with GURPS for the Universal Game System title.

If you've spent your formative years (as I have) daydreaming about adventures featuring heroes of your own creation, then this is the game system for you.

Also, if you're the kind of gamer that likes to take a peek under the hood to see all the gears and gizmos inside a game system, and likes to tinker with the game system to see what it can do, then this is the game system for you. Unlike most systems that attempt to hide its game engine, the Hero System proudly shows off all of its gears and gizmos, like one of those model cars with the transparent hood to demonstrate how the engine inside works.

The system is based on a complex point-based system for character creation, and points can be spent for Characteristics, Skills, Perquisites (Perks), Talents, and, finally, Powers. This point-based system means that you can (within the point limits set by your GameMaster) create exactly the hero *you* want to play.

The system started as the superhero game Champions, so it is in the Powers systems that the game really shines, and is in fact the one area that the Hero System stands out from its competitors: nearly any effect can be created using the Power system with a little imagination. What sets it apart is the concept of "Special Effects"--the Powers listed in the book are only game effects; the player decides what the power looks and sounds like. For example, buy some levels in a Power called "Energy Blast," define that it looks and sounds like lightning, and voila! you have a lightning blast, ready to strike down evil in the name of JUSTICE!!! <ahem> :)

However, this power-creation system is not limited to super-powers: it can be used to create the magic spells of a fantasy campaign; the gadgets, weapons, and weird alien abilities of a science fiction campaign; or even the ninja abilities of a chambara campaign--it really is only limited only by your own imagination.

Combat in the Hero System can be long and slow, but I've seen battles last for only a few minutes. Tweaking the defenses of a couple of minor villains to take them out of the running earlier in the game can usually solve this problem. The long battles should be reserved for the big baddies (think DC's Darkseid or Marvel's Doctor Doom).

One criticism that I've had of the Hero System is its lack of consistency in regards to task resolution. There are several task resolution systems here, and it could get confusing at times which one is used at any particular time. Combat is resolved in one way (essentially, a resisted roll), certain skills are resolved another (a difficulty-modified roll against a skill level), and other skills simply provide a bonus to other abilites. I wish the initial designers had picked one task resolution system and stuck with it. However, this is one very minor flaw, and is one that I can live with. Additionally, when compared to the system's strengths (Combat Resolution and Character Creation), this flaw becomes infinitesimal.

Hero Games has dedicated itself to supporting this line with a full line of support materials for various genres, including fantasy (Fantasy HERO), science fiction (Star HERO), and Superheroes (Champions, probably it's most famous line). It does an excellent job in each of these genres. It does take a little work since the Hero System is more of a game engine than a full game on its own, but with the support material, a lot of that work has already been done for you. So even if you don't particularly care for superheroes, this system can still be of a lot of use to you. I am currently in a Star HERO campaign, and I'm having a great time.

Overall, I don't think you'll find a better game system for your game, no matter what the genre you prefer. I think if you gave it a chance, you'll agree.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A Great Role Playing Game, November 26, 2005

By 

Rowdy P. Scarlett "Yeah, I can dig it....a li... (Winston Salem, NC United States) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Hero System 5th Edition (Hardcover)

A little history first. I started playing RPGs back in the early 80s with D&D (I'm am Old timer at 43). I stumbled on Champions (Hero System) by acciedent at a Flea Market with a friend. We bought both the copies they had that day.

I grew up reading comics. I still do. Supers have always clicked with me. This was a game I KNEW I would love. That I wanted to play/ GM, so I did. I GMed Champions(Hero System ) for over 8 years. I assisted on the playtest of Champions 4th edition (Hero System 4th) and know the game inside out.

The game went out of print for a while, still we played. Finally, Steve Long a BIG Hero Games fan) bought the game and produced Hero System 5th Edition. This baby is as big as a phone book, folks and not for the faint of heart. What Champions has become is a tool kit to run any genre.

This is a RPG you will either love or hate. There are those who say it is too complex. It really isn't. It simply puts the options at what you want to use in this game into your hands and tries not to limit them. The rules have many examples to assist in understanding them and gives sample character write ups.

The best way to learn ANY game is for someone who knows to show you how to play. If you are interested in playing this game, seek those who are already doing so. If you're a beginner and are looking for "The Game" to use for different genres (esp super heroes), then I suggest picking up Sidekick (also found here on Amazon) as it is more like the old Champions in ease of understanding.

Why four stars? Well, the writing. Steve, you're a great guy and I thank you for your hard work and keeping this system alive. However, the book reads like a medical book. VERY dry and Steve's writing, in general, is like this. Other RPGs don't come across this way (Mutants & Masterminds, for example), so I feel it's just the way he writes.

This book has been recently revised (Hero System 5th Edition Revised) and updated. Still a great system and one I would highly encourage you to try.