ACIDIC SPITTLE
Effect: RKA 1d6, Penetrating Target: One character Duration: Uncontrolled Range: 8”
END Cost: 4
Description: The character’s saliva is so acidic that it can inflict serious harm when he spits it on someone.
Game Information: RKA 1d6, Continuous
(+1), Penetrating (+½), Uncontrolled (see The
UNTIL Superpowers Database or The Ulti- mate Energy Projector for more information;
+½) (45 Active Points); Limited Range (8”; -¼). Total cost: 36 points.
BRAWNY Effect: +5 STR, +5 CON, +2 PD Target: Self Duration: Persistent Range: Self END Cost: 0
Description: Mutant genes or exposure to radiation has made the character much bigger, stronger, and tougher than normal.
Game Information: +5 STR, +5 CON, +2 PD.
Total cost: 17 points.
CHOKING CLOUD
Effect: Energy Blast 4d6, NND Target: One character Duration: Instant Range: 4” END Cost: 6
Description: The character can emit or project a small cloud of gas, spores, pheromones, or the like that make the target cough, choke, and feel ill. The power only has a range of about 26 feet (4”), and won’t work at all in windy, rainy, or underwater conditions.
Game Information: Energy Blast 4d6, NND
(defense is Life Support [Self-Contained Breath- ing]; +1) (40 Active Points); Limited Range (4”; -¼), Not In High Winds, Rain, Or Water (-¼). Total cost: 27 points.
CLAWS
Effect: HKA 1d6 (up to 2d6 with STR), Reduced Penetration
Target: One character Duration: Instant Range: Touch END Cost: 1
Description: The character has claws, or can grow claws, making him a lethal hand-to-hand combat- ant. If he has claws on his feet, he may call this power Talons instead.
Game Information: HKA 1d6 (up to 2d6 with
STR) (15 Active Points), Reduced Penetration (-¼). Total cost: 12 points.
CONTROLLING CLOUD
Effect: Mind Control 8d6 (Human class of minds) Target: One character
Duration: Constant Range: 4” END Cost: 8
Description: The character can attack a target with a tiny cloud of gas, spores, pheromones, or the like that filters into the brain and takes control of the person’s mind. If the target cannot breathe the spores in, or ambient conditions aren’t right, the power is useless.
Game Information: Mind Control 8d6 (Human
class of minds) (40 Active Points); Based On CON (-1), Limited Range (4”; -¼), Does Not Work Versus Targets with Life Support (Self- Contained Breathing) (-¼), Not In High Winds, Rain, Or Water (-¼). Total cost: 14 points.
ELECTRIFIED TOUCH
Effect: Energy Blast 8d6 Target: One character Duration: Instant Range: Touch END Cost: 4
Description: The character can “zap” his enemies by touching them, similar to an electric eel’s attack.
Game Information: Energy Blast 8d6 (40 Active
Points); No Range (-½). Total cost: 27 points.
FANGS
Effect: HKA 1d6 (up to 2d6 with STR) Target: One character
Duration: Instant Range: Touch END Cost: 1
Description: The character’s mouth contains sharp teeth, or he can grow sharp teeth at will.
Game Information: HKA 1d6 (up to 2d6 with
Post-Apocalyptic Hero ■ Chapter Four 113
GIGANTISM
Effect: Character takes the Large Size Template Target: Self
Duration: Persistent Range: Self END Cost: 0
Description: The character is as much as twice as tall as an ordinary human, making him proportion- ately stronger and tougher as well, but also easier to see and hit.
Game Information: Character takes the Large
Size Template (The HERO System 5th Edi-
tion, Revised, page 575), though the GM may
permit him not to take all of it if desired. Cost: varies.
HORNS
Effect: HA +4d6, Only With Move Throughs Target: One character
Duration: Instant Range: Touch END Cost: 2
Description: The character has large horns on his head that allow him to smash into things and cause great damage. They could look like a rhino’s horn, ram’s horns, heavy bull’s horns, or the like.
Game Information: HA +4d6 (20 Active Points);
Hand-To-Hand Attack (-½), Only With Move Throughs (-1). Total cost: 8 points
Options:
1) Sharp Horns: Instead of relatively blunt horns, the character’s horns are pointed and sharp. Change to HKA ½d6 (up to 1d6+1 with STR). Total cost: 10 points.
IRRADIATED BODY
Effect: RKA ½d6, NND, Does BODY, Continuous, Damage Shield
Target: One Hex Duration: Constant Range: Touch END Cost: 0
Description: The character’s body is so intensely radioactive that he can harm anyone who stands near him.
Game Information: RKA ½d6, NND (defense is
Life Support [Safe Environment: High Radia- tion]; +1), Does BODY (+1), Continuous (+1), Damage Shield (+½), Area Of Effect (One Hex; +½), Reduced Endurance (0 END; +½) (55 Active Points); Only Works On Living Beings (-½), Side Effects (irradiates environment, always occurs; -0). Total cost: 37 points.
QUILLS
Effect: HKA ½d6, Damage Shield Target: Self
Duration: Constant Range: Self END Cost: 0
Description: Parts of the character’s body — typi- cally his back and the backs of his upper arms — is covered with spines or quills that injure anyone who touches him there.
Game Information: HKA ½d6, Continuous
(+1), Damage Shield (+½), Persistent (+½), Reduced Endurance (0 END; +½) (35 Active Points); Always On (-½), Activation Roll 11- (-1), No STR Bonus (-½). Total cost: 12 points.
RADIATION BLAST
Effect: Energy Blast 8d6 Target: One character Duration: Instant Range: 200” END Cost: 4
Description: The character can fire a bolt of radiation so intense that it can inflict serious physical injury.
Game Information: Energy Blast 8d6. Total
cost: 40 points.
Options:
1) Deadly Radiation Blast: The character can proj- ect a blast of radiation that’s so intense it can kill living beings instantly through cellular disruption and decay. It has no effect on non-living material. Change to: RKA 3d6 (45 Active Points); Only Works On Living Beings (-½). Total cost: 30 points. 2) Radiation Sickness: The character can project a blast of withering radiation that makes living beings sicken. Change to: Drain CON 4d6, Ranged (+½). Total cost: 60 points.
114 ■ After The Apocalypse: A Post-Apocalyptic Hero Sourcebook Hero System 5th Edition Revised
RAD ZONE GENERATION
Effect: Change Environment (create radiation) Target: 16” radius
Duration: Constant Range: 225” END Cost: 4
Description: The character can create a field of intense radiation equal to 300 rads — about one- twentieth of the radiation emitted by an unshielded nuclear reactor core. Characters exposed to such intense radiation often sicken, and may die.
For purposes of this power, every 50 rads of radiation beyond the initial, free, 50 rads costs 4 Character Points as a combat effect (see the Combat Effects Costs table on page 136 of The
HERO System 5th Edition, Revised for the cost of
other effects). Compare the rads received to the character’s CON and consult the table on page 75 to determine the effect. The GM may, if necessary, adjust the results of the table to keep this power from unbalancing or hindering the game, since its effects can be somewhat more extreme than a typi- cal damaging Change Environment power.
For more information on “realistic” radiation effects, see page 74.
Game Information: Change Environment 16”
radius, create radiation of 300 rads. Total cost: 45 points.
SHORT OUT
Effect: Dispel 20d6, any Electrical Device power one at a time
Target: One machine Duration: Instant Range: No Range END Cost: 7
Description: This mutation gives a character the power to shut down electronic devices by making them short out. Once this Dispel works, getting the affected power functioning again typically requires a Full Phase and succeeding with a roll using Electronics (or another appropriate Skill); the roll suffers a -1 penalty for every 5 point by which the Dispel roll exceeded the power’s Active Points. Any other powers built into the same device remain unaffected.
Game Information: Dispel 20d6, any Electrical
Device power one at a time (+¼) (75 Active Points); No Range (-½). Total cost: 50 points.
Options:
1) Pauli Mutation: The character often makes electronic devices stop working without intend- ing to, which can cause him real problems. Add No Conscious Control (-2). 75 Active Points; total cost 21 points.
SHRIEK
Effect: Energy Blast 8d6 Target: One character Duration: Instant Range: 200” END Cost: 4
Description: The character’s shout can become a beam of sound so intense that it inflicts serious injury, shatters solid objects, and the like.
Game Information: Energy Blast 8d6 (40 Active
Points); Does Not Work In A Vacuum (-¼). Total cost: 32 points.
SPITTING BLINDNESS
Effect: Sight Group Flash 8d6, NND Target: One character
Duration: Instant Range: 12” END Cost: 6
Description: The character can spit a foul substance into the eyes of his enemies, blinding them.
Game Information: Sight Group Flash 8d6,
NND (defense is solid covering over the eyes; +½) (60 Active Points); Limited Range (12”; -¼). Total cost: 48 points.
STINGER
Effect: HKA ½d6, Armor Piercing Target: One character
Duration: Instant Range: Touch END Cost: 1
Description: The character has an animal-like stinger, pincer, or similar natural weapon. Typi- cally a Sting doesn’t do much damage itself, but can inject a venom (see below).
Game Information: HKA ½d6 (up to 1d6+1
with STR), Armor Piercing (+½). Total cost: 15 points.
Post-Apocalyptic Hero ■ Chapter Four 115
VENOM
Effect: Drain CON 3d6, NND plus RKA 2d6, NND Target: One character
Duration: Instant Range: Touch END Cost: 4 Charges
Description: The character’s mutated body produces a poison he can inject into his opponents (usually by means of a Sting, Claws, or Fangs; see above).
This writeup uses a typical lethal poison such as the ones described on pages 28-30 of The HERO
System Bestiary. You can use the other write-ups
there to increase or decrease the damage. The writeup assumes the character has an HKA (claws, fangs, or a sting) with which to deliver the venom into a target’s body.
Game Information: Drain CON 3d6, Delayed
Return Rate (points return at the rate of 5 per Hour; +1), NND (defense is appropri- ate LS [Immunity]; +1) (90 Active Points); 4 Charges (-1), HKA Must Do BODY (-½), Extra Time (onset time begins 5 Minutes after victim is bitten; -2), Gradual Effect (15 Minutes; 1d6/5 Minutes; -¾) (total cost: 17 points) plus RKA 2d6, NND (defense is appropriate LS [Immunity]; +1), Does BODY (+1) (90 Active Points); No Range (-½), 4 Charges (-1), HKA Must Do BODY (-½), Extra Time (onset time begins 5 Minutes after victim is bitten; -2), Gradual Effect (10 Minutes; 1d6/5 minutes; -¾), Linked (-½) (total cost: 14 points). Total cost: 31 points.
Options:
1) Venomous Secretions: The character’s body oozes a venomous substance of some sort. Instead of needing to inject his poison via claws, fangs, or a stinger, all he has to do is touch some- one. Remove HKA Must Do BODY (-½) from both powers. 90 + 90 = 180 Active Points; total cost 19 + 16 = 35 points.
WEBS
Effect: Entangle 5d6, 5 DEF Target: One character Duration: Instant Range: 250” END Cost: 5
Description: The character has the ability to shoot, spit, or otherwise project webbing or other sticky, insectile stuff that’s strong enough to keep an oppo- nent from moving.
Game Information: Entangle 5d6, 5 DEF. Total
cost: 50 points.