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2 THE ULTIMATE Sa m ple file BASE

3 the ULTIMATE BASE An Ultimate Book For The HERO System Author Steven S. Long Additional Contributions Bob Greenwade, John Lees Editing and Development Darren Watts Layout and Graphic Design Fred Hicks Cover Art Sam Kennedy Interior Art Nate Barnes, Storn Cook, Bob Cram, Andrew Cremeans, Jonathan Davenport, Brian & Brendon Fraim, John Grigni, Buz Hasson, Cara Mitten, Scott Ruggels, Christian N. St. Pierre, Greg Smith, Chris Stevens Cartography John Lees Playtesters We d like to thank the following playtesters, who helped test the Kingdom creation and combat rules in Chapter Eight: Sarah Adams, Larry Algee, Greg Armour, Chirag Asnani, Jason Bailey, Brad Barrett, Brian Beaver, Daniel Beaver, Casey Bradley, William Briggs, Tony Burns, David C. Boddie, Brek Corso, Taylor Corso, Kait Cottengim, Kyle Cottengim, Angela Dyer, Wade Dyer, Bonnie Edwards, Jason Etheridge, Mark Ewbank, Gordon Feiner, Scott Fields, Lex Fleming, David Ford, Kevin Getches, Curt Graham, Ernie Griffin, Jennifer Griffin, Gabe Hatton, Roger Hightower, Geordie Irvin, James Jandebeur, Jeffery Keown, Jeffery Keown, Jr., Bill Keyes, Tammy Sue Keyes, Sheila Knowles, Jye Lambert, Chris Lorenson, John Losey, Clint Menezes, Mike Merrell, Frank Mikes, Dean Nicholson, Simon Nolen, Deric Page, Bill Phillips, George Richbourg, Ron Ritchie, Cathy Safly, Dawn Spencer, John Staple, David Stephens, Phil Swim, Chris Wickline, Kim Wilkinson, Ben Wintersteen, and other members of their gaming groups who helped out. Thanks! HERO System is DOJ, Inc. s trademark for its roleplaying system. HERO System Copyright 1984, 1989, 2002, 2009 by DOJ, Inc. d/b/a Hero Games. All rights reserved. Champions is a trademark of Cryptic Studios, Inc. Used with permission. Fantasy Hero Copyright 2003 by DOJ, Inc. d/b/a Hero Games. All rights reserved. Pulp Hero Copyright 2005 by DOJ, Inc. d/b/a Hero Games. All rights reserved. The Ultimate Base Copyright 2009 by DOJ, Inc. d/b/a Hero Games. All rights reserved. Star Hero, Justice Inc., Danger International, and Western Hero Copyright 2002 by DOJ, Inc. d/b/a Hero Games. All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or computerization, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the Publisher: DOJ, Inc., 226 E. 54th Street, #605, New York, NY Printed in Canada. First printing November Produced and distributed by DOJ, Inc. d/b/a Hero Games. Stock Number: DOJHERO119 ISBN Number:

4 TABLE OF CONTENTS INTRODUCTION... 4 CHAPTER ONE: BUILDING A BETTER BASE: GENERAL BASE CREATION RULES Base Creation... 6 Types Of Bases... 6 Base Location... 6 Base Function... 6 When Is A Base Not A Base?... 7 Base Characteristics... 8 Size... 8 Body Physical Defense and Energy Defense Location Other Base Attributes Other Base Abilities Skills Laboratories Perks Talents Powers Power Advantages Power Limitations Base Complications General Considerations The Planning Stage Realism Considerations Genre Considerations Things To Include In Your Base Access Areas Purpose Areas Utility Areas CHAPTER TWO: FANTASY BASES Castles A Brief History Of Castles Walls The Battlements Towers The Donjon, Or Keep Other Towers Tower Shape And Size Tower Features Gates And Doors The Drawbridge Gatehouses And Barbicans The Gate Moats And Ditches Bastions And Outworks The Interior Of A Castle Fantasy Influences On Castle Design Building A Castle Castle Characteristics Castle Components Walls Towers Gates And Gate Features Moats And Ditches Bastions And Outworks Other Features Castle Glossary Other Fantasy Bases Example Fantasy Bases Dun Corath Blackmarsh Castle Skull Keep CHAPTER THREE: MODERN-DAY BASES Modern-Day Bases Base Purpose Modern-Day Base Characteristics Example Modern Bases Justice Squadron Mansion Mystic Mansion Safehouse Stromguard Terrorist Camp Warehouse One Warehouse Two CHAPTER FOUR: SCIENCE FICTION BASES Science Fiction Bases Base Purpose Base Characteristics Example Science Fiction Bases Dethridge Orbital Fortress Galle Crater Station Leondaris Station Science Base CHAPTER FIVE: FURNISHINGS AND FIREPOWER: BASE EQUIPMENT Base Equipment Rules Base Design And Focus Use Of Base Equipment Equipment Mass And Volume Weapons Accuracy Aids Anti-Personnel Weapons Beam Weapons Cannons Electronic Warfare Systems Guns And Related Weapons Rockets And Missiles Siege Engines Tractor Beam Defenses Electronic Counter-Countermeasures Energy Shields Fire Safety Systems Point Defenses Psychic Screen Security Systems Personnel Systems Gravity Holographic Entertainment Suite Life Support Medical Systems Teleporters Power Systems External Power Sources Equipment That Does Not Cost Endurance Endurance Reserves Sensors And Communications General Rules Computers Radar Sonar Miscellaneous Base Equipment Arms (Waldoes) Elevator Laboratories Mystic Equipment Secret And Concealed Doors Training Facilities CHAPTER SIX: SIEGE PERILOUS: BASES AND COMBAT Entering Base Combat Base Perception Base Actions Holding And Aborting Characters In Base Combat Character Actions In Base Combat Crew Skills Crew Casualties Base Fighting Attacking And Defending Sensor Locks Powers In Base Combat Combat Modifiers Combat Maneuvers Determining Damage Simple Base Damage Complex Base Damage Other Damage Effects Repairing Damage Other Combat Rules Sieges CHAPTER SEVEN: HOMEOWNER HEROES: CHARACTERS & BASES Bases And Characters Skills Perks Complications CHAPTER EIGHT: KINGDOMS Kingdom Creation Creating Kingdom Characters Characteristics Strength Constitution Size Ego Defense Recovery Endurance Skills Special Rules For Kingdom Skills The Skills Other Game Elements Perks Talents Powers Complications Character And Kingdom Interaction Skill Perks Talents Powers Kingdom Combat Economic Combat Maneuvers Military Combat Maneuvers Political Combat Maneuvers BIBLIOGRAPHY INDEX

5 4 Introduction hero System 6th Edition Introduction ABBREVIATIONS This book uses the following abbreviations to refer to other HERO System books: 6E1: The HERO System 6 th Edition, Volume I: Character Creation 6E2: The HERO System 6 th Edition, Volume II: Combat And Adventuring APG: The HERO System Advanced Player s Guide MORE BASES If the sample Bases in this book aren t enough to satisfy your appetite for villainous lairs and mighty castles, there are plenty more in other Hero Games books! The following books all contain maps and descriptions of Bases or similar locations: The Book Of The Destroyer The Book Of Dragons The Book Of The Machine Champions Battlegrounds DEMON Fantasy Hero Battlegrounds Masterminds And Madmen Stronghold Thrilling Hero Adventures Thrilling Places VIPER Adventures in roleplaying game campaigns often involve travel across dangerous territory, fights in exotic locales, quests to destroy evil artifacts of great power, and other activities that take a character far from home. But ultimately a character needs a home a place of safety and refuge that he can return to between adventures, that he can defend from enemies and invaders, and where he can store all his stuff. In HERO System terms, a character s home, be it a castle, a space station, a secret headquarters, a nice little condo over on the west side, or something else, is referred to as a Base. The Ultimate Base, the latest book in Hero Games s Ultimate series, looks at the subject of Bases everything from the most primitive caves and hill-forts to superheroes gadget-filled headquarters and the gigantic starbases of Science Fiction. It discusses how to build them with the HERO System rules (including some new, optional rules where appropriate), and how to use them in your gaming adventures. In this book, a Base (capital B) refers to something built using the HERO System Base construction rules presented here and in the HERO System 6 th Edition. A base (lower-case b) refers to any building, facility, or installation that functions as a base, independent of whether it was built using the Base construction rules or is intended for use in a game setting at all. As an Ultimate series book, The Ultimate Base focuses primarily on rules. It doesn t include any campaign information or genre review but it s got comprehensive HERO System rules for all sorts of Bases. Both players and GMs will find a lot inside its covers to interest them. As always, it s up to the GM to decide which of the new rules he wants to use in the campaign. Not all of the optional rules in this book are required for all campaigns. Characters in some games may not use or pay much attention to Bases at all, while in others they re such a crucial part of the campaign (or a specific adventure) that the rules in this book take on particular importance. While most campaigns benefit from having more thorough Base rules in play, not all games require this level of detail; each GM should decide for himself whether he needs advanced Base rules. Chapter One, Building A Better Base, reviews general Base creation rules rules that apply to all Bases, or to more than one type of Base. It includes, among other things, an expanded Base Size Table and other rules regarding Base Characteristics. It also discusses general considerations you should keep in mind when designing a Base; your Base won t be much fun to live in if there are no bedrooms or bathrooms! Chapters Two, Three, and Four provide information and special rules pertaining to Bases in Fantasy games, modern-day games, and Science Fiction games, respectively. Each chapter includes several example Bases complete with maps. Chapter Five, Furnishings And Firepower, discusses equipment for Bases. It provides dozens of pre-built examples of weapons, defenses, sensors, and other equipment characters can install in Bases. It should save you a lot of time during the Base creation process. Chapter Six, Siege Perilous, covers how Bases function in adventures and combat situations. Whether your characters Base is under attack, or they re using its resources to help them succeed on one of their missions, this chapter tells you what a Base can do and how to resolve what happens. Chapter Seven, Homeowner Heroes, describes how characters and Bases interact. It covers not only how characters buy a Base but other ways in which the character creation process affects (or is affected by) a Base. Chapter Eight, Kingdoms, takes the concept of a Base to a whole new level. It provides a new subset of HERO System rules for creating and playing Kingdoms nations, realms, cities, organizations, empires, and similar entities. Using it you can create Kingdoms as characters and pit them against one another in geopolitical conflict and negotiation, ally with another Kingdom to go to war against a third, spy on your rivals, establish trade networks, and so on. The rules allow for seamless integration of Player Characters and Kingdom characters so that you can determine the effect of your characters actions on your Kingdoms, and vice-versa. So get ready to fend off (or conduct) sieges, construct (or infiltrate) impregnable fortresses, cope with the hazards of a master villain s secret headquarters, and meddle in the affairs of nations it s time for expanded HERO System fun with The Ultimate Base!

6 Chapte r One BUILDING A BETTER BASE: GENERAL BASE CREATION RULES

THE HERO SYSTEM ADVANCED PLAYER S GUIDE HII

+10 STR +5 DEX HKA 1d6 Blast 10d6 THE HERO SYSTEM ADVANCED PLAYER S GUIDE II HPerception Skill Quality Probability Alteration Time Stop Running +6m Leaping +4m STILL MORE RULES! The HERO System 6th Edition