The Focused Hero

[MrTwist]

So I came up with this idea for a new Power Category a couple years back when I was much more active on this forum. I never got past the rough draft stages, and most of that was in my head, of the work-up. I figured I'd put up some information, mostly just flavor text to explain stuff, and let people tell me whether or not there's really a place for it. It's not really a whole new category, but more of a modifier or sub-category applied to other categories.

The Focused Hero

The Focused Hero is someone who isn't particularly powerful when compared to most other super powered people in terms of raw power and is, in some respects, a lightweight. Almost without exception these heroes have only a single power granted to them, however they gained their abilities, and it's generally one that isn't all that impressive. At least, it wouldn't be all that impressive if some of their more powerful counterparts had the ability.

What sets the Focused Hero apart from others is the realization that even this singular ability sets them apart from normal people. For whatever reason, they also have a great deal more dedication than other people. Because of this dedication they've trained their one ability and become very much in tune with it. Their level of competence with this one ability more than makes up when compared to others(like Mega-Heroes).

Even though they've developed their abilities beyond the levels attained by most, the Focused Hero keeps going. Most of these people aren't content with what they can do now so they train as hard as ever to push their powers to the limit. The reasons behind their dedication to honing their abilities are as varied as the abilities themselves. No matter what, these heroes generally impress others in the field.

That's really as far as I've gotten. Hopefully people are interested. What I mean to develop is various tables to choose motivation, the actual power, and even bonuses. The motivation aspect will revolve on why they've chosen to develop their power. It could be they were hired by some organization and trained, or even revenge for something. The power will be from a list of minor powers that have level based changes, like the Energy Expulsion powers. The bonuses, which I may or may not give, are going to be randomly determined attribute or skill bonuses based on how hard they train. That still needs a lot of work, and I'm going to stop here because this forum has been doing some weird things when I type messages past a certain length.

So, let me know if I should work on something more concrete.

[MrTwist]

Make it so.

Well, one person's interest is enough for me. I'll get to work on it. As opposed to waiting until I have the whole thing ready at once, I'm going to post whatever bits and pieces I'm working on. That way people can give me some feedback before I create a final product.

[znbrtn]

reminds me of something i worked on a while back. i called it the true-powered

feel free to use elements of it, or don't.

[RockJock]

i would love to see it fleshed out all the way. I've done characters in a similar vein in the past, but not actually set up as a class.

[MrTwist]

Like I said, it's going to be posted piecemeal. Feel free to make suggestions, though don't be upset if I don't incorporate those suggestions into the final write-up. When I get done with a section, I'll edit my original post to include the more detailed version.

The way it's working out in my head, it's going to require a bit of writing. After I get the basics down I have to fit all the minor powers into specific categories. Then I'm going to create power stunts, of a sort, for each power category to represent the extra stuff these people have learned.

Oh, here's the first table. This is going to be tweaked.

Creating The Focused Hero

Step One: Normal Stuff

This is where you roll your attributes and determine hit points, alignment, and all the other details that make your character unique in this world. Remember that you may gain bonuses from skills or powers later on. Education level and skills come later in the creation process.

Step Two: Backstory

Focused Heroes can come from a variety of origins, from birth mutation to not being from earth. Not only that, they also possess a wide range of skill sets and training methods. This step is where the player can choose or randomly roll(always the much more fun method) the various bits of backstory for their character.

It should be understood that the Focused Hero isn't something to be added on top of any other power category, whether or not it seems like more of a sub-category. I guess you could if the GM wants to, though. If a result sends you to another category, it will always be specific in where it wants you to go. Only roll on that specific table and use no other information from that other category.

Table 1: Origin

Roll or choose from below:
01%-17%: Mutant Human. Roll on The Cause Of The Mutation table in the Mutants section. You were born this way, whether or not

18%-33%: Alien Baby. While your people may be from a different planet, you were either born here or lived on Earth as long as you remember. Do all the people of your planet have abilities, or are you special? Roll on the Alien Appearance table in the Aliens section.

34%-50%: Alien Newcomer. Earth may have become a second home to you, or maybe not. You were not born on Earth and likely spent most of your childhood somewhere else. It's also possible you've been on Earth most of your life, but you have faint memories of somewhere else. There has to be a good reason why you are here. Roll on the Alien Appearance table in the Aliens section.

51%-67%: Accidental Experiment. Although you were not the intended recipient, your abilities are the direct result of tampering by someone. Who they are is up to the GM. You may or may not be aware of who created you, though it's likely they'll be somewhat aware of you. Roll on The Nature Of The Experiment table in the experiments section.

68%-80%: Deliberate Experiment. Someone deliberately modified you in some way, unleashing your distinct potential. Or they implanted the potential. Or something else; the point is you aren't an accident. Roll on The Nature Of The Experiment table in the experiments section.

81%-92%: Ability Bestowed By Magic. For some reason or another, your power has been given to you by magic. You could be cursed/blessed by some ancient object, or maybe someone cast a ritual giving you this ability.

93%-100%: Talisman Granted. Some magical relic/object/talisman/thingy has blessed you with your ability. It might be something that happens to any owner, or you might be special. It also possible, with GM's permission, that the item is sentient and able to communicate with the owner. This means the item could be the characters tutor.

[MrTwist]

93%-100%: Talisman Granted. Some magical relic/object/talisman/thingy has blessed you with your ability. It might be something that happens to any owner, or you might be special. It also possible, with GM's permission, that the item is sentient and able to communicate with the owner. This means the item could be the characters tutor.

I like it so far. I had some concerns about the Talisman Granted though. I was thinking that since this is "The Foucused Hero" and the point is for them to master the power they have if the power is granted from an item can it be improved? Generally with items that grant powers they are set to what they are and can't be changed. Just a thought.

I did have another option as well - a Symbiote merges with a human granting them said power and as they grow together the player can "Focus" the granted power.

Over all looking good so far.

I like the symbiote idea. I'll have to modify my list to include it next time I sit down and work on it.

[MrTwist]

Here's the next table. I haven't completed it, and likely won't for a few days. I have a project due for a class, so I have to put everything on hiatus for a day or two while I finish it up.

The benefits and drawbacks are going to be bonuses for specific trainers, along with problems likely to have developed because of those trainers. The drawbacks will likely be based around psychological problems. Why psychological ones? I figure that most of these Focused Heroes are going to be created under the pretense of being rather young when first trained. This is going to cause developmental problems.

Table 2: Source Of Training

01%-10%: Autodidact - Normal Childhood. Through intense dedication and training, the character taught themselves everything they know about their ability. The character went through his/her childhood in a normal manner, such as watching tv and going to school. In their spare time they practiced and practiced and practiced.
Benefits:
Drawbacks:

11%-20%: Autodidact – Runaway. This type of character left their home, or whatever passed for a home, for whatever reason. They've lived life on the streets, most of the time barely surviving. During this time they've focused and honed their power out of a necessity for survival. 33% chance of having a criminal record of some sort, most likely small.
Benefits:
Drawbacks:

21%-30%: Mentor - Normal. The character led a quasi-normal life, but someone noticed what they could do. This person helped the character train and gave them direction. All of this training was generally done in secret so the general public was unaware. The motive of the mentor can be discussed between the player and the GM.
Benefits:
Drawbacks:

31%-40%: Mentor - Super-powered. The person who first became aware of what the character could do either knew someone with abilities, or had abilities themselves. Either way, the training the character got was with someone who was very familiar with being special. The character may or may not have led a somewhat normal life outside of training, but training was very focused and thorough.
Benefits:
Drawbacks:

41%-50%: Mentor - Other. Someone taught the character what they know, or put them through a regimen of training to help them bring out their abilities. The entities responsible are ultimately unknown by the character. This is a catch-all category that can include a million different things. The character could've heard voices in their head, or contacted their ancestors. Aliens could have given them instructions through a Speak-N-Spell, or a magical talisman directed them. The specifics are left vague for player definition, although the theme of an unknown(to the character) source of guidance is the unifying point.
Benefits:
Drawbacks:

51%-60%: Government - Sponsored. Some organization of normal people who trains supers learned of the character's existence. This led them to recruit the character and help develop his/her powers. This organization does it at the behest(and funding) of the government and helps churn out supers more capable to help society or at the very least not turn thriving metropolises into smoldering heaps.
Benefits:
Drawbacks

61%-70%: Government - Trained. When the government learned of the character, they immediately sent him/her to one of their own facilities to be trained. This kind of training helped focus the character into a weapon of sorts, and the intent was for them to join with either the military or a government agency. It was a very intense life to live, no matter what power the character possessed.
Benefits:
Drawbacks:

71%-80%: Supers Organization - Aboveground. A group of super powered people, or a mix of normal and super, had a training organization designed to help people cope with extra-normal abilities. This was all out in the open, so the character could've led a normal life beyond the intense training they were given. The group had no agenda beyond making sure super powered people could lead a normal life.
Benefits:
Drawbacks:

81%-90%: Supers Organization - Underground. A group of super powered people that operate on the fringes of the law took notice of the character and took them under their wing. A normal life was likely impossible as they dodged the police because of quasi-legal activities. The character did learn the survive on the run, along with learning how to focus their abilities.
Benefits:
Drawbacks:

91%-100%: Corporate Training. A group of people discovered the character, and immediately entered them into a corporate sponsored training camp. They learned how to harness their ability with brutal efficiency with the intent of being a valuable member of the corporation. They likely had some of the best trainers money could buy, but lived a life insulated from the outside world.
Benefits:
Drawbacks: