Your super-hero character possesses three Hero Traits – traits that express why your character is a hero! Each Hero Trait can be ‘filled up’ with one Hero Point. Hero Points can be spent for various bonuses (see below).
Hero Traits are meant to be aspects that define the BEST qualities of your hero. These are aspects of your hero that are easy to role-play and can be applied to all kinds of situations. As a player, you should be trying to manifest these traits – through role-playing or by using the Traits to help make decisions for the character – as often as you can to ‘refill the well’ of your Hero Points. The two-part cycle is this: role-play the trait to gain a point, then spend the point to make a die roll easier. Repeat!
Here are some examples of Hero Traits in four rough categories. These are only examples, and you are encouraged to come up with your own.
- Priorities: Protecting Life, Exposing or Defeating Injustice, Promoting a Moral Value, Solving a Big Problem, etc.
- Personalities: Relentless, Optimistic, Helpful, Enthusiastic, Patient, etc.
- Quirks: Quippy, Vain, Bouncy, Dreamy, Always has a Snack at Hand, etc.
- Hard Lessons Learned: With Great Power Comes Great Responsibility, Evil Never Rests, It’s OK to Be Afraid, This Too Shall Pass, etc.
Gaining and Spending Hero Points
If the Hero takes an action that exhibits any of his or her Hero Traits, the Hero gains a Hero point. The player should check off a box next to that Trait. A Hero can never have more than one Hero Point for each of the Hero Traits. Players should be spending their Hero Traits, and not hoarding them.
The player can later spend a Hero Point to either:
- Before rolling – add a die to a roll, OR
- After rolling – to re-roll one (the lowest, usually) of the dice.
When you spend a Hero Point, erase the check mark. You can re-use that Hero Trait to gain another Hero Point later during the same game. In fact, you are encouraged to earn and spend Hero Points as frequently as you like through a game. Hero Points can be saved from one scenario to the next.
As you play, you should be gaining and spending Hero Points frequently. These are a simple reward for role-playing the Hero Traits that make your character different from the other heroes!