House Rules
- Don’t trash-talk other people's applications. Antagonizing others in-character, however, *could* fly. But it wouldn’t be very heroic.
- My word is entirely final. By joining, you recognize this objective fact. That being said, don’t be afraid to try to convince me my ruling is wrong. Just don’t complain if I don’t see it your way.
- Going off #2, I reserve the right to tweak your join as I see fit. However, this won’t come about as me changing your backstory or anything. At most, I might find your power too strong and nerf it some. Feel free to try to convince me otherwise or retract your join if you feel your character isn’t what you really want it to be.
- No OOC discussions or pointless posts. If something is tangentially related, I’d prefer it to be discussed on the discord than in thread.
Moving on.
Your Character
In this game you will control a single character — your “aspiring hero.” That’s in quotation marks because that might not be your intention. Your character can come to be in this school for any goal you have in mind. However, it might not be that easy for you. We’ll talk more on that in a bit. For now, let’s explain some of the join application.
Most of it should be pretty self-explanatory. The questions should come from the Superpower and the stats. I’ll cover the Superpower first.
So, each of you will have a unique Superpower. You have free reign over what this superpower is. However, as stated in the House Rules, you don’t want it to be too strong. Furthermore, your character is a kid. This is a high school. Your character more than likely doesn’t fully understand their power(or themselves for that matter), and that is part of the arc of the game. Once your application is accepted, and I will note when that is the case, I will codify your power in the game’s mechanics, which can confer different bonuses. We’ll talk more specifically about this later on.
Stats start at 0, denoting the average human being. Stats can be naturally developed to go to a rank of 5, the most proficient a regular human can get at that particular stat. Stats can also be decreased to negative, denoting deficiency, to a -5. A -5 would basically imply some sort of disability to that related stat, such as being crippled for strength or blinded for perception. It is impossible to advance in a stat that is at -5 naturally, through experience. Taking a negative at character creation confers a half point to spend on another stat. However, you can only spend whole points. In order to make use of extra points in this manner, you’d need to decrease other stats by a factor of 2.
Each stat confers +1 to rolls for related actions in addition to something else, detailed below.
Strength denotes the physical prowess of your character. Stronger people tend to also be healthier and more resistant to injury and disease, so this is also the stat that denotes your health. Confers +20 HP per point. As a note, characters have a base health of 115 at 0 strength. Each point below 0 confers -15 base health. At -5 Strength, physical(non-superpowered) attacks do 0 damage regardless if they hit or miss.
Dexterity denotes the nimbleness of your character. Dexterity improves dodging and speed. Confers another standard action to be taken in a combat round for every 2 points. At -5 Dexterity, you cannot dodge attacks (though the enemy can still miss) and you do not have a movement action in combat (though you can turn your standard action into a movement action).
Perception denotes the aim of your character. Those with high perception also tend to be good at noticing subtle details. Confers +5% critical hit chance per point and +10% critical hit damage every two points. As a note, critical hit chance has a base of 5% and critical hit damage has a base of +50% damage at 0 Perception. each point in the negative decreases critical hit chance by 1%. At -5 Perception, you have 0% critical hit chance and have a 75% chance to miss an enemy you attack before any other rolls.
Intelligence denotes how well your character can think critically. This includes problem solving and basic deduction skills. Confers +10% Experience Gain from all sources per point. In addition, +10% chance per point to learn a class’s Primary Lesson, regardless of your final score. Each point in the negative confers -5% Experience Gain from all sources. At -5 Intelligence, you don't gain experience from independent study.
Charisma denotes how well your character can speak to others. This often allows people to gather followings and have things go their way socially. Confers +10% Hero Point Gain from all sources per point. In addition, gain +5% chance to improve your grade in a class by one letter grade per point. This grade change does not affect your chance of learning the class’s Primary Lesson. Each point in the negative confers -5% Hero Point Gain from all sources. At -5 Charisma, everyone you aren't already acquainted with views you with some disdain, and everyone you did know already has a lower opinion of you.
Willpower denotes your insistence to keeping on your desired path. This stat is mostly relevant to the Hero Ethics class. View the Hero Ethics section for more information. Confers +5% chance per rank to heal for 1 HP when below 20% HP per point for free. Each point in the negative means you automatically respond to the next event that diverts your attention, even if you note to ignore it in your orders. At -5 Willpower, you will never ignore an event that diverts your attention.
Experience and Character Level
Experience is received as a reward for certain actions you complete. The Experience contributes to advancing your Character Level, but it also contributes to your stats’ levels. This is probably best explained via allegory.
Say your character completes a class and gets a total of 90 Experience Points. Those 90 Experience Points goes to your overall Experience Bar, but that’s not all it does. Say the class was Basic Combat and Defense. This class trains strength and dexterity; the 90 experience is split between those stats such that you now have 45 Experience in Strength and Dexterity, before being modified by traits. I will be tracking this anyways, but this is just so you know how it works.
Note, not all experience is split up in this way. For example, experience from Tournaments and missions are much too broad and simply result in experience for Character Levels and do not benefit specific stats.
All characters start at level 0. It requires 300 Experience to advance to Character Level 1, and the cost increases by 100% for each level. So, 600 Experience for level 2, 1200 for level 3, and so on.
It takes 100 Experience to advance from Stat Level 0 to level 1. From level 1, the Experience cost increases by 100% for each point, same as Character level. So, 200 for level 2, 400 for 3, and so on.
Going back to Character Levels, you might be wondering what they actually do, if stats themselves are raised by utilizing them more or less. Character Levels denote your progression in your less abstract abilities: superpowers and traits.
Your superpower will, over the course of your character leveling, get more powerful. How this manifests is similar to how the power was created in the first place. You describe how it advanced, and I’ll modify and/or codify it. My modifications are pretty much entirely based on what I think would be cool and what actions you took to get that far. For example, doing something notably heroic might deserve some manifestation in your powers.
As for traits, they are developed primarily by your actions throughout the game. The assignment of traits are pretty much entirely fiat. If your character spends a lot of their time reading comics or roleplaying on some obscure internet forum, they’re probably going to be a big nerd. Traits themselves have very mechanical applications to the game, and I’ll be straightforward with what each of them do when they arise.
Traits can be good, bad, or net neutral. Usually, though, they’ll say something about how you’re doing things.
Turns and Actions
This school works on a Quarter System rather than a Semester System, which means each term is 10 weeks in class with the largest breaks being at most a couple weeks between terms. When a term begins, you will have to decide what classes you will take. Then, you’ll have to decide how you will spend your time week-to-week. Every update will cover a week of events, including the beginning-of-term updates. Specific time management isn’t required; you don’t have to map out character schedules. However, you will have to manage your time as a resource. Each week your character will have 168 hours to fill with activities, from work to leisure. Here’s an example order set for your benefit, created for a character who specced for perception and intelligence. He’s also pretty diligent and notably ambitious.
Class Enrollment:
-Basic Crafting
-Basic Combat and Defense
-Algebra and Geometry
-Ballistic Concepts
-Hero Ethics I
-World History I
-Philosophy I
Time Management:
-Attend all classes (29 hrs)
-Standard sleep schedule (56 hrs)
-Study for Basic Crafting (5 hrs)
-Study for Basic Combat and Defense (3 hrs)
-Study for Algebra and Geometry (6 hrs)
-Study for Ballistic Concepts (3 hrs)
-Study for Hero Ethics I (4 hrs)
-Study for World History I (5 hrs)
-Study for Philosophy I (3 hrs)
-Play videogames (54 hours)
Note, this person isn’t dedicating any time to socializing with peers; he seems to do everything alone. Also, he spends the entirety of his free time playing video games. These are important factors for his growth, covered in more detail in the Mood and Leisure Activities section.
Also, studying also counts for things like homework and stuff. Keep that in mind when managing your time.
As a reinforcement of the above, success in classes depends on several key things. In the class list, I will display what each class asks in terms of stats. For example, Algebra and Geometry is considered average in difficulty for anybody with 1 Intelligence; it’s a slightly more advanced course for High School Freshmen, as it condenses many concepts into one 10-week course. Those with higher intelligence have higher odds of scoring high, with less effort. Meanwhile, those with less intelligence should invest more time into studying. Grades you receive correlate with how much Experience and Hero Points you get out of it. This mathematics course is a purely Intelligence-based course, so if you score high, you can expect your Intelligence to have grown; perhaps you won’t need to spend so much time on Intelligence-based tasks in the future.
Succinctly: higher stats increase your grade ceiling for a course; more studying increases your floor.
Mood and Leisure Activities
As expressed above, a balancing act must be done between work and leisure. This is mechanically expressed in your character’s week-to-week mood. This is abstracted to a 0-100 stat. Each hour of “Working” activity decreases mood by base 10; each hour of “Leisure” increases it by base 5.
Working and Leisure activities should be pretty obvious, but I’ll be specific for your sakes. Generally, attending class, studying, training, and physical labor are all considered work activities. Meanwhile, sleeping, socializing, and watching netflix are all leisure activities.
Each Work activity is pretty distinct and holds different consequences depending on the activity. Therefore, it’d be lame if I didn’t make it the same for Leisure activities.
Sleeping is the default Leisure activity and will be used for any and all unspent hours. Note, too little sleep can lead to temporary stat decreases and decreased experience gain.
Playing video games can be a lot of fun and really take a load off; mood increase is doubled for this activity, but doing it for too long can blunt your senses, causing decreased experience gain for the next week. However, if you’re constantly playing games, you could get used to it. Playing video games also scientifically correlates to better problem solving skills in the long run.
Playing sports can help alleviate stress fairly well. There are many different sports that demand different things from the player. All sports, though, are quite fatiguing and can entail decreased stamina temporarily. However, long term health benefits are apparent. Mood increase is raised to 7/hour while playing a sport.
Reading is a simple task many use to wind down, but it isn’t often intensely pleasurable by itself. Mood is increased by 3 per hour rather than 5. It can also expand your vocabulary over time.
Watching television is often looked at as a braindead activity, but it helps alleviate stress all the same. It’s not very productive, but it gets the job done.
It should be noted that playing a sport or game competitively is considered work, but decreases mood by about half in general.
If you have another idea for something you can do for leisure, suggest it to me.
Hero Ethics
This class is the only required class to graduate in this school. If you prove yourself by gathering enough Hero Points by the end of your stay here and pass the Hero Ethics course set, you will graduate without a hitch. However, the Hero Ethics course set is geared to shape its participants into the Heroes of tomorrow, and it’s pretty good at it. Over the course of your terms, your character can pick up temporary effects from this course, making them more disposed towards selfless acts. This could result in several things. For example, it’s possible for some of your time you laid out in your orders to be ignored in the face of some event that came up during the week that your character felt required their attention, purely altruistically. This could be a good thing, as your random heroics could be recognized for those heroics, but it could reflect poorly if you missed out on something important.
You could specifically note in your orders to completely ignore these urges, and your character will. However, as a result, they could become demoralized and perform worse for the next week, depending on their willpower.
This mechanic is especially problematic for people who thought to enroll to this school for more self-centered or nefarious purposes. If your character lacks the willpower, they could find themselves at odds with why they thought to come to this school, and come out of it a much different person than you imagined.
Generally, classes will not incorporate willpower; willpower is something only the individual can control and train within themselves; it cannot be taught, only learned by the self. You can commit time to developing this stat specifically, on your own and for the purposes of mood this activity is counted as Work.
There are four classes in the Hero Ethics course set. You’ll need to take one of them each year, in one of the four terms, and pass them in order to continue studying at this academy.
Hero Ethics is a pass-or-fail course. You have 4 chances to pass; each of the four terms in each year. You may elect not to take it on any given term, but you must take the Hero Ethics for your year at some point.
Missions
For you first years, missions will be pretty barebones. They will be mostly public service; trash collecting, tutoring normal kids, things like that. This section is sure to be expanded on later though.
Tournaments
The first tournament will begin in the second half of the school year. More information when that comes along. Be prepared and train in anticipation of it!
Combat
With that said about Tournaments, there will be combat this early, but much more controlled. Some classes may have some form of sparring in the curriculum, and some of you may be pit against each other. The rules of spars vary from class to class, and have heavy restrictions on what you can do in them to fit the curriculum.
Combat in general will be held in one of two ways. One way is pretty much how combat is resolved in most games, with your characters’ stat blocks fighting each other in automated simulations created by me. The other is more experimental. When we start the game, I’ll make a Roll20 page for each of your characters that wish to participate in Real-Time Combat. This combat will, as implied, be ran through Roll20’s engine. This is completely voluntary, to be clear. Either party in a spar or any kind of combat encounter can elect to have it automated. I think it could be fun, though. To be sure, I’ll hold a tutorial event or two to get you accustom with the website and its features, as well as the specific mechanics I’m running for this game. Anybody can also sit in at these sort of events; it's likely those characters will actually be sitting and watching these matches as part of the class.
Grades, Hero Points, and Experience
Hero Points are the end-goal of most of your actions. They are the true indicator of progress. In fact, you will need to hit Hero Point Quotas at the end of each year in order to stay enrolled. Specifically, you need to save up 1000 for the first year, the quota then doubling each year thereafter.
However, Hero Points are also a resource. Along with being the only other requirement for graduating, they can be traded. The Academy holds within it an arsenal of different kinds of equipment and a plethora of specialized courses, and you can use your Hero Points to buy them. It is also completely tradeable between students; to what end, is up to you.
You gain Hero Points, at least in part, for doing well in classes. Each class has a maximum amount of Hero Points you can gain from them. Grades are scored from 0 to 100. Here’s a nifty table to help you out:
Score Grade Hero Points
100-91 A 100%
81-90 B 75%
70-80 C 50%
60-69 D 25%
0-59 F 0%
Meanwhile, you gain experience simply for attending class. Assuming you attend all the class time, you will get all the experience prescribed in the class directory. However, all classes are attended at will. You are required to go to at least an hour of each class each week in order to be evaluated for your grade. You can also obtain up to half the class’s prescribed experience via studying, completely separate from that class.
How this breaks down is as follows:
The grade received is a function of time spent studying and the value of the relevant stat(s).
The experience gained from the class itself is a function of class time attended.
The experience gained from studying is a function of time spent studying and Intelligence.
Classes
As mentioned, classes aren’t necessarily… Well, necessary. But they are pivotal in your development and heavily encouraged. Perhaps the biggest reason to take classes is the actual skills you can learn from them, experience and hero points aside. Each class has a Primary Lesson, something the class aims to teach you. These can vary in their relevance to you, but in general, they are all assets. You have a chance to learn the Primary Lesson of a class based on your final grade and your intelligence score.
