Calculated Characteristics
Basic Hits
A measure of body density, used in several other calculations such as Hit Points and Healing Rate. Divide the character's weight by 50 lbs. and round up.
Agility Modifier
If your character weighs 30 lbs. or less, add 8 to his/her Agility score; if he/she's between 31 and 60 lbs., the modifier is +4. For each doubling of weight thereafter (61-120, 121-240, etc.), subtract 2 from the Agility Modifier. E.g., a 200-lb. character would have a +0 modifier; a 2000-lb. character's would be -8.
If purchasing Characteristics, you must pay for (or gain) the CPs for your new Agility, just as if you'd purchased the score voluntarily. You may alter the Agility from there, of course.
Hit Point Modifiers and Hit Points
One factor is obtained from each Characteristic except Charisma. The four factors are multiplied together, with the result then multiplied by the character's Basic Hits. The final result, rounded up, is the character's Hit Point score. A character's Hit Point total may increase if any of his Basic Characteristics are raised.
Note that if you are using the book, the Hit Point Modifiers for Strength and Agility have been officially switched.
Power
Each character has a Power score equal to the sum of his Strength, Endurance, Agility, and Intelligence scores. The use of Power is fully explained later. In general, it is a measure of a characters "wind," and is expended to fuel super powers as well as strenuous mundane activities such as fighting, jumping, lifting, and running. The "cost" to do these things is known as a Power Requirement, or PR. -B.
Healing Rate
Multiply the factor gained from the Enurance table by the character's Basic Hits. This is the number of Hit Points of damage regained by healing per night of sleep. Example: a character with four Basic Hits received an Endurance score of 16, yielding a Healing Rate Factor of .4; .4 x 4 Basic Hits yields a Healing Rate of 1.6 per day.
Accuracy and Damage Modifier
The "Accuracy Modifier" from Agility is now obsolete. Instead, attacks are made using skill rolls. Also, because of the shift in emphasis in Intelligence and Agility toward skills, the "Damage Modifier" that used to be derived from those two characteristics is now obsolete and should be ignored.
Detect Hidden and Detect Danger
"% To Detect Hidden Objects" is obsolete. This function is now taken over by the "Search" skill. "% To Detect Danger" is obsolete too. Its function is now taken over by the "Perception" skill (See Skills).
Reaction Modifiers
When Character A meets Character B for the first time, A and B must roll a Reaction to each other. A reacts to B based on A's side/affiliation and Charisma score. Apply this modifier to that roll. Player characters are (usually -B.) never required to roll to see how they react to anyone, nor does any character need to roll a reaction to a nonsentient unless he/she's a nonsenient as well.
Carrying Capacity
The maximum amount of weight in pounds that a character can lift and remain standing is computed using the following formula:
[(S/10)3 + (E/10)] * W/2where S = Strength, E = Endurance, and W = Character's weight in pounds.
Basic Hand-to-Hand (HTH) Damage
The type and number of dice rolled to determine the amount of damage inflicted by a character's fist in combat, and for Strength-related saving throws. It is based on the character's Carrying Capacity. Consult the table below:
This table progression continues, i.e., for each doubling of Carrying Capacity,
Carrying Capacity Basic HTH Damage up to 30 1 point 31 to 60 1d2 61 to 120 1d3 121 to 240 1d4 241 to 480 1d6 481 to 960 1d8 961 to 1920 1d10 1921 to 3840 1d12 3841 to 7680 2d8 7681 to 15360 2d10 15361 to 30720 3d10 30721 to 61440 4d10 61441 to 122880 5d10 122881 to 245760 6d10 245761 to 491520 7d10 491521 to 983040 8d10
Basic HTH Damage is increased by 1d10.
In the original rules, there is no PR (Power Requirement) given for performing hand-to-hand combat or lifting heavy objects. This makes the Strength characteristic inordinately powerful, as characters do not have to spend power for any of their attacks. HTH combat should have a PR of one pont per turn. Thus, a character employing two HTH attacks in a turn would be charged a total of three power points: one for using HTH combat that turn and two for taking an extra action phase (see Combat). If a character employs his/her Carrying Capacity simply to lift an object rather than do damage, he/she is charged one point of power if the object exceeds one-half the character's Carrying Capacity. (I found this in an old Dragon Magazine, January 1986 issue, in an article written by John J. Polojac. -B.
Movement Rate(s)
The distance that a character can sprint in a single game turn, in game inches (one game inch = 5 real feet). It is determined by totalling the sum of the character's Strength, Endurance, and Agility scores. Inches of movement can also be expended in a turn through the performance of simple tasks.
As with HTH combat, there was also no PR required for movement. A character moving more than one-half of his/her Move Rate allowance should be charged one point of power per turn. This would allow a normal man to move at top speed for forty turns (ten minutes) and cover a little more than a mile, which is about what a normal man can do in real life. If a character employs a movement power which already has a PR, the power's PR is added to the PR of one per turn, as noted above.
Also in the original book, no rules are given for encumbered movement. I suggest that a character be allowed to move at normal speed when carrying up to one-half of his/her Carrying Capacity, 3/4 normal when carrying up to 3/4 of his/her Carrying Capacity, and one-half normal speed when encumbered over 3/4 of his/her Carrying Capacity. An enumbered character is charged a point of power if he/she moves more than one-half of this adjusted movement score allowance. (The previous two paragraphs are also from that Dragon article. -B.)
It may be wise to record up to three different Move Rates for a character: Ground, Air, and/or Water Move. In my campaigns, a character can swim at a rate equal to one-fifth his/her normal Move Rate (even if "flying" underwater). The Water Breathing power negates this penalty: Water Breathers move at their full, normal Move Rate on land and sea. Ground Move Rate is slowed to one-half when climbing surfaces at a 45-degree angle and divided by 5 for vertical surfaces (mountains, walls, trees, etc.); the GM can interpolate as necessary for in-between angles. A power like Clinging (think Spider-Man) negates these penalties. -B.
