NOTE: as the Hero System adapts to any genre, every game has its own "House Rules" to define it and give the campaign its proper flavor.
On Stats and Power Points
Players start with 80 points, and may add up to 80 points of disadvantages, or more with GM permission (which is given for character-required limitations that are significant, not for token Reputations and Distinctive Features piled on for extra points).
The average joe-on-the-street will not necessarily sport 0 character points, as he does in many games. The average Nami joe (see On the Tribes, ii) is in fact a 25 point character, while the average among the ancient peoples may be 60, 70, or more points (plus disadvantages).
Characters playing Nami should be aware, therefore, that the average stats among your kinfolk are STR 11, DXT 11, CST 11, BOD 10, INT 10, EGO 11, PRE 12, COM 12, PD 3, ED 3, and SPD 3, and Nami Joe has 5 points worth of magic gifts, but can neither read nor swim. You are certainly free to go below these figures as you like, but I wanted you to know that if you pick a Presence of 10 you will appear relatively meek among the Nami.
The average Kingdom character is a -2 character, because he can't swim and has no magic gifts. Players who wish to play a different race should ask the GM how they will compare to their fellows.
You need not pay points for your weapons, nor need you pay double for stats above normal human maxima. However, players should keep in mind that stats that exceed double the average for their race (excepting speed, for which the threshold is 2 points above average) are considered otherworldly. Generally speaking, if characters exceed this threshold, it is probably a magical gift, and should be accounted accordingly (see Gifts, iv).
Skills and Powers
Powers should be appropriate to one's tribe. Some tribes have no powers. Transdimensional is unnecessary, as is anything obviously out of period (Computer Programming, FTL. Precognition must be severely curtailed. Desolid is questionable except with good justification. I've probably not thought of other inappropriate things, GM reserves the right to add to this list.
Encumbrance
The following Encumbrance table is identical to the official one, only it is converted into pounds rather than kilograms, as the metric system has not been invented yet.
| Weight | DCV | END/turn |
| 0-7 lbs | - | 0 |
| 7-14 lbs | -1 | 0 |
| 14-28 lbs | -2 | 1 |
| 28-56 lbs | -3 | 2 |
| 56-112 lbs | -4 | 3 |
| 112-225 lbs | -5 | 4 |
Armor Weights
A specialized table of armors, giving the standard wear for various peoples, is available as a PDF file (78kb). You will need the free Adobe Acrobate Reader to read this file.
This table differs from the standard rules not only in using pounds rather than kilograms, but the weights of various armor pieces are redistributed slightly based on actual weights rather than pure mathematics. The weight of a complete suit remains the same, however, helmets are heavier and pauldrons lighter.
Weapons
A specialized weapons table is available as a PDF file (83kb). You will need the free Adobe Acrobate Reader to read this file.
This table differs from the standard one significantly. Damage for most weapons is increased one Damage Class. This is done for play balance and realism. By the standard rules, the average blow of a broadsword does only 4.5 points of Body, and a maximum of 7. This means that it is impossible to inflict a mortal wound with a single blow of a sword, and in fact, most of the time it will take three blows. !? In addition, with plate mail providing a DEF of 7, a man in full plate can never be injured! The additional damage class allows a broad sword to inflict an average of 5.5 points of Body, and a maximum of 9. While this is still less than "realism" would demand, it nonetheless improves the balance, without raising the lethality of the game too much.
The file also includes some notes on tribes and what sorts of weapons they make.
