Post by gamedave on Feb 4, 2020 13:18:56 GMT -5
FOES: MINIONS, HENCHMEN, AND VILLAINS
In SuperFATE!, your Hero will face fearsome opponents. These opponents are termed "Foes" - basically anyone that is going to come into direct Conflict with your Hero.
Foes come in three basic varieties: Minions, Henchmen, and Villains. All share some characteristics, though.
Foes will usually have briefer and simpler traits than Heroes. In particular, Foes will generally not have Talents, and will instead simply have Abilities. Since they don't have specific Talents, their Abilities work on a somewhat different ladder from Heroes. Foes' Abilities will range from -1 to +4, with up to +6 for truly exceptional Foes.
As with Heroes, a Foe with an impaired or weak Ability will have a -1, but this will be relatively unusual. Most Foes without any particular aptitude will have a +0. Foes with a moderate aptitude will have a +2. Experts will have a +4. World-class masters will have a +6. Some Foes will also hae more granular Abilities, with odd numbers.
Minions
Minions are the most common Foes. Mooks, goons, gang members, cultists - if they are faceless and nameless, they are Minions.
Minions do not have Consequences, and are Taken Out by a single shift of Stress. They can threaten Heroes, particularly in large numbers, but they go down like ten-pins.
Minions will typically have Intellect and Social of +0, and Adventure and Combat of +2, but some Minions may have different arrays. Minions of the technofascist Technocracy terrorist group, for example, might have Adventure +0, Combat +2, Intellect +2, Social +0.
Minions typically don't have Stunts, Gifts, or Complications, and if they do, all Minions of the same group would have the same ones. Minions usually have a Motivation of serving their group or leader, if they're organized, or simply Greed or a similar selfish motivation if they're common criminals.
Minions are often Normal Scale and lack Powers, but they can have Powers of any Scale, depending on the narrative. Minions who serve a leader will usually be at least one Scale less than that leader, but that's not a hard rule.
Henchmen
Henchmen are a step up from Minions. Elite troops, named lieutenants, pack leaders, and the like will usually be Henchmen.
Like Minions, Henchmen do not have Stress boxes. Unlike Minions, however, Henchmen do have Consequence slots. Some Henchmen will have only a Minor Consequence slot, while others will have both a Minor and a Major Consequence slot. A truly exceptional Henchmen might even have a Severe Consequence slot.
Henchmen will typically have Combat +4 and their other Abilities at +0 or +2. Of course, some Henchmen will have different arrays, depending on their role.
Henchmen will often have one or two Gifts and one or two Stunts, but some will have more and some less. Henchmen tend to have simple Motivations similar to Minions, but some Henchmen may be more complicated.
Henchmen may be Normal humans without Powers, but many Henchmen will have one or more Powers at Epic or higher Scale. As with Minions, if a Henchmen serves a specific leader, they will typically but not necessarily operate at a lower Scale then that leader.
Villains
Villains are the Big Bads of the campaign. Major antagonists, and especially costumed super-villains, will usually be Villains. Unlike Minions or many Henchmen, each Villain is a unique individual.
Unlike Minions and Henchmen, Villains have the same capacity of Stress and Consequences as Heroes - six Stress boxes, and a Minor, a Moderate, and a Severe Consequence slot.
Villains do not have have a "typical" Ability array, but they will usually have at least a +4 in their main Ability. An Ability of +5 or +6 is possible but should be fairly rare - it's the equivalent of a Hero having "The Best There Is" Stunt.
Villains will also almost always have at least a couple of Gifts and at least a couple of Stunts. While they don't really have the same Power Sets as Heroes, they will often have Powers and features very similar to them.
Villains can, of course, be Normal Scale. An "untouchable" crime boss or corrupt corporate CEO are common Normal Scale Villains without any actual Powers. On the other hand, Villains can also range all the way up to Cosmic Scale.
In SuperFATE!, your Hero will face fearsome opponents. These opponents are termed "Foes" - basically anyone that is going to come into direct Conflict with your Hero.
Foes come in three basic varieties: Minions, Henchmen, and Villains. All share some characteristics, though.
Foes will usually have briefer and simpler traits than Heroes. In particular, Foes will generally not have Talents, and will instead simply have Abilities. Since they don't have specific Talents, their Abilities work on a somewhat different ladder from Heroes. Foes' Abilities will range from -1 to +4, with up to +6 for truly exceptional Foes.
As with Heroes, a Foe with an impaired or weak Ability will have a -1, but this will be relatively unusual. Most Foes without any particular aptitude will have a +0. Foes with a moderate aptitude will have a +2. Experts will have a +4. World-class masters will have a +6. Some Foes will also hae more granular Abilities, with odd numbers.
Designer's Note: The GM typically has to deal with a lot more characters than a player does. SuperFATE! aims for fast and furious action, and simplifying Foes to make them easier for a GM to run is part of that. The total bonus a Foe will have on their roll is about what a Hero of similar capability would get by adding their Talent and Ability. This simplified system is a GM tool, and like any tool, the GM can choose not to use it. Some Foes, or some GMs, may use the same Ability + Talent system that Heroes use.
Minions
Minions are the most common Foes. Mooks, goons, gang members, cultists - if they are faceless and nameless, they are Minions.
Minions do not have Consequences, and are Taken Out by a single shift of Stress. They can threaten Heroes, particularly in large numbers, but they go down like ten-pins.
Minions will typically have Intellect and Social of +0, and Adventure and Combat of +2, but some Minions may have different arrays. Minions of the technofascist Technocracy terrorist group, for example, might have Adventure +0, Combat +2, Intellect +2, Social +0.
Minions typically don't have Stunts, Gifts, or Complications, and if they do, all Minions of the same group would have the same ones. Minions usually have a Motivation of serving their group or leader, if they're organized, or simply Greed or a similar selfish motivation if they're common criminals.
Minions are often Normal Scale and lack Powers, but they can have Powers of any Scale, depending on the narrative. Minions who serve a leader will usually be at least one Scale less than that leader, but that's not a hard rule.
Henchmen
Henchmen are a step up from Minions. Elite troops, named lieutenants, pack leaders, and the like will usually be Henchmen.
Like Minions, Henchmen do not have Stress boxes. Unlike Minions, however, Henchmen do have Consequence slots. Some Henchmen will have only a Minor Consequence slot, while others will have both a Minor and a Major Consequence slot. A truly exceptional Henchmen might even have a Severe Consequence slot.
Henchmen will typically have Combat +4 and their other Abilities at +0 or +2. Of course, some Henchmen will have different arrays, depending on their role.
Henchmen will often have one or two Gifts and one or two Stunts, but some will have more and some less. Henchmen tend to have simple Motivations similar to Minions, but some Henchmen may be more complicated.
Henchmen may be Normal humans without Powers, but many Henchmen will have one or more Powers at Epic or higher Scale. As with Minions, if a Henchmen serves a specific leader, they will typically but not necessarily operate at a lower Scale then that leader.
Villains
Villains are the Big Bads of the campaign. Major antagonists, and especially costumed super-villains, will usually be Villains. Unlike Minions or many Henchmen, each Villain is a unique individual.
Unlike Minions and Henchmen, Villains have the same capacity of Stress and Consequences as Heroes - six Stress boxes, and a Minor, a Moderate, and a Severe Consequence slot.
Villains do not have have a "typical" Ability array, but they will usually have at least a +4 in their main Ability. An Ability of +5 or +6 is possible but should be fairly rare - it's the equivalent of a Hero having "The Best There Is" Stunt.
Villains will also almost always have at least a couple of Gifts and at least a couple of Stunts. While they don't really have the same Power Sets as Heroes, they will often have Powers and features very similar to them.
Villains can, of course, be Normal Scale. An "untouchable" crime boss or corrupt corporate CEO are common Normal Scale Villains without any actual Powers. On the other hand, Villains can also range all the way up to Cosmic Scale.