Ranks and Rank Numbers

Most of a character's abilities, powers, and a lot of other stuff are represented by ranks. Ranks are levels of prowess in an ability or superhuman power. Each rank is represented by a special name that identifies its position in relation to others (greater than, less than, etc...), and a standard rank number (usually in the center of the rank's range). There are sixteen 'basic' ranks in all, listed by name, standard rank number, and rank range on the tables below.

Human Ranks

When discussing normal human beings, this range of ranks will most often be used to describe them. While some ability scores can be higher and be considered within the range of a 'normal' human's, these five ranks are where the vast majority of such individuals will fall in all of their statistics. This is particularly true of Strength, where one literally cannot be higher without some sort of super human capability.

Furthermore, most super humans will have ability scores that fall within this range as well. They may have a few which exceed these ranks, which is par for the course, but few individuals are super-human in every ability score - and those that are usually turn out to be the most dangerous. Power ranks that fall into this panorama are nonetheless quite useful, if not generally considered 'world shaking' in nature.

Super Human Ranks

This spectrum of power ranks is most often used to describe ascendant beings - humans who have spectacular powers for some reason or another, or perhaps alien beings and the like. A few exceptional 'normals' may have ability scores that fall within this neighborhood, as a human's Fighting score may go as high as Amazing (50) rank, but for the most part this area is where you'll find the super powered population.

Supers typically have one or more ability scores in this range, though most of theirs still reflect their basic, human nature. Many of their powers will fall into this category however, which is what makes most super-humans, well, super. Sure, the right power at Feeble (2) rank can do a lot of damage if wielded properly, but the same one with Unearthly (100) might can dish out that much more.

Godlike Ranks

The three godlike ranks represent extreme levels of power. They're so potent that they're generally considered out of the human experience entirely, hence their lack of vivid descriptors (as the ten basic ranks before possess). A majority of super human beings won't possess an ability score or power at one of these ranks, though a rare few might manage it through sheer luck or happenstance (certain exceptions notwithstanding).

No, those beings who possess standard ranks within this spread tend to be alien in both body and mind, often from other worlds or planes of existence. They may be bona fide deities, or perhaps simply take advantage of the superstitions of lesser beings to perpetuate such belief for their own benefit. Nonetheless, entities with levels of power in this strata are not to be taken lightly, for they can easily change the world.

Abstract Ranks

Finally, the abstract power ranks are those which are even more unfathomable than those three which came before. These represent forces which can destroy worlds, if not entire universes if used aggressively enough. The three classes of top-tier might are rarely, if ever attained by even gods (or godlike beings) themselves, for they most often are possessed only by abstract, alien entities.

Such creatures (if they can even be classified as such) are those which serve as an embodiment of some grand force or concept. Their sphere of power is nigh-absolute in their area of focus, thus justifying these extreme levels of power. Typically these entities are the 'base' from which gods who embody related, but lesser concepts or principles draw their might from - or must pay homage to them somehow.

Rank Conditionals

In addition to the sixteen standard ranks, there are four rank conditionals. These are all ranks (or a range of such) that one will not attain normally under most circumstances, but may nonetheless be forced to roll under now and then. Access to rank conditionals are typically only granted with the Judge's approval; they may be seen as either too limiting or too powerful (especially the second one). The four rank conditionals are:

The Shift 0 Rank: barring a severe injury or illness, or perhaps a non-humanoid body (or a lack therein), most characters will never actually possess an ability score or power that functions at this rank. This is because this rank indicates a lack of power or ability. Having an actual Shift 0 rank in a statistic means that one has no inherent use of said ability score or power (it's useless to them).

For the most part, a character will make use of the Shift 0 rank when a higher rank is modified to function on this column. This can happen as a result of severe penalties to a desired action that, while not making it impossible, just get one very close to such a state. Actions attempted at Shift 0 rank are the most likely to fail, but nonetheless have a slim chance at success (usually with a dash of Karma to help).

The Beyond Rank: similarly, characters will not possess any ability score or power at the Beyond rank for the most part. This level of might indicates infinite power, gained only in the rarest of situations - either when several Class 5000 powers are used in conjunction, or when it is assigned to the most potent of abstract beings. When the latter occurs, such a character is usually just a plot device.

The reason for this is that the Beyond rank transcends mere game mechanics, it is all powerful. Anyone who manages this level of might evolves beyond the game's boundaries - hence the name. On occasion a character may manage to achieve this rank in some capacity or another for a short period of time - fiction is replete with such examples, after all - but such a situation is highly transient in nature.

The Hyperexhaustive Rank: this is a special rank conditional that is applied to powers only (never to primary or secondary ability ranks). A power that is hyperexhaustive will physically drain the person that uses it, being incredibly hard to operate or control. When a hyperexhaustive rank appears during character generation (either due to lousy rolls or when chosen as a limitation) roll again.

This second result will be the base for power factors such as range, damage, and so on. The result is the hyperexhaustive rank. This will read as HE-(power rank). For example, a player eventually rolls a hyperexhaustive rank for a power. He immediately rolls again on the applicable chart; the result being Excellent (20). As such, his power is of HE-Ex (20) rank. The tricky part is actually using a hyperexhaustive power in combat.

When a character wields a hyperexhaustive power, the necessary FEAT roll is made on the Shift 0 column, as wielding this power is particularly difficult. Whether the use of this power succeeds or fails, it (and the character who possesses it) will be drained by the effort involved. Ideally, the power should not be used again for twenty four hours of game time, allowing it to recover from this extreme exertion.

If this rest period is observed, no undue harm will come to the character. However, failing to do this will drain the power further, and require it be rested for one week without further use. If the power is drained to this point, a week's worth of abstinence on the part of this power's use is required to recharge it fully. However, sometimes this is not practical, and this tricky power must be used yet again.

Bypassing a required week-long rest on a hyperexhaustive power extends the time necessary for a full recovery to one month. If this third and final extension is not observed, the power will be completely burned out. While the Judge has the option of allowing it to come back after perhaps a year of game time (certainly a considerable wait), the most likely outcome is that the hyperexhaustive power is gone forever.

Recovery of the ability may be possible, but this may take a special mission or extreme measure - all at the Judge's whim.

The Hyperkinetic Rank: the flip side of the hyperexhaustive rank, a hyperkinetic rank implies an ability score or power that normally operates at a functional rank (determined in the same fashion as a hyperexhaustive power), but will suddenly 'spike' in power under certain circumstances. This stimulus cannot be something always present in the environment, such as water or oxygen, but need not be especially rare either.

When exposed to the predetermined stimulus, the hyperkinetic effect is activated, and the power in question begins to function at a +1 CS. For each round of sustained stimulus afterwards, the power will be increased in scope by a further +1 CS, until it hits an upper limit of Shift Z (500). This enhancement lasts until the stimulus is all gone, plus 1d10 turns, at which point the power rank will revert to its normal, functional state.

While such an extreme boost in power may be exhilarating, it is not without adverse effects. For one thing, controlling extreme levels of power can be difficult. For every +1 CS in power the hyperkinetic ability experiences over one's Psyche (will) score, apply a -1 CS to FEATs required to control the hyperkinetic ability score or power. Such high levels of power are difficult to keep a handle on.

Furthermore, when the hyperkinetic power wears off, the character will be left somewhat spent, suffering a -2 CS penalty to all FEAT rolls for a number of turns equal to the time in which he was, for the lack of a better term, hyperkinetic. During this time, one cannot reinitialize the hyperkinetic state, which may leave him in something of a pickle depending on the circumstances of its use.

While a character's ability scores may be bolstered by a hyperkinetic effect, his Health and Karma scores will not be affected by this change (even if an over the top boost seems like it should double - or more - such sums). Finally, hyperkinetic powers are noted with a special prefix, as are hyperexhaustive abilities; for instance, an Excellent (20) ranked hyperkinetic power would be noted as HK-Ex (20).

Functions of Exceptional Ability or Talent (or FEAT rolls)

Whenever a character attempts an action with significant difficulty, he must normally make a FEAT roll to determine whether or not it succeeds; FEAT being an acronym for a Function of Exceptional Ability or Talent.

A FEAT roll is made by rolling a d100, and checking the result against the rank in question on the Universal Table. This procedure is the basis for all actions in the Universal Heroes RPG, and after playing for a while will come naturally. There are four color bands on the Universal Table that stretch through the ranks. When attempting a FEAT, a white result usually indicates failure. A green result represents a sufficient success, a yellow result an exceptional success, and a red result the best possible result one can achieve.

As an example, let us say we are witnessing a hero in mortal combat with his deadly arch-nemesis. In order to hit with a left hook, the hero must make a successful FEAT roll based on his Ftg (off) rank. Normally a green result will do, so the character rolls the dice, the result being a 42. Tracing along the '41-45' row on the Universal Table, we see that if our hero has a Ftg (off) rank of Excellent (20) or better, his punch will indeed strike his foe - though if he doesn't defeat him with this mighty blow, said villain may strike back in kind... possibly in a much deadlier fashion.

This is an over-simplification of the variables that can occur in combat, but will do to demonstrate the basic idea of a FEAT.

Column Shifts

Modifying basic FEATs some, extenuating circumstances may provide additional modifiers to the odds of success or failure while attempting a given FEAT. For example, firing a gun at a fast moving, randomly dodging target whilst standing on oil-slicked ice and avoiding incoming fire yourself is a bit more difficult than hitting those stationary targets in an air conditioned firing range. Circumstances like these are handled by Column Shifts (CS).

A +1 Column Shift, to the right on the Universal Table, is a shift for the better. This means the circumstances for executing this FEAT are better than normal. In other words, in this particular situation, a character attempting this Column Shifted FEAT does so as though the effective rank he was using was one higher than would otherwise be indicated.

A -1 Column Shift, to the left on the Universal Table, is a shift for the worse. This demonstrates an added difficulty the character attempting the FEAT must overcome. Or, to put it bluntly, he attempts the FEAT as if the ability or power score he was wielding were one rank lower than his statistics would lead you to believe.

Further shifts one way or the other serve to amplify the help or hindrance a situation applies to the FEAT a character is attempting.

Column shifts come in three forms in the Universal Heroes game. The first is the inherent Column Shift. It is a plus or minus modifier that occurs because the character possesses a talent or quirk that aids or hinders the FEAT being attempted. This most often comes in the form or a +1 or +2 CS, but in the case of Quirks this may be a negative as well.

The buddy Column Shift is the second kind of CS. It involves a person lending a helping hand to the character making the actual FEAT roll. As long as the helping hand has a rank within 1 CS of the score being checked, the person rolling adds a +1 CS to his roll. For example, two characters with Good (10) Strength (vgr) attempting to lift an Excellent (20) weight would allow the player with the dice to do so at the bonus described here.

Or, in other words, perform as if he had Excellent (20) Str (vgr) instead of just Good (10).

Finally, there is the situational CS, a type of Column Shift not covered by the other types of CS. These are basically Column Shifts caused by all other situations and modifiers, and run the gamut of environmental difficulties to the actions of others helping (or hindering) one's chances of success. When a situation invokes a Column Shift (for good or ill), it will be explained in the course of play.

FEAT Intensities

Intensity is a rank that is associated with most every action or phenomena, a benchmark for characters who may attempt such an action or interact with such occurrences. When attempting a FEAT roll, the intensity of an action the character is working against will determine the difficulty of said FEAT.

To find the inherent difficulty of a FEAT for a character, compare the rank he is using (after Column Shifts are applied) against the intensity of a quality he's interacting with. If the intensity is more than three ranks below the rank to be checked, the FEAT can be considered to be automatic in most cases. Automatic FEATs are things that a character would normally accomplish with great ease, such as lifting a glass of water or remembering where his house is. One usually need not roll for success on an automatic FEAT - unless special circumstances declare a possible chance of failure.

If an intensity is one rank less than the rank being checked (say an Excellent (20) amount of weight for a character with Remarkable (30) Str (vgr)), this would mean a simple green result will indicate success on the Universal Table. If the intensity and the FEAT being rolled on are equal, a yellow FEAT is required to prevail, and if the intensity is one rank higher than the rank being queried (our Remarkable (30) Str (vgr) hero attempting an Incredible (40) intensity lift), a red FEAT roll must be made in order to perform the action intended.

Similar to automatic FEATs, impossible FEATs come into play when one attempts an action against an intensity two or more ranks higher than the ability or power score he is attempting it with. A character with Typical (6) Rsn (log) isn't going to be deciphering alien technologies any time soon (an intensity typically reserved for those with Incredible (40) smarts). However, sometimes desperate situations require desperate measures, and on occasion a game Judge may allow a red FEAT in such circumstances.

Types of FEATs

Ability FEATs are those that are based on a character's first seven basic abilities - either Fighting, Agility, Strength, Endurance, Reason, Intuition, or Psyche. These are the easiest to manage, in that ability scores from one character to another work exactly the same, and it is usually easy to determine when one is required. They are utilized often, whether attempting to strike a foe in hand to hand or ranged combat, lift an object, invent a space craft, or even find the information necessary to solve (or plan) a crime.

Power FEATs are similar in function to Ability FEATs, in that it is usually easy to tell when one is needed; instead of referring to an ability score, however, a power rank is used to resolve this type of action. Nominally, power FEATs are streamlined to work in the normal way; any variations are noted in a power's description.

A special kind of power FEAT is the power stunt. A power stunt is a use for a power that is not accounted for in its standard definition. If the Judge allows one to try it, the first time a power stunt is attempted, it will fail unless a character passes a red FEAT roll. The next four times a character attempts a power stunt, the difficulty is yellow. Finally, the last five times a character attempts said stunt, he need only roll a green power FEAT.

After he has tried a stunt ten times, the character is thought to have mastered this stunt, and need not make FEATs just to see if the stunt will work - it is now part of his standard power usage. At any rate, each time a character tries a power stunt, he must pay 100 Karma points if he wishes to have any prayer of success. This forces characters to pay for their new power stunts - though they are nonetheless cheaper to work out than new powers altogether; that costs a lot more Karma in general (depending on the origins of their powers).

Popularity FEATs are normally required when a player wants something from another character, whether it be information, money, equipment, or anything else he thinks he can get away with. When a character attempts such a FEAT, his Popularity score is the base rank he will use on this roll. This rank is then given potential Column Shift modifiers based on the situation at hand. There's only a few basic CS modifiers to this FEAT, and they're listed on the table to your right.

Of course, these Column Shifts aren't all that goes into the Popularity FEAT roll. No, the general disposition of the person a character asks for aid decides the color difficulty of a Popularity FEAT. A green FEAT is called for when one is friendly to the character attempting the Popularity FEAT. Those neutral to the character make for a Popularity FEAT of yellow difficulty. A red Popularity roll is necessary with unfriendly people are the subject of this FEAT.

But what does all this mean, you ask? Well, friendly NPCs are those who are good friends with the character, or folks listed as his contacts. Neutral NPCs are are people who don't know a character (but have heard of him) or large bodies of strangers. Unfriendly NPCs include total strangers, folks who haven't heard of the character, neutral folks the fellow has ticked off by not returning an item previously, or persons having opposing Popularity (negative vs. positive).

Finally, hostile individuals are people who're actively opposed to a character, or sworn enemies. A Popularity FEAT is unnecessary with such folks, as they are considered impossible for the purpose of this roll. They will never help a character thanks to the whims of a die roll; in fact, they'll never help a character at all, unless doing so would help their specific agenda significantly (very good roleplay may shift the difficulty of such a FEAT from impossible to 'merely' red).

Resources FEATs are made when a body attempts to buy something. The intensity of this FEAT is dependent on the cost rank provided with the item to be purchased. This FEAT can be automatic under several conditions (a rich guy buying some hamburgers, for example), and a roll isn't needed. The trick is that when a Resources FEAT is rolled, it represents a large dent of the character's personal wealth. A character may attempt but one Resources FEAT roll per week.

All other attempts will automatically fail; think of this as a short-term cash shortage or some such. Furthermore, without the assistance of another character (per a buddy CS), no one can purchase any item whose price rank is greater than their own Resources rank - unless they break down and get a loan from a bank. A loan allows a character to make said Resources FEAT roll - if red - but the trick is that he must pay back the loan.

Once a month, a character who has a loan must pass a Resources FEAT of an intensity equal to the price rank of the object purchased -2 CS, for a number of months equal to the number of ranks in the price rank (Good priced items will take four months to pay off, items of Unearthly expense take ten, etc...).

Talent FEATs are those required when one, well, attempts to use a skill in the course of a game. These are primarily based on ability scores, but modified as per the talent's description. Normally, a talent applies a positive Column Shift modifier to an ability (or power) FEAT, but some skills offer other advantages. However, if a character tries an action requiring a skill he lacks, he will do so at a penalty; in other words, attempting brain surgery without the medicine talent is a very, very bad idea.

The basic penalty for attempting a talent FEAT without the proper talent to back it up is -1 CS. However, if a character has a similar skill that could help a FEAT out where a N/PC lacks the exact talent, this penalty is removed; similar weapons or technical training, for instance. In the end however, if the Judge feels an action can't be made without the right talent to back it up, the task is simply impossible.

Material Strength

One last area that deeply involves both FEAT intensity and Column Shifts is relative strength of a given material. Material Strength (m.s.) is the overall strength of a material, if you didn't see that one coming. Mostly, m.s. is used when a person or weapon attempts to break (or break through) an object, like a street, wall, or vault, for instance. The table provided here describes a basic gamut of relative strength for common - and uncommon - materials.

Materials of greater m.s. than those listed are often campaign specific uber-materials, those that are 'unbreakable' or otherwise have special properties. Materials of this variety are beyond this table's intent.

The thickness of a mass or object also plays a part in determining its m.s. If an item is less than 2 inches thick, the m.s. of this item is the listed value -1 CS. If the item is between 2 inches and one foot thick, it is of standard m.s. If the item is between 1 and 2 feet thick, it's m.s. is the listed value +1 CS. Finally, if an object is 2 feet thick or more, its m.s. is the listed value +2 CS.

Example: A two foot thick cube of granite would have an effective material strength of Unearthly, while an inch thick coating of asphalt would only be of Typical (6) material strength.

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