DC Super Heroes

 

Disguised as a Mild-Mannered Reporter...

By Jesse N. Willey

Being The Adventurers’ Guild’s resident DC Super Heroes expert, I often get asked several questions, each of which will be answered in the following four part series of questions. Feel free to use each of these in your own DC campaigns.

 

1) Is it possible to convert DC Heroes (Mayfair 3rd edition) characters into characters for DC Universe characters for West End Games? If so, how?

Yes you can. 1 point in Mayfair is equal to 1D in West End. 2 points in Mayfair is equal to 2D. After this, it gets kinda complicated. From that point on, each die in West End is equal to five points in Mayfair. 3-7 points (Mayfair) is equal to 3D (West End). 8-12 is equal to 4D. After that point each D is worth 2.5 points.

Dex (Mayfair) is equal to both Reflexes and Coordination in the West End system. Strength is equivalent to Physique. Intelligence is equal to Knowledge. Mind is equal to Perception. Influence is equal to Mystic. All other Mystic stats (along with the Body stat, if your character has a Strength higher than his or her body) are dropped. If your spirit is higher than your Influence, your character must make up the difference in the Willpower skill.

Use the same point scale to determine the number of dice for initiative. Then roll them and write them down. That will be your characters fixed initiative.

If your Mayfair character’s Spirit was higher than its Influence, it would suffer unskilled checks whenever the Willpower skill would come into play.

For the number of character points, multiply the Hero points by 3/5. (Why 3/5? It cost 3 times base cost to buy powers in West End and Five in Mayfair.) Now, the Hero points of West End are very different than those of Mayfair. Since West End includes a "One Character Point is equal to Ten Hero Points" rule, you can then divide out how many Hero Points and how many Character Points you want. Let’s say your Mayfair character is Captain Cosmic, protector of the great city of Meteoropolis, and his bare bones stats are:

Captain Cosmic

Dex: 15
Str: 25
Body: 18
Int: 11
Will: 20
Mind: 15
Influence:10
Aura: 20
Spirit: 10
Initiative: 49
Hero Points: 200

In West End Terms that would mean

Coordination: 5D
Reflexes: 5D
Knowledge: 4D
Strength: 10D
Perception: 5D
Presence: 4D
Initiative: 35
Character Points: 70
Hero Points: 5

Now go through your power list, and find the power your character had in the DC Mayfair book. Use the same number scale and work out the number of die in each one. If the power isn’t listed, there should be powers you can modify to make them work. Just purchase the proper advantages or drawbacks.

Now Let’s say Captain Cosmic has the following powers in Mayfair: Directional Hearing 8; Extended Hearing 8; Flight 18; Heat Vision 15; Invulnerability 22; Microscopic Vision 15; Recall 20; Sealed System 11; Super Breath 12; Super Hearing 8; Superspeed 11; Systematic Antidote 18; Telescopic Vision 13; Thermal Vision 13; X-Ray Vision 13.

That would become the following in West End: Supersense: Hearing 4D; Flight: 6D; Heat Vision 5D; Invulnerability 10D; Microscopic Vision 5D; Recall 9D; Immunity to Poison 8D; Sealed System 4D; Super Breath 4D; Telescopic Vision 5D; Thermal Vision 5D; X-Ray Vision 5D.

His skills in Mayfair are Artist (Writer) 4; Charisma (Persuasion) 15; Scientist 10

In West End that would be: Artist(Writer) 9D; Charisma (Persuasion) 15D; Scientist (Chose Specialization) 10D; Flight: 6D.

Advantages, in Mayfair: Area Knowledge (Meteoropolis); Connections Wombat (High); Daily Orbit (High); Meteroropolis Police (High); International League of Justice (High); White House (High); Expansive Headquarters; Free Access; Leadership; Lightning Reflexes; Popularity; Sharp Eye.

In West End that becomes: Advantage Area Knowledge (Meteoropolis) –5D; Connections: Wombat (High) –4D; Daily Orbit –2D; Meteoropolis Police –5D; Headquarters –12D; Technologically Advanced –30D; Security Clearance –7D; Observant 5D.

Mayfair Drawbacks: Secret Identity, Fatal Vulnerability (Range of 2 aps) Drakonium, Loss Vulnerability (Magic) Range O, Loss Vulnerability (range Zero) Lack of Caffeine. (Range of zero effects all Powers)

West End: Secret Identity (-3D), Fatal Vulnerability (-9D), Loss Vulnerability (Magic) –5D, Loss Vulnerability (Lack of Caffeine) –5D

Now take those left over Mayfair Hero Points. That would leave you with 120 West End Character Points. Let’s say Captain Cosmic wants to save away 5 chances to double his roll, in case of a rainy day. 5 (The number of West End Hero Points he wishes to purchase) times ten equals 50. This leaves him with 70 character points. He can either spend those on new skills, powers, or advantages, or save those for a rainy day as well.

 

2) Are Batman and Joker really an item?

That depends who you ask. Psychologist and writer Fredric Wertham certainly thought so. In the 1950’s he wrote a book which almost got comics banned. He certainly had plenty of ‘evidence’ that if interpreted properly hinted at a Bat-Orgy between Batman, Joker and the Boy Wonder. My opinion is yes, Batman and Joker are an item, but I leave it out of my all audience’s games.

 

3) Why does the color yellow short out all the GL rings except Kyle and Alan’s? I mean, Green is made of yellow and blue so under the proper lighting condition GL’s would fall out of the sky.

That is a very good question. Falling GLs are highly improbable since it’d be hard to get the whole force field to turn yellow. A competent Green Lantern could keep him- or herself in the air in the even with a small force field. G’nort, on the other hand.....

 

4) Why do the Amazons in Wonder Woman have both breasts? Didn’t Amazons chop them off?

Well, I had always assumed that they found out that cutting their breasts off didn’t help or hinder archery, so they used the Purple Ray to regenerate them.


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