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What does you're character do for a day job, during down time, or hobbies to keep sane?

My characters (and the PCs for games that I run) generally don't have enough down time to worry about their day jobs.

When Justin Time isn't out clobbering super baddies he works as a professor at Mount Joy University, teaching theoretical physics to other metas.

wolfsgrin wrote:When Justin Time isn't out clobbering super baddies he works as a professor at Mount Joy University, teaching theoretical physics to other metas.

My Techno-wizard fills his spare time as an auto-mechanic in Saint Louis.

My sonic speedster sells vacuum cleaners door-to-door. Nobody covers more territory.

What I want to know is how you determine how much money he makes. Our PCs need to cover their personal expenses and pay for mission costs somehow, and they certainly don't get paid for their hero duties. If there's no official determination of how much our heroes can get paid, I'll have to come up with one on my own.

I tend not to worry about it, of course the last few games I have been in a sponsored team (government sponsor) and so did not need to worry much about expenses.

Current one is a chef.

Poocho wrote:What I want to know is how you determine how much money he makes. Our PCs need to cover their personal expenses and pay for mission costs somehow, and they certainly don't get paid for their hero duties. If there's no official determination of how much our heroes can get paid, I'll have to come up with one on my own.

Well, if you are looking for a game mechanic, go to HUGMG, page 47 gives you a formula to figure that out, basing it off of the low and high ends of the salary range, the character's level, and their education bonus, along with a detail here or there (such as a bonus if you have the Business & Finance Skill).

Malakai wrote:

Poocho wrote:What I want to know is how you determine how much money he makes. Our PCs need to cover their personal expenses and pay for mission costs somehow, and they certainly don't get paid for their hero duties. If there's no official determination of how much our heroes can get paid, I'll have to come up with one on my own.

Well, if you are looking for a game mechanic, go to HUGMG, page 47 gives you a formula to figure that out, basing it off of the low and high ends of the salary range, the character's level, and their education bonus, along with a detail here or there (such as a bonus if you have the Business & Finance Skill).

This is correct, and works great. Easy to tweak and mod to your needs.

I've seen characters who've run small town gyms, electrical engineers, bartenders, private comp sci consultation, doctor at inner city clinics, among other things.
I tend to use the BTS2 career and skill section for pay.

To start with my wizard, Shawn Falcon (He doesn't hide the fact that he is a wizard or have a "secret identity", although he did change his name after he got out of high school...because of uh "issues with his family")...Worked as a telemarketer in high school. Played the stock market from his 18th birthday to his 21st. (Did okay with that, made enough to pay for school, and pay off his car and house, also pay for food. It was during the 1990s and on the Australia market). But during that same time he went into first massage therapy, and then chiropractic as well as other "training". Today, at 33, he owns a 10 story building which is a health spa, restaurant, hotel, and apartments in one...In the Javarta District of Century Station's Midtown/Center City.

Has teamed up with the Victorian and Trouble Shooter when they've needed him. (Yes he knows who the Victorian is...in fact it was him who give my PC the building after his day spa got wasted by demons that got summoned by a small "coven" that I helped to broke up by killing the so called Immortal Dragon.)

Oh, also he has gotten a judge to sign over custody of Speedmetal when his parents kicked him out because they just couldn't handle the fact that their son was a mutant. (Don't ask why Speedmetal is still a kid in this game, considering this game has been going senses 1998. True, he didn't move to Century Station until 2008 to open his day spa, but my fellow players have been playing the Victorian and Trouble Shooter sense 2005 when they read the descriptions. Oh well, in a week we will be playing with a teenager who may have liked the character.)

RGG makes a valid point, but I will note that the Spartans were paid soldiers not freelance superheroes. One must live in the world, and not apart from it, and due to this, there must be some form of income.

If the heroes in your campaign are not professional (paid) superheroes, then they must, logically, have another form of income.

I think freelance/self employed jobs such as artists, painters, security, taxi drivers, writers, photographers, etc., seem to make the most sense because then they can work when they need to instead of having to be at work.

I don't really run a game that requires having a lot of money. Others might but I don't worry about food, or sleep in my games. Unless it is something I want to work in for the story of that specific session.

I've found the best day job for a super powered hero to have is some sort of law enforcement. Thus the hero gig is their day job. Plus, the criminals they stop are arrested and convicted. Our GM has thus far avoided the revolving prison door cliche, perhaps because he also dislikes the GM hanging by his ankles out the balcony cliche.

As far as hobbies go, they have varied and included:

-Muscian
-Artist
-Writer
-Historian
-Vigilante (for those criminals the law can't touch... yes, I have been known to have characters play both sides of the law)
-Businessman
-Inventor
-Pro Athlete (Boxer, Archer, Fencer)
-Mutant Rights Activist
-Hunter
-Antique Collector
-Treasure Hunter
-Lawyer (all the better to see the crooks convicted)
-Hero Mentoring
-Teacher

I haven't had as many characters as I have listed hobbies here, many characters have several of these hobbies and careers over the course of play.

For example, my current character is a Federal agent, inventor, businessman, mutant rights activist and is looking at teaching, writing and hero mentoring. Of course, he works long hours (12+ per day, 6 days a week) and must carefully manage his remaining time. But he's the sort that likes to keep busy.

Spectre wrote:I've seen characters who've run small town gyms, electrical engineers, bartenders, private comp sci consultation, doctor at inner city clinics, among other things.
I tend to use the BTS2 career and skill section for pay.

Let's not forget that the bartender was also a small-time carpenter/handyman. There was also a bouncer, a pan-handler, a trust-fund baby, a detective, a nurse, a short-order cook, an internet bookseller, and a "special projects researcher."

Likewise, I tend to reference the BtS2 core book (imagine that ) or just look it up on the U.S. Department of Labor website.

For some reason, BtS2 is hard to find

Thanks Malakai for the tip. I bought the book, and it should work real well.

Two of our players will be employed at the local military base. One is a doctor at a high-end hospital, while another is a doctor at a neighborhood clinic. The last one we haven't decided yet.

I don't figure money needs will come up too often, but characters like my fully bionic alien need to save money as their only way to advance as a bionic.

Daniel2112 wrote:One guy is an Immortal Godling and basically the most famous rock star on the planet. Extraordinary M.A. and P.B., Physical Perfection, Vocalization, and Divine Aura are among his powers and he has a 39 M.A. and 45 P.B. He's not the most combat effective super hero around, but he's far more of a lover than a fighter anyway.

With a character with those stats and powers you don't need to be a fighter, just remember "Make love, not war. Condoms are cheaper than guns".

My guy designs Action figures, and collectable statues, based on the 'real' superheros of the world they live/work in.

His super hero ability's are 2Major 2Minor "APS Action figure, Multiple selves, Advanced leaping and "Summon and Control Toys (Modified summon and control small animals".

So he's pretty good at what he does. He even swings deals with other supers to design their figures for them and what not. Many of the heroes don't like to 'Sell out", but those ones will often agree, if 1) The toys go to deserving kids or kids in orphanages and under privileged homes and 2) any 'profits' that they would have garnered get rolled into the same sources.

My char actually makes money off it. (( not MASSIVE amounts, but it keeps him in house and home.))

Chello!

Well, whatever it is, I hope it doesn't induce laughter in your nemesis.

http://youtu.be/QHDawxWU2rY

Ok. That made me laugh.

Journalist is a good job for the secert identity of the Hero.

gaby wrote:Journalist is a good job for the secert identity of the Hero.

A little over done and on the nose though isn't it? With Clark and Peter both doing it, you come off a little cliche.

With this new game I decided to run villains instead of heroes, so their day job is the fact that they are a bunch of hi-tech pirates. Their captain runs things old school, uses a 3 mast ship complete with cannons, he has some hi-tech surprises they don't know about yet. So they make money pillaging ships, going on land and cracking safes, robbing banks. The ironic thing about this game (pertaining to this thread) is they all left their day jobs to be pirates. One was a hunter (and contract killer), the other made and sold modified weapons/armour and the third player had a regular day job and began to dabble in a "career" as a cat burglar.