Balancing HU Super Abilities for Palladium Fantasy games

[Razorwing]

If I remember correctly, one of the alternative superhero settings suggested in the Heroes Unlimited GM Guide was to use them in a fantasy setting… such as Palladium Fantasy. It even suggested that characters with super abilities could be combined with some OCCs, implying that such characters could have the benefits of both the OCC and their powers.

The problem, as the GM Guide points out, is that this can unbalance such games. Why would one play a mere Paladin when one can play a Paladin with super abilities. In short, how would one go about balancing the power one gains with super abilities with Palladium Fantasy’s OCCs so that a character isn’t completely outclassed if they choose play a character without super abilities?

One of the obvious solutions is to limit the OCCs that can be chosen. Combining super abilities with psychic character classes or spellcasting classes seems to be an obvious restriction… as such characters tend to be their own category in Heroes Unlimited to begin with (combining super abilities with psionics and magic tends to be rather limited in any setting). Still, this leaves the Men-at-Arms and Adventurer categories as viable to combine with super abilities. Even so, such OCCs with super abilities can overshadow characters without those powers even with the same OCC.

Treating those with super abilities in a similar manner as Major Psionic characters… in that developing such powers come at the cost of their training is another possibility. The question then becomes, are those rules sufficient enough to balance characters with super abilities against those without them? Is the reduction of OCC skill bonuses and the number of OCC Related skills by half enough to offset the advantage that super abilities offer? I think Skraypers from Rifts did something along this line for some OCCs that could be taken by those with and without super abilities (at least if one was playing is as part of the Rifts multiverse rather than an alternative Heroes Unlimited setting).

Another option could be to reduce the bonuses one gets from Super Abilities… perhaps by half? This leaves super abilities as being quite strong, but maybe not as overwhelmingly strong as they are when added to the current OCCs. This could also help tone down some of the problems super abilities can potentially cause… such as being able to travel vast distances quickly and with relative ease (such as with the various flight powers). Of course limiting the availability of some powers may still be necessary… some powers may just be too powerful, even if the bonuses are reduced, for a setting like Palladium Fantasy.

One could even have the super abilities replace the special abilities an OCC grants the character… making these powers the “special abilities” instead. Thus a “Paladin”with super abilities would have the Paladin skills, but not the special abilities Paladins normally get as those are replaced with the super abilities the character has.

Then there is limiting super abilities to a specific race… such as just humans or just elves and so on. Of course this still leaves those individuals of that race without super abilities at a disadvantage, so additional balancing may be needed.

Maybe a combination of these options would work. Ideally, I would want to avoid having to come up with a Heroes Unlimited style skill package system or unique Racial Character Classes for such characters, if I were to introduce such characters into Palladium Fantasy.

Anyone have other ideas on how to balance such characters so that a player who chooses to have super abilities in a fantasy setting won’t completely overshadow those who choose not to have such powers? Has anyone actually tried to combine these settings for their own games (and how did it go)?

[GoliathReturns]

I'd simply suggest against it, but if you insist on doing it-
Remember that it applies equally for people other than the PCs.

Your villain Ognus the Destroyer is a 7th level knight, who also happens to have some super powers, like the fact he's nearly invulnerable.

Or the fact that he also was a mutant, so now he has supernatural strength and endurance.

Further, I'd require double exp for each level up. They're effectively taking two classes at a time

[drewkitty ~..~]

Idea correction

Spoiler:

"was to use them in a fantasy setting… such as Palladium Fantasy."
The problem with the above text is that PF is a game unto itself not the setting of a larger game.
Replacing the words 'such as' with 'like that of' would make things right.

As for replacing the Education rolls in HU with OCCs.... Rifts already lets that happen, but limited to certain OCCs. Rifts also lets/encourages the aliens PCs have OCCs instead of the skill programs when they are used in Rifts.

If you want to bring in super abilities into your PF RPG game that is up to you. And it is up to you to balance said super abilities in your...... if you want balance.