Classes

There are 12 classes designed around Superhero archetypes: the millionaire playboy, the thrill-seeker, the vigilante, the living legend, etc. They are not designed around power-concepts, like the blaster, the tank, or the speedster. They are as independent of the powers as possible, which means that you can mix and match personality types with power-suites. We don't think that class choice should funnel you into one particular choice of tactic or behaviour. *Phoenix* characters start at 4th level by default because that way there is some parity between their HP and their powers. Having a character who can punch out a tank but dies from a kitten's scratch ain't all that fun. You can, of course, start at 1st level if you want to because it's not like we can stop you.

#### Superhero Classes:

Adventurer: Restless thrill-seekers who live on luck

Champion: Charismatic heroes with a cause

Martial Artist: Masters of exotic fighting systems

Mastermind: Forceful tacticians that can't be fooled

Sidekick: Highly-trained team players

Sleuth: Addicted to mysteries and not afraid to swing their fists

Sneak: The ever-lovin' masters of being sneaky

Socialite: Rich and motivated

Soldier: Military-trained professionals who get the job done

Thinker: Cerebral heroes who think before they act

Tinker: Masters of gizmos and technology

Warrior: Masters of the sweet science of kicking ass

## **Superhero Class Features**

Superhero classes have the same standard features as Core classes, plus a couple of extras. Rolling for Hit Points, and receiving both Skill points and Feats are unchanged from Pathfinder and Spheres of Might rules. Your allotted Skill points are listed with your class. You get 1 feat at character creation and 1 every 2 levels thereafter (3, 5, 7, 9, etc.). Because all superheroes are expected to mix it up in combat a *little*, all *Phoenix* classes get the Brawl feat for free at first level. You also get to increase one ability score once every 4 levels, as per standard rules. The three differences are Power Dice, Reputation, and AC Bonuses.

### **Power Points**

At every level, you gain a number of power points according to the amount listed in your class, plus your intelligence modifier.

### **Reputation**

Reputation is used to determine whether an NPC recognizes a character. Those who recognize the hero are more likely to help the hero or do what he or she asks, provided the reputation has a positive connotation to the character who recognizes the hero. A high Reputation bonus also makes it difficult for the hero to mask his or her identity.

Most of the time, a hero doesn't decide to use his or her reputation. The GM decides when a hero's reputation can be relevant to a scene or encounter. At the moment it becomes relevant, the GM makes a Reputation check for a GM character who might be influenced in some fashion due to the hero's fame or notoriety, as detailed below.

#### Fame and Infamy

Most characters with a high Reputation bonus (+4 or higher) are considered well known within their profession or social circle. Whether this has a positive or negative connotation depends on the point of view of the person who recognizes the hero.

When a character has a positive opinion of a hero's reputation, the hero is considered to be famous by that character. Fame, when recognized, provides a bonus to certain Charisma-based skill checks.

When a character has a negative opinion of a hero's reputation, the hero is considered to be infamous by that character. Also, at the GM's option, a hero might be considered infamous in certain situations due to events that have transpired in the campaign.

Infamy, when recognized, provides a penalty to certain Charisma-based skill checks.

#### Using the Reputation Bonus

Whenever the GM decides that a character's reputation can be a factor in an encounter, the GM makes a Reputation check (DC 25) for the GM character involved. A Reputation check is 1d20 + the hero's Reputation bonus + the NPC's Int modifier. (Some Knowledge skill modifiers might apply instead of the Int modifier, if the hero would be well known in the field covered by the Knowledge skill.) Modifiers to the Reputation check depend on the hero and the GM character in question, as shown below. Note that if the GM character has no possible way of recognizing a hero, then the Reputation check automatically fails.

If the GM character succeeds at the Reputation check, he or she recognizes the hero. This provides a +4 bonus or a -4 penalty on checks involving the following skills for the duration of the encounter: Bluff, Diplomacy, Intimidate, and Perform.

#### Situation

 GM character is part of the hero's professional or social circle
 The hero has some small amount of fame or notoriety

The GM must decide that a character's fame or infamy can come into play in a given situation to make a Reputation check necessary. A character who doesn't know, or know of, the hero can't be influenced by his or her reputation.

### **AC Bonus**

All classes get an untyped bonus to AC. This is meant to represent anything from bullets and attacks bouncing off them to super human dodging ability, durability, or supernatural shielding. This is mostly a reference to how, in most media, high power super heroes can shrug off mook attacks without taking any real damage.

### **"Per Day" and "Per Session" Abilities**

Any class feature that is listed as "per day" indicates that once you use the ability, you can't use it again until you (a) go to sleep and wake up *or* (b) 24 hours elapse since the last time you used it, whichever comes first. This represents an ability that is so draining that you can only physically and/or mentally expend yourself like that once a day.

"Per session" abilities refer to one day of gaming. You can use this ability once during a gaming session on a particular day. It represents the kind of ability that characters might invoke only once in an issue of a comic book or an episode of a television show. If your gaming day is extra-long for some reason, then GMs can allow you to use a once-per-session ability twice in a session.

### **Class Feature Types**

There are three kinds of class features: Extraordinary, Power-Like, and Super.

**Extraordinary** (Ex) class features are (ostensibly) not outside the realm of realistic possibility, but they are the kind of thing that only a superhero can do. The Adventurer's Plot Device, for example, is theoretically possible? someone could just be *that* well prepared? but most people can't always have the right tool on-hand for every job.

**Power-Like** (PL) class features duplicate a power and can be affected by the metapowers. This category includes mystical and psionic effects.

**Super** (Su) class features are outside of the realm of realism, but are so intrinsic to a particular way of looking at the world, which is what classes represent, that they cannot be affected by the metapowers. This includes the Martial Artist's ability to shift her life force within her body through Unity of Being, for example.

### **Multi-Classing**

Multi-classing works according to standard Pathfinder rules.