a Roleplaying Game about superpowered Kids and Their adventures

Author: Steven S. Long Additional Contributions: Aaron Williams Editing and Developing: Darren Watts Layout & Graphic Design: Andy Mathews Cover Illustration: Aaron Williams Interior Illustration: Aaron Williams sPeCIal THanKs

First and foremost, we’d like to thank Aaron Williams for allowing us to create a roleplaying game about his awesome comic book, and for politely answering Steve’s endless stream of nitpicky questions. Th anks also to Mike Stackpole for letting us put his character Revenant in the book, and for hooking usSample up with file Aaron in the fi rst place. Extra credit for everyone!

Hero Systemtm ® is doJ, Inc.’s trademark for its roleplaying system. the character of revenant copyright © 2008 by michael Stackpole. All rights reserved; © 1984, 1989, 2002 by doJ, Inc. d/b/a . All rights reserved. used with permission. © 1984, 1989, 2002 by doJ, Inc. d/b/a hero games. All rights reserved. Champions no part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, © 2003 by doJ, Inc. d/b/a hero games. All rights reserved. electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or computerization, or by © 2004 by doJ, Inc. d/b/a hero games. All rights reserved. any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the © 2005 by doJ, Inc. d/b/a hero games. All rights reserved. Pulp Hero Publisher: doJ, Inc., 1 haight Street, Suite A, San francisco, california 94102. © 2008 by doJ, Inc. d/b/a hero games. All rights reserved. The PS238 Roleplaying Game Printed in the canada. first printing february 2008 © 2002 by doJ, Inc. , Justice Inc., Danger International, Western Hero Produced and distributed by doJ, Inc. d/b/a hero games. d/b/a hero games. All rights reserved. Stock number: doJhero229 • ISBN Number: 978-1-58366-109-3 © 2008 by Aaron williams. All rights reserved. you PS238 and its associated characters http://www.herogames.com can learn more about them at www.ps238.com! webletterer Pro font by Blambot fonts, licensed to Aaron williams. Table of Contents

Introduction...... 4 CHAPTER FOUR: Size Powers...... 111 GAMEMASTERING PS238 Special Powers...... 111 CHAPTER ONE: Standard Powers...... 111 WELCOME TO PS238 Running The Game...... 54 Power Descriptions...... 111 Creating PS238 Adventures...... 54 Advantages...... 129 A School Is Born...... 6 The GM’s Vault...... 56 Limitations...... 133 The PS238 Campus...... 7 Villains...... 58 Getting To Class...... 7 Power Frameworks...... 137 Charles Brigman...... 58 Elemental Control...... 138 PS238 Facilities...... 7 The Highwayman...... 59 Beyond The Classroom...... 10 Multipower...... 138 Cecil Holmes...... 60 Power Pool...... 139 Wonderburg...... 10 Kestrel...... 61 The Superhero World...... 10 Praetorian Academy Centurion...... 62 Disadvantages...... 140 The Government...... 12 Septo Blaster-Bot...... 63 Experience Points...... 144 The Praetorian Academy...... 12 Septo Probe-Bot...... 64 Example of Character Creation...... 144 Dr. Philippe von Fogg...... 65 CHAPTER TWO: NPCs...... 66 CHAPTER SEVEN: FACULTY AND STAFF Harold Nelson...... 66 COMBAT AND ADVENTURING The Revenant...... 68 Herschel Clay...... 14 Senses and Perception...... 148 Principal Alfred Cranston...... 16 Other NPCs...... 70 Entering Combat...... 149 Doctor Positron...... 17 Combat Basics...... 149 Vashti Imperia...... 19 CHAPTER FIVE: Beginning Combat...... 149 Coach Rockslide...... 21 AN INTRODUCTION TO Actions...... 149 Cristina Kyle...... 22 THE HERO SYSTEM Holding An Action...... 150 The Human Alloy...... 24 The HERO System...... 72 Aborting An Action...... 151 Other Teachers And Staff...... 25 Fighting...... 152 CHAPTER THREE: CHAPTER SIX: Attack Rolls and Combat Value...... 152 CHARACTER CREATION The Attack Roll...... 152 THE STUDENT BODY Mental Combat...... 153 Character Types...... 80 Student Life...... 28 Combat Modifiers...... 154 Character Origin...... 80 Rules...... 28 Combat Maneuvers...... 156 Character Archetype...... 80 Classes...... 28 Martial Maneuvers...... 157 A Revealing Flaw...... 82 The Students...... 29 Determining Damage...... 159 Character Points...... 82 American Eagle...... 29 Taking Damage...... 159 Bernard Brenner...... 30 Characteristics...... 83 Effects Of Damage...... 160 Captain Clarinet...... 31 SkSampleills...... file 87 Knockback...... 160 Tom Davidson...... 32 Talents...... 94 Recovery...... 161 Julie “84” Finster...... 33 Superpowers...... 95 Presence Attacks...... 162 Emerald Gauntlet...... 34 Gadgets...... 100 Example of Combat...... 163 The Flea...... 35 Powers...... 104 Guardian Angel...... 36 CHAPTER EIGHT: Malphast...... 37 Special Effects...... 104 Tyler Marlocke...... 38 General Rules...... 107 THE ENVIRONMENT Using Powers...... 107 Polymer...... 39 Living in a Dangerous World...... 166 Categories Of Powers...... 107 Prospero...... 40 Breaking Things...... 167 Angie Sinthousy...... 41 Adjustment Powers...... 107 Suzi Fusion...... 42 Attack Powers...... 108 CHAPTER NINE: EQUIPMENT USA Patriot Act...... 43 Body-Affecting Powers...... 108 Victor Mycroft von Fogg...... 45 Defense Powers...... 109 Vehicles...... 170 The Whiz...... 46 Mental Powers...... 109 Weapons and Armor...... 172 Zodon...... 47 Movement Powers...... 110 Other Students...... 49 Sense-Affecting Powers...... 110 Sensory Powers...... 110 A HERO System Glossary...... 174

Remember: with great power comes great responsibility to give your children a well-rounded education that maximizes their talents while minimizing property damage. - from one of PS238’s “special announcements” for the parents of metaprodigies 4  PS238 hero System 5th edition revised

Th is is where you can fi nd out what the terms on the character sheets in Chapters Two and Th ree mean, and how to use the information on the character sheets to play your character. Th e Glossary on INTRODUCTION page 174 is particularly helpful if you can’t remember what a term means or how to do something in the game. LEARNING MORE ABOUT PS238 elcome to PS238, the world’s Th is book is divided into two parts. If you want to find out more about fi rst school for superpowered Th e fi rst part includes Chapters One PS238, the best thing to do is to pick Wchildren! Th e PS238 Roleplaying through Four. It tells you all you need up as many issues of the PS238 comic Game, based on the PS238 comics by to know about PS238 and the world it’s book as you can. As of this writing Aaron Williams, lets you enter this funny, a part of: who the students are (and there are 29 issues, most collected into touching world where superheroes-to-be what powers they possess); their teach- trade paperbacks if you don’t want to learn not only how to use their powers, ers; the school itself, with all its facilities try to track down individual copies. but what it means to be a hero. and resources; and the world outside They’re full of all sorts of useful tidbits The PS238 Roleplaying Game (or the classroom. Chapter Four is a special of information and background details “PS238 RPG”) uses a simplified ver- chapter for the GameMaster (GM) alone; that couldn’t be included in this book sion of the HERO System rules, which it contains secret information players for some reason, and of course they’ve are well-known to gamers from the shouldn’t know as well as some general got lots of great art that you can use to award-winning superhero roleplay- advice about running PS238 games. show your players what their teachers ing game Champions. With them you Th e second part, Chapters Five and classmates look like. can create any sort of metaprodigy or through Nine, is the HERO System rules Th is book is current through Issue superpower you can think of, ranging you use to play Th e PS238 Roleplaying #29 of PS238. Later issues will expand on from super-strength, to flight, to tele- Game. With them you can create char- the information available here, and may portation, to magic. acters, powers, and gadgets, fi ght super- clear up some mysteries or even change battles, and have amazing adventures! what was known before.

Sample file Chapter one:

Sample file

Welcome to 6  Welcome to PS238 Hero System 5th Edition Revised

the Beacon of Justice, the Union of Jus- tice’s satellite headquarters, to Earth to become part of the school. a school But PS238 still needed teachers. Of all the members of the Union, and the other heroes they talked into joining the is born project, only Cristina Kyle — Micro- Might — had any teaching experience; she’d taught elementary school before becoming a superheroine. With her help, he story of how PS238 came to be the plot over the telephone, and an agent Herschel Clay built a “learning machine” is as interesting as the escapades of overheard him. Not knowing who in the that force-fed knowledge and teaching Tsome of its students. Bureau he could turn to, the agent called experience into the heads of the other Several years ago, Alfred Cranston the Union of Justice — a superhero team volunteers, transforming them into was America’s president — the most whose members were Spell Syrin, Rock- skilled teachers overnight. PS238 was popular one in history, in fact. And slide, Micro-Might, Mantium, and Dr. ready for business. during his short tenure in office, he was Positron — for help. The Union quickly Since then, PS238 has become an also one of the most effective as well. investigated, even going so far as to raid institution in the Superhuman World. His political enemies were astounded at several Congressional offices to obtain Many of the world’s most powerful how he was able to uncover their deepest evidence of the conspiracy. superhumans send their children to secrets and out-maneuver them at every The superhero Revenant (page 68) school there, and it’s an even greater turn. But one day his own secret came intercepted the call and found out what asset for normal parents whose children to light. A senator, Richard Matheson, was going on. Disguised as one “Kent develop metabilities. And thanks to Her- discovered something in the budget that Allard,” he arranged to meet with Presi- schel Clay’s security technology and clev- would embarrass Cranston’s adminis- dent Cranston and warned him that his erness, it’s remained secret ever since. tration. As he thought about how best deception had been uncovered. Shortly to use this information during a presi- after Revenant left the Oval Office, the THE ALIEN INVASION dential address, Cranston called for the conspirators arrived with guns drawn... Recently PS238 weathered the worst correction of a budgetary oversight that and then the Union of Justice showed up crisis in its young history — the invasion exactly matched Matheson’s discovery. in the nick of time to defuse the crisis. of Earth by hostile aliens known as the The astonished Matheson realized Cran- Cranston confessed to them that he was, Septos (see page 63). PS238 was one of ston was somehow reading his mind. He in fact, a telepath. Faced with a situa- their targets because the source of the reported this information to other sena- tion in which neither party was on the DNA the aliens used to create the virus tors and government officials who were side of the angels, the Union brokered a with which they planned to wipe out enemies of Cranston’s, and they hatched compromise. Cranston would resign for Humanity was Tyler Marlocke, a PS238 a plan. Through careful placement of “medical reasons” and be fitted with a student (see page 38). The PS238 children specific knowledge and key facts with headband that negated his mental abili- were instrumental in helping to defeat individuals around the president, they ties. All of the Sampleconspirators would file not the aliens... though at a cost. The infected discovered the unthinkable: the presi- run for re-election, passing their seats to Tyler has been placed into suspended dent was a closet metahuman. Worse, he hopefully less homicidal representation. animation until doctors can figure out was a telepath. Lastly, to help prevent future backlash how to cure him, and much of the city What to do? They couldn’t get against metahumans, and to teach young was destroyed by the invaders. close to the man — he’d read what they metahumans how to use their powers With the help of the government, knew in their minds and take steps to responsibly, the Union of Justice con- PS238’s home city has been rebuilt and neutralize them, either by wiping their ceived of and agreed to run PS238, with renamed “Wonderburg.” Many superhu- memories or just having them “disposed Alfred Cranston as its principal. man parents have taken advantage of of,” and then he’d cover the whole thing After a short search, the Union the situation to move to the city to be up. Desperate and angry, they hatched a selected a small Midwestern town as closer to their children. The locals are plot to remove Cranston from office by the site of PS238, and chose one of its having to cope with an odd influx of force... or assassinate him, if necessary. schools, Excelsior Public School, to serve mild-mannered reporters, freelance writ- They carefully recruited allies by reveal- as PS238’s unwitting cover. Using vari- ers and artists, crusading attorneys, and ing the secret to people who’d be angry ous techniques and devices to hide his dilettante millionaire playboys. No doubt about or terrified of a telepathic presi- activities, Herschel Clay tunnelled out many amazing adventures are in store for dent. One of their recruits was the Direc- an area three miles below Excelsior, built the children of P238! tor of the FBI. One day he was discussing PS238’s basic infrastructure, and brought PS238 n Chapter One 7

THE LOCKERVATOR AND OTHER ELEVATORS If a student comes to school late, or he the ps238 needs to come and go between Excelsior and PS238 at times when the conveyor system can’t be used, he uses one of the campus school’s lockervators. Concealed inside seemingly ordinary lockers (such as #165 and #308) in hallways in Excelsior S238 is located three miles below Public School are high-speed elevators Earth’s surface. It’s directly STUDENT large enough for one child (or, with some Pbeneath Excelsior Public School, squeezing and discomfort, one average- an ordinary kindergarten through RECRUITMENT sized adult). A lockervator scans the stu- eighth grade school whose faculty, dent to make sure he’s authorized to use it, staff, and students (including its leader, Unlike the Praetorian Academy (page 57), then carries him where he wants to to in PS238 doesn’t actively “recruit” students. It Principal Braunstead) are totally about a minute. Naturally, PS238 students prefers a more low-key approach in which unaware of the amazing things going look around the hallway very carefully it simply makes its existence and services before getting in the lockervator, to make on beneath their very feet. Excelsior’s known to superhumans and the parents of (and PS238’s) mascot is the “Fighting metaprodigies via channels like JusticeNet, sure they don’t reveal the school’s existence. Argos,” named after Argo, the world’s the Migh-T-Force channel, the Champions- The lockervators aren’t the only greatest metacanine. SAT feed, MetaNet, and the like. It also elevator running between PS238 and has its own website, but the site is secret the surface; there are several others, and requires a password to access. Addi- though most are only used by faculty and GETTING TO tionally, guidance counselors and “special staff. For example, there’s one that runs needs facilitators” at elementary schools from the gymnasium to the surface, and CLASS across America are aware of the existence one that leads from Section Beta to the of PS238 (though not its location) and can hangar (see below). “I wish I could fly to refer the parents of prospective students to school, but Miss Kyle the school if necessary. THE HANGAR DOOR says I have to get If PS238 hears about an incident that sug- The last major entry point into clearance first. If gests there might be an as-yet unknown PS238 is the launch bay door that leads I fly too high, some metaprodigy somewhere, it investigates the into the hangar where PS238 keeps its place called “NORAD” situation. If it finds credible evidence of a aircraft and space vehicle. It’s located right gets all mad, and if superpowered child, it identifies the parents beneath Excelsior’s football field. The and arranges for them to learn about PS238 I fly too low, stuff hangar door blends with the surrounding starts to melt.” surreptitiously. The school is sensitive to many parents’ desire for secrecy and doesn’t terrain to within 0.06 chromatic variance - Suzi Fusion Sampledo anything to call attention file to the child, factors, making it basically impossible his family, or PS238 itself. for anyone without advanced sensors (or Students get to class at PS238 in equivalent metabilities) to see that it’s several ways. First, of course, they If a parent contacts PS238 to inquire about enrolling a metaprodigy, Principal Cran- there from the surface. (Sonic dampeners have to actually get to school. Some of ston arranges for a meeting. If possible, the are installed to negate the sound of an them ride the bus like ordinary stu- parents are asked to come to PS238 itself so aircraft launch as well.) dents, carpool, or are dropped off by they can see the facilities and meet some of their parents. Those who have move- the teachers, but that’s not always feasible. ment powers, such as Captain Clarinet In other cases, one or more teachers (and PS238 (who can fly), are allowed to use those sometimes Cranston himself) visit the powers to get to school provided they family at its home to discuss what PS238 FACILITIES can be secretive about it. has to offer and meet the prospective stu- dent. These meetings are casual but almost PS238’s facilities, equipment, and Once the PS238 students arrive at technology are largely attributable to school, they have to go down into PS238. always result in a new metaprodigy joining the student body. Herschel Clay and his company, Clay The school has several access points: Industries. Beginning with the Union of Justice satellite headquarters, which was CONVEYOR SYSTEM conveyor system, which carries the transported to Earth and sunk to the PS238 For regular school classes — his- entire classroom three miles down to building site, Clay designed and built the tory, math, social studies, and so forth PS238 proper; this takes about one school and its systems to make it as easy as — PS238 students stay aboveground, in minute. When the classroom itself is possible for the school to fulfill its mission Excelsior, learning from teachers who below ground, PS238’s security systems of educating young metahumans. don’t realize that they’re anything other project a hologram onto the windows PS238 has six primary levels. From than ordinary students. During the looking into the aboveground class- top to bottom, they’re named Alpha, Beta, class periods when they’re supposed room space so it look like there’s an Gamma, Delta, Epsilon, and Omega. to study superheroing and how to use ordinary classroom there where an Because Herschel Clay is an inveterate tin- their powers, they go to a classroom ordinary class is taking place. When the kerer, the layout and features of the school run by one of the PS238 teachers, like class period ends, the conveyor takes change a little from time to time... some- Miss Kyle or Miss Imperia. After the the classroom and students back up to times without his remembering to warn bell rings, the teacher activates the Excelsior. anyone it’s going to happen!