Super Kids' Bonus Ability: Invisibility

Role-playing games allow players to suspend disbelief and consider what it would be like to have extraordinary powers.  Most people have likely thought about what it would be like to have the power of invisibility.  Two upcoming super kids - Ghost and Mirage - will have this power.  Through them, players will imaginatively explore what it's like to go unseen.

Invisibility is a tricky power to conceptualize using the Hero Kids' system.  If anyone's ever played a character with invisibility before - consider D&D 5e's greater invisibility - you know what a game changer it can be.  In developing the ability, I wanted to retain the benefits of going unseen, while not making it too overpowered for combat and skill tests.  

For Super Kids, invisibility is a bonus ability that is active at most times, with the exception being after the character attacks.  Upon attacking, the character becomes visible.  If they do not attack on their next turn, their invisibility is reactivated.  

Invisibility could also be used to easily overcome Dexterity (Stealth) tests.  As I've conceptualized invisibility, though, the invisible character will have a "shimmer" outlining them - picture the cloaked alien in the movie Predator.  Overcoming an Intelligence (Perception) test at difficulty 5, means that others are able to determine the location of the invisible character.  Determining location, though, does not mean being able to see the character.  Therefore, should someone try to attack an invisible character after determining their location, they will need to roll their attack twice and hit both times to do damage.

There are, of course, other ways to overcome invisibility, or at least help pinpoint an invisible character's location.  Creative solutions include widely dispersing a substance like water, paint, or flour to outline the invisible character.  Using other sensory powers and normal senses like scent, thermal vision, echo location, hearing, touch, and tremor sense can also work.

In spite of having its "weaknesses," invisibility remains quite powerful.  I'm certain it will be a much sought after Super Kids' bonus ability.

Super Kids: A Superhero Expansion for Hero Kids

Having grown up reading superhero comics and watching Superman (1978, 1980) and Batman (1989, etc.) take to the big screen during my early childhood and youth, I've been a fan of supers for quite some time. Admittedly, I didn't get to see the Superman movies until they were released on VHS.  I had a blast playing Champions (4th edition) as a teenager, with my favourite Champions character creation being Blizzardo!  Like so many others, I've enjoyed watching my favourite superheroes and their powers given awesome special effects life in more recent hits like the Avengers and X-Men series.  I'm currently listening to Drew Hayes' Super Powereds books via Audible. 

As a dad, it has now come time for me to pay it forward.  I have three little ones - 4, 8, and 10 - so all are in the sweet spot for Hero Kids gaming. And, boy do they love playing (Thank you, Justin!).  Plus, their favourite show right now is Teen Titans Go!  (If you pushed me on it, I'd admit to being a bit of a fan myself.)  Take these things and add in my love of role-playing, creating, using my imagination, and watching my kids have fun.  Result = Super Kids.

I enjoyed creating the Super Kids expansion material.  Kat Glidewell did a bang-up job on the artwork.  As I mentioned in the Discussions on the Super Kids' product page at DriveThruRPG, my aim was to do something similar to what Justin did in creating the Space Expansion for Hero Kids.  The focus was on introducing the supers genre to the Hero Kids system by way of 14 new superhero characters. The setting information has been kept light (for now), and a few new skills and descriptions were included.  One (unpublished) version of the product included details on character creation.  I didn't include it for two reasons: (1) I figured the core Hero Kids materials did a good job explaining the creation process; and, (2) I didn't have a long enough list of balanced powers (i.e., special actions and bonus abilities) for players to choose from.  Given the feedback I've received, I'm working on some options to bring character creation in.  This, along with what I've published so far, is being carried out mindful of balancing.  Warning! Supers can quickly break the game if not contained.  In an upcoming post, I will discuss where I'm at in creating new material.