So as not to derail Gentleman John's game review thread, I've created this discussion to compare how different superhero games handle similar concepts. Feel free to post your own examples.
I'll begin with a comparison of Basic Roleplaying (the Big Gold Book) and Hero System, 5th edition (the Big Black Book). Both volumes are compilations of venerable rules sets that have evolved over time from specific genres (BRP began as RuneQuest, Hero as Champions) into generic systems. I've been surprised by the similarities I've found between the two systems. But they do handle many things very differently. Both set the human average for characteristics at 10; BRP scales up to 18 for normal people, Hero up to 20. Strength damage and lifting ability scale differently for each game; Hero, which began as a superhero game, is much more precise. BRP includes a SIZ stat, which is a general measure of a character's tallness and mass; Hero doesn't have anything of the sort. All damage in BRP is lethal damage; there are ways to "pull your punches" but it isn't the default. Hero System, in contrast, assumes attacks do mostly stun damage unless specifically designed to kill. In general, BRP characters are much more "realistic" and fragile, while Hero characters tend to be cinematic and durable.
Concept:
I elected to attempt a simple construct, your basic big, tough, strong guy.
Aurochs – Chad Spellman was a white-collar criminal specializing in unauthorized electronic funds transfer and identity theft. Not as clever as he thought he was, Spellman was fleeing the FBI when he was offered help by a shadowy organization: Tertiary Augmentation Unified Research Underworld Syndicate (TAURUS). The group’s arcane experiments transformed the paunchy hacker into 700-something pounds of muscle, literally as strong as an ox. Unfortunately, side-effects included a violent temper, long curving bovine horns, and a bushy bullish tail. Spellman, now calling himself “Aurochs,” is attempting to recreate himself as a super-powered gang leader, with a focus still on computer-based crime. He does occasional jobs for TAURUS as payment for his powers. The truth is, the oversized Aurochs needs helpers. He’s too big and heavy to drive a car and must ride in a truck or paneled van driven by an associate. He also stands out in a crowd and must stay behind the scenes when his underlings are required do the necessary research in public places.
Basic Roleplaying Mechanics:
Strength, Constitution, Size, Intelligence, Power, Dexterity, and Appearance. Pretty self-explanatory. Power measures a character's strength of will, spirituality, and affinity for magic and/or super powers. Appearance is your basic Charisma stat. BRP characteristics are usually randomly rolled on 3D6 but can be adjusted afterward.
A random raw roll for characteristics produced STR 9, CON 13, SIZ 15, INT 11, POW 12, DEX 10, APP 7. Overall, not a bad set of stats; strength is slightly below normal (but we’re going to “super” Spellman up anyway), and his low APP matches the ultimate outcome of TAURUS’ tinkering. The total of the characteristics provides 77 power points to buy super powers with. I took on Failings to provide 10 more. I spent 63 of Aurochs’ 87 points on enhanced characteristics, none of which will require power points (energy) to use later on. The remaining 24 points I spent on armor, since I wanted Aurochs to be resistant to multiple types of damage. Given the nature of his Failings (which I’ll detail later), I also decided he should have Natural Weapon (horns) from the Mutations chapter, since the Super Powers chapter didn’t give me the option. They do 1D6+db.
The result looks like this:
STR 40
CON 30
SIZ 30
INT 11
POW 12
DEX 10
APP 7
Move: 10
Hit Points: 30 (60 if using SIZ + CON option)
Damage Bonus: +3D6
Armor: 8 points (Kinetic, Heat, Electrical)
According to the extended SIZ chart, Aurochs has a mass somewhere between 700 and 800 pounds. Based on the object SIZ chart, his 40 Strength would enable him to lift a small airplane (but not an automobile) and burst through a brick wall like Superman (well, most of the time). His average hand-to-hand damage (1D3+3D6) is roughly equivalent to being whacked by a medieval halberd or shot by an elephant gun. His 8 points of armor provides physical protection similar that given by a medieval suit of plate armor or a modern bulletproof vest; plus he's protected against fire and electricity at a similar level. OK, so Aurochs can’t clobber the Hulk, but he might be able to take on Luke Cage aka Power Man.
As a supervillain, Aurochs has 500 points to spend on professional skills and 275 points (INT x 25) to spend on personal skills. Whew! That’s a lot of points to allocate. While characteristics are randomly rolled, BRP's skill system is a point-buy affair. Skills are rated by a percentage, and skills begin with a default level ranging from 0% to 30%, depending on what they are. So those 775 points may go pretty fast, after all. We'll figure out Aurochs' skills in Part 2.