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Tiny Supers Rules Reference

Two sessions in, and I'm very happy with TinySupers as the system for my new superheroes campaign.

TinySupers supports low-prep, improvisational play. The light mechanics make it easy cobble together threats and challenges on the fly. Yet it has enough structure that the players don't feel adrift in my whim.

Below is a document I made. The first half is rules reference, and the second half is homebrewery. Some houserules are definitely included in the campaign, and some are under consideration. And then there's the homebrew powers. These are not presented in the hopes of creating a comprehensive list of powers, but to demonstrate the ease of making custom powers. Because part of the fun of daydreaming about superheroes is coming up with wacky new powers, right?

TinySupers Cheater, House Rules, and Homebrew Powers (pdf)

I'd like to be part of a larger conversation on homebrewing powers for TinySupers, and to get feedback and insight into whether these powers are as balanced to game expectaions as I hope they are. So I'm also including them in the more easily searchable body of this post:

Homebrew Powers

Additional Limb (passive)

Tier One: You have an additional limb or prehensile appendage that can hold objects, including Light weapons. On your turn, roll 1d6. On a 5 or 6, you may take an extra action with that limb. Tests on actions taken with the extra limb are at Disadvantage. You also gain Advantage on Saves to catch yourself when falling.
Tier Two: You have multiple additional limbs which have equivalent carrying strength to the rest of your limbs. On your turn, you may roll 1d6 twice, potentially gaining two extra actions.
Tier Three: Tests on actions taken with your additional limbs are no longer at Disadvantage.

Animal Abilities (active)

Tier One: Once per day, you may select a Tier 1 Power that can be realistically attributed to an animal (Armor 1 Armadillo, Flight 1 Eagle, etc.).
Tier Two: As an action, you may select a Tier 1 Power that can be attributed to an animal.
Tier Three: You may now have two Tier 1 animal abilities at a time. You gain a limited form of the Beastspeaker Trait that only applies to an animal whose abilities you are presently drawing upon.

Danger Sense (passive)

Tier One: You gain Advantage on Initiative Checks.
Tier Two: When you take the Evade action, roll 2d6.
Tier Three: When you take the Evade action, you learn useful information about the nature of any attacks that target you, such as the type of energy involved, a ranged attack’s point of origin, or information about the attacker.

Illusion Projection (active)

Tier One: As an action, you can conjure up small illusory objects, make small objects turn invisible, and conjure lights and sounds. You may create larger illusions, but these are exclusively visual, with no sound, smell, or tactile qualities and can be determined as illusions by anyone interacting with them. These illusions can persist for up to ten minutes after they are conjured.
Tier Two: As an action, you can create illusory objects and creatures that are convincing to every sense the projecting character possesses. You gain Tier One Shapeshiting: Mimic effects. On a successful Save, an observer is able to see through the illusion. An action is required each round to sustain these illusions.
Tier Three: As an action you can create an illusory environment for up to three creatures. Creatures in the illusory environment can make a Save to realize the nature of their predicament, but will still perceive it to the exclusion of the real world. An action is required each round to sustain the illusory environment.

Object Summoning (active)

Tier One: You have immediate access to mundane physical objects that are small enough to fit in one hand, including light melee weapons. You cannot summon combustible materials.
Tier Two: As an action, you can summon an object roughly as large as you are, including heavy melee weapons. This includes objects that can act as a Tier 1 Forcefield.
Tier Three: As an action, you can summon an object five times your size, including weapons that act as a Tier 2 Blast.

Psychometry (active)

Tier One: While touching an object or creature, you may roll a Test to learn one of the following: (1) a significant event that occurred to it in the past 24 hours; (2) the general function of an object; or (3) the general demeanor of a creature.
Tier Two: When using your Tier One Psychometry power, you can learn significant events from its entire history.
Tier Three: While holding an object, you may roll a Test. On a success, you temporarily gain skill relevant to the object’s use as possessed by someone who was previously in contact with the object. This may take the form of a Trait, Proficiency, or Mastery. You possess this skill only for as long as you maintain contact with the object.

Vampirism (active)

Tier One: You gain a specific Unarmed Attack that allows you to feed on the life energy of your targets. On a successful attack, you deal 1 Stress to the target while healing 1 Stress for yourself.
Tier Two: When you successfully use your Vampiric Unarmed Attack on a target, you can also steal a Trait or one tier of a Power. You gain this ability as a Tier 1 Power, and they can only use the power as if it were one tier lower than it normally is. This lasts until the next time you use your Vampiric Unarmed attack, sleep for six hours or more, or the session ends, whichever comes first. Some Traits (e.g. Wealthy) or Powers (e.g. technology-based Powers) cannot be stolen in this fashion.
Tier Three: If you take a character to 0 Stress via your Vampiric Unarmed Attack, and then revive them, they must succeed on a Save or develop a strong loyalty to you. They may repeat this Save once per day. You may only enthrall one character at a time.

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