Planned Phases HERO
This document describes an alternate method of character design and advancement that abandons the
idea of XP entirely in favor of a planned character progression.
Implementation
Each player
that wishes to participate defines their character at the maximum possible progression,
which we'll call the character Ideal. Once this Ideal is defined, players then design
less powerful versions of their Ideal, taking things off in chunks to hit point
levels
the GM has defined down to a version built on the starting points, which we will
call the Actual.
Alternately players can go the other way and design the starting level character
first and then work up; it makes little difference which direction you go.
When the GM feels it is appropriate to the campaign, they collect the current version
of the character sheet in use and hand the player the next phased version of the
character. This can happen whenever the GM sees fit. To be "fair" the GM can give
the player a powered up version that's ahead of the power curve at the time but
the player then sits at that power level and is eventually passed up by experience
gaining characters and is behind the curve for a while. Alternately, if all the
players are participating in this method, their characters will get their power
ups at different times, and the balance of power will shift in a "natural" fashion.
Awarding XP
Characters using this method gain no experience points at all.
Pros
If everyone participates this models the novelization format pretty closely.
Also, this method can be used for some players and not others as players prefer.
Cons
INFLEXIBLE
It can really suck to not be able to adapt on a week to week / arc to arc basis
and remain topical.
FLAWED IDEAL
If a player doesn't envision their character well or the campaign takes a different
direction from what is expected, their higher powered version may prove to be irrelevant
to the campaign.
INORGANIC
Characters designed in a vaccum are not always as well balanced as characters that
grow "organically" over time and in response to events in play.
Variants
The cons described above can be ameliorated with variations on the basic concept.
OPT OUT
The GM can at any time allow players to opt out of the model and start earning xp
normally if they change their mind as to where their character should go.
RESPEC
If the GM is ok with the extra book keeping they can allow the players to "respec"
their phases once or twice to adjust to unforeseen issues.
SMALL XP AWARDS
The GM can occasionally grant characters using this model a small number of out-of-band
xp to make minor tweaks, and then push the changes up through the higher powered
versions.
ONE VERSION AT A TIME
Rather than designing the Ideal and a series of versions leading up to it, instead
have players start with the Actual character and then design the next version up.
When that version is attained, have the player design the next version. Note that
this approach is a little more open to abuse by a canny player...for instance a
clever player might make their next version only 10-15 points higher so that their
power up cycle is shorter. You may want to impose a minimum power up point minimum,
such as 25 points.