What is Champions Complete?
Imagine you're an architect designing a skyscraper. You need precise blueprints, detailed specifications, and a deep understanding of physics and engineering. Champions Complete RPG is like having the ultimate architectural toolkit - but instead of building towers, you're constructing superheroes and crafting epic adventures!
Champions Complete (2012) is a superhero tabletop role-playing game that contains the complete HERO System 6th Edition rules in a single stand-alone book. It's designed specifically for creating and playing superheroes in a four-color comic book world; the two-volume HERO System 6th Edition (2009) covers the same rules at greater length. Think of it as your complete toolkit for becoming Stan Lee, Jack Kirby, and the Dungeon Master all rolled into one!
The HERO System Philosophy
The HERO System operates on a simple yet powerful principle: everything is built from the same basic components. It's like having a box of LEGO blocks - whether you're building a house, a spaceship, or a robot, you're using the same fundamental pieces, just arranged differently.
This unified approach means that Superman's heat vision and a police officer's pistol both use the same underlying mechanics - they're both ranged attacks that deal damage. The difference lies in the details: how much damage, what special effects, and what limitations apply.
The Point-Buy System
Think of character creation like shopping with a budget. You have a certain number of "character points" to spend, and everything costs points. Want to be super strong? That costs points. Want to fly? More points. Want to be invulnerable? Even more points!
But here's the genius part: part of your budget is earned by taking Complications, the problems that make a hero's life interesting. A standard Champions hero is built on 400 Total Points, and up to 75 of those points come from Complications such as a code against killing, a Secret Identity, or an old enemy who keeps turning up. Take fewer Complications and you have fewer points to spend. Separately, you can make an individual power cheaper with a Limitation - maybe your super strength only works in sunlight, like a solar-powered hero.
Real-World Analogy: The Smartphone Analogy
Imagine you're designing a smartphone with a fixed budget:
- Better camera = More points (like Enhanced Senses)
- Faster processor = More points (like high Intelligence)
- Larger battery = More points (like high Endurance)
- Waterproof case = More points (like Resistant Protection)
But to afford all these features, you might accept:
- Shorter battery life = a Limitation on a power (like needing to recharge it), which lowers that power's cost
- Fragile screen = a Complication (like a Physical Complication or a Vulnerability)
- Limited storage = a Limitation (a restriction on how a power works)
The Seventeen Characteristics
Every character in Champions has seventeen characteristics that define their basic capabilities, from the mightiest superhero to the most ordinary civilian. Each one starts at a fixed base value that represents a normal person and is raised by spending Character Points. In 6th Edition nothing is "figured" from anything else: a high STR does not give you free PD, and a high DEX does not give you free SPD. You buy every characteristic separately.
The six characteristics below start at 10 and also give you a characteristic roll of 9 + (characteristic ÷ 5) or less on 3d6, so a 13 gives a 12- roll and an 18 gives a 13- roll. The chart shows the six for Jake Morrison, the firefighter hero built later on this page.
Strength (STR)
Base 10, 1 point per +1. Your raw physical power: how much you can lift and how hard you punch (every 5 STR adds 1d6 of normal damage). STR does not protect you; that's PD's job. A normal human has STR 10, while a Superman-class brick might have STR 60 or more.
Dexterity (DEX)
Base 10, 2 points per +1. Your agility and fine motor control. DEX decides who acts first within a Segment and powers DEX-based Skills like Acrobatics. It no longer sets your combat values; you buy OCV and DCV separately. Spider-Man would have very high DEX.
Constitution (CON)
Base 10, 1 point per +1. Your health and toughness. If a single attack does more STUN to you than your CON, you are Stunned and must spend your next Phase recovering from it. The Hulk would have tremendous CON.
Intelligence (INT)
Base 10, 1 point per +1. Your reasoning and memory. INT sets your Perception Roll (9 + INT ÷ 5) and powers INT-based Skills like Deduction and Electronics. Reed Richards (Mr. Fantastic) would have exceptional INT.
Ego (EGO)
Base 10, 1 point per +1. Your willpower. EGO is what mental powers such as Mind Control have to overcome, and it powers EGO-based rolls. Professor X would have incredible EGO.
Presence (PRE)
Base 10, 1 point per +1. Your force of personality. PRE drives Presence Attacks (a heroic speech or a terrifying roar) and PRE-based Skills like Persuasion. Captain America would have high PRE as a natural leader.
Combat Values (OCV, DCV, OMCV, DMCV)
OCV and DCV start at 3 and cost 5 points per +1; they are your accuracy and how hard you are to hit. OMCV and DMCV (Mental Combat Values) start at 3 and cost 3 points per +1; they do the same job for mental powers. An attack hits on 3d6 if you roll 11 + OCV - DCV or less.
Speed (SPD)
Base 2, 10 points per +1. How often you act. A Turn is 12 one-second Segments, and SPD sets which Segments give you a Phase: SPD 2 acts on 6 and 12, SPD 4 on 3, 6, 9 and 12. The Flash would have incredibly high SPD, acting several times while others act once.
Defenses (PD and ED)
Base 2, 1 point per +1. Physical Defense reduces the STUN and BODY of physical attacks (punches, bullets, clubs); Energy Defense does the same for energy attacks (lasers, fire, electricity). Bought PD and ED don't stop the BODY of killing attacks; for that you need Resistant defenses, such as Iron Man's armor.
Recovery and Endurance (REC, END)
REC starts at 4 (1 point per +1): the STUN and END you get back each time you Recover, including the free Recovery everyone gets after Segment 12. END starts at 20 (1 point per +5): the stamina you spend to use STR and powers, usually 1 END per 10 Active Points.
Health (BODY and STUN)
BODY starts at 10 (1 point per +1): real injury. Below 0 BODY you are dying. STUN starts at 20 (1 point per +2): how much battering you can take. When your STUN runs out you are Knocked Out.
Older editions also had a Comeliness characteristic; 6th Edition drops it in favor of the Striking Appearance Talent.
The 3d6 Dice System
Champions uses three six-sided dice (3d6) for most rolls. This creates a bell curve where average results (10-11) are most common, while extremely high or low results are rare. It's like real life - most people are average at most things, with only a few being exceptionally good or bad.
Why 3d6 Instead of 1d20?
Imagine you're a basketball player taking free throws:
- With 1d20: Every result is equally likely - you're as likely to make a perfect shot as you are to miss completely
- With 3d6: You're most likely to make a decent shot, occasionally great, occasionally poor - much more realistic!
Every roll in the HERO System works the same way: you roll 3d6 and succeed if the total is equal to or less than your target number. A target is written with a minus sign, so "12-" means "roll 12 or less". A roll of 3 always succeeds and a roll of 18 always fails, whatever the target. The chart shows how likely each single total is out of the 216 possible ways three dice can land.
Exact Odds of Making a Roll
| Target | Ways to succeed (of 216) | Chance of success |
|---|---|---|
| 8- | 56 | 25.9% |
| 9- | 81 | 37.5% |
| 10- | 108 | 50.0% |
| 11- | 135 | 62.5% |
| 12- | 160 | 74.1% |
| 13- | 181 | 83.8% |
| 14- | 196 | 90.7% |
| 15- | 206 | 95.4% |
| 16- | 212 | 98.1% |
| 17- or higher | 215 | 99.5% (an 18 still fails) |
Notice how much each +1 matters in the middle of the curve: going from 11- to 12- adds 11.6 percentage points, while going from 16- to 17- adds only 1.4. That's why a couple of points of OCV or a single Skill Level feel so big at the table.
How the Game Flows
Champions follows a structured but flexible flow that mimics comic book storytelling:
Real-World Applications
Creating Your First Hero: The Firefighter
Let's say you want to create a hero based on a firefighter who gained powers in a chemical plant explosion. Here's how you might approach it:
Core Concept
"Jake Morrison was a veteran firefighter who gained the ability to control fire and become immune to flames after being exposed to experimental chemicals during a warehouse fire."
Characteristics (Main Six)
- STR 15 (above average - firefighters need to be strong)
- DEX 18 (excellent - needs quick reflexes in dangerous situations)
- CON 20 (exceptional - must endure smoke, heat, and physical demands)
- INT 13 (good - needs to solve problems quickly)
- EGO 16 (high - brave and strong-willed)
- PRE 14 (good - natural leader and reassuring presence)
His combat values, SPD, defenses, REC, END, BODY and STUN are each bought separately on top of these; the Character Creation page walks through that step.
Powers
- Fire Control - Blast with fire special effects
- Fire Immunity - Resistant Protection, limited to fire and heat
- Fire Detection - Enhanced Senses to detect fires
- Flame Body - a fire attack with the Damage Shield Advantage (anyone who touches him takes fire damage)
Skills
- Professional Skill: Firefighter - his day job
- Paramedics - First aid and medical training
- Climbing - Scaling buildings and obstacles
- Demolitions - Knowledge of explosives and structural damage
Complications
- Psychological Complication: Code Against Killing - Won't use lethal force
- Psychological Complication: Protective of Civilians - Always puts innocent lives first
- Social Complication: Public Identity - Everyone knows the hero still works as a firefighter
Try It at the Table
Exercise: Character Concept Development
Think of your favorite superhero (or create an original one). Write down:
- Their origin story in one paragraph
- Their three most important powers
- Their greatest strength (personality-wise)
- Their greatest weakness or limitation
- What drives them to be a hero
Example: "Spider-Man gained his powers from a radioactive spider bite. His key powers are web-slinging, wall-crawling, and spider-sense. His greatest strength is his sense of responsibility. His greatest weakness is his civilian life interfering with his hero duties. He's driven by the idea that with great power comes great responsibility."
Exercise: Understanding Point Economy
You have 100 character points to spend. Prioritize these elements for a detective-themed hero:
- High Intelligence (for investigation)
- Good fighting skills (for dangerous situations)
- Enhanced senses (for finding clues)
- Contacts in the police force
- Wealth (for equipment and resources)
What would you spend the most points on? Which Complications fit this detective? (Remember that in 6th Edition, Complications are part of your point total rather than extra points on top of it.)
Exercise: Dice Probability Understanding
If your character has a skill of 14- (meaning they succeed on a roll of 14 or less on 3d6), they succeed 90.7% of the time (196 of the 216 possible rolls). Consider these scenarios:
- A skilled surgeon operating (needs precision)
- A detective looking for clues (needs thoroughness)
- A pilot flying in a storm (needs expertise)
What skill levels would you give each profession, and why?