Libertad
Hero
2/17/2024 Update: EN World recently published an article about this book's publisher. Based on the allegations of ex-employees, ranging from a toxic work environment to not paying contractors the money that was agreed upon, I am no longer comfortable in supporting this company's work and wouldn't have reviewed the books if I knew about this.
This may not be a full review, as it’s a pretty lengthy sourcebook and I have some others lined up. But as this RPG has been on my mind for a while I wanted to talk about it, particularly in regards to several particular elements I really liked.
Everyday Heroes is the spiritual sequel to D20 Modern, updated for 5th Edition, and several of the original creators worked on it. While the original D20 Modern hasn’t exactly aged well, I found myself impressed by several things:
The game design, notably in regards to character creation. It’s evident that the designers put care into how things would work out in play, including some rather implicit answers to common design problems in modern-era RPGs. Like PCs who want to bring a sword or gun to a knife-fight.
The concept of “an RPG in the modern world” is incredibly broad and bland. The game line has a series of licensed setting/adventure sourcebooks based off of various movies to illustrate what kinds of stories Everyday Heroes can tell.
I wanted to talk more about number 1, so my mini-review will focus on those chapters.
So to start things off, Everyday Heroes uses the core chassis of 5th Edition D&D: d20 is the primary die, progression is measured by levels, special abilities that are limited use are regained during short or long rests, enemies use Challenge Rating to showcase their threat level, and so on. In fact, the book has an Appendix listing the number of changes from core 5th Edition, which is very handy! The general idea of ED is that it’s meant to convey the feel of an action movie or show: the PCs are hyper-competent individuals who can get into shootouts and shake off wounds between scenes rather than being hospitalized for weeks, a buff bruiser can be just as deadly with their fists as with a gun (if not more so depending on the subclass), and a genius detective can pull out a nifty gadget or some crucial piece of knowledge against a seemingly unseen threat as a class feature. The default RPG doesn’t have magic or outright superpowers (the bestiary’s another story), but it’s still quite possible to do cool stuff and feel badass.
Beyond the basic Introduction, the second and third Chapters cover Backgrounds and Professions. PCs in Everyday Heroes still use the six classic ability scores as well as proficiencies in various skills, saving throws, and weapon groups. What differs is that there are no tool proficiencies* or alignment, and Backgrounds and Professions are basically an all-in-one replacement for race and backgrounds.
*But tool kits still exist.
Backgrounds represent events in a PC’s life that shaped who they are, ranging from how they grew up to lifelong hobbies. Each background provides a +1 bonus to a single ability score. The other factors can range from bonus languages, skill and equipment proficiencies, a unique Special Feature only that particular background has, and/or free starting Iconic Equipment.
The backgrounds are a pretty broad assortment, although quite a number of Special Features provide advantage on relevant ability checks related to said background, and some Iconic Equipment is more immediately useful for an action RPG. For example, the Immigrant background’s Iconic Equipment is a flag lapel gained from a swearing in citizenship ceremony, but Military Tradition grants an antique 9mm service pistol. Some Special Features are extremely useful above and beyond activities associated with the Background: Gamer lets you reroll a natural 1 once per long rest, On the Run lets you reroll initiative once if you so desire, and Survivor allows you to stabilize via two successful death saving throws rather than three. Compare this to Bookworm’s, where you add your proficiency bonus on ability checks to recall knowledge about authors and literature.
But those are the standouts and not the norm. Generally speaking, backgrounds without iconic equipment or special features (or lackluster ones) make up for it with more proficiencies. For instance, Raised by Assassins gives proficiency in two broad equipment categories, a bonus language, and the Deception skill. Rural Family has no Special Feature, but it lets the PC start play with a free pick-up truck vehicle along with two skills (Mechanics and Survival) as well as proficiency in Basic Equipment.
Wealthy Family is an exception to other backgrounds in that its Special Feature lets you choose from 1 of 5 on a short list, ranging from +1 to Starting Wealth or a free nonmilitary vehicle to more subjective benefits like a lawyer who can get you out of non-felony legal trouble or being able to get in touch with powerful people with just a few phone calls. One background I really like, Technophile, has both an Iconic Equipment and Special Feature: a state-of-the-art smartphone that can substitute for any plausible tool on the equipment list via a staggering number of apps.
As for Professions, they represent what your PC does for a living…or did before the naughty word hit the fan and they got tangled up in the GM’s campaign. Professions follow a similar structure as Backgrounds, save that they’re less formulaic in offered benefits and also have a Wealth Level. While all Professions grant Ability Score Increases, the bonuses can range from +1 to a single score to +1 to 2, 3, or even 4 scores! The Professions hedge towards being broad rather than specific, with Sample Careers for more specialized examples: for instance, the Crime profession can cover stuff from cat burglars to hitmen, Daredevils can range from stunt doubles to test pilots and treasure hunters, and Unemployed can cover beggars, prisoners, or off-the-grid recluses.
There are some Professions that stick out in some fashion. The Espionage profession (spies, field agents) grants a bonus language, 4 bonus skill proficiencies, proficiency in Basic and Advanced Equipment, a broad variety of iconic equipment, and a Safe House as a special feature that nobody else knows about. Investigative Services is the only Profession that grants expertise (double proficiency) in a skill, specifically your choice of Investigation or Security (creating and bypassing security systems that aren’t computer-based hacking). Military grants you proficiency in some broadly useful skills (Athletics, Perception, and Stealth) along with 3 whopping Equipment proficiencies, some starting guns as well as body armor, and a multi-purpose Special Feature that among other things grants you access to military weapons and equipment (such things typically can’t be purchased normally during play). The Science background’s special feature increases the range of the Help action to anyone who can hear your voice, including over the phone or via other communication devices.
Some professions as a result can end up feeling inferior in a way. For example, Outdoors and Unemployed both give the feel of people who are used to surviving in adverse conditions, but Outdoors comes with more starting skills, a higher Wealth Level, and a hunting rifle and vehicle along with general camping equipment. What does Unemployed get as a leg-up? Well you can increase Constitution and three other ability scores of your choice by 1 point. Which can be nice for certain builds, but as Everyday Heroes has done a lot to avoid MAD classes this isn’t as useful as it would be in 5th Edition D&D.
Another thing to bring up is that in cases where a PC may end up getting the same skill due to overlap from background/profession/class, they can replace it with one other skill of their choice. However, equipment proficiencies aren’t so lucky. While there are far fewer of them (5, and even just Basic and Advanced cover a lot of ground) this can lead to a feeling of redundancy for some players. The Military profession and Commando Tough Hero archetype both grant Basic, Advanced, and Military Equipment proficiency. But a Commando who instead has a LARPer background (Basic and Historical Equipment) will have Historical plus the Basic/Advanced/Military gained from the archetype. This isn’t as negative as it may first appear, in that these Professions can ensure that you don’t get proficiency-locked due to your class (a Smart Hero Hacker with the Soldier profession can still use a tactical rifle), but as equipment proficiencies are already giving up some other facet (like a language or skill) I feel it’s worth bringing up.
In both cases the rulebook spells out info in creating your own Backgrounds and Professions, as well as the guidelines used to balance them.
Let’s briefly go over Wealth Level. Both Everyday Heroes and D20 Modern used an abstracted Wealth system. However, ED is much more streamlined and less open to abuse, where it is measured in 6 broad categories, ranging from 0 (penniless, own only what you can carry) to 6 (billionaire). The Professions range in Wealth Level from 1 to 5, and you cannot start play with Wealth Level 6. A character’s Wealth Level determines what they can easily buy; illegal and military gear requires certain benefits or connections to obtain.
About half of the Professions (15 out of 30) are at wealth level 3 (upper-middle class), with the second-most common being 2 (lower-middle class, 7 out of 30). There’s 4 professions at wealth level 4, 3 at 1, and only 1 at 5. A single-level difference in Wealth can still be significant, particularly at the 1-3 range. The majority weapons and armor can be comfortably purchased at Price Level 3, with some more heavy-duty stuff at 4, and a precious few at 5. Pretty much all melee weapons save swords can be gained at price level 1 or 2, and in regards to personal vehicles a common car, most trucks and vans, and bikes and carts can also be gained at 2. High-performance vehicles such as luxury and sports cars are at 3-4, and construction equipment is at 3. Armored cars, 18-wheelers, helicopters, and buses are at 4. Some choice combat-ready vehicles such as SWAT vans, an APC, or a friggin’ tank are at 5, and fighter jets or your own personal airliner are at 6.
Thus the majority of PCs should be able to obtain a shotgun (price level 2) or a revolver (also 2) no problem. A sniper rifle, however, is out of the price range of most starting characters (price level 4). As for military equipment most are Price Level 3, with assault rifles being the cheapest at 2 and the deadliest such as heavy machine guns and rocket launchers being in the 4-5 range.
While Wealth Level can change during course of play and PCs can easily buy equipment for poorer teammates, what this means is that the poorest occupations (Customer Service, Student, Unemployed) aren’t going to be able to buy even a cheap gun at the start of a campaign, and your sniper assassin will likely need be working in a high-paying field that may not necessarily reflect a more appropriate job (like Crime or Espionage) or have the Wealthy Family background if the DM is making them buy things “by the books.” These are edge cases, but these are still things I noticed and feel are worth bringing up.
Overall, the Backgrounds and Professions both cover a large array of types, and I strained to find any common real-world occupations that don’t immediately fit them.
The bulk of character creation, Classes and Archetypes are like they are in default 5e. The major differences are that levels only go up to 10th instead of 20th, feats are a default setting rather than an optional rule, and multiclassing is done by buying feats which grant some aspects of the secondary class/archetype. Much like in D20 Modern, there are six classes each centered around an ability score and even have mostly the same names (Strong Hero, Agile Hero, Smart Hero, etc). Each class shares some commonalities:
1. Two class features universal to all Heroes of that type at levels 1 and 2.
2. One of three class-specific archetypes to choose from, with Smart and Charming Heroes getting four instead.
3. Archetype-specific Talents at every odd level.
4. Every even-numbered level a PC can choose two Minor Feats or one Major Feat. Ability Score Increases are Minor Feats, so technically feat-free PCs can still exist, but unlike in 5e they have more opportunities to increase their ability scores.
5. A Defense Bonus which adds to a character’s default Defense (renamed Armor Class). All Everyday Heroes PCs also add either their Dexterity modifier or the ability score of their class to their Defense on top of this. Armor instead functions effectively as a “bonus death save,” where if you’d be reduced to 0 hit points from an attack you can roll a save to have your armor get damaged instead. This serves multiple purposes: first in that it allows characters to not have to bulk up in SWAT and military armor to avoid getting hit, reduces MAD, and makes Dexterity less of a god stat. Defense bonuses vary depending on the class in question, usually ranging from Proficiency Bonus minus 2 (poor, Smart Hero), minus 1 (average, Agile and Charming) or equal to (good, Tough and Wise Heroes). Strong Heroes are the exception in that they start out with +1 to their Defense score but then get a cumulative +1 at 3rd level and then 7th level.
6. Saving throws, bonus skills, and Equipment proficiencies are determined by the subclass archetype.
7. In the case of the mental classes, a point-based resource. Smart has Genius points, Wise has Focus points, and Charming has Influence Dice (think Bardic Inspiration).
8. Barring a few exceptions, the overwhelming majority of rest-based abilities for classes and archetypes can recharge on either a short or long rest. The Charming Hero’s Leader subclass’ Encouraging Banter, and Smart Hero’s Genius points are the only abilities that recharge just on a long rest.
9. Extra Attack has been renamed Advanced Weapon Training, and half of the 20 archetypes have it. The ability is gained at 5th level for those archetypes, with Sharpshooter being an exception in that at 9th level you can attack a 3rd time instead of twice provided it’s with a ranged weapon. The archetypes who don’t have AWT usually have some other means of increasing their offensive capability, usually with a level-scaling damaging attack.
Strong Heroes are combat-intensive characters, specializing in melee attacks. They have a sturdy d10 hit die, and their universal level 1 and 2 class features include a Barbarian-style Reckless Attack and a -5 attack/+10 damage Power Attack…which unlike Great Weapon Mastery can apply to any melee weapon as well as thrown weapons provided the attack was not been made with a bonus action or is an auto-hit damaging ability.
I love the Strong Hero in particular. Virtually each archetype feels like it was made to answer the “sword to a gunfight” dilemma in some fashion. The Brawler specializes in hitting when it counts, where they can Smash to add additional bonus dice of damage to a melee or thrown attack that scales with level, along with an orc monster style “spend a bonus action to move your speed to an enemy or dangerous situation.” The downside to Smash is that you automatically break whatever weapon you were using with it, unless the weapon is an unarmed attack. And if you Power Attack while Smashing, your bonus dice grow from d6s to d12s! They also double the range increment for thrown weapons among other things.
So Brawler is cool for several reasons. First off the double ranging of thrown weapons and bonus action movement are good in closing the gap with enemies who may be farther away…like people with guns. The Smash makes up for the lack of Advanced Weapon Training in that you generally only hit once, but when you do you’re doing a boatload of damage. Brawlers gain proficiency in Basic and Improvised Equipment, and surprisingly the vast majority of the latter weapons have the Thrown property. Just look around the room you’re sitting in; a Brawler can not only pick something up, they can likely do more damage with it than a machine gun by default and also throw it clear across the room!
The Heavy Gunner specializes in deadly firearms and explosives. Think Team Fortress 2’s Heavy or Vulcan Raven from Metal Gear Solid. Now in most 5e spinoffs, Strength is a dump stat for ranged fighters. So Everyday Heroes gets around this by allowing Heavy Gunners to substitute their Strength on attack (but not damage) rolls instead of Dexterity for all ranged weapons that don’t have the Light property. Which includes the vast majority of them, leaving out small stuff like shurikens, .38 pocket pistols, and tasers. The archetype’s name is deceptive, in that you can be STRONK with revolvers and shotguns, too! Reckless Attack and Power Attack can also be applied to these qualifying ranged weapons, ignore the Stationary property of weapons,* and its other features include things like adding proficiency bonus (and later double proficiency) to AoE effects, doubling the area of suppressive fire, and rolling damage dice thrice instead of twice on critical hits.
*This means that you can detach a minigun or other tripod-mounted weapon and run around with it, as opposed to being forced to stay in one place when operating the weapon.
The MMA Fighter is an unarmed fighter who makes liberal use of grapples and shoves. Their features include increasing the damage dice of their unarmed strikes with level, being able to automatically damage or Restrain opponents they have Grappled, disarm/grapple/shove a target when damaging them with an unarmed strike once per turn, and add half and then full value of Power Attacks made with off-hand unarmed strikes. At 9th level they get access to KO Punches and Sleeper Holds, special attacks done in conjunction with an unarmed strike that can knock a foe Unconscious if they fail a save.
The MMA Fighter, much like the other Strong Hero subclasses, fills another weak point in traditional 5e: namely the situational nature of grapples and shoves over straight damage. MMAs solve this dilemma by making it so you don’t have to choose between the two.
Ironically the Strong Hero’s archetypes aren’t ideally suited for someone who just wants to consistently wield a single melee weapon, like a duelist with a signature sword. There are other archetypes in the later classes that can fill this function, but it’s rather interesting in that all 3 of Strong’s either encourage fighting unarmed, using temporary improvised weapons, or just bringing out the big guns instead of going to town every round with a sword or sledgehammer. Well, there is a certain feat later on in the book that can get around this for Brawlers, but it's not part of the class inherently.
Agile Heroes are those who focus on speed and reflexes, whether in combat or for subtler, more delicate tasks. They have a decent d8 Hit Die and their universal level 1 and 2 features include advantage on initiative rolls and Rogue-like Dash and Disengage as bonus actions along with Advantage on Athletics checks to Gain Ground during a foot chase.* Needless to say, these are overall very strong abilities: advantage on initiative alone is a game-changer, and combined with the free reroll from On the Run background you will be very unlikely to act last or next to last in battle.
*Everyday Heroes has Chase rules. No action movie/show RPG is complete without one!
The Martial Artist is our first Agile archetype, and are exactly what they sound like. They increase the damage dice of their unarmed strikes as they level much like an MMA Fighter, but they also gain the ability to make unarmed strikes as a bonus action (two at 9th level). Their other features include treating all non-heavy melee weapons as having the Finesse property (even heavy weapons at 7th level), ignoring movement reduction from climbing and swimming, and Evasion.
If the Brawler’s the kind of guy who can knock out the baddest dude on the block with a well-placed punch, the Martial Artist is the death by a thousand cuts type of person. They also have high damage potential, but do this by attacking lots of times during a combat round.* They have a bit more control in that they can divide up these attacks in case a weakened opponent drops, and the bonus movement from Dash allows them to close the gap with gun-wielders. Additionally, their “finesse for everything” lets you emulate the agile swordsman trope, so you don’t have to feel limited to using knives, rapiers, and the like.
*Up to 4 times: twice with Advanced Weapon Training, twice with 2 unarmed strikes as a bonus action.
The Scoundrel is Everyday Heroes’ Rogue equivalent. They get Vital Strike which functions like Sneak Attack, can do more things with a bonus action such as Hide, Use an Object, or Sleight of Hand/Security checks, get Expertise in a Roguelike skill (2 at 7th level), and other sneaky stuff like advantage on attack rolls against any opponent that haven’t taken a turn yet in combat.
The Scoundrel is perhaps the best “out of combat” archetype of the Agile Hero. While the Martial Artist gets some speedy movement stuff, the additional bonus actions really encourage the Scoundrel to take the reins as a party scout/trap-spotter/saboteur, and double proficiency on skills is always a plus. One thing I do find amusing is that shotguns are a great choice for Scoundrels: these weapons have the Shot property, meaning that you gain advantage on attack rolls made at a target within 30 feet. So your Scoundrel can be running around blowing people apart with a Sneak Attack/shotgun combo.
I know what class to use if I ever decide to stat out Hobo with a Shotgun!
The Sharpshooter is our final Agile archetype. And as you can guess, they’re all about using guns, with features that alternate in dual-wielding or two-handed ranged weapons. Right off the bat as 1st level abilities, they can draw and reload two light one-handed weapons with the same action and get +2 on attack rolls with ranged attacks if they don’t move during that turn. Their later features include adding their Dexterity modifier to off-hand damage rolls with ranged weapons, can ignore disadvantage on long range and reduce degrees of cover with two-handed ranged weapons if they don’t move during that turn, crit on a 19 or 20 with ranged attacks, and can potentially make up to 3 ranged attacks (plus 1 from a bonus off-hand attack if available) per turn.
Like the Martial Artist, the Sharpshooter specializes in multiple attacks over a single strong one like the Brawler/Scoundrel. What makes them different from the Heavy Gunner is what kinds of weapons they prefer and how they fight. Heavy Gunner is better for AoE and battlefield control stuff, while the Sharpshooter is better for long-range sniping. As for pure damage I’d have to run the numbers on some builds to see which comes out ahead, but both archetypes rate on the higher end of DPR potential.
Tough Heroes are those who persist, not giving up from withering punishment and sometimes using their durability to protect others. They have the best Hit Die in the game at d12 along with the best Defense bonus (only the Wise Hero equals them), and their universal level 1 and 2 special features include Payback (gaining +2 on a single attack roll against a target who damaged then since the end of their last turn) and Tough as Nails which grants damage reduction* against all sources of damage equal to their proficiency bonus. For those not around during 3rd Edition, damage reduction automatically deducts the result of a damage roll, to a minimum of 0. In Everyday Heroes damage reduction typically applies to a single type or source of damage, like cold or poison.
Now it may be due to the fact that these universal abilities are reactive rather than active, but they don’t wow me to the same extent that Strong and Agile did. +2 on an attack roll is a nice increase given bounded accuracy, but it can be used only once per turn. The damage reduction is nice, and really adds up if you’re being attacked by multiple sources, but given that proficiency bonus only goes up to +4 it isn’t going to protect you all that much from a single powerful attack.
The Bodyguard is self-explanatory in that you help your allies avoid harm. At 1st level they can spend a bonus action to let a nearby ally move into cover via free movement, and a reaction to take an attack meant for an adjacent ally. Their higher level abilities include useful features such as imposing disadvantage on a target’s attack rolls against anyone other than the Bodyguard, ignore cover penalties from friendly fire of allies,* or causing an opponent’s speed to fall to 0 if they Dive for Cover** as a reaction to one of your attacks.
*doing a ranged attack at a target adjacent to an ally risks hitting that ally on a natural 1.
**a new reaction in Everyday Heroes that lets you move half your speed to get behind cover or outside an AoE attack, giving you the opportunity to avoid harm at the expense of falling prone.
The Bodyguard is a pretty strong archetype, specializing in battlefield control and a pseudo-buff for allies. As a Tough Hero is likely to have both the most Hit Points and one of the best Defense scores in a party, their ability to tank hits meant for allies is valuable. Being able to impose disadvantage on an enemy makes them useful in tanking, too. Ironically they make for good ranged fighters in a party with at least one melee fighter in being able to ignore friendly fire, and possibly a backup thief in that they have their choice of Expertise in Endurance, Intimidation, or Security at 1st level.
The Commando is the Fighter equivalent subclass in Everyday Heroes. When it comes to killing, they’re useful in doing just about anything, specializing in none. They’re one of the only two archetypes that grants proficiency in Military Equipment, * and at 1st level they can take a Second Wind** as a bonus action instead of an action as well as gaining a permanent +1 to their Defense Score. At later levels they gain Extra Effort, which is pretty much like a Fighter’s Action Surge save that it recharges on a short as well as a long rest, can throw a grenade as a bonus action, and further improvements to prior class features such as +2 Defense total and adding +1 die to the damage of all weapons they wield.
*the other being Heavy Gunner.
**an action that lets you spend Hit Die to restore Hit Points.
Commandos are like vanilla ice cream or a Phillips screwdriver: not particularly exciting, but they get the job done. Unlike the other physical archetypes they don’t strongly specialize in a certain fighting style or weapon group, and their most useful abilities are things we’ve already seen elsewhere. Extra Effort is situationally useful for a variety of tasks, and combined with grenades they have the capability to do quite a bit of damage during their turn. But unlike Heavy Gunners, Martial Artists, or Sharpshooters they can’t consistently do this given the limitations of Extra Effort, which puts their overall damage output at a lower ranking.
The Scrapper is our melee-focused archetype, being one-on-one fighters specializing in counterattacks and taking punishment. At 1st level their opportunity attacks become more powerful: they can trigger them when an enemy within their reach attacks an ally, their opportunity attacks drop enemy speed to 0, and they also negate the ability for Disengage to avoid opportunity attacks. At higher levels they gain Frenzy where they can double their Damage Reduction but automatically take damage equal to their proficiency bonus at the start of each of their turns,* With Interest deals a level-scaling bonus d6 of damage against enemies they use Payback on or if they hit with an opportunity attack, can spend a reaction to halve the damage of an attack, and the ability to reroll a failed save once per short rest.
*You wouldn’t use this against a single opponent as the damage negated is countered by the amount automatically suffered. You’d use this if you’re likely to take damage multiple times in a round.
So the Scrapper is a bit hard for me to judge. With Interest has one fewer d6 (1d6 to 4d6) than a Scoundrel’s Vital Strike or similar damage-scaling archetype abilities, but it can be used more than once per turn given it can be triggered on an opportunity attack. Like Brawler, MMA Fighter, and Martial Artist it is a melee-focused archetype, although specializing in immobilizing and occupying enemy attention. It doesn’t have the raw damage potential as the others, nor does it have an easy means of clearing the gap with ranged fighters like Brawler and Agile do. The closest comparison would thus be MMA Fighter, who with their grapples and shoves can be similar in locking down enemies. Much like a Polearm Master character, Scrappers are better off using reach weapons such as a polearm or whip rather than their bare fists…which are both Historical Weapons, which isn’t an equipment category they are proficient in by default. They are also unique among archetypes in only granting one bonus skill proficiency choice, where the rest range from 2 to 4, so they feel a bit lacking in that regard too.
Thoughts So Far: I included my specific thoughts in the sections where warranted, but overall my initial impressions of Everyday Heroes are very strong. It’s clear that the designers thought about things from the perspectives of playability and game balance rather than just doing a by-the-numbers 5e clone. The combinations of Backgrounds, Professions, and Classes can allow for a broad variety of character concepts. Combined with feats and a surprisingly forward multiclass system later on, there’s a huge amount of customization options in just a single sourcebook.
Join us next time as we round up the rest of the classes and archetypes!
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