Line #54 BadassNormal/TabletopGames


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9	* In ''TabletopGame/CallOfCthulhu'', any PC that survives long enough and defeats some of the [[EldritchAbomination Eldritch Abominations]] of the setting.
10	** '''''Fanfic/OldManHenderson''''' is a legendary tale of a player creating a character with the sole purpose to break the game and troll the KillerGameMaster and ends up ''[[DidYouJustPunchOutCthulhu killing Hastur]]''. His powers? [[InsanityImmunity being inured to sanity loss by already being a little crazy]], an encyclopedic knowledge of explosives, and having a backstory so long the DM never bothered to check it.
11	* In TabletopGame/D20Modern Urban Arcana, a high level hero without special powers can be this. Despite possessing no surnatural abilities, a Fast Hero 5 Gunslinger 10 Sniper 5 is a force to be reckoned with, able to bring down demons with nothing more than [[OneHitKill one]] [[BigFuckingGun Barrett M82]] shot from more than half a kilometer away, dodge grenades (Evasion) and [[DodgeTheBullet bullets]] like there was no tomorrow (Huge class Defense and Dexterity), even if he/she didn't see the shooter, because he/she just had a gut feeling (Uncanny dodge), cannot be flanked (Improved Uncanny Dodge), can use stealth to get the jump on almost anything, spend time to aim an enemy and ignore cover less than one half (Improved Dead Aim), lay down a barrage of fire (lightning shot), is almost invincible when taking cover (Defensive Position)...
12	* In ''TabletopGame/{{Deadlands}}'', any player character who isn't a [[MagiciansAreWizards Huckster]] or one of [[ReligionIsMagic the Blessed]] ''has'' to be this. They're expected to go toe-to-toe with [[OurDemonsAreDifferent Native American demons]], {{Steampunk}} [[MadScientist Mad Scientists]], [[TheUndead walking corpses]], [[EvilSorcerer Evil Sorcerers]], and [[spoiler:the Four HorsemenOfTheApocalypse]], and are typically armed with nothing more than a Colt revolver, a BadassLongcoat, and a mean disposition.
13	* The Pure Mortal template in ''TabletopGame/DresdenFiles'' is precisely what it says it is: a PunyEarthling in a game where other PC options include shapeshifters, changelings, wizards, and even lesser vampires. However, it has a powerful ace up its sleeve: in return for not taking up any supernatural powers, the character gains two free points of Refresh, which translates directly into Fate Points they can use to [[HeroicResolve buy off compels]], [[HeroicSecondWind tag aspects]], [[ContrivedCoincidence make declarations]], and generally tilt the odds in their favor.
14	* ''Any'' high-level martial character in any edition of ''[[TabletopGame/DungeonsAndDragons Dungeons & Dragons]]''. Fighters? Yes. Warlords/Marshals? Yes. Rangers? Yes. Barbarians? Yes. Rogues? Yes. Barbarian/Fighter/Frenzied Berserker? OHSHI--
15	** In 4.0 there is an epic destiny for Rangers and Rogues called Godhunter. So yes, your halfling armed with shurikens and a dagger may in fact one day murder Tiamat.
16	** In 4th edition, there are '''14''' Epic Destinies, counting the Godhunter, restricted to Martial characters alone (that is, Fighters, Rangers, Rogues and Warlords -- Barbarians are [[GaiasVengeance Primal]] in 4e). The Adamantine Soldier is a Fighter or Warlord who has become such a master of heavy armor that they are NighInvulnerable; nothing hurts them, nothing can get past them, and they will never be broken in body or spirit. The Beastlord is a beastmaster Ranger who becomes so close to his animal companion that they become a single mind and soul. The Dark Wanderer is a Rogue or Ranger who has wandered so long and so far that they have outrun fate itself. The Eternal Defender is a Fighter who becomes an immovable object in battle, whose courage and duty leads to them taking up arms to protect the world or even TheMultiverse for all eternity. The Legendary General is a Warlord who goes on to fight in the greatest battles the planes have ever seen, and if they so desire, may conquer all of reality itself. The Martial Archetype is a multiclassed Martial character who bcomes the ultimate warrior. The Perfect Assassin is a Rogue so skilled at dealing death that even Death itself will not dare to approach them before the Perfect Assassin is ready to die -- they may even slay the God of Death and take the throne for themselves. The Undying Warrior is the ultimate Fighter, immortal and unkillable. The Warmaster is a Warlord who becomes so skilled that there is no challenge left in reality -- defeating armies of demons or outwitting the gods themselves becomes trite, forcing them to seek the Eternal War, the mythical arena where all of the greatest military leaders who have ever lived spend eternity testing their skills against each other. The Dragonheart is a Martial character who reveres dragons as the ultimate embodiment of martial virtue, devoting themselves to those concepts with such fervors that they transcend their original nature and become dragons in body and soul. The Invincible Vanguard is a Martial character is a warrior who yearns to face the greatest threats ever, and who goes on to defeat them all. The Legendary Sovereign is a Fighter, Ranger or Warlord who goes on to found a kingdom, or perhaps an empire, that will never be forgotten. And the Star-Favored Champion is destined to become, simply, one of the greatest heroes ever known.
17	** For Fighters in 5E, the Champion and Battle Master martial archetypes are this explicitly. While the [[MagicKnight Eldritch Knight]] combines evocation and abjuration magic with fighting prowess, the Champion is all about training their body to excellence, while the Battle Master is more WeakButSkilled, applying academics and ancient techniques to the martial arts.
18	* This is the whole purpose of [[TheSyndicate the Guild]] in ''TabletopGame/{{Exalted}}''. InAWorld ruled by beings so powerful that their original job description was [[DidYouJustPunchOutCthulhu beating up the gods themselves]], the Guild's purpose is to provide PunyHumans with a power base of their own. They are so successful that the Guild, rather than [[TheEmpire the Realm]], is the only true power with influence across the whole of Creation, with the wherewithal to bring entire countries to their knees if displeased.
19	** The Burn Legend ruleset allows normal people with martial arts training to compete, albeit at a disadvantage, against element benders, shapeshifters, and guys with the power of the Thousand Hells surging through their veins. With a few good clash rolls and some decent timing, they can even win.
20	* Creator/GamesWorkshop games:
21	** ''TabletopGame/Warhammer40000'':
22	*** Sisters of Battle have about the same gear as Space Marines, but none of the physiological enhancement that makes the latter more than human. What they lack in extra organs and other body modifications, they more than make up with faith and determination alone. For a specific example, Canoness Praxedes of the Order of Our Martyred Lady, who led a hit and run campaign against a Tyranid hive fleet on the shrine world of Okassis to allow an evacuation. As the Tyranids overwhelmed the cathedral, she faced a Hive Tyrant, a monstrous creature towering at six metres tall and armed with blades of living chitin that can slice clean through adamantium in single combat, and they killed each other. No wonder she was sainted after the battle.
23	*** Due to consisting mostly of ordinary human men and women in a galaxy where humanity is severely outclassed by almost everyone else, the Imperial Guard have a well-earned reputation for being PunyEarthlings and the {{Butt Monkey}}s of the setting, but they can be this. With little more than a laser gun and flak armour they are forced to do battle with the enemies of the Imperium with nothing but [[WeHaveReserves their vast numbers]] and [[TankGoodness a variety of tanks]] to press the advantage. And sometimes, that's enough. While less successful or badly-run regiments are reduced to RedShirtArmy status, the more successful ones are famed for their HeroicWillpower and impressive accomplishments.
24	*** Stormtroopers, Kasrkin and Grenadiers. Ordinary humans with slightly better gear than the rest of the regiment. On the battlefield they will do everything they can and beyond to match the Space Marines. And often they will succeed.
25	*** Catachan Guardsmen are a level of badass most other Guardsmen can only dream of. Their homeworld is a DeathWorld that eats other Death Worlds for breakfast, where ''surviving to the age of ten'' is considered an accomplishment equivalent to graduating from boot camp, and the ones sent to the Guard are the best of the PDF forces. Possibly somewhat expected, the average Catachan Guardsman is basically Franchise/{{Rambo}}. The special characters Sly Marbo, Gunnery Sergeant "Stonetooth" Harker and Colonel "Iron Hand" Straken exemplify it to a suitable degree. For example, Harker carries a Heavy Bolter as his weapon of choice. He carries it alone, with no superhuman enhancements or power armor and he can run with it (Space Marines can't). He is also known for killing one of a pack of Raveners that tried to sneak attack him and his squad by crushing its neck. In an ''arm-lock''.
26	*** [[OldSoldier Commissar Sebastian Yarrick]], a baseline human who (at retirement age) had his arm forcibly removed by Warboss Ugulhard. He responded by killing the warboss, routing the other attacking Orks, and only collapsing when the battle was won. He then proceeded to lead the force that would hold off an entire global invasion during which time all of the other hive cities were destroyed or occupied and becoming the boogeyman for all orkdom in the process. Keep in mind that Orks are one of the few species who don’t fear death. Yarrick may now even be an EmpoweredBadassNormal, as the Orks have the power of ClapYourHandsIfYouBelieve, and they believe that Yarrick is incredibly badass and unkillable...
27	*** The Tau Empire manages to qualify as a whole. They're physically weaker than even ''humans,'' and have no psykers, yet they've managed to conquer a crapton of worlds while taking on [[OurOrcsAreDifferent Orks]], [[KnightTemplar Space Marines]], [[WeHaveReserves Imperial Guardsmen]], [[SpaceElves Eldar]], [[EldritchAbomination Chaos Daemons]], [[AxCrazy Chaos Marines]], [[ExtremeOmnivore Tyranids]], [[OurZombiesAreDifferent Necrons]], and whatever other horrors are present in the [[CrapsackWorld grim]], [[DespairEventHorizon dark]] world of ''Warhammer 40,000'', and you know what? ''They're kicking a lot of ass.'' Even more impressive when you realize they're doing all of this with nothing but hyper-advanced technology and a firm believe in the Greater Good. [[SugarWiki/MomentOfAwesome Not bad for a xeno species.]]
28	** The [[GaidenGame spin-off]] [=RPG=] ''TabletopGame/BlackCrusade'' features the most awesome woman outside of the Sisters of Battle: a corrupt Imperial aristocrat who became obsessed with control over others and over herself, and eventually became convinced that she could allow a Keeper of Secrets (one of the most powerful of Slaanesh's daemons) to possess her body and then use sheer willpower to not only overcome the possession but also use the daemon's energy to extend her life... [[SubvertedTrope and]] [[DidYouJustPunchOutCthulhu she was]] ''[[SugarWiki/AwesomeMoments right]]''. Over the course of decades, she trapped the Keeper of Secrets in her body and painfully sucked it dry until it was cast back into the Warp. Then she did this with two other demons, to prove this wasn't a fluke. To wit, this is an untrained and completely ordinary human woman who ''ate'' '''''three {{Eldritch Abomination}}s'''''. And she was going to go for a fourth until Slaanesh hirself took notice and made her a Daemon Princess out of respect (and as a StealthInsult to hir own daemons).
29	** In ''TabletopGame/{{Necromunda}}'', with the exception of the stimm-enhanced gangers of House Goliath, the members of the various House gangs tend to be regular humans chosen from the regular population of the House for their violent tendencies who then go on to fight each other, and the various dangerous mutant lifeforms, in the game's [[WretchedHive underhive]] setting.
30	** ''TabletopGame/DarkHeresy'' had the story of [[https://1d4chan.org/wiki/The_Guy_Who_Cried_Grendel Adept Grendel]], a short, fat, physically pathetic clerk who killed a Charnel Demon with a ''knife'', and then went on to slaughter his way through everything the [=40K=] universe could throw at him. The story got such notice that Grendel was made '''''canonical''''' in the ''Radical Inquisition'' sourcebook.
31	* ''TabletopGame/{{Warhammer}}'':
32	** The armies of The Empire fight against the [[TheLegionsOfHell daemonic hordes]], [[TheBrute massive]] [[TinTyrant armored]] followers of Chaos, the [[YouDirtyRat vile Skaven]], [[NightOfTheLivingMooks the undead hordes of Sylvania]], [[BeastMan goat-headed brutes]], [[TheFairFolk insane xenophobic slaver elves]], [[OurOrcsAreDifferent unending tides of greenskinned fungal football hooligans who can survive being dismembered]], and [[HonorBeforeReason revenge-obsessed]] [[OurDwarvesAreAllTheSame dwarfs]] with nothing more than [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tercio Tercio]] pike and shot tactics with the odd bit of magic and Leonardo da Vinci-esque ClockPunk (giving them things like steam-powered tanks and [[GatlingGood clockwork gatling pistols]]).
33	-->'''Magnus the Pious''': Three things make the Empire great: [[ChurchMilitant faith]], steel [[FirearmsAreRevolutionary and gunpowder]].
34	** Bretonnia is effectively medieval France, dropped into HighFantasy, with some Arthurian legend sprinkled on top for flavour. They still hold their own through faith and valour. Heck, the whole kingdom was founded by an ordinary man reuniting the Bretonii tribe under a single banner and against all odds beating the Orcs, mirroring the real-life English king Alfred the Great. The only exception are the Grail Knights, who ''were'' this trope before becoming {{Empowered Badass Normal}}s.
35	** Templar Witch Hunters, it goes without saying. They operate alone and travel the Empire hunting down unsanctioned witches and hedge wizards, mutants, Chaos spawn, cultists, necromancers, undead creatures, daemons, and beastmen. Usually relying on nothing more than blackpowder firearms, swords, rapiers, daggers, stakes, holy water and consecrated ashes. Templar Witch Hunters are TheDreaded among the people of the Empire not because they're personally badass (though most of them are of course) but because they bear a sanction from the Grand Theogonist himself -- they could if they wished order your entire family to be summarily shot and nobody would officially say anything. On the tabletop they're respectable hero units specialized in AntiMagic, with their normal combat stats being complemented with abilities specialized against evil magical creatures, most notably through the special rules ''Magic Resistance (2)'' (as it sounds) and ''Tools of Judgement'' (which lets them re-roll failed To Wound rolls against Undead and Daemonic enemies).
36	** An easy way of establishing a human character as one of these is to have them kill a Troll, Rat Ogre, or Minotaur (each being ten-foot beasts with the physical strength to wrestle a Kodiak bear paired with opposable thumbs that let them wield BIG clubs and axes) in melee combat. Each are common and weak enough for it to be plausible yet still strong enough for the feat to be impressive. For example, Captain Katzbulger is referenced offhand as slaying a Minotaur in single combat in ''Uniforms and Heraldry of the Empire.'' More unique superhumans like Vampires and Chaos Champions/Lords are much less likely to get Worfed to build up a Badass Normal like this, though it still sometimes happens (e.g. Nachgeben killed three Chaos Champions with just a sword in WFRP's ''Career Compendium'' sourcebook), especially to Blood Knights ([[BossInMookClothing "mook"]] Vampires who are sometimes killed off without much fanfare by regular characters with regular weapons).
37	** By default, pretty much any successful character you play [[NintendoHard (what few there are)]] in ''TabletopGame/WarhammerFantasyRoleplay''. None of the playable races are superhuman as a rule (Dwarfs ''are'' generally tougher than humans while being slower and Elves ''are'' generally quicker while being just as tough/fast, but both are still mostly within human limits) and you're extremely unlikely to roll a career that can use magic. You're even less likely to roll a career that can use magic to any combat-relevant degree, and the system provides for little to no use of magic-enhanced weaponry. On the other hand you will inevitably encounter enemies who ''are'' superhuman or ''do'' use magic.
38	* This is just barely possible in ''TabletopGame/{{Godbound}}''. If you want, a Heroic Mortal can skip out on such things as [[GeneticEngineeringIsTheNewNuke Legacy]] talents, [[{{Cyborg}} cybernetics]], [[SupernaturalMartialArts Martial Strifes]] or [[FunctionalMagic magical training]] and stick to abilities that derive purely from personal ability; they'll still get extra hit points and won't be treated as {{Mooks}} by Godbound enemies, allowing them (in theory) to face down lesser Godbound toe-to-toe. This isn't likely in the long run, though. Arcem is a world where even a "common mortal" can be a master-level magician, and a ''heroic'' mortal will normally be able to acquire some kind of magical items, teachers or allies.
39	** ''The Lexicon of the Thrown'' introduced the Peak Human Concept Word, making any character who has it just a really, '''really''' impressive human. Unlike Heroic Mortals, a Peak Human can stand toe-to-toe with their divine counterparts since they can still purchase Gifts and preform other miraculous feats.
40	* TabletopGame/{{GURPS}} can often lend itself to this. No one says that you have to load up on exotic or supernatural powers.
41	** Taken a step further with various supplements
42	*** ''TabletopGame/GURPSSupers'' gives us the [[CombatParkour Acrobat]], [[HumongousMecha Dreadnought]], [[CharlesAtlasSuperpower Man Plus]], [[BatmanParody Nightstalker]], RenaissanceMan, [[BareFistedMonk Sifu]], [[TuxedoAndMartini Superspy]], and [[GadgeteerGenius Techno]]. They have absolutely nothing in the way of supernatural powers, but are no less powerful than the superpowered templates provided.
43	*** ''[[MonsterOfTheWeek Monster Hunters]]'' presents a different solution: The [[ActionHero Commando]], [[BadassBookworm Sage]], [[SherlockHomage Sleuth]], and [[GadgeteerGenius Techie]] all get borderline omnidisciplinary competency in their respective fields.
44	* Corvus Belli's ''Infinity'' has this in the form of the Ariadna faction. Lacking the technological advantages of their rivals, the nations of the planet Dawn make due with guerilla tactics, a mean-streak in CQC and an ungodly amount of firepower. Also, this makes them immune to the hackers of PanO or the Nomads[[labelnote:*]]. The one character this troper can think of who isn't immune requires you to be within CQC range. That character? ''William Wallace''.[[/labelnote]].
45	* ''TabletopGame/IronHeroes'' thrives on this, with 9 out of 10 classes having no magical talent at all.
46	* In ''[[TabletopGame/MistbornTheOriginalTrilogy Mistborn Adventure Game]]'', non-powered characters not only have the strongest Attributes and Standings, but get two free bonus Traits.
47	* ''TabletopGame/MutantsAndMasterminds'' is explicitly designed so that these can compete with ultra-powerful wizards and NighInvulnerable aliens from Xenon.
48	* In the ''TabletopGame/NewWorldOfDarkness'', the Hunters from ''TabletopGame/HunterTheVigil'' are (for the most part) the ordinary humans who take on the supernatural. And then there are the [[SerialKiller Slashers]], humans that can be just as dangerous as horrors...
49	** The Sourcebook "Mirrors" introduces the Extraordinary Mortals template, which gives characters access to "Skill Tricks", specialized abilities within their mundane Skills. The best of these verge on CharlesAtlasSuperpower.
50	* Any of the non-super OCC from ''TabletopGame/{{Rifts}}'', but in particular the Rogue Scholar. For people whose sole class ability is "Knowledge is Power", they sure do have quite a reputation with the Coalition. And by reputation I mean "KILL HIM NOW! Now, HE'S the biggest threat!"
51	** The most famous Rogue Scholar of them all, Erin Tarn, is in her late 60s, and Coalition Enemy Number One. And she's stared down the Four HorsemenOfTheApocalypse, on top of many other impressive feats.
52	* ''TabletopGame/SentinelsOfTheMultiverse'' has three heroes who qualify: The Wraith, who uses [[Franchise/{{Batman}} a combination of advanced technology, martial arts, and money]] to match superpowered villains, Expatriette, who uses an [[WallOfWeapons enormous amount of guns]] and [[MoreDakka raw firepower]] to deal as much damage as other damage-focused characters (among whom are a PoweredArmor clad soldier, an alien who can control wind and lightning, and Ra, the Egyptian god of the sun), and Mr. Fixer, who holds his own against gods, alien warlords, and armies of superhumans with nothing but [[BareFistedMonk martial arts]] [[ImprovisedWeapon and a garage full of tools.]]
53	** A fourth turns up with Ambuscade's HeelFaceTurn into Stuntman. As a villain, he had energy powers, but the alteration in question eventually decayed, leaving him with nothing but an array of guns and a gift for turning up in the nick of time. He's particularly nasty in combination with the Dark Watch version of Mr Fixer, who can set off Stuntman's combos by destroying his Ongoings.
54	** Among the villains, the Chairman, Baron Blade, and Sergeant Steel have no superpowers, and Steel is one of the toughest team mode villains and the Chairman and his minions make up one of the toughest villain decks ''overall'' - being equal to ''or harder'' than [[TheJuggernaut Progeny]], [[SatanicArchetype Apostate]], [[PersonOfMassDestruction Citizen Dawn]], and [[GaiasVengeance Akash'bhuta]].
55	* ''TabletopGame/{{Shadowrun}}'': Most ''Shadowrun'' characters will depend upon either magic or {{Technopath}} abilities or advanced technology/cybernetic implants as a way to gain power: Both pathways render you essentially superhuman and allow you to do things baseline metahumanity simply can't do, or throw increasing amounts of dice at problems. That said, of the four major roles most Shadowrunning teams should have (the StreetSamurai, TheCracker, TheFace and the TokenWizard), only one of them (the mage) explicitly ''needs'' magic powers, allowing for characters who simply have extremely high skills and stats to fill the other three roles. Doing this, however, requires very specific character building and equipment, and usually ingesting copious amounts of stat-boosting drugs to stay competitive.
56	* In ''TabletopGame/TheWitcherGameOfImagination'' playing as a human tends to give this feeling. The game is set in a world with powerful magicians utilising FunctionalMagic, mutated monster hunters, a few different non-human races with physical capabilities beyond those of humans, personified GaiasVengeance and [[EverythingIsTryingToKillYou tons of monsters who can eat you whole for dinner]]. Yet you can and often ''must'' stand your ground against all of those as an average Joe with some training. Fluff-wise, humans managed to literally beat the other races into submission while having none of their perks and feats.
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Context BadassNormal / TabletopGames