Line #11 TabletopGame/HeroesUnlimited


1	''Heroes Unlimited'' is a {{superhero}} TabletopRolePlayingGame published by Creator/PalladiumBooks and using their ''Megaversal'' system. It's set in a world very similar to our own, except that superhuman beings have existed since ancient times and use their powers to fight (or promote) evil. The general feel of the game is somewhat low-key power-wise (particularly compared to ''TabletopGame/{{Rifts}}''), with most heroes limited to a handful of superpowers that aren't necessarily much more effective than a bullet, though exceptions exist, and an overall feel similar to MediaNotes/TheModernAgeOfComicBooks (remarkably, this game was first released in 1984 at the advent of the [[MediaNotes/TheDarkAgeOfComicBooks preceding Age]]), with a greater examination of the role that superbeings fit in the world.
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3	The world of ''Heroes Unlimited'' is a part of the Palladium Megaverse, so a CrossOver with any other world is possible. In addition, Earth is part of a greater galaxy, which receives more detail in ''Aliens Unlimited'' and its supplements.
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5	!!This game provides examples of:
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7	* AchillesHeel: Mega-Heroes are deliberately given a major weakness to help balance their immense power. These can range from susceptibility to certain elements like fire, vulnerability to magic or even just a simple allergy.
8	* AGodAmI: One of the many weaknesses a Mega-Hero can be saddled with is a "God Syndrome" which makes them view themselves as a deity. Naturally, such prideful characters feel themselves as being above petty mortals and their laws and generally view normal humans and less powerful supers as inferior beings. They also have a bad habit of underestimating their foes, which can backfire on them spectacularly in certain situations.
9	* TheAlcatraz: The ''Gramercy Island'' sourcebook focuses on a large prison complex of the same name used to house the worse scum and villainy in the world. Naturally, the whole book has a huge focus on criminal gangs and super villains as well as a brief look into the prison lifestyle of the superpowered.
10	* AlienNonInterferenceClause: The Compact forbids spacefaring species from fostering radical change such as technology trading (though not necessarily superheroics) on underdeveloped planets like Earth. The ''breaking'' of this law created Century Station, and the shock waves from this have yet to die down.
11	* AmazonBrigade: ''Century Station'' gives us The Valkyries, a small group of powerful female superheroes that operate inside the titular city.
12	* AnimalSuperheroes: A large section of the mutant powers category is taken directly from TabletopGame/AfterTheBomb and allows the players to build an animal mutant hero using the BIO-E system found in that game. Of course, if the limited options it provides aren't enough the players can always just use the main gamebook and its add-ons as sourcebooks due to both [=RPGs=] operating on similar mechanics.
13	* AnimalThemedSuperbeing: In addition to the above there are plenty of human supers who have abilities and costumes based off of various animal species, including more than a few NPC characters.
14	* ArmedBlag: In the "One Dam Thing" adventure, the Gold Falcon's plan is to rob an armored car transporting millions of dollars worth of evidence (in cash and coke) from a recent drug bust while his unwilling accomplice Brainstorm distracts the cops with a flashy attack on Hoover Dam.
15	* AscendedDemon: The Heroic Hellion has voluntarily chosen to be good, and this has changed them to appear slightly more human [[BeautyEqualsGoodness and attractive]].
16	* BadPowersBadPeople: Evil enchanted weapons can grant their wielders a variety of unpleasant powers like conjuring darkness, making people sick, raising the dead as mindless thralls, and opening portals to realms of unspeakable eldritch horror. Since enchanted weapons will only bestow their powers upon people of a matching alignment, this means that heroic characters will never be able to use these abilities.
17	* BadPowersGoodPeople: On the other hand, there are several stereotypically "evil" powers like MindRape and [[PoisonIsEvil poison]] abilities that have no alignment requirements whatsoever and can be bestowed upon anyone who wants them. Additionally, if the G.M. opts to use random rolls to generate all player powers it's entirely possible for a character to end up with a build like this.
18	* BadassNormal: A couple of power types. Hardware heroes use technology to fight evil, while Ancient Weapon Masters and most Special Training characters[[note]]Some have access to psi or bionics, and there's nothing normal about the Ancient Master[[/note]] use their skills. Physical Training characters push the limits of this trope, as while most of their power comes from physical and martial arts training, they take that to the point where their power punch and kick are partly an expression of chi powers.
19	* BlackMagic: It's always wrong to take a Power from Servitude contract. This is not mechanically supported - it doesn't affect your alignment or your actions, and it may be possible to escape the deal with your morality intact, so there's nothing stopping a PC from playing as a ComicBook/GhostRider type who uses their demonically-granted powers for good - but if you think you can sign a blank-check favor and still outwit a demon lord, you're kidding yourself.
20	* {{Blackmail}}: In the "One Dam Thing" adventure, the young college student Jeff Erikson is a mutant with hydrokinetic powers. Jeff tries to keep his powers secret and just wants to live a normal life. Unfortunately, a supervillain witnessed him using his powers to save some friends from a boating accident. That villain is now threatening to expose Jeff's secret unless Jeff puts on a costume and attacks the Hoover Dam.
21	* BladeBelowTheShoulder: A common weapon choice for cyborg heroes and certain types of mutant/alien heroes.
22	* ByThePowerOfGrayskull: Heroes who wield an Enchanted Weapon must speak the weapon's name aloud to activate it and gain their powers. Similarly, heroes whose powers were Mystically Bestowed upon them must speak a word of power to transform from their normal identity into their superhuman form.
23	* CaptainPatriotic: There are dozens of examples of both heroes and villains that have motifs based upon their country of origin. Heck, even the cover of the core game book features this.
24	* CharlesAtlasSuperpower: Physical Training heroes push their strength and agility to levels well beyond what we'd call "the human limit," to the point where their fists can even damage invulnerable beings.
25	* ChivalrousPervert: One side effect of the "Loves the Opposite Sex" weakness (see DistractedByTheSexy below) is that the hero in question will be more sympathetic towards the opposite gender and more inclined to support and believe them over others.
26	* TheChosenMany: Many heroes are granted their abilities from various gods or other supernatural beings that have decided to gift them and others like them with powers to aid in their fight against the forces of evil (or good if the entity in question is evil).
27	* CleavageWindow: Many of the female super outfits have these in various shapes.
28	* CompetitiveBalance: Mutant animals have a pool of Biological Energy (or BIO-E) points which they spend at character creation to give themselves increased size, human features such as bipedalism or the ability to speak, special abilities, and psionic powers. The number of available points is inversely proportional to the size and deadliness of the animal, with small animals like frogs and mice having a ton of BIO-E points while larger animals like tigers and bears have few or no points. The only way a big animal can get more points is by making it smaller. This was an intentional choice by the designers to keep players from gravitating to the biggest, nastiest animals available while ignoring the smaller ones.
29	* CreepyCrossdresser: Judy of the Fun Bunch gang dresses like a male clown because she believes it makes her look more intimidating and matches the look of her partner.
30	* {{Cyborg}}: Bionics are an available superpower type. Unlike experiments and mutants, bionic upgrades are a known (if still emerging) technology and available to the public (for a given definition of "available").
31	* DayHurtsDarkAdjustedEyes: Aliens can come from a "twilight world" shrouded in perpetual darkness. Such aliens have evolved to be extremely sensitive to light: they can see incredibly well in the dark, but any light brighter than 100 watts is blinding to them, and they must wear protective eyewear if they wish to fight crime during the day.
32	* DealWithTheDevil: Power from Servitude pacts, a form of Mystically Bestowed power, happen when a demon lord grants power to a mortal. Sometimes, this is an open agreement to life-long servitude, while other times it's a single favor (which will almost certainly damn the mortal).[[note]]Note the "almost." The book is a little self-contradictory on this, as it admits that you potentially ''can'' come out without your soul damned, and taking the pact doesn't actually change your CharacterAlignment, but it also says that there's never a reason to take the pact.[[/note]][[invoked]]
33	* DetectEvil: Wizards and magicians can sense the presence of profoundly evil beings, such as evil supernatural entities or supervillains of diabolic alignment. There is also a psionic power which lets you see a creature's general alignment, getting a sense of whether the creature is good or evil.
34	* DiabolicalMastermind: This is a position available for villains in Century Station. The Masterminds are the criminals at the top of the food chain, commanding lesser supervillains and un-powered enforcers in pursuit of their wicked schemes.
35	* DisposableSuperheroMaker: For various reasons, there's no way to mass-produce powered humans, and SuperSoldier programs inevitably get only a couple of successful results - and even if they can succeed, such programs are inevitably kept under very tight wraps. Nobody is mass-producing super armies yet.
36	* DistractedByTheSexy: Heroes with the "Loves the Opposite Sex" weakness will become easily distracted whenever an attractive member of the opposite gender strolls by, ignoring all but the most blatant and unsubtle events going on around them in the process.
37	* DoesntLikeGuns: Ancient Weapon Masters and Ancient Masters (the classes are unrelated) will not use modern weapons. Physical Training characters also tend to prefer hand weapons and their own bodies, but this isn't t a hard limitation.
38	* ElementalShapeshifting: The various Alter Physical Structure powers let you transform into a being made of an elemental substance like fire or stone.
39	* EnergyAbsorption: One of many energy-related powers the various superbeings can acquire.
40	* EnigmaticEmpoweringEntity: One of the main sources of superpowers in this game involves specifically chosen mortals receiving special gifts from mysterious supernatural entities such as gods or demons.
41	* ExtranormalPrison: Gramercy Island is mainly designed to house several powerful supervillains, though it also contains some "normal" human prisoners as well.
42	* ExtremeOmnivore: Introduced as a new ability in ''Powers Unlimited'' where it's called "Super-Consumption" and allows it's user to consume and digest anything from normal food to things like garbage and hard metal objects.
43	* FingerFirearms: The power for a character to transform their hands into projectile weapons is introduced in ''Powers Unlimited'' where it's referred to as the "Gun-Limb" ability. Players can even choose to go for a higher tier gun like an assault rifle if a pistol doesn't seem like it'll get the job done.
44	* GangOfHats: Many of the villain groups have a common theme or motif that ties them together. The ''Gramercy Island'' sourcebook in particular has a massive section dedicated to various unique super villain gangs and their members.
45	* GeneticEngineeringIsTheNewNuke: [[DefiedTrope Defied]], at least with human genetic engineering. The technology exists as of ''Powers Unlimited 2'', but it's much rarer than bionics, radiation, or chemical experimentation. Mutant ''animals'' are a major power category, as it doesn't matter whether they're evolved through chemistry, radiation or genetics.
46	* GeometricMagic: Wizards can use circle magic, which--as the name implies--requires them to create and stand in intricate circles to cast spells. This is more expensive and time-consuming than conventional spellcasting, as even the simplest magic circle takes half an hour to create, but it can produce some impressive effects which regular spell magic cannot replicate.
47	* HeartIsAnAwesomePower: The writers deliberately tried to make even the most worthless of powers seem useful by pointing out the potential applications the ability could provide during an adventure. The problem is that most of these scenarios are either extremely rare or impractical for the power in question to really be of any use. It's pointed out for example, that Color Manipulation can do things like change red traffic lights to green or vise versa during a high speed chase or make writing on an important document temporarily invisible. What it fails to take into account is how changing traffic lights on the fly is likely to simply be ignored by the villain (why would they care about traffic laws?) or that finding new ways of adding secret papers to the story for players to alter can get repetitive and boring very quickly. Luckily, this trope can still be played fairly straight in the hands of a good GM but good luck having fun with these kinds of powers in a more casual game.
48	* {{Heavyworlder}}: High-gravity planets are a viable option for an Alien character's homeworld. Characters from such a world are relatively short (they cap out at 5'6"), have innate bonuses to strength and durability, and move much faster than normal while in Earth's lighter gravity.
49	* HenshinHero: Mystically Bestowed heroes and wielders of Enchanted Weapons both undergo a transformation when activating their powers. The transformation is more extreme in the Mystically Bestowed hero's case, as they can go from a child or an invalid to a superhuman with a HeroicBuild. The Enchanted Weapon wielder bulks up too, just not to the same extent. In both cases the transformation garbs the hero in a fancy costume as well.
50	* HeroicBuild: Roughly 90% of the characters are drawn as super buff/stacked in the artwork, even if they only use non-physical powers like telekinesis or magic that logically shouldn't affect any part of their actual visible body in any way. What makes this especially odd is that some characters explicitly have superhuman beauty as one of their special abilities, which means characters [[InformedAttribute with a P.B. score in the upper twenties will often look no different from the "average joe" heroes with a P.B. in the low to mid tens.]]
51	* HeroicWillpower: The first ''Powers Unlimited'' sourcebook gives players the option of an "Iron Will" power that does nothing but drastically boost most of their saving throws by a considerable amount. [[BoringButPractical With the right type of build it can be surprisingly potent and is really useful even on builds that don't completely revolve around it.]]
52	* HumanAliens: You can easily create a [[Franchise/{{Superman}} Clark Kent]]-style alien superhero who looks indistinguishable from ordinary humans.
53	* ImmuneToBullets: A fairly common ability among both heroes and villains due to the large number of powers and abilities that can deflect, absorb or just straight up negate such projectiles outright.
54	* InhumanableAlienRights: Discussed in a couple of places. Aliens and known superheroes (and supervillains) have human rights, but the law is hopelessly behind the tech when it comes to lab-created mutants and any kind of mutant animal. Whether or not a mutant would be ruled "human" if it made it to court is a moot point when the latter won't happen - the "creature" will be transferred to a corporate black lab without so much as a chance to talk to a lawyer.
55	* KatanasAreJustBetter: When it comes to ancient weapons, the katana is king. Its damage output is matched only by the largest European broadswords and polearms, and is exceeded only by magical weapons and modern firearms.
56	* KryptoniteFactor: Many of the stronger powers come with a big drawback or two to help keep them balanced. Mega-Heroes in particular are required to have one of these by default to help offset their much higher power levels compared to the other hero types.
57	* MagicalAccessory: The Magic category lets you create a superhero whose magical powers come from an enchanted object such as a medallion, [[RingOfPower ring]], belt, [[MaskOfPower mask]], [[ClothesMakeTheSuperman cape, gloves,]] and so on. Such an object can either give the wielder superpowers or grant them a fixed number of magic spells.
58	* {{Mecha}}: The Robotics category includes rules for playing as the non-superpowered pilot of a giant robot. Said robot can be anything from a humanoid MiniMecha to an AnimalMecha to a WalkingTank, with the only limitations being the player's imagination and their design budget.
59	* MonsterClown: The Fun Bunch gang are a large group of [[CircusOfFear murderous circus themed]] criminals with several members that base their costume design off of this.
60	* MortonsFork: In ''Gramercy Island'', joining a prison gang is damned-if-you-do, damned-if-you-don't. If you don't join a gang, you have nobody to back you up when someone decides to prey on you, but if you do, you'll probably get shivved by the gang's enemies.
61	* MultiArmedAndDangerous: Extra limbs are possible, from both ordinary arms and legs to more extreme appendages such as tentacles. The type of extra limbs a character has also effects what specific abilities the additional limbs grant them.
62	* {{Mutants}}: Superpowered mutants are a valid option for player characters. Human mutants could be born with their powers or could have gained them through exposure to radiation or other substances, though the game makes no distinction between "natural" mutants and mutates. It's also possible to play as a heavily mutated animal in the vein of the ''Franchise/TeenageMutantNinjaTurtles''.
63	* NoPlansNoPrototypeNoBackup: ''Powers Unlimited 2'' talks about this as an option for SuperSoldier programs due to the secrecy involved. Maybe only one scientist knows the secret sauce, or it's hidden in one file kept under lock and key. If it goes away, the program can't be replicated.
64	* NoSell: One of the many types of powers players can get are various invulnerabilities to the powers other supers have. For example, the first ''Powers Unlimited'' sourcebook offers things like immunity to cold, immunity to toxins or immunity to electricity, among many ''many'' others. [[BoringButPractical They may not be as quite as flashy as energy blasts or super strength but they can make all the difference in some scenarios.]]
65	* NotQuiteFlight: Superheroes who possess the Weight Manipulation power can glide by making themselves weightless, while heroes with the [[ElementalShapeshifter Alter Physical Structure: Electricity]] power can fly by turning into a bolt of lightning and rocketing off in a random direction.
66	* NotWhatISignedOnFor: The villain Earthmover is part of a deadly duo with the plant alien Verdant, but isn't aware that Verdant plans to conquer Earth, kill most mammalian life and enslave the rest. When he learns, he's going to become violently angry.
67	* OnlyTheChosenMayWield: Anyone can pick up an Enchanted Weapon and swing it around, but unless the wielder's alignment matches that of the weapon, the weapon will not grant them its mystical powers. So heroic characters cannot use the powers of an evil weapon, and a supervillain cannot use the powers of a good weapon.
68	* OurMagesAreDifferent: The Magic category is quite broad and allows players to create many different types of mystical heroes. You could make a non-magical person whose powers come from possession of an Enchanted Weapon or Enchanted Object, a wizard or illusionist who gained their powers through intense Mystic Study, or a random person who was Mystically Bestowed their powers by some supernatural being.
69	* OurZombiesAreDifferent: Evil magic users can reanimate the dead as loyal zombie thralls. Zombies are dim-witted but quite tough, as they possess superhuman strength and cannot be harmed by any weapon that is not holy, magical, or made of silver. And if you manage to kill a zombie, it will reanimate within two days unless you exorcise it or bury its head separately from the rest of its body.
70	* PocketDimension: Available as quite a useful power in the ''Powers Unlimited'' sourcebook. It's pretty small at base level but with some experience it can quickly become one of the more worthwhile abilities to have, providing both a safe haven and an excellent place for storing valuables.
71	* PowerArmor: Heroes in powered exoskeletons are a viable character option.
72	* PowerUpFood: The optional Crazy Hero rules allow you to create a superhero who ''thinks'' that they get their powers from eating a specific (usually disgusting) food. The powers aren't actually tied to the food, but the hero's belief that they are is so strong that it functionally makes no difference. The game calls this "WesternAnimation/{{Popeye}} Syndrome" in a nod to the TropeMaker.
73	* PowersViaWeapon: The Magic category includes rules for playing a superhero whose powers come from an enchanted weapon. While the character has the weapon, they are a powerful MagicKnight with a boatload of mystical abilities at their disposal. Without the weapon, they're just an ordinary person.
74	* ProveIAmNotBluffing: In the "Mall of Terror" adventure, the Crime Masters are threatening to blow up a mall unless the police pay them a ransom of three million dollars. They plan to detonate the bomb even if their ransom demands are met, just prove that they weren't bluffing.
75	* PsychicPowers: Psionics make up an entire category of playable heroes. Their psi-powers are fuelled by [[ManaMeter Inner Strength Points]], and run the gamut from obvious choices like {{Telepathy}} and [[MindOverMatter telekinesis]] to more outlandish ones like {{Biomanipulation}} and [[PlayingWithFire pyrokinesis]]. Mutants and aliens can be psionic too, but they get fewer powers and Inner Strength Points than "natural" psionics do.
76	* RadiationInducedSuperpowers: Mutants and Experiments can gain their superpowers through exposure to radiation. The "One Dam Thing" adventure spoofs the trope with the Gold Falcon, a former convenience store cashier turned supervillain whose powers stem from standing next to a leaky microwave for hours at a time.
77	* RadiationImmuneMutants: Or rather, Radiation-Immune ''Aliens''. It's possible for an Alien character to have come from an extremely radioactive world. Such aliens are unharmed by all forms of radiation, but are themselves highly radioactive, and must wear a containment suit to protect others from the harmful radiation they give off.
78	* ReallySevenHundredYearsOld: One of the special powers a Mega-Hero can have is drastically slowed aging. (This gives them roughly a dozen extra years for each normal year a regular human has.)
79	* RecklessGunUsage: The Super-Human Observation and Control Knights (SHOCK) use this as part of setting up a WoundedGazelleGambit, by firing a "warning shot" ''within inches'' of their target to get the latter to think themselves under attack, at which point their target attacks them and is ideally killed "in self-defense." (This only works because their PR has made them largely above the law.)
80	* ReedRichardsIsUseless: Downplayed. Some technology does get out, but truly revolutionary inventions tend to be blocked, either because they're alien tech and there's an AlienNonInterferenceClause, because they can't be easily reproduced, or because a MegaCorp is strangling development so as not to devalue their own patents.
81	* SciFiWritersHaveNoSenseOfScale: "Cruise Mode" speed in Aliens Unlimited travels one light year per hour, and it supposedly can reach Andromeda in eight to twelve years. [[WritersCannotDoMath The actual time taken would be close to 300 years at that speed.]]
82	* ScrewTheRulesIHaveConnections: A lot of the adversaries that PC superheroes have to deal with (such as SHOCK and various MegaCorp actors in Century Station) are effectively above the law. The [=PCs=] are not - and not only that, but their CharacterAlignment restrains them from just murdering the problem. [[invoked]]
83	* SortingAlgorithmOfEvil: While you can challenge any kind of threat you want, there's a clear hierarchy and food chain of criminals in the Century Station setting. The hierarchy goes: Street Punks (average gangsters, mostly teenagers, with bats and pistols) -> Color Gangs (paramilitary street gangs identified by distinctive dress, equipped with military-grade weapons and possibly a few low-end superhumans) -> Supervillains (superpowered criminals, working alone or part of a team and occasionally hiring out to bigger fish, and culturally expected to engage in loud and risky "scores") and Syndicates (organized crime a la TheMafia) -> Masterminds (master supervillains who command lesser supervillain groups and enforcers, top of the food chain).
84	* {{Stripperiffic}}: Many of the female (and some male) hero outfits in this game leave very little to the imagination.
85	* SummoningRitual: Wizards can conduct a ritual to summon an extradimensional creature. This requires them to scribe a magic circle according to exact specifications and energize it with a blood sacrifice, at which point the creature will manifest within a few minutes. If the wizard allows the summoned creature to leave the summoning circle or stay in the mortal world for too long, they will lose control of the creature. Given that such creatures are evil and hateful toward humanity, losing control is not good.
86	* SuperheroPackingHeat: The Weapons Expert is a BadassNormal superhero whose power is being really good at building, maintaining and using guns.
87	* SuperheroesWearCapes: Much of the visuals in this series take clear inspiration from golden age superhero comics and the artwork regularly features heroes in capes even if the cape would logically serve no other function than style and dramatic flair. There are quite a few capeless heroes and villains though, so capes are mostly just an optional player or GM choice.
88	* SuperhumanTrafficking: Comes up from time to time in some of the books in this series. ''Mutant Underground'', for example, has a small section about the mutant slave trade and offers some adventure ideas for the GM to use.
89	* SuperpowerLottery: Downplayed, if not fully averted. The game creators purposely limited the power level of characters, to avoid creating an InvincibleHero who can solve any problem with no effort. But players demanded a character type with more power, so the Second Edition rules included the Mega-Hero. They are more powerful than regular superheros, but not to the point of being officially sanctioned {{Munchkin}}s, and are somewhat balanced by weaknesses other hero types don't have. The book recommends using Mega-Heroes when the whole party agrees to play as them, so that one character doesn't overshadow everyone else.
90	* SuperSenses: In just about every flavor imaginable from psionics to mutations to magic. If its appeared in a comic book at some point the reader can probably find it here.
91	* SuperSoldier: There's a power type for experimental supersoldiers with powers, and there's also bionically-enhanced soldiers (ranging from Special Operatives with a few implants to full-on cyborgs).
92	* SuperStrength: Quite possibly the single most common power in the game due to it complimenting and supporting virtually any playstyle the players could possibly think of. It also helps that it's so simple and easily justified that it can fit onto any type of character with ease. Cyborgs, mutants, aliens, super soldiers, demi-gods, mages, psychics... ''anyone'' can become strong with a little effort, luck or skill. (Or just a couple good rolls of the dice.)
93	* SuperTeam: The player group is likely to form one of these unless the GM already has their powers and suits picked out for the campaign they're running. A few other NPC examples exist as well.
94	* TheTeamNormal: In the "Mall of Terror" adventure, Task Master (no relation to the Marvel Comics character) is a non-superpowered mercenary in a team consisting of himself, a super strong mutant who can shoot various kinds of energy blasts, and a guy who can control darkness. Despite his lack of powers, Task Master's experience, military training, and arsenal of weapons make him the deadliest of the three.
95	* TerroristsWithoutACause: In the "Mall of Terror" introductory adventure, a trio of supervillains known as the Crime Masters have taken over a mall. They have taken dozens of people hostage and are threatening to detonate a bomb unless the police pay them a ransom of three million dollars. There is no greater ideology guiding their actions, they just want the money.
96	* TouchedByVorlons: The Magic category includes rules for creating a superhero whose powers were granted to them by a supernatural entity. This lets the hero transform from an ordinary person into a superhuman with enhanced physical attributes and a selection of spells and/or superpowers, not unlike ComicBook/{{Shazam}}.
97	* TransformationIsAFreeAction: Deliberately averted for game balance. Players always need at least one melee round to use any of their "Alter Physical Structure" powers and supers with more than one form can't just switch between them endlessly, it always takes a moment to change from one to the other.
98	* TrickBullet: Several special bullet types such as AP rounds or DUC (Depleted Uranium Core) rounds are available for players to use. Shotguns in particular get a ton of special shells such as flechette, exploding and rocksalt rounds.
99	* UndergroundRailroad: The ''Mutant Underground'' sourcebook is ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin with a detailed focus on an underground mutant freedom and rescue movement, including stats and bios for many of its more prominent [=NPCs=] and a list of new mutant powers and other important information.
100	* VillainCred: A cultural expectation in Century Station. Supervillains are supposed to engage in big, flashy scores and fight superheroes; those who engage in more PragmaticVillainy like liquor-store robberies are called "lowballers" and shunned by other villains.
101	* WeaksauceWeakness: It's entirely possible for a Mega-Hero to end up with one of these. Bad allergies, anyone?
102	* WeNeedADistraction: In the "One Dam Thing" adventure, Brainstorm's attack on Hoover Dam is meant to keep the cops busy while his blackmailer, the Gold Falcon, robs an armored car.
103	* WhatAPieceOfJunk: In ''Aliens Unlimited'', salvaged or secondhand ships are often modded way beyond specifications, resulting in flying scrap heaps that can outrace naval corvettes. These machines tend to be [[TheAllegedCar extremely temperamental]] without a good mechanic to keep them running, though.
104	* WhatKindOfLamePowerIsHeartAnyway: With a series this big that has spawned several additional sourcebooks dedicated solely to adding more superpowers to the game its pretty much inevitable that a few would come up short. That being said, the creators did try to make every power at least ''somewhat'' useful in its own way, though how well they did mostly depends on the opinion of the players themselves. (See HeartIsAnAwesomePower above.)
105	* WolverineClaws: Bionic characters can be fitted with all kinds of retractable arm- and finger-blades, including ones based on the TropeNamer.
106	* WretchedHive: Many of the major city districts described in the ''Century Station'' sourcebook fall under this, particularly those with high crime and poverty rates. Hannigan (AKA "The Grinder") is one such location, with lovely places like the "Battleground" and "Sniper's Alley" to give players an idea of what life is like for the unfortunate locals.

Context TabletopGame / HeroesUnlimited