Basic Action Super Heroes!

To clarify the range of damage types to be chosen from if a character buys resistances or immunities and to make clear which attacks harm heros/villains in ghost form I put together a list. Feel free to point to missing damage types or comment:

Damage types:
Acid
Asphyxation (Suffocation, Drowning)
Bullets
Cold
Crushing (punching, bashing, pure force, falling, sound waves etc)
Cutting (Blades)
Decay (Aging, Entropy)
Disease (Bacteria etc.)
Heat (Fire)
Mental
?Molecular?
Piercing (teeth, grenades, stabbing knives etc)
Poison
Radiation

Energy Damage Types:
Electricity
Holy/Unholy
Light (Laser)
Mystical (Magic, Soul)

Changed: 05.02.12

Rather than "bacteria" I'd make it "Disease" to be more encompassing.

Also, I'd make Fire/Heat one type.

What about Entropy?

Another one, what about "Necrotic" damage (but that might be a form of "mystical" damage it is one of "dark energy". I guess Unholy covers this though.

I changed Bacteria for Disease and made bacteria an example.

I figured Entropy fits into the decay type (probably vice versa?).

Necrotic could be put under Disease/Decay/or Mystical I think.

I made Heat and Fire two types for the following reason: The typical undead (Zombie) would not care more than a human to be heated up a little. In fact he probably could take much more heating than a human. On the other hand, if he is dead for a while and therefore a little dry he might be very susceptible to fire (Weakness).
Also a suit made of some fireproof material might protect a human/hero nearly an indefenite time from fire. The heat would be problem fast though. This could be represented in the game through giving a hero/villain the choice (after attacking the same target with fire attacks for at least two or three rounds) whether they do damage through fire or through heat. Although that might be a bit complicated.

I don't think I'd get so detailed as to have heat and fire seperate, but that's just me.

If you are going to get that technical, shouldn't Laser fall under Heat then?

What about Chemical? I think it could be folded into Disease... or rather, the other way around.

Chemical would be in Poison, I would think.

Regarding Heat/Fire, I would agree that a zombie could withstand higher temps, like say 200 degrees while a human would die.

However, that is more of an "ambient" heat. A Zombie would be shredded by heat rays (and probably ignite on fire).

Regarding Heat/Fire, I would agree that a zombie could withstand higher temps, like say 200 degrees while a human would die.

However, that is more of an "ambient" heat. A Zombie would be shredded by heat rays (and probably ignite on fire).

Makes sense to me. Although I am still not sure how to handle microvawes for example. We have one hero with such an attack. If you made fire and heat different damage types I would say Microwave is Heat Damage. I agree that a heatwave would ignite the Zombie. But would the microwave?

Chemicals would depend in my eyes: Poison, Acid, Disease and Radiation seem possible choices to me.

What do you think about adding a "Molecular" damage type. Microwaves eg could be put into that category as they make atoms/cells move. One of our heroes can transform into an particle storm. This one you could also put into the Molecular-Category.
I would not mind then, making Fire an example for Heat-Damage

Microwave seems like a combo of Heat and Radiation; which is not an unusual combo.

Been thinking of doing something similar myself - nice work
Here's my 2c. Crushing is too broad, I'd split it down to Impact (falling/knock-back),Blunt (Punching) and Sonic categories.


I use Asphyxiation in place of suffocation and drowning , unless there's a good reason (like a fish man) for going for the more specific type.

I think heat and fire should be one thing. Its the heat from the fire that does the damage. I allow immunity to temperature extremes in my game, but they don't help against special attacks (though they do against weather control or the environs of space).

I also count ice/cold as one type.

I like the unholy/holy damage type.

I'd probably go with Magical over Mystical - but that's just a personal choice.

The tricky thing imho is deciding what energy types can effect ghost form. I usually rule based on the special effect of the ghost form and the attack. Perhaps a list of special effects for powers would be useful.

A person who shifts into the astral plane should be immune to non magical effects But a hero who melds with shadows could be vunerable to any sort of light based attack.

good input.

I am not picky about the terms, so Asphyxation is fine for me. I would not mind magical damage. Mystical feels a bit broader. Although I cannot think of mystical damage that would not be deemed magical too at the moment. I agree that Ice is a subcategory of cold.

I understand your suggestion to divide Bashing. It would balance Resistances and Immunities a bit more. On the other hand I see it as basically the same form of damage. Whether your face is gouged by sonic waves, a fist or a fall out of the window, it always comes back to an impact/ a bash Some more opinions/experiences on that point would be nice.

With the energy damage types vs. Ghost form you adressed an issue that is also very tricky in my eyes. As I find Ghost form pretty strong, especially because it is easy to have attacks that work when in Ghost Form I tend to be rather generous in which energy forms can harm a Ghost. On the other hand I am not happy about the Ghost being hurt in a burning building. There are two possible ways in my eyes: either to rule that all energy types (perheps except kinetic) do harm ghosts and that a ghost form character has to buy immunities if the wants more OR to restrict the energy types that do harm ghosts and to make them choose some (three) materials that are solid for them in ghostform (there is a rule like this in the Feng Shui Roleplay). Items made of those materials then can harm the ghost too.

This is great work Sunslinger. You should write this up for BAM (Basic Action Magazine). Something like this would make a great reference.