Villains and Vigilantes - Mechanics

Mechanics

Characters in Villains and Vigilantes reflected the unique nature of the rules. First, instead of playing a completely fictional character, players were encouraged to start the character-creation process with a version of themselves (presumably as the superhero's "secret identity.") V&V then used random die rolls for the origins of superpowers (i.e., mutant, space alien, etc.) number and type, sometimes resulting in odd combinations. A further quirk of the system was that while players advanced in levels and hit points, superpowers did not, lending a different feel to characters at low, middle and high power levels.

Another notable feature of the system was its approach to combat: a table outlined the effectiveness of the attacker's superpower (for example, an energy blast) against all of the defender's powers, reflecting in theory the interplay of attack and defense powers.