Headquarters

This Advantage is available for purchase only during Character Creation, or as part of a Wealth Subplot so significant that the Character in question is rebuilding their life from scratch as part of a different Supergroup and a different society. It comes in two sizes: Confined or Expansive.

Confined Headquarters

Cost: 10 Hero Points

A Confined Headquarters is a small space, often located within a larger building. The HQ is no larger than four hundred square feet in its total floorplan. It might be a hidden room inside a New York City condominium. It might be an entire "Tiny Houses" style gardener's cottage, camouflaged within the landscaping on a grand Louisiana estate. It might be a forgotten utility closet in a renovated shopping mall in Toronto, filled with compact exercise equipment and barely enough space to stash two supersuits.

It is not going to host an entire Supergroup; it may be able to fit a single-passenger motor vehicle, but it does not have room for a full size sedan.

Expansive Headquarters

Cost: 15 Hero Points

An Expansive Headquarters is a sprawling amount of space! This complex starts at fifteen hundred square feet and goes upward from there. On the plus side, all of that space is very well concealed! Many classic Expansive Headquarters have been located in cavern systems, between desert dunes, on or under the ocean surface, and in the Employees Only areas of certain significant landmarks.

One noted Supergroup likes to set up their Expansive Headquarters above a local bar or restaurant, taking over all of the building that is not directly related to the dining establishment.

The chief drawback of an Expansive Headquarters is that it tends to be located away from the adventuring area. It is difficult to reach -- otherwise random citizens would come clomping in -- and it is often built in an isolated location so that the Character has enough privacy to get complicated work done. Travel between HQ and the current adventuring location is likely to require a story-relevant amount of time.

Utility

Included contents

A Headquarters of any size comes with the modest supplies that could be purchased from a Big Box Home Furnishings Store for under $500. It won't have a top notch sewing machine unless the Character makes a Wealth Check to buy the better model, but it will have a tolerably functional one. It will have basic utilities (electric power, access to potable water, some means of safely discarding refuse) and, if it's in a population center, the municipal wireless internet signal is strong enough to be of casual use. Computers, remote surveillance networks, and security systems are Gadgets that must be purchased separately from the cost of the Headquarters.

Unless!

If a Laboratory or Workshop is built inside a Headquarters owned by the same Character, then the security devices protecting this facility are part of the Headquarters. They would only need to be purchased as separate Gadgets if the Character wants a higher AP rating on the systems protecting their Headquarters than the AP rating of the Workshop itself.

If the Gadgeteer in question has a high enough AP rating at the Security Systems subskill of Thief to equal at least three quarters of the Workshop AP rating, the GMs will not come by to ask whether some other Character helped with the design and installation. Only when the Workshop AP rating is more than twice the AP rating of the Gadgeteer's Security Systems would assistance from another Character be mandatory -- it is possible for a Gadgeteer to Boost their Security Systems skill rating high enough for this roll, so long as they take their time and apply some Hero Points.

(Remember that most Gadgets built into this building are still theoretically eligible to be Taken Away in Combat. The GMs may not agree to the discounted price if the Gadget is bolted to the floor and not digitally controllable!)

Storytelling Media

A Player who is so inclined, might create their own Maps or blueprints or room scenes for their Headquarters. The GMs will work with that player on connecting those images to a (landmark) article for the HQ. If the result makes for good story fodder or worldbuilding, the GMs might also give the Player some sort of game mechanic benefit:

• One Time Only favorable Two Column Shift Modifier to the Gadgetry and Wealth rolls for a Gadget built to remain always in the HQ.
• One Free Connection (Low) to a salesperson or senior customer service representative at a company that supplies expensive equipment components.
• One Time Only Reroll of a Repair, Research, or Recovery Check if done completely within the HQ.

The image will need creator credits, as all images here do.

One of the GMs has gotten a lot of mileage out of going to "AleyMart" in Second Life, then spending a week or two building scene settings to screencap. Inventiveness and patience can accomplish a lot!

adapted from

DC Heroes Roleplaying Game Second Edition

page 34

published by Mayfair Games

Game Mechanics

Confined Headquarters

Hero Point Cost:

10

Size limit:

less than 400 ft²

Expansive Headquarters

Hero Point Cost:

15

Size limit:

more than 1500 ft²

Restrictions

Headquarters Advantage is meant to be taken only during character creation. Once the Character has begun play, acquisition of a private HQ is either a Wealth Subplot, or part of a Supergroup Storyline and therefore shared with the entire Supergroup.

Access & Availability

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Where do I put this?

The Headquarters does need to be described on the Character Sheet of its owner, in whatever amount of detail the Player likes -- at minimum including

• its size;
• whether it is meant to be camouflaged;
• its physical location in the world;
• its installed Gadgets if any, including their costs in HP and Wealth;
• the date of its most recent Maintenance.

A Player who is editing their character's Article can put their Headquarters description anywhere that makes sense to them: in the top Vignette, in the "Wealth" box as one of their Assets on the Social tab, as a child (Landmark) article giving the building its own fancy name, in the Specialized Equipment box on the Physical tab ... any combination of those, or something else entirely.

Currently, Players who are using the Edit feature on their active character profile might be best served by putting their Headquarters description in the Wealth box on the Social Status tab of the Extended Profile.